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00:00in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets, and the Memphis Grizzlies.
00:03We will soon get to the East, where we did actually see everything solidified yesterday
00:07with another excellent performance out of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
00:11Giannis right now, a walking triple-double.
00:14That has been the case for Nikola Jokic all season.
00:16It was the case yesterday in a huge Nuggets win, 26-16-13 for the Joker.
00:25They trailed by as many as 15 in this game.
00:28They did have the lead down to single digits heading into the break.
00:32It was just three heading into the final quarter.
00:35Denver, defensively, the area that I think led to Michael Malone being fired,
00:41stepped up in the fourth quarter and held the Grizzlies to just 14 points,
00:47which is absolutely massive.
00:49The thing I posit to you, gentlemen, is do the Denver Nuggets feel more dangerous
00:55or more vulnerable after their decision, Tom, to fire Michael Malone?
01:01I would say more dangerous based on, and I don't want to say it's like the honeymoon period,
01:05right, where you have, like, you fired the coach, oh, we got some good vibes going in our direction,
01:10and we're at least happy to an extent.
01:12I would say they're more dangerous because they have the pedigree,
01:15and I also think that we're going to see, regardless of the rumors of the Westbrook treatment,
01:20whatever it might be, we're going to see the rotation really tightened up,
01:23and I think that's where they're going to excel.
01:24Now, what we were talking about pre-show is the non-Jokic minutes.
01:29Non-Jokic minutes.
01:30What will we be getting from them?
01:32Because I think that is the key point.
01:33When we see the rotation tightened up, and we see, as we talked about, MPJ and Aaron Gordon play,
01:39I would say good tertiary roles after Jokic and Murray,
01:42that's going to be the determining factor.
01:43If they step up and they are excelling at this point,
01:46that's where they are the most dangerous.
01:47So I would say danger more than ready for an upset.
01:51Yeah, I mean, when you look at this, yes, they have the pedigree,
01:53but, you know, you're also leaning on Nicole Jokic last night to play 41 minutes.
01:58That's a lot of minutes, which obviously means you've got to get something out of DeAndre Jordan.
02:04Something.
02:05Whether it's six, seven minutes, you know, as a coach,
02:07you may want to structure how you get him as minutes in regards to,
02:11and we've talked about this a lot, Kevin, like end of the first quarter, early second quarter,
02:15so it's longer break time for someone like Nicole Jokic.
02:20But to me, it was their ability to rebound the basketball.
02:23Out-rebounding Memphis 52-41, dominating the glass.
02:27Now, obviously, you see the performance last night out of Aaron Gordon with 33-5.
02:31Michael Porter Jr., who, to me, I think needs to be a better rebounder.
02:36I've kind of said this a lot about a guy that's freakishly athletic
02:40and could be able to go get a rebound.
02:42For him to have 12 rebounds, including three on the offensive glass, to me, is key.
02:47Now, when it gets to them in the playoffs, and we're going to get into this more and more,
02:53it's all about matchups.
02:55Like, I'm a big believer in styles make fights.
02:58Throw the analytics out the window, throw everything out the window,
03:02and line me up team versus team, who looks better?
03:06Now, obviously, if Denver goes on and makes a run,
03:09it's going to be the greatest move of all time, getting rid of Michael Malone,
03:12who I've watched at times teams struggle defensively and getting stopped.
03:16I remember the Knicks scored, I don't know, 140 points against him, I think, both times this year.
03:21So it should be interesting, tighten up the defense.
03:23Joker's been Joker, but I think, Tom, that has a point.
03:26You've got to get the secondary guys who step up, particularly on the minutes
03:30when Joker is not on the front.
03:31So the thing is, is I'm not going to sit here and scream that David Adelman is now coach of the year
03:36because they won at Sacramento and then beat Memphis,
03:39who is falling all over themselves in their own building,
03:41with Jamal Murray showing back up.
03:44I think, though, Denver was taking a look at their team.
03:49They had a three-game stretch in April where Jokic was 0-3,
03:52despite averaging 45-12-12, and they went,
03:56oh my gosh, we're going to be lucky to get out of round number one.
03:58At the time of the firing, the numbers will move once all these matchups are set.
04:02Memphis was a plus price.
04:04They had these markets available to make round number two.
04:08There are people who believe Nikoli Jokic at the end of the season
04:10should be handed a fifth consecutive MVP award.
04:13That won't happen.
04:14We'll talk awards.
04:15But people believe that he has been of that level for five straight years.
04:19In this window of him winning MVPs, they've made one conference finals.
04:25And I think upper management went,
04:26we're going to get eliminated in round two at best again,
04:30because nobody here cares.
04:32Nobody here cares about anything.
04:34And that is not just Jalen Pickett doesn't care or Westbrook doesn't care.
04:39That's big number 15.
04:41Maybe not caring enough.
04:43So they sent a message that everybody here is expendable outside of Nikoli Jokic.
04:49And all of a sudden, what do you know?
04:50Jamal Murray can walk again.
04:51It's a miracle.
04:51Whoa, I mean, that's incredible to see.
04:54Because here's the thing.
04:55Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr.,
04:57you're getting traded this offseason if this ends up a shortcoming.
05:00And it still may end up a shortcoming.
05:02Because if they're opening round matchups against the Clippers,
05:04the Clippers feel dangerous to people.
05:05And if it's against the Minnesota Timberwolves,
05:07that team is on a two-year window of owning the Denver Nuggets.
05:10They swept them this year.
05:11We all seemingly forgot that Jokic got bounced on his own floor last year
05:15in a game number seven against Minnesota.
05:17But we don't have to get into that right now.
05:19At some point, I will force it upon people.
05:21And that's okay.
05:21We'll get to it when we do.
05:23So I think the Nuggets took a ginormous risk.
05:26But it was because the safe move was them falling short again.
05:31Maybe they also were emboldened to do it.
05:32Because Memphis, two weeks ago, fired Taylor Jenkins.
05:35And everybody was like, huh?
05:37Here's the thing with Memphis.
05:38Jenkins are not.
05:39They are falling all over themselves.
05:41J.Y., you asked me something before we headed into this segment.
05:43So I will put it back to you.
05:45When Memphis is inevitably eliminated in round number one,
05:48because that's where this is headed,
05:49do you think we see one of their, call it stars,
05:53J.J. Aaron Jackson or Desmond Bain, move this offseason?
05:56You have to.
05:57You have to.
05:58Because you can't run it back.
05:59And when you look at this game, how big of a game it was last night,
06:02you get outscored by 11 points in the fourth quarter.
06:05To have Jaren Jackson, Jr., one of the best defenders in the world,
06:10give you one rebound?
06:12He's not a rebounder.
06:13I mean, you know, that's like, you know,
06:15Malawats last weekend against Houston.
06:17Oh, it's your boy.
06:18He's doing a rebound.
06:19That's a story for another day.
06:20You and I were here for now.
06:22But to me, that's the thing.
06:24Someone's getting moved.
06:26I mean, and then you got to worry about Jai.
06:29Guns?
06:30Grenades?
06:30Like, I don't know.
06:31What do you mean?
06:31He's throwing his words back at him.
06:33You didn't see his explanation?
06:34Yeah, yeah, okay.
06:35It's just words.