The volume. No, Oh my god, how could he do that? What Charles Darwin? The nerves is where it's at.

The volume. No, Oh my god, how could he do that? What Charles Darwin? The nerves is where it's at.

Welcome everybody back into Nerd Sash as always, I'm Garson Bravert alongside, and he is Logan Camden, and you already know the drill. We've got some playoff basketball to talk about today. Three game threes and Logan, I gotta say, I came into today expecting one game to be the biggest story of the night, but that was not ultimately the case. We put it to the people. We asked you, guys, where do you want us to start this show? And overwhelmingly you said, we want to hear about the Oklahoma City Thunder pulling off the second biggest comeback in NBA playoff history, erasing a twenty nine point deficit against the Grizzlies to take a three zero series lead. Just a remarkable performance. Obviously, have to start this conversation by pointing out the Ja Morant goes out with an unfortunate injury when the Grizzlies are up twenty seven that dramatically changes the tone of this entire game. Jaw was playing really well and certainly aided the Thunder in his in their comeback effort his absence. But nevertheless, what did you make of that performance from OKC.

Welcome everybody back into Nerd Sash as always, I'm Garson Bravert alongside, and he is Logan Camden, and you already know the drill. We've got some playoff basketball to talk about today. Three game threes and Logan, I gotta say, I came into today expecting one game to be the biggest story of the night, but that was not ultimately the case. We put it to the people. We asked you, guys, where do you want us to start this show? And overwhelmingly you said, we want to hear about the Oklahoma City Thunder pulling off the second biggest comeback in NBA playoff history, erasing a twenty nine point deficit against the Grizzlies to take a three zero series lead. Just a remarkable performance. Obviously, have to start this conversation by pointing out the Ja Morant goes out with an unfortunate injury when the Grizzlies are up twenty seven that dramatically changes the tone of this entire game. Jaw was playing really well and certainly aided the Thunder in his in their comeback effort his absence. But nevertheless, what did you make of that performance from OKC.

Logan, I mean, I thought it was a really impressive comeback. I do think you need to mention the jaw is not in the game. He was dominant in fifteen minutes. He gave you fifteen points and five assists. They were plus sixteen in the minutes. Job was out there. But like you mentioned, this is a twenty nine point deficit, and I don't know a lot of the questions about OKCE. You've got to be confident in the answers that they gave you in this game, man, the way that chet Holmern bounced back after a one point first half and was crucial to the come back offensively SGA who threw You know, ten quarters of this series has been really, really disappointing, but in these last two quarters put it together. Jalen Williams had a good game, I thought, start to finish, but specifically the level that their defense reached. You know, they they held Memphis scoreless for almost four minutes in the fourth quarter, and that's what really just shines in this game for me. From the thunder, it's all the other components, like I expected SGA to finally put it back together, but to see Chet really get it going in the second half, to see Jalen Williams get it going in the second half. When you're backs against the wall, it's different, right, because we've seen Oklahoma City in a lot of games in the regular season get comfortable, and this was a historically great regular season team. But this is different. This is back against the wall. This is you're fighting back from a huge deficit. And they didn't lay down. They said, we're gonna give you all that you can take, and we're gonna see if we can come back and win this game. And that's exactly what they did. I don't know if Memphis would have won this game if Jah had stayed out there. I mean, he was dominating, but I thought they really disrupted Triple J after he became the focal point. I mean the way they trapped him, the ball pressure, I thought they were really disruptive on him, like they shut him down, and really the Memphis offense crumbled late, like they completely fell apart and couldn't get anything going. I think it's a super impressive thunder comeback, and I just really like what we're seeing from this team right now. Man, now's the time to really tune up your game and get ready for you know, I'm not calling Memphis a pushover anything like that, but these are the tune up games. This is the time to get ready and get into form. And I really like what we saw from the defense. I really like what we saw from Chet, from Sga, and from Jada. It was a really impressive comeback tonight. Man.

Logan, I mean, I thought it was a really impressive comeback. I do think you need to mention the jaw is not in the game. He was dominant in fifteen minutes. He gave you fifteen points and five assists. They were plus sixteen in the minutes. Job was out there. But like you mentioned, this is a twenty nine point deficit, and I don't know a lot of the questions about OKCE. You've got to be confident in the answers that they gave you in this game, man, the way that chet Holmern bounced back after a one point first half and was crucial to the come back offensively SGA who threw You know, ten quarters of this series has been really, really disappointing, but in these last two quarters put it together. Jalen Williams had a good game, I thought, start to finish, but specifically the level that their defense reached. You know, they they held Memphis scoreless for almost four minutes in the fourth quarter, and that's what really just shines in this game for me. From the thunder, it's all the other components, like I expected SGA to finally put it back together, but to see Chet really get it going in the second half, to see Jalen Williams get it going in the second half. When you're backs against the wall, it's different, right, because we've seen Oklahoma City in a lot of games in the regular season get comfortable, and this was a historically great regular season team. But this is different. This is back against the wall. This is you're fighting back from a huge deficit. And they didn't lay down. They said, we're gonna give you all that you can take, and we're gonna see if we can come back and win this game. And that's exactly what they did. I don't know if Memphis would have won this game if Jah had stayed out there. I mean, he was dominating, but I thought they really disrupted Triple J after he became the focal point. I mean the way they trapped him, the ball pressure, I thought they were really disruptive on him, like they shut him down, and really the Memphis offense crumbled late, like they completely fell apart and couldn't get anything going. I think it's a super impressive thunder comeback, and I just really like what we're seeing from this team right now. Man, now's the time to really tune up your game and get ready for you know, I'm not calling Memphis a pushover anything like that, but these are the tune up games. This is the time to get ready and get into form. And I really like what we saw from the defense. I really like what we saw from Chet, from Sga, and from Jada. It was a really impressive comeback tonight. Man.

It takes a special performance to a race of twenty nine point deficit in a half, no matter what. And even though I think the Grizzlies looked infinitely better with Jaw on the floor in this game, and I just think they desperately missed the offensive stability that he was providing, just the comfort getting to his spots, that level of shot making, play making, everything, having an athlete to that caliber on the floor, like their offense really crumbled in the second half in his absence, and I do think he would have stabilized things. But the Grizzlies without Jaw this year have still been a good basketball team. They're eighteen and fourteen in games that he misses entirely, they have a plus five net rating in all the minutes that he hasn't been on the floor, so even in his absence, like this is a team that has been more than capable of winning games, playing highly competitive basketball, especially when they build themselves a twenty nine point lead. And I thought Memphis was phenomenal in the first half. It was the worst basketball I've seen from the Thunder all year. I thought it was an embarrassing first half performance from ok See. Honestly, I'm not sure if anything comes all that close. Like the play in final against the Bucks was ugly. First Lakers game was ugly, but not like this, man. I mean, I thought it was apathetic. I thought that their effort, their physicality, their intensity was just not there. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies were shot out of a cannon. It felt like they really woke the hell up after what happened to them in the first two games. They had so much energy, they were so physical, they were pressuring the ball, they were running shooters off the line, and Okac's guys couldn't make shots from the three point line. They looked a little bit rattled being run off the line so consistently. Just their entire offense looks so disjointed. And then Memphis is shooting better than fifty percent from three, and they're getting transition chances, and like, honestly, they did what Okac does to teams to Oka see it felt like what Okac did to Memphis in the first half of Game one. But the difference, obviously is the response, because the second half from Okac highlighted basically everything that they do best, absolutely special defensive performance. There are so many dudes who I think deserve so much credit. Cason Wallace I thought was phenomenal with his activity, his ball pressure, his hands, but Alice Caruso is the one who stands out the most. Like that was flat out one of the best individual defensive performances I have ever seen from a basketball player. Logan four steels in a block doesn't even capture the absolute chaos that he was causing and the fact that this dude is guarding triple j and locking him up in the second half, and like, yeah, they did a really nice job of rattling him with some doubles and forcing him into a couple of turnovers. But Caruso on an island is just forcing his catch points so far out, and this dude has such insanely good hands, and he's so physical. Triple J can't comfortably put the ball on the floor against him, so he can't move him even with his massive size advantage and the fact that he's got so much weight on. Caruso so just the versatility man in terms of the matchups he can take on as a non ball defender and the statistically he is destructive off ball dude.

It takes a special performance to a race of twenty nine point deficit in a half, no matter what. And even though I think the Grizzlies looked infinitely better with Jaw on the floor in this game, and I just think they desperately missed the offensive stability that he was providing, just the comfort getting to his spots, that level of shot making, play making, everything, having an athlete to that caliber on the floor, like their offense really crumbled in the second half in his absence, and I do think he would have stabilized things. But the Grizzlies without Jaw this year have still been a good basketball team. They're eighteen and fourteen in games that he misses entirely, they have a plus five net rating in all the minutes that he hasn't been on the floor, so even in his absence, like this is a team that has been more than capable of winning games, playing highly competitive basketball, especially when they build themselves a twenty nine point lead. And I thought Memphis was phenomenal in the first half. It was the worst basketball I've seen from the Thunder all year. I thought it was an embarrassing first half performance from ok See. Honestly, I'm not sure if anything comes all that close. Like the play in final against the Bucks was ugly. First Lakers game was ugly, but not like this, man. I mean, I thought it was apathetic. I thought that their effort, their physicality, their intensity was just not there. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies were shot out of a cannon. It felt like they really woke the hell up after what happened to them in the first two games. They had so much energy, they were so physical, they were pressuring the ball, they were running shooters off the line, and Okac's guys couldn't make shots from the three point line. They looked a little bit rattled being run off the line so consistently. Just their entire offense looks so disjointed. And then Memphis is shooting better than fifty percent from three, and they're getting transition chances, and like, honestly, they did what Okac does to teams to Oka see it felt like what Okac did to Memphis in the first half of Game one. But the difference, obviously is the response, because the second half from Okac highlighted basically everything that they do best, absolutely special defensive performance. There are so many dudes who I think deserve so much credit. Cason Wallace I thought was phenomenal with his activity, his ball pressure, his hands, but Alice Caruso is the one who stands out the most. Like that was flat out one of the best individual defensive performances I have ever seen from a basketball player. Logan four steels in a block doesn't even capture the absolute chaos that he was causing and the fact that this dude is guarding triple j and locking him up in the second half, and like, yeah, they did a really nice job of rattling him with some doubles and forcing him into a couple of turnovers. But Caruso on an island is just forcing his catch points so far out, and this dude has such insanely good hands, and he's so physical. Triple J can't comfortably put the ball on the floor against him, so he can't move him even with his massive size advantage and the fact that he's got so much weight on. Caruso so just the versatility man in terms of the matchups he can take on as a non ball defender and the statistically he is destructive off ball dude.

I think he's like an eleven percent. I mean, like his defensive field goal percentage inside six feet this year is like eleven percent too. It's ridiculous for a guard.

I think he's like an eleven percent. I mean, like his defensive field goal percentage inside six feet this year is like eleven percent too. It's ridiculous for a guard.

He does everything bro as a roamer, he is just going to fuck your offense up. He is getting his hands in there on every single ball. He's just the ultimate playoff player man. Like I thought it was so clear that Caruso's role was only going to increase for this team in the postseason. He is such a winner. He is such a nightmare for opposing offenses to face, and like he just makes play after play that swings games down to forcing the jump ball right where he strips Scottie Pippen Junior and then Lou Dort falls on it and then Edie for whatever reason, fouls Blue Dort on the jump ball. I thought that was a big mental air by him. You don't need to do that, you got a foot on the guy. But absolutely incredible defensive performance by them collectively, but especially by Caruso individually. He's the best defensive guard on the planet. That's where I had him in our player rankings coming into this year, and a lot of people were pissed about that, honestly, like that might have been the thing about my list that people were most pissed about me having him over Herb Jones. It's just that off ball, recking shit. Man. It's so so special his defensive playmaking. But you mentioned Cheed Holmgren won a masterclass by him in the second half and especially in that third quarter when they just need an infusion of offense. He's punishing the Grizzlies for helping off of him. He's beating them with the pick and pop game, exact same things that he was doing last game. Just so big to see him that comfortable, that effective as a three point shooter. And he has a play where he blows by Edie. He's using his quickness, he's showing his comfort as a driver. But just his continued aggression and his continued three point shooting at this level is so so important for them and so encouraging. And then Jalen Williams logan, Jadob has been excellent for three straight basketball games. It's not a question who has been their best player in this series. It's Jada probably in every single game. If you wanted to make the Caruso case for this one, I would genuinely hear it. I thought he was that insanely impactful. But the offensive production that you're getting from Jadub while he's also wrecking the game defensively, the transition scoring, but also the poison the half court, he has just been so so impressive. So it is a hell of a performance. It is a very very rare thing to see a team that you feel is even capable of this. And I have to say, Man, as bad as the first half was, I could never count the thunder out because, as I literally said after Game one, this is a team that puts together runs at a rate that only the peak Golden State Warriors are comparable to. Their ability to shut down your offense, turn defense into offense by forcing you into so many mistakes and then getting out and running in transition where their athletes are just insane. It's one of one in the sport, and all of that was fully on display in this one. And you still aren't getting the best version of Shay, not even Clo honestly, like he played better in this game, but I still think he's forcing some tough looks. I still think he's specifically hunting the three.

He does everything bro as a roamer, he is just going to fuck your offense up. He is getting his hands in there on every single ball. He's just the ultimate playoff player man. Like I thought it was so clear that Caruso's role was only going to increase for this team in the postseason. He is such a winner. He is such a nightmare for opposing offenses to face, and like he just makes play after play that swings games down to forcing the jump ball right where he strips Scottie Pippen Junior and then Lou Dort falls on it and then Edie for whatever reason, fouls Blue Dort on the jump ball. I thought that was a big mental air by him. You don't need to do that, you got a foot on the guy. But absolutely incredible defensive performance by them collectively, but especially by Caruso individually. He's the best defensive guard on the planet. That's where I had him in our player rankings coming into this year, and a lot of people were pissed about that, honestly, like that might have been the thing about my list that people were most pissed about me having him over Herb Jones. It's just that off ball, recking shit. Man. It's so so special his defensive playmaking. But you mentioned Cheed Holmgren won a masterclass by him in the second half and especially in that third quarter when they just need an infusion of offense. He's punishing the Grizzlies for helping off of him. He's beating them with the pick and pop game, exact same things that he was doing last game. Just so big to see him that comfortable, that effective as a three point shooter. And he has a play where he blows by Edie. He's using his quickness, he's showing his comfort as a driver. But just his continued aggression and his continued three point shooting at this level is so so important for them and so encouraging. And then Jalen Williams logan, Jadob has been excellent for three straight basketball games. It's not a question who has been their best player in this series. It's Jada probably in every single game. If you wanted to make the Caruso case for this one, I would genuinely hear it. I thought he was that insanely impactful. But the offensive production that you're getting from Jadub while he's also wrecking the game defensively, the transition scoring, but also the poison the half court, he has just been so so impressive. So it is a hell of a performance. It is a very very rare thing to see a team that you feel is even capable of this. And I have to say, Man, as bad as the first half was, I could never count the thunder out because, as I literally said after Game one, this is a team that puts together runs at a rate that only the peak Golden State Warriors are comparable to. Their ability to shut down your offense, turn defense into offense by forcing you into so many mistakes and then getting out and running in transition where their athletes are just insane. It's one of one in the sport, and all of that was fully on display in this one. And you still aren't getting the best version of Shay, not even Clo honestly, like he played better in this game, but I still think he's forcing some tough looks. I still think he's specifically hunting the three.

I got to give Triple J some credit too for what he's been doing defensively, like on SGA and like, you know, yeah, I got to give a little bit of credit to Memphis, but she has a.

I got to give Triple J some credit too for what he's been doing defensively, like on SGA and like, you know, yeah, I got to give a little bit of credit to Memphis, but she has a.

Good interior defense. But I thought he looked uncomfortable playing in a crowd at times. I thought his decision making in traffic wasn't great. I mean, he ends up with eight assists, but a couple ugly turnovers and four shots Like this is not that Sjay that we saw in the regular season. And the Thunder are still sitting here up three to zero in this series, and it's just such a testament to how insane their defense is, how insane their depth is, and how many game breaking players they have. Isaiah Joe is so active defensively and makes a couple of threes and is getting out in transition in this one, they're one of a kind man. Their ability to erase deficits, to build leads so so quickly and so explosively, and to just dominate defensively so so special.

Good interior defense. But I thought he looked uncomfortable playing in a crowd at times. I thought his decision making in traffic wasn't great. I mean, he ends up with eight assists, but a couple ugly turnovers and four shots Like this is not that Sjay that we saw in the regular season. And the Thunder are still sitting here up three to zero in this series, and it's just such a testament to how insane their defense is, how insane their depth is, and how many game breaking players they have. Isaiah Joe is so active defensively and makes a couple of threes and is getting out in transition in this one, they're one of a kind man. Their ability to erase deficits, to build leads so so quickly and so explosively, and to just dominate defensively so so special.

It's specifically that ability to win on defense and their ability to capitalize on it on the other end. That's how they're able to put all these runs together, right. It's the defensive playmaking, it's the stops, but it's also the ability.

It's specifically that ability to win on defense and their ability to capitalize on it on the other end. That's how they're able to put all these runs together, right. It's the defensive playmaking, it's the stops, but it's also the ability.

They had this game tied up by like eight minutes to go on the fourth. Yeah, from that point forward they were a little sloppy, but they erased that twenty nine point lead in what twenty minutes.

They had this game tied up by like eight minutes to go on the fourth. Yeah, from that point forward they were a little sloppy, but they erased that twenty nine point lead in what twenty minutes.

And yeah, I mean they're down jaw too. Like, that's important context, but it's still impressive. You do that in any context, right, Like, But it's that ability to capitalize on their defense, winning on that end, and then that's how you generate easy points. The playoffs are tough when you've got to grind it out and you've got to get in the half court so many times. The way to generate easy offense is to get out in transition where you're gonna have mismatches that you can attack, where the defense isn't set up where if you move the ball quickly enough you can kill them. And Oklahoma City's as good at that as you know any team in the league today. Man like them are Boston right, It's it's so special. I think Memphis has done man. I mean, if jobs back or not, I mean, you just I don't think you can bounce back from this game. I can't believe. Shout out Scottie Pippen junior. Man, I mean, dude was spraying in the.

And yeah, I mean they're down jaw too. Like, that's important context, but it's still impressive. You do that in any context, right, Like, But it's that ability to capitalize on their defense, winning on that end, and then that's how you generate easy points. The playoffs are tough when you've got to grind it out and you've got to get in the half court so many times. The way to generate easy offense is to get out in transition where you're gonna have mismatches that you can attack, where the defense isn't set up where if you move the ball quickly enough you can kill them. And Oklahoma City's as good at that as you know any team in the league today. Man like them are Boston right, It's it's so special. I think Memphis has done man. I mean, if jobs back or not, I mean, you just I don't think you can bounce back from this game. I can't believe. Shout out Scottie Pippen junior. Man, I mean, dude was spraying in the.

Field past ology.

Field past ology.

Yeah, dude, that's exactly what I was thinking about when I was watching this game, Carson. I was like, Carson was talking about the death last episode and then Scotty Piffn does this in this game.

Yeah, dude, that's exactly what I was thinking about when I was watching this game, Carson. I was like, Carson was talking about the death last episode and then Scotty Piffn does this in this game.

And it was a really good defensive performance by him too. But yeah, I mean the shooting was just insane. He was really really good in this one. He was their best player.

And it was a really good defensive performance by him too. But yeah, I mean the shooting was just insane. He was really really good in this one. He was their best player.

Yeah, I completely agree, and I mean that's what got them out to that early lead. In Memphis offense just stalled out towards the end. I thought this was a really bad Desmond Baye game too. Like I'm dogged down Triple J. I've been disappointed by him as well. But Oklahoma City is instilling a lot of confidence in me man to come back. Like just the stakes of this game, it's like, you're up to Oh, Memphis has smacked you in the mouth in the first half on the road. It would be so easy to just curl up into a ball and to take this al and say, all right, well, we'll finish this in Oklahoma City in game five. But they didn't. They said, no, we're the Thunder. We're not just gonna lay down. We're gonna come back. We're gonna fight, and it was enough to come back and win. That's what's really impressive to me is this just feels like a game that they could have laid down for, but they didn't.

Yeah, I completely agree, and I mean that's what got them out to that early lead. In Memphis offense just stalled out towards the end. I thought this was a really bad Desmond Baye game too. Like I'm dogged down Triple J. I've been disappointed by him as well. But Oklahoma City is instilling a lot of confidence in me man to come back. Like just the stakes of this game, it's like, you're up to Oh, Memphis has smacked you in the mouth in the first half on the road. It would be so easy to just curl up into a ball and to take this al and say, all right, well, we'll finish this in Oklahoma City in game five. But they didn't. They said, no, we're the Thunder. We're not just gonna lay down. We're gonna come back. We're gonna fight, and it was enough to come back and win. That's what's really impressive to me is this just feels like a game that they could have laid down for, but they didn't.

I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that. I think twenty nine out of thirty teams, if they're up to OHO and they feel like they're that much better, they just say, all right, this isn't our game. We're not gonna fight that hard, like we know that we're going to win this series in five. Still, the Thunder are the one teams that are so psychotically competitive, and als Caruso might have the number one motor in the league. Man, he is an insane person on a basketball court, and they have so much youth, and they have so much energy, and they have so much athleticism and so many great defensive players that like, they just fight so hard. I honestly couldn't believe their apathy in the first half, because I'm like the Thunder of the one team that never comes out flat. They don't play like this, and then man, did they turn it around. I also think Mark Dagnall is just such a good coach, and Timmy Fairy's got a lot of talent to work with, but I think schematically, I think in terms of the intensity he instills in this team, he is so damn impressive. So it's the worst basketball that they've played all year for a half, and somehow I still think you leave this game wildly impressed with the Thunder. It's a different way than it was in the fifty point win, but like the resolve, the toughness, the fight, and still them showing all the things that make them special just in terms of their basketball traits. It was all on display in this one and signature win. Man Grizzlies fans, if you're pissed with any sort of Thunder glaze in this one. I get it because I do think they probably would have won this game with Job, and I'm sorry that he got hurt, and I think it sucks, and it especially sucks how it happened, where like you're up twenty seven, it's gonna be an easy transition lay up for him, and I know that lemutation, and I feel like some people might try to spin that as a dirty play because we saw this with the Men yesterday. I don't know how you could. He so clearly has lost his balance and is just trying to make an effort play like it's just unfortunate. This stuff happens in the NBA, especially happens in the playoffs when dudes are trying to make an extra effort on every play and there's extra physicality on every play. But that sucks for Grizzlies fans because Jaw really really struggled in the first two games, but he looked comfortable. He was dialed in in this one, and that version of Jaw is really essential to this team reaching their ceiling and being a team that you feel can go out there and win playoff games. So whether he returns or not, I think the thunder are gonna win Game four like this was the Grizzlies chance. Obviously, they had everything going. The first half was the perfect storm, and they still weren't able to close it out. Let's talk about the other game that we saw out West Logan. This was a dominant win for the Los Angeles Clippers over the Denver Nuggets. We saw two games in which the total scoring margin was one point, as close as it could be, as high quality basketball as it could be between Denver and LA. This game was a very different story. What did you take away from LA cruising to a victory in this one.

I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that. I think twenty nine out of thirty teams, if they're up to OHO and they feel like they're that much better, they just say, all right, this isn't our game. We're not gonna fight that hard, like we know that we're going to win this series in five. Still, the Thunder are the one teams that are so psychotically competitive, and als Caruso might have the number one motor in the league. Man, he is an insane person on a basketball court, and they have so much youth, and they have so much energy, and they have so much athleticism and so many great defensive players that like, they just fight so hard. I honestly couldn't believe their apathy in the first half, because I'm like the Thunder of the one team that never comes out flat. They don't play like this, and then man, did they turn it around. I also think Mark Dagnall is just such a good coach, and Timmy Fairy's got a lot of talent to work with, but I think schematically, I think in terms of the intensity he instills in this team, he is so damn impressive. So it's the worst basketball that they've played all year for a half, and somehow I still think you leave this game wildly impressed with the Thunder. It's a different way than it was in the fifty point win, but like the resolve, the toughness, the fight, and still them showing all the things that make them special just in terms of their basketball traits. It was all on display in this one and signature win. Man Grizzlies fans, if you're pissed with any sort of Thunder glaze in this one. I get it because I do think they probably would have won this game with Job, and I'm sorry that he got hurt, and I think it sucks, and it especially sucks how it happened, where like you're up twenty seven, it's gonna be an easy transition lay up for him, and I know that lemutation, and I feel like some people might try to spin that as a dirty play because we saw this with the Men yesterday. I don't know how you could. He so clearly has lost his balance and is just trying to make an effort play like it's just unfortunate. This stuff happens in the NBA, especially happens in the playoffs when dudes are trying to make an extra effort on every play and there's extra physicality on every play. But that sucks for Grizzlies fans because Jaw really really struggled in the first two games, but he looked comfortable. He was dialed in in this one, and that version of Jaw is really essential to this team reaching their ceiling and being a team that you feel can go out there and win playoff games. So whether he returns or not, I think the thunder are gonna win Game four like this was the Grizzlies chance. Obviously, they had everything going. The first half was the perfect storm, and they still weren't able to close it out. Let's talk about the other game that we saw out West Logan. This was a dominant win for the Los Angeles Clippers over the Denver Nuggets. We saw two games in which the total scoring margin was one point, as close as it could be, as high quality basketball as it could be between Denver and LA. This game was a very different story. What did you take away from LA cruising to a victory in this one.

That's why it was so crucial for the Nuggets to get that last game man and for Jogics to be that much better, because their margin is nowhere near as large as the Clippers. And that's what we said coming into this series is the Clippers have so many more good basketball players, guys that can produce for you want to give a night that they've got to capitalize on the ones that they can win. And things swung back in the Clippers favor in this game. I thought they shot a lot better. I thought Norman Powell played a lot better. James Harden pulled his weight in this game, and it's like, you get a this is a really good Kawhi game, and obviously wasn't great as game two. Game two is a historic performance, but I still thought, even though he didn't shoot as efficiently, I thought this was a really good Kawhi game. In Yo Kitchen, Jamal do their thing. But it's a bad Aaron Gordon game. It's a bad MPJ game. It's a bad Rust game. And I thought the Nuggets were sloppy. I thought their defense was really poor. I thought they were conceding way too many open threes. That's what sucks, man, is it really feels like the Nuggets needed that game more than the Clippers. And when Kawhi was perfect and nobody else was on and Jokicic just makes a few too many mistakes and that feels like the margin in game two. Those are the ones that come back to bite you in the playoffs. And I don't want to bail on my Nuggets pick Carson, but I'm gonna be honest with you. It's the least confident I think. Yeah, I am in any of my first round predictions at this point. And it's how I felt after Game one. You know, I thought the Nuggets. I thought the Nuggets almost played to their peak, right, MIMPJ didn't have a good game, but a lot of things went right for the Nuggets in that game. And that's the thing to me about this series. The Clippers just have more margin. The Nuggets need to play more refined, perfect basketball every single night to win, and it feels like the Clippers don't. They've got more guys that are reliably good. Zubots I didn't even mention had a really good game in this one too.

That's why it was so crucial for the Nuggets to get that last game man and for Jogics to be that much better, because their margin is nowhere near as large as the Clippers. And that's what we said coming into this series is the Clippers have so many more good basketball players, guys that can produce for you want to give a night that they've got to capitalize on the ones that they can win. And things swung back in the Clippers favor in this game. I thought they shot a lot better. I thought Norman Powell played a lot better. James Harden pulled his weight in this game, and it's like, you get a this is a really good Kawhi game, and obviously wasn't great as game two. Game two is a historic performance, but I still thought, even though he didn't shoot as efficiently, I thought this was a really good Kawhi game. In Yo Kitchen, Jamal do their thing. But it's a bad Aaron Gordon game. It's a bad MPJ game. It's a bad Rust game. And I thought the Nuggets were sloppy. I thought their defense was really poor. I thought they were conceding way too many open threes. That's what sucks, man, is it really feels like the Nuggets needed that game more than the Clippers. And when Kawhi was perfect and nobody else was on and Jokicic just makes a few too many mistakes and that feels like the margin in game two. Those are the ones that come back to bite you in the playoffs. And I don't want to bail on my Nuggets pick Carson, but I'm gonna be honest with you. It's the least confident I think. Yeah, I am in any of my first round predictions at this point. And it's how I felt after Game one. You know, I thought the Nuggets. I thought the Nuggets almost played to their peak, right, MIMPJ didn't have a good game, but a lot of things went right for the Nuggets in that game. And that's the thing to me about this series. The Clippers just have more margin. The Nuggets need to play more refined, perfect basketball every single night to win, and it feels like the Clippers don't. They've got more guys that are reliably good. Zubots I didn't even mention had a really good game in this one too.

It's like always does yeah, right, so consistent.

It's like always does yeah, right, so consistent.

Yeah, it's the prediction that I have the least confidence in at this point, man, And I don't know, man, I'm disappointed. A lot of the Nuggets flaws came to light in this game, and you can't be surprised. The defense, the sloppy play, the inconsistency, but most importantly it's the lack of shooting, and Clippers just got more margin. Man, I'm disappointed in the Nuggets up to this point.

Yeah, it's the prediction that I have the least confidence in at this point, man, And I don't know, man, I'm disappointed. A lot of the Nuggets flaws came to light in this game, and you can't be surprised. The defense, the sloppy play, the inconsistency, but most importantly it's the lack of shooting, and Clippers just got more margin. Man, I'm disappointed in the Nuggets up to this point.

Yeah. This is a reversal of Game two in the sense that you felt like the Nuggets' role players really played quite well in that one and gave them a chance. And this is a disaster from Aaron Gordon outside of the first five minutes when he was hooping, but after that, I mean, can't finish at the rim, can't make a shot, disaster from Michael Porter Junior, who goes two of nine from the field in this game. And both of those guys are playing through injuries, so you're inclined to give them a pass. At the same time, it doesn't matter, Like if this is the level that those two are going to be at for the remainder of this series, the Nuggets do not have a prayer in hell. Really bad from both of them. Russ could not make a shot, and like, this is the problem that we've been talking about. Right when he's on the floor, the Clippers are going to completely ignore him. They are going to roam off of him every possession. And unless he is making those open c threes, you're playing four on five, so you basically have to get him the ball on those possessions. And do you want your offense to be decided by whether or not Russell Westbrook is making open threes? Me personally, if I'm the Nuggets, no, I don't. And in this one he was missing them. And then again they lose him, which just sucks because their depth is so shoddy and now you have to get some Julian strawther minutes. In this game. They also got I don't know, like three bench points in this game. I want to say, ends up being six bench points in this game. So just basically zero production outside of Murray and Jokic. I just think the burden on those two in this series is overwhelming. And I actually thought they were getting a lot of good offensive results when they ran through Jokic, like in the first quarter, he was just absolutely dissecting doubles, dotting up cutters, racks up seven assists, and then I just didn't think was assertive enough. He really needs to be the folk point of every single possession, like he needs to be a god. We need absolute monster Yokic production where he is either scoring, which he was on most touches when they left him in single coverage, or he's drawing so many doubles. I just think they need even more Yokic. And at the end of the day, even if they get that, if the role players aren't gonna be better than this, it's not gonna matter. And it's not gonna matter unless they're better defensively, where they really just did not have any answers in this game. I thought that their pick and roll defense was not good enough. I thought that James Harden was absolutely cooking them in the first half. They try a couple possessions of drop and he's just walking into pull up threes that he reigns. They're putting two up on the ball, and I just think they're not nearly active enough on the back line. They're tagging Zoo way too late. They're getting over to deal with him off the roll too late, where he's comfortably finishing a lot of those looks, And as you said, they also allowed a lot of open threes. Hawahi was really good as a passer in this one too, so they were trying to send multiple bodies at him, but he was making the right reads, he was finding shooters, he was finding cutters. The Clippers are just a really, really good, complete basketball team, and the Nuggets have more holes. So when the Nuggets' best games, absolutely they can go toe to toe with the Clippers. They can beat the Clippers when everything is going right, when they're engaged in competitive defensively, when Jokic just perfect offensively, when guys are making shots around him and making good decisions. But in a game like this, where the Nuggets are disjointed and they're not making shots and they're not engaged defensively, not playing up to their potential, the floor for the Clippers is just so much higher. And they just ran away with this one without playing a remarkable game by the Clippers standards, they played a good game, but this was more about them just being so much better than the Nuggets when Denver's at their worst.

Yeah. This is a reversal of Game two in the sense that you felt like the Nuggets' role players really played quite well in that one and gave them a chance. And this is a disaster from Aaron Gordon outside of the first five minutes when he was hooping, but after that, I mean, can't finish at the rim, can't make a shot, disaster from Michael Porter Junior, who goes two of nine from the field in this game. And both of those guys are playing through injuries, so you're inclined to give them a pass. At the same time, it doesn't matter, Like if this is the level that those two are going to be at for the remainder of this series, the Nuggets do not have a prayer in hell. Really bad from both of them. Russ could not make a shot, and like, this is the problem that we've been talking about. Right when he's on the floor, the Clippers are going to completely ignore him. They are going to roam off of him every possession. And unless he is making those open c threes, you're playing four on five, so you basically have to get him the ball on those possessions. And do you want your offense to be decided by whether or not Russell Westbrook is making open threes? Me personally, if I'm the Nuggets, no, I don't. And in this one he was missing them. And then again they lose him, which just sucks because their depth is so shoddy and now you have to get some Julian strawther minutes. In this game. They also got I don't know, like three bench points in this game. I want to say, ends up being six bench points in this game. So just basically zero production outside of Murray and Jokic. I just think the burden on those two in this series is overwhelming. And I actually thought they were getting a lot of good offensive results when they ran through Jokic, like in the first quarter, he was just absolutely dissecting doubles, dotting up cutters, racks up seven assists, and then I just didn't think was assertive enough. He really needs to be the folk point of every single possession, like he needs to be a god. We need absolute monster Yokic production where he is either scoring, which he was on most touches when they left him in single coverage, or he's drawing so many doubles. I just think they need even more Yokic. And at the end of the day, even if they get that, if the role players aren't gonna be better than this, it's not gonna matter. And it's not gonna matter unless they're better defensively, where they really just did not have any answers in this game. I thought that their pick and roll defense was not good enough. I thought that James Harden was absolutely cooking them in the first half. They try a couple possessions of drop and he's just walking into pull up threes that he reigns. They're putting two up on the ball, and I just think they're not nearly active enough on the back line. They're tagging Zoo way too late. They're getting over to deal with him off the roll too late, where he's comfortably finishing a lot of those looks, And as you said, they also allowed a lot of open threes. Hawahi was really good as a passer in this one too, so they were trying to send multiple bodies at him, but he was making the right reads, he was finding shooters, he was finding cutters. The Clippers are just a really, really good, complete basketball team, and the Nuggets have more holes. So when the Nuggets' best games, absolutely they can go toe to toe with the Clippers. They can beat the Clippers when everything is going right, when they're engaged in competitive defensively, when Jokic just perfect offensively, when guys are making shots around him and making good decisions. But in a game like this, where the Nuggets are disjointed and they're not making shots and they're not engaged defensively, not playing up to their potential, the floor for the Clippers is just so much higher. And they just ran away with this one without playing a remarkable game by the Clippers standards, they played a good game, but this was more about them just being so much better than the Nuggets when Denver's at their worst.

I completely agree. I completely agree, man, Like the Clippers just have more good players that can kill you on a given day. And I still so ridiculous about this Nuggets Clippers series is that I feel like the Clippers have yet to throw anywhere close to their best punch. Like I don't feel like they fully put it together yet on the Nuggets, and this was a convincing win. Like, don't get me wrong, wholeheartedly, I think the Nuggets can play much much better basketball. I mean I've seen it in this series. Like the level they were able to reach at defensively in Game one on a possession to possession basis, the level that Jamal was at, the level that we've seen Gordon and MPJ play at and spurts in this series. Russ too, like the Nuggets can play way better, but it feels like the Clippers haven't played close to They haven't thrown close to their best punch yet, and I feel like they can. Clippers are dangerous, man. I was sleeping. They need to tuck me in and give me my pillow, bro in my blanket. I was sleeping on the Clippers.

I completely agree. I completely agree, man, Like the Clippers just have more good players that can kill you on a given day. And I still so ridiculous about this Nuggets Clippers series is that I feel like the Clippers have yet to throw anywhere close to their best punch. Like I don't feel like they fully put it together yet on the Nuggets, and this was a convincing win. Like, don't get me wrong, wholeheartedly, I think the Nuggets can play much much better basketball. I mean I've seen it in this series. Like the level they were able to reach at defensively in Game one on a possession to possession basis, the level that Jamal was at, the level that we've seen Gordon and MPJ play at and spurts in this series. Russ too, like the Nuggets can play way better, but it feels like the Clippers haven't played close to They haven't thrown close to their best punch yet, and I feel like they can. Clippers are dangerous, man. I was sleeping. They need to tuck me in and give me my pillow, bro in my blanket. I was sleeping on the Clippers.

They are dangerous, bro, And I'll take it asta up further. I don't see why the Clippers can't win the NBA title. Like, I'm not going to put them in a tier with Boston.

They are dangerous, bro, And I'll take it asta up further. I don't see why the Clippers can't win the NBA title. Like, I'm not going to put them in a tier with Boston.

I don't think that's ridiculous.

I don't think that's ridiculous.

Like, how are they not clearly a top five team in basketball? There is not a box that they are not checking. Their stars are playing at a dominant level. Kim, He's playing like a top ten player. James Harden is playing like a top twenty player. And they've been doing this for months now. Their depth is really what X player.

Like, how are they not clearly a top five team in basketball? There is not a box that they are not checking. Their stars are playing at a dominant level. Kim, He's playing like a top ten player. James Harden is playing like a top twenty player. And they've been doing this for months now. Their depth is really what X player.

Is zubat in the league, like top what.

Is zubat in the league, like top what.

Probably Kareem A dul jabbar oh, I thought you were looking for a player comparison. I was gonna say, he's basically the modern Kareamo Dul Jabbar Zoo is a top forty ish player in the end.

Probably Kareem A dul jabbar oh, I thought you were looking for a player comparison. I was gonna say, he's basically the modern Kareamo Dul Jabbar Zoo is a top forty ish player in the end.

They have three top fifty players.

They have three top fifty players.

Though absolutely and Norman Powell. He's not as consistent, but he's an absolute weapon when he gets going offensively, like he did in this game. So I'm just looking up and down at this team, man, and they've been playing phenomenal basketball for a long time. They're two stars have been playing at an incredibly high level for a long time now. They have one of the most consistent third options in basketball, who is such a high impact two way player night after night and is just such a lean, efficient contributor who fits so seamlessly on both ends. They have great creators, and they have great play finishers with a big like Zoo and with their spot up shooting, and you're getting the elite creation from Kawhi and James Harden. They have really really good depth, like they have role players who can go out there and have a massive impact on the game. If it's Chris Dunn, who has eight rebounds in this game, who's one of the best defensive guards on the planet, one of the best on ball guys as a screen navigator, and one of the best off ball disruptors. As a roamer, Nick patsum Logan is first ballot role player Hall of Fame four to three is in this one three blocks. He's still so productive and so effective as a two way player. They have awesome perimeter defenders and they have a dominant interior defender. Like if you get the best version of Kawhi and Harden, who at this point it feels like, basically just take turns, leaving defenses helpless, Like you're gonna get a game where Harden is absolutely nails as a pull up shooter and he's getting by you at will, and he's picking you apart as a playmaker, and then the next game is just gonna be okay. Nobody can deal with Kawhi on an island and he's just gonna give you a super efficient thirty five plus or whatever. Both of them are capable of dominating games, being the best player on the floor in playoff games. Why are they not in those conversations Like I've been saying, I had them as the second best team in the West for a bit, and then I said, the Lakers at their best probably have the edge, But I don't know. The Clippers are just more consistent because their defensive infrastructure is so sound. They're just so reliably awesome, and I do think they're gonna win this series. And I think they're gonna give okay See a hell of a fight in the second round, as good a fight as an anybody in the West camp.

Though absolutely and Norman Powell. He's not as consistent, but he's an absolute weapon when he gets going offensively, like he did in this game. So I'm just looking up and down at this team, man, and they've been playing phenomenal basketball for a long time. They're two stars have been playing at an incredibly high level for a long time now. They have one of the most consistent third options in basketball, who is such a high impact two way player night after night and is just such a lean, efficient contributor who fits so seamlessly on both ends. They have great creators, and they have great play finishers with a big like Zoo and with their spot up shooting, and you're getting the elite creation from Kawhi and James Harden. They have really really good depth, like they have role players who can go out there and have a massive impact on the game. If it's Chris Dunn, who has eight rebounds in this game, who's one of the best defensive guards on the planet, one of the best on ball guys as a screen navigator, and one of the best off ball disruptors. As a roamer, Nick patsum Logan is first ballot role player Hall of Fame four to three is in this one three blocks. He's still so productive and so effective as a two way player. They have awesome perimeter defenders and they have a dominant interior defender. Like if you get the best version of Kawhi and Harden, who at this point it feels like, basically just take turns, leaving defenses helpless, Like you're gonna get a game where Harden is absolutely nails as a pull up shooter and he's getting by you at will, and he's picking you apart as a playmaker, and then the next game is just gonna be okay. Nobody can deal with Kawhi on an island and he's just gonna give you a super efficient thirty five plus or whatever. Both of them are capable of dominating games, being the best player on the floor in playoff games. Why are they not in those conversations Like I've been saying, I had them as the second best team in the West for a bit, and then I said, the Lakers at their best probably have the edge, But I don't know. The Clippers are just more consistent because their defensive infrastructure is so sound. They're just so reliably awesome, and I do think they're gonna win this series. And I think they're gonna give okay See a hell of a fight in the second round, as good a fight as an anybody in the West camp.

That's what I was just gonna ask you. Do you think they match up with the Thunder better than the Lakers.

That's what I was just gonna ask you. Do you think they match up with the Thunder better than the Lakers.

I don't know if they match up better. I think that they are a better defensive counter just with their speed and athleticism. On that end, I think that the Lakers pose more problems offensively just because dealing with two ball handlers and creators with the size and strength of Luke and Lebron. We've seen post some issues for the Thunder. I think that they are like right on par with each other as clearly the two biggest threats to the Thunder. Minnesota also a tough matchup, playing really well. But I do tend to lean on the offenses that I trust more, and that is still both of the LA teams. But the better two way team, certainly, the more consistently great two way team is the Clippers. It's awesome to see man because you know, sometimes when you talk about the Clippers in a positive light, the world makes you feel like you're an insane person. Logan, Well, i mean suffering from schizophrenias, scribbling on the walls, drinking the kool aid. And I'm glad I drink all that kool aid up because it was delicious. It was cherry flavored and it was awesome. Thankfuli's back, James Harden is fantastic.

I don't know if they match up better. I think that they are a better defensive counter just with their speed and athleticism. On that end, I think that the Lakers pose more problems offensively just because dealing with two ball handlers and creators with the size and strength of Luke and Lebron. We've seen post some issues for the Thunder. I think that they are like right on par with each other as clearly the two biggest threats to the Thunder. Minnesota also a tough matchup, playing really well. But I do tend to lean on the offenses that I trust more, and that is still both of the LA teams. But the better two way team, certainly, the more consistently great two way team is the Clippers. It's awesome to see man because you know, sometimes when you talk about the Clippers in a positive light, the world makes you feel like you're an insane person. Logan, Well, i mean suffering from schizophrenias, scribbling on the walls, drinking the kool aid. And I'm glad I drink all that kool aid up because it was delicious. It was cherry flavored and it was awesome. Thankfuli's back, James Harden is fantastic.

Thankfully you didn't die, you know, Thankfully the kool aid didn't kill you.

Thankfully you didn't die, you know, Thankfully the kool aid didn't kill you.

I mean, well, I shouldn't count my chickens before they.

I mean, well, I shouldn't count my chickens before they.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it is, it is. It is good to see though, I mean, Clippers fans have suffered enough, and the team has been He's been on the cusps so many times, right, like the Chris Paul and Blake teams and how great they were every single year, but they just couldn't get over the hump. And then you know PG doing his thing down Kawhi, and just nice to finally see this at least come to fruition a little bit in the first round. Man, here's to to continued health. Yeah. Like you said, man, I don't want to count the chickens before they.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it is, it is. It is good to see though, I mean, Clippers fans have suffered enough, and the team has been He's been on the cusps so many times, right, like the Chris Paul and Blake teams and how great they were every single year, but they just couldn't get over the hump. And then you know PG doing his thing down Kawhi, and just nice to finally see this at least come to fruition a little bit in the first round. Man, here's to to continued health. Yeah. Like you said, man, I don't want to count the chickens before they.

Hash but they are playing excellent basketball and the Nuggets not have it in this one. I know there are some people who are probably gonna look at this game and say, all right, this is all the evidence that we need that the Nuggets need to blow up their roster. And I think the changes are needed, but I think that's been apparent for a while, we've talked about it. I think MPJ is the most likely candidate to be on the move. See if you can find somebody who is more of a complete two way wing, somebody who can bring you that value, and then maybe you can also get a depth piece along with that, because obviously those are the couple of things that need to improve your perimeter athleticism and your overall wing defense and speed on that side of the ball, and then your depth, and both of those things you very much saw the absence of for the Nuggets in this one. This is a rough one. They still have a chance to be very competitive in the remaining games in this series, unless these injuries are gonna affect Aaron Gordon MPG. To this point, MPJ is the more concerning one to me because it's a new thing, and it's a shoulder, and he's obviously a shooter, and his shooting was terrible in this one, so that is definitely something that they have to monitor. Not a good game if you're a Nuggets fan. Not a good feeling. And I think you see what I was talking about when I picked the Clippers to win this series. Man more margin, more of an ability to make the Nuggets offense uncomfortable than vice versa. We're gonna take a quick break to get some words from DraftKings and then we will talk about another phenomenal mixed Pistons game and what has been such a fun series. After this, the NBA eighty two game grind is done and now the real fun begins. The NBA Playoffs are here and it's time for all the high stakes drama, clutch moments, and jaw dropping plays. I can't wait. If you're looking to make the playoffs even more exciting, DraftKings Sportsbook has you covered as an official sports betting partner of the NBA from the play in games all the way through to the finals. Now's the time to back your favorite players and teams as they chase glory.

Hash but they are playing excellent basketball and the Nuggets not have it in this one. I know there are some people who are probably gonna look at this game and say, all right, this is all the evidence that we need that the Nuggets need to blow up their roster. And I think the changes are needed, but I think that's been apparent for a while, we've talked about it. I think MPJ is the most likely candidate to be on the move. See if you can find somebody who is more of a complete two way wing, somebody who can bring you that value, and then maybe you can also get a depth piece along with that, because obviously those are the couple of things that need to improve your perimeter athleticism and your overall wing defense and speed on that side of the ball, and then your depth, and both of those things you very much saw the absence of for the Nuggets in this one. This is a rough one. They still have a chance to be very competitive in the remaining games in this series, unless these injuries are gonna affect Aaron Gordon MPG. To this point, MPJ is the more concerning one to me because it's a new thing, and it's a shoulder, and he's obviously a shooter, and his shooting was terrible in this one, so that is definitely something that they have to monitor. Not a good game if you're a Nuggets fan. Not a good feeling. And I think you see what I was talking about when I picked the Clippers to win this series. Man more margin, more of an ability to make the Nuggets offense uncomfortable than vice versa. We're gonna take a quick break to get some words from DraftKings and then we will talk about another phenomenal mixed Pistons game and what has been such a fun series. After this, the NBA eighty two game grind is done and now the real fun begins. The NBA Playoffs are here and it's time for all the high stakes drama, clutch moments, and jaw dropping plays. I can't wait. If you're looking to make the playoffs even more exciting, DraftKings Sportsbook has you covered as an official sports betting partner of the NBA from the play in games all the way through to the finals. Now's the time to back your favorite players and teams as they chase glory.

All season long. DraftKings has been the go to spot for NBA player props and that doesn't stop.

All season long. DraftKings has been the go to spot for NBA player props and that doesn't stop.

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Logan. We got a fuck you Brunson chant from the Detroit crowd in this game, which I feel captures the intensity in the nastiness of this years. You don't mind my language saying that, do you? You look perhaps a bit offended? You're not clutching your pearls, are you?

Logan. We got a fuck you Brunson chant from the Detroit crowd in this game, which I feel captures the intensity in the nastiness of this years. You don't mind my language saying that, do you? You look perhaps a bit offended? You're not clutching your pearls, are you?

No?

No?

Second straight day, we got an f u X player chant from two different fan bases in two different arenas. And I gotta say, man, I love it these playoffs. There's so much tension, there's so much beef, there's so much animosity, there's so much physicality being allowed. And these are a couple of classic basketball cities that are honestly known for having nasty teams in years past. And this was a great basketball game between the two of them. The Knicks bounce back, they get a win in Detroit to take a two to one lead in this series. What did you take away from their performance?

Second straight day, we got an f u X player chant from two different fan bases in two different arenas. And I gotta say, man, I love it these playoffs. There's so much tension, there's so much beef, there's so much animosity, there's so much physicality being allowed. And these are a couple of classic basketball cities that are honestly known for having nasty teams in years past. And this was a great basketball game between the two of them. The Knicks bounce back, they get a win in Detroit to take a two to one lead in this series. What did you take away from their performance?

I mean, I was really happy with what we got out of Karl Anthony Towents. In this game. He gives you thirty one eight and one on ten of eighteen from the field, four of eight from deep, and he went seven of seven from the line. In Game two, he gives you just ten points and he had zero field goal attempts in the fourth quarter. To me, Kat was the big difference maker in this series and what really gave me confidence in taking New York to win the series just how reliable he could be nightly offensively and they eke this one out. I want to give the Pistons a ton of credit for coming back in the second half. The Knicks finished the first half on a twenty three to six run. They're up sixty six to fifty three, and by five minutes left in the third quarter, the Pistons had erased the lead. Or excuse me, five minutes into the third quarter, they had completely erased all of that lead. They were right back in the game, and they just didn't get enough out of their offensive supporting cast. And I think that's the real big difference in this series. Dennis Schroeder had a great game. Tim Hardaway, Junior kept them around in this game, but Malik Beasley wasn't good enough, and I think Kate Cunningham had to be just a little bit better in this game. You know, I hate picking on him because he had twenty four points eleven assists, but he ultimately shoots just ten to twenty five from the field. He's got six turnovers, and he just needs to be a little bit more efficient in this series. It sucks because he's got such a big burden on his shoulders, but I think Beasley could have shot better. Honestly, if Beasley should it's better. In this game, I don't think it matters. I think the Pistons just win. But they were negative nineteen in his minutes in the first half. But that's a difference, man, Like you just trust Anonobe to get his, you trust Bridges to get his. You know what Brunson and Cat are going to give you for the most part. And that's why Kat's a difference. Man. Kat took over in this game, had a really good one and that's why I picked the Knicks to win this series. But I thought this was a really, really encouraging game for the Pistons to won. Win that game, Get that monkey off their back the first win in seventeen years in the playoffs. That was step one, and they didn't give up in this game. Man. They battled and I thought they were really physical with New York. I thought they battled in the glass in this game, and the Cad and Duram pick and roll really got going in the second half and generated them some easy offense. You know, it wasn't this was a really good loss, like any loss sucks in the playoffs. But I thought the Pistons played really really well and played hard. They just this came up just short.

I mean, I was really happy with what we got out of Karl Anthony Towents. In this game. He gives you thirty one eight and one on ten of eighteen from the field, four of eight from deep, and he went seven of seven from the line. In Game two, he gives you just ten points and he had zero field goal attempts in the fourth quarter. To me, Kat was the big difference maker in this series and what really gave me confidence in taking New York to win the series just how reliable he could be nightly offensively and they eke this one out. I want to give the Pistons a ton of credit for coming back in the second half. The Knicks finished the first half on a twenty three to six run. They're up sixty six to fifty three, and by five minutes left in the third quarter, the Pistons had erased the lead. Or excuse me, five minutes into the third quarter, they had completely erased all of that lead. They were right back in the game, and they just didn't get enough out of their offensive supporting cast. And I think that's the real big difference in this series. Dennis Schroeder had a great game. Tim Hardaway, Junior kept them around in this game, but Malik Beasley wasn't good enough, and I think Kate Cunningham had to be just a little bit better in this game. You know, I hate picking on him because he had twenty four points eleven assists, but he ultimately shoots just ten to twenty five from the field. He's got six turnovers, and he just needs to be a little bit more efficient in this series. It sucks because he's got such a big burden on his shoulders, but I think Beasley could have shot better. Honestly, if Beasley should it's better. In this game, I don't think it matters. I think the Pistons just win. But they were negative nineteen in his minutes in the first half. But that's a difference, man, Like you just trust Anonobe to get his, you trust Bridges to get his. You know what Brunson and Cat are going to give you for the most part. And that's why Kat's a difference. Man. Kat took over in this game, had a really good one and that's why I picked the Knicks to win this series. But I thought this was a really, really encouraging game for the Pistons to won. Win that game, Get that monkey off their back the first win in seventeen years in the playoffs. That was step one, and they didn't give up in this game. Man. They battled and I thought they were really physical with New York. I thought they battled in the glass in this game, and the Cad and Duram pick and roll really got going in the second half and generated them some easy offense. You know, it wasn't this was a really good loss, like any loss sucks in the playoffs. But I thought the Pistons played really really well and played hard. They just this came up just short.

They always play hard, and he got to give them props for that. But I thought this was a really impressive performance from the Knicks in a really nice bounce back game from a disappointing game too, in which I specifically thought their offensive approach was frustrating. And I talked about this, But it wasn't just that Brunson was making his case for the greatest grifting performance that we've seen since prime James Hardener, maybe Joel Embiid. It was the fact that he was basically icing all of his teammates out. And this is a Knicks team that has a lot of collective offensive talent, and they're at their best when everybody is touching the ball, and especially like kat is basically constantly working with an advantage because they're guarding him with Tobias Harris, and he had been so good for a game and a half and then he just was not involved in the offense whatsoever. And Brunson had some really bad turnovers in that game. He wasn't efficient from the field, and I talked about how it felt like he wasn't trusting his team. I realized afterwards, like Game two felt like Brunson thought that he had last year's roster around him, like his job was to carry every offensive possession, sometimes to just get shots up on the rim, because obviously last year there was nobody else who was healthy for the playoffs who could create a shot. It's a much more talented team. It's a very different vibe this time around, and I thought that he got that, Like there was no hero ball from Jalen Brunson in this game. He was selfless and when it came time for him to make some big time shots in the clutch, he was there and he delivered, but everybody was getting involved. I also liked that the Knicks were very intentionally playing with more pace. They have ten more transition points in this game than they did in Game two, getting more easy early offense, The ball was moving around better. They only had three turnovers in the first half against fifteen assists. That was phenomenal efficiency and selfless basketball. And four of their starters go for twenty plus points. So I just think that's really what makes this Knicks team so good. That's their advantage over the Pistons. It's not just that I do think brunton Is is the best player on the floor in this series. It's more so the number of really reliable, high end offensive contributors that they have. And the best player in this game was Karl Anthony Towns. He was absolutely phenomenal. They were getting him the ball and allowing him to attack mismatches that's including Tobias Harris as a mismatch, and he was really really good there. He was under control, he was getting to those floaters and he was really really good on them. But there was one possession where like they're even going to switch Shrewder onto him, and that was just cake for Cat. Sometimes you can see him when he's trying to attack smaller players get a little bit flustered, get a little bit sloppy with the handle. Not in this game, he was excellent there. I want to see more of them leaning into him as a mismatch attacker. But then also he was getting his most efficient offense, which is those transition threes as a trailer, which he was just stepping into an absolutely raining So phenomenal offensively, And allow me to praise Karl Anthony Towns defense logan, because I gotta say, in this series it's been better than I expected. It's been better than the level it was at in the regular season. Now, is he still lacking in some areas? Absolutely, Still not a good rim protector. Still somebody who obviously they're bringing up to the level a lot in part to put some pressure on Cade but also because they're not comfortable with him as a drop defender. But two big blocks in the last three minutes of this game. Through three games of this series, he's got five steals and he's got six blocks. He's been active with his hands, he has put some pressure on Kate up at the level. So great game from him. And then I thought mckel and og were both excellent on both ends. Og is such a tough matchup for Cade, But I also thought that mckel, who we had seen get bullied a little bit more in that CAD matchup, did a better job holding up and applying some pressure to him and making life hard on him, and also just made some plays defensively. Three steals, two blocks, shot it really well from deep, shot it well for mid range. Just a really nice, efficient, good two way performance from him. And then Josh Hart is still doing Josh Harstutton in this one. He's great on the glass, He's really good as a passer. So that's the strength of this Knicks team. It's that their starting five is sick. You're not going to get a ton of bench production. But when everybody in their starting five is at their best and they're playing together, they've got a lot of really good basketball players and that's when they're going to get their best results. And that's what happened in this one.