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00:00And now, this is the time of the show, Joe.
00:01We like to reach out to the public.
00:03They're listening out there.
00:04We like to give them a chance to have a response.
00:06They can't call into the show.
00:07They can't jump on here on the show with us.
00:09Hey, look at that quad box over here with Joe Phan to the left.
00:12This is the best way to reach out.
00:13And our Fade the Public poll today asked a simple question at SportsGrid.
00:17And that was, what is the best bet for tonight's Rockets-Warriors game,
00:21which is game six?
00:23Four options on the board.
00:24Warriors as the favorite, minus five and a half.
00:26Rockets as the dog, plus five and a half.
00:28Over two or four and a half and under two or four and a half.
00:31The public, they chimed in and said 33.3% Warriors.
00:37How about you?
00:40Yeah, I tend to think this is going to be a little higher scoring tonight, Donnie.
00:45I voted for the over in this one.
00:48Bottom line is, hey, you got to build off what you just did on your own home court, Houston.
00:54And you're going to have to score some points.
00:56I, 110, 105, somewhere in that ballpark.
01:01I think we get way over the low number that they have posted here at 204.
01:06Yeah, you know what, for me, I'm sort of in that conundrum here because I thought the Rockets really played well in game five.
01:14And we're blowing out the Warriors, got a little chippy late.
01:16And that's going to add to the equation tonight.
01:18But was this one of those games where this is like that booby trap they set up?
01:21Like, ah, we played soft in game number five, hoping that game number six in our own building.
01:25We're just going to jump you right from the start.
01:28I'm having a tough time understanding which side I actually want to take in this game.
01:31Is it the Warriors playing the points or the Rockets five and a half to get to seven?
01:35For me, I actually voted for the Rockets here, Joe.
01:39It's been all Golden State money and it's been nothing but over money as I'm seeing 207s now popping up across the marketplace.
01:47So, listen, experience, if it matters, like it did for the Knicks last night, they are going to win this game, close it out, and advance.
01:58And that's all there is to it, as far as I'm concerned.
02:01Houston has got to make free throws on the road.
02:04You know, the thing with young teams is we've got to see you do it away from home in the big moments.
02:11Who's going to be the guy to step up for Houston?
02:13If there isn't anybody, I can tell you who it's going to be for the Golden State Warriors.
02:17That's, you know, Jimmy Buckets will be there making the free throws when it matters the most at the end of the game.
02:23Yeah, look, you've got to come out to a good start if you're Houston.
02:26You can't get whitewashed right off the bat here.
02:28I want to see what they have because I would love to see the series go seven again, a two seed versus a seven seed.
02:33Game number seven, all the marbles there.
02:35You know, you take a look at some of the players that Fred Van Vliet's been there, done that before.
02:39He's got a championship.
02:40So it's not as if that we're saying, oh, this young team doesn't have a lot of playoff experience.
02:43Some of those guys do, and we'll see how they perform tonight.
02:46If we are looking at the overall odds for this game, nine o'clock tip time tonight out in San Francisco.
02:51The line opened up at five and a half, still sitting at five and a half at the FanDuel Sportsbook.
02:55Other books have moved to fives, but the primary line is five and a half.
02:58The total, though, two or four and a half at the opening number.
03:01We're now seeing two or six and a half and two or seven and a half at other outlets out here.
03:06So people buying into more points tonight, Joe.
03:09Yeah, and I agree with it here.
03:12You know, I think the balls are going to be flying from the perimeter.
03:16I think threes are going to be alive and well.
03:18And I think Houston found a little something there going up tempo there with Fred Van Vliet and company.
03:25I don't think this is going to be a crawl.
03:27I think that Houston, in order to win a game on the road, is going to have to make some big shots, and they're going to have to dominate inside the paint.
03:37I would expect Sangun to have a big, big night here.
03:41And let's face it, I mean, Steph and Jimmy, they basically got last game off.
03:45So they're going to be ready to go here right out of the gate.
03:48So, but the market seems to think it's not even close.
03:52Golden State is running away with this thing.
03:54I mean, that's a two-point line move here, Donnie, from the open.
03:57That's crazy.
03:58Let's go right to the book itself, which is the FanDuel Sportsbook.
04:01Did you know you can click that statistics line, and it drops down and shows 51% of the bets coming in on Golden State in this game.
04:11We are at a razor-thin margin, so it looks like the oddsmakers, like the FanDuel Sportsbook, nailed this side.
04:17But we have even betting.
04:19Some people think the Houston Rockets.
04:20Some people think the Warriors.
04:21Now, granted, it's not Moneyline.
04:23This is with the spread here at the 5.5.
04:25Look at that.
04:26I love it, man.
04:2650-50 action.
04:27This is what you live for.
04:29It's exactly what you live for.
04:32And I think it'll continue down that path as we get a little bit closer to game time to tonight.
04:40But I agree with the line movement to the over, and I get why the market loves Golden State in this spot.
04:47They're a young team, Houston.
04:49Until they show us, Donnie, there's really – they've got to do it twice.
04:53I mean, you know, they've got to do it tonight, and then they'd have to do it again at home.
04:57So, yeah, this is where experience comes into the postseason.
05:02It does.
05:03It does.
05:03And also, you might think the mad genius, right, with Steve Kerr saying, you know what, we're going to tank up game five because, you know, we've got game six.
05:09That's an easier one to win as opposed to do what the Nuggets didn't play everybody 40 minutes and still lose that game.
05:14But they've got to win game number six for that to say, yeah, I knew what I was doing in game number five.
05:18If we look at some of the points props in this game, Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, always going to be at the top of the totem pole, 25.5 points and 22.5 points, respectively.
05:26Sometimes it is tough for the young guys on the road, like Jalen Green, 15.5, banged up a little bit, not playing great basketball.
05:33Amon Thompson has really filled that role.
05:34He's 13.5.
05:36If you look from a Houston Rockets perspective, who's the guy you're leaning on tonight to be like, you know what, this is the anchor of my bets tonight?
05:44Who's going to be that guy?
05:45It has to be the experience, has to be the guy that took total control in the first game, and that was Fred Van Fleet.
05:53He's the guy with the resume, the pedigree.
05:55He is the leader of this young Rockets team.
05:58He's the guy that's been there and done this, and they will follow.
06:02And I think Van Fleet has got to come out, and he's got to match the intensity.
06:07He has got to elevate the young guys around him.
06:11He did a great job with the backs against the wall in game five.
06:14He's got to do it on the road here, and he has been here and done this before, so he knows.
06:22How about this one, though?
06:23If I said, you got one bet tonight, Joe Ranieri, and it's free, it's Draymond Green.
06:28It's his points prop at the FanDuel Sportsbook at seven and a half.
06:31Up or down?
06:33Which way are you going?
06:34He just, he affects the game in different ways.
06:40I mean, it's kind of crazy with him.
06:43I mean, that feels like a low number, doesn't it?
06:45Even for him, it feels like he should be able to get to 10 points here tonight if Golden State wins this game.
06:53And if they win it in the kind of fashion the market is telling us they're going to win this, then he's going to be chucking up threes late, Donnie.
07:01And who knows?
07:02You know, even a blind squirrel catches a nut every now and then.
07:05So he could go flying over that total.
07:08Or he could be flying out of the game with an ejection here.
07:11We'll see.
07:11Because, again, a little bit testy last game.
07:13You know they were watching on the sideline.
07:15Can't wait to get out there.
07:16It's my home crowd.
07:17I'm going to get juiced up here.
07:18But also, we look at Steph Curry in these big game moments and say, this guy's got to come through if they want to win game number six and not make it a seven-game series back in Houston.
07:26I feel like we're getting baited here a little bit, though, Joe.
07:29Four and a half is that three-point prop.
07:30I say, well, you got it.
07:31It's five he's got to make.
07:32Like, Steph in a big game at home, rested and ready, plus money at four and a half, plus 116.
07:37How do you feel about Steph Curry dropping five plus triples tonight?
07:42Well, if he does, then I absolutely love the over in this spot here tonight.
07:47I mean, listen, Houston's got to pick its poison.
07:50Are you going to make sure Steph doesn't beat you, or are you going to make sure Jimmy Butler doesn't beat you?
07:55Who's not beating you here tonight, Houston?
07:58And if he gets hot from three.
08:02As they used to say, NBA action, it's fantastic.
08:07It certainly is.
08:07And we're in the playoffs and having fun.
08:09Donnie right side, Joe Ranieri, and in comes the coach.
08:12I don't know if he's a coach or a fan today.
08:14What part is he playing right now?
08:15The Knicks have advanced.
08:16I mean, some people say the Knicks have the luckiest series in the history of professional basketball.
08:20Not me.
08:21So, J.Y., welcome to the show.
08:23The vibes must be high.
08:24I think there's something wrong with Donnie's mic.
08:28We may have to check the door in the commercial break, but look what we got here.
08:31Look what we got here.
08:32Look what we got here.
08:33Look what we got here.
08:34And Jalen Brunson.
08:35Oh, shout out.
08:35Shout out to the...
08:37Hey, listen.
08:38You know, I don't care if it's...
08:39You know what I'm saying?
08:40Cade Cunningham.
08:41Richie Cunningham.
08:43Billy Cunningham.
08:44Nixon 6.
08:45Nixon 6.
08:46We here.
08:47Yeah.
08:47And I'm a real Knicks fan.
08:49I like some people on that four-letter network.
08:52Oh, wow.
08:53Taking shots left to right.
08:55That's what we love to see, Coach.
08:56But by the way, let's get into it last night.
08:58The New York Knicks.
08:59Blue game five.
09:00On the road to game number six.
09:01A spirited atmosphere in Detroit.
09:03The Knicks open up exactly the way you want.
09:0637 to 23.
09:08Try to quiet that crowd.
09:09And it got erased in the second period.
09:12And away we went into the second half, which led us to the final period.
09:15You needed a comeback.
09:17You needed a big shot.
09:19And Jalen Brunson gave it to you, Coach.
09:21Hey, listen.
09:23First of all, shout out to Detroit Pistons.
09:25What a job by J.B. Bickersaff with that team.
09:28I mean, Monty Williams, you'll never get a head-coaching job ever again in your life.
09:32But when you really look at it, that second quarter by Malik Beasley particularly,
09:37basically got them completely back in the game.
09:39Third quarter, Knicks come and punch again.
09:41And then here comes Detroit, obviously, in the fourth quarter.
09:47112-105.
09:49And, you know, Jalen Brunson, you know, Big Body Brunson, you know, I'm going to start
09:55calling him Captain Clutch.
09:57Because his performance down the stretch, 112-105, to kind of get, most importantly,
10:02that three-point play on Schroeder to get the lead to four.
10:05A couple more shots, and then what a play, as much as we've knocked tips, and rightfully so.
10:13The play that he ran, end of game, which if anybody knows, they run what's called a ghost screen,
10:19which is you kind of pretend you're setting a screen, and you clear out.
10:22What it does is it throws off the defender's timing because Detroit was probably going to be ready to switch.
10:27Well, by Bridges being the brush, the ghost screener, it made like a sore top to kind of freeze up a little bit
10:35because they thought it was a switch.
10:36So as he goes out, now you see Brunson go to his left.
10:40Now you, as a lefty, a sore has got to cut him off.
10:45Great snatch back, get to the top of the key, knock down three, drive home safely.
10:52Got it.
10:53I mean, two double-digit leads they threw up on there, Coach.
10:57That is the most infuriating Knicks team to watch when it all comes down to it.
11:02But that's where experience kicked in, right?
11:05Jalen is a guy who can make those shots when a game matters,
11:08and Detroit just doesn't have that at this point.
11:12But to me, Coach, the problem with the Knicks moving forward is,
11:17A, you should be hanging a Celtics jersey up behind you instead of that Knicks one.
11:21But, B, it's just too reliant on Brunson, is it not, Coach?
11:27Somebody else has got to step up here if they're going to take down the Celtics.
11:32It's honestly, it's going to have to be Cat.
11:36And Cat was, let's be honest, this is the, they lost, the Knicks won this game series four games to two.
11:44And at two games they lost, he was awful.
11:46And he was terrible last night, and he got bailed out by a 40-piece.
11:50You're not going to be able to do that versus Boston.
11:53Let's just be, like, honest about this here.
11:56Cat has to be the Cat they need.
11:58And you still got to get OG and Bridges to play somewhat well.
12:04And you have to have the bench.
12:07See where I'm going with this, folks?
12:08Boston has really played really extremely well.
12:11They're undefeated against the Knicks.
12:13Let's be honest, except for the last game, none of the games were close.
12:16It's important for the Knicks to be competitive.
12:19And let's be honest, if the Knicks have any, any sniff in the series, they've got to steal one of the first two in Boston,
12:26which at times Boston can cough up games because of their three-point shooting.
12:30The problem is, do the Knicks have enough scoring consistently on the other side to score?
12:37Because you obviously know a guy like Drew Holloway, Derek White, they're going to put him on Brunson and kind of wear him out.
12:44Let's take a look at the next series up because it is the Boston Celtics.
12:49And this is a great rivalry here.
12:50But you look at the Fan Blue Sportsbook right now and the pricing.
12:53The Boston Celtics opened up here, Coach, as a 700 favorite, minus 700.
12:57And now it's minus 1,000.
12:59The New York Knicks as an underdog at plus 660.
13:02Now, we don't have to ask you, hey, which side do you like on this?
13:04I mean, not many people are going to lay a minus 1,000.
13:06Maybe take the Knicks as a plus 660.
13:08But as Joe was starting to point out, like leveling the playing field,
13:11which is something the Knicks haven't done against very good teams in the NBA,
13:14what needs to change?
13:15But more importantly, forget about, like, Brunson.
13:17Like, we know he's got to score and he's got to dominate in games.
13:20How do you activate that bench?
13:22Because the one thing we like about the Celtics is the starters come out,
13:25the bomb squad comes in, and they can keep up.
13:28What has to change on that Knicks bench?
13:31You have to look at someone like Deuce McBride,
13:35someone that's had moments in the playoffs last year that was, let's be honest,
13:39Deuce stuck up the joint.
13:40I mean, I'm stuck up the joint this entire series.
13:44You know, you've got to look at someone like Mitchell Robinson,
13:46who had a big game five.
13:47Will he be able to dominate the offensive glass
13:50and kind of take out a guy like a Cornette or someone like an Al Horford?
13:55So you have to look at those two guys in particular.
13:58And maybe, here's the thing, guys, you can't go seven deep against Boston.
14:03You're going to have to go 8-9.
14:06That means you've got to get something out of Larry Shaman and possibly even people
14:12are screaming for Preston Sachua just to give him some kind of minutes.
14:15You're not going to be able to roll out these five starters and play them 39 minutes a night
14:19and expect this series to go long.
14:21You need some kind of pinch production from Robinson, from Shaman,
14:26and especially someone from Deuce McBride who can knock down threes
14:30but also is really one of your top, if not your best, small defender in regards.
14:35If you look at between Hart, Brunson, obviously him, Shaman, Campaign,
14:40he's the strongest defender.
14:41You're going to have to get something out of Deuce in this series
14:43if you have a shot at all to win it.
14:48Six games, coach?
14:50What are we hoping for here, that series, all together here?
14:54It's either going to be quick or it's going to be what?
14:57A seven-game series?
14:58Is there going to be anything in between here with these two teams?
15:01I think that what you have to look at is where you can get the Knicks
15:04at plus two and a half games.
15:06I think the Knicks can find a way to get it to six.
15:09They're very good on the road.
15:11I don't think people are saying the Knicks are one of the better teams
15:13on the road in the Thibodeau era,
15:15and obviously they won all three games in Detroit.
15:18I think they steal a game and game, you know, within one and two.
15:22I would not be shocked if this is 2-2 heading back to Boston
15:27and then Boston gets them in six because they wear them out.
15:31I think the Knicks are going to keep this competitive.
15:34Brunson will steal you one.
15:35There goes the jersey.
15:36That must mean Boston in three.
15:41They're not going to get a game.
15:43They're not going to give us a sweep.
15:44They're going to lose three out.
15:45That just tells you what's going to happen.
15:47But to me, it's Boston in six games.
15:50I think the Knicks will keep it competitive at spots.
15:54They'll have a game where they get blown out,
15:55but don't catch Boston one night.
15:57The question is, can it give you a second game?
16:01That's the one you need to watch out for.
16:03Yeah, we'll tee it up here because we are getting a game seven
16:05out in the Western Conference because the Clippers last night
16:07handled their business 111 and 105 over the Denver Nuggets,
16:10which saw a lot of minutes being played by the Nuggets last night.
16:13Aaron Gordon, 41 minutes.
16:14Jokic, 42.
16:15Jamal Murray, 44.
16:16Christian Brown, 40 minutes, as well as Russell Westbrook, 35 minutes.
16:21This is interesting as it sets up because I'm excited for this series.
16:24But quickly, Coach, what did you see last night out of the Clippers
16:27and why they forced a game number seven?
16:31James Harden.
16:32James Harden was much better.
16:34Norman Powell knocking down shots.
16:36Kawhi was Kawhi.
16:37They're guys where they're guys, which sets up game seven.
16:41And you guys know the narrative.
16:44James Harden has never scored more than 21 points in a game seven.
16:49This is – I'm going to say this, folks, and we'll talk about this more,
16:52I guess, after the break.
16:53This is a legacy game.
16:56This is a legacy game for James Harden.
16:58If he comes up small again in game seven,
17:02don't ever want to talk to me about him again because then he becomes a stack guy.
17:05But he's got to deliver the goods in a game seven.
17:09If he does, it could change a lot of what people think about his legacy,
17:12particularly in the playoffs.
17:14Absolutely.
17:15We're going to get into that much more because if they do lose,
17:17they're all healthy now.
17:18You run back the Clippers again?
17:20I don't know if you do that.
17:21Let's get to game number seven next with the coach.
17:25Saturday night live from Denver.
17:28Ooh, we got a game number seven.
17:29I could go off on a diatribe right now and say, like, oh, look at that.
17:32You put it at 7.30 p.m.
17:34Why don't you put it at 11 o'clock?
17:35I thought 11 o'clock was your best ratings on the weekend in prime time
17:37so the entire country can watch.
17:39No, it's not.
17:407.30, we'll all be watching.
17:41And how about this, coach?
17:42The minus ones and minus one and a halfs at the opening number for the Clippers
17:45have shifted now to the Denver Nuggets now as favorites in game number seven.
17:50Give us a preview.
17:51Who's got to step up?
17:52And also, as you were talking about,
17:53the ramifications of the loser in this game.
17:57You know, you brought up a good point, Donnie,
18:00before the commercial break about the Clippers, but I'm going to say this.
18:03I think whoever loses this game is going to make major moves, right?
18:08We already know Michael Malone was let go before the playoffs started.
18:12If you are Denver and you get knocked out in the first round,
18:16I don't know how you run it back with the same core four of Joker, Murray, Gordon,
18:21and obviously MP Jr., you know, and then on the flip side, you know,
18:27if they're Clippers, do you run it back again with Harden, obviously Kawhi,
18:32you know, Norman Powell is out to step up, and then obviously Zubac,
18:35who obviously had a great run this year.
18:39You figure some teams go to make some kind of move.
18:43When you look at this game, I'm looking at two guys in particular.
18:47One, we just talked about, it's the James Harden effect, right?
18:50He can exercise a lot of demons with a great performance.
18:54And here's the thing, with the way Kawhi's playing,
18:57I'm not saying we need like a 29, 14, 12, triple, double out of James Harden.
19:05We just don't need a three for 17, a four for, you know, four for 13.
19:09We need 20 points, seven, eight assists, five, six rebounds,
19:15shooting the ball at 40% or better from the floor.
19:17And Donnie's a Sixers fan.
19:19You know that we have not seen it ever out of this guy.
19:22On the other side, I'm not going Joker, right?
19:26I'm not going Gordon.
19:28I'm not going Murray.
19:29I'm going Michael Porter Jr.
19:31This is the guy when he came into the league, you know,
19:34obviously with the back problems, right?
19:36This guy was supposed to ascend.
19:38And we've seen it at times out of Michael Porter Jr.
19:41We've also seen him completely disappear, completely.
19:46He's got to be the best version of himself because him as a shot maker,
19:50particularly that corner three, that could open up the offense for Denver.
19:55Michael Porter Jr.
19:56Has got to play well.
19:57What do we get out of James Harden?
19:59And then you go to the super, super stars, right?
20:02Nikola Jokic.
20:03How does he handle this game?
20:05You saw game number five.
20:06He's like, I'm going to go score.
20:09I've got to go score.
20:10I've got to get everyone involved, you know, in game four.
20:13Game five, what do we have?
20:14Jamal Murray, he goes off.
20:16So we've got to see what we get out of Joker.
20:17On the flip side, Kawhi.
20:20This is a guy that we've also questioned for a long time.
20:24I was playing around with my top ten players in the NBA.
20:29If Kawhi does what I think he could do and lead him to a win,
20:33now I don't think they will, but if he does a great performance,
20:35we should be still talking about Kawhi
20:38as one of the five, six, seven best players in the world right now.
20:44Coach, I was waiting for the firing of Malone
20:49and the coaching edge for the Clippers
20:51to take hold at some point in this game.
20:54And what Ty Lue did in the second half
20:56by putting Batum in the starting rotation in the second half
21:01and putting him on the Joker.
21:03Joker was killing him in the first half.
21:0520-plus points in the first half.
21:07He was nowhere to be found in the second half.
21:09Batum absolutely made his life miserable,
21:12and I didn't see an adjustment from the Denver side
21:16to try and free things up from him.
21:18It feels like there's a big coaching edge here
21:22with Ty Lue could be an issue for Denver in a game seven as well.
21:28Ty Lue versus anybody in the NBA is a coaching advantage for Ty.
21:32Ty Lue, let's just be honest.
21:34It's always been about he hasn't had healthy teams, right?
21:37So what do you do?
21:39What I would do is I would put the ball in the Joker's hands.
21:42I would get it to him in the low post,
21:44and then what I would do is I would put Gordon
21:46and obviously Michael Porter Jr. on the weak side.
21:50Play high-low action.
21:51I'm going to dive Aaron Gordon to the rim
21:54where he's really effective, also has a good offensive rebound,
21:56and I'm going to lift Michael Porter Jr. out of the corner.
22:00That's why Michael Porter Jr. plays a pivotal role in this game
22:04because if you put him in the low post,
22:07you've got to send someone early to double, right?
22:10You're not coming off of Murray.
22:12Maybe you come off of Christian Brown,
22:14but you keep him strong side where they can't allow him
22:17to actually be double because you never double down.
22:19You either double weak side or top down.
22:22Put him strong side, give it to the Joker, dive Gordon,
22:27lift actually Michael Porter Jr.
22:29That's something to watch early.
22:30If you see that early, you may want to jump on like Michael Porter made threes
22:35because he becomes a pivotal point with Joker being the trigger
22:39out of the low post.
22:41Looking forward to game number seven tomorrow night
22:43on a Saturday night, 7.30 p.m. out in the Rockies.
22:46But before we get to a game number seven,
22:47we got a game number six on deck tonight from San Francisco, coach.
22:51That's a nine o'clock start.
22:52Rockets and the Warriors, a five and a half point line at the opening number,
22:55still sits currently at five and a half.
22:57Other outlets have moved to five, a total of two or six and a half.
23:01The Warriors, who played a little possum in game number five,
23:04are they ready to attack in game number six?
23:07You know what's the amazing thing is,
23:09we were in this situation a couple of years ago, people remember.
23:12That was game number five, up 3-1 against Memphis,
23:18and that was the whoop-dye trick game.
23:20Remember, Draymond's dancing and doing the towel, and they took it.
23:24And then they went home, game six, and they blew their asses out.
23:29You're probably looking at a repeat performance of that.
23:32If you're worried about that and you don't know which way it's going,
23:35I think the total over 205 and a half may be in play here.
23:41Houston looked markedly better offensively
23:44and still haven't gotten Jalen Green going a little bit.
23:47I think there's going to be points, and I'll tell you this much,
23:50with all the chirping, all the fighting, all the stuff going on in that series,
23:56the guy you want to watch is the quiet one,
24:00and that's the one with the biggest fight, and that's Steph Curry.
24:03Steph Curry can single-handedly put this team and send everybody home.
24:09This ain't about Jimmy Butler.
24:11This ain't about Draymond.
24:12This ain't about anyone else.
24:14And if Steph decides that he's going to send your behind home,
24:17he's going to send your behind home.
24:19I think the Warriors do get it done.
24:22I want to be slightly a little bit closer,
24:23but I think there's going to be points.
24:25I think it's going to be more up and down than people think.
24:28Great game time.
24:29One of the guys that my spotlight on tonight, too,
24:31if I'm looking at the Houston Rockets, I'm in Thompson.
24:33I mean, I just look at that guy saying, you know what?
24:35I'm a young guy.
24:35It's a big spot on the road.
24:37I got the game to perform on defense and often.
24:39You know what else has the game?
24:41J.Y. and Joe Waniere closing it down on a Friday edition of the Early Line.
24:44Yes!
24:48Welcome back in here.
24:50There we go.
24:50The Early Line on the Sports Grid Network.
24:53I lost my hearing there for a second,
24:56but the coach, J.Y. in the house with us
24:59as we look to close out the week on a positive note.
25:02It's because, coach, well,
25:04we've got a big game six back against the wall here tonight in the NBA.
25:09We have already a pretty good idea on what we're looking like in round two,
25:14and I know that we were talking about this earlier,
25:17and when you look on face value at the Knicks taking on the Celtics,
25:22and then you look at Cleveland taking on the Pacers,
25:26it feels like if I'm giving anybody a puncher's chance,
25:30it feels like the Pacers are that team,
25:33certainly from a market perspective from the price.
25:37You know, Cleveland is not going to look like they did against Miami
25:40against the Pacers.
25:42It feels like the Pacers might be a little undervalued here.
25:45What are you thinking?
25:47Yeah, I think the Pacers ended the regular season really, really strong, right?
25:51And I think the play that they had in the first-run series versus Milwaukee
25:56was overshadowed by what happened with John Halliburton and Giannis.
26:01They were dominant.
26:02Let's be honest.
26:03They were dominant at times versus, obviously, Milwaukee.
26:08And the Cleveland Cavs team that really did not play a competitive game,
26:12you know, besides the fourth quarter of game two.
26:15Right?
26:16Every other game.
26:17I mean, first three quarters of game one, yeah, maybe.
26:20But fourth quarter, game one, the first three quarters of game two,
26:25and then all of games three and game four, they weren't challenged at all.
26:30So, to me, yeah, I think the Pacers are undervalued a little bit.
26:34I'm going to say this.
26:35I think this is another one that goes six.
26:39You know, I wish I could get, you know, plus two and a half on the Pacers.
26:45You probably can't because of the spread.
26:47Maybe you try to jump in on them if they look poor in game number one,
26:52and maybe try to jump in.
26:53Hopefully, you get a split, and then maybe go back two-two.
26:56But I want to commend Indiana because they were so stuck in the mud in the first half
27:04of the year, everybody was like, fluke.
27:06Like, last year was a fluke.
27:08They weren't any good.
27:09But they obviously turned around, and particularly has been the play of Tyrese Halliburton.
27:15And the issue that you're going to have here is Cleveland can hit you in so many different ways, right?
27:23Whether it's Garland or Spider, or you go to the frontcourt with Mobley and Allen,
27:29then obviously DeAndre Hunter, then you look at Merrill,
27:32you look at Max Struess and his ability to make big shots,
27:35and there's my favorite name, Ty Jerome, is in the house.
27:39Like, they got so many guys.
27:40And I think that's where Cleveland's going to wear them down with their depth,
27:45and they're hard to guard because they can hit you in so many different ways.
27:49And there is still some concern there, Coach, that Garland may not be ready for game one,
27:55maybe not game two.
27:57And that's a big issue, I think, if I'm the Cavs and Kenny Atkinson.
28:03It's not like, who are you going to insert?
28:05You can't just pull out his production and expect that everyone else is going to uplift him
28:10against a team that can basically shoot you out of the gym as well.
28:13I think Darius Garland needs to be in this lineup a lot here for Cleveland to actually handle business.
28:20And I agree with you.
28:21I think he needs to be in the lineup a lot,
28:23and I think that's part of the reason why that price has been baked into what it is,
28:26so that you can't get the plus two and a half at plus money right now for Indiana.
28:33Now, if we found that he's clear and he's going to go,
28:35I think you could see the market move a little bit more,
28:38but there is that fear that if you don't have Garland for game one and or game two,
28:42there's a better chance of a split, right?
28:46And if you give a split 1-1, you figure Indiana's going to get one of those games at home.
28:51Now you're looking at 2-2, best of three series, heading back to Cleveland.
28:55So I think that's part of the reason why you can't get Cleveland,
28:58I'm sorry, get Indiana at plus two and a half games at plus money.
29:02But I do think if they win game one Cleveland,
29:05that may be the time to jump into plus two and a half.
29:07I still think they find a way to get two games in the series.
29:10It feels like Miles Turner is the X factor here.
29:14He's going to dominate Allen.
29:16He's got to be able to control the paint.
29:19You can't, we just saw Miami couldn't,
29:22couldn't do anything in the paint and let Cleveland get everything they want.
29:26He's going to be a big part of the success here
29:29if they're going to be able to handle the big guys there for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
29:32Yeah, because also you got to look at the fact that Miles Turner can step out
29:36and shoot the three of these, the fact that's the team's driving lanes.
29:39On the flip side, the guy to watch out for, Isaac Okoro.
29:43He may play a pivotal role in this series because he may have to go to Halliburton
29:46and guard him in long stretches.
29:48Watch those two guys closely coming up in the matchup in the semifinals.
29:51Watch those two guys.