On this episode of the Bob Ryan & Jeff Goodman NBA Podcast, Bob, Jeff, and Gary Tanguay discuss the Celtics' come-from-behind win over the Milwaukee Bucks, what that win means for this team, Jaylen Brown's words for Giannis postgame, and some theories on what to do in Cleveland. All that, and much more!
0:00 - Bucks' recent struggles
2:44 - Giannis' future in doubt
5:00 - Celtics' depth analysis
6:34 - Knicks' slow start
9:00 - Pritchard's impressive play
10:40 - Jaylen Brown's comments
12:44 - Prize picks promotion
14:32 - Knicks' struggles discussed
17:26 - Cavaliers' undefeated start
19:09 - Cavs team comparison
22:02 - NBA season excitement
24:09 - Game Time app features
25:55 - Chad's injury news
27:41 - Injury impact discussion
29:36 - OKC's defensive struggles
32:00 - Curry's elite shooting
35:00 - Celtics' postseason focus
37:00 - In-season tournament discussion
0:00 - Bucks' recent struggles
2:44 - Giannis' future in doubt
5:00 - Celtics' depth analysis
6:34 - Knicks' slow start
9:00 - Pritchard's impressive play
10:40 - Jaylen Brown's comments
12:44 - Prize picks promotion
14:32 - Knicks' struggles discussed
17:26 - Cavaliers' undefeated start
19:09 - Cavs team comparison
22:02 - NBA season excitement
24:09 - Game Time app features
25:55 - Chad's injury news
27:41 - Injury impact discussion
29:36 - OKC's defensive struggles
32:00 - Curry's elite shooting
35:00 - Celtics' postseason focus
37:00 - In-season tournament discussion
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00It's time for Bob Ryan, Jeff Goodman, tango along for the ride pod right here on CLNS
00:24Media, brought to you by PrizePix, the exclusive daily fantasy partner of CLNS Media Network.
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00:31Guys, good to see you.
00:32Here we go.
00:33Okay.
00:34At one point in time, a 113-107 come from behind win over the Milwaukee Bucks would
00:38mean something.
00:39A lot of bones to pick on this carcass, but does this win mean anything, Jeff?
00:47Not a whole lot anymore.
00:48I mean, last I checked, the Bucks are towards the bottom of the barrel now, which is insane.
00:54They've lost eight of nine.
00:56Yeah.
00:57I mean, it's crazy, right?
00:58Like this was a team that, you know, was a NBA favorite.
01:02They won a title.
01:03They were an NBA favorite, what, two years ago as recently?
01:07And you know, John Horst made a move that I think will forever in Milwaukee lore be
01:14looked at as the wrong one, and that was getting rid of Drew Holliday and bringing in Damon
01:19Lillard.
01:20And they're getting older too.
01:21Brooke Lopez is, what, 36?
01:23Yeah.
01:24Chris Middleton can't stay healthy.
01:26He's never going to be what he was when they won their title.
01:30But I, again, I think, you know, again, there's something to be said for winning a guy who's
01:36just kind of the culture.
01:39Like that culture was Drew Holliday, and we see it now in Boston, right?
01:44Right.
01:45Like you got rid of a guy who was the fabric of what you're about, and you basically, he
01:51ended up going to your rival, in a sense, right now in the East.
01:56And terrible move by John Horst, the GM of the Bucs, and listen, that's it.
02:02The Bucs are done.
02:03They're toast.
02:04They are toast.
02:05Well, we agreed before, you know, early on that the windows shut.
02:09So that's that.
02:10So they are middle of the pack at best team.
02:14It's a nice win in the context when you're down early.
02:19My big takeaway was, reminder, yet another reminder how good Giannis is.
02:24That first half, that first quarter, come on.
02:27Not many people can do that.
02:28And he can still do that.
02:30But it's not enough.
02:32That's the whole thing.
02:33And they have a situation.
02:34What are they going to do?
02:35Are they going to keep him, or they're not going to keep him, or they're going to be
02:39a trading deadline thing for him?
02:41We'll see.
02:42That's a decision they have to make.
02:44So it's not a great win.
02:45You're right.
02:46They're not that great a team.
02:47But it's a nice win.
02:49It's a nice win to pull yourself together and come back.
02:50Also, you know, I'm getting to be a total syncopan on Pritchard.
02:55I just love Pritchard.
02:56He keeps him alive in the first half.
02:59Oh, in the big first half, sure.
03:00He keeps him alive all by himself in the first half.
03:03That's the second time we've seen a team do that, a guy do that this year in that regard
03:07out of that body side.
03:09And opening night, Myles McBride kept the Knicks alive in the exact same way in the
03:14first half.
03:15Just so you recall.
03:16No, I love Pritchard.
03:18And then, you know, Tatum, he has a habit, a way of coming around, you know, he comes
03:24around.
03:25He came around in the second half.
03:26So I mean, it's OK.
03:27But the thing about with them, it's all about Giannis, his greatness now being wasted, you
03:34know, and in your eyes.
03:36And what do they do about it, if any?
03:39Well, that's the story of the game.
03:41So as you mentioned, Giannis had 43, Lillard had 14 and was one of eight from three.
03:48So the first question, Bob, is do you trade Giannis or do you just say, look, he's still
03:57too good and too young.
03:58We got to rebuild around him.
04:00Well, that is their question.
04:02And they have to make up that decision.
04:03You got to keep them.
04:04I mean, these guys, the problem with the league is like, you know, we we got so spoiled, if
04:10I may pontificate for a moment.
04:12We got so spoiled from like Bird, Magic, Jordan, LeBron, possibly Durant.
04:21And we think that every five years, this this like all world player is going to come along.
04:26They don't.
04:27They don't like Giannis is the last of a breed.
04:29Like to me, if they don't try to rebuild around Giannis, they're stupid.
04:33That's what I think, Bob.
04:34Oh, he's still a phenomenal player.
04:37Yeah, I.
04:38Well, OK.
04:39Well, that's where they are there.
04:40And the Lillard has turned out to be, you know, a mistake, as pointed out for sure.
04:45You know, meanwhile, the Celtics, you know, they do what they had to do, in a sense, you
04:51know.
04:52But Jeff, do they do they rebuild around Giannis or do they trade them?
04:55No, you got to try to rebuild around them.
04:57But, you know, all it takes is the players saying, I want out and then they have no choice.
05:02Right.
05:03That's the problem.
05:04You can say that.
05:05Right.
05:06You want to rebuild the round.
05:07You want to.
05:08Right.
05:09Right, Bob.
05:10Yeah.
05:11Right.
05:12So, you know, they knew they had to make a move or they felt like they had to to appease
05:15Giannis.
05:16They made the wrong move.
05:18And now you've got Dame Lillard under contract for I think it's next year for 58 million.
05:25And then the following year, he's got a player option for more than 60 million.
05:30So all I'm saying is, guys, like you may be stuck with these two until until Giannis says,
05:36OK, I want out.
05:37And then what do you do?
05:39What do you do?
05:40No.
05:41Oh, it's a conundrum.
05:43Let me ask you this.
05:46For the sake of being a true Boston media, I have we found anything wrong with the Celtics,
05:54Bob?
05:55Anything?
05:56You know, I you know, it's not really.
05:59I mean, I know what it did.
06:02They touch every base.
06:03They've got enough depth that surviving without a key, a very important player without whom
06:09we don't think they can win a championship, although they survived for thirty seven days
06:12last year in the playoffs, the middle of playoffs without Brasingus.
06:15But they're not even close to being whole without him.
06:17They're a very different team with him at both ends of the floor.
06:20And they're still eight and two.
06:22And and on, you know, we expect it was out and Jalen was out with a hip.
06:26Right.
06:27So I'm sitting here, you know, the reason I ask you, Bob, is and I don't have an I don't
06:32have an answer.
06:33But Jeff, the reason I ask, Bob, the question is like, and we're going to get to the Knicks,
06:36but the Knicks are four and five.
06:38You know, they were supposed to have a strong start.
06:40They didn't.
06:41I mean, are we looking?
06:42I mean, as as you get into a season, sometimes you start to see things right.
06:47You start to see little cracks.
06:49I don't see any.
06:51It's not I mean, yeah, it's hard to find him right now.
06:55Again, Jalen Brown hasn't played well, but he's been hurt.
06:59But, you know, name is Kata comes off the bench and has been terrific.
07:04And Pritchard's been able to kind of carry the team for spurts and, you know, they just
07:10have so many weapons.
07:11Derek White's been Derek White, right?
07:13Like that's the best thing you can say about Derek White.
07:16He's just Derek White.
07:17And you know, you're going to get every single night from him.
07:20Same with your holiday.
07:21You're not going to get the big scoring numbers.
07:23But you know what you're going to get out of Derek White and your holiday every single
07:27night.
07:28They're the consummate professional.
07:29They're going to show up.
07:30Tatum's been terrific for the most part.
07:32You know, obviously, he's got his his shooting slumps.
07:35But again, he does more than that.
07:37Even when he's not shooting it well, he can impact the game and he'll move the ball and
07:43get guys easy look.
07:45So yeah, there's not much guys.
07:47It's not like he's turned into what we go dial back two years ago.
07:52We were taught what we wanted him to be.
07:54He's done.
07:55He's done it.
07:56And he's got a ring to prove his proof and validation and then three straight years of
08:01all tickly.
08:02No, we have not.
08:03No, you can't complain about, you know, some nights of shots off, but not the whole game.
08:08I remind you that that was the ultimate greatness of Larry is that he beat you in different
08:14ways.
08:15You know, I mean, if Larry's shot was off, he had 15 rebounds, you know, or 13 assists.
08:21Tatum has turned to do the idea of that, not the same scope of that, but the idea of that.
08:27Right.
08:28He's helped you in different ways.
08:30I need to pay homage to Mr. Ryan, Jeff, because I never thought Peyton Pritchard would be
08:34this good.
08:37I mean, nobody did.
08:38Nobody did.
08:39Again, you look at him, listen, Bob's one for two on these small Celtics guards coming
08:47off the bench.
08:48I'm going to remind him of the Carson Edwards.
08:50We need to bring back Bob.
08:51We need to bring back Bob.
08:52I got, we got a bad connection.
09:00But Pritchard, man, like he's just such a gamer and again, a great shooter, tough as
09:08nails isn't a defensive liability where I think, you know, again, people thought he
09:15could or would be sometimes he is, but for the most part, he holds his own on that end
09:18of the court.
09:20Yeah.
09:21He's a tough little guy.
09:22He's scrappy.
09:23Scrappy.
09:24Yeah.
09:25So like the end of the day, your bench is, is better than it was a year ago when Porzingis
09:31comes back because you're going to throw Horford back off the bench.
09:35Pritchard's much better.
09:36Hauser may not be putting up quite the numbers, but he's still a year older.
09:40He does what he does.
09:43And I still think Baylor, Shireman guys can help you by the end of the year.
09:48You know, he gets his feet wet, but one of the things, Bob, I look at Pritchard now and
09:52I think that he's even more than scrappy.
09:55If you're an opposing team and Pritchard comes off the bench, you got to pay attention.
09:58Oh yeah.
09:59But I've said, yeah.
10:00Oh, that end.
10:01He's always, you know, before he's like the scrappy little can doer.
10:04Well, right now the guy, you know, he puts up 15 points in the first half, he comes off
10:08the bench.
10:09You, this guy, isn't just somebody nipping at your heels.
10:12If you don't pay attention to Peyton Pritchard, he's going to burn your ass.
10:15No, he's turning into a real major asset for this team.
10:18Right.
10:19Major asset.
10:20You know, and I didn't see that coming.
10:21Can we get to the quote, Gary?
10:24Can we get to the quote of the day?
10:28You mean Jalen Brown?
10:29I buried the lead.
10:30Sorry, I buried the lead.
10:31You buried the lead.
10:32I buried the lead.
10:33You've been doing this for a hundred years.
10:35Yeah, I know.
10:36You buried the lead today.
10:37All right.
10:38I buried the lead.
10:39Okay.
10:40Listen.
10:42The freak Giannis gave him the fake handshake coming off the floor.
10:46Yeah.
10:47Yeah.
10:48Yeah.
10:49And he did.
10:50We saw it twice.
10:51But what did he call him?
10:52You're burying the lead again.
10:53I'm giving it to you.
10:54What did he call him?
10:55He called him a child.
10:56Right.
10:57He asked him after the game and Jalen Brown called Giannis a child.
11:00Like, listen, I don't know.
11:02I mean, to me, that's, that's pretty strong, isn't it, Bob?
11:07Yeah, it is.
11:08But that, if someone gave you the, what if, tell me who you think would have done a thing
11:13like that, we would have, the first, we all would have raised our hands, say, Jalen Brown.
11:16You know, that's just another affirmation of who he is.
11:20And he didn't give a damn.
11:21And at all.
11:22And so it was fun.
11:25It was an amusing little subplot of the game, I'll put it that way.
11:28That's all.
11:29And it's, but it's not, it's long range.
11:32I don't think there are any long range ramifications, you know.
11:35No.
11:36No.
11:37I don't.
11:39That's who he is.
11:40You know how you could say that?
11:41You know why you could say that if you're Jalen Brown now?
11:43When you know your team is significantly better and you're not scared of Milwaukee anymore.
11:48You would not have said that two years ago.
11:50No chance.
11:51Jalen Brown has become the man that Marcus Smart wanted to be.
11:55Well, he's backing it up.
11:57That's right.
11:58He backs it up.
11:59He backs it up.
12:00Yes.
12:01You're right.
12:02You're right.
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13:44Well, we love good and the thing I appreciate, we appreciate about Jalen Brown, and this
13:49is as I think we can call the three of us throwbacks, Mr. Goodman, I would put you in
13:55that group as well.
13:57It's nice to have these little, you know, rivalries here, if you will, or trash talk
14:04in a league that is always buddy, buddy, buddy, buddy, buddy, you know, it's nice to have
14:10a little drama.
14:12You know, it's nice to have maybe I don't know if we'll ever have Moses Malone eats
14:16bleep again, but it would be nice to have a little of that back.
14:23So thank you, Jeff.
14:24Well, I think we can count on that as long as Jalen Brown's around, he'll stir the pot
14:28every now and then.
14:29And there's nothing wrong with that.
14:30Thank you for bringing that up.
14:31All right.
14:32So, Bob, what's going on with your Knicks?
14:35What's the deal here?
14:36Well, you know, I try to stay on top of this via the New York media and the Bridges has
14:42been a disappointment at the defensive end apparently.
14:45The whole chemistry is not there.
14:47It's just not there.
14:48Towns is putting up some big numbers.
14:51Now how about the latest?
14:53They got two guys scored 30 and they lose last night.
14:57But Brunson and Town got 30 each, 33 and 30 respectively, and they lose.
15:01Their depth is suspect of their depth stinks.
15:05Their depth stinks.
15:06All right.
15:07I'm not suspect.
15:08It stinks.
15:09OK, but I will yield to Mr. Goodman.
15:12OK.
15:13And in his assessment of the Knicks, you know, you know how you can tell Bob, you know, I'll
15:17give you some numbers.
15:18Yeah.
15:19Get up.
15:20Dead last in bench minutes and bench scoring.
15:24Dead last in the league.
15:25They have nothing coming up.
15:27I mean, other than McBride.
15:29Yeah.
15:30And Tyler Kolick doesn't really play much because campaign is their backup point guard
15:34right now.
15:35He's hurting out, too.
15:37Their bench stinks right now.
15:38They're getting nothing out of it.
15:41And yeah, I mean, Brunson's playing well, but like you said, Bridges isn't guarding
15:46at the level that they brought him in to do.
15:48And he's not shooting threes.
15:50Neither is Josh Hart.
15:52Those two haven't been very good so far.
15:55Brunson's been as advertised, which he's got.
15:58Yeah.
15:59He's.
16:00Don't worry about Brunson.
16:01Towns is up and down.
16:02His his offensive numbers look good and he's actually shot it well.
16:08But it's been the other Villanova Knicks, Mikhail Bridges and Josh Hart that have been
16:14disappointing.
16:15And I'll say this.
16:17And I like Josh Hart.
16:18I like Josh Hart a lot.
16:19But I think on a on a championship team, Josh Hart is great coming off the bench.
16:25That's what I would say.
16:26And that's where they're to me.
16:27They're a little bit off.
16:28And I'm not sure.
16:29Again, I never thought they were a championship team.
16:32I always thought they were a full step below the Celtics.
16:36And again, it's early.
16:37They're four and five.
16:38It's early.
16:39They want to run.
16:40They did it last year.
16:41If you remember, the schedule was favorable for a stretch and they went on a crazy run
16:46for a month.
16:47So they could do that again.
16:49But they got a lot of work to do.
16:50They got to they got to solidify their bench.
16:52Yeah.
16:53I mean, Jeff, it's interesting.
16:54And Bob, I'll toss this at you here.
16:56Milwaukee makes a deal to get better.
16:58They're worse.
16:59The Knicks think they're on the doorstep.
17:01They make a deal to get better.
17:04And right now they're worse.
17:05So like now, you know, dealing with chemistry stuff in Philly and Philly could be the same
17:10way with Paul George.
17:11We'll see.
17:12You go.
17:13Yeah.
17:14I mean, they got enough problems.
17:15So basically they did it, you know, put a team on the floor.
17:18So yeah.
17:19So which leads us in the east to the story of the NBA this far in a young season, the
17:26undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers.
17:29That's the story.
17:30That's it.
17:31It is.
17:32You know, it is 11 and 0 now, Bob.
17:34Yeah.
17:35I looked it up.
17:36I knew there was a year.
17:38This is the second.
17:39This is the best start in their history.
17:41But they had a 1988, 89.
17:44They got off to a great start.
17:45And I looked it up exactly what it was.
17:47They were 30 and seven at one point in that season.
17:50They were fun, man.
17:51They were fun.
17:52Yeah.
17:53They were really good.
17:54And then that was a that's just an awkward and back in 76, they went to the conference
17:58finals against the Bullets and lost the famous I mean, want to say they went to the finals,
18:06the conference finals to beat the Bullets, went on a basket by Dick Snyder when they
18:09literally tore down the backboard at the Richfield Coliseum.
18:13Anyway, this but I was bought the mind that team of 88, 89.
18:17I make sure I got the numbers right with this team.
18:19But obviously, 11 and 0 speaks for itself.
18:22And it's well earned.
18:23And and I don't know how far they're going to go.
18:27But to me, they are clearly a threat.
18:30We got a game coming up.
18:31Circular calendar, folks, the 19th week from Tuesday.
18:35They were playing.
18:36They'll be they'll be coming to Boston.
18:38So we'll see.
18:39Gary, Gary, that team, that Cleveland Cavs team name name as many starters as you can.
18:44Oh, no, I'm useless.
18:45I mean, just the dude from Utah that who's finally healthy, but they play for the Cavaliers.
18:52I just blanked on his name.
18:54He used to play for the Jazz, who free agent, he went to Cleveland, but not a lot below.
19:01Oh, are you talking about 88 or this year?
19:03Yeah.
19:04Yeah.
19:05That's what I'm saying.
19:06No, I want you to name as many as you get from that from that.
19:08Oh, I have a better chance.
19:09I have a better chance for that team than this year.
19:11That's what I'm saying.
19:12Oh, Elo, Daugherty, Rice, Mike Price, Larry Nance, Larry Nance.
19:19You're missing two starters.
19:21You're missing two.
19:22One's easy.
19:23One's one's got a son right now at Rutgers, who's one of the best freshmen in the country.
19:28Ron Harper.
19:29Yeah.
19:30And you're missing one who got into a point shaving scandal back in college.
19:37I should know this.
19:38At Tulane.
19:39At Tulane.
19:40Oh, Hot Rod.
19:41Hot Rod.
19:42Hot Rod.
19:43Hot Rod Williams.
19:44Yeah.
19:45Hot Rod Williams.
19:46I love that team, guys.
19:47I love that Cleveland Cavs team.
19:48I thought they had a chance to win a championship in this.
19:52I just remember Elo, I just remember Michael Jordan eating up Elo, right?
19:56For that big day.
19:57Well, yeah.
19:58Famous shot.
19:59Yep.
20:00I think this team's similar in some ways, guys.
20:02Can I say?
20:03Like, I think there's some similarities.
20:04A lot of really good players on this year's team, led by Donovan Mitchell, but like that
20:09Cavs team didn't have a superstar.
20:11They had a lot of really, really, really good players, but not a dude that was like at the
20:16highest level.
20:18Same thing with this year's Cavs team, which I think is going to prohibit them from getting
20:23to the Eastern, you know, maybe even getting to the Eastern Conference Finals.
20:26I don't know.
20:27I mean, I'd love to see them play the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.
20:30They've got a long way to go.
20:33Well, I mean, they always remember, that Cavaliers team reminds me of the Utah Jazz.
20:42You know, where they had Doherty and they had Price, they had Elo, but they just couldn't
20:49get over the top just like the Jazz.
20:50They were just kind of at that next level.
20:52Yep.
20:53They had more around them, though.
20:54I mean, Mark Price was an elite shooter, right?
20:57Yeah.
20:58Like, Ron Harper was a really, really good off-guard.
21:02They had balance.
21:03They had talent, especially in the starting five.
21:07Just like this Cleveland team, I'm telling you, they've got good balance.
21:11Garland's really good.
21:13Yeah.
21:14I mean, Garland's averaging 20 a game.
21:16Mobley's averaging 18 a game.
21:18He's awesome.
21:19They've got five.
21:20Wait a minute.
21:21Well, I know they're an Allen.
21:22But they get six guys averaging double figures.
21:24No, no.
21:25Listen, again, they're a really good team.
21:29It's just like they're a step below the Celtics at every position.
21:32How's that?
21:33At every single position, they're kind of a little bit of a notch below, I would say.
21:38The one guy I actually think is star potent is Mobley.
21:43If he ever got some more killer in him, he's just got the whole package.
21:49I remember seeing him in high school, that kid defensively, what he could do.
21:54He's skilled.
21:56He doesn't want to take over.
21:59That's just not his personality.
22:01It is the most wonderful time of the year.
22:04Yes, the NBA season, folks.
22:07It is the best.
22:09Look, the NFL is great.
22:11I understand.
22:12But if you're looking into star power, celebrity, entertainment, it's the NBA.
22:18There's no doubt about it.
22:20And my Celtics, I'm looking for them to defend.
22:22We need a new dynasty in the NBA.
22:25We need one.
22:27And I think this Celtic group can do it.
22:29I know this Celtic group can do it.
22:31You know who else, from what I understand, is a Celtic fan is Hugh Jackman.
22:34Yes, Wolverine himself, the greatest showman, Hugh Jackman is a big Celtic fan.
22:40And if you're like us and you want to check out the Celtics, or maybe any other team that
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25:18Guys, don't forget, you didn't mention one guy, you didn't mention D. Wade.
25:24Dean Wade.
25:25Dean Wade.
25:26Dean Wade's actually-
25:27Dean Wade.
25:28Well, that's the idiot I am.
25:29I just saw D. Wade on the roster, and I went, wait a minute, I just had a senior moment.
25:34Then I go, oh, it's Dean Wade.
25:36You're telling me this guy's good?
25:38Yeah, yeah.
25:39Came out of Kansas State.
25:40He's become a really nice piece for Cleveland, yes.
25:43That's why we love Jeff Goodman, Bob Ryan.
25:46We got to bring up the sad news of the day, because no matter who you root for, you don't
25:52want these things to happen.
25:54But Oklahoma City's season may just have been derailed, at least for two months, because
25:59last night Chet Holmgren went up to block a shot, came down and fell hard on his right
26:05hip.
26:06And you see he was in instant agony, and they're talking two months minimum now.
26:10And this is when Oklahoma City was playing very well.
26:15He's irreplaceable.
26:16Let's face it, he's irreplaceable.
26:19And this is sad, but on both levels, for them and for the young man who, as Jeff and I were
26:25commiserating before we got rolling.
26:27It just seems like if anybody was going to- it could have happened to anybody.
26:31He went up to block a shot, and he was up airborne, and he came down hard.
26:35But as Jeff said to me, it just seemed the odds were always more that it was going to
26:40be him rather than somebody else.
26:41He just seemed to be doomed.
26:43Yeah, he had a freak injury, Gary, that he missed his whole rookie season with a foot
26:48injury.
26:49Right.
26:50This is another kind of freak injury.
26:52Not really, though, because he landed on his hip here, and he's going to be out, like Bob
26:56said, a couple months.
26:58This is a guy that there were question marks about drafting him out of college because
27:03of his body, right?
27:06And again, it's the opposite of Zion, but I'll say this, I just looked it up, and Zion
27:13just so we don't hurt again.
27:15And he's played 190 out of a possible 338 games in his career.
27:19So he's missed 148 games already in a little over four seasons.
27:27That missed his whole rookie season.
27:29He played every game last year.
27:30He did.
27:31He played all 82.
27:32Right.
27:33But I just feel like these injuries are going to, unfortunately, derail both of them.
27:38And I pray, I pray they both stay healthy, number one.
27:41I pray it doesn't also affect Victor Wembenyama, who's got a similar body build.
27:48Well, yeah.
27:50And I don't know what you do about it, you know.
27:53Well, Victor's got a different routine, Gary.
27:56Victor, supposedly from a young age, has this trainer, has this routine before every game
28:01that he's done since he was like 13, 14 years old.
28:06So he's kind of tried to prepare himself against this, knowing what his body build was going
28:12to be.
28:13You don't know.
28:14I mean, Zion certainly hasn't done what he needs to do.
28:18His weight fluctuates significantly.
28:21And Chet, to my knowledge, I know he didn't have the routine of like Victor when he was
28:26in college at Gonzaga.
28:28I don't know if that's changed since he got in the NBA, since he got hurt with a foot
28:32injury his rookie year.
28:33But you know, honestly, he probably should meet with Victor and find out what Victor
28:39does because so far, so good for Wembenyama.
28:43Well, when you say a pelvic fracture, you know, I read the details on it.
28:48To me, Bob, that's like one of those things that may never go away.
28:52That's what I know.
28:53You know, when they say eight to 10 weeks, I'm like, hey, if he's back that soon, awesome.
28:59There's no way they're going to bring him back.
29:01With his body build, with the risking of this kid, there's no way they're going to rush
29:05him back.
29:06There's no reason to.
29:08Bob, how much does this take away from OKC?
29:12Because they still have, I mean, they've got some great players on the team besides him.
29:17He anchors their defense.
29:20They can construct a defense with him as a very formidable rim protector that they will
29:27not be able to do any longer to that degree.
29:30So it's going to hurt them there before, you know, first of all.
29:33And so that's why I say he's irreplaceable.
29:37I don't see anything else in the roster that's going to be able to replicate that.
29:40So they're going to have to score more points, I think, you know, making a
29:46adjustment in that way.
29:47But he does anchor their defense.
29:52Speaking of defense, it seems that the Golden State Warriors have developed a new identity.
29:57Now, maybe I missed it in the past, but I always thought of them as an offensive juggernaut.
30:03But as they are off to 8-2, Jeff Goodman, they have a new mentality because, yeah, they're
30:09on the top of the league in the offensive categories, but also like second in the league
30:13in team defense.
30:14Yeah, they have to.
30:17I think Steve Kerr realized that, again, you've got to be, you know, play young.
30:21You know, you've got Trace Jackson Davis in the middle, who's long, he's active.
30:25With Looney, those give you two active bigs, younger guys.
30:30You still got Draymond, you know, one of the best defensive players in the league.
30:34Andrew Wiggins should be.
30:36I mean, I've said this since I first saw him play at 14 years old.
30:41Andrew Wiggins, talent-wise, guys, is a top-10 talent in the NBA.
30:46And on some nights, he's a top-10 player.
30:49Unfortunately, it's like one out of every ten nights.
30:52And defensively, he should be All-NBA, like every year.
30:57And he's not.
30:58And if you can get that out of him consistently, yeah, they've got to hang their hat on their
31:04defense as well.
31:05Obviously, you've got Steph.
31:06You're going to arrive with Steph here on the offensive end.
31:10But you've got to be able to guard now, especially, you're going to be a lot better immediately
31:14because Klay couldn't guard at all last year.
31:16Well, then again, on the offensive end, the old guy stuck with 36 last night.
31:27Curry was 7-for-13 on threes, you know.
31:31He doesn't look any different than he did fill-in-the-blank years ago, right now, does
31:34he?
31:35Not much.
31:37You know what it is, too, Bob?
31:39His game was never predicated on athleticism.
31:42That's not his game.
31:43So even though he gets older, it's about angles.
31:48It's about this.
31:50As much as anything, that's where Steph has an advantage.
31:53Obviously, he's the best shooter we've ever seen.
31:55But beyond that, his IQ and ability to score with a ball in his hands or move without the
32:02ball, he's a savant in so many ways, in addition to being an elite shooter.
32:09Well, he's more important to them than ever, right now, because they do need those 36 points.
32:15And they're very interesting to watch.
32:18I know I had written them off, and by the way, they're not winning a championship.
32:23But they certainly are worth watching, and they're giving their fans as much as they
32:31should.
32:34I guess we have to give some credit to Carr as a great coach, in addition.
32:40But they're a surprise.
32:41I mean, we knew Cleveland was going to be good.
32:45The extent of a start like this, no one saw it coming, and no one saw Golden State being
32:50this competitive.
32:51I don't think.
32:52I know I didn't.
32:53What about basically trading Klay Thompson out for Buddy Hill?
32:56Yeah.
32:57The last couple of games, he hasn't been so dynamic.
33:00He was very dynamic, and we saw him a week ago.
33:02But he's off to a very quick start, leveled off the last couple of games.
33:07But still, he was giving them exactly what Klay Thompson used to give them.
33:11Bob, when you saw them, was there something different about them?
33:15Well, you know, yeah.
33:20What impressed me was the way they went to the hoop in transition.
33:24I think I mentioned this.
33:26That guy after guy was attacking the rim in transition.
33:29They were making full use of transitions and finishing very, very well.
33:34They made the Celtics' transition defense look very weak.
33:40That just jumped out at me.
33:41You know Curry's going to make shots.
33:43You knew that Heald was going to make shots.
33:45But that aspect of the game, guy after guy, it was very impressive.
33:51So that got my attention.
33:54I'm so happy that we have stuff to talk about now, like real stuff.
33:58I felt like we needed this.
34:01We needed something good.
34:02The Bucs falling off, I don't know if that's good to talk about,
34:06because I love Giannis.
34:07But Jalen called Giannis a child.
34:11Yeah, the Celtics are boringly perfect.
34:13And during the summer, we had great story time with Mr. Ryan.
34:16But even Bob was running out of stories by the time we hit October.
34:20So we had to get back into business.
34:24I don't want to say the Celtics are a non-story, but they kind of are.
34:29You know what I mean?
34:30What else do you say?
34:32It's going to be hard.
34:33Yeah, it's going to be hard.
34:34Because again, even you two, Mr. Overreaction duo last year,
34:40who tried to overreact to the Celtics when they lost a game
34:44that they didn't show up for.
34:46I tried to keep you grounded.
34:49I tried to tell you, just wait for the postseason.
34:51That's all that mattered.
34:53You tried to poo-poo me on that.
34:55This year, I think you'll learn, even if they lose three in a row,
34:59I think we know it doesn't really matter all that much
35:01until they get to the postseason.
35:03And we want to see Porzingis back.
35:05Like, that's the thing.
35:08It's like, when he comes back, how dominant can they
35:11be if they're clicking on all cylinders with a healthy Porzingis now,
35:14and their bench being bolstered by Peyton Pritchard taking it up a notch?
35:19Right.
35:19We want to maximize the opportunity because of the fact
35:22is that Tyler Holliday is not a kid.
35:25And we have a very special backcourt, very special.
35:28And not the most talented, not the most explosive, not the most dynamic,
35:33but the best in terms of how to play basketball this league has.
35:37And he's old.
35:38And White's over 30.
35:39And Holliday's, what, 33?
35:41Right.
35:41Oh, yeah.
35:42So we want to maximize this opportunity with this group.
35:45This group plays together.
35:46It's such a good group.
35:48The question you posed earlier to us, Jeff, about where's the weakness?
35:52No.
35:53We have an exemplary team.
35:55So let's get the most out of it.
35:57As we leave, we leave you, gentlemen, just some final thoughts.
36:02And I'm wondering how your attitude has changed
36:04in a year for the upcoming in-season Emirates tournament.
36:08Everybody.
36:09Well, I know that all I know is that I know who did not win it last year.
36:15And I don't give a damn if they win it.
36:17Did the Lakers win it?
36:18Did the Lakers win it?
36:19Yeah, the Lakers.
36:20I mean, I'm not, I am remotely, I'm profoundly uninterested.
36:24I'm going to have to pay attention.
36:26But didn't we see better game?
36:27I hear you guys.
36:29I hear you.
36:30But while we're, listen, we don't need it.
36:35But the reality is, the level of play stepped up.
36:40I think so.
36:40It worked.
36:41There's money at stake.
36:42No matter what, no matter what money.
36:45I think you could, the money doesn't mean that much to obviously LeBron
36:50or AD because of what they're making.
36:52But like to some of those young guys, it's
36:55a significant amount of money to some of these young dudes
36:58that are just trying to make the roster, the two-way.
37:02The reality is, is we can poo-poo it.
37:04But Silva was right.
37:05The quality, in the dog days of the NBA, the quality of play goes up.
37:10I mean, you don't need it, Jeff.
37:11Bob doesn't need it.
37:12I don't need it.
37:12But it kind of works.
37:13I mean, listen, I'm teaching at Emerson, where
37:16the attention span is two minutes.
37:19Right.
37:20No, you're right.
37:21For these kids, anything new, novel.
37:23It's like, I had my students.
37:27I said, I want you to do a daily log of how you watch sports.
37:30On Sunday, the only reason they watch more football than just their team
37:35is because of fantasy and betting.
37:37It's like, they'll say, I watched seven hours of football.
37:39I watch my home team, but I watch another three or four hours
37:42because I'm betting or I have fantasy.
37:44No question.
37:45So the game is not enough.
37:47For us, it is.
37:48But for the new generation, it's not.
37:50And on that note, you old bastards, I will talk to you later.
37:56See you later.
37:57All right, great job, as always, guys.
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