A. Sherrod Blakely, Gary Washburn, and Kwani Lunis bring you a new episode of the Big 3 NBA Podcast! In today's show, they discuss the Celtics falling short to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, and what it implies about who holds the title of best in the East. Then, they preview the Celtics' next slate of games, including a couple of big challenges this weekend against the Bucks and the Grizzlies.
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SportsTranscript
00:00The Big 3 NBA Podcast is powered by PrizePix and the Game Time app.
00:25Hey everyone, welcome to this episode of the Big 3 NBA Podcast.
00:29Ashrod Blakely, Gary Washburn, I'm Quanie Lunis.
00:33How were your Thanksgiving?
00:34Let's start with that.
00:35Formality. Wonderful.
00:37Okay. As you guys saw, I was enjoying beautiful, sunny Palm Springs,
00:41California. Getting my sunshine game on. Working on that tan.
00:46It was a good time. It was a good time. Why was he working on the tan?
00:50Anyway, Gary, how was yours? It was very nice.
00:54My mother-in-law was in town. I love that. We had a wonderful dinner.
00:58Very cool, chill dinner. Jamaican style.
01:02So yeah, I had a good time before I left for Chicago with the Celtics on Friday,
01:07but Thanksgiving was a great blessing.
01:11Great Caribbean food. Did you get any Caribbean food,
01:13Sherrod? Because I had some Haitian food.
01:16What kind of Caribbean food do they have in Palm Springs, Sherrod?
01:22I didn't do Caribbean this time. Maybe next year.
01:25Maybe next year. I did have some good champagne.
01:32That was good. Had some good stuffing, some chicken, some Mexican food.
01:38Yeah, we got it in there.
01:42That says Thanksgiving like a chimichurri burger. Oh my God.
01:48Listen, just because I- Gary, funny. Go get your boy. Go get your boy.
01:57What's wrong with you, man? Go get your boy.
02:01Okay, you know what? We're going to end this conversation because-
02:05Let's move forward. Maybe Sherrod had Mexican food because of that Thanksgiving.
02:12Boy, the pilgrims are- Do they even celebrate Thanksgiving in Mexico?
02:15I doubt it. We try to be multicultural up in this bad boy.
02:21All right. That should not have been as funny as I thought it was.
02:26Let's talk about the Celtics. Hey, burritos.
02:30Hey, burritos. Shut up, Sherrod. I love burritos.
02:36All right, the Celtics, they lost in Cleveland,
02:39and they bounced back with a big win over Miami.
02:43No, Jalen, who's out due to a non-COVID related illness.
02:46Derek White out with a foot injury in that Cleveland loss.
02:49Let's talk about the Cleveland loss first,
02:51and then we'll look ahead to winning against Miami.
02:58Go ahead, Sherrod. Kawhi, you're making me laugh,
03:01but I'm not really laughing. Okay. Listen, here's the thing.
03:04The Cleveland loss, the issue in that game, well, there were a lot of issues,
03:09but to me, it was kind of a throwaway game
03:11because the Celtics didn't have two of their best perimeter defenders,
03:15and the best player on the floor was Cleveland's best perimeter defender.
03:19Not a coincidence. Not a coincidence.
03:20And Donovan Mitchell, to his credit, typically goes off against the Celtics.
03:25There was a stat that one of the broadcasters mentioned
03:27where the only player with as many games played against the Celtics
03:32who has a higher scoring average than Donovan Mitchell
03:34is some dude named Michael B. Jordan.
03:36Excuse me, Michael Jordan, not Kawhi's Michael B. Jordan.
03:40It's hard for me to say Michael Jordan and not Michael B. Jordan
03:42when I see Kawhi for reasons that the rest of the world knows.
03:47Anyway, the Michael Jordan in the NBA Hall of Fame, Michael Jordan,
03:52the real Michael Jordan, that's the only one who scored more points
03:55against the Celtics career-wise than Donovan Mitchell.
03:57So him having a big game was expected.
04:00But for me, the big takeaway, for me,
04:03was watching the way Cleveland tried to go at Porzingis
04:07and watching how Porzingis wasn't really dominated
04:09where I thought he might be in this matchup.
04:11I thought he did a lot of good things.
04:13And remember, we're talking about a cat who's only a couple games away
04:17from having not played in several months.
04:19So if I'm the Celtics, you went into that game, I think, with house money
04:24knowing that you didn't have Derek White, that you didn't have Jalen Brown.
04:27And yet, it really took Donovan Mitchell
04:30having one of the best games he's ever had against the Celtics
04:32for them to win the game by, what was it, four points, I think.
04:35And, you know, the Celtics this season, keep in mind,
04:39they've lost four games total by a total of 14 points.
04:43So they are very, I mean, teams are playing
04:46some of their best basketball against the Celtics, which we expected.
04:50And the Celtics, even when that's happening,
04:53are still within striking distance in games
04:55where they're not playing their best basketball.
04:57So to me, you're going to have games like this
04:59where you're not going to get it done.
05:01But I'm not freaked out or worried or concerned about the Cavaliers
05:05if I'm the boss of the Celtics.
05:08Yeah, I thought they played really well in Cleveland
05:12in the first three quarters, especially the second, third quarter.
05:16Third quarter might have been their best quarter of the year
05:19considering they were missing two starters.
05:22But, you know, I just saw some things I didn't like.
05:25They started messing around with the game.
05:27It was one, to me, one key possession, okay?
05:31And, you know, it's one of those things when you watch a game
05:35and you put it in the back of your mind,
05:36this might come back and haunt them.
05:39It was late third quarter.
05:40They were up 14.
05:42And they had a chance to really put the screws in the lead, right?
05:48And they started messing around with the game.
05:50I think, like, Peyton took a 30-footer.
05:53They got the rebound.
05:54And then they took another three and they missed, okay?
05:58So Cleveland comes down the court, down 14 now, late third quarter.
06:04It could have been 16 or 17, but they come down.
06:09The ball goes off of Karis Levert's hands out of bounds,
06:13so the Celtics get a break.
06:15So they bring the ball back up.
06:17I think Drew Peterson throws a bad pass to Jason Tatum.
06:22I think Mitchell intercepted it
06:24and throws it right back to Levert,
06:26who was under the basket because he hadn't gotten down to four yet,
06:29and he lays it in.
06:30And it's a 12-point game, right?
06:33And to me, then that's the quarter ended.
06:36Then Mobley scores two buckets to begin the fourth,
06:40and then it's an eight-point game.
06:42And those are things, like,
06:44the Celtics could have really put them away.
06:46Now, that's not to say Cleveland wouldn't have tried to come back,
06:49but there's a big difference between a 17-point lead and an eight-point lead.
06:54And I just think sometimes the Celtics get that, like, home-run ball.
06:58They want to really do it right.
07:01They want to take a 28-foot three to really both build the lead.
07:06And I felt like if they had worked the ball,
07:09gotten a good two, got to the free throw line,
07:11to go up 16, entering the fourth,
07:14then you're really putting Cleveland at a disadvantage.
07:17Instead, it was only 12.
07:19That's a big difference in Cleveland.
07:21The Celtics didn't score for the first two and a half minutes of the fourth,
07:24and suddenly you got a competitive game.
07:27The Celtics went up 12.
07:29Then Donovan Mitchell happened.
07:30And I think Cleveland hit three straight threes after that
07:33to make it a three-point game.
07:35And you're, like, saying, okay, they don't have the guns.
07:38You don't have White.
07:39You don't have Brown down the stretch.
07:41So you're depending on Payton and Jason.
07:44And it just wasn't.
07:45And poor Zingas, as much as he had a good start to the game offensively,
07:50he was struggling.
07:51He missed some shots.
07:52And they ran out of gas.
07:54And I felt like, one,
07:57you got to adjust your defense sometimes to dudes who are just hot.
08:02And I just felt like they let Mitchell,
08:05Mitchell was six for 15 through the third quarter, right?
08:10He had 15 points.
08:11He was not having a good game.
08:13But we all know he can get hot.
08:15He can get hot quickly, especially from three.
08:17He's one of those type of players.
08:18He's an elite offensive player.
08:20And so I felt like the Celtics could have gotten the ball.
08:23If Okoro beats you, if Mobley beats you,
08:26if they beat you with twos,
08:28because what happened was the Celtics didn't hit a lot of threes in the fourth quarter.
08:31They were two for nine.
08:32So they were scoring twos.
08:35Cleveland was scoring threes.
08:36That's how they took the lead and got back in the game and took the lead,
08:38was they were trading the Celtics for the first time in a while,
08:43was losing the numbers game.
08:45Usually they're the team hitting the threes.
08:47The other team's hitting twos.
08:48So I felt I was a little discouraged.
08:50And not to say like for long term, but you want to be a team.
08:54Because Cleveland was definitely celebrating as if they won a big game.
08:58Like they were happy.
08:59They were very ecstatic with that win.
09:02The fans, the players, it was like we beat Boston.
09:05And it was like, well, you beat Boston without two starters.
09:08But they didn't look at it that way.
09:10They looked at it like, see, we know we can compete with them.
09:13We know we can win a playoff.
09:14Like that meant a lot to them.
09:16And I felt like if the Celtics had won that game and won on the road without two starters,
09:22they'd tell Cleveland, yeah, we'll see you in the playoffs.
09:24Like, you ain't ready for us yet.
09:26And they was this close, this close to doing that.
09:30But I said, I felt like the defense against Mitchell should have been better.
09:34You don't like him step into some threes.
09:36He was hot.
09:38Then once there was one play where they blitzed him.
09:41He hit a Coro.
09:43Then he'll Coro hits a streaking.
09:45Evan Mobley for a dunk.
09:46And it's like, now, one, that would have been okay if you're down eight and
09:52then they're scoring twos.
09:53But I think it's the calves are up to this.
09:56I was had to get a stop and they finally got the ball to Mitchell's hands, but
10:00he made the right play and the Celtics got burned.
10:02So I thought it was a disappointing loss.
10:05Considering they were up 14 late third quarter, a game they should have won.
10:10Tatum didn't just quite have it down the stretch.
10:13Mr. Layup, they were hunting Darius Garland.
10:18He goes up, he misses a layup against Garland before he misses a 1040.
10:21So without your big guns in white and brown and Tatum kind of sputtering.
10:27He didn't have enough to finish the game.
10:28So I thought, I know it's a long way to answer a disappointing loss.
10:32But I also felt like that little stretch at the end of the third quarter
10:36is what led to that.
10:37I didn't like them messing around with the game like that.
10:40Like I felt like get a good possession because they were Cleveland.
10:43The fans were like, God, they're whooping our ass.
10:46You could just feel it in the arena and the Celtics had the ball up 14.
10:50It's like, no, no, no, I know it's tempting to want to take a 30 footer and
10:54go, yeah, what's up?
10:56Get a two, go up 16, and then they turn the ball over and all of a sudden it's 12.
11:01And as you guys know, a 12 point lead in the NBA is basically,
11:05that's a four possession game, that's enough.
11:08Backs.
11:08So on the back to back, the other half of it was them playing Miami.
11:13They get the win.
11:14But with Boston, we look at the people that are out in that game versus Cleveland.
11:20In Miami versus Miami, Alford was out for Zingas was on load management.
11:26Or Drew Holiday also out in that win.
11:29Do you think those three being seeded for
11:32that game was a strategic move for them to get some rest?
11:37Go G.
11:38Yeah, of course.
11:39I mean, I think they wanted, I mean, they played out and
11:42poor Zingas against Cleveland.
11:43They wanted to win that Cleveland game and
11:45obviously being without white and brown, they were shorthanded.
11:49So I thought they wanted to see what it looked like for
11:53playoff purposes because they might be Cleveland.
11:55Cleveland's got Allen and Mobley.
11:57They wanted to see what it was like and the Celtics actually did pretty good.
12:02The two Cleveland bigs really didn't dominate, right?
12:06It wasn't, they didn't get dusted in that matchup.
12:11It was just, I think poor Zingas kind of ran out of gas.
12:14Al, Al's not really scoring as much this year, which is fine.
12:19He does a lot of other little things.
12:21But I thought, yeah, they knew Miami.
12:25Miami's, they got Bam out of bio who's an undersized five.
12:30Thomas Bryant, the kid Kaleo Ware,
12:33who I thought would be really good this year for them, is just not playing much.
12:38He was out for the game.
12:39So I think they looked and said, listen,
12:42we can beat Miami without our main guys in the middle.
12:48And they did, obviously, pulled away, had a pretty easy victory against Miami.
12:52We can talk about the heat.
12:53The heat just don't look quite right.
12:56But I think they thought we wanna see what our bigs look like
13:01against the Cavs bigs, how this lineup would fare down the road.
13:06So I think it was a good litmus test for that.
13:08But I also think, yeah, give those guys a day off, Porzingis.
13:13Now, you play Porzingis on Wednesday against Detroit.
13:16You see if you wanna either play him against the Bucs or the Memphis Grizzlies.
13:20Cuz that's a back-to-back.
13:21And then we'll see what the schedule's like when this play-in is decided,
13:25whether the Celtics make it or not.
13:26And by the way, Jason Tatum was just named Player of the Month for
13:31Eastern Conference for October, November.
13:34And Forbes 30 under 30.
13:37Okay.
13:39Jason's balling out.
13:43But he ain't no MVP candidate, apparently.
13:46Apparently, he ain't that.
13:48Get me started.
13:49Back to the, here's the thing about the heat game.
13:55The Celtics were consistent with what they've been doing with their bigs for
13:58the last year and some change.
13:59Those guys just don't play in back-to-back situations.
14:02So we knew that they were not gonna be there.
14:06But to me, the Celtics, they're trying to walk this fine line between
14:11winning games, developing young talent, giving your core guys enough rest,
14:17making sure your core guys work hard enough so
14:19that they're in mid-season form down the stretch.
14:24And they're good to go.
14:25And it's a tricky, tricky path to take.
14:29But the Celtics have done a hell of a job doing that.
14:31Think about this.
14:33Luke Cornett had, what, six block shots against Miami?
14:36Some crazy number like that?
14:38You start looking at Jordan Walsh.
14:39You start looking at the Peterson kid, who's on a two-way.
14:44You start looking at the guys that they're throwing out there and
14:46getting them playing time now.
14:48That's not normal because it's not like they're up by 25, 30 points and
14:53then they decide to play these guys.
14:54They're looking at six, seven, eight point leads.
14:56And you're starting to see G League guys and
14:59guys who are at the end of the bench actually getting opportunities to play.
15:03And it's not killing them.
15:05And I think if you're the Celtics,
15:07that's a big part of what this season has to be about.
15:09Yes, you're trying to defend a championship, but
15:11you're also trying to develop talent and win games along the way.
15:15And they've done a masterful job of that.
15:17I mean, again, as I pointed out earlier,
15:19they've got four losses by a total of 14 points.
15:22And you look at a guy like Peterson and Jordan Walsh,
15:25they're playing way more minutes than I think anyone thought they would.
15:28And they're not playing a ton of minutes.
15:29The fact that they're actually playing is a sign of the Celtics' intentions
15:34of really developing this roster beyond just that core group.
15:39And if players aren't sure of whether this is going to work out,
15:43look no further than Peyton Pritchard.
15:44I mean, to me, he is a poster boy for player development.
15:47If you're the Boston Celtics,
15:48this was a guy that was playing behind several accomplished,
15:52I mean, Defensive Player of the Year, you know, Sixth Man of the Year.
15:56When you talk about Malcolm Brown, you talk about Marcus Smart, you know,
15:58Drew Holiday, you know, one of the just winners in that guard position.
16:05And Peyton bided his time, he got his opportunity, and he was ready.
16:09And now he's balling out.
16:11I look at J.D. Davison as someone who really,
16:13really should pay attention to what Peyton Pritchard is doing
16:16and just be ready for his opportunity
16:19because there's nothing left he can do in the G League.
16:22He's, I mean, they're going to want to be in the damn LeBron James
16:25if the G League is an all-time leading score at this rate.
16:29And again, he's playing well at the level that he's competing at,
16:34but you want to see what can he do at the next level.
16:38And he's got to be ready for that opportunity because it is going to come.
16:41It's just a matter of when and will he be ready for that moment.
16:46But the Heat game, to me, in so many ways,
16:49felt like just a glorified preseason slash exhibition game
16:53where you saw a lot of lineups that you're not going to see
16:56if this were like the playoffs or even a game of consequence.
17:00And that's okay because if you're the Celtics,
17:02if you can get away with giving your core guys a night off
17:05and keeping the minutes down for some of your main guys
17:07while getting on the floor, some of those end of the bench slash G League cats,
17:13then you do that, and you get the win, too.
17:15I mean, if you're the Celtics, it was just a win, win, win all the way around in that game.
17:21Makes sense.
17:22So that being said, we talked about the various reasons why players have been out,
17:27but are there any health concerns from your two perspectives
17:31when it comes to this roster?
17:33Obviously, Derek White, we mentioned the foot.
17:36Jalen Brown earlier this year had hamstring.
17:38And then, of course, that recent illness, Sam Houser with his back,
17:41and, of course, with Al and Chris Tapps, a lot of load management,
17:44which we can expect this season.
17:46But anything stand out to you just yet?
17:49I'm not concerned about the quality of the injuries.
17:53And by that, I simply mean them lasting long.
17:56I'm concerned about the quantity because they're spreading it out.
17:59Like, one week, it's one guy.
18:00One week, it's another guy.
18:01And they're not missing a ton of time.
18:03One of the reasons why this Celtics team was so damn good last year
18:07was because of the overall durability.
18:09Other than Chris Tapps, Prazingas, and Al Horford with load management,
18:13you really didn't have core guys missing much time, if at all.
18:18And they're not missing a ton of time now,
18:21but they're missing enough time to where you can see
18:23where their absence is impactful.
18:25You look at that Cleveland game,
18:28you can't convince me that a healthy Derek White
18:31wouldn't have won that game for them.
18:34When Celtics go through those stretches where no one is making shots,
18:38who usually breaks them out of that slump?
18:40Derek freaking White.
18:42When they need a big play to be made defensively
18:45and the guards are killing him, who comes up with the block
18:47or the deflection or the steal?
18:48It's usually Derek White.
18:50And so, not having them around,
18:54you start recognizing how valuable they are when they are around.
18:58And I think the Celtics, they've had enough games up to this point
19:00where you understand their value and you can see their value.
19:04And my concern isn't so much about what it means now,
19:06it's what does it mean in the playoffs?
19:08Will Derek White have kind of an ankle tweak or something like that
19:13that can keep him out of a game?
19:14And will that be the one game where his presence is sorely missed?
19:18A game where maybe guys aren't making shots
19:20and you know Derek would probably knock down a shot
19:23to kind of stem the tide or certainly swing the momentum of the game
19:27back in Boston's favor.
19:28So, I'm not concerned about them from an overall,
19:32man, these injuries are going to cost them a championship.
19:35I'm concerned that it's going to make the road
19:37so much more difficult than it needs to be
19:40because of minor bumps and bruises by lots of different players
19:44other than Tatum.
19:45Tatum is the only one that, you know, not going to work.
19:47Doesn't seem to be impacted by the rigors of defending an NBA title.
19:52Yeah.
19:56Let me see.
19:58I think-
19:59You're about to say something wrong when you say,
20:00oh, let me see.
20:01No.
20:04I just think it's important for them to be careful with minutes.
20:09I wrote about this today.
20:10Like, Jason Tatum probably should have taken last night off.
20:12He just was not himself.
20:1521, 7 for 21.
20:17I think 3 for 12 from 3.
20:18He just looked odd of it out there.
20:21But so did Bam out of Bayou for Miami.
20:23Both teams coming off a back-to-back travel.
20:26You mean Mr. Asia Wilson?
20:28Yes, Mr. Asia Wilson.
20:29Wow.
20:30Well done, honey.
20:32Well done.
20:32Thank you. Thank you.
20:34They, you know, they had, you know,
20:38and you got to watch Jason.
20:40You want him to be his best.
20:41You want him to be his best.
20:42In April, and in May, and in June.
20:45And I just think it's one of those nights.
20:47And I'm not, obviously none of us, besides Kwanee,
20:50are big load management people.
20:52Dang, what's that supposed to mean?
20:55Listen.
20:56Wow.
20:57Kwanee Leonard.
20:58Yeah, Kwanee Leonard.
20:59I'm dizzy.
21:00Believe in load management.
21:02Because Kwanee, Kwanee's already been listed as questionable
21:06for next week's broadcast.
21:08And she ain't even hurt yet.
21:10Non-COVID illness.
21:11She's like, I might get hurt.
21:13Kwanee Leonard and me.
21:16Over the next week.
21:17That's wrong.
21:18That is so wrong.
21:19I do not even like that.
21:20Something could happen.
21:21You know, beware.
21:23Something might happen.
21:24Yeah, something could happen.
21:26So I'm questionable.
21:27So my thing is, Jason is going to play
21:33because he wants to play and he believes in playing and all that.
21:36But sometimes you got to save somebody from themselves.
21:39Like, this is a real rigorous time.
21:40Five games and seven nights.
21:41They played at Chicago.
21:43They came back and played a hard game in Cleveland where Jason
21:47played 38 minutes and he comes back.
21:49And I don't know.
21:50Sometimes with Joby thinking about, like, the fourth quarter,
21:53he had Tatum in there until like two minutes left.
21:56He played 36 minutes against Miami.
21:57He's going to need a break.
22:00I'm not talking about two games off, but maybe a game just to
22:04get a breather.
22:06And we'll see what happens with the play.
22:07And maybe they'll get some time off during that.
22:09Because I think they'll have two games that don't make it.
22:12If they do, then they'll be in the quarterfinal, I think, on Tuesday.
22:16But you got to ration this.
22:19And it's only December.
22:21And you don't want your guys wearing down.
22:24You don't want to be Tom Thibodeau here.
22:26So if I'm Joe, I'm watching very carefully the minutes.
22:30And I think they'll ration Chris Epps and they'll ration Al.
22:34And then Jalen had a night off and so did Derek.
22:37So both of those guys should be ready to go.
22:39But Jason's a guy I would look for because he looked out of it.
22:43And it wasn't like he looked terrible.
22:47You can just tell watching Tatum over the years.
22:50You can tell when he's got the pep in his step.
22:51And you can tell when he's kind of grinding.
22:54And he's just trying to make it through.
22:56And it was one of those nights he just didn't have all of his juice.
23:00So if I'm Joe, I'd be more aware of minutes and
23:05not wearing these guys out too early.
23:08Yeah facts facts before we go any further.
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24:14Kwanee Ludus. Thank you.
24:16Thank you. Well done this stretch of the Celtics have coming up right now Detroit on Wednesday,
24:22Milwaukee on Friday and then Memphis on Saturday,
24:25which of those three games are you looking forward to the most all at home?
24:31For me, it's easy. Detroit.
24:35Oh, Memphis.
24:39See my dude Marcus Smart. That's literally the only reason why that game matters to me.
24:44And and John Moran. This is the thing about folks who have not watched John Moran play.
24:49He's special. I mean, he is a incredibly ridiculously athletic specimen out there.
24:59I enjoy the hell out of watching him play.
25:01I like the way they play as a team. And to me, they're starting to kind of get their groove,
25:06figuring out how they can be a really, really good team in the West.
25:10And I think people forget that, you know, before they had, you know,
25:14John Moran's off the court stuff and it has some injuries.
25:16They were one of the best teams in the Western Conference
25:18and they basically have the core elements of that team still in place.
25:23Only they're a year or two older now and more more wise and then more season.
25:28So that's a team that again,
25:29if you're the Celtics and you're looking at just measuring stick type games,
25:34you've got to look at those from both an Eastern Conference and Western Conference perspective
25:38and Memphis could easily be a team that if you get to the finish line,
25:42you might have to go through them to get that championship.
25:45I don't I think it's a highly unlikely scenario,
25:47but it's not out of the question at the same time.
25:49So for you for me, that's a matchup that I'm looking forward to seeing how the Celtics respond,
25:56especially with it being, you know, the back end of a back-to-back.
26:02I'm looking forward to the Milwaukee game because the books are playing better.
26:07The Celts have already beaten them twice this year. Both games have been competitive.
26:10Let's see what Milwaukee has to offer for that third game.
26:15And then if the Celtics win, they win the season series against them.
26:17So now the tiebreakers, you know, you never know how that's going to go,
26:22but I'm looking forward to as much as it's going to be nice to see Marcus back in uniform
26:27and playing with his guys in Memphis and that will be a tough game because Memphis is playing well.
26:32Memphis has a day off before that game.
26:34So the Celtics will be playing on a back-to-back.
26:36Memphis will have a little bit of rest. So I'm looking forward to that.
26:40But at that Milwaukee game, I want to see what the Bucks,
26:43if they change anything, if they're playing particularly better,
26:47what do they look like, you know, in terms of like seeing them in person again
26:52after seeing them in Milwaukee a couple of weeks ago.
26:55They look great for about, you know, two and a half quarters
26:59and then they just kind of fell apart down the stretch and the Celtics took the game from them.
27:03I want to see how they look. I want to see if they're doing anything different.
27:07So I think that's the game. Obviously Giannis and Dane, you know,
27:12Sherrod's buddy, Bobby Portis, Brooke Lopez.
27:15So, you know, those guys are going to come in with something to prove
27:17because they want to beat the Celtics.
27:18So I think that's going to be a very competitive game.
27:22I love me some Bobby Portis. I ain't going front. With them eyes, man, crazy eyes.
27:28I love me some Bobby Portis. And you know what else I love?
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27:54And Game Time app is the place to go where you can get great prices on last-minute
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28:02We've talked all season long about, you know,
28:05Gary and his Cal Cubbies who are bowl eligible.
28:08Yay! And we talked about my Qs who just knocked off top five,
28:12top six team in the country and BC has had a good season
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29:00What time is it? Game time.
29:06All right, let's go around the association. We'll start with LeBron James.
29:11Do you think he's off to a slow start or is Father Time
29:15finally catching up to the 39-year-old who will be 40 at the end of this month?
29:21Wait a second. Okay, I was waiting for that.
29:25Father Time is coming through the building with like whatever,
29:30if this were a meme, it would be Father Time walking through the door,
29:34pimp strutting, because he's finally found LeBron.
29:37He's finally caught up with him. Look at the numbers.
29:39LeBron is averaging about 22 points a game.
29:42He ain't put up numbers that low since he was a rookie.
29:45He's shooting about 47-ish percent from the field.
29:48He ain't done that since he was like third, fourth year in the league.
29:50You start going through the numbers and damn near every one of them is at a level
29:55that we have not seen in a decade and some change from LeBron.
29:59That is the clearest sign that the decline
30:02that I think has been slowly seeping into this game the last four or five years,
30:06it's now starting to manifest itself in the actual data.
30:09And again, that's no hate on LeBron because LeBron is a hell of a player
30:13and I still think that even at this stage of his career,
30:16he's still a top 25 player, top 30 player in the NBA.
30:20I still believe right now, but that guy that was dominating night in and night out,
30:25he still has that in him. It's just not as frequent.
30:28He can still ratchet up and be a dominant score.
30:32He can still ratchet up, you know, something to be an elite defender.
30:36You're just not going to see it as often as we've seen in the past.
30:40And that's father times where it's saying, yep.
30:42Yes, I am in the building. Finally.
30:46Gary, talk about your boy, LeBron, your boy.
30:51You know what? I'm going to give him grace here.
30:55He's playing 35 minutes a game.
30:57That's a lot. He said he wanted to play every game this season, Gary.
31:02I don't think he said he wanted to play Dan in 36 minutes a game.
31:05Like the Lakers, once again, as we're talking about,
31:09just do not have the supporting cast and it's too much AD and LeBron.
31:15And I think Dalton Kinnett's coming up and trying to be that player,
31:19but they haven't had a good season from Austin Reeves.
31:23You know, guys like D'Angelo Russell, they just have a bunch of guys,
31:27a bunch of just followers in that team.
31:29Just dudes.
31:31Yes, a bunch of dudes.
31:33And it's just, to me, it's just not, I'm going to give LeBron some grace.
31:38Now, he hasn't hit a three-pointer in four games.
31:43He was over 13, over 17, over 19 in his last four games from three.
31:50You know, so that's off. His percentage has gone down.
31:54He was four for 16.
31:55It looked like, you know, and they played a back-to-back.
31:58You know, most guys his age would take that game off.
32:01And you might have to start doing that with LeBron.
32:03Like, Bron, we don't need you in Minnesota a night
32:06after getting a close one at Utah.
32:08I mean, his legs would probably work there.
32:10And it just showed.
32:11And that's why you need these younger players to step up.
32:15They've been getting, they've been being carried the entire time.
32:18All these guys, Cam Reddish and Jared Vanderbilt
32:23and Rui Hachimura and all these guys that were supposed to be helpers
32:27and really contribute and be the young core, they're not.
32:31They're just watching LeBron do everything.
32:33And damn it, it's time.
32:35Like, start taking more command of your team.
32:38It's your team too.
32:40Like, I don't blame LeBron.
32:41I mean, LeBron is averaging 22, eight, nine.
32:45I'm not going to blame him for that.
32:47Like, 22 points, eight rebounds, nine assists,
32:50and shooting 48% for the field.
32:52That's not horrible.
32:53He's third in the league in assists.
32:56He's 26th in rebounding.
32:58And he's top 30 in scoring.
33:00You know, is he a top 10 player anymore?
33:02Probably not, top 15.
33:04But if that's a bad season, I like to have a bad season.
33:09And I'm not saying he's not struggling now,
33:11but it's about time all these other chumps on the Lakers step up
33:14and start playing ball and helping this guy out.
33:19If not, is they going to be in the same place as they were last year,
33:23in the year before that?
33:24Losing in the play-in, losing in the first round,
33:27it's going to be the same place.
33:28So, I'm going to give LeBron some grace here.
33:31Like, let him get some help.
33:35I mean, look at the other guys.
33:37Look at other guys.
33:38They do.
33:41Like, you know, Cam Reddish, 0 for 1 in 11 minutes.
33:45Skate Vincent was a minus 20 in 22 minutes the other night.
33:50Max Christie, 2 for 9 in 21 minutes.
33:54I mean, what the hell is going on?
33:56Rui Hachimura, nice game.
33:5810 points in 29 minutes, 4 rebounds.
34:01He was a minus 11.
34:02Like, who else is going to take control?
34:05D'Angelo Russell had 20 points, but he was a minus 15.
34:09And he had 3 turnovers.
34:11You know, like, where are these guys?
34:13You know, Don Kanette, you're depending on him.
34:17And I'm not saying he's a bad player.
34:18He's a rookie.
34:19And you're throwing him.
34:20Oh, he's going to save us.
34:21Really?
34:22You know?
34:23You're the best rookie you drafted.
34:26Don't start that.
34:28Best rookie you drafted.
34:32Hey.
34:33Hey, it might be time to call Bronny on.
34:36Maybe Bronny can play some men's healthy foods.
34:39Yeah, do that.
34:40It might be Bronny time.
34:43It might be Bron Jr. time.
34:44But I'm going to give LeBron some grace.
34:46I'm not going to turn around and, oh, he's getting old.
34:50Because he has defied all conventional thinking.
34:55He's made us all believers, you know, with what he's done in the past.
35:00So, I'm going to give him a break here.
35:01Now, if it lasts another couple of weeks, okay, oh, it might be time to slow it down
35:06in terms of his playing time.
35:08But, I mean, he need help.
35:11That fool ain't got no help, man.
35:13That's the damn truth.
35:14He got dudes.
35:15He got a bunch of dudes out there getting paid, living in L.A., at the club, in the
35:19streets, kicking in, you know, getting they chill on, and you know what?
35:26Prove it on the court.
35:28Help your team win.
35:29Quit being a chump.
35:31Okay, what side?
35:33Okay, what side?
35:34Mic drop.
35:36Y'all heard the man.
35:37All right.
35:38Other news in the association.
35:40Paul Millsap told ESPN on Tuesday that he's officially retiring, drafted in 06 by the
35:46Jazz.
35:47Last team he was with was in Philly in 2022.
35:51So, what do you two think about his announcement?
35:54Gary, talk about your boy.
35:56Not everyone's somebody's boy on this podcast.
36:01Millsap, very, very, very good career.
36:07Very good career for a second-round pick out of Louisiana Tech.
36:13Made the best of it.
36:15You know, undersized, big, who played tough, got the boards, you know, and, you know,
36:23deserved probably, you know, he could have won a little more.
36:27I wish he was on, you know, he played some good years in Atlanta.
36:31Obviously, Utah has, you know, a couple of coffee, good couple of years in Denver, and
36:37then he started, you know, bounce around a little bit.
36:41But to me, a quality player, you know, 13 points a game in his career, seven rebounds.
36:51So, you know, much respect to Paul Millsap.
36:54One of those guys who people won't talk about, but did the little things, was a tough
36:59guy, and, you know, and people don't know, four-time All-Star, interesting.
37:05So, you know, to me, a guy who you'll, hopefully he'll get his flowers and appreciation almost
37:1640, he turns 40 in February, get his appreciation for what he did because he was one of those
37:22blue guys that not a lot of people talk about.
37:26Yeah, I always liked Paul Millsap because, I mean, his game was very simple.
37:31He would just book back you down.
37:32He'd hit you with the mid-range.
37:34He'd hit you with the three ball, and he was just an effective, impactful guy and didn't
37:38really draw a whole lot of attention to his game.
37:40And as Gary pointed out, as a second-round pick, your goal is to just get your ass on
37:44a roster.
37:45You're not caring about minutes or anything like that.
37:48You just want to get a guaranteed contract.
37:50And, you know, he didn't go to one of the blue bloods of college basketball, so he didn't
37:54have that going for him.
37:56He was a self-made NBA player, a guy that found ways to help his team wherever he went.
38:02And, you know, the other point Gary brought that I thought was important to point out
38:05is that he was a four-time All-Star.
38:07And we all know that when you are in the NBA, that's the magic number to reach for because
38:14anyone can have a great year or two and be an All-Star.
38:17But when you start tacking that on with three, four, five, a set of so on, you're a bonafide
38:24impact player.
38:25You're not just some dude who had a couple good years.
38:28You are a legitimate player that teams have to worry about in their scouting report.
38:33And, you know, for a second-round pick coming from a small, you know, tiny school, Paul
38:38Millsap had a great career, great career.
38:42And certainly, you know, I wish that there was a way that people could recognize just
38:47how good a player he was and do some things, you know, like I would love for the Utah Jazz
38:53or the Atlanta Hawks or one of those teams he played for to have like a Paul Millsap
38:57night where you just bring him back and you just do the little half to do something pregame
39:02and you show a video at the half and have him say a few words and call it a night because
39:06he should have that honor and distinction.
39:10For being a four-time All-Star is not easy at all.
39:14When you start looking at the guys who've been All-Stars four more times and the fact
39:19that Paul Millsap is in that conversation because he's earned the right to be in that
39:23conversation, the overall majority of those guys are Hall of Famers.
39:26Now, am I saying Paul Millsap is a Hall of Famer?
39:29No, no, no, no, no.
39:30I don't think so.
39:31But the fact is he's got some of the credentials that would at least put him someone who he's
39:36not maybe in a conversation, but in the room of four-time All-Stars, most of whom are Hall
39:41of Famers, Paul is in that room as well.
39:43That's real.
39:44Okay, finally, let's talk about the Atlanta Hawks.
39:47They're sitting at number six right now in the Eastern Conference standings.
39:52Do you two buy or sell the fact that they might be good?
39:57Sell it.
39:58Sell it.
39:59Sell it.
40:00I'm not, no.
40:01As much as I would love for the Celtics to be playing the Hawks in the playoffs for completely
40:06100% selfish-ass reasons.
40:08I can see my friend Lauren.
40:09Oh, yeah, that too.
40:12I just, I'm having a hard time believing that this team is going to sustain themselves as
40:17a top six team in the Eastern Conference.
40:19As watered down as the Eastern Conference is, I don't see it.
40:22Trey Young is having a great season.
40:24I don't think he gets enough credit for what he does out there, but I do recognize the
40:29fact that defensively, he's still a walking turnstile.
40:33Defensively, he has yet to figure out how to be solid.
40:37I don't need you to be spectacular.
40:38I just need you to be solid.
40:39Steph Curry is solid.
40:41Nowhere close to being spectacular, but he's very solid.
40:44If you have the kind of offensive acumen and firepower that Trey Young has, it's mind-blowing
40:50that you can't be an adequate defender because the damn show ain't about ability.
40:55You are too crafty with the ball in your hands and scoring the ball to not be smart enough
41:00and crafty enough to get by defensively and not be a defensive liability.
41:04Overall, I just don't think Atlanta is deep enough to be a top six team in the Eastern
41:13Conference when all is said and done.
41:16I think they have a lot of tools.
41:21If you put together their roster, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, the two bigs, Capellon Okondo,
41:31Trey Young, who when he steps back and distributes the ball and doesn't do the 30-footers as
41:37much, they're a quality team.
41:40I'm not saying they're going to—I think they can make the playoffs.
41:42The East is very poor.
41:46It's a crap shooter.
41:47It's terrible.
41:48I think the expectations in Atlanta have changed quickly because they beat the Celtics.
41:57They beat the Cavs twice in three days.
42:00This team can play when they have all their tools and they play the right way.
42:05You got DeAndre Hunter.
42:07We've always wondered, why isn't he better?
42:10Why isn't he—
42:11We're still wondering that, Gary.
42:12You've been in the league, damn near, a decade.
42:15Yeah, I mean, when he plays well, he can play well.
42:19But Yanovich, a great three-point shooter, a guy who's a killer.
42:23You saw what he almost did to Team USA.
42:25That dude's a—that dude tough.
42:28He don't care.
42:29Brother, whoever is in his face, I don't care.
42:34That Serbian, he a Serbian killer.
42:36Tough guy.
42:37You know, I always liked that guy.
42:39That's a fire nickname, Serbian killer.
42:41Yeah, I mean, you know, not a legit—you know what I'm saying?
42:45Gary, you got to know Gary.
42:47What you promoting violence on the show for?
42:49On the basketball floor.
42:51On the basketball floor.
42:52Sniper.
42:53Of course.
42:54Basketball floor.
42:55But—
42:56He ain't trying to kill nobody.
42:57Yeah, he ain't trying to kill nobody.
42:58He ain't trying—your boy, Vitor Gavirani.
43:03Somebody trying to kill you, Vitor?
43:05That's because I'm concerned.
43:06I was concerned for my boy.
43:08Anyway, we'll tell that story.
43:10Continue with your story, Gary.
43:11So, I think the Hawks are—have a chance to get that fifth or sixth seed.
43:17I think they can avoid the plan.
43:19I think if they stay, health has always been an issue in Atlanta.
43:22But two quality bigs, right?
43:26Jalen Johnson's a guy who's emerging.
43:29You know, kind of has just been, you know, one and done and do.
43:33Didn't have a big name in Duke.
43:35Kind of just was like the guys like Cam Reddish and some of these guys that just kind of went
43:40through Duke and decided, I'm ready for the league when they probably weren't.
43:44Now he's turned himself into a quieter ball player.
43:47Trey Young is playing the right way, being more of a distributor.
43:51So, you put that team together.
43:53And then Dyson Daniels is a guy in New Orleans.
43:56You were like, okay, why are you in the league?
43:59He just seemed like a deer in headlights.
44:02Second year, elite defender, elite defender, and a guy who's learning how to score.
44:08So, yeah.
44:09Like, I'm not saying the Hawks are going to win the second round.
44:12But they can go.
44:13They can avoid the plan.
44:14I'm convinced of that.
44:15Because you look at the East, and then you, like Sherrod said, it's terrible.
44:23My Pistons are going to get in this year.
44:29My Pistons.
44:30They're going to get in this year.
44:31Oh, okay.
44:32Yeah.
44:33All right.
44:34There you go.
44:35All right.
44:36On that note.
44:37On that note.
44:38Exactly.
44:39We want to give one more shout out to Prize Picks, the exclusive daily fantasy partner
44:44of the CLNS Media Network.
44:46Also, shout out to our good friends at Game Time, which they take the guesswork out of
44:51buying last minute tickets to your favorite sporting events.
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45:04All right.
45:05Any final words from you two?
45:07No.
45:08I'm hungry, though.
45:09I think I want a burrito or something.
45:11Mmm.
45:12Craving Mexicans.
45:13Wow.
45:14Full circle episode of this podcast.
45:16I love me some burritos.
45:19What's your go-to in Boston?
45:21I'm not going to say.
45:23Really?
45:24Felipe's is mine.
45:25I mean, that's a cliche answer, but.
45:27I don't say because they're not a sponsor.
45:29Oh, that's real.
45:30All right.
45:31Well, Felipe is.
45:32You got to sponsor us now.
45:33Sorry.
45:34It's a little trick.
45:35See.
45:36See, Gary.
45:37Oh.
45:38We're not using that ACC education.
45:40We're letting ourselves guys do the work.
45:43We're not using that ACC education, Quanie.
45:46All right.
45:47You're part of the conference now.
45:48I'm the ACC shade.
45:50Exactly.
45:51Exactly.
45:52All right.
45:53Well, that's all for this week's episode.
45:54We appreciate you listening.
45:55Friendly reminder, because I haven't said this in a while.
45:58Send this to a friend that you think would be interested.
46:01Subscribe, like if you haven't already.
46:03And as always, we'll be back next week with the latest for H.R.
46:07Blakely and Gary Washburn.
46:08I'm Quanie Lunas, and this is the Victory NBA Podcast.