NBA Finals Preview: Knicks vs Spurs

The NBA Finals matchup is officially set, and Jah and Ashton are breaking down everything you need to know before Game 1.

In this episode, we analyze the biggest matchups, discuss the most important X-factors, and give our official predictions for the series. From Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns leading the Knicks to Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox guiding the Spurs, we examine where each team holds the edge and what could ultimately decide the championship.

Who will lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy? Tune in for our complete NBA Finals preview and predictions.

🎙️ The Warm Up – Real Talk. Real Sports. All The Time. 🏀🔥

Transcript

0:12

Welcome back to the warm-up, everybody. I'm your host, Rob. Joining me today is Aston. Aston, how are you doing? What's going on, man? NBA Finals, we're finally here. NBA Finals, we're finally here. We are finally less than 24 hours away from the game one of the NBA Finals. We're here to break it down, give our series preview, talk about our expectations for game one. Uh yeah. But before we get into it, please like, comment, subscribe on the video. Please uh hit that notification bell so you never miss an episode of warm-up. Yeah, let's get into it. So, um, talk to me. So last Saturday we probably had one best game sevens we've had in a very long time. And it set up this big stage of you have the Knicks who haven't been to the finals in 53 years, or or they haven't won in 53 years, they haven't been since '99. Um, the Spurs, who were the dynasty in the 2000s, where they had uh Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Genobli, Tun Parker, and Wemby. Not in their shadow, but it's like, oh, it's kind of a matter of when. And if imagine if they get this one, it's just this huge thing going on right now. And it's like the NBA couldn't have asked for a better final. But we're finally here. We're less than 24 hours away. Give a give me your initial thoughts going into this finals match. Yeah, uh, the NBA won. The NBA won. Adam Silver gets the the potential the potential GOAT and um the probably at this point the best player in the league and probably the face of the league. Um in the biggest possible market in America, if not the world. So NBA won. Good job for you, Adam Silver. Um two man, like this is like I predicted either the Cal, the Knicks, like everybody else coming out of the East since like the before game one. Yeah. Yeah. Since October. And um I think most people had OKC or Denver or I don't know, maybe the Spurs. So uh I don't know how many people had the Spurs really coming out, but this is gonna be such a great finals. I think um, I think these teams are so even in terms of uh I think it's gonna be a great series. There's not one big dog, there's not one big favorite, and I cannot wait to dive into the matchups, the data, everything, man. Like, yeah, no, I think you you said it all perfectly. I mean, NBA could have asked for a much better series. Um, you have this rising star, you said he could be the goat one day. I'm not speaking that. Um, and when Binyami gets to go to the Mecca, to the Knicks, who haven't been in the finals and the hype and between all of it is just absolutely insane. Um, yeah, you're right. Ivan Silver should be super happy right now. They're bringing some of the solid factor back, adding the uh Larry O'Brien trophy on the court. So we're gonna have that added factor for each game. Yes, sir. They should have never they should have never got rid of it. Right, it's on ESPN. We'll have um Richard Jefferson, um, Tim Legler, some great, great analysts. Like, I think this finals will be definitely a rewatchable from for years to come. Yes, um, regardless of the outcome. Um, let's get into a little bit of the matchup, uh, matchup real quick or first, and um let's talk about like what do you think are some of the biggest things you're gonna look at, not only going into game one, but series one as well. Uh the first thing I'm watching is um for the Knicks, who's guarding Wemby? Um and who's guarding Carl Towns? It's basically I'm watching the centers because that's gonna be very telling on, I think, probably where the offense is gonna try to exploit off-rip. Like, if you're if you're the Spurs, do you immediately just go back to picking the obvious thing, like putting Wimby on Josh Hart and just being super rude, saying Josh Hart beat me from the perimeter? And he he'll take some threes. He won't fall for the bait. Like he's an extremely smart player, and he's been schemed like this since he was at Villanova. Yeah, um, and then and then on the and then on the other end, it's like um uh and and if you do that, if you're dispersed, you're just gonna let Kat get Julian Champagne, Devin Vassell. Like, that's gonna be rough. That's gonna be rough, and it will not go how it went with it's not set because Carl Towns has been passing, he's been average six assists, which is woefully impressive. He always had the talent. Um, he just got a little too cute with his behind the back passes in his Minnesota days. Um yeah, but but he will abuse those matchups. And if they don't give him the ball, like the Knicks weren't for a long time, because I was always thinking, why don't they just dump the ball to Kat? He'll beat you up on the boards like Wemby does. Yeah. And um, and then yeah, going on the other side, do they do they try to do what the OKC was doing with Isaiah Hardenstadt and just try to beat you up with Kat to start off and maybe pull him out as soon as he gets a foul and put Mitch Robinson in, who I think will play, or do they just go straight to OG Ananobi, who's probably the most well-equipped forward in the league, other than like bam out of bio, maybe, of guarding this alien. Yeah, and then that'll dictate a bunch of other things too. Yeah, I mean, I I think the first place to start is definitely the matchup. If Wemby is able to guard Josh Hart, and if Josh Hart's able to not play in the series, I think that completely transforms. Because I think if Josh Hart can't play, you're probably putting in a guy like Deuce McBride or Landry Shaman, who shots the lights out. And then if you put in Shaman, now you're creating factors for the Spurs to attack. Um I think for me, I think if I were the Spurs, I would definitely start Wemby on Josh, but I would be flexible about hey, in all likelihood, I'll have to probably put Wemby on Chat. Um I think they will. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, you nailed it. I mean, um, I don't think I Carleton Cowns gets a lot of flack for a lot of the stuff he does and how he talks and all that, but he is a big guy. He is not Chet Hunger, to your point. And Chet was getting bodied by Dylan Bissell, or Devin Bassell is not a big guy. Julie Champagne was put him in the basket. Who's not a big guy? Cat will not get A, thrown out on defense, and then B, he will post you up and attack you on offense. That matchup is super interesting. Um, OG on Anobi on on Wemby is super interesting to me as well. Like, because I'm like, if you start Wemby on um or if you start OG on Wemby, if you start Mikhail on um Castle, you could just switch that. I wonder how often they want to do that. Uh if they if they want to. I think Josh Hart can probably guard uh Stefan Castle as well. So I'm curious to see where Hart starts off on defense. Yeah, I I I think they'll put like, yeah, I you could do this if you if I'm Mike Brown now, I'm and I'm doing my defensive matchups. I think I can play this a million ways. I think that I know De'Aaron Fox if I'm Mike Brown, right? And I've coached him to probably his best success in his career prior to the Spurs, obviously. Yeah. Um, when they went to the that great round one series against the uh the beam era. Yeah, the beam era. Rest in peace. But um, but yeah, and he knows that he's not 100%. And honestly, like if I can just get him out the series by putting my 6'9 star two-way guy, Mikhail Bridges, on him, who can who's been guarding point guards the past couple years, three years for the Knicks, um, so that they can't have that like uh guy that calms them down, like the Mike Connolly or whatever. I mean, remember how bad Castle was looking when he was running the point. Um, like I I probably look to shut down their backcourt, uh like him and their backcourt. And yeah, I'm probably putting Hart on Castle, like you said, and McKell on Fox, and just good luck. Uh good luck generating offense, I'd say. Um, yeah, I I want to start like Kat has shown that he can guard, like again, people call him soft, but he was leading the league in rebounding for most of the year. In a year that he said he was not having fun in. Like, there was a bunch of quotes to him saying, Yeah, everybody has to adjust. You know, I'm not getting the shots I'm used to under Tibbs and whoever. Um, and he did, he was leading the league in the rebounds until Jokic did Jokic stuff. And you look at his history, he has um, he was instrumental, he was the primary defender on Jokic, the best center of the past like 20 years, maybe. And Grudy Gobert is playing off the ball, yeah. And but he's more of a back-to-the-basket guy. Wemby, I don't think he can body uh Kat down there, so he's gonna have to do it on the perimeter and just vertically uh uh vertically, and I think Kat can move his feet laterally well enough to deal with somebody like Wemby. So he's gonna have to really dive hard to get open for those lobs, and that might wear him out. And then so you got OG as an option, you got Kat as an option, and then off the bench for an inside big, this is the type of big you want at Mitchell Robinson. Because if you put him on Wimby, great, Wemby can sit paint. No, you can't because he's a great lob threat. He's just as big, he's not as tall, he's just as big, he can jump to the heavens, and he's the best offensive rebounder in the league. So if you go Wemby to go help, he's getting the rebound and he's dunking it. He's gonna put you in foul trouble in rotation. Later in that third quarter, Mitchell Robinson had four straight uh offensive rebounds to all of the kick out threes. So that I mean that was their ball game right there. Because once I mean you make 12 points and two point spam, like it's over. So I mean Mitchell Robinson's gonna be huge on Lindy. I know he has that pinky thing. Um from looking at practice today, he had a light split on, like he it's ball handling the shooting, which he's not shooting nothing because he's the worst soul shooter, but I mean that that that's something like he's not in this big giant cast. Like, seems like he's gonna be pretty good to go, so that's huge for the nick. Dude, what if what if the what if the cast has like some um I heard the joke, I forgot from who it has like some Rip Hamilton effect. When you put the mask on, yeah, it just gives him like another extra 10% on his free throws, yeah, or whatever. That would be a good thing. So so we got so if so, if you were Mike Brown, you would start OG on Kat on Lembi. You know what? No, I I would do that I I would start cat. I would start cat's only thing I'm a little worried with that is like cat has been known for a little for fouling. Yes, if he gets into foul trouble early, I think that's when the Knicks are just drawn dead. Um like if he has to if he gets two fouls in the first quarter and he has to sit for like a quarter and then some, I just think they're drawn dead. Yeah, I I agree. Yeah, I I don't I yeah, they only have three options for Wemby. Um I I'm just trying to think I because I feel like Kat gets most of his fouls when he's doing too much, like on offense, he'll get like offensive foul or something, and then maybe he'll just um maybe it'll be a physical guy and he'll just be doing too much on the post, even though I just said he did well against Jokic with Rudy Gobert off the b off the ball and that's we have the ball. So I'm trying to think how Wemby would do it. Like, cause I don't know if Wemby's moveset. Because Wemby's like a very he's not a tricky guy when he has the ball on the perimeter, he's like a very fake drive. I don't know if that's what it's dial off substance. Yeah, exactly. I'm just I'm just getting to the bucket. Like, if it was a trickier gum, like maybe he could get him, but I think he'll I think he will have trouble exposing that outside of just the crazy lob finishing aspect, yeah. Um because he can't bang down low. Yeah, but so yeah, I I will put cat on him. I'll put cat on him, and I would yeah, and I will put Brunson on probably Champagne because I agree. I don't know. Go if you want to run that that pin down stuff for Champagne, be my guest. Uh and I think that gives Brunson an like enough of a break where it's like the sell, they're running a lot of stuff for Vasel in the card. Yeah, I don't I don't want Brunson, I don't want Brunson on Vassell. Yeah, I don't want him on Vassell because Visselle is a dog, man. He's been there the longest. I like Vassell when he came in the league in 2020. Like so who's who's Vassell guardian? Uh Vassell, so if I'm Mitch Johnson, um I love a lot of my matchups for Brunson, even though he's seen everything, like he's seen Drew Holiday, he's seen Derek White, he's seen Kelly Ubre guarding him, he's seen Dean Wade guard him. You're getting so he's seen all the defenses. But you I'm I'm putting cast on him, just like I did with SGA. And then and then from there, I'm probably putting the sale on McKell because I need like Vassell. I usually I think Vassell is their most, out of their starters, I think he's their most consistent uh guy in terms of like not making mistakes, not forgetting coverages. Like you see the youth in Wendy and Castle sometimes, like there'll be frustration fouls, or they'll just be wanting you know more decisiveness, not even like force. I just want what I want more intentionality with them. I I don't think I really have those problems with the sell. And McKell is the like the trick, I think he's one of the trickier guys that has been unlocked since they started making Kat a hub. So I want him following on those. That's why he's not that's why his field goal percentage has been so high. Because he finds the gaps, he finds the mid-ranges, and you don't have to call placement. Like, so it's just you gotta be on, you gotta know where he's at at all times. So I put Vasselle on him. And Fox, uh Fox. I kind of like Fox on Fox. I don't know because Wendy's gonna be on, yeah. This is why I think it's tough for the Spurs, man. This is why I think it's tough. So in game one, the NBA Cup, Fox started on um Brunson. Brunson. And uh I if I'm I want that matchup if I'm the Knicks. And then I get that I get why the Spurs did it from like like back then because um Fox is just Brunson, but um also at the same time, I'm kind of Fox is not 100%. He's not what he was back in December when the NBA game happened. He's not as good. I mean, he Fox guarded Brunson for most of that matchup in games, the game on New Year's Eve, and then a game on March 1st where as far as I lost my 20, like he guarded Brunson for like the majority of that. I mean, Castle, well, actually it was him and Castle, I should say, on that majority of that game, but yeah, it was the three-point shooting for sure. Oh my god. Yeah, this is tough, man. Uh, now that I'm looking at it, yeah. I I think I think so. That means you got you gotta put Fox on you gotta put Fox on Bridges, probably. If if I'm Mitch. So yeah, if I am Mitch, I'm definitely trying the Josh Hart thing. I'm putting Wimby on him. And and I'm just gonna put yeah, I don't want I don't want Fox. I don't want Fox on anybody but Bridges or Hart. So he's gotta take Bridges then. Because he'll get body by jobs. Yeah. These are not good matches for the Sparries, but thank, but thank God they got the alien ball. He'll make up all this. Yeah. Yeah, because because Wimby, I mean, because OG, I think, should win that matchup on both like he'll hit the glass. Bridges is gonna keep moving, so and he's just as fast as Fox, if not faster as of right now, because of the injuries. And yeah, I don't want you on Brunson. So I feel like when we first started talking about the matchup, like I feel like we can't stress it enough. Like, as crazy as it sounds, and we'll get into like our, but I feel like one of the first little nuggets in the series will be can Josh Hart play? If Josh Hart is playable, and if you look at that march, I keep coming back to the regular season matchup on March 1st when the the Spurs were on a five or a seven-game win streak, and then they lost to the Knicks and then won five more games. So it wasn't like the Spurs were in a little slum, like they were absolutely killing everybody, maybe not killing, but they were winning every game. They were on in there in a group, and then they walk into Madison square guard and they get pummeled. And I think the thing I keep coming back to, like Wemby guarded Josh Hart that game, but Josh Hart was setting screens, he was doing off-ball, he was slipping, and it kind of it nullified Wemby's impact on defensively. Where I feel like you're gonna have to guard a guy like him. And yeah, and he's having to guard um Brunson. Yeah, man, he's gonna do all of that. Like, he's not just gonna stand in the corner and let you one man zone up. Like, that's what he they're not gonna make it easy. This starting lineup is extremely cerebral, they're way better and more dynamic than OKC was, and I think any team they've played so far in Portland and um uh Minnesota, who wasn't even healthy, like they're gonna have problems. Like, yeah, dude, Josh Hart is gonna do all the little man stuff. He'll set screens, he'll set the off-balls. It's it's not gonna be easy for for Wemmy to just zone up, yeah. And that kink is gonna be wide open. Yeah. And I think that ironically, too, like their closest team that they've kind of matched up against is probably Minnesota, because they gave run some Nasreed and Randall lineup, so like Wendy had a guard one of them. But at the same time, like I thought those were the minutes, like I thought because Randall was so tough, um, it they they bailed him out, but like I thought the Timberwolves did a great job with just spacing the floor, letting Ant get to the tough, even though he was hampered, letting I get the dump, Jaden McGails get that. Who was also hampered? Yeah. So I it's gonna be such a it's gonna be such a tricky thing. I think another thing I was telling we were talking off camera was um the cross matches. So I think in transition, what uh what are the Spurs or what are the Knicks gonna be okay with in transition? Hey, if it's swing swing, we're in semi-transition. Are we do we rather Mikhail Bridges take that mid-range shot? Or do we rather OG and Anobi? If I'm the Spurs, I'd rather OG and OG and Anobi take that mid-range, because I think Mikhail Bridges is a phenomenal mid-range force in attacking the close out. So I mean, it's gonna be it's gonna be hard, I think, overall for the Spurs. Not like the Spurs are the number one defense in the playoffs. So like the Knicks haven't seen the defense at the same time. But also the Spurs haven't seen an offense like the Knicks as well. So it's such a yeah, it's like fire and ice. Like we're we're seeing two two uh systems clash. Dude, I I love it, I love it. Yeah, and not only like is this is this Knicks team built for the playoffs, like just on paper, but then you factor in the fact that they are on a historical heater that what is it fit is it 55% and that as a team in the three-point era, which hasn't happened since Maddie Johnson's uh was playing in the league and with the Showtime Lakers. Yeah, and that they haven't lost a game since game three of round one, they haven't lost the game in a month, 30 30 days or something like that. Like this team is on a historic level, and I think a lot of people don't under like Wendy's like a news trinning toy, but I think the Knicks are getting underrated because they are in the East, but they are they are playing at such a high level right now that we have yeah, it's very rare to see a team hum like this. Like, I get they played the Knicks, I get they played or not, I get they played the Cavs and the Sixers, but they killed those teams. Like the Cavs were a lot better than I think people give them credit for because they got sweat, but a pretty good um Cavs team. So yeah, I mean, and you and like going back to their past couple years, they've played more dynamic backcourts in terms of scoring. Like people say, yeah, the Knicks defense and all that. Like, dude, they played to what you just said, they played a backcourt of Maxie and VJ Edgecombe, who is uh two extremely fast, can do it all guards. Then they played a backcourt of James Harden, a hall of famer, and Spider-Man. And then they played uh to me, I think a better defensive backcourt rotation of Drew Holiday and Derek White. And they had no yeah, like in last year's playoffs, and they had no problem with that. And like um, yeah, and then they played everyone's favorite Cinderella, the most overrated point guard in the NBA, Tyrese Halliburn and Ryan Nimhard. With that, like super pace and space. So I yeah, man. Yeah, and like to your point, I would argue Stefan Castle and De'Aaron Fox is probably the worst backcourt duel out of all those players you've seen offensively, especially how Hanford Fox. I mean, Fox looks really good in game seven, but yeah, especially like Castle, like Castle doesn't have like the three, like there's not like a dug two shot besides his brutal strength and his defense, and he scores the transition. So like yeah, yeah, they're they're they're they're all they're all slashers. Yeah, they're all slashers, even off the bench, which makes like staying out of foul trouble and your run protection so important because like if Kat can just not not stop him, but just make it difficult, like it's gonna be really hard for the like if like we we talked about off camera, but like if Wemby has to become the score, right? If he has to score 30 minut or 30 points at night, he can do it. We see them, but kind of like in the OKC's OKC series, we'll see him at 40-20, and they'll have like 13 points. Like he's like it what Wemby it depends on what Wemby we're gonna get. Like if he's gonna be dominant down low, because if he's just dominant down low, cat has no shots. He might have to try double big loop with Mitchell Robinson, which which also doesn't help because then you got Wemby on Mitchell Robinson playing that drop cut. So it's it's gonna be such a fucking chess battle, like on where on where these coaches decide to go with everything, but I'm super excited for it. Yeah, man. I mean, and then yeah, like you you brought up Mitch, like he's he's gonna dominate the glass, like you we've never seen. Cause yeah, put Wimby on him, he's gonna just destroy when you leave, when you when he leaves to try to block Jalen Brunson or Mikhail Bridges mid-range, good luck getting out there, by the way. Uh then you're just gonna leave him open for lobs and putbacks all day. I mean, look what Hardenstein did last year. I mean, a lot of people thought he was gonna play to block the game one, and then yeah, I think every game after that he had at least five plus offensive rebounds a game. Yeah, and just shooting that floater to that he just never misses. So maybe that is like a little bit different. Like Mitchell Robinson doesn't have time, right? No, so maybe that does make it a little bit easier for a guy like Wendy to not try to wall up Mitchell Robinson, but he like we talked about it in uh the Thunder series, like Wendy's probably the only player on the planet that could guard the pick and roll and stop the lottery. Yeah, it's such a unique experience with him, and yeah, yeah. Yeah, and yeah, and today's NBA, because it used to be guys like Draymond and uh A D and maybe like a maybe a Giannis, but uh Bam. Yeah, you could you could say you could say Bam, but like Wemby's number one in that category now. Um, but I still think Mitch Robinson is gonna give him trouble, like 100% with because if you're gonna be an inside big, damn it, you want to be unbelievably athletic and um and uh have the uh an unbelievable motor. So Wemby thinks twice about going to block shots, and I think people have really underestimated that um in this series. Let's um let's continue to elaborate on the bench. Um, we talked about the starters, the how they're gonna start the game, but how about you know from the sparse you got Keldon Johnson, Dylan Harper, this rookie sensation. Um Harrison Barnes, is he playable in this series? I think so. Um Luke Cornette, who struggled tremendously against OKC, but then had one of the greatest blocks I've ever seen. You know what I mean? So it's like six minutes. Where you have Landry Shaman, who we touched on earlier, hasn't missed a shot, it feels like, in over a month and a half. You have um Deuce McBride, who's a phenomenal three and D plus um player. Um Mitchell Robinson, who we continue to talk about. Jose Alvarado, I don't think this a series for him, but like how deep do you think the Spurs are gonna get, or not the Spurs, the Knicks and Spurs are gonna get into their bench? Well, just like what I just like what I think a lot of people that are picking the Spurs are doing, is they're just doing like the macro shotgun approach. The West team, 61 games, probably the best player in the league. Advantage to them. And uh you could say the same thing with the Spurs, who have the sixth men of the year, and they had the record or something for most players on a team to average double figures um this year, which was like uh was it nine guys or something, eight guys? Like um, but I I I still think it's advantage uh uh advantage Knicks because again you got Mitchell Robinson, you got Shamit who's on a hitter, and then you got uh Clarkson McBride, who have had a lot of good moments, and they're just that's like five guys that are more playable and that I trust to play at least six to ten minutes more so than your Devin Carter, your Lou Courtnette. And then outside of them, it's like what? Like Dylan Harper for sure, and maybe Kelvin. Maybe Kelvin. Um so at the top of the Spurs bench, they're they got the best player, I think, at Harper. Yeah, but Mitch can probably match his production as a rookie in the finals. Yeah, yeah. And then it's like, yeah, can to your point can Kelvin come back and be prove why he won six men of the year? Because he was in and out of the last series. And he was awesome game seven, right? But it took he was unplayable, I think, until he hit those two threes, and then he had that fast break layup. Like you he was absolutely off until that point. Yeah, so dude, I I think the Knicks on paper, they like they should win this matchup, and they're deeper, they're deeper, and they can nullify and they can nullify a lot of what uh the Spurs bench wants to do. I don't think Devin Carter has a good matchup here, like, because he's more so good, I think, for guarding like on ball guys, and these are all so like that would be the one advantage I'd say that the Spurs could probably harp on. Like they're huh? Who's Devin Carter? Devin Carter. What what what what's what's the rookie name? Did I say his name wrong for the the Spurs? Carter Bryant. Carter Bryant, I'm sorry. I'm thinking Devin Carter. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, my bad. I meant Carter Bryant. So I I'd say yeah. I'll say I'll think of the other guy. Um, so yeah, the Spurs bench, they have uh more size. They have more size, but I don't know if I don't know if that size is gonna lead to production. Like Dylan Harper and Castle, they killed Caruso and um McCain and Isaiah Joe on the offensive glass. I don't think they're gonna have an and as easy a time doing that against uh a McBride, who I think can match their aggression and you know, and any and any of the Knicks starting guards or forwards. So yeah, I'd say advantage advantage Spurs. I mean Advantage Knicks. Yeah, no, I I agree. I between like what we saw last series with Thunder and Spurs, like I don't like Luke Cornette's minutes that much, especially going up against Mitchell Robinson, who I'd argue it's it's a different matchup for Luke because it's not he has doesn't have to guard J Dub, who's a shooter, but um Luke got killed in that matchup, even going back to last year when it was Knicks Celtics. Like Mitchell Robinson was a huge reason why Luke Cornette and Al Orford were kind of unplayable in that Celtics series. He made him he looks he looks stiff out there, he looks stiff, right? And then like with Carter Bryant, like they definitely will try Carter Bryant on Brunson, which is super interesting to me because Carter, I will say, is one of the only players on the Spurs that's quick enough and has the size well. Um, but he's just a he's just hard to like put that much faith in a rookie. Um, I wouldn't mind testing Carter Bryant on cat a little bit, just see what he can do there. Yeah. Yeah, but if he's not giving you nothing on offense, and yeah, his defense has to be elite, which is why I think, which is why I think OKC should have just stopped playing Lou Dort. Just stop playing. You're not giving you anything. I mean, you saw what Casey Wallace was doing against them. I think like, or even a guy like Kelvin Johnson, like if I think what's gonna happen with the Spurs bench, like the Spurs bench figures out that like they could guard Kat with Carter Bryant, Kelvin Johnson, any of those players, even Dylan Harper to an extent. I I think that's where the series can completely flip on its head. But like, I just don't see a world where Kelvin is guarding Cat. I don't see I don't know if Kelvin guards in this series really, just because he's such a unique player. I I can see him guarding OG Ananobi just because I I like OG and Anobi a lot. Um coming off the hamstring injury. He hasn't played in 90. You know what I mean? Who knows what it looks like with all this rest. Like, I'm sure he'll look a lot better. Um we talked about the cross matching earlier, like last uh like against the Cavs, I I would have liked him shooting that mid-range. I would have dared him to shoot that mid-range. I say if you're the first, you're gonna see if he can hit that, if he can hit those open threes, because I thought offensively he just wasn't that as good as he was in against like Atlanta and stuff, but yeah, I think yeah, I think the bench is gonna be absolutely huge. I think Deuce McBride and Dylan Harper, I think that's the matchup we'll be looking at. I think them guarding each other for the most part. Both both aggressive guards that play two ways, and yeah, that is gonna be a fun matchup. Yeah, and by the end of the series, like it might be Harper in for Champagny and Deuce in for Josh Hart, and like that's your best five that you have to close with because there's just so much shooting. If you're the Spurs, you can't hide on any of the guards because they all can attack in. Um, yeah, I I will say that also, like OKC probably has, you know, I mean, OKC and the Spurs are the best defensive teams, like they got the deepest defensive personnel, but they don't have a lot of guys that can go at you. Like they got guys that can hit through open shots, but the Knicks won't let you rest. Like, all these plays they run, this flex offense that goes into um some zoom action. Like, Jose Alvarado is not like Alex Caruso. Like, he'll he can get to a bucket and it not be greedy. Like, it'll be Jordan Clarkson, but like proven sixth man of the year, Landry Champion might as well. Jordan Clarkson, Tyler Culch in those first two games, I guess. Yeah, yeah, Tyler Cole. Shout out to Tyler Koelick, man. Uh, we I thought it was gonna be one. But uh, but yeah, that like their two-way ability, they might not be have the same defensive ceiling, but they make up for it on offense. And that'll be a dynamic that you know the Spurs haven't really seen out of guards to this level. Uh yeah, probably all players. I was trying to think of if they had it against Portland Trailblazers in that like one um in that one game that uh Scoot Henderson went off when he had 30. Cause yeah, that was a game where he was uh going crazy two-way, then you had Denny Avi, and then you had um what's his name? Shading Sharp. But yeah, I I don't know. It's and it's so interesting. Like we talk about the regular season matchup, but these teams fundamentally are just such a different place than what they were in the regular season. Oh, yeah. Like the Spurs just have all the confidence in the world, just beat the defending champs in the game seven, won two uh away games on the road, like and then you have this Knicks team who like all year it's like oh my god, they're the worst team. And is is Mike Brown getting fired in year one? Dude, but Mikhail Bridges and Carl Towns in the media were like a train wreck. Like, I don't know my role. It's like game 83. Like, we're the we're in the playoffs already. It's like what is going on here? And then like they just eat like these teams are playing at their highest level right now, and it's gonna be exciting to watch. Um, let's talk about like your X Factor. Who is the biggest X Factor going into this finals? Because I mean it could be from any of the coaches, it could be it as simple as Wendy's just the best player by far, and it's not even close. It could be more schematic, but what's your biggest X factor going into this final? Well, if we're saying X factor as an um if I'm if I'm saying X Factor for the Spurs, I'll probably pick I'll probably pick Dylan Harper. Because I think if he if he's a reliable second scorer, especially off the bench to like survive Wemby minutes, um I'm picking him because I'm assuming Wemby is gonna be the best player if I'm the Spurs. Like he I think he has to be. I think anything less than anything less than excellence on both ends, I I think advantage next, and this is not like this is not gonna go. Well, and we saw that last series. Like every time Wimby wasn't the best player. And you knew that from quarter one, and me talked about it after each game. Like, did he like you you joked around like did Wimby have his finish today? You know what I mean? Like on some Popeye shit. So it's like, yeah, no, I agree. Yeah, so they they need reliable scoring uh from like their their new big three of cat of Castle, Wimby, and Harper. And I'm I'm assuming Wimby is gonna bring it, but Harper is the guy that who went crazy when he started for Darren Fox in game one. Unbelievable, like insane. Um, and then playing back at home where he's from, 15. He was he was born and raised 15, 20 minutes in the arena. Yeah, went to Rutgers, went to Rutgers, Jersey Legends. He wants it. There's not a person more on the sport that was the win this year. So I think if he's if he's like a 20, if he's like a high team to 20-point guy, um I think that will be extra that would be extremely hard to deal with for the Knicks. And if I'm the Knicks, my X Factor is probably always OG. Probably always OG, honestly. Like uh, like, yeah, you could say Kat, but I I I trust I trust I trust Kat, but OG is always like he's the ultimate glue guy in today's NBA. Um, he's their most timely scorer. Like he this guy could not touch the ball and do like a thing like, wow, OG just saved them again. Wow, OG got a chase down block. Wow, OG got a deflection. Like he's their ultimate, I think he's their ultimate guy. So if he's if that hammy's healthy and he's playing you know to the level I know he can, like where he's averaging what was it, was it this season that he's averages career high? And like yeah, career high across the board in the playoffs. Yeah, career high across the board. So I I think if he's playing like that, um stopping that plus the combination of Cat and Jalen Brunson. Yeah, Mikhail Bridges is back. Um and they're gonna have advantage. Yeah, like yeah. That's what I pick. OG. I mean, for me, I think my biggest X Factor for the Spurs. It kind of coincides with what you were saying with Dylan Harper. Like, if he could have that 20 points when Wemby's on the bench, I think that is perfectly set because the Spurs are just they look they were a god awful when Wendy was on the bench. And you're gonna need somebody to come off the bench. Yeah, they're often as bad as but for me, I think my biggest X Factor for the Spurs, I think I'm gonna lean Dear and Fox. Um, I think this is a guy, he's he's the older player for the Spurs. I think if he could have a good series where he has consistent um offensive production, I think that opens up everything else for even a guy like Castle, who doesn't keep the ball well, but hey, if he's open, he'll take it. Um I think if Fox plays a really good series, like and I think what's so interesting, like Fox doesn't need to be like 25-27 a night. Like he doesn't need to be that. But if he could be like he could be like 21, 22 points even on like, you know, 10, 10 of 16 shooting, 10 of 17, like that's gonna be a really good night and go a long way with the Spurs offensively, just because the Spurs offense is as great as you know OKC was, like the OKC's not as good offensively uh with shot creation either, especially without Jade up and especially without A. So for me, for the Spurs, I'm gonna go um my biggest X Factor is uh the Fox, and then for the Knicks, I can't I've I've gone back and forth with this like so much. I think I'm gonna go Josh Hart. Um, and that's strictly for his offensive utility. If Josh Hart is able to not only just make catch-and-shoot and willing to take catch-and-shoot uh threes, but if he's playing off ball, setting screens for Draylon Brunson to get to the cup, and they're not switching Wemby off of him, where you can just sit and play that one-man zone, that that will by far go invaluable because then that changes the entire rotation if your Mitch Johnson's like we can't put Wemby on Josh Hart. We have to put Wemby on Cat. And then we have to live with everything else around Cat to go well. Which which could it could go well. It's been going really well this whole series, and I think an interesting uh series to look back upon was um that hot series, ironically or not. Okamu did a great job on cat um for those first three games, and it was like, okay, Okamu's good, but he's not this big lengthy guy. He's like 6'9 at center, you know what I mean? I I did not think going into that series that they were gonna give that matchup to Cat offrip and that he didn't take advantage. 100%. And it was like, just it was like Kat, like you can take Otamu, like he's good, but like he's not this all-time defender. Now it's like, hey, Hart can't be out there, we're replacing with Shamut or Deuce McBride. Oh, if it's Shaman, that's another person we can attack on offense if they're the Spurs. And then uh on defense, it's like, oh, we have to we can't put Wendy on Shaman. So it fundamentally just changes the whole series of the whole. Where I'm like, oh shit, like like I I just really feel like Josh Hart is gonna be huge. Yeah, yeah, I I I agree. I mean, yeah, who who's gonna blink first? Who's gonna use your like uh like your oh shit lineup? Like for Mike Brown, it might be like an OG, like just all all shooting, all all shooters with uh yeah, with Shaman on, like how often do you want to do OG at center? Yeah, yeah, like would you you try that? Yeah. Yeah, and then it's and then it's like what is my best lineup if I'm if I'm Mitch Johnson? Is it is it just Harper? Is it Harper or Fox? I think it's the three guards, Bissell, and Lindy. So Fox, Harper, Castle, Champagne? No. Bissell. Okay. See that, yeah. And and only because like if I'm if I'm if I'm Mitch Johnson, I'm I'm thinking of it as Brunson has to guard one of these guards. And he's probably not gonna guard the cell. If he guards himself, I I trust Mitch Johnson running shit for Bissell. They've been doing all series. I don't think he would put, but then again, if you put Brunson even on Bissell, it's just he gives one of the guards to switch. De'Aaron Fox, go with Brunson. Uh Stefan Castle, go at Brunson. Dylan Harper, go with Brunson. And it's like Brunson, if Brunson doesn't get to rest, he's gonna be more tired on offense. So it's like, it's such a it's such a chess match. I'm telling you, it's it's such a fascinating series. Like, it could go either way with that. And then like if you're the if you're the Knicks, it's like, okay, how do we get Cat out of Falcon trouble with these three bugs? Because they're savvy. I mean, as much as we get a shade about Falcon thing, Stephon Castle loves the Falcons. And in that, and especially in that March 1st game, um, Cat was awful defensively, where Stephon Castle was just a simple pump pick at the rim of Zalea. Wendy was just popping the ball up with a punk pick for a dunk. Like it was like, hey, cat, you could be disciplined. I hope he's been studying the film this past. I hope he's been studying the film this past week, man. Like just training in his discipline. Yeah, dude. Like, if uh yeah, if it gets to that and the Spurs can find consistency in a half court, because I think it'll be a struggle, like the Knicks are in trouble. Knicks are in trouble. You're drawn down. It's it's over it's over, it's over. Yeah, like yeah, yeah. I I want to see how much of these things that have been consistent the past what two months for the Knicks, like their unbelievable transition because the Cavs don't know by the backpedal. Yeah, and like they're yeah, and they're crazy shooting. Um like unbelievable shooting, like Richard, like Landy Chan's. Yeah. Like maybe that's because the Knicks fans can't afford MSD tickets, so they're just buying plane tickets to everywhere. Is any if if any of that keeps up, I also think it's over. Like if their transition and their shooting stays to this level, nobody in the history of the league is stopping this. Unless you got five Wendy's out there. Like um, yeah, man. I mean, like, and they're they're I think the Spurs, I think the Spurs have to win the rebound battle if they want to win four four of these games. Because I think I think that's what they were doing. Like a lot of what I was watching in the OKC Spurs series, like who won this who won turnovers, who won threes. And and lastly, like, yeah, who won the the rebound battle? Like yeah, no, yeah. Besides that rebound battle, I think like to the to your point with the Knicks, they if they continue to play this transition offense this way, yeah, like no turnovers, no turnovers. Those first three games, Castle had like I think like 28 turnovers in the first three games. Then Fox comes back and all that comes back. They they only had two or three turnovers in game seven. So if the Knicks are able to turn over, you know, the Spurs, and the Spurs are able to turn over the Knicks. I really like the Spurs chances because I agree. I I I don't like as great as Brunton is, I don't like him in a transition against Castle for Hart. Yeah and Hartford, yeah. I wonder how like how different this series will be for like especially the guards, because for like if you're the Spurs, it's like you're going from these three and D absolute monsters, but they're all like 6'5 and Casan Walls, Alice Crusoe, Rude Gold, and it's like all the perennial uh defensive players to going against these 6'8 guys that are bigger. OG Ananobi that's 260. Mikhail Bridges isn't doesn't weigh a lot, but he's super long, like fundamentally different series than than I think people realize. It's like it's completely different. Yeah, Castle and Harper. Again, I keep harping on this, they killed the offensive glass and clutch clutch timely possessions consistently, and they were bigger and more athletic than all those guys. That's not gonna be the case here. It's not gonna be the case, they're gonna be shorter and against more experienced guys. Yeah, yeah. Like, yeah, no, it's gonna be crazy. Do you have any last thoughts before we uh give our series face, our finals face? Um no man. I I really hope I really hope that the Knicks uh I want to see, I want to see Greatness. I want to see greatness. I want to see Wemby perform to the level I know he can, and I want to see uh Kat and Jeb Jalen Brunson match him in every way. I want to see a long series. Uh mostly I want to see how Knicks fans react uh with every win and loss, because I I can't wait. I I'm I'm kind of I don't know if I don't know. I might be trying to get out of New York. Like I thought about hitting like a bar tomorrow to watch it, like maybe insane. Dude, it's gonna be absolutely incredible. Yeah, I think the Knicks are the best fans. I'm a Lakers fan, obviously, but I think the Knicks are the best fans at NBA, like they're pure entertainment all the time. And uh I work right around the corner from MSG. So that the street where Brian Winhorst was getting pressed, yeah. Like I walk past that street every day. And seventh half when they're like on top of the everything. Yeah, like I'm I'm gonna see it tomorrow. Like, I I can't wait. I I just I I want to enjoy this as much as possible because I don't know if the Knicks can get here again. I mean, if you're a Knicks fan, you can't, I mean you're not a Knicks fan, but you root with Knicks sometimes, but like you can't take it for granted. It's been since '99 since you've been in the finals, and then it's been 53 years since you won the ship. Like, and this is like it's like they're the only like big, big franchise, big market where it's like, oh, it's kind of underwhelming when you look at finals appear. Yeah, you have to relish these moments if you yeah, they've been so sorry that people are saying Jalen Brunson, who has not played one game in the finals, is a top five Knicks of all time. He probably he might be top two. He might, like, I don't know. He might like if they win. Like, I saw somebody today, like, if they win, is he gonna get a statue? Hell yeah, he's gonna get a statue if they win the championship. Like, you know what I mean? Like, yeah, besides that, what is your official finals? Man, I'm going with the New York Knicks, orange and blue skies in six. I'm going Knicks and six, man. I want a little bit of that is poetic. Realistically, as a fan, I think Knicks and seven, but I want to see Knicks and six at MHG. And if and if they win in six, they will not be playing at MHD next year because it will be burnt to the ground. And the Statue of Liberty is gonna be part of the parade. Bronx do animals are gonna be roaming the streets. Yeah. Pandemonium, pandemonium. Like, so yeah, I just think their advantages outweigh uh most of what the Spurs can do. Like, the Spurs are gonna rely on Kat being dumb, which I think is completely overrated, and it's just Twitter takes. Yeah. And they're gonna try to out athletic um the next guards and forwards like they did against OKC and throughout the playoffs. I just don't I just don't see how it's gonna happen for over the course of four games. And this offense, man. I just don't see how they're gonna stop it. I got too many problems with the cross matches. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, yeah. Um, I'm I'm right there with you. Um, surprisingly not, when the Spartan initially won, I think I was like super hyped up about it, but when I went back and looked at it, I was I'm right there with you. I'm saying Knicks and six. Kind of the same poetic, like um like thing where it's like, hey, imagine Knicks winning the finals in MSP. Um like they would be absolutely poetic. I think that would be like a Tuesday night or Wednesday if they would win. It's like no one's going to work for the rest of the week if that happens. Um I I just really think the I think the Spurs have too many offensive uh not my not my ability, not the word, like inconsistencies where I'm like, I don't trust them to do it yet. Not saying they won't be able to in this time next year, but also like if you're the Knicks, I think if you were to match up with the Spurs next year, there's not a shot you'd be. So I think if you're the Knicks, you're looking at this, you have to get this one. It's not guaranteed for next year. This is a young Wendy, you're humming at the right time. I think this has to be your year. And I I think it is. I think they're playing an amazing brand of basketball offensively and defensively. Oh my goodness, man. And I picked Nixon 6. Um Let's go. Let's go. Yeah, so I'm I'm super excited about this series. Um I it I I say Nixon six, but I'm giving it's like a it's like a 55-45% chance. Yes. It's really a point flip for me. Like it's really to go either way. I have no dog in this fight, but I just just watching the previous games and knowing what we know now. I just think that Car Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, and and the rest of the crew just have too many offensive advantages over Wendy and Stephon Castle. Yeah. The Spurs are the betting favorite, and I think they should be. They came out the West, they're a 60-win team. They haven't had any problems all year, and they've been healthy. So the Knicks, the Knicks have been healthy too, but they should be the betting favorite. But I I think it's close to a coin flip. I just think you know, the Knicks probably aren't blowing them any, they're they're probably not going to blow the Spurs by 40. I think we're going to see less blowouts on both sides. That's interesting. Yeah. Yeah. So I kind of see game one and two kind of being closed. I wouldn't be surprised if we got some left. Only for like everything we laid out, like if the if the Spurs are having a bad offensive night, I don't think the Knicks will. I could I could totally just see the Knicks vote roll just like what they did in the regular season. You know what I mean? And and vice versa, like cat and Brunson to have odd shooting nights. I wouldn't be surprised if all the energy and force that the Spurs play with. Well, we're we're at the point now where it's like we'll see a lot more of those games than we probably think. But like with the thunder and Spurs, like we remember Epic Game 1 and Epic Game 7. Really won't ever remember in the in-between. So yeah, I I guess to do what do you think? Do you think the rest versus Russ argument is gonna show its head here? Because I've always been like, give me the rest, give me the rest all the time. It's the playoffs. I don't know what people are talking about. It's definitely the rest for me, but it's also like I wonder if the competition will just be also a wake-up tall, just because like that thunder and Spurs was so intense. Like the Knicks haven't played any type of game like that. Where like their most adversity was game one against the Cavs when they were down. Like I think the Spurs are at a completely different level. Now if the Knicks match it, like if so, in my opinion, like game one, you know what I mean? Like, I expect the Spurs to win game one. One, because I think they'll be playing at the same intensity they did against OKC. And then two, I think what, four days ago. Yeah, with super only three days of rest. So like the Knicks are they haven't played, they haven't played this intense all all season long. I think it might be a shock to the system in game one, but man, if the Knicks win, like because the way I look at it, if the Knicks win game one, it's like whoa. It's like, okay, the rent is everyone will talk about the rents. But it but then I totally see the Spurs spanking them in game two, right? And then game three, I can't harbor this, uh stress this enough. Game three and MXG, I think, has a huge, huge chance. Game three and five of the series has a chance to swim the series, regardless of whoever wins games three and five, I think wins. I love I actually I actually I love that take. I I actually love that take. And yeah, to your point, it could be kind of like I don't think these Knicks teams under Brunson's leadership and Hart as the soul of the team and Mike Brown, I don't think they're gonna have the problems that LeBron's Cavs had 10 years ago against the Warriors whenever they came out, the East, and they just got like bludgeons against whoever, usually the Warriors, when they played them in game one, except for 2018 LeBron. But um, yeah, because yeah, because you're going against just lesser competition. But also, like the the way they're handling them, I just feel like I don't know, man. I think they're I think they're gonna I think they're gonna get up. I think they're gonna get up for it, man. Yeah, but I I I think they're definitely gonna get up. But yeah, and one last thing, I guess this is the best time for the for you to win the East. Edwin New coming in, Tyrese and the Pacers were not gonna have a real shot, and the Celtics, albeit a welcome surprise, they didn't have a real shot either. They'll be back under the new draft rules. Teams are gonna be trying again, like the Wizards, and you're not just gonna have these gimme wins, and like yeah, in the dog days, and also expansion is gonna be maybe in the like the next two to three years, I'd say maybe four, and you're probably gonna pull in a West contender with probably gonna be Minnesota, man. That's gonna be in the mix. This is the best time if you're Jalen Brunson and uh the Knicks, man. So I hope they cap the laws. And yeah, like I mean, just to wrap it up, too. Like, if the Knicks don't get it like done this year, then you're like, do we need to overhaul everything? Should we go get Giannis? It's like what's gonna happen? You know what I mean? Like, do we just say screw it? We need a Giannis to go up against a Wemby, but then it's like you're not guaranteed to get back here. It's such a strict, uh tricky thing. Like, if you're the Knicks, I think they relish the moment. I think they harness it, I think they win it in six. I think I I do think like some of these games are gonna be a little bit eye-opening for the Spurs as an organization where it's like as great as OKC is, it's super hard playing a stretch five. Chet was a non-factor on offense. Yeah, Hardenstein wasn't a factor on offense. I thought there was a lot of when we talked about this after game uh seven, like Shea and Mike Dagnall kind of made OKC's offense so linear, it benefited the Spurs so much, it was so hard to score. This Knicks offense. Hey, Castle, you can do all that hard and press them 94 feet. If Cat gets that ball, I'm offballing, I'm cutting to the rim. There's so much more dynamic. Yeah, there's so much more dynamic, and yeah, like Brunson will post up when Shay won't or doesn't even have the bag for it. I think he's a he's a better three-point shooter. Like he's a three-level scorer in every sense of the word. Shay is more like get to the free throw line, which Brunson can do, and he's a slasher, and he doesn't have that old shoot the mid range. Like I'm way more scared of Brunson as uh, you know, uh, in terms of his versatility as a scorer than I am uh SDA after what I just saw. Yeah. Against how the Spurs played them. I think Brunson is better in those spots. I'm not saying he's better than the two-time MVP. I just think he's more dynamic. Yeah, especially since they didn't have J Dub and Chet didn't know he was playing. Yeah. Yeah. So if if if they if J Dub, AJ Mitchell, and Chet all showed up to their standard, it probably easier on SGA. But it just uh the Knicks, I do not think will have those problems. So Jalen Bruns is gonna be that consistent 25 points per game score, whatever he 26. And does Wemby's body hold up, man? I don't know. Can Bissell Bissell and Champagne can't body cat? Can cat can they guard any of can any of them two guard cat? I don't know. So I can't wait. You heard it here, guys. Um, Ashton and myself both picking Nixon 6. Orange and blue skies, let's go. Um, we're super excited about the finals. We'll be live after game one tomorrow. Break it all down, react to it. Um, I can't wait. I can't believe we're in June. It's the best time of the year. Um, Ashton, as always, with the pleasure. Thank you for coming on breaking down the series. Thanks for having me. Of course. Um hey, comment below who you guys think is gonna win the finals. Um, comment some of the matchup stuff you think that's gonna happen. Thank you guys for watching and peace and job less. Like an ending. God bless.