Let’s talk about the Eastern Conference Finals .
The New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Cavs, they outlast the Pistons to earn the right to go to New York.
The Knicks have been off for 9 days hanging out.
Going to Broadway shows, eating good dinner, and God knows what they’re doing, but they’re just hanging out waiting for, uh, the Cavs.
Knicks are favorite coming into this series.
Um, but my theory is like, if the Cavs can just bottle what they did against Detroit in game seven, where the defense was clicking, the front line was dominant.
Donovan Mitchell was the best player on the floor.
They’ve got a better than puncher’s chance to win this series.
This isn’t like a series that’s completely out of reach for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
They need more from James Harden, whose offseason was saved, was saved by the fact that the Cavs, other players went off and prevented everybody from looking at that box score going, wait, wait, you shot what?
In this game, James, what, what happened there?
Um, how do you see this series?
Do you make the Knicks big favorites?
Do you think the Cavs are, uh, live dogs here?
How do you see it playing out?
I think the Cavs are live dogs because of the front, the front court.
I think that front court is always going to give you a chance with a physicality.
I think they match up well.
Uh, obviously with Detroit, but they match up well when you have to go into a bang em, bruise them type of situation.
I feel like the past couple of weeks, probably a month or so, the, um, The Knicks have been more assertive and setting tone and trying to be so much more physical.
So I feel as though not only do you need a front court that can, you know, really keep up with Kat or really, you know, kind of anchor that paint, but then you also need something that can really get out, turn around, and, uh, you know, be able to, um, lay the wood, quote unquote.
But we bring up James Harden, I believe that those wing, the wing perimeters are gonna be far too intense for James Harden, you know, especially considering he’s been struggling to get his rhythm.
From shooting all the way down to just turnovers.
Like, you’re gonna have to deal with Josh Hart, you’re gonna have to deal with Ogiano Obi, you’re gonna have to deal with uh uh Miles McBride sometimes, you’re gonna have to deal with McKale Bridges.
Like, once they get switched from 1 through 5 and you, you know, you start working it down to the shorter end of the shot clock, it hasn’t been as successful or advantageous for, you know, James Harden.
I think in the past couple of series or whatever, in the past few years, Um, Donovan has shown some success versus, you know, versus the Knicks where I think he can be able to get off and get the scoring, but I don’t know if they’ll have enough because the Knicks are 7 or 8 deep.
They’re playing at a high level, and I believe like you’re going to need your backcourt to be elite, and I, I, I just, I don’t know right now if James is going to consistently win those like win those one on one matchups and not be able to not turn the ball over on top of coming out of a, a long dog series.
That was a tough series.
They went through 22 different series and James.
37 years old, and they try to get your rhythm and there’s something they clearly, clearly see, and to rely on your, your, your ball handlers to be the end of the shot clock individuals, half the time it turn into a, a bad shot, a turnover, or just, you know what I mean, dead ball.
Yeah, I think the margin for error is wider for the Knicks, no question.
Um, when I look at the Cavs, a few things.
One , Mitchell needs to be the best player on the floor.
He was the best player on the floor in game 7.
He’s got to be that in every game that Cleveland wins, not just a score, but a distributor, high efficiency, all the things we saw from him in game seven against Detroit.
I think he’s capable of that.
Like, people like playing at Madison Square Garden.
Donovan Mitchell, who grew up in Queens, whose dad was, you know, with the Mets.
Uh, this is the kind of stage I think he’s been looking for.
Never been this far in the playoffs before.
Now he’s got the opportunity to do it on the biggest stage in basketball at Madison Square Garden.
I think that’s, that’s within him.
Harden, like, Harden, Mitchell, whoever, they’ve got to put pressure on Jalen Brunson.
Like you can’t allow Jalen Brunson to just, Be a decoy defensively.
If they start, if it’s not Harden or Mitchell, and it probably won’t be, it’ll probably be like Max Strus or Dean Wade or whoever’s out there in that other spot for, for the Cavs.
Like you’ve got to make Jalen Brunson work.
He’s the head of the snake with New York offensively.
You’ve got to try to grind him down on the defensive end of the floor.
Put him in action.
Go, go at him one on one.
Be physical.
Try to get him into foul trouble.
Like you gotta prioritize that.
You can’t, if you, if possession after possession goes by and Jalen Brunson is like in recovery mode in the corner defending the dunker spot, that’s a problem for Cleveland.
They’ve got to put pressure on him and Mobley.
Mobley’s got to win this matchup with Towns, man.
Like he’s got to win this matchup with Towns.
Like you are, like Kenny Atkinson has said to me a couple of times.
He has called Evan Mobley a ceiling razor when I’ve been around him.
Like he is.
Like this team can be good when Evan Mobley is OK.
They can be great when Evan Mobley is great.
When he’s having The types of games he had in the Toronto series, a few games in the Detroit series, where he’s given you a double-double, high efficiency, you know, just all over the floor defensively.
That, that’s a game-changer for the Cavaliers.
I would imagine he’s going to get some heavy minutes on Karl-Anthony Towns.
Might be some double big action out there with Robinson and, and, Uh, Jared Allen playing as well.
You’re the former Defensive Player of the Year.
You got to win those matchups.
If Town’s on the perimeter, you got to defend him there.
If he goes to the basket, you got to be strong enough to stand up to him.
Like this is a huge series for Evan Mobley.
I think he is the most important player on the floor for Cleveland because of what he’s going to be required to do on both ends of the floor.
And it’s all about his swagger, coming in with a swagger and making sure he’s mentally prepared because it’s not like they’re asking you to do Wimby 41 and 24.
Big dog, we just need you to run the floor.
Be the defensive player of the Year you were 2 years ago, hit 13 per half, maybe, and come out with 18 and 10.
You decide with Jarrett, hey, Jared, let me get one of these rebounds every blue moon, but it really matters and no matter what, give us 80% and you’re gonna have one or two more people that are going to be able to help at a high, high level.
But you’re absolutely right.
Like when we’re sitting here, like I’m expecting a former Defensive Player of the Year to come in and shut down Karl-Anthony Towns, who’s averaging the least amount of points he’s ever averaged in his career.
You know what I’m saying?
So, when you’re coming down to it and he’s playing in that middle dunker, and, you know, now he’s gonna have to, to, you know, defend a more distributing cat, I expect him to come out and set the tone, crawl into his space or some KG type stuff, and literally, you know, anchor that, anchor that, uh, back, that front court and go from there.
But this is a winnable series, especially when it comes to size.
The big men just have to be big.
Like, we’re sitting here and, and you’re watching the Knicks play OG 6-8, McHale 6’8, like, you know what I mean?
Josh Hart 64, and then you play a 6-10 dude.
Like, no, we built this team to beat them up.
Go out there and beat them up .
And, and with James Harden, number one thing is trying to keep on the floor as long as possible.
And I, I, I love Strus and Matt, uh, and, and, and Merrill, Sam Merrill, but we gotta, The minutes can’t be the craziest.
Do you understand what I’m saying?
The guys that are combining for 115 million per year.
I, I need them to go 40 something minutes.
Shout out to Sam Merrill.
I love everything you did at Utah State, your, your missions and all that.
You’re an unbelievable individual.
I didn’t see this on my, you know, on, on my, uh , Magic 8 ball prior to, but like, you know, just stay on the side for a little bit.
Max Strus, elite, baby, you gotta come through with it.
But I’m looking for James Harden, bro.
I am looking for James Harden.
I’m looking for Game 7, James, one of the coolest, one of the best offensive players in the NBA history.
I want you to have a moment so we can talk about this later.
So when I tell my kids like, hey, bro.
Shit wanna fly as soon as I’ve ever seen.
He used to come to the game with 10 women, a Rolls-Royce, all the diamonds and Jordans, like, you know what I mean?
They’re like, well, who was he?
like Jordan?
It’s like, nah, he was a choke artist, but I’m praying that’s not the case, you feel me?
Yep, big opportunity for James Harden.
Like he got a reprieve after game 7.
Like Donovan Mitchell.
Mobley, Jared Allen, they bailed him out.
Um, did not shoot the ball well.
He’s got another chance, 7 games to show that he is a championship caliber player and not a regular season guy, which is what he’s currently been tagged with at this point in his career.
Um, all right, go ahead, Chris.
What, what would you?
Like in game sevens, you’re flying on a plane and like you look at your teammate, it’s like, bro, you know you’re trying to win today, right?
You know what I’m saying?
It’s like, you know, we were, we all showed up to win today, right?
Like you , he played like a piston that day.
Yeah, he just tightens up, man.
He tightens up in these situations.
I don’t know what it is.
Like when he’s great, he’s playing loose, getting to the free throw line.
I want him attacking like whoever’s defending you, go at Brunson, go at Bridges, go at Josh Hart, go at all these guys, get to the free throw line, slow the game down , play like James.
Harden.
Like we’ve seen you do it at a high, high level.
You’ve been an MVP before.
You’re still, like, you listen to the Cavs.
He’s still the hardest worker on the team.
The guy goes to like, has like pre-shootros at the arena before he goes to the facility to have regular shootaround.
Like he puts in the time, man.
Uh, he’s got to show up.
He’s got to show up in a series like this.
#Harden #Mobley #Big #Series