Wembanyama and Thunder Defensive Adjustments

This summer, fan dool is the best place to bet on goals. Including equalizers, Uhuh? Yeah, Petters. Every goal is worth more on fan dool. So let there be goals. New customers get three hundred fifteenion bonus bets guaranteed when you bet five dollars for seven days. twenty one plus in presence and select states. First online real money wager only, minimum five dollar wager required for seven consecutive days, five dollars fif first deposit required. Bonus issued as non withrawable bonus bets, which expires seven days after receit rict supplies, terms at famamool d. com sllash sportsbook. Gambling problem call one eight hundred gambler or one eight hundred My resSet cial Saturday edition of the Zachlo show. Michael Pina is here And you know where the New York Kicks are? One game away from their first NBA finals in twenty seven years. The new York Kicks The Knickerbockers of New York City, the greatest city in the world are finally on the doorstep of making the finals again afterfter a fairly emphatic roadwin in Cleveland to go up three o Michael and I talk about the game. Do the cabs have any chance to get back in this thing? What does the sweep mean for the future of the cabs? but mostly Let's zoom out and appreciate and admire and think about How did the Kicks get here What's change for them in the playoffs Why are they humming like this And can they actually win the whole goddamn thing? for the first time, in fifty three years. This city is about to go insane if they actually make the finals, The worldorld Cup be going on here at the same time. It's I can't even imagine the chaos. But we talk all about the game and then we have a quick hitting preview of Game four of Spurs Thunder, which unfortunately is now being marred by injuries on teams a development that the Kicks are at least sort of watching out of half an eye as they try to close out the cabs on Monday, Memorial Day, but The next ten straight wins. Double digits Galore. W a run. We talk all about it coming up on Zaclos show The Zach Low show is brought to you by Fanl. The conference finals are here Think you know how it'll go down. takeake your shot with Fandal and get closer to the action. Fandl is the best place to bet the teams, the players and plers 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 Fandl spportsbook app now and play your game twentyone over in Presidident select states, eighteen are over in DC, Kentucky, Wyoming gambing problem. call one eight hundred gambler. callall one eight seven eight nine, seven seven seven seven or visit ccPG dot org slash chat in Connecticut. T A special Saturday night edition of the Zachlo show. Michael Pina is here. The New York Knicks The Kickerbockers of New York City, the greatest city in the world My home for almost twenty years team that went through a long period of incompetence, they became a punchline They were impromptu gatherings of fans demanding that James Dolan sell the team. There was a sexual harassment lawsuit. They became a joke. It's been twenty seven years since they were in the NBA finals It's been fifty three years since they won an NBA title And they just methodically beat down the Cleveland Cavaliers in game three, the Eastern confference finals tonight to go up three No one has ever come back from a three o deficit in the NBA. It will happen at some point I don't think this is a series where it's going to happen The Kicks, my preseason pick to make the finals. are on an all time historic run ten straight wins I didn't even check the final score. It was another double digit win for the next thirteen points On the road obliterating Everyone And Pina, we talked all year, I talked all year about how the Kicks periods where it just, they found it. They found the flow They found the rhythm They just you could see it like, okay the thing is functioning. the parts are meshing, and then they would lose it and it become a little stilted and you would think, why is everything So hard and I compared it to the feeling when you have a word, a name, a trivy answer that you know for sure, but it's on the tip of your tongue and you can't quite get it out. They have found it again and they have sustained it and they are rolling through the Eastern conference. And I said it after the Philly series You know, you and I were at MSG for game two. I was at both games one and game two And after game one, there were people kind of joking around in the corridors after the game. Not anyone affiliated withither team to be clear. justust there's a million people at these games After having watched the game one of Spurs Thunder Kind of just joking like, ye, it's cool win for the Kicks, but This is like the junior varsity bracket of the NBA. and I said it after the Philly series. I think D Nicks can win the title I think Nick Spurs is a toss up And I think the mix would have a puncher' chance against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Like I said I've been telling people like thirty percent, whatever percent some percent like that This team is playing awesome They have found whatever rhythm and rotation decisions they need to They' full Force going Landry Shamot has been a big part of that. He hit those three backbreaking threes tonight all in a row. Um What a playoffs for the Kicks and Nicks fans deserve this. I've been spent almost my entire life surrounded by Nicks fans. I was never one. I am not one. I will never be one U But this is a basketball city and the fans are insane and they have lived through a lot of pain to get here. And here they are and I don't know where you want to start. like what struck you from this game? I mean the Nicks opened up a lead They basically held to lead the entire game. They kept them at arm's length the entire game. The cabs again missed the whole bundle of threes. I hope they are stitching up their shot quality champions twenty twenty five, twenty twenty six banner to go along with the Hawks shot quality championship banner from the bud era and the Celtics shot quality championship banners. Congratulations to the cabs on that twelve to forty one from three. Theysn't been good enough. Theix have been too good Where do I want to start with this? I mean, you made a really good point just about how the Kicks can win the title. And you know, after I wrote this column after they beat the Sers and you just look at their point differential after ten playoff games and it was the highest in the history of the NBA playoffs better the previous Number one team was the twenty seventeen Golden State Warriors, which we all kind of acknowledge as one of the greatest teams ever assembled This Nick team is clearly for real. You say it's a toss up against the spurs. I would agree with that. I would say that if Jalen Williams is still compromised in the finals, I dont I don't know who the favorite is honestly. they mean the New York Kicks 'm glad you brought that up because right before this game, AJ Mitchell was really out of game for of Thunder Spurs Jalen Williams is out for some period of time. We don't know The Spurs have two of their three guards playing clearly with injuries And the longer those two teams beat the hell out of each other if the Nicks make this a sweep like that, whatever thirty percent chance I just gave them against the Thunder just continues to creep up because this team this team is legit. And I think that's really like you mentioned the point differential I think there's just a bunch of stuff happening all at once for the Nicks like a bunch of good variables that needed to flip their way, a bunch of good discoveries that the team needed to make on their own have all coalesced at the same time. And the net effect is They became the team that they really believe that they could be when they built this team. step by step by step methodical transaction by methodical transaction. But I mean, that's I think where we should start like what is what has changed for them since two one Down downown against the Atlanta Hwks. How did that even happen? It seems like a different planet I mean, there's two guys that I would like to cite. The first one is Carl Anthony Towns, who every time I'm watching the Kicks, I'm kind of waiting for him to revert back to the guy who we've always seen kind of meltdown maybe Yeah, Mltdown, I guess is the fair description of what he would do during certain possessions in his playoff career. And he's just played so, I mean they put the ball in his hands. It's control Ter cat And he's just been this combination of calm. I don't think he had a turnover in this game. and aggressive. I mean, not so much tonight because they weren't guarding him that way, but when they put Max Trus on him in game two, he's just quick. He has the ball. He goes quick He sees Jared Allen on him on the perimeter. He goes quick to the basket. U so his decision making has been awesome, very punctual. And he's not making mistakes. And so Shout out to him and he's hold his own on the defenseive end as well because they went at him repeatedly in the pick and roll and they really couldn't get anything going tonight Some of that was just missed open threes but they couldn't get anything going. The Cleveland Cavaliars haven't been good enough as you said. The other guy I want to cite is just Michuel Bridges. just he was a punching bag for a lot of this season For a variety of reasons. he did not play well at the start of the playoffs. I mean, the guy never misses anymore. He's having the playoff series of his life. He shooting like seventy five percent from the floor or something crazy like that. He had what twenty two points tonight on fifteen shots, eleven for fifteen from the floor He's moving so well it's not like they're running plays for him at all. Sometimes they'll let him run pick and roll if the matchup dictates that, but He's just playing in the flow of their offense beautifully. his cuts is just finding open space U in transition. he's phenomenal. I mean, they had a point in this game where they was up seventeen, zero in fast break points and a lot of that is just Mcuel Bridges just running the floor Beating harden Beating Mitchell. up the court. So those two have been absolutely phenomenal. When you talk about just like coalescing thoseose two playing as well as they have is as much as anything because I expect Jalen Brunson to be awesome. I expect him to be not phased by anything And for those two to come along for the ride has been the reason to me that this team looks unstoppable right now Those are the two big changes. And for bridges, it's so much more in the how than in the result. Like the threes are going to come and go. That's the nature of being a jump shooter The attacking the rim in transition He had a mid range pull up on a pick and roll today with Mitchell Robinson. He got a floater out of that action in game two and a lob pass to Mitch in the same game. like that play has been activated. Every part of his game has been activated. And I think, you know, they built this team It's fitting in a way and it's going to be interesting to hear sort of how the basketball universe discusses the Kicks maybe making the finals, assuming they close it out because there's been a lot of like discourse over the last two or three years by well, can you really Can you really win the whole thing? If your best player is a six foot, whatever, six one callall it whatever you want, Gard and Becky Hammon was the most infamous one., they don't have a guy's too short to be the guy. and they're playing against the team. who' best player is a six two, six three, whatever Donvid Mitchell is smallall guard And the Kicks are outclassing the calves because they built different kind of team around that small guard and they even have a defensively challenged five who has not been defensively challenged in this series. This is the best stretch of defense Carlly Anthony Towns has played maybe ever in the NBA. the cads are going Aam in the pick and roll over and over again The Nicks interestingly are kind of switching up sometometimes mostly' guarding Mobli, but they'll throw them back on Allen and flip the matchups if if Moby gets a little too too frisky in the pick and roll, but he's been great. But around those two are these three gigantic wings And they have never played in concert at this high a level on both ends of the floor at the same time ever in their time with the Nicks The Kill Bridges Ojian Aobbe. did you even notice him that much today? twenty one points on six of ten shooting deffends every position, makes every right decision. And Josh Hart. I love game two. was one of the coolest NBA games I've ever been to You know, the thing that happens with Josh Hart once a playoff series or once every other playoff series happened in game one where they had to take him off the floor because his lack of shooting was clogging up the offense and part of that was he just wasn't spacing through the appropriate places. He kind of let the way they were guarding him saped the vigor from his play. When he's at his best, he's just flying all around doing all sorts of crazy stuff. and he kind of stopped doing that and stood still and then became a liability And then before game two, there was this whole like, well are the Nicks going to have to like really cut his minutes and play this super shooting lineup with Shamot in his place and Jason Tim was on my podcast. I said, Look, I'm just going to tell you what's going to happen. This happens every time with Josh Hart There's calls to like limit his minutes or even bench him And the very next game, I think I said he has like fifteen points, twelve reboundsZa. He had way more points than that And I just thought when the crowd began chanting, Josh Hart, that was the whole chant And it went on for like a minute. He didn't acknowledge it during the game, but it was loud. It was damn near the whole crowd just chanting the name of Josh Hart That's the crowd saying We love you. We love the kind of player you are We love the kind of spirit that you play with We love that the other guys on the team love to play with you because you will make the hustle plays and the screens and the hit ahead passes and everything that makes their life easier and those three guys have never played as well together at the same time as they are now And that's the construction of the team. And that's what the calves through every iteration that they have tried still do not have. They are still a team constructed around T guards. You can't say two small guards anymore because Harden's not small. But he is a defensive liability despite the fact that he has okay possessions here and there, but two whatever you want to say guards and too bigs And they just haven't been able to find the right synergy between the guards, between the bigs. It comes and goes, but it hasn't sustained and they haven't figured out the position in between them despite trying De Andre Hunter and Max Struse and Dean Wade and the Dean Wade thing. he's just not good enough offensively. You can hide Brunson on him. There was one possession in this game where he screamed for Mitchell, I think to try to hunt Brntson. Brunson's like, No, I'll just hedge out Dean Wade, you go ahead and roll into roll into the paint because Moby and Allen are both there. And if they try to pass it to, nothing's going to happen and they stole it. And so I just think it's ironic. you have this well, can you get this far with the small guard. The Kicks are about to And the cals are about to fail again around further than they have in this era, credit to them It's so much about the surrounding personnel and everyone the Kicks are bringing off the bench. And it's really only like four, three and a half guys playing real minutes off the bench. They're all killing it. They're all playing really well. the whole thing is humming The construction of the team and the just the wings versus the void of wings on the cals, I think has just stood out so much in the series Yeah, they were saying it repeatedly on the broadcast tonight where they needed you needed someone on the Cavaliers to step up and come along for the ride, whether it's Jalen Tyson Sam Merrill, Max Dreuce, whoever it may be. and the three point shooting is just completely dried up for this team. and I picked Foolishly, I guess. The Cavaliers and seeven in this series because I just try alive. It's still alive. My technically poss It's still alive. It's technically possible, Zach I I thought that they're just their offensive firepower would be a lot. I thought that the three point shooting that the Kicks had in the first two rounds would diminish a little bit and the Kicks, you know have been dominant. m their opponent in the first two rounds was just terrible from behind the three point line. I thought things would just kind of balance out a little bit and thought I li like the Cavaliers's talent, etcetera. I like their size. And that just has not happened at all. And you look at the Kicks and you have Landry Shammet just I mean, he's kind of He's been there six man. in this series and The threerees he hit in the fourth quarter that you mentioned plus U Harden fouling him in the corner on another three pointer a couple seconds later with Harden up in the gap trying to try to try to protect Dt of the Mitchell, who they were going after tonight. Brunson was hunting Mitchell instead of Harden in the fourth quarter Um It's It's just really tough when you have a back court that isn't insulated as well as you have done with the Ns, as you said And I don't I don't know where the cabs go from here with this. We can get to that, I guess, because it looks like their season' over They did make it to the conference finals. That's really a step in the right direction for this organization. But to go out, if it is a sweep would be I think Still humongously disappointing for them Oh, there's I mean, look, You could have this debate and it's so interesting how quickly things can change. you know, the calves It wasn't pretty, but they they found ways to win against two leadite defenses in Toronto and Detroit. Troit' number one see. They destroyed them on the road in game seven. you would have preferred it be A little cleaner than that And I think the calves are are probably tired And they've played every other day now for quite a long time Well, I mean, that's What happens when you go seven games in every series? The Kicks haven't had to play every other day because they swept the sixers and beat the Hawks in six. If that RJ Bartt shot doesn't go in, there's some extra days off built in for the calves here and there. That's like the R versus Rust thing is always funny to me because Yeah, the Nicks were low rusty in game one. And by the way, the cavs I mean The series was probably over when that game ended. You just can't kick away a game like that on the road when you're when you're already fatigued. And you're an underdog. You just can't do it. The Nicks did it last year at home and the series that series is probably over after that game after the Halliburton game Um But I will always choose rest. And the thing about the rest versus Rust debate is it doesn't end after game one. like yeah, sometimes the team with a lot of days off is a little rusty in game one, the Nick overcame that one The benefit sustains like throughout the rest of the playoffs. right the load that you have saved yourself it goes beyond that, but anyway, And then, you know, so you think they make the conference finals and they are they've sort of slayed the demon, this team has proof of concept. It's gotten one of the final four teams Probably, you know, no dramatic changes will happen And then you lose the game likeight game one where all the spotlight is on your coach and deservedly so I thought Kenny Atkinson coached a horrendous fourth quarter and that's I don't even think it's debatable and the rest of the team underperforms. And then If that snowballs into just a demoralizing sweep where the next bllow them out at home in game four I think a lot of things at least like the drawing board might have got erased. I think you start at least writing some ideas back down on the drawing board. And if I'm the bucks coovet Ev and moobilely and I'm not sure they do and I have no idea if they do This gets a little more interesting to me, but I want to park the cabs over here and talk a little bit more about the Ns You just look at like how they built this team. The level of discipline and creativity at the same time that this front office has combined since they took over right before the pandemic Stealing Brunson in free agency is is the alpha and Omega of the whole thing. I mean it changed everything about the team And then just piece by piece, you know, they turn ly Bart Rember they celebrated Bart's extension, like the first first round pick we've drafted since Charlie Ward that we gave a rookie extension to then they trade them. they they correctly believe they can get a better player. They correctly conclude that quickly is just going to be always be redundant with Brunson there. They turn those into OGN and Oi. Perhaps a less prolific scorer than RJ. Barrett but a much better player and a much better fit with what they're trying to build. Um the Josh hardart trade will go down It's their version of the Derek White trade teams were around five hundred when they made the trade not really playing that well Um In fact hovering in such sort of mediocrary that you're like really a first round pick for like the guy' got this limitation, that limitation Turns out, Josh Hart's awesome and was worth way more than what they gave up. Camerrid was in that trade too. They dumped topping on the same trade deadline with the understanding that's going to help them resign Dein Cenzo and Josh Hart And then they go a little nuts so for Mcale Bridges, but they had concluded We're just a way better team than we thought we were It's now we're never. We can't wait forever for Yanis. We we can't wait forever for Joel andbed slash we dodged the bullet with Joel and Beed And then the towns one That's a gamble. That contracts a huge, huge contract that's going to be hard to move if it doesn't work And it was an upside play. It was a yeep. It's a gamble. Yep, we could be in jail. Yet Julus Randall is really good. Yet Dante is part of the Nova Nixon is a beloved player on our team This is a bet on the ceiling raising player that has now paid off and it's just piece by piece by piece. It's a brilliant team building job And they've built a kind of unusual team and it's why I have voice why I have thought for a while now that they have a chance to win even against the Thunder is like they're just a You got to be a little unusual. if you're going to come from a slight talent talent deficit Brunson's an unusual player. Cat at to five is an unusual look. They're just they're a hard team to play against. just a master class by the front office. Truly. And I thought that Mike Brown after game two in his press conference compared Josh Hart to Andre Guadala And I thought that that was really fascinating. Obviously, Mike Brown was an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors. and If you kind of look at Josh Hard through that lens as this kind of lynchpin do everything huge winning play gamer Um It just kind of he helps things kind of come together and coalce in a really fun way. and Going back to game two, that game, you know, after game one whereas they weren't really defending him with Allen and Moby, whoever was on him was helping off of him And he missed his first, what three threes in game two, right And he drives a close out from the corner scores. He drives another close out on Jared Allen from the something the wing scores of the basket and He's just so mentally tough and it's just like the resiliencecy when you watch that as his teammate, I just wonder the resiliency of someone doing that Um, fearlessly And then eventually, obviously he hits all those threes, but he's just He's really growing on me. for whatever reason, I have not always been the greatest Josh Hart fan. I think he's just been phenomenal in so many different ways throughout this run. And Like it's really funny when you look at the Carl Anthony Town's trade and just the diametrically opposed performances that those two players talking about Julius Randall And Cat have had in this post season. It just could not have worked out any better for New York. so they built kind of this Rock solid teaman and I mean, we haven't really talked about Jayalen Brunson because I feel like some of what he does is just kind of taken for granted. But he's held up defensively in the last, I don't know, five, six quarters or whatever And He just looks unstoppable offenseive like you can't really do anything with him. He's such a great tough shot maker You make any mistake at the point of attack. He beats you. He'll reject a screen, get downhill, go off the wrong foot He's just he's amazing. So I I don't know what you. He never turns the ball over. So I I just think the finals will be a lot of fun and I'm really looking forward to them because I was thinking this entire season pretty much that whoever came out of the West was just going to dogwalk whoever came out of the east. And I just don't feel that way anymore And I think we could be in line for a classic series hoping that whoever comes out of the West is healthy. I would love to see this matchup I have been a Josh Hart super fan for quite a long time. And I'm just I just he was on my Marcusoul all stars when I did that podcast with Chris Ryan this year. I love watching a play. Brunson is unbelievable and none of this happens. without them swiping him from Dallas getting ing penalty for doing so that they would pay ten times out of ten U and swiping a at a price point that allowed them to do some other stuff and look, the financial pain is maybe going to come downline. Who cares? Like it it doesn't matter. They're about to make the finals for the first time in twenty seven years unless Cleveland really pops in a way that they just, I mean maybe they have a crazy shooting game in them. They certainly do and like at least get it back to New York and just, you know, you take it by brick. And if you get it to three two, then the pressure shifts, but It's just hard to see there from here at this point. Harden was And I mean, he was seven of eight on twoes, one of seven on threees five turnovers. I thought this was probably his worst defensive game of the series, even worse than game one when when Brunson went Adam all those times Um I mean, I just I thought he was like r defensively in that game in that Cleveland meltdown, like a lot of people are like, no, he played good defense and Brunson just made tough shots. I thought you played like Okay to like defense and Brunntson made some tough shots, some shots that are easier for him, but look tough and then some easy shots Tonight, you know, they come right out of halftime. He loses Anenobbe on a three for a pin downown. He loses track of Mcaailbridges under the rim. It turns into a quick pass lay up. likeike thoseose are the ones you can't You can't have and look They just bet against Garland. Garland's health has been iffy. This is a big all in year for them. And that's why the Mobli thing is interesting because like you just tradeed up ten years in age Garland for Harden. you can justify that. Do you really want to go up whoever it is that because that's the trade ship, right? I mean, it's X amount of years up in Moby That's like you get a lot older real fast and Mitchell You know, look, he said all the right things about the cads and he wants to stay there and he loves it there. And I believe him. I believe he does. And He obviously is in the last year of hisk contract next year and is extension eligible I don't really see a pathway for them to get back into this finals, but do you want to carve out one just to do the thought exercise? I mean, no one's no one's ever done it. Somebody will do it. This does not seem like the set of teams that is amenable to such a turn of events Yeah, I think the thought exercise is they hit a bunch of threes. They're generating threes. I mean, Not as many as they did in game one, but they're generating decent looks Um shooters, like really, really good shooters and they're just not falling Um I think that you know, they had some breakdowns defensively. They they The thing about the cabs that's so frustrating at the turnovers, like just the stupidest turnovers, the stupidest passes you'll ever see in a big spot in a big game Um, in the first two games against the pistons in the last round, it was just like what What sport are they playing And they make some of those passes tonight U just trying to fit stuff into tight spots. Donam and Mitchell had a couple that were terrible and the Kicks capitalized on them Harden has a couple kick aheads that just Josh H. You know, deflected all of them? Josh Hard. Yeah U just really just not It's not like he had an advantage. court. So The cabs are frustrating. I think if they clean things up and take care of the basketball and hit threes and Um you know, I think their defense when they are locked in and switching and helping behind the play has been okay at points in this series like good enough to win games. obviously. they they could probably should have won game one Um But I don't know. I mean, the Kicks are just, they're They're like a buzzaw right now and I don't I don't see I don't I would't like feel very bullish about thinking that the cals can even get two off of them at this point Mitchell had twenty three points tonight. You know, he's been deflecting every question about is there An ankle is there a hamstring? Is there something that's bothering you? And look, if he's saying he's fine and you took twenty one shots and did not I thought he looked okay. Like I didn't watch him and obviously think like he's like limping or dragging his leg around. He looked okay Wade being a total zero offensively in the series has really hurt them. Schrouder has been a pretty much a zero offensively in the series. They're just not getting enough from from those guys and then Strus and Merril haven't made ennough shots. 's been an all time run for the Kicks and just like I'm happy for their fans if this if this continues the way it goes because they it's been a long time. They're crazy fans. The garden for those who can afford it is going to be outrageous. And I don't have a lot else to say because we'll say more if and when they actually close this out. Let's take a quick break and then we'll talk very quickly about The Western Conference Fals 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 NSA energy performance energy for burning the midnight oil in the garage and pedal to the metal human horsepower For the streets, go ahead, crack open a can of Nas energy and get after it. 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, they're the first to rise, the last to leave. They always have that little extra something, and maybe you've got it too. Chevrolet. Together let's drive. Visit Chevy d. com slash trucks to explore the lineup All right, it's late Saturday night, Game four, the West Finals is tomorrow the Thunder One game three last night, Friday night. fairly decisively Fox played Harper played JW did not play AJ Mitchell got hardt. He'll be out in game four Um Really great performance by the Thunder. One of the finest performances this core has, um has put together Let's just do quickly like what's give me one big picture, small picture thing that you'll have your eye on one game four tips tomorrow I mean, Oklahoma City's three point shooting and how they're getting those shots and who's playing around Shake Elgis Alexander has been the most interesting thing to me. Mark Dagnal has done a really good job of just surrounding Sheay with shooting and it has worked I think that Shaylen Williams. you know, their offensive rating when he was on the court with Wemby In game three was like one forty, I think Big Jail and Williams. I guess we could kind of just say like anyone who says Jail in Williams at this present moment is unless it's in the context of an injury or we're talking about J A Y L I N Williams And I think that you know, after game one, we all kind of We're just scared at the future and the present and Viictor Wbinyama looking unbeatable and in a lot of ways he is. when he's on the court, the Spurs win those minutes and they did in game three as well U But I think that what is not lost, but what is a reality is that if you have five guys who can shoot from behind the three point line, you give yourself a chance. And the paint will always be a no fly zone so long as he's on the court But you will get good looks from pretty good shooters. And obviously Alex Caruso has not missed in this series, I don't believe U and he is completely fearless coing at with me off the dribble to. He's just he is he is truly amazing. He's one of my favorite players in the entire NBA having a hell of a series U But, you know, the the idea of you know Couching the chit Hartenstein Double big lineup when Wemb's on the court and then playing a lot of J Will instead as the lone big is really interesting. and they've had a lot of success with it. And so that's kind of what I'm looking at to see how the spurs kind of counter that and attack it a little bit better. Um Fpurs are in this series plus twenty one in one hundred and twenty five minutes with Wen beyond the floor And minus thirty Yeah in twenty nine minutes with Weemby on the bench And when you dig into What's happening? It's just everything is happening. likeike there're like the sppurs don't get to the line without a Oklahoma City's offensive rebounding rate skyrockets. the spurs turnover rate reaches uncomfortable proportions. and that's the thing with these You know, with Fox laboring a little bit and Harper laboring a little bit. like just the margin for turnovers against I think the Spurs have committed twenty three more turnovers than Oklahoma City in three games. likeike that is untenable. You can't, you can't beat the thunder that way even with Victor Webinyam on the floor But I think they needed to load up those Webinyama minutes. I don't want to see them play a single second him out and two of the three guards also resting on the bench. I just think it's not it's too much heavy lifting for whoever the guard left over assuming all three of them play. The thing that I am watching and I think the most interesting stat of the series is Um seventy two percent of Wembinyamas shots came in the restricted area in game one in game two, thirty one percent in game three, twenty nine percent And that's that's That is why the Thunder decided We are scrapping this were're guarding Wemby with wings thing, which they did mostly in the regular season and they do to switch pick and rolls. Because it doesn't matter if you can switch pick and rolls if the guys on him are so small compared to him that you can just throw the ball up. And we're just going to garden with bigs. It's going to be Hardenstein. it's going to be Chet and big Jailob Williams and we're going to drop back and play normal pick and roll defense and sometimes the los are going to be there, but they're going to be harder to see and harder to execute, especially when we're helping off the shooters And that's really changed the series. And I thought in the first half of game three, The Spurs sort of got away from using him in the pick and roll anyway. and in the third quarter they came out and said, Yeahah, we know you're guarding him this way, but we have to still try. It's our best offense just having him go to the rim. They got a little bit stuff out of that, but still not enough because the guys are Garding him are much bigger now. I think we're going to see even more of it and more creative ways to spring him loose, more misdirection. They ran a Fx Wby empty side pick and roll from the right side of the floor that they got something off of I can't remember. They got a lob dunk at some point. the seell wey action is always good. L I think they're just going to have to dig deeper into the playbook. But that to me is onene of the defined the bench points and that stat of Wenby's shots drifting out to the perimeter more Even when he makes a shot like that or or drives and then passes at the foul line and someone makes a three, those are all like wins for Oklahoma City. anythingything except him just catching the ball at the basket is a win. So I'm fascinated to see Um, dynamic and how the sppurs try to sort of get forceullly at the rim and you mentioned all the shooters. I'm wearing my sixer shirt tonight in honor of longtime Ser Jared McCain, who is proving to be An X factor in the most competitive series the NBA has to offer right now Um pick Thunder and seven. We're just going to have to see how the injuries look. like at some point if Mitchell's out and JW is out I mean, they can they just did win game three without J W and without AJ Mitchell for part of the game. It just becomes a lot more heavy lifting for Shay, who's been outstanding the last two games and And the rest of the guys have to make sure Caseason Wallace has been awesome You know, you put those AJ and JW out versus B. And Fox expected to play, but maybe limited. Is it equal? Is it a w? I don't know, but I still feel pretty good about Thunder and seven, but these two teams are just unbelievable and I wish everybody were healthy because that game won was like basasketball pornography. I mean, it was just like I can't even believe how good this is And the Kicks are just waiting just waiting and hoping that they just knock each other around a little bit more. Gamewin was so good that I just wish Adam Silver decreed that both teams got an extra day of rest or two days of rest or whatever it was U that was phenomenal stuff. Also Dylan Harper, not looking like the same guy. I think he's a a little a little banked up with the abductor Um You know, Weemby Obviously in the pain is unstoppable. Um, when they have Hartenstein on him, they started to run those wide those wide pinn downs and I think you mentioned just kind of empty corner. off ball stuff and I love that action. I love how when they run it, but I agree with you that if he's shooting jumpers, even if he's shooting threes, it's tough. I would like to see him get a little bit downhill a little more with The inverted picking rolls, but it's just The Thunder, I mean, we're talking about one of the greatest defenses in the history of the NBA and what they do so well. is dancing and out of gaps and pack the paint And when you have someone like Alex Caros Crusso on the court with a with bigigs, like it's just It's so tough. So it's like Victor moie time is seven, six or whatever And it might not it might not matter and they're going to have to hit shots and they're going to have to hope that the Oklahoma City Thunder cool off a little bit on the open ones and We'll see. But I do think I agree with you that injuries will unfortunately play a factor in the outcome of the series. I had sppurs and six and I'm not, you know That could definitely still happen. but But we'll see. Fox and Harper being not being compromised and Steph Castle He cleaned things up a little bit with the turnovers in game three Um, I want to see him be super aggressive still and also U not turn the ball over ten times. That would be great. but we'll see. I mean, the series is still phenomenal basketball and Game four is going to be great Yeah, McCain, by the way, plus forty six through three games. That's tied with C. So for number one on either team Interestingly, the Hgrin Hartenstein combination is, um, mininus twenty nine in twenty eight minutes And it's a tiny sample size. that just could all be like they're playing all their minutes with Weby on the floor. could be less about them and more about Weemby, but the one big look has been has been a really good look for for the Thunder. So we'll see. I mean, look, This is Already the best rivalry in the NBA? I don't know. I can't wait for tomorrow's game. I hope everyone gets healthy soon enough. I hope we get another classic in here and I'll be on Bill's pod tomorrow right after that game going live, I'm assuming on Netflix. But Michael Pina, thank you for staying up late The New York Knicks. I gott to admit, I just didn't think it was going to happen. I mean I don't not this year. I picked them this year, but in it like In my life is I constructed my life as an NBA person I would always think, wouldn it be cool if one of the New York teams made the finals? I mean, there is another New Yor team, by the way. I don't if you remember. there's another one this plays in New York City U And you, like I could I could have like I wouldn't have to travel for half the finals. like, you know, it' be so cool to have everyone like I could maybe have people over to my house or my apartment. like it would be so fun. And then my brain would be like, stop, stop. come on. likeike we're talking about the Ns and then n's like it's not And now it looks like it's going to happen and I am psyched for their fans who are just awesome fans. Michael Pina. there's still work to do. We'll be we'll be watching game four on what is today? Sorry. So Monday, but thank you for staying up. Thanks to everyone for listening to and watching the Zach Gow Sow. Thankks to Mike, Billy, and Jonathan, our crew for also St up and I'll be back on Tuesday as normal. I don't even know who's playing when, but basketball will have happened or be happening and we'll be talk about. Thanks everybody. twenty one over in President select states for Kansas an affiation with Kansas Star Casino or eighteen and over in Pridenton in DC, Kentucky, O Wyoming, gambling problem. Call one eight hundred gambler or one eight hundred My reset. Call one eight eighty eight seven hundred eighty nine seven seven seven seven or visit ccpG dot org slash chat in Connecticut or isisit MD gamblinghelp dot orga in Maryland. Hope is here Visit gamblingHelpline mA dot orga or call eight hundred three two seven five zero five zero for twenty four seven support in Massachusetts or call one eight seven seven eight Hope NY or text Hope NY in New York. for Louisiana, call one eight seven seven seven seven zero, seven eight six seven