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SportsTranscript
00:00The NBA playoffs have not provided the drama that we would have wanted them to, but they've
00:13provided a lot of lessons that we have been able to learn so far, and none more clear than last
00:18night as the Cleveland Cavaliers whooped that ass and beat up on the Miami Heat. It is a 55-point
00:26loss to end the Miami Heat's season. And there's the joke, like, 1-2-3 Cancun. It's like, how much
00:33more Cancun do you want when you're in Miami? But like Barkley was saying, you've got to leave town
00:38after this. After those losses that you're suffering on your home court, you've got to leave town. You've
00:43got to just get out of there. You know what? Go the opposite. Go up to the Yukon or Alaska if you want
00:50to stay USA and all that. Because this has just been, it's embarrassing for the Miami Heat. And
00:58I know a lot of people had a lot of jokes about Heat culture until they made a run to the championship.
01:06I think we can kind of pause Heat culture for at least a year. I think when you lose by almost 100
01:11points in two games on your home court to close your season, I don't think you get to brag about
01:16your culture for at least a year. That feels like that should be the rule. That you just don't get
01:20to do that. Because this was embarrassing. A complete embarrassment from the Miami Heat to not
01:25be ready to go in that way. And look, they are so clearly the second most talented team in this
01:31series. Right? Like, Cleveland is awesome. And credit Cleveland because they just came out and a
01:36complete performance. And I think they recognized what they had. And they recognized how breakable this
01:42team was. But again, if teams are recognizing that about you, can't be bragging about your
01:46culture. Can't do it. Sorry. You just don't get to for at least a year. You have to take a pause on
01:50that. An abysmal performance from Miami on their home floor. And Eric Spolstra, with the quote after
01:57saying, like, this was eye-opening. This was humbling. Miami has to treat this as such. The fact
02:02that they were able to get into the playoffs after the Jimmy Butler situation and everything like
02:06that, like, it is a credit to them. And I do think, while I'm having some fun with the Heat culture
02:09thing, I do think that the culture of this team is set in a really good way. The problem is, the
02:15talent isn't. And there is a substantial gap right now between them and the high-level teams in the
02:23Eastern Conference. Like, this just, it wasn't, it wasn't close. And you look at the rest of the
02:28playoff teams right now. Orlando, who's probably getting ousted tonight. I think that as these two
02:35teams are set up, maybe Miami gives Orlando a run for their money. But that's because Orlando's
02:40hurt. And they're missing Jalen Suggs. And you just plug that back in, and I think they rolled
02:45them. And then up the, like, the, Milwaukee is going through it right now. Um, but I still think,
02:49like, a seven-game series, I think Milwaukee wins that. And then, like, no one, like, the Pistons.
02:53Look at how the Pistons are battling. That was not there in Miami. So, the Heat do, I think, need to take
02:59a real hard look at what is happening with them right now. And see where they can get this thing
03:04back on track. Because, again, ugly. Ugly. The other night. Uh, or last night, sorry. And
03:10Cleveland, again, credit to them. They weren't messing around and just dominated. Um, Donovan
03:16Mitchell, fantastic performance. Allen, uh, getting the steal there early. Getting up in the, the dunk.
03:21Like, all the guys stepping up. Mobley, um, now that he has that three-point game down again,
03:25he can use that. Uh, he, I think he is more comfortable attacking. And Miami just didn't
03:30recognize that. And just, like, oh, yeah, attack. Go for it. Whatever. Um, offensively for Miami,
03:34like, Hero is great. But, um, and part of it, I do think, like, I, I think Spolstra is one of the
03:42best coaches in the league. And criminally underrated. When you have, like, a team kind of
03:47based around one guy. And then that guy doesn't want to be there anymore. But you don't get anything
03:51for him for a while. And then at the trade deadline, all of a sudden, you got a bunch of new
03:55guys coming in. And you have to try to implement them. Um, it, it's tough to kind of figure out
04:00where your offense is going to go. So, I do think now having an offseason that maybe is a bit more
04:05settled. Although in Miami, maybe it won't be. But an offseason is a little bit more settled in
04:09seeing where everyone fits in. I think that this is going to be a valuable offseason for Miami. And a
04:13really, really, really important one for them. But the Cavs are off to the next round. Uh, they will
04:19play the winner of the Pacers-Bucks series, I believe. Right? Yeah. Uh, they'll play the winner of the
04:24Pacers-Bucks series coming up here in just a little bit. Um, Knicks-Pistons. They meet tonight
04:31after an absolute thriller of a weekend. And I think, like, if you are a Pistons fan, it's house
04:38money at this point. Right? Like, they are getting so much out of their young players and stepping up
04:46in big-time ways here that has been very, very, very, I think, fruitful for Detroit, um, on down the
04:52road. Uh, sorry. Over on the, uh, the kick chat, um, kick chat. Uh, Suzanne Tucker. Hey, what's up?
04:57Uh, hey, uh, talking sports. Happy to have you along. Thank you so much for tuning in today. Right
05:02now, we're talking about the Pistons and the Knicks. Um, so yes, I think valuable learning
05:07experience here for Detroit. But while you're in it, you kind of want to win it. And that was a
05:11heartbreaker for them on Saturday night to, or sorry, on Sunday afternoon. To lose in that way
05:18is really difficult. And look, Cade Cunningham has had predictable ebbs and flows in this series.
05:25But I do think there is a leveling up to his game that is happening now. Now that he's more
05:29comfortable in this spot, now that the bright lights of the playoffs aren't too much, I do
05:32think that there is a leveling up in his game. And now look, Detroit, I still think are going into
05:38every game a little bright-eyed with everything. Right? Like a little bit like, oh my god, it's the
05:42playoffs. We got to get off to a, oh, here we go. And then all of a sudden they're down by 10
05:46right away. Um, that they have had some tough starts in these games. And then once they settle
05:50in, they battle back in a very important way and leads to a bit of a sprint to the finish.
05:55And in one game it happened, um, where they were able to come back and get it. In this one it almost
05:59did. And in a couple they weren't. So there's an experience here with them. But I, I, again,
06:06it is all still a heartbreaker for them. And like you, they were one make away. Hardaway in the corner
06:12away. Or even Cade getting that look in the, um, getting that look in the paint on a jump shot.
06:17They are one that away from having the series being evened up. Instead, now you're going back
06:22to Madison Square Garden, which is a home court advantage. And, uh, facing elimination. It's just,
06:28it's a lot to overcome for this young team. But some real big moments for these guys. And like the,
06:33the Tim Hardaway season of his life, uh, or sorry, series of his life. Also, when they said,
06:38year 12 for Tim Hardaway Jr. I said, maybe it's because it's junior. I still view him as like,
06:44oh yeah, kind of new. Um, and I'll look at him being plucked. And he's a 35 year old guy now.
06:49Um, so that one, it just made me feel a little bit old, but he is kind of having the, the series
06:53of his life so far and has been everything that the Pistons need from him on the Knicks side.
06:59I do think you can be a little bit concerned, uh, because it does like that they're going to be
07:03facing the Celtics in the next round. Um, presumably, I do think you have to be a little
07:09bit worried about how the Pistons are battling back in all of these games. Like I just, again,
07:14credit, all the credit to Detroit, but I feel like they wouldn't be battling back in this way
07:20against the Celtics or the Cavs, right? And that is the level that the Knicks want to be getting to.
07:25And they're just, they're not, they're not that. And so they have done some good things to win
07:30these games and credit goes to them for that one. But when we're talking about leveling up here,
07:35the Knicks just haven't, Knicks just haven't. And so I do think you have to be a little bit
07:40concerned about how well the Pistons have been able to hang around and, um, how tough it has been
07:46for New York to put these games away. Um, I do think though, that there are some positives to take
07:53away, um, from the, the, the New York Knickerbockers in this. I do think Carl Anthony Towns showing up
07:59in the way that he has is very valuable. And like, he has earned a lot of criticism over the years,
08:08like talking about on the best shooting big man of all time. Um, as if we, we didn't just watch
08:13Dirk Nowitzki be a thing for most of our lives. And I mean, we can talk about who's a big man or
08:18what, but KD is seven feet tall. So it's a hilarious claim. Um, I do also think like this guy has just
08:26dealt with a lot of adversity in his NBA time. Um, Jimmy Butler calls him out on his shit a lot
08:32when they're in Minnesota there and you have that whole thing play out the way that it does.
08:35And then there was a lot of personal tragedy that Carl Anthony Towns had to play through.
08:40And I do think that a lot of guys would get a little bit more credit for that, but because
08:44Towns has a tendency to be a little bit cringy anyway, and it was kind of bordering on that.
08:50Is he living up to what we thought he was going to be? Is he not? What is he? What isn't he?
08:53Um, I think that it was a little bit easy for some people to just be like, ah, well,
08:56it's just him anyway. Um, he has been great in this series and it's a series that is set
09:02up for him to be great in. Um, like it's a matchup that he can handle really well, whether
09:06it's, um, if it's Duran, um, or sorry, Jalen Duran with like drop coverage, he can hit a three
09:11over top of that. If they want to put Tobias Harris in his face, he's just bigger and stronger
09:15than Harris is. And he's kind of just ran right through him. So it's a series where it is set
09:19up for him to look good. But I do think again, when we talk about leveling up, I think that
09:23Kat has in a little bit and is someone that you can genuinely trust as a number two option
09:28on your team. Now, stupid fouls have to stop and he still takes one of those a game, but
09:32there's a lot with him that I think has been really great and a bit of a leveling up there.
09:39And man, Bridges stepping up with a couple of key shots late in that game. He has needed
09:43that because he is, he is not living up to that hype and not living up to the deal that
09:49we talked about at the beginning of the year when he comes in for five first round picks.
09:52And I was like, you just make that trade because this makes you a championship contender. The
09:56way he is playing is not. And he has to, again, level up to be able to find his way now and
10:04help the Knicks find their way into championship contention or else he's going to find his way,
10:08excuse me, into a lot of trade conversations because there's going to be that about Milwaukee
10:14who we'll talk about in a minute. And there's going to be that around the Phoenix Suns, which
10:18would be quite the full circle moment for him. But his name is going to come up in a lot of trade
10:22discussions if the Knicks are looking to get into that championship caliber, unless he can find that
10:26in the next couple of games. Tonight, the best series of the first round continues with the
10:31Nuggets taking on the Clippers. You get a thriller on Saturday with the Aaron Gordon dunk. This has
10:36been a brilliant chess match. And now this is where I think these series get a lot of fun.
10:40It's 2-2 and everything's been adjusted for, right? Like, okay, we see what you're doing.
10:46We see how you're trying to counter what we're doing. And now we see how you have tried to counter
10:50our counters. There's no more counters left. Now it is just who is better. And we still don't really
10:55know who is better in these. Jokic, again, just simple brilliance from him. And I still think where
11:05their advantage is, is getting a little bit more size on the interior. If you can get Zubats out
11:11of there, let Gordon and MPJ, who's obviously dealing with it right now, but let those guys
11:16kind of be a little bit more bullies on the offensive glass, that I think goes a long way.
11:22But they need Murray to step up. They need Westbrook to just mind his P's and Q's. Like,
11:26they just, they need all of their guys to play at their highest level because they only really have
11:31six guys, you know? And that, that depth area of the Kings, or sorry, of the Clippers,
11:37while not maybe a strength that you would view of them against some other teams, but like Kawhi is
11:42going. Harden is playing some of the best playoff basketball he has played, but you have to expect
11:46at some point that's going to falter. But then it's the other guy. Zubats is having a hell of a
11:49series, especially defensively. Powell has made some really big shots and the backbreaker has been
11:54Batum coming in and he'll just hit a couple of shots. And I don't know why, but it feels like every
11:59shot he makes is worth seven because it just feels like an, oh my, that guy? Like we, we have this,
12:05we have this possession stopped. Now we can add to our lead. And then that guy is the one who is
12:11making the shots and killing us right now. That hasn't happened for the Nuggets yet. They haven't
12:15had a, that guy moment really at all in this series. And they are going to need that. But again,
12:19it's, it's, that is the thing we talked about this whole time is that Denver has not built up their
12:23depth well enough. And KCP probably isn't playing well enough to have justified that contract. And Bruce
12:28Brown probably was overpaid when, um, he left for a free agency and then got traded to Toronto. But
12:34I, that doesn't mean then you just fill that with nothing. And they have, I think kind of wasted this
12:40and made this a much more difficult series with Jokic than it needed to be in a much more difficult
12:44season with Jokic than it needed to be. Um, moving into the other series here that could wrap up
12:52tonight. Um, you have the Milwaukee Bucks on the brink against the Pacers. I have a feeling we're
12:58going to be having some off-season discussions about the Bucks here pretty quick. Uh, so I'm not
13:02going to get into the full discussion about it today, but obviously there's going to be a lot
13:05of conversations about where did the Bucks go now with Dame Lillard out probably till around
13:10Christmas time next year with a torn Achilles. We have just, we have so many examples of, okay,
13:17he's going to come back. Let's say January, he comes back. So 30, 40 games to go at that point.
13:24Um, how many times have we seen guys in their mid to late thirties just come back from Achilles
13:30injury and be perfectly fine? It's probably not like next year feels like just a complete write-off
13:36from a Dame perspective. And then the, so that gives us the 26, 27 season is when this team I think
13:43can really rely on him again. And then he's gonna be like 37, 38 years old. Like that's just,
13:47it, this feels like the end now for the Bucks. And the problem is they don't have their picks for
13:53the next little while because they have just been trying to add and add and add and add and try to
13:57get these pieces to extend the life of the, this Giannis window. And it sucks because he is playing
14:05so well and everything going on around it. Like there are part of it is like SGA and Jokic just had
14:11like a plus level seasons. Um, part of it is like, I think a little bit of fatigue because Milwaukee is
14:17right around the middle of the standings. They're not going too high up. They're not going too high
14:20down. It's not a disaster. So we're not focusing on it a lot, but Giannis is having a stretch of
14:25some of the best basketball you will ever see in your entire life. And there's just no help around
14:29him. There's some dude out there named green who's making some shots who I had never really heard of
14:34until this, but there's just not enough around him. And he is going to have to do it all by himself
14:39in these games to get them into even a game six. Um, they're, they're just, they're not good
14:46enough as situated. And honestly, like Lillard comes in and gives them a bit of a spark. But
14:51after that, like, there's just not a whole lot there. Uh, swig of water for the workman.
14:56There's just not enough there right now in, in Milwaukee. And so I, we talked about it all series.
15:03The offense is really hard for this team to come by. And now defensively, which was the hallmark of how
15:08good these teams were when they were good. Now defensively, it's fallen off too much.
15:12And so they're just in a bad spot and it feels like this is the end now of this kind of a run.
15:20And again, we'll talk about it later on, but I do also want to, again, give some credit to the
15:26Pacers because I feel like last season, they, um, injuries happened and all that. And all of a sudden
15:32they find themselves in the conference finals and they, everyone is talking about them like they're
15:36Portland from a few years ago or Atlanta from a couple of years ago where it's like, okay,
15:40we always get one in the conference finals. It doesn't really deserve to be here. And that's
15:43them. Um, but this team has leveled up this year. I'm using that phrase a lot here, but this team
15:48has grown this season specifically on the defensive side. And look, when you are a Rick Carlisle team,
15:54eventually that's going to break through, but like they were a run and gun offensive team last year
16:00and a brilliant offensive team. And that led them to, um, again, conference finals. But I do
16:05think if you want it to be a little bit more sustainable, and we talked about this at the
16:08time, that defense has to get better. And it did. Halliburton, I think is a good defensive
16:12player. Uh, miles Turner can be a good rim protector. Siakam can be an average, uh, defensive
16:18player at his height. He can defend pretty well. Um, but they, they just, the effort they have on the
16:24defensive side, the turnovers they are able to create, and then how quickly they are able to
16:27counter off of that has been really effective. And now part of it is they have a very efficient and
16:32effective offense. And that just lets, they get buckets a lot. And so you can then set up
16:37in your regular half court defense and everything is fine. But, um, how aggressive they have been
16:43enforcing turnovers has been a big part of this series. And then like offensively, it's, it's wild
16:48how good this team can be. And like, I don't even think we've had a real dominant Halliburton
16:53performance yet. Like I, I feel like Halliburton has been able to kind of bide his time, hit his big
16:58shots when he needs to, um, and have these big kinds of moments, but Turner is hitting
17:01shots. Siakam is playing great. Nembhard might be the best player in the best player on the
17:06Pacers. Anyway, this series, Giannis is the best player in the series with how he is playing.
17:09It's just overlooked because the team's losing by 40, but, um, Nembhard is up there. He has
17:13been brilliant offensively. And so it's a tough team to play. And now they're going to get
17:18Cleveland in the next round and Cleveland should be favored in the next round. Um, but this
17:23Pacers team, I don't think it should be overlooked how good they are. And I'm fascinated to see
17:28how they handled that juggernaut out in Cleveland. Uh, not going to go too in depth on this one.
17:32Uh, the series feels over tonight, Boston against Orlando. The Celtics are simply better. Nothing
17:37about this series has really changed how you feel about any of it. Boston probably shoots
17:41too many threes, which means they probably missed too many threes. But, uh, aside from that, they
17:47are a very good defensive team going up against a very good defensive team, but they're a very
17:51good offensive team going up against a very bad offensive team in the Orlando Magic. And the
17:56Magic, I think are going to be thrown into a lot of trade rumors and everything like that.
18:00They just simply need more offense and maybe it's just a better offensive system or whatever
18:05it is, but they just need, they need on offense is basically the best way to say it. Cause
18:10it's, it's, it's ugly on the offensive side. And then, sorry, gosh, I got to figure out a
18:16different, uh, phrase for, um, S-E-R-I-E-S. Um, but in this matchup, it's just been, it's
18:24been too good for, uh, or it's just been too bad. Sorry. On the offense for Orlando. So
18:29they, I think are done. Um, I think they're done in that sense here tonight. So again,
18:35it's a, uh, a season, kind of a lost season for the Magic. That defense is elite and Bancaro
18:41is awesome. They just need one more, I think one more piece. And that piece might just be
18:47like an offensive coordinator to get this team to the next level. The big storyline from the
18:52weekend in the NBA was the devastating loss for the Lakers on home court this weekend.
18:58Um, they had a double digit lead in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves,
19:04a chance to wrap it up on home court, go back up even to two, um, and have a, or no, no,
19:10sorry, not on home court. Um, but either way, you have a chance to go back home and have
19:17home court advantage in two of the next three games where you only need to win two of the
19:20next three games and be able to take it there. And instead they messed it up. And I do think
19:26they messed it up. We'll credit Minnesota in a second, but this one is on JJ Reddick.
19:30I think we know, and we talked about it a bit on the hockey side for those watching the,
19:35the, the live stream. We know that there is a, um, a desperation this time of year and okay,
19:43we need to shorten our bench. And in basketball, you want to, you tighten that rotation up from
19:4710, 11 guys to eight guys, and then maybe down to seven or six. You don't tighten it down to five
19:54for a full half though. And so I get like, it's desperation time. You want your best guys out on
20:01the floor that whole time, but you want your best guys to be at their best at the end. And so while
20:06LeBron James is a miracle of modern science and is still getting chased down blocks at the age of
20:1340, whatever in year 22, he was obviously begged because he didn't get a break the entire fourth
20:20quarter. So I just think it was a tactical error from JJ Reddick there. And look, they end up losing
20:27by what is it? Three points. And so you could say, well, look, we needed three extra points.
20:32We needed our big guys out there. But I just think, even if you just give them a minute or two,
20:36it just at the start or end of each half, just to get him a little bit of extra time out on the
20:41sideline, a little bit of extra time to just sit and recoup. It just, I think this game goes a little
20:47bit differently. So yeah, you can go with your main guys that whole time. And look like Jackson Hayes
20:52has felt a little unplayable in this series, but I don't care if you put brawny out there.
20:57You just need to let these guys sit and chill for a second to get their legs back under them.
21:03When you are playing the intensity of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Again, we talked about it with the
21:08LA King, a tough thing for LA teams. Apparently we talked about this on the hockey side, where
21:12the speed and skill of Edmonton means that you have to roll all four of your lines against LA
21:16because that is exhausting to play against. It's the same thing here for the Lakers,
21:20the speed, skill, and the size and physicality that Minnesota can play with, with Edwards,
21:26with Gobert, who's not an offensive dynamo in this series, but he'll wear on you. He'll lean on you.
21:30With Nas Reid, who will make you work. With Julius Randle, who's having the season of a lifetime,
21:34or a series of the lifetime so far. You have to have these guys be freshened up because they're
21:40just getting beaten up out there. And so you could see it. They wore down. They didn't have the legs
21:45that Minnesota had, and it ended up costing them. So while I think the world of JJ Redick,
21:49as a coach, I think he's actually going to be a very good coach, this was a mistake. This was a
21:54miss by him in, in this particular one. And it, the, the frustrating part of it is like Reeves did
22:00not have a great game. Reeves was having a tough time getting away, um, from any of the defense
22:04from Minnesota, but Rui was having a great game. And so I felt like not, I, I just, I think there's a
22:11way you can stagger the minutes and they, they did it all regular season that you can stagger the
22:15minutes. You have one of Luka or LeBron out on the court at all times. And generally it was Luka
22:20and the, the bench and then LeBron Reeves and others. Um, and then going with it that way,
22:27but there was a, like, you could have gone, I think you would have been just fine with Luka,
22:32Rui, and even Finney Smith and a couple of other guys for a couple of minutes with how well Rui was
22:39playing in that game. Like he, he gave you that opportunity as that strong fourth guy to let you
22:44rest LeBron for a couple of minutes by him. Just, we're not talking about half of a quarter here.
22:48We're talking about a couple extra minutes to get him a little bit of a blow to let him come back
22:53and be at the peak of his powers for these games. And now it's, it's desperate for them as they're
22:58down three, one in this series against a Minnesota team that is rolling. And this was, this felt like a
23:05big moment for the Timberwolves franchise. And I get, they made it to the Western Conference Finals
23:09last year after beating the defending champions in the, the playoff round. But this felt like
23:14another legacy win for Anthony Edwards, who was just fantastic again. And the fact that he has added
23:21that three point shot to his repertoire, there was a lot of that coming into the draft, um, his draft
23:26year that, okay, he's athletic guy. He's going to be able to attack the rim. He's going to be just
23:30kind of the slasher crash bang boom guy. But you can see that the next level of it, and this is
23:36what you always want from your stars. The God given abilities are obviously there. The physical gifts
23:41are obviously there, but that work ethic is so obviously there. And that is what makes him so
23:49dangerous and so great is that he has worked to get better on the defensive end, to be one of the
23:54better defenders in the NBA. And now he has worked at that three point shot to make him one of the
23:59scariest offensive players to play in the NBA. And he has shown it up in the most effective ways
24:07in this. And so again, another addition to the legacy of Anthony Edwards. And this series
24:14has been amazing for the reputation of Julius Randle. This has been a, hey, where, where was this
24:20ever with Julius Randle? He has not been that ball stopper that, at times, he has not been that ball
24:26stopper that he has always been in his career. He has been effective shooting and it's his attacking
24:31that has really opened things up a little bit because now you got to be aware of it. Now you
24:36got to be ready that he's going to attack you instead of just, I want to be a spot up shooter
24:39all day. Now he has been that guy and he has fit in with this offense so very effectively. And,
24:45and so like, look, you can't just rest LeBron out on him now. Um, he, he is attacking,
24:51he is making him work and he has been great. And then Nas Reid, um, I think that the stat still
24:56holds that he hasn't missed one shot in the fourth quarter of these games so far. He has been that
25:01dog defensively as well. And like he, that, that final possession where, um, Luka is coming up and
25:10Redick is screaming on a possession before for someone to screen for Luka so he can get free a
25:15little bit. Well, okay, that screen comes, but Reid follows it all the way up there. And he puts that,
25:20he switches onto him and he does a fantastic job of at least letting, or forcing Luka to get the
25:26ball out of his hands. They swing it over to Reeves, who again was cold. He misses the three
25:29and the game is over. It is just because a lot of guys, you see a screen going up there that high.
25:33It's like, okay, that's one of the best players in the world out there in Luka Doncic. I'm going to
25:38hang back. I'm not going to, I'm not about to show up on a, excuse me, on a TikTok, getting my ankles
25:44crossed over by this guy. So I'm going to hang back a little bit. Instead, he is right in his face.
25:49He adds to the pressure of the situation and forces the ball out of Luka's hands. And while
25:54Reeves is a very good option, that's still the third option in the Laker offense. And so I think
26:00A, JJ needed to be ready for that and B, fantastic work from Nas Reed to get to there. But just a big,
26:07big, big moment for the Minnesota Timberwolves.