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00:00Now, welcome on John Fanta, Cleveland's own and, of course, NBC Sports' very own as well.
00:05John, welcome to the show.
00:07Fellas, good afternoon.
00:09How about these times in Cleveland, Ohio?
00:12Think about it, fellas.
00:13We've got a basketball team that's heading into a Game 5 in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
00:18You'd rather be playing deep into May than not.
00:20You've got a first-place baseball team, and the football team, well, they're chipping away, I suppose.
00:26It's a good time to be a Clevelander.
00:28How much did the last two games change things for your feelings about this series, John?
00:34The series hasn't started yet.
00:36The series hasn't started yet.
00:37It doesn't start until a team wins away from their bill.
00:41Cavaliers got to do it.
00:42They got to do it here in Game 5.
00:44So Round 1 never started?
00:46What's that?
00:47Go ahead.
00:50They've got to show they can do it away from their house.
00:53I don't think, you know, it's easy to overreact to one or two games.
00:59And, you know, things to be done, cooked, killed with the season.
01:05But we all know the Cavs are a different team in their building than...
01:11All right.
01:11We're going to pop John on hold there.
01:14Mac has disappeared.
01:15So there he is.
01:17Look at that.
01:17Look at those moves by Mac.
01:19Back like Jordan wearing the 4-5.
01:20I just want to say, a little phone difficulties.
01:24We'll get John back here in a moment.
01:25Every time that happens, I always am like, is my headphones...
01:28Are they going out on me?
01:30I always get, like, real squinty.
01:32Like, no, it's got to...
01:33You can see me on the YouTube.
01:34I love the squinty, by the way.
01:35That's hysterical.
01:36Yeah.
01:36Why do we do that?
01:37I don't know.
01:39That's how I know you're really...
01:40I'm listening very shrewdly.
01:41And also, I'm really terrified that I'm going to have to put the guest on hold.
01:44It's like, my ears stopped working, so I'm going to squint instead.
01:46Okay, great.
01:47My other senses, I must strain them.
01:49John, welcome back, buddy.
01:51Hi, guys.
01:51Sorry about that.
01:52We forgive you.
01:53I'm mobile in New Jersey.
01:55I appreciate the time.
01:56Look, the series...
01:59The Cavs are a different team away from their own building, and so are the Pistons.
02:03I mean, that's just a fact.
02:06But what did change my opinion was the way they were able to force Kate Cunningham into some turnovers.
02:11The way that the frontcourt was able to control Jalen Duren and control that matchup.
02:16To me, as encouraging as Donovan Mitchell was last night, I was equally as encouraged, if not more encouraged, by
02:22Evan Mobley in all that he did.
02:24I mean, that from Mobley was big-time, guys.
02:27He imposed his will on the game.
02:29He did what we've been waiting for him to do.
02:31Now can you do it away from your home building?
02:33Because that was the million-dollar question heading into the series.
02:36Could they win a road playoff game?
02:39The opportunity presents itself.
02:40There's no reason why the Cavs can't win this series.
02:42I still think they're the more talented team.
02:45But do they play efficiently?
02:47Do they avoid turnovers?
02:48Do they avoid the six-minute droughts where they look dreadful?
02:52They've got to put a complete game away from Rocket Arena together.
02:56Some of the commentary after last night's game, John.
02:58Detroit shooting 12 free throws.
03:00Cavs shot 34.
03:01Donovan Mitchell shot 15 himself.
03:04Obviously, J.B. Bickersap was upset with that after the game.
03:07What do you make of the idea that the free throws have just been all over the place in this
03:11series?
03:12Well, it's been a hard series to officiate, and the home team is going to get calls.
03:17The home team's pretty much gotten calls the whole series.
03:19Also, J.B. Bickersap is complaining and saying, you know,
03:23Kenny Atkinson's complaints resulted in the officials making things.
03:27Okay, I mean, I would just say this back to J.B.
03:31How old is sports?
03:34This is something that's happened throughout postseason in any sport,
03:38regardless of where you go, for the home team.
03:40The home team typically gets a friendlier whistle.
03:43I also thought the Cavs, like, I genuinely thought that Donovan Mitchell was getting hit
03:48in the first two games of the series, pretty obviously, and there was nothing being called.
03:53They let everything go.
03:54So, I don't know what, like, he has to stand on when he's complaining,
03:57because he got a ton of calls in the first two games of the series.
04:04Not to mention, there were some fortunate things that happened for Detroit in those two games.
04:09They won.
04:10They were the better team.
04:11Not taking anything away from them.
04:12But I don't, like, look at what J.B. said and think to myself anything other than,
04:16a coach is whining because his team just lost two games away from their building.
04:21Was the disparity large?
04:24Yeah, it was.
04:25But guess what?
04:25Detroit fouls a lot.
04:26Detroit fouls a lot.
04:28Detroit is very physical.
04:29And I didn't think there were calls that, like, where I would say, oh, man, the Cavs,
04:36really, they got a home, you know, they got an amazing whistle tonight.
04:39I thought Detroit legitimately fouled them throughout the game last night.
04:42I thought Donovan Mitchell got the treatment he deserves.
04:45Donovan Mitchell played like, looked like, one of the seven best players in the NBA last night.
04:52That's what I expected of him.
04:53And guess what?
04:54When you're on that playing field, you should get calls.
04:57And he did.
04:58So, J.B. can whine and complain all he wants.
05:01Oh, home team gets friendly whistle in playoff game.
05:04What a shocking headline.
05:06You better hope you don't see J.B. very soon.
05:08That was, we enjoyed the cut-up.
05:10What does Game 5 come down to for you, for the Cavaliers?
05:16Game 5 comes down to, number one, will James Harden not turn the ball over?
05:25And do you know what Don is like here, like he did on the road in the first two games
05:30of the series?
05:30I mean, he lost in those first two games.
05:33I give him all the credit for closing Game 3.
05:36The Cavaliers are down three games to one right now if James Harden doesn't close Game 3.
05:40It was bleak, bleak.
05:42But he has to play a complete game on the road.
05:47That's number one.
05:48You know, if he performs like he did the first two games in Detroit, this is going to go ugly.
05:53Number two, you know, I expect Donovan to be himself.
05:58I'm not asking for him to score 42 points.
06:01But just continue to get to his spots, make those shots, and do what he does.
06:07But then, number three, and this has been, this to me has been the single most important thing for the
06:11Cavaliers all postseason.
06:13Are they going to be the enforcer, or are they going to react?
06:16Are they going to initiate the punch, flash punch back, or are they going to wither?
06:22And that starts with Allen and Mobley.
06:24Guys, last night, those guys punched.
06:26They went at the Pistons defense.
06:29They went at the Pistons on the glass.
06:31They said, enough is enough.
06:32We are going to attack.
06:34You need an attack mindset to win this series.
06:38And the frontcourt last night locked up Durin, gave him problems on both ends of the floor, made him defend,
06:45but also they defended him really well.
06:47The Cavs defense, I thought, in sequences last night, particularly the third quarter, like, that run happens because they got
06:52stops.
06:53They were disruptive.
06:54That defense needs to show up.
06:56They can't be down 18-6 in game five, and you're looking up saying, another uphill battle on the road.
07:04Guys, that's not fun in the playoffs.
07:06And, yeah, they've come back and they've taken the lead, if not tied the game, when they've been on the
07:10road.
07:10But you've got to punch.
07:13Carry this momentum, and you get the lead early in the game on the road.
07:17They've gotten off to way too slow a start away from their building, and a lot of that has to
07:22do with, hey, your four and five men, they've got to show up and get stops.
07:26They can't be going through the motions, giving up, screening rolls for buckets.
07:31Like, this is for Mobley and Allen to be enforcers.
07:34And this is huge for Mobley.
07:35It's a massive inflection point in his career.
07:38Now is the time for him to carry over the momentum that he created in game four and make it
07:43happen in game five.
07:44What have you seen that the Cavs are doing to stop Cade Cunningham the way that they have?
07:49Well, I think they're just throwing their length at him.
07:53They're throwing different matchups at him.
07:55You know, I think Dean Wade defensively is really important to this team, and he has been important to this
08:00team.
08:01So I like what he's been able to do.
08:04I think they've brought doubles.
08:05They've brought some traps at him.
08:08They've done a very good job defensively of just making him work for everything that he's gotten, making him uncomfortable,
08:17throwing two guys at him.
08:18Early in the series, guys, I didn't think the Cavs did a good job at all putting pressure on him.
08:24They gave him the lane.
08:26Now, when they're setting the ball screen up top, the Cavaliers, they're blitzing that, and they're all over him.
08:34They're making him uncomfortable.
08:35You can't let him get downhill.
08:38He's one of the best players in the NBA.
08:39He really is.
08:40And in the first two games of the series, he really did look like it.
08:43But they've done a much better job of making it harder for him to get to his spots.
08:48And, you know, you've got to credit the Cavs' bigger wings because those guys have showed up in different ways.
08:53I even think Dennis Schroeder, when he's gotten out there, that guy's given the Cavs a bit of an edge.
08:59You know, like, let's not – I know sometimes he goes through offensive ruts, but that guy tries defensively.
09:04It's been reported on that he's been a presence in the locker room.
09:07The complimentary cast has done a good job defensively at just making Cade work a little bit harder
09:12and making it hard for him to get downhill.
09:15All right.
09:16This is a strong start for the Gardos, not just on the field, but also from the fact that they've
09:20got three rookies
09:22making big cases.
09:24It was actually Anthony Lind.
09:25I'll give him credit, came into the break and said that Parker Messick, Chase DeLauder,
09:30and Travis Bazzano are three of the top ten candidates for AL Rookie of the Year.
09:36If you had to bank on one of those guys actually winning the award, who are you choosing right now?
09:42Parker Messick.
09:44I mean, what that guy's doing, I have full faith in his ability to keep it rolling.
09:49I love his stuff.
09:50I love his sequencing.
09:52You know, they just bring in Bailey, who should be helpful behind the plate, I would imagine.
09:58Can't hurt.
10:00I trust the Guardians pitching factory.
10:02You know, so I'm going to go with him if I had to vote.
10:06And, you know, I think Chase has put some good swings on the baseball, went through a bit of a
10:11rough patch.
10:12I just think the offense comes and goes for this team.
10:16But Parker Messick has been as consistent as any player for the guards.
10:20So I'm going to go with him, Nick.
10:23And I also think, like, that's what's interesting about the Guardians.
10:26I just saw that if you're a baseball nerd and if you're not, they're actually top ten as a team
10:32and wins above replacement in war.
10:35And I know that their record is what it is and that the AL Central has not been good.
10:38But you're in first place, and I really think this is a ball club that they caught a couple of
10:45bad breaks over the weekend.
10:46They really should have won that game Saturday night against the Twins.
10:48They've left too many people on base.
10:50I do think they've got a run in them here where they could find some separation beyond what they've got
10:56in first place.
10:57And we're in for a fun summer because, like you just said, you've got multiple guys in the mix for
11:01a really fun award.
11:03And as a fan, I think that's what you want.
11:05You want to go in the ballpark and say, what am I going to see tonight on Bazana or DeLauter
11:10or, hey, Messick's on the rubber.
11:12That's what's intriguing right now.
11:14We're in for a potentially really fun summer because we get to watch these guys blossom.
11:18And the rise is always the most – it's the fun part about sports.
11:21We get to see these guys come into their own.
11:23And I think that they will.
11:24I think they're only going to get better as the temperatures warm up.
11:27What's your first impression, or I guess it's more than a first impression now of Bazana?
11:33Well, my first impression was a lot of ground balls in terms of when he's getting back to ball.
11:42But you can see the traits, the tools, the skill set that says if he figures it out.
11:50I think he's gone through a bit of an initial, okay, how do I go about facing major league pitching?
11:57And what's that process going to be like?
11:59The guards have always gotten criticized for waiting too long to bring people up.
12:03They brought him up.
12:04He had some tough at-bats at the outset.
12:06But that swing rate, his ability to turn on a ball and when he does make contact, it looks different.
12:17It feels different.
12:18And it's gotten electricity off the bat.
12:22You know, I think I've been, I wouldn't say I've been like, you know, out of my seat, overly wowed.
12:30I don't know where you two stand.
12:31But I think what I see is a guy that I want to see get comfortable.
12:35I see the signs.
12:36I see the traits of the plate.
12:37I want to see him string together, you know, a nice stretch at the plate.
12:41But when he has, when he's gotten into a baseball, it's easy to see why he was the number one
12:47pick.
12:47All right, John, one before you go, is it time to move Stephen Kwan out of the leadoff spot?
12:53Yes, it is.
12:54And it's been time.
12:56And I understand loyalty and I understand trust.
13:00But this is beyond that.
13:01This is not some 10-game slump.
13:03It's not some 30-game slump.
13:05It's longer than that.
13:06If you look at the numbers, he's been one of the worst hitters in baseball, not just this season.
13:13But this is a trend that dates back to the end of last year when he really was lost at
13:17the plate.
13:18So I'm not saying that all my faith is gone for him as a player on this team.
13:23But, guys, we're talking about the leadoff hitter in a lineup that at times has been very bleak.
13:28He needs to be removed from that spot right now, as hard as that is.
13:31I feel like we haven't fought enough.
13:34We haven't, like, we have shenanigans.
13:36But this is a very professional button-down call.
13:39Were you guys good on Bazzana?
13:41Like, you haven't been wowed, but you've seen the signs?
13:44I love Bazzana.
13:45Nick's a little bit harder to get over.
13:47So I'm more a DeLauder guy.
13:48He's more of a Bazzana guy.
13:50And it might turn into the next James Harden.
13:53Just any time you bring up one of those names, it becomes a row on the show.
13:57If James Harden wasn't...
13:59James Harden, give it.
14:00James Harden, take it.
14:01I think the Cavs would be in a worse spot than 2-2 against the Pistons if they didn't have
14:07James Harden.
14:07Where were you on James Harden after the first two games of the series?
14:14I was looking at the 480 bridge, Nick.
14:17Yeah, this is where I had a little bit of a disagreement with you.
14:19Yeah, you said Harden played a bad game one, and I've disagreed with basically everyone that has that sentiment.
14:2422-8-7, and he scored 13 in the fourth quarter.
14:27He scored 11 straight in the fourth quarter to then get them a tie game.
14:30He was the only one doing anything.
14:33Come on.
14:33Collinger's game score said he was the best player on the court in game one, but everyone just acts as
14:39if James Harden was bad in game one, and I don't see it.
14:42So this is the twist the call takes.
14:44Now, J.P. and I are arguing at the end of the phone call.
14:47Hate to see it.
14:47Hey, you know, I thought of you two, and because I read that...
14:52On Mother's Day?
14:55No, I did not think of you on that day.
14:59I did think of you, however...
15:01In the morning, about 8.30, kids still asleep.
15:03All right, what the mentions?
15:04No, I only think of Ken Carman then.
15:06I did think of you two, though, when I read earlier today that the Falcons are going to face the
15:12Bengals in one of the European NFL games,
15:15and I thought, how fun will that be?
15:17Kevin Stefanski, can he win an international game against Joe Burrow?
15:21It's like an unstoppable force meets a movable object.
15:26I know Nick's going to be hate watching the Falcons.
15:28Yeah, Nick's going to be hate watching the Falcons all fall.
15:30I'm going to be hate watching Ken Carman.
15:32That wasn't week one, though, was it?
15:34What week was that?
15:35No, it'll be like, I don't know.
15:37Do you want Stefanski week one for the Browns?
15:41Yeah, why not?
15:42Yeah, let's do it.
15:43Is that the most dynamic thing we could do for week one for the schedule when it comes out Thursday?
15:47If that happens, with permission from Mac or whatever, I might come directly to the studio for a longer segment
15:57that game week
15:58because we've had our fair share of battles over Coach Stefanski.
16:02Here's the only thing.
16:03Baker versus Stefanski feels like the only right answer for week one, right?
16:08It does.
16:09No, no question it does because it's a real rival.
16:11I mean, like, that's a real rivalry.
16:13Like, Stefanski's not going to –
16:15All right, how about Baker versus the Browns week one because that's also on the table this year.
16:19I'm all here for that.
16:20What's juicier, Baker versus the Browns or Stefanski versus the Browns?
16:23Or Stefanski versus Baker.
16:25I got to say, Stefanski versus Baker, to me, is the juiciest because Baker's literally attacked him.
16:32I know, but not literally.
16:33The Browns won't be in that one, though.
16:34I want one that we get to, you know.
16:36All right, John, keep thinking of Ken Carman.
16:39I know, I'm not going to do that, guys.
16:42The question is, if the Browns face Stefanski week one, who would get a more adverse reaction,
16:46their starting quarterback or the former head coach?
16:49Yes.
16:50Goodbye, everyone.
16:51John Fanta there, NBC Sports.
16:53John Fanta there, NBC Sports.
16:53John Fanta there, NBC Sports.
16:54John Fanta there, NBC Sports.
16:54John Fanta there, NBC Sports.
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