On The NBA Beat

Attentively bringing the National Basketball Association to you

Tag: Blake Griffin (Page 1 of 2)

John Karalis: Celtics “Cutting Durant’s Legs Off”

April 25, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Jayson Tatum celebrates with teammates after another dominant showing in Game 3 (@Celtics/Instagram).

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

With the Boston Celtics (arguably) improbably leading the Brooklyn Nets 3-0 in an opening-round 2-7 matchup, we’re joined by John Karalis, host of Locked on Celtics, Celtics beat reporter for The Boston Sports Journal and author of The Boston Celtics All-Time All-Stars

5:07-5:45: Most importantly, defending at an extraordinarily high level; that’s what got them to this place. In this series, they are not letting Kevin Durant close out. They are not letting Durant get going and start to do all the things that Durant does. When the Nets are closing out teams, it’s Durant, just bucket after bucket after bucket, midrange after midrange after midrange. Unstoppable. In this series, they’ve frustrated the hell out of him, they’ve beaten him up, and he’s throwing passes to nobody now.”

6:47-6:52: “When he’s got it going, [Tatum] could be as deadly as anybody in the league.”

13:51-14:54: “The switching has, I think, taken them out of their rhythm. And when Kevin Durant is out of rhythm, then the whole thing starts to fall apart ‘cuz Kyrie [Irving] plays off Kevin Durant, and it’s not the other way around. Continue reading

Pratik Patel: “This Is the Loosest the Bucks Have Been”

June 7, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Defensive specialist P.J. Tucker’s ability to contain Kevin Durant, to the extent that he can, will be something to look for in the Bucks-Nets second-round series (@Bucks/Instagram).

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

Despite a dominant performance by reigning, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nets star James Harden going down with a hamstring injury in the first minute of Game 1, the Milwaukee Bucks were not able to take advantage and secure the first victory in this highly anticipated second-round series. Pratik Patel of ESPN Wisconsin helps us digest that first game, the implications of the injury and what adjustments need to be made for the Bucks to advance. Specifically, he delves into how the Bucks can hope to slow down the supremely gifted Brooklyn offense, the leadership new addition Jrue Holiday provides and how Milwaukee’s supporting cast must step up to support its stars. Finally, we discuss the possible consequences of another disappointing Bucks postseason, coming on the heels of early playoff exits in the prior two seasons as well.

6:04-6:27: “If that truly is a re-aggravation of that hamstring injury, I’d be shocked if he even played in this series, let alone in Game 2. And if that’s the case, obviously it makes things a little bit easier for the Bucks defensively to hone in on two stars rather than three. But if the others for the Nets are going to play as well as they did in Game 1, then it might not matter.”

8:30-8:52: “This is also kinda the loosest the Bucks have been the last couple postseasons. The last two years, they were really pressed. There was a lot looming, a lot of talk about championship window. There was all of the conversation surrounding Giannis’ future and this year just felt different. The entire attitude of the team, the aura around them, the feeling in the locker room, was just different this year.”

Continue reading

Milholen: “Lethal” Nets Boast “Arguably Most Prolific Offense Ever”

June 1, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Brooklyn’s “Big Three” only played eight regular-season games together, but combined for a playoff record-tying 104 points in Game 4 against Boston (@JHarden13/Twitter).


Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

As soon as eight-time All-Star James Harden was acquired by the Brooklyn Nets in January, “title” flashed on everyone’s minds. The addition paired the talented lefty with fellow superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, forming one of the most talented Big 3s in NBA history. Only, the trio were able to log just eight regular-season games since then. How much of a problem will this lack of reps pose for the Nets, or are they just too darn talented for it to matter? Chris Milholen of SB Nation’s Nets Daily and the Wingspan Podcast addresses this key question and much more, as Brooklyn leads Boston 3-1 and sees a challenging matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks on the horizon.

1:44-2:16: “Obviously everyone knows the type of offensive presence and the gifted style of offense that the Nets can play with these three players. It’s arguably the most prolific offense the NBA has ever seen. But their defense has also held up pretty well ‘cuz that was one of the major concerns: outside of chemistry, how would their defense look? You just see what they’ve done throughout the Celtics [series] this whole time, especially with this Nets switching defense, they’ve really done a good job of kind of trapping Tatum and restricting the other two options, Fournier and Smart, and same thing with Thompson.”

5:10-5:36: “KD’s always the one that seems to be on the court with another Big 3 member. So James Harden, you saw, okay, he got a couple second-unit minutes last time, conducting that second unit. Sometimes it’s Irving conducting that second unit, giving them that spark off the bench. And then like Nash says, mostly Steve Nash as a coach, he’s very big on going with the flow of the game. Obviously he has a game plan, but when it comes to staggering the Big 3’s minutes, he bases [it] off the flow of the game.” Continue reading

Will & Grace Co-Creator David Kohan: “This Is the (Clippers’) Year”

July 31, 2019 / / 0 Comments

David Kohan could not believe when he awoke to a record number of text messages congratulating him on the Clippers’ acquisitions of George and Leonard (13th Vision/Twitter).

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

David Kohan, along with his friend Max, created the long-running hit comedy series Will & Grace. But the Emmy Award winner is also one of the biggest Clippers fans we know, and boy was he excited to preview the upcoming season in Clipperland, one which he believes will be “the year.” Boasting the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and a deep supporting cast, the Clippers are primed for a breakthrough season. Coincidentally, Will & Grace just made a big announcement of its own: the show will be ending after one final season. Following the Clippers discussion, David touches upon that as well as his sister’s stellar TV series, Orange Is the New Black. Some special clips (Clips?) have been excerpted below:

4:15-4:26: “I thought for a second when Chris Paul was joining the team, ‘Well, this is about as good as it’s gonna get as a Clipper fan.’ But I was wrong. This is about as good as it gets.”

7:36-7:43: “Suddenly, it felt like we were frontrunners, and I’ve never felt that way as a Clipper fan before.”

11:40-12:07: “More than anything, If Jerry West is there, I feel like he’s a magician. There’s no greater architect of a team. There’s no one whose imprimatur means more than Jerry West. … His instincts are always right. It’s uncanny to me. So, it’s like, ‘In Jerry we trust,’ right?” Continue reading

Jovan Buha: Leonard, George “Can Be Best Perimeter Pairing Since Pippen, M.J.”

July 11, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Kawhi Leonard brings his stifling defense to Los Angeles, where skilled perimeter wing Paul George will also be playing in 2019-20 (Chensiyuan/Creative Commons).

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

Last Friday night, Los Angeles residents, among people in others places such as Las Vegas, felt a 7.1-magnitude earthquake. Within nearly two and a half hours, the Clippers had pulled off an earth-shattering pair of moves that would bring both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to Los Angeles, not too far from where either superstar was born and raised. For the occasion, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha appears On the NBA Beat to discuss how the long-suffering franchise positioned itself for such a major offseason coup, how dominant these Clippers can truly be after the earth-Kawhiuake, the question marks surrounding Paul George’s shoulders and much, much more.

8:23-10:52: “I think for the Clippers to be able to get Doc [Rivers] to basically take a demotion and not have to fire him, not have him quit, I think that was huge, because Doc still has a lot of cachet around the league, he’s still regarded as a players’ coach, he’s still someone that people want to play for. … [They] completely revamped this front office, and that really changed things for the Clippers, because every single move they’ve made over these last two years has been so calculated and has really put them in this position to do what they just did.”

13:04-14:22: “The Clippers have just continued to flip players for more assets and more players, and then they just cashed in on this Paul George-Kawhi Leonard situation. It was a historic price, what they paid for Paul George…but I think the context you’ve gotta look at it in is it’s not like they traded for Paul George only; they traded for Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Had they not gotten Paul George, they would not have gotten Kawhi Leonard. … Yes, there is risk into the mid-2020s, but if the Clippers win a championship or make the Finals over the next two, three years, I think that’s clearly worth it.” Continue reading

James Edwards III: Griffin, “Gritty, In Your Face, Bruising” Embodies Pistons’ Identity

March 30, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Reggie Jackson has one year remaining on a five-year, $80 million contract before he hits unrestricted free agency (Keith Allison/Creative Commons).

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

With the Detroit Pistons closing in on their first playoff appearance in three seasons, The Athletic’s James Edwards III joins the show. Among a number of timely Pistons topics he broaches, Edwards breaks down the Pistons’ chances of maintaining their playoff position and their shot of staging a first-round upset. He also looks ahead to the consequential offseason looming for the franchise. If it somehow misses the playoffs, could Detroit elect to blow it all up and rebuild from the ground up?

*Due to dynamic advertising, excerpt time stamps may vary per listener

According to James, the Pistons are all in on Griffin, but that sentiment could change in a hurry (10:23-11:07):
“They love him. The city loves him. I really, truly believe that he likes playing in Detroit. He likes this challenge of building an organization up and trying to get it to a height it wasn’t at before his arrival. But with that said, I would not be surprised if this team misses the playoffs…with those three guys [Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson and Griffin] being relatively healthy, I think that says a lot. And I would not be surprised if they capitalize on how good Blake has been, and they finally begin a rebuild and they try to trade him.”
Continue reading

“It’s a Terrible (Eastern) Conference” With Kelly Dwyer

October 15, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Kelly Dwyer of The Second Arrangement does not shy away from offering his honest opinion about the Eastern Conference this season.


Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

In the wake of LeBron James’ departure, Kelly Dwyer discusses his Eastern favorites and why the conference is overall so bad. The online basketball writing pioneer who wrote for Yahoo!‘s Ball Don’t Lie blog for nearly a decade, among multiple notable gigs, is currently shining for The Second Arrangement, a project to which you can subscribe for as low as $5 per month.

Timing will vary due to dynamic advertising, but here are the approximate time stamps of some of our favorite clips (so many good ones to choose from):

7:29-7:39 on the Boston Celtics’ immense depth: “There’s so many arms on this monster that this could be something that lasts for a while, that really eases Kyrie [Irving] into his drop-off years.” Continue reading

“The (Clippers) Curse” Book Special With Mick Minas

September 8, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Released in 2016, Mick Minas’ “The Curse” comprehensively explores the tortured history of the Los Angeles Clippers (MMinas8/Twitter).


Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

Mick Minas, author of “The Curse: The Colorful & Chaotic History of the LA Clippers,” is here to discuss his comprehensive book that chronicles the wild history of the Clippers. Plagued by penny-pinching ownership, questionable management, terrible luck, and a well earned abysmal reputation, the franchise experiences so many low lows, but optimism is somehow rarely too far away. Even with a new era of Clippers basketball beginning, there is reason for hope. For those interested, Mick’s book can be purchased on Amazon. For more information, visit the book’s website or follow Mick on Twitter.   

Enjoy some clips (The time stamps are approximate, given the presence of dynamic advertising; pun intended with “clips/Clips,” by the way):

7:51-8:20: “So when the players are in that type of environment, it’s easy to see how the effort level would drop off, and I don’t think it takes a lot in a super-competitive environment like the NBA. If you’ve got players operating at 85, 80 percent effort level, that’s obviously gonna lead to terrible results and then the terrible results lead to a further drop in morale, and I think it’s just that sort of downward spiral.”
Continue reading

Clippers Basketball “Transports” Will & Grace Co-Creator David Kohan

October 24, 2017 / / 0 Comments

Patrick Beverley, who was acquired in the Chris Paul-centered blockbuster trade with the Rockets, is David Kohan’s favorite new addition and he tells us why (Pkantz/Creative Commons).

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

David Kohan, best known for co-creating the pioneering hit comedy series “Will & Grace” is actually a huge Los Angeles Clippers fan, attending games as early as the late ‘80s. In this episode, Aaron had the opportunity to talk with David about both the return of Will & Grace after 11 years off the air and his beloved Clippers. We’ll hear about a wide array of topics, including how David processes the loss of Chris Paul, his take on Blake Griffin’s newfound 3-point stroke and why Patrick Beverley is our guest’s favorite new addition. Some non-Clippers areas covered include why the show has returned, what, if anything, is now different with the program and when David might collaborate with his sister, Jenji, who created “Weeds” and “Orange Is the New Black.” Some clips, pun intended, are excerpted below:

*But, first, two quick editor’s notes:

  • Early on, when David is referencing the 2016-17 Clippers’ hot start through 10 games, Aaron remarks, “14-1 or something like that.” In fact, those Clippers began 10-1 and 14-2. So he was close, but no cigar.
  • Between the interview recording and release, rookie point guard Milos Teodosic’s foot MRI results were revealed. He’ll be sidelined indefinitely with a plantar fascia injury.

4:31-4:50: “There was something about last season that felt joyless. In fact, that should have been what it said on the T-shirts: joyless. This year so far, in the two-game sample size, they seem looser and freer. It seems more fun.”

10:30-11:54: “The thing that I will miss about Chris Paul is he was the guy that, in any crunch-time situation, he was the one you trusted the most. I trusted Chris Paul as a scorer, as a defender, as a team leader, as the guy who was going to make the right decision more than anybody else on the team by far. So it was scary initially when he was traded. Continue reading

Ward-Henninger (Western Conference Preview): OKC Has “Operation Shutdown Potential”

October 16, 2017 / / 0 Comments

Russell Westbrook will be looking to follow up on his MVP season alongside the Thunder’s two high-profile offseason acquisitions, but guest Colin Ward-Henninger foresees chemistry challenges ahead (Keith Allison/Flickr).

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

Colin Ward-Henninger of CBSSports.com helps preview the talent-loaded Western Conference after an action-packed offseason replete with key player movement.

8:54-9:52: “Paul George actually had a higher usage rate and more touches than Melo last year, and we all know what Russ [Westbrook] does on the court. And he had a hard enough time playing with Durant, and then when Durant left, we saw the madness that happened last year with just the NBA record usage rate of like 40 percent or something like that, which is insane, and it’s hard to just turn that off. I think it’s going to take a while…I think it’s going to be very difficult. I think that Paul George is going to have the hardest time adjusting, because I think he’s going to be the one who’s expected to take fewer shots. Melo, we hope at this stage in his career understands that he’s not the No. 1 guy or even the No. 2 guy in this case, but you never know. And these are two guys that can opt out of their contracts, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. So if they get 20 games into the season and they don’t like playing with Russ, there’s some Operation Shutdown potential there.” Continue reading

« Older posts

On The NBA Beat

E-mail us at contact@onthenbabeat.com

Follow us on Twitter!

Special thanks to artist Pamela Chen for creating the icons, banner and all likenesses.

Our sincere gratitude to Jonathan Santiago, who crafted and voiced the podcast introduction and also put together the show's outro. Check out Jon's website.

Archives

Categories

© 2024 On The NBA Beat

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑