Celtics fall to Hawks, Pelicans beat Bucks & has Dame been disappointing? | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST

Celtics fall to Hawks, Pelicans beat Bucks & has Dame been disappointing? | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST

Not bad live from New York it’s the show that is in a nonserious family crisis oh this is great this would be great if you had a podcast I I’m I’m lost wild is a Yukon fan his family’s an Illinois fan they each other they’re like let’s have a

Party at house wild to host the watch party yukon’s going to win so do it you can you can not going to go looting is not good against your wife’s family not good first things first send me your recommend wild has told us he thinks the Lakers

Are better without LeBron you and I have wondered aloud if is Houston better without shenon well the Hawks are now 12 and 10 without Trey young 12 and 22 and 29 with him so I mean 12 and 10 isn’t awesome but they were terrible with him

This year I mean Trey is wonderful uh skills he got the bag Kenny win but anyway look the Celtics a few uh a month or so ago had an 11 game win streak lost two in a row then a nine game win streak and then lost these two in a row to the

Hawks so I’m not going to panic what I will say is this there you know they were my pick to win the East they’re still my pick with confidence all right they’re not my pick like the Clippers are to get to the Western Conference Finals where I’m just sticking with them

Because that’s what I picked I really feel B Austin is the best team in the East but they are not as some people think like it’s they’re clearcut and all that I think Denver is more clearcut in the west than Boston is in the East what

I’m totally agree a lot of people are looking at the the point like they’re thinking they that the Celtics have a cakewalk they don’t have a cakewalk in their problem and I’ve said this before but it is an issue it wasn’t last night I don’t know what was going on last

Night just maybe a bad game but two uh Monday when they gave up the 30-point lead to Atlanta the thing that I’ve been talking about they focused too much on the three and they started that game five of seven from three and ended it six of 31 from three and missed like 14

Or 15 or or maybe it was even 16 straight threes they have players that can get mid-range shots they have players that can get into the lane Christof spinix you can post him you can post Al Horford and they fall they are in love with the three now 10 years ago

If you’re have a lead and the team is marching back cuz the lead was just shrinking shrinking shrinking I’m talking about Monday and they kept hoisting threes that would be viewed as terrible basketball 10 years ago and I get the change in the three and and I I

I I uh uh like the three-point shot too but still go get an easy shot especially when you’ve got guys that can do it so that’s the one that scares me a little bit and they don’t nobody fears them even Atlanta doesn’t fear them Indiana doesn’t fear

Fears Miami New York they don’t fear Denver people fear they don’t fearian teams I understand that but I don’t think so here’s the deal like it’s an old movie Trope it usually has to do with like should someone get out of a relationship or they get out the old

Whiteboard or corkboard and they do a Pros does that yeah it’s like it’s a list of Pros list of cons I can make a very long list of reasons the Celtics are awesome you know what I mean a long Pros list the the boxes they check historically ey test stuff dep record

Point differential all of that I have a growing list of concerns though so can I can I say them to you because I bet you agree with a lot of them is one of them Joe moula you’re damn straight one of them is Joe moula but I’m he’s I’m going

To get to him in a moment I’m going to go kind of small as toar on the concerns list one is their two key Acquisitions have either non-existent or checkered playoff passs so Drew was unbelievable you know what I mean when the Bucks won the title and then his last couple

Postseasons with Milwaukee were not great it’s one of the reasons they wanted to move off him so that’s a slight concern Chris staffs has played in 10 playoff games in his career he was really good in the first three a half decade ago with with Dallas then got

Hurt and then that second series was totally marginalized and then hasn’t been back there so those are something of concerns then there’s the fact that Joe Missoula has the disposition constantly of a poker player who just lost a terrible pot and it’s just like R

And is like ready for ready for a fight and ready to go last night he he just he’s like don’t tell me to jonay Murray played great he took 44 shots he’s out there trying to block people’s shot he is just constantly like who what’ you

Say hey anyone anyone ask want to ask me about adjustments now what about timeouts anything he doesn’t I’ve grown to like it okay that’s that’s fine I’m just telling you for me you do not like coaches like that I just I I feel like Nick would be that type of Coach maybe

You don’t like maybe I would but it it doesn’t to me exude calm it under Fire and then there is of course the whole they’re not good in the clutch stuff well which is the biggest concern we talked a couple weeks ago about Tatum over the last few years him individually

This is them since the allstar break as a team and so they do blow a lot of teams out and I give them credit for that not run through the playoff that’s how I feel and so for all Wilds do you think I’m I’m not trying to be

Reactionary or over the top I think I think those are legitimate concerns I’ve grown to love Missoula who he is I I don’t think he’s I don’t think he’s pretending to be that way no I I think he’s locked in and honestly since there’s so much tournament on it’s a little Dan hurly

Esque like Yukon will be up by 30 points and he’s yelling at people and he’s yelling at fans and missou is just locked in he he knows the schemes he doesn’t want to be challenged by reporters who claim not claim but might might challenge some of his decision-making he’s right back at them

It’s it’s also anti- Bell check where Bel like no sure he will engage so I don’t mind it but you got to win well how’s he doing there 11 games up on the box we we know what it’s coming down to though we know what it’s coming down to

If they don’t win the East it’s I don’t care what he did in the regular season it’s not going to matter but this is the off of your point before we talked about Missoula Tatum in the fourth um not great and last night he obviously missed

A shot that Missoula say was a good shot his postgame presser he said I know I missed a couple this year so I was like darn I got to be du for one I hit a bunch of my career he says he likes being in this situation you know the

Other the and the end overtime it didn’t go to Tatum it was more of a traditional play rather than a one-on-one shot Raina but I can’t tell if this is a huge deal or just like hey make her Miss League well I think what you do what can

Concern you is it getting in his head not just okay you know can I make these shots but him trying to prove that he’s clutched there’s been so much talk about him not being clutched go out there last night took 12 shots in the fourth quarter well that’s

What so that’s like does you know what I’m saying is he trying to prove that I’m the man I’m clutch just let it let just play and let I don’t know if we can run I think we can Jaylen Brown shot which could have been the gamewinner because the numbers were weird Jaylen

Brown took one shot in the fourth quarter Tatum took 12 then in overtime Tatum only took one jayen took four and he had missed the first three and then this one and his reaction to this was immensely emotional and fire well you’re seeing it and I do think there W you

Know that in this particular game it was odd seeing in the fourth Tatum get a dozen shots and Jaylen Brown get one that to me was you know more coincidental than something really significant but here’s the one other thing and this is I inter see in a hobby

Horse of mine but I will once again pound the table metaphorically cuz I have a broken arm can’t do it that well actually um that the number one seeds across Sports should be able to pick their postseason opponent oh yes because another concern for the Celtics is their

Path kind of sucks they are likely playing either Philly or Miami in round one and I and that is not if Philly is not a traditional eight seed right if assuming they have embi back Miami is just Miami and I know everyone laughed at me last year when I said Boston

Didn’t want Miami in round one won and then I was proven correct in the Conference Finals after Miami has the8 seed beat the previous one seed Milwaukee and so a path of Miami or Philly then the 48 minute torture chamber the Knicks could potentially put you in to only then get the opportunity

To play potentially Milwaukee that is not like like the the path you would think for a one seed that’s going to have 10 more wins than everybody else I know you’re thing is weird the facing embiid in round one feel a little unjust if you will when you’re the path will be

Just as hard if not harder what if they have the Lakers the I mean it’s still those games were close Nick won’t admit it but it was a close sweep okay well regardless more than you should get to you should get to draft your playoff opponent do you I don’t I 100% agree

With that I need there’ be no tanking there a gimmick in the shrip it’s we’ve been doing it this way for 70 s years it’s working meanwhile the Bucks got 35 from Giannis and 20 from Dame as they mustered only 100 points and lost to the Pelicans macro look on how Dame has

Fared in the last two years one with clor in Portland the other one in Milwaukee uh brew has this been a disappointing you know transition to the Bucks don’t soft pedal it absolutely oh okay now we we all know it’s about the postseason so it can work its way out

There’s no doubt about that but to this point yes number one you got a coach fired and I’m not saying Dame did but the team wasn’t playing well enough and a coach got fired whether you want to blame Adrien Griffin or what a Coach Guy fired that’s always to something to do

With the players number two you showed the numbers that field goal percentage his worst in a season in which he’s healthy in eight years threo shooting perent finish worse in a season he’s healthy in nine years which is the opposite of what I thought would happen yeah I thought efficiency would go up

His points would go down yep and so there’s that and of course most importantly there what 11 games behind Milwaukee or behind Boston so look I I think they’re a good team uh one of the reasons I feel better about Boston even despite their flaws that we just talked

About is because everybody’s flawed it looked like the Bucks like Giannis and Dame and Doc had figured it out yeah remember they came they had a nice win streak I don’t what it was eight eight nine games something like that maybe seven games and then lately they’ve gone

Five and six so their last 11 games when games they need to win are trying to win they’ve only won five of 11 so yeah it’s been disappointing so here’s what’s weird about Milwaukee they are unbeatable when Dame’s excellent Dame has scored 30 plus 19 times this year they’re 17 and two

When Dame leads him in scoring they’re undefeated when Giannis leads them in scoring they’re really good and then not surprisingly they’re two and four when someone else does which usually means one or both those guys didn’t play but when Dame’s excellent they don’t lose the question is and the concern is so to

Speak how often can Dame be excellent y the your your buddy Bill Simmons a long time ago coined the phrase or at least first place I heard it with aging NBA players is once a week guys guys who used to be great every you know basically every game and now at this

Point in their career they can be great once a week but not more often than that I don’t think that’s the Damien Lillard the Bucks anticipated they were getting when they made this trade I’m not even saying that’s the Damen Lillard they got but he is this is the first

Year of his career where he has looked like he is approaching that territory if not there and so that to me is is a concern because I I understand why they made the trade and I still think the trade is totally Vindicated if he wins him a couple playoff games they make the

Finals like there is no there is because there will be Improvement but they have already won a championship they won a championship but they won a championship with a very different Chris Middleton Middle you know I mean that’s the other underrated story about the Bucks is Middleton was unbelievable in the

Championship run and then got hurt in the playoffs the next year and since that following year playoff run when he got hurt he hasn’t been the same player he’s been hurt this year and so this is also the F and Dame obviously has shown that he’s clutch we know that no doubt

But this is the first time where like every game means something he has never been under this type of microscope and it’s going to be even more so in the playoffs know they went to the Western Conference Finals one year but no they’ve never his teams have never been

Expected to get to the finals and now it’s finals or bust and that does add some pressure to you do you think he’s going to shrink in that moment I think he’s clutch but combined with maybe what Nicks with the age it’s just it’s just this deep in his career it’s something

He hasn’t experienced like everybody’s looking at every shot every missed shot whereas before anything he did was gravy cuz it’s like oh he doesn’t have that can can I you’re the mathematician on the show so he’s shooting 40% from three in March MH he’s only shot in the 40s

Three times out of 13 games so it’s like when I used to work at Ben and Jerry’s you know I’d average a a medium two scoops of ice cream but I would never serve two scoops ice cream I was always serving one scoop or three scoops but it

Would average out to Two Scoops so he was you know he gets super hot he goes 11 for 22 against the Nets you know that’s fantastic and then he’ll go super cold to go three for 14 or that 11 for 22 as field goals they Ed five for 11 on

Threes so so it’s a little bit of feast and famine from threes is that weird or you’re like no I don’t think listen I don’t think that’s weird I think that that the what when what my head went to is LeBron for his career is 277 and S

And has never had a 277 and S game like your averages are actually your did you know that he’s never haded never once playoffs regular season never once had 27 points seven rebounds seven assist but he would I know it’s kind of I think St you know statistically

That’s not that anomalous here is cuz I am the one person at the table when we did our picks picked the Bucks to win the title and I still believe they have the highest upside of anyone in the East here is my glass half full reading of it

Because Boston is so far out ahead that the Bucks are in a bit of a holding pattern and Dame is I think this is where I do think the personal life stuff for Dame of the move and most notably the divorce and he has talked about how

It is dragged on him I think that that is more likely to have an effect during the dog days of the season and then when the playoffs start this is what the whole thing was for the whole thing why Dame wanted out of Portland why

Milwaukee went and got him was for 7 and 1/2 weeks you know that start in a couple weeks and if Dame is getting closer to being a once a week guy if he has been trying to hold stuff in the tank so he is you know what I mean fully

Functional for the postseason again I’m saying that’s an admittedly optimistic view but I think it’s the fact that this team has been so excellent when Dame’s been excellent to me makes their path very clear can Dame be excellent in the postseason if he is they’re the best

Team in the East okay frisky Pelicans are 10 and3 in March uh in fifth place Zion last three games 36 29 28 Brew shooting 70% from the field last three gamees uh top six in the west Pelicans could jump up to Fourth here yeah if your clippers keep

Sliding host their first round didn’t they just win their last game I mean barely a win’s a win baby but barely all right all right whatever you’re starting to believe in New Orleans not as a western conference Contender as far as like getting into the finals this year but definitely as a

Team that could upset someone have a nice relatively deep playoff run and then next year assuming Health be a contender to get out could they could they make the Conference Finals this year CU to me that’s everyone’s ceiling right everyone’s ceiling is lose to Denver in the Conference Finals is kind

Of how we look at it so are the Pelicans yeah I’ll give a shot at that too yep I shot at that and what I like about them is that they they like they play to their strengths and that’s what good teams do defensively they’re top five in

Defensive rating so Willie Green’s got them playing good defense but Zion and Brandon Ingram are neither one of them is good three-point shooter especially Zion he’s only taking one three this month which is good all right but then you got Trey Murphy and CJ McCollum who

Can shoot the three and you got size with valent chunis my point is they’re bottom 10 in the league in three-point attempts top 10 in the league in free throw attempts so we got guys that don’t shoot the three great our two best players or at least best scorers but

They can get to the hole and now it is easier with the floor spread to get to the B we just saw the highlights with Zion go to the hoop keep going to the hoop until they stop you or they foul you and that’s what they do and so yeah

I I like what Willie Green is building there in New Orleans and it’s it’s Lakers is in that regard you know what I mean they don’t shoot a ton of thre no and we’re going to live at the line because we’re going to attack the basket

And we’re going to and not going to at three-point line because we don’t have the Personnel for it so couple things one is they’ the last couple weeks they’ve been doing it without Ingram he should be back before the playoffs now I’ve always questioned the Zion Ingram

Fit exactly so I’m that you know you’re adding your you know a guy who was your best player maybe you’re second best player but that is not a seamless addition but right now they’d be playing the Clippers in round one I’d pick them oh yeah yeah right right now I think

That they the again let’s just assume they’re on on the opposite side of the bracket of the Nuggets they have similar postseason experience to OKC more than OKC actually and similar to Minnesota that would be round two for them like could do I think they could beat either

One of those teams in round two sure and I think the quiet has been good for Zion yes I think the fact that the Pelicans and Zion are no longer an A or B topic for shows like this around the league has been good for him I think that Zion

After that really the struggles on the court and the embarrassment off the court that he went through last year I think them being him having a quiet great month like you said 24 points on like 62% from the field rebounding better the team playing better I think

That’s good because I don’t think they thrived under that and he didn’t Thrive or feel comfortable under that microscope so I give him credit I think it’s maturation too whether he was shamed and embarrassed into it or he’s just learned whatever the case he appears to have matured which is huge

For him little Prov it game tomorrow host hosting the Celtics so yeah see Celtics last R was a pro it game yeah and they beat Nick’s bucks thanks for watching subscribe here to get more from the show and to check out clips from other shows on FS1

Nick Wright, Kevin Wildes and Chris Broussard discuss the latest in the NBA including the Atlanta Hawks win over the Boston Celtics, the Celtics collapse in crunch time and address if Damian Lillard has been a disappointment during his first season with the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Celtics fall to Hawks, Pelicans beat Bucks & has Dame been disappointing? | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST

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