The volume. No, Oh my god, how could he do that?

The volume. No, 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 Nerd session as always, I'm Carson Bradburn. Alongside me is Logan Camden and we are officially into the final week of the NBA regular season and we had a pretty eventful penultimate weekend of the regular season. You can look that one up in your dictionary. Logan, penultimate, I mean second to last. I spoiled it for you. Lot went down, and I think the biggest story to come out of the weekend was the Los Angeles Lakers just beating down the Oklahoma City Thunder, blowing them out. And what do you make of that result? Logan? Was that real or.

Welcome everybody back into Nerd session as always, I'm Carson Bradburn. Alongside me is Logan Camden and we are officially into the final week of the NBA regular season and we had a pretty eventful penultimate weekend of the regular season. You can look that one up in your dictionary. Logan, penultimate, I mean second to last. I spoiled it for you. Lot went down, and I think the biggest story to come out of the weekend was the Los Angeles Lakers just beating down the Oklahoma City Thunder, blowing them out. And what do you make of that result? Logan? Was that real or.

I can't call it fake? And Carson, you're breaking out these big syllable words. You're gonna make my brain overheat.

I can't call it fake? And Carson, you're breaking out these big syllable words. You're gonna make my brain overheat.

Man, I'm sorry about that.

Man, I'm sorry about that.

I can't call it.

I can't call it.

Fake because it's something that I can't rule out happening again. If these teams were able to do battle like I think the Lakers have a superpower, and that superpower is the ability to spray from beyond the arc. They out shot Oklahoma City by thirty points from the three point line. They were obliterating the OKC zone. They were attacking and abusing, switching bigs on the perimeter, and they kept just spamming high screens and handoffs, spraying threes. And I mean, this is a Lakers team that we've talked about over the last few weeks, had been in a bit of a skid, and they were due to look way better, and I think they got cranked up for one of the bigger games in the back half of the season against the best team in the West. Interrelated with that, I also have to say I thought this was a piss poor defensive effort from Oklahoma City.

Fake because it's something that I can't rule out happening again. If these teams were able to do battle like I think the Lakers have a superpower, and that superpower is the ability to spray from beyond the arc. They out shot Oklahoma City by thirty points from the three point line. They were obliterating the OKC zone. They were attacking and abusing, switching bigs on the perimeter, and they kept just spamming high screens and handoffs, spraying threes. And I mean, this is a Lakers team that we've talked about over the last few weeks, had been in a bit of a skid, and they were due to look way better, and I think they got cranked up for one of the bigger games in the back half of the season against the best team in the West. Interrelated with that, I also have to say I thought this was a piss poor defensive effort from Oklahoma City.

I have to lament them.

I have to lament them.

Oklahoma City allowed one hundred and twenty six points in this game. It's the second highest offensive rating allowed in a game by OKC this year, and it's the ninth time Oklahoma City is allowed one hundred and twenty five or more points in a game this season. The most staggering number to me about all this, though, was the fact that Los Angeles generated thirty six open or wide open threes in this game. They took forty on the night, thirty six of them were classified as either open or wide open. That's when a defender is four to six feet away from the jump shooter. And they shot twenty of thirty six on those looks fifty five percent. I mean, we're just spraying all game long. So you know, I thought LA had a really good game plan. I thought they executed. I thought they killed them from behind the arc. But also with that, I thought the Thunder were lazy, a step slow all game and really sleep walking. And that's just defensively. Offensively, I thought we got big letdown games from the supporting cast from Jdubb sixteen points on four four team Chet Holmgren in Foul Trouble had four f twenty four minute hees on you know, kind of a restriction only scores ten.

Oklahoma City allowed one hundred and twenty six points in this game. It's the second highest offensive rating allowed in a game by OKC this year, and it's the ninth time Oklahoma City is allowed one hundred and twenty five or more points in a game this season. The most staggering number to me about all this, though, was the fact that Los Angeles generated thirty six open or wide open threes in this game. They took forty on the night, thirty six of them were classified as either open or wide open. That's when a defender is four to six feet away from the jump shooter. And they shot twenty of thirty six on those looks fifty five percent. I mean, we're just spraying all game long. So you know, I thought LA had a really good game plan. I thought they executed. I thought they killed them from behind the arc. But also with that, I thought the Thunder were lazy, a step slow all game and really sleep walking. And that's just defensively. Offensively, I thought we got big letdown games from the supporting cast from Jdubb sixteen points on four four team Chet Holmgren in Foul Trouble had four f twenty four minute hees on you know, kind of a restriction only scores ten.

Points in this game.

Points in this game.

So I can't say it was a fake result, because in a hypothetical series against LA or something like this, I could see LA doing this in a couple of games.

So I can't say it was a fake result, because in a hypothetical series against LA or something like this, I could see LA doing this in a couple of games.

Like this offense is legit.

Like this offense is legit.

I'm not surprised at all that LA could do this in an individual game. But there are things that I expect in a playoff series to swing back in Oklahoma City's favor. I expect JDub and Chet to be better. I expect the surrounding shooters to shoot better, and I really expect a much better defensive performance from Oklahoma City. That's the biggest thing to me. This has been a historic defense all year long. I don't think that's fake. I think the sample size and what I've come to no and believe from this group is real. I just can't imagine Oklahoma City sleep walking through a game defensively like this. Again, that was the most disappointing thing for me from this Thunder team. But I can't say anything negative about this I think it is among the best in the NBA.

I'm not surprised at all that LA could do this in an individual game. But there are things that I expect in a playoff series to swing back in Oklahoma City's favor. I expect JDub and Chet to be better. I expect the surrounding shooters to shoot better, and I really expect a much better defensive performance from Oklahoma City. That's the biggest thing to me. This has been a historic defense all year long. I don't think that's fake. I think the sample size and what I've come to no and believe from this group is real. I just can't imagine Oklahoma City sleep walking through a game defensively like this. Again, that was the most disappointing thing for me from this Thunder team. But I can't say anything negative about this I think it is among the best in the NBA.

It was a phenomenal offensive performance by the Lakers, for sure. Part of that was outlier shot making. Like I'm glad that you mentioned that this was a defensive performance by okay See that is way below their standard. I thought that a lot of the rotations were not as sharp as normal. I thought a lot of the closeouts were slower than normal. It was not a high effort performance. And to be fair, they really have nothing to play for other than pride. I mean, obviously they have the one seed locked up by far, so LA was able to generate a lot of open good looks from three at the same time. They made them at a ridiculous clip. And it wasn't just like open catch and shoot threes. We're talking about their raining pull up threes. Luca cannot miss on some tough step backs. Then you have Lebron just like hitting turnaround over turnaround, like the two point jumpers were all falling like it was insane. They became the ninth team ever in the first half of this game to have a half. This is actually before the Austin Reeves heave where they made fifteen plus threes and made at least seventy percent of them. So that is the biggest difference in this game. Because you mentioned the numbers specifically on open and wide open threes, where la is shooting fifty five percent, the Thunder generated almost as many open and wide open threes. They had thirty three of them they made ten. So if one team's gonna shoot fifty five percent on their good looks from three and the other team is gonna shoot thirty percent on their good looks from three, the team that shoots thirty percent is just not going to win that game ever in the NBA, and they're honestly going to struggle to be competitive a vast majority of the time. I did think that OKC was able to get some good looks in this game that just did not fall from the perimeter. And I also thought they're finishing was bad in this game. They had more than double the restricted area attempts that LA did, but just were not efficient at the rim. And I thought that especially Jadab missed a whole lot of layups in this one and just had a bad offensive game overall. But although I thought LA's offense was probably the most impressive aspect of this game, I mean just the shot making, it was a ridiculous display. I did think their defensive game plan was very effective and was well executed. They mixed in a little bit of zone and Okase he actually did fine against the zone when Shay was on the floor. They had eleven points on seven possessions against the zone. But what they consistently did was sit in all of those gaps whenever SGA has the ball, help very aggressively and basically just take away any easy driving lanes for him so he can't get all the way downhill. I thought that Shay was actually great as a playmaker, making them pay with the right reads and the right passes for dedicating so much defensive attention and loading up the paint like that. And I thought that Shay was excellent as a shot maker in this game, Like they're forcing him into a little bit more of a mid range heavy shot diet, but he was phenomenal from the mid range and even on a couple of tough drives, like just a pair of ridiculous finishes in this game where you just see combination of length in his control of the ball of English, so so impressive. So I actually thought that Shay was quite good all things considered. He had twenty six points, nine assists, just one turnover, fifty two percent shooting from the field. He just didn't get to line a single time in this game. And I thought, honestly had a pretty tough whistle. I thought he got fouled on a couple drives in the third quarter and neither one was called.

It was a phenomenal offensive performance by the Lakers, for sure. Part of that was outlier shot making. Like I'm glad that you mentioned that this was a defensive performance by okay See that is way below their standard. I thought that a lot of the rotations were not as sharp as normal. I thought a lot of the closeouts were slower than normal. It was not a high effort performance. And to be fair, they really have nothing to play for other than pride. I mean, obviously they have the one seed locked up by far, so LA was able to generate a lot of open good looks from three at the same time. They made them at a ridiculous clip. And it wasn't just like open catch and shoot threes. We're talking about their raining pull up threes. Luca cannot miss on some tough step backs. Then you have Lebron just like hitting turnaround over turnaround, like the two point jumpers were all falling like it was insane. They became the ninth team ever in the first half of this game to have a half. This is actually before the Austin Reeves heave where they made fifteen plus threes and made at least seventy percent of them. So that is the biggest difference in this game. Because you mentioned the numbers specifically on open and wide open threes, where la is shooting fifty five percent, the Thunder generated almost as many open and wide open threes. They had thirty three of them they made ten. So if one team's gonna shoot fifty five percent on their good looks from three and the other team is gonna shoot thirty percent on their good looks from three, the team that shoots thirty percent is just not going to win that game ever in the NBA, and they're honestly going to struggle to be competitive a vast majority of the time. I did think that OKC was able to get some good looks in this game that just did not fall from the perimeter. And I also thought they're finishing was bad in this game. They had more than double the restricted area attempts that LA did, but just were not efficient at the rim. And I thought that especially Jadab missed a whole lot of layups in this one and just had a bad offensive game overall. But although I thought LA's offense was probably the most impressive aspect of this game, I mean just the shot making, it was a ridiculous display. I did think their defensive game plan was very effective and was well executed. They mixed in a little bit of zone and Okase he actually did fine against the zone when Shay was on the floor. They had eleven points on seven possessions against the zone. But what they consistently did was sit in all of those gaps whenever SGA has the ball, help very aggressively and basically just take away any easy driving lanes for him so he can't get all the way downhill. I thought that Shay was actually great as a playmaker, making them pay with the right reads and the right passes for dedicating so much defensive attention and loading up the paint like that. And I thought that Shay was excellent as a shot maker in this game, Like they're forcing him into a little bit more of a mid range heavy shot diet, but he was phenomenal from the mid range and even on a couple of tough drives, like just a pair of ridiculous finishes in this game where you just see combination of length in his control of the ball of English, so so impressive. So I actually thought that Shay was quite good all things considered. He had twenty six points, nine assists, just one turnover, fifty two percent shooting from the field. He just didn't get to line a single time in this game. And I thought, honestly had a pretty tough whistle. I thought he got fouled on a couple drives in the third quarter and neither one was called.

I didn't like, sorry, not just add allan real quick. I didn't like Oklahoma City's whistle, like it all during this game, I thought, in all phases.

I didn't like, sorry, not just add allan real quick. I didn't like Oklahoma City's whistle, like it all during this game, I thought, in all phases.

I would agree. I also thought that Jada needs to finish better. But it looked like there was a driver or two, where he got fouled, but also just like other guys need to make shots around Shay, I thought that he did a good job of attacking a coverage that was designed to take away his own easy offense. He's getting you the right looks. You just have to make those shots. And that's where it's like, can I call this result fake? I don't know the Lakers were the better team, but is it like a long term concern for me when the number one three point shooting team by percentage in twenty twenty five has won really bad three point shooting game and the Lakers, who are a good shooting team, have won insane like historic shooting half in overall great shooting performance. I'm not going to panic about that and overreact to that in this one game sample size. I do think one of the offensive concerns that I'm seeing a lot of people bring up for Oksey in this game was Jadub's performance, because that's been a question for this team end to end. It was a question last year. Can he be the consistent second creator this team needs him to be if they want to make a deep playoff run and win the title. Can he carry the non Shay minutes and this was a bad game by him. I thought that he really really struggled to create any sort of advantage, particularly when he was matched up with Vando, who is just such a phenomenal perimeter defender. And like I said, he forced some tough finishes on some drives and really was not efficient as a scorer whatsoever. And he does have to be better than this, obviously if they want to win the title. He does have to be more consistent. But I also think that there's just this dynamic with OKC where every time anything goes wrong, it's like the biggest story in the NBA. Honestly. It reminds me a lot of Boston last year actually, and like people just hyper fixate on, oh, this is the one thing that could go wrong for them. But it's like, over his last twenty five games, Jadob's giving you twenty two and a half points, five boards, five assists on sixty percent true shooting. He's been playing really well for an extended stretch since he broke out of that shooting slump that he was in earlier in the year. The offense was really struggling in the minutes without Shay early in the season, and post All Star Break, They've actually been really good in those minutes when Jadub is out there without Shay. So I'm just not going to overreact to that either, like it's one bad game. The Thunder are capable of playing bad games. They're allowed to play a bad game. I do think the discourse after this game that I've seen does reflect the fact that a lot of people, I think are looking for those reasons to doubt Okac. I would say, let's see how the rematch goes on Tuesday before we're drawing any conclusions much bigger than that about their struggles in this individual game.

I would agree. I also thought that Jada needs to finish better. But it looked like there was a driver or two, where he got fouled, but also just like other guys need to make shots around Shay, I thought that he did a good job of attacking a coverage that was designed to take away his own easy offense. He's getting you the right looks. You just have to make those shots. And that's where it's like, can I call this result fake? I don't know the Lakers were the better team, but is it like a long term concern for me when the number one three point shooting team by percentage in twenty twenty five has won really bad three point shooting game and the Lakers, who are a good shooting team, have won insane like historic shooting half in overall great shooting performance. I'm not going to panic about that and overreact to that in this one game sample size. I do think one of the offensive concerns that I'm seeing a lot of people bring up for Oksey in this game was Jadub's performance, because that's been a question for this team end to end. It was a question last year. Can he be the consistent second creator this team needs him to be if they want to make a deep playoff run and win the title. Can he carry the non Shay minutes and this was a bad game by him. I thought that he really really struggled to create any sort of advantage, particularly when he was matched up with Vando, who is just such a phenomenal perimeter defender. And like I said, he forced some tough finishes on some drives and really was not efficient as a scorer whatsoever. And he does have to be better than this, obviously if they want to win the title. He does have to be more consistent. But I also think that there's just this dynamic with OKC where every time anything goes wrong, it's like the biggest story in the NBA. Honestly. It reminds me a lot of Boston last year actually, and like people just hyper fixate on, oh, this is the one thing that could go wrong for them. But it's like, over his last twenty five games, Jadob's giving you twenty two and a half points, five boards, five assists on sixty percent true shooting. He's been playing really well for an extended stretch since he broke out of that shooting slump that he was in earlier in the year. The offense was really struggling in the minutes without Shay early in the season, and post All Star Break, They've actually been really good in those minutes when Jadub is out there without Shay. So I'm just not going to overreact to that either, like it's one bad game. The Thunder are capable of playing bad games. They're allowed to play a bad game. I do think the discourse after this game that I've seen does reflect the fact that a lot of people, I think are looking for those reasons to doubt Okac. I would say, let's see how the rematch goes on Tuesday before we're drawing any conclusions much bigger than that about their struggles in this individual game.

I think that's a pretty level headed way to look at it.

I think that's a pretty level headed way to look at it.

I mean, I'm not really surprised at the reaction just because it's the Lakers.

I mean, I'm not really surprised at the reaction just because it's the Lakers.

It's the number one team in the West.

It's the number one team in the West.

Because Wallace, Wallace and Gromitt come here in Palm, it don't matter.

Because Wallace, Wallace and Gromitt come here in Palm, it don't matter.

Lakers in five.

Lakers in five.

Yeah, man, I I'm not surprised at the reaction, But I do think the Lakers kind of give you a glimpse into what that recipe would look like again in a single series. I think you're gonna have to generate. I think you're gonna have to shoot the hell out of the ball. I think I would be looking to spray from behind the arc. I think it's easier to shoot on Oklahoma City than it is trying to get in the teeth of the defense and making things happen like this is a really good defense at collapsing in those driving lanes and forcing turnovers and so when you're not even giving them an opportunity, right, I thought LA did a really good job of switching Chedd and Hartenstein out and picking on those guys more when they're on the perimeter getting those switches. But also, like I said, just not getting downhill. I feel like that plays into against Oklahoma City and what they want to do because they have so many guys that are good at forcing turnovers.

Yeah, man, I I'm not surprised at the reaction, But I do think the Lakers kind of give you a glimpse into what that recipe would look like again in a single series. I think you're gonna have to generate. I think you're gonna have to shoot the hell out of the ball. I think I would be looking to spray from behind the arc. I think it's easier to shoot on Oklahoma City than it is trying to get in the teeth of the defense and making things happen like this is a really good defense at collapsing in those driving lanes and forcing turnovers and so when you're not even giving them an opportunity, right, I thought LA did a really good job of switching Chedd and Hartenstein out and picking on those guys more when they're on the perimeter getting those switches. But also, like I said, just not getting downhill. I feel like that plays into against Oklahoma City and what they want to do because they have so many guys that are good at forcing turnovers.

And getting rid of the ball.

And getting rid of the ball.

But again, to me, this feels like an aberration where if we're looking at a seven game series, it's just hard for me to imagine all of these factors coming together in four separate games for Oklahoma City to get bounced in a fashion this ugly.

But again, to me, this feels like an aberration where if we're looking at a seven game series, it's just hard for me to imagine all of these factors coming together in four separate games for Oklahoma City to get bounced in a fashion this ugly.

The West is so.

The West is so.

Damn strong, Carson, I'm not I don't even know, man, I'm I'm more close to like this is just the wild, wild West than anything else, Like the Oklahoma City is my favorite, but every team is so damn good out there.

Damn strong, Carson, I'm not I don't even know, man, I'm I'm more close to like this is just the wild, wild West than anything else, Like the Oklahoma City is my favorite, but every team is so damn good out there.

But so you like Loop, They're still in my Tier one and they're separated from every other team, but.

But so you like Loop, They're still in my Tier one and they're separated from every other team, but.

Every other team is so good.

Every other team is so good.

It's like, I can imagine Oklahoma City dropping two or three games. I can, you know, envision it being a close series. But again, there's just there's isolated things in this game that I think are anomalies.

It's like, I can imagine Oklahoma City dropping two or three games. I can, you know, envision it being a close series. But again, there's just there's isolated things in this game that I think are anomalies.

That it starts with the lasadaisical defensive.

That it starts with the lasadaisical defensive.

Effort, and it also starts with the outlier three point shooting from from LA. So it's just I think people are going to react like this. I think Oklahoma City is the new kids on the block. I think people want to find a chink in the arm or want to be able to say this is why they're gonna go down. I don't know, man, I'm just not there. I think that I trust Jada Moore, I trust Chet Moore. I think this team is way better than last year. I think they addressed the biggest issues that sunk their boat last season, and I think people want something to talk about right now. Man. I think it's I think people are gonna pile on I'm just I have a lot more confidence in Oklahoma City that this is not gonna happen over a seven game series.

Effort, and it also starts with the outlier three point shooting from from LA. So it's just I think people are going to react like this. I think Oklahoma City is the new kids on the block. I think people want to find a chink in the arm or want to be able to say this is why they're gonna go down. I don't know, man, I'm just not there. I think that I trust Jada Moore, I trust Chet Moore. I think this team is way better than last year. I think they addressed the biggest issues that sunk their boat last season, and I think people want something to talk about right now. Man. I think it's I think people are gonna pile on I'm just I have a lot more confidence in Oklahoma City that this is not gonna happen over a seven game series.

Yeah, I honestly think that this game has very little to do with OKAC and like really shouldn't impact your opinion. I think it says more just about how good the Lakers.

Yeah, I honestly think that this game has very little to do with OKAC and like really shouldn't impact your opinion. I think it says more just about how good the Lakers.

Can be at their back, and I think that I think JJ Reddick had a really good game plan on both sides of the ball for Oklahoma City. Like their execution was, yeah, flawless in they were so deliberate and like they were just focused on the details in this game. They kept screening like it seemed like it was a point of emphasis, pulling those right wing threes, getting those handoffs in that exact segan.

Can be at their back, and I think that I think JJ Reddick had a really good game plan on both sides of the ball for Oklahoma City. Like their execution was, yeah, flawless in they were so deliberate and like they were just focused on the details in this game. They kept screening like it seemed like it was a point of emphasis, pulling those right wing threes, getting those handoffs in that exact segan.

I didn't say.

I didn't say.

Purpose, they they seemed like they had a really good game a game plan for Oklahoma City, and I thought they executed really well and they.

Purpose, they they seemed like they had a really good game a game plan for Oklahoma City, and I thought they executed really well and they.

Just played better. They would a better team in his game. I can't deny it.

Just played better. They would a better team in his game. I can't deny it.

JJ is a great coach for sure. I do think that if we were to see this matchup over a full series, OKAC is going to have to live with switching defensively because you mentioned Luca was able to take advantage of a lot of those possessions where Hartenstein and Chet switched out on him, But a vast majority of that was with tough shot making. It was with step back threes over the top of the room especially, was like getting great contests consistently, I just think that you have to live with making him. But he was a scorer at this point because Luca was phenomenal in this game. I mean, he was absolutely nails. He was fantastic. But we've seen him be inconsistent as a scorer in LA. We've seen him struggle at times to punish switching by getting by people and be very reliant on his pull up shooting, which can be inconsistent. So if I have to make the choice between living with one of my bigs who I feel actually guard pretty well in space, and trying to get those guys to force Luca to beat them one on one with tough shot making compared to like sending a panicked double as they did a few times after Luca had been cooking them, but again mostly just with really phenomenal shot making, Like if you send that second defender at Luca, He's going to pick you apart. And this isn't last year's Dallas team. We're obviously okay. So he was crazy aggressive on Luca and Kyrie with blitzing every pick and roll, consistently sending two defenders at them and saying, Derek Jones Junior PJ. Washington make shots. It's not Derek Jones Junior anymore. Now, it's Rye ho Chi Murr, who's been one of the best catch and shooters in basketball. It's Gabe Vincent, who's a really good three point shooter, it's DFS who's a forty percent three point shooter, or it's Austin Reeves. Like there's just too much shooting around Luca and Lebron to be sending two defenders at them. And I do think that for both of them at this point, they're passing is their absolute superpower, more so even than their scoring, because like Lebron also when they were switching Cason Wallace Caruso onto him, like, yeah, he made some great shots. He's not just like walking to the rim. He's shooting tough turnarounds over them. That's better than a wide open three for a great catch and shooter or an easy look at the rim for somebody. And I do think that, Like, also they can play Luca better off the switches, especially Hartenstein. I don't know why he's picking up Luca thirty five plus feed out, like you're kind of begging to get beaten off the ball. At that point you know that he's gonna target you. And maybe Hartenstein is the defensive weak point for OKC in this matchup, and maybe they do kind of have to take him off the floor more so they feel really comfortable switching all the way one through five. But regardless, I just think and that is the strategy for them, And like this was a special Luca game as a scorer, but I am going to make him prove that he could do that consistently because he hasn't been doing that as consistently in LA. Whereas with the passing, I know that he's gonna kill you every time.

JJ is a great coach for sure. I do think that if we were to see this matchup over a full series, OKAC is going to have to live with switching defensively because you mentioned Luca was able to take advantage of a lot of those possessions where Hartenstein and Chet switched out on him, But a vast majority of that was with tough shot making. It was with step back threes over the top of the room especially, was like getting great contests consistently, I just think that you have to live with making him. But he was a scorer at this point because Luca was phenomenal in this game. I mean, he was absolutely nails. He was fantastic. But we've seen him be inconsistent as a scorer in LA. We've seen him struggle at times to punish switching by getting by people and be very reliant on his pull up shooting, which can be inconsistent. So if I have to make the choice between living with one of my bigs who I feel actually guard pretty well in space, and trying to get those guys to force Luca to beat them one on one with tough shot making compared to like sending a panicked double as they did a few times after Luca had been cooking them, but again mostly just with really phenomenal shot making, Like if you send that second defender at Luca, He's going to pick you apart. And this isn't last year's Dallas team. We're obviously okay. So he was crazy aggressive on Luca and Kyrie with blitzing every pick and roll, consistently sending two defenders at them and saying, Derek Jones Junior PJ. Washington make shots. It's not Derek Jones Junior anymore. Now, it's Rye ho Chi Murr, who's been one of the best catch and shooters in basketball. It's Gabe Vincent, who's a really good three point shooter, it's DFS who's a forty percent three point shooter, or it's Austin Reeves. Like there's just too much shooting around Luca and Lebron to be sending two defenders at them. And I do think that for both of them at this point, they're passing is their absolute superpower, more so even than their scoring, because like Lebron also when they were switching Cason Wallace Caruso onto him, like, yeah, he made some great shots. He's not just like walking to the rim. He's shooting tough turnarounds over them. That's better than a wide open three for a great catch and shooter or an easy look at the rim for somebody. And I do think that, Like, also they can play Luca better off the switches, especially Hartenstein. I don't know why he's picking up Luca thirty five plus feed out, like you're kind of begging to get beaten off the ball. At that point you know that he's gonna target you. And maybe Hartenstein is the defensive weak point for OKC in this matchup, and maybe they do kind of have to take him off the floor more so they feel really comfortable switching all the way one through five. But regardless, I just think and that is the strategy for them, And like this was a special Luca game as a scorer, but I am going to make him prove that he could do that consistently because he hasn't been doing that as consistently in LA. Whereas with the passing, I know that he's gonna kill you every time.

Well, I think that's the appeal of adding in Isaiah Hartenstein is because it gives you that positional versatility that we've been talking about that's so important in specific matchups. Right against Denver, you would want to run that chedd and Hardenstein, look, because you need two big bodies to match up with jokicen the pain in this matchup. I think that, if it makes more sense, do that you're not giving up a ton of size. Like LA is a feisty rebounding team. They're gonna try hard on the glass, but they don't have a ton of size. So it's like, I don't think you're getting bullied by anybody on that team, And if you need to make that adjustment.

Well, I think that's the appeal of adding in Isaiah Hartenstein is because it gives you that positional versatility that we've been talking about that's so important in specific matchups. Right against Denver, you would want to run that chedd and Hardenstein, look, because you need two big bodies to match up with jokicen the pain in this matchup. I think that, if it makes more sense, do that you're not giving up a ton of size. Like LA is a feisty rebounding team. They're gonna try hard on the glass, but they don't have a ton of size. So it's like, I don't think you're getting bullied by anybody on that team, And if you need to make that adjustment.

I would.

I would.

I wanna go back to the point you just made about Luca though, with these all time players sometimes it really is a picture poison sort of deal. And I think you're exactly right, Carson, because it's like, if you give him the lane, what is Luca gonna do? We've watched it for six years now.

I wanna go back to the point you just made about Luca though, with these all time players sometimes it really is a picture poison sort of deal. And I think you're exactly right, Carson, because it's like, if you give him the lane, what is Luca gonna do? We've watched it for six years now.

He's so strong.

He's so strong.

Now he's gonna beat a guy down right to that little elbow spot. He's gonna work to his little touch shot that's easy every time, and he's gonna make it. And if you're asking me what I would rather settle for Luca, take all the step back threes over my seven footer that you want. Those are hard shots and shots that if you look at his stats over you know since he got to LA, there are shots that he hasn't been making right I think he's looked a little bit better, but on the whole, he's not the Luca. He's not the Luca that I think he was like last year. I still think this is a step down from the Luca that he was in the playoffs even last year beat up, Like, I don't think he's I don't think he's at peaked lou level, and I would tend to live with those shots in a series and just give him. Like you said, man, you're blitzen two. You're gifting the Lakers points. You just can't do that against two players like Luca and Lebron. You can't give them freebies. And I felt like Oklahoma City gave him a lot in this game.

Now he's gonna beat a guy down right to that little elbow spot. He's gonna work to his little touch shot that's easy every time, and he's gonna make it. And if you're asking me what I would rather settle for Luca, take all the step back threes over my seven footer that you want. Those are hard shots and shots that if you look at his stats over you know since he got to LA, there are shots that he hasn't been making right I think he's looked a little bit better, but on the whole, he's not the Luca. He's not the Luca that I think he was like last year. I still think this is a step down from the Luca that he was in the playoffs even last year beat up, Like, I don't think he's I don't think he's at peaked lou level, and I would tend to live with those shots in a series and just give him. Like you said, man, you're blitzen two. You're gifting the Lakers points. You just can't do that against two players like Luca and Lebron. You can't give them freebies. And I felt like Oklahoma City gave him a lot in this game.

My opinion after last year was that Luca wasn't even better passer than a score. And with the guy who's been in LA as a scorer where it's like twenty seven a game on fifty six percent true, he's shooting forty eight percent on two pointers. Like, I don't even think it's close. I think he's a way better passer than he is a score. But he's still capable of these sort of nuclear scoring performances. And this is why I can't quit the Lakers.

My opinion after last year was that Luca wasn't even better passer than a score. And with the guy who's been in LA as a scorer where it's like twenty seven a game on fifty six percent true, he's shooting forty eight percent on two pointers. Like, I don't even think it's close. I think he's a way better passer than he is a score. But he's still capable of these sort of nuclear scoring performances. And this is why I can't quit the Lakers.

Man.

Man.

When they come with a good defensive game plan and they engage defensively and you get the best version of Luca, they're still so damn good. They have that elite superstar superpower and then they have great shooting around them, and if they can be a solid team defense, they are really hard to beat. So that's why we had Tyler hoop Venue on our last show and he was saying, like, do you guys all agree that the two through four in the West or the Clippers and the Warriors and the Timberwolves. And I was like, I just don't know if I can quit the Lakers, man. I can't put the Timberwolves above them. I'll tell you that I don't trust their offense enough. But it's just gonna hinge on what level Lucas at and what level they can get too defensively. And this was a really good performance for them on both of those fronts. There was another team that had a really good weekend logan, and that is the Houston Rockets, who just cannot lose right now. They've been on an absolute heater. They've pulled away from the pack for the two seed and they beat both the Thunder and the Warriors this past weekend. What did you take away from their impressive weekend.

When they come with a good defensive game plan and they engage defensively and you get the best version of Luca, they're still so damn good. They have that elite superstar superpower and then they have great shooting around them, and if they can be a solid team defense, they are really hard to beat. So that's why we had Tyler hoop Venue on our last show and he was saying, like, do you guys all agree that the two through four in the West or the Clippers and the Warriors and the Timberwolves. And I was like, I just don't know if I can quit the Lakers, man. I can't put the Timberwolves above them. I'll tell you that I don't trust their offense enough. But it's just gonna hinge on what level Lucas at and what level they can get too defensively. And this was a really good performance for them on both of those fronts. There was another team that had a really good weekend logan, and that is the Houston Rockets, who just cannot lose right now. They've been on an absolute heater. They've pulled away from the pack for the two seed and they beat both the Thunder and the Warriors this past weekend. What did you take away from their impressive weekend.

I'm so impressed with Houston, man like. I like that they don't let any of that noise affect them. Man, Houston, don't listen to none of that nonsense. I really like ima U Doka too. I think he's a I think he's a good coach for young teams. But I was really impressed with what they did against Golden State, and they're Big three, specifically Steph.

I'm so impressed with Houston, man like. I like that they don't let any of that noise affect them. Man, Houston, don't listen to none of that nonsense. I really like ima U Doka too. I think he's a I think he's a good coach for young teams. But I was really impressed with what they did against Golden State, and they're Big three, specifically Steph.

They held Steph to.

They held Steph to.

Three points on one of ten from the field, one to eight from deep with four turnovers. The Warriors Big three as a hole together Steph, Jimmy and Dre eighteen points six to twenty from the field with nine turnovers. Remember this is also a game from Golden State in which b Pods, who has been balling recently, gave you nineteen and Buddy gave you twenty points on six of eleven shooting. When the supporting cast does that for Golden State, when you get any performance from two supporting members of the cast for Golden State, that should be.

Three points on one of ten from the field, one to eight from deep with four turnovers. The Warriors Big three as a hole together Steph, Jimmy and Dre eighteen points six to twenty from the field with nine turnovers. Remember this is also a game from Golden State in which b Pods, who has been balling recently, gave you nineteen and Buddy gave you twenty points on six of eleven shooting. When the supporting cast does that for Golden State, when you get any performance from two supporting members of the cast for Golden State, that should be.

A game that they win. Like shout out Looney for how he battled on the glass.

A game that they win. Like shout out Looney for how he battled on the glass.

I think he would be imperative in a hypothetical series against Houston. I think they need him to match them on the glass, and he's really important.

I think he would be imperative in a hypothetical series against Houston. I think they need him to match them on the glass, and he's really important.

But they dogged.

But they dogged.

They dogged the Stars in Golden State, and that's the thing with Houston.

They dogged the Stars in Golden State, and that's the thing with Houston.

I think they can disrupt the opposing team.

I think they can disrupt the opposing team.

Superstar almost as good as anybody in the NBA, especially if they're per are oriented making life hard on SGA.

Superstar almost as good as anybody in the NBA, especially if they're per are oriented making life hard on SGA.

In Oklahoma City when they played, they got a rock solid identity.

In Oklahoma City when they played, they got a rock solid identity.

They are all hard, all tenacity. And that's the thing with Houston. Man, because we've been critical, Carson and I don't look at Houston as a drastically different team. I don't doubt that Houston has the talent and is capable of winning a playoff series. I think they're there because they have serious advantages that they can exert over other teams. Size and athleticism, effort, energy, hustle, heart, just generating extra possessions. This is stuff we've talked about all year long with Houston. It is the hallmark, the bedrock of this basketball team. They are fourth and defensive rating, their second defensive rating post All Star Break. They're number one in rebounds per game, and number one and rebound rate. They're number one in offensive rebounds per game and offensive rebound rate. I mentioned what they did defensively against Golden State on the glass. Against Oklahoma City, they big forty eight to thirty three in total rebounds, and they beat Oklahoma City fourteen to seven on the offensive glass. It's like, I know what I'm getting from Houston. The variable to me is still the exact same the playoff series. Victory in a deep playoff run is contingent on the consistency of Jalen Green and Oprah and Sengoon on offense and when they can give it to you. I think Houston can beat anybody in the league. Oklahoma City, you get thirty four from Jalen Green, you get thirty one from sing Gooon Boom.

They are all hard, all tenacity. And that's the thing with Houston. Man, because we've been critical, Carson and I don't look at Houston as a drastically different team. I don't doubt that Houston has the talent and is capable of winning a playoff series. I think they're there because they have serious advantages that they can exert over other teams. Size and athleticism, effort, energy, hustle, heart, just generating extra possessions. This is stuff we've talked about all year long with Houston. It is the hallmark, the bedrock of this basketball team. They are fourth and defensive rating, their second defensive rating post All Star Break. They're number one in rebounds per game, and number one and rebound rate. They're number one in offensive rebounds per game and offensive rebound rate. I mentioned what they did defensively against Golden State on the glass. Against Oklahoma City, they big forty eight to thirty three in total rebounds, and they beat Oklahoma City fourteen to seven on the offensive glass. It's like, I know what I'm getting from Houston. The variable to me is still the exact same the playoff series. Victory in a deep playoff run is contingent on the consistency of Jalen Green and Oprah and Sengoon on offense and when they can give it to you. I think Houston can beat anybody in the league. Oklahoma City, you get thirty four from Jalen Green, you get thirty one from sing Gooon Boom.

I ain't gotta worry.

I ain't gotta worry.

About the offense. We're dogging the other team against Golden State. Jalen Green. What I felt like, not like nostre damins, because Jayleen Green does this every other game. But last episode I mentioned Jalen Green can just rip off ten twelve point stretches by himself at times in the fourth quarter against Golden State had ten straight. It's like They are capable, they are talented, they can do it. It's the consistency of it is what I'm still skeptical about with. It's not a talent thing, man, it's just a reliability of that offense and so of Courson. If I can get this level from Jalen Green consistently, I'm not worried about Houston right, Like, if they get that, they're gonna be a team that could go on a deep playoff run. The biggest question of that it is answered, is just that one red flag. But we've said it. They're not gonna be an easy out. Like, these are things that make you hard to beat, and if you can't match them on the glass, Houston could very well dog a soft ass team.

About the offense. We're dogging the other team against Golden State. Jalen Green. What I felt like, not like nostre damins, because Jayleen Green does this every other game. But last episode I mentioned Jalen Green can just rip off ten twelve point stretches by himself at times in the fourth quarter against Golden State had ten straight. It's like They are capable, they are talented, they can do it. It's the consistency of it is what I'm still skeptical about with. It's not a talent thing, man, it's just a reliability of that offense and so of Courson. If I can get this level from Jalen Green consistently, I'm not worried about Houston right, Like, if they get that, they're gonna be a team that could go on a deep playoff run. The biggest question of that it is answered, is just that one red flag. But we've said it. They're not gonna be an easy out. Like, these are things that make you hard to beat, and if you can't match them on the glass, Houston could very well dog a soft ass team.

Yeah, this was like the best possible version of the Rockets what we saw over the weekend. Because you mentioned you're getting a really good version offensively of Jalen Green and Shngon. You are getting a dominant overall defensive showing and you're just dominating the possession game. You're dominating on the glass, and that's what the Rockets do at an unbelievable level. They are historically great on the offensive glass. They had third the offensive boards over these two games, and they were plus eighteen on the glass overall. So that is something that is really important to acknowledge because I do have major concerns about the Rockets half court offense that I bring up a lot, but they are an outlier in their ability to just generate more chances for themselves than you, and you don't need to be as efficient if you're just getting more chances. So that is a real major advantage of theirs. And then defensively, Aman Thompson is just one of the best on the planet and my god, Logan, I love him so much, but what an incredible weekend this was from him. Some of the plays that he made across these two games are just absolutely absurd, saving plays at the rim as a shot blocker, blowing up a lob pass to Jimmy Butler from an angle that just shouldn't have been possible, stealing an inbound from Steph and then somehow saving it to a teammate and blanketing Steph off ball for extended stretches. He also had a block in the Thunder game on SGA on a pull up jumper that was just insane, and like the possession before that he made a pull up jumper super super hard on him. It's just absurd. The athleticism that he has at his size, with his instincts and with his motor, He's just a one of a kind defensive monster. And I always say one of a kind with him, even though Asar is very similar in a lot of ways, especially defensively, but they're just two total outlier freak talents, and Amen has just been the Rockets best player. Man, he just is their best player. I understand a lot of people will look to Shengon with the elite defensive value that he is bringing you, the elite versatility, the elite perimeter defense, the elite rimp protection, the elite on ball defense, the elite off ball defense, the elite transition defense, the elite rebounding as a wing. While offensively, in his forty one games as a starter a men is averaging sixteen to nine to five on sixty percent true shooting with three point three stocks per game. He's just the most tactful player on winning for this team. And he still has so much room for growth. He's going to be an All Star next year. Stamp it. And if they were gonna give an All start of the Rockets this year. I get it that he wasn't playing quite as much at the start of the year, but sheng Gun just didn't deserve it, and like Amen, has been their best player in totality this year. But he is just a testament to their other superpower along with their rebounding, which is that they can overwhelm you athletically and they can overwhelm you defensively. I also think Fred van Vliet so impressive his ability to just stay attached to steph off ball, such an incredibly smart defensive player and one of the best defenders ever at his size. So like, collectively, their defensive versatility and athleticism is absolutely insane, and you saw that in this one. My concern with them remains the half court offense, and I can acknowledge the things that they do at an incredibly high level. I still just don't think that I can bet on one of the worst half court offenses in the league, which is what they are. They're like a twentieth percent all half court offense winning a playoff series in a conference that is so damn good. This is a rule that I live by in the playoffs, I do not bet on bad half court offenses, And maybe they could be the exception, because we're talking about a lot of the teams that we've seen walk into the playoffs with bad half court offenses in recent years and then underperform. But like the fact that the Rockets win the possession game so convincingly so often could be the difference maker. It could, but it still doesn't override the concern I have just about who is manufacturing the clutch offense if the game does slow down a bit, who is consistently getting you those quality shots? Is the shot making good enough? Is the offensive decision making good enough when you're looking at a team that has these established offensive superstars and elite shooting, because that's what you're running into, probably even in a first round series. That's why I'm going to remain lower on Houston than the consensus. And like Rockets fans, if you got go out there and you win a playoff series against the team that I picked to beat you, or you make the conference finals, like throw rocks at me, I think that you would be obviously totally entitled to be furious with me, because I understand I have doubted this team within the context of this season and They've been so impressive. They're beating everybody right now. But I'm going to continue to doubt them big picture until I see them overcome what I consider to be the biggest flaw that any team can have going into the playoffs.

Yeah, this was like the best possible version of the Rockets what we saw over the weekend. Because you mentioned you're getting a really good version offensively of Jalen Green and Shngon. You are getting a dominant overall defensive showing and you're just dominating the possession game. You're dominating on the glass, and that's what the Rockets do at an unbelievable level. They are historically great on the offensive glass. They had third the offensive boards over these two games, and they were plus eighteen on the glass overall. So that is something that is really important to acknowledge because I do have major concerns about the Rockets half court offense that I bring up a lot, but they are an outlier in their ability to just generate more chances for themselves than you, and you don't need to be as efficient if you're just getting more chances. So that is a real major advantage of theirs. And then defensively, Aman Thompson is just one of the best on the planet and my god, Logan, I love him so much, but what an incredible weekend this was from him. Some of the plays that he made across these two games are just absolutely absurd, saving plays at the rim as a shot blocker, blowing up a lob pass to Jimmy Butler from an angle that just shouldn't have been possible, stealing an inbound from Steph and then somehow saving it to a teammate and blanketing Steph off ball for extended stretches. He also had a block in the Thunder game on SGA on a pull up jumper that was just insane, and like the possession before that he made a pull up jumper super super hard on him. It's just absurd. The athleticism that he has at his size, with his instincts and with his motor, He's just a one of a kind defensive monster. And I always say one of a kind with him, even though Asar is very similar in a lot of ways, especially defensively, but they're just two total outlier freak talents, and Amen has just been the Rockets best player. Man, he just is their best player. I understand a lot of people will look to Shengon with the elite defensive value that he is bringing you, the elite versatility, the elite perimeter defense, the elite rimp protection, the elite on ball defense, the elite off ball defense, the elite transition defense, the elite rebounding as a wing. While offensively, in his forty one games as a starter a men is averaging sixteen to nine to five on sixty percent true shooting with three point three stocks per game. He's just the most tactful player on winning for this team. And he still has so much room for growth. He's going to be an All Star next year. Stamp it. And if they were gonna give an All start of the Rockets this year. I get it that he wasn't playing quite as much at the start of the year, but sheng Gun just didn't deserve it, and like Amen, has been their best player in totality this year. But he is just a testament to their other superpower along with their rebounding, which is that they can overwhelm you athletically and they can overwhelm you defensively. I also think Fred van Vliet so impressive his ability to just stay attached to steph off ball, such an incredibly smart defensive player and one of the best defenders ever at his size. So like, collectively, their defensive versatility and athleticism is absolutely insane, and you saw that in this one. My concern with them remains the half court offense, and I can acknowledge the things that they do at an incredibly high level. I still just don't think that I can bet on one of the worst half court offenses in the league, which is what they are. They're like a twentieth percent all half court offense winning a playoff series in a conference that is so damn good. This is a rule that I live by in the playoffs, I do not bet on bad half court offenses, And maybe they could be the exception, because we're talking about a lot of the teams that we've seen walk into the playoffs with bad half court offenses in recent years and then underperform. But like the fact that the Rockets win the possession game so convincingly so often could be the difference maker. It could, but it still doesn't override the concern I have just about who is manufacturing the clutch offense if the game does slow down a bit, who is consistently getting you those quality shots? Is the shot making good enough? Is the offensive decision making good enough when you're looking at a team that has these established offensive superstars and elite shooting, because that's what you're running into, probably even in a first round series. That's why I'm going to remain lower on Houston than the consensus. And like Rockets fans, if you got go out there and you win a playoff series against the team that I picked to beat you, or you make the conference finals, like throw rocks at me, I think that you would be obviously totally entitled to be furious with me, because I understand I have doubted this team within the context of this season and They've been so impressive. They're beating everybody right now. But I'm going to continue to doubt them big picture until I see them overcome what I consider to be the biggest flaw that any team can have going into the playoffs.

It is the biggest flaw.

It is the biggest flaw.

But I mean, like you said, they do have superpowers and stuff that they hang their head on the thing, and.

But I mean, like you said, they do have superpowers and stuff that they hang their head on the thing, and.

They're going to be hell to play. They are going to suck to play.

They're going to be hell to play. They are going to suck to play.

The thing that I'm glad you bring up Van Vleet because it really is crazy when you watch Van vliet Amen and Brooks. The word I would use with Houston is just pressure. They apply pressure. They never let you get comfortable.

The thing that I'm glad you bring up Van Vleet because it really is crazy when you watch Van vliet Amen and Brooks. The word I would use with Houston is just pressure. They apply pressure. They never let you get comfortable.

And of course Tarry Easton too.

And of course Tarry Easton too.

Yeah, dude it they just swarm you the whole game.

Yeah, dude it they just swarm you the whole game.

They swallow you up.

They swallow you up.

They they put you in a box and it's hard when nothing's easy. It's like the one thing that blew my mind was when I watched Steph airball that three.

They they put you in a box and it's hard when nothing's easy. It's like the one thing that blew my mind was when I watched Steph airball that three.

I think Looney was on the court.

I think Looney was on the court.

I think Looney sent him like a little uh like pinned down screen at the right uh on the right wing, and Steph curled around was pretty open and they recovered decently, but it's still a pretty uncontested shot for Steph and Steph airball is it? And I'm like, you just don't see that. Like, sure, Steph will miss the three. Steph takes hard shots every single game. Sometimes he's on, he'll make all of them, sometimes he'll he's off, He'll miss some. He airballed on a shot that wasn't tipped. It was just contested. Like when you can make Steph Curry that uncomfortable like that, that speaks volumes to me. Like they had him I won't say rattled, but they had him working and he couldn't get anything uncomfort And so when I look at some of these hypothetical matchups, and I don't want to get deep into any of them because how close. Like every team has forty six at forty's wins right now, so that's insane. There's no telling who is gonna play Houston and Golden State. I don't think it's gonna be a cakewalk for Golden State. I mean, you just saw how hard they made life on this team, Like Houston's got real advantages against them.

I think Looney sent him like a little uh like pinned down screen at the right uh on the right wing, and Steph curled around was pretty open and they recovered decently, but it's still a pretty uncontested shot for Steph and Steph airball is it? And I'm like, you just don't see that. Like, sure, Steph will miss the three. Steph takes hard shots every single game. Sometimes he's on, he'll make all of them, sometimes he'll he's off, He'll miss some. He airballed on a shot that wasn't tipped. It was just contested. Like when you can make Steph Curry that uncomfortable like that, that speaks volumes to me. Like they had him I won't say rattled, but they had him working and he couldn't get anything uncomfort And so when I look at some of these hypothetical matchups, and I don't want to get deep into any of them because how close. Like every team has forty six at forty's wins right now, so that's insane. There's no telling who is gonna play Houston and Golden State. I don't think it's gonna be a cakewalk for Golden State. I mean, you just saw how hard they made life on this team, Like Houston's got real advantages against them.

Memphis.

Memphis.

I think I might pick Houston to beat them just because I like their identity more and I think they have similar struggles when it comes to that half court offense. So I don't want to get too much into any of these battles, but I think regardless of who plays Houston, I would give Houston a punching chance, and I would say it's gonna go six or seven games. This team's gonna fight and claw and scratch. And they just got motor Man. They got a V eight V twelve for sure, V sixteen, they got a Max motor Man.

I think I might pick Houston to beat them just because I like their identity more and I think they have similar struggles when it comes to that half court offense. So I don't want to get too much into any of these battles, but I think regardless of who plays Houston, I would give Houston a punching chance, and I would say it's gonna go six or seven games. This team's gonna fight and claw and scratch. And they just got motor Man. They got a V eight V twelve for sure, V sixteen, they got a Max motor Man.

They never give up, insane athletes on the perimeter, insane collective rim protection. Like they're one of the best perimeter defenses and one of the best interior defenses. They're one of the best transition defenses in basketball. And like you said, man, they bring hell to you. They are as fiery as any team Defensively, they do apply that next level pressure and they forced a steph Curry klunker man, and I do want to talk about that aspect of the Warriors Rockets game for a bit, because the Warriors had themselves a hell of a weekend where they're reeling off three straight super impressive wins over Memphis, the Lakers, and then Denver and then they come back to Earth with the offense just getting really shut down like it did against Houston. And like Steph for the entire stretch since Jimmy joined the team twenty three games, was averaging twenty eight and a half points per game on sixty seven percent through shooting. He was looking like a top four player on the planet. And then he has this game where he gives you three points on one of ten shooting. The Warriors whole offense only scores ninety six points. I will say it's phenomenal defense by the Rockets, and they are doing everything they can to keep Steph from beating them as a scorer. They are blitzing every pick and roll, so the Warriors had as many four on threes as they wanted in this game. They are blanketing Steph off ball again, so people have an opportunity to attack while all eyes are on him away from the ball. So like the Warriors as a team just weren't able to capitalize on that enough against a defense that is so fast and athletic as the Rockets, and with some of the limitations of the Warriors supporting offensive pieces. But I also think even though they were so devoted singularly to stopping Steph as a scorer, Like you do see that Steph's scoring floor against a team that has these sort of elite athletes who are defending him elaciously like this, Like that scoring floor is low. Now, man, he's got a two point game this year, He's got a three point game this year. He had a two point game last year. And that just scares me a bit because I don't trust the Warriors offense around him to pick up the slack and to consistently punish teams for basically doing everything they can to take away Steph as a scorer. Like Jimmy Butler's seven field goal attempts is just not gonna cut it in a playoff game. If you have a team devoting so much attention to Steph like that, he's got to step up at some point with the scoring volume. And like I get it, it's the regular season. We've praised him a million times for doing all the little things. At some point he has to be that second star scorer for this team and it hasn't happened. But maybe it's just Brandon Pajemski logan. Maybe he's the second star, because my god, he has been so good. He looks so comfortable right now he is shooting at an elite clip and that is really good news for the Warriors. But I just still have that lingering concern about what does their offense look like outside of Steph if he can't be a superhero. And for twenty three games with Jimmy, he was a superhero basically every night, and they were winning basically every single game. And then you get a reminder that, like, this is still possible, and uh, it's just kind of like a cold bucket of water on your head. Because I was feeling amazing about the Dubs after the Nuggets game. I was like, this team is humming in every possible way, and then you see the floor and that is still something of a concern for me.

They never give up, insane athletes on the perimeter, insane collective rim protection. Like they're one of the best perimeter defenses and one of the best interior defenses. They're one of the best transition defenses in basketball. And like you said, man, they bring hell to you. They are as fiery as any team Defensively, they do apply that next level pressure and they forced a steph Curry klunker man, and I do want to talk about that aspect of the Warriors Rockets game for a bit, because the Warriors had themselves a hell of a weekend where they're reeling off three straight super impressive wins over Memphis, the Lakers, and then Denver and then they come back to Earth with the offense just getting really shut down like it did against Houston. And like Steph for the entire stretch since Jimmy joined the team twenty three games, was averaging twenty eight and a half points per game on sixty seven percent through shooting. He was looking like a top four player on the planet. And then he has this game where he gives you three points on one of ten shooting. The Warriors whole offense only scores ninety six points. I will say it's phenomenal defense by the Rockets, and they are doing everything they can to keep Steph from beating them as a scorer. They are blitzing every pick and roll, so the Warriors had as many four on threes as they wanted in this game. They are blanketing Steph off ball again, so people have an opportunity to attack while all eyes are on him away from the ball. So like the Warriors as a team just weren't able to capitalize on that enough against a defense that is so fast and athletic as the Rockets, and with some of the limitations of the Warriors supporting offensive pieces. But I also think even though they were so devoted singularly to stopping Steph as a scorer, Like you do see that Steph's scoring floor against a team that has these sort of elite athletes who are defending him elaciously like this, Like that scoring floor is low. Now, man, he's got a two point game this year, He's got a three point game this year. He had a two point game last year. And that just scares me a bit because I don't trust the Warriors offense around him to pick up the slack and to consistently punish teams for basically doing everything they can to take away Steph as a scorer. Like Jimmy Butler's seven field goal attempts is just not gonna cut it in a playoff game. If you have a team devoting so much attention to Steph like that, he's got to step up at some point with the scoring volume. And like I get it, it's the regular season. We've praised him a million times for doing all the little things. At some point he has to be that second star scorer for this team and it hasn't happened. But maybe it's just Brandon Pajemski logan. Maybe he's the second star, because my god, he has been so good. He looks so comfortable right now he is shooting at an elite clip and that is really good news for the Warriors. But I just still have that lingering concern about what does their offense look like outside of Steph if he can't be a superhero. And for twenty three games with Jimmy, he was a superhero basically every night, and they were winning basically every single game. And then you get a reminder that, like, this is still possible, and uh, it's just kind of like a cold bucket of water on your head. Because I was feeling amazing about the Dubs after the Nuggets game. I was like, this team is humming in every possible way, and then you see the floor and that is still something of a concern for me.

B Pa kills me. Man.

B Pa kills me. Man.

You can tell he ain't had a ton of big games, Bro, the Nuggets one. When he hit that shrug, Bro, I wanted to crawl out of my skin.

You can tell he ain't had a ton of big games, Bro, the Nuggets one. When he hit that shrug, Bro, I wanted to crawl out of my skin.

I cringed so hard.

I cringed so hard.

How he couldn't miss? He could not miss?

How he couldn't miss? He could not miss?

Dude, I've also thought about it long and hard. We had that question on the mail bag a long time ago.

Dude, I've also thought about it long and hard. We had that question on the mail bag a long time ago.

Dude.

Dude.

Brandon Potziemski is one hundred percent of my NBA cop. Like, it's not even the thought.

Brandon Potziemski is one hundred percent of my NBA cop. Like, it's not even the thought.

How streaky he is or dub white boy streaky score leftyft yep.

How streaky he is or dub white boy streaky score leftyft yep.

Scoring probably isn't his first skill set, Like I was thinking about it, It's like I just think, I don't know, man, I think literally think that's my boy.

Scoring probably isn't his first skill set, Like I was thinking about it, It's like I just think, I don't know, man, I think literally think that's my boy.

He's just got too much hair. But that's like my perfect NBA cop. Damn he's well balling uncontrollably.

He's just got too much hair. But that's like my perfect NBA cop. Damn he's well balling uncontrollably.

But that is the thing, Like, even though he followed up the crazy games against the Lakers and the Nuggets with another really good game, he played really well against Houston, Like the Warriors' two biggest wins of the year, probably against la and Denver, also happened to be POD's two best games of the year. So that's why I was like, this is amazing. But also what do we do with the fact that Pods has given him twenty eight points and twenty six points in back to back games and isn't missing Because even though he's for a long stretch been playing way better than he was at the beginning of the year, you obviously can't expect that from him night to night. So I feel like the Warriors ceiling is crazy high when everything is going right. And then I also feel like their floor is lower than some of these other teams who are in a comparable range.

But that is the thing, Like, even though he followed up the crazy games against the Lakers and the Nuggets with another really good game, he played really well against Houston, Like the Warriors' two biggest wins of the year, probably against la and Denver, also happened to be POD's two best games of the year. So that's why I was like, this is amazing. But also what do we do with the fact that Pods has given him twenty eight points and twenty six points in back to back games and isn't missing Because even though he's for a long stretch been playing way better than he was at the beginning of the year, you obviously can't expect that from him night to night. So I feel like the Warriors ceiling is crazy high when everything is going right. And then I also feel like their floor is lower than some of these other teams who are in a comparable range.

I agree.

I agree.

I think that's due to the fact that this is a limited athletic team overall, Like with some of their certain lineups, right, if it's Steph on the floor, if it's Podzimski, if it's Buddy Healed, Right, these really skilled guys, none of them are high end.

I think that's due to the fact that this is a limited athletic team overall, Like with some of their certain lineups, right, if it's Steph on the floor, if it's Podzimski, if it's Buddy Healed, Right, these really skilled guys, none of them are high end.

Athletes, often without a center exactly.

Athletes, often without a center exactly.

If you're running Quinton Post or you're running Looney, right, Looney's an actual physical exactly. They might be physical presences at the least, but they're not athletes, and so I think that's a real big limitation. The team is super skilled though, if they can get hot, right, this is a team that does have shooting, just not a ton of isolation creators, guys that can do it by themselves on ball. It's just stuff going to work, and so I think you're right, man, I don't know. I think it could be a mixed bag all playoffs long. I'm hoping for better, but it could just be up and down.

If you're running Quinton Post or you're running Looney, right, Looney's an actual physical exactly. They might be physical presences at the least, but they're not athletes, and so I think that's a real big limitation. The team is super skilled though, if they can get hot, right, this is a team that does have shooting, just not a ton of isolation creators, guys that can do it by themselves on ball. It's just stuff going to work, and so I think you're right, man, I don't know. I think it could be a mixed bag all playoffs long. I'm hoping for better, but it could just be up and down.

Man.

Man.

Golden State seems like they could be a really hot and cold team, and I think I was wrong last episode, man, I was talking about you brought up a point about the Warriors supporting cast and how you thought that was the biggest question mark about this team, and I think I kind of I was quick to brush down under the rug. I think that is the biggest question mark about this team, man.

Golden State seems like they could be a really hot and cold team, and I think I was wrong last episode, man, I was talking about you brought up a point about the Warriors supporting cast and how you thought that was the biggest question mark about this team, and I think I kind of I was quick to brush down under the rug. I think that is the biggest question mark about this team, man.

And it's not one guy. I think it's everybody.

And it's not one guy. I think it's everybody.

I think it's kaminga and filling in and doing his job, because I think they desperately.

I think it's kaminga and filling in and doing his job, because I think they desperately.

Need come in to give them good minutes. Really, I think they need that kind of.

Need come in to give them good minutes. Really, I think they need that kind of.

Athlete on the field, on the on the court, excuse me, in some of these matchups like interesting, I think that they need Moody to give them good defense and shooting.

Athlete on the field, on the on the court, excuse me, in some of these matchups like interesting, I think that they need Moody to give them good defense and shooting.

I think they need Buddy in his minutes to spray.

I think they need Buddy in his minutes to spray.

I just think they need They don't need anybody to go above and beyond, but they.

I just think they need They don't need anybody to go above and beyond, but they.

Need everybody to pull their weight.

Need everybody to pull their weight.

And I think that if anybody leaves them short, it could be it could be enough for the other team.