Mailbag Questions and Final Thoughts

opin, real ones, real ones after Dark to be exact We are reacting on game three of the NBA finals between the sppurs and the Kicks where the sppurs win one fifteen one eleven Are the Surs back in this? Are the spurs going win the series? Are they going mess around with the mess around with the get down on the you film me with the rebound? We get into all of that and we get into your mail backag questions. We got Howard Beck alive from MSG giving us a scene of what happened fromom the rooter to the two to And then we get expert analysis. Raja Bell. then we get into your mailback questions. And then we have a really, really fun into the pod where I just Pse out everyone It was awesome This episode of the Ringer NBA Sow is presented by Ferrero. The world is watching. Go all in for your team this summer with Ferrero Enter for the chance to win a range of prizes just by purchasing your favorite treats like Kinder Bueno with an irresistible chocolate, wafer and creamy hazelnut filling, or Kiebler chips deeluxe cookies with indulgent and rich chocolatey chunks, or Ferrero Roche squares, with crunchy hazelnuts and milk chocolate wrapped in iconic gold Go all in. Buy any two for rarero brands and you could win one million dollars. Official rules apply. Learn more at go allIandwin d. com Logan Murdoch here, Rajaabill there Howard mother fucking beck The very, very, very, very top of Madison Square Garden. We are talking to you guys after The Kicks lose to the San Antonio sppurs in game three of the NBA finals one fifteen to one eleven. Victor Woman Yama thirty two points, eight rebounds, six assist. probablyb his best game of the most complete game of the finals. It's been a long time since we've talked guys. It's great to see you guys. It's great to do this. I'm going to start with Raja What What did you like about Wimbie tonight And what was your overall takeaway from the game I like that u You know, they came out and it looked like they were making a real effort to try to get him some baskets Um They were easy. There was a lot of double drag just putting them and putting the Nicks in a tough spot When Wendb's roll into the basket just trying to figure out how you were going to tag from the weak side or if you were going to give him the loob. So I thought they got they got him going in a way that forced him to kind of score from inside and then work his way out a little bit. Like he's great at his size being out there on the perimeter, but I've said before on the pod. I know a lot of other people have said I like when he gets going from closer proximity to the rim And then he can kind of expand his game and kind of and go out from there Um in terms of the game, like, look, You know what you know what I would say about this series and those sucks, I do not like the way this series is being officiated. I don't like it at all. I just I don't like it. I think it's you know, they change the tenor of the game mid game. This isn't one way or the other for Spurs or for the Kicks, but like they're really letting them wrestle out there, which fine if that's what you're going to let go the entire game, but then there's segments of the game, these little chunks of the game where They stopp doing that and now they're blowing the whistle like for for things that have been allowed to happen for the entire game And that's confusion for players. And it's confusion for me as as a as a fan watching the game. Like I don't know that anyone else sees it like I do, but I'm not enjoying the way this series is being refed at all. Either let them go. O call it like you do in the regular season and neither one I'm fine for. but switching midstream the way they have in this series from time to time has kind of thrown me a little bit Love the way Wndby played. Loved how aggressive Stefan Castle was tonight. You know, they, they 've given Brntson some probleomms. I know we had thirty two tonight, but it's not a pretty thirty two. It's not an easy thirty two Like he's working for that, but u Generally speaking, I just don't I leave these games not loved in the way they're being reed. I'm sorry You said that at the end of when we were all when me and Howard were in Moshpitz in Sweden. you were talking about how and we were talking about you were talking about how Roger was talking about texting us talking about how I believe it was game two when the officiating wasn't up to par in your mind. and in fact, it made the game closer than ever. Can you talk about the evolution from each game of how you been annoyed about the officiating Be it's been different parts of it, right? Like it's been You said the general part of this physicality, but it has been an inconsistency. Can you take us about through your annoyance of the officiating through three games like Queen Carvania stood haloed by the morning sun. arrmy hung on her every word. My champions, I have sold my chariot on Carvana. 'Twas a lovely SUV, an inexplicably queenly offer. They're even coming to the castle to collect it Tight, We feast An offer you can feast on. seell your car today on Carmana Pick up these maily. Step by step I don't know that I can do that. Okay. I in a way that would be entertaining for the listener. L I don't know would I would You know, I was just say like, look, you you're watching a game and If you see the the manhandling of cat. Wendby or the manhandling of Wendby by cat on any given possession before they're even near the ball. like those two are in a wrestling match the entire game and If you're going to allow that, I'm okay with that but There seems to be for me, stretches of the game whenever. that The whistle starts blowing more frequently than in other parts of the game. I'm not saying if there's any conspiracy or anything like that. It could just be you know, like we've got to get control of this now before it boils over. And so it manifests itself and hey, we got to make these calls to kind of rein this game back in So I'm not saying anything nefarious is going on. but what I'm saying is like I don't think it's consistent. And as a player, all we wanted was consistency. We wanted to know coming out of the gates, Abro This was going all night long This is how you were going to allow me to play this pretend, you know, this scenario. And if you change that on us midstream, that was difficult Now, I don't think it's deciding necessarily the outcome of these games, but just watching it as a former player, it's kind of frustrating for me What have you thought of the physicality overall though, Rajah? I mean, especially this game, it felt like I feel like Wimiy was just on on a mission just fuck up Brunson and then it just went snowballed from there. Yeah, like I mean, I don't have a dog in this fight, right? But you know, I again, I think it's kind of crazy that you know, the the It should have been a flaggrrant on Wy early in the game when when he u when he much Jay in Brunson, right? And then a few plays later I do not think that that was any kind of like flagrant activity by a Big fellows named the backup center for their sppurs Qite I don't I think he ran into Josh Hart after the bucket and then Josh Hart should have gotten a teack. he kicked him. You could have kicked him out of the game. I was suspended for less than that So like You know, no, I'm being honest. like I was suspended for less than that You know, again, I think those are those happen within two minutes of each other And I think it's just an illustration of like, look, you're You have to have some level of consistency and then and then they let it become like the street brawl which I'm for If that's what we're going to do Like I love that. But then when you put a team in the bonus in the first like three minutes of a quarter coming out, like that's not what we were just doing And that's and that's hard to that's hard to make that adjustment like on the fly like that. I think Jayen Brunson has a lot of gamesmanship with his like like flopping and like his, you know, managenobes kind of like you know, head head he's great at it. They're beating the living shit out of him and bringing the ball up to court. they' They mean that's got the point, right? They're giving the castle's giving them a off and then Dylan Harper's giving them off and then he's going into the le. He's getting fucked up Yeah, like they they're beating him up. And so again, I'm good with it But then we can't be putting people in the bonus on like Rick you know, just ticky tag stuff with three minutes into a into a like crazy quarter They could have decided the, you know, the NBA season. I just don't think I don't think that's right. Howard, you are our intrepid reporter live from Madison Square Garden at the moment. We just finished a Billy Joel concert you and your generation love. this is like that was just catnip for Y generation. Can you speak to the overall environment and maybe how that maybe affected the Kicks tonight? If at all? Just to clarify, so they have always played New York State of Mind by Billy Joel at the end of every N game. So this song plays in my head almost on a loop like this being here just like triggers it because I've covered like I don't know how many hundreds of games here over the last twenty years We did have to wait for copyright purposes for Billy Joel to stop playing before we could start this b. Let's to Raja's chagrin Um you already know. Listen, Just atmosphere wise. So first of all, obviously atmosphere Air' out of the building by the end, of course, because this is the first Nick loss since april twenty third Bellas and their first loss the Garden since april twentieth and those were the back to back losses to the Hawks the last team to beat them in the post season. So a sobering moment, I think for the fans here, obviously for the Kicks themselves I think everybody kind of thought this was coming Spurs were were so good the first two games, building double digit leads, blowing double digit leads, but building them in the first place. L they showed they can hang with them. And they showed clearly the physicality that Rajah has noted and that is sometimes being called and sometimes not was something that was, I think, working to the Spurs advantage. Um And it was just a matter I think of leveraging that and then just staying cool in some moments. I felt like they they were a little bit more mistake free, not mistake free. F just fewer mistakes tonight, fewewer rushed shots, fewer just, you know, dumb looping passes that were going to get picked off, right? Like just fewer mistakes tonight overall for the Spurs. They showed their composure to We've talked plenty about this, but like for this team to be this young and obviously already in the finals to come into this building. to try to save their season to not go down three , which we know is the death knell. Of all the impressive things that we've seen from Weemby and Castle and Harper in this crew This rinks right up there And not for nothing on a night when the energy in this building was profoundly bizarre too say the least because of all of the things Um And we were talking about the several of us pre game. just the fact that like the finals have a different energy than any other part of the NBA than any other part of the schedule. The finals have just have a strange energy. it's an intensity, but it's also just strange. Is it like just a tension in the air. So you take that Th you take the fact that it's a finals game at the Garden for the first time since nineteen ninety nine layer that on top of it and the this the Nicks fans New York just ready to explode at the possibility of a championship and they're already anticipating a sweep. Now on top of that throw in The fact that a certain somebody decided to make his presence felt tonight And It was just a really and you didn't know where it was going to go Um Does that seep into the players? I don't know. like Maybe they're being being asked that right now as part of the postgame pressures that we are not watching because we're potting U But it was definitely a strange energy in the building. I don't I would guess that that had very little effect on how the game actually unfolded itself once we're past All of the hoopla Um and the weirdness of it all It was I've covered this was my twenty fourth finals. I don't think I've ever been to a finals game quite like this I would agree though like on television. I mean, they showed Trump, the man you were referring to, they showed Donald Trump. I think twice on television, once during the the national anthem and then another time just during the game. I think it was after a quarter brereak or something. But other than that, like it felt like a normal NBA finals game that was great, but can you Could you talk to us about like people that weren't in New York, like what New York was like around the garden, right? Because they can't have the watch party. It seems like it's like there's gates everywhere. You had to get there very, very early. Can you give us a step by step on just what it was like going into the game and just like a weirdness, right? because finals Finals games always have a it's always different than any other game including playoffs. but then you put other dynamic that is that is just unforeseen And then we have to deal with it. Can you just give us a step by step of like, you know, you're walking into the building and then then from there on, give us play by play Yeah, I mean, listen, I've got the good fortune of being able to get to a subway line pretty easily that pops me up right into Penn station, rightight? So I'm taking the A train into Penn station. So all I have to do is walk up some stairs and make a U turn Uh that street level And I can walk in, except that when I got there at like four thirty which is the earliest we could get into building. eight thirty tip thirty was the earliest med to could get in the building. There's already massive lines Fans over here. you know, garden employees over here, media over here, and then a lot of people not knowing where to be. There are barriers, the size of which I have never seen in my life justust for event control, right? Like there's these I think people probably saw on social media these really tall gates that they had put up lining like thirty third street and other areas trying to just wall people off from the entire And that's why they push the watch parties away I'm curious to know if they were watch parties like, I don't know, five more blocks down. Did they find somewhere else to just commandeer the street I got to believe. there was Bryant Park had had a had a watchbar There where it went down too There we go. U Like I've never seen security like that, obviously because I've never been to in twenty four fitalsles that I've covered, I've never been to one where the president showed up with seecret serervice and everything else that went with it U there was confusion. I saw reports online confused about by fans who were trying to get into the arena, who had tickets, who weren't sure where to go. The cops weren't sure where to go. There was just a lot of confusion. So it's just it's this combination of thank God, it was only seventy, seventy two degrees today and not like the ninety that it was a couple days ago because we would have just been us and the fans been baking out there, but it's just it was It was tense, it was confusing Um obviously, I' completely unnecessary too, right? Like if a certain somebody just decided not to come you fucking Jakestone. You could say it, you fucking Jakeestone, bro He did. I like this you. I mean, not for nothing. There was a hell of a lot of talk about karma and bad vibes and bad Juju and everything else the second that that was a certainty that he was coming. and people feeling like this is what's going to turn the series and root it for the next It certainly made it incredibly inconvenient for Nicks fans who were coming to the game, not to mention all the Nicks fans who can't afford to come to the game who have been enjoying themselves in these watch parties on the streets and couldn't do that even. So all of that was a bummer and cast like a I was I c a pullul over it. It's still fucking NBA finals. It's still great. It was a fantastic game. But it made just for a very strange to the night. For the rest of us. so for the media we come in You know, we had more security than normal. instead of me just having my bag go through a conveyor belt, like they hand searched it Um I was bracing myself for the full strip search, fortunately, that did not happen Thank God for humanity Jesus Christ. I made sure to shower just in case, you know. But they did not go that far. That part of it all went fairly smoothly. We all got in and then we just had a lot of time to kill U did catch up with friend of the pod Ben Stiller for a little bit pre game Um Dity Spike pre game on the court. Tracy Morgan. I mean, you guys, I'm sure saw. Look at Look at Howard just flex it, man. Look at like the I'm not saying I was like you know I all saying they're all here. Yeah. Okay. All right. All right. You were hanging with Ben, Broown. We're kind of jealous You know, We're not af no pot He is Oh Let's get back to basketball. It seems that was was enough. Roger like we haven' talk to you in a second like what have you thought about the gameplay between both teams in the first two games? Like what have you what have you thought about this series so far Yeah, uh, I mean, look, the theme of this series for me is it's just physicality. Like this has been a really, really physical series. and U I think both teams at times have thrived in the physicality. U Howard, you know, you made a good point tonight about San Antonio kind of cutting down on the mistakes I thought with that, they also came out Um in the second half and just raise their level defensively. I you know, like I thought they were they had some possessions late in that fourth quarter where they were running people off multiple shots. I mean, they were on a string. They were flying around and so You know, I talked about the rests at times, but like that's not to to try to take anything away or diminish like what San Antonio was able to do you know, defensively at times. So U I think it's been a pretty cool a pretty cool watch. been a final series where the home team has lost the first three games of the series. like I don't I'm going to look right now because somebody I think noted this, but yeah, I think this may be a firstvers Um Yeah, Kythica, what's going on? Like do we have a stat Kyitka what's going on Cthic. Okaykay. All right. Is that typically has all the stats. So typically whenever we have a question, it's how we're going to bllue Sky and talk Okay. I'm pretty sure I'm pretty sure she hit this already. Som I'm looking. The road team has won three straight games to start the NBA finals for the first time since nineteen ninety three. And the second time ever, according to Kthica Thank youth. You knew she was on it. Wh You knew she was on it ninety three one ninety three that would have been Blls Thd of the thirdlazers. No, bull's sons. third of their sons their first Yeah o Yeah, yeah. So I mean, I don't know. like there've been three games minutes late. I don't have a great toown of the three games, but If If San Antonio is going to make Jayen Brunson's life as difficult as they made it, right Um You know, there wasnt there was He had thirty two tonight They had they had eighteen assists. I think in San Antonio had twenty eight they have to find a way to get into what they're doing quicker, in my opinion. Uh there's there's a there's way too much of him fighting to get it across half courourt and then fighting just to get it across the the hasash, if you will you know, and he's starting offense at half court. there right. teen, fourteen seconds on the shot clock and their way out there. It doesn't give you a lot of time to find the answer to the problem that San Antonio in any given possession is trying to throw at you as a defense And so like I just think they got to play a little quicker. And I think you know, maybe again I said it I said it was Shaye when they when they played Shay and they always have him at the top with the ball in his hands It's a lot easier for a defense to have their five defenders and all sets of eyes kind of loaded. They'll trap you if you're coming off a pick and roll. They got multiple big bodies. they can throw you defensively. So you can't always beat them off the bounce. You need the pick, but that's bringing a second defender kind of organically into the play It's hard Shay struggled at times. I would I don't imagine you're going to see Brunson just going bananas in the series at any given time offensively. He's going to have moments. But they're making it really, really, really difficult on himint And so I just like you have to have games from from u from bridges And Cat has they have to have games. If that's what they're going to do to Brunson, they have to have games Yeah. I mean, this has been the story of the series man. in my opinion It's basically been spurs of the betteret team that can't close. I think that's been the story of the entire NBA finals, right? where I mean, we were watching game one U up in Stockholm and it was like, okay, the San Antonio Spurs are taking control of this game until the third quarter and they just can't finish, right Same goes for game two where you know, they they do get a they they do drop a lead, but they can't finish because Wimbinyama is messed up down the stretch. They don't really have anyone that can necessarily organize. And you could see that even in the last stretch of this game, right where, you know, before that that that castle bailout three that sealed the game They were having some trouble, right? There were just costly turnovers from Fox, right? And I know we talked about who talk about Fox throughout this series. and I know Roger you pointed out like they and Howard like they need Fx. They need him to be right. But he isn't that floor general that you need, right? Like they need guys that can kind of organize this offense and we've seen this throughout the season with San Antonio where you know, they play great great defense. There was a there was a sequence with four minutes left in the game where Uh I think they caught um Carl Anthony Towns behind a three point line. He threw it to Shamon and they got it into the into the lane and then Windby just blocks it, right? Justs an incredible defensive performance from them. They have the defensive acumen, but they just can't close down the stretch. And that's the thing that's really's been frustrating to watch U it's like whenever I watch the sppurs, Howard, I feel like Damn I can't wait to see what they are in a few years, right? when Dylan Harper' just not only looking for his own shot, but he can get other people involved and is a little bit more comfortable and they are they're just older, right? And I'm like when he when I see so many plays and I'm like when they're two years older together, they're going to be a lot better than they are right now and they're just playing on raw Billy that's great, but they can't finish. I don't know what you can do with that in this series. They're down only to one now They're trying to figure themselves out in a way. They're trying to get where the the Kicks are in terms of chemistry and knowing each other of Niss Oh, But they're just not there yet, but they have more talent than the Kicks. and that's I feel like that's the conundrum and the two things kind of This episode is brought to you by Nas Energy Every ounce of dirt sweat and gears, every checkered flag and trophy raised, every lap, every race, every hard fought place They're all jammed inside every can of NASA energy performance energy for burn the midnight oil in the garage and pedal to the metal human horsepower For the streets, go ahead, crack open a can of NS energy and get after it. This episode is brought to you by Duluth Trading Company. Whether it's the nineteenth inning, the twelfth quarter, or the fifth and a half shift, overtime isn't going anywhere, whichich is why Duluth builds hard working gear for folks who work their butts off. Their work shirts are built for function and comfort, giving a big foam middle finger to all that's futile. And the new ultra tough no quate utility shirt is equipped with cooling and wicking tech to keep you comfortable Give no quits. shhop at a Dulu store near you or at duluttrading. com at each other during this series. I think there's something to that and I really think that because you see these moments from Dylan Harper where it's just like holy crap, I cannot even believe this fucking kid. He's amazing. It is it is definitely those amazing moments are I'm going to go get mine and then he gets it and occasionally I'm going to go get mine and he gets there then can't quite complete it. But it's never like I'm going to go get it and oh, everybody just collapsed on me And I'm I'm going to hit Vasll in the corner or I'm going to hit, you know, Tred Fox at the top of the key or st. likeike he's he doesn't have that vision Yet, he's a little bit tunnel vision, which is Not a knock. It's totally typical of rookies in this league and of young guys in this league who have an incredible amount of individual talent. And I think Logan, you absolutely nailed it. There are so many times you're watching this team And we're we're watching them in the NBA finals. So this is the time to be thinking about the present and not the future, But it is hard not to think like, oh man, in another year or two, he's going to see that. play He's going to see that rotation. He's going to see that opportunity. And and he will. like Dylan Harper seems to be like a very intuitive It's smart basketball player. Um and same with Steph Castle, like, And Weemby's got other other places to evolve too. And I thought tonight, you know, Rajah hit this earlier like you could see like the clear intent to get him shots closer to the basket tonight rightight off the top and he got them they got him on a roll. They had a hard time getting back to that later. I'm sure, you know, the Nicks had something to do with that defensively Um There are still those moments with Weenby in particular where you can see like Eespecially when he's out at the ark. It's like I can knock down this shot, but like if he's missed a couple of them, then now he's hesitating a little bit, but he's not sure exactly he's hesitated too long to turn that into like oh, they're closing out of me now I'm going to make a move and blow past them right? Like he' Just a half a second too long in his decision making And that'll all speed up Eventually Um And when that happens, these guys are going to be impossible They remind me a lot of the twenty twelve Oklahoma City Thunder Right, where They have all of talent and I'm not sure they were better necessarily than the Miami Heat. You can make the argument, I think that they work going in this series. I don't know. But When you look when you looked at them going into that series, they had a whole bunch of dudes, right? They had Westbrook, they had Harden, they had Kevin Durant. they all didn't know how to play with each other as well as the Miami Heat simply because The Miami He year before went through the fire, right? And this this next team has gone through the fire in a lot of ways. And Roger, we've always talked about like, U throughout this season like one is S Tonyo going to get tested. likeike who was going to make them work right and go to their third or fourth option? And I remember seeing in like game one In particular, you see San Antonio get out to this big lead, but then you see New York who knows each other and like knows everything about how to play together when the chips are down. alsoso they're a team that ks to rally Um, and you could see that like how what's going to give throughout this series in your mind, right? You've been pretty spot on throughout this post season. is it going to be San Antonio's youthful energy that is just they don't know what the hell they're doing. They're just more talented than you or do you think the Kicks still have the edge in terms of because they know each other? Do you think they still have the edge in this series going into the next game? Yeah, it's Interesting because Well, first of all, let me just like what San Antonio needs for me like I mean, they'll they'll they'll obviously get better as they as they all mature and get older. But like right now, one of them they they lack closing R? Like they lack just just overall closing. So that could be from an organizational standpoint where someone setting up your offense, again it going by like alsoso you know, from like a bonafide closer with the ball in his hands. Like who is that going to be, right? Like And so if These games are going to come down to the wire over and over again. I'm taking New York because they close like they have a closer. They have a guy that you know, even if you make it difficult for for him through seven eighths of the game. like he can close and he'll make big shots at the end. Not the San Antonio has guys that can't ever close, but they don't have that consistent closer like Wendby. He'll never be like a true post player That's a part of his game. likeike you got to develop that. You got to get to where we can give it to you down there and you can get buckets or get baddus. It's critical for you to be seven whatever you are. And for us to close games, That's where we have to get you the ball. You know what I mean? Like they have to have that Um I I think that emmotionally There's going to be I think a rebound from the Kicks in game four Not that there was a letowns from them in game three, but I think You feel that series slipping away from you in a way? that Game four becomes a must win for you. if you're the Kicks like and so they're going to throw everything they have at that they're going to come out with like a They're going to come out and punch first. Now I don't know if that manifests itself in them being up early in a way that they haven't in this series, but like I imagine they're going to be Razor sharp coming out in game four. That's just my gut. Um I would lean towards them slightly But I'm afraid for them because the Spur's got a taste tonight and That's what you did not want. for a team that probably is Mo Mano like, you know man to man, like just battered him across the board and taste can be intoxicated. I think, you know, they were loose coming into it. I saw a lot of the press that they were doing and a lot of the behind the scenes, concerned me. You know, I know the Nicks fans were all like, these dudes are locked in, M dudes are business Cool But I did not like if I was a micks fan, I did not like that the spurs look loosey, goosey like that. I did not, that was not making me feel good as as someone who would have been chair for the Kicks. So that would be my concern. I think the Kicks win game for But, uh I'm worried for them. They they had a real opportunity tonight and ur you don't when you have young players that are inexperienence, you got to get rid of them Yeah You've got can't let get rid of them. You can't you gott to get rid of them, bro. Like you just got to use whatever advantages you have, maximize those and get them to fuck out of there that like six years ago against your sons? Is Is that how you had to like stave them off? just like, hey, I got I gotta fuck kill you real quick. Is that what you? I just to mush in little myfos, but like You got you got to get them up out of there and they didn't do that tonight. And so Yeah, could be interesting. I like the Nix though. And I think again, I would just say this, sorry. if we're going to play in these if we're going to play in these three minute games down the stretch where someone is up two or three points and every game is going to live in that area, I'm probably taking the Nicks in a series The Ringer MBA show was brought to you by Fandul. It's all come down to this Who do you think will be wearing the ring att the end of the NBA finals Make your call with Fand. Right now, new customers can hit the court with three hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets guaranteed after betting five dollars for seven straight days Bandal is the best place to bet all of your favorite players during the finals, bet on their baskets and boards, or build same game parlay for a chance at a bigger payout I don't know, man, I think I'm going take the I think I'm going to take the sppurs to tie this series up. And I'm going to take the over on points and rebounds and assist for Viictor Wimbinyama. and I'm going to take the over on Dylan Harper points and I'm going to take I'm take the under on cap points and rebounds. That's how I feel right now. Just visit bandool d. com slash ringer NBA to get started Let's be twenty one and older and select states Aeen an older in DC, Kentucky or Wyoming, first online real money wager only minimum five dollarars required For seven consecutive days, bonus issues as non witherable bonus betch, which expire seven days after receipt. Drom called one eight hundred gambler. call one eight Seven, eight, nine, seven, seven, seven, seven, or it C C PG. d.ot org. backacksash, Chat in Connectic There's a couple of things here. One, let's start with this I always say that you get clues for the rest of the series in the final two minutes of each game, right? or I would say maybe final four minutes of each game And how that relates to what you just said about the spurs, right You see the big three from Castle It was it was a bullshit possession again gets the ball shoots at three. You see the step backack three from Dylan Harper Then you see the fox turnar after he had that afterfter he had that terrible turnover down the stretch, right? What I'm saying is these young guys are building confidence, right? They they're growing, they do this every series. They seem to be growing in front of our eyes. That would scare the shit out of me where like these guys are starting to make shafts are starting to just kind of find themselves. They're also There's also like a comfort in being on the road, right? I think you saw that from both teams because both teams had different set of circumstances that gets them overly amped, right? Like you saw it in San Antonio where it's like, o shit, this is the first finals we've had of this new era. like it's crazy. And they came out swinging, but then I'll say also got a little limon booty down the stretch. And then like you saw the same thing with the Kicks, right Man, it's our first finals since nineteen nineteen since nineteen ninety nine is the lockout year. Man, we got to really put on for the city. Wow, there's so much going on Fat Joe and Jade to kiss are at our presser. Ben Stiller is at our presser. What the fuck? This is crazy, right? And that tends to go into your mind. It's hard to like Um, you know, insulate yourself And The first and I think like the thing that would scare me if I'm the Kicks right now is like Damn. Like you said, Rajah, these young guys They're starting to wake up L they're starting to be like, oh, okay, all that noise is over with it We're actually a fucking better team than you. Like I'm actually we're actually better than you. We're younger than you Oh We got Winbin Yama. We just all we got to do is funnel him funnel you guys into lane. He's going to block everything and Wimin Yyama is like, oh shit I can actually go to the cup Like he wasn't going to the cup the last f. wo games. I have Carl Towns on me. I can go to the cup. He's starting to like they're starting to really just kind of wake up now and I would be scared. Howard, do you do you share these fears You guys hit it earlier. The Kicks have the best closer in this series, one of the best closers in the NBA period of the last several years and in Jalen Brunson. Dereren Fox did hit by the way that fucking huge free throw line jumper late Um Kat was tying up Weby like Weby was trying to get loose and Kat just like was like wrestling him And I think Fox just like saw like I've got an opportunity to just kind of like skirtting behind them Um huge, huge shot by by Deer and Fox. And like that's why you got them in the first place, right? And like I'm the moron who Was it earlier this season last summer? I'm like, okay, Derard Fox is now expendable They've got Castle and Harper and they've got this you career they They got Bll. likeike they don't know what you need You on a trade machine Why whyy we need a max point guard? Dereren Fox just showed his his worth and obviously I think he's been hugely critical to them is just kind of A steadying hand of veteran influence. We saw what his absence meant to them in that Thunder series when he was still ailing a little bit. he seems f Iteems fine now Um Oh But I think I'd be conerned to answer Logan's question. I think I'd be concerned with the fact that like, Jayen Brunson, despite the number of like clutch shots he's hit F to get them up to O in the first place and then even, you know, some of somebody he did late tonight He's what? eleven for twenty five tonight? has not shot well in the series. The NBA stat site is not updated yet. so I haven't been able to look at his composite. for the series, but like he's I got you. I got you right here. He is shooting thirty seven percent from the field thirty one eight from three point line, but he's averaging twenty seven, but that's been a tough twenty seven. Yeah twelve shots. thirty one shots in the first half twelve for thir in the first game Yeah, twelve for thirty one in the first game. I've just now pull it up Um Like it's it's been a struggle the whole time And this is what this is the one thing I said like and, you know, I'm One of the people who thought the Surs would win this series. I think I said Surs and six in our in our preview for the Ringer It was in part because I thought the sppurs are just so uniquely built with all these big physical guards and then Weby backing them all up that that Brunson was going to have a hard time finding space to operate. Now the guy is one of the best tough shot makers and just finding little seams that there is in the league And he does that and we've seen it over and over in the series, But still, the efficiency is way down for him Um, And if that's going to be the case, then it's got to be okay. how much, you know, what are we getting from Kat? And they didn't get much tonight from Kat Where are we getting for Mc Kale Bridges? An Anobobe at least, you know, was shooting well tonight for them But it does put a lot of pressure on everybody else who They can all have those breakout games, but you're not going night in night out to any of them. That's not the history of these guys So u, I don't know, Rajah, like do like Is there what's the counter when your best player is is being bottled up to this extent Yeah, this was my fear for them coming in. I don't know if you guys remember me saying how similar I saw Jalen Brunson and Shay as players as scorers as shot profile, like where they want to get to how they want to score Um And San Antonio is They're not unique in that like there are other teams that don't defend, but with that shadow of Weemby behind, they are kind of unique, right? Because If you don't have a true number two, that is going to just pick up any slack. like true number two when number ones can't eat They're just waiting to eat So like, once you throw it over to them, they're like, fuck it, I got it I've been waiting for this Oklahoma City didn't have it and the N are looking for it. hopefully I you would hope that Carl Anthony Towns would do that, but so far You know, like, when Carl' mean, Carl transfer first two games like a go like Alabama Alab. Yeah, but he's in alaba He's in and out. and so like that if he's going to be good, they're going to win because what the sppurs are doing to the to that driving force of your offense, Say or Jay Brunson is just making their life miserable. game plan, stacked floor, Wey shadowing. So you have to have Cat Chad or it would have been Jay Dubb or somebody on that weak side when that ball comes out has to make them pay over and over and over again. And only then would they have to like say, okay, we can't employ this strategy anymore. Let's play Say or Jalen Brunson straight up. I think even as cats been great Like you talked at the beginning of of the pod about like You, you could make a case the sppurs were like, youo, we fumbled the bag a few times, even though Cat played great So like I don't see them switching it up You know, like they're going to let Kat A beat us. And yeah, it's it's I don't see any real hope for Jaylen shaking free in this series againain he he's going to have he's going to have moments D. like don't get me wrong. He's a bad moofo. like he's going to have moments, but like It's just really difficult to shake free of what that entire team is doing to you on a nightly basis. It's their only focus, defensive Kat was four of ten tonight. eleven points. Can't have that especially after get eighteen and twelve game one, twenty one and thirteen game two just was a monster, right? I was even I was joking, I think with Howard to somebody in Stockholm just talking about like, damn, like Ched is looking at Ched Hunonggren is looking at this film like God damn it, I just missed a golden opportunity to get my team R right? Like it seemed like the blueprint was right there U Mel Bridges also has a step up, right? But the problem is Rog that when I look at this next team I'm like Aside from Brunson, I really don't know who is going to be a consistent player outside of Brunson. I don't know who's going to be there on night in and night out who can do that, right? Like I'm not talking about Landriry Shamon. likeike he's going to ball out, but he's not that guy, right? Like OG is He might get you some he might he get you twenty on a given night, but are you going to can you bank and stamp twenty points from OG? I don't know C you bank it at Mcuel Bridgees twenty in theory you should be able to, but I don't know. Yeah. I wouldn't O OG in a series like this, I would standamp close to like I don't know what he's averaging, but I'd have him H teens like to twenty. Like I think you could count on that. But it's not winning you games Right That makes sense, right? Like it's it's not to win the game for you You need to give the bone to Carl Anthony Towns more I'm just tell what if you thought it was g, by the way? What if you thought it was de I think he's about right against defense Yeah, I think's been pretty good. likeike you can't look Weby Weby got a bunch of shit behind him tonight Carl to I bottled up on the perimeter. likeike, you know, Wendby was looking to get to that step back Cat knocked it away a few times. even that last possession where or not the last possession, but when he hit Stephan a castle, I think it was like a He wanted to hit that haszy pole and Kat was all over that and they made him get off of it. I think has has been really good. I think he's been physical Um But you got you got to give him, you got to give him the ball more. Yeah, get that ball out of Jaalen Bruns's hands if that's what they're going to do to him Not saying that he's got to take a back seat, but get the ball moving in a way where Kat can get it with a little bit of time to figure out what's going on. And then he can either score or he's very capable like Playmaker So then let him make the play K'. sham at the easier shots. Like If you watch the Nix tonight, there's a huge difference between ball moving crisply and me catching it and allowing myself whatever that beat is on my natural shot. like Whatever time it takes for me to get that shot up The Nix lookook sped up in the second half in terms of catching trying to get it up real quick likeike catching trying to get it up real quick. likeike they were they were just They were sped up in that way. and so you have to get off the ball earlier 't because he's the only person on your team that can do that Like he's the only person outside of J L Brunson that can be tasked with doing that. Like it's just it's what it is. So he's got you've got to see if he can do it And if he does, maybe You know, well, you've won two games with them fucking doing it. But like if If they adjust to that and now it freezes Jail enough to do what you ultimately want to be able to do anyway. The Noun pun intended. I've been catting off OG is averaging twenty points per game. But to your point, Raja It's not going to win you games. That's not what I'm talking Right? you need a bonafide just like do to be able to win new games in that way It's kind of distracting. It'sopp It'sopping over here MSG., Howard? What's going on right now? It's popping. I'm over here hearing voices that I don't even know. and I'm like, what the fuck is going on? I think people kind of clean it up doing their thing just like, you know, breaking down maybe ring it down, hold it down I don't I don't know if there's something here on the off night between games or not either. So, you know, this' work to do. I do have from this perch. I can see you know, Ernie Chuck, Kenny Shack all doing their thing down in the court down there. So there's they're still working hard. I can tell you that Are you sure they're working hard I think one person is working on. I can guarantee that one person on that panel is working. Maybe. Draymon was here. I saw Draymon pream. I don't see him out there now with them. So I don't know if he's just like roaming. Is he just like Is he like then? He had a wild like, I don't know, man. I'm not the best dress in the world, but he had like a wild like pink and brown ensemble going on It was it was a lot. It was a lot going on It's If Saginaw, Michigan was an outfit, that would what that was. Okay, let's get it let's get an quipment mail backack real quick before we get out here. Let's get to an hour Cliff was hiding Are you there Glyiff is f asle I did not feelake up you still jet lightight from Stockholm? No, I was in Riverside Jail real quick. That's That's what happens when you in in the back. So when you Riverside Jail, I can't unfree myself. So I needed Bend to free me from Riverside Jail S. Do you have these big barriers that Trump had in your jail? like a big glass onawning the stall. Yeah. soitary How was a solitary loogan? I only saw it because I'm here. I only saw it popped on social media. Did they show on TV where he was basically like Trump was basically like asleep in the su? Yeah they did. And it was hard to tell if Dollan was even awake next to him.ike Yeah. I'm like, whoa, Yeahah, ye, that's old and w bro because that just happens, man. That just liter of all the people around their age that just happened because this was an exciting game. Wake that ass up Wh All this is a really nice Raa, wake your ass up old ass. I'm about to say, I'm about to fall asleep as we speak Yo, just keep a cam on Raja 'cause he's gonna fall asleep right now.. Almost there, Rajah. Almost there. this is a random question here. so bear with me. This is hello real ones. I have what I believe is an interesting question for you today The current day twenty seventeen Wriors be a contender right now. I don't mean import the twenty seventeen warriors. I mean, we take the current version of the twenty seventeen Warriors roster Let me make the case. You still have two top ten players and a goat level scores in Stehan KD, a high Q all defensive caliber defender in Draymon and a thirty eight percent plus three point veteran sharpshooter in clay You could also add in Harrison Barnes, event contributing to a finals team right now. Let's also say they start in round one of the playoffs and don't play a regular season. So what do you think? Thanks for answering Andrew this is from Andrew Fan. very random, but Logan it seems like you covered that team. You got some myery behind that. I think you'd be perfect to answer that question right now, like this current This current team right now. Can they stay on the floor Thly three month straight Can they do that? I don't know. I don't know if they could do that. I'm sorry. thisre group. No, I don't think You're basically subbing in by going back to the twenty seventeen roster. You're basically subbing Katie back in for Jimmy Butler, but everybody is like nine years older Exact ye. no not happen. Sorry. Nore theyre going to go against J Dov and shay or they going to go overst what is this current We've seen what the current KD is doing against current Wenyama bro. likeike it's not that's not happening. Like I tend to be the biggest warrior optimist on this pod and like, no, I'm just I can't we're not there. It's not happening. No. You want you want to stick up for the ages for the old people Rob stick up for them No I don't I don't think I don't I don't think people understand the difference between twenty one year old, twenty two, twenty three year old U physically has in terms of advantages over even a really good thirty five, thirty six year old. I mean, No disrespect to like those are some of the best players on the planet, but They're going to have advantages in terms of like experience and understanding and probably tricks of the trade but You line up a twenty two, twenty three year old fresh legs against a bunch of thirty five. That's not even not a chance Like I would say even like if the twenty two u There's twenty two warriers and they had all of old people, that would be like the last like gasp in terms of like the team that would want a title. If you put that current version of the roster together. If you could get Anddrew Wiggins to also replicate what he did that seenason Exactly for them because he was the one young guy who could actually do something, right? And it gave them a little bit of that athleticism. I mean Jordan P won some games too. He won a round. He went around justus Christ. not going to have the eraser. U Okaykay, what's the what's the next question? All right. this next question is like a week old so just bear it with me because it's still kind of relevant and interesting Aain This is Catharsis from Uruguay Can we stop at the next dynasty t Matthias Pristini, Matthias Pristini. I hope I'm saying that correctly Heyo ons. What's up Logan and Rajah? This is Matias Rockking with the show for a long time now, all the way from Uruguay I'm writing to you guys today because I need to nd a little bit And I know you two are going to film me Now that the furs beat OKC and, I'm already exhausted by the media narrative that's being shoved down our throats. Everyone is acting like San Aonio is a lock for the next dynasty and that nobody else stands a chance for the next four years against Wimby and co It feel like It feels like we never learned our lesson. We had this exact same conversation when Yokage won his first ring. He hasn't won one since. We had the same talk when Jan has won his first ring. He hasn't been back since. We said it about the Celtics after they won no repeat. We spent the whole year hearing about OKC Dynasty and this year once again, it didn't happen We've now had eight different champions in the last eight years. How long is it going to take for people to realize that the game has completely changed? Is it harder than ever in NBA history to repeat, let alone build a dynasty Carity is realow, injuries happen, trades happen. MBA is a butterfly effect, Ble Nice word Every year is different and it's amazing I'd love to hear your take on this. keepeep on keeping it real much love Matias Matas from Uruguay I was just going to say San I mean, I get the comparisons to Yokit and Janis, but Jis and Yokits were not Wimby's age when they were on the verge of winning their first title. That's the key difference here And all those guys weren't as young as the Spurs team is right now on the brink of a title. It just just that's the key difference here I get what you' saying well, oKC and all that stuff, But San Antonio has the reason why we're now anointing sppurs prematurely is because they beat U Okay, see pretty handleily and seem to have their numers That's all I really have. I don't have any like sweeping things. I just wanted to point out the key differences and I'm sure Howard is going to say something way more smarter than I am because let me go before you go, Howard. Let me just go. like I agree with you, Logan and not only is Weenby a younger player with more probably upside at this point than some of them had. but I think his supporting cast is also When you look at them, I think you see multiple people that in the next few years, you could make a case for being all something in the NBA. Right? Like they like you guys some real dudes. They' a hard for' me's Yeahy next year. No, so it's so it's not just him Having said that, I'm with you Matias I'm with you. L, did you just play both sides, Roga? No Nope. I'm not playing because I'm telling you where I'm standing. I'm standing with the tas. like I could say all of that and say like, I see that for the Surs, but Recent history suggests to me that he's right It is super hard to find yourself no matter what the circumstances are or what your team looks like or what we feel about it find yourself back there again. and dynasty, I think is while Anyone do or looks like they should do it. It would be the sppurs. I think I'm taking the ties asideem this would you agree Do you agree that the NBA is a butterfly effect bule I love that. I would just say this Um What is that? we all tend to do this thing where if there's even a couple of people maybe on social media or one podcast or one loud voice somewhere whos saying, oh, this is the thing. this team is going to be the next dynasty, then we react to it. It's not like that this was was like some consensus thing like, o, we need to all stop doing this. Some people maybe did at various points, maybe with the bucks, maybe with the nuggets, maybe with the Celtics when they won theirs too Um I did not feel that for any of them And I will just say as the person who wrote a couple of weeks ago that the whole league is trying to figure out what to do about the Thunder and sppurs because these two teams are both very young, very loaded and very flexible with all the cap room and draft picks that they have to use in the coming years The reason I wrote that is partially because that's the way the league is talking about them, but not to say that either of them are a dynasty. It was not annointing either of them. Just saying that like when you are that young with that collection of talent, and the ability to keep adding, as the Thunder and Spurs both do. does put you in a position to be a power for a long time. Being a power for a long time, being a contender for a long stretch of time is not the same thing as saying it's a dynasty. So in my own pseudo defense he wasn't coming after me, but since I wrote that story, I will just say like it's about the idea that these teams are going to be have to be reckoned with at a high level for many, many years to come But it is true also. I will agree with him. like Eight Champions in eight years tells us something about the state of the NBA right now. and it was engineered this way. This is what the league want. This is what Adam Silver wanted. It is tough to repeat. It is tough to even get back. As we just saw once again, there's a war of attrition you're fighting. We keep talking about or we have discussed like, o, what if JW and AJ Mitchell had been available? Do the Thunder win that series? Are they now in a position to repeat the Thunder and they're playing the Kicks instead of the sppurs But there's a war of attrition. They lost those guys because it's hard season after season, especially when you've gone deep And so yeah, I agree. We all should take a beat. beforefore anointing anybody as dynasties, I do think the spurs in the Thunder no disrespect to the Kicks at all who are still up in this series and may yet win this championship. the Spurs and the Thunder because of their their combination of age, array of talent and picks and flexibility for years to come are going to be Ver, very difficult to deal with. All that said, there's a second apron in this league. There's all these other mechanisms to force you to part with talent and yeah Uh that's what's made the leeague so fascinating and volatile in recent seasons. and on some levels has made it very exciting sure. Let's do one more just so we can make time because I'm also about to fall asleep. Sorry, Rod, It's fifty one minutes, Dg. O one more, dude We got gotta make time, Dg. come on, Jesus. You can go to sleep. You know what, you just go to sleep. Mia Howard got this one. Just go take it, take a nap, takeake it on But we got to hit. we gota wps because I got to get down from here All right Thank you fucking h. Wit. Are we done? wait one more C you got one time for one more or not? There's not a go Yeah you you just go. S I got all that I here. K keep all that shous mother. We just go hold. He was just hold on hold on. Yeah, keep on. I got a question. I got a question for you. I got a question. You want a question I want a question, yes. Howre you signing off tonight? mother fuckking there you go. There's your a question. You know what? I'm gonna just say this, man. You know what? I'm gonna just say this Cliff said ain't no good questions. I got the I got the real one's fucking mail bag login right here and he and I hate this eraser. And I'm not even going I'm going just say Bsa, you had a great question. What's good in the bay You ain't shit, Cliff Howard, I know you gotta leave, but you Roger. And that's another addedition of Real ons, okay? I sideide side pod for what Could be the best sign off of all time right there. be. You know? Yeahuck Buck everyone. This Mse is say that R that he went to that he saw Roger play his first NBA game and Roser went five of seventeen, one of ten from three in the and the sun still won one hundred five one hundred and one. Roser you're a whir one and I hope to see Ty in the NBA someday Someday. But you know what? Fuck all Fuck R Fuck Buck Howard. We will see you guys next time next timeod. This's been another edition of Real W's. Make sure if you w to like, you know, we love our fans contrary to what Roga and Howard and Cliff are doing. But make sure you tap in realal W'smailbag at Gmail d. com comm realal Wen'sailbag at Gmail d. comot Real Wen'smailback at Gmail d. comot We're kicking fucking Howard out of MSG. Roger, you take your ass asleep The marathon continues. all the shit Bye. It must be twenty one years and older and present in select states. for Kansas and affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or eighteen and older and present in DC, Kentucky or Wyoming. Gambling problem callall one eight hundred gambler or one eight hundred, my reset. Call one eight eight eight seven eight nine seven seven seven seven or visit ccpG dot org backslash chat in Connecticut or visit MDgamblinghel. orga Maryland. Hope is here Visit gamblinghelp MA d. org or call one eight hundred three two seven five zero five zero twenty four seven support in Massachusetts or call one eight seven seven Hope and Y or text hope and Y in New York. For Louisiana, call one eight seven seven seven seven zero seven eight six seven.