Coaching Change Impact In Memphis, Brunson Return, Bucks Struggles

Summary

Hoop Collective Podcast Summary Episode: Coaching Change Impact In Memphis, Brunson Return, Bucks Struggles
Release Date: March 31, 2025
Hosts: Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps, Bobby Marks

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1. Introduction

In this episode of the Hoop Collective, Brian Windhorst, joined by ESPN insiders Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks, delves into significant developments within the NBA. The conversation centers around the recent coaching changes in Memphis, the anticipated return of Jalen Brunson to the New York Knicks, and the ongoing struggles of the Milwaukee Bucks.

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2. Coaching Change Impact in Memphis

Taylor Jenkins Fired:
The Memphis Grizzlies made a surprising move by dismissing head coach Taylor Jenkins with just nine games left in the regular season (07:20). Despite being a playoff-bound team, the decision was unexpected by many, though insiders had speculated Jenkins was on the hot seat since the previous summer.

Philosophical Tug-of-War:
Bobby Marks explains that Jenkins’ firing was influenced by a clash in offensive philosophies between Jenkins and assistant coaches Noah LaRoche and Tuomas. LaRoche, with a background in European basketball, advocated for a player and ball movement-heavy offense, while Jenkins preferred a more traditional pick-and-roll approach (12:51). This lack of a unified offensive strategy led to inefficiencies, particularly evident in the Grizzlies' offensive rating, which plummeted to the lowest since 2013-14 (13:04).

Zach Kleiman’s Maneuver:
Bobby highlights that Grizzlies' lawyer Zach Kleiman orchestrated the coaching change as a strategic move to optimize the team's performance around star player Ja Morant. This decision aimed to align the team’s strategy more closely with Morant’s strengths, despite the risks involved in mid-season coaching changes (18:11).

Impact on Team Performance:
The Grizzlies have experienced mixed results post-Jenkins' departure. While they were performing well earlier in the season, recent games without Morant have shown a dip in performance, indicating the challenges of adapting to the new coaching approach (22:48).

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3. Jalen Brunson's Return to the Knicks

Injury Update:
Jalen Brunson, who has been sidelined with a sprained ankle for over three weeks, provided a positive update on his recovery (28:30). Tim Bontemps reports that Brunson hopes to return before the regular season ends, focusing on regaining full health to bolster the Knicks' playoff ambitions.

Playoff Implications:
Brunson’s return is crucial for the Knicks as they prepare to face the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs (29:49). With Brunson expected to be at 100%, the Knicks are optimistic about his impact. However, concerns remain about his complete recovery and ability to perform at peak levels immediately upon return (31:11).

Strategic Importance:
Brian Windhorst emphasizes that Brunson’s readiness is vital for the Knicks to secure a strong playoff performance. The team’s strategy hinges on Brunson’s ability to lead and maintain his performance under playoff pressure (30:52).

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4. Bucks Struggles Amidst Injuries

Dame Lillard’s Health:
The Milwaukee Bucks are grappling with significant injuries, notably to star player Damian Lillard, who was sidelined indefinitely due to a blood clot in his calf (30:06). This unexpected health issue has exacerbated the Bucks' struggles, leading to a four-game losing streak.

Performance Decline:
Despite being a strong team, the Bucks’ offensive efficiency has suffered without key players. The loss of Lillard has forced the team to rely on less effective strategies, contributing to their recent downturn (33:42).

Playoff Prospects:
Tim Bontemps discusses the Bucks' precarious position as they navigate a tough remaining schedule. The combination of injuries and declining performance puts their playoff seeding and competitiveness in jeopardy (37:38). Brian Windhorst points out that despite these challenges, the Bucks still have potential opportunities to recover their standing in the standings (38:25).

Historical Context:
The conversation touches on how injuries have historically impacted playoff outcomes, highlighting the Bucks' recent unfortunate run of injuries as a significant factor in their struggles (37:38).

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5. Additional NBA Highlights

Pelicans and Hornets Tanking:
The podcast briefly touches on the New Orleans Pelicans engaging in tank games to improve their draft position, alongside the Charlotte Hornets’ similar strategies. This behavior reflects the broader trend of teams manipulating remaining schedules to their advantage (35:08).

Detroit Pistons’ On-Court Altercations:
A heated game between the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves escalated into a brawl, involving players and even an assistant coach. This incident underscores the intense and often volatile nature of late-season NBA games (39:25).

Historical Triple-Doubles:
Tim Bontemps highlights a rare NBA occurrence where two teammates, Dennis Smith Jr. and Mason Plumley, recorded triple-doubles in the same game. This feat has only happened 20 times in NBA history, emphasizing its rarity and significance (49:49).

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6. Conclusion

The Hoop Collective episode offers a comprehensive analysis of the current NBA landscape, focusing on the significant coaching change in Memphis and its ramifications, the hopeful return of Jalen Brunson for the Knicks, and the Milwaukee Bucks’ ongoing struggles amidst a challenging injury landscape. Additionally, the podcast touches on broader NBA dynamics, including team strategies and rare statistical achievements, providing listeners with an in-depth understanding of the league's current state.

Notable Quotes:

• Bobby Marks (02:23):
  "Bon Temps was beating him in that soccer video game."

• Brian Windhorst (07:20):
  "Zach Kleiman, who's a lawyer and a Duke grad, fired Taylor Jenkins in a move on Friday."

• Tim Bontemps (18:11):
  "Zach Kleiman gave a 2 1/2 minute presser on Saturday... My expectations are clarity of direction."

• Bobby Marks (22:48):
  "Having said that, at mid season they were in second place."

• Tim Bontemps (49:49):
  "Josh Hart and Carl Towns both had triple doubles the other day in the same game."

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For those interested in the intricate details of NBA team dynamics, coaching strategies, and player performances, this episode of the Hoop Collective is a must-listen.

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Timestamps Reference:

<a id="timestamp07:20"></a>[07:20]
<a id="timestamp02:23"></a>[02:23]
<a id="timestamp18:11"></a>[18:11]
<a id="timestamp22:48"></a>[22:48]
<a id="timestamp49:49"></a>[49:49]
<a id="timestamp35:08"></a>[35:08]
<a id="timestamp37:38"></a>[37:38]
<a id="timestamp38:25"></a>[38:25]
<a id="timestamp39:25"></a>[39:25]
<a id="timestamp49:49"></a>[49:49]

Transcript

[TaxAct]

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[Brian Windhorst]

Tax act.

[TaxAct]

Let's get them over with.

[Brian Windhorst]

Hello and welcome to the Hoop Collective podcast. We talk about the NBA. Joining us from New York City where he was at the Trailblazers Knicks game today won big by the Knicks, is Tim Bonteps.

[Tim Bontemps]

Hello everybody.

[Brian Windhorst]

And joining us from Dallas, Texas where there was a little shindig last night for the release of the wonder boy Luka Doncic and the Curse of greatness and a life size book now on the wall. The IT department called. You know, they were, they were getting ready for the party. Lots of people were coming over, some of some of North Texas's finest, most influential people. And the IT department called our man here, ban McMahon out to help her with something. And I'll be darned if me and Bob temps were standing in his foyer surprising him coming in for his book party. How would that go? Band McMahon, your big book party last night.

[Bobby Marks]

Howdy partners. I must be real honest with you. I am not operating at full capability. If there was an injury collective, I certainly would have been listed with flu like symptoms this morning. Had a hell of a time last night. Quite a pleasant surprise to see the celebrity Brian Wendy Windhurst standing right there in my house. Little old me and Rag Bondemps along with him. What we've discovered here is like your wife Wendy, the IT department's a heck of a recruiter, right? You know, able to get you guys to come on down. It was greatly appreciated. You know, I know I was able to unknowingly seal the deal with you when I defended you from that mean bully LeBron James. Bonds honestly had no real motivation to make the trip. But then he's just a heck of a guy.

[Brian Windhorst]

It was a long flight from New York City for you know like 20 hours or whatever and crack it down.

[Bobby Marks]

This morning back on out. So yeah, I feel like I, you know, you repaid my loyalty, Wendy, so thank you on temps. I owe you. I've decided I will not take any cheap and unnecessary swipes at you for at least the first half of this podcast.

[Tim Bontemps]

That sounds, that sounds about right.

[Brian Windhorst]

I need a rule.

[Bobby Marks]

I truly appreciate it though. And we had a Hell of a time last night.

[Tim Bontemps]

Wow, it was great to see you and we're very proud of you, buddy. So glad we could do it.

[Brian Windhorst]

I need a ruling real quick before I move on to the NBA.

[Tim Bontemps]

Okay.

[Brian Windhorst]

So the family. Now, the Final Four has been set, which by the way, we enjoyed watching. We, we definitely. You know, McMahon is known for his televisions. I mean, the man has an array of televisions and they're enormous. He has a beautiful outdoor tv. And we were enjoying in his backyard, we were enjoying the. The Duke game last night and Texas Tech, Florida game. And we caught up with the Lakers in Memphis keeping an eye on that. So now that the Final Four has been established, the family pool has been. Has been adjudicated here. And I'll be darned if I'm not leading.

[Bobby Marks]

Oh, but we've got a problem.

[Brian Windhorst]

This is not a humble brag. We got a problem. I need a rule. So we're looking at it and basically there's three of us that are vying. My father in law, my wife and myself.

[Bobby Marks]

Okay.

[Brian Windhorst]

My son, by the way, was. He's doing his first time. My seven year old, he's the first time he's ever filled out a bracket and he had Michigan State winning it all. And he was like in second place going into the weekend. And when he was, when he learned today that he was essentially eliminated. Oh, no, he did not like that.

[Bobby Marks]

Bon Temps was beating him in that soccer video game.

[Brian Windhorst]

That's right.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, given Dane's usual proclivities, I was a little surprised he'd just have the four number one seeds in the Final Four.

[Brian Windhorst]

You would have thought. But for some reason he moved Michigan State and he. To, to quote him, he said, dad, this is sus. But here's the problem. Here's the problem. I filled out my Final Four, I had Duke, and this really begrudgingly had to admit that I picked Duke, which is not a hot take, I realize. And the other, the others in the, you know, and basically still in the running, they have Florida.

[Bobby Marks]

Okay.

[Brian Windhorst]

But I didn't fill out the winners of the semifinals. I just neglected to do it. I made the Final Four and I just wrote Duke into the final. Now here's the, here's the ruling. If Duke wins the semifinal, should I not de facto get credit for the.

[Bobby Marks]

Yeah, you get Duke. You get the Duke credit.

[Tim Bontemps]

Very confused. So you got. So you got to Duke in the championship game and then just didn't fill out the other side of the bracket or.

[Brian Windhorst]

I got to the final. I got to the final four.

[Tim Bontemps]

Okay.

[Brian Windhorst]

And we. We wrote out the brackets because, you know.

[Bobby Marks]

Sure.

[Brian Windhorst]

You know, it's my seven year old fill out. I wanted to fill out a bracket, like old school.

[Tim Bontemps]

Sure.

[Brian Windhorst]

And I just wrote Duke in the champion. I didn't pick. I. I had three of the final four. I had. I had St. John's making it. I had Auburn, Florida, and Duke.

[Tim Bontemps]

So you wrote Duke into the title game.

[Brian Windhorst]

I didn't write winners. I didn't write.

[Bobby Marks]

You get credit for Duke. You can't win the other one, but you get credit for Duke.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, that's what I'm. But I'm trying to. Well, hold on.

[Bobby Marks]

He didn't pick the semifinal game.

[Brian Windhorst]

I didn't pick. I didn't do the line where it was the actual championship game.

[Tim Bontemps]

So you have no picks after the final four?

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, I write national champion. I wrote Duke, so I picked them, but I didn't pick the semifinal games.

[Bobby Marks]

Yeah.

[Tim Bontemps]

Oh, so you. So you had. Okay.

[Brian Windhorst]

Why is he so slow on this? Usually he's.

[Bobby Marks]

Well, because he was. There was tequila flowing and then some of that was going down his gut.

[Brian Windhorst]

Listen, there was some modelos flowing Bontemps way. I mean, I've seen Bontemps in his younger days when he was in his 20s, put away some beer. Now that he's no longer in his 20s or 30s, it's slowing down. But there were some modelos that were popped by Bon Temps.

[Tim Bontemps]

That's accurate. I just was trying to figure out where you actually wrote Duke into. So you have Duke winning the. Winning the tournament, but you.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yes, but I don't have Duke winning the semifinal because I didn't fill out the winner.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, I mean, if you haven't win in the tournament, then you should get credit for the semifinal if they win and then the final. But. But they shouldn't get credit for the other side, no matter who wins.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, definitely. I can't. No, it's going to come. I'm going to need the credit for the Duke win is what I'm saying. I should get that.

[Bobby Marks]

Yes.

[Tim Bontemps]

Right down as winning the bracket, then. Yeah. Won the semifinal.

[Brian Windhorst]

Jackson, you. I don't know. I don't know. Jackson, I feel like, would be a stickler on this.

[Bobby Marks]

Now, Jackson's also. He refuses to talk on the podcast because he's.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, I know, but he has a way to. He has a way to. Yes. Okay. All right. So, Jackson. All right. So I got the three of you guys.

[Bobby Marks]

Yes.

[Brian Windhorst]

You guys are on my side. You know, I'm dealing with lawyers here.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, I mean, the real answer is your wife is probably going to determine what the winner is. So whatever she says goes. Not a.

[Brian Windhorst]

Really speaking of lawyers, the lawyers who run the Memphis Grizzlies.

[Bobby Marks]

And speaking of Duke.

[Brian Windhorst]

Oh, that's right, I forgot. Yeah. Zach Kleiman, who's a lawyer and a Duke grad, fired Taylor Jenkins in a move on Friday. That. Let me just. Let me just be clear because I've seen some Grizzlies fans, like, sort of. Or, you know, Grizzlies, Memphis folk, like, sort of push back on the idea that this was a surprise. Yes. We knew that last summer when the front office in Memphis instructed, you know, Taylor Jenkins to replace his entire coaching staff, that he was in a measure of hot water and that he was on the watch list. But no, it is not ridiculous to say that. It was a shocking, stunning, shocking. Whatever you want to say that with nine games left in the regular season, that they would dismiss Taylor Jenkins as they did on Friday.

[Bobby Marks]

Yeah. When they're tied for fourth in the Western Conference. Listen, the anticipation was they'd get bounced in the first round and he. And he'd be fired. That. That's been honest, that's been the anticipation since last summer all season long. Like the odds of Taylor Jenkins coming back next year were very slim. But to be fired with nine games left in the season, a playoff team like. Yeah, that's. The timing was shocking.

[Brian Windhorst]

And by the way, you know, sometimes when you see coaches fired during the season, the team will selectively pick out a spot where the new coach, even if he's just a not expected interim to not expected last interim. Like they pick out a layup. No, no. Thomas Izulo got. Or Tumas Azulo got. Oh, you're gonna play the Lakers on Saturday in a vitally important game for seating. And by the way, here come the Celtics, who've only won 13 out of 14. They come in on Monday.

[Tim Bontemps]

And by the way. And by the way, on Tuesday. You know who's there Tuesday?

[Brian Windhorst]

I don't know.

[Tim Bontemps]

Memphis, the Warriors. Another massive game for seating. First three. Three games in four days, all at home. All very important games.

[Bobby Marks]

At least jaws hamstring healed.

[Brian Windhorst]

That was sus.

[Tim Bontemps]

And I was honestly. I mean, I will admit I. I'm. I'm sort of on the side that it wasn't shocking to me that Taylor Jenkins got fired. If for no other reason than everything you laid out about on March 20th.

[Brian Windhorst]

On March 20th.

[Tim Bontemps]

Listen, if you put in the context of the team has really been struggling.

[Brian Windhorst]

And they lost Five or seven.

[Tim Bontemps]

And, and they have. They've been struggling since the All Star break. They've been sliding down the standings, winning.

[Bobby Marks]

Records over, you know, whatever that time and 13 since.

[Tim Bontemps]

Yeah.

[Brian Windhorst]

February.

[Tim Bontemps]

There were the comments from a couple weeks ago that raised my eyebrows. When I don't remember the exact. This is paraphrasing, but after one of these games when JA was dealing with his shoulder injury, Taylor Jenkins basically said, he's okay. He's got to just play and play through it. And J then said, yeah, my shoulder's messed up. That raised my eyebrows when that happened.

[Brian Windhorst]

Agree. But again, you're not expecting firing on March 29th.

[Tim Bontemps]

No, I mean, listen, you.

[Bobby Marks]

On April 29th, like, that's right.

[Tim Bontemps]

That's. So I was, I was a little. I was certainly surprised that he got fired, but given the context of it, I could see it. I was more surprised when a few hours later, our guy on the pod here, along with Shams, reported that Noah Laroche was let go. Who was one of the guys that was brought in last summer along with Tuomas. Who were the two big assistants that Zach Kleiman brought in and Noah LaRoche was running their player development and hired. Was. Had a direct hand in hiring several assistant coaches.

[Bobby Marks]

Well, and. And it was more his offense than. Is all his offense.

[Tim Bontemps]

That, that was, that was even more surprising than the initial news to me.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, So I agree, McMahon. I don't know if you can shed any more light on that, but what you reported.

[Bobby Marks]

So look, what happened here was Taylor Jenkins, let's just call it like it is, essentially got cut off at the knees last summer when he was forced to fire his entire staff. And was he involved in the hiring process? Yes, of the assistance. But these are Zach Kleiman's hires essentially. And he, he. The offense they were running was some sort of a mishmash between the Finnish dude whose name I'm always going to botch. I don't think you're saying it right either.

[Brian Windhorst]

But I am.

[Tim Bontemps]

You're not.

[Bobby Marks]

Anyways, you know the guy who, he was at Paris Basketball last year, considered one of the brightest minds in Europe, and Noah Laroche, who is. He's a player development guy who was consulting for the spurs. And both of those guys got seven figure salaries as assistants, which, you know, that's a pretty big.

[Brian Windhorst]

It wasn't just that they had to buy.

[Bobby Marks]

Yeah. Buyout plus seven figure salary out of.

[Brian Windhorst]

His contract with Paris. And you know, he was being. He was also. The Wizards were trying to hire him. So There was a bidding war for him.

[Bobby Marks]

So Taylor Jenkins essentially lost control of the offense. Right. And then there's two guys that are on the staff that didn't. They, they came in at the same time, but they weren't like a package dealer. I don't know if they probably never met before. And so there was this offensive philosophy tug of war. Not like a contentious thing, but no, LaRoche wanted the, you know, he, he has this kind of. It's a really interesting, you know, it's player movement. It's. It's ball movement. It's. They went completely away from the pick and roll where you know, Paris basketball last year had a pick and roll base. You know, it was kind of a, a creative interest.

[Brian Windhorst]

It was a hot. Yeah, it was a very high tempo. I think I read and I'm certainly not going to be able to, you know, analyze the French league, but they had the highest offensive rating in the history of the French league last year.

[Bobby Marks]

And by the way, the Grizzlies right now are sixth in the NBA. But an offensive rating. But it, it was absolutely no LaRouche's fingerprints that were all over the Grizzlies being not just dead last in ball screen set in league, but dead last by a lot. And I believe I got to double check on some stats Williams stuff that, that he sent over. But I believe they are the lowest since these things have been being tracked, which is 2000 2013-14. Yeah, the fewest on ball screens and handoffs per game in a season since 2013-14. The Grizzlies 49.8. The next lowest was the 2015-16 Knicks at 53.2. You know, before they were a kind of a middle of the pack team. So you've got this offensive philosophy tug of war where Taylor Jenkins is the head coach, but it's the two assistants, these seven figure assistants are kind of having the philosophical tug of war. And then you know, you've got Ja who has been very frustrated about a wide variety of things this year. You know, his health, refereeing. But this might be the one that's been most frustrating for him because Jah, hey, what do you mean player movement ballman. Like give me the ball, give me the keys to the offense. Let me cook, let me run high pick and roll, let me spread out and and ISO hit. All his numbers are down this year. Scoring efficiency, you know, the, the, all the like the touch numbers in terms of like dribbles per touch, time per touch, all that stuff. And they'd started kind of leaning back toward that over the last, you know, month or so.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, I think. Trying to make everybody happy, I think.

[Bobby Marks]

Yes. Yeah.

[Brian Windhorst]

You know, but it's like you had three.

[Bobby Marks]

And I think some of that was Taylor's trying to take control, get John board. But she had three cooks in the kitchen where. Who's in charge? Like, whose offense are we running? What are we doing? You know, they. And then they don't really.

[Brian Windhorst]

Here's the thing. Correct me if I'm wrong, and I'm not gonna try to say that I have a great understanding of what happens every single night in the Grizzlies game. There's no real plays in this.

[Bobby Marks]

Not a lot. Not.

[Tim Bontemps]

I mean, like.

[Brian Windhorst]

I mean, like when a pick and roll happens, even if it doesn't always come from the bench, that's a signal from the bench, like you have to say. I mean, some of it's a read and react, but a lot of times.

[Bobby Marks]

The point guard calling for it or whatever. But yeah, right.

[Brian Windhorst]

The coach selects who they want in the pick and roll because they're trying to get a matchup. So if the coach is calling from the sidelines saying, you know, whatever they want to call, you know, whether it's the assistant, the head coach calling for a pick and roll, who's ever calling for that pick and roll is going against the concept of the offense that doesn't have that, where the whole point is you sprint down and everybody runs into a flow as a. And it's read and react as opposed to.

[Bobby Marks]

And it's a lot of cutting again, it's a lot of movement, all those sort of things kind of like.

[Brian Windhorst]

I mean, it's not exactly the same, but it's sort of the concept of the triangle. The concept of the triangle was very different than this, but was that you enter into the triangle and it was a philosophy. It wasn't necessarily like a plague. It was like a set that ran into a philosophy. This is a. This isn't. This is a philosophy that they're trying to get them to do.

[Bobby Marks]

It's not right. And again, it was Noah LaRouche's philosophy.

[Brian Windhorst]

Right.

[Bobby Marks]

Who was.

[Brian Windhorst]

The fact that there would be play call, pick and rolls right off the bat is against the grain of the concept of philosophy.

[Bobby Marks]

And it's also what Jaw wants to do, though. And so this was a decision, what.

[Tim Bontemps]

They were doing for the last month, as McGregor said before.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, it's what. It's what Ja and Des Bain, who's, by the way, who's Shooting number, who's shooting whose shots, and everything is down as well. Yeah, that's what made them $200 million players.

[Bobby Marks]

And. And the team, like, their defense is falling apart. You know, the. You. You've heard, hey, Taylor Jenkins lost the locker room. And I'd say, yeah, that was destined to happen because the players aren't dumb. They know, like, okay, the guy doesn't really have any juice anymore, so he lost the locker room is what, you know, people in Memphis are. Are saying now. Primarily, I've been told that Ja was tuning him out. And then so he, you know, they decide, okay, we're gonna fire this guy at the end of the first round, let's just do it now, see if we can get something going here. And then. No, because they're ditching that, that offensive philosophy. They chose the offensive philosophy. Tug of war is over and, you know, the finished dude's the winner. They're going, he does what he wants to do. More stuff that Jaw wants to do. Let's just be honest.

[Tim Bontemps]

Yeah, well. And to go back to the point about firing the guy now instead of in a month, like, the easy thing to do would have been to fire the guy after the first round. Right. No one would have even batted an eye about it. I give Zach Kleiman credit for doing this now, if for no other reason than if you know you're going to do it in a month, try it now and see if something works. There's no point being like, oh, well, we're just going to wait and then do it in a month, and then we'll figure it out then.

[Brian Windhorst]

It is actually a fascinating maneuver. It's a risk, but maybe Zach sees it as a risk to have kept going.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, and one thing I wanted to McMahon's point about the general the cooks in the kitchen thing. Zach gave a 2 1/2 minute presser on Saturday. I wouldn't say he said a ton in. He is a lawyer, as you said, and he gave lawyerly answers. But I thought the second to last answer I thought was pretty clarifying in terms of the overall situation when he got asked, what is the belief in Tomas leading this group forward? I'm looking forward to seeing what he's able to do with this group. There's realistic expectations. There's not going to be a time to install a bunch of things this time of year. This is, I thought, was the key line. My expectations are clarity of direction, and we'll see what we can do and we'll see what we can execute to Me, clarity of direction is, as you said, there were three people involved. Now there's one person involved. And this is the guy's thing we're going forward with and we're going to see what he can do.

[Bobby Marks]

Yeah. And, and Zach is, is taking some accountability here. But the reason there wasn't clarity of direction is because he essentially kneecapped Taylor Jenkins and brought in two coaches that were going to have major influence on the offense that had very different offensive philosophies. So it was, it was really a, a high priced staff that was destined not to, not to work. And no, laroche's philosophy is very interesting, maybe for another team that works, but I was there at training camp and they're talking all this stuff. I said, okay, how do you balance that with. You have one of the best off the balance creators in the league and lo and behold, that turned out to be an issue.

[Brian Windhorst]

Having said that, at mid season they were in second place.

[Bobby Marks]

Yeah. And Jaws missed a ton of Gabe. No.

[Tim Bontemps]

And so then they have the fourth best net rating in the league despite having a bunch of injuries and guys being out of the lineup. Like, they've been a fascinating team all season. They'd be playing everybody limited minutes. They've lowered minutes.

[Brian Windhorst]

They've lowered everybody's minutes. They've made it more democratic. They've. They've been able to weather the storm without Jaw more because he's going to miss games like.

[Bobby Marks]

And the other thing, look, this decision to do it now and to move on from LaRoche and to, you know, lean back into all the pick and roll stuff, this was a decision that was about optimizing John Moran. That was a primary motivator for this decision. And look, there has been noise about Job being unhappy all season long. There has been noise about, hey, you know, could Memphis look to move jaw this summer? Could Jaw look to more so could Jaw look to get out of Memphis this summer? Could y'all look to, to force a trade or at least request a trade and you know, would Memphis shop him this summer? There's been a lot of that and I'll, I'll.

[Brian Windhorst]

Zach shot that down hard at the trade deadline. Not that.

[Bobby Marks]

Right. But, but there was still noise telling the truth. And I was, I was talking with a, or texting with a GM after this happened and he said, I would have told you. I thought they were definitely going to. Ja was out on them. They won games without them. They have to be sustainable. And he said, this is a move that goes in the face of that basically this is a, this is a hey Ja, you're still our guy. Everything we do is going to be based on what's best for you, what optimizes you. They got away from that for a lot of the season and they're leaning back hard into it now. The other thing I will point out, John Moran obviously is a tremendous talent and open court John Morant is one of the most dangerous offensive threats in the NBA. Half court pick and roll. Jaw has been a mediocre efficiency play throughout the course of, of his career. And again I go back to my guy stats Williams. He says morant is at 0.99 points per direct pick as the ball handler in his career when using an on ball screen. That ranks 39th among 56 players to run 5, 000 plus on ball screens as the ball handler since 1920. 39th out of 56. You know, it's, it's, it's not. This isn't. Trey Young or Luka Doncic or Damian Lillard were just like dude, high pick and roll with this guy is efficient. Is just like you're going to have an elite offense run. I pick and roll after high pick and roll with this guy. Their half court offense has been an issue, you know, throughout Jaw's career. Now their transition offense, oh boy. But they're, they're leaning back into something that's had middling success.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, they were 16 and 14 in the 30 games without him. So you know, but that was, they were better. And then this latest injury where he missed the hamstring. I think they, they were maybe 2 and 5 in the seven games he missed. Something like that.

[Bobby Marks]

Yeah. And again, this was a team that frankly they were kind of rolling over on, on Taylor Jenkins.

[Brian Windhorst]

Obviously that's what Zach felt.

[Bobby Marks]

That's what dry balls thought too. When you watch them play.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, it's going to be, I mean look, it's, it's going to be a fascinating run in for them. I mean they've really, they really have struggled for a while. We've talked a ton about how bunched up this west playing mix is right now. Denver and Minnesota are in a pretty tight game. We'll see who wins. But if Minnesota pulls that game out, which they're currently winning, not Denver, Minnesota, Detroit. I meant there'll be four teams within two losses going into the next couple days when one of those games is going to be Memphis and Golden State playing on Tuesday. And second night of a back to back for the Grizzlies with the warriors being rested after beating the spurs by 40 today. So, you know, it's. They've got to try to pick up some W's here or they could very well wind up in the play in maybe not make the playoffs. Or if they do make the playoffs, they're playing maybe Oklahoma city in a 18 game where it wasn't long ago we were talking about Memphis, maybe in a two seed. So, you know, it's, there's a, it's going to be a very interesting final couple of weeks on a lot of fronts.

[Brian Windhorst]

There is, by the way, a. It is possible for John Morant to sign an extension this summer. It's not a high, well, high demand thing because he has three years left on his contract. It wouldn't be like a big, like even if everything's was. Everything was going great. I mean, he can add money to his deal. So, you know, I'm sure there's going to be some discussion about it, but I wouldn't necessarily say that. If he doesn't, it's some sort of red flag. But it creates. This is one of the things that has happened with as NBA teams have, as the NBA has put in rules to really try to hold their star players. It's like they have to make a decision every two years on the franchise. It used to be like, you know, even if a guy signed a short deal, you wouldn't hear about it for three years or so. It is going to be interesting whether he ends up in that contract extension because that is a vibe check more than anything else.

[Bobby Marks]

And the vibes weren't good with ja. They haven't been good with JA for again, a variety of reasons. Injuries. He's been frustrated with the officials. The two times he got hurt, you know, the hip where he got knocked out of midair and then a hard screen where he screwed his shoulder up again. He felt like it should have been fouls. But the offense has been a consistent source of frustration as well.

[Brian Windhorst]

But the offense has just been better this year. I mean, last year their whole team was hurt. So it's hard to say year over year, but I should say his fit.

[Bobby Marks]

In the offense, the offensive scheme not being something that is about, you know, showcasing him has certainly been a source of frustration. And that's, you know, that offensive scheme is no longer being employed by the Memphis Grizzlies.

[Tim Bontemps]

They've just been a really confusing team on every level. It's just, it's been.

[Bobby Marks]

Jackson Jr. Has benefited. He's having, he's had a great year. Offensive season yeah, just been a very.

[Tim Bontemps]

Confusing season for Memphis all the way.

[Brian Windhorst]

Around and what they have left. We mentioned that they have Boston and and Golden State coming up, but they, they also have a game with Denver left and let's see, they have a game with Detroit left and again with Minnesota left. Boy, that Minnesota game could be a big one.

[Bobby Marks]

More Hoop Collective podcast after this TaxAct.

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[Brian Windhorst]

All right, Bon Temps, you were at the Garden today. Big game for Og Anunoby and Mikhail Bridges, who both have been scoring a lot since Jalen Brunson was out. And Jalen Brunson spoke for the first time since he sprained his ankle, which when I read your story, boy, it's been 24 days, three and a half weeks since he's had that injury. And like you know, that was the first game of that west coast trip it was in la. It was a hard sprain. What did he have to say?

[Tim Bontemps]

I mean, the short story is he's hoping to be back before the end of the regular season. He's focused on being healthy and generally there was a pretty positive update. He's been cleared for basketball activities. Wouldn't say if he's doing contact stuff as part of that. Jalen is always pretty circumspect with the media, to put it mildly. But that's a good, I try. But he was in pretty good spirits. He looked forward to get back on the court and, you know, said he was sprinting, he was doing some cutting and, you know, generally it's been making progress. And, you know, if you're a Knick fan, it'll be interesting to see if Jalen Brunson plays another four games or not to qualify for all NBA. That doesn't really mean anything other than you just would be eligible for MVP and all. NBA doesn't have any. Might mean anything. I just mean from like, he's already in his contract.

[Brian Windhorst]

He already signed his contract.

[Tim Bontemps]

Exactly. Not, not from like a supermax or contract standpoint, but certainly he's deserving of all that stuff. So we'll see if he's eligible for it. But if you're a Knick fan, your goal is for Jalen Brunson to be ready to go for the first day of the playoffs, which is likely to be on either April 19th or April 20th, and almost certainly against the Milwaukee Bucks. And do you want, Are you.

[Brian Windhorst]

I don't know about that.

[Tim Bontemps]

You know, I, I mean, the Milwaukee bucks gave up 145 points to the Atlanta Hawks tonight. I feel pretty confident that with Damon.

[Brian Windhorst]

Lillard sideline, they're, but there's one game, I mean, the Pistons, if they lose to the Timberwolves tonight, they'll be, that's fine.

[Tim Bontemps]

I, I, I'm gonna bet that the Bucks are the six.

[Brian Windhorst]

Okay, well, we're not going to say almost certainly.

[Tim Bontemps]

Okay, I will say almost certainly. You can dispute it. That's fine. The point is, well, whoever they play, the whole thing for the Knicks is Jalen Brunson needs to be 100%. And I think coming out of today, even though he's missed three and a half weeks, I think if you're a Knick fan, you should feel optimistic that in three weeks when they're starting the first round of the playoffs, he's going to be ready to go. And personally, I just didn't get asked to jail in today, but I don't think it's the worst thing in the world if he's healthy by the time the playoffs start. That a guy who's played a ton of minutes and has a ton of pressure on him to produce late in every single game for the Knicks got a few weeks away from the court. I'm not, I'm just saying as a silver lining from an injury standpoint, obviously it'd be better if he's playing all the way through.

[Bobby Marks]

I mean, I, I hear what you're saying, but I think the, you have to be concerned that, you know, it's one thing if he's healthy enough to play, it's another thing if he's healthy. Right. And that was a nasty ankle sprain. It turned it a really like it, it was almost like straight up and down turn right.

[Tim Bontemps]

We are talking though, we are talking though about a six week span to get right from it.

[Bobby Marks]

I hope he's legitimately healthy, but you know, those kind of things, you come back and you and you gut it out and you and you play on it. But if, you know, if he's not able to move like he usually can, that's obviously concerns.

[Tim Bontemps]

That's obviously a much different story. Yeah, that's a much different story if he's not 100 in the playoffs and obviously it's a disaster for the Knicks. But my point is simply that they haven't lost any position in the standings. They're going to be third either way. So if he's able to come back in the next two weeks, play a little bit before the end of the regular season, looks fine and is ready to go for the playoffs, I think from a silver lining standpoint, he should be as fresh as he's going to be going into the playoffs. Even if it's not for the reason that the Knicks would have liked, because they would sure. They would just much rather had him out there rocking and rolling for the past month.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, now let's take a look at the fact that they may indeed be playing the Bucks. The Bucks, as you mentioned, got blasted by the Hawks today. The Bucks have lost four in a row and also lost Dame Lillard. Now they announced he had a blood clot in his calf and as an aside, it happened a week ago, but we haven't really talked about it. As an aside, Dame is, from what I heard, I mean maybe this is, this is out there, but they were really very relieved that they caught this because Dame had had a calf issue before and so when he felt the calf injury, they very Easily could have just said, okay, it's a calf injury. Let's treat it. But they went out and they did, you know, imaging on it, and that's when they identified it. Now, the Bucks have termed him out indefinitely. Not a doctor, but I am not aware of blood clot treatment that would enable him to return this season. Doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I'm not aware of it. And so I, you know, that that means what it means they were starting a streak or a run today, Bondemps, where they were playing four or five straight games against teams with losing records. And they had a, you know, an easier schedule than the Pistons, but the Pistons have one of the hardest remaining schedules actually. And, but now, you know, it's. It's hard to project. Although they are playing the Sixers this week and the Sixers are playing a key Tank game tonight that's going on right now with the Raptors. And I think all you need to.

[Bobby Marks]

Know, get their name right.

[Brian Windhorst]

That's right. Well, let me tell you what the top Sixers did. First off, while we were, you know, all the people who were at the, at the McMahon book party were, you know, very focused on, you know, the NCAA tournament, focused on what was happening in Memphis. Those of us who are professionals, you know, we were like, what's going on in that Wizards game, that Wizards Nets game? Because the Nets won that game and gave the top Sixers the fifth place. They seeded fifth worst now alone in fifth.

[Tim Bontemps]

The top Sixers pivotal moment to make.

[Brian Windhorst]

Sure they stay there in a vital game against the Raptors. The, you know, you've heard the fading, you know they're the winning Raptors is terrible for them.

[Bobby Marks]

They keep telling you the winning.

[Brian Windhorst]

So all you need to know is they already had the. The 76ers already had eight guys out for tonight's game. And then they declared Gerson Yabaselli out with, I think, knee soreness. Yeah, maybe he did have knee soreness. Okay. I'll give him that. Even though he played last night. And Quentin Grimes, like, it's been a tough load recently, so been getting a lot of shots up even though that we have nine guys out. Quentin, we're gonna rest you. We're gonna rest you on the second.

[Bobby Marks]

Night is back to damn much you ain't playing tonight.

[Brian Windhorst]

Right. So that was my way, by the way.

[Tim Bontemps]

Something else. Something else to monitor. Just coming forward. So the Pelicans in another double tank game today, beat the Charlotte Hornets. All right, this. The Hornets pretty much, I would say, have locked up being one of the the bottom three teams now, along with Utah and Washington, given themselves a equal chance of getting the number one pick. The interesting part about this though is that New Orleans is now in fourth, two losses behind Philly. Now New Orleans over the next couple weeks, they've got, they've got obviously games with Clippers, Lakers, Bucks, but they've got a game with the Nets. They got a couple games at the end of the season against the Thunder. Aren't going to be playing anybody against the Heat and Bucks. We'll see who's playing for them. It's going to be interesting to see if the Pelicans are able to lose this thing out all the way and make sure they stay in fourth. Could be some some further tank chicanery.

[Brian Windhorst]

I love double double tank game.

[Tim Bontemps]

A lot of double tank games. Gosh, there's there's been too many schedule.

[Brian Windhorst]

It's half the Eastern Conference schedule on an average night. So Milwaukee, you know, they've just had an incredibly unfortunate run of injuries in the end of the seasons over the last several years. And the book is not totally written, but it's in edit. You know, it's. It needs the final chapter like McMahon's.

[Bobby Marks]

Book, but the Wonderboy available wherever you can find books.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, I mean to just to run people through it. So they win the title and 21.

[Brian Windhorst]

And then which is amazing, they're down. They're down 02 and they win four straight.

[Tim Bontemps]

And by the way, John Senecupa looked like his leg snapped in half against the Hawks and then somehow was fine. It's one of the crazier things I've ever seen in that conference finals when they won 22, Chris Middleton misses the whole second round against the Celtics. Giannis is an unbelievable series. They end up losing game seven. Grant Williams hits 10,000 threes. They end up losing in the playoffs. Then each of the last two years, Yan Saidokupo either is compromised to some degree in the first round or last year he didn't play at all. And by the last series against Pacers, both Damon Giannis were out.

[Brian Windhorst]

First week of April, wasn't it maybe the first week of April, Giannis just takes an inbound pass and is I don't even know if he's jogging. He's like barely going up the court and all of a sudden he crumples because his hurt his calf and was out for the first round.

[Tim Bontemps]

It's just a reminder that no matter how good you are, so much of going into winning a title, certainly one but especially more than one. Just a lot of it just comes down to pure luck, and a lot of it's injury luck and just having guys be able to stay on the court and survive the run. You go back and look at the history of the playoffs, pretty much every year, injuries play at least some part in it. And the Bucks have just had a really, like you said, it's just been a really unfortunate run of badly timed, you know, late March, early April injuries that have, you know, maybe kept them from winning another one.

[Brian Windhorst]

By the way, one of the teams that's jockeying with them is the Detroit Pistons. There was. Yeah. Was it. Was that. What's your terminology for this one?

[Bobby Marks]

Melee. I think this reached Melee stands. Melee certainly did contained to the court. So I apologize.

[Tim Bontemps]

Gonna be a lot of phone calls from Olympic Tower out to the Minnesota Detroit area codes next couple days.

[Bobby Marks]

Old Isaiah Stewart's really trying to.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, let's. Let's say what happened. I mean, maybe the. Maybe the listeners and viewers have seen it by now, but so Sunday night, the. The Pistons are playing the Wolves. Not a rivalry game. Okay. Like, you know, these teams play twice a year. And I'm not sure what led up to it, but there was.

[Tim Bontemps]

I could tell you because I went back and watched it.

[Brian Windhorst]

Okay, go for it.

[Tim Bontemps]

So the two. The two main instigators here are Nazrid from the the Wolves and Ron Holland, the rookie wing from the Pistons. I don't know exactly what happened, but on the play before everything happened, Ron Holland drives on Nas Reed and scores and appeared to have said something. They come down the other end, Nazarene, and I didn't watch the rest of the game. I was at the Knicks game, so maybe there was stuff before this.

[Brian Windhorst]

Look like what's going on. Right?

[Tim Bontemps]

Looks like he's there. The Pistons are now down 20. Bulls are going to win.

[Bobby Marks]

That's over now.

[Tim Bontemps]

Just very, very important win for the Wolves. In all seriousness, like we talked about before in the.

[Brian Windhorst]

Every game is for them. Yeah.

[Tim Bontemps]

So they come. Nas, he shoots over Nas Reed scores. Looks like he chirped a bit. Come down the other end. Nas Reed drives the lane. Ron Holland does a very normal foul and it turns around.

[Brian Windhorst]

He just. He just swipes down on his. On his hands to prevent a three.

[Tim Bontemps]

Nothing crazy. And Nasrid instantly turns around and starts pointing at Ron Holland and yelling at him.

[Brian Windhorst]

And this is where I say, where's Beef Stew? Let's. Let me just say, is Beef Stew on the court?

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, Beef Stew is on the court.

[Brian Windhorst]

He is on the court.

[Tim Bontemps]

He's on the court.

[Bobby Marks]

So he puts the beef in beef stew, I'll tell you that.

[Tim Bontemps]

So then Dante DiVincenzo takes exception to whatever is going on with.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, DiVincenzo, like, snaps like, you know, he. Like. You would think when. With. If Nas reed and Dante DiVincenzo are involved in some sort of back and forth, that it would be Nas that would take the lead. No, no. DiVincenzo steps to Holland.

[Tim Bontemps]

Then they get tussled up. They. They then go crash into the stands. And then Marcus Sasser looks like he throws a punch in the stands. Isaiah Stewart's in there grabbing at people.

[Brian Windhorst]

Oh, Isaiah Stewart goes after DiVincenzo. DiVincenzo's. I don't. I think the fans were kind of trying to help. I don't think they were trying to hurt DiVincenzo, but they were.

[Tim Bontemps]

It.

[Brian Windhorst]

There were some fans that were like, sort of pulling DiVincenzo back.

[Tim Bontemps]

I couldn't tell if he was going after Nas Reed, who was on the ground. I didn't see that a rod was in it. A.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, he's not fighting, but, like, sitting there, a rod's all of a sudden in the middle of it. And by the way, you got some. Some. Some dudes that I wouldn't have messed with in their playing career getting in corless. Big Nasty Williamson's down there. Vitali Patapico, who I remember when I was a kid, and you do not mess with him. That man. There was very few people in the league who Alonzo Mourning could not intimidate. Vitaly Patapico was one of them. I'm just going to say, by the.

[Tim Bontemps]

Way, a rod was like the size of an NFL tight end.

[Brian Windhorst]

He is a big dude.

[Tim Bontemps]

Like, I know he played baseball. People were like, around him. He's like, 6, 4, 2, 30.

[Brian Windhorst]

He's a big guy, too, and still in shape. And good Dan, too. He's. He's in the. He's in the mix. He's in the mix. In the mix there. They finally break up the players. And then Pablo Priggioni, an assistant with the Wolves a long time.

[Tim Bontemps]

Very unlikely. A very unlikely person getting involved in a.

[Brian Windhorst]

You know, true. He's unlucky, getting a fight, but I know, you know, Pablo's Argentinian. He's not afraid to run his mouth.

[Tim Bontemps]

Mix it up.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, he gets into a J.B. bickerstaff, the Pistons coach. They both get ejected.

[Bobby Marks]

Yeah, it was. It was. It was just brawling Bickerstaff today. Usually it's just man.

[Brian Windhorst]

So not the biggest brawl in the Pistons history.

[Bobby Marks]

No, but, but no, when it spills it in the stands, there's going to be some games missed.

[Tim Bontemps]

Oh, it's going to be a lot of phone calls about that one from.

[Brian Windhorst]

Both of these teams are these games are important. Detroit's remaining schedule, they got to play the Thunder, the Knicks, the Grizzlies, two with the Bucks. Who, you know, Kings, Knicks.

[Tim Bontemps]

And then the final two games, season, home and home with the Bucks could be massively important games.

[Brian Windhorst]

Those games will be important, obviously. But I'm just saying these next few games might have some, you know, Nazarene or beef stew. Bobby Marks pointed out, you know, like with Isaiah Stewart. He's, he's been suspended for six games in his career and he came into the game with 12 technicals and six flagrant foul points.

[Bobby Marks]

Yeah. No, there's, I mean he is obviously a repeat offender. I mean the guys.

[Tim Bontemps]

Yeah.

[Bobby Marks]

I mean there's got to be a lot thing the punching Drew Eubanks in the, you know, in the back hallway.

[Tim Bontemps]

Yeah.

[Bobby Marks]

I mean like he's, you know, he's, he's carved out quite a.

[Tim Bontemps]

The assistant coach, Ron Holland came up bloodied. Looked like either bloodied or hitting the nose too.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, it looked like DiVincenzo had some scratches on his neck.

[Tim Bontemps]

Yeah, I mean it's there, there's going to be some, some real penalties from that. You would think of at least a couple games each. And by the way, like these are especially you're talking Nasri and Dante DiVincenzo. These are like massively important players of this Wolves team that's right in the thick of it like that. That could be a huge problem for them. Could be really costly.

[Bobby Marks]

More Hoop Collective Podcast after this if.

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[Tim Bontemps]

Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities.

[Brian Windhorst]

So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you.

[Tim Bontemps]

To Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to [e-mail].

[Brian Windhorst]

Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month Required intro rate first 3 months only then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full terms at Mintmobile. Do foreign before we go a little calves corner here and it's now time.

[Bobby Marks]

For Cav's Corner with Brian Windhorst.

[Tim Bontemps]

Notice McMahon the Cavs corner had a little, little bit of a hiatus. The second they get a nice little victory over the Clippers. Oh back Cav's corner gonna dive in, dive into the film of the big win.

[Bobby Marks]

Next thing you know the wizard the quiz might come back and actually get to work.

[Brian Windhorst]

Quality win for the a good game today. Now it was diminished a little bit because Kawhi Leonard sat it out in Cleveland on Sunday. The Clippers had won 10 of 12 games. The Cavs had been struggling and got pounded by the Pistons actually on Friday night just crushed them. Pistons crushed them. The Cavs came in with a with a magic number of five to clinch the number one seed and like you know they sort of been assumed to be the number one seed for a while here. But let me just tell you first off the Celtics had won 13 out of 14 and this is the Celtics remaining schedule. They play as we mentioned Memphis on Monday night. Then they play the other playing this they beat the spurs tonight so they so it's 13 out of 14 okay win San Antonio. All right then they play the Grizzlies. Then they go home pretty much they only have two road games rest of the year after after Grizzlies, Heat, Suns, Wizards at home, Knicks on the road which that's a potential second round matchup. Magic, Hornets, Hornets to finish. So I'm not sure there's going to be a lot of losses in there. So the Cavs just got to make sure they lock it down and they have not been Able to get a defensive rebound for two weeks. And so they were playing Avicia Zubac in this game. You know, obviously Kawhi didn't play, but Zubacz did. And Zubac leads the league in offensive rebounds. So it was a interesting game. And the Clippers played all the way to the buzzer. And the Cavs eked out a five point win. They still are not shooting the three well, but Donovan Mitchell has looked much better. He's not shooting the three well either. Still not. But Mitchell has looked much better over the last week. Coming off that, you know, the Cavs are starting to lose games. That's whatever. But the bigger concern was Donovan Mitchell. His shooting had absolutely plummeted, his playmaking had plummeted, and people were wondering whether this groin injury that he had was something more serious. He's had a really good three or four games in a row. The Cavs have won four out of five now. Their magic number is now four to clinch the number one seed. So that was stabilizing. But I got to tell you, I was, I have been impressed with the Clippers. I remain impressed with the Clippers. Norm Powell was awesome in this game. He had a 20 point quarter. At one point, the Clippers are in a dog fight. But if you watch this game, other than the Cavs, you know, getting a key win, you walk away continuing to, to, to be impressed what the Clippers are doing. The Cavs, however, did take care of the defensive glass, something that had been a big problem.

[Bobby Marks]

So that was a Cavs corner filibuster.

[Brian Windhorst]

Sorry. I watched the whole game.

[Tim Bontemps]

Listen, he's got, he got, he had a, he had a good moment to talk about the Cavs. He had to get, he had to get it all in.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, listen, like I. Considering the Celtics schedule, which is like the second easiest schedule coming in, and considering The Cavs have four games in the last 10 days and they lost in like 10 weeks, you know, I'm not.

[Tim Bontemps]

They're only going to be three losses up in the loss column if they had lost today. So that, that was, it was a significant, was significant win for sure.

[Brian Windhorst]

And by the way, Wednesday, Cavs, Knicks.

[Tim Bontemps]

They still got a couple left with the Knicks and a couple left with the Pacers. I mean, you know, it's going to, they're going to have to play for a little bit here probably.

[Brian Windhorst]

They did win their 60th game in this one.

[Bobby Marks]

I'll admit, I didn't watch much of it. I was in desperate need of an extended afternoon nap.

[Brian Windhorst]

He had his face in a bucket of ice.

[Tim Bontemps]

Speaking of, speaking of the Knicks, I was going to bring this up the other day. It's not quite a wiz of the quiz, but it was, was a, it was a stat from the game that was truly, a truly unbelievable stat. So Josh Hart and Carl Towns both had triple doubles the other day in the same game. You guys may have saw that. So on press row we were curious how many times that had happened, so we started looking it up. So before that game, there were 19 times in NBA history the two teammates had had triple doubles in a game.

[Bobby Marks]

This is a wiz of the quiz.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, it's not a wizard of the quiz, but you'll see why in a second. The prior four times before this Nick game involved either Nicole Yokachan, Russell Westbrook or Nicole Yokecho or Russell Westbrook. Not, not exactly a shock, right? The last time two teammates had triple doubles in the same game was on March 3rd without one of them in. It was March 3rd, 2021. I could give you guys 10 million guesses and you would never guess either of these players.

[Bobby Marks]

Was this like a late season?

[Brian Windhorst]

No. March 3rd. I mean, kind of late, but not shenanigans zone.

[Bobby Marks]

I guess my, my nap wasn't long enough. My bad.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, you know, 2021, this, the, the, the, the season was wonky.

[Tim Bontemps]

It was the COVID season.

[Brian Windhorst]

So it might have even been more mid season than even late.

[Tim Bontemps]

It was kind of mid season, but it's two.

[Brian Windhorst]

It's okay. So we're, we're, we're, we're stiffing this out McMahon. So give us a hand.

[Bobby Marks]

Give us a hand.

[Brian Windhorst]

Some of those teams like had seven, eight guys in protocols.

[Tim Bontemps]

I'm gonna give you a hint.

[Brian Windhorst]

There were guys they were signing off the, off the street. They were seven, ten day guys.

[Bobby Marks]

Alfred Payton, one of them.

[Tim Bontemps]

No, one of them was a point guard. One of them is a point guard that's in the wonder boy.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, there's hundreds of names in that volume.

[Tim Bontemps]

Like.

[Bobby Marks]

No, no, not Rondo. Was he done by 2021?

[Brian Windhorst]

No, he won the title in 20.

[Bobby Marks]

It wasn't. Brunson.

[Tim Bontemps]

Wasn't. Brunson was a Raptors Pistons game.

[Bobby Marks]

Damn. I'm not, I'm distracted.

[Tim Bontemps]

That's what I'm saying.

[Brian Windhorst]

I, I can't, you guys, I can't.

[Bobby Marks]

I'm distracted because I got, I got.

[Brian Windhorst]

On the Pistons roster in 2021. Who the hell knows?

[Bobby Marks]

Well, that's what I mean, Junior. I'm distracted because I've got, I've got Rocket Suns on.

[Tim Bontemps]

No, Tim was right. I, I gave you, I, I brought this up because Dennis Smith Jr. Was one of the pictures cycling through from the book on there. So Dennis Jr. Is one of the players. You guys would have never guessed him. Obviously I wouldn't even remember he played in the game. The other guy who did it. So It's Dennis Smith Jr. And Mason Plumley. Those are the two guys together that had a triple double in a game. By the way, the rest of this list, the, the guys that did this, it's Larry Bird and Robert Parish, Michael Jordan and Scotty Pippen.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, figured.

[Tim Bontemps]

James Carter and Jason Kid, Paul Georgia, Russell Westbrook, Bam out of bio. Jimmy Butler a couple times. You know, it's like, you know, Bob Cousy and Tom Heightson were the first teammates to do it. Like all these, like multiple time all stars, hall of Famers, great players. And then one random game with Dennis, but Junior Bama to buy.

[Bobby Marks]

So, hey, Dennis Smith Jr. Had a triple double in his last game with the Mavericks. And Rick Carlisle said, see this, you know, this shows that I think this, something along the lines of I think Luca and, and DSJ can be a long term, you know, fit together. Knowing damn well he was getting shipped to the Knicks, you know, later, Later, I guess the next day.

[Brian Windhorst]

Oh, man. Well, you know, remember when, when DSJ was a rookie, like, he was, you know, people were calling him untouchable. I mean, they were like, oh, my.

[Bobby Marks]

God, this guy's not one of those people.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah.

[Tim Bontemps]

But anyway, that was just one of the crazier. That was one of the crazier.

[Brian Windhorst]

You said Bam Adebaya. You meant Mason Plumley.

[Bobby Marks]

No, he said Bam did it with Jim.

[Tim Bontemps]

I was saying the other guys, that all the other guys that had done it.

[Brian Windhorst]

Right.

[Tim Bontemps]

All the other games were like, Bam and Jimmy did it a couple times, like.

[Brian Windhorst]

Right. But you see, I'm sorry, you just, just.

[Bobby Marks]

We're all loopy here.

[Brian Windhorst]

We all need a long rest. We all need a long rest. All right. Congratulations, McMahon on a terrific book launch week. If you haven't checked out the Wonder Boy, Luka Doncic and the Curse of Greatness, what are you waiting for? Also, the audiobook is read by someone with an English accent, which I regret. I regret that I didn't have someone with an English accent read my book.

[Bobby Marks]

I. No comment. Okay, we'll leave it there.

[Brian Windhorst]

All right. Thank you to Jackson, thank you to McMahon and Bontemp. Thank you for watching. Listening to the who collective. We'll talk to you in a couple days.

[Bobby Marks]

Adios amigos.

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