The Steph Curry Effect: Basketball's Ultimate F5 Tornado

Thaddeus Shade is back fresh off the Warriors’ escape from Rikers — aka a brutal 7-game brawl with the Rockets — and now it’s war in the West.

In this episode:

• Why that Rockets series was prison ball with a shot clock
• Draymond’s chaos, Steph’s tornado, and what really got Golden State through
• Anthony Edwards: The league’s new main character
• How Minnesota’s finesse might be exactly what the Warriors need
• Key matchups, smart adjustments, and why the bench could tip this series
• Series prediction: Warriors in 6 (but Game 1 is a statement night)

Tap in, subscribe, and lock in — the Thunderbolts movie breakdown is coming next, plus a full hour of Seasonable Clout right after.

Thank you for listening now please go back and check out some of my previous episodes.

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Transcript

Season of Clout Introduction

Speaker 1 0:20

If you're quick enough , can we taste it now , that shade ? Without a doubt , it's that season of a cloud , that shade . You got clout . Let me hear what it's about that shade . You got clout . Let me hear what it's about that shade . You got clout . Let me hear what it's about that shade . Without a doubt , it's that season of a cloud , that shade .

Warriors vs. Rockets: Prison Basketball

Speaker 1 0:47

Ladies and gentlemen , this is Thaddeus Shade . You are watching , listening , watching and listening to Seasonable Clout , and I am here to finally do something I've always wanted to do , which is just to gab about my Golden State Warriors . I am here , I'm here , I'm going to do it . We rocking and rolling now , let's do this .

Speaker 1 1:03

So , being a fan of Golden State , being a big fan of Stephanie Snipes , steph Curry , going through that Houston Rockets series was very much like going down to your local gas station saying I just want to get something to drink from the local gas station . It's right down there , maybe it's QT Cirque , whatever it is . You just go down there and get your little drink from your closest gas station . You get there and you're going inside and you come outside and then the federal agents just pull up and they say your name , say you're under arrest , they take you to Rikers out of nowhere . You're just going straight to Rikers Say arrests . They take you to Rikers out of nowhere . You're just going straight to Rikers , say you in Utah . The first thing they do is put you on a plane and take you straight to Rikers or Guantanamo Bay . That's what it was like watching that series . It's brutal . That's a warrior's fate . You're like leave Steffi alone , but this is Static Shade . This is Seasonable Clap . We're going to keep rocking and rolling . Here comes the applause Thank you , thank you , I know it's me . It was prison , it was Rikers , it was Alcatraz , it was Leavenworth , it was yard basketball , but I loved it . Oh , I just saw that . That Game 7 , the Rockets most viewed since 2009 . It's the Steph Curry effect , it's the Draymond effect .

Speaker 1 2:31

I give Steph Curry most of the credit , but you cannot deny that the menace Draymond , the menace is not a big part of that . Regardless of what people say online , regardless of , maybe , what Adam Silver's had to do in the past Brother box office , because he played with his heart and at the same time , you know he's the guy that if you bring over to your house , you love him to death , but you also put all your valuables up . You know not saying he's like that in real life , I'm just saying the way he plays the game you like , you love him to death . He'll do anything for you . But you know what ? I just got this necklace . I'm going to tuck it away somewhere safe Because you never know .

Speaker 1 3:14

And as a Warrior fan , you watch Draymond . You're like , oh Lord , he about to explode

Draymond Green: The Necessary Menace

Speaker 1 3:21

. And you just watch . You're like , come on baby , come on baby . The sun's getting low , big fella . The sun's getting low , big fella . And you'd be like , oh , he calmed down Because that's what he did all game seven . He lost it one time . Fred Van Vliet . He caught him in the chops and Fred Van Vliet went seven yards back foul .

Speaker 1 3:44

And we was like , but as Warrior fans , we live and die with Draymond Because you know he's going to leave it all the way . The fuck out there . Everything is out there on the floor and you love it . You love his defense , you love his mind games . You love his no nonsense . I don't give a fuck , you love it . If he was on your team , you'd love it . You love his defense . You love his mind games . You love his no nonsense . I don't give a fuck , you love it . If he was on your team , you'd love it too .

Speaker 1 4:09

Now people be like , oh man . I've heard commentators say , oh man , if you had Dylan Brooks on your team , you'd love him . No , not really , because there's some inconsistency with Dylan Brooks . Everybody on the Rockets played fantastic to me and I know Dylan Brooks was hitting shots . But Cy Ward Dylan gets no love from me because I believe that if you're not careful he's a guy that can injure people , which we've seen with Gary Payton Because there's over the line and then there's hit him with a trank . We're going to put him in a padded room line . That's what Dylan is to me . But regardless , he was the one hitting shots for Houston Pretty consistently , even until you know , vliet , out of nowhere , just channeled Ray Allen and just was hitting shots after shots , after shots . But game seven , that all belongs to Buddy Heald in a way , because I know he had 33 . I know he had nine of them , trey balls . I know he had nine of them things .

Speaker 1 5:18

But Stephanie Snipes , steph , playing defense , rebounding , assisting he assisted on half of Buddy Hill's threes .

Steph Curry: The F5 Tornado Effect

Speaker 1 5:33

He was hold on . Let me hit that because we don't need to be hearing that he was doing everything you know about the hockey assist . You know how he gets the offense rolling . You know the F5 . The F5 get to going folks in trouble . Once the F5 get to going folks in trouble and what I mean by the F5 , have you ever seen the movie Twister , 1996 , bill Paxton , helen Hunt , one of my favorite movies of all time from Kansas City Missouri .

Speaker 1 6:01

So tornadoes are a part of the Midwest , but you can do everything you want to do . You can have a preparation , you can have a plan , you can try to execute that defensive plan . You can try to execute that plan . But when that Tornado hits , you're like we're going to go down in the shelter , we're going to bolt this door , we're going to hold out until the Tornado , tornado's done . But when it's an f5 which is exactly what stephley snipes is your plans may go out the window because he puts a lot of pressure on the defense . You're bending , you're bending , you're bending . You're running , you're going through screens , you're grabbing your holder , you're kicking , you're biting , your headlocking , your people's elbowing , you're doing all these things and you keep bending , you're bending , you're headlocking , you're people's elbowing , you're doing all these things and you keep bending and you're bending and you're bending . And I think he just breaks you because he's a nonstop force .

Speaker 1 6:51

They don't want to say it , but I'll say it Offensively there's nobody nobody . In my years of watching basketball , and I don't think even before my years of understanding basketball , has anybody been such a fucking headache defensively like Steph Curry . I'll say it nobody . And I don't even like to talk about Kobe Bryant because it's my favorite player of all time . I don't even like to bring up Bean , but nobody causes havoc and causes chaos , confusing , destruction , heartache , bullets straight to the temple of the dome like Steph Curry .

Speaker 1 7:30

And Amon Thompson is hooping man . He's been playing great defense all series . Fred Van Fleet was holding all series man . He playing great , holding defense all series , man . But you know he's stalky . He got that silence . You're just not going to move . You're just not going to move .

Speaker 1 7:46

Vliet out the way and Vliet going to hold you up . Vliet like to give . He was giving hugs to Steph all series . I like to hug Steph . Steph got a warm body . I'm going to hug him . That's Vliet . Listen , eventually you slip and breaking could mean slipping like you just slip . One time you get a shot up . Steph misses or make . It's still terroristic . You get nervous , you're shook . The shot is up . He was open for a split second . It goes in or out and you're like fuck , if it goes in , it really puts a lot of pressure on you . But I already knew , I told my boy , I told my boy , kb . I was like we was texting back and forth .

Speaker 1 8:25

I said , man , that first half belongs to Buddy Keeping everything together , keeping us on the board , steph doing everything else , draymond doing everything else , butler doing everything else . And I was like all these guys need to do come second half , continue . All you got to do is continue to take shots . Drive to the lane , be aggressive , draymond . Continue to drive to the lane , be aggressive , buddy Hill . Continue to shoot your threes . Hit , miss or make Butler continue to do what you do .

Speaker 1 9:02

Pods , if you got a chance , drive it , shoot it , keep shooting it , because Buddy Hill was softening them just enough to where I'm like they're going to start to slip , they're going to start to make mistakes . And that's what happened , especially in the fourth quarter . Five points out the gate . I said it's coming , bro , and you can see , every time the Warriors will grab a rebound , steph will run and grab that ball . Give me that ball . You can just tell .

Speaker 1 9:31

I now have full control of the orchestra . I am making them dance . Puppeteer , puppemaster . I am doing these things , man , and it's a beautiful thing to see just strictly from a basketball standpoint , because I just never see anything like it and it just continues to get better and better as he gets older and I know it's going to start to decline , but it's just a beautiful thing .

Minnesota Matchup Predictions

Speaker 1 10:05

You know to watch teams look and two people go with him , three people go with him . There's an easy slip , there's an easy dunk , there's an open three and you know an open three with a pump , drive , kick , heat and moved . You're chasing after him . Now somebody else got an open three on the swing . It's just constant chaos and it's beautiful to watch and that's why I think that shit's gonna , it's gonna bleed right over the Timberwolves because you just came off this grueling series and I know people are picking Timberwolves because the Warriors just came off that tough ass series , that that that very Rikers Island series and um , there's gonna be some fatigue and I , I think you're going to see this game , game one in particular .

Speaker 1 10:56

Steve Kerr is going to go more to his bench to conserve minutes . You're going to see Santos . You're going to see more opposed . You're going to see more Looney , you're going to see more Moody and you're going to try to keep it as close as possible . And that's what I believe in any series with Golden State . Anytime I've been watching them in the playoffs , that team is built for close , keeping it close , keeping it close , keeping it close . 5-5-8-8-5 . 10-8-10-8-10-12 . Back down to 8-8-5-5-8-8-5 . Stand within striking distance , wearing teams down , wearing teams down , wearing teams down . So I think you'll see a lot more of the bench to try to conserve the legs of Butler , draymond and Jimmy .

Speaker 1 11:46

I don't think Minnesota is close to what the Rockets provide when it comes to defense and being disciplined on their defense . I don't think the Wolves are going to have it and they got great defenders Alexander McDaniels , chinzo . I think these are guys who play hard McDaniels with the length , plays with an edge , plays with an attitude . You know Anthony Edwards plays with an edge , with an attitude and would welcome the challenge to guard Steph for the full game , but it's not smart . I actually think Golden State sometimes will hunt for that just to put some miles on Anthony Edwards , on his body , don't matter much . He's 23 years old , don't matter .

Speaker 1 12:30

And is here , man , let's tell you something and is here and is Imagine Adam Silver . Don't matter , ant is here , man , let's tell you something . Ant is here , ant is . Imagine Adam Silver . Let me talk about Ant-Man , real quick , ant-man . So imagine Adam Silver . He's like man .

Speaker 1 12:39

I'm going to have this great , great , beautiful Christmas party and all my friends and my family are invited . This is the personal Christmas party at my big old house and everybody can come over to my house . We're going to have a good time . We're going to have some food . We're going to do , uh , what they be having . Those uh , uh , them , uh . Damn , I can't think they doing shots of them off . They , they , they thumb and shit . I can't think of the , the , the caviar shots , that we doing caviar shots . We're going to do what the young people doing on Tik TOK . We're gonna have a great time in my house , adam Silver having a great party at his house . Everybody is playing .

Speaker 1 13:12

And he said I want to . He told he told the people that were setting up the food . He said I want a specific type of champagne , I want a specific type of champagne . And he said we're going to get you that specific type of champagne and everybody over there having a good time . And he said hey , everybody , we're going to raise our glasses . I'm bringing a certain type of champagne first . They're going to go around , they're going to pour the champagne and as soon as they come out with the champagne , it's not champagne , it's Hennessy . And he dropping a little bit of sugar in the Hennessy for everybody and everybody's like is this Hennessy ? The fuck is this ? That's what Anthony Edwards is . That's what Anthony Edwards is is to Adam Silver he's Hennessy with some sugar in it Because he about to be stuck with .

Speaker 1 13:48

That dude is the face of the NBA and I love it because he deserves to be it , even if he don't want to be it , he deserves to be it . The boy , his box office . Stephen A was his box office . Everything about Anthony Edwards I enjoy . But you're not about to beat Steph , that's just my call , but I'm telling you the man's box office . I think he's definitely the face of the league . Everything about Anthony is fun to watch the way he talks shit , the way he come to the games .

Speaker 1 14:09

He come to the games dressed as if he just got done with one of his side chicks . He's like shit . I got 20 minutes to get to the game . Watch out , get off me . I got to get there . You know what I'm saying . And he go outside with one sock on one slide , on one shoe , on one sock off and he getting his ride and he pull up to the game . He confused why ? Everybody looking at him .

Speaker 1 14:32

I'm here to play ball , I'm here to hoop , I'm here to bust my ass . They say , well , ant , you got some draws hanging out your sweats . He's all . This is one of my side chicks , you know I was over there she tripping because I had to leave to come to the game . I got to bust some ass . That's what Ant . I love Ant for that . I don't even know if Ant know what a suit is , because the motherfucker don't fashion Nick . I come comfortable . I got to bust ass . I ain't coming here to walk down the runway , I'm here to bust ass . I'm here to do work . That's why I love Ant-Man , relentless too , but he running into a very good defense .

Speaker 1 15:06

Four guys and I'm including Steph on the starting lineup . You don't mind Depending on who they start , four guys for sure . I don't mind Moody being there . I don't mind Paz being there . I don't mind Steph being there . I don't mind Draymond being there . I don't mind Butler being there . He going to eat , though he going to eat , but we don't mind it . We don't mind it at all . See , stationary guys are more easy to guard to me . That's what I learned .

Speaker 1 15:41

As great as James Harden is , especially in his heyday , I just thought it's easier for defenses just to see you walking the ball up and you're doing your thing . It's easier . There's not a lot of confusion , there's not a lot of screens . You get a simple screen . You could take the switch , or you could not take the switch . You can hedge it and pop back out . You know what I'm saying . The guy can pop back out , and that's probably what Golden State's going to do with Edwards . I know they're going to try to hunt for Steph , which I don't think . It's the same game plan that you should do , outside of trying to wear him down . It's not like you're going to score every time . I think he plays fantastic defense now . His hands are active . He's built bigger . He doesn't mind the contact , obviously . Thank you , houston , for proving my point .

Speaker 1 16:27

But seeing your threat in front of you , I think , is easier on a defense . You have to be more great to be a great defense . When they just see you , when you're not putting them in enough tough situations . So when I see you walk the ball up , there's my threat . When I see you take a light screen to come off and catch the ball on the ring , there's my threat . More action is catching a down screen under the rim , catching the post and attack . But nine times out of ten that's not what teams do . You can see them coming . That's why I feel like Steph is such a nightmare . He's a F5 . You can see me coming . You cannot see me coming . You can kind of see me coming . You won't see me coming at all . A headache , ladies and gentlemen , absolute headache , and I think the Warriors will be able to rebound the ball better .

Speaker 1 17:22

The Rockets had a ton of athletic guys . These guys tall , jumping out of the gym . Then you add Shingun , then you add Adams . I'm not talking about just jumping out , but just big guys who go of the gym . Then you add Shingun , then you add Adams . I'm not talking about just jumping out , but just big guys who go after the rebound . That's not the case .

Speaker 1 17:41

I love McDaniels , I love Alexander . You know I never wish we let go of Chinzo . I fooks with Chinzy , I fooks with Ant-Man . Always loved Mike Conley , rudy Gobert , you know , you know . So I'm not really worried about rebounding . I think Warriors can get back to being a very good rebounding team , like they were during the season before and after Jimmy Butler got there . We rebounded the ball really well . We team rebound really well . We play small , we invented small , we play small and we rebound really well . But against the Rockets we was getting killed . We was getting killed .

Speaker 1 18:33

I don't think that's going to be the same Randall been playing out of his mind , which I love to same Randall been playing out of his mind , which I love to see Randall been playing out of his mind . But I got guys in front of him that I absolutely enjoy . I think there'll be moments where he'll catch some smaller guys on the block and do work , but Randall going to have to work , randall going to have to guard and throughout that season series between the Wolves and the Warriors , randall was getting aid to life . Steph was grabbing forks , he was grabbing knives , he was stabbing and he was cutting . I'm eating . I ain't doing nothing but eating . I ain't doing nothing but eating , gobert , I'm going to eat .

Ant-Man: The Future Face of NBA

Speaker 1 19:16

So Randall's going to have his work cut out for him . Gobert going to have his work cut out for him . Gobert gonna have his work cut out for him . It's gonna be a ton of pressure for those guys to really knock down shots .

Speaker 1 19:31

Nas Reed , I will say this Nas Reed , boy , that's an X factor to me . Man , I can't stand that dude . Love him to death as a basketball player , but he be he be throwing daggers at the Warriors . He just finds a way to hit Tons of shots and Finish at the rim . I hope he has the same type of series he had Against the Lakers . Please , nas Reed , as a Warriors fan , please find a way to be subpar . Please try to be pedestrian for me . Just be pedestrian for me . Walk across the street , get a J ticket . Be pedestrian for me , please . But just he would eat . Steph would eat Nas Reed alive throughout the series . It was the three they played . The Wolves Warriors played four times . Warriors won three of those times and even before the Jimmy Butler trade , steph was eating , particularly against the Wolves , he was eating well . It was gluttony . No fasting , it was gluttony , he was eating well . Against the wolves in playoff mode .

Speaker 1 20:42

I expect similar activity with more balance of understanding how to reserve the tank , because there's no , I don't think there's any blowouts . I think these games will be tight , still physical . There'll be more explosions in these games , definitely more exciting things happening in this game , because you got Ant-Man , you got Steph , you got Draymond , rudy Gobert , you got Butler back in a familiar place where he once was . You're going to see more explosive activity , but things that I'm watching for is definitely Ant-Man versus the Warriors defense . You're going to see more explosive activity , but things that I'm watching for is definitely Ant-Man versus the Warriors defense . I think that that's going to be interesting to see how he adjusts , because that's what makes you like that A1 superstar is how you adjust and then how you bring your others along with you . That's A1 superstar to me , not just star superstar I like to tag people with superstar but a one superstar face of the league type of stuff is how you adjust and then bring the rest of your crew with you to adjust with you and to , to , to win games and close games .

Speaker 1 22:00

Excuse me , ant is the Kingslayer and he has taken out LeBron . He has taken out KD , excuse me . He takes out Steph , who . Not only am I going to be hurt , but I'm going to be impressed and , like I said , that's the face of the league . To me that's Hennessy with sugar at an Adam Silver Christmas party , because Adam Silver don't want to . He , looking around , I said man , I'll take anybody he won't take . He won't , he won't take the shooter in Memphis , but I'll take anybody . Please don't let it be Ant-Man . My Please don't let it be Ant-Man . My God don't let it be Ant-Man . And it's Ant-Man all the way . But just got to wait . You just got to wait .

Speaker 1 22:54

Man , chinzo McDaniels really got to try to limit stuff . I just don't . It's not going to be the same type of physical . I think they're . I think McDaniels is a long wingspan , but the ability to jump and contest ain't there . Chinzo is fast , plays hard . The ability to jump and contest properly to really give Steph trouble . It's not there . The same as Houston . I like everybody on the boards Looney Post , draymond Butler , I think we're . You know Steph is a fantastic rebounding guard . So is Chinzo , but fantastic rebounding guard . I think they corral rebounds really well , but it is by no means . This is going to be easy for either team and I think the Warriors are winning six .

Speaker 1 23:52

I don't know if they get game one tonight . I'm 50-50 . But game two I really do believe they can get game one tonight . I'm 50-50 , but game two I really do believe they can get If the bench comes tonight and they play decent and we had a fantastic bench all year in the playoffs . They , you know , partly because you know the rotation shrink and Steve was .

Speaker 1 24:11

You know Steve was moving motherfuckers around . Steve was like shit . I got to find somebody that can do something . I got to . I'm trying to play him . I try to play JK for like two minutes . Please . Hopefully JK get more minutes than two and a half seconds . Please let him get some minutes . And then he's trying to move people around , trying to see who working . Oh shit , post ain't working right now . I got to move this person around , so he's doing all this stuff .

Speaker 1 24:29

But I think this guys can be more effective in this series , cause you got to be , you got to be Steph , jimmy and Dre . You got to have that type of pods too . I give pods , pods . Pods was broken shit and I mean you know me living back home in Kansas city , broke Like I ain't got . We ain't got no money . We poured as cockroaches all over . That's how broke Pods was . Couldn't buy a bucket game seven . But he is fearless charges . Hey , I'm going to foul you , but I'm going to play hard , he play hard .

Speaker 1 25:12

So you got to have that mentality . When you're playing Rockets , you got to be absolute dogs and you can see there was moments where motherfuckers confused and nervous and scared when it came to Golden State , because the Rockets is nothing but pit bulls . They ain't nothing , but they pit bulls with with shoelaces as as leashes . So so you know most pit bulls in the hood when you see them , they either got chains around their necks or you got to have a spike collar with a real leash . You can't just have no shoestrings , but them boys is pitbulls with shoestrings around their neck , you trying to hold them with shoes . You know what I'm saying ? Shit , you know what I'm saying .

Speaker 1 25:52

So you got to have that same mentality and I think that that's not going to happen . You ain't going to have . You need to . Hey , you still got to be have a lot of grit . You got to have a lot of heart . You got to be willing to dive on the floor .

Speaker 1 26:04

You're not playing a slouching team in the rules , but what you just came from Alcatraz 2.0 , rikers Islands in Houston , what you just came from to this , this is a totally different defense . They play good defense , but that ain't what you just saw and I think people will see that , and I think that'll be the difference , because the Warriors just came off of that grueling defense and you're going to instantly feel that the pressure they're applying , the defense , the grabbing and the holding , they're applying nothing what you just came from , and that's going to start to get in their heads heads and they're going to realize that they can get to their spots , they can shoot their shots , they can shoot their floaters I feel like pods can get to the lane better , even though they got gobert in there . I feel like I feel like there's going to be a point where the wolves are going to have to remove him because they're going to be slicing and dicing him , they're going to be moving and shaking , they're going to be wearing folks down . I think guys can get to their shots . I think guys can shoot more with less pressure on them playing the Wolves than when you were playing the Rockets , because the motherfuckers made you pay on the run . You shoot a three , it's a long rebound , they're gone , it's a dunk , it's a layup . Then they back with tons of pressure . I don't think this will be the same in this Wolves and Warriors season . I'm expecting fireworks

Warriors in Six Prediction

Speaker 1 27:20

, but I expect the Warriors to win in six . If we get game one , be careful . Oh , we get game one tonight . Oh , sweet , baby Jesus , I think we can get game two , but if we get game one tonight , y'all better be prepared for some motherfucking malarkey that start to happen in game two , because I'm telling you right now , if we can get game one , we're going to hunt for game two . Them boys is different , steph Dre and Butler . Them boys is different . They done learned the Rockets , done taught the Warriors a lot . Them proved to themselves they can handle some real brutality .

Episode Wrap and Future Content

Speaker 1 28:03

I am Thaddeus Shade . This is Seasonable Clout my Warriors breakdown and I'll be doing it again after the game . I'll be doing it as long as the Warriors are making their run . I wish I was doing this more earlier , but I'm doing it now . So I'm also going to be doing the Thunderbolts review , because I love the movie . I'm going to be the Thunderbolts review . I'm also be dropping my full episode of Season of a Clout , which is an hour long . So please subscribe , like , share . Do those things for me . I love you . Peace , have a good day . Oh man , you come right out of a car . Oh geez yeah .