OKC IN 6 🗣️ Perk isn’t COUNTING OUT the Thunder in series vs. Nuggets 👀 | First Take

OKC IN 6 🗣️ Perk isn’t COUNTING OUT the Thunder in series vs. Nuggets 👀 | First Take

Go ahead y’all. Shane Gilis Alexander is the overwhelming favorite to win MVP at a minus 4,000 at ESPN Sportsbook. And Nicole has the second shortest odds at plus,200. This would be the eighth time the top two finishes would meet in the same postseason with the MVP winning five of the previous seven instances. Considering they split the season series, Swagu is OKC in danger versus the Denver Nuggets. Stephen A, I think they are. Look, OKC is the favorite, right? But we got to lean into some his history with the Nuggets. We’ve seen them do it. We know how big Nola Joic can be, not only as a scorer, but a facilitator. And Russell Westbrook, like I know we all kind of enamored. We don’t know if that’s going to continue, but Russ hit some three-pointers. Russ was active defensively, those breakaway steals. It’s going to be a complete team effort to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. And I know that Shay has been phenomenal, which I think he’s going to win the MVP. But let’s not forget about Nicole Joic and how he can control a tempo of a game. I know this is a young, starving team. OKC has been the favorite all season long, the best team in the NBA. I don’t want to just sumearily dismiss the Denver Nuggets coming into this series like they don’t have Jamal, like they don’t have Nola Joic, like they we didn’t see them light up the shot clock. I mean, light up the scoreboard as well. This team is very formidable. They’ve been here before and they arguably have the best player in the NBA over a span of a few years still coming into this building into this series with an opportunity to go win a championship. So, OKC the favorite, but I don’t want be I don’t want to be dismissive of what the Denver Nuggets is going to walk into this arena with. Go ahead, Perk. I will. I’ll be dismissive. OKC and six. OKC and six. OKC and six. Hey, hey, Swagu. SA, hear me out on this, man. When you talk about what the what those young dogs are will do to you defensively, like I get it. Jamal Murray, he had his moments. Russell Westbrook, Christian Brown, Christian Brown even had his moments in that series against the Clippers, but they ain’t seen perimeter defense like we didn’t saw, like we going to witness with this Oklahoma City Thunder team. And it’s from top to bottom. It’s no drop off leading with SGA to Luke Dors to Jaylen Williams to Isaiah Joe to Alex Caruso. That’s how deep they are. Think about this for a second. Alex Caruso in one of those games in Memphis. I believe it was game three maybe in Memphis when they had that comeback. He was the player of the game solely on what he did and how he guarded Jiren Jackson Jr. deflections, loose balls. They have so many options. They’re so versatile. And then you talk about the the chemistry with Isa Hardenstein and Chad Homegrid. Look, I’m never going to disrespect Jokic. Jokic is going to get his numbers. But if I’m the Oklahoma City Thunder, which and I’ve been sitting back and I was watch if I’m watching that series, I’m watching the way Big Zubac played against uh Joic. I’ve never seen someone guard him individually on that level like I did. And I think Areel Hardenstein has the capability to do the same thing. You’re never going to stop Jokic, right? He’s still going to walk out the game with a 21 25 point triple double, but counseling out everybody else, OKC has the personnel to do that. I completely agree with you, Big Perk, on that. That’s where I’m at with this series, Swag Goo. I see OKC winning it in six. I think that Denver has gone through a lot of changes. Obviously, Mike Malone is no longer there as the coach. You’re looking at their absence of depth. We’ve been applauding Russell Westbrook who’s been absolutely great for them to energize a bunny. Never cheats you with effort and heart. Always there. He’s a Hall of Famer in that regard alone as far as I’m concerned. But then you got to look at what Oklahoma City brings to the table. the acquisition of Hartinstein and obviously Caruso in the off season pairing that front line Hartstein with Chad Hongren who can ball by the way and we need to give him a lot of love which Perk has never hesitated to do. Then I’ve talked about Jaylen Williams and how he needs to really really be that dude because SGA was balling last year in the postseason when they lost to Dallas. He just didn’t have the requisite help that he needed. This year he’s led the league led the NBA averaging what was it? 32.7 points per game. Look at this stat right here in terms of his shooting split, his shooting splits this season. 52% from the field, 50% from mid-range, which was fourth in the NBA, 37 and a half% from three-point range, 90% from the free throw line. And this is the dude that has the ball in his hands most of the time for OKC. And then in every statistical category that matters defensively, they’ve been leading the league. I just think it’s a bit too much for Denver. And I think that Denver could definitely win a couple of games, but OKC should win this series in six games. Swagoo, I’ll give you the last word on this subject. I I understand what y’all saying, but the six games throw me for a loop because you don’t think the Nuggets can steal one and push this to a seven game series. Like I that’s the only I I understand what you’re saying, but that’s the validity that I I think I think Nola Joic is is that good where they can find a way in a close game late in one of these games where he can figure it out. And two, I don’t I don’t ever we we don’t talk about this enough and I understand that we named everybody on OKC team’s name. the the the the size in which Aaron Gordon plays with in these playoffs got to matter. He is going to be a factor in this series. Whether that’s on the glass, whether that’s being around the rim and I know we mentioned Hardenstein and we mentioned Chad and I know Chad is playing well, a sevenfooter that can but the physicality of Aaron Gordon I think is going to matter as well and he’s been playing some phenomenal minutes for the Denver Nuggets in these playoff series. I just think we we’re enamored with OKC and we know why. Perk, you mentioned it. Defensively, a team that is hell on wheels at running people off the three-point line and creating. I think the Denver Nuggets around that basket with Nola uh facilitating can give them some problems in some critical moments in games, which in turn we may see this thing go seven in the first round and will now take on the Warriors in a conference semi-finals. Anthony Edwards has now eliminated Kevin Durant, Nicola Joic, LeBron James, and Luca Donic in the last two postseasons and will turn his attention to the greatest shooter God has ever created in Steph Curry and of course Jimmy Buckets in the next round. What will winning this series say about Ant-Man Big Perk? Everything. He’s already loved by the by the world, right? You see him on every commercial, right? The hood loves him. He’s every former player, favorite player. Not only is he going to go out there and get you working, not only is he growing right in front of our eyes for far as being a leader, making guys around them better, but after he win, you’re going to hear about it and it’s going to be funny. What he say, Superman, Batman, Lakers, and I mean, you can’t you can’t you can’t make it up. And you know what? He’s not ducking no smoke. No smoke. He’s disrespectful on either side of the ball in a good way. Yeah. In in a good way to the ones above him. You saw him going there, Brawn. Yeah, Br. Outside the lines, we cool. In between these lines, we going to war. That’s what you love. Swagoo. You know what we love? You know what we love? He ain’t scared. He ain’t scared of nothing. It don’t matter to him. He He plays basketball the same way. whether it’s in Peru, Brazil, America, the NBA, the CBA, whatever it is, he hooping the same way, challenging all of the old heads because we need a new guard. We need somebody to take the mantle. And I know we talked about face of the league and all of that. That is Ant Edwards because of how he goes about doing it. He’s already done phenomenal work in the playoffs, by the way. But to win to potentially win a championship and knock off Steph Curry, it it continues to build not only that resume, it builds that that that energy that we need around a guy that we could look at the NBA and say, “Yeah, we can get we can get we can get after this. This going to bring people eyes to the NBA. This is going to bring put butts in the seat.” And Stephen A, you talk about it all the time. It’s not only that Aunt Edwards is a a really good hooper that’s transitioned into a great hooper. He’s somebody that the world can follow the game behind. I love the dude. We’ve been loving him for a long time. Me and Perk talked about him on the podcast a couple years ago. Uh let me put y’all both on the spot. I’ll start with you. Swag real quick, Swag Goo. Who’s the most um exciting player, Ant-Man or Steph Curry right now? It’s Ant-Man. It’s Ant-Man because he’s fearless. Like we understand what Steph is, but Ant-Man is fearless. And it’s like he’s going through all of these Marvel series killing all the people that we love. He’s becoming that guy. He’s a villain, but you also love it. Perk, we got to go. Steph or Ant? Just one name. Which one? Ant man. Give me the feeling

On First Take, Stephen A. Smith, Kendrick Perkins and Marcus Spears preview the playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets before debating what eliminating the Golden State Warriors would mean for Anthony Edwards.

0:00 Are the Thunder in danger vs. the Nuggets?
1:55 OKC in 6! – Perk
3:50 Stephen A. also sees OKC winning the series in 6
5:20 Marcus Spears disagrees with Stephen A. and Perk’s OKC take
6:43 What would eliminating the Warriors mean for Ant-Man?
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