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00:00Game appear on the River Islands guest line. Isn't it time for you to discover the islands River Islands in Lathrop?
00:06Let's get to Steve ball pet. He's a senior NBA columnist and heavy on sports and
00:12I worked for the Boston Herald for decades covering the Boston Celtics since the mid 80s Steve. What's going on, man? How you doing?
00:19I'm just you know living the dream
00:22There it is you and me Steve appreciate it my man
00:25Let me ask you this and I know you're on the East Coast and I always love to get a different perspective
00:30What's your take on the Warriors?
00:33Acquiring Jimmy Butler for Wiggins and a few other players and then extended him
00:38110 million dollars for the next two years
00:42Wow
00:44Look the Warriors, I'm sure as you're aware. I've been trying to
00:49make a large move for a few years now a couple years anyway, and
00:54You know, I think this one gives them the proverbial punchers chance
00:59But I was thinking about and I kind of liken it to like a band that was like, you know
01:06Greatest in the world winning all the Grammys and all of a sudden a couple of guys drop off the band and they're trying to
01:11You know, they go on the road for a tour and you still want to see them, but you know, it's not quite the same
01:18Speaking of not quite the same Curry's having some struggles just you know in regard to efficiency Steve
01:23Can you share with us from afar just your take on?
01:26Because if any of this is gonna work Steph's gonna have to ball. What have you seen from him up?
01:31You know, is he the same Steph anything different in your eyes for how you watch view Steph Curry?
01:37No, I mean
01:39Steph Curry, I do not I do not doubt ever
01:43The kind of work I've written a couple stories about the kind of work he puts in
01:48You know, there was a game a few years ago where he came into Boston
01:52from Indiana and I was talking to him after a practice and
01:57I had to wait for him because he was getting up a bunch of shots and he was like when I've spoken at teams
02:01even my own college I
02:03Said look this guy you went out afterwards after practice and put up like 253 pointers
02:10So, you know, it's like he did it's not like he forgot how to shoot on the flight, Minneapolis to Boston
02:16So when when talent puts in that kind of work
02:20Talent will always come out. I think you look at anything dropping off with him
02:24I'd say it's a situation around him, you know, Steph runs off picks gets open make shots and guys have to be
02:32You know on the same page and maybe there's been a little less of that
02:37Steve bull pet joining us on 95 7 the game heavy on sports.com covered the Celtics for decades in Boston
02:44let me let me ask you this Jimmy Butler spent a lot of his career in the in the Eastern Conference and
02:50You know one way you could look at this is maybe the two of the most volatile
02:55Personalities in the league are now going to be in the same locker room from what you know about Jimmy Butler
03:00How do you view the situation of now Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green or teammates
03:08You know personal injury attorneys are standing by
03:13No, I look that can be a good thing. I mean, let's go way back to the
03:20Oakland days, you know say that with a smile
03:23You know the old the old 70s days. They were always going crazy battle each other, you know
03:31but out of that came victories and I think you could see something similar here if it gets people's
03:40heart rate going again
03:42In regard to expectations with this move Steve prior to the Warriors not having Jimmy Butler
03:48What are your expectations now that they got him because right now today they're on the outside looking in of the playing tournament
03:56Well, just remember one thing, you know, it's big once they get in the plan or the final eight
04:04As far as home-court advantage goes you have to win one game on the road and then you have home-court advantage
04:12So, you know again
04:14As long as they can get themselves moved up and get their chemistry together
04:19to a reasonable extent in the next month or two
04:23Then you know, they'll be in decent enough shape again, they had the punchers chance when you got guys like that
04:31Do you the question would be do you have enough talent to make it a two-minute game?
04:36And if you can make it a two-minute game
04:38Do you have the players who can win a two-minute game and certainly to the latter? The answer is yes
04:44That's a good way to put it Steve ball pet joining us on 95 7 the game senior NBA columnist at heavy on sports
04:51let me out let me go around the league a little bit with you Steve because you you know, you've been covering this league for
04:56decades and
04:57The dodge itch for Davis trade. I thought it felt like a trade out of
05:031987 where nobody knew about it and then the paper came in the morning and you found out about a trade from the previous night
05:11Have you have you uh?
05:13Was it as unique a deal for you as for the league? Did it take you by surprise?
05:18Yeah, it took me by surprise and that it happened it didn't take me by surprise in that
05:25I was certainly I think a lot of people were certainly aware that the Dallas was
05:31Really mulling over its situation, you know
05:36the people I've talked to in Dallas
05:38since
05:40Have said look, you know this makes their window smaller
05:45Makes their window smaller
05:47But the question they had to ask was did they have a window before this?
05:51I mean they got themselves to the finals last year
05:54They beat though they came and died beat some teams that probably weren't ready yet for that next stage
06:02And they have to wonder like and the big thing comes down to
06:06They had to ask did they trust?
06:09Luka Donchik a guy that you know, wasn't really excited about playing defense and
06:16Wasn't really excited about staying in shape
06:19He wasn't that way now would they be able to trust him more if they gave him a few hundred million dollars?
06:26Yeah, Steve. I love my partner here
06:28We've been riding together for seven long years and one thing I know about him Steve
06:32He's not big on nicknames
06:34But can you share with us the intel that went into you nicknaming my guy the Mets
06:41Well, it's his last name
06:50And you know what do how about this sometimes I used to call Steve pet
06:55This is name. There you go. There you go. There you go real quick Steve
07:00I'm a blue-eyed Greek boy from Boston. So I
07:02Know I prefer to be known as the big lamb chop. I love it. I love it. Well big lamb chop
07:09I'm gonna ask you about what's going on in the nation's capital Sacramento two years ago. They got coach Mike Brown
07:14He's coach of the year this year. We hear some noise D Aaron Fox wants to get out and vamoose
07:19Stevie's gone what's going on in Sacramento with that trade and how Vivek let D Aaron Fox get out of there that fast
07:27This is uh, this is one that bothered me from the moment they let Mike Brown go, you know
07:33You've got a good coach there. You've got a
07:36You know, they had a good situation last year, but all of a sudden some people get a little bit
07:43Unhappy they get all up in their feelings about how things are going and about how they're being coached
07:48I think that situation could have been solved by ownership walking down into the locker room
07:55Walking down into the locker room
07:57Pointing to Mike Brown and say he's staying
08:01You guys got to ask yourselves what you're doing, but he's staying here
08:05And I think you know once once there's once you give somebody an out
08:10And I'll give them an excuse in a marriage in a relationship
08:14Then you know things are gonna fall apart
08:17Yes, Steve. Let me I'm looking at the standings in the Eastern Conference Boston sitting at 2
08:2336 and 16 five and a half behind Cleveland. What you see out of Boston this year Steve
08:29Is it is it kind of the normal?
08:31malaise
08:32After a championship or do you think Cleveland or somebody else has action in the east?
08:38Well put it this way here the Celtics. I think it's kind of a malaise thing with the Celtics
08:43But if they keep in their heads the idea
08:46Oh, we'll just turn it on when we want to and we'll be Cleveland whatever we feel like it
08:51Then they'd be in for a day will be in for a really rude and ugly awakening
08:56The Cavaliers are real
08:59the additions they may you know DeAndre Hunter is going to be a good addition for that team and
09:04You know they've got size and look the danger if you're the Celtics is this you know
09:10You're you're afraid you have to be afraid that you're building up some bad habits
09:14And that when you get to the point where you need to be locked in are you a fraction of a split second slower?
09:23To get into what you need to is it not fully on the computer chip for you, and that's the stuff
09:28That's the kind of hesitation or whatever they can get you beat
09:33Look the Celtics you know a few years ago
09:36I know there are warrior people
09:38That were surprised in a little bit of a way that they were beat that they beat the Celtics in the finals
09:44You know they were concerned about Boston's ability
09:46but they took it to the Celtics and the Celtics kind of collapsed on themselves, and that was the
09:54Warriors and their professionalism and their toughness
09:57Pushing them over the edge, so I've felt for a few years now that did one of the teams
10:02maybe the team most capable of beating the Celtics is the Celtics and
10:09The fact that they show a propensity for perhaps doing that you know that should scare them
10:16Hey, Steve. Do you got any confidence in Milwaukee?
10:19I know they swapped out Kuzma from Middleton for Kuzma made some moves around the edges
10:23But do you give Giannis and Dame and Doc Rivers a shot at all in the east I?
10:28think the the
10:31Bucks were eliminated from Eastern Conference contention the day that
10:38The Portland Trail Blazers traded drew holiday to the Celtics Wow
10:43It's like you tell you you traded for for Dame Lillard. You wanted to put some more firepower next to
10:50Giannis, but it really hurt your defense to do that
10:54And then you didn't look ahead and say if if we give drew holiday to the Blazers
11:00They're in rebuild. They're not going to keep them. What are they going to do with them?
11:03They didn't see the chessboard
11:05But when you know true holiday comes to Boston
11:09That's that's a better version of Marcus smart
11:12And you know look I I am stunned that the true holiday is played for this many teams
11:19You know like I could see it with a with a with a Dennis Schroeder
11:23But not a true holiday this guy is nails
11:27And he does what's what what you need to do and in an NBA where?
11:32Guys you know have such quick access to
11:37The pleasure points with social media and this and that there's a guy that's in your dressing room
11:43That will do what you need him to do when you need him to do it. No questions move on go worry about somebody else
11:51He's a Hall of Famer in my book Steve through holiday. I mean
11:55If you if you're a basketball freak if you just watch this guy play
11:59You know how can you not appreciate his game you know
12:04Yeah, I just I just I think that really that move really hurt the Bucs and
12:12You know Middleton coming back. This was a great trade for the Bucs for Kuzma
12:20Middleton his ankles he wasn't able to play defense the way they needed them to and Kuzma
12:26You know I think that I know the Bucs looked at it like hey, we get Kuzma here. You know and
12:33have
12:35Giannis go you know glaring at him if he does something stupid
12:39That's gonna keep him more in line, and you're gonna get the best out of Kyle Kuzma
12:44Hey, Steve grace a lot great stuff man appreciate
12:48Appreciate your time, and we're just two guys still hanging in there you and me
12:52Living the dream hi man take care Steve take care, bro