First Take : Which Team Comes Out The West ?

First Take : Which Team Comes Out The West ?

And I know you’re going to be going out to Minnesota doing some all access there who do you have in the west right now well listen I I think that you have to have you have to have the the Denver Nuggets um that that’s a team that’s the

Reigning defending NBA champions the 28 and 11 when Jamal Murray and yic are in the lineup together eight and eight without them we get that but I’m just of the mindset even though I should have them I got to tell y’all I’m keeping my eyes on the Clippers I’m keeping my eyes

On the Clippers I I I’m just looking at them their prolific Tendencies on the offensive side of the ball when you think about a zubac and and a plum Le obviously that’s nothing to match up with with yic skill-wise but nevertheless you know they’re formidable big bodies that you can at least throw

In the direction of joic and Aaron Gordon and then I’m looking at what they bring to the table offensively I brought up the fact that James Harden last night had 268 and seven that was with a f quiet fourth quarter because they were busy watching Norman Powell go ballistic

Can’t leave him open from the left corner he’s drilling three all day every day in that regard we know what Paul George brings to the table we see what Russell Westbrook is bringing Off the Bench we know what kawh Leonard and what a superstar he is when he’s healthy and

He didn’t even play last night cuz he wasn’t in the lineup he was injured I’m just looking at them right now and I’m fantasizing me personally guys if the Clippers win what level of pressure pressure that puts on the Los Angeles Lakers to maintain relevancy and you know how I

Like the story lines you know how I like to be fed that you know to know that the Clippers are about to move out of the crypto.com Arena to go into a new Arena to find themselves in the situation where all of that pressure because they’re winning if they were to win what

Level of pressure that puts on the Los Angeles Lakers I mean I just love it I just love it and you should too perk and Wendy because most of y’all time unlike the rest of us is spent in LA and so you should want that even more than

Me well it’s going to happen it’s going to happen and the Clippers are going to win the Western Conference because they have zero flaws right they have every they check all the boxes when you think about the death Stephen A you just alluded to you talk about big zubach

Plumbley and Daniel Ty at the center position that’s enough bodies to B to battle defensively against any big in the Western Conference when you think about the wings that they have you’re looking at the Young fella coffee we saw what Norman pow did last night to the Golden State Warriors arguably could be

The Sixth Man of the Year then you look at Russell Westbrook Russell Westbrook is going to win the Clippers at least three games by himself where he’s going to be that impactful off the bench for the Clippers this postseason and then you talk about Paul George and James

Harden and you know the great thing about this and I said this on the countdown yesterday to Wendy Malik and chenet who by the way did a great job I said the great thing about those two is that they both want big money come this off season that’s if Paul George and the

Clippers don’t come to a contract extension which I believe they won’t but they both want Max money so now you have competition within the locker room and to see who is the number two on the team and that’s a great thing for for the clippers but then you go to kawwai

Leonard Jordan and I said this he is Jordan in the Triangle offense and when you think about a healthy Kawai when you think about a healthy Kawai Leonard he could be the best player against any other player in any given series when it comes down to the postseason clutch

Moments defending both ways doing what it needs to be done and then you look up and down the sideline and who do you have old tou the one that’s pulling it all together the Clippers are so deep I want y’all to think about this for a second the Clippers are so deep they

Told PJ Tucker and Bones Holland not to travel with the team they’re not even sniffing the floor right now PJ Tucker could be could be providing quality minutes for a contendant team right now he’s getting dmps for the Clippers I got the Clippers coming out of the

Whiz okay so let’s talk a little bit about youth because the one thing we know uh historically to win in the big games in the postseason you got to have experience so you look at these teams in the West Oklahoma City is one of the youngest teams we’ve ever seen being

Competitive none of those guys have any significant playoff experience asking them to win three playoff series when most of them have never even won a single playoff game I just can’t see it and that’s no disrespect you look at the the the the timber wolves now they have some experienced players Mike Conley

Absolutely Rudy goar has a bunch of different uh playoff experiences but this is an organization that hasn’t won a playoff series since a Edwards was two years old okay so again while I look at them and see how they defend and look at the how they play on the road and I give

Them a fighting chance it’s hard to sell me that they’re going to come up with it so you’re left with Denver and the Clippers when you look at Denver they’re struggling a little bit right now they’ve lost three in a row their offense has really slid back from last

Season they’re in the middle of the pack they were the best offensive team in the playoffs last year and one of the reasons why they’ve backslid is because they have such a young bench you look at who they bring Off the Bench it’s not Jeff Green and Bruce Brown anymore it’s

A bunch of first and seconde players so while you look at them and say they’re awesome and joic the joic Murray uh Gordon Porter combination is devastating and kcp has rings with two different teams there is a little bit of vulnerability there so I can I can see

How if you’re out there in the west you could see look it’s going to be hard but maybe they’re not quite the same level right now but then like perk said you go look at the Clippers they check every box and Stephen A can you imagine the

Dream that Steve balore the owner of the Clippers has about the night he opens his new Arena here in La the in it dome you’re the champion you’re the champion it’s Banner night can you imagine what that would mean to him and so unreal a lot of things have to happen especially

Health and I’m certainly not dis discounting the Nuggets but I think youth could play a big role in the Western Conference playoffs well let me say this I mean I mean you know I’m not the most astute or the most accomplished businessman in the world but I know a

Thing or two about it you know thing I know a thing or two about it and I know that if my boss is a billionaire and that if I win the championship and the first night that he opens that new arena is B night and what that could mean you understanding for me

And my future opportunities that would be additional incentive for me to go out there and perform at a very very very high level you understand so there’s incentive all over the place you got the Southern California Sunshine Englewood ain’t bad now Englewood ain’t bad okay

And so you got that going on all right and then you got that new arena there and and and oh by the way you’re in the same town as the purple and gold because it’s going to be Lake a nation all day every day in LA but if you win you’ll

Get your own base to some degree which would be enough for you because there’s plenty of room to spare in the second largest state in the Union I’m looking at it and I’m saying wait a minute this in C of all over the place on the Los Angeles Clippers I got have more

Incentive than ever before to win ever so are are you two guys leaning for us picking the Clippers to win it all they’re the most impressive team one through 10 but doesn’t mean they’re going to win it but they’re the most impressive team one through 10 in my

View what you say they’re the most impressive team right now I I’m leaning towards them winning the West I still haven’t jumped off the Boston Celtics bandwagon of winning it all H I beg to differ I actually got the Clippers winning it I I I got the Clippers

Winning it all and it’s solely because of dam how do you think we don’t know that how do you think you don’t know that you’re on TV more than me you’re on TV more than me every Hotel every bar everything they see you all over the

Place damn it let me tell you something right now you on ESPN news as much as you on ESPN

Stephen A Smith, Kendrick Perkins & Brian Windhorst argue about which team will come out of the west. #clippers #laclippers #losangelesclippers #kawhileonard #denvernuggets #nikolajokic #timberwolves #minnesotatimberwolves #oklahomacitythunder #stephenasmith #nbaseason #phoenixsuns