00:00Do you believe the Rockets are playing for their season tonight?
00:03If they lose this game, the season's over.
00:07By the way, the latest possible update we have, Tyler and Cheryl will check and see
00:12if there's anything more recent, but the latest I have is still a game-time decision
00:17with that bruise in the knee, and according to Udoka yesterday, he said it's more of an
00:24issue of mobility and not pain.
00:26Mobility probably is most important, Udoka said on Monday.
00:31The pain tolerance is one thing, but actually moving and feeling comfortable doing all the
00:36movements is going to be the biggest thing, and so that's why they're running this right
00:40up into a game-time decision.
00:43So we talked about this a bit yesterday.
00:46We just talked about the cross talk before you got in there.
00:48I would be really shocked and then concerned if Kevin didn't play tonight.
00:55I feel like the way we've seen him move a bit, he will at least give it a go.
01:00Hell, he gave it a go knowing that he was probably about to have his damn Achilles tear during
01:06the finals a couple years ago.
01:07I would assume that he plays tonight, especially what we've been hearing of late coming in,
01:14that they feel optimistic about it.
01:17But with that being said, Clint, do you feel like their season's on the line tonight?
01:21Absolutely, 100%.
01:22No doubt about it.
01:22Really?
01:23Absolutely.
01:24Look, here's the deal.
01:25If he doesn't play, the injury is a lot worse than just, oh, he'd need a knee in practice
01:29and he's going to miss game one.
01:31It's clearly significantly worse than I thought.
01:35And even if he was to play in game three, you're still looking at something that's probably
01:39going to slow him down.
01:40And this Rockets team can't survive a slowed down Kevin Durant.
01:45So if he doesn't play, I think it's worse.
01:48Not only are you in an 0-2 hole, but I think it's worse.
01:53And, you know, again, we saw what this team looks like versus a playoff caliber team.
01:58Even be it that that playoff caliber team was missing players, it's still a playoff caliber
02:03team that has championship expectations, that's made runs, that knows how to turn it on,
02:07and they're smart.
02:09You know, they've got one of the smartest players, you know, ever to see the game on
02:13the floor, you know, for an extended period of time.
02:16So, yeah, look, I think if you, whether he plays tonight or not, if you lose, your season's
02:22over.
02:23You think it's over?
02:24You think if they drop down 0-2 going back here?
02:27Over.
02:27Done.
02:28To Toyotas?
02:28Oh, this team?
02:29Done.
02:31Over.
02:31Sorry.
02:32I didn't mean to put an S on that.
02:33That's the other way you looked at me.
02:34Two Toyotas.
02:37Done.
02:37You feel that way, Tyler?
02:38You feel like they're playing for the season right now?
02:42Uh, damn near it.
02:44Yeah.
02:44So, not quite.
02:46Not quite, but pretty close.
02:48Like, I'm with you.
02:49I don't.
02:50All right.
02:51I would have to see how the game went.
02:55Right.
02:55Like, you know, if you look over there and see, and you're like, hmm.
03:00Like, they, they just get, they're just getting their asses kicked.
03:03Or, or you just see, you could just see, like, there's just a way where you watch, you're
03:09like, they don't, they don't have a, they don't, they ain't gonna figure this out.
03:12They ain't got it.
03:13Then maybe that's it.
03:14But, like, when I think about it, and I think, all right, if they go down 0-2 and Kevin
03:19Durant
03:20is able to play the rest of the series, I don't necessarily rule them out.
03:26Although, I'll be honest, Clinton Tyler, the numbers are not on their side.
03:3392.7% of the time, teams that start 2-0 have won the series in the NBA playoffs.
03:40I know that's, that's not a, that's not a good sign that about seven, little over 7% of teams
03:46have been able to come back down 0-2 in, in, in the NBA playoffs.
03:52But I do think this is a different scenario because, again, I would have to see how it,
03:57how it goes.
03:58But on, on paper, when you look at it, this, the Rockets have the, without Luca and Reeves,
04:04the superior talent.
04:05Now, I, I, we'll see about the coaching, actually, we've seen about the coaching a
04:09little bit, but they have the superior talent.
04:11Coaching and IQ.
04:12And they would be coming home.
04:14Um, so I wouldn't necessarily rule them out.
04:17They'd be in trouble.
04:17They'd be in trouble.
04:18I would rule, rule them out.
04:20Like, I, like, I don't care what happens in the OKC Phoenix series.
04:24That series over.
04:24Right.
04:25They're, they're, they're done.
04:26I wouldn't put them in, in that boat.
04:28Uh, I don't, so I don't necessarily, I think it's a huge game and, uh, and their chances
04:32obviously shift in a major way if they're able to pick up a win.
04:36But, uh, but I, I wouldn't, I wouldn't end it right there.
04:397, 1, 3, 5, 7, 2, 4, 6, 10 base power text line.
04:42Do you believe the Rockets are playing for their season text line coming in?
04:46Uh, yes.
04:47The longer this series takes, the more you give Austin and Luca more time to return.
04:52Listen, I'm going to tell you right now, I don't, I don't believe Austin's returning.
04:55I don't, I don't know what kind of funny business Luca had done in Spain, but I, like,
05:00I don't think Austin's going to be able to flip this, uh, this oblique thing.
05:03Like, I think they said four to six weeks.
05:06I, I, I think if they get Austin Reeves back, it would be in a different series.
05:10I don't think he's going to come back.
05:11The Luca thing, we'll see that there may be something to that.
05:14Yes, we are playing for the season.
05:16I don't trust this team.
05:17If I had to bet it was Tari Eason who banged these with KD, he plays reckless.
05:23Um, truth be told, JJ might be a better coach at the, maybe better at coaching than E-May is.
05:29Well, in Gabe one, he definitely was.
05:30No, look, here's the deal with that coupling with LeBron.
05:33He damn sure is.
05:34Now, I don't know who, I'm not, I'm not going to go to the, I'm not going to come to
05:37this
05:37mic and tell you how great JJ is of, of, uh, uh, a coach from a scheme standpoint and a
05:43feel and a management and adjustment standpoint combo, the combination of him and LeBron.
05:49I mean, it, they, they are significantly better than anything that the Rockets bring to the
05:54table.
05:54When you look at, when you look at this series right here is, I agree with you, Ron, it's going
05:58to be a crying ass shame if, if the Rockets lose this series in any way, shape or form,
06:03but lose it in, in, in four or five games, it's going to be a crying ass shame because
06:08you are exactly right.
06:09They are a more talented basketball team.
06:11Um, but it is, it is literally coaching and IQ on the floor.
06:17And, and when, when you're missing that to a degree that a Laker, uh, a Luka-less and
06:24Reeves-less Laker team can beat you by double digits.
06:28Yeah.
06:28That's, uh, maybe even embarrass you in a series.
06:32Yeah.
06:32That's a, that's a, that's a sad day in Houston right there, man.
06:35Yeah.
06:36Well, we'll, we'll see tonight.
06:37If Kevin, if Kevin is able to play, like, I, I just think it's just, and he's able to
06:41play close to himself, then it's an overvent, overwhelming advantage.
06:46Um, again, it would be a shot if they lost with Kevin out there.
06:52I mean, that's worst case scenario is Kevin plays.
06:54There's no sign of, of, of the bad knee and you lose with Kevin.
06:58So he just doubles down on what we watched last week.
07:00That's the worst case scenario.
07:01I told Tyler, cause you brought up LeBron.
07:04I told Tyler before, um, before the show, I am intrigued to see like LeBron's approach
07:13in this game because clearly his approach in the last game was I'm on chill.
07:19I'm not going to exert as much energy.
07:22I'm going to try to get everybody else involved.
07:25And it worked to the tune of Aiton, uh, outplayed Shingun and Hachimura and, uh, and, and then
07:31obviously Luke Kennard went crazy.
07:33Is this a game though, in which he goes, all right, nope, I'm going to go the opposite
07:37of this.
07:38I'm going to go out there and look for my shot.
07:39I'm going to try to lead by scoring.
07:42I'm really intrigued.
07:43What version of LeBron, not only with KD, but what, how does LeBron approach this game?
07:49Because as you said, I think he's probably got as much going on game plot game plan wise
07:56as JJ.
07:57Well, when he's on, when he's on the floor, he's just not going to let it.
07:59I mean, he's just not going to let it get out of hand.
08:02And, and, and, you know, the good thing is, is that LeBron's looking at this thing.
08:05He's got to be like, well, game one was like a walkthrough.
08:08I'm good.
08:09I got all my juice.
08:10And so if he goes out there and the, and the, the, the rockets don't do anything different
08:14and it's the same approach offensively, um, hell and defensively for that matter, then,
08:19then I would imagine LeBron's going to stay right there in his comfort zone.
08:22Why wouldn't he?
08:22Yeah.
08:23Yeah.
08:23They got, they, and they got to dominate those non LeBron minutes.
08:26Like when he's out, they have got to like force him.
08:29They should dominate when his ass is on the floor.
08:30I'm with you.
08:31But damn sure.
08:32When he is off.
08:33When he is off.
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