Suns Are Hot, Tatum's Ankle Injury & NBA Playoff X-Factors
01:14:02 Share

Apple Card is everything a credit card should be. It's easy to manage, built to be secure, and gives users up to 3% daily cash back on every purchase. The best part about Apple Card is applying is quick and easy. Apply in the Wallet app on iPhone and see your credit limit offer in minutes. Subject to credit approval. Apple Card by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City Branch, member FDIC. Terms and more at applecard.com.

As we progress through the season, every fan knows that big wins are hard to come by and tough losses are even harder to accept. But you know what isn't hard to accept? Discover. Believe it or not, Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. You heard that right, 99%. So make a good call for your wallet and get Discover. Based on the February 2024 Nielsen Report, learn more at discover.com slash credit card.

Danielle has taken up painting, oil painting, acrylic painting, other painting. I don't know what that painting type is, but it is just incredible. If I can convince her to open up a Shopify store, I know she'll be hearing the...

We've used Shopify here on No Dunks. Simple setup, no hassles. Tech support is always there. We used other setups before, but they weren't as simple as Shopify. Shopify is the home of the number one checkout on the planet, meaning way less carts going abandoned and way more sales going unsold.

Did you hear that, Danielle? Yeah, right. If only she listened to the No Dunks podcast. She never listens to me. Upgrade your business and get the same checkout we use with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash no dunks. All lowercase. Go to shopify.com slash no dunks to upgrade your selling today. Shopify.com slash no dunks.

Sharts, sorry. Sharts. Nope. Sharts. I'm so sorry. Um, sharts. I cannot get it. Hey, sharts. Damn it. Sharts.

Good morning, sweet sharts, and welcome to the No Dunks Podcast on the Athletic Network. It's Tuesday, March 25th, 2025. I'm J.E. Skeets here in the Classic Factory, and alongside me, as always, Tass Mellis. Podcast listeners, this is for you. Next to him, it's the bearded one, Matapsha Hotboy, Trey Kirby. Ayo! Ayo! Ayo!

and over yonder, making the magic happen, super producer JD. Sharts. There he is. Here we are. Happy Greek Independence Day, Jesse. Thank you. Thank you. Yes. Well earned. And happy 39th birthday to Kyle Lowry. Oh. The groat. Yes. A lot of things today. Coming up in a few days on Thursday here in Atlanta.

We got a few tickets remaining for our live show in Atlanta. It's the No Dunks live podcast pizza party with Tabasco. There will be pizza. There will be Tabascos. There will be larfs. Lots of larfs. Guaranteed larfs. Oh, yeah. Show starts at 7. Door 630. That's at the Seven Stages Theater in Atlanta. So go get your ticket in the show notes. What are you laughing about? No, I'm laughing at the sharts thought because actually I was at a class this morning. My instructor had to leave. Oh.

Because he had something to take care of. Oh, no. So it's in the back of my brain. I have been thinking that when you introduced me during our live show that I was going to say to everybody that I've been thinking about...

my belly after that instructor's class and that if i have to get up during this live show then that's what's happening but now i just use it now so i gotta use something new i was gonna say you're preemptively telling us you might be leaving the live show stage yeah that was the joke that was the joke for everybody out there maybe i had a bad tabasco little shot that i ate a little don't say that task what are you doing you never know those barely peppers come on

We had a wedgie last night, speaking of shorts and underwear and all that stuff up your ass. I would try a bhaji.

For the Raptors sticking it in D.C. Wedgie number 37. We had gone a while without one, so it was nice to get one. The pace has slowed down. We're only on pace for 46. We don't like to see that. Yeah, we need a couple here over the next couple nights. That would be great, but good call by Devlin. Yeah. On the Raptors call. He was with Alvin Williams, I guess, last night. He was. Nice shout-out from the social media team on Twitter, too. They tagged all four of us.

Thank you. That made me laugh for some reason. Really nice of them. And nice of the players to let it stick up there for a long time. We always talk about letting it breathe. That thing got four or five breaths. Well done. It was very nice. We on today's show are going to hear from Trey because you have a list of, I believe, your top eight players

NBA Playoff X-Factors. Classic top eight. Some of the bigger names. A real Bill Simmons top eight from Trey Kirby today. No, that would have been top 33. So we'll do that later. But let's talk about some of the games last night. We're going to start with looking at those Western Conference play-in teams. But one of them involving the Kings, the big story from the Celtics win over them was Jason Tatum. It

injuring his ankle in this game, having to leave. He went down in some pain after Damanis Sabonis tried to challenge his three-point shot, got under him, and the ankle rolled, and you see it there as he hits the floor hard, and he is hurt.

rolling around there, grabbing that ankle. You know, there is some good news coming out from the locker room and today that's maybe not that serious, just maybe a classic ankle injury, but he'll probably miss it a little bit of time. But yeah, Sabonis got the flagrant one for the relentless closeout there.

Relentless. I guess it was. That's kind of the definition of a landing spot foul. Reckless is what I meant. Reckless. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sort of relentless. I mean, he was up on them for sure. It's just too bad that they aren't starring in starting five this year. We'd love to hear their perspectives on it. Oh, yeah.

Tatum afterwards basically just said it feels sore. Obviously, that's the case. He left the game after making one of his two free throws so he could theoretically come back, which I guess that's probably a good sign. Maybe it's just a couple of weeks at the most here. I think they'll probably be pretty patient, pretty cautious with Jason Tatum to get him healthy for the playoffs, but it could be a blessing in disguise.

guys similar to how Steph Curry sat the last couple of weeks for the Warriors during the 2022 season he had a foot sprain he was healthy for the entire playoff run so you know probably not a one seed for the Boston Celtics they had a slight window with the Cavs having a hiccup here but that's probably not going to transpire as long as Tatum is healthy for the first round all good yeah that's a great positive outlook for you I agree and I think if you're

that the Boston Celtics will even be good enough even if Jason Tatum misses a couple games in the first round. I think you could argue that. That being said, from the other direction, Jason Tatum definitely wants to be in a good flow come postseason. I think that's fair to say, especially considering the Eastern Conference playoffs

for them is going to be tougher than last season. I don't care what anyone says, it is going to be tougher. When you look at whether it's the Atlanta Hawks or the Orlando Magic who were playing well in that first round, I mean...

Magic are better. The Atlanta Hawks have beat the Boston Celtics four times over the last 12 months. That's tougher. The Indiana Pacers in the second round, yeah, they swept them last year in the conference finals, but two of those wins were by three points. One was by five points. The Pacers are better. We'll get to Benedict Mathurin, I'm sure, when we talk X-Factors. That guy wasn't even a part of their team last year. He's definitely looking better. That team just comes from so many different directions, so I think

That's evolved, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have definitely evolved going from a 48-win team to a 60-win team this season. Donovan Mitchell was out for a bunch of those games in their series last year. Jared Allen was out for the entire series. So I think it is tougher, and you want to be in a better flow.

Period. That's it. I think it is somewhat important, somewhat, that he's got to be back eventually. I should say Sabonis did apologize for the reckless slash relentless close out there. I mean, he got put on an island against Tatum. I think he knew the step back three was coming, tried to challenge it, but he's under his space. And that was the right flagger one call. But the Kings lose this game. That is of importance too.

because they're obviously trying to hold on to a play-in spot because we'll get to some of these other games. I don't know if you have any other takeaways from the game itself where the Celtics, you know, I mean, run away with it, 113-95 in the end pretty comfortably. I think they led the entire way as well. So the Celtics really took care of business. They continued to do so once Tatum went down. But the Kings are really struggling right now. They've won two of their last nine games. They're only a half game up on the 10th seed in the Western Conference.

And you hear some of the quotes from Zach Levine afterwards. He's like, we're not taking enough threes. We're not making enough threes. The offense isn't good. The defense is even worse. They're one of the worst fourth quarter teams in the league over their past 10 games. I think they're 29th in net rating. They're kind of kings in it at the exact worst times right now. Like they're playing no defense. The offense isn't good to make up for it. And they're losing at the most important part of the season.

I would say of all of the teams in the Western Conference play-in, this is the team that I'm least excited for when it comes to postseason, which is an odd statement because I would think a few weeks ago it was the Phoenix Suns, easily. Or even the Dallas Mavericks, who are tied with the Phoenix Suns. But after Anthony Davis coming back, which we'll get to, and the way the Phoenix Suns are playing, it is the Sacramento Kings who are playing the most abysmal.

here with a few weeks left in the season. Well, let's get to those other games involving those other teams in the Western Conference play and race. Devin Booker hit the clutch jumper. A couple seconds left to lift the Suns over the Bucs. 108-106.

That is the Suns' fourth straight victory. They are in the 10th seed, but yeah, AD coming back for the Mavs, so it's really these sort of three teams battling it out. You know, the Blazers trying to hold on, Spurs sort of trying to hold on, but it feels like it's of these three squads, two spots, when we're talking about the Kings, the Suns, and the Mavs, but awesome game from Kevin Durant again. He was clutch, and some big plays down the stretch on both sides of the ball, and the Suns pull it out. TK, your takeaways.

Props to the Suns. We tried to flush them down the toilet, but they have absolutely plunged this season. 4-0 since they lost Bradley Beal to injury. Guess what? That's probably not a coincidence. Since then, they're 13th in defense after being 26th for the entire season. They basically have cut out the negative players from their lineup.

They don't play bowl-bowl anymore. Beal's not going. And Tyus Jones is coming off the bench where he should be coming off the bench. If you look at their on-off numbers, those are like literally their three biggest negative players. So, Colin Gillespie's getting starts. Ryan Dunn is playing. Osowik Adaro is playing. These guys are contributing defensively and

giving a little shot in the arm I think to the Phoenix Suns they're playing really hard they're also getting great performances from Kevin Durant he had 38 in this one 42 in their previous game Devin Booker is on the ball a lot more 12 assists and this one hit the big jumper that ended up icing the game for him I think it's been smart from Mike Budenholzer to kind of turn the team back over to KD and Devin Booker like we don't need Beal around the bowl bowl experiment was stupid the

That really ruined their chance at having a decent seed in the play-in tournament. Now they've just got to find a way to not have to play Nick Richards, and they'll be all good. But I'm impressed with what the Suns are doing, actually giving a little bit of an effort here late in the season when it felt like they were ready for the season to be over. Oh, yeah, the jokes were it was 1-2-3 Cancun with the Suns. I mean, that was the vibe from that team. But, yeah, they've got some wins going here. I think the Suns, I want to say they're like 13-3 when Beal's not playing and the other two guys are, so I'm really confident.

But they pulled this one out. And it was fun down the stretch. But your thoughts, Tess? Well, down the stretch, I was confused why Doc Rivers didn't put somebody else other than Brook Lopez out for Devin Booker's game winner. I just didn't understand it whatsoever. Devin Booker got so open in the mid-range with Brook Lopez on him. I don't get it. A bit of that fault goes to Gary Trent Jr., too. I mean, he was on Booker. Yeah.

Yeah. And then there was miscommunication. Gary Trent took a weird way to try and cover Devin Booker. Iguodaro held both guys. Yeah, he sort of did the old blocker push. Exactly. He pushed him from the free throw line to the three-point line. Two guys. And credit to Budenholzer, the play before there was a foul because they had one to give, it looked like it was going to be for Kevin Durant, as you maybe would. The action was going to be for him, but then they switched it up and went with Booker. I thought that was smart from Budenholzer on the Sun side of things. Sure. But...

Fair point. Yeah, Booker just lost Brooke Lopez, though, entirely out there. And this is after a timeout, so you have the option to go defense or offense. You got a guy like Andre Jackson just sitting there twiddling his thumbs. I just don't get why you wouldn't throw your defensive lineup out there. I guess because Doc is stubborn at playing his guys that he's going to play.

I mean, Doc earlier in the day was quoted as saying, nobody gives me enough of the credit for those three wins when I was been up 3-1 in those series. All they do is say that I gave up those series. That's just a weird quote. This guy is always looking for credit, man. Yeah. That...

I mean, I bring that up because that just exudes stubbornness. I mean, just to go back to that, he will not give that up. He won't give up that 3-1 series lead that he gave up, and he won't give up playing Brook Lopez out there. You know what Devin Booker is going to do. The ridiculous percentages of him and Kevin Durant this season in the midrange, that's where they're going to go. And so I know he plays the tighter rotations, and he is definitely –

playing that way without Jericho Sims right now and without Bobby Portis right now who's suspended. Jericho Sims is injured. So he's sticking with those same guys, although Ryan Hollins was filling in for Damian Lillard in this game because Lillard is out. That being said, it's going to be up to Giannis and Dame to carry this team in the playoffs. And on the Phoenix Sun side, I don't think they are guaranteed to be in the play-in tournament whatsoever. They've got 10 games left, and I know sometimes we say, well, that's a tough schedule.

Sometimes that's unfounded, but when you go through those 10 games, oh man, it's Boston, then at Minnesota, Houston, at Milwaukee, at Boston again, at New York, then home to Golden State, OKC, the Spurs. Oh, that's an easy one. And then at Sacramento. That's freaking tough. Very tough. But you know what? I think that's better for the Phoenix Suns.

than playing just a bunch of like tanking teams and teams out of it and playing like their third stringers. Cause they have that idea of like, Oh, we'll just like wax them and we can just play offense and win. At least they have to like commit to both sides of the basketball, playing the young guys more, get a little scrappy and hopefully keep riding the Kevin Durant heater and, you know, Booker as a closer and a playmaker a little bit more. It,

I know that sounds insane to say, but I actually think that's better for a very weird Phoenix Suns team to have better competition to try and get into the playoff. I don't disagree. They definitely lay eggs against poor teams. There's no doubt. But they're technically tied with the Dallas Mavericks who have a way easier schedule. And they have Anthony Davis back.

One of my favorite things from this game was down the stretch there was more than a couple possessions where the ball did not find Kevin Durant despite at that point having I guess 35 points and Eddie Johnson on the Suns call was literally like just get the ball to Kevin Durant. It went to him and he nailed a three like a huge three up top and it was like yeah that's a good game plan there Eddie Johnson smart call but there was a couple awesome Giannis defensive plays

down the stretch there was one play where he was guarding kevin durant like for 15 to 20 seconds to the point where then they had like he was all over him and then it got to booker he got switched on him and shut that down as well uh he had the one where he dove on the ball too after i think brooke lopez popped it out like he was giving it his all i thought you know on his defensively but they come up short there's no dame and the game winner i guess was for or the game tying attempt i should say you know brooke lopez got a a

A look very, I was going to say on the block, not close to the block, but he's so big he can get a shot off for everyone. I think maybe it was Durant. I think it was KD. Yeah, it almost went. It was a pretty good look for him, but a little turnaround there on the side. Would have been a great shot if he made it. Huge shot. But Suns roll.

Do you like their chances to at least get one of those seeds, ninth or tenth seed? I do. Yeah. Yeah, they're playing well right now. They're playing the right guys right now, and they don't want to be so embarrassed that they have the highest payroll in the league and didn't make the playoffs. Yeah. So they need to give an effort here. It's only for 10 games. And, like, you're saying this schedule, the teams look tough for sure. Yeah. Last week of the season, who cares? Yeah. Who cares the most?

is going to win those games. Yeah. Like the Thunder ain't going to be playing guys at that point. Why? Yeah, it'd be sort of silly. Yeah. Yeah, it is. Well, they tend to be just be fighting right now to keep that flow going as far as the Thunder specifically goes. That being said, it is refreshing for these Phoenix Suns to come out and play this way because the reverse can be said. I mean, you could say, why are they going to try? They're just going to get smashed. Yeah.

in the first round of the playoffs and they've tried so it is refreshing that they have come out and played a different type of basketball here two other things Giannis got dunked on

Yes, he did. The people were calling for it. They want to hear about it. Great dunk. This guy has had like three or four monster dunks over the last couple weeks. He gets up there and that was no doubt on Giannis too. Yes, that was great. Don't know why he fell out of the rotation, but Ryan Dunn, he's back now. And also back now, Haka Giannis. Yeah.

Our old friend. I haven't seen that in quite some time. 219 left in the fourth quarter. Got it in real quick before the two-minute mark where you can't start doing it anymore. Went 0 for 2, but they got the ball back on the second challenge. But then Gary Trent Jr. missed a wide-open three. So long-term it worked out. Man, Haku Giannis. I forgot all about the intentional fouling and the hacking. Andre Drummond's not a huge player for the Sixers anymore, so that doesn't happen all that often. Ben Simmons ain't around, really. Right. Yeah. Yeah.

It was Giannis. Throwback, yeah, for sure. Exactly. I did have that in my notes, too. I was like, whoa. And I was also like, really, bud? I don't know. And again, he knows, man. Yeah, exactly. It did work, but they got the ball back, but they missed. Let's go now to Anthony Davis coming back. A little bit of a surprise. I know as the day went on, the progress of where he was on the report was bumping up, and he played. Now, he only played 26 minutes.

12 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, a steal and a block. He said he felt great, and they got the victory. Najee Marshall at 22 as the Mavs beat the Nets, Tass. What did you think of AD? And while it sounds like you're pretty confident in the Dallas Mavericks, maybe he's taking one of those spots. Yeah, it is going to be tough because, yeah, the Phoenix Suns are alive. But Anthony Davis coming back and saying all the right things, saying, listen, everybody out there,

when I was out, was out there scrapping, whether it was six guys that were available or seven guys or eight guys. So it was impossible for him to say, nah, I ain't going to play. He wanted to play. Kudos to him for getting out there and playing. And they look like an entirely different team when he plays. Surprising? No, he's a damn good player. And yeah,

So was Najee Marshall. I mean, this guy, watching him, I thought when Anthony Davis was up, I thought, okay, maybe these are just sort of empty stats. Somebody's got to score, but he has been ridiculously effective. The last 11 games, 15 or more points efficient. That floater shot is real. The three-point shot?

It's not going to go down. He's shooting at like 26.5% from three over that stretch. But from the mid-range, again, that floater is good. So it would be nice if Kyrie or that Luka guy played for them. And he, I think, would be legitimate. But they all are sort of this scrappy bunch, including Najee Marshall, to play around Anthony Davis. So, yeah, this team is a tough opponent no matter what if Anthony Davis is out there. What do you think of AD's return?

I think Anthony Davis, just like Kawhi Leonard, are so experienced at coming back from injuries that they look like themselves when they come back. Part of it, I think, is that they know their body and they want to be 100% healthy when they play. But anytime Anthony Davis comes back from injury, he looks good. And he looked like Anthony Davis, I thought, getting possessions and touches where he usually does, sometimes in the high post, sometimes in the low post, playing off pick and rolls, creating for others. He finds Kai Jones underneath for a nice dunk. I just thought he looked good. You know, only 26 minutes.

for Anthony Davis since he's on a restriction, but 12 points, six boards, three assists, a steal, a block, six for nine from the field. Very nice. So that's just good stuff from Anthony Davis and I love what he said afterwards. He's like, I come into the locker room and I see these guys lying on the floor gassed from complete exhaustion. I have to come out and play. So he's got a little bit of a chip on his shoulder, wants to prove that this trade wasn't a ridiculous move by Nico Harrison. This ain't the year they win the title, but he wants to at least give a little optimism, I imagine, to the Dallas Mavericks fans and I got,

a little bit of optimism for is Kai Jones. He's been decent for the Mavericks. 13 points, nine rebounds last night, went five for five from the field. He's only played like four games, I think, on a two-way with Dallas. He probably won't even be there for them next season, but 15 points, nine boards so far. This was a guy that completely flamed out of the league.

Had Instagram problems, if we're being quite honest. Had to go play somewhere else. Didn't do much for the Clippers, but he's been looking good for Dallas, and somebody will probably take a chance on him because he's an incredible athlete. The dude can fly. That Oopie threw down last night. It was crazy. So good stuff, but I mean, long-term, they'll have Gafford. Lively's coming back in not too long. Obviously, Anthony Davis is a huge piece for them, but he could be a backup big for somebody. Yeah, well, let's look at the West play in standings here, and we'll show you a couple of teams here.

ahead of them and behind them there when we're talking Clips, Wolves, and then Blazers, Spurs because we have the Kings, Suns, and Mavs. They all have 35 wins, one more loss for the Suns and Mavs because they played one more game than the Kings. I will say for Dallas to get in, they're going to have to clear Phoenix or Sacramento.

by one game due to tiebreakers. So they do have that disadvantage. So, you know, that's always tough. And it could come down to that. They could have the exact same record but lose in the tiebreaker and be bumped down to the 11th seed. But there's a look. We've got a couple good races going on. Obviously, there's a good race in the West just to remain out of the play-in.

is happening as well and everything going on in the East. So it's fun. Yeah. I wasn't excited about the Western conference playing spots for a while. I'm back, baby. Yeah. I mean, these teams, these teams definitely feel like they have something to play for. And when you say playing for the 10th seed, it's not all that exciting for a fan base. That being said,

I'd rather watch a couple games that matter in April than not for these teams. Adam Silver, you did it again. You can work for the Bulls, man. Well, I think like Trey said, especially when you're the Phoenix Suns and you have the highest payroll in the league, you better at least be playing in a play-in game and maybe get backdooring your way into the playoffs. Maybe. Missing it entirely is, I mean, that's embarrassing. Make a few million in gate money.

Ishby will love it. Before he makes all those cuts next season, probably. Apple Card is everything a credit card should be. It's easy to manage, built to be secure, and gives users up to 3% daily cash back on every purchase. The best part about Apple Card is applying is quick and easy. Apply in the Wallet app on iPhone and see your credit limit offer in minutes. Subject to credit approval. Apple Card by Goldman Sachs Bank USA. Salt Lake City Branch. Member FDIC. Terms and more at applecard.com.

As we progress through the season, every fan knows that big wins are hard to come by and tough losses are even harder to accept. But you know what isn't hard to accept? Discover. Believe it or not, Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. You heard that right, 99%. So make a good call for your wallet and get Discover. Based on the February 2024 Nielsen Report, learn more at discover.com slash credit card.

This show is sponsored by Liquid IV, and I couldn't be happier about the timing. The calendar year turning to 2025 means your boy has officially started Boston Marathon training again. Yep, here we go. Looking at speed runs on the treadmill, tempo runs here in hilly Atlanta, and long runs over the weekend. And my go-to hydration before, during, and after each training session is Liquid IV. The reason is simple. Just go to liquidiv.com

Just one stick plus 16 ounces of water hydrates better than water alone. Powered by Live Hydra Science, Liquid IV is an optimized ratio of electrolytes, essential vitamins, and clinically tested nutrients to turn ordinary water into extraordinary hydration. It delivers three times the electrolytes of the leading sports drink.

And can we just keep it real here for a second? Liquid IV is leading the way in flavor innovation. I legit like them all. I've tried them all. But my favorites right now are the six delicious sugar-free flavors. Raspberry Lemonade, that's the best. White Peach, shockingly tasty. Green Grape, let's go. And there's Lemon Lime, Raspberry Melon, and Rainbow Sherbert.

bangers after bangers. Embrace your ritual with extraordinary hydration from Liquid IV. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid IV when you go to liquidiv.com and use the code NODUNKS at checkout. One more time for the people in the back, that's 20% off your first order when you shop better hydration today using promo code NODUNKS at liquidiv.com.

Other takeaways from last night's NBA action. You want to start with your Bulls who remain on fire. Trey Kirby, they beat the Nuggets 129-119. Kobe White.

Another 37. Yeah, exactly right. He had 35 against the Kings, 36 against the Lakers, 37 last night against the Nuggets. They played the Lakers again Thursday, so I'm thinking 38. There you go. Just like that. Hottest team in the league right now. I guess the Thunder are 9-1 in their last 10, but the Bulls 8-2 in their last 10 with the best fourth quarter net rating and the best defense. They are the ultimate spoiler right now because they just beat the two teams contending for the three seed in the Western Conference, and they're ruining their own draft pick.

At the same time, I don't know what's going on here, but the Bulls are fun to watch right now. You hear about them on other podcasts, not just here. Like I'm guaranteeing you through the month of February, no dunks is the only place you would hear anybody talk about the Bulls. But now that they're winning games when they probably shouldn't be, people are talking about them. Also, no Jokic again in this one. Five straight games that he's missed with an ankle injury. Got to be the longest stretch of his career that he's missed games. The guy never misses games.

point. So yeah, they would like to have him back because they're still in the mix for a top two seed, though it's getting a little bit away from them with the Rockets playing pretty well lately. And Kobe White did something when it comes to the Bulls organization that only Michael Jordan has ever done. Back-to-back Player of the Week honors. Oh! Yeah.

MJ did it, of course. And now Kobe White. Only Bulls to ever do it. Well, look, the banners aren't hanging right now, so there's room to raise another jersey. Get that zero up there. Just watch out for the pyrotechnics and flames from Disturbed. Any thoughts on the month? Well, it's a little surprising. Derek Rose won Player of the Month, but not back-to-back player weeks. That's tough. It is tough. I think the most recent guy to do it, I want to say Joel Embiid did it.

a couple years ago. Yeah. Okay. And I've read that, obviously. That's not up in the old memory bank. I just keep just thinking about it. Yeah. I mean, just on the Lakers getting smashed by the Magic. Yeah, let's talk about it. Who outplayed them. Like,

Lakers now three losses in a row. Franz was outplaying everyone. They were throwing every single guy at him. Your bigs, whether it's Jackson Hayes, even your Dorian Finney-Smith, even Jared Vanderbilt, Rui Etchamur. I wonder how that knee is holding up for him. He outplayed LeBron. You see when he sealed him in the fourth quarter there? 32 for him. He's looking, obviously, entirely great. But the Lakers, defensively, how they've dropped off.

Dramatically, since that beautiful run, they were just switching everything. And then Paulo or Franz said, okay, well, I've got the matchup I wanted. So they were just switching so freaking easily on that end. Scary. They don't look like themselves. And then offensively, Luka in the second half. These numbers surprise me. The last five games in second halves, he's only scoring eight and a half points on 27.9% from the floor, 27.8% from three yards.

Like four to two basically assist to turnover ratio. So that ain't good. And that's probably him trying to get back from that calf injury and he ain't right. So there's a lot that ain't right. And just LeBron goes out, comes back. Yeah. They just needed that, uh, that, that, uh,

run that they had going for him to keep it up. Now it's bad. And they got outscored everywhere. The bench got outscored 30-14. The whole thing. The whole thing was bad. Franz Wagner, he likes playing the Lakers. This guy's played like an all-star in both games he played against LA. First game back in November, 37 points, 11 assists and a win. Easily a top three game for him all season. Probably top two. And then last night, 32-9-5. Shot 50% from the floor. And you said it. He scored back-to-back buckets on Luka,

which was way too easy. Luka did not challenge that shot all that hard. And then he scored on LeBron, sort of sealed him and went baseline. That's like with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter. And then a minute later, he nailed a three from up top when I thought Dorian Finney-Smith, he sort of like handed him over to Rui Hachimura and it was like, he just walked into it and he was on fire. So bad loss. The Lakers are now three and seven in their past 10 games and they've been destroyed. Average margin of defeat in those contests is almost 16 points per game. They're number four in the West.

Only three games up on the number seven Clippers. So, you know, it's not huge. They're probably going to be okay. They'll probably be in the playoffs, but still, it's not gigantic here with a lot of teams, what, 10, 11, maybe sometimes 12 games left.

It was just eerily reminiscent to that game against the Bulls. That third quarter, they got crushed by Chicago with 39-27, the Lakers did in the third quarter, and Orlando did it last night, 34-18. It was almost sort of the same game there where the third quarter gets away from them. Yeah, they're playing it close through the first two quarters, and then after halftime,

have no juice left. Like you're saying, Luka hasn't been scoring very well. He was talking post-game about he needs to be communicating more, which is something we've heard prior from Luka and from JJ, who is saying we don't have enough intensity coming out of halftime. Maybe it's because you don't have all the time to get limbered up before the game that you do get the...

Half work done, but the Lakers have just looked pretty bad in the fourth quarters. They gave up 146 to the Bulls. That's a crazy number. The Bulls are an okay offensive team. At least they can get hot. The Magic are a bad offensive team. They scored 118 and outshot the Lakers 15-10 from three. They hit five threes in that third quarter. It just didn't look like the Lakers...

Knew what they were doing. They looked completely disconnected, I thought. You've brought this up before, Tass, but seven of the Lakers' remaining games are on the road, and they still have three back-to-back sets here on the schedule, starting Wednesday night in Indiana, and then followed by Thursday in Chicago. Those are two of the hotter teams in the league. True. In the Pacers and the Bulls, so...

It's not going to be easy. That's why I brought up that they're in the fourth seed, and the Nuggets also lost last night, so that was good for them. But the seven-seeded Clippers are not all that far behind. And then I think we should talk a little bit about the Pacers destroying the Wolves. On fire. 119-103. Yeah, they are really good right now. Halliburton, Obi Toppin leading a three-point flurry there as they beat the Wolves handedly. We were watching this one on playback thinking, ah, you know, there'll be a run in the Wolves here. It never really came.

It was a pretty comfortable Indiana win. Yeah, they finally didn't play a clutch game. Led wire to wire, I think, in this one. And Obi Toppin has been on fire in his past five games. He had six threes last night. The last five games, he's shooting 17 for 29 from the three-point line. That's 58%. Like, this is a huge reason why they're able to pull out these crazy wins and then a big one against the Timberwolves last night. The Pacers, they've just figured out how they want to play and the guys they want to play. I'm impressed.

It was only seven days before that that Obi Toppin killed the Minnesota Timberwolves with those two huge threes and hit seven of ten that night. It was surprising to see the Timberwolves not come out and fight in this game. There was bad body language. I was reading it. It looked similar to the Lakers. The Timberwolves went on a run.

And now they got back cold. They won eight straight games and then they lost two consecutive games, one to the Pacers and Obi Toppin. And then they lost to the Pelicans. And then they had that nice touching moment when they played for Joe Ingles and his family.

And they beat the Pelicans, but then it flipped back. You could see Anthony Edwards' body language out there was not right. So they just don't seem to have the fight to be able to deal with these adversity moments. And that's the odd part. Also seeing Tyrese Halliburton look like that Tyrese Halliburton from last year. The step backs were...

It doesn't matter who's on. Rudy Gobert, I don't care. So he looked like that guy last year. Over his last 11 games, Halliburton is averaging 21.5 points per game, 12.1 assists per game, 2.5 steals. His shooting splits over that stretch, 55 from the floor, 47 from deep. He's nearly missed a handful of free throws, 94 at the line, and only 12 turnovers.

over that 11 game span and all those assists you're absolutely right that he's looking like the all-star all NBA-ish Halliburton from last year earlier in the year looks awesome right now and they definitely have a flow going like that's a team that's like let's start the playoffs now let's go oh yeah they are let's go and Bucks lose last night so that helps separate a little distance between them with the fourth and fifth seed so Indiana looking pretty good I think they're two games up now anything else from last night you want to go deep on Raptors Wizards Jameson Battle was going deep last night

We had some crazy lineups in that one. Can't leave them open. Yeah. Even with the mask. Yeah, that mask. Two mask guys on the Raptors right now. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. We were counting masks and shirts last night on playback. A lot more shirts than you would think in the NBA these days. We had one of the roughest nights on playback when it came to actual basketball games because we weren't doing the later games, which were a little more entertaining. Definitely better. Obviously, the Bulls-Nuggets game, that great Suns-Bucks game that we talked about, but the ones, oh, my God. Like...

a lot of time we were watching Raptors Wizards because everything else was in commercial break. We saw a lot of Castleton. Yeah, they didn't, they start, they start their big three and quickly and Barnes and Barrett and,

And they're going to win games when those three guys are healthy. But then they sit them in the fourth quarter. This is the new tanking. It is. It is. It's the workaround to not get penalized by the NBA. Play your guys 20 minutes. Yeah. That's enough. And that's enough for a victory for the Toronto Raptors. It would be nice to see if Brandon Ingram plays a game. That would be great if he played too. That's not happening. It doesn't look like it. I can't imagine he'd be playing. Less than three weeks left. One quarter. It's odd. It was cool to see Dwight Howard.

the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame. That was cool. He really, really got emotional. He was very emotional. Yeah. In front of his parents there. Dad pulling out the chinstrap beard. You don't see that very often. Now, this is not obviously raising a jersey to the rafters. This is like, not a plaque, but

you know, a hall of fame. Like you said, yeah. Something I forget. I saw something. Yeah. The ring of honor. That's Shaq's there. Shaq wasn't there for the, uh, for the ceremony for Dwight Howard. That's not going to happen. Shaq and Dwight, uh, the Superman, they, they bought heads. Uh, yeah, it's, it's, they have a very unique, uh,

The Ring of Honor, as it's called, is very unique in the NBA world. I guess, yeah. Some teams do it, but not many. Yeah, I was going to say. I know the Bulls have one. I think the Suns do, too. Yeah, there's just not a lot of them. Probably not. But it's like Dennis Scott, Nick Anderson, obviously Shaq, Penny, I assume, Trace McGrady, Dwight. Keep going. Yeah. Bo Outlaw, I don't know. Maybe. It's possible. Anyway, he was pumped. He was. He was super pumped. He was terrible on the broadcast. Yeah.

Congratulations to him, but he was a straight-up snooze fest for nine minutes of the second quarter. When they added him to the broadcast. And they were going JD mode where we have us here on the thing, but the pop-up as well. So you're getting the game on two-thirds of the screen while the most boring guy of all time just is looking up at the Jumbotron. They should have thought that one through. Wow. It was bad. Yeah. Yeah. They were talking too much about the game.

Like, just ask him questions. Fire questions, you know? It was a little abysmal. And you have that camera angle, too. It's so low to Dwight. Yeah, very weird. Right? It's, like, right on the scorer's table. You see him up. I like the attire, but it just looked weird. Yeah, he seemed tired. I think he was done. Because the ceremony was pregame, and he cried pregame. I think during the game he was all tired. Okay.

I just wanted the question of what's going on with your house sale in Atlanta. Just ask him. Just one question. I think that would have been the best answer. That would have been the thing that went viral because I don't think his house is sold yet, that million bajillion house that's going on. Are you keeping an eye on it? I think we need a little story on that. Wait until the price comes down.

Chip in. Yeah, it's like 13 mil. I'm not saying anything about Dwight Howard on the broadcast. We're calling a College Park Skyhawks game on Friday. I'm keeping my mouth shut. It's not easy, but no, you're right. He was flat, I think. He was flat. Very flat. Maybe he was just tired. Maybe he was tired. A lot of shaking hands. He had a big night. Kissing babies. Posing for photos with his plaque or whatever the hell they gave him. Anything else from last night or let's move on? Let's move on.

Yeah. Let's get to some of the playoff X-Factors that you got to watch. TK's got a list. He promised. He called his shot Babe Ruth style with this one. And I thought maybe we'll see it later in the week. He got to work yesterday. That's right. Fresh in my mind. These are your top eight playoff X-Factors. Why eight? Why not? I got over five. I was like, I ain't getting to ten.

Four from each conference. And honestly, I should have stopped at seven. But our number one X Factor in the playoffs. And look, these are going to be bigger names than you would think for X Factors. Because when I think X Factor, I think we're talking about a series, breaking down the matchups. Who's like the random dude who's going to show up? These are more general playoff X Factors. So some biggish names, for instance.

Jamal Murray is my number one playoff X Factor. I think he is the non-all-star that changes the title picture the most. In wins for the Nuggets this season, Jamal Murray is averaging 24 points per game, 61% true shooting. All of these stats are before the games last night, so things could have changed a little bit. In their losses, 19 points per game, 55 true shooting. This one is accurate. When Murray scores 20 or more points, the Nuggets are 24 and 11. When he's under 20 points, 14 and 15.

yeah simple as that he has to play like a second star for their team to be good uh and you think back like the nuggets playoff history recently 21 22 season jamal murray is gone nuggets are not a championship contender 23 he's healthy plays incredibly in the playoffs they win the championship pretty easily once they got down into the finals last year banged up

They lost it in game seven. Maybe got exhausted as the series went on after a long, long season. So the fact that he's playing well right now, I think is encouraging for the Denver Nuggets. And to me, he is like the biggest question mark. If he plays like Jamal Murray, playoff riser we've seen before, they're still alive, I think, as a championship contender. Yeah, that's a great point because it really comes down to him when it comes to the Denver Nuggets because we know Nikol Jokic is going to be awesome. And you can look back at that 2023 team and think, well,

well, maybe it was KCP who really was the X factor, but Jamal Murray was the guy leading the NBA in the playoffs at 59 threes in 20 games. So he scored, he hit three games, three threes per game.

It's a big freaking number. And he just was the guy in that whole entire playoffs. And I wondered after the max contract coming into this season, whether or not it was just a little premature giving him that deal after watching what he did in last year's playoffs just wasn't up to it. And then the Olympics did not play well whatsoever. But yeah, I got to apologize to the front office there. I called it out maybe because we're in this era where it just seems like

We forget about things, you know, last year. Everything is just so quick. And then you just look at Jamal Murray. He's always a second-half guy, and he started the season slow, and then bang. I mean, he has been really, really good.

So, yeah, they are the challenger to OKC if he's playing like that. Yeah, and when he's rolling, the Jokic-Murray 1-2 game is like one of the most unstoppable 1-2s in the league. That's right. We have seen it in playoff series. So, yeah, he is so important. But when he has that fall off or he goes ice cold, they're a different team. And they drop a tier. I think you're right. Despite this guy never being an all-star, incredibly. But he's...

I mean, you're going to go through a lot of names here. When he's at his best, his ceiling is probably, you know, it's almost peak of all these guys that you're going to go through. It's wild. And I think what is different than the run in 2023 is Jamal Murray learns sometimes he doesn't even need Nikola Jokic to be handling the ball or the pick and roll with him. He's shown other things with other guys on the team where he's just leading the team. So...

DBD. We'll see how he does. Also the hairiest guy on this list. Yes. I'm glad you mentioned it. It was the last part of my notes. Once you mentioned it, I'm like, I can't stop looking at how hairy his limbs are. He's extremely hairy. He's got some Egyptian in him.

So I think that's where it's coming from. Jamal Murray, one of the hairiest guys in the league. Maybe that'll be the next list. Top 33 hairiest guys in the league. Andre Drummond probably making the list still. Our next biggest playoff X factor in the Eastern Conference, it's Mikael Bridges of the New York Knicks. Originally I was thinking it was Carl Anthony Towns, but he'll at least produce, I think, in the playoffs. There will be the frustrating moments with Carl Anthony Towns where he's picking up two fouls.

30 feet from the hoop in the first quarter. That's going to be a bummer. Brunson, certified playoff riser. The guy got better with the Mavericks. He got better when he was playing with the Knicks as well. So as long as he's healthy, I'm good on those guys. Bridges, though, has been playing awesome without Jalen Brunson. 22 points per game, 67% true shooting on a higher usage rate. When he scores 20 or more points, the Knicks are 18-7. You even look at their last five games. In the games he had 27 and 28 points, they won their three losses automatically.

under 20. He's also a huge factor for them from point of attack defense. Like if they were to run into...

the Cavs in the conference finals if they meet up with the Celtics in the second round I think he's going to play a really big role guarding guys I think OG Ananobi is kind of in this x-factor vote as well but I expect more offensively from Mikael Bridges we just haven't quite seen it from OG to be the guy you give the ball he can go out and get you a bucket Bridges has done that and I think that the Knicks are going to need that from him in the playoffs if they want to make any sort of serious noise

I love this one. I was going to ask you, did you go back and forth between, yeah, not cap, but like OG or Mikael Bridges, but I like going with Mikael here, and I just looked it up too. It feels like there's a line for him. If he hits four or more threes in a game for the Knicks, it's like they're basically winning that game, and it sort of holds true. He's got 14 games where he's hit four or more threes, and it's like an 11-3 record. They almost always win, and he's going to get looks.

And you like when he's shooting it with confidence. So that's a good one. Bridges, I mean, I don't know how you feel about the Knicks. I know we had them on the second tier when it came to their chances to win a title. Maybe that's fallen off a bit. Part of that with the Brunson injury. Maybe, maybe not. I don't know.

Do you still believe in him? As far as the Brunson injury goes, I think he can just chill as much as possible because I do think this is a bit of a blessing in disguise. I think Brunson can relax. But also in the standings, I think if Milwaukee drops to fourth, excuse me, if the Knicks drop to fourth, they get Milwaukee.

I think that is a great matchup for them. They have destroyed the Bucs this year. You think the Knicks would rather play the Bucs than the Pistons? Yeah, I think they would. I think they are so good at making Milwaukee look so low as molasses. And there are two games that they've played them this year. They beat them by 34 the last time they played them and 22 this

They haven't been close whatsoever. They play Brook Lopez off the floor. I think they do make them look extremely slow. So I think that also helps Mikael Bridges just play more in that number one role that we all saw in Brooklyn where it really worked. I shouldn't say number one role. It's not a number one role. But the more prominent role where he is more of a one or two guy, I think it does help him. And

Brenton will be back doing his thing. He'll be good. Two and a half game lead for the Knicks over the Pacers right now, but the Pacers are playing better than the Knicks. So definitely a possibility. Yeah. We're switching back to the Western Conference. Our next playoff X-Factor, Jaden McDaniels of the Minnesota Timberwolves. I thought of Randall as a candidate as well, but you got to prove it to me. I think, though, that Jaden McDaniels has been a huge part of the Timberwolves' resurgence. Before the All-Star break, 12 points per game, two assists on 56 true shooting. Yeah.

After the All-Star break, 17 points per game, three assists...

62% true shooting. And most importantly, his shot attempts went from 9.6 field goals per game to 12.8. The guy's looking way more aggressive, way more confident, actually looking for his shot. Making three-pointers is huge. In that same time frame, the Timberwolves' offense has gone from 14th on the year to 4th just because Jaden McDaniels is playing a little bit better and not being a fifth option out there. Like, he's looking to score, and I think that's huge for the Timberwolves to have somebody that wants to take the shots consistently.

Confidence is a big thing for McDaniels. I think he's also going to have to have a better defensive series than he had against Luka Doncic last year, depending on who the Timberwolves match up with. They're going to have a tough road of things coming from likely the play-in tournament unless they're able to pass the Warriors. But we'll see. But Jaden McDaniels has played pretty well here in the second half of the season. He looks like a different player. You can see it start of first quarter, start of third quarter. That's when he gets called on. And it's like, you're playing my man. And Edwards has been looking for him.

When you start talking about those Timberwolves, they have so many X factors. It feels like you mentioned Randall. And it goes down the line. I mean, if Rudy Gobert ain't that same guy. I mean, Dante DiGiovincenzo comes off the bench and has helped out. But they don't look right all the time. But Jayden McDaniels is important. And he's played in every game this season. Not a lot of guys do that. But he does. He is out there playing hard. And he will get the other team's best player. He's asked...

There's a lot asked of him and since that All-Star game, yeah, he's been providing everything he's been asked of. He might be playing Kawhi Leonard in a 7-8 matchup. Yeah. Try and slow down the Terminator there. So good luck with that. But you're right. The offensive part is the huge part because he just has games where he's disappearing act two where he still has like you look at a box where he's like this guy's got five points and he's played like nearly 30 minutes. Did he actually fall asleep? Yeah. It looks like he was going to. But, you know, he's played way better like you said since the break. So that's a good one. I like that one a lot. You know,

Again, the Wolves are going to have a hell of a run to get back to the Western Conference Finals or obviously even hopes to get to the finals. You've got to get in first, let alone then beat some of these elite teams. So it's going to be very difficult, but he'd have to play at a super high level for them to have any chance, in addition to Randall and Gobert and stuff.

- Shopping is hard. - Nothing ever fits. - Everything I own was a birthday present. - I got this Hawaiian shirt on vacation 10 years ago, and now I'm the Hawaiian shirt guy. - There's a better way. Make it easy with Stitch Fix. Just share your size, style, and budget, and done. Your personal stylist sends pieces picked just for you. - That was easy.

Stitch Fix. Online personal styling for everyone. Free shipping and returns. No subscription required. Get started today at stitchfix.com.

As we progress through the season, every fan knows that big wins are hard to come by and tough losses are even harder to accept. But you know what isn't hard to accept? Discover. Believe it or not, Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. You heard that right, 99%. So make a good call for your wallet and get Discover. Based on the February 2024 Nielsen Report, learn more at discover.com slash credit card.

Apple Card is everything a credit card should be. It's easy to manage, built to be secure, and gives users up to 3% daily cash back on every purchase. The best part about Apple Card is applying is quick and easy. Apply in the Wallet app on iPhone and see your credit limit offer in minutes. Subject to credit approval, Apple Card by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch member FDIC, terms and more at applecard.com.

Another team with a lot of potential X-Factors, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Definitely got my eyes on Darius Garland. Hasn't had a great run in the playoffs yet. I think there's a lot of pressure on DeAndre Hunter if they're going to take down the Celtics. Like he's going to be a major part of them trying to pull that off as a defender, likely on Tatum and then having to play offensively. But I'm ultimately going with Jared Allen as my X-Factor for the Cleveland Cavaliers because I haven't been impressed.

his last two outings for the Cavs. You had the Lights Are Too Bright series versus the Knicks, an ultimate quote graphic that you don't necessarily want associated with your name. And then last year, he got hurt after game four against Orlando. And there are two wins that series that Jared Allen played with, and he had 16 points and 18 rebounds in game one, 16 points and 20 rebounds. That's a lot of roast beef.

in game two. He was awesome in their two wins. He was not awesome in their two losses. They got blown out in game three and maybe in game four as well. But when he plays well, when he's able to stay on the court, the Cavs defense is going to be even better. And I think he's a good player, but there are matchups which aren't perfect to be playing Allen and Mobley. So I think that it's important for the Cavs that Allen makes it so the other team is having to adjust to them rather than the flip-flop.

Yeah, and you can play Allen at the five if things are going well and Mobley sits or vice versa because Mobley is playing so well. Yeah, there's lots of question marks, as you mentioned, Garland. Mobley, too, to have an even better playoffs. But Jared Allen is definitely focused on this postseason to write it, as you said.

that quote that he never wants, although he claims that he liked that quote. And when he said it... He's not ashamed. No, he's not ashamed. He calls out for it. And this is his time to have his best playoffs because we haven't had a great one. And last year, he was injured for a bunch of that...

that two-round playoff run for them. And you are right. The Magic pumped them in Game 3, 121-83, and then 112-89. Weird series, man. Very weird series, where Cleveland ultimately got it done in 7, but it was even sort of close there for a second in Game 7. I remember they sort of pulled away in the end, 106-94. But yeah, it was an odd one. It didn't instill a lot of confidence, I remember, in the Cavs. The Magic were scrappy. I think I took the Magic to win that series. I thought the defense might get it done, but...

Cleveland got through, but Jared Allen, okay, lots of guys to pick from, though. I love the Garland one, too. I think, like, for him, Garland, to me, is like when you're getting into the later rounds. For sure. He has to be big and be clutch, and he can be. He's been great this season. Yeah. His clutch stats are, like, nearly 60%. But he's not going to win Clutch Player of the Year, I guess, because that's Jalen Brunson's, but maybe the injury hurts. I don't know. I don't know.

Okay. We shall see. We shall see. We are in starry range. Grab the green ball, Skeets. Okay. Ja Morant is my biggest playoff X factor for the Memphis Grizzlies. He has not played like a star this season. 22 points, 7 assists. Very good. But those are not all-star stats. Those are Ja Morant stats from before he won most improved players. Still one of the weirdest awards we've seen. How many 30-point games do you think Ja Morant has this season?

30 point games. Wow. Four. Yeah, that's probably high for three or four, I guess. Yeah. I would have said four as well. Five. It is. Okay. Okay. Yeah. That one 44 point game. And then he had, I think maybe back to back thirties when Jaron Jackson jr. Went out and it kind of was the only time we've seen jaw be the guy for the Grizzlies this season. They definitely have a more equal opportunity ball movement based offense and

Jaron Jackson Jr.'s game has grown a lot in the two years that Ja Morant was injured or suspended. Same with Desmond Bain. Like those guys take up a bigger portion of the possessions for Memphis than when Ja was the undisputed number one guy. But I think for the Grizzlies to reach their ceiling, he's got to be able to be a 30-point 10-assist guy pretty regularly in the playoffs. He's had some massive moments. He's had 45-plus, I think, in every playoff run he's had when he's been healthy. So we know Ja Morant can show up.

But Memphis is 12-21 this season versus teams that are over .500. They're beating up on the bad teams, and then they're scraping by sometimes against the good teams. They're going to be all good teams in the playoffs, and that's why they need Ja Morant to play like the Ja Morant that everybody fell in love with because that's not the guy we've seen this season.

Yeah, I'm just wondering if Taylor Jenkins is saving more minutes for John Morant in the postseason. I guess it's possible because he is only playing 30 minutes a game, which would be his career low. Just to go out and see him do what he has done in the playoffs. As you said, Trey, there have been some magical moments. And he was awesome when they beat Minnesota two years ago and they played Golden State. I guess it's three seasons ago now. It was 2022-2022.

But he plays a ton when those moments are great. The three playoffs that he's played in, 40 minutes played per game, 37 and 37 in the other ones. So, yeah, I wonder if he's just a tick up and we'll see the John moments again. It's a very high X factor here you have here. Yeah. He shouldn't be an X factor. He should be a star. That's the issue. And I find the Grizzlies very difficult to figure out and like –

I wouldn't be shocked, obviously, with them losing in a first-round series, maybe even handedly, and I wouldn't be shocked with them upsetting or going fur because they're sort of like Jekyll and Hyde a little bit. They have one of the best net ratings in the league, but I think you're right. A big part of that is they take care of those crap teams, and that sort of inflates that a little bit, and then maybe a little more subpar against the elite competition in the league. But they are good, is my point. They are really, really good, but...

Ja needs to be special. And that needs to, 30 minutes, yeah, that's got to be like at least 38 minutes in a postseason, in a playoff game, and it probably will be. And hopefully we get some magical moments from Ja Morant. Because he's been like a forgotten player this season.

Big time. It definitely feels like they are managing his body. Like he, you know, he'll play three games and sit out two games. Like you're saying, the minutes are a lot lower. They're asking less of him. Hopefully it's so that he can be ramped up and ready to go for the playoffs. But that's kind of flipping things on its head from the entire way you've played all season. So I don't know. I was in on the Grizzlies halfway through the season. And then the last like month and a half, they've been pretty disappointing. Yeah. 15 and 20 against teams 500 or better. Yeah. That ain't good.

No. I apologize if you said that stat. Did you say that stat? I might repeat it. I thought I said 12 and 21 versus teams over 500. Did you read that on a postcard by chance? You're getting me for my reading of Chiefs postcard yesterday. Jamal Mashburn's stat we're still trying to figure out. No, we all figured it out. That was the Pelicans, the New Orleans Pelicans. Yeah, according to NBA.com, it's 15 and 21.

against 500 plus teams. And if we can't trust NBA.com, who can we trust? Well, you can't trust ESPN because right now it says they're 11 and 19 against teams. What the hell? You going with Shue or you going with Pelton? So this says... I'm geeking it out here because this column on NBA.com says OPP dots opponent 500 plus teams.

So does that mean it's over 500? Yes. Okay, so yours says it could mean 500 and over. This says 500 and above. Yeah, so maybe there's more games there. What was it? You had 11 and 19. I got 11 and 19. But this says more games. That doesn't make sense. Yeah, 35. They're not playing exactly 500 teams. I don't know. When they were 500? Anyway. Okay, I'll ask Chief.

Not Jeeves. We have Chief. The lesser known website that we only correspond with through postcards. We'll get back to it in eight weeks. Where's Schumann? Schumann is the guy who writes for NBA.com. Schumann does all the stats. Anyways, they're not good against good teams. That's right.

They're not good against good teams, no matter how you slice it. Dylan does say it could be 500 when they played them versus currently 500. Is that a, that could be a difference? That'd be weird. Yeah. The fact that it changed so much from when I looked at it yesterday to today.

They didn't play. Gives me reason to think that something changed. Like I said, they're 11-19 on Tuesday, but when I looked at it on Monday, they were 12-21, so they lost three games somehow. Three games just disappeared from that record. Who went over 500 yesterday? People are calling this a stat fight. It's a straight-up stat fight. There's no teams that are on the verge of being over 500. I don't know who did it. Wow, you're going deep.

Okay, the Kings lost to go under .500. They were 35-35 at the end of the season. That they did.

I wonder what the record for the Grizzlies is against the Kings. There we go. We found it, Schumann. Our next biggest playoff X factor. He's tall. It's Kristaps Porzingis of the Boston Celtics. He played seven total playoff games last year, and the Celtics went 6-1. When he played, they were unbeatable. When he didn't play, they were also basically unbeatable. But I think they need him this year. Their biggest competition, when you're looking league-wide at the teams they're hopefully going up against...

Yeah.

They're going to need Chris Knapp's Porzingis last year. They didn't need him last year. Yep. We're on record as saying as much here on the show. We've said it for a couple weeks now. I believe if they're going to repeat, Porzingis is going to be a monster. I agree. And, like, I think he could, like, flirt with an Eastern Conference Finals MVP or potentially even a Finals MVP. As great as Tatum is, as great as Jalen Brown is, I think he's that important, and I think the numbers can be that big in a potential...

four wins out of seven. So I'm on board with this. KP's got to be awesome for them to repeat because it's going to be more difficult. Yes, definitely as the series go on and you may face an OKC for sure, but I do think it is tougher even at the beginning and we'll see if Chris Epps is just healthy. I think that's what it comes down to.

He has, and they have somehow mastered getting him back healthy because when he comes back, he looks freaking awesome. They play it slow, I guess, and he has looked good recently. Oh, yeah. He's played four out of the last five, and he scored 24 or more in three of those, and they sort of waxed the Kings there last night. So he didn't have to play. Well, he played 30 minutes, I guess, but didn't have his monster of game. Right.

They've won all these games is the other point. And a lot of these games are missing other guys, star guys. He's like taken on that role easily. He can slot into that and he can give you 25 and he can, you know, give you some rebounds as well. I know that's a strong suit, but the guy's a monster and he obviously can protect the rim. He's so important and he's couldn't be, you know, could be a matchup nightmare for some potential series. So I'm with you on that one. That's an X factor to win the title. Yes. To me. Yeah. Hmm.

And Al Horford is getting older. He obviously has a great season. He's had an incredible season. But, I mean, you know, you need somebody else. You've got to get twos sometimes. Like, you're going to have to get twos in the playoffs. That's why they can't just have Horford. He's not the guy that's beating switches like Porzingis is when the –

Celtics had their biggest struggles. It was like trying to reintegrate Porzingis as a player and not necessarily being used to the way that he was getting his shots or Porzingis was out of the lineup and they were a little bit 2-3 happy. So him coming back solves all those problems. Yeah. And he's still a good three-point shooter. He's a 39% three-point shooter this year. So yeah.

And just to confirm, the Grizzlies are 1-2 against the Sacramento Kings. So, the ESPN standings are telling us record against teams that are 500 currently, and my guess is that the NBA.com ones are saying at the time of the game were they 500. Which one do you prefer? I think I prefer...

not checking it until the end of the season when it's locked in. Because I think based on the full season, it's smarter, actually, than at the time. I think you're right. Yeah. Biggest playoff X Factor number seven, Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder, J-A-L-E-N.

I am talking about wing Jalen Williams, who is currently hurt. J-Dub, even though J-A-Y-L-I-N, J-Will, is straight up hooping right now. So maybe he's an X factor as well. But you look at Jalen Williams last season, great against the Pelicans in the playoffs, 21 per game on 53% shooting, 39 from three, just middling against the Mavs, 17 per game, 42 from the field, 38 from three. We know what the recipe is going to be against the Thunder. Get the ball out of Shea Gilchrist Alexander's hands. So,

definitely pressure on Thunder shooters like Lou Dort, Isaiah Joe. Those would be the main guys I would say. I think pressure on Chet Holmgren as well. But Jalen Williams, you're an all-star. This is your time to step up as the second scorer. There are going to be moments when you've got to lead the second unit when Shea is getting a tiny bit of rest during the playoffs. So I would like to see him step up. He's been really consistent this season. Do it again in the playoffs. Yep. You're going to want Jalen Williams to be Jalen Brown.

obviously, you know, SGA's Tatum, you know, in that sort of comparison. And that's what you're looking for. And if he is, then they're unbeatable because they are damn good. But the pressure is going to be there. He's going to be, once the ball's forced out of SGA's hands, especially when we're getting into like fourth quarters and,

clutch situations it's like you gotta make the play and now you have Hartenstein to make a play at the free throw line and play four on three but you also have him as the guy that's gonna operate and whether he can do it for four series we know he can do it he has done it but

But it's a different beast in the postseason. But I have high hopes for him. I love this guy. Yeah, looking forward to watching him in bigger moments. Yeah, OKC can rely on other guys if he isn't being incredible. But there will be times when Shea is not having an excellent game. Who's going to do it? And it's going to be a tough one.

going to be called upon for Jalen to do it. And he, like, it's sort of like not as much this year. Maybe it's because they're blowing a lot of teams out, but like, was it last year? He had a lot of like great moments in the clutch. Yeah. Like he would take over games. Sort of SGA would do the heavy carrying for a majority of the game and then he would take over as sort of an extra boost. So he'll probably get that opportunity in the playoffs. Love that one. Final playoff X Factor, the biggest reach-a-roo.

Benedict Matherin of the Indiana Pacers. Yeah, this one caught me by surprise. Yeah, but I wanted eight and I wanted it to be four and four. And honestly, I love what Matherin has brought to the Pacers lately. Obviously they didn't play a clutch game last night, but they had four clutch wins prior to that. And in those four games, Ben Matherin, sixth and fourth quarter scoring, nine and a half per game, 68 from the field. He went to the free throw line four times,

per fourth quarter in those four wins in those four wins 31 clutch points on 69 shooting that's great he hasn't played in the playoffs yet either yeah so maybe he raises the ceiling a little bit for the indiana pacers or maybe he's kind of got the game where you're not getting the free throw calls in the playoffs and you just become a guy who drives into traffic which is not helping uh the pacers but i'd like to see what he's got and i was choosing him over like kyle kuzma

Kuzma, Malik Beasley, like those guys are series X factors. Yeah. We get down into it, but I think if math ring can play well, it gives the Pacers a little bit of extra juice. Yeah. And his scoring in the fourth quarter, as you said, those clutch sets happens a lot more than it does for Kyle Kuzma or somebody else. These points matter. Who do they go to in the fourth quarter? It's always this guy recently. It's just over and over and over again. So yeah,

As I go back to NBA.com for stats, because I love my stats there. Be careful there. I heard they're all wrong. I'm just looking for his points by quarter have to increase as the game goes on. You know, it's always funny. I don't know if they have a straight-up split for that, but you can sort. Yeah, you got to go through the ball. Yeah, you might have to sort it out.

I'm not upset with another Canadian being on this list at all. Ben the Baker, let's go. Yeah, I'm starting to get really excited about the Pacers again here with the way they're playing recently because it's just nice to see them playing like they were last year. And we already talked about I wouldn't be upset with a 4-5 run it back between the Pacers and Bucs, fully loaded squads.

And Pacers fans will have a chip on their shoulder because everyone's like, oh, you only got by them because there was no Giannis. Well, they're going to be like, all right, bring Giannis. Let's see it. That would be a great first-round series, I think, 4-5. He'll be important. So there it is. Hit me with those eight guys again. Who you got?

Who do I got? Scrolling, scrolling, scrolling. You haven't memorized them? Come on. All right. Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets. Mikael Bridges of the New York Knicks. Jaden McDaniels of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jared Allen of the Cleveland Cavaliers. John Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies. Chris Tapps Porzingis of the Boston Celtics. Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder. And Benedict Matherin of the Indiana Pacers. Five guys whose names start with a J.

The J factor. The J factor. That's what it's called now. I think that a J initial is the most popular initial in the NBA. I don't know if it's true, but I think it is. J-A, too, for sure. Jalen is the most common name in the NBA. I believe that. We need a website for it.

Benedict Mathematician. That can be the website. Here's some math for you, Tass. First quarter, Benedict Mathurin, 3.4 points per game. Second quarter, 3.8. Third quarter, 4.0. Fourth quarter, 5.2. There we go. You nailed it. Turns it on. Hell yeah. NBA.com.

Way to call that. Way to break that down. All right, great stuff, TK. What about OT? Three points per game. Oh, that sucks. Yeah, short, though. But that's not bad. Oh, actually, I take that back. I take that back. Yeah. Per 36? Come on, Vinay! Per 36 on those overtime numbers.

All right, great stuff, TK. Let's hear from you guys in the stream team and in the YouTube comments. You can tweet at us as well. Other NBA playoff X factors that you would add to that list. Tonight's game, TAS, Jimmy Butler returning to Miami for the first time after forcing his way out at the trade deadline. Curious how the home crowd will react to Jimmy. I think this is on TNT, so this will be a fun one, and this is our game in the pick-em. Yeah, Jimmy says, it's just another game. Of course he's going to say that.

Although Kevin Love said, I think he's going to be pretty emotional when he comes back. Really? So that's why I was comfortable taking Golden State. Minus four and a half. They got to cover five points. And I assume that's why Trey and Esh also followed it. Why isn't Golden State going to win by five points? I am surprised, Skeets, that you took Miami's plus four and a half at home. Is he culture real or not?

This is their championship tonight. They ain't doing anything in the postseason. This is their game. This is their like, okay, screw this guy, and

And, like, for Wiggins to, like, get back at his old team. Like, this is a big, big game in front of their home crowd. They got to get this one. This is a money line win here tonight. Oh, you're thinking they're going to money line? I'm going overboard. I'm going overboard. But I like them keeping it close at the very least. So that's why I'm taking them. Hey, man, they snapped the streak. They lost 10 straight. They got healthy against the Hornets. That's good stuff. Yeah, you wouldn't want to come into this game on an 11-game losing streak. Nah, not ideal. They're not good, and don't get me wrong. I'm just saying it's a very important game for them. Yeah.

And again, you got to do it for Pat and Eric tonight.

Playing on the Pat Riley court, as they call it. If we were able to bet by quarters here, going back to the quarters, this would be something. You can do that. Yeah, you'd definitely bet halves. Miami Heat first half, take them. I like that. Wow. Yes, they're solid, and the Warriors tend to come out in the third quarter and take care of business. What's Steph Curry's status? He's questionable? No.

Yeah, Steph Curry had a long... I do believe it's technically questionable, but he did practice for a long time yesterday.

So it seems like emotionally he wants to play for Jimmy. I'm guessing. Feels like that. Did you guys see the clip the other night, speaking of Steph Curry, where it appeared that he hit like a, I don't know, a hundred foot shot because he like chucked it from the tunnel all the way to the other end and there were people filming it and it looked like it swished. But have you seen the footage since? Oh, we have new footage from underneath the camera on the other end. It just hits the mesh.

Like it perfectly hits the mesh, where if you're 100 feet away, it looks like you swished it. But when you're right there, it's like, no, it just hits the mesh. Second aerial. It's real. Second angle. I was searching Steph to see his status for tonight, and I did see those videos come up, and I said, nah, this ain't real. This is a grok. Oh, you didn't even believe it. Well, I didn't really want to read about it. So I was just like, okay, what about Steph? I don't care if he's hit a shot from the other tunnel. He can do that. I believe in him.

That's true. He could have. All right. So that's the big game tonight. We'll be here tomorrow to break that one down. I assume in great detail, talk about all the other games tonight, maybe at the beach. So get your questions in no dunks at the athletic.com. So looking forward to that game and the others. We'll see you here. Then Clipper bros. You heard it here first. Have a great time. Turn up. Love you guys. Awesome. Thanks for joining us. And remember the AI on X is called GROK. I wonder if Rob Gronkowski is,

My Gronk cares about that. I don't know. I just thought of that. It probably has nothing to do with each other because Gronk is Gronk with an N and Grok is Grok without an N. Have you ever used Grok? By accident. Oh, right.

Sometimes I fat-thumbed it. At the bottom of Twitter, it's got all these tabs. Yeah, there's a lot of icons down there now. Yeah, exactly. What happened? I can't reveal it. You know how they write those corrections? They wrote a correction right away. I guess I lied. I know JD's been dabbling with the chat GPT a lot more.

How's it going? How's it going? How's it going? How's it going?

As we progress through the season, every fan knows that big wins are hard to come by and tough losses are even harder to accept. But you know what isn't hard to accept? Discover. Believe it or not, Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. You heard that right, 99%. So make a good call for your wallet and get Discover. Based on the February 2024 Nielsen Report, learn more at discover.com slash credit card.