Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Seven the game up here on the River Islands. Guest line is in a time for you to discover the islands River Islands in Lathrop
00:06Let's get to our main man. Brian Geltz Eiler host on Sirius XM NBA radio
00:12Contributor at NBA TV and I'll open with a softball. What do you think of the warrior game last night Kelsey?
00:20Holy crap, right? Yeah, believable
00:23So listen, it's a that stuff never gets boring guys
00:27It really does it like if you love the game and you've enjoyed that player for all these years
00:33How can you not love when that happens the Grizzly fans weren't loving it?
00:37But any fan of the game has to look at that and feel like wow, that's incredible
00:42Like it just for him to be able to go 12 or 20 from 3, you know
00:47Almost get a triple double like it really just an unbelievable performance
00:53By Steph Curry last night and really just it's such a joy to be able to watch and an
00:58Amazing that at this stage of all of it for titles in nine years. This is the 10th year of all of it
01:05With all of that like to still be able to do that and have this be relevant to have this to be a contending team
01:11It's very very special guys
01:12And and it's something that you know as someone that covers the sport and is a huge fan of the game
01:17I never ever take for granted. Well, I love that BG last time we had John
01:21I'd needed counseling
01:24Specifically in regard to Steph and the bilateral knee tendinitis and all of a sudden Jimmy Butler has changed their fortune
01:30And I know there's a lot to be determined
01:32But when you look at the landscape of the West and the possibilities BG, what work would you use on this warrior team?
01:40as they go into the playoffs and I'm assuming they would get a seven game series because
01:45I'm dreaming and fantasizing like you might not want to see him PG
01:49I
01:52Don't know that anybody wants to see the Warriors right now
01:54But what you're here is where I will issue a little bit of caution
01:57I do have legit Warriors that are the Warriors big enough against some of the bigger teams ie
02:03Denver ie
02:05Oklahoma City and Minnesota really are the three that I worry about in terms of size
02:10I think the Clippers are very dangerous
02:12But the Clippers aren't overwhelming you with size as great year as about the Zubat just had and he's been actually outstanding this year
02:19And he's in the mix for most improved player in the league as far as I'm concerned
02:23He's been that amazing, but I do worry about the Warriors against some of these bigger teams
02:28Can they match up well with all that said listen right now?
02:31They're in line for a 4-5 series against the Lakers which would be an absolute epic with the way the Lakers are rebuilt
02:37You know Butler has changed our fortunes in so many ways
02:40There's such a better offensive team within the better defensively too, but a night like last night
02:45Well for 12 from the free-throw line
02:47The ability to get to the free-throw line and get those easy points was an element that the Warriors were missing that they just didn't
02:53Have they have been for the most part since Kevin Durant left a jump shooting team
02:59Listen when you have some of the best shooters the league's ever seen in history
03:02You can get away with being a jump shooting team
03:04But as time went on it was more and more strain on Steph to have to carry all of that and especially now in the absence
03:10Of clay Thompson and having the backcourt partner that at least created a little bit of space for you
03:15Butler is an entirely different element that frankly I the Warriors haven't had since Durant
03:20And I think it really is has been terrific for them obviously the record of 18 and 5 and by the way three of those
03:27Losses were in the absence of either Curry or Butler in that 18 and 5 series the Warriors have to be scary
03:32For any in spite of what I said about the size
03:35They felt to be scary for anybody in the conference to go up against in a seven game series
03:39Brian Gell-Teller joining us on 95-7 the game host on Sirius XM NBA radio contributor at NBA
03:46TV and quite frankly one of our favorites here at 95-7 the game
03:51let me let me just ask you a
03:54Question to let me know if I'll ask the next one like how familiar are you with Jimmy Butler in the playoffs particularly two years ago?
04:02Do you watch a lot of that?
04:04Okay, yeah watch all of it. I always watch all of it perfect. This is what I want to ask you
04:09We hear all about playoff Jimmy, okay?
04:11And I'm looking at the numbers from 2020 that you know when he got him to the finals, Miami
04:17He was taking 21 shots a game in the postseason
04:21Okay, I'm looking at his numbers for the Warriors and to a lesser extent when he was with the Heat
04:27Brian he's taken 11 and a half shots per game since he's been a warrior so
04:33Like is it that
04:36Drastic what happens with Butler in the playoffs what like what exactly happens does two things change?
04:44dramatically because Jimmy's
04:46has the ball way more and
04:49How do you think it looks if they get to the playoffs with Jimmy on the Warriors in that whole aspect?
04:56Won't be 21 shots a game man. It won't be it won't be because Steph Curry's out there, right?
05:01And you know you got to realize you got to remember with the Heat it was Jimmy's
05:05She was Jimmy's bus everybody else was just riding in it
05:08And so you know that title run was in the absence of Tyler hero who would have been the only other
05:14Creator that they had it's not was not gonna be banned out of Bayou
05:17So it was either Jimmy had the ball or the guy that Jimmy wanted to have the ball had the ball
05:22That was it here
05:24It's going to be different either
05:25Steph has the ball or the guy that Steph wants that the ball will have it and that will be Jimmy Butler in a frequent
05:31Basis, and I don't think it's going to continue to be 11 shots a game
05:34I think we're going to be more in the 15
05:3616 range when the playoffs begin because I think when the game slows down and
05:40The and the Warriors are in the half-court more
05:43I think you're gonna see Butler shine in that setting for them
05:46And that's the version of playoff Jimmy that you will get with all that said I don't even think it's a field goal attempts
05:51That are gonna be the most important thing for the Warriors
05:53I think it's gonna be the free-throw attempts and I go back to last night 12 of 12 from the free-throw line
05:58Butler's ability to get to the free-throw line. It's gonna be a source of easy points for the Warriors a source again
06:05I'll go back to it
06:05they haven't really had it since Kevin Durant left and I think that is such a key element here is
06:12Butler he's an excellent free-throw shooter. He's really good drawing fouls. He's good with up fakes. He's good with ball fakes
06:19He'll back you down. He'll beat you off the bounce. He's a good mid-range player
06:23He goes to the rim strong and more importantly when you look to roll doubles to him
06:27He is a good passer
06:29One of the reasons the Warriors offense has been so incredibly effective is it doesn't have to be complicated now
06:34you put him in curry on the same side of the court and they'll figure out an open look between the two of them or
06:39Butler gets to the free-throw line and that's the other way it works. So really I kind of look at all of this and
06:46Feel like couldn't have been a better player at the right time for this warrior team in terms of how he's fit
06:53It's just been seamless
06:55and the other thing that you can't forget guys is that for the value and the quality the player that Butler is the trade was
07:01An absolute bargain flat-out. I mean having to give up just this year's first-round pick along with with Wiggins. Come on
07:07I mean, it's you look at what he's provided. It's absolutely an unbelievable deal. Yeah, Brian Geltz
07:12I'll are joining us on 95 7 the game. Okay, so can how about if I put it this way, you know, whatever
07:17You know playoff Jimmy has earned that nickname because of the things he's done in the postseason
07:22If he's playoff Jimmy for the Warriors
07:26He may be playoff Jimmy, but it won't look like it did in Miami
07:34It's no and by the way, it shouldn't look like you're right in Miami, right?
07:39Miami and all the respect to Jimmy Butler who was outstanding didn't Miami ever win a title with him
07:44They went to two finals, but they never won a title with him
07:47You don't want it to look like it looked in Miami
07:49You want him to be Steph's right-hand man on the offensive end of the floor?
07:53And you want him to be Draymond's right-hand man on the defense end of the floor. That's the role that he is in here
07:59He's the number two guy on both ends of the floor and in Miami guess what?
08:02He was probably the number one guy on both ends of the floor
08:04Maybe damn out if I was a better defensive player at that point
08:07But you don't want it to look like it looked in Miami
08:10Because in the end they didn't have enough to get over the hump and maybe the Warriors do and maybe the Warriors don't but Butler
08:16Has given them their best chance to get curry and green another championship
08:20And I think you ride that as long and as far as you can ride BG
08:24This is what I love about sports in life. You never know what the day
08:28Is going to hold for you right and things change and Draymond green
08:31I believe is the heart and soul of this team had a triple-double last night got
08:36Defensive player of the year for March Wimby goes down and now BG
08:41He's odds-on favorite of defensive player of the year. Have you seen that from Dre and where?
08:46Yeah, what what are you seeing when you watch him on the defensive end?
08:50He's had an awesome year. He's had an incredible year in the defensive end of the floor
08:54He's played great basketball
08:55And one of the reasons I have 44 wins is he's been in a lineup the majority of the time
08:59I mean people talked about last year with the Warriors, you know fade now
09:03Well, how many games for him on this last year guys 30 right between suspensions and injuries
09:08It's been on the floor most of the time and and you're seeing how vital he is on both ends
09:13How he makes other guys better? Do I think he's defensive player of the year this year in the league?
09:18I don't I think that's a player of the year is probably Lou Dort when you look at what he's done to perimeter guys
09:23And how great his numbers have been and the success?
09:25Okay, see his hat I feel like Lou Dort is is there to me has been the best defensive player in a league
09:30But that's not a disrespect to Draymond green who has been absolutely absent
09:35Still there Kelsey
09:38Uh-oh may have dropped. All right, we'll get him back. I hadn't had the door. I hadn't heard by a door
09:43He plays D. We go with Mowgli with the Lou Dort
09:48door
09:50Dyson Daniels had a great defensive year
09:54He said it shouldn't look like Miami's daddy. I like that. It won't you know, I like that's better though
09:59Like he said like it can't like I don't see how it would be the same
10:04But I guess what I'm saying to you is the Warriors don't need him to get you know what I mean
10:08Keep doing what you're doing. Maybe a tad bit a little more pepper. But other than that, we don't need that model
10:14So I mean I gives me the confidence that it could work
10:18Cuz I think this is who he is
10:20And I think I think I really do and you know again, I don't I thought Jimmy Butler played
10:28Very similar to the way he's played since he got here last night. I didn't see a
10:35Greater sense of urgency. I didn't see less of a sense of urgency
10:39I didn't see a noticeable difference in the amount of threes
10:44He was taking the amount of drives. He was making I saw that just what every dribble like
10:49Okay. Yeah. All right. Well, you saw it when he was dribbling. I you know, I can't I can't argue with that
10:56I can't argue with that, but
10:58They'll take 27 from him every night, you know, no doubt. Yeah, no doubt
11:02You know, I guess I guess I'd also we got to find out what happens during a game when Butler
11:09Like that doesn't get to the line, right? Maybe those are gonna come
11:12Maybe then that's when he does bump is his field goal attempts up there a little bit, but we're effort and Brian Geltz Eiler
11:21lost a little bit of a connection with him and
11:23We'll get him back. Yeah, I know we will. Let me see I can just you just pick something out of my
11:29my list of
11:30Something to uh, what would you recommend? I do in this business before we get BG back on starting when?
11:38It's just it's a character flaw. I ask a question
11:42But give my answer before the person that I'm at it ain't about my answer. No, it is
11:48That's the way you set up your opinion
11:50That's fine
11:53Like I mean you ask a question of me so that you can give your opinion. It's no different than when I go
11:59Let me tell you something. Oh
12:02man
12:03You're pretty good. I love it because
12:05Because you get to frame the question exactly how you want to answer it. It's genius
12:11It's flat-out genius
12:13Hey, uh, we got him back
12:16Okay, let's uh
12:19Let's head back to the River Islands guest line and welcome back Brian Geltz Eilert
12:24NBA
12:25XM NBA radio and also a contributor at NBA TV. Are you back buddy? I'm back. Sorry about that
12:31Let's get disconnected with you
12:33So listen, I was talking about what how great door has been right and what door has been able to do against the best perimeter
12:38Players on other teams the guys been absolutely unbelievable and listen, I'll say this about dream on and I'm not disrespecting
12:44What dream on brings defensively because he is as good as there is and he's had a super year
12:49but I'll also say this the presence of Jimmy Butler's helped him a lot father being there has given him an extra weapon in front
12:56Of him and dream on deploys it very well and Jimmy's played great
12:59But some of dream on taking this to the next level has been because he's had Butler with him and and listen
13:06There's nothing wrong with that. There's a and it's okay with all that said when I look at defensive player of the year
13:12I do think that door has stood out head and shoulders above everybody else. I will say this, okay?
13:17Dream on and what he's done lately has put him in probably in my top three
13:22Um, you know, I'm trying to figure out who gets left out
13:25Obviously doors not going to but in the next two spots on my voting list
13:29I'm trying to figure out who I leave out between green Evan Mobley and Dyson Daniels
13:34So that's something I got to take a look at and it may I love Daniels, but it could end up being Daniels here
13:39We'll see what happens
13:40But I have dream on right up there certainly as one of the three or four best defenders in a league this year
13:47Brian Geltz, I'll adjoining us on 95 7 the game
13:52Sirius XM NBA radio. Well, let me ask you this and I'll just form it in the form of conversation
13:59last night the Warriors look great tons of optimism and
14:03But I am looking at that game and I'm looking at Draymond and I'm looking at staff and I'm looking at Butler and
14:09They're playing hard and they play 38 37 33 minutes respectively and I'm looking at just this week
14:15And I'm like boy, can they do it against the Lakers then? Can they come back the next night and do it against Denver?
14:22Houston's up next so on so forth to the playoffs game day off game day off round one round two
14:29round three
14:32That's what would scare me as a warrior fan just how long this grind is and and the the
14:40Unimagined toll that will come with the games they play from this point on
14:46It's a fair concern
14:48And part and part of the issue is let's face it. I stack the West is you don't want to be in the plane in the
14:54West you don't want to be in a situation where you're one and done or two and done and you're in trouble there
14:59You want to be out of the plane and get to a seven game series?
15:02The Warriors right now are only one game in a loss column being up and being in a playing tournament
15:06Which means every single one of these games matters, so you're playing playoff games right now in the top of April
15:13That's where you're at and that's that's a tough road, but that's the road the Warriors have here's what I will say that
15:19Maybe we'll comfort some Warriors fans in this situation
15:22The re you know coming good being there and I know we didn't play last night
15:26I know he's got a pelvic contusion should be back relatively soon from that
15:30He's missed plenty of time. He's got some young fresh legs
15:33That's a guy that you're gonna have to ride a little bit here, and when you look at minutes distribution last night listen
15:39They played eight two of them were post and Santos coming off the bench
15:43And you know post comes in there to shoot and defend a little bit
15:46They do need I mean a you know loony only played nine minutes, but it was really an eight-man rotation
15:51You know with Peyton out they need Jonathan coming in the worst way they have to lengthen this rotation by one
15:57They need him to take some minutes off of everybody's plate including butlers
16:02Including a little bit of greens. They can't tax those guys so much and coming is not the same
16:08Kind of defensive player that either of those guys are let's face it
16:11But he's such a good athlete and such a good offensive player. You're just because it's not only about minutes guys
16:17It's also about usage a Minga will come in and take some shots
16:22we don't we don't want to worry just about spotting some of the Jimmy and
16:26And steps minutes you want to make sure that's the minutes that they do play aren't as labor-intensive
16:32That they don't have to try to get their own shots as much and coming to create space
16:37And he is a guy that can go get his own shot
16:39So I do think the Warriors fortunes this year as in you know listen as tight as it all is right now the Warriors fortunes
16:46Are absolutely tied to coming to staying in this lineup fitting and well
16:50Which I think we've seen enough of him when he came back from injury this year to believe that he definitely can do that
16:55Yeah, I'm with you BG
16:56Let me ask you this one because you kind of touched on it with the Lakers in Denver
17:00And there's a lot to be determined
17:02We know that right, but the players the coaches for the Warriors BG will not ever come out and say who they would want
17:09But if you're a part of that organization
17:11Who would you want between Denver and the Lakers if you had to pick your poison?
17:16Who do you think they match up better against the Lakers?
17:20And I don't and I don't hesitate
17:22Just because listen for Denver's a problem when you have yoke it's at 7-1 Gordon at 6-10 and Porter at 6-10 across that
17:30Front line that's pretty much outside of Quentin post
17:33That's bigger than everybody in the Warriors rotation
17:35And you got three guys on that front line that way the Warriors will struggle at the rim everybody struggles with yoke
17:41Did you saw what he did last night, but the Warriors will struggle at the rim?
17:44They will struggle in the paint with yoke itch and ultimately they're gonna have to listen most teams
17:49I played Denver gonna have to employ the kind of philosophy Minnesota did last night
17:53Which is we'll live with yoke itch getting 50 or in that case last night getting
17:5761 with the ability to contain other guys around him and with the thought that he's less
18:02Dangerous as a score than he is a passer with all that said I just I don't think you want to court that kind of size
18:08And to me with the Lakers
18:10The Lakers have been very good since they made the Luka trade
18:14I do think that Luka is not at his peak right now some of its conditioning some of it's the fact that it's hard to
18:20Get your legs underneath you in the right way when you get traded in this kind of way
18:25Midseason and I do like this Laker team a lot. They're exciting and they're dynamic
18:30But I also think that as good as they've played defensively
18:34They'll have a lot of trouble containing a team like the Warriors and I actually think the Warriors and the way
18:39They're built will match up with the Lakers much better
18:42I mean you can guard LeBron and Luka
18:45With Draymond and Jimmy Butler and you don't have to worry about matching up on a big like you can you can put post out?
18:51There and not have to worry about him hurting you in space defensively like that's a big bonus for the Warriors against the Lakers
18:58So just based on the size thing alone. I'd rather see the Lakers than see Denver Brian
19:04Geltz I'll are joining us on 95 7 the game serious XM NBA host
19:09All right, so right now the Warriors leapfrogged the Memphis Grizzlies
19:13They're in fifth, but as you know, they've got the Lakers tomorrow
19:18Denver on a back-to-back and then they play Houston on
19:23Sunday then in their last four games, they still have a game at Phoenix and then one against the Clippers
19:28So it's not an easy home stretch for the Warriors at all. So
19:32Where do you think no one Minnesota schedule no one where the Clippers are no one Memphis's is struggling a little no one
19:39We're Lakers. Where do you where would you put your money on the Warriors finishing?
19:45Probably right around six, but listen, it's tough because you look at Minnesota's schedule
19:51Minnesota's schedule
19:52All right
19:52After having Denver last night at Brooklyn at Philly at Milwaukee with no Lillard or Portis at Memphis
20:00So we saw that Memphis who played the Warriors tough last night
20:02But Memphis is not good against good competition then home to the Nets and home to the Jazz
20:08That's a pretty easy schedule
20:10That's so I think you have to figure the Timberwolves get one of those spots, you know
20:15It's a tougher schedule here for the Clippers who have the Pelicans at home tonight
20:21Then the Mavericks twice in a row at home the Mavericks playing for that last playing spot with Anthony Davis back
20:26The Spurs the Rockets at the Kings at the Warriors, that's a little tougher
20:31You know
20:31I still think the Warriors probably settle in six
20:34I think Minnesota with that schedule can rise to five and I think the six and seven is gonna come down between the Warriors and
20:39The Clippers now again seven is not a death knell for anybody and I say this in this way
20:45If you're seven
20:47You just got to win a game against the eight and the eight to me is likely to be
20:52Memphis and Memphis at this stage the way they're built the way they've performed with this change in coach
20:57They're not beating a good team. I just I have a hundred percent confidence not beating a good team
21:01So if it means you got a win one at home to move to the next round
21:05It's not a death knell for the Warriors because I think the Rockets are gonna land in the two and I know you asked me
21:10About the Nuggets and the Lakers
21:12I'd rather draw the Rockets than any of them and I love the Rockets
21:15But I'd rather draw the Rockets than any of them because the Rockets have
21:19Two issues that make things tough in the playoffs number one. They're young
21:23They've never been there before the lack of experience is gonna make things difficult number two
21:28But he'd go to win a big spot if you're the Rockets right Jalen Green's been that guy here
21:32Shang-Goon, maybe the best player on the team
21:34They got a what I guess some crazy like 38 and 17 record with Van Vliet in the lineup
21:38Like he's very important to them
21:40But my point being there's no real alpha guy there which when you have a young team
21:46Does become an issue in the playoffs so to me if you fall on the seven?
21:50Yeah, it wouldn't be ideal obviously if you fall into the seven and have to play a playing game
21:56Afterwards you get the least experienced team in a Western Conference in a Houston Rockets that you would play in the first round and I do
22:01Think that the Warriors are capable of being the rugby the Rockets in a first round seven game series
22:06Kelsey you're the best man. Thank you so much