An NBA Playoffs Check-in

The NBA Playoffs have had it all so far, and last night's games were no different. We break down the Wolves win over the Nuggets, applaud the Knicks for accepting the surrender of the Atlanta Hawks, and are getting our couch cushions ready for a very interesting Game 7 with the Celtics and Sixers. 

Host: JJ Smith

Producer: JJ Smith

Sponsored by ________________. (Your name here.) 

Made in Phoenix, Arizona @Magnetry Studios

https://nicej.buzzsprout.com

Nice J is a basketball pod for hoopers.  A hoops pod for basketball fans. 

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:14

Alright, everybody, this is the Nice Jay podcast. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Nice Jay, and admittedly, it has been a minute since we lasted a pod. Obviously, this is the first season of the podcast. We're gonna chalk the last few uh months up to being a little too busy to work. That's not to say I've not been keeping up with all things, NBA playoffs and all that. On the contrary, just haven't had time to sit down and put my thoughts down or have been pushed to do it by what's on the court. And then I had to do one. So uh last night the games were a little crazy between the the Knicks putting up 50 on the Hawks um and uh the T-Wolves kind of closing out their business against the Nuggets, and that's the one I want to talk about. I have always recently last three or four years really

That Wolves D

SPEAKER_00 1:08

appreciated what the Wolves do and what their potential is. They don't always reach it, but their defensive intensity and the way they can attack an offense. I mean, the single-handedly, the best defensive game I had seen in the last 20 years in EMBA uh last in last year's playoffs. This year, you know, they've been giving the Nuggets all they can handle. Both teams a little bit under undermanned, you know. They have some some big injuries out. Uh obviously, Anthony Edwards, DiVincenzo uh got hurt last night. Uh, you know, the Nuggets didn't have Gordon. Um I think there's there's someone else that'll come to me, but not a full lineup on on either side. But that's not to say it still wasn't an intense battle. Uh Rudy Gobert, this this uh series has been incredible against Joker. I mean, I I think Joker's kind of tilted the scales a little bit back to even the last game and a half or so, but Gobert did what he needed to do. Uh last night, uh McDaniels, who has always been, you know, a real real long defensive menace, you know, kind of a 3nd guy, though not maybe the the greatest three-point shooter. When he plays the Suns, man, he just gives Booker all he can handle. He's just a really great defensive guy. And then of course last night he was like, Yeah, you know, but I can also drop 32 and uh win a decisive game. The fact that they won this game in six and not seven without Edwards and Di Vincenzo is kind of crazy. Uh, I don't know if you're the nuggets, you look at this and go, our linchpin might just be Aaron Gordon. Uh, that he might make everything work for them. Uh, they just didn't have anything without him. Whereas the wolves were like, uh, you know, it doesn't really matter who's hurt, uh, we're just gonna keep coming back. Last night they didn't have Dasanu, who was the pickup, uh, free agency pickup uh that scored 43 in the series in one game. So, you know, the the wolves were missing a lot of players too, um, and and probably no more important than Anthony Edwards, but they were able to figure it out. And I, you know, that's probably uh part coaching, you know. I think Chris Finch is a really good coach. Uh, if you watch some of the the sets that they're running and how they attack defense, their scheming's really good. I think their plan for this series was be super physical on the guards, harass Murray. Obviously, you have uh someone who can get up into Joker's business. I don't know how Gobert didn't foul out every game playing that tough, but it they you know they allowed the physicality both ways, and Gobert took advantage of it, really got into uh just every time Joker got the ball, Gobert was in his space and like right up into his business, and really impressive. Just a really great, great series for the Wolves. I I think from a coaching standpoint, but also sometimes you can see a team that has a lot of chemistry, and you're like, oh, you know, they but you can have good chemistry on a bad team. It's not common, but you can everybody can like each other and still just not um you know do really well or have a lot of success in the playoffs. I think this year's Sun's team probably has a lot of great chemistry, just not good enough, right? But when you see everybody showing up to the game in DiVincenzo's jersey uh on a team that is, I'd say overperforming a little bit, but that's been maybe not overperforming. They've been overperforming for four years. So at some point they're just performing. But when you see that chemistry on a team and the distance they're putting on what was one of the contenders, I think certainly most people pick the nuggets to win this and move on to the Spurs. When you see it, you're like, uh, that that chemistry can make a big difference. These guys like each other, and certainly they appreciate how hard DiVincenzo plays. When you play that hard, you at least earn the respect of your teammates. There's there's no doubt about it. So that was that was really interesting. But uh the coaching was was better. Um Gobert outplayed Joker at least on the one end of the court. I don't I don't think necessarily Joker played great defense on the Wolves, so I mean he's never been a great defensive player, in my opinion. Everybody wants to talk about his MVP, but a lot of these MVPs these days are one-way MVPs. And uh that's my big uh complaint with the with the Shea and Donchitz and Joker uh three, you know, those three, man, the defense is rough, sometimes worse than rough. Um I would say the only you know, Jonas is probably the the difference, you know. His defense is pretty pretty solid, so um, and he didn't have the year, so I guess who are you gonna go with MVP? Who's gonna who are you gonna pick below that? So the Wolves uh outcoached him, outplayed him. Uh McDaniels, I think the the greatest thing for me is a lot of times when you run your mouth, you end up eating it. But uh McDaniels basically came out and said of the Nuggets, they're all bad defenders. Go at Joker, go at Jamal, all the bad defenders, the whole team, they don't got people who can defend the rim. And guess what? McDaniels went out there and put it to him. Uh the the I think it was uh game four, maybe game five, uh, where he went and at the end of the game, you know, kind of put a layup in, which is sort of that unwritten rule of you know, the game's over, the game's in hand, you don't need to run up the score or anything, which admittedly is silly, but it is definitely a rule uh on most levels. And he put that bucket in and got and and Joker got in his face and he didn't back down. McDaniels didn't back down in the game. Uh it was the Wolves were tougher and they had more resiliency, and I think they just had a deeper team that was also fully experienced as a unit. Like they've been pretty consistent for I don't know, four or five years that lineup. I don't have to look at the contracts and see how they're doing it and see if they can continue to do it. But that that's a team that's played together for a while now. Um, with you know, one or two new pieces coming in. You can kind of create that consistency with the core group. Really big series win for the T-Wolves. We shouldn't be surprised, they're doing it every every postseason. Um, maybe they get Edwards back, uh, maybe they get Banu back. Uh they're gonna be really tough. I I think earlier I was thinking that the Nuggets would be a better matchup for the Spurs, and I certainly thought that maybe before the series started. And perhaps that's still true. Um, I'm maybe I'm talking myself into can I watch this series and and not be disappointed? I think the Wolves, if Gobert can match up and sort of do what he was trying to do to Joker, I mean Wentby's a different player, he's faster, uh, you know, I think plays even more on the perimeter, just stretches everything out more, obviously defensively, significantly better. Uh, you know, can can can they contain him on the offensive side enough? I think they have the athleticism to match up with the with Castle and some of the other Spurs young guys with Fox. You know, I think they I think they can I think they could beat up Fox a little bit. I think they could attack Castle. Castle's not gonna step down either. He he that McDaniels Castle matchup is gonna be super interesting, so maybe that's what we need to focus on. Um, and then we'll see. I I don't really I don't really know if the health issues are gonna, you know, kind of be apparent in that series against the Spurs or if they can kind of rally. Hopefully they get Edwards back. Uh it'll be interesting, but McDaniels and uh Castle, that'll be an interesting one for sure. Um we'll have to watch that one lineup. But man, a great, great series for the Wolves. They've been doing it every season every season in the in the playoffs. Really, really impressive, super fun. Uh the other

The Hawks Surrender

SPEAKER_00 9:29

one, the the crazy one, and I I didn't get to see this one until later. Uh my son had a baseball game and I was watching the score, and I I thought there was a mistake. Like uh the Knicks were up, you know, uh, I think 49 in the second quarter or something like that, and it was just destruction. Um just a crazy win for the Knicks. But they did, you know, they closed it out, they did what they needed to do. It seemed like the Hawks, you know, I think they were up 11 to 9. Um, but after after that, it was it was kind of over. They waved the white flag, and uh that was my first thought. I was like, that's not a loss, that's a surrender. But then I saw Kenny on the uh I think it was halftime or post-game show, kind of waving, literally waving the flag. I'm like, yeah, that's what it felt like. It was it was okay, we're good. We're we'll go to Cancun. I think it's been a nice season, everybody out on the Hawks side, which is super disappointing. Uh but you know, understandable, the Knicks came out and and did their business. They had this one play they kept running. Uh they would they would get uh towns on the wing at the three-point line and do a back screen, and it was open every time. Every time that screener from the from the the corner would would go to the hoop and the dunker spot and be open on that pass from the wing and back screen over and over and over and over again. And you I I knew the outcome of the game before I'd watched it, but that play was like, uh, if you can't stop that, it's it's pretty bad. And kudos to the Knicks, they just kept going to the well. Hey, it's working, we're just gonna keep doing it. We'll do it on this side, we'll do it on the other side, we'll do it in this quarter, we'll do it in the second quarter. Gotta stop it. Uh the Hawks had no interest in stopping it. So really interesting matchup there as well in the East. One of the little things for us. Uh Suns fans, you know, we kind of, you know, I've watched Mikhail Bridges. Obviously, you know, everybody wished he was on the team still, I think. I'm glad they traded for Drean. I think it was worth a shot, but whatever. Um he has never really been used well with the Knicks. I don't know. I was hoping with Mike Brown it would get better. He ends up just standing around a lot, but it was kind of cool on Thursday to see Mikhail just, you know, playing really well. You know, he had, I think, 24 and 10 for 12 shooting, which he's capable of every night. That's kind of what he was doing for the Suns. About mid-20s, pretty efficient. Um, you know, getting that little MIDI jumper going. He can then he works his way out to three. Uh and then when the defensive collapse or doesn't close out or closes out too hard on the three, he'll go to the hoop. So that's that's what his game is. I would like, I think if they can get bridges contributing and into the offense more, they're really tough because they got Brunson with all the footwork in the paint. They they've got Cat, who's a really tough big to guard. Then they they've got a pretty solid defensive roster. Um, I I think the NBA is more interesting when the Knicks are good. I was happy to see them kind of take care of business with the Hawks and not let that go longer. Um, and now the Knicks get to sit around and watch

Sixers Force a Game 7 Vs Celtics

SPEAKER_00 12:45

the uh Celtic Sixers game to see who they play, which was also kind of nutty. The fact that the Sixers with Embiid and a rejuvenated Paul George and VJ just, you know, basically forcing their will against the Celtics last night. Now there's there's a game seven. So the Knicks get that winner. Uh we hope that, or at least I hope, that Tatum's not his, I think it was other leg, his calf, and his other leg uh was kind of gimpy in that game. So I hope that that's not a serious thing. Man, you hear calf injury this year, and it's it's been a bloodbath in the NBA with calf injuries. And I personally had a calf injury myself, so I think it's going around. I was playing uh, us filling in on our basketball team's practice uh five on five full court. We had nine guys, so I was you know just sort of running with them. Pulled up my calf, so it's it's going around. It hurts. Haven't been able to run for a while. Um, that was in uh I think late January. So calf injury's going around. Hope Tatum's better. It will be really, a really interesting game seven. Uh can the Celtics do what they've done all season, which is just kill you from three and have a good shooting night. If they don't, it could definitely swing the other way. If they can hit from three, they're gonna be fine. They're gonna take care of the Sixers, I think. But watch that three-point percentage. I don't think at this point they can play a different game. I think they're gonna win or lose from three, and I think that's how it's gonna be. Um, but that those are the interesting things from last night's playoff games. I don't want to go on too long, but man, those those three games really interesting. Uh super cool to see the wolves take care of business. I man, I I I appreciate Joker a lot, and I appreciate the Nuggets somewhat. Um, I don't like them though. So I'm kind of glad that um they get knocked out. I'd I'd like I'd like I'd vote for Joker as the best player in the league when he plays better defense, period. That's just how I feel about it. That maybe, maybe I'm wrong, maybe I just miss his great defensive impact. But um, you you'd have to give me Jonas over some of these like lazy defensive players that just sit back and put all their energy into offense. Like it's just no thanks. I'm just not my thing. Um and I guess the one thing we can talk a little bit more about before we go is because I haven't is Shay, you know. So I I've been posting a little bit on Instagram as as the games go on. You know, the Suns were outmatched, they had a bunch of injuries too. At full speed, the Suns were gonna be lucky to get a game. You know, maybe they could hope for two, but they they weren't it, they didn't have Mike Williams. Uh Grayson Allen was out for a bunch of that series. Uh, you know, they're their best, ironically, their guard that uh gets a ton of offensive rebounds for them and hustle plays. Good one, uh, who turned it has turned into just a great linchpin for that team, uh, was out. Uh it just it was going to be a hard roadho for them against that really super deep thunder team. But uh,

The Free-Throw Merchant

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you know, everybody, of course, has talked you know last year about the the foul baiting and Shea. And I I gotta say, like that this year, such a big turnoff. You know, he does I will say he's super smart with how he does it. You know, he'll he'll kind of wing the defender's arm in against his body and as if he's being held, and he'll he'll push off and kind of grab the player and reach around. He he does this uh, you know, you're not allowed to like reach back behind the defensive player as you go around them and spin. But he and usually that's called like in the around the baseline, it's pretty obvious around the baseline because you're either you're gonna be out of bounds if you go the other way, so it's like pretty obvious call. But in the open floor, they just don't call it, and it's like the same thing, it's the same illegal move maneuver from an offensive player. But he has like five or six of those that he does, he falls like a leaf on every play. It it's it's unwatchable, and that and that guy is obviously one of the best players in the league, for sure. But you also can't deny that he's getting 10 points a game that most other players don't get. So, you know, if he's a 30-point per game player, well, he's a 20-point, and there's there's a hundred twenty-point per game players in the NBA. It's not it's not special. So I don't know. I don't like it. Um, I I don't think it's good for the game. I think the way they call his game is particularly bad. Uh, it doesn't go both ways, or it certainly hasn't didn't go both ways with the Suns. Uh Booker doesn't get those calls. Um, do I think Booker is as good a player as Shea? No, not now, but you give Booker 10 more points a game on his middies where he's getting hit. Guy can't get a call sometimes. So, and again, I'm not a Booker stan. I If you would ask me two years ago, I think he was you know propped up by the team, maybe a little overrated, but he's earned it in the Olympics, he's earned it on the Suns, like he's got his team to the finals. Um, I like that he's loyal to the city. It's just you know, he's the kind of guy you want on your team, and you definitely can build around him. They over they overperformed this season by you know a good bit, probably 50%, if you were to look at what the projection was versus the 45 wins they got. Um, but yeah, that's Shay. The way Shay is called, it just makes those matchups really, really tough. I'm not looking forward to them in round two. Um, I will be rooting against them every step of the way until they uh win another championship when I have to be. I'll complain about it then too, I'm sure. I just think I'm just sitting down every game to go, okay, how angry am I gonna get about these calls? You know, like what stupid thing are we gonna see that no one else gets the benefit of? But I don't know. That's that's no way to watch a uh NBA playoffs. They're much more fun than that. It's much more positive than that for me. But unfortunately, that's kind of where where I'm I'm sitting on that side of it. So anybody it's it's I'm I'm a you know former Sonics fan from uh when I was a kid, so you know, maybe that's it. Although I I did like the OKC team with uh uh Durant and Harden and uh Westbrook and that whole crew, that was that was a really fun team. But I don't know, we'll see. Anybody but OKC for me. Uh maybe maybe this Wolves team, this scrappy Wolves team, can kind of you know band-aid together, literally uh band-aid together another series win against uh a better team just like they did, like quote unquote better team. Um if if they can be that physical with Wemby, um I do think I do think what teams do wrong against Wemby is they don't push him around enough. Like I would I would have a guy in there literally to pick up five fouls on Wemby in the first quarter and make him feel the impact of that defense. The Suns did it very early part of the season, played a really good great game against them. I think it's doable. Uh, you just have to have to have your bigs learn how to play a bigger player because most of those bigs have never had to play a bigger player because they're the bigger player. And that that defensive mindset that a smaller player is used to, you have to find a big that that can do it. The two Frenchmen going at each other, I don't know. Might might be kind of might be kind of interesting. Um, I think Wimby's gonna get the benefit of the calls, uh, because that just seems to be how things go. Um, but I I think I think the Wolves have a chance. Um that those are two good organizations that have shown a lot of professionalism and how they approach the game and how they treat players and their their their coaching staff, their their game planning. Um I'm stoked. I think it's gonna be a great series. And maybe, um, maybe I'll come back without the the big gap between pods this time. But uh, you know, hopefully you uh enjoyed hearing my thoughts on this. Uh I really enjoyed doing this. I I'm I'm looking at this pod to see, you know, I have a bunch of ideas I just didn't get to this season. We'll go through the playoffs, we'll pop on a little bit um and then figure out what what I'm gonna do with it for next year. But I think it's gonna be bigger and better. I think I might end up doing it as a video thing. Um, I don't think my work is gonna be quite so overwhelming next year as it as it was this year. Just a lot of things on top of each other that um don't happen except for every five or six years. So um thanks for hanging in there. I hope you check it out. I hope you enjoy it. Come back. Um we're gonna I think we're gonna talk a little bit about the series uh coming up in the NBA. Uh watch them. The games are amazing. Um the really, really fun night of basketball last night. And uh we'll we'll see you next time. This is uh Nice J for the Nice J pod. Shoot or shoot.