Speaker 1: What is up, Fellows?
Speaker 2: It goes, I ammana Valley coming at you with my certified,
fantabulous and wanted only co host, mister Rand Hughes Warriors Wolves.
The matchup is set, Golden State survives against Houston quick
post on course to win Big Conference finals.
Speaker 3: That WVP.
Speaker 4: At this rate, I would argue.
Speaker 2: Well, Grant, we're gonna go through everyone who's new here
tactical narratives, X factors and predictions.
Speaker 4: Tactically speaking, what are you looking at in this series?
Speaker 2: Uh?
Speaker 1: So, for you guess what? They both involve Anthony Edwards?
How about that?
Speaker 3: Because I'm just just some guy, some some face of
some league. So for the for I guess this is
the Warriors tactical thing. I'm not sure how to frame
it exactly because it involves Everard. But just at the
point of attack, do we think Edwards gets the steph matchup?
Speaker 4: And what is that?
Speaker 3: And if so, because you wouldn't use Conley, I don't
think you might use You might use McDaniels, and that
leaves Edwards on Butler like so, but let's say Edwards gets.
Speaker 1: The Steff matchup? Can you then pull go Bear into
some screening actions? Get some switches that way, Uh.
Speaker 3: Can can you you know, if you get doubles and traps?
Can can the role man the outlet guy kind of
be more consistent then than we saw it? Like we've
seen the the Rockets are kind of an interesting like
I don't know, preparation I guess for for facing the
Wolves in some ways, So I guess I guess Really
it comes down to, is Edwards the point of attack?
So is he like you're am and Thompson type And
then can he take Curry out of the game in
the same way? And then if not, do do you
as the Warriors have the ability to get go Bear
involved so you can get into your four on three
stuff and then will that go you know, it's like
a trickle down thing. Then will that go better consistently
than it did against the Rockets? So that's like three
tactical things, but they're all kind of of a piece.
Speaker 2: What what would you do if you were Chris Finch?
Because the way I was looking at it was just
and I think now having Jimmy Butler, because Jade McDaniels
gets the Steph assignment during the regular season, he guarded
the more than anyone else in Minnesota. I think you
actually spent more time guarding Steph than anyone.
Speaker 4: In the league.
Speaker 3: But do you think Edwards, like, is Edward's in the
mode now where it's like because the way he guarded
Lebron and the way you know, it's like I got him.
Speaker 2: But I also kind of thought, because Jimmy Butler's on
this team now, does Edwards in kind of like that
sturdier frame make more sense to.
Speaker 4: Go up against him.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're not going to have in theory, or at
least like Steph's gonna run around more like through more
screens away from the ball. You'd rather have Jade McDaniels.
The issue what's interesting they are though, is that if
you're the Wolves and you put Edwards on Steph or
let's Jayden on Steph, now, it's just that makes it
easier for Steph to stay on Jayden at the other end,
Anthony Edwards, and you run into some cross matches where
Steph is on on Edwards, then you don't even need
to worry about setting screens at that point.
Speaker 1: Yeah. No, I there's like there's a three tiered thing.
I think I don't know.
Speaker 3: I got really caught up in the idea of like
I think Edwards is just here for it in the
postseason and he's gonna he's gonna say I want Steph.
I mean, he'll be on him at some point. You're
probably right based on the regular season, and just like
how much of a pain McDaniel's length can be on
someone like Steph. I just I don't know, just after
that Rocket series, seeing how hard a defender like Thompson
can make things on Curry, that that is just where
the analysis has to start. Because I think the Warriors
are gonna be like good defensively. It's always gonna come
back to like how do they get Steph loose? And
then how do they score if they can't do that?
Speaker 2: This is I think I actually might have asked this
question when it was Warriors Rockets. And I have the
same question against Minnesota, especially after watching that Lakers Wolves series.
Who forces who to adapt more with their lineup structure?
And by that, I don't even know if the Warriors
could like adjust to account for Minnesota's size, But just
sort of looking at we saw Rudy Gobert in a
couple of those Lakers games. He wasn't closing not I
want to make clear there's nothing to do with defense.
Mostly it was the offense wherever becomes a problem if
teams are going to go smaller. We also saw the
value though, of what he can do if he's catching passes,
if he's really crashing the glass, what he can do
against smaller teams, And so how does like I'm looking
I guess I'm looking at this from Golden State's perspective
more than anything, because I think Minnesota will default to, Okay,
it's cool that we can pull the nas red ripcord
and use him with Julius Randall and like maybe feel
more comfortable switching and hopefully we create more offensive advantages
if we want. But you stick with the generational defender,
who is still a generational defender until you prove that
you can't.
Speaker 4: If you're the.
Speaker 2: Warriors, how do you approach like the Timberwolves size or
the Rudy Gobert.
Speaker 4: Of it all?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it's not.
Speaker 3: It is different than the Rocket series in some ways,
like specifically, but the Warriors will be at a size
and athleticism disadvantage, So that's that's the same. So they got,
you know, a bunch of games of preparation to kind
of to deal with that.
Speaker 1: I would also say that historically, like steph.
Speaker 3: Has had pretty you know, little issue with Gobert, if
you can, if you can engineer some switches, I would
say that, like the presence of Ant and McDaniels, and
you can just still have length and size between Randall
and Naseried and other stuff on the back line, Like,
it's gonna be a legit challenge to score even if
you can, you know, get the kind of matchups that
you want.
Speaker 1: I do think it's just a lot of it.
Speaker 3: Is gonna come down to and this will step on
some things, but whatever, like Pajemski is gonna have to
take advantage of defenses shaded away from him and or
having less threatening defenders on him, because I do think
really the size and athleticism and length of Minnesota is
gonna make it hard for the Warriors to get offense
from the sources they want to get it from. And
that really was the case against Houston too. So the
fact that the Warriors are here suggests they can figure
that out and they can defend well enough to you know,
to make it work even when they don't quite figure
it out. But it is gonna come down. I think
Pajemski is just looming as someone that's gonna have to
have a phenomenal series offensively.
Speaker 2: The other question is, so with Andrew Wiggins gone, and
I am assuming the answers GP too, like, well, who's
getting the Edwards assignment?
Speaker 3: You know this might be as so Moody hasn't been
starting because Buddy heal, they've needed the shooting.
Speaker 1: I think you're still gonna need the Buddy.
Speaker 4: Hill that was that game.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And I mean he's trying, but he'll tries. He
just doesn't do do smart things all that oftense.
Speaker 2: Did you see the Steve Kurr announcement they were head
I was like, I never thought we'd be reading this sentence,
but like Buddy and then Jimmy wouldn't name him, and
it's like number seven, Uh, really brought the defense.
Speaker 3: Over the Jimmy Buddy media comment dynamic is fantastic and
I'm here far and I love it.
Speaker 1: I think it might be Moody.
Speaker 3: I think you could see Moody back into a bigger
role and that may change if he continues to not
be reliable as a source of offense, and or if
Buddy and or if Number seven just continues to defend well,
but like you're never gonna have Buddy on on. I
think GP two will get a lot of minutes. I
think Butler might get some minutes if he if he
can move with with the hip injury, like he could
move just behind Moody's gonna see a lot, don't you
think it's gonna I mean, like, I think that's who
the Warriors have tended to use against players like Edwards
a lot because GPTWO just can't play, you know, thirty
five minutes.
Speaker 1: It's just not that's never something he's been able to do.
Speaker 2: No, So I guess they'll just throw a bunch of
different stuff at or. You can see some Geese antos
maybe on a.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I see some Draymond. I mean like that that
might be what it comes to.
Speaker 4: Well, how do you want to use Draymond in this series? Ideally?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 1: I mean that's a great man. There's so many wrinkles
in this one.
Speaker 3: If you put him on go Beart, I think he
short circuits a lot of the screening role because you
can switch that and you don't really care if you've
got someone small on Gobart offensively, if you can get
away with it for a while, But don't you kind
of need him to guard Randall unless that's Butler, Like
just because Randall's is just gonna bowl over if you
have pajem Ski on him or Steph on him or
Moody on him, like that just leaves doesn't leave a
lot of options.
Speaker 2: Yeah, So, like I didn't consider Jimmy Butler maybe enough
for the Anthey Edwards assignment for that specific reason because
I thought that they would want like I thought that
they would want him for Randall so that you can
still use Draymond on Rudy, which you know, during the
regular season, I think he only played twice against that
Draymond only played twice against the Wolves, and that's kind
of what we saw. But this team is different now,
So I think I'm with you that I want to
find a way to keep him on Go Bear. Although
with Jimmy Butler, Julius Randalds had.
Speaker 4: A really good playoffs.
Speaker 2: Yeah, like he will put you even when he's not
making shots, like he's gonna, you know, be a battering
ram down the lane. And with Jimmy not healthy, do
you want him taking that assignment? The flip side is
I guess Draymond has the ability to take on that,
but like, what does that do to your shell defense
if Draymond has to sort of lock in on Randal.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you really do want Draymond on the back line
if you can. I mean, because just I mean, the
way they configure their starting lineup, there's just nobody else
on on the floor that can do anything on the
back line, so he has to be back there. Yeah,
it's it's a tough It's weird that, like Minnesota's offense
sort of presents problems for the Warriors defense, and I think,
relatively speaking, the Warriors defense is a strength, So I
mean I do. That's actually haven't even decided who I'm
picking in this series, so we're gonna have to work
our way there. But I'm concerned now as we're talking
it out.
Speaker 2: My last tactical thing would be So the Wolves had
just like two of the worst three point shooting performances
we ever kind of saw against the Lakers, and they
won one of them. Right, They did shoot like forty
two percent on wide open threes, which is fine, but
when you look at semi open threes, which are really
like semi contested threes, it's with a defender between four
and six feet away and like when you're an NBA
player size, but those are shots that you're gonna have
to take twenty four percent on those bad boys. And
now you kind of combine that with the Edwards at
the rim has just been so weird for a while,
even when like the looks feel high percentage. Now like
a lot of it I talked up to. Okay, the
spacing environment, I think great, But I'm just looking at
some of these misses from him at the basket, like
one of those things preferably both needs to turn. And
I think that it's like the three point shooting that
they have when you look at how Golden State will defend.
Speaker 4: And maybe I'm wrong here, please correct me.
Speaker 2: It feels like the three point shooting for Minnesota's good,
Like you need to have a higher baseline than we
saw against the Lakers to beat this Warrior's team.
Speaker 3: And I think that's doubly true if the Warriors send
too at Edwards, which which they might, I.
Speaker 2: Don't know what I think I expect them to do that.
Speaker 3: I don't know whether I expect that because like normally
you just say yeah because other other than commly like
who's making a play that you're scared of. Now, playoff Randall,
you'd say, I'm scared of Randall, the play being he
will drive through someone and make a layup. But my
tackle thing was was like how Edwards has handled doubles,
bet the best I've ever seen him handle them against
the Lakers, Like just the kinds of quick passes you
wanted to make, the kind of like floor mapping where
he'd throw one real quickly.
Speaker 1: Oh, I wasn't even.
Speaker 3: Sure that guy was there, but he knew there was one.
I think it was like read at the elbow or
something like in the clinching game against the Lakers, where
I was like, I don't think he makes that pass
last year or like even during the season. So if
the Warriors do send two, then what you're talking about
the three point like just making open in like decent
threes like the thunder. The Wolves will get those shots
like that just is what's gonna happen.
Speaker 1: I think.
Speaker 3: So it's got those things are kind of tied together.
Do I think they'll send two at Edwards?
Speaker 1: I bet not.
Speaker 3: At first, I would guess that the Warriors will play
it more straight up where it's Moody or whoever, probably
Moody the more we talk about it, and then if
that doesn't work, then I think you probably have to
send two, especially if Peyton's not on floor. And then
like Peyton's given up a lot of size and strength
to Edwards, so I think eventually we may see that
become like the default.
Speaker 4: What's the what are the storylines in this series?
Speaker 3: I mean just for the Wolves side is easy and
it's Edwards just toppling another like took down Durant last year,
took down Lebron, took down Steph like it's they would
you could if you're writing the like, so what call
him about this series? And the Wolves winning and Edwards
is awesome? It's like, oh, the guard changed, We just
watched it happen. Like the guy we all want to
be the face of the league just took down the
last three faces of the league, like basically in order.
So it's like we don't get to talk about him
as a hypothetical anymore, Like he's just the guy and
we never ever get to say or we never get
to bet against him, or how about this, you have
to when picking a series involving the Wolves, do the
thing I do with Jokic, where it's like, well, they
have him so like that, therefore, I'm not picking against
the Wolves or I have to at least like hem
and haw about it.
Speaker 2: So I guess my storyline of combining the two together,
the Edwards one is great, by the way, but it's
like which team I don't want to just say, like
default to which team has kind of work, which team
would react to a loss more dramatically, because it's which
I guess is the same thing as who has more
at stake. But it's just like Minnesota has come alive
towards the end of the season, and we've seen that,
like they've kind of gotten up for the moment basically
all year, even when they were having their iffy crunch
time stuff, which flipped entirely against the Lakers all of
a sudden a good crunch time team. But like the
Cat trade still sort of looms. Is this weird inflection
point where you guys, shall was it worth it? And
it feels like this series will be the determining factor
as to whether it was.
Speaker 3: Yeah, because you will have made it as far as
you did with Cat, Like yeah, right, I think you're right.
Speaker 2: It also kind of dictates, nas Reed player option, Julius Randall,
player option, Walker, free agent, Like where are you going?
Like if you get bounced in the second round, even
if it's competitive, what are you doing? It's not I
don't expect them to blow it up or anything, but
like how much are you willing to continue investing in this?
Speaker 4: And that it's that core?
Speaker 3: Don't you think that the playing like they did against
the Lakers? A lot of the elements of that, like
Randall defending really well and being a huge factor.
Speaker 4: Like turned off the water for Lebron. So isn't series.
Speaker 1: Aren't the Wolves decisions harder? Like but for a good reason,
you know, because.
Speaker 3: It was like if Randall had flopped and like, Okay,
it's clear he's not a fit in and the playoffs
validated that, it's like, okay, how do we get off
this or like you know that kind of thing, and
now it's it's like whatever happens against Golden State, Randall,
at least for a series against Lebron, James and Luca Dancis.
Speaker 1: Looked like I think he's a value add in the playoffs.
Speaker 2: I think the argument that you could make is if
you look at the individual production of all the players involved,
kat Dante Di Evincenzo, Julius Randallkay to Bait's job of course,
but could forget.
Speaker 4: If you look at it, you could call it a
win win.
Speaker 2: But if you're looking at the value add to a
team so far in the postseason, the Minnesota Timberwolve so
far seemed like they may have won that trade.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and like and we killed it. We both killed
it in any in a weird way. So I think
to answer your question, even though we're just talking about
like what we're going to talk about, but it's a
fascinating question, I think the Wolves would be the team
to like do more, you know, in reaction to a loss.
But that's mainly like the Warriors made their move, Like
the Butler move was the move I feel like, and
it's I don't know what, they're not going to trade
Butler or stuff or Draymond and then after that it's like, okay,
well like what they were always.
Speaker 1: Going to tinker on the margins anyway. Yeah, So like.
Speaker 3: I I think, probably, you know, in a weird way,
like the Warriors maybe should be the team to be
thinking about like big changes because the timeline is like
zero now and they got to figure something out. Uh,
but the Wolves are the Wolves feel more likely to
do something, and that's almost got less to do with
what happens in the series. It's and more to do
with like, they made a financial move last year and
they still have some weird contract stuff to figure out.
Speaker 1: You know, Does that make sense?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 2: And I mean, as you said, their decisions get harder
in a good way. Because now if if Nasried or
Julius Randam become cap casualties, whether it's via trade or
they opt out, leave or some whatever, that just looks Again,
if they win this series, that'll look damning and like,
but do you have enough to justify.
Speaker 4: Doing that even if you lose this series?
Speaker 2: Given like what you I know, luco Is, did you
see him running up and down the court by the
end of that It was just like a skimper.
Speaker 4: It was just very weird.
Speaker 2: So and from the Warrior's perspective, they could win or
lose this series. I'm gonna tell you my off season
dream transaction for them. Other stuff will need to be
attached because this player's value is just imploded. The Jonathan
Kaminga signed and trade for camp Johnson is like that's
the move that I think, like, oh, the Warriors went
this far in the playoffs in twenty twenty five, Like
they'll just be a bona fide contender if they can
pull off something like that.
Speaker 1: I mean, Cam Johnson could probably get on the floor,
so he'd be a pretty big, pretty big value of
advantage there.
Speaker 2: What's your X factor for start warship with ever team
you want?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I stepped on it. It's Pajemski for the Warriors.
It's just like he's not gonna I don't think he'll
be guarded by one of the world's two best perimeter defenders,
and so like by default he has to be not
just making the open threes that come to down, but
like he's gonna have to initiate offense, like he will
have to beat a guy and make the right pass,
Like he's gonna have a significant offensive role. And again,
I really do think the Warriors are gonna be okay defensively,
not to take anything away from Minnesota, but where I'm
concerned and where anyone who's watched them, even with Butler,
like scoring is hard against good defenses for them, especially
ones that are equipped to take steph out or limit him,
and so it just Pajemski is like the only guy
that can Pastora will shoot like other than Stephan Butler,
So it just has to be him.
Speaker 2: For me, I have Moses Moody because I think that
he is going to spend a lot of ample time
on Edwards and I mean, like maybe you're just gonna
see him, like you might even get some time against Randall,
like depending on how the setup is. And so he's
just gonna be super important if you want to make
sure that Jimmy Butler isn't doing too much heavy lifting,
or you don't need to try and overextend Gary Payton.
The second I say this and only slightly tongue in cheekly,
I kind of wondered if Quinton Post would be a
good option here because it's just like, if you look
at the if you wanted to and you wanted to
kind of increase the dynamosm of your offense, the Wolves
in any given lineup do have players that you like
Quentin post On Jade McDaniels, Like, they're not gonna bring
Quinton Post to the screening action if that's what's happening.
So like, do you even if Conley's on the floor, Like, yeah,
that might be Like with that might So I'm just
could this be a Quinton Post? Will it be more
of a Quinton Post? Who's more who logs more total.
Speaker 4: Minutes by the end of the series comingo or Post? Oh?
Speaker 1: Post? Is Post gonna play a minute? Yeah?
Speaker 2: I always for Garry Payton the second Uh, that's pretty
I think.
Speaker 1: Who's gonna play more minutes?
Speaker 3: I would guess GP two just because he's gonna one
of the few, Like you're not terrified options on Edwards,
You're terrified of everybody, but but I think he's viable there.
Post is Post is a great X factor though, because
like he if he if he runs hot, then like
you just have to sort.
Speaker 1: Of adjust your defense to him.
Speaker 3: And there are just aren't a lot of shooters on
the Warriors that that's true of other than Steph.
Speaker 2: Right, I mean Buddy Heeld could also they have a
lot of like potential extractors because it's can you get
away with playing him in this series? If the war
because the Wolves will decide to match up on down
the perimeter, So if Buddy Heal's on the courts, like
can how how if you know him and Steph together,
Like how many minutes can you get away with that?
Speaker 1: Yeah?
Speaker 3: I mean if you start Healed as the Warriors and
you put him on McDaniels and you say, Jimmy.
Speaker 1: Butler, sorry, man, you drew the short straw.
Speaker 3: You got edwards, like you could keep Healed on the
floor a little bit, right, like because and I and
I was now it was all in on Moody starting now.
I wonder because like offense is the problem. That's why
Buddy Hill has played so much. Well, you have to
guard the guy.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 3: I I think I think Moody is a good pick
because he again if you do play him because you
need him defensively, like he just has to make shots.
He has to take shots and make shots, and that's
been an issue so far.
Speaker 4: Who's your X actor for the Timberwolves?
Speaker 1: So this was hard.
Speaker 3: I think I'm gonna say nas Reid because I think
with go Bear off the floor, the Warriors could kind
of get some interesting stuff going on offense, and Reid
has been just he gets better defensively, you know all
the time. I don't think, I don't think he's a minus.
But if if Reid and Reid is going to be
a problem on offense too, with his shooting and ability
to just I mean, he's going to be the biggest
guy on the floor most of the time against the Warriors.
If he can be decent on defense when he when
and if he's the lone big I think that makes
things really really hard for the Warriors because because for
Golden State to succeed, I think maybe like they'll need
to have stretches where they're just like, oh, go bears
off the floor, reads reads the loan big, now we
can score and if and if they can do that,
then you know, maybe they go on to win it.
If Red is like good enough as as the five,
I just I don't know how the Warriors are going
to put up enough points.
Speaker 2: I struggled between Tante Evencenzo and he Keith Alexander Walker
because I think that Walker will be called upon to
like he will get Steph minutes against Steph Curry, maybe.
Speaker 4: Even Buddy Healed.
Speaker 2: But I really still just don't trust Minnesota's offense, like
at its core and nicolex Entreer, Walker's not gonna be
the person that swings that like maybe he swings in
the owner if he's not making his shots, that becomes difficult.
So I'm gonna lead Dante DiVincenzo to where it's if
the Warriors decided to throw two at Edwards, or if
Edwards is just having a game where he's not finishing
around the rim, or Moody or Peyton second or Jimmy
Butler's on him, just making like difficult, and we know
that Draymond's gonna see like be able to gum up stuff.
Maybe that makes life tougher on Julius Randall, Like Ken
Dante Vincenzo, I don't know what he shot in the
Lakers series, was like twenty three percent three whatever it was.
Can he make Golden State's defense pay when it's in
rotation or even when he just has the ball in
its hands.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a good one.
Speaker 4: Who are you picking?
Speaker 1: I was hoping you go first. I haven't decided yet.
Speaker 2: I am going to pick the Minnesota Timberwolves to lose
in seven games.
Speaker 4: You like what I did there.
Speaker 2: I have been pretty high on the Timberwolves all season
in terms of I've been up and down on them
with their performance against really good teams. I could see
their size frustrating the Warriors in similar ways, that it
did the Lakers. The difference to me is that I
think Golden State has the ability to get more creative
offensively and I just think they just in general have
more two way players than the Lakers do, and so
they can make life hell on Minnesota's offense even more
so than we saw like the Lakers do. And it's
not again, they have that same lack of size, but
this is not should we dust off Maxi Klieba or
continue to be married to Jackson Hayes. It's oh, Draymond
at the five sure, like that is just that's the
antidote to everything. I don't care, like what sort of
your size is. It was close, though, I really the
Wolves have just it wouldn't shock me if the Wolves
won this in five. So it's like I could see
it tilt the scales tilting in that favor too.
Speaker 3: Because, like you know, again, I think there are some
you know, inclusions you can draw about Golden State based
on the challenges that Houston presented, Like that was a
rough like the physicality and the size and the athleticism
and the defense just that was hard to navigate, Like
there were stretches where it was like there's no way
the Warriors can be can score on this team, Like
it just it seemed like that for entire games. You know,
during that series. I don't think Minnesota is not that good,
not like not that overwhelming.
Speaker 2: You're not playing Jabari Smith Junior, Steven Adams at Alparne right.
Speaker 3: And also Am and Thomson and Dylan Brooks. It's just
like they don't they can't. They can't quite do that there.
You know, even Van Vliet like as a defender is
like like Conley's working as hard as he can, but
Connley's thirty seven and not as good a defender as
Van Vleet. Like there's not a weak point really unless
you say Shangoon and like, I don't know, I think
I have to go, I have to join you and
go Warriors in seven. But that's a real heart pick.
I think the head pick is, like, so that's my
official pick Warriors and seven. The head pick is just
Minnesota just presents so many like physicality and size and
just talent and athleticism problems that combined like with Butler
banged up with Steph's thumb thing, like Steph has not
had like Steff's looked bad and like has looked like
kind of man handled by by the Rockets late in
that series. Like, I think the head pick should be Minnesota,
but I'm not gonna do it this.
Speaker 2: This is gonna be a fun as hell series though,
so we both have the Warriors in seven games.
Speaker 1: All right, Thanks everybody for listening, for watching.
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Speaker 3: Has always been a shout to Franklin la keenan an
apology to Jared Allen