Speaker 1: What is up, fella, ciccos.
Speaker 2: I am Dana Valley coming at you with mister Brian
to Porrek, from Bleacher Report, from Forbes, from on SI,
from Liberty Ballers, and from Silver Screen and Roll.
Speaker 1: Did I get everything this time?
Speaker 3: Yes? I think it's hard to keep track of pace.
Speaker 2: You do a lot.
Speaker 1: You have an excellent job covering the NBA.
Speaker 2: It has been a genuine pleasure to work with you
for the past I don't even know how many years
at this point, fifteen whatever, something along those lines. We
also everyone, any of the siccos out there, We want
to thank Brian.
Speaker 1: I canceled the podcast because hashtag.
Speaker 2: Snow and was able to come on late Tuesday night
and record with me so that we could still get
a second full episode in this week. So I'm very
much grateful for you to come on and talk about
the Eastern Conference of whether anyone can beat the Pistons
with me.
Speaker 1: But how are you doing?
Speaker 3: I am doing well. I am not buried in snow,
so that is great, and I am I'm always happy
to come on and talk basketball, especially the East, which
is kind of a mess right now behind the Pistons.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I don't think we were talking before we
jumped on as to it is accepted now at this
point that they're just the East favorites right before we
get into what we're gonna do is draft. We'll take
turns picking who we think the biggest threats are to
the Pistons, but it is widely accepted.
Speaker 1: I haven't seen.
Speaker 2: I'm sure there's gonna be pushedback or do they have
enough playoff experience? I guess I give some merit to that,
but they did this group by and large went through
the playoffs together last year. They lost in the first round,
but they almost beat a team that made it to
the Eastern. So I'm not saying they have all of
their postseason scars already, but it wouldn't. I don't use
that as like if I'm thinking about that, I assign
more weight to it with the Spurs in part peas
I do think the top of the Western Conference, regardless
of what the stats or the matchups might say, this
season is just objectively scarier than the East. I just
look at the Pistons and think, Okay, yeah, there's still
playoff in experience, but they just went through that type
of series and the style they play is almost just
built for not there's concerns offensively, sure, but like the
way they play defense and how physical they are and
the teams that they've beaten with some of the matchups
they've had this year. How much do you worry about
the quote unquote lack of playoff experience.
Speaker 3: I don't worry about that as much For all the
points you just made, I mean, they have the second
best net rating in the NBA as well second best
defensive rating in the NBA. They are tenth in offensive ratings,
so top ten marks in both offense and defense at
least heading into Tuesday. I mean, they could use more shooting,
and like if something trips them off in the playoffs,
I could see that being it. But yeah, I think like,
if you have the best record in the East, the
second best net rating in the league, you know you
deserved be considered the favorite. Although I will say I
just checked the Eastern Conference odds right now and it's
actually very close between the top four. But Detroit is
not number one as of this current moment.
Speaker 2: That is, I guess it's not insane, but it's so
what more could they possibly, I guess, have done if
they guess they made a big swing at the trade
deadline to really juice up the offense. But when you're
five losses ahead of everybody else in the East, and
when you know that there are variables at play. But okay,
the Pacers have already fallen out of it. Tyres Alburt's
not coming back. Jason Tatum might come back, but what
does Jason Tatum look like? You've seen the health questions
in Philadelphia always rearing their head. The health questions and
offensive questions in Orlando just still there. Cleveland just having
this massive mid season change with James Harden coming into
the fold.
Speaker 1: It is a little wild to me that they're not.
Speaker 2: I don't and I know sports betting odds aren't always
rooted entirely in logic, but at the same time, it's
a little wild to me at this point.
Speaker 1: They wouldn't be considered the favorite to come out.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I agree with you, like it's very close right now,
And I don't want to say who's number one or
what the odds actually are because that will potentially change
the order of our draft. So I want to keep
the competitive integrity and tax shout out Adam Silver.
Speaker 2: Which is to say, both of us are properly and
heavily medicated and ready to go through this podcast. So
we'll set it up this way. Lee's just take turns
alternating teams. We'll see like two or three each, just
to maybe get like a little bit of a hierarchy here.
Speaker 1: You are the guests. So I'm going to give you
the first pick.
Speaker 2: But as you informed me when I told you you'd
be getting the first pick, you said, that's actually not
a gift in this instance, which I.
Speaker 3: Don't think it is. I feel like the second pick
is the easiest, or really the third pick, I guess
is probably trying to.
Speaker 2: Make a big board of just teams like, Okay, this
is how and I it was a mess for me.
Speaker 1: I didn't.
Speaker 2: I think that any pick is just kind of difficult.
And that's maybe that's not even reflective of necessarily the
Pistons being head and shoulders above everybody, but it kind
of is because at this moment as we're recording, you
look at just the player that Kate is turned into
with Jayalen durn has done this year. I know they're
just like the floor spacing concerns, the half core concerns
are gonna be there, but just some of the wild
different lineups they could throw out there, and I mean
Kid specifically is just if you talk I know this
is sort of an add of boy Crown because we
talk about who's the leagu's best player, who's the league's MVP.
When you're looking at someone and you're trying to say,
who do I feel most comfortable with doing literally anything
on the court right now?
Speaker 1: The best two way player?
Speaker 2: So to frame it, I think Pete Kawhi Leonard probably
still is a case. But who is the case aside
from Kate? I guess it's Shay. But you also just
look at what Kate is. The workload he can shoulder
defensively as a rebound, I think edges that out a
little more. I don't think the efficiency number are going
to be what they are, but the impact he has
on the offense and just the across the board impact
that he's able to carry in such high volume.
Speaker 1: When you're looking at two way.
Speaker 2: Workload, let's call it is kind of insane. And I
do feel like flies under the radar a little bit.
When we talk about the completeness of players. I think
the honored probably go to maybe Jason Tatum if he
were healthy, But this season if you're not making the
case for Kawhi, I guess it's like Kawhi Sha or
Kate or probably the options there.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean Lebron is not in that conversation anymore.
KD not in that conversation anymore. Paul George, you're disrespecting
performance enhancing p.
Speaker 1: Performance enhancing P.
Speaker 2: Hey, he helped us. You want to talk about completeness.
He helped the Sixers duck the luxury.
Speaker 1: Time's right, that's not versatility.
Speaker 3: What is coming up with new ways to duck attacks?
Thank you?
Speaker 2: Paul?
Speaker 3: All right, So yeah, it's the number one pick. Look,
I think this completely depends on whether Jason Tatum is
coming back this year and what version of Jason Tatum
is coming back this year if he does return. If
we had assurance that by mid April Jason Tatum is
back and he's even like eighty percent of normal Jason Tatum,
I think Boston would be the choice here. But because
we do not have that knowledge right now, I can't
quite get there with the Celtics. So this might just
be my recency bias talking, but I'm leaning toward the Cavs.
Speaker 2: Ooh, you throw a change up.
Speaker 1: I should have waited. I'm gonna have to post edit
this on screen now I love it.
Speaker 2: Huh oh mate, So is it? Are you looking at
James Harden's playoff track record or you're just you're feeling it?
Speaker 3: That is exactly right. Yeah, you know, he's illustrious. Six
time NBA champion James Harden. Look, I understand the criticism
of that trade, in particularly that aspect of the trade,
but it's not like the Cavaliers as currently constructed or
as previously constructed, had a ton of playoffs success on
their own. Like they you know, we still have the
Jared Allen the lights were too bright for me, me
from a couple of years ago, and they've gotten punked
in the playoffs a couple times now. Garlands, i mean
still isn't healthy as of this moment. We don't know
when you or if he will be this season. Like,
you can say what you want about James Harden, but
he is at least like on the floor more often
than not. You know, there are lots of critiques about
the way he plays. I also will say, like you know,
it wasn't his fault in Philly a couple of years ago,
like they had a golden opportunity. If Deanthony Melton knocks
down a couple of wide ass open threes, they knock
out the Celtics in Game six and they're the Conference finals.
Speaker 2: Like that.
Speaker 3: You know, James Harden MB completely crapped the bed in
game seven.
Speaker 2: But James Harden is also that's really kind of the
genesis of James Harden's playoff people's eye or towards James
Harden the Playoffs is that he has some signature moments.
But if there's it just feels like you can recall
more of the I don't want to say no shows,
but the struggles in a game six or a Game
seven and so anecdotally just makes it easier to say
James Harden is this playoff choke cards.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but like early in the series, he had a
couple of games, like, they don't get to a game
six without him. Yeah, he was so good that he
won one or two games for them almost by himself.
And I think what I like about his fit in
Cleveland is that he doesn't have to take over. He
doesn't have to be Houston Harden. You have Donovan Mitchell
for that, you have Evan Mobley. He's unlocked a much
more dynamic version of Jared Allen, which is not a
surprise because he's still one of the beast passers in
the league.
Speaker 2: I would just like to say those two already have
more chemistry together than Jalen Brunston and Karl Anthony Town.
Speaker 3: I mean, like Harden has experienced I dating back to
like what Clint Capela in Houston. I mean, you give
him a a rim running big man, and he's going
to find this guy and like work some two man
actions with him. You know, he hasn't played a ton
with Mobile yet, but like there's some really interesting combinations
that you can trot out there. We still haven't seen
Max Struce this year. I believe if he comes back
at some point, that's going to add some shooting to
their rotation. I mean, Jalen Tyson has been a revelation
for them this year. I really liked the additions of
Kean Ellis less so Dennis Shrewder, but you know, he
like having just more reliable depth in the backcourt. Now
you've got Mitchell, Harden, Ellis and Shrewder, You've got Dean Wade,
Tyson Struce if he comes back, Evan Mobley, Jared Allen,
like they've got nine or ten deep that you feel
really good about. You can play a bunch of different ways.
I think, you know, one of the big things in
the playoffs is just if your style, if you you
know it's so specific, if your style is a bad
fit for the opponent that you're facing, can you adapt?
And I think against Detroit in particular, Cleveland having being
more front court oriented with Mobile and Allen is a
good thing when you've got to deal with Jared Allen
if you are sorry, not Jared, when you've got to
deal with Jalen Duran. So if you know, Alan gets
into foul trouble early, you still have Evan Mobley, you
still have like forty eight legiti minutes of rim protection
regardless as long as both of those guys are healthy,
even if one of them gets into foul trouble and
you're still you know, not only you're dealing with Jalen Duran,
but you're dealing with Isaiah Stewart, You're dealing with Paul
Reid in Detroit, like they've got a lot of size.
I think Cleveland has the size to match up against them.
The Knicks do as well. So it was you know
that I was tempted to pick them, but we've also
seen Detroit beat the brakes off them a couple times
this year, and yeah, the vibes, I mean, you can
speak to this better than I can. But you know,
every time we'd think the Knicks are back, and then
two nights later, it's like, oh, no, they're they're not
back at all. There this is we need to blow
this team apart. So it's it's hard to have a
ton of confidence in them. Whereas Cleveland, I mean, even
before the trade for Harden had really started to come
on strong after a kind of mediocre start to the season.
But you know, I think won like uh, I think
twelve of their past fourteen.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they've been even before the Garland trade. The Cave's
basically been the best team in the NBA since like
the middle of December, at the end of December. And
that's with Garland and missing a ton of time. You
st mobilely miss some time too. I'm I think I
agree with you. I was going between I've narrowed it
down to the three teams, but really two for what
would have been my first pick, and I think I
would have leaned towards the Calves as well. I really
want to see how these two teams and they're gonna play,
is it later this week they're gonna play again, like
we haven't seen them play since the trade deadline, so
hopefully they's place.
Speaker 3: They got we got Friday and then next Tuesday as well.
Speaker 2: And because I'm very curious to see what they do.
I don't think that DeAndre Hunter was a Caid stopper,
but I'm gonna be curious to see how they go about
defending Kid. You have Mobile, you have Jalen Tyson, you
also have We've seen Dennis Shreuder go against Kid in
certain other matchups too, so I'd be curious. I'm just
curious see how they go about defending Kid. But when
you look at Cleveland, you do worry about, well, what
does their wing defense kind of look like? Because they're small.
Their best wing defenders are just small against the Pistons.
I don't know how big of an issue that is
because Kid is just Kate. Is gonna be Kate like
there will still have those high turnover performances peppered in.
But even if he's inefficient, or even if he's not
really scoring the stuff, he opens up as just a
passer is like, you could be okay with him scoring
forty plus points. Is, well, how do you go about
defending the others? And they have bodies that throw at
Jalen Duran and the wings just on Detroit aren't going
to be as dangerous. So it's it's not that Detroit
that Cleveland's terrible matchup for Detroit specifically, But I think
that the Cavs is weakness maybe won't manifest as much
like defensively against a Pistons team. Maybe that's under selling
Caid there. I'm also wondering if they could do because
what we have seen and it's not gonna be as
big of a deal if you're playing like when Isaiah
Stewart is available, or if you have like Jalen Duran
on the court, but because you're going dual big with
Jared Allen and Evan Mobley, could you do something where
it's okay, Alan's on Durance even during even during even
during the Durhan minutes. That's a weird thing to say
you have Alan on Duran and then Mobley gets to
guard Thompson and just float. That could be like a
super interesting way to go about cobbling together your defense,
and so I really can't wait to see these two
teams play. I hope that they're I want to see
everybody better be.
Speaker 1: Playing in those two games.
Speaker 2: I really want I want to see what that looks like.
But I think you're right to call that out also
because detro Roy's defense is physical as hell. But you
have now I think the benefit of having James Harden
in the immediate he is the better player this season
than Darius Garland, and so you have, whether it's durability
or just even in terms of effectiveness, you have a better
chance of just saying, well, we have two of the
ten best offensive players in basketball on our team right now.
There's not any defense maybe peak OKC, maybe peak Spurs
that is just going to Newter that entirely over the
course of an entire series. And so that goes a
long way. And I think that Max Strews is I
don't think he's going to be a factor this year,
even if he's going to come back. But when you
have all these other different options on the perimeter, where
between Jal and Tyson or going with a key on
Ellis Sam Merrill is like Sam Merrill would be a
huge X factor in this series because the way he's
flying around, James Harden already has great chemistry with him.
Think I think the Cavs are the right answer. Would
you pick playoff series today between these two teams? Though?
Would you pick the Calves to beat the Pistons?
Speaker 3: Probably not, But that's in part because we just haven't
seen the full strength Calves very much this year, since
Harden is so new to the team, Like, they have
a lot more work to do to build that type
of chemistry between now and mid April or I mean,
these two teams probably don't meet until May. But you know,
Detroit's been rolling all year. They have the benefit of
continuity in a way that Cleveland does, not having to
integrate not only Harden, but ls in Struder as well.
It's like one massive piece, but then to fairly significant
pieces off the bench as well. So, you know, I
think the version of Detroit that we're currently seeing is
probably closer to the finalized version of Detroit at least
this year, whereas Cleveland probably has more room to grow
this year just on account of Harden's still so new
to the team. You know, like how many practices have
they had with James Harden.
Speaker 2: It's a good point.
Speaker 1: Well just ja yeah, I would say fewer than two.
Speaker 2: Just be my guest, Like.
Speaker 3: I mean, yeah, Like they weren't doing much on the
All Star break.
Speaker 2: I would imagine are there any I guess off, how
do you feel about the Mobile versus Detroit's front court
set up? Like if you were to go mobile Loan
minutes at the five? How do you feel about him,
especially the version of him we've seen this season on
the one, hitting more of a play finisher the way
they're set up now, But how do you feel about
that sort of chess match in particular?
Speaker 3: Wouldn't love it against Duran, but I think he could
be fine against Stewart and Paul.
Speaker 1: Red whoa, whoa, whoa Paul Reid. That's that's some That's
a hot take, right there.
Speaker 3: Has been balling without that. The when Duran and Stuart
were suspended, Paul didn't he light up the knicks.
Speaker 2: There was a joke in our discord that he would
make like the like he's one of the best third
stringers of all time, and it's whether we should do
like a third Who are the best third stringers of
all time? Podcast?
Speaker 3: I love that? Yeah, Instead it was like the best
second off to the best third string. Yeah, who's the
best eleventh man in NBA history?
Speaker 2: I think that was another joke. Someone said he's gonna
win eleventh man.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, it's a fair question because Mobley hasn't
taken the step forward that I think a lot of
people hoped this year. And that's not to say it's
not going to come, but it's just not hasn't materialized yet.
That's another reason I'm bullish about this team, and with
Harden in particular though, because not only like we've already
seen what he's done for Jared Allen, Evan Mobley is
a much more versatile player than Jared Allen. There's no
reason that Harden and Evan Mogley cannot unlock some really
difficult two man combinations once they gained a little more chemistry.
They just like haven't played that much together yet. So
that's where we'll see. That's what the Cavs need to
do over these next two months. Not only are they
jostling for playoff seating, but they're like trying to figure
things out on the fly with their entire rotation, whereas
Detroit is much more set in that regard.
Speaker 1: I won't take a pick now.
Speaker 2: I'm going to go with the team that I thought
you were picking at the beginning, which is the Boston Celtics.
And I don't feel I feel like, I don't feel
good about my entire order that I've written down. I'm
not gonna lie. Sure Boston's I know it wasn't these
mission critical players that there was a ton of turnover
for at the deadline, But I'm just wondering how much
that churn impacts them and then playing the game to
sidestep attacks, and when is Jason Tatum coming back? Like
what does that just all look like fully integrated? But
I look at this team and just the basis of it,
I do worry about how especially if Jason Tatum, or
even if Jason Tatum is playing just Detroit if they
want to, feels like they just have answers on answers
for Boston's perimeter players Jaylen Brown, Derek White, Jason Tatum,
whatever he looks like, because you have a sar Thompson,
you have Ron holland you have Javonte Green. But I
do wonder Boston feels like the team where if they're
at full strength, is best built to get out to
maybe some of these bigger leads against Detroit because of
the three point variants between the two, and then that
really forces Detroit into some difficult decisions to where it's, well,
how many minutes can we play Asar Thompson, Ron holland
Javonte Green. If you are working from a deficit, how
willing are you to go to some of these other
combinations that have worked over the course of the year.
And also, the thing with Detroit is excellent on the
offensive grat Glass, not Grass, weirdly just okay on the defense.
Even during the minutes when Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Derner
on the court, they're not even a league average defensive
rebounding team and they're like hovering right around there. You
in theory, would want that to be. Like, you have
great size at so many different positions, including with Kaid,
and the way that Boston crashes the offensive glass could
make Detroit uniquely vulnerable in those instances. And so maybe
their first chance offense won't be as efficient, But what
would their second chance offense look like in a protracted
series against Detroit? Because you know we're saying all this now,
and Boston is on the season, they're one in three
against Detroit. Is that right?
Speaker 1: I think that's the that's the notes I have.
Speaker 2: So if it's not right, that's on me.
Speaker 3: So well a fact check you just to be sure.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they're one in three, but they have a top
five relative the rest of league offensive rating against Detroit.
So you've already kind of seen like we at least
have proof of concept there. And now you add, yes,
you lost Anthony Simons, but you add if you just
need Jason Tatum to play the Anthony Simon's role where
you're not asking tatusn is just make shots, that's fine,
Like Jason tam could come back and be sixty percent
and I think probably play that role. Maybe I'm under
selling Anthony Simons a little bit, who's apparently just playing
with a dislocated or broken wrist. Did you see that? Yes?
Speaker 3: I did?
Speaker 1: Yeah, tougher than me all shout out?
Speaker 3: Is this one of the like how use of Nurkic
like suddenly had a nose fracture that needed to seas
an ending surgery even though he wasn't on the injury report?
Speaker 2: Is this just Simons isn't shutting it down? I thought
unless I misread he.
Speaker 3: Is at yet. I mean, we'll see.
Speaker 1: They're like, oh they're doing they're playing the long game.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know what. I respect that.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's better than a lot of these like, oh
yeah he has a hangnail. He's gonna be out of
eight weeks. Sorry, see see you next year.
Speaker 2: I do also wonder, and I don't know, because I
could see it being cut one of two ways to
where if you're worried about Detroit on the offensive glass.
Now I love Nami as Kaita and they've gotten some
good minutes from Luka Garzer, but having Nikola Vucevic there
should help out a ton. And if he's also hitting
his threes he's at thirty eight percent since being traded
to Boston, that also coaxes Detroit into some maybe more
difficult defensive decisions. And also, could you do something as
Boston where it's depending on who's on the floor. Are
you having Vouch on a Sar or Holland so you're
trying to just insulate him and he can hang around
the basket more. I don't know that I feel too
confident in that strategy, but I think Vouch at least
adds a helpful element when it comes to keeping Detroit
off the offensive glass. And if you just have that
higher volume floor spacing element at the five, then you
can get from a Cata or a Garza.
Speaker 1: I don't know how.
Speaker 2: Predicated this ranking is though, even as I was thinking
about it, even as I'm talking myself through it, I
think I might still have them here even if Jason
Tatum isn't playing. Yeah, maybe that's I've skewed too far
away from the Knicks, the Sixers, the magic of it
or the raptors of it all. But there's just the
way his team plays offense. I think even if Detroit
is the more talented team, which no Tatum on the Celtics,
Detroit is the more talented team with the tops. That's
that's clear. But the Celtics just have that higher variance
caked into their offense in a good way, and so
I think there'd be more nights where they could catch
Detroit just in a really bad situation based off there
through and even their ability to you know, we kind
of saw it against the most recent Spurs matchup, where
I had to go back because yes, I was clearing
snow until very late that night for anyone who cares.
But I went back and was like going over possessions
from that game, just having the ability where there's, oh,
there's like three or four guys on the floor that
could just put the ball like that's Steph. I don't
know why they were being so aggressive with and a
lot of teams have been overly aggressive, like defending Steph
Castle from the perimeter. But you have a bunch of
guys in Boston. I know Derek White's not making shots
at the same level, but between him and Brown and
Pritchard just right there are just three guys that you
could trust to get you some semblance of dribble, penetration
and drive and kicks going to that way, I think
I'd still have Boston at number two even if Jason
Tatum doesn't come back with the caveat being I do
expect him to come back. It's funny how the narrative
or the story was before we saw these workout things,
he was totally planning on coming back. But now that
there's video surfacing of him doing activity, that's when they're
trying to pump the brigs, got it.
Speaker 3: I mean, honestly, I consider taking Boston number one regardless
of Tatum status. So I think these two teams should
be one to two in some order. I think Cleveland
deserves a benefit of the doubt right now given the
uncertainty with Tatum. But to your point earlier about you
know the regular season series. Yes, Detroit is three and
one against Boston this year, but all four games were
decided by seven points or less, so these were all
four were pretty close games. You know, regular season series
don't ultimately matter in the end, Like how many times
did you know Toronto beat up on Cleveland during the
regular season when Lebron was there, only for them to
get swept in the playoffs. So I don't want to
read too much into this, especially because most of these
games were early in the season. I think three of.
Speaker 2: The four the regular season is so tough because of
either we know Tatum is missing those games. But I
don't like dismissing the importance of the regular season, and
I've seen I think that, just because it's most recent
in my head, Knicks fans saying it doesn't really matter
that they went zero to three and lost by double
digits every single time against the Pistons.
Speaker 1: And it's yeah, in.
Speaker 2: Theory because you got swept by Boston last year, like you.
I found the stat there since the Jalen Brunson error, Brian,
they are one to fourteen against number one seeds in
the East during the regular season, which isn't great, So
it doesn't have to portend to what's happening in the postseason.
At the same time, I don't know like kind of
matters and so to me. So if you're playing a
team close across four different appearances, as Boston did with Detroit,
or at least a semblance of close, and that's without
your best player, right, I think that augurs pretty well
for your chances to at least be competitive.
Speaker 3: I agree, and you've got I mean, Joe Mizula, I
like have faith in as a coach. There's not a
massive coaching mismatch that the Pistons can exploit. I would
think most people would with all due respect to JB. Bickerstaff,
I think most people would say that the Celtics have
the better coach of the two, which is just another
feather in their cap. So yeah, I think you know.
I'm glad you did not put your Homer hat on
for the Knicks. If anything, I think having watched the
Knicks as much as you have this year probably skewed
you in the other direction where you're like, absolutely not,
I will not be picking these two teams and the
Knicks in the top two.
Speaker 2: So I think also the bias of look at what happened.
They barely beat Detroit last year, and Detroit is the
personnel might not be a lot different, but even JB.
Bickerstaff was changing some of the like the it took
him two want to change some of the stuff they
were doing defensively.
Speaker 1: Then this is just a better team from top to.
Speaker 2: Bottom, even though it's basically the same team, or it's
a lot of the same team.
Speaker 3: Definitely, yeah, I mean I think moving on to my
third pick, I think the Knicks are the default here.
And this is where I would go back to the
odds that I was referencing earlier. So Cleveland is the
number one, has the best odds to win the East
at plus three hundred. The Pistons and Celtics are tied
at plus three forty, and then the Knicks are plus
four to forty and no other team is even close.
So odds makers see this as basically being a four
team race in the East, and I think that's fair
Like I would be fairly surprised if any other team
beyond Cleveland, Detroit, Boston, or New York represented the East
and the finalist this year. So by default, I think
the Knicks are the choice here. I don't feel good
about it, especially given how much the Pistons have laid
waste to them in the regular season. I don't know
that Jose Alvarado and Jeremy so Han change the mashup
that significantly for the Nicks that all of a sudden.
Speaker 2: I'm already I have my drafts pre written on being
angry that Jeremy so Han's in the game over Mohammed
do you aara, Yeah, inevitable Knicks Pistons playoff series, don't worry.
Speaker 3: That sounds right. Well, didn't Mike Brown say he's just
like trying so Han out right now because he knows, which.
Speaker 2: It does make sense, and he I feel like there
was the ceremonial coming out of the All Star break
he brought d r off the bench before, so I'm
just like, okay, this is but we're just testing. We're
just hashtag of culture, just trying stuff.
Speaker 3: So sure, yeah, well, well we'll see. I mean like
this ceiling is there for the Knicks if they can
just put it all together. The top end talent is there.
I mean, the addition of Alvarado we saw it against
Houston the other night, is a legitimate difference maker that
he swung the game for them. They would have lost
that game without Jose Alvarado, So maybe he does steal
a game for them in the playoffs that same way.
You know, the problem is that in the playoffs you
can really focus in on one opponent and what do
you think is the first thing on the scouting report
for Jose Alvarado just do not in bound the ball
anywhere near that NF. So, you know, I don't know
how much he makes a difference there.
Speaker 2: Because it also depends on how much can you play
him and Jalen Brunson together in this series because Jalen
bruns is going to play forty minutes and so how
much do you think that those two can play together?
Speaker 3: So especially with Ivy no longer in Detroit, like Detroit
just has so much size, you know, I think that
was the thought or the theory behind this next team construction,
is like we have these two lockdown wings in McHale
and og We have, you know, two bigs in Towns
and then Robinson, so we have the size to contend
with some of these bigger teams. But Detroit just seems
even bigger. I mean, there's there's nowhere to hide Brunson
against the Pistons.
Speaker 2: Really, No, you're right. And also the thing that I
think needs to be said is, Okay, the Knicks or
third in offensive rating, and as you mentioned, the ceiling
is there. There are nights where the Knicks look like
they are one of the three best teams in the
NBA when the offense is really humming, and they've they've
had some really stingy defensive performances against really good teams.
But the two things that I don't say, I don't
think that defensive quote unquote switch is there for an
extended period of time. I will be among those who
are shocked. If we look back on the Knicks playoff run,
it's oh, they really flip that defensive switch. Just the
fluctuation for Mitchell Robinson, not even just availability, but when
he's played defensively og Ananobi McHale Bridges and look the
Pistons in their most recent win over the Knicks, we're
actively hunting Cade was actively hunting McHale Bridges. That's like,
and it wasn't the wrong move, but that's sort of
the state of the Knicks defense there. And the other
thing is offensively, what did we just talk about with
Boston and then what do we just talk about with
Cleveland to where it's they have like the multiple dribble
penetrators and it's with Cleveland you say you have two
top end ones, but you add Dennis Shrewder into that.
Speaker 1: Jalen Tyson can do a.
Speaker 2: Little bit of that.
Speaker 1: The Knicks don't. The Knicks have Jalen Brunson.
Speaker 2: Like, it's not something Michale Bridge is gonna fade away
from the basket if he gets anywhere near it, and
og Ananobi is just it has to be almost straight
line or a completely open runway, which hey, you're not
going to get against a lot of the Pistons lineups.
And Karl Anthony Towns is just so predictable on his
He's having a pretty good stretch offensively right now, but
overall for the season, he's never been less efficient, and
so if Detroit is gonna he's also struggled since he's
arrived in New York, and even dating back to his
time in Minnesota, even though it doesn't feel like it
happened anecdotally as much just punishing smaller matchups. So even
if the Detroit tries to game who you're covering him with,
you can't. The coronathy Towns isn't gonna capitalize on that,
whether it's like forget about the post touches, like even
on his drop, and so you just factor all that
in it, and it's maybe I'm oversimplifying it, but I
don't think I am. You don't have a second offensive
option on this team still, you're weirdly dependent on it
being just number two by committee, and you don't know
what you're gonna get from the fact that you need
Jose Alvarado to be transformative on certain nights or the
better yet, and kudos to them for keeping him, but
the fact that they're so dependent on Landry sham Att
being healthy and good, yeah, is really troubling. And he
he plays hard, he defends really hard, but he's probably
gonna dislocate his shoulder again in this series because the
way he just he's he might be I'll still give
it to Deuce McBride and now Jose Alvarado is there,
but he really fights around screens, which is just something
that like you're not getting from all the Knicks on
like any given or on most On a lot of
the Knights, it almost feels like there's an any given
Sunday element to the way they defend, where it's there's
one or two games that they really shut it down.
I don't have confidence in this team against Detroit specifically.
I feel like if we were talking about another team,
maybe the Knicks would rank more highly, but just in
terms of going up against a Pistons team that is
both physical, has a ton of size, which the Knicks
can technically do on their front line. But do you
feel like, if I'm Detroit, I'm not even gonna because Okay,
you have Mitchell Robinson, Karnathy Towns on the floor, I
can throw out Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duran. I don't
feel compelled to. I don't continue to go with Tobias
Harris or like even downsize even further, like if it's
if it's a sar Thompson and Duncan Robinson, like that's
those are kind of your forwards in that instance, I
think like I don't know, if the series started today,
I'm picking the Pistons to beat the Knicks, and I
don't even know if it's it'd be an interesting series
because of the history from last year. But the Pistons
just seem to have the Knicks's number in a way
that's not even just anecdotal. But you look at the
way these teams are built, and I keep coming back
to the Knicks offense. It feels eminently solvable for a
defense like Detroit's.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and this is kind of like the exact opposite
of Bustin where, like most of those matchups happened early
in the season. Maybe you know, maybe they caught not
only Boston but like other teams off guard with how
good they work that no one expected the Pistons to
be like the number one seed in the East this year.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 3: All three of these games between the Pistons and the
Knicks have happened in the last month and a half.
They all happened after the start of twenty twenty six.
All three unlike Boston, where every game was within seven points,
all three of these have been blowouts. I mean thirty
one points the first game thirty eight, the second game fifteen,
The third I'm looking. I mean, like Josh Hart didn't
play in the first one. Uh no Towns or og
in the second one. So you don't want to extrapolate
too much here.
Speaker 2: Okay, I'm sorry, but the second one, Stuart and Duranton play. Yeah,
one either. And by the way, here's every team that
has a lower net rating against the Pistons than the
Knicks this season.
Speaker 1: The Brooklyn net end of list.
Speaker 3: Oh oh, the knicker of the Sacramento Kings have been
better against.
Speaker 2: They've they played two games and they're only a minus
fourteen point eight. They actually Sacramento has the best offense
in the league against Detroit.
Speaker 1: These are small, but that's actually really.
Speaker 3: Funny, amazing.
Speaker 1: Wow, Executive of the year.
Speaker 2: Give it. Give it to Sacramento, Scott Perry. They deserve
it for what they're talking about. But yeah, and I
mean they're they have a bottom Their offense is bottom
four against the Pistons, and their defense has actually been worse. Now,
I like, the Knicks just aren't even built to defend
Caid all that well, So I don't I'm not saying
it'd be a quick series, and I think that Caid's
not gonna have he was I don't even know there
was one of the performances. He was like four of
eleven or whatever it was, and the Pistons still just
kicked the shit out of the Knicks. I'm like, that's
what's gotta be so so concerning there that You're right
they probably belong here by default. But I'm gonna tell
you right now, this might be just an overexposure to
their roller coasch overseas and they weren't going to be
my third pick. I just it was that was probably
they probably deserve to be the third pick. But I
think it speaks to how dominant Detroit has been and
how problematic a lot of the teams underneath them feel
that you could make a case for maybe other teams
over the next year.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I agree. I mean I think like the odds
are what they are for a reason, because you have
to even squint harder to make the case for a
lot of the other teams in the East. Like the
ceiling case for a couple of teams, sure, but the
floor I think is a lot lower for every other
team besides Boston and Cleveland. So like the combination of
floor ceiling puts the next year, but like I do.
I would I pick them again to beat the Pistons. No,
especially not without home court advantage. And you know you
said it wouldn't be a quick series. I'm I'm not sure,
like I could easily see that being a Pistons in
five there?
Speaker 2: Do you know?
Speaker 1: That's the where you can't quantify it.
Speaker 2: You look at the Knicks and say, at least pre
Alvarado they feel mentally flimsy, and so yeah, you could
definitely see it being being a quick series. Have Pistons
in five? Just just why not? I'm trying to see.
I was trying to pull up the data. Yeah, okay,
So the Knicks have played Mitchell Robinson and Cornthley Towns
together for ten minutes against the Pistons so far this season.
They've been outscored by nine points in those ten minutes.
That's a net rating of minus forty five for.
Speaker 1: Anyone who cares.
Speaker 3: Is that good?
Speaker 1: That good for the Pistons?
Speaker 2: I think it might be. Is it fair to say,
as we move on to the fourth pick that we're
can I enter the just this is the vibe portion
of the selection process, because I don't. I think I
probably even though of what I said, I might have
just picked the next third because they are the right
default pick, Like it feels like the top three has
to be the top three. But after that, I don't
We're not going I'm not going off any real anecdotal
evidence other than I don't know. I just I'm feeling
this team right now, or like I feel like they're
pure yola.
Speaker 3: I mean, depending on you pick who you pick here,
I might go way off the board next one. So
I'm hoping you pick the team I don't want to pick.
Speaker 2: So I'm going here, the Charlotte Hornets.
Speaker 3: That's what I was gonna take.
Speaker 1: Okay, good r on the same page we are. We're
Hornets pilled.
Speaker 2: Now.
Speaker 1: This is stupid for a couple of reasons.
Speaker 2: The biggest one Hornets are in tenth and so they
have to get through the plane to like make it
into the postseason. But if they make it in as
the ten seed, they're going to be playing the Pistons.
Speaker 1: So in fury, I'm just playing the odds of who's like.
Speaker 3: Okay, there you go, ketch up sleeping first round knockout.
Speaker 2: I think you look at Charlotte's offense has received a
lot of attention. They've been the best offense in the
league since January first, but they've also been hovering around
top five in offense and end defense since Thanksgiving. Basically
we're talking about this is a huge portion of the season,
and I think there are a few things that go
into it. Is one, Charlotte's way better defensive rebounding team
than I thought. And because their offense is so good,
you are giving your defense a chance to get set,
and so that's the low hanging fruit end opponent's possessions
on the first try, which we'll see how they hold
up against, you know, Detroit's offensive rebounding. But that matchup
everyone was watching where the Duran and Stuart and Bridges
and diabat they all got suspended. Like Charlotte rose to
the occasion of physicality. Can they do it over the
course of a seven game series, we would have to say.
But they also they just have dudes that like some
like Brandon Miller's been excellent defensively for I don't know,
I feels like two months. James is just an absolute tank.
Josh Green since he's come back, has done some really
good things for them defensively. Musa Diabatte and Ryan Kalkbener
have been way better. Like can Musa Diabatte hold up
against the Duran Isaiah Stewart Combo over the course of
a seven game series. I don't know, but he's gonna try,
and he's been just a revelation for them. Konk Nipple
just has really good size to where you look at
what he does offensively on the ball. Off the ball,
you don't feel like you're making a concession where even Detroit,
by the way, Duncan Robinson is so important to Detroit's offense,
just when you look at the way defenses treat him
and how he uplifts the spacing and just their effective
field goal percentage improves by like four plus points with
him on the court, which is just a huge margin.
But you feel like you're making a defensive concession by
having him on the floor. And I'm not trying to
compare him to Continnipple, but just as the archetype of
player who does again way more on the ball, you
don't feel like you're giving back as much defensively. LaMelo
ball is still an adventure on the defensive end, I
would say, and he can still be an erratic player,
but do you know what he draws in defenses and
his remains just to transcendent playmaker could probably stand to
go to defensive driving court, or maybe he shouldn't go
to defensive driving is what's the opposite of them. Maybe
he drives two, he drives offensively. Whatever it is, he's
gonna need to address the decision making behind an automobile.
But this team is just I don't know, like going
up against the Pistons, I don't want to compare them
to Boston, but it feels like because they're competent or
have been competent defensively, and it's not just ode to
opponent shooting luck. The way that they play offense, it
feels like a similar case of saying there might be
nights where they're able to pull away because their offense
structurally is more superior, is superior to Detroit's. I just
feel like Detroit is better built to defend them than Boston.
And that's not really a Boston might just have Jason
Tatum back, and so that's not really a spicy take there.
It's I don't know if it's stupid taking them this
high though, because they are tenth and so I don't
think we've seen we've seen one ten seed make the
postseason right since the play in started, so yeah, there's
still time for them to catch. How many losses are
they behind the Hawks? O don't know. They're tied in
the lost column, so yeah, look they're right there.
Speaker 3: They can sneak in. Yeah, I mean, honestly, wouldn't totally
shock me if they jump even to the seven eight.
But yeah, I'm with you in being horns Pille. I
also like the addition of Kobe White at the deadline.
I think tonight was the first game that he played
with for them, and you know, it didn't do a
ton but it was also a thirty point ass kicking
of the Chicago Bulls, so they didn't need him. He
played sixteen minutes, Like I would imagine that he will
get more run in actually competitive games. Did you mention
Miles Bridges. I appreciate you if you didn't.
Speaker 1: But I mentioned him getting suspended.
Speaker 3: Okay, that's well, hopefully that just continues for indefinitely. But
if he is to play in the playoffs, he is
the type of player that I could really see giving
Tobias Harris a lot of trouble actually, and I think
that is if you're looking to find the weak spots
in Detroit, you're going to exploit Asar Thompson offensively. You're
just going to ignore him completely if he's floating around
the partner and just Darren to shoot. And I think
you go at Tobias defensively and having a guy like
Miles Bridges, who you know, unlike an og Ananobi, where
you know he needs either a straight line or needs
to have it created for him or it's probably not
going to happen like Miles Bridges can create on his own,
and I think you know, in one on one situations
against Tobias could either get him in foul trouble or
just score around him, over him, through him. So that
I'm like really focusing, like hyper focusing on this specific
matchup because I think that's kind of how you have
to approach these types of things. It's not like, you know,
we're not saying Charlotte is going to get to the
NBA Finals this year, but like based on their team construction,
they have a better shot than some of the other
team that we will talk about shortly.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's sort of the you're taking at this point,
we're taking the lottery ticket because despite about me just
going off the rails on New York before, it's that
was the three in some order, Cleveland, Boston, New York,
at least it feels like it. So now you're sort
of taking the lottery ticket of or else are we
gonna go? There's a couple of other teams, but all
of them, including your Sixers, whom shocked you didn't take
number one. You just have these high variants or like
big what ifs that have to be baking to the equation.
And so Charlotte's big what if at this point, which
is a testament to what they're doing, is and it's
arguably the biggest what if of them all. Will they
or what if they're not in the playoffs? Well then
they can't be a threat to Detroit. That's a pretty
glaring weakness. But if they make it to the playoffs,
I kind of feel better about them than any of
the teams that are like about to come up. I'm sure.
So maybe it'd be a difference st worry if things
were going differently in Philly or a certain Florida team,
But but I don't know, And it would also be
I want that series to happen now because of the
game that we went. Was it like a week and
a half ago now or two weeks whatever it was.
Speaker 1: I just I want to like that.
Speaker 2: Now there's just this pre existing, festering bad blood between
Detroit and Charlotte, and so I and Isaiah.
Speaker 1: Stewart the way he left the court after that whole ordeal.
Speaker 2: I want to see this matchup. I'm trying not to
root for things during the playoffs. I'll be rooting for
Charlotte to get into the playoffs this season. I can
tell you that.
Speaker 3: We'll say we're manifesting it. Manifesting Yeah, what.
Speaker 2: Would you how many games would you series of starting tomorrow?
How many games would you have it lasting?
Speaker 3: I mean, I think it's still probably Detroit in five,
but I think.
Speaker 2: Too, but yeah, it'd be or be just there's gonna
be between two and four insane games for some reason
or another, but Detroit in five. Ye, all right, your
last pick.
Speaker 3: It took my beloved Hornets. Man. I'm yeah, I think
you have to go the sixers here, And I just
hate saying that. Like, of any of the teams left,
it's them in Orlando, they have the highest ceiling. But
Orlando has just been so snake bit with injuries this
year that I'm just not convinced we're going to see
them at full strength at any point. And even if
we are, they haven't they've had I mean, I don't
have the lineup data in front of me, but like,
how many minutes have all four of Suggs, Bane, Franz
and Paolo played together? I cannot be.
Speaker 2: The lineup's been dynamite when they've played, but I don't
think they've even played. If they've played three hundred possessions,
i'd be shocked.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean that that is higher than I would
have even guessed.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I oh what wait? So oh no, wait, that's
not looking at the most used lineup. That's obviously not them.
I mean yeah, it's oh yeah, whoa, all right, they're
at oh oh no, that's not even them. Scrolling down,
I'm gonna have to manually search it so you keep talking,
because that's how low they are. But it looks like
it's under It can't be under one hundred.
Speaker 1: I got to be looking at the wrong thing here,
Please carry.
Speaker 3: It could be right like they just they have not
had I guess, oh wait, I see I see one.
I'm cleaning the glass.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, at plus and they're plus thirteen point four
in those two hundred and seventy five possessions.
Speaker 3: There you go, so like, if those guys are all healthy, sure,
but I just don't expect that to be the case
at this point. And I mean, Anthony Black has been
fantastic in the absence of Sugs, but you know that
also raises quite like your five best players in theory
are Sugs being Black, Franz Palllo, You're not getting way
with that against Detroit Philly at least, you know, we've
seen especially over the last like since the calendar flipped
twenty twenty six, I would say early in the season,
Joel Embiid did not look good, like look better than
he did last year, but still just looked three steps
slow on defense and one step slow on offense. Lately,
we're starting to see more closer to peak Joel Embiid,
at least offensively, he's still not quite back, but he's
he's closer than I expected him to get this season. Defensively,
we still got a ways to go, But like that's
one variable of this, Like you could at least make
the case that you know, Kate is probably still the
best player on the floor in that series, but you
could argue that Philly has the next two after that.
I think you're you might take this version of Embid
even over Duran and Maxie is definitely the second best
player in that series. Paul George will get twenty five
games of rest. We'll come back nice and well. West
did at the end of March.
Speaker 2: So we have you written the Paul George performance enhancing
peace suspension is a blessing in disguise playoff? Chances is
that have you written that piece?
Speaker 3: No, I've been too busy slamming their tax stump. I'll
get there, but we're I held my fire for a while,
and because I wanted to wait to see how they
filled out the rest of their roster, because Daryl was
making a whole thing about the first Apron which didn't
make any sense. So once once they filled out their
roster and it proved to be a tax stump, we
started to unleash the cannons. We haven't fully finished yet,
but we'll be done soon that we can turn our
attention to bigger.
Speaker 2: Didn't he say something? Unless I misread the quote about
them having too many guards. After the McCain trade, and
then they went and got Cameron Payne off.
Speaker 3: He said something along the lines of like his justification
for the trade, or one of the justifications, was like
he would not have had the opportunity in Philly that
he would in other places, which made like in his defense, like, yeah,
Jared McCain was not going to be a starter in Philly.
MAXI and edgecumb just like have that locked up long term.
So like I was not let me go back. I
was surprised that they trade him at this year's deadline.
I was not surprised that they were going to trade
him at some point. I had been alluding to that
leading up to the deadline. I just didn't think it
would happened as quickly. That said, that whole situation sucked
in is an embarrassment, and it makes me not want
to pick this team because the vibes have been honestly
ranted since that move. I mean, they've won now two
games in a row. They beat the Tanking Pacers tonight, Hazza,
but you know they're without Embiid. They're drawing effectively dead.
I mean, they beat the Timberwolves without Gobert, which you
know the Timberwolves are possibly the most bipolar team in
the NBA this year, but like full strength Sixers with EMBIID,
Maxie George Edgecombe are actually very good. Don Marlow has
been really good for them this year, like ended up
earning a full contract to signed the two way to
start the year, didn't even hit his fifty game limit.
I thought they were going to draw it out and
make a playoff fifty and then try to save a
couple extra bucks. But they gave him a above minimum contract,
which speaks to kind of the impact that he's had
this year. But I mean the lineup with Maxi Edgecumbe,
George Barlow EMBIID is a plus nine point zero differential
switch out George for Ubre plus fifteen point one. So there,
those are their two most lineups this year and those
are genuinely very good. Drummond off the bench has not
been very good, so they've kind of switched to a
dem Bona.
Speaker 2: He had a moment. Was that was that December and
November where it just felt like he had as.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah he did. He started starting the season better.
Has not been very good as a plate. The Sixers
just have like a bunch of weird size is how
I would do. Like they've got Trendon Watford who kind
of just does everything, is just a very unconventional like
he's not really a point forward, but he has playmaking chops.
They've got Barlow, they have Jabari Walker, you know, when
Paul George comes back, they have him. They have Kelly
Oubre So like they've got some size to throw at Detroit.
You have hopefully, you know, hopefully healthy Embiid.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Can I ask you a question, is there optimal
team though the lineups that have the most size, because
I would almost think from my perspective, it would be
you have Grimes, Edgecomb MAXI is sort of your base
on the wings, and then that's gonna immediately just make
you small in general. Even if you have Embiid and
George populating the four.
Speaker 3: And the I would have Barlow in there over Grimes. Honestly,
Grimes has been inconsistent this year, and that is being
charitable and he's.
Speaker 2: Been like him is just another guy that could put
the ball on the deck in the half court against Detroit. Yeah,
whereas Barlow you're gonna rely more on accessory stuff in
that type of a role.
Speaker 3: He would definitely have a big role, and like Barlow
is starting, but Grimes is often playing more minutes than him.
So it's really just like a kind of a feel
thing for Nick Nurse, like if he if Barlow has
it rolling early, he will get a little bit more rope,
and if not, he goes to Grimes and he leans
into more of the three guard stuff right away. I
mean that the Sixers bench is not particularly deep, and
I think that would be a concern against Detroit, especially
if the series went long or if this is not
it's not going to be a first round series. So
like you know, if they get into a long first
round series and they played Detroit in the second round,
just fatigue catch up with them at some point. I
think that's a legit concern because like you've got the
starting five, Paul George, when he comes back, Quentin Grimes,
you feel good about, Like what for you? I guess
you feel okay about and that's that's about it, Like
you're not I mean, Campaign, I know is an NBA player,
or maybe as he gets back up to speed, we'll
we'll make more of an impact, but has not not
really been a major upgrade over Jared McCaine just yet
say that much.
Speaker 2: I was gonna say, but if you get in a
position to where you're needing campaign to help you win
a playoff series is problematic. And yet the Knicks kind
of needed him against.
Speaker 3: Right, That didn't town Sae like they needed to credit
the guys who were not here this year's.
Speaker 2: That was that was one of the funny And you
know what, I applaud him for just such such thinly
veiled shade being about I'm not involved enough for but
I think if you, I would to say, I think
the Sixers might at least have beat the Hornets out
if you just told me Joel and Beat and Paul
George were available. Yeah, and just the the unknown of
what they're how healthy they're gonna be, and what they're
gonna look like. And then we have I know, he's
listed as like how concerning is the last Joel and
Beat injury update where he's listed as questionable But it's okay,
the right knee and it's shin stuff and that's not
the left knee is the one that he's had all
the problems with right right, So is it better that
it's not the right knee, or are you worried now
about overcompensation. It's just when it's not that you ever
forget about it, but just when you're like, Okay, he's
not doing as much it feels like, and then oh no,
but this is still just going to be an omnipresent danger,
all right.
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, yeah, I mean that's the reason you don't
pick them higher than the Knicks. If anyone's like super
down on the necks, it's like, well, the Knicks are
at least probably going into the playoffs. There at least
you feel better about their chances of going into the playoffs. Healthy.
Speaker 2: I thought you said the Knicks are at least guaranteed
to that you can make it into the playoffs. In general,
was trying to keep that top four.
Speaker 3: It felt that way a little bit after the trade deadline.
They're starting to write the ship in the last few games,
but it was getting bleak for a minute there.
Speaker 2: I what would be what would be your series pick
right now?
Speaker 1: Pistons and what six would you give them?
Speaker 2: Five?
Speaker 3: Uh? Yeah, we'll say Pistons at six because it would
be so sixers to lose on their home.
Speaker 2: For the other, I will say the other thing Philly
does have going forward to is that having MAXI and
edgecomb versus the EMBID and Georgia elements. If everyone's available,
they can play at all these different cadences. And I
know this is true of basically every team we've talked about,
but this team I don't. I don't think maybe other
people fully appreciate it. Where Detroit is just you don't
have people that are going to consistently generate free throws.
Speaker 1: The Sixers now just have guys that can do that.
Speaker 2: I don't know what they're they have to be in
the top seven of free throw at tenth right this year.
I work about their rebounding. They're always just for a
team that has this. I know he's missed a ton
of time, but just the ginormous player in the middle,
they're dead last and defensive rebounding since January first, I
think twenty ninth on the year. So Detroit there could
be some opportunities there if EMBIID is limited or not
EMBIID is do the Sixers chances here just submarine to zero.
Where we talked about Boston, you could still see a
pathway to victory without Tatum. There's just nothing there for
the Sixers. If EMBIID is an embied.
Speaker 3: Yeah, unless Andre Drummond has like the Revenge series to
end all Revenge series, but no, they're Yeah, if he's
not embied, they're dead in the water.
Speaker 2: I guess my I'm not the last pick. I'm I'm
between two teams. Would you care to guess which two
teams I'm I'm trying to debate.
Speaker 3: Between Toronto and Orlando.
Speaker 2: You are correct, and I my head says Orlando because
if Fronz is health then it just feels like it
should be them.
Speaker 1: But I'm gonna go with my heart here and say Toronto.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't don't don't don't trust their offense, especially
against this team, but they do have like they are
built to win ugly, which I guess so is Orlando,
but they're not dealing aside from Jaka Pertle, they're not
dealing with this huge health variance on their roster, and
they do have I know that they don't always get
to the levels that you want or people want, but
between Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes and Emmanuel Quickly and
RJ Barrett, like they do have guys who can attack.
Speaker 1: RJ.
Speaker 2: Barrett has had a great season just after rebounds or
after turnovers. They've been able to just get out and
running in transition, and that's a good way to, like,
don't let Detroit's defense get set, Like that's a good
way to go up against Detroit and try and figure
that out. I don't like this is a team like
I don't trust either like these like either the Pistons
or the Raptors as a what team could really go
off from three in a series? If you made me pick,
I'd probably picked the Pistons just by virtue of all Right,
Kate exists and Duncan Robinson is there, and that just
you know, Kevin Herder is on the Pistons now and
you have Donnis Jenkins as well. But I look at
Toronto and I think that there might be a lack
of girth to them, like on the front line. But
if you have Calamary Boyles and Scottie Barnes, there's a
bunch of different things that you could game defensively in
the front court. And so I think it would be
an ugly series. And I'm still gonna trust I think
Detroit's offense overall more. But I really do feel that
the ugly up factor at this point favors Detroit versus Orlando.
But even that me saying that it's I don't know,
is Jollen Suggs and Franz Wagner gonna be available. And
I know the other thing that maybe I'm not giving
enough way to is Franz Bagner has had still not
the most efficient player, but he's had two really good
trips to the playoffs. I know on they've been brief,
but that's a dude that's been able to get in there, consistently,
get to the free throw line, knock down his threes.
So I'm still going back and forth, But my heart
says Toronto because I think that they're a team that
at least if you don't trust their offense, it can
play offense in a bunch of different ways. And even
they have, like they do have guys that are you know,
if you need to slow things down, can they still
get to the foul line. But they're like having more
of that transition element in them. A proof of concept
there I'm going to lean towards them. Is that the
team you would have gone with.
Speaker 3: I think so by default, because like Atlanta, no Miami.
You could squint and maybe make a case, but I'm
not going that far, so I would have also been
between Toronto and Orlando. And like you, it's just I
can't trust that Orlando is going to be healthy or
is going to have had the chemistry. I mean, I guess,
like I don't see either one of those teams beating
the Pistons, So really the choice might be none. It
might be there are no other teams in the East
that I think could feasibly beat the Pistons, and that
includes either of them. I like, if I had to pick,
and if I knew both teams are fully healthy, then
maybe the magic. But yeah, like the uncertainty with Suggs
and Franz in particular is so much more. I mean,
like Pertle, at this point, you're just assuming it's not
going to be healthy. You're not going to be fully
himself for the rest of the year, and that's going
to be problematic against Detroit's front court. With all due
respect to Mamu, I don't know that he's going to
hold up in a series, But like they do have
a ton of size on the wing, as you mentioned
that I think will help out a lot. I mean,
you know, I'm also you and I have gotten over
many battles about polaman Karo this year, but I'm just
I think lower on him than the consensus. I think
the consensus has gotten lower on him this year. But
he feels like the type of player that Detroit especially
would they would try two funnel shots to him, because
they would be like, yeah, man, you want to take
these Contesta's eighteen footers all day. Baby.
Speaker 2: I think you're now in the majority on Palo Bank, Caro,
and I'm in the minority leak even with you, So
let's just assume health then, though, even with your concerns
of Palo Bank, Carol caked in or should the Magic
be the more sensible pick than going with Toronto or
Landa because also, but the lack of size matters. I'm
not trying to frame this, but even Mamu in Toronto
gives you the element of a big who can space
and drive. Yeah, and that's not necessarily something that I mean,
Detroit can stop it, but that's not necessarily something you want.
I don't know Duran or Stuart having like his necessarily
go up against consistently, But how many minutes can you
get out of Mamu win this series? Because of his
defense like Mama with the five is not going to
give you much defensively.
Speaker 3: Right right at least Orlando. I mean they have more
size to throw at Detroit in that respect, like between
Whenell Carter, yeah, Bitadz, I mean even Powell and Franz
are you know big for four like what six they're
six ten each? Yeah yeah, So like they yeah, they've
got but I mean, like the Raptors in pure Raptors
tradition also just have like they don't have six ten guys,
but they have a bunch of six seven to six
eight guys, Like that's their entire rosters basically. I mean
Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram RJ Barrett, Calinary Boyles, Like they
just have a ton of different wings that you can
throw at Detroit. So that would be my concern with
the Raptors is like does Gialen Duran just go thirty
and twenty every game against them? Whereas like the Magic
have enough size that I think they could prevent that
from happening. But then, especially if Suggs isn't going, is
Cage just going thirty and twenty against them instead?
Speaker 2: Do you think that they could get away with a
front court of Barnes, Murray no center against Detroit. Ooh,
I don't. I think a lot of it comes down
to how do you feel about Murray slash Barnes versus
Jalen Duran, because I don't I mean Detroit. Now, Detroit
could counter and say, well, we're just gonna play as
a your Stuart and jail and during that might open
up account.
Speaker 1: But having to buy let's Tobias Harris, that's not like
I'm not phased by that.
Speaker 2: Like it's really just Durin, like is that enough your physicality,
enough defense, enough size to keep Jalen Duran in check?
But I don't like how much is Yaka pertl helping
against Jaylen Duran anyway?
Speaker 3: Right? Yeah, I mean not at all this year? And
then I think that's the big concern with Orlando. It's like,
you know, I think you offensively, you can send help
at him and like crowd him and you know, send
help late make him a turnover machine. But rebounding would
be the concern. Like if you don't have anyone on
the floor above six seven, six eight, and you're battling
for rebounds against Jalen Duran, who is what six eleven
and is like as I guess, he's listed six ten
but six ten two fifty and is one of the
league's better rebounders at this point. It would be tough
like that. This is a.
Speaker 2: Series where you're not maybe you're not getting into uh.
I don't think you're gonna make Detroit feel bad if
they decide to play three non shooters at once. If
it was like, you're certainly gonna be they're proably gonna
feel more comfortable than ever playing Assar Thompson and Jalen Duran.
But do they care about sprinkling Javonte Green and Ron
Holland in the fold? Maybe not?
Speaker 3: Yeah, especially if like if they're confident. I mean you
said the Raptors can win ugly, like Detroit could win
ugly too. This might just be like a throwback series
where it's, you know, instead of first to one hundred
and thirty wins, it's like first to one hundred wins.
Speaker 1: Right, I mean no, a man, I'm looking right now.
Speaker 2: The Barnes Murray Boyles minutes at the four and the
five plus nine point five points per one hundred, ninety
eight percentile of defensive efficiency seventy nine percent tile defensive
rebounding eighty fourth percentile of offensive rebounding. Okay, so maybe
maybe that those lineups are not that's honestly interesting. They're
not drawing a ton of fouls you would think with
some more creators. I yeah, I will say where I
really do think, just because I'm gonna assume that Scotty
Barnes isn't gonna be hitting a ton of jumpers. If
this is a series where Manual Quickly is not making shots,
like specifically three pointers, you're in trouble. So don't You're
not gonna trust Jakobe Walter, Jamal Shed, Grady Dick to
uplift you in that way. Grady Dick is someone though
Detroit's defense would need to account for and is that
he can open up the floor and open up pathways
to the basket. But this is a series where I'm
not saying Manual Quickly wouldn't be important in every series.
And I think he's over forty from three since January first.
That being said, if he's not, if he's going through
one of his just you know, rock bottom stretches or
one of his colder stretches, I don't think they stand
a chance in hell, because he is he is their
high volume three Like, I don't know who else you
would trust is a high volume three point shooter on
this on this team?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, so we had to recap it on the
biggest threats to the Detroit Pistons we had. You took
the Cavs at one, I took the Celtics at two
with or without Tatum. You took the Knicks at three,
I took You took the Sixers at five, and we
got the Raptors at six. But we don't Is that
the which pick? Like, was that the one where we
I mean, I guess we didn't feel great about anything
after three?
Speaker 3: So yeah, no, I mean yeah, if the Hornets are
at four, that is that is the sign? Can we
say the Bucks? Where would you put the Bucks? It's
the Bucks if I don't even consider them.
Speaker 1: The idea of having to face Giannis in round one
kind of sock.
Speaker 2: But I mean.
Speaker 3: K lately Cam Thomas.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean Ryan Rollins for sure.
Speaker 3: I just like what Isiles Turner would be mince meat
in that series.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean do they belong in the top six though?
But I don't know. I mean, they've they've done well.
I guess I'm still convinced that like Giannis is just
going to be shut down at some point this season.
Speaker 3: It would probably be in their franchise's best interest, but
they're not. They have nothing they've done is in the
franchise's best interest. So I think it's coming back, And
like I would put them over Atlanta.
Speaker 1: By virtue, by virtue of Yannis.
Speaker 2: But what happens isn't that you remember what year was it,
and it's happened multiple times, but was Embiid was off
the court for for the Sixers in the series for
like thirty minutes or something the time, Like that's how
they lost the series. Every minute Jannis doesn't play, that's
every series, Yeah, but it And I know that the
Stars are going to play more minutes in the playoffs,
so the on off stuff doesn't matter as much. But
if he plays forty two minutes a game, those six minutes,
they're gonna get outscored, probably by like ten points.
Speaker 3: I mean, like that Bucks just beat the Heat tonight
and Sanzianis and like you know, Kevin Porter Juniors has
been legitimately very good lately. Kyle Kuzma is a thing,
I guess. I mean they have three point shooting in aj.
Speaker 2: I guess having the stretch elements in the front court
around Yannis is interesting between Portos and Turner if his
threes are going in.
Speaker 3: And even like Uzman Jeng, who they got the deadline for.
Speaker 2: I mean, okay, I love me some Uzman Jang, but
let's let's I know, but.
Speaker 3: He has been playing. He's been getting an opportunity and
making the most of it. So I think credit where
your credit is due. I mean, yeah, I'm not taking
them to beat the Pistons, but I think and to
your point, like I don't know that they belong over
Toronto or Orlando in the top six necessarily, but they
would be the one like lurking wild card because obviously
like Bulls, Wizards, Nets, Spacers, see you next year where
you're not even trying anymore.
Speaker 2: Right, I just I don't know how I feel about
I know he's I guess he's done, okay, but like,
like who's defending kid? It's Ryan Rollins, And what is
the hope that.
Speaker 1: That's not what Yannis does?
Speaker 3: Though, Yeah, Kyle Cuzba.
Speaker 2: There, I guess they're I don't know which team I
would feel that we talked about I would, I'd probably
put Orlando in front of Milwaukee, and I think i'd
still put Miami in front of Milwaukee. Would you have
Milwaukee in front of either of those two teams?
Speaker 3: I just don't really super believe in Miami this year,
So I think with Yannis, with the honest I think
I would put them ahead of Miami. Without I would not,
although I mean they just went tonight with that is
a thing.
Speaker 1: That's what I'm saying. If who's man Jang's a thing,
he gets to be a thing.
Speaker 2: Okay, that's fair, but that's I guess that's fair with
my mom. Would you have taken them over Orlando or Toronto? Though?
How much of a convinment is it? Giannis is playing nice,
is healthy, which he has not been in any of
the past, like a few playoff runs.
Speaker 3: But I still don't think so, in part because I
have zero faith in Doc Rivers as the playoff coach.
I mean it's like it's a thing, like you know,
I brought it up with Missoula earlier with Boston like that,
would I think that would be a clear coaching this match,
and that stuff matters in the playoffs more than does
in the regular season.
Speaker 2: Okay, so those are definitive pigings. We got them perfect,
our top six. We were confident in each and every
single one of them. Let us know in the comments
or our discord. We're the links to the podcast YouTube description.
If not already ready to remember, who do you think
is the biggest threat to Detroit? Mister Taporek, Are you
able just to tell our audience where they could find
you and all the fantastic work that you do.
Speaker 3: Yes, you can find me on Blue Sky at B
T O P O r E k as Dan mentioned
Sixer stuff at on SI, Lakers stuff at Silver Screening
Roll and then General NBA at Forbes Sports and Fans nine.
Speaker 1: Until next time, and as always do with the shout
out to the.
Speaker 2: One, the only, the real player who could swing the
series against the Detroit Pistons or for the Detroit Pistons
if they care to sign him, mister Frank Nila Kina