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- [00:00]
Ryan Reynolds
Hey, Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. You know one of the perks about having four kids that you know about is actually getting a direct line to the big man up north. And this year he wants you to know the best gift that you can give someone is the gift of Mint Mobile's unlimited wireless for $15 a month. Now you don't even need to wrap it. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment.
- [00:21]
Mint Mobile/Instacart Advertiser
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- [01:03]
Andrew Schlecht
Hey, Andrew Schlecht here. The NBA on Prime is back this Friday with another great doubleheader. The action starts with one of the best rivalries in sports as Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers face Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics. Then Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks meet SGA and the Oklahoma City Thunder. If you're not a Prime member, that's not a problem. Sign up for a 30 day free trial to get started today. The Lakers and Celtics, the Mavericks and Thunder both really intriguing matchups. What can the potential Rookie of the year do against the potent Thunder defense? And then Luka Just doing anything is magical against this frisky Boston Celtics team that is led by Jaylen Brown, who's had a really nice year. Coverage starts Friday at 6:30 Eastern only on Prime. Restrictions apply. 6 See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details.
- [02:05]
Dave DeFore
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for December 3, 2025. I'm Dave DeFore here with Esperahenny. Coming up, the Thunder had a close one with the warriors, but they moved to 21 and 1. We're going to talk about that. The Raptors get another big win. We're going to talk about Scotty Barnes and we got James Edwards here to talk about the Knicks weird loss to Celtics. Good morning everybody. Welcome to the NBA Daily. I'M Dave Defor. I'm here with Law Murray. And you might be wondering if you're watching on YouTube, why my eyes are so red. It's because it's 1:30 in the morning, Pacific time in California. Got a little bit of an emergency pod. I just happen to be awake and see the news. And so did L. Murray because he covers the Clippers. And apparently the Clippers and Chris Paul are parting ways now. Law, look, we, we don't have a.
- [02:57]
James Edwards
Lot of time here.
- [02:58]
Dave DeFore
I just want to get to the regular show and let you get to bed. Cause I know that there's more to come on this, but this is weird. Chris Paul is a Hall of Famer. He was a Clipper for a very long time. Seemed like this was like a retirement tour year for him. But with the Clippers, like nothing can be normal.
- [03:16]
Law Murray
Apparently I, I knew something was off when I was in Charlotte. Chris is from North Carolina. He gets up first thing that morning. It's a Saturday. And, and he basically posts something that suggests that he's retiring. Right. And the thing is, I remember back in the off season when he was signed, he said, hey, don't retire me. And I'm in the moment. I'm stacking days, et cetera. They win that game. James has 55. They don't like Chris talk. They hustle to the bus. They go to Cleveland. And the thought was he was going to talk when he gets to Los Angeles. Well, you get to Los Angeles, it's a Lakers home game on national tv. They get blown out. Chris not available. They go home to Intuit Dome. They have a tribute video for Chris. He waves and acknowledges, hey, this is the last ride. If you want to call it that. He's not made available because they blow a 16 point lead to the Grizzlies the next night. They play the Mavericks, their last game before this road trip that they're currently on. And we got the NBA schedule that night because the NBA group Cup group play was over. So we got these missing games from the schedule that we always get. They lose that game to the Mavericks. Chris is not made available. They're about to go and not play their next home game until December 15, which is a very interesting day for those who love trade machines. We'll get to that later. They get blown out in Miami, trailed by as many as 38 points. Chris was one of the few guys who didn't play in the fourth quarter of that game. He hits a three pointer to cut the lead to 33. I think people noticed that in the third quarter. James Harden got benched early in that third quarter. And now you have Chris putting this out on Instagram At 2:40 in the morning Atlanta time before they're supposed to play that night. And, and this is, this is as unceremonious as it gets. I think the word unceremonious might have to be redefined. And Chris will notice that redefinition because he posted Sunday, before the team went on this road trip to Miami, the definition of the word leeway. He must have just googled it, got what he got. Thankfully, he did not choose the AI generated version. He got the Oxford Dictionary. He posts a screenshot of that. And again, Chris has not spoken to the media, has not been allowed to be available to the media. I mean, in at least two weeks. You know, I got to see him on the road trip. You know, I got to, you know, shake his hand and, and, and kind of run into him. But we all thought that he was supposed to, you know, address this. By now it appears that the next time Chris Paul addresses the media, it will not be a member of the LA Clippers.
- [06:18]
James Edwards
All right.
- [06:18]
Dave DeFore
This is crazy. It's on the heels of, you know, the weird James Harden post game comments the other day. I mean, it's just, it's one thing after another here with the Clippers. I mean, I don't know, this season's done for them. I, I don't really know like quite how to put it. I guess for Chris Paul this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It just is a disrespectful thing, you know, it's a sad thing.
- [06:51]
Law Murray
Yeah, I was going to say that exact word. Chris could have just retired before the season and not come back to the Clippers for all, for, for all that, you know what I mean? Like, he came back because his team has a chance to do something special and him being a part of it, that would be pretty cool into it. Dome is having All Star weekend, et cetera. This team was inspiring last year. It is the exact opposite of that this year. Chris's family is here. He played for his organization. There's still people in this organization like Lawrence Frank is the president of basketball operations. He was on the bench when Chris was here. Taron Lou is the head coach. He was on the bench when Chris was here. Like Steve Ballmer is the chairman, the owner of the organization.
- [07:36]
Dave DeFore
He became behind the scenes. But in the ops that were with Chris before he got to the Clippers that came out there with him. I mean, this is Chris Paul runs through that organization. I mean, from the start, I mean, in and out of it. And this is one of the more disrespectful things I can remember a team doing to a player, period.
- [07:56]
Law Murray
Well, here's the thing.
- [07:57]
Dave DeFore
But especially, I mean, come on, man.
- [07:59]
Law Murray
Because it's the Clippers. It is very disrespectful and we've seen it before.
- [08:05]
Dave DeFore
We, we.
- [08:05]
Law Murray
A lot of people are thinking of Blake Griffin today. You know, when Chris was traded.
- [08:10]
Dave DeFore
Oh, yeah.
- [08:11]
Law Murray
In the 2017 off season, what happened? Like, Blake signs his contract extension when he could have left and you know, they did everything they could to not just sign him and extend him, you know, I don't know if it was an extension. I'm pretty sure he was an unrestricted free agent. Semantics aside, like he was traded in the middle of the night after hitting a game winning shot to Detroit. And, and, and you know, it's been weird ever since there. So, I mean, I mean, you all remember emoji gate. Emoji gate was crazy. But at least that happened at a decent hour, you know what I mean?
- [08:49]
Dave DeFore
Speaking of Law, we're gon to. We're going to call it a night. Thank you so much. I appreciate you guys go and read Law today over at the Athletic. He's going to have more on this. Obviously more to come. I mean, the Clippers are a mess and you know, it's like a train wreck. We're all going to watch it, right? Yeah. Anyway, now on to the regular show. Good morning, everybody. What's up? S?
- [09:17]
Esperahenny
What's up? Hello.
- [09:20]
Dave DeFore
Night. Yes, late night for everybody. Because for some reason they're starting these Tuesday night games 11pm you know, 11pm Eastern.
- [09:32]
Esperahenny
I like Peacock a lot. I like NBC. They're doing a really great job out there. Shout out to them. 11pm Games. Tough, tough.
- [09:40]
Dave DeFore
Those games are beautiful, by the way. They look really, really great on tv. I don't know what they're doing with HDR and their sports, but they figured it out. Oh, yeah, it's perfect. Not perfect. The Thunder last night in the third quarter. And let me tell you, Essen, I thought this game was over at halftime.
- [09:57]
Esperahenny
I personally did. Yes, absolutely.
- [09:58]
Dave DeFore
We were getting ready to record. You know, I'm like, all right, I'm going to get my notes together. And I look up and all of a sudden Pat Spencer has just gone nuts. The warriors don't have Steph Curry. Jimmy Butler's out with a knee injury. Like he has to leave this game halfway through.
- [10:14]
Esperahenny
Yeah.
- [10:14]
Dave DeFore
And the plucky warriors, with even Draymond Green on the bench just absolutely gave the Thunder as much fight as we've seen anybody give them in quite a while. I mean, Seth Curry, they just signed him off the street. S. Seth Curry was just signed off the street. He came off the bench, and he goes for 14.
- [10:37]
James Edwards
7.
- [10:38]
Dave DeFore
From the field, he looked like Steph, man. Draymond hit a three, and that was when I really got scared. I was like, oh, he hit three threes.
- [10:45]
Esperahenny
I saw in the fourth quarter, I was like, this is. This might be it.
- [10:48]
Dave DeFore
You know, three he hit in the fourth. When he finally came back after the bench had put together that great run at the end of the third quarter, that was the one. Because, look, man, it's all fun and games until Draymond's hitting threes, and then all of a sudden, that's when things start to happen. But look, the Thunder down the stretch, they. They took over the game like they. It never really felt in doubt. Even when the warriors had fought back and took the lead, I didn't think that the Thunder were going to blow this game. I mean, Shea was able to.
- [11:15]
Esperahenny
He was unstoppable in the fourth.
- [11:17]
Dave DeFore
Lock in. Yeah. I mean, they didn't have a single guy that could guard him. Every time they sent the double, he found the guy. Jalen Williams would find the next guy, and they'd hit a big shot. So the Thunder take care of business. They moved to 21 and 1. It was not easy. It gets interesting again, guys, at 24 and 1, which may coincide with an NBA cup game. We're gonna. Yeah, yeah.
- [11:42]
Esperahenny
Look, I mean, I could break it down for you really quickly. Look, 24 and 1. The only team that has started 241 or better is the 20152016 Golden State Warriors. When they get to that, they play Dallas next, which I think is a win. Utah definitely a win. Phoenix in that NBA cup quarters game. That is for 24. One. That gets a little bit interesting. I think Phoenix is really competitive team. They played them competitive. Probably a win without Devin Booker. Right. So we'll see.
- [12:09]
Dave DeFore
They.
- [12:10]
Esperahenny
They might get the record in the semifinals of the NBA Cup.
- [12:14]
Dave DeFore
All right, I want to talk about your Raptors. S. You. You saw him in person last night. Big win. I think actually over. Over the Trailblazers. Anytime an east team beats a West team, it's kind of a big deal. And Portland got out to such a good start that I thought that this was the sort of game that I'd like to see the Raptors come back and Win, you know, they're a young team, they're playing at home. Like they should win this. Talk to me about the Raptors, man. I. Do you believe like, is this real? They're a playoff team. I, I think you were right about that. By the way.
- [12:45]
Esperahenny
If I haven't said it, that's pretty high.
- [12:47]
Dave DeFore
You were right. If I haven't said it enough, you were right. But is like, is that the baseline? Is it like there's a six seed there? The five seed? That's it.
- [12:54]
Esperahenny
You know, I'll say this, Dave. I don't do this to be right. I do this to have fun.
- [12:58]
Dave DeFore
No, I'm kidding.
- [13:00]
Esperahenny
No, look, I, look, I predicted 45 PL. We'll see if they get to that mark. But I think they're well on pace. If you look at the way that they're playing and the way that their stars are playing, truthfully, it, it makes it so that they can definitely get to that point. Especially because, man, Scotty Barnes just looks like he's taken another leap in his career. Not only defensively. He obviously won defensive player of the month for whatever that means, which is, is part of the thing players get awarded for now.
- [13:33]
Dave DeFore
I mean if you, if you win defensive player of the month every month, you probably would win defensive player of the year.
- [13:39]
Esperahenny
He is well on pace. But no, he's look, he's looked like a all defense level player the way that he is basically, I don't know. Top five in deflections at this point. One of the only guy in the NBA to have 30 plus steals and 30 plus blocks. He's top 10 in defensive miles traveled. These are just a couple of the numbers that I was looking at earlier today to show how good he is on the defensive side of the floor. But he's also taken a step offensively. I, I hate the cliche, the game is slowed down, but really truthfully, the game has slowed down for him. Like he is more assertive. He's figuring out what kind of player he wants to be. He's not necessarily forcing a bunch of three point and mid range shots. He's really reading what the defense is kind of giving to him at that point. And I thought he did a great job against Portland. He's, he's a lot better when he's physical. Right. This is something we've talked about with Paulo Ben Caro before in the past with Jalen Johnson, with all these guys who have like unique physical tools. The more powerful and strong of a player you are, the more it's at your advantage to play physically. And Scotty, I think, has figured that out. So he's, he's looking like an all Star this year and the Raptors look good because of it.
- [14:51]
Dave DeFore
He's such a quick decision maker now. I mean, you see that with the passing and the playmaking, especially when you look at the assist numbers. I mean they, they do kind of translate here to what you see as far as just him reading the floor and the game slowing down. Like it's not a, it's a cliche for a reason. It's a real thing. Like he's.
- [15:09]
Esperahenny
It is a real thing.
- [15:10]
Dave DeFore
Right. He knows the beats of the song. Right. He can play it by memory now. He's not just always where am I supposed to go? You know, it's the development process of players is not linear and that doesn't work for us all the time. But this guy, you know, if he had not had that down year, imagine where he'd be. I don't know if he would, if he would have found what he's got now. I don't know. Like, you never know with the player. But there were a lot of people ready to give up on him after that year. No.
- [15:36]
Esperahenny
Yeah. I think a lot of what last year was for him. And he said this to me when I've asked him about it. He said this to the media when they've asked him about it. A lot of it was experimentation. Like he went through months where he would try to take 10 threes a game and he would go through a month where he would take like 15 mid range shots and not even look at the basket or a lot of it was like, hey, what kind of player am I? And I think he's come into this season realizing like, hey, I know what I'm good at. I know what I have near me too. Because Brandon Ingram being there is a big part of this. But he's just figured out what he is in the NBA now and he's just excelling at it.
- [16:12]
Dave DeFore
Yeah. And again, the coaching staff, they're doing a great job. Guys, stick around. We got James Edwards. We're going to talk about how the Knicks lost a weird game for them foreign.
- [16:26]
Andrew Schlecht
Hey, Andrew Schlecht here. The NBA on Prime is back this Friday with another great doubleheader. The action starts with one of the best rivalries in sports as Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers face Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics. Then Cooper Flag and the Dallas Mavericks meet SGA and the Oklahoma City Thunder. If you're not a Prime member, that's not a problem. Sign up for a 30 day free trial to get started today. The Lakers and Celtics, the Mavericks and Thunder both really intriguing matchups. What can the potential Rookie of the Year do against the potent Thunder defense? And then Luka Just doing anything is magical against this frisky Boston Celtics team that is led by Jaylen Brown, who's had a really nice year. Coverage starts Friday at 6:30 Eastern only on Prime. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details. This episode is brought to you by Gab. It's that time of year again. The holidays are coming fast and if your kids are anything like mine, that list is already getting pretty long. And let's be honest, some of the things on that list make us stop and think like a smartphone. I've got three boys that are all of age to have a smartphone. I'm telling you, it's something that we talk about constantly and there are tons of concerns around it. And that's why I was so relieved when I found Gab. Gab offers phones and watches made just for kids. No Internet, no social media, and just the right features for their age. Kids want phones to feel independent and connected. As parents, we want them to know they're safe. With Gab, you can have both and protect them from scary stuff. With Gab's tech and steps approach, kids get the right tech at the right time. From watches with GPS tracking for the youngest explorers to the perfect first phone with no Internet or social media to the teen phone with parent approved apps. So get ready for a Christmas morning. They'll never forget the one where they get their first phone. And really, it's a gift for you too because these kids safe phones will give you peace of mind. Visit gab.com mbadaily and use the code NBA Daily for a special holiday offer. That's gabb.com NBA Daily Gab Tech and Steps Independence for them Peace of mind for you.
- [18:51]
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- [20:44]
Dave DeFore
Every single time I watch a Knicks game S I'm not sure what I'm gonna get. I know that if they score a lot, they're gonna win. But what happens on the nights when like, I don't know, the shots stop dropping? You know, they, they started a game last night against Celtics super hot and we got James Edwards here because he was there to witness it. And James, when the Celtics got their legs under him and figured out like how to defend, turn the water off a little bit, it felt like this Knicks team just didn't know what to do. They didn't have anything to fall back on. And I am just lost trying to figure out who are the New York Knicks, what is their identity, what's their calling card?
- [21:26]
James Edwards
No, I think that's a fair question. This loss snapped a four game winning streak in which a lot of us thought that they had figured things out. Defensively the on ball defense had been better. Josh Harden really stepped up in that regard. Deuce McBride had really stepped up in that regard. The communication seemed better. And then from about the end of the first to the midway point of the third, it was as bad as it's been for them. They were just a step slow defensively. The Celtics shot 80% on twos. By the end of the third quarter, that's how much they were. They were shooting 80% on twos going into the fourth, the Knicks, I think, yes, defensively, they're inconsistent. Specifically on the road, they really have struggled. To me, the game turned offensively, and let me explain. They were really. They came out the gates humming. The ball was moving, Guys were hitting shots. They were defending. Right. Like, we always hear the offense, like guys. When guys make shots, they defend a little bit better.
- [22:24]
Mint Mobile/Instacart Advertiser
Right.
- [22:25]
James Edwards
And then it felt like Towns was getting a little frustrated with Hugo Sanchez and Kate and. And Keita. Wait, did I say his name right?
- [22:34]
Dave DeFore
Kato.
- [22:36]
Esperahenny
You mean Hugo Gonzalez.
- [22:37]
James Edwards
Right, Hugo Sanchez. That's a former. That's a soccer.
- [22:42]
Dave DeFore
Sorry.
- [22:44]
Law Murray
Yeah.
- [22:44]
James Edwards
Hugo Gonzalez and Keita. And to me, he was just trying to, like, whether it was the officials or whether he was tired of them being physical with him. He really forced a lot of shots that got them out of a funk. Like, there was one play I remember he's posting up. Hugo comes over to help Towns, tries to get through it, draw, follow, or score. And Josh Hart, who's 3 for 3 at this point in the game, from 3, is wide open right next to him on the wing. And he didn't kick it out to turn it over. It goes the other way. And to me, like, they. That was this kind of the. The turning point in the game. It was a team that was doing everything right. And then it just felt like. I don't want to say egos got in the way, but there was just frustration there that led to them getting out of what they were. That what was working. So if you're the. It was a weird game. It's the best of the Knicks. It was the worst of the Knicks. Right. And Boston now is a little too good for. For to be able to overcome such a hole, even though they did in the playoffs last year. But. You know what I mean.
- [23:48]
Esperahenny
Yeah, no, no, I get it. But, like, I want to touch on the fact that you mentioned multiple options for them offensively and. And like, truthfully, we're talking about identity and the Knicks figuring it out. That's kind of baked into this last month or so of what we thought the Knicks would do in the first place. Right. With Mike Brown, it was all about like, hey, we got to rip this thing down to the studs, figure out what we are, right. What we are as a group. And you see Karl Anthony Towns working more as an offensive hub. You see them playing around with Josh Hart more as an initiator coming off the bench, but now also starting. You see Jalen Brunson working off ball more. You see Mikhail Bridges bringing the ball up more like the. The structure is there for them, trying to be different. Do you kind of give them that grace period, even though they have championship aspirations and contending aspirations, et cetera, et cetera, of, like, this is clearly a team that's still trying to figure out who they are compared to what they have.
- [24:44]
James Edwards
Yeah. I definitely do think there. There should be somewhat of a grace period. Are we approaching that period? I think so. Like, we're almost 20 games in. There's been inconsistency offensively. Like, again, there's still a lot of basketball to be played and. And what is it? Rome wasn't building a night. Is that the right one? I'm sorry.
- [25:01]
Dave DeFore
Rome wasn't building a day. Close enough, but, you know, hard to build a night back then.
- [25:05]
James Edwards
Yeah, hard to build Home Depot. Yeah, Rome was. Rome wasn't built in a day. So. Yeah, like, there's. You would think that as things go, like, they're going to be more consistent offensively. And with that said, like, Jalen isn't going to play this bad again. Right. Like, offensively, we just saw something from him we don't normally see. But what I will say is, how far can you go with an offensive identity? Because if they have an identity right now, it's on the offensive end.
- [25:33]
Mint Mobile/Instacart Advertiser
Totally. Right, Yeah.
- [25:34]
Adam Grant
I agree.
- [25:36]
James Edwards
They have guys that can score. They can do a multitude of things. They're shooting more threes now. They're making threes. What happens, as we talked about off camera, when shots don't fall? Do you have something to fall back on? That's why I think, like, in most cases, when we look at the best teams in the league over the last few years, like, they were good defensive teams. I'm not ready to say that the Knicks are there yet. Right. Like, it felt like they were getting there. I wrote a piece that felt like they were turning a corner after they beat the Raptors, and then they kind of, again, just dropped back to the inconsistency on that end of the floor. So it's a weird team right now that. That I think is. And I want to take a step back, too. I think part of why they made the coaching change is to lean into the offense a bit more.
- [26:23]
LinkedIn Jobs Advertiser
Right.
- [26:23]
Dave DeFore
100%. Yes, it was.
- [26:26]
James Edwards
They knew that there was going to be. They're not going to be a great defensive team. They're just not with some of the key pieces they have that are pivotal to how they. How they're going to play. Right.
- [26:37]
LinkedIn Jobs Advertiser
Right.
- [26:37]
James Edwards
But they felt like they could get more from the offense because when they played against top 10 defenses last year or aggressive defenses or defenses that had an athletic four, they could put on Towns and a center on, on Hart, they didn't look like a top offense. Despite finishing the season with the fifth best offensive rating. I don't think anybody who watched the Knicks felt like that was the fifth best offense in basketball consistently. So that's part of the change, right? To be able to have a little bit more diversity, to not be able to get bogged down by those defenses. So I agree with you that like we're still, they're still searching for an identity, but I think they want offense to be the identity. I just wonder how far that takes you in the NBA when your aspirations are NBA championship.
- [27:19]
Dave DeFore
Well, their road record is now three and six and the adage defense travels actually is real. Like we have the data that backs this up. Teams don't shoot as well on the road, right? Role players don't shoot as well on the road. This is why you need to be able to defend. Like, can they turn the screws up in crunch time? What's their best five man lineup? If you need to get a stop, I mean, Jalen Brunson and Carl Anthony Towns, that those are going to be two problem spots for you. No matter what, they're going to be in every lineup. But how do you cover for those guys, especially Jalen Brunson. I mean, you know, we watched what the Celtics did to him, especially in that second quarter when, when Brunson was out there with a lot of those bench guys and that's what it's going to look like in the playoffs. You know, it's, it's a, I, I saw Kevin Durant said it's a pick me sport now or it's a pick on sport now. You go and pick on a guy and we watch Jalen Brunson get picked on quite a bit. They've got to figure that out. And I mean whatever the offense is, you know, if they're scoring, you know, 150 a game, okay, they don't have to defend, but they're not doing that. So you know, what does it look like? Like do they have that guy or those guys on the roster or is this a team that's going to be looking to maybe upgrade?
- [28:31]
James Edwards
I mean, I think they hope they do, right? Like OG Anunoby's been out and make the case he's the best defensive player. But this was the thing last year too. When they had OG they had Mikhail like 2. As. As. As good of wing defenders as you can get.
- [28:46]
Dave DeFore
Right.
- [28:47]
James Edwards
And then I think Josh Hart has very much improved over the last few weeks as a defender. Miles McBride can guard on the ball, but he's also smaller.
- [28:54]
Dave DeFore
Right?
- [28:54]
James Edwards
So, yeah, like, I think that in theory they have. The best that they can do is insulate those two with Mikhail, with og, with a heart and a deuce. Right. But it's still. It's not just one guy that's eligible to be picked on. It's two. And that's just going to be something that I don't know if it's possible to get sorted out. Right. But that's pro. They're gonna. If. If Mike Brown's gonna have to find a way to at least, like, experiment with enough stuff to see if it's. If it's possible.
- [29:27]
Esperahenny
Do you. If you look at, like, the. The landscape of the Eastern Conference right now, and I feel like we've asked this question a bunch, but, like, Cleveland is sort of stumbling at this point. They're injured, they've dealt with a couple of injuries, but they're also going through their own, quote, unquote, identity crisis. Detroit is obviously playing very well, but then there's, like, the middle of the Eastern Conference. There's a bunch of teams grouped there. The Knicks obviously have a tremendous opportunity here because they know that they have, like, they could go toe to toe with any of these teams right now. If you look at the east, do you still peg them as the best team in the Eastern Conference moving forward?
- [30:05]
James Edwards
I mean, I think they have the highest upside. Right. Like, I don't want to disrespect the teams that are above them, sure, because they've played the same teams, but, I mean, they have two. One top 10 player, two top 25 players, and four or five top 75, 80 players. Right. So I think their upside is the highest. I will say that. Do I still wonder if all the pieces work? Right? Like, I think we forget that Detroit series was very close.
- [30:38]
Dave DeFore
Oh, yeah.
- [30:38]
James Edwards
I think it was separated by like, five points.
- [30:40]
Mint Mobile/Instacart Advertiser
Yep.
- [30:42]
James Edwards
They did what they had to do in Boston. Right. Not taking away from them, but they were. They were down big multiple times. That could have easily went the other way. Right. And. And then to their credit, if Halliburton doesn't hit the craziest shot I've ever seen, maybe they're the NBA Finals, too. Right. So right there, there is. It's not like this team was picture perfect on its way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Like, there were Legitimate concerns that clearly they felt like, needed to be addressed because they switched their coach. Do I think that. Well, I think Mike Brown has done a good job. Do I think that was all that needed to be done to rectify, like, or to get over the hump and win an NBA? Like, they're not trying to just get to the Finals, they're trying to win NBA championship. Right. Like, do I think that, like, that was it, that that's all that needed to be done to get there? I don't. But I certainly think that, like, when you just look at what they're capable of doing, right. Like Mikhail can have those. Mikhail's capable of going off. As we saw in the fourth quarter. We know Jalen Brunson, pound for pound, might be the best scorer in basketball. We know Carl Anthony Towns is a tremendous shooting big man. We know OG Anuno's one of the best three point shooters in basketball. Right. Josh Artist, I mean, the guy shooting like 45% from three over the last month.
- [32:01]
Esperahenny
Yeah.
- [32:01]
James Edwards
Deuce McBride, too. Like, their upside, like, they just have guys that can score the basketball and guys that can like, take over a game when a guy's not going. Right. So you have to give them that, that's that built in, kind of like, if you will.
- [32:21]
Mint Mobile/Instacart Advertiser
Yeah.
- [32:21]
James Edwards
They can knock you out.
- [32:23]
Dave DeFore
Yeah, right, absolutely. But they can get.
- [32:25]
James Edwards
Comparing them to the teams in the East. Yes, exactly. They can get knocked out too. Yeah, yeah. I think what it goes down to, I don't know if any team in the east scares any team in the West. And what I mean by that is.
- [32:41]
Esperahenny
Like, particularly one team in the West.
- [32:43]
Dave DeFore
Well, yeah, right, right, right.
- [32:46]
James Edwards
But I think, like, even if you look at like, so we're talking about the Knicks, like, again, they can be beat. They, they're capable of being a very bad defensive team. The Pistons are a tremendous team. Like, they're, they play their ass off, they defend at a high level. But when you get into a playoff series, is it, like, is it going to bite them that they don't have another guy that can consistently create and score and score his own shot? Right. Like, they're still missing that, that second guy. Like, it might not matter, Right. But we tend to see in the playoffs that that stuff does matter. And then you look again, Cleveland, like, nobody's taking Cleveland seriously because they don't win in the playoffs. Atlanta, are they better with Trey Young or without Trey Young? Right. Like the Raptors, they don't shoot enough threes. They, like their best players, all operate the best in the, in the same area of the floor. So I think the door is open for the Knicks again to, to get to the Eastern Conference finals because they have the firepower and they have one of the best players in the world. But I also think, like you said, like, they can, they can put up stinkers too. Right? They're not, they're not immune to stinkers. And I would call tonight, even though they ended up fighting back, probably the most bizarre loss they've had this. It was a bizarre loss. It was, it was. Yeah, it was bizarre.
- [34:01]
Esperahenny
The Boston Celtics though had an incredible game, particularly Jalen Brown who had his third 40 point game of the season. His scoring this year has been absurd. He's been getting into his mid range bag at will. I mean he's number one in the NBA right now in mid range efficiency, which is crazy to say. Like he's shooting better than Kevin Durant, than sga, than Ingram, than any of those guys in the mid range area. What did you see from him tonight? Because it feels like he is unstoppable right now.
- [34:31]
James Edwards
Yeah, it feels like a guy who's in control. His scoring is taking a major uptick. I even think like his processing. Right. Like, I think there's just a patience about him. The handle's still a little iffy. Right. I think he's probably, he's probably happy. Oh geez. Out. But like I, I definitely think like the guy is just seeing the game. I think the game slowing down for him. I think the guy seeing just the next play. Right. Or the next, not just like what's in front of him but what's going to happen next. Yeah, I think he, he's really turned the corner with his processing. And yeah, the Celtics, they leaning into that small ball lineup. I mean if Mano is going to shoot like that, like that's great for them. If Jordan Walsh is going to be like their Josh Hart. Right. Like that's great for them if, if Derrick White's going to keep being Derrick White and Pritchard and they can get Hauser to get back to shooting how he was. Like they're not like a team that I think has Eastern Conference finals potential, but like I, I feel pretty good about them being a playoff team. Yeah. Like I feel like I don't, I don't worry about them if they're going to make the playoffs or not. Assuming health is in their favor, very.
- [35:36]
Esperahenny
Tough first round out type of thing.
- [35:37]
James Edwards
Yeah, right. Exactly. And then listen, and if there's a world. Tatum's back by Then it sounds like.
- [35:42]
Dave DeFore
So that we believe Celtics. Is that what we're saying here?
- [35:45]
James Edwards
I mean, listen, listen, I've seen Isaiah Thomas, the, the not Z. What they call Z it not. Yeah. Wasn't there like a baby?
- [35:58]
Esperahenny
I don't know to be honest.
- [35:59]
James Edwards
It was like somebody had a good one. But yeah, I mean maybe we need.
- [36:03]
Dave DeFore
Let's call a Pistons rider and maybe they'll know.
- [36:06]
James Edwards
No, no, no, no.
- [36:07]
Dave DeFore
I met different Isaiah.
- [36:09]
James Edwards
Okay.
- [36:11]
Dave DeFore
I was like.
- [36:12]
James Edwards
Yeah, there was like a, there was like a Zeke esque nickname for him that I can't remember.
- [36:16]
Esperahenny
King in the 4th and pizza guy are the only basketball reference nicknames for Pizza Guy.
- [36:22]
Dave DeFore
Pizza Guy.
- [36:22]
Esperahenny
No idea where that.
- [36:23]
Dave DeFore
That's more of a. Alex maybe, I don't know. Always delivering for us. James Edwards, you working on anything this week? Got anything big coming out?
- [36:35]
James Edwards
Yeah, I'm getting ready to write on just the inside the most bizarre loss of the season. Just kind of guys thoughts on how they went from essentially looking like they were bored at playing so well to playing so they decided to play as terrible as possible and just all the craziness that happened there. And then later on this week, Mike Brown. I'm writing a story on how Mike Brown is kind of very much.
- [36:59]
Adam Grant
Pushed.
- [36:59]
James Edwards
For collaboration with this group and the players talking about how the open door policy and how when there's things that they feel like that he presents to them and then they do go through it and there's things that need to be tweaked. He's very open to maneuvering things to help to the players. So just a little look on just how he's trying to implement his philosophies and beliefs by letting these guys dictate what they do. Right. Like it's not a, it's not a dictatorship.
- [37:32]
Esperahenny
James, one more question for you. Have the Knicks made you respect the Cup?
- [37:39]
James Edwards
I'll never respect the cup, man.
- [37:41]
Esperahenny
Come on, man. Listen, how do you feel?
- [37:44]
Dave DeFore
Look, course is conflicted by the way. He's conflicted because it's do we want the Raptors in Vegas or do we want James Edwards in Vegas? Because it really is.
- [37:54]
Esperahenny
It's a, it's a tough question. You're right.
- [37:56]
LinkedIn Jobs Advertiser
Yeah.
- [37:56]
James Edwards
Well the thing is if James Edwards goes to Vegas, that trip ends with a stop and stop in Indianapolis. So I'd be on the road for like 12 days. I don't know if like would I like some 67 degree weather right now? Like sure. Selfishly, do I want to fly across the country just so. So a team can raise A banner because they beat a couple teams before December.
- [38:21]
Esperahenny
Hey, man, Ariel Huckport, he can get an extra 500k.
- [38:25]
James Edwards
You know, I hope those guys, if they win, I hope those guys get looked out by, by their, their richer teammates. But I still think that this cup is dumb until they add the G League teams or. Wow. And that, well, that's the thing, right? Like, they want to make it like soccer. Well, Tottenham goes plays the fifth division team in England in the right in the fa.
- [38:49]
Esperahenny
I said they need to start bringing in Real Madrid.
- [38:52]
Dave DeFore
Okay.
- [38:52]
Esperahenny
It's not going to happen with the.
- [38:53]
Dave DeFore
International team teams, but I like this idea of the G League teams. And I don't know, man. Nil. Money is crazy. What if you threw some college teams in there? Those guys can get absolutely wrecked. Absolutely wrecked. Grand Rapids, take a G League team and drop them in the NCAA tournament and watch what happens. It's a rap.
- [39:16]
Esperahenny
Listen, the 905 right now, undefeated Slenny.
- [39:19]
Andrew Schlecht
Yeah.
- [39:19]
Dave DeFore
Raptors 905 would be national champions for four years straight.
- [39:24]
James Edwards
Michigan State would beat the Wizards right now. So wow.
- [39:28]
Dave DeFore
The Wizards beat the Bucks last night or the night before last. So I'm not sure. So, yeah, anyway.
- [39:33]
LinkedIn Jobs Advertiser
All right.
- [39:33]
James Edwards
Or another story.
- [39:34]
Esperahenny
But yeah, the Knicks will make you respect the cup, James. I promise it.
- [39:39]
Dave DeFore
James Edwards over at the Athletic. Thank you to James for hanging out. Thanks to Esper Henny. I'm Dave Dufour, and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.
- [40:13]
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