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00:00You know, I don't want to see
00:03LaBruka
00:05That's who LaBruka LaBruka. Who are you? You can't pick two people. Well, no, I said players last team
00:11I got you. So you don't want to see LeBron or Luka or the Lakers. I don't want to see LeBron James or Ruby
00:17Hachimura, I don't want to see if you make me make it one player fine. I will make it a 40 year old human being
00:24I do not want to see LeBron James
00:29For so many reasons
00:31First of all, even at age 40. He's brilliant. He's brilliant. He is able to get so many people involved
00:40from a physical
00:41Physicality standpoint. I still don't think the Warriors really have anybody who can who can get up in his way and
00:48Stop what he's doing. There's a history there for whatever reason it feels like the last couple of years
00:54It starts with the playoffs two years ago
00:56The Lakers have had the Warriors number would it be different without Anthony Davis, maybe
01:01I'd rather not find out but I'm also affected by what Bob Fitzgerald told us last week is it's a very very good point and
01:09And he brought up the exact same team and he wasn't saying because LeBron's too good because of the way they're officiated
01:17And I'm sorry
01:18If you're a Laker fan living in the Bay and that does something to your brain and scrambles everything
01:22But the bottom line is the bottom line
01:24There's not a franchise fan base in America that thinks the Lakers are officiated like everybody else and
01:32It's not just the Laker Jersey. It's LeBron
01:35it's now LeBron and it's Luka and it's all it's the glitz and the glamour and the cachet and
01:43The head snaps and all of that stuff. Yeah, it's all of it and it's nauseating
01:49And it's very very difficult to watch and it's very difficult to be
01:54Especially for this team because you don't have a good matchup for LeBron and Draymond
01:59Can guard the Joker better than he can guard LeBron?
02:02He can't guard LeBron James and when you don't have Andrew Wiggins any longer. Who do you put on him right now?
02:08Who do you put on LeBron James? I have no idea like Jimmy Butler is a little he's a little small
02:15But he might be your best option
02:16Kaminga, he's not ready for that assignment
02:19No, he's not although he's a good on ball defender is but I don't know if he's got the like
02:24The ability to handle LeBron's physicality, right? So as we go through the roster GP, too
02:30I don't know if he is big enough or strong enough to guard him
02:34So forget the Luka piece, which he's a tough cover as well
02:38Who guards LeBron now that so I'm with you on not wanting to see LeBron James. I want to see it
02:44I don't think the league would want that either like second round series. Oh, yeah
02:49Oh, yeah, so I need a third round. Yes, that's exactly what they're hoping for
02:52Yes, and so the Warriors might get the benefit of officiating prior to that series as well
02:57I yeah, or at least the perception of it. Sure. Sure. I don't I mean God
03:02I don't know if I've ever lived in a world where I felt like Steph Curry was getting calls that he didn't deserve
03:06I don't even know if such a thing exists. Yeah, but yeah that could happen
03:11I mean, that's definitely what the league would love to see
03:13There's nothing better than the Warriors playing the Lakers the Western Conference finals. The league would go crazy over that. Absolutely
03:21I don't know who it is. That's gonna beat, Oklahoma City to prevent them from being part of the party, but
03:27You know like I'd rather see, Oklahoma City
03:31Than the Lakers in the first round. Yeah in any round
03:34I think the the Warriors would have a better chance to beat the Thunder than they would the Lakers
03:39The Warriors have been fantastic against, Oklahoma City. They have already this year. That was before Butler showed up
03:46so I don't know what to make of that because it's the regular season and whatnot, but
03:53And the Thunder have largely played the Warriors without Chet Holmgren because he was actually hurt against the Warriors early in the season
04:00So look they're trying to block Wiggins. Yeah. Yeah, like there's there's a lot to be said there
04:06And I think that Oklahoma City would be incredibly challenging for anyone
04:10They're phenomenal, but there's no player on the Thunder that I look at and go oof
04:15How the hell do you guard this person? What's the answer there?
04:18SGA is phenomenal, right, but you know, he's a guard. You can guard him
04:24LeBron James is a freight train and Luka Doncic is
04:29Sluggish with no athleticism
04:31But he's unstoppable correct like the little shuffle the little shuffle step back and that all the little
04:37Scoops and the bumps and you know, you talk about throwing your head back. He's another guy who is very good at
04:43Baiting the officials and baiting the opposing team
04:46Funny you mentioned that about LeBron James because I was just looking and that is one record
04:51That I don't believe he's ever going to get in the association. Which one most free throws ever taken right now
04:58He's number three. He's behind
05:01Wilt Chamberlain is the first name that comes to my home alone. Oh
05:05It's all time leader in free throw attempts and LeBron is about
05:111,500 free throws behind him good lord, which you know, it's more than just a couple games needs more head snaps apparently
05:17Yeah, if you get ten free throws a game
05:19That's a hundred and fifty games and I don't think ten free throws a game is a lot and that's two more full season, correct
05:26So I don't think that he's ever gonna catch the mailman. Probably not one of the few
05:31Records that he probably won't end up with. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, that's the team. I don't want to see it's also psyched
05:37It's self-preservation. I remember this two years ago watching a playoff series against LeBron and the Lakers is
05:44one of the more frustrating fan experiences you you can ever have I
05:50Remember, in fact, it wasn't until this year when the Warriors acquired him
05:53I was still triggered by the idea of Dennis Schroeder because of that playoff series two years ago, right?
06:00There's so many histrionics that take place with that team
06:04because I do believe that a team sort of gathers its personality from its leader and
06:11Say what you will if you want to call this a home or take that's what Steph Curry has never been
06:17And I don't think Jimmy Butler is either
06:19They've never been the kind of stars that play that game at least at a high level
06:25Everybody in basketball tries to draw a foul
06:28I there's nobody that doesn't do that
06:30But that whole game of like I'm totally gonna just make the official think something happened that didn't happen
06:38That James Harden crap Steph doesn't do that. Jimmy doesn't do that LeBron does that?
06:44LeBron does that and it filters down and just because of the history of the Lakers and
06:50All of the talk that's that's around that I'm not even saying that it's legitimately true on every possession
06:57But it feels like it when you're watching and it's very frustrating
07:02Very frustrating to watch when your team is going against them in the playoffs
07:06Yeah
07:07Cuz you know it's coming and it's not a foul and you watch Draymond Green a lot of times he gets animated
07:12even if it's not he who is involved in the
07:15The foul action or the call that shouldn't have been made and he gets agitated and the crowd and it kind of takes you out
07:21Of your game. It's frustrating. They get free throws and it also breaks up the rhythm of the basketball game
07:27And it it makes it a tough watch and you got James Harden Russell Westbrook's another guy who does a lot of it
07:33but Luca and LeBron would be
07:35You know Trey young another one. I think that I would put in my my top five
07:40Interesting flopping just you know
07:44Over-dramatizing any contact or any action? I mean, don't forget Chris Paul. We don't think about him anymore
07:49But but Chris has got a long history
07:53Long history and obviously once somebody joins your team, you're kind of like no, it's okay. But like yeah, Chris Paul
08:02Absolutely on the list. Yeah, you're right
08:04We don't think that much about him anymore because he's on San Antonio and he's 105 years old and they're
08:09They're no longer really a factor and they're in straight-up tank mode, but you'd have to definitely put him up there as well
08:16It's one reason why you watch Boston and there's such a good polished team and they don't really they don't really fall prey to that
08:22You know, nope. Nope Tatum Tatum is there Tatum is so good and they pass the ball so well
08:29yep, and
08:30Obviously, they're playing a brand of basketball that
08:33Bothers some people who've been watching the league for a while because they hook up so many three-pointers
08:38But they surround the arc and he's such a physical presence and he can do it everywhere on the floor
08:44He can shoot the three he physically can drive right by people go over people
08:49Smart smart player and yeah, I don't I don't see a lot of that from him. I'm looking around the league and I'm trying to think of
08:57Who else sort of fits in that category that we're even talking about this Harden? It's LeBron and
09:04I don't know that anybody else to me
09:09Really jumps out. I guess the third name I'd come up with right now is Shea Gilgis Alexander
09:14You got a little bit of that in him. Yeah a little bit of the
09:18Not it's not so much flopping. It's embellishment
09:21Embellishing. Yeah, it's a little bit of both. Yeah, I'm not afraid of the word flopping. It's part of it
09:26Well, he does lead the Association in free throw attempts this year. Shea's got
09:31593 followed by Giannis who Giannis doesn't have to flop. You just have you have to foul him
09:37Yeah, you can't stop him James Harden is third Trey Young another guy
09:42He's fourth and free throw attempts and the guy who's uh, I think an embellisher a little bit of a flopper
09:49Quietly Damian Lillard ninth in free throw attempts. He's a guy. He'll snap the head back a little bit a little bit
09:55Snap it back on you almost give people who are that small and they're playing
10:00Among the trees like Steph give him a little bit more of a of a pass on it
10:06Anthony Edwards
10:07Um, I don't get that feeling with him very much a little bit more
10:12I don't get that like he again, you know
10:15Go back to the documentary that Steve Kerr
10:17That we've referenced so many times with the Olympic doc when he pulls Anthony aside and he's just like dude
10:22Like this this could be your league
10:25Like your your body is just impossible to guard or stop. He's such a presence out there
10:32I don't yeah, I don't I don't see that with him where I look at it. I'm like, dude. What are you?
10:38What are you making up out here? It's really it's really those three for me that that stand out
10:43Yeah, and Trey Young I don't see as much of but it's it's Harden. It's LeBron and it's Shea and
10:51That makes it very very frustrating in a playoff series, you know, you bring up yoke it's though and he's here tonight
10:57And I'm just I'm really interested to see if he even plays tonight and what they look like
11:03Because they have now had what I think is a prolonged run of what's wrong with them
11:11Yeah, even when they're winning
11:13Something is wrong with the Denver Nuggets last 12 games
11:18They are six and six. Yep, and it's loss win loss win loss win win loss win loss win loss
11:25so
11:26Just looking at that from 20,000 feet. That's a team that doesn't really strike fear in you over 12 games
11:33You've got bad losses and okay wins and then you lost to Boston you beat Sacramento fine
11:40You split with the Thunder. I mean, it just looks like they're not highly motivated right now. That's the word
11:47Yeah, that's the word and and and for me, where does that lack of motivation come from? Is it because ah
11:56We're Denver will be fine just get the two or the three or the four seed whatever will be fine
12:03is it from that or are they just kind of wired this way because they want a title two years ago and
12:09Since then I'm gonna call it dude. They've been underwhelming
12:14I'm sorry, you have the best player in the world and I'm not coming down his road
12:18He's put up all the numbers that you could want
12:21The best example of this is what happened back on March 7th 10 days ago
12:26This guy had what you could argue is one of the most cyborg games that has ever happened in the history of the league
12:33I don't know if y'all caught this
12:3631 points
12:3721 rebounds
12:3922 assists
12:42It's the largest triple-double in the history of the league
12:46Nobody has ever had a triple-double where all three numbers were north of 20. It's never happened before
12:52Okay. So what did they do that night you say?
12:55they outlasted a team that has given up for weeks in the Phoenix Suns on their home floor and
13:02Won in overtime and I watched that game and they just couldn't shake him now. You could say oh, that's
13:10That's the NBA I'm telling you man in those 12 games you just referenced they've impressed me one time
13:18They went to Detroit won by 15
13:20Outside of that even their wins
13:22I mean they won a game in Oklahoma City, but that was on the like they played there two nights in a row in
13:29Oklahoma City
13:31Just smashed them the night before and so those games often are just split because that's kind of the way it works
13:38But
13:40And they've been outclassed a lot
13:42And and lost on Saturday night to the Wizards in Denver, right something's wrong with them
13:48Well, I'm just right now. They don't scare me that much
13:51They don't but you get into a best of seven series and you know, if they get everybody back and healthy
13:57They can be very dangerous. I'm just picking through some of their games and they're playing seven guys
14:03They're playing eight guys. So I think that this starting lineup, especially they're kind of worn down
14:09But is that because of health or is that just who they are? I don't think they're a very deep team
14:14They're not but lack of strength in numbers, right?
14:17But you're getting into a really the deep part of the season and you know guys are probably tired like Jokic plays
14:24Almost every single game. He doesn't load manage a lot and I'm looking at the game
14:28You just referenced you lose to Washington the guy plays 39 minutes shoots it 30 times puts up 40
14:3513 and 9 with a couple of blocks
14:39He's got to be exhausted the amount that he plays and Michael Malone is he just plays him and they don't have
14:45They don't have any bench. That's the but that's why they don't really scare me
14:50Like this game against Washington. This is not a health problem
14:54Michael Porter played Jamal Murray played Russell Westbrook played this kid Christian Braun who shoots the ball really? Well, he played
15:01Yeah, no, Aaron Gordon. Yeah, no, Aaron Gordon, right? No, Aaron Gordon. That's right. But I mean
15:07That's who they are. It's just not a very deep team. Yeah, so
15:11Dario Sharic DNP coach's decision. Yeah
15:15Vlatko conchar played
15:18You played seven guys in that game
15:20It's like you're a high school team for the 1950s coach Malone
15:24Like let some of these other guys at least get out there and give your star a break
15:28I don't I don't know that they like what they're seeing from those other people there. Let's go to John and Hayward
15:33Hi, John. Thanks for calling
15:36Hey guys, thanks for taking my call
15:38Yeah, I'm calling it because yeah, you want to look at the let's look at the Western Conference like right now
15:43I still have experience lifting up like the trophy when you look at it from like top to bottom
15:49Okay, see like Shea Gildas Alexander Chet Holmgren like they have an experience
15:53They know you send email do email don't go like yes
15:56He went to a finals, but he has yet to encounter that experience with the Houston Rockets
16:01Yeah, none of Memphis and other players, right? So you look at the rock
16:04Yeah, you look at the roster or you look at the top six. Yeah, LeBron won a title
16:09Yeah in 2020
16:10But who is still with the Lakers that won that title in 2020 whether it's players or even coaches cuz JJ Redick is like a brand
16:17New coach, so you look at like, you know the Warriors and the Nuggets
16:20It's like they're the only ones who has the experience who has the pedigree who knows what it takes
16:26You know to win the title so you take that take that apart. Who else do you feel?
16:30Well, I I would I would argue differently with regard to your your your point about the Lakers
16:36Thanks so much for the call John. I look at players. And so okay, who are the Western Conference players who've lifted a trophy?
16:44It's Jokic. It's LeBron. It's Fred Van Vliet. It's Stefan Drayvon Randy pointed out of my ear
16:50It's Kawhi Leonard and it's it's Kevin Durant
16:54Like and I guess if you want to say Klay Thompson with the Dallas Mavericks
16:58Yep, you count the Mavericks and sons are now irrelevant the Clippers
17:02I'm not gonna call irrelevant, but that's not a contender to me and Kawhi doesn't play enough basketball
17:08I think that you're looking at Jokic LeBron and Steph
17:14That's what that's what you're looking at liners and in Oklahoma City is the favorite and for my money those three teams that I just
17:20Mentioned are the biggest threats to Oklahoma City because of that experience
17:25Oklahoma City's the best team and after that I'll look to the big-time players who've done it before
17:31Denver the Lakers and the Warriors, but in that group
17:35It's easy for me, which one is the scariest and it's LeBron James because a he's LeBron B
17:41There's a history there against the Warriors see the way they're officiated
17:44I hate and and and D when they've been at full strength
17:48They've looked really good and and I can't say that for the Nuggets right now
17:53No, and I I do think that the more I go deep into Denver
17:58I think a lot of it is what you were talking about, which is regular season ho-hum will be fine in the playoff
18:04But also it's the minutes that they're playing and I just was
18:07Sorting minutes and they have four players in the top 19 in the league in total minutes played
18:15four of the 19 and
18:18You know, it's it's Jokic. It's Braun
18:21It's Murray and it's Porter jr. They all play mass minutes and they've got a problem. Yes, the problem is
18:29Exactly. Well, you can't do that when you're about to get to the playoffs
18:32Well, you can hopefully if you do it, right you start resting some guys and you get them ready for the playoffs
18:38But the way they've been playing all these guys and you know
18:41Jokic is 10th in the league in just total minutes the guys played in
18:4762 games so he plays every night and when he plays he plays 36 minutes 38 minutes
18:53And so I think that they're just tired. They're worn down, baby
18:56But but again, if that's the case, then they're in trouble. That's not I don't look at that as like, oh, well, that'll get better
19:04That's not gonna get better. Probably not. That's not gonna get better
19:07They're not deep enough and I think the Warriors can take that team
19:11I think the Warriors are gonna take that team tonight and I think they can take that team in the playoffs the Lakers
19:18I got questions. Yeah, I mean, it's just a bad matchup. I think and you're right about
19:23OKC and
19:24You know Shea Gildas Alexander is a great player, but he is a guard
19:28he's a six-foot-three guard who can't cause as much havoc as
19:326'8 LeBron and 6'10 Jokic and you know, some of the other guys some of the other real big size
19:38Even Luka with the Lakers. He's a tough cover for them, too
19:42They're 56 and 12 fine. Yeah, no good. Yeah, I'm not saying that they can't be beat
19:48I'm just saying that I've won one playoff series right in right in the last four or five years, right?
19:55So, you know, then then suddenly you go do it. You know what I mean?
20:00Yeah, I mean how many playoff series had the Warriors won prior to the year where they won the whole thing?
20:04They had won one one. Yeah, they won one and lost and then the next year they lost to the Clippers and seven exactly
20:10Then they went 67 and 15 and won the whole title. It sounds very very similar to Oklahoma City
20:15Okay, I compare Oklahoma City right now to the Warriors the first year that they won the title they look very similar to me
20:21I also think that the league and you made this point last week. The league now is a lot deeper
20:28There's a lot more really good teams and you know, the East has two maybe three good teams, New York, Milwaukee
20:35Yeah, I mean Cleveland's is really good in Boston defending champs
20:39But in the West you could look at five or six teams and say you could make a case for five or six teams
20:46Make a case for them to win the conference though the team that we're leaving out of this
20:51Conversation which absolutely needs to be in it. You're right is
20:55Minnesota we haven't even mentioned that. Oh you always mention them, dude. It's your thing dude eight in a row
21:02They are tough. They're cooking
21:05They are you want to talk about the opposite of Denver the depth that they have and by the way
21:11Did that not already rear its ugly head against Denver last year?
21:15When does depth come into play? Well, I'd argue probably like I don't know game seven of a series and
21:21Denver had them at their building in a back-and-forth series and
21:26Completely got run off the floor
21:29because Minnesota can throw a bench at you that's totally different than what Denver's bench can do and
21:34Ant is young and motivated and all of those things and I think they're even better this year
21:40People will go but they lost cat. Yeah. Yep. They did they lost cat
21:45I don't know if come playoff time if that's a good thing or a bad thing
21:49Julius Randall is at least a poor man's cat and now you've got people like D
21:54Vincenzo I already loved not read coming off the bench that team is a problem
21:59They played 13 guys last night, dude, by the way injury report really quickly
22:04I have a state not from the warrior game everyone that was questionable is still questionable Steph
22:08Jokic Murray and Gordon but from the Timberwolves game tonight that you guys not talking about necessarily
22:15They're hosting the Pacers tonight Tyrese Halliburton for the Pacers is out
22:20So a big boost there for Minnesota who has already won eight games in a row and Pascal Siakam was already out
22:26So that would be their two best players. Yeah, okay
22:30Minnesota's knocking they are knocking on the warriors. Oh, they're a problem. Yeah
22:34We're just over here partying about the Warriors every day and by tonight they could be in the play-in tournament yet again, right?
22:43You know or they could be one game closer to the two seed
22:46Because they're only three and a half out of the two seed right now the Warriors they could I mean good. It's
22:53But between Houston and Minnesota, it's three and a half games the two to the seven was only like 15 left, right?
23:02Yep