Is Steph a Top 20 All Time player?

So obviously they talk a lot of NBA basketball here. Now that NFL is over, Jay is free to talk basketball with Keyshawn and Max because they're in the, even when there's overlap, we got like three months of, four months of NBA basketball. But if there's football being played, we're just talking football. Like they actually talked hockey a couple of weeks ago.

What the hell is going on? There must have, nothing must have happened yesterday if you are talking hockey. Were they drinking ayahuasca? I think so. I'm not, I don't think Jay was there at that point. So anyway, so the Lakers and the Warriors are playing against each other. We've been talking about this series from the angle or many angles, but from one of the angles is that we are looking at a matchup of two legendary players.

I forget who we spoke with a few weeks ago. It might've been Brendan who said this is essentially Magic versus Larry. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are two of the, certainly two of the 10 best players of all time, probably two of the five best players of all time. For, for my money, it's LeBron, Michael, Magic, Kareem, Bird might be fifth on that list in terms of the greatest players of all time. Steph Curry is a top 10 player. There is no question that he is a top 10 player in the history of this game. The people who change the game fundamentally get bonus points on top of how great they already are. And Steph has fundamentally in the last 15 years changed the national basketball association.

In fact, the entire sport forever, we are never going, they would have to put the three point line in the parking lot for that to change. And with that said, time to say hi to a friend. J. Will from J.

Will, Keishon and Max joining us on the Adam Gold show. All right, sir. I'm not going to start with ranking players because, but I'm going to get to it because, and I'm not, I don't think I have a bone to pick with you. I have a bone to pick with everybody else who does not see reality, but we're going to get to that at the end. Let's just talk about the fact that do I almost get the sense that LeBron James, even though he played 43 minutes last night and at 27 points is sort of pacing himself in these playoffs, does it seem like that to you? It doesn't seem like that. That's exactly where it is. I mean, it's, I'm 41 years old.

I paced myself when I walked to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I think, you know, LeBron is doing the same here, Adam. And look, LeBron doesn't need to carry franchises anymore. He needs to have franchise like moments when they matter the most. And there's been a reason why he's wanted to enable empower Anthony Davis to be that player. Now, Adam Davis is one of the most prolific defensive players you're having a game of basketball. Obviously the EKG AD on the offensive end is him trying to learn how to conserve his energy for the offensive end as well, especially considering how much they keep him moving and all the pick and roll action. But I think the form of that you're seeing right now is that this team has won six post-season playoff games shooting under 35% from the three point line. So they're doing it more in the defensive end. And it takes a series of complimentary players from AD to D'Angelo Russell, to Austin Reeves, to last night in the fourth quarter from Lonnie Walker. I think you're seeing a true complete team around LeBron James.

And the narrative is one that we're holding on to that we know we need LeBron to be the end of all means, you know, like the end of all, like to do it all. And that's not the case where he is at this stage of his career. I think you'll have moments, by the way, the real takeaway from that whole thing from you was midnight trips to the bathroom at 41. That's, I think 41 is probably too early, but I don't know.

You know, you might drink a lot of water for all I know. Unsung in all of this, and it wasn't unsung last night because Lonnie Walker had 15 points, but think about how important he was to that team early in the season and completely drops off the face of the earth in terms of a rotation. And now has the ability to do that in a fourth quarter, all 15 in the fourth. How hard is that for a young guy?

He's just 24. Well, I think it shows a valuable lesson to all young people out there that you have to stay ready all the time, you know, and you practice for what you know is going to come as the game of basketball is a war of attrition, just like any sport, you know, it's just going to physical sport like that. And it's not a matter of, you know, will I ever it's a matter of when, and that moment arrived for a lot of you last night, he took advantage of it. But I have to tell you, Adam, like, I've known Lonnie since he's been 16 years old when he was at Reading, Reading High School in PA. And if anybody does any slight homework on him, if you just go back to what he openly talks about what he dealt with, as a young kid, and being sexually abused, and some of the challenges that he's had with that, and what his hair is meant to him as like a cloak, and how he's evolved as a human being, you can tell that the young man has a character where he is a fighter. And that is a trait that for anybody out there listening to this interview, is one that you know, will all be tested in some form or fashion. And it's not a matter of will I ever get my chances a matter of when I get my chance?

Will I be ready? And Lonnie is a prime example of somebody who stayed ready even after losing his spot, and then finding a way to be more engaged defensively. And, you know, that was his moment. Now he's part of the rotation.

And I give Darwin and a lot of credit for allowing him to have the opportunity as well. Yeah, I think what you just described and Lonnie Walker is a pro. He seems like a pro at age 24. Is it fair to say for Golden State, if they don't get next level clay, that they can't win this series? I mean, it would help not getting a donut from Jordan Poole. I mean, he hasn't seemed right all series on right, especially hasn't seemed right since he took that, you know, that shot that as much as Steve Kerr and Jeremiah Green tried to say the right thing about him publicly, we all know what the sentiment was in that locker room of that shot. So look, obviously, clay needs to find his rhythm.

But I'll tell you what makes it more difficult. Adam is that, you know, some of the warrior fans have been yearning for the Warriors to go back to a lot more high pick and roll action. I think one of the byproducts of a high volume pick and roll series of stuff is that it forces guys like Steph or guys like clay and Jordan to be more stationary, spot up shooters, right? It takes them away from their continuity set. And that is how they find that rhythm. That's how they find their ladder, frankly.

So you know, now you're asking people to do different things where they become a little bit easier targets to say glue to instead of, you know, keeping them getting back door cut to get a flare screen, things of that sort. So I think that adds to the challenge for clay. But there's no doubt in my mind that game five back home at Golden State in the chase center with the way they, they, you know, they just lost two games at all with LeBron and AD playing 40 minutes plus in these two games of the ghost.

They were going to learn game five, I gained six back in LA, all hands on deck. That's when LeBron James, the company going to try to close it out. That's where I think we're going to have a chance to see what clay Thompson is all about. Cause that's what he's always asked for. He's one of those moments in the staple center, crypto arena, whatever the hell you want to call it. He's asked for it. He's going to get his shot.

I'm not even sure there is crypto anymore. I think that company might've gone, gone under much like, uh, with like pro player stadium or whatever blockbuster, uh, who knows Jay Williams is joining us here on the Adam gold show, the other Western series that is too late for me to watch the, um, Devin Booker has gone to a place where very few people have gone, uh, to where the he's almost playing perfect basketball. I'm not going to, I don't know if it's sustainable or not, but what it's done, it's given Phoenix a chance in this series. And in some ways I think Denver has been exposed to having too many wildcards among their supporting cast. We know this is when we win a championship, my sophomore year, we lost Carlos Boozer, who was our, you know, pretty all American.

I was like 16 points, uh, like an eight or nine rebounds, um, on senior night before we entered ACC tournament. And we were devastated. I mean, we thought the season was going to be over and then coach K implemented a new strategy where we were told to play extremely fast. No, he wanted to increase the amount of possessions in the game, almost twofold. We already have played somewhat fast, right? That is a similar strategy to what we're seeing in Monty Williams and company do now CP three goes out. We were putting the ball in the hands of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, more so in transition, enough made buckets, campaign land, your sham it, you know, Warren guys are getting a lot more minutes. I haven't been used to getting those reps and I think it's activated Devin Booker to another level. And, you know, people try to use this excuse by saying, well, you know, it's easier to do that when you're Kevin Durant is on the court. What are you talking about? Adam?

It's not easier. The average 41 points, your game on 80% shooting like that is just special. That is a crazy run. And it's a combination of a faster pace and Devin Booker being activated more now ever before because the ball is in his hands more. And I think, you know, we'll see if that's able to continue that pace going back up to the mile high city, which I give Denver an advantage tonight. Oh man, this is a series that now is going to come down to the wire. Now have your mind to Williams.

How do you bring CP, CP three back? It's not this game tonight, but next game, you know, do you have them play more off the ball and get his groin sustain the pace of how fast this game is going to be played? Normally Chris Paul is concerned with other people's groins as opposed to his own. But that's another story altogether. Shouts to my friend Julius Hodge.

I have two more quick things. I know we get Boston Philly tonight and James Harden's a hall of Famer and Joel Embiid, if he continues at this pace will be a hall of Famer as well. But I can't help but think that the Boston Celtics are staring at a wasted opportunity if they don't get past this series.

I mean, the whole thing is here. It's, you know, I expect more from a veteran led team and the Joe Missoula, whether he's using his challenges correctly, there's a learning curve that's happening in real time for him. You saw that I think after game two where he stormed off the podium, getting frustrated at the media for not asking him about the adjustments he's made in the way like that.

You're not giving me my respect. And even with him talking about doubling down after the game, you know, I shouldn't have called the time out. We practiced this in the next day. I should have called a timeout.

We should have went two for one. There seems like there's a lot of I need to prove myself to the media. And what I talked about today on air is you need to let go of this media infatuation. You need to prove yourself to the individuals in that locker room. That's all that matters. When I hear Marcus smart say, well, you know, we have a lot of randomness. Yeah. Often after game two, that is a shot at the head coach. So there are some things that need to be addressed and handled internally for him and his team to build the relationship quick enough so they can build into a championship team because this is not a championship team that we're watching right now. No, we're close. I agree. And I James Harden has had moments in this series and that has been enough to get Philly even. I think the Celtics are playing with their food and you never want to do that final thing. And this gets back to what I teased at the beginning of our conversation, Jay. Well, I heard today somebody say that Steph was a top 20 all time player.

They're they're half right. He's a top 10 all time player. Can you give me a name, please?

Because I want to target that person tomorrow on air. Was it Keyshawn or Max who said that it all blends together for me? Yeah, he's a top 10 player all time. He's changed the game. I will make the case that there was a significant gap between him and everybody else on the court last night. Offensively. Okay.

Yeah. I have a tendency to reward people that play both sides of the ball, but I firmly believe that when it's all said and done, I think we will be talking about Steph Curry is potentially a top five greatest player of all time. He's already cracked the top 10.

It's incredible to me the lack of respect he gets. I don't know because we can't find a position. He's not really a point guard. He's a point guard because he has the ball a ton.

He's a scorer, but that's the way the game is. But he's changed the game. LeBron didn't even change the game. LeBron, I still think, is the best pure basketball player I've ever seen. But Steph has fundamentally changed the way the game is played. I just hear the non top 10 things from a lot of people that never played the sport. Never played the sport. And I think in everybody's decision or everybody's thought process, but like, you know, it's like I tried to explain today to Max on air.

Do you know how hard it is? Like you're only probably two seven footers in a league that could potentially guard Steph Curry on the perimeter. Yeah. When you saw AD, like the lateral quickness it takes for somebody with his wingspan and his side is like that. Those basketball projections prove why people see his ceiling as potentially being one of the best players in the game of basketball. He's not all of you have that capability, by the way, that's on one side. On the other side, it's so hard to score against somebody like that.

Yeah. When they have quick feet and Steph has a top two handle in the league. But I think a lot of times people don't understand because they've barely been on the court to see how tall strong and fast guys are to truly recognize it.

So it's just a different astute level of study in the game of being around guys and truly understand how incredible it is for what Stephen Curry has been able to achieve and what else he still has to achieve. That's right. Although I think they're they're going to they ran up against the team.

I think that's going to take him out. Jay. Well, I appreciate your time, my man. Talk to you next week. Thanks, Jay.

Gosh, it was so infuriating. I mean, yeah, we get we do get seduced by size in the NBA. So the bigger you are, the better you are and NFL. Well, yes, but especially NBA in the NBA. If you're a big man.

You're automatically better. I'm not even saying that that is it's a flawed system, but I'm saying it's flawed because I mean, there are some pretty great big men. But. Steph Curry changed the sport.

Flat out. The game before Curry, if you go back before Curry, the three point shot was starting to become more utilized. But not what it is today. But not what it is today. Not not even close to what it is today. You get teams that are shooting 50 threes in a game. It's almost 40 percent of shot attempts. It's crazy. Absolutely crazy.