
Loading summary
Jason
You're listening to an iHeart podcast. AI is redefining what's possible for your business. With more unique challenges to solve and higher stakes than ever, Microsoft helps you stay ahead. Our trustworthy AI tools and guidance can empower leaders like you to drive greater impact. And with Azure's simplified platform management, we're helping businesses go further and faster by unlocking up to 150% improved output. Whatever challenges come next, let Microsoft help you keep pushing forward. For more details, visit Microsoft.com challengers T.
Jackson
Mobile Stats are as impressive as your favorite athlete's highlight reel because T Mobile helps keep you connected from the heart of Portland to right where you are on America's largest 5G network switch. Now keep your phone and T Mobile will pay it off at the $800 per line via prepaid card. Visit your local T Mobile location or learn more@t mobile.com keepandswitch up to 4 lines of your virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device, credit service report in 90 plus days device and eligible carrier and timely redemption. Required card has no cash access and expires in six months.
Narrator
Shop the Sherwin Williams Memorial Day sale and get 30% off paints and stains May 16th through the 26th with prices starting at $34.29. It's the perfect time to transform your space with color. Whether you're looking to revamp your bedroom, living room or home office, we have you covered with bold hues, soothing neutrals and everything in between. Shop the sale online or visit your neighborhood Sherwin Williams store. Click the banner to learn more retail sales. Only some exclusions apply. See store for details.
Jackson
The volume.
Jason
The NBA 82 game grind is done and now the real fun begins. The NBA playoffs are here and it's time for all the high stakes drama, clutch moments and jaw dropping plays. I can't wait to if you're looking to make the playoffs Even more exciting, DraftKings sportsbook has you covered as an official sports betting partner of the NBA. From the play in games all the way through to the Finals, now's the time to back your favorite players and teams as they chase glory. All season long, DraftKings has been the go to spot for NBA player props and that does not stop now. Want to make your playoff experience even more intense? Try placing a bet on your favorite player's performance. Will they drop 30 points? 40 or more? It's your call. Ready to place your first bet? Download the DraftKings sportsbook app now. Lock in your bets. Let's make this playoff run unforgettable. Here's something special for first timers. New DraftKings customers bet $5 to get $200 in bonus bets instantly. Make it a playoff run. To remember with DraftKings, download the DraftKings sportsbook app and use code HOOPS. That's H O O P S. That's code hoops for new customers to get $200 in bonus bets. When you bet just five bucks only on DraftKings, the crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-GAMBLER in New York, call 877-8-HOPE NY or text HOPENY to 467-369 in Connecticut. Help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas. 21 plus. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void. In Ontario, new customers only. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see dkng Co Audio. All right, welcome to HOOPS Tonight here at the Volume Heavy Wednesday, everybody. Hope all of you guys are having a great week. Got a jam packed show for you guys tonight. The Minnesota Timberwolves ended the Golden State War warriors season. We're going to talk mostly about the future for both teams. We're going to talk about what it looks like for Minnesota looking forward in a couple of their matchups and then we'll talk a little bit about Golden State. I want to talk about Jimmy Butler who struggled to score the ball when his team needed to in this series and talk a little bit about what they're looking for down the line in terms of free agency and in the trade market this summer. After that we have our course correction segment with Microsoft. We're going to be talking a little bit about Jason Tatum and then at the tail end of the show, the Boston Celtics, in a must win game at home deliver a championship level punch against the New York Knicks to extend that series to a Game six. We're going to talk about some of the specific things they did really well and then we're also going to talk about the reality of what Game six is, which is going to be a knockdown, drag out fight and should be a very entertaining basketball game to end our second round. You guys know the drill before we get started. Subscribe to the Hoops Tonight YouTube channel so you don't miss any more of our videos. Follow me on Twitter at_jason lt so you guys don't miss show announcements don't forget about our podcast feed. Wherever you get your podcast under Hoops Tonight, it's also super helpful if you leave a rating and a review on that front. Jackson's making great content for social media feeds on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Make sure you guys follow us there. And then last but not least, keep dropping mailbag questions in those YouTube comments so we can keep hitting them throughout the remainder of the postseason. No Playback tonight We usually go for an after show where we take callers and do that sort of thing, but we're taking tonight off on that front. But we will be back on playback for an after show tomorrow night after the final buzzer of Game 6 between the Thunder and the Nuggets. So make sure you go to Playback TV Slash Hoops tonight to get set up there so you can come hang out in the playback. I've been having a ton of fun with those. Jackson's been hanging out too and we've been taking questions and having callers and watching film and it's informal and we talk shit, we have fun, we have fans come up and vent and it just, I've really enjoyed it as as kind of a change of pace in this postseason. So make sure you guys get set up on playback so we can return to the after show tomorrow night after Thunder Nuggets all right, let's talk some basketball. So not going to focus too much on tonight's game. We've talked that specific matchup to death over the last week and I'd rather just focus moving forward. I mean, the warriors just didn't have the horses to compete in this series without Steph Curry. I do think this series worked wonders for Minnesota's ball movement on offense tonight. They logged 36 assists on 49 made baskets and the ball was just moving around and it's happening everywhere. Anthony Edwards as well, making really impressive reads in the middle of the floor. He the gap in his penetration speed in the early part of the series and how rushed he was going downhill compared to how he was just slowing down right in that middle portion of the paint towards the tail end of this series and just letting the defense react to him and taking the easy reads that were available to him there. I thought the drop off pass he had to Jaden McDaniels and the dunk out of the dunker spot was a classic example of that. Just waiting for the defense to react rather than just flying like a bull in a china shop towards the basket. And those, those ball movement sequences are going to be specifically revelant for a relevant. Excuse me, for a potential series against Oklahoma City or Denver. So, looking forward for Minnesota, they obviously match up really well against Denver. They have won eight of their last 11 matchups with them, dating back to the beginning of the Western Conference semifinals last year. They have the size and physicality to match up with Denver at every position. Denver is a group that is big at a lot of positions like they're. Jamal Murray is a big, strong guard. So is Christian Brown. Michael Porter Jr. Is having a rough playoff run, but he's big and tall. You know, Aaron Gordon. Russell Westbrook brings athleticism. Peyton Watson brings athleticism. Minnesota can match that. And. And they've shown the ability to bother both Jokic and Murray. And we also saw them just like, absolutely dominate Michael Porter Jr. And that dude is already running on fumes. And he had a rough series against Minnesota last year, so that's something to keep an eye on. But Denver's success in that series came on the defensive side of the ball when they made their runs, when Denver won Game 3, 4 and 5. In those three games, they held Minnesota to a 106 offensive rating. They really worked on bringing Jokic further out to the level and just making it so that Ant couldn't turn the corner and ball screens get momentum. Ironically, Christian Brown was the best defender that Denver had for Ant in that series, and obviously, you know, KCP was just too small for Ant. KCP is not in the picture anymore. So you'll see a lot of Christian Brown on Ant. They tested Minnesota's ability to pass through their defense, and so that growth that we seen in this postseason run, I think will be imperative in that matchup. That said, I believe Oklahoma City is going to win. I just wanted to talk through the Denver piece because I think that's a legitimate possible outcome. I'd go, I'm leaning like 75, 25 towards Oklahoma City at this point in the series. And Oklahoma City will present some similar issues to Minnesota that we saw Golden State present. A steady diet of quality defenders at every position group. A lot of loading up on the strong side and rotating with speed to account for that, you know, kind of overemphasis on the strong side of the floor, and they have real rim protection, and that's the difference. Draymond Green is a good rim protector, but mostly just with his IQ and his physicality. This is a team that's going to present real size and length at the rim in a way that, if we look back last year, the one bad playoff series that Ant had was against Dallas, a team that could match his athleticism on the perimeter and the team that could provide real length at the basket. Now one of the things that we saw specifically with Dallas, if you guys remember correctly, was Derek Jones Jr. And Derrick Jones has a great deal of length on the ball and he was able to actually bother ants like pull up jump shooting in a way that I think, you know, shorter defenders like Door to Kayson Wallace might struggle a little bit. And that's why I think it'll be interesting to see if we get to a point in the series where they go with more of like a J Dub on Ant just to try to match his length a little bit more. But it's going to be a real challenge and the challenge will be for Ant to not repeatedly test Hartenstein and Chad at the rim, but rather to make the good reads when he's there. And so those slow down drives that we saw are going to be key. I think the mid range could play a key role in this series for both Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle to get short range high percentage shots before getting all the way to the rim. Because whenever Rudy Gobert's on the floor, you're going to see Chad Holmgren sitting his ass right underneath the basket protecting the rim there with his length. And I do think that both Randall and Edwards can get some quality mid range looks over Oklahoma City's smaller guards. But I'm just super excited for that potential series. I mean two elite defenses that are very different, obviously Minnesota's bigger, Oklahoma City is faster, two elite on ball guards and Shea and Ant that what an incredible duel that could end up being. And I would argue in that matchup like if Ant or Shay badly outplayed the other in terms of just over the top shot making and probing in against these defenses, I think that could swing the winner. I think that's a, I think that's a series where the gap between Ant and Shea could be the difference. If both guys played at more or less the same level, I think it probably tilts towards Oklahoma City. But if it can outplay Shay, that's a series that they can absolutely win. There's interesting co stars J Dub and Chet obviously. Chet, you know, a skinny defensive minded rim protector that got some ability offensively. J Dub is, you know, another on ball guard. But then for me, for Minnesota it's these big forwards, right? It's Julius Randle, it's Nas Reed. Guys that have, we've seen show the ability to, to score against size, mismatches and they're going to have plenty of size mismatches that they could attack. And I just think this could be an all timer series, a great showcase for the next generation of NBA talent to see all of these guys on the same floor. You know, if you had to tell me coming into this postseason run like okay, LeBron and, and, and Steph and KD and Kawhi and Jimmy Butler and all of like the establishment stars that we've seen over the last several years, even like Tatum for instance and all of these guys, if you were to tell me Giannis as well, like if you were to tell me those guys weren't going to be in the postseason when we get to the final two rounds, if I at least got to see something like this, to see Shay versus, to see Shay versus Ant, I think that's a really fun matchup and even extending to the potential Knicks Pacers matchup, which we'll talk about in a minute. Cause that's not set in in stone. I think it's a good showcase for the league and what the next era could look like. But we will get further into that matchup once we have more concrete information about who's going to play which will, you know, we could have an answer tomorrow night. We could be in a situation where we don't know until game seven, but when we know, we will do a full series preview that breaks that series down from the perspective of both teams on both ends of the floor. On the Golden State front, I was generally impressed with the way they battled in this series without Steph. Like they routinely kept things close until it was, you know, in that mid second half stretch or Minnesota consistently pulled away. But like if you guys think of it, they just, if you look at Minnesota's defensive firepower, I mean this was a team that strangled the life out of Luka Doncic latent games. This is a team that strangled the Life out of LeBron James Layton games. This was a team that completely and utterly shut down Austin Reeves. And yeah, obviously they didn't have the ball and player movement that Golden State had, but the warriors just didn't have the offensive firepower to keep up. And I do want to take a minute to talk about Jimmy Butler's scoring. I don't want to hyper focus on it because I think there's some realities in terms of the fit alongside Steph Curry that accentuates more of his versatility. But Jimmy Butler in his career has 38 games in the postseason where he scored at least 25 points. And under the circumstances, with the way that this series was going, they specifically needed scoring from him. That was like the thing he could do to lift the floor of this team and keep them in these games. And he had one game in the entire series where he scored more than 20 points one time and that, that just wasn't enough. And I, I thought he failed to really emphasize that part of his game, to push that part of his game when his team needed him to. And you know, it could have been the difference between this series ending in five or Steph potentially getting an opportunity to return in game six. You needed to win one game. And like I just. The shot, the shot totals. I mean, what do you take, 20 shots total in the last two games like that? There's a certain amount of. He needed to just empty the clip, so to speak, because that's what the matchup called for. It's like otherwise you're asking Brandon Pajemski and Buddy Heald and Jonathan Kaminga to carry the load offensively. And there's obviously going to be a great deal of up and down that comes with those types of role players. All of that said, I do think the Jimmy Butler trade was a success. Overall. I think they would have won this series or at least given themselves a very good chance to win this series. If Steph Curry had played in that case, they would have made it to the Western Conference finals. Now, I think the Thunder would have crushed the Warriors. They were Houston, but because they had the speed guards to match up with Stephen. But they also had real rim protection and they had the offensive firepower that Houston didn't have. But I think they would have won this series and I think they would have been a conference finalist, which I think in the first season with Jimmy Butler would have been a resounding success. But even getting to the second round, I think we saw the obvious way that the fit works. We saw how Jimmy Butler just kind of like connectively as a playmaker in the middle of the floor, just accentuated and greased the wheels for this offense. They reached a level defensively with him as a defensive playmaker. Not the on ball talent that Aaron Andrew Wiggins was, but the work he did as just a defensive playmaker for this team roaming around the floor. I, you know, the fit just makes a ton of sense and I do think this team is worth investing in next year. The obvious need is guys who can score the ball in the flow of their offense, which means the ability to hit a jump shot running off of a screen the ability to attack downhill when someone's chasing you over that screen and apply real ball pressure. The ability to quickly process and make decisions when and when you're in those screening situations, while also being a player that can defend at a high level. The obvious ceiling for that type of player is like a Cam Johnson. We've talked about him a lot over the course of the last couple of weeks. I think he's the perfect fit as like basically Jackson referred to him as basically like, like a version of Klay Thompson. And in that sense it's a kind of like a proof of concept in that, you know, we, we know what that looks like because we've seen that dynamic counter spacing presence with Steph and how that works. Right. Another discounted guy I'd look at for this type of role would be Malik Beasley. He's a guy that would be a free agent this summer and you could potentially get him on like a mid level exception or something like that. But if the warriors make the slight tweaks that they need to make this summer and if they can get some year to year improvement from younger players, guys like, like Brandon Pajemski, you couldn't make shots in this post, you made him tonight, but you couldn't make shots in this postseason run. Like your team needs you to make shots. So this summer he needs to work on specifically conditioning so that he can hit shots when the physicality and intensity picks up. We talked about it last night on playback, but there was an extended stretch to end the season, basically the last fourth of the season where he was a high 40s percentage, percentage three point shooter on like seven attempts per game. Like we know he can make shots. It's about getting it to translate to the postseason environment. When the physicality and the intensity raises, there's just another level he can get to with his conditioning. Moses Moody's game completely decomposed in this postseason run. Hit some threes tonight, but he's going to have to be better next year. So if those guys can make their marginal improvements, if Steph just identifying that, that he has a real chance next year and approaching the off season in a way where he can capitalize on that, you know, Jimmy Butler coming into next season with a game that is, you know, tweaked, so to speak, in terms of his offseason regimen to fit this particular system and getting that type of role player upgrade at a couple of position groups, they absolutely have a real chance to make a run at the title next year. All right, let's move on and talk some Celtics. First of all, let's talk Tatum in our Course Correction segment. Welcome to Course Correction brought to you by Microsoft. Just like star players and teams navigating performance hurdles, business decision makers today are under immense pressure to get things right. They must rise to the occasion, turning challenges into opportunities. Microsoft empowers these visionaries with AI solutions, simplified cloud and data management, and trustworthy, responsible AI. When you're in the NBA, you have your own hurdles to face. In this segment, we will highlight the player every week that has risen to the occasion when his team needed him. Whatever challenge you're facing, Microsoft empowers you with the expertise to say, bring it on. I want to use this week's Course Correction segment as an opportunity to shout out Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics. I thought this was the best season of Jayson Tatum's career. It wasn't anything that showed up in some sort of dramatic way statistically. I mean, he's averaged in the previous four seasons before this year 28, 8 and 5 on 59% true shooting and played in on average over 70 games every year. So this guy has been as reliable a statistical performer as we've had in the league in recent history. But he just showed in insane growth as a half court processor. He's never averaged over five assists in a season in his career and he averaged over six assists this year. A simple stat to demonstrate this is he had seven games this year with at least 10 assists. He had seven games in the entirety of his career in the regular season before this year where he logged at least 10 assists. But he also just showed an understanding of advantage creation which is obviously very important for the Celtics team. But it extends beyond assist totals. Constantly trusting basic reads like kick ahead passes, swing passes when guys were sinking off the strong side corner or sinking into nail help. Simple over the top passes to guys slipping out of screening action when he was the ball handler. These are the kinds of things I've talked about with the Pacers. Like before, we just discount these as simple fundamental basketball things. They are literally driving success in the modern NBA because these guys are all so much better scoring with an advantage than they are without an advantage. And the guy who's on the ball has that job. We're going to talk about it in more detailed context here with Jaylen Brown here in a minute, but he was the kickstarter of everything the Celtics did on offense. The Celtics offense scored 122 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor this year. Then he starts this playoff run with an incredibly dominant performance against the Orlando Magic, who had an elite defense. There was second best defense in the league this year. In the final three games of that series, he averaged 36, 10 and 6. But then suddenly out of nowhere, his game completely fails him in the first two games of the Knicks series. Can't make a jump shot to save his Life. Goes just 12 for 42 from the field. Brutally cold down the stretch and a couple of bad losses to the Knicks. But then it all came together in one of the best playoff games of Tatum's career. In game four in Madison Square Garden, he had 42 points on 16 for 28 shooting. The Knicks were switching everything and forcing the Celtics to attack matchups. No other Celtic had any sort of legitimate rhythm in the second half of that game. He had no choice but to grab the reins and he just hit incredible shot after incredible shot from every spot on the floor, from every type of footwork on the ball, attacking off the catch, getting all the way to the rim for and ones. Just truly remarkable shot making in a game where his team absolutely needed him to be that guy. 42 points on 16 for 28 shooting, 7 for 16 from 3. He was the only reason they had any chance to win that game. And then his Achilles goes out and I just feel terrible for him because I can only imagine what that must have been like, the relief of seeing all those shots go in after the frustration of what happened in game one and game two. It like must have just felt like all of that hard work paying off in such a real way and then something that's completely and entirely out of his control comes in and ruins everything. I just feel terrible for Tatum and I wanted to use tonight's segment as just an opportunity to talk about how much I respect Jayson Tatum as a competitor and as one of the game's greats. I fully expect him to return from this injury at an all NBA level and I'm very excited to watch him play basketball again when he returns. That's it for this week's course correction. Remember, Microsoft's AI solutions empower you to take bold steps and make informed decisions, sparking new ideas to help drive your business forward. With Microsoft as your trusted partner, you can navigate your journey with confidence, finding innovative solutions and reaching new possibilities. Visit Microsoft.com challengers to learn more. All right, let's talk a little bit about Celtics Knicks tonight. I want to start with Jalen Brown's floor game. We talked about this a little bit in the Tatum segment. But if you're going to be the primary shot creator for a basketball team for an entire game, it's important to understand that you're in charge of managing the flow of the game. We talked about this a lot in the Donovan Mitchell game. I think it was game one if I remember correctly. But where you know, like he puts up a monster scoring night, but the Cavs just don't have any flow in their offense. The ball's not popping around, they're not generating a ton of catch and shoot threes. Their shooters are all uncomfortable. You need to understand that in that job, like you, you need to take advantage of easy reads because your job is to create half of your team's shots. Like you might have to create 40 to 50 shots in that game. Jalen Brown took advantage of the easy opportunities tonight. His transition reads good. God, the Knicks were awful in their transition defense. They lost Derek White probably a half dozen times for wide open threes in transition. But Jalen was the guy who was probing up the floor in those transition situations and making those reads, identifying where the Knicks were making mistakes in screening action. They ran a ton of go screens tonight where he's on ball and Derek White screening and slipping out or Peyton Pritchard screening and slipping out or Sam Houser screening and slipping out and he just made those simple reads there interior passing to Cornett out of the post. I, I just thought Jalen played a great floor game and managed his shot selection really well. Combined with some legit three level scoring, hitting mid range shots, hitting threes, getting in the basket there. There was a concerted team effort. This extends beyond Jalen Brown, but they were really trying to bully Jalen Brunson tonight. So the first time in this series I thought Jalen Brunson like really struggled. He was the guy losing shooters in transition often. He was not holding his ground on switches the way he did earlier in the series. And the Celtics were just going right through his chest all the way to the front of the rim. But Jaylen Brown set the tone with that early and often in this game. 26 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists. Tip of the cap to Jaylen Brown. Kind of a teaser for what his role will be next season, which is to be that guy for this team. The Celtics did play extremely well across the board offensively in a way that they have struggled to reach consistently in this series. And I thought this was an interesting example of the reality of rhythm in basketball. So Boston is 127 points tonight. It's the first time all series they'd scored over 125 points. Now, to be clear, Jason Tatum is the best player on this team and they have no championship ceiling without him. So I am not trying to in any way denigrate Jason Tatum. However, this team does have a lot of high level basketball players. And one of the things that happens in those situations is there's a tendency for guys to feel like they don't want to tug on the rope, right? Like if you're Drew Holiday, if you're Derrick White, even Jaylen Brown to a certain extent, like Tatum's the guy, you gotta flow through him. You don't want to assert yourself too much. And sometimes it can be tough to establish rhythm. And so for a game like this, again, if you, if you went for a whole postseason run and teams could really scout Jalen Brown and scout the way you like to attack, you'd be begging for Jason Tatum back, I promise you. But in a one game sample like this, it just kind of simplified the pecking order. Jalen Brown, Derek White, Peyton Pritchard, those were the three guys that were controlling the majority of the action. They played through them consistently and as a result there was just kind of like a rhythm and a flow that they missed in other points of the series. And I thought specifically in this one game sample, it benefited Boston. Luke Cornett, I was talking with, with Jackson and Shane before we got started it, I just thought he did a much better job of Porzingis job. Porzingis job in the series has been to roam off of Josh Hart, protect the rim, while at the same time accounting for Josh Hart when he's, you know, driving off of those kickouts from the top of the key or crashing the offensive glass or, or, you know, even just shooting threes in those catch and shoot situations. And Cornet just brought a level of activity that they haven't had really in this series. From that spot. He was, you know, he had six blocks just in the second half. Some of them were roaming off of Josh Hart on other guys looking to shoot. Some of it was Josh Hart catching at the top of the key and pumping and then trying to drive on Cornette and then trying to finish through Cornette getting blocked there. Oh, he's going to take a three out of the left corner. Cornette runs out there and blocks him there. I. He kept him off the offensive glass like Josh Hart had just one offensive rebound in the whole game. And it was because Cornet swatted his shit right back into his Hands and it got logged as an offensive rebound. So he just like completely shut down the in the second half. In particular, everything as that roamer off of Josh Hart. You know, Josh hit some threes tonight and still had some success. But Cornette did a ton of damage in his minutes roaming off of Josh Hart and just kind of anchoring things defensively for the Celtics. Six blocks in the second half is incredible stuff. Like, I, like, I didn't do any, you know, digging into NBA history, but I would imagine it's been a very long time since an NBA basketball player logged six blocks in a single half in the NBA postseason. Shout out to the Celtics. Man, these guys have their flaws, but they're a bunch of winners. And they beat the shit out of the Knicks tonight, and they showed that they're not going to go down without a fight. And on that note, this series is not over. I believe the Knicks will win on Friday, but that will not be an easy game. And if they lose that game, they're staring down the barrel of a game seven in Boston, where Boston will be FL will be favored. I thought the Knicks played a horrible half in that second half, just straight up not good enough in so many facets of the game. They better be ready for a war on Friday because it's going to be a war, and if they don't survive that one, they could be sent out of here. And I mean, already they need to be polished up in a way to prepare for what's a very dangerous Indiana Pacers team that's going to be coming their way should they get out of this series. All right, guys, that's all I have for tonight. As always, I sincerely appreciate you guys for supporting me and supporting the show. Again, no playback tonight, but we will be back on playback tomorrow night after the live. The live show that we have. Again, keep an eye on the. On the feed. I think I am going to do a film session tomorrow. Jackson. I think I want to do something on. On Cornet's defense in the second half because I thought it was just so impressive and I just want to show some video examples of the stuff that we were talking about. So keep an eye on the feed tomorrow morning for a. For a film session on the Celtics. And then live tomorrow night after the final Buzzer of Denver vs. Minnesota. One kind of bit of fun news. Tonight was the last night that we're covering two games in a single night. So just one game every night from this point forward, we'll be really zeroing in on those games. And getting deeper into the into the weeds on them. But about halfway through this playoff run, guys, I appreciate you guys for rocking with us and rocking with the show. I will see you guys tomorrow morning. What's up, guys? As always, I appreciate you for listening to and supporting Hoops tonight. It would actually be really helpful for us if you guys would take a second and leave a rating and and a review. As always, I appreciate you guys supporting us, but if you could take a minute to do that, I'd really appreciate it.
Jackson
The volume.
Jason
AI is redefining what's possible for your business. With more unique challenges to solve and higher stakes than ever, Microsoft helps you stay ahead. Our trustworthy AI tools and guidance can empower leaders like you to drive greater impact. And with Azure's simplified platform management, we're helping businesses go further and faster by unlocking up to 150% improved output. Whatever challenges come next, let Microsoft help you keep pushing forward. For more details, visit Microsoft.com challengers. You're listening to an iHeart podcast.
Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hoops Tonight - LIVE: Timberwolves Eliminate Warriors + Celtics Extend Series vs. Knicks
Release Date: May 15, 2025
Host: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
Episode Title: Hoops Tonight - LIVE: Timberwolves Eliminate Warriors + Celtics Extend Series vs. Knicks
In this episode of Hoops Tonight, hosts Jason and Jackson delve into the latest NBA playoff developments, highlighting the Minnesota Timberwolves' elimination of the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics' extension of their series against the New York Knicks to a decisive Game 6. The discussion encompasses team performances, player analyses, and future projections for the remaining postseason.
Series Outcome:
The Minnesota Timberwolves successfully ended the Golden State Warriors' season, signaling a significant shift in the Western Conference dynamics.
Key Highlights:
Ball Movement & Team Dynamics:
Jason commends Minnesota's offensive strategy, noting, "they logged 36 assists on 49 made baskets and the ball was just moving around and it's happening everywhere" (02:22). This smooth ball movement was pivotal in overwhelming the Warriors, especially in the absence of Steph Curry.
Anthony Edwards' Growth:
Anthony Edwards showcased notable improvement, particularly in his mid-court reads and decision-making. Jason observes, "Anthony Edwards made really impressive reads in the middle of the floor... just letting the defense react to him and taking the easy reads that were available to him" (04:15).
Future Matchups:
Looking ahead, Jason discusses potential matchups against Denver and Oklahoma City, stating, "I think Oklahoma City is going to win... but if Ant or Shay badly outplayed the other... I think that could swing the winner" (09:45). He leans towards a series against Oklahoma City, predicting a challenging yet exciting confrontation.
Quotes:
Jason reflects on the Warriors' performance sans their star point guard, emphasizing defensive struggles and the inability to maintain offensive momentum.
Insights:
Defensive Shortcomings:
Without Curry, the Warriors lacked the necessary offensive firepower, leading to their downfall against Minnesota. "They just didn't have the offensive firepower to keep up," Jason notes (10:15).
Impact of Jimmy Butler's Scoring:
Jimmy Butler's underperformance was critical. "Jimmy Butler in his career has 38 games in the postseason where he scored at least 25 points. In this series... he had one game where he scored more than 20 points... that just wasn't enough" (12:00).
Trade Evaluation:
Despite the Warriors' exit, Jason views the Jimmy Butler trade positively, believing it would have allowed the team to reach deeper into the playoffs had Curry been available. "I do think the Jimmy Butler trade was a success overall," he concludes (16:45).
Quotes:
Series Status:
The Celtics have extended their series against the Knicks to Game 6, showcasing resilience and strategic adjustments.
Game Highlights:
Jaylen Brown's Performance:
Jaylen Brown emerged as a key player, contributing significantly on both ends. "Jaylen Brown set the tone early with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 12 assists," Jason highlights (22:40).
Jayson Tatum's Growth and Injury:
In the course correction segment, Jayson Tatum's evolution as a playmaker is praised. "He averaged over six assists this year... he had seven games with at least 10 assists," Jason explains (19:50). Tragically, Tatum suffered an Achilles injury after a stellar Game 4 performance, where he scored 42 points (24:15).
Defensive Prowess with Luke Cornet:
Luke Cornet delivered an exceptional defensive performance, blocking six shots in the second half. "He completely shut down Josh Hart in the second half," Jason remarks (27:30).
Strategic Analysis:
Offensive Flow:
The Celtics demonstrated improved offensive synergy, scoring 127 points in a single game, their first to surpass 125 points in the series. "Their rhythm and flow benefited Boston in this game," Jason notes (23:00).
Defensive Adjustments:
Effective use of screens and switching defenses pressured Knicks' key players, leading to turnovers and easy baskets for the Celtics. "They were really trying to bully Jalen Brunson tonight," Jason observes (26:10).
Quotes:
a. Jimmy Butler (Golden State Warriors)
Butler's scoring slump was a critical factor in the Warriors' exit. His inability to deliver offensive support weakened the team's competitiveness in crucial moments. However, the overall trade involving Butler is viewed positively for potential future gains.
b. Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
Tatum's all-around game has significantly improved, particularly in playmaking and strategic passing. His recent injury is a setback, but expectations remain high for his return at an elite level.
c. Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
Brown's versatile performance as a scorer and playmaker has elevated his role within the team. His ability to manage the game's flow and contribute across multiple statistical categories underscores his growing importance.
d. Luke Cornet (Boston Celtics)
Cornet's defensive contributions, especially his shot-blocking ability, have been instrumental in the Celtics' recent successes. His performance in the Knicks series highlights his defensive acumen and impact.
Minnesota Timberwolves:
Golden State Warriors:
Boston Celtics:
As the playoffs progress, the Timberwolves' dominance over the Warriors and the Celtics' strategic victories position both teams as formidable contenders in their respective conferences. Upcoming episodes will continue to provide in-depth analyses, including film sessions and live show discussions post-game.
Upcoming Segments:
Playback TV Connect:
Jason and Jackson will engage with fans and analyze key plays in the aftermath of upcoming games.
Film Sessions:
Detailed breakdowns of standout performances, such as Luke Cornet’s defensive prowess, will be featured.
Final Thoughts:
Hosts encourage listeners to subscribe, follow on social media, and leave ratings and reviews to support the show. The focus remains on delivering insightful and comprehensive coverage of the NBA playoffs.
Notable Quotes with Timestamps:
Timestamps Reference:
This summary encapsulates the critical discussions and insights shared in the episode, providing a comprehensive overview for listeners and those who missed the live show.