WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.840 Welcome back to Basketball Home, the place to 00:00:01.840 --> 00:00:03.520 be for everything that happened on the court 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:06.200 over this holiday break. Hey, everyone. And if 00:00:06.200 --> 00:00:08.560 you thought this Thanksgiving weekend was, you 00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:11.660 know, just about turkey and shopping, you definitely 00:00:11.660 --> 00:00:14.460 missed out. Oh, for sure. It was genuine high 00:00:14.460 --> 00:00:17.969 stakes chaos. We saw the NBA Cup. Group stages 00:00:17.969 --> 00:00:21.050 wrap up with some unbelievable drama. Right. 00:00:21.109 --> 00:00:24.329 And then you had massive upsets, literal buzzer 00:00:24.329 --> 00:00:26.589 beaters in college hoops, and some teams that 00:00:26.589 --> 00:00:29.530 we thought were contenders suddenly looking like 00:00:29.530 --> 00:00:31.449 they're in full -blown crisis mode. It was a 00:00:31.449 --> 00:00:35.130 ton to process. Exactly. So today we are unpacking 00:00:35.130 --> 00:00:37.729 all of it for you. We're going to lock in on 00:00:37.729 --> 00:00:40.789 the new NBA Cup knockout bracket. We have to. 00:00:40.850 --> 00:00:43.090 It's finally set. We'll also break down the biggest 00:00:43.090 --> 00:00:45.789 Black Friday dramas in the NBA. That means the 00:00:45.789 --> 00:00:49.229 Mavs and Lakers trade buzz, Giannis' pretty raw 00:00:49.229 --> 00:00:51.689 frustration in Milwaukee, and the defensive collapse 00:00:51.689 --> 00:00:53.969 happening in Cleveland. And we can't forget college, 00:00:54.149 --> 00:00:56.909 that Ohio State finish. We have to talk about 00:00:56.909 --> 00:00:58.810 that. Oh, we absolutely have to. So let's just 00:00:58.810 --> 00:01:00.969 jump right into the NBA Cup because Friday was 00:01:00.969 --> 00:01:03.509 the day everything got decided. Yep. It was the 00:01:03.509 --> 00:01:06.049 make or break day. By the end of it, the single 00:01:06.049 --> 00:01:08.670 elimination knockout bracket was finalized for 00:01:08.670 --> 00:01:11.049 December 9th and 10th. So let's start in the 00:01:11.049 --> 00:01:13.510 East. This is where the final spots were clinched 00:01:13.510 --> 00:01:17.189 with a mix of grit, some serious star power, 00:01:17.230 --> 00:01:19.469 and a perfect example of the difference between 00:01:19.469 --> 00:01:22.530 one great player and a great team. That's the 00:01:22.530 --> 00:01:25.069 perfect way to frame it. The Orlando Magic, they 00:01:25.069 --> 00:01:29.840 secured Group B after a really tough... 112 -109 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:32.019 win over the Detroit Pistons. And what's so important 00:01:32.019 --> 00:01:34.159 about the Magic is that they finished undefeated 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:37.079 in their group. Exactly. That 4 -0 record gives 00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:39.019 them home court for the quarterfinal, which is 00:01:39.019 --> 00:01:41.439 huge. A lot of their success came from Desmond 00:01:41.439 --> 00:01:43.939 Bain, who dropped 37 points and really carried 00:01:43.939 --> 00:01:46.079 them when things got tight. But the real story 00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:48.340 of that game... I mean, it has to be Cade Cunningham. 00:01:48.420 --> 00:01:50.840 Oh, absolutely. It was one of the most magnificent 00:01:50.840 --> 00:01:53.319 and, you know, ultimately heartbreaking individual 00:01:53.319 --> 00:01:55.719 performances we've seen all year. A Herculean 00:01:55.719 --> 00:01:58.400 effort is the only way to describe it. And it 00:01:58.400 --> 00:02:00.159 tells you everything you need to know about the 00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:02.859 Pistons' roster right now. It really does. So 00:02:02.859 --> 00:02:06.219 Cade plays 40 really physical minutes, and he 00:02:06.219 --> 00:02:09.819 racks up this monster triple -double. 39 points, 00:02:09.979 --> 00:02:13.150 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. He was literally 00:02:13.150 --> 00:02:15.889 the entire offense. And here's this dad that 00:02:15.889 --> 00:02:19.310 just blows my mind. He was a plus 16 in his minutes 00:02:19.310 --> 00:02:21.330 on the court. Right. He was actively winning 00:02:21.330 --> 00:02:23.270 the game for them when he was playing. But the 00:02:23.270 --> 00:02:26.610 other side of that coin is just tragic. In the 00:02:26.610 --> 00:02:29.530 eight minutes, he sat on the bench to rest. Just 00:02:29.530 --> 00:02:31.710 eight minutes. The Pistons were outscored by 00:02:31.710 --> 00:02:36.289 19 points. Nice. It just exposes their biggest 00:02:36.289 --> 00:02:39.169 weakness. They have zero offensive structure, 00:02:39.289 --> 00:02:41.830 no scoring threat at all when he sits down, and 00:02:41.830 --> 00:02:43.870 other teams know it. They just run all over them. 00:02:43.969 --> 00:02:45.629 And you could see that workload just catching 00:02:45.629 --> 00:02:48.310 up to him. He missed a huge free throw late when 00:02:48.310 --> 00:02:50.169 they were down by three. And another one earlier 00:02:50.169 --> 00:02:52.310 that would put them up two. He had been perfect 00:02:52.310 --> 00:02:54.349 from the line, I think, nine for nine up until 00:02:54.349 --> 00:02:57.090 that point. That's the physical and mental toll 00:02:57.090 --> 00:02:59.849 right there. He also had eight turnovers, three 00:02:59.849 --> 00:03:01.449 of them in the fourth quarter. It wasn't just 00:03:01.449 --> 00:03:03.229 a loss. It felt like a desperate cry for some 00:03:03.229 --> 00:03:05.330 help on that roster. It really did. Okay, so 00:03:05.330 --> 00:03:07.810 moving over to Group C, the New York Knicks punched 00:03:07.810 --> 00:03:10.210 their ticket. They beat the struggling Milwaukee 00:03:10.210 --> 00:03:14.449 Bucks 118 -109 at the Garden. Yeah, and this 00:03:14.449 --> 00:03:16.210 was supposed to be a big showdown, right? Especially 00:03:16.210 --> 00:03:18.550 with Giannis Antetokounmpo coming back from that 00:03:18.550 --> 00:03:21.030 groin injury. And Giannis showed up, at least 00:03:21.030 --> 00:03:23.909 in the box score, 30 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists. 00:03:24.189 --> 00:03:26.569 For sure. But I think the consensus takeaway 00:03:26.569 --> 00:03:28.629 from everyone who watched that game was that 00:03:28.629 --> 00:03:33.650 Jalen Brunson was the more unstoppable superstar 00:03:33.650 --> 00:03:35.590 on the floor that night. Oh, without a doubt. 00:03:35.650 --> 00:03:38.050 Brunson finished with a game -high 37 points. 00:03:38.310 --> 00:03:41.030 And he was efficient, shooting 12 for 21. He 00:03:41.030 --> 00:03:43.270 just led the charge. And it wasn't just that 00:03:43.270 --> 00:03:45.069 he scored. It was when he scored. The pressure 00:03:45.069 --> 00:03:47.330 was on late in the fourth quarter. The Bucs had 00:03:47.330 --> 00:03:50.189 cut a 13 -point lead all the way down to two. 00:03:50.389 --> 00:03:51.889 Right. They were threading this huge comeback. 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:54.979 And Brunson immediately responds. He draws a 00:03:54.979 --> 00:03:57.219 foul on Giannis, shooting three, and then just 00:03:57.219 --> 00:03:59.860 calmly drills all three of those free throws. 00:04:00.199 --> 00:04:03.460 That is clutch. And then just a couple of possessions 00:04:03.460 --> 00:04:08.099 later, he completely sealed it. He had that spectacular 00:04:08.099 --> 00:04:11.340 three -point play, drew a foul on Miles Turner, 00:04:11.620 --> 00:04:14.020 hit that signature floater, and then made the 00:04:14.020 --> 00:04:16.480 free throw. That screen he let out after the 00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:19.019 play, I mean, that... Told you everything. That 00:04:19.019 --> 00:04:21.300 was the release of the whole team's determination. 00:04:21.399 --> 00:04:23.839 It was a massive moment for them. Meanwhile, 00:04:24.139 --> 00:04:28.319 this was the Bucs' seventh straight loss. Seven. 00:04:28.560 --> 00:04:30.860 Which is just wild for a team with that kind 00:04:30.860 --> 00:04:32.660 of talent. They get eliminated from the Cup, 00:04:32.759 --> 00:04:34.699 but a seven -game losing streak? That's more 00:04:34.699 --> 00:04:36.920 than a slump. That's a crisis. And we definitely 00:04:36.920 --> 00:04:39.339 need to circle back to that. For sure. So to 00:04:39.339 --> 00:04:41.959 round out the East, the wildcard spot was the 00:04:41.959 --> 00:04:44.439 last piece. And the Miami Heat grabbed it. They 00:04:44.439 --> 00:04:46.660 were the only other team to finish 3 -1, so even 00:04:46.660 --> 00:04:49.060 though they didn't win their group, the tiebreakers, 00:04:49.079 --> 00:04:51.019 specifically their point differential, worked 00:04:51.019 --> 00:04:53.600 in their favor. So the Eastern Conference quarterfinals 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:56.500 are set for December 9th. It's the Miami Heat 00:04:56.500 --> 00:04:59.459 traveling to face the undefeated Orlando Magic. 00:04:59.720 --> 00:05:01.500 And the New York Knicks will visit the Toronto 00:05:01.500 --> 00:05:04.439 Raptors. And again, Orlando gets that home court 00:05:04.439 --> 00:05:06.920 advantage because of their perfect record. Okay, 00:05:06.980 --> 00:05:09.139 let's head over to the Western Conference, which 00:05:09.139 --> 00:05:13.000 was, uh... Just pure chaos. We saw a massive 00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:15.000 upset that I don't think anyone saw coming. Yeah, 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:17.180 but let's start with the undisputed champs right 00:05:17.180 --> 00:05:20.000 now. The Oklahoma City Thunder. They clinched 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:24.399 Group A, beating the Phoenix Suns 123 -119 in 00:05:24.399 --> 00:05:26.819 a really high -powered game. The Thunder are 00:05:26.819 --> 00:05:29.639 just terrifying. I don't think that's an overstatement. 00:05:30.009 --> 00:05:32.310 They're now 19 -1, which is the best record in 00:05:32.310 --> 00:05:34.930 the league. And they've extended their win streak 00:05:34.930 --> 00:05:37.850 to 11 games. And shy Gildas Alexander, he just 00:05:37.850 --> 00:05:40.470 keeps making history. It was his 92nd consecutive 00:05:40.470 --> 00:05:43.509 game with 20 or more points. Which ties in with 00:05:43.509 --> 00:05:45.569 Wilt Chamberlain for the second longest streak 00:05:45.569 --> 00:05:48.050 ever. It's just incredible. To be in the same 00:05:48.050 --> 00:05:50.350 sentence as Wilt for that kind of consistency 00:05:50.350 --> 00:05:53.350 is mind -boggling. And here's the part that should 00:05:53.350 --> 00:05:55.600 scare the rest of the league. They're getting 00:05:55.600 --> 00:05:57.639 even better. Right. That game was the season 00:05:57.639 --> 00:05:59.779 debut for Jalen Williams, who was out with a 00:05:59.779 --> 00:06:02.019 wrist injury. So a team that's already 19 -1 00:06:02.019 --> 00:06:03.839 is just getting one of its best young players 00:06:03.839 --> 00:06:06.620 back into the rotation. They are, without a doubt, 00:06:06.699 --> 00:06:08.639 the favorites to win the whole cup right now. 00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:11.220 Even when you consider, you know, their strength 00:06:11.220 --> 00:06:12.980 of schedule, which we should get to later. We 00:06:12.980 --> 00:06:15.379 should. But first we have to talk about the huge, 00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:19.060 just illogical upset in Group C. The San Antonio 00:06:19.060 --> 00:06:22.300 Spurs? Yeah. Somehow, someway, they beat Nick 00:06:22.300 --> 00:06:26.290 Liokic and the Denver Nuggets. 139 to 136. And 00:06:26.290 --> 00:06:28.750 they did it without their star, Victor Wimbanyama, 00:06:28.870 --> 00:06:31.269 who's out with a calf strain. He's expected back 00:06:31.269 --> 00:06:33.850 for the quarterfinal, but still. Stefan Kassel 00:06:33.850 --> 00:06:36.189 was out too. This was a massive statement win 00:06:36.189 --> 00:06:38.790 for that young team. It defied all logic, especially 00:06:38.790 --> 00:06:41.009 after how they started the game. They had to 00:06:41.009 --> 00:06:43.509 rally from an 18 -point third -quarter deficit 00:06:43.509 --> 00:06:45.990 against the defending champs. The hero was Devin 00:06:45.990 --> 00:06:48.449 Vassell. He was just lights out. He led the team 00:06:48.449 --> 00:06:51.050 with a season -high 33 points and went 7 of 9 00:06:51.050 --> 00:06:54.589 from 3. Julian Champagne was also huge with 25 00:06:54.589 --> 00:06:57.769 and 10. This loss was all about Denver just completely 00:06:57.769 --> 00:06:59.730 collapsing. The reports coming out of Denver 00:06:59.730 --> 00:07:03.360 describe... their defense as simply a disaster. 00:07:03.620 --> 00:07:06.180 And you can see why. They had 17 turnovers, which 00:07:06.180 --> 00:07:08.480 the Spurs immediately turned into 30 points. 00:07:08.680 --> 00:07:10.959 30 points. You just can't do that. You can't 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:13.600 give up 30 points off your own mistakes and expect 00:07:13.600 --> 00:07:16.160 to win a game. Nope. And even though Jamal Murray 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:18.839 had 37 and Jokic almost had a triple -double, 00:07:19.079 --> 00:07:21.819 their defensive effort was just non -existent. 00:07:21.819 --> 00:07:24.540 It was their third straight loss at home, and 00:07:24.540 --> 00:07:26.860 it knocked them out of the cup. That lack of 00:07:26.860 --> 00:07:29.060 focus is becoming a theme for them, and it's 00:07:29.060 --> 00:07:32.040 something to watch. For sure. So finally, the 00:07:32.040 --> 00:07:34.300 Los Angeles Lakers, they took care of business 00:07:34.300 --> 00:07:37.500 in Group B. They finished with a perfect 4 -0 00:07:37.500 --> 00:07:40.319 record after beating the Dallas Mavericks 129 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:43.720 -119. So they joined the Magic as the only undefeated 00:07:43.720 --> 00:07:46.800 teams, and they also get that crucial home court 00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:49.420 advantage. And that brings us to the final piece, 00:07:49.699 --> 00:07:52.459 the Western wildcard spot. Despite losing to 00:07:52.459 --> 00:07:55.220 OKC, the Phoenix Suns managed to grab it. And 00:07:55.220 --> 00:07:56.920 this is where the tiebreaker rules get really 00:07:56.920 --> 00:07:59.839 important. Exactly. So both the Suns and the 00:07:59.839 --> 00:08:02.180 Memphis Grizzlies finished with a 3 -1 record. 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:05.319 But the reason the Suns advanced was their point 00:08:05.319 --> 00:08:08.100 differential. So just to clarify for everyone, 00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:09.980 that's the total margin you've outscored your 00:08:09.980 --> 00:08:12.220 opponents by during the group stage. The Suns 00:08:12.220 --> 00:08:14.620 just had a better number. Right. It was the deciding 00:08:14.620 --> 00:08:17.120 factor. And it means the Grizzlies, despite having 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:19.899 a great record, are out. It's a tough break. 00:08:20.139 --> 00:08:22.600 So the Western Conference quarterfinals, those 00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:25.259 are on December 10th. It'll be the Phoenix Suns 00:08:25.259 --> 00:08:27.420 at the Oklahoma City Thunder. And the San Antonio 00:08:27.420 --> 00:08:29.860 Spurs will be at the Los Angeles Lakers. And 00:08:29.860 --> 00:08:32.279 if the favorites win, we could be looking at 00:08:32.279 --> 00:08:34.659 a Thunder Laker showdown in the semifinals in 00:08:34.659 --> 00:08:36.860 Vegas. That would be something. Okay, so let's 00:08:36.860 --> 00:08:39.539 move from the bracket to the broader league drama. 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:42.279 Black Friday gave us some intense storylines 00:08:42.279 --> 00:08:45.029 about stars, trades, and team chemistry. And, 00:08:45.110 --> 00:08:47.570 of course, a lot of that focus landed squarely 00:08:47.570 --> 00:08:49.649 on that Lakers -Mavericks game. There was so 00:08:49.649 --> 00:08:51.809 much intrigue there before the game even started. 00:08:52.029 --> 00:08:56.610 Right. The Lakers won 129 -119, and it was a 00:08:56.610 --> 00:08:59.529 great offensive show. Austin Reeves was explosive 00:08:59.529 --> 00:09:01.830 for the Lakers, dropped a game -high 38. And 00:09:01.830 --> 00:09:04.509 Luka Doncic had 35 for Dallas. He's just been 00:09:04.509 --> 00:09:07.129 on fire. But the narratives around the players 00:09:07.129 --> 00:09:09.389 were way louder than the final score. And the 00:09:09.389 --> 00:09:12.240 biggest name was Anthony Davis. He returned for 00:09:12.240 --> 00:09:14.360 the Mavericks, playing against his former team 00:09:14.360 --> 00:09:17.080 after missing 14 games with that calf injury. 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:19.299 It was a huge return for Dallas. They've been 00:09:19.299 --> 00:09:22.080 struggling so badly on defense without him. He 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:24.279 gave them that stability they needed, for sure, 00:09:24.399 --> 00:09:27.480 but he was on a strict minutes restriction. He 00:09:27.480 --> 00:09:29.960 missed the entire fourth quarter, and that just 00:09:29.960 --> 00:09:32.379 put the spotlight right back on his health. Yeah, 00:09:32.440 --> 00:09:34.860 and Davis himself admitted it was tough. He said 00:09:34.860 --> 00:09:37.100 trying to find a rhythm playing in just five 00:09:37.100 --> 00:09:41.139 -minute bursts was tough, for sure. especially 00:09:41.139 --> 00:09:43.080 when you're used to anchoring the defense for 00:09:43.080 --> 00:09:45.759 10 minutes at a time. And that health question, 00:09:45.899 --> 00:09:49.139 it feeds directly into this massive trade buzz 00:09:49.139 --> 00:09:51.559 that's getting louder and louder. It really is. 00:09:51.700 --> 00:09:53.700 The reports are saying that trading Anthony Davis 00:09:53.700 --> 00:09:56.500 is a real possibility, and I would even say likelihood, 00:09:56.639 --> 00:09:58.539 for the Mavericks this season. That's a huge 00:09:58.539 --> 00:10:00.940 shift in direction. And it seems pretty clearly 00:10:00.940 --> 00:10:03.039 tied to what the Mavericks see as their next 00:10:03.039 --> 00:10:05.779 era, right? It seems so. Sources are suggesting 00:10:05.779 --> 00:10:08.340 it's about fully pivoting to build around the 00:10:08.340 --> 00:10:11.350 generational talent of Cooper Flagg. Who, for 00:10:11.350 --> 00:10:14.129 context, is one of the most hyped college recruits 00:10:14.129 --> 00:10:16.769 we've seen in a long time. Exactly. So if the 00:10:16.769 --> 00:10:19.149 Mavericks don't think their current core is going 00:10:19.149 --> 00:10:21.730 to win a title, then moving a star like Davis 00:10:21.730 --> 00:10:24.389 now, while he's healthy and his value is high, 00:10:24.529 --> 00:10:27.409 to get assets to build around a new core in a 00:10:27.409 --> 00:10:31.389 few years. It makes sense. So the idea is you 00:10:31.389 --> 00:10:34.690 pair those assets and flag with Kyrie Irving, 00:10:34.789 --> 00:10:36.950 who they just extended. That seems to be the 00:10:36.950 --> 00:10:40.009 plan. Keep Kyrie as a dynamic scorer next to 00:10:40.009 --> 00:10:43.049 Flagg as your foundational pieces. But AD's health 00:10:43.049 --> 00:10:45.230 for the next few months is the ultimate X factor. 00:10:45.490 --> 00:10:47.649 If he dominates and stays healthy, they can get 00:10:47.649 --> 00:10:50.009 a massive return. If he gets hurt again, his 00:10:50.009 --> 00:10:52.509 value just tanks. And of course, there was that 00:10:52.509 --> 00:10:55.029 whole pregame drama with Davis and LeBron James. 00:10:55.559 --> 00:10:58.139 Oh, right. The manufactured controversy. Exactly. 00:10:58.620 --> 00:11:01.220 Fans online went crazy over this short video 00:11:01.220 --> 00:11:03.779 clip that made it look like Anthony Davis snubbed 00:11:03.779 --> 00:11:06.139 LeBron during the pregame greetings. It's just 00:11:06.139 --> 00:11:08.620 a perfect example of how context gets lost online. 00:11:08.740 --> 00:11:11.220 When you actually watch the full extended clip, 00:11:11.299 --> 00:11:14.000 you can see they did. embrace briefly. There's 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:16.279 still mutual respect there. It was just the media 00:11:16.279 --> 00:11:18.460 looking for a story. But the real story is the 00:11:18.460 --> 00:11:21.039 trade talk, not a fake snub. And speaking of 00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:23.519 LeBron, you know, he's 40 years old, still playing 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:25.759 at an elite level. And he also talked about his 00:11:25.759 --> 00:11:28.580 ultimate plan for his son, Bronny. Yeah. And 00:11:28.580 --> 00:11:30.480 I found this really interesting. He said he wants 00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:33.820 Bronny to walk his own journey. He explained 00:11:33.820 --> 00:11:35.940 that he can give him the blueprint, show him 00:11:35.940 --> 00:11:38.700 everything he's learned. But ultimately, he wants 00:11:38.700 --> 00:11:41.740 Bronny to walk through the fire as well. That 00:11:41.740 --> 00:11:44.100 shows a really deep understanding of the impossible 00:11:44.100 --> 00:11:47.740 pressure Bronny is under. It does. True success 00:11:47.740 --> 00:11:49.879 requires you to go through the struggle yourself, 00:11:50.179 --> 00:11:52.600 even when you have the greatest mentor in the 00:11:52.600 --> 00:11:54.639 world right there. It's a pretty philosophical 00:11:54.639 --> 00:11:57.460 take on sports parenting. OK, let's pivot from 00:11:57.460 --> 00:12:02.080 trade buzz to two elite teams that are in a bit 00:12:02.080 --> 00:12:04.600 of a crisis right now, Milwaukee and Cleveland. 00:12:05.149 --> 00:12:06.970 We mentioned the Bucs lost their seventh straight 00:12:06.970 --> 00:12:10.009 game, and Giannis, he did not hold back his feelings 00:12:10.009 --> 00:12:12.450 after that loss to the Knicks. No, he did not. 00:12:12.889 --> 00:12:16.169 His message was sharp, it was critical, and he 00:12:16.169 --> 00:12:17.750 was aimed right at his teammates' commitment. 00:12:18.190 --> 00:12:19.990 Yeah, he stressed that they need to get back 00:12:19.990 --> 00:12:22.590 to the little things, which he defined as, you 00:12:22.590 --> 00:12:25.289 know, the fundamentals. Defending, communicating, 00:12:25.690 --> 00:12:27.570 rebounding, all the stuff that doesn't depend 00:12:27.570 --> 00:12:29.049 on whether your shot is falling. And he said 00:12:29.049 --> 00:12:31.129 if players are only worried about scoring, they 00:12:31.129 --> 00:12:33.509 get frustrated and feel like they cannot do nothing 00:12:33.509 --> 00:12:35.850 else for the team. If they miss a few shots. 00:12:35.990 --> 00:12:37.830 And then he delivered the line that was just 00:12:37.830 --> 00:12:40.029 a devastating indictment of where they're at. 00:12:40.149 --> 00:12:42.909 He said, this is not one man show that we got 00:12:42.909 --> 00:12:46.289 to do it together. Oof. Coming from your franchise 00:12:46.289 --> 00:12:49.230 cornerstone, that's a brutal assessment of the 00:12:49.230 --> 00:12:51.570 team's effort. It tells you this isn't about 00:12:51.570 --> 00:12:54.750 coaching or schemes. It's about a lack of collective 00:12:54.750 --> 00:12:58.029 will. And that exact theme, that lack of effort 00:12:58.029 --> 00:13:00.750 and focus, it connects directly to the Cleveland 00:13:00.750 --> 00:13:03.870 Cavaliers. They lost to the Hawks 130 to 123 00:13:03.870 --> 00:13:06.110 and got knocked out of the cup for the second 00:13:06.110 --> 00:13:08.350 year in a row. And their issue isn't abstract 00:13:08.350 --> 00:13:12.009 at all. It's one very specific mechanical failure 00:13:12.009 --> 00:13:15.070 transition defense. That's right. The reports 00:13:15.070 --> 00:13:17.090 are basically spelling out the blueprint that 00:13:17.090 --> 00:13:19.230 opponents are now using to just dismantle the 00:13:19.230 --> 00:13:21.970 Cavs, to just run on them relentlessly. and the 00:13:21.970 --> 00:13:24.990 Hawks absolutely torched them with it. They outscored 00:13:24.990 --> 00:13:29.029 Cleveland 36 -17 in fast break points. That's 00:13:29.029 --> 00:13:31.330 a 19 -point difference just on the break. When 00:13:31.330 --> 00:13:33.370 you talk about a mechanical failure, it means 00:13:33.370 --> 00:13:35.990 players are literally not sprinting back to fill 00:13:35.990 --> 00:13:37.789 the paint. They're not communicating to pick 00:13:37.789 --> 00:13:39.850 up the ball handler, and they're letting guys 00:13:39.850 --> 00:13:43.169 leak out for easy layups and open threes. Coach 00:13:43.169 --> 00:13:45.809 Kenny Atkinson was blunt about it. He said they 00:13:45.809 --> 00:13:48.490 outplayed us, outcoached us. The whole team was 00:13:48.490 --> 00:13:50.690 just mentally disconnected. Donovan Mitchell 00:13:50.690 --> 00:13:52.649 called it a mental thing. He said the team has 00:13:52.649 --> 00:13:55.610 to get our A back and that the loss was solely 00:13:55.610 --> 00:13:58.429 off of that. And Evan Mobley pointed out how 00:13:58.429 --> 00:14:01.250 hard it is to communicate on the fly in transition. 00:14:01.509 --> 00:14:03.610 But, I mean, that's just part of the game. It 00:14:03.610 --> 00:14:06.129 is. And the bottom line is until the Cavs fix 00:14:06.129 --> 00:14:09.169 this simple fundamental flaw, just getting back 00:14:09.169 --> 00:14:10.850 on defense teams are going to keep running past 00:14:10.850 --> 00:14:13.370 them. It's a solvable problem that's becoming 00:14:13.370 --> 00:14:16.320 a season -long wound. All right, shifting gears 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:20.200 a bit, let's touch on a few other, frankly, ugly 00:14:20.200 --> 00:14:22.980 losses from the weekend, starting with the very 00:14:22.980 --> 00:14:25.720 perplexing Chicago Bulls. Yeah, they just continued 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:27.639 this frustrating pattern they have of losing 00:14:27.639 --> 00:14:33.000 to bad teams. They fell 123 -116 to the 4 -14 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:36.620 Charlotte Hornets. The loss drops them to 9 -9, 00:14:36.860 --> 00:14:39.779 and it just signals a huge problem with consistency. 00:14:40.220 --> 00:14:42.740 Their defense remains, as one source put it, 00:14:42.759 --> 00:14:45.659 a massive problem. They gave up 67 points in 00:14:45.659 --> 00:14:48.480 the first half alone. Just a sieve. And even 00:14:48.480 --> 00:14:50.679 with Kobe White and Josh Giddey combining for 00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:53.039 50 points, it wasn't enough to overcome that. 00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:54.799 We should probably also mention that incident 00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:56.960 with Giddey, too. Right. Giddey, who had a great 00:14:56.960 --> 00:15:00.080 game, 25 -11 -9, he got into it with a fan late 00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:02.279 in the game. He just said the fan said something 00:15:02.279 --> 00:15:04.240 I didn't like, and the fan got ejected. It's 00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:06.080 unfortunate. Players shouldn't have to deal with 00:15:06.080 --> 00:15:08.919 that. But back to the team. Coach Billy Donovan 00:15:08.919 --> 00:15:11.919 just lamented their lack of consistency and physicality. 00:15:11.960 --> 00:15:14.899 He chalked it up to human nature and midseason 00:15:14.899 --> 00:15:17.299 fatigue. Which, for a team with the Bulls' payroll 00:15:17.299 --> 00:15:20.259 and expectations, is just not an acceptable excuse 00:15:20.259 --> 00:15:22.879 for these kinds of losses. Not at all. Over in 00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:24.899 Golden State, the Warriors are facing a big test. 00:15:25.419 --> 00:15:27.659 Star Stephen Curry is out for at least a week 00:15:27.659 --> 00:15:30.799 with a right quad contusion. Yep. A strained 00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:33.460 muscle, too. So he'll be re -evaluated in a week. 00:15:33.929 --> 00:15:36.169 which means he's probably missing at least three 00:15:36.169 --> 00:15:38.610 crucial games. And what's most telling here isn't 00:15:38.610 --> 00:15:40.389 the injury itself, it's the reaction from his 00:15:40.389 --> 00:15:42.990 teammate, Jimmy Butler. Right. Butler basically 00:15:42.990 --> 00:15:45.309 called out the team's defensive focus, calling 00:15:45.309 --> 00:15:49.429 it just sad. He said, and I'm quoting here, I 00:15:49.429 --> 00:15:51.470 don't care about offense, we need to guard somebody. 00:15:51.970 --> 00:15:54.909 He challenged the entire team to care more about 00:15:54.909 --> 00:15:57.250 the details on defense. And the logic there is 00:15:57.250 --> 00:15:59.950 clear, right? Without Steph's gravity and elite 00:15:59.950 --> 00:16:02.230 shooting, the Warriors lose their margin for 00:16:02.230 --> 00:16:04.990 error on offense. If they want to win games while 00:16:04.990 --> 00:16:07.750 he's out, the team defense has to step up immediately 00:16:07.750 --> 00:16:11.009 to compensate. Absolutely. And finally, let's 00:16:11.009 --> 00:16:12.529 talk about the Sacramento Kings, who are in a 00:16:12.529 --> 00:16:16.289 deep slide. They lost 128 -119 to the Utah Jazz, 00:16:16.529 --> 00:16:18.470 which snapped a nine -game winning streak against 00:16:18.470 --> 00:16:20.610 them. And that loss drops the Kings to a really 00:16:20.610 --> 00:16:23.649 surprising and frankly alarming 5 -15 record. 00:16:23.929 --> 00:16:26.529 Another game where poor defense and a lack of 00:16:26.529 --> 00:16:29.230 pace control were the main culprits. Zach Levine 00:16:29.230 --> 00:16:31.669 actually broke out of his slump with 34 points, 00:16:31.769 --> 00:16:34.690 and Russell Westbrook got his 206th career triple 00:16:34.690 --> 00:16:36.750 -double. Which is just casual for him at this 00:16:36.750 --> 00:16:41.419 point, 16 -14 -12. The team allowed Utah to dictate 00:16:41.419 --> 00:16:43.960 the pace, and they just got run out of the building. 00:16:44.159 --> 00:16:46.919 You saw it happen in real time. Utah had a massive 00:16:46.919 --> 00:16:49.779 20 -2 run in the second quarter, and then a 10 00:16:49.779 --> 00:16:52.799 -2 run to end the third. When you have a 5 -15 00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:55.580 record this early, even considering they've had 00:16:55.580 --> 00:16:57.940 the league's toughest schedule, it signals one 00:16:57.940 --> 00:17:00.240 thing to everyone else. Trade activity is coming. 00:17:00.460 --> 00:17:03.200 It has to be. When a team underperforms this 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:05.680 badly, you have to look at shaking things up. 00:17:05.759 --> 00:17:07.640 Reports say they'll look to move some of those 00:17:07.640 --> 00:17:10.079 big veteran contracts to bring in better defenders 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:13.279 or more consistent shooters. That record, schedule 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:15.619 or not, is just unsustainable. All right, let's 00:17:15.619 --> 00:17:17.960 shift from the pros to the college ranks, where 00:17:17.960 --> 00:17:20.420 the holiday weekend was all about thrilling tournament 00:17:20.420 --> 00:17:23.619 finals and one just absolutely soul -crushing 00:17:23.619 --> 00:17:25.680 buzzer beater. A buzzer beater that felt like 00:17:25.680 --> 00:17:28.240 a horror movie rerun for one particular program. 00:17:28.890 --> 00:17:30.930 We have to start with the Ohio State Buckeyes 00:17:30.930 --> 00:17:35.210 losing a heartbreaker. 67 -66 to Pitt. The word 00:17:35.210 --> 00:17:38.589 everyone used was deja vu. Complete, agonizing 00:17:38.589 --> 00:17:41.009 deja vu. And here's why it was so devastating. 00:17:41.529 --> 00:17:46.230 The final play was this sideways, deep three 00:17:46.230 --> 00:17:48.609 -pointer at the buzzer from Pitts to Markle Miner. 00:17:48.829 --> 00:17:51.849 It clinched a sweep of the home -and -home series. 00:17:52.309 --> 00:17:54.349 But the psychological twist, the part that makes 00:17:54.349 --> 00:17:58.190 it so brutal, is that Ohio State lost to Pitt. 00:17:58.519 --> 00:18:00.500 on a buzzer beater the night before the Michigan 00:18:00.500 --> 00:18:03.440 football game last year, too. To have that exact 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:06.660 same scenario play out one year later, right 00:18:06.660 --> 00:18:09.019 before the biggest rivalry game of the season, 00:18:09.140 --> 00:18:11.299 I mean, that has to be just incredibly traumatic 00:18:11.299 --> 00:18:13.799 for those players and that program. The game 00:18:13.799 --> 00:18:17.180 itself had this really weird, uneven flow. Pitches 00:18:17.180 --> 00:18:20.160 dominated early. They jumped out to a 16 -4 lead 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:21.880 in the first six minutes. And they were up 34 00:18:21.880 --> 00:18:24.420 -24 at halftime, mostly because Ohio State was 00:18:24.420 --> 00:18:26.960 shooting. terribly, like 38 % from the field, 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:28.759 and they weren't rebounding. But Ohio State came 00:18:28.759 --> 00:18:30.880 out in the second half and mounted this furious 00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:33.740 rally, mostly on the back of Devin Royal. He 00:18:33.740 --> 00:18:36.579 scored 17 of his 22 points after the break. They 00:18:36.579 --> 00:18:38.859 finally took their first lead of the entire game 00:18:38.859 --> 00:18:40.759 with about eight and a half minutes left on two 00:18:40.759 --> 00:18:42.559 free throws from Christophe Tilley. They were 00:18:42.559 --> 00:18:45.160 finally showing some fight. And Tilley had one 00:18:45.160 --> 00:18:47.480 of the weirdest stat lines I've seen. It tells 00:18:47.480 --> 00:18:49.279 you everything about their second half strategy. 00:18:49.539 --> 00:18:51.539 It really does. He finished with 10 points, but 00:18:51.539 --> 00:18:53.460 almost all of them were from the free throw line. 00:18:53.819 --> 00:18:55.779 He was eight for eight on free throws, but only 00:18:55.779 --> 00:18:57.700 one for eight from the field. That just shows 00:18:57.700 --> 00:19:00.019 you they completely shifted to an attack the 00:19:00.019 --> 00:19:02.839 rim strategy. They were forcing Pitt to foul 00:19:02.839 --> 00:19:05.099 them to generate points. So we get to the final 00:19:05.099 --> 00:19:07.440 seconds and Ohio State thinks they have it won. 00:19:07.720 --> 00:19:10.339 Tilley misses a layup. But Amara Bynum gets the 00:19:10.339 --> 00:19:12.640 offensive board and tips it in. Puts him up. 00:19:12.799 --> 00:19:16.220 66 -64 with only four seconds left. Four seconds. 00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:19.079 Just enough time for Miner to sprint up the court, 00:19:19.180 --> 00:19:21.619 take one dribble, and hit that off -balance sideways 00:19:21.619 --> 00:19:24.319 deep three with a hand right in his face. It 00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:26.579 capped an incredible night for him. 18 points, 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:30.019 five steals, and it was just a devastating finish 00:19:30.019 --> 00:19:32.920 for the Buckeyes. The margin for error in college 00:19:32.920 --> 00:19:37.000 hoops is just nonexistent. For sure. Okay, on 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:38.640 to some happier news for the tournament winners. 00:19:39.079 --> 00:19:41.619 Colorado was crowned the Accresher Holiday Classic 00:19:41.619 --> 00:19:45.619 champions. They beat Washington 81 -68. And this 00:19:45.619 --> 00:19:49.180 game was a story of a massive lead and an even 00:19:49.180 --> 00:19:53.099 bigger comeback attempt. Colorado was up 47 -30 00:19:53.099 --> 00:19:55.339 at halftime. They looked completely dominant. 00:19:55.539 --> 00:19:58.420 But college basketball is a game of runs. Washington 00:19:58.420 --> 00:20:00.839 came roaring back in the second half, went on 00:20:00.839 --> 00:20:03.660 a 19 -4 run, and actually tied the game at 52. 00:20:03.960 --> 00:20:06.700 All the momentum was gone. But the mark of a 00:20:06.700 --> 00:20:09.720 good team is how you respond to that. And Colorado 00:20:09.720 --> 00:20:13.039 held their nerve. They hit some timely late threes 00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:15.220 from Felix Casares and McKaylee to pull away 00:20:15.220 --> 00:20:18.329 and secure the win. They're now 7 -0. Over at 00:20:18.329 --> 00:20:20.509 the Ratty Children's Invitational, TCU won the 00:20:20.509 --> 00:20:24.130 championship, beating Wisconsin 74 -63. And this 00:20:24.130 --> 00:20:26.509 is a big one for them. Yeah, TCU is now 5 -2, 00:20:26.730 --> 00:20:29.509 and they're riding a huge wave of momentum after 00:20:29.509 --> 00:20:31.529 upsetting the reigning national champions, the 00:20:31.529 --> 00:20:33.690 Florida Gators, in the first round of that tournament. 00:20:33.849 --> 00:20:36.150 That upset was a massive statement. And in the 00:20:36.150 --> 00:20:37.930 final, they just controlled the game from start 00:20:37.930 --> 00:20:40.470 to finish. They opened on a 14 -4 run and never 00:20:40.470 --> 00:20:43.130 looked back. It was a real team effort. And finally... 00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:45.980 The Missouri Tigers, they cruised to an 86 -59 00:20:45.980 --> 00:20:48.680 win over Cleveland State, moving to a perfect 00:20:48.680 --> 00:20:50.839 8 -0. This one was a little personal too, right? 00:20:50.980 --> 00:20:53.400 It was. It was against their former coach Dennis 00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:55.819 Gates' old team, so that added a little emotional 00:20:55.819 --> 00:20:58.039 layer to the dominant win. A comfortable victory 00:20:58.039 --> 00:21:00.960 for Mizzou. Elsewhere, just to round things out, 00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:06.119 the No. 3 UCLA women routed Duke 89 -59, which 00:21:06.119 --> 00:21:08.039 was impressive since they were missing their 00:21:08.039 --> 00:21:10.299 star center. Lauren Betts. And we saw Mississippi 00:21:10.299 --> 00:21:13.279 State fall to SMU in a tough overtime battle 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:15.900 and North Dakota got blown out on the road at 00:21:15.900 --> 00:21:18.740 Hawaii. The holiday weekend really started to 00:21:18.740 --> 00:21:21.160 separate the contenders from the rest. It really 00:21:21.160 --> 00:21:24.299 did. And I think that mental toughness or, you 00:21:24.299 --> 00:21:26.940 know, the lack of it, that's really the biggest 00:21:26.940 --> 00:21:28.740 theme that runs through all of these results 00:21:28.740 --> 00:21:31.000 from the weekend, both in the NBA and the NCAA. 00:21:31.400 --> 00:21:34.720 What a weekend it was. The NBA Cup bracket is 00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:36.940 locked. The stakes are sky high now that it's 00:21:36.940 --> 00:21:39.220 single elimination. You've got the undefeated 00:21:39.220 --> 00:21:41.980 Magic and Lakers hosting. The 19 -1 Thunder looked 00:21:41.980 --> 00:21:44.720 just terrifyingly consistent. And the Spurs proved 00:21:44.720 --> 00:21:47.440 they can pull off a major upset if a team like 00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:49.660 the Nuggets decides not to show up on defense. 00:21:50.039 --> 00:21:53.740 And we saw those huge gut check moments across 00:21:53.740 --> 00:21:57.140 the league. It really highlighted which teams 00:21:57.140 --> 00:22:00.160 have that fundamental mental toughness and which 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:03.690 ones like... The Bucs and the Cavaliers are still 00:22:03.690 --> 00:22:05.490 trying to figure out how to put in 48 minutes 00:22:05.490 --> 00:22:07.190 of effort. And this is where the whole context 00:22:07.190 --> 00:22:09.190 of the NBA Cup starts to get a little complicated. 00:22:09.450 --> 00:22:11.710 It really does. We look at the Thunder sitting 00:22:11.710 --> 00:22:14.849 at an unbelievable 19 -1, and they are the clear 00:22:14.849 --> 00:22:17.869 favorites to win the whole thing. Their schedule 00:22:17.869 --> 00:22:20.890 so far has been noted as the easiest in the entire 00:22:20.890 --> 00:22:23.569 league. By a pretty healthy margin, they've only 00:22:23.569 --> 00:22:25.369 played four games against teams that even have 00:22:25.369 --> 00:22:27.809 a winning record. And on the flip side, we talked 00:22:27.809 --> 00:22:29.650 about the Sacramento Kings struggling at 5 -15. 00:22:30.269 --> 00:22:33.369 Well, they have faced the league's toughest schedule 00:22:33.369 --> 00:22:36.990 by a wide margin. That's a huge disparity in 00:22:36.990 --> 00:22:39.250 early season scheduling. And it's a major factor 00:22:39.250 --> 00:22:41.609 in this cup narrative. You have the Lakers, who 00:22:41.609 --> 00:22:43.690 also got home court advantage, but they played 00:22:43.690 --> 00:22:46.960 the seventh easiest schedule. And Toronto. who 00:22:46.960 --> 00:22:49.119 is hosting a quarterfinal game against the Knicks. 00:22:49.160 --> 00:22:51.599 They've played the fourth easiest. So this initial 00:22:51.599 --> 00:22:54.000 scheduling luck has been heavily tilted towards 00:22:54.000 --> 00:22:56.160 some of these group winners. It's allowed them 00:22:56.160 --> 00:22:59.400 to pile up wins against weaker teams. So this 00:22:59.400 --> 00:23:01.799 brings us to a crucial and I think provocative 00:23:01.799 --> 00:23:04.160 question for you to think about as we head into 00:23:04.160 --> 00:23:06.319 this single elimination play. Considering that 00:23:06.319 --> 00:23:09.240 teams like OKC, the Lakers, and Toronto have 00:23:09.240 --> 00:23:12.339 all benefited from these easier paths, what does 00:23:12.339 --> 00:23:14.980 this tell us about the tournament itself? Is 00:23:14.980 --> 00:23:17.859 the NBA Cup truly a measure of championship readiness, 00:23:18.180 --> 00:23:21.380 a test of handling real pressure? Or is it just 00:23:21.380 --> 00:23:23.700 a high stakes bracket that, at least in its first 00:23:23.700 --> 00:23:26.559 year, is disproportionately highlighting early 00:23:26.559 --> 00:23:29.160 season scheduling luck? Yeah. Is it rewarding 00:23:29.160 --> 00:23:31.740 teams like Orlando, who've just performed way 00:23:31.740 --> 00:23:33.839 better than anyone expected against a softer 00:23:33.839 --> 00:23:36.099 schedule? Will that whole scheduling narrative 00:23:36.099 --> 00:23:38.220 just vanish when the pressure cooker of a one 00:23:38.220 --> 00:23:40.380 and done game hits on December 9th and 10th? 00:23:40.890 --> 00:23:43.809 Or will the tougher, more battle -tested teams 00:23:43.809 --> 00:23:46.849 finally rise to the top, regardless of their 00:23:46.849 --> 00:23:49.950 early record? We are about to find out. Thanks 00:23:49.950 --> 00:23:51.329 for joining us here on Basketball Home. We'll 00:23:51.329 --> 00:23:51.910 catch you next time.