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00:00:00 [These guys are ridiculous! These guys are ridiculous!]
00:00:07 [Now, how 'bout them damn Celtics?]
00:00:10 And we are back with another episode of "How 'bout them Celtics"
00:00:14 Sam and I are here recording on Monday, January 15th
00:00:17 On the day the Celtics are set to take on the Raptors
00:00:20 Obviously, as is the case with every time we record the day of
00:00:23 Our future selves after the game are going to insert the recap of the game
00:00:27 In a couple minutes, and so we'll go over the Raptors game
00:00:30 I said it last pod, I've become so terrible at explaining the past/present thing
00:00:34 But you guys understand what's happening at this point
00:00:36 If there's new listeners, just understand we're recording this at 3.30 in the afternoon
00:00:40 Sadler's game is obviously later tonight
00:00:42 So the recap will be in this episode that you're hearing at 5am
00:00:45 But we, present selves, Jack in the red sweatshirt, Sam in the purple thing
00:00:49 Have not seen the end
00:00:51 Purple jersey
00:00:53 Took it off the wall
00:00:56 I was actually going to talk about that before we started the Celtics-Raptors recap
00:00:59 But then I fumbled over my words as I was just
00:01:02 I named the color of my sweatshirt, so I was like "Oh, color, color, just talk about the colors"
00:01:07 And then, in the midst of saying that, I realized
00:01:10 "Wait, we're probably going to be wearing the same thing after the game, so maybe it's not the best"
00:01:13 Wow, no, because I'm going to shower, I might be wearing something different
00:01:16 We'll see
00:01:17 Anyways, you'll see what we're wearing after the game in just a second here
00:01:21 Let's throw it over to our future selves for the recap of the Celtics-Raptors
00:01:24 Big suspense, what will Sam and Jack be wearing?
00:01:27 Alright, thank you to our past selves for throwing it on over to us
00:01:31 We are here after the Celtics-Raptors game
00:01:33 Sam is in fact wearing a different shirt
00:01:35 I have not had time to change yet
00:01:38 I forgot about that
00:01:40 Did I throw you off?
00:01:42 Well, no, like, when you said it, I was like "Oh yes"
00:01:45 But I did forget, like
00:01:47 I need to shower after this or in the morning, I've been writing all day
00:01:52 But, anyways, that's not why you guys are here
00:01:55 The, uh, fuck you
00:01:57 Celtics took down the Raptors on Monday, right?
00:02:01 On Monday night
00:02:03 Good win for the team, 105-96
00:02:07 Had some scares in there
00:02:09 A rough third quarter overcame by Jason Tatum being Jason Tatum for a brief stint
00:02:13 And then a late fourth quarter run by the Raptors
00:02:17 Quelled by some big shot making by Derek White
00:02:21 And some great plays from everybody else
00:02:23 Weird game for the Celtics
00:02:25 Not a great shooting night, 40.2% from the field
00:02:29 But 41% from three
00:02:31 So very awkward, didn't really make their twos
00:02:33 Which was weird, Joe Mazzullo said as much after the game
00:02:36 Called it a weird game, said
00:02:38 What was the exact quote?
00:02:39 He said it was weird, we had to like create our own energy a lot
00:02:42 Or like said it was weird in the building
00:02:44 I don't know, it was a very interesting quote from Joe
00:02:47 About the game, said it's a weird game, first of all
00:02:49 Weird environment, one of those situations where we had to fight constantly to create our own energy
00:02:53 Interesting, I thought at least that quote was
00:02:57 Meanwhile the Raptors shot
00:02:59 Oh my god, I didn't realize
00:03:01 Wow, Raptors shot 40% from the field and 12.5% from three
00:03:05 Didn't realize they shot that poorly from three
00:03:07 But yeah, um
00:03:09 I don't know, this was just a very odd game overall
00:03:11 The calls were weird from half to half, both sides
00:03:15 Um, I thought the Celtics played alright when they were on
00:03:19 But then there were times where they went through these lulls
00:03:21 Where they just kind of let the Raptors walk to the rim
00:03:23 They got the job done, a win is a win
00:03:26 But this was a weird one
00:03:28 So, you're absolutely right, win is a win
00:03:32 Um, this game
00:03:34 Good first half
00:03:36 They played pretty well throughout the first half
00:03:38 But it was one of those things where I was like, why aren't they up more points?
00:03:42 Because they were making a lot of threes, it was like
00:03:44 Ah, like, I don't know, feels like they should be up 15
00:03:48 And then it kind of crashed down on them in the third quarter
00:03:50 And I was like, oh yeah, this is kind of how I expected this to go
00:03:54 Once they weren't building on a lead
00:03:56 Now, to their credit, they had a championship level response
00:04:00 Tatum's credit
00:04:02 Excellent from Tatum, like you mentioned
00:04:04 Yeah
00:04:06 This is a parallel game
00:04:08 You tweeted about a parallel, there is another parallel in this game as well
00:04:11 Where the Celtics came back and did the improbable against our Pistons
00:04:19 They were down 21 points
00:04:21 They came all the way back and they won
00:04:23 And they fueled the comeback
00:04:25 They stormed back
00:04:27 Because Jason Tatum put his head down and went to the rim
00:04:30 In this game, Jason Tatum helped get the team back on track
00:04:34 By taking over, asserting himself and getting to the cup
00:04:39 He had two super cool dunks back to back in the third quarter
00:04:42 He had six assists in this game and only one turnover
00:04:45 Like, he was really responsible for a lot of baskets
00:04:48 He had a sick pass to Luke Cornett after some super cool between the legs dribbles
00:04:52 Good dunk by Cornett too
00:04:54 Yeah, good play from Cornett
00:04:56 But I was very impressed to actually get the point across here
00:05:00 With Tatum's willingness to get down, realize the shot wasn't falling
00:05:06 Only one of six from three tonight
00:05:08 And the one through was a good three
00:05:10 And just, he was like, "Okay, gotta do this instead"
00:05:14 Excellent work
00:05:16 Fine with his game
00:05:18 Didn't think he was bad
00:05:20 Impressed that he realized what needed to change and he did it
00:05:23 So good job on him
00:05:25 As far as the others go, Drew Holiday and Derek White
00:05:28 Were full of big boy buckets tonight
00:05:30 You got them a lot in that fourth quarter when the Celtics were trying to hold off the Raptors
00:05:35 There was the back to backs from Derek White
00:05:37 Where he had the floater and then he had a little fall away at the elbow
00:05:41 Then Drew made two big threes
00:05:44 The first one, I was like, "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!"
00:05:47 And then it went in
00:05:48 But the second one was pretty great
00:05:50 He was wide open and he drilled them
00:05:52 Four of six from three from Drew tonight
00:05:54 So, very impressed with how these guys stepped up in Jalen Brown's absence
00:05:58 Good win
00:06:00 Good win, could have been a catastrophe
00:06:02 Thankfully it was not
00:06:04 Yeah, like I said, it just felt kind of awkward the whole night
00:06:09 Like Joe said, they couldn't really generate a rhythm
00:06:11 They were missing a lot of buckets they usually make
00:06:14 Derek White, it didn't end up mattering
00:06:16 Again, because they got the win, so nothing
00:06:18 You accept the trends and you move on
00:06:20 Derek White smoked the easiest layup in the fourth quarter
00:06:23 I've never seen him take in my life
00:06:25 They were just not with it in this game for spurts
00:06:29 I mean, credit the Raptors
00:06:30 RJ Barrett looked really good attacking Horford particularly
00:06:34 In this game, he ended up 11 of 19 from the field
00:06:37 So he did a good job attacking all night
00:06:39 It was just very awkward
00:06:40 It almost felt like you missed Jalen Brown's energy a lot
00:06:45 Again, there are no excuses when you're missing players
00:06:49 You can understand why the Celtics
00:06:51 Games where you're missing one of the top six
00:06:54 Show what those top six guys bring to the table individually
00:06:57 Like in that Pacers game, you missed Tatum's defense
00:07:02 In this game, you probably missed some of Jalen Brown's energy
00:07:05 And transition play, which he brought in the Rockets game
00:07:08 Which was fun
00:07:09 Tatum did a really good job overall in this game
00:07:11 14 rebounds, 6 assists was awesome to see from him
00:07:14 He didn't shoot the ball well, he didn't score the ball well
00:07:17 He was missing a lot of mid-range shots
00:07:20 The threes he took in this game, not many of them were bad
00:07:22 He was stepping in for a lot of middies
00:07:24 And he was bricking a lot of middies
00:07:26 That was awkward
00:07:28 Horford played well in this one again
00:07:31 It's a treat that the Celtics have him just sitting there
00:07:35 Ready to start when they need him to
00:07:37 Like really, he was also missing a ton of shots inside
00:07:41 But 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 10 points, that's solid
00:07:44 Porzingis only took 6 shots
00:07:45 But he got to the line 10 times
00:07:47 Shoutout Michael Hilley in the chat
00:07:49 Saying he's got to the line 10 times, he got there 12 times
00:07:52 Yeah, it is funny, we talked about that in the pregame
00:07:55 And the other guy, what's his name?
00:07:57 Jack, what's his last name?
00:08:00 Cooley
00:08:01 Jack Cooley
00:08:02 Yes, Jack Cooley
00:08:03 But it felt like the Celtics, once they realized
00:08:07 That the Raptors were getting a bunch of ticky-tack fouls down low
00:08:11 Tatum was like, "Alright, bet"
00:08:13 And he just started attacking in the same way
00:08:15 Which was good, that's what you want to do
00:08:17 And then, like you said, shoutout Drew and Derek White
00:08:19 They played awesome in this game when they needed to
00:08:22 Derek White was missing a bunch of those floaters
00:08:23 He didn't shoot particularly well from inside
00:08:25 But 5-11 from 3 on a bunch of good looks is huge
00:08:28 And Drew Holiday, season high, 22 points
00:08:30 To go along with 6 boards, 7 assists
00:08:32 Those two were great in this game
00:08:33 So it was nice seeing them all step up with Jalen out
00:08:38 It's weird to say "step up" when your starting lineup
00:08:41 Is Drew Holiday, Derek White, Porzingis, Horford, Tatum
00:08:43 But you know what I mean
00:08:44 When you're missing one of those guys
00:08:46 They are absolutely dominant when everyone is available
00:08:48 So when one guy's missing
00:08:50 It does almost feel like they try too much to make up for it
00:08:53 Rather than just playing normal basketball
00:08:55 Do you know what I'm saying?
00:08:56 I do, but I just pictured in my head
00:08:59 All the rest of the guys trying to do Jalen dunks
00:09:02 No, but in the first quarter
00:09:05 I noticed it a couple times with Drew
00:09:07 They would just be taking the ball inside
00:09:09 And trying to get something to go themselves
00:09:10 It almost feels like they're like
00:09:12 "Okay, Jalen's out, maybe I'll take a step up a little bit"
00:09:14 They settled themselves down eventually
00:09:16 And used some great ball movement
00:09:17 The ball was popping later in the first quarter
00:09:19 And in the second quarter
00:09:21 But I don't know, this game was so awkward
00:09:24 Got the win, which is what mattered
00:09:26 It looked ropey at times there
00:09:28 It just always felt like they were the better team
00:09:30 But there were these weird moments
00:09:32 Where they'd have this fluky miss
00:09:34 Or a random turnover
00:09:36 And then the Raptors would just go down
00:09:37 And either get a foul call or make a big layup
00:09:39 It's just a super awkward game
00:09:41 So these are the games you want to win
00:09:43 The ones that you probably could have lost, realistically
00:09:46 60 rebounds for the Raptors in this game
00:09:48 And the Celtics turned the ball over 12 times
00:09:51 But they stuck through it
00:09:53 Which is good, good for them
00:09:55 Another big-time aspect of this game
00:09:59 Where they missed Jalen
00:10:00 Was at the beginning of the second quarter
00:10:02 Tatum plays the whole first quarter
00:10:04 They mention on the broadcast
00:10:05 That's usually not how it goes
00:10:07 But, while he's getting some rest
00:10:09 The backup unit did not contain
00:10:13 Any other starters, it felt like
00:10:15 Maybe it was Derek White
00:10:17 And it was Horford
00:10:18 But it was a really odd combination
00:10:20 And they didn't have a great initiator in that group
00:10:24 And you could feel it
00:10:25 Like, that's when Toronto climbed back
00:10:27 And it got a little bit tight before the break
00:10:30 It just wasn't what you wanted to see
00:10:31 After a pretty solid start
00:10:34 To their credit, and Joe's credit
00:10:36 You didn't see it again in the second half
00:10:38 And the group that was out there
00:10:41 Without Tatum in the fourth quarter
00:10:42 Did a great job of helping build the lead
00:10:46 They got it to 14
00:10:47 After Hauser stuck atop of the key 3
00:10:51 Off of Pritchard driving Dish
00:10:53 So, I was pretty impressed
00:10:56 With not only Joe's decision-making and change-up
00:11:00 But the will of the fellas there
00:11:02 To build it up when things didn't go their way
00:11:05 In the first half
00:11:06 Yeah, I know exactly the lineup you're talking about too
00:11:09 It was like Cornette, Hauser, Pritchard, Derek White, and Horford
00:11:12 Like double bigs with a lot of emphasis
00:11:15 On Derek White being the initiator
00:11:16 And it just... it can work
00:11:19 It just kind of didn't
00:11:20 That was the "Let's see how good we are" lineup from Joe
00:11:24 Yeah
00:11:25 "Let's see how much better we are than everybody else"
00:11:28 "Oh, we're not that much"
00:11:29 Again, they won the game
00:11:31 It is what it is
00:11:32 Very weird
00:11:33 RJ Barrett looked good
00:11:35 Emmanuel Quickly looked inefficient
00:11:37 But you can see the vision there
00:11:38 At the very least, he was the only player on the Raptors
00:11:40 Outside of Thad Young, who was a positive plus/minus
00:11:42 Thad Young had 7 assists in this game
00:11:44 Which is like, "What the hell are we doing?"
00:11:47 Thad Young, who took the ugliest 3 I've ever seen
00:11:50 Yeah
00:11:51 It was worse than Slavstrov
00:11:53 What was his name?
00:11:54 The guy on the Spurs
00:11:56 Oh, Sandro "Mama" Kalishvili
00:11:59 That guy, yeah
00:12:00 What is "Slavstrov"?
00:12:02 I thought you were trying to say "Sfi's" first name
00:12:05 No
00:12:06 What are we doing?
00:12:07 Sorry
00:12:08 That's really bad
00:12:09 That's hilarious
00:12:10 No, yeah
00:12:11 That was a bad one, for sure
00:12:13 Low assist game for the Celtics
00:12:15 I mean, that's because they just missed a lot of shots
00:12:17 Celtics only made 33 field goals in this game
00:12:21 That is crazy
00:12:23 They only made 33 field goals
00:12:24 But they finished with, what?
00:12:25 105 points still
00:12:27 I guess that's not that many in today's league
00:12:29 But they did hold the Raptors to 96
00:12:31 So this is a big-time thumbs-up game
00:12:34 Despite there being stretches where I was like
00:12:38 "Oh my God, they're never going to get a stop!"
00:12:41 But as a whole, they did a good job of holding them
00:12:45 Because we haven't seen a ton of that lately from the Celtics
00:12:48 They haven't been great on defense
00:12:50 I feel like they've been pretty inconsistent
00:12:52 Maybe tonight was another instance of it
00:12:54 Because, again, there were times I was like
00:12:56 "Wow, they're just going to the rim every time and no one cares"
00:12:58 Yeah
00:13:00 This is the ninth time this season
00:13:03 This is going to make sense in a second
00:13:05 Ninth time this season, the Celtics have scored 112 or fewer
00:13:09 It's the fifth time they've scored 105 or fewer
00:13:12 And of those nine times they've scored 112 or fewer
00:13:16 They have lost five of the games
00:13:18 So, impressive that they managed to win this game
00:13:21 It's also a testament to this Raptors offense is still pretty bad
00:13:25 Despite getting a couple good pieces
00:13:28 But, yeah, it's true
00:13:31 The other losses, or the other games
00:13:34 Where they scored 112 or fewer
00:13:36 Minnesota overtime
00:13:38 Yep, Minnesota game
00:13:40 Oh boy, we're lost now
00:13:43 I was going to give them to you, but you started guessing
00:13:46 Well, I know Minnesota overtime
00:13:48 OKC, they scored in the 120s, so that's not it
00:13:51 They lost the Pacers game
00:13:54 Yep, that was 112
00:13:56 111 was the in-season tournament one
00:13:58 Did they have two at Indy?
00:14:00 Yeah, the one where Buddy Heald hit the super cool three at the end
00:14:02 To make them win by 10 instead of 7
00:14:04 That was in-season tournament
00:14:06 That was 112, yeah
00:14:08 Oh, that was 112, OK, we got it on the dot
00:14:10 112
00:14:12 Orlando?
00:14:14 Yep, Orlando lost, that was their lowest this season
00:14:16 That was the only time they didn't crack 100 this season, they had 96
00:14:19 OK, I'm done
00:14:21 Milwaukee, where they got stomped like two days ago, 102
00:14:24 And then Philly, 103-106
00:14:28 And then the wins
00:14:30 Memphis, 102-100
00:14:32 Knicks, 108-104 on opening night
00:14:35 And then both of the other times were Raptors wins
00:14:38 Yeah, I mean, like we said
00:14:41 Weird game
00:14:43 O'Shea hit a three, Sam, you can do your little dance if you'd like
00:14:45 Yes!
00:14:47 He did, he did in fact hit a three
00:14:49 He was a plus five in seven minutes
00:14:51 He's good
00:14:53 He did have seven points, yeah
00:14:55 Yeah, good for him
00:14:57 Why does he not play?
00:14:59 Because this team's really good
00:15:01 Because they're really good
00:15:03 That's the answer
00:15:05 But, I mean, good on him, man
00:15:07 Can't complain
00:15:09 Can't ask for much more
00:15:11 He's staying ready
00:15:13 Not at all
00:15:15 Just about does it
00:15:17 Weird box score thing
00:15:19 Richard, plus 16 on one of seven
00:15:22 I was gonna bring that up
00:15:24 What is that about?
00:15:26 It's very odd
00:15:28 I don't really know
00:15:30 I mean, Cornett plus 12 makes sense
00:15:32 He was good in his minutes
00:15:34 He did some good things on the court
00:15:36 Had a nice block
00:15:38 I don't know
00:15:40 You know what got me so mad?
00:15:42 I read about Sam Hauser's defense the other day
00:15:44 I was ready to tweet out the clip
00:15:46 I just wrote about this today
00:15:48 I'm not gonna tweet that out
00:15:50 I don't think so
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00:16:26 Did we talk Porzingis?
00:16:28 Not a good Porzingis game
00:16:30 No, we talked about it briefly about the free throws
00:16:32 But like, I don't know
00:16:34 Free throws is wild, and credit to him
00:16:36 Because he still got himself to the line
00:16:38 Like, as much as Tatum took initiative
00:16:40 Forced the issue, Porzingis kinda did that too
00:16:43 He only took 6 shots in this game
00:16:45 Still got his
00:16:47 Good for him
00:16:49 Fun report from Adam Himmelsbach
00:16:51 O'Shea Brissett's grandmother
00:16:53 Has once again cooked the Celtics' post-game spread
00:16:55 Of food in Toronto
00:16:57 Not a lot of talking going on in the locker room right now
00:16:59 So O'Shea Brissett's grandma
00:17:01 Cooking it up
00:17:03 They're ready to go
00:17:05 Give us some extra portions to Porzingis please
00:17:07 Beef him up a little bit
00:17:09 Anyways
00:17:11 Any final thoughts?
00:17:13 Home win streak back
00:17:15 Wednesday
00:17:17 Spurs Nuggets
00:17:19 Spurs aren't the Spurs, they are what they are
00:17:21 I will say, we don't have to talk about this for a while
00:17:23 Spurs have been playing a lot better lately
00:17:25 A lot of close games, a couple wins sprinkled in there
00:17:27 So credit to them
00:17:29 They lost by 10 today, and they got whomped in the first half
00:17:31 When we were recording earlier, they were down 30
00:17:33 But they got it to 10
00:17:35 They did, before that
00:17:37 Kept it close against the Bulls without Wembayne-Yama
00:17:39 Beat Charlotte and Detroit, which those teams suck
00:17:41 But like, they whomped them
00:17:43 4 point loss to Milwaukee that was really close
00:17:45 2 point loss to Cleveland that was really close
00:17:47 Milwaukee game was a good one
00:17:49 I watched it
00:17:51 Spurs won the Spurs Nuggets on Friday
00:17:53 So 2 big games to crack 20 and hit 21
00:17:55 for the home win streak
00:17:57 Anyways, weird Raptors game
00:17:59 Let us know your thoughts, and we'll throw it back over to our past selves
00:18:01 for the rest of the pod
00:18:03 Alright, we're back in the red and purple now
00:18:05 Thank you guys for jumping over
00:18:07 for this all things Raptors game
00:18:09 We appreciate it
00:18:11 Let us know what you think of the game
00:18:13 Especially because we currently don't know what happened in the game
00:18:15 However, Sam and I are going to get into something
00:18:17 that we've wanted to talk about for a little while
00:18:19 All-star predictions
00:18:21 Now you might be questioning, why is this in the Celtics section?
00:18:23 Well, in the case of the Eastern Conference
00:18:25 We're going to see how many Celtics
00:18:27 crack our all-star lists
00:18:29 I think all 5 Celtics
00:18:31 technically have a case
00:18:33 I don't think Drew Holiday has a realistic case
00:18:35 because the counting stats just aren't there
00:18:37 and there are so many talented guys in the East
00:18:39 I think KPD White definitely have a chance
00:18:41 I think the Jays definitely have a chance
00:18:43 obviously, so we're going to break it down
00:18:45 go over our all-star ballots
00:18:47 metaphorically so, Sam and I don't have votes
00:18:49 and if we did, what a world
00:18:51 what a world that would be
00:18:53 but, let's take a look
00:18:55 Sam, you want to start with the starters in the East
00:18:57 and move from there, thoughts?
00:18:59 I'm with it, you want to do starters, starters
00:19:01 and then bench, bench
00:19:03 Let's do starting guards, starting guards
00:19:05 Let's go with that for now, then we can do the whole bench
00:19:07 just to speed it up
00:19:09 Who are your starting guards in the East, Sam?
00:19:11 For my starters, I have
00:19:13 Tyrese Halliburton
00:19:15 and Donovan Mitchell
00:19:17 Ooh, okay, I have
00:19:19 Tyrese Halliburton and
00:19:21 Jalen Brunson
00:19:23 that's who I've got
00:19:25 so, yeah, why
00:19:27 Donovan Mitchell over anybody else?
00:19:29 I think his numbers are pretty crazy
00:19:31 the Cavs certainly haven't had the success
00:19:33 of some of the other teams
00:19:35 that will have players featured
00:19:37 I think he has the notoriety
00:19:39 name-wise, I haven't looked at the voting
00:19:41 tallies, I bet Dame is going to be a starter
00:19:43 actually, but
00:19:45 with the fan vote
00:19:47 I think
00:19:49 Donovan Mitchell
00:19:51 still got the clout for it
00:19:53 Yeah, I agree, I will say
00:19:55 so the reason I went Brunson
00:19:57 is partially because I was listening to
00:19:59 Zach Lowe talk about his all-star ballots, which is the reason
00:20:01 that I thought we should do it today
00:20:03 and he actually had this exact same debate
00:20:05 Mitchell vs. Brunson
00:20:07 and his argument was
00:20:09 Mitchell's counting stats are a bit better, Jalen Brunson's
00:20:11 efficiency is a lot better
00:20:13 however, his tie-breaker was
00:20:15 Jalen Brunson's played 300 more minutes
00:20:17 this season, which I thought was like, you know what
00:20:19 I'll back that, I think either could start
00:20:21 I think Donovan Mitchell might have a pretty good chance
00:20:23 based on name value alone, that said
00:20:25 I went with Brunson because the efficiency is there
00:20:27 I think, I don't know
00:20:29 I like him better as a player
00:20:31 this season, I think he's been a cooler story
00:20:33 I think he's been more fun, so I guess it was a personal pick
00:20:35 I think either one could easily be there
00:20:37 and then Halliburton is pretty clear-cut, we'll talk about
00:20:39 potential replacements if he doesn't play, but
00:20:41 I feel like he's gotta play, so
00:20:43 and I think if he doesn't play, he'll start
00:20:45 - Like the Cavs and Knicks are
00:20:47 4th and 7th respectively, but
00:20:49 it's literally 7 games back, 7 games back
00:20:51 7 games back, 7 games back, from 4 to 7
00:20:53 so, they're in the same spot
00:20:55 they've had similar success, so
00:20:57 I'm a big team success guy
00:20:59 and, I mean, we can't use that as a measuring
00:21:01 stick because they're equal, pretty much
00:21:03 - Yeah, they're right there
00:21:05 I think it's a fair toss-up for those two, especially
00:21:07 - Okay, who are you starting 3 frontcourt?
00:21:09 I'm pretty sure this is as clear-cut and dry
00:21:11 as you could possibly have any 3 frontcourt
00:21:13 players, but I'm curious to know your thoughts
00:21:15 - Yeah, so Tatum, and
00:21:17 Nkumpo, and Embiid
00:21:19 It's pretty simple
00:21:21 - Anybody who has anything else is biased
00:21:23 Realistically, that is just going to
00:21:25 be the starting frontcourt
00:21:27 - Tough to imagine anything else
00:21:29 The 3 players all have
00:21:31 popular names with fans, they've all
00:21:33 played pretty well this season
00:21:35 You could argue Tatum's been the worst of the 3
00:21:37 but even he's been hot lately, so
00:21:39 he's going to get him as a
00:21:41 starter. The fan vote says it
00:21:43 - The better question - He's pretty comfortable
00:21:45 He might jump Embiid for second
00:21:47 - The better question is
00:21:49 how many years into the future will this
00:21:51 be the starting frontcourt of the East?
00:21:53 Because it's going to be a string of them
00:21:55 for a while - They're all under contract
00:21:57 for a while, so probably
00:21:59 - Next 5 seasons, at least?
00:22:01 - At least 5
00:22:03 Embiid's 30
00:22:05 He's getting up there slowly
00:22:07 It could be
00:22:09 - It depends if Philly starts
00:22:11 winning, to your point. He's 30
00:22:13 He's at his peak. He's not
00:22:15 going to be the best center
00:22:17 or one of the best centers in the league forever
00:22:19 But if he's able to
00:22:21 make his mark, he will have the
00:22:23 grandfathered in votes
00:22:25 that we'll talk about a little later
00:22:27 - It is crazy that we consider
00:22:29 at least in my head, I'm like, "Oh yeah, it's
00:22:31 the Giannis, Embiid, Tatum era
00:22:33 Tatum's like 5 years younger than both
00:22:35 of them, which is nuts
00:22:37 But yeah,
00:22:39 that's the starting frontcourt. Okay, who are your benchguards?
00:22:41 We'll start there - Benchguards
00:22:43 Let's see if I
00:22:45 have egg on my face. I picked Lillard
00:22:47 and Tyrese Maxey
00:22:49 - That's who I got too. Lillard, Tyrese, Maxey
00:22:51 I think those are pretty standard
00:22:53 - I think Tyrese particularly
00:22:55 has been impressive this year
00:22:57 - He's taking quite the leap - I almost
00:22:59 put him as a starter instead of Mitchell to be honest
00:23:01 with you
00:23:03 I think he's done wonders for Philly
00:23:05 after Harden's exit, he's taken that next jump
00:23:07 He's been reliable for them
00:23:09 He plays all these games that Embiid sits out
00:23:11 and he's helped them with some monster
00:23:13 performances. So he's definitely one of the
00:23:15 elite and he deserves his first
00:23:17 all-star appearance. That's what I would say
00:23:19 - I agree
00:23:21 I got the same. Maxey, Lillard
00:23:23 two of the best teams in the East
00:23:25 two all-star caliber guards, pretty clear cut
00:23:27 you're starting bench forwards
00:23:29 in the East. What you got?
00:23:31 - I have Jalen, I have Paolo
00:23:33 and I have Bam
00:23:35 - Same. Bar for bar
00:23:37 word for word
00:23:39 - This is really shaping up to be an electric segment
00:23:41 - Hey, the East is pretty
00:23:43 - Credit to me! Credit to me for being smart
00:23:45 - Why am I the benchmark
00:23:47 for smart? We both could be idiots
00:23:49 - No, I think, well, because you pay more
00:23:51 attention than me
00:23:53 - I try at least. I haven't been as good as I want to be this year
00:23:55 - I think the Celtics need two all-stars. I think Jalen's playing the best
00:23:57 basketball of his career. I think Bam has
00:23:59 been the best player in that he team this season
00:24:01 he's doing everything. He's awesome. I think Jimmy
00:24:03 yeah, I think Jimmy or Hero
00:24:05 could have a shout, but I think Bam's
00:24:07 been the best and I think they might only have room
00:24:09 for one. And then Paolo
00:24:11 Magic have slipped off lately, but they deserve an all-star
00:24:13 and he's been great, so I'll give it to that
00:24:15 - Okay
00:24:17 - Four to seven range?
00:24:19 - Yeah, they've fallen off
00:24:21 it's unfortunate, but Paolo's still been playing
00:24:23 what are Paolo's numbers this season? Now I'm curious
00:24:25 he is averaging
00:24:27 23.7 rebounds, 5 assists
00:24:29 on 45-36, yeah
00:24:31 I mean, those are all-star numbers, so credit to him
00:24:33 bringing the efficiency up a lot from last year
00:24:35 yeah, he brought the efficiency up from
00:24:37 43-30
00:24:39 to 45-36
00:24:41 that's very impressive, shout out to Paolo
00:24:43 - That's a difference maker and that's what makes winning
00:24:45 basketball. When you have a number one
00:24:47 option who can really be relied on
00:24:49 it makes your team a lot better and he deserves
00:24:51 a lot of credit for Orlando being a legitimate
00:24:53 team. - He's 21
00:24:55 his full name is Paolo Napoleon
00:24:57 James Bancaro, sorry
00:24:59 that's just wild. Okay, who are your
00:25:01 wild cards in the East?
00:25:03 - I have Jalen Brunson and Chris Tops
00:25:05 - Ooh, okay
00:25:07 so this is our first
00:25:09 disagreement. I have
00:25:11 Donovan Mitchell, because you had him in your
00:25:13 starter, I had Jalen Brunson, so flip those
00:25:15 Trey Young as my last guy
00:25:17 in the East. I understand
00:25:19 because they've been
00:25:21 struggling, but as we talked about
00:25:23 in, I mean, we talked about it off air, but
00:25:25 we're going to talk about, as in the West
00:25:27 some of these guys aren't playing well
00:25:29 or their teams aren't great, but they're playing very well
00:25:31 Trey Young's having a monster season
00:25:33 he had a really
00:25:35 rough start to the year, but his splits
00:25:37 now are still not great, but
00:25:39 comparing, like
00:25:41 I'll look up the exact stats while you give your argument
00:25:43 he's averaging 27-3 in 11
00:25:45 on 42-36
00:25:47 but if you cut out
00:25:49 the rough start he had, he's been like
00:25:51 a monster on offense, and I know they
00:25:53 stink, and I am very much a
00:25:55 winning should be the tiebreaker, but like
00:25:57 I couldn't, I just, with how well he's
00:25:59 been playing, I couldn't leave him off mine
00:26:01 - Yeah, I think Chris Tops is playing
00:26:03 extremely well
00:26:05 on top of that, and his team's winning
00:26:07 I think Porzingis is one of the more
00:26:09 impactful players on the Celtics, I think there's a real
00:26:11 difference in the games where he has missed
00:26:13 which there are a lot, which you can make an argument
00:26:15 is a chink in the armor there
00:26:17 but Trae Young's
00:26:19 inability to have an impact
00:26:21 on his team's success
00:26:23 kind of sours me
00:26:25 he's a my career guy, I'm not overly
00:26:27 impressed by him in terms of what he
00:26:29 does for his teammates
00:26:31 and I just think Porzingis
00:26:33 is such a force for the Celtics
00:26:35 and he's been a
00:26:37 fantastic fit in Boston
00:26:39 - I don't disagree
00:26:41 on the Chris Tops part, I just, I mean he's averaging 11
00:26:43 assists though Trae Young, how are you gonna say he's
00:26:45 not impacting his teammates play, like he is
00:26:47 that offense, he runs that offense
00:26:49 - Because
00:26:51 they are - It hasn't, no I know
00:26:53 it hasn't led to wins this season, I'm not
00:26:55 saying their team has been amazing
00:26:57 they've stunk, I'm admitting that
00:26:59 but I don't think it's fair to say he doesn't
00:27:01 like I don't think my career guy is
00:27:03 fair, cause I do think he
00:27:05 makes his teammates better, it hasn't
00:27:07 directly led to winning, that's not what I'm saying
00:27:09 I'm saying, I don't think saying Trae Young
00:27:11 doesn't make his teammates better is a fair statement
00:27:13 but I'm not gonna argue like a ton
00:27:15 for Trae Young over - I'll argue for my career guy
00:27:17 is just cause when you play my career you're
00:27:19 going for stats
00:27:21 - I don't think that's what Trae Young's doing, I think he's trying
00:27:23 to win, it just hasn't worked because the team
00:27:25 like isn't good
00:27:27 - Doesn't help he can't play defense
00:27:29 - He's not a, yeah he's not a good
00:27:31 defender either but I think his offense is that
00:27:33 good, I just, I think - Porzingis plays
00:27:35 both sides of the ball - Sure
00:27:37 that's fine, I'm just saying 27-3
00:27:39 11, I wanted, I think he should be on the All-Star
00:27:41 team over Porzingis, like that's all I'm saying
00:27:43 - If he doesn't get on there's gonna be
00:27:45 a big crybaby, oh
00:27:47 look Trae Young didn't get on, like he
00:27:49 he got, it's gonna be, remember when Bradley
00:27:51 Beal didn't get on?
00:27:53 - Sure, yeah - That's what it'll be
00:27:55 - I guess, I don't know, he didn't
00:27:57 make it last year either so I don't know if it'll be that
00:27:59 he hasn't made it the last, or sorry, just last
00:28:01 year but, I don't know, I just think he's
00:28:03 he's playing better than he did last year
00:28:05 I think the Hawks obviously aren't
00:28:07 as good
00:28:09 - There also may be the
00:28:11 Tyrese is hurt and they bring in a guard to fill
00:28:13 in, so I think that's another way for him to
00:28:15 get in - Also possible, I just
00:28:17 think his offensive game
00:28:19 has been really good this year so
00:28:21 I'll rock with him as my
00:28:23 last guy, other guys who
00:28:25 probably have a real shout, I have
00:28:27 Porzingis obviously, Derek White
00:28:29 Randall Barnes-Butler are probably
00:28:31 the next five on there
00:28:33 you can argue the Bulls guys and the Nets guys 'cause they're
00:28:35 kind of sneaking up into that range up there
00:28:37 but it's just not there
00:28:39 I think Randall's probably
00:28:41 the next guy up, as much as I know you don't like him
00:28:43 he's been a lot better
00:28:45 I guess, yeah
00:28:47 that's fair too, I'm not gonna argue it
00:28:49 - He's just got that weird grandfathered
00:28:51 in name that goes
00:28:53 along with this whole competition or
00:28:55 event - Yeah
00:28:57 I understand - And I really think
00:28:59 Randall's just a losing player
00:29:01 even though the Knicks are playing decent ball
00:29:03 it's a Brunson show, not Randall
00:29:05 - I agree, but I
00:29:07 - I refuse to give him credit - He's been
00:29:09 a lot better since his rough start
00:29:11 to the season, like since the start of December
00:29:13 or since the start of
00:29:15 like
00:29:17 the past few weeks he's been a lot better
00:29:19 especially
00:29:21 efficiency-wise, I don't know
00:29:23 the stats are there, the Knicks are good, I think
00:29:25 he has that case, or at least a very similar
00:29:27 case to Jimmy Butler
00:29:29 I think Scottie Barnes has been
00:29:31 good, taking a leap this season with the Raptors
00:29:33 I think Derek White also has a shot, it's gonna be interesting
00:29:35 to see how they handle it, but
00:29:37 yeah, the East - It does feel like there's
00:29:39 not enough spots, which I'm sure we'll say
00:29:41 a zillion times when we do the Western Conference
00:29:43 but - Yeah, speaking of that - It's really tough
00:29:45 - So we have
00:29:47 just to make it Celtics, to wrap it up and put
00:29:49 a bow on it, Tatum and Browne is the only Celtics
00:29:51 All-Stars, you have Porzingis as well
00:29:53 I think Tatum and Browne should be locks, in my
00:29:55 opinion, I think there could be question marks
00:29:57 with Browne, I think some people might put Scottie Barnes
00:29:59 or Julius Randle or Jimmy Butler in there
00:30:01 but I think Browne's gotta be an All-Star, man
00:30:03 the Celtics are this good, he's been playing his best basketball
00:30:05 like, the only thing I worry
00:30:07 about is people not
00:30:09 understanding that he's
00:30:11 been better but the stats are down, if that makes sense
00:30:13 like they might just look at the stats and be like, "Oh, down year" but like
00:30:15 it's been an up year, just there's a lot
00:30:17 more people around. - I don't think you can
00:30:19 have the best record in the NBA and only get
00:30:21 one All-Star. - I agree - Just my take
00:30:23 and I also think, one
00:30:25 I don't think Jaylen will start, so it'll
00:30:27 be the coaches that do this, and I think
00:30:29 the coaches will have an understanding of that
00:30:31 - Sure, yeah
00:30:33 - And I just think Porzingis deserves it
00:30:35 he's played well, plays both
00:30:37 sides of the ball, three-point shooting hasn't been great
00:30:39 - I would argue - There are holes in his game
00:30:41 that you could be like, "He hasn't been great at this"
00:30:43 - I would argue Derek White deserves it more than Porzingis
00:30:45 but that's, maybe there's some bias there, but
00:30:47 I think he should get it - But I think
00:30:49 he also deserves - I just, I think
00:30:51 Porzingis has
00:30:53 like, you can see the
00:30:55 impact, I guess more clearly
00:30:57 because he's huge, but like, Derek
00:30:59 White is the connector that runs the Celtics
00:31:01 like, he is
00:31:03 the engine of that team, in my opinion
00:31:05 - No, I think it's legitimate
00:31:07 I think the problem you run in with Derek White
00:31:09 is, "Wow, like
00:31:11 there are this many guards
00:31:13 ahead of him, where is Kristaps?" I feel
00:31:15 like there's not that many guys that you can - Put him in the wildcard
00:31:17 spot, so it doesn't matter
00:31:19 - Still
00:31:21 - The guards in Forge don't matter once you get to that
00:31:23 last wildcard spot. I don't know
00:31:25 it's just an opinion thing, I'm not gonna complain either
00:31:27 way, like, I just, I don't know. Alright, let's
00:31:29 rock with the West here, I know this is the Celtics
00:31:31 section of the pod, but we've already done the East, so let's
00:31:33 wrap it up with the West. Sam, who are your West
00:31:35 guards, starting? - I have Shea
00:31:37 and Anthony Edwards - Ooh
00:31:39 I got Shea and Luca
00:31:41 I know Ant's been on the best team - I like those wins, baby
00:31:43 - I understand
00:31:46 winning should be the tiebreaker, but Luca's stats are
00:31:48 like, they're - They are outrageous
00:31:50 - They're worlds better
00:31:52 than Anthony Davis to the point where I think the winning should be
00:31:54 and for what it's worth, it's not like the Mavs are like
00:31:56 bad, like, they're six games above 500
00:31:58 it's just that the Timberwolves are
00:32:00 better, so I won't argue it too much
00:32:02 I just think Luca, especially
00:32:04 with the name value, is gonna get that starting spot
00:32:06 - It's true
00:32:08 It's tough to imagine, it'll go any
00:32:10 other way, but I don't know, I think
00:32:12 Anthony Edwards has taken a leap, I think
00:32:14 him and Shea "Gorgeous" Alexander
00:32:16 have been driving
00:32:18 their teams to the top of the standings
00:32:20 and I think they deserve recognition for it
00:32:22 - Sure, I'm not saying - 'Cause you would look
00:32:24 at, like, both of those rosters
00:32:26 they are solid
00:32:28 but you wouldn't be like, "Well, that team is
00:32:30 just set up to win no matter what"
00:32:32 Like, coming into the season, we had
00:32:34 the Timberwolves way down towards the bottom
00:32:36 of the play-in
00:32:38 - You did - And in the playoffs
00:32:40 What'd you have, sixth? - I had 'em above
00:32:42 the Mavs is all I know, I had the Mavs out of the playoffs
00:32:44 - So
00:32:46 - I understand what you're saying - I don't think anybody
00:32:48 remotely expected Minnesota to be this good
00:32:50 - No, let me see - Or OKC
00:32:52 - Yeah, OKC's been
00:32:54 great. Shea is absolutely a lock
00:32:56 I think Luke is a lock
00:32:58 realistically, I understand, like, I'm not gonna
00:33:00 complain - The fan vote will get him in - About Ant, yeah, I'm not gonna
00:33:02 complain about Ant above him, but
00:33:04 I had Minnesota
00:33:06 in
00:33:08 I guess 10th and Dallas in 11th, so
00:33:10 it's not obscene, and you had
00:33:12 Minnesota in 12th
00:33:14 and Dallas in 10th, so like
00:33:16 around the same level, so I understand what you're saying
00:33:18 I just think it's more of a
00:33:20 the Timberwolves
00:33:22 defense leading the way for them, and
00:33:24 that's not to discredit Ant, and then
00:33:26 I mean, 34-8-9
00:33:28 on Ridiculously Fitch - It is crazy
00:33:30 - I couldn't look over
00:33:32 especially with that three-point shooting up, not
00:33:34 my career, I hate that, not
00:33:36 at all - It's not
00:33:38 a bad "my career," but it's like "my career" type
00:33:40 numbers, this is a different use of
00:33:42 "my career" - OK, OK, OK, I was like, dude
00:33:44 - He does do
00:33:46 a little bit of the other "my career," but it's
00:33:48 doing alright - I understand, I understand
00:33:50 OK, who's your starting frontcourt?
00:33:52 - So, you gotta have LeBron
00:33:54 'cause the circle jerk, that's just how it goes
00:33:56 but Kawhi
00:33:58 and Jokic - OK
00:34:00 sure, fair
00:34:02 I don't actually have LeBron, even though
00:34:04 I know he will be, I don't have him in my starters
00:34:06 I had Jokic, Kawhi, and KD
00:34:08 I know the Suns aren't amazing either
00:34:10 but KD's numbers are crazy, they're actually three
00:34:12 games above 500 now, so they've been improving
00:34:14 so, I threw KD in there - LeBron's gonna be the
00:34:16 captain, that's - I know, LeBron's gonna
00:34:18 start - Wait
00:34:20 I thought they were doing east-west
00:34:22 - Oh yeah, so no captains, but like, LeBron's
00:34:24 gonna get the most votes, still
00:34:26 - That sucks, sad
00:34:28 - OK, similar
00:34:30 with some qualms, but
00:34:32 guards off the bench, what you got?
00:34:34 - Luka, Steph
00:34:36 - OK, I got Steph,
00:34:38 Deere, and Fox, I think he
00:34:40 is - So you don't even have
00:34:42 Anthony Edwards as a guard, wow
00:34:44 - No, he'll be in there though, he's on the team
00:34:46 it's just
00:34:48 yeah, he'll be there, don't worry about it, spoiler alert
00:34:50 - That's not fair
00:34:52 - OK, yeah, I got Steph, Deere, and Fox
00:34:56 I just think the numbers have been awesome
00:34:58 it is what it is, and I know
00:35:00 the Timberwolves are winning, I just think it's been a lot of their defense
00:35:02 not that Ant's numbers haven't
00:35:04 been good, but like - Defense matters
00:35:06 though - It's more of a collective effort
00:35:08 - No, I'm not saying Anthony's defense
00:35:10 I'm saying a team defense, I'm saying
00:35:12 I think they are more of a team, and these individuals
00:35:14 are standing out while helping their teams be
00:35:16 alright, and Edwards is on my All-Star team, don't worry
00:35:18 about it, and at the end of the day, they don't put
00:35:20 All-Star starter on your basketball reference page
00:35:22 - No, they don't
00:35:24 - OK, who's your bench front court?
00:35:26 - KD, who you had as a starter
00:35:28 Anthony Davis, who's grandfathered in
00:35:30 and Brandon Ingram, I hate the Western Conference
00:35:32 because Steph Curry
00:35:34 LeBron, KD
00:35:36 and Davis are all
00:35:38 in shitty teams, and they're gonna
00:35:40 get in because they have
00:35:42 a legacy, like Curry's gonna get in no matter
00:35:44 what - And they're playing amazing
00:35:46 - They are playing amazing
00:35:48 but like, for what you could say
00:35:50 about Trae Young, and from my stance
00:35:52 be like, they're not winning, I think that
00:35:54 should come up when you talk about
00:35:56 everybody, like - I think winning
00:35:58 - In an unbiased way, but it's tough - Winning is important
00:36:00 for All-Star and All-NBA, but like
00:36:02 as much as that is a fact, like it also
00:36:04 is like, how good has this player been this season?
00:36:06 And those players have been really good
00:36:08 so I think it also has to factor in
00:36:10 as much as winning, if not more in some
00:36:12 cases. I've got the same
00:36:14 except I have LeBron on the bench instead of KD
00:36:16 which will probably be flip-flopped
00:36:18 if anything, Kawhi will probably be on the bench
00:36:20 and KD will be the starting lineup just because of popularity
00:36:22 but yeah, I got AD and Brandon Ingram
00:36:24 as well from my other bench forwards
00:36:26 - I just thought the Pelicans needed a guy
00:36:28 like, they're in the top five
00:36:30 they have to have somebody represent them
00:36:32 I don't think it should be Zion
00:36:34 because he doesn't stay healthy or play
00:36:36 - No - Give Ingram credit
00:36:38 he's been a really steady piece
00:36:40 for them, along with McCollum, but he won't get it
00:36:42 - I agree
00:36:44 I agree, I'll rock with
00:36:46 excuse me, I'm rocking with Ingram too
00:36:48 I think he's got a real chance and I think he deserves it
00:36:50 Okay
00:36:52 last two, who are your wildcards?
00:36:54 You already know one of mine is Ant, but who'd you got?
00:36:56 - So I have Fox, you had
00:36:58 Edward, you had Fox in the bench spot
00:37:00 I have him on the wildcard
00:37:02 I have Jamal Murray
00:37:04 I think Murray's due, I think they're gonna give him
00:37:06 the "oh, this guy hasn't been an all-star yet"
00:37:08 treatment, he's gonna get it
00:37:10 I mean, it doesn't really matter for his contract
00:37:12 because it's not all NBA, but he needs that
00:37:14 and a little tidbit
00:37:16 to that is he's already missed a bunch of games
00:37:18 due to a hamstring strain
00:37:20 so if he misses three more games, he can't
00:37:22 get that super max for Denver
00:37:24 so keep your eyes on that, but I think
00:37:26 he might get in
00:37:28 - Fair, I didn't even have him on here
00:37:30 that's somebody I forgot, but I had Ant as well
00:37:32 and then I had Sabonis, I'm putting Sabonis there
00:37:34 - Yeah, Sabonis deserves a shout
00:37:36 - His stats have been awesome this year, he's averaging
00:37:38 20, 13, and 8
00:37:40 on 61-41 shooting
00:37:42 like, he's playing great
00:37:44 he's really good
00:37:46 and he is the offensive engine of that team
00:37:48 as amazing as Fox has been, so
00:37:50 I went with Sabonis, I do think, so
00:37:52 before we got on, or maybe right as we got on
00:37:54 I was saying, I forgot this person
00:37:56 but I really wanted to put this person in
00:37:58 I forgot about Sabonis, and I had to put him in
00:38:00 I really wanted to put Alper and Shang-Goon on my All-Star team
00:38:02 that is who I, unfortunately
00:38:04 had to leave off, so that's the guy
00:38:06 - Shang-Goon has become the "I know basketball
00:38:08 more than you" guy, to say is good
00:38:10 but I like him
00:38:12 he has been, like you see all the people on Twitter
00:38:14 trying to prove they know ball
00:38:16 because they're like, "Shang-Goon, look out for Shang-Goon"
00:38:18 but, I was talking to a friend the other day
00:38:20 watching the games, and we were trying to go through
00:38:22 and we talked about this on Talking Seas
00:38:24 you know, where does he rank
00:38:26 amongst big guys, and like, Cat was a guy
00:38:28 he was put up against
00:38:30 they have the same counting stats
00:38:32 except Shang-Goon has more assists
00:38:34 - Then, who is this
00:38:36 you said? - Cat
00:38:38 - Cat, yeah, I see it, I think they have
00:38:40 different roles too, but yes
00:38:42 - And Shang-Goon is the best player on the Rockets team
00:38:44 - Definitely
00:38:46 I had Shang-Goon, I think Harden
00:38:48 and Paul George both deserve a chance too
00:38:50 the Clippers have been really good for a long time now
00:38:52 - Took them off for Murray
00:38:54 - I think Murray is equally
00:38:56 I think Cat and Rudy, and then
00:38:58 I have Wemby too, but they just, they suck
00:39:00 that's too bad, and I think Laurie
00:39:02 with the way that she has been playing, deserves
00:39:04 a small shout, but I just don't think the stats
00:39:06 or the success is there as much as
00:39:08 it was last season, so
00:39:10 Alright, there we go, we have the same teams
00:39:12 except you had Jamal Murray, and I had Sabonis
00:39:14 and then in the East, we had the same
00:39:16 teams, except you had Portzingis, and I had
00:39:18 Trae Young, so look at that, we're pretty
00:39:20 in sync, look at that, that's good
00:39:22 good for us
00:39:24 Alright
00:39:26 let's move on over to the
00:39:28 email here, now you might be wondering
00:39:30 why haven't they done What's Poppin'
00:39:32 yet? Well, we're going to do What's Poppin'
00:39:34 during the email check-in now
00:39:36 we got a comment about it saying maybe it'll improve retention
00:39:38 we said, you know what, that makes sense, let's try it
00:39:40 so, we're going to do What's Poppin' at the start
00:39:42 of the email section now, so if you'd like
00:39:44 to see if you won What's Poppin'
00:39:46 make sure to stay through the video
00:39:48 and check it out at the email
00:39:50 section, we got 10, 11, sorry
00:39:52 entries today, so
00:39:54 what's the
00:39:56 big wheel, sorry Pete,
00:39:58 Piston Pete, we'll call him
00:40:00 Piston Pete because he just can't catch a dub
00:40:02 Pete
00:40:04 poor guy, we love
00:40:06 you Pete, thank you for entering, and keep entering
00:40:08 He was none too pleased to be compared to the questions
00:40:10 I know, I don't blame him, let's spin this
00:40:12 wheel, see who's winning some popcorn this episode
00:40:14 I hope it is Pete
00:40:16 me too, I'm rooting for him
00:40:18 where is he? Oh, oh
00:40:20 yeah, hey
00:40:22 Pete
00:40:24 he's beating the allegations, he's not the Pistons
00:40:26 what a beast, Pete
00:40:28 you know what to do, email us at
00:40:30 hptcpod@gmail.com, we'll get you
00:40:32 hooked up with a gift card for popcorn, same thing
00:40:34 for Chris Anderson, because
00:40:36 Tibbs gave you his popcorn, so Chris
00:40:38 email us as well
00:40:40 and if you'd like to be entered, comment
00:40:42 What's Poppin' on this video
00:40:44 or email us saying What's Poppin'
00:40:46 Speaking of emails
00:40:48 yeah, speaking of emails, let's jump on over to it
00:40:50 starting
00:40:52 with RJ from one day
00:40:54 ago, after the Rockets game
00:40:56 What's Poppin'? Here's the scary part
00:40:58 even folks, that was a palate cleanser game
00:41:00 the Celtics did a good job of playing the physicality
00:41:02 and all the defense of the Rockets, or playing through it
00:41:04 and the defense of the Rockets in the first quarter
00:41:06 nothing spectacular, just consistent ball
00:41:08 what I like was even when the Rockets forced a turnover
00:41:10 or two, the Seas just kept working their plan
00:41:12 until they started wearing the Rockets down
00:41:14 I mentioned the scary part, this wasn't an
00:41:16 exceptional game by the Celtics, they played their game
00:41:18 the Rocket played theirs, and the 48 minutes
00:41:20 later the Celtics put up 145
00:41:22 points, a 1 by 32, ok
00:41:24 24-47 from deep is special, but none
00:41:26 of the threes felt like they were either very difficult
00:41:28 or super wide open
00:41:30 everyone looked comfortable taking their shots in the flow of the offense
00:41:32 just imagine what this team will look like
00:41:34 when they are dialed in for a full 48
00:41:36 by the time you read this, I'll have my answer to how
00:41:38 the crowd responded when former coach
00:41:40 Joe Doka was introduced, for context it was a mix
00:41:42 of boos and cheers, I noticed during the broadcast
00:41:44 neither Mike nor Scowler referred to him by name
00:41:46 much if at all, 39 overall
00:41:48 19-0 at home, like the sound
00:41:50 of that, be well, RJ
00:41:52 yeah, good, I thought they did play well
00:41:54 though, I thought they were
00:41:56 good, I understand what RJ is saying, like
00:41:58 they gave up a 30 point first quarter to the
00:42:00 Rockets, like the shot
00:42:02 like the Rockets felt like they were playing
00:42:04 ok defense and then Jalen Brown hit a couple
00:42:06 tough shots and got out in transition, like
00:42:08 but I do think the Celtics
00:42:10 I mean, they put up the second most points they put up
00:42:12 this season, like, that can't be a bad game
00:42:14 well no, I mean like
00:42:16 Jalen had like 30 points on
00:42:18 11 of 15, it was awesome
00:42:20 it was awesome, they simply just didn't miss
00:42:22 I do think there's a point to be made with
00:42:24 the defense though, I was watching the game and I was like
00:42:26 this needs to tighten up eventually
00:42:28 there's a lot of times lately where the Celtics
00:42:30 have given up a ton of points
00:42:32 and they've lost because
00:42:34 of it a few times, they lost to Pacers
00:42:36 they lost to OKC because they couldn't
00:42:38 get stops and it sucks because
00:42:40 there's a lot of times where they play great on offense
00:42:42 but it's just all for naught
00:42:44 it's a big part of the Bucs loss too
00:42:46 the defense in the Bucs game
00:42:48 was unacceptable, that can't happen, again, you understand
00:42:50 it, because of the back to back and all that
00:42:52 stuff, and the Rockets were on a back to
00:42:54 back in this game I suppose, but
00:42:56 I'm also sick of
00:42:58 hearing people bitch about the back to backs
00:43:00 I know that's not what you were doing, but I'm really sick of seeing it
00:43:02 it's less bitching
00:43:04 at least in the case of
00:43:06 most of the media, it's less bitching and more
00:43:08 like, they're tired
00:43:10 they're just going to be more tired in this game
00:43:12 than they would have been if they had a day's rest
00:43:14 I mean, the Celtics
00:43:16 are what, 6-2 on back to back
00:43:18 6-3 after Milwaukee, they're still winning
00:43:20 sure, no, it's not an excuse
00:43:22 I'm not discrediting
00:43:24 the Bucs, the Bucs absolutely deserved to win that game
00:43:26 but you can't tell me it didn't factor in, you can't tell me
00:43:28 they weren't at all more
00:43:30 the Bucs were coming off two days
00:43:32 of rest and the Celtics were coming off an overtime win
00:43:34 over one of the best, most physical defenses in the league
00:43:36 it's not an excuse for how they played
00:43:38 but it's definitely a reason why they were probably
00:43:40 a little bit tired
00:43:42 it's a factor, but I'm just seeing a lot of it lately
00:43:44 and it's annoying me, that's all
00:43:46 people are
00:43:48 acting like this is some new thing
00:43:50 they used to play three games in a row
00:43:52 sure
00:43:54 I'd be curious to see what some of those stats were
00:43:56 in terms of blowouts
00:43:58 I remember the Celtics won one in triple overtime
00:44:00 on back-to-back-to-back
00:44:02 it's not impossible, but
00:44:04 I'm just saying, it definitely can play a factor
00:44:06 alright, next email
00:44:08 from Phillip Hart
00:44:10 pace is overrated
00:44:12 hey fellas, as always, thank you for the great content
00:44:14 happy birthday, Phillip
00:44:16 happy birthday
00:44:18 I've been a big believer
00:44:20 for Phillip's email only
00:44:22 let me find the fucking
00:44:24 happy birthday layout
00:44:26 yeah, yeah, yeah
00:44:28 happy birthday from HBTCU
00:44:30 we wish it was our birthday
00:44:32 so we can party too, hey
00:44:34 new listeners are lost
00:44:36 hey fellas, as always, thank you for the great content
00:44:38 I've been a big believer in pace this year
00:44:40 Joe has got me thinking about it a lot, a couple weeks ago
00:44:42 I did an analysis on pace, but then Joe
00:44:44 spoke about trying to improve the pace
00:44:46 so I waited to add to the analysis
00:44:48 despite his emphasis on a faster pace, the numbers haven't changed
00:44:50 in terms of how pace affects winning
00:44:52 this is not in-depth, meant to highlight how pace
00:44:54 is not exactly what it is touted to be
00:44:56 for context, pace in the league ranges
00:44:58 from slowest, 96.7 to fastest
00:45:00 103.5, in Celtics wins
00:45:02 we average 98.88
00:45:04 in losses, average
00:45:06 is 100.13
00:45:08 that's a major difference, appears we hold
00:45:10 a slower pace in our wins, but that could be due to garbage time
00:45:12 slowing us down, let's look by quarter
00:45:14 quarter, let's compare winning game versus losses
00:45:16 so, in the first quarter
00:45:18 I like this, this is really well put together, Phillip
00:45:20 in the first quarter
00:45:22 102.13 pace in wins
00:45:24 102.89 pace
00:45:26 in losses, almost equal when we start
00:45:28 a winner loss, second quarter
00:45:30 98.67 in wins
00:45:32 102.67 in losses
00:45:34 third quarter 99.67
00:45:36 in wins, 98.22 in losses
00:45:38 fourth quarter
00:45:40 95.0 in wins, 96.89
00:45:42 in losses, charted it looks like this
00:45:44 if you're watching on YouTube you can see this nice chart
00:45:46 excuse me, that Phillip put together
00:45:48 for wins and losses, it appears that
00:45:50 generally we are slower in wins, especially in the
00:45:52 second quarter, given our third quarters are problematic
00:45:54 it's worth noting that when we win, we manage
00:45:56 to bump up the pace a little, suggesting perhaps that
00:45:58 control of pace is more important than actually playing
00:46:00 fast or slow, has me wondering does pace
00:46:02 even positively correlate with wins?
00:46:04 the answer is no, pace has a moderate
00:46:06 negative correlation,
00:46:08 -0.19 with wins across the entire
00:46:10 league this season, essentially the teams that
00:46:12 with more wins have a slower pace
00:46:14 that's the reality of this season so far, but
00:46:16 it worries me that Joe and other bright minds
00:46:18 think of pace differently, can either of you
00:46:20 shed some light on this, is there
00:46:22 a reason for these numbers, or is Joe just wrong
00:46:24 about pace being important to our offense? All the best
00:46:26 from Phil. This was really well put together
00:46:28 shout out Phil, happy birthday, thank you
00:46:30 -Happy birthday
00:46:32 -I think, in my opinion
00:46:34 I think the reason you're seeing, first of all
00:46:36 first quarter, pace being the fastest, one
00:46:38 they have the freshest legs, but two, I think
00:46:40 the first quarter is very Jalen heavy
00:46:42 and Jalen loves running
00:46:44 with the ball, so Jalen is often
00:46:46 looking to push it
00:46:48 I think the third quarter being a little bit faster
00:46:50 is like what you said, controlling the pace rather than
00:46:52 losing it, and a lot of the times the Celtics are
00:46:54 up, going into the third quarter, so if
00:46:56 they get outpace, like if they are going
00:46:58 at a slower pace than the other team is going
00:47:00 I think the momentum can hurt
00:47:02 the Celtics a little bit
00:47:04 that said, I think the reason
00:47:06 with pace across the league
00:47:08 a lot of the best teams in the league
00:47:10 at least in my opinion, I'm curious
00:47:12 to know your thoughts too, a lot of the best
00:47:14 teams in the league have guys
00:47:16 who play at a slow pace, like the Nuggets
00:47:18 have Jokic, he is better
00:47:20 in the half court, Embiid, better when you
00:47:22 post him up, Giannis, better in like the
00:47:24 pick and rolls in the half court, like he can get out in transition
00:47:26 but that team probably wants to play in the
00:47:28 half court, Damian is pick and roll slow down
00:47:30 the Celtics, for as good
00:47:32 as they are when they run the ball, they are great
00:47:34 when they play in the half court and hunt
00:47:36 mismatches because they have five god damn
00:47:38 all-stars on the floor, so when you're
00:47:40 running pick and rolls in the half court and getting switches
00:47:42 that you like, it's easier to find the offense you like
00:47:44 like other good teams
00:47:46 like the Thunder, you see Shea
00:47:48 Shea leads the league in transition offense
00:47:50 so maybe that's an exception
00:47:52 but like, he just murders teams
00:47:54 in pick and rolls, you can't do anything
00:47:56 so I think there is a
00:47:58 something to say about the best teams just having
00:48:00 stars that
00:48:02 play best in half court
00:48:04 offense rather than pushing it
00:48:06 I don't know though, I do think playing fast
00:48:08 can be better purely because like
00:48:10 transition opportunities are easier
00:48:12 than half court opportunities
00:48:14 most of the time, but I think it's
00:48:16 just realistically, another
00:48:18 part of this could be teams are making more
00:48:20 shots now, so you're just not seeing as much transition
00:48:22 opportunities for the pace to go up
00:48:24 but curious to know what you think about all
00:48:26 this Sam. Well I think you made
00:48:28 a good point with the star players being
00:48:30 able to slow the game down and still be effective
00:48:32 and I think that might be why you see
00:48:34 a general correlation where the pace
00:48:36 indicates a negative
00:48:38 trend. The
00:48:40 teams that have less talent have to rely on running
00:48:42 more in order to try and win.
00:48:44 Really good point. A team like the Celtics
00:48:46 can still rely on
00:48:48 running and still be playing
00:48:50 well. I think it does
00:48:52 translate to wins in
00:48:54 positive basketball because
00:48:56 they're turning teams over, they're getting out, they're
00:48:58 catching them off guard
00:49:00 I don't necessarily care for the
00:49:02 what actually the stats say, I still think
00:49:04 it's a good method of playing. Well
00:49:06 yes, I will say the stats do
00:49:08 support what you were saying about the worst teams having
00:49:10 to get out and run. The Bucks do play
00:49:12 really fast, they're fourth in the league in pace so I guess
00:49:14 I was sort of wrong there. However, the other four
00:49:16 top teams in pace
00:49:18 number one, Wizards, number two
00:49:20 Pacers, number three Spurs, number five
00:49:22 Hawks. Some of those teams not very good.
00:49:24 They play pretty fast
00:49:26 and then the slowest teams in pace
00:49:28 is kind of a mix so it's like Bulls
00:49:30 Heat, Nuggets, Suns, Clippers, like some of those teams
00:49:32 are really good. The Clippers love to run the pick and roll with Harden
00:49:34 so they slow it down. The Heat have
00:49:36 Bam, Hero, and Jimmy but then a lot of
00:49:38 the best teams in the league find themselves right in the middle because
00:49:40 they integrate a healthy mix of getting
00:49:42 out in transition while also going to their half court
00:49:44 offense. I don't know if pace being
00:49:46 overrated is necessarily the right thing. Like
00:49:48 Sam said, it's still a good thing when you get out
00:49:50 and run. You need to be able to do it.
00:49:52 Just get in your own thing. Exactly.
00:49:54 I think that's what we'll land
00:49:56 on here. Thank you, Phillip.
00:49:58 And as always, happy birthday.
00:50:00 Great email by the way. The chart's great. I really
00:50:02 like this. This is interesting.
00:50:04 Next email from RJ.
00:50:06 What's poppin'? Halfway there to
00:50:08 halfway there. Afternoon,
00:50:10 fellas. Long weekend and close enough
00:50:12 to the midway point of the season to kick the tires in the year
00:50:14 so far and look ahead. The athletic penciled the Celtics
00:50:16 at 57-25 for the season as best in
00:50:18 the East and I don't recall anyone else
00:50:20 having them cracking 50 wins. I think we were
00:50:22 I think I was around like 58-59. Sam might
00:50:24 have said 60. I think
00:50:26 60. Stand by.
00:50:28 They could. They should at this point. With a
00:50:30 very real chance of hitting the break at 32-9
00:50:32 and continued improvements by the regular rotation
00:50:34 in playing together
00:50:36 along with at some point Drew Holiday
00:50:38 remembering how to finish at the rim. Makes me
00:50:40 think that 62-65 wins are not
00:50:42 out of the question. Starting six have been individually
00:50:44 consistent all year and they are
00:50:46 starting to get more comfortable playing reflexively
00:50:48 as a team to unlock even more success. Best
00:50:50 of all, it seems like all top nine rotation players
00:50:52 want to put in the rest to get to a higher level.
00:50:54 Other improvements
00:50:56 will come from the bench. Joining the Celtics
00:50:58 under Coach Mazzullo means a commitment to learning
00:51:00 and executing
00:51:02 the defensive principles he's enforcing as much
00:51:04 as players like Percet, Keita and Banton have been providing
00:51:06 energy and burst. Extended minutes will come from hitting
00:51:08 their marks defensively. I think they're capable
00:51:10 of doing so. A lack of minutes for them seems in
00:51:12 my opinion more to stem from them not having
00:51:14 fully mastered the basics of the team defense
00:51:16 rather than them not having
00:51:18 the ability to do so either physically
00:51:20 or mentally. My gut hunch for why Stevens
00:51:22 and Sphere further down the list is that they may be
00:51:24 unlearning habits
00:51:26 they had from previous stops. Just
00:51:28 like Coach Mazzullo stretches the margins.
00:51:30 I think that's where you see the Celtics
00:51:32 make their move in the trade market. I doubt they
00:51:34 want to ship out any of their top nine so that leaves
00:51:36 the bundles of Sphere and Stevens and
00:51:38 Banton along with attractive draft capital to
00:51:40 pry loose of another team's youngster
00:51:42 who has favorable skills and a favorable contract
00:51:44 to fill the end of the bench with Jordan Walsh
00:51:46 along with the converting contracts of Keita
00:51:48 and Drew Peterson to regular deals. I don't know about
00:51:50 that. I guess once you trade
00:51:52 if you trade some of those guys, sure.
00:51:54 Excuse me, I'm not plugged in enough to other teams
00:51:56 and their lineups to suggest
00:51:58 who might be coming back to Boston, but
00:52:00 that's the shape of the deal that I think is most likely.
00:52:02 There's even also the ever popular
00:52:04 bring Blake back option, which has real
00:52:06 merits for the back end of the regular season as he
00:52:08 knows the system players and what's expected of them.
00:52:10 Ultimately,
00:52:12 getting to the regular season finish line with good health and
00:52:14 good team chemistry just starts the meter running
00:52:16 on the ultimate goal. The Celtics are in solid position to
00:52:18 win both 60 plus games and not burn themselves
00:52:20 out doing so. I've yet to see anything
00:52:22 in this year's team that worries me long term. Sorry for
00:52:24 being long winded. I'll go for 50 next
00:52:26 time. Be well, RJ. I think
00:52:28 I got through that email pretty well. I'm going to pat myself
00:52:30 on the back. I was ready
00:52:32 to see anybody.
00:52:34 Whoo. No good. I think
00:52:36 the point you made at the end of nothing that
00:52:38 worries you long term is true. And Joe
00:52:40 had a great quote after
00:52:42 the Rockets game where he said, I
00:52:44 think the healthy space to
00:52:46 live in is knowing we're good, but understanding
00:52:48 that we can always be better. And that was
00:52:50 like, hell yeah, Joe.
00:52:52 No, Joe gets it. And
00:52:54 we talked about this with Bobby. It really feels
00:52:56 like he's a perfect coach for this team
00:52:58 in terms of mindset because yes,
00:53:00 all of these players are sacrificing so
00:53:02 they can excel in the areas they're
00:53:04 best at. And
00:53:06 then on the side of
00:53:08 those things, they have other skills
00:53:10 that are not perfected. If
00:53:12 they're all able to improve on
00:53:14 their weak points, the team will just continue to
00:53:16 be better. And I also believe
00:53:18 that rather than looking at actual trade
00:53:20 show to Pete who says you don't hit on
00:53:22 21, you
00:53:24 just want to improve internally. I know you're sick
00:53:26 of hearing me say O'Shea Percet, but if he's
00:53:28 able to give them something shooting, it's
00:53:30 just an example of he gives you a
00:53:32 lot of great things. Aside from that,
00:53:34 if you're able to rely on him just a little
00:53:36 bit to knock down threes, that's a new
00:53:38 guy you unlock for playoff
00:53:40 minutes. If he's not able to knock
00:53:42 down threes, then you might as well not put him out there
00:53:44 because teams will just say, go ahead, buddy. Keep
00:53:46 throwing him up. Somebody like Cornette,
00:53:48 if he could just move his feet
00:53:50 a bit quicker or if the team can
00:53:52 figure out how to maximize his
00:53:54 size without having him get
00:53:56 switched on the perimeter. Those are all
00:53:58 things that you can do to make your team better.
00:54:00 It doesn't have to be
00:54:02 go get this super sick guy that
00:54:04 makes $6 million that can fit in the
00:54:06 TPE. I want to drown
00:54:08 myself when I hear someone talk about
00:54:10 it's awful.
00:54:12 I will say back in your point about
00:54:14 Percet in the playoffs and the shooting thing.
00:54:16 I do think there is a world
00:54:18 where he could potentially get playoff
00:54:20 minutes in spite of his shooting.
00:54:22 I don't think it's likely, but I do think he has done
00:54:24 a great job of impacting offense
00:54:26 without standing on the three-point line,
00:54:28 sitting in the dunker spot, always being cutting,
00:54:30 never stopping moving. That way
00:54:32 teams can't target him as much.
00:54:34 I still don't think he ever develops a three-point
00:54:36 shot, unfortunately. I know. I know. I'm sorry.
00:54:38 I hate to... I truly like Cornette.
00:54:40 It's okay. You can have that stance.
00:54:42 I really
00:54:44 like Percet as a player. I just
00:54:46 can't back the notion that, "Oh yeah,
00:54:48 he's gonna
00:54:50 develop the shot." It's just
00:54:52 not going to happen, unfortunately. It doesn't happen
00:54:54 for a lot of guys, but I just think it's
00:54:56 possible. I think we've seen enough guys
00:54:58 grow as three-point shooters, especially
00:55:00 with the transition of the league.
00:55:02 I know it's a bit different for younger
00:55:04 guys like Percet. Percet's, what, 25,
00:55:06 26? He's not very old.
00:55:08 He came into the league in its
00:55:10 current state where three-point shooting is a must.
00:55:12 But somebody like Al Horford
00:55:14 came into the league never shooting threes,
00:55:16 and he became somebody you can
00:55:18 trust to take threes in the playoffs
00:55:20 and also in big moments.
00:55:22 That's something you can learn.
00:55:24 I don't think it's impossible.
00:55:26 It depends on your definition of
00:55:28 reliable three-point shooter. I don't think he's
00:55:30 ever going to shoot
00:55:32 36% on more than
00:55:34 two a night. You know what I'm saying?
00:55:36 Which is whatever, but I don't know.
00:55:38 It's tough. It's a tough
00:55:40 slope, man. I don't
00:55:42 know. I don't want to give up faith on him. I think he's
00:55:44 a really good player, and I think he does a lot of great things.
00:55:46 I think shooting is just
00:55:48 such an easy-ish
00:55:50 thing to learn because it's just repetition.
00:55:52 I understand that, but I just
00:55:54 ...
00:55:56 It's easy in theory, but I think it's harder
00:55:58 from individual to individual. Do you know what I'm
00:56:00 saying? If you don't have it,
00:56:02 you don't have it. I'm not saying it's going
00:56:04 to happen. I'm just saying I think it could.
00:56:06 I'm not giving up hope.
00:56:08 It doesn't mean this year
00:56:10 either. Sure.
00:56:12 I don't know. We'll see what happens. I like
00:56:14 Percet for what it's worth. This isn't me trying to
00:56:16 crap on him. I really do like him as a player, and he's
00:56:18 an awesome person too for what it's worth.
00:56:20 He's super funny. He's super fun to watch
00:56:22 off the court, so credit to him and shout out to him.
00:56:24 I just don't know if I can get
00:56:26 there on the "will eventually become"
00:56:28 what you're saying. Anyways, I don't
00:56:30 know how this turned into a O'Shea Percet talk, but
00:56:32 let's get back to the email. Last email we
00:56:34 got for the day is from RJ once again.
00:56:36 What's poppin' from Red on
00:56:38 round ball to Mike Brown
00:56:40 on blown calls. Evening guys. I
00:56:42 learned about basketball in part by watching old halftime
00:56:44 segment in the 70s called Red on Roundball,
00:56:46 which was hosted by Red Auerbach, who would walk through basketball
00:56:48 skills and strategy with NBA stars of the day.
00:56:50 Mike Brown's press conference film session
00:56:52 was impressive, both in its educational detail
00:56:54 and his calm demeanor. Red would have been proud of how he was
00:56:56 able to illustrate his point to fans and media.
00:56:58 Question is, was he able
00:57:00 to educate Adam Silver about the referee problem?
00:57:02 Addendum. I was looking for a clip of Red's
00:57:04 red segment and happened to find one where he was talking about
00:57:06 incidental contact. Mendy Rudolph was
00:57:08 the former head of the NBA officials when this was filmed.
00:57:10 On the Pistons/Wizard trade
00:57:12 front, I'm a fan, or excuse me,
00:57:14 I'm a Pistons fan.
00:57:16 If I'm a Pistons fan, do I get cited about Moose
00:57:18 and Gallo? Will Detroit try to suit them up?
00:57:20 Suit up the extra cap space or maybe put
00:57:22 in the Peton suit and make it a new
00:57:24 mascot. Sam, I know you gotta be turning
00:57:26 hand stains as the Pistons maintain the integrity
00:57:28 of the game. Be well.
00:57:30 Yeah.
00:57:32 Referees. I still need to
00:57:34 watch the Mike Brown clip for what it's worth. I have
00:57:36 slacked. I have been busy. I haven't watched what you said,
00:57:38 but I know what happened. Yeah.
00:57:40 Referees.
00:57:42 I'm kind of sick of people
00:57:44 complaining about the refs.
00:57:46 I understand
00:57:48 why Mike Brown did it, because he got himself ejected.
00:57:50 I know why Tatum got ejected. I know why. It was
00:57:52 a talking point from the Rockets game, and I'm not saying
00:57:54 that referees should
00:57:56 not be accountable. But again,
00:57:58 the bitching about the refs has
00:58:00 started to really climb up higher
00:58:02 than it usually is.
00:58:04 And at the end of the day,
00:58:06 you just can't let the refs dictate the game.
00:58:08 And if you did, you didn't play well enough.
00:58:10 It's part of it. They're humans.
00:58:12 They make errors. I don't know
00:58:14 if you can replace NBA
00:58:16 officials with robots like they want to do in
00:58:18 baseball, so I don't know if that's an option.
00:58:20 I do. I think there is
00:58:22 some accountability that needs to be there.
00:58:24 But I'm kind of sick of the crying.
00:58:26 It's starting to get old. It's been a
00:58:28 really wild two or three weeks with the
00:58:30 refs. You had the LeBron pointing at the monitor.
00:58:32 You had the Pacers
00:58:34 game with the Celtics. You had
00:58:36 Darko, the Raptors coach,
00:58:38 light him up after the LeBron's game.
00:58:40 There have been some really bad ones.
00:58:42 I don't know.
00:58:44 It is what it is. I feel like
00:58:46 you get sick of things
00:58:48 if they're mentioned more than twice.
00:58:50 Not more than twice, but I do get sick
00:58:52 of them. I get sick of stuff.
00:58:54 Probably faster than the average person.
00:58:56 Alright,
00:58:58 let's move on to the NBA section of the show.
00:59:00 Let's see what we've got
00:59:02 to talk about.
00:59:04 I guess start with the NBA
00:59:06 standings check-in. I'm forgetting our own
00:59:08 rundown here.
00:59:10 Let's go on over to the NBA standings and see how
00:59:12 players have been playing around the league. Thank you, sir,
00:59:14 for changing the background. Let's
00:59:16 check here. Top of the East.
00:59:18 Wins, wins, and more wins. Celtics have
00:59:20 won their last one as of the Sixers. Bucks have won
00:59:22 three in a row. Cavs, four in a row. They're all
00:59:24 way up to fourth in the East. And the Heat have won
00:59:26 two in a row.
00:59:28 But as Sam said, four through seven are all
00:59:30 seven games back. They all have effectively the same
00:59:32 record, the same winning percentage.
00:59:34 Heat, Pacers, Knicks, and then the Cavs
00:59:36 who are up in fourth. Magic have fallen out
00:59:38 of there. They've lost three in a row. They're struggling.
00:59:40 And then the bottom of the East.
00:59:42 Yeah, not great.
00:59:44 And credit the Pacers, I will say.
00:59:46 They lost last night to
00:59:48 the Nuggets, but like, they had
00:59:50 won, I think, all of their games
00:59:52 after the Halliburton injury until
00:59:54 the Nuggets lost last night. So like, they've been keeping up
00:59:56 without Halliburton. So credit to them.
00:59:58 And the bottom of the East is just
01:00:00 bad.
01:00:02 It's just rebuttable. I will say, the weird...
01:00:04 Who is it? Oh yeah.
01:00:06 Pistons, Wizards.
01:00:08 I will say,
01:00:10 I credit the Bulls because they are sort of
01:00:12 separating themselves from
01:00:14 the bottom tier of the East. They're not at
01:00:16 the Magic in terms of the top eight yet, but like,
01:00:18 they are in this weird like,
01:00:20 they're probably a little better than the Nets and them below, but they're
01:00:22 just not at the next. So like,
01:00:24 it's weird.
01:00:26 The Bulls have always been in this weird spot.
01:00:28 They'll probably end up rebuilding, which is good,
01:00:30 but they are not as bad as they were at the
01:00:32 start of the season. So,
01:00:34 credit to them. Pistons, Wizards,
01:00:36 63-62 at the break.
01:00:38 We have a classic on our hands.
01:00:40 Heater.
01:00:42 Sam, I will say, would you rather
01:00:44 the Pistons win or would you rather they lose their
01:00:46 eighth game in a row so we get closer to that ten win
01:00:48 mark where we can? I want to lose.
01:00:50 Okay. Yeah, I want them to keep
01:00:52 just checking, just making sure,
01:00:54 just making sure. All right.
01:00:56 Out West, top of the West is winning. Timberwolves,
01:00:58 two in a row, Thunder, four in a row, Nuggets, two
01:01:00 in a row as well. Clippers just lost their
01:01:02 game, but they're eight and two in the last ten. They are on
01:01:04 fire. Speaking of on fire,
01:01:06 Jazz down in ninth, they're fully in the
01:01:08 play in race. Now they've passed the Warriors, Lakers
01:01:10 and Rockets and have won five games in a row.
01:01:12 They're above 500. They are
01:01:14 on fire. Happy fans of one too.
01:01:16 Good for the Jazz man. They've been great.
01:01:18 Like it's crazy to watch that. I think
01:01:20 the Jazz are like a sneaky leap
01:01:22 team to watch. Maybe not this year, but
01:01:24 with Danny, he might do
01:01:26 something ahead of the deadline if he really believes
01:01:28 in these guys. Like we've seen him be willing to do
01:01:30 it in the past where he brought in Isaiah Thomas
01:01:32 because he thought it was a good fit and it got the
01:01:34 Celtics into the playoffs. I think heading
01:01:36 into the summer, they have plenty of assets they can use
01:01:38 if they have a few guys they like and they're like, let's get
01:01:40 him some help. I don't know.
01:01:42 I think it's interesting that they've kind of done
01:01:44 this two years in a row. Like last year, they started
01:01:46 off really well and then they kind of trickled
01:01:48 off as they started to offload pieces.
01:01:50 I don't know. Yeah, I hope
01:01:52 they keep winning because they're not the Lakers.
01:01:54 So that's one more team above them.
01:01:56 I will say they do have
01:01:58 all the picks in the world to work with. So
01:02:00 like they got the Timberwolves
01:02:02 and Cavs futures to work with
01:02:04 in trades. Unfortunately,
01:02:06 not looking like the best picks of all time.
01:02:08 Cavs ones more valuable than
01:02:10 the Timberwolves. I'll say that because there's a lot of
01:02:12 like, hey, Mitchell might not play there anymore.
01:02:14 Yeah, but even if they're not the best
01:02:16 like first in terms of picks like they
01:02:18 can trade them. Like if you bundle a bunch of those
01:02:20 together, you can get some decent players and pieces, etc.
01:02:22 They've got a good team. Shout out the Jazz.
01:02:24 It's for the bottom of the West. 10 through
01:02:26 15 have all lost their last game. The Rockets
01:02:28 four and six in their last 10. They're struggling
01:02:30 Lakers Warriors three and seven
01:02:32 in their last 10 and the bottom
01:02:34 of the East Grizzlies. Just
01:02:36 I mean, they can't catch a break, man.
01:02:38 Like doesn't mean got hurt on
01:02:40 project. Yeah, it's happening. Like
01:02:42 like I don't think this was the plan. Even
01:02:44 after the job thing. Like I think they were still like, all right, let's
01:02:46 get brown or Bane and Jaron
01:02:48 reps soon as band goes down.
01:02:50 You're like, all right, this is cooked. I was watching their
01:02:52 game against the Knicks today because I was bored and I was just like,
01:02:54 let me throw on an NBA game.
01:02:56 They don't have much
01:02:58 got much going on.
01:03:00 I watched Jacob Gilead Luke
01:03:02 canard David Roddy Vince Williams and
01:03:04 Xavier Tillman try to beat the Knicks for
01:03:06 20 minutes. I was like, okay, turn this
01:03:08 off. They played well,
01:03:10 but it was just like, this is
01:03:12 cooked man. I feel bad for them.
01:03:14 There's the most unlucky season of the year
01:03:16 by far. They will be just rough.
01:03:18 That'll be fine with them for it. It's just this year
01:03:20 after they made that trade for smart. I feel bad
01:03:22 for smart as soon as you'll bad for that. I feel bad for
01:03:24 smart. This is
01:03:26 good for Memphis. Unless these injuries
01:03:28 like really kind of hinder these
01:03:30 guys going forward. It's good
01:03:32 for them. They're going to have an extra guy on their team
01:03:34 that's presumably going to be
01:03:36 somewhat talented. Not going to be
01:03:38 making a ton of money with the new CBA
01:03:40 being in place. That's important.
01:03:42 It's not the worst thing ever. It's not.
01:03:44 I just realized you put rip
01:03:46 the Grizzlies on the chat
01:03:48 here. So I guess this is our
01:03:50 this is our Grizzlies section.
01:03:52 Like so
01:03:54 unlucky man, you knew like it was going to
01:03:56 be a tough hurdle to overcome with the job suspension
01:03:58 going in. But like Steven Adams
01:04:00 out for the year that Bay now is hurt for
01:04:02 a long time. Marcus hurt for like
01:04:04 oh my God and then
01:04:06 John comes back gets hurt six
01:04:08 games later. What are you
01:04:10 going to do man? That's just that's
01:04:12 horrible. That's brutal
01:04:14 poor poor Memphis. They'll be okay. Like you
01:04:16 said, but like it's just just not the season
01:04:18 they envision when they made that trade to push
01:04:20 ahead with it with Marcus
01:04:22 speaking of not
01:04:24 the season they envision the Pistons
01:04:26 probably didn't envision being
01:04:28 what is their record right now? They thought
01:04:30 they are three
01:04:32 they're three and 36
01:04:34 which is like that's impressively
01:04:36 terrible like that. That is like
01:04:38 that is not. Yeah, you're pretty
01:04:40 bad team go to lottery. That is like how the hell
01:04:42 have you won three games like
01:04:44 what are we doing?
01:04:46 Like I really wish they lost that Raptors so
01:04:48 we could still be talking about the longest losing
01:04:50 streak in NBA history. But now like they
01:04:52 don't even have that going for him anymore. They're just losers
01:04:54 like they're not even cool losers. They're
01:04:56 just bombs which sucks the
01:04:58 weird thing about the Pistons is that
01:05:00 when they were desperate
01:05:02 at the end of the losing streak there
01:05:04 they actually played good ball like when
01:05:06 they played the Celtics. They were really tough
01:05:08 to play against and right now
01:05:10 Cades hurt. So you do have to like take
01:05:12 that into account be like well if
01:05:14 Cade was playing they might be slightly better, but
01:05:16 they're still three and 36 and they still
01:05:18 lost a zillion games in a row with Cade
01:05:20 playing but when they were
01:05:22 actually a difficult opponent at the end of the
01:05:24 losing streak it was because of Cade
01:05:26 he was balling out. He was scoring a lot of points
01:05:28 and he was doing it pretty efficiently
01:05:30 so he looks like at
01:05:32 the very least he's going to be something worth
01:05:34 them keeping around for a while. Now
01:05:36 the reason why he brought up the Pistons
01:05:38 is because they did make that sick trade
01:05:40 with the Wizards to offload Marvin Bagley
01:05:42 and Isaiah Livers
01:05:44 and they brought in the
01:05:46 two former Celtics Mouskala Danilo
01:05:48 Gowinari who is a
01:05:50 very difficult name to pronounce
01:05:52 clearly but
01:05:54 net gain from
01:05:56 Marvin Bagley is they traded
01:05:58 some picks to get them and then they traded
01:06:00 even more picks to get rid of them.
01:06:02 Tough. Yeah. Tough.
01:06:04 Not great for that. It looks like
01:06:06 they're trying to clear up cap space for next summer.
01:06:08 To that I ask. To get Siakam.
01:06:10 Yeah. Who you
01:06:12 getting there pal? I saw Cam
01:06:14 Tabatabai in front of the pod say congrats
01:06:16 on the Pistons for signing
01:06:18 Gordon Hayward and Buddy Heald next summer.
01:06:20 Which is just like all
01:06:22 time. Like pass Siakam
01:06:24 because he didn't want to sign an extension and hit the open market
01:06:26 like he wants to hit the open market like
01:06:28 Tobias Harris is going to be free agent so maybe they
01:06:30 want him.
01:06:32 Gordon Hayward
01:06:34 Demar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, Buddy Heald
01:06:36 Mike Conley. What are we doing?
01:06:38 Detroit. Come on.
01:06:40 Please. Like what are we doing?
01:06:42 Please.
01:06:44 Why? Why is like
01:06:46 in an era where cap space matters
01:06:48 less than ever. What the fuck?
01:06:50 What?
01:06:52 I guess
01:06:54 Pistons fans are happy Isaiah
01:06:56 is off the team because they fucking hated that
01:06:58 guy.
01:07:00 They would say I don't know why this man is
01:07:02 playing. His numbers were not very good.
01:07:04 He's shooting. He's averaging
01:07:06 let's see 20 minutes a night
01:07:08 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1
01:07:10 assists. Shooting 34.5
01:07:12 28.6
01:07:14 Not great.
01:07:16 Not very good
01:07:18 for Isaiah Livers. He doesn't
01:07:20 do this. He didn't do nothing except be bad.
01:07:22 What are they cooking?
01:07:24 What are they cooking?
01:07:26 Not much. Cereal
01:07:28 is what they're cooking up in Detroit.
01:07:30 They put hot dogs in the microwave without
01:07:32 putting holes in them.
01:07:34 That's fucked up.
01:07:36 We talked about it earlier in the show. Mike
01:07:38 Brown went on a fun
01:07:40 rant. Would you call it a rant? Even though
01:07:42 he didn't like yell
01:07:44 after the game. After the
01:07:46 Kings-Bucks game which the Bucks
01:07:48 blew and then the Kings blew.
01:07:50 It was like let us hand you
01:07:52 an overtime appearance.
01:07:54 The Kings will hand them over the overtime.
01:07:56 Mike Brown went on a rant after
01:07:58 the game about officiating. It was
01:08:00 5 minutes long so we're not going to watch the
01:08:02 video but he pulled up a laptop.
01:08:04 I'll show you an example.
01:08:06 We're not going to watch the whole video because
01:08:08 it's long.
01:08:10 You can listen to the initial part of it. Let's take
01:08:12 a look at Mr. Mike Brown. I love Mike Brown.
01:08:14 I like Mike Brown.
01:08:16 I can't hear him.
01:08:18 I can't hear him.
01:08:20 Now I can.
01:08:22 I'll show you guys why I got kicked out.
01:08:24 Right here.
01:08:26 This is the first time.
01:08:28 This is the craziest thing.
01:08:30 It's just to whip out the laptop.
01:08:32 It is all the time.
01:08:34 I saw someone say that
01:08:36 Pat Bev walked so Mike Brown could run.
01:08:38 With the camera.
01:08:40 He got ejected
01:08:42 in crazy fashion. He ran out
01:08:44 in the court.
01:08:46 This is incidental contact by the way.
01:08:48 By definition.
01:08:50 At half we were down 19-5
01:08:52 in the free throws.
01:08:54 I know that happens sometimes
01:08:56 but that's very
01:08:58 frustrating when at the end of the half
01:09:00 from what I
01:09:02 get told all the time
01:09:04 the late drives
01:09:06 Lopez comes over
01:09:08 and goes vertical with the forearm down here.
01:09:10 Now from what the NBA
01:09:12 tells me the rule is if you go vertical
01:09:14 you gotta have two hands up.
01:09:16 Because Dolphins has his hand down here
01:09:18 a lot and they call him for it every time
01:09:20 and they always tell us well you gotta forearm here.
01:09:22 They said
01:09:24 that tonight
01:09:26 they said the forearm can be here as long as it's
01:09:28 not extended. So I don't know what the rules
01:09:30 are.
01:09:32 I don't know what the rules are.
01:09:34 I like how RJ said in the email. I like how calmly he
01:09:36 was just like this is what happened. This is why
01:09:38 I'm mad. This is bullshit.
01:09:40 You're not yelling but getting angry.
01:09:42 That's how you maintain credibility too.
01:09:44 If you just go out there and you're really mad
01:09:46 like Darko the Raptors coach
01:09:48 He was funny though.
01:09:50 Everyone's just like ha ha
01:09:52 and that was it.
01:09:54 But then the Lakers didn't shoot a lot of free throws
01:09:56 and everyone was crying.
01:09:58 Shout out to
01:10:00 what's it called? Shout out to Mike Brown.
01:10:02 He's a beast. What a legend.
01:10:04 Next thing we got. Lots of players
01:10:06 now trade eligible.
01:10:08 Because it is January 15th
01:10:10 a lot of players who signed deals
01:10:12 at certain points in the offseason
01:10:14 or signed extensions at certain points in the offseason last
01:10:16 summer are now eligible to be traded.
01:10:18 Sam put it together. Thank you Sam.
01:10:20 I'm going to rip them off and then we can talk about who
01:10:22 is most likely to be traded.
01:10:24 Alright.
01:10:26 Cam Johnson, Miles Bridges, PJ Washington,
01:10:28 Kobe White, Iota Sunmu, Austin Reeves,
01:10:30 Rui Hachimura, Brooke Lopez, Herb
01:10:32 Jones, Mo Wagner, Paul Reed, Jeremy
01:10:34 Grant, Matisse Title, Trey Liles, Trey Jones,
01:10:36 Parker Purtle, Kyle Kuzma. Now Sam you put
01:10:38 asterisks next to Miles Bridges, Paul Reed,
01:10:40 Matisse Title. Asterisks were guys that
01:10:42 can't veto trades
01:10:44 at all. So everybody
01:10:46 else on this list can veto a trade.
01:10:48 Or maybe it's can veto. I don't know.
01:10:50 Okay. Understandable. I see
01:10:52 what you mean. There's something there.
01:10:54 It's probably can veto because I don't think
01:10:56 I don't know why Cam or PJ or Kobe White
01:10:58 would be able to veto a trade. So it's probably
01:11:00 can veto. Miles Bridges.
01:11:02 It definitely is
01:11:04 can veto because Miles Bridges
01:11:06 accepted like a bird rights
01:11:08 or a qualifying offer. So that means he
01:11:10 was on the team. Yes. So that is definitely what it is.
01:11:12 They can veto trades.
01:11:14 Of these guys,
01:11:16 any of the Lakers players?
01:11:18 Because the Lakers like to make trades.
01:11:20 I don't think Austin Reeves gets moved, but it's
01:11:22 possible. Rui Hachimura, I would
01:11:24 bet the house on him being traded.
01:11:26 Past that,
01:11:28 I don't know how many of these guys would actually be
01:11:30 traded. Maybe Tybal, maybe
01:11:32 Kuzma. I don't know.
01:11:34 Past that.
01:11:36 Yeah, I don't know. Nobody's
01:11:38 in a trade for Miles Bridges.
01:11:40 PJ Washington, maybe.
01:11:42 But of these guys, none of the names
01:11:44 are super appealing. It's just going to be
01:11:46 a Lakers thing where it's like, how
01:11:48 do we get more free guys? Oh,
01:11:50 Hachimura makes 18 million.
01:11:52 I have a question. So
01:11:54 the Kings are a team that want to make
01:11:56 a trade. Clearly, right? Like they want to make a move.
01:11:58 Zach Levine has been the name
01:12:00 that's been brought up. If you're
01:12:02 the Kings, would you rather trade for Zach Levine
01:12:04 or Jeremy Grant, realistically?
01:12:06 Depends how much you believe in
01:12:10 Zach Levine.
01:12:12 Because he sucks
01:12:14 and he's not a winning player, but he's also never
01:12:16 really had a great team.
01:12:18 If he was on the Kings, it would be interesting to see
01:12:20 how he fits with some of the other top tier
01:12:22 guys they have.
01:12:24 Has Jeremy Grant ever had a great
01:12:26 team, though? I know he was on those Nuggets teams,
01:12:28 and he was a good role player on those teams.
01:12:30 That's the difference.
01:12:32 But since he's been a significant
01:12:34 give the ball to him,
01:12:36 have something happen player,
01:12:38 he hasn't.
01:12:40 I think that's where you run into the issue.
01:12:42 Jeremy Grant... well, actually, no,
01:12:44 no, no. They both have
01:12:46 bad contracts, but Jeremy Grant
01:12:48 is kind of proving he's not going to be
01:12:50 a focal point
01:12:52 of a winning team.
01:12:54 But I think he could be a good third option
01:12:56 is my point. And I think he's
01:12:58 a much better defender
01:13:00 than... I think he'd be an upgrade
01:13:02 from Harrison Barnes, effectively.
01:13:04 He'd be a significant upgrade from Harrison
01:13:06 Barnes. He's averaging 21-3
01:13:08 and 2 on 45-41
01:13:10 splits this season,
01:13:12 and that's pretty impressive considering the Blazers
01:13:14 suck and he probably doesn't have a ton of space to work with.
01:13:16 I don't know.
01:13:18 Again, I agree that I think it depends
01:13:20 on you. It depends on how much
01:13:22 you believe in Zach Levine
01:13:24 and his ability to impact the offense on a winning
01:13:26 level. But I do think that's an
01:13:28 interesting argument, because I saw his name on here and I'm like,
01:13:30 "Yeah, his contract's bad," but
01:13:32 is it as bad as Zach Levine's?
01:13:34 Realistically, he makes 27,
01:13:36 he's going to make 29, 32, 34,
01:13:38 and then a $36 million player option.
01:13:40 Meanwhile, Levine
01:13:42 has one less...
01:13:44 one fewer years on his deal.
01:13:46 Yeah, one fewer year
01:13:48 on his deal, but it's 40, 43,
01:13:50 46, then 49.
01:13:52 So at that point,
01:13:54 is Jeremy
01:13:56 Grant's 34-mil and 26-27
01:13:58 going to be as bad as it sounds right now?
01:14:00 I don't know. I just thought that was interesting
01:14:02 when I saw his name on this list. It's a very random thing,
01:14:04 but it just made me perk my ears up.
01:14:06 So with
01:14:08 Zach Levine, this is my take.
01:14:10 I think his contract sucks,
01:14:12 but I think
01:14:14 his fit with the Kings isn't bad.
01:14:16 And I think if he joins the Kings and plays
01:14:18 well, then that contract
01:14:20 is no longer untradeable.
01:14:22 Because you can convince somebody, "Hey, look, he can play."
01:14:24 Jeremy Grant,
01:14:26 if he goes to the Kings,
01:14:28 may play well, but he's going to do it
01:14:30 in more of a role-player fashion.
01:14:32 And I don't think you're going to be out there convincing people
01:14:34 that they want to trade for an aging guy
01:14:36 making 36 on a player option as he's
01:14:38 in his mid-to-late 30s.
01:14:40 But I don't think the Kings should be trading
01:14:42 for somebody with the idea of, "Okay, can we
01:14:44 trade this guy in the future?" I think they should
01:14:46 do it in hopes of, "Okay,
01:14:48 can this guy bring us over the top and put us in
01:14:50 the top 4Ks?" And so,
01:14:52 my thing there, I understand the value of having
01:14:54 an extra shot creator in the playoffs, and I think that's
01:14:56 huge, but I just, I don't
01:14:58 know, I'd almost rather have
01:15:00 Grant, because at that point
01:15:02 you're trading, the trade package is going to be
01:15:04 Barnes, Herter, and Picks,
01:15:06 right? And at that point, would you rather trade
01:15:08 those guys for
01:15:10 another guard who can't defend, or
01:15:12 a forward who can be a secondary shot
01:15:14 creator when you need him to be, and also defend?
01:15:16 I think it's very close, and I'm not saying
01:15:18 you're wrong for Levine. I think Levine would be,
01:15:20 I think he does fit well in the Sacramento, but I think
01:15:22 that could be a good spot for Grant too. I don't know.
01:15:24 It's interesting. It's weird.
01:15:26 The only reason I bring up the money
01:15:28 in the tradable-ness of it is
01:15:30 you do have to take that into account when you
01:15:32 think of, "Is this contract bad?"
01:15:34 Because right now,
01:15:36 Chicago can't trade Zach Levine
01:15:38 pretty much because everyone thinks he sucks,
01:15:40 and the contract sucks. If he goes
01:15:42 to Sacramento and plays well, that's no longer the case,
01:15:44 even if they don't want to get rid of him.
01:15:46 If they decide it might be time to rebuild
01:15:48 or, like, say
01:15:50 it doesn't go well after
01:15:52 a couple years, right? Say
01:15:54 he joins and they play well, and
01:15:56 they advance a round or two, and
01:15:58 people are like, "Whoa, look at that. He's better
01:16:00 than we all thought." There's
01:16:02 more of a chance for getting a return on investment
01:16:04 than Zach Levine
01:16:06 in him than
01:16:08 with Jeremy Grant. I know that's not the
01:16:10 only reason you're doing the trade, and that's not what I'm saying.
01:16:12 It's a nice safety net.
01:16:14 I understand. I don't know.
01:16:16 I might have...
01:16:18 I think it's really close.
01:16:20 That'd be interesting.
01:16:22 I'm very curious to see what the Kings do at the deadline.
01:16:24 They're going to be one of the, in my opinion,
01:16:26 one of the top teams to watch
01:16:28 as we go here, because they're really good right
01:16:30 now, and if they can get a little bit better,
01:16:32 they could
01:16:34 win a playoff series or two.
01:16:36 They're a really good team.
01:16:38 I'm in on the Kings, man. I have no problem
01:16:40 with them. They've been pissing me off. They haven't beat the Celtics
01:16:42 in ages. I'm a fan of the Kings.
01:16:44 Beat the Warriors last year.
01:16:46 Speaking of the Warriors, they
01:16:48 are...
01:16:50 Sorry, that's what I meant. Shit, I ruined my transition.
01:16:52 The Warriors don't
01:16:54 want to trade Kuminger or Moody.
01:16:56 Sam Vetchney of The Athletic
01:16:58 wrote this. I'll read it quickly.
01:17:00 "You also won't see Kuminger or Moody, two young Golden State
01:17:02 players, who could be used
01:17:04 to facilitate a deal for a star player.
01:17:06 Don't think the Warriors have ruled out moving them,
01:17:08 but at least
01:17:10 currently, they aren't actively including them in potential
01:17:12 packages. League sources believe new
01:17:14 general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr.
01:17:16 values both at a very high level, and would
01:17:18 love to hold onto them if he can, even
01:17:20 if he also understands one or both might
01:17:22 need to go to be the mechanism to facilitate much
01:17:24 needed changes with the slumping Warriors.
01:17:26 It's possible one or both of Kuminger or
01:17:28 Moody feature on future
01:17:30 iterations of this board, but that's the
01:17:32 reasoning I used to hold them off for now." This was him
01:17:34 writing potential trade pieces, and he
01:17:36 held them off. I get it.
01:17:38 Brother, you can't
01:17:40 hold onto them forever.
01:17:42 At some point, you've
01:17:44 got to choose short-term, long-term
01:17:46 with that Warriors team. It's just not working.
01:17:48 But, I understand. It's just
01:17:50 tough, man.
01:17:52 Warriors are in a bad spot.
01:17:54 Those two guys could be something that makes it less
01:17:56 of a bad spot if they really believe in them.
01:17:58 I think you're right.
01:18:00 I think they have to make a decision.
01:18:02 If I'm them, I'm saying, "See ya, Clay."
01:18:04 You're almost in a similar
01:18:06 position to Memphis.
01:18:08 Mind you, Clay's contract sucks, so
01:18:10 good luck getting somebody to take it.
01:18:12 It's last year, though. Oh, it's expiring.
01:18:14 Yeah, yeah. Okay, okay, okay.
01:18:16 But you're almost in a similar
01:18:18 situation to the Grizzlies, where it's like,
01:18:20 at what point do you just say, "Well, they don't
01:18:22 have their draft pick, so never mind."
01:18:24 So, actually, you might want to get
01:18:26 better. But, eventually,
01:18:28 you're going to have to get worse to get better.
01:18:30 You also just can't...
01:18:32 I don't think that time comes... Sorry, not to cut you off.
01:18:34 I don't think you can accept that time
01:18:36 until Steph Curry retires. That's my only...
01:18:38 It's hard. It's hard.
01:18:40 Because they
01:18:42 just don't seem to have anything left in the tank
01:18:44 with Curry as a part of the team. It's almost like
01:18:46 a weird KG Pierce situation
01:18:48 where you might want to trade him now and
01:18:50 get something, but
01:18:52 I don't know. If I'm a
01:18:54 Warriors fan, I don't want them to trade Curry, and I'll just
01:18:56 ride it out and let him retire
01:18:58 a Warrior.
01:19:00 That's what I'm saying.
01:19:02 I just don't think you can.
01:19:04 I think that's all we have for
01:19:08 the NBA section. Should we move on to the Rat List here?
01:19:10 That's right. Move on.
01:19:12 Would you like to kick it off, sir?
01:19:14 I can. Yeah.
01:19:16 So,
01:19:18 Rat List,
01:19:20 today being a holiday, Martin Luther King Day,
01:19:22 the gym,
01:19:24 the most packed I've ever seen it.
01:19:28 Unbelievably
01:19:30 packed.
01:19:32 I went
01:19:34 in there, and I was like, "Alright,
01:19:36 I'm going to
01:19:38 do the exercises I had planned."
01:19:40 And I went to go get a drink
01:19:42 because I didn't bring my water bottle.
01:19:44 And even that
01:19:46 was being used. I could barely get in to
01:19:48 use the water fountain or
01:19:50 bubbler. If you're from Rhode Island, it's called a bubbler.
01:19:52 It's a bubbler. No, you're right. It's a bubbler.
01:19:54 Yeah, I'm with it.
01:19:56 But yeah, I couldn't
01:19:58 even get in there. And then, you know what the
01:20:00 worst part of the gym is? I went to take a
01:20:02 piss, and there's just this naked guy
01:20:04 walking around.
01:20:06 I mean, nobody asked.
01:20:08 Like, yes, you're in a locker room,
01:20:10 but you're also in a public place. At least wear
01:20:12 a towel or something. Yeah.
01:20:14 That's why I don't go to the gym, actually.
01:20:16 Yeah, fair.
01:20:18 It's worse at the
01:20:20 gym where I play basketball.
01:20:22 Because there's more older people there. It's like an
01:20:24 old person thing, too. Yeah.
01:20:26 No, I know what you mean. I was just like,
01:20:28 "Oh, nice."
01:20:30 Like, didn't expect to see that one.
01:20:32 Tough.
01:20:34 There was another aggravating part of the gym
01:20:36 today, but I can't remember it off the top of my head.
01:20:38 But really, yes. Rattless, busy gym.
01:20:40 A lot of people just stand around
01:20:42 talking. Yeah, fair.
01:20:44 I can agree with that.
01:20:46 I haven't done much
01:20:48 the past couple days.
01:20:50 Rattless, DoorDash again.
01:20:52 A couple days ago. I ordered McDonald's.
01:20:54 It was late at night. I got home.
01:20:56 What'd you get?
01:20:58 I got a burger, nuggets, and fries.
01:21:00 A drink. Standard. A Big Mac meal.
01:21:02 I got my nuggets.
01:21:04 I got an Oreo McFlurry.
01:21:06 And then I got sweet and sour sauce or ranch or something.
01:21:08 Like, sauces to go.
01:21:10 Forgot my McFlurry. Just didn't get it.
01:21:12 No sauces.
01:21:14 And no sauce! "How are you not going to give me sauce
01:21:16 with my nuggets? What are we doing?"
01:21:18 Rattless, McDonald's, and DoorDash
01:21:20 for just screwing me over, ruining my meal.
01:21:22 I was upset. It was like
01:21:24 1230 in the morning.
01:21:26 I was playing Lethal Company. Have you heard of that?
01:21:28 A couple of my buddies.
01:21:30 Very fun. Very funny. It's effectively just a game.
01:21:32 I'll explain it.
01:21:34 Rattless, Them for the Sauces. Lethal Company is a game.
01:21:36 It's like,
01:21:38 uses proximity chat, like in-game chat.
01:21:40 And the whole concept is
01:21:42 you're on a ship and you work for "the company".
01:21:44 And you go to
01:21:46 different planets and you just
01:21:48 try to find scraps. But when you go in
01:21:50 these buildings, there are monsters
01:21:52 that try to murder you.
01:21:54 And there are jumps you have to cross and stuff.
01:21:56 So you'll just be playing with your friends.
01:21:58 One of my friends goes to make a jump.
01:22:00 And it's like, you have to have flashlights, so it's very dark.
01:22:02 And he just goes to make a jump
01:22:04 and he goes, "Okay, I'm going for it."
01:22:06 And I just hear him go, "Nope." And then he just
01:22:08 falls and dies into the cave in front of you.
01:22:10 It's a very fun game. You and
01:22:12 Frank and them would love this game.
01:22:14 I highly recommend it if you're looking for
01:22:16 something. But it's very fun. It's very simple.
01:22:18 But it's hilarious because you'll
01:22:20 just hear down a corridor, you'll be
01:22:22 running and you'll hear, "Ahh! Ahh! Ahh!"
01:22:24 Like your friend running from a monster.
01:22:26 It's very fun. But
01:22:28 ratlicksmcdonalds for ruining my
01:22:30 eating experience afterwards with no sauce.
01:22:32 Speaking of McDonald's,
01:22:34 back in my prime,
01:22:36 I would go on McDonald's runs
01:22:38 at like 2 in the morning after playing Xbox.
01:22:40 I would get
01:22:42 a double quarter pounder, a quarter pounder
01:22:44 with cheese, 20
01:22:46 McNuggets,
01:22:48 large fry, and then a drink.
01:22:50 A water.
01:22:52 Still was healthy. Still got the water.
01:22:54 But I can't
01:22:56 believe I used to just eat that
01:22:58 and go to bed.
01:23:00 Yeah. That's what I did. It's great.
01:23:02 It doesn't really taste that good anymore. I had a fantastic
01:23:04 chicken sandwich yesterday. I went out to eat it.
01:23:06 It was like...
01:23:08 Jack came and met my girlfriend
01:23:10 for an event
01:23:12 last month.
01:23:14 We went out to eat beforehand.
01:23:16 We went to this place. It's like all
01:23:18 sandwiches and burgers. If it's a burger,
01:23:20 like a custom burger, you can
01:23:22 sub for a chicken patty. I love
01:23:24 chicken sandwiches. I did that.
01:23:26 It was that. It was
01:23:28 pepper jack cheese, onion
01:23:30 crispers, barbecue sauce. It just did not
01:23:32 miss. It was fantastic. One of the
01:23:34 best sandwiches I've ever had. Just a great day
01:23:36 yesterday. But far more quality
01:23:38 than McDonald's is really my point.
01:23:40 Speaking of the lady,
01:23:42 I had to pick the lady up from the airport yesterday.
01:23:44 She went to D.C. briefly to meet some friends
01:23:46 for her birthday. Or the friend's
01:23:48 birthday, not her birthday. And came back
01:23:50 and I picked her up at TF Green in Warwick.
01:23:52 Now, at TF Green,
01:23:54 there is a
01:23:56 departures
01:23:58 drop-off and it's on the top
01:24:00 floor and there is the arrivals on the bottom
01:24:02 floor. If you're on the bottom floor, typically
01:24:04 there's all
01:24:06 a line of cars parked on the curb
01:24:08 and as people get picked up, the line
01:24:10 moves up. Yesterday,
01:24:12 TF Green decided they were taking
01:24:14 things seriously and had a
01:24:16 traffic director out there trying to tell people
01:24:18 not to wait at the curb unless their person
01:24:20 was outside. I did not know this.
01:24:22 So I wait on the curb. He comes
01:24:24 up to my window and I say, "Hey, how you doing?"
01:24:26 He says, "Have you not heard me telling
01:24:28 the other people that if
01:24:30 their person is not outside, not
01:24:32 to pull up to the curb?" Now,
01:24:34 I didn't say this, but I did
01:24:36 not hear him because my windows
01:24:38 were up and I
01:24:40 was listening to music.
01:24:42 Not gonna hear you. You don't have
01:24:44 a microphone to everybody's radios,
01:24:46 dickhead. So anyway,
01:24:48 he's like, "Is your passenger outside?"
01:24:50 I'm like, "Well, she said she's coming."
01:24:52 He's like, "That's not what I asked you. I asked if she's outside
01:24:54 and I said, 'Give me a minute and I'll ask.'"
01:24:56 Then he's like, "I'm gonna need you to
01:24:58 loop around if she's not outside
01:25:00 yet." And then I
01:25:02 said, "If you give me a minute,
01:25:04 I'm trying to find out for you."
01:25:06 And he kept giving me a hard time and he threatened
01:25:08 to give my plate to the airport police
01:25:10 and then my girlfriend came out and I left.
01:25:12 But that guy was an all-time
01:25:14 rat fuck and he acted like
01:25:16 he was being nice to me, but he was
01:25:18 actually being a prick. He was like, "I already asked you
01:25:20 nicely." It's like, "No, you didn't. You came
01:25:22 up to me and you were like,
01:25:24 'Did you not hear me?'" It's like, "No, I didn't
01:25:26 hear you." How was I supposed to hear you,
01:25:28 dickhead?
01:25:30 I fucking hate
01:25:32 people like that. It's the same
01:25:34 professions who were
01:25:36 bullied in high school or peaked
01:25:38 in high school that try to have these
01:25:40 fucking power trips. It is
01:25:42 professors, it is police officers
01:25:44 and
01:25:46 Karen's.
01:25:48 There's niches to them.
01:25:50 Yeah, I couldn't think of it. I meant
01:25:52 niches. There's certain types of
01:25:54 people that act this way. That act like they are
01:25:56 the center of the fucking universe. That
01:25:58 is genuinely... Just you
01:26:00 saying that story got me actually
01:26:02 angry. Those are the worst types of people.
01:26:04 The people who treat you like they're better
01:26:06 than you at all times.
01:26:08 He just had no patience. It's like, "I don't
01:26:10 know what you want out of me. I'm telling you. I'm
01:26:12 trying to figure out the information you're asking me.
01:26:14 I don't know." If he literally just came up to you
01:26:16 and said, "Hey, I don't know if you heard me. I was
01:26:18 saying this. If she's not outside, you do this."
01:26:20 If you just go, "Yeah, I know. Let me just ask her."
01:26:22 He goes, "Okay, no problem. Just make sure if she says
01:26:24 no to go." It would have been fine. The whole
01:26:26 situation would have been resolved, but he had to be a
01:26:28 fucking asshole because he has nothing
01:26:30 better to do with his life. Loser.
01:26:32 I'll get him so mad. Also, not for nothing,
01:26:34 like... Fucking bum. Usually
01:26:36 that guy is just not out... They don't have somebody
01:26:38 doing that, and it all works fine.
01:26:40 I don't know why yesterday was such a big event.
01:26:42 Anyway, that really got me
01:26:44 fired up. Yeah, it got...
01:26:46 Clearly got me fired up, too. Those people are the
01:26:48 fucking worst, man.
01:26:50 I agree.
01:26:52 I don't know. I had
01:26:54 a pretty lax couple days.
01:26:56 I don't know
01:26:58 if I have much to ratless. I didn't do
01:27:00 anything the weekend. I already ratlessed
01:27:02 Mike for the golf sim where he kicked
01:27:04 our ass. That was tough.
01:27:06 The tea
01:27:08 was pretty normal. I don't think I
01:27:10 have any ratless for the tea when I took it
01:27:12 into the game
01:27:14 on Saturday. I missed
01:27:16 my tea, which is
01:27:18 not the tea's fault, but I got
01:27:20 there. I was pulled up, and I saw
01:27:22 my train leaving as I pulled into
01:27:24 the station, and I had to wait 15-20
01:27:26 minutes for the next one, which is fine.
01:27:28 I was on the phone with my dad, so I just talked to him for a few more minutes.
01:27:30 It was just like... That's the
01:27:32 worst feeling when you pull up, and you just miss your
01:27:34 train by two seconds. That sucked.
01:27:36 It has to be a gut punch.
01:27:38 Yeah, it was a tough one.
01:27:40 Yeah, that's all I got, though.
01:27:42 Yeah, I'm out. That was my
01:27:46 closing. Yeah, we'll
01:27:48 keep it there, then. That was a pretty calm ratless.
01:27:50 I don't know if it
01:27:52 was calm, but it was short.
01:27:54 Yeah, that's what I mean. Swift. Swift is a better word.
01:27:56 Thank you all for tuning in.
01:27:58 We appreciate it very much.
01:28:00 Oh, no, I did not. We haven't changed it.
01:28:02 Happy birthday, Philip. We just hadn't changed it to
01:28:04 the number one. I'll do it here.
01:28:06 Thank you all for tuning in. We appreciate it.
01:28:08 Make sure to subscribe to How 'Bout Them Celtics.
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01:28:24 It's still ganky. Fuck.
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01:28:34 Comment what's popping. I'll let Sam wrap it up.
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01:29:44 You can follow me @SamLaFranceNBA
01:29:46 That's it for us. Bye.
01:29:48 [music]
01:30:10 [BLANK_AUDIO]