Hoops Tonight - GAME 3 REACTIONS: Wemby & Spurs BIG win vs Edwards & Wolves + Brunson, Knicks take 3-0 lead vs 76ers

Summary

Podcast Summary: "The Herd with Colin Cowherd"

Episode: Hoops Tonight – GAME 3 REACTIONS: Wemby & Spurs BIG win vs Edwards & Wolves + Brunson, Knicks take 3-0 lead vs 76ers

Date: May 9, 2026
Host: Colin Cowherd (iHeartPodcasts & The Volume)
Guest Analyst: Jackson

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Episode Overview

This episode is a deep-dive reaction to pivotal Game 3 matchups in the 2026 NBA Playoffs:

• San Antonio Spurs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: Spotlight on Victor Wembanyama’s electrifying, career-defining performance, the Spurs’ emerging strengths, and the Wolves’ resilience.
• New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers: How Jalen Brunson and a connected Knicks squad overcame a furious Philly start to take a commanding 3-0 lead, and why the Sixers are unraveling.

The hosts also address broader playoff themes, including the evolving question of “best player in the world,” officiating consistency, scheme adjustments, and the keys to deep postseason success.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Victor Wembanyama’s Game 3 Breakout (Spurs vs. Wolves)

Timestamp: 02:14–24:45

• Historic Performance:
  • Wemby dominated in his 7th playoff game, posting 39 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks while affecting both ends profoundly.
  • “It just felt like the first real snapshot moment of Victor Wembanyama’s playoff career.” – Host (04:55)
• Defensive Mastery:
  • In the opening minutes, he held the Wolves to 1 point, controlling the rim and forcing awkward shots or second-guessing.
  • His presence “literally sucked the life out of the Target Center.”
• Offensive Versatility:
  • Beat Minnesota’s coverage in every way: rolling to the rim, sealing defenders, stretching to the corner, and scoring in transition.
  • “He’s very good at, like, fending off the player with one arm and, like, snatching the ball in, like, his big, big ass go go, Gadget arm before he just feeds it up into the basket.” – Host (08:52)
• Big Picture:
  • Compared this performance to ‘flashpoint’ playoff moments of other legends, hinting it may be an “arrival” moment for Wemby.
  • Noted that while OKC was the better regular season team, San Antonio’s depth of ball handling could be a crucial differentiator.

2. San Antonio’s Ball Handling Depth vs. OKC’s Defensive Prowess

Timestamp: 13:10–17:52

• Strength in Playmaking:
  • Spurs have multiple players capable of creating off the bounce: Dylan Harper, Steph Castle, De’Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, and Keldon Johnson.
  • Contrasted with OKC, whose offense revolves around a smaller set of creators (Shea, AJ Mitchell, J-Dub).
• Strategic Implications:
  • Spurs could exploit depth in a “muddy series” where every basket is a grind.
  • “San Antonio just has more dudes who can put the ball on the floor and make a play.” – Host (15:53)

3. Timberwolves’ Adjustments and Grit

Timestamp: 18:05–24:45

• Despite Wembanyama’s dominance, Minnesota played well overall (six players in double digits, smart ball movement, adjusted double teams for Ant), but simply couldn’t match Wemby.
• “Minnesota played well enough to take a 2–1 lead tonight, and it just didn’t matter.” – Host (12:25)

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4. Knicks vs. Sixers: Brunson Leads, Philly Falters

Timestamp: 24:45–42:45

• Philly’s Hot Start:
  • Paul George was explosive early (15 first quarter points), energizing the home crowd.
• Knicks’ Response and Bench Impact:
  • The New York bench, especially Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet, asserted control in the 2nd quarter.
  • Knicks’ off-ball movement consistently exposes Philly’s traps and doubles on Brunson.
  • “There is a methodical, crisp playmaking and play finishing like sequence just about every time Jalen Brunson draws a hedge, draws a second defender. And it’s what makes this Knicks team so fascinating.” – Host (29:58)
• Brunson’s Prowess:
  • His ability to break down defensive coverages, attract doubles, and instantly punish them with passing – a key to the Knicks’ offensive flow.
  • Praised the entire team’s running and transition playmaking.
• 76ers’ Struggles:
  • Tyrese Maxey unfairly blamed for lack of aggression; game plan and poor shotmaking from teammates to blame.
  • Joel Embiid appears physically compromised—no longer the best player in this series.
  • “It’s just sad, because [Embiid] is just a theoretical basketball player... It’s just the reality of the Joel Embiid experience at this point.” – Host (37:06)
• Paul George’s Inconsistency:
  • “Tough shot making is a ceiling-raiser, but it should be the fourth or fifth thing in your offensive toolkit.”
  • PG’s reliance on tough jumpers explained his streakiness and playoff frustrations.

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5. Q&A Segment: Playoff Thematics, Xs and Os, and Culture

Timestamp: 45:12–end

• OKC’s Offense & Doubles on Shea:
  • Process is working; OKC generating a high volume of quality catch-and-shoot looks despite doubles.
  • “It’s kind of impressive that [Shai] is averaging 20 in this series despite being aggressively doubled everywhere.” – Host (45:44)
• Would Spurs or Wolves Copy Laker Double-Teams?
  • Spurs don’t need as many aggressive doubles due to perimeter athleticism and Wemby’s rim protection; series with OKC will hinge on Chet Holmgren’s shooting and matchup chess.
• Manufactured Drama on the Celtics:
  • Comparisons between Tatum/Brown and Kobe/Shaq dismissed as “95% manufactured by the media.”
• Officiating & Physical Play:
  • Playoff physicality discussed; distinction made between healthy hand-fighting and “grifts” (non-basketball manipulation for fouls).
  • “Allow the typical little bit of hand fighting... but when a guy is blatantly getting grabbed, blow the whistle.” – Host (55:04)
• Best Player in the World? Consistency vs. Peaks:
  • Wemby’s ceiling is as high as anyone’s; Shai’s consistency sets him apart.
  • “It’s not that simple as just who is the best when they’re at their best, because how often are they there is like a big part.” – Guest Analyst Jackson (66:45)
• Knicks’ Real Title Hopes:
  • Host is “done underestimating” the Knicks or the Pistons as outside contenders; the Knicks’ varied attack and ability to shape-shift make them dangerous against OKC or anyone.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Wembanyama’s Game 3:

  • “This was the quintessential flashpoint that demonstrated Victor Wembanyama’s upside as a basketball player.” (12:05)
  • “What the fuck do you do with this guy?” (10:44)

• On the Knicks Team Ethos:

  • “There is a methodical, crisp playmaking and play finishing like sequence just about every time Jalen Brunson draws a hedge.” (29:58)

• On Embiid’s Playoff Story:

  • “He’s just a theoretical basketball player... It’s just the reality of the Joel Embiid experience at this point.” (37:06)

• On officiating and playoff physicality:

  • “Officiating is by its very nature subjective... I would just prefer the subjectivity remove the just junk from the game.” (58:52)

• On the “Best Player in the World” Conversation:

  • “Tonight was the best basketball I’ve seen an individual play in a long time in this league, in terms of just overall two-way impact and winning.” (65:53)

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Important Timestamps

• Wembanyama’s historic performance: 02:14–13:10
• Spurs vs. Thunder preview & ball-handling breakdown: 13:10–17:52
• Minnesota’s game adjustments & grit: 18:05–24:45
• Knicks vs. Sixers recap / Brunson’s impact: 24:45–42:45
• Q&A (OKC offensive strategy, officiating, “best player,” Knicks’ ceiling): 45:12–end

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Closing Thoughts

This episode is a tour-de-force in playoff basketball analysis. The hosts move fluidly from specific player impact (Wemby’s breakthrough, Brunson’s orchestration) to bigger tactical and cultural narratives—peeling back the layers of what turns stars, systems, and teams into real contenders. Their breakdowns are rich with context, skepticism, and excitement, making this essential listening for NBA fans craving both sharp Xs and Os and the big-picture stories behind every series.

Transcript

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Healthcare just got less painful. The Volume all right. Welcome to Hoops Tonight here at the Volume. Happy Friday everybody. Hope all of you guys had a great end to your week. Got a jam pack show for you guys today. We had a very entertaining Game three between the San Antonio spurs and the Minnesota Timberwolves. One of the best individual performances in the playoffs that I can remember seeing in my lifetime. We're gonna be breaking that one down after that the New York Knicks Scope 3. Zero on the road without OG Anunoby weathering an early punch from the Sixers before they take that commanding lead that no team has ever come back from. We're going to break down both games from the perspective of, of both teams and then at the tail end of the show, if you guys have questions you want to get into from any of the series, drop them in the chat and then Jackson is going to come on the stream and we'll take your questions at the tail end of the show. All right, let's talk some basketball. Actually, before we, before we get started, subscribe to our YouTube channel. We're on the pathway to 150,000 subs. So it mean a lot to me if you guys would take a second to scroll down and hit that subscribe button if you're already subscribed like this video, sign up for post notifications. That helps us a lot. All right, now we can talk some basketball. So I, I, those of you guys have been following the show over the, the last four plus years now. This is our fifth playoff run that we've been doing this. Every time something like this happens, I always get really excited. These moments feel kind of like historic for me. And there's obviously levels to it. You know, we're in the second round. Minnesota is not a team that is considered to be an upper level championship contender because of the injuries that they've suffered. You know, ants far from 100%. Dante DiVincenzo's out IO dsumu doesn't look as explosive as he did before his calf injury. Like they're, they're not viewed on the same tier as like okc. I, I'd argue next round, if San Antonio advances and OKC advances, which I believe they will, that will arguably the be the biggest playoff series since like the Houston Rockets versus the Golden State warriors in 2018. And like the stakes always get a little higher and you know, it's a game three, so it's not like a pivotal game five or a pivotal game seven. But this was a big, important playoff game and we saw a young superstar on the rise flashing upside that I think we all knew was coming, but probably not this fast. And I mean it's a seventh playoff game. It's, this is, this is him barely getting used to this environment against the defense with the size and physicality and the, the, the type of player at a position like the guy who's been guarding him is the same guy who took Nicole Jokic and locked his Ass up in the last round and he's on the road in this environment, showing this level in his seventh career playoff game. And so in a lot of ways it just kind of, I get really amped up about moments like this. These are the ones where like we talk about in when we're, you know, five, 10 years in the future be talking about. Remember that time when Victor Wembanyama went on the road and into Minnesota? Minnesota in his seventh career playoff game, dropped 39 and 15 with five blocks and like shut the team down on defense and then walked him down over and over and over again in the fourth quarter on offense. It just felt like kind of like a, the first, like real snapshot moment of Victor Weyama's playoff career. And if you go back through all of the all time greats and obviously Victor's just getting started and he's got to earn that through repeated moments, repeated successes. But if you go back through all of the all time greats, there's always like these kind of like big flashpoint moments. And it just felt very much like the first flashpoint moment of Victor Wembanyama's playoff career. And like he quite literally did it in every single way, showing every bit of upside that he has all over the floor. The first four and a half minutes of this game, the Minnesota Timber will have scored one point as Victor Weyama completely shut down their offense underneath the rim with his rim protection. Either blocking shots or getting them to second guess shots. Baiting them with like lunges like he's gonna go, but then he doesn't. Then they shoot some stupid shot that has no shot of going in before he grabs the rebound that literally sucked the life out of the target center. It took Victor Weyama checking out and the Timberwolves getting going against the cornet group and then ant hitting a bunch of jump shots in the late first quarter just for them to really like get into the game. Victor hit him with the punch, the first punch right away, right out the gates. The rest of the night he controlled the game defensively. And then in the fourth quarter, you saw every single type of offensive versatility that this guy brings to the table. You see the role gravity. There was a play in the middle of the fourth quarter where he rolls right down the middle of the lane. He brings three bodies into the paint with his role. Steph Castle rifle rifles, a skip pass to Devin Vassell in the left corner. He knocks down the three. Then all of a sudden, Minnesota tries switching Jaden McDaniels is on Steph, Julius Randle's on Victor. They go to the ball screen, they try switching. Victor's just gotten so good at the body positioning and, like, ceiling and creating angles and quick going up and finishing off the catch. He's very good at, like, fending off the player with one arm and, like, snatching the ball in, like, his big, big ass go get, go, go, Gadget arm before he just feeds it up into the basket, just creates a little angle against Jaden McDaniel. Steph throws a perfect entry pass, and then Victor just feeds it into the rim. So then on the very next possession, they're like, freaking out. They're like, like, we can't switch that again. So they run the pick and roll, and both Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle go with Wemby to the basket and leave Steph Castle wide open. Steph shoots the three, misses it, and Victor just grabs it over both of them and puts it right back into the basket. What the fuck do you do with this guy? He runs an inverted ball screen or a little ISO at the top of the key against Rudy Gobert. Brings a helper up, ends up hitting, I think it was Dylan Harper under the basket. One of the San Antonio guards under the basket. He comes off of a flare screen and hits a three at the top of the key. Hits a transition trailing three. Like literally every conceivable type of coverage. He beat it down the stretch of this game in his seventh career playoff game. And oh yeah, he's still barely scratching the surface of the type of player he's going to be offensively in the long run. Again, we've all seen higher stakes playoff games over the last few years, right? Like, you know, I'd argue Lucas three over go bear in the conference finals in 2024. Probably a little bigger shot. Cause you go down two, oh, the series feels over. It's a one, one very, very different series, right? You have Steph Curry in Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals. They're like more high stakes moments where guys were able to have, you know, very, very, very big games. Giannis, 50 points in a closeout game in the finals. But, like, just be honest with yourself. How many times in your life have you watched a playoff game between two, like, legitimate, really good teams, not like some 18 matchup or anything like that where you saw a player impact winning as much as you saw Victor Weyama did tonight. And I guarantee you, you're gonna have a hard time making that list. It was the Quintessential flashpoint that demonstrated Victor Weminyama's upside as a basketball player. A player that can dominate games on the interior, dominate games on the perimeter, defensively, dominate the defensive glass, and then beat you in a half dozen different ways on offense. That. That was ridiculous. Minnesota played well enough to take a 21 lead tonight, and it just didn't matter. They didn't really have a shot. Every single time they made a run, Victor made another play and put him away. Just an absolutely unbelievable performance from Victor. I've been thinking a lot about the differences between San Antonio and okc, mainly just because I, you know, if those of you guys have been following the show, those have been my top two championship contenders for the last, you know, couple of months. And I'm starting to think more and more about what a championship, you know, a Western Conference finals series looks like between those two teams. And, you know, what makes the Thunder great, what makes the spurs great, and one of the big things that's really popping for me with San Antonio is their ball handling depth. This is actually, I think, a strength for Minnesota as well. It's one of the things that I think gets underrated when you get into a playoff series and, like, everything is super physical. The openings are this big, and every single possession just feels like a damn chore. And so having four dudes who can put the ball on the floor and make a play off the bounce is just immensely valuable in those types of settings. And Oklahoma City proved to be a better team this year than San Antonio in the regular season. That's not a testament to what's going to happen in the Western Conference finals and certainly didn't matter in the regular season matchups against San Antonio. But Oklahoma City is a deeper, more talented team and they have a better defense. I think overall, if you factor in all of the different elements of their defense. And Shea, you know, obviously Victor doesn't seem to give a shit what you guys think about Shay. Victor very clearly thinks he's the best player in the world. And I'd argue what you just saw tonight was the best individual performance that any single player is at. I think Cade's probably been the best overall player I've seen in this playoff run so far. Wemby's probably had the best individual performance that I've seen in this playoff so far with what he did tonight. But, you know, Shay obviously has this long track record. He's the defending finals mvp. He's about to be named back to back mvp. OKC has their things that they bring to the table. But one of the prime differentiators for me, what makes San Antonio a different type of team is the depth of ball handling. When you watch okc, it really does come down to Shea or AJ Mitchell creating that initial advantage. And yeah, J Dub, when he's healthy, but he's struggled to stay healthy this season. We'll see. But even just add J Dub into the equation, that's a third guy, right? And they're all dribble drive guys from the perimeter that are predicated on beating their initial defender off the dribble and countering with pull up jump shots. San Antonio brings kind of a unique dynamic to the table because they have this Darren Fox and Dylan Harper, similar type of dribble drive, pull up counter. But then they have Steph Castle who brings this like Jimmy Butler esque kind of like ability to consistently get two feet in the paint. And then they have Victor Wembanyama as this completely different type of initiator. They have so many different ways that they can score. And so if you ask me, like, what does it look like if San Antonio gets the job done this year and they get through Minnesota and they go into Oklahoma City and they win, it's Victor Weyama drags him down in the mud and it's this muddy series for both teams where everything is really difficult. And you know, if J dub's not at 100%, San Antonio just has more dudes who could put the ball on the floor and make a play. I actually add Devin Vassell into this conversation as well. Devin Vassell, whether it's the tough contested transition threes that he had a nasty step through move on Rudy Gobert tonight where he got caught up against the clock and he just, you know, changed his pivot foot and got into his step through and hit like a little drifting floater. Like San Antonio does have a depth of ball handling advantage versus okc. And so if Victor can successfully drag them into the mud and neutralize a Shay Gilders Alexander type of advantage, that is an upside for them. And again, I'm just talking big picture about the things that I'm learning about the San Antonio spurs team in their first playoff run. And you saw that tonight. You saw Dylan Harper in a late clock situation in the fourth quarter, rip baseline out of the left corner and then spin and hit a little fadeaway jump shot over his left shoulder. It's a tough shot. You saw Dylan Harper put the ball on the floor and draw foul. I think on IO Dasunmu for like running out his legs from underneath him. You saw Steph Castle be able to run a ball screen and either skip the ball to the weak side or get into the lane and get something in up off the rim. You saw de' Aaron Fox all night tonight. Just little bursts of energy here or there, a little drive, a little pull up jump shot. There is a depth of ball handling on this spurs team that is very difficult to contend with. Keldon Johnson will just put the ball on the floor and drive into your chest and plow through and put something in up off the glass. That is their, that is their advantage. Wemby drags you into the mud. They have more dudes who can make a play off the bounce. I was really curious to see, you know, if some of the dynamics from game two would transfer forward into this game. And we did see several of them. Obviously the outright double teams of Ant. One of the things that I noticed was the double teams of Ant in game two were more predicated on ball screens like bring the screen up the, the. The bigs basically showing up high. Well, one of the things that Ant did is he just kind of stopped running very many ball screens. And so like he still ran some this game, but not as many as he did in game two. And so then they started sending the doubles at the ISOs. So we saw the double teams continue and I thought forced several shots over the doubles, but like it was, you know, he's applying pressure on the defense. He wasn't terribly inefficient tonight. He had 32 points on 26 shots, but they were able to move the ball and get a couple of clean 3 point shots out of the corner. Out of those double teams. We talked about how in game two the spurs were running on makes and just beating the Timberwolves down the floor. The Timberwolves did a much better job of getting back, but there was a run there in the third quarter where San Antonio was still just getting out and scoring over and over and over again. I actually thought Minnesota played pretty well. They had six dudes in double figures. A bunch of guys who found ways to create opportunities off the bounce. Really. Julius Randall was the main guy who struggled. I odu had a rough first half, but I thought he was actually pretty solid in that second half. He found a little bit of a rhythm. He just had some turnovers and was missing every shot early on. But Minnesota played well. They continue to attack Wemby at the rim. They were setting God screens, some pretty nasty ones that probably should have Been offensive fouls. But this game was just an absolute bloodbath. There were like, there were so many funny possessions in this game where I was like, this is hilarious. The kind of stuff that is. Is being allowed by the officials. And what I thought was great. I love this. Like Jackson and I were texting about it during the game. This is what playoff basketball is supposed to look like to me. There was a play where like those. I wonder how many of you guys noticed this. It was in the first half and Ant and Steph are literally like kind of like sparring at half court, like exchanging like legitimate like jabs, like open palm jabs to the chest. They're like legitimately having a sparring match at half court 20ft away from the play while a different Timberwolf is run in action down the floor there. You have a play in the second half where Steph Castle faces two hedges on ball screens where he like straight up gets like borderline tackled out by half court and they're uncalled. This was a extremely physical game. The Timberwolves did their job. They dragged it into the mud. They made a lot of shots. They had 14 threes and it just didn't matter because Victor Wembanyama was able to achieve a level of two way impact that no one on the floor could solve. Minnesota couldn't do anything with him on offense and they couldn't do anything with him on defense. Now I was texting with a couple of buddies during the game and you know, to ask and just like their opinions on like, hey, what. Where does this rank for you in like playoff games that you've watched? And some of the people I talked to rightfully pointed out this is Victor's best offensive game. It doesn't always look like this, right? So the series isn't over. It's two one. Minnesota has an opportunity to tie in game four. You play wy into a lesser offensive game and you continue to generate as much offense as you did tonight in the little gaps that you could find. This is a 2:2 series. I don't count Minnesota out in any environment, including going on the road in a big pivotal game. I think we've just seen them win too many times in those environments. But this kind of felt to me like Victor Wembanyama asserting his control over the series. And at this point, it feels to me like the spurs are going to get this thing done probably in six games. And I just, I just was blown away. Very, very impressed by Victor tonight. Unbelievable performance. Performance. Today's show is brought to you by presenting sponsor Hard Rock Bet, Florida's sportsbook. 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all right, let's move to the Knicks Sixers game. So Sixers came out hot in this one. Paul George once again made just about every shot he took in the first quarter. I think he had 15 points in the first quarter if I remember correctly. And the the crowd was in it. They the Knicks were just a little bit sloppy. They had to. They were playing into some defensive transition sequences. There was like back to back lobs to VJ Edgecombe. The Sixers crowd is on fire. But in that second quarter I actually thought the Knicks bench really kind of asserted control over the game. And Mitchell Robinson with his high drop coverage on Tyrese Maxey. I really want to dig into Tyrese Maxey later because he got a lot of criticism for not being very aggressive tonight. And I honestly thought he played a really good game. And I just thought that he was a victim of the coverage and that his team couldn't capitalize on the types of shots that he was generating. But we'll dig into that more in just a minute. Landry Shamit came in and, you know, one of the. The dynamics with this Knicks team that is very different than previous Knicks teams. And then a lot of the teams that I watch around the NBA right now, they are so good at capitalizing on the attention that Jalen Brunson draws their ball movement off the ball when he's running pick and roll. The off ball action that they run like, you know, we talked with Carl. Carl Anthony Towns literally has in half as many playoff games as last year, more than twice as many assists as he had last year. He has 56 assists compared to 24 last year in literally nine games, as opposed to 18. A fraction of the minutes because he keeps getting in foul trouble, doing stupid shit. And he had 14 more turnovers last year than he has this year. Like, that's a product of the off ball action that they're running and Carl Anthony Towns doing a brilliant job orchestrating from the top. But this game, I thought, had a lot to do specifically with Jalen Brunson drawing multiple defenders in the Knicks, like, quickly capitalizing on it. There's going to be a lot of talk about the Tyrese Maxey hedges and you know, how aggressive he could have been. Jalen Brunson was very similarly getting hedged hard on guard, guard screens, aggressive shows from Joel Embiid and ball screens. The big difference is Brunson was able to shake Free a ton against the Joel Embiid looks because Joel Embiid just looked like a shell of himself tonight. And like, that was really the story as we came into the series. You're like, holy shit. Joel Embiid, the best player in the conference. He looked amazing against Boston. And then he gets banged up in game one and can't move, and it's a bad matchup for him under normal circumstances against a team this fast. And, you know, now Joel Embiid looks very, very, very far from the best player in the Eastern Conference. Hasn't even been close to the best player on his team in this series. And, you know, so obviously Brunson had a little bit More of an advantage in terms of his ability to attack with foot speed. But in the double teams that Philly sent, and there was a lot of different types, like guard, guard, screen, hedges, they were doubling him straight up on some ISOs out far from the basket. Go. Watch how quickly the Knicks identify this. You'll see like Landry Shamit in the far left corner, like opposite corner. And he identifies that the trap is coming and he starts sprinting before the trapper even gets there. And he like sprints, wheels around the top of the key and comes way out like 30ft from the basket and makes a clear, obvious passing window for Brunson. Brunson hits him and he just catches and attacks into the lane and like hits a little 15 foot jump shot. Mikhail Bridges, exact same thing. And this is what leads me to believe that this is a schematic thing for Mike Brown, that he deserves a lot of credit for another blitz, another trap. Mikhail Bridges identifies it early, shoots up around the, out of the left corner, get, gets the ball immediately, drives down into the lane, hits a little elbow jump shot. You'll see Mikhail, Mikhail in particular is really, really good at every single time his defender turns his head, he cuts into the middle of the floor. And he knows that like with the way that Brunson is guarded in the way that Cat is guarded in a lot of these actions, he's going to find himself open in there a lot. And he'll just, every single time his defender turns his head, just flashes right into the middle of the lane. Quick little entry, pass, turn and fire. There's an emphasis on running in transition. This is actually something that guys like, I, I, I feel remiss if I, if I don't mention that. Watch Victor women Yama run. Like I forgot to mention this in the spurs segment. I was that dude. Every single change of possession literally puts his head down in sprints. And it's like, you know, I had a coach and I had multiple coaches say this is a very common thing you'll hear from, from basketball coaches. But transition defense is all about your first few steps. It's that first few steps when the, when the defense changes hands or the possession changes hands, that first few steps is what wins or loses. Transition battles. If you start jogging and then try to get it going, the battle's lost. But if you turn and sprint, your momentum's already moving. It's so easy to get up and down the floor. Wemby literally does a wonderful job sprinting up and down the floor every single time the Possession changes and so do the New York Knicks. And if you watch those dudes, Landry Shammit and Mikhail Bridges were popping off the screen tonight. We with their transitions every single time the, the, the, the basketball change possession, just sprinting up the floor, finding opportunities to get out for three, finding opportunities to get out for a transition layup. There is a methodical, crisp playmaking and play finishing like sequence. Just about every time Jalen Brunson draws a hedge, draws a second defender. And it's what makes this Knicks team so fascinating. And like Jackson made this point the other night and he's like so right about this. If there's some hope for a team like the Knicks to beat the Thunder, that's it. It's that if you somehow survive this series and now historically you have a great shot. You have the, you know, no one's ever done it. But if you survive a, a series against the Pistons or the Cavs in the conference finals and you end up against a team like the Thunder in the finals, we know the Thunder play a lot of aggressive defense and they concede a lot of threes. That ball movement and play finishing is going to be the thing that gives them a chance with how great Jalen Brunson looks. And look, he's literally been insane ever since Game 3 against the Hawks, which was the last time he kind of looked like a shell of himself. Carl Anthony Towns when he's been on the floor has been fantastic. He struggled to stay on the floor, but he's been fantastic when he's been on the floor. And with the way that they're moving the ball with Mikhail Bridges really finding his groove. OG Anunoby, the hamstring injury appears to be pretty light. They just upped Landry Shamit's minutes and Landry Sham, it was awesome. He's plus 20 in 26 minutes. At 15 points like this, this Knicks team is just in a groove, man. They, they've now won what, six games in a row and took a team that Boston looked like they had no answers for and they've completely broken them down. I just was really, really impressed tonight. Now they're up three zero and on their way to closing this thing out. On the Philly front, two things, the Tyrese Maxi hedges. I want to give the Knicks credit in the screening actions. The primary guys that he was hunting were Carl Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson and Jalen Brunson. And in those screens, Brunson and Cat were throwing hard Hedges. What does that mean? As soon, as soon as they see the Screens come in, and Maxi, Maxi, a lot of times will telegraph that he's coming off of the screen because he'll come off of, like, a dribble handoff where he's sprinting towards the ball, or he'll just start going with the head of steam. And so it's easy to tell that he's coming off that side. And if there's something that I think that you can make an adjustment with is like one of the ways you could beat hard Hedges by rejecting the screen. But I want to give a lot of credit. It starts with Mikhail Bridges. Mikhail Bridges by making it so that Tyrese did not feel comfortable in one on ones. And Mike Brown shouted him out after the the game, and deservedly so. McHale has made it so that Maxi doesn't feel comfortable in one on ones. If you remember in the Boston series, especially when Derrick White was on the floor, Tyrese was always like, I can go get a bucket or get dribble penetration just by attacking Derrick White. Little lesso against Jordan Walsh. But yes, versus Derrick White. Mikhail Bridges has removed that as an option. So now Tyrese wants a three or Tyrese wants a screen. Excuse me. Mikhail's doing a good job of funneling him towards the screen. When he gets into the screen. Cat and and Brunson are closing out hard and flattening out and actually making it so that Tyrese can't turn the corner. And Mitchell's is more of, like, a high, high drop coverage, but with Cat and Brunson, it's this aggressive show, this aggressive hedge. And like, every single time Tyrese did turn the corner. Every single time, Tyrese did reject the screen. Every single time Tyrese got a favorable transition cross match. Every single time in Tyrese had a transition possession where the dude was on his heels. He'd go to the scissor dribble three. Tyrese shot. He shot, like, almost every single one of those times. He was very aggressive when he was able to get around the coverage. But give the Knicks credit. They executed these coverages perfectly. And Tyrese, for the most part against those Hedges, got rid of the ball to the right guy and generated an open look for Kelly Oubre to clank a jump shot, for Joel Embiid to clank a pick and pop three for Quentin Grimes to clank a wide open three. I. I feel terrible for Sixers fans. It's gotta have been just absolutely brutal to watch Jared McCain just be awesome for the Thunder and for Quentin Grimes to be outside of, like, one game in this playoff. Run unable to really assist in this dynamic. But like, I, I watched, I actually rewatched this game. I watched it live and then I watched it during the stoppages of the, of the Timberwolves game. And like, I, I didn't have. I, I thought Tyrese was aggressive. I thought the game plan was designed to get the ball out of his hands and to prevent him from turning the corner. And he made the right plays and dudes couldn't knock down shots. And sometimes you got to credit the defense. Like, I don't think it's Shay's fault that he doesn't have 35 points a game in the Lakers series. The Lakers are, well, executing a double team scheme and he's doing his job and his team is up 2:0. I thought Tyrese generated a lot of advantages tonight and guys just couldn't pay him off. Last guy I want to talk to. Two really quick ones on the Embiid thing. It's just sad because he's just a theoretical basketball player. When the dude is healthy and he's got his legs underneath him. He's a truly dynamic player. Now I think he's a little bit matchup dependent. There are certain types of bigger, stronger centers that can give him some problems. But when he's healthy and at 100%, he's just an absolute massive problem. And he won a playoff series last, last round against the Celtics. But this is why the conversation before every year is like, if Joel Embiid is healthy, because usually he's either not playing or he's playing and he looks like a shell of himself. And it's really sad. I could see it. There was kind of a picture of him, a video of him looking despondent. There was, if you looked at on the sideline, you could see like trending Wofford leaning forward. I can't remember who he's talking with, but Embiid's kind of like parts back behind them and it just looks kind of despondent because it's obviously sad that his body is letting him down and he doesn't feel like he can play at the level that he wants to play at. But it's just the reality of the Joel Embiid experience at this point. And it's just really unfortunate for the Sixers. Really quickly on Paul George. It has been a nostalgic experience as a basketball fan watching him get into his bag in this playoff run and hit the types of shots that he was hitting tonight and that he's hit throughout this entire playoff run. That nasty spin move over Deuce McBride at the right elbow, that crazy step back he hit over Josh Hart in the left corner. The shot making is amazing. I think he's been very good defensively in this playoff run. But one of the things that has plagued Paul in his entire career is similar to a lot of the taller, more slender, you know, swing forward scoring or is like scoring archetype type of players. They struggle to get dribble penetration and so they're kind of dependent on jump shooting. And one of the big differences between like a Kevin Durant and a Paul George is Kevin Durant is very good at using off ball movement and like positioning and like really like savvy like off ball tricks to get himself high quality jump shots. And so KD is able to operate in a realm of efficiency that makes him incredibly useful despite the fact that he never gets to the rim. Paul George is a tough shot maker and I'm not going to sit here and pretend like he never hits a movement 3 or they never hits anything coming off of action. Just far less so than what you see with a guy like kd. Paul George's game is predicated on getting into his bag and hitting a tough jump shot. And like, look, I'm not here to hate on tough jump shot making. I do think it's an aesthetically appealing part of basketball. It's a part of my game. I, I, I, I think every player that is in intentions of being a great scorer should work on that in their game. But what tough jump shot making is, is a counter, it's a ceiling razor. It's what you should use to set up your drives. It's what you should use when you get into late clock situations or when you're facing unique types of problems where the health defense is loaded up in a way to where you can't get to a different part of your game. You want my you like, if you're talking like your game, you want your ability to hit a tough contested pull up jump shot to be like the fourth or fifth best thing that you do. You want several other factors whether it's your ability to drive the basket, drive to the basket in dribble drive situations, your ability to work out of the post, your ability to just play make and like run action as a ball handler, your ability to impact the game on the margins as a defender and as a rebounder. You want all those things to be much higher than your ability to hit tough contested pull up jump shots. Because what happens with tough contested pull up Jump shots is they come and they go. And sometimes you go on hot streaks and you hit four or five of them in a row and you look unguardable. And then sometimes you miss eight or nine in a row because they're really tough. By their very nature, they are prone to streakiness. There's a million ways that a tough pull up jump shot can go wrong. It can go wrong with something the defense does by like twisting up your feet or applying contact that disrupts your base. Elsewhere on your body, there's a chain from your footwork to the handle to the gather to the release that has so many moving parts that it just takes one little tiny thing to go wrong. And that shit's going six inches further to the right than you originally wanted it to. And it's just very difficult. And it's why, like, you know, when you see the, the, the, the types of players like Shay, for example, who, like, when Shay takes a pull up three, he sets it up with the drive a bunch. And so then when he goes into his little jab step, it's almost like conceded by the defense because the defense is like, like, if I take that away, then this dude's going to be passed me into the basket every single time. And so because that, you know, pull up three is so far back on his, like, list of of counters, it's always open. And it's because the primary driving force of Shay's game is his ability to beat people off the dribble. And so even when his jump shot's not falling, he's got that to lean on and just, you know, Paul's looked great. I don't think this was like a, oh, he's old and washed. I think this was a, oh, Paul took a bunch of really tough jump shots and made a bunch of them in the first quarter and then couldn't make them after that. And that has just been the consistent thing that has prevented him from being the consistent playoff performer that many of his peers at the top of the league have been. All right, let's bring Jackson up and let's talk some. Take some questions from the chat.

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Discover the nicotine pouch with [e-mail] that's V E L O.com, underage sale prohibited. Velopless synthetic nicotine punch Products Website restricted to age 21/ Copyright 2025 MBI. This stress check, aka friendly reminder that your hobbies matter, is brought to you by State Farm because you deserve to lose yourself in the stuff that brings you joy. Here's mine. Painting my Tabletop Battle miniatures. Yeah, seriously. After a long day, I grab a brush, pop in some music and just get into it. And there's no wrong way to do it. It helps me clear my head, slow down and just breathe. But it works. Big stress Mini warriors, total reset. No pressure. Just paint. Creativity and a little reminder of what makes me happy. Some people bake, some people garden. Me, I paint warriors with interesting tech. And guess what? It works. You don't have to be good at your hobby, you just have to enjoy it. So carve out that time, tune out the noise and do something that's just for you. Like a good neighbor. State Farm is there Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transact transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures [e-mail] disclosures

[Guest Analyst]

let's do it. What is up Chat we're going to start with a super chat from camp guard Mike. He said should OKC adjust their offense to get shame more opportunities. I know they're getting advantages due to the way the Lakers are playing him, but it kind of feels like they're playing into JJ's hand.

[Host]

I thought that the Thunder got really good shots in that game and they just didn't go down. And frankly when you've Got a bunch of double figure wins like this. There's not a whole lot to complain about. I think that the Shay's opportunities primarily center around his ability to attack and transition off of like the defense and like quick off the catch. Those you guys who watched our film session on Wednesday, we kind of broke down how when you get into situations where someone else starts with the ball and he like flashes to the above the brake line and he like catches and rips, he has an opportunity to like kind of attack before the double team gets there. And I think Shay's done a pretty, pretty good job of, of finding those opportunities. The truth of the matter is, guys, is like, it's kind of impressive that he's averaging 20 points a game in this series despite being aggressively doubled everywhere. Like, I think Shay's really done his job overwhelmingly well. I'm pulling up the catch and shoot numbers for you guys right now because I'm just curious. It felt to me like they got a bunch of really good looks. Yeah. So OKC generated 17 unguarded catch and shoots in that game. Like, that's, that's, that's good process. And by the way, they did start making them over the tail end of the game. They started cold, but they made most of them over the tail end of the game. I'm pulling up their total number. That 17 is above their average for the postseason so far. Like, that's a really good number for them, I think. I think that that was really, really good process.

[Guest Analyst]

Sort of following up on that. Is this Lakers strategy of doubling Shay something that you think the spurs or the Wolves should employ? They obviously have better individual defenders, but that also, they also have better sort of like athletes and guys to rotate if they do decide to double like this. Do you think that's something that these teams should do or should they go more?

[Host]

No. So the thing is, is like OKC did make the majority of those shots. And if you dig into their numbers, like in this Postseason, they're shooting 41% on unguarded catch and shoot threes. In the regular season, they shot 42% on unguarded catch and shoot threes. This is a team that you can't leave open anymore. And I think teams like Phoenix because, like, there's been all this, like, talk about the double teams and Phoenix and LA just don't have a choice. Phoenix's primary matchup for Shea in the first round was Colin Gillespie. And I like Colin, but like, come on. And the primary matchup for the Lakers is Marcus Smart, who Maybe three, four years ago would have been up for this challenge, but is not really up for the challenge as a one on one defender. Also because Mark Williams was out, it's also Iguidaro at the basket or a rookie Common Malawatch. And in the Lakers series, it's two guys that probably wouldn't start for any championship contender that I can remember in the last several years. And DeAndre and Jackson Hayes, two guys that are neither, are considered even above average rim protectors. So those teams have no choice but to address the Shay problem by doubling. And San Antonio has the luxury of really good perimeter athletes like I Odesumu is banged up. I want to be clear, but IO's not the first guy I've seen in this postseason run struggle to handle the spurs perimeter guys. Those dudes are guarding. They're sitting in a stance and they're guarding. They're guarding really well and they deserve a lot of credit. San Antonio has the combination of perimeter athleticism to to match up with Shea, but also the rim protection of Victor Womenyama. So like that whole series is going to be about their ability to stretch Wembanyama out and they're going to run into problems where like if they go to Chet at the five, Chad's gonna have to hit a lot of threes. And if he doesn't hit a lot of threes, then Victor stays under the basket. Even if he does, your lineup is smaller. Now San Antonio's perimeter size advantages can enter into the equation. Like it is a very interesting chess match that we're gonna see in the next round of San Antonio advances. That is going to be just an all time great playoff series. And like one of one other random thought before you go forward. I really do think Wemby has been playing psychological warfare with Chet and like I think he knows that a future matchup with Chet in the, in the conference finals is going to come down to that dude being confident and stepping into threes. And I bet you he thinks like, if I can rattle this dude somehow and get him to like not trust himself and he's scared on some of these catch and shoots or not comfortable that that could be what wins us a series. And like, I literally think Wemby's been laying that framework for months now, for a couple years now because like, he clearly hates that.

[Guest Analyst]

It seems very personal with the Wemby and Chad situation, which I think is just very fun. Super chat from cj. He says, do you think the Jalen Brown drama is similar to Kobe and Shaq it seems like Tatum and Brown never talk and there's underlying tension from them, but big egos.

[Host]

I don't think it's anything like that.

[Guest Analyst]

I don't think it's anything like that.

[Host]

Personally. Kobe and Shaq had so, so much more of an outward beef. It was, like, abundantly clear that they both didn't like each other for a variety of reasons. And, like, Shaq didn't like how much Kobe shot. Kobe didn't like the. Shaq didn't work hard. They were passive aggressive. It was like a whole other ball game. Like, I think, like, I think like, 95 of the Jason Tatum, Jalen Brown drama is manufactured by the media.

[Guest Analyst]

I was gonna use the exact word manufactured.

[Host]

Like, I think there's like 5% of, like, the. Jalen probably does think he's better, and Jason probably does think he's better. Right. But I think both of them are like your quintessential. Quintessential winners in the sense that I think that they both prioritize and prefer doing what's best for the team.

[Guest Analyst]

I completely agree. And I think they've. Whether that. How much of that, you know, inner turmoil they actually have, they do an amazing job of not making any of that publicly said. I think the stuff that Jalen Brown said in the stream was kind of overblown in terms of it being connected to Tatum in any sort of real way. And I also think that this conversation might be different if they hadn't won a championship. Like, winning a championship, it's hard. I don't. I don't. I think that smooths over or helps smooth over any sort of. Of those underlying bubbling sort of things you might think are there. I think it's a lot easier to be like, hey, man, we can make this work. We did. We did it.

[Host]

Absolutely. It's like the magic elixir. It's like it just forgives all, you know, like.

[Guest Analyst]

Absolutely. Next question. A refereeing related question. What do you think the NBA can do about the inconsistencies of how games are being called? You have a game like OKC Lakers Game 2 and the Wolves game tonight.

[Host]

So there's a fine line, because what ends up happening, what feeds the grifting, is sometimes the fouls not getting called. So, like, I want to call into question a specific play that took place between Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes tonight where both fan bases are pissed off about it. So it's kind of like the perfect example. And then I want to call as a counter example the. The. The The Steph Castle, like, multi hedge possession that we saw tonight. So Jalen is in a ball screen and he's going to his left. And Quentin beats him over the top of the screen. And it's physical defense, but hasn't really crossed the line into, like blatant fouling yet. But then Jalen Brunson leads with his off arm and like, elbows Quentin Grimes in the stomach and like, grabs a handful of his. His jersey or shorts or something like that, some part of his uniform. And in response, Quentin Grimes grabs his arm a little bit and Brunson then just flails and throws his neck back and gets a foul call. That to me is a classic example of the type of play where I just want to see that as a no call both ways. Grimes is being a little handsy. Brunson's using his off arm. Let's play basketball. And by the way, Brunson did shed him. He was about to go make a move. He just knew he could get a foul call. Where I think it does get tricky is in that Timberwolves spurs game. I don't think you can have Ant and Steph in a sparring match out of half court. Did you see that play? Do you know which play I'm talking about by any chance?

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah, it was really weird.

[Host]

And.

[Guest Analyst]

And the multiple times that Steph got clobbered on hedges were also, yeah, jarring to me.

[Host]

So if the two dudes are sparring at half court, just call a double foul. Because they shouldn't be sparring at half court. Okay. And then, yeah, like, if a guy throws a crazy hedge that's obviously a foul, call it a foul. Like, the issue is the idea that grifting should not be a part of basketball does not also mean that we should just not call fouls and it should just be prison ball. Like, that's not what it should mean. There's officiate the game by natural basketball plays. Yes, in the playoffs, we like more physicality, but there's obviously a line. The guy drives into the lane and a dude just rakes him across both arms when he's going up for a layup, I want that dude shooting free throws. You know, like, if Steph is dribbling off a ball screen and the guy just blatantly, like, damn near tackles him into half court, that's a foul. But when we get into like, the little bits of jockeying, whether it's fighting for post position, whether it's the little bit of hand fighting that you see on drives like that's where rather than calling off arms and calling the hand checking, I want to see no calls there. But like the, the whole point is this is where the refs aren't doing their jobs. When a guy is driving and he's blatantly just getting grabbed and held, Blow the damn whistle. Like, blow the damn whistle. The play that Steph drew a foul on in the second half on Terence Shannon on a play where he drives left and Terence Shannon blatantly grabs him by his right arm and is like hanging on while he's driving. And it's a non call which is like, blow the whistle, there's your foul. And then like after that, Steph, when he gets further into the lane, Terrence gets back in front and does one of these and like takes the contact in the chest. And I can't remember if it was a blocking foul or a charge, but it ends up being blown as a whistle. And I'm like, you're too late to officiating this play. Like Steph is pissed off because he just got fouled and you didn't call it. So now he's doing janky shit and Terence Shannon's doing janky shit. They're both trying to manipulate you. Where this. If you just blow the whistle when he blatantly grabs Steph's arm, it stops the play and it addresses the need. And then Terrence tries to slide his feet on his next possession. So like to me it's like fouls that are foul should be called fouls. But allow the. The typical little bit of hand fighting, the typical little bit of jockeying for position that you see in a normal basketball game. And whenever a defensive player or an offensive player is attempting, attempting to manipulate you, do not reward it like, like that. That to me is the, the middle ground that the officials have struggled to tow.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah. And officiating games that are this physical is very difficult. But I do think that there's something to be said the exact point you're making about. You have talked a lot about non basketball plays on the offensive end and I do think there's an analogous thing on the defensive end with that two arm grab. Like the stuff that Kayson Wallace was doing that was going viral yesterday where he two hand grabbed Austin Reeves off arm like he did against T.J. mcConnell finals last year. Like that's just not basketball. That's just period not basketball. And so like that's the kind of stuff that goes beyond physicality and moves into a place where if you're not calling those, you are like, you're just setting up. You're setting up, you're setting yourself up for failure.

[Host]

Yeah, it's really that simple. This is why, like, I have a lot of people that are, that'll say like when I, when I talk about the non basketball play rule, they'll say things like, well, that's subjective. And I always laugh when I hear that because I'm like, officiating is by its very nature subjective. Like you're subjectively applying the rule book. Yes, the rule book has this like clear delineation between what's a foul and what's not. But by the rule book, there is a foul on just about every single possession in the NBA. I would argue multiple fouls on every single possession in the NBA, especially when you get into the postseason. So like every single official is like standing there watching Case and Wallace grabbing the army in making a decision about whether or not he's going to blow the whistle when by the rule book it clearly is a foul. So he is, he is applying his own subjective interpretation of the rule. So why not allow them to do that with non basketball plays? That, that's really what I'm saying is like, okay, Alex Caruso just took a charge on LeBron when he's literally just jogging to go get set up for a horn set. That's a non basketball play. So I'm not going to reward it. You know, like, or Steph Castle just, you know, or Joel Embiid just did this absurd euro step right into a guy's chest and then just kicked both of his legs and fell down. That's clearly not a basketball play. We're not going to reward it. Like that is. I would just prefer the subjectivity. Remove the, the just junk from the game. Then let's just allow jailball. But then also call all these like grifts on either end. Like that's the dynamic. Like it is a terrible television product to watch Griffs be rewarded in the same game where like it is so incredibly physical. Like those two concepts just work against each other too much visually.

[Guest Analyst]

100 and before not, not many Thunder fans in the chat today. Before anyone gets mad, all the Marcus Smart non basketball players should also be taken. Okay guys.

[Host]

And there were so many like Joel Embiid was awful tonight. Jalen Brunson had a couple bad ones tonight. You know, Steph Castle had a couple of egregious ones tonight. Like Victor Emanyama had a couple plays where he fell down. You know, but like, you know, similar kinds of deals like, it is a. A huge part of the game, and it's a problem, but it's just as much an officiating problem with the rest of the game that kind of leads to it. One last note on this before you take the next question. Stop telling me about free throw totals when it comes to officiating. Like, guys, I wasn't mad about Shay's free throw totals in either of the games. It's specifically the what it looks like when you see a player flail and do ridiculous stuff. And, like, I would actually argue that in this postseason run, they have rewarded those things less. But they always do. They always do. But the problem is, is they don't for the entire regular season. So all these players have it as, like, big parts of their game, and then every year, we have to watch them do it in the postseason and get rewarded half as often for it. So it's still annoying the half of the time that it works, and it's even more annoying the half of the time that it doesn't work. And so, like, the whole thing is, it would cease to exist if they addressed the root cause of the problem, which is there's an incentive. There's an incentive right now that when Jalen Brunson ends up in some hand fighting with Quentin Grimes, if he just throws his neck back, he's probably going to get a whistle. If Chad Holmgren, even if he doesn't get hit in the face, if he just throws his neck back, he's probably going to get a whistle. It is working. It still is working enough to justify the process. And until that changes, it's not going to change.

[Guest Analyst]

A couple more questions for tonight. We got a super chat that says, why don't you clearly see Wemby as the best player in the world with how dominant he is on both sides of the ball. If I'm starting a team, he is my first pick.

[Host]

Trust your eyes. He's been the best dude when he's at his best. But there's two different ways to have this conversation. We. We. We had this conversation surrounding Shay and Luca and everyone and Jokic and Wemby right around that, like, what was it, March? During the fever pitch of all the. All this conversation, there's the who's the best guy in a vacuum right now. If you force me to base it on who's playing the best right now conversation, which I'd argue is wimpy based on tonight. But, like, before tonight, you might have been like, is it Kate? You know, like, that conversation is really complicated because you're very in the moment right now and like, sustaining is the key, right? Like, will Cade continue to hit half of his pull up jump shots? Because if so, then yeah, he's arguably the best dude. You know, Is Wemby gonna continue to drop an efficient 35 every night that he's also the best defensive player on the floor? Like, but that's the thing. It's. It is this Rolodex of like, the next game, next game, next game, next matchup, next team, next. And so that's why, like, that conversation, like, who's the best player in the world? Like, it just doesn't really make sense to have until we have all the data. And for the record, like, Oklahoma City versus San Antonio is not Wemby versus Shea. Like, Oklahoma City's team is better. The only reason that series is a coin flip is because of Wemby. So like, if they go into that series and they lose because OKC just defense to transitions them to death, like, just turns him over 25 times a game and Shay's mediocre. That doesn't, that doesn't mean that Shea's better like that. I'm gonna watch that series and just look at which player impacted winning more for both teams and kind of make a decision at the tail end of it. But even then, like, there's a version of it where Wemby beats Shea because of his rim protection, but then loses to Jalen Brunson. And that doesn't mean Brunson's the best either. Like, I'd argue if that happened, I'd be like, I think Shea's still the best because, like, Wemby's rim protection works against some matchups, but not necessarily against others. And, you know, Jalen Brunson is, you know, nowhere near the best player in the world. And shake elders. Alexander is like the still the dude who plays 75 games every year, wins the MVP and like, is just more dependable. So he's probably the best, right? So, like, this is a constant changing set of circumstances. I'm not ready to like, call anybody the best player in the world right now. It's a conversation for the summer. But tonight was the best basketball I've ever seen. I shouldn't say ever. Tonight's the best basketball I've seen an individual play in a long time in this league. Like, in terms of just overall two way impact and winning. And so to the question in the chat, that is something that you should trust your eyes about.

[Guest Analyst]

I've been thinking about this a lot and about Joel Embiid because like when he, when he is at his best, he's one of the best players in the NBA. Like period. But he's just not at his best very often. And I thought about it again with Victor, thinking about the opening night of the season when he had a monster

[Host]

game and we were like, the Anthony Davis game?

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah, yeah, it was unbelievable. And I think the next game he still, I mean he still impact wise had a good game, but he had like, like 18 points or something. And it's like the challenge of the peak versus consistency, like Shay's peak just is probably like if you're looking at only peaks of every player in the NBA, she's probably.

[Host]

Yeah, you're absolutely right.

[Guest Analyst]

He's like, but which is not a shot. But he is without question, undeniably, by a mile, the most consistent superstar in the NBA by a mile. And so like the. It's not that simple as just who is the best when they're at their best. Because how often are they there is like a big part.

[Host]

This is a stat that will surprise some of you guys. Like, I think Shay's a better basketball player than Luca for exactly the breakdown that Jackson just gave. Luca has eight 40 point playoff games and Shea has two. Like, there's no doubt that like there are several players that when they're at their best, are better than Shay's best. But it doesn't matter if they're not able to get there every night and Shea's able to get 85% of the way there every fucking night. Like, it's just a problem. It's a problem, right?

[Guest Analyst]

Like, I was like in terms of the Joel and Beat stuff and we can take one more question. I was thinking about it, I was like, if you can only get to your best level once out of every eight games, like, at what point are you just like a very good role player? You know what I mean? Like, I'm not saying that actually earnestly,

[Host]

I get the voice, but it's like

[Guest Analyst]

at a certain point, how often do you have to be able to achieve your best before you're just a role player who as role players do have huge nights and look like super, super essential on some nights, but then some, most of the nights they're not. It's like, it's, it's, it's an interesting sort of question about the frequency of

[Host]

how, to your point, like, Embiid has literally been the breaking point for the Sixers defense in both of these losses, right? The breaking point and the. The pick and roll defense tonight wasn't much better than it was in game one. Right.

[Guest Analyst]

Last question for the night from the homie Kaylin. He said, this is the best Knicks team I've seen in my lifetime. Does the overall connectedness slash Cat acting as a passing fulcrum shift your views on them potentially versus okc? Should both of those teams.

[Host]

Yes. I was hesitant on this for a long time. I kind of started to come around though. I mean, the Knicks were third on my contender rankings going into the second round. I was high on them in the series. I. It's really a couple things. One, Brunson looks just great. Jackson laid this out a couple nights ago. But they are a team that can take many shapes, which I think is key. Like, look at Andrew Shamich is stepping in tonight being awesome. And Jackson also laid this out, the ball movement piece and the play finishing piece. And like, I think that's a unique formula to compete with okc. Brunson's gonna have a hell of a time dealing with Casen Wallace and Lou Dord and Alex Caruso and AJ Mitchell all series long. But there's a bunch of different ways that they can play. And then them building out this off ball offense is really key for that matchup if Cat doesn't completely soil himself on the perimeter. But that's the other thing too with Cat. Like, Cat's got size on just about everybody, you know. And like, they could try to address that problem with Hartenstein, but then you make yourself really slow versus a fast Knicks team. I shouldn't say really slow, but relatively slow. Or you could try to address it with chat, but then like, that pulls your rim protection away. You could try to put a guy like Jay Will or like, like J Dub there or Caruso there. But you know, cats can have size on those guys and be able to see over the top. Like, they have a. They have like legitimate advantages there. And like, it's. I'm gonna say what I. About the Knicks, what I have said about the Timberwolves over the years. I'm just like, the evidence is becoming so compelling now that I'm just. I'm done underestimating them. Do I. Would I pick them versus okc? No. Would I pick them for San Antonio? Probably. But like, I'm just done saying they can't beat somebody. By the way, I'm saying the same thing about the Pistons real quick. In my contender rankings, I had the Pistons at seven because I was like, I don't think they could beat OKC or San Antonio. Frankly, that's stupid. If Cade's gonna hit all these jump shots, they can beat anybody. So, like, I'm done putting a ceiling. Like, the only team in the field right now that, like, literally can't win is that Lakers team and that Sixers team, like, and maybe the Cavs, like. But I've done putting a ceiling on some of these teams. Like, I just, I. I'm done. I'm done trying. Like, these teams are very, very good and I'm not going to underestimate them anymore. All right, guys, that is all we have for tonight. As always, I sincerely appreciate you guys for supporting us and supporting the show. We will be back Tomorrow after Game 3 of the Lakers and the Thunder. I will see you guys then.

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[Host]

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[Host]

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