ITALKSPORTS Episode 34: NBA’s Coaching Chaos—Why the Firing Frenzy? Playoff Predictions
The recent trend of coaching changes within the NBA has provoked significant concern, particularly given the unusual timing of such dismissals occurring just prior to the commencement of the playoffs. Throughout this discourse, I meticulously examine the implications of these abrupt firings, referencing notable examples such as Doc Rivers and Mike Malone, who were dismissed despite their teams' competitive standings. This series of events raises critical questions regarding the motivations behind these decisions and reflects a broader trend of impatience among organizations in the league. My frustrations with the current coaching landscape are palpable as I delve into the potential ramifications for both the teams involved and the integrity of the sport itself. Subsequently, I turn my attention to the playoffs, sharing my expectations for each series and contemplating the outcomes that lie ahead.
Takeaways:
- This episode delves into the perplexing trend of NBA coaches being dismissed right before the playoffs, highlighting the unusual timing and its implications.
- I express my profound frustration regarding the firing of competent coaches like Mike Malone and Taylor Jenkins, questioning the rationale behind these decisions.
- Through a critical lens, I scrutinize Doc Rivers' performance and his notorious playoff failures, particularly his history of losing 3-1 leads.
- I emphasize the necessity of consistency in coaching, arguing that a coach requires time to build a successful team and culture.
- The discussion transitions to the playoffs, where I analyze expectations for various matchups, including the anticipated outcomes for the Lakers and the Bucks.
- Reflecting on the overall state of the NBA, I ponder whether the league is experiencing a coaching crisis, and what that means for the future of teams.
Transcript
Okc, kfc, ufc.
Speaker A:It doesn't matter.
Speaker A:Chris.
Speaker A:Paul, Jake Paul Logan, Paul Sergeant.
Speaker A:Okay, you lost the series.
Speaker A:This is basketball.
Speaker A:One of the phrases one of our greatest models in basketball is almost don't count.
Speaker A:Hit the shot.
Speaker A:You take that shot, hits the rim, bang, comes back.
Speaker A:Oh, almost made that.
Speaker A:Guess what Scoreboard says this.
Speaker A:No points there.
Speaker A:Almost don't count one.
Speaker A:But who cares, bro?
Speaker A:Who cares if at this point in time, you are not over the fact that WWE is just grown men and women play, fighting to tell a story.
Speaker A:Please grow up.
Speaker A:They basically saying, this season we've clocked out.
Speaker A:This season we've clocked out.
Speaker A:And as an organization, I have to say I'm disappointed.
Speaker B:It we keep on vacillating.
Speaker B:That top four spot is hard to get.
Speaker A:What?
Speaker A:What you say you keep on vacillating.
Speaker A:Oh, hey, Google, what does vacillating mean?
Speaker A:Mike check.
Speaker A:One, two, one, two.
Speaker A:What's good?
Speaker A:What's good?
Speaker A:What's good?
Speaker A:Huh?
Speaker A:It's a.
Speaker A:It's not a regular Tuesday, bro.
Speaker A:It's not a regular Tuesday.
Speaker A:This is.
Speaker A:This is a great Tuesday.
Speaker A:This.
Speaker A:I'm.
Speaker A:I'm happy all week.
Speaker A:I'm happy all week, bro.
Speaker A:Bro.
Speaker A:The nerd, bro.
Speaker A:The nerd in me first.
Speaker A:Let me.
Speaker A:Let me just.
Speaker A:I'm Mukundi.
Speaker A:I talk sports.
Speaker A:You should know this by now, but if this is your first time, welcome.
Speaker A:Now, we usually don't talk about this.
Speaker A:However.
Speaker A:However, given the fact that this is a special occasion, it's the Tuesday after the biggest day of the year for us wrestling fans.
Speaker A:And I know I'm.
Speaker A:I'm gonna piss N.J.
Speaker A:off, but I.
Speaker A:I don't care.
Speaker A:Is the choir with me?
Speaker A:One, two, three.
Speaker B:Ah.
Speaker A:Oh, man.
Speaker A:Yo, yo.
Speaker A:17 times, bro.
Speaker A:17.
Speaker A:Damn it, man.
Speaker A:Seven.
Speaker A:17 times, bro.
Speaker A:That's how many times John Cena has won a world championship in the WWE.
Speaker A:And yes, 1.
Speaker A:1.
Speaker A:But who cares, bro?
Speaker A:Who cares if at this point in time, you are not over the fact that WWE is grown men and women play, fighting to tell a story.
Speaker A:Please grow up.
Speaker A:This is no different to you watching Keeping up with the Kardashians.
Speaker A:Same thing.
Speaker A:Same thing.
Speaker A:Scripted reality.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:But anyway, shout out to John Cena, man, my childhood icon.
Speaker A:My men.
Speaker A:Men, Look, I grew up.
Speaker A:Listen, listen.
Speaker A:This is.
Speaker A:I had fun.
Speaker A:Definitely worth staying up from 2am till 5p till 5am and just being tired for the rest of the day just because I had to watch John Cena do it.
Speaker A:Had to watch Main event Jay USO win his first World Championship as well.
Speaker A:That was fun.
Speaker A:I've been invested in this character for, like, the past two, three years.
Speaker A:And wow.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:Just wow.
Speaker A:What a payoff, man.
Speaker A:Anyway, I'm not here to talk sports entertainment here to talk sports.
Speaker A:But before I even do that, do what's good, bro?
Speaker B:I'm good.
Speaker B:Fantastic.
Speaker A:I haven't called you do in a while.
Speaker B:Yeah, because you're disrespectful.
Speaker B:That's the thing.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:That's what people from Venda do who follow grown man play fighting.
Speaker B:All right?
Speaker B:That's what they do.
Speaker B:It's just no sense whatsoever.
Speaker B:N.
Speaker B:I'm kidding, man.
Speaker B:Undertaker's still the goat.
Speaker B:I'm good.
Speaker B:Chelsea is.
Speaker A:It doesn't matter what you think.
Speaker B:Yeah, it does.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker A:Except.
Speaker A:Except Chelsea.
Speaker A:Except.
Speaker A:Except for Chelsea.
Speaker A:I'll.
Speaker A:I'll take what.
Speaker A:I'll.
Speaker A:I'll accept what you think.
Speaker A:Your opinion, Chelsea.
Speaker A:Otherwise, I don't have.
Speaker B:Hey, Chelsea.
Speaker B:We're still going strong in Europe.
Speaker B:We're still.
Speaker B:Was it.
Speaker B:Was it six?
Speaker B:Now it's five.
Speaker B:Five or five?
Speaker B:Now we keep on vaccinating.
Speaker B:That top four spot is hard to get.
Speaker A:What.
Speaker A:What you say.
Speaker A:You keep on vacillating.
Speaker A:Oh, hey, Google, what does vacillating mean?
Speaker A:Oh, I have to find out.
Speaker A:H.
Speaker A:Vacillating means to waver between different opinions or actions.
Speaker A:To be indecisive.
Speaker A:O se.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:This is metaphorically vacillating between 5 and 5 and 6.
Speaker B:But I love my team.
Speaker B:We won our previous game in the 90th minute.
Speaker B:Chelsea always does us, man.
Speaker B:We always lose the game in the 90th minute.
Speaker A:Again.
Speaker B:Draw the game in 90th minute.
Speaker B:But we won the game in the 90th minute.
Speaker B:But I'll take that.
Speaker B:I'll take that.
Speaker B:Manchester United cannot officially be relegated.
Speaker B:So they can't be relegated.
Speaker B:They can't be mathematically.
Speaker B:So they escape the relegation zone.
Speaker A:Oh, I don't know, man.
Speaker A:Man United not being in the Premier League just sounds wrong.
Speaker B:Yeah, it does.
Speaker B:It does.
Speaker B:I know, right?
Speaker A:What?
Speaker B:But anyway, I'm.
Speaker B:I'm happy and I'm good with.
Speaker B:With Chelsea fc.
Speaker B: on a single title since night: Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Anyway, I'm good, man.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So what's good with you, my dog?
Speaker A:Are you fine?
Speaker A:Are you well, just tell me down there.
Speaker A:Mukundi.
Speaker A:I'm fine.
Speaker A:Mukundi.
Speaker A:I'm.
Speaker A:Well.
Speaker A:What is happening with the coaches?
Speaker A:I'm not even gonna get to the playoffs right now before we get to the playoffs.
Speaker A:Let's talk about the elephant in the room.
Speaker A:What is happening with the coaches in the NBA like, like Mike Malone, Taylor Jenkins, Mike Budenholzer.
Speaker A:Those are three coaches gone within the past three, four weeks, all on winning teams.
Speaker A:By the way, dog, Mike Malone won a championship two seasons ago, and we have championship expectations of the Nuggets.
Speaker A:Yeah, they're not winning anything this year because they, they just.
Speaker A:I don't.
Speaker A:They.
Speaker A:They miss that.
Speaker A:Starting five is solid, but the rest of the supporting cast, as always, is not up to par.
Speaker A:And unfortunately, the problem with that, if you still have the same starting five or the core, at least, that you won a championship with two years ago, teams have had the time to build and improve and actually build better starting fives to compete with your starting five.
Speaker A:Because remember, when you're the champ, you're the template for that season.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A: member the Houston Rockets in: Speaker A:They said this team is built to beat the Warriors.
Speaker A:They said that.
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker A:Because the warriors were running things.
Speaker A:Unfortunately, they kept.
Speaker A:They kept on running things because Houston only managed to take them to game seven.
Speaker A:But however, that there's a whole plethora of reasons between, between Chris Paul being injured, James Harden not showing up to work along with the rest of the team.
Speaker A:Like there was just too much.
Speaker A:And the warriors were just the warriors as well.
Speaker A:However, why are coaches being fired at such an alarming rate?
Speaker A:And not only at such an alarming rate.
Speaker A:Coaches that were doing a good job.
Speaker A:This is not something that started now.
Speaker A:This is a trend we've been seeing.
Speaker A:Remember last year, Doc Rivers came through and Adrian Dantley was leading the Bucks to a good record.
Speaker A:They actually got worse after Doc Rivers came on.
Speaker A:However, I understand chemistry takes time and blastly blind, all that.
Speaker A:But then again, this is Doc Rivers, an elite coach with the shakiest playoff record.
Speaker A:Do you know that Dark Rivers has lost?
Speaker A:I think about.
Speaker A:I think they said consecutive.
Speaker A:Consecutive.
Speaker A:When he was up three one, he's.
Speaker A:He's lost about three, three one leads.
Speaker A:And then because it's Dark Rivers, he gonna try to defend himself.
Speaker A:Talking about.
Speaker A:Everybody talks about how I always blew three one leads, but no one talks about the three wins.
Speaker A:Why would we.
Speaker A:You lost the series.
Speaker A:Why would we.
Speaker A:You lost the series.
Speaker A:This is basketball.
Speaker A:One of the phrases, one of our greatest models in basketball is almost don't count.
Speaker A:Hit the shot.
Speaker A:You take that shot, hits the rim, bang, comes back.
Speaker A:Oh, almost made that.
Speaker A:Guess what?
Speaker A:Scoreboard says there's no points there.
Speaker A:Almost don't count.
Speaker A:So Dark Rivers.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You got three wins, but you got four losses out of that.
Speaker A:So what's the point?
Speaker A:You want me to congratulate you for almost making it to the finish line and not finishing the race?
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker A:You want me to congratulate you for doing part of your job?
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker A:Dark Rivers makes no sense with that statement.
Speaker A:But I understand he doesn't want to seem as the victim, and he does have a point.
Speaker A:To get that far and win those games, you've.
Speaker A:You've done something right.
Speaker A:But whatever it is that you were doing, you stopped.
Speaker A:And because of that, you gave that team not one, not two, but three more chances to beat you.
Speaker A:And they actually did.
Speaker A:I want you to understand that when someone comes back from a 31 deficit, Golden State Warriors, I'm looking at you as well.
Speaker A:But when someone comes back from a 3:1 deficit, they were losing.
Speaker A:Like, do you understand this?
Speaker A:We were.
Speaker A:You have to win one game, Just one.
Speaker A:Get routine, fades.
Speaker A:Just do it.
Speaker A:What?
Speaker A:One more time.
Speaker A:And what?
Speaker A:Those, dude just won't allow you.
Speaker A:The other team won't allow you.
Speaker A:What happened to you?
Speaker A:If I did it once, I can do it again.
Speaker A:You did it three times and then you did it never.
Speaker A:Why don't you lose the rest of the series?
Speaker A:It's inexcusable.
Speaker A:Losing a 31 lead in a basketball series is inexcusable.
Speaker A:And sure, Dark Rivers.
Speaker A:I understand, man.
Speaker A:I even went off on a tangent because that statement pissed me off so much.
Speaker A:I wasn't even talking about Dark Rivers.
Speaker A:What I'm saying is Doc Rivers came in last year to the Milwaukee Bucks when Adrian Dantley was doing a Man.
Speaker A:Is it Adrian Dantley?
Speaker A:I feel like I'm.
Speaker A:I'm getting his name wrong.
Speaker A:Adrian Dantley.
Speaker A:Oh, hey, I had it.
Speaker A:I had it.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Unless I got the wrong name.
Speaker A:But anyway, dude, what I'm saying is Dark Rivers came in and the team got worse.
Speaker A:Fine.
Speaker A:That was just.
Speaker A:That's part of the problem.
Speaker A:Teams are losing patience with coaches.
Speaker A:It makes no sense because the formula for success is consistency.
Speaker A:I mean, 34 episodes, baby, but the formula for success is consistency.
Speaker A:Look, what happened in Denver.
Speaker A:And Denver pisses me off because Mike Malone is a great coach and he was doing a great job.
Speaker A:And the Denver Nuggets are an okay team right now.
Speaker A:They're a good team, dude.
Speaker A:Fourth seed in the West.
Speaker A:The Nuggets were doing fine.
Speaker A:The Nuggets were doing great.
Speaker A:They just needed some pieces.
Speaker A:That's it.
Speaker A:They just needed to move some things around.
Speaker A:Something that could have happened in the postseason because what else do you have to lose?
Speaker A:But I get the business side of it, right?
Speaker A:Firing him now makes sense because what if.
Speaker A:What if something happens in the playoffs, this dude takes them to the finals or God forbid, they win the whole thing.
Speaker A:Now this dude that you're planning on firing, you can't fire anymore.
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker A: r has it that was the plan in: Speaker A:So I guess they just gave him a grace season last year.
Speaker A:And the fact that they lost in the second round to Ant man didn't help, but fine.
Speaker A:They fired Mike Malone two weeks before the seat.
Speaker A:Two weeks.
Speaker A:Two weeks.
Speaker A:Two.
Speaker A:Two.
Speaker A:Two.
Speaker A:Two weeks before the.
Speaker A:The postseason starts.
Speaker A:Two.
Speaker A:They basically telling them.
Speaker A:They basically saying, this season we've clocked out.
Speaker A:This season we've clocked out.
Speaker A:And as an organization, I have to say I'm disappointed.
Speaker A:Why not?
Speaker A:If you're playing the game, then play to win, right?
Speaker A:If you're in it, then win it right.
Speaker A:Or die trying.
Speaker A:How do you think your fan.
Speaker A:What are your fans supposed to do now?
Speaker A:You have just told the Denver Nuggets fan base as a whole that we don't care about y'all.
Speaker A:At least not for this postseason run.
Speaker A:We don't care that y'all are gonna have.
Speaker A:Because we all know right now that that team has no coach.
Speaker A:I don't even know who the temporary coach is.
Speaker A:I don't.
Speaker A:And I don't need.
Speaker A:I don't think I want to find out.
Speaker A:I don't care.
Speaker A:Because we clear they have no expectations for themselves, so why should I?
Speaker A:They didn't want to win.
Speaker A:Remember when Jordan got on Jerry Reinsdorf's ass and his back and he said, if we are making it to the playoffs, then we're gonna play?
Speaker A:Man, screw tanking.
Speaker A:Forget tanking.
Speaker A:Why are we tanking?
Speaker A:If we have a chance to compete and the Denver Nuggets had a chance to compete, why did they have a chance to compete?
Speaker A:You have Nikola Yok.
Speaker A:If you have Nikola Jokic on your team, you are.
Speaker A:You are a contender by default.
Speaker A:There are just some players that give you that ability.
Speaker A:That is why when Nikola Jokic is off the team, they are sub 500 team.
Speaker A:So you have, quote unquote, the best player in the world with a solid starting five with Russell Westbrook leading the bench, and you're not even gonna try?
Speaker A:My point is try.
Speaker A:That's what's pissing me off.
Speaker A:They're not even willing to try.
Speaker A:Because if you're gonna fight, listen, I can guarantee you it wasn't gonna make a difference whether you fight him now or, well, if you fight him before the playoffs started or after the playoffs started, all it was gonna change was how far you got in the playoffs.
Speaker A:But it wasn't gonna do anything else because you have clearly made up your mind.
Speaker A:You have clocked out with this nigga.
Speaker A:The least you could do is at least try.
Speaker A:Is at least try.
Speaker A:You know when you know when you're about to get in a car crash or something like that, or like when you're falling and you've accepted your fate?
Speaker A:Like I'm falling, there's nothing I can do.
Speaker A:All I can do now is either cushion the landing the car, you can see that the car is heading straight for that wall.
Speaker A:And all you can do is pray that you put on your seat belt the right way and your airbag still work.
Speaker A:Denver didn't care enough to do that.
Speaker A:Denver jumped out of the car before seeing if they will even crash.
Speaker A:I'm disappointed, bro.
Speaker A:I really am.
Speaker A:Memphis, same story.
Speaker A:Taylor Jenkins gone.
Speaker A:Taylor Jenkins gone.
Speaker A:The only team that I will actually give a pass for firing their coach.
Speaker A:And I'm not promoting it, I'm not condoning it, but I am saying I understand why it had to happen.
Speaker A:Where the Phoenix Suns.
Speaker A:But even that wan there wak one there.
Speaker A:There's going to be a third coach in.
Speaker A:In three years.
Speaker A:They got rid of Monty Williams.
Speaker A:Fair enough.
Speaker A:I think he had reached reached his ceiling or the team itself had.
Speaker A:And let's not get into it with Deandre Ayton in them.
Speaker A:But yeah, fine.
Speaker A:You brought in Frank Vogel.
Speaker A:Bust.
Speaker A:You brought in Mike Budenholzer.
Speaker A:Bust.
Speaker A:You brought in Mike Budenholzer with a team that had KD Bradley Beal and Devin Booker.
Speaker A:But I am not here to get into that today.
Speaker A:I already ranted about that, so it's fine.
Speaker A:But what is happening with coaches and teams?
Speaker A:A coach needs time to build his team, to build culture.
Speaker A:A great example of that is varsity basketball and varsity football.
Speaker A:There's a reason the coaches are the stars in varsity.
Speaker A:Because there's a rotation of new players every year and you somehow have to make it work.
Speaker A:You've accepted that your star player may not be on the team this year.
Speaker A:You have to build a new star player.
Speaker A:That means finding one in this new batch.
Speaker A:And yet people, and yet coaches create dynasties.
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker A:Because coaches create the culture.
Speaker A:Superstars play the game.
Speaker A:But coaches create the winning culture.
Speaker A:And mental.
Speaker A:But coaches create the Winning culture and mentality, they can change your entire franchise around.
Speaker A:The reason the Denver Nuggets were such a formidable foe for the past couple of years and they actually managed to win the championship when it finally mattered was because Mike Malone was the coach for 10 years.
Speaker A:He had coached Nicola Jokic his entire career.
Speaker A:Bill Belichick, to a less, less significantly less successful extent.
Speaker A:Mike Tomlin, Greg Popovich.
Speaker A:Dude, the spurs were getting to the playoffs every season until like three, four years ago, maybe.
Speaker A:You get what I'm saying?
Speaker A:Coaching is a big part of the game.
Speaker A:And yeah, the league.
Speaker A:The league is high pressure and there's high expectations.
Speaker A:And sometimes it can come up from upper management or just the owners and not necessarily the gm.
Speaker A:I don't care.
Speaker A:At the end of the day, when a team decides to fire a coach, they have fired a coach.
Speaker A:If it's justified, it's justified.
Speaker A:If it's not, it's not.
Speaker A:And I don't care.
Speaker A:Think some of these firings are justified?
Speaker A:Dude, the west is crazy.
Speaker A:The west is crazy.
Speaker A:You.
Speaker A:You can win 44 games and be a fifth seed in the west, and then because of that, what, you didn't meet expectations?
Speaker A:No, no.
Speaker A:When we.
Speaker A:As long as we make it to the playoffs.
Speaker A:By the way, all three of those coaches were leading their team to the playoffs except coach Bud.
Speaker A:Actually, two of those coaches.
Speaker A:Two of those coaches, Mike Malone and Taylor Jenkins, both teams are in the playoffs right now.
Speaker A:And I have this thought, not thought or theory or whatever it is that you want to call it.
Speaker A:As soon as we get to the playoffs, no more bad teams.
Speaker A:No more bad teams.
Speaker A:Sure, there may be better teams in that bracket, but you're not a good team.
Speaker A:If you make it to the playoffs, that means you deserve to be there and you belong there.
Speaker A:Show us why.
Speaker A:That's all we ask.
Speaker A:Show us why.
Speaker A:Back your players.
Speaker A:Back your coaches.
Speaker A:Back your team.
Speaker A:Because when players and coaches feel safe and secure, they.
Speaker A:They're at their best.
Speaker A:They know I'm locked in with the team.
Speaker A:The team is locked in with me.
Speaker A:Phil Jackson didn't repeat in LA by chance.
Speaker A:Nah, he was dating.
Speaker A:He was dating Genie Bus, too, but still.
Speaker A:What I'm saying is, it's not by chance.
Speaker A:I didn't even get to the.
Speaker A:To the playoffs.
Speaker A:Doug, let me give you a quick rundown of the playoffs.
Speaker A:OKC mopped the floor with Memphis.
Speaker A:Simple, simple.
Speaker A:I expect to sweep.
Speaker A:And what else can I say, man?
Speaker A:They did what they had to do.
Speaker A:When you're a superior team, going up against a lesser team, you have to show them why you're the superior team.
Speaker A:OKC did exactly that.
Speaker A:Ayo, Golden State, Houston.
Speaker A:Houston's lack of experience will be the death of them.
Speaker A:However, Golden State should not sleep on Houston.
Speaker A:They're still number two seed for a reason, and they can turn it on when they have to.
Speaker A:And Ime Udoka is one hell of a coach.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Kawhi Leonard didn't miss a shot last night.
Speaker A:Well, he did, but he dropped 39, shooting 15 of 19.
Speaker A:Kawhi, if you keep playing like this and show and actually showing up for work.
Speaker A:Yeah, no, then I will have no choice but to rescind that statement that I said a couple months ago that he should retire.
Speaker A:However, last time, Kawhi lost his mind in the playoffs, he did win a championship.
Speaker A:However, that was the last time Kawhi had a significant playoff run.
Speaker A:Well, a healthy one, at least.
Speaker A:Okay, the Lakers.
Speaker A:Hey, I have to do this.
Speaker A:I have to do this.
Speaker A:I have to do this.
Speaker A:I'm sorry.
Speaker A:The Lakers, they playing the Timberwolves.
Speaker A:They've lost game one.
Speaker A:However, I'm not worried.
Speaker A:Do you know why?
Speaker A:Child support.
Speaker A:Lou Dort, okc, klc, ufc.
Speaker A:It doesn't matter.
Speaker A:Chris.
Speaker A:Paul, Jake, Paul, Logan, Paul.
Speaker A:Okay, but you get what I'm saying, dog?
Speaker A:Lakers and 5.
Speaker A:I'm not worried about the Lakers losing game one to the Timberwolves.
Speaker A:However, if they lose game two, it's Chai.
Speaker A:Ant man smells blood.
Speaker A:If they lose game two, Ant man will have smelled blood, and he will come and put his foot on your neck and it's Chai.
Speaker A:I'm telling you now.
Speaker A:Calves and Heat, man, get the brooms.
Speaker A:Pacers and Bucks.
Speaker A:If Dame doesn't come back and show Tyrese Halliburton who he is, the Bucks are in trouble.
Speaker A:Knicks and Pistons.
Speaker A:This is about as.
Speaker A:This is probably the most evenly tied series you'll find in.
Speaker A:In this entire bracket.
Speaker A:Knicks and Pistons.
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker A:Knicks are there, but there's something missing.
Speaker A:They don't have that defensive aggression that they had last year.
Speaker A:And also just I.
Speaker A:Thibodeau is not doing his best coaching right now, also.
Speaker A:But the Pistons are just young and they're playing team.
Speaker A:But I still believe in the Pistons.
Speaker A:And Kate Cunningham is just Kate Cunningham, man.
Speaker A:Like, wow.
Speaker A:Just wow.
Speaker A:So that series is gonna be fun.
Speaker A:It might even go all the way.
Speaker A:Celtics and Magic.
Speaker A:Man, get the brooms, please.
Speaker A:Yo, NBA.
Speaker A:25 minutes of my time I will never get back because I was complaining about the coaches, but I love it.
Speaker A:What's good, N.J.
Speaker B:The NBA just decided to be Chelsea FC.
Speaker A:Okay, fire coaches.
Speaker A:That's Bro.
Speaker A:Bro.
Speaker B:Like that works only for Chelsea, not the rest of the.
Speaker A:It's a pandemic, bro.
Speaker A:It's a pandemic.
Speaker A:Ah.
Speaker B:I think the NBA is correcting itself.
Speaker B:But the question that I still have.
Speaker A:Right now, right now, as it stands.
Speaker B:Like right now, who's making it out of the East?
Speaker B:Who's making out of the West?
Speaker A:I don't see anyone beating Boston.
Speaker A:Cleveland lacks the playoff experience, so I don't see them beating Boston.
Speaker A:And in the west, the west is crazy dog.
Speaker A:But OKC still okc, kfc, Lakers and five.
Speaker A:That's it.
Speaker B:Denver.
Speaker B:Another chance, eh?
Speaker A:Not a chance.
Speaker B:Not a chance.
Speaker A:They don't even have a coach.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:Oh, I forgot that part.
Speaker B:Okay, never mind.
Speaker B:Clippers.
Speaker A:Hey, Danger.
Speaker A:Danger.
Speaker A:Danger.
Speaker A:Wouldn't be surprised.
Speaker A:Wouldn't be surprised.
Speaker A:Harden is playing his ass off.
Speaker A:Kawhi is playing his ass off.
Speaker A:Tyloo is one hell of a coach.
Speaker A:The rest of the supporting cast, from Norman Powell all the way to Victor Zoopage are playing their minds off.
Speaker A:I wouldn't be surprised.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Well, the only result that I'm very certain of is that Shannon is very wrong.
Speaker B:Hangovers in five.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:This might go six.
Speaker A:This might go six.
Speaker A:He's very rough, Michael.
Speaker A:Six.
Speaker A:But until then, liquors are five.
Speaker A:Okay, okay, I'll get into that.
Speaker A:Anyway, man, tell me what you think.
Speaker A:Does the NBA have a coaching pandemic or am I just tripping?
Speaker A:Tell me who you got in the East.
Speaker A:Tell me who you got in the West.
Speaker A:The first round is still very much, you know, the beginning of things, and it's still entertaining.
Speaker A:But you know what?
Speaker A:We shall see what's going to happen at the end of the season.
Speaker A:And don't you dare forget, whatever you do after watching this episode, don't you dare forget.
Speaker A:If there's one thing I want you to take away from this, John Cena's the Goat Baby 17 times E.
Speaker A:Talk sports.
Speaker A:Until next time, Watch sports, Be nice to your mother and enjoy the violence.
Speaker A:That's what I'm saying.
Speaker B:Cheers.
