"What does Bradley Beal do?" + Other questions about the playoffs so far

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily - Episode: "What Does Bradley Beal Do?" + Other Playoff Questions

Release Date: April 24, 2024
Hosts: Dave DeFlore, Seth Partnow, Mo Takil
Platform: Acast

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1. Introduction and Playoff Overview

Dave DeFlore kicks off the episode by addressing the ongoing NBA playoffs, noting that most series are nearing their second game. He sets the stage for in-depth analysis, asking about specific series and the dynamics within them.

Notable Quote:

“We've gotten almost through game two of all the series. We'll be done tomorrow.” – Dave DeFlore [02:23]

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2. Clippers vs. Mavericks Series

The hosts delve into the Clippers-Mavericks matchup, discussing the Mavericks' significant Game 2 win that leveled the series. They critique the team's performance in Game 1, attributing it to poor preparation and execution.

Mo Takil highlights the Mavericks' improved focus and methodical approach in Game 2:

“In game two, like, you saw, like, an increased focus in kind of how they wanted to sort of methodically attack.” [07:05]

Seth Partnow praises the physicality without crossing into chippy play:

“They know each other so well. And it's physical, but, and what I like about it is physical without being chippy.” [07:51]

Dave DeFlore questions the Clippers' strategy regarding Kawhi Leonard's minutes:

“Should they think about bringing Kawhi off the bench?” [08:34]

Conclusion: All three predict the series will extend to seven games, with the Mavericks having a slight edge due to their strategic adjustments and Kawhi's potential resurgence.

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3. Bucks vs. Pacers Series

The conversation shifts to the Bucks-Pacers series, highlighting the Pacers' impressive performance in Game 2. Seth Partnow commends Lou Dort's defensive prowess against Brandon Ingram, while Dave DeFlore applauds Chet Holmgren's defensive impact.

Mo Takil emphasizes the Pacers' rebounding advantage and defensive efforts:

“They got like 12 offensive rebounds. And by the way, I told y'all, they needed to get somebody to help them get rebounds.” [05:33]

Seth Partnow raises concerns about the Bucks' reliance on Damian Lillard:

“If their game plan is just, hey, Dame will carry us. Good luck.” [19:54]

Discussion Points:

• Giannis Antetokounmpo's Impact: The hosts debate whether the Bucks can win the series without Giannis returning, concluding that his absence severely hampers their chances.

• Player Performance: Highlighted performances include Pascal Siakam with 37 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, and Damian Lillard's inconsistent scoring.

Conclusion: The Pacers hold a strong advantage, and the Bucks may struggle to advance without Giannis.

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4. Wolves vs. Suns Series

Mo Takil critiques the Suns' defensive shortcomings, attributing their losses to poor perimeter defense and ineffective role players. Seth Partnow discusses the Timberwolves' aggressive offense and Jaden McDaniels' standout performance.

Mo Takil:

“The Suns have defensive firepower. They just have a lot of issues with their defense all season.” [23:14]

Seth Partnow:

“Josh Hart can shoot threes now. Isaiah Hartenstein is a monster.” [25:10]

Discussion Points:

• Timberwolves' Defense: Emphasizes the Wolves' offensive prowess and the Suns' inability to contain them.
• Role Players: Highlights the importance of players like Rudy Gobert and the lack of effective defensive contributors for the Suns.

Conclusion: The Timberwolves are up two games to none, showcasing strong defense and offense, while the Suns struggle defensively.

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5. Knicks vs. Sixers Series

The hosts analyze the intense Knicks-Sixers battles, focusing on key performances and strategic adjustments.

Dave DeFlore highlights Josh Hart's improved three-point shooting:

“Josh Hart has just been nuts shooting threes, apparently... he can shoot threes now.” [33:40]

Seth Partnow critiques Bradley Beal's role on the Suns:

“Bradley Beal took 17 shots. KD took 15, Booker took 13... Beal is not a good enough playmaker.” [27:13]

Mo Takil discusses the Sixers' offensive struggles without key players:

“Buddy hasn't looked comfortable since he's been with the Sixers.” [35:30]

Discussion Points:

• Playoff Pressure: The Knicks' reliance on players like Isaac Hartenstein and the Sixers' dependence on Damian Lillard.
• Strategic Needs: The Suns' need for a pass-first point guard and the Knights' potential benefits from Julius Randle's playmaking.

Conclusion: Tight games showcase the necessity for strategic adjustments, with the Sixers needing to enhance their offensive options and the Knicks benefiting from continued role player contributions.

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6. Nuggets vs. Lakers Series

The discussion moves to the high-stakes Nuggets-Lakers series, emphasizing Nikola Jokic's exceptional performance and the Lakers' defensive vulnerabilities.

Dave DeFlore praises Jokic’s comeback:

“It's never in doubt. Jokic is just on a different level.” [42:18]

Mo Takil analyzes Anthony Davis’ fatigue and the Lakers' defensive strategies:

“Jokic is torching AD with one arm, and that saps his energy.” [45:39]

Seth Partnow points out the Lakers' reliance on player execution under pressure:

“Nuggets don’t just do that. They execute and know exactly where to be.” [49:09]

Discussion Points:

• Physicality and Endurance: Jokic's elite conditioning versus Davis' energy struggles.
• Strategic Execution: Nuggets' ability to maintain composure and execute plays under pressure, contrasting with the Lakers' occasional strategic lapses.

Conclusion: The Nuggets hold the upper hand due to Jokic's dominance and their strategic execution, while the Lakers face challenges in maintaining leads against their resilient opponents.

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7. Playoff Insights and Predictions

In the concluding segment, the hosts offer their insights and predictions for the remaining playoff series.

Mo Takil expresses optimism about the diversity and competitiveness of the playoffs:

“This is setting up to be an actually really fascinating playoff run.” [50:22]

Seth Partnow highlights the excitement of dynamic teams like the Nuggets and the potential surprises from younger teams:

“There's something about these young guys and they've got a little bit of juice behind.” [50:38]

Dave DeFlore confirms the anticipation for the upcoming rounds:

“I think that we've seen that they can be beaten. I just Minnesota and Oklahoma City, there's something about these young guys.” [50:38]

Conclusion: The hosts agree that while powerhouse teams like the Nuggets are favorites, the playoffs remain unpredictable with numerous teams poised to make significant runs.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• “These guys were 3 years old when that song came out. Come on, we can be better than this.” – Dave DeFlore [03:42]
• “I think they needed to do that starting game two.” – Mo Takil [09:07]
• “Bradley Beal is not a good enough playmaker in what they need.” – Seth Partnow [27:13]
• “Jokic is torching AD with one arm, and that saps his energy.” – Mo Takil [45:39]
• “This is setting up to be an actually really fascinating playoff run.” – Mo Takil [50:22]

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Final Thoughts

Dave DeFlore wraps up the show by expressing enthusiasm for the unfolding playoff matches, acknowledging the unpredictability and competitiveness of the series. The hosts agree to return next Monday for continued coverage and analysis.

Notable Quote:

“It's going to be fun, I hope for the next couple months.” – Dave DeFlore [51:29]

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**Listen to "The Athletic NBA Daily" on Acast or wherever you get your podcasts to stay updated with comprehensive NBA playoff coverage and expert analysis.

Transcript

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[Dave DeFlore]

Hello and welcome to the Athletic MBA Show. It's Wednesday actually. No, it's Tuesday night. We're doing it.

[Seth Partnow]

It's Wednesday. Wednesday in Milwaukee.

[Dave DeFlore]

Oh, it's Wednesday in Milwau. Hey, I'm Dave DeFlore. That was Seth Part now Motakil live from Staples where he just watched Clippers in the Mavericks and the Mavericks pull out a big win to even their Series one game a piece. So we're going to kind of do this a little bit of post game style and we're going to do this a little bit of just, you know, our normal playoff Sort of analysis. We want to kind of ask a question or two. We'll see how it goes about each series so far. And really, it's just our first chance to, to comment here. We've gotten almost through game two of all the series. We'll be done tomorrow. But I, I don't think anyone, anybody got any hot takes on Miami and in Boston. Not even hot takes. You have any?

[Seth Partnow]

I, I, I, I enjoy the, the, the, the eyebrow acting of Jaime Hawkez in the, the ad.

[Dave DeFlore]

He's got some charisma in these commercials that Shane Gild Holmgren have none of in that AT&T commercial. I also, I say right now, now, they're not getting a lot to work with, but that is one of the least endearing athlete commercials I can remember. It is awful. It's a, this, I, These guys were 3 years old when that song came out. Come on, we can be better than this. AT&T.

[Mo Takil]

I, I, I, I would also say this the only thing I'll say about the Boston Miami series. Man, knock it off with this Code Red. Yeah, he got shoved into the guy and it's like, come on, just knock it off with that. Like, that's just stupid ass. Like, I'm sorry. And I've been in these meetings. Seth, you've been in these meetings. Like, yeah, we might use stuff for bulletin board material or whatnot, but we're not like, like, come on, that's just stupid. And that's just rubbish.

[Seth Partnow]

On the other hand, how much would you pay for spoiler for a SPO recording of you're goddamn right I did on Cameo.

[Mo Takil]

Oh, if you could. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You give him the whole monologue. You know, you need me on that sideline. You want me on that sideline. Who's gonna coach this team?

[Dave DeFlore]

You? Lieutenant Matt? You?

[Mo Takil]

Lieutenant Weinberger? Like that.

[Dave DeFlore]

I want to lay out. The silliest part about this is that you wouldn't that the Miami Heat desperately need to be playing basketball to do this, because there's a good chance, like, you know, if you actually do commit this egregious act, you get thrown out for a game or two. So, like, I'm sorry, but Spolster, if he was gonna order a Code Red, I think he'd use, you know, someone further down the bench.

[Mo Takil]

Jovic.

[Dave DeFlore]

I mean, what's Yerks have been doing right now? You know what I mean? Like, it's got to be somebody else. Not Caleb Martin.

[Seth Partnow]

I was gonna say, I was gonna say Jovich, too, but he Said he's a trade centerpiece, so you can't be having that.

[Mo Takil]

Can't tarnish the thing. But, yeah, no hot takes about that.

[Dave DeFlore]

Boston, Miami, series, OKC and New Orleans, they had. I mean, I think it was the best game of Sunday for sure, and New Orleans really pushed them. Mo, you feel like that was the best shot that they've got to win a game or two.

[Mo Takil]

I mean, that was your opportunity to steal that game if you're New Orleans. I mean, especially that one possession where they got like 12 offensive rebounds. And by the way, I told y'all, they needed to get somebody to help them get rebounds, and that's kind of why they're just lucky that New Orleans missed, I don't know, five freaking threes in that possession. But that was their best shot. That was their best punch. I'm not sure they.

[Dave DeFlore]

I'm.

[Mo Takil]

I won't be surprised if the game. Game two is going to be a blowout.

[Seth Partnow]

Yeah. Seth, My biggest takeaway from that game was I thought Lou Dort was a. Was great defensively on Ingram. Excellent. That was, you know, that was my big takeaway from that game. Also.

[Dave DeFlore]

Chet, five blocks, man. Chet was all over the place, doing all kinds of stuff. And even though Valentunas was going through his chest, Valentunas had a great game. Chad never backed down, man. He. You know, they do that thing there where they're all barking at each other. They call each other dogs. They really are, though. I mean, for. For a rookie center to go up against a guy like Valentunas and get knocked around like that and stick with it, it's pretty tough. All right, so the other series that we're going to hit, we're going to start with the Mavs Clippers again. Mo, you're still in the building. And you know the Mavs, they. They laid a dud in game one. It looked like they had an early start in LA and a late night. Maybe. I don't know. I haven't heard anything, but they definitely look like they had a late night and an early start.

[Mo Takil]

I don't even know if that. I don't know if they even got off the plane. Like, the way they. As bad as they were in Game one, but in game two, like, you saw, like, an increased focus in kind of how they wanted to sort of methodically attack in this game. And I felt like that was a much. First off, we have to be honest. This is just an ugly, ugly ass game in general. Like, there. There was not. I dare anybody to find any stretch of good offense that lasted longer than a minute and a half apart from the end of the game when the Mavs really started to pull away with some nice stuff with the short corner, I mean, with the short rolls and things like that, and finding opportunities and, and knocking down some three balls. But, like, this was a very interesting game and it felt like you felt like the Mavs were going to come back.

[Dave DeFlore]

Yeah. Seth, this, you described this to us in our pre show as game nine of the, of the Clippers Mav series because it really does. They know each other so well. And it's physical, but, and what I like about it is physical without being chippy and, but it was. And I mean, no one's going to call this a pretty game. I do like the score finishing in the 90s, you know?

[Seth Partnow]

Yeah, I mean, my, my, I mean, honestly, in hindsight, being 20, 20 up 11 0, maybe Kawhi could have used another couple days to recover, because he did. He looked bad.

[Dave DeFlore]

This is my question, guys, because we just watched game two. We all saw game one, no Kawhi. My question about this series, come game three, should they think about bringing Kawhi off the bench? I mean, he's been out for a month. They've got some chemistry. He's clearly not like, he's, I don't, I don't know whether they call it rust or just lack of condition. I think that there's something there. Would it be better to just ride the, the lineup that you've been running with and try to work him back in, or do you think just, you know what, this is our best player. We need to get him out there and we need to get the ball in his hands.

[Mo Takil]

I think they needed to do that starting game two. Once you set the precedent now, I don't think you can go in game three and try to change the starting lineup again, like, in that opportunity. Like, I, I, I think now it's like, all right, look, we're committed to him starting, then you're committed to him starting in this instance. And it's, it's weird to kind of now start sort of going up and down with his minutes. And part of it, too, is then it becomes, you know, if he's not starting now, you're playing with rotation minutes because you still need him to get his 35, 36 minutes a game. It's, I think he played, what, 38 tonight. It's hard to get to those types of numbers. 35 tonight. It's hard to get to those kinds of Numbers with him coming off the bench and I think so, like if that's what they're going to do, that's fine. Personally, I probably would have had him come off the bench, but I think now that you've kind of done that in game two, I don't know if I would change that for game three.

[Seth Partnow]

You also get, I think you get a better warm up. I think, you know, the, you know, getting someone knowing, all right, the game is going to start at this time. So we go through all these things and he's going to come in at the six minute mark. There's a range of 15, 20 minutes where that could actually be and I think that makes it, you know, for someone coming back. I think, you know, hitting that, that. Okay, we know tip tonight is, is 7:17 local for TV and we could, we can aim for that.

[Dave DeFlore]

How much of this loss tonight? I mean, for the Clippers? Mo, would you put on just the, the poor shooting? I mean, they were 8 of 30 from 3. They shot 37% from the floor. Or would you credit the Mavs defense?

[Mo Takil]

I'd actually go the other way. I'd actually go. It was their, their, the Clippers defense that I think really kind of let them down. Both teams couldn't score. But then you had a few possessions down the stretch where Luca has James Harden in, in somewhat of an ISO situation. And you have Russ one pass away, guarding Kyrie and comes to double. And that's an easy pass for Luca and Kyrie drills the three on another possession. Russ is on Kyrie or excuse me, on Luca, gambles for a steal, doesn't get it. Now he's on Luca's back. Luca drives in, kicks it to P.J. washington for a big three in the corner. You know, Cleba had a big three. I think there were just defensive breakdowns. They kind of hurt them down the stretch of this game. I mean, their offense was bad, but so was the baths for the first part of this game. I mean for, I mean really for almost three and a half quarters.

[Seth Partnow]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFlore]

Well, Daniel Gafford had to leave the game pretty early. I, I didn't see what happened with him, but it looked like he started having back spasms or, or something.

[Mo Takil]

There was, it was early in the game there was like a collision.

[Dave DeFlore]

Okay.

[Mo Takil]

On a, on a play where he, he, he, he didn't get back into the play right away and I think that's where it happened.

[Dave DeFlore]

So they, they lost Gafford pretty early in this game. That, that gave me a lot of Concern about their defense. I mean, he's been huge for them defending in the paint, and then they lost Tim Hardaway Jr. So they didn't have those guys for the majority of this game. So huge win for them. But like Seth, we start looking ahead to game three. That's. That's a starting center and a major rotation scorer for them. This is. I mean, the Clippers seem to just have these wing guys. I'm worried about the Tim Hardaway part because they need his shooting, but Daniel Gafford losing him in the middle, that's half their identity.

[Seth Partnow]

I mean, if they get the maxi Cleaver who play. Who showed up down the stretch tonight, it may be. It may almost be like, oh, that. That look what we found. But, yeah, I mean, he's been such a key part of. Of sort of their second half of the season run that if they want to continue to play that way. Um, yeah, I mean, I think that's probably him being limited tonight probably contributed to the griminess of their offense because, you know, the. At least you start. You start possessions off with a, you know, a simple Luca Gafford pick and roll, at least create some motion that they weren't otherwise getting. And so it's. It ended up being a lot of, you know, step backs or go with five seconds, draw a quick double kick to someone in the corner, and they made just enough of them. PJ Washington, you know, made. Made some shots down the stretch, which I think goes a long way to mitigating the Hardaway absence.

[Dave DeFlore]

Yeah. All right, guys, gut feeling. This one's going seven, right?

[Mo Takil]

Yeah, I had this going seven the whole time, I think, you know, and. And. And I'll. I'll even go a step further. I'm going to go Mavs in seven.

[Dave DeFlore]

Ooh.

[Seth Partnow]

I picked clips in seven before the series, and I'm kind of. I'm. I'm still staying there. I think that Kawhi will almost certainly be more physically able as the series progresses, and I think that'll be a big change in large part because I think some of the. The. The. The stickiness of the Clippers offense was a little bit. Oh, Kawhi's here. Oh, he can't actually move. What do we do now?

[Dave DeFlore]

And he looked better, by the way, as the game went on. I thought he. He had a little bit more energy, especially when he was handling the ball on the wing, like in the fourth. It just looked like he was moving a little easier than he was like earlier on.

[Mo Takil]

I think the second half that he He. He started to have more of a concerted effort, but I also felt like it was weird because it was. I didn't feel Paul George a lot in this game. You know, like, again, it felt like one of those things, like what Seth was saying. Like, I think trying to get Kawhi going actually cost them some other. Some other guys getting going and really kind of hurt them. Yeah.

[Dave DeFlore]

All right. Pacers and Bucks, we've had two games. We've had two blowouts. The Pacers get one back. They steal that second game at home tonight. 125, 108. Halliburton had a much better game after his dud the other night. Had 12 points, 12 assists. Big number I'm looking at from Halberton is he took 10 shots instead of only seven. Seven.

[Seth Partnow]

You.

[Dave DeFlore]

You beat yourself. Pascal Siakam was awesome. 37, had 11 rebounds.

[Mo Takil]

The.

[Dave DeFlore]

The. The Pacers in this game, guys, they got running, which is the story of their season, and they hit shots, and that's the secret to them winning this game.

[Seth Partnow]

Yeah, basketball. I mean, basketball. But it's also, I think that. That Giannis is a pretty big. Obviously a pretty big swing. Swing piece, because Halliburton is. Is. So far, he's taken a pretty. He's. He's sitting not just the. The back seat, but the third row to Siakam so far in this series. And I kind of think that trying to do Seok, trying to feed Siakam as much as they're doing looks a little different if the defender is Giannis instead of, you know, Bobby Portis or Pat Codon or whoever else.

[Mo Takil]

What would make you think that, Seth?

[Seth Partnow]

I don't know. So, I mean, it's. It's. I don't know. Maybe this is going to make me sound like a. Like. Like a homer or something like that, but this game felt almost like a. Like one where the road team stole game one. It's like, oh, Giannis is out. We got to get one of these two. And that's a situation. We didn't have any of them this year because the whole team. Home teams won all of game one. But the, like, the average margin of victory for the, for the, The. The. The. The home court team in game two after the road team win games one is like, well, something like that. And there's a little bit of. Of we got the one we needed. And, you know, and. And nobody outside of, like, Lopez, Dame and Middleton did anything offensively for the Bucks. And as has been the case with them for much of the Season the biggest impediment to their defense was often their offense.

[Mo Takil]

Yeah, which, which killed their transition. Like their transition defense was quite awful. Like there is a possession I put out there where Dame runs back and doesn't guard anybody like literally for about three seconds is standing at the bottom of the block and nobody to guard and Halliburton gets a layup out of it. And, and you have a lot of different possessions in that where they're just. Their transition defense wasn't there because again offense does ref affect that. And I just feel like they, their defensive intensity was down this game. I felt like it was really up in game one in terms of how they wanted to attack defensively. I felt like this one, they, they kind of let it, let it slip quite a bit.

[Dave DeFlore]

Damian Lillard had 26 points in the first half of this game. So he's got what he's up to 61 first half points and only eight second half points in two games so far. Now the first game, I don't, I don't really think it matters all that much. But only eight in the second half of this game. And you know, this is where not having Giannis, you, you just. If Middleton's only going to give you 15, you need 40 from Dan. You know, and.

[Mo Takil]

Maybe not.

[Seth Partnow]

It was not a sustainable, you know, maybe, I mean maybe it is because you know, we've seen Dame make. Make tough shots, but it was, they were not a lot of. He was hitting some really tough pull up shots and they went in and then they stopped going in and, and, and it, it ends up balancing out to a decent night. But if you get, if you get most of that in the first half, I mean just that the. Well sort of runs dry in the second half and it has on both games in the series so far.

[Mo Takil]

I mean if Milwaukee's game plan for this series, and this is assuming Giannis doesn't come back at all is like Dame will just carry us and score at this pace. You're losing. There's, I mean it's just not a sustainable thing. It's not a. And, and no offense to Damian Lillard. He's no spring chicken and you know, we, he struggled most of the season. It was, you know, in a lot of the way he's played and a lot of the things he's done. Like I would just be scary with that and you know, you need the other guys to contribute. You need the. Bobby Portis got going a little bit in game one. Nothing so, so much in game two. Like you need, you need all those role players to fill in the void, to help kind of make up for the fact that Dame's not going to be able to drop, you know, 35 and a half or 27 and a half and things like that. Like, you need to really make sure you get those guys involved and get them going if their game plan is just, hey, Dame will carry us. Good luck.

[Seth Partnow]

I was struck at various points in this game about how reminiscent it was of some of the warriors playoff games or, or, or playing games the last couple years. And it's just sort of a team that has been a contender for five, five, six years. And, you know, maybe the Dame carries us works, but for that to work, there's got to be. You've got to have three, four, five guys who are. Are sprinting around, you know, making athletic plays around him. Kind of, you know, the, the. In, in soccer terms, it's, you know, you have a, you have an older midfielder who can spray the ball around, but you need guys to do the running for them, and they don't have that either. I mean, you look at their, their other guys and it's, you know, it's Pat Beverley and Jay Crowder and Pat Connaughton. And so there's just, There's. There's no zip, any, anywhere at all in, in. In their lineup, and especially against the Pacers that just, you know, they, they, they need someone to, to, to keep up the track meet, to, to allow the chance for, For Dame's stuff to kind of carry them.

[Dave DeFlore]

Let me get to my question. Can the Bucks win if they don't have Giannis? Can they win this series if he doesn't come back?

[Mo Takil]

I don't think they can. I think the way, you know, it's. The, the offense for Indiana is so high octane. I think what Giannis does for this team offensively and defensively is so important for them. I don't, I don't think they can actually win this series without Giannis coming back.

[Dave DeFlore]

I think.

[Seth Partnow]

I think if they had that, that more athleticism, I would say maybe, but it's just, it's so. That roster is so hollow after you get past the top three, four guys that it's. They just don't have enough.

[Dave DeFlore]

If, If Giannis comes back, does this go7 kind of.

[Mo Takil]

I mean, that's a tough question, Dave. You got to tell me what, I guess kind of defends when he comes back. You know, if it's, if he comes back and they're down three one, then I'm gonn. It doesn't go seven if he comes back and it's two. Two, sure. Like, it's close.

[Seth Partnow]

You know, if he comes back in game three and is. Is mostly right, I. Would you be terribly surprised if, you know, he turns the sekum spigot off and they. They rip off three straight and win in five. I think. I don't. I'm. I'm not sure you would, like, pick that, even though I did pick Bucks in five before the series. Oops. But that. That's. That's very much in place, so I think it's. It's, you know, we will see on Friday, basically, if he's available and. And what he looks like.

[Dave DeFlore]

Yeah, Yeah. I. I think if Giannis comes back, game three, I think Bucks. Bucks should win this in six. If he doesn't come back. Yeah, I think the Pacers are just gonna be too much.

[Mo Takil]

It's.

[Dave DeFlore]

It's too much offense, and Giannis is important there, too. Right. Just to keep up with the scoring, not just the defensive part, so. All right, The. The other game from. From tonight. Wolves sons. The Timberwolves win 105 to 93. They're now up two games to none. They look awesome. How about that Timberwolves defense, Mo?

[Mo Takil]

I mean, it's. I don't want to talk about their defense yet. I want to go to the Suns defense because it doesn't exist.

[Dave DeFlore]

I want to start off positive. No, I don't want to do.

[Mo Takil]

Dave, you podcasted with me enough.

[Dave DeFlore]

You know, the Suns. The Suns did this thing over the summer, right, where they brought in all these. These role players, and none of these guys play defense. Yusuf Nurkic is the only guy who's anywhere close to. To being like, you know, an average defender that they're rolling out there on a regular basis. Grayson Allen's actually done pretty well, but he's gotten injured. Yeah, KD is. Is okay at this point. He's pretty good, but, man, this. He's got a tough matchup. And, and the Timberwolves, by the way, pretty good offense. So, I mean, this is like a recipe for disaster for. For the Suns, but the Wolves just have turned their water off, too.

[Seth Partnow]

I mean, the. The Wolves played about as had an offensive first half as you can as you can get, and they were down one, and then they kind of got untracked a little bit. And. And we had. We got. We had bad Carl Anthony Towns tonight, like, and he could see it from the opening tip that we were gonna. Oh, he's Gonna try to do too much and you know, start with a wild drive where he sits on the ground and calls and yells for foul and commits bad. Several bad fouls and you know, and. And my favorite was his fourth foul in the end of the third quarter where he puts two hands on Katie's chest at the top of the floor. And then it's like what. What it's like anyway. But then the second half, it. It's. They. They kind of got it going and it was. It was. Honestly, it was shot making from. From McDaniels and. And Nikhil Alexander Walker as much as anything, as well as Rudy Short roll master tonight, which was. But who knew.

[Dave DeFlore]

But Rudy was great tonight.

[Seth Partnow]

Rudy was great.

[Dave DeFlore]

Rudy was awesome.

[Mo Takil]

It also just comes down to the Suns don't have defensive firepower. They. I mean, like, as good as some of. Like, listen, Booker can defend at times, you know, and, and can really lock down on certain guys. We saw it last year in the playoffs. We know what KD can do. You know, Nurkic is getting up there and it's like I'm at the point now where it's just. When they lost Grayson Allen, I'm like, all right, you have no defense and they don't have a ton on the perimeter to begin with, Even with Royce O'Neal coming in off the bench. And it's like we. I have a lot of issues with them and this has kind of been the ongoing issue for them all season. So it's not surprising that it's beginning to catch up to them in this instance. And then for the Nuggets, man, like, they're just. To their credit, even with this being a bad Cat game, not a ton of dumb mistakes that they've made because all their mistakes don't just come from Cat. Like, it comes from a lot of the immaturity and Young over the two games. I haven't felt like it's like, okay, that's just, you know, stupid Minnesota, you know, like, no, they were playing smart and for the most part, you know, we're going to have these moments from Cat. He can't help himself. But like, it's. There's going to be that stuff. But like, I think for overall, like, you got to be pretty impressed with how they've handled it the first two games.

[Dave DeFlore]

Yeah, Jaden McDaniels was excellent. I love how aggressive he was driving to the basket, especially when Anthony Edwards was on the bench. I mean, he. He was huge. And they just. There was no resistance. No one on the Suns could Stay in front of these guys for, for. They were not putting up enough effort, but it just wasn't any good. And for all this talk about a big three in Phoenix with KD and Booker and Beal. Seth, I find myself leaving these games with the question I'm gonna ask you guys about this series stolen from you. Seth, what does Bradley Beal do? He has 14 points in this game. He doesn't guard the opposing players best. Opposing.

[Seth Partnow]

He tried to guard Anthony Edwards. Yeah. And, and a lot of in Frank and, and Edwards was, was almost. Was looking to distribute more than he was looking to shoot tonight. And a lot of the McDaniels and, and Alexander Walker and Gobert like, you know, play finishing came off of him exploiting that matchup and drawing a second guy to the ball and they moved it quickly around the perimeter and, and there we go. Bradley Beal took, took 17 shots. KD took 15, Booker took 13. Now those other two guys had more scoring possessions because of free throws. But still, I mean, I think that's sort of. That's exactly what we worried about when they made this trade. It's like, oh, you've got a third guy who does the same things, just way less good at them than these, these primary guys and you have no depth and you can't play defense. And it's, it's very much, you know, coming home to roost that it just. The theory of this team just does not make sense.

[Mo Takil]

Yeah, I mean, it's honestly like, I mean, Seth kind of, you know, as mean as he is, took all the words. I mean it's, there's not much more to really add to it in terms of what is Beal for them because he's just redundant at that point. He's not a good enough playmaker in what they need. And I think this is a team that's dying for a pass first type point guard, you know, and to really get them in sets and run stuff, maybe not even necessarily be a starter, but a person that comes off the bench and does that and they don't even have that. And I think that's the difficultness. It's difficultness. I'm just making up words. The difficulty in what they've done in. And, and in terms of how they trying to build this roster going forward to. It's like, you know, you talked at the beginning, David, them adding role players. No, they added minimum role players, which is very different than adding role players. And I think, you know, and, and they tried to get some of the guys I Like, but like in general it's not enough when you're trying to win a, when you're trying to win a championship. And that's what their goal was at the start of the season. It didn't play out through the course of the season, but their goal was to win a championship at the start of the season. And they, they just are not equipped for that. And I think when you look at the move with Beal, it's really tied, tied their hands and now they're in.

[Seth Partnow]

A tough position and maybe not even just like a Passford point guard, but if it was a just like a movement shooter, a spacer guy in that spot instead of someone who's an on ball creator, much more. I, I think that, you know, they, they struggle to get any sort of like system buckets because they're just so stationary because they watch three guys.

[Dave DeFlore]

What's the system?

[Seth Partnow]

Right? Yeah, it's three guys waiting to, to, to take bullet. Mid Rangers.

[Dave DeFlore]

Yeah.

[Mo Takil]

And so, so Clay Thompson to the, Clay Thompson to the Suns. Confirmed by Seth. Got it.

[Seth Partnow]

I mean I was, I, I was thinking Klay Thompson, but it would be like 4 years ago Klay Thompson.

[Dave DeFlore]

It's almost, it's Grayson Allen now. So gut, gut reaction, guys. Do the Suns push this to 6 5?

[Mo Takil]

I think they get a win, but I think Minnesota takes two.

[Dave DeFlore]

Wolves are tough, man. They just, they've got it like they, they've just got a little bit of fire in their belly.

[Seth Partnow]

And again, I want to, I want to, I want to go back to just how good Rudy Gobert was tonight. You know, coming off being voted the most overrated player. I mean, I've soapboxed it off on, on Gobert, but it's, I just the disconnect between how good and impactful he is and sort of everyone's opinion of him because they just don't like him is, is, you know, is, is kind of crazy. Like he has weaknesses, sure. But that's, you know, the, the 25th best player in the league or whatever has weaknesses like oh, oh, hey, being.

[Dave DeFlore]

Unlikable is keeping Barry Bonds out of the hall of Fame. So you know, you know, and he's the greatest ever. So yeah, Go Bear. Gobert's been the most impactful player I think in the first two games. I don't think that's even like you could maybe split hairs on it, but I think with what he's done defensively on the glass and, and then adding the, the offensive part. Yeah, he's been huge, huge.

[Seth Partnow]

12, 14 from the line through.

[Dave DeFlore]

Let me ask you. Let me ask you another question. If Gobert is in Phoenix instead of Nurkic, what does that look like?

[Mo Takil]

They still can't defend on the perimeter, though, right? Like, no, I mean, like, let's just, let's. Let's be honest. Like, we can talk. We can glow all about Gobert, and he's been awesome. He's also aided by. This is the best perimeter defense he's ever had.

[Dave DeFlore]

Finally, like, we, we.

[Mo Takil]

We. We have to kind of really acknowledge al. You know, McDaniels, Edwards, Connolly, Kyle Anderson's. You know, all of those guys on the perimeter matter. Nikhil, Alexander, Walker. Like, all those guys matter. And it makes his job easier and it allows him to be, like, cool. Now I get to do the stuff I'm great at. And that makes a big difference in that sense. So, I mean, like, yeah, you could put him on. I mean, it'd be like Utah. It'd be like, you know, it'd be just, you know, he'd be. He'd be good defensively. He'd be good defensively, but it's not like he's. He's got the. But it would still be a turnstile of. Of guys running right at the rim.

[Seth Partnow]

I think Devin Booker's a better defender anyway. We don't have to get.

[Dave DeFlore]

Yeah, he's a pretty good defender, but.

[Mo Takil]

Yeah, when he wants to be.

[Dave DeFlore]

Yeah, that. That's a fair point. All right, Knicks and Sixers. The Knicks. All right, we guys, we don't talk enough dogs.

[Seth Partnow]

There's.

[Dave DeFlore]

What a crazy finish to that game Monday night was.

[Mo Takil]

Absurd.

[Dave DeFlore]

Dante DiVincenzo not beating himself is. Is just such a huge moment from that game. Misses that wide open three, gets the kick out and hits the next wide open three. Hartenstein making plays. Josh Hart has just been nuts shooting threes, apparently, according to Fred Katz. I don't know if you guys got a chance to catch hoops adjacent. That came out earlier today, told the story that Josh Hart just felt his wrist click a couple weeks ago, and now he can shoot threes, and he's shot 48% since this happened. So Josh Hart can shoot threes now. Isaiah Hartenstein is a monster. And The Knicks are up 20 on the Sixers, who all of a sudden are filing protests with the league.

[Mo Takil]

Oh, we can. I'm gonna leave that part alone.

[Dave DeFlore]

We are gonna. We are gonna leave that.

[Mo Takil]

But it's a heartbreaking loss.

[Dave DeFlore]

Yep.

[Mo Takil]

That was a brutal loss. That's a gut punch loss. And to be honest with you three or four plays go a different way. It's two oh six ers. Like, it's not like this is, you know, having this conversation with people kind of talking about like what adjustments do you make if you're Philly? I don't know if you make it adjustments. Your game plan worked. He just fell short by three plays, you know, or four plays or, or some bad luck as well. And, and things like that. Like there's a little bit of, of that stuff there. Yeah. Like the biggest adjustment is find a center so that you don't have the negative when Embiid goes to the bench or, or find st new legs for Embiid. But those aren't realistic, obviously. But I think the, this has been an unbelievable battle like this. These have been two really fun games in, in my view.

[Seth Partnow]

I think, I think the, the. If we are talking adjustments, getting, finding a way to get Buddy Yield going a little bit, I think would, would, would help them a lot. Just, just getting a, getting a third kind of legit option. And also, you know, someone who, who maybe when Embiid's on the bench can sort of run with maxi and, and because he loves to shoot threes in transit. I mean, he loves to shoot three. He's, you know, he just loves to shoot threes. But he, he's very aggressive taking threes in transition and you know it in those non embed minutes, maybe playing with a little bit of pace that way might, might help them.

[Mo Takil]

I mean, just Buddy just hasn't looked that comfortable since he's been with the Sixers. So like, and that's, I mean, so it's like, yeah, we're gonna, we're gonna try to get him going. You haven't got him going all season, you know, since you got him. And that's kind of the scary proposition. Yeah, like, I agree Seth, and you would have hoped, you know, I mean, Tobias Harris is doing his regular no show at this point of the year. And I think that's part of the problem for the Sixers team.

[Dave DeFlore]

Yeah.

[Mo Takil]

With, with, with the scenarios that they have.

[Dave DeFlore]

Let me ask you guys my, my question for this series. Do the Knicks miss Julius Randle at all right now?

[Seth Partnow]

So this, this is sort of, I, I prompted this question because.

[Dave DeFlore]

Oh, this is a stolen from Seth question.

[Seth Partnow]

Yeah, yeah, but no, but I like, part of it is, is aesthetic. I just, I love those three Nova guards just running around, inducement. Bride comes in and Anunobi is sort of a perfect complement to that aesthetically. I very much enjoy that. But also I think that that's a very, very playoff tough style that they are able to play. And yeah, they probably could use a little more. More like creation. But I don't mean we've seen Julius Randall last couple playoffs that hasn't exactly looked. Been a. Been a great look. And I don't know if they can play with the speed, toughness and sort of swarming loose vol ability if they're playing sort of a more traditional kind of, you know, take turns. Him and Brunson isoing kind of style that they've done at, you know, a lot of times throughout the season before he got hurt.

[Mo Takil]

Yeah, I'm, I'm on the other end of it, but maybe won't show up in this series, but if they move on in the next series and, and whatnot. But it's like at this point it's all on Brunson and I think that's the thing that worries me about their offense. You know, we haven't seen it yet with Philly, but like one team say, okay, just going to make other guys beat us. And Brunson hasn't been good yet. Like, he hasn't had good games these past two games, he said moments, but he hasn't had the games that he, we're used to seeing him have at this point. I think it's. I think that's where you miss him the most in those instances and how you have him sort of help offensively with the team and so on. Like, yeah, it's a lot of fun, aesthetically, a lot more pleasing. I love watching Hartenstein and just kind of go nuts and I think he's been freaking phenomenal for the Knicks this entire, this whole season. But I think like, we're getting a little bit too ahead of ourselves in terms of like, oh, it's. They don't, they don't need him. Like, no, like he would, he would help in that sense. I don't know if this is a Tyler hero situation from last year where you're like, this team wouldn't go this far if they, if they had him.

[Dave DeFlore]

I, I think that for sure they could use him as, as a, another offensive hub option. Right. Because he can score, you can give him the ball, you can trust him. Guys can maybe sneak in a little bit of rest here and there when they're playing 45 minutes a game like that. That's helpful. I think the issue is though, he would have two outsize of a role and you would wind up losing some of that juice that they get like, Deuce McBride. Those Deuce McBride minutes have been huge so far in two games. So you. You probably lose out on some of that stuff, right, because they've gotten good.

[Seth Partnow]

Boy on minutes also.

[Dave DeFlore]

They have, yeah. I mean, this Knicks team is incredibly fun. It's like a college roster, you know?

[Seth Partnow]

I mean, it's. It's. I'm. I, like, they're like. I've. Like, my. One of my favorite basketball teams of all time is sort of the Allen Ray, Randy Foy, Kyle Lowry, Nova team from. You know, the. From way back in the day, from, like, 2004, where it was just a bunch of small guys flying around and that they were. But they're all just, like. Just tough and. And that's. This team reminds me of that, and I. And I really respond to that. Maybe that's not rational, but.

[Mo Takil]

Yeah, it's like I said, four plays go differently in games one and two, and it's 02. And we're talking about how much they miss Randall. Like, it's. The margin is that. The margin is that. This isn't like they've. They've run Philly off the court for two straight games. This has been tight games. Like, I. Let's be. Remember what we're talking about here. I think it's also some of our just pure aesthetic biases between the three of us that's also playing a role here.

[Seth Partnow]

A big part of that is. Is Tyrese Maxey is that dude. Oh, Moe's making a face like, I took his.

[Mo Takil]

No, no, I. I banged my face. This is what happens when you're on the road and doing my finger on something.

[Seth Partnow]

Yeah. So, I mean, I think that's been. I mean, he's been like, okay, Tyrese Maxey is a playoff dude. I think that's. That's a. That's a spot we can be at now. And that's. That's. That's good for Philly to know. It's just a matter of.

[Mo Takil]

I'm not do. Now I'm making the face at you and not my finger. That's too early. Two games is too early.

[Dave DeFlore]

Yeah, maybe. Maybe too early. All right, guys, gut reaction on this 1. They're down 2.

[Mo Takil]

0.

[Dave DeFlore]

Can the Sixers extend this out and make a comeback? You know, push it to six, seven?

[Mo Takil]

I think it goes at least six. Yeah, I think so. I mean, they're right there. It's. It's. It's. You know, it might be like, you know, the closest games, then they lose them all. Who knows? But, like, It's. They're right there on the cusp of it, and I think it's a couple of different breaks in their. Their. We're looking at it tight going back home here. It's just. This is one of those things where I don't feel like the game plan has failed them. I don't feel like they need a massive adjustment in terms of how they're approaching it. We'll see what happens if Brunson finds his shot and his rhythm, you know, when going to Philly. But like, I think ultimately they're right there.

[Dave DeFlore]

Yeah. All right, Last series we're gonna hit tonight, guys. And again Monday night.

[Seth Partnow]

Magic Cavs just.

[Dave DeFlore]

Well, no, listen, I'm, I'm sad about that one right now because the Magic, we're supposed to defend our basketball honor with the Cleveland Cavaliers, you know, tanking their way into the four seed and that's not working out that way. No. Wanted to talk Nuggets and Lakers. We got a freaking buzzer beater from Jamal Murray. Just listen. It was never in doubt.

[Mo Takil]

The.

[Dave DeFlore]

The lakers were up 20. And this is how you know that Jokic is just on a different level. I never doubted that the Nuggets were going to come back and at least have a chance to win the game. And not a real, Not a fake comeback, a real comeback. And I knew that they were going to be in it when it got late. And mo. I don't remember the last time I felt that way about a team because like, the warriors would throw away games like this.

[Mo Takil]

No, you, You've. You've.

[Dave DeFlore]

You.

[Mo Takil]

The war. This is, this is Warriors. This is very warriors esque, though when they've been down big in games, they've come back and they do it so quickly. It's a, It's a whole thing. It's the third quarter runs. They'd come back and it'd be a 15, 0 run in two minutes. And you have the coach rage time out and, and, and start trying to fit, you know, figure out what the hell just happened. How did they cut into our elite so quickly? And that's kind of exactly what happened with the Nuggets. And this has been a very regular thing for Nuggets, Lakers games. Lakers build a lead. Nuggets say, okay, we've spotted you enough points now we'll start playing. And then they win the game. Like it's just not. It's. It's. It happened. I think it was in. In four. All four of the games last year in the, the conference finals. The Lakers had double digit second half leads. They got swept. Like it's the same. I mean, like it's, it's, it's, it's. They had double digit leads in both of these games they lost. I mean, they're up 20 yesterday. Like, that's an absolute killer right there.

[Dave DeFlore]

D'Angelo Russell had a good game. He was 7 of 11 from 3. Anthony Davis in the first half was unstoppable and then all of a sudden just fell apart. LeBron was excellent down the stretch. I don't know how a guy his age is able to muster the energy at times that he does in the third and fourth quarters. It is, it is weird to watch Anthony Davis unable to go basically in fourth quarter. I, I'm not sure exactly whether it's a conditioning thing. I don't know what it is. Part of it is Mo. I felt like he was, I'm not going to say he was sidelined offensively, but they started sticking him in the corner a lot more like, he was like more of a. He was more on like in the actions in the first half. In the second half, it was more like he was like off to the side, looking to come in behind the play. And I don't know whether that was, again, this is an energy thing with him or if this was schematic, but it wasn't working.

[Mo Takil]

Yeah, I would say, I would kind of guess it's an energy thing because he has to guard the other guy on the other end of the court, Jokic, and he was just torching AD And I don't mean this in a way of like, how dare AD he does this to everybody. Like, it was like there was, I was just like, literally, like there's nothing AD could do at that point. Like, it's almost. You're in an impossible situation with how some of this stuff was going. And it was, you know, and I feel like some of it at that point, then he doesn't have the legs for the other end of the court. Like, just the pure fact of. It's a question of stamina. I'm like, yeah, the other guy's wearing him out.

[Seth Partnow]

When we talk about how Embiid when he's right is a low. Like he, he's not really able to do that now because of his, because of the leg issues. Embiid, that is. But Jokic is a. I mean, he's a load. And so just the fact that on both ends of the floor, like how many times you see Anthony Davis like contesting an offensive rebound and Jokic is just kind of warding him off with one arm and. And sort of showing, like, grabbing it with one arm and that. That water polo thing, and that's.

[Mo Takil]

That.

[Seth Partnow]

I mean, that. All those bumps all that time just leaning on a guy who. Who.

[Dave DeFlore]

Who.

[Seth Partnow]

You know how much we think Jokic outweighs him by, like, that.

[Mo Takil]

That.

[Seth Partnow]

That is sapping of energy. And. And I think that at a. And at a certain point, it's like, all right, we're going into the chamber now, and there's nothing you can do. And that we. We saw that for a big stretch of the fourth quarter.

[Dave DeFlore]

Yeah, Jokic also, he's in elite condition. I mean, as far as, like, endurance goes, and he runs hard. The whole game runs on makes, so there is no lollygagging with him ever. I mean, you. You're on your heels immediately even after you hit a shot. So I think that that helps him quite a bit, too. These other guys just don't have the wind that he's got. I mean, he trains in elevation all the time. Right. Like, so he's got that advantage, too. My question for this series, guys, what do the Lakers have to do to keep a lead against the Nuggets?

[Mo Takil]

I. I think they have to stay with their offensive system. I think that. What. Whatever. Once they find a groove, I think there are times, and I thought it was more the case in game one than. Than game two, but, like, they can build a lead and then they kind of go away from what was working in that sense. It would also be nice if DLO doesn't have a lot of, like, terrible turnovers in that regards and those things. But they also think the other guy they need to get going is Reeves. He was a big part of them beating Memphis last year in the first round, and he hasn't quite been that guy for a while. And I think that's an important guy for them to try to find, get going, because that's a guy that they can run pick and roll with with him and AD and give LeBron a break, a few possessions and involve AD on a couple of offensive possessions. And I think that's an important factor for them that they just don't do enough of.

[Seth Partnow]

I mean, it's. It's. They. They're playing a much better team, so we're. We're sort of. We're. We're clawing for things. But I mean, I just. In terms of maybe. Maybe keeping a lead is. Is it probably helps if they. They swap out Spencer Dinwiddie for Gabe Vincent in their rotation. Maybe that, you know, helps them get some like, be more competitive in some of the, some of. Maybe that, that, that bench. On bench minutes where, you know, I think in, in, in the game last night, I believe that they lost the Jokic on the bench minutes, which I don't think you can, I don't think you, you're beaten Denver if you do that.

[Dave DeFlore]

Yeah, it's probably not, probably not a good thing. Gut reaction. This go more than five games?

[Mo Takil]

No, no. And I, I, I, I, I did five out of respect for the, for, for, for LeBron. And I almost feel like it's, this is, this has, this almost has sweep it all over it.

[Seth Partnow]

I mean, we got some, we, we got some good LeBron stuff down the stretch of Game 2. And it, you know, he, I mean, you, like, it's not like the Lakers collapsed. They made some big shots.

[Dave DeFlore]

People keep showing the missed wide open three from LeBron, but they don't show the, the couple that he hit before that, the steel that he got to keep him. You know what I mean?

[Seth Partnow]

Like, including the, the deep one with Aaron Gordon in his face and the breakaway dunk.

[Dave DeFlore]

Yeah, like, literally like one possession before that. I mean, this is just. The guy was incredible in this game physically. I mean, he was just dominating and he just didn't have anybody running with him.

[Mo Takil]

It just comes down to it too though, that, like, I just know the Nuggets will execute down the stretch and everybody knows exactly where to be and what to do. Like, you know, instead of, you know, DLO going rogue on a possession or something like that. And I think that's the, It's a small difference, but that's what it is.

[Dave DeFlore]

Yeah.

[Seth Partnow]

And they're, I mean, they're, they're. We. I think we notice this a little more in game one, but it's still true. And is their ability to play offensive possessions deep into the clock and trust. Yeah, we're. We're going to get something. Fine. We owe six. That's fine. We'll do something. We'll get the ball somewhere and still end up with a good shot and, and just that ability to, you know, you see so many teams in the playoffs, they get the first action shut down, you know, looking at you, Boston, and they just back the ball out and it becomes, you know, kind of hero ball. And the Nuggets don't really do that.

[Dave DeFlore]

Yeah. Anything else on the playoffs as we wrap up playoffs so far? Playoffs looking ahead. We got a week until we're, you know, doing another show but that's been.

[Seth Partnow]

A lot of intense basketball over the last, you know, the last four days.

[Mo Takil]

I got nothing. There's, it's been a lot of fun. The games, even some of the games, even though some of them have been blowouts, have been very interesting and some of the things that we've seen in there and how guys are responding to it and I think this is setting up to be an actually really fascinating playoff run.

[Dave DeFlore]

Yeah, I mean, again, there's no perfect team and I think we, we all agree that Denver is the best team, but they're beatable. I, I think that we've, we've seen that they can be beaten. I, I just Minnesota and Oklahoma City, there's something about these, these young guys and they've got a little bit of a, like, juice behind. I'm interested to see how they do, especially as we move on to the second round. So it's been fun so far. It's going to be fun, I hope for the next couple months. For Seth Part now and Motokeel, I'm Dave Deford and this has been nerder she wrote on the Athletic NBA show.

[Seth Partnow]

Foreign.

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[Mo Takil]

Acast Powers the world's best podcasts.

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Here's a show that we recommend.

[Dave DeFlore]

Hey guys. Welcome to Giggly Squad, a place where we make fun of everything, but most importantly ourselves. I'm Paige Desorbo.

[Mo Takil]

I'm Hannah Berner.

[Dave DeFlore]

Welcome to the squad.

[Mo Takil]

Giggly Squad started on Summer House when we were giggling during an inappropriate time.

[Dave DeFlore]

But of course, we we can't be managed.

[Mo Takil]

So we decided to start this podcast to continue giggling.

[Dave DeFlore]

We will make fun of pop culture news.

[Mo Takil]

We're watching fashion trends pep talks where we give advice, mental health moments and games.

[Dave DeFlore]

And guests.

[Mo Takil]

Listen to Giggly Squad on Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Seth Partnow]

ACAST helps creators launch, grow, and monetize their podcasts everywhere.

[Mo Takil]

Acast.com.