Host 6 (7:45)

Lucas seemed pretty messed up. Like, basically this whole series, though y. Whether it was sicknesses or yesterday, I feel like he came out with like some back spasm type of thing.

Host 4 (7:54)

Well, yeah, I mean, listen, he got hurt, but he didn't. If it was, he had looked awesome. And until the hard fall, that would be one thing, but that's not what it was like. He was relatively passive in the first quarter, which is when he has crushed. It felt early on like LeBron and Luca were both like, okay, let's conserve energy in the first quarter so we have more in the fourth quarter. And at first it looked like a bad strategy because they were down 14, but then once, despite all that, they were able to claw their way back into the game and actually take a one point lead. You thought, oh, this could work out. But LeBron didn't have the extra gear, and Luca didn't have it. The really, I don't want to say the whole series, but the last three games since he got sick, Luca didn't have the Luca playoff gear. 28, 7 and 9 on 7 of 18 from the field for Luca is, by his standards, a bad playoff game. Now, the flip side to that and where folks where credit must be given is the other guys are paid too. And the Timberwolves defensive plan against Luca and against LeBron was outstanding. The Timberwolves trusting, you know what, Austin Reeves if you beat us, you beat us. We don't think you're going to beat us. It was smart, it worked. And so I'm not going to kill Austin Reeves. He had a rough series. But also the Lakers shouldn't have needed Austin Reeves to be great to force a game six against the Timberwolves. And I understand that the timberls are now 21 and five in their last 26 and I think they have 10 or it's either 10 or 15. I don't remember double digit wins in that stretch. I, I get that, that maybe I was, I am still even to a degree underrating or disrespecting the Timberwolves. But this Lakers team, it was not. And this is what's so frustrating about the way the season ended. It was not some hope and a prayer media creation. They had almost the exact same record against the Western Conference as Oklahoma City did. They were a dominant team at home where they lost two of these games. They had I think the third best record in the fourth best record in the league against the best teams in the league. We saw them at the end of the year against a full strength Oklahoma City team, blow them out and then go toe to toe with them a week before the playoffs. They were arrested. All of those things happened. And while LeBron did not have a great Game 5, you did get great LeBron performances in Games 2, 3 and 4. So it wasn't that. Oh the, you know, the old man slowed down at the end. He did at the very end. And they still just got annihilated in this series. The thing about last night that made last usually De Monze, if, if a team loses a closeout game that you know is a one possession game with a few minutes left, it's heart wrenching, I gotta tell you. It's not how I felt watching the Lakers squander that game at the very end because they were incredibly lucky last night that they weren't blown out. Min. I mean Anthony Edwards was 0 for 11 from three. The, the Timberwolves as a whole shot 47 threes and made seven of them. Think about that. They were 15% from three. So an ant was 5 of 19 from the field. And that's another weird thing for ant because he's going to get his flowers today, as he should. But it reminded me actually a lot of game. Game 7 against Denver, the biggest win of Anthony Edwards career. He was 6 of 24 from the field, 2 of 10 from 3 had 16 points. It was his worst game of the series. And they came back and beat Denver anyway last night he's five of 19 from the field, oh, of 11 from three, has 15 points. And it's the game that he knocks off Luka and LeBron that which is a testament to the Timberwolves and a testament to different. Julius Randle was excellent this entire series. Julius Randle was reliable and obviously Rudy Go Bears. 9 offensive rebounds, 24 total rebounds. Him scoring 27 points in a playoff game was unfathomable. And you can say, oh yeah, listen this, the Lakers don't play a center. The Lakers haven't played a center all series. Rudy go Bears stat lines. Prior to last night, 2 and 6, 6 and 6, 1 and 3, 5 and 10 and then 27 and 24 prior to last night in the series, Rudy Gobert had 14 points, 25 rebounds. In the four games last night he had 27 points, 24 rebounds.

Host 6 (14:18)

But not having a big guy in there is going to come back to bite you eventually, right?

Host 4 (14:22)

Well, clearly, I mean, so clearly it did. But the point that I'm making is, and you guys know from what I was saying earlier in the series that I thought. And even though the Lakers were in a tough spot, one of the things that had worked out for them was be that the Timberwolves and we talked about this, that even though the Lakers were everyone the Lakers were playing was 6, 8 and below, Rudy wasn't killing them, that they were getting away with playing that small because the Timberwolves didn't want to give Rudy Gobert the ball. And I'll be honest, last night they didn't give him the ball that much. It was all on like offense, second chance. But it was, yeah, it was on offensive rebounds, it was on putbacks. It wasn't a lot of like they passed it to Rudy Gobert. And so a guy who has in his, in. In his 70. How. How many games is his playoff career? 74 game playoff career, who went into last night with 5 career 20 point playoff games and 0 career 25 point playoff games, puts 27 on your head. A guy who in his 74 career playoff games once going into last night had more than 18 rebounds in a game in the playoffs, puts 24 rebounds on your head. It was, it was a dominant performance by him. It was a great performance by Jalen, by Julius Randall. It they. And that's the other piece. Jaden McDaniel's in foul trouble immediately and it didn't matter. So this was a, it felt to me like. And this is, this is not an Excuse and it might even be an indictment. It felt to me like the Lakers felt they lost the series on Sunday. And that is. And that they came out because there was no energy in the first quarter. It was something of a miracle.

Host 6 (16:42)

Minnesota was leaving it up there for grabs. Yes, they were playing pretty complacent with the lead, taking a lot of deep shots instead of driving.

Host 4 (16:51)

It was a miracle. It's exactly right Demase that this game was close late. If Minnesota just has a C minus shooting night instead of the worst shooting night any team will have in the playoffs over the next three years, which is really what they did. The lakers are down 25.

Host 6 (17:14)

Right.

Host 4 (17:15)

And so the credit to the Timberwolves, man.

Host 6 (17:20)

And what about the Mark Williams trade, man? Like what is. Well, how would that have changed this?

Host 4 (17:27)

Here's the thing. It. What they gave up in the Mark Williams trade was Dalton Connect, a first round pick and I think a swap. So there is no argument to be made like, well, for this series and this postseason that would have hurt you because Dalton Connect got zero minutes.

Host 6 (17:52)

Right.

Host 4 (17:52)

You know what I mean? So, so, so since the guy you traded, you never played that in. In the short term it and Mark Williams took a bit of a victory lap. I understand on Twitter. I get that it certainly felt like and they. When they didn't get Mark Williams, they signed Alex lynn who played 0 minutes. Now maxi Cleba comes off the bench after not playing in months because of his injury. JJ gives him 5 minutes and more on JJ shortly there is there. It sure feels like they would have had a better chance now in retrospect in this series they had Mark Williams, we never saw him play with them. And they now that powder is dry for, you know, a move this coming summer potentially. But I can't, I can't pick a team to win the championship. And then when they get popped in round one and five, be like, well here's all the obvious flaws with the roster. Like that's I. I knew Mark Williams wasn't on the team. I knew how big the Timberwolves were. When I said after day 82, game 82 of the season that I thought the bracket fell perfectly for the Lakers. And now you look at it and you say, well that was wrong obviously. So no it's I but at its core people are going to, I think, focus on the wrong things. I think this what happened to the Lakers, in my opinion is three games of this series and they scored less than a hundred points. Four games of the series, they scored less than one oh, five. The one game they won, they only scored 94. And you can so folks are going to say the issue was they were never going to be good enough defensively, maybe, but the issue in this series was an offense that the only way to look at this Lakers team as a legitimate contender was going to be they have an elite offense. That offense was never elite. It was never even very good. And it's just remarkable to me that it's the same offense I saw a few weeks ago drop 126 in okc in a game okc wanted and then have like 1:10 with 6 minutes left in okc against that defense in the game. Luca got ejected in I, the, the Lakers role players all had some struggles. Luca obviously wasn't himself. LeBron ran out of gas in every, every one of these fourth quarters, and.

Host 6 (21:09)

That'S how you lose in five given Austin. Yeah, I feel like you were, you did really go easy on Austin Reeves. If those guys aren't going to show up, then who has to show up? I think it has to be Austin.

Host 4 (21:20)

Well, no, listen, I, so Austin Reeves for The series was 16, 5 and 3 on 41, 32 splits a bad series. The reason I'm not focusing on that is because I just think that would be kind of in that I didn't pick the Lakers. People are, I, I think maybe, I think people that are discerning listeners to how I do this stuff are maybe at times surprised at how fair I try to be to what is honest commentary. I, I didn't pick the Lakers because I thought Austin Reeves was going to cook. So like, and so this was the first playoff run of his career where a lot was expected of him. That's where. And, and he didn't listen. He wasn't great, but he's a young player who doesn't make a ton of money. Who you just, I, I, I don't like when stars are awesome. Their team loses and people then blame the star. The example of that would, would have been if after the, the Pacers beat the Bucks, if people were like, Giannis needed to do more. Giannis did fucking everything he could have done and they got beat. So like Bill James used to say, bad teams have an amazing ability to blame their best players for their biggest problems. And so I try not to do that. But what I also try not to do is win. A team that I thought was going to win because of the overwhelming star power at the very top doesn't win. And those two stars are good, but not what I thought they would be then be like man needed more from your third option. Like I just I the and so it's not like that I'm trying to protect Austin. It's nothing like that. It's that I he wasn't very good but Austin Reeves playing at a C minus level again should not be the reason you're going home in five and that that's where that's where we end up. The NBA 82 game grind is done and now the real fun has begun. The NBA playoffs are here. Time for all the high stakes drama, clutch moments and jaw dropping plays. Can't wait 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 doesn't stop now. Want to make your playoff experience even more intense? Try placing a bet on your favorite players performance. Will they drop 30? 40 or more? It's your call. Ready to place your first bet? Download DraftKings Sportsbook app now. Lock in your bets and 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 Right? That's code Wright W R I G H T 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 HOPE NY, which is 467369 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 + age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void. In Ontario, bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources C D K N G CO B.

Host 7 (26:05)

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Host 3 (26:56)

Time is precious and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 24. 7 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow ups for up to five pets. You can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day. Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments and shipping is always free. With Dutch. You'll get more time with your pets and year round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care.

Host 4 (27:27)

And the dream season is now complete. The Golden State warriors are the 2015.

Host 5 (27:32)

NBA champion on the new limited podcast series Dub dynasty. It's been 10 years since their shocking run to a championship. We examined the controversial move that made it possible.

Host 3 (27:42)

It's never a great conversation as a player when you hear that you're being.

Host 5 (27:46)

Benched for the entire behind the scenes story of Golden State incredible 10 year run. Listen to Dub Dynasty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Host 6 (28:01)

So Dame unfortunately went down with a non contact injury a few days ago. He tore his Achilles in game four. You said that it was likely the last time we see Dame play like Dame and you also said this is probably the last time we see Giannis as a buck. Your thoughts?

Host 4 (28:19)

Yeah, I I hate this so much for Damian Lillard. And you know he, he he came back faster from and it killed. Sorry from blood clots than anyone ever. And that I don't really understand how he did it and obviously blood clots are not related to a torn Achilles. However, him being out and not being able to train and do the play for a month month and then jumping into playoff basketball, did that contribute? I I would have to imagine it at least could have. And so you just feel truly sick to your stomach that this guy did everything he could to come back as early as possible, and now. And it was to get this playoff run, and now he didn't get this playoff run and he's not going to have next year's playoff run and he might not have any more playoff runs. So, I mean, that is a true, cruel, cruel turn of events for a great dude and a great player. Yeah, I mean, you just hate it. You hate every piece of it. And, you know, he has, I'm sure, so many what ifs in his head. What if he had just stayed in Portland and just been the legend there forever? It's not like, you know, well, if I had done that, I wouldn't have gotten these great playoff runs, that those never happened.

Host 6 (30:07)

So you. Oh, you. You said that Dame said, like, what if I never left Port Portland? And you're saying Giannis might.

Host 4 (30:15)

No, no, no, no, no. I'm. I'm saying. I'm just talking about from Dame. I'll get to Giannis in a minute. What I'm saying for Dame is he's just think like. I'm sure he has a lot of, like, man, what have. I never left. I left Portland, which I didn't really want to do because I wanted to compete for a championship. I won zero playoff series in Milwaukee. I was. You know what I mean? Like, that. That didn't happen. I'm sure he's also thinking, what if they had just traded me where I wanted to be traded to Miami, and it was me and Jimmy Butler and bam, you know, what would that have looked like? And so it's. It's a cruel, not final chapter, but close to a final chapter for Dane and then for Giannis. I. I don't see how Giannis can stay. And I. The Bucks are in such a weird spot because they don't control any of their own picks the next six years, so they can't tank. They have no cap space to improve the team. They don't have any young players that you're just super excited about. And so it's going to be fake trade season with Giannis. And there's two damanze that I. That I made that are really interesting. One is to the Rockets, where you get Shingoon Reed shepherd, who was a top five pick who doesn't play. Jock Landale. He doesn't play because he doesn't defend, but he was top five pick in this year's draft, so he's valuable Jock Landale for salary Filler. And then four draft picks, two of which are super valuable. The Phoenix 27 and 29 first and the Houston 28 and 31st. That if you're Milwaukee because keep in mind you can't tank. So Shingoon makes it so you don't tank. You have those picks to start getting the young players. That to me is a uni. An interesting one. And then the other one if you just want to go pure young you There is a trade with the spurs where you offer them Giannis. So Giannis and Wimby are together which is terrifying for the league and they give up Barnes for the salary. Keldon Johnson, rookie of the year Stefan Castle and then a litany of picks. The Atlanta and first round pick in 2027. The Chicago first round pick in 2027. The Boston first round pick in 2028. The Dallas first round pick in 2030 which could be super valuable. And the Minnesota first round pick in 2030 which is okay. And I like those are real trades and I'm interested if they would. They would be interested in any of those. I the. Are there any other fake trades you want to ask me about?

Host 6 (33:46)

Yeah, there's. What about okc? I mean they. They have picks and they can obviously trade good players. So you see that working out.

Host 4 (33:53)

Here's the thing for okc. First of all they might win the title this year if they do that. I can't imagine that right in this scenario.

Host 6 (34:07)

If they fell off. If they came up short.

Host 4 (34:09)

If they. Okay, so if they came up short do they. So they're not trading Shea.

Host 6 (34:17)

Right.

Host 4 (34:18)

So I'm just trying to see how they could make the salaries work. I guess they could because Hartenstein makes 28 million. I'm just trying to put it together on the fly. If you traded them Hartenstein and chat to go and let me find one more guy that you would have like would. If you traded him, Hartenstein, Chet and Isaiah Joe. That. That. That makes the salaries work. And then they have the picks OKC has is in 2026. Houston's and the Clippers in 2027 their own and Dallas in 2028. Denver Denver's pick and then they have their own picks the rest of the way. So they don't have great picks. We thought that Clippers pick would be unbelievable. Do they have swaps? I thought they had swaps with the Clippers. And let me look that up real quick. Future draft picks Clippers so or no I don't so let me see they so outgoing draft picks for the I should have done the Thunder but so I don't think that maybe those picks went elsewhere. Sorry, this is not good podcasting. But I just incoming picks. So they yeah, they can swap with the Clippers in 2027. They can swap with Dallas in 2028. And I I think that's where that the Paul George trade and all that stuff ends. But chat would be a real piece obviously Hartenstein's a real piece. So yeah, I don't think the Thunder are gonna make that move. Maybe I'm wrong. I think Houston or San Antonio are the more likely outcomes there. Blending Vice's signature dynamic storytelling with the high octane world of sports, Vice Sports brings an exciting and diverse range of programming that goes beyond the game catch action packed live events and exclusive sports documentaries and profiles only on Vice tv.

Host 6 (37:07)

JJ Redick was asked in a pregame presser if he was going to consult with his assistants a little bit more and he got offended by that and kind of stormed out of the meeting. And Dragonfly Jones came out and said.

Host 4 (37:19)

Friend of the show.

Host 6 (37:20)

Yeah. So quote, you can't be the smug know it all new coach. And then every coach whoever schemed against Rudy did a better job than you. Answer those questions at the podium, bro. Go.

Host 4 (37:32)

Yeah, so. So, so here's the deal. So I'm also not going to let so I'm big on and we can take Dragonfly's tweet off. I'm big on. This is going to sound silly just being honest, no matter how it looks or if people think there's an agenda there or whatever it is. So la, over the last couple years when I have criticized the Lakers coaching, it hasn't been to protect LeBron. It hasn't been because I was looking for a fall guy. It was because I thought Darvin Ham was, objectively speaking, a bad coach and I thought he put them in bad strategic and tactical and lineup situations and it hurt their chances of succeeding. That's why I criticized I am not going to all of a sudden because they lost a series that I thought they should win. Act like I don't think J.J. redic over the course of the year did an excellent job. I think he did. I think JJ Redic is a really sharp coach. I think there are a lot of major positives for JJ Redick from a work ethic, from attention to detail, from tactics, from understanding the kind of newer elements of what you would call analytics, but it's really just kind of smart math on Things. All of those things I give him high marks for. With that said, my concern about JJ Coming in, and you guys can remember this, you can check the tape, was actually a personality concern, which was I saw how JJ Dealt with criticism when he was in the media. I saw how JJ how online he was and reading mentions and reading what was being written. And I was worried that when times got tough that JJ Redick wouldn't react well to that. The first tough times he really had, the first real criticism he got his entire tenure was after he did something literally no coach has ever done in basketball history. Play all five starters, play the same five guys all 24 minutes in a playoff game for the second half. He got some criticism for it and then also was asked about it pregame and immediately became a bit of a petulant child. And that was the concern. Here is the other concern, and this is one JJ Is not going to like to hear. But the record speaks for itself. J.J. redick, his entire basketball life, gets tight in big spots at the peak of his basketball career, when he was the best player in college basketball at Duke. Go look at those tournament stat lines and you might say, this is ridiculous. Why are you bringing up J.J. reddick, you know, 03 or 06 NCAA tournament in talking about the Lakers? I'll explain. But J.J. redick, as GR he was an unbelievable college basketball player who is not a very good NCAA tournament player, was on four Duke teams, any of which could have won the national championship, got popped in the sweet 16 almost every year, made it to one final four, and it wasn't like, oh, J.J. was great. No, that's not how it went. Go go back and look. If you don't remember, then, as Jerry west reminded him, when JJ did the plumbers and fireman bit, JJ and the pros, as. As really good as he was later in his career, was not a good playoff performer. So why am I bringing that up now? He strikes me as a guy who gets a little tight, who's wound a little tight. And when you have on the TNT broadcast, the sideline reporter who never. That's like the opposite of the take industry, is the sideline reporter. When you have the sideline reporter telling us, ooh, J.J. was wound up when we met with him before the game, he was on edge. He. And then when you have JJ Storming out of a press conference, when you have in the game, he has committed before the game, I'm not going to play Jackson Hayes. But then all of a sudden, you are just getting your teeth Kicked in on the offensive glass and you're like, well, I've already said I'm not playing Jackson Hayes. So I guess Maxi Kleba, who again, I, I think could have been useful for the Lakers cuz he's a big guy who can shoot and has a relationship with Luca. The problem is he hadn't practiced or played with him once ever. You put him in like to coach who got a little tight. Oh my goodness. Sorry. I don't know if you guys heard my dog freaking out. It's a coach that gets, he got a little tight. And so I think that if I am, if I am giving JJ Redick advice for next year and for the rest of his coaching career because I do think he has a lot of the talent to be a really good head coach. And Lucas said great things about him afterwards. Said it reminded him of being back in Europe with the style of coaching and the attention, detail, all that. It honestly is as silly as it sounds. Just chill a little, man. Just breathe and chill.

Host 6 (44:29)

And I think.

Host 4 (44:30)

Go ahead.

Host 6 (44:30)

I think he was also in his head about making that decision and like he's like, I don't want to call it embarrassed, but like the fact that he's being questioned on it, he just can't, can't stand it. He walked away.

Host 4 (44:41)

I, I also think, sorry for the.

Host 6 (44:44)

Birds, by the way, guys.

Host 4 (44:46)

Oh, I loved it. I was, I, I, I was gonna ask you about that. I think it sounds delightful. I, I was like, oh man, this is a nice little background to the pod, just chirping Southern California birds. But I, so here's the thing. Almost assuredly, I can bet, I can't bet this, but I would bet almost anything that Redick had no idea that no coach ever had played all five guys for the second half of a playoff game. Like when he was doing it, like, why would he, I didn't know it, you know what I mean?

Host 6 (45:32)

I, the, the made history, right?

Host 4 (45:36)

Correct. I'm sure he knew it was rare, you know what I mean? Unorthodox, like never before. No team ever in basketball history, right? And so then when they fall apart at the end and then he finds out I'm the first guy to ever do this, I bet he felt a little boxed in and maybe even a little embarrassed. And so I just don't, I think he is wound a little tight. And I think that that unfortunately manifested itself in big spots in his playing career and now first run in the playoffs manifested itself a bit in the first really big spot of his coaching career, that's all. It's not a lifelong indictment, it just is what it is.

Host 1 (46:37)

Okay? Have you heard about this? Last year, Degree changed the formula for their Cool Rush deodorant. Their fans rebelled and wanted the old scent back and Degree listened. That doesn't happen often.

Host 2 (46:47)

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Host 1 (47:04)

So try it and see what the fuss is about. Head to your local stores to try the OG Cool Rush for yourself.

Host 3 (47:10)

Time is precious and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 24? 7 access to license licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow ups for up to five pets. You can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day. Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments and shipping is always free. With Dutch, you'll get more time with your pets and year round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care.

Host 4 (47:41)

And the dream season is now complete. The Golden State warriors of the 2015.

Host 5 (47:46)

NBA on the New limited Podcast series Dub dynasty. It's been 10 years since their shocking run to a championship. We examine the controversial move that made it possible.

Host 3 (47:56)

It's never a great conversation as a player when you hear that you're being.

Host 5 (48:00)

Benched for the entire behind the scenes story of Golden State's incredible 10 year run. Listen to Dub Dynasty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.