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- [00:01]
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Dave DeFore
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- [01:45]
Dave DeFore
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for May 5, 2026. I'm Dave DeFore here with Zena Cada. Coming up, the second round kicks off with an upset. The Wolves beat the spurs, the Knicks blew out the Sixers, and we've got Hunter Patterson here to preview. Pistons Cavs. Good morning everybody. Welcome back, Xena. Bonjour. How. How was your time away?
- [02:12]
Zena Cada
It was wonderful. Much needed. Needed a little break. I'm not gonna lie though, Dave. I came back with neck and back spasms and I was thinking it might have been the flight and then actually reviewing all of these games. It had to be the NBA because what? Boston, Denver, what? It was a lot going on. But I'm happy to be back just in time for round two to kick off. And I think we got one good game out of last night. I think that's the one we're gonna start with.
- [02:45]
Dave DeFore
Yeah, we Did. I mean, listen, if you're a Knicks fan, you're probably pretty ecstatic and we'll talk about that before we get to the games.
- [02:52]
Zena Cada
If you're a Knicks fan, you got two game good games.
- [02:54]
Dave DeFore
Yeah. Before we get to the games, I gotta give a shout out to Pablo Torre and the entire crew. From Pablo Torre finds out congratulations for winning a Pulitzer Prize for their investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers Kawhi Leonard aspiration. And maybe one day we will get the results of the NBA's investigation. But congratulations to Pablo Torre. Wow. Like, we're, we're very proud of this. So shout out to you guys. You do great work. And if somehow you're listening to us and you don't listen to Pablo, Tor finds out, I mean, it is premier sports journalism. So definitely go and go and check that out. They, they're amazing. All right, Zena. Also amazing. How about Anthony Edwards? This guy was not supposed to play until maybe next week. Comes off the bench in game one and you just, you can't help but call him a hero. The, The Wolves win 1 04, 1 02, and Anthony Edwards scored 18 points coming back. But it wasn't just the scoring. It was that he was on the court, he was putting pressure on the defense the entire time. Sometimes he was just a decoy and other guys were able to get off, you know, their stuff from him. Just this is what the playoffs are all about, this type of performance.
- [04:14]
Zena Cada
It's kind of crazy that he starts his post game interview saying he was disappointed in himself. Maybe thinking about a turnover at the end of the game or a player being able to score on him towards the end of the game. But man, that was not the focal point and it should not be the focal point. He came back and did exactly what was needed of him, especially against the San Antonio Spurs. Physical defense, he matched that physicality. He matched it like energy for energy, pound for pound, and he was able to be incredibly efficient from his shots. 8 of 13 is exactly what you'd want from someone that's coming back from injury. Not too much exertion, not too much output. But when you are getting touches, you're putting the ball up and you're putting it in or you're being exactly the attention grabber to. That allows for a Julius Randle to have a little bit more space. Jaden McDaniels to get into the, you know, the mid range and get some, some space as well because people are more occupied with guarding you. So Anthony Edwards, shout out to him only 25 minutes played. We can imagine that number is going to increase steadily as he continues to heal. But it phenomenal that he was available for game one and they ended up getting the win.
- [05:20]
Dave DeFore
Yeah, and listen, that's in spite of Victor weyama setting an NBA playoff single game record for blocks with 12. He had a triple double 11, 12 blocks, 15 rebounds. He also threw in five assists. And he was, he seemed like an unsolvable problem. But Xena, you know, I, I would clip this myself and, and bring it back out, but when we were previewing this series s. And I, I, I said that I hope that the Wolves come out with an attacking mindset. Now they had Terrence Shannon Jr. Out there, and the entire idea was everyone's going to get downhill. We're going to attack the rim. And you know, yeah, Wemby had 12 blocks. Wemby's going to block a lot of shots. But they had continued to put pressure. And by the end of the game, they actually started Zena. They started getting these little seal screens inside. So Julius Randle just gets into the paint, completely backs into Victor Wembanyama and starts opening the lane up physically for the Wolves to attack the basket. And I think part of that was that Wemby got worn down a little bit. I mean, you know, he blocked so many shots and was so active in this game. I think by the down the stretch, he was just a little bit gassed and I. And on the offensive end, he never really had it. And I wonder if the Wolves physicality didn't have something to do with that.
- [06:36]
Zena Cada
I want to, I want to separate the two because I do think the Minnesota Timberwolves physicality with Wemby while defending him was absolutely on point. I mean, Terry Shannon Jr. Did not let him get anything easy. No one did. Down, down below. Even Rudy Gobert, who didn't play that many, you know, minutes on him. There was a, there was a few, you know, different rotations, but any time that he was on Wemby, everyone was incredibly physical with him. So I do want to call that out and put that to the side. When it comes to how Wemby defended, yes, he, especially in the first half, shut down the main thing that Minnesota used to get past Denver, getting inside, getting past a really bad rim protector in Jokic, and being able to score in the paint. And now it felt like they couldn't find anything early on. And I think there is a point to maybe he was worn down, but we cannot underestimate the value in Chris Finch's decision to take Rudy out and place Terence Shannon Jr. In and going small allowed for Victor way. Manyama was playing a lot of drop, and he was playing a lot, you know, kind of just hedging himself in the paint, ready for those guys to come into the paint and find a way. And ultimately, when Terrence Shannon Jr. Came in and when Victor had to guard him, he was sitting down at the block, had to be aware that Terrence was there. He couldn't completely commit to blocking someone's shot or being the second person to double down in the paint. So it just changed the dynamic of what Victor was able to do and commit to and pay attention to slightly. And I think that that's gonna be a strategy moving forward for them to. Yeah, and they were one more thing, too. Oh, sorry, go ahead.
- [08:22]
Dave DeFore
I was gonna say they were pulling him out and actually getting him involved in pick and roll actions. Up top. They were doing that. That stack, pick and roll. So essentially where, you know, it's two screens, essentially to get to the screen, you know, to the first screen, you screen his man and screen off anyway, they were able to do that, and they were keeping him out of the paint While Terrence Shannon Jr. Is getting downhill, which was the key to the. The Wolves even, you know, closing out that. That series against the Nuggets when they. Sorry, continue your point.
- [08:53]
Zena Cada
No, I wanted to go back to your point that you made about Julius Randle. I think Jaden McDaniels, I mean, I think we. We really do have to hit on Jayden McDaniels. I mean, his offensive game is wild. It like he is such a playoff riser. I was looking at his stats from, you know, over the years in the playoffs. He's averaging the most amount he's had in playoffs. 17 points per game, had faded finish with 16 last night. But he's also averaging more shot attempts in the playoffs, and he does that consistently. He can be the second best scorer on this team when he wants to be. We saw, I mean, his handle when he gets inside the paint. And this is where I thought the Wolves finally figured it out a little bit in the second half. They got between their defender and Wemby and found a way to score in that gap. And I think that, you know, you talk a little bit about backing Wemby down. There was just Anthony Edwards getting past his defender and pulling up before he got to Wemby. Jaden McDaniels finished one with an extended arm. Gather over Wemby. He had a. He had a turnaround pivot like nice jumper where Wemby was in the background. But he, you know, he was able to do that over Dylan Harper. There was a lot of great mid range game happening for the Timberwolves towards the third and the fourth quarter. That also kind of render Victor, I'm not gonna say useless, let me not disrespect him. But it wasn't in the same regard that he was in the first half.
- [10:24]
Dave DeFore
Yeah, I think if you're looking for silver linings for the spurs, you, you have to hope that you're not going to miss so many open shots. They were 10 of 36 from 3. A lot of those were good looks including in my opinion that look that they got at the end of the game. Julian Shampen had a little rhythm dribble which you would have preferred he get it on a catch and shoot. My preference there would have been Dylan Harper actually taking it to the rack. That would have been a much better, a better shot. But you know, it is what it is. I, I also think Xena, this will be the worst Dear and Fox game in the series. 10 points. I was waiting for you to say six turnovers. You know, he was minus 13 and honestly it, it felt like minus 40 at times. I mean just it, it didn't feel like he was on the same page as everyone else. I mean he, you know, kind of blew a couple easy shots and so that's. If I'm a Spurs fan, that's probably what I'm sitting with right now. Hey, we lost one. The, you know, the Wolves have all this playoff experience and I think it showed down the stretch of this game. They never panicked even when they got down big to a team that's very good at front running. And I think that we saw the spurs young guys panic a little bit and you know, the game started to get away with them or away from them down the stretch. You know, they hit a big shot to make it 97, 91. And that was about the time that I felt like they had actually caught their breath from getting punched in the chest by, by the Wolves. But you know, this is, this is what the playoffs are all about. Sometimes you don't know until those lights are on you.
- [11:55]
Zena Cada
Exactly. And you know, the Dear Fox thing is it's funny because he actually played exactly as he typically does, which is be fine until the fourth quarter and then you know, Pop has, you know, goose eggs in the first and second and then five in the third, eight in the fourth. Great. It's just not enough. You need way more output than. Than that from Dear and Foxx. Absolutely correct on that regard. And the Julian Champagne thing, I know you and I talked about this offline. I. Julian champagne is 29% from three when he takes a dribble when he pulls up. That's not the shot you want in my opinion. Yeah, he is 39% when he's catching and shooting. So Dylan Harper go to the basket like you were doing all game and doing incredibly well of getting in the seams and then kick it out if you get stopped if you have enough time. But I'd rather him go all the way up. They were doing a lot better on free throws, the spurs were, than Timberwolves as well. Which is another reason that they were able to stay in this game all night long. Despite Victor Wembanyama going 0 for 8 from 3 and De' Aann Fox going 0 for 4 from 3 and the spurs just in general getting beat. And I mean it was just like a lot of different aspects of their game that just didn't show up for the spurs. But they still were able to keep tight. So silver linings all around. Darren Fox isn't going to be as bad. And you imagine Victor Wembanyama is going to find a shot, not go 5 for 17 and they'll be able to get something out of the pace that they can set.
- [13:21]
Dave DeFore
I think the eight three pointers are a problem for Wemby. I think he plays better when he's not floating around the perimeter like that looking for the three. I think the three in rhythm is great for him but you know, I don't want him hunting the three again. The Knicks and Sixers game one Xena 137 98. A 39 point blowout. And I just gotta say I feel bad for the Sixers. They looked, they looked tired, they looked exhausted. They just finished a seven game series two games ago or two days ago, excuse me, and feels like the short turnaround might have gotten them. Oh also though, this Knicks offense has kind of turned into a bit of a machine. They become the first team in NBA history to win three straight postseason games by at least 25 points. And that, you know, the, the trick here is Carl Anthony Towns as the offensive hub. I really think it has just unlocked everyone instead of just Jalen Brunson. Carl Towns had had five assists in the first half. Really the second half just wasn't. It wasn't competitive, right? Barely. Either team barely played their starters. Jalen Brunson wound up with 35 but he had 27 in the first half. And the story to me is the. Mikhail Bridges, 17 points. He was three of five from three. And I do think it's just. He is operating much better with Cat on the. On the wing being this facilitator. It just feels like the floor has opened up for him as well.
- [14:52]
Zena Cada
It was cool that the NBC commentators noticed that New York Knicks were running the Golden State's motion offense, right? Being able to have Carla Three Towns at the top of the hub and being able to set those off wing screens, whether it's a back screen, backdoor cuts, guard pops out, being able to have options in that way. And I was like, yeah, there's a particular coach that's very familiar with that offense and how well it works, especially when you have weapons that can shoot outside and can be physical inside. And so it was perfectly executed for Carl Anthony Towns to showcase not only his ability to distribute, but then to show off this, you know, this accolade. Best big. Big. Best shooting big in the NBA. He did a phenomenal job from, you know, shooting the top of the. Shooting at the top of the key. And just. Even if he wasn't making it, just being a threat in that regard, I like the fact that Karl Anthony Towns got into foul trouble early in this game, and he. You saw him early in this game also complaining about fouls, wanting to get calls, and it didn't take him out the game. Cause that's been a concern throughout the regular season. We often talked about, you know, even though Karl would always somehow end up getting his 20 and 10 or 20 and 11, it felt like if it was a hard 20, it felt as if it wasn't an impactful 20, right? Like it was a distracting 20. It was a 20 that disrupted the flow of what New York wanted to do. And it felt like he was so locked in. And I can't help but think that the feud between him and Joel Embiid has him locked in on a different level. And it was fun to watch. Just, you know, regardless of what was going on in that first quarter with his early fouls, he came back in second quarter, and from there on, it was on like a Donkey Kong.
- [16:44]
Dave DeFore
Yeah, look. Not a lot of takeaways for the Sixers, you know, to be honest with you. Again, they just. They just came out flat from the jump. A really bad sign is that you had Carl Anthony Towns in foul trouble. You had Mitchell Robinson getting hacked, and so he had to go to the bench, and you had Huck Porty out there as the center. And for three minutes in the first half, you had. So no Carl. Carl Anthony Towns, no Mitchell Robinson. And the Knicks won those minutes by 10. You know, that. That was the game. I mean, again, yeah, there was just a complete lack of energy. I. I do believe, you know, you have to think if you're the Sixers, that Joel Embiid is going to have a better game. Game two. Tyrese Maxi will have a better game game, too. He, you know, barely even got up any shots in this game. Paul George actually had a decent game for, you know, again, as much as it was competitive, which it really wasn't for very long. So, you know, after seeing one game here, Xena, do you. Do you feel like. I mean, is this series going to be as close as people thought coming into it, or can the Sixers turn this around?
- [17:48]
Zena Cada
This is real. I. I really feel like the Sixers could do the. Almost the exact same to New York in this next game. I don't know why I feel that way. We've seen New York have historically bad outings even after playing really well. This is. This streak, though, is something that I can't deny. They're onto something right now. They're clicking on all cylinders, but I feel like Philly was tired, they needed some rest, and they're going to come back and be better. And what they're also going to learn is you can't allow Jalen Brunson to chill on defense for an entire possession while Joel Embiid is going ISO against Mitchell Robinson or, you know, trying to figure out what they want to do on offense and then allow Jalen Brunson to have all of the energy in the world for the next possession on offense. And they've got to. They've got to find a way to occupy him on defense, and that means having a more active offense, not this ISO ball that's continuing to happen. I think that really was a result of them being tired and being like, what can we do? Let's just go to Joel because he's awesome and he can find a way to put a shot up or get a foul or whatever. They'll be more, I think, creative with their offense. And Tyrus Maxey did not have a good game. He wasn't involved in the first. From this jump and from the first quarter, he wasn't involved. It goes three of nine from the floor. He is a fire starter for the Sixers, so I can't imagine that he's going to allow his team to come out the way they did as flat as they did again.
- [19:15]
Dave DeFore
Yeah, I, I don't, I don't think the Sixers have an answer for what the Knicks are doing currently offensively. If Carl Anthony Towns is going to play like this and Jalen Brunson's just going to be able to cook, especially in the mid range. I mean they, it's there. These are two of the, the most have drop heavy teams and they're both also both elite at drop coverage. But the way you beat drop coverage is by killing from 16ft and the Knicks have been able to do that. So I actually, I'm changing my pick. I'm going Knicks in five. I think that this isn't going to be much of a series, to be honest with you, because I do believe that this Knicks, this Knicks team, it took them to the playoffs, it took them till three games into the playoffs to figure it out, but they have figured out their identity and this is who we thought they could be.
- [20:00]
Zena Cada
You know what? I agree with you. I do agree with you. I think that it will be Knicks in five. I still think that the Knicks are going to drop one game. Ugly one. Ugly one. Just one ugly one. And they'll get out the way. But yeah, I think the Knicks are going to do it. They're just, they're so locked into the identity now that I feel like if it was light years away that we were talking about does Mike Brown and Karl Anthony Townsends do you have problems? Like it feels like that was 10 years ago. This is, this is the Knicks version that everybody wants to see. And this is fun.
- [20:32]
Dave DeFore
Yeah. All right guys, stick around. After the break, our Detroit Pistons beat Rider Hunter Patterson's here to preview Pistons Cavs NBA Playoffs Round 2.
- [20:45]
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- [21:21]
Mom
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- [21:42]
Verizon Announcer
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- [21:51]
Zena Cada
Okay, I have to tell you, I
- [21:53]
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- [21:57]
Dave DeFore
That hologram trading card. One of the rarest. The last one I needed for my set.
- [22:01]
Zena Cada
Shiny like the designer handbag of my dreams. One of a kind. Ebay had it. And now everyone's asking, ooh, where'd you
- [22:09]
Dave DeFore
get your windshield wipers? Ebay has all the parts that fit my car.
- [22:12]
Zena Cada
No more noise, just beautiful. Millions of finds, each with a story. EBay. Things people love.
- [22:27]
Dave DeFore
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons both survived seven game series. Their series kicks off tonight in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Our guy Hunter Patterson covers the Pistons for us at the Athletic. Hunter, welcome back. Are. Are you exhausted from a seven game series?
- [22:45]
Hunter Patterson
I. I am. I actually just took a nap not too long ago.
- [22:49]
Dave DeFore
There you go.
- [22:49]
Hunter Patterson
But, you know, plenty of caffeine, a lot of adrenaline getting to cover some great basketball. So it's been fun.
- [22:57]
Dave DeFore
Listen, I don't know if you're relieved that the Pistons pulled this off. I. I'm a little bit relieved, at least for like JB Bickerstaff, who I just feel like all of the conversations would have been about him this summer instead of the roster and the construction of the roster if they had been booted in the first round. J.B. bickerstaff got a contract extension yesterday, a day after he wins a game seven. Two years basically to the day that he was let go by the Cleveland Cavaliers. So a little bit full circle there. What's it been like watching J.B. bickerstaff navigate the the playoffs so far?
- [23:33]
Hunter Patterson
I think he's just done a really great job of being able to just press the right buttons with the right players to get the right things out of them, essentially. I think he really understands them as people and that lends itself to a level of confidence in them. And they have, I mean, it's just kind of reciprocated. Like they trust that he has their best interest in mind and they never feel like he's gonna put them in a situation that doesn't allow them to be successful. So they trust him. They trust his game plan and the intensity he has kind of like rubs off on them.
- [24:10]
Dave DeFore
Yeah. And you've got a feature out today at the Athletic. Everybody go and check that out. Big feature on JB Bickerstaff. And look, for my money, he's been one of the better regular season coaches. You know, whether it was his stop in Cleveland or so far here with the Pistons. And when you think about the development and the turnaround that he is kind of just engineered as a coach there in Detroit. I felt like again this first round series was more of about, about the matchup than it was about any particular buttons that JB Biggerstaff wasn't coaching. But one of my, my big pet peeves about the series was that it did feel like he played two non shooters too often. I know we talked about that after one of the games and you know, two non shooters too often. But the truth of the matter is they just don't have guys that can stay on the court defensively and shoot. I mean it's just, it's a, it's a lack of just depth on the roster. So as we're looking ahead to game one, what, what is your like thought about this series, how Detroit matches up and what does JB Biggerstaff do when he needs to throw a curveball?
- [25:17]
Hunter Patterson
I think the Pistons match up better with the Cavs than they did against the, the Magic. And I think part of it is the fact that the Cleveland has a really long front court obviously with, with Mobley and Jared Allen. But I think they're able to kind of attack Harden and Donovan Mitchell on the other end of the floor and that should allow them to have more offensive flow. And then I think Hassar is going to be a great point of attack defender on whoever they choose to put him on. I mean it's, we spoke about it a little bit, but it could be Harden, it could be Donovan Mitchell could try to match him up with Mobley depending on how they want to go about that. But I think this matchup suits the Pistons better than their previous matchup did.
- [26:07]
Zena Cada
I don't know. I, you know, you talked about Jamie Bickerstop being able to push the right buttons and get the right things out of people. And it definitely works when you're pushing a certain button repeatedly and maybe holding it down. And I'm thinking about Kate Cunningham and him having a 37% usage rate in that first round. Then I think about what Cunningham did against the Cavs during the regular season. He only averaged, I think 18 and a half points per game against the Cavs they, they studied him, they knew him very well to limit him. And now going into this matchup on the Cav side, I can see two Donovan Mitchell games. Let me get a James Harden game, let me get a Jared Allen game. Hell, let me get a Evan Mobley one while you're at it. Boom, boom, boom. The sales are happening. Whereas on the Detroit Pistons side it seems like the inventory is a little limited and it feels like there's just only one button that you can press repeatedly.
- [27:02]
Dave DeFore
This is Tobias Harris disrespect Z. I know, I know.
- [27:05]
Zena Cada
He had that insane game to close things out. Trust me, I watched it. 17 points in a quarter. I don't know if it, it went up, but it was, I mean it was insane. However, I'm just kind of like, what is going to be the answer against the Cavs team that's going to be able to distribute the load? How do you do that for Cade Cunningham? Going into this matchup, I honestly think
- [27:27]
Hunter Patterson
Darren is going to have a better series than he did last round against the Magic because they were able to really pack the pain against him and they had weak side defenders rotating over a lot. I mean obviously regular season is completely different from the post season, But Duran averaged about 22 and 12 with a couple blocks in his three games against the Cavs during the regular season. So I think he will have a, I won't say an easier time. Jared Allen is a great player. Evan Mobley is a defensive player of the year, but I think he'll, he'll be able to just use his, his size a little bit more. Windell Moore is pretty stocky and tall as well, but I think Duran has the clear just physical advantage. Not in terms of height or anything but just weight and strength and depending on how the Pistons can try to spread the floor. I know that's a challenge with non shooters on the floor, but if it's one on one coverage, I think Duran has has a better job of playing better on the offensive end in this series than he did last series. I mean so I think that could help.
- [28:40]
Dave DeFore
I would be wor. I'm worried about the Pistons being able to score again the the two non shooters that they constantly play. But after watching what the Raptors defense was able to do to Cleveland the way it made them uncomfortable, I mean Cleveland didn't break out until the second half of game seven. This they were tied with the Raptors who are awful at offense. So it does give me a little bit of hope for the Pistons when I'm looking at the, the offense for the Cavaliers. I think Evan Mobley is the key matchup that the Pistons are going to have to shut down. You know, you've got one on one defenders. I think Cade and Asar, they can at least match up with, with Mitchell and with James Harden. Those guys are great shot makers. So you're gonna, you're gonna have a game or two. Like, like Zena said, you're gonna get a Mitchell game. You maybe get a hardened game. I don't know. You might get a bad hardened game, you know, depending on, on the night. But Evan Mobley is the guy that I just don't know. I, I how, how do the Pistons answer the Evan Mobley question on the defensive end?
- [29:38]
Hunter Patterson
I don't that that is a pretty tough one. I think maybe a SAR potentially, but might have to try to bias on it.
- [29:47]
Dave DeFore
Worry about that size disadvantage. Right. You know, bigger staff doesn't love to put a SAR on bigger guys. We didn't see him a ton on, on Paolo Banchero when, even when he was cooking, Tobias Harris had a lot. I'm assuming it's going to be Tobias to start. Maybe.
- [30:03]
Hunter Patterson
Probably. I think so because like you said too, I think Asar is better when he can be kind of a free safety and roamer. So if he can rotate over and help on onto Evan Mobley and guard one of the either Donovan, Mitchell or Harden, I think that's probably where he's going to be utilized, at least to start the series. But yeah, I mean Evan Mobley is going to be a problem. He's, he's just, he has a wide range of skills offensively and can do a bunch of different things. So I think that'll be a challenge for him.
- [30:36]
Zena Cada
I don't know. This feels like we're, we're, we're looking at all of Detroit's shortcomings here. They can't shoot the three. Well, there's not a lot of different, you know, offensive weapons to be able to pull out in a battle. I want to talk about what you saw all season because there's a reason they were number one in the east, right? There's a reason that they were able to take teams down. Thinking about what you witnessed in this team, especially when the going gets tough, which I think it will get tough against the Cavs team with the offensive weapons, they have what is really going to be the bread and butter for Detroit against the Cavs rather than just the individual matchups. Maybe there is an X factor and it can be A player, it can be a stat, I'm thinking, you know, paint points, offensive rebounding, things like that. What, what is it that sticks out to you for all of us to keep an eye out for?
- [31:27]
Hunter Patterson
For Detroit, I think points off turnovers. If they can try to speed the game up as much, as much as possible. Obviously in the postseason you're not going to have as much up and down. It's going to be more focused on the half court. But if they can turn their defense and the offense, that'll be one advantage for sure. Not allowing second chance points, which was a problem in their last series. If they can. I mean, it's challenging again when you have a front court like the Cavs do. But if you can keep them off the offensive class, finish plays, grab rebounds and limit them to just one shot each possession, which obviously that's not going to happen, but as much as you can, I think those two areas should help them as well. And Asar is always going to be the X factor in pretty much every series. To me, he's their floor raiser. I think he is someone who can have a five point game, but he can be the second most impactful person on the Pistons outside of Cade, just because he had. I mean they went seven games, so I kind of. It lends itself to more opportunities, obviously, but he had 16 blocks, 16 steals, more than anyone in that first round. So I think he just wreaks havoc defensively and he creates offense by how well he plays defense.
- [32:48]
Dave DeFore
Hit, hit the same number of blocks in the first round as Wemby.
- [32:51]
Hunter Patterson
Insane. And yeah, again, like obviously now second
- [32:54]
Dave DeFore
round though Wemby, I mean, I don't know if you saw. Yeah, Wendy had 12 blocks. So yeah, he's now taking a lead over a star, but. Okay, so let's make some picks. Guys. I, I don't wanna. Let's not play here. It's the playoffs. Let's make some picks. This is a tough series to pick because you could, you could argue Cavs or Pistons in five, you could argue either team in six and you can argue, argue a seven game series to me because I think every single night we do not know what to expect if the first round is any indication.
- [33:26]
Hunter Patterson
Right.
- [33:27]
Dave DeFore
I don't know which of these teams is showing up night to night. That's fascinating to me. Hunter, you're a writer. Come on, you. You cover the Pistons. We're going to put you on the spot.
- [33:38]
Zena Cada
Yeah.
- [33:38]
Dave DeFore
Pick the series.
- [33:39]
Hunter Patterson
Let's do it. I try to be as objective as possible. I never want to be Mr. Homer. Um, so that said, though, I am going with the Pistons in seven, and I think sometimes, like, picking a team in seven could kind of be a cop out a little bit. So half of me wants to say six, but I think the Cavs are too well constructed of a team. I think Dennis Schroeder is coming into the series or something to prove because he was with the Pistons last year and feels like he has maybe like, inside intel on them. But I think it'll go six or seven games. But because the Cavs are so good and played the Pistons so well in the regular season, I'm going to say Pistons in seven.
- [34:19]
Dave DeFore
Zena, who you got?
- [34:20]
Zena Cada
I'm going to go Cavs in seven. And the only reason I'm doing that. I know, I know. And the only reason I'm doing that is because we cannot deny that if Franz Wagner doesn't get hurt in that fourth game, Detroit may not have been in a position to even play the Cavs. So I really believe that. And I'll add, I'm looking at the Cavs. Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, you mentioned Dennis Schroeder. Those folks feel like they have things to prove. They feel like they. There's a. Like, you know, I think Detroit as a team has a do or die mentality, the way that they dog games out and they dog their opponents out. But I think that each one of those players, individually and collectively, feel like they have a point to prove when it comes to playoff rising and being able to find success in the postseason. And I think it's going to be just enough for them to be like, you know what? Let's get over this hump. Whether it's personally or as a team, that's just enough ammo for them to do it. So I think it's going to be Cavs and seven.
- [35:25]
Dave DeFore
I like that. That's not a bad take. I'm going to go the other way. I'm going. I'm going with Hunter. I'm going Pistons in seven. And I'm glad you mentioned the dogs, Xena, because that's why I'm going Pistons in seven. They're dogs. And the calves are soft. They have. They have been soft. They. I think that when you're playing two bigs, the way that they have, the way that we've watched them get worked, including in against Toronto, that didn't really have functional bigs, they made Jakob Hurdle look pretty good for a few games in that series. And that says a lot, because when that contract extension kicks in this summer, we're going to have to be doing phone calls with S to talk him through it. I mean it's, it's that bad of a deal. So yeah, I'm going Pistons in seven. I just think that they are the tougher team and sometimes in the playoffs it really matters. I mean, look, we saw this Minnesota last night with, with the Spurs. A lot of that win came from playoff experience and toughness. Now I know that Cavs have experience, but this Pistons team just has like a grit to it that makes me trust them. In a matchup against the Cavs, I don't know. I think James Harden is just, he might be due for an all time dud. I mean, we watched him have two really bad games in the first round and this Pistons defense I think is more well suited to contain him. So yeah, I think it's going to be hard for the Cavs, but it's gonna be a closer series than, than I think maybe we would have anticipated a few weeks ago.
- [36:46]
Hunter Patterson
So I agree with that one. Can I get one? One other thing real quick too. I think even in the games that the Pistons had against the Cavs during the regular season, I was just thinking back to Duran has been outspoken about really wanting to win against the Cavs for jb and I think that's collectively their mindset. So I think that's only going to be more intensified in a playoff series where they feel like they have something to prove for themselves, but also just kind of wanting to have JV's back after being let go by the Cavs a couple years ago.
- [37:19]
Dave DeFore
Yeah, I mean I, I can feel how that, that is personal. Go and have Hunters back and read his feature on JB Bickerstaff over at the Athletic. Again, it's our Pistons beat writer right there, so make sure you follow him if you're a fan. Thank you to Hunter Patterson for hanging out. Welcome back, Xena. We're glad to have you back in the house. I'm Dave Dufour and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us. Thanks for listening. Make sure you hit the subscribe or follow button so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed it, drop a like leave a rating or let us know in the comments. Thank you guys for waking up with us.
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