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Nightcap - Hour 1: Unc, Iso Joe, and Patrick Beverly react to the Thunder beating the Pacers in G5!

Published Jun 17, 2025, 7:46 AM

Shannon Sharpe, Iso Joe Johnson and special guest Patrick Beverly react to Shai Gilgeous Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers in game 5 of the NBA Finals, the Memphis Grizzlies trade Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic, and Kevin Durant trade match continues and much more!

01:47 - Introduction
04:42 - Pacers v OKC
36:25 - Grizzlies trade Bane to Magic
58:26 - KD Trade Watch

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.)
#Volume #Club

The volume and hello ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for joining us for another episode of Nightcap. As you watch the OKC Thunder take a three to two lead as they head back to Indy one oh nine. Jalen Williams was sensational and you know, uh, Shae Gilger just did what shake gilg just does.

Uh.

He wasn't It wasn't terribly efficient, but he got to the free throw line fourteen times that he made thirteen of them. He chipped in with thirty one, but it was the big forty from Jalen Williams that really did the pacers in.

Y'all know me, I'm your favorite unk.

Shannon Sharp filling in for number two is number three Little Rock, Arkansas native the universe of Arkansas, Lum.

That is I sold Joe who got a big this weekend.

They were down, but I so Joe refused to let them lose and they come back and win at fifty to forty eight. That is Joe Johnson and joining us to break down this game, give us a little better, a little better. Insight is a three time All defensive player north from Houston, played with the Clippers, went overseas this year might be back in the NBA. He say, don't know yet, but he whether to bust somebody, you know what in one on one because that's what seems to be going around now, the one on one battles here is ladies and gentlemen.

You knowing, Pat Ball, Pat what to do? How you doing? Brother? You look good? I'm doing good. I'm doing good.

And please make sure you hit that subscribe button. Please make sure you hit the like button, and guys, go subscribe to the Nightcap podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts from. I want to thank each and every one of you that have supported us from day one. Although we got Joe filling in this week, we're gonna have no drop off.

We're gonna let oh Yo do.

His thing and cads, he's celebrating eating croissants. Say you know, a grateful pon. What the show got to go on? Pat Bell, go fill in with us tonight. We got bun Beat tomorrow night. So we're gonna keep this thing called Nightcap continuously rolling. Although o Hoe is out, but he will be back on Saturday, so tune in for o Cho for that.

But I want to thank each and.

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Supplies of limited and once they're gone, they're gone, So please grab George while supplies last thunder Beat the Pacers one twenty to one oh nine. Jayleb Williams had himself a night forty point six rebound. He was three or five from the three point line, the second most points in a finals game in franchise history. For the first time in the playoffs, Indiana will face elimination. Tyrese Halliburton did not have it going tonight. I think they showed a graphic. I couldn't hear the sound, but I think he's dealing with something, the casf ankle or something. But he was all six, all four from three and he only had four points and he turned the ball over because seemed they were about to get back into this ball game. If I'm not Rick, Carlile madershould have left those backups in because those were the guys that got him back in the game.

Guys, Joe, let me start with you first.

How was okc able from this tip take control of this ball game? And although they cut it down two really never really was the lead from that point on.

Man, I thought, okay, see, you know.

Did everything they could in Indiana can Pete ball to get a game, and they did so. They reclaimed home quarter advantaghed. I love the big lineup man from the jump. I always ask, man, why did they switch that lineup? Why would he change that lineup? If you look at the first quarter, Hartenstein put his stamp on that first quarter.

Yep, his energy, his effort and making.

Plays, getting these guys easy buckets, so they got into a rhythm early. I thought, playing through him almost in that first quarter to where he was able to get back doors, get guys wide open for three and I just thought they pretty much opened up the game. But for me Unck and Pete Bell if it was too close for my life and if I'm ok see, I thought they should have put them guys away a lot sooner. But you know, giving credit to Indiana who's fault this whole postseason, and you're probably right, he probably should have stuck with the backups because those guys had so much energy and they got him right back in the game. Like how they down six points and Hallenberg playing it's bad so uh. But I thought laying that fourth quarter, you know, the thun to put their stamp on it, you know, with with Williams obviously having an incredible game, Shade kind of followed up and you know it was a side kicked tonight but they did what they do. Man, they got guys who can close. I like, yeah, look at that Indy. It looked like from the jump the Indy like they came into this game like, well, you know what, even if we lose this game, we get to go back home. Because I don't think they came out with the energy that you look I understand this too too, but it didn't look like they came out with the energy that I expected the team to come out with, especially on the road.

What didn't you like about what you saw from Indy?

Ill I look at the first play on like you feel me like being in the trenches, especially in the playoffs. I looked at the first play the first play they got the ball. Okay, see got the ball in the pocket. Like Joe said Harlstein, they hit hardstyle in the pocket. First play out the game, dump boom boom at the tunk.

Right.

If I'm them on the other end, I'm telling it. Listen, man, first minutes, no dumb motherfucker in there.

We we we fired.

Were putting them right to the full. But okay, see sat the tone and they can really handle it. I think they really really got back into the game. I was like punching back that uh that that second unit that was in the game that third quarter.

Yeah, I mean I agree with you guys, But tonight they needed a little bit more from Haller Burton.

They didn't get it them hard. I thought he needed.

Look, if you go back and look at it, they got back in the game with Obie top And and TJ. McConnell, then Pascal Siaka, that was the unit that really got in.

The passcal is the starter.

But you look at TJ McCallum, You look at guys, they were flying around the floor. They've making it and then all of a sudden, it was a two point game. You get a loose ball, okay, see they get a second chance points, they kick it out. Jayleen Williams in a three and the next thing you know, Haller Burton comes down and he turns the ball over. And so what was a two point game? All of a sudden, it's a seven point game. Call the time out. They come hit another three and it's a ten point game, and from that point on the game was over. Look, I understand, and I think everybody's played. Everybody here been a professional athlete for an extended period of time and we've all played injured, the hurd it, whatever the term you want to use. It's a lot easier said than done, because your brain knows that you're hurt. Your body's gonna gonna favor the injury, be a need, be an ankle, a calf, or whatever the case may be. But tonight I thought Halliburton hurt them more than his presence helped them.

I could be wrong. What did you guys see?

Now?

I think I think I think from like an athlete standpoint, and we all know like you feel me, like you want to transistion this playoffs and playing in a big game, a huge game. You feel me like you throwing in a towel and saying like, Okay, I'm hurt.

I ain't gonna play no more.

Can rub it off to some players on a team like damn he put on us, Like why wouldn't he? Like we as competitors, No, man, if it ain't broke, come on, let's keep playing. You know, so I look at that standpoint from competitors. Yeah, hey, look for me, man, this is it.

This is it.

Guys. I mean, hallam, you can't you can't get it back, Like A said, I didn't think that they came out with that sense of urgency that they needed to compete. Now, Okay, see, you know they knew they come squander this game away. They like I said, they had got home court advantage back, and they played like they played resilient. They attacked the basket, they put pressure on their defense. They probably had more wide open shots tonight n mp ball than they probably had in this whole series. Yeah, they turned they defense that they played great defense was turned into you know, pretty good offense to where they all kind of got into a rhythm. Then you get Wigans making threes, you get walked. That's the thing they had stopped that. When you got your others playing great, they at home, they feel comfortable, it's a rap.

I thought they was gonna blow them out.

So I was surprised that Indiana was able to even stay in the ball game. Yeah, I think the thing was look at they had seven turnovers in the first and it look I think the first game kind of gave Indiana false sets because they had twenty five turnovers past Bell. They had nineteen turnovers in that first game in the first half and they ended up winning, and I think they gave them a false sense like, hey, we can turn the ball. No, you can't, because when you turn the ball over against this team, they turn them into points, and they turn them into points abruptly. So and now you look at it, they're right back in this game, and they have like three consecutive turnos back to back to back, and now what was a two or four point game, all of a sudden, it's right back to a thirteen point game. I'm like, guys, you've got to do a better job of They the pacers got to do a better job. You know, they got very active hands. And when they bring Caruso in and they bring that second unit, they get even more active. And Joe were talking about it the first game. We're like, why y'all go to that small lineup? You look at tonight, chant hongred worries of that chant holgred five officive rebounds, I say, Hartenstein six officive rebounds, lou Dort five offensive rebounds. Now they had nineteen, but three guys had sixteen of the nineteen. You see, now you're getting second chance points. I don't know what made you think you could go to a small lineup and play. No, No, I'm gonna make you adjust to what I do because I'm the one that won six day games. I've got the MVP. I'm not adjusting to you, but I just throw any out of the effort that I thought. And even in the second hold on the fourth quarter, they get the ball and what.

Do they do right at turn the ball over? I'm playing with damn.

And then he called a time out. There was down I think it was down seven. They come out on the time out and turned.

The ball over again. Be bam. I'm like, bro, what are y'all?

I know, Rick Carlile and draw that bull job up in the hoddle and you gotta thing you gotta do this A young team too, right, this is a team and I'm you know, I ain't really trying to.

Like obviously we could say, oh no, this team win the championships. You know, they supposed to play perfect. But this is a team that's only been here first time. You know, obviously they've both been at the first time. But okay, see has a little bit of experience of guys who who who's won on that level? Right, I mean as far as guard play, these are young guards.

Right.

If these say they say first really experienced on a big show. So you're talking about like making the right decision constantly and a hostile environment like okay, see go be tough for any player. So what I think they gonna play much better at home is we see, we know how Indiana play at home. But I just think that you know, the moment the Haller Birds injury, it took, it took veterans TJ. Mcconnells. You see the game he had, you know, like it took guys who's been there before. The Okay, cool, let me get the ball. Let's calming down. Let's get the best possession, let's get the best buckets. So we're gonna say, you know, they can mix that in all together, Indiana with that pressure of uh you know, if they lose as old.

Hey, well if you do get before you go, Joe, they get too.

There's two days in between, so they don't play again until Thursday, so probably get around the clock treatment tomorrow. You know, Hey, tonight, tomorrow, Wednesday, Hey, be ready to go, because there is no Thursday. I mean, excuse me, there is no Friday, there is no tomorrow. If you don't take care of business on Thursday, man, you better put some dird on that thing, and and and and pass it up.

Man, stop playing. Man, We got we got the ball game and the web fellas. Hey, hey, do y'all use d ms so? Do y'all use d ms so?

In the NBA, is that it's like a Vetinaria's rubbing on horses to take the swordess out of your ankles and muscles.

I don't take medicine. I'm from the Motherland. I don't take medicine. You don't take it.

You rub it on, but it makes your breast belt like Garnic. But it does take the sword this out. They had, they used to had that innocen you know where Anderson is all, yeah, they get we call it that end though they had that innocent boy, he take that Enderson, You don't feel nothing, you hear me. Yeah, they're supposed to be careful taking all that medicine because this is really toxic on deliver you know, everything you put it in your body. If it's a medicine, it's got to go through that liver again, he doxifies. So, hey, hey, anything anything where you can play in comfort the way you ain't in pain.

Boy, you bet tore it off.

Well, I know y'all had torn off definitely, Okay that I know guys who used to take the leaves sixty minutes on the cot every game, faithfully, faithfully every game. Yeah man, Hey to to take that pain, well, I said, I haven't seen people get that shot, get that shot in the glue.

Oh and uh I have seen it. I have seen it.

Hey, Look Pete bell Man, it seemed like, uh, Indiana was under distress, you know, pretty much the hole. It's like they couldn't calm down, they couldn't settle themselves down, and they got themselves in a lot of trouble, which led to a lot of turnovers, and those turnovers led into easy baskets, man, wavy buckets, Yeah, which got which got OKC going.

And they never they never bounced back from that.

Yes see See it seems like they wanted Look, they have a style of play p ball. You played against them, and it seems like, look, they want to speed tempo. They won't make her miss We're gonna push tempo, so we don't care if you make it, we'll take it out of the net. If you miss it, we'll get it off the rim. But we're gonna go and it seems like they wanted to play that style, but it was playing right into ok C's hand because you're speeding up, but you're speeding yourself up and next thing you know, deflections they get ball going the other way.

I'm like, bro, what are you? What do y'all do? Just settled?

Just I wish somebody he said like these this is a young team, and they are they don't really have anybody. I think the only guy that Thomas Bryant has been in the championship he one one one would uh. I think he was Denver when they want a championship, he was. He was the best man plaining about being in l A. They got him upout it that because he wanted yeah yeah, and he ain't been seen since.

But I think the thing was, you're right.

They they played at a pace that they wanted to play at, but it wasn't conducing for that game. It's kind of like a team that want to, Hey, we throw the football, bro, it's a down pour, it's a hurricane out here. Bro, Hey, you gotta pick and choose our spots. But we're gonna throw it, but we gotta come up with a different game plan. I agree, I agree, I think, Uh, and that's why, you know, when you look at ok C and the makeup of the team, obviously having the MVP and Shake, you look how poised he'd be down the stretch and when it's time to get to his spots. Pet Bell, Hey, look, you can do all that grab and hold and bumping when I drive, but I'm gonna get on ballants, I'm gonna make some tough shots. I thought he made some tough shots to Night, especially in that fourth quarter, uh.

To give to get him over the Hart. But I think that's the difference in the series.

Even though hallen Bergers had flashes, the way he's played great. I just think OKC, you know, led by Shade and obviously Williams. You know, those guys are very patient offensively. They get they get to their spots and it's nothing.

You can do about it.

Yeah, And I think, like when you look at the game, right, and and I'm gonna I'm gonna jump on the other side.

And this if I'm.

Indiana, right, and I'm you know, I'm in the front office and I'm the numbers guy, right, I'm looking at this game, Joe, I'm looking at this game like, oh man, we could have won that game.

We just shot it back from the three. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. So like, regardless of what we're saying, right, I don't know half of those thirties go down.

With the way they played. This is a totally different game.

So they're getting on the plane mentally like, oh, that's okay, guys, we're just in the shots regardless of how the game is going. So you gotta you gotta kind of understand how that works too. Going back to ND, I agree with you Pee Bell when you look at it.

If I Rick Carlisle, guys, we can't play any worse for three quarters now, and we still and we cut it with like nine minutes to go to a two point game. So just think if we play, if we play ten percent better than what we played the first three quarters, now, we gotta we got our crowd now, we can't just become reliant on our crowd. We're gonna have to play better, clearly, and I believe we can play better than what we played tonight. But guys, think about how many we had seven turnovers in the first quarter on the road. So I mean we're down ten, We're down ten.

Yeah, I think that's my motivation going into the locker room. That's my motivation. Just like you said, my motivation is if I'm Carlisle. Obviously he was a phenomenal coach rack and he's been doing it for the every season he's been in the NBA.

But if I'm him, that's the message the guys. We miss shots.

Guys, we turned over the ball, protect the ball. Hit We're gonna make shots, stay in it and real stuffle, real easy. Because you don't want to put too much pressure on that limitade game. You don't get people kind of thinking. Second thing, oh no, I got okay. See oh man, I got okay out.

Third, yeah, I got him closing out.

Man, Listen, if if if Hallenburg gonna come out and give you what he gave you tonight, I don't see how he can be much better in Indiana. I mean, if he heard he hurt, I think I think, okayc gonna come out and take advantage of that and obviously close.

Him out and gonna win this series. Man.

Uh you just I mean you, you are playing you playing well enough to win. I love Topping, I love TJ McCollum, I love matter and those guys come off the bench because they really don't have a drop off when they come in the game. If they come in and they getting straight to it, the energy, the effort, they all attack and they flying around. But I just felt with that big lineup that okay Se has Hartenstein playing the way he's playing. Obviously, check Homorrhage didn't play great, but I thought he played well enough for him to win. I just feel like, okay See is a better team. And I've been saying and now he's had some bumps in the road throughout this postseason dealing with this Pacers team.

But I think the run is over, guys, It's over.

With no no, the Thunder had twelve blocks.

Think about it. It's gonna be hard for you to lose a game if you turn a team over twenty two times and you have twelve blocks. Let that think it. You turned them over twenty two times, you had twelve blocks, you had fifteen steals.

Yeah, it's gone.

Hey, so I think you know, yeah, we shot the ball bad, but there had to be a reason. It wasn't like they was out there shoot around shooting by the damnself. Okay See has something to do with that.

People.

Yeah, Yeah, I met him in uncomfortable situations, bro, And then I think I think for them heart like and I'm again, I know I'm on Indiana's mand wag right now.

But for heart is gonna be tough for him to score a lot of points because of deal with shape.

Yeah, the load he has with shape, right, you can see it.

You can see it because we've seen him in the past series play extremely well. Now now we see him catching the ball not even been taking spot up three, So like you can see that match up with him.

That's a that's a tough cover, you know, to take your legs from under.

You a p bell, you man, listen, you know when you in somebody's back pockets all night like them hard is with shade, It's tough, bro, you gotta find somewhere to risks.

I'm gonna.

Offense. He got a wrists on offense sitting that corner. Yet that car on that corner. It's so hard. Hey, hey, you sleep with your ass up. Shape puts so much pressure on pressure.

Bro.

He look into attack and every turn he let you rest absolutely. And and now he and Jay Williams they've got done. You know what, Hey, we're gonna play pick and roll. Just us two gonna play pick and roll because Ni Smilk got one and Jake and n Memhar got double.

So we'll just played pick and roll with y'all two.

And you know, we're saying, we've seen people talk about this too, and you see a lot of people have been talking about how the game has changed and how you need a team concept, right, and Joe, you know personally, Hey, that play ain't nothing but your two main players getting the ball.

Everybody else slat that is. That's that's that's too flat. That's all that is.

So regardless of hot teams play, what pace they played with, what defense they go to.

No, your best players win games. You go get him with the ball. We go get him with the ball. We're gonna get him in the spot. We gonna get him in the spot. And we're gonna put the cards in their hands.

And you know what, Shae says, I'm won, Jaylen Williams says, I to everybody else, might be he might be the m v P if we if he get it, it was today, Phil was today MVP.

Yeah.

But here's the thing, though, Pat Bell, he just he just tied Michael Jordans for the most thirty four playoff game in a in a s he jordan'laju wan in a playoff run. So he got a chance. He might have two chances to get seventeen. He ain't moving that. He averaging thirty. That's what I'm trying to say. He might be the m v P h he might get finals MVP. Who you saying averaging thirty. You're talking about.

Averaging thirty. He average thirty two games.

Yeah, yeah, he gonna He's gonna get a A P Bell, he gonna get that because he's gonna fire off about that game. I'm trying to say, hold on now, no he balling. He don't you imagine the NB. Hold on, Pat Bell, think about what you're saying. The guy that won m v P in the regular season didn't win finals MVP man and.

The team won. Can you imagine that happened? I care? Hey, corn Brand did that?

Boy?

He played with no but Bird did win the MVP.

He finished He finished third that year, He finished second that year Bird wanted. Bird won the MVP eighty four, eighty five, eighty six. He was the last to win the three consection three consecutive times. Corn Bread wanted. That was Bird's second year, Okay, if he was, if he was to get it, would y'all be like, wol y'all be like, oh, they'll be shocked. Depending on what the froze out game is. We just the prisoner of the moment right now, because he had a hell of a game to night. But the depending on if he can follow this up with another with the thirty five or another forty people had he just had a thirty Dolly take.

You finished like Shane didn't.

No, no, no, I know he did, but it's just like you pointed out, he just got affiching with it Jack from fourteen to twenty five to night.

That's all that. Shaye has thrown caution to.

The win with efficiency because he knows I'm gonna draw the contact, I'm gonna get to the free throw line, so I'm gonna make up. I'm go like you look at nine or twenty one, like, well damn, but you look at thirteen or fourteen, you look at level of twelve, you look at fourteen of fifteen from the fire line.

So he's not efficient like he was in.

The regular season, where he shot over fifty percent from the floor in average thirty two. But he's like, I will get my shots up. If what two things gonna happen, They're gonna go in or you're gonna file me. But I'm gonna get points one way a number?

So does does in y'all mind?

As as athletes who watch the game, that's the Does the plus minus matter in this situation where you talk about two guys who who can you know be close to getting that award? Does plus minus matter? Because if it does, J Dove wins the plus minus an adult. That's all I'm saying. I'm just saying, when we looked at games that was, that was, that was Jay Doug put that team on.

His back in Indiana. Game Fourty put that game on his back in Indiana. I agree. I agree. That's all I'm saying.

Like, and then to follow that back at home, they was giving a ball to him and say was running to the corner.

So I'm just saying, I agree to get another forty point game.

It has happened in twenty fifteen step with the MVP Iggy one Finals MVP. Yeah, yeah, you're right, And I don't think Iggan numbers were no one in there close. Boy, that wasn't you closed? That's what I'm saying. Hey, they they gave they gave that man m v P for holding Lebron to thirty five fourteen right, fourteen to nine?

For real? I just think I think the thing is and Jayleen Williams is playing unbelievable.

Uh. I think if he do a contract soon or he just signed an extension. I think he just signed one. I think he might have just signed one too, maybe last year. Yeah, but shy about to get fired, shy about to do that four for uh for two ninety four?

About that Jo, I think Jajob is still on his tough first I think he's up after after one more year, because he he's.

Still oh he's still in his first contract. Yeah, oh j hey hey j F J said, Hey, y'all need to break this off. Go ahead and break this off. Shae, you're gonna get your phone for two ninety four. Hey, y'all come see you boy, I got fied. Give me give me five for two fifteen. Hey, listen, hey, when you win, everybody win, you know. Yeah, it's heid so and you know what, because here's the thing. You know, Aerry Pat Bell, you've been around the locker rooms. You know, the thing that a Blenker team up quicker than anything is egos. Yeah, man, man, if I was somewhere else and getting shots and YadA, YadA, YadA, I could be I could be an MVP, or I could be a first team All the NBA selection. Bro, y'all got a great thing. You got a guy who's twenty six, and you got another guy that's twenty four. Y'all can ay, y'all can run this thing for? It was kind of like Kareem. It was like, even though Kareem was much older than Magic. Yeah, because you gotta realize Kareem was the MVP Magic's rookie year.

Magic.

Even though Magic was finals MVP the first year and he wanted again in his third year, he still deferred to Kareem because he understood, I'm better with Kareem than without, And sometimes players don't realize they're better together than without. Okay, So what, Yeah, you might be a first team All the NBA selection. You might average twenty five to twenty eight points a game, but with no chance of winning a championship, would you rubber average twenty one to twenty two and win championships?

Have opposed to twenty eight thirty and don't win it at all people.

Yeah, I think I think like the way okay See has done and you gotta give a lot of credits out to Sam Presty and oh everybody over there.

They've been holding it down for decades, right.

Uh.

The way they lined it up, they could literally pay each guy at separate times, you know.

Like so like the way they lined it up is.

It wouldn't be harmed to to anybody that's affecting you know, them getting more money resulting on how they play the game of basketball. So like that's the good thing about it. My my, my next thing about it, Like if that's your core, right, all those other pieces around that, that's all interchangeable, you can go find that plug that in. Like you've seen how success looks, so you can you can run with that until you know, man, you can you talk about a dynasty team, you know, like you talk.

Check be coming up soon too, Hey, listen.

I think I think Check is probably one of the most important pieces because throughout this postseason he's he's had some growing pains and he's been able to learn through playing and what you with him having Shye and Williams. With them both being in kind of reform and understanding, you know, what's expected of them and delivering night in and night out.

He's been able to kind of get by.

With subpar, you know, performances from time, but you know, once he developed some consistency to where he kind of knows who he is as a player and he knows how to be consistent on a night to night basis, that's gonna make them even more deadly.

So I agree with you, guys.

I think if they able to keep them three together and and Check continues to grow until the player who we ultimately think he can be, which is a you know, an all star caliber guy. Man, they gonna they can run. They can run the Western confience. They can run the NBA for quite some time. He should need these some of them Oklahoma stakes out there. And one of the things that y'all understand too, like they okay, see he's been down the shrug.

They made a mistake, right, They've had the same the same drink that just that just didn't cut. It didn't get to where it's supposed to. So like instead of letting that James Harden go, no, we're paying him now, right, Yeah, you know that James Harden may be chet in his position or or or or Jay Dubb Right, No, you've seen.

How I go. We let them go. We let them do they thing. We're gonna make the five million at work this time.

J dub joins the lead company after putting up forty points in the game, five only players with eighteen points in the paint and three threes in the finals game since nineteen ninety eight.

Kevin Durant J dub lebron James.

Hey, man, he's he like Pete Bell said, he has been sensation of these past two games. And he and you're right, Pete Bell if in Indiana's game and what was that game for? He cared even I've seen Shae. He was dead dog time.

Shae was like this ain't gonna get that link. I'm going up the court. You gonna you know what I mean? Hey, And he didn't disappoint.

He got to his spots, he got in the paint, he made plays, He put pressure on the defense, and he carried them for at least two to three quarters, especially down the stretch. So I ain't got no no, no drawback on Pete Ball with that, he he is a hell of a player, and he and he is an elite company, you know, with what he's done in the past two games. And plus he giving it to you on both ends because he ate he got a Hey, he takes a tough defensive assignment and still got it. And we saw House impacting them hard, having to deal with shape. Yeah, so j Dubbins taking a tough defensive assignment a lot of times and he still knows. He's got to give you his twenty plus. Tonight, he doubled you up. He gave you twenty. He gave you forty piece. Hey, Pete Bell, Hey look Pete Ball. Oh you look at Shane. He had ten dimes a night. He had two stills and he had four blocks. He played on both fends too. Yeah, out here trying to get to Baja, get to the U classes and get by his man and make plays. That man out there sitting in that chair or he's some people by all know about sitting in that chair. He's sitting in that chair. He's making plays on defense as well. But Joe, you remember we talked about it. In game four, he had thirty five with zero on sis. It was the first time since jail. I think Jared West had thirty five four. He like, I ain't getting nobody involved, Get your damn FIfF involved. I'm getting buckets.

I am. I paid imped in the chamber and when the gun runs out, I'm throwing it that.

But I made it all. I made it, I lit it. I'm not leaving anythad right anything.

I say.

Yeah, we see how size like Joe obviously you know you've been a player that you know like you haven't been you know, the fastest or this, that that, But you see truly like size matters. Yeahs saze really matters. I don't you know you've got the heart of a champion. You can you know, man, I thought for two games I was locking up Kevin Durant that he gave fifty.

I just I couldn't block the side. I was just you. I promised.

I was trying my ass. I ain't gonna lie to it. But you're good cause you fighting them to get to his spot. Pete ball, you know what I mean, Like you're gonna get nothing comfortable. You're gonna make it the entire game. Now when he go up to shoot that tall man jumps, I ain't gonna be nothing you can do. You do your work early, right, and that's all they doing. That's all they doing.

They got them And I like the adjustment to coaches made. They instead of putting the ball in his hand, they putting the ball and jake up. They hitting them right there at the elbow. You know about that sweet elbow, Joe. You can't double can you see the whole flow? You can't double team you not by the three. You don't have a lot of dripple.

You can catch it off the jab.

You can get them off me with a foul. So like they putting them in a great position to be successful. Hey hey, hey, oh Pete Bell. Peter Paul said, try it all baby. Hey they out there. I like when they throw the ball the Hardenstein a check and they do their little cut game action and they that's hard to guard. Man, that is hard to guard because once you come to shade with a drip of handoff, now he got a live drib but he got to catch a shoot.

Now he can manipulate the defense.

However, the way he won, and I felt with them playing like that, especially in that first quarter, it got so many people involved in the game that you know, they was able to kind of blow the thing open. And you know, I just thought Indiana with their resiliency, you know, they were able to fight back in the game. They look, you can have Indiana down by twenty one six sco they picking you. They turned around right in your mug. They ready, you know what I mean. So we're gonna give him a lot of credit because I had been counting to mind, I ain't gonna lie to you.

They showed me.

They showed me a lot of heart. You know, throughout this whole postseason. J Doub keep it real. After the game he had a forty piece. He said, sorry, I'm tired, to be honest, I can imagine cause you know, hey, he's taking responsibility.

I mean, he's trying to pick up He's tried to defend. What was what was his stat tonight?

He had forty six rebounds, four sisters steal, only had one turnover, had four personal file.

So that lets me he evenvolved. That lets me know he a he tried on defense. When guys get that's why you see a p ball and I just look at it. Man, if this guy, if this guy's on the court, we up fourteen points.

I look at it like that. Then I look at the last game he's on the court. We plus eleven points. I have to play this guy is the reason why he always plus. Oh yeah, let's talk about this trade. The Memphis Grizzly sit Deathmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for KCP Kentavious call, Will Pope, Cole Anthony four one two, three, four unprotected first round picks and the pickswarp hold on. I don't think y'all hurt from p B. Bell because I ain't get the reaction that I thought I was gonna get from you. One two, three, four unprotected first round picks and a pick swark.

Yeah. I mean when you do something like that, let me, are you blowing it up? Are you? Are you gonna get rid of job? Are you gonna get rid of a triple j I'll be what's going on? What's going on? Joe? Man? That's what it looked like. I'm like, Man, they gave up a lot, you know, to uh put Desmond Bane. Yeah, they gave up a life from Desmond Bane.

Man.

But man, I don't know what mythics got going on over there. I don't know what they plan on doing.

Uh, maybe they will get rid of Joe and JJ. But I'm like, why if you do that, then what you're banking on? What you I mean, what's gonna be your drawn?

You know what I mean? If you get rid of that.

I look at it like this, right, I look at it like this, right. If I'm GM, I'm looking at it like if I wanted to start a team. Right, obviously, I'm gonna pick the guy that I want to start the team with. I'm a pick a five man. But if there's anybody else that you need as like a shooter, a glue guy, a guy that can just get you points from from nowhere, I honestly think he's an upgrade from Cobley Pope if we've been if we've been honest, he's done it in the regular season. He's done it on the eyes, you know, upgrade over KC.

Yeah, I think for sure, right right?

And I think Memphis all also needed a a guard who can bring up the ball, you know, who can go get his own bucket. I like that, and co Anthic it also needed some some some some some locker room presss.

I like that from k C. P Right. I don't like the picks, right, but we it's been so up and down in the NBA.

Luca Donsons gets up one first round, a guy gets three first rounds.

So you just don't know the scale of of of how they negotiate with the picks.

Like we just don't you see Rudy Gobert go for four first round picks, right, So we just don't know.

Go ahead, man, go ahead.

Yeah, it's just hard for us to know like what's actually been saying in those conversations. So like we can look at it like, man, what the hell, what's wrong with y'all? How y'all giving up that much right to the naked eye.

But I don't know. They might have been the deals and placed before.

We don't know if it's you know, it's it's so much with this business that you really, you know, you don't know everything. But I thought Scotty Pippen Jr. Played well for Memphis last year when when Joab was down. I thought he played well. P Ball, Yeah, I think I think I think you keep him and you get cold. Also, right, I don't think again as many as play but Ball Henderson playmakers you can have, you know, I think that's that's a good that's a good. Look, I think Lukenard. Lukenard is up for contract. I think he's free agent, right, So, I mean that's that's an open position. That's you know, just telling you they might not want to bring Luke Canard back.

So, you know, I think I like it with the.

Presidence, with KCP and Winner, who's done it before, someone that could be in Joe, I like Jared Jackson, JJ and Josh still together, you know.

So it was just I like eating you know what I'm saying. We just have to see how I go. Now. Yeah, I.

Mean I'm looking at this, I'm like, what message. I don't think they got better. I don't I don't think they got better with this trade. I don't think Memphis they're still night seedy. They for the play in the move they made today, they're still in the play in.

Yeah. I mean, you don't look at them and.

Says, okay with this move right here now, they're top five, their top five, top four seeds. I don't look at it like that. You think their top four, top five seed right now? People, Now you gotta think this is the same team that that fire Taylor Jenkins. So you know, you gotta come in and thinking that sometimes maybe they don't. They don't think them right way at all, you know what I'm saying.

So you gotta understand, like, oh, man, this is the same organization that fired a phenomenal coach.

You feel why they've been in the headlines for John Moran and this this, They've been in the headlines more than the Hollywood team. You know, the members was that I was, I.

Mean, yeah, matter of fact, you was on the team. Yeah, you with that too, I said. I checked them and say, UNKI will you I'm cool. I'm like, yeah, I said, you say, hey, you say hey, let that go? Man, let it go.

Man. They on some bullgye, them young boys, they like that, let it go, Let it go. So like they've been in the news more than than than the Hollywood team. So like you know, you you always have to question any move.

They make going for Hey, would you see them trading John in triple J? Man, I can't see that. I know that.

I know the rumor has been spreading around. But man, John is star power, He's box office. I think I think a lot. I think they lean. I think you should. They put more pressure on him to be elite, to be one of the top guys in this league and JJ, like, you got two great pieces who work together. I don't know why you would trade that and and what you would get back for you know what I mean, that would be comfortable to what you know they give. So I don't see I don't see them trading him. I think they looking for John to take that next step and uh, you know, b B be elite in this league, be one of the top of league guards man, That's how they're gonna be able to contend.

I think.

Josh, he just can't stay he gotta stay healthy, old Joe. I think that's why they got them mother Guards. That's why you bring in Cole Anthony. You keep Scotty pipping because of his injury history, but if you didn't keep him healthy, I think, oh, he's phenomenal. Yeah, yeah, he's he's phenomenal. And besides, I mean you get rid of him. Who Look, they're a very few big man that team that that people ever have ever come to see. So you they come to see small, they come to see guards, They come to see Lebron's and Kevin Durants. They come to see Steph Curry's and James Harden and guys like that may look Triple J is phenomenal, but they people ain't gonna be lined up to see Triple J and Zachiety.

I'm sorry.

Hey, you know this is a star driven league, bro, you know what I mean. He got commercials, this, that, and the third like he got you.

He got his own culture too.

I wanna take that next step, man. You know, here a little bit more discipline than the things that he's doing off the court. You know, hold himself accountable, and you know, come in and help get that franchise, you know, back to they winning ways. Yeah, because he he the chief for the Oh yeah, all the ms love they love him to death. Yeah, him and the young boy they love, they love him to the most. Yeah, so wrong. He just got to stay healthy. Like you said, Hey, hey see see what they feel like it's bad for the public eye. Like like Pete Ball said, these hys they loving it, you know, love it. They love it. They love it. They love to see man like that. But here's the thing, bro, do you understand how much money you cast yourself? I mean, you make your big buddy, Hey, you get suspended for twenty games. Hey, hey, Pete ba back, come on down twenty game. That's probably three that's two three billion dollars four million.

Yea, I'm gonna tell you. I'm gonna tell you who Mad James Jackson Jr. Mad oh bacause Oh yeah, he calls himself a hundred meal. You know what they say all the NBA they're.

Talking about, they talking about, they talking about your homie cost them all that money, Lebron James?

How they say Lebron Lebron.

If Lebron don't get that position, they say, that's some sort of JJJ spat and he get that three fifty. But but but here's the thing. Did anybody think Triple J I play Lebron this year?

No? Not even close, not even close.

But I'm thinking, like, damn, they gonna gave it to Lebron for twenty years at least get me.

You know.

So I see it both ways. And the thing is is that you can't win. They said, okay, we want this.

Okay, now you got a writers that's gonna decide how much money you actually made. Why team second team thirteen first or second team All NBA MVP.

You're right, a little game. Now, that's a cool game for me.

Man. It used to be the players voted, but they say, man, y'all got favorite Tillers, You got your playoffs, X, Y, and Z.

So they say, you know what, let's turn it over to the riters. They turn it over to the riters.

Bro, you ain't gonna somebody gonna be disappointed because the season that will average fifty and twenty five. He didn't win the MVP. So up until nineteen eighty, players voted for the MVP. Yeah, they said, nah, man, man, y'all be buddy buddy. Y'all be hanging out the All Star Game, y'all cool, So you vote for your buddy. Okay, they said, let'll tell you what. We're gonna take it out now. The writers got it not what you want to do. Somebody gotta vote. Somebody got to win the MVPP BAP, Somebody gotta be first second team All NBA, somebody got to be first to second team All Deficive. So and gotta win these awards. So what's the way that you got You guys played in the league. How would you like to see that handle? I like, I like Aman handled and I think that once once you kind of understanding the older, you get that basketball is his huge business.

And part of basketball being in business this is it's partly entertaining also, right, it's entertainment. It's fans being entertained by guys shooting threes, guys and you know, doing call pacey dunks. So once I kind of found that out and I used to steal stuff, I'm like, hey, okay, cool, I see Tony Alla throwing up first thing.

Okay cool.

Anytime I get a big stop, I'm gonna throw a first sin right right now. That'll triggered people to be like, oh yeah, he's first seen. Then you look at media has to go with it, right, So I get to playing a game now, I don't.

I'm not.

I haven't been at the luxury to you know, see three hundred and fifty million or get voted in dB.

I haven't been in that luxury, but I know the small things I did. So ain't no telling what guys out here doing. My guys probably sending wine bottles, all types of stuff out.

There but here.

But before you go, Joe, is that if Memphis, if John take care of it. Now they're on television more and now people see them more. Good call Lebron's you the Lakers. They got forty forty two forty three televised games. So you go see Lebron, you go see Lucas, you go see Jason Tatum. You're gonna see a lot of these guys. But in Memphis it's contingent. So with John's there and they're playing well, Memphis. We used to see Memphis and we see y'all be a second team. We see j Triple J be on all NBA selections. But when you're out of sight, look all the guys so bad. Look I'm I'm following the team. A lot of these people are beat riders. Everybody's not in there all these games. Everybody ain't watching everybody play. It's not like the NBA. I mean, excuse me, NFL, all the games come on Sunday. You got some playing playing Wednesday, they got some team playing, Tuesday, got some team Thursday, got pride. So I can't, Hey, I can't keep up with everything. People help, right, Hey, listen. I think with Jan Jackson JUNR he bell for me. It's like he hanged his hat so much on offense nowadays, and I think he needed to go back to being that meand defensive prisons. I don't know if he can lead the league in blocks anymore with winby being in the NBA. But he winted that no he win that ain't nobody wouldn't nobody. Ain't nobody fit the winning the block title with with you know, but he gotta he gotta hang his hat on defense. You know, his offensive game will come, you know, if he if he let his defense fuelss offense versus just standing out there at the three point line, you know, shooting a lot of threes.

I know he got a nice little bad.

You know with him offensively, but they need his defensive prisons for them to be effective in that in that wild wild West.

Hey, he said that.

So so we played them, We played them in the playoff when I was in Minnesota and and and he was in the next year, he wanted to kind of work on his offense. And his switch was, Okay, if I focus all on my defense, I'm gonna end up in foul trouble a lot. He led the league's he led the league in files also the yere So his thing was like, I'm gonna balance it out. I'm gonna go a little bit more offense, just you know, I ain't gonna put all my energy on defense. I'm gonna put a little bit more off of my energy on offense to kind of balance it out, because when he was all defense, he was fed found out every game.

But the problem, the problem is he's gonna have is that they've made the all the NBA team positionless. So now you might have five, six, seven, eight, ten, fourth of fords or threes or guards. So it's not like we gotta have a five, a four or three or two of a one. So because you look at the second team, I mean you look at all I mean, like damn, and so now you really ain't half.

But Yoki was the only center.

Yeah, and there was no Joel Ebid because you know, when Joelanbid come back healthy, he getting one of them spots and he ain't never gonna play enough games and getting no spot on that's where you might be right, you gotta play sixty five. It's on a lot of people.

Yeah.

Yeah, So that's why I'm saying for me, it's like I feel like it's kind of you know, it's kind of easy for him to crack in that because this is a lot of these top guys, they're not gonna play enough games even be qualified for.

Any of these awards, you know what I mean.

So if he can keep himself healthy, I say, a solid twenty two to twenty three game with about twelve rebounds, you know, a couple of blocks, man, they'll put you right there. Third, Hey, a be a nineteen eleven guy with three blocks, with two and a half blocks, that's the best you can do. Because if you put twenty points twenty two points a game, that takes too much away from his defense. Oh, you just gave away bangs? How much bangs average? He averaged twenty something.

Right, your bangs average bout nineteen twenty KCP and and and uh.

The mother guys come hold after they hold that, they're not gonna they're not gonna be putting up points like that.

Now, they're gonna have some games where they gonna be lights out.

But for the most part, I'm saying, to be consistent, you know, he has to be consistent on a night to night basis. That's basically what they're gonna be looking at. Hey, Hey, you gotta get tighten them hand those up p ball. You gotta be able to put that thing on the play, get to that spot.

You better get his ass to the block left block right block, don't put Hey, look how many bigs we got in the league. Who can chat? Who ain't really none? Looking about four five up?

When you talking, when you talk about true, I'm talking about like a Yo kicch and an embiid. I mean theoretically they listen, Gianni says a big and Lebron and j T and all that.

But Evan Mobley, Jared Allen.

But when you really look at talking about like big bigs that play big, that mean triple J right now.

A D yeah, now a D healthy? Hey with a D healthy.

So you got Jokic, you got Embid, you got a D, you got a Yannis.

So that's four.

That's four fours, right, the four of the fives. You could take Na's main first hay in the last eight years.

You go ahead, take him off that. He's gonna be on that. He's definitely gonna be on that. He's gonna be on that and and Yo Kic.

It's gonna be hard for somebody to else to seat him because he's gonna have a dance tper double.

Its Sam got to win that. Sam got to win. That's it. Yep, that's it.

They gotta win did the band did the band trade expose how badly the Mavericks botched the Luca deal the Mavericks. The Lakers gave up one first round pick for Luca. The Mavericks gave up four first round picks and a pick swap.

Oh Pete Bell.

They got a D in return. A D ain't no slouch. Okay, he ain't no slouch. He can play like he an all star caliber guy if he can stay. But if you have, they treated that deaths. But banin like he's an all star with four first round picks unprotected. Normally people you're like, Okay, they got some protection. Okay, top five protected. They like, nah, nah, ain't nothing protected. We all out everything out. Yeah, ever pick swap that kind of reminds that kind of reminds you of the Clipper deal down the pit Bill when they gave able to get shape.

Yeah away, yeah, yeah, yeah. I was there for thatvere Yeah, I was there. I thought, and looking back on it, I thought for a minute, like, yeah, we won this trade. Easy was wrong? When you were you there?

Were you?

Were you there with? Were you there with Shaye? He was my real key? Well, y'all keep forgetting that. Why do you think your dog so so did you did you see? Okay? Obviously he was. He was a lot of it pick but did you think he could turn into this? I told him this.

I told him the third day of training camp. I tapped Louke me and Louke send down. I tapped lou lou Hey he cold, lu say yeah he he he different.

I'm like, no, no, no, no, lo he. I get up from lou You don't hear what I'm saying. I go right to say. He say, how good do you think he could be?

You know? He he from the sixth so he talked like he talked different than he's like, I mean, I think I could be like really good.

I'm like, yeah, boy, you you as you mean? Like all star.

I'm like no, no, no, no, superstar like Mike Jeordan, Kobe Bryant, Hugh like like he seriously so fast forward.

You know, I see his mom out shopping and while.

You know, while we're playing Toronto, and she's like, man, thank you for you know telling my son that, like you gave him that confidence, like he after you said that, he really believed it.

People always forget say what's my rookie? Say what with my rookie. Yeah, next year, even with Chris Paul.

And Dennis Roller respectfully, you know, everybody got to get that room from somewhere else. But nah, Sam's getting that ball in the playoffs and we was playing Steph Curry, a man, get Steph thirty.

What are you doing when you pass me the ball? Go get step thirty? The killer? Wow?

Yeah, hey, look but when you look at it, fuck and Pete beav Certain things happening throughout Guy's career they kind of helped take them to that next level, you know what I mean. Him getting traded from the Clippers. You never know how he was thinking. He may be thinking like, man, they ain't think I was good enough, So now cres your cord. So now somebody get rid of That's what they tellor you. So now he in the lab working hard as ever, you know, probably showing prove like all right, I'm showing Uh. I don't know if he if he expected himself to reach this level man quickly. It's been it's been special to watch. It's been like I see him the next year and lay up Monassan. He was like, man, that trade. I was like, yeah, man, what you think of?

He like man, what you mean you don't trade me for him?

You know, like talking about Paul George, I'm like yeah, like and to be a second third year guy like saying that shows you how much confidence they had.

But I think it happened. I think it happened later. I think it happened when they.

Got rid of a Dennis Schroeder and CP and they put the ball all in his hands, right, because that's when you kind of saying like that nineteen point twenty point scout out to thirty. Yeah, like once once they like clean house and like made him the primary ball, everything changed and around him everything changed since then. So I think that was a that was a that was you have to again, Sam Presty, that's a that's a that's another one of sam brilliant movie.

And look, and I think we both get why the Clippers had to do this. You're getting Kawhi. Kawhi is basically saying, well, if y'all don't do this, I'm gonna go with the Lakers. Do y'all really want me Lebron and a D And then y'all y'all got a cup pat Bell.

That wouldn't have worked that well for y'all. Man, I know, but we on need in our mind.

You gotta think we just took the year before, we just took God to State six games with Kevin Durant. So in our our miund we thinking like, man, we just need one more person.

Be cool. Right.

So they was they were shopping KD might come. You know, there was a thought that Kawhi might come. We didn't think Kawhi and Paul.

George is gonna come, you know. So for us we're looking like, oh man, we got a real chance to win a championship.

And that's when you know, you know things, you know, the bubble happened, and the three one happened, and injuries happened, and next thing you know, you know, Sha Shae's the MVP and he's in a championship game.

Up up three two right now. Another day, another KD trade watch.

Sons reportedly aren't committing the trading KD to one of his preferred landing spots Miami, Houston, San Antonio. All no state income tax here, p Bell, I'm gonna come to you first, Joe. Let me ask you this. Has KD earned the right to choose his landing spot? Man, Yes, Yes, that man is an all time great. He's done nothing but play hard. Now everybody you know chastising nobody's leadership, But dude, love he who Man, he loved a game. So you know what you're gonna get from him? Pee Bell, if you know what you're gonna get from man. He gonna be efficient from the floor. He gonna be the easy money sniper. The game comes easy to him. Now help him out. You know you it ain't like it ain't like the place he asked and they ain't got talent that you can get some guys back in return to where you can still be competitive. You'll be better than what you were last year. Hell, you ain't make the player in last year. You trade him the San Antonio or Houston. I feel like you can Houston. You can get some good, comparable pieces to where you still be in contention. You can you can at least make the playoffs.

There's all long standards. This we've we've seen we were seeing KD. We've seen KD.

At all for I mean since I've been in the NBA, I don't know, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen years, whatever, Right, We've seen him and in places where when he's happy right, and I mean happy like it's a great team.

It's not a surface running around it.

He plays eve lead basketball right when he goes to places where it's you know, the Brooklyn net scenario and you know this is that I'm not saying it wasn't the elite ball.

I'm just saying like it was just a little harder.

His teams were not as good, you know, like, so I think you get Katie, you get him in that you know, one of those teams season obviously he went to University of Texas, no state taxes, you know, so people love that, people love playing it and somewhere, yeah, somewhere in Texas, right, so you get housed to Yeah, I'm.

I member my neust the house now, yeah, I members to the house now. Yeah.

So like when you get when you as a as an athlete, we all know when you get to somewhere else a fresh start.

You got a lot of young talent.

You gotta you know, you're not beefing with a coach, like we don't know the dynamic with him in a coach like you got something new, You got a coach that you believe in. Your gang goes to another level automatically, you know, so I just think that's kind of the situation that he was in. It sounds like some things, you know, proms. I wouldn't say promised to him, but you know as far as how they you know, want to win. And then you know, you get the coach who Bootonholzer, who's not not for everybody, right, he's not for everybody.

He does thing this particular way and it works. He's won a championship. It works, right, So you can't blame him. But we see that, you know, that fit. It just didn't work. It just didn't work for Kevin Durant. Pep, have you said something very interesting? You say when there's not a circus? Kd played his best basketball once he left ok See at Golden State because all he got to do was hoop. See, you go to Brooklyn, they're counting on you. They want you to lead, even though you want to just hoop. They want you to lead. You go to Phoenix. Now you and Devin Booker should have to lead. You. See, you got Clay, you got stepped, you got dramond I get to be a back really truly. I can lead sing, but I kind of like being in the backup. I kind of like doing background vocals, right. So I don't know, because now at this point, at this point in time, now, guys, everybody that gives Kevin Durant then look at him as a higher gun. We're bringing you here to get us over the pump. That's why they're gonna get it. So the expectation wherever he goes is gonna be expedited. He goes to Miami, Miami is expected to be able to compete for a title. Now it's being reported Mark Spears says Kevin Durant was interested in joining the Nick as well, but the Knicks were not interested in pursuing him. Now, I don't know how true it is, but Mark Spears seems to be a reputable reporter. And I haven't heard anybody come out and said Mark Spears. Mark Spears doesn't know what he's talking about. All I could just go by is what's being reported.

And Mark J.

Spears says he wanted to go to the Knicks now when he had he was a free agent. The Knicks really wanted Kevin the Red when he bypassed them and jumped over and went to Brooklyn. Now he was at Okafe, Oh, probably Okaye said, nah, we good.

So wherever he's.

Going, the pressure is gonna be what he felt when he went to Golden State, because they're like, hold on, they got stuffed. They guy Clay, they got Dremond that won seventy three games the year before. They just lost the three to one lead with Kevin Durant. It should be a breeze and it was, and maybe it became too easily. Maybe Kevin Durant says, my job is done here. What do you think about that? What do you guys think about that?

I don't think Phinnish was a good team, if we're being totally honest, right, I don't think they were a team where they got Kevin Durant and you looked at their roster and you be like, this is a team that can win by bial Yeah, I don't think there was anyone's thought. I didn't think anyone thought that once uh Phoenix got Katie, that they're gonna win the championship. I honestly thought when they lost CP they were gonna go down, and they've been going down that kept.

Yeah, you know so like that.

That's my mindset, right, and you you obviously you add a player like Bradley Beal, who's you know, phenomenal talent dealing with injury.

But when he plays and he's healthy, he plays well.

You got this guy on ball defender, You got this guy the three points a game, maybe five points one game.

I mean, they just wasn't getting the best versions of the players that we're we're accustomed to, that's all.

But you played them out of position. I understand Devin Booker can play. He's not a point, he's a two. If there are a lot of these guys that are saying, oh they got the position, they got PG by the name, they're two guards masquerading p BF, Devin Booker is not a point. He played his best basketball when CP was there. That's the best basketball we see and they got to a championship. They should have kept They should have kept CEP three. I'm not saying you gotta pay him twenty five thirty million dollars, but I'm.

Saying you keep him. You didn't need badly. Bill.

If you can't get enough score from Kevin Durrant and Devin Booker, well I don't know what to tell you. Becoming in the process of getting Bradley bial you give up all your depth. The reason these two teams that are in the finals Indiana and in the OKC, what.

Depth, bitch. Yeah, nobody beat all the teams.

I honestly think if they, I honestly think I'm gonna be honest, I think they they dropped the ball and they got rid of DeAndre eighty.

Eight. Oh yeah yeah, yeah yeah, him and money couldn't get along.

But now you see, you don't got Monior, you don't got DeAndre a. You know, coaches, coaches are revolving doors. We see that all you ain't got Bogal, You ain't got a Bogel, you ain't got bluten Holder, you ain't got money, You on your you on your fourth coaching for years. Yeah, it's hard to get consistency and continuity when you do it like that. People, because that's a whole new sister and they looking way and somebody coaching another way.

Yeah, and they looking for a five man.

Now think about that, because you think, hey, look, you think you think guys are easily replaceable in this league, and they not.

Bro they not.

Look, you give up CP, who is a hell of an orchestrator, and you know he would have made sure Devin Booker and Kevin Durant got their points. Yes, So I agree with y'all. I don't think Bradley Bell was a great fit because now you're trying to make sure all three of these guys get at least fifteen or twenty shots at night, and it just didn't add up to wins.

And that's easy to guard. That's easy to guard.

Okay, cool, he shoot, he goes shoot seventeen, he goes shoot eighteen, he goes shoot twenty two.

Alright, cool, got it. Stop one of them. We win, easy game point.

Some in the Sun's organization believe Bradley Bill will produced when kad is gone. Per Jake Fisher, there's a light. There is a likewise, some hope within the Suns that moving Kevin Durant could possibly present Bradley Beal with a more offensive opportunity to produce in a matter you expect from a player with that sort of contract, As the Steinline have previously reported, various candidates considering during the Sun's recent coaching search was asked, how would they try to get the best out of Bradley Bill if.

He remained a son.

Hey, he's gonna have to well, he gonna have to step up if they get rid of Kevin Durant. Brad Bill definitely got to step in their role in p Bell.

He gonna have to.

They're gonna need at least twenty two to twenty five plus from them A night, man, if.

I trust that coach, I had that coach. I had that coach before they got a really good coach Jordan coach. He was an elite coach, and I mean elite. He's uh.

His IQ on a on on on offensively, it's so simple, but like atvanst and what he does defensively, he's one of the few coaches that can do both. I had him as a coach, Like we talked, like I have a text message right now from him, you know, Happy Fathers Father's Day.

So like coach out, he's a phenomenal coach. Don't sleep on him.

Hey, look, I don't know what kind of system he gonna implement, but uh, they need They need Bradley Bill to be the guy who they got.

From the Wizards at twenty six twenty seventh night.

Now, I don't know if he can average that, but he a Look, they gonna need him to be one of them top guns on a consistent basis.

But he and Bradley, him and Devin Booker really the same person. I agree, they're the same people. A people. They need a center, they need a center, They need a center. But when you gave him all those dreads, think about it. You had just went to the NBA Finals.

You had DeAndre Ayton, you have Michael Bridges, you had book you had a CP you had.

Yeah, yeah, you had a knife. And you blow that all up. You get rid of Ayton.

Not for whatever reason, it seemed like Ayton and and and and money was going back and forth. I don't know, but it just seemed like they was always button heads on the sideline. Looking at it from the TV, I was not, you know, just watching it from a distance, it seemed like they was.

Always button head.

But you blow it up and you've had three coaches, you're about to be on your fourth coaching for since they last won a title, and you you get Kevin Durratt. Look at what you gave up. You traded Michel Bridge. You can't to jail and draft picks. You give up draft picks to get Bradley Beal. So, okay, you got three guys that can score. But they're gonna be stepping over Kevin Urratt not but kind of Bradley bial and and and and book they kind of stepping over each other doing the same thing.

And you ain't got no doubt, you ain't got no big nurkics blessed.

He meant, well, I think I think it might be a test fiece too, right, it might be a tess fiece.

So you look at these moves.

That guy's giving up picks, like you get these big name guys and now you might you can get picks back and not it picks back.

You get younger talent and assets for him.

Too, right, Like, we don't know what this Kevin Kevin Durrant. You don't know what kind of hall of a trade is gonna be. He thirty seven with an injury history. If he bab what you think, and you know he want to leave, so now you can ask for more. You could definitely ask them more now because I know he wants to leave. If I know he wants to leave, Okay, Okay, I can ask for a whole bunch of more. Okay, he wants to leave anywhere, go ahead.

And give it to you.

Because he's thirty seven, and he has an injury history. Is he a phenomenal talent. Absolutely, there's a reason why he was on the seventy fifth anniversary team. He's one of the he's one of the great players in NBA history. But we can't ignore the fact, Pat Bell, he's thirty seven with an injury history. But you told us in the beginning of the show, you just said, if this player is coming to if this, if this player is coming to your teamments he feeling jam Jackson filling up stance? We said, know, Kevin Durant, come to your team. He is flowing them up. Is he in the lineup that night? Could he might be hurt y? Yeah? I think you got him on an organization. He gonna pull ups because we know every order that she's been in, especially Brooklyn. He came to Brooklyn, he missed the whole year and and missed that bubble year and half the year, didn't play to the following so we get that phoenix.

He got the phoenix and got hurt immediately. He got nick last year.

Hey love Oh, I feel like I feel like he getting he deal with them injuries, man, because of the workload that he got to carry. I think he got to carry too much of a workload, like you said, when he was with when he was with Golden State, all he had to do was just who you know, he didn't have to do a whole lot of dirty work, you know what I mean.

He can get to Brooklyn.

They expect a lot out of him, absolutely defensively and offensively, and I think that puts him in a comparable situation to where he's having.

To deal with injuries. I didn't think they needed James Harden.

I didn't need them man, as great as the talent James is, Uh, it's just like it's kind of like the situation in Phoenix. It's like you got three kids, you got three BONA five players, right, and you know what James can do. You know he can go get you thirty and twelve on the any given night. But it's like you got too much offensive power, and it just it didn't It didn't add up. It didn't add up, It didn't add up the wins. And when you get guess what you did, Guess what your depth? Because when you trade for James, because think about it, you got Kyrie and KD for nothing. They were free agents. They came and you didn't have to give up no compensation, you didn't have to give up no draft capital.

You'd have to give up no players.

Now you get James, you got to give up draft capital and you got to give up players to get him.

Yeah, I ain't when we played.

Against that book and that's team, they were so talented, I ain't. And I mean that's the year James, sorry heart too, So we really didn't really get to see the full potential how that team looked all together. You know, we might have seen you know, them together for a little bit of period time. I think Kay got hurt that year. I think James got hurt.

So we really didn't really get to see the best, the best, the best form of that.

But when I when we played them, and I think I was with the Clippers and we played them, it was nothing that we can do, Like it was, it was so much going on at like it was. It was it was matchup problems over here, matchup problems on the post, matchup problems, pick and roll like it was so many match up problems that it wasn't a lot that we could do.

They just wasn't healthy, man.

I mean, what what look you guys fallably then being I followed, was it always like this, like the transcendent?

Historically great players end up moving like this.

I mean, think about the KD was the OKC Golden State, Brooklyn Phoenix.

Now he about to be on his fifteen and he's been traded.

But we got traded from Brooklyn to Phoenix, and now he's about to be traded from Phoenix to h to wherever he goes.

I think that the sense of like the money has obviously got I blame you, No, it's the money, right, it's the money, and then it's it's it's it's guys. Like you don't see a lot of guys back then using their voice everyone they could.

They didn't have the department like they gotten up people right now. So like now you can go and be like, nah, man, he getting that. I want this and if I can't get this, I'm gonna go to another team and go get it right. And you got guys that got relationships like hey, bro, what you doing the something? All right? Cool? We could do this. We do do so Like you got guys that's working behind the scenes. It's like okay, cool.

They go maximize and what they should right and what they should so like, it's just different now.

It's different times right now. I think it's more of a flex right right.

You see you see a guy play on one team his whole career, guy like Steph Curry, right, guy like Drake Moond.

It's you know, moving teams. Guys feel like, Okay, I can win a championship over there and change the coach over there when the champions over there. It's more of a flax a little bit.

I agree.

Hey, then when you look at Durant man, he's such a polarizing you know claire meaning, he's always gonna have value, you know what I mean. So it don't it don't matter where he's at. Somebody's gonna always want him on his team because his skill set is uh is second to none.

You know, a team can always use it.

You look and for me, you look at who could use twenty six twenty seven points a night. But look you look at it. You look at Houston p Bell, who are the number two seed in this year's playoffs, and they were a young team. They struggled scoring, the scoring the basketball, especially stretch. You get Kevin Durant, you know, you you don't have them problems.

You know what I mean. So I know, I'm sure they gonna get him traded.

I just hope he goes to a situation to where you know, it's it's comfortable for him and he's able to just hoop, play his game and be the easy money snipe that we know he is.

And he's Houston. He ain't killed. He's Kevin Durant. The days are just hooping it over.

He got that when he first got when he first got to UH, when he was in Seattle for that one year, and when he went to End and when he went to they went to ok See, when he go to Golden State, ain't no more just hooping because the expectation of championship.

Anybody that trade for.

Kevin Durant right now, p BAF and then Joe you know this, they expect championship because realistic affair or whatever the case you want to want to use. He's a seven foot scoring machine. He's a fishing out of the yin Yang. I mean he shot, I mean he had an off year shooting from the free throw line cups. He shot like eighty four eighty five percent, which is crazy. He's normally eighty nine to ninety but he gave it twenty six, five and six, and so he goes to Houston. You know what that means, they had the number two seed. They expect to go further. If he goes to Miami. You know what the expectations there when you go to Raleigh led organization. So there there's no place he can go that he's gonna be able to rest comfortably because the expectations are gonna follow.

Kevin Durant, I think, I think, I think he can go to I ain't gonna you talk about one in a million or billion chances of like there's only one A couple of teams that he could have went to, and and and and they underachieved, right, and one of them is Phoenix. Right, new situation, new coach, Your coach is going as the first year.

You don't know how it looks.

He could go to any other team though, and definitely take that team where it needs to go. And we're talking about contenders, right. He can go to San Antonio right now, unbelievable team. We'll we'll say the team is a cheat.

Coach.

He go to the Rockets right now, with the with the pieces they have, with the coach, they have what are they gonna give up?

What are they gonna give up? In Houston? Getty? Are you look?

I think Jalen Green would be one, Barsmith Junior would be two. That I'm not giving up. I'm not giving up. I'm not giving up Am and Thompson. I'm not giving him up.

No, No, he's gonna touch, He's gonna touch.

But I think you give up those guys you name, and you give up some sixteen and fifteen year olds, some two thousand and thirty thirty thirty one draft picks, right, sixteen year olds, you go, you go put a couple of them.

I do like I like, let's see Thompson, Shingoon, k d Van Fleet not bad. Oh a, Dylan Brooks not bad. Yeah.

See, now you got you got, you got your blue collar worker guys, and you got Katie who is seamlessly fit right in and alleviate the pressure from those guys, especially in that fourth quarter. I just feel like that's that's a great matchup. But I also like him going to San Antonio playing with Dane Fox.

And Wimby Man. What but they're gonna probably have they they have to give up Castle.

Yeah, you're probably gonna have to give up castle, but you got to give up something else to make it work.

I give it.

Hey, they got they got a hundred, like you said, they got some. They got some some seven year old picks in there too. They got picks all the way out of twenty forty. So for show, that's the thing. That's one thing we do know these teams have. They have a lot of money, and they got a lot of picks.

So I tell you that we know that.

Well, Pat Bell, we're gonna get you out of here. Make sure you got wait wait uh. And you know you speaking about one on one. You know me and Joe played well, you know, me and Joe went. You know, he went to Arkansas. I don't think you know that Joe Johnson's story. Hall me. I don't mean to keep y'all stugg going on too long, but I gotta the story, okay. So so you know I went to the University of Arkansas, like you say, alumni where Joe Johnson went, right and then and then during the time I was there, you gotta think I'm probably like you know, I'm freshman of the year.

You know, I'm new coming of the year.

So all the accolades that I'm getting I'm really just Joe Johnson got him before, right, I'm the only kid on the team that has like any type of NBA started. So what Joe Johnson do? He come getting me up? He takes me under his wing. He takes care of me while I'm in Arkansas. He gives me place to Little Rock to say, he gives me. I'm talking about anytime he got a free time. He come up to the school. That's a two hour drive. I get into the NBA. We play Atlanta. I go right to his house all the time, Like his family is my family. Like you gotta think Joe was really like big bro to me, Like he's okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, the firther dude who ever put me on ever ever listen listen.

Oh hey, I was in the league. He was in college. He come over to the house and be, oh yeah, yeah, I can't wait I get to the league. Wanted right there. Hey, hey, he was keeping up the whole time.

Look, we had a we had a summer league back of the Crib and Little Rock and uh man, I had him come down there and play with us. Man, come on there, turn turn out the whole gym y'all know how he is all the ants, picking up full court, talking stuff the whole guests.

Oh yeah, this is what I need. They little people, all right. So yeah, Bill was like he.

Want He the one who showed me like, man, you got kids. I'm like, yeah, I got kids. He's like, okay, you gotta feed your kids. So he's really the one that, like I'm talking about, I'm with Lebron and Miami got dinner and Lebron like everybody know you you're about to go. You about to go with your big brother Joe John Like hell yeah, damn right, I'm talking about uncle. I'm met in his room just looking around like, yeah, what else you got? I need that?

That's what hey.

But you know what, guys, that's the that's the greatest motivator to see it. Yeah, because like my brother went and I go, there's a three cars, see three co gags and you hit there's a Ferrari, there's a Pores, there's a big body Mercedes and you know Central heating it.

Yoh, to see that, I see I know somebody that actually got that or I got I gotta get that. Yeah, I'm met at his mama house. I'm staying at his mama house. Mama got pool. I gotta get my mama pool.

So trying after Joe Johnson. I never heard my story A big part of it. So I appreciate you. Appreciate that, Bro, appreciate That'll make you y'all go fellow the Pat Bell Podcast on social media and on YouTube at the Pat Bell Podcast with Rome.

It's on the barstool, uh social media? Where you on?

I g Pat pat Bell twenty one. You know for me, Pat Bell Pod was wrong. I see you at Dave on the on the on the on the show too. Yeah yeah, yeah yeah.

He's real smart. You're real smart, very very very smart.

Pat Bell. Thank you man. We really appreciate you coming on tonight. We know you know, we really really appreciate you coming on, providing your expertise, breaking down this game and talking about a lot of other topics.

Manime man, come on back. You weren't glass bro. Good to see y'all, love bro all. I appreciate you