Nightcap Hour 1: Nuggets BEAT Spurs in SEASON FINALE + Lakers vs Rockers PLAYOFF PREVIEW + Sixers vs Magic + Detroit Basketball is BACK

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Or you can dial pound law, pound 529, from your sale. This is a paid advertisement. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. And thank you for joining us for another episode of Nightcap. Y'all know who I am. I'm your favorite, and my partner and co-host Liberty City's own Bingo Ring of Fame honoree, a former pro bowler and an all pro from the Cincinnati Bingo. That is Chad Ocho-Sinkel Johnson and the third member of the Big Three, a seven time NBA all star from the Atlanta Hawks University of Arkansas alum. Y'all know him. Joe Johnson. Joe, what'd it do? Slow motion. What's up, fellas? We good. We good over here. Yo. Please make sure you hit that subscribe button. Please make sure you hit the like button and do us a favor. Go subscribe to the Nightcap podcast feed wherever you get your podcast from. We would like to thank each and every one of our subscribers and every one of you that has supported us over the almost last three years. We could not have done this without you. 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Despite the Lakers beating the Jazz, the Nuggets beating the Spurs and the Western Conference, some of the playoff pictures come what's set. The three six matchup will be the Nuggets taking on the Timberwolves. The four five matchup will be the Lakers taking on the Rockets. The Thunder are the one spot, the Suns are in the two spot. So this is the way it's going to go. The number eight could be Phoenix, could be Portland. No, it's going to be, no, it's out of Phoenix and Portland, right? For the eight spot? So who's there, seven eight? They got a play. Seven eight right there, there it is right there. So that's going to be either the Blazers or the Suns. That'll be the eight, that'll be the eight seed, right? Well, that's the play in, they got to win the play in games. Right, you win one player. So seven eight, whoever seven eight, that means they're the two seed. That means the seven seed. And then Phoenix or whoever the Phoenix or Phoenix, Portland, the Clippers or Golden State could be the eight seed. So two, so two plays seven, which could be the Phoenix or the Trail Blazers. And then one plays eight, eight, which could be Phoenix, Portland, the Clippers or the Golden State Warriors. So the play in tournament starts off, the playoff is tomorrow? The play in starts. What is the play in tournament? Tuesday, I think. Does it start Tuesday? Okay, Tuesday. Okay, the play in tournament. Blazers play the Suns. And then the Warriors play the Clippers. The Nuggets, the playoff series with the Nuggets in the woods, Joker versus Ant-Man. It'll be a very compelling matchup. Remember what happened a couple of years ago? The outlet, they've been, was it last year? No, two years ago. When remember the Nuggets, the Nuggets got out on them two-oh and everybody thought the series was over. Yeah. They tracked them down. Yeah. So Joe, who do you like? I mean, you like the Nuggets, Jokic is playing at maybe the great, I mean, even he's already won three MVP's, but it's hard to say a season in which he's played better than what he's played with this year, considering that Gordon was out a number of games. Murray was out for a number of games. And so him, Brown was out for a number of games. And he was Watson, Missham time. Yeah. And he was able to keep this team. And there's a three seed. So what do you like? Who do you like winning this series and how many games you think it's going to take? Oh, oh, Joe. I think I'm going to go with Minnesota on this. Yeah. I'm going to go against the Grand little bit. I know Jokic, he pretty much has his way with Goberta on there, but I just feel like Minnesota got a lot of guys they can throw at you. And Ant-Man is a difference. You know what I mean? Meaning he's going to have probably a couple of them huge games. And I don't know how healthy Denver going to be. I'm not sure how healthy they're going to be. Now, I know Jokic is special, but I feel like Minnesota got a real chance to, you know, knock these boys off. Oh, Joe, who you like in the series? Listen, I love Jokic. I love what he's done. I mean, you two, you know, you speak highly of him. Hell, everyone else speaks highly of him. Hey, listen, he's in for the MVP race. Aaron Gordon, not healthy still, huh? Well, I think they're trying to rest him. I mean, the guys, I mean, Jokic was the only starter if I'm not mistaken that played today. So they're trying to rest those guys. Gordon did come back. Watson is just coming back. He missed some more games. I think the thing is, as long as Murray, they feel very comfortable if they got Murray and Jokic. But I think Gordon is the missing piece, though. Gordon, that third one. Yeah, with Gordon missing and even still, with Gordon missing, I'm really pulling for Minnesota and Ant-Man. I'm not betting against Ant-Man. Because he's a different animal, especially play-off time. He don't really care who he's playing against. He's going to go at you and get you that work. So he likes moments like this, especially when it comes into having to prove himself. So I got the wolves. Hey, the only reason why I think Jokic played is because he had to make the 60... He had to play 20 plus minutes in order to get the limit, the 65 games. Yeah, hell. I've been playing too. Hell yeah. I ain't been missing. I don't know. That's super-max money. I'd have got to all be thinking about it. You, you, you, you led the league in scoring, got total points. And you ain't, you ain't not eligible for no awards. He gonna have to, he, he, he got, they, they gonna have to resend that or something. I mean, he missed two, he missed two games because of the birth of his children. Yeah. And they, they might have to, I think they probably... They gonna say, but yeah, what about those other games that you missed? As you say you was health related. See, if you'd have played those health related games, we would be having this discussion that will be joke. You see, because see, that's the argument that you're going to have because what's going to happen is that somebody's going to say, well, you know, my dog got sick or this got sick. Because you know, people are always looking to push the envelope. Yeah, yeah. It's never, it's just, I don't know, you know, the old adage, if you're not cheating, you're not trying, somebody's going to come up with something. And so I just think the thing is, and I would love for Luca because I believe he's an old NBA player and he deserved to get it. But the rules are the rules. And if you start bending them a little bit this way, guess what you're gonna have to do guys, bend them a little bit that way. That way. It's only a matter of time. It just is. So I guess I'm the lone wolf here. I guess I'm gonna have to take the nuggets. Why are you taking the nuggets though? Give us a... I just, I just, like you said, Jokic always has his way. Yeah. I think it's something about Jamal Murray come postseason. I don't know what it is, Joe, but he takes his game and we saw this year, he was an all-star, but he plays like that all the time. He's an always, he's always an all-star when he comes to the postseason. And we've seen this, he's one of the few guys that he takes his playoff numbers to a different level. We've seen some guys maybe average one or two more points. Kevin Aran average one point more in the postseason than he does in the regular season. LeBron, but this guy average like seven, eight, nine points more in the postseason than he does the regular season. So you talk about big game, a big game player. But I just think the thing is they have so much depth now. Now they got valentuners that can come in and give them valuable minutes. They got Bruce, they got Bruce Brown that comes off the bench, plays defense, can knock down threes. Kristen Brown has another Brown, has another year of experience on his belt. I like straight, straight straight straighter. I like Watson. I just like, I just like the pieces that they have now. But like you said, the missing link to everything is Aaron Gordon because Aaron Gordon is going to be responsible for dealing with, with Jorando. He's going to be the guy that when you collapse the pocket that they're going to have to spin the ball and he's going to have to knock down that open three. So I believe he's going to play a big valuable role. I believe he's up to the task and I'm going to take the nuggets. Okay. All right. I understand, you know, nuggets got a championship pedigree. They done been that done that. So you know, they know what it takes, but I don't know. I'm just giving the edge to Minnesota, man. I'm rolling with Timberwolves. I, I feel like a man ain't going to let me down. Oh, he's going to get his. But the question is, if there, before you go, the question is, at man's going to do what he does, at man's going to probably get somewhere between 3035 a night. The question is who's going to come along with him? You run is going to have to probably be something like 20 and 10. McDaniel is going to have probably have to be somewhere between 15 and 20. And he's going to have to do an outstanding job trying to stay in front of Murray, which is easier said than done. Go ahead. What's your point? You write, you write. I just want to hear what you hear what you were going to say, but I'm not sure you want to bet against that man. No, I don't like betting against that man. That's the home team. That's even Georgia boy. But you just bet against you pick the nuggets to win the series. Man, do you see yoke? I mean, the man led the league and rebounding the assists. Oh, Joe, we've never, we've never seen a guy do this before in the history of the NBA in the 80 year history. No guy has ever led the league in those two categories. We've seen guys lead the league and points and rebound and guys have led the league and points and assists. Tiny Archibald led the league in points and assists. He's the only guy to lead the league in points and assists. And we've seen big guys. We've seen will lead the league numerous times. Right. Imports and rebounds, but we've never seen a guy lead. Think about what you have to do in order to lead the league in rebounds and assists. And he did it. Shooting 56% from the floor, which is unheard of. I ain't talking about a guy that just spends all his time. DeAndre Jordan used to shoot 68, 70% from the floor, but they were done to the loves. Yoke is shooting mid middies. He's shooting threes and he's shooting at that percentage. And he gave you on top of that. He gave you 28, 29, 12 and 11. Yeah. Yeah. Hey, hey, look, I always cook go bear. I like I like your argument and you're right. Gordon is definitely the the key factor. But I guess Daniels is the key factor for Minnesota. Okay, Ocho meaning if he plays great basketball, it ain't got to be 2530 at night, but if it can be anywhere efficient, 16 to 22 at night, and you know, he's defending well, I think they are most being possible to beat. It's just he have games where and I'm speaking on McDaniel where he plays great and you it looks like Minnesota is hard to beat. But then he has some games where he kind of disappeared. You like, hold on, you know what I mean? So I think he's the key factor for Minnesota. Ant-Man is going to need McDaniels to play well too. And the funny thing about it is, is Joe, you talk about McDaniel having to play well and sometimes he disappearing. Hey, I think the key factor if Ant-Man kind of get his, I mean, know what Ant-Man is going to do here. We need Julius Randall to always be on point every single night. You really can't have no off nights. Now he got to be 20 and he's going to have to be 20 and 10 in this series. Well, he gonna have they gonna have their hands full will go with Yoke down now. They gonna have their hands full because he always look. The thing is, basically he's got the question is, and this is the dilemma. And Webster defined dilemma is too equally perplexing situation. Would you rather get hit by a dump truck or a Mack truck going 50 miles an hour? There is also saying you just as deep. What is a Mack truck and the other the dump truck? So what do we do, Joe? Do we let Gobert try to deal with this man one on one and let him go get 35, 40? Or do we try to send help and allow me to get 28, 15? You know, in some of those 15 assists, some of those are going to be threes. They're not going to be all twos. They're not going to be all Gordon in the dunker spot, a brown in the dunker spot, getting dunks and layups. Some he's going to swing that ball and some guys are going to be hitting corner threes. Yeah. So that is the dilemma. Do we let him but the quit, but there's the problem as the clippers found out. You might say, OK, let him go get one on one. And now he still gives you 50 and 10. Yeah. Yeah. Well, look, you got to look at it like this. OK, Joe, you know, he's probably more than likely going to get his numbers. Right. You got to know. We get the number. You got to make it as uncomfortable for him as possible. So what you cannot do is get that man a steady died of one look. Yeah. You can't get your kids that, bro. You're going to have to mix it up throughout the game. OK, look, this quarter, we may come on the first dribble. This the next quarter, we may come on the catch. Third quarter, you may have him by yourself. You know what I mean? I feel like you got to keep him guessing just as well as he will keep you guessing on defense. You know what I mean? You're going to have to show him different looks. Never let him get comfortable because he's going to expose you each and every time, especially if he figure out your coverage and you never change it. Man, go ahead. He's going to have one of them 40, 40, 20 and 16 triple doubles. And that ain't what you want, bro. That ain't what you want. On the season, he averaged 28 on 57 percent shooting. He was 38 percent from the three. He averaged 13 rebounds, 11 assists. And go bare because go bare is not the fleet of the foot. So he's going to get go. Go bare is going to have to be trouble. He's got to be careful and not to get him found trouble early. Because Nas read is not big enough in the back pocket to deal with him down on the block. Hey, you know what? Nas read ain't but he got a little bit more mobility to where he can kind of keep him in front. Look, they ain't going to stop him, but they're going to have to make it tough for him. You're going to have to wear it out. You know what I mean? I ain't saying he ain't going to score 30, which he probably will. But at the same time, you got to make him work on defense. Just as much as we're going to offense. You can't let him rest. You let him. But there's a thing how Rudy going to make it work on offense? Well, that's what I mean. No defense. He's going to have to be rim running, playing hard. He's going to be doing a lot. Hey, you know, Rudy, Rudy, Mr. Reininger, 27 to now out the blue. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Oh, no, he's got the one time. I don't know. That was a one time thing. Hey, it was a one time thing. I know you saw what he did with the Lakers. That was a one time thing. Oh, yeah. Hey, Joe, another thing was funny, right? As you talk about having to give Yoko's different looks, you know, and different sets and making it a thinking man's game for him. But the funny thing about it is you think about he played the whole full season, right? Yeah. He seasons. He doesn't see every look possible. And he always has to answer. But every goddamn thing you throw at him is. So I think what Minnesota got to worry about is like, listen, we know he going to get his. We know he's going to get his. We're going to do what we can, but we're going to worry about the other four. We're going to find a way to maintain control of the other four and let him do what he needs to do because there's really no way to stop him. There's really no way to contain him. The only slow him down. You're right, Ocho. Ain't nobody been able to crack the code, but here's the difference in the playoffs. This is the only team that we're playing right now. We're going to have to die sick. Everything that they do offensively and defensively. And we got to make them pay, bro. You know what I mean? Like Minnesota going to have to find they going to find a way to win in Denver. Who got the home court advantage? Denver does, right? Denver, yeah, the three Minnesota, the six. Yeah. So I look forward to seeing Minnesota go in, especially game one, you know, trying to steal the first game, but it's going to be hard to stop. I'm Ocho it is. But I think they going to hone in, you know, more on this series because this is the only team that they're facing right now. So, you know, you after the first game, you'll see some adjustments, you know, depending on how Minnesota plays. But yeah, I definitely think, OK, Ocho, they cannot give yoga just steady died of the same look every play down court. You got to mix it up, bro. The great was going to expose you. The problem that Minnesota potentially runs into, Joe, you say, make it tough on him, try to make it as inefficient as you possibly can. The problem is he's shooting 57 percent. So you say, you know what? We're going to make him shoot five percent less than what he normally shoots. He's shooting 52 percent. So he's still making over half a shot. Most guys shoot in them. They shoot. Let's just say for the sake of argument, they let's they shoot high 40s. And you say, you know what? We're going to make it tough on them. And so we're going to make him inefficient. Now they're in the down there in the mid to low 40s. If you make him shoot five percent less than what he normally shoots, he's shooting 52 percent from the floor. He shoots 38 percent from the three. That is absurd. A man his size. Shooting like that. So when you factor in, he's shooting 38 percent from the three. He's shooting 57 percent from the two. And I just think the thing is, like you said, now the problem, the problem that he has on defense is that he may have to guard Nas' read. Yeah. Because Nas can pull him out to the three point line. He was asked from being under the basket. Now I can pull him out here. Now I can use my quickness and get by it. Because he can't slap. He can't slack off because Nas can knock down the three. Yes. Well, there ain't no just a just show or show or head. No, nothing. You can't do that. You got to get up on him because he can knock down the three. Yeah. Now, now it's going to have to play huge too. But I agree with you. You know, it's going to be tough, you know, trying to stop Yolkich. Me personally, Uncle Ocho, I say start off man up. You know what I mean? Because what you don't want to do, you don't want to get Yolkich 40. And Jamar Murray got 30. And then Gordon got 20. You ain't got a chance of winning like that. You may have a good chance of winning if, you know, Yolkich go for 50. But everybody else, you know, keep a little bit. You keep them low pro. So I don't know. I'm curious to see how Minnesota is going to go and approach this series or how they're going to start off on Yolkich because they understand they got to slow them down some way somehow. Yeah, you're right about that. The next the Lakers take on the Rockets. Five matchup LeBron James without the without he's going to he's the lead dog and what we've seen Joe, he must have heard us being aggressive. There you go. Fifteen shots in the first half. You saw the game before he did what was it? Twenty eight, twelve, twenty eight, thirteen and and and and and seven or eight. Yeah. In the game before that. So we see being in the lead spot that now I got to be aggressive. The system come because I'm I'm when I get down the lane, I'm going to pull coverage, I'm going to drop the ball off the D.A. They're going to come. I'm going to be able to swing the ball. Who do you like in this series and how many games you think it takes? Man, without Luca and A.R. It's just tough, but I know Lakers had a lot of great success against the Rockets this year. OK, yes, they guard Kevin Durant. I haven't seen many teams guard him like that and be successful at the same time. Man. Can Aiden keep this up? Can he continue to give you twenty two and ten a night in a playoff series? He I mean he in order in order for the Lakers to win this series, like I like I've always said, bro, I got to be aggressive. And those other guys are going to have to come along. But can you get this type of production from Rui and and and big Aiden for a playoff series? Because that's what you're going to need to win, bro. They're going to have to be they're going to have to be special. Them two guys are going to have to be special. What you think? If you think about it, what I like, what I like is that is when Luke Canard is aggressive when they try to close out on him, oh, Joe, he ain't just sidestepping, selling for the three, Joe. He put the ball on the floor. He tried to get all the way to the rim. And then when you come, he'll kick it. Yeah, he's been really, really aggressive. And I've never seen and I'm I'm like, damn, bro, you had this in your bag all these years and you just been shooting threes. I've never seen him put the ball on the floor as much as I've seen him put the ball on the floor since he's been with the Lakers. He's normally a spot, a catching shoot or spot up shooter. That's normally what he is. But since he's been with the Lakers, he's been extremely aggressive. Now, Rui shot 44% from the three. He's been he's been aggressive when the Lakers are aggressive and they do a great job of taking care of the basketball because sometimes they can get really sloppy and they have they'll have turnover after turnover after turnover. And they have these laws, Joe, oh, Joe, they have these stretches. Would they go three, four, five minutes in that score? A field goal. You can't have that in the playoffs. You can't have that. LeBron's going to have to go back for so long. He's been in the least. He's been a driver and this season, he wasn't the driver. He wasn't even in the passenger seat. He wasn't even in the cat bird seat. He's riding the bat. In the what? The worst seat? The cat bird seat, which is a favorable position. So he was a Joe, you know, you drive with your homeboy. It is the one out in the winter. We all try to holler at everybody. He ain't got no car. He ain't even a driver seat. He got the one. Hey, what's your name? LaBron. So the bra, they had LeBron in the back. Yeah. But. Unfortunately, Luca got ding, A.R.s ding. And LeBron has been thrust back into that. Now, nobody is nobody in the history of the NBA past the age of 37 has been asked to do more than one LeBron. James, the mere fact that they still have, well, if he got broke, he 41, you never ask guys, what guy that you have that kind of did you have that on? Even when Kareem, I think Kareem won finals MVP. Kareem might have been what, 35, 36. When he won the finals MVP, but it wasn't counting on Kareem to do that. Right. That was magic. That was worthy. And Kareem did that. So now he has all this on his plate. Yeah. It's going to take a herculean ever. It's going to it's going to take guys playing. Above. Rui is going to have to play great every game. L'Ravia is going to have to do a great, do an unbelievable job because I think he and Marcus, Mark is going to have the assignment of dealing with KD and LeBron is going to have to be LeBron is going to have to be 2018 LeBron. I think that is the eight pick. Look, people go back and say, nah, it's 2012, 2013, Braun. I think 2018, Braun was the greatest Braun we had ever seen because you're looking at a guy that averaged 34, eight and eight in the post season with eight 40 point games and he got that team to the NBA finals. He's going to have to be that Joe. Damnless eight years ago. I don't think he can get back to that. I don't know if he can, but he's going to need anything less will be uncivilized. Yeah, that too. Without that Joe, he can't go any further because the Rockets aren't full strength. They got Shungoon. They got KD. They got Thompson. Yeah. We know what a Joe and all was that. He's the chosen one, ain't it? Hey, now Joe. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, but we call him King James for a reason, right? Yeah. Yes. What we can't do is we can't bring in the fact we can't fact in. Oh, he's 41. He's playing. At a high level for a reason. He's LeBron James for a reason. So if he's building the NBA, he's expected to look a certain way. He's expected to play a certain way. Yeah. Well, obviously now unfortunate circumstances have occurred. AR is out and Lucas out. Yeah. Yes. The LeBron to look exactly like he always has. Yeah. What you say, 28, where it was 2018 or whether it's 2013. That's what we're expecting because he's still actually playing basketball even at 41. Yes. You're asking a man that's 41 something in the history of basketball. Nobody else has been asked to do. Well, nobody else had opportunity and nobody else has been King James. Yeah, there's been some 40 year olds. Still for you. See, I think the thing is he that's the thing, Ocho. He's been so great. You've he's been so great for so long. You forget that you and I both know what it's like to be get old. Oh, yeah, I know. I'm with you. I'm with you. You better expand to the people. It is. I don't care who you were. Father time don't wait on you. Because the thing is the problem that it has. OK, when that when we were great as we were starting to age, what we could, what I could do, I'll just speak for me. Yeah, I could give you a Herculean effort, but I'm going to need about three or four weeks before I give you another one as opposed as opposed to when I was in my, you know, when I was in my 20s, I put them back to back. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And they're like, hey, I want that 23 year old channel. He don't exist no more. He don't live here. I don't know what happened to it. I don't know what happened to it later, but he go take this 35 year old and be happy with it. Hey, listen, I agree. I agree with you. He got that he got to be Herculean. And I think he knows that, though. I think he's relishing this moment. And I think he's going to really try and take advantage of it and show people like, man, I must forgot, bro. Yeah, I must. I heard him say he said, man, taking it back to the old days. I heard him say. So I know, you know, he understands and from the past two games, how aggressive he started out the games. I bet yes. Come on. He going to come out guns a blaze and he has to. He has no choice. I'm talking about the playoffs. He got to shoot that thing about 25, 30 times. Easy. Yeah. And the thing is, Joe, as and people like, well, he should just do you understand how much effort it takes to just drive the basketball when you constantly getting beat up, you got to go through there. You got to go through a body. You got to beat one guy and then you get met at the rim. It takes a lot out of you. The same thing with a running back as he started to get old. I can't give him the ball 35, 40 times again. Oh, Joe and Joe back to back to back. Yeah, I could win. We've been in his first or second year. Now he's in his eighth or ninth or tenth year. I can't give him the ball like that. I can't, but I'm going to have him down the stretch. You know, you know, LeBron has played so long. He's going to know when he needs to insert himself. He's going to know when he needs to be aggressive. I think he's going to pick and choose those moments when he needs to do what? Oh, for sure. I'm going to base it off how everyone else is responding in game. Yeah. That that's all. I mean, that that's all. But the way he the way he came out tonight. It's the other night also. Yeah. I'm talking over the thing. I'm talking about Mr. Make, though. OK, I don't care if he has first four or five shots. He just keep letting it go, Joe. He just shoot the next five. I stress the defense though. He just made his last four or five. That's what I'm saying. Yeah, he got to let it go. Yeah. But the thing that that he does so well, that he's probably done better than anybody in the history of the game is that he can control the game. He's going to dictate the speed in which the game is going to be played at. He's not going to let you just get up and down. Because guess what? He'll walk the ball up. I'm not going to listen. I'm not going to get into a race with fairbreds, when that's not what I have to run with on my side. There you go. So I'm going to control the pace. If he has to. OK, yeah. If there if there's an opportunity to get a transition bucket. OK, fine. But we're not just going to get up and down. We're not going to get in that. OK, we put you. Let's let's let's see how well you can mentally function. Running your half court set over and over and over and over and over again. Because in football, what we try to do, minimize the big plays. Yeah, what? How did the Giants beat the Patriots? They minimize the big play. They didn't let Randy get over the top. Yeah. If you're a big play offense, OK, instead of getting one or two plays in your ass in the end zone. Doing that, let's see if you could do that. Let's see if you could do the same thing, Hocho. If you take you to a 13 place, because I believe you'll make a mistake if you have to consistently do that as opposed to give you one to big strikes over the top. So he's going to control the tempo. That's what he's always been good at. Are you? And they're going to try to speed him up. They're going to try to coach them and let's run. Hey, no, we don't need to do that. Hey, and then and then you got to look at it from this side. We get two of the top 10 scores in NBA history against each other again. Yep. And the rent and LeBron James. Yeah, man, this is this is going to be a great series. I'm I'm I think I hope. I hope the Lakers can get two games, bro. I hope I just think I don't know. I mean, Brungo had to be so great just to keep them around because I just Houston is a juggernaut. They got a bunch of young guys who could play. They I feel like they're going to take advantage of the moment playing at home, getting a chance to. Oh, no, the Lakers got the home court event. They got home court. They might have a good chance. Yeah, have a good chance. You can't. Hey, look, I tell you what, if you the Lakers, you can you got to win both of these games at home. Yes, two. Because Houston coming in, they coming in to disrupt something. Yeah. So hold on. Hold on, Joe. Let's let's be clear now. Uncle, you got this series now. You got obviously, you know, I'm going for the Lakers. Oh, you got Joe. Oh, Joe. I'm proud. I'm going. I'm probably going to go with Houston. I ain't gonna lie to you. I'm going to go Houston. I think I think singoon, bro. Singoon. I don't know how in hell they gonna stop him. Man, Deondre Aiden, for the habit out of body experience, what you mean? How they gonna stop him? Huh? Man, Aiden, I'm going to give you 20, 25, 25 a night. Hell, I don't even believe that. No. I'm just hoping I'm just hoping I just wanted to catch the ball. If you catch the ball, he might give us 20 10. We're here with 20 10. He been with 18 12. He been kissing in the past couple of games. He he in playoff mode. He ready. The mere fact that y'all got me trying to put my faith and confidence in this man. Till you should tell y'all a lot. What other choice? What other choice you got? Well, no choice. Y'all at home. Y'all got home. Quarter Venice. Guys to be more careful. I want to be the first game. I kind of if anybody if anybody could do it, go James. Go I tell you what, I just need somebody to give me a game. Go James to do the rest. OK, somebody give me a game. Somebody have a lot about Luke and are go go six for 10 from the three. L'eravia have have a have a game. I'm going to need somebody, somebody to give me a game. Hold on, Joe. Go James. What's up? I don't think I just hit you now. What? Make it light on yourself. What you trying to do? You got the Lakers. With me? Yeah. I mean, honestly, I ain't really got no horse in this race, but whoever you got, I'm a picked opposite just so we can push it down on. Who you got? I got I got Houston Game One. We can let go game to game. Game to game. OK, let me get easy, though. That's easy. That's easy. I got Houston Game One. OK, I got I got the Lakers. There you go. That's what I'm saying. Oh, Joe, I'm with you. Hey, hey, hello. Hello, you got you know, he's Jack is here. You got that man right with you. Come on, man. You got he got he got it. He got it. The perfect. He got a purple tonight. So he got to be Lakers. What are we talking about? Hey, Joe, how much we talking, Joe? So I know how much to put aside. And we ain't got a big number like a little honey. Just a friendly bit. Oh, Joe, I ain't trying to break your pocket. By one night, a little friendly bit. I appreciate that. But Joe, I'm not one who pockets you could break. But I mean, I mean, I understand. I understand. I understand. My bad. I mean, the word like that. I don't really tolerate a disrespect, though. OK, OK, I see. I see. I see. Little friendly. OK, the playoffs, the number seven matchup, sixes versus the magic. The winner goes to the number seven seed and they play the number two seed, which is the Boston Celtics. Oh, seven. And so the loser now they'll wait. The the winner, the winner of the Hornets Heat matchup. So who you got? Who you got in the? I forgot to ask you guys who you got in the play? Who you got in the? What the plan? The several. So Phoenix Portland, they kick it off. Who you got, Joe? You got Phoenix or you got Portland? I got Phoenix. Phoenix. Hell, I think they healthy now. Yeah, I'm not mistaken. But I got Phoenix. I don't know how they dropped all the way down to what is what spot they on. Seven, they play they play. They're the seven and then Portland eight. Yeah, I got I got Phoenix. I got Phoenix being poor. I know Portland been, you know, despite everything that went on the shit, they didn't play pretty good basketball. But I got I got Phoenix beating them. OK, Clippers Warriors. Clippers, what you mean? Who? They ain't got enough firepower over there and down in the bay. No, no, they got chef's death. Outside of Kauai, what the clip is got? I know they got a little Darius Garland to buy. Yeah, it's a toss up to me. What are they playing in LA? They're playing into it. I probably am a go Clippers. I got Clippers. I got Clippers. See, told you. Come on. Who you got, Joe? You got you take Clippers off. I said a clip right away. Yeah, I'm going to try a little also. Damn, boys. Can't believe we better get chef's death. Man. He's going to do. He can't do it all by himself. He's going to try. He's going to make you think he can. You get out there and get the cooking. All right, Joe. So in the seventh seed matchup, you got Sixers Magic. Who you got? I'm going Sixers, bro. I don't think MB playing, but I don't even care about that. Because I like how Edgecomb and Maxi play when MB. We got in there. Yeah. And because they got they got backup bigs who can. You know, they're not going to put up MB numbers, but they're going to play hard. They're going to do their job. And I think they got enough. They got enough guys on the perimeter who can score the basketball to where I feel like they can be the Orlando Hornets. He. Come on, Joe. Make the right decision now. Oh, Joe, I like. Oh, Joe. Joe, Joe, don't do that. You used to bet in Jersey, Joe. Oh, Joe, I know. I ain't look I'm a part of a decision. You're not going to be able to come back to Miami. Be careful. I'm a part of he culture, but boy, I like them Hornets, man. I ain't going to lie to you. OK, Joe, them boys balling, man. Hey, maybe let that three ball go. Hey, I'm going to nipple and mellow finish one, two and threes to 73 to 272. She give me the Hornets, bro. Let's go, Hornets. I knew you were going to do that. Yeah, now, boy, boy, we bet. We bet on that game. We bet on that game. I can't. You know, I'm going with the heat now. Now, I see the mellow. Nigga, a passing of goddamn tools going out to the goddamn three. Had a layup. He don't pass on the tools. He passed the layup. Went to the three anyway. But you know, Joe, let's make it light. I'm going to heat no matter what. OK. Don't care what it was playing. But we can make it a light, not a hundred. So I bet. I'm 200 in the hole right now. Bad, bad, bad. Yeah, yeah. Hey, listen, man, mellow after he playing a video game seemed like they ain't look. Look, they got some talent. They got they they got some nice young talent who can explode. And I think they're going to play well in this play in. I'm like, hey, the one that's been hoping. They got they shoot that three ball, man. Really well. They can shoot you out of the building from the three. They get and they got like five, six guys that can easily on a given night make eight threes. You got Lamello. You got Knipple. You got Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges. You got Kobe White. Kobe White came in and they gave another 19 off the bench. Man, they. Oh, I think I think the most underrated thing about the Hornets now only can they shoot the three and they got some guys who can do it at a high cliff. But all of those same guys, OK, they can go off the bounce. Knipple. Yes, off the bounce. Yeah, look and go off the bounce. Bridges can go off the bounce. I ain't talking about just to create for themselves. Like they create for others to which makes them so difficult to guard and it seems like they enjoy playing one another. Their games complement each other. You know what I mean? I think and they got some hardworking big down there. Yeah. Yeah, they they're going to make some noise, bro. Hey, a statistically right. We as many threes as they do put up as many three point shooters as the Hornets have. What do they compare like when it comes to the Celtics with the threes that they put up a game? It's close. The Celtics made twenty nine and made twenty what twenty nine threes today, twenty five, twenty six, twenty nine threes today. Basically shoot at the same clip, basically. Yeah, yeah, they get in the month. Both of them try to get up fifty again. Rural Britain, is there any greater value out there than giga clear full fiber from only 19 pounds a month? It's out of this world. Speed and reliability, vast upload and downloadiness right here in rural tranquility. Saturn dreams. Is that a bull? Giga clear, fast for broadband for rural Britain from only 19 pounds a month. These it sees apply. Eighteen month contract prices may rise during contract. Check availability at giga clear dot com. He. Hello. Yeah, I don't know if he got no five power. Joe, Joe, don't do that, Joe. I'm just keeping it. I said, I don't know. I don't think they can prove me wrong, but I'm just saying, I don't know. I know, bam, he won for 83 now. But hey, we bet on the first game. Now we talk about a series. Now we bet we've been the first game. Oh, yeah, well, you lost that. You know, we we're going to play them one game. That's not going to be no series with Miami. That's a one game to go on to see who get the seven spot. That mean I'm going to have two hundred dollars, basically. They playing in Charlotte. What that mean? What we talking about the heat? What? What they mean? OK. They the last person that played for the heat that didn't believe in us. You know what happened? Why haven't you? You lost. What you lost? Who I lost to. I'm telling you from the lose right now. And I'm not saying I'm clear. I'm not I'm not saying I can tell the future, but I'm just telling you. Pat Riley's heat. Sposiers heat is going down to Charlotte. Wait, the hornets in Charlotte. Yeah, yes. All right. Matter of fact, let's make it two hundred. Bet it. Make it two hundred. That's how confident that's how confident I am in your team. Bet it. Bet it. That's how confident I am in my city. Bet it. Bet it. Bet it. So what you call them? The Hornets made the most threes this year. Yeah. Hey, oh. Threes per game. They make about six little about 16 and a half threes per game. They made 13 they made 1300 threes. Hey, hey, they say it's a sucker born every minute. We're on a weekend. Oh, Joe, what's up, baby? Oh, hey, hey, just to show you just to show you how serious I am. Matter of fact, you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to see you my money ahead of time. No, no, no, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You mean I that when? No, no, no, no, no, no, I'm going to see I'm going to see my 200 right now. So don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, like that. No, no, wait, let's let the get let the get. I want you. I want you to send me 400 back. I don't know where I'm from. We don't do business like that. Like, okay, okay. Hold on. I just don't want you to say, oh, here you go. He on pay. He on pay. So I'm going to send it to you early. Yes. You try to get you to burn the money, Joe. No, I don't know what he's trying to do. Not a I mean, I just want to see more come to me. That's all. Man. Hey, you don't even believe in yourself, huh? Hey, look, sorry to tell you, bro. Hey, you got your phone on you? The six, the sixers in the Eastern Conference, seven, eight between the magic. The loser will wait the winner of the heat horny. Same thing with the in the Western Conference, Portland Phoenix play the winner is the seven seed. They play the the San Antonio Spurs, the loser awaits Golden State LA Clippers. Yeah. Yeah. Who do we like? Okay. Sixers magic. You Joe, you say you like six. Yeah. Joe, I mean, oh, Joe, who you like? Sixers or magic? I like like six, too. I like six. I you know, you know, yeah, I like sixers. Hey, Joe, what happened if in B play? Everything changed, especially Maxi numbers. He's not playing. No, he's he's got a serious injury. Yeah, he got a penicillin. So Joe, remember he had his appendix taken out. But you only told me that was a few days now. No, it no few days. That's a thing that went from 10 to 14 days. Okay. And they play what wins it Tuesday? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He's gonna be gone for a minute. Yeah. Maxi Maxi finna go crazy about 30. Okay. Okay, Joe. Okay, Joe. The Hawks and the Knicks. Knicks. What? That was quick. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, you bet. Hold on. You betting against big, big body brunson. I got the house all day long. I don't care who the house was playing. I think they could beat anybody. I got the whole. You see, you see how he is. I got the whole. Now you're delusional like I was. I ain't no delusional. Ain't no delusional. I'm just keeping 100. Oh, Joe. So why you ain't keeping 100 when we talked about the goddamn heat just now? Well, I did keep 100. I'm going with the hornets. Okay. Hey, check your phone real quick, man. Nah, don't say me nothing, bro. Send it back to me. Hey, Joe Dirty. That's your guy, Joe. Joe, he's trying to get you to burn the money. Man, what? You touched the money, Joe. What's wrong with it? Hey, hey, God, Joe. Send it to me. Joe Dirty, boy. Hey, hey, oh, oh, he trying to put that candy wrap around my head like on some type of stuff. No, no, no, no, Joe. No, no, no. I'm, I'm, I'm letting you hold the money, Joe. I'm cool. I don't need to hold the money. Let the game happen, baby. When the game happened and we win. Hey, you don't believe in yourself? Hey, I got, I got the hogs beating the nicks. Is it going to be a tough task? Yes, it's going to be a tough task. But I think we got guys who are very hungry. We have a team that's very, I want to say unpredictable as far as like how you can game plan for them because we can beat you in so many ways. You can't load up on nobody. You ain't, you know, we got so many guys who play make who can shoot the ball who can score the ball. Who going to defend at a high level? I think we're going to be able to cause heavy. The thing is, we're going to have to slow Brunson down. That's period point blank. That's the head of the snake. We slow Brunson down. We're going to be all right. We give ourselves a chance. Well, I'm, I'm, I'm pretty sure Dyson Daniels going to start out on Brunson. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. He's a big, he's a big long guy, six, seven. And he's going to have to, because the thing is, you look at Brunson and you like, oh man, he's, yeah, but he's got a body that can play through contact. Yes. There you go. Like a little pit. Yeah. He's got a body that can play through contact. People look at his size, but he put together now. Yeah. And so he going to take contact. He's going to initiate contact and all he wants is a little separation so he can get that shot off. Yeah. He's really crazy. I don't know what it is. I think it's just like, I've never seen a left handed ball, a Hooper that wasn't crafty. You're right. You look at James Harden. You look at a Chironis Marcellonis. You look at Malu Genobely. You look at Brunson. Look at all Nate Arch. Look at, go back and study the left-handed player and all of them. Yeah. Oh, I don't know how y'all do that. They got some craftiness to the game. They do. You're right. Hey, you're right. Because his body, he built for the BS that you're going to throw at it. Meaning you want to play physical. Okay. I'm built for that. You know, he going to post up. He going to be in the picking row. He going to be all over the damn court, but we got to make it tough. He got to see bodies, you know, show hands because he going to flare once you do try to create some contact with him. You know how it is. He going to flare a little bit, but we, I think we should be able to handle all that. And plus, Joe, you got to keep him out the free throw line. Yeah. Because he can be inefficient, but go and go to the free throw line and shoot 15 free throws. Yeah. Yeah. He's another, he's going to get his shots. Yeah. So if you think, oh, man, he ain't going to take with 10 shots. Bull jive. He going to be somewhere between 15 and 20. He might be, you might be able to pencil him in somewhere between 18 and 27 shots a game. Come post season. He's getting his shots up. You're right. You're right. Hey, Uncle Joe, I'm going to need the cat to get off that three point line. Who? Good luck. No, no, no, no, no. Don't tell him to get off the damn three point line. Now let him stay his ass out there. I'm being serious. I am too. That's like, oh, Joe, that's like telling him a pigeon in New York to get off the window. See you. He there all the time. You ever see the pigeon? Not a shoe. He could right back. So you turn it around. He could right back get right back where he was. I need, I need him to assert himself down in the block, down in the post, whether it's high or low, and search yourself there. And then once you become efficient at that point, then if you want to go out there to the three, if you want to do your MIDI and do whatever you need to do, I can do that. Then do that. Hey, I mean, they ain't got nobody big but a conglue. Who the other big they got? Joe Atlanta. No, no, no, you a look, you're on your right. I think we don't. We outside of Conkel. We just signed the kid from Indiana. I play with him in Utah. I forgot his name, big kid. Oh, yeah, the kid from North Carolina. Bradley. Yeah, Bradley. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We just signed him because we're going to need the body. That's the one thing that New York kind of scares me because of that paint presence that they have with Mitchell Robinson. They got Mitchell Robinson. You know, Mitchell Robinson, they ain't looking to do nothing but grab some rebuttal, grab the board. They're going to give him multiple second chance points. Second chance opportunity. Excuse me. I just watched, you know, we just played the next, probably about a week or so ago and Mitchell Robinson killed us. He killed us. So I'm sure that's going to be in the back of these guys. My biggest thing about this whole series, Uncle Ocho, the leap that we have to see Jalen Johnson make in order for us to make it to the next round, meaning because he's going to have to play a lot of the fourth spot and we're going to need him to rebound. We're going to need him to defend. We're going to need him to do every damn thing, score, playmate. He's going to have to do everything. So I'm looking forward for his numbers to be real, got in this first, first round playoff series against the Knicks because outside of that, it's going to be tough. It's going to be tough on us, bro. He's going to have to deliver for us. Yeah, you definitely, because you definitely don't want to lose the rebounding it. I mean, you're probably going to lose it because they're, they're a big team and they're looking to crash the board because you got a guy like Josh Hart can give you 10 rebounds. We know Kat just by, just by size alone, Mitchell Robinson is looking to do nothing but rebound and defend. Yeah, he'll roll to the basket, but he's looking there to defend the paint and rebound the basketball. Yeah. Yeah. And there's another thing that worries me is that I know the Knicks got home court advantage for hell. When they come here and play Atlanta, man, it's going to be so many damn New York fans in there. It's going to be number one. I'm like, oh my God, man, you know, that came down, Joe. They don't have to sit there. They're left. They can't move to Atlanta, but they still got ties to the next. They still love the Knicks. Man, it was bad by the week. I'm talking about in state for Marina, bro. It was nothing, nothing but Knicks fans. I couldn't believe it. So I know it's going to be, they're going to pack it. They're going to pack us out, but we got to some way somehow we got to get through this. So what we got? What we got on that? Which one? Another little hunting on that? Yeah. So you want me to send another hundred to you? Nah, let me put this in my nose. I got to put this in my nose. I got to put this in. Yo, don't be, don't send me no money, bro. No. I don't know. I don't know what account that stuff going to. I don't know, but it ain't mine. I'm saying don't send me nothing. I'm cool. Hold on. It said you registered with Zip. No, no, no. Hold on. That one you? No, that one me, bro. Oh, hold on. Let me stop that payment. Yeah. Yeah. Slow that down. Maybe late. Yeah. Now I say went through. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Hey, yoga, yoga LLC. That's you. Hey, that's you. Hey, you got a tear, bro. I'm gonna see you. Hey, hey. You're gonna send him another hundred, Ocho? Yeah. I'm on new excuses. You know what? And I'm playing my, I really blame myself even dealing with this joker. Like, you know what I'm saying? I should never gotten a car with this joker. I don't even know why I'm messing with it. Joe, I'm just, I'm not finna play, but I ain't finna play about no money. So I'm sending it to you ahead of time so you can send me. But who does that, Ocho? Who pays before the game even has that's how confident that's how confident I am in my teams that I'm picking. You're not confident. You just said it yourself. What happened to State Farm Arena? The last time Atlanta Hawks played the next. What happened? So you think that seven game series going to be any different? Some delusion. That's being naive. Somebody better than that. Somebody please help this man. Oh man. Listen, y'all wanted me to get in the basketball. Let me do it now. I'm ready. Come on. Because you got money on so you got to watch the game. Hey, I'm in. I'm in. You got to watch the game. Listen, I'm gonna be on here talking like I'm Doris Brook or George Sardano. During the 2023, 2023, 24 season, the Pistons finished with the worst record in franchise history, 14 and 68. Two seasons later, Detroit finished 16, 22. The third 60 wins season in franchise history. Joe is Detroit basketball. Are they back? Yeah, yeah, they back. Detroit back. And listen, they're back. They got a lot of guys obviously who can play, but they're gritty, they tough blue collar hardworking cats who gonna defend at the highest level. And man, they've been playing great basketball. Even when K has been out, bro, they got guys that play. Yeah, they come out the bitch Jenkins. Yes. I don't know where he came from, but boy, when I tell y'all he been hoping man, he been balling. These guys have played significant minutes when K has been out. So I feel like they ready for the moment for sure. Good. Yeah, they definitely back. I mean, they look you draft K number one overall, you get Thompson, you get during the eight and they got got they brought back Tobias, Karris Laverg, they go get Duncan Robinson, they get work. They get guys that can knock down the threes. They defend as you said, Joe, they defend at an elite level. Yeah. But they're protecting the paint. They got guys that can pick you up. And so yeah, I think they're back. I think I think they're back. But do I? It's just hard. It's great if they play in the 60 wins or 60 wins. It's just hard for me to see them beating Boston in seven games. I know, man. It'll be a tough challenge for them, but I think they have a shot in the dark. They really have a they really have a shot. I think they've been the best team in the East. Obviously, Boston just getting back for full throttle with Tatum coming back. Yes, it's going to be tough to beat them. But I think Detroit can do it. And then Joe, man, Detroit, you see, hold on. I think Boston made like 29 threes today. I guess, I guess Orlando didn't and they and they didn't even have none of these starters out there for real. I'm almost certain they did because they was a because I glanced up. Hey, Joe, what's that? That guy got them. Can I have a boy? Boy, he nice boy. He's real nice. Nice. Man, they got Harper. Ron. Yeah, Shaman. Joe, you got Shaman hit another one. That boy had Ron Harper Jr. had 27. Luke Gro. Garza had 27. So they made 8 11 12 13 16. They were they were 1950 from the three with backups. They got a deep team, man. They got a lot of guys who could play. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I mean, Garza gave him 27 10 of 18. Ron Harper Jr. 27 10 of 20. Shaman 30 8 of 20 8 of 20 6 of 14. Yeah. And you know, you know, them the hardest teams to play against guys who you don't really game plan for. Okay. No, you know, you don't really. So you like, okay, we're just going to see what they're going to do. So they came out all them three guys and gave you 30 on crazy. Yes. And so that's what makes them dangerous. Yeah. Okay. CH