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Warriors and Bucks Trust Levels · Small Ball with Kenny Beecham

0:04
SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to another episode of Small Ball with Kenny Beacham.
0:09
SPEAKER_00: It is March, which means there is madness going on, but we still got hoops to talk about.
0:13
SPEAKER_00: I ain't gonna lie, I'm super excited for March Madness.
0:15
SPEAKER_00: I mean, even as I'm taping this, we got games going on.
0:17
SPEAKER_00: So, Greg, I'm gonna need you to keep me updated if we're seeing some upsets or something.
0:21
SPEAKER_00: But I got a lot to talk about in the NBA.
0:23
SPEAKER_00: A lot to talk about in the NBA.
0:25
SPEAKER_00: Today I'm finally doing the Golden State Warriors deep dive.
0:29
SPEAKER_00: It's a team that we've mentioned in passing a few different times over the last couple weeks.
0:32
SPEAKER_00: But I was telling y'all that I was waiting until they got to this thicker part of their schedule when they played against some bigger teams.
0:37
SPEAKER_00: They played against some more competitive teams, and I want to see what they look like then.
0:41
SPEAKER_00: So deep dive on them.
0:42
SPEAKER_00: I want to talk about the Bucs as well, because they're one of the more confusing teams in basketball.
0:47
SPEAKER_00: Because, you know, at the end of the day, you trust that Giannis is going to be the best player in every single series.
0:51
SPEAKER_00: But what does that mean in the grand scheme of their playoff outlook?
0:55
SPEAKER_00: We're going to bring on producer Greg Five Out is back, ladies and gentlemen.
0:58
SPEAKER_00: And of course, we got Ask KB a full, full episode for y'all today.
1:03
SPEAKER_00: Be sure to leave a like, be sure to subscribe, and let's get in it talking about the Warriors.
1:09
SPEAKER_00: Now, the Warriors made this trade.
1:12
SPEAKER_00: Um, on Kenny for Real and on this podcast, you know, we were talking about how this trade probably does not increase their ceiling to be in the top contention of the league.
1:21
SPEAKER_00: At the end of the day, it was a good old move to make them better right now, to rejuvenate Stephen Curry and to rejuvenate Jimmy Butler, who had spent the last month or two basically pouting around Miami, which is like the worst place you could potentially pout.
1:34
SPEAKER_00: Have you been to Miami?
1:34
SPEAKER_00: It's amazing.
1:36
SPEAKER_00: And they they made the trade happen, and things have been way better than I think anybody really anticipated.
1:41
SPEAKER_00: Well, you really have to think about the Warriors as a team that can do the thing that they did a couple years ago, which is win the championship.
1:47
SPEAKER_00: And I again did not see this see this coming.
1:50
SPEAKER_00: Since Acquire and Jimmy Butler in the games that Jimmy has played, they are 15 and 2.
1:53
SPEAKER_00: These are just all the numbers, and then we'll get into some some analytics or the analytical interpretation of these numbers.
2:00
SPEAKER_00: They're fifth in offense in that time, they're number two in defense, and they're in top of the league in forcing turnovers.
2:06
SPEAKER_00: Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler have a 7.4 net rating when they're on the court together.
2:11
SPEAKER_00: But I think the more interesting thing when you talk about the Golden State Warriors is their net rating where it's Jimmy and Draymond Green.
2:17
SPEAKER_00: And that number is 14.7.
2:19
SPEAKER_00: Hmm.
2:20
SPEAKER_00: And as you can imagine, a lot of that is because of the defensive side of the ball.
2:24
SPEAKER_00: This is a stat from the Golden State Warriors themselves.
2:27
SPEAKER_00: Uh, since the all-star break, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green is the best defensive duo in basketball based on defensive rating.
2:35
SPEAKER_00: That is insane.
2:36
SPEAKER_00: And they have now, and I'm not even just thinking about the numbers of it, but have turned themselves into, again, one of the best defensive duos in basketball.
2:44
SPEAKER_00: And if you hear them talk about each other, it is somewhat of a match made in heaven.
2:48
SPEAKER_00: I know there were some question marks about whether the Warriors should trade for a personality like Jimmy Butler.
2:54
SPEAKER_00: When you consider the personality that is Draymond Green, will they ever mesh?
2:57
SPEAKER_00: And I never thought about that as a real thing because at the end of the day, both of those dudes just care about one thing and that's winning basketball games.
3:03
SPEAKER_00: And they both do the necessary things to win those basketball games.
3:07
SPEAKER_00: And I'm watching them play.
3:08
SPEAKER_00: And we're going to reference a couple different games in this recent stretch.
3:11
SPEAKER_00: Um, they have the game against the Denver Nuggets, which they lost with no Jamal Murray and no Lakole Jokic.
3:17
SPEAKER_00: That is a really bad loss.
3:18
SPEAKER_00: And maybe the worst Steph Curry game of the season since then, he's been wrestling a little bit because he was exhausted according to Steve Curry.
3:24
SPEAKER_00: But they have that game, and then they have the game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
3:27
SPEAKER_00: And I'm watching them play against some of these teams that do not play a five-out type of offense or do not have five shooters on the court at the same time.
3:36
SPEAKER_00: And it's rare that you really get that.
3:37
SPEAKER_00: Like you got teams that mask as that, but there's always a shooter or two that falls short, and teams are gonna neglect that shooter.
3:44
SPEAKER_00: Well, when they play against a team like the Milwaukee Bucks, I'm watching roamers after roamers after roamers.
3:50
SPEAKER_00: In the Bucks game, you do see Draymond Green guard Giannis almost straight up for an entirety of the game, which is crazy to think about.
3:57
SPEAKER_00: But you got a chance to see Jimmy Butler be this roamer.
4:00
SPEAKER_00: And they allowed Kal Kuzma to shoot as many shots as he wanted.
4:04
SPEAKER_00: I think he tied his record for most three points he's attempted in his entire career.
4:08
SPEAKER_00: The most three points he's attempted this whole season long.
4:10
SPEAKER_00: And most of that is because Jimmy Butler or whether it be him, whether it be Gary, whether it be whoever, was just saying, we okay with that because you're a 31, 32% three-point shooter.
4:19
SPEAKER_00: And this roamer just mucks up the entire plan for the Milwaukee Bucks.
4:24
SPEAKER_00: And we're seeing Jimmy be roamers on possessions, and not specifically in this game, but uh Draymond Green has been amazing as a roamer.
4:31
SPEAKER_00: And you even get to the point where if the opposing team doesn't have a ridiculous shot creator like a Damian Lillard, you would see Gary Payton go into that mode as a roamer, as a 6'1, 6'2 type of dude.
4:42
SPEAKER_00: And having that is amazing.
4:45
SPEAKER_00: They're firing on all cylinders.
4:46
SPEAKER_00: It's like having a quarterback in Draymond Green, and then somehow you found out a way to have two quarterbacks because Jimmy Butler is barking as well, and he's making the necessary plays.
4:58
SPEAKER_00: No, no, no.
4:59
SPEAKER_00: What's a better analogy?
5:00
SPEAKER_00: If Draymond Green is the quarterback, then Jimmy Butler is, I can't even call him the offensive coordinator.
5:07
SPEAKER_00: I can't even call him the quarterback coach because they're doing both of the things.
5:09
SPEAKER_00: I don't really know.
5:10
SPEAKER_00: Is he a receiver?
5:11
SPEAKER_00: Is he an elite level running back?
5:13
SPEAKER_00: Whatever it is, they're working like this.
5:15
SPEAKER_00: And as I'll continue to watch this team, because y'all know Jimmy Butler is one of my favorite players in the league, and Steph Curry is one of the two, two to three best shows in all of basketball.
5:25
SPEAKER_00: I've been locked in a lot, even games where I'm like, I know they're gonna win by 20, but damn it, Steph Curry is suiting up.
5:31
SPEAKER_00: So let me see that.
5:32
SPEAKER_00: It reminds me, and I don't think I'm the first person to think about this.
5:34
SPEAKER_00: Oh, Draymond Green is a linebacker and Jimmy Butler is a safety.
5:38
SPEAKER_00: Because we are talking about defense.
5:39
SPEAKER_00: That's from producer Greg.
5:40
SPEAKER_00: I like that a lot.
5:41
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, this is this is a good old-fashioned uh field general linebacker and utility safety.
5:49
SPEAKER_00: If we talk about like video games, because y'all know that's what we that's what we do.
5:53
SPEAKER_00: Um I'm not the first person to make this comparison, I'm sure of it, but it really does remind me of the Andre Iguadala role with higher offensive upside.
6:04
SPEAKER_00: And if you think about that game against the Bucks, you saw that high upside offensively for Jimmy Butler.
6:10
SPEAKER_00: Where in this game, you know, um Steve Curry has said it, and Jimmy Butler has said it, you know, after their game against the Nuggets, that Jimmy Butler's offense is there.
6:18
SPEAKER_00: He he just doesn't need to use it right now.
6:20
SPEAKER_00: That when it's when it's necessary, he'll be able to turn it up.
6:22
SPEAKER_00: And it was necessary in this case because, again, there's no Steph Curry in this game.
6:25
SPEAKER_00: And in this, the Warriors had a 14-point lead going into halftime.
6:29
SPEAKER_00: And by the end of the third quarter, that lead had gone all the way down to two.
6:32
SPEAKER_00: You know, they played ridiculously bad in that third quarter.
6:35
SPEAKER_00: We're talking turn off or turnover after turnover, the Bucs capitalizing and transition, which is not a Bucks thing to do by any means, other than Giannis getting a head full of steam.
6:43
SPEAKER_00: And that gap had closed to two.
6:44
SPEAKER_00: So I'm watching this, okay.
6:46
SPEAKER_00: This team is without their Hall of Fame point guard and one of the best players in basketball.
6:51
SPEAKER_00: How would they react to blowing this lead?
6:54
SPEAKER_00: And on the contrary to that, I'm watching the Bucs like, okay, you know, you have the upper edge when it comes to talent for talent.
6:59
SPEAKER_00: You have the upper edge of being the more healthy team.
7:01
SPEAKER_00: How do you turn this into a victory?
7:04
SPEAKER_00: And in that fourth quarter, Jimmy Butler looked like the playoff version of him.
7:07
SPEAKER_00: You know, the playoff version of him would do this for four quarters, right?
7:10
SPEAKER_00: Well, and that's how he ends up with 40 points when the regular season.
7:12
SPEAKER_00: I think I read that Jimmy Butler didn't crack 40 in the regular season for the Miami Heat.
7:17
SPEAKER_00: Full stop.
7:18
SPEAKER_00: Like he didn't crack 40 ever for the Miami Heat in the regular season.
7:21
SPEAKER_00: And you know, he did it multiple times in the postseason.
7:23
SPEAKER_00: So he'll go into this mode for an entire four-quarter stretch in the postseason.
7:27
SPEAKER_00: But in this one, we saw him do it for basically a quarter and a half.
7:30
SPEAKER_00: You know, the last couple minutes of the third quarter and then the entirety of the fourth quarter.
7:35
SPEAKER_00: Where it's always a thing when Jimmy Butler is one of the best in the league at drawing fouls.
7:39
SPEAKER_00: And if we could go to some of the raw numbers again, the Warriors went from a team that was towards the bottom of the league and field goal uh drawing or a free throw drawing, free throw rate.
7:48
SPEAKER_00: And then now since Jimmy Butler has been added to this, they're one of the best in the league.
7:52
SPEAKER_00: And it's not just a Jimmy thing, it's like he's shedding some of that to other players across the team.
7:57
SPEAKER_00: But if you have a smaller defender on Jimmy, he's gonna shoot over him or pump fake six different times to draw a foul.
8:02
SPEAKER_00: Or if you have a bigger defender on him, he's gonna also pump fake a hundred different times and get you to get up, and he's gonna get to the line.
8:09
SPEAKER_00: And this one he went on his own personal stretch where it's like, okay, the team needs me to score, and I will.
8:15
SPEAKER_00: He had a four-point play.
8:16
SPEAKER_00: Jimmy Butler can't shoot threes.
8:18
SPEAKER_00: He just doesn't do it.
8:19
SPEAKER_00: He can't, he just he had a four-point play in this one.
8:21
SPEAKER_00: It was an ugly one, too.
8:22
SPEAKER_00: It's one of them ones where the defender is on his side and he kind of just chucks it up and it just happened to go in.
8:27
SPEAKER_00: So we got to see the high offensive upside.
8:30
SPEAKER_00: So the question ends up turning into, okay, now we know that if you had any doubts of Jimmy Butler being able to turn it up offensively, that is now gone after his game against the Bucs.
8:39
SPEAKER_00: And now you question, we get to a postseason.
8:42
SPEAKER_00: We may not need four quarters of Jimmy Butler playing like that, but if we can get two, two quarters a game with Jimmy Butler playing like that?
8:49
SPEAKER_00: Because the numbers say again with Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry on the court together, like I said, the net rating is 7.4.
8:55
SPEAKER_00: But with his Jimmy Butler without Steph Curry, it's ridiculous.
8:59
SPEAKER_00: Now it's not that big of a sample size, but it's like a plus 18 net rating.
9:03
SPEAKER_00: So he's been able to make things easier for the people around him without him hitting that next gear.
9:08
SPEAKER_00: And if he can if he can hit that next gear, you have to really think about it.
9:12
SPEAKER_00: I think it's insane how having three plus playmakers on the court at the time can make the job so much easier for the other two.
9:19
SPEAKER_00: You think about what Draymond Green does, you think about Jimmy Butler, you think about Steph Curry, at least two of those dudes very rarely make mistakes.
9:25
SPEAKER_00: And the only reason I'm not counting Steph Curry, because Curry does have an occasional moment where you're like, what?
9:31
SPEAKER_00: What the hell is that, Steph?
9:33
SPEAKER_00: Like the the one game or the when you they had the game against the different Nuggets, it's coming to a close game and it's on a three-on-two fast break.
9:40
SPEAKER_00: He threw the worst alley U pass to John DiCamingo imaginable, ended up being a turnover.
9:44
SPEAKER_00: He's yelling at himself because he recognized that that wasn't the right move.
9:47
SPEAKER_00: But Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, though again, they do accumulate turnovers, they just feel like they don't make mistakes.
9:53
SPEAKER_00: So you're having those three playmakers.
9:55
SPEAKER_00: What does that do?
9:56
SPEAKER_00: Well, Brandon Pajimski is looking more and more like the last year's version of himself.
10:00
SPEAKER_00: In that game against Milwaukee Bucks, he had the two biggest shots of the game hitting those above the break threes.
10:05
SPEAKER_00: Moses Moody is finally on the floor full time under Steve Kerry.
10:10
SPEAKER_00: He's playing about 30 minutes since Jimmy Butler has got there, and he's on the ball, on the floor for loose balls.
10:14
SPEAKER_00: And in this, he's shooting 42% from three on five attempts since Jimmy Butler has arrived.
10:19
SPEAKER_00: Gary Payton the second is shooting 47% from three on what, four attempts a game?
10:25
SPEAKER_00: Nah, I know that.
10:26
SPEAKER_00: Out of all the things I'm talking about today, that's probably the most sustainable.
10:29
SPEAKER_00: Like that's that he's not going to be able to shoot that efficiently because he's Gary Payton the second, but he's hitting so many shots.
10:36
SPEAKER_00: And then there's Quentin Pose.
10:39
SPEAKER_00: And then we have Quentin Pose, who is one of the last picks in this year's draft on nobody's radar, mostly because he's almost 25.
10:50
SPEAKER_00: I just found that out by watching that Bucks game.
10:52
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think about rookie, and I always think 22 or younger.
10:55
SPEAKER_00: Well, he was one of the older rookies at nearly 25 right now.
10:58
SPEAKER_00: And he is a near perfect fit for the Golden State Warriors.
11:02
SPEAKER_00: Of course, we're talking about a rookie, so he's not going to be the perfect prototypical center for them.
11:07
SPEAKER_00: But between his seven-foot frame, his nearly 42% shooting from three, and his passing on the split action, he is as good of a godsend as you can get for a second-round pick, a late second-round pick on a team that's trying to compete.
11:21
SPEAKER_00: Now, he does still find his way into um feeling somewhat lost on the defensive side of the ball.
11:28
SPEAKER_00: There are a lot of times you watch them play, you'll see Draymond Green barking at him to make the right necessary changes, whatever that may be.
11:34
SPEAKER_00: But he is a sponge according to everybody within the organization, everybody within that locker room, that he's there to listen because he recognizes he has one of the best defensive players in the history of the sport on his team right now, and also maybe the best offensive system in the history of basketball on this team right now.
11:50
SPEAKER_00: So he has been a complete sponge.
11:52
SPEAKER_00: The the one hole in his game on the offensive side of the ball is don't you dare contest him at the rim because he will miss.
11:58
SPEAKER_00: If he seems, if feels any amount of pressure at the rim, the man is gonna miss that layup.
12:03
SPEAKER_00: I'm being honest with you, he's got to miss that layup.
12:06
SPEAKER_00: So when you think about all of this, the defensive rating being as as good as it is, and I'm getting notifications about the Celtics selling their team and everything.
12:14
SPEAKER_00: Oh, Greg is here.
12:14
SPEAKER_00: Hold on, Greg.
12:15
SPEAKER_00: Let me give my headphones in.
12:16
SPEAKER_02: So you just listed a bunch of these role players that are that are really contributing at a high level.
12:21
SPEAKER_02: When you think about their closing five in the playoffs, outside of Jimmy, Draymond, and Steph, what do you what do you see?
12:29
SPEAKER_00: I I think it's gonna be completely matchup based.
12:31
SPEAKER_00: Like one of the things that um, and I heard this, and I'm gonna reference them later in the episode because I listened to their newest episode, uh, Nikaias and Steve from the Dunker spot.
12:39
SPEAKER_00: One thing that they talked about, and I it's just something I didn't really think about before hearing him saying, is that success from the role players can be on a game by game basis, right?
12:51
SPEAKER_00: And I mean it's it's a simple thought, but it's just something you don't think about very often because I think I'm also a guy that thinks about those blanket statements.
12:58
SPEAKER_00: Who's gonna close?
12:59
SPEAKER_00: When the reality is, if Gary Payton hits four threes like he did two nights ago, he's a closer.
13:04
SPEAKER_00: If Brandon Pozimski is hitting his right rotations and drawing charges and in the right spot, he'll be a closer as well.
13:11
SPEAKER_00: If they're playing against a team that's closing with a dominant big, it probably gonna be a post.
13:15
SPEAKER_00: It could be a loony.
13:16
SPEAKER_00: So I really do do think it's a game by game basis in a series-by-series basis.
13:21
SPEAKER_00: And I think as long as you have those three at the helm, the rest, of course, are extremely important, but they'll make it, they'll make it work if that makes sense.
13:29
SPEAKER_00: And you really have to trust that Steve Kerr makes the right decision in those things.
13:33
SPEAKER_00: And that can be a blessing and a curse to have so many different options.
13:36
SPEAKER_00: Because one guy that I haven't even mentioned yet is Jon Tikamingz back.
13:40
SPEAKER_02: I was gonna say, I think the drama starts when he doesn't close in a big game.
13:44
SPEAKER_00: And I I can see that, but you know, so far since he's come back, he's playing like 22-ish minutes per game.
13:49
SPEAKER_00: The first game back was, I forget who it was against.
13:52
SPEAKER_00: It was a nasty televised game, and I thought they used him very perfectly where, you know, whatever team, let me double check which team it was.
13:58
SPEAKER_00: I remember watching on national TV, but he got the assignment, um, or the other team had a smaller defender on him, and they were just throwing it to him high low and just letting him score off that.
14:08
SPEAKER_00: His first game back this was the Kings game.
14:12
SPEAKER_00: It sure was the Kings game.
14:13
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
14:13
SPEAKER_00: So, you know, they get two or three of his possessions is just him running the floor, having a small defender, whether it be Dre or Jimmy, just throwing ahead and he's just laying it up.
14:21
SPEAKER_00: I think he adds another dynamic as far as athleticism.
14:24
SPEAKER_00: Like that's the one thing he can provide.
14:26
SPEAKER_00: And the biggest question mark is, of course, that tunnel vision.
14:29
SPEAKER_00: We've talked about it on this show, that tunnel vision, that tunnel vision.
14:32
SPEAKER_00: I'm a little bit more optimistic about that now.
14:34
SPEAKER_00: Um, when you think about his game, and this was the lowest scoring game ever when they played against the Knicks a couple nights ago.
14:40
SPEAKER_00: Um he had a couple possessions where he hit ahead to Steph Curry, or he was on a fast break by himself, and Steph Curry was trailing.
14:47
SPEAKER_00: And instead of going straight up, he he did a Steve Nash dribble under the basket and found Steph Curry in the corner.
14:52
SPEAKER_00: Like that's good signs.
14:54
SPEAKER_00: But also against the Bucs, he did have his moments where it's like his first game against the Kings was definitely his best.
15:00
SPEAKER_02: Uh it was his first game back, and it was his best game back.
15:02
SPEAKER_02: The last two have been a little rougher.
15:04
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
15:05
SPEAKER_02: Um, I think where it gets tough in crunch time is with Jimmy now, they have plenty of scoring punch.
15:11
SPEAKER_02: And outside of that, you're gonna need spot shooting and you're gonna need good decision makers and smart defensive players.
15:17
SPEAKER_02: So he could get exposed in those closing lineups, and if they close with Moody over him, if they close with Pajinski, that's where I could see this like good vibes team starting to have some issues.
15:27
SPEAKER_02: Um, not saying it'd be the wrong decision to to sit him, but I think already I you can see him getting taken out in the fourth quarters, and his body language isn't the best.
15:36
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
15:37
SPEAKER_02: Um that's really my only concern right now.
15:39
SPEAKER_02: My other concern is what are they 15 and three with Jimmy and 14 and two when he plays or something like that?
15:45
SPEAKER_00: Uh 15 and 2 when he plays now.
15:48
SPEAKER_02: He they have not played a very good team at full strength.
15:52
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
15:53
SPEAKER_02: I mean the Bucs, but that doesn't really count.
15:56
SPEAKER_00: I can agree because I'm gonna talk about the Bucs, and I have not been impressed recently.
15:59
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I mean, the one game that I was really looking forward to was the Nuggets game, and then they sat their two stars, and Aaron Gordon had a game and so on and so forth.
16:07
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I agree.
16:08
SPEAKER_00: I think tonight they play against the Lakers, but even the Lakers are missing Broncos.
16:11
SPEAKER_02: No, they play the play the Raptors tonight.
16:13
SPEAKER_00: Oh, really?
16:14
SPEAKER_00: Oh no, the Bucs play the Lakers, Bucks play the Lakers.
16:16
SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm switching um stuff.
16:17
SPEAKER_00: Bucks play the Lakers, but even then, like so you're absolutely right.
16:21
SPEAKER_00: That was one of the things that I mentioned earlier, is like, you know, I get a lot of tweets and a lot of DMs, like Kenny, you haven't talked about the Warriors, you haven't talked about the Warriors.
16:28
SPEAKER_00: And I, of course, I should have probably talked about them when they were beaten up on bad teams, but I again I'm trying to think about it from the bird's eye view, right?
16:36
SPEAKER_00: This is the Warriors here.
16:37
SPEAKER_00: It's cool to talk about them beating the Hornets by 20, just saying.
16:43
SPEAKER_00: But this is a historic organization.
16:45
SPEAKER_00: Like that that's not what we want to hear.
16:47
SPEAKER_00: We want to see them play against the good teams and see if they can win the championship.
16:50
SPEAKER_00: And at this point, I've been waiting and waiting and waiting.
16:53
SPEAKER_00: I can't, I don't think I can wait anymore.
16:55
SPEAKER_00: Like they've they've got the best luck imaginable right now.
16:57
SPEAKER_00: So it's really just looking at how they're playing against these less than um healthy teams or the less than average teams, and seeing what can you see in these games that you think can translate against the better teams?
17:10
SPEAKER_00: Totally.
17:10
SPEAKER_02: And a sign of a sign of a good team is that you consistently beat the bad teams as well.
17:14
SPEAKER_02: Um, my last thing on this, and I want to let you continue what you were saying.
17:18
SPEAKER_02: Uh, in terms of Jimmy's offense, one thing that I've noticed, and again, I'm I'm I've been thrilled with his playmaking, his vision, he makes everyone better.
17:27
SPEAKER_02: His kind of lack of creativity in terms of creating his own shot has surprised me.
17:32
SPEAKER_02: And maybe that is because he's kind of in more of a passive mode.
17:35
SPEAKER_02: But when he attacks the basket, he kind of just goes one direction and then tries to kind of use force to get to the basket.
17:41
SPEAKER_02: I have yet to see a ton of dribble moves or interesting footwork.
17:46
SPEAKER_02: And maybe I just haven't watched him a ton in the last couple years.
17:49
SPEAKER_02: But in your mind, like, is that something that comes out in bigger moments, or is he just doesn't have that deep of a bag offensively?
17:56
SPEAKER_00: No, I think the one of the best things about him is that he's he doesn't have a big, like a deep bag, and he uses that somewhat to his advantage.
18:03
SPEAKER_00: His his simplicity is the best thing about his game.
18:07
SPEAKER_00: Where like you know he wants to get downhill, you know he wants to pump fake four times from this block, and you still fall for it, and it's still nothing we can really do.
18:15
SPEAKER_00: I think that his lack of creativity allows him to be, I don't know, I this makes no sense, but it allows him to be more effective in a way.
18:24
SPEAKER_00: And that's the way I've always seen it for Jimmy Buddha, even when he was here in Chicago, and it's not a guy that it's like, hey man, you know, has he tween pull-up jump shots.
18:33
SPEAKER_00: He's not breaking you down.
18:34
SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
18:34
SPEAKER_00: It is very consistent.
18:36
SPEAKER_00: He's gonna make some tough shots for sure, but for the most part, his creativity is that he's smarter than you.
18:43
SPEAKER_00: He's just smarter than you as a defender.
18:46
SPEAKER_00: He'll see where your feet are and attack attack a certain way.
18:49
SPEAKER_00: He'll see where the help is and recognize that if he helps too much over here, then I got the kick out.
18:54
SPEAKER_00: And if he doesn't help, then I got a layup or I got a drawn foul.
18:57
SPEAKER_00: And uh yeah, I think it's the the beauty in his game is the simplicity, honestly.
19:02
SPEAKER_02: And I think when you compare him to Kevin Durant, who they were close to getting, Kevin Durant can kind of get his offense, yes, in the flow of the offense, but he also can just in ISO moments or when the offense breaks down, that's when he really shines.
19:16
SPEAKER_02: Jimmy is really an in-the-flow type of guy.
19:19
SPEAKER_02: He's he's not an end of the shot clock, go get a bucket, at least what I've seen.
19:23
unknown: Yeah.
19:23
SPEAKER_02: Much more let me play in the rhythm of the of the team, which is is great for the Warriors.
19:27
SPEAKER_02: Just it's it's it's definitely a variance from Kevin Durant.
19:30
SPEAKER_00: For sure.
19:30
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's it's really it's give and take, right?
19:32
SPEAKER_00: I agree with you as far as him being a Florida offense type of dude.
19:35
SPEAKER_00: The question is, once you get to those like high-leverage moments against these good teams, a guy like Kevin Durant, where you know the offense can be there regardless, is definitely more effective.
19:44
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I I think about what playoff Jimmy can be and has been in the past, we can see that happen.
19:51
SPEAKER_00: It just happens at a like differently than Kevin Durant.
19:54
SPEAKER_00: Where Kevin is like, it doesn't matter if you send a second body, I will shoot over you.
19:58
SPEAKER_00: And Jimmy Butler, again, a little bit more methodical in the aspect of like recognizing his strengths and his weaknesses, and recognizing that I can be stronger than you, I can get to the basket.
20:08
SPEAKER_00: Again, that game against the Bucs, he drew like six fouls in a single quarter just because he was playing stronger and smarter than the Bucs defender.
20:15
SPEAKER_00: So it's just it's just a little bit differently, uh, different.
20:19
SPEAKER_00: And uh yeah, I mean, he's playing along Steph Curry now, so it just makes it easier as well.
20:23
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, as Steve Kerr says, he can dominate a game without really scoring the ball that much.
20:27
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and having two of those type of dudes is is is pretty dope.
20:31
SPEAKER_00: Um lastly on the Warriors, if we go to let me see, because thing, you know, NBA standards are jumping all over the place as of right now, because I know the Timbulls have not looked great.
20:40
SPEAKER_00: They have a full game above the Clippers now because the Clippers are playing good ball.
20:44
SPEAKER_00: We'll maybe talk about that a little bit later.
20:46
SPEAKER_00: There's they're sitting at the 6th C with a one-game difference, and as of today, they would play against the Lakers, and what a matchup that can be.
20:54
SPEAKER_00: I know Steve, um Adam Silver is praying that we get that.
20:57
SPEAKER_00: He probably wants it a little bit later in the playoffs, opposed to the first round, but what a great treat that would be from us NBA fans to see a series where it's LeBron and Luca and Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and and Jimmy Butler.
21:08
SPEAKER_00: So uh I'm gonna leave the door open for y'all at home.
21:11
SPEAKER_00: Let me know what you think about this Warriors team.
21:13
SPEAKER_00: Is it sustainable?
21:14
SPEAKER_00: Like Greg mentioned, they haven't played against a ton of high, um, like really good talented teams as of late.
21:20
SPEAKER_00: You let me know if it's really sustainable.
21:22
SPEAKER_00: All right, like I mentioned at the top of the show, it's madness time, baby.
21:26
SPEAKER_00: I filled out my bracket.
21:27
SPEAKER_00: This is how crazy it is for me, man.
21:29
SPEAKER_00: I filled out my bracket two days ago.
21:30
SPEAKER_00: Recorded the whole video, you know, it's an annual thing.
21:32
SPEAKER_00: I watched a more college basketball this year than any of the years previously combined.
21:36
SPEAKER_00: Like, that's how locked in I was.
21:38
SPEAKER_00: And it that don't mean that I was stupidly locked in like Jimmy, but like I watched a lot and I listened to a lot of shows.
21:44
SPEAKER_00: I have not listened to many NBA shows.
21:46
SPEAKER_00: Yesterday was the first time I listened to an NBA show in months, and that was again the Dunker spot when Akaias and Steve.
21:52
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I made my video.
21:53
SPEAKER_00: Made my video making my picks, and it's not the perfect bracket, obviously.
21:58
SPEAKER_00: A team that I picked has already lost.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: And the games tipped off like two hours ago.
22:02
SPEAKER_00: And I forgot to publish a video.
22:04
SPEAKER_00: Forgot to publish a video.
22:05
SPEAKER_00: And the games had already tipped off.
22:07
SPEAKER_00: Regardless, March Madness is one of the most exciting times.
22:12
SPEAKER_00: Even people that don't watch college sports or don't watch basketball in general can really lock in to college basketball during this time.
22:20
SPEAKER_00: And through the first two rounds, if you go to FanDuel Sportsbook, we got this good, this good old deal right now where you can bet on the lowest seat of the day to win.
22:28
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22:32
SPEAKER_00: Let me explain that one more time.
22:33
SPEAKER_00: If you think that Colorado State can beat Memphis, which I literally have that in my bracket.
22:39
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22:41
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22:53
SPEAKER_00: We're calling it the dog of the day, the underdog of the day.
22:56
SPEAKER_00: All you got to do is head to fanDuel.com slash Kenny and pick that.
23:01
SPEAKER_00: And again, I'm going with that 12-5 matchup.
23:03
SPEAKER_00: Maybe there's a bigger upset brewing.
23:05
SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's a 13, a 14.
23:06
SPEAKER_00: Hell, we've seen two 16s win.
23:09
SPEAKER_00: I doubt.
23:09
SPEAKER_00: I doubt it happens this year.
23:10
SPEAKER_00: But I'm just saying it's possible.
23:13
SPEAKER_00: So again, that's the dog of the day.
23:15
SPEAKER_00: FanDuel.com slash Kenny.
23:17
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23:20
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24:21
SPEAKER_00: Again, that Warriors versus Bucks game was one that I was really tapped into this season or this uh a couple days ago, so much so that I watched the last quarter three different twice for sure, two and a half times, I'll say bits and pieces in it.
24:35
SPEAKER_00: And the Bucks, again, going in as the favorite without Steph Curry, um, should have won this game.
24:40
SPEAKER_00: And a lot of the times, listen, I'll be honest with you, and it's coming to March basketball.
24:44
SPEAKER_00: I'm not looking at wins and losses anymore.
24:46
SPEAKER_00: I'm thinking about how we get to these situations.
24:49
SPEAKER_00: Maybe we'll talk about this a little bit later.
24:50
SPEAKER_00: The Cavs on the three-game losing streak.
24:52
SPEAKER_00: Oh my God, the sky is falling to Cleveland.
24:54
SPEAKER_00: No, it's not.
24:54
SPEAKER_00: Can't can't overreact to March basketball.
24:57
SPEAKER_00: But what I have been doing recently, since the last time we talked, is really locking into what we call clutch games.
25:03
SPEAKER_00: Clutch games is five-point games or five minutes ago.
25:05
SPEAKER_00: I think that's how they they um determine it on basketball or NBA.com.
25:09
SPEAKER_00: And I'm looking at these clutch games and I'm really diving into the offensive side of the ball, at least for the last week.
25:14
SPEAKER_00: That's what I did.
25:15
SPEAKER_00: What shots are you generating in the clutch?
25:17
SPEAKER_00: Because this is a make or miss league, right?
25:19
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes you can generate the best looking shots, you can play the really good defense and still walk out with a loss, right?
25:25
SPEAKER_00: You know, you you generate a good Damian Lillard look, and he just so happened to miss two in a row, you can walk out of there with a loss.
25:31
SPEAKER_00: But I can't look at your clutch and say, man, they didn't do something right.
25:34
SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm saying?
25:35
SPEAKER_00: So I'm re-watching these games.
25:37
SPEAKER_00: And I was like, let me rewatch the last five minutes of Bucks versus Warriors.
25:42
SPEAKER_00: Because, like I mentioned, they were down by 14 in the first half, and then they brought it all the way down to two going into the fourth.
25:49
SPEAKER_00: And with the last five minutes, it is a four-point game.
25:51
SPEAKER_00: So this is within reach.
25:53
SPEAKER_00: They have the best player on the court.
25:54
SPEAKER_00: You can argue have two best players on the court depending on where you want to go.
25:57
SPEAKER_00: And I ain't mad at you if you want to argue that.
25:59
SPEAKER_00: So what can happen?
26:02
SPEAKER_00: I just like I said, make a mislead.
26:05
SPEAKER_00: Make a mislead.
26:06
SPEAKER_00: You can make the right plays and still lose.
26:09
SPEAKER_00: This was not the case for the Bucs.
26:10
SPEAKER_00: It wasn't the case.
26:12
SPEAKER_00: Because in the last four minutes, they did not score.
26:14
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes, again, you look at that type of stat and you're like, ah, shots just didn't fall.
26:17
SPEAKER_00: It's really about what the hell was generating.
26:22
SPEAKER_00: So here it is.
26:22
SPEAKER_00: Here's here are my notes from when I re-watched these games.
26:26
SPEAKER_00: Here are the last within that four-minute stretch.
26:28
SPEAKER_00: Here are the possessions that the Milwaukee Bucks had.
26:30
SPEAKER_00: Giannis had an empty side isolation against Draymond Green, with Draymond Green was able to push him to the help side.
26:36
SPEAKER_00: Instead of giving up a free baseline and Giannis shoots a contested floater, it's a miss.
26:40
SPEAKER_00: Giannis, for what it's worth, had his worst shooting game of the entire season.
26:44
SPEAKER_00: Draymond Green said that he's going to use this to try to get his DPOY this year since Wimby is not there.
26:49
SPEAKER_00: And honestly, if you were going to watch a single game to see if Draymond Green is worthy of a DPOY vote, this is probably the game as he's going against the most dominant force in basketball.
26:58
SPEAKER_00: And he literally Giannis didn't score a basket against Dre the entirety of the game.
27:02
SPEAKER_00: Not a single basket.
27:04
SPEAKER_00: Anyway, that's how the first possession within four minutes happened.
27:07
SPEAKER_00: Then Giannis and Dame spent 14 seconds.
27:10
SPEAKER_00: Reminder, it's four minutes left.
27:14
SPEAKER_00: They spend 14 seconds trying to set up a pick and roll that was eventually abandoned after Gary Payton was so attached to Dame that Giannis doesn't have uh opportunity to create space.
27:27
SPEAKER_00: Dame swings to Gary Trent, and Gary Trent nearly airballs.
27:30
SPEAKER_00: Remember this, the pick and roll abandonment bit abandonment, because we're gonna come back to that a little bit later in the episode.
27:36
SPEAKER_00: Next, the Bucks.
27:40
SPEAKER_00: This is one of the ones that I wrote out what happened, and it's still hard for me to explain.
27:45
SPEAKER_00: It's one of the possessions that I recommend if you have NBA uh.com uh uh membership, you can go re-watch this possession.
27:52
SPEAKER_00: The Bucks don't get the ball past half court until there's 17 seconds left, which just means they took every single second possible to get the ball to the court before it became an illegal action.
28:04
SPEAKER_00: I want to remind you that during these possessions between that that Giannis missed against Draymond Green and the Damian Linder and Giannis abandoned that pick and roll, on the opposite side of the ball, the Warriors are scoring.
28:16
SPEAKER_00: Every single time we're down, the Warriors are scoring.
28:18
SPEAKER_00: So now that four-point lead has grown to about nine.
28:21
SPEAKER_00: It's a nine-point game.
28:23
SPEAKER_00: They take seven to they were 17 on the clock to get the ball to the court.
28:28
SPEAKER_00: The Bucks tried to get Brandon Pajimski in the action on Giannis by having Gary Trent Jr.
28:33
SPEAKER_00: set the screen, but Giannis realized that it's not a lot of time on the shot clock and goes early, and Gary Trent doesn't have an opportunity to hit the man to set the screen.
28:43
SPEAKER_00: He goes so early, and it's also late.
28:46
SPEAKER_00: This is what I mean.
28:46
SPEAKER_00: It's so hard to explain his possession because again, they got it up late, and now Giannis is looking at it and said, Oh my god, there's 10 seconds left.
28:53
SPEAKER_00: Giannis is not able to get the switch that he wants because Draymond Green is there.
28:57
SPEAKER_00: He swings it over to Damian Lillard, who now has eight seconds to try to make something happen.
29:02
SPEAKER_00: And Damian Lillard is one of the best make something happen type of players, but they weren't able to do it, and it's a heavily contested three.
29:08
SPEAKER_00: Again, this is one of the possessions that I wrote out exactly what happened, and I'm still struggling to explain to you how bad of a possession this was offensively.
29:17
SPEAKER_00: Now, there's a timeout because guess what?
29:19
SPEAKER_00: The Warriors just scored again.
29:20
SPEAKER_00: Damn it, we got to call timeout.
29:22
SPEAKER_00: Dame gets to the rim against Buddy Hilled.
29:24
SPEAKER_00: Buddy Hill plays enough, uh good enough defense where it's a missed layup for Damian Lillard.
29:28
SPEAKER_00: And again, the Warriors are continuing to score on the opposite side of things.
29:33
SPEAKER_00: And now it's a minute left.
29:36
SPEAKER_00: They're down by nine.
29:38
SPEAKER_00: They finally just start the uh play with some urgency where Damian Lillard gets the ball up the court pretty fast.
29:43
SPEAKER_00: They swing, swing, swing, swing, swing.
29:45
SPEAKER_00: I counted it.
29:46
SPEAKER_00: Swing, swing, swing, swing, swing.
29:47
SPEAKER_00: And the Warriors' defense was so damn great that all of those swings didn't even lead to an open shot.
29:52
SPEAKER_00: It led to a Torian Prince corner three that he missed.
29:55
SPEAKER_00: Dame gets one more layup attempt, and just like that, the game is over.
29:58
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if I did an amazing job explaining these possessions, but the point I'm trying to make is that the clutch time offense, and this is not just a this game specific thing.
30:07
SPEAKER_00: The clutch time offense for this team has been dreadful.
30:12
SPEAKER_00: It's been dreadful.
30:14
SPEAKER_00: They're the third worst fourth quarter team in all of basketball.
30:20
SPEAKER_00: Reminder how many teams are actively tanking right now?
30:24
SPEAKER_00: How many teams are bad at basketball right now?
30:26
SPEAKER_00: In the fourth quarter, the Bucks are one of the worst.
30:30
SPEAKER_00: And after the game, you know, I always find it interesting to figure out like what is being said in post-game interviews that we should think about.
30:38
SPEAKER_00: Because, you know, these dudes are so media trained that like they're giving you answers that mean nothing.
30:44
SPEAKER_00: But this is what Damian Lillard said at this game.
30:46
SPEAKER_00: I think right now our offense is not forceful enough, it's not intentional enough.
30:51
SPEAKER_00: Each part of our own stuff, we gotta have some pace.
30:54
SPEAKER_00: We gotta hit people.
30:55
SPEAKER_00: We gotta make things happen consistently.
30:57
SPEAKER_00: And right now we're not doing that well enough to have an effective offense.
31:00
SPEAKER_00: The one thing I want to go to is we gotta hit people.
31:02
SPEAKER_00: Hey, listen, Giannis is one of my favorite players of basketball.
31:05
SPEAKER_00: He's one of the best.
31:05
SPEAKER_00: He's probably three on my MVP ballot, maybe, maybe four, probably three on my MVP ballot as today.
31:11
SPEAKER_00: I think I've expressed this on this podcast before.
31:14
SPEAKER_00: Maybe it was the other podcast.
31:16
SPEAKER_00: Giannis doesn't set enough big good body screens.
31:20
SPEAKER_00: When Dame says we got to hit people, I know he's not specifically talking about in the pick and roll, but I feel that when I watch the Bucs, one of the reasons why they feel so damn good about having Brooke Lopez be the screen set in the role, man, is because Brooke hits players.
31:37
SPEAKER_00: And getting a player stuck on the screen is the reason the pick and roll is so effective and why it's the number one offense in all of basketball is because it's somewhat unfair if you can set a good screen.
31:48
SPEAKER_00: And Giannis rarely sets a good screen.
31:52
SPEAKER_00: So we got to hit people.
31:54
SPEAKER_00: He says we're not intentional enough.
31:56
SPEAKER_00: Giannis goes to his post-game interview and said we got to be more free-flowing.
32:00
SPEAKER_00: Again, you got to question what is just media training nonsense and what is what they actually feel.
32:06
SPEAKER_00: The starting point guard is want to be more intentional, and the best player on the team says that we got to be freer.
32:12
SPEAKER_00: I don't know what to believe.
32:14
SPEAKER_00: And I watched them in the clutch.
32:17
SPEAKER_00: And I just think about now that they've made some moves at the deadline, how easy it can be to guard this team.
32:24
SPEAKER_00: Now, granted, again, they have two of the best offensive weapons in all of basketball.
32:27
SPEAKER_00: So sometimes Jon is gonna put his head down, he's gonna get to that basket.
32:30
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes Damian Lillard's gonna hit a ridiculous three.
32:32
SPEAKER_00: That's inevitable.
32:34
SPEAKER_00: But I think about how the Warriors just did it, which was having a small on Brooke Lopez and having a big on Kuzma.
32:41
SPEAKER_00: Quentin posters guard Kuzma for a lot of this game and just leaving Kuzma completely.
32:46
SPEAKER_00: The pick and roll can't be as effective if the roll man is seeing two bodies.
32:50
SPEAKER_00: You can't run your offense through Brook Lopez if you don't have the spacing around him.
32:56
SPEAKER_00: And then this game happened, and then we get a Haynes report for Chris Hayes that said that we had a meeting between Giannis, Dame, and Doc, where they said it was a productive meeting, which is dope, where all of them were able to lay out what they think is going wrong, and hopefully they can have some change to it.
33:10
SPEAKER_00: Which is a good thing, I think, I think you can look into this a couple different ways.
33:12
SPEAKER_00: I see this as a positive thing.
33:14
SPEAKER_00: I don't like Doc Rivers as a coach when I think about the overall ceiling of any franchise of him as a coach, but like I think that having a meeting like this is important, right?
33:22
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you kind of want to have this meeting a little bit early in the season, but as of right now, they're playing some of their worst basketball.
33:26
SPEAKER_00: They're five and five in their last 10, and some of these losses are objectively bad losses.
33:30
SPEAKER_00: On the other show, uh, numbers on the board, we were talking about the Bucs, and I was expressing how like I the only benefit of the doubt they have to me is that they have Damon Giannis.
33:40
SPEAKER_00: Everything else I don't trust.
33:41
SPEAKER_00: I just don't trust anything else on the team.
33:43
SPEAKER_00: But Damon Giannis can be so good at times that like maybe that's all you really need.
33:46
SPEAKER_00: And then we talked about the stretch they were about to go on.
33:49
SPEAKER_00: And this is where the stretch started, where they had the Orlando Magic, which they lost by two.
33:55
SPEAKER_00: They had the Cavaliers, which is a 12-point game, but that game wasn't nearly as close as a 12-point game.
34:00
SPEAKER_00: I promise you that.
34:00
SPEAKER_00: They had the Tyrese Halliburton game winner, so that's three straight losses.
34:04
SPEAKER_00: Then they played against the Lakers, and Luca had a great game, but in this one, the Lakers didn't have anything outside of Luca, and they end up losing, they end up winning that one.
34:12
SPEAKER_00: And then they had the Pacers, which they got their revenge on that.
34:15
SPEAKER_00: Then they played against the Thunder and the Warriors, and they have the Lakers tonight.
34:19
SPEAKER_00: They have the Kings, they have the Sunday.
34:20
SPEAKER_00: So, like this stretch, we were looking at, okay, let's see exactly who the Bucs are.
34:24
SPEAKER_00: Let's see who they are as a team.
34:26
SPEAKER_00: And I walk away more confused now than I was before the stretch happened.
34:31
SPEAKER_00: I don't trust their clutch offense.
34:36
SPEAKER_00: And they have Mr.
34:38
SPEAKER_00: Tappa's watch himself.
34:41
SPEAKER_00: And we talk about upside, we talk about could this team win a championship?
34:45
SPEAKER_00: Could is this team a first round exit?
34:47
SPEAKER_00: They could be they're closer to a first round exit than they are a championship team to me.
34:52
SPEAKER_00: Seriously.
34:53
SPEAKER_00: They're closer to a first round exit than they are a championship team.
34:56
SPEAKER_00: And that's saying something because damn it, they got Damon Giannis.
35:02
SPEAKER_00: So we'll see.
35:03
SPEAKER_00: Again, what 14-15 games left of the season?
35:05
SPEAKER_00: Um, they got Lakers, they got Kings, they got Suns, they got Nuggets, they got Knicks, they got Hawks, Suns again.
35:10
SPEAKER_00: You know, this this end of the season is not the toughest end of the season, but they do have back-to-back games to end the year against the Pistons, and the Pistons are the team, one of the two teams they're competing with for the 4-5-6 matchup.
35:21
SPEAKER_00: So those could be the most important games of the season for them, and they have to get their shit together.
35:26
SPEAKER_00: Because Kate Cunningham just banked in a game winner, and the Pacers are playing some of the most fun basketball games in the league.
35:32
SPEAKER_00: Between Obi Toppin turning into Reggie Miller and then Pascal Siakam playing thief against the uh the Mavericks, they've just been playing fun games and they're winning those fun games.
35:41
SPEAKER_00: So the Bucs are kind of just sitting there.
35:44
SPEAKER_00: They're kind of just sitting there.
35:46
SPEAKER_00: All right, um, let's let's break on producer Greg.
35:48
SPEAKER_00: Let's let's do some five out.
35:50
SPEAKER_02: All right, Kenny.
35:51
SPEAKER_02: So a lot of hoopers, a lot of people that cover basketball describe Kyrie as the most skilled player ever.
35:58
SPEAKER_02: And you don't really hear a lot of like, well, hears who's close to him.
36:02
SPEAKER_02: I mean, people like throw out Steph or AI or Isaiah Thomas, but like in the modern day, like no one really touches Kyrie.
36:09
SPEAKER_02: I've been watching Shay a lot.
36:13
SPEAKER_02: Do you think that what is he close to Kyrie skill-wise?
36:17
SPEAKER_02: And within a few years or by the end of his career, do you think SGA will be considered on that same tier of just pure basketball skill when it comes to footwork, shot creation, creativity, handle?
36:31
SPEAKER_02: Um he can do so much of what Kyrie can do, and he's bigger, and maybe even a little bit more wiggly, if that's the right word.
36:40
SPEAKER_00: I can see it.
36:41
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think that one of the problems, and maybe I'm just in the wrong pockets of the internet, um, is that okay, Kyrie Irvin is at the point of his career where he has very little critics, uh specifically on the basketball side of things.
36:57
SPEAKER_00: There's a portion of his career, you know, before the championship with Brian, where people question him on the higher upside, can this guy really be a one or two on a championship team?
37:06
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, he was able to do that.
37:07
SPEAKER_00: He had the maybe the biggest shot in the history of this sport when you really think about it.
37:10
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then he got into the stuff with uh the vaccination, and and since then, since the world has opened up and they become less of a talking point, I think that 99% of NBA fans have got back to appreciating Kyrie Irving.
37:26
SPEAKER_02: For sure.
37:26
SPEAKER_00: Um, the day that he went down against the Kings, and then the subsequent tweet from Shamsharani that said he was out for the season, it was it was like dim on the timeline.
37:36
SPEAKER_00: Like real shit.
37:37
SPEAKER_00: Like everybody was like, oh my god, this is obviously awful, but like he's one of the most enjoyable watches.
37:43
SPEAKER_00: I think it takes a lot for a guy like Shay to get that overall consensus from everybody that this guy is as talented as anybody.
37:53
SPEAKER_00: And I think one of the things that makes Kyrie special, and one of the reasons why he's he's widely looked at as that type of guy is because of his size, his lack of size, where he's able to create against anybody in basketball while being, I think he's listed 6'2.
38:07
SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't be surprised if he's actually actually shorter than 6'2.
38:10
SPEAKER_00: Um and at the end of the day, people like cool handle.
38:14
SPEAKER_00: And and Shay is as effective as an offensive player as anybody in basketball right now, but I think that because he is taller, some of that shiftiness gets kind of loop uh lost in it, right?
38:24
SPEAKER_00: Being close to the ground is a little bit faster.
38:26
SPEAKER_00: I think Shay kind of gets lost there.
38:29
SPEAKER_00: I I could I think you could genuinely make the argument that Shay could breach that conversation as one of the most talented guys in hoops, maybe the most talented guy of this of this like up-and-coming era, like the 26 and younger guy.
38:43
SPEAKER_00: Like, I I didn't even know who could even come close to him, and maybe I'm just drawing a blank.
38:48
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I guess the way to describe it would be like playground game.
38:50
SPEAKER_00: Like, yeah, yeah.
38:52
SPEAKER_02: And he has all those moves.
38:55
SPEAKER_02: Um, yes, he can kind of get to his mid-range and be a little bit more traditional to scoring in that way, but in terms of just like breaking a defender down, fakes, Euros, behind the backs, crosses, spins, everything that Kyrie does, he's I'm not gonna say he's on the same level, but like it's not far off.
39:16
SPEAKER_00: It's it's not, it's not really far off, honestly.
39:20
SPEAKER_00: I mean, Shea leads the lead leads the league and drives, right?
39:24
SPEAKER_00: He gets to the basket at will, and the way he's doing it is not like we mentioned earlier, the Jimmy Butler brute force or Giannis brute force or one one track minded downhill, downhill, downhill.
39:35
SPEAKER_00: Um, but because of the free throw thing, I think it kind of gets lost.
39:39
SPEAKER_00: Like Shay can have a 46-point game, and it's a clip on Twitter that people are talking about where he did like intentionally foul bait, if you will, and that's the conversation of his 48-point game.
39:51
SPEAKER_00: So I just I don't know what it would take.
39:53
SPEAKER_00: Um, because I think every single player, once they hit this level of stardom, is gonna have a percentage of people that's just like out.
40:00
SPEAKER_00: They're just out, they're out, they're out.
40:01
SPEAKER_00: But if you take it for what it is, Shea is he's literally like he's a monster, bro.
40:06
SPEAKER_00: He's a like I think about that Pistons game where it didn't matter who they had on him, man.
40:11
SPEAKER_00: For that last three-minute stretch, it was bucket after bucket.
40:13
SPEAKER_00: Tim Hardaway Jr.
40:14
SPEAKER_00: hit the floor twice, hands on the floor, trying to get up twice in a four-minute stretch, and it's dagger shot after dagger shot.
40:22
SPEAKER_00: So again, getting back to your original question.
40:24
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if he'll ever because Kyrie, I think Kyrie, when he retires, is going to be looked at as like this mythical thing.
40:29
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
40:30
SPEAKER_00: Right?
40:30
SPEAKER_00: Um, all the mixtapes, it's just gonna tell you that Kyrie is one of the ones.
40:35
SPEAKER_00: Shea has the best chance of the modern stars to be that, but I don't think he'll ever be able to top Kyrie because of it again, just like this mythical, mythical figure in Kyrie Irvin.
40:47
SPEAKER_02: I think what I look for uh a lot with with some of these guys at the end of games when they are one-on-one and they're being defended by a respected guy who in that moment just has to get a stop and nothing else.
41:02
SPEAKER_02: I look at like you know, what happens, and even like you know, with Steph, who's my favorite player, a lot of times when it's a serious, serious defender, if he hits that shot, it's gonna be a difficult shot.
41:13
SPEAKER_02: Yes, and it's gonna be a shot a defender forced him into.
41:16
SPEAKER_02: And he might hit it because he's that great.
41:17
SPEAKER_02: But I watched Jalen Brown the other day guard Shay in a in a big moment, and he Shay just made him look silly.
41:25
SPEAKER_02: Like it's again in that moment, Jalen Brown was super locked in, knew his assignment was to force Shay into something very difficult and shake out whatever he wanted.
41:35
SPEAKER_02: And that to me is a sign of like just top, top, top level skill.
41:40
SPEAKER_02: And also combine that with athleticism and quickness and all that to be able to get to his spots, but Shay did not seem phased at all.
41:48
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's something I've mentioned on here before that Shay doesn't take bad shots.
41:53
SPEAKER_00: If he misses, it's because he missed.
41:55
SPEAKER_00: It has been, it's I mean, I'm being hyperbolic, obviously, but there's rarely a time where I look at it and say that this defender really called Shay to miss.
42:03
SPEAKER_00: Again, you could be great defense, like I don't know the specific possession that you're talking about, but in that game, Jalen Brown had multiple possessions where he played really good defense, and it didn't matter because Shay got to his spot and hit his shot.
42:16
SPEAKER_00: So um he's just not in the league of his own in that because we have so many great players in basketball, but he's so high on that list.
42:24
SPEAKER_00: And I think the only thing holding him back, and if we're talking about the grand scheme, is like just real playoff success for him to, I guess, to be more appreciated.
42:32
SPEAKER_00: Youngest team of basketball right now, man.
42:34
SPEAKER_00: Is the the overall one seed now that the Cavs have lost three in a row?
42:37
SPEAKER_00: So, you know, he goes on a deep playoff run, potentially win a championship.
42:40
SPEAKER_00: I think that he'll probably be a little bit more appreciated, but also we're talking about a 26-year-old.
42:45
SPEAKER_00: You know, like he's got so much left to give to this game and give to this league that who knows how his perception's gonna be in a few years.
42:52
SPEAKER_02: I think tying it all back to the to Kyrie and the original question, I think what separates those guys from all the rest of the top-tier players when it comes to skill is is counters.
43:03
SPEAKER_02: When someone takes away something, what do you have next?
43:06
SPEAKER_02: And it seems to be an endless supply of tricks to counter whatever someone uses to stop you.
43:12
SPEAKER_02: And a lot of the best players, they have two, three, four counters, but then it, you know, then then they gotta rise up for the shot.
43:18
SPEAKER_02: Kyrie and Shay, I mean, it might 20, 25, 30 different types of things they can counter if you if you cut off what they want to do first.
43:26
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the best they could do against Shay, and I guess Kyrie is to blitz them, get the ball out of their hands, because that's that's all you really got.
43:33
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because if they have the ball, they're gonna generate an efficient shot, an efficient shot for them or teammate, which is insane.
43:39
SPEAKER_00: So um, I've been a big Shea guy since his first summer league guy, uh summer league game, and I definitely didn't see him being the MVP of the league.
43:47
SPEAKER_00: Like insane.
43:49
SPEAKER_00: And like he talks about what drives him, and it's just he said that he just wants to see how good he can get.
43:54
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes it really is that simple.
43:56
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it really is that simple.
43:58
SPEAKER_00: I'm not driven by money, I'm not well.
44:00
SPEAKER_00: I bet the money's great too.
44:01
SPEAKER_00: I'm not driven by just like winning accolades.
44:04
SPEAKER_00: I have a quest for myself to be the best possible thing, best possible player.
44:09
SPEAKER_00: And you see him get better and better every single year.
44:12
SPEAKER_00: Um, so that's one that's one of my guys.
44:14
SPEAKER_02: I was the opposite of you.
44:15
SPEAKER_02: I when he was at Kentucky, uh, he was the backup to start the year because Quad A Green, who's the best point guard coming out of Philadelphia I've ever seen, was the lead point guard.
44:25
SPEAKER_02: They're both freshmen.
44:26
SPEAKER_02: And like within like three or four games, Shay took his spot.
44:29
SPEAKER_02: And I was like so bitter.
44:30
SPEAKER_02: I was like, this who is the kid like Quad A is the most good I've ever seen.
44:33
SPEAKER_02: And yesterday I saw a commercial from Arch Madness, and it was it was Shay at Kentucky.
44:37
SPEAKER_02: And in the background, just like in a blurry pick, you can see Quad A Green.
44:40
SPEAKER_02: And it's just so uh, you know, it tells the future.
44:44
SPEAKER_02: Like Quad A never played an NBA game, and Shay is now a top two, three player in the world.
44:50
SPEAKER_02: Um, so you saw it early.
44:51
SPEAKER_02: I I was a bit bitter, and I was I didn't I didn't allow myself to see it.
44:55
SPEAKER_00: No, when I say I saw it early, again, I just became a fan.
44:58
SPEAKER_00: Not again, I didn't see that he was gonna be one of the ones.
45:00
SPEAKER_00: I thought he was I don't know if I saw a ceiling of an all-star, honestly.
45:06
SPEAKER_00: I was just like potential kitty for real all-star type of dude.
45:10
SPEAKER_00: He's gonna play good defense, long lengthy dude, point guard, you know, be all right, he'll be good in his league.
45:17
SPEAKER_00: Way better than that.
45:18
SPEAKER_00: Good in his league, great in his league, MVP, maybe more, who knows?
45:22
SPEAKER_00: Um so yeah, that's why I can't ever be a scout though.
45:26
SPEAKER_00: Because the guys that I think are gonna be stars, they all suck.
45:30
SPEAKER_00: They all end up being trash.
45:32
SPEAKER_00: Um and then it's just the random role players, man.
45:36
SPEAKER_00: You could man, you couldn't convince me that Ben MacLaur was gonna bust out of the league, man.
45:40
SPEAKER_00: I thought Ben McLamore was one of them once, and yeah, he's not he doesn't even play anymore.
45:45
SPEAKER_00: He's not even in the league.
45:45
SPEAKER_00: I don't know where he's at.
45:46
SPEAKER_00: He's not in the league though.
45:49
SPEAKER_00: That's what March Madness does, though.
45:51
SPEAKER_00: Because also, you know what, let's get to Ask KB.
45:53
SPEAKER_00: Because one of the questions I have for Ask KB was March Madness adjacent or or related.
46:04
SPEAKER_00: And it goes into my my lack of ability to really look at talent in March Madness runs.
46:11
SPEAKER_00: It comes from Alex.
46:12
SPEAKER_00: March Madness moment, you remember the best.
46:15
SPEAKER_00: Listen, March Madness memory, I remember the best.
46:20
SPEAKER_00: Has to be for well, let's start off with 2016.
46:22
SPEAKER_00: Uh, Chris Jenkins, Ryan Archie Ackno passed the ball.
46:25
SPEAKER_00: Chris Jenkins is a shot cool.
46:26
SPEAKER_00: But the one that I love the most is 2013 Trey Burke.
46:30
SPEAKER_00: I thought, listen, little point guard, the game against Kansas, he hit the the like the logo three to go into OT or to tie the game with a couple seconds to go.
46:41
SPEAKER_00: I thought Trey Burke was the truth, the absolute truth.
46:46
SPEAKER_00: He wasn't.
46:47
SPEAKER_00: But I remember that run.
46:48
SPEAKER_00: I think they ended up eventually losing to Peyton Seva and them in the finals.
46:52
SPEAKER_00: Um, Peyton Seva, great college player as well.
46:55
SPEAKER_00: And wow, let me look up this name.
46:59
SPEAKER_00: Oh my God.
46:59
SPEAKER_00: Do y'all remember Wayne Blackshear?
47:02
SPEAKER_00: Wayne Blackshear was from Chicago.
47:04
SPEAKER_00: That's where I remember him.
47:05
SPEAKER_00: He ended up playing just a little bit, a little cup of coffee in the G, but he went to Morgan Park here in Chicago.
47:11
SPEAKER_00: Um, he was on that championship Louisville to Louisville team.
47:14
SPEAKER_00: But either way, you know, I watched Trey Burke, and I'm like, this six-foot one point guard can do this.
47:19
SPEAKER_00: They had a Mitch McGary on that team who bust out of the league because he wanted to smoke weed.
47:24
SPEAKER_00: He was just a little bit before his time.
47:25
SPEAKER_00: And then Karis LaVert is on that bench, if I'm not mistaken.
47:29
SPEAKER_00: And I feel like I'm missing out on another NBA guy.
47:32
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna go 2013 Michigan Wolverines.
47:35
SPEAKER_00: Because I think there's one more NBA guy on that roster.
47:37
SPEAKER_00: Glenn Robinson the third.
47:38
SPEAKER_00: Boom.
47:39
SPEAKER_00: I knew I was missing somebody.
47:39
SPEAKER_00: Glenn Robinson the third is there.
47:41
SPEAKER_00: Tim Hardaway Jr.
47:42
SPEAKER_00: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
47:44
SPEAKER_00: Whoa, I didn't realize he had this much NBA talent.
47:46
SPEAKER_00: Tim Hardaway Jr.
47:47
SPEAKER_00: is here as well.
47:48
SPEAKER_00: Nick Stauskis is here.
47:50
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
47:50
SPEAKER_00: Okay, I missed out on that.
47:51
SPEAKER_00: Glenn Robinson the third.
47:53
SPEAKER_00: And this is Beheim before um uh John B line before he went over to Cleveland and messed some things up for a year.
48:00
SPEAKER_00: What a team.
48:01
SPEAKER_00: What a team.
48:02
SPEAKER_00: Didn't realize they had that much NBA talent.
48:03
SPEAKER_00: They even got John Horford, Al Horford's youngest brother or younger brother.
48:08
SPEAKER_00: He's on this roster.
48:09
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if he ever really played.
48:10
SPEAKER_00: So those are my biggest, my biggest memories, other than like Kimball Walker hitting the shot in the tourney, um, and then going on to lead his team, or Sebastian Napier doing some ridiculous stuff at UConn as well.
48:22
SPEAKER_00: So um, like I said, I'm always locked in.
48:24
SPEAKER_00: I think these last couple years I have been as locked in as like when I was a shorty.
48:27
SPEAKER_00: Like I remember being a kid um asking to go to the like the um the computer room.
48:33
SPEAKER_00: I almost said a library, but y'all make fun of the way I say that.
48:37
SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna say computer room.
48:39
SPEAKER_00: Um, trying to get out of school so I can watch March Madness.
48:42
SPEAKER_00: And I had one teacher, man, this is a GOAT, man.
48:46
SPEAKER_00: It's a real life goat.
48:47
SPEAKER_00: Pull down a projector and we watched March Madness because his alma mater was playing.
48:52
SPEAKER_00: I don't even remember what school it was.
48:53
SPEAKER_00: We watched March Madness and during the Oh my god, listen.
48:57
SPEAKER_00: That's the type of teacher you want to be.
48:58
SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, I don't remember who was his name, so maybe that's the only memory I have of him.
49:02
SPEAKER_00: Okay, uh next one comes from L2, enjoy lover two.
49:08
SPEAKER_00: Hmm.
49:09
SPEAKER_00: Is that a burner count of somebody on staff?
49:11
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
49:12
SPEAKER_00: If you had to build a team using third option players, who are you picking?
49:16
SPEAKER_00: This has been a real conversation on Twitter.
49:18
SPEAKER_00: Who is the best third option in basketball?
49:20
SPEAKER_00: What is my take?
49:21
SPEAKER_00: I don't really have one because I keep seeing people differentiate what they mean by third option.
49:27
SPEAKER_00: In my mind, when I think about third option, it's not the third best player in most cases, it's the third offensive option.
49:32
SPEAKER_00: Third option.
49:33
SPEAKER_00: Because option in my mind is an offensive thing.
49:35
SPEAKER_00: Maybe I'm tripping.
49:36
SPEAKER_00: Maybe I'm tripping.
49:37
SPEAKER_00: Maybe I'm tripping.
49:38
SPEAKER_00: So I don't I don't interpret it when I hear third options as best player.
49:42
SPEAKER_00: Either way, I made a starting five for you either way.
49:44
SPEAKER_00: Uh Austin Reeves, and this is no particular order.
49:47
SPEAKER_00: I got I got two guards and three front court players.
49:50
SPEAKER_00: Austin Reeves deserves to be in this conversation.
49:52
SPEAKER_00: And I think what makes it the best for Austin Reeves is that what he does works so well with Luca because there's only a couple options you can do with Luca as a ball handler.
50:03
SPEAKER_00: You can blitz him, specifically now that his jump shooting is now turned around, as long as you don't look at that Spurs game from a few nights ago.
50:09
SPEAKER_00: You really only have an opportunity to blitz him.
50:11
SPEAKER_00: And if you're blitzing him, that means you're leaving, uh, you're leaving Austin Reeves to play four on three.
50:16
SPEAKER_00: And Austin Reeves, a great decision maker, great shot creator for himself and others.
50:19
SPEAKER_00: So he's the perfect third option for LeBron, uh, Luka Doncha's team for sure.
50:24
SPEAKER_00: Desmond Bain counts as a third option, in my opinion, uh, because you do have Jaron and you have Ja as the first offensive options, if you ask me.
50:32
SPEAKER_00: Then I look at Evan Mobley.
50:33
SPEAKER_00: Now, this is a point of contention because you can argue that Evan Mobley is their second best player, only behind Donovan Mitchell, but I'm thinking about the offensive side of the ball, and I think that what DG and Mitchell does is just higher on the priority list as far as options go.
50:47
SPEAKER_00: So I do have Evan Mobley as a third option.
50:49
SPEAKER_00: Then you have the conversation who's the third option being between Chet and J Dub.
50:53
SPEAKER_00: And I think long term, Chet is probably the better player for the Thunder, right?
50:59
SPEAKER_00: And we think about their overall success for these next couple years, when you think about the versatility that Chet brings on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, his upside is ridiculous.
51:08
SPEAKER_00: But if you're talking about this season and third option being scoring, Chet Holmgren is the third option.
51:12
SPEAKER_00: He's on my team.
51:13
SPEAKER_00: And then the last spot is tough, man.
51:15
SPEAKER_00: The last spot is really tough.
51:16
SPEAKER_00: You have like Aaron Gordon, who's now shooting 42% from three this season.
51:20
SPEAKER_00: He's looked at as the third option for me, even though I think Michael Porter Jr.
51:25
SPEAKER_00: And Christian Brown might average more points than him.
51:27
SPEAKER_00: So maybe he's not, maybe he's the fourth option.
51:29
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
51:30
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then also looked at Big Zubac.
51:32
SPEAKER_00: I already got two bigs on the roster, though.
51:34
SPEAKER_00: And again, I'm not building like an all-NBA team.
51:36
SPEAKER_00: I think I'm building a real basketball team.
51:38
SPEAKER_00: So if that's the case, give me modest.
51:42
SPEAKER_00: No, let me chill.
51:42
SPEAKER_00: Uh give me Aaron Gordon, I guess.
51:44
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
51:44
SPEAKER_00: It's it's it's a tough question, bro.
51:46
SPEAKER_00: I'm I I don't be participating in the Twitter debates on first option, second option, third option.
51:51
SPEAKER_00: Maybe I should, because it makes me think it makes you think hard.
51:54
SPEAKER_00: And you're never gonna be right.
51:56
SPEAKER_00: You're never gonna be right.
51:57
SPEAKER_00: And you kind of have to accept the fact that you're never gonna be right.
51:59
SPEAKER_00: Um, you know what?
52:00
SPEAKER_00: Let's let's get into some audio ones.
52:02
SPEAKER_00: I think we got people sending in the voice messages on this episode.
52:07
SPEAKER_01: If you were able to make another NBA postseason award, what would that award be and why?
52:15
SPEAKER_00: NBA postseason award.
52:17
SPEAKER_00: So right now we of course have Eastern Conference MVP, Western Conference MVP, and the finals MVP.
52:21
SPEAKER_00: That's pretty much it.
52:23
SPEAKER_00: That is a very good question.
52:26
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I like as is.
52:28
SPEAKER_00: I actually the conference finals MVPs is kind of weird to me, but I'm I'm accepting.
52:32
SPEAKER_00: Shout out to Jimmy Butler.
52:34
SPEAKER_00: Um maybe newcomer of the year.
52:39
SPEAKER_00: Nah.
52:40
SPEAKER_00: It's gotta be like a most improved type of thing.
52:43
SPEAKER_00: Where like PJ Washington for a playoff series went from a 32% three-point shooter to I'm making something up, 50%.
52:50
SPEAKER_00: You remember the series against the Thunder.
52:52
SPEAKER_00: His three points is the reason they won, damn it.
52:54
SPEAKER_00: So something like that, where you can say, damn, this person played out of his mind this postseason, where in a regular season he didn't do that.
53:01
SPEAKER_00: Or maybe it's a series-by-series basis.
53:03
SPEAKER_00: Not saying that we give out 37 trophies, but it's like, because PJ Washington wasn't that effective in every series, but he was effective in net one.
53:10
SPEAKER_00: Maybe that one series out of four is enough for him to win that award.
53:14
SPEAKER_00: Or Caleb Martin when they go against the Celtics, like that type of award, the out-of-nowhere killer or something like that.
53:21
SPEAKER_00: Something along those lines.
53:22
SPEAKER_00: I think that's the best thing we can really do.
53:24
SPEAKER_00: Because newcomer of the year is just gonna go to like, it's gonna go to like Kay Cunningham this season.
53:28
SPEAKER_00: He had he has zero postseason um plays, uh, games so far.
53:32
SPEAKER_00: Greg says DPOY for the postseason.
53:35
SPEAKER_00: You can do that.
53:36
SPEAKER_00: And now I'm thinking about last year's DPOY.
53:40
SPEAKER_00: I mean, you might have to like it's it's so tough because every series is different.
53:43
SPEAKER_00: Because if you're thinking about it from the Finders perspective, you could say Drake um Jalen Brown, Jalen Brown's guarding Luca Dontis for this whole series.
53:50
SPEAKER_00: Boom, he's the DPOY, Finders MVP and DPOY.
53:53
SPEAKER_00: And then you could go to some series against like the Jokic and the Timberwolves.
53:58
SPEAKER_00: You say, hey, Rudy Gobert, you win another DPOI, but the next series, your ass can't really play.
54:04
SPEAKER_00: So it's a little, it's tough to differentiate those type of things.
54:07
SPEAKER_00: And that's why I think that the awards that we do have postseason related are specifically about one series.
54:13
SPEAKER_00: The conference finals MVP is based on that seven game.
54:16
SPEAKER_00: And then the finals MVP is based on that seven game series.
54:19
SPEAKER_00: I think it's hard to span it the entire series.
54:22
SPEAKER_00: Do we get any more?
54:23
SPEAKER_01: What up, Kenny?
54:24
SPEAKER_01: Uh, love your stuff, man.
54:25
SPEAKER_01: Especially love the whenever you talk about mental health things, sometimes it provides a lot of clarity for me and gets me through some stuff.
54:31
SPEAKER_01: Um long time Thunder fans, so my what if is what would have happened if Kevin Durant had never left the Thunder.
54:39
SPEAKER_01: Peace, man.
54:40
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, man.
54:40
SPEAKER_00: Appreciate it.
54:40
SPEAKER_00: I'm happy I can help you in any way possible, my guy.
54:43
SPEAKER_00: Um, what would have happened?
54:45
SPEAKER_00: I I I'm honestly a believer that they would would have been able to get over the hump.
54:49
SPEAKER_00: Um obviously they were up 3-1 in that series and eventually ended up losing.
54:54
SPEAKER_00: And I feel like a lot of the times when you see that, and at this point, again, there's relative parity in the league.
54:59
SPEAKER_00: Relative parity, because on the eastern side of things, you know what the hell is going on over there.
55:03
SPEAKER_00: It was nothing about that Warriors team that lot that they lost to that made me think that the Thunder couldn't come back next season and win that season, that series.
55:10
SPEAKER_00: So there's relative parody.
55:12
SPEAKER_00: Now I'm kind of neglecting some of the other teams around them, right?
55:15
SPEAKER_00: I'm kind of neglecting, I guess, the Spurs of that era.
55:18
SPEAKER_00: Let me let me go back.
55:19
SPEAKER_00: What is that, 2014 playoffs?
55:22
SPEAKER_00: Let me let me double check.
55:23
SPEAKER_00: No, no, no, no, no.
55:24
SPEAKER_00: I'm 2014.
55:25
SPEAKER_00: I am uh 2015 playoffs, right?
55:28
SPEAKER_00: So 2015 conference finals is Houston.
55:30
SPEAKER_00: So I'm neglecting Houston, I'm neglecting some of these other really good teams out west, but I truly do believe that they could have come back and won a championship, man.
55:38
SPEAKER_00: We think about the talent that is Kevin, and of course the talent that is Russ, I just think that he left a little bit too early.
55:44
SPEAKER_00: Now we're talking about something that happened a decade ago at this point.
55:47
SPEAKER_00: I'm not somebody that's super bitter about it, like some people still are.
55:50
SPEAKER_00: But I truly do believe that that team had the core to win it all.
55:54
SPEAKER_00: Because if I go back to look, um I just clicked on the Warriors.
55:58
SPEAKER_00: No, no, not the Warriors one.
55:59
SPEAKER_00: I wanted to go to um what the hell?
56:03
SPEAKER_00: Why am I tripping out right here?
56:05
SPEAKER_00: Oh, wait, wait, maybe no, I'm in the wrong year again.
56:08
SPEAKER_00: Wait, am I in the wrong year?
56:09
SPEAKER_00: Yes, oh, I was in the wrong year.
56:11
SPEAKER_00: Sorry, sorry, sorry.
56:12
SPEAKER_00: I'm in 2016 with it.
56:13
SPEAKER_00: This 2016 series is when they lost in seven.
56:16
SPEAKER_00: And on this roster, it is of course KD Russ.
56:19
SPEAKER_00: They do still have Sergi Baca here.
56:21
SPEAKER_00: They got Ennis Freedom, who almost won six men of the year.
56:24
SPEAKER_00: One thing you forget.
56:25
SPEAKER_00: That enough, just that enough.
56:27
SPEAKER_00: Those three dudes are enough for me to think that they would have been able to get over the hump.
56:30
SPEAKER_00: And obviously, there's always gonna be some finagling to bring in a random role player here, a random guy here.
56:35
SPEAKER_00: Remember John, uh Josh Eustace, because I do.
56:38
SPEAKER_00: Um Miss McGary gets a call two times or one episode.
56:42
SPEAKER_00: Haven't thought about him in years.
56:44
SPEAKER_00: So I honestly, I think you get one, at least.
56:48
SPEAKER_00: At most, at most, you get one.
56:51
SPEAKER_00: Hey man, I appreciate y'all listening or watching this episode.
56:53
SPEAKER_00: We have more to get to, but I ain't trying to overwhelm.
56:56
SPEAKER_00: I ain't trying to overwhelm.
56:57
SPEAKER_00: We'll hold off on these.
56:58
SPEAKER_00: We'll hold off on these to the next episode.
57:00
SPEAKER_00: If you enjoy it, uh enjoyed it, be sure to leave a like and subscribe.
57:03
SPEAKER_00: Be sure to listen to the other shows on the network.
57:06
SPEAKER_00: You got this one, small ball, Kenny Beat him, teed up with Pierre Dreese, and numbers on the board, which is both of us and more people.
57:12
SPEAKER_00: Shout out to Mike, shout out to D Miller.
57:14
SPEAKER_00: Uh that's it.
57:15
SPEAKER_00: I'll see y'all next week.