Are the Hornets for real? + Eastern Conference contenders w/ Kevin Lynch of "The Block The Shot The Stop Podcast" Podcast"

Summary

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Green With Envy: Are the Hornets for Real? + Eastern Conference Contenders w/ Kevin Lynch

Date: March 5, 2026
Hosts: Will, Greg Manakis
Guest: Kevin Lynch (The Block, The Shot, The Stop Podcast)

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the Boston Celtics’ surprising blowout loss to the streaking Charlotte Hornets (118–89), shaking up perceptions of both teams. Will and Greg analyze whether the Hornets are a genuine Eastern Conference threat, what the Celtics’ performance reveals, and preview the rest of the conference. Special guest Kevin Lynch joins to break down the Cleveland Cavaliers post-trade, the James Harden experiment, and the evolving hierarchy in the East.

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Celtics-Hornets Recap & Analysis

The Loss:

• The Celtics, coming off three games in four nights, were routed by a Hornets team that had arrived in Boston at 5am ([01:04]-[02:55]).

Talent and Grit:

• Will: "There's no excuses to be made here. Charlotte whoops the Celtics, 118 to 89." ([01:09])
• Despite the Celtics having star talent like Jalen Brown and Derrick White (fresh off winning Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month), they were outplayed in key areas: hustle, turnovers, three-point shooting, and athleticism ([02:55]-[04:46]).

Hornets' Growth:

• The Hornets exemplify the NBA’s shift toward versatile, two-way players and deep rotations.
• Co-host: "What’s becoming really important is guys that compete on both ends and are multidimensional... they can bring more than one thing on either side of the ball." ([06:19])

Turnover Troubles:

• Celtics lost the turnover battle 15–4; Hornets had 89 field goal attempts to the Celtics’ 79 ([05:08]).
• These “margins” typically fuel Boston’s success but flipped the other way in this blowout.

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The New NBA Blueprint

Young, System-Buying Talent:

• Will and Greg discuss the rise of young coaches and rosters built on effort and multidimensional contributors.
• Will: "You have to go eight, nine deep... It’s a bunch of guys that buy into a system, a philosophy, and an ethos, and... manifest that on the court." ([08:11])

Changing of the Guard:

• Discussion of Luka Doncic’s issues with defensive accountability versus Jalen Brown’s leadership and work ethic ([07:21]).
• Shout-out to teams like the Thunder and Pacers for building deep, energetic identities.

Quote:

• Co-host: "Almost all the top teams kind of follow that type of mold. Or the teams that are overachieving, like the Phoenix Suns, the Charlotte Hornets..." ([09:17])

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Eastern Conference Picture

Can the Hornets Be a Threat?

• Will: "There's no reason why they can't be a team that upsets somebody in the first round or pushes someone to seven games." ([10:02])
• Caveat: Celtics’ experience still gives them an edge—but Hornets can "make some noise."

Who’s Scary in the East?

• The hosts agree: There isn’t a “boogeyman” team in the East.
• Giannis’s Bucks? "There's nobody in the east that really should scare you." ([11:22])
• Knicks, Cavs, Pistons are all mentioned as talented but beatable.

Tatum’s Return Saga

• Awaiting Jason Tatum’s return; uncertainty over recovery ([15:24]).
• Greg: "Are you getting at all worried, Greg, or do you feel like it's probably happening Friday night?" ([16:02])
• Importance of Tatum to overall team structure is highlighted.

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Celtics Personnel Focus

Derrick White:

• Celebrated for winning Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month ([03:10]).

Peyton Pritchard:

• Concerns over post-break struggles; two goose eggs in last three games ([12:13]).
• Will: "I got to flag it. It's some type of flag. I don't know if it's a red flag, but it's a flag." ([13:29])
• Counterpoint: Teams are now game-planning specifically to neutralize Pritchard.

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Eastern Conference Deep Dive (w/ Kevin Lynch)

Cleveland Cavaliers Check-In:

• James Harden trade for Darius Garland:
  • Kevin: "I've swore on our podcast... six times and four of them were the... podcast after the James Harden trade. I respect the heck out of his game, but I'm not a fan." ([20:27])
  • Harden’s role: More distributing, less scoring; helps unlock Jared Allen ([21:45]).
  • "If they're ever going to win with Harden, it has to be this year because it usually progressively gets worse with Harden the longer he's at a stop.” ([21:19])

Jared Allen Surge:

• Massive production leap with Harden and Schroeder facilitating the pick and roll ([22:16]):
  • 25 PPG, 12 RPG in February
• Allen as a “creature of environment”—shines with the right playmaker.

Assessment of Recent Trades:

• De’Andre Hunter’s exit: Talent but didn’t “play the way they needed,” not a role-player.
• Jalen Tyson emergence: “Found money” — shooting, defense, and versatility.
• Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroeder: High-impact defenders; bring needed “dogs” mentality ([27:19]).

The Hornets’ Legitimate Rise:

• Kevin: “I thought they remind me of a team that ended up really good, three years before they're really good, like Golden State in Klay Thompson’s second year.” ([28:38])
• Hornets’ recent winning surge includes iconic wins on the road; very real contender for a playoff spot ([30:01]).

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Playoff Matchups & East Hierarchy

Top Threats & Matchup Worries

• General consensus ("Celtics, Knicks, Cavs, Pistons") as East favorites ([33:38]).
• Celtics' overachievement in Tatum's absence complimented by Kevin ([32:14]).
• Pistons' depth and Cade Cunningham’s rapid ascension.

Who scares whom?

• Kevin on Cavs’ POV: "I think the Cavs might be better prepared for the playoffs than last year... biggest thing they were missing was perimeter defense. Now they've got it." ([33:38]-[34:38])
• Co-host: Home court less important; “styles make fights” ([34:48]).

Specific Matchup Fear

• Cavs would rather avoid Celtics with healthy Tatum.
• Pistons matchup actually favored by Cavs due to defensive strengths.
• Knicks and Hornets could be tough outs due to physicality and cohesion.
• Kevin: "That would be the team I don't want to see," referencing Boston if Tatum looks healthy. ([37:19])

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All-NBA Debates: Jalen Brown vs. Donovan Mitchell

• Kevin: Thinks Donovan Mitchell is having perhaps his best season ([38:15]).
• "As far as first team NBA... I think like second team is right for Donovan because... team success counts." ([38:15])
• Jalen Brown gets props for superior two-way ability; Mitchell called an “above average” defender, in part out of necessity.
• "He's certainly not a one-way only player." ([40:07])

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Injury & Scheduling Notes

• Tatum expected back soon, but timing still cloudy ([15:24]).
• Cavs benefiting from a rare four-day break before Celtics matchup ([41:47]).
• Dean Wade’s value as a role player and defensive stopper highlighted ([44:09]).

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• "Charlotte whoops the Celtics, 118 to 89." (Will, [01:09])
• "All the things on the margins that the Celtics typically do, they didn’t do tonight." (Co-host, [05:08])
• "Peyton Pritchard... I got to flag it. It's some type of flag. I don't know if it's a red flag, but it's a flag." (Co-host, [13:29])
• "If they're ever going to win with Harden, it has to be this year because it usually progressively gets worse with Harden the longer he's at a stop.” (Kevin, [21:19])
• "I think the Cavs might be better prepared for the playoffs this year than they were last year." (Kevin, [33:38])
• "Donovan [Mitchell], he's certainly not a one-way only player. I think he makes contributions on the defensive end... almost two steals a game." (Kevin, [40:07])
• "That would be the team I don't want to see," on facing a healthy Celtics in the playoffs. (Kevin, [37:19])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:04] Celtics-Hornets loss breakdown
• [04:46] The Hornets as up-and-comers
• [06:19] Two-way player emphasis and team construction
• [09:17] Emerging team blueprints; parity among contenders
• [12:13] Peyton Pritchard’s struggles
• [15:24] Jason Tatum’s injury and return timeline
• [18:13] Kevin Lynch joins; Cavs’ Harden trade, Allen’s rise
• [28:38] Hornets’ legitimacy in the playoff race
• [33:38] Breaking down East contenders and matchups
• [37:19] Why the Cavs fear a healthy Celtics
• [38:15] Jalen Brown vs. Donovan Mitchell All-NBA discussion

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Final Thoughts

• Hornets are for real—they embody the new NBA DNA: effort, two-way skill, and depth.
• Celtics have maximized their “margins” but get exposed when those slip—Tatum’s return looms critical.
• The East is open; there is no single dominant team and playoff matchups will hinge greatly on style and health.
• Cavs’ blend of newfound perimeter defense, Allen’s surge, and Harden’s facilitating is intriguing, but a healthy Boston may be the true measuring stick.
• All-NBA and playoff debates will revolve around fine margins, health, and consistency as the season closes.

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Transcript

[Arby's Announcer]

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[Arby's Announcer]

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[Will]

Arby's.

[Greg Manakis]

We have the meats and participating Arby's for a limited time.

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[Will]

This is Mike Gorman, and you're listening

[Greg Manakis]

to Green with Envy with Will and Greg.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

All right, everybody. Welcome into a green within the post game live presented by Magic City. Nah, I'm just kidding. Celtics take it on the chin tonight from the Charlotte Hornets, 118 to 89. Are these Hornets for real? We'll talk about it. We'll also take a look ahead here as the Celtics play on Friday night. The return of Cooper Flag, the main event, makes his first appearance in Boston. And then joining us in the second half of the show, we've got our guy, Kevin lynch, part of the blue wire family, joining us here to help us preview. Celtics Cavaliers coming up on Sunday. We got a lot to get into. Scream with envy. You guys know the deal. Let's lock in. What up, what up, what up? Welcome into another edition of green with Envy. It is a green with envy post game live. The Charlotte Hornets. Yes, the Charlotte Hornets. The streaking, the raging, the apparently very for real Charlotte Hornets take down the Celtics tonight, 118 to 89. Three games in four nights for the Celtics, but also back to back for the Hornets, who got into Boston at 5am so no excuses to be made here. Charlotte. Whoops. The Celtics, 118 to 89. As always, this is your boy, Will. We're checking in. How you doing? How you living? Joining me as he does each and every time, my best friend, co host and the coach of our podcast, the one and only Greg Manakis. Greg, I was excited for this game. Didn't See it going quite this. Quite this way. But sometimes that just be the way it goes in an NBA season. Hornets, they. They might just be for real, man. Yeah.

[Will]

And when you think about the, the talent disparity between the two teams.

[Greg Manakis]

Right.

[Will]

Jalen Brown, best player between the two teams. Derrick White obviously is a great player. Shout out to Derek White winning Eastern Conference defensive player of the month by the way.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

I did not know that was an award that they were doing. Now I'm glad Drew Carter specified that. It's a. It's a like the second year of it. I had no idea that was a thing.

[Will]

Same, same. But shout out to D. White nonetheless.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

Yeah, for sure.

[Will]

But then you think about just like the, the talent that's on that team with Lamella Ball. Coniple Brandon Miller. Bridges Diabate is just like a great role player. And then you just like look at what the Celtics have and like bunch of guys that are punching above their weight class. Compare the coaching staff. Charles Lee, you know, obviously was part of the, the. The Celtics championship team. It's just one of those games that makes you realize the Celtics have been doing a lot with not as much right through throughout the entire season. And when they don't have the three point shot going, when another team matches their hustle and matches their athleticism and. And their grit going after loose balls and all that stuff and the Celtics are unable to turn people over. It's going to be tough for the Celtics to hang if Jalen Brown doesn't go bananas and score 40 points. Derrick White had a great night tonight, but Jalen didn't really bring it. Peyton Pritchard struggled again off the bench. So when, when we see that happening it. These games are to be expected. You know, we haven't had too many of them this season. So chalk it up to one of those games where not a schedule loss because the Hornets were the team on the back to back but just one of those games that happen in an 82 game season. We get the Hornets two more times this year hopefully with JT coming back so we'll get to test ourselves against them later in the season.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

Yeah, definitely sets up some very interesting matchups for those next two Hornets games. So add that to, you know, we kind of went through the schedule like hey, the Celtics have had a kind of nice schedule till now, but there's some really tough games. Add both of those Hornets games as definites that you're going to get hyped up for that are going to be you know, fun games to watch. And who knows where the Hornets might be. They're only I think two and a half games out of sixth place right now.

[Greg Manakis]

So.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

So they're in the tenth spot but they're not that far out of getting outside of the play in. So it's really interesting because you mentioned the turnover, right? Like Celtics get beat 15 to 4 in the turnovers. That's part of the Celtics magic sauce is right, is that they just do not turn the ball over and they usually win that battle. They win the possession battle. And that was just nowhere close to the case tonight. 89 shots for the Hornets, 79 for the Celtics. Like all of the things on the margins that the Celtics typically do, they didn't do tonight. And you know, just one of those games from the jump just, just didn't really have. And you know, I think this game is probably more about the Hornets for me than it is about the Celtics. There is at least one alarming thing for the cells. I do want to talk about here in a minute but in general, Greg, I think the Hornets are a good sign to me as to where the NBA is going and I think the Celtics are a part of this as well. But I think when you look at what makes the Hornets so fun and of course they have talent, right? Like they've, they've got. You mentioned all the guys and it's like lamelo ball, top three pick Brandon Miller, top three pick con canipple I think was the fourth pick in this draft or third pick, I can't remember in draft Miles Bridges was, you know, a top, a top pick like Ryan Culk. Brenner is a young promising rookie guy that actually the Celtics probably should draft it.

[Greg Manakis]

That's.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

That might be a miss by Brad Stevens but nonetheless like they have guys that have pedigree. Either they're, you know, super talented and they're top picks or they're a guy like Hulk runner who's similar to like Baylor Shireman in, in the Celtics mold where it's like you were a four year guy, you come in kind of a little bit more ready to contribute year one year too. And what I think the Hornets say about the league and it goes with the Celtics is you look at what's becoming really important is guys that compete on both ends and they're multi dimensional, meaning they have more than one thing that they can bring to you on either side of the ball. And this kind of gets back to some of the conversation we were having of like why it's so hard to build a team. Around a Luca, around a Trey, around somebody that has a super deficiency. And you're seeing less guys that are like, that guy's awesome on defense, but he hurts your offense so bad, you're playing four on five or, or vice versa. Right? And with the Hornets, with the Celtics, Spurs, Pistons, Thunder, Pacers started this a couple years ago. Like, these are all teams that go six, seven, eight deep of guys that are multi dimensional and just play their ass off. And I think that's a healthy sign for the league.

[Will]

Yeah, this, I like that you brought up the Luca conversation, because one thing I don't think we touched on enough was how hard Jaylen Brown plays and like, how he leads by example in that way where Joe Missoula can, can coach him and Jaylen Brown responds to the coaching juxtaposed. Luka Doncic and JJ Redick having that tiff on the sideline where they're just yelling at each other and JJ Is telling him to like, get back on defense and, you know, play some defense. And Luca just doesn't want to hear it. Right. And Jaylen Brown is going to respond if he's challenged and he's going to, you know, look the other guy. Like, imagine Luka Doncic getting on somebody on his team for not playing defense or missing a defensive rotation. Like, they would look at him like, you kidding me, dude? Like, you don't do anything. But with Jalen Brown being able to say that and hold people accountable, it does make a big difference. And I think like the young coaches that are in this league are it. You see the changing the guard. Like, think about the Milwaukee Bucks that we just saw coached by Doc Rivers, who's had success in the NBA as a coach. But like, he's not bringing anything new in terms of strategy to an NBA game. He's still coaching in like a bygone era almost, right? And you have all these young coaches that are kind of creating this new era of NBA basketball where you have to go eight, nine deep, right? I was watching the Thunder Knicks game because. And then the Celtics came down 30. I'm like, I'm just going to put on this. The Thunder next game. And the Thunder, yeah, with Mark Dagnault, right? Mark Dagnall is just like coaching his ass off. Shea plays defense. All those guys on the team play super hard. Ksan Wallace was in Jalen Brunson's jersey the entire game. Like Lou Dort, Alex Caruso. Think about like these guys that are culture setters and tone setters for your team and your Organization. And that's where the NBA is going. It's a bunch of guys that buy in to a system, they buy into a philosophy, they buy into an ethos, and they all just kind of allow that to manifest through their actions on the court.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

Yeah, almost all of the top teams kind of follow that type of mold. Or the teams that are overachieving, like the Phoenix Suns, like the, the Charlotte Hornets, you know, like they're, these are all teams that kind of fit that mold. Even the Raptors fit that mold. Right. The Raptors who are just kind of just chilling. Fifth place, like they're 35 and 26. And a lot of it has to do with, with what we're talking about

[Will]

and what Chris Finch is doing over there.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

Yeah, exactly. So I, I think for the Hornets, they're really interesting. When. And by the way, I was thinking about this as well. For anyone that listens to the Bill Simmons like, like we do. What are the chances, I wish I could put odds on this, that Bill Simmons starts whenever his next podcast is with. Do we gotta start talking about the Hornets winning the Eastern Conference? Something along those lines is kind of.

[Will]

I mean, dude, they have all the makings of, of like the Pacers from a couple years ago, the Thunder from a couple years ago. There's no reason why they can't be a team that upsets somebody in the first round or pushes someone to seven games. Like, as we said, talent for talent. It's not like the Celtics are a more talented team than the Charlotte Hornets. They have more experience and they've been through the wars. So like, I would bet on the Celtics if we ended up in a 27 matchup against the Hornets, but it's just like not out of the realm of possibility that the, the Hornets are just one year ahead of schedule. You know, I, I could see that happening. I don't see them winning the Eastern Conference or anything like that, but I could see a first round upset. Like there's no reason. Like the Pistons, the Pistons haven't done it yet. They're still a young team. The Celtics have done it, but don't. Their Celtics are actually a young team with all the guys that they play, but they also have the experience and they've been through the wars together, so it'll be really interesting. And then when, when I saw, you know, getting to a little preview of what we're going to talk about with Kevin lynch, think about the Cavs, thinking about the, the Knicks, there's just, I don't really know that there's a team in the east that anybody should be scared of. Like, if you're someone who's sneaking into the play in. I think this is partially why the Bucks are like kind of pushing Giannis to. Or Giannis is pushing the bucks to allow him to play is because there's nobody in the east that really should scare you.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

Yeah, like, it's. It. The. The Yana situation is funny because it's illogical but also logical that, hey, if we have Giannis, we have chance. Right? I think their team around them so bad they. They don't. But at the same time, I understand because Giannis is the best player when healthy. He's still the best player in this conference.

[Will]

Like, he didn't look healthy in the game against us.

[Greg Manakis]

He didn't look.

[Will]

That was the first dude.

[Greg Manakis]

Did he look a little pudgy to you?

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

I mean, everything looked off with Yanis. Like, nothing looked. It didn't look great. It didn't look like the nothing. Nothing looked like Giannis.

[Will]

He normally looks like he's like carved from granite. And I was like, oh, there's like a little bit of. There's a little pudginess to Giannis right now.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

I mean, when you keep getting calf injuries like you, I'm assuming that cuts into your cardio and being able to be, you know, tip top shape. But, you know, I will say, just going back to the Celtics Hornets here, like, I wish this game was. Was closer because one of the things I did want to see is, you know, if we get into a tight game, can Lamello ball? Can Kobe White as the. The head of the snake? Can they be exposed? It just didn't. There was never a time that that really mattered in this game. So we'll have to table that until we get to a later date and get Celtics Hornets Part 2, Part 3. But there is one thing that we do have to talk about that I do think is important from this game, Greg, and that's what is going on. Pton Pritchard, like, it's, it, it's. It's. Honestly, like we said this two games ago when he got shut out. He's now put up goose eggs in two of the last three games that he has played. And since the break, it's been, you know, a lot of. There's been some highs and there's been a lot of lows, you know, like in five of his last or in his last six games here, including tonight. So zero points tonight. Going back to five games before that, eight points in a stinker against Phoenix, three points in a stinker against Denver, had 22 against Brooklyn, goose egg against Philly, 25 and a game against Milwaukee and then another zero tonight. And I don't fully know what to, to make of it, Greg, but there's no way that the Peyton Pritchard that we've seen in the Peyton Pritchard that we know, like he doesn't put up zeros, like putting, putting up complete zeros, getting shut out, that just. I don't know, I don't know what to make of it. But I, I gotta flag it. It's some type of flag. I don't know if it's a red flag, but it's a flag.

[Will]

Yeah, I think it's just game plan, man. Like when, when we get to these games that mean a little bit more and you see Peyton Pritchard on national TV dropping Jared Vanderbilt on his ass, like people are going to start paying attention. And if, if game, if teams are serious about their game plan, they are going to game plan to take Peyton Pritchard out of the game and they're not going to allow him just to come in and start cooking some weak defenders. They're going to put their best defender on the court against Peyton Pritchard with length and they're just going to take him out.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

Right?

[Will]

And you're seeing a lot of teams do that, just putting length on Peyton Pritchard, having rim protection there like colic Brenner. Anytime Peyton Pritchard got into that mid range, Brenner was there waiting for him. And it's just one of those things where Peyton Pritchard is a great player, but he's small and he's undersized. And we've, we've talked about this all year. Playing within the trees is going to be tough for Peyton Pritchard in certain matchups. And I think he's just going up against some teams that are one defensively sound game plan, disciplined and long. And they're just putting guys on him and they're trying to take him out of the game. So it is concerning because he should still be able to rise above a game plan and, you know, make an impact on the game. But he'll figure it out. I'm not, I'm not worried about being Pritchard.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

Yeah, I mean, we'll have to see. I think it's just something to keep an eye on here as we get to the home stretch. And again, we talked about this when he, after the Philly game where you're like Jason Tatum solves a lot of this because it puts people into kind of their proper, proper spots. But before get to our guest here, Kevin lynch, we talk a little bit about Celtics, Cavs and kind of the Eastern Conference overall. Greg, I did want to touch on. This was one of the dates that everybody was circling around. Jason Tatum's birthday was yesterday. This is the first home game since then. Obviously doesn't happen tonight. We did get a little bit of a. With a GTD that popped up on the, on the health report. And so now, you know, mentioned Bill Simmons earlier. He flagged it in a podcast earlier this week that he thought all signs were pointing to Friday.

[Greg Manakis]

I saw.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

Greg, you saw a little potential Easter egg that you. On our, on our social media earlier, like if the Celtics. So Friday night, just remember for the, for the schedule here, for everybody listening, Friday night, Cooper flag and the Mavericks come to town. After that, it's three straight road games. And from all the intel we've gotten, seems like none of those would be the games that Jason Tatum comes back. And so after that, it really gets down to like another week or so and it's kind of happening. Not happening. Are you getting at all worried, Greg, or do you feel like it's probably happening Friday night?

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[Greg Manakis]

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[Steve Smith]

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[Arby's Announcer]

Not to brag or anything, But Arby's new $7.99 meat and three box is kind of a big deal. The other guys give you just one side. We give you three sides. Not to brag. You get a meaty sandwich, curly fries, mott sticks, a sweet treat and a drink, all for just 7.99.

[Arby's Jingle Singer]

It's more meal for your money. More meal for your money. More meal for your money.

[Arby's Announcer]

Where'd that come from?

[Steve Smith]

Arby's.

[Greg Manakis]

We have the meats and participating Arby's for a limited time.

[Will]

I really don't know, man. I'm just excited. I'm talking about it. I'm asking everybody they're like, why are you asking me? Like, you should know more than I know. And I'm like, I know, but I just want to talk about it. Like, it's kind of fun. I mean, I've been watching the documentary as we, I, I, I don't know if you've seen Will, but all the pieces of the documentary, like three minutes long. So you were worried about like these 50 minute episodes.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

I've seen some of them. I haven't watched all of it, but I've seen a few. I've seen, I've seen some of it.

[Will]

They're, they're all like under five minutes long. So easy watch. It's cool, you know, seeing behind the scenes, but it's not, it's not really giving you all that much detail into the comeback. It's a 15 minute piece, like, overall. But it'll be fun to see if Jason Tatum comes back on Friday. If he doesn't come back on Friday, we can kind of put a pin in it as the Celtics are going on the road for a week. And then we'll see, we'll see if he comes back. But I'm excited regardless. You know, I think he's gonna play this season. I'm not too worried about that, but I just want to see him on the court.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

The GTD that got everybody in the tizzy for like, you know, 45 minutes

[Will]

to like, that shams we're hitting up like the Celtics blog, people were trying to figure it all out.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

It was, it was great. I did, I did enjoy that. It felt, felt fun being on high alert, DEFCON 2 or whichever way DEFCON goes that we hit with that. So we'll see if obviously, Tatum does make that return Friday night. You can expect to hear from us before our next regularly scheduled podcast, which will likely be after the Celtics Sunday game, which is going to take place against the Cleveland Cavaliers little Sunday matinee. And so with that game coming up here, we wanted to go ahead and bring in one of our blue wire brethren. We've got our guy Kevin lynch here from the Block, the Shot, the Stop podcast. Kevin, appreciate you joining us, man. How you doing?

[Greg Manakis]

Anytime, man. Happy to talk ball with you guys. It's been a while. Hope you're doing well. I sit here. I, I think Jason seems to take another, at least another week. What do you, or what do you think?

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

Maybe you just wanted to avoid the Cavs game?

[Greg Manakis]

Yeah, exactly.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

That's what you're looking at.

[Greg Manakis]

You know, you could never be too cautious with things like this.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

Well, by the way, I gotta go ahead.

[Will]

I got a question to ask you. So I don't know. Did you see Luke Cornett's blog post about Magic City Night?

[Greg Manakis]

I did.

[Will]

Okay. Has James Harden officially responded yet?

[Greg Manakis]

No, man, the, the, that scene in Cleveland has been very welcoming to James. I think he, I think he is surprisingly happy with the, the hospitality that he's getting in Cleveland. So I, I think that, I think he's, he's putting Magic City on the back burner for the moment.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

Cleveland State enrollment on the rise. Just a random news news update. But. But Kevin, something I wanted to ask you about here because, you know, we were setting this up and one of the things that, that you mentioned here, we're gonna get to a couple topic topics. You guys had a really nice win last night against the Pistons. While you were short handed. Do you want to ask you about that groin with Donovan Mitchell kind of where we're at. But you mentioned to me that reluctantly you would come onto the show and talk about James Harden. If you must. Well, you must. And I do want to hear how the James Harden experiment is going and also what the reaction from your podcast and Cavs fans in general was. You know, with this hardened for Garland, Trey Garland being a guy you drafted, been a part of whatever this iteration has been over the last couple of years. So give us the inside scoop on the. The James Harden experience.

[Greg Manakis]

Well, as far as our podcast goes, I think I've swore on our podcast in 200 episodes six times and four of them were the. Was the podcast after the James Harden trip. So that's. I made my feelings about it pretty clear. I respect the heck out of his game, but I'm not like a fan of it at the same time. As far as how it's going for the Cavs so far, it's going fine in a lot of ways. He's kind of going out of his way to blend in. His, his shots are down, his assists are up. Like he's developed a lot of really good chemistry with Jared Allen while Jared's been should have been player of the month of in the NBA in February. And a lot of that some of that at least had to do with James Harden. So I think the experience is going. Is going fine. And I actually think with this Cavs team, if he's primarily a very good three point shooter and a very good distributor, that's enough. With some of the other things they have around, I just don't. I, I question his ability at this point to be as effective driving the basketball, scoring in a lane doesn't seem to be getting as many calls as I remember last time I watched James Harden a lot and I part of that's maybe the officiating and part of it's like, you know, he, he's just not quite as athletic. He's always a bigger guy. So I think it's going fine. I actually think what I said, the biggest thing I said about James Harden is the honeymoon phase is usually pretty good. With Harden, if you go back to his several last stops the first year, he's somewhere. I mean while he hasn't won a championship, the season's gone pretty well, the team got better, they had some success. So I actually said if they're ever going to win with Harden, it has to be this year because it usually progressively gets worse with Harden the longer he's at a stop.

[Will]

Talk to me a little bit more about what you've seen out of Jared Allen. I haven't watched the Cavs in a little bit. I haven't had a chance to watch him with Harden. So what are you seeing out of Allen that's been so impressive to you?

[Greg Manakis]

So Alan, he, he's a little bit of a creatures environment. He doesn't create his own shot, but he is an incredible finisher when he plays with a point guard that is. Is very good in the pick and roll. Looking to set him up. I mean if you looked at his on off splits when with D. Garland, the amount that Darius played this year versus not, I mean it was stark difference. And then Harden comes in. Not only Harden, but Dennis Schroeder comes in who's also very good pick and roll point guard. And Jared like he averaged I think 25 a game, 12 rebounds in the month of February. They were calling him Black History Month Jared Allen because he wore a black History Month shirt the first day of the month. And then he had the best month of his career by far. And, and so a, a very good point guard unlocks Jared Allen to be a top five or six center in the league. If he doesn't have that, he becomes a very average center in the league. So he, he is set up right now for success. He did tweak a knee last night. They said, they said it's not going to be, it shouldn't be anything serious. But like on this team for the rest of the year, I expect you're down to continue to play like one of the top centers in the NBA. Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

And he's kind of a perfect match for James Harden. Right. Those are the type of guys that, that he unlocks and he unleashes. And you know, with James Harden versus Darius Garland, you're trading up 10 years in age. But to me, it's like, you know, it's kind of like you said, though, it's this year, and Darius Garland just hasn't been reliable, availability wise. Right. And so for Harden's faults that are well documented when you get to the postseason, like, he's available. Like, he is a guy that, that plays. You know, right now he's playing through. Is it a fractured hand or fractured thumb that he.

[Greg Manakis]

His thumbs right now? Yeah, it's like the tip of his thumb, they said.

[Will]

I think it's the same injury that Charman has.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

Well, yeah, that's okay. That, that's what I was thinking. So, you know, for all his faults, like, he, he does raise that a bit. And he's a big player. Right. And something that I think has always kept me from fully believing in the Cavs has been that missing piece that has connected the back court to the front court. And I'll be Honest, I thought DeAndre Hunter was a great pickup for you guys. Last year. I thought DeAndre Hunter at the deadline, like, I was real. Even though you guys had 60 or, you know, we're on the way towards 60 wins when that move was made. I remember watching the Celtics Cavs games last year, which were all really good, really competitive, and I still remained pretty confident. Celtics because to me it was Celtics at full strength, Cavs at full strength, Celtics two wins. In that scenario, when we weren't at full strength, Cavs won those games. So we have to be at full strength to beat the Cavs. But I still felt like that piece was missing, Missing. And I thought DeAndre Hunter was going to be that connective tissue. What went wrong and is that piece still missing or can that be made up for by going a little bit up in size from Garland to Harden? You know, tell me a little bit about your thoughts on that.

[Will]

Is the answer is the answer Jalen Tyson.

[Greg Manakis]

I, I think that's a big part of the answer is jail and Tyson. But like on DeAndre first, DeAndre on paper, he should have been the perfect fifth guy with. With. I thought was the big four with the Cavs like six, eight, very good three point shooter, incredibly athletic. All those things like I, I said like, like last year, if you, if you just looked at, if somebody never played basketball came, came into the Cavs like practice and was picking players like DeAndre Hunter would have been like the second guy picked after maybe Evan Mobley, just as far as like size, athletic ability, strength, all those things. But I think the problem with DeAndre Hunter is he could be one of the best role players in the league, but fancies himself more as a star and he's not good enough to be a star. And so, you know, he's very, he's very interested in basketball. When the basketball is right in front of him, it's either in his hands or he's guarding the guy with the ball in his hands. Off, off ball defense was atrocious. Off ball offense cutting and everything was atrocious. Like. And I, I think eventually the Cavs just realized they, they realized the potential they saw in DeAndre Hunter probably just wasn't going to happen. He wasn't going to play the way they needed him to play and the way they envision him playing. And that's why they dealt him. And I do think they're better off one because as you said, more opportunity for Jalen Tyson. Jalen Tyson, he has found Money with the Cat 21st pick in the draft last year, he's, he's averaging like 13 and a half points, I think five, five rebounds a game. But that doesn't even tell the whole story. He's like, he, he led the league in three point shooting for most of the year on like five attempt a game volume. So he, and not only that, he has been for the most of the year their best perimeter defender. I mean, just last night he was a primary defender on Kate Cunningham. Kate Cunningham scored 10 points.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

Points.

[Greg Manakis]

It's the lowest output of the year. And, and so the opportunity for Jaylen Tyson, but then the guys they brought back for DeAndre Hunter, while they had to go down in size, as you said, with Dennis Schroeder and Keon Ellis, they're the dogs that this Cavs team has desperately needed. Like Keon Ellis is one of my favorite players to watch on the defensive end. Like he, there was a play a couple of games ago, I think it was the last Pistons game like last Friday night that he guarded or contested the shot on all five guys within 16 seconds, within one shot clock. He's, he's.

[Will]

That.

[Greg Manakis]

He's one of those guys that like in the NBA, the most athletic, biggest guys in the world. He stands out just because he seems so light on his feet, so quick, so, so good at anticipating. I really think, I think he is a guy that like, he's lost being in Sacramento because everybody gets lost being in Sacramento and, and also hasn't got the opportunity. I really think Keone Ellis could end up being like now we're not talking also or something but like, like one of the better role players in the league kind of thing if, if every ever given that opportunity. And I think he plays the way they, everything they ever wanted from DeAndre Hunter they get from Keone Ellis. They just go down about 4 inches and 40 pounds in size to get it.

[Will]

Yeah, but I mean he's making an impact and DeAndre Hunter wasn't making an impact. Right. And Dennis Schroeder is one of those guys as well who's not afraid to pick up 94ft. So if you, if you need to put pressure on a Jalen Brunson or somebody like that, like you can just sick Dennis Schroeder on him. Right?

[Greg Manakis]

Yeah.

[Will]

One thing I was wondering, Kevin. So we just played the, the Hornets tonight. The Hornets just beat us by like 30 points. Have you guys played the Hornets recently? And if you have like what have you seen of how they match up with the Cavs and whether or not you think they might actually make some noise in the, in the playoffs?

[Greg Manakis]

So the Cavs have played him twice in this. I think it's longer than a hot streak. I think it's going on 30, 40 games that the Hornets have been really good. And so they played him twice, once they lost to him in overtime. Like very weird game of. The Cavs didn't score a point in overtime. And, and then the other game the Cavs beat him in like a very low scoring, tight back and forth game. The Hornets themselves I, I thought were just really, really impressive younger team. I mean everyone's talking about Khan canippel and the fact that he is likely rookie of the year now at this point. Incredible shooter. And I, I thought they, I'm trying to think of a team that they remind me of. They remind me of like I, this is, don't take this for what it's worth but like one of those teams that ended up being really good like three years before they're really good like Golden State when in like Clay Thompson second year or something. I'm not saying they'll ever achieve the heights that Golden State did, but like just you can see the seeds of it. You can see the individual talent, you can see it starting to mesh and you can see that they have a good mix of players too. And so I don't think, I mean you never want to get boat raced at a game like, like tonight but like there's no shame in losing the Hornets nowadays. I mean, they're, they're legit. They're. I think there's a good chance they end up at top six seed in the NBA in the playoffs this year.

[Will]

And they, they did it to OKC, too, in OKC, right? They beat OKC by over 20 points on the road.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

So I think they went on the road. Their. Their road numbers are insane. I think they, I saw it tonight on the broadcast. They've got. And this is before tonight, I think they had nine straight road wins with an average margin of victory of like 17 and a half. And that went up, so 10, 10 straight wins with, you know, close to 20 points per game on the road. Like, that's not a fluke. That's, that's not a team getting hot.

[Greg Manakis]

That's.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

That's something real. That's Bruin and Charlie.

[Greg Manakis]

Yeah, for sure. I, I completely agree. They're. They're tough and they're somebody. Whoever ends up. I don't think they're going to make any real noise in the playoffs, but I think they're going to be. Could be a real pain for whoever goes up against them, for sure.

[Will]

So one of the things I, I also wanted to. To touch on just in general, Kevin, was where you see the Cavs in their potential in the playoffs this year and just your general look at the eastern. And who, from your perspective, do you actually see as real contenders?

[Greg Manakis]

So it's a good, good question. So, like, as far as the east overall, I mean, the, the biggest question mark right now is with you all, like, assuming Jason Tatum comes back and what he looks like and how quickly and easily he can blend to the, you know, blend into the team that you guys have had.

[Will]

You guys sweating over there. You, like, are you worried about.

[Greg Manakis]

Not yet. Not yet. But he, But I mean, mean, like, like the boogeyman.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

You don't know yet. You're like, maybe, maybe not.

[Greg Manakis]

I mean, before you get hurt. I mean all this in a complimentary way.

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[Greg Manakis]

He's a top five, six guy in the NBA. I thought he was the best American player in basketball before he got hurt. And you add a guy to that, to a team that's been like, frankly, as far as expectations go. I don't know about you guys, but national expectations, like, this team is greatly overachieved. They've gotten in, meaning the Celtics, they've gotten, you know, everyone in the roster that I've seen, like the main guys, has, like, gone up at least a level this year. Kind of making up for some of that, that Tatum absence. And then if you add in, if he's at least 75, 80% Jason Tatum by the time the playoffs come or more, then, then, yeah, I think they could be. They could be the number one threat in the east as far as far as, like, other teams go. I mean, I, I think the Knicks, but that's kind of. They're, it depends on the day with them. They're, you know, they obviously have the talents, but it seems like things are going incredibly well or incredibly bad, you know, given what hour of the day it is.

[Will]

And then.

[Greg Manakis]

And the Cavs just played him twice in the last three games. Detroit. Detroit's legit. Like, they're, they're a young team. And typically in the NBA, you have to take your lumps before you, you know, have true playoff success. But, like, you know, they, they're incredibly talented. Kate Cunningham is now. I mean, until Jason Tam returns form, he might be the best American basketball player right now.

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[Steve Smith]

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[Greg Manakis]

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[Greg Manakis]

And so I, I think it's really those three teams and the Cavs and, you know, this could be some of my optimism and bias showing. I think the Cavs might be better prepared for the playoffs this year than they were last year. I mean, the biggest thing they're missing last year was perimeter defense. They got punked by the. By the Pacers in particular. Aaron Neesmith and Andrew Nemart changed that series with the pressure they applied on the CAVS. Cavs defensively, 94ft. And the Cavs didn't want any part of it. And it was what was really frustrating to me over the summers. They didn't really address that on the roster. Well, they kind of got lucky with Jalen Tyson and his development and being one piece of that. And then going out and getting Schroeder and Keone Ellis, like, they look like a completely defensive. Different defensive team on the perimeter nowadays. So I really think it's just those top four teams. I think there's other teams that, you know, could give people fits, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was those four teams that make it past the first round and. And are really the only four that are truly going for it.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

I feel like that's kind of becoming the general consensus towards the east is that those are the four. And, you know, we just joke that I'm sure Bill Simmons is going to throw the Hornets in the midst.

[Greg Manakis]

Of course he is.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

But something I am curious to know or. Or get your thoughts on, and Greg and I have talked about this a lot recently of how, like, home court is kind of overrated at this point. And like it all, it seemingly the last couple years, it's styles make fights.

[Greg Manakis]

Right.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

So what are the matchups that you're looking for? Because that style doesn't work for you. And I know for. For us, we have at least one team that I think we look at that like. And this is all, of course, pre Tatum that we're like, that's going to be really tough for us to overcome. And so I'm curious from a Cavs perspective, what styles of whether it's those top four teams you mentioned. There's a few teams in the east that are. Are going to be, you know, plucky and, you know, could give you, you know, some trouble in one injury and all of a sudden that. That kind of series flips. So who are the teams that you're worried about, the styles that they play and how they match up against the Cavs?

[Greg Manakis]

Yeah, I mean, as I said, I wouldn't love it if they end up playing the Hornets in the first round just because they're. They're so hot and so cohesive. And I don't think the Hornets beat the Cavs in a series, but I think they would, you know, push the Cavs to their limits. And, you know, they're the type of

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

team that you're like, we got them in the first round and we go seven. When anyone else we go four or five.

[Greg Manakis]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

And we're resting. But now in game seven, Jared Allen tweaked his knee and he's limited in the next round or whatever it might be. That's the type of series they're going

[Greg Manakis]

to give you 100 and and like if we're going out I mostly focus on those top four. Three other the three other teams in the Cavs. Everyone gives the caveat that if Embiid happens to be healthy, you wouldn't want to face Philadelphia. I I truly wouldn't worry about that that much like because one one is Embiid healthy and two like I I just the Cavs have matched up with them pretty well so I'm not too worried about that really. And and his com and I mean all the compliments about Detroit. I I'm incredibly impressed with them. I think they're very good. I think of the three other top teams that's the team the cast match up with the best because if they have a weakness well I just said they're they've gotten much better at perimeter defense. That still isn't the strength of their team. And it's easier to slow a team down when they have one focal point in Cade Cunningham. I mean Jalen Duran's great but he's not a creator on the offensive end. And the the Cavs of it's been proven out like they split the series with the Pistons 22 they're done with them now but they've held K to 19 points and 34 shooting in in the four games they've played them and and had a real chance to win all four games. So I that's the matchup I'd like the best. A lot of Cavs fans have nightmares over Mitchell Robinson so they don't want to see the Knicks because he just

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

he Celtic fans are right there with you.

[Greg Manakis]

He seems the to get every offensive rebound and change the game but like and I'm not even catering to you all like the thought of seeing the Celtics if they if they with as well as they played this year and they get Jason Tatum back like and and he looks anything like Jason Tatum, that would be the team I don't want to see.

[Will]

I got one last question for you Kevin. So Donovan Mitchell Obviously top 10 player in the NBA has had a great year. There have been some talks first team all NBA second team all NBA MVP voting. Our guy Jalen Brown, you know we think he's entrenched in the first team Olympia discussion. Zach Lowe, I believe had Donovan Mitchell above Jalen Brown on one of his recent podcasts where what type of season is Donovan Mitchell having from someone who's watching him day to day. And do you think he's truly deserving a first team on of behalf year?

[Greg Manakis]

I actually think he might be having his best season best season of the year. Especially the first 30, 40 games when the Cavs really need him when Garland's out. Mobley missed a lot of time. Allen missed a lot of time. He was scoring 30 every game and doing it with high efficiency. And just last year was all about how do we keep Miles off of Donovan to keep him fresh for the playoffs. And this year was the exact opposite. He's been full throttle on the gas for most of the season really until the trade deadline a few weeks back when when they got some reinforcements for him. As far as first team NBA, first of all it's splitting hairs between guys like between Brown and Mitchell like I don't know, pick your poison. But like I would say I think like second team NBA is, is right for Donovan because honestly those awards come with team success too in the Cavs while they're coming around now are going to end up a little bit below expectations for, for regular season success. Donovan's been incredible. I think if, if two or three guys you know missed the 65 game cut off he could move up into that first email NBA discussion I think but I think right now if you're ranking them I would put him around the 78 range which would land him on second team.

[Will]

And one of the knocks I think you can people can make about Donovan Mitchell, personally I think he's a pretty good defender. Yeah. Is his defense right. And Jalen Brown, people make the argument that Jaylen Brown is one of the, you know, he calls himself the best two way player in, in the game. Mitchell from what I've seen is he's got all the physical tools. Right. Super quick, super physical, really handsy, plays passing lanes really well, can guard up better than I think people give him credit for.

[Greg Manakis]

Yeah.

[Will]

But what, what is he bringing on a night to night basis that can kind of temper Boston Celtics fans argument that Jalen Brown should deserve a spot over Donovan Mitchell purely based on two way impact.

[Greg Manakis]

Yeah. And I don't mean this as an excuse but Donovan, you know a lot of and Jalen is one of the rare superstars that wants to guard the other team. Superstar. Right. Usually you give, you give your best offensive player a secondary defensive assignment to kind of, you know, balance him out a little bit. Donovan because he was playing with Darius Garland had to take on defensive matchups that maybe most other guys of his Caliber, wouldn't I. I think, I think you, I'm with you. I think he's probably an above average defender. 6 out of 10 defender. Like, he's super quick, he's so long and strong. But like he does have to guard up a lot. And, and I think he's a, he's a pretty engaged defender most of the time, especially this year. I think he's been really good there. I don't, I'm not going to claim he's nearly as good a defender as Jalen Brown. I think Jalen Brown can be a lockdown defender. Absolutely. But I, I think Donovan, he's, he's certainly not a one way only player. I think he, he makes contribution on the defensive end and he, he's been one of the league leaders in steals, almost two steals a game, which I know can sometimes be a tricky stat because if you go for five steals a game and give up three labs, we get two. Like, is that really good defense? But, but I, I think Donovan, honestly, at least with the Cavs, I think this is his best individual season. It's just comes. It happens to be coming on a season where the team has been playing a little bit below expectation.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

What's the update with his, with his groin? Are we expected to see him on Sunday?

[Greg Manakis]

I. I think you, I think we will. I think it sounded like the, the Cavs were like that he could have played. He's been practicing. But they're taking advantage of. They have four days off between now they don't play again. Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

I was gonna ask this as my final question. Would you guys pay to get four days off this late in the season? The Celtics played tonight, the Celtics play Friday night and then play the matinee. And this is three and four games tonight. So not trying to make any preemptive excuses here, but I was watching the Cavs Pistons last night getting ready for this podcast and for the matchup later this week and I saw the schedule and I know every once in a while you get three days off. Like usually like two, three times throughout the year. You know, getting four days off, that's basically only around the like play in tournament nonsense, not playing tournament, but in season tournament nonsense. When they have to like shuffle the schedule around four days off this late in the season, that, that feels pretty rare. And it's pretty big for you guys to get that rest, especially going into that game on Sunday.

[Greg Manakis]

It's amazing when you get it. I mean, the Cavs, I had some, I thought they had had some tough scheduling like they were, they were two, three games ahead of everyone else in, in. In games played in the Eastern Conference for a large part up right up until the All Star break. And so I, I was like, this is just weird. Like, everybody should have played about the same number of games, being with one game of each other or something. And then they played like, I think they played seven games in ten night. Ten nights or six and nine, something like that. Coming out of the All Star break, I'm like, this is crazy. And then I didn't even see it before and I was like, like, oh, they got like literally five days off for no good reason. I don't know if there's like a concert at Rocket arena or what's going on, but, but something happened and you know, it's, it's kind of like in football. Like the, the. A lot of times that bye week just seems to hit you at the right time. This is basically their bye week and hopefully it gives them a chance. They not only Mitchell have been struggling, but Dean Wade's been out. And Dean is a super underrated accent,

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

popular guy on the show. We like.

[Will]

Yeah, Dean Wade,

[Greg Manakis]

Steve Wade. I think he's a fantastic role player. A little bit of trouble staying healthy sometimes, but he's been out for the last couple of weeks too. And they kind of said the same thing with the break in the schedule. They wanted to you just, you know, you give them one more game off and they get a whole nother week of, of recovery. So I think there's a pretty good chance we see Mitchell on Sunday. I sure hope so. Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

I don't know if it was last year or two years ago, Greg. The Dean Wade game, I forget, just killed the Celtics a year or two ago.

[Will]

So I like, man, he's big. He's like kind of like there they're Sam Houser to some degree, right?

[Greg Manakis]

Yeah.

[Will]

Not. Not quite as good of a movement shooter, but no better defender than giving credit for.

[Greg Manakis]

Yeah, his defense is off the chart is like the defensive numbers which are always kind of, you know, can be misleading. They're off the charts. And he is such a versatile defender too. Like, he's one of the. I think they said he's the top defender in league guarding Jalen Brunson and then one of the top defenders, elite guarding car. Anthony Towns at the same time. Like, so the fact that he can guard their one in their five and be one of the better defenders in the league at doing it, like, he's a super valuable guy. And the Cavs don't have a lot of size. They need him to play up at the fork, like the majority of the time. So he's definitely a guy that would get. And if, if you guys get Tatum back, we should, we should be able to have Dean Wade back for Sunday.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

Yeah, I always hear about, where's Matt? When's Max Truth coming back? And you know, line and like, yeah, like, I think Dean Wade. I like Dean Wade more than I like master shoes. That's the guy that I'm like, I hope he's out, but. But yeah, it's exciting for that game on Sunday. I did that. I was gonna ask you that scheduling question, but actually we haven't talked about him and I just want to get your last thoughts and then we'll. We'll wrap this up here.

[Greg Manakis]

Sure.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

Evan Mobley, is this just who is this just who he is? Which is a good player. But I know a couple times in the last few years, Greg and I came on here and we're like, did you see Evan Mobley last week?

[Greg Manakis]

Yeah, he.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

Evan Mobley last night. The jump's coming. I think it was. Was it two years ago during the CE Finals run? I think right at the end of the season we were like, this could be a problem if we see him and we don't have Porzingis. And obviously that, that series wasn't that much of a problem. There were other injuries. But I'm just curious from the. Again, someone that watches night to night, day to day, like, is this just Evan Mobley who he is? And he's good and he's kind of a fringe all star, high level defensive guy, or is that jump that we keep anticipating and looking for, is that still on the table?

[Greg Manakis]

It. I mean, it's still on the table. He's 24 years old. So, like, it's on the table. But I think coming into this year, it's so funn. Like Kenny Atkinson's opening press conference, the first 22 minutes of it, he talked about the jump Evan Mobley and DeAndre Hunter were gonna make this year. That's what he talked about for the first 22 minutes of his opening press conference. And like, I think they hyped Devin up so much and they like, they wanted him to expand his game in ways like do things he's never done instead of lean further into things he does well. Like they, they're giving him the ball on the wing and ask him to break down people one on one. He's seven feet tall. And that frankly, isn't his best skill set, like he's, he is great like on getting the ball on the move, getting the ball at the nail, like letting him be a finisher on the basket. And so basically halfway through the season, they just scrapped everything they said he was going to be. And like, get back to who you were last year, like be a really dominant defensive player, which he is when, when he's fully locked in. He was defensive player of the year last year and then be kind of that complimentary really on this team, like third piece offensively. And so I will absolutely take honestly, for the rest of his career, I would take Evan Mobley the year he had last year. Every year if there's more of a jump in there, great. But I do think if there's another jump, they tried to take it too quickly and his play really suffered the first half of the year. But he seems to be getting back to more. More the player we saw the previous couple seasons.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

Awesome, man. Well, we're excited for Sunday. I'm excited at the Eastern Conference is where it's at, man. We talked about this with one of our last guests that the east and west is really not as different as people. The depth is maybe is probably slightly different, but the team's at the top right there in both conferences. And like we said, I think Cav Celtics is going to be a pretty, pretty awesome playoff preview coming up on Sunday. Kevin, I'm gonna jump on with you guys tomorrow for the Block the Shot the Stop podcast. Excited to chat it up with you guys, but that's gonna do it for this episode here of Green with Envy Postgame Live. As I mentioned earlier, if big if, if we get the Tatum news that we're hoping to get, likely you will hear from us Friday night. If not, we'll be checking in sometime Sunday night after Celtics Cavalier.

[Will]

So make sure Monday or on Monday.

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

That's right, on Monday. We'll recording on Monday this week, so stay tuned. We'll have a couple. Well, either way we'll have some, some podcasts coming your way for your listening pleasure. So that'll do it for this episode here myself for Greg, for our guest, Kevin. Appreciate y' all guys listening to us and we will catch you later. It don't take much no more

[Greg Manakis]

Until

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

I hit the floor

[Greg Manakis]

Every time I

[Co-host (possibly the main host)]

hit this high it's you I find

[Arby's Jingle Singer]

it don't take much no more

[Greg Manakis]

Until

[Arby's Jingle Singer]

I'm at your door.

[Arby's Announcer]

Not to brag or anything, But Arby's new $7.99 meat in three box is kind of a big deal. The other guys give you just one side, we give you three sides. Not to brag. You get a meaty sandwich, curly fries, Mott St. A sweet treat and a drink. All for just 7 99.

[Arby's Jingle Singer]

It's more meal for your money. More meal for your money. More meal for your money.

[Arby's Announcer]

Where'd that come from?

[Will]

Arby's.

[Greg Manakis]

We have the meats and participating Arby's for a limited time.