Nightcap Hour 1: Spurs ELIMINATE Wolves, setup OKC WCF slash + Pistons FORCE Game 7 vs Cavs

Summary

Club Shay Shay – Nightcap Hour 1: Spurs ELIMINATE Wolves, set up OKC WCF + Pistons FORCE Game 7 vs Cavs

Date: May 16, 2026
Hosts: Shannon Sharpe ("Uncle" / Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp), Ocho Cinco, Joe Johnson ("ISO Joe")
Theme: NBA Playoff Breakdown – Western Conference Finals Set (Spurs vs Thunder), Detroit Pistons force Game 7 vs Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Episode Overview

This fast-paced, high-energy episode digs into the latest NBA playoff action. The trio celebrates the San Antonio Spurs’ blowout win over the Timberwolves, setting a Western Conference Finals showdown against the OKC Thunder, and breaks down the Detroit Pistons forcing a Game 7 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The conversation is a lively, insightful, banter-filled blend of basketball analysis, player evaluations, and what the future holds for these teams.

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1. Spurs Dominate Timberwolves – Game 5 Breakdown

[07:55–21:00]

Key Points

• Spurs defeat Wolves 139–109; advance to WCF
  • The Spurs’ depth overwhelmed Minnesota — six Spurs in double figures.
  • Stephan Castle erupted for 32 points (11/16 FG, 5/7 3pt).
  • Victor Wembanyama: “Quiet” night (19 pts on 11 attempts, 3 blocks, huge defensive presence).
  • Outrebounded Wolves by plus-31 (60 to 29), a “wild” disparity.
  • Wolves’ stars underperformed:
    • Julius Randle only 3 pts, “atrocious all series.”
    • Rudy Gobert: Zero pts, 3 rebounds—completely “unplayable.”

Notable Quotes

• Shannon Sharpe:

  "The Wolves traded more picks for Rudy Gobert than he had total points in Game Five." ([11:45])

• Joe Johnson:

  "Once you let a guy get rolling in this league, it's hard to turn him off. ... They shot 56% from the floor, 47% from three." ([13:07])

• Sharpe:

  "If I can’t play Rudy on third down, what good is it? That’s the money down." ([14:15])

• Ocho Cinco:

  "At no point, Joe, did they even have a chance to actually win this game." ([17:21])

Analytical Breakdown

• Minnesota’s three-point defense and rebounding failed.
• Rudy Gobert’s contract tied to “zero impact” in critical games—“You cannot have a guy making $50M who becomes unplayable.”
• Joe calls Wemby a "cheat code"—too versatile, too impactful.
• Wolves’ slow starts, forced play from Anthony Edwards, and failure to adjust spelled doom.
• Spurs’ knack for team play, spacing, and ball movement set them apart.

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2. Evaluating the Spurs-Thunder Western Conference Finals

[32:45–43:40]

Key Matchup Discussion

• Can OKC slow down Wembanyama?
  • Thunder will throw both Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein at Wemby, utilizing mobility and shooting to “bring him out to deep water.”
• Both teams have deep, versatile defenders and well-balanced benches.
• Spurs had a 4–1 regular season edge vs OKC—but regular season “isn’t the playoffs.”
• Bench play predicted as a series decider.

Notable Quotes

• Ocho Cinco:

  "We talk about the depth, but the one difference maker is they still have Wimby." ([33:33])

• Sharpe:

  "If I had to put money down, I’d take the Thunder in seven … it’s going to be a home-and-home series." ([42:49])

• Joe Johnson:

  "OKC got home court advantage. I’m going OKC. … But San Antonio’s got the team to compete." ([37:20])

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3. Minnesota’s Offseason Dilemma: The Rudy Gobert/Julius Randle Question

[13:39–29:47]; [43:40–49:47]

Main Points

• Rudy Gobert’s value plummeting—massive contract, unplayable in key playoff moments.
• Julius Randle’s lethargic playoff performance under scrutiny; compared unfavorably to former T-Wolves’ big man Karl-Anthony Towns.
• No easy fix: “You get rid of Rudy — who are you getting that solves the Wemby problem?”
• Each host weighs in on what kind of big man the Wolves truly need.
• Wolves’ offense becomes “predictable and forced” when stars underperform.

Memorable Lines

• Sharpe:

  "Fat AR gang don’t even want Rudy back!" ([45:01])

• Joe Johnson:

  "He’s a liability offensively and defensively… you can’t be paying $50 million for that." ([19:27])

• Ocho Cinco:

  "There is no answer—no big you can get that truly deals with Wemby or the Thunder." ([49:35])

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4. Pistons FORCE Game 7 vs Cavs: Game 6 Breakdown

[60:06–86:13]

Game Highlights

• Pistons beat Cavs 115–94 to force Game 7.
• Key performers:
  • Jalen Duren: 15 pts, 11 reb (energy and left-handed finishes cited)
  • Cade Cunningham: 21 pts, 8 ast; needs to “cut down turnovers” (7 in Game 6)
  • Bench shines: Duncan Robinson (14 pts), Paul Reed (17 pts, 7/9 FG), Sasser (9 pts).
• Cleveland falters:
  • James Harden: 8 turnovers
  • Donovan Mitchell: 6/20 shooting
  • Low assists as a team (15) — “hero ball”
• Defensive consistency and bench depth giving Detroit the edge.

Insights and Banter

• Cade and Thompson’s defensive impact stressed (“neither one of those guys are slouches on D” — [72:22])
• Thompson fouls out; hosts urge “got to pick your spots to be aggressive.”
• Cleveland’s inability to get role players going (“can’t have Max Strus 6-for-8 or Wade going off,” [65:39])
• If Detroit keeps bench production high and reduces turnovers, “they win this game going away.”

Notable Debate

• Who wins Game 7?
  • Joe & Shannon pick Pistons for defense/home-court, Ocho picks Cavs on potential Harden/Mitchell heroics.
• Discussion of Harden & Mitchell’s playoff pressures and legacies—can they “change the narrative?”
• Talking “greatness on demand” in Game 7 moments (NBA vs. NFL playoff pressure contrasted).

Memorable Quotes

• Sharpe:

  "You only great when, when you're required to be great, can you be great … on demand." ([82:09])

• Joe Johnson:

  "If I wear you down, Uncle Ocho, in the second half and you ain't really got the juice, we gonna win that battle every time." ([75:11])

• Ocho Cinco:

  "If you got to make it two on five, God damn it, let it be two on five." ([71:58])

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5. Bench Production & Defensive Consistency: The Pistons’ X-Factors

[67:54–77:47]

Bench Shoutouts

• Duncan Robinson, Paul Reed, Caris LeVert, Sasser—all praised for their “big energy and clutch shots”
• Rotation adjustments (e.g., earlier LeVert minutes) “paying off”
• Pistons’ team defense allows them to guard without “compromising the D”—no excessive trapping/stunt help required

Impact on the Series

• Home-court advantage and crowd energy seen as big plus for the Pistons.
• If Detroit cuts turnovers (“less than five,” Sharpe says, [78:39]) and controls Cleveland’s role players, they are “almost guaranteed” victory.

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6. Closing Thoughts: Playoff Greatness, Legacy, & Looking Ahead

[80:54–84:32]

• Harden’s “great regular season, small playoffs” reputation analyzed; Ocho contends, “If there’s a time to change the narrative, it’s now—Game 7.”
• The difference between regular and postseason success—pressure “makes or breaks legacies”
• Joe: “You bring Harden in to get to the EC Finals. Fall short here? That’s rough.” ([83:33])

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Timestamps for Key Moments

• Spurs’ Game 5 Recap & Wolves’ Collapse: [11:45]–[21:20]
• Wemby vs. Thunder Future Matchup: [32:45]–[43:40]
• Rudy Gobert’s Value (or Lack Thereof): [13:39], [43:40]
• Pistons’ Bench Shines, Forcing Game 7: [67:54]–[77:47]
• Game 7 Predictions (Pistons vs. Cavs): [79:12]–[80:56], [83:17]–[84:10]
• Playoff Legacy, “Greatness On Demand” Talk: [80:54]–[82:09]

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Shannon Sharpe, on value and matchups:

  "You cannot have a guy making $50 million that becomes unplayable." ([14:03])

• Joe Johnson, on Wemby’s unique impact:

  "He is a real center with guard skills and that makes them super, super tough to beat." ([16:17])

• Ocho Cinco, on Cavaliers’ odds:

  "If you got to make it two on five, God damn it, let it be two on five." ([71:58])

• Sharpe, on playoff clutch:

  "You only great when, when you're required to be great, can you be great … on demand." ([82:09])

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Summary Takeaways

• San Antonio earns their Western Conference Finals spot not just with superstar play, but with depth, rebounding, and unselfish offense.
• Minnesota faces a chemistry and payroll crisis; Gobert and Randle’s utility in the modern NBA is under harsh scrutiny.
• The Spurs-Thunder series looks razor-close, hinging on bench and defensive matchups – and Wemby’s impact.
• Detroit’s blue-collar consistency and bench depth counterbalances turnovers and inconsistent starters; Cleveland hopes for Harden/Mitchell heroics to advance.
• The crew is split on Game 7, but agree: high stakes demand high greatness, and legacies will be shaped by what happens next.

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This episode delivers the ultimate locker room debate and playoff preview—sharp, funny, insightful, and unfiltered, with no ad-lib left on the table.

Transcript

[Host/Announcer]

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[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

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[Ocho Cinco]

What's up, baby? They left the wrong one in charge tonight. Listen, welcome to Nightcap. Yes, sir. We are live tonight. I'm your host, your favorite wide receivers, favorite wide receiver, six time Pro Bowler, four time all pro, route runner extraordinaire, creator of separation before separation was even a thing. Ocho Cinco. And joining me tonight, my dog, smoother than a fresh jar. Skippy peanut butter. Cooler than the other side of the pillow. Seven time NBA all star crossover assassin, king of the ISO ball, the human bucket getter himself, ISO Joe Johnson. Hey, listen, you already know who. Coming through, stomping with the great energy. He's a tie. Super bowl champion, hall of famer, number 267, the king of the black and mild storytelling, the man that can smell cognac through drywall, the one, the only, Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp. Listen to me. And tonight's Nightcap is brought to you by the smooth, luxurious, elegant make your texture x at 1:17 in the morning. Premium cognac, La Portier. Those looking to purchase a bottle of Portier, head over to laportier.com to see if it's currently available in a state or city near you. Remember, it's a premium cognac that drinks like xo, but better. Please make sure you hit that subscribe button. Please make sure you hit that like button. Do us a favor, go subscribe to Nika podcast feed. Wherever you get your podcast from. We would like to thank each and every one of you for your eyes, ears and word of mouth, because without you, none of this would be possible. So for myself and the rest of the Nightcap family, we graciously thank you. God damn it, fellas. Let's start the show.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

We want to thank brother Osiko for That great intro. Oh, my goodness. Got the smoke machine going.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

His damn smoke alarm about to go off in the damn house. All that he got going on over there.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Hey, better open up a window.

[Ocho Cinco]

I'm feeling good.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

All right. Hey, guys. We've been nominated for the Hashtag sports awards of 2026. The short list. Here are the four categories that we've been nominated for. Best brand partnership for Nightcap, Outside and Row. Best podcast. Best athlete podcast. Best use of live video. Please go vote for us. The link is pinned in the chat. And again, thank you for your support. Thank you for your vote because this is not even possible. If you hadn't given us the support to begin with. They recognize that you support us, and they. This is the way that they paid us off by nominating us. And so now let's finish the task. The task is not done yet. Nominee is one thing, but we want to bring that hardware home, and we cannot do it without your support. All right, guys, let's get right into the ball. Okay. Best intro. Okay. We're gonna say who had the best. The best intro. Yeah. Who had the best intro? Ocho, ISO, or Uncle? So put the poll up. It's up right now. Can you see it?

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Let me see. Let me go and go vote.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

What you mean. After you vote ISO? What's the. What's the results?

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Hold on. Hold on.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Bonnie. Hey.

[Ocho Cinco]

My goddamn fire alarm going off.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah, you better open the window.

[Ocho Cinco]

Oh, yeah, the window open.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Okay. It look like. Look like I got y' all by a landslide. That was. That's what the people say.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

I'm trying to figure out how the guy to create the intro his last place.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Hey, hey. You know, they. They just want to hear a new voice. They just want to hear another.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

We let you take it over the Spurs. So now we know who is going to be in the Western Conference finals and take on the OKC Thunder. The Spurs. Molly Watt. The Minnesota Timberwolves. By the score of 139 to 109. The Wolves traded more picks for Rudy Gobert than he had total points in game five. Champagne. Those guys, they had six guys and double figures. Champagne was five or ten. Four, nine from the three. He had 18. Victor women. Yama, Quiet Knife. By his Standard, he was 19 points, but only shot the ball 11 times. Darren Fox had 21. He was 8 of 10. Devin Vassell, he was 14. He had 11 points. The night belonged to Stephen Castle. Stephanie. Excuse me. Stephan castle, he had 32 points on 11 of 16. He came out scorching hard from the three point line and he didn't let up all night. So he had 32 points on 11 of 16 shooting five or seven for the three. Dylan Harper came up the bench. He was 15 points on six of eight shooting. But Minnesota, it was just not enough. You could see early on in this game, I thought it about to get out of hand early. Give Minnesota credit. They made a great push right before the half. But then the, the spurs came out of this third quarter and really put the game away. Jaden. Jaden McDaniels had 13, do had 10. Ant man had 24. Nas Reed was scorching hot in the second quarter. He and Terence Shannon tried to keep them in it as best they could, but it wasn't enough. Nas Reed had 18 points and Shannon had 21 points, but it wasn't enough. The spurs just had too much depth out rebounded them. Plus 20. No. Plus 31. The spurs had 60 rebounds. The Timberwolves had 29 rebounds. That is crazy. Plus 31 on the glass. And that's why you have a lopsided game like what you had 139 to 109. Joe, what did you, you saw, you saw the spurs and we, we. I'm not surprised. I don't know if anybody should be surprised because we didn't think it would have got this far if they didn't throw Victor Women Yama out of the game. What was that, Game three or game four? But it happened. And yeah, it is what it is. But now we know the spurs and the Timber and the spurs and the Thunder and the Western Conference finals. 139 to 109. T. Woods, what did you like about the spurs and how they approached this game tonight? Joe.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Tonight? Uncle Ocho, I thought the spurs finally put together a collective team effort as far as winning. Yes, Castle went off for 32 and 1111 rebounds. But for the most part, that whole entire squad played great, bro. I, I think if you Minnesota, you, you, you started the game with, with rooted Garden Castle. I, I didn't know what the hell that was about. Yeah, you know, you, you, you give him, you give, you give a guy like that dare shots because it ain't like he a non shooter.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

He could shoot.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

You give him dare shots and he make a couple, you in trouble. And that's what happened tonight. Castle got off to a great start in that first quarter and you could tell when he hit about 12 to 13 points. I said, oh, it's going to be a big night for him. You know, once you get once you let a guy get rolling in this league, bro, it's hard to turn him off. And then those other guys just. I mean, they shot 55 from the field. What they shot 47 from.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Yeah, they shot 56 from the floor, 47 from three. And at 85, it was 23 of 27 from the free throw line. 85%.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Can't stop. Hey, hey, you can't.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

You.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

You can't win no games like that, bro. I know women. Yama only had three blocks. But like we continue to say, like we continue to say all, all playoffs, bro. He alters so many shots. And then when you look at Minnesota, how the hell you gonna win with Randall giving you three points?

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Randall, Randall. Let's be real, Joe. Randall was atrocious all series.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

He was, bro.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

He was bad all series.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

He may have had a solid game. I think the game that they won in, in San Antonio was a game one. I think he, I think he may have been solid that game, but for the most part, they pretty much kept him at bay.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

And you look at and see this is, see this is the problem is that you have. Is that you got a guy like Rudy Gobert making 50 million and he becomes unplayable. If I got a receiver, Ocho, no matter. And I'm paying him, let's just say for the sake of our. I'm paying him $25 million. But on third down, I bring him out the game, what value is that? That's the money down. I can't play Rudy. For the most part, they couldn't play him. He had zero points. The man hold on your starting center. He was zero points with three rebounds. Look how many guys hold. Harrison Barnes played seven minutes, he had four rebounds. Kelly Olenek, he played eight minutes, he had four rebounds. Carter Bryant played 13 minutes, he has six rebounds. Luke Cornett played 14 minutes, he had six rebounds. Dylan Harper had five rebounds. Every player on the starting roster started for the spurs had more rebounds than Rudy. Rudy is seven plus foot tall. Yeah, that's unacceptable. That's. You know what if he's blocking shots, if he's doing. But it's just hard when your guy is that your starting center. And I got to take him out of the game because now if he can't guard Wimby, who can? Julius Randall is giving up such a height disparity.

[Ocho Cinco]

Nobody.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Who you. Who you gonna put on? Reed Knives can't play him. So now you get try to go for you try to double him. And the guys you, you've already let guys get comfortable shooting. Damn. Shoot around threes.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yep, yep.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Now they finish your head to the white meat. Cause every time that shot go up, we. What they trying to do, Joe Ocho look at the bench like, yeah, hey, hey, Chris, don't look at me. I ain't got nothing.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

I ain't got no answers for you.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Hey, but.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

And when you, when you think about it, Rudy can't guard. He can't guard. Wim Yama and Randall and Nas Reed, they have the foot speed to keep up with him, but hell, when he

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

go up to shoot, they too small.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Ain't nothing they can do, fellas. There's nothing they can do. They could be as physical as they want. He didn't kind of adjust it to that. And I, I think the spurs grew throughout this series and hell, women. Yama just a cheat code, bro. He's just a huge. He's just too much of a difference maker. I mean, you, you look at how he passed the ball. You know how he gets the other guys involved. He's not a regular, obviously. We know he's not a regular 75 guy like he, he, he is a real. He is a real center with guard skills and that makes them super, super tough to beat, bro. This is going to be a, a great series in the next round. But Minnesota, man, I thought they had a chance to push it to a Game 7, but they get off to such slow starts, man. You know, to where. To where the spurs defense is so effective in that first couple, in that first quarter or two that it kind of throws them off rhythm. And then Ant man has to start forcing things, you know, just to kind of get going and they just too good, bro. They too good. They got too many weapons.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Julius Rand gave me, gave me three points.

[Ocho Cinco]

You know what? Obviously going to this game.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Julius Ra Gave me three points tonight.

[Ocho Cinco]

Huh? Yeah, that's it. Hell, not only that, I was hoping Rudy, I. I was hoping Rudy could have one of those game where he surprises you and does something offensively that he doesn't do often. But I was hoping a game like tonight where he understands the importance of having some type of production offensively so you're not a liability. He didn't show up, obviously having no rebounds and them having 31 more rebounds than the goddamn Wolves that you didn't have a chance. At no point, Joe, did they even have a chance to actually win this game. At one point they were down what, 29, damn near 30 points. I think they closed it down maybe 50.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

They end up losing by 30.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah, it was bad. And the game of basketball is all about matchups, all about matchup. I think most of the people when it came to this series, because you had Ant man, you thought Ant man and some of the collective cast that he did have, along with Julius Randle, would find ways to get things done. The game where Wemby went out, that was one of the games where they took advantage and came through to win that game. I think game one, they were able to win because they were so aggressive and played Wemby so well. And Wembley was missing so many shots. Joe, you know, was missing shots, so he wasn't efficient from the field. And then the game tonight, hell, they had them. They had the Bulls from the goddamn start.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

This game was supposed to be able to have. The spurs turned the ball over 15 times. Minnesota only had five and they lost by 30. Imagine if that flip side, if you flip that around, it's crazy how bad they get beat. That's. Now you're looking at a Knicks Sixers or Knicks Atlanta score. Yeah, yeah, because yeah, they were up what, 29. They were up 29 in the second and then the next thing you know, Minnesota cut it all the way down to 12. I'm like, oh my. Turnovers and turnovers and turnovers and turnovers. And when the one thing they can't do moving forward is that you can't turn the ball over against that team that you're going to play next.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

They gonna punch man and Ocho to kind of piggyback what you're saying about Gobert.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Yes, sir.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

I think Minnesota got to really take a hard look at this, fellas, because I mean, San Antonio is going to be good for at least the next decade if we just keeping it 100. And with Rudy, you can't even run a pick and roll to even try to get him alive. Not against Wimby. Hell, he gonna, he gonna, he gonna get that. You know what I mean? So he's not effective offensively and defensively, hell, he can't. I mean, what are you gonna do? He can't guard nobody defensively.

[Host/Announcer]

Support for the show comes from public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, opt and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI, it all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast enter an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc. SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures when

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people turn to healthcare for weight loss, they're looking for real support. That's why more people are choosing orderlymeds.com orderly meds connects you with real doctors and access to proven GLP1 medications like semaglutide and Tirzepatide. No guessing, just a more supportive experience and all shipped directly to your door in discreet packaging. Do your research, ask questions, then visit orderlymeds.com podcast for an exclusive offer. That's orderlymeds.com podcast. Individual results may vary. Not medical advice eligibility required. To cite for details,

let's talk about modern home shopping. It's sort of become a fun side hobby, right? Scrolling listings at night, dreaming about kitchens you've never seen or backyards you haven't even stepped foot in. All from the comfort of pretty much anywhere. Redfin knows a lot of people like you want to own but are stuck in this browsing mode loop. That's where Redfin flips the script. With listings that update within minutes and tours you can book right from the Redfin app, you can see your dream home the moment it appears. Now, liking a listing is easy, but actually landing it? That's where Redfin comes in. Redfin has over 2200 agents with local expertise, and Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents. That means they want to help you win, not just window shop. Redfin is built to help you go from just looking to wait. This could actually be home. So become the newest neighbor on the block. Visit redfin.com to start finding and start owning.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

That's redfin.com Amazon Health AI presents painful thoughts why did I search the Internet for answers to my cold sore problem? Now I'm stuck down a rabbit hole

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[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

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[Ocho Cinco]

And hold on, Joe, just, just to say so. Put your GM cap on right now. Right? Put your head coaching cap on right now. So you say the Wolves have to think about what to do with goddamn Rudy. Him being a liability. Hell, offensively and defensively when it comes to playing someone like Wimby. But hell, who's out there that can play Wimby? Especially with as good as he is, as tall as he is, as efficient as he is, and he's not selfish. Hell, he's a three level scorer. He can do everything. You can shoot from the three, he can shoot, you know, from the midi and he could, he could take you off the goddamn dribble and drive. So there's really no answer for him in general. So I mean, questioning how Rudy looked against him. Hell, anybody that you got to make him work off the same exact.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

You got to make him work, you got to be able to score on him. You see, the thing is you let basically he relaxing though. He using all of his energy on offense because he already know Rudy ain't gonna give you nothing, right? So Rudy, Rudy is the. Is the least of my concern. As a matter of fact, I wonder what time it is in France right now, right? My mom and dad watching this game. Damn, I wonder if they're having tea and crumpets this time.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

I ain't thinking about him.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

He. He does.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

In a situation like this, you supposed to be under duress because you need to be worried about the what the guy I'm going against, what he's capable of doing. Don't nobody worry about that. And we've seen this far too many times that Rudy Gobert becomes unplayable. You cannot have a guy making 40, 50 million dollars. I don't care the position that becomes unplayable. How Is my point guard. If I got a point guard, Joe. And I'm paying him 30, $40 million. But I can't have him on the court in the fourth quarter because he can't shoot. I can't have Rudy on the court because not only is he a liability defensively, he's more. He's a. He's a more of a liability offensively. He give me nothing.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Hey, and you got a point. And when you think about it, the job that Rudy done against Jokic was amazing. Yes. But these are. These are two totally different bigs. You know, Wimby is a finesse big. You know, he go off the bound, shoot the three. You know, he's very elusive. The way he dribbles the ball, getting back, all he needs, a step on your head, he dunking the ball. You know what I mean? The thing for Rudy Ocho, you know, when he's out there on the perimeter doing dribble handoffs, women just kind of sitting back, bro. He like, okay, y' all do what y' all gonna do. I know Rudy ain't shooting nothing out, you know what I mean? So he just kind of sitting back in the paint, and it may look like he far away from you, but, hell, once he extend, he gonna go get that. You know what I mean? So you gotta have somebody who's a threat. So that's why Nasri plays so much. And you got to play guys like Nasri who can shoot, because you gotta make Wimby respect the guy who he's garden. But yeah, you gotta. Gotta get him out there paint, bro, so you can get some driving lanes.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Because if.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

If when you playing Rudy and he just sitting back, it's hard for ant man to get in the teeth of the defense, IO any of those guys, right? So, yeah, Shannon, I. I think. I think they have to really take a look at, you know, how they can improve from a big man standpoint, going further. I mean. Cause San Antonio and okc, bro, they here for the long haul.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Yes.

[Ocho Cinco]

Hey, I got a question, though. Uncle and Joe, think about this, right? What you're saying with Rudy being a liability, obviously, when playing the Spurs. But think about the Wolves and all the other. I mean, think about the Wolves and all the other team that they played. No, he doesn't have this issue all the time.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Well, he had this issue because there's only one. Let's give him that. So do you normally punishes him? Jokic, the three ball, wasn't. Wasn't falling. And see, Jokic is not as Fleet of foot. Jokic is not as quick off the dribble as Wemby. See, Wimby can get by him. Jokic couldn't get by him.

[Ocho Cinco]

Right.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

And because Rudy could bother him with his length, he can't bother. First of all, he's guarding the guy that's taller than him. There are not very many guys that Rudy's gonna guard that's gonna be taller than Rudy. So now I've got a guy that's four inches taller than me and can jump, so I can't bother him. I can't put it. He do this to. He do this to Yolk and yo can't see he do this. His hand. Man, get your hand in my damn mouth so he. He sees all of that. We saw this in Utah, Joe. You remember in Utah, they had the same issue. They couldn't play him against the Clippers late in the ball game because he was a liability. We saw this a lot of times in Minnesota. He was a liability. You can't. It's just hard when one of your best players who you play a premium salary to becomes unplayable. And I gotta take him out of the game. It's unfathomable to me that my best pitcher, my best closer, just think Mariano Rivera, the best closer. But I can't bring him out tonight. My best hitter. I'm a pitch hit for him because I don't trust him. I don't trust him in the bottom of the 10th or 11th inning. That's crazy. That's what Rudy is. He's one of their best players and I gotta take him off the court. He gave me zero points and three rebounds at seven plus feet tall. That's crazy.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

And you put him on a guy who you thought was a non shooter. Cause I ain't no way. Why would you put Rudy on Castle? I'm thinking at the start the game, I'm like, yeah, why in the hell would they do that?

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Yeah.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

And he just. He got it going, bro, that first quarter and then it just unraveled for him. It just seemed like Minnesota, it took. It's so hard for them to come by buckets, Uncle Ocho, you know what I mean? And for San Antonio, it's like hell, they score a wheel, bro, just from ball movement alone. Just move that ball hopping and everybody getting a great shot, you know? Yeah. If it break down Castle and Fox, Fox, who I love, I thought he played a huge part tonight in them getting that win because both of those guys are great in pick and roll. They're great off the dribble, they're great facilitating. And they got an in between game that a lot of guys don't got. Yeah, they can shoot the three, but once they get inside that three point line, even if they don't get all the way to the rim, they got the floaters, the little midis.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

The little touch shots. They just got too much in their game. And Minnesota just couldn't, they couldn't hang with them, bro.

[Ocho Cinco]

Nah. And the funny thing about it too, tonight of all games, you know, maybe you have Wimby efficient. Maybe, Maybe Castle maybe for sale. But, but Joe and Uncle. Yeah, everybody was goddamn efficient tonight. Everybody. Goddamn. Fox had had 21 points.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Cut your zoom off and cut back on. You're so lagged, you're like a four second delay. Yeah. So cut it off and come and come back in.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

All that damn smokey head over there.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

That's, that's the, and look, you, you can't fault his effort because he'd be trying you, I'll never say Rudy wasn't trying because he does. He, absolutely. But he's limited on what he can do. Joe. He, yeah, and I, I, look, I, I'm. And like I said, I think everybody, you know, you remember that, Joe, you weren't on here with us, but he had that one game where he had 27 points and 20 rebounds against the Lakers. And everybody say, see, I told you, Rudy, look, that's an anomaly. He was never gonna have it.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Oto, you back? Can you hear me?

[Ocho Cinco]

Is it, is it timing good?

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Hold on. Is it better? It's better. They said, man, you was talking. You still doing the intro? Really? Yeah, Go ahead, go ahead and finish it though. But you, you talking about how, how efficient the spurs were. When you look at Champagne. It was 5 or 10 and we'll be able. 6 of 11. Go ahead.

[Ocho Cinco]

No, I was saying as Fox. I mean, if there was a game where, where everybody need to be efficient to close out this goddamn series, it was a night. I was saying Fox had 21 points. I think it was 8 for 10. He was 3 for 3 from 3. And hell with everyone else playing well and women didn't even have a crazy night tonight.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Joe, he didn't have to.

[Ocho Cinco]

Collectively, everybody plays so goddamn well. The goddamn Wolves didn't even have a chance.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah, I mean, look, when you think about it, he didn't have to be heroic tonight when you got championing with 185 for 10 from the field. Hey, look, I love Harper coming off the bench. He don't play like no rookie to me, fellas. He plays like a guy who's been in his league three, four, five years. He understands the moment. He's one of those guys who great and poise and patience in precious situations. You know, they trust him with the rock as a rookie, bro, you don't really see that, man. You know what I mean? And he's had big moments, you know, not just in this series, but throughout this whole, this whole playoffs. So I, I enjoy watching him play as well. I just think collectively San Antonio has the team to compete with okc. I'm talking about from top to bottom, you name it. From the guard standpoint all the way to the bigs. Boy, it's gonna be a, it's gonna be some fireworks in this next season

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

because both teams have about four or five guys that can defend level on the perimeter.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

That is what separates okc. That is what separate because of a sale champagne. You look at Castle, you look at those guys, they can defend. Now Kelton Johnson isn't. He's not the best defender, but he a tri defender and that's all. Sometimes that's what all I need. I just need some other teams that's not in the playoffs that got swept. I need those guys to be tri defenders because they just, they give up too much. Go ahead Ocho, what you want.

[Ocho Cinco]

I'm glad you just said this. Right. We talk about how well OKC defends, we talk about the depth that the bench has and we talk about the depth that the God damn that the spurs have. But the one difference maker is they still have Wimby.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Yes.

[Ocho Cinco]

Now as well as the goddamn Thunder can defend, who's going to be the answer to be able to stop Wimby? What's going to be the difference now?

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Well, they try to throw, they're going to try to throw. They're going to lose chat and they're going to switch it up to Hardenstein. Because they got two seven footers, six eleven, seven foot. They got guys they can throw at him. That a lot. That's a lot more athletic. And plus Chet can shoot the three. Chet can bring him out to deep

[Ocho Cinco]

waters and get him in, get him

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

in space, what you call him. He ain't worried about that now. The same thing with Hardenstein. He's not worried about Hardenstein, he's work. Hardenstein is a lot quicker and so he was set to pick and roll. He can dive to the basket, they do a great job, put him in the pick, they throw him the ball. And then here come Chet from the dunker spot and boom.

[Ocho Cinco]

Hey. But then the Thunder gonna have the same issue. Shay loving to get to the midi. Shay loving to come out the dribble and drive to the basket. Hell, Wimby's still gonna do what he's done to everybody else and altering goddamn shots.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Well, hey, hey, hey, hold on now, Castle.

[Host/Announcer]

Ain't nobody

[ISO Joe Johnson]

range Assassin. You know, I agree with you, Unc.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

They.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

They both got. They both got guys who can defend, but they also. Both teams got guys who are great going off the dribble, great creating space, great scoring the basketball, great penetrating, getting into the teeth of your defense and making plays. I think it's going to be a pretty even game. Now, I know the spurs going to come in with a lot of confidence because they beat them four times. They won four, one throughout the season. So they gonna come. They gonna come in with a lot of confidence. And considering the fact that OKC is not gonna have the. The other Jays.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

He said he's healthy. Yeah, he's healthy.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

It's gonna be interesting.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

It's gonna be very interesting to see what they do. Cause, you know, Mitchell. AJ Mitchell has played so well. Like, oh, maybe maybe, you know, maybe take a game or two. Take another game or two. Make. We want to make sure you fully healthy.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

I think. I think they gonna continue. I think they gonna bring AJ Mitchell off the bench and he's still gonna be. He's still gonna continue to get money. I think that's gonna be the difference maker in this series. Meaning OKC and San Antonio. It's gonna be the bench place. It's gonna be the bench for.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

The question is, I think they're gonna probably start Lou Dort on. On Fox, but he's gonna have to. Man, Fox is so quick, man. That joke, that herky jerky.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah, that.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Hey, nah. You think they gonna. I think you think they gonna start

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

him put on him.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

They can put him on Castle.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

So who go? So I want to know who. So you gonna put. You gonna put Shay on Fox? Yeah, you gonna go right around Fox. Man, you drove that joker so quick. But I watched that joker. Oh, no, no, no, no. He.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

He cat quick. Oh, hey hey. He gonna. They. I think they gonna give each other problem. I think Shay being a little bit,

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

you know, he made. Castle's gonna be on. Gonna be on shape him or I think him basel probably champagne. I think those guys, those. That. That triplets, those. That trio is going to take. Going to rotate and try to show because all of them are different. But Castle is uber, uber physical. He's quick. And you saw tonight, Fox was Giving Jaden, Jaden McDaniels all he could handle, everything that he wanted.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

He nice, bro. He nice. You right?

[Ocho Cinco]

So listen. So listen, Joe. Out of the, out of the four times they played during the regular season,

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

the spurs won what they was four and one against. The spurs won four. Okc.

[Ocho Cinco]

Now that's. Now that's regular season basketball. Now come playoff basketball. Now, who y' all got in the series based on. You know, it's all about matchups. It's all about matchups. Now, the one common denominator that separates both of these teams is goddamn wimby.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

I know, man. OKC got home court advantage. I'm going okc. I picked them to win it. I, I think, I think San Antonio is there. Obviously, you know, they, they looking to win now. You know, even though they're a young team, they got what it takes. Obviously. They showed me a lot throughout this postseason, but hell, OKC has showed me just as much, man. You know, the fact that they're still hungry coming off a title they ate. No in this postseason. I'm sure they want to continue that. It's going to be hard for San Antonio to go on OKC and get a game. Fellas.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Yeah, I'm just uncle.

[Ocho Cinco]

What you got?

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

I mean, if you, if you. The thing I can see is that I still think San Antonio might be a year away. The turnovers, you cannot turn the ball over against the thunder. They punish you. They make you pay a premium. You pay double for turnovers in the postseason. And I just think the thing is that Chet and Hartenstein. I can see Chet.

[Host/Announcer]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI, it all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped one page bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA NSIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures when people turn to telehealth for weight loss, they're looking for real support. That's why more people are choosing orderlymeds.com orderly meds connect you with real doctors and access to proven glass P1 medications like semaglutide and Tirzeptotide. No guessing, just a more supportive experience and all shipped directly to your door in discreet packaging. Do your research, ask questions, then visit orderlymeds.com podcast for an exclusive offer. That's orderlymeds.com podcast. Individual results may vary. Not medical advice eligibility required. C site for details

[Advertisement Voice]

let's talk about modern home shopping. It's sort of become a fun side hobby, right? Scrolling listings at night, dreaming about kitchens you've never seen or backyards you haven't even stepped foot in. All from the comfort of pretty much anywhere. Redfin knows a lot of people like you want to own but are stuck in this browsing mode loop. That's where Redfin flips the script with listings that update within minutes and tours you can book right from the Redfin app. You can see your dream home the moment it appears. Now, liking a listing is easy, but actually landing it? That's where Redfin comes in. Redfin has over 2200 agents with local expertise, and Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents. That means they want to help you win, not just window shop. Redfin is built to help you go from just looking to wait. This could actually be home. So become the newest neighbor on the block. Visit redfin.com to start finding and start owning.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

That's redfin.com Amazon Health AI presents painful thoughts I I can't stop scratching my downtown. Yeah, but I'm not itching to go downtown and tell a receptionist I'm here to talk about my downtown. Some things you'd rather type than say out loud. There's no question too embarrassing for Amazon Health AI. Chat your symptoms and get virtual care. 24. 7 Healthcare just got less painful.

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[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

18 and 22, which they did not get from Rudy Hartenstein. You know, Hardenstein, he gonna give you efficient. He ain't gonna. He ain't gonna miss more than two shots because everything is gonna be a lob or a floater from about 5. His ass.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

His ass gonna have double figure rebound. Yes, yes. He gonna. He. He's a hustle. He's a hustle guy who gets a lot of his points off of hustling. Hustling, you know, put backs, things that sort of getting you extra possession.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Create second chance points. Because, Wendy, we'll be going to challenge it. And so guess what? Yeah. So when Wimby goes to challenge something, they're saying, okay, whoever, Wimby's garden, when he goes to challenge, take your ass to the rim.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Absolutely. Absolutely. You're absolutely right.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

I. If I would. I mean, you make me pick. If I had to pick some money, if I had to put some money down, that meant something to it. Hell, if I'm putting money down, it's my money. So it means a lot to me. I would take the Thunder. I think I. I think I. I can see the Thunder in seven. I can see it being. I know home and home series. Joe, I really could.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

I know Ocho a rebel. He gonna go San Antonio. I already know me.

[Ocho Cinco]

I mean, listen, listen, I, I like, I like, I like the Thunder. Obviously, what they've been able to do, even when Shay was, When she was injured, I mean, they, they, Them young bulls kept the, Kept the ship afloat. But that goddamn Wimby's so special. He's so special. I think he's going to be the common denominator being. I don't think Shed would be able to do anything with him. Even though shed is 7ft tall, wouldn't be so dominant. Regardless of who you put out there on him, I'm just giving the edge to the spurs slightly.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Okay.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

All right, Joe. I'm just looking at these numbers. My start, my starting 4 and 5 gave me 3 points and 10 effing rebounds.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

home, at home, that's in the closeout game. A closer.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Yeah, everything. Adam batting down the hatches. I don't board it. Up the house. I'm hunkering down. I ain't leaving.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

You know, when a storm is coming and say you need to leave, I. I'm batting the hatches. I ain't going no damn where.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Hey, you know what I think? I think Minnesota, I think coming into next year, they probably gonna find a way to kind of give Nas Reed a starting job on Ocho. I just think he plays well, you know, and. And I think he. I think he played well against Wimby, obviously, being able to stretch the floor. And he ain't really look like he was nervous and scared of the moment tonight. You know what I mean? He just came out and hoop now, Joe. Well, you gonna have to. You gonna have to change your roster

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

up a little bit.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Un. You might have to make a couple trades, you know, I'm saying what if. If. If.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

You know, we still get. Got to give up the picks that we gave for Wimy. I mean, for Rudy. We gave up five first rounders.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Joe, you don't think nobody want Rudy.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Look here. Fat AR game. Don't even want Rudy back. You remember Rudy was in Fat ar. Rudy Kemp's a bull job going Fat Apple gang. Don't even want Rudy back.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Just a bad man. It is Rudy, bro.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

It is. It is. And that's the problem that he has. Any matchup that has a big. That's athletic is going to be a problem for him.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah, they can space the floor and shoot.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Yeah, he would have a problem with Embiid because Embiid is so physical. Embiid's gonna put that big body on him. That's not what Jokic is. Jokic is a finesse player. Rudy is long enough to bother him, especially. Especially if he can't get him in file trouble early, and he can't knock down threes to pull him away from the basket. Because, you see, even when Rudy wasn't blocking the shot, he was making him shoot it short because he was worried. He's put so much arc on it that the ball was coming up short. But at some point in time, Joe, you got to make a look. I'm looking. I'm like, hold on. Randall gave me three. Randall. Randall been coming up real small in big moments, Joe. He been coming up real small.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

I know. And they needed him.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

The problem that you got, Minnesota, y' all thought this was gonna be a better answer than. Than Cat. That's the problem that you're running into. And they seeing what Cat doing over there. Cat that had two postseason triple doubles I'm gonna keep my Masha. They ain't got none of my day, none of my business. I don't even know why I brought it up.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Hey, hey, hey. But Minnesota was hampered with injuries, so I. I'm gonna give him a little pass in this series. I thought ant man kind of got a little better, you know, as a series went along. He didn't play great tonight, but hell, I thought at least. At least his intensity was there, understanding the moment, you know, he was aggressive, he was trying to get to the cup. But San Antonio, too much, bro. They coming at you at two with too many waves, too many guys who can really shoot the basketball defend at a high level. And once they bust that thing open, it's hard. It was hard for Minnesota to keep coming back and being at home. I think. I think that's the most impressive thing about San Antonio, bro. The way they played on the road, the way they came in there and closed that thing out, you know.

[Ocho Cinco]

And one of the most important thing too is, is having that advantage, being able to play at home, helping, allowing your crowd to get into it to make things easy for you offensively and defensively. The spurs didn't allow the crowd to get into it at all.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

They didn't, bro.

[Ocho Cinco]

At no. At no damn point. They really made it a home game, even though they were playing away.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

When you think about this trade, Joe, let me tell you about this trade. Doesn't make sense to me because you got a guy in ant man that wants to attack. He can shoot, can get to the mid. He got a few three level score. But Julius Randall, Julius Randall's not a better three point shot. Better a three point guy. Cat can pull your big coat. Pull. Now, see, Cat can pull Wimby away from the basket.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Now if you take Rudy out, you bring Cat in and Cass in. Now Rudy's got to go out there because Cat can knock the three down.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

He'll turn his back on Rudy. Go ahead, shoot. I dare you. He up there boxing out the free throw line, rude at the three point line. He ain't worried about that damn shot. And he knows how many times you see Rudy dive to the basket and dunk. Rudy gonna get put back. Dunk. He'll get a lob dunk. But I'm not throwing with them hands.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Tall. He awkward, so he ain't. I ain't worried about him bending down and getting the ball. Oh, Joe, Joe, right.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

I ain't worried about none of that. Right.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

He gonna kick it with a size 20. Kick that thing dead in the front row, Pop. So I'm not worried about that. They're gonna have to look because Ocho, you said had. All he has to deal with was Wimby. The problem is, is that OKC and the spurs for the next three to five years, they're going to run to west unless something unforeseen happened. So even he's having his way with Jokic and some of these other bigs, he still got to go through them.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Even if you're going through purgatory, in order to get to the championships, you got to go through hell, which is San Antonio and okc.

[Ocho Cinco]

And this. This is the. This is the bad thing, though, huh? Because if you. If you get rid of Rudy, who's the answer? There's still no answer that you can go and get that can make a difference against Wimby or the goddamn Thunder.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Well, I think the thing is, is that I got to get product. I got to get points from somewhere. I got nothing from. I got nothing from. I got nothing from Drew Randall, and I got nothing from Rudy. So that puts so much pressure on Ant that he feels. And had 24 points, but it took him 26 shots. I'll give him that all day long.

[Ocho Cinco]

And think about this. If you do get it big, right, Uncle Joe?

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Ocho Cinco]

Would you get a big. That's all. You know, our office is big. That can get you points. Hell, that could shoot the three.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Okay, trade it. Trade it for.

[Ocho Cinco]

Hey, but then, you know, you know what the problem gonna be? He gonna be a liability on these because you're not gonna get it. Okay.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

What a thing that I'm thinking is if. If I can keep Wimby honest, you know, versus him not even paying attention to Rudy.

[Ocho Cinco]

Right?

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah. I mean, I think that's a pretty good job. Meaning if I could have a threat out there that he has to guard Ocho.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Yes.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Instead of just sitting kind of just sitting close to the paint, not guarding this man who out at the three, man.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

You.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

You. You have a better chance versus going in there challenging him every time, bro. Like, it's just. He just too much. It's too much, man. So I. I'm sure Minnesota will get to the drawing board this summer. They gonna have to come up with something. I know they got some. Some. Some. Some mean contracts over there, but, boy, they got to figure it out.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

The Wolves, the last five post seasons, lost in the first round, lost in the first round, lost in the conference finals, lost in the conference finals, lost in this, the second round. And I think. I think the thing is, for. Is that with Wimby, you can't outskill him. You got to get somebody that's physical, that's. That's willing to bang with him because his skill level is.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

I mean, they.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

First of all, they had a whole lot of fives. I mean, you look at Jokic, if you say. If you look at Hardenstein, you look at. You want to say cats of five, there are not a whole lot of them that has a skill like Wimby that can be able to score. The only big. The only five that really can score is Embiid and Jokic.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah, those are the really old ones.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

That's really the only one.

[Ocho Cinco]

That's why. That's why I said there is no answer. So in the west, when he's going to continue to dominate, because there's really nobody you can go and get that can match him offensively at the.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Yeah, we know that, but we got to get some scoring.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

That.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

That's the thing. That's the thing. Ocho, he only gave us 19, but his counterpart gave us nothing. So he beat us 19. Nothing. What if he gave us nine? Get off to a great start. Jude didn't do any better. He gave us three. Remember the last game? Remember the last game? How many points did you have to have the last game? He didn't have that many last game.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Hey, and when you think about it, Wimby just got too many pretty good damn players next to him. Meaning guys who really know and understand. Okay, boom. We gonna feed big fella. We're gonna play through big fella. But, boy, when they come out of it, I'm getting to it.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

You know, they got guys who really understand their role in Fox, Castle, Versaille, Harper. They championing. Like, I'm talking about guys who play key. Like, look, they'll have games to where some of these guys won't be as productive offensively, but then they'll have games like tonight to where collectively, as a team, everybody don't beat you. You know what I mean?

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

It ain't really.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah, Castle was. You know, he was terrific tonight, but everybody was super solid around the board. And I just think it's hard to beat a team, bro, who has guys like this. And the only team I could think who was like, this is okc.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

But, Joe, think about this. You know, the last game. Last game, five. Guess how many points Rudy had. Four. What? He had. So in two games, he's averaging two points a game. Game five. Drew Randall has 17, so in two games, he's averaging 10 points a game. How many points did he take? Because it took him like 14 shots to get those 17 points. If I'm not mistaken. I think he was five or 14 from the floor. Six and 17. My bad. I was off couple. Oh, four from three. What was even knight from three or two? One of eight from the floor. Oh, of two from three. I, I and see and ant man's like, hell, I can get funky like that if the. Yeah, if I know my guys I can count on. I'll rude if Rudy could give me a consistent joke. If he can give me a consistent 10 to 12,

[ISO Joe Johnson]

he ain't gonna be able to do that. That's asking a lot. That's asking a lot.

[Ocho Cinco]

That's not, that's not what he is, Joe. That's what y' all told me when I said maybe he can have one of those, one of those games.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

But Rudy, you, you love that. When Rudy was giving it to the Lakers bad, rudy had a 20, 20 game. I said, he'll never have another one of those in his life.

[Ocho Cinco]

Hey, and you was right. He's a defensive player. How many times he won that defensive award? Four times.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Well, look, the Lakers couldn't match up with him. He was just too damn big. The Lakers ain't had no answer for him.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

You know, you got LeBron and Rui trying to guard the man.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. This here, this here is different, bro. This, this one, the spurs are a little different. I'm. Hey, boy. Look, y' all better get your popcorn ready.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

This is gonna be a great series, man. Have they decided when it starts? Monday or Tuesday. Trying to see the Western Conference final starts Monday. What is it on prime? NBC. Okay, NBC. All right.

[Host/Announcer]

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[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

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[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

A game seven. We got a game seven. K cunning.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

I told you.

[Ocho Cinco]

Hey, hey, hey. They were supposed to close that thing out.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

The Pistons won, 115 to 94. Jalen Duran had his best game, 7 to 10 from the floor level. He had 15 points, 11 rebounds. Cade had 21 points, 8 assists. I'm sure Thompson, bro, just get the gym and just try to make shots. That's all you got to do.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Do.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

That's all you gotta do. I thought Dennis Jenkins played his best game. 15 points, big threes. Duncan Robinson came off the bench four seven from the three. Paul Reed again. I think Paul Reed and. And. But Caris Lavert played well, too. In the minutes that he played. He did.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

He did.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Impressive, Sasser.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yes, sir.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

I'm getting at it. You're like, hey, give me the ball. Nah, hell no. I ain't give you nothing.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Hey, he tough, though. He tough. He won them Houston projects, bro. He could play like you. Hey, hey. You could tell, you know, he wasn't afraid of the moment. He was going at his man. He scored. It was nine crucial points, okay? Oh, that he scored. Hey, I'm like you. Hey, Paul Reed got to play a lot more. Hell, he's had more. He had more points than he did miss.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Yeah, and he be getting at it, that and one. I was like, damn, the ball just sitting up there on the back of, on the back of the eye and I'm like, that thing just dropped there. And one. The 21 point victory tied a 66 year old NBA playoff record for the largest game six road win by a team trailing three two in a series. The St. Louis Hawks later became the Atlanta Hawks beat the Minneapolis Lakers later became the Los Angeles Lakers by the score of 117 to 96 in the 1960 West Division Finals. This was Joe. And I don't look, congratulations, Detroit. But Joe Cade has got to cut down on these turnovers. Joe, they killing them.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

He do, bro, he do.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

They gotta cut that. They turned the ball over in time. This game should have been over. They should have never been able to get back in this game. Yeah, they pulled away in the second half, but this game could have been over in the first. I mean, Joe, they turned the ball on like four consecutive possessions. And I told Thompson, don't throw no more lobs. Bounce pass, man, don't you throw, don't you throw another lob.

[Ocho Cinco]

Hey, hey, hey, hey, Uncle Joe.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

What's up?

[Ocho Cinco]

Thompson, he fouled out, but I'm glad they were already in control of the game. He has to pick and choose when to be aggressive. Yeah, you got, you got to pick and choose when to be aggressive because some, some of those files, you know, it was unnecessary. You didn't have to do it.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

You can't undercut the guy.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah, yeah. Sometimes you gotta, you gotta make.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Go ahead, Ocho. Damn.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah, I just say you just gotta, you gotta make better decisions, Joe, if anything, keep your feet moving. Just put your body in position. You ain't got to reach, you ain't got to put your hand in there. And certain stuff you just don't have to do. You're giving away ticky tack, ticky tack foul for no reason. And you're gonna hurt your team. You're gonna hurt your team. Especially in an important game, especially in Game 7. You can't foul out.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

I agree, I agree, Ocho. I think Thompson was great outside of just a little small minute. Things, bro. Some things he got to learn and understand that obviously this experience that he's going through, it's going to help teach him, you know what I mean? Hopefully he'll be better in game seven. But man, I don't know what Cleveland had going on, bro. That's why I told y' all after, after Cleveland won that game in Detroit the other night, I said, man, I Wouldn't be surprised if Detroit win the next two.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

They.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

They. They've been tried. Look, they got tried and tested in the last series. You know what I mean? Like, it's like, it's like they don't play. It's like they don't panic. I think Cade is always under control. Like, uncle said he got to cut down on the turnovers. Hell, 42 minutes, I think he'd be dog dead tired trying to do everything.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

He stealing him some minutes because they had to lead. And they came with Sasser and they came. They came early with some guys. And I was like, you know what? Good job. Good job giving him some let. Buy some time. Because, you know there's a great chance you probably gonna have to run him the entire second half. So just in case, let him dock. Somebody let him start. Build that battery up, up. So you go, hey, so. Because you don't want to run on fumes, but I'm like, come on, Cade, bro.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Hey, but, but James Harden, I dude him in them damn turnovers. James had eight tonight.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah, yeah, well. But Kate has seven.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Huh? Yeah.

[Ocho Cinco]

I was hoping Donovan Mitchell had a game like he had last game.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

That was two games ago where he had.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah, 39.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

The problem is if James Harden. If James Harden is getting on up there, 5, 6. They not winning because they can't. They create empty possessions.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Because a lot of times his turnovers leading the run outs.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

If you throw the ball.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

If you.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

If you just turn the ball over, Joe, and they got to take it out of bounds, you get an opportunity to set. But if you turn it over, it lead to run out. I can't set my defense.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Absolutely.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

That's what. And that's what you. And put. That's. That's what we say in football. Let's not turn it over. Let's let them have to go against our defense. Don't have our offensive linemen and wide receivers trying to make a tackle. That ain't what they do.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Right. And. And look at it. You know, Detroit was looking at the film like, listen, that damn Struse. He can't go 6 for 8 from the 3. He can't get 20 points. We cut his. We cut his water off. We got a great chance of winning this game.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

And you got to cut them other guys off, man. You can. You're gonna make a hell on Donovan and James Harden, Jared Allen and Mobley. You know, they gonna be so. So. But I. Outside of them four guys, you can't have nobody go off of 1725 points. You know, if you Detroit and look, look at the score, man. Cleveland had 95, 94 points. Fellas, this is how Detroit has won all these games. This is why Detroit was number one in the Eastern Conference. It's because of the defense. It wasn't because. Okay, boom. Yeah, I know during average 20 and 10 during the regular season, but for the most part, bro, we locked down. We played great team defense, we played great individual defense. And we. Stingy. You gotta be stingy, bro. I thought they were very stingy tonight defensively, which obviously helped him win this game.

[Ocho Cinco]

Hey, you know, during. Heard you good, but he. Yeah, during her, he looked better wheeling.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

He put the ball.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, man.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

He had a. Joey, we talked about it. I said, joe, how high is it that when the ball you winning, you up by 15, 20 points. Some jokers that don't even know the game got no business shooting no 3, man. That joker shot a 3. No, that might have been Paul Reed that shot that three.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Paul Reed shot that three.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

I'm like, what kind of shot was that? And switched it. But I thought. I thought Durin put the ball on the floor and finished with his left a couple of times. Right, A couple of times. I thought he was aggressive tonight. I didn't think he second guessed himself. And he did an unbelievable job. I thought the guys that came in off the bench, you look at their bench players. Duncan Robinson, 20 minutes, 14 point on four, seven shooting. Paul Reed, 17 points and seven of nine shooting. You got Lavert had eight, you got Sasser had nine. Well, when you get 31, 40, 48 points from your bench. And they got 16. They got 16, they got 17, 19. I scored you 47. 17.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah. And you look at Durian, you look at During, Jalen, During. We always talk about his energy and effort, bro. That's gotta always be a constant. You can, you can bring that every game. Look, he had four offensive rebounds. You know what I mean? That's all we ask, bro. Listen, even if you have single digit points, you should always have double digit. Yes. Yeah, I think, I think all the time, but I think, I think the Pistons really found something this series. Uncle Ojo, with Paul Reed, that man coming in, he playing with high energy effort, blocking shots, rebounding, making threes. I'm like, all right, no, you know, I don't know if he can continue this throughout the rest of the postseason, but damn, he looks.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Give me one more game of that and then we'll worry about. We'll worry about the Finals. We'll worry about the Easter Conference finals, Joe, on Tuesday. Worry about that on Tuesday or Wednesday. But right now, can you give me everything. The effort that you've given us the last 4 to 5 games don't change the thing. Paul Reed give us that. That's pretty good enough. But I love the fact, I love that, that JB is going to Caris Lavert, because there were times Carriage Lavert was kind of just getting mop up duty. He's going to him a lot earlier now. Now, maybe now that has something to do with. With Thompson getting in foul trouble also.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah, yeah. I think this was the.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Jenkins looked really good. Because Joe, we talked about him when Cade was out, how aggressive he was and how he, like he dropped 30 on the Lakers and ended up and got them a victory. I was like, okay, this kid can play.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah, he's getting back into that. Oh, yeah, yeah. I like how they respond when their backs are against the wall, fellas. That shows you a lot about a team. And the Pistons have done that this whole postseason.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

You know, they've had different guys step up, be consistent. I mean, man, this is how they win, bro. Defensively locking down, getting stops, getting turnovers, creating points off those turnovers. I mean, they were great tonight, bro. Look, you go into a hostile environment like this with two bona fide scores and Harden and, and Mitchell, who've been playing decent, and man, you just kind of cut their water off if you just want to keep it 100. You know what I mean?

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

For Cleveland to win. Joe, correct me if I'm wrong, one of these guys gotta go off. Now, I'm not saying you gotta have 40 or 50, but like James Harden had that 30 and he was sensational down the stretch. Big three, big three float free throws. Donovan gets 39 in the second half after only having four. Then you get Max Cruise comes in at the bench and makes 8, 6 shots in all them threes you get. Merrill, remember merrow had 10 points. He had like three threes.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

And then Wade, boy, D. Wade. You gotta get rid of that name. Ain't no way you can. You have people. You can have people thinking. And you talk about D. Wade. Nah, nah. His name is Dean. His name is Dean Wade ain't no D. Wayne.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah. Hey, hey, Uncle Joe. As. As great as. As great as the goddamn Pistons are defensively, the pressure is on James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. You know, the, the issues and the problem that they've always had in the playoffs is one of the conversations that I Always had. When it comes to them, I think they have to do something they'd never done before. They got to dig down, Joe. They got to do whatever they need to do. And Unc, you said just one of the two have to have a big game. I think both of them. Both of them got to be aggressive. You know, Mobley. Mobley gonna give you 15, 18. You don't know what you're gonna get from Wade. You know, Allen is up and down. Goddamn James Harden and goddamn Domin Mitchell got to come out there and they got to give you 30. Goddamn 30 a piece. It's game seven. It's you. It's. It's do or die. You're going home.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

I don't see that happening, bro.

[Ocho Cinco]

Hey, Joe, they got to be aggressive. They got to be aggressive. You got it.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

You.

[Ocho Cinco]

If you got to make it two on five, God damn it, let it be two on five.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

I'm looking at the turnovers, Ocho.

[Ocho Cinco]

Hey, man, Jane just had a good game. We only had three turnovers, and tonight he had goddamn eight.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Ocho, what. What is his mo? Is his MO three turnovers or his MO five or more turnovers?

[Ocho Cinco]

Five or more.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

And as long as Thompson can stay on the court, because you got to realize one of those guys having to deal with Thompson, the other guys having to deal with Cage Cunningham. And neither one of those guys are slouches on the defensive end.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

No, sir.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

So that's why you see James Harden. James didn't take that many shots. He got to the free throw line 10 times. But look at Donovan. Six or 20. He dealing with Cade.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah, it was hell to get big bodies.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

What's Cade? Six, seven. Joe. Six, seven?

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Donovan's six two. He's physical. He's more physical than Donovan. He can slide and he can beat Donovan to the. Oh, no, don't go to. Hey, you thought you was going down right here. Right here. Oh, no, no, no, no. I read that, too.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah. Hey, hey, and Lavert come in and

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

he defend, too, bro. Yes.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Listen, when I say defend it, sometimes it may not be the greatest on ball defense, but it's just the consistent pursuit of the basketball. Just trying to weigh you down, Ocho, you know what I mean? Like, boom. Try just trying to stay in front of you. Fighting over them picks, making it hard for you, making it tough every time. We ain't giving you no dead shots. We ain't giving you no easy buckets. Everything you gonna get, bro. You gonna earn these tonight.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

And that's what Detroit doing Bro, they making Donovan and James earn every bucket that they getting, man. And if they don't have a guy off this bench or, or, or, or Mobley or Allen who can go off and get you 20 and 15, 25 and 17, they not gonna win this game. Bro, them two dudes gonna need some help. They need somebody to come along and help them win a game. Those two alone ain't gonna beat Detroit.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Look at Cleveland, 15 assists. So that mean I got my two. I got your two guys that you counting on playing hero ball. I'm good with that.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yep.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Yeah, I keep you. I keep you under 25 assist. I'll keep you. Oh, I'm good. Gucci. Go ahead, shoot it.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Absolutely.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

No, the one thing I can't have you is for you to get those numbers. And then James. What did James Harden have? Joe Ocho, 30 points, 11 assists. Yeah, no, I can't have that. No, you got 30 and 11. So I know at least three or four of those gonna come on those assists Gonna come on three point shots. Now, I don't gave you nine to 12. Nah, hell no. Keep on playing, y'. All. Hey, as long as they play one on one and we don't let them get other guys involved. And see, the thing is about Detroit, they got guys that could defend without you having to compromise the defense. Ain't nobody coming.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ocho Cinco]

Just me and you.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Absolutely.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Hey, get it done. I love. Hey, I'm about to get me.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Oh, yeah, man.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

He be doing it. He be doing it.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Detroit don't have to put two on the ball. They don't really have to trap the pick and roll. Cause they got. They got bigs who can kind of move their feet. And Paul Reed and Duran and Tobias Harris. So listen, with that being said, it takes away all your options if you. James and Donovan running pick and roll. Because now you really can't pass to the big. You really kind of got to go into your bag. And I know both of their bags are pretty deep, but if I wear you down, Uncle Ocho, and then we get in the second half of the game and you ain't really got the juice like you had maybe in the first quarter, right? We gonna win that. We gonna win that battle, bro. We gonna win that battle every time. Detroit has shown improving. I'm telling y', all, man, before the, Even before the game started, I wasn't nervous for Detroit. I just felt like. Yeah, I just felt like they have what it takes. They have what it takes to win the next two games. Obviously winning In Cleveland was great. Went on the road shows a lot. But going home, I don't see them squandering away. I know they've had some mishaps, you know, especially in game five. But I think understanding what they've been through in the last series and now having another game seven on their home court. This is why you get home court advantage, fellas.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Yeah, I think the thing is the big thing for Detroit also they had to have bench points because the last couple of games Tobias hadn't been. Because you got to realize Joe, the previous like seven, eight games, I think they showed the stat on the screen. He was averaging 22 points, 22 and a half points a game. He gave him 60 night. Now he was in foul trouble dealing with. Because I, I felt that Evan Mobley had a decided advantage. He just wasn't using.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

If you see tonight, Joe, he used it. He posted him up, tried to get. Hey got him in fire trouble. He had to come out of the ball game. And guys, Paul Reed came in, played well. But I, I, I think to be able to space the floor with Duncan Robbins Robinson.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Cause Cade's gonna break whoever's got it. Gonna break him down. You got to come and he kick and Duncan Robinson.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Hey, he don't need much. He just, he don't need.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

He's super threat. He a threat out there, man. You gotta respect him, bro. And I think when you, if you Cade and you got guys out there on the floor with you that got to be respected, it keeps the floor so open so where you can operate. Get to your midi, get to the basket, shoot your floaters and Helly shoot the three just as well as he do any of that. Yes. I just think, I think D. I think this is definitely. Obviously it's one game now, but I, I'm in favor of Detroit. I had picked them to win this series. So the fact that they did the unthinkable and that was going into Cleveland because we all pretty much thought, damn Cleveland, you know, this is your game.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

You don't want to have game seven.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Oh man, you the. Hey, look, I know they didn't want to have to go back to Detroit and try to end this thing.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Hey, the most cool you tell. Look here, go ahead and pack. Cause we going straight from there. We going straight to New York. We ain't coming back.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Hope.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

I hope. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I want to put that thought look here. Go ahead and pack heavy. God. We hey, we going. We go. Hey, we ain't coming back. We Ain't going to Detroit. We ain't going nowhere. We going straight to New York. As a matter of fact, yeah, I'm gonna let y' all sleep in tomorrow. Guess what? Cause we at home. Go ahead and sleep in for a couple of days. Take the. Take the.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Hold on, hold on. You know, if Detroit win that, New York got to come to Detroit.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

See, there you go. There you go, bro. Y' all sleep in.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah, but if Cleveland win, Cleveland gotta go to Detroit.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Ain't going nowhere. Cleveland going home. All I can. All you gotta do, give it anything, anything less than five turnovers, y' all win this game going away.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

If I'm the Knicks, I'm at home. Like, hell, yeah. It's game seven. Weigh y' all ass out. Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Cause I was in here like, yes, Game seven. I was hoping. But I saw earlier, man, come on, man. This game might not even go to the second half, right? The way they were playing.

[Ocho Cinco]

Right. So. So both of y' all got the Pistons winning game seven?

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yes, I do. Yeah.

[Ocho Cinco]

Okay.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

You got the Cavs, all right.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah, absolutely. I think Donovan Mitchell and James Harden gonna go crazy.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Do you really?

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah, man, listen, they. They tired. They tired of that same ass, them failing in the playoffs. I'm telling you, they don't want to hear that no more.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Well, you do realize they finna change. They gonna.

[Ocho Cinco]

They gonna change that narrative.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

I don't got.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

I don't realize how people get names like, man, oh, oh. Thief. Yeah, man. Oh, oh, oh. Lying ass Slick. How you think he got the name? Cause he lied, man. You know, man, you know. What's up? What's up, boy? Name. Oh, Thieving ass.

[Ocho Cinco]

Rob.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Yeah. How you think he got the thing. How you think James Harden get the name of not coming up big in the postseason when it matters the most?

[Ocho Cinco]

Right?

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

He has. God. You talking about a guy that's won, what, three, four scoring titles, one of the highest scoring averages. A guy averaged 36 and a half for a season, had, like 30 plus games straight where he got 30, and then come in the postseason, man, and be like, God, yeah. But every. Every, everybody and people like, oh, I know it is. You understand what it is?

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yes, sir.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

You understand these moments and everybody. You have to be able to rise to the occasion in these moments and more times than not as great a player. And James Harden is great, but in these moments, more times than not, he hasn't been great. See, it doesn't do you any good when greatness is required and you can't achieve it.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

There you Go in moments like this,

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

in game seven's greatness is normally required. And that's how the Jordans and the Kobe's and all these great players have made their name. Game seven because of winner take all. See, in the NFL, guys, you Ocho, you we played. Joe, every playoff game is a game seven. There is no tomorrow, there is no series. You win the first round or you taking your ass home. You win in the divisional round or you take your ass home, you win the championship. Are you going home? So there is no okay. Hey, all they did was whole serving home. Nah, hell no. If they hold serving home, you taking your ass home, right? So if, if I can't be what I've been when it's required of me, what good. What good is it, right? Man, you don't gave me 175 catches this year, 42 touchdowns. Now I need a third down. I can't get nothing. Yeah, I need a touchdown. I can't get nothing. You only great is that when, when you're required to be great, can you be great

[ISO Joe Johnson]

on demand.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

And that's and, and, and James has been great in the regular season. Let's not deny that he's been. He's an MVP scored, you know, he's the first to have a 60 point triple double. Y' all know what James was when he was in Houston. Come on now, we're not gonna do that, right? He was special. We were having conversations, Joe. Who's the best perimeter score? Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan or James Harden? That wasn't, we was talking about that. I was like, God dang, man, it's. And I saw mj all the MJ career, I saw Kobe, but boy, what I'm seeing with James Harden, God almighty, dang.

[Ocho Cinco]

And you see what we used to see, the fact that we even had those conversations. I think he could muster that up one time, Joe. He can change the narrative. Donovan Mitchell as well. I'm sure they always hear the noise about them coming up short in the playoffs. If there's a time to be able to change that narrative that everyone talks about, all the basketball heads, all oppundants, all the analysts, it's game seven.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

It was today. Hell, it was today, Ocho.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah. I mean, yeah, yeah, that.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

I mean, on your home court. This is why we bring James Harden in, you know, because at least if we could get to the Eastern Conference finals.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yes, sir.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

I think that may even be a success.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yes.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

You know what I mean? To some degree, you know, but to have to fall short in the second round when you had it by the rings, I'm talking about, you did everything you wanted to do. You stole home court. You got the closeout. Game six on your home floor. Damn, man. I don't know what else you could ask for, bro.

[Ocho Cinco]

You had every. You had it all in your hands.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

I don't know what else you can ask for.

[Ocho Cinco]

All in your hands.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

And it was there. It was there before. Like, you know, once Detroit got it to like 12, 13 points. Like, sh. Man, Cleveland ain't coming back from this.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah, that was it.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

They ain't coming back from this. It's too tough.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

But when you get, you, when you get in that kind of production off your bench, you get, you get. Duncan Robinson was 4 or 7, Paul Reed was 7 of 9. Carrison Burke was 3 or 7, but he's 2 or 5 from the 3. Marcus Sasser, 4 or 5, 1 or 2 from the 3. When you getting that kind of production from your bench, you're getting 40 plus bench points and you got it from four players.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah, yeah. Lavert and Sasser were huge, bro. I'm talking about timely shots, great defense, and like you said earlier on Jenkins, Jenkins, he was out there like a real true guard tonight. Making shots, being disruptive, playing high energy. Yeah, man, they understood, bro. They, hey, they. They didn't want their season to end. You could tell by how they were playing, they were the more desperate team. For obvious reasons though. Yes, because Cleveland knew then we could close these boys out. But Detroit was like, damn, this could be our last time playing. We got to throw everything at them.

[Ocho Cinco]

Yeah.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

And I just felt even though they were on the road, they were the far more desperate team tonight, fellas. And you can kind of tell again,

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Jaylen Durant had 15 points, 11 rebounds. Danish Jenkins had 15 points, Paul Reed had 17 points. Duncan Robinson had 14 points. Carol Burke and Mackie Sasser had eight and nine, respectively. And they go on the road, force a Game seven. They were the best team in the Eastern Conference all year long and they showed their resilience 115 to 94. Now game seven is Sunday and I don't know the name of the building.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

It's probably gonna be early too. It's probably gonna be an early game five.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Already playing in the 80s.

[Ocho Cinco]

Where they playing at, Joe?

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Detroit.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Detroit Basketball.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

Okay, so it's, it's a 5:00pm It's 8 Eastern Time.

[ISO Joe Johnson]

Oh, okay, okay.

[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

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[Ocho Cinco]

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[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

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[ISO Joe Johnson]

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[Host/Announcer]

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[Shannon Emmanuel Elofius Arp]

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