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David Aldridge joins the show to preview the second round of the NBA playoffs.
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00:00We are excited to jump on the Rude Guest Hotline and welcome in our friend, the Hall of Famer, Mr.
00:04David Aldridge.
00:05DA, how are you, dude?
00:07Gentlemen, I'm doing great. What's happening?
00:10Oh, not much. I imagine you're a busy fella with all the NBA playoffs going on.
00:16It's been fun. I mean, we had three Game 7s in the first round.
00:21One of them super compelling. The other two, I didn't pay much attention to.
00:25What did you think of the Sixers taking down the Celtics, coming back from 3-1?
00:31Well, I mean, they finally had their team on the floor that they, you know, have been waiting for for
00:35two years, right?
00:36And they, you know, I think Paul George doesn't get a lot of attention because Embiid was so good.
00:42But I really think Paul being there makes them a very different team.
00:48His ability to score in playoff games, I think, is really underrated.
00:55Like, he can score.
00:57Even when teams are loading up, even when teams have him at the top of the scouting report, he can
01:02still score.
01:04Maxie has been this guy for the last two years, right?
01:08So I wasn't really surprised to see Maxie be able to kind of manipulate the defenses and get to where
01:14he wanted to go and produce.
01:17But I think Paul George and Edgecombe are the guys that have made them a much different and better team.
01:24Right?
01:25And Edgecombe's playing great.
01:26Like, it's funny, guys.
01:29Like, I point this out, and people, I don't know why people get mad sometimes.
01:35You know, again, tanking is awful unless you get V.J. Edgecombe by tanking.
01:41Exactly.
01:41Exactly.
01:43Which is exactly what Philly did last year.
01:46They went 5-31 down the stretch last year to keep their pick.
01:49And they wind up getting V.J. Edgecombe, who's been a terrific addition to their team, a great two-way
01:53player, made a bunch of threes.
01:56You can guard Jalen Brown.
01:58You can guard Peyton Pritchard, a guy that they did not have on their roster last year.
02:03And they got him by tanking.
02:06And it makes them a different and better team.
02:08That's why teams tank.
02:10Okay?
02:10That's why you tank.
02:12Yep.
02:13So, they are a very interesting team.
02:17I don't think they can beat the Knicks if the Knicks play at their best.
02:21But the Knicks may not play at their best.
02:23You know, there's no guarantee that Carl Anthony Towns is going to have a series like he did against Atlanta.
02:29He was terrific against Atlanta.
02:30There's no guarantee he's going to be terrific against Philly.
02:33But I think it's going to be a great series.
02:35I think it's going to be compelling basketball.
02:37I hope Joel stays healthy just because I want to see him at his best and see the Sixers at
02:45their best against the Knicks at their best.
02:47I think that could be a really fun series, you know?
02:50I totally agree.
02:51And I know the Knicks have way more depth.
02:54But the Sixers?
02:55Is it outrageous to suggest the Sixers have the better starting lineup in that series?
03:01I mean, it's close.
03:02It's close, right?
03:04I mean, Joel, by himself, makes it close when he's healthy because people seem to have forgotten this dude is
03:10a great player when he's healthy.
03:13Like, he's great.
03:15And I don't know if he's healthy because he got banged up again at the end of the series.
03:19But, you know, when he's right, he's pretty good.
03:22He's hard to stop.
03:23And Maxey is terrific.
03:25Like, Maxey's an all-NBA player.
03:26Like, he's one of the 15 best players in the league right now, right?
03:30You know, so they have a chance, to your point.
03:35I mean, their starting unit is really good.
03:39But so is New York.
03:42And New York does have a little bit more depth coming off the bench.
03:45So you'd favor New York just because I think their continuity, I think, matters at a time.
03:51You know, this point of the season when you play with the same group pretty much for the last couple
03:56of years,
03:56and everybody knows.
03:57And Ananobi's playing out of his mind right now.
04:00He's so good right now.
04:03I think he'd favor New York.
04:05But Philly's got a shot.
04:06It's not – this is not, like, prohibitive favorite Philly's got no shot.
04:11No, Philly got a shot now.
04:12Now, I don't know if they're going to do it, but they do have a shot.
04:15They can go toe-to-toe with the Knicks.
04:17That's what's compelling about this series.
04:20Because New York doesn't really have anybody that can guard Joel.
04:26I mean, you could throw Mitchell Robinson at him for a couple of possessions,
04:30but eventually Joel will figure that out, or he should be able to figure that out.
04:35So that's what makes it compelling.
04:37Dave, would that be the key to them?
04:38Because, like, I know you talk about Maxie and Edgecombe and also Paul George,
04:43but if Joel plays like he played the other day, that makes things a lot easier for him, I believe.
04:50Yeah, sure, of course, sure.
04:52I mean, that's just a guy you can just throw the ball to and say, go get a bucket.
04:56You know what I mean?
04:57And he can do it.
04:59And he gets fouled.
05:00That's the secret sauce of Joel is that he knows how to draw fouls.
05:05He knows how to get to the foul line.
05:07And that's just three points for the Sixers, you know,
05:09and it lets him set up the defense and all the things that come from drawing fouls.
05:13He's just really good at it still.
05:16And, yeah, no, I mean, he's a superstar when he's right.
05:18He just hasn't been right for a while.
05:21You know, like, and especially at this time of the year, you're not expecting it.
05:26D.A., Jalen Bronson's an incredibly gifted offensive player.
05:30Yeah.
05:31Who's he going to guard?
05:34Probably Oubre, I would think.
05:36You just put him on Oubre and just tell him, look, just keep him, try to put a body on
05:41him.
05:41Don't let him get, you know, a whole bunch of tip dunks and things, offensive rebounds and things.
05:45But, yeah, I mean, he's guarding Oubre.
05:47He's slumping off him.
05:49He's making Oubre make threes to score.
05:53And, yeah, I mean, that's what I would do with him.
05:55Now they'll put him in the action anyway.
05:56You know what I mean?
05:57Like, that's the problem is that you're still going to put him in the action, right?
06:00And so it's a matter.
06:01Now he did, I thought, he got much better as the series went on against Atlanta because they were hunting
06:07him the first couple of games.
06:08Like, they were hunting.
06:10McCollum's cooking.
06:10And he got better.
06:11Yeah, yeah, yeah.
06:12CJ was cooking.
06:13But then, see, the problem is they just put OG on him, and that was the end of CJ.
06:19That was it.
06:21He just completely turned his water off.
06:24That's how good Ananobi is right now.
06:26Like, he is so good.
06:28So that's what's compelling.
06:30Both teams have four or five really, really good players.
06:35And it'll be a matter of who, I guess, who can dictate their will, like you guys were saying.
06:41If Philly can get Embiid going and he puts up monster numbers, that is one part of it.
06:48But then at the other end, you've got to guard Brunson.
06:51Like, you know, now they'll put, they have options, right?
06:55Like, they can put Ball George on him.
06:56They can put Edgecombe on him.
06:58But Brunson's really crafty.
07:00And over the course of seven games, he usually figures it out.
07:04So it's a great series, man.
07:06I think Cat is the key to this.
07:10If Cat plays the way he did against Atlanta, I think New York's going to win it.
07:14But if he doesn't, and Cat has some games where he gets in foul trouble,
07:18and he's just not there offensively, then Philly's got a shot.
07:22But crafty is a great word to describe Jalen Brunson's game.
07:26And David Aldridge has great words.
07:28You can follow him at David Aldridge DC.
07:31I like words.
07:33You can read all of his work in The Athletic.
07:36Going to the West, Minnesota takes out Joker and the Denver Nuggets.
07:42Yeah.
07:42Now they get the Spurs.
07:44I mean, Vegas doesn't give the T-Wolves any shot in this.
07:49Where do you land?
07:51I mean, I give them a shot.
07:53Look, I think in the playoffs, it's important that you've been there before.
07:57Like, it's really important.
08:00Yeah, Detroit almost signed it up.
08:01They've been in two straight conference finals.
08:04You know, this is a veteran group.
08:06They're not going to flinch playing against Wemby.
08:09I mean, Wemby is a hell of a talent.
08:11San Antonio is a hell of a team.
08:13Ain't none of them been in the second round before, okay?
08:16Yeah.
08:17That makes a difference.
08:18That matters.
08:20When you hadn't been in this, you're in the final eight now.
08:22This is a different level.
08:25And I don't know if Ant's going to play, you know, game one, but he's going to play in
08:30this series.
08:30Like, he's coming back.
08:32And they won.
08:33They took out Denver without him, right?
08:35Like, they took out Denver without him, without Dante, without the Zumu.
08:40Like, they still took him out.
08:41Like, so that is a tough, mentally tough basketball team that they're playing, right?
08:48So, Minnesota is not going to flinch, man.
08:51Like, they're coming.
08:53They're going to keep coming.
08:54And that matters at this time of the year, that you have guys that have been there before
08:58and aren't going to be, you know, overwhelmed by the moment.
09:03You see that all the time in the playoffs.
09:05And it's human nature.
09:06You haven't been here before.
09:08You don't know what it's like to be in a game seven.
09:12And you think you know, but you don't know until you play in one.
09:16And Minnesota's played in a whole bunch of games, you know, the last few years.
09:20So, I'm not saying they're going to win the series.
09:23I'm saying I'm not, this is not going to be a cakewalk, I don't think.
09:26I don't think this is going to be a cakewalk.
09:28Rudy Gobert just shut down the best player in the world, okay?
09:33Like, shut him down.
09:36Now, I'm not saying he's going to shut Wembenyama down, but if anybody can guard him,
09:40it's Rudy Gobert who practiced against him all the time in the French national team.
09:46Like, he ain't scared of no Wembeny, you know what I mean?
09:49Like, he plays against Wembeny.
09:50He's Wembeny's idol, you know, growing up.
09:54So, there are advantages that Minnesota has in this series that I think people are
09:58overlooking a little bit.
10:00Looking at the Lakers' series against the Thunder, how do you see that going?
10:05I know in the regular season it was all about the Thunder.
10:08LeBron is playing at a different level now.
10:09Can he continue?
10:11He can, but I don't think L.A. can, especially if Luka, I mean,
10:18I think Luka will probably play at some point in the series.
10:22But coming off a hamstring, you guys know that's kind of tricky the first couple
10:26of times you play on it.
10:28Like, you want to not notice it.
10:31You want to go all out.
10:32But in the back of your mind, you're still holding back a little bit.
10:35You don't want to aggravate it.
10:37And by that time, shoot, you know, OKC could be up 20.
10:42You know what I mean?
10:42Like, so I just, I don't know that L.A. has enough to deal with OKC.
10:49OKC's just a monster.
10:51They're just a monster team.
10:54They're doing this without Jalen Williams, you know, and he's had a week to rest now.
11:00And even if he doesn't play a whole lot in this series, he can, you know, they're just
11:05so, they're really hard to beat, man.
11:09They're outstanding defensively.
11:12They're outstanding offensively.
11:13The SGA is an incredible player, going to be MVP again, rightly so.
11:24I don't think L.A. can, I don't think they can hang with them for, you know, five, you
11:28know, for seven games.
11:29I just, I don't think LeBron's playing out.
11:31Look, this, what he's doing is unbelievable.
11:34It's unbelievable.
11:36But the way that OKC can shut down people internally, you know, very little happens
11:45in the paint between Hartenstein and Chad Holmgren.
11:48They're just really hard to score on at the rim.
11:52And I don't know how, I don't know how L.A. generates enough offense to win this series.
11:57Like, how do they score enough points to be in the game in the fourth quarter when LeBron's
12:02experience and skill and smarts may, would matter, right?
12:06They would matter in the fourth quarter.
12:07But not if you're down 20, you know what I mean?
12:10Like, so that's the problem.
12:12How does L.A. hang with them for three quarters to get to the fourth quarter?
12:16That's what I, I can't, I don't see it.
12:19I don't see it, at least not more than once or twice in this series.
12:22I tend to agree with you.
12:25I, you don't want to get too far ahead.
12:27You want to enjoy the moments, obviously.
12:29I think Sixers-Knicks is going to be a ton of fun.
12:32I think the Pistons-Cavs is going to be kind of ugly.
12:35But looking.
12:36It's going to be great.
12:37No, no.
12:38All right, correct me.
12:39That's going to be a great series.
12:40That's a Midwest series.
12:41I love it.
12:42It's a drive.
12:43You can drive between the two.
12:44It's a two-hour drive.
12:45No planes.
12:47This is Midwest.
12:49Rock fight.
12:50Defense, basketball.
12:52I love this.
12:52I love this so much.
12:54I think it's going to be a great series.
12:56I think, watch K Cunningham.
12:58That dude is really good.
13:01He's really good.
13:01And again, how did they get K Cunningham?
13:04They tanked their butts off to get K Cunningham.
13:07That's what they did.
13:08Okay.
13:09That's how they got K Cunningham.
13:11Okay.
13:11So stop it.
13:12Please stop it.
13:14And he's really good and playing at an incredibly high level.
13:18And I think Detroit's going to win the series.
13:20I'm not.
13:21I just didn't.
13:22I know Cleveland won, but they don't look imposing to me.
13:27I'll put it that way.
13:29I don't like when you go to a, you know what I mean?
13:31I agree with you.
13:32And I think like if Detroit is able to advance here and gets to an Easter conference finals,
13:37it puts the seven game series in round one kind of in the mirror for them.
13:41And they don't have to like, yeah.
13:42Because if you got a young team and they lost as a one, I think that could have had like
13:47long-term impacts.
13:49And I think it can, you can move on from that.
13:53But what I'm most excited.
13:54Yes, you can.
13:54And they got through it.
13:56That's the important thing.
13:56They got through it.
13:57And now they're like, okay, we can lose three games and not panic and still win the series.
14:04Right?
14:05That means so much to a team to not panic when you're down.
14:09You know what I mean?
14:10And that's what makes the difference in the postseason.
14:14Are you allowing yourself to maybe look ahead at Spurs Thunder, though?
14:19I mean, I think, I think you, you, there's no reason not to.
14:23I mean, I understand, I understand that that's, you know, the chalk pick and it makes sense
14:28to be chalky.
14:30Like it's, I'm just saying, Minnesota's not going to go away quietly.
14:35I'm just telling you guys.
14:37They have that personality.
14:39When you do what they did against Denver and I know Denver, I know Aaron Gordon was out
14:45and that matters.
14:46That makes, that, that, that, that's important to Denver, but you've got Terrence Shannon
14:53kicking your butt in the playoff.
14:54You know what I mean?
14:56Like, and Jaden McDaniels, Jaden McDaniels literally called all of you out.
15:01He called all of you out.
15:03None of you are any good defensively.
15:05And then gave you 32 and 10 in a closeout game.
15:09You know what I mean?
15:10Like, like these are not fragile guys.
15:13You know, Julius Randle's not a fragile guy.
15:17Nas Reed's not a fragile guy.
15:19Those guys are coming.
15:21I'm just telling you.
15:23They're not going to go away.
15:25So, but, but the San Antonio with, with Wemby and his, and his incredible skill level and
15:33his fearlessness, his complete fearlessness.
15:36He might just be that dude.
15:38He might just be 20 year old Magic Johnson.
15:39Nah.
15:40He, he could be, right?
15:41Like, he could be.
15:42We need to teach him how to fall though, Dave.
15:44You got to teach him how to fall.
15:45Well, he's a big dude.
15:46Big dudes don't fall.
15:47Yeah, he's falling flat on your face.
15:49He's damn sure not a way to be falling.
15:51No, it's not.
15:52And it's going to, you know, like that's, look, that's part of the reality of having a guy
15:57that big is that there's just more stuff that can get hurt.
16:01And you know what I mean?
16:05I hate to put it that, but that's the reality.
16:07Yao Ming, huge human being.
16:09But when you're huge, you have more susceptibility to injury.
16:13And that's just going to kind of have to be, that's the, that's the, you know, the tightrope
16:19you walk with a guy as good as Wemby is.
16:21He's just so good, but he's 7'4", and not fragile.
16:25He's not fragile, but susceptible, you know, like that, that, that's just a part of what
16:31you have with him.
16:34DA, real quick, what'd you think of the commander's draft just while we have you?
16:37I don't think I've talked to you.
16:39Well, look, I mean, they got the right guy at seven.
16:45Yeah.
16:47I mean, I, I, I don't know how you can look at, at Sonny Stiles at the top of your
16:55draft
16:55and go with a bad draft, you know, now I think he, and it's, and it's, he in tandem
17:02with Chennault, right?
17:04And I, I, I just think that they, they, they are so, they should be so different defensively
17:10that that will be of immense help to the offense and to Jaden Daniels going forward.
17:16Um, and I'm looking forward.
17:19I'm curious to see how Blau is as a play caller, caller.
17:23If everybody around the league said, Hey, that was a smart move.
17:27They made keeping that guy, making sure he didn't get out of their buildings.
17:30And I got it at least, I got to at least give that guy an opportunity to show me what
17:34he
17:34can do.
17:35Right.
17:35So, so I'm, you know, you're cautiously optimistic about it.
17:40The receiver Williams, I think is a good pickup.
17:42I don't know if he started in slot.
17:43I don't know, but he helps you.
17:45He's a, he's talent.
17:46You didn't have two weeks ago.
17:48Right.
17:48And at an important position.
17:50So you figure out a way to utilize them.
17:52Do they need another receiver?
17:54Sure.
17:55Yes.
17:56But you know what you can't solve every problem, you know, um, whether it's Iuke or, or Jawan
18:02Jennings, I mean, they could bring one of them in and see what happens.
18:06Like, you know, like, um, but I thought the draft was solid, right?
18:11I don't, it wasn't spectacular, but I thought it was solid and you solved the problem.
18:15You have a, you have the guy that's going to replace Bobby.
18:19Now, like you don't have to be like, well, I think it could be McGee or maybe they need
18:24to know you got the guy.
18:25Now he's the guy that problem is solved.
18:29And now you got to see if your corners hold up, maybe they don't.
18:32And then guess what?
18:33You'll draft a corner in the first round next year.
18:35Like this is, this is how it works.
18:37You had, you had a lot of things to fix.
18:39They fixed a lot of them.
18:42They didn't fix all of them because you can't fix all of them.
18:45But they fixed a lot of them and they should be a better team next year as a result.
18:50DA, as always, thank you for the time, sir.
18:54All right, guys.
18:54Good talking to you.
18:55All right, Dave.
18:55Take care, brother.
18:56That's our guy, David Aldridge.
18:57Read all of his work in The Athletic.
18:59You can give him a follow at DavidAldridgeDC.
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