The volume.

The volume.

Oh my god, how could he do that?

Oh my god, how could he do that?

What Charles Darwin? The nerves is where it's at.

What Charles Darwin? The nerves is where it's at.

Welcome everybody back into your sashon as always, I'm Carson Brabber and alongside is Logan Camden, and we've got a bunch of interesting basketball to talk about today because we just had a very fun, exciting weekend in the NBA. How was your weekend, Logan?

Welcome everybody back into your sashon as always, I'm Carson Brabber and alongside is Logan Camden, and we've got a bunch of interesting basketball to talk about today because we just had a very fun, exciting weekend in the NBA. How was your weekend, Logan?

That was fantastic, bro, How about yours?

That was fantastic, bro, How about yours?

My weekend was good man. Saw the Oscars last night, A no big weekend for a noura. You don't know what I'm talking about, but anybody who listened to the Oscar pod with Jokic, Joe Star, big.

My weekend was good man. Saw the Oscars last night, A no big weekend for a noura. You don't know what I'm talking about, but anybody who listened to the Oscar pod with Jokic, Joe Star, big.

Fan, I was just taking souls on the basketball court.

Fan, I was just taking souls on the basketball court.

That's hard. That's hard, man. You know what was taking souls on the basketball court? Logan Donovan, Mitchell, Levan Mobley in the Cleveland Cavaliers, who ended up winning on Friday night what was maybe the game of the year against the Boston Celtics. Now Boston was down a couple of key guys Kristps Porzingis Andrew Holliday, but nevertheless felt like a huge win for the Cavs, especially because they started this one down twenty five to three and then came all the way back. After watching that game, Logan, what I think we can pretty confidently say should be the Eastern Conference Finals preview? What were your takeaways and how good a chance do you think Cleveland has of beating Boston in a seven game series.

That's hard. That's hard, man. You know what was taking souls on the basketball court? Logan Donovan, Mitchell, Levan Mobley in the Cleveland Cavaliers, who ended up winning on Friday night what was maybe the game of the year against the Boston Celtics. Now Boston was down a couple of key guys Kristps Porzingis Andrew Holliday, but nevertheless felt like a huge win for the Cavs, especially because they started this one down twenty five to three and then came all the way back. After watching that game, Logan, what I think we can pretty confidently say should be the Eastern Conference Finals preview? What were your takeaways and how good a chance do you think Cleveland has of beating Boston in a seven game series.

I think they're right there with Boston. Now. I think Boston.

I think they're right there with Boston. Now. I think Boston.

Is just over the top with talent, where if they were fully healthy, I don't think I could pick against them in a lot of ways. I really do feel like Kristaps Porzingis is the X factor in this series, and we'll get in that in a minute, but I would give Cleveland a very good chance against Boston. Like, in no ways do I think this is a gimme in the way that it was last year, right with Darius Garland struggles with some of their injuries, with honestly the lack of depth Compared to this year, I think the Cavs depth is even better than last season as well, and this is just a great basketball team against Boston. They knock their notch, their ninth straight victory. They're now up to ten straight over those last ten games. They're number one in offensive rating number four and defensive rating and number one in net rating. Specifically, when we're looking at Keys and what needs to go right for Cleveland, I'll start defensively for them. I think you have to limit Garland and Mitchell switches onto wings and bigs as much as possible. I think mismatch attacking is Boston's greatest strength as a team, and this team hunt switches every single possession, and a lot of times they can just abuse them, right if it's Darius Garland, if it's Donovan Mitchell, if it's Ty Jerome, Jalen Brown can just so so easily physically overpower and get to his spots against these guys. A lot of switches on Garland too, I will say in this game specifically, I thought there were a few offensive fouls that should have been called from Jalen Brown on Garland. I thought Garland got hid in the face a few times, like with an elbow that I just thought the refs missed. But Brown's great at attacking mismatches, and so is Jason Tatum. He can just shoot over the top of them, and you know, we see a little bit of a contrast when Tatum's on He's just unstoppable.

Is just over the top with talent, where if they were fully healthy, I don't think I could pick against them in a lot of ways. I really do feel like Kristaps Porzingis is the X factor in this series, and we'll get in that in a minute, but I would give Cleveland a very good chance against Boston. Like, in no ways do I think this is a gimme in the way that it was last year, right with Darius Garland struggles with some of their injuries, with honestly the lack of depth Compared to this year, I think the Cavs depth is even better than last season as well, and this is just a great basketball team against Boston. They knock their notch, their ninth straight victory. They're now up to ten straight over those last ten games. They're number one in offensive rating number four and defensive rating and number one in net rating. Specifically, when we're looking at Keys and what needs to go right for Cleveland, I'll start defensively for them. I think you have to limit Garland and Mitchell switches onto wings and bigs as much as possible. I think mismatch attacking is Boston's greatest strength as a team, and this team hunt switches every single possession, and a lot of times they can just abuse them, right if it's Darius Garland, if it's Donovan Mitchell, if it's Ty Jerome, Jalen Brown can just so so easily physically overpower and get to his spots against these guys. A lot of switches on Garland too, I will say in this game specifically, I thought there were a few offensive fouls that should have been called from Jalen Brown on Garland. I thought Garland got hid in the face a few times, like with an elbow that I just thought the refs missed. But Brown's great at attacking mismatches, and so is Jason Tatum. He can just shoot over the top of them, and you know, we see a little bit of a contrast when Tatum's on He's just unstoppable.

You know, he has a little an.

You know, he has a little an.

Off night against Denver, But I really trust the wings that Cleveland has in those individual matchups. I trust Druce, I trust DeAndre Hunter. I really trust these bigs when they have to switch on to the wings. With Allen and Mobley so one, you have to try to limit them as much as possible. But on the inverse of that, the little guys are just gonna have to play hard too.

Off night against Denver, But I really trust the wings that Cleveland has in those individual matchups. I trust Druce, I trust DeAndre Hunter. I really trust these bigs when they have to switch on to the wings. With Allen and Mobley so one, you have to try to limit them as much as possible. But on the inverse of that, the little guys are just gonna have to play hard too.

Boston's really good.

Boston's really good.

At getting these switches, and I think that smaller wings and guards are gonna have to play really hard because these switches are gonna be inevitable.

At getting these switches, and I think that smaller wings and guards are gonna have to play really hard because these switches are gonna be inevitable.

And that's a really big part of why I.

And that's a really big part of why I.

Think Christops Porzingis is going to be the X factor in this series. Like he's unstoppable, how great he is in the post now as a player, how he's gonna be able to take away some of these shots that Garland and Mitchell have in the mid range when he's out there. There are some other defensive things, but that's where I want to start.

Think Christops Porzingis is going to be the X factor in this series. Like he's unstoppable, how great he is in the post now as a player, how he's gonna be able to take away some of these shots that Garland and Mitchell have in the mid range when he's out there. There are some other defensive things, but that's where I want to start.

I think that.

I think that.

It sounds really basic, Cleveland, smaller guys are gonna have to play really hard and fight. I thought you saw ty Jerome for a little bit in this game in the second quarter, kept getting switched on Horford and wasn't giving him an inch. But that's where it's gonna start, and speeding up Tatum and Jaylen Brown as well. I think applying ball pressure getting up into their body. Brown would be the guy that I attacked too. I know he was really hot in him and Tatum, we're serving buckets certain points in this game. I thought that Jalen Brown was shooting Cleveland back into this game, and he's the guy that I would play off of right. Boston doesn't have a whole lot of weak spots. And when I'm talking about attacking mismatches as well, Derek White is really good at attacking mismatches too.

It sounds really basic, Cleveland, smaller guys are gonna have to play really hard and fight. I thought you saw ty Jerome for a little bit in this game in the second quarter, kept getting switched on Horford and wasn't giving him an inch. But that's where it's gonna start, and speeding up Tatum and Jaylen Brown as well. I think applying ball pressure getting up into their body. Brown would be the guy that I attacked too. I know he was really hot in him and Tatum, we're serving buckets certain points in this game. I thought that Jalen Brown was shooting Cleveland back into this game, and he's the guy that I would play off of right. Boston doesn't have a whole lot of weak spots. And when I'm talking about attacking mismatches as well, Derek White is really good at attacking mismatches too.

He's a jumbo size guard.

He's a jumbo size guard.

It's a lot easier said than done. And Brown is the guy that I think I'm picking on though Carson. I think that I'm gonna try to attack his handle and I'm gonna try to force him to beat me as a jump shooter, and I'm gonna be aggressive in passing lanes. There's a lot of defensive keys I have for Cleveland, but that's where I'll start.

It's a lot easier said than done. And Brown is the guy that I think I'm picking on though Carson. I think that I'm gonna try to attack his handle and I'm gonna try to force him to beat me as a jump shooter, and I'm gonna be aggressive in passing lanes. There's a lot of defensive keys I have for Cleveland, but that's where I'll start.

So when you're talking about not conceding those switches. What are you doing? What coverage are you playing against the Jas.

So when you're talking about not conceding those switches. What are you doing? What coverage are you playing against the Jas.

I think I'm gonna give them a mix of zone. I think I'm gonna try to mix in some of those looks.

I think I'm gonna give them a mix of zone. I think I'm gonna try to mix in some of those looks.

And I thought, well, they did do.

And I thought, well, they did do.

This benefit That's what I was gonna say. They did implement that at certain points in the game. I'm switching up my coverages and I'm giving them a lot to look at. I want Boston to be confused and not comfortable. It's tough because Cleveland likes to switch everything too, and Garland and Mitchell fight hard. It's a lot easier said than done. And maybe I'm playing off of some other guys. Like I said, the guy that's on Jaylen Brown, I'm probably gonna have him sag off a little bit and we're gonna let Jaylen Brown shoot a little bit more because he has struggled so much from behind the art. I want him to be the guy that's gonna kill me. And when they're running bench like Houser or Cornett, I'm probably helping off of those guys as well.

This benefit That's what I was gonna say. They did implement that at certain points in the game. I'm switching up my coverages and I'm giving them a lot to look at. I want Boston to be confused and not comfortable. It's tough because Cleveland likes to switch everything too, and Garland and Mitchell fight hard. It's a lot easier said than done. And maybe I'm playing off of some other guys. Like I said, the guy that's on Jaylen Brown, I'm probably gonna have him sag off a little bit and we're gonna let Jaylen Brown shoot a little bit more because he has struggled so much from behind the art. I want him to be the guy that's gonna kill me. And when they're running bench like Houser or Cornett, I'm probably helping off of those guys as well.

On those I'm not helping off Sammy Howser ever once in my life, Bro, he is a weapon with an open catch and shoot. You got it.

On those I'm not helping off Sammy Howser ever once in my life, Bro, he is a weapon with an open catch and shoot. You got it.

You gotta pick your battles man.

You gotta pick your battles man.

So we saw a lot of interesting pick and roll coverages thrown at, specifically Jason Tatum, over this weekend. Because Jason Tatum running pick and roll is a problem, and especially when he has the sort of shooting and offensive skill around him that he does. There's just not a ton of good answers to this. So I actually went through and I tracked by hand every coverage that Tatum saw on every ball screen and how the defense is performed in those different looks. What Cleveland was doing overwhelmingly was switching. That's their fundamental strategy. And Tatum did very, very well in that game. He generated twenty four points off of eighteen possessions when they switched on a ball screen, so that's one point twenty five points possession. That's really really great offense. And the big problem here is absolutely Darius Garland. He has improved defensively this year, but he's just still way too small for this matchup and he's going to get attacked relentlessly. But it's not just Garland, it's Sam Merrill. When he's on the floor, it's Ty Jerome when he's on the floor any of these smaller slider guards. Tatum and Brown were playing bullyball against those guys, and that's when they're at their best.

So we saw a lot of interesting pick and roll coverages thrown at, specifically Jason Tatum, over this weekend. Because Jason Tatum running pick and roll is a problem, and especially when he has the sort of shooting and offensive skill around him that he does. There's just not a ton of good answers to this. So I actually went through and I tracked by hand every coverage that Tatum saw on every ball screen and how the defense is performed in those different looks. What Cleveland was doing overwhelmingly was switching. That's their fundamental strategy. And Tatum did very, very well in that game. He generated twenty four points off of eighteen possessions when they switched on a ball screen, so that's one point twenty five points possession. That's really really great offense. And the big problem here is absolutely Darius Garland. He has improved defensively this year, but he's just still way too small for this matchup and he's going to get attacked relentlessly. But it's not just Garland, it's Sam Merrill. When he's on the floor, it's Ty Jerome when he's on the floor any of these smaller slider guards. Tatum and Brown were playing bullyball against those guys, and that's when they're at their best.

Can I I don't think there's a good solution to Tatum. I think I blitz Jaylen Brown okay most every time, though.

Can I I don't think there's a good solution to Tatum. I think I blitz Jaylen Brown okay most every time, though.

So I was going to get to a similar point to that because there is still such a gap between them as playmakers. With Tatum, I just never want to send two to the ball. I don't want to blitz. I don't want my big playing up at the level because I don't want to give him an opportunity to create a four on three or just to find an open shooter, like if it's Derek White one pass away, Like I'd rather make Jason Tatum work for a two and maybe he settles for a little bit of a tougher mid range jumper and he just tries to shoot over top of a smaller guard from fifteen feet. I'll take that over a wide open Derek White three because Derek White, and it's not just him, it could be pritchered, it could be How's or even Al Horford KP. There's just so many lethal shooters on the floor, and then you could look and say, okay, well we'll play drop against Tatum, which almost never happened in either of these games. Cleveland or Denver played almost no drop against Tatum. And like, there's an argument that you do want to test how consistent can he be as a pull up shooter, because we have seen him go through his cold streaks there if you think about the playoffs last year. But also if I had to guess which coverage I think Jason Tatum wants to see most, I think he wants to just be able to walk into a pull up three against drop. And if you're just conceding open pull up threes and he gets into a rhythm, well then now you feel like, okay, that's the worst thing we could be doing because we're not even forcing him to make a decision. This is just easy, free walk up sort of pull up threes for him, which he loves, and he's going to hunt throughout a game. So that's not a good answer. So I can live with the switching on Tatum. He also did a really good job against the Bigs. I mean, he was cooking Jared Allen. He even cooked my belove at Evan Mobley a couple times. Those were tougher buckets, especially against Mobley. Mobley was forcing him to take pull up jumpers and he was just making all of them in the first half of this game. But Mobley guarded him really well in the playoff year.

So I was going to get to a similar point to that because there is still such a gap between them as playmakers. With Tatum, I just never want to send two to the ball. I don't want to blitz. I don't want my big playing up at the level because I don't want to give him an opportunity to create a four on three or just to find an open shooter, like if it's Derek White one pass away, Like I'd rather make Jason Tatum work for a two and maybe he settles for a little bit of a tougher mid range jumper and he just tries to shoot over top of a smaller guard from fifteen feet. I'll take that over a wide open Derek White three because Derek White, and it's not just him, it could be pritchered, it could be How's or even Al Horford KP. There's just so many lethal shooters on the floor, and then you could look and say, okay, well we'll play drop against Tatum, which almost never happened in either of these games. Cleveland or Denver played almost no drop against Tatum. And like, there's an argument that you do want to test how consistent can he be as a pull up shooter, because we have seen him go through his cold streaks there if you think about the playoffs last year. But also if I had to guess which coverage I think Jason Tatum wants to see most, I think he wants to just be able to walk into a pull up three against drop. And if you're just conceding open pull up threes and he gets into a rhythm, well then now you feel like, okay, that's the worst thing we could be doing because we're not even forcing him to make a decision. This is just easy, free walk up sort of pull up threes for him, which he loves, and he's going to hunt throughout a game. So that's not a good answer. So I can live with the switching on Tatum. He also did a really good job against the Bigs. I mean, he was cooking Jared Allen. He even cooked my belove at Evan Mobley a couple times. Those were tougher buckets, especially against Mobley. Mobley was forcing him to take pull up jumpers and he was just making all of them in the first half of this game. But Mobley guarded him really well in the playoff year.

Last year contested man and Tatum was just making everything.

Last year contested man and Tatum was just making everything.

Mobley can guard him. But Alan he was a little too quick for and then he was being physical as a driver and giving him a bump. So he's gonna hunt those switches. Those I think that you can see though, because I feel good about how Mobley can guard him, and good enough about how Alan can guard him. Garland is just the really, really tough one who's going to get attacked relentlessly. But there's not a good answer there. With Tatum, it really isn't. With Brown, I think that I would probably just play drop against him, and I would try to force him to beat you as a pull up shooter and force him to beat you from the mid range, because Brown at times is more scary as a pure mismatch attacker than Tatum, because he's so relentlessly physical, because he is so inclined to just go through you.

Mobley can guard him. But Alan he was a little too quick for and then he was being physical as a driver and giving him a bump. So he's gonna hunt those switches. Those I think that you can see though, because I feel good about how Mobley can guard him, and good enough about how Alan can guard him. Garland is just the really, really tough one who's going to get attacked relentlessly. But there's not a good answer there. With Tatum, it really isn't. With Brown, I think that I would probably just play drop against him, and I would try to force him to beat you as a pull up shooter and force him to beat you from the mid range, because Brown at times is more scary as a pure mismatch attacker than Tatum, because he's so relentlessly physical, because he is so inclined to just go through you.

He just backs you down to like them, Yeah, short mid range area and gets to that little tiny jumper and it's automatic offense.

He just backs you down to like them, Yeah, short mid range area and gets to that little tiny jumper and it's automatic offense.

I mean, he's eight of eleven when guarded by Darius Garland this year Jalen Brown is So that's a major problem. And the reality is just that, like, as long as Boston targets Garland and they involve him in just about every action, they're going to get good shots pretty much at will. But also I feel like I'm almost forgetting because he didn't play in this game. But when Chris tops Porzingis is on the floor and he's the screener, then it's really hard for you to play drop because he is an elite pick and pop big. So, especially if Tatum is the ball handler who you trust to consistently find KP off the pop because he's a good pass, sir, those are very problematic looks for you to be conceding. So KP is just a whole other problem to deal with with all these ball screens. And also the other thing is we're talking about them playing drop versus Jalen. The reality is most of the time when Garland ends up on Jalen, it's not in a sort of conventional pick and roll. It's a guard on guard screen that is never intended to flow directly into like a pick and roll or pick and pop. It's just a force to switch. So then Brown can go and attack him on an island. And the reality is that they're probably just going to continue to switch those sort of guard to guard or wing to wing screens. So it's tough. There isn't a good answer, and that's the reason I think Boston is still the favorite in this matchup. As good as Cleveland is, Cleveland has a vulnerability defensively that Boston can attack. Boston has nothing resembling a weak point. They're strong everywhere.

I mean, he's eight of eleven when guarded by Darius Garland this year Jalen Brown is So that's a major problem. And the reality is just that, like, as long as Boston targets Garland and they involve him in just about every action, they're going to get good shots pretty much at will. But also I feel like I'm almost forgetting because he didn't play in this game. But when Chris tops Porzingis is on the floor and he's the screener, then it's really hard for you to play drop because he is an elite pick and pop big. So, especially if Tatum is the ball handler who you trust to consistently find KP off the pop because he's a good pass, sir, those are very problematic looks for you to be conceding. So KP is just a whole other problem to deal with with all these ball screens. And also the other thing is we're talking about them playing drop versus Jalen. The reality is most of the time when Garland ends up on Jalen, it's not in a sort of conventional pick and roll. It's a guard on guard screen that is never intended to flow directly into like a pick and roll or pick and pop. It's just a force to switch. So then Brown can go and attack him on an island. And the reality is that they're probably just going to continue to switch those sort of guard to guard or wing to wing screens. So it's tough. There isn't a good answer, and that's the reason I think Boston is still the favorite in this matchup. As good as Cleveland is, Cleveland has a vulnerability defensively that Boston can attack. Boston has nothing resembling a weak point. They're strong everywhere.

I tend to agree, And the one thing I was gonna say, though, is I think you can forge Jalen Brown into some mistakes if you switch up the coverage.

I tend to agree, And the one thing I was gonna say, though, is I think you can forge Jalen Brown into some mistakes if you switch up the coverage.

I wouldn't run straight drop.

I wouldn't run straight drop.

I would definitely blitz him sometimes and try to get the ball out of his hands, or just speed these guys up and try to like just disrupt them a little bit. You don't want them to be comfortable, and against great players, that's all you really can do is to try to get up all on the mend. Like I said, just speed them up. A little bit, make them make that pass a little bit quicker, and hope that your.

I would definitely blitz him sometimes and try to get the ball out of his hands, or just speed these guys up and try to like just disrupt them a little bit. You don't want them to be comfortable, and against great players, that's all you really can do is to try to get up all on the mend. Like I said, just speed them up. A little bit, make them make that pass a little bit quicker, and hope that your.

Guy can jump a passing lane.

Guy can jump a passing lane.

But there isn't a good answer, and I don't have one, because there's just that you said it. There's two glaring liabilities at all time with your best offensive configuration.

But there isn't a good answer, and I don't have one, because there's just that you said it. There's two glaring liabilities at all time with your best offensive configuration.

That being said, that's why I'm.

That being said, that's why I'm.

Really really confident in Cleveland being able to throw a potent offensive punch. And the area where I think Garland and Mitchell need to be at their best is from the mid range. And what I mean by that is I think that's where Boston's defense is going to be vulnerable and where they can really go to work. I think that's where this series is going to be decided for them and Garland, Mitchell, and Ti Jerome I all believe in them in the mid range, either scoring out of it or playmaking out of it because well one, Mitchell's just a great scorer. I think Mitchell can be able to float this offense for a lot of this series, pull up jumpers, stuff at the rim. That's why I love Donovan Mitchell because he's so constant and I get he'll have a down game, so well, every basketball player but Mitchell for the most part, can get those two shots at will.

Really really confident in Cleveland being able to throw a potent offensive punch. And the area where I think Garland and Mitchell need to be at their best is from the mid range. And what I mean by that is I think that's where Boston's defense is going to be vulnerable and where they can really go to work. I think that's where this series is going to be decided for them and Garland, Mitchell, and Ti Jerome I all believe in them in the mid range, either scoring out of it or playmaking out of it because well one, Mitchell's just a great scorer. I think Mitchell can be able to float this offense for a lot of this series, pull up jumpers, stuff at the rim. That's why I love Donovan Mitchell because he's so constant and I get he'll have a down game, so well, every basketball player but Mitchell for the most part, can get those two shots at will.

But Darius Garland in a.

But Darius Garland in a.

Lot of ways, is the guy that just keeps this thing going because he's so special. Like Garland is such a good ball handler, and he's so deceptive with his handle, the head fakes, the hesitations.

Lot of ways, is the guy that just keeps this thing going because he's so special. Like Garland is such a good ball handler, and he's so deceptive with his handle, the head fakes, the hesitations.

The control of the ball. He's able to get into the teeth of this defense at will.

The control of the ball. He's able to get into the teeth of this defense at will.

And I know on paper, you'll look and you'll go, all right, Derek White and Drew Holliday will be able to match them, and I think that's true at full strength.

And I know on paper, you'll look and you'll go, all right, Derek White and Drew Holliday will be able to match them, and I think that's true at full strength.

But Darius Garland is.

But Darius Garland is.

So good offensively that I think he's gonna be able to continue to manufacture offense. It's just not going to be the easy shots that Cleveland wants at the rim and from behind the arc. So the area where I think Garland really needs to be nails is in the mid range with his floater and with his pull up, which is encouraging because he's been great.

So good offensively that I think he's gonna be able to continue to manufacture offense. It's just not going to be the easy shots that Cleveland wants at the rim and from behind the arc. So the area where I think Garland really needs to be nails is in the mid range with his floater and with his pull up, which is encouraging because he's been great.

From there this year.

From there this year.

He's also been phenomenal playmaking, Like he's just so good at getting into the teeth of the defense and then killing you after that with passes out to shooters. I get that he doesn't blow you away scoring the basketball.

He's also been phenomenal playmaking, Like he's just so good at getting into the teeth of the defense and then killing you after that with passes out to shooters. I get that he doesn't blow you away scoring the basketball.

He does pull his weight.

He does pull his weight.

He gives you five points in the fourth quarter when nobody else is really giving Cleveland anything.

He gives you five points in the fourth quarter when nobody else is really giving Cleveland anything.

Evan Mobley was also awesome in the fourth quarter.

Evan Mobley was also awesome in the fourth quarter.

I'll get to him in a minute, but oh yeah, please do Garland.

I'll get to him in a minute, but oh yeah, please do Garland.

I trust them.

I trust them.

I trust the Guards to continue manufacturing and pumping out offense all series long. They've been great all year and they were able to generate really good shots.

I trust the Guards to continue manufacturing and pumping out offense all series long. They've been great all year and they were able to generate really good shots.

So along with being great in.

So along with being great in.

The mid range, scoring and playmaking, I think shooters have to knock down shots, and you have to keep pace with Boston from behind the arc. Mismatch attacking is boston superpower. So are threes, and that's how they got out to such a big early lead in this game. But the three pointer is a pendulum, and I think ultimately Boston is going to swing even in a lot of ways that it's their superpower. I think it could be their kryptonite. Long rebounds the offense gets out into transition. So Cleveland's wings, I think, are gonna have to shoot a lot of threes, be confident in themselves, and they're gonna have to knock them down.

The mid range, scoring and playmaking, I think shooters have to knock down shots, and you have to keep pace with Boston from behind the arc. Mismatch attacking is boston superpower. So are threes, and that's how they got out to such a big early lead in this game. But the three pointer is a pendulum, and I think ultimately Boston is going to swing even in a lot of ways that it's their superpower. I think it could be their kryptonite. Long rebounds the offense gets out into transition. So Cleveland's wings, I think, are gonna have to shoot a lot of threes, be confident in themselves, and they're gonna have to knock them down.

And I like Cleveland wing. Cleveland's wings a lot Struce, Dean Wade, DeAndre Hunter. I really like all those guys.

And I like Cleveland wing. Cleveland's wings a lot Struce, Dean Wade, DeAndre Hunter. I really like all those guys.

Knocking down shots and playing defense, so those I think are important. Arguably the most important factor in this series for Cleveland is gonna be Evan Mobley, though, and I think it is really really important that he takes on more offensive responsibility and asserts himself. He has the size and physicality to impose himself in this game, and he gives you eleven points in the fourth quarter when Cleveland desperately needed somebody to step up. It's a very simple offensive game, but his physical advantages he can exert. You know, in that fourth quarter he gets a switch on Derek and just backs his ass into him all the way down to the rim and gets a bucket. And Mobiley's gonna have to take over at certain points because he's the guy that can attack mismatches in the ways that Boston is getting those switches offensively on the other end with their big guys. That's what Cleveland's gonna have to do. Mobiley can't be passive. Mobley cannot be scared. He was in the first half, and that's what scares me. You see his bad hands at a certain point with Mobiley. You see, he has a lack of a counter on drive. Sometimes can just be like I said, like a little pensive, a little bit passive. I need Mobley to be aggressive. I need him to trust himself. I need him to shoot open threes. But most importantly, I really need him to attack mismatches and just other general things here with Cleveland, they need to win the energy and effort categories. They need to hustle on the glass. These are just basic things to win basketball games. And then I think they need to convincingly win bench minutes, which I would give advantage Cleveland and this one. The numbers are a little bit skewed just because Tatum and Brown were so awesome they really didn't need the bench to do a whole lot. And so those are my offensive keys, but I don't think they're that complicated. Carson and I wouldn't just be ready to count Cleveland out. I obviously lean Boston because I think they have such concrete offensive advantages that are really hard for Cleveland to answer with. But I really believe in this Cleveland offense, the guy that's gonna put them over the top for me is Evan Mobley.

Knocking down shots and playing defense, so those I think are important. Arguably the most important factor in this series for Cleveland is gonna be Evan Mobley, though, and I think it is really really important that he takes on more offensive responsibility and asserts himself. He has the size and physicality to impose himself in this game, and he gives you eleven points in the fourth quarter when Cleveland desperately needed somebody to step up. It's a very simple offensive game, but his physical advantages he can exert. You know, in that fourth quarter he gets a switch on Derek and just backs his ass into him all the way down to the rim and gets a bucket. And Mobiley's gonna have to take over at certain points because he's the guy that can attack mismatches in the ways that Boston is getting those switches offensively on the other end with their big guys. That's what Cleveland's gonna have to do. Mobiley can't be passive. Mobley cannot be scared. He was in the first half, and that's what scares me. You see his bad hands at a certain point with Mobiley. You see, he has a lack of a counter on drive. Sometimes can just be like I said, like a little pensive, a little bit passive. I need Mobley to be aggressive. I need him to trust himself. I need him to shoot open threes. But most importantly, I really need him to attack mismatches and just other general things here with Cleveland, they need to win the energy and effort categories. They need to hustle on the glass. These are just basic things to win basketball games. And then I think they need to convincingly win bench minutes, which I would give advantage Cleveland and this one. The numbers are a little bit skewed just because Tatum and Brown were so awesome they really didn't need the bench to do a whole lot. And so those are my offensive keys, but I don't think they're that complicated. Carson and I wouldn't just be ready to count Cleveland out. I obviously lean Boston because I think they have such concrete offensive advantages that are really hard for Cleveland to answer with. But I really believe in this Cleveland offense, the guy that's gonna put them over the top for me is Evan Mobley.

Though the Cleveland offense is amazing. It's been the best offense in terms of offensive raiding end to end this year, and I believe it is currently the second best relative offensive raiding that's offensive raiding compared to league average in NBA history. So it's crazy. We have like a top two relative offense and a top two relative defense with OKC both going down this season, and we just have two historically dominant regular season teams right now who I still don't know if they're getting talked about enough. Lebron so fifteen, they're getting talked about enough. They're fifty to ten man, absolutely absurd, and the Thunder are what like second all time in net rating right now. I mean, these teams are both ridiculous. So the offense is phenomenal. I do think the keys for them on that side of the ball to win this series, Donovan Mitchell probably has to be the best offensive player in this series, which I do think you can expect. The problem is he's just fighting a tougher battle because of the personnel he's going up against. Not that he hasn't cooked the Celtics because he has. I mean he's averaging thirty five and a half points per game on sixty two percent true shooting against them this year across four games. He was destroying them last year in the playoffs when he was healthy. Like, I really don't think they can do anything with him, especially when he's on as a pull up shooter and he can get downhill at will. It's just such a crazy combination that leads to these really unique scoring explosions. But Mitchell has to be better offensively than Tatum, and again the reason that that's hard ish, It's definitely not impossible. But Tatum is just able to pinpoint weak points in a way that Mitchell is not. We're talking about all the different things that you can do, Like I should have maybe explained more the reason that they're going to always switch these sort of guard on guard or guard on wing screens. When you have a perimeter player screening for Tatum or Brown, if it's Derek White, you're not sending two to the ball. You're not trying to fight through and stay on your matches because if he slips out, I mean twenty five feet out, he's automatic, Like, you just cannot leave that guy. It's such a pick your poison situation. Mitchell doesn't have those sort of advantages that he can try to exploit, but he can absolutely be a monster. They also do need Darius Garland to be way better than he has been versus Boston. We can talk about the defensive end. Frankly, I don't think that he can do much better there. I mean, he's just totally outmatched. It's not an effort thing. It's a size thing, it's a strength thing, it's an athleticism thing. But he hasn't been good offensively versus Boston. I mean, he's just night teen and six on forty five percent true shooting this year, and he was really bad in the playoff series last year. Now that was a totally different player. Garland has gotten so so much better since last season. But this is a team that has elite defensive guards. Garland should be able to get by them. And I think you see in spots when he really commits to getting dribble penetration in this game, he can do it. He's so quick. His handle is top two in the league, and it really might not be two logan Darius Garland handle in the league.

Though the Cleveland offense is amazing. It's been the best offense in terms of offensive raiding end to end this year, and I believe it is currently the second best relative offensive raiding that's offensive raiding compared to league average in NBA history. So it's crazy. We have like a top two relative offense and a top two relative defense with OKC both going down this season, and we just have two historically dominant regular season teams right now who I still don't know if they're getting talked about enough. Lebron so fifteen, they're getting talked about enough. They're fifty to ten man, absolutely absurd, and the Thunder are what like second all time in net rating right now. I mean, these teams are both ridiculous. So the offense is phenomenal. I do think the keys for them on that side of the ball to win this series, Donovan Mitchell probably has to be the best offensive player in this series, which I do think you can expect. The problem is he's just fighting a tougher battle because of the personnel he's going up against. Not that he hasn't cooked the Celtics because he has. I mean he's averaging thirty five and a half points per game on sixty two percent true shooting against them this year across four games. He was destroying them last year in the playoffs when he was healthy. Like, I really don't think they can do anything with him, especially when he's on as a pull up shooter and he can get downhill at will. It's just such a crazy combination that leads to these really unique scoring explosions. But Mitchell has to be better offensively than Tatum, and again the reason that that's hard ish, It's definitely not impossible. But Tatum is just able to pinpoint weak points in a way that Mitchell is not. We're talking about all the different things that you can do, Like I should have maybe explained more the reason that they're going to always switch these sort of guard on guard or guard on wing screens. When you have a perimeter player screening for Tatum or Brown, if it's Derek White, you're not sending two to the ball. You're not trying to fight through and stay on your matches because if he slips out, I mean twenty five feet out, he's automatic, Like, you just cannot leave that guy. It's such a pick your poison situation. Mitchell doesn't have those sort of advantages that he can try to exploit, but he can absolutely be a monster. They also do need Darius Garland to be way better than he has been versus Boston. We can talk about the defensive end. Frankly, I don't think that he can do much better there. I mean, he's just totally outmatched. It's not an effort thing. It's a size thing, it's a strength thing, it's an athleticism thing. But he hasn't been good offensively versus Boston. I mean, he's just night teen and six on forty five percent true shooting this year, and he was really bad in the playoff series last year. Now that was a totally different player. Garland has gotten so so much better since last season. But this is a team that has elite defensive guards. Garland should be able to get by them. And I think you see in spots when he really commits to getting dribble penetration in this game, he can do it. He's so quick. His handle is top two in the league, and it really might not be two logan Darius Garland handle in the league.

I was wondering that watching this game.

I was wondering that watching this game.

Man.

Man.

Obviously, everybody will talk about Kyrie, who a lot of people think has the greatest handle ever, and I can't argue with that. I think Garland's handle is better than Steph. I mean Steph's all time. What I'll say is Garland's hesitation dribble is the nastiest dribble.

Obviously, everybody will talk about Kyrie, who a lot of people think has the greatest handle ever, and I can't argue with that. I think Garland's handle is better than Steph. I mean Steph's all time. What I'll say is Garland's hesitation dribble is the nastiest dribble.

Move in the NBA's field. Dude, it gets everybody.

Move in the NBA's field. Dude, it gets everybody.

It's unbelievable, it's unbelievably disgusting. And he has everything in his bag so he can get that sort of dribble penetration. And then the challenge is finishing at the especially when KP is on the floor. He's not gonna get a lot of good looks at the rim. But the guy's shooting sixty plus percent on floaters this year. He's been the best guard in basketball at floaters. So Garland is a sort of elite, elite offensive player who should be like matchup proof at this stage. When he's this good as a pull up shooter, when he's this good from float range, when he's this good as a playmaker, he just needs to play up to his level in this matchup. And he was solid offensively in this past game. He wasn't his best game, but he hit a solid outing and then I'll say, specifically with Evan Mobley, it's just the aggression, Like that's what I really need to see from him, specifically stepping into threes and punishing switches, which is exactly what he did in the fourth quarter. Because sometimes you have this thing, especially with these bigs, where like if you leave them wide open and you give them two seconds, yeah they'll shoot thirty seven percent. But if you close out, the release is just a little too slow or it's a little too tentative. You actually see this all the time with Jokic, Right, the guy shoots forty four percent from three, but what's the one fault of his three point shot. It's that slow ass release where he really needs a lot of time and space to shoot it. Otherwise he closed out well enough, he's gonna probably try to get you with the pump and go, and sometimes that works, but sometimes it negates and advantage because he passed up on an open three. That was happening with Mobley in the first half, where these closeouts were deterring him from taking these threes, and then the second half he's more confidently, more quickly walking into those threes, taking those catch and shoot looks. That's important those sort of quick release threes for him and then punishing the switches. You mentioned the backdown on Derek White, where he was very patient, which I loved. He was physical, he did not force up a subpar look, he didn't panic, and the help didn't come soon enough, so he was able to cook him one on one. But just as impactful is what he can do on the glass against those switches, which you saw in the fourth quarter. He had eight rebounds in that quarter, and he had three offensive rebounds, all of which came off of switches. He's got the size advantage. Another he had the Derek White switch and the double did come, but he created a wide open three for a Korro. So like it's not always just about scoring in that matchup, it's about taking advantage of that matchup in all of the ways. But I thought Evan Mobley was the best player in the fourth quarter of this game. I mean, certainly the first six minutes of the fourth quarter he absolutely dominated, and then Kenny took him out of the game for a little bit for some reason, I guess to get him a breather. But I didn't like that decision. But that's the MOBILEI you need because the defensive impact will always be there. How much can he tap into his unique skill set offensively? And then you touched on this, but I just think they need to outshoot Boston in a series like this, not in terms of raw three point volume, but in terms of efficiency from beyond the arc. These are two elite, elite three point shooting teams. I just don't know how you beat Boston if their three ball is falling, and then they can also find whatever mismatch they want inside the arc, like they can in this series. And I think that they need to outplay Boston in the clutch and has been unbelievable in the clutch this year, Like their clutch numbers are insane. They're nineteen and six in clutch games. They have a one forty one offensive rating in the clutch, and they won this game in the clutch. But my one concern the one tendency that we can see from them in terms of clutch offense that I don't like, and it really only appears, I feel like in big games, but we've seen it in the playoffs a lot is Donovan Mitchell hero ball. He was the best player on the floor for Cleveland in this game he went off, but you look at the final few minutes of this game, he jacked up to contested pull up threes that were way off, And sometimes he gets in that mode, Like I don't want him dictating every possession, just because I think this offense in totality is so good, and because Garland is so good, but I especially don't want him just walking down and taking tough pull up threes every possession. Like I always think that Mitchell is at his best when he's a downhill garden. He has this crazy handle and footwork and touch and finishing in the lane, Like I don't like it when we get that super pull up three, heavy hero Baal Donovan Mitchell in the clutch. And then the way that they ice this game is Darius Garland hunt Sam Hauser, which is smart, right, find the weakest link defensively, even though hawsers competitive. The problem is you get fully healthy Boston and the defense is more strong, in more bulletproof, because now it's Drew Holiday out there as your garden, it's kp out there as you're big. So I've been saying it all year, man, that's just the real advantage for Boston. It's just the fact that their defense is so elite across the board, and then you get KP back, and I think that it changes both sides of the ball because he is such a weapon offensively, he does bring even more of that lethal pick and pop game. And then also if he gets a switch, I mean, he's the most brutal mismatch attacker on the team and he brings that real high end rimp protection that as good as Al Horford still is, and my god, he gave him some good minutes, KP is a completely different level as a rim protector. They have no holes. Man, They're a juggernaut.

It's unbelievable, it's unbelievably disgusting. And he has everything in his bag so he can get that sort of dribble penetration. And then the challenge is finishing at the especially when KP is on the floor. He's not gonna get a lot of good looks at the rim. But the guy's shooting sixty plus percent on floaters this year. He's been the best guard in basketball at floaters. So Garland is a sort of elite, elite offensive player who should be like matchup proof at this stage. When he's this good as a pull up shooter, when he's this good from float range, when he's this good as a playmaker, he just needs to play up to his level in this matchup. And he was solid offensively in this past game. He wasn't his best game, but he hit a solid outing and then I'll say, specifically with Evan Mobley, it's just the aggression, Like that's what I really need to see from him, specifically stepping into threes and punishing switches, which is exactly what he did in the fourth quarter. Because sometimes you have this thing, especially with these bigs, where like if you leave them wide open and you give them two seconds, yeah they'll shoot thirty seven percent. But if you close out, the release is just a little too slow or it's a little too tentative. You actually see this all the time with Jokic, Right, the guy shoots forty four percent from three, but what's the one fault of his three point shot. It's that slow ass release where he really needs a lot of time and space to shoot it. Otherwise he closed out well enough, he's gonna probably try to get you with the pump and go, and sometimes that works, but sometimes it negates and advantage because he passed up on an open three. That was happening with Mobley in the first half, where these closeouts were deterring him from taking these threes, and then the second half he's more confidently, more quickly walking into those threes, taking those catch and shoot looks. That's important those sort of quick release threes for him and then punishing the switches. You mentioned the backdown on Derek White, where he was very patient, which I loved. He was physical, he did not force up a subpar look, he didn't panic, and the help didn't come soon enough, so he was able to cook him one on one. But just as impactful is what he can do on the glass against those switches, which you saw in the fourth quarter. He had eight rebounds in that quarter, and he had three offensive rebounds, all of which came off of switches. He's got the size advantage. Another he had the Derek White switch and the double did come, but he created a wide open three for a Korro. So like it's not always just about scoring in that matchup, it's about taking advantage of that matchup in all of the ways. But I thought Evan Mobley was the best player in the fourth quarter of this game. I mean, certainly the first six minutes of the fourth quarter he absolutely dominated, and then Kenny took him out of the game for a little bit for some reason, I guess to get him a breather. But I didn't like that decision. But that's the MOBILEI you need because the defensive impact will always be there. How much can he tap into his unique skill set offensively? And then you touched on this, but I just think they need to outshoot Boston in a series like this, not in terms of raw three point volume, but in terms of efficiency from beyond the arc. These are two elite, elite three point shooting teams. I just don't know how you beat Boston if their three ball is falling, and then they can also find whatever mismatch they want inside the arc, like they can in this series. And I think that they need to outplay Boston in the clutch and has been unbelievable in the clutch this year, Like their clutch numbers are insane. They're nineteen and six in clutch games. They have a one forty one offensive rating in the clutch, and they won this game in the clutch. But my one concern the one tendency that we can see from them in terms of clutch offense that I don't like, and it really only appears, I feel like in big games, but we've seen it in the playoffs a lot is Donovan Mitchell hero ball. He was the best player on the floor for Cleveland in this game he went off, but you look at the final few minutes of this game, he jacked up to contested pull up threes that were way off, And sometimes he gets in that mode, Like I don't want him dictating every possession, just because I think this offense in totality is so good, and because Garland is so good, but I especially don't want him just walking down and taking tough pull up threes every possession. Like I always think that Mitchell is at his best when he's a downhill garden. He has this crazy handle and footwork and touch and finishing in the lane, Like I don't like it when we get that super pull up three, heavy hero Baal Donovan Mitchell in the clutch. And then the way that they ice this game is Darius Garland hunt Sam Hauser, which is smart, right, find the weakest link defensively, even though hawsers competitive. The problem is you get fully healthy Boston and the defense is more strong, in more bulletproof, because now it's Drew Holiday out there as your garden, it's kp out there as you're big. So I've been saying it all year, man, that's just the real advantage for Boston. It's just the fact that their defense is so elite across the board, and then you get KP back, and I think that it changes both sides of the ball because he is such a weapon offensively, he does bring even more of that lethal pick and pop game. And then also if he gets a switch, I mean, he's the most brutal mismatch attacker on the team and he brings that real high end rimp protection that as good as Al Horford still is, and my god, he gave him some good minutes, KP is a completely different level as a rim protector. They have no holes. Man, They're a juggernaut.

They really don't.

They really don't.

I mean, he takes away shots that you know are really great looks in the playoffs just because of his length, right, like those little mid range shots that you can only get there. And Cleveland lived on that a lot of this game too. I think he's their second best player. I think, yeah, he just changes there, He changes, He changes everything, and so I think the Celtics are vulnerable without Christops Porzingis. I think I would still pick them to beat Cleveland even without him, just because their size really is that deciding factor. But I think the Cavaliers are on their level, and without KP, I would give them an opportunity. But if he's healthy, I don't think I could pick against Boston.

I mean, he takes away shots that you know are really great looks in the playoffs just because of his length, right, like those little mid range shots that you can only get there. And Cleveland lived on that a lot of this game too. I think he's their second best player. I think, yeah, he just changes there, He changes, He changes everything, and so I think the Celtics are vulnerable without Christops Porzingis. I think I would still pick them to beat Cleveland even without him, just because their size really is that deciding factor. But I think the Cavaliers are on their level, and without KP, I would give them an opportunity. But if he's healthy, I don't think I could pick against Boston.

What percentage chance would you give Cleveland? Because I said a while ago, a month and change ago, when we were talking about these two teams, then I would give Cleveland like a twenty percent chance and best of seven series. Then we talked before this game on last show and I said, now I think I'd give Cleveland like a thirty percent chance. Now I'm gonna settle in between, and I'm gonna say twenty five because even having seen Cleveland win this game, they won it without KP and without Drew Holiday on the floor, and like they had to play so well offensively, which they can do, but it's so easy for Boston to get whatever shot they want every time down the floor. It just feels like they'd have to check all the boxes that we just talked about for them to win this series, whereas I think Boston has a little bit more margin. I mean, Boston has more margin than everybody because they're so talented and they're so good on both sides of the ball, and there's nothing that you can exploit. So I'm gonna say, twenty five percent chance that Cleveland beats Boston in a seven game series.

What percentage chance would you give Cleveland? Because I said a while ago, a month and change ago, when we were talking about these two teams, then I would give Cleveland like a twenty percent chance and best of seven series. Then we talked before this game on last show and I said, now I think I'd give Cleveland like a thirty percent chance. Now I'm gonna settle in between, and I'm gonna say twenty five because even having seen Cleveland win this game, they won it without KP and without Drew Holiday on the floor, and like they had to play so well offensively, which they can do, but it's so easy for Boston to get whatever shot they want every time down the floor. It just feels like they'd have to check all the boxes that we just talked about for them to win this series, whereas I think Boston has a little bit more margin. I mean, Boston has more margin than everybody because they're so talented and they're so good on both sides of the ball, and there's nothing that you can exploit. So I'm gonna say, twenty five percent chance that Cleveland beats Boston in a seven game series.

I like that number. I agree.

I like that number. I agree.

I really hope that this is what we get as our Eastern Conference final, because this could be the best Eastern Conference Finals of my lifetime.

I really hope that this is what we get as our Eastern Conference final, because this could be the best Eastern Conference Finals of my lifetime.

A war man, a battle, an absolutely war.

A war man, a battle, an absolutely war.

I just don't think there's anybody on their level, and I really hope it doesn't come down to like an injury or something like that.

I just don't think there's anybody on their level, and I really hope it doesn't come down to like an injury or something like that.

I just think that these I think these are two of the three best teams.

I just think that these I think these are two of the three best teams.

In basketball, and I don't know, I'm feel really disappointed if we didn't get that.

In basketball, and I don't know, I'm feel really disappointed if we didn't get that.

Also, real quick, I wanted to add this before we move on. Yeah, the Calves are the twelfth.

Also, real quick, I wanted to add this before we move on. Yeah, the Calves are the twelfth.

Team in NBA history to go fifty to ten through their first sixty games.

Team in NBA history to go fifty to ten through their first sixty games.

Wow.

Wow.

One, two, three, four, five, Six of them went on to win the championship. One more team also went to the finals, that was the twenty sixteen Warriors. Maybe we'll do that as a trivia time sometime.

One, two, three, four, five, Six of them went on to win the championship. One more team also went to the finals, that was the twenty sixteen Warriors. Maybe we'll do that as a trivia time sometime.

Yeah, Yeah, that'd be a fun list. I'm trying to think about other Eastern Conference finals that would be comparable in terms of the matchup. Twenty twelve, Celtic's heat was a Banger eighty two, you have Celtic Sixers Banger and way back in the day you get six or Celtics with Wilt. But like, these are two unbelievable teams, and you know, the East really hasn't been that great for most of this century. So I think it's really really fun if we don't get these two. If injury or some weirdness deprives us, I'll be super upset. We're not done talking about the Celtics though, because they took part in the two games of the weekend. I think that Cavs Celtics was clearly the best again, maybe the game of the year, but they also played Denver on national TV in what ended up being a pretty good game, and this one was a Boston win. What were your takeaways from this one, Logan? And do you think the Nuggets are fake contenders after some of the struggles that we've seen them have against really good teams lately.

Yeah, Yeah, that'd be a fun list. I'm trying to think about other Eastern Conference finals that would be comparable in terms of the matchup. Twenty twelve, Celtic's heat was a Banger eighty two, you have Celtic Sixers Banger and way back in the day you get six or Celtics with Wilt. But like, these are two unbelievable teams, and you know, the East really hasn't been that great for most of this century. So I think it's really really fun if we don't get these two. If injury or some weirdness deprives us, I'll be super upset. We're not done talking about the Celtics though, because they took part in the two games of the weekend. I think that Cavs Celtics was clearly the best again, maybe the game of the year, but they also played Denver on national TV in what ended up being a pretty good game, and this one was a Boston win. What were your takeaways from this one, Logan? And do you think the Nuggets are fake contenders after some of the struggles that we've seen them have against really good teams lately.

I could never call a team that has the best player in the world fake contenders, just because I believe that much singularly in Nicola Jokic.

I could never call a team that has the best player in the world fake contenders, just because I believe that much singularly in Nicola Jokic.

But I do think that for Denver to.

But I do think that for Denver to.

Go on another championship run, they need a lot to go right. The issue early in the season was Jamal Murray pulling his weight.

Go on another championship run, they need a lot to go right. The issue early in the season was Jamal Murray pulling his weight.

And I'm pretty.

And I'm pretty.

Confident in Jamal with the level that he's been at as a tough shot maker and just doing this thing alongside Jokich.

Confident in Jamal with the level that he's been at as a tough shot maker and just doing this thing alongside Jokich.

But the flags, the red flags are glaring with this team.

But the flags, the red flags are glaring with this team.

The big one to me is I still wonder if this team just has enough shooting around them, and primarily because they're depending on Russell Westbrook and Christian Brown so much in this lineup to make open jumpers. And you think about a playoff series, and you think about the adjustments that a team would run against Denver, and it's really very simple.

The big one to me is I still wonder if this team just has enough shooting around them, and primarily because they're depending on Russell Westbrook and Christian Brown so much in this lineup to make open jumpers. And you think about a playoff series, and you think about the adjustments that a team would run against Denver, and it's really very simple.

Denver has and this is.

Denver has and this is.

Big minutes with these both of these guys specifically on the floor. And you can substitute Aaron Gordon into this equation too, because it's basically the exact same thing which you're gonna do defensively against these guys at any given time. Denver is probably only going to have three guys that are really scared of killing you on the perimeter, and that's Michael Porter Junior, that's Jamal Murray, and that's NICOLEA Jokic, which means the other two guys, that being Gordon Brown or Westbrook. You're gonna help off of those guys and you're gonna be really really comfortable with them shooting open threes, so you can divert more attention to those guys and take away the looks that they have. And that's what a lot of teams employ. Deep into this basketball game, they were two of eleven on open threes. That was deep into the third quarter, and I just wonder if that's what's gonna kill them, man, Like, can I depend on Russell Westbrook and Christian Brown to make enough of.

Big minutes with these both of these guys specifically on the floor. And you can substitute Aaron Gordon into this equation too, because it's basically the exact same thing which you're gonna do defensively against these guys at any given time. Denver is probably only going to have three guys that are really scared of killing you on the perimeter, and that's Michael Porter Junior, that's Jamal Murray, and that's NICOLEA Jokic, which means the other two guys, that being Gordon Brown or Westbrook. You're gonna help off of those guys and you're gonna be really really comfortable with them shooting open threes, so you can divert more attention to those guys and take away the looks that they have. And that's what a lot of teams employ. Deep into this basketball game, they were two of eleven on open threes. That was deep into the third quarter, and I just wonder if that's what's gonna kill them, man, Like, can I depend on Russell Westbrook and Christian Brown to make enough of.

These open looks?

These open looks?

I don't know.

I don't know.

This team is also, on top of that, gonna struggle athletically and defensively. They have glaring like personnel limitations right where you can go at certain guys in the lineup, especially Jamal Murray right a Jokic on the interior. He just is not a one man defense and the way you need to. And they also don't have good backup bigs to turn to. I know you were talking about that on I saw you tweet out of little bit about that, and that's a major component. You don't even have a guy extra four or five spot that can change the game defensively. So teams are always gonna eat on the interior against Denver and you're gonna need better in effort and energy on that end. And Carson, I see those things. It's that's what's problematic to me with Denver.

This team is also, on top of that, gonna struggle athletically and defensively. They have glaring like personnel limitations right where you can go at certain guys in the lineup, especially Jamal Murray right a Jokic on the interior. He just is not a one man defense and the way you need to. And they also don't have good backup bigs to turn to. I know you were talking about that on I saw you tweet out of little bit about that, and that's a major component. You don't even have a guy extra four or five spot that can change the game defensively. So teams are always gonna eat on the interior against Denver and you're gonna need better in effort and energy on that end. And Carson, I see those things. It's that's what's problematic to me with Denver.

Carson.

Carson.

These aren't things that are just an issue against Boston. These aren't things that are just an issue against Oklahoma City. These aren't things that are just an issue against X matchup. Right, A lot of the things that we were just discussing with Cleveland and Boston, cleveland struggles are unique to that matchup against Boston because Boston is, as you said, a juggernaut. I don't think any of these issues are unique to to Denver in a specific matchup. I think their fundamental weaknesses against any matchups is gonna run to in the Western Conference, and so I'll give them a fighting chance against any team in the Western Conference. But these are all things that I think a good basketball team and there are a lot of them in the Western Conference that they can exploit against Denver. And that's what really scares me. Man, It's not a matchup dependent thing with Denver. It's against everybody. And I'm disappointed.

These aren't things that are just an issue against Boston. These aren't things that are just an issue against Oklahoma City. These aren't things that are just an issue against X matchup. Right, A lot of the things that we were just discussing with Cleveland and Boston, cleveland struggles are unique to that matchup against Boston because Boston is, as you said, a juggernaut. I don't think any of these issues are unique to to Denver in a specific matchup. I think their fundamental weaknesses against any matchups is gonna run to in the Western Conference, and so I'll give them a fighting chance against any team in the Western Conference. But these are all things that I think a good basketball team and there are a lot of them in the Western Conference that they can exploit against Denver. And that's what really scares me. Man, It's not a matchup dependent thing with Denver. It's against everybody. And I'm disappointed.

Carson.

Carson.

I had really high expectations for Denver coming into this season, and.

I had really high expectations for Denver coming into this season, and.

As the season continues.

As the season continues.

To go on and go on, I just worry about this team being a serious contender.

To go on and go on, I just worry about this team being a serious contender.

I've kind of talked myself into it. Man, I do they're getting there?

I've kind of talked myself into it. Man, I do they're getting there?

For me? They're getting into that fake contender tier where you know, Oklahoma City is by themselves I think a top the Western Conference. Still, I think they've earned that with how dominant they've been this regular season. Down chet Holmgren, I don't know, man, La is climbing for me, the Lakers to be specific, they're climbing. They're very hot. Like I think Denver is not in that top tier to me, I think Oklahoma City has earned that top notch. And then I wonder if it's everybody else.

For me? They're getting into that fake contender tier where you know, Oklahoma City is by themselves I think a top the Western Conference. Still, I think they've earned that with how dominant they've been this regular season. Down chet Holmgren, I don't know, man, La is climbing for me, the Lakers to be specific, they're climbing. They're very hot. Like I think Denver is not in that top tier to me, I think Oklahoma City has earned that top notch. And then I wonder if it's everybody else.

And I don't know if.

And I don't know if.

Denver is number two or number three or number four for me anymore, I could see them getting knocked off again. I have to respect what this offense can do, and I have to respect nikoley Jokic is the best player in the world.

Denver is number two or number three or number four for me anymore, I could see them getting knocked off again. I have to respect what this offense can do, and I have to respect nikoley Jokic is the best player in the world.

But like I said, the.

But like I said, the.

Red flags are glaring with this team, and I think they're glaring against any matchup in the Western Conference in any round.

Red flags are glaring with this team, and I think they're glaring against any matchup in the Western Conference in any round.

When we're talking about where they stack up against the other really good teams in basketball. My feeling for a long while has been that you have your absolute top tier, which is the Big three teams. This year that being Boston, Okasee in Cleveland, and then Denver has been a clear fourth best team. For me, I can't say that they're that anymore. We just had this conversation with the Knicks last week talking about are the Knicks fake contenders? And I think that Denver is clearly better than New York. New York gets blown out against a lot of these elite teams. We haven't necessarily seen that happen to Denver, and I do think that Denver has the advantage of having the best player in the world. I think that they honestly have a higher ceiling on both sides of the ball than New York, but they do suffer from some of the same issues, their limitations defensively and just overall. The thing that I think stands out about Denver from all of these matchups that we've watched in recent weeks against really good teams, against the Lakers, against Milwaukee, now against Boston, Denver has some A plus strengths. When you look at that offense, they also have real weaknesses, real weaknesses in a way that Cleveland does not. Certainly real weakness is in a way that even Okay See with their offensive questions does not have because there's still a really really good half court offense, clutch offense. They just have these stretches. They have the non SGA minutes that get ugly. Denver has real weaknesses in a way that certainly Boston does not. Obviously we've talked about there the team that has no holes and they have waitnesses on both sides of the ball. I think is the disappointing part because defensively, it's no surprise that they're absolutely in a conundrum against the team like Boston. How do they guard this pick and roll attack? How do they guard a bunch of ball screens for Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown. They don't have good answers. You see them switching these guard on guard screens, guard on wing screens where Jamal Murray finds himself on the jas and that's a pretty tough matchup. Jalen Brown when guarded by Jamal Murray has twenty points on sixty four percent true shooting. This year, Tatum had an off shooting game against Denver, so his numbers aren't as great from this season over a small sample, but you still feel like he's really getting what he wants in that matchup. The one thing I will say, because we were just talking about Garland and how much of a nightmare this is for him, it's not Garland level for Jamal because he is bigger, he is stronger, so he can provide a little bit more resistance when he's fighting and like force them to shoot over top from a little bit further out, whereas sometimes Garland is just like conceding actual layups, or he's conceding these short jumpers that almost feel like layups. And sometimes Murray is letting these guys get to those really short jumpers. But sometimes you know it's a fifteen footer and it's like, hey, at least you make the guy make the shot. But it's still a mismatch. It's still a big time mismatch, and they will just go at him relentlessly. As a defensive week point, then when you have Yokic involved as the pick and roll defender, their default coverage is send two to the ball, either blitz outright or have Yokic play up at the level, try to provide some pressure on Adjason Tatum. And they forced a couple turnovers doing that, but they also let up one point two five points per Tatum ball screen when they sent two to the ball. Because he's a good playmaker. I think there's a legitimate case that he's a better playmaker than a scorer at this his career. And if you are going to send two to the ball, that means somebody is open somewhere, and somebody is open on the Boston Celtics, and that guy is probably a really, really good shooter. And again, like it's generally better to make anybody work for their bucket than to give an open shot to this team. That's the predicament that they're in. And like you're not gonna play drop against them with Jokic. We saw them play some drop with DeAndre Jordan in, but Jokic just isn't a good deep drop defender. Maybe they could try that, but at that point you're basically just saying, Okay, Tatum, make open pull up threes, But like, we're not gonna get a contest on those shots. We're not gonna make life hard on you there. So defensively, Boston's gonna get what they want in this matchup. And Boston gets what they want about against basically anybody, as we just talked about against Cleveland, but even more so against Denver. On average and offensively, this Denver offense is great. I mean, I've been saying that I thought they were the best offense in the league with some of the added juice that they have this year, with more athleticism, with more cutting, with more ball handling, with the growth of Christian Brown and Russ fitting in so well, and really overperforming here. But when you see them up against serious defenses, serious teams who are treating these games with a legitimate game plan, right as if you were sort of going to watch it still a playoff matchup.