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00:00Let's go to our Mike in the city make it happen Lucas. Hi Mike. What are you doing?
00:05Hey guys
00:07Things first on a on current data on the her front
00:11I can't take the Tim Legler point of view which basically means that if
00:16Kerr had simply played Tatum in the first game against Serbia, but not meaningful minutes talking like 10-15 minutes
00:24He would have avoided this in terms of a media issue and I'll say Hayden doesn't even play that well
00:29He didn't at least go to the media and be like, hey guys
00:32JT's not shooting. Well, we're gonna make some changes then you're able to at least spin it in a way that makes a bit more sense
00:41The other thing I'd know and well, this one's more directed to you. Okay for the NBA Finals
00:46How many who scored most points from the Celtics? Oh
00:51Boss, uh, I have no idea probably Jason Tatum
00:55Who had the most rebounds? What's that who had the most rebounds? Uh, no idea
01:05If you're if you're making your point that those stats mean that he should have been MVP
01:10I disagree with you Matt like Steph Curry. It was a five-to-four decision on MVP for what? Yeah, that's fine
01:16I mean, he's only the sixth player in NBA history to lead his team and player points rebounds and assists. Yeah
01:23Well, but yeah exactly Mike you watch the games he didn't play that well, he was not as good as he normally is
01:30So I think the point only wrong there and that he was elite defensively guarded fives, which unlocks everything they do
01:38In the final specifically like the idea that he didn't play. Well, it's just false compared to his normal self
01:47But that's a big deal the first stat you brought up was points like let's be real
01:52What is this about here? I'm not gonna sit here and give you DVO a on
01:58Jason Tatum like that's fine. He played good defense
02:01If you want to be an elite one dog in the NBA
02:06You got to come if you're a scorer you got to come score in the NBA Finals
02:11I'm not taking shots at the guy, but he was not as good as he usually is
02:16Is it about doing everything points rebound genesis? Of course it is
02:20You know, he's score. Yeah, I'm right
02:23but it's fictional in and
02:25It's all right. I'm not I'm not asking him to do that
02:28I'm asking him to be as good as he normally is which in my opinion. He was not that's all
02:35That's that's fair, I mean I understand the point I would just say that like
02:39Given the team and that can scope he doesn't need to average 30. Well, it can be 27 10 and 6. Yeah, that's fine
02:47That's that's fine and they were clearly the best team Mike they were clearly the best team I'm not taking a shot at him
02:54I just didn't think I don't think that in his past
02:58He has been at his best in the biggest moments. That doesn't mean that he can't change it
03:03He's young enough to still do that. It doesn't mean that he's stunk out loud
03:07I just think he's a little bit lesser in those moments and Jalen Brown is
03:13Kind of the opposite and I think that's what the eye test told us in in that series last year
03:19That's all I'm trying to say
03:22There I get it
03:23I mean my only counter to you just just on that front in terms of who is better in the series is
03:28You said it was 5 to 4 in terms of the voting
03:32Like he could easily flip it one way or another and you're gonna have a totally different narrative result
03:36The reality is he played well enough to even be there at that point
03:41We're gonna tell him where I'm at
03:43Yeah, Mike. Thank you very much. He did and then and then I'll also say this
03:46It's kind of fun to blend the two points that Mike is making together. Check this out
03:51He says wait a minute. Isn't it about being like an all-around player?
03:55You don't have to this and you don't have to that
03:57Well, I'd argue that in the first point also Steve Kerr doesn't have to play him
04:01I don't like when we do this
04:03Why why do and I've heard this from the warrior fan base at times with conversations?
04:08We've had whether it be Jonathan Kaminga or
04:12Moses Moody or whatever
04:13Why are there these like rules that we make up in our head about what coaches have to do with playing time?
04:19He didn't need to play him against Serbia. He didn't need to do anything. He won a gold
04:24Well, and he actually didn't play in either game against Serbia as I'm going through the box score as you fight with callers
04:31The first time they play I know
04:34To couch it like that and the first time they played Serbia in pool play
04:39He didn't play either nor did Halliburton
04:41so it comes down to what Steve Kerr thought matchup wise would work and
04:46Jason Tatum had four points in one game five and the other he had ten and ten in a third game and then he got
04:53Into the semi-final games and that was it
04:55He didn't feel like the matchups worked for Jason Tatum and what they were trying to do
04:59So it doesn't mean that Kerr thinks Tatum is a bad player
05:02And if Jason wants to use that as fuel then use it as fuel
05:05Sure, and if the Boston crowd wants to take up for Jason and boo Steve Kerr boo Steve
05:12Well, that's what they're built for. Yes, they're looking to boo someone and so they will and that's fine
05:17And tonight's game is not a narrative about the Olympics at all
05:20Like what if Jason goes out and scores 30 in the Celtics win by 10? Oh showed you Steve
05:26What if he goes out and scores 50 and they lose by 3 there you go then showed you Steve but you lost and
05:33You know, what if Missoula decides not to play him because he thinks the matchup is bad
05:38Well, like Kerr did in the Olympics, I doubt that with night and proud out
05:42But you know, I think the Warriors the way they've played so far this year are sort of I don't want to say uniquely
05:49But they're able in a situation like this where they don't need to worry about Jalen Brown
05:54They are defensively able to make tonight a very hard game for Jason Tatum
05:59So if he decides that he wants to play hero ball, I think that works to their advantage
06:03I really do
06:04Yeah
06:05and I don't think that he will try to do that because Boston is a deep team and they're very balanced and it's a
06:10Matchup of two teams that are both pretty deep and pretty balanced, you know beyond Jason Tatum and Steph Curry and you know
06:17Steph is gonna be hopefully feeling better even than he was the other night and he only played 24 minutes
06:22So you'd expect him to play additional minutes tonight
06:24But these two teams kind of mirror each other and Tim Bontemps had an interesting piece today on ESPN
06:31former contributor here on 95-7 the game comparing this year's Boston team to the 73 win Golden State Warriors
06:38So as you make your way to ESPN just you know, Boston off to a great start this year
06:43It feels like a little much could be but you also remember that that warrior team did not win the title
06:49So right go ahead Boston win 73 and not win the title. I just think that eight games in it's a little early for that
06:56Article I haven't read it, but that's like yeah
06:59But this team is Boston is coming off a title sure and they are very deep and very talented
07:05So and I don't think that they have
07:07Two stars and then a Kevin Durant as well, which would you know lead to that comparison?
07:11I mean, they're not even the one seed in their own conference right now
07:15So, why don't we write that article for the the Thunder or the Cavs those are the undefeated teams right now exactly, you know
07:22But anyway, yeah
07:24I I think that's an interesting sort of conversation that I hear from a lot of people even though I don't think
07:31Conceptually they they buy it they do in a small sample and not on a large
07:35Here's what I mean by that if I ask any of you
07:38Do you think that those certain players are owed a certain amount of playing time on a given night
07:46Most you would probably say no, but then if you whittle it down to one player on a certain game
07:52We often get bothered when the person that we want to see get more minutes doesn't get more minutes
07:58I just think it's a it's sort of an odd position to take
08:02Jason Tatum can be offended by this if he wants, but the final analysis is
08:09Team USA played really well, and they won the whole thing and and they got a gold medal and one of the reasons
08:16And I'm not saying these two players are similar because Jason Tatum is a proven NBA one
08:21But like one of the reasons everybody loves buddy healed so much is because of not just the way he plays
08:27But the stuff that he says
08:28He's like if you told buddy healed tonight
08:32This guy's your leading scorer so far this year if you told buddy tonight. Hey, buddy
08:37Like this matchup is a little tough for you in particular. We're uh, we're not sure if you're getting in tonight
08:46Don't you think buddy would be like fine. I
08:49Trust you coach exactly
08:51Exactly. Okay, and it's because he's a little bit older and he's a veteran and you could look similarly to
08:58Jonathan Kaminga back in 2022
09:00When you got into the NBA finals and he played a grand total of eight minutes in five games
09:07There were two games. He didn't play and in the other four games
09:10He played between 48 seconds and three and a half minutes now
09:14Did Kaminga at the time think that he was better than that getting eight minutes over six games?
09:20Probably but you got to that spot where we're gonna go with not a 12-man not 11 not 10 not 9
09:26We're going with 8. Yeah, we're playing 8 and that's it and the rest of you
09:30It's gonna be the way it's gonna go and so I'm sure Kaminga was not frustrated, but I'm sure he was antsy
09:37To be out there and play. Yeah, you can be frustrated. I just think this whole like retribution thing is
09:43Is a little bit overplayed. This is a little different though, because I mean Tatum is
09:49As the caller said he was one vote away from being the MVP of the finals and he's a really good player
09:55And he's averaging 30 a night this year. And so he's a top 10 player in the league right now
10:00So if he wants to look at this game and this coach who held him down in the Olympics
10:06But also got you a gold medal
10:08I mean you're allowed to do that and you can use whatever motivation you want to use in a nine five seven nine five seventy
10:14Have you already decided that the Warriors are good or are you waiting for the rest of this week to unfold?
10:19Here's what Anthony Slater said on the roast earlier today with regard to how the Warriors are looking at this week
10:25Yeah, and I will say this it isn't just the fans or pundits like us that that are interested
10:29But there's some internal curiosity, you know about how what they've been doing the depth
10:34they've been showing the the defensive, you know game planning and
10:40That they've you know, that's been working
10:42You know
10:42They're three-point demons as we mentioned earlier
10:44They're offensive execution which they feel like it's still like kind of a weakness so far through the second one start
10:48There's some curiosity internally about how that will play on this bigger stage better competition. Like I think they want these tests
10:55I think they want to know what what's real and what isn't you know?
10:58What a rotation against the Celtics like might look like in the second half tonight where?
11:03If they're down 12 and they feel like they need to chase down win
11:06You know that he suddenly instead of playing 10 11 stretching it towards 12 minutes. It become a nine-man rotation. Who did he close?
11:13Okay, I love all those questions and that tonight is very very interesting for all of those reasons
11:20Because the Warriors like and I wonder sometimes
11:25You can try too hard at things and so I do I wonder about that dynamic tonight
11:29The Celtics are mad
11:31The fans are gonna boo and Jason Tatum wants to show you something and it sounds to me like Steve Kerr and the Warriors are
11:37Like let's roll the ball out there and learn a little bit more about ourselves and see what happens
11:42Well, that means one team is kind of emotionally charged and the other one is like well
11:47Like we got nothing to lose and let's just kind of check it out
11:51Sometimes that sort of blase attitude works in your favor
11:55Yeah, because the expectations are much lower for the Warriors if you're Boston and you're coming off a title and you're taking on the
12:02Big brother as I laid out earlier
12:04I do think that Boston sees the Warriors and has a little bit of a chip on their collective shoulder
12:09So yeah, you want to go out there and show them and if you're Tatum you want to show Steve Kerr?
12:13And you want to show Steph and the Boston crowd wants to show Draymond and show Steve and show the Warriors that you know
12:19We're the new dynasty. It's our time now and we're gonna stack titles like you stack titles
12:25And so we're gonna show you that we're the new thing now and you're yesterday's news
12:29So I do think for Boston that plays into it and for the Warriors
12:33It's game 8 and there are after tonight
12:36There's gonna be 74 more of these and it's non-conference and yeah, Boston's good
12:41and it's a good check-in to see where we are, but
12:43Steve and Steph and Draymond and Kavon and Wiggins and all the rest of the veterans
12:48Especially they know that it's more about April and May than it is about November and December
12:53How do you feel about the idea of a moral victory tonight?
12:57What if the Warriors lose by five and they lose who cares they lose there's no moral victory
13:03No, but I mean that has to feel different than if they'd lose by 25
13:07Not really. It doesn't it feels different, but it doesn't feel bad. Yes seed to me
13:11I like again
13:14By 25 and Steph plays 25 minutes and Draymond plays 25 minutes and those guys shut it down in the third quarter
13:20It's a lot of 25. Well, I feel good about that
13:22You do if you're gonna get blown out
13:24Then get blown out and then go ahead and rest your guys for Friday when I look at these three games
13:30That's sort of my motto. I don't need a win. I need a game. I
13:34That that's what I want. I want the Warriors again. It's process versus result
13:39I'm completely on the other side. Well, no, you just said no big deal if they lose by a lot
13:44I just want of the next three. I want one victory. Yeah, that's fair to I'm with you on that
13:49I'm with you on that, but I don't want to see the Warriors get
13:54Totally outclassed because I do think that that is gonna make people feel like last year all over again
14:00I get that but I don't I'm not really concerned with how people feel
14:04I'm concerned about how they feel and
14:07Honestly how I feel and if you win one of these games in your seven and three coming home, that's great
14:12It doesn't matter if you lose by 50 and then win by one and then lose by 50 again
14:17Although the Oklahoma City game to me. That is one where that's why I want you to actually
14:23I'm more interested in you competing with them that I am in you competing with boss
14:27That's the hardest one of the group though. I think it's the end of a five
14:32And and they are so young and talented and at home and fast and all of that eight at eight nine five seven nine five
14:39Seventy if we offered you eight and three at the end of next Tuesday's game against Klay Thompson and the Mavericks
14:47Would you take it?
14:48that means they'd go to and to over the next four at Boston tomorrow at
14:52Cleveland Friday at
14:54Oklahoma City Sunday those three teams combined have lost one game so far and then clay comes Tuesday
15:01Night, are you happy or not with two and two?