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00:00So we are officially at the all-star break all-star weekend is over
00:04We have two full days off from the Association one game a rescheduled game between the Lakers
00:10And I believe the Hornets coming our way on Wednesday night a makeup game
00:15Of course from the devastating wildfires earlier in January in Los Angeles, and then everybody gets back into action
00:22Thursday Friday and through the weekend so full two days off at the all-star break
00:29Let's talk that playoff positioning and postseason picture around the Association
00:34Western Conference play in
00:37Tournament PRS the records of teams trying to battle for a play in spot out west a lot better than those
00:43We will compare them to in the Eastern Conference on the other side of
00:48The break, but here's where it stands right now a reminder play in tournament
00:52Spot seven through ten in those Western Conference standings the T Wolves the Mavs the Kings and
00:59The Warriors right now at the all-star break Golden State and Sacramento those Northern, California
01:05Rivals same exact record 28 and 27 both teams a game and a half in front of Phoenix
01:11The Suns trying to battle for that 10th and last spot into the Western Conference play in
01:17Tournament the T Wolves and the Mavericks
01:20separated by just a game
01:21Dallas a game and a half in front of either the Kings or the Dubs for that distinction and again the format
01:28Seven plays eight nine plays ten the winner of seven eight
01:33They're in as the seven seed the loser of that game plays the winner of the 910 matchup
01:39Whoever wins that one will be the eighth and final team in the true Western Conference
01:44Postseason Donnie you see the records you see the odds play in odds on the right play off odds on
01:52The left. How do you make sense of it? I
01:54Tell you what is interesting. We're gonna get to the Eastern Conference in just a moment the Western Conference
01:59So even though it is a runaway up top
02:00Let's just say with OKC an eight game lead over the second place team right now currently would be the Memphis Grizzlies
02:06Seven eight nine ten and eleven that is intriguing stuff because if you get that cut off the Clippers
02:10We figure they're going to be in but they're only one game out of falling back into the playoff spot
02:14The Timberwolves have a lot of talent the basketball team the Dallas Mavericks if they get 80 back sooner than later
02:19So formidable opponent to make the playoffs at least a playing around the Kings have a lot of talent
02:24Then there's the veteran laden Golden State Warriors and just off the cuff
02:27We take a look at the Phoenix Suns and also the San Antonio Spurs
02:30So we're gonna have a fun ride between let's just say seven and that twelve spot the rest of the way we go
02:35But if you're saying Donnie who can make it in here?
02:38Obviously looking at some of those playoff price with the T Wolves the expectations coming into the season even though they traded
02:43Call Anthony Towns or Julius Randall still extremely high
02:46I do think they get in so they benefit from that minus 550 price point
02:50But for me the Dallas Mavericks
02:51I don't know what 80 is coming back and also
02:53How healthy is it gonna be when he comes back?
02:55He's just gonna get injured once again because understand this when they made the trade for Luka Donchage
02:59It was Donchage that was on the injured reserve technically at that point waiting to come back in
03:03But Anthony Davis still battling that abdominal injury, which again made it worse once he got there after a monster half
03:09but for me, I
03:11Don't want to give up on the Phoenix Suns. You see the price points there plus 410 plus 130
03:16Like I understand how bad they are, but you're just looking for flyers at the price points. That's what to say
03:21But it's handicappers. It's not plus 100 for everybody get into the playoffs
03:24But that number here if they can get it together with that talent
03:28Why can't they be the Kings Mavericks T Wolves or let's just say Golden State Wars enough to get into that top 10 and then
03:34win a game or two once they're there on full rest if they're healthy with Kevin Durant Bradley Beal and Booker like so when I
03:41Look at that. I still can't quit the Phoenix Suns when I see those price points
03:45And I think plus 130 frankly would be a better bet because Donnie they're a game and a half behind
03:51Sacramento and Golden State for a play in spot
03:54One of the difficult things is if you fall in the 910 range
03:58You've got to win two games to be a playoff
04:02Team and those aren't gonna be exactly slouches that you are playing
04:05Yeah
04:06If it is the T Wolves or the Mavericks part of the numbers also baked in the opportunity
04:11You see Minnesota's price at minus 550 minus 550 to be a playoff team and yet just minus
04:18120 to be a play in
04:21Tournament team one of the reasons is the T Wolves only trail the Clippers right now by a game
04:27For just being the sixth seed in the Western Conference not having to worry about the play in tournament and just being a playoff team
04:34From the very start the odds not as optimistic though DRS for Dallas
04:40The strongest price to be a play in tournament team to stay in the range of seven through ten
04:47But once they're there to win a game maybe having to win two plus 118 to see the actual postseason
04:55That strikes my curiosity to me. That's a number that says not Oh Anthony Davis is there the Mavericks lost the trade?
05:03With Luka Donchik. They're still not a very good team
05:06That's to me saying without Anthony Davis in the interim
05:10Can the Mavericks stay in the seven to eight spot and if they get Anthony Davis back?
05:15Are they going to be a team that you favor to win a play in tournament game?
05:20That's a very intriguing distinction heavily favored to be a play in tournament team
05:25But not necessarily looked at as optimistically to win a game
05:29Maybe two in the play in tournament to see the actual playoffs
05:33Yeah, and hanging in that spot too because who's to say let's just say Anthony Davis comes back sooner than later
05:37And they're a decent basketball team
05:39Why can't they move up and take the actual sixth spot and not even fall in to that wild-card stage that we have between?
05:44Seven and ten but also understanding this as well
05:47It could go the opposite direction Anthony Davis doesn't heal and it's not like you have a lot of room to wiggle
05:52You're a game and a half back from both
05:54Sacramento and Golden State from falling to the nine and ten and then you have the three game lead over the Phoenix Suns at this
05:59Point which is so fun to talk about that sort of sprint after the all-star break
06:04It's going to matter who's healthy and who's not so until we get that definitive answer on Anthony Davis when he's back already
06:09Let's just say Benny misses one more week of play
06:12Which would be two more games and they split those and go one and one and he's back
06:15You're now sitting in the driver's seat at that point here
06:17Figuring that if he is healthy the rest of the way how good a player in abdominal he can be because it's not as if
06:23He came over. Hey, man, that first half. He had two points two rebounds five fouls and then got injured early the second half
06:29No, he was gonna put on a show is one of the best games
06:31We've seen all season long in an NBA
06:34uniform is how charged up he was to be the focal point of that offense on the Mavericks so I could see the love for
06:39The Mavericks at this point because if they do get some health benefits, it's still a quality team around Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis
06:46The inductors train again in his debut in Dallas
06:50They estimated it around a few weeks. Maybe closer to a month
06:55We have been just over a week from last Saturday in his debut
06:59With the Mavs where the Clippers stand in the sixth spot in the Suns at the 11th spot those six teams
07:06Separated by just five games. It might not seem like a ton. But again, we don't have a full second half
07:13There's about 25 26 27 games remaining for most teams around the NBA to the Eastern Cup
07:20So we started in the Western Conference now the play in tournament
07:25Examination out east during the all-star break here around the Association Donnie
07:30Unlike the Western Conference where all four teams currently
07:337 through 10 have a winning record in the play in tournament positions in the Eastern Conference
07:40all four teams 7 through 10 are at least two games sub
07:45500 or
07:46Worst magic the Hawks the Heat and the Bulls and there's some pretty large
07:53distinctions between these four teams just a half game
07:56Separates the magic and the Hawks in the 7-8 split the Heat and the Hawks same overall
08:04three games below
08:05500 different amount of games played so they're good
08:08they're the Bulls are backed by four games of both the magic and
08:13The Hawks and the Heat rather in terms of making up that 10th in final spot
08:18They noticed the Philadelphia 76ers who entered the season
08:22With the third best price to win the Eastern Conference a game and a half out of the play in tournament
08:28And it should be noted. You will see the Detroit Pistons in the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference three games above 500
08:36that's a two and a half game advantage for Detroit in front of
08:40Orlando Donnie as you look at those numbers for the Eastern Conference play in tournament and the teams
08:45Battling for those spots at the moment what stands out most a lot of junk
08:49It really is a lot of junk in their magic decent ballclub under 500 Atlanta decent ballclub under the list goes on and on
08:56We just talked about how that Western Conference where you're looking at. Hey, you know if this team can make a play
09:00They got superstar players
09:01We're not finding that here
09:03but the most interesting one probably by far is a team just on the cut line the Philadelphia 76ers in the 11th spot because
09:09You see the record 30 or to be 20 and 34
09:13Disastrous here have they messed around with a lot of injuries in the first step? Yes, they have but also understand this
09:19Recognize what your season has actually become if you tell me right now for the remaining parts of the season and be Paul George and
09:25Tyrese maxi other than load management games will be healthy and available on a night-to-night basis
09:30There's no reason to believe that they won't wind up at least in the playing round anywhere between two seven to ten
09:35But when you look at that price point where it's minus 270 to play like yeah, they just need to win a few games
09:40They'll get in there. They're talented enough to do that. But when there's a time that Darryl Morey says, you know, what this season is lost
09:46We're expected to look longer-term here didn't work this year with Paul George
09:50Maybe he was banged up a little bit too much a full offseason being in the city will help him and Joel Embiid to get a
09:55Full knee surgery where he can come back completely healthy by training camp. No Olympics in the summer
10:00No extra wear and tear and no Joel Embiid needs knee surgery
10:04We're gonna wait until hopefully get into the playing round and get knocked out quickly
10:07because if they don't make that decision if it's healthy enough reason to believe they could make it into the playoffs because they can win a
10:14Playing game there may be two against the Magic Hawk Heat or Bulls
10:18We're not talking about the Bucs fully gassed up with Giannis Antetokounmpo
10:21Well, they'd have to knock out before they got to the playoffs here
10:23So that does make sense
10:25But it's just too much of the unknown because what are the six are shown us this year Ben?
10:28They're a bad basketball team with or without
10:30Joel Embiid
10:32Hoping that he actually got rested and ready on the all-star break to take on the second half sprint at this point the Miami Heat
10:37Somewhat talented Hawks. There's not a lot to love
10:40so I would just be hunting probably been the best price points and just let them sit where they fall and
10:46I think the best price point
10:48Weirdly enough is the Sixers at plus 265 to be a playoff team Donnie
10:53You're right
10:54If the Sixers lose a few more games immediately out of the all-star break and say you know
10:58What does it matter?
11:00we're not even gonna go for the 10th spot because who cares if we win two games of the playing tournament to be the
11:05In the playoffs and get our hands or you know
11:08Our butts stomped by the Cleveland Cavaliers come the postseason would it be a quitter mentality perhaps?
11:14But it's just the reality of where things are right now in the NBA and we're putting a lot of belief in a Philly team
11:20That you have no idea who is showing up night in night out and even when they do
11:25What is the level of their performance even if every guy is healthy in the active roster?
11:30They are 20 and 34 the 76ers
11:34They are 14 games below 500 and yet because of how bad some of those play in tournament teams are out east
11:40They're only a game and a half out and you see them minus 270 to be a play in tourney team
11:47Expected a factor in but plus 265 to be a playoff team
11:52I would take the Sixers and I guarantee you
11:55Philadelphia would be a favorite against any of those teams
11:58Any of those teams in a play in tournament game at least by a couple of points
12:03I would say on the spread if at full strength
12:08So to me, there is some value by the way
12:10The NBA officially adopted the play in tournament starting the 2022 23 season
12:16The Atlanta Hawks are going to be a play hit tournament deep more than likely in all three of those years
12:22And they've really done it for the last four years as well. Very comfortable in those spots as are the heat and
12:31The Bulls we'll see how it all plays out
12:34Not exactly the prettiest picture when you stare at those play in tournament teams and the Associated Records