Undefeated Cavs win 15th straight game

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Athletic NBA Daily - "Undefeated Cavs Win 15th Straight Game"

Episode Details

• Title: Undefeated Cavs Win 15th Straight Game
• Release Date: November 18, 2024
• Hosts: Dave DeFore, Zena Keita, Esfandiar Baraheni
• Description: A comprehensive recap of the most important NBA games and stories, featuring insights from The Athletic’s top reporters.

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1. Cleveland Cavaliers’ Historic 15-0 Start

Overview: The Cleveland Cavaliers have achieved an unprecedented 15-0 start to the season, defying earlier skeptics. Despite missing key player Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs showcased resilience and strategic prowess to maintain their undefeated streak.

Key Points:

• The Cavs secured a decisive victory over the Charlotte Hornets, marking their 15th consecutive win.
• Comparisons drawn to historical teams:
  • 1994 Houston Rockets: Reached the NBA Finals.
  • 2016 Golden State Warriors: Noted for their defensive strength and Steph Curry’s leadership.

Notable Quotes:

• S (Esfandiar Baraheni): “Every single team that has started 15-0 has made the NBA Finals. What do you think about that?” [02:15]
• F (Esfandiar Baraheni): “Jerry Stackhouse is overdue.” [05:22]

Analysis: The hosts discuss the potential historical significance of the Cavs’ streak, likening their coaching strategies to those of the Warriors. They emphasize the depth of the Cavs’ roster and the adaptability of their coaching staff, particularly highlighting Kenny Atkinson’s influence.

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2. Player Performances and Key Contributions

De'Aaron Fox’s Remarkable Scoring: De'Aaron Fox has been a standout performer, recording back-to-back high-scoring games:

• 60 Points (Loss): Highlighted for his exceptional offensive output despite the team's defeat.
• 49 Points (Win): Demonstrated his ability to lead the team effectively when securing victories.

Notable Quotes:

• G (Zena Keita): “I listened to his postgame presser and he even said [...] he would have rather had gotten the rebound and not made that last bucket for the 60 points and ended up getting the win.” [06:30]

Discussion: The hosts debate the value of individual performances versus team success, commending Fox for prioritizing team victories over personal statistics.

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3. Controversial Game Winners and Officiating

Highlighted Plays:

• Jason Tatum’s Stutter-Step Three Pointer: Questioned for its legality concerning the number of dribbles.
• Julius Randall’s Three-Point Setup: Examined for potential flopping and its impact on the game outcome.

Notable Quotes:

• S: “James Harden moved to second on the all-time three-pointers list. [...] it feels insane that James Harden is second on this list.” [18:47]
• F: “Please, can we just stop with the last two-minute reports? Can we just not do it?” [08:37]

Analysis: The conversation delves into the fairness and transparency of officiating, particularly focusing on the NBA’s two-minute reports. Hosts express frustration over publicizing referee mistakes, arguing it fosters unnecessary controversy and animosity among fans.

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4. The Three-Point Debate: Harden, Curry, and the Future

James Harden’s Legacy: James Harden has ascended to second place on the all-time three-pointers made list, prompting discussions about his standing among the greatest shooters.

Active Players’ Potential:

• Steph Curry: Projected to reach 4,500 to 5,000 three-pointers.
• Young Stars: Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Luka Dončić, and Victor Wembanyama are highlighted as potential future top three-point shooters.

Notable Quotes:

• F: “Steph Curry is going to run away with it. He’s likely going to get to like 4,500 threes by the time his career is done.” [11:15]
• G: “I agree with the way that the game is expanding beyond the three-point line. [...] definitely Way more young players within that top 10 in general.” [11:37]

Discussion: The hosts analyze the evolution of three-point shooting in the NBA, emphasizing the increasing importance of volume and accuracy. They predict a shift in the leaderboard, with young players potentially surpassing established stars.

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5. Early Season Trends: Something, Nothing, or Everything

Segment Overview: A playful yet insightful segment where hosts categorize team performance streaks as “Something,” “Nothing,” or “Everything.”

Highlighted Teams:

• Los Angeles Lakers:

  • Categorization: Nothing
  • Reasoning: Wins against struggling teams without significant competition.

• Houston Rockets:

  • Categorization: Something
  • Reasoning: Consistent defensive and offensive performance.

• Atlanta Magic:

  • Categorization: Everything
  • Reasoning: Winning despite poor overall team stats, demonstrating resilience.

Notable Quotes:

• S: “The Lakers five-game winning streak, is it something, nothing or everything? I have to tell you, it is nothing.” [12:09]
• G: “I'm going to say that it's something, but in the way to say parody in the sense that there's more ball sharing, there's more assist giving...” [19:12]

Analysis: The discussion underscores the varying degrees of merit behind team winning streaks, distinguishing between truly impressive performances and situations where teams are capitalizing on weaker opponents.

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6. NBA Cup Matchups and Predictions

Key Matchups:

• Denver Nuggets vs. Memphis Grizzlies:

  • Prediction: Nuggets to win, especially without key player Jokic.

• Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks:

  • Prediction: Bucks to triumph, relying on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s stellar performance.

• Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics:

  • Prediction: Celtics to secure a victory, building on their championship aspirations.

Notable Quotes:

• G: “Denver Nuggets over the Grizzlies, even though they just lost the game here without Jokic.” [22:18]
• S: “I'm going against both of you and I'm going to say the Bucks are going to beat the Pacers on Friday in the NBA cup because I think Giannis is going to give us an all-timer.” [23:38]

Analysis: Hosts analyze team dynamics and historical performances to forecast outcomes of pivotal NBA Cup games. Emphasis is placed on star player influence and team synergy in determining match results.

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7. Reflections on the Season and Future Outlook

Scoring Trends:

• Only two players, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis, are averaging over 30 points per game, the lowest since the 2021-22 season.
• Discussion on the distribution of scoring talent and the impact of strategic playmaking.

Notable Quotes:

• S: “The 30-point game. That's when you know you did something. Plenty of guys average 20 that are good players. 30 is usually where we say, oh, that guy's a great.” [19:47]
• G: “This is now the second year of the adjustments since COVID, [...] a nice distribution.” [20:43]

Conclusion: The hosts reflect on the evolving nature of the NBA, highlighting how strategic advancements and player distribution are shaping the current season. Optimism is expressed for the Cavaliers’ ongoing success and the potential for emerging stars to influence the league's future.

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8. Closing Remarks

The episode wraps up with anticipation for upcoming discussions on the biggest NBA Cup matchups and a reminder to listeners to stay tuned for more in-depth analysis and engaging basketball conversations.

Notable Quotes:

• S: “Think about the speech that Joe Missoula is going to give [...] you know, to get them fired up.” [24:34]
• Dave DeFore: “Thanks for waking up with us.” [25:25]

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Additional Notes:

• The episode skillfully balances statistical analysis with engaging banter, providing listeners with both informative content and entertainment.
• Hosts incorporate personal insights and humor, enhancing the relatability and enjoyment of the discussion.

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Accessing the Podcast: For more updates and detailed analyses, tune into "The Athletic NBA Daily" hosted by Dave DeFore, Zena Keita, and Esfandiar Baraheni, available on Acast.

Transcript

[Dave DeFore]

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[S]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for November 18, 2024. Coming up, the Cavs are still undefeated. We had a couple game winners over the weekend. We take a little look at some stuff and ask if it's something, nothing or everything. And we look ahead at the big NBA cup matchups for this week. Good morning everybody. Good morning Xena. Good morning S. Good morning. 150 Cleveland Cavaliers they said it couldn't be done guys. They said no they didn't. No one ever said that. 15 this is the best story in basketball. The the Cleveland Cavaliers. They they beat the frisky Charlotte Hornets had a big win over the Bucks over the weekend to move to 15. 0. Hey, it was not an easy game for the Cavs. They didn't have Donovan Mitchell. You know, they had to scrap and fight there down at the end, but they did pull it off. Guys, every single team that has started 15 and 0 has made the NBA Finals. What do you think about that? S. Yeah.

[F]

You guys remember the 1949 Washington Capitals?

[S]

I had season tickets, actually. You guys probably believe that, right?

[F]

Unfortunately, lost to the Los Angeles or Minneapolis Lakers at that point. 1994 Houston Rockets, they made it to the finals, beat the Knicks that year. And then the 2016 warriors, they actually went 24 and. Oh, so they're the only team that has exceeded 15 and 0. Maybe that means Cav Celtics on Tuesday night a chance at history because they'll be, they'll be the only other team, right?

[S]

Yeah. And the teams that you mentioned, look, that 94, I don't, I don't actually know anything about that 49 Washington Capitals team, but that 94 Rockets team, right, is Akeem Olajuwon. You had a great interior presence. You had a lot of good guard play. That warriors team, right, Had a great defense. You had Steph Curry. You know, obviously that team is in our recent memory. And Zeno, look, there are a lot of things that kind of make you think about that warriors team from 2015, right? You've got a couple of guards who are, I mean, Darius Garland and Steph Curry. The, the comp there is pretty clear, I think, but also the coaching staff. Kenny Atkinson moves over from the warriors and look, we know that he was with Budenholzer down in Atlanta and he did his own thing up, up in Brooklyn, but it feels like he's picked up some tricks, like he's pushing all the right buttons with this team. And like every single night it seems like they have a different role player step up when they need it.

[G]

Absolutely. I think it's really cool to see the coaching triad of like Greg Popovich kind of slowly be transferred over to Steve Kerr. You've seen Willie Green go out to the Rolling Pelicans have some success. Mike Brown in his first year, gone from the warriors, gets coach of the Year, and now Kenny Atkinson with this historic start. It's a good thing that Kerr can say that all these guys coached under him and around him because it's, it's showing the warriors have an ability to coach the game the way they change a three point line, the way they change their defensive strategies. You're seeing all of these elements even show up in the Cavaliers.

[F]

Yeah, Jerry Stackhouse is next, by the way. Just putting it out there.

[S]

Well, Jerry Stackhouse is overdue. Look, when you, when you look at the way the Cavs are doing it, they are, they are making so many shots. We talked about this the other day with Carter Rodriguez from the Chase down pod. You worry about the sustainability of the shooting, but they should have more shooting coming. Like when Max Russ is out there healthy and maybe they're going to be a team that's, that's able to hit the market as, you know, like maybe not the buyout market, maybe the trade market. Like they've got some, some assets. They might be able to go get a guy. I'm especially looking like Larry Nance Jr. Down in Atlanta. Can we get him home? Just a stretch big, Some guy that could maybe close sometimes, you know, can start for you when you need spot start, something like that.

[F]

It's interesting you brought up a stretch big because my first thought was just shoring up the wings a little bit more. Like I think of Brooklyn as a very easy can trade candidate with a guy like Cam Johnson or Dorian Finney Smith, just like adding another well rounded wing who can shoot the ball, play defense, feels like it'll really complete that Cav starting lineup. And I agree. Strus is a really important, like he's massive to this equation too. And he hasn't even played.

[S]

They've done nothing. He's done nothing for him. You know. Dear and Fox guys had a huge weekend. This is sort of the headline portion of the show on Monday. Dear and Fox back to back games, puts up 60 points in a loss, 49 points in a win. Zena, which one of Those is better?

[G]

49. You gotta get the dub.

[S]

You gotta get the win.

[G]

I listen to D. No, I listened to D. I listened to his postgame presser and he even said, he said you can't look over the fact that he got 60 points. But he said he would have rather had gotten the rebound and not made that last bucket for the 60 points and ended up getting the win. I'm with him. And he had more supposed to say that 49 point game.

[F]

He's supposed to say that maybe 60 is the king's record, right? No Big O, no Oscar Robertson, no more DeMarcus cousins. It's De'Aaron Fox in the history books. I'm just saying that that's cool in.

[G]

Its own right when playing time comes and the Kings needed one more win to be Positioned. You're going to remember this. That's a good.

[S]

We're going to circle back for that one too. We also had a couple of crazy game winners over the weekend. I'm going to ask you guys a question. You got to pick one of which was the least egregious violation. Okay. Was it Jason Tatum's, I don't know, four stutter steps into his three pointer to beat the Raptors or was it Julius Randall's, you know, Bo Jackson forearm shiver to. To Joshua Kobe to set up his three point make for the Timberwolves? Which one, which one was least egregious to you?

[F]

I'm putting a stop to this. This my choice is that Julius Randall was least egregious. It wasn't that egregious.

[S]

Insane for flopping.

[G]

Y I.

[S]

What are you doing there, man? Time and score. You know, you're not getting that call.

[F]

Even if it was some contact, it was marginal at best. And he flew out like. It, it just. No, I'm sorry. The Tatum stutter rip plus four dribbles. No, nope, that's the, that's the worst one. I'm sorry.

[G]

By the way, I got, I got a beater. I got to beat her.

[F]

Okay.

[G]

Most egregious and I think as you feel the same way. The NBA letting us know about the travel the next day.

[F]

Please, can we just stop with the last two minute reports? Can we just not do it?

[S]

Fined for complaining about a call that the NBA said directly after the game that they missed and that the broadcast.

[F]

Team said they, they were like, yeah, lamelo ball tripped off his foot. You know, I think it's useless and it just creates more like anger towards officiating that they release those stats and that information to say it was a correct or incorrect call. Have those meetings in closed door settings, like don't make it public information.

[G]

You know this, I will say this in speaking to someone that is in the referee world of the NBA. I asked him why they do these and these were. This was kind of off the record. So yeah, sources say. Sources say. There we go. Thank you. He said that the reason these two minute reports have to happen because they need accountability and this is how they choose referees for playoff games for the finals. And how many times your name shows up in those two minute reports, how many times you're making those mistakes? Yeah, it's important to have them. So at the end of the day there is some reason for it. But the fans, I'm sure like rip our hearts out. You're not going to take the win back.

[S]

I'm in favor of just pretending like, look, we never made any mistakes. Let the fans argue amongst themselves. Controversy creates cash. Also, in the late game Sunday night, the last game, James Harden moved a second on the all time three pointers list. Now as I know that typically we associate him more with free throws than three players. No, this is not fair. You know the, he's, you know, we know that he had those years in Houston playing with Mike D'Antoni, the Mori ball stuff, but it does feel insane that James Harden is second on this list.

[F]

Yeah, and he's, he's not going to catch first, guys. I'm just letting you know it's not going to happen. I'm sorry, it's not going to happen. Steph Curry is going to run away with it. He's likely going to get to like 4,500 threes by the time his career is done. Maybe even 5,000. But I have a question for you guys. Okay, so Steph likely going to get to 4,500. Harden will get to 3,000 by the end of his career. Damian Lillard will probably do the same. Another great three point shooter. Which young active player might be able to get into that conversation when their career is done? Donovan Mitchell has 1500. He's kind of the closest of the bunch. Jayson Tatum has 1350. Devin Booker has 1200. Luka has 1200. Anthony Ant has almost 900. Which one of those guys do you think could get into that?

[S]

I noticed you didn't say Victor Womenyama who's trying to hit all 5,000 three pointers this year. Right?

[F]

It feels to me.

[S]

Yeah. Look, I've been saying this for a few years. Anthony Edwards with the three point volume he already had was going to be a guy who was tracking top 10. And you know, you see he's got 8:50 already, which feels absurd, but with the increase in 3 point volume for a lot of these guys, I mean this list, this top 10 list might be full of guys, you know, that are all playing right now.

[G]

I agree. I actually put lamella ball up there. I mean, and 2022, he had 220 threes made. Okay. And that's 565 attempted. So he's capable of putting those numbers up there. He's one of those people that kind of stands out for me. But agreed with the way that the game is expanding beyond the three point line. Shout out Steph Curry. I can't imagine that maybe not catching James Harden or Ray Allen, but definitely Way more young players within that top 10 in general.

[F]

It is crazy you mentioned Ray Allen because like he for such a long time was regarded as the greatest shooter of all time. It's just going to end up being a footnote in the.

[S]

He's going to be like the 15th guy on the list in a few years. Guys, stick with us. After the break, we're going to play a little game of something, nothing or everything with some early season trends. All right, guys, it's time for the game that's sweeping the nation. Something, nothing or everything. Something that we just made up before the show. Some early season trends that, you know, things that are happening right now. Okay. It's a way to catch up on the news. You know, just put a little twist on it. The Lakers, the Rockets and the Magic are now all on five game winning streaks. And I'm gonna give you guys a chance to, to answer on, on a team. But I, I'm gon this one first because I'm the host and nobody can tell me no guys, the Lakers five game winning streak, is it something, nothing or everything? I have to tell you, it is nothing. They are beating nobody. They beat the Philadelphia 76ers who we've been talking about have been struggling all season long with injuries and everything else. Jared McCain, the lone bright spot, they, they lo. They beat the Toronto Raptors who not very good, not necessarily trying to win. They beat the Memphis Grizzlies who have been banged up pretty bad. They beat the spurs who just aren't very good. And they beat the Pelicans who again, another team that banged up. And it has taken some overwhelming efforts from LeBron James. I mean he had four triple doubles in there. And this guy, I don't know how long this guy can keep doing this. Anthony Davis is averaging 30 points a game, which we'll talk about shortly. But you know, they're getting insane production. But these are, these wins are not that impressive. But that being said, they're not totally nothing.

[G]

I.

[F]

But there's something play Dalton Connect, man. Connect four.

[G]

We've actually, we've been saying that for a while on Dalton Connect. But you know, I'm happy more to the rotation over Max Christie, but there needs to be a little bit more coming out of it.

[S]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Rockets, Magic. You guys grab one of those, let me know something, nothing or everything on this five game winning streak.

[G]

I'm going to follow you, Dave, because I'm looking at the wins that the Lakers had. They sound very similar to what Orlando had. Orlando has recently beaten Philadelphia. Similar dealing with injuries. Indiana dealing with big man injuries, but overall not playing a great ton of defense, which we know they they don't do. Charlotte, not a very good team. Washington Wizards, not a very good team. And Pelicans, strangely not a very good team. But I'm not going to say this is nothing. I'm going to say this is everything. Oh, Orlando. The Atlanta Magic are playing without Paolo Ben Caro. We said on this podcast that it's going to need to be a Jalen Suggs, a Franz Vogtiter to step up. Guess who? They're also not playing with a Jalen Suggs. It's been Franz Wagner stepping all the way up, being the prodigy that we know he can be down in South Florida now. What's why is it everything to me I'm looking at the stats for team comparisons in the last five games. The Magic aren't like top 15 on anything. They're not top defense, they're not top offense. They're not making shots more than anyone else, but they're managing to win games.

[F]

They're surviving.

[S]

They are surviving.

[G]

They're surviving and they're thriving. And this is why it's everything for the Atlanta Magic s. Go ahead and tell me why.

[S]

The Rockets win streak is every I know that's what you're no, it's, it's.

[F]

Not everything, but it is something. It is something.

[S]

I do like the Rockets.

[F]

And look, the Tyrese in Amend Thompson combo is one of my favorites in the league. If you have a chance on league Pat scrolling by, make sure to watch that. That being said, the Rockets are third in defense. Okay. They not only have won five of the five their last five games, but they've won seven of their last eight. Which expanding that win streak out. They've been playing some really, really good basketball on top of the defense. They're also hovering it around a top 10 offense. You look at Fred Van Vliet who's playing better as as of late, Alper and Shangoon who's playing better as of late. This team is now third in the Western Conference, building themselves a little bit of a lead. I enjoy it. I think the Rockets are good.

[S]

They are. I mean they're 10 and 4 right now and we're not talking about them enough yet. We're going to get Kelly Eco on the show tomorrow. They're they're going to play the Bucks. So we got Kelly coming in to talk about the Rockets. You know that they're good when they're in Giannis trade rumors that that's. That's how you know that a team is some good young players. Okay, guys, next question. The blazers, they're now 30 without Anthony Simons and Deandre Ayton. Is this something I'm jumping in, man?

[F]

This is everything for me to be right. It has to be. And the reason for that is I just think the Blazers, they have some pretty interesting guys that could get traded this year. You think of Jeremy Grant, you think of deandre Ayton, potentially even Rob Williams. Like, they have some pieces that they can move to just lean into the young guys. And Shaden Sharp has been absolutely awesome in these three games. He had 32 tonight against the Hawks. He had 33 against Minnesota. They obviously beat Minnesota twice. Donovan Klingon, their rookie, has been sensational. With more playing time, please play the man more often. Already looking like a very, very good rim protector in this league. So I think it's everything. I think the Rock, the Blazers have taken note of Chauncey Billup saying that if you, if you sleep after this loss, they had a really embarrassing loss, I believe it was against the Grizzlies. If you sleep, you are a loser. And they've answered back with three wins.

[S]

They've answered back. These guys just stayed up all night. Xena, you feel the same way. Is this everything?

[G]

I. I don't know if it's everything, but it's definitely something.

[S]

It's something.

[G]

It's definitely something.

[F]

Especially in the West.

[S]

Hey, Scoot.

[F]

Scoot has been good, you know, been playing better. Yeah, this is true.

[G]

When you think about what Scoot was kind of propped up to be, especially going as the foil to Victor Remanyama and then his lackluster performance coming into the league. It's been better seeing him be a better decision maker, being more patient, more poised. You can see him not making a huge leap, but just a little one.

[S]

I. I think this is something. And again, it's a team that we don't expect much out of. So, yeah, you know, to go three, zero, period. I mean, when was the last time that the Pistons did that? S. I mean, it's.

[F]

Oh, man.

[S]

Yeah.

[F]

Quite a very long time.

[S]

That's right. All right, last one for this one, guys. Right now, There are only two 30 plus point a game scorers in the NBA. It's Giannis and it's AD Anthony Davis. Those are the only two guys averaging over 30 points a game. That would be the fewest since the 2021, 22 season. Right.

[F]

Okay.

[S]

Now, last year it felt like we just had all of these guys, remember all these individual scoring performances. So many that Xena said, hey, somebody's going to score over 81 this season. Well, we just got De'Aaron Fox with 60 last week.

[H]

We.

[S]

It seems like we kind of broke the seal off the 50 point games. We had Victor drop 50, we had Giannis drop 59. Is this something? Is this nothing or is this everything? Guys?

[G]

I'm gonna say that it's something, but in the way to say parody in the sense that there's more ball sharing, there's more assist giving, there's. There's just more talent spread across the league versus in previous years. So I think it's something, but in a good way. S. I think you looked at some of the numbers though. You looked a little closer.

[F]

Yeah, you know me, man, I'm. I'm getting into the number. Okay, look, so Jayson Tatum 29.7 points per game. Nicola Jokic 29.7. Lamello Ball 29.7. Paolo 29. He hasn't even played in a while.

[S]

Cherry picking stats here.

[F]

I am just saying the threshold of 30 is a little, you know, 30.

[S]

Is a magical number in basketball, right? Like that is a number. The 30 point game. That's when you know you did something. Plenty of guys average 20 that are good players. 30 is usually where we say, oh, that guy's a great. You know, like you're going to lead the league in scoring. I think it's something. But I'm with Xena. I think that this is a parody thing. I think coaches are getting smarter about, you know, guys aren't. They're not able to stat, stat pad their points late in games when they have blowouts. I mean, Steph Curry sitting out fourth quarters, you know, I mean, it's just if you, if, if you extrapolate it a little bit, you figure out pretty quickly that these guys. There's a lot of guys who are capable of doing 30 points a game that are held back a little bit by circumstances.

[F]

Maybe, maybe just one more thing here. There's 43 guys who are averaging 20 or more. Was 55. So like if we're going to. So to maybe that is.

[S]

Maybe it's maybe the things.

[G]

And there's also something to be said of. This is now the second year of the adjustments since COVID right.

[S]

And.

[G]

And go. And guys going on longer road trips and staying at home as well. It's like, all right, I, I think there's just a little bit more to go around when you're feeling rested, you've got a few more healthy bodies around. I don't know. I think it's just a nice distribution.

[S]

Guys, stick around after the break. We're going to look ahead at this week's biggest NBA cup matchups. The NBA cup continues this week. Second week of group play. Guys, what'd you think about the first week and the courts? Did they throw you off the course?

[G]

Were better this year? They were much better.

[S]

I get the thing there where you're flipping channels or you walk into, you know, you walk into the sports bar and yeah, that looks different. Yeah, it did catch my eye and I think the paint is actually better this year. Some of the courts look pretty good. Portland especially that court looks great.

[F]

But the, the yellow, I don't know if you saw the. I think it was the Hawks. Maybe that was too much.

[S]

Can't do that. And again, no red, no blues. Next year, hopefully those are all gone. But. But overall, a week one of group play was, was really, really great. Oh, yeah. Super competitive and so really looking forward to this week. Guys, let's jump into our picks because we got to get out of here. But Xena, you want to take the first one?

[G]

Yeah, I'm going to go for Tuesday. Denver Nuggets over the Grizzlies, even though.

[S]

They just, they just lost the game here without Jokic.

[G]

They did, exactly. And that's the key point. They didn't have Jokic. I promise you 30 points will help make up that democratic.

[S]

That's right. What's your other pick for this week?

[G]

I also have Friday Pacers over the Bucks.

[F]

Oh, I have that too. I have that too.

[G]

I just think the Bucks will have it together and I.

[S]

Understand completely because when you look at what they've been doing, they're four and nine right now. I just don't trust the Pacers with the emotion on the line. I'm actually going against both of you and I'm going to say the Bucks are going to beat the Pacers on Friday in the NBA cup because I think Giannis is going to give us an all timer if he has to. We saw him do it the other day with the 59 points where he just put them on his.

[G]

Almost lost.

[S]

And they did almost lose, but he was plus seven in his minutes and so that's what matters. I think we might get 48 minutes or 53 or whatever it takes from Giannis, but this Pacers team, you remember last year, there's bad blood, there's bad NBA cup blood. Between these two teams, I just don't think there's any way counting out the finalists. Wow. So you've got Pacers, Bucks too as well. What's your other game? This.

[F]

My other game is the historic one that's happening on Tuesday, and that is the Cleveland Cavaliers beating the Boston Celtics in Boston. The rematch of the Eastern Conference semifinals and a chance at history to become 160 only team other than the Golden State warriors in 2016 to do it. How you like that?

[S]

I hate to tell you. Wrong again. My second pick. I'm taking the Celtics over the Cavs to hand the Cavs their first loss. The games in Boston. And look, the. The Celtics are the champs. Have you guys felt like the Celtics have gotten up for a matchup yet?

[F]

They almost did for the Raptors.

[S]

They.

[F]

They did.

[G]

Yeah.

[S]

Okay.

[G]

But I would say no. I agree with you, Dave. I actually do think that this is going to be the thing that galvanizes them. Like they want to end. Want to prove that they're still the champs in their home garden. Like, yeah, I absolutely can imagine them being like, guys, this is a must win, period.

[S]

Think about the speech that Joe Missoula is going to give in between watches of the town to these guys to get them fired up. No. Remember, he was the worst.

[G]

All summer will be used.

[S]

Nobody believes in them all summer long, he told us. And look, now no one believes in the Celtics.

[F]

He's going to make some sort of animal kingdom comp. That's what it'll be.

[S]

I'm just saying right now, I feel sorry for the Cleveland Cats Cavaliers, but I think your run is over. Our run is over today. That's going to do it for today's show, folks. Thank you guys for listening. For Xena, Keta and esperahenny, I'm Dave DeFore and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.

[Dave DeFore]

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