NBA 65-Game Rule, Celtics-Thunder, Rockets Struggles, and 76ers Playoff Outlook

SCP-Mar29 === ​[00:00:00] Jose: All right, it's time to talk basketball. I'm Jose Salviati, Editor at thePeachBasket.net. He is Steve Purciello, a longtime educator, vice-principal, high school basketball coach, athletic director, and he's also the host of Celtic ChalkTalk. Celtic Chalktalk is a pod dedicated to the latest news and opinions surrounding the Boston Celtic. From a lifelong fan, Steve, the pod will drop new episodes every Monday, but this is the Shock Clock Pod, the best 24 minutes of random NBA thoughts online anywhere. This podcast was born outta the contents of Steve's 13 rules, random NBA Thoughts articles which he publishes weekly. Steve and I have exactly 24 minutes to discuss what's on his mind on the NBA today we'll discuss his latest 13 rules, random MBA Thoughts article after week 23. Of the 20 25, 26 NBA season. Now, if you're listening to this show and you are. I want you to know that this is an independent, fan driven show, which is part of thePeachBasket Podcast Network. We're not owned by a [00:01:00] big media company, which means what you hear comes straight from real fans who live this game every day. If you believe voices like this should be heard, the best way to support us is simple. Keep listening, tell a friend comment subscribe. And when this episode ends, head down to thePeachBasket Podcast Network.com. Check out more fan run podcasts and help this independent network grow the way it started organically. One hoops fan at a time. We appreciate your support. Steve, are you ready? Steve: Yes, sir. Jose: Let's go. I'm gonna start the timer and we're off. Alright. I want to start. You host Celtic Chalk Talk. You are a Celtic fan and you always, we appreciate it on this podcast, on this show. You always try not to let your Celtic fandom get in the way, but there was a possible finals matchup this week between in March, right between the Celtics and the Thunder. You wrote [00:02:00] about it. Did it really mean anything? Steve: Yeah, it did. And first of all I still think the Knicks have the best team in the conference you don't know how much Tatum will progress. But let's get away from that for a second. Meaning how much he'll get better Jose: Yeah. Yeah. Steve: on. He is still rusty. but. The game was important on two sides. Boston had to go out. They've been swept by San Antonio in two tough close games. One one when Jalen Brown got thrown out, all kinds of variables go into it, but they were swept by 'em. They were one in three against Detroit this year, and they were one in two against the Knicks, so they're not really having a great deal of success. They had to convince themselves that they can go out and beat a top team. So what did they do? They played a great game. They shot the ball real well, high percentage and they beat them. Now that has to carry over, meaning now they feel they can with everybody healthy, they can go and beat a very good team. Jose: [00:03:00] Yeah. Steve: and that of course helps. And of course it's happened last year. The Knicks lost four straight to Boston during the regular season and won. So things happen. But you need that little bit of hope makes it a little easier, especially beating a team as good as Oklahoma. that is what helps Boston now for Oklahoma City, I believe they're two and six against Boston, Detroit and San Antonio. San Antonio's put a weapon on 'em this year. I think they're one in four against him. For Oklahoma City, they know that, you know what? People are coming and we're just not that, as good as, as dominant as last year. Jose: Right. Steve: so they, if they could put Boston away in that game, and by the way they got off quick and they were up by about 10 early. But if they could put Boston away, that gives, puts a lot of doubt in Boston's mind and they couldn't do it. And so for them. And they wanted to show that they could beat a contender. Now [00:04:00] they do have the Knicks, tonight and that'll be interesting. They're in Oklahoma. But that will be interesting because it's another chance to maybe, and you always remember the last thing. Jose: Yeah. Steve: what it showed the league is Oklahoma is very vul vulnerable. And if you come on the right night, you're gonna beat them. So those are the, you know where it is. And I'm sure Oklahoma, now they've got Jalen Williams back. They want to show. That no. We're invincible. You can't beat us. So it does get serious. And we're in the last eight to 10 games in the last eight to 10 games. Every game is fun because teams are really playing Jose: Yeah. Steve: especially the contenders, not the tankers. And so if you get Jose: Right. Steve: contenders playing on any good any night, it gets good. And don't forget, in both divisions. A lot of the placements aren't settled. And so those, what is that? 20 teams, if they're playing each other and they need to win every night secure a [00:05:00] better spot, especially to get out of the playing Jose: yeah, no doubt. This is when the NBA for fans, really becomes fun because the games matter. There's a, it's ratcheted up a little bit. The the energy. No denying it. You mentioned tanking. Don't worry about that. Adam Silver is fixing it. He said. It's true. Look at the last few games for the Thunder, though. You mentioned New York right after that, Detroit, after that, the Lakers. The Lakers, again, a in, in between a game with Utah, the Clippers, and then Denver. So they've got some pretty big games to finish up the season and the Oklahoma City Thunder are such an interesting case study. 'cause you said it we jokingly talked at the start of the season. They're gonna go 82 and oh and we thought, it was a joke they looked pretty unbeatable. Invincible is the right word, undeniably. Steve: put it. Yeah. Jose: then they hit a bump in the road and all of a sudden you're thinking, we started talking about this, about a month back, this team is beatable. And it's shocking, right? Because they drop [00:06:00] from this level of invisibility down to listen. We can take 'em, we can take 'em, and I think teams are going into the finals or are going into the playoffs with that mentality, don't you think? Steve: don't forget San Antonio's two games behind them. And actually it's one because if they tie San Antonio's got the tiebreaker, Jose: Sure. Steve: It gets very interesting with the rough schedule for Oklahoma. It and San Antonio's just coming on. They're, they're going out every night and winning most nights, so it, that gets very interesting. And Oklahoma's got, a lot of things in front of them. Now I'm not, I don't think the Lakers can beat Antonio or Oklahoma. They've got a chance, I don't think you wanna come in second and have to play the Lakers instead of someone else in the second round. So you know that it gets difficult. You're there's a lot going on for Oklahoma and they've got a lot of work to do to to convince that they're the best. Jose: [00:07:00] Yep, no doubt. A very interesting, fun time with you. Let's see how it plays out. Let's stay in the west and talk about a team that. About a month and a half ago, we would've been talking as this group of Core West Contenders. They're not there anymore. And that's the Houston Rockets a lot of blame to go around. A lot of people point to Kevin Durant in that burner account, right? Talking down his team. You pin the blame on somebody else. What do you think the problem is in Houston? Steve: I didn't so much. As much as that's the talk I'm reading out of Houston, Jose: Okay. Steve: I think they're beginning to point at Yoka and one of the habits he has that they point at is whenever they lose, when he, after the game, when he does his press conference he'll zing his players. And I've been around and I've watched a lot of sports. When a manager or a coach does that over time. Players start saying, you know what, I don't wanna play for him. And that's not a healthy thing. So [00:08:00] he's not helping himself as a coach. Now, don't forget, this is a guy in his first year, took Boston to the finals, made some mistakes off the court and lost his job. Houston hires him after waiting a year after he sat out for a year and he, they were terrible. First year they got in the playoffs and they were to play in, I believe, or maybe they just missed it. But they were good. They were much better than what they were the next year. Last year they got in the playoffs and they fizzled out quick. So now people are starting to point at him and he's having a problem. The other thing you have to think about, and I didn't really mention it, Kevin Durant, and my question to you is he a lightning rod for bad things or not? Jose: No Steve: why not? Jose: But. Steve: Everywhere he goes outside of gold and even Golden State didn't end up happy, but everywhere he goes, people were pretty happy to see him go. Jose: I Okay. Are [00:09:00] you linking, are you saying Kevin Durant is a James Harden esque player? Because I just don't see it. Steve: I didn't say that. I think he's very good in the playoffs and all, but I think, Jose: I. Steve: I don't know if he's, I hate to say it, I dunno if he's a happy guy but he's quick to point at everybody else and never likes to point at himself. And I think that wears thin too, on teammates. Jose: Yeah. Steve: It's just a lot of little things you start singing that, it just isn't right what's going on. And I know there's two big injuries they had with Adams and Van Velie. I understand all that. But they could have, they, they've lost so many games that they should have won that they could have had, should have had a better showing this year, I would think they're, if they get outta the first round of the playoffs, I'll be the most surprised person around. Jose: Yeah, agreed. Which again, we talked about the thunder kind of falling from their, top of the, he down to just the middle of the heap and the rockets fell from middle of the heap down to, they're outta the heap altogether. And I agree with you. I think if they get outta the first round, it's gonna be pretty surprising. And we'll see what happens. You wrote [00:10:00] about this, do you think Che's job's on the line. Steve: No I would think he, he would at the very EE even if things fell apart and it got swept in the first round, I would think he, he'd get another year of course to figure this out and, he could always point at the Van Lee. At Adams being hurt and how that changed everything. Now, don't forget, yoke is a defensive coach and he's starting Reed Shepherd and Reed Shepherd struggles defensively so that's hurting, because now you're not containing the ball really. 'cause Shepherd's guard guarding another guard and defense breaks down if you can't contain the ball. So that's not helping the situation. They took shepherd early in the draft, they could have taken some better players. And there's some people looking at that. So there's a lot of little things going on that, that, don't make it a comfortable situation down there. And you know what, and I've watched them a little bit. They've they're losing to teams. They had no right to it. I'm gonna use a Boston [00:11:00] example. Boston played them without Jalen Brown. This was before Tatum was back. Now think about it, you got Derek White, Pritchard and Hauser are probably the only three that can really score. And he base, Boston went out and beat him by. In Houston Jose: Yeah. Steve: you saw during the game there's something not right here, there just, there's a misconnection and that was what I, I, that was the beginning of me saying, there's something wrong with this team Jose: Yeah. Steve: just, they're not on the same page. And that's where, that is the other Jose: Yep. Steve: the way they were in overtime against Minnesota, and this has never happened before. They scored the first 13 points in overtime. Minnesota scored the last 15 and Jose: That's wild. Steve: seconds left Durant Mr. Two shots. Both shots on a foul. So think about that for a while and you really like start wondering what the heck has gone on. Jose: Yep. [00:12:00] All right. Before we move to the next topic let's encapsulate the que effect you mentioned it. When he joined, the Rockets had come off of 22 and 60 seasons, so really bad. They went 40, 41 and 41. Didn't make the playoffs, but huge improvement. Next season, 52 and 30 lost in the first round and then we got this season with hasn't gone to script. Steve: don't forget, they bought in Durant this year Jose: Yep. Steve: To take them further. Jose: Yep. Steve: is who do they trade for? Dylan Brooks and Jalen Green, Dylan Brooks say what you want. And nobody likes him, but except his teammates. But wherever he goes, teams win. Jose: Yeah. Steve: And that's an interesting thing. You know that, that's a whole, Jose: Okay. Steve: he's better than Durant, but chemistry wise he might be. Jose: And there's something to that, isn't it? There there's that thing you can't put in a box score that, that's something about a [00:13:00] player that, they're a winner and wherever they go, they contribute. You put 'em on a good team, they'll be a little bit better. You put 'em on a bad team they'll be a little bit better. And it's weird. I think we've, in, in the course of the NBA we've seen players like that. Steve: You Lakers have one, Marcus Smart. Jose: Yeah. Steve: They just figure out Jose: Smiling. Steve: game to win. You, in fact, you haven't brought him up in a week or two, so I'm getting nervous. With, he, he can he, he does all the little things in a game that bring you home Jose: Yep. Yep. Yep. Steve: and those kind of players are very valuable. Jose: Undeniably, let's talk about another team that's winning. And this is a team that hasn't won in a long time. This is a team that has been stuck in the middle of a bad category for a long time, but the Charlotte Hornets are emerging as a serious playoff threat. And I think it's great. I think it's great for Charlotte. I think it's great for the NBA. So I gotta ask you point blank, what do you see as the hornet's ceiling in the East? Not overall, but what can they do in the east? Steve: I, I think I wouldn't, it wouldn't shock me. [00:14:00] they beat somebody in the first round, Jose: Sure. Steve: shock me. I'd be, it would be surprising, but it wouldn't be like, oh my God, this team. And no matter what happens this year. got have to realize they're just gonna get better. Unless some players get hurt or they lose people, Jose: Yeah. Steve: going to get better. They've got some really, LoBello ball. Sometimes he can wear you down with shooting the ball from 30 feet and all. But he's played within the group now and that's important. And you got Miller, who can, the kid from Alabama who can play and he's a nice second. And then the guy that's put it all together for them is Con Kniple. Jose: Yep. Steve: He's the one that's solidified the thing and you can't leave him open Jose: Yep. Steve: hit a three. He'll hurt you. you got those three. And Miles Bridges, who's a good player, reminds me a little bit of Josh Smith, which from a different year, but, 'cause he's lefty, but. That's a decent four guys. And then their big man is Dia Bate, who [00:15:00] really can't score, but he cogs the middle, protects the rim, and does all the things you want from your five. Jose: Right. Steve: it, it's an interesting group. And they have Kobe White coming off the bench. Last I looked. He's a tremendous spot up shooter. Jose: Yeah. Steve: And Grant Williams, who's a nice player also off the bench. So you have a nice group if you keep it together, they're gonna get better. They're young. They haven't, each of those players really are so young and just gonna get better and better. So I don't think it'd be a surprise, but I think it'd be interesting. The other thing that's really interesting. The Charlotte Coliseum, or whatever it a rough place for a team to play. The crowd now is suddenly I went to see a Celtic game three, four years ago and probably there's more green shirts in the place than Jose: Yeah, Steve: Hornet fans. Now you're not seeing as many of the opposition. You're seeing more. Of the Hornet fans, and they're [00:16:00] loud and because they haven't won in so long it's a big thing Are in town in Charlotte, which is an interesting game to watch. And it'll be very, Boston might be sitting a bunch of guys out. I don't know what their. Story is, but and Charlotte's coming in back on a back to back, but they're young and they can play on back to backs and it doesn't affect them as it would an older team. Jose: Yeah. Steve: a really interesting game tonight. And the crowd will be into it because again, you're beating Boston, you're beating the team that has a shot at getting to the, and. It's a feather in their cap. So it really, it's fun. It's a nice story because, in the NBA, the bad stay bad and the good, stay good and Jose: Yep. Steve: goes on forever. So it's good to see somebody moving into that realm. Jose: Yeah I, listen, I'm excited for the Hornets. I I covered the Clippers when they were very bad and back then to your point the commercials on TV and radio out here were never For the Clippers, it [00:17:00] was, Hey, the Celtics are in town. Come buy your tickets. It was bad. It was so bad. And like you said, it was a Celtics home game. It was a Lakers home game. And now things have pivoted a little bit and it's great for the clippers. And we're seeing that in Charlotte. And that's, that, that is awesome. I'm interested to see how far they go, but you think it, and I don't wanna put words in your mouth, but their ceiling is a first round victory. That, that's it. Steve: I would think so. I, but you know what, when you have a young team like that go back to LeBron's second year, I guess it was, or what they made to the finals, when he was with Cleveland, second Jose: Oh sure. Steve: when a team like that catches, like just catches a little bit and gets, they get. More and more confident. Crazy things have happened I would think the first round would be, tremendous Jose: Yeah. Steve: getting there. Right now, it's like a game and a half or two games between fifth place and. Playing and again who wins the last couple games is big. Now again, Philly beat them last night in [00:18:00] Charlotte and Philly had their whole cast, but that's a whole nother subject we can talk about. But Jose: Yep. Steve: a big win for Philly to beat them. Jose: Very cool if not if they're making the playoffs. I think that's a solid bet. But the first time since 2015, so almost, full decade. Go hornets. Alright let's stay in the east because we're running short of time and I had to pick because I'm not sure we'll be able to get a few more topics in, but this is the one I went with because it's a, it's another feel good and it's a guy that I'd never heard of. This is a player of that, you know for the Cavaliers? No, pardon me? For the Detroit Pistons. When Kate Cunningham went down, we talked about it, right? This is it, man. Kate, this is a big bump in the road for the pistons. They've gotta stay afloat. How are they gonna do it? Who's gonna put the ball in the hoop? He's our only offensive player. And then Dan Jenkins showed up and he's been great. The Pistons have gone four and one since K's been out. Tell us about Jenkins. Steve: Actually they're five [00:19:00] and one. They won last night. The Jenkins didn't have a as good a game. He was going into last night averaging over 19, and he eight assists. So he's filled in well and playing 37 or whatever, a lot of minutes. So he's filled in well as the new point. So they haven't lost a lot. But the big thing last night, again, they held Minnesota 87, I think. And. The big thing is that defense is so good. and Detroit it's just a war when they play. But Jenkins has filled that. And if you can score 19 points, you're not doing what Cade did. But you're getting a lot of that points back and, he's held his own. It hasn't become a whole, it's become pretty good and it'll be very interesting to see. What happens as Jenkins' career goes on, because when Cade comes back, the minutes aren't gonna be there. Jose: Yeah. Steve: So it'll be interesting how they try to rework it. Jose: Last five games for Jenkins [00:20:00] in county, yesterday's 13, 19, 19 30, and 22. The 30 was against the Lakers and he was Steve: right. Jose: He was made. Steve: He made a big shot with about four seconds left from like about. 12 feet out in the corner one that really was a game winning shot. He's he's, you know what, just to see a young guy take the ball in a situation like that against the Lakers, and I knew you'd bring him up, but against the Lakers hit take the ball and, with other guys who've been in the NBA longer and all stars in Jalen do it all and say no. I'm gonna take that shot he made it Jose: yeah, Steve: it says a lot about this guy and the confidence he plays with. Jose: yeah, no doubt. Now I'm not a big East coast guy. We've said that before on the show. But I gotta ask you a question. We've got a guy in Jenkins who's clearly good. And when he is, got the minutes. You. You see the production you're gonna get outta this guy, you said, and I understand why you said it, when Cade comes back, [00:21:00] his minutes drop. Why? You've got a guy who's good. You've got a guy who's proven himself. Why can't it used to be, and let me qualify my question a little bit better. It used to be you had a one or two, a three or four or five, right? And they had very unique and disparate skillsets. The NBA has gotten more positionless over time. You've got two really good players. Why can't you play them both? Steve: It's really a simple thing for the pistons, they have too much depth. By that, they have a bunch of players that are all somewhat I, what could I say? They're all equal in ability. What it means is this that, you got Caris Levert for example, and Tobias Harris, a bigger guy. Or or Sarah Thompson who else di Duncan Robinson, herder Holland. There's a bunch of guys there that, that can play. So how you going to, you're gonna have to bench certain people and it's very difficult, Cade's gonna, if he comes back, he's gonna get his 35 to 40 [00:22:00] minutes every night. Jose: Yeah. Steve: you are left with a second guard and or Sarah Thompson's gonna get his 35 minutes, I would think 30 to 35. What do you got left for the other guard and, in four or five different bodies that can play it. So yeah, you might wanna use Jenkins and then Jenkins and they really haven't done it to him, but he's not a I don't know how tall he is, but he's not a thick person, he's gonna get, they're gonna go at him in the playoffs. Don't forget, in the playoffs, everything becomes, Jose: Sure. Steve: your weakness and pound it. And if he struggles on that end. 'cause of his size, it's gonna be a problem. Those are things that, you'll see, because again, the playoffs are all about finding weaknesses and just all, just beating it to death. Jose: Yeah. He's listed as six four, which means he's probably right about eyeball to eyeball with me. I'm six foot, my guess. Because they. Steve: two. Yeah. Jose: Do tend to exaggerate that a little bit in the BA. Steve: BA guards are getting bigger and bigger and thicker. He's not thick. He hasn't [00:23:00] grown in, Jose: sorry. Steve: he hasn't grown into his body yet. And he'll get thicker, Jose: Yeah. Steve: but he, he's still got some growing to do, not growing in size as Jose: Right. Steve: And that will be a factor. What's really interesting in sports is when. You got Jenkins, you got Cade. Now obviously you want Cade. What do you do guy? And Detroit can have some decisions. 'cause each of these guys that are younger, like Holland and him, Lavert, he's not younger, but he's not a contract that's gonna run out in a year or two. What do you do? Because if this guy, Jenkins continues, he's gonna want 20, 25 million. Jose: Yeah, Steve: So what do you do? You've gotta start looking at your team. San Antonio's gonna be in the same situation, Jose: sure. Steve: say we at Oklahoma City with heart and shine and and dot they, they look at it and say, look, we can't pay all these people, so we've gotta start moving on. The only thing you can hope is you get some rookies [00:24:00] that can fill in. Jose: Right. Steve: those spots, but you just can't, you just can't pay everybody. And so Jenkins becomes decent trade bait, Jose: right. Steve: it's time Jose: Yeah. GM job. Not as easy as it looks. I think we, we talked about that off and on, on the show, but that's it. The shot clock went off. We violated it, again, it's just what we do. Shot clock violation. I think we, we've got. Two successful shows in the year or so that we've been doing this a couple years. I don't even know. But that's it. It is what we do. We talk basketball and we go on. We go. That's it. Our time is up. Thanks for listening. Thanks for watching. Make sure to reach Steve's entire 13 rules random NBA thoughts article. We'll link it wherever you are watching or listening to this show today, and make sure to join us next week for more NBA random thoughts recap, week number 24 and get ready for the playoffs. We'll talk again next week. Thanks, Steve. Steve: Take.