00:00James Harden had seven of those turnovers.
00:02Here's what he had to say about the subject.
00:05You look within first and you look at my turnovers,
00:07and a lot of them were just on me and nothing they did.
00:11So, you know, which led to, you know,
00:13I don't even know how many transition points they have,
00:15but it was way too many.
00:15And if I had to put my print on one thing on the game,
00:18that's the game right there.
00:19Like we talked about last year, you get a shot on glass,
00:21even half of that, and it's a different ballgame.
00:23For me, I got to be better and I will be better
00:25turning the basketball over, you know,
00:27from turning the basketball over and getting shots up,
00:28and then it gives our defense a chance to get back and get set.
00:31I think we did it.
00:32Other than that, we, you know, played a pretty solid game.
00:34The problem with James here in the postseason, Andy,
00:36is he's giving everybody who says James Harden
00:39isn't a good playoff player ammunition.
00:42Has he been a bad playoff player?
00:44No, I don't think so at all.
00:46But has he been that guy that you know he can be?
00:51No, I don't think he really has.
00:53No.
00:54And I think that's problematic,
00:56and that's something that the team is going to have to deal with.
01:00Now, what do they look at the box score and say,
01:01oh, I had seven assists and seven turnovers.
01:04I mean, it's like, I don't know what, as of...
01:10Guys who handle the ball half turnovers,
01:12Cade Cunningham had four yesterday.
01:14Yeah, he leads in the playoffs with 37.
01:16Yeah, I mean, it's a problem.
01:18There's no question about it.
01:20Donovan Mitchell has thoughts on it.
01:22Here's what Donovan had to say about the massive number of turnovers.
01:26I think it's just attention to detail.
01:28You know, we've got to be sharp, and we just weren't.
01:30With that being said, so many things that we can control,
01:32I think it's just a matter of just being sharp.
01:34There was some carryover in that regard, like you said, from last series.
01:36But we'll clean that up and move forward.
01:38That's why I'm optimistic, because I do think they can clean it up.
01:41I do.
01:42Everything he said is 100% right.
01:44Okay.
01:44100% right.
01:45Problem, though.
01:46What?
01:47Now it's happened against two different teams.
01:51Attention to detail.
01:53Like, it wasn't great defense that made you step on the baseline
01:57on a turnover later in the game yesterday.
02:02That's not defense.
02:03That's not great defense.
02:05That stuff, unfortunately, happens.
02:07It's attention to detail when you're in the playoffs.
02:10It can't happen.
02:11And if it does, you get the result that you had last night.
02:15We can say, oh, it's part of the game.
02:17It doesn't have to be a part of the game.
02:18Championship teams aren't going to turn around.
02:20Yeah, well, we lost because I stepped out of bounds.
02:24Oh, I can't believe it.
02:25Oh, shucks.
02:26Bummer.
02:28You've got to be better than that.
02:30You're a playoff team.
02:31And you're the highest payroll in the NBA.
02:33Come on.
02:34We had a Keon Ellis sighting last night.
02:36It was good to see.
02:38Keon came off the bench, played basically 11 minutes.
02:42One of four.
02:43He didn't have huge contributions.
02:45But as the defensive player, we know he can be.
02:48And a 3 and D type of guy, as they like to label guys, he could play a role in
02:53the series
02:53moving forward.
02:54Here's what he had to say about all the turnovers and everything else.
02:57I think we shot ourselves in the foot.
02:58I think we know that.
02:59You know that first quarter, they got out to a good lead.
03:02Won every quarter after that.
03:03Fought our way back.
03:04They're a good team.
03:04And you know you give them a lead like that at the first quarter.
03:07They'll run with it.
03:08I mean, we had a lot of turnovers, too.
03:09And they're a good transition team.
03:11So, they did that well tonight and try to be better in this game.
03:13Yeah, they were good in transition.
03:15Yeah.
03:16There's no question.
03:17They got out and about.
03:18Keon was inaccurate.
03:19The Pistons did win the fourth quarter.
03:21But, you know, they had such a big lead after one.
03:2416-point lead after one.
03:2518-point lead in that first quarter.
03:27And Cavs were just fighting all game long.
03:30Never got the lead back.
03:31Got out, scored on fast break points 15-6.
03:35So, talk about getting them out.
03:37Well, that's what turnovers do.
03:38They lead to fast breaks.
03:39The one thing to remember here, we can look at all the turnovers.
03:44You can look at being down by 18.
03:47You can look at any factor from this game.
03:50You emerge from game one, and there's only one thing that matters, Andy.
03:54And that's one.
03:55Correct.
03:56You lost one game.
03:58And the Pistons need to win three more.
04:00And the Cavs need to win four of the next six.
04:04And, honestly, last night's game did not leave me with the impression that the Cavs can't win this series.
04:11Didn't.
04:12Again, you forget about game one if you can just win game two.
04:15Sure.
04:15It's that easy.
04:16It's done.
04:17It's not that hard.
04:17Yeah.
04:18It's done.
04:18Ladies and gentlemen, Jeff Thomas leaving the building.
04:20Oh, goodbye, Jeff Thomas.
04:21See you.
04:22You can't hear us.
04:23Leaving the building.
04:24Clearly, Evan Mobley and Jared Allen need to be better individually and combined.
04:30Again, this stat is one that I've had NBA players say to me, so, in other words, you were on
04:38the floor at the right time.
04:40Plus minus?
04:41Yep.
04:42Yeah, that's my favorite, though.
04:43And coaches like that stat a lot.
04:47Evan Mobley yesterday had the worst plus minus in the game of anybody.
04:52When Evan was on the floor, the Cavs were outscored by 18 points.
04:57Now, is that really a complete indictment of Evan?
05:02Or is that what I hear from NBA guys?
05:06Yep, you were on the floor at the wrong time.
05:08Probably a little bit of both.
05:10The only guy who had a plus for the Cavaliers in the starting five?
05:16Jared Allen.
05:17Of course.
05:18Because he only played 18 minutes.
05:21No, Tyson was plus nine, Jeff.
05:23I said in the starting lineup.
05:24Oh, in the starting lineup.
05:25Yep.
05:27The big guys have to be better.
05:29You've got to let it go.
05:29They're going to have to, I honestly think, do what I said yesterday.
05:34Somebody go and get 19 and 12.
05:36You know?
05:37That's a good, solid game for a big guy.
05:40Terrific.
05:40That's outstanding.
05:42And it will give the Pistons something to worry about.
05:45Do you think we're the only two people that have hope after this game?
05:48Like, I have reason for hope after that game.
05:50Your first game in.
05:51They lost game one and they did a great job coming back.
05:53First game in.
05:54Came back.
05:56Fixed some of the problems they had early on in the game.
05:58Never quit.
05:59I'll give them that.
06:00They never quit last night.
06:01No.
06:01You know, towards the end.
06:02Well, they never do.
06:04I think they play hard enough.
06:07Detroit probably played a little harder last night.
06:10I hate to ask this question because I thought this last night.
06:14Harden looked old last night.
06:16I'm sorry.
06:16I mean, he gave you 35 minutes.
06:18There's just something about his game.
06:20And maybe it's the reality of his age.
06:23I don't think it's his age.
06:24I think it's his style.
06:26Yeah, I guess he looked old when he was young too, right?
06:29His style of play might make you think old.
06:33You know, maybe walking it up a little bit more than you should.
06:38As he said, and this is what James said, wasn't what they did to me.
06:44He said, I just messed up.
06:46You know, most turnovers were on me.
06:49Wasn't on them.
06:50And I'll clean that up.
06:52Well, good.
06:53We will have to see that.
06:55But I truly think that Evan Mobley and Jared Allen need to just be better
07:01than they were yesterday.
07:03And with Jared getting into the foul trouble, I think it's like an incomplete
07:07on that.
07:08All I know is that even with the four fouls, he could have been a factor in the
07:13second half.
07:14And he wasn't.
07:15And they didn't go to him.
07:17And to me, that's like, well, the guy just had 22 and 19.
07:23Give the Pistons something to think about, Andy.
07:27Give the Pistons something to think about.
07:29He went from like just over three turnovers a game.
07:31Is that right?
07:32Three per game during the regular season to, oh, no, I'm sorry.
07:37This was the first month.
07:38Never mind.
07:39I'm just looking at his numbers.
07:40I'm trying to.
07:40Who's numbers?
07:41James?
07:42Yeah.
07:42Harden's turnover ratio per game.
07:45Yeah.
07:463.5.
07:46It ended up being that.
07:47His regular season turnover per game was 3.5.
07:50He's like 5-something in the playoffs.
07:53He's had 43 turnovers in eight games.
07:55Yeah.
07:5743 turnovers in eight games.
08:00It's not good.
08:01Dan's not doing a victory lap only because he's controlling himself.
08:04That's all I'm saying.
08:0543 turnovers in eight games.
08:06That's all I'm saying.
08:07And there is no victory lap because I want the Cavs to win.
08:10There's no victory lap whatsoever.
08:12I know.
08:13That's why I said it.
08:15I don't know.
08:15I feel a victory lap coming out of there.
08:17Sam Merrill injured his hamstring last night.
08:19Two-man coming out of there.
08:20If Sam can't go, that shrinks the Cavs bench.
08:23And that takes away a real weapon because Sam can change the game
08:27with his three-point shooting.
08:28Do you think it needs to be shrunk, though?
08:30I mean, Kenny Atkinson played, what, 11 guys yesterday?
08:33Yeah, he did.
08:35That is.
08:36You know why you played 11 guys?
08:38Typically not a playoff basketball rotation.
08:41It involves 11 guys.
08:42You played 11 because Sam left after seven minutes.
08:44Okay.
08:45So he's out.
08:4610 is not typically a playoff rotation.
08:48Let me say you played 10.
08:50You played 10, perhaps, because you were down by 18 and your team needed to exert
08:56extreme energy to get back in the game.
08:59So Kenny kept going fresh body.
09:02Did the same thing in the Raptors series, though.
09:04He plays a lot of guys.
09:06Which he's done all year.
09:08Correct.
09:09But typically in the playoffs, that's not the case.
09:11That rotation gets shrunk down to eight.
09:13Typically.
09:14Or seven.
09:14And I've never thought that's a good way to win a basketball game.
09:18If your team won in the regular season by playing nine, ten guys, then play nine, ten
09:23guys.
09:24And who would you sit?
09:27You'd play the starting five.
09:31That's Dean Wade included.
09:33You'd play Max Struess and Dennis Schroeder.
09:35That's for sure.
09:36That's about it.
09:37There's seven.
09:37You want to play eight.
09:38Jalen Tyson in this series, I think he's going to play a key role because of his length.
09:42Look at what happened to him last night.
09:44Just weird.
09:45Right?
09:46He hustles.
09:47I love the way he plays.
09:49Five defensive rebounds.
09:51Had five rebounds in 18 minutes.
09:53And he was plus nine.
09:54You want to talk about the plus minus thing?
09:56He was plus nine when he was on the floor, but didn't score.
10:02Here's the thing.
10:03He only took one shot.
10:05Andy, we know this about the NBA.
10:06If you're going to be on the floor for 18 minutes, as Jalen was last night, you've got
10:13to be some kind of an offensive threat.
10:15Otherwise, you become a much easier team to defend.
10:18As Kenny Atkinson said earlier, they were all over our ball handlers.
10:21Why?
10:22Because other guys aren't taking shots.
10:24One shot for Jalen Tyson last night.
10:27Well, and none for Sam Merrill in the seven minutes he was there.
10:30And Thomas Bryant took four shots.
10:34Keon was on the floor for 11 minutes.
10:36He took four shots.
10:37Jared Allen took four shots.
10:39Dean Wade took three shots.
10:41You wonder why your ball handlers are getting smothered.
10:43It's because nobody else is either A, getting the ball, or B, doing anything with it when
10:48they do get the ball.
10:50So that has, I think that has to change.
10:53Can you count on Max Struess to play his buns off again and hit half of his threes and
10:59score 19 points?
11:00No.
11:01Can you?
11:01I think he can definitely play his buns off.
11:05Score 19, I don't know about that.
11:07But see, you also don't expect Dean Wade and Jared Allen to combine for seven points.
11:12I mean, Dean's on the floor for 28 minutes and he can shoot threes.
11:16So you've got to get him more than three shots in the game.
11:20Three.
11:21Three.
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