Vince Carter says he’s coming back next season (Via The Ringer’s “Winging It” podcast)
Will be his 22nd season!
Panel:
First Half
Monologue: Jimmy Buckets is the hero 76ers need
They turned to Greg Monroe:
As for Ben Simmons:
Any guesses? Over the past 5 years, including the playoffs:
How can 76ers best utilize Jimmy Butler?
“They have so much talent. He can’t be the leading scorer every night. But Jimmy has to be their go-to-guy” – Pierce
“Jimmy Butler can also be the closer for you on the defensive end and that’s really where the ‘James Butler’ part comes in” – MacMullan
Scott Foster officiating Rockets-Warriors Game 2
Last time Foster was assigned to a Rockets game:
Is that…
MacMullan: Everything
“If you ask all the teams in the NBA, everybody has a problem with Scott Foster. He doesn’t like to listen to what players have to say and has a bit of a short fuse”
“You cannot go into this game thinking about the officiating. You have to be thinking about scoring. He is one of the more highly rated officials in the NBA. He gets it right more than most referees get it right. That’s something to notice. There’s a reason why they’re putting him there” – Nichols
“If you’re the Houston Rockets and you know this, pretend he’s not there. If you let him dictate the game, shame on you” – MacMullan
Pierce:
Biggest adjustment Harden needs to make in Game 2?
“He takes more challenged shots than anybody in league history. He just got to continue to be who he is. Maybe the one thing they can do is give Chris Paul more responsibility” – Pierce
“If he’s doubled, you got to make the pass a little quicker” – MacMullan
April 30, 1991 – Michael Jordan dunking on Patrick Ewing!
Boundaries; Did Brett Brown think he was in the game?
MacMullan covered Brett Brown at Boston University
Confidence; Was Lowry really trying to nutmeg Tobias Harris?
Coordination; What happened here, Malik?
Coordination; How sway?
Jokic drives in, leaves it for Gary Harris who finishes with the difficult hangtime reverse layup
Moving on…
Paul Millsap on Jokic:
“I do not buy this comparison. He reminds me a lot of Larry Bird. He’s so precise in everything he does. He’s not the scorer Larry was but this guy does everything well” – Pierce
Is Jokic best player in Nuggets-Blazers series?
“He’s going to be the most dominant player in this series. Across the board, he is the best player in this series” – Pierce
“I do, but that doesn’t mean that he’s a better player than Dame. He’s the best player in this series. The problem is the way he looks. People don’t take him seriously” – MacMullan
“Jokic has the highest IQ in this series” – Pierce
Second Half
What can Rockets do to slow down KD?
KD in Game 1: 35 points
Stat: He scored 200 points in the last four games. The only guys to do that in a playoff stretch: Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson and LeBron James
“There’s nothing you can do defensively. What they can do is put him in situations where Golden State has Durant guarding Harden, a guy that gets fouled the most. So if you’re able to get him in foul trouble, that’s a way of slowing him down” – Pierce
“You tired him out [defensively] so he doesn’t have as much energy on the offensive end” – Pierce
“Keep him on the outside, take your chances. Live and die with it. He’s just an unstoppable force right now” – MacMullan
Paul, still believe Celtics-Bucks is “over”?
“I’m confident. Maybe they’ll [Bucks] win a game or two. I just look at the talent disparity on these two ball clubs. It’s easier to scout the Bucks than it is the Celtics” – Pierce
“Giannis will come back because he’s that good” – MacMullan
“The unpredictability of the Celtics is their biggest strength and also their greatest weakness. They’re a vulnerable team [Celtics] still. That game 1 was the best and most complete game that they’ve played all year and I like their mindset. We are so far from calling this over” – MacMullan
Nichols:
30 for 30’s “The Dominican Dream”
During Game 1 of Rockets/Warriors:
Agree with Mark Cuban on side-to-side fouls?
“I feel like he’s a little bit like LeBron because he’s not in the postseason. He wants to be heard from” – MacMullan
April 30, 2007 – Tracy McGrady (Rockets) with the handles, slicing through the defense and finishing the tough layup vs the Jazz!
Don’t stop, Pop that
Woj: Pop expected to sign 3-year deal with Spurs
“I’m surprised it’s 3 years because we all thought that after the Olympic games, Pop was going to step down. If I’m the Spurs, I’m very, very happy” – MacMullan
Distracted Dame
Lillard: “Blazers got distracted arguing with refs”
“He knows he has to. Dame is your best weapon and he needs to have a clear head” – MacMullan
“On the road, you can feel it in the emotions and it’s hard not to say something when things aren’t going your way” – Pierce
It’s our anniversary
27th anniversary of Shawn Kemp’s dunk on Alton Lister!
The reason why Kemp pointed at Lister, post-dunk, is because in game 2 of Warriors/Sonics, Lister pushed Kemp on a dunk attempt resulting in a fight between both players
“This is who I compare Zion [Williamson] to” – Pierce
Lemme upgrade you
Pelicans upgrading training staff a big deal?
Pelicans lured away long time trainer, Aaron Nelson from the Suns (Via Marc Stein/New York Times)
“It’s a big deal” – MacMullan
“It’s a small deal” – Pierce
Nichols:
Do Bucks just need to play harder?
Bledsoe: 6 points (1-5) in Game 1
Giannis on how the Bucks need to give more effort in Game 2
“They have to just play less tentative. They had some tentative moments in Game 1. They just got to go in there and do what made them the number 1 seed overall in the NBA. Play with that same kind of intensity” – MacMullan
“They were stifled by the Celtics defense. They can’t change anything up. They are who they are” – Pierce
Durant says Harden isn’t cheating game
According to Vegas, Over/Under 44.5 combined fouls for Warriors-Rockets for Game 2
Pierce: Over
“I believe him. When you ask questions like that, he genuinely tells the truth and says what he means” – MacMullan
