Weekend Playoff Update | Cavs disappear Magic | Wolves take Game 1

Summary

Weekend Playoff Update | Cavs Disappear Magic | Wolves Take Game 1

Released on May 5, 2024

Hosts: Dave DeFore and Mo Takil
Podcast: The Athletic NBA Daily

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Introduction

In this episode of The Athletic NBA Daily, hosts Dave DeFore and Mo Takil delve into the latest developments from the NBA playoffs, providing in-depth analysis of key series outcomes and standout performances. Skipping over the initial advertisements, the focus swiftly turns to the high-stakes battles defining the postseason.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic: Series Conclusion

Cavaliers Secure Victory in Game 7

The weekend began with the Cleveland Cavaliers overcoming the Orlando Magic in a decisive Game 7, clinching the series with a score of 106-94. Dave DeFore opens the discussion by highlighting Cleveland’s resilience:

"The Cleveland Cavaliers, they taunted the basketball gods. They looked him in the face down 18 points in this game seven." ([02:32])

Mo Takil expresses skepticism about Cleveland’s long-term prospects despite their current success:

"Who's picking them over Boston? Even with the Porzingis injury and question marks like, who do you feel really that confident with?" ([03:22])

Key Performances and Tactical Shifts

Donovan Mitchell emerged as the hero for the Cavaliers, scoring 39 points and drawing 17 free throw attempts, showcasing his ability to handle immense pressure:

"Donovan Mitchell and his third quarter is going to get the majority of the attention and rightfully so." ([04:14])

Mo emphasizes the critical moments that shifted momentum in Cleveland's favor, particularly the end of the second quarter where the Cavaliers narrowed the gap:

"It was really that end of the second quarter that when they made it a 10 point game was huge for the Cavs." ([04:38])

Despite Orlando’s strong defensive efforts, Paolo Banchero struggled offensively in the second half, finishing with 10 of 28:

"Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs combined to go 3 of 28. And you're, you're just not going to survive a lot of games where you have two starters shoot that poorly." ([07:54])

Takeaways for Orlando Magic

Mo Takil reflects on the Magic's potential for the future, stressing the need for offensive enhancements:

"They need to add a little more offensive firepower to their roster, but they also need to add an offensive system of some sort." ([06:05])

The young Magic team’s defensive prowess was a silver lining, with Jamal Mossley’s exceptional defense being a standout:

"They're not singling out Orlando. I'd love to see them get some more stuff going." ([07:54])

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets: Game 1

Wolves Triumph Over Nuggets

Shifting focus to the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves secured a victory against the defending champions Denver Nuggets with a score of 106-99 in Game 1 of their series. Dave praises the Timberwolves’ depth and strategic play:

"They have this great defense. They've got Anthony Edwards, who I think is a guy who on any given night, like this game, can be the best player in the game." ([16:59])

Anthony Edwards: A Rising Star

Anthony Edwards was the standout performer, delivering a two-way performance that drew comparisons to Michael Jordan for his aggression and playmaking:

"This is the Michael Jordan comps come out. It's not just that they kind of look alike, it's not that their game is. But he has that same mentality." ([13:08])

Mo Takil highlights Edwards’ relentless offensive pressure and defensive tenacity:

"Anthony Edwards like I'm, it's, it's this dude's the next guy. Like there's no real question about it." ([14:33])

Nuggets’ Challenges and Potential Adjustments

The Nuggets faced difficulties containing Edwards and experienced inconsistency from key players like Nikola Jokic, who shot 2 of 9 from three-point range:

"He was obviously flustered, as you mentioned. Like they did a great job of, of, of limiting what he and Gordon were able to do." ([19:07])

Mo suggests tactical adjustments for Denver, including better utilization of players like Jamal Murray and considering lineup changes to counter Minnesota’s intensity:

"They need to meet the intensity. That's just no question, right?" ([20:05])

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks: Series Outcome

Mavericks Eliminate Clippers

On Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks ended the Los Angeles Clippers’ playoff run with a 114-101 victory. Luka Doncic’s return from injury significantly impacted the series, allowing the Mavericks to execute their game plan effectively.

Kyrie Irving’s Decisive Performance

Kyrie Irving delivered a stellar performance, especially in the third quarter, where he scored five of six from the field:

"Kyrie just said, all right, I'll take over five of six from the field. 13 points." ([24:02])

Dave underscores Irving’s dual impact on both ends of the court, enhancing his MVP candidacy:

"He's trying to be a playmaker on both ends at all times. And in this game, man, that Minnesota defense led by Anthony Edwards up at the point of attack was excellent." ([13:50])

Clippers’ Struggles and Future Outlook

Mo Takil critiques the Clippers’ reliance on injured star Kawhi Leonard and the inconsistent performances from James Harden and Paul George:

"They need to every year try to find a new way to keep Kawhi healthy. Like, it's not a, it's a, the hardest thing to figure out." ([27:58])

The discussion highlights the Clippers' structural challenges and the improbability of significant roster changes due to salary cap constraints.

Upcoming Series and Final Thoughts

Minnesota vs. Denver

Looking ahead, DeFore and Takil anticipate a fiercely competitive series between the Timberwolves and Nuggets, citing Minnesota’s strategic gameplay and Denver’s need for adjustments:

"This is a heavyweight series. And that game one was unbelievable." ([12:27])

Mo reiterates the importance of Denver addressing their defensive matchups and optimizing player roles to counter Minnesota’s aggression:

"They have to meet the intensity. That's just no question, right?" ([20:05])

Dallas vs. Oklahoma City

The conversation briefly touches on the upcoming Mavericks vs. Thunder series, highlighting the potential for a riveting matchup between Luka Doncic and Lou Dort:

"I am fascinated to watch Lou Dort versus Luka Doncic show. I cannot wait for that." ([30:29])

Conclusion

Dave DeFore and Mo Takil wrap up the episode by summarizing the weekend's key playoff outcomes and setting the stage for upcoming games. They emphasize the evolving dynamics of the playoffs, the emergence of young stars like Donovan Mitchell and Anthony Edwards, and the strategic adjustments teams must undertake to advance further.

For listeners wanting comprehensive coverage and insightful analysis of the NBA playoffs, The Athletic NBA Daily continues to deliver top-tier content, ensuring fans stay informed and engaged throughout the postseason.

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Notable Quotes:

• "Donovan Mitchell... tells you the sort of pressure that he was applying on the basketball." — Dave DeFore ([04:14])

• "They tanked their way into a seven game series, which is tough enough as it is." — Mo Takil ([03:22])

• "This is the Michael Jordan comps come out. It's not just that they kind of look alike..." — Mo Takil ([13:08])

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Timestamp Highlights:

• [02:32] - Introduction to Cavaliers vs. Magic Game 7
• [04:14] - Donovan Mitchell’s standout performance
• [12:27] - Analysis of Wolves vs. Nuggets Game 1
• [20:05] - Tactical adjustments for Denver Nuggets
• [24:02] - Kyrie Irving’s impact on Clippers vs. Mavericks series

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This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the The Athletic NBA Daily episode, providing listeners with a thorough understanding of the playoff developments without needing to tune in directly.

Transcript

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[Dave DeFore]

Hello and welcome to the Athletic NBA Show Weekend Update. I'm Dave DeFore here with Motakil. It's the playoff, so we're Here on a Sunday early afternoon right after Orlando and Cleveland game seven. And Mo, the Cleveland Cavaliers, they taunted the basketball gods. They looked him in the face down 18 points in this game seven. And they're still moving on to face the Boston Celtics in round two. They defeat the Orlando Magic 106 to 94 in game seven of the first round series between these two teams. And Mo, we thought that the Cleveland Cavaliers had made a huge mistake, had acted with too much hubris, and frankly, I think we were right.

[Mo Takil]

No, they still did. They. Okay, they, they tanked their way into a seven game series, which is, is tough enough as it is. And then on top of that tank their way into, oh, you get Boston in the second round. Like, who's picking them over Boston? Even with the Porzingis injury and, and, and question marks like, who do you feel really that confident with? And I feel bad because that's where we're starting with and not starting with the unbelievable comeback with the Cavs in the way that they, I mean I, Dave, I thought I was like, wow, they're like this whole thing's changing at halftime. And that was the thing. The end of the second quarter was so big for them. That got them back into the game, that built the momentum for them to really blow it open in the third quarter. But it was really that end of the second quarter that when they made it a 10 point game was huge for the Cavs.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, Donovan Mitchell and his third quarter is going to get the majority of the attention and rightfully so. I mean, when you get to the end of the game and you see Donovan Mitchell 39 points, hit 17 free throw attempts in this game, that tells you the sort of pressure that he was applying on the basketball. But carousel vert might have actually saved the Cav season to basically get them close at halftime and, and make it so that Donovan Mitchell had a chance to take over.

[Mo Takil]

Yeah, I mean that was just the, the run that they won on and then just Orlando kind of slowly falling apart. And I know Paolo had a big bucket to make it a 10 point game going into halftime, but I mean, this was a kind of a collapse for the, the Magic, which you kind of expect from a young team. Like, they did a good job taking the crowd out early, but once the crowd started to get into it as well, it became a bit of an issue for the Magic and they weren't able to kind of find their flow again. And all the juice, you know, it flipped to the, the Cavs and the momentum went their way. And I think that's a big thing for them when you're looking at the way it went going forward. Like you can just point to the end of that second quarter to the is is one. Everything started to turn.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, Paolo was cooking in the first half. Paolo. Ben Caro had like 24 points in the first half of this game. Second half, the offense wasn't as easy. Cleveland tightened up a little bit. But Mo, this is. And this game seven, if you just watch this game, it almost is the story of their season because their defense was actually pretty good in this game. They hold Cleveland to just 106 points, but their offense just could get nothing going if it wasn't Paulo making something happen. And even then there were times where he would get stuck, you know, at the elbow and there's no movement. There's. There's not a cut to be made. They just don't really have much of an offense and that sort of bit them down the stretch.

[Mo Takil]

Well, I mean that's my hope for them for next season. It's. Yes, they need to add a little more offensive firepower to their roster, but they also need to add an offensive system of some sort. Right. And it beyond just an ato like there needs to be an actual offense built for this team. You know, more two man game between Paulo and Franz. And I know Franz had an awful game one for 15 and I know it's going to haunt him all off season, but I think that's the type of stuff like you need to kind of put your guys in, in better positions. Jamal Mosley, absolutely phenomenal job this season. I'm not trying to, you know, he's, he's, he's created one of the best defenses in the league. Great. Now you need to build on that for next season and you need to start adding layers and start building your offense out. And I think that's going to be a very important thing for the Magic this off season in terms of, you know, how will they grow from this? This was huge for them. This was a. Listen, they lost game seven. They had an 18 point G lead. Like it sucks. It doesn't feel like a win. This whole series was a win for them. I think, you know, forcing a game seven, battling, you know, and holding serve at home and all of that. Like this was a win for a very young team that desperately needed experience. Like bank that for next season. But now you need to build on it. You can't just rest on your laurels. You can't just say we got enough or we add just one offensive guy. We don't have to change anything. Offensively, that's not going to be good enough for this team. They need to tweak their stuff and they need to put an actual offense in. And if that means they need to hire an assistant coach whose job is just focus on the offense, then they need to hire an assistant coach and put and, and, and focus just on the offense. But they need something there. They cannot come back next season and think if we just, hey, have great defense and no offense, we'll be fine. We'll be fine. They'll, they'll struggle.

[Dave DeFore]

Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs combined to go 3 of 28. And you're, you're just not going to survive a lot of games where you have two starters shoot that poorly. Paolo finishes the game 10 of 28. So he had a, just a really rough second half, but again, he just didn't have a lot of help. The one good thing here, Mo, is that, you know, you have a playoff caliber defense and Paulo is absolutely a dude. I mean, that guy, he showed up every single game in this series for Cleveland. Darius Garland had another rough game, only 12 points, although he did hit a, a big three late. That kind of sealed the deal for Cleveland. But the story is going to be Donovan Mitchell, and rightfully so. He took over down the stretch, Mo really put the team on his back, attacked. He was playmaking for others, he was getting rebounds. He, he did everything down the stretch.

[Mo Takil]

The big thing for the Cavs, and it started with Mitchell, was the quick early attacks offensively, right? Like whether it was in transition, whether it was early offense, he got downhill very quickly over and over again. And I think that slowly softened everything else up for the Cavs and, and, and, and really began to hurt the, the Magic defense. But he just came out from the third quarter on locked in and, and just said, I'm in attack mode. I'm gonna keep going, going at him, going at him, going at him. And listen, Suggs is a hell of a defender, man. Like, it's not like he was doing it and picking on weak defenders. Like he was challenged in all this at every step of the way. And he just continued to make plays like it was an impressive performance from him. I think the, when you, when you go back and watch this stuff, you're going to see some of the moves that he made. Like this was his thing. I was very scared though, Dave. I said, man, this might turn into hero ball. Like, I was a little bit worried. I was like Other guys need to step up because this really quickly can turn into hero ball. And, and they got just enough. You know, they got screws hitting a back to back threes that were big. You know, everybody kind of just made plays. Garland, the three you talked about, even though he had a bad game, was, was stepping up. LeVert Everybody kind of made some small contributions along the way that were just enough to kind of keep it from getting too hero bally. But it's, it was, it was fun to watch Mitchell really just attack.

[Dave DeFore]

By the way, should note the Cleveland Cavaliers also could use an offense. We're, we're not just singling out Orlando. I'd love to see them get some more stuff going. Mo that is the end of the, the road for that series. Again, Orlando going home.

[Mo Takil]

One, one, one more note we need to make and it's not something else. And I know Evan Mobley is a full time five.

[Dave DeFore]

Oh, yes.

[Mo Takil]

That's. That's a no brainer at this point. Defensively, he was great. I thought he did a good job protecting the rim. He had situations where he switched on to Paolo or switched on to FR and was blocking shots. Like everything that you looked at from Mobley was like, okay, this is, this is a dude that needs to be playing the five full time. Which then kind of makes it a very interesting situation with what do you do with Jared Allen going forward. But I think that was the other thing I took away from. Not just this game, this series. Once Allen went out and Mobley stepped up as the five, I was like, yep, that needs to be his position full time.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. Like I said, Orlando going home, Cleveland going to Boston. Mo is this a Celtics getting another kind of easy round?

[Mo Takil]

I don't, I wouldn't say easy just because they. The Porzingis injury is a problem, but I still think this is a series that the Celtics should win and it shouldn't be something that goes seven. You know, it's. It. There's, there's going to be opportunities for Cleveland to really get going and take advantage of the fact that there's no Porzingis. But I, I still am choosing the Celtics. Sorry, Cleveland.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, look, it's been a pretty fun basketball weekend, so we have to talk about Saturday night. Mo who saw this coming? Maybe a few people did, but the Nuggets, the defending champs. Listen, this is not 63 in the Garden, but it was 43 in Ball arena and Anthony Edwards showed up big time in this game. 106. 99. The Timberwolves beat the Nuggets in game one of the second round series. Now, Mo, I've been kind of throwing around. This is my final. I think that this is the two best teams in the league right now. I think the west has been so competitive that, that this is the sort of matchup we expected to see in the conference finals. Now, obviously, the draw and the way things shook out didn't quite work out that way, but this was a heavyweight fight in game one.

[Mo Takil]

This is the heavyweight series. Brace yourselves, everybody. Like, this isn't like just. I mean, Minnesota played a great game. They won the game. I don't know if, like, everybody's running around going like, this thing might be over early. Like, no, man, this is. Denver's gonna respond. I know Denver has a few issues and, and whatnot, but, like, I, I'd be surprised if this thing doesn't go seven. This is a heavyweight series. And that game one was unbelievable. Like, that was a very impressive performance. Cat. I mean, excuse me, Ant coming out. When they're both animals, it kind of messes with me in the nickname. But when Ant comes out and like just completely goes to work to start the game, I think would they start the game 14, 2 or.

[Dave DeFore]

Or it was 9, 0 run to.

[Mo Takil]

Start the game, you know, and they just. And it was Ant, like over and over again getting to what he wanted. And I think the one thing that the Nuggets have to really figure out is like, can KCP guard Anthony Edwards? And I don't know if he can. The size seem to be too much. Ants just so much bigger and stronger than him, I think is a bit. Was a bit challenging. We know KCP's kind of hobbled and banged up a little bit towards the end of the Laker series. And I think there's. There's a real question there. And Ant just cutthroat, man. Like, he literally just went after those guys and all game long, like, it was an crazy and impressive performance.

[Dave DeFore]

He did it on both ends. Mo. This is the thing that I think.

[Mo Takil]

I mean, he's a two way player, right?

[Dave DeFore]

The folks like me and you really like why we're so behind Anthony Edwards as this ascending star is because not only is he trying to give you the business on the offensive end where, where he makes his money and that's where NBA players get paid, but on the other end, he's trying to take away your lunch money. And when you watch him guard Jamal Murray at the point of attack, when you watch the way he. He doubles on Yic, I mean, it's full aggression all the time. And this is why the Michael Jordan comps come out. It's not just that they kind of look alike, it's not that their game is. But he has that same mentality where he's trying to be a playmaker on both ends at all times. And in this game, man, that Minnesota defense led by Anthony Edwards up at the point of attack was excellent.

[Mo Takil]

Oh, it was great. It was great. And I want to go so far as like, I, I, I think all year we kept hearing who's gonna who. Why don't we have more American stars? Who's going to be the next American player to win the MVP and all this stuff. You're looking at him in Anthony Edwards like I'm, it's, it's this dude's the next guy. Like there's no real question about it. And he carries himself in a way of super competitive, super bravado. I thought that technical on him was just simply awful. And just a quick side note to the refs. Let them celebrate. It's okay. It's okay if they show emotion. Let them celebrate. Please stop with these dumbass part of the game. Yeah, just let it go. Let's have this. Don't take the, the edge off of the game in that sense, you know. Yeah, if, if the other dude swings, okay, then maybe we can start calling a technical. But like, let's just let them play. Like that was a dumb tech. I'm glad it got rescinded today. But still, you know, there's a lot of stuff in that. But like his bravado, you know, I'm still kind of hung up on the, the way he kind of dispatched the Suns and, and that interview with the, with the TNT crew afterwards, just simply saying, like I'm killing anybody in front of me. I'm moving people out of my way. Like he's locked in and focus. Like that's the other part of the Jordan comparison that you kind of got to look at. And I think it was just all around impressive performance and like you said, defensively, just on another level.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, it holds his teammates accountable, you know, and stuff like that. That young guys, we are not used to seeing like a 22 year old in the NBA come in and have that sort of authority, but he backs it up on the court and I think that that's, that's why he's able to do it also in this game. Look, man, Rudy Gobert did about as good of a job guarding Jokic as I think I've seen Gobert do in his career. He did.

[Mo Takil]

He did something even better, though, Dave. He handled the Jokic Gordon situation about as well as you can. I think early on it was a bit challenging. I think by the second half, he kind of had the timing down of when to kind of cat and mouse it and make Jokic think he was coming up and then drop back. And he had a huge, huge steal in towards the end of the game that I think was a big one where he broke up a lob to Gordif.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. But also, man, his work on the glass, he was making Gordon and Jokic work for everything in there. And again, high effort team.

[Mo Takil]

The.

[Dave DeFore]

The Wolves, Nas Reed. Having someone like Nas Reed off the bench that can just run off 10 straight points, as he did in this game, that's a cheat code. And this is why when I was looking at this matchup and if you guys listen to tampering, the guys were kind of giving me a little bit of a hard time. They were teasing me a little bit because I. I was very high on. On the Timberwolves coming into this game in our pre show. But this was why, on paper, look at what they've got. They've got this great defense. They've got Anthony Edwards, who I think is a guy who on any given night, like this game, can be the best player in the game. They've got Nas Reed coming off the bench. I mean, they're incredibly deep. Almost everyone, guards, almost everyone can at least put, you know, make two dribbles and a decision. You have Mike Conley out there. When things start to bog down, they like, they kind of have what you want in a basketball team when you're facing the only other team that's really as complete as they are with the veterans, you know, in the Nuggets. So I think that this. This game was very much about the Timberwolves, what they did, how they came in the haymaker that they threw. And I think game two is all about the Nuggets and how they respond. Because, Mo, frankly, it didn't seem like they were. I'm not going to say they weren't as prepared, but they definitely weren't as sharp as the Timberwolves were.

[Mo Takil]

No, they were. I mean, I wouldn't say necessarily as sharp. I just think they weren't ready for the edge with which the Timberwolves came out. Like the. The game started. And I, you know, I even tweeted it out. I said, it really feels like the Nuggets have come out like this is a game In November. And the Wolves have come out like this is this first game of the second round and like they came out with a different type of aggression than the Nuggets. And I felt like the Nuggets maybe were a little bit lackadaisical. Listen, they were sloppy with how they were playing in this game all game and it was, it didn't feel like a very Nuggetsy game except for maybe that stretch in the second quarter where they really kind of started to put a little bit of a run together. But like I was a bit surprised with, with how the, how the Nuggets came out with this game.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, we've just watched so many Nuggets games that you assume down the stretch you're going to get into that Jokic Murray two man game and that they're just going to start cannon shots and it just didn't really happen. Jokic in this game was 2 of 9 from 3. So I mean he was getting them up, but normally he shoots. You know, he makes a higher clip than this.

[Mo Takil]

But you don't see him take nine threes, right? That's more than a matter of fact as we're talking.

[Dave DeFore]

They're pushing him out of the paint, right?

[Mo Takil]

Yeah, but you don't see him do that that often. And that was the weird thing, that was the good thing for the Wolves is that they got Jokic. One of the few times we've actually seen Jokic actually get off his system.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, he was obviously flustered, as you mentioned. Like they did a great job of, of limiting what he and Gordon were able to do. Where do the Nuggets go in game two? Like what's their counter to the intensity that, that the, the Wolves brought? Is it just to meet that intensity? Is that enough? Or do you think that they need to tweak anything?

[Mo Takil]

I think they need to one, they need to meet the intensity. That's just no question, right? They need to come out with the vengeance in game two. I think the other thing, and I think it's really kind of important is how they place Gordon on the court, because I don't think you could play him in the dunker spot all that much, right. If Gobert is going to kind of be able, if Gobert is going to be able to handle that, that role from Jokic and take away the lob from Gordon, that kind of really neutralizes the lot, you know, And I think, you know, maybe it's making it more of a three man action, you know, that they, that they like to run the Little horns action that they run with Gordon and, and Jokic at the elbows and Murray working off of them. Maybe it's, it's, it's moved Gordon around multiple ways and stuff and we know they're not going to guard him out to the three point line, but it might be better if he spaces there and then cuts in. Like they, they got to do a better job of him, of moving him, I think offensively to kind of create a little bit more room for them. And then the other thing too is I think they might have to start considering playing DJ DeAndre Jordan a little bit in terms of the size, just to kind of combat it in. In that sense. Like, give the Wolves credit. Their size really did bother the, the Nuggets and I think that's going to be something that they might. I'm not saying play DJ 20 minutes, by the way, F before anybody goes nuts, but like a five minute stick, five minutes, six minutes. Not the worst idea.

[Dave DeFore]

Like also, you know, and also Mo. And this may be something that happens Game three, Game four, but like sliding MPJ up and having him that way you can space the floor with a credible threat. You play a little bit smaller. I mean, Brown can come on there and maybe you add a little bit more defense. Maybe Watson, if you just are like, hey, we're gonna, you know, play a little smaller, play a little faster. We add Watson as defender on the wing and he can help you around the basket the way Gordon does. And like this does seem like it's a, it's a what happens with Gordon series. Like that's going to be, you know, if someone's going to be played off the court, he feels like the first candidate.

[Mo Takil]

Well, that's the. Like, we're always so worried about teams playing Gobert off the court. I think it's this series we might actually have to really consider that Gordon gets played off the court. If they can't find a way to make him useful on the offensive end and not clog the lane, it becomes a serious issue for the Nuggets and. Because I don't think they're deep enough to, to make up for that.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, and I almost, I like would almost argue you're better with Gordon in the corner and him not being guarded by the defense and letting him catch and then go make a decision because he's not, he's not a terrible passer. He can, he can dribble a couple times and make a read and he's a freak athlete. So, you know, if he hits a couple Maybe he gets hot or just.

[Mo Takil]

Put him in the pick and roll with Jokic. Just run a 5, 4 picket roll. Like just, just, hey, let's just go, you know, and, and, and put him in the action or whatnot. And the other thing, Dave, I, I gotta say this, just this part, because it really cracked me up. Carl Anthony Towns picking up a foul in the first second of the game might have been the funniest thing that happened all night. Like, and that's, that was just like. I was like, really? We're doing this cat. Like, please, like, come on, man.

[Dave DeFore]

And you know what's funny is that in that, in that same, like, stretch, like, right after that, he makes two amazing reads and passes in the first quarter. I mean, the guy need him on the floor. He goes from just like basketball genius to just the dumbest player you've ever seen in your life. It's a great experience. I have a good time with it. Okay, and we gotta talk about Friday night, Mo, because guess what? We're also games Friday night. Been a long weekend. The Dallas Mavericks are moving on, Mo. The Clippers are toast. 114. 101. The Dallas Mavericks ended the Los Angeles Clippers season again. Luka Doncic got healthy in this, in this series, and it totally changed the last two games, Mo. They just. The Mavericks looked like a much better team.

[Mo Takil]

I mean, they look like the much better team, but the. We got to talk about Kyrie's third quarter because this game was tied going into halftime. And then Kyrie just said, all right, I'll take over five of six from the field. 13 points. Luca goes. Gets seven points in. In that run as well. I mean, it's just like the two of them with 20 points combined equaled what the Clippers scored in the, in the third quarter. I mean, that's kind of the, the issue there. And I just felt like the Clippers were very Blah.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, well, Kai. All right, I want to talk about Kyrie before we blah on the Clippers, but the, the Kyrie thing has been funny. Kyrie had an amazing series and was playing really good defense against the Clippers, and this is a game changer, I think, like, if he's going to be able to perform like this. And he was doing it. Remember, Luca had those few games where he was a little banged up and a little sick, and Kyrie was able to carry the load. I think this is the, the stuff that we were talking about when the Mavs started. You know, they made the gaffer trade, they got pj Washington, they flipped a little bit of a switch. It was, if Kyrie can do what Kyrie is, is capable of come playoff time, he can be healthy. If he could be out there, that's where the Mavericks are dangerous. I think this is the sort of stuff that we were talking about. 30 for Kyrie, 28 for Luca. The Clippers, on the other hand, James Harden 16 points. Paul George had 18 points. Stars show up, man.

[Mo Takil]

I mean, it's, it's just a tough, tough. I mean, first for the Clippers, just again, this whole situation with Kawhi kind of puts them in a bad spot. It's another playoffs where they're down Kawhi. It's, you know, listen, I'm not surprised. James Harden five or 16 from the field, what he does, he has a monster game and then he's not good for two games. Unfortunately, those two games got them eliminated. And I think that's the, the what you're looking at. And I think, you know, you run into those issues a lot with him. Paul George really struggled with this. Again, this is kind of the, the stuff where we go like, that's why Paul George can't be your number one man. That's just simply that. And that's why they need Kawhi to be healthy, for them to kind of make everything work. And I just didn't feel like they had the right flow or rhythm in the way they wanted to attack. I think the Mavs did a good job of, of sticking with their plan and, and forcing the Clippers to chase them. And I think that led to them basically sending the Clips home. I'll tell you what though, good thing it didn't go seven.

[Dave DeFore]

Why is that?

[Mo Takil]

No, I just don't think the, I think seven. I mean, the Mavs needed the rest.

[Dave DeFore]

They did.

[Mo Takil]

I mean, they're playing a young team in OKC that's waiting for them after a four game sweep. I mean, like it's. And they needed to make sure they get the rest. I mean, Maxi Cleaver goes down with the shoulder injury after taking a hard fall on a guy trying to take a charge. And I'm ban the charge. That's exactly why in that instance. And I think the, you know, you need to make sure he's healthy, you need to make sure you're able to spread the floor like he was important for them in this series as well. It's going to be a, a fascinating series, but also they need to make sure Luca got some rest, man.

[Dave DeFore]

Okay. I thought you just met you Were tired of watching Clippers in the Maverick.

[Mo Takil]

I mean, I am tired of the watching the Clippers, period, just in general.

[Dave DeFore]

So I, I, look, man, Russ has been, I, I, I think rightfully maligned. He was awful in this series, including, like, I mean, just early on, just some, you know, the flagrant, the, the technical, a lot of stuff in that. This was not a good series for him. I think Harden, you know, he had a couple of good games. What's your big takeaway for the Clippers? Or is there one? I mean, like, we kind of try to do this when playoff series conclude. You know, it's sort of like, hey, Paulo, he's a guy. That's, that's what Orlando's big takeaway can be from, from their exit. What, what do the Clippers learn every year? I don't know. Doesn't seem like much.

[Mo Takil]

They, they, they learn that they need to every year try to find a new way to keep Ky healthy. Like, it's not a, it's a, the hardest thing to figure out, but it's very obvious what they need, right? A fully healthy Kawhi. And this is a very different series. I don't know necessarily if the Clippers win even, but it's a very different series in that sense because it's just another guy that really makes it difficult for them. I mean, it's this Clipper team had that stretch, you know, in the around January where they went on that big run for 35 games where we were like, yo. I was like, this might be the best team in basketball. And they were never able to recapture that magic since then. And I think it's, it's one of those things where this team needs to realize they're not a flip to switch team. They're not a team that can take the regular season for granted. And to be fair, they did not this season. Kawhi played a ton of games. Sori comes up at the worst time for them. Difficult situation for them in terms of how they play. And then. But the worst part, Dave, for them, just looking at their offseason, they're kind of locked into this roster. They can't let Paul George walk for nothing because they have no way to replace him. They really can't let James Harden walk for nothing because again, they have no way to replace him in the way the cap is set up and the way they're, they're structured. They have to resign those guys, and then they have to figure out how to make moves around the, the margins. And I just don't know if they can.

[Dave DeFore]

They're going to have to make some trades with maybe the Phoenix Suns. They're just going to trade each other back and forth until they sort out.

[Mo Takil]

We just need to combine the two teams and maybe we could have one, but I don't know.

[Dave DeFore]

How many draft picks would those two teams even have?

[Mo Takil]

One. I don't know.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, Dallas. So we got Dallas okc. It's going to be the other side of the Western Conference bracket. That's going to be a really fun series and our coverage at the Athletic will be excellent, of course. But Mo, your, your initial just like thoughts on. On that series.

[Mo Takil]

I don't have any. This one's so wide open to me. I'm sorry. I know it's a cop out of an answer and everybody wants me to make a prediction so they could yell at me later. I don't have an answer. Like this is one of those things. It's going to come down to. Can the Thunder force enough turnovers on a team that doesn't turn the ball over a lot? And can the Mavs get enough rebounds to really make the Thunder pay for. For being a not a poor, not a good rebounding team? I think it's really just going to come into that situation. I mean, I am fascinated to watch Lou Dort versus Luka Doncic show. I cannot wait for that. That is going to be very interesting.

[Dave DeFore]

It's the Battle of Texoma. I can't wait.

[Mo Takil]

I mean, I mean the big one. The big one is also. This is the one that's going to really be a thing and I hate to do it, but it's going to come down to also officiating. Right. Like, listen, Lou Dort was able to be very physical with Brandon Ingram. Are they going to let him be as physical with Luca? Like I don't know. And maybe. Is it going to be. It's not going to be consistent. It's not going to be the same game to game because as much as people scream and they want consistency, it's not humanly possible when you have a different set of refs come in the next day. So it's going to be very interesting. But that's something to watch for when you're watching game one.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. All right, well, that's going to do it for today, folks. We'll have basket buds dropping tomorrow around its normal time for Motokeel. I'm Dave DeFore and this has been the athletic NBA show post game. If you like it, go and leave a review over on Apple, Spotify, Google Play. Wherever you listen to podcasts, let them know that you love the post game coverage. Talk to you guys later on this week.

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[Mo Takil]

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[Marc Maron]

Hey folks, it's Marc Maron from WTF. It's been more than 15 years now, and I'm still talking to all kinds of people in my garage every week. Sometimes it's Bill Burr, sometimes it's Ariana Grande. She just looks at me because she's always going like dad, it's not that big a deal. Yeah, I go, sorry, I lost my temper. I go, I still love you. You know, Daddy has issues.

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[Marc Maron]

Of death?

[Mo Takil]

Well, I don't know.

[Marc Maron]

I think about it all the time.

[Mo Takil]

How are we here already?

[Marc Maron]

Listen to WTF with Marc Maron twice a week on your favorite podcast app. Or get more WTF with a WTF plus subscription. Just go to wtfpod.com and click on WTF Plus.

[Mo Takil]

Acast helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com.