NBA TODAY | Mavericks are the most dangerous team in the West outside of Nuggets – Kendrick Perkins

NBA TODAY | Mavericks are the most dangerous team in the West outside of Nuggets – Kendrick Perkins

Let’s hit them all with another edition of coast to coast we’re going to start in The Big Easy Zion had his first ever 25o 10 assist game but he went scoreless down the stretch the Thunder won thanks to a 12 to nothing run to close up the

Game Brian wior what does this teach you about NOLA yeah so this is the most minutes Zion had played all season 39 he been averaging only like 31 they’ve had to up his minutes with Brandon Ingram out the Thunder did a great job playing defense on the stretch they threw a

Couple of bodies at him but Zion was a little outside of his comfort zone and it kind of showed down the stretch let’s keep it moving to Miami Klay Thompson he notched 28 points he was reinserted into the starting lineup the Warriors Got A much needed win over the shorthanded

Heat Kendrick Perkins both of these teams that currently sit in the play in bracket but which team should opponents fear more the Miami Heat I mean they represented the Eastern Conference they’re in the Eastern Conference right we with all the injuries for us with the Cavs and the Knicks like they can really

Make a push and people in the East don’t want to see the Miami Heat especially the Boston Celtic oh that may be true stop we’re going back West Sacramento Luca had 26 7 and5 in the first half Kyrie Irving dropped 18- six in the second the Mavs got their franchise

Record fifth 35 win of the 35 Point win rather of the Season Dallas leap frogged the Kings for the sixth seed with the win and according to Luca the chemistry it’s at an all-time high in Dallas you’re hearing the MVP shouts from your teammate we talked to Jason

Kid pregame and he called you Superman he called Kyrie Batman what’s that chemistry been like between you two superheroes on this team oh he’s the Batman I’m the Robert no just amazing man having him on our team is amazing man uh but time basketball he’s just a great person and

We all get along so well so it’s just the chemistry is really good right now whoever rung that Bell in the background thank you so very much ring ring I know no matter who’s the Batman though who’s the robin the maps are rolling Kyrie and Luca when they’re in the lineup the team

Has won nine of their last 10 games they’re undefeated in the nine games that Luca’s played during that stretch the guru of the breakdown Tim legler has more on how Dallas has turned the corner well Malika there is no doubt the Mavericks are rolling right now in large

Part to the chemistry that has developed between Luca donic and Kyrie Irving and sometimes that action involves the two of them but more often than not they’re independent of each other in the way that they can dominate a defense give you a couple examples of this last night

And why this team can be so special offensively this is where Luca is just I think on a level of his own as he comes up the floor you’re going to see what he is looking at and his eyes right now are scanning the floor at these four

Defenders the first he wants to see is who is going to be the defender in the slot right here going to be guarding Gaff as runs down the floor he wants to know who’s going to be guarding him and picking up the balls you can see right

Here it’s going to be Keegan Murray he wants to know if there’s going to be a strong side defender on the shooter and he wants to know who the backline defender is is it a guard or a big believe it or not he is processing all of this right now knowing that his

Action will elicit the reaction that he is looking for and lead to something easy so as he gets downhill he gets to about right here and he already knows where he’s going to go with this basketball because you can see defensively unwilling to leave the corner shooter certainly if this

Backline Defender dearon Fox commits too soon this basketball is going to be thrown in a rope to the opposite corner for a wide openen three so you see dearen fox has to sort of hang back and by doing that that tells Luca Don it’s all he needs to know gafford’s going to

Run to the rim and let’s just throw this thing up there and have fun because he knows with a guard back there unwilling to commit there’s no way he’s going to be able to deter at The Rim as a result you get an easy flush now take a look at

Kyrie Irving he’s looking at it a little differently he’s looking at it as a raw scorer and as he comes up there’s really nowhere to go you’ve got this sealed off pretty good at the top defensively you should be able to contain the basketball but Kyrie Irving he’s just special in

That way so he’s going to come right here with little crossover get the split and then immediately look at these back two Defenders and they’re going to have to make decisions on the backside so as he makes the split he gets to right here what’s the read going to be if you come

Off the corner too early the ball’s going to be thrown on a rope to the corner for a three conversely if you commit too early from the backside you’re going to have a lob at The Rim so instead as a result you’re going to see both Defenders hang back with their

Respective man and that lets Kyrie Irving take this thing all the way to the rim so their ability to win the point of attack and then engage second second and third Defenders to make the right read that is why the Mavericks offense right now is humming and why I

Believe Malika this team has a legitimate shot to get to the Conference Finals at least Tim thank you so the Mavs they’re among the teams that are in that scramble between the fourth and 11th in the west but they feel kind of firmly cemented in a positive direction after

That win over the Kings remember these two teams they meet again on Friday that could help decide which team avoids the play in there’s so much movement that’s going to happen over the final 10 games I know it’s hard to project who is going to be best positioned to make a deep

Postseason run without knowing the exact matchup so let’s frame it this way perk outside of Denver who do you think is the most dangerous team in the west you know I got the Pelicans as my sleepers my sleeper to come out the west but Brandon Ingram is hurt I don’t know when

He’s going to come back or if he’s going to come back we don’t know but it’s so refreshing watching legs break down that film because it’s Luca outside of yic Luca is the most dangerous player in the Western Conference what team is Luca on the Dallas Mavericks and then who is his

Batman that’s what he said right his Batman is Kyrie Irving Kyrie Irving is averaging the similar numbers up to Anthony Edwards and look watching Kyrie play I haven’t seen Kyrie play with this much joy since he won a championship with Cleveland he’s dunking the basketball he’s showing emotions he’s

Engaged he’s talking defensively I’m looking at this Dallas Maverick team and the pieces that they added I’m like this team is together right now these last few weeks first you talk to a coach then you talk to an executive then a scout on the ground and they start saying you

Know we just played Dallas I just saw Dallas I was watching Dallas wow wow oh man they’re big and that’s the thing that teams are are noticing the additions they made to trade trade deadline and getting some guys healthy have made them one of the biggest teams

In the Western Conference in size is going to be so important mhm in these playoff matchups so you look at a team that can bring multiple seven-footers Off the Bench with Derrik liy and Maxi kba and then has Gafford and PJ Washington right they PJ Washington was

A power forward in Charlotte he can play small forward for them they are a very very intriguing team going forward Gafford and Washington have really worked out very very well for them it feels like Kyrie and Luka are going to give you 70 right combined in a playoff

Series you seen one more guy to come along with them and it seems like they’re starting to find that and that could be very dangerous for the rest of the West all right coming go to the association the NBA and ESPN returns tonight starting at 7:30 with a reunion

Of some sorts in Philadelphia James Harden returning for the first time since calling darl m a liar and requesting a trade away from the Sixers this past summer his Clippers are 8- n since the All-Star break and slipping closer to the play in seeds in the west meanwhile the Rockets also James Harden

Former team trying to move into those playing seeds and have one n straight tied for the second longest streak this season behind an 11 game streak by by the NBA leading Celtics they face the second place thunder in Oklahoma City then the Suns begin their brutal final

10 game stretch in Denver taking on yic and Western Conference leading nuggets that’s at 10 on ESPN they’re eighth in the west at 42 and3 one game behind the Mavs for the six seed as we say hello to Tim legler and let’s focus in on those Suns now legs because it’s been

Complicated lately suns are coming off a l on Monday to the Spurs were not only last in the west but they didn’t have Victor wanyama and then you go back 10 days ago they gave up 40 points and a loss to the Bucks who were playing

Without Giannis so now when you look at the Suns they’ve got a brutal 10 game stretch in front of them what needs to change yeah look you saw the schedule this isn’t going to be an easy Road for them and I think more than anything else

They just need to show how bad they want this like the fight is not there I think that’s been the problem for me uh they don’t handle adversity well within games and they don’t seem particularly connected offensively there’s not a lot of flow to this when you watch the

Phoenix Suns play when they’ve been really good offensively for stretches and they have at times it’s because there’s ball movement there and there’s multiple reversals on the same possession multiple guys touching the ball and when they fall into this trap of just one difficult shot after another

That’s when you see the Phoenix Suns give up points on the other end their body language isn’t very good and they’re not able to fight through those adverse times that take place in gamees so I think more than anything Shay this just has to to be a complete commitment

And look at each other in the eye and be accountable to the guy next to you and make a determination is it important to try to be a factor in the Western Conference playoffs or not the schedule’s not going to help them but they have the talent to navigate this if

They can turn it around but you’re talking 10 games now I mean I think I’ve seen a large enough sample size that I’m very skeptical that they’re going to be able to do that the problem is legs you mentioned those adverse times they’ve all come in the fourth quarter the Suns

Have been the worst team in the fourth quarter in the association being outscored by 217 points so far this season meanwhile the Rockets have been playing really well going for their 10th straight win tonight Houston is just one game behind the Warriors for the 10th spot in the

West How concerned are you though for the Warriors that they Maybe Might Miss the postseason altogether well it’s a threat they might get run down from behind here but look here’s the here’s the good news and we talk about schedule a lot this time of the year because

Schedule really does matter this sen the uh I’m sorry the Golden State Warriors have a far easier schedule than the Houston Rockets the rest of the way that’s very beneficial they’ve got five teams left that aren’t playing for anything now you’ve got to take care of

Business in all five of those games and then even if you just go 500 or below in the rest of them you’re going to make it here’s the key next Thursday I think that’s the one we’re going to circle Golden State plays Houston now Golden State already has the tiebreaker over

The Rockets regardless of what happens in that game next Thursday but if they’re still a game up and they beat Houston on next Thursday the 4th they now basically have a two- game lead which means three games with the tiebreaker and it is a wrap at that

Point the Warriors will make the play in but you can’t mistake what the Rockets have done um and and the rockets have a big game tonight so this is something Golden State’s going to be watching I think they schedule ultimately could be their Saving Grace yeah at least the

Rockets are going to keep things interesting here down the stretch look the Warriors have only missed the post season twice since Steve cerr has been head coach there and that’s when clay was hurt and Steph was hurt and so it’s not common there uh at West all right

Tim legler thank you for the insight spe e even if I forget my name I’ll remember her smile s around s around SE move your life away oh you have been defeated enemy double kill my life reborn for the battle stick around an enemy has been defeated your tower has been destroyed

An enemy has been defeated enemy ultimate an ally has been defeated was unexpected my life reborn for the battle you have been defeated enemy Onslaught a an ally has been defeated our base is under attack reborn for the battle s s round enemy bloodb so familiar our base is under

Attack my life reborn for the battle shut down you’re done for stick around double kill I’ve known death so I know how precious life is you have been defeated they need a sword but I’m just a person I’ve known death so I know how precious life is your team has destroyed a tower

Here we go they need a sword but I’m just a person victory for your flesh so delicious spe e let’s make this quick down first Run h

NBA TODAY | Mavericks are the most dangerous team in the West outside of the Nuggets – Kendrick Perkins