Jared Greenberg, NBA on TNT Sideline Reporter

Jared how you been? Zach man how you doing?

Well I'm doing fantastic. So I want to start you off with Julius Randle because it's a very turbulent relationship I sense with Knicks fans and Julius Randle but he showed last night how he's so important if they want to find a way to win three more games in this series. Oh no doubt about it and you know I think I had done some reporting and chatting with Julius earlier this season how he really got into the right headspace this year and then you know things went a little sideways at different points towards the end of the season and it felt like he regressed to some of the as you said you know turbulent issues with with the fans or with the media by walking out not talking to the media and you know well if he's healthy you saw how aggressive and how effective he could be and there's no question you know he's their best offensive threat in their front line. What Jalen Brunson has done in New York is really special we know how close he is with Leon Rose and the entire Rose family so that's a big reason he's there but you've seen now what the Mavericks have become without Jalen Brunson what the Knicks have become with him it's one of the better stories in the league.

No question and I think you know a lot of the success that Julius Randle had particularly earlier this year the credit should go to Jalen Brunson for the type of leader he is I just think he brings so many intangibles and we knew those intangibles existed I just don't know that we recognized as you know observers of basketball how good he really is. I still don't know if he's the best player on a championship level team I would tend to give some pause before making that statement but I think he's a really good player on a really good team and you know what he's playing through now I don't know if you saw the interview I did with him after the game but he is he's dealing with some sort of ankle issue that popped up out of nowhere and it has given him a lot of a lot of issues and something that we could be tracking throughout the rest of the series but the fact he was able to play through it last night and have that fourth quarter that he did says something about his grit and his determination and his his toughness. Talking about injuries were you surprised last night when you were reporting about the Jimmy Butler situation how he did not play in game two? Yeah I really was I had heard reports earlier in the day that he looked fairly good in in in walk through earlier in the morning on the MSG court and you know Jimmy was walking around MSG had his camera crew film him putting them on and putting them on social media the day before and you know if you know anything about Jimmy Butler you know that he loves a bit of the theatrics and I think on that stage of Madison Square Garden it would it would not have surprised me in fact I anticipated him being out there on the court and and you know showing people that he could tough it out but you know I think the overwhelming factor and while the Heat would never say this publicly I think the overwhelming factor here is number one they didn't want to risk making the injury any worse but they had a 1-0 lead and they had the opportunity to get Jimmy Butler five days off between when he got injured in game one and when game three is not till Saturday so I think they they recognized they had a real good opportunity to go home at the very worst with the series tied at one.

And you're exactly right I know the team's not going to say it that's why Jared Greenberg I'm a little bit surprised already having a 1-0 lead why Embiid is expected to play tonight? Yeah well I mean I think you know there's there's different levels of of you know the the types of injuries and and whether the risk factor and you know hearing that Embiid is going to wear some sort of brace you know we'll see how how difficult that is for him to move you know you you typically see that in in football with offensive linemen but yeah I just think that there's different attitudes and listen the Heat led by Eric Spulcher and Pat Riley too you know like they're they're they're not having the attitude of being satisfied with 1-1 I think that they're a little disappointed and they felt like they had an opportunity with with arguably the MVP of the playoffs so far to win that game last night so I you know again you know not to change the topic but I think you know we need to address the greatness of Eric Spulcher and then what he has done with this roster you know talking to a lot of people around the league it feels like it's almost unanimous that that he is the best tacticianer in all of the NBA right now. No doubt about it and also I walked away from that game last night without Jimmy Butler it was a close game I thought the Heat were going to win this series going in Jared Greenberg but I do feel better about them with how close of a game it was last night without their best player. Yeah and again Bam Adebayo still not being the dominant guy that that I think he's capable of being too right like I think and it's been all season where it's just like you're waiting for him to kind of just rev his engine to get going so you're thinking if you're a Heat fan you're hoping that he's going to have one of these breakout games at some point in the series on top of which Jimmy Butler's capable of doing.

Yeah the Heat team you know Udonis Haslam told me I covered their play-in game against Atlanta which they lost and people have to recognize you know they had to play their way in and not only play their way in but they had they lost the play-in game and then had to win a game in the final few moments against Chicago just to get into the first round of the playoffs so I spoke to Udonis Haslam before that first playoff game and he said to me he goes listen I know this team I know this roster it's virtually the same team that was the number one seed a year ago we we had all these injuries were were as healthy as we've been all season right now and he said we're a dangerous team once we get in we just have to be able to get in and they took the hard route but right now um you know either they're they're a team that's playing their best basketball at the right time of the year. NBA on TNT's Jared Greenberg here with us on the Zach Gelb show I expected Embiid to win the MVP award I was surprised how lopsided it was 73 first place votes for Embiid only 15 for the Joker 9 15 total points for Embiid only 674 for Nikola Jokic with how lopsided it was did that catch you by a little bit of surprise? Um a little bit you know I I get the honor every year of being able to to vote on this and um you know I don't remember a year in my six or seven years that I've had the privilege to vote where I've changed my mind so frequently throughout the course of the season um you know for for most of the middle portion of the year I thought it would be Jokic and then towards the end there was just there was just something about a dominant factor for me and I think that the voters acknowledged that and there was just so many big game performances I think you know when you look at Jokic um and this stinks for him but he's already won two MVPs is that you know the things he does aren't necessarily flashy and and I think um that shouldn't go against him but I think what what helped Embiid and not necessarily hurt Jokic but helped Embiid was that at on the big stage there was just a couple of really really important games where where uh it felt like you know Embiid put his uh put put his you know fifth down and said I'm gonna win this award and I think those moments sway voters. So you went Embiid one Joker two had you vote the rest of the MVP if you don't mind? Yeah I went um when Jokic I'm sorry Embiid one Jokic two Yanis three um then I think I went Tatum four and Shay Gilders Alexander five. Good I'm proud of you here's why there's one voter that didn't put Nikola Jokic in the top five and I just want to know who that is.

Well we'll we'll find out though they'll release those votes here in the next few days or weeks and you'll be able to look at all that I can't wait for my Twitter mentions to get all fired up for how people are mad at me. Jared Greenberg here with us uh Lakers Warriors last night were you okay with the Jordan Pool shot late? I I am you know I think people got a record like I get the heater that Steph Curry's on and and you want him to take that shot but I think the way the Warriors have found success over the years is they make the right basketball play and he had a guy who was shooting the ball well Draymond got a ball you know would you have liked him to be a little closer into the basket yeah but he's made those shots um and it's not it's not like their season was on the line right it was just one game uh it's a big game but um you know I think that the Warriors are going to need Jordan Pool at some point this postseason he has not been good let's call a spade a spade um at least in terms of living up to the expectations they had for him of being you know almost a third member of the splash brothers like he was at times last year during his spectacular playoff run that got him that massive contract and I think they recognize um they're going to need him so you've got to show him the confidence I love that Draymond came out last night and said I have no problem in that shot too right like you've got to back those guys up because you can't just rely on Curry and and Clay every single night. Outside of the health of Embiid and how effective he'll be tonight what else do you look for in Sixers and Celtics Jagger Greenberg? Well you know Marcus Smart's gonna play and that chest injury on top of the fact that he's dealing with a back injury um is something to watch too but you know talking about dominance and and you know getting a stranglehold on things I'm just waiting for for Tatum to kind of take over a game um this is this is an opportunity for him where he has done you know talked about Jalen Brunson's leadership Tatum has really risen to that superstar role where when they lose he takes ownership and he puts it on his own shoulders and then goes out the next game and has them asking the aim I would look for Tatum to have one of those MVP type performances tonight. The Nuggets already up 2-0 against the Suns even in the first series for the Suns up against the Clippers I've not been impressed what has it been with Phoenix they haven't had enough time to gel or you seen something else with them? You know I think it's not enough time and and that's one of the things that we always thought like think about all these superstar teams that that have been tried uh they've tried to put together over the last few years that just don't magically work the other thing too and and I know this necessarily wasn't the case in game two the other night but it just feels like they don't do enough to to get Kevin Durant in spots where he is successful which it's not hard to find because he's so he could score from every level and he's you know arguably the the most that were the best pure offensive player this game has ever seen um I would just like to and again I realized they they did this the other night but I would just love to see them run the offense through him a little more and and that could potentially free up Booker to do the special things he could do but they also just don't have the supporting cast they don't have the defense and now without Chris Paul for a while um you know you're you're relying on campaign I would imagine they put the ball in Booker and Kevin Durant's hand to run a little bit more of the point guard position uh but that's it's hard to get those guys the ball when when or free them up for good looks when when they're initiating offense so it'll be something to watch here because they gave up an awful lot like boy you'd love to have um you know you love to have a Cam Johnson that that's wide open when the defense is paying attention to Booker and Durant you'd love to have on the kale bridges who could be a stopper on the defensive end I'm not saying you wouldn't give up those guys for Kevin Durant but you just have to recognize what you lost in order to get that massive game two more with Jared Greenberg before we let him run does a great job NBA on TNT was inside MSG last night as the court side reporter how did you describe that environment last night we always know big stars come out to the garden especially now with the Knicks back in the playoffs but it looked like it was a zoo out there last night yeah it was electric in the building last night it you get you get goosebumps you know as a kid who grew up uh not too far away from Madison Square Garden um you know it's a pinch myself type of moment being in that building and then just the the celebrities like I've done Knicks games before when there have been celebrities I don't recall a time where there have been at least in my you know dozen years cover in the league um and granted the Knicks have not been very good in those dozen years but I don't remember that many a-list celebrities like there were some like really notable celebrities that weren't even sitting court side like they had to like put them in the second or third row which you know you think is taboo for for a big Hollywood star or whatever but to see the the depth you know of stars there was was quite amazing who was the oh my goodness gracious I can't believe they're sitting courtside well I mean my wife's listening but I have no problem saying Jessica Alba good job that was that was quite the scene last night at the Garden Court but you never know some people these days in New York would say it's Aaron Rodgers over Jessica Alba yeah I mean I've you know covered sports for all these years you know athletes don't impress me anymore absolutely love that last one before we let you run Jared Greenberg so Anthony Davis was dominant last night yeah what do you expect out of him the rest of the series because he's healthy we know he's capable of doing this night in and night out yeah I mean there there people have to recognize like there if you want to throw you know water cold water on the 82 game regular season um you know my argument is always that large of a sample size shows you what is an indicator of what's to come like there's a reason why the Lakers had to go through the play-in to make the playoffs it's because Anthony Davis on a regular basis on top of all of his injuries and and all that is that he doesn't do that consistently he had like a two month span I think it was December into January where he looked like he might be able to enter into the MVP conversation and then February and March on top of the injuries he just wasn't that guy who was as aggressive um if if you see Anthony Davis put that together again uh in game two then I say to you here's a team that you know we could start talking about coming out of the western conference because he's now doing it consistently the issue is we've seen it too many times this season where he has a great game and then he disappears for a couple games and then he has a great game and it's this cycle that just frustrates the heck out of Laker fans. Jared Greenberg appreciate the time as always thanks so much. You got it Zach thanks for having me on I appreciate you calling me.