Real Ones of the Week

This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When your advertising operations fall out of sync, campaigns slow down, insightes get buried, and opportunities get missed. That's why Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales, using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result, less time spent on operations, more time connecting brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most. To learn more, check out acccenture. com slash Spotify Ruins Logan Murdch here. Howard Beck and Rogerbill in a second. We talk things all game three of the Western Conerence fininals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs Then We get into a little talk about the Cavaliers Nick series. We didn't get to talk about game one or two and we didn't get to talk about the traravesty of James Harden's defense So we get into all of that, We get into a real good world of the week. Really really fun episode. y'all know how we do real Ws after dark. M sure you tap into ruinsmailbag at Gmail. com. Real Ws Mailbag at Gmail. com Ruins No vage you m to come not plane. 'll talk to you guys on Tuesday for now. real ones right now, right now, right now, right now. Cliff B Playa, B music. The Ringer NBA show is brought to you by Fandul. The conference finals are here Think you know how it'll go down. Take your shot with Fandle and get closer to the action. Fandle is the best place to bet the teams, players and plays during the NBA post season. Build the same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout or try live betting and jump into the action after tip off. Download the Fandle Sportsbook app now and play your game. twenty one plus Select States eighteen plus DC, Kentucky, Wyoming, Gambling problem, call one eight hundred gambler one eight eight eight, seven eight nine, seven seven seven or visit CcPG d. org Sashchat in Connecticut Sven ruins Logan Murdoch here, A Mother Fuckking Beck there, Raja Bel there in a hotel room, some luxury hotel in the middle of the country And we are here talking to you guys after one hundred twenty three one hundred eight Oklahoma City Thunder Victory. U N Raja. I This is my thesis on the series. first series the first game of the series, excuse me. Oklahoma City played scared In the second game of the series, Oklahoma Cities decided not to play Sredan one And in game three of the series, they decided to get into San Antonio's head not only their head the crowd's head in general and kind of took control of the series, right? Is this a championship level win by them that is just in this moment of the night, Or is this did they figure out San Antonio? What what did you see tonight from this victory from OKC? And what was like the biggest thing that stood up I think this's a combination of things. like obviously You know, you want to see championship level teams and you know they are championship level teams when they respond the way OKC has after losing game one at home in the fashion they lost it But I do think that they figured some things out with San Antonio. First and foremost, You alluded to the fact that They're way more decisive with the ball You started to see it in game two and I think you just saw it the trend continue in game three, like there's a lot of you know, playing out of that double team. whooever catches that ball they are making a decisive move getting into the paint balls popping around the perimeter. guysuys are shooting with confidence Even shots that are getting blocked at times, like we talked about that after game one, they're shooting them Like they've made their mind up that they're going to be aggressive. And so Um Yeah, I mean, look, if you're If you're okay, saying can sound crazy, but like there's a part of me that's like, hey we should be on fucking three O right now You know, like and and You know, San Antonio, we're really going to find out kind of what they're made of. I fully expect them to be game. I pick them in game four Uh, but we're we're going to find out. Now it's it's their turn to answer the bell to see if they're made of the championship level type of stuff that that people think they are. Howard? I mean, they went on a fifteen zer run. The Spurs did to start this this game and like I'm just thinking like all shit. like San Antonio figured it out They're going to be the the next champions for, you know, the next five, six, seven years and this is just what it's going to be the tables have turned And Then you start to see from the sppurs like what we've kind of been talking about all season, right where they are this boohemoth team. They are great. and granted, Derearon Fox was hobble granted all of the granted, right But then you start seeing what we were talking about throughout the season where Oh We wanted them to see at this point where they get tested And we This was the game of all the playoff games where they showed the most immatureity, right, where they They let the crowd get into it in a negative way where the fouls are the fouls are the fouls. And It seemed like that got underneath their skin. What did you see from the immaturity and the youthfulness of the San Antonio spurs And can they kind of come overcome that as the series goes along? Because as the sties seems to go along It seems to be advantage OKC when it comes to the maturity The way they came out You know, that fifteen zo blast to started. I mean, it really did look like the spurs are ready to seize control. I don't know if I was ready to jump five steps ahead to win the series win the championship win the next five Championships Logan. You might have gotten a little carried away with fifteen zero but excited man, I'm I'm off coffee right now where all the superlatives are in play at this point. I'm sorry. it's rules after dark. I don't know what you expect for me. It gets a little loopy around this time All fair and fifteen o It really did. it look like, all right, these guys, theyve just got it on lock and U They've got the confidence. they've got the timing, everything they're in sync with each other They know how to execute against this team Um, But you know, we know how the NBA goes. those those those kinds of things don't necessarily hold up time I'm not sure there's any one thing I would take from this game other than Obviously, this is the Jared McCain game now officially. It definitely is in Philadelphia Um he outscored the entire Spurs bench Six man of the year killed in Johnson, nowhere really to be found for the the spurs tonight. Um, Dylan Harper. granted, you know, he was a game time decision and he played He was pretty muted, six points on seven shots So there just wasn't a lot of pop from first supporting cast in general. Dereren Fox comes back and you know, it looked like he was going to be out for good again after Dort rolls into his ankle. It just never looked like anybody Any one guy could get it going consistently tonight and credit the Thunder deffense For some of that Um I don't I don't know that there's a lot else to read into it. The Spurs are not to give them excuses. They are operating with two of their three most important players, two of their three best guards not at one hundred percent right now. Um And Weby had a very good game by mortal standards But he did not have an absolutely dominant game or are certainly not up to the WMy standards that we've seen. Sometimes that means, you know, he's got, you know, six or seven blocks. sometometimes it means he's got thirty, thirty five points. tonight it was twenty six points Four four rebounds for Weemby Th assist two blocks. like It was fine was'tomin And in a series like this, you need Dominant and Shay after that quiet first quarter was dominant the rest of the way. And you can complain all you want, folks about Falbating this that whatever, falling down. everything else. Tom Habverstro's study of players that fall down a lot concluding that Shade does indeed fall down moreore than any other player in the NBA.. Whatever you want to say about it the dude Scored a ton of points got to the line, G guys in foul trouble And you know, here we are Thunder up to one they've got homeomecourt advantage back. I want to go back to to one of the points that you made and throw it to Raja where we talked about Wimby's the defense on Winby, excuse me in the game one, the last time we talked about the series And it was basically we're going have Cusso guard him and face guuard him and then we're going to have a shot blocker over the top. Dame two. O Okay, C says we're just going to put heart ande on them. We're going to kick the shit out of him We're just gonna We're not even going to hide it. And I think game three was a mix of all of those things. Homer got a piece of them. They did the Caruso fase guarding and then they they just switched it up a lot more. They gave them a lot more looks and you kind of see that like every That's what I kind of was frustrated about, I think with game one from the Thuers you know, defensive u strategy is because W young guys like Victor W' Bin Yama, you' seen it throughout NBA history, right? where U Katie's first series against Ron our Test. Jordan's first series against whomever, right The key to young stars and playing against young stars is just switching things up, right defensively and trying to get them in a bind and trying to figure out where the help is Um All that to ask. what did you think of the defense and just switching things up against Wbinyama and like what is his counter to what the Oklahoma City is doing through three again We're two go exact Yeah, the key the key An star is switching things up Um If you give any player of that Level the same look over and over and over again You're you may have success through a certain portion of that game, but eventually they're as great as they are because they figure those things out and they figure out how to you know, take advantage of what it is you're you're actually trying to do. So You know, I would argue that that's that's for any star. It can be particularly confusing though for younger stars that aren't used to having to make those adjustments on the fly in the moments that mean the most, especially the playoffs, the deeper you get into the playoffs Um, I think they've done a really good job. you know, I think You know, in game two, you didn't see as much of the uh quote unquote kind of junk defense. It was it was basically Hey, you're going to have to deal with Hartenstein and his you know, six vowls and his physicality and we're just going to grab your arm in front of the camera. I don't even care. I'm going to grab you I'm going do whatever I need to do. Yeah. And look, that's that's just of the game. I, you know, it's funny, man because like in my house I had Ty and Dia and Zen were home, but like four of their friends were there and then My folks came over to watch. Everybody is crying for Wimbi Everybody is crying They hide him. They're fouling him. He seventy four Yeah, I mean, it was just fascinating to listen to this, but like that was that was the strategy they employed. And then There is a chess game within the you know, chess game. like from game to game, we've got to make these adjustments. So you know San Antonio is going back And they're figuring out, all right, if they're going to play Hard andstein on him extended periods of time and that's the only look we're going to get. Well, here's what we're doing as a spurs offense to get Weenby going against that particular defense. And I thought going with the hybrid of the two tonight, was a great call by by OKC, a great call because You just off balance. You're just you're You know they're going to make a move and so you preemptively make a move, but it's not too cute either way. You're not staying in either one for extended periods of time. I thought it was a really masterfully called game against him defensively. He and the spurs need to figure out a way to get like to get in the paint. L he he can't be floating around the perimeter as much as he's floating around the perimeter. He's just You know, I told you I would play Isaiah on him more in game two and make him have to earn them Um, Go down there and earn them Dg. like get down there, get him down there with with catches in areas where he can really take advantage of that size in that way. I think points in the pain were even tonight The glass was even tonight You know, there if you're going to if OKC iss going to play San Antonio even in the paint on the free throw line. that was even just about all that even San Antonio is going to have a hard time beating this The other thing was like It was the on off splitss though with Victor on and off, right? They go on the fifteenzero spurt and then they take him off the floor and San Antonio is kind of lost without him, right? Like especially against a team like OKC with a guy Not only of Shay's caliber, You see the other guys and you see their depth really kind of come into the fold. right? It's seventy some bench points tonight. Yeah. And then AJ Mitchell is hurt U, But you got Jared McCain, right? And then you got Carusso who can't miss from three point land all of a suden He'sooting sixty percent from three point range in this series afterfter shooting twenty nine, I believe in the last series. you have all of this depth U and Let's let's let's let's talk a little bit about Jared McCain and He's a guy that you know, tours ACL was we're going to make Cliff very sad during this segment, but U Tours ACO Um is cast off because u You know, the Sixers Oh VJX home comes into the fold U they sold high on him U D'd dare Maurie. And He comes into this Oklahoma City theme is just one of the guys finally gets his opportunity tonight and kind of shows what he what he is and what he can be. And you have that kind of caliber comoming into a team that's already stacked hered. likeike what does that do or team like this I mean I think this is why people even outside of Philly were kind of upset about the Bcaine trade at the time because it's like Oh like OkayC needs yet another great shooter off the bench, another score, another guy who could do some stuff with the ball in his hands. like Um They already had the best depth in the NBA, you know, among all the contenders. and McCain added another dimension to that. The thing with roll players is and with young players is You might have a twenty four point night like McCain had tonight, but you can't rely on it every night, right? But if you if it's sometimes, you know, like last year was sometimes an Aaron Wiggins or an Isaiah Joe and this year, you know, it's going to be McCain at times and it could be the other guys too It's just it just gives them yet one more way to go and especially now that JWub is once again on the shelf And AJ Mitchell starting and he was, you know, obviously, you know, big part of their their bench potency this season Um Now you need somebody to backfill that. Well, Jared McCain's kind of doing that. N with the same level of dynamism. of a Jay Mitchell, obviously But he's just a great shooter Um Bench here latest staff from from our friend Kirthica Kirica, I believe. I'm going to get this right eventually. OKC's Bench outscored the Spurs bench by fifty three points tonight seventy six twenty three and of course, McCain was was a big chunk of that That is the largest bench differential in a conference finals game since the league started tracking starters I don't know what year the league started tracking starters, but I'm going to think That's a long, long time ago. and this is the biggest bench differential in the conference finals in whatever that number of years is. So Um Yeah. u Don't know if Jared McCain would have changed anything at all for the Sixers when they got smoked by the Kicks in the second round, but he's certainly making a very big impact on the Thunder Dfinite could have know, Rogj Y, you would it would have definitely helped. ye, it's hard to predict whether he would have changed anything, but he would have helped. Before I even touch on the physical tools him putting the ball in the bucket, stretching the floor and I you know, Once he starts feeleing good. he was making plays, man. likeike he was making plays in the paint. He was making plays you know, in the paint and then spraying it out to other people Bite mayaybe even more importantly when we talk after game one and you you kind of asked what the difference was in these last couple games and I talked about there kind of level of fearlessness, right? They're not they don't seem afraid in that way anymore or just tentative or whatever the word is you want to use to describe it He's got a level of fearlessness to him And we talk about stars all the time. And yeah, man, I've got to see that look in your eye if I'm a role player and you're the star and I want to know that you're solid But man If you got if you got role guys, guys coming off your bench who are equally as fearless and are and are showing that they are with the shits on any given night in any given series That is a big boost for your team before they score twenty six, twenty seven points. just just there're in the fight and they're swinging and they're taking the fight to the other team. He was one of the first people I saw in this series taking on Wby Like go back and look. like there were a few times in game one where he was like driving the ball in there and in a weird way looked like he was the most unafraid of the situation Um, So he's been big for them, just not just in terms of the output, but in terms of the attitude Sometimes like, you know, I felt like This is the beginning of this of this series in game one F felt like the spurs were just in OKC's head. because of what happened throughout the regular season and they played that way, right? Like, you know, they were they were playing scared of wheny when they were going into the paint And you kind of saw towards the end. like one of the things that I've learned just covering the league is You never turn the game off because you can see little things that can get you clue of what the team is going to do in the next game. the losing team is going to do in the next game in the final few minutes, right? and There were there was a Jared McCain plays that you were talking about, but there was also that shade Dunk we talked about in the wany moments as well, right where he was just like, fuck this, I'm not going to be scared anymore of of I'm going to show this team that we're not going to be scared of this one guy. right? And they took that attitude going into game two and by extension, game three. Another person that I want to shout out, Raja is Jay Will because he was one of the guys that that in the first quarter when they were down fifteen, he was hitting a few threes and he kind of got the basket open for them. And I and I would argue that He was the catalyst for the rest of that bench, including Jared McCain, right? Because there was another moment where it was like, oh, shit, we're down And Jay Will was like, no fuck that We are going to take it to them and we're off to the races after that. What kind of When you when I talk about Jay W and what he does, what does that do to galvanize a team when you are down like that? But you know you can beat this team but you you kind of need to see it. You got to see it first before you actually do it Yeah, well, sh yeah, shout out to him. you know, it would fall into the Jerem McCain category like of player that if you are getting that level of fearlessness from them, it is a big boost, but specific to like when you as the if ninety nine percent of the rest of the team doesn't have it someone like that having you know, a run of fifteen or whatever it was in a quarter just to keep you afloat critical. It just keeps you tethered to the game from a score standpoint. Like if if he's not making those, it's You know, we're too far you know, we're not really in reach. We're going to keep playing, but there's, you know, there's a point in an NBA game even in the playoffs where it gets so out of hand where you're like, Ohh, fuck This isn't going to happen. You start thinking about whether you should get some rest or not, you know, like anything can happen. but he just keeps you close enough, keeps you It just keeps you in the game in a way where you feel like any little spurt gets you right within striking distance and You know, that's the difference in games sometimes, right? Like if that winds up ballooning Um and you're sitting at twenty some. It's a completely different ball game than he Let's talk about Pay Roni's disease, or PD It's now widely talked about. And some men may feel reluctant to bring it up But it's more common than you'd think PD can happen when scar tissue builds up under the skin of the penis, causing a curve or a bump during an erection that for some men, may lead to pain during intimacy and impact mental health A trusted urology specialist can help diagnose PD and walk you through your options, including non surgical treatment Visit talkaboutpD. com Somewhere out there is a Chevy truck first N dries it. It's a Chevy person Probably no one Your buddy, your sister, ones who always show up, are the first to rise, the last to leave They always have that little extra something, and maybe you've got it too Chevrolet, Tether, let's drive isit Chevy d. com slash trucks to explore the lineup three announced twelve Jamal Crawford front of the podcast said he said this about McCain, but I think it I think it really relates to Okloma Cityities bch. She said this after McCain's like and Anne won in the second half. He saidays, Ja McCain doesn't win you quarters. He wins you minutes And sometimes that's just that's even that's just as important as doing that. And I feel like how we're like We talk about Oklahoma City's bench and I think that's the key to them, right? Like you look at this, you look at the box score Nothing's like overly impressive here other than the Jer Beame twenty four points, but you see a lot of guys that win team minutes, right? And like kind of and I think what that does is it It takes the pressure off of Oklahoma City stars, you know, Chet still trying to get his his stuff together, you know, five of seven on fourteen. but They got a lot of guys that can win you minutes that will ultimately winning quarters And they got more of those guys than the Purs do right now Um And also like, you know, lest we lose track of it. This is the first time through for pretty much the entire Spurs lineup, other than Deere and Fox who just finally played his first game in the series tonight and is still hobbled m and a little bit Harrison Barnes, but like for everybody else for, you know, for Wemy for Castle Vasll, Harper it's this is all new to them. And so Um You know, it's harder at this stage of the season. Nothing comes as easy And you know, that you're going to have more variance in players at that level who are young who are not used to the every other day N. pace of the playoffs. and trying to produce day after day. Let'su been through this before And I think that matters a little bit too U Jayen Williams, you know, B Jayalen Williams, the one who played the night, the one who's still healthy Like a year ago, Does I mean, I'd have to look I may be wrong, but like, He goes for eighteen tonight. He he took a two of them, you know, multiple times in a row there. in the fourth quarter when they're holding off every charge. I don't know is there an eighteen point game on his resume from last year's playoff run? I don't recall if there was. I feel like he was much more of a bit player But he's a guy who's ready to step into a little bit more responsibility the next time through And You know, this time next year, I'm not writing off the spurs by any stretch, but if they don't make it through this time next year Harper Castle, Vasll, and Wembyer are going to be that much more prepared for the moment too. This was his playoff career high There you go one was a fourteen point Yeah, like he was a bit player last year, but you know, between the injury to the other Jla Williams, J Dub and just his own personal growth, obviously and his ability to fill that role U You know, you're you're seeing you know, a lot more of what he can do And You know, that's, you know, this this is why experperience matters in this league. What do you want to see from each team, Rog? Next game Um o God Yeah, if'm if I'm OKC, I'd like to see just that same level of commitment to getting downhill. you know, the sh the shots come and go like obviously it'd be great if they if they make the sppurs pay for the double and then they're able to attack four on three and really get that ball pop into where they find that open shooter U, but just being committed to doing it with pace and and and aggressiveness, I'm okay with. I'd like to see them continue to keep Weemby out of the paint to whatever degree they can, keep him drifting around that perimeter Ke him away from the basket, both sides of the ball you know, it's it's obviously to their benefit to have him out there in a bunch of actions to keep him away from the rim and then offensively if he wants to wander around the perimeter and make You know, make tough moves to get his shot off every now and again. I'm going to live with that It's just the opposite for for San Antonio, I'd like to see them healthy. L if we can miraculously get those two feeling a lot better over the next couple days, that's going to help dramatically Ain got, you have to find ways to get Wey closer to the rim I mean, he's such an unstoppable force when you're just throwing the ball up there. like no one can reach that We have to figure out a way to move him around and get him closer to the rim Um I'd actually like to see them play them straight up a little bit more. I'd like to see San Antonio play Say straight up a little bit more that may be to the same logic that you're using with Weemby You know, like you keep showing him that double. Um That's three games of it now. now. Ill be it I think I saw it a little less. I'd be interested to know what the what the the number set about how many times they did it tonight versus what they did in game one, but Okay he's gotten a beat and a rhythm on that. We just I just talked about it for a whole segment I'd like to see you throw another wrinkle at it. Maybe that's some more zone. mayaybe that's You know, I don't know. it's late. My brain's not working. but what I'm saying is OKC seems to have a rhythm For what you strategize would be the number one you know, priority defense for you against against Shay. Shay was super patient as usual And then he still winds up doing what he did. So I'd like to see some of those guys have to fend for themselves a little bit Yeah he's due for another game. He had a game in game two, but he's shooting thirty nine percent from the field and twenty twenty eight percent from three the series, but I mean, he's controlling the g You'out out the time. Now Raja No go ahead, go ahead. No, no, no. I mean likeike because because I mean Statistically speaking, I guess you would look at that and say we're doing a pretty damn good job. And like so you, it's really picked your poison, right? Like There's part of me that's, hey, if If Jay will and and you know, McCain and And the like are going to beat me as the sppurs, I got to tip my hat to you and say, fucking good job guys. like you beat us. Shay's not going to be two time MVP is not going to be me, right? Like we're not if I could control that. I'm living with youofes beating me Um And I typically would agree with that I think that there's a There's Like happy medium of moving you know, moving in and out of those looks a little better You know, so they don't just consistently get the beat on it in that way. And so u , Id just be interested see what they do with them. All Rajah there was a little Bua hn And you know, you are a Bruha Haku respondent U and There was a lot of holds me back, but that's not even the part that really triggered me. That wasn't the part that triggered me It wasn't even part the sugar. wasn't even a f new flavorance old man It wasasn't even a fucking flaggrant fowl. What are we doing ucking doing, it It's too late for this bullshit. I mean been up since fucking six in the morning I'm in a fucking shitty hotel in Kansas City. What the fuck It's not even a flavorant bow. He ran him down. he made a play on a fucking ball. Yeah,ah had his hand in his back. We're both moving at one hundred miles an hour going that way. You don't think he's going to fuck fall down. Sorry That's ridiculous That wasn't even the part that triggered me W wasas it part that triggered me on your behalf? The part that triggered me on O on your behalf is that they showed, I believe it was Isaiah Joe trying to shake of the trying to shake his way to do nothing tryrying to shake one of the security guards to do absolutely nothing. That was Andastic. And then was really to add insult to injury either Reggie Miller or and or right proford say Ched. Ohold the last time we were here, wasn't that when the Spurs played the suuns and The whole bunch ofjections happened right at that score this time was like, come on, bro. Come on, R. Rosh, I thought that was in Phoenix No, no. that was San Antonio. It was it was in San Antonio. It was It happened right at the scores table, right by like more Mike Dantntoni like right right next to our bench but that general The general area where Amari and Boris, I believe ross onto the court was like right where he made his fake So it was I got my phone blew up like immediately. As soon as that happened, the phone started to textxt Did you feel didid you feel triggered by that? Did that Are you used to when people bring that up? It's like, okay or like because I feelel like it was a cheap shat. They didn't have to bring that up. That has nothing to do with the secret. No. I didn't think it was cheap. I didn't take it that way. I wasn't tri I wasn't triggered by it. It was it was I thought it was kind of funny the way he just kind of faked at it and thenistant coach was like, well, he wasn't to do anything though. Like he wasn't do anything. He was no he was totally messing around But I'm with Raja. L That's barely barely barely a flagrant foul. Like we've seen so much more than that and it's like, okay, he's airborne and you touched him, but like that wasn't like a hard shove. It wasn't like there was nothing there U frankly thought Castle overreacted and then Vassel overreacted to the react overre there's a whole chain of stupid events Yeah. Castle Castle' punched somebody and was like no actually no, actually relax. I think Castle was still pissed off from the Caruso foul. Yes. before. So he was just like he was just he was just tense. He was just let me off on somebody. let me like Howard it's a, you know, just a piggy bag. They have the spurs Um, to some degree and this is a win for OKC ' been distracted That's that's a distraction. like the physicality is a distraction. Wendby's You know, we talked about it kind of in the Minnesota series You know, when Wendby was like He's pre game warming up. They showed it on the broadcast with people grabbing him and holding him and And that's not your normal warmup Like you know what I mean? Like that you're already factoring that in. And then I would just say the shee of it all If you watch every time he gets a call, the reaction from a San Antonio defefender Um I think it's I do. I think it's distracted them a little bit to what degree? probablyrobably negligible probably I don't know if it's worth a couple points or whatever, but I mean, you're dealing with you know, these games are w of lost in the margins largely and and this late in playoff series and you just can't afford to be distracted in that way but play ball He's going to give calls. You're it's going to be physical, play ball. I think that I mean, we talk about this a lot from It's interesting reference Minnesota because we talk about how much Minnesota takes on the personality of their superstar I do think that San Antonio for better or worse takes on the personality of Wimby and Wimby like He buys into all the stuff, everything because he uses his motivation. But on the flip side, it's like, yo manen, like you kind of have to Blinders, bro blinders and that's something that I just want to like tell them like it's like Yes They do bow. Yes. they do get was called against them, but that's the growth in the maturity of it all, I guess, right? But I just would be like, Wimb, Yo, chill out, bro. L You're the best player on the floor, arguably You be the best play on the floor Yeah, I mean, yes, I mean Yeah, Bro, you I don't think you need to be Uber concerned. Look the physicality every NBA star that we felt was generational has dealt with other teams using physicality to try to move them off of their spot. It's just There are very few people that are physically gifted enough to stop you by just lining up in front of you and trying to block your shy. Like it just doesn't work. It didn't work likeike peopleople couldn't do it to Kobe, so we tried to rough them up. People couldn't do it to MJ. so you try to rough them up. Pe couldn't do it to Bron early stuff. like you try to rough them up. It's what you try to do U You're no different in that regard But but but like You know, where I see it manifest in itself is like, look, man, there were times where I would argue a call. Don't get me wrong Like I wasn't one of those dudes that They just walked away every time I filed someone and you called it There's certainly times where I know I foul them And where I thought like Steph Castle in particular was kind of tilted tonight after those two fouls on him Um, you know, I saw him multiple times foul like you foul sh, this is not debatable bro. Like you This is a foul And you're still kind of bent out of shape about it. And I don't think you're necessarily just bent out of shape about that call I think it was a culmination of things that distracted you to now everything's just got you reacting that way And the spurs Really good team. but if they have multiple guys in that headspace They're not good enough Yeah, the key thing though, and this is like from this series and also u The series that I I saw them play. Okaykay see play against Phoenix is like typically Shay is playing against the other teams point guard. So when he's playing against the other teams point guard, that is the leader of the other teams offense. right? So you get them point guard bitent out of shape. That's going to manifest and trickle down throughout the rest of the team, right? And it's particularly with the spurs and we said this in the last podcast, which is They need their point guards to be Coming forces And when you're effic Stefan Castle not being a common cal force and you're letting people get into your head, you're fucking it up for your offense, right? And like You can see it manifest through the first two games. I think get like twenty turnovers. that's far away the the most turnovers ever by a by a single player in the postseason through two games But like you could sense this getting into his head where he needs to be a common force comming force for that team So that's something to look at say a quick break And we are going to talk Nix cabs. This episode is brought to you by NBC and Peacock. All right guys, it's officially that time You feel it right away. Every possession matters more. Every mistake costs more. Every shot can swing everything This is when the biggest stars shine on the biggest stage because this is the test. This is what the whole season has been building to. W the NBA playoffs on NBC and Pacock. It's playoff time. And we are back to talk cavves, Nicks. in a segment that is sponsored by Ferrero. Let's just talk game one really quickly. Let's just like let see let's this level set and get back get our listenership up to game three as the series shifts to Cleveland Um, Howard, I believe you were both of those games Doid the Knicks just feel just invincible at this point, right? Are they going to lose anytime soon? Like what the hell is going on What's going on? What's the vibe in New York City as we throw it to Cleveland. So funny thing is If you were to just walk into the garden in the middle of the third quarter of game one And what was that Tuesday And I don't know how you get into the garden But if you snuck in past all the vast security apparatus, and all the facial recognition software popped into the garden In the middle of the third quarter, you think Uh, is there a church service going on here because this place is pretty quiet Might have been the quietest I've ever heard the Garden for a game of consequence becausecause the cabs were up, they'd been controlling the game And as we all know now, they were up by twenty two in the fourth quarter before they blew that entire lead When it started getting around like fifteen, thirteen and Nick was starting to feel it Then that place came alive like you it was as loud as anywhere you've ever been And I don't know like I have been to many, many Very loud, intense just raucous Ns games and I've been to some clunkers where it's a little quiet. This was the first time I can remember where it was Both It was the two extremes in the same night Um ' Nicks fans were out of it. There was like it didn't alsoso it just been a really muddy game. Like the cats were up, but they weren't playing well. The Nicks weren't playing well It was all just, it was just kind of a Kind of a doll Kind of muddy game And then the next took over U Brunon starts hitting all these shots. Shamon hits that crazy shot and the place just absolutely comes alive. And I do think people came out of game one to get us to game two now People come out of game one, I think this feeling of, well, if the casts can't hold twenty two point lead and as dispiring as that would be when you're this close to stealing home court advantage and getting that that critical roadwind How can they possibly come back in the series? I didn't buy that line of thinking because this is a veteran team James Harden has been part of Let's just say other collapses before in his career. I don't think he was going to be daunted by a single game one loss. I mean that sincerely Even though I'm also, yes, making fun of the fact that he's been involved in a lot of collapses. Donovan Mitchell, Jared Allen, Max Jreus, likeike this is a veteran lineup. This is not some young team. It's here for the first time I thought they would be level set. They would come into game two and they were. They came in a game two. they played really competitively for about a half And thenen it just got away from them. They after being burned by Brunson a game one. Now you're probably overcompensating by shading too much toward him in game two Uh he scored less but had whatever was thirteen assists or something, fifteen assists. likeike he's, he's just hitting everybody else, especially Josh Hart. That's the guy you have to leave. And the cabs come out of that game saying talk about process a lot. likeike the process was good. and You can't really argue the point. O offense. They got a bunch of open shots for guys like Sam Merrill and Stres All their shooters got open shots, Dean Wade and they just missed most of them They shot terribly on open shots process was good. deffensively The process is fine You've got to leave somebody and you're not leaving Towns because he's an ace shooter and you're not leaving Michael Bridges or Jan Nobi and you certainly aren't leaving Brunson you were trying and you' try to double Brunson and get the ball of his hands or making hard on him. So Josh Hart goes off How many games? Is that going to happen? If the same thing plays out the next time is Josh Har going to make all those same shots and burn you again Pcentages in the history would say no But um Like the cabs are down to U, one pretty bigig, you know, convincing loss in game two, one just completely like It was eight thousandy twenty, by the way The Kicks took that game, but they get about twenty percent to thirty percent of the the credit there and the cabs get like seventy eight percent of the blame for just gagging it because if you're the team that had the twenty two point lead But it's mostly on you a letting it. But I think the cabs You know, go back to Cleveland still feeling all right. Like they' been home in a week because game seven was in Detroit before this series Um I do think there's concerns with Donoan Mitchell's he. I think there's probably some concerns with their overall fatigue level. because that a growing time they won't talk about it. Dude, they're not, that's the thing, man. likeike it's this is going to be one of those ones where once the series is over le out like Yeah. Yeah, It's going to be a LeBron cast. He's going he's going to go out and're We're going to go find out he's going for torso replacement surgery or something. Yeah, it some something things up, but you know, look, he he's still He's still scorn. He's still able to do some stuff, but he doesn't look exactly right Rus it as a defender who prides itself on defense How demoralizing was it to watch James Harden just become a turnstylean I just haven't seen, haven't heard your What was that was that terrifying? Did did tears come down your eyes? I would have I mean, look you can only do what you can do. L James Harden's never been up defensively defensive like peace. He's never been defensively you know, kind of, um minded, if you will, haaving him out there. I don't I don't blame him for that. at the advanced age that he is like Everybody as they get older than the NBA, what's the thing that they kind of What's the side of the ball that most of them take off be at the end, what was the side of the ball that he was takaking off on? What is LeBron struggle with the? Like it ever anyone who ages that defense is going to slip. like they can still do cool things with the ball in their hands. and I say all that to say that don' I don't blame James. likeike it was a it was a complete meltdown as a staff m there was a complete meltdown like organizationally, like someone should have Someone shoulder label was fucking good. Everybody just blew that, dude. L so the ball I somehow get blamed You know, that particular game, I was locked in less on the defense and more on the offense because I was trying to, you know, I want my son Ty to be like Rick, I mean, like Jayen Bruunson, like, you know He's a six, two and a half guard Jayen does some things with craft and footwork and body bumping that I just think are like incredible tools to try to steal from a guy. So I was locked in on the offense. I don't think it was a James Harden issue as much as physically it was but I mean, he just never st was great at at defending and you're asking him to continually switch on the best or one of the best closers in the NBA with a bag full of tricks, like that's a recipe for disaster So I didn't have a beef with that. I would say this about this series though Um I think that the calves are game Um think that losing that first game cost them the series necessarily. But They' Every day that this series stretches is a problem for the calves they're not getting better They're not like their legs, there' two seven game series in, right playling every other night That is really good.' not a downt them either, right? Like they're not It's going to take a toll. So they could be game. they could be there to play Um I don't think they folded the tent or don't believe they can beat New York, but there's just going to come a point where physically they don't have it. Listen man, if I'm New York right now, I'm seeing blood and I want to sweep this. I mean, for a number of reasons, right? You want to get out of a series. but if D're You look on the other side of that bracket OC and San Antonio are kicking the shit out of each other. Every game is a war Right? And it's it seems like it would seem like it's going to go long I'm just trying to be at the crib icing up getting restress if I'm. And the other point that I would like is I get frustrated seeing like you Rer seeing the cabs offensively because it seems like two different offensive, right? likeike you saw it I think it was in it was in game one, but I believe I remember in game seven as well, the Detroit series. like when Dor and Mitchell is cooking. It's one type of offffet. It's fast. We're getting to the other side. We're playing with pace And then when James Harding gets the ball like we automatically have to stop what we're doing and we have to, you know Wait around while James Harden dribbles the life out of the ball for nine seconds and maybe we don't get a good shot. And then I got the biggest frustration I got was at the end of that game one. We're When they go into overtime, Dam Mitch only gets like one shot and it's a fade away at the end of a shot clock, right? That is egregious. It is tough to watch them down thes because they're still figuring each other out, but also like from a coaching standpoint, they don't have any An answers for what to do when one of their high volume scores or I don't really have a question for that, but that's just my frustration. Yeah. Well, they don't have theation. They don't off as the one. They don't have the personnel if one of their high volume guys isn't like scoring. They don't I mean, they don't really have another Evin Mobiley's ballling. I do got to give credit tov Mobiley. He's been No, he is, but like that's not that's not a guy. You're not going to like say, hey, we're not getting What we need out of those two go win us the game. Like that's not the role you want him playing. You know what I mean? Yeah Donvan and Mitchell not getting the ball late in the game. that's on Donovan Mitchell you could put you could put the coaches, you could put that on the coaches too, but Donnvan Mitchell' fully within his right and has all the autonomy in the world to go over there and say give me the fucking ball. I'm taking I'm taking this ball U So if he doesn't do that down the stretch, may there might have been other factors. It could been he was tired, he could have been dealing with you know, slight injury or what have you but Um, Yeah. I mean, Look finding the sweet spot. when you have two guys that are really good offensively or can do really good things for your team offensively, but they play different styles Finding the balance in between, you know, in the sweet spot of how much of him and how much of the other one is always kind of the you know, the game within the game that a coach is trying to play. likeike you have to get that right and you have to get the rhythm of the game right for you to have the best chance to win. So You know, it's not that's a good point, Logan. And I'm just sitting here telling you Dou, like any point we make about this series, gonna to be too tired That's not played a lot of basketball and these games are coming at you every other night. It's not getting easier for them. Someone asked me the other day So I got the Nixon five. But someone asked me the other day about The Western conference. they were asking about the playoffs, right And could the Kicks win a championship? I was like, no they're not being neither one of those teams to come out of the Western confonference. unless They can get up out of this series really quickly. Those two beat the shit out of each other over the course of seven games And I don't know that I'd pick them But they would have a much better chance if that was the scenario they played. I thought the same thing after game two After game two of that San Antonio OKC series where you just see bodies on the ground. likeike you just see people just falling, you see hamstrings getting pulled, like Dylan Harper is saying no the assistants are saying, Dylan Harper, you can't come back on the court. You're fucked up. like you a pou and U So we'll see what happens. I don't know, but Howard, I want to give some flowers or Mkeel Bridges and Mike Brown. likeike I mean, it just seems like Muel Bridges is kind of find a new life after he got his ass kicked by Nicks Tape and some writers who won't talk about U and seems like he's become a transformation. He had the fire under his ass and being a fire under his ass, Mike Brown has also had the fire under his ass. What does it seem What has it been like for you to see them, you know, kind of have a transformation in your backyard? I think the thing with Michael Bridges is like From the moment the Nicks acquired him All anybody was going to talk about was how much they gave up to get him. It's always like the four picks on the swap or the five picks or whatever the hell the final tally. was on that And Like every time he had a clunker of a game or a bad stretch, Nicks fans were all over him And it was bench him in the Hawk series, It was bench him there have been other moments where it's like, you know, this this guy just doesn't seem he's he's maybe malcontent He's inconsistent And he's been fantastic. He's been absolutely essential to them and this run And you know, just getting getting the best version of him that that you could get basically, which is U, hit your open threes defeend at a at a level that that makes this perimeter Dve of the Nicks, I think One of the you know, obviously one of the best ones in the season all season him and Oji and An Noi together. are formiddable to say the least Um and make some place U because Mcelbrid just can do a few things with the ball in his hands. Like I I think Bridg is giving them everything that Nick fans could have hoped, but they didn't think they would get. And in Mike Brown's case Nicks fans were split on tibs But a lot of them were we were happy to see him go. But I think Mike Brown came in with, I think a lot to prove just because Yeah, things didn't go well I mean, things that it badtlly in Sacramento. he should have been fired in Sacramento. Things didn't go, you know, all that great in L.A. when he was there Um I think there was maybe, you know, some mix of optimism, but just like concern. Timbs was more the more established quantity, but I think people also knew that they needed something different And Brown's done a hell of job And you know, the way he's deployed Kat As a playmaker, I think maybe, you know Drawing on some of his own experiences, you know, coaching S bonus in Sacramento, but maybe a little bit some of the principles that he picked up withith the warriors Um I think, you know, Mike Brown has more than vindicated himself if he needed to at all in the eyes of certainly Nicks fans. and I think the NBA, like this has been a masterful job. Let's let's hit over r one of the week. okay. shit. I'm going to I'm going to start it off We're to go with Mat Stafford onene year fifty five million dollars extension. Okaykay? I don't want to be that old at making that much money. You know, that's cool. That' be great That'd be awesome. you an NVless you your Deny MVP b I think you did I think you did one I wass done out to M staff' getting into the baggage claim. Good job.. U, he did what it you be So yeah, Raj what who's your of the week sleep Oh, your sleep wouldn be my real one, dude. The air conditioner. theAC is gonna to be his real one of the wee as sooner turns that fucker back on. There you go, Howard. Let's see. No, this one's near and dear to my heart. giveive a shout out. Listeners might not know who they are, Um It's going to be the under armor circuit in general. U and a gentleman named Tor Watts And Rafffi, I forget what Raffi's last name are. they're the two gentlemen that are kind of ahead of like the under armor grassroots basketball, which is where Ti played for the last couple years And we had a great relationship them and they were super cool to my family and I and Um Ty wasn't super happy with his situation on the actual team he was on. Nothing to do with the brand itself team that he was on. and we felt like we needed to make a move for Tie to just find the joy in it again and play somewhere else. and those gentlemen who are really the stewards of like these kids kind of platforms to live their dreams and try to chase their dreams could have been real real poop butts about us trying to leave under Armor. L they had the right to do so when we told them we wanted to leave because we weren't happy with Team and Tieden and They were champs They were super supportive and they were everything that you would want someone to be they were responsible for A providing the platform for kids and they were about kids and their dreams and they wished just well and we left on good terms. and it could have just been so messy and so shitty and they were such Gs and champs about it that I really appreciate them and under armored a brand Um, for being as cool with the situation as they were. So I'm giving them a huge shout out as real world That's what's up. That's what's up. Is there a chance that you're going to come back out to the Bay Area and not tell your cohost again? Mike you didass underrmor camp. what that Steph Curry camp that was Silicon Valley is a Silicon Valley is a part of the Bay Area, you know, it is. I didn't think it was close to Piedont, but my bad I's h it's within an hour It's within an hour of whereere I live. Ashole. Howard, who was your ruiner of the week Maybe I'm maybe talking to Rusia. I'm just put Where is me and you talking throw over the weight I'm going with Stephen Colbert who signed off last night, his final show on CBS Um He went out with class with dignity, with style, with great humor and celebrating his not only his show, but like all the all the people he brought back and closing out with Paul McCartney and had David Br the other night and it was just awesome and it was joyful. and it could have been spiteful and bitter and everything else And he would have had a right to be But he didn't. And I'm just going to say it, it is absolutely appalling and disturbing to me at this stage of my life in this year of of our country's existence that somebody could be a comedian, an entertainer, could be chased off the air essentially by The White House itself. It's just absolutely fucking Bads shit crazy. that this has happened in our lifetime. So Stehen Colbert' is my real one of the week U But Sarah Spain, our friend, podcaster, broadcaster, incredibly talented. I think she said it best on Blue sky last night. so I'm going to give the partial assist on Real O of the week to her because She said all of this more eloquently than I can. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from Colbert's forced exit, The big ones about government corruption, mediia monopolies and censorship But I'll most often think about how he ended things with class surrounded by friends and the people he most admired. joining in their art completely full of joy. So well said Sarah Thank you for saying what I in my Her and frustration couldn't possibly have said as well. But Stehen Colbert with an assist from from Sarah Spain Amen. Andh that is another addedition. Ruins, ruins after dark. put the East cooastters to bed U we'll see you guys on Tuesday, makeake sure check out romsmebag atgmo. com Rublesbegm dot com wake your ass up Riser Rubsmbeggmo dot com, Rububgy com. Wake the fuck up and get into the mailbag U What's see you guys on Tuesday?? 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