Jared Greenberg, NBA on TNT Reporter

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Hyundai, there's joy in every journey. It is the Zach Gelb show on the infinity sports network. We'll go around the NBA world with Jared Greenberg, great sideline reporter for NBA on TNT next. All right, it is the infinity sports network. It is the Zach Gelb show.

NBA on TNT, sideline reporter Jared Greenberg is here with us as we'll chat about all the happenings of the second round of the NBA postseason. Jared, thanks so much for joining us today. How you been, my man? Good, Zach. What's going on?

Nothing much. You know, just some craziness last night in the association. Obviously, you were a part of it. I'll start you off with Shane Gilges Alexander, man.

Oh man. How do you put that into perspective? What he was able to do last night? Cause that was really something special. That not only, you know, what he was able to do in terms of bringing OKC back, but how he did it utilizing the mid range, not scoring from three, not scoring by dunks or layups. Everything was from the mid range and just carving up the defense by Dallas who absolutely just melted and crumbled in that situation when they had an opportunity to take a commanding three games to one series lead. I think, you know, people, this is obviously the time of the year, Zach, when, when, when people who are sports fans, but not necessarily hardcore NBA fans are tuning in for the first time to the league.

I hope people are starting to appreciate what a talent and what a budding superstar Shane Gilges Alexander is and how, how good he's going to be for a long time in this league. Yeah. It felt like last night was the night nationally where people start to put some respect on the Thunder's name. Like I thought SGA should have won the MVP, either him or Jaylen Brunson, but even going into this post season, the Thunder were the one seed and it didn't seem like they were getting the respect nationally that usually a number one seed would get.

Yeah. But I also get some of that because you know, in pro sports, it's not about votes. It's not about seeding. It's about winning, right.

And going out and prove yourself. And I think, you know, we've learned over time in the NBA, very seldom does a team who's there for the first time win it all. So I think people poke holes in what the Thunder have, what the Thunder are, and that is their youth, their experience, and not a whole lot of size.

And what we're seeing so far in this post season, in this series against Dallas is that at times their youth has gotten the best out of them, but more particularly when they get beat on the glass, they usually lose. So last night they were able to overcome all of that and they tied the series up at two. Now it's a, now it's a best of three. Now it's the best of three with the Thunder having two games on their home court.

Yeah. And the momentum of this NBA post season, it's been a funny thing, not just in this series, like as you're talking about, it looks like we were on the verge of seeing Dallas go up three one and everyone think, okay, that series is over. And now the Thunder get that victory. And it feels like momentum has gone right back to their favor. I've got to a point, and I know people love when we make predictions, who the heck knows what's going to happen between the Thunder and the Mavericks, and then also the Nuggets and the Timberwolves still.

Yeah, no, I, I agree. The, the, the Nuggets and Tibbrel is really strange just that, that, you know, the road team has won all four games, right? Like that, that's wild. And, and I think, you know, we, we get consumed in the moment, which is good. We get captivated by the excitement and the here and now what happens. But I think we, we sometimes have to pump the brakes and recognize that a series is not one in one game. And even in two games, like we've seen in that Nuggets Timbrel series, I think, you know, momentum does not necessarily always cower carry over from game to game. And just because we've, we've, we, we saw something happen in one game doesn't mean we can make a referendum on who a team is for their entire season.

Jared Greenberg here with us. Let me hit up the other game from last night, Celtics and Cavaliers. I think the biggest takeaway from this game was LeBron James was courtside in Cleveland. I don't think that means LeBron's going to be going back with the CAS for a third stint, but no, no, there's the hot take of the day, Jared Greenberg, but the future of LeBron is very compelling. I think it's best for his career if he leaves LA, but I don't think that's going to happen. You know, whether it's Borrego or Reddick or Sam Cassell, they'll get a new coach and in all likelihood, LeBron will resign with that organization. Right?

Yeah. I just think it makes too much sense for LeBron to stay with the Lakers. I, I, I, but again, you know, every time we think we know what's happening in the NBA, it catches us by surprise.

There's some, you know, there's some trick up someone's sleeve, but, but I'm with you. I think LeBron is staying with the Lakers and I think they're going to have to make some, some tough decisions moving forward though. Now you read, maybe they trade for Donovan Mitchell.

They trade for Trey young. Is there one name that pops out to you that you say, okay, for the Lakers, try to get back in that championship contending mode. They need to add this player to team up with LeBron and Anthony Davis.

Yeah. I think both of those players would help. I don't know if either one of them stamps them as the Western conference front runner, but I think the biggest thing about all of this in today's landscape of the way roster construction works in the NBA, it's going to be incredibly difficult to land another superstar without giving one up. It's just, it's, it's really hard to imagine that the Lakers as currently constructed, have what it will take, have what will be found attractive by Atlanta or Cleveland or anybody else, New Orleans, who's looking up to give up stars. You know, there's plenty, there's going to be plenty of teams looking to make deals to get out from underneath salary this summer. And then there's the cases of, like you're mentioning in Cleveland, if Donovan Mitchell doesn't sign an extension, they have to, they have to trade them. It feels like there's going to be plenty of names. Those are just the first two names that, that we're going to hear rumbling. There's going to be a lot more that come about, but the question for the Lakers is what, what do they have that other teams want to get, you know, just because it's a Laker doesn't, that doesn't mean teams want to make a deal with them just because, you know, it's the Lakers and we can help them out.

That's not the way it works. By the way, you know, we talked about the future of the Lakers. How about the future of the Suns? Coach Bud, Booted Holzer coming on in. We know that Durant and you have Bradley Beal and you got Devin Booker still there, all there for now.

That team doesn't really have much of a bench though. This is a team that you start to think legacy of Durant and we all know he had his top 15, top 20 player of all time, the two championships of the Warriors, but he left Golden State to go win a championship right on his own. If he doesn't get that, what do you think the legacy will be of Kevin Durant? Strange, right? It's just, he's a, he's a complex and confusing individual.

I'm with you. I think he's knocking on the door of a top 10 player of all time. And, and you know, the what ifs, if he doesn't get injured, if he doesn't have the foot injuries early in his career, if he doesn't have the Achilles injury with the Warriors, are we talking about a top five player of all time? Are we talking about a guy who had a realistic shot? I think of overcoming Kareem and LeBron for the scoring title all time in the league.

That's the pace he was on. So on the court, yeah, he's, he's one of the all time greats. He's a special individual, but it just has not gone well for him. Obviously since leaving Golden State, I wouldn't count out his career saying it's done.

I think he's got some special things still to do. But, but man, they're going to have to do some, as you mentioned, some real convincing of individuals that it's worth coming to Phoenix on a minimum deal to help them win a championship. Talking to Jared Greenberg, what do you expect out of the Knicks tonight?

I know that they've been decimated with injuries. This series is all tied up at two. Does New York have any gas left in the tank in your opinion?

I do. Yeah. Again, you know, I'm not just going to take that one game where they got beat down the other day and say that the series is over. I just don't see this team going out that way. Now, do they win the series? I don't know. I mean, I think, I think the Knicks still ultimately win the series, but, but I don't know.

I just, I think that in some weird twisted way, and that's kind of how my mind works, Zach. I think what happened the other day could be a good thing for the Knicks. It made Tibbs pull the guys out of the lineup early, got them some extra rest. It was an afternoon game. You build that into to how much, you know, added downtime off their feet that they, these guys got. And maybe that was a wake up call the way they got beat up the other night. I think the Knicks are going to be, listen, they're, they're, they are, you said decimated, right?

You know, and, and we're seeing how important OG Anadobi is. When he's in the lineup, the Knicks win. When he's not in the lineup, the Knicks lose, and he's not going to play. But I, I still think that the combination of what the Knicks have, starting with Jalen Brunson, who, by the way, you know, man, I would watch this foot injury really, really closely. I'm very, very curious about how serious this is, but somehow, some way this dude continues just to be able to overcome it. And, and I don't see him going out the way, the way they did the other day.

I don't think that continues. Yeah. For game two, I call them now Greenberg seats with your great location. I was a row behind the bench.

I had a good vantage point of it. It was so bizarre. Cause at first I thought it was a hand injury. Then I thought, okay, maybe he just got hit in the cojones. And then it comes out that it was a foot injury. Like that one that had to be pretty damn bad.

If he missed, basically, the weight is over. That's right. Season five of the Kardashians is here. Just when you thought life couldn't get any faster, they're punching it into overdrive. Chris, Courtney, Kim, Chloe, Kendall, and Kylie are back and continue to defy expectations in all their endeavors. So get ready to go behind the glitz and glamour of the most iconic family on television.

The all new season of the Kardashians premiers, May 23rd streaming on Hulu. Call from mom. Answer it.

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Visit hundayusa.com for more details. Hyundai, there's joy in every journey. An entire quarter. No question. Yeah, it was weird. And I just, I have to think, and again, I don't know anything.

I'm not reporting anything. I just have to wonder if it was just a coincidence that that injury we saw him in door at that point that you're talking about where he had his and covering up his groin. So you didn't know if it was a hand or groin injury. I wonder if it happened somewhere else with the foot.

I don't know. It's just, I'm wondering because it's become such an injury that it's clearly hampering him. When did it happen? How did it happen?

And how serious is it? If people say that Tom Thibodeau needs to change, and that's why all these injuries are occurring because of his tough coaching style, how do you respond to that? I think it's two separate conversations. I think that there are times that Tom Thibodeau does need to take his foot off the pedal a little bit, but I will also say, and I'll be consistent with this, that in this era of load management, where we are putting these guys in bubble wrap and coddling them throughout the force of the regular season, and then expect just to rip off the bandaid and say, okay, after playing for six months and not really trying all that hard and not exposing you to high pressure, high intensity situations, now we're just going to throw you into the fire, expect you to be able to play 40 minutes at what guys described to me as a playoff game equaling three or four regular season games in terms of the intensity.

It just doesn't work that way. I think the Knicks are where they are right now because of Tom Thibodeau, because of his style, and because of the way he's treated this roster, which by the way, you take Jalen Brunson out of the lineup, you take Josh Hart out of the lineup, and you play them three or five or 10 minutes less a game, who are you putting on the court that's putting up those type of numbers that have the Knicks in this position that they are today? I don't think you could have said it any better. There's a time to have a Tom Thibodeau conversation off of this series. It's not one of them because we had to have the commissioner put in a rule, you have to play 65 games to win these awards.

So it's like, we all praise that. And then the next thing it's, Oh, Tom Thibodeau, because they've had 7,000 injuries. This is why when this guy's team is over exceeding and he's still not getting any praise nationally, the Thibodeau hate to me is just bizarre from people.

No, no question. And listen, we're dealing with, you know, remember Julius Randalls out with a shoulder injury. That was a freak injury that happened. I had nothing to do with the amount of minutes, Mitchell Robinson dealing with an ankle injury that, that he's dealt with all season long, right? Like these, these are not now, now listen to hamster injury, you could maybe poke holes in, but I would also say Oji Ananobi his entire career, starting back in Indiana, he's dealt with injuries. He's a dude who gets injured a lot, and that's not an indictment on him.

It's just a fact. And, and, and I just think like we continue to think without any scientific or medical data, that it's the right way to coddle these guys and let professional athletes who are making these exorbitant contracts good for them. They deserve the money.

The money's out there, but the more we pay them, the less we expect of them. And now what we're seeing is injuries are happening to teams and guys, whether they play a lot or they don't play a lot in the regular season, right? Like look at Kawhi Leonard. He played, he played a lot of games this year, but didn't play a ton of minutes. He still gets hurt, right? You, you, you see Zion Williamson still got hurt. Injuries are going to happen. It's part of professional sports, right? Jimmy Butler, absolutely. The list goes on and on.

We, we can continue on. Giannis, Dame Lillard, all these guys, but, but to me, what, what I think, and the commissioners alluded to this, and sometimes he's backed off of it a little bit. I wish the league would be a little bit more stringent on this is, is the fact that there is no data that shows that guys are better in the playoffs or guys are better later in their careers because we reduce their minutes and we reduce the load they get during the regular season. There is no piece of data out there that supports that as a, as a way to preserve guys, or more importantly, to get the best out of them when the postseason rolls around. Well said, he's Jared Greenberg, NBA on TNT.

Do you have a guest tonight? Does Denver find the way to take care of business or does this continue to be a road party between Minnesota and Denver? I think, I think it's Denver. Again, I wouldn't be shocked if Minnesota wins it. And, and we're seeing, we're really seeing a changing of a guard flip on a dime like we've never seen it before with, with the amount of superstars and the amount of, of high profile guys who are out of the playoffs and the new generation coming in. But, but with Anthony Edwards, particularly Shane Gilders Alexander, Jalen Brunson to a certain extent. But I got to tell you, like, I think don't as, as Rudy T once said, don't underestimate the heart of a champion. I think, I think people have underappreciated this Denver team for a long time.

And I think they got counted out. And tonight when Jokic receives his championship trophy at ball arena in front of that sellout crowd, sold out crowd, I think that place is going to be absolutely on fire. And, and I think Denver wins. NBA on TNT is very own Jared Greenberg. Jared, appreciate the time as always. Thank you. Anytime Zach, thanks for having me on. You got it. There he is. Jared Greenberg always enjoyed talking hoops with him. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance.

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