Season 3, Episode 29- The One-Hundredth Episode

In this week's episode of "Diehlman at Halftime," which also marks the 100th episode of the podcast, Larry and Chris discuss:

Orlando Magic fire head coach Jamahl Mosley
Round 1 series discussions
In-depth breakdown of 76ers-Celtics/Knicks-Hawks series
Game of the Week: Minnesota Timberwolves @ San Antonio Spurs, Monday, May 4, 2026 (Western Conference Semifinals, Game 1)

Also, listen to the perspective of our featured guests: Josh Reynolds (follow him on X and Instagram at @joshreynolds24) and Geoff Rasmussen (follow him on X @geoffrasmussen_ and Instagram @geoff_ras)!

All music written by Larry Diehlman

Release date: Monday, May 4, 2026

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:15

Hey

Introduction

SPEAKER_04 0:16

guys, welcome back to Dielman at Halftime, the NBA podcast that tops all others. I'm your host, Larry Dielman, joined by my co-host Christy Pietro. If you're joining us for the first time, it's great to have you. And if you've been a regular listener, welcome back. We have a lot to cover today and not a lot of time to do it. We'll look at a general overview of the NBA this week and then discuss some important topics across the association.

Overview of the NBA this Week

SPEAKER_04 0:53

Let's get to our content for the week. The biggest story in the NBA came out today, actually. The Orlando Magic fired head coach Jamal Mosley after five seasons. There have been rumors going around for the last couple weeks, and it finally happened. Jamal went 189 and 221 overall, which is a 46.1 winning percentage, and 7-12 in the playoffs are about 37%. The Magic missed the playoffs in Mosley's first two seasons, followed by three straight first-round exits. The Magic blew a 3-1 lead to the Pistons this weekend, despite Franz Wagner being ruled out for those three comeback games. And we thought this was going to be a one of the biggest upsets in NBA history with an eight-seed and a one-seed. Chris, I don't know if Orlando will be able to improve off this disappointing season right away. Obviously, you have the injuries, you'll bring in someone new. Jamal Mosley, you know, as probably most coaches are, they he seems like a nice guy, but it was probably time to get rid of him. And what's hilarious is that around the end of the season playing tournament, everyone's like, he needs to be fired. Then they go up 3-1. Hey, Jamal Mosley just saved his job. Then he chokes again. Nope, back to the firing, and they finally did it. The Magic will now need a new head coach.

SPEAKER_02 2:19

They sure will. Yeah, it was it was a um it was a tough year for Orlando, and it was a tough year for Mosley, who caught most of the blame for their disappointing season. And he's certainly not blameless um for the season they had. Um but I will say I think there's more of a Paulo Bancaro problem or piece of the pie going on um than maybe he's getting credit for. Maybe Mosley might be getting a little bit too much flack, in my opinion. Um Mosley was a solid coach. He, you know, consistently established great defenses, but um just lacked the offensive ingenuity to really take Orlando to the next level, which they were hoping to get to this season, and it really looked like they were going to, given the Desmond Bain edition. Um, I mean, on paper, this is a great roster. Um, and you know, they disappointed and and and Mosley, you know, um lost his job because of it. And and if I were in charge of the Orlando Magic, I probably would have fired Mosley too. I don't think he's a coach that offers you a tremendously high ceiling as a basketball team. Um, but I will say, um, the establishment of Palo Bancaro as the number one option in itself was a problem for Orlando this season. Um, I I believe he is a a pretty massively flawed basketball player. Um his inability to take advantage of the space teams give him is a core fundamental problem of his game. And if he's going to be handling the ball as much as he did, he cannot be a reliable number one option given his really bad efficiency numbers, given you know how many jump shots he takes and how, again, often he's responsible for creating shots on the offensive end. The Magic were much better this season with Franz Wagner as the number one option, the number one scoring option. And he did not get the ball nearly as much as he should have. Orlando was much more successful when Franz Wagner was handling the ball. He's he's a much more well-rounded offensive player, I think. I think Paulo Bancaro has all the room in the world to grow into a dominant offensive player, but truth is, you know, some players just can't shoot the ball. It's it's it's really not something you can just pick up in the offseason. It's it's something you kind of have the touch for. And, you know, we're entering Paulo Bancaro's extension years here, where he's gonna be one of the highest paid players in the NBA. And, you know, we're still questioning if he's ever going to resolve this core issue of his game, this issue that is going to hold him back from being an elite-level player. Um, he was really, really good in the playoffs. Um, we didn't see the shooting be as much of an issue as it has in the past. Um, and he had some really big games for Orlando. And again, I I mean I think he showed that he can be that guy for a contending team. Um, but again, if the efficiency doesn't improve, then I think Orlando's got a bit of a problem um paying Pablo Bancaro Supermax style money. Um but again, Mosley, I think, should have lost his job. I just I just don't think he's a coach I'd want, you know, at the head of my basketball team. I I don't think he offers you a whole lot offensively. Um and with the situation Orlando's in right now, um I think they have all the talent to just bring a fresh mind in, especially um a fresh offensive mind in, and we could see this team turn around and potentially live up to the expectations. I mean, that this is a great roster on paper, and I think any prospective head coach should be happy to walk in and and take on this roster. Um, but you know, it it was it was a tough season for them, and and I think it was the right decision to um take Mosley to the door.

SPEAKER_04 6:30

The Magic have a young roster, and you know, yeah, like anybody I think would be thrilled to take on this this roster, this team, and you know, kind of this playing level team. And I mean, who doesn't want to live near Disney World? I think that's that's also a great perk. That's a great point. That's a great perk. Um, yeah, I think Jamal Mosley, he might find another job, or he might uh be a great assistant coach. I when I was doing research for our segment, I was like, it's been five years? I didn't think he was there that time. Right?

SPEAKER_02 7:02

It felt like three, maybe four max.

SPEAKER_04 7:05

NBA coaches usually get about three. That's usually a solid number. First year, you know, okay, you show us what you have. Year two, all right, we'll give you one more year. Year three, you're gone. Five years, I did not see that coming. But Jamal Mosley is out in Orlando. We'll see how the Magic bounce back with injuries, if they can go get some other players, and Desmond Bain continues his role as the Magic now transitioned to the offseason. The other major story for our episode today does not have to do with the NBA exactly, but more of a personal one. This is the 100th episode of Dealman at halftime. We've been waiting a long time for this one. Yes, Chris, with the golf clap there. This one

Eastern Conference First Round: Pistons vs. Magic

SPEAKER_04 7:52

we've been hyping up for a while now. We did the top count, we did the uh 10-episode countdown the last bunch of weeks, and it is finally here. We have something really special for you guys. We'll do a round one discussion, just talking about these last series as we shut the door on the first round and head to the conference semifinals. We have not one but two interviews today. This is the first this is the first episode in Dilman and Halftime history where we have brought in two guests on the same podcast. One of them you will recognize from last year. The other one is a new face in our rotation. And I think this is probably one of the more appropriate episode titles in the podcast history. This episode is entitled The 100th Episode. So, who's raising eyebrows at the moment?

SPEAKER_02 8:52

As we prelude our big interviews we have scheduled here for episode number 100, let's sprint through these round one series as like Larry mentioned, we make our way to the conference semifinals of the NBA playoffs. We'll start here in the East with the Pistons and Magic. Pistons make the grandiose comeback down 3-1 against the Orlando Magic, a team that really showed them something physically that they were not used to. And I think a lot of Detroit's flaws as a team were kind of exposed in this series on the bigger stage. Um just the 15th 3-1 comeback in NBA playoff history. Um, the 14th, we will actually discuss in just a couple minutes here. Um, but man, I mean, what what what else is there to say about Cade Cunningham? I think he's the best guard in the Eastern Conference. He is a stamped superstar. Like, I mean, if if it wasn't obvious enough, I mean, what he is doing wearing a three-inch thick flak jacket to protect his um recovering collapsed lung on a nightly basis in this series is unbelievable. And you know what we know what he is on offense as as the engine of the Detroit Pistons, they're they're one player who can really create a shot for himself, and um, you know, he does that at an extremely high level. Um, he was phenomenal on defense in this series. I don't I don't think that gets talked about enough. The way that the entirety of the the Detroit Pistons have have bought into um high-level defensive intensity um is is truly remarkable. And and for your number one option, um, your offensive engine to to do the same, just like the eighth guy coming off the bench has. Um it it's it's pretty remarkable. And I think it's a testament to to Cade Cunningham, and I think it's a testament to um the culture um and the standard that JB Bickerstaff has has installed here in Detroit. And again, this is a team that has not added much over the course of the years. They're they're pretty homegrown and um just a really tough team to deal with. Now, now they had a pretty rough matchup here with Orlando. I mean, honestly, I'm looking at this Eastern Conference right now from a pure play style personnel perspective, Orlando might have been their toughest matchup in the whole conference. I mean, I I mean, like maybe Toronto. I mean, I'm I'm thinking teams that are big and physical, that that play hard, and and Orlando is maybe the one team that can really challenge these guys from a physical perspective, and and they brought it. Um, you know, we just talked about it. Palo Bancaro had a great series. Um but that loss of Franz Wagner about midway through the series changed the entire series on its head. And you know, um we saw Kay do magician level stuff here, being able to claw back and drop 30 night after night, you know, laboring to his his lung, and it's it's incredible how good he is. And and um Pistons pull off the unthinkable, come back down 3-1.

SPEAKER_04 12:12

The Pistons, and I believe, you know, like we said in the opener, Franz Wagner missed those last three games, and Detroit was able to make that comeback. Like you could tell he was truly the difference maker. This might have been a five-game gentleman sweep for the Magic had Franz um, you know, had Franz been in the starting lineup. Absolutely. And looking at these last couple games for the Magic, you can probably see why Jamal Mosley was let go. Um the Magic led by 24

Eastern Conference First Round: Celtics vs. 76ers

SPEAKER_04 12:43

points in a home game six, and they scored 19 points in the second half, and they missed 27 of their last 28 shots. I am not making these up. That is just a one of the one of the bigger choke jobs in NBA playoff history. We all we all remember the infamous 27 missed threes by the Rockets back in the 2010s against the Warriors. 27 to 28 shots by the Magic is certainly not any better. Tobias Harris for the Pistons of all people sealed his former team's face with 30 points in game seven. Tobias, this was the Tobias Harris bowl. He played for the Pistons, uh, he plays for the Pistons, he played for the Magic, and he sent his former team home packing with 30 points in the major game. The Palo Bancaro hero ball came up short. He's had some great games in this series. He had the 45 with Kay Cunningham matching that, I believe it was game five, uh like 38 in game seven. He did all he could, but without Franz Wagner, there was not much you could really do with this young core and the Pistons. They pulled it out and they showed why they are the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. And having home court advantage, it really matters. A lot of, you know, a lot of home game sevens usually go the home team's way, and that's what happened here with Detroit. A great series, and the Pistons, they they might want to watch out. This was a tough matchup in the first round. They might have to watch their backs as they head to the conference semifinals and potentially beyond.

SPEAKER_02 14:22

Home teams in game sevens, big advantage, typically win, but not in the 14th 3-1 comeback in NBA history, as the Philadelphia 76ers somehow, someway climb all the way back from down 3-1 to defeat the Boston Celtics in TD Garden. I mean, exercising some demons. This was was unbelievable to watch. I mean, I mean, that is that's not a game the Sixers win. I mean, just that's just not a game the Sixers win ever. I mean, historically, uh the the Celtics own them. They had what not won a series against them since 1982. Um, that being in a game seven, I'm I mean, the Celtics have just historically had the Sixers number, especially in this process era. Um But Joel Embiid coming back, I mean, just completely flipped the series around. It was unreal. I mean, you know, two, three weeks after um appendix surgery, um, you know, still still laboring up and down the court because of his his knee issues, it it did not matter. Um and you know, also given the amount of gravity he command from opposing defenses, it didn't matter. Uh Joel M just on on with with no cartilage left in his knees, without an appendix, with half a face, with broken fingers, does not matter. I mean, he is just one of the most talented scorers in NBA history. Like, I I don't think that there's even a shadow of a doubt about that. And and he showed it in that game seven, he looked absolutely fearless, um talking smack throughout the entire game with Jalen Brown. Um it was just an unbelievable performance from Embiid. Um, he was owing to Rain Game Sevens in his career. Um, the moment has historically gotten to him as a player in the playoffs. Um but as of these last couple years, I I think he's really started to cool down mentally in the playoffs. And honestly, I think it's because of the amount of personal hell he's gone through because of these injuries. You know, early in his career, um, obviously injuries were still a big part of that, but um, you know, M B loved being the loud, boisterous, you know, number one option and and and talking smack routinely and making wild Twitter posts. And but you know, he would arrive in these big games and and and he frankly wouldn't really show up. And and it they would kind of be ugly performances from him. But um I I think we've seen him cool down as a human being over the last couple of years. It's it's it's been a lot less loud from Joel Embiid's end. Um I I think he's dealt with a lot personally, just you know, rediscovering himself uh as a as a person, you know, given what he's experienced um because of these injuries. And I I think this constant conflict he's with he's I I think this constant conflict he's um in with his sorry I think this constant conflict that he's in with his body um has made him fearless on the basketball court because I I I think that the injuries have you know obviously done their physical toll, but but a severe mental toll, but um given that he's able to walk onto the floor in TD Garden in a game seven, you know, against a team that's always had his number in in a in a game where he's 0-3 all-time in game sevens and he looked absolutely fearless. Like it was it was an all-time Joel Embiid moment. Like this this might be the the you know the the moment of Joel Embiid's career so far. Um it was incredible to watch, and um it's gonna be interesting to see where Boston goes from here. Um, there's been a lot of debate about whether the Sixers won the series or the Celtics lost it. Um and you know, the the Celtics, they they they just could not, it was a it was a series of making or missing shots, and and the Celtics really just did not shoot well in game seven and did not shoot very well in any of the games they lost. I think they tried to um maneuver back into that you know huck up threes and prey mode that they were in when they won titles before. And and honestly, it's worked. They've been really efficient from three in in recent years, and and you know that was the strategy when they won the championship, but they did not have the team for that this year, and they tried to play like it, and it didn't work. A lot of those shots weren't falling. Um, but just incredible moment for Embiid. Um, the 14th 3-1 comeback in NBA history, and the first in Sixers franchise history, um, just incredible moment.

SPEAKER_04 19:18

Not only is it the first in Sixers history to overcome that deficit, it's also the first time the Celtics have ever blown a 3-1 deficit.

Eastern Conference First Round: Knicks vs. Hawks

SPEAKER_04 19:27

That's right. As uh Philadelphia area residents seeing Boston Tears never hurts anybody, I don't think. Uh uh subjectively, subjectively. So the yeah, the Celtics um it was a it was a heck of a series all around, but Tyrese Maxie with that takeover to end game seven, he's had the last couple possessions. The Sixers had a big lead, it was about like a 20-point lead. The Celtics whittled it down, and I'm thinking, are we coming back to classic Sixers? And Tyrese Maxie said, absolutely not, this is my time now. And the Celtics had no answers for him those last few possessions. Joel Embiid averaged 28 points across those four games that he played, truly turning back the clock to his original self, despite every injury known to man being uh placed upon him. VJ Edgecombe, rookie, five for eleven from distance in game seven. In the in TD Garden, hitting five triples and about fifty percent. That is just that's just cold-blooded coming from Vijay Edgecombe. And hey, out of those rookie of the year contestants, he's the only one left. Cooper Flag isn't here, Con Kanipple ain't here. VJ Edgecombe is now in the second round. Um and the probably the funniest thing of this whole saga, and it's still going, Jalen Brown is being probably the he he is just being such a sore loser right now. Like, you just have to kind of shake your head. Even if you're a Celtics fan, you kind of just have to shake your head and say, bro, like stop.

SPEAKER_02 21:03

They're tired of him. It's it's pretty it's pretty ridiculous saying, you know, flopping is ruining our league, and and you know, Joel Embiid is is no um sinless player when it comes to that. I think I think I think he hunts fouls um you know at a rate that like a lot of superstars do nowadays. And you know, you know, it's it's fair to say what he said, but you know, I think he pushes off a lot too. Yeah, no, I hope I hope he doesn't think he's uh exempt from that, is what I'm trying to say. Like I hope he knows that he does the same thing. If he's just making a general criticism of the of the league, then like sure, like fine, but but if he's saying that thinking that he doesn't do it, then then that's that's an issue, and that's frustrating.

SPEAKER_04 21:48

He was he was going on a like a live stream that he was calling out that the refs had an agenda against him, and I'm I'm just thinking, dude, like you lost, get over it. The Celtics, this was supposed to be a punt year and they they turned it into you know one went away from a conference semifinals I know the Celtics have had a very colorful history but I mean this was supposed to be a down year and they turned it into this so they'll definitely bounce back Sixers though move it on and we'll have more on this in a little bit okay we'll sprint through these remaining series um because frankly there's not um a whole lot more to talk about no no epic 3-1 comebacks left for us to talk about so uh we'll transition here to the Knickshawk series um Knicks take it uh four to two Knicks and six my prediction um there was mine as was mine my only my only one where I was right on the the team and the number we both nailed that one and um uh you know maybe just as jarring as an outcome as some of these three one comebacks um but but maybe not in the same fashion um you know on the road in Atlanta um Atlanta had had played great you know

Eastern Conference First Round: Cavaliers vs. Raptors

SPEAKER_04 23:06

considering the expectations for this series game six they're at home they have a chance to um take it to seven games go back to MSG a shot at the second round and um just a just a couple minutes into the second quarter the Atlanta Hawks unfortunately found themselves down 72 to 22 um which I mean like I I remember I I I I did not catch that game and I'm glad I didn't um that is just unbelievable like we I don't think we've seen anything like that since we've been NBA fans elimination game being down 50 with like eight minutes left in the second quarter like don't forget the Maverick Suns game seven Luca went nuclear in Phoenix true true yeah that that I mean that that was what though hovering around 50 at points I mean that wasn't eight minutes left in the second quarter i i mean like I don't know if we'll see something like that for a long long long time um yeah so so so the Atlanta hawks just went out totally sad in this one um it let Lar Larry let's let's let's play a game you're you're quinn snyder uh you're walking to the locker room you you're down a a good 48 points what what are what are you telling cj mccollum and the boys I I don't even I don't even know like you just got we had a great season we had a great season start getting your start getting your uh your cancun tickets don't go on spirit airlines though because they're about to fold but um just pack it up what are we doing like come on just just unreal stuff in that series um and but we did have one more game seven I mean at the East this you know now wait wait wait wait wait go back um now you said you didn't watch this Knickshaw series or at least game six I don't yeah I didn't collect catch I watched the first half of this Nick's Hawks game series oh man please and enlighten us I want to hear your experience I think what was it I flipped on another game maybe it was the Flyers or something it was somebody else I flipped on I went to the first half and I went to somebody somebody else game yeah game six in two words it was absolute murder um the halftime lead was at 47 which is the largest in NBA playoff history absolutely disgusting the first few possessions the Knicks were scoring with ease I swear to you every Hawks possession turnover turnover turnover turnover block turnover turnover turnover it was it was bad there was literally nothing to cheer for if you're a Hawks fan I mean if that was at Madison Square Garden like whatever when it's at home in front of your own fans like how I don't know because the the Hawks did a such a great job in games two and three keeping those games close and then they just like rolled over and died. So it was what an embarrassment for the Hawks CJ McCollum obviously will have a a full offseason to become this like veteran leader with the Hawks next to Jalen Johnson.

SPEAKER_02 26:20

And man real quick the fact that the Hawks have Zachary Risachet they chose him number one overall a few years ago and that he was basically a DNP man may I think the Hawks need a do over on that one but um this series definitely went the series definitely went the wrong way for the Hawks they got those two games Knicks are moving on and as similar to the last series we'll have more on this in a little bit all right and fine on the East we have another game seven the East this year was just a total anarchy it it was um it's been an awesome uh east playoff so far um Cavs take down the Raptors in Cleveland in game seven it was a tightly contested game it was a tightly contested series I believe I also nailed this one uh Cavs and seven uh although I really found uh at the end found myself uh kind of rooting for Toronto here um man it was an unbelievable Scotty Barnes series I mean there's not a whole lot of players in the NBA I'm taking um over Scotty Barnes right now I I mean he he he showed his stock in the series um you know just just a as it's it's just as high as you know so some of the bigger name superstars in the league like I I think he's hovering around that top 10 player um range like like he is unbelievable what what is he able to do defensively I I mean he he shuts down a half of the court like you you can't you can't dribble near Scotty Barnes you really don't want to shoot over Scotty Barnes um he's just a black hole defensively and given how athletically um what's the word I'm trying to find there's sometimes you watch Scotty Barnes play and he just looks a bit out of sync athletically he just looks a little clunky on his feet but I mean

Western Conference First Round: Thunder vs. Suns

SPEAKER_02 28:23

this might be the best clunkiest looking player I've ever seen he is a just as dominant force on offense. I mean his playmaking um at that size at that strength um at that level of athleticism is is unparalleled and it's such an invaluable skill for him um he can get to the rim at will he shot really well from three point range in this series um I I mean he is he is just a tough tough tough player to deal with it's he he's one of the toughest players to deal with in the NBA I think I mean there there are there are there are star level players that you can contain it's hard to contain Scotty Barnes unless he's having an offshooting night. I mean um he he just had incredible series and it and I'm and I'm I'm sad to to um see that it kind of went down the drain a bit but but Toronto had a great season relative to what I think we were expecting out of them. Cleveland um kind of what we expected out of them this series a lot of moments where they looked great a lot of moments where they didn't look so great um but they were able to really tighten up in game seven i i think they played their most complete game of the series um just from a rotation standpoint it wasn't just you know purely

Western Conference First Round: Spurs vs. Trail Blazers

SPEAKER_02 29:41

Donovan Mitchell and James Harden you know do your magic um Jared Allen had an incredible game seven uh funny considering the his his history of saying the lights were too bright in his last game seven and um uh watching how he stepped up in this one uh was was really cool to see um as Cleveland's gonna move on here to play the Detroit Pistons um which I think is a better matchup for the Pistons than Orlando was but um another game seven in this chaotic eastern conference first round uh cle Cleveland takes it it was a really fun series and um yeah unfortunately for Scotty Barnes I wonder where uh the the players in Toronto take their vacations you do do you think they're even quicker to book a trip to Cancun than the U.S. guys given their cold weather who knows where Scotty Barnes will be taking his talents to this summer.

SPEAKER_04 30:37

I bet Canada is a beautiful place but yeah they might want to pack a trip to or get a trip to uh maybe a warmer climate and yeah like you said you covered all the major points like a lot of game sevens in this Eastern Conference first round slate the Cavs take that one interestingly the home team won every game the road team was unable to steal a game and they always say the series starts when the road team wins I guess the series never started uh the Raptors they started strong in game seven but but then a uh but then a Cleveland title wave entered Rocket Arena and that was the end of the Toronto Raptors we saw that Jarrett Allen legacy game he nearly had a 2020 game in points and rebounds had a couple blocks and uh Scotty Barnes definitely uh leading this way for the Raptors as they move forward plenty of great pieces you have Scotty Barnes you have RJ Barrett Brandon Ingram did not play in this game due to injury maybe the result would have been different had he played Jamal Shedd is a talented guard and yeah the Raptors I think I think they'll be back. Darko Rayakovic says that he you know in his press conference he says that he he learned how much he loves this roster and he loves the loves the players and he wants to keep coaching them and hopefully he gets another chance as the Raptors now go to the offseason and an exciting Eastern Conference second round we have uh Cavs and Pistons Sixers Knicks as we say goodbye to the Raptors Hawks Celtics and the Magic let's get some early predictions in in here for round two what do you say in my original bracket I had Pistons in five now obviously I had the Celtics in five as I think both of us did oopsies I think I had this New York series in six I'd say Sixers have a chance if they play like they did in TD Garden they should have a chance for now I'll side with the Knicks maybe in six but Joel and beads said don't sell your tickets they want they want Xfinity Mobile Arena to be Villy Bread so we'll see how that works out in this series now let's flip over to the other side of the association we'll go with the Western Conference first round see how everybody did over here. Let's start off with the Thunder Suns now the last time we were on it was a 3-0 lead for the Thunder and we said this was going to be a quick series and wouldn't you know it the Thunder finished it in four it was a clean sweep for Oklahoma City the Suns were unfortunately

Western Conference First Round: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves

SPEAKER_04 33:33

a casualty to a juggernaut but they overachieved this was a year that I don't think this was a year I don't think a lot of people believed in the Suns. Nobody really knew who Jordan was coming into this season. You're coming off getting rid of Kevin Durant and the Suns definitely showed that they are here to play Dylan Brooks with a career year but you were not losing the Oklahoma City Thunder the Oklahoma City Thunder were not losing in the first round come on now. Shea Gildish Alexander and company did not even really break a sweat that last game was about a nine point win nothing too crazy though Chris I mean come on this is this is this is light work this is the preseason of the finals for them I got two words for you Shea Gildish Alexander is the best player in the world that's literally all I have to say about this series. Yeah it's pretty much shout out Charles Barkley yeah must see TV must see TV dammit let's go over to our next series in the West the other team that we expect to continue their journey we had the Spurs and Trailblazers the Spurs wrap this one up 4-1 pretty easy as we're hoping for a Thunder Spurs Western Conference finals. The Trailblazers again overachieved we've talked about it a thousand times now with Tiago Splitter taking over this year as the interim head coach after Chauncey Billups got arrested with the organized crime that he was allegedly involved in and the Blazers really stepped up Denny Ovdia had a breakout year and an all-star campaign and a lot of their young guys really shined on the national stage the problem was you're running into Victor Wamanyama and Stefan Castle which is yeah not not the best matchup if you're a young team. It's good experience but in terms of trying to win maybe not the best matchup the Blazers they had chances actually they choked big time leads in both of their home games in games three and four the Spurs took over even when Victor Weminyama was on the bench in game three due to a concussion and the biggest question for the Portland Trailblazers is what do you do at head coach? Do you extend Tiago splitter or do you go out and see if there's a better candidate available do you go and get another unknown candidate maybe some assistant across the league and Chris there are rumors of Portland's ownership trying to lowball their next head coach they're trying to see if somebody will take the lowest salary in the league. And if I'm a head coaching candidate Portland is not exactly a big name city I don't think a lot of free agents exactly say oh boy let me go to Portland you know go to the Pacific Northwest. They have a great roster for the future but I mean you know if there's rumors the owners don't really even want to pay you that's not a good thing.

SPEAKER_02 36:46

It must be really frustrating being a Portland Trailblazers fan um and really any fan of a team that has incompetent ownership cheap ownership um Tiago Splitter did a incredible job relative to um probably what we expected out of him um you know coming in on short notice getting thrown into the fire after the Chalte Bills situation unfolded. He did a great job and it looks like they're not going to retain him because you know they don't want to pay up and it's it's it's unfortunate and and many Portland players have spoken out about you know how kind of crazy that is and how how you know much they appreciated um um Tiago Splitter. But uh San Antonio takes this one but but not without um resistance um you know unlike in that Thunder Sun series uh Spurs the Spurs faced some adversity in this series um I thought Portland was a I think I had mentioned it in the um the playoff prediction episode we did I thought Portland was it was a pretty decent matchup for San Antonio um I did not expect them to win um I I think I predicted a sweep in this series but um you know like I was talking about with uh Detroit and Orlando earlier just from a pure um personnel play style perspective I I thought Portland kind of match up the well matched up well and um and it and it and it showed uh yeah they that there there were plenty of moments in this lead where or in this there were plenty of moments in this series where you know Portland had leads and and and were in good position to to finish games and and they just couldn't do it.

SPEAKER_04 38:27

And um

Western Conference First Round: Lakers vs. Rockets

SPEAKER_04 38:29

so you know um we kind of expected San Antonio to move on here but but I I thought it was a an impressive showing um from this Trailblazers team um as the San Antonio Spurs move on hopefully on a crash course to meet the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West Finals um you know as a as a fan of the sports sake pull up Lemmy Cook Tiago splitter to Orlando interesting interesting he need he might need a job and Orlando needs a man so I don't know playing matchmaker go go from go from the chilly northwest to sunny Orlando Florida I think that's a great upgrade just saying sorry Portland fans um let's go to our 3-6 matchup and it was the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timolves yikes uh I had Nuggets and seven in my predictions and it did not go the way we thought it was going to be I think everyone was expecting a shootout here six or potentially seven games and it went six games for the Timolves at least Tim Wolves got the 4-2 win they will move on to take on the Spurs and yeah this series was definitely one that people did not think was going to go the way they thought Rudy Gobert was locking up Nicole Jokic Jokic still had his numbers but at times it seemed like Rudy Gobert was getting the better of uh the Joker despite the fact that Joker has cooked Gobert in the past um just for the Nuggets Christian Brown was absolutely invisible he was averaging under 10 points a game like it he he was putting up like single digits like it was nothing Jamal Murray with an absolute dud in game six he was like 417 shooting and for any Nuggets team to make the NBA finals or win a championship Jamal Murray needs to be on his A game and we've seen we've seen him have some great performances we've seen him turn into Michael Jordan against the Lakers multiple times but Jamal Murray did not have a very good end of this series TJ Shannon though with a breakout game six he had 24 points something that I don't think I don't think most people would have on their bingo card for this series. We saw Io DeSunmu go nuclear earlier in the series for the Timberwolves and we'll see how the Timolves can do now that they're moving on we'll get to that in a little bit as you might uh figure out why Anthony Edwards is looking to make his comeback from injury Dante DiVincenzo is done for the year Iodesumu coming back from injury but lots of questions for this Nuggets team David Edelman his first full year as the headman after Mike Malone's unceremonious firing last year and Nicola Jokic said if they were in Serbia they would all be getting fired right now or something and yeah the starting lineup even without Aaron Gordon with a couple injuries this this roster might not be it was a rough if it was a rough series for injuries um especially for Minnesota and I mean they were at a severe disadvantage after both Anthony Edwards and D Vincenzo went down but it did not matter because the Wolves outworked the Nuggets they out hustled the Nuggets they were more athletic than the Nuggets and the Nuggets just could not hang with them physically um that was the um deciding factor in the series um um Nuggets obviously also down Aaron Gordon which is so huge for them because the Nuggets are a team where you know you you try and find a weakness and it's it's probably them just getting out outworked athletically and um you know Jamal Murray is still doesn't have such spry knee knees anymore he's he's not he's not young and bouncy.

SPEAKER_02 42:32

Nicole Jokic has never been the most bouncy player they lack athleticism simply put and um Anthony Edwards go to goes down Di Vincenzo goes down it didn't matter because the Wolves just beat them athletically over the over the the end of the series um it was really cool to see um the wolves kind of unleash uh Iodsunmu um once Anthony Edwards went down it was just such a cool moment with him dropping uh 40 uh to win that game where where Edwards and Di Vincenzo went down and then and then Dosunmu himself you know we thought that you know the the rest of the series was going to be kind of riding on him as the X Factor and then he goes down and the wolves unleash uh Terrence Shannon Jr. and and and and he goes crazy um it was it it was awesome to see um the this kind of next man up mentality from from Minnesota and and you know again they just outworked Denver it's it's it's gonna be interesting to see where Denver goes from here. You know if if they can't get a healthy Aaron Gordon who is aging and and has really um battled with his hamstrings over the last handful of years then I mean I don't think this is a championship team anymore. Jokic did not quite look the same after the knee injury. Like you said if Jamal Murray's not on and and he's only getting older if if you know he's not playing at his peak level I mean it's it's it's hard for the Nuggets to to reach their ceiling as a team. So I think they're kind of at a crossroads right now. Whereas um the the character of this Timberwolves team really showed uh once Anthony Edwards went down. And it it was looking like a multi-week injury for for Anthony Edwards but somehow, some way he's figuring

Josh Reynolds Interview

SPEAKER_02 44:20

on making his return tonight against the San Antonio Spurs in game one.

SPEAKER_04 44:24

So um unbelievable stuff from Anthony Edwards one of the just coolest players in the league in my opinion but um Minnesota takes down Denver uh surprisingly in round one and apparently according to TJ Shannon himself apparently he was like barred from practicing or being in the facility or something which you know even with that he was still able to help take down the Denver Nuggets finally hungry dogs run faster. And finally let's go to our final and finally let's go to our 4-5 matchup in the Western Conference first round and the Los Angeles Lakers despite being the higher seat kind of an upset here Lakers take down the Rockets in six games and they did not have Luka Doncic for the entire series and they didn't have Austin Reeves for a good chunk of the series he came back toward the end. Kevin Durant for the Rockets played in one game one and he was the big acquisition dealing with injuries relatively healthy all year they just could not get him to get into the game in this Lakers series and we clearly saw that LeBron James still has it at 41 years old it doesn't matter 31 41 51 Lakers and six um they they truly I mean LeBron is just one of a kind at his age still aging like fine wine and despite the fact that the Lakers don't exactly have the most sexy roster ever a lot of role players past their prime former number one picks like DeAndre Ayton former number one pick Marcus Smart former defensive player former defensive player of the year a lot of guys that might be odd men out in some scenarios but they were able to take down the Houston Rockets and their young squad and I I don't think really Houston had a chance in this series like Kevin Durant and I know we've talked about in recent episodes where Amen Thompson needs to develop a jump shot or be a little more aggressive offensively Shen Goon is not exactly an all-defensive type player and you know Ime Udoka is a great head coach he might have some work to do though in the offseason and will Fred Van Vliet will that make any difference next year he was out the entire year it with an ACL tear maybe does he make a difference at the point guard spot and I think I saw a report earlier today the Rockets are relatively going to keep their core together they really can't go after anybody big after getting Kevin Durant um so we'll see how that works out and for the Lakers they're um they're present for defeating the Houston Rockets they might get an ass whooping against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

SPEAKER_02 47:26

Are you doubting LeBron James right now? Be careful there I I don't know I don't know well it should be an ass whooping quite frankly but um what a series for LeBron James and the Lakers um we saw you know I spoke all season about how I thought their roster was just uh super shallow and and and and just kind of poorly constructed but uh they really kind of shut me up against a Houston Rockets team that is infinitely more talented than me um the Lakers pull off the upside here in round one LeBron looked incredible um and guys like Marcus Mart and Luke and our really stepped up in his absence Austin Reeves obviously uh made his return uh but I but I really think the more interesting thing um is is where the hell does does Houston go from here it's it's it's tough. Um I thought Fred Van Vliet was an absolutely massive loss for them um before the season started tearing his ACL. I I think that had a lot to do with why Houston kind of faced some of their issues offensively this series. And also the Steven Adams loss was was also just absolutely devastating for them. He was just incredible for them I mean some of the on off numbers for um Steven Adams lineups for Houston are just unbelievable. I mean the impact he was making and the and the the stability he provided um down low and on the board but you know that this is a team you know like I've said it is kind of spearheaded by law players um you know amen thompson is is a is a great player but you know some of the offensive creation stuff is is is really questionable and you and you you know he's he's just not a good shooter and we don't know if that'll ever come along um Albert and Shangoon um we talked about it last episode I think is such a big part of his game is those touch shots around the rim which he is still you know we're we're into his max contract at this point he's still not hitting those that efficient clip um you know he's a player that any given night could drop 30 points but you know might not do so um at an efficient level which is a problem if you're if you're trying to win basketball games and and you know that's the goal for the Houston Rockets is not to stuff the stat sheet but to win basketball games and if you know if you have Shangun taking 20 shots and only making eight of them as a big man it's it's tough. So uh Houston's kind of in a pickle um from from an all from a roster construction standpoint. I think if you add Fred Van Vliet and Steven Adams to the team I think they make easy work of the LA Lakers. So I think they have at least that to look forward to but again I I think I will question a team with so much stock in players like Amen Thompson, Alpern Sengoon. I I think I will question a team like that um until they show me that they can you know offer more variety offensively and and you know go win a series so um it was a it was a tough season for Houston um and and yeah just an incredible series from LeBron James and the Lakers as they proceed here um to probably their fate but who knows against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

SPEAKER_04 50:55

So the Western Slate we say goodbye to the Houston Rockets the Denver Nuggets Portland Trailblazers and the Phoenix Suns and we have the Thunder Lakers and Timberwolves Spurs in the conference semifinals so for our next guest of season three on the Deal Minute halftime podcast we welcome back Josh Reynolds for almost four years Josh was the host of the That's Ball Folks podcast for SB Nation. He was an NBA analyst for Indus News Josh's X account is quite popular among Philadelphia sports fans with over 65000 followers I just checked it was 55 when we talked last time he is a bachelor's in business marketing from Utah Valley University. Josh how are we doing today?

SPEAKER_00 51:44

Doing well I appreciate you guys having me on and I thank you for the little shout out of my my Twitter growth. That makes me feel good. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 51:51

Yeah I mean well I copied the beginning part from my last script when I had you on so I was like damn 10,000 more followers. Josh we want to get your thoughts on the Sixers Celtics series here in the NBA first round the Celtics as of this recording are up three games to two. First off what are your thoughts on this Sixers Celtics series overall a lot of fans thought game five would be the finale as did Chris and I the Sixers slammed the door shut pretty quickly on a Celtics comeback though. Do you think game six is going to be the last game do you think they have a chance in a potential game seven in Boston though okay so I think that's the biggest thing let's start there.

SPEAKER_00 52:30

For whatever reason the Sixers team refuses to show up at home and they play in Boston like they're a completely different team. I don't get it they can actually shoot they're energized they play with energy I don't know what it is so that is that is my concern going into game six but let's take a quick step back and talk about game five I I tweeted this a bunch I cannot get over the fact that Embiid did what he did. And again like it's all over every media platform all day today and rightfully so because the dude just 19 days out of emergency appendix removal surgery is back not even glimpses like back to his dominating self in the second half that we saw last night. And it was again I don't know what happened but it was like a switch almost flipped like he listened to Shaq at halftime or jumped on Twitter and started to read everybody crushing him for settling for three pointers and was like wait a minute I still have this in me. I can get down low Vucevic the poor soul he can't stop me and he showed it he was he was damn near perfect in the second half last night and I just I cannot get over the fact that he is doing what he's doing and did what he did fresh off of surgery. Like I cannot get over that but that's embiad that's an amazing fact we got to give the rest of Sixers props. Like Maxie looked great. Paul George defensively has been phenomenal this entire series that's not getting talked about enough and how about Quentin Grimes deciding to show up last night on both sides of the ball hit some big shots but I just keep replaying over and over in my mind that defensive stand that he had on Jalen Brown that ate up like 20 seconds of the shot clock and then Jalen Brown ended up trying to draw a foul and settle for a bad shot and then a bead came down and hit a turnaround off a little dream shake. Like everybody played well from top to bottom and that is not a game that the Sixers win ever. Like historically I'm gonna redo this little stat because I couldn't get over it. The Celtics were 32 and oh when leading a playoff series three to one and the Sixers were 0-18 when trailing one to three like so when I say that's a game they never win quite literally they never win that game. So it was pretty damn awesome to see Embiid show up to see the rest of the team show up to finally see some bench support and yes of course it helps that Boston uh went ice cold for the entire fourth quarter but again when lady momentum's on your side you got to ride it out.

SPEAKER_02 54:58

Yeah I was seeing Quentin Grimes lock up Jalen Brown and then hit threes and I'm like what what is going on right now man it didn't feel real it didn't feel real Quentin Grimes can be so utterly frustrating to watch sometimes dude up and down and up and down and up and down and he seems to only show up late in games he see he seems to only show up when nobody's around when Joel's at home rebounding while Maxie's sick or rehabbing a finger or Paul George is in the rehab room that's that's the only time we typically see Quentin Grimes show up and seeing what he did last night was unreal. And um I agree with you about Joel and Bede as well. I was starting to get frustrated towards the end of the first half beginning of the second half when I started to see him pass up on those threes despite being ice cold at the beginning of the game. Those are shots I like for Joel. Those are shots I think the Sixers should be happy with and he was passing them up and I was starting to get a little frustrated at first but you know he went straight to the post and just absolutely bullied Keda um for the remainder of the game and and that was incredible to see. I mean when when people talk about Joel Embiid you hear this a lot but but it's the correct sentiment that he is one of the most skilled big men of all time and we're seeing him laboring you know both knees you know he he's got half a face he's he's got bell's palsy he's got appendicitis it doesn't matter like his ridiculous high skill level his skill floor is enough for him to walk into any game at 45% and just dominate because he has it in his body he has it in his skill set and you know he he he was starting to get cold from three last night and again he he just forfeited pretty much every three for the rest of the game just say I'm gonna go drop 35 in the post.

SPEAKER_00 56:41

It was incredible to see I I couldn't agree more. Like again I just and and look we know that Embiid is kind of on the tail end of his career. That's not like a secret the fact that even if it was just last night, let's hope it's not but even if that was just last night that he was kind of able to recapture that and have a moment like that in the playoffs just as obviously a Sixers fan as an Embiid supporter and a dude who has been in the front lines battling for this guy's reputation like that was pretty damn awesome to see. And you nailed it like he can be at 45% and just decide like yep I'm turning it on and I'm gonna go and absolutely dominate and take over the game that's exactly what he did.

SPEAKER_02 57:20

It was incredible. It was incredible you mentioned the end of Embiid's career that would be a really sad moment for for any Sixers fan when the day eventually comes um it's looking like it's probably going to be sooner rather than later but but but who knows you know he's one tough guy. But that would be a heartbreaking moment for a Sixers fan. And that is something that Sixers fans have gotten used to over the last 10 or so years of this process era. So we figured a guy who's covered the Sixers as much as you have um as credentialed as you are we have all experienced these heartbreaks and they've each impacted us in different ways. You know there might be some on the consensus above others but we really wanted to hear your personal top five process era heartbreaks from the 70s Sixers that can mean an injury that can mean a playoff result that can mean a trade a bad free agency signing any bad decision luck anything what has made your heartbreak in this process era we want to hear your top five so when this was sent over to me it was kind of I don't know I don't want to say therapeutic but it was a a stroll down memory lane honestly I could have made a list while I was trying to like rank these it could have been 20 deep easy and it and then it made me take a step back and be like okay like people joke and be like ah sixers are a cursed franchise on paper there's really no other explanation that it has to be it they legitimately might be cursed.

SPEAKER_00 58:49

So I'll start at five and again these are just mine I put a lot of thought into this my fifth one is the Mikhail Bridges trade on draft night now let me dive a little bit deeper into this because we take him at 10 obviously everybody knows it's a feel good story grew up right outside of Philly his mom works for the team like match made in heaven we end up trading him for Zaire Smith and it was like a 2021 first I think for Miami and that all is terrible we're seeing what Mikel is doing or not doing in New York right now. We saw what he did in Brooklyn and we saw what he did in Phoenix but also attached to this that first that we got in that trade is who we we attached to go get Tobias Harris and Mike Scott and Bobon. So this kind of spirals in a way and it's all encompassing I have my thoughts everybody's got their thoughts on Tobias for better or for worse that led us down a path of giving Tobias a max contract which in the time I get it whatever you got to do what you got to do. We all know he was not a max contract player but I think that trade spiraled it out of control and led to other big things.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:02

So that's that's my number five any thoughts on that before I jump to number four and Zaire Smith eventually got like food poisoning or allergic reaction that almost killed him and okay so like one of the I don't know how much I'm gonna tell a story.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:15

We'll see if I get in trouble for it I get in trouble for it. I don't know how much is public he grabs a lunch bag at the training facility thinking like just to go he has a severe peanut allergy like a really really bad one. Yeah I think I remember hearing about peanuts yeah dude burns a hole in his esophagus goes straight to the ER he's in the hospital for months loses like 40 pounds honestly almost dies thank goodness he didn't obviously he's he's okay even tried to make a little comeback in the G League and you see him pop up in summer league here and there. But like that again that is easily on the list you could I don't know where you rank it but it doesn't get much more sixers than that. Exactly exactly it's like when you talk about freak accidents it's like okay well like yeah that is the definition of a freak accident but that might not even rank in the top three I wonder if we'll see another accident on your list I like where you're headed yep tell Ubre anyone you know I'm I'm yeah no kidding okay so that was another one too Ubre didn't make my list but that is a that is a good one. All right I had to shout it out there yeah she had again just the most bizarre stuff number four Joel Embiid's MVP year losing to Boston in that series we had a 3-2 lead you guys remember this well James Harden goes out and balls out with Adam Bede game one I think he dropped what 45 something like that in the guard 41 40 45 yeah it was insane he hit that step back over Al Horford which I absolutely love because I hate Horford and always will and it was unbelievable. And that again being in Bede's MVP season was like okay maybe this is it maybe this is when we finally get over the hump beat Boston again go go up 3-2 lose game six and seven but not just lose them like we got smashed and I will never forget game seven because it happened to be on my birthday and Mother's Day double whammy and I'm like great I'm like I was at my mother in law's and I'm like hey I know it's your day it's kind of mine too with my birthday I just want to spend some time watching the Sixers and they got just demolished they were never even in the game and that was bad. And and maybe that's a little recency bias just because we are in the playoffs against Boston again but that one felt all too real because we were so close at least it felt like we were so that that's that's my number four. Are you for number three?

SPEAKER_04 1:02:34

Am I ready for number three?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:36

Yeah no kidding no kidding I'm gonna put Markel Fultz at number three God so a lot of people when they think of Markel Fultz they automatically are like oh yeah you could have taken Tatum over fault true however that's not at all where I want to take this I will take it to my grave that he was the right draft pick. That player who we saw at Washington was the right draft pick. He was the piece to plug in with the guys who he had nobody in their right mind thought that he would develop some crazy shoulder thing whether it was from an accident whether mental who who knows right him completely changing the way he shot the ball which again clearly affected his mentality clearly affected his confidence yes I will never forget watching his weird like herky jerky freak the hitch the hitch dude I call it I call it Mark Ellen syndrome so yeah for real watching him at Washington even watching him in summer league it was like okay this is the dude like this this is the guy we now have three a three headed monster that we're gonna ride out with for the next decade and to see the way that that fizzled out now obviously in hindsight you can look back and be like ah we traded up to even get him I would to to put this in perspective I was so happy the day that we traded to get up to number one to take fault I literally tweeted and was like hey send me your Venmo like I'm buying drinks I bought probably 50 people drinks that night strangers on Twitter. I was that happy so to have all of it go I mean again like it's sad obviously to see his career arc like he's not even in the league. Like it just it's all sad. But that one was absolutely devastating to me because I truly believe he was the third guy.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:24

Now this next placement's important because I think there's a shot on all of our mind. Yep. I wonder if we'll see it where we think we will go ahead for number two.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:34

So I went back and forth with one and two a lot and you could honestly say one A, one B.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:39

Like there's really not I mean you could say one M, one P, one O, one Z.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:45

So you're so true. All right well just to put it as a number two, I'm gonna say the Ben Simmons Hawks series. That that's my number two. Now obviously it was the beginning of the end for Simmons we saw it right in front of our eyes the stupid spin move he didn't even look at the rim Trey Young's right there on him easily could have dunked it it was like a renaissance painting it was like the moment where everything just went straight downhill for him it's it's kind of crazy to look back on it.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:14

Da Vinci wishes he could paint a picture like that.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:16

I don't know it's just the story it tells I mean it's it's it's really crazy how how we can look back on a on a a frame from a sports game with with such emotion but but no truly though like I I watched it I didn't want to but I had to this morning in the slow move that spin move where he just turns I literally you can see his eyes he never looked at the rim once he was passing he was passing that thing to Matisse the entire time and then like Matisse looked at him after and like shrugged and Ben just kind of gave him a shrug back it was like oh man like you guys nailed it like you literally saw in that moment his entire confidence which was already shaky because if you guys remember during that series he get to the free throw line Philly tried to give him the whole Trey Turner standing ovation And hype him up. There's the clip of that dude in the stands who's like trying to hype him up and show him how to shoot free throws. Like, and then Doc Rivers is has post-game quotes of like, I don't know if he can be the starting point guard on this team. Like, I'm not so sure. It's very weird, and you nailed it. Like, it's very rare to be able to look back at the exact moment. Not an injury, but just a play that literally tanked an entire player's career. And the reason I put him this high is because we all know what Ben Simmons was. I again, I went to battle for this dude. Uh I defended him not having a jump shot for forever. But to his credit, like he was an all-NBA defensive player, obviously rookie of the year, all-star, without any of that. And he didn't need to have that because the roster at the time was like, okay, we can construct it around him just running and gunning, getting rebounds, triple doubles. Like, great. And again, it just Band was one of my favorite players to have that moment. And that series, like, let's be real, we had absolutely no business losing to that Atlanta Hawks team. None. Zero percent.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:02

Like, penciled us into the Easter Conference Finals when we got matched up with them.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:06

Neither did neither did the Knicks that year.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:08

Yeah, yeah. Seriously, though, like I'm the exact same way. I'm like, this is unbelievable. We're finally gonna do it. Like, we're heading to conference finals. And again, like it's almost embarrassing that that roster is completely turned over. They don't have anybody still there in Atlanta, and they're all just like a bunch of island of misfit players that happen to be on that team that killed Ben Simmons' career. And I hate that. That's that's my number two.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:30

All right, we all know where this is going.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:32

Yep. Yeah, but we all know what number one is. I have not been able to watch it, and this sounds so dramatic. Let me just preface this. I have not been able to watch a full replay of Kawhi's shot since it happened.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:44

Neither can we.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:45

I don't know when I will be able to, and I was joking with my wife. She's like, Are you serious? You've never watched it. I'm like, no. She's like, Well, like shock therapy, like, watch it. I'm like, no, I'm not gonna do that. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:55

Maybe it'll be therapeutic for you in the same way that going down memory lane was. Um I've watched it a plethora of times and I'm numb to it at this point. I've accepted it. But I mean, in the moment, there was like truly nothing like it. Like I mean, literally, I mean, literally, first game seven game-winning buzzer beater in NBA history. Nothing like it. And of course, it happens to the Philadelphia 76ers.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:21

Of course, of course. I want to hear your guys' story about where you were because I'm sure you remember what you did. I I was sitting in my basement. I when games tend to matter a lot, I get way too into it, and I can't have anybody around me that's causing any type of distraction or anything. And so there was some event, again, I sound like a terrible son-in-law, but there was some event going on at my in-law's house, and I'm like, hey, like game seven, like you guys get it. And to their credit, they're like, Yeah, yeah, we get it. And so I'm alone in my basement. Jimmy Buckett scores, I mean, he hits that little pull-up off the glass. I'm like, holy crap, like, this is unbelievable. We're headed OT. And same thoughts as everybody. And that damn shot. So, quick little story. Shoot around that day, the entire emphasis was if Kawhi catches the ball in any type of end of the quarter, any type of anything, to force him left. Do not let him go right. Joel Embiid just so happened to miss shoot around that day. Don't don't know why. And if you guys recall, Ben was guarding Kawhi and Joel jumped out. The game plan was to cut him off and force him to go back to his left. That clearly did not happen. He goes right, dribbles all the way to that damn baseline, and it hits hits the shot. And I it honestly, kind of like everybody else, when it released, you saw it was flat, and then it bounced once. I'm like, oh, like, great. It all happened so fast, but I'm like, oh, great, OT. Bounce, bounce, bounce. Kind of just like slowly sat back on the couch, watched for a second, felt numb, turned the TV off, sat there, and then on my way back upstairs, I may or may not have punched a hole in the wall, which I've never done before, but I did. I did it this time. And I don't know. I again, I don't know if I will be able to ever fully get over that because you can look back on the entire history, and again, I mentioned the Celtic series, the Hawk series, but like that truly was the closest, I think we will well, knock on wood, but the closest revision history looking back that we've been to to making that step. And so to have it all end off of that BS bounce, just and honestly, to Kawhi's credit, like he was one of the greatest players I've ever seen, and that's not an exaggeration during that series. Dude was an absolute robot. Anytime they needed a big bucket, he got a big bucket. And to have one of the greatest buzzer beaters in NBA history happen against your team, like there's no bigger heartbreak. That that's it.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:56

Well, I'm sure every Sixers fan listening will appreciate you giving that little tidbit about shoot around, you know, just make it a little easier on us knowing that than the history of that shot. You know, I I think that'll make it just just that much easier to digest, you know, hearing that Joel and Bede missed shoot around that day. Uh so so thank you so much for that. But um my my my story, how I remember it, so my entire mother's side is from South Georgia, middle of nowhere. None of them are even really into sports, but my grandma was up visiting, and um, she's sitting in the living room talking to my mom. I'm probably like 13, 14 at this point. Um, I have the game on the TV. My my grandma, again, not into sports, from the middle of nowhere, South Georgia. She doesn't know what's happening, she doesn't understand the magnitude of this game. And Kawhi rolls right, Simmons passes off to Joelle. Joelle probably jumps 12 feet in the air, but not high enough. Clank, clank, clank in announcers screaming, crowd going crazy, everyone huddled around Kawhi. I just break down in tears. And my grandma, I I I don't think I've ever seen her more in awe in my life. She had no idea what was happening. Chris, Chris, it's just a basketball game, Chris. I I said, Grandma, you don't you don't understand, you don't understand, okay? Like like this was my life. This was my life, this shot. Kawhi just just he he might have just ruined my life. And you're sitting here telling me it's just basketball, grant grandma. I love you. I'm so glad you came up to visit. But but but just just take a backseat on this one. You don't understand, okay? So so there's my um there's my little tale about game seven.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:37

That's so good. And honestly, it makes me feel better about being a bad son-in-law to have your grandma drop that little line.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:43

Listen, yeah, I feel you, dude. I mean, I I think I think the entire greater Philadelphia region will feel us to some extent. Yep, agree. Larry, what about yours?

SPEAKER_04 1:12:53

I mean, it was pretty simple just watching on TV, and I was like, you know, Jimmy Butler was the the team savior at the time, and and just seeing that shot. One, two, three, four. TV just went right off there and then. I was like, nope. Same thing with the Hawks series. Uh I TV went right off. I don't think I even saw the end of that Hawks game. I'm just like, nope. But yeah, that that really screwed the Sixers' plans. And not only from an emotional standpoint, but it's it's had a ripple effect on the franchise as a whole because then in the COVID year, you go out and get Josh Richardson and Al Horford, and everyone was like, Oh my gosh, this is I was so hype for those two. Everybody was like, this is the best lineup ever. Nobody's smaller than like six foot eight on this starting lineup, and then Al Horford, Al Horford's gone after like a year. Josh Richardson plays his way off the team, and then he goes like to the thunder, and we've seen just time and time again, they can just never get it done.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:51

Let me just say real fast, I mentioned earlier Al Horford. The reason I will hate him for the probably the rest of my life is because of that short six or stint.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:59

He's a double agent, double agent.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:01

I a hundred percent thought this exact same thing as you guys. I'm like, okay, Horford for whatever reason has always had our number. Now all of a sudden he's on our side. This is fantastic. This is gonna work out perfectly. Obviously.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:11

Yeah, I mean he was Embiid's kryptonite. Yeah, that was the case.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:15

I mean, he was like, he was the only dude that could feasibly stop Embiid on any given night, and we're like, well, he's he's with us now.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:20

Yep, on paper, it was like this is the great answered prayer, the greatest possible thing that could have happened.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:25

But then you realize this is this is a team with Brett Brown and no bench.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:29

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It stopped and ended there, and it was truly as if I mean Horford clearly didn't find where he fit. And then this, like you said, the second he left and went to OKC, it was like, ah, he's good again. That's so crazy. Horford drives me nuts, dude. Horford. Anyway, forever. That it was a little tough to to go through that list. I'm not gonna lie. But if we would have gone through

Geoff Rasmussen Interview

SPEAKER_00 1:14:52

that list after a game five loss, just depressing as can be. I'm still feeling a little, I'm still feeling a little high going into game six. I feel okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:00

I think I think we all feel better.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:02

I feel pretty good. And and listen, Josh, I think the only way to make it through a conflict is through it, and you toughed it out, and and and you you you re-watched those games and those moments and and you compiled a great list for us. So so we appreciate you and and and we know that um you probably came out of it feeling a little better. We'll get away from the negativity for now.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:23

To wrap things up with the first round nearing the end here, we have the Thunder, shockingly, already punching their ticket to the conference semifinals, got a couple game sixes and possible game sevens coming up. What are some of your predictions or hot takes for the rest of this postseason? It'd be anybody, not just the Sixers. Anybody that's going on upset mode, injuries playing a factor for some teams, you know, is it just gonna be a steamroll to the finals for somebody? What do we got?

SPEAKER_00 1:15:53

So you mentioned it with injuries, and it really sucks. I mean, every single postseason, we all remember what happened last postseason, everybody's Achilles and just dropping like flies. It's the same story every year. It's it's whoever can stay healthiest the longest. Like, there has to be some luck to make an actual run, and it sucks. I'm I'm I'm thinking of the the Wolves Nuggets series, like to have both DiVincenzo and Ant go out in the same game the way they did is brutal. I I think the Nuggets will come back and win that series. Honestly, if they don't, huge, huge disappointment for them. They have no reason not to. So I've got the Nuggets coming back, beating the Wolves. I do have them losing to the Spurs, though. I think the Spurs, Spurs OKC Western Conference finals, and I don't know if that's a hot take, but I think the Spurs are gonna do it. I I've got them coming out of the West this year. I was so close to picking them.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:48

That was my Western Conference final. I think Larry had the Nuggets over the Spurs in seven in this hypothetical round two matchup. But man, I was I was I was so close to taking San Antonio to go to the finals. I think I had Oklahoma City in seven. I I think from a nar a narrative standpoint, like Shay needs his prime badass moment. Him and Wemby, Spurs Thunder, go to absolute war in the Western Conference Finals, like straight close games across the board. Shea has his cold-blooded killer moment in this West Finals this year. I'd say Wemby, maybe you can have it next year or for the next 12. I don't know. That's what it's starting to look like. But yeah, I mean San Antonio. I I I I didn't I didn't really think that that guard three-headed monster was gonna fit together so well, at least in year one of it. Yep. Um, but I mean they they lost like five games after the All-Star break, maybe like less than. Like crazy. It's insane. I mean, and and and they already beat Oklahoma City three times this year. So yeah, I'm I mean, I'm stoked to see how the West shakes out.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:56

Thunderspurs Western Conference Finals might literally be one of the most watched playoff series of all time. It'll be that that hyped up. It'd be unreal. It'd be filthy.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:06

All right, and then out of the east, we gotta talk for a second just about the pistons.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:11

And dude, show this is me and Larry's finals pick out of the east, the both of us.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:16

Chris, no, no, you know what? No, Chris, I said I said Pistons over no, I'm sorry, I said thunder over pistons in five, and Chris was like, whoa, that's disrespectful because he had thunder over pistons in six, and I'm like, mm-mm. And now they're now they're down to the freaking match.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:30

All right, dude, you can't say you pick them to go to the finals, too, dude. And they're about to get gentlemen swept by peanut butter. Dude, like okay, it's unbelievable.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:39

It really is. And look, the team that we're seeing now is clearly not the Detroit we saw in the regular season. No, it's something happened, something with Jalen Dern looks Jalen Dern.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:49

I mean, I mean, he looks he looks like Tristan Thompson right now. Seriously, no, no, that's honestly a really good comparison. I mean, like, I mean, he's got nothing, he's empty.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:00

Like, I don't he he's he's playing against his ex-girlfriend, Angel Reese's new boyfriend, Wendell Carter Jr. Maybe that has something to do with it. Dude, how about the poster he was on? Oh my god. Yo, shout out Jamal Kane, man. That was old school. That was great. That was awesome.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:18

Hey, there could be another factor here. Remember, Jamal Mosley's on those smelling salts. Maybe something happened there.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:24

It's true. I mean, maybe that lit him up. Uh, did you did you hear about their I believe it was before the the final playing game against Charlotte, Jamal Mosley. Um, he he canceled like a like a form a formal typical film session just to go through his players' college highlights to remind them who they are. That's tough. And I mean, maybe that maybe that was the 180 they needed. I mean, because it looks like this is the magic team we were expecting coming into the season. Like, I thought they were gonna be like a top three seed in the East this year. Like, I I love them coming into the season, and yeah, they just came out super flat, and now again, total 180. Cade Cunningham is turning the ball over like 10 times a night. Jalen Dern looks like a third of the man he was in the regular season. It's it's it's unreal.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:11

It really is, it's insane. And I like the Pistons are like a feel-good story, like all season, and I loved it. Like, I am a big Cade Cunningham fan. I like their roster, but again, something has happened, and maybe it's just a weird matchup, but you're right. Orlando has actually started to look like the team we expected him to. But I've got Orlando, I think they finish it. I think the Cavs figure it out against Toronto, and I am trying to take my Homer hat off, but I think the Celtics close it out, whether it's in six or seven. I hope it goes seven, that'd be fun.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:44

I guarantee you the Sixers come out so flat.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:47

Yeah, it just it's it's almost like predictable.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:50

It's inevitable.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:51

Yeah, yeah. And so it's kind of fun like going in because it's like we're playing with house money after winning game five. Yeah, it's it's fun.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:57

It's fun. You know, these little moments of joy as a Sixers fan. You can't beat them.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:01

You've got to find them where you can get them. That's the self. And then uh the Knicks will handle the Hawks. So I've got the Celtics. I I think the Celtics beat New York, and we've got a Cleveland-boston Eastern Conference Finals. And so I've got I've got the Celtics and Spurs, and I've got the Spurs winning it. I think this is I think they're gonna do it. I think that's that's my uh hot take.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:24

Celtics might be penciled in for the Eastern Conference Finals with the Cavaliers just saying. Yeah. So, Josh, thank you so much for stopping by the podcast again, and we hope to have you back in the future as we are celebrating the 100th episode of Deal Minute Halftime.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:39

I love it. Thank you, fellas. Appreciate you both.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:46

So, for our next guest of season three on the Deal Minute Halftime podcast, we welcome Jeff Rasmussen. Jeff is the co-founder and co-host of the Hot Hand Theory, an NBA podcast driven by data and film study and a contributor for the Knicks media company, the Strickland. Jeff, how are we doing today?

SPEAKER_01 1:22:05

I'm doing great. Excited to, I mean, the playoffs are just such an exciting time in the NBA. So yeah, excited to are you stressed out right now?

SPEAKER_02 1:22:11

Your Knicks play in about two hours here.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:14

No, I don't really get stressed like that. I'm just firmly processed over results. You know, it it would take a lot. And the Knicks have played a few pretty dramatic playoff series over the last couple of seasons, and I uh I stay pretty reserved, I guess. Uh that's good to hear.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:28

Definitely, definitely good. Jeff, we wanted to get your thoughts on the Knicks so far this postseason and the rest of the NBA playoff picture as well. Awesome. Given what you've seen so far from the Knicks in this series with the Atlanta Hawks, rotations, lineup combos, actions, defensive stuff, etc., if you were in Mike Brown's shoes tonight, what are you emphasizing to close out this series? And maybe what adjustments are you making forward should they continue their postseason run?

SPEAKER_01 1:22:55

Well, it's a weird situation, right? Because I mean, on one hand, you just want to repeat what they did in game five. There's such a I feel like that really, really highlighted the talent disparity between the two teams that should have been apparent all series long. And I think that when you look at games two and three, that was more about what the Knicks weren't doing than what the Hawks were doing. And when the Knicks kind of stepped up their strategy and and really started to anchor what they were doing towards the strengths of their team, it was tough for the Hawks to play the way that they had been playing and keep up. I think if the Hawks really, really overhaul their strategy, there are some things they can do to hurt the Knicks, but they don't really seem interested in doing that. So it's like a guy I like to talk a lot about Josh Hart. He's shooting 15% from three this this series. Now, to me, if you take a coach like Joe Mazzo and you give him Josh Hart shooting 15%, it would be almost impossible for Hart to be a positive this series. I would argue that Hart's been one of the three most impactful Knicks in this series, despite shooting 15%. And part of that is because Quinn Snyder just isn't doing anything. Like he's not like, oh, there's this guy who plays a lot of minutes, who's a wing, who isn't shooting the most confident right now. There are things we can do to hurt his teammates, not doing that, not not even really attempting to do that. And so Hart doesn't have that negative gravity that sometimes we see against the Celtics, for example. And instead, all of his strengths are being amplified. So if you're Mike Brown, you're kind of just hoping the Hawks keep playing like that and you just keep doing what you do, with the thought in the back of your mind of like, okay, if they press this break glass in case of emergency button of we're gonna start cheating off of heart and we're gonna try to punish towns, we're gonna try to punish Brunson, I'm gonna have a backup plan ready for that. Because to the second part of your question, the Celtics, if they meet Boston round two, will definitely come prepared with a strategy like that.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:44

It's interesting you say that. You know, through these five games, I feel like Atlanta has been the stagnant team strategically. I'm not I'm not sure if this is too blankety of a statement, but I mean it it feels like a lot of you know, just like let's CJ McCollum cook. And whereas I feel like we've seen three different versions of the Knicks this series, and I feel like Mike Brown has shown a willingness all season to kind of radically change things up. It feels it feels like there are five different versions of the Knicks that exist, and and and you're even more, you know, read up on them than than I am. So I'm curious. I mean, do you think it was really just CJ McCollum a matter of him making shots that was putting the Hawks over the Knicks kind of earlier in this series? Or was it something you picked up on, maybe absent of that, maybe an internal issue with what the Knicks were doing that was causing them to drop games early in the series?

SPEAKER_01 1:25:38

Yeah, it's a good question. I I do think obviously McCollum playing the way he did is gonna raise the floor of the team, you know. He was just playing so well. But I also think the Hawks have some things that can hurt the Knicks. Like the Knicks don't handle stretch fives very well at all. And even when the Hawks have someone like Dyson Daniels, who's a non-shooter, Okongu has the ability to spread them out in a way that other teams, you know, with more paint bound centers, maybe don't have. And then speaking of Daniels, first four games of the series were maybe the worst four games that Jalen Brunson had played consecutively in the playoffs in his Knicks career. And while there are theories as to, you know, he's playing injured, what's going on, maybe they they started catering to towns more. Do you think Daniels played a big part in that? I think he's an excellent defender. I think he should be in all defense conversations for pretty much any season that he's healthy. You know, this sounds like a cop-out or like a lawyer answer, but I do think it's just a little bit of both. You know, I don't think it's really ever all or nothing. I think that Hawks were doing some things that maybe hurt the Knicks, and I think that the Knicks were kind of hurting themselves too, and that that straightened out towards the end of game four, and really in game five, which I thought was one of their best all-around performances on both sides of the ball in the Jalen Brunson era.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:50

It looked like they figured out Atlanta in that game, like decisively.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:54

Yeah, because early in the series, I mean, it was it was just coming down to the wire. I mean, back-to-back one-point victories, that game two at the garden was was clutch. And then the one in Atlanta, seeing CJ take over that last possession, I was like, damn, son, that was that's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:09

Was that on your bingo card for this series, Jeff? CJ McCollum breakout at age 34.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:14

It wasn't, but he's just so skilled, you know. Like it's funny, it's funny. I I love having these conversations because I love bringing up my dad in these conversations because I watch the games with him, and like I was saying to you, I just sit there and my brain is just sort of like I'm I'm watching the game more analytically, and my dad is like dying, living living and dying on the on these plays. And he just spent the whole first two games talking about how CJ McCollum's the scariest player, and I'm like sitting there, I'm like, uh he's like, Yeah, this is the kind of guy who can just get hot. And he just kept saying that. And I was just like, all right, maybe he's right. Maybe maybe this is maybe we're supposed to look out for this. And yeah, I mean, he's just been so good, and props to him. I really think that we talked about this at the deadline when Atlanta got him. It was a really weird situation because if you had told Hawks fans before the season, hey, you're gonna trade Trey Young at the trade. Deadline. I'm sure like most of them would have just been like, holy, this is rock. Like we're just completely hitting the reset. Right, exactly. And just in a weird way, the way Quinn Snyder was able to just quietly re-refocus the energy of the team and what their strengths were, what their what their focuses were, really impressive. And I think McCollum kind of in the short term has given them what they need. So props to him and props to them. And whether they win the series or not, I think it's mostly positive for them this season.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:26

It's funny, I brought it up in an episode prior. How CJ McCollum has just been what Atlanta's wanted out of Trey Young for so many years. Just a guard who is not going to turn the ball over, who's going to shoot the ball efficiency, and who's going to know his role and not get exploited defensively. CJ McCollum is not the biggest body. But he is not borderline blowing games in the way Trey Young was. Trey Young was this radical player. And the way CJ McCullum in a similar body type, you know, a smaller guard has been able to provide exact opposite levels of consistency on the floor. And then like you said, he is so skilled. It's invaluable. And you know, there were points of season where, you know, we were looking at Cesar McCollum as a buy-out candidate, just a foregone conclusion in his NBA career. And, you know, because of that skill set, he's here winning games against the three seed Knicks, like almost single-handedly. It's it's it's pretty incredible to watch.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:46

Now here's the thing, Jeff. We have Mike Brown obviously leading the Knicks right now. Do you think this series would be different in any way, like scheme-wise, or just numbers, as in like, you know, 3-2 already over if Tom Thibodeau was still going?

SPEAKER_01 1:29:59

Oh boy. That's uh that's a leading that's that's a leading question right there. I don't know. It's just so it's so weird. So for starters, I think that Mike Brown and Tibbs, in not in maybe not in effectiveness, but in just like the way they view the game and the way their their overall outlook, I actually think that it's closer than a lot of people want it to be. Like I just think I think in general, what the Knicks front office was looking for was like, what if we just got a Tibbs that maybe would collaborate with us just a little bit more, you know, like on the margins. They weren't looking for a huge overhaul, the maybe the way maybe some people thought they should. My guess is it would be pretty similar, but I do think they had slightly different at-the-margin strengths and weaknesses. I think one thing that Mike Brown has a clear edge over Tibbs in is the tactical stuff. And you look at those first couple games when the Brunson ball wasn't really working as much. The fact that he had the wherewithal to say, okay, we're gonna lean on talents more. And by the way, I have some plays in my back pocket that they're not gonna be able to stop. I mean, they're being broken down ad nauseum on Twitter and on YouTube and stuff like that. But it's really impressive tactically from Mike Brown. I think that's clearly his biggest strength, not just relative to Tibbs, but just in general. But I don't, this isn't meant as uh, I think Tibbs did a lot of things well, and I I think they would have been huge favorites to win this series with either one as coach. So to me, the takeaway from this series was always going to be like, if they don't win this series, a lot is gonna have to change. And that's independent of who the coach is. They like that they need to win this series, and it's far from over. Yeah, I mean, they have to go on the road and take care of business. And if they don't, they lost a game seven at home in 2024. They've lost some to worse teams in both 2023 and 2025 in terms of seeding. I think the Knicks are gonna win the series, and I think they definitely should win the series. I'm just saying it's not over, they gotta take care of business.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:50

It's interesting you bring that up because the Knicks, if they don't win this series, are pretty landlocked in regards to a a roster construction standpoint. All that money tied up, gave up all that future capital to get the players you have now, notably Mikhail Bridges. I'd I'd be fascinated to hear how you feel about him and and and his contributions given the kitchen sink New York used to acquire him.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:14

Uh yeah, I mean, we could talk about this for a half hour, but I think objective I I think objectively you have to start with what the Knicks gave up to acquire for him in a vacuum, he has not lived up to that. Like that is just, in my opinion, objectively true. Now, you have to at least acknowledge the Knicks overpaid for him. Like they just if you look at his past impact, even his peak seasons in Phoenix, when he was totally bought into the role that they were hoping he would buy into here, that was not a five first-round pick player. That was a very good player, but it was not what they traded for him. So I think like that's kind of unfair to him. He was probably never going to live up to that package. That's what this is this is a an entirely different level. Like what the Knicks are seeing from him in terms of the way he's lost his confidence, the way Mike Brown just sort of is like, yeah, you're gonna start by default, but we're going with Deuce McBride. We might even go with Jordan Clarkson in some of these four-starry lineups over you. That is just beyond anything. And I think if we really want to get into what's causing it, I think he is at the like he deserves the majority of the blame. His role is as big as he wants it to be, and it's there for the taking. Maybe he's not getting as many touches as he wants, but he's on the court. Like they want to play him. Look at what they're doing with OG Ananobi. Him and OG are basically the same idea.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:32

And OG has been spectacular.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:34

Right. And he's been, you know, arguably the best player in the series. And I just think that on the other hand, some of this does go to just the overall strategy and what the Knicks are doing, which kind of holds McCau back. So I keep giving you these sort of half-measure answers, but I do think that basketball tends to uh the modern NBA tends to work like that. Like I'm just never gonna be polarizing and be like, McCow sucks, this is all on him, you know. Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:00

No, that's the right stance to take. I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:03

I do, I do think that he has more agency though, than maybe I I think it's gone too far the other way. I think it's there for the taking. And look, I I think that if the Knicks come up short this season, he's gonna be the first person people look at in terms of like, oh well, clearly this roster doesn't have enough to reach the top. Naturally, how and I think that's that's natural, like to your to use your words.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:24

Yeah, it's it's it's it's really not fair to compare him to to what was used to acquire him because you know if you win a championship, like so but and and and and that's what he was brought here to do in the and the and the role he was asked to fill, just be able to nail threes, defend at a high level. And like you said, I mean his his role offensively outside of being able to hit open shots is is is kind of up to him because we've seen him be able to create for himself at a high level, and we obviously know the the archetype of player he is. He he's able to to play off the ball at a at a elite type of role player level. Um, but that's not what we've seen from him lately. But let's transition here. Just want to grab your overall thoughts on this playoff picture, uh, this this playoff landscape. I want to know if you have any predictions, let's call it conference finals, finals, maybe some prize teams exiting early. Um, just just any takes you have league-wide about this current playoff picture. I I think it's a pretty interesting one given where some teams sit right now in their series.

SPEAKER_04 1:35:19

A lot of game

Game of the Week

SPEAKER_04 1:35:20

sixes right now, too.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:21

Yeah, interesting. Interesting is a perfect word for it. Like it's all the all these series are going deep except San Antonio and Oklahoma City. And to me, that's kind of the takeaway, right? Is that it's very possible that we look at a potential Oklahoma City, San Antonio Western Conference Finals. Just that's just the finals, you know. Like whoever wins that is going to. And they really do seem head and shoulders above the rest of the FBA right now. We just dropped a video essay on the Spurs and the unique impact of Wembinama. To me, that is the story because you have two amazing young teams that are on a collision course to meet in the Western Conference Finals, and this could be the first of many, you know, like this could be this could be one of those things. Yeah, I I do too, honestly. I I love stuff like that. You know, people sort of in the moment were talking about how bored they got of Cavs Warriors, but I mean, if Kyrie doesn't leave the Cavs in 2017, I think we get another pretty damn epic series in 2018. People, a lot of people forget how good that 2017 Cavs team was. And I think we could be looking at you know, two, three years down the line at holy cow, these two teams are meeting for it all again. In the east, I don't I don't know what to think of any of these teams. Like, this is great.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:32

Let's hear Detroit and Orlando. I mean, just instant reactions.

SPEAKER_01 1:36:36

Yeah, I mean, the Franz news is such a bummer because uh XJ and I have been trying to hype Orlando up all season. It's like they won't let us, you know, and it's like they they won't put together yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:47

The I mean, like the stats when Franz is the primary ball handler in a game compared to when Paolo is are like appalling. But Palo has been definitely much better lately.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:58

Game five, Palo and Cade were cooking.

SPEAKER_02 1:37:00

Yeah, that was it was that was an awesome game.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:02

There was a stat I saw on the on the broadcast. Cade had the most points in a Pistons playoff game, a single playoff game. He had 45, Palo had 45, which was one shy of tying the magic single game playoff scoring record. So both of them were just on point on.

SPEAKER_02 1:37:20

That was a sweet game.

SPEAKER_01 1:37:21

Yeah, that was amazing to watch. Okay, I so with that series, I believe in the theoretical upside of Orlando, but I I I'm not sure that exists, or I I know it doesn't exist without Franz at his best. I want to focus on Detroit for a second because if if we all can just agree that Franz needs to be healthy for Orlando to be a real threat or whatever to whoever they play in round two. Absolutely. I think Detroit is getting too buried right now. So I guess that's the hot take I'll say. I think everywhere you look, you you people are making this series about what Detroit isn't. And there's very little focus on the fact that as far as you know matchups go, this was a nightmare matchup for Detroit, just in terms of what Detroit is trying to do, the way they're trying to beat you. They're trying to play physical, they're trying to dominate you in the paint. Orlando's kind of built to just spit on that, you know, like precisely.

SPEAKER_02 1:38:12

Yeah. I I said it plenty of times before the playoffs started. Orlando, despite being what we think is a broken basketball team right now, they're one of the handful of the teams in the league that can hang with Detroit physically. Yeah, a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:25

And so it wouldn't surprise me if Detroit finds a way to win the next two games, which uh their chances improve with Franz just ruled out for game six. It wouldn't surprise me if Detroit sneaks by and then they even if they get Cleveland in round two, who again, I was higher on Cleveland than most people coming to this postseason, they've disappointed me as well. I it wouldn't surprise me if a bunch of people look at that matchup and they're like, okay, Detroit barely snuck by the eight seed, who was missing its best or second best player, they're gonna get crushed by Cleveland. It wouldn't surprise me if they overachieve against Cleveland and win in six or even five games. Like if I think it's a better matchup. I do think that they're being more bogged down by the matchup than their own shortcomings right now. And I think that a team that Orlando is uniquely equipped to handle their physicality. So just people out there, if you're listening, Detroit, I I just you're seeing people say like worst one seed ever, and they suck. And like, yeah, sure, they're not the greatest one seed ever, but I I think they're getting it a little bit too much right now. And I I think they might surprise some people if they get out if they escape round one.

SPEAKER_04 1:39:28

2015 Hawks would like a word with that.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:30

I oh man, you want to talk for another hour? This is who's the guy? Who's the oh Nick Wright had a had a good monologue about that? About how basically all the 2010s East teams, we basically just pretend they suck because people don't want to give LeBron his credit. Like that's basically what's happening, right? I mean, that 2015 Hawks team, if you look at it objectively, they had four all-stars, they had like the second best net rating in the NBA behind the Warriors. They were they won 60 Sam od games, they cruised through the first two rounds, although they were down 2-1 to the Wizards in in round two, but they still win in six. Time nobody was like, Oh, this team sucks. It was only after LeBron single-handedly swept them that we retroactively were like, oh, yeah, actually, they weren't that good. They suck. There's my rant for the for the episode.

SPEAKER_02 1:40:11

Shout out Bud and Jeff Teague, man.

SPEAKER_04 1:40:13

People forget that's that was Atlanta Al Horror 2, bro.

SPEAKER_01 1:40:17

Yeah, and and Mills Mills was good. Yeah, this was this was a good team. That's that's unfairly disrespected retroactively, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_04 1:40:27

I like that take. So, what are we saying? Is your finals prediction? Who over who

Note from the Author

SPEAKER_04 1:40:32

in how many games?

SPEAKER_02 1:40:32

Thunder and Spurs.

SPEAKER_01 1:40:35

I'll say Thunder over Nixon five.

SPEAKER_04 1:40:38

Oh, okay, okay. Chris and I both had Thunder over Pistons. I said five, he said six. So looks like it's a little bit of danger right now.

SPEAKER_01 1:40:46

So I think that's a reasonable uh that would have been a reasonable pick before the I mean, you would have you would have looked a lot better if they got Charlotte instead of Orlando.

SPEAKER_02 1:40:55

Oh my god. I mean, I think the series would be over if they got Charlotte. I mean, Charlotte is the exact opposite from Orlando in in the way that they cannot handle that type of physicality. I mean, like all of their best players, and even Diabati and Koch Brenner, I mean, they are they are not hanging with Stewart and Duran. And and clearly they were not hanging with Wendell Cardo Jr. and Pablo Bancaro in the final play-in game.

SPEAKER_01 1:41:15

Yeah, it's funny. We we love Charlotte over an eye in theory, big Charlotte fans. And I think that Charlotte's better than Orlando in a vacuum. Like, I think they'll be better. Well, excuse me, if you give Orlando much better coaching next year, I think Orlando will be better. But this Orlando team, how they're being used offensively right now, I think Charlotte's better than Orlando in a vacuum. I think they would have given like Boston more of a problem than Orlando would, for example. What the Detroit matchup is just to your point, they just don't handle physicality well. Lamello tries to get those handoffs on the move, and Detroit just blows those actions up. It's just it just would have been too hard for Charlotte to hit its offensive ceiling against that Detroit defense.

SPEAKER_04 1:41:53

Yeah, definitely. So, Jeff, thank you so much for coming by on Dealman at halftime for our 100th episode, and we

Conclusion

SPEAKER_04 1:42:00

hope to get you back on in the future.

SPEAKER_01 1:42:01

Wow, thanks so much for having me. Congrats on 100 episodes. That's truly I'm truly humbled that you you decided to involve me. So thanks so much.

SPEAKER_02 1:42:16

Alright, so for our game of the week this week, um happening tonight on Monday, May 4th. May the 4th be with you. Game one, San Antonio, Minnesota. Uh this game's in San Antonio. And um, as alluded to earlier, we will be watching the return of Anthony Edwards just um just maybe maybe a week after he went down. I mean, it I I I think it was a um you know a fairly significant hyperextension of his knee he suffered. Um, I mean, you saw in the moment it was not a pretty injury. And uh Shams Gerani was talking about multiple weeks. We could see Anthony Edwards out, and and when you hear that report, you say, well, the Minnesota season is over. If they can somehow, someway claw their way past Denver, then I mean he's not even gonna be healthy for for round two um against a probably better team. Um and you know, seeing now that San Antonio has made the second round, definitely a better team than Denver. Um but Minnesota has just you know stayed on the horse and and and um are just everyone on the roster is stepping up tremendously um in the absence of Anthony Edwards and Dante Di Vincenzo, and I think Anthony Edwards was probably inspired by that, and he clearly has done everything possible to come back as soon as possible. Um, I saw the um multiple videos of him kind of practicing um in in hopes to come back for tonight, and uh he he looked pretty smooth. Um, he didn't look too limited, which is just unreal given the severity of his injury and and how long he was projected to be out for. So um I cannot wait to see um Anthony Edwards make his return tonight. And this is gonna be a scrappy series. Um Rudy Gobert um out of anybody in the NBA is probably the person I want on Victor Wembinyama. Um if I got my dream matchup to hopefully contain Wembinyama to be Rudy Gobert, um his his impact defensively is just unmatched in the league, um at the center position. Um besides Wembin Yama's defensive impact, of course. Um I I think I think everybody will be second to uh Wemby's defensive impact for probably the remainder of his career um being truly one of one if you think Wembenyama is. But I think Rudy Gobert is a great matchup, and if we can even see a 70% Anthony Edwards, I mean the Wolves have just time and time again over the last couple seasons just been scrappy and have found ways to make games close and make series as close, um, no matter who they're playing. And so I I think this is gonna be a scrappy series if we can see a semi-healthy Anthony Edwards, and I I can't wait for this one. Um I think I'm gonna take San Antonio in a close one. I'll I'll tell I'll take San Antonio. We'll go we'll go 105.97 if they start to pull away late, but um yeah, it's gonna it's gonna be it's gonna be a scrappy series if we if we can see a decent version of Anthony Edwards on it, and I can't wait for it.

SPEAKER_04 1:45:26

This will definitely be a tough series. Again, starting off with a maybe not so healthy answer. Anthony Edwards. Is he rushing back? Is he actually okay? That will be the question that we will see answered in these first few games. Uh yeah, Anthony Edwards making his comeback tonight. Dante DiVincenzo, as we've said, he is done probably for all of next year as well. Io DeSunmu day to day. He was the hero against the Denver Nuggets in certain games, and the Spurs just looking to continue their strong playoff run. They made um light work out of the Portland Trailblazers. Not really much of a contest. The Blazers put up a fight, but we kind of knew the Spurs were going to take them down pretty easily. And Victor Wemanyama averaged six and a half blocks per game in those two closeout games versus Portland. Usually, if you're averaging about two or three, is pretty good. Six and a half in two games.

SPEAKER_02 1:46:29

Now, granted you're you're leading the league with two or three. Yeah, six and a half, get the heck out of it.

SPEAKER_04 1:46:35

I mean, two games. One I I saw the stats. He had six in one, then seven the other. It's a two-game uh um it's a two-game sample size. Uh but still, I mean, come on, six and a half blocks.

SPEAKER_02 1:46:48

We've seen him do that a lot. Uh six blocks in a game. We that that's that's not foreign for Wembenyamo, which is just unbelievable.

SPEAKER_04 1:46:54

He can block anything from anywhere. Just you you can't you can't hide from you can run, but you can't hide. And Chris, if you remember, Anthony Edwards said something once that is now looking pretty true as we head into from the Nuggets series to the Spurs. Anthony Edwards once said, and I quote, they got KD, but we got Jaden McDaniels.

SPEAKER_02 1:47:21

All-time quote from Anthony Edwards.

SPEAKER_04 1:47:23

And Jaden McDaniels dropped an all-timer in game six, and meanwhile, Kevin Durant is sitting at home with the rest of his Rockets teammates. Just gonna leave that there. I have the Spurs as well here in game one to start this series at home. 122, 110. I think it'll be a high flyer. Somebody off Tim uh somebody off Minnesota's bench will probably do something ridiculous. They just have they're just picking out players at this point.

SPEAKER_02 1:47:56

Is it zombie Mike Conley? Who knows?

SPEAKER_04 1:47:59

Maybe, yeah. I I think Bulls fans probably wish they still had Iodesunmu, and uh unfortunately they do not anymore. Um, so we'll see how this works. Timberwolf Spurs game one starting here on Monday night, should be a good one. And to wrap up here on this special episode, we will conclude with this section that I've always called Note from the Author. As we close episode number 100, I wanted to give a shout out to our listeners. Thank you for your continued support and what a journey it's been since starting the Dealman at Halftime podcast in 2023. Transitioning from my original weekly NBA column at Rowan University to a podcast was a fun idea, and look where it's led us. I could not have done it without you. And thank you to my co-host Christy Pietro, who we started with this season for adding new dimensions to the pod and increasing our social media presence.

SPEAKER_02 1:49:01

Absolutely, Larry. It's it's been an awesome season. Um I'm I'm honored that you wanted me to fill this role for you. And um it's it's been a it's been a super fun time. Um, you know, you know, not only um just you know enjoying the season together and getting to talk about it, but but even just an opportunity to to you know meet up with you weekly and and work on something. It's it's been a lot of fun um being able to do this. And um, yeah, I'm I'm I'm honored and and it's it's it's been a great time. So so so thank you for that.

SPEAKER_04 1:49:35

And we cannot wait for the next 100. Probably we won't be for a couple seasons, unfortunately, but uh we cannot wait for the next 100. Well, that's all the time we have for today. If you haven't already, make sure to follow the podcast accounts. Chris and me on social media. The three podcast accounts on Instagram, TikTok, and X or Twitter are under at Dialman at half. My personal ex in Instagram are at Larry Dialman. Chris's personal ex and Instagram are at Chris Dippy. All seven handles are in the description on BuzzSprout, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember, although you can find Dialman at Halftime on major podcasting platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and YouTube, the main podcast website is on BuzzSprout. The website URL is dealman at halftime.buzzsprout.com. Feel free to send a comment by using the Send Us a Text button located in each episode's bio. With the exception of Apple Podcasts, the text option is available on Buzzsprout and all the major platforms. Your comment could end up in the fan mail section of the Buzz Sprout website. And thank you to Josh Reynolds and Jeff Rasmussen for being our guests this week on the podcast. You can follow Josh on X and Instagram at Josh Reynolds24. And you can follow Jeff on Instagram at Jeff, that is G-E-O-F-F underscore R-A-S. And you can follow him on Twitter as well at Jeff Rasmussen underscore. And don't forget to spread the word about Dielman at halftime. See you next time, fellow hoops fans.