Lakers’ Run Continues & Luka’s Biggest Weakness + Playoff Seeding Battles

Summary

Podcast Summary: Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective

Episode: Lakers’ Run Continues & Luka’s Biggest Weakness + Playoff Seeding Battles
Date: March 23, 2026
Host: Brian Windhorst (with Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon)

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the surging Los Angeles Lakers, Luka Dončić’s recent historic performances—and his enduring flaws—and the shifting landscape of NBA playoff seeding battles, with in-depth breakdowns of clutch wins, changing team chemistry, coaching strategies, and looming challenges for key contenders. The conversation is candid and lively, delving into statistical trends, memorable moments, and high-stakes drama around the league as the playoffs approach.

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Key Segments and Insights

1. Lakers' Remarkable Streak and Clutch Performance

Timestamps: 06:27 – 19:10

• Back-to-Back Heroics:
  The Lakers overcame brutal scheduling—arriving in Miami at 4 AM after a late game in Houston—only to clinch a tough win against the Heat, with LeBron James logging a triple-double at age 41, and Luka Dončić dropping 60 points.

  • “For LeBron to turn around the next night and go for a triple double and for Luka to have it…that’s 60. I’m sorry, that’s more impressive than Bam’s 83 against a tanking team.” (Bontemps, 07:27)

• Elite Clutch Record:
  Lakers now 22-6 in clutch games—more than 10 percentage points better than any other team—prompting a debate: Is it variance, or unique star quality?

  • "You can point at it and say, they have Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves... all smart decision makers... That’s what makes them able to win these games." (Bontemps, 14:02)

• Game Control:
  When leading by 14+ points, the Lakers are 30-0—a testament to both execution and game management.
  “In an era where no lead is safe…they get up on you, they're not going to let you back in it, most likely.” (Windhorst, 15:14)

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2. Luka Dončić: Masterpiece Nights & Underlying Flaws

Timestamps: 08:40 – 34:19

• Unconventional Athleticism – Deceleration as a Weapon:
  Luka's dominance is attributed to his exceptional ability to decelerate, changing speeds masterfully, compared to Greg Maddux’s pitching artistry.

  • “Luka can slow down faster than you…He’s able to basically change speeds…I would almost compare it to Greg Maddux.” (Windhorst, 09:38)
  • “If you talk to the people at P3... the testing graphs for Luka and James Harden were almost identical.” (Bontemps, 11:10)

• Notable Performances:
  Multiple jaw-dropping shots in the 4th quarter of recent games underscore his capability to shift rhythms and manipulate defenders.

• Luka’s Major Weakness – Technical Fouls and Mental Focus:
  Despite improvements in conditioning, Luka's repeated technical fouls and petulant reactions have become his Achilles' heel.

  • “This is the one massive flaw that he has. It's petulance... Oftentimes venue refs, in this case it was at another player. The result was the same.” (Bontemps, 26:17)
  • “If Luka doesn't want to get suspended for technical fouls, guess what? Don't get technical fouls all the time.” (MacMahon, 28:16)
  • “It's not just...he gets technical fouls. It's...he’s not getting back on defense because he's so engaged with the referees.” (MacMahon, 32:00)

• Personal Life Impact:
  There is empathy for Luka's off-court struggles, with recognition that tough personal circumstances have coincided with his volatility on the court.

  • “When times are tough for Luka off the floor, that's when he's at his most petulant on the floor.” (MacMahon, 32:10)

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3. Evolving Lakers Chemistry and Offensive Roles

Timestamps: 34:19 – 37:48

• LeBron’s Adjustments:
  After a stretch where the Lakers' big three (Luka, LeBron, Reaves) underperformed, a defined pecking order has emerged: LeBron embraced a backseat, usage dropped, and efficiency soared.

  • “LeBron’s isos are dropped dramatically... the number of dribbles per game LeBron is taking is down a huge amount.” (Windhorst, 35:57)
  • “They’ve got, and, like, this team, they're, they're enjoying each other. The chemistry has done a 180.” (Bontemps, 36:10)

• Team Vibe and Realism:
  The hosts urge caution about playoff predictions, but note the Lakers' current chemistry—and historical experience—give them a legitimate shot.

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4. Coaching and Late-Game Offense

Timestamps: 16:40 – 20:22

• JJ Redick’s Play Design:
  The Lakers’ success in critical moments receives credit not just for star power, but also for JJ Redick’s creative inbound plays, repeatedly getting shooters open—including a game-winning look for Luke Kennard.

• Smart Execution:
  Recognition of Marcus Smart’s inbound awareness and the supporting cast’s responsiveness to designed sets, challenging the narrative that clutch wins are all “luck-based.”

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5. Playoff Seeding Battles and Team Rundown

Timestamps: 41:48 – 56:03

• Eastern Conference Shuffle:

  • Cleveland's Three-Game Road Surge:
    The Cavs cement their position for home court while battling inconsistency (Rough defense, injuries to Mitchell & Allen) and looking to avoid a first-round Celtics matchup.
  • Cavs' Fluctuating Identity:
    “They are very hard to read right now...stretches in games where they look horrible defensively, stretches where they look awesome with James Harden…” (Windhorst, 55:20)

• Detroit’s No. 1 Seed at Risk:
  Pistons face a much tougher schedule without Cade Cunningham; their grip on the top seed is challenged by Boston.

• East Play-In Logjam:
  Atlanta, Philly, Orlando, Miami, and Charlotte are separated by just a couple of losses, with tiebreakers—especially division records—potentially playing a huge role.

• West Lacks Drama, But Houston Intrigues:
  Most West playoff spots are locked up, but Houston's internal lineup shifts (inserting Reed Sheppard, star emergence for Amen Thompson) are being closely watched.

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6. Houston Rockets – Youth Movement and Strategic Choices

Timestamps: 56:03 – 65:52

• Rockets’ Fourth-Quarter Collapses and Rebounds:
  The team suffered tough loss streaks, improved vibes with recent wins, and made the pivotal choice to start rookie Reed Sheppard.

  • “The biggest development...Ime Udoka put Reed Sheppard into the starting lineup… and it's definitely been impressive in these two games.” (Bontemps, 58:47)

• Strategic Focus:
  The Rockets passed on adding a veteran point guard at the deadline, favoring development for Sheppard and Amen Thompson.

  • “They decided...as a front office we would rather live with the growing pains of Reed Sheppard and to a certain extent, Amen Thompson.” (Bontemps, 63:39)

• Fred VanVleet Update:
  Despite hopes, there’s little expectation for VanVleet’s return this season, but he remains in Houston’s long-term plans.

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7. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Luka's Shooting Display:
  “When Luka was throwing in some of those shots, I was sitting there going...People thought I was watching NCAA. I was like, ‘No, I was watching the best thing going.’” (Windhorst, 09:09)
• On Technical Foul Suspension:
  “If Luka doesn't want to get suspended for technical fouls, guess what? Don't get technical fouls all the time like this.” (MacMahon, 28:16)
• On Playoff Caution:
  “Let’s see how the playoffs go before we get too far into...LeBron might be back, all this kind of stuff.” (MacMahon, 37:37)
• On East Play-In Chaos:
  “In the east, you’ve got three games separating five and ten. It could go in any direction.” (Host, 53:17)

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Additional Topics

• JJ Redick’s Coach-of-the-Year Buzz:
  Lauded for play design, whether or not the mainstream is ready to credit him.
• James Borrego in New Orleans:
  Praised for maximizing wins, despite lack of certainty regarding his future with the Pelicans.
• Mavericks and Tanking:
  Discussion of their historic skid, possible lottery outlook, and unaddressed league-wide tanking issues.

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Final Reflections

The episode is a lively and insightful state-of-the-league check-in, blending deep basketball analysis with banter, behind-the-scenes perspective, and statistical context. The Lakers’ resurgence, Luka’s superstar brilliance (and costly flaws), and the shifting playoff battlegrounds dominate the narrative, with the hosts refusing to overreact—but acknowledging the high stakes and unpredictability as the playoffs approach.

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Section Index (Timestamps)

| Segment | Timestamp | |----------------------------|-------------| | Lakers' Streak | 06:27–19:10 | | Luka’s Mastery & Flaws | 08:40–34:19 | | Lakers Chemistry | 34:19–37:48 | | Coaching/Clutch Offense | 16:40–20:22 | | Playoff Seeding Battles | 41:48–56:03 | | Houston Rockets Focus | 56:03–65:52 | | Quotes & Memorable Moments | Throughout |

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This summary captures the major storylines, arguments, and personalities at the heart of the NBA with accessible, detailed coverage for fans who missed the pod—or want to relive the inside scoop.

Transcript

[McMahon]

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[Bontemps]

never tasted so good.

[McMahon]

You can add protein cold foam to your favorite drink or try one of

[Bontemps]

our new protein lattes or matcha. Try it today at Starbucks.

[Host]

Hello and welcome to the HOOPP Collective podcast. We talk about the NBA, which we're doing on Sunday afternoon. It's actually Sunday morning here in the central time zone. But joining us from New York City, Tim Bontemps.

[McMahon]

Hello, everybody.

[Host]

Join us from Dallas, Texas. And I gotta tell you something, McMahon. A lot of videos have crossed my timeline over the last couple days here in Nebraska. Showing off the Husker fans partying at the Tiki. The Husker fans found the Tiki down in Oklahoma City this weekend. Joining us from Dallas, Texas. Man, McMahon.

[Bontemps]

Howdy, partners. Yeah, I know. I've gotten reports and I've seen footage and pictures on various various social media platforms. Tipsy Tiki has been overflowing with Corn Huskers, as has the Goat. There's a new sports bar in OKC that our buddy Big Wrist just opened up and the. The Huskers are good for business. Sweet 16 corn huskers.

[McMahon]

Our guy's been open to. Wait, that opened that bar for about two years, it feels like. And it's, it's, it was good to see it full of NCAA tournament fans this weekend.

[Host]

I don't know where he got it, if he borrowed it or whatever, but after seeing how many Nebraska fans had gone to Oklahoma City. First time the Huskers have ever won a NCAA game and they won two. Somehow a giant flag, like not a flag that you would procure easily in Oklahoma City of Nebraska flag ended up at the Tiki by Saturday afternoon.

[Bontemps]

I'm sure all those Sooners love seeing that. That's a pretty deep rooted rivalry.

[Host]

Yeah, well, not as much anymore since they're not in the same conference. But not so sure. The Nebraska fans discovering the Tiki and Discovery discovering Bricktown for the first time, which I'm sure there were many. The jumping into the canal there.

[McMahon]

It's concerning.

[Host]

You didn't see any Thunder fans jumping into the canal when they won the title last summer?

[Bontemps]

No.

[McMahon]

They might have been out many a time. I've never once thought it'd be a good idea to jump in.

[Host]

Yeah, no.

[Bontemps]

The canal, the Riverwalk in San Antonio, like none of these are places that you want to take a dip.

[Host]

Correct. Anyway, I don't know if you saw but the Thunder. We're not going to really talk about the Thunder, but they won their 11th consecutive game on Saturday of fracas. More fisticuffs. Tell you what. Two team. If the, if the Pistons end up in the finals with the Pistons fisticuffs. If you. I'll tell you what, if we might

[Bontemps]

want to use the guard a little bit better now.

[McMahon]

I think we just got people watching on the YouTube, so I think we saw when he's not been in too many fights.

[Host]

No, I haven't been. I don't intend to be. But I'm telling you. Pistons Thunder. If we get a finals of Pistons Thunder. Oh boy, some rock and soccer working overtime.

[Bontemps]

Hey, we forget that we might get it first round with Pistons Hornets, round two.

[Host]

True. I would just say that the Pistons are, you know, sort of. That's their M.O. i think the Thunder, they invite teams, get in their feelings a little bit about Oklahoma City.

[Bontemps]

The level of physicality that the Thunder play with definitely leads to some harsh feelings like the Pistons.

[McMahon]

Pistons do the same thing.

[Host]

Yeah, well, the Thunder also the champs there is that.

[Bontemps]

Yeah. I don't, I don't think the Lizards are too concerned about how many games you've won. They're, you know, that's not really part of the equation in Washington right now.

[Host]

I think the pacers have lost 15 in a row and the Wizards have lost 14. Or it's 15.

[McMahon]

Fending tonight's game at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks, so. But we'll see if it extends or not.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Bontemps]

Tough blow for the Lizards that, that pesky little thigh contusions acting up again for Trey Young. I'm sure that, you know, folks within that Lizards franchise are pretty disappointed that Trey's not going to be able to play for a little bit here and waiting on, waiting on ad that six week timetable to recover from the hand injury the Mavs put out. Well, we're about, about four weeks past that.

[Host]

By the way, before we talk about, before we actually get to the podcast, as long as we're messing around here in Annoying Jackson, did you see Victor Wembanyama's like Tom Cruise esque flyby of Rick Carlisle night?

[Bontemps]

I did.

[Host]

I'm not sure. Like, I didn't. Obviously I was not watching Pacers spurs, so I'm not sure what that was about. But he very purposely ran over and like bumped into Carlisle on the sideline like he was Tom Cruise buzzing the tower.

[Bontemps]

Carlisle got he, he got back.

[Host]

Yes, he did.

[Bontemps]

Carlisle's. He can be nimble on the sidelines. One of my favorite Rick Carlile techniques is the Angry Rick timeout where he like storms out onto the floor and while calling a timeout and almost runs into the ref and then looks at the ref like he's mad at the ref.

[Host]

Yeah, Spoelstra, the Spolstra rage timeout is where he like, you know, he stomps about 12ft out.

[McMahon]

Of course he's spreading out there like he's running the hundred.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, I know. I think Spolstra could probably the fastest 40 time of current coaches.

[Bontemps]

Did Spoelstra call any of those while Luka was lighting them up for 60 the other night?

[Host]

Oh my goodness. How about Bam? By the way, before we talk about the late how about Bam with the low key trash talk. I want to give Bam, Spoelstra gets a special honor. I don't know what I'm going to call it for apologizing to absolutely nobody. I love that. And then Luca puts 60 on the, on the Heat in an absolutely jaw dropping masterpiece performance. And Bam goes, yeah, man, 60 is amazing. Now you know how hard it is

[Bontemps]

to get to 80, 83. But, and I tell you, I really, I listen. I know I criticized the stat padding and all that and hurt some feelings down there in South Beach. Oh, some of those, some of those, you know, unbiased Heat media folks and some others. I tell you though, I, I can appreciate the way that the Heat are really leaning in 83. They're selling the jerseys and as a special tribute to Bam's 83, that is the exact number of games I think the Heater can end up playing this season.

[Host]

He had that one in the chamber.

[McMahon]

You think, you think? By the way there, I think they're, I think they're probably going to play at least 84, but we'll, we'll see.

[Bontemps]

Oh, we'll see.

[McMahon]

All the injuries the Sixers have, I suspect the Sixers and Hornets will wind up.

[Bontemps]

In all seriousness though, playing mix that win over the Heat for the Lakers and for Lucas scoring 60 for LeBron getting a triple double. That was an amazing win. That was such a bad piece of scheduling for the Lakers. They had an 8:30 local tip in Houston the night before, which means 8:45 national TV game, blah blah blah. You know, good win over the Rockets. They, LeBron had six dunks in that game at the age of 41. I mean, what are we even watching? It's unbelievable. And then they don't get to their hotel in Miami until damn near 5

[Host]

o' clock in the morning. Wheels down. I looked at their flight, the wheels down at Miami International at 3, 3:59am yeah.

[Bontemps]

And so I was honestly surprised that all their guys played. They were.

[Host]

Me too. They put them as questionable so that they, you know, so they were cleared. Luca, Reeves and LeBron were listed as questionable so that they satisfied all the rules so that they could have easily ruled them out, and then they didn't.

[Bontemps]

And then for LeBron to turn around the next night and go for a triple double and for Luca to have it like, that's 60. I'm sorry, that's more impressive than Bam's 83 against a tanking team. That's 60 when you needed all 60 to win a 22, 21 hour turnaround back to back against a team that is trying to make the playoffs.

[Host]

Well, there was a couple of crazy back to back. So the other day, Denver played at home. I'm trying to think if that was a national TV game. But then they played.

[Bontemps]

That was the reschedule game in Memphis that they. That they ended up managing to lose.

[Host]

So I looked at the. They landed at Memphis International. I believe it's Frederick W. Smith International. Anybody know who Frederick Smith was?

[McMahon]

Founder of FedEx.

[Host]

Good job.

[Bontemps]

Great.

[Host]

They landed at 3:18am so that's a tough turn. But that's a makeup game. This game was scheduled.

[Bontemps]

Yeah, that's bad scheduling by the NBA. But again, for the Lakers to be able to win it in 60 on 18 of 30 shooting, sheesh. And then that's not what everybody's talking about with Luka coming out of the weekend, which is impressive.

[Host]

Well, okay, that's. Well, we'll get there in a second. But let's just acknowledge some of the three pointers that Luka threw in in the fourth quarter of that game. I've been watching Luka for years now, and I've constantly been amazed at how he looks like he moves slowly but still gets open. And I was talking with someone who's in basketball. Literally was talking with them on Friday night after that game. I watched the game on the plane home from la. Had terrific WI fi.

[Bontemps]

All right.

[Host]

It was awesome. Oh, my God. I was watching it live. I was like, you know, I'm not one of these guys that reacts to basketball games, but when Luca was throwing in some of those shots, I was sitting there going. I was like exclaiming. And people thought I was watching ncaa. I was like, no, I was watching the best thing going. And I was talking to someone who knows basketball very well. I'm not going to say it anymore, but he said to me, the reason that Luke is able to do this is because if he's an elite decelerator.

[Bontemps]

Yeah.

[Host]

So when you think about what you want to do in any sport, you want to accelerate. Right. And certainly there's incredible accelerators in basketball where you can get the corner turned, you can outrun guys. You know, it's a premium attribute to have. But he was saying that if you watch Luca closely, and I watched some film back of several games just in the last couple days, and this is what Luca can do. Luca can slow down faster than other people. He's able to basically change speeds. I would almost compare it to Greg Maddox.

[McMahon]

Very timely reference.

[Host]

Greg Maddox. This is sort of my age bracket here. Greg Maddox, he could barely break a plane of gas. A glass. Gas. He could barely break a plane of glass with his fastball. But Maddox could move things around. Every pitch was a different speed. He never walked anybody famously. And the other thing that Maddox could do is he could throw from a bunch of different arm angles. And that's like Luka, too, McMahon. Luka can score over the top of his head. He can shoot it from the side. He can shoot it like sidearm. He can shoot it underhanded. He's got a mastery of changing speeds. And once you. Once Luka has you on his hip.

[Bontemps]

Yeah, it is Marcy, because he can

[Host]

slow down faster than you. Like, if he has you go in one direction, he can stop and turn. Even though the turn isn't fast. He can do that movement. He can slow down faster than you can slow down.

[McMahon]

Yeah.

[Bontemps]

I wrote a story on this. This was when Luca was still in Dallas. Actually, this was when JJ Redick was still at espn. JJ Shouted this story out on. On a broadcast. But Luca is a prime example of this.

[Host]

Aren't you so impressive?

[Bontemps]

Yeah, well, Doris Burke loves me too. Not you guys. Luca Joker is another one. Anthony Edwards is. Is the, like the. The example of guy who's got elite acceleration and deceleration. But, like, if you talk to. And I did, I talked to the people at P3, you know, the. The. That performance lab, basically. And Luca went there when he was with Real Madrid. Bill Duffy had him go there and train during the summer, the year before his final season in Spain. In the testing, Luca and James Harden, you could basically put them over each other. And the testing graphs were almost identical. And so the deceleration, the ability to put it in reverse, even, that's the step back stuff. And that's also being able to finish in the lane, you know, without traditional explosiveness. And Luka and Joker especially, they use that detail, not just to be able to finish. But a lot of times it's that slow step stuff. And you've seen like that's the biggest trend around the league now is that slow step stuff in the lane. They use it a lot of times to set up a pass too, you know, to, to create that passing lane, to get a guy a wide open 3 or to throw the late lob.

[Host]

Yeah.

[McMahon]

If you're an offensive player, the thing you want to do is get the defender off balance to create an advantage. Right. It doesn't matter if it's by, like you said, if it's Anthony Edwards going super fast or if it's Luka or Jokic going super slow. The whole thing is if you can get the defender to hesitate or get off balance and then be able to attack them, that's what makes the elite players so effective. And whether it's Shea, whether it's Luka, whether it's Jalen Brunson, whether it's Jokic, any of these guys, that's the thing they all have in common. They might do it in different ways, but they excel at making the defender uncomfortable and not know what they're going to do next. And when you watch Luka play, that creativity that he's got to find a way to manipulate the defense is what makes him such a special player. And it's. What's been so evident during this run is that he is in one of those rhythms right now where he's feeling good. The Lakers are in a good rhythm as a team, obviously. And he's able to get wherever he wants to go on the court. And as a result of that, he's getting the Lakers clean looks, whether it's for himself or others. And it's made them into an absolute juggernaut lately. And it also bears repeating. I looked it up while you guys were talking. The Lakers are 22 and 6 in clutch games this season. No other team has less than 10 losses on the season and they're more than 10 percentage points better than everybody else. And you could point to that and say this team only has a plus 1 point differential and they're not actually that good. And they're going to lose early in the playoffs because when they get up against a high level opponent, they're not going to be able to survive on clutch time. Or you can point at it and say they have Luka doncic, they have LeBron James, they have Austin Reaves, they have three guys who can all isolate and get buckets late in games. Are all smart decision Makers all know how to play and they can manipulate the defense as late in games and they can make more plays than their opponent against any kind of competition because they have super high level individual offensive creators. And that push and pull with the Lakers is the thing that we're just going to have to wait until the playoffs, see how it goes. Because that is the core argument one way or the other against whether this is a legitimate team that can make a run or one that's doing it. Smoke and mirrors might be strong, but overplaying what they have because of their ability to perform late in games and that'll show the opposite way when the playoffs come.

[Host]

Well, speaking of getting up, something else that I will tell you about the Lakers that's a facet and yes, they probably are a little, you know, some of that 22 and 6 record is due to variance. A lot of it's due to the mastery of Luca and LeBron and Reaves. But this interesting stat from ESPN Research. So last night against the, our Saturday night, I should say against the oral arm magic, which we're going to talk about in a second, they led that game by as many as 14 points. They ended up winning with less than a second left, which we'll talk about in a second. But when they get up by 14 points or more in a game this year they're 30 and oh, now we are in the era where no lead is safe and last night they could have lost that game. However, it's something to be said for being able to control the game once you get a lead and not let another team back in. So what you're saying about the Lakers is if you get into a close game, okay, they're not going to win them all, especially in the playoffs against super league competition. But you get in a close game, you got to like their chances. And secondly, if they get up on you, they're not going to let you back in it, most likely. That's two facets of, you know, I would prefer a team that doesn't have to play the fourth quarter because they hold those 14 point leads so much that they don't have to play these clutch time games. But these are facets of high level teams.

[Bontemps]

Just the truth, you know, if you talk to like analytics driven people around the league, they'll kind of be dismissive of clutch stats and say, you know, it's, it's. Those are more luck based than anything else. I don't think though that you can just dismiss the fact that they've got guys who are proven closers and also like, hey, I think we've got to give JJ Redick and his coaching staff some credit here too. They consistently draw up stuff in endgame situations that gets guys wide open looks. We saw it with Luke Kennard in Orlando and I'm thinking even some of the times, you know, some of their rare misses, you know, the rare clutch losses, like there was that debacle where Luka passed up a wide open look and threw a grenade to LeBron the last time they played the Magic and they lost that.

[Host]

Yeah, well that's, well let's, let's talk about that. So both those games. So that last time they lost to the Magic was when they were in that stretch where I think they lost like five of seven.

[Bontemps]

Yeah, three in a row.

[Host]

Yeah, they were three in a row there and I think since that time they've won 12 of 13. But anyway, that game in Orlando was where they ran basically that football play where the entire team was behind the half court line. They all run across like a receivers coming out of a bunch formation. Luka ends up with a wide open shot from like what would you say McMahon? 25.

[Bontemps]

I mean it was probably 27, 28, but like that, like Luka's never hesitated to take a wide open look at that range. Like that's a shot that he's comfortable with and he just for whatever reason.

[Host]

Well, there was some stats that he doesn't, really hasn't been taking last second shots, but it's either here nor there. It was obviously a really nice play design that resulted in not winning the game. And that was a clutch time loss and they actually went through a stretch there where they lost a few clutch time games. All right, so now you look at the game on, on Saturday, okay, this game was messy at the end. Both teams did some wild stuff including the Magic turning the ball over and handing the Lakers a chance to win the game. That's a another topic. But in the end of the game, again you've got JJ Redick designing a play that I don't know, I don't know what you would call it. It was, it was another trips set. It was basically in this case Kennard, LeBron and Luka basically running a pattern which confused the Magic and resulted in Luke Kennard getting a, I think ten and a half foot open shot was what the data showed.

[Bontemps]

And remember what happened seconds before that is LeBron got a layup and it wasn't whistle, but he got the hell hacked out of him by, by Paulo and So on this play, it's like, dude, Luke Kennard's leading the league in 3 point percentage. How does he get wide open? And the simple answer is that the Magic were so worried about. You know, LeBron set up like he was going to set a screen and then just dived hard to the rim and Bane switched it, but paolo stuck with LeBron. So you've got two on LeBron because they're so worried about him diving hard to the rim and then none on Luke Kennard. You know, it was a botched, botched switch or botched communication by the Magic, but that's how Kennard got so open.

[Host]

Excellent play. An excellent recognition by Marcus Smart, who was inbounding. I'm sure that they've run through this and that they knows what to look for. But still, obviously you got Luka and LeBron in the play and you're trying to get a basket to tie the game or win the game. And Canard's the guy open, and Smart hit the open guy. I mean, what's his percentage on that shot? Bontems, wide open shot, catch and shoot. I mean, he's probably 60% on that shot.

[McMahon]

I mean, Luke Kennard might be the single best guy in the league to take that shot. I'm not even saying.

[Host]

And they designed it specifically to get it for him.

[McMahon]

Yeah, I mean, Luke Kennard on wide open shots, I'd have to go look at the numbers. He might legitimately be the best shooter in the NBA. I mean, his issue has always been he's a guy that is sometimes hesitant to let it go if he's not wide open. But his percentages year over year are sky high, in part because if he gets an open look, it's going in. And when he caught the ball at the top of the key, I was like, there's no way this is doing anything but going through the basket. I mean, there was just no doubt in my mind. And yeah, it was, it was. It was an incredibly impressive play.

[Bontemps]

He was so hoping he had time to adjust the shooting sleeve during the play.

[Host]

I didn't notice that.

[Bontemps]

Catch it and then let that thing fly.

[Host]

Well, all right, so on Monday, there is a game that in theory would be pretty interesting, which is the Lakers in the last high stakes game of this road trip, which they're already four and, oh, on playing in Detroit, they finished the road trip in on Wednesday in Indiana, and I would highly recommend they win that game. And I can't see them not winning it.

[Bontemps]

Good advice.

[Host]

Vitza Zubacz by the way, out for the year with a broken rib. That's an injury that does not require skepticism. That sucks. So he's not going to play in that game. But anyway, more Hoop Collective podcast after

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[Host]

However, on Monday, as we talked about last week, there'll be no Cade Cunningham as he deals with his own sternum rib cage lung issue, which I hope he's Feeling better? That no good. And I don't think we're going to see Luca either. We haven't gotten the official announcement as we're recording this McMahon, but the. The 16 tech has come for Luka and I don't think he's wiggling out of this one. I guess, I don't know. I guess I've seen things happen, so I guess I shouldn't say, but he's.

[Bontemps]

He twice as Mac 10 pointed out in, in his very well reported story from Orlando where he got all sides of the. The story twice, I believe Luke's last two full years in Dallas, they did rescind what would have been the. The technical. That would have been the suspension, including the year they went to the west finals. Luka, when he first strained that calf in the regular season finale against the spurs, he only played in that game because the technical foul was rescinded, so ended up costing him three games instead of one because he strained the calf the first three games of the playoffs when Jalen Brunson made himself a lot of money. But look, this one, there's a lot of. He said, he said he started it. No, he started it.

[Host]

Yeah. Look, I just want to say it's kind of like I give people a pass on tanking. Good people doing, you know, bad things for the sake of tanking. I'm not going to judge it. Like, J.J. regic comes in the press conference and he's like, Goga said something about his family. You know, like J.J. said something.

[Bontemps]

He said something about his mother and

[Host]

oh, that's what it was.

[Bontemps]

Luca said that Goga said bleep his whole. I'll bleep your whole family.

[Host]

Right.

[Bontemps]

And, and, and so, you know, it was all.

[Host]

Apparently it was all in Serbian.

[Bontemps]

It was all in Serbian.

[Host]

Right. And so we're all taking everybody's. But there was incredible coverage of the, of the detail of the trash talk that went down. Right.

[Bontemps]

And Goga said, hey, I just repeated what Luca said to me that. That's the CliffsNotes version. You know, I know one of those guys is a pretty notorious trash talker and it's not Goga. So, you know, believe what you will. I.

[Host]

Well, look, I'm just saying, like they're defense. He said something about his mother. Oh, he said something about his mother. Oh, well, in that case, that technical is getting rescinded. Like I said, I don't. They're doing what they got to do. But it's kind of a guy.

[Bontemps]

And because Luca, to his credit, has done something about his conditioning and made massive strides there. This is the one massive flaw that he has. It's petulance. Oftentimes venue refs, in this case, it was at another player. The result was the same. He got another technical foul. You know, Luca took accountability for letting his teammates down, but he definitely put the blame on Goga. And Goga talking to Mac 10 and the Orlando Sentinel beat writer over the phone because he wanted to get his side on the record. You know, basically he said, you know, talk about respect for families, blah, blah, blah. He said he just said some inappropriate things in the Serbian language, which I played in Serbia. I understand. I don't know if he knew I understood what he said, so I just said it back. There was nothing towards his family or anybody. His family. I really, truly respect them. But basically he's saying, I repeated back to Luca what Luca said to me. So point being, look, here's what. Here's what happened. Luca, who's been on a sizzling streak even by his standards, couldn't hit a shot in the second half. Right?

[Host]

He started 10 of 15 and I finished. I think he finished 1 of 13.

[Bontemps]

I think after that, something like that, Goku fouled him. And Luka and Gog are getting his thing where there's trash talk in Serbian while Luka's at the free throw line. You know, he said. He said, whoever started it, we need Jokic to mitigate.

[Host]

We need Jokic to come in and determine. You know, he needs to be like the ref and like, issue the edict on whether or not this technical should stand.

[Bontemps]

So Luca misses the first free throw, and then his protest from the referees,

[Host]

he just said this, this.

[Bontemps]

And, you know, in the middle of the thing, makes a second free throw, then they go back down the court and they're barking, they're barking, they're barking. And then double tees. And then the Lakers are mad that they said there weren't warning issued. Warnings issued. Mark Davis, the rep, told the pool reporter, yeah, there was. There was warnings issued when they were going at it while Luke was at the free throw line.

[Host]

Yeah, based on the pool report, it does not. I mean, look, I. Like I said, this is very simple.

[McMahon]

If Luka Doncic doesn't want to get suspended for technical fouls, guess what? Don't get technical fouls all the time like this. This isn't. This is not some sort of conspiracy against Luka Doncic and the Lakers. So give me a break. Like, if you're going to act like this all the time and get technicals all the time. Then, yeah, this is it. There's a reason why McMahon was on pool reporter duty when he was in Dallas. And every time Luke could get a technical, he would go down to the refs room and do an interview after the game and find out why he got his technical. Because this became a story every single year. Because the guy is flirting with a suspension every single year or getting a suspension every single year. And they're fighting to get these texts rescinded because he keeps getting them. So just don't get them anymore.

[Host]

It was wildly inappropriate whenever McMahon filed up a pool report that he denoted the ref's height. So I didn't. I never thought that was.

[Bontemps]

That's the first question of every pool I do.

[Host]

I'm just so.

[Bontemps]

I don't do nearly as many of them now that Luke is gone.

[McMahon]

But I'm just so tired of this whole discussion for that reason. Like, don't, don't put yourself in that position. We're talking about a guy who's on his. His third contract in the NBA. Like, come on, this is not a. We're not talking about a teenager.

[Host]

I know, obviously, but, you know, I know, obviously. And Laker fans don't always go together, but.

[Bontemps]

Or Luca fans for that matter.

[McMahon]

Well, that was the same thing in Dallas. It's not like this is new.

[Host]

Yeah, of course you're going to defend your guy. I'm just saying. Look, I will say this. Luka was averaging a technical about every three and a half games. Which we'll give him a. We'll give him a nudge and say he was averaging a technical every four games. He hadn't gotten one in nine plus games. This was the 10th game since he had gotten attack.

[Bontemps]

I covered the two games in Houston. In the first game, I was on red alert on multiple occasions.

[Host]

Okay, so you're saying he was bubbling in that direction.

[Bontemps]

It was. But. And here's the thing.

[Host]

Like, let's just.

[Bontemps]

Dude, refs follow the league. Refs don't want to be the guy who gives an MVP candidate. Luka is back to being a legitimate MVP candidate with this run he's on. Refs don't want to. The guy who gives an MVP candidate a one game suspension, they know he has 15. Just like when, when Luca or Davis

[Host]

is one of the top officials in the league.

[McMahon]

It's the Draymond, get the technical foul three minutes into the game thing and then go crazy the rest of the game because he knows the refs aren't going to want to throw him out because the refs are trying not to put their thumb on the scale in the game.

[Bontemps]

And Luka's done the same thing. And you know, JJ was asked, I think after the Heat game again, when luka, I mean, 60 points on that kind of a back to back against just insane performance.

[Host]

Absolutely. Masterpiece offensive basketball.

[Bontemps]

It's on the short list of his best performances. And the guys had a 60 point triple double. He's had all kinds of monster nights. But JJ's asked about that game, like, you know, basically, why, why wouldn't Luke beat the mvp? And JJ kind of gave us snarky, like, I don't know, because he complains to refs. But like, dude, it is, it is his biggest flaw. And it's. And I would say not just complain to refs, the petulance, right? In this case, it's going at opponents and sometimes that stuff fuels them, sometimes it distracts them, the refs. But here's the thing, and I, I can empathize with Luca. He's going through a very, very difficult time in his personal life that unfortunately has become public knowledge with the custody battle and all that stuff, right? When times are tough for Luca off the floor, that's when he's at his most petulant on the floor. He went very difficult stuff in his personal life in Dallas that, you know, he has not discussed publicly. And just, it's. I don't, I, like, I sympathize with the guy. It's. He went through some really tough things. But there was, it was a situation where like people with the Mavericks knew just based on who was in town, like, hey, Luka's going to be volatile tonight, you know, and Luka, he goes at refs in particular when he's venting because he's really frustrated with other things sometimes frustrated with, with things within the franchise. A lot of times it's stuff in his personal life and like, you can sympathize with that and say, hey, like, it's really the one thing that's holding you back. And again, it's not just, hey, he gets technical fouls. It's, hey, he's not getting back on defense because he's so engaged in the referees. It's, it's that kind of stuff.

[McMahon]

And again, he gets distracted, he gets, he gets knocked off his game because again, we're talking one of the best players on the planet. And look, this is the same stuff that Nicole Jokic had dealt with, has dealt with at times in the past too. I mean, remember before Jokic won the title. I mean, he got ejected from the end of that playoff series against the Suns. Like, he's. He's had some moments like that, too. And then he went through and won the title. And now, like, that's all in the rearview mirror.

[Bontemps]

So Joker's been pretty volatile lately with some of the physicality stuff, but I hear you.

[McMahon]

I agree. My point is, when you get to the mountaintop and you win the title, that stuff gets pushed to the side, right? And people just think of you as winning in the end. So whenever. I mean, I expect Luke at some point in his career to win a title because the guy's one of the most talented players ever. So at some point, I am guessing there'll be a similar path for him. But, yeah, if you're talking about flaws in his game, when he gets off kilter and gets distracted, that's when the defense slips. It starts focusing on the refs. He gets out of the rhythm that he's been in. And we've seen it the last few weeks when he is playing like this. Like, there's a reason why it was so insane. Dallas made the trade, which, again, it's an obvious. It's an obvious thing to say. But, like, you watch this last month, it's like, this guy can do things hardly anybody who's ever played the sport can do. And, like, you're seeing it with this Lakers team, and as we've talked about, it's an imperfect, flawed Laker team that isn't a great fit overall for what his skill set is and what you can really do to optimize him. And they're still on this run and they still could potentially have a chance

[Host]

before we switch topics, which we're about to.

[Bontemps]

I don't want to switch yet.

[Host]

Okay.

[Bontemps]

I got a couple other points to make real quick. Luka is averaging in this, where they're 12 and one in the stretch. Like. And the Lakers have morphed into like, hey, we gotta. If we're gonna take the Nuggets seriously as a contender in the west, we gotta include the Lakers in that conversation. Luke is averaging 36, 8 and 8 with over two steals and almost a block per game during a stretch on remarkable efficiency. And, Wendy, what do you think is gonna be the Luca topic on when you're on get up Monday morning.

[Host]

I'm not doing get up on Monday.

[McMahon]

I can't.

[Host]

I can't have it. Yeah, I know.

[Bontemps]

Okay. You know what I'm saying?

[Host]

He's gonna get suspended. Yes.

[Bontemps]

Get up and first Take that. That's gonna be the topic. Yeah. And the other thing though that's happened is like Wendy, you said it on multiple occasions, we all said it. And you know the data at the time was awfully convincing that Luca Reeves, LeBron as a trio didn't work.

[Host]

That's right.

[Bontemps]

Since that three game losing streak, you know where that loss to Orlando was part of it that we mentioned. So starting February, late February here, in 216 minutes that trio has a net rating of plus 18.3 offensive rating, 124 defensive rating in 106 in that range. And that was. They were minus 4.9 and 238 minutes before then. What's happened? LeBron has accepted his backseat role. And LeBron has been an absolute monster as a fewer than 15 field goal attempt per game guy like he's averaged almost 20 per game.

[Host]

LeBron's isos are draw have dropped dramatically. LeBron, you know what, you know what stat you can look at to see the difference between how LeBron's playing now is to those, the number of dribbles per game LeBron is taking is down like a huge amount.

[Bontemps]

But again he's been awesome. Like he's averaged 19.7 points shooting about 60% from the floor, six rebounds, six assists. He's still as dominant. I mean he's leading the league in fast break points. I watched two games in Houston, the man dunked nine times and like six of them were absolute highlight reel dunks. LeBron and Les is definitely more for a 41 year old, which isn't a shock. The shock is a 41 year old still so damn athletic. But they've got a clearly defined pecking order now. LeBron's thriving in that role. And if you'd have told me in late February, hey, LeBron might actually be back in LA, which when do you always try to leave wiggle room and I never wanted to hear it. I'll listen now because they've, they've got and like this team, they're, they're enjoying each other like the chemistry has done a 180.

[Host]

His true shooting percentage since the all star break is 62%. His usage rate has gone from 28 to 23. So there's your.

[McMahon]

Let's see where things are at in a month before.

[Host]

Well, here's, here's what I would just say. Here's what I would just, I'm just,

[McMahon]

I'm just saying like, you know, let's, let's see where they're at in A

[Bontemps]

really, really good, just beaten tanking teams.

[McMahon]

They've played great. I mean listen, they, in the last week they, I mean look, did they get lucky to beat Denver? Yeah, but they won. They get lucky to beat Orlando. Yeah, but they won. They beat Houston twice on the road in a baseball series. Very hard to do. They win this crazy back to back in Miami. Like they're, they're beating real teams.

[Bontemps]

Beat the Knicks, beat the Wolves.

[McMahon]

They're playing great. All I was saying about let's wait a month and see where things are at are let's see how the playoffs go before we get too far into that's fair. The chemistry's improved. LeBron might be back. All this kind of stuff.

[Host]

What you guys are talking about with what's happened with the Lakers big three and what you're talking about Bon Temps was let's see what happens in the playoffs. I have spent my most of my career covering the NBA and I have developed a three word statement that covers all of these eventualities.

[Bontemps]

There's always time.

[Host]

That's right. Don't make a pain. There's always time before we move on. Because you're talking about.

[Bontemps]

I thought the three words were leave wiggle room, which you're better at than I am.

[Host]

There's always don't make predictions.

[McMahon]

I said don't make opinions. I meant don't make predictions is what

[Host]

I meant to say. I messed it up. How about. Can I just point out that recent Mavericks trade piece. Quentin Grimes is putting up like humongous numbers since Tyrese Maxey went down.

[McMahon]

He's put up humongous numbers from basically the moment he got to Philadelphia last year.

[Host]

Well, but not really this year. When BJ Edgecombe took some of his.

[McMahon]

I mean he was, he was still playing very well as there.

[Host]

He's averaging 8 less points per game this year. But I just want to point out since Maxey went down, Grimes, who's going to be an unrestricted free agent, is having. And they had a. They beat Utah. They beat Utah and sack over the last couple of days on the road. That's.

[Bontemps]

That was the second worst trade of Nico's final deadline.

[Host]

I just say he's had a whole bunch of really high level performances.

[McMahon]

He's played great.

[Host]

Yeah, I think he's pretty much played every game this year. He's maybe missed one game or two games. Well, maybe he's missed a couple more.

[McMahon]

He's been awesome for them. I mean he's been one of the best, one of the best six men in the league all year. It's going to be very interesting, free agency. And in light of the Jared McCain trade, like when Philadelphia made that trade, like there's. Obviously it's been a hotly debated topic in Philly, but when you make that trade and you keep grinds, the idea clearly is you're going to have him as your third guard with Tyrese Maxey and BJ Edgecombe going forward. And if he somehow leaves this summer as a free agent and they don't retain his services, it's only going to put a bigger spotlight on that trade, which, and on top of how Grimes has played, certainly you would think would give him some leverage in those negotiations to get a payday in Philly.

[Host]

Well, I don't mean to, you know, poke the Mavericks even further, but they lost their. How many games in a row now.

[McMahon]

Well, the Mavericks are trying to lose.

[Host]

I understand, but I saw they haven't, they haven't won at home in two months.

[Bontemps]

The Mavericks are. The Mavericks are in the midst of their worst 25 game stretch of this millennium. That's all you need to know.

[McMahon]

The Mavericks are having an incredible stretch because, you know, look, the NBA, I think, sort of ridiculously brought the hammer down only on Indiana and Utah back in February. And you could say they should have brought the hammer down on Indiana and Utah. But if you're going to do that to me, you should be doing it to everybody. And the last month has been a joke, as we know, for all seasons.

[Host]

We don't talk about tanking.

[McMahon]

Well, you just brought up Dallas. You got Memphis, you got Dallas, you got all Indiana and Washington losing a million games in a row now, like

[Bontemps]

the Mavericks, like their tanking measures aren't that extreme. They just stink like Memphis and Washington. Some of these other teams are being very creative. The Mavericks just stink.

[Host]

Dallas now has a 37% chance of getting a top four pick.

[McMahon]

Well, and forget that. The key for me is that Dallas has gotten themselves into having an extremely high probability of having a top seven pick. And in this draft, you want to have a top seven pick, there's the four guys at the top, in whatever order. AJ DeBancer, Darren Peterson, Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson. Then there's the three guards. Keaton Wagler from Illinois, Kingston Flemings from Houston. Dallas Guy and Darius Acuff, or he's from San Antonio. Darius Acuff, I believe. A Dallas guy from Arkansas, AKA Dallas Guy. I thought so. I could be wrong about that. But if you, if you get one of those top seven guys, to pair with Cooper. Flag going forward. I think the Mavericks are going to be feeling pretty good about where they're at.

[Host]

Don't worry. The Bulls are in ninth.

[McMahon]

Yes, they are. But the, the. This slide has gotten the Mavericks down into pretty good position to get one of those picks, which would be pretty big time for them if they don't jump up.

[Host]

Question. What was the biggest win in the NBA on Saturday?

[McMahon]

It comes from Detroit. Sorry, I missed that. I was gonna say mess that up.

[Host]

What was the biggest win in the NBA though? What was the biggest win in the NBA on Saturday night?

[Bontemps]

Biggest win in the NBA on Saturday night.

[Host]

I'll wait.

[Bontemps]

It wasn't Lakers over Magic.

[Host]

No, clearly not.

[Bontemps]

Oh, Cavs corner.

[McMahon]

Cavs corner. Down in.

[Host]

You know, the Pelicans had won seven consecutive home games.

[Bontemps]

Hey, in all seriousness, James Borrego is doing a great job down there in New Orleans and I don't think he's going to get legitimate consideration to be the head coach on a full time basis moving forward. And I think that is evidence that you've got a bad front office in place there. Go on.

[Host]

Well, I don't know whether he's going to get consideration or not. We haven't. Okay.

[Bontemps]

Have you heard that he is?

[Host]

I haven't heard that he isn't.

[McMahon]

I don't think that he is either. And I would agree with McMahon.

[Bontemps]

Okay. Like, Wendy, this is a case where you don't want to say what you know, but you know that I'm not pulling things out of thin air. So go on.

[Host]

I agree. I'm just trying to protect you from getting aggregated.

[Bontemps]

I don't give a crap.

[Host]

All right. Anyway, yes, James Perrigo is doing a very good job. The mandate because they don't have their pick was to win. That was the mandate given when he took over win. And he has made decisions that have been focused on winning specifically with who

[Bontemps]

he's playing, including not starting the guy who's the reason you don't have the pick. Go on.

[Host]

That's true. He's. He put both rookies into the. Onto the bench Fears and Queen and also they got back Dejounte Murray in this stretch and Dejounte's had some. Has significant impact. That has also helped.

[McMahon]

And they're one of the few teams that's trying and so therefore by default you're picking up wins against the teams that are.

[Host]

That's true. And.

[McMahon]

But they've also won some games against teams that are trying. Like they just beat the Clippers twice in a Row twice.

[Host]

Yes. The Clippers have hit a bit of a skid here after they were going well. Although they did win in overtime on

[Bontemps]

oh they if dude, if they'd have lost that one they'd be looking at a losing streak. That includes losses to the Kings twice to the Pelicans and the Mavericks. They pulled it out in ot, but they were in serious danger zone.

[McMahon]

It's good to see Darius Garland back.

[Host]

He had 40 and Kawhi had 35 in that game.

[Bontemps]

I watched Garland's pregame warmup there was like he took like 15 deep threes in a row and didn't touch the rim. Anyways, go on.

[McMahon]

He's a very talented guy.

[Host]

He's a live body when he's healthy. The guy he was traded for though, James Harden. The Cavs are now 13 and 4 when Harden plays and this was a low key good win for the Cavs. They just finished a three and oh road trip. I was. I'm not sure. So when you look at the Eastern Conference right now, you obviously have Boston. Tatum is looking better basically by the game. That should be a loud sounding something that's very loud in the Eastern Conference. To me they are the number one favorites right now. You've got Cade likely out for the rest of the regular season. They should be okay. Their schedule is not simple but they have a four game lead in the lost column plus the tiebreaker over Boston and they have tiebreaker over New York. Not that I think New York's. That's why I'm making a run. The Knicks and are the Knicks and the Cavs are sort of kind of doing the same thing different ways. They're racking up wins but unimpressively. But anyway, the Cavs just went on A3 and A road trip. They won in Milwaukee where Giannis didn't play and it was an unimpressive win. Then they went to Chicago and they got up by 29 and led the let you know, let the lead go all the way down to one in the fourth quarter before they put it away, escaped and then they were down 15 in the second half to the Pelicans who were trying to win their eighth consecutive home game. And then they had a huge rally in the fourth quarter. Harden and Donovan Mitchell were excellent down the stretch of this game. Donovan I think had 12 or 14 in the fourth. Cleveland, we haven't talked about him in a while. Donovan had a very good end to that game, but ever since he's had a groin injury and he missed three or four games A couple of weeks ago. His numbers have been leveled off a

[McMahon]

little bit and he's dealing with this eye thing too now.

[Host]

Yeah, and his eye.

[McMahon]

Well.

[Bontemps]

And Cleveland did have one of the worst losses over the last couple of weeks when they somehow managed to lose by double figures to that Mavericks team we just were hammering last Sunday on the road, by the way, a couple nights after beating them by 30 something.

[Host]

That's right.

[Bontemps]

And again, I, I would like to see the itinerary the previous night of a certain CAB star player.

[McMahon]

Well, yeah, and to go back to Detroit real quick just because it's interesting with the Cade thing. Their schedule the rest of the month is Lakers at home, Hawks at home, Pelicans on a back to back at home, then at Minnesota at okc, and then home for Toronto on a back to back. That is not an easy stretch of schedule, particularly without Cade. So if they can go three and three in that stretch or better, I think they're going to be in pretty darn good shape to keep the number one seed. But if they go one in five, two and four and Boston can rip off a few wins, you know, in April, they've got another game of Minnesota, they have Philly, they've got Orlando, then they've got Milwaukee and Indiana and Charlotte final couple games of the season. So Indiana and Milwaukee should be wins, but all these other games are against teams that are trying to play for something and have been on decent runs. So the Pistons are going to have some work to do to keep that number one seed without Cade and it is going to be an interesting test to see what they look like because as we've talked about, the big question about this team is what do they do without Cade on the court in general in the playoffs and. But now like they're going to have a lot of time down the stretch to see what that looks like.

[Host]

So the Cavs with this three game win streak have opened up a little bit of a cushion on Toronto for the last home court seed in the East. Toronto has sort of been spinning its wheels for a while here. Toronto has the tiebreak, but the Cavs now have a three game lead in the loss column. Cavs also have the third easiest schedule.

[McMahon]

Yeah, they're projected to be six games up on Charlotte at the Toronto at the end. I don't think that's the question. I think the question is can they catch anybody in front of them? They're a game. They're projected to be one game back of the Knicks and two games back at Boston.

[Bontemps]

If you're Cleveland. Would you rather be three than four?

[Host]

No, no, I they do not match up well against the Celtics. They've done better. They should have beaten the Pistons three out of four this year. But you know that one game we've talked about? Jalen Tyson fouled 70ft from the basket, lost in overtime.

[McMahon]

So if I'm Cleveland, I don't want any part of the Celtics, so I have to play them. So if I could be on the opposite side of the bracket of them and the Knicks, that would be fine. If I were them, just let them play and sort it out later.

[Bontemps]

More Hoop Collective podcast after this.

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[Host]

They've had some issues with Orlando in the past and they play Orlando again this week. Coming up, if Orlando ends up as the five, that four or five matchup, I think, you know, depending on Franz Wagner, like, you know, that would be a, I think a real battle. I would favor Cleveland in that battle. But Orlando has given them some problems.

[Bontemps]

Well, Orlando's got some, some winning to do if they're going to get there.

[McMahon]

They're, hey, yeah, they've now lost four in a row. And by the way, the Atlanta Hawks, there you go. Not beaten a real team since the All Star break. Are 12 and 1 since the all Star break.

[Host]

They have decent wins. They just in Orlando when they beat them was high.

[McMahon]

They don't, but. No, they don't.

[Bontemps]

Well, Orlando, Orlando, Orlando's the one.

[McMahon]

That's right.

[Bontemps]

Okay.

[McMahon]

Orlando's the one game because Philly was all banged up and every other game was against a tanker. Like it's not their fault. They beat everybody that's in front of them.

[Host]

Now they're going to get Detroit without Cade and Isaiah Stewart.

[McMahon]

But they played, they played Houston on Friday in a real test and they

[Bontemps]

got smacked, didn't go well.

[McMahon]

And look, they've played much better, to be clear. But it is, it has been a remarkable stretch of schedule for them and they've taken absolute full advantage of it. I mean, like McMahon said before, you know, Cleveland nearly lost several of these games to tankers, lost the game to Dallas. Like you gotta beat who's in front of you. But just by doing that for a month, they went from being a disappointment all season and floating in 9th or 10th and like within a game or two of Milwaukee. Wasn't that long ago and they were had roughly the same record as the Bucks and now they're way over.500. They're into the top six and they've got a chance to, you know, maybe even get up to five, which is crazy.

[Bontemps]

Think about how much the Hawks roster's changed over the course of the season.

[Host]

Yes, there is zero, there is basically zero drama in the back half of the west playoffs. Phoenix has lost five in a row. So it's now Minnesota and Denver are tied basically at fifth and sixth, and then it's four games, Phoenix, four games, Clippers. There's no drama at all, basically there. And there's no. And there's nine games.

[Bontemps]

Yeah, the drama is who's going to be eight or nine, Clippers or Blazers.

[Host]

Right. There's. There's nine games separating 10 and 11.

[McMahon]

And in the east, you've got three games separating five and 10. It could go in any direction.

[Host]

Right. So let me give you. And all, all I care about is the loss column. Don't tell me the win column. The loss column is what you can control. You know, by the way, Atlanta, who

[McMahon]

do they play Monday night? They got Memphis at home. It's going to be. It's going to be 13 and 1 in their 14 games since the All Star break.

[Host]

All right? So right now, as we're doing this pot on Sunday, Atlanta has 32 losses. They're technically in six. They've got some tiebreak over Philly. Atlanta's got 32 losses. Philly' got 32 losses. Orlando's got 32 losses. Miami's got 33 losses. Charlotte's got 34. So any of those teams could end up between six and 10. You could see any combination.

[McMahon]

And Toronto's only at. Toronto's only a couple games ahead. They could easily wind up back there, too.

[Host]

Let me see how tough Toronto's got. Toronto's got an easy schedule coming in,

[Bontemps]

Charlotte in 10th, there at all those teams when, if you want to look at like a larger sample size like called since, you know, the 26 part of the schedule since January 1st, Charlotte's played the best basketball of all those teams.

[McMahon]

Well, listen, as of right now, our projected system as of Sunday afternoon has Toronto finishing fifth with 46 wins, the Hawks finishing sixth with 45 wins, then Orlando having over 44 and a half. So we'll say 45 wins and then Philly, Miami and Charlotte all having 44 wins. So it's probably going to be tight all the way down to the last game of the season. And one, one sneaky thing that could wind up being a factor in all this is the division is the division and the fact that the four of those teams are all in the Southwest Division or Southeast Division, like, whoever wins that division is going to have a giant leg up on the rest of these teams that are fighting in that mix.

[Host]

Also, one of the tiebreakers down the list is your record within your division, your divisional record, and Guess who's got the best divisional record amongst the Southeast Division teams?

[Bontemps]

Who?

[McMahon]

It'll be the Buzz City Killers, baby.

[Host]

Buzz silly killers are 11 and 5.

[McMahon]

Yep.

[Host]

So FYI, real quick, before we move on, but the Cavs. The Cavs are. They are very hard to read right now. There are stretches in games where they look very good defensively, overall, defensively. For the last 20 games, they've been a middle of the pack to bottom 10 defensive team. There are stretches in games where they look good defensively, stretches in games where they look horrible defensively, stretches in games where they look awesome with James Harden out there. Stretches of games where they. Where Dennis Schroeder has really had more subpar games than good games so far for them.

[Bontemps]

He had a point yesterday.

[Host]

And Jared Allen remains out sort of indefinitely with what Kenny Atkinson calls severe knee tendinitis.

[Bontemps]

Ooh, that doesn't sound great.

[Host]

So they ruled them out of this entire road trip before it even started. Maybe we'll get an update on Monday or Tuesday. But anyway, before we go, McMahon, I just want to check in because you were just in Houston. The Rockets have had an interest, had an interesting week. You know, they had two wretched fourth quarter performances against the Lakers. Extend, you know, extenuating, extenuating, accentuating. I don't. I totally botched that word.

[Bontemps]

Pontems is the one with the good

[Host]

words pointing out their, their fourth quarter issues because they just got totally outplayed. There is all kinds of stuff. They fall all the way down to the fifth seed, almost on sixth or whatever. Then they bounce back with two good wins over the weekend. Durant passes Jordan in scoring. They get a, you know, was it. It was a game winner on Saturday night. I. They won close game.

[Bontemps]

Winning tip in by Min Thompson.

[Host]

That's right. A putback. And then they're celebrating the locker room, celebrating with KD dumping water on him. And now they're all happy. Ordinary time. Ordinary time in the NBA is what I would call that. But just check in since you just spent a bunch of time there.

[Bontemps]

So a couple things. There was definitely a lot of discussion about KD's moodiness, right? The, the body, bad body language. The, you know, there was a lot of vibe checking going on.

[Host]

Well, and he had the quote about, you know, maybe I shouldn't even have the ball. I mean, that was, that wasn't just his moodiness.

[Bontemps]

And look, the, the two losses to the Lakers that got recently before that, blown out in Denver, blown out in San Antonio, like things weren't going real well. For the Rockets, they'd been in an awful offense for a while. And kd, after they blew out, the Hawks, came in and, you know, I don't know if you guys know this, but Katie's online a little bit. So he comes into the press conference and he basically says, you know, hey, how are the vibes tonight? You know, how was body language? And, you know, kind of is mocking it, but he's very. That kind of got his backup about it, which is fine, but there's a. Like, there's a reason that people are looking at that stuff. But he's basically saying, hey, the vibes are good right now. So the vibes are good. Or at least they've taken. They've taken a significant tick upwards during these last couple games, which was needed. But the biggest development in the last couple games is Ime Udoka put Reed shepherd into the starting lineup. And Tari Eason, who. He was really shooting it well early in the season. He cannot buy a bucket. He's got his mom tweeting, lethal shooter, asking for help. I'm not even joking about that.

[McMahon]

No, I know his mom is active on the Twitters.

[Bontemps]

Yes, very much so. But Ime Udoka, before the Atlanta game, plugged Reed shepherd into the starting lineup. And it's interesting. Like, you understand why, again, they've really been struggling offensively. He is a great shooter. You know, he's a, you know, a boost of offense. The lineup data with that group was not impressive before the Atlanta game, but it's definitely been impressive in these two games. And IME has said, you know, that the Rockets are going to give this. He didn't commit to the rest of the regular season, but he said, we're going to give it a good run here basically to see if this is what we want to do moving forward. And, you know, it was like, obviously this game came down to the. Against the heat, the 83 gamers, this came down to Amin Thompson with a spectacular putback, by the way, 24 points and 18 rebounds for Amend Thompson. That was his 18th rebound of the game. But Reed Shepherd, 23 points on 8 to 12, shooting, 14 assists.

[Host]

There you go.

[McMahon]

Shouldn't this have happened sooner?

[Bontemps]

You could make that argument.

[Host]

Well, but. But the defense, he's going to get attacked on defense. So.

[McMahon]

But look, here's the reality, okay? The reality of the situation the Rockets are in is the Rockets are not good enough this year, Right? Probably, like, they're just not. They're a really good. They're not good enough.

[Bontemps]

They're not good enough.

[McMahon]

They're a really good team. They have a bright future, but they're not good enough. So to me, the most important thing from this season is to figure out between the combination of Reed Shepherd, Amen Thompson and Perrin Chengun. How do those guys fit together? What is the maximum ceiling you think of that group and how much growth can you see from those guys? And I'm glad we're at this point where Reed shepherd is in the starting lineup. I think he should be in the starting lineup and he should be in the starting lineup as far as this team goes to see what it looks like at the highest levels with him out there in critical situations with these guys that the Rockets are building around going forward. Like, I understand if you didn't do it from the first day of the season, but I think it probably should have happened sooner than Saturday or last third, what, Friday, I guess the Atlanta game. And I'm glad it's happened because I think this group should get a run to see just what the ceiling of this team is and to see how bad the defensive issues are. Can they be fixed or can you find ways to work around it and how will they look with Reed at the controls, with the shooting he provides and the passing he can deliver. Like, I'm glad we're seeing it and I think it probably should have happened soon.

[Bontemps]

Well, and Wendy, what were you focused on for the Rockets leading into the trade deadline? And then when they stood pat, I

[Host]

thought they could have, could have given themselves a guy to initiate their offense late in games with experience and they either couldn't find that player. You know, they may not have found a deal they liked, but I felt their lack of veteran point guard play would hurt them. I thought that wasted since November, to be clear.

[Bontemps]

But there's a couple of factors in the Rockets decision not to address the point guard position. Number one, Fred Ventley is very much in their plans next season. By the way, when we talk about five, check the fact that they lost their leader in the preseason trip to the Bahamas. The guy was supposed to kind of balance out Katie's moodiness and then lost Stephen Adams, who's like this larger life personality that's part of the, the. The vibe struggles.

[McMahon]

Can I ask one question quick, man? We haven't heard an update anytime recently on Fred. Is there any chance you haven't?

[Bontemps]

You should listen to Howdy Partners, the hit YouTube show that we do okay

[McMahon]

for you, buddy.

[Bontemps]

Every Thursday. Yeah.

[McMahon]

Is there an update on Fred and his potential to play?

[Bontemps]

Yeah, I'm I've learned from Wendy to leave wiggle room, but I was basically told, dude, Fred's not. It's not happening. Like, if it was going to be realistic, he'd have to be back in the mix now because they're not going to. Like, even if he's cleared for the

[McMahon]

first round, I mean, it would be insane. It would have been insane to do it. But Fred is. I mean, I've known Fred a long time.

[Host]

I know he's been a crazy.

[Bontemps]

Yeah. I mean, listen, I don't think anybody's going to tell Fred. There's no way. But I'll just say hope is not flickering for Fred Van Bleed to come back this year.

[Host]

Okay. So.

[Bontemps]

But he's very much in the plans next year. So that's part of what.

[Host]

That's a good way to get around aggregation. Hope is not flickering. I like that. I'm gonna. I'm gonna write that down.

[Bontemps]

That is part of the reason, but the other. Another major, major part of the logic here for them not addressing the point guard position before the trade deadline or at the trade deadline is because what position is Reed shepherd play?

[McMahon]

Point guard.

[Bontemps]

So you want them to bring in a stopgap point guard who would be taking minutes away from Reed Shepherd. That was. They're like, no, we, the Rockets decided as a front office we would rather live with the growing pains of Reed shepherd and to a certain extent, Amend Thompson as well.

[Host]

Okay, well, they are living with the

[Bontemps]

pains and bring in a stop gap

[Host]

than they are living with him.

[Bontemps]

And so, yes, this now here, now, you know, Reed Shepherd's got a huge opportunity in front of him and he may. Is committed to giving it a. A large enough sample size to decide whether that's the way they're going to roll going into the playoffs. But again, they didn't want to bring in, you know, a Tyus Jones type of guy or, you know, Cody White's not even really a point guard, but you know what I'm saying. They didn't want to bring in what they felt would be like a veteran stopgap type of guy. That would take minutes away from Reed shepherd, who management in Houston still firmly believes this kid has star potential.

[McMahon]

I think Reed Shepherd's going to be awfully good too. And that's why I was fully on board with them doing that too. Like, I'd rather just see how it goes with Reed shepherd this year and see where it lands and then figure out what you're going to do going forward from there. I think that's the prudent strategy. I just also would have coupled it with having him starting for the last month. But look, we're getting down to the part of the season when the games are really going to matter and for it to be happening now is good. And I'm. I'm excited to see what that looks like over the next month or two months or however long the Rocket season goes like, it'll be very fun to watch.

[Host]

Listen, if they can emerge from this whole thing with the four seed, which is where they're at right now, I know there's a lot of basketball still to be played like and they could get home court in the first round. That would be a significant accomplishment.

[McMahon]

Right now they're projected the same record as Denver right there and the Lakers are almost three games clear. Incredibly, the streak has got them in really strong position to be third that

[Host]

loss at Memphis to Denver had. Even though, like I said, it was a tough turnaround that could end up could cost him.

[Bontemps]

Anytime you lose to a team that's upset that they won, it's tough.

[McMahon]

It's tough giving back games to tankers this season down.

[Host]

You got that right.

[McMahon]

It's not one you want to do.

[Host]

All right, well that'll do for now. I look forward to our next podcast when we also lead with the Lakers. All right, thank you. Listen, if they win the rest of

[McMahon]

the season, we're going to keep leading with the Lakers probably.

[Bontemps]

It's one thing when they're farting around 500 and people want to say are the Lakers contenders. It's another thing when they won 12 or 13. They've merited some spotlight is what I would say.

[Host]

No, listen, I thoroughly enjoyed. I had as much fun watching that Lakers Heat game down the touch as I've had watching any regular season game this year. I was. It was a joy to watch.

[Bontemps]

Just a quick little footnote. That same night Wimby hits a pull up mid Ranger. I know game winner to seal the spurs first playoff appearance since 2019.

[Host]

Right. And then calls for the drum like that was. That was awesome. Like look, I agree the NCAA tournament is great stuff but like on the first side of the NCAA tournament Lucas scored 60 and Wemby hit a buzzer beater. Basically didn't sent him to the first playoffs in seven years.

[McMahon]

They're pros for a reason, Brian. Yeah, pros for a reason.

[Host]

All right, thank you so much to Devon, Mark and Jackson putting this together. Thank you to McMahon and Bontemps. Thank you for reading and reading, listening and watching the HOOP Collective. We'll talk to you later this week.

[Bontemps]

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