And now below. Welcome to the low post podcast on a Wednesday morning before all star weekend We are recording this a day earlier than I would like to because of some family travel that I have tomorrow So there's a million games tonight knock on wood nobody gets hurt nothing crazy happens Nothing that we need to respond to happens because we ain't gonna respond to it And so it's time to do a 30 minute deep dive exes and owes preview of the rising stars challenge this weekend Kurt Gold's Mary How are you I am great Zach? How are you doing? Who do you got in the rising stars challenge team?
I don't know who I guess team. I'm not sure who I just watching so hand my spur friends or so About their rookie and he's got a chance to show the world that he's excited which he is so that's what I'll be watching for The rising stars challenge. I don't even know who's playing other than how they're breaking up the teams I gotta be honest with you. I don't know that is it world versus us is it?
I just don't know how are we doing this now? I don't know. I won't be watching the rising stars challenge I do love Jeremy so hand though. I become a big I'm curious about where his development goes So maybe maybe I'll tune into a couple Jeremy so hand possessions.
Okay trade that lines over Chris Herring and I yesterday did the Most interesting teams and players for the rest of the season in the wake of all the tumult that happened last week at the trade I wanted to use your analytical brain your numbers your charger I test all of it to do something a little different which is let's zoom in on units As of teams defenses offenses that we look at as sort of like okay if this seems gonna be serious This is the big question This is the half of the court that they've got to make a leap at or maintain what they're doing at and we've bounced around some suggestions And we're ready to go I love this I think of the game as an offensive and defensive thing and this is a really healthy way I think to look at contenders edge case teams What's working what's not and we both identified a few units across the league that I think we'll determine how far are some of these Seems actually go in the back the two ends. It's always important remember we're gonna get into this particularly for a team Like Denver we're gonna talk about their defense the two ends flow in to one another so for instance Denver's half court defense is pretty decent Their transition defenses is often the case with teams with slow centers is abysmal and a lot of that is like if they turn the ball over a lot They're gonna give up five six extra points a game if they take care of the ball They're gonna give up five six fewer points per game But let's start with the Los Angeles Clippers who just hung 134 on the Warriors last night They are 21st in offense 21st 10th in defense the guy but I faith in their in their defense for the most part quick guards give them trouble They've got to figure out are they just not gonna play five out anymore that Mason Plumley is on the team Do they believe in the viability of those lineups against postseason offenses? But their defense is gonna be solid their offense being 21st Is is puzzling into disappointing on some sort of big picture level? This team has been one of the best shooting teams in the NBA since they combined Kawai and Paul George They are built to be a drive-and-kick catch-and-shoot three-point shooting machine There are signs that that is beginning to click into place for them, but 21st on offense is 21st on offense Mr.
Goldsberry, what are you going to be looking for out of the Clippers because they're 32 and 28 Not great. They're fifth and even now we're 60 games into the season teams five to 12 in the West That's eight teams have all of them have either 28 29 or 30 losses So it's a traffic jam there and the last thing I'll say before I turn it over 60 games in the Clippers still have no lineup not one that has appeared in more than 13 games this season So the science experiment rolls on and now they have Eric Gordon Mason Plumley on Simon. What's it you? Yeah, I think you outlined it well I'll be looking for the same thing.
I've been looking for for multiple years now with this team Zach Well Kawai Leonard and Paul George be out there when it matters that to me is if the answer is yes We got a shot if the answer is no you don't got a shot And in the indicators back that up if they're healthy Which is the biggest if West of the Mississippi this team is as good if not better than any other team in the West I would take them to beat Denver right now if you told me we had a healthy kawai and a healthy PG in the Let's hit the breaks right there. That's a record scratch. That's a record scratch I'm watching the numbers when these guys are both out there. They have an incredible net rating I have seen kawai out as apex just win the playoffs.
I've seen it on both sides of the court I have not seen that with Denver. I have a lot of respect for them. We'll talk about their defense Well, they did they did embarrass kawai and Paul George right out of the playoffs not all that long ago I know look if you told me Denver puts it together and beats the Clippers this year I wouldn't be shocked. I'm just saying the numbers.
I'm seeing this season with kawai and Paul George on the floor together Suggest that they are elite on both ends of the court Granted, this is a small sample and the larger point with this team is that it's it's still a DNP mystery wrapped inside of a Load management enigma. We don't know what we're getting and you alluded to that already I'm trying to see a best-case scenario here. So apologies to Denver fans. That's where my head's at out of the gate If you're telling me we're whole we have these nice new trade deadline acquisitions We've assimilated them the ceiling is a championship.
That's my number one here The ceiling for this team is an NBA championship But it's gonna take the kind of availability that they haven't demonstrated They've been able to have for years I like their team on both ends of the court if they're whole and again It's unfon and it's not that interesting the biggest question. Are they gonna be whole Zach? Yeah? So I'm a sucker.
I'm a sucker I picked them to win the championship the second they got kawai and Paul George and by the way This is the same thing about the same thing about the Sun's trade brought all this back up all these you trade everything for a star trades All of this four years later. Do they regret giving up shaygil just Alexander? Is it a mistake that they did this? I of course they look at shade now and are like oh it would have been nice to have hung on to him But there is no regret This is a team that this is a pathetic franchise that has not gotten to the conference finals until they put these two guys together There is no regret inside this organization for whatever downside may be looming in three or four years of this group doesn't work out There is no regret.
There's pressure. There's fear. They know what the downside is but there's no regret There's no like oh my god if we could turn back time But there's one like could we hold shaygil just out of there out of that deal and still acquire Paul George? No the answer is no Clearly the answer is no they got you girls under that was that was part of the deal I don't think anyway who knows I wasn't in the room I've never heard this alternate history where you know they could like the thunder were gonna be flexible on that and and so you just do it And you move on but anyway, I'm with you.
I picked them to make the finals before the season They are plus 11 per 100 possessions elite on both ends of the floor in almost 700 minutes now when kawai and Paul George are on the floor together They did not acquire a traditional point guard in fact They sent away the two closest things they had to it is a traditional point guard But I like what Eric Gordon brings to their team I like what Mason Plumlee brings to their team Gives them more flexibility to play kind of smaller quicker lineups with kawai at the floor But to met the floor even Paul George at the floor gives them more rim attackers and just a couple of things like there often has been trending the right way Yeah Kawai is very sneakily on the doorstep of 50 40 90 right now after a slow start to the season He's averaging 22 a game on 51 39 87 Norm Powell is norm Powell the favorite for six minute a year now. I don't know if he is the favorite I don't have that in front of me, but he's a good candidate and he's asking is like is he your favorite? Should he be the favorite is he might be? Is he my I'm trying to think up my head like who's who people say what's Brooks out of the running now?
Westbrook I believe is I said this three weeks ago stop the train on this nonsense that Russ was gonna win six And of the year he's a damaging player He did fine as a backup and when your team is like when your team when the star player on your team is going on national television And wistfully describing trades that would have sent you out the door that didn't happen You don't win six man of the year norm. How is everything 17 a game on 50% shooting? I don't know. I believe that this is a good offensive team and that that 21st figure 21st ranking is mostly just a mirage of availability Yeah, I would point out too.
I think broad didn't max the other favorites in that category But to our audience that you and I have access to a an ocean full of stats We both zeroed in on that same thing we both went to the internet and looked at hey What are these numbers when Paul and coir out there together? And both of us came prepared to talk about that that is the thing here I just want to reemphasize that one other name I want to bring up who I love and it gives me confidence when I think about the ceiling of the Los Angeles Clippers is Tai Lu who is one of our best playoff coaches one of the great matchup scientists a guy who's not afraid to tinker and when I'm Looking at their deadline moves. I'm looking at it through the lens of Tai Lu and the playoffs a guy who who will go small who will Go big who will change match ups change defensive schemes and whether you're talking about Plumlee or Gordon or whatever He's got a lot to play with here And he has proven to me that as a head coach when he has that a lot to play with He's almost as good as anybody in the NBA at winning a playoff series So I almost like it as a big three in LA with kawai paul's words and Tai Lu come playoff time Yeah in more Games than not in the last let's say 20 games When I've watched the Clippers I've seen a team that gets how they have to play on offense and is playing that style with purpose So even the last night against the Warriors the whole game was where's Jordan pool bring up Jordan pool to screen for kawai and paul George if they hedge get the ball move and hit the roller kick it to the guy on the wing who's who's defender is sagging in and Drive and move and drive and move when they get lazy not lazy when they get sort of purposeless or tired or just sort of They don't like that they like that pop and the ball sticks. They're very very guardable They're less than the sum of their parts.
They seem to understand the importance of that pop in that movement. So I look The sons are now the favorites in the west I think by a hair over Denver and everybody else I just think the upside of those three guys together with eight and and with enough depth once they get sham it and pain back and Reportedly Terrence Ross on board that I think it's workable But I still think the Clippers can win a championship. I know I sound like an insane person And people are gonna laugh at me if the Clippers lose in the first round and kawai plays half the playoff games and whatever But I think this team can win the championship. Yeah, I agree And I just want to say their floor is the first round exit And I don't think either of us are shocked if we see that floor But we're not gonna be shocked if you're telling me they're beating the sons or the grizzlies or going all the way to the finals So look look here's the reality of the west Here are teams who if you ask them and their fans they think We can win the championship Denver Phoenix Memphis Clippers Warriors Do I say Sunjet?
I think so but I don't remember And mavericks mavericks was the team now that they've got kairi I think I think and forget let's just not say the other elward now because we're they're too far back to get in this You mean the 13th place team in the I think I just named six teams If not seven that think they can make a real run to the finals I'm not as good as you at math But of those teams are losing in the first round of the playoffs if they even make the playoffs So yeah, one of these teams losing in the first round should not be a shocker and apologies to the team that's been in third Dan near the whole season the kings I don't think they're in this discussion as a team that can make the finals That's a really powerful point Add in the kings just because there's gonna be two or three very disappointed western conference teams at the end of the first round I think that is that's a very interesting point And to me it pairs well with I think one of the definitive signs of this season of the stats this season we talked about this on text This is one of the most the parody in the NBA right now is off the charts compared to where it's been in my life Uh the eastern conference has a nice litany of contenders too You know we lived through we covered the league when it seemed like LeBron was going to the finals every year at eastern conference You know why I didn't seem that way he did he went Every freaking year you could say your NBA Eastern conference preview was this the bronze going to the finals Uh one of the cool things I think we're not NFL level parody yet But you don't know who's gonna be in the finals and that's what sets a podcast like this apart in February of 2023 Then February of 2018 or 19 is dude. I don't know who's coming out of these conferences and that manifests in a lot of different ways It's fun for me as a fan But yeah, there's gonna be some disappointed front offices and coaching staffs at the end of the first round both conferences Because the league is so deep and because so many teams really believe they have a chance to win at all Let's go east and flip ends of the floor. You mentioned the litany of contenders in the east Uh or or the the top group anyway, and I think in most discussions of the east It's boston milwaukee hardline filly cleveland Let's talk about the cleveland cavaliers. Yes 38 and 22 have won seven games in a row as we're recording this now Um They are first in defense and that's been the case all season and has gotten all the press and deservedly so they are number one in defense with a bullet And as i've said before it's not just mobile in allen the entire team including the guards who have bad defensive reputation Community this season are defending their asses off jb bigger staff should be among the three or four front unders per coach of the year and all those guys All those perimeter defenders deserve loads of credit for sensing.
I think We can be this good if we all buy in so let's all buy in and do the dirty work That's not fun and doesn't get you on sport center and doesn't really get you into the all-star game But let's do it. Um the question is the other end of the floor cleveland cavaliers offense They're up to 10th now in points per possession 10th and if you look at their lineup groupings After a slow start their four core guys Are plus seven per hundred possessions with a good offensive rating that's mowbelly allen garland mitchell With evan mowbelly as the only big man on the floor so no allen no robin lopes who's in his reclining position on the bench sitting on the floor Every game providing comedy and no kevin love who's recently been benched there are plus nine per 100 possessions with about an average offense That was the grouping the mobley only lineups that were shaky early the allen only lineups aren't fantastic plus 12 How about the guards mitchell without garland plus five per 100 possessions garland without mitchell plus six per 100 possessions Yeah, the fifth spot has been kind of the question although isa kakoro has seized that Um now they just signed dandy green. I mean we'll see with dandy green coming off an ACL caris levert has been wildly up and down With love out of the rotation. They're playing smaller with jedi osmond and dean wade your favorite accountant at the four Um, maybe that doesn't hold up defensively on some nights But the numbers are starting to suggest that a team that i've said all your long Is a tier below the bucks in the selthix all your long on this podcast kirk holds very i've said I don't want to hear about how they have the best point differential in these i don't care their experience level Their rotational questions after the first four guys I just it doesn't pass the smell test that they could beat boston or mil wacky four times in seven games I still would put them behind boston and mil wacky But the evidence is beginning to pile up that this team is just awesome And that they are more of a threat to those teams that I have given them credit for and they have an angel food Take schedule the rest of the way and most of the models most of the models give them at least a 50-50 shot of passing Philly and getting into the third spot so my question to you is Why is this off do you believe in this offense?
Why is it working and have I been under rating the calves this whole time have they been a true blue contender hiding in plain sight and i've just been blind to it I think I wrote a piece earlier in the season where I did say they are a contender now Um, yeah, I think they are and over the last 10 games Let me give you the top three in net rating and pro basketball here in the mba The cleveland cavalier is number one with a net rating of 12.3 mil wacky bucks who are 10 and oh and that's for edge not bad I have a net rating of 9.9 the boston selthix i have a net rating of 5.9 despite Playing like main red claw lineups a lot of that time Beat the bucks last night without like lots of guys. I don't even listen to a lot of guys It reminded me that old school spurs heat New York with matt bonner who was that who else was in that game? It was it was a deep cut but that's a story for another time I'm a big calf sky the first thing i'll say out of the gate is no team in the NBA is turned it around over the last few years more Impressively in my opinion than cleveland cavaliers the front office deserves a lot of credit hiring the coaching staff drafting well trading well obviously I think this offense is the weaker part of this team. Oh, that's a hot take No, the defense is that good and you start this podcast saying they're connected Well, this defense is going to get you starting on second base a lot of times with stops and getting good good good good start softens of possessions I think they have a clear weakness on offense that's in between their elite guards and their elite bigs Which is their wings and it manifests in one particular category Catch and shoot three points shooting if you look at teams like the boston selthix or the mawakie bucks They are loaded with catch and shoot threats I think right now the cleveland cavaliers aren't in their rank 27th and catching shoot threes per 100 possessions And to me it does come back to that position you referenced the a core of slot the verb slot In between the guards and the bigs.
That's why they went out and got to any green Can they get that classic three and D wing um that you just have come to trust and we talked about the clippers already They have so many great players in that sort of slot in between the guards and the wings That's where I pick on this defense. That's the thread I pull on on the cab sweater to really unfurl the whole thing um So can this offense score enough on catch and shoot threes in big games to be more complete offenses like boston and mawakie That's the million dollar question and and honestly I don't think they're there just yet Yeah, they went through a stretch maybe a month ago where it seemed like the best defenses that they faced Obviously the spacing is going to be pretty cramp when he played two bigs. You don't shoot threes and mobili's not a shooter yet I think one day he will be but he's not now Um And Spacing gets tight garland and Mitchell are both pretty undersized so they're in there in the trees searching out open space got arms and all around them Um, it seemed like defense that were successfully funneling a lot of shots to places where the cats didn't necessarily want those shots to come from Lamar stevens for three a coral for three levert for three tough contested mobili shots one on one late in the clock whatever In the last month They've somehow wiggled their way out of that and I don't quite know how they've done it except for Both mobili and allen are playing maybe their best offensive stretches at least of this season allen had some great ones last season in that last month Both playing with confidence allen's been like over 20 in a bunch of recent games looks really comfortable shooting left-handed if he has to now Um and the two guards are just sensational and they're gonna go through stretches where it doesn't really matter how good your defense is They're gonna make shots their shot makers and then a coral has started to make enough catching shoes To at least make you wonder do they have enough here and we're all gonna nitpick the fifth spot the fifth spot three and doing and you can't have everything All the time like you have done Mitchell dairies garland and two all-star level big guys like like the warriors had everything when they had to rant you're like you don't always get everything part Of winning is like I'm not an a plus here. How do I work around it?
The coolest thing about this team is they're all getting better like every every key player in this rotation is on their way up That's very exciting and when I pick against the cabs in a playoff series Which I think is coming whether it's Milwaukee or Boston or whatever down the road It's gonna be because I don't I don't think those guys are ready for those moments just yet I mean in the Milwaukee Boston series last year the first huge series I'd gone to Past the pandemic and just reminded me how intense those gyms can be that Boston environment the Milwaukee environment It takes time to get over the hump there. I love Don't I'm Mitchell. I don't think he's afraid I don't think Darius garland's afraid but you're talking about beating teams on their home court in these late round Series and I'm just not sure they're there yet But there's a few other teams if any in the Eastern Conference that I think have a better 2020's ahead of them because it's Mowgli getting better darius getting better. Don of Mitchell still not in this prime Jared Allen still getting better And I trust this for an office and his coaching staff to continue to build they are a contender They're not a favorite in the Eastern Conference right now A series I would love to see that the seedings it's gonna be very impossible almost impossible barring some upsets for it to happen I would love to see Cleveland and Philly in a seven game series because You just mentioned the kind of relative and experience of the cats other than Mitchell in the playoffs There's something about this team And the way they play part of it is garlands steady hand and his just utter fearlessness and crunch time part of it is mowgli just He knows how good he is and even what he's slumping offensively It doesn't he doesn't let it affect his game at all including his aggression on offense Jared Allen has always been completely fearless like jonasmine will dunk on him He'll come right back the next time and try and get you at the rim There's a certain steeliness to them that is is ahead of their age And I don't actually think they're gonna be afraid of the moment in the playoffs Now that's different than saying they're ready for boston and mid walk because that series last year It was a bloodbath.
I mean that series was like oh my god The level of physicality and intensity that is gonna be new for some of them But I think mentally they have just a certain fearlessness and almost I don't want to say cockiness to them But they're just they don't strike me as afraid of anything and they're under to your point about them improving They're under zero pressure. They're under yeah losing in the first round. I would be disappointed if they could buy that They're under no pressure. The Sixers They've got some scars.
They've got some scars They've had two seasons to try to get back to the conference finals for the first time since iverson Two seasons where the brackets broke exactly as you would have hoped they would break for them And two seasons that resulted in high profile failures They have an all-star shooting guard shooting me the all-star team this year james harden an all-time great player with the history of You know what in elimination games who can be a free agent after this season? They have an all-world star center who has seen roster turmoil galore around him from jimmy butler to devise hair is coming to ben simmons to mark health faults to on and on and on Who wants and craves to be the mvp and wants and craves to get past this hurdle of the second round of the playoffs If the gods could give us a cleveland philly conference semi final match up I just think it would be so fascinating to watch how their respective players Deal with okay. It's two two game five and philly. Let's see who's who's ready.
I think it would be awesome I don't think it doesn't look like we're gonna get it though. I think I love that word stealing us That's a perfect guy just for these these guys and darius garland. I think we talked about this earlier this year in those non-mitual minutes Darius garland is more than capable any team almost anything came to leave would love to have him Running their offense and crunch time he's he's fearless But the culture there it does it's a great it's a great contrast with philly in my notes act one of the other sister think things It's like they're sister city and the mba right now might be methyst another team with a really reliable defense a questionable offense We might talk about here, but you also use the word cocky. I would use the word cocky for the Memphis Grizzlies It there's more of a quiet confidence with cleveland that I think both you and I Sort of appreciate more than what's going on with the Memphis team But I think those are two young teams that have some parallels in the playoff run this year will really be a good Sort of status for where they are as an organization Which one of them is more ascendant more reliable going into the 2020's here What's what's more cocky than cocky like is there an adjective for like above cocky super cocky bragadocious?
I think cocky is worse than bragadocious. I think bragadocious sounds fancy Whatever that is I think Dylan brooks ish is the word you're looking for whatever that is that's what the Grizzlies are Baseball fans the espn app has all of espn all in one place The espn app is your home to thousands of live events espn shows and originals across every espn network in service And now you can check if you already have the espn unlimited as part of your tv package for no additional calls Visit activate.esbn.com to learn how to access your account or sign off then start streaming in the espn app It's all the espn all in one place sign up or activate now Let's so let's transition to the grizzlies because you mentioned um defense first and defense flowing into offense You hit it on the head with the calves. I'm looking at the numbers now First they force a lot of turnovers and their fifth in points per possession after steals and third in points per possession after defensive rebound So when they get stops they score really well transitioning to the Memphis Grizzlies who are third in defense right on the heels of the calves And 17th in offense and are the number one transition offense in the NBA and 22nd in half court first shot offense Second shot offense is a different story To wit with steven adam's on the floor. They're scoring almost 120 points per 100 possessions Which would lead the league among all teams without him there at 108 which would be damn near last among all teams He's the number one offensive rebounder in the league by a thousand miles He might be the best screen setter in the league.
He definitely is the guy you most one on your team if there's an altercation and and When he's on the floor, they are rebounding 38% of their own. This is which is like gruesome It's unfair and so the question with the grizzlies is it's always been Okay turnovers turning into fast break points offensive rebounding general chaos engine still net out at 17th in offense Like that's not good enough all this stuff that this is this is the devil's advocate speaking All this chaos offensive rebounding scrappy pace craziness stuff Doesn't that kind of fall away a little bit in the playoffs when the best teams play a little bit cleaner and a little bit slower And aren't you gonna have to have a better first shot Half-court offense than the grizzlies have which is why a team that doesn't shoot threes doesn't make threes In fact doesn't make any kinds of shots other than floaters efficiently went out and and got loop canard one of the best shooters in the mba At the trade deadline, but that's all they did the big splash didn't come Um, and now we are left to watch this team Hopefully get steven adam's back soon Their starters have only played 128 minutes together the whole season because bane has been hurt jacks has been hurting they have they've been out at different times I still think there's a better offense in here than league average when you put all the pieces together Um, but i'm curious to see how it looks in particularly how they incorporate another small guard and canard So what's your faith level in the grizzlies offense? It's low. I mean relative to the other contenders in the nba you've taken virtually all of my notes.
So congratulations, uh, but my podcast Sorry, I will just reiterate some of these points I think you know just for context the wizards and hawks have a better offense in the nba overall this year Since our man steven adam's has been out. Uh, the grizzlies offense has been terrible. They rank, uh, I think 28th in the nba over the last 10 Wow, uh, that's not a good sign. Uh, and that has a lot to do with steven adam's who's missed 11 games with a pretty concerning the energy I hope he's okay.
He's one of my favorite players just to watch especially come play off time for a lot of reasons You mentioned but yes steven adam's is to me the reminder the human reminder that rebounding matters in the nba Yeah, everybody wants to talk about all this flashy your stuff But this guy is just one of the best rebounders on the planet He leaves the nba 5.1 offense of rebounds per game and when he's been in the game that's given One of their signature skills Memphis is second chance points transition points being the other one when he was Before he got hurt. They ranked second in the nba exact by scoring 17 points per game on second chance points 17 So he's been out they ranked 23rd, uh in the nba That is five points a game. They don't have which doesn't seem like a lot, but you know, that's the difference between wins and losses I don't know who i'm supposed to trust running a pick and roll in this offense I know this is more of your bread and butter than me Do I really trust dealing broks with tie stones with the steering wheel in their hands and the playoffs? No john rant sure, uh, but you know, I think they have issues in a couple places one obviously right now with steven being out But two going forward the three points shooting and who's running pick and rolls in these big playoff series So I am I wish steven adams would get healthy sooner a because I love watching him play Uh and b because I do want to see the steam hole for the reason to just mention first.
Yes, we all trust maryant maryant He's gonna get where he wants to go. Um, any almost any possession bane has up his pick and roll frequency significantly this season Um and can do a lot of different ball handling things on offense doesn't always have to be like clear out It's a one it's a two five pick and roll of bane You can come off the screen and turn that into a pick and roll And if you put all that together with jackson having his best offensive season adam's setting these brick wall screens and getting offensive rebounds And just enough Good judgment from dylan brooks like you don't have to shoot every time That you do not get an extra point if your foot is on the three point line you have to be behind it to get the extra point Um like I think there's enough Sound half court offense there to squeeze out enough points for their defense to win the day provided jaren jackson doesn't fow himself out of every That was my great point and honestly that thing and I went on twitter and I defended jaren jackson's honor the other day By the way, that was the lord's work because I sure as hell didn't want to do that I had thank you. Thank you Well, let me give shout out to our friend kevin o'conner who I mean him We're doing the same thing at the same time. We didn't know it He actually got to the twitter thing before me and then I looked like I copied him good job kevin by you But I got some a little the same picture He's a great defender bought one of the crazy stats of the last couple weeks in the mba Was this line jaren jackson jr at boston in their loss 20 minutes.
How many fouls five six? He fell down he felled out of the game at 20 minutes That's not just some sort of weird stat that screws with your rotations If you can't reliably count on your starting bigs to be there in their stints All of a sudden everything is unreliable down and especially without steven adam's like now You're playing till the more than you want to play and now opposing defenses are doing things at the in the rim So yeah, jaren jackson's foul trouble is more than just some trivial thing here Especially against the league's best offenses. I love him But that is an obvious growth arc for him. Can he play defense without fouling against the best teams in the western conference in these playoffs or not?
Well, and also their best Non-starting line-ups for years now have been jackson and brandon clark together that combination just works It works really really well those two complement each other really well And when when they need to get their full complement of all those minutes jackson at center by himself jackson clark jackson And if they need him to play 35 minutes a game in the playoffs and there's just no evidence he's gonna be able to do that um he also Would be I am curious how often they're going to play morant Or I guess jones, you know one of their point cars Let's just say morant bane and canard together because They're gonna they've already tried it with their backup units and canards first game with them It's just no matter how you slice it They're small if they have three guards on the floor and one of them is dillin brooks are gonna be small If you have jackson And another big behind them that could be workable Because you know they're gonna all those guys are gonna be hunted you can only hunt one guy at a time But all those guys are gonna be targets bane less so than the others if you got that dude flying around blocking shots behind them You got it It's worth experimenting to see if you can get away with it and boy with that open the floor and add another movement shooter to the grizzly's offense That would be interesting I'm a believer that their offense will at least sustain in the playoffs Like I don't buy that it's gonna get worse in the playoffs because that environment is worse for how they play But sustain at league average is probably not good enough to get where they think they they can go That's what we're talking about here with these list of teams, you know average in the regular season That's okay, right? Not when you want to try win the mba championship whether you're talking about offense or defense I love jaren jacks and I think like you say he's the best dealer in the paint I mean he can I like that yeah, like I think that's an old john madon You know winning is the best dealer in but great remotector is great remotector to the best dealer in the mba If you have a kevin garnett or a rutigal bear or jaren jacks in their prime now nichlachston has to be out of that list Man, your guards can get away with a couple things and and and and breakdowns that other teams like for instance the denver nugget sack If you have a breakdown on the edge there, you don't have that free safety coming in to deodorize that error The restricted area and I think that's a big thing that grizzlies can hang their hat on provided the dude is actually in the game and not in foul trouble Let's stay in the west And switch ends of the floor again The most confounding team that I can recall in a long time the most confounding single season team The 29 and 29 defending champion golden state warriors who after losing to the clippers last night without staff and without wiggens Are seven and 22 on the road and 22 and seven at home. They are plus five points total like five points Like like gary paint in the second scoring average five points Over the break even mark for the whole season that's their season long scoring margin They're 12 on offense, but that's not what we're going to talk about because we know the steam can we know what they can do on offense When they get everybody out there they're 19th in defense And I just don't understand how or why can you help me explain why the warriors are so bad on defense and How they can repair this before this season just slips away from them? Yeah, most people expect me to talk about numbers.
This is not a number thing for me I think these guys are tired. I don't think they have the togetherness that they had last year and we can allude to obvious things that have happened there Uh and people could say that's too touchy-feely fine. Nobody wants to hear me talk about vibes But to me, that's where it starts the tired the age they have thinned out this rotation quite a bit There is no gary painting. There is no auto-porter Maybe we'll get to gary painting later, but that's where it starts Defense you have to have a lot of will dremon was quoted last night as saying We don't have the will to do what needs to be done on that end of the court Well, they also don't have the andre or the gary or some of the names that we're we're used to seeing when we think about You know And for those who don't remember like when this team wins titles they're the best defense or one of the best defenses in the nba zach And this is not that And the other thing I'd say is if you think you can just mail it in during the regular season and go make a run in the finals You are a generational team I think the last team that you and I can remember that really did that might be one of the shack and kobe Lakers teams That sort of mailed it in and then showed up and just destroyed everybody in the postseason Maybe the steam can do that But right now the defensive indicators their ability to protect the paint some of their signature indicators aren't there and they show up in the numbers But to me it is just they're tired They're thin and they don't have that sort of edgy camaraderie that this defense when I think back to the glory days had I still don't get it.
I mean I get what you're saying dremon. What you're saying is they made a championship run Well, you talked about this though. You talked about this last night right like the last night's game. Who do they pick on?
You know, yeah, and I feel like there's there's just some loose weaker links in this defense of all due respect to jordan pool that didn't exist when we're talking about them having a lot of elite defensive seasons though He was on the team last year. I know he was on the team last year and that is a strong counterpoint at very least But I feel like those kinds of weaknesses aren't getting covered up for this year like they were last year And when I think of the glory days of the dynasty, I don't think of any week lakes in the defense really You know, it was really when they got off of david lee that this thing started Uh, so, you know, I think dremon Andrei gedol is shawn levingston Clay toms and the list goes on like these guys are elite defensive individuals that came together at a high level I just don't see it this year. Um, they need gary paint honestly. They need gary paint in that rotation Well, we know clay is not the same level defender.
He was pre injuries, but again, they won they won the title last year Um wiggins has not been consistently available for two months now. He's he's played a few games here and there Um Yeah, I mean what you're talking about like the warriors have a perfect basketball team and now boo-hoo They have a normal basketball team and they have to like figure out how to problem solve a little bit. Um, I just look at these numbers and I just I'm still I'm still just flummoxed so They stopped and stopping playing wise men and to a lesser extent moody They've eliminated the kind of low hanging fruit and if you look at their lineup data And the on-off ratings of all their best players They all have pretty good numbers even defensively their starting lineup is still maybe the best lineup in the entire nba With their three best defenders on the floor at the same time all of whom start dremon wiggins and loony They're allowing 106 points for 100 possessions. That's better than the best defense in league by like three points The dremon at center lineups have not been as good as they have been in the past Their kind of league average on defense still netting out a slight positive because of their offense And that's interesting to me because maybe dremon With this particular set of players isn't up to the same level of heavy I can do everything and be everywhere lifting as it used to be I am interested if gary paten gets healthy and time to be a big part of this team If and how much we see curry paten Clay How reluctant steve cur was to play the pool party lineup, which is steve pool clay wiggins dremon In the finals last year and even in the conference semi-finals and how quickly he went away from starting it After being like this is what we're gonna do.
We're gonna start jordan pool and like three games I was like, you know what? I think we kind of need to come on loony I just gary paten's out for a while after a fiasco of a trade and You know that that's the spot that was auto porter in the finals that gary paten spot last year auto porter is a bigger player And a better shooter so a better fit there, but that's a lineup that's it's in the back of my head I love it too And if you're telling me that the six seed or the seven seah wars whatever and they're coming in relatively healthy With gary paten with wiggins and with curry who are three players that they haven't had together this year I'm scared this team is still scary. They could still put it together And I love that idea that lineup one of the things this organization tried to do in the last few years Is is something that no organization has really ever done hand off and dynasty to a group of young bucks in development And one of the things I think with this defense or with this team's record overall Is that that that transition to comminga moody? Wiseman jordan pool it hasn't gone smoothly those are key pieces of this rotation and they're not putting up Numbers that we would expect from the golden state warriors dynasty It's unsurprising to any students of the game who've watched teams like my beloved spurs try to hand off the dynasty too It never really happens.
Um, these things come to an end and and yeah the pool moments have been a disaster on offense Uh, and there is no andrea get dollar. There is no sean livingston. There are no like that that foundation where it's so reliable There's just weaker links throughout this rotation than there was when they were firing on all cylinders Um, yeah, and I think the loss of auto and gary paten can't be understated Uh from where they were last year, especially on this defensive markers You will find people in the league and let me be clear right now. I am not one of them but I'm the opposite of this person but you will find people in the league who Look back at last year's warriors championship run And don't quite call it a fluke but call it sort of like They caught lightning in a bottle in terms of the sun's fell apart The clippers were injured the jazz fell apart The mavericks and grizzlies weren't ready and the seltics got to the finals exhausted and banged up and turned the ball over and were a horrible match up And I disagree with all that because that warrior's champ that warrior steam is awesome The mavericks wiped the floor with the sons and the warriors wiped the floor with the mavericks in five games You got to beat the seltics they beat the seltics But I think people will look at this season and revise what they think about last season and I don't I don't think that's fair I think that warrior's championship is a true blue awesome awesome championship But you will find people who are like Looking at them now at 29 and 29 and asking were they really that good?
I think they were which is why i'm so puzzled by this season and puzzled by the fact that I look at all the data Even like this number I keep coming back to with devian cenzo pool and coming out on the floor and no seft There are plus four per 100 possessions with a good defense like all their core lineups seem to be working pretty well And they can't put it together and they can't win any road games and maybe that is a sort of like Care factor harmony factor thing we're gonna we're gonna go on the road and win Maybe it's just that they haven't had everyone available enough I don't know what it is, but I still look at this team as More than boy, I'd be scared to face him in the first round I still look at them as they're a championship level team if they can just put it all together and i'm just baffled that they can't I don't understand why yeah, I think well, welcome to the rest of the NBA I think like the warrior's first title famously I think it was doc rivers. He said that one should count. They got lucky But you know we talk about the raptors ring in 2019 obviously those people say oh they got lucky You know the bubble title for the Lakers the next year that one really doesn't count like you know the bucks in 21 I'm sure there were people like oh that does that doesn't count But yeah, that that's gonna happen that team was a championship team no asks here And I still think the old NBA slogan again. I'm not talking about numbers.
So forgive me Never underestimate the heart of a champion We know what kind of vibe that that team when they come into a game against Memphis And all the bright lights are on we know what energy they're gonna bring So if they're healthy if they're bringing a healthy Steph Curry by the way who hasn't been healthy very much this year? Healthy Andrew Wiggins healthy dream on green healthy clay Thompson Nobody wants to see that and people like you and me if they're under underdogs in a first round playoff series Are gonna have a real tough time picking a team like the kings or who else would it be? I mean the nuggets Who that's gonna be needed to be as Memphis. We need some out have a Memphis Warriors for signing up sign me up Yes, but you and me and the rest of our community who are we picking there?
That's gonna be a really telling moment to me. I just bring that up because that speaks to your point I'm scared of the steam when it matters most well. That's what you're saying is You can look at all of these themes that they beat in the playoffs last year And they looked ragged and tired and unready or jittery or whatever and it's like yeah, that's the point It's really really hard. You have to play a hundred-something games.
You're gonna be ragged You're gonna be tired. You might even be jittery the Warriors won't be jittery because they played a million finals games But they're gonna be tired. They're gonna be ragged. They're gonna be feeling pressure and If you can't respond to it at an absolute optimal a plus level You're not gonna win and they can respond to it in an optimal a plus level because that's the DNA They have as a team that's the experience they've earned as a team and the playoffs make you look ragged It can be ugly.
It's not always gonna be the 2014 Spurs moving the ball around just slicing and dicing people. It's physical It's ugly you're 110 games into the season Whatever you are 105 games of the season you're tired as all hell You just want the damn thing to be over you got to find a way to win and the Warriors have proven When other teams get in their own heads or succumb to fatigue or don't trust each other in key moments whatever it is whatever you want to pin On it doesn't happen to the Warriors Well, lastly you brought up the 14 Spurs remember the next year, Zach. They lost in the first round. It's hard It's tiring.
It is Especially on older legs and like it or not clay's legs dream on like Steph's legs of a lot of miles on them And I think that's one thing we're seeing this year in the regular season And really I'm gonna be watching to see if this team can get healthy and get their legs under them Because there's very few healthy NBA teams that would pick over the Warriors right now in a seven game series And they've generally they're obviously without curry for a handful more games at least when the all-star break ends And actually think they've done there. I think one game under now without curry in a I think it's like 17 18 games A lot of games that's pretty good That's encouraging to me that they can tread water without Steph I They're gonna be like 40 and 40 and I'm gonna be on this podcast being like the run is coming They're gonna put together a run at some point. There's two games left in the season. They're gonna put together a run I'm gonna I still think they're gonna put together a run Let's go to the team that won the championship before then the Milwaukee Bucks who beat the jv Celtics last night to go to 40 and 17 They are tied with boston in the lost column one game back in the win column for the number one seat in the east and there's a fun Three team race shaping up between the walkie boston and denver for the number one overall seed in the playoffs if you care about such things And the bucks have the number two defense in the NBA.
We know jonnes brook lopez good luck going at the rim They're gonna be in elite defense. They don't give up as many threes as they used to they're in elite defense They're in an ugly up the game. It's completely unpleasant to play against them jonnes will very rudely throw your crap back at you at the basket over and over again Um, 20 second in offense is an orange flag if not a red flag Um It's orange and for a lot of the season It's just it's just been ugly like ugly to watch and all season long I've said I don't really care until middleton comes back because he's their most important ball handler He's back now. He's only played 108 minutes with true holiday and yandas into kung poh Look, okay.
Chris doesn't look quite the same to me. He looks a little bit ever game cheating 29 on threes It's they've never been even in their championship year a particularly artful offensive team. They've been a more bludgeoning offensive team Um, but they bludgeoned their way to a ring and they have I think the best player in the NBA or neck and neck with the rant What do you make of this offense? How is it just sort of like it'll be fine when they all get more minutes together?
Obviously they just got crowded like what's your concern level here because it's been a strange uneven season It has been strange has been uneven and it's been without speaking of 22 Chris Middleton. It's been with without him I mean here's a stat for you and it's not an advanced stat But with chris middleton in games in 2023 the milwaukee bucks are 11 and no that's a stat and I think that's a stat But I've been saying all year and I'm not alone Yeah, the offense sucks, but they don't have their all-star jump shooting guy Okay, so I'm gonna take that guy off of any of the other top 10 offenses in the league and tell me what to expect if I'm taking One of the all-star scores out of a lineup for years It's been honest pressuring the rim and chris pressuring the mid-range and shooters pressuring the edges They didn't have chris, but now they do he's working his way back in their last 15 games They're 13 and 2 their offensive rating is 118. That's very good. I love drew.
I love chris I love yannas. I love brook. They have enough shooting. They add a jcrouder On my concern level.
It's very little concern because the defense is gonna you can set your clock by the defense I think if this team is whole they're the equivalent of a top 10 offense That's strong top 10 offense. Yeah, I think that's where they are. Tell me I'm wrong. No, I I like it I like it and I think there are signs that you're right They've scored well with middleton just with yannas and drew holiday There are plus 10 per 100 possessions for the season and drew holiday miss time earlier, too I think crowder now.
We'll see how crowder looks but there Crowder and The return of Bobby Portis is gonna be a huge deal for them because I know he's slumped from three point from three point After a hot start to the season he can shoot. We know he can shoot and he can he provides these little sort of like Why are you pointing? What is your what is your I forgotten about yet? Portis is like one of their most important like players He's a versatile piece in their better offensive team when he's available He provides those buckets that every championship level team needs which is like all right It's late in the second quarter everyone's kind of tired nothing's working Can we just throw it to someone and get a workable shot here and like that's what Bobby Portis has become for their team Particularly in Middleton's absence who's middleton's their best guy for that so so They have the following seven guys that I really really really trust in the highest level playoff environment Yannas middleton holiday low-peds portis Crowder TBD, but I trust him and conniton that's seven I did not mention grace and allen who I think will remain in the starting lineup once Chris middleton comes back into the starting lineup I think conniton will go to the bench just because they like the shooting factor I trust ish grace and allen he's gonna get picked on defensively, but I trust him that that that okay to eight And after that, it's like whatever we get from ingles who's looked pretty good slow, but pretty good John Carter and west matthews is kind of gravy.
That's enough guys to me and the crowder thing is interesting because If they want to go with yannas at center It's always that's always a tough decision for them because that's the sexy lineup type that everyone is fascinated by But portis and low-peds are two of their five or six best players and putting on as it center means they're both on the bench But with Crowder they now have access to a lineup of middleton yannas holiday Crowder conniton Which might be the best yannas at center lineup potentially that they've ever had And then you throw in the yannas portis combination with low-peds on the bench. That's always worked really well Yannas low-peds that starts that's working really well. Sometimes they play all three of them together I don't particularly love that but they've had some success with it They they they have enough depth and flexibility to put good two-way line-ups on the floor of all different shapes and sizes If Crowder is ready to give them somewhat expected production You can't roll in to the playoffs on vibes alone, Zaglo You cannot just roll in on vibes alone. I'm interested in whether jay Crowder Can get his legs back.
This dude has not played basketball in a long time and mba basketball is very difficult If he's able to be the jay Crowder that you and i have seen before he gives this team I love the way you frame this they need to get to an eight or nine-man rotation He's a key part of whether they can get there at his ceiling as a space or an defender He really gives this team a championship piece that they didn't have without him at a ceiling Now there's a world though where he's not the j-crouder he has played he has played There's also a world where he shoots like two of 30 from three in a three-game stretch That's another great thing with him to point out So, you know in a weird way role players We've seen it before ask the seltics with grant Williams last year players like that can win you games when you need them And will jay Crowder be there it's a big question because yeah javon carter nice players. Do you want him in the game in closing time? Ultimately, I want to talk just a little bit more about yannas This is the best player in the world and it's not just because he scores with about as well as anybody in the leading There are a couple people better statistically, but his defensive like evan mobley He enables this defense to have two root protectors on the court at any given time when brook is out there Or somebody else that's a luxury. Uh, he's one of the finest defensive rebounders in the world Very few people can win you a game score 50 in a finals game and also get 20 rebounds in a playoff game To me the story of the book still revolves around him and all of these pieces need to be there chris is very important jay is very important Drew holiday is very important, but the story is for me in Eastern conferences nobody else has jhannas And that's why I still have them at their ceiling better than teams like Austin philadelphia or cleven Best paint scores in shakak It's a pretty simple game.
It's a very simple game I I I kind of agree. I don't talk to I think they probably are like the ninth or eighth or seventh or eleventh best offense in the mba And that's all they need to be they don't need to be scoring like the kings and the nuggets with the way they play defense I think that's probably right once they get a hole They've also all season long been atrociously unproductive in transition like for a team that wants to run all the efficiency numbers They're like they're the worst scoring team in transition I actually look at that as kind of a good sign for them like that's just weird It doesn't make any sense to me and will probably correct itself when that dude starts loping full speed down the floor Um, you mentioned boston You wanted to talk a little bit about boston's offense and I will let you do that in a second I picked me walking to win the championship before the season. I believe in sticking with my picks That's my pick. That was my pick.
That is my pick. That's the pick. I made the pick That's the pick I picked bucks clippers in the finals 50 whatever games in 60 games in Boston is the best team boston is the best team top-to-bottom I think still in the mba phoenix is going to have a shout at that and so is me walkie And people are going to read a lot into last night's game where boston without tatum brown, etc It's smart core for almost beat the bucks on the road I don't read too much into that like weird stuff happens in the mba But I do think boston has established itself as like we're just like if we played 300 games We'll have the best record will be the best team This was a premier league and he just played out the season and whoever won the most games won I think it would be boston I picked him to walk you to win the title because I just have that much respect for you Honest I think he's still the most fearsome player in that series above tatum And has a sort of will and ferocity that wears on you over two weeks of trying to deal with him coming at you and Enough around him to make up for the talent gap one to 12 that I think does exist between boston and the bucks I think they have enough star power at the top and enough depth that fits around Yannas and the two other stars on the team that they can beat boston in a seven-game series They almost did it last year. I don't know how much to read into that without middlton But if you are gonna sit here and tell me it's clearly boston's the best team all the projections say boston I can't really disagree with you, but I think the bucks have enough to win that series I don't know who I'd pick when it comes down to brass tax I picked the bucks to win the title I am curious to see why you wanted to bring up boston's offense on this podcast because I didn't bring up boston anything Because they look pretty rock solid to me on both ends of the floor But but make make the case that they belong here I will and I just want to go back to one thing and I already brought this up when I was in those those gyms with boston Milwaukee and the playoffs last year I remember saying to people around me in the media section is like it feels like we're gonna be here watching these two teams for a few years in a row Because they are just so good And I feel like they're gonna be on a collision course like a lot of mba history has these rivalries That was that was a great example and it feels like we're going there again this year If I had to pick the eastern conference finals, I don't think I'd be alone and picking these two teams And the fact that they both wear green is confusing to me Sometimes, sometimes I like last night one's wearing black ones or anything, like who's who what's going anyway, but yes Let me trigger you Because your fans deserve a zaklo rant.
What were those books uniforms in that court last night? What were we watching? I was nothing green about it knows blue What kind of were they wearing with a buck wearing black and the court in blue? I don't look nobody I've said many times the seltics should have to start games trailing five zero when they wear their black jerseys That's how that's how much of a crime against basketball history and art those jersey You should just have we want to wear black jersey so we can gouge our fans out of buying this thing that they're never going to wear because nobody looks good in a freaking Jersey.
Have you seen how well the Sam Houser Jersey is selling in South Edo's act? You got to look at the black Sam Houser Jersey sales. But you're right. I love this.
It's one of my favorites that low rents the green Celtics uniforms are the equivalent of like the Notre Dame football uniform and they're just like not not where it's the pinstripe. I hate to say this as someone who firmly believes the Yankees are evil. It's the pinstripe Yankee jerseys. That's the same same thing.
Why are you messing around with anything? We're the white ones everyone's one. That's another classic look. That's it.
Yeah, I totally agree with you. But the Jersey sales department at the Celtics business side has a different predicament. I will give you the reason. I think one of the more interesting things and I do have a lot of respect for the Celtics certainly not mad at anybody picking them to win.
They have been great all year. But I think the Missoula era is a little bit different than the adoka era. They've invited in a little character known as variants into their lives. They fell in love with three point shooting and that's manifested this season.
When they came out of the gates, they looked like the best offense in the history of pro basketball because all of those three's were going in. All of the role players were shooting 40%. Well, guess what? Regression of the mean happened in December and January and they look like an average 3.5% of the best.
They're offensive efficiency collapsed. Look, they have made a deal with this sort of a variance devil. When they shoot 40% from three this season, they look unbeatable. They're 21 and oh, when they shoot 32% from three though, which has happened quite a bit, they're six and 10.
So if they encounter a cold stretch, and this is an unusual in the three pointer, if they hit a cold stretch or a cold game and a game seven, they've invited this sort of rockets fate in from that classic game seven. If you're going to rely that heavily on three, it's like right now, I was just looking at this as a crazy stat. This month they're averaging 57 points a game from three's and 45 on two's. Okay, so if they have these cold nights, will they be able to turn on the two point switch and get to the rim and trust their two point offense to pick up the slack?
I'm not sure about that against a great defense like Milwaukee or Cleveland. That's why I wanted to bring them up. The Missoul era has been a success by any measure coming out of that chaotic event, but this reliance on three point shooting as we've seen the rollercoaster already this season scares me a little bit and can I trust their offense against those elite defenses in the postseason? Yeah, I mean, they're also not a big free throw team.
They're not a big offensive rebounding team, although Robert Williams, a third changes that equation. They have been taking care of the ball this year. They've been a top five turnover, fewest turnover team for a lot of the season. They're down at six now.
That was obviously their undoing. Not just turnovers, but just sort of like, they would just let go of the thread. They would lose the plot as some people like to say on offense. Like they would just sort of let Jordan Poole or great, not like Grayson Allen.
They got, they got Grayson Allen. They got, they got, they got him good, but they would kind of let Jordan Poole just hang on defense too many possessions. Like, why are you attacking Wiggins when that guy's over there? Just call this guy up for a pick.
They would just lose the plot. I think they're better about that this year. It's going to be a fun last 25 games. A lot of questions, a lot of movement at the deadline.
And as you know, like a lot of teams, we may look at, we may look in a month and think, boy, all that talk about how many teams could win the title. It really was just like Phoenix, Denver, Boston, Milwaukee, or, or it may go the other way where the first round is just like Rokus and all of a sudden the Suns are in game seven against the Mavs or something in the first round. It could go a lot of different directions. It's going to be fun.
Again, that's five, six, seven, eight, nine contenders. But yeah, it's going to be fun. Except as you pointed out so stupidly, I remember this from the podcast, there's going to be very disappointed fan bases and coaching staffs, especially in that Western conference. Nobody thinks they're our first round exit right now, but there will be four of them and some teams that end very disappointed on that Western bracket.
Well, and that's when people put direct ahead to free agency and summertime trades and all that. That's what you have to remember is you can do all the projecting you want in January and February about how Team XS caps base and all this optionality. When teams underachieve grossly in the playoffs or overachieve a lot in the playoffs, it can change their it can change their entire offseason outlook. A bad one bad playoff series can break apart a team can take a team out of contention for superstar X.
Like a lot of it comes down to the playoffs, particularly for teams who have a ton at stake as we talked about earlier with Philly. For instance, Kirk Goldsberry, you have any good all-star weekend plans? Just laying back and watching. I'm going to be home in Austin.
And I hope all my friends who are in Utah have a great time. I'll be watching the three-point contest looks like the best event this weekend. It's always been my favorite event. I knew that.
You have a pick? Who do you think is going to win? It's always the hardest thing to pick. I know who's in it.
I carry my... All I know is the field for that thing is a lot better than the field for the dunk contest, which I will watch no matter what. I love that. Even a bad dunk contest.
I still, yes, it can take forever. I still like a bad dunk. What's not like a guy misses 10 dunks in a row and you're like all of a sudden you're watching this human drama unfold in front of you like, is he going to keep trying to like millions and millions of people are just watching this one guy. It's like a technical free throw but you have to shoot 50 of them and you're a bad free throw shooter.
It just goes on and on. Anyway, this won't be Dominique and Michael at Chicago Stadium. This is going to be Mack McClung and KJ Martin or whatever. Here we go.
KJ Martin, that's my pick to win the dunk contest. I don't even know who else is in it. I throw the shade in sharps. I throw the shade in sharps not in it.
Whoever else is in it, KJ Martin is my pick to win the dunk contest. Who's in the three-point shoot out? I'm just going to make a blind pick in the three-point shoot out. Damien Lillard wins the three-point shoot out.
I got Damien as well. I know herders in it. I know Simons isn't it, but he got hurt last night. I believe is maybe the highest profile player.
I'm taking Damien. You would think I would know the field before making a prediction, but I'm taking Lillard. All right, Kirk Goldsberry, read him at ESPN.com. Listen to him occasionally at the Who Collective Occasionally here at the low post.
Look at his beautiful graphics. I have one hanging up on my wall back here, the Naismith International Park by Sprawl Ball, which we've done a whole podcast about. I have it somewhere in my shelf somewhere. Kirk Goldsberry, you have changed basketball discourse for the better over the last 10 years and it's a pleasure talking to you.
Thank you, Zach. Have a great weekend and good all-star break, my dude.