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00:00Michael Grady from Amazon Prime. He was on the call last night for the Cavalier Pistons game.
00:06Michael, thank you for joining us, man.
00:08Anytime. Happy to be on with you guys.
00:11All right, so help us out here because we're still trying to, yeah, we need a lot of help,
00:15but we're trying to figure out exactly what ended up happening in this game.
00:22Especially the Cavs made that run in the third quarter.
00:24It looked like it was going to be something fun.
00:26All of a sudden, the fourth quarter, they got the lead for a little bit.
00:29All of a sudden, that momentum and Cade Cunningham just looked at the clock,
00:32looked down at the ball and went, my turn. Is that about how you saw it?
00:35Yeah, yeah. First, I do have to apologize.
00:40I'm sure Cavs faithful are tired of hearing my voice.
00:43I had the Cavaliers twice in round one.
00:46Both those games were in Toronto, those two losses.
00:48And then last night, didn't go so well.
00:52And I've got a big connection with so many on the Cavaliers.
00:57I started doing TV in the NBA in Brooklyn when Kenny Atkinson was in his first year as head coach
01:04of the Nets.
01:05Jared Allen was in his first year in the NBA.
01:13And then there are other guys with the coaching staff.
01:16And so there's so many that I'm familiar with and have great vibes with and want to see do well.
01:20And I was really excited to see the Cavaliers this postseason.
01:25And I just got to be honest, I've been really underwhelmed by the energy level,
01:31the execution, obviously, the attention to detail.
01:36And just, for lack of a better word, umphs.
01:40Just umphs.
01:42And, you know, they, you know, the Cavaliers were a healthy Brandon Ingram or a healthy Emmanuel quickly away from
01:48possibly being knocked out in round one.
01:50So on one hand, I'm thinking, okay, maybe, maybe they're a little going through the emotions.
01:55They weren't motivated, you know, to go up against this Toronto squad.
01:58But maybe we'll see a better effort against Detroit.
02:01And again, I've been kind of underwhelmed through these first couple of games.
02:05And so there were, there were spurts, as you mentioned, we saw a spurt, you know, in the fourth quarter
02:10of game one to tie it up.
02:12What was it at 93 before the, uh, the Pistons closed it on an 18-8 run.
02:17We saw another spurt last night.
02:19Um, but that slow start again, hurt them.
02:23And then Kate Cunningham has turned out to be, you know, one of the better closers in the game.
02:28So, uh, I know you guys have covered.
02:30This has been talked about quite a bit, obviously, in the last hour of any hour since the game ended.
02:35Um, you can't have that type of performance from James Harden in a big postseason game.
02:39Um, you know, Evan Mobley, uh, has to be more aggressive inside.
02:43One rebound isn't enough.
02:44He didn't have the three steals, three blocks, but he has to have more than one, um, rebound in a
02:49game.
02:50And they just need more fight.
02:51And, uh, we're just seeing more desperation from the Pistons in these first couple of games.
02:57I agree with all of that, Michael.
02:59What would you attribute this lack of oomph to?
03:01I mean, I know this is a group that's still kind of figuring each other out, you know,
03:04with, um, with James Harden getting here in February and not a whole lot of time to get
03:09ramped up for the playoffs.
03:10Is that, is that part in, in play into why we're not seeing this team come out, you know,
03:16fired up from the beginning?
03:18Yeah, I, I don't, I don't know why the fired up part, you know, uh, the, the continuity,
03:22um, situation is that's all valid.
03:25Uh, the Pistons have been the same team all season long.
03:29They've been the same team the entire season.
03:31Meanwhile, there've been a couple of iterations of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
03:35And of course they've dealt with injuries all season long.
03:37Um, so that plays a role.
03:40So even with the continuity issues and still trying to find an identity, which we addressed
03:46last night, it's still, uh, it's still surprising to me that we're just not seeing fervor.
03:51We're not seeing fight.
03:53We're not seeing tenacity.
03:54We're not seeing that desperation.
03:56Um, you know, the, the Pistons play like a team that, that, that where it looks like
04:01there's something at stake and I'm not just, I'm not seeing that urgency from the Cavaliers.
04:06So that's something I can't quite put a, um, my finger on, uh, because they're playing
04:13with January type urgency.
04:15They're not playing as if they're playing may basketball games.
04:19Michael Grady joining us on the hotline.
04:21He was on the call for our Amazon prime also does NBA on NBC as well.
04:26Play by play.
04:27What do you make of Evan Mobley's performance?
04:29Cause everybody's circling the one rebound and saying, Ooh boy, that's not a way for
04:33the Cavaliers to win some games.
04:35Yeah.
04:36Well, it's not a way to win games.
04:37Um, we're talking about an all-star caliber player, a former defensive player of the year.
04:42And even though we're seeing, we're seeing flashes, um, here or there, you're just not
04:47seeing that consent, consistent, um, force that you want to see from a player, um, of
04:53that caliber.
04:54And it's been a, uh, a topic that I've gotten into with my guy, Brent Berry, who I've solved
05:00the games with on prime.
05:02And he makes some very valid points.
05:03I mean, he talks about the number of guys in NBA history who have won defensive player
05:08of the year.
05:08And how many of those guys are 20 point scores.
05:10He feels like a lot of people are just putting, um, unnecessary pressure on Evan Mobley to
05:15be something that he's not.
05:17And I think he makes, I think he makes some, some, some great points and some valid points.
05:22The problem is that whatever marker you want to say that Evan Mobley should be at, okay,
05:28let's say he's not going to be, you know, this top tier elite score in addition to being
05:33a great defensive player.
05:34But he's not even, he's not even reaching the bar minimum right now from what you would
05:39expect from a guy of his, of his caliber.
05:42And I, and I, I don't even think we're asking for lofty expectations, um, for his size, for
05:46his frame.
05:47Uh, he should have far more than one rebound in the game last night.
05:50There should be far more moments where we notice Evan Mobley from what we've, you know,
05:56given what we've seen so far in this postseason.
05:58We haven't really, it just hasn't been enough of those moments.
06:02And so I think that's the real, that's the real issue.
06:05When you see the Pistons, you're seeing a collective team.
06:09And when you're watching the Cavaliers, you're seeing a group of individuals still trying
06:13to figure it out collectively.
06:16He's been listening to the show for the last couple of hours.
06:18Hasn't he, Dan?
06:19Yeah, Michael, you're hitting on a lot of the stuff that we've talked about.
06:22And I think you're, I think you're right on the money.
06:24And I'd like to go back to, you know, since, you know, Kenny, you, you've spent some
06:28time with Kenny and having covered him now for the last couple of years here, I've really
06:32grown to like coach Atkinson in many ways, his transparency with the media, very, very
06:38candid kind of tells it like it is after the game last night, he said, Hey, look, we got
06:43to go back to the drawing board and that everything's on the table.
06:46Michael, what could you see any kind of moves?
06:48And I don't think they would be rash.
06:50I can't see them benching James Harden or anything like that.
06:53But what, what do you think specifically Kenny can do in game three to get this thing turned
06:58around?
06:59Yeah.
07:00Um, you know, I hate to, you know, Harden was another guy that I was around in Brooklyn,
07:04um, as well and, um, had good positive vibes.
07:08I just think, um, age, um, is, is, it's looked like father time is, as, uh, as caught up with
07:17them.
07:17And sometimes it looks like that when you're facing what looks like a team of young, hungry,
07:23rabid dog, right.
07:25And that's, that's, that's what the Pistons are, um, for all the talk about, you know,
07:29what we're not seeing and what's not looking right with the Cavaliers, we have to give credit
07:33where it's due.
07:33Um, the Pistons were the number one seed in the Eastern conference for a reason.
07:37Um, and they are tenacious, they are aggressive, that defense is as advertised and they have
07:43a bonafide superstar in Kate Cunningham.
07:46So they're legit and they are making James Harden look slow.
07:51That said, the decision-making, the uncertainty out there is still a problem.
07:55And so I know you said you don't want to bench James Harden, but I'd have to take serious
08:00consideration in delimiting those minutes.
08:02Um, if he's not helping the team, if he's, if, if you're not seeing any sort of a burst,
08:07if you're not seeing any sort of aggressiveness, um, then you're going to have to switch things
08:11up and see if Dennis Schroeder has it.
08:13Um, Brent Berry was talking last night about, you know, maybe more Jalen Tyson, as opposed to,
08:19um, uh, Dean Wade and it, and you may have to, I think seeing more of Jalen Tyson is a
08:25good
08:25thing.
08:26Um, even if that means James is, even if that means taking James minutes, if Schroeder doesn't
08:31necessarily have it.
08:32So I think you just, I think you have to be, if you're Kenny, you just have to be willing
08:35to test the professionalism of the guys in the locker room in the name of giving yourself
08:40a chance to win this series.
08:42And, and so if that means limiting, um, James's minutes, if that means limiting another guy
08:47who's expecting to see, uh, more minutes out there, uh, you have to do what you have
08:52to do.
08:52Um, these opportunities don't come around that often, you know, the opportunity to make a
08:59deep run in the post season, they just don't come around that often.
09:01And I know in, you know, in, in Cleveland, you've seen, you've seen a lot of success.
09:05You've seen a lot of good stuff from LeBron or whatnot, but, um, it's just, it's just hard
09:09to win in this league.
09:10It's hard to win playoff series in this league.
09:12And so whatever you have to do to give yourself an opportunity, um, to get back in this series,
09:17you have to do.
09:18And even though it looks bleak, even though the conversations haven't been great around
09:22the team, um, you're a great performance, uh, in game three from saying, okay, all right.
09:30Okay.
09:31Well, okay.
09:31What do they have to do in game four now?
09:33You know, and, and the narrative can completely change.
09:35So we saw how vulnerable, um, Detroit can be in that round one against Orlando.
09:39And it took a, it took a, just a, uh, abysmal performance in the second half, um, from Orlando
09:45in game six.
09:46Otherwise we'd be talking about Cleveland and Orlando right now.
09:49So we have seen Detroit bleed.
09:52Um, and there have been spurts from the Cavaliers in this, in these first couple of games that
09:56they can build upon, but you can't have the slow starts.
09:59You can't have the live ball turnovers and you have to be much more aggressive on the
10:04interior and on the glass.
10:05And for crying out loud, those three point shots have to go down, not having Sam Merrill
10:09hurt, but I never would have anticipated Detroit shooting better from three, uh, and then Cleveland,
10:15even without Sam Merrill.
10:17A hundred percent, Michael, Michael Grady, joining us on the hotline.
10:21Uh, you can hear him doing games for Amazon prime as he did the game yesterday, the Cavaliers
10:25versus the, uh, Detroit Pistons.
10:26Also, we'll be doing stuff for NBA on NBC as well.
10:31Michael, your Harden point is, is right on, I will never get the words of Shaq out of
10:35my head because I always thought it was so good when he was talking about Dwayne Wade
10:38and that last contract.
10:39And he says, but you're, the problem is I'm playing for flash.
10:43I'm not playing for flashes.
10:44And I feel like that's where I am with James Harden right now is that I'm watching flashes
10:48and instead of having the flash and it just has got to change, man.
10:54Yeah, it does.
10:55It does.
10:56And it's the difference between coming out of the series on top or, or going home.
11:00Um, and that's the reason that the trade was made for James Harden and his services.
11:05And, um, and again, like you said, there've been flashes.
11:08It's not seeing the consistency and against this Pistons team against this defense, you
11:14need consistency.
11:16Um, and, and with that consistency, you build faith in the guys around you.
11:21And so, and I'm just not seeing that trust, that confidence from everybody.
11:25Um, you know, when guys are penetrating and driving and trying to make that, that right
11:29pass, um, in, in tight spaces, you just don't see the collective confidence, um, from the
11:35group.
11:35And that's one of the reasons you get a big name like James is that when he walks into
11:39the court, when he steps out there, you feel like you have the best chance to win.
11:43And I don't know that he's instilling that confidence in the guys around him as great as
11:47he is, as great as he's been over the course of his career, future hall of famer.
11:51He's not instilling confidence in the guys around him, um, right now.
11:55And that's, and that's, and that's hurting, that's hurting the team.
11:58Uh, not just at the start of the game, but as we saw in the clutch last night with that
12:02crucial turnover in a two possession game, he just can't have it.
12:05And you mentioned it before too.
12:07I mean, you know, Ronald Holland is, I think 20 years old and he's out there, you know,
12:13athletic is all get out and is all up in James.
12:17And that that's got something to do with some of these turnovers.
12:19I wanted to shift though, real quickly, Michael to, to Thompson as well, buddy.
12:23I mean, I mean, those are, those are two nice pieces that JB Pickerstaff, you know, has
12:29his, at his disposal.
12:30Now, JB, we know well here, Michael, obviously from his time with Cleveland.
12:34Um, what sense do you get from him being around him in the last, you know, week or so or
12:38whatever
12:38it is, um, in terms of re the revenge factor for him?
12:43I mean, it was a lot of people here felt that him being fired was the wrong move by the
12:48Cavs
12:48at the time.
12:49He had done a lot to rebuild this thing.
12:51And, you know, the, the last time since LeBron had left, what, what have you sensed from JB
12:56and, and, in terms of this personally being something for him to really lay his hat on?
13:01Um, he's, he's going to say all the right things publicly, um, uh, privately, um, and he
13:13does not want to lose this series.
13:15Uh, it's, it's, um, the goal is a championship and he's not going to lose sight of, of, of
13:22that.
13:23He's not going to get distracted and facing his former team and lose sight of the goal.
13:27Uh, the goal is to win a championship and, uh, to be able to go through, uh, a team and
13:35a franchise that didn't believe in his vision or felt that he was, um, uh, good for where
13:43good enough for where they got to, but to get them to the next step, they needed to go out
13:47and get somebody else.
13:49And then that's somebody else, one coach of the year, um, you know, a season ago.
13:54Um, yeah, that, that, that stings, that stings.
13:58And so he joins the Pistons, um, and as a part of the long with Trajan Langdon, you know,
14:03building, you know, a monster, a team that won 14, had 14 wins a couple of seasons ago
14:07and now a 60 win squad.
14:09Um, but I think what fuels him more than anything is just the fact that he is a, a, and
14:15you guys
14:15know this, he's a fierce, fierce competitor.
14:19He is a, I mean, he, uh, you know, there's, there's guys who, um, love to win and there's
14:25people who hate to lose and, and he, and he hates to lose.
14:30And so, um, and so I, I, I, there's going to be a lot of narratives out there.
14:34There's going to be a lot of things, um, thrown out there about his, his feelings and whatnot.
14:37Um, he's going to say all the right things professionally, but he wants to win a championship
14:43and going through, um, going through his former team to do so, uh, would, would be sweet,
14:49would be, would be sweet for him.
14:51Definitely would add a little extra, Michael.
14:52Thank you very much for the time, man.
14:54We really appreciate your time and your thoughts.
14:56Anytime, anytime.
14:57Enjoy.
14:58I'm going to enjoy watching the rest of the series.
14:59Hopefully, hopefully we see a good one in game three.
15:01I'm pulling for it, man.
15:02Hopefully we hear you one or two more times too, because it means we've gone a little deeper.
15:06That's right.
15:07That's right.
15:07I appreciate you guys.
15:08Take care.
15:09He is Michael Grady.
15:10You can hear him on Amazon prime doing the games.
15:12Also the NBA on NBC.
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