What is crack Black and fellow Thermo nuclear a efforts. I am Dana Valley
coming at you with a very special podcast, a crossover podcast with none other
than my very good friend and colleague Andrew Claudio of Nick's Film School. Follow
him on Twitter at Andrew Claudio. Underscore spelled exactly as it sounds. Follow
NIXT Film School on Twitter at Nick Film School. That's at Nick film Skool
on Twitter, and you can subscribe to all their stuff. You can find
their podcast their YouTube. Those links are in the podcast and YouTube descriptions.
We recorded basically a home and home split it into two, and so the
first part is up on next Film School. Go check that out. The
link to the specific episode will be in the podcast and YouTube descriptions. In
both episodes, the first part we really talked about the Knicks to date,
whether they exceeded expectations, the importance of Julius Randall, Jalen Brunson's MVP case.
In this part we get into more of the rise of Jalen Brunson right
off the bat, and then we talk about the biggest potential threats to the
Boston Celtics in the the Eastern Conference. Looking ahead to the to the NBA
Playoffs? Is it the Knicks if they're fully healthy? Is it the Calves?
Could it be the Sixers at this point with Embiid healthy and Danthony Melton
looking like he's gonna be healthier as well. Is it someone else? How
do we feel about the magic, the heat, the Pacers heading into the
playoffs? So we get into all that fun stuff. So again, go
check out part one, but also make sure you're checking out part two.
And if you're from Knicks Film School, and that's why you know you follow
them, you sub to them, and that's why you're here. Hit the
sub button for us on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, wherever you get your
podcasts. Lots of fun around these parts, talk about the league at large,
including your New York Knicks. And finally, one of my favorite things
I love to hear about our podcast is when I have guests on and Claudio
hosted this brother, so he's gonna close out Hardwood Knox at the end.
You're gonna want to stay to the end because Claudio closes us out for Hardwood
Knox. No shout out to Frankie Lachina though we might need to fire him,
but anyway, one of my favorite things that I love to hear is
whenever we have creators or guests on and they will DM me. Not all
the time, but it just happens, and talk about the influx of subscribers
or followers they've gotten to their content, whether it's on YouTube or substack or
Patreon because of appearing on this show. That means the world in terms of
community. Now, I want you to subscribe and follow the next Film School.
But I heard saw that Claudio was dealing with some fuck shit YouTube commenters,
and so I would ask, I want to see everyone just in the
comments section of this YouTube video, or you can get at him on Twitter
if you're listening to this audio, just say nice things about Andrew in the
comments. Talk about how charismatic and knowledgeable and gorgeous he just is. I
want to see the comments flooded with nothing but positivity for Claudio, who is
a among the best in the business at what he does in the one hundred
percent Tile wears so many different hats when you look at what he does for
Nick's Film School, having the knowledge of not just the Knicks, but the
entire league. He hosts, he produces, he edits, he does a
lot of business stuff for them on the side. He has helped grow them,
along with Jonathan Macre and their entire squad over there, into this behemoth
and a bastion of not just Knicks content, but basketball content and the stuff
that they do. I can't imagine saying anything negative about an independent podcast that
is committed to putting out so much thorough, nuanced, comprehensive coverage of their
team, even if you ultimately disagree with their takes. And so I'm asking,
pleading, begging, even you can say you don't have to say nice
things about me this time. We all know that I love to have my
ego stroke. I want you in the comments on Twitter on social media just
shouting out Andrew Claudio for the great work he does. And you can also
again just comment on his winning, winning smile and just overall appearance because he
is he is fantastic and I really, in all serious has had a lot
of fun with this conversation and part of it in Part one another reason to
go check it out, we mentioned we talked about as statistic with Jolen Brunton
that apparently per Claudio sent it to me on he texted it to me and
then I saw my mentions. It made it onto the Knicks broadcast. So
what other endorsement do you need to listen to this entire show than that and
the fact that Claudio is amazing. But enough is enough. This is almost
five minutes of me rambling as per usual. Let's go talk to Andrew Claudio
of Nick's film school. That's the craft that he's mastered this year is he's
becoming more and more unstoppable, which is why I think he's elevated to this
level. We're having the conversation about, is this one of the five greatest
individual seasons that Nick has ever had? Is justified? You know, at
least like post Aba Merger, I think it is. You know, it's
like it's the Mellow season I reference. It's honestly the next season two where
he played ten more games. It's a couple of youing years like Randall's MIP
season and a couple of Bernard King's and that's it. And I think Brunson's
is up there. Yeah, I mean he would have to be. My
god, I feels like a million years ago, Julius Randall had the MIP
season. Yeah, And there's I can hear people yelling now open gyms.
Yes, I know no one was in attendance. Okay, he was still
out. He's got forty one percent from three that season, like he was.
He did something only Larry Bird and Yokis have ever done, averaging like
twenty five, ten and six on like a certain percentage from three. This
entire discussion makes me fear. And I actually normally enjoy player rankings. I
enjoy doing them. I enjoy reading or listening or watching them because I'm never
I'm not someone who takes it personally. But it makes me fear the reactions
to where Jalen Brunson winds up. Whenever the ESPN rank or the Ring of
rank or the Hardwoodknox rank comes out, it's gonna be so malicious on both
ends of the spectrum because no one's gonna be there. He will never He's
gonna be one of those stars where there's just never a consensus on because there
was this abrupt I don't want to say meteoric rise, because everyone knew he
was good before he left Dallas, but people don't not that. They don't
want to believe with the idea of him even as a just to say he's
forget about value. Even all NBA teams were just to say that John Brunton
is a top fifteen player. Do you know how wild that is in theory,
just because of the other names that should still be involved in that discussion,
we could probably rattle off twenty five guys who are in contention for without
even thinking about top fifteen right now. So I'm officially terrified to see where
he ends up in player rankings. But also just the reactions to you mean,
John Brunton fourteen, like how that's too low? That's too hot?
I don't know. Can I give you and other people dreading that some advice?
Because last year I actually missed out. I'm like, I know FIBA
happened, but I missed out on the Brunton Haliburton MAXI discourse because I got
married and then went on a honeymoon. I just like tapped out of all
of that. So obviously we can't do that. So well, just like
we can't do that, I can't do that again. I'm actually gonna have
to find other ways watch baseball? Are you baseball? I can't do it?
Aymore, I was a Yankee fan, and I was like a very
big like Andy Pettitt, Tina Martinez, guys. I won't google with their
political affiliations. I don't want to know what happened with those dudes. But
that was like the growing up idolizing Mike Piazza. Yeah, rough stuff.
Uh yeah, that's why I refuse to I won't google anything about like Alan
Houston personal life or something I don't want you have. You have officially got
off the rails here, sir. The funny like to your point, like
that that stuff's off season conversations like it's it's it's the fun stuff we do
in this NBA bubble that we have to potentially keep ourselves entertained over the summers.
We argue about it's the barbershop conversation who's better this person of that person?
And the Nicks have a guy that has a really strong case to be
better than anybody you name, which is it's almost great to appreciate that we
can have the m v P discussion about Jalen Brunson, not necessarily about him
winning it, but where he lands on there while there's also it feels like
that's the more compelling discussion to have rather than well, where the Knicks end
up in the playoff bracket because you're not that you don't care, but it
almost doesn't matter. But first of all, East is East is East.
But the margins are so thin, but like you almost just the way this
team is played, it's like, this is the more debatable thing is where
does Jalen Brunson belong in the MVP debate rather than where does this Knicks team
belong in the hierarchy of the Eastern Conference? And so it's it's like you
have to appreciate whether you're a fan of the Knicks, someone who covers the
Knicks, or just you're a fan of another team just like this team,
given all that's happened this year, and Jalen bruns like turning into the tenor
of the discussion that we're having now, Yeah, so let's wrap there.
Rank the five teams that are the biggest threat to the Celtics in the East
in the East, Yeah, just the East. I think we both have
the Nuggets coming out of the West. Ironically, the team I would say
is the biggest threat to the Nuggets is the Dallas Mavericks. But that's interesting
to see how that meant maybe a second round matchup. So it's tough for
me to say the conference finalists won't be the biggest threat to them. I
could see, like I get the MAVs. I could see like the Timberwolves
being a big threat to get healthy. I know, I know what all
the Nuggets. Yes, he's right there with Jalen Brunson for MVP. I
like Nasrit I should clarify, I like nasried I. I've had a skeptical
eye at the Timberwolves all season. I think crunch time offense matters. The
West is weird because it's such higher end when you or at least, there
are so many good teams. But I feel like the the Nuggets are just
head and shoulders above everyone to where it's I understand people that are worry about
Phoenix, but there's also like, and we do this with the MVP debate
or maybe even the playoff bracket. We have now seventy five plus games of
information. This team is telling us this. It's time to accept that.
Okay, it's cool that Phoenix is kind of seems like they're figuring stuff out.
Now, this huge sample side from the entire year is going to tell
us that they are going to jackle and hide it. At minimum and so
I feel like there's a tendency to get caught up in recency bias to whereas
if you wanted to give let's use me as an example kind of be like,
man, should I take you honest on my top five of the MVP
voting? Because the Bucks have had like this four game stretch where didn't he
miss one or two of those games too? So it's like the recentcy bias.
Okay, came there. But I think you could probably name the Nuggets
will own any team but the Lakers. You could just tell me it's the
biggest threat to the Nuggets. You could probably make a case there and I
would listen to you. But the East, So I do think it's Milwaukee
is still the biggest threat their sample size, especially under Doc, with their
best players on the court, their four best players, they're still trucking opponents.
It's just so small. And so if this team actually puts together a
stretch where they're all those four guys Dame Brook, Lopez, Chris Middleton and
Giannis you're all available, that's a team that can really do like has this
been are the stuff they're dealing with? Has it's been more inventative and cautious
or is this like something that's actually ingrained and there's something wrong here and we
can't count on these guys to play as well or to be as available.
There's even some weird stuff with Brook Lopez at the end of games recently in
favor of Bobby Portis. I still default to the Bucks because of the top
end talent. There After that, I think you have to have the Knicks.
Like if we're assuming, if you told me Ojan Andobi before we had
returned that O Jannoby wasn't gonna play, I feel like it's a different discussion.
I think it's the Knicks after that, especially by virtue of whatever the
heck is going on in Cleveland, and they've dealt with a ton of injuries,
but something just seems off there. And I when you like after those
two teams, like where it's the Bucks and the Knicks, I'm not sure.
I didn't think we were going to wind up here necessarily at the start
of the season where it's like I kind of know the Bucks and the Knicks
are threatening, and I don't know who else is threatening after that. Philly
within Bean is very interesting mm hm. But I keep coming back to the
fact that they still have to find out so much about their team to where
it's as an example, Buddy held as we're recording this, Buddy Heeld Maxi
and Joel Embiid have played four possessions together. Yeah, and so it's like
they do distill and like D'Anthony Melton is he just done for the year with
his back stuff. He's a very important part to how they were gonna want
to defend. I'm gonna throw the Sixers in four though, just because it
beide Is. I thought he was gonna have to work himself into game shape
and that might I also questioned like should he even come back? I was
just like, is this the season? Uh? So I'll throw the Sixers
in four there, I can't the Knicks, So who's two? I'm sorry,
So then see what I see what you did there? So not not
ranking, but the team the biggest. Knicks are the second biggest threat.
I'll have the Sixers is the third biggest threat. Uh maybe Miami will make
me just come to not even considering them, like regret not considering them here
like to do every year. But I can't put them there. There's just
Indiana is still no Orlando is so ugly, like they can win, so
their defense is hillatious, is basically what I'm getting at. I just is
there even a fourth biggest threat to this to the east, Like what is
the well? So real quick, I agree with the first four you just
mentioned. I think there's a there's two teams that are a get well really
three teams actually, the four other teams that put with the Knicks are all
if you get your shit together teams. Oh yeah, Cleveland by I'll just
throw Cleveland as the what we have the fourth biggest threat because they have the
top end talent too, and they just haven't they've been better for the most
part when they're shorthanded versus when they're not. Which but it's that's what I'm
saying, it's if you get your shit together, Yeah, I think you're
a threat to the Celtics, like or just one of the threats to the
Celtics. The team that seems to have their ship most together is the Knicks
because of the structure that's been put in place and how like they have signature
wins against all of these teams, you know, So that's why it's it's
it's you can expect the base level of confidence being their defense and their identity
at this point in the season, and they've also answered almost say nearly every
doubt in kind of the affirmative, and it's just the one they can answer
as well. Do they have enough secondary shock creation you know what, We're
not going to until we get to the most season. But even where they're
like everyone was, okay, they're a good three point shooting team at one
point, and now they've kind of like I think they're seventeen since the All
Star break, but guess what, they're third in three point frequency, Like
that was something we used to harp on with them. So yeah, I
think the order could flip up. I don't know. I would throw it
to you because my four I forgot Cleveland. But before I map this out,
like it was very clearly there's Milwaukee, New York, and there's Cleveland,
and those are the teams that are the threat and Philly with EMBIID are
the threats to real threats to Boston. I've kind of been like, is
it is Orlando a bigger threat than Miami right now? Is kind of where
I'm at, Like, you just go with Miami because BAM is maybe the
best postseason defender in the NBA. I don't really know how to tackle that
final spot. I think Miami, if they get the shit together, is
a threat. I think, Billy, I mean, they seem to getting
their shits. I think they're gonna win out. So that's a forty seven
win team. I think they're a threat, especially if in beat is healthy.
I think give Cleveland gets their shit together, and I think if Milwaukee
gets their shit together, like that's that's literally the just a weird thing to
say. If they get their shit together and we're it's we're recording this on
April eighth. But like we've seen some teams turn it on before, that
Cavs team that made the finals, what's twenty four and twenty four over that?
I know that they have Lebron right, but that's like the Nuggets when
they're gonna coast. What which of these teams has earned the right or the
benefit of the doubt? I would say, And the answer is none of
them. I know Milwaukee's tried and true because of honest, but this is
a different version of Milwaukee. Even Nicks feel like the most trustworthy of the
options there, and so we're hitting at it. I think because the Knicks
of the one team that's answered likes you said in the affirmative to every doubt,
they might be the biggest threat, to be honest, top end talent.
I'm with you, like gotta go Milwaukee one. Probably they could.
Yeah, I want to make the kid. I want to pick the Knicks
right now. But I just feel like it's almost this like I've seen even
the peak of what Johannis and Dame could be. It feels like they haven't
gelled and that they can still operate a little independently, but like seeing the
best version of the Bucks. Just like the Knicks don't have another star on
their roster right now, and the Bucks have at least one. I mean
like brook has kind of fallen off a little bit, feels like defensively this
year, and Chris Middleton's still good offensively, but they have their own defensive
questions. I'm just like the Knicks have their shot creation questions. They're right
there. And to say that when regardless of what you think with Julius,
which might be the most complicated, this player is really good, two time
All NBA guy, but has the most complicated relationship with his own fan base.
It feels like maybe I'm too far removed from that, but that's what
it feels like. Complicated is the correct answer. Correct. We had a
phrase name another situation where it's like even close? Is it? The Pelicans
with Zion and Brandon Ingram? Maybe like that might be the best closest comp.
The funny thing is the derosing Comps Rosen. Toronto comps have been what
I've used for a lot this year. The problem is tomorrow. De Rosen
is beloved unanimously in Toronto, and like the day they made the Kawhi trade,
it was heartbreaking, but understood they had to get better. When Julius
gets traded, it's probably seventy thirty and the thirty will be I actually don't
know what the what the direction of the seventy or the thirty will be that
it's like, great, we finally got rid of him. Slash Man.
That guy did a lot of winning, but I understand the team needed to
make a moves for to get better. You know, this isn't a good
stats, bad team guy. He's been a part of a lot of winning
in New York. It's just worst high volume postseason player in NBA history.
Bad. It's his postseason sample fifth, and that does speak to some of
his own flaws, but it's what is it? What does he have fifteen
games right now? It's three rounds. Yeah, it's three rounds. It's
just like, but my one, my actual point was he whatever you feel
about him, he is no worse than their third most important player because of
what they need him to do and to be without him, and for us
to be sitting here going like, are they the second biggest threat to come
out of the East in theory, It's just like, now I'm talking in
circles because we've said I've said some version of this ninety times. I'm still
trying to wrap my brain around who is that fifth threat? Because you asked
me for five, and I think I'm just I think I'm gonna go with
Indiana. I know that they're wow over Miami. Yeah it's okay. I
guess I'm tempting fate here for them to slip the switch. But like Jimmy,
Butler's been weirder this season than in seasons past, and they've got some
weird stuff going on with the starting five where it's like, could we just
agree that it probably needs to be Tyler hero not Duncan Robinson in there,
and is Duncan Robinson hurt? What's going on? But I look at Indy,
They've lost a lot of games that they should win, but kind of
like the different stuff they could get to and even some of the different defensive
things they could try and shout out to Kaitlyn Cooper of Basketball, she wrote,
has been like breaking down those like an exceptional maniac, having Siakham and
Halliburton like those two guys, and then the spacing they can generate on offense,
the different cadences at which they can now play at offense where it's super
charged, or they can slow things down a little bit. They can get
to some really hyper aggressive defensive lineups as well. They feel more well balanced
because we know Orlando their offense is gonna be bad. I think their spacing
is actually good. It's just they don't have threats to maximize it, and
so that's why defenses guard them the way they do. And then Miami their
offense is just I know, you have the Terry Rozier factor there. You
could swing in with his own kind. We saw it against the Knicks like
a week or so ago, where he goes off but they're an imbalanced team
when you look at how they play on offense versus what they can do on
defense. And I mean, like, we're not gonna We're not really like
talking about Chicago or Atlanta this discussion anyway. So I think I'm just gonna
go with Indy. Feels like they can get to up. Maybe they don't
have the highest peak of the remaining teams, but they might have the highest
balance like potential on both sides of the ball. To me, perhaps that's
still the heat and I'm tempting fate for them to go full How are they
in the Eastern Conference finals again? But they just they don't feel like that
team. Yeah, I think I've just been a doubter of Indiana and Orlando
for the same reasons. One I don't think has the defense to win in
the playoffs, and one doesn't have the offense to win the playoffs. You
know, I look famous last words, like one of them might eliminate the
Knicks in a couple of weeks, but I just that would be I don't
know. I'm kind of at the point where if the Knicks lost to one
of those two teams, I would actually be shocked I'd be surprised. But
that I think is why i'm i'm I think we're the circles that we're running
here, is that it feels wrong to say this Knicks team is probably going
to go to the conference finals or is like a good pick to go to
the conference finals. And you look at the East and it's like these two
teams that seem to have their stuff together and have overachieved to an extent in
Indiana and Orlando, but we think the Knicks are better and then these other
teams that there's a world where they're better than the Knicks. But like,
we really gonna pick Miami again from an eight seed, and we're really gonna
pick Philly, like with throwing their core together with ten games left and the
stench that's coming out of Milwaukee and Cleveland at the moment that those teams look
prime for first round exits. So this Ticks team that continues to just overachieve,
and every time they're like, oh, this is when the losing streak
starts, this is when they go away, They're just they don't go away.
You know, everything that feels like they won't do or the reasons they
would lose is conceptual for the most part. I know the bench has been
bad, but now it seems like maybe they've unlocked a little bit of that,
Whereas with these other teams, it's we're trying to we know what's actually
gonna go wrong, like with the Knicks and saying, well, they're not
just gonna even if they play boy on more. Are they going to have
the level like is the shock crea is gonna be enough for their offense to
get by? They've told us again and again again over the records the answer
is yes, and so we're just waiting for something to go roll that works.
With these other teams, it's they kind of need to improve or answer
these like questions that already exist. And so I know the postseason is different,
but that's what makes it fascinating. And just very quickly because you did
ask me for like matchups you mentioned Orlando in Indiana, just the contrast in
styles from those two teams. I want to see that playoff series. And
then I also want to see Philly versus Milwaukee because they're both trying to figure
some things out. When you look at how little what should be their best
lineups have played together or their most important units have played together recently, and
so like if the bracket shakes out and anything could basically happen to the East
at this point. So give me those two matchups and give me Cavs versus
Nicks part two so we could just establish ones and for all that wasn't even
close to a fluke for New York last year. But Orlando and India you
laid it out. There's just such a contrast in styles. I'd be fascinated
to see those two teams play each other. You literally picked the one eight,
the one through eight that I that I want to see is that,
like, give me Boston Miami round two in your first round or Boston Chicago.
Just Boston Miami is more fun. And then some something's got to give
in the Superstar rankings with Giannis against Embiide, like we're gonna lose one of
them in the first round, which is just enticing. Give me Nicks Cleveland
part two. And then to the conflicting styles of Indiana, because it means
either Indiana or Orlando are going to make the second round. And that's hilarious.
So that's a that's a great because we're looking up and one of them
made the second round, it's like, oh, and then and it's like
one of them could then theoretically because it only takes four wins from there,
or they just is in near Orlando in the conference in the conference. Yeah
yeah, so yeah that those that would be my dream scenario. I will
say, I'm sorry to interrupt you. There are you And I guess it's
a stupid question because but throwing out getting to say we reached the conference finals,
would you be team let's delay Boston as long as possible or if it
was, oh, we could just get them in the second round like let's
I was for a while. I don't want to say this season has house
money. That's disrespectful to why the way the Knicks have played there they operate
like a team that expects to be competitive in any series. There's just expectations
that come the following season. If you made it to the conference finals the
year before, you could lose in the second round next year, and technically
you could lose to a better team. Then you can lose to like in
seven games, and it's a it's a heartbreaker. But because you made the
conference finals of the year before, in a year that the East couldn't get
their shit together. It's that as a step back. What's up? Hashtag
Atlanta Hawks twenty twenty one? Quite literally, well, like the Hawks,
that's quite literally a fluke. But like you don't want to welcome podcasters saying
like, oh, that was a fluke. So you know, I I
do think the progression of things being like, you know, getting to a
conference finals would be great eventually. Now look the thing I think I'll I
don't know if I've danced around it or if I've actually said it. I
think the Knicks, man, I literally just said, may I think the
next you're gonna end up in the conference finals? Like, I think they're
the team playing at the best right now outside of Boston, and then I
think that's when you'll see they kind of could have used another secondary creator against
the sixty one win team with a near twelve point differential. You know,
yeah, but it's just progress isn't. And this isn't saying you would view
toally. Progress isn't literary. People can't separate, you know, they get
bounced, even they have excuses built in where even they got bounced in the
first round by let's say Cleveland, it's we were missing our second best shot
creator, our second most important off as a player. Actually a oh gi
Hadnobi's elbow probably wasn't right, Uh, progress isn't Yeah, and Anobe going
out changes everything. Then it's house money, Like give me Boston first round
for that matter, you know, Oh, that would just be that had
been so chaotic and that been in the cards. But yeah, so at
least we're aligned on the bracket. They're Look, you could see you said
you think they're going to make the conference finals. I don't have an argument
against you to say that they won't. There's just I wouldn't as someone who,
let's take away like any attachment I had with that X, I don't
have an answer if I was trying to be a devil's advocate as to why
it should be definitively Milwaukee or Cleveland or even you start going through the options,
it's just like, after you get to the Embeid variable in Philly,
feels like, okay, maybe we need to respect them a little bit more.
And they're also just kind of like, look at what em Bean is
nut in the playoffs over the course of his career. So you realize that
the Embiid factor is like, so the guy that's never been to the conference
finals is the thing standing in the way of the Knicks getting to the conference
finals. I mean, yeah, well, I don't. Again, I'm
not trying to argue against you, but even if I was, I don't
think I could. Yeah, well, should be a fun playoffs. And
it's absolutely been a roller coaster but eventually fun nixt season. And I hope
you've gotten to enjoy it because I know deep down in that that cold heart
of yours, that the that the media life has completely destroyed, Uh,
you still you still have an affection for When the Knicks get get a w
Dan Fa Valley, there's affection. There's also I just love kind of out
of left field stuff. It's like Dante DiVincenzo shooting this year. Deuce McBride,
like they signed the extension and what he's been able to do. Isaiah
Harten signed. He made me look so bad at the beginning of last year
when I called him the best signing in free agency, and I was like,
all right, that take as now it's now it looks great. That
take you're talking about takes today as well. And then the Knicks like have
a lot of things that came out of left field this year to your point,
Yeah, so even though I won't say it's completely out of left field,
but I again, if we I'm sure in our November podcast that we
did we weren't asking where Jalen Bruns was going to finish in the MVP Ladder,
and now it's it's not even just asking where he'll finish in terms of
the total votes, it's well, will he be top five? And like
can he beat out Jason datum Giannis or one of the Just so I love
that element to stort like the Okahoma is any thunder being ahead of schedule?
Like those are the types of things that are just This is why we like
the game of basketball, is for the fun and good hearted stuff the Nicks
have been, with the exception of very few moments this year, just to
really feel good story. Yeah, Tom Thibodeau will be like versatile, like
bro when he went to the three guard lineup that we were begging him to
do with quickly and it's like, oh, you'll do with Deuce because he's
Klay Thompson apparently. But we still get people on our YouTube comments who will
bring back I had written a piece about why I thought Tom Thibodau should have
been fired. I think it was was its seven games in the last season.
Seven games into the last season, we were all thinking it too right
and to where I am now with him? Where was We actually had this
debate on Hardware Knox with our award show was how high up to coach?
The earing that like, that's cool to have gone for I could admit that
I was wrong in the moment. I do think this wasn't circa I know
a lot of Knicks fans supported Jalen Brunton. I think a lot of Knicks
fans wanted Tim's gone at that moment as well too. But it's like,
I kind of not that I like being wrong, but when your opinions or
perspective just evolves because something you really firmly believed wasn't gonna happen, like Tom
Thibodeau becoming like a zeb wins, a versatile like it's just like it's really
fun to watch and follow. Yeah, yeah, he's been He's just I'd
argue it's his best season as a head coach, Like the season with the
Bulls that they were a four seed. I think it was actually a five
seed. The year after, Derrick rose towards ACL in the playoffs and then
they made the second round and beat that Nett team after Like Nate Robinson was
like the engine on that team that East was just not as good as this
yeas and he didn't have as much competition, and the fact that they may
end up with a top three or four seed. I just he's he's like
pull pulled off miracles from from time to time you don't believor the sort of
minutes usage, which I actually think is a fair thing to discuss as well.
These guys peter out in the playoffs at all. But it wasn't just
he refused to take his best players out of the game. He mentioned he's
trying to three guard lineup. He's had to figure out some stuff in the
front court. We saw it in the Milwaukee game with the way that pressures
to chew us specifically was used, So you have to it does feel like
anecdotally, and I'm sure there's statistical proof too. I just didn't care to
consider it before we game on. He just feels more flexible than he's ever
been and like to see him evolve for a coach that was I think people
would use the word to describe as stubborn or rigid for so long. That's
I mean, that's part of this the Knix's own evolution too. Well.
So the funny thing about Tibbs is like the moment he realizes something's working,
like that he tries something and it's like, oh, this is working.
He just overplays the shit out of it. Oh duce for pride, Oh
you went you could take threes? All right? You're playing forty seven minutes
tonight, and that's just like the new standard. You know, Oh Josh,
you can play forty minutes. You're gonna average forty two minutes a game
since the All Star Break, And like the minutes thing, I actually argue
because they're getting guys back like Mitch coming back and a Noby coming back boy
and being playable is actually like now they're gonna have depth. You know.
They went through all these these weeks of like a seven and a half man
rotation where you had to play like Deuce and either Precious or Sims as your
backups, and then like pick a Piston for the night, you know,
and that was like, bro, these these Pistons have taken it out of
me. Man, I was so happy to see two things that Boge finally
played well last night and it was in a lineup that made sense. And
then like I didn't see Alec Burks they like the last three months. Man,
this is why we watched basketball to not watch Alec Burks. I'm so
curious to see what Tims is gonna do when you do get to so I
don't know if it's awkward, but you get to some line I think you're
gonna have to make some lineup decisions in the playoffs where you very clearly have
to try and cater to or find a skeleton key for your offense. And
then it gets into well does this mean that like Bogie's on the court instead
of Josh hart at one point, because you look at Hartensteide runs in Devidjenjo
just has to be on like a part of any best offensive you did,
oh Anonobe because of what he unlocks off the ball, but his defense,
and then it's I'm just trying if you were trying to project what would be
the Knicks's most important playoff lineup, the four guys I named plus Boyon I
think has a case to be the answer, But it's are you even willing
to get to a point where it's like Josh Hart not being that lineup feels
treasonous, so that it's actually gonna depend on Ananobe because if he's shooting,
if his shooting comes back around, it's it's it's two game sample. First
game he was fine, second game he wasn't. But if he can be
a consistent shooter, then Tibbs can feel comfortable leaving Bogey on the court next
to Ananobi or a Josh Hart, and you just kind of split those minutes
that like Bogie, like you play Bogie next to Heart or Bogie next to
Anonoby, then it's okay if you're playing. If Heart is not, he's
just like been an awful shooter this year, and Anonobe is like basically Josh
Hart light from from three, then you kind of almost like have to survive
those minutes. I guess it's what I'm saying that you know your defense is
creating the offense, and then like it's a lot of the Evincenzo threes,
you know, whereas with Bogie on the floor, I think I reversed that
that like Bogey next to one of those two guys is going to matter because
if you put Bogie next to Anonoby and Anobi shooting forty percent from three,
then like it's like you're building such a lead that josh Ark could come in
and get all the rebounds afterwards. You know, well, no, Tims
is really out of steeze. If we see o g Hadnobi at the five
and then so you have Josh don't get crazy, don't get crazy. Mitch
came back and he was like, oh great, I have my rim protection
for forty eight minutes. Great, I got a heart witheet hard to Stegn
and Mitch. You know, uh yeah, he would obviously have we've seen
it and go to Jericho Simms. Before that, even if he wasn't going
to well you would go. He went to Precious the Tua at the four
for two months. He would absolutely shy away. That is true. Yeah,
yeah, Look, I any any complaints or critiques of Tims I got
there, They're all they're all quibbles at this point, like there's there's something
to be said about Dyce lineups and like shooting being a priority and like boosting
the offense. There's all just like a base level of competence and the buy
in that this team now has to his like entire ethos. I know,
like it seems like John mcrey took over this podcast, but like we've all
kind of come to appreciate, like again watching these other teams in the East
that aren't getting their their stuff together, and like appreciate all right, like
as I'm at least proud watching this team every night, and the team buys
into paying it. Like hert and side talking about how Peter Tips has been
and he's kind of like the Patrick Beverly of head coaches to where from the
outside and we've even seen this, players say they don't want to play for
him, and everyone despises Patrick Beverley, but then you're on Patrick Beverly's team,
and I do think there was a point where he just became wildly overrated.
But it seems like the people who actually play with him on his team
appreciate and once you play for Tips, it does feel like he's able to
imbue them with this belief and gain and curry the favor of his own players.
Which for all his flaws that he might have on the court with lineups,
his views of minutes or even of offense, or just the stubbornness with
the certain type of rit protection that he wants on the court. To have
that connection with your players isn't isn't easy hashtag Doc Rivers. You said it.
I was trying to get Macury to call him a bozo last night,
and I shot, there's another shout out to the euro step. They stopped
calling him Doc. He's mister Rivers now, like they took away his doctorate.
Yeah, it's either mister Rivers or Glenn good coach. But I do
think I because all I mean, hey, coaches are good to have to
get to that level where there's only thirty jobs. I just feel like he's
always been overrated in the sense of this is someone you need to have when
you have all these superstars on the roster or these egos to manage it at
every single stop, I guess, with the exception of when he left Boston,
but it was like with the Clippers, all the different versions of those
teams, there was always this weird locker room drama. Look what happened in
Philly, and now it's like the Bucks you have. Damian Miller posted about
narcissism on his Instagram story. You know the Doc year where I actually was
like, oh, you're a good coach and it's not like obviously one of
title so like player Honestly, that season they were the eighth seed where they
traded Tobias Harris and it's like, oh, they're going to go to the
play in or at that time, it wasn't even the play it's going to
go to the lottery. And that team won more games than they lost and
became the eighth seed that year and that was like Pat bev and lou Will
and then the next year they traded they were coming off that year, I
was like, oh, like this is Doc's probably most impressive, because that's
I think when you see what a coach is made of when you strip away
its most talented pieces and you can't just be like, oh, great players
be awesome, where you actually have to, Like Tim's outside of this year,
the we Hear season where Randall they were a four seed, is probably
my most Like Alfred Payton started a ton that season, you know, so
like that's I think when you get to see what a coach is made of.
And I agree, like I've seen what you can do when you're forced
to like actually make something out of what seems to not be as good as
you know, what turn a lottery team into a playoff team? You know
what I'm saying. Then there's just how much he's underachieved when he's had all
these Hall of famers on his teams in playoff situations. You know. Yeah,
No, I think that. I think that's a great point, like
he is a good coach, But it does sort of feel like, not
that the plot is lost, but the stuff that in theory he's supposed to
be good at, or why he's value, which is let like why the
Bucks hired him in the first place, Is that actually his greatest strength?
And I would argue no, but you know, I'm not going to be
when it comes to evaluating coaches. I hate doing that because Doc has mister
Rivers has forgotten more about basketball in the past five seconds than I will personally
ever know. Yes, and then that's going to earn you some points with
mister McRee for sure, dam A Valley. It is always good to talk
basketball with you, sir. And I believe this is going to end up
being a two parter. We recorded enough that we could put one half on
Nick's Film School and the other half at Hardwood Knocks. So I believe I'm
signing off on your show at the moment, So thank you Hardwood Knocks for
having me be part of the content plan at the moment. But before you
get out of here, any Knicks fans who went over to your channel to
find your show, I was gonna say, tell them where they could find
your stuff. Dan, just thank you. It's always good to talk to
you. We'll sign off that way and then put bookend separate intros in a
better, more cleaner editing way. Yes, thank you so much. Always
coilated that plane. By the way, those Denzel and Flight you didn't think
that you were going to close out the Hardware KNOCKX episode. I was like,
wait, this is we're an hour and well it's ninety minutes into this,
so that's a tough tough thing to navigate at the end. But thank
you Dan, as always, thank you. It's always a pleasure, always
an honor to come on here, and it's always most of all just super
fun to chat hoops and life with you. Yeah. Absolutely, did you
have any Knicks bulls thoughts for Tuesday night? Because this is technically it's just
pregage both pregame show at the bottom, I so I do have a very
like the Bulls might have their back quart of the future. I'm that high
on Iow to soon move. Yeah, he looked against the Knicks on Friday,
and they've tried different ways ever since. They were more ever since before
Kobe White returned. They were trying to lock Iow more as a score that
dude could play. And that was like the fact that they got him on
the deal they did when he hit free agency, that no one was taking
a flyer on him. So there are he's like, I won't say he
has a higher city than Kobe Wit, but he's like the most fascinating Chicago
Bulls player to be long term at the moment. I guess it's not saying
much on their roster, but Javonte Green's back with the Bulls too. That
was a big win for years, truly. I love me some healthy Davonte
Green. So the shout out shout out to Javonte Green and Iow Dessumer.
Those those are my Bulls takes. Yeah, both both players that destroyed the
Knicks on like the Rows at seven points going into the fourth quarter. Both
the Javonte Green and Dissum moved like this show the Knicks on Friday night,
so the Knicks are obviously looking for payback. Dan as always good talking to you.