Roundtable Time!!!

Camelot, Camelot. It's only a model. It's really an excuse to play a drop for Buddy Piper, which is fun. We are the Knights who saved me.

I mean, you almost have to be of a certain age. I love it. To appreciate it. Gotta watch it twice just to get the language down first, but once you get the language down. It's like, you've ever seen the movie The Princess Bride? Yes, yes. You need to watch it the second time because the language sometimes gives you like, what are they doing?

What do they say? Yes. Well, and I will say Conor McGregor just came out with the Netflix series and it's very difficult to understand him talking too. So that is also another thing. Well, because he keeps getting kicked in the face.

Right, and drinking bad whiskey apparently. That's a problem. That's a problem. Alright, our friends Jeremy Green, ESPN Asheville, and Brendan Whitted, Swarm and Sting.com, Howard University, Bison Express. We got a ton of stuff to discuss. Before we say hi to Brendan, did we lose Jeremy? Is Jeremy there? Jeremy's on the phone. Oh, I'm sorry.

There he is. Jeremy, before we get to Brendan, you're getting married tomorrow? I am getting married tomorrow.

Why are you talking to me right now? I'm standing in the parking lot of a tanning bed waiting on my lovely bride and I have no idea where she went. Well, I would assume. I'd be crazy.

We got the marriage license this morning. We have brought the government into this. It would be much easier to run away at this point. I mean, I'm assuming that she's in one of the tanning beds. That's what I think. I hope. Okay. I still can't believe you're doing this now. She must have just gone in.

So you've got like 12 minutes before she becomes a baked potato. Alright, well congratulations to you, Jeremy. You can follow him on Twitter at ESPN draft nerd, of course. Our friend Brendan is at HU Cosell.

So, let me start with this particular question. I'll start with Brendan. We haven't said hi yet. Are the Nuggets up 2-0 in the series or are the Lakers down 2-0 in the series, Brendan? I know what Mike Malone would have you think, right? Like, he's salty. He's a lot saltier than I gave him credit for.

Right. He's been talking this the whole time. Like, oh, I guarantee, I guarantee Darnell would be, Darnell would be, would rather be up 1-0 than down 0-1. And then last night it was put it in your pipe and smoke it, which man, boy, that's, that's, you know, he was mad.

Like, I thought I might get a darn tootin' or something. I don't know what else been to hear from him, bro. Like, I now only want to hear from Mike Malone. Like, that's, I don't want to hear from nobody else. Like, nobody else in this series.

I just want to hear his commentary because he was mad. But, I mean, essentially, like, you know, they won the games that they're supposed to win. Lakers put themselves in a bad situation. I love LeBron, man. You got to stop shooting threes, bro. Like, it's not there.

It's like, it's, you stop trying to make fetch happen. It's not going to happen, bro. Like, it's, it's, it's rough and the other thing is 1-20 in the fourth quarter from three. But you're not answering my question. Are the Lakers, are the Lakers down or are the Nuggets up?

Look, man. They're, they're up to all day. They earned that, like, Yogi's ball, his face-off and, and the fact they were able to win the second game with him playing a much more pedestrian role. If you're a Nuggets fan, that's got to feel good. Those non-Nuggets, those non-Yokish minutes all year long was a bugaboo for them. Their bench play pretty much was, was very subpar. And last night they were able to win one of those ugly games, right? We're accustomed to watching the Nuggets because they have one of the best offenses in the league this year. Hey, we're just going to score, score, score.

Everything is going to look pretty. It was gross. It looked like that. Like one of those kind of like Knicks, old school Knicks heat sort of series last night, a lot of files, physical, and they were able to still grind out a win.

So shout out to them. All right, Jeremy, are the Lakers in second place or are the Nuggets in first place? As a Nuggets fan, I can say that last night was very pleasing for me. You're a Nuggets fan?

I am. Because of Nicole, I was a lifelong Knicks fan. And when they kicked Oakley out of the garden, I could no longer give my money to James Dolan. So I saw a few years ago and realized this guy's a unicorn and they became the most fun team in the NBA to watch. And so to answer your question, the Nuggets have a better team in the series. And I don't really think it's all that close. They didn't play well at all for three quarters last night and still found a way to win. It's virtually impossible to beat them in Denver and anybody in the playoffs is going to have to do that.

And I don't think it's going to happen. Well, I think there's a guy on the other team that can win a game in Denver. And last night was the game they probably should have won, but I also think it gives them the opportunity and the thought that we can win.

And I think L.A.'s problem, L.A.'s, they're calling card, Brendan, you and I have talked about this. They must be a defensive team. And for the second straight game in the second half, they allowed 60 points.

And what was worse than that was they allowed them to get cooked. They allowed themselves to get cooked by Jamal Murray, who scored 23 in the fourth quarter. I said before the series, if Jamal Murray is the best version of himself, Denver will win. But I thought that the Lakers would be able to slow him down.

Maybe they have no answer for it. But even though I am generally with both of you that the Nuggets, they're the one seed home court matters to them, matters to their cause. I think the Lakers, especially because of yesterday, that was a game that was there for them.

Yeah. And I almost feel like they allowed Denver off the hook. So I say the answer is the Lakers are trailing in the series 2-0. Denver is not ahead.

But I appreciate Mike Malone playing that card because that's exactly what I would play. All right. Back to you.

First of all, this is just a personal question now. So, Jeremy, I know you're a Jets fan. Life long. And you're a Knicks fan. Was.

Was. Yeah, OK. You and I are the same. I'm a covering Jets fan, and I really don't I no longer care about the Knicks.

I think I would be a Knicks fan again if I felt like they were really worth it, you know, but I don't. But there are you also a Mets fan? I am. Oh, you have an illness. All right. So I do. I really need a reason to be angry at all times. It's the only it's the only thing I'm a fan of now.

Other than the Hurricanes, the Mets are the only thing I'm a fan of. So I'm just saying maybe maybe professional help. All right. So, Jeremy, is Boston tough enough to win an NBA title?

I think so. But every it seems like every time I watch Jason Tatum, I want him to be something. And it's never what he gives me unless the game doesn't matter.

The more it matters, the smaller he seems to come up. I mean, he was genuinely awful in Game 1. A lot of people talked about he didn't get enough touches. Well, he turned it over three out of four positions.

So even when he did, bad things happen. And I love Jalen Brown. I'm just I'm not sure how they fit together. And they score a lot of points together.

And the other should be able to just take the series over because they're being guarded by some combination of Gabe Vincent, whatever a max stress is. And yet they don't. So are they tough enough? Yes. I don't always agree with you're not convincing yourself, Jeremy, that they're tough enough. Brendan, I'm trying to and I don't. I understand.

Look, you know, pending nuptials does a lot a lot of things to people. Brendan, are they tough enough? I'm going to get on my mic below right now. I think you're I think you're sure changing how good Miami Heat are like. This is not. Oh, I'm not. I'm not like this is not.

This is not an AC. They were they performed all year long and it took them to midway through the fourth quarter of their second playing game for them to play like they like they knew how to. They shot sixteen thirty one from three in that first game. I know it's about toughness, but if any team throws up that kind of a number from three, that sort of efficiency, you're going to lose a lot of those games. And like, yes, Boston fell apart late in that game, 100 percent and at home losing what was the 11 out of their they won their 11 and 11 in the last 22 home games or something like that. And so that is concerning.

Certainly. I don't know if I look at that and say that they're not tough, though. I like I'm looking at those players like I think Jaylen Brown's plenty tough. I think Tatum's tough. I think Marcus Smart certainly is.

He gives you as much stuff as you need. And Al Warford. Right. Like, it's it's it's not that it's it's the fact that they're going up against legitimate team and they're going to have to beat them. Now, Miami, like Jimmy Butler's, I told you, I don't understand him like I genuinely don't understand how a person could go from like, oh, he's very good to he's one of the best players I've ever seen. Like it routinely like it's like he changes the calendar and suddenly he's he's morphed into Jordan. I know that part I don't get.

But like in terms of the toughness, no. Now, there are some things that that that Boston's head coach does sometimes that concerns me like doubling Bamadabayo 17, 18 feet from the from the cup. Like he's not. And I mean that both ways, like he's not as good of a scorer and he's also a much better passer. And so if you want to double him that far away, he's going to eat you alive. And there are just some things that he, you know, not getting the ball to Tatum. Yeah, he he's struggling early on, but that's your guy. You got to ride and die with him. You've got that.

Got you there. That fifty one burger is the reason that they beat the 76ers. Just sometimes when it just doesn't seem to be like completely clicking for him and that, you know, we talked about that. We'll talk about town disparities. That doesn't just extend to the players. That coaching disparity is pretty is what he's steeped to.

There's no question. Eric Spoelstra may be the best coach in the entire league. The answer is that the Celtics are not tough enough to win a title. And that doesn't mean that they're not talented enough. If it comes down to talent, then I think they can win. They may be the most talented team. But it wasn't a less tough last year because it's the same team that beat Miami last year. You know, I mean, like this is the same squad, you know, but they didn't play Miami for the title. I mean, no, not for the title, but they beat them to get to. They did. That was my question.

I mean, like that wasn't like so they're not now they're not as tough. They have more talent than my. I love Jimmy Butler. Jimmy Butler is my favorite player to watch in the league.

I think he is the most fun player to watch when it is going. Jimmy Butler makes me laugh, but when it comes down to talent, Boston has Miami at all but one position because I'll give Bam the advantage over Robert Williams in the middle. Butler, as great as he is, I'll take Tatum over him in terms of talent. I love Butler, but in terms of talent, I'll take Tatum now playoff Jimmy elevates his game.

Yeah. I also think that Tatum can elevate his game. And Tatum might be able to go to places that that that Jimmy Butler can't get to regardless. It's everybody else. And it's not just Tatum and Brown. It's everybody. I don't know what I don't know if those two guys can win a title together.

I don't think they shouldn't be able to, but. They have a habit of coming up very small, and that worries me if I were a Celtics fan, that would worry me, but I think they might have more talent than the rest of the field that remains. No offense to you, Jeremy, and your Denver Nuggets.

I have to I have to ask the question. You said Solstrom may be the best coach, and I think he is the best coach who's even in the discussion. Well, pop is in the question in the discussion, but pops got a mullet like me now and he also has Victor web and Yama.

Just watch how good it is now that he's got Victor Web and Yama and Victor Web. And yeah, that's like the that's like the the the Rolling Stones. It's Mick Jagger, who's awesome.

And then four dudes, four dudes. Keith Richards is proof that formaldehyde is running through his veins. How is that guy still so preserved? Richards is just proved positive. There are some people who cannot be killed. There is.

I don't know how he's still still staggering. All right. I'm not going to get into the heavy topic.

I was going to ask you guys about job, but we don't have time for it. So let me just ask you both this canes and how many, Brendan? Oh, five. Oh, they're about to run the they're running through the rest of the time, like, like five. Give me five kids and five. Jeremy Canes. And how many?

I would say five. And last night I learned that hockey can go forever. It can. I didn't know that. I thought at some point we had like a shootout or something. Nope. Just just keeps going until somebody scores.

It does. And we were we were this close to having another another position. And period hockey. Oh, my gosh. We were go. I was calling them innings by that point. We were headed to the eighth. You go deep into their bullpen at that point. And you know, we had no pinch hitters left.

We had. That is Brendan Whitted swarm and sting dot com swarm and sting podcast at H.U. Cosell on Twitter, Bison Express, Jeremy Green, ESPN draft nerd, ESPN, Asheville. Thank you, man. I appreciate your time.

Absolutely. Take it. Congratulations, Jeremy. Thank you for your on your nuptials. Hey, Brendan, before before you you drop off the the ether here, if you're going to get married, don't come on the show the day before. Oh, I'm not even picking up a call like I was like, no, I love Victoria, but like, no, you're good. You're going to get screwed. You're 100 percent. Excellent. Perfect.

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