Latest / North Florida Sports Network Podcast / NBA Playoff Battles and FSU's Pitch to Greatness
Transcript
- 0:13Speaker 1: welcome back.
- 0:13Speaker 1: It's the north florida sports network.
- 0:16Speaker 1: We're gonna do some nba playoffs, man, because it's that time of year, so I got basketball contributor justin on again.
- 0:24Speaker 1: What's going on, man?
- 0:26Speaker 1: I?
- 0:27Speaker 2: love.
- 0:27Speaker 2: I love how miami is so bad and everything the past like two years.
- 0:31Speaker 1: I'm now nba contributor instead of miami contributor basketball contributor but I mean that could be coming to an end this fall, not not hopefully, but hey, I like, I like you, dude, you want to be a cane man.
- 0:45Speaker 2: I can feel it.
- 0:45Speaker 2: No, I can feel it in your voice, but you almost said hopefully.
- 0:48Speaker 2: You almost said hopefully, bro god jesus well, hey, hey, at least, at least on august 31st, you, you can be on my side that's true.
- 1:00Speaker 1: I I'll take that all right.
- 1:01Speaker 1: Well, man.
- 1:03Speaker 1: So we got the playoffs going on.
- 1:06Speaker 1: I know that Boston's up big in the East.
- 1:12Speaker 1: We had them in Denver.
- 1:15Speaker 1: And then Minnesota comes out and punches Denver in the face, takes the first two on the road, but then loses the next two at home.
- 1:24Speaker 1: So that series has definitely got underway oh yeah, dude, it's and it's.
- 1:31Speaker 2: It's weird too that both teams are winning on the road.
- 1:34Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, I mean yeah, yeah and it has been a fun matchup like we had.
- 1:40Speaker 2: Uh, like we had talked about coming into that matchup.
- 1:42Speaker 2: It's, it's been a fun matchup man.
- 1:43Speaker 2: The uh, honestly like we had talked about coming into that matchup.
- 1:44Speaker 2: It's, it's been a fun matchup man, the honestly.
- 1:46Speaker 2: Like we were texting the other day and I, I really I think the the difference is that Carl Anthony towns is soft and Aaron Gordon's not.
- 1:55Speaker 1: Yep, yep.
- 1:56Speaker 1: That's where I was going to go and Charles Barkley was calling.
- 2:00Speaker 1: He was saying that before the series, that this would be the key.
- 2:06Speaker 2: It's going to be Carl Anthony Towns not being soft.
- 2:08Speaker 2: Aaron Gordon, what was it?
- 2:09Speaker 2: Just the other game he went something like 11 for 12 from the field.
- 2:13Speaker 2: It was like that game three he had in the finals against Miami where he scored like 30 last year.
- 2:18Speaker 2: Yep.
- 2:18Speaker 2: And when you've got a guy that can do that and you've got the Joker and Jamal Murray I mean there's so many bullets in the chamber, man, you know that they that they can fire at you right, and that was they.
- 2:31Speaker 1: You know they just they came up big when they had to.
- 2:34Speaker 1: I mean, when they backs against the wall.
- 2:36Speaker 1: They've now tied the series.
- 2:37Speaker 1: I don't see them losing that series.
- 2:40Speaker 1: I see them winning the next two games.
- 2:43Speaker 2: Game five is going to determine what happens.
- 2:46Speaker 1: Yeah, that's tonight and we'll, we will see.
- 2:49Speaker 1: Uh, this is the kind of thing where you know if you want to be known as the man like uh, anthony Richardson said he wants to be, this is a series he has to win, has to step up and do it.
- 3:01Speaker 2: And kind of the same thing for Joker dude it.
- 3:08Speaker 2: And kind of same thing for joker dude.
- 3:09Speaker 2: Um.
- 3:09Speaker 2: I heard a stat the other day um, he's one, yeah, but if you look at, no, but this is the.
- 3:11Speaker 2: This was the thing that I heard.
- 3:12Speaker 2: That was interesting.
- 3:13Speaker 2: Uh, jokers never beat a team ranked above a four seed in the playoffs that's, that is interesting.
- 3:22Speaker 1: Well, we'll see.
- 3:23Speaker 1: He'll have his chance um, you know, but he's been, you know, hit 35 in game four.
- 3:28Speaker 1: They try, you know, in seven and seven, just so ho-hum there's a regular old basic game for him I mean, edwards tried everything he could.
- 3:35Speaker 1: He had 44 points in game four, but it wasn't enough.
- 3:38Speaker 1: But where's the help?
- 3:39Speaker 1: You know, nobody's helping him.
- 3:42Speaker 2: I mean because gobert conley, you need pounds yeah, exactly that's what I was just going to say.
- 3:48Speaker 2: Is, gobert is your big defensive guy that you, you know.
- 3:51Speaker 2: You put him on joker and hope that you can neutralize him, and then towns has got to be coming through with a, with a 20 and 10 man, I mean he's, he's a top three draft pick.
- 4:00Speaker 2: The guy's an athletic freak, right.
- 4:01Speaker 2: Uh, he needs to start showing up, dude.
- 4:03Speaker 2: I mean, he's got some like serious ben simmons energy going on right now heck yeah.
- 4:08Speaker 1: And then in the uh the west is, both series now are tied at two, because just when you think your nuggets, I mean your mavericks, sorry, which you know you picked the joker, not the joker, god luca, luca getting my getting my serbs, my european guys mixed up, you're a racist.
- 4:31Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right, all euros look the same.
- 4:34Speaker 1: That's right, man, that's right I am.
- 4:36Speaker 1: I'm racist, I'm very, I'm very racist because I got my Bass Pro Shop hat on, yes, okay, so you have this series where Dallas is up two to one and what happened?
- 4:53Speaker 1: What happened last night?
- 4:56Speaker 1: What happened?
- 4:57Speaker 1: Did he just, luca, just not decide to show up, or what?
- 5:06Speaker 2: Well, I've actually I heard somewhere on the radio today um, people are starting to question whether luca's hurt, and we just don't know it, because luca's only had in this playoff run so far, he's only had one 30 point game yeah, that could be it.
- 5:19Speaker 1: I mean I he had 12 at half and then he finished the game with 18.
- 5:25Speaker 1: So he only had six points in the second half.
- 5:29Speaker 2: I mean that's not going to get it done.
- 5:30Speaker 2: And then your other star, Kyrie Irving, is not even putting up double figures, yeah, and they're supposed to be carrying the load offensively.
- 5:38Speaker 2: That's the quote-unquote business model of this team is is Luca and Kyrie get 30 each, and then everybody else fills in.
- 5:48Speaker 2: You know, like the PJ Washington's of the world, he's been playing phenomenal.
- 5:51Speaker 1: Well, you need it from another guy like Hardaway jr, who you're paying but he's not.
- 5:55Speaker 1: He's only giving you six.
- 5:57Speaker 2: So that's a shame that hurts my heart, man, old Timmy Hardaway jr.
- 6:01Speaker 1: Yeah, but I mean that mean that was a game that they gave away.
- 6:05Speaker 1: But shout out to the Thunder and SGA Shea Gildas.
- 6:13Speaker 1: Alexander the Canadian, the young buck is smooth man.
- 6:18Speaker 2: He is.
- 6:18Speaker 2: He's fun to watch he is.
- 6:19Speaker 1: He's an old school player man, really smooth.
- 6:22Speaker 1: I mean has the jumpers.
- 6:25Speaker 1: I mean I saw one where he threw it above the backboard Just like on a regular jump.
- 6:31Speaker 1: It was like on the baseline.
- 6:32Speaker 1: So that's not a high percentage man, but he made it.
- 6:40Speaker 2: I remember in the 90s we used to see people trying those fadeaway baseline over the backboard jumpers all the time.
- 6:42Speaker 2: I used to practice that damn shot at the red park when I was like 13.
- 6:45Speaker 2: Like you, get that angle right over the corner of the backboard yeah, but I mean he's bringing it.
- 6:51Speaker 1: And then you got the old, uh, chet holmgren, uh, the youngster, who is really impressive, I thought you know, to be able to make a presence at that age, and that just lankiness, he, he, still he puts up a fight.
- 7:05Speaker 2: You know he had 18 last night and nine, so that's, that's big he's tougher than porzingis, who is kind of what I thought he was going to be coming out.
- 7:14Speaker 2: Uh, you know, big, tall, skinny kid with skills that's just always going to be hurt.
- 7:18Speaker 2: Then he got hurt, like on his like first game.
- 7:21Speaker 2: So I was like, oh, yep, yep, that's what that guy is.
- 7:23Speaker 2: But he's been healthy all year and played really well.
- 7:26Speaker 2: For essentially a rookie, a 20 year old, this is a, this is a really a young team.
- 7:31Speaker 1: I mean you got guys I mean jaylen williams, who's like 23, who had almost a triple double last night 14, 9 and 6 but I mean just a, a good effort from Oklahoma city, the one seed in the West.
- 7:46Speaker 1: You think that they can win this series.
- 7:52Speaker 2: I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't think Luca is going to miss free throws down the stretch again.
- 7:58Speaker 2: I don't think the team is going to go 12 for 23 from the line again.
- 8:02Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 8:03Speaker 2: And it's only a matter of time before Kyrie starts doing some of that crazy Kyrie crap where he'll drop 25 and a quarter.
- 8:08Speaker 2: That's true.
- 8:10Speaker 1: I was surprised he didn't only have nine points.
- 8:14Speaker 2: Do you think that that would be a game that he got injured in?
- 8:16Speaker 1: Like Kyrie never scores single digits, you would think, yeah, but I'm telling you right now, the Thunder didn't shoot well either, so I mean they shot worse yeah, but 50 from the free throw line.
- 8:31Speaker 2: Man for the maps yeah, that's a killer that will kill you.
- 8:34Speaker 1: 12 to 23 from the line.
- 8:35Speaker 1: That is the difference.
- 8:36Speaker 1: And the thunder made all their free throws except for one, so that.
- 8:41Speaker 1: Yeah, that's the difference in the game man you can't miss the freebies you can't miss the freebies, and that that's why they lost.
- 8:50Speaker 2: They lost that game because of that no, and especially when you're a lot, a big part of their game, uh the dallas, uh offense is is getting to the line, with kairi driving, luca driving, pj washington driving, like they're not just a jump shooting team.
- 9:05Speaker 2: I like the uh the warriors, you know, who never get to the line, like getting to the line is a part of their game.
- 9:11Speaker 2: And if you're getting to the line 23 times, you got to make 20 of them, you can't make 12.
- 9:17Speaker 2: I mean that's pathetic.
- 9:19Speaker 2: I mean like a high school coach would be infuriated at his team.
- 9:24Speaker 1: Yeah that, uh, yeah, you got.
- 9:26Speaker 1: Oh, that's just hard to.
- 9:27Speaker 1: I think they'll come back, though.
- 9:30Speaker 1: I mean game five is going to be huge.
- 9:34Speaker 2: Yeah, on the road.
- 9:35Speaker 2: Yeah, I know that you got to think that OKC crowd has got to be insane coming back for game five Because I mean the Dallas crowd was going nuts to tip off last night.
- 9:46Speaker 1: Home court doesn't matter in the NBA it looks like it's so weird.
- 9:49Speaker 1: I know I thought basketball was the one sport where you know you'd want it the most.
- 9:55Speaker 1: But well, let's go to the east.
- 9:57Speaker 1: You have boston and cleveland.
- 9:59Speaker 1: That's pretty much wrapped up.
- 10:00Speaker 1: Um, they're up three.
- 10:03Speaker 1: One mitchell's out.
- 10:04Speaker 2: Oh, yeah, mitchell's out.
- 10:05Speaker 2: I mean garland garland, uh, uh did everything he could last night.
- 10:10Speaker 2: Uh, keep that Pacers team in it.
- 10:15Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm not impressed by the Celtics.
- 10:17Speaker 1: The Celtics are, you know, they're just getting by.
- 10:19Speaker 2: They're just lucky Jimmy Butler was hurt.
- 10:22Speaker 2: Just like Jimmy Butler said, if he wasn't hurt, boston and New York would be at home, because this is a weak-ass Eastern Conference right now and a healthy Jimmy Butler and a healthy Terry Rozier gives the Heat as good a shot as anybody to make the finals again Eastern right now and a healthy Jimmy Butler and a healthy Terry Rozier gives the heat as good a shot as anybody to make the finals again.
- 10:36Speaker 2: But those both those guys were hurt and we're and we're seeing now like I mean, the Knicks are all banged up.
- 10:43Speaker 1: Yeah, the Celtics are under.
- 10:45Speaker 2: the Knicks are banged up.
- 10:46Speaker 2: The Celtics are underperforming, like the Celtics always do.
- 10:49Speaker 2: Man, there's there's something with this team, man.
- 10:52Speaker 2: I I don't know that Tatum and Brown, there's something missing.
- 10:57Speaker 2: It's been like this their whole career.
- 10:59Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, dude, going back to the bubble, going back to the COVID bubble man.
- 11:05Speaker 2: They were supposed to win the East.
- 11:07Speaker 2: It was like them and the Bucs and they couldn't get past the East.
- 11:09Speaker 2: They don't have the closer.
- 11:10Speaker 2: Yeah, there's something there, man.
- 11:13Speaker 1: Who are you going to when you need a bucket?
- 11:15Speaker 1: You're going to Tatum and he's not going to deliver At this point you go to Derek White.
- 11:25Speaker 2: Yeah, derek White has been playing great.
- 11:27Speaker 2: He wasn't just the Heat killer, he's played great throughout all these playoffs.
- 11:31Speaker 1: Porzingis is hurt, so they need to get him back.
- 11:34Speaker 2: Well, they should expect that.
- 11:35Speaker 2: I mean, he's Porzingis man.
- 11:38Speaker 1: The Knicks pretty much conceded game four.
- 11:45Speaker 2: That wasn't even close.
- 11:46Speaker 2: No, I mean, all the Villanova guys can only do so much.
- 11:53Speaker 1: Jalen Brunson's been just doing so much, but is it going to be enough?
- 11:55Speaker 1: Is the health gonna run out in that series?
- 12:00Speaker 2: yeah, I mean, like the pacers, they're a very average team, but an average team can beat a good team.
- 12:06Speaker 2: That's hurt, yeah.
- 12:07Speaker 2: And and the knicks are hurt, man.
- 12:10Speaker 2: I mean no, mitchell robinson, no, zach randolph um oga I can't even pronounce that guy's name but that defensive guy and the Knicks are hurt, man.
- 12:14Speaker 2: I mean no, mitchell Robinson, no, zach Randolph Oga I can't even pronounce that guy's name but that defensive guy, oga.
- 12:17Speaker 2: But Nogu or whatever his name is, yeah, I mean he's been out and he's a huge part of their team.
- 12:23Speaker 2: I saw some stat like a week or so ago about him and like the plus minus when he's off the floor is unbelievable.
- 12:29Speaker 2: It's like a 30-point swing plus minus when he's off the floor is unbelievable.
- 12:32Speaker 2: It's like a 30 point swing plus minus when he's not on the court.
- 12:35Speaker 2: Yeah, and and that that's a huge deal, especially when you get into the playoffs and every point counts.
- 12:43Speaker 1: Yeah Well, they're going to need uh, they need those guys like heart, even Chinzo Brunson.
- 12:50Speaker 1: I mean, they're going to need them guys to get rested.
- 12:52Speaker 1: We'll see if they have magic.
- 12:55Speaker 1: I don't see any of these teams beating the Celtics.
- 12:58Speaker 1: You're so right, jimmy Butler's so right.
- 13:00Speaker 1: I mean, the Celtics are just going to coast by to the finals and I don't see them winning it.
- 13:13Speaker 2: I think they get whacked in the finals man, I think the West win and it's probably gonna be denver.
- 13:15Speaker 2: But yeah, if denver gets past minnesota, that's minnesota's their biggest challenge.
- 13:19Speaker 2: Yeah, um, I mean, like we had talked about before the playoffs.
- 13:22Speaker 2: I had I had dallas beating the mavs in six or seven in the western conference finals and it it looks like that's where it's going and the nuggets oh, did I take?
- 13:33Speaker 2: Oh yeah, oh yeah, I might have got a little wild there you got dallas beating the maps, that's what you said.
- 13:39Speaker 1: But dallas beat the nuggets um all right.
- 13:43Speaker 2: Well, that's still alive, I think that's the best.
- 13:46Speaker 1: I think that'll be a good series, but if luke, is not healthy then, yeah, if luke is not right, then it's not.
- 13:52Speaker 2: If Luka's right, then my little run of the Mavs could be true.
- 13:56Speaker 2: And if it does end up being the Mavs versus the Celtics, I think the Mavs take them in like five.
- 14:02Speaker 1: Really.
- 14:04Speaker 2: Dude the Celtics.
- 14:05Speaker 2: They don't impress me, man.
- 14:06Speaker 2: I've watched the Celtics struggle against average Miami Heat teams every year in the playoffs for five straight years.
- 14:12Speaker 2: That's true.
- 14:14Speaker 2: I mean I can't get on board with Boston, man.
- 14:18Speaker 2: There's just something missing with that team.
- 14:20Speaker 2: I don't know what it is.
- 14:20Speaker 2: I thought bringing in like a Drew Holiday type would kind of give them that toughness, that edge, you know, that grit, that championship crap or whatever that's out there.
- 14:29Speaker 2: And Drew Holiday has been kind of ineffective.
- 14:32Speaker 2: I almost forget that he's even on the team watching them, and that's a shame, because I love Drew Holiday and he brings exactly what Boston needs to that team and they don't seem to utilize him that well.
- 14:46Speaker 2: It's just Tatum and Brown, tatum and Brown, tatum and Brown and then Derek White, and Derek White's not supposed to be their number three.
- 14:56Speaker 1: No, they need Porzingis to get back for that matchup.
- 15:00Speaker 2: Yeah, because when Porzingis is healthy, that Celtics team is a different team.
- 15:04Speaker 1: Yeah, they look like the same old team.
- 15:06Speaker 1: When he's out they look like that same team that's solid, going to make the playoffs and lose to the Heat yeah, exactly yeah well alright, so we got.
- 15:20Speaker 1: So you're still.
- 15:20Speaker 1: You're sticking with.
- 15:22Speaker 1: Dallas to close out that series, denver to close out that series in the West.
- 15:26Speaker 1: Is that correct?
- 15:27Speaker 1: You got, who do you got in the East well, obviously still boston.
- 15:34Speaker 2: Um, yeah and yeah, I want to.
- 15:39Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't want to pick the pacers because I do, but it's just hard to who you gonna I mean the bodies.
- 15:46Speaker 1: The bodies hit the floor.
- 15:47Speaker 1: You know who's gonna be there.
- 15:50Speaker 2: You know, and with all these injuries, I mean like, like again, I heard, I heard somebody's I'm talking head, bring it up.
- 15:56Speaker 2: They're like talking about the extra minutes that these guys are having to log and I mean they should be used to it, because it's Thibodeau and this is what Thibodeau does is he drives his you know seven-man rotation into the ground.
- 16:15Speaker 2: But, like, if you're the Knicks right now and you're a Joshosh hart, you're a jalen brunson, um, say, you were playing 34 minutes during the regular season, now you're playing 42 yeah over the course of several playoff series, those extra minutes add up and your body's not used to, your body's not going to be able to respond to that extra impact over a long course of time and they don't have anybody coming back.
- 16:38Speaker 2: Healthy is the problem.
- 16:40Speaker 1: Right, well, they're going to regroup.
- 16:42Speaker 1: It'll be in Madison Square Garden.
- 16:45Speaker 1: So if they're going to find it, if they don't win tonight, they're done.
- 16:52Speaker 2: They need a Willis Reed moment.
- 16:54Speaker 1: Right, they got two home games left, so I guess it's possible.
- 16:57Speaker 1: But they're not going to win in game six, so they need to somehow win game five and just don't even travel over for game six.
- 17:06Speaker 2: Yeah, just everybody rest up for game six and then hope Brunson drops 60 in game seven.
- 17:12Speaker 1: It's hard to see any of these teams beside Boston make the finals.
- 17:16Speaker 1: I just can't even picture it.
- 17:20Speaker 1: I'm sitting here when we're talking about.
- 17:21Speaker 1: I'm like, all right, well, could we really see the Pacers in the finals?
- 17:24Speaker 1: Yeah, I couldn't.
- 17:27Speaker 2: I can't see it, I can't wrap my head around.
- 17:30Speaker 2: Like Jason Halliburton, you know, I would say he's a cyclone, but this is a guy that I did.
- 17:39Speaker 2: Nobody knows who they are, I mean yeah, like he's a good, he's a good solid player, but I can't just I.
- 17:45Speaker 2: I mean, I would think, if anybody beats boston yes, see how, come, god, I I didn't even realize the outcome was there until, uh, I was watching one of their games against orlando, I know, and I was like, oh see, alcom's still around, that's right yeah, well, all right, I don't like it.
- 18:04Speaker 1: Oh, what's that?
- 18:04Speaker 1: We had to go.
- 18:06Speaker 1: We've got to get on out of here.
- 18:07Speaker 1: But we've got baseball, college baseball.
- 18:13Speaker 1: We'll get Jimmy Reno back in here.
- 18:15Speaker 1: Fsu was able to scrounge out the third game of the series, losing 2-3 to Pitt.
- 18:23Speaker 1: That's not good.
- 18:23Speaker 1: It's not going for the baseball team, but it's still been a good season for FSU baseball Big series coming up this weekend hosting Georgia Tech and then the baseball team.
- 18:31Speaker 1: But it's still been a good season for FSU baseball Big series coming up this weekend hosting Georgia Tech and then the ACC tournament.
- 18:35Speaker 1: I know you're not a big college baseball fan, but College World Series is always fun.
- 18:41Speaker 2: Yeah, I usually watch a little bit of the College World Series, but if I'm watching baseball, I'm watching Little League World Series, my man.
- 18:49Speaker 1: There you go.
- 18:49Speaker 2: That's the greatest brand of baseball there is.
- 18:52Speaker 1: Well summertime's coming in, man Miami footballs.
- 18:57Speaker 1: I mean a lot of people are picking them.
- 19:02Speaker 1: You know they got the quarterback.
- 19:03Speaker 1: I really like the running back they brought in from Oregon State.
- 19:07Speaker 2: Oh him and Fletcher being the two-headed monster this year.
- 19:10Speaker 2: I mean Cristobal has no excuse.
- 19:12Speaker 2: I mean, if you look at Miami's week-end schedule, the talent that we brought in, with returning talent coming back, I mean we got Restrepo, you know, 35 years old man, he's a crafty veteran out there.
- 19:23Speaker 2: I mean Miami, and you look at their schedule.
- 19:27Speaker 2: Their schedule is hot garbage Dude.
- 19:28Speaker 2: Miami needs to win 10 games this year period.
- 19:31Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree, I agree.
- 19:37Speaker 2: I mean.
- 19:37Speaker 2: Mike Norvell won 10 games in his third season, coming after the dumpster fire.
- 19:39Speaker 2: That was Willie Taggart.
- 19:39Speaker 2: If Cristobal can't do it in three years, man like I said when we hired him.
- 19:43Speaker 2: I don't think he's the guy.
- 19:44Speaker 1: This is it, yeah, and I'm looking forward to that first game, man.
- 19:48Speaker 2: That's going to be fun.
- 19:49Speaker 2: That is, that's going to be fun, dude, we've got to get a watch party over here at the house.
- 19:52Speaker 1: That'll be fun.
- 19:53Speaker 1: That'll be after Florida State opens in Ireland against Georgia Tech on August 24th.
- 19:58Speaker 1: God, it's still what.
- 20:00Speaker 1: Still got three months.
- 20:03Speaker 1: It'll fly by.
- 20:05Speaker 1: It'll fly by.
- 20:08Speaker 2: Just under 100 days.
- 20:09Speaker 2: I think we just hit our 100 day mark.
- 20:15Speaker 2: All right, and actually not only.
- 20:16Speaker 2: Uh, you got the florida state game opening up in ireland on the 24th, but our actual opening weekend is pretty loaded dude.
- 20:21Speaker 2: You got clemson and georgia, miami, florida, notre dame, texas, a&m, usc and lsu all in the 31st well, we're gonna have to figure out some stuff to do.
- 20:31Speaker 1: Maybe we'll have to do some time machine talk again.
- 20:34Speaker 1: But hey, we'll watch these games and we'll react to them and we'll talk to you next time right here on the North Florida Sports Network.