NBA Play-In/Playoff Special, Fan Questions | WHAT’S BURNIN | SHOWTIME Basketball

Published May 19, 2021, 3:48 AM

72 regular season games done. The NBA playoffs have finally arrived. Matt and Stak breakdown the play-in matchups, including Steph vs. Lebron. Plus, they talk about the first round matchups already set and answer fan questions.

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Ice, I see, I see, Ivan, You're the motherfucker that could read like the right yeah on the bumper stickers, like back in the day, talking right to make sense. It makes sense now. Welcome back to what's burning playing. Addition, let's get right into it on the radar presented to you by the Draft Kings. Stephen Jackson, what's up with you, baby Barnes? What's up my brother? I can't call him? And let's just get right to the action. Our first matchup, we got the Hornets at ten first, the Pacers at nine. It's Pacers minus three. The money line is one. If I'm a betting man, I'm taking the Hornets plus three. What are you liking this, Eire? This one game? Uh, it's a toss up. I think both teams got got what they need to get through this round. But I need star power and I think the Hornets have that. I think Limelo is gonna bring that that factor and then they're gonna pull it out. Hornets star power. I'm definitely going with this young, inexperienced, but young, exciting team. I loved it. Loomelo's back. He brings a whole energy and attitude to that culture, which I think is needed. My only question is their top five in the league and turnovers the Hornets are can they handle the bright lights of this with the world watching. They haven't really had that this year. Um. Some teams are young and just don't give a fucking can keep going. Some teams that plays in I like how solid Indiana is. The bonus is having a great year. Carris LeVert came back from you know that, Uh that that that health issue he's been bawling. Uh. They're a team that is more steady. But I still like Charlotte. You can't worry about turnovers because every every time at the end of the season, the top players in the league always leading the league in turnovers. So you ain't got worried about that, especial in the playoffs. Ain't mad at that next matchup, Jack, we got the Wizards at eight versus the Celtics at seven. It's Celtics minus two. The money line is one twenty nine. I was We've been pro Celtics all season. Obviously, losing Jayleen Brown hurts them. What's your outlook on this? H this playing I like both teams. Boston is dealing with some injuries, but um, I just think the way the Wizards are playing right now, I think they're gonna ride it out by going through a lot of adversity. Man, they've been up and down, the Wizzards on the high right now, Russ is at his best. Yes, Bill is at his best. Yes. Like I said, I've been a fan of Jason Tato was one of my favorite players in league. I've been a fan of them all season thinking even post All Star break there we're gonna turn the corner. Injuries kept them from that. Um, maybe some other things um kept them from that. But to me, if you look at it, you know, although Bill is nursing a hamstring, hopefully Bill can be bal Um. I think Tatum Mabill kind of canceled each other out. And to me, who the X factor is is who on Boston is gonna do with Russell Westbrook rings every night, which is a triple double with twenty points and should he can give you twenty rebounds or twenty assists too? So who's gonna match that energy from the Boston side? Oscar Robinson not out there, so I don't see it. I don't see it either, So I gotta I I got the Wizards in this game, I'm gonna take the Wizards plus the points again. So we took both underdogs with the points and we'll have to see what happens. Moving on to the Western Conference, we got the San Antonio Spurs at ten verse the Memphis Grillies at nine. It's Memphis minus three. The money line has one forty eight. Uh. Memphis has been top ten in defense all season. Again, very young team against Pop, who is the Jedi of the NBA. Uh, what do you like in this game? I'll never go against Pop for one game. I would never go against for one game. He's a genius. He knows how to make adjustments and put players in a position to do things that they haven't done all season for one game so he can win. Um. I'm not even really looking at his players. I know he's gonna have the guys in the position and focus and have enough game plan to do what they need to do to win games. It won't be no individual It's gonna be a team win. And I think Pop would haven't ready for that. See, I thought, Dann, it's crazy he said that, because I thought the exact opposite. I thought a series with favorite San Antonio I would pick San Antonio in a series because to me, Pop is one of the greatest end game adjusters there is. So I thought, one game, anything can happen. Someone get hot, marn could go for thirty, Jaren Jackson go for thirty, Brooks can go for thirty, all on the same night, because that's just one game. But then you would know next game Pop will come back and shut that ship off. So it's funny we look at it two different ways. But I like, I like Memphis in this game, to be honest with you, they're young, I like their energy. I like that all the weapons they have. But again it's hard to go a gets popping, you know, obviously the homies tomorrow, the Rosen you know, I always love to see him do well. So you gotta give Jazz problems though. Joh has brought this team out of a gun question, you know what, I mean to into this position, and he's been playing with us, so we can't count him, and he's all yeah, he's all around too. So I love the like I said, this play, and I love the players should I understand as a player it could be frustrating, but as a fan, which we are now, I just think it adds that much more excitement leading in to the playoffs. But we'll get there. We got next all right, man, next step. We got the Golden State Warriors at eight plus at the number seven Los Angeles Lakers. It's the Lakers minus six and a half. The money line is minus two sixty five. Lakers have been riddle with injury. The Worriors are playing great basketball right now, Jack, talk to me about this matchup. Yeah, I just smell. It's it's hard to go against Braun and Man at any time, against anybody in the world world, it's hard. But they kind of beat up Um and the and the supporting cast has been has hasn't been doing anything. So and Steph is the m v P to me of this season. He's been playing unbelievable and they're confident right now. One game, educated guests, I'm going I'm going with Steph right now. Just you heard it here first Now to me, it's a it's it's a coin flip, like you said, at if they're healthy. This team is not even in this position, you know what I mean, they're well one or two. See you know, broun tweaked his ankle last night, although he said he'll be fine. A D's back in rhythm, Schroder's back. But to me, the biggest difference with this team is A D and Lebron do so much. To me them coming back, I think they'll be fine, but their role players that have been having to step up and take a lot of like Kuzma has been bawling and taking a lot of shots, you know, all that ship kind of slows down. So to me, it's the role players again getting adjusted um to the situation. Man, he took the Warriors over the Lakers in one game. It could be a coin flip. I'm not mad at that pick to be us again seven game series. I think the Lakers would be too much for the Warriors. I don't think I'm saying anything outland just there, but one game it really could be a flipsoin and man, I can't wait to watch the game. It's gonna be dope. I also think a key aspect to this that I think, although Steph has always going to take the you know, the spotlight because he deserves it the way he's shooting, you know, Draymond Green, he's gonna be the one to kind of you can't stop a D but he has to stay out up by our trouble leader referees along and being tuned to the game, because not only does he have to keep a d down, he's a big facilitator, huge, huge. He has to really be locked in and leave all others. All the Warriors guns are gonna think we need to call and tell him that. To Weed, I think you need to hear that from us. Well all about him today. We can once we get off, you know what I mean, he could see us smoking and just give him a little bit of motivation. But y'all the Warriors, young guys, it's gonna be fun. Man Wiggins to Scotto Anderson who else a pool He's been bawling like all these boys are gonna have to show up, you know. But like I said, you've got two great leaders and Stephan Draymond that have been there. Coach heard that staff, So these young boys are gonna be ready to play. But it's gonna be a blast. Mell again, This playing is you know what, This is what they picture. They didn't picture these two teams, but they picture this kind of excitement with star power, and we happen to get it with these two teams. So it's gonna be good. Our favorite segment of the show. Fan questions. Al Right, first question, thug Nasty eight away hind Yeah. Is it possible for any playing team to make a run any dark corses we believe teams this year? Nah, just like Draymond said, you can never do play we believe it was just us and they don't even they don't even consider themselves as the type of we believe team, which they're not. You know what I'm saying. They are champions, so um, if any team would be that, it would be Charlotte having to having the star of that team of rookie. I think if they can do something dramatic and knock some walls down and do something special, I think it would be them. I think you forgot one team. The Lakers are playing team. Yeah, but I'm not counting them because, like to me, they're gonna be a playing situation and they and they can very easily win the championship Golden State. It's gonna be tough if Golden State in Utah, if it ends up one eight. Well, they said dark horse. I mean the Lakers are kind of dark right now. Not that dark. You never get that dark now, good point. Um. Yeah, I mean I don't see anyone really, to be honest with you, I don't outside the Lakers, I don't really see a playing team making it significant run. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them, one of them are two of them made to the second round, though I agree. Next question, grind underscore one to four Wizards are in the play in how far do you guys think they can go? Also, should the Wizards start looking for a new coach? Who's the coach Scots Scott Brooks? I like Scott Brooks. I don't know nothing enough about him to talk bad about them. To you. The best coach for Russell Rust brook They know each other. Rust is at his best with him, and the Wizards did a great job by getting the coach there first. Then bringing Rusty did a great job. I think Russ gonna finish his career as long as that coaches. Um. So, to answer your question, yeah, they're gonna yeah, I think if yeah, I think gets the next game. To me, I think they take pride in the process because they were literally in the gutter. You know, worst, we're worst record in league. If I'm not on staking or you know, top two or three were worst record in the league, and Rush grinded the whole time through a body injury. Brad Beal was banged up a little bit. But like I said you said earlier, these dudes are playing good basketball at the right time, you know what I mean. So I would expect them to to definitely get in there. But you know you're going against Goliath after that, So we wish you the best ice that see. I see, Ivan, Yeah, you're the motherfucker. They could read like the spell right yeah, on the on the bumper stickers like back in the day you read right to you. Makes sense. It makes sense now, I see Ivan. Matt Barnes, what are your favorite top five players of yours? My favorite was your half court game winning Verse Detroit Man. I had a couple of big we believe shots. Um, I don't really don't really think about I'm gonna give you one. Uh. One of my top monem Vitree in the player against Dallas in Dallas on the road game one and back and Gold State too. One of my favorite players was when DeAndre dunked on Brandon Knight and I jumped up and ran down the court. Then one of my favorite plays so over the top. It was unbelievable. Bro I heard his shoulder blades hit the ground that night and people were already screaming, so imagine how hard he had to hit the ground. I just don't want to be questioned in the murder. I was out of there. Manitty underscore what was Stack's best moments with Tim Duncan while playing with him in the same and the same for Kobe with you, Matt, I go first. Tim Duncan was great man. To have a person who's now in the Hall of Fame, UH to me the best power for whatever. UH to have the confidence in me to pass me the ball in the clutch moments the championship games and you know, just believing in me and telling Pop to start me, you know, twelve games and to my second season and to the NBA. It just it meant the laugh of me because you don't have stars that automatically draw close to you when you come to the league and also have confidence in you to tell the head because they want you in the starting lineup. So for Tim Duncan to do that for me and give me the name called me the ultimate teammate I ever hold him in how I regard it's dope. So I think Tim Duncan might be like the most mysterious and I mean this's in a bad way, but no serious superstar because he just don't hear him talk. He doesn't really do interviews. He's very to himself. Obviously only got to play against him as an opponent. But yeah, you're right, greatest power for whatever, um so um me for Cobe. I just kind of think our journey to where we got, you know what I mean, from like I said, you know me and admiring him when I was in college, w I to see him work out and play, um, to playing against him, always excited to do that, to our little altercation, to us becoming teammates, you know, to him to call him me up and you know, anyone crazy enough to fund with me, it's crazy enough to play with me. Um, and then runs we became teammates, just becoming brothers and really fucking with each other off the court, and you know him being an instrument on the boy's life and that kind of stuff. So my, my, my, my Kobe memories are obviously the basketball stuff was great and had a good time, but really kind of just the impact he made uh and my boys life Shanna four. How serious are the talks of you and Matt maybe getting in the ring with Oo Sinko on Flora's pay per view. I didn't know there was talking. I've never heard that in my life, and you ain't gonna hear it. I don't have listen. I don't have a fighting bone in my body right now. I don't want no beef or no smoke with nobody. The only thing I'm fighting it's the bank and I'm punching the mess side of it. I'm winning, so I ain't fight nobody. But I think people have to understand, like boxing and fighting are two different things, two different things. I mean, Mother's could fight good and then people could box cut you know what I mean. Like we've been people who have fought our whole lives, nothing but proud of. But it's just weeping fighting because what people don't understand, Like we've been in real fights a whole life. I've shot at somebody in real life. So I don't want to have no problems with nobody for the rest of my life. I'm We're in a good space. Yeah, yeah, we win and we went in the wards and stuff like that. I ain't never done thing like this before. Stay out of my way bruying to up the church's money. I'm not doing it. Yeah, so I guess that's the answer right there. Nope, answers, No, make sure you check us out. Thursday, May twentie, we dropped the Jeremy Lynd episode. He had a great sit down with me and Jack last week. Man opened up my eyes to a lot of new things, very deep in intelligent. Dude, you guys A definitely enjoyed this. So check out this teaser. What are your thoughts on just kind of where we are as a country and and in this particular incident that can continue to happen. When police brutality was happening, like at the height of the uproar when black lives matter, you know all that, all those situations like it mattered to me, but it didn't hit home like this one is hitting home right now. Will stop Asian hate. And I'm not saying that it has to be a perfectly equal experience, but I am saying, like I even learned a lot from Like, hey, I need to have more empathy. If we can all start with learning a little bit more. We're talking a little bit less or judging a little bit less. I think we'll be in a much much better place. You said it perfectly, just like you know, I understood and I supported the Black Lives Matter movement, but it didn't register with me like these Asian hate crimes, do you know what I mean? So I think until everyone open up and have that collective understanding and dialogue, will probably stay stuck in this neutral position. And this is a sad part. When I came over, all I knew, all I knew about, you know, African Americans was what Hollywood told us, and so you know, for me, it was like every time, you know, when we were growing up, you know, my parents would be like if there, if there, it was a black person was walking on the street, it would be like, oh, lock the door, right, like that's all we knew, that's all we saw. It wasn't until I started playing. Once I got to elementary school, I had a lot of black teammates. Once I got to middle school, high school, had a ton of black teammates. And then I started going to you know, East Palo Alto to picking them up and then they became like lifelong friends. And then all of a sudden just by pure exposure, my my perspective and my parents perspective completely changed. And it all came from exposure because you actually took a little bit of time to step into someone else's shoot. And that's what basketball has done for me is just put me in this middle ground where like, man, I've experienced certain things from from black players and black teammates that like, I'm like, that really hurt me. And then like on the flip side, I also know that I've been a part of problem even what the things and the stereotypes that I've had about certain people like before I actually got to know them, and that that that healing has to happen through dialogue and through empathy. You were recently called the coronavirus when you're playing in the G League, But I like the road you take. You didn't necessarily call the players out in public. I think, if I'm not mistaken, you had a conversation with them when you guys sat down and had you know, had talks. But what was that like just to kind of that kind of energy coming towards you on the court Again, I was like, I'm not saying the name because I don't want this do like having to deal with racist like that's what I'm saying, the anti blackness and stuff like that. It's like, so if if we're upset about certch certain racist things happening, where we're gonna do turn on be racist? Like that just doesn't make sense. It doesn't matter what race you are, Like, that's not solving the issue. So the whole point is about building awareness and then building up and learning how it can heal and go in the right direction. And so for me having a conversation with the player in the G League, we actually spoke and had a great conversation. He was like, I've been in the bubble, man, I don't know anything about what's been going on. I haven't been on social media. I'm just trying to get into the n b A. And then he's like, it wasn't until that that I started looking up all these things that are happening to the Asian American community. I'm so sorry, man, Like I didn't know it was like that. And then I shared some stuff, but it was just that was real. We really learned from each other and our perspectives changed. Um, And that's why you know I went that route. I command you brother, because, like you said, they conversation has to be had, and that's the only way we're gonna make any type of way and get to what we're trying to go because we're all trying to get to the same place of equality. A lot of people should never get to the point where it was happening to their own race to take other people's place. Serious, if you care about the other race, you gotta reteach what were taught. We gotta reteach people. We gotta change the narrative because we can stand together. We all can stand in the same room and respect each other. But a lot of people wasn't taught that we gotta reteach people. Basketball Hall of Fame class was announced. Jack, I'm gonna read the whole list and that we could talk about our particular folks first and foremost. Paul Pierce, Chris Webber, Chris Bosh, Bill Russell is a coach, my former Kings coach, Rick adam In, Jalanda Griffin, Ben Wallace shout out, Ben Jay Wright, Lauren Jackson, Tony Coop Coach Cotton fitz Simmons, and Howard Garfink called the five Star Camp legendary director. Um we got some folks on that. Obviously, Paul Pierce is the homie Bosh. I was really happy about c Webb. You know, like I said, you know how important he is my life, big brother, big mentor of mind. So for him to get the nod. Ben Wallace, HBCU college player who stands out to you on there, it's been I knew Paul and Chris both deserved it, and I had a good feeling that was gonna get in. They definitely deserved Chris Bosh and Chris Webb man Paul. But for for Ben Wallace to be the first undrafted player to be in the Hall of Fame, that's that's that's everything almost was undrafted. I was the second to last pisce the draft. So for him to be a Hall of Famer that says a lot. And you know, we got history with everything with the bra and all that. So I'm happy for him, and uh, he definitely deserve it. Yes, I mean, it's it's de pennacle. We just came off. Obviously, the class was just to introduce this past weekend or it gonna be one of the greatest classes ever. So caps off to the one class. Best of luck. Oh, one thing I wanted to mention to man, Robert or needs to be a Hall of Famer. Man, Man, that's no brain. Big shot, Bob seven rings, most chiks in the Hall of Fame. Fuck him, Robert, he definitely needs to be in the Hall of Fame. I got more points for march Um and Rashid Wallace. Sheet needs to get in there. Yeah, but anyway, you catch What's Burning every Monday on Showtime Basketball YouTube and on Twitter and Instagram and show Basketball. See you all next week.

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