- 4 months ago
Drew Gooden joins the show to talk about all the major NBA playoff storylines with former Wizard and current Monumental Sports analyst Drew Gooden.
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00:00James Drew, thank you for making time for us, man.
00:01How are you?
00:03Doing great, man.
00:05I'm glad to be, glad you finally reached out to me to be involved, man.
00:09Breath of fresh air.
00:10Fine, man.
00:11We appreciate it, man.
00:13I am, I'm curious, like, for you, such a hoop head,
00:18what do you think of these NBA playoffs so far?
00:22I'll tell you what.
00:23I mean, it started with the playing games, competitive basketball,
00:27just right off the bat.
00:31I've been surprised.
00:32I'll tell you what.
00:33That Detroit-Orlando series is really a physical, brute matchup.
00:39And, you know, me living in Orlando during this offseason,
00:43getting to watch that up close and personal,
00:46I think that's probably been one of the better
00:48and more exciting first-round matchups.
00:51It's been damn near shocking.
00:54You know, like, generally, when an 8 beats a 1,
00:57it's like a national story,
00:59and this one kind of seems under the radar.
01:02Now, granted, it's not a done deal yet, right?
01:04Like, the Pistons can still come back.
01:06But Orlando's been really talented.
01:08They just kind of haven't put it together.
01:11Do you think the Magic could close this thing out?
01:13They play tonight.
01:15Well, listen, there's some bad juju in the area now, JP.
01:18Now, listen, I was part of that 2003-2004 Orlando Magic,
01:27excuse me, 2002-2003.
01:30You've got to forgive me.
01:31It's going back over 20 years, man.
01:34So, the 2002-2003 Orlando Magic team I was part of,
01:38we, I believe, were a low seed going against the Detroit Pistons
01:42who was the high seed in the Eastern Conference.
01:45And we went up 3-1 in that series.
01:48Nobody had that on their bingo card for us going up 3-1 in that series.
01:54And come full circle now, they're in the same position.
01:57Now, T-Mac was asked a question post-game when we go up 3-1.
02:03Hey, T-Mac, how does this finally feel to be in the second round?
02:08And T-Mac's infamous response was, it feels good.
02:13So, we had unfinished business still incomplete or too complete.
02:20And we end up allowing Detroit Pistons.
02:23I mean, Chauncey Billups, the next game, had 38, 40 points.
02:26They come back and they beat us that series.
02:31So, I'm hoping, and I'm hoping that the Orlando Magic can pull this off
02:36just so they can forget about that infamous 2002-2003 team
02:42where we tricked off that series.
02:44Grizzlies, Magic, Cavs, Bulls, Kings, Spurs, Mavs, Clippers, Bucs, Wizards.
02:51What a career, Drew.
02:53My goodness.
02:54Yeah.
02:55I love it.
02:56And you're back in Orlando.
02:57I do not need Google Maps.
03:00I could get around in all of those cities.
03:02In all of those cities.
03:03I was going to say, so you're back in Orlando because you like it?
03:09I mean, the tax situation down here isn't that bad.
03:13And, you know, the year-round weather added with that has always been a pleasure.
03:19But, you know, throughout my playing career, bouncing around with all those teams you just mentioned,
03:23I needed to have a home base.
03:25I needed to have a headquarters.
03:26So, Orlando just kind of became that home base for me.
03:30I think Orlando's good.
03:32It's got a big airport, obviously.
03:33A lot of tourists with Disney and all that infrastructure there.
03:37A lot of golf.
03:37A lot of golf down there as well.
03:39So, I just, I ask this as a prelude because I'm curious as to the fan base there and how
03:44excited they are for the team,
03:46given that they're a unique little market that just has one pro sports team.
03:52Yeah.
03:53And it's always, you know, Orlando is kind of like, I think it's like the East Coast Scots deal, you
04:00know,
04:01with the Disney World smack in the middle of it.
04:03So, I think it has a big enough fan base to have multiple pro sports.
04:10But, I mean, with Tampa being so close, you got Jacksonville.
04:15Miami is a three-hour drive.
04:17I think we kind of spoiled to some degree where we could kind of pick and choose who to root
04:22for
04:22and who to go see in a short distance.
04:25But, my second home now has been D.C.
04:29I split half the time there during the season, during the year, calling the games.
04:33My wife is from Rockville, Maryland.
04:35So, I mean, I almost have to give up my California pass now and become a Washingtonian.
04:41So, the DMV is definitely my second home now.
04:45Well, dude, I remember, and I just pulled this up, back in 2014, when Dan Steinberg was running the D
04:51.C. Sports Blog,
04:52he wrote a story about you living in, like, Pike and Rose or something, I think, right?
04:57Like, I mean, you were kind of a Moe County guy.
05:01Absolutely.
05:01I was right there, North Bethesda, whatever you want to call it.
05:05I know some people from Bethesda say there's no such thing as North Bethesda.
05:08There ain't no such thing as – that's a real estate term.
05:11Yeah, it is now.
05:13Yeah, yeah.
05:13But I was right there across from White Flint Mall and right on top of Whole Foods.
05:19And they had an L.A. fitness signature there.
05:22So, during that time, I was an NBA free agent.
05:25And when I was working out, I mean, my daily routine, those were my two favorite places to go in
05:30Florida.
05:30And they had one in – they had both of those places in the building.
05:33And I'm going to say North Bethesda because I don't want anybody from North Bethesda getting mad at me.
05:40I'm going to say North Bethesda.
05:42But I had the Whole Foods in there and I had an L.A. fitness.
05:44And, man, that was my sanctuary, man, to get back in the league.
05:47I mean, that was my practice facility.
05:50I love that, dude.
05:52Well, and in this article, it talks about how much you loved Woodmont Grill.
05:57R.I.P. to the legendary Woodmont Grill.
06:00R.I.P.
06:02Oh, my God.
06:03Best chicken sandwich in the world.
06:04And I found out about the chicken sandwich right before they closed.
06:09I love that.
06:11We're talking with our friend Drew Gooden.
06:12Of course, you can watch him and Chris Miller on all Wizards broadcasts on Monumental Sports Network.
06:18Drew, of the games we got last night, how surprised were you by the way Philly took it to Boston?
06:25I mean, that was – listen, you know that Philly fan base.
06:29You saw it in Joel Embiid's eyes.
06:31He did not want to hear anybody speaking on his behalf in that game.
06:35And he shot all his bullets in that game.
06:37I'm proud of him.
06:38I mean, coming off of that type of surgery, having to sit there and be ready the last couple games,
06:45I kind of tipped my cap off to him.
06:47And it's no easy task.
06:49I mean, Boston Celtics right now, they've come together at the right time.
06:54I mean, how they've manufactured this season with Tatum having Achilles injury
07:00and being able to come back at the right time and them holding down the fort until he became healthy.
07:06He's picking up right where he left off.
07:08I mean, they're surprisingly becoming that team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
07:12So, I think the Philadelphia fans really had a lot of pressure on that game
07:18and did not want to see the 76ers go out like that.
07:22Also, I think the Celtics ended the game missing, I think, something like their last 16 shots.
07:26So, clearly, Philly put the clamps on as well.
07:29It was just their night.
07:31Embiid with 33.
07:32That thing could turn into a series.
07:33I want to talk about the Lakers series right now because they're saying Reeves is on the edge of coming
07:38back.
07:39Lakers are up 3-1.
07:41Durant, though, is not playing again tonight.
07:44And that sucks for the Rockets.
07:45Would you risk playing Reeves if you're up 3-1 in the Lakers?
07:50I don't think so.
07:51I don't think so.
07:53I think, first of all, it's hard to close out any series on the road, especially the sweep of series.
08:03And with KD going out, I think that just kind of gave the Houston Rockets that mindset of no pressure,
08:11nothing to lose.
08:12And the Lakers just couldn't deal with it.
08:14I mean, LeBron James looked like he was a little tired.
08:17Marcus Smart wasn't the same.
08:19Marcus Smart, we saw in those first two games, I mean, he's been playing phenomenal in the absence of Reeves
08:24and Luka.
08:27I think they just need one more.
08:28Luke Kennard had a quiet game.
08:30Rui had a quiet game.
08:31I think if those four guys have solid offensive nights, and now just think, this has been kind of a
08:37grind-out series.
08:39It's not a high-scoring type of affair.
08:42I mean, these playoff games have been rugged, below 110s.
08:46I mean, almost old-school, mid-2000s, 2010 basketball that we're seeing, especially in the Eastern Conference series.
08:56But with KD being out, I think it's kind of made Houston kind of come together and play harder defensively
09:04and kind of caught the Lakers by surprise.
09:06Hey, Drew, I'm curious.
09:08You guys are contemporaries.
09:10You and LeBron, obviously.
09:13Yeah.
09:15Like, maybe you're friends even.
09:16I don't want to speak for you.
09:18Yeah.
09:18Yeah.
09:19How amazed are you by what he's doing?
09:22I think he's 41 now.
09:24Like, it's incredible.
09:26Whether you're a LeBron fan or not, it's incredible.
09:29I am a huge LeBron fan.
09:31I could speak, but I'm always biased with this answer when everybody says, who's better than him or Michael Jordan?
09:38Now, outside of the fishbowl looking in, I'm never going to say somebody's better than Michael Jordan.
09:44But when you hop in that fishbowl and you have the opportunity to kind of see the environment and the
09:50landscape and kind of be involved with a guy like LeBron, you start second-guessing yourself as a fan.
09:57So, I'm not going to – I know that's not the question, but I am amazed because LeBron James –
10:06first of all, I've been retired now going into my 11th season.
10:09I played 14 seasons in the NBA.
10:11I've been retired for 11.
10:12I've been commentating going into my 10th season for the Wizards.
10:17LeBron James – I was drafted in 2002.
10:20LeBron James was drafted in 2003, a year after me.
10:24That's crazy.
10:26Just let that sit a little bit.
10:29That's crazy.
10:30Like, you had a long, distinguished career, and he's still going.
10:35And we're drafted a year apart.
10:39And I've had a relationship with LeBron since he was 15 years old.
10:44A little fun fact, the Oakland Soldiers was an AAU team.
10:48I don't know if you're familiar with them.
10:50One of the top AAU programs still to this day.
10:53I was a part of coming up to the AAU circuit that I ended up sponsoring that team for quite
10:58some time.
10:59LeBron James played on that AAU team when he was 15 years old for me, and that's where our relationship
11:05kind of blossomed.
11:07And then, full circle, got into the NBA with teammates for four years, got to the NBA Finals, and still
11:13a friend to this day.
11:14So, I'm speaking – somebody asked me, what's my opinion on LeBron James?
11:18I've been witnessing this guy since he was 15 years of age with the weight of the world on his
11:24shoulders, and he's figured it out.
11:26And I think he has absolutely exceeded the expectations that he had as a 15-year-old.
11:32All right, so let's assume they get through this series, and let's assume that Luka comes back.
11:38I want to rewind, Drew, and ask you, do you think it was, quote, working with Luka this season prior
11:46to him getting hurt?
11:47Because, you know, the ball dominance, the style of play, how the offense gets routed through, hadn't been the smoothest
11:55thing so far.
11:55Was it working, though, before Luka got hurt?
11:58It was working in the regular season.
12:01I mean, you got to remember, Lakers became, at one point, were a 2-3 seed battling with San Antonio,
12:07kind of flirting with it as being a top seed before Luka went down.
12:12Now, one thing I noticed and I analyzed from not just only us playing against the Lakers two times this
12:19season, but just watching them and observing them,
12:23they struggled making and taking three-point shots.
12:28They're rugged half-court isolation, get to the foul line, downhill, middle pick and roll to initiate offense.
12:36Very rare you're going to see them, you know, connect on 14, 15-plus three-point attempts.
12:44So, I always knew that once they got to the playoffs, that was going to have to change.
12:48They're going to have to get their ball movement.
12:50It can't be too much isolation basketball.
12:53And when you look at AR and you look at Luka and you look at LeBron, those three guys want
12:59to isolate.
13:00They want to come off their ball dominant.
13:02So, somebody's going to have to sacrifice and be a spot-up three-point shooter.
13:06I don't think Luka's probably going to take that seat.
13:10I know I saw LeBron do it in spurts this season.
13:13And I think AR is not, speaking of Austin Reigns, he's not the best version of himself without the ball
13:21in his hands.
13:22So, I thought they were going to have issues come playoff time figuring that part out.
13:27So, Drew, especially because you have such a tight relationship with LeBron, I think if you're a hardcore sports fan,
13:34unfortunately, and I blame ESPN a lot for this because Zabe and I were just joking.
13:40Stephen A. this morning was on there talking about LeBron versus MJ.
13:43And I said sarcastically, oh, there's a new segment on ESPN.
13:47I don't think the LeBron conversation needs to be centered around him versus MJ all the time.
13:52And I always go back to something my wife told me once.
13:55We were watching playoff hoops and LeBron, maybe this is when he was on the heat, another one of the
14:00deep runs.
14:02And my wife said, and my wife's a sports fan, but certainly more casual.
14:05She's like, I'll never understand the LeBron hate.
14:08He's one of the best players, right?
14:09And I'm like, yeah.
14:10And she's like, and he's a good dad and never gets in trouble.
14:13Like, what are we mad about with this guy?
14:15And I think for casual fans, it might be easier to be a LeBron fan rather than me that gets
14:20territorial about MJ.
14:23Yeah, I mean, I always say if we're having a conversation this long and this much, and it's almost a
14:30weekly conversation, he must be doing something, right?
14:34Right.
14:36He must be doing something.
14:38And it's kind of blasphemy.
14:40It's almost like, what religion are you?
14:41Are you a Michael Jordan?
14:44Right.
14:46A Jordanian?
14:47Or are you a LeBronian?
14:49Like a political party.
14:50Here you go, a LeBronian.
14:52I think it's a generational thing.
14:55The older heads, like me, 58, you're never going to shake Jordan off the top shelf.
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