00:00Welcome one and all on a Wednesday. It's good to have everybody. Absolute tone setter last night. Game one in
00:07the books. We'll talk a little Pistons to start. We have to get to the complete embarrassment that Frambois Valdez
00:13was last night, along with certain commentary about said embarrassment. Frambois Valdez. We'll get to that at three. But first,
00:21no, no. First, Rico wins the hat competition today. A murdered out black on black Atlanta Braves hat.
00:29It is sensual. That's a top tier lid by you. You know what? Or as my dad says, nice sky
00:34piece. All right. Play the song. Hey, six, six. You got to watch this. All right. Yes. Kenny's on his
00:46game. So let's do it this way. I want to give you the positives and I want to give you
00:53my overall theme. And a reminder is game one is not a series.
00:59Just like game one didn't define your series against Orlando. I'm not going to have one game be this end
01:05all be all. Here's what I liked. Hey, first of all, the energy was so much better from this team.
01:12This was the Pistons team we were used to. There was an energy, a tenacity. Excellent. Man, did they get
01:19contributions from role players. Okay.
01:21A sore was impactful in a bunch of different ways. Duncan bird. Now I could do without Duncan Robinson trying
01:29to yell in James Harden's face. Oh, hold on. That's like getting carjacked by a Muppet. Stop it. That's not
01:36who you are. Duncan. Cut that out.
01:37My point is 20 impactful points. You mean the Macomb County gangsters? That was tough. But my point is they
01:44got the contributions needed. The defense was there. Getting Jared Allen into foul trouble allowed you to clean up on
01:51the glass. Overall, it's a tone setter because now here's what I liked. You could tell the Pistons set the
01:58tone based on Donovan Mitchell doing what we used to call a Phil Jackson.
02:03Immediately in that postgame. Immediately in that postgame. He's working the refs. Yep. Because you did shoot 20 more free
02:09throws. And you did get one of their important players in early foul trouble. Donovan Mitchell is now, and I
02:16loved what Bickerstaff said. That's messaging. Our message is flopping is a violation. Mitchell's messaging is whack. The point is
02:28this is what a playoff series is. All those things were good.
02:32Here's my concern. Here's my concern. Because it is. It's job well done. You held serve. You get game one.
02:37Can't ask for more. Here's what scared me. Why was the game tied with four and a half minutes to
02:43go?
02:45I thought the Pistons played about as well as they could play. Shot 40% from deep. They forced the
02:5020 turnover mark. They got 31 points off of turnovers. That is that is primo Pistons, right?
02:58The defense block shots, agitating, doing their thing. They played as well as they could play. And yet, game was
03:07tied four and a half, five minutes ago. That's the one thing that scares me a little. Because as much
03:12as I love what the Pistons did last night, can I hearken? I want to hearken.
03:19I said the very same thing to encourage Piston fans last series against the Magic. I believe it was game
03:25four. And I said, look, as awesome as Orlando played and as booty as you played, you were tied with
03:32two minutes to go.
03:34That's not a good sign for Orlando. That is a good sign for you. The principle does apply is how
03:42much of what the Pistons did last night is totally sustainable. Look, 40% from deep. That's pretty heady for
03:50a team that's not a good three-point shooting team.
03:52Getting two buzzer beaters, end of the first quarter, end of the third quarter. Hey, man, those are daggers. And
03:59they mattered. Green and then Ron Holland from the clouds.
04:02Look, the defense is repeatable. Harassing Harden if Kenny Atkinson's going to be in a coma and not screen and
04:09re-screen to get him away from a sore, that's repeatable. Cade is repeatable.
04:14I just wanted to ask you if I'm overthinking it because I love the performance last night. But yet I
04:21sat there in disbelief going, how to F is this game tied? The Pistons have dominated this game.
04:27Isn't harassing Harden if he just dribbles it off of his knees and just throws it out of bounds?
04:32I want to give credit to Cade and a sore. They were in his business.
04:38They were, but some of those were just unforced. Like, well, somebody check this man's pocketbooks. Like, is he on
04:46the take?
04:46No, he's just 36 and awful. Look, awful was the word that I came up with.
04:52Look, and we're not doing Cleveland radio. It's not my problem. The problem is, listen, if the Cavs approach this
05:00the same way in game two as they did in game one,
05:02as it would pertain to Harden, both in a, we're just going to isolate and let him attempt to go
05:08at Cade or a sore, they're going to lose.
05:12Dennis Schroeder has to play more. But that's a 92-7 the game in Cleveland deal, or whatever call numbers
05:18that station is.
05:19It's a very good station. Possibly the best.
05:21I looked at this game, and you're right. I saw the others, and they really stepped up.
05:27And Tobias Harris is showing me that he is that consistent second scorer that we keep saying, Pistons didn't need
05:34a second scorer.
05:34Well, it's Uncle T. He scored 20 points again. And yeah, I think that he is going to be a
05:41key piece of this.
05:43But Dennis Jenkins, for as much as we joke about him, Dennis has played, whether it's game seven or this
05:51game.
05:51If he's at home.
05:52Right, he's at home.
05:53We need to see what he does in Cleveland. But I was thoroughly impressed with him.
05:59And the other person who was a star, it was number nine.
06:03And looking at him, and it's just all the little things that he does, plus, you know, he went out
06:09there, got 11 points, 8 rebounds.
06:11I was like, he's doing a lot of stuff that just frustrates people.
06:16Keep heart to this team.
06:18I mean, we have fun with the number nine mean stop sign.
06:20But, man, I'm looking at the other.
06:22Ron Howland, like, everybody was out there, and it wasn't just the Cade show.
06:27So why was it tied with five minutes to go?
06:30You see the problem?
06:31Because I thought the Pistons played A-plus.
06:33And on one hand, I can say if they play that way consistently, they could win the East.
06:37I have no problem saying that.
06:39They didn't play that way against Orlando.
06:41I thought last night they played great, and yet, there we were.
06:44Yeah, 93-all.
06:45I sat there and said, whoever hits this next pass is going to win this game.
06:49I don't know how.
06:50I guess because Cleveland didn't panic because they had been there before.
06:54So they didn't start just jacking up a bunch of YOLO shots consistently like Orlando did.
07:00Again.
07:00But you're right.
07:02It made no sense.
07:03But somehow or another, it was 93-all, and Cleveland had the ball.
07:08Now, fortunately, you went on a little, I think, 6-0 run.
07:12It's a great closeout, though.
07:13No, no.
07:13The Pistons deserve credit for closing it out.
07:15I'm just making a point like how to get there.
07:19And this is why box scores can lie.
07:21But I love everything the Pistons did in the box score.
07:25And I love everything they did watching every second of the game.
07:29The problem becomes that, to me, is as good as they can play.
07:34It was perfect.
07:36Whether it's the free throw differential, the turnover differential, elite for them, elite shooting from three.
07:42And Rico, look, they got some breaks.
07:44Who are we kidding?
07:44Jared Allen gets three fouls early, plays 18 minutes total.
07:47Now you can dominate the glass, even though you didn't.
07:50You dominated with six or seven extra offensive rebounds.
07:53That's great.
07:54I keep coming back to why was the game tied and how much of what we watched in game one
08:01is truly repeatable.
08:03If that's how they're going to play every night, I have no qualms telling you.
08:07As flawed as this roster is, that's as flawed as the Eastern Conference is.
08:10They could win said Eastern Conference.
08:12So what you're saying is Pistons probably won't shoot 40% from the three.
08:16No, because they won't get 20 extra foul shots.
08:19And what, Harden won't have seven turnovers?
08:22The last part might, because he kind of looks like a drunk old guy out there.
08:25But no, I just think the only thing you can accomplish to start a series as the team with home
08:31court is to not lose your advantage.
08:35You held serve.
08:36You get the win.
08:37It's a tone setter.
08:38I think now Cleveland's the one who has to look at this and go, how are we adjusting?
08:42Part of that might be a minutes allocation.
08:43I do think you need more Schroeder.
08:45His athleticism bothered the Pistons.
08:47His frenetic pace.
08:48He's a little pit bull.
08:50He's a pain in the ass.
08:52And Harden, look, if you're not going to screen and re-screen and get away from a sore, oh, you're
08:58dead.
08:58He's 36.
08:59He can't go up against someone like that.
09:01And Cade, credit Cade.
09:03His defense was excellent.
09:04And I know Harden got numbers.
09:06But let's be real.
09:07Harden was bad for three quarters.
09:08And that was your defense.
09:09And the other thing, I don't know if it's sustainable.
09:12Tobias has shown me the consistency.
09:14He's him.
09:15He's just going to keep scoring 27 points a game.
09:18I don't know if we'll get 19 points a game from Duncan Robinson.
09:22Well, no.
09:23That was a little bit of an anomaly.
09:24What I'm saying is absolute A-plus tone setter to start the series.
09:29Yes.
09:29I have nothing to knock them about.
09:31When I ask a question, that's just because I don't watch games like an eight-year-old.
09:35I'm asking, okay, last night is how you win the East.
09:39But is it repeatable long-term?
09:42And that's why I said I don't know if Duncan can continue hitting the shots right before the half and
09:49at the end of the third quarter.
09:51Oh, Green and Holland?
09:52Well, listen.
09:53Hey, you make your own luck at home.
09:55The road is different.
09:56If you're Cleveland, your mission is to come here and get one.
09:59And you hold home serve.
10:00That's the oversimplification of the day.
10:02I apologize.
10:03Yeah, no, and to go back to Duncan, you hope that maybe that spark when he made the basket and
10:08got in James Harden's face,
10:09maybe that's what's going to light the fire under him for the rest of the series.
10:13And we do get, let's just say you get a consistent 14 out of him.
10:17Okay, great.
10:19Five from eight from what?
10:20Is it five from eight from the three-point line?
10:21Yeah.
10:22Yeah.
10:22That's good Duncan.
10:23And look, I'll say it.
10:25I mean, this is where I hate headlines.
10:27Like, I thought Duren was okay.
10:31I don't know where people are getting, oh, he was regular season.
10:36Dude, he had five points until the late stages where Cade spoon-fed him three dunks.
10:41The defense was better.
10:43He did not dominate the glass.
10:45You're seven feet tall and a man-child.
10:48You played 35 minutes, and Jared Allen missed the whole game, basically.
10:51You had 11 boards.
10:52I thought he was acceptable.
10:55But I love how one of the newspapers today, basically, like, Jalen Duren wins gold penis award.
11:01You're like, what are we doing?
11:05So, look, comprehensively, I don't know that it gets better for game one.
11:12But I just wanted to know about sustainability.
11:15And maybe I'm just tripped out.
11:17Maybe it's the NBA.
11:17Everybody makes a run, and you can't factor it in, and they closed them out.
11:21I'm good with all of it.
11:22But I just wanted to ask the question, because, man, from a box store standpoint, if I designed Pistons blowout
11:26on paper, that was it.
11:29It was.
11:29I never really thought the Pistons were in trouble.
11:32But at 93-all, I was like, they can't lose this thing, can they?
11:38Because they dominated.
11:39I mean, Cleveland took a quick 5-0 lead at the beginning of the game, and then it was a
11:43boat race after that.
11:45Yeah.
11:45And it's like, you're right.
11:47I can't answer your question.
11:49No, I know.
11:49How did they get tied?
11:49Well, that's the fun.
11:50I mean, that's why we're going to.
11:51I have no idea.
11:51That's why we're going to tune in tomorrow night.
11:53That's part of what this is.
11:54I don't have the answers.
11:56But to me, look, I told you.
11:58I didn't have a strong opinion on the series.
11:59It's a coin flip.
12:01I'm still right there.
12:03I think the Pistons reaffirmed a little bit of faith that they have that gear.
12:07They played.
12:08Am I wrong in saying that was their A-plus game last night?
12:10I thought they played great.
12:13Yet, why was it tied?
12:15That's part of what playoff basketball is.
12:17It may have been their best game against.
12:19Game seven was a great game, but they were playing a corpse.
12:22This was a great game because Cleveland was in it, and they were trying to win.
12:26This was A-plus stuff, man.
12:28David, Kenny, we'll get to you.
12:29I know Kenny has a ton of thoughts, especially about Lakers and Thunder.
12:33He was up late watching that.
12:35Yeah, Kenny, I'm kidding.
12:37Six, six.
12:38You got to want this.
12:39Listen, all the drops are fun.
12:41I'm good with it.
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