Celtics & 76ers Major Contenders in East? + Surprising Suns & OKC’s Quest For 70

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Celtics & 76ers Major Contenders in East? + Surprising Suns & OKC’s Quest For 70"

Podcast: Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective
Date: January 5, 2026
Host: Brian Windhorst
Guests: Tim Bontemps, Tim MacMahon

Overview

In this rich NBA episode, Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps, and Tim MacMahon explore the current state and outlook of Eastern Conference contenders—the Celtics and the 76ers—while also spotlighting the surprising Phoenix Suns, the thunderous performance of Devin Booker, and Oklahoma City’s flirtation with a historic 70-win season. The crew unpacks recent games, standout player performances, coaching impacts, and the wild, always-evolving narratives in the league.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Phoenix Suns: More Than a Feel-Good Story

• Suns’ Win Over OKC:

  • Devin Booker hit a clutch three over tough defense, marking his ninth go-ahead shot in the final five seconds of regulation/OT—second only to DeMar DeRozan since Booker's rookie year. ([03:10])
  • The Suns came back from an 18-point deficit, thanks to standout performances: Dylan Brooks (22 pts), Jordan Goodwin (26 pts, career-high, 8 threes), and stifling defense.

• Exceeding Expectations:

  • "You're in a hell of a lot better shape than I thought you'd be." —MacMahon to Suns management ([06:38])
  • The Suns were written off as lottery-bound but now sit 21-14, with margin wins and strong team identity.
  • Dylan Brooks credited as the new defensive identity, while Colin Gillespie, Ryan Dunn, and Jordan Goodwin represent savvy "wins on the margins" by the front office. ([12:24])

• Booker’s Clutch Mentality:

  • When asked about comfort taking tough shots:
    • "Pretty comfortable." —Devin Booker ([03:16])

• Depth & Coaching:

  • Jordan Ott drawing Coach of the Year buzz for maximizing a non-superstar, defensive-minded roster.
  • Team effort, rather than solo superstardom—Booker is shooting just 29% from three but the wins keep coming. ([10:23])

2. Oklahoma City Thunder—Suspending, Not Retiring, the 70-Win Watch

• The 70-Win Hype:

  • Recent losses push their projected pace to ~68 wins; panel "suspends" rather than retires the 70-win watch, pending another big run. ([05:09])

• Key to Beating OKC:

  • Limit Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) and keep the Thunder from running (only 2 fast break pts vs PHX). ([08:05])
  • "If you hold Shai to under 30 points, it's an accomplishment." —Windhorst ([07:18])

3. Celtics’ Dominance & Jaylen Brown’s Rise

• Impressive Road Trip:

  • Boston finishes a Western swing 4-1 and ends the Clippers’ win streak, with Jaylen Brown’s 50-point outburst and dogged defense on Kawhi Leonard. ([19:55])

• The “Snub” Motivation:

  • Jaylen Brown fueled by not winning Eastern Conference Player of the Month.
    • "I believe I'm the best two way player in the world. I just wanted to go out and show it." —Jaylen Brown ([21:40])
  • Panel skewers the idea that Player of the Month awards actually matter, but admires Brown’s ability to turn slights into fuel. ([22:21])

• Best "Two-Way" Case:

  • Brown’s December: 31.7 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 5.4 APG, 54/43/79 splits, and elite defense—opponents shoot just 39.37% when guarded by him, second best in the league. ([25:28])
  • "Have at it, man—because he talked his talk and then he backed it up." —MacMahon ([24:19])

• Celtics Outlook:

  • With Derek White, Peyton Pritchard stepping up, and Brown carrying added load amid Jason Tatum’s injury, Boston's group defense and grit impress.
  • If Tatum returns at full strength, Bontemps: “Celtics are a real threat… going to be really hard to beat in the playoffs.” ([25:43])

• Efficiency Oddities:

  • Brown is hitting a career-high 57% on “long twos” (16-23 ft), far above league average.
  • Nikola Jokic shooting 64% from the same range—a statistical marvel. ([30:13])

4. 76ers—Healthy and Believing Again

• Recent Wins & Embiid’s Return to Form:

  • Philly is beating teams like New York and Dallas, with Embiid dunking for the first time all season—symbolic of getting his physical confidence back. ([34:13], [34:54])

• Locker Room Vibes:

  • Embiid is “acting like himself again,” engaging in playful banter, talking trash—contrasting last year’s depressed tone. ([37:57])

• Ceiling as Title Contender:

  • "If this Sixers team is healthy on April 15, they have the highest ceiling… in the East." —Bontemps ([38:37])
  • Tyrese Maxey emerging as a superstar leading the team.
    • "Tyrese Maxey is a superstar and it’s his team. Embiid compliments him, not the other way around." —MacMahon ([42:11])

• Strong Rookie Impact:

  • VJ Edgecombe, rewarded through strategic tanking, is giving Philly much-needed athleticism and shooting. ([40:28])

5. Other Notable Player & Team Storylines

• Dylan Brooks’ Technicals:

  • Has already racked up 11 techs, more than Draymond Green, foreshadowing suspensions. ([13:44])

• Draymond Green Behaviors and Ejections:

  • Another ejection; Windhorst details a recent incident and the pattern of veteran officials backing up their less experienced colleagues against star tirades. ([15:28])

6. Monthly "Cojones Factor" and Clutch Performer Awards

• Explaining the Award:
  • The "Cojones Factor" is awarded (with shifting, cheeky criteria) to the NBA player with the most clutch and swag-factor in a given month.
  • This month: Nikola Jokic (Brass Balls): 51 points in 30 clutch minutes, including a historic 18-point overtime Christmas Day outburst. ([49:00])
  • Anthony Edwards (Silver), Keonte George (Gold) for their game-winning feats.
  • Ongoing inside-jokes about how the award's criteria “change every month” and how nobody remembers prior winners… much like Player of the Month honors. ([55:26])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Suns:

  • “You're in a hell of a lot better shape than I thought you'd be.” —MacMahon ([06:38])
  • “I don't want to say you're overachieving, but you're definitely exceeding expectations.” —MacMahon ([06:38])

• On Jaylen Brown:

  • “I believe I'm the best two way player in the world. I just wanted to go out and show it.” —Jaylen Brown ([21:40])
  • “He talked his talk and then he backed it up with an absolutely dominant performance.” —MacMahon ([24:19])

• On Tyrese Maxey & the Sixers:

  • “Tyrese Maxey is a superstar and it’s his team. Embiid compliments him, not the other way around.” —MacMahon ([42:11])
  • “If the Sixers team is healthy on April 15, they have the highest ceiling...in the East.” —Bontemps ([38:37])

• On the "Cojones Factor":

  • “Who had the best combination of clutch and swag in that month? ...That’s why I watch you.” —MacMahon/Joking with Bontemps ([55:31])

• On the Importance of Petty Motivation:

  • “[Jaylen Brown’s] motivation for putting up 50…was that he didn’t win Eastern Conference Player of the Month.” —Windhorst ([21:48])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Suns Thunder Recap, Booker's Clutch Shot: 02:05 – 04:22
• Thunder 70-win watch: 04:45 – 05:57
• Suns’ Team Build, Overachievement: 06:05 – 07:18, 10:20 – 10:23
• Dylan Brooks’ impact, Sun’s Identity: 12:24 – 14:00
• Booker’s Clutch Stats, Postgame Interview: 03:35 – 04:22
• Celtics, Jaylen Brown Motivation & Dominance: 19:55 – 26:54
• Jaylen Brown’s Efficiency Stats: 27:17 – 30:13
• Jokic Distance Shooting, Comparison with Brown: 30:13 – 31:02
• 76ers, Embiid’s Return to Form, Team Chemistry: 34:13 – 38:01
• Sixers’ Ceiling, Maxey’s Rise: 38:37 – 42:12
• Cojones Factor Segment: 44:49 – 56:06

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Tone and Format Observations

• Lighthearted, banter-heavy but full of sharp insights and deep analytics.
• Regular inside jokes (especially about changing award criteria and the meaninglessness of monthly honors).
• Personalized, direct player/team criticism and praise; not shy about calling out front offices or own “incorrect” preseason predictions.

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Conclusion

This episode is a deep dive into the evolving NBA landscape, showing the importance of team identity, healthy competition, player motivation (however petty), and how difference-makers can emerge in surprising ways. The Celtics and 76ers are finding ways to separate from the pack, the Suns are outpacing dire predictions, and as always, there’s never a shortage of weird and wonderful storylines in the Association.

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For further listening:

• [03:35] – Booker's clutch DNA
• [21:40] – Jaylen Brown's postgame quote
• [38:37] – Bontemps on the 76ers' ceiling
• [49:00] – Jokic’s clutch performance breakdown

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Hello and welcome to the Hoop Collective podcast. We talk about the NBA, which we're doing on late Sunday evening. Probably cross over into Monday morning while we're doing this. Joining us from New York City, where earlier today he went and saw the Nuggets play in Brooklyn. The Nets won the game, Tim Bontemps. But the Nuggets got a couple players back, which is not something I've said in weeks.

[C]

Hello everybody. Yes, Christian Brown and Aaron Gordon came back And Michael Porter Jr. Got revenge.

[B]

You think so that was it. It was one day, one Sunday, glorious Sunday afternoon. He got revenge.

[C]

I mean, he played well and they won the game.

[D]

I don't know what he.

[B]

I don't know.

[C]

He had said he had the game circled. He played well and they won by a bunch of points.

[B]

Well, I saw. Well, he had missed a game and he was miraculously healthy for this.

[C]

I believe he missed the last two games. They lost. Who did they play? They played Houston Thursday. He sat out with an illness and he sat out the tank bowl in D.C. which the Wizards won on Friday. But he was ready to go this afternoon and played quite well.

[B]

The Wizards are picking up some wins. They're up to nine wins now and I believe they've passed the Kings, quote, unquote passed the Kings.

[C]

They have passed the Kings and the Pelicans both.

[B]

Yeah. Joining us from Phoenix, Arizona, where just a little bit ago he covered the Suns with a beautiful victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Booker nailing a 3 where I actually felt that the Thunder had relatively good defense on the play. Less than a second to go is Ban McMahon.

[D]

Howdy, partners. First howdy partners of the new year after I was so rudely not given that opportunity on our Ballard or Pod. Yeah, no. Hell of a win for the Suns. I was actually in the building the last time these teams played when Devin Booker was not healthy. And it was the most lopsided game in the NBA this season, a 49 point blowout for the Thunder in the NBA cup quarterfinals. But this is. Look, man, Suns 21 and 14. Dylan Brooks again, you know, scored 22 points. You know, he's all over the place. Jordan Goodwin. Career high 26. Knocked down eight threes that allowed them to come back from an 18 point deficit. And this is, according to our fine friends at ESPN research, the ninth time in Book's career he's hit a go ahead shot in the final five seconds of the fourth quarter overtime. More than every other player in the league since he's been in the league. Except for one. Any guesses on who that one is?

[C]

Name the stat for me again.

[D]

Nine go ahead shots for Booker in the final five seconds of the fourth or ot.

[B]

It's hard to know when you have stats like this because you're saying final five. I mean, by the way, I don't have a good guess.

[C]

Damian Lillard?

[D]

No. Good guess.

[B]

I don't know.

[D]

My guy was higher than Dame on the all time scoring list.

[B]

Probably just LeBron. Cause he's been around for so long.

[D]

No, because since Book's been in the league, DeMar DeRozan.

[C]

Oh, DeMar, sure.

[D]

Yeah. But you know, needless to say, Book is more than comfortable in these situations. Eve is funny. He hit it over Caruso. There's a late double coming from Dort. You know, he knew if he, if he went inside the three point line, especially in the paint, the double was coming. So he got it up before Dort could really affect him. But this was an ISO against one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. And I, you know, I mentioned that to Booker during his postgame press conference and I said, you know, I, I, it wasn't a great question. I said something like how comfortable are you in that situation, even against a defender of that caliber? He gave him the two word answer, pretty comfortable and then just stone face. But he looked pretty comfortable, that's for sure.

[B]

Yeah, well, it was, you know, the Suns are a team that have sort of graduated from like nice early story to like something to pay attention to and you know, they advanced in the NBA cup, which was a moment and now they get this nice win and I don't know. So the, what are they? What are they? 30 and 6. The thunder now.

[D]

30 and 6? Yeah.

[B]

Are we retiring the 70 wind talk or is, or are we still, I.

[D]

Don'T know that we're, we're definitely not retiring it. I'm going to do a little bit of math. Oops, that's not how we do that.

[C]

We retired it when they lost three out of four games.

[B]

Yeah, but, but, but then if they had won like 17 more in a.

[C]

Row, I mean, sure, they have to get back on that kind of pace again, that's what I would say they.

[D]

Were, they were on a sub that now I think the record, you know, the 74. I think we can retire that. What could. They can lose only two more games all season. You know, this knocks him back off of a 70 win pace. Now they're only on a 68.3 win pace. I still anticipate that I'm going to be on a 70 win watch. I just, I was, I thought it might be late March now. It'll at least be in April.

[C]

The it's retired until they get themselves back on pace for it.

[B]

Well, it'd be suspended. Retired means we're not doing anymore whatever.

[D]

Now, Michael Jordan came back from retirement.

[B]

Several times, if I recall.

[C]

I've had it paused since they lost the three games to the Spurs. And if they go on a big run again, then it'll be different. But at that point they were already off the pace, so.

[B]

Right. Well, they were on pace for a really long time.

[C]

Right.

[B]

So I don't think it was, I don't think it was disrespectful. I don't think it was, you know, out of line.

[D]

But I mean, regardless, to beat the Thunder is a statement win, especially for a team like Phoenix that came into the season. And let's be honest, dude, these guys thought they were pretty good. And we thought they were insane for thinking they were pretty good. Right?

[B]

They did. We mocked, we mocked some of the stuff that, that Mattish B. Has said.

[D]

I told him not to do his face tonight. Ran into him in the, in the, in the stairway and told him that.

[B]

You love telling people to stuff to their face.

[D]

No, I mean, I just said, hey, you guys are.

[C]

People listen to the podcast. They're aware of what we said.

[D]

The way I told him, I said, I don't want to say you're overachieving, but you're definitely exceeding expectations. You're in a hell of a lot better shape than I thought you'd be. And by the way, you know who, they're a hell of a lot better shape than the Memphis Grizzlies thought they would be. Remember when the Grizzlies made the Desmond Bain trade? They thought the best asset they were getting of all those picks and players, they thought the best asset they were getting was the Sun's pick this year. As of right now, they won't even get that pick. Right. They'll get the Magic pick instead because the Magic have a worse record by, you know, a little bit of a cushion they have a worse record than the. Than the Suns do.

[B]

The Magic did get a victory over the Pacers, but bad news. Jalen Suggs hurt his knee over the weekend. They called it an MCL contusion. I'm not sure I've ever heard of a ligament contusion, but whatever it is, he's going to miss some time. But they did get a win on Sunday. By the way, anytime you hold Shai Gildas Alexander to under 30 points, whether you win or not, I think it's an accomplishment. And they did, the Suns did. Tonight, he was only 8 of 22, which is very rare to get him on that kind of inefficient night. So I think there's a couple of things you have to accomplish to beat the Thunder, and one of them is to keep Shea under control, which they did. I think that's significant.

[D]

And to keep him from running. The Thunder only had two fast break points tonight. You know, and those two things are related because Shay is a mint. Not Shay's a menace all over the place, but in transition. And I asked Shay about the defense, and he said, hey, they did a good job, you know, but everybody plays me in the gaps and stuff. He's never seen one on one.

[B]

He's, he's.

[D]

He said he felt like he missed some shots that he usually makes, but the Suns have multiple guys that they can throw at elite scores. You know, it's not just Dillon Brooks. Ryan Dunn was on him a lot of the time, and Ryan Dunn is a heck of a young defender.

[B]

There's a lot of point guards getting minutes in the league this year that are not playing as well as Colin Gillespie either, I may want to point out, because that was the one thing.

[C]

Yeah, he's been great. I mean, he's really sort of the epitome of the sun season, really. Like the guy who has come out of nowhere, been really good for them and McMahon. It's not a. It's not a insult to say the Suns are overachieving. The Suns are overachieving. Like, that's fine. They're having an awesome season. Like, even the Suns, you, you said before the season, hey, Phoenix, 35 games in the season, you're going to be 21 and 14, and you're going to be in seventh place in the West. I don't think they would have believed that if you were really asking them truthfully what they were going to be. They thought they were going to be feisty and competitive, and they thought, you know, they thought they'd be in games and they would play hard and be Devin Booker and a bunch of guys guarding and you know, that was a team I think they thought they could be in the play in. I don't think they thought they'd be fighting for a top six spot in the west. Which again is a credit to Jordan Ott. It's a credit to this team. I mean, honestly, I'm not sure Devin Booker is an all Star this year. He's having a fine year. Listen, he's shooting 29% from 3. Like he's not having. My point is he's not having some otherworldly season. Right. If we'd said before the year Suns are 21 and 14, we would have thought Devin Booker's averaging like Donovan Mitchell, right. Like 31 a game and crazy efficiency. Like they're winning as a team, playing hard nose defense and grinding out wins. And like I just think it's, it's been really, really impressive the way they've.

[B]

Played and their coaches acquitting himself very well.

[C]

Yeah, Fabulous, fabulous season. I mean he should be right, right near the top in coach of the year voting at this point in the year. And, and like I said, that's not, that's really what I said about Book isn't a commentary on him as much as it is. I just, the Suns are doing this as a group. Like it, it's really impressive what Jordan Ott and these guys have done and it's been a really fun story. And yeah, like you said, big man coming into the season, we didn't think, I certainly didn't think Phoenix was going to be anywhere near this good. Like you said, the Grizzlies didn't think they were going to be anywhere near this good. Nobody thought they're going to be near this good. So it's, it's a really, it's a really fun, it's a really, really fun story through the first couple of months.

[B]

Go ahead, McMahon.

[D]

I was going to say especially you, Bon Tims, because you said many times and Wendy and I did not necessarily push back on this that the Phoenix Suns were in the worst situation in NBA history. That was the thing.

[C]

It was repeatedly last year and I believe it.

[D]

Let me just say this, you know, and again, we didn't push back. Like, yeah, they took big swings that blew up in their face now and we hammered on Ishbia for it. We hammered on really Ishbia, Ishba and the funnel.

[B]

What we got him on was he was like, I wasn't really involved and Now I'm going to get involved. As if the first day he owned the team, he didn't make one of those.

[D]

But we always blame, we always blame Ishbia for the big swings that blew up in his face. Like you said, literally, the ink is drying on the Sail contract and you're trading for Kevin Durant and then next thing you know, Beals there, whatever. What they have actually done well as a front office is they've got some wins on the margins. You mentioned Colin Gillespie. That's a guy. Hey, Denver had him on a two way. They let him go. Phoenix signed him on a two way. He earned a standard contract. You know, he's putting himself in position to earn a really nice contract this summer. Ryan Dunn, that's the guy that traded into the tail end of the first round to get. Ryan Dunn's a very nice player. Jordan Goodwin, he's bounced around the league. He's a, you know, scrap heap pickup.

[C]

He's Jordan Goodwin. The team he was on last year, the Lakers, yeah, they certainly could use a guy who can guard like Jordan Goodwin can.

[D]

And then Dylan Brooks has helped them establish the identity that they want. That's a hard playing, tough identity. When they made that trade, Brooks was the. And I've talked to ISHB about this night. Brooks was the identity that they wanted and Jalen Green was upside. Jalen Green's played, I don't know, had the minutes in front of me like a game and a quarter. He's about to come back, by the way. It's going to be interesting when he comes back. Based on the people I've talked to, he's going to come back. I don't know if he'll be right into the starter, but the plan is once he's ramped up, he's going to be starting and they're bringing Gillespie off the bench. Um, to this point they've ignored my advice to have to plug Jalen Green into that six man role and keep him there.

[C]

That's what I would do too, if it was me.

[B]

But let, let, let's see how that goes. Sometimes you gotta ease your way into that. Um, you mentioned Dylan Brooks, um, when Draymond Green got ejected on Saturday night. Second time he's been ejected in seven games. And that doesn't include the time when he left the bench and the warriors actually came back and won the game. After he got ejected, I went and looked. He has nine technicals now and I wanted, I was like, wow, nine technicals. Because, what is it, 16? He gets. Gets suspended. Not even at, by the way, in that game. You know, so he gets nine. Draymond has nine.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Brooks has 11. I think I will say.

[B]

Well, that's what I was going to say. I went and looked at the technicals to see where they were, and I saw Dylan brooks already got 11, which, you know, we're not even at the halfway point yet. Like, slow down.

[D]

Well, and he's aware of that and he said, you know, that he will tone down a little bit. But here's. I'll tell you a secret. No, he won't. Dylan Brooks is going to be suspended at some point, probably a couple points. That's just part of the deal with Dylan Brooks. He's going to get suspended for too many tees, but he's going to play his ass off. He's going to work hard. He's. Guys will follow him. And this year he's actually scoring 20 plus a game, which I ain't going to lie, I didn't see coming.

[B]

He's actually scoring a lot. I will say in that game against the warriors game where Draymond got ejected, his behavior in that game was ridiculous. So I'm just.

[C]

Draymond has been bad for over a month. Like, just flat out bad, and it's becoming more of a problem. And in that game, he was -15 in 12 minutes and they won by nine.

[D]

So it's gotten to the point where he gets ejected and you've got Jimmy Butler, post game, basically telling the reporters, hey, hey, stop it, guys. No, it's not a good thing that he got ejected. We actually do want him on the floor.

[B]

Well, he. They do need him to play well for them to win at the highest level. I don't think that's wrong.

[C]

You said a key word. They need him to play well.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Well, they also need to play.

[B]

I will say this. So he. What would happen in this particular game if you didn't see. It is a big football weekend. He. It was the second quarter and he was furious about Kyle Filipowski getting away with three seconds, which is, you know.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

And he was. He pretty much lost his mind and just stopped playing to scream at the official there, who, by the way, Simone Jelks, who is from Cleveland and was a basketball star in Cleveland and she later played at.

[D]

Was she an all defensive selection in the PAC12?

[B]

I believe she. I know she went. I know she went to usc. I don't remember her stats at usc.

[D]

I'm just saying Draymond should respect an all Defensive selection.

[B]

Fair point. Anyway, he was absolutely showing her up. She's a young official. She's maybe her second or third year in the league, and she's. He was showing her up and she stood up to him and gave him a tech and he didn't back down. And Kevin Cutler, who's the veteran crew chief, came over and defended Simone from Draymond, which is what you see in the NBA a lot. You see the veteran official will protect the younger officials because, you know, so like, whatever. But you know, he's.

[D]

Well, also Kevin Cutler, a former college basketball player, 6 foot 8 and still.

[B]

Oh, here we go. That's what that was all about.

[C]

Kennedy, two things.

[D]

Not a big guy, six eight, big tall fella.

[C]

Two things. Bill Kennedy, the. The best on the mic guy in the league was the crew chief in that game. We got a couple of Bill Kennedy reviews in that game, which are always a delight. And the thing you left out about Draymond going insane on this play is he goes insane screaming at the ref. And what does he do? Give up an uncontested dunk by not paying any attention to what the hell was going on in the court.

[B]

That's right.

[C]

Letting Guy go right by him and dunk the ball and getting two tacks to give up two more free throws. So, you know, good work.

[D]

Anyway, 2007, 08.

[B]

Did you all.

[D]

Defensive team, some jokes.

[B]

There you go. Oh, all right. The other day, I don't know. I didn't see the game, so I have no idea whether this is actually true or not, but it sounds good. But Joe Missoula, this is not good.

[C]

Where are we going with this?

[B]

Joe Missoula said that he. He didn't really even care that much about challenging this play. The game was decided. He just the challenge because he wanted to see and hear Bill Kennedy do the challenge. Do the.

[D]

It's entertaining.

[C]

I suspect that was not a real answer from Joe, but I didn't know.

[B]

Like I said, I don't know. I just. I read. I did something old fashioned. I read the quote, by the way. It's very hard with Joe to know whether.

[C]

How I did enjoy the quote. I will tell him soon that I enjoyed it.

[D]

Mitch Irvin, about 6 foot 2, I would guess he had the game tonight in Phoenix as the crew chief. Couple of challenges. He has the most polite announcements. He says thank you at the end.

[B]

Oh, isn't that kind? You wouldn't say thank you?

[C]

No, he wouldn't.

[B]

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[C]

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[D]

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[B]

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[D]

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[B]

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[D]

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[C]

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[D]

Okay, so I might say you is the last word. But yeah, more Hoop Collective podcast after this.

[B]

Speaking of speaking of the Celtics, I don't know if you guys saw they just finished a road trip four and one. A western road trip four and one. They broke the Clippers six game six or seven game winning strike. I can't remember what it was on Saturday night where Jaylen Brown put up a 50 piece.

[D]

And while serving as the primary defender on sizzling Kawhi Leonard.

[B]

Right. And after the game said he feels like he's one of the best two way players in the league which I.

[C]

Don'T believe he said he's the best.

[D]

Two way player there was no one of.

[C]

Pretty sure he said he's the best.

[B]

So I will say this, I will.

[C]

Find the exact quote to double check but I'm pretty sure I have that one right.

[B]

I think. Okay then I think he said I'm one of those guys or I don't know. Anyway, in the spirit of Michael Jordan who always looked for things to inspire him and fire him up. Over the course of my 23 years covering the NBA I have seen many things used as motivation. Some of them absolutely legitimate, some of them, you know they're stretching it, some of them laughable. I am not sure bontemps where to rank what Jaylen Brown used as his motivation for this performance. I guess the Celtics and their fans don't care but his motivation for coming out and actually he said that they were flying down from Sacramento and while he was on the plane he text Joe Missoula. Missoula was sitting whatever in the coach's cabin and Jalen was sitting in the player's Cabin, I guess on Delta, which is what the teams fly. The WI fi was working the airline that I fly a lot. The WI fi only works half the time. So I guess the WI fi must have been working. So it was very unfortunate for the.

[C]

Gotta get a new private plane window.

[B]

That the jet had working WI fi. He said, I want to guard Kawhi. His motivation for not only putting up 50, calling himself either the best two way player in the league or one of the best two way players in the league.

[C]

This is the quote.

[B]

The quote is I'm not done. I'm not done.

[C]

Just let me give the quote. I believe I'm the best two way player in the world. I just wanted to go out and show it.

[B]

Okay. His motivation for all of that was that he didn't win Eastern Conference defense player of the month.

[C]

All right, let's stop right there. This ridiculous whining, not Jaylen Brown. Jaylen Brown being annoyed about it and saying stuff about it is one thing. The people in Boston complaining about Jaylen Brown not winning player of the month. Nobody has ever can ever remember who won player of the month in any month in the history of the NBA.

[B]

I don't know who won Western Conference player of the month.

[C]

No one knows anything. What are they doing?

[B]

Okay, who won it in November?

[C]

I have no idea. I think Joe, neither do you and.

[D]

Neither does anybody tell you.

[C]

You don't know it. I don't know. No one knows.

[B]

I'll bet it was no one.

[C]

No one. No one complaining about this knows who won it in Octo, October or November.

[D]

Well, there's Boston, but there's Boston butt kissing going on here for sure. But Jaylen Brown, for whatever reason has repeatedly felt snubbed. He's been all NBA one time, a great time. Got him the supermax eligibility.

[B]

That's the time to get it was.

[D]

He was Finals mvp.

[C]

He was also Eastern Conference. I was going to say which he.

[B]

Sent out thank you notes.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

For voting. Which, you know, like I don't want a thank you note necessarily but like, you know, he sent out signed thank you notes like thank you for voting me for all NBA if you voted for him. He waited to see who actually voted for him.

[D]

And so this is a guy who feels like he is an. He's underappreciated and hey man, I'm just going to tell you the stats he had in December. 31.7 points per game, six and a half rebounds, 5.4 assists, great efficiency, 54, 43, 79 basically and playing great Defensively, okay, here's my thing. If you want to and moan about not getting an award and then you back it up with a performance like that, have at it, man. Because he talked his talk and then he backed it up with an absolutely dominant performance. And you know, it's, he's making it. So who's the best two way player in the game? He's making a case. We can talk about ant. We can talk about Wimby. Jaylen Brown's having as good a year as any of those guys. Giannis is no longer the defensive factor that he used to be.

[C]

Let's just set aside that debate. I don't think we need to get into that debate. What after, after just blasting everybody on this whining about Jaylen Brown, Let me say Jaylen Brown's having a phenomenal season. This is what Jaylen Brown's numbers are across the board. 30.1 points on 51% shooting, 37% from three, 78% from the line, six boards, five assists, a steal a game. And he's doing it with Jason Tatum out as the number one option, being the focal point of the defense every night. He is a guy who plays defense at the other end. And look, go ahead.

[D]

I want to add, this is from our, our stats, folks. He's holding opponents to 39.37% shooting from the floor. And the reason that 0.37 is important, Vick's 39.4. It's the second lowest among 111 players to defend at least 300 shots per Genius IQ. Cason Wallace, who is a defender first and foremost, is the only guy holding opponents to a lower field goal percentage in the league this year.

[C]

Yeah, and he's, he's having a, he's having an awesome season.

[D]

Expensive type of stuff.

[C]

He's having a great season. And look, the Celtics go into Monday's action and if they win in Chicago, I think it's in Chicago.

[D]

Right.

[C]

Or is the game in Boston? The game is in Boston. If they win a home game against the Bulls on Monday, they will either be in second place in the east by themselves if the Pistons beat the Knicks in Detroit, or if the Knicks win, there'll be two games out of first place in the Eastern Conference standings with Jason Tatum again TBD on whether he's going to return to what he's going to look like. And I will continue to say if Jason Tatum can come back and be some facsimile of what he was before he got hurt this season, which is a lot of ifs. We'll see what happens with that. The Celtics are a real threat in the east because all these other teams have very serious flaws. And the Celtics have been there and done it. And with Derek White and Peyton Pritchard and these other guys, and with Jalen Brown playing like this, they're going to be a team that's going to be really hard to beat in the playoffs. And going back to October, these guys were determined to show that this was not going to be a gap year. And full credit to him and full credit to Jaylen Brown for the way he's playing because he has been awesome all the way through and Saturday was the best game he's obviously played so far.

[B]

So Jaylen Brown, one of the things he's really leaned into is he's like, screw it. I'm going to take long, long twos. Because even though it's not an efficient shot, Jaylen Brown happens to be arguably. I don't know if he would. If we were to say he's the best or one of the best.

[D]

Shea's probably the best. But yeah, he is.

[B]

I'll look it up in a second. He is really, really good at long twos. So looking at basketball reference, they would define a long two as anything between 16ft in the three point line. What do you guys think? Jalen is shooting between six. So for his career, he's 47% from that range, which is, which is strong.

[D]

Which is very good. You know that. But that's why it's an inefficient shot.

[B]

What a coach would say is if you're saying, if you're shooting it from there, just take a step and a half back and shoot the three well.

[D]

And a lot of times those shots are late. Shot clock. You got to get something that's a shot you can get in those situations.

[B]

He's shooting 57%.

[C]

Well, yeah, that's what I just, I just was looking at this. I mean, this is, this is a. First of all, you're looking at the wrong number. So Jaylen Brown is a career 43% shooter from 16 to 23ft and he's shooting 14 points higher than that this season, which is obviously a bit of an outlier now.

[B]

He.

[C]

He's having a great year. I would guess we're going to get to a stretch here coming up where Jaylen Brown is probably going to shoot 25% on those shots for a while because. Just. Because he's probably not going to shoot just. I mean, that's who he Is, Is he gonna. Is he gonna remain 14 points above his average all season? I guess probably not.

[B]

He's. He's a good. He. He's obviously good at it. He's leaning into it. Do I think he's gonna shoot 57%?

[C]

No, I just, I can't. That number's crazy.

[B]

But he is leading the league, he. In two point attempts. He is eschewing the march towards the three and saying, I'm really good at the long two. I'm going to take those shots.

[C]

I'm looking. I never knew how to pronounce.

[D]

I never knew how to pronounce that word.

[B]

I thought it was a new word for you while you're looking.

[C]

So shay is shooting 48% on those shots this season, which is the second highest mark of his career. He shot 49% a few years ago.

[B]

Yeah, typically you want the guy to shoot all, you know, you. Oh, you want a 20 footer, go ahead.

[C]

But I mean, guys don't got. There's people who don't shoot 56.6% on shots at the rim.

[B]

That's what I'm saying. I mean, like, he's. And like, by the way, we're 35 games in. This is not a small sample size.

[C]

No, that's not a small sample size at all.

[B]

So in this stretch, you know, Derek White got off to a, to a, you know, a shaky start. He's been playing very well. He had like 28 or 29 points on Saturday. You know who's been playing really well for the, for the Celtics and like been just a tremendous pickup is Luca Garza, who obviously both are bigs. Yeah, well, Nimi Keita has had a good year at both ends.

[C]

Just to jump in again just because I found it even more insane stat. So I was looking up people who are good at shooting and I decided I wanted to see Nikola Jokic's shooting percentage from 16 to 23ft.

[D]

Oh, it's ridiculous.

[C]

You want to, you want to guess.

[D]

What he is shooting?

[B]

Well, this crazy bastard shoots like 65% on every shot.

[C]

He is shooting 59. Yes, he is shooting this season. 64% on shots from 16 to 23ft. This is Yoko. Shooting percentage by distance.

[D]

A third of them are probably The Sombor shuffle one legger.

[C]

Well, he's shooting. He's. He's shooting 78% at the rim. He's shooting 63% from floater range. He's shooting 53 and a half percent from 10 to 16ft. He's shooting 64% from 16 to 23. And he's shooting 43% on threes. That's pretty good.

[D]

It's insane efficiency at every level.

[C]

It's pretty good.

[B]

By the way, Garza, after the game, after. After the win over the Clippers, which they ended up blowing him out, he was referencing how mad that Jalen was about not winning Player of the Month. And this is not an exact quote. I don't have it directly in front of me. Just. He was. But he was like, I knew he was going to have a good game. I'm not saying I knew he was going to score 50. I mean, I'm no LeBron, but I knew he was going to have a good game. Just like LeBron, taking shrapnel for his.

[C]

Well, the thing. The thing. The thing that Jalen Brown and Joe Missoula have in common is they walk around with a chip on their shoulder that's massive all the time. And they're constantly finding reasons to be angry in a positive way, like angry about something to fuel their motivation to do something. And they both get.

[B]

Do they both like it when their teammates bleed?

[C]

I don't know if Jalen does. I know Joe does.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

But they both came into the season with the same motivation to prove a lot of people wrong and that this was not going to be some lost season. And Jason Tatum's out. We're just going to float along and win 35 games, and we'll wait till next year, and then we'll come back. And it's been really fun to see, like, they're. They're. They've been great. And again, how wide open the east is. If you're a Boston fan or if you're a Celtic, you want to tell me they. They. You think they can win the east, especially when Tatum comes back, how am I going to argue with you?

[B]

We're adding contenders to the East. By the way, the NBA Player of the Month award started in the 79, 80 season. Okay, okay, LeBron. LeBron has the most. Okay, okay.

[D]

How many does he have?

[B]

Hold on. Kobe is second. Jordan is third.

[C]

Okay.

[D]

Wow.

[B]

Kobe had 17. Jordan had 16. How many does LeBron have?

[D]

34.

[C]

I'm going to. I was immediately going to guess 30, so I'll just guess 30.

[B]

You should have done the prices right. We should have gone one over 35. Oh, 41.

[D]

Yeah, I just went 34 because it's more than the other two guys combined.

[B]

Yeah, that's not bad. So, anyway, speaking of teams that are feeling good about themselves in The Eastern Conference on Saturday. Bon temps, I believe you were at the Garden. I was where the Sixers came in. They were finishing a long road trip, and they did something that they've been doing regularly, which is beating the Knicks. And Tyrese Maxey did something that he has been doing regularly since that playoff series a couple years ago when he threw in that, like, 38 footer to force overtime, which was one of the better playoff games of the last few years. He just ripped the Knicks, and the Sixers have now won three in a row. And in the last, like, two minutes of the game, maybe it was a minute and a half. Joel Embiid dunked.

[C]

Oh, he dunked. He dunked with about 10 seconds to go in the game.

[B]

Oh, is it that late in the game?

[C]

It was the last play of the game.

[D]

I tell you what, good thing Vuchovich wasn't in the building. He got after old. You saw he got after Lamello ball.

[C]

I mean, there was a. There was a there that. There was there. There was one final possession. And so he. The clock needed to. There would have been a shot clock.

[D]

By the way, same with lamelo.

[B]

The reason McMahon brings up is Vucevich is the guy from the Bulls who went aft, like, sort of stepped to Giannis last week when he went.

[D]

He did it to Lamelo, too, the other day.

[B]

Okay, I didn't even see that. But bon temps. Why was that relevant?

[C]

It was relevant because Joel Embiid had zero dunks on the season and now he is one.

[D]

And so the night or the game before that, they were in Dallas, and, you know, Embiid, they beat the Mavericks by 15 and then beat outplayed Anthony Davis. And, you know, Bead was saying, like, I'm starting to feel like myself again. But he mentioned that he hadn't dunked all season. I immediately, like, went back and double checked it. I'm like, wow, that was shocking to me now. And he also said, what's more shocking.

[B]

That he hadn't dunked or that he just announced that he hadn't dunked.

[D]

I think might have been, like, indirectly asked about it and. But he said, like, you know, my first dunk. Because there was like, a layup thing where he laid it in instead of dunking it. He said, you know, my first dunk, I gotta make it look good. Which he did. And this was just like your little squeak in, you know, okay, gosh, I'm right under the hoop. I might as well throw it down.

[C]

If you go back to Tuesday in Memphis, he tried to throw it off the backboard and dunk it and didn't. And then he made those comments the other day. Then he had the dunk last night and he had a few other comments, which I'll get to in a minute. But the thing that stood out to me about this game and about them winning was obviously last year couldn't have gone worse in Philly and was a disaster on about 100 levels for them. But this was the first time in probably over a year and a half maybe since that series against the the Knicks a year and a close to two years ago, which was the last time Joel Embiid had played at MSG before this game on Saturday night, where the Sixers felt like they really had the belief that they could make a run again. And I think more than anything, Embiid is acting like he is getting back to his normal self, which is the person who is making comments among. Along with playing. Well, like, for example, when he got asked about playing at the Garden and said it's always good to be here and talk back to the fans, they went quiet today. I guess that's what happens when you're losing the whole game.

[B]

Choell. Choell. And which.

[C]

Well, listen, and he was not. He was not like that early in the year. He was certainly not like that last year. Like I asked him, you know, big a big theme of yesterday or Saturday, I guess yesterday, Saturday for the listeners, was Nick Nurse said after the game, this is one of the first times we've had the same starting lineup three years in a row in or three games in a row.

[B]

But it felt like three years.

[C]

Yes, it felt like three years since we'd had three games in a row with the same starting five. And I asked him beat about it and he was like, oh, I guess you're taking a shot at me because I'm hurt all the time. And he said it with a smile. Well, but that, I mean, that's why I said. I said, listen, you've had all sorts of guys hurt. It's not just you.

[B]

And B loves to talk trash to you. I've seen him do it for years.

[C]

Well, but that's my point. He was.

[D]

Because Bon Tims is easy to rattle.

[C]

He was acting like the guy that he's been for a long time. And for a long time he was not acting like that guy. He was down and depressed and not feeling certain about what his health was going to be and what his future was going to be. And look, it's Philadelphia. We have been down this road A thousand times. Are they going to be healthy in April, May and June? The odds are they won't be. However, if the Sixers team is healthy on April 15, they have the highest ceiling, in my opinion, of these teams in the East.

[D]

Now.

[C]

I don't think there's a very low chance of them hitting it because they have to stay healthy for two months and a lot of things have to break right. But Joel was switching on to Jalen Brunson in this game. He was moving better defensively than he had been earlier in the year. The Knicks have absolutely no way to stop Tyrese Maxey. They frankly don't have any way to stop VJ Edgam either. He was getting wherever he wanted in this game. He had a crazy sequence in the fourth quarter when the Knicks started to get back in it where he blocked a Mikhail Bridges corner three, went end to end with the ball and dunked it. Forced timeout by Mike Brown. Like, they're a very tough matchup for the Knicks. They got a lot of talent. Paul Georgia, Joel Embiid are rounding into form. It's again going back to what we talked about with Boston because these teams at the top of the east have so many flaws. Cavs. Cavs corners obviously in shambles after today's loss to Detroit and the Knicks have lost three in a row. The Pistons now have injuries to Jalen Dern and Tobias Harris. They're out for a while. They've been slumping lately.

[B]

They have an interesting second night of a back to back in in New York on Monday.

[C]

Well, they're playing in Detroit, but they're hosting the Knicks in Detroit.

[B]

My bad. Yep.

[C]

But it's like Philly. You can, you could make a case for Philly right now that they, they should be up there with those teams. By the way, with Boston, maybe I.

[B]

Should be saying this to you offline, but would you consider doing like maybe not a full straw poll, but just like a sampling poll on Rookie of the Year right now?

[D]

No, because I don't. I don't. I, I don't think VJs in that mix. I think it's a two horse race between college roommates, but it's a one horse race.

[B]

Well, that's who I would.

[D]

Numbers are pretty awesome. I'm just going to tell you.

[C]

Khan is Con Canopo is awesome and Vijay is awesome, but it's a one horse race. This is a lot like two years ago. This is a lot like two years ago. Victor Wembanyama and Chad Holmgren.

[D]

It.

[C]

It's the same.

[D]

I could see that. I think it'll end up being flag. But when you're saying last season was an epic disaster for the Sixers. Yes. But it came with a reward and. And they tank like hell to keep, you know, top Sixers and all that, to keep that top six protected pick. And it paid off big time because Vijay Edgecombe is a stud and he. He's. He's shooting at. What's he shooting? Like 38% from three. That's a surprise.

[B]

You know who's shooting well from three?

[D]

Like, he's one of the most athletic guards in the league. And some of the plays he makes defensively. Oh, my God.

[B]

Paul George is shooting well from three.

[D]

Paul George is. He can be their fourth opt guy. He's a three. I'm not. I don't know about three and D. He's a. He's Tobias Harris on a Max contract. Which.

[C]

Okay.

[D]

Because VGS comes on a rookie contract and.

[B]

Dude.

[D]

So embiid has played five of the last six games, scored 22 plus in each of those games. When I asked him, what do you mean by feeling yourself? He said, it's more on the defensive end than anything. But they're finally able to have some consistency, some rhythms, develop some chemistry. Because it's a totally different game for those guards. When Embiid, you know, he likes to operate middle of the floor, where it's. Why, you know, it's much more open when he's not on the floor. But, you know, Max, he's got chemistry with them. Vijay's starting to understand it. But what's happened, the biggest development in Philly is that Tyrese Maxey is a superstar and it's his team. And Embiid compliments him, not the other way around.

[B]

That's right.

[C]

He's a bigger, stronger version of Dame at this point.

[D]

Yes. That's the exact thing I was talking about, frankly.

[B]

He's.

[C]

And he's. And he's become. I would say he's become like Steph on defense in that he's never going to be a stopper. But he's also not awful. And he tries and he just has to be okay, which is what Steph.

[B]

Turned into being okay, is he's averaging an incredibly high minute load. I think he leaves the league in minutes. And now that they're healthier, you know, I don't want to be the minutes police. I hate that. But you're going to be the menace police. He. He burns a lot of energy.

[D]

They are not a deep team now. McCain's not getting a 20 minutes.

[C]

Maybe play him where they're deep at. Where they're deep at is in the backcourt.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Yeah. Because that's where they're deep. By the way, the Quentin Grimes. This is. I forgot the exact numbers. I do remember one number. But the Quentin Grimes Caleb Martin trade, it was just a total disaster for Dallas. It was the second worst trade they made last year. Grimes had 20 something on like nine shots, lit it up. And he was a plus 19 in that game and played like 38 minutes. Martin was a minus 11 and played four minutes.

[B]

The thing about that trade that Martin was hurt with when they traded for him.

[D]

Here's dude, Martin was hurt when they traded for him. The Mavericks gave up a second round pick to make the trade. Martin was hurt. They could have called the trade off and said. They said, okay, you got to send us the second rounder back too. So that was the amendment. Martin still got his trade kicker. That pushed him so tight up against the apron that they could only sign one guy to attend a one time the rest of the season.

[C]

It was. It was just a colossal screw up.

[D]

And Quentin Grimes is a good player.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah, they had to stop playing so much. They were going to lose their pick.

[C]

Yeah. Part of the tank.

[D]

And was like, okay, I know you're lighting it up and I know you want to get paid. We're not going to pay you. But you also got to sit. Which it'll be interesting to see if they do end up paying him. Will be more Hoop Collective podcast after this.

[B]

All right, so it's a new year, but it's also a new year. New month. Which means that a month just ended.

[D]

Oh.

[B]

Which means that some hardware has to be doled out.

[C]

New criteria has to be established.

[D]

Oh, bon Tims, you will never understand cajones. You don't understand swag. You don't understand.

[C]

I understand that the criteria changes by the month and the list of nominees grows longer by the month.

[D]

All things are at my request to have a mute button on bond temps for this segment. Have we gotten any. Made any progress on that? That's disappointing. There was only one actual buzzer beater last month. It was a memorable one. I bet you guys have already forgotten it, though. Anybody.

[C]

Anybody can't be that memorable, can it?

[D]

Oh, this was awfully memorable. Rui Hachimura in the corner in Toronto. Now do you remember why I was memorable?

[C]

Oh, yes, the LeBron streak ender. Yeah, that's right.

[B]

LeBron.

[D]

LeBron had the assist Instead of taking the shot to try to extend his double digit streak, which was like 1200 whatever games, that was the only actual buzzer beater. So he gets an honorable mention. So do Dear and Fox, Kobe, White, Jaylen Brunson. We'll just mow through those because. I know.

[C]

Wow.

[D]

Bon Tim's hate's getting bogged down getting honorable mentions.

[C]

What did they do?

[D]

Nope, we're not getting bogged down in honorable mentions. They had damn good clutch swag months, you punk.

[B]

By the way, the LeBron played really well in the second half on Sunday night, the Lakers beat the Ja Mor Grantless Grizzlies. The Lakers are now12.0 in games that go to clutch time.

[C]

True.

[D]

And, and they get blown out a lot. They're, they're honestly, they're kind of like the opposite of the Rockets. The Rockets have the second best point differential in the league. They're not terrible in clutch, but they, they do lose a pretty, A lot of close games for the Lakers either get blown out or win in the clutch.

[B]

I, I don't want to, I do not want to derail cojones factor.

[D]

Okay.

[B]

But I will say that JJ redick won't try. J.J. redick is on a historic run on, on, on critiquing his team, including, including just slapping him around for forgetting plays. And he was like, I never forgot to play. He, he announced that they botched on Friday, which was their first game against the Grizzly. The Grizzlies had a baseball series over the weekend against the Lakers. He, JJ announced that the, that the Lakers messed up eight ATOs in that game ATO after timeout, which means JJ comes in the huddle, draws up the play, and then the Lakers go out and run it. I mean, it's kind of unusual that you would have eight ATOs, because you have like what, six or seven timeouts in a game and not all of those are you going to be having a, an out of bounds play. Some of them you'll be coming full court. And also the other team, you know, is going to have a lot of the, you know, you're not, you know, the other team is calling the timeout. You're not. I don't know what his criterion is, whether he's counting the play, you know, the next possession or, I don't know, whatever it is.

[D]

Maybe he's kind of like coming out of the quarters too. I don't know.

[B]

He declared that they messed up eight.

[D]

Of them, which is JJ's way of saying I'm an absolute Genius. And these guys aren't letting you see my.

[B]

Well, JJ is. Like I said, JJ is firing off some missiles. But I'm sorry, Back to the floor is yours again.

[D]

Oh, no, we're getting to the. We're getting to the trophy winners, the.

[B]

Brass, right off the bat.

[D]

Yeah, because Bon Tims doesn't like our.

[C]

We're just not going to explain why the criteria is changing this month, that's all.

[D]

You're on mute, you bonehead.

[B]

By the way, Luca on the. I'm sorry, I am. I'm calling a flag on myself. I'm flubbing atos myself here. Luca has nine texts already as well.

[D]

I'm shocked. I am stunned by that. I tell you what, Boy, I thought this guy really turned over a new leaf.

[B]

All right, now I'll shut up.

[D]

The brass balls, folks. Breaking news. Nicole Jokic is awfully good. 30 clutch minutes last month. Guess how many points he scored.

[C]

50.

[D]

51.

[B]

Wow. That was a joke. Guess.

[C]

That was kind of a joke. Guess.

[D]

Hey. Oh. 51 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and 30 clutch minutes. He scored 18 points in overtime on Christmas to cap his 56 point triple double. It's the most points ever in an overtime period. So, yeah, we're going to give him the brass ball.

[C]

Enough to win, though, Brian? Not enough to win.

[B]

No, I think he won last month. In addition. He did win.

[C]

I don't remember when. Coney's Factory, by the way. I don't know. One player of the month? I don't know. I have no idea when Conus factored prior months either. Do we have a list somewhere?

[D]

It's in my phone, you butthead.

[C]

Well, I'm just saying. Wait. We should have the list available for people to see someone.

[B]

Like I said, the floor is yours.

[D]

I mean, Shay won it last month, okay? He had to look it up and.

[C]

Remember either it was.

[D]

No, I was checking something else. By the way, the silver. The silver medalist. Do you know why that game went into overtime on Christmas night? When Joker.

[C]

I do, because I watched it. Anthony.

[B]

We were podcasting, actually. I didn't go to bed.

[C]

You did before the game was over. And then we turned it on and I turned around and watched it. Anthony Edwards hit a crazy game, tying three in the corner over Jamal Murray. Scored a bunch of points in the fourth quarter that game.

[D]

Yeah, they came back from like 14 down, Ant. It was an insane performance.

[C]

Just did that get him the silver for losing that game to Jokic?

[D]

Well, but Munch, I do believe there was also a pretty memorable clutch performance. By Ant, you might recall when the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunders went up to the Thunders went up to Minnesota.

[B]

The Thunderers, that's the off brand.

[D]

The blue Chews when the blue choose went up to Minnesota and that's when Ant remember, remember I mentioned earlier the guy who has the lowest field goal percentage allowed in the league, Casen Wallace. Well, you remember when it was a.

[B]

Crazy three step back from the game.

[D]

Winning step back three over Case and Wallace and oh then by the way, had a spectacular block on Shea and then sealed it with a steal on Shea. All these in the last minute. The last guy to have that trifecta.

[B]

It's hard to beat the Thunder. Like you gotta like throw stuff shots in like. I mean it's, it's kind of backing it up.

[D]

And this one. Yeah, the last guy to have that trifecta. Go ahead. Bucket, steal and block in the final minute was giannis back in 2017. Matter of fact, the list here since 97, 98. It's happened now five times. Ant against the Thunder recently, Giannis in 2017. LeBron in a playoff game, 2011 against the Bulls. Dwight Howard in 07. And one of these names does not belong here. Doug Christie in 1998. Pretty rare. Pretty rare. Air. Oh, listen to this. Listen to Ant's clutch scoring this month. 29 minutes, 34 points on 13 of 17 shooting in 14 nut cutting minutes. Bond, Timps, you remember the definition of nut cutting Final.

[C]

Of course he's giving it to you. Just leaving it to you. Last.

[D]

Last three minutes, one possession, 19 points on 8 of 10 shooting. That's a silver medalist. Oh, the gold medalist. Boys, are you ready for this? Certainly the first time, the first time that he's won this honor. He's put himself in a position to perhaps win a most improved player trophy this year. Does that give you a clue? No.

[C]

I mean that could be like 70 people. Okay, I'll take George Keonte George.

[D]

So Keonte George, he most recently hit the game winner. Oh, that blast. I didn't say who that was against Jackson. Help me out. Was that one again Detroit against Detroit. Yeah. So he hit the. He hit that game winner with 2.1 seconds left.

[C]

Lucky that mute button is not.

[D]

Yes, well, I asked Jackson. Third game, time to go ahead and bucket in the final five seconds of the fourth quarter of the season in the first 30 games of the year. That's the most since 1999. Tied for the most since 1999. Now one of those, unfortunately for him, it was against Orlando. I Think it was the previous game. Remember that go ahead 4 point play he had with 4.1 seconds left? Then Desmond. Well, I guess the. Some folks with the Jazz might not have been disappointed that Desmond Bain hit, but ended up being the game winner with nine tenths of a second left. Also had to go ahead three in a. In a tight win over the Grizzlies. Dude, at 317 and 6 and 30 clutch minutes plus 26. The Jazz too good for their own good, went 6 and 2 in those games. And now. Oh, there might be a little knee soreness here. Oh, I was gonna say he had a.

[B]

He missed a game a couple days ago with an illness and there is. There's flu going around the league. A bunch of guys are missing time. How many more one off inactives will Keonte George have this season?

[D]

Listen, they're gonna have to find reasons to sit him down the stretch of games because this man's got some serious cajones. And now he's got a mythical trophy to go along.

[C]

Those numbers sound worse than Jokic's. Shouldn't we get Jokic up there?

[D]

But is the game winners. Dude.

[C]

Just saying. The criteria changed again.

[D]

Once again, it's the same criteria. It's the same. It's subjective to people who understand.

[C]

We got the camera movement.

[B]

You know how Shay wanted like. Like the defining quote for Shay is he says I'm consistent and everything that I do. It's like a. It's like an ethos. It's like a personal mission. And it's so true. Bon temps. You can always count on him to be bon temps.

[C]

I can always count on McMahon to show up with different criterion for cohenies factor every month.

[D]

Dude.

[C]

And not be able to claim the award.

[D]

You bonehead.

[C]

Hey, no.

[D]

Who had the best combination of clutch and swag in that month? You don't understand either. That's why I watch you.

[B]

Unless I scoreboard of all of the G rated, you know, names that McMahon is called. Bonte.

[C]

That would be way too much work for Jackson to have to do. Way too much work.

[B]

All right, well, I enjoyed it. I always enjoy it.

[C]

I always enjoy it.

[B]

Yep. Okay, well.

[C]

And we won't remember who won it in a month when we do it again. Just like player of the month.

[D]

Well, I'll tell you this. Devin Booker did a pretty good job of putting his name on the early candidates list tonight.

[C]

Guaranteed himself an honorable mention today.

[D]

Nope. 0.7 seconds left. Not a buzzer beater. Actually, you know what though? He was disappointed that it wasn't a buzzer beater for the simple fact that.

[C]

I like the Thunder.

[D]

Did get a look with on the last possession. He wanted to make sure that Thunder that he had the last shot. And so he was like, yeah, I screwed that up, but we'll take it.

[C]

I like Devin's new shoe by the way. The book too. It's a cool looking shoe.

[D]

Oh no. The sales just plummeted with bon tips.

[C]

Yeah, I liked it. I don't know.

[B]

That's. That was the inverse of my son's. My son's game on Sunday. They had a hard fought game my 8 year old and they forced a traveling violation. They're up by two points with 3.3 seconds left. They forced a traveling violation to a set to secure the victory. Okay, okay. Um. But they're so conditioned to all want to throw up the last second shot that they were falling all over each other to get the inbound pass to run down and try to heave it up. Even though you're not even at 8 year olds old, you're not even allowed to guard in the back court. You just take the inbounds pass and you just hold it for 3.3 seconds, toss the ball and wave to the other bench. No, no, no. Not only were they elbowing each other to see who was going to get the actual CV in bounds, a young man who will not be named takes off to try to get the shot off and turns it over. Turns it over with one something second left. And the other team had it for a second and got up a heave. Now they're eight years old so they can't get a half court shot all the way to the basket. But it was not, it was not ideal. It was a learning experience. We had some discussions following that about how to close out a game. All right, thank you very much to Devon and Jackson for putting this together and staying up way past midnight. Thank you to Bon Tempson McMahon, thank you for watching and listening to the Hoop Collective. We'll talk to you later this week.

[D]

Adios, amigos.