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Dave DeFore
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Fred Katz
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Zena Keda
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Fred Katz
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily. Coming up, it's the playoffs. Fred Cass is here to talk about the YIC bump. And we're going to break down some of the pivotal series as we march toward the finals. Good morning, everybody. Good morning, guys. How's it going?
Zena Keda
Good morning. It's going well. We're taking a little break before the playoffs start. Shout out to the play ins being the players.
Fred Katz
I love this pace. Fred Katz is here, right off the jump. Fred, this is about as light of a schedule as you've had all year, right?
Oh, yeah, yeah. Nothing. I. It's not like I've had features that I've been working on forever.
Yeah.
Coming out all week. It's not like I'm working on, you know, post mortem stuff. For 17 teams whose seasons are over and preparing for the playoffs coming up and everything else, none of that is happening. So I'm doing great.
Fred is in. It's. You've. You've been added to the list of guys that you just don't want to have writing about your team right as the season ends. I mean, you know, if Fred is writing about your team right now, except for the Knicks, it's probably not great. Although you did write about Nikola Jokic and the Jokic bump, the Jokic effect and the way that this guy elevates his teammates. Now, look, you also covered John Wall, who was a guy that, that elevated his teammates quite a bit. Totally different styles. Right. John Wall would attack the basket and he'd find these shooters in the corner. Man, how do you wrap your head around a guy like Jokic that finds shooters in places where they normally don't stand and where usually guys can't make passes too?
Yeah, to me. So I wrote, I wrote this story and it kind of started. I don't like going into a story with an idea of this is exactly what I'm writing about, no matter what. Because I find if. If you, if you have specific goals going into a story before you know everything, then you end up getting tunnel vision. And ironically, like, you end up not being. You should treat a story like Nikola Jokic treats a basketball game. No tunnel vision. Don't lock in on one spot. Just know you got the whole court to work with. So I go in, I'm like, I'm just going to talk to people about things I think are interesting and people are going to explain things to me and I'm going to learn things and then a story is going to start to. To form and you go in with an idea of kind of what you're thinking. And originally what I was thinking was hey, Christian Brown is way better this year. I would like to write something about how Christian Brown has been way better this year and kind of how this happened. And I. And Christian Brown was nice enough to talk to me for a very long time. I mean, he gave me a ton of time and was extremely open in our interview. And I always appreciate it when guys who I cover can be so honest and available and it's like, that's why you do the job. It was really cool. We had a great conversation and props to him for, for being kind enough to do that. And he just kept saying to me, like, I'm not that improved, man. Like, I'm not that, not that improved. And. And I think he's a very modest guy. And so I think the number one place where that comes from was him being a very humble person. I also think he wasn't lying. Like, I don't think he thought he was lying at least, because what he kept saying was he was like, you know, the coaching staff has done an amazing job with me. And then he was like, this is Nicola. Look at what Nicola does with everybody. And we dove into, okay, so how does Nicola help you? Like, obviously he's gonna find you on all these cuts and do all this stuff, but, like, how does he help you? And we start talking about the off the court stuff, and he tells me a story about how when he was a rookie, they do these pre practice stretches and he wasn't taking stretching seriously enough. So Jokic, after a little while of telling him to take it more seriously, goes over, takes his stretching mat and plops it next to him and is like, you are stretching next to me, bud. And they still stretch next to each other every day and all these little things. And then it starts to hit me. Like, I covered Isaiah Hartenstein, he was with the Knicks, and Hartenstein used to tell me that he thinks Jokic is just a total genius. And so he would just, just, just follow around Jokic. And I think even Isaiah was just like, I think I probably annoyed him at different points and would just ask him basketball questions to pick his brain. And he would tell me that Jokic taught him that passing is about passing with your eyes, certain ways to manipulate the defense with your eyes. And I always thought that was such a fascinating example. And I was like, there's gotta be more examples of Jokic, like, teaching. We all know he's a basketball genius. You don't have to talk to him to know he's a basketball genius. We all know he's a Basketball genius. And I was like, there have got to be other examples of guys who have played with Jokic who have learned this ridiculously nuanced stuff that they never would have otherwise thought of. And so I started calling around the teammates and people who I knew already, people whose contact information I was able to get, and asking him those questions. And every teammate, current or former, that I spoke to of Jokic was like, oh, yeah, you're on the nose. That's 100% true. And he's got this reputation of being a guy who keeps himself and you know what, likes his horses and he wins the title and he just wants to get home to Serbia as quickly as possible. And every single person who I spoke to has played with him was like, that's not it. That's like the public Persona. He doesn't like being front facing. He doesn't like talking about himself. It makes him uncomfortable. He's too humble, he's too modest with that. But like, this dude cares so much about basketball. And here are all of these very, very specific, tangible examples of how much he cares, why he cares, how it comes through, and how he's taught me about really specific parts of the game that I otherwise never would have known about. And that's kind of what the story became about. And it was really like a dive into Jokic's mind through other people.
Zena Keda
I mean, you literally kind of describe his dolphin like, sonar abilities, which was really fun to learn about. I was shocked that at one point you said that people think that Jokic doesn't watch films. And I'm like, who thinks that? You can literally see that in the way that he dices up defenses and pre reads screens and different plays and blows them up in that way. If you're looking at, if you're looking at Jokic in the grand scheme of players. Greatest, right, Greatest of all time. Do you think that he is just more efficient in the way that he. He does film or watches film, etc. Or is he like 10 times more studious than anyone that's come before him? I feel as if he's not putting in as much effort, but he's still getting the same result in terms of just being able to watch film and, and dice things up or dissect things? Excuse me.
Fred Katz
I think he's really studious, to be honest. I mean, look, the number one reason that he's like this is because he's a brilliant dude. That's the number one reason, I think. I think.
Zena Keda
Does that mean he doesn't have to work as hard.
Fred Katz
Well, yeah, maybe it works. Yeah.
But.
Zena Keda
Right.
Fred Katz
I think I. I think if you or Dave or I watched as much basketball as Nicole Jokic, and honestly, we might. We might watch as much basketball as Nicole Jokic. I watch a lot of basketball. I have ruined my life with the amount of basketball that I watch. I don't do anything. I have to say no to weddings because a game is on, you know, Like, I don't. I don't do anything.
Zena Keda
That is a personal ch. Choice, Fred.
Fred Katz
But.
Zena Keda
Okay, it is.
Fred Katz
It is a personal choice. But that's my point. It's ruining me. And I think part of it is just like, this dude is brilliant. He thinks on another level. His mind is his superpower. And I think that's part of it. I do think he's really obsessive. You know, A note that I had in the story is that, like, so Christian Brown is a huge hoops head. And when I. When I talk to guys who are huge hoops heads, I like note noting that in stories when necessary, because I think people on the outside often think, oh, you're in the NBA. You much must watch basketball all the time. I talk to players, and I'm not gonna throw anyone under the bus, but I talk to players all the time who just like, never watch basketball.
Oh, yeah.
Just never watch. Just don't even follow the league. And they'll. They'll. They'll watch the. The film that their assistant coaches send them leading into games and stuff. I'm not saying they don't. They don't work at that kind of stuff. And they refuse to do the. The minimum amount of work, but it's just like, it's a Wednesday night and there's a, you know, 7:30 games on League Pass and the 10:00 games on league pass, and they're just like. Don't even have a league pass subscription. You know, like, they're just not even. It's just not what they care to do. They don't watch. And that describes, like, a lot of NBA players. Like, a lot.
Yeah.
Of NBA players. Because I think when it's your job. And I think we can all relate to this in some way because it's our job, too. When it's your job, it starts to feel like work. And you're like, I need. I need a break. I might love basketball, but I need a break from work. I need a night off. I need a break from work. I've been doing basketball all day. I got to do something else at night. And then there are the guys like Kevin Durant who go home every day. And you met Dave, you mentioned John Wall. John was like this, who just go home. And if there is a basketball game on, I don't care if it is a third grade youth league game that just happens to be televised, and it's in Des Moines, Iowa. Kevin Durant will find that game and put it on and be like, that kid's footwork on the back ends of pick and rolls is a disaster. And like, Kevin Durant will watch that game. You know, he's just that obsessed and that in love with the game. I think Jokic is watching a lot of games, and Christian Brown is like that. He will go home and he will watch games every night, and they'll notice tendencies and that kind of stuff. And he's taken to going to Jokic the next days and being like, oh, I noticed this stuff. What did you notice about this? And they'll go through, they'll compare notes, and he's kind of picking his brain and learning stuff.
And.
And Jokic is quiet. He's a quiet leader. He's not someone who's gonna yell. He's not someone who's gonna be rah, rah. And he's not someone who's just gonna share everything on his mind just because it's on his mind. Because I don't think he thinks of himself as a basketball genius because he's a humble dude, but he is one. And the people who ask him stuff. I have a quote in the story where Hartenstein was just like, Just freely admits, like, I asked him tons of stuff. And. And Jokic even has a thing where he says, like, I don't really think I'm. I'm much of a talker or anything like that. And then he kind of corrected himself. He was like, actually, if people ask me questions, I will. I will answer them. And. And something I didn't include in the story because it didn't come across as well in. In print, but in person it was great. And it made me laugh really hard where he said. I mentioned Hartenstein being like, you know, he said. He said he didn't really, you know, he doesn't really share all that much. And I was like, well, Isaiah said that he just. Just followed you around like a little puppy and was just asking you questions. And he was like, oh, yeah, Isaiah was annoying as hell. And, and. But he meant it like. Like they're really close. Like, he meant it with love. But I wrote it in the quote, and I Was like, it doesn't come across as like, in person. It comes across as like such a joke, you know, like he loves Isaiah. But in, in the quote, I was like, it doesn't, it doesn't come across.
Zena Keda
It's gonna be very strong. Taken out of context.
Fred Katz
Exactly. So I, I deleted it. I was like, it's, it's not right. So I, I deleted it. But like, you know, Isaiah was somebody who really peppered him with questions. Monte Morris was a guy who was like, hey, Monty Morris has a quote in the story. Was like, he's, he's the mvp. Maybe I should just try his method. And I think Christian Brown has the exact same mentality as well, where he's like, well, this guy is on another planet. So I'm just going to copy everything he does. And look at what's happened to Christian Brown. Dude's a better coach. Ever been Hardenstein?
I mean, the, the Jokic bump is something that has carried guys to better careers. I mean, we're not long off from the Jokic big man camp, in my opinion. You know, if you're like, if you're a struggling rotation level big and you're a free agent, why not go play with Jokic for a season and see what you can pick up? Guys, go and read that story. It's over at the Athletic. We'll link it in the show description. And hang on. After the break, Fred's gonna hang out and we're gonna talk about some of these big playo, starting with whether the Nuggets can beat the Clippers. The playoffs are kicking off this weekend. I thought we could kick around the more competitive series and just. I want to get your thoughts. Fred, I want to start with you. We might as well start with the Nuggets. And Clippers just talked about Jokic and how good he is. The, the Clippers have been awesome the last six weeks. You know, of the season, best offense, best defense. Avita Zubach defense. Player of the year candidate. Most improved candidate, Kawhi Leonard looking like Kawhi Leonard. How do you, how do you see this series shaken out?
I, I, I think this is just going to be an absolutely fabulous series. I, I am so curious to see how the Clippers go about defending Nicole Jokic and, and ultimately I, the Clippers in this one. Just because I don't know if there's a better coach. I mean, Eric Spra is unbelievable. I don't know if there is a better playoff coach than Ty Lou. The guy is so brilliant. Game to game might not Be a better regular season coach than Ty Lou either.
Adjustment wise, I, I, I put him at the top of the list.
I mean, he's, he's just so unbelievably brilliant in terms of getting the most out of everybody. And then you got David Adelman on the other side who might be amazing. Right? I just don't know. We have no idea. He's coached for a week and he's got coaching in his blood, but he's coached for a week and we just don't know. And the Clippers as constructed with Kawhi playing the best ball he's played all season. The Clippers as constructed are just a monster defensively. They really are. Evita Zubots has had one of the best defensive seasons in the NBA. Certainly his best defensive season ever. And I put him on my second team all defense. I thought he was great. This year I had him second for Mip. You got Chris Dunn, who we talked ball perimeter defense last week on the pod and you guys were like, how do you not have Chris Dunn? And it's only because he wasn't eligible for awards. Chris Dunn is a phenomenal guy to be able to throw on Jamal Murray. And they can create these really creative ways of guarding Jokic too. You know, we've seen teams have successful with Jokic, not necessarily putting their number one best big man defender on Jokic. You know, Minnesota had a lot of success against Denver where they go, okay, last year, they put cat on Jokic. They have Rudy Gobert kind of guarding away from Jokic and you have Gobert shading over into the lane. So when Jokic spins into the lane, you have Gobert there to disrupt. I think they can do stuff like that with Zubots. You could try Kawhi.
I think we're gonna get Kawhi on Jokic. I think we're gonna see Harden on Jokic. I mean, Xena, like they've got all these long win. I was just gonna say my biggest thing, Xena, though I don't know how the Nuggets are going to guard Kawhi and guard James Harden.
Zena Keda
Yeah, the biggest thing that I'm looking at the Clippers, that they just have bodies, they have consistent bodies that you can come off the bench and just throw at folks. And all of them are long and athletic, whereas Denver is limited in their ability to one just throw bodies at you and then also to find additional offense when their defense isn't working. Yeah, I really think that it's going to be a game of runs between these Two particularly led on the Denver side by Jokic, of course, but Jamal Murray is going to have to lock in and not only offensively working off of working with Jokic, but he's going to have to play some serious defense. And we know he can, we know he's capable. But that's the problem that you've seen with the Clippers, especially as they close the season. It's not that their defense is just great, but they also led the league in the last 10 games in their three point percentage as well. They, they are led the lead in their offensive rating. Like they just have found all of this offense. Thanks, Kawhi. And now it's a matter for Denver to be like, all right, we, we know we can be monstrous in the paint. We know that, you know, we can pick and roll you to death. We have Jokic, that's, you know, a game changer always. But what's going to happen on the other side for them defensively? I don't know what, what Denver is going to be able to throw out.
Fred Katz
Sounds like we're all kind of on the Clippers bandwagon there, you know? Yeah, I, I just don't know if the, the Nuggets have enough talent. What about the other Big West?
Can I make one caveat really quickly, Dave? Yeah, really quick caveat.
Yeah, absolutely.
Denver has the best player in the world.
In the world.
Not particularly close. And if the best player in the world plays at his A plus game, then it might not matter. Just all the stuff we just discussed might matter. Not at all.
Throw it out the window. I will say this, though. Kawhi. Leonard.
Zena Keda
I was just gonna say maybe good.
Fred Katz
Enough right now that he is the best player in the series. And I'm not saying he's a better player than Jokic, but in this series he could be because the Nuggets just struggle defensively. What about Lakers, Wolves? Zena? Like, we. I, I feel like this is a, this is a big time matchup, obviously, but the Wolves just didn't want to see Luca after what he did to him last year. And it's kind of perfect that, that they've lined up this way. How are you looking at the Lakers and Wolves?
Zena Keda
Yeah, that's kind of fun. The part about this matchup is that like, there's a little bit of history between them. You know, even though, yes, Luka was with Dallas back then, it still feels as if they have to have some redemption in the way that they handled him last time. And the problem now is that Luka is not alone. He also has LeBron James and also all of the size around them. But I'm looking at this matchup. I do feel good about Minnesota's defense. Like that's what picked up at the end of the regular season. They found some confidence in themselves. And also Anthony Edwards has a little bit of redemption to have last year. I feel like he was just on the cusp of being a superstar in a series, being able to adjust. And also he said last year the number one thing that he struggled with was his conditioning. He just wasn't in shape to be able to handle a series against a Luka and, and the defensive Dallas could bring. He has in this one season been able to adjust to double teams. He's been able to pick up his offense in general, just being able to condition up and down the floor. I do feel as if Minnesota can put up a great fight against the Lakers. But again, LeBron and Luka are championship caliber players. One has won a championship.
Fred Katz
It's hard to like, yeah, it's, it's hard to bet against LeBron. I mean, yeah, like we just talked about all this decision making and whatnot from, from Jokic and I mean when you've got two high level decision makers, obviously the decisions become easier to make because now the defense has to account for more. What are you paying attention to in LA Lakers Wolves?
This is probably my favorite first round series because sneakily you look at, you look at teams, often the team that wins the title is the most balanced, is, is at least amongst the most balanced teams. And you look four teams finished in the top 10 in offense and the top 10 in defense in the NBA. And it was the three you would expect. Cleveland, Oklahoma City, Boston, and the fourth is Minnesota. And when you look at contrast of styles in this series, Minnesota's played great ball to close the year. And you look at contrast of styles in this series. The post Anthony Davis Lakers play really small. They play and when I say really small, they, they're going to use one big man in their postseason rotation and it's going to be Jackson Hayes. And even when they use Jackson Hayes, they tend to employ small team strategies. Now they're not as small as people say because like their wings big. Hachimura is big and Jared Vanderbilt is big. And like you look at a lot of their guys, they're big. Luca is a huge point guard. LeBron is big. Like they have big guys, but they employ small team strategies. Nobody switches on screens more than the Lakers do right now. That is their number One strategy that they deploy and they'll put out a lineup that has Austin, Reeves, LeBron, Doncic, Hachimura and Dorian, Finney Smith, where I don't know who the hell is the center. I don't know if it's LeBron, I don't know if it's Dorian, Finney, Smith, whatever else. And they will put out that really small lineup. And that lineup is not great defensively. It is insane offensively. When they have Austin, reeves, Luca and LeBron on the court together, they score 129 points per 100 possessions, which is otherworldly. It's 99th percentile amongst all lineups. It's absolutely crazy even if they're giving up points. Minnesota, meanwhile, is capable of going small with nasrid at the 5. But Minnesota, when they're best utilized, is going to have Rudy Gobert on the court. So what's going to happen here? Like, Minnesota is huge, right? Jaden McDaniels is a huge 3. Anthony Edwards is a huge 2. Nikhil Alexander Walker defensively plays big. The guy is unbelievable guarding screens. If he's going to be in parts of those lineups, if Mike Conley is out and Nas in there instead, and then obviously you have Julius Randle, you have Nas Reed, you have Rudy Gobert, who's a giant center. Like, how are those two stylistic contrasts going to work if the Lakers go to their really small lineup without Jackson Hayes? And even if Jackson Hayes is out there, they switch with Jackson Hayes a lot too, because he's got. He's got really good feet and has been way better the last three months. It happened before they traded Ad. He started to play way better ball. But there's going to be a really interesting stylistic contrast. Are the Wolves going to kill them with size? The Wolves are also one of the best offenses in the league against switches. Anthony Edwards is really good against switches. Julius Randle has been, for all the flak he's taken this year, has been great against switches. One of the best ways the Wolves create threes is with Julius Randle post ups. He's been one of the most willing passers out of post ups this year. He is great at finding guys either on the weak side wing who swing it to the corner or just straight to the weak side corner for threes. It is going to be really interesting stylistically. It's two, I think, really smart coaches, too. I'm very excited for this series. It could go either way and I think it's going to determine, like, which team can impose its own style Is the, the big lineups for Minnesota going to be too much for the Lakers or the small lineups for the Lakers going to be too much for Minnesota? And I think whoever wins that little sort of battle is going to end up winning the series.
Yeah, it's a huge Rudy Gobert series. And I don't know if I love that if I'm Minnesota. Like, that can go left really fast quickly before we have to get out of here. Pacers, Bucks. We found out Damian Lillard's gonna play. I think the Pacers match up really, really well with them. They've had a nice season. Nemhardt and Niecemith are built for the playoffs. I think, you know, just when the way that they play both ways, Fred, look that it feels like they played 40 times in the last 18 months. This is a rivalry like, which we don't really get in the NBA anymore. Why does it feel like the Bucks don't have much of a chance? Am I, Am I discounting Giannis?
No, you're not discounting Giannis because I think we can all agree he's the best player in the series. But the way the Pacers are playing right now, since like the new year, offensively, I mean, Halliburton has just been insane with his assisted turnovers. And a guy who is distributing at that level and playing at that speed. Normally the assistant turnover guys are the slower, more prodding point guards. Or Tyus Jones and Chris Paul. They're not dudes who are fast break point guards who never turn it over. Normally, if you're a fast break point guard, it's baked into the formula. I also think the Pacers defense is better than it gets credit for, to be honest.
Agreed.
Zena Keda
Much better this year. Absolutely. They got much better this year. And their size inside has been Miles and. Yeah, and Nemhard's been back and that's the big thing. Last year, the Pacers had no perimeter defense, forcing Miles Turner to have to be the person inside. And now you've got Nemhardt, you've got Nismith, and I mean, even McConnell does a pretty great job of at least directing traffic out there. Like, I think. Think they match up pretty well. And they'll, they'll. They're pesky enough outside in the perimeter. That's going to make things uncomfortable for.
Fred Katz
The Bucks and, and they can score. You know, that's the other thing. Like, once you get to the playoffs, you can have a good defense and you can be an okay team during the regular season, but if you can't score Come playoff time and we know they can. I, I don't know. I like this, this Pacers team more than I like last year's team. And it's because of the defense. They just, they got into the playoffs last year. I felt like they figured something out out with their defensive identity in that Knick series when they turned up the ball pressure. I expect to see that against especially Damian Lillard after missing a few weeks.
And the other side is like, yeah, the other side of it is just like who is stopping Tyler Tyrese Halliburton on that Milwaukee Dame is going to get destroyed.
He's going to get eaten away.
Zena Keda
And it's not even just in the half court. It's also in transition. That's the part.
Fred Katz
Okay, so we, we cannot not talk. Nick's, Nick's Pistons switch. Fred, give me 30 seconds on, on how the Knicks win and how the Pistons lose.
The Knicks are just much more talented than the Pistons. That's a very harsh way of saying it, but I don't think you can make an argument that the Knicks have anything other than four of the five best players in this series. And if you have four of the five best players in a series, you should win. If the Knicks lose this series, it will be because the Knicks let go of the rope. I think Kate Cunningham could have an unbelievable put himself on the map. Holy crap, this guy's going to be an MVP series. And the Pistons could still lose. Who's second best player on the Pistons? Malik Beasley. Like they, that's not Carl Anthony Towns. That's not Og Anunoby, that's not Mikhail Bridges. That might not even be Josh Hart. That's it's, it's it. There's just a large talent discrepancy. And the Pistons play tough and they play hard, but there's kind of a large disparity of wealth. Their quality of defenders. On one hand you got Assar Thompson and Isaiah Stewart who are excellent. But you also have guys who the Knicks will feel comfortable attacking like Jaylen Duran, like Tim Hardaway Jr. I just, I, I, I think if the Knicks play this right, they should win this series. However, the Knicks have kind of not played things right a little too often this year. So it makes me a little uneasy. Whereas the Pistons have gotten everything you could want want out of their talent. So that part would make me a little uneasy. But the talent discrepancy is so large that I just have trouble not picking the Knicks as much of a feel good story the Pistons are. And as Much as I have loved watching them play basketball this year, Pistons.
Gonna come out trying to punch him in the face and see, you know, like we've, we've watched it all year. The Pistons ready to fight everybody. I, I, I don't know, we, we've been on the Pistons basically the beat since the start of the season and S is like they're going to make the playoffs. And I was, they are a great story. But yeah, Zena, they just don't have.
Zena Keda
The talent that I agree with everything Fred Katz said, if you look down the roster, you just can't match them up evenly. The biggest thing that comes down to all of these series, but particularly the Pistons, Knicks, is that this is a series. It's not a one game situation. In a one game situation, you could potentially see the tenacity with which the Pistons play to outdo just the energy that the Knicks bring out. But over the course of seven games, I'm trusting Cat, I'm trusting Brunson, I'm trusting OG to be clutch, to make decisions, to make adjustments necessary offensively to get the win. On that end, I do trust the Detroit Pistons on the defensive end at the end of games in terms of just, you know, Isaiah Stewart making things tough. We saw that most recently with the Knicks. But still, at the end of the day, I trusted a Jalen Brunson to get it done more than I trust Kate Cunningham. Yeah, I think, sorry, Pistons, we love you.
Fred Katz
The Knicks also have been playing all season with their playoff rotations, so they're ready. That's gonna do it for today's show, folks.
Shouts to the Pistons. Young guys though. Yeah, yeah, they are. JB Bicker Thompson is just one of my favorite staff.
Very good coach. Unbelievable job by Fred Katz and Xena Keda. Thank you guys for hanging out. We made it to the playoffs, guys. Enjoy the weekend. Games are going to be awesome and they actually matter. That's going to do it for us. Thank you guys for listening. Make sure you hit the like button. Subscribe on YouTube. Leave us a five star review. Wherever you listen to podcasts, you guys know the drill by now. I'm Dave DeFore and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.
Dave DeFore
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Podcast Summary: The Athletic NBA Daily - "Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump" (April 18, 2025)
Hosted by Dave DeFore, Zena Keda, and Fred Katz, "The Athletic NBA Daily" delivers insightful and comprehensive coverage of the NBA's most pressing topics. In the April 18, 2025 episode titled "Wolves over Lakers? + The Jokic Bump," the hosts delve deep into playoff dynamics, player influences, and pivotal matchups shaping the postseason landscape.
Fred Katz initiates the discussion by exploring the significant impact of Nikola Jokic on his teammates and the broader NBA landscape, coining it the "Jokic Bump." Katz shares his investigative journey into understanding how Jokic's basketball intelligence elevates those around him.
Understanding Jokic's Influence:
"[Fred] treated a story like Nikola Jokic treats a basketball game. No tunnel vision. Don't lock in on one spot. Just know you got the whole court to work with." (04:16)
Personal Accounts from Teammates:
Katz recounts conversations with players like Christian Brown and Isaiah Hartenstein, highlighting Jokic's mentorship. For instance, Brown modestly credits the coaching staff and Jokic for his improved performance:
"The coaching staff has done an amazing job with me. And then he was like, this is Nikola. Look at what Nikola does with everybody." (05:50)
Jokic's Teaching Methods:
A notable anecdote involves Jokic encouraging Brown to take stretching seriously by practicing alongside him. Additionally, Hartenstein praises Jokic's genius, noting how Jokic taught him nuances of passing and defense:
"Nikola is just a total genius... passing is about passing with your eyes, certain ways to manipulate the defense with your eyes." (07:15)
Katz's Observations on Dedication:
Emphasizing Jokic's studious nature, Katz remarks:
"I think he's really studious, to be honest. I mean, look, the number one reason that he's like this is because he's a brilliant dude." (09:21)
With the playoffs underway, the hosts analyze key first-round series, focusing on strategic contrasts and player matchups.
Fred Katz expresses excitement over the Nuggets vs. Clippers series, highlighting both teams' strengths and coaching prowess.
Clippers' Defensive Prowess:
"Evita Zubots has had one of the best defensive seasons in the NBA. Certainly his best defensive season ever." (16:40)
Katz praises coach Ty Lue:
"He's just so unbelievably brilliant in terms of getting the most out of everybody." (16:11)
Jokic vs. Clippers' Defense:
Delving into how the Clippers might contain Jokic, Katz speculates:
"I think we're gonna get Kawhi on Jokic. I think we're gonna see Harden on Jokic." (20:07)
Zena Keda adds insights on the Clippers' depth and Denver's limited ability to counteract their physicality:
“The Clippers have bodies, they have consistent bodies that you can come off the bench and just throw at folks.” (18:31)
Zena Keda discusses the Lakers vs. Wolves series, emphasizing the historical context and player developments that could influence the outcome.
Redemption and Adjustments:
"Luka is not alone. He also has LeBron James and also all of the size around them." (20:32)
Minnesota's Defensive Improvements:
Keda highlights Minnesota's enhanced defense and Anthony Edwards' growth:
"Anthony Edwards has been able to adjust to double teams... he has picked up his offense in general." (21:05)
Fred Katz underscores the Lakers' offensive firepower versus Minnesota's defensive might:
“They are led in their offensive rating. Like they just have found all of this offense.” (19:51)
The hosts turn their attention to the Pacers vs. Bucks series, noting Damian Lillard's return and his matchup against Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Pacers' Offensive Surge:
"Halliburton has just been insane with his assisted turnovers... he's distributing at that level and playing at that speed." (26:15)
Bucks' Scoring Ability:
While recognizing the Bucks' defensive improvements, Katz remains cautious about their scoring:
"Once you get to the playoffs, ... if you can't score ..." (27:36)
Zena Keda praises the Pacers' defensive size and versatility:
“They've got Nemhardt, they've got Nismith... they can create threes effectively.” (27:36)
Fred Katz presents a stark contrast between the Knicks and Pistons, citing the Knicks' superior talent and the Pistons' gritty play.
Talent Disparity:
"The Knicks are just much more talented than the Pistons." (29:03)
Katz emphasizes the Knicks' roster strength:
“If you have four of the five best players in a series, you should win.” (29:03)
Pistons' Resilience:
Despite the talent gap, Katz acknowledges the Pistons' determination:
"They are a great story. But yeah, Zena, they just don't have [the talent]." (30:38)
Zena Keda concurs, focusing on the Knicks' reliance on key players to drive wins:
“It's a series. It's not a one game situation... I'm trusting Cat, I'm trusting Brunson, I'm trusting OG to be clutch.” (30:57)
As the episode wraps up, the hosts express their enthusiasm for the upcoming playoff games, emphasizing the importance of strategic matchups and player performances in determining series outcomes.
Fred Katz concludes:
“We made it to the playoffs, guys. Enjoy the weekend. Games are going to be awesome and they actually matter.” (31:50)
Zena Keda echoes the sentiment, anticipating intense and competitive playoff battles.
Notable Quotes:
Final Thoughts:
This episode of "The Athletic NBA Daily" offers a thorough examination of the playoff landscape, spotlighting individual brilliance, team strategies, and the intricate dynamics that could define the postseason. The "Jokic Bump" serves as a central theme, illustrating how elite players can elevate entire franchises. Meanwhile, the detailed breakdown of matchups provides listeners with a nuanced understanding of what to expect as the playoffs unfold.
For fans eager to grasp the multifaceted aspects of the NBA playoffs, this episode delivers both depth and clarity, making it an essential listen as teams vie for championship glory.