Should we be worried about the Clippers? | The Lowe Post
And now the low post welcome to the low post podcast on a Friday morning in Los Angeles it has been a hell of a week in the NBA two of the games of the year the max stru game in Cleveland the Lakers rousing comeb back behind three after
Three after three from LeBron James against the Clippers followed up by a wild overtime win against you know look if you you got to bring it against the Washington Wizards the nine win Washington Wizard you got to bring it the Western Conference playoff race is getting heated wemy versus Chad last
Night Wy ate him up in the fourth quarter had a Billy Madison block shot on him like Billy Madison playing against the fifth graders the ball doesn’t even get out of your hand chin gum how are you we’re back in the building hello hello good to be back to
My favorite podcast oh look at that um let’s start off with uh with the Lakers and LeBron James who is I believe nine points away from uh 40,000 points every single day on NBA today 3 p p.m. eastern time 12:00 P p.m. Pacific time uh we essentially asked the same question in
Different ways which is who has a better chance of making a deep playoff run the Golden State Warriors of the Los Angeles Lakers so here’s where we are the Lakers after this little win streak there on a mini two- game win streak by the way
Last night CH must win you have to win that game if you’re the Lakers are 33 and 28 they’re in ninth they are three games in the loss column even in the win column three games in the loss column behind the Kings for eighth three games
Behind the Lost column for the Mavs as well who are seven I have faith in the Mavs I’m looking at the Kings because the kings are not playing very well they have two head-to-head games left against the Lakers and the Warriors are right behind the Lakers at 31 and 27 two games
Out in the Lost column two games out in the win column playing I think better than the Lakers so I will just let’s just start with that question after seeing these teams kind of find themselves of late both of them are on little winning streaks what is your
Answer to the question that we ask every day on NBA TV who should the teams at the top of the West fear more well if it’s going to be the Lakers the thing that gives me I guess you can say confidence in them is that anytime
There is a narrative there’s a big game they show up we saw this on full display the menu was out there six games inseason tournament big games they show up right battle for La there was uh the narrative right like hey last regular season match up between the Lakers and
The flippers and at first we’re like okay this one is done by the fourth quarter and then no that energy that I that identity of this could be an instant classic slowly started building as the minutes ticked off in the fourth and so the Lakers are a big game team
Which is why I’m glad they beat the wizards and this is what shocks me like you can get up versus the Clippers mind you no Paul George no zbots so yeah they were they were hurting a little bit um but you can’t get a you know you need
What 30 and nine from LeBron and 40 and 15 from 80 to beat you know the Wizards so that that’s the challenge for me in in trying to understand who this Lakers team I think in the playoffs when every game matters we’ll see their best form
Of basketball but through an 82 game uh season where you’re one of your best players is 39 old and has to carry along the rest it’s just hard to see that same identity happen time and time again but I have said this is the most important
Stretch of the Lakers season we had that home stand I think it was early January right where we said that before but really that was the most important to see whether or not LeBron wants you to get traded and what did we see from that
Time we saw Reeves ball out we saw DLo have one of his best shooting stretches of his last two years once again most important stretch we’ve all said it 11 out of the 12 but now we ticked down you know now it’s 11 these they don’t leave
The state of California this is the time where you can jockey for positioning this is why being the Clippers matter this is why being the Wizards matter if they want to make a push and they actually want to do something this year and the West that’s gotten better it
Starts now it started with the Clippers they handle their business versus the Wizards but the way that they won versus the Wizards makes me nervous did you answer the question is your answer Lakers oh wait is it out of all teams no Warriors or Lakers who should who I was
Warriors Warriors are late pay attention CH get in the game oh my gosh I’m so sorry I’m I’m going to still give it to the Lakers I’m gonna give it to the Lakers yeah thank you uh I disagree with you I think you’re wrong I think it’s
The Warriors I think the so Steph was asked after the game against New York last night and by the way look it’s hard to really even analyze the Knicks because they have so many guys who are hurt but it’s time I mean like this this
Thing in the East is now five teams for three players play off spots below Milwaukee who’s in third the Knicks are 35 and 25 they are hanging on for absolute dear life to not just the four seed to a top six seed because the Sixers have 25 losses the magic have 26
The Pacers have 26 and the heat here come the heat although they lost last night to Denver have 26 losses like I don’t know who the hell is making the playoffs and the playin in the east at this point but that’s besides the point for now Steph said after the game
He was asked um something about do you got do you feel like the team has found its identity and Steph doesn’t take these questions lightly uh when he talks big picture about the team he he answers honestly and he is not uncomfortable saying that the team is uncomfortable or
Not sort of in the groove that they need to be in and he said last night yeah I I think we do I think we’re forming one I think we have an identity and I totally agree with him and this is one of those you know it when you see at things the
Minute Draymond came back the minute Steve Kerr congrats on your massive extension by the way Steve Kerr um started Draymond at Center started kaminga started Wiggins best to the family Andrew Wiggins I hope you get back soon everything clicked into place for them including Jonathan kinga’s role
The bench Klay Thompson coming off the bench has really worked uh for him Chris Paul coming off the bench is going to work they have they feel like a team that knows who they are to me their point differential is way better than the Lakers and to your point about
Wizards and we talked about this yesterday after the Clippers game these wins are nice in season tournament was cool like they just don’t get easy wins like every win is really hard for the Lakers they have to bring it every like Full Throttle every game like that game
Against the Clippers flipped when LeBron decided all right I gotta guard kawhai I’m gonna guard him I’m gonna guard him hard I’m going to get in his face I’m going to get in his stance I’m going to change the whole vibe of this game like
That’s that’s a a lot of work for a dude who’s like not that much younger than me and um it it’s just it’s never easy and the playoffs yeah there are no back-to-backs and they’re act the first round is actually friendlier to older thinner teams than the second round
Because there’s a lot of days off the second round you’re going every other day it’s nice that they can have a high one game ceiling it would be nicer if they could win some easy games and have like they just to win four playoff games
Is hard and like you can’t say it enough they’re ninth and 10th right now until one of these teams gets into eighth like it’s it’s sort of a dumb question to even talk about who’s going to make a deeper playoff for him because one of them ain’t even making the second part
Of the play in tournament and that’s why I got my eye on the Kings because the the kings are the team that if someone is being caught that’s going to be the team yeah honestly I think when actually hearing and addressing your question it’s the recency bias that gets me like
How do you bet against LeBron James James but then also how do you bet against the Lakers size and defense and that identity now I am bought in on the Golden State Warriors figuring things out they actually I have some people on the inside over there and when things
Were really bad when things were really bad they said hey we’re going to figure this out things are going to get better um and I think and I brought this point up on NBA today I was just watching this is the most I guess you can say challenging coaching job for Coach Steve
Kerr because for so long the Golden State their identity has been strengthen numbers go out there run the system you don’t even really have to call plagues they just spread the floor they move they set really great screens and they get great shots they get great looks now
Based off of the plethora perimeter players that they have that can provide perks in performance oh like like psky right um I think that now coach Steve Kerr has to really monitor a lot of different things clay going to the bench I think took a lot of pressure off of
Him uh knowing him the past year or so he’s someone that even after they won their Championship he was still like oh I gotta get better I was like man don’t you want to celebrate right and instead like you know it’s been a process like figuring out how to maneuver all of
Their strengths is now no longer a oh go out there and see what happens it’s now a game by game decision and I think that’s going to be as much as they’re building an identity it’s going to be very reactive and C I’m curious to see how they handle okay playay shooting
Well what lineup do we have here or maybe we need someone else like we more need more defense obviously you know hope Wiggins is is doing well and best to his family but without him how do you manage that because Wiggins was actually do a like moderately better before this
Time right yeah he was he was starting to pop a little bit he was starting to look a little bit more like the guy who was the second best player on a championship team in exactly and at the end of the day it really comes down to
If you’re looking at these two teams Head to Head Steph LeBron you take him off of the floor who’s the next best player to me and it’s Anthony Davis now you want those put your team on your back moments like we consistently get from LeBron in a loud way but he’s been
Consistent he’s been as healthy as he’s been as a Laker I still look I don’t maybe it’s the the blast radius of LeBron James doing what he does but right right now I’m still looking at the Lakers as a team that can potentially now it’s it’s crazy that we have to put
One in one head tohe I’m warriors on this question but if you were going to make the Lakers argument you would you would not only look at the sort of ability to rise to one big game and nobody wants to see LeBron on the other
Side of the court for one just make it a slog you know win the game in the muck and being a chess master all that stuff you could also point to like finally and I’ve said this a million times they are finally starting ruy and playing ruy more which means they’re playing their
Best fourman unit of Reeves ruie LeBron and AD and slowly but surely that group is piling up a solid plus minus they’re now plus six per 100 possessions it was negative a while ago and now it keeps getting better and better and better and
That’s a big deal by the way I just want to go back to cerr for a second I don’t think any Championship four-time Champion coach has been nitpicked more by the fan base of his own team in the history of Earth than Steve cerr and everybody well it’s just
If like I don’t engage with it much anymore but it’s like more pick and roll the system all the system like do this and I think the 2022 title and this season sort of and this is not the first season we’ve seen unfold like this where the Warriors kind of struggle and find
Themselves um the year they made the play in tournament and lost which set the stage for their title year when they they found their identity again late in the season and went on a run the system works that title in this season are Redemption for Steve Kerr
Everybody wants him to play a certain way and there have been times when I also said look you’re facing a defense that is taking away all this pretty stuff can you just run the Steph Katy pick and roll to death and when Mike Brown took over on an interim basis in
The playoffs he did that against the Blazers and so I was like okay it is possible but I I don’t follow football much anymore but I wonder what someone who did follow football would say about Kerr and Steph as the Brady and bellich of the NBA
Not set aside the fact that the Brady bich thing I guess got a little sour by the end that’s never gonna happen with Steve and Steph it’s just hard to separate them because Steve Kurt took this job knew I have a generational Superstar who plays a style that the
League has never really seen before he’s the Great greatest shooter of all time and he moves around he doesn’t even need or want he wants the ball but he doesn’t need it that much I’m going to build everything around that everything and yeah I got this big man and Draymond
Green who oh my God David Lee got hurt I discovered he fits this system perfectly offensively and defensively um that system works would it work without Steph no like it’s impossible to separate the quote system that Steve Kerr has installed and the Superstar around which
All of it is based will we ever see Curry coach a team without Stephen Curry I don’t know maybe we never will but the fact is the system that he runs works the system that he built around this player works it works really well and every goddamn year we go through this
Thing where all the Warriors are sh and then it’s like it all clicks into place uh the other thing about I wonder what you think of this as a player this is my other take on the Kerr contract so he’s making 17 and a half million a year on
This extension after the SPO big money deal after the Monty Williams big money deal SMY Williams Gonna Make more is more than a million dollars per win this season potentially for the Pistons anyway um I wonder what you think of this as a player one of the things that’s
Interesting to me about these coaches getting massive salaries now is for the first time in a little while they are earning more than like half the players on the roster including almost including anybody on a rookie contract and I wonder if that shifts the power dynamics
At all like are players aware of like what the coach makes how many years are on the contract like to me to me it’s interesting why you throwing me the lob you know I’m a WNBA player we things with a fine tooth comb you know that’s one of the
Narratives that came out after Becky Hammond was signed as the Las Vegas Aces head coach because it came out being the highest paid WBA head coach 1 million and we all know that our top players make around 200,000 right and you typically have two maybe three on a
Squad if you’re able to contractually with the CBA and so yeah the coaches are making way more multiples times of the top players so we know what the situation is it’s funny because a lot of people criticize you know even internally players criticize that deal
What the heck to me you give you’re you have the opportunity to get one of the best coaches in basketball we’re not talking about because she was with the Spurs basketball period you have to pay her what she deserves right and people also don’t understand how competitive the Collegiate landscape is when it
Comes to coaches contracts we want to get the best coaches overall so you got to pay now we are making progress in our CBA so our players can get paid more but we are very aware now in the NBA ranks I’m just speculating I’m not an NBA
Player clearly I don’t think that move is a needle for guys like potentially G ker getting paid more than a player on his team I think that that means there’s more pressure right because if you know how Golden State runs it runs per Steph Curry Draymond Green Klay Thompson and
Steve Kerr right and so those guys are all paid and Clay looking to get paid but we know historically what he’s been making that’s the group tank that’s what do they call the Brain Trust that’s the Brain Trust right there I think everyone else around is trying to prove it which
Is we’ve seen Jonathan kaminga put himself on the line a little bit to prove it and say hey I need this opportunity and it kind of worked to his Advantage right it didn’t kind of work it worked not only putting them on notice and then on top of it the haircut
Like oh was the best situation for kaminga so I don’t think these guys really focus on that I think what I heard when when the contract deal was done was it’s on Steph Curry’s timeline like they’re they’re now you I don’t know if you can see me but my fingers
Are crossed these two guys are on the same timeline and I like that because that shows you the most important aspects as you highlighted this is the guy who created the system around Steph and step is the re like you’ve got two years in your Prime to make it shake or
Else things could really be shaking I hate saying shaking in California because you know what that means earthquake freak out go to Twitter but yeah those are those are my thoughts um good thoughts I like the thoughts um to go back to my Lakers point there Point differential for the
Season overall plus minus for the season is minus 23 wait interjecting since we’re talking football LeBron absolutely compared the Lakers to the Pittsburgh Steelers where you can like only win by a hair it’s gonna it’s never going to be a it’s not it’s not gonna be the Kansas
City Chiefs offensive showcase so go ahead did the Steelers make the playoffs this year I know they didn’t if they did they did not do very well in the playoffs corre which is my point to win four games against Minnesota Oklahoma City Clippers Denver whoever it is like that is highlevel
every single night and the Lakers just haven’t had that track record yet now let’s do a little LeBron thing because we’re not going to do this every time he hits a thousand Point interval but 40,000 points humans are cavemen round numbers round numbers fun we like round numbers round numbers good zero
Good zero important um we talked a little bit about it yesterday on the show just the Brilliance of this guy no one has ever done this before at his age and just we kind of went through some of our favorite under we using the comeback against the Clippers as a
Jumping off point kind of our favorite under the radar or F just favorite LeBron offensive games um just give give have you thought more about that question what was your answer tell me your answer my answer was 2012 Conference Finals Eastern that’s where we got the eyes because after the Lakers
Game wi versus the Clippers Darin ham LeBron talked about superpowers the Flow State and just how he feels like when he gets into that zone it’s really special and he just leans into it for me My Generation 45 15 versus Celtics like leaning over just everything around the
World it almost looked like he was I this this is a bad confession I’ve never watched Avengers endgame I’ve never watched Avengers anything I’ve tried to make it through the Marvel Challenge and I think I saw the Guardians of the Galaxy too but I’m just going to say Thanos or something like that
End game you saw that image that’s what’s imprinted on my mind and since we’re talking LeBron and what I loved about that superpower I said it on air it wasn’t the it wasn’t the 19 points that he you know had down the stretch to outscore the Clippers who had 16 it was
What that superpower did to his teammates and if they cannot capitalize off of the momentum of something like that experiencing that and saying hey we’ve got this man at 39 that is capable of this we’ve got 80 dropping 40 and 15 let’s step up our games in that stretch
Those quote unquote role players hachimura um DLo they shot four for six from three they were like I’m not letting my big bro down right they made nine threes LeBron James included in that final stretch of a quarter they average 11th makes their third worst in the NBA in three-point makes like what
LeBron does I don’t know any other player that really can bring that out of their team down the stretch um I don’t know I toss it to you like is there have you seen anyone do that I mean yic but poor poor Anthony Davis who only gets talked about
On ESPN television when he has 18 points or 15 points and everyone’s like where is Anthony Davis why doesn’t he show up every day just quietly is having an unbelievable season like should be at the back end of the MVP conversation 25 and 12 bringing it pretty much every
Game won’t get talked about just a rote 25 he might get talked about today because he had 40 he might be cool with that honestly um so on LeBron so you’re talking about game six against the Celtics in 2012 with the heat based sing elimination in Boston Windor is argued I think
Correctly that is the single most consequential game of LeBron’s career and maybe his greatest if if great is if if sort of consequences are your definition of greatness as well as just what he did to the Celtics in that game single-handedly eviscerating them from Jump Street um because we that that is
If they lose that series I don’t really think anybody knows what happens to the heatles and who like I don’t know if I don’t know what happens that is a a a top five sliding doors game in the in NBA history my two would be this just very quickly my not they’re not
Underrated but they’re known for other things um I’ve said this before game one of the 2018 finals which was the J.R Smith forgets the score game in a series that the Cavs got swept in and were drawing dead against the maybe the greatest team ever assembled not as good
As the year before but the same general team The Warriors he had LeBron had 51 eight and eight on 19 of 32 shooting in that game against and the and the warriors were throwing everything at him Draymond Iguodala switches doubles I don’t say this lightly and I
Am 46 so I did not see some of the greats in the 70s and early 80s play in like a serious I wasn’t like seriously observing them and even in when I was a kid growing up it’s not like I was breaking down Magic Johnson and Larry
Bird and stuff like that that might be the best basketball game I’ve ever seen anybody play considering the opposition the stakes all of it the team he was facing and there are people within the Warriors who would agree to that and they were like oh my God the other one
Is the Ray Allen game in game six of the 2013 finals is known as the Ray Allen game for obvious reasons LeBron had a 30s something triple double in that game and if you watch the fourth quarter in overtime they were down 11 at the end of the
Third quarter he is it’s not a it’s a good scoring game but not a great one but it is an incredible allaround Lebron game he is like watching that LeBron is like watching a different basketball player he’s so fast it’s it’s like when he decided to guard Kawai for 10 minutes
In against the Clippers night it was like that times one and a half for the entire game just flying around blocking shot it was incredible anyway um are you worried about the Clippers at all I’m not really worried about the Clippers the only thing that makes me
Nervous is the Knicks and knacks like are these serious Nicks and knacks that will mean that come postseason Paul George might have to sit out now kawh kaai is carrying a heavier load when he’s tired and now he’s going to have like what is the chain uh event chain of
Events that potentially could happen from what we’re seeing and I do think that there are two things happening post All-Star people are tired even St since we’re talking the Warriors Steve KR said hey Steph is tired prior to this Nicks matchup he was four out of five we said
This four to five games shooting less than 36% from the field tyres hurn you know he was the host of Allstar you see a lot of guys that have been tired but then also I I think this is the playoffs this is the pre- playoffs a lot of teams
Are now looking at the standings and saying we have to win X game like the matrixes are building and so yeah I I I the Clippers I there just is something in me that makes me feel like you know the gut this is their time qu Leonard’s
Best shooting season Paul George when he was out there perfect in his role apparently you know everyone’s favorite player if you’re under the age of 21 James Harden I I’ve Loved how he’s embraced the catch and shoot no longer hurling his self to the basket getting
Fouls um Norm Powell I train with Norm Powell’s trainer and so I’ve known his grind and his sustained Excellence at being someone that can provide a boost you know seeing what he’s been committed to shout out to AJ Diggs and then just one of the deepest rosters battle tested
Coach it it’s it’s difficult in the west but like when you see success in the postseason it’s typically going to be on the perimeter with the exception of you right they have one of the best perimeters they have they have everything they really do and they also
Have centers that can bang that can provide meaningful minutes and so they’re they’re loaded health is the only thing when I hear oh out soreness this that I’m like oh no are you going to be at 100% because up until now I would give the Clippers an a not an A+ an
A so the Clippers are three and five in their last eight games have slipped a little bit on both ends of the Flor FL their transition defense has been God awful the entire season and kawhai called it out recently I was reading an article by my buddy La Murray from the
Athletic talking to Kawai about how bad their transition defense is part of that is probably the doldrums as you have suggested Paul George being out obviously a big deal zubats being out obviously a big deal they’re playing that Clippers game and when they really collaps in that game is the minutes when
They had Russ who is this is why this is part of the reason I’m a little bit worried is Russ has quietly had a bad month where he’s starting to look like kind of out of control Lakers Russ more than like helping Off the Bench Clippers
Russ but they had Russ Plumley who my my man give up the goddamn ball in transition can you just give there’s guards all around you give the ball up and PJ Tucker who hasn’t played at all those three on the floor no shooting no spacing we will never ever see that in a
Real game but Chan gum transition defense I said I thought back to what tyo said when they were 0 and five with Harden and their offense was stuck in the mud he said we can’t walk around on offense and I think it was the most incisive criticism I’ve heard a coach give
Publicly of his team all season because in one five-word or whatever sentence he diagnosed everything that was wrong with their offense and they fixed it immediately they started scream running their Cuts doing everything with some oomph with some urgency and that’s you can’t it doesn’t it it almost
Doesn’t matter how Talent it matters how talented you are but you take away from your talent when you run stuff at half speed your talent can’t sing as loud that way they fell back into that habit in that game particularly as it was getting away from them and they’ve
Fallen back into that habit a little bit and look you want to wish like I agree with you like I’m not worried about them I would put them number two on my Western Conference who can actually win the conference Power Rankings behind Denver but Minnesota’s awesome Oklahoma City Is Awesome Dallas looks super
Dangerous all these teams are good they got to get back to that sense of urgency before the playoffs start and the last thing I’ll say about the West before I let you cook part of the reason this is so interesting is these four teams at the top of the West who have separated
Themselves from the rest of the conference for a long time now Minnesota Oklahoma City Denver Clippers you know for all the belly aching you hear about how all teams play the same style in the NBA spread pick and roll shoot a bunch of Threes these four teams are so stylistically and structurally different
It’s absolutely fascinating to dig into how any matchup between the four would work who would have what advantage oh that team would have disadvantage over that team I mean they they are four completely different teams in every possible way it’s really interesting and that’s why I love the west and you’re
Absol absolutely correct and speaking you know just to put a ball on the Clippers WatchON versus that Lake the Lakers game they were very casual and I’m glad you said that because at first it’s like you hear tyoo and you’re like hey we can’t walk around that’s what
They were doing but like there’s a sense of accountability and there’s a sense of response that you see from them that I think is unique when a coach says something and then you can see the progress and I also do think that fourth quarter they just like let their guard
Down they’re like oh we’re up 21 oh are they really goingon to do this and then LeBron James goes on the heater and you know so I don’t want to to overact too much but no no no but I would like to get like button it up button it up yes
Thank you that part the West I have so many thoughts on the west I don’t know if you want to dive into it but like the Dallas Mavericks to me we’re talking about the doldrums of post allar none over there in Dallas I don’t know if you
Caught that first game back by Kyrie Irving he had a pep in a step he was throwing that ball around he was finishing like crazy it it was one of those games where you’re just watching and it’s sort of weird I don’t know why but I should be used to him in this
Uniform but you still like there’s so many different identities of Kyrie Irving you know on the court that’s where I want to stick to and now it’s like okay it really feels like he’s with luuka now you can see them when they walk off of the Court they’re high-fiving they’re kiking they’re
They’re looking at you like there is a real chemistry building in Dallas amongst their back court so much so that we discovered that they are by record the most clutched team in the NBA 17 and seven I think as it was two days ago Luca I am still mystified at how he
Controls the pace no one can stop him from going where he wants to go doing what he wants to do shooting the shots he wants to shoot and then now I think it’s like oh now I’m just gonna just get my passing game off these passes that
We’re seeing for him in we crazy Kyrie is clicking they were the worst I think defensive rebounding team in January they responded by getting bigs at the deadline a little Improvement there I would not want to see them in the west versus anybody well we all did this
Question this week who outside of the top four has the best chance to win a playoff series to win around because that’s like anything above that is like now you’re just it’s heavyweight boxing it’s it’s just it’s a slugfest and I when I answered it I said look I got to
Put the Warriors and the Lakers in a separate boat because until they get out of ninth and 10th it’s just we they got to do they got to jump some some some some uh hurdles I said Dallas and the answer should be Phoenix Phoenix should be the no-brainer answer to this team
They have an incredible big three Royce O’Neal is fit in fantastically for them I like until like and the big three did get about 20 games together consecutively before Beal got hurt again and I I just got to see it again before I Vault them over Dallas um Dallas is
Terrifying but by the way the Thunder are going to sign mikee muscala does that does that change your life at all according to according to the great Adrien wowski bing bing bing Bo W bomb uh it does because it’s interesting you know maybe they’re really trying to I mean
How many they have they have so many options for the future but look the Thunder their record is ahead of schedule do you think that that do you are you one of those people that think they can win two rounds yeah yeah I don’t really get now like like like
Everybody wants these hot takes like it’s got to be either this or that they could absolutely win two rounds and they could absolutely lose to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs like both of those things can be true I true I don’t know who I would
Pick in that series but like I don’t I don’t really worry about the Thunder’s lack of experience or even like their you know their lack of a huge body we’ll see how they use bomo but muscala is not that he’s another stretch five I just think they’ve proven like they’re very
Hard to play they’re very very hard to play by the way My Trivia I told you I had a trivia question you J my you jogged my mind um there are about 450 players in the NBA I want you to guess you mentioned crunch time what player has the highest
Individual plus minus in crunch time this year defined as the last five minutes of games with the score within five points the highest individual plus minus of any player and there are 450 players I’m guessing I could give you a hundred guesses and you would not get
The answer I I would give why I even guess no but now I’m setting you up if like you actually get it it’s going to be an event is it a major player or is it a middle like how would you describe the player All-Star caliber okay this is
Good I’ll give you a little hint a zero time Allstar unlikely to ever make an All-Star team having a little bit of a breakout this year on a mediocre team K Andrew zow Eastern Conference I’m looking right now this is this is challenging it’s like I wouldn’t have I just happened to
Look up the crunch times that’s say because I wanted to look at jokic’s numbers and I was like who is it just tell me checking in at plus 83 number one in the league over Derek white who’s number two over Drew holiday who’s number three not surprisingly the
Celtics populate this list Kobe white of the Chicago Bulls number one in individual plus minus in crunch time look I think you sold him short he’s hooping this year he’s hooping is he likely to make an All-Star team or Did You Bet Your Life on Kobe white making an All-Star team
Absolutely not because of his team he’s very good I said he’s having a little breakout I think it’s a big breakout okay to fullon acne breakout okay I was literally thinking that I was trying to think of he like he’s fully in need of proactive like just fullon breakout okay let’s switch conferences
And topics uh the Milwaukee Bucks have won four games in a row they are now seven and seven under Doc Rivers uh those four games have come against the wolves great win on the road the Sixers without embiid and Charlotte twice so you make of it what you will uh under
Doc Rivers they are 16th in offense that’s in well believe it or not they were in the mid 20s a couple weeks ago and fifth in defense the problem he was HED to fix they have instantly become one of the three best transition defense teams in the league since Doc Rivers
Took over which was the lowest possible hanging fruit just like correct that and we’ll be all right um Damen Lillard’s play remains concerning to me um he’s shooting 42% 30 34% on threes 49% on twos the pick and roll with Giannis is good when they run it sometimes sometimes they don’t run it
Much he runs many more pick and rolls with Brook Lopez and those are working fine it’s more than that though it’s like he just looks off-kilter to me in a lot of games like like he’s he’s going up for layups like a half step earlier a half step late and it’s affecting the
Release he has to put on the shot and and the trajectory of the shot and all that there’s been a lot of like weird turnovers where the ball just slips out of his hands or last Sunday against Charlotte he threw a couple passes against blitzes where it was like that
Was not even close to open like that guy was like in the passing Lane before you even threw the pass and Chris Middleton’s obviously hurt it goes without saying that they need name to be better and they need Middleton to be healthy to have any shot against um the
Celtics so let’s start with Dame I know you know Dame what what’s ha what I mean it’s not like he’s been bad but he just doesn’t look like Damen Lillard consistently enough for me and I’m starting to be like we’re 60 games in almost it’s the transition again haven’t talked to Dame
In a maybe a month or so but it’s it’s the transition you know I’ll just say this this is the context in which I think a lot of times people assume oh no no matter where you go who you are you should be able to fit plug in and play
The NBA doesn’t always work that way it’s very we always talk about how it’s hard for a team to be assembled no matter how great they are Phoenix most notably the case and win in their first year it’s very difficult to go through that Dame has been transparent that he’s
Having a lot going on in his life right um and I will say this when the news dropped that he was going to the Bucks immediately I texted him I said hey fam because one like checking in on you and two we’re about to go on air and I
Wanted to make sure I always like to give my guys an opportunity to tell me something so that I can put out what they feel is most authentic to them and he said really CH like I don’t really have much to say I’m just still processing this meaning this is not
Something that he had on his vision board probably his vision board had selfie had different teammates um and even talking to him in the years past he had explor the thought of when when is what how long do you maintain loyal loyalty right it’s the same thing that I
Went through this offseason talking to my sister leaving the LA Sparks hey y’all low post we’re getting a NBA WNBA crossover here rest of my life you know I talked to her I had I had these same conversations with Dame two years ago now this offseason I’m having the same
Conversations with my sister NECA who had spent 12 years with the Los Angeles Sparks and like important to her was Legacy to Dame it’s Legacy everywhere he goes It’s All About Legacy being true to the community he’s from and so it was a very difficult decision for both of them to
Leave and I think when leaving my sister and I don’t let me not speak for her but she had a vision too of what the next chapter could be like but she remained she had an open mind you know I’m not sure if you know Dame he had probably
More of a direct vision and so the abruptness of which the trade happens you go to Milwaukee and things come at him fast in the middle of a time of life transition that’s the only reason why I think maybe what we’re seeing from him on the floor is a little bit of
Discomfort you know he’s left his complete comfort zone he went from Weaver State where he was that guy to Portland to that guy to now tag teaming with another guy and you know that All-Star Game the MVP the Three-Point Contest I know Dame Dame is a killer like he
Loves the spotlight he loves the moment he’s so competitive he was at home in Indianapolis on that stage even when people were booing him when he got on mdp because they’re like oh hbert like he’s just that guy he was there with his family I think that the acclamation to
Milwaukee it’s not it’s not just for players to go out there and just playing hoop they have to reprocess what they thought their future was their teammates were learn a new system there’s a lot going on and now to the floor I think you mentioned you know the
Bucks defensively but it’s funny the easiest thing to coach when you have an a a a locker room with an ear that listens is transition defense that’s one of those things where if you aren’t doing that that’s can get you yanked off of the floor with a swiftness no
Matter who you are so the fact that that doc can come in better with fast break points per game better in transition defense those are the baselines for coaching what I’m looking forward to in the next month or so I watched that Hornets game there was there were Good Vibes between Yiannis
And Dame I think the first half of the Season Giannis in his game was trying to search and figure out what would be successful for this team we saw games where he would go for 50 we saw games where he’d go for 10 and try to up the
Assists I think he’s had a triple doubles so far this season like in his game individually he was searching but now small sample size that Allstar maybe that helped bring those two together and say like yo we’ve got a talent here we’re both stars in this league I saw the lookout lookout
For each other for the first time in a long time between those two that to me is promise well the Dame Yannis pick and roll has proven just more comp complex to just Spam than we all thought it was going to be and that’s the reality of
The NBA um they haven’t even used it that much more under dock than they were under Adrien Griffin and I think that’s a lot of things I think you know it’s a new kind of pick and roll screener for Dame it’s Giannis having to navigate like I’m averaging 31 points a game how
Many how many ball screens do I really I’m not Clint capella like I’m not going to do this 40 times a game um and it’s navigating like it sounds great like Blitz aame Giannis slips into open space it’s a fouron three they’re going to get great shots every time defenses from the
Preseason on were very clear like those shots are not going to be dunks we’re going to be in the paint with multiple bodies before you catch the ball we’re going to make you kick it to somebody else and that’s why Middleton changes the whole look and
Feel of this team because if the three guys around that pick and roll are Middleton Beasley who just outside of three-o point shootout which he lobbied to be in for two years and then was horrible in is shooting the hell out of it um it it’s and Brook Lopez if he’s
The worst nonis shooter on the floor that looks and feels different than if it’s Crowder and Lopez and with all due respect to Jay Crowder who I love as a role player teams are not scared of him shooting they’re not scared of conathan shooting they’re not really scared of
Anybody shooting other than Chris Middleton in the regular rotation and Dame and Beasley and all that of the support guys um there’s that um what have you thought of so you mentioned you mention you mentioned that you watched the the Charlotte game I’ve watched a lot of the recent bucks games
I’m trying to figure out what other than transition defense and having Lopez hang back to the paint which was already happening what else are they doing differently on defense and I watched I watched that game last night and I’m like I’m still kind of trying to figure it out because they’re switching
A decent amount including switching Dame and Beasley into match up that are not good for them and and their rotations like if they need to send help at a bad mismatch their rotations are not always like on point um and you know sometimes the switches make sense like if you’re
Going to switch um like poris and Giannis at the point of attack that’s fine because one of them is going to be near the rim preferably Giannis right but if you’re going to switch so some matchups don’t make that much sense like there was a pick and roll last night
It’s a deep deep cut but it was a branded I’ve got something for you keep going it was a Brandon Miller Trey young pick or Trey man pick and roll there’s a lot of trees and a lot of cams right now in the J just a lot of C well jayen is
Just there everywhere shout out Jaylen Rose and jayen Rose’s mom um uh Brandon Miller ter treyman they switch and it’s a Beasley Yiannis switch Beasley takes Brandon Miller fine that’s a fine switch I don’t care about that switch then Brandon Miller runs a pick and roll with
Nick Richards so it’s a winning big pick and roll htis is on Nick Richards htis switches onto Brandon Miller Malik Beasley does not switch onto Nick Richards Nick Richards rolls open to the rim and draws a foul and poris and Beasley have this talk like what what
Happened and and and it looked like poris took the blame for it but I’m not sure if he was saying if the blame was we didn’t talk it out or I was actually supposed to switch and that’s the Growing Pains of any defense that’s adjusting on the fly but it’s been
Interesting cuz it’s not as simple as doc just like we’re going to play like we did under Bud they’re not playing really like they did under Bud they’re trying to mix in a lot of different things and I know they’re playing well and I know they’ve won four in a row I
Giannis and Brooke are unbelievable protecting the rim I still am not quite sold that there’s been like a defensive Revolution outside of transition for the bucks there hasn’t been but all right you you ready for my deep cut like my real hoop brain thoughts what you just describe as a current basketball player
That is reverse psychology by a coach up the differences up the different defensive assignments hey we’re going to switch all right some of the switches don’t make sense what you just described the communication amongst the Bucks that communication wasn’t happening in the first half of the Season you do that
Knowing that they may fail but they are holding each other accountable on FL that’s coaching reverse psychology a lot of times when I go and play their game plans where we’re like oh are we really want to put her onto her we do that because we want people to work on their
Defense we want people to be proactive and help rotations we want people to be ready for anything that comes in the second level of the defense and so that to me is Doc Rivers it’s not necessarily the scheme it’s the fact that he’s choosing to be aggressive all right drop
Coverage wasn’t working for y’all in the first you know half of the Season let’s switch let’s win I I watched Buck games for the first half the point of attack was sorry sorry bub but it was trash defensively like there was no int no apologies today okay this is a
Safe space their point of attack defense was trash like no matter how bad of a Defender you you are you still got to put that effort in to try to get over right what you do is you put in a lot of schemes so that when you approach every
Game 82 games now you have player saying shoot I got to know what I’m doing on this play on that play like it’s no longer we’ve got Giannis and Brook behind us and they’re going to just have to you know clean things up so to me it’s not necessarily the actual schemes
It’s the every game something different holding you accountable holding you to the idea of having those Communications so what when you were talking this whole time I was like that’s so funny like I know what’s happening here they’re just challenging us to be better and grow together and be more accountable as
Teammates defensively but that’s my deep cut like gut I I like it because the Bucks are still very much a work in progress um the good news for them is despite the fact that they have an absolutely brutal schedule for the rest of the season what’s happened to the
Knicks and the Sixers has all but assured them that they will be in the two3 bracket in the Eastern Conference barring something horrible happening which means a in the second round if you get there and like I’m not assuming anything given who could fall into the
Play in tournament and be seventh or who could but six it could be embat it could be Miami and nobody wants to heat anywhere anytime um particularly the Bucks who see ghosts when they see the heat um uh but they’re in the two three bracket so you avoid Boston until the
Conference Finals Boston is easily the best team in the East um and you get potentially Cleveland in the second round if Cleveland wins the series and untested very good but untested Cavs team so that’s a friendly bracket if it sticks that way for Milwaukee and the
Good news about it work in progress is there’s progress there is an endgame and the endgame of this team if Chris Middleton is healthy and I can’t stress this enough this is like the biggest if in the entire NBA maybe is like this guy the Bucks are either a title Contender
Or they’re not and it really depends in large part on can this guy be available to play 35 minutes 32 minutes every playoff game because we have not really seen that level of availability off a little bit as he ramped up and then he got hurt again um but the end game the
End product could be the second best team in the East with a puncher chance at more than that of beating Boston and a legit absolute Stone Cold lock title contender that could be where we’re headed but as of now they’re not quite that and that could be okay but this is
Why I continue to say this is the most interesting team for the next 20 games this is the team I most excited to watch every single night because it’s it’s it’s a offers the most potential education for me about what this team could look like while we’re
Here if you look at the Tim bonm straw poll and just listen to us all talk about MVP every day it seems like it’s GNA be a Twan race between joic and SGA with joic ahead joic by the way 32 of 58 uh in crunch time put away the Heat last
Night without Jamal Murray he sprained his ankle one of the great crunch time one of he will go down as maybe the best crunch time big man in history because you just don’t see big men who are able to dominate crunch time it’s harder for big men to dominate crunch time because
They it’s hard to get them the ball not for him uh by the way I’ve heard Jamal Murray this is the Denver is very optimistic this is a very minor a few days a week whatever not too long ankle sprain for him um why isn’t Giannis in the MVP why
Isn’t Giannis like right at the near or at the top of the MVP conversation 31 Points 11 rebounds a career-high six and a half assists um he’s an incredible defensive player the bucks for all their warts and Chaos have the same net rating as the nuggets and an roughly equivalent
Record why why has he been relegated to third fiddle Zack you recused your vote right yeah I’m not gonna vote this year I might vote next year I might get it back next year so I got my first vote for Allstar yay this year I don’t know if I
Should know if I’m voting but I would love to because I you know we’re nerds we’re basketball nerds so I would love to this is probably I’m looking at this year’s MVP and I’m also looking at the news from NBA that they’re reviewing to see if offense is too much at an
Advantage right now because there are so many cases for MVP now logically uh going back to joic when it was yic and embiid last year a lot of people said hey embiid should get it because look at him defensively look at his rebounding numbers what did yic what is he doing
Right now isn’t it 12 rebounds now so it’s like he’s yic is the best defensive rebounder in the NBA and I wrote about this today the single most terrifying sight in professional BAS basketball from the perspective of opposing teams and opposing fans is if your Center goes
For an offensive rebound and yic goes for the same rebound and yic gets it and he turns and Spins and starts dribbling up the court and your Center’s behind him just close your eyes because it’s going to be bad for your team it is the most terrifying site in professional
Basketball yeah touchdowns right there this is the theme of our low poos podcast um yeah joic I mean there there have been multiple cases we got ourselves into a little hot water because of what perk said right about sabonis and I think to to clarify um he was saying
Conversation and we thought he said favorite I’m not in any hot water I made a funny face because it was a ridiculous take I mean okay but we’re not in I’m in a warm bath with bubbles there bad water you’re no but it was just interesting
Because it was spicy and it felt like people thought that this is my point we’re talking triple doubles you talk yogish Talking triple doubles we’re talking talking about sabonis we’re talking about Luca donic you know it’s it’s fascinating to see where the game is and how Okay Luca and sabonis their
Teams are less I guess you can say relevant but not too far away from the Nuggets who where where are they right now in the standings by the way uh the kings are uh eighth with a point differential of 0.3 points per game the nuggets are six games ahead of them with
A plus 4.2 Point differential they reside in different univ of the world and also knowing that the nuggets are coasting right like we know that they’re early in the first half they were dropping games where people were like hold up do you guys what’s going on on
The road and they’re like hey we’re good we got this when we need to we’ve seen in me in nearly every signature game them show up citing home road splits very on point for a Houston rockers fan and we will talk about the Dare about our ninth straight road loss I can’t
Stand you man but yeah I mean MVP I think Giannis there there’s a case for Tatum there’s a case for Giannis there’s a case for joic and then if we’re M you know I think the what separates yic clearly is his ability to touch every facet of the game and if
You’re saying that defense defensively per Mobility like it doesn’t matter because this guy’s up to his rebounding and that’s the point that I was just trying to make before the game I don’t know I just think that the NBA is reviewing this offense and has made our MVP hierarchy a conundrum it’s
Still yic I love SGA 43 out of 50 Something 30 point games this season um and then outside of that there are many arguments for many players and that’s where to me it would get very very hard uh if I had a vote I would vote for joic right now I just
Think he’s the best player um but Giannis has been unfair I think relegated to like fourth or fifth Fiddle in this discussion and he’s been better than that but the top four I I don’t I I’ve said this already like I don’t really see a Tatum case but because to
Me the top four in some order are yic SGA Giannis and Luca um they’re just individually incredible and we’ll see how the standings shake out if you you can make a case for Tatum like I I you saying Tatum and an Edwards are sort of beneficiary beneficiaries of their team
Success well and it’s I’ve already said this but it’s not it’s in a way not fair to hold it against Jason Tatum that the rest of his team is awesome and so he does not have to score 32 points a game and whatever but even by efficiency
Stats and advanced stats he’s not on the level of those guys and by the way that’s okay like those guys are incredible the advanced stats for the most part will still tell you it’s um it’s yic and yet they have yanis fourth for the most part but that’s not all of
Them but most of them uh but uh I have one other one other Celtics sck can I can I get off of Celtics sck I would love this um we’ve start it started to happen when Miami starts to starts to not that the Celtics have any not that
The Celtics have any control necessarily over who they play they’re so far ahead and I haven’t looked at their last five games to see if they can strategically sit guys against team X so that they go there seventh or sixth or whatever but it’s like boy the Celtics would love to
Avoid Miami or this or that I’m like I don’t think the Celtics the Celtics have reached a point where I don’t even want to hear them discuss their opponent I want them to be like the Bucks the year the Bucks won the title when on the last
Day of the season they had a chance and I don’t remember exactly how I think they had to win the game they could have avoided Miami in the first round of the playoffs Miami has been their had been their nemesis from the bubble and they’re like no bring us Miami if we’re
Gonna win this goddamn thing we are not GNA be afraid of anybody and that’s gonna be our attitude bring demons let the chips fall where they may I don’t want to hear anything about oh the Celtics have to avoid this team that the Celtics should be just on on their own
Plane be like we’ll just we’ll play anybody that’s my Celtics STI um rookie of the year uh we had chett versus WBY last night I don’t know if you caught any of that game I did incredible Spurs win um awesome Wy performance I think he’s more or less
Wrapped up rookie of the year I mean the only shett has been incredible by the way in like nine out of 10 seasons he wins Rookie of the Year and I had shet for the first 20 or 30 games when his efficiency was so much higher than when
Bama’s that Gap is kind of it’s not closed but when you account for teammate quality and shot quality the fuel goal percentage Gap is generally about where you would expect it the other Advanced numbers are very very close and the raw stats and the defense all just Wy Wy Wy
And the way he’s surging I mean we said I said this yesterday like we got to sit back for a second this dude who came in with more hype than anybody since LeBron James has exceeded the hype exceeded it he has been better than I expected him to be on
Both ends of the floor and I said he would walk into the NBA as one of the 15 best defenders in the NBA he has exceeded all expectations he is impr probably surging toward the end of his rookie season after a busy summer and um when most rookies would hit the wall on
A bad team he is getting better and better and better on both ends of the floor as the season goes on you cannot say enough about this dude he is the future face of the NBA we’re going to talk about his ceiling today apparently on NBA Countdown what’s a reasonable
Ceiling for him this the ceiling you haven’t put it on the house like there is no ceiling this dude is just unbelievable um and Chad is unbelievable too uh thoughts on the Spurs and wemi and rookie of the year so I’ve been that person maybe it’s the Texas and me that
Has always kept an open mind when Richard and Kirk have said it’s chat it’s chat it’s chat and I’m like you guys are discrediting wemy because he’s on a bad team you know and they would say oh well Chad’s called on to do more you’re right nine out of 10 seasons it’s
Gonna be Chad but this season he’s up against wemy and the numbers from points to blocks to um just every major category WBY has and he’s created an even greater divide amongst Chad not no knocks on Chad because only wemy could have defended Chad the way he did to
Cause some of those headaches and I know that that clip’s been circling the internet um with the block wemi blocking Chad but W Chad had his way in the first half like Chad was balling too so one area that people were critical of WB when they started I’m talking about
My boys they were saying perk was like I need W to rebound more Richard’s like he can’t shoot threes I’ve been watching the last few and I’m not really great because I wanted as you were talking I wanted to look up the numbers I went to the ESPN app right now
And I think that when you click Victor and you click L10 that’s their last 10 right typically I do this on he’s shooting 42% from three the last 10 games where a lot of people were like oh threes is g to take a while we’re not just getting catch and Sh threes now
We’re getting in between the leg step back thre we’re getting the Spurs sending him brush Victor webing 74 setting him brush greens for threes we’re getting in transition pullup threes from his teammates I’m watching him like what is going on so yeah Rookie of the Year it’s wemy and it’s and and
Like you said you know it’s gonna be hard for me in my opinion to move him off of this but from that 2718 five and five game to in this matchup my 5 by five game I spoken into existence I said he was a 5x five game
Night he got a 5x five game I think you said he’s going to get it that night he might get he might get another one by the end of the season he comes close to every game he is GNA set the alltime NBA record whatever it is and again this
Blocks have not were not recorded for the Bill Russ Soul era and all that he’s gonna set the alltime record for five by five it’s not even gonna be close correct I’m just watching I’m trying to remember the two plays I saw he did a hook shot versus the um the Thunder and
That hook shot he shot the hook shot down like he shot hook shots you’re supposed to Arc up he threw it down never seen that before in my life and then I think it was one of those you know we gotta come up with we got to
Come up with a different name for it then the drop we have the drop step is it the drop shot is it we already have a tear drop so yeah I mean I’ve always been open-minded for wemi in this back head-to-head and it delivered and you
Could see how happy he was to win come on Spurs try to win come on this man it’s funny because the argument for Chad is the wins and losses and it’s not just the wins and losses and the gap between them is quite wide and Wendy said
Yesterday on the show that Wy would like that Gap closed or to be closed in by next season I’m like that’s cool it’s hard to close the gap in one season between the worst team in the west and maybe the best team in the rest Rec
Record wise are right there um and and it’s not just the wins and losses it’s that like one guy games matter and one guy games don’t like there are consequences if the Thunder lose a game their seed changes their opponent changes the whole field of the if they
Go on a three- game losing streak it’s like all right we gotta kind of button it up a little bit the Spurs go on a three- game losing streak and everyone’s like oh well Detroit’s lost a million games in a row nobody notices um but wemy doesn’t play like there are no
Stakes he plays like there are stakes and lately I got my eye on Devon vasel Devon vasel has six or more assists in five of San Antonio’s last seven games and Wendy mentioned closing the Gap vel’s obviously a keeper period like he’s the second most important player on
The team remember when they announced his new deal and how everyone was like what huh you were like no yes you were the first one were like no yes they love him now they know they need better perimeter play better passing better Playmakers for wemi I expect the Spurs this summer to
At least look around at like all right what what big name guards who are 28 and under because wem’s ready like they don’t need to wait too long and they’re G to get they’re going to get probably their last top five pick in a in a draft
In the Wy ERA this coming year we’ll see what they get um I I think they’re going to look around now maybe they don’t find the right guy available I’ve already mentioned like I think they’ll have at least some meetings internally about Trey young and
Like if we’ll see how the Hawks play and how this season end but they’ve got all Atlanta’s picks and some other stuff to trade I actually kind of like that fit um of all Trey young fits I I kind of like that potential fit I don’t know
What will happen I don’t know if Atlanta will have any interest I don’t know if the Spurs at the end of the day will actually call Atlanta and have any interest to be clear but I don’t think that door is shut for the Spurs I find it interesting
Um what did I you oh I was at the uh the Wizards Lakers game last night and congratulations the well I don’t need congratulations for that the Wizards have nine wins Jordan P finally had a good game I’m actually happy for him I was like literally I’m legitimately like
Worried about what’s happened to Jordan um by the way my pet Jordan pool theory is is the punch is f like the punch is obviously a traumatic moment and a pivot point in his career I remember early last season in in November so November 1st the NBA
Decided we care about carrying viol now we’re going to enforce carrying violations and in one Warriors Heat game he was whistled for three carrying violations in the same game he got whistled for one the other night and it jogged my memory like he carries the
Ball like he does it a lot it made it all over it made it on the show remember it was on not top of the top somehow I wonder if that got in his head like the NBA has taken away a lot of my pet moves
Or I like my I got to think a little harder when I go into Crossovers and all that anyway I’m talking to people from the Wizards I don’t know if you remember this but the lottery I was in the lottery room last last year first the first three balls come up
Right I think it was 148 and five or 145 and eight in that order ping the numbered pingpong balls all high numbers the representative for the Wizards immediately knows oh we’re in the game so there are 11 balls left in the hopper after the first three there’s
15 seconds or 10 seconds with between balls so there’s like a 10-second window when this is possible there are 11 balls left six of those 11 balls if any of those six come up when Bama’s on the Wizards six of 11 left were Wizards combinations oh man the magic had won
The Pacers had one and I don’t remember the rest of the breakdowns but and then Wizards are sitting there like of course the freaking Spurs I’m literally last night G talking to wizards like can you believe the freaking Spurs like they’re set they’re set for 15 years for because
Of one losing season and one Lottery night they they are set like they can mess it up they can screw it up but like whatever they have this guy is so good don’t don’t tell me that the Wizards are in the draft lottery Groundhog Day they’re living a loop in a Perpetual
Cycle of what could have happened um I’m gonna let you pick as we wrap up here um the Pelicans are a team that you are very interested in talking about and I am always very interested in talking about and you Houston Rockets are it’s not going great they’re now 25
And 34 their offense is falling into the toilet uh I’ve hated the G and green experience for the last month and I feel personally betrayed because I was optimistic about him going into the season and he’s it’s just it’s just ugly it’s ugly I love Jabar like I still have
Faith in jayen GRE but it’s just like something is just totally off kill dirt I love Jabari Smith I love his rebounding pick pick one of the team you want to talk pels or rocks I’ll talk both that’s what we call the already sell the Texas Louisiana combo can you
Explain to people what effective field goal percentage is it accounts for threes in free throws so it’s going to be higher than your it’s going to be different than your raw fuel goal percentage because obviously if you shoot a lot of Threes your fuel goal percentage is going to be lower because
They’re lower percentage shots but they count for more points and so effective field goal percentage accounts for that so that’s what Jaylen green suffers with I think categorically his shots just aren’t as beneficial even though he does he did have an Outburst versus the Suns right and was able to touch those High
Numbers like 30 and I I saw the game I saw the game and I hated it I hated it he what you hear what what about the cam Whitmore Devin Booker for Kur fuffle Devin Booker is is just gets into it man I like it but he
Gets into with lots of people by the way cam Whitmore uh did not hide his displeasure with jayen green not passing to him on two or three occasions when he was wide ass open last night and they are like the spider man me the two of
Them like they’re not the same size cam Whitmer is more of a bully but like they are out there to shoot the basketball yeah it’s been bad it’s been rough it’s been tough um last time we talked here on the low post you were like hey you’re
Not g to get a better option wasn’t it like the did they dabble with male brid’s ideas at the trade deadline I I don’t know there was there was some there was some dabbling I don’t I don’t know for sure exactly how serious a dabbling got or what Houston would have
Been willing to offer but um look yeah we’ve struggled on we’ve struggled on the road consistently this season but now we’re in like back into that start of season pump and you know it I everything that could have been like a shiny thing there was like this campaign
For shenon in the allstar game while he gets respect from all the NBA players you know it just things have crumbled he kind he’s kind of slowed down he’s kind of slowed down too he has he has so I then why don’t we just segue I don’t
Know I I’m a GPS girl I don’t know which Highway you take from can can I just I just want to say like I still have hope for Jaylen green the athleticism and the speed is is just outrageous one of a hundred and I’m glad for the Rockets
Fans s that they did not trade him at the trade deadline because I just think he’s too young and they’re not they’re too far away to make that kind of move but if this doesn’t get better soon and he doesn’t figure out a right balance in
His game soon I mean I know he may do like they’re not going to be that patient there they want to win they also just need guys who can shoot like they are the worst shooting they are corre their shooting percentages are awful from everywhere they can’t shoot they
Can’t shoot and T I’m starting to get worried about this tar een injury that’s kind of never ending like I don’t like I don’t have that is true that is true that is true I didn’t think about it I just thought of he made us so excited
Over the course of this season that I forgot about the issues before I’m starting to wonder if we’re gonna see him again this season I probably based on how things are looking I probably would not bet my house on him coming okay you wanted to you wanted to segue
Segue I would like to take a drive down the I45 uh no no no that’s I45 to Dallas I’m we going to uh norleans baby we’re going to New Orleans Pelicans pelicans pelicans so it feels like the last I mean there’s you can’t really call it a
Signature win but like the all eyes on Madison Square Garden even though the Knicks are duplet was a great Showcase of what uh the New Orleans pel an have been doing I think also there’s been a lot of conversation that was unfortunately not correct on Zion Williamson meaning and I think Stephen A
Was joking and you know I love Stephen A so it’s all good but his availability playing in almost I think 50 games so far this season my criteria for Zion was to be Awards eligible for them to really have a shot he’s on track for that I
Just like the construction of this team uh my little sister actually played with Trey Murphy III I think he spent a year or so and at and so I’ve always had an eye on him he actually came in studio too Jones uh Brandon Ingram like they have guys that
Are all six6 and above that are skilled that can shoot and then they can play inside and out with Zion we talk about Point Zion I think you broke it down earlier this week but all else fails Zion is just on the Block and he’s literally waiting for a double team to
Come and then he two hands Chucks it out and then they just it’s so simple when they’re knocking down shots and they’ve got their length and they’ve got most of their guys they are going to be a problem prior to uh their last game I
Think they won nine of 12 games I said first of all I did Sports Center and like the New Orleans Pelicans fans my mouth was dry I didn’t have water and I said New Orleans and I just had to keep going like you can’t even say our name
Right I’m like come on y’all give me a break they keep it spicy they’re very defensive of their team their squad and their star and I even joked when they had the her fuffle with the Miami Heat which by the way was the one of the funniest things ever because Zion gets
Fouled by Kevin Love everything ensues and then Zion goes to the stand and says oh I don’t think Kevin Love was trying to H Zion read the r no they were they were fine the two of them were like oh sorry okay cool let’s move on Zion read
The room your team finally is showing that hey you can’t mess with our guy our guy is balling we’re winning don’t play with us and Z’s like wait hold on why were we fighting I thought that was ironic I enjoyed the Pelicans I enjoy their fans I enjoy uh the that they’re striving
Like they are truly a sleeper team even though they are in the playoffs this is not a Pelicans team that is in the play and I think today last time I checked they were fifth they could be firmly in the playoffs with a solid roster that can play versatily
I just I just have enjoyed what I’ve seen from them lately I’m always fascinated by the Pelicans and they’re clearly very good and they clearly present horrible matchup issues for almost anybody because Giannis is a tank that can fly and you just don’t see that Zion Zion
Sorry uh let’s edit that out three two one Zion is a tank that can actually we don’t have to edit out it’s fine um uh I do you said versus ility and they are very versatile and you mentioned all their wings and Herb Jones shooting 40% from three plus is one of
The biggest stories of a player Improvement in the season and it totally changes him as a player if this is real trey Murphy is starting to find it you mentioned versatility versatility is a very good thing to have I do think there’s like there’s versatility and uncertainty about what kind of team you
What your identity should be who should play with whom and you can both of those things at the same time I think the Pelicans are somewhere in the blurry middle between being yes we’re versatile but we also like how much Zion at Center do we play is Zion with an in the Paint
Center which is really the only kind of centers we have although Larry can move around a little bit Larry n Jr is that the vision that we want for our team because when we have him and Val junis or Nance on the floor it’s a little
Harder for him to finish and like we saw against Indiana the other night he’s still not finishing as easily over and through through length as he was when he was an all-nba level player almost made all NBA a couple years ago he’s getting there but he’s not quite there yet um
And just like you know we have a lot of players who lean offense more than defense what’s our best two-way lineup but there’s they’re when they get rolling they’re really hard to beat and and I just feel a little less certain about what their team is and how it should
Play than I would like to but they have a pretty easy schedule for the rest of the season and a pretty damn good shot at being in the top six and if they’re in the top six considering how little CJ bi and Zion have played together last
Year this year ever that’s a huge victory for this franchise if they can just get into the playoffs not have to go through the playin and you know just we’ll see from there you know if they’re 2-2 in the first round that’s great but I think that would be a huge victory for
Them and a very very good sign going forward that they have made good decisions including sticking by Zion through a lot of noise and I don’t think the noise was totally unfair jight like he hasn’t been in shape like he has not been in great shape we can’t say that this month we
Can’t say that this month that’s that’s my thing we can’t say that now uh where are we gonna see you this weekend CH you’re doing some college stuff no no no I’m not uh my guy is fighting he’s a heavyweight boxer he has a fight today and I’m here to support
But I did want to end with a you know a little whip around of my TV show yes you had you had you had a thing you have a TV show recommendation which I’m always thrilled to have recommended to me okay One Day look wait first of all
Y’all I launched a YouTube show so all the listeners of the low post if you want crazy CH and 20 minute bites us having fun a little bit of Pop Culture a lot of Hoops all Hoops period we’re talking about WBA women’s college NBA all that type of stuff check out my
YouTube channel channel in our show yay two my goodness one day on Netflix if you want a notebook esque good cry check that one out it’s really good it’s about 14 I think episodes Coming of Age story check out one day y’all also True Detective night country if you’re into that series heavy
Dramas it is intense it is something you need to be focused on have you watched any of these shows that no oh my gosh okay well there there’s a there’s a very narrow Vin diagram of husband and wife low family shows like the overlap that of shows that’s
Fit in there are is not it does not Encompass oh we have we have a bunch but like anything sci-fi or super violent is going to be out um and so not night country yeah you’re good for one day is gonna be good it’s good one day is good okay love is blind
Everyone’s talking about this show I it seems like a waste it seems like forgive me if this is a Disney property I should I have no idea what network it’s on it’s not it seems like a waste of my time do I actually like what is the show so I
Watched everything except the bear that’s on my list bear I was travel in the Bears in the van diagram oh okay I was traveling by the way IO Ed here for her in all of her greatness Love is Blind I just watched two episodes because I had a long cross country
Fight it is wild it is interesting and I think because of the chaos anybody can watch I feel like that’s a I think it’s so give me explain the show give me the elevator pitch this is what the show is when we want to find our significant other our life
Partner often times the physical appearance what you see is what dictates your decision this removes that from the equation you have women in a women’s quarter men in a men’s quarter and they all live separately but they enter pods where you get to date but not see so
They’re in these cute little mini living rooms with this window well not window like a big mirror it almost looks like a portal in between where you are dating but you can’t see so you’re just talking and getting to know people and so you’re dating multiple people people
End up liking someone and they go back and they find out that that person might like someone else but at the end of this you can propose in four weeks and choose to marry someone from love is blind and there’s there’s a lot of crazy drama in
Between wasn’t there already a game show from like the 70s or 80s that did this well I wouldn’t know because that was not my genre that was not my that was not my period but it’s it’s just it’s a it’s a cultural phenomenon now like now
Everyone’s watching it so if you want to know what’s going on you gota gotta kind of watch I don’t think it’s going to happen but I appreciate I appreciate the the effort one day please suggest to Mrs Lo one day I think she’ll like it you know
Mrs low Mrs low doesn’t listen to this podcast so I can I can say this I can say I can reveal this publicly our daughter just turned nine Mr low aka me waged a year-long subtle ground ground war like like a Game of Thrones character just little Whispers here
Little Whispers there to win to win for my daughter’s ninth birthday the Nintendo switch battle which was really two to one daughter and dad versus mom but she didn’t realize how much Dad was just laying just little hints little hints were dropped and finally she caved
And we have Nintendo switch in our house it was it’s one of the great wins of my life honestly like I I just I can’t believe I did it I can’t believe I did she’s she’s never gonna hear this she doesn’t know but it was just a subtle
Just just just like like little finger I know it doesn’t end well I should say not Little Finger Game of Thrones um just just just I big victory for Nintendo switch Timeless good job thank you all right Chan good luck to your man um I told him I gave him some advice
Earlier which was try not to get hit by the other guy um that’s that’s my boxing analysis I’ll see you soon you’re awesome on NBA today and every countown all that stuff I’ll see you soon great to see you love to nerd out with you that
Zach Lowe and ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike discuss the Lakers’ big week, LeBron approaching 40,000 points, the Bucks’ surge on defense, Giannis’ MVP case and the awards race overall, Wemby vs. Chet, Rookie of the Year, San Antonio’s path forward, whether it’s time to worry about the Clippers, Houston’s struggles, the Pelicans and more.
0:00 Who is a bigger threat in the West? The Lakers or the Warriors?
23:30 Should we be worried about the Clippers?
28:02 Who will come out the west?
32:52 Quick Trivia
35:07 Are the Bucks going to figure it out?
57:00 The Future is Here: Chet vs. Wemby
1:06:45 The Recent Struggles for the Rockets
1:10:41 How much of a threat are the Pelicans
1:16:05 Chiney’s TV recommendations
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34 Comments
Yo she look ode pretty natural 😩🔥❤️
Man she’s really tough to listen to
Man, I hope this isn’t a hot take, Chiney surprisingly is kind of a casual.
Chiney is an absolute snack
Listening to Zach Lowe about the game is a pleasure I can sit on my couch, listen what his points to make about certain teams and think about whether you agree on that opinion or not. What makes it even more great for me is his guests that challenges that opinion. Honestly, for me Chiney is the only exception that enjoying my time with these podcasts since I have a rough time to take her seriously at any moment…
everybody called perk racist or stupid or both for suggesting that jokic gets discussed in a different manner than other stars, yet here's zach (who i like) telling us he'd vote for jokic bc he's the best player (something lebron never got from 2014 to 2020) and chiney admitting she'd vote jokic despite the nuggets coasting (something lebron was punished for with the cavs)
Didnt she go to Stanford? They couldn't have lowered their standards that far…
also, these incel comments are pretty cringe lmao. you're not gonna stop espn from having chiney on by whining in youtube comments
I love Dame as a person and a NBA player but I love my Bucks even more. I understand he went threw a difficult family crisis. And that can’t be underestimated but if it’s simply Milwaukee then there is only one thing to do😢…right?
She looks like a different person with no make-up.
Omfg I was screaming Colby White 😂
This is why zach is the goat. Giving her a platform to speak on 👏
Interesting that Chiney mentioned Kuminga's haircut. That is one of the indicators, to me, of his pride getting washed away. Immediately after that, it was obvious that his vision cleared up and the game slowed down. Glad to know I'm not the only one considering this.
Come on Zach. Really! The warriors over the lakers. Coming from a guy who said the hawks were gunna be so good this year. Lebron and Ad are still the best duo in the league, in the playoffs, in any spider verse of your choice.
that’s not what effective field goal percentage is. eFG% is accounting for 3s. True shooting percentage is what zach described, which accounts for all “true shot attempts” so it also adds free throws into the efficiency number.
Their best players are: leonard, george, harden and westbrick. You should be worried.
Am I worried that the Clippers will choke in the playoffs again… No I am not.
Really..her again..i skip this one.
I think "Dad blocks", where he blocks the shot and gains possession in one motion, should count as both a steal and a block.
Zach i love the show. But she is maybe your worst guest.
SMH 🤦♂️ white dude supremacíst always taking about overrated Jokic and Luka
The Dallas Favs as pretenders lmfao 🤣 💀 😊
Please 🙏 fire the white dude!! He can’t jump!!
Bringing up the suns for the dame fit is a horrible example.
I just find it odd his game has no impact on winning. The fact the apurs are win win less games than laat ywar with wemby is insane. Any other time we would call that empty stats. 🤷♂️
I’d love to be more excited about the warriors but even if they snuck into the first round I’d have a really hard time trusting top tier production out of kuminga and Klay could just miss every single shot for the series, so
WE LOVE YOU, ZACH LOWE!!!❤❤❤
Adding to all the points Chiney laid out, Dame looks a little heavier than in the recent past. Maybe the stress is causing him to eat a little too much each day. Also, he HAS TO BE stressed out about not having the ball in his hands more. AND, Giannis is the guy with the ball so he can't say sh!t. I think the Dame-Giannis pick and roll game is limited because Giannis doesn't want to play that way. It's been said out there in the media that Giannis doesn't like setting screens… hmm, maybe that has something to do with it.
A hook shot that goes down towards the basket is called a skyhook. And you have seen it before if you ever saw a tape of Kareem.
"We have to come up with a new name" for a hook shot that goes down…. isn't that a Sky Hook ?!!!
Instead of a hook shot, Victor Wembanyama does a slingshot 👀
We LOVE CHINEY SHE KNOWS HER STUFF ❤🎉😂 the pair you didn’t know we needed
He digresses a lot 😂
Chiney has great energy, but there's just absolutely no substance with anything she says. She's good at recapping general narratives, just absolutely no insight or anything substantive. Tough listen, again.