The Oklahoma City Thunder OKC have won nine of their last in games and are currently on the seven game winning streak as of March night after defeating the Denver Nuggets on Sunday 127 to 103 is shot Gil just Alexander the undisputed NBA MVP I'm sorry of the NBA season and do you guys think they are a lock for the NBA finals? I don't know about Shae being a lock at MVP definitely a top two contender to me is still Joker right now the historic 30 2020 game coupled with everything else that he's done this season we've never seen a playmaking center disefficient in the playmaking department right we seen centers get 30 points 20 rebounds but we've never seen him get assists at this rate and what he's doing where did I have him in power rankings number one there's a reason why he's number one um Shae is definitely right there at number two Ken and are they a lock for the finals? I can't say a lock but they should definitely be a heavy favorite but I can't say a lock can mainly because of their their youth I don't know if y'all saw this post over the weekend but their average age is just a year and like 0.2 more than Auburn Auburn starting Auburn it's crazy right like we're talking about an NBA squad and we're talking about the whole starting five but Auburn squad is averaging 23 years of age and they're starting line up okay see 24.2 and that's including the oldest player in Shae I can't I can't remember who the other oldest player but they're both 26 everybody else is 22 and 23 years old so from me it's their experience that's gonna hold them back right I said that last year I didn't as good as they were I didn't think that they were gonna be able to get through certain matchups and they weren't able to and I think it's the same thing this year I think it's one more mango season before we can pencil them in and be like okay perennially this is the team that's gonna get to the finals as good as they are can I don't know if this is the year where we pencil where we're penciling them in like that I think we can pencil them in as MVP and the only reason is voted for T for Joker Joker I'm with you though as far as how good jokers playing FIFA but you know how they do it they did the same thing to La Marla Mar had out of world experience season in football but they gave it to Josh Allen it's gonna be the same thing in in the NBA you're gonna see it not and it's not like he is undeserving it's just that gives him an edge is the fact that he's not had multiple ones before and they don't want to seem like it's a joke award so they're gonna give it to him as far as being a lot for the championship for the finals absolutely not because you still got to go through Denver regardless and you know I know Denver you know was beat last year but I think that that team when it matters most you will see Joker step up and you'll see tomorrow hit some shots so it's still it's a young team and they got to get going down the stretch and say that's how they are now can I hope you're gonna say something that's gonna let's go that's gonna echo what I was about to say I was gonna ask if it matter more last year I always I always go with the my rule and I know the NBA broke this rule but my rule was best player on the best team that's who goes with MVP and that's why I think Shea SGA is a lot for MVP I think FIFA there's to me two things can be true and there's two different arguments like is SGA the best player in the league no but it's either MVP yes you know I'm saying Joker to me is the best turning right now the best player in the league based off of stats based off of you taking off Denver I don't think they're even a top five team in the west maybe even a playing team I don't know because the Jamal Murray should I think he's has eroded from that championship run I don't really see you I think he can still pop off here and there but I don't trust him he's a joke or still the only all star on the team like since all that would all be a said so I don't really I think they still have a good squad I think they still be a good playoff team but Joker is really the sun's moon and stars for that whole franchise but as you as balling out right now I watch most of that game on Sunday and I first Denver started off hot then was coming out but like obviously these days you can go up 30 points in the quarter and then by the fourth quarter you lose by 20 which is like that's basically what happened in that game but it's interesting y'all say that the Thunder isn't a lot when they the whole team in the whole damn NBA they got the MVP yet none of y'all the court on cold basketball experts and I don't know about the chat but y'all it just seems like no one believes that that they are really good content and team like in the west is why that's the best of things on Nick just because I say they're not a lot that mean I don't think they're favorite yeah I mean what's the difference between a favorite and a lot lot lock means that that we know what they are they're guaranteed they still have to prove what they are they didn't prove it last year and everything that I said last year is still apply to him this year until they get over that home now I'm not saying that they can't because they've shown how talented they are and like you said they have a potential MVP candidate on the squad now here's the thing I want to say on the MVP candidacy you said the Sun moon and the stars right you want to say best player on the best team I look at it more so the player that you remove who what team falter is the most and you you may my argument for me you take Joker off of the Denver Nuggets we don't even know they're a playing team okay see I believe is a playing team at minimum without shame at minimum they're still talented I understand that the second best player chat isn't there but Lou Dort the other young in J. J.
J. J. Williams yeah brother they play defense right at nothing else we know that they are gonna get defensive stops I think that when you get defensive stops you get easy buckets they'll be able to make a play in type of game without shape we'll put some at number one is shape but you took off that squad it's crazy I think it's about the same similarly I do think that okay see has more depth and they're youthful so they will probably be like a nine to seven see I think Denver would definitely be within you know 10 to seven range but I think it's really about the same because to me SGA is the heart so you show you Joe for a the choice like throughout their heart so the head the legs the arms everything for that team because I don't see anybody who could really consistently get their own shot as they're being double team or as they're being the focal point of a defensive assignment like SGA on the thunder and I know everybody always talks about shit I actually can't I don't know how many people said anything about chip for real that but for the really just turned into I don't even it's even the jaren Jackson of his team I don't know who do you let everybody move on to somebody so so to me it's just like if you take SGA on it's almost similar like Joker but the only thing is they're winning right now they they're on pace they're probably went over 60 to 63 65 games which will be the best in the league to me the reason I was asking like the favorite versus a lock is like we're splitting hairs when we talking about that like I don't see how there's not again I know I have my take I have my text on the West because that's how it's viewed with the West is just irrelevant compared to the East when we talk about the team as far as Boston I don't see anybody consistently that I don't see a team right now based off what y'all tell me based off what I'm seeing that you would say like okay they're the they can easily take out the thunder well but but but at the end of the day you talked about Jamal Murray and him proving it in the playoffs you don't have to question to my region Marry has the biggest disparity between regular season performance and playoff performance in the history of NBA you want to know who second is Jimmy Butler so certain guys you just don't necessarily have to question into playoffs but the what have the thunder proven have the thunder proven that they can make it to the West are conference finals you know they say have they proven that they can make it to the far they haven't proven that yet because and because they're so young that's the one knock against them until they can make it pass well I think that the timeline that you always usually try to go off of this far saying like a team got to get beat up early and then they'll learn how to be a better team and move forward as they progress I think that's I think that's accelerated now because you look if you look at um if you look at Minnesota last year if you look at Dallas last year like even though we could talk about Dallas they had the loans but Minnesota they just ended up they take they took it because they wanted it they wanted more and I you could argue who wants more than okay see everybody's still down okay see just like y'all are I am still as far as I'm being actual like check like winning the whole thing but if I'm having to make a case as a lot if I had to put money down bread down I would have to say is okay see because it's just like because because because who in the way is really really that deep but okay see is the same thing as Minnesota right like and here's the thing I chose Minnesota but Minnesota didn't prove anything we see Luca Dancis prove solo handily that I could get to the rest of conference finals he went there before he got Kyrie we know what Kyrie is what he got to the finals and every time he gets into the playoff runs we know Kyrie is a proven commodity and then they went there against the young Minnesota Timberwolves that everybody picked and what happened they didn't prove it the same thing okay see until they prove it Nick I don't believe it now again talent wise they arguably have the most talent in the league but they're so young they got to prove it and here's the other thing look at Boston how long did it take in Boston in my opinion more talented more talented and it had more mango seasons that okay see and it took them longer to knock down that door so again okay I love okay see and they are a favorite but to pencil them in and also to say that the field can't get them I can't say that definitively you who's OVP and NBA right now and would you agree that the Thunder are a lock for the finals who's my MVP hold up let me get make sure I'm doing this right audio kind of fucked up obviously about now let's just let's try that um my MVP you know heart tells me that it should be SGA my head tells me it should be yolkish I think that those are the only two right now and I mean a lot to come out of the West I'm not a huge okay see truth or like that I'm gonna okay see truth or in that sense that I just don't bat on youth to take the leap right now I think that they have to go through maybe one or two more years of like just getting there and they might get over that home but who's not who's stopping them who's gonna stop who would you say like look at the gym I believe in the pedigree of yolkish and I believe in my moment as a coach I believe that LeBron James and Luca Donchich are gonna like they're there they're absolutely terror like I've been telling people as soon as that trade happened that if this pans out and then we started to see a fan out I said a couple of pods ago that um I got them in the finals like that's my finals good but I like yeah you saw what happened on Saturday right LeBron busted his nuts that trying to keep up with the young boys you think he can do that with his okay see I mean well the good thing is that Boston is not in the Western Conference so okay see to run up and down the court though I don't think that I don't believe that okay sees youth can outdo Luca and LeBron on the perimeter and plus their IQ is just it's greater than anything that you can put against okay see you know I'm saying like LeBron's IQ and the way that he can just walk things now the way that okay she struggles with perimeter creation because Kyrie and Luca torture those boys last year and I think that you put LeBron next to Luca Donchich and then the way that the defense is playing further Lakers the way that Denver is just their their pedigree the way that they can think the game and they can walk you down with yolkich those are my only two that I will say should put fear in okay see's heart thing about okay seeing the playoffs is you know you talk about their speed in their athleticism in their usefulness yeah those are all advantages okay see but let's be honest playoff basketball is all about match-ups and it's all about slowing down the game and the thing that the most dangerous thing about this Lakers squad with LeBron and Luca and obviously LeBron gotta get healthy is this and I've talked about it they don't have front court premiere size right like in the center in power for positions however they have premier size on a perimeter and what the what is SGA's biggest advantage against the majority of the guards they please he little boys then put some of the polls gets them in the mid-range dominates them physically and does whatever he wants to do pause you know what I'm saying but he can't do that against the Lakers I'm gonna throw a really hot your mirror on you don't it that do six seven six eight uber athletic now I'm not saying that you're not gonna get chores you're MVP candidate but that's gonna it's gonna be tough match-ups you know what I'm saying Lou door all of them guys all of them guys that typically have a physical advantage they're not gonna have one against what you should also know based off the obvious coaching thing that I would do that I'm sure that we don't even know who the head coach okay see his kid I don't know you know today but I would just say like to your point FIFA if they put Rury on me what you know the first thing I'm gonna do which switch to Luca who don't who can't even go out of goddamn he can't even guard his own house you know say he can't even guard his own he can't even guard the fridge you know say like what you trying to go for it you know I was saying you know what I was saying go to a show like I'm just saying like we always talk about these one things show as far as like oh if you do this then it's gonna make it a little bit hard first of all hey nobody's scared a Rury you know I'm more scared about the body rest of our everything so so let's move off of that even then if you have a good defender we don't switch and then we don't cook like that that's what you just saw this on Saturday but I think it's about I think that comparing Boston who just won a championship to OKC is not a one-to-one analogy because you have really of course OKC they have really long defenders just like Boston does but Boston's connectivity and their pedigree of just winning a championship they've done it before they've been there twice they won one OKC doesn't know what it feel like to get walked down by Luca and LeBron in a four-quarter three games in a row like I would bet that that series would probably go OKC's up like 10 to 12 points at any given point in the game in the last five six minutes right at 3 five root in the corner Lucas that back three and they're winning by three four points barely escaping and we're gonna be looking up at his four two Lakers and I just think that that's true for them and that's true for you because it's able to like pick up real quick people do you believe that LeBron can last a seven-game series right up and down the court well Casey yeah we got that fucking journey package you talked about timeline Boston's timeline they've been able to add players to free agency draft and other aspects right like they've been able to take advantage of every aspect of making that team better OKC hasn't yet I talked about it last week where all of these draft picks that they have they're not gonna be able to draft and use them all so it's OKC's timeline it's about time to make a trade come off of some of these assets to go get a more established veteran to help this young squad get over the home because again youth doesn't win championships and when you go this route you need to add Wiley veterans that have been there done that he told young guys calm cool comment collected in those clutch moments to get over that home you look at every single situation where the base of the talent was drafted they didn't start winning until they started making external moves look at goal to say they didn't win until they started making the equal dollar moves right like all of those exterior pieces that come in and add that extra sauce to the squad okay see isn't even there yet in their timeline what's that you spike I got shit to say okay I was wondering why we talked about this so long the other space to get a bump versus to answer the question I do think the SCA is a strong candidate for MVP I think he's been doing this ain't this year he got his team where they need to be and I do think that they will be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs I don't think that that old standard that we have of all you got to go into the playoffs and take a couple losses and bumps and bruises before you're able to get to where you need to be I think that this team is ready now this team is ready now when check come back I think SGA is that good they can beat Denver they can beat the Lakers they can do those things I think the SGA is that good and he is a legitimate MVP candidate I think I think they should be posting I don't disagree with you I think this will be and he will get the MVP this year is because they should have given it to him last year so they're trying to make up for it again this year so same thing they did to be I do check does being out like you know he may be playing out but he'd be missing random games for nothing and I say nothing I mean I know it's legit injuries but you guys know what I mean but my thing is this when I go here because I think they should be a lot to go to the finals thank you I understand what you guys are saying but they're winning 80% of their games that guy might whatever his name is the nalt it's crazy he's even still around it with as bad as they were we should have known his name because when he started they were 22 and 5 22 and 50 the year after 22 and 58 and then they started to turn things around with 40 and 42 50 70 25 and now they're 53 and 12 this year you know and if you look at the numbers they've gotten better each year that he's been there so I would like to believe that they learned from losing in the Western Conference semis last year and they would take that and come back and finish the job this year their leaps and bounds it looks like better than everybody else in the West it's not even close but Ken their vet is is Hartenstein their vet is Shea Gil just Alexander at 26 years old Ken that that age group doesn't get you championships but the rest of the night are not why not why can't history history can't because you're talking about an anomaly and that typically doesn't happen we've seen it with Boston we've seen it with Golden State we've seen it time and time again where at this phase they're not getting over the hump I'm just taking history Ken regardless of how good they are in the regular season okay the first version the big three version was James Harden Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant three MVP guys it took them forever and once they got their they lost they lost the big three other animals seven Jordan was 27 we won this first one we we have to be and that's and normally it's 27 28 that's when you're in the full where it's where the CIA is right now I believe that but you wanted to talk about the Chicago Bulls yeah Jordan was 27 but how many veterans that he had on that roster his second best player was obviously Scott Pippin but how many veterans everybody actually you know I don't know veterans they didn't like tax and loot on the bottom guys it's just like okay okay situation as a system SGA was the leader of the team he's 27 years old and I got these strong powers around me and we set up to win a championship if no other year other than this year that should take the world that's what I'm saying that's what I'm saying in 91 and Boston has a pressure on the alternative brown had outside pressure she gave us an example 26 years old he turns 27 in July so after the finals hopefully you know me so the problem that we have here is when you're 27 28 in basketball years those are the years where you come into your full power as just a man you come into your full control as an athlete you understand you have enough experience to be a veteran but you have enough youth to still have years ahead of you and enough athleticism left in the tank so that's why guys like Jordan you know saying guys like curry they don't get it when they're 25 26 that's an outlier because there's just something about thinking the game differently having seen multiple situations well basketball is totally different and clearly it's different even more so now when these guys don't take the regular season that seriously which I think can not negate your point but I think it kind of complicates your point because okay so he's playing for you know home court they're they're in the they're in the chase they're in the pursuit of okay we're young let's be great we can run all day and all night but when you look at the yolkaches of the world and you look at the LeBron James's and look at Donces is of the world if you're okay see you can't just be like well we want 80 some you know we're winning all these games like fuck out of here that's not how that works because Boston had Chris that's for Zingas drew holiday who drew on a championship for Zingas is 10 years in league at this point if I'm not mistaken you have a horse bird you know me and you can go down the line of veteran guys along with JB who I think just turned 27 and take them to 26 so you have a good mix of that when you go to okay see their oldest guys are Alex Caruso heart and sign and that's not enough in my opinion to buck history and to buck the trend exactly so look look spike I pulled up both of the rosters the oldest player or the longest-tenured player on the okay see roster is six years they have three guys Shagil Kenrick Williams Alex Caruso and Hartenstein Hartenstein seven years in the league everybody else the next oldest player by how many how many years they've been in the league is Lou Dort with five everybody else is one two or three bro and then when you look at the bulls roster the 90 the 90 91 bulls roster what's crazy is just the amount of people that's on the roster was way smaller back then which is crazy to see looking at both of these rosters back to the bill cart right had four years over Jordan Craig Hodges had two years over Jordan Cliff Livingston had two years over Jordan Paxson had a year over Jordan so we're talking about guys that all got major minutes bill cart right was the starting center right John Paxson hit big shots and their first three P all throughout the playoffs a big shot after big shot after big shot starting point guard for that team who else did I say it doesn't matter yeah but I think it's my main thing is this my main thing is this bro it's not excuses to mean it exactly it's not excuses because because all all last year and going into this year I've been hearing about okay see this okay see that why are we talking about okay see more why we respect the SGA and then when and kid when I come up in here and make the case like they should be a lot they got the best record of long teams out they want things out like Denver I think the Lakers are super overrated as much as people want to give them credit for it they should have lost to the next so they didn't try to kill run run like they did with awesome you know they should have no digitally Nick that was a Nick's fault well we can't listen let's understand still to deal rubber I got hurt that's all I'm trying to say it was down four and Boston Boston and Boston was playing with a food where they was up by damn it's now they're playing with it food it's if man get the fuck out of here bro but they still want we don't see how the rest of the latest I mean the Lakers just lost to the next you know I'm sorry you can't they were missing four starters and you can't get people just told me a few weeks ago they got a top five different out of Ron bro we can only put so much talking reckless you know I'm saying I made my main point is like Lu said if not now then when this is the West is the West is more than wide open but it's barn door open it's not though it's not really wide open it's not okay because you make train because you I mean I'm I would have to see how their office and goes for me to really fully agree with people but I'm not actually against that approach of getting a older guy to come in but to me the answer here for Spike's question is because I look at I like what the Warriors have got going on I like what I see with them getting Jimmy they allows for a steps gravity to actually mean something when a guy can go get 25 plus on it on his own I think that the Lakers are really dangerous and I think a digitized rhetoric is evolving as the season goes on and their defense is only gonna get better of course we need to see how LeBron comes back from that injury but I feel like they'll be fine they might end around end up getting the fifth or succeed if they drop a little bit but they're dangerous fifth or succeed and then Denver bro I just saw like you know we keep hard but on regular season but it's funny how we don't talk about them are just smack them you know I mean yesterday I think it was 140 to 125 so you'll get his ability to make everyone better and I think Aaron Gordon's out again I think he got hurt a little bit or nicked up but um but just Mike Malone the way that they can pick you apart with just D.H.O. the way that they can pick you apart with just interior you know passing with Russ and and Yokich I think it I think it that it's not a lock it can't be a lock if you're not if you're saying a real quick I understand a lot but I do have a question before we move on what you just said you you're telling me I want to send this right you don't think SGA is that good thing right I think you name older players you name like legacy players I get that those people do have a chance but I do think that it's SGA's time right now to take advantage of it similar to what we spoke about with Jordan 1991 I think he has the opportunity to do that but you're saying that all of these older more established players and different teams have a better chance than he does I don't see how that's possible because I don't necessarily think that the teammates around SGA are comparable to the teammates in the pedigree that other teammates on those teams have like I'm talking about Anthony Aaron Gordon's the Jamal Murray's guys I can go get you you know I'm saying a bunch of dunks and then a guy can get you 50 and Murray and then Yokich on top of my my coach like I'm talking about Luca Danches and LeBron James are liable to go nuclear or to put up a triple double together or you know I mean a massive triple double one either of the same and then you're looking at Curry who can just assault you with threes and Jimmy Butler if he gets pissed off enough you know I'm saying I'm not betting against playoff Jimmy being a thing ever they already know how I feel about Jimmy so I'm not saying that okay see can't do it I just don't think that SGA the way I value him it's not like and I'm gonna post a question all y'all y'all the other DLC in that same tier is when you saw Russ Hardin and KD going to the finals or when you saw D Wade get to the O6 finals or I think he's a fantastic player but those guys I saw oh these are some of the great players I've ever seen and of course as you're putting up one of the best guard seasons but do you view him as like man this guy's pantheon potentially I was just crazy this is insane this is really insane because I don't know what the fuck y'all saying right now because I got two things one you are talking about the the yes the years of the Golden State Warriors I love Jimmy too but they wouldn't be good without Jimmy which means they probably not good with you they're not gonna be great with you too you're talking about a 40-year-old man who can't keep his nuts together and a fat white boy you think is gonna drag the Lakers to the prom or has a potential to drag the promise land is insane with no defense and with a tallest make a big one because over the last month okay that's in the regular season like you mentioned you were really good about that and then the only thing that I would listen to is them because they do have the best player in the fucking league but outside of that when we're talking about top down and the season that they're having is like how can we not say that otherwise what's the point of us even discussing these niggas if all y'all are giving me credit points of why they don't they're not probably not gonna make it and using you you've been for ability as against them just yeah you guys make it quick we need more but I do want to come back to your question if we have time in the rest of the program because it's a very interesting question you just asked and uh and it's like to the sga I don't think it's just a real question that cop that was on your backhand I wasn't complimenting him in that sense I think he's a great player I don't view him as like painting special okay no I think he's special I don't think he's panting on there's a difference okay all right the difference between a girl being bad and in that series what I'm making I was about to say to you I was like I hope you'll talk to your girl like the other you guys there's a difference between a very time holla and three time Mary it's simple bro like you know who's the one you know baby girl like y'all know what that was like we saw LeBron oh seven it looked different like yo this one of our Russian one because like we got you got to know what he's saying you wait you know I'm done with like you saw it you ain't got to be my restaurant when it's a title look at Kawhi Leonard but but but but here's a bit but the well Kawhi was on a Mount Rushmore trajectory in terms of his talent his body just failed him but what I'm saying is when you look at the guys because somebody might have a good point in check that yo normally all time great players have an early run when they get to the finals before 28 because they have to learn how to lose like Lucas like you know I believe that the difference for me is when I look at S.J.
in his game yes statistically he's having one of the greatest seasons of a guard we've ever seen but there's just a certain thing with the eye test for me and I could be ignorant to anybody who watches a lot more okay see than me but when I see him I see a really special player but I don't see a player that is so special like bro seeing K.D. go to the finals against the he seeing LeBron go to finals against the spirit you know I'm