NBA Finals: Luka Doncic COSTING Mavericks? Celtics rank among past 5 NBA champions | Hoops Tonight

[@xerxesix1451]

This is Bostons year, they've been a great team for too long to not have a championship. Its theit time now

[@RyGuy2777]

Amen brother, homegrown stars breaking through for the teams that drafted them is beautiful for the sport

[@therealdarrell282]

@@RyGuy2777I think people have to go back and look at what the Pistons and Bulls had to go through to get that chip. Once they broke through, people gave their props.

[@panagiotisatmatzidis9972]

Yes but they did not play against a top-tier team this year. Not their fault, they shouldn't care but I'm still not convinced they're _that_ good. They did not play against healthy Denver, Bucks, Lakers, Clippers or Sixers. First round was MIA injured, Cavs injured, Indiana (!!!!) and then Mavericks who are not a top-tier team.

[@aarzanpyakurel8449]

@@panagiotisatmatzidis9972 cry in front of the mirror

[@RyGuy2777]

@@aarzanpyakurel8449 my man really snuck in Lakers, Clippers, and Sixers like we wouldnt notice🤣

[@cmac392]

Holy hell you criticized Mazzulla ball all season. Claimed the offense was a problem

[@lukeremsberg5796]

Because it was. Even Joe has consistently said that Bostons best team games have all come in the last two rounds

[@gnm4]

Celtics fans are miserable

[@hoopswrld]

1.Denver 2.Celtics 3. Warriors 4.Lakers 5.Bucks 6. Raptors Denver that year was insane and had great versatility with Bruce brown & Jeff green off the bench Celtics roster is basically flawlesss Lakers were def not #1 biased take 😂 they were good but get that bubble ring out of here that wasn’t no real playoff atmosphere ..

[@nnam2397]

The warriors weren’t that good had an east run against injured teams

[@hoopswrld]

@@nnam2397 so did the Bucks and Raptors tho bucks got lucky with the big 3 Nets going down & raptors KD tore his Achilles

[@fernandopaiz27]

Mailbag: Why do you think so much emphasis has been placed on boston's home playoff struggles and seemingly no one talks about how the celtics have been amazing on the road in the playoffs the past few years?

[@user-mg5hk1ts3w]

They’re in the East, nobody cares about it

[@christophervisconte1518]

It would make too much sense for them to think like that. Well Boston over the past 3 years, yet 10-2 this year and 7-0 on the road, would go against mainstream media.

[@taylor7264]

Why does no1 bring up the Celtics record against west teams when they say their record was inflated by a weak east?? They won at a 62 win pace v western conference teams

[@znamor]

It’s because whoever’s not from the New England area just doesn’t like our team because of juvenile jealousy complex

[@landonlakes4782]

People really wanted this team to be a flawed version of some fleeting half considered distant memory

[@Chris_H103]

lol okay I’m tired of this narrative. I’m a Celtics fan with no bias to this particular take… how do you say a player isn’t top 5 offensively if he’s literally top 2 in scoring this past season??? That’s a joke of a take. Michael Jordan Lebron James Giannis Wilt Chamberlain Kareem Shaq Those players were not elite skilled players (no matter what you want to argue MJ was) they were dominant at putting the ball in the basket at an efficient rate because they were nearly unstoppable at what they did particularly well & they knew this. None of those players can dribble at an elite level or “shoot” at an elite level… MJ’s best scoring years were when he was “a less skilled player” Size, athleticism, length, balance, coordination, agility, quickness, quick twitch, speed in a rare combination mix is what made these players dominant. Kyrie Curry KD Harden Luka Chris Paul Kobe You wouldn’t call these players dominant but they fit your description as “top offensive players” but they score at a less efficient rate than the dominant group I mentioned at the top…

[@MotionalBody]

Bingo. All he really cares about is aesthetic and bag. Giannis is 7 foot and he expects him to shoot and dribble like KD.

[@alexotis649]

Well said on the Luka defense part. You can’t be historically bad and not get criticism because abuse of your offensive workload. It’s that simple.

[@cowboyschad5x778]

Maybe if he took games off from a billion injuries and did “load management” instead of playing through the pain and carrying a 5 seed to the finals people wouldn’t shit on him so much

[@Qichar]

@@cowboyschad5x778 Agreed. Luka is the main reason Dallas was even IN the finals. Having said that, and this isn't criticism, but Luka should consider better conditioning this off-season if he wants to get to that next elite level. You know, the level that only Giannis and Jokic are on. If Luka wants to be the best player in the league, he needs to get leaner, learn how to play defense properly, and just pretend the refs don't exist.

[@cmac392]

On Offense, there is 1 basketball On Defense, all 5 players have to pay D or they will get hunted Defense is criminally underrated by the NBA Media

[@Dustyphoto915]

Defense is criminally underrated by NBA fans/watchers.

[@aduad]

It's so annoying that an Xs and Os guy like Jason can say Luka is a top 2 player in the world when that boy can't play a lick of defense!...Only offense matters now and even then Luka went 6/20 in the 2nd half. He is definitely not top 2.

[@ctoaun23]

​@@aduadYeah, you at least have to put Joker, Giannis and Embiid ahead. Then you could argue quite a few more.

[@ferafona]

Boils down to this: the team with more points win and great defense will never cause a complete shutout in basketball, but great offense will come through in spurts. You have to weigh offense more. It's the same reason you would never build a team around Jrue, but you would around the likes of Trae (and anyone else who creates great offense consistently).

[@cmac392]

@@ferafona build your team around Trae Young? good luck with that. Welcome to Purgatory

[@lurkintomgaming397]

Maybe give Boston some frickin credit finally? Just an idea

[@shawnraza5365]

Yeah kudos beating injured teams. Then not having to play the nuggets.

[@MindMan424]

​@shawnraza5365 F the Nuggets , they some arrogant pricks .. except Jokic

[@shawnraza5365]

@@MindMan424 just sucks they had such an easy path. Like ur telling me Min or Den wouldn’t have put up a fight? Dallas should have never beat the twolves and the twolves should have never beat the nuggets when they were up 20 in gm7

[@MindMan424]

@shawnraza5365 Tbh I wanted to see if Minnesota would've tested Boston .. Denver DEFINITELY would've , but I wanted them gone cause , well , dethroning the champs means that you slay the dragon 🐉 😁

[@dejansega1986]

They never give credit to the winning teams, but rather look at who's to blame on losing team. It was the same in WCF. Dallas was leading 3-0 and everyone was talking why Minnesota is struggling, is Gobert the best defender, why is KAT struggling, who's to blame...

[@cmac392]

The Celtics had a better-winning % against the WC than any other NBA team with the best Net Rtg against WC teams. Save it. The biased WC spin you have had all season is tedious and hurts the show. There is a reason Vegas had Boston as a heavy favorite for a while. Grading teams based on heliocentric players is so yesterday. Start looking at where the game is going, not where it's been. Its about creating open C&S for 5 plus shooters.

[@tompratt7125]

Please. The WC was far superior to the EC this year. Not even close. I mean there were 3 teams--OKC, Denver and Minnesota--with 56 or more wins in the same division! I don't think Jason has been biased toward the west. It's just a fact. All he was pointing out was that many of the Celtics numbers this year were inflated, which they were, because of weak night in and night out opponents. That doesn't make them an unworthy champion. Very similar to the Showtime Lakers who benefited from a relatively weak WC while EC teams in the 80's were murdering each other all year and in the playoffs.

[@ancalagonthesnack]

@@tompratt7125yes, the West was collectively superior to the East. The point is that Boston consistently beat the best of BOTH conferences all year long, so the conference imbalance is irrelevant. They’re currently embarrassing the team with the best record in the West since March.

[@cmac392]

@@tompratt7125 OK how about this The Celtics walloped the WC during the season and in the FINALS. The Celtics basically had the same winning % against both conferences. Boston is shooting awful and still controlling the MAVs. The Pacers.with the highest-scoring offense in the NBA created more issues than the MAVs

[@ILLWill1027]

They were 5-5 against teams with 50 wins in the regular season 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@mrenga]

Preach. And the East v West narrative dies when the Celts win it all beating both conferences in the construct of the playoffs. They controlled what they could control. Who cares if they have an alpha dog? That's for casual fans.

[@tompratt7125]

I didn't have the Lakers #1 (I had them #3 behind the Nuggets and Celtics) but I appreciate that you didn't simply dismiss that championship as a meaningless bubble thing like it seems almost every analyst does. IMO that was the most level playoff playing field ever. Every team had exactly the same conditions. Same location, same courts, same facilities, same hotels, etc, etc, etc. The only unfair thing about it was that the best teams had no home court advantage at all, something they had earned during the regular season. So teams like the Lakers, Nuggets, Heat and Celtics had to overcome that obstacle. If anything I think that championship is more impressive, not less.

[@MikeMike-qb6oy]

LeBron had a lot of rest. It's nobody's fault but it helps him more than the other team. They also played the baby nuggets not the team we know now

[@Mrman8313]

Just like anyone that real knows hoops does! The Lakers had months off and the fellow NBA players I know just laugh when you talk that year.

[@Derf28]

Mailbag: Why do media put so much emphasis on who the best player is? Just a couple of years ago people wanted to separate them cause they can't win the chip now they are about to get over the hump and we talk about who better? Can't we just appreciate their journey together 🤷

[@thatomaimela757]

The Giannis disrespect lol A functional offensive player like he's not a consistent 30 10 and 5 with defence that's beyond a realm both Luka and Jokic are capable of achieving.

[@lockvegas05]

Thanks you for stating the obvious! The Giannis disrespect is at an all time high! If he would have stayed health the bucks would won the Championship. I told everyone that KP can not tolerate Giannis for a 7 game series as he to fragile to take on blunt force.

[@aduad]

It is especially disappointing when it comes from so called Xs and Os guys like Jason...How can he really believe Luka is a top 2 guy when he can't play a lick of defense. He even went 6/20 in the second half and fouled out but its everyone else's fault they lost but when they win its all Luka smh.

[@addster124]

​@lockvegas05 celtics would abuse dame on defense and they have guards to tire him down on the other end

[@lockvegas05]

@@addster124 Giannis would abuse the entire Boston team . He took Boston to 7 games without Middleton . Think about it 😂😂😂😂. Giannis is the best player on the planet bar none. 7 games with the Greek Freak is Hell. I was so happy when you guys got rid Robert Williams as he could through a wrench into Giannis game unlike KP.;AKA the Glass man

[@kalenmarshall8692]

30, 10, and 5 but lost to a g league heat team. Not saying the numbers aren’t impressive but like Jason says all the time on the show you can’t judge a player just in a vaccum. You have to apply context and every time Gianni’s has to make critical decisions in the half court setting of the playoffs he ends up falling apart. It’s not disrespect to point out and obvious fact. No one said Gianni’s was bad but his flaws are why he doesn’t have multiple championships

[@samigoat0211]

How the hell is 2021 Giannis a tier below Joker Steph and Bron? Bro averaged 35 in the Finals and scored 50 in a closeout game 😭😭😭

[@cmac392]

Denver would have been a better match up, but Boston handles the Nuggets in 6

[@nhc7772]

The Dallas Mavericks fall into your 2020 Lakers finals argument? Everyone said Dallas top two players were the best in the finals and we see how that went. The 2020 Lakers having two top players doesn’t make them better then the nuggets or this year Celtics. The overall teams are SO much better then that Lakers team

[@josdomam]

Those Lakers beat Jokic and Murray. And the bubble was one of Jamal Murray's best playoff runs.

[@nhc7772]

@@josdomam we’re talking about the Nuggets championship team from last year. Everyone on that team was better that year. The only problem would be cloning KCP lol

[@austinmaldanado1617]

Bro be honest. Nobody said dallas had the 2 best players heading into this series. They were saying they had the best in Luka. Second, do not compare kyrie to AD who was elite both ways. Third, lakers defense was substantially better than this mavs team. They're not driving by players at will against that Lakers team like they're doing rn to the mavs. Be objective

[@nhc7772]

@@austinmaldanado1617 so instead of a sweep the Celtics would win in 6 maybe 7. I never said their defense was the same as the Mavs lol all the “experts” def said coming into the series that with how Kyrie and Luka were playing, and how Tatum was playing, they were the two best players in the series. It was said multiple times. Saying this Celtics team is better then that 2020 Lakers team isn’t crazy at all lol

[@austinmaldanado1617]

@nhc7772 it definitely isn't. I'm just saying that I don't think mavs fall into the lakers finals argument comparison. I actually think lakers-celtics would've been a very close series.

[@FM_Chatti]

About time for the Celtics to win their chip. They have been plagued with the injury bug.

[@paulauger2609]

So you have Luka in your top tier of superstars but he is actively destroying his teams defense and chances of winning. Makes sense.

[@truthhurts837]

The sheer nerve of this guy to complain about Luka, who led a trade deadline team with exactly ZERO Allstars through three 50 win teams on to his first Finals as a 25 year old, is absolutely laughable. Luka will be the second player ever to lead an entire playoff in points, rebounds and assists. Joker was the first player to do it, last season. But Luka will also lead this entire playoff in steals. You haters are a joke.

[@paulauger2609]

@@truthhurts837 Almost as big of a joke as Lukas defense

[@XforceV]

Yea it’s crazy because if JT was this atrocious on D, he would use the same reason to say he is tier 2. Legit bias

[@michiganlover12]

I agree offense is more important. But Gianni’s was a terrible example

[@jamesditzenberger9806]

Mailbag - what did you think of JJ Redick’s comment during game 3’s broadcast in which he said that Kyrie is an “ethical scorer,” implying that he doesn’t foul bait, complain, etc? Was this as much of a jab at Luka as it was a praise for kyrie? Following up on that, during this series, Boston has been very disciplined about not biting on Lukas excessive pump fakes and his shots in which he jumps into defenders to try and induce a whistle - do you think it would be best for Luka’s success as a playoff scorer to try and ween those type of plays down, or is it successful enough with a playoff whistle to justify it? Great show, Jason!

[@brockjensen2473]

As a Celtics fan this was really frustrating to hear in the rankings. Not necessarily because of where we ended up but bashing on them because of the match ups like they controlled that. I could see you having an argument had they struggled at all but they haven’t. The Celtics have absolutely dominated in every faucet of the game the entire post season. As to the regular season east v west yes of course is true the west is much better than the east but Boston had the highest win % in the entire league against the west this season as well. This regular season the Celtics were 41-11 (78.8% win %) against the East. This regular season the Celtics were 23-7 (76.67% win %) against the west. The team in the western conference that was the best against the east this regular season was the warriors who were 20-10 (66.67% win %). So to sit here and try bashing on Boston for being in the weaker conference is unfair given they were almost equally as dominant against the west AND no western conference team was nearly as dominate against the east as the Celtics were against the west.

[@mambacurry2448]

I mean the matchup thing is true tho. We all knew the only team better than Boston was the Nuggets, so they would’ve beaten anybody out east but the fact Tatum hasn’t basically not played at even a top 10 player level all playoffs and Bostons winning with ease kinda proves how light it was.not discrediting the ring but holding it to face value. A ring is a ring but context matters. Boston was beating up on bad teams and Tatum didn’t even have to show up.

[@cmac392]

@@mambacurry2448Over 100 games and Boston beat up the entire NBA. Didn't matter if it was EC or WC By all means don't let the FACTS get in the way of your OPINION

[@brockjensen2473]

@@mambacurry2448 you aren’t watching the games clearly. Literally the only thing Tatum hasn’t done well this post season is shooting the ball. He’s been an excellent defender, fantastic play maker, one of the best rebounders the entire post season, etc. The point still stands you can’t point out matchups when they have obliterated all of them. If they were given trouble by any of the matchups you could make the argument but they haven’t. You don’t get to pick the path you go down but the important thing is the path they went down they absolutely dominated. What do you want them to do? Did they choose for Denver to lose in the 2nd round? Did they choose for the wolves to get destroyed by the Mavs? No. The only thing they could choose to do is dominate who is across the court from them and they have more than done so every single series.

[@mambacurry2448]

@@cmac392 I literally said Denver was the only team that 100% could’ve beaten them. I never said Boston wasn’t good. I just said they are good + playing weaker competition and that’s okay.

[@JohnZannisPies]

Yeah his bias really made that whole segment a tough listen. The teams that the 2023 nuggets and 2020 lakers played in their playoff runs were extremely weak but doesn't hold that against them at all. He wants to hold things like the west being better than the east against them too and like you said it really doesnt apply to the celtics in reality when you actually look at the data and not just listening to narratives. Hes been hanging out with Cowherd too long

[@tompratt7125]

The most glaring deficiency on Luka's part in game 3 was the stunning numbers of bunnies he missed. I counted 8 plays where he got his defender on his hip while driving toward the hoop but failed to finish at the rim. Not to say some of them weren't partially contested but those are shots he literally never misses. It's one of his patented offensive actions. This would be like Jokic missing 8 floaters and jump hooks in the paint. He's clearly not himself physically. Boston played great but that was a very winnable game.

[@jaysmith4357]

He’s been questionable to play damn near the whole playoffs. He’s getting injected with horse tranquilizer and his sprained knee bleeds every game. Yet he still managed to make it out the stacked western conference in spite of that playing on one knee!! Give him a break

[@truthhurts837]

The sheer nerve of this guy to complain about Luka, who led a trade deadline team with exactly ZERO Allstars through three 50 win teams on to his first Finals as a 25 year old, is absolutely laughable. Luka will be the second player ever to lead an entire playoff in points, rebounds and assists. Joker was the first player to do it, last season. But Luka will also lead this entire playoff in steals. You haters are a joke.

[@Arjr72]

That Lakers teams had Rondo at PG, Dwight & Javele. Plus Green KCP & Kuz & Karuso. That 7 man rotation was nuts. Size, Defense, IQ, 3 point shooting and playmaking.

[@joeking3057]

Mailbag: after a second championship, where do you rank Jrue amongst guards all time? Specifically I wonder how he compares with Chris Paul. Jrue has proven championship adaptable qualities due to his defensive role where he has been traded and won a chip twice now. CP is the point god and has won massive respect from fans most of his career compared to Jrue who is considered underrated. All this praise about Jrue being said, let’s not forget Jimmy cooked him so bad the Bucks had to make changes. Jrue and CP seem like opposites in fan perception and careers but are both solidified legends at this point. Thanks for your takes as always. I love watching your show

[@glovs4188]

Idk if luka will ever improve physically. The warriors already exposed him 2 yrs ago. Now he's even heavier and plays even worse defense.

[@truthhurts837]

The sheer nerve of this guy to complain about Luka, who led a trade deadline team with exactly ZERO Allstars through three 50 win teams on to his first Finals as a 25 year old, is absolutely laughable. While on a bad knee, with an ankle and a chest contusion, Luka will be the second player ever to lead an entire playoff in points, rebounds and assists. Joker was the first player to do it, last season. But Luka will also lead this entire playoff in steals. You haters are a joke.

[@claramabry5288]

I don't disagree that the Lakers on paper were the best team overall. No fault of their own, I think the playoff test is incomparable because of the Bubble. For one, no travel. Then two, I wonder about the affect on less experienced teams like Nuggets and Bucks and newly arranged teams like the Clippers. I think I would rank this Celtics team first, Denver second and Lakers third but close. The Celtics have most layered talent fully healthy, and most versatile defense. They are the most battle tested so I think that adds to their focus this year.

[@kwesip6267]

I still think something needs to be done contractually about players being able to join a team later in their careers given their initial draft selection. If you’re in the top 10, you shouldn’t be able to join a team within the top 10 in the league (even if you’re willing to take less money). E.g. Aaron Gordon was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 yet is able to join the nuggets. E.g. Kristaps Porzingis was fourth overall pick in 2015. I think roster construction is massively affected by this type of imbalance because the upside is too great. They should have to help weaker teams.

[@jacobhunter6020]

6. Bucks 5. Raptors 4. Warriors 3. Lakers 2. Nuggets 1. Celtics

[@MWR1F58]

I don't get his you can keep calling Luka great and then say he is historically horrible on defense. I like a lot of your insights but I find stuff like the Luka overrating confusing.

[@truthhurts837]

The sheer nerve of this guy to complain about Luka, who led a trade deadline team with exactly ZERO Allstars through three 50 win teams on to his first Finals as a 25 year old, is absolutely laughable. Luka will be the second player ever to lead an entire playoff in points, rebounds and assists. Joker was the first player to do it, last season. But Luka will also lead this entire playoff in steals. You haters are a joke.

[@paulauger2609]

@@truthhurts837 I'm sorry we just thought being considered top tier meant you don't drag your team down in a major way on one side of the ball. Being absolutely atrocious and showing no interest in playing defense should absolutely take you out of the top tier of players. There is no other player in the top tier who doesn't even try on defense. Not to mention he's out of shape.

[@realone296]

Jokic was great defensively vs Minesota...KCP got exposed vs Ant and Jamal Murray is bad on defense...Denver's problem was the offense, they had only 106ORTG, the fact that they could hide Gobert on Aron Gordon...thats why Denver NEEDS 5-out look...

[@smgyro1476]

Jokic was not great defensively whatsoever against Minnesota TF you talking about?

[@SDesWriter]

They don’t need five out. Porter went in the toilet offensively and KCP was no better. With Gordon you have a boat anchor of offense which just left Murray and Jokic to carry the entire team. They need a bench player who is a serious offensive threat along with Jackson And they need to consider moving KCP and bringing in a number two who’s a shooter or a slasher. Either that or it’s time to pull the plug on the Porter experiment and get someone who has a better basketball IQ and can do more than just hit three’s when he’s hot.

[@danielday3374]

He played one of the WORST defensive playoffs of any star big man I've ever seen. Jokic was almost unplayable because of it in those losses.

[@realone296]

@@smgyro1476 Yes he was...especially game 3, 4 and 5...it was mastetpice on BOTH end of the floor...Again, Denver was good defensively in that series, offense was the problem!

[@realone296]

@@danielday3374 Are you serious or you're just troll😂😂😂 Jokic was literally was THE BEST defensive big in that series especially game 3, 4, and 5...it was MASTERPICE on both end of the floor... Denver couldn't score vs Minesota, that was the problem... Stop talking basketball is not for you😂 Unplayable beacuae of bad defense? That was literally Embiid vs Kniks or Doncic vs Boston😂😂😂

[@nicholaseaster58]

1-Celtics 2-Nuggets 3-Warriors 4-Lakers 5-Raptors 6-Bucks

[@SF-my2ym]

The Bubble Chip doesn’t count because a lot of players didn’t play. Stop!

[@josdomam]

BS! The players that count were there. Healthy Harden and Westbrook. Healthy Kawhi and Paul George. Healthy Jimmy Butler and Bam. Healthy Dame Lillard and CJ. Healthy Giannis. I guess this championship doesn't count because Giannis was injured, Butler was injured, Curry wasn't there, The Grizzlies were injured, the Knicks were injured, the Pacers were injured.

[@mambacurry2448]

But we are gonna count the 22 ring when the whole league was hurt? And the 2021 ring when the east was hurt? Hmm

[@SomeChink]

lol do you remember the ones who actually opted out? Zero players of actual consequence, and it wasn’t “a lot”, it was ten

[@sindilacion]

List of players that opted out: Spencer Dinwiddie DeAndre Jordan Wilson Chandler Bradley Beal Davis Bertans Willie Cauley-Stein Avery Bradley Trevor Ariza Taurean Prince Thabo Sefalosha None of these teams had a chance, nor are any of these players stars outside of Beal. Bradley was a Laker. Dead that narrative

[@frankiek2691]

Honestly, hands down the best analysis out there. When I regurgitate some of your takes to the boys, I sound like a gd basketball genius savant brainchild.

[@Yamisankev]

The Giannis / Jokic comparison regarding offense and defense is not accurate. Giannis literally won a championship before Jokic lol

[@gringoboy701]

I dont think Luka has the self-reflection to evolve as a player. He's going to come back next year still spending 10% of his energy chirping at refs while his team plays 4v5.

[@jchen16]

He’ll never grow up

[@montanastranger]

The dude is a bit overweight, but severely out of shape. He literally can't play a full court game. His style has been to slow it up and play half court "pickup" game basketball. He doesn't play defense or expend energy on that side.

[@matth6299]

He improves every year There’s a chance he comes back improved at D

[@aduad]

Why would he when talking heads like Jason say he is a top 2 player in the world!

[@RampageYI]

I hope Luka can win eventually but there is a world where he doesn’t over the next 10 years looking at who’s in the league now and imagining who could come in and dominate early.

[@TulioMCano]

Don’t you think it is unfair to view Giannis like this? Dude has averaged 30 3 years in a row. 30 in his last 2 healthy playoff runs. His job is not to close games, similar to Shaq would you say Shaq was not a top 5-10 offensive player of his era bc he can’t close games? That is why you bring in Dame and before Middleton had that role!

[@DK.productions-xy5sr]

fr, bro said giannis is a "functional" offensive player

[@MotionalBody]

He has always been disrespectful of Giannis. Which shows how little he knows ball. In 2020, after Giannis won back to back MVPs Jason said AD was better than Giannis. Jason is a clown

[@DK.productions-xy5sr]

@@MotionalBody Steph, jokic, luka, KD and embiid are the only players you can say are better offensively than giannis. I don't think people know that you don't have to be an elite shot creator to be an elite offensive player.

[@MotionalBody]

@@DK.productions-xy5sr Giannis had more ppg than all of those players besides Luka this year, and was more efficient than all of them. KD is not in this convo at this point in his career.

[@jcliu]

Two top-tier superstars is not the only path to (or way to measure) dominance. To go by your standard, the pre-KD 72-win Warriors would also be inferior to the 2020 Lakers, since Klay / Draymond were never top-tier superstars on the Steph / LeBron / AD level. But that’s madness! Nuggets, Raptors, and pre- and post-KD Warriors were all exceptionally finely constructed teams. The 2019 Raptors may have lacked a second alpha star, it had the luxury of Marc Gasol, young Siakim, OG, Van Vleet as basically 6th - 8th men. Just like Celtics have White and Horford. Is AD next to LeBron really worth more than that incredible depth?

[@Kingbake894]

Hey Jason what does Jt need to improve on in his game to be considered on that level with Jok Luka Gianias, and do you see a world to where 5 years from now he's just the best player in the world and everyone forgets about how past short comings similar to lebron in 2012

[@tiredbasketballfan]

Mailbag Question - Do you think these finals somewhat showcase two different approaches to team construction and scheme? One team with a #1, a #2 and role players, and another with multiple capable players who function well as a team and each can shine any night. I just find it odd comparing the performance of the 'role players' in this series when their actual role, mentality and aggresiveness are so different. Obviously Boston has the talent for this style more than anybody else, but I think it is interesting as larger concept, especially as the league seems to be trending away from top-heavy rosters.

[@epidemicmagick]

Well, it is really hard to create a roster like Bostons unless you are a big market team in the first place, so there is no philosophy there, with the CBA coming into place fully this offseason, even Boston will struggle to keep their roster together in season 2025-2026, the core of Tatum-Brown will be there and KP, Hauser and Pritchard are also secured contracts, but they will have to replace or resign 2 of the White - Jrue - Horford with way lesser contracts/players, or convince Jrue to eat a minimum and find a rookie to replace Horford.

[@tiredbasketballfan]

@@epidemicmagick I know Boston is a very extreme case, but I think there still are different approaches to hierarchy and resposibility distribution, and these two teams are very far from each other on those spectrums.

[@TheRobversion1]

Sorry man but minnesotas gobert can guard the celtics on the perimeter? Nah. He'd get cooked the same way luka cooked him. Kat wont be able to either. Minnesota may be a harder matchup for the celtics but the celtica would still win. Only matchup problem really is denver. If i were to rank offense and defense. I'd say for assessing players, 60% offense and 40% defense. Defense matters more than what most people think.

[@glovs4188]

The most recent best dynasty. The spurs doesn't have that one top 10 offensive player. But they play team basketball spams hard to defend actions that takes away their weaknesses on offense. But timmy is a top 1 at worst 2 defender of his era. Giannis jokic comparison is unfair. Giannis isn't a top 5 all time defender. Jokic has a case to be the greatest offensive engine if his 3pt shot is falling. Heck. Even boston this year don't have a top 10 offensive player in their roster. But they a great offensive team regardless. Offense and defense is 50/50 if you're a big. 60/40 if you're a perimeter player.

[@timothymiller806]

Bro putting the lakers at 1 is crazy, the nuggets and the Celtics would have beat them

[@mrobitwice77]

No

[@sloetea]

jason's a lebron stan, he admits he's biased at least.

[@BahamutEternal]

Maybe the nuggets. I think you’re is it hating tho and not being genuine. That 2020 lakers squad was elite defensively

[@Themrajester2]

They beat the nuggets and Cs best player is ass💀💀💀

[@____ak____]

the raptors would've beat them too tbh

[@johnciano3524]

He said Gobert defend on perimeter 🤣 didn't we just see that last series he can't

[@delectableprovisions]

Your affinity for lbj and anything associated with him is cringe and hurting your commentary

[@Bri-jy6nq]

Celtics vs East: 10.4 Net Rating; Celtics Vs West: 14.4 Net Rating ... Celtics net rating was not driven by playing the Eastern Conference

[@SamDavisson]

2020 Lakers definitely are #1 on that list..Bron was still at the most dominate in the NBA and AD was 27 dead in the heart of his prime. They were absolutely dominate.. I wish we would have got Boston & Denver finals this year.. the last 2 years they were the best 2 teams.. an atill havnt got that matchup in the finals.

[@DAY1K_]

The 2020 MickeyMouse Lakers?

[@Jsoccer1999]

Jason you’ve exposed yourself. You’re a giannis hater who just loves pretty basketball and lets it cloud your analysis. Having him beneath those others is absolutely asinine. I won’t say the numbers cause you know them. Get a grip

[@MotionalBody]

The weird thing about it is Giannis is one of the most fun players to watch of all time. There’s never been a player like him and at least 3 times a game he will have you in awe of what he just did.

[@philll.1358]

Mailbag: Youre someone that really understands the game and schemes. Can you talk about how Joe Mazzula has evolved as a coach over a 2 year span. What do you think is the driving factor for Coach development? If you could give a percentage (out of 100%) of how important coaching is to a winning team, what percentage would you give it?

[@Whoknowsx1234]

I really appreciate how you’ve put your distaste for Boston aside and admitted you were wrong about them. Respect. 1.2024 Celtics 2.2020 Lakers small gap 2023 Nuggets Big Gap 2022 Warriors 2019 Raptors tiny gap 2021 Bucks

[@Whoknowsx1234]

If you read this lakers/Celtics is a 7 game series toss up I’m biased but they have 5 top 50 players and arguably 2 top 12. And then Horford Hauser Pritchard Tillman Kornet off the bench.

[@elliottmaynard9610]

Trippin.. if they’re slowing down Luka and kyrie without doubling them, then they’re definitely slowing down Jamal Murray. Which means jokic would have to avg 45 a game to win the series

[@rhodytrent7169]

Research? Love you’re pod but cmon man Cs were 23-7 against the west this year. 76% win percentage. #1 seed in west okc 69%. What’s the last team to sweep the conf finals and nba finals?………..

[@arturasurbonas4262]

But by score we can see Dallas strugles more to score than to give up points

[@Lashingbear]

I’d probably go nuggets 1, Celtics 2, 2020 lakers 3. Noted Celtics fan, so a little biased. I just think the combination of 5 out offense with man to man defense at all levels of the lineup puts them above everyone but Jokic. He’d find a way to exploit it

[@glovs4188]

Well. Boston have tatum be the primary inititiator on offense, boxing out centers and switching to luka. Same with brown. Luka simply have terrible conditioning. I know he relies on that weight a lot to create offense. Still not an excuse.

[@truthhurts837]

The sheer nerve of this guy to complain about Luka, who led a trade deadline team with exactly ZERO Allstars through three 50 win teams on to his first Finals as a 25 year old, is absolutely laughable. While on a bad knee, with an ankle and a chest contusion, Luka will be the second player ever to lead an entire playoff in points, rebounds and assists. Joker was the first player to do it, last season. But Luka will also lead this entire playoff in steals. You haters are a joke.

[@cmac392]

5 Top 50 player Celtics > 2 Top 10 Laker players

[@JGDRConsulting]

I agree with you Jason that offense should have more weight than defense but a certain (minimum) level or amount of defense is necessary to be considered a superstar! No defense at all is not a basketball player!

[@zaybrooks9056]

Only change is I have nuggets at number one. Jamal played at a top 10 to 7 level, jokic was the best in the league and AG was an all league defender along with KCP. Plus Bruce brown and Jeff green off the bench was severely underrated. MPJ also!! Love the show

[@mctaguer]

Boston fan here. Agree Denver would've been the toughest match-up. I am hopeful to see them next year--think it would be an epic Finals.

[@AmorCorona5]

Denver would have got smacked too

[@Wladislav]

Nah.

[@tompratt7125]

Last year's Nuggets? Get serious. This year's Nuggets--well below last year's version--beat Boston the two times they played.

[@HawkTarantula]

Regular season don't mean shit lol nuggets woulda got swept to! Nuggets couldn't even make it go WCF

[@Wladislav]

@@HawkTarantula It actually does mean something. Especially since both teams played their playoff rotations for the occasion.

[@HawkTarantula]

@Wladislav if I use your logic okc was undefeated vs nuggets so they would have never made it to the finals cope a little harder buddy celtics 2024 champs and more to come

[@slugintub312]

Individual Team Ranking: 1. 2023 Nuggers: I certainly think Boston could give this team a run for their money but Jokic was basketball Jesus last season and they have a very solid supporting cast with Bruce Brown and Jeff Green off the bench and as good as guys like Pritchard and Hauser are, those two are a really nice luxury for most things that boston doesn't really have. 2. 2024 Celtics: This team just doesn't have that GUY, but apart from that they're one of the greatest collections of talent we've ever seen on a basketball team and have a lot to offer. Their offense gets bogged down too much occasionally though and denver just never really did that year bc jokic could actually shoot unlike now. 3. 2020 Lakers: As good as this team was really it was Lebron, AD, and a bunch of shooters. They were great defensively but a mediocre offense the whole year. They also lost a couple of random games they shouldn't have and their run to the finals was similar to the celtics in that it was pretty easy overall. Still a great team but I think the supporting casts on the teams above are just better. 4. 2019 Raptors: Kawhi was on another level this year and their bench cast was really uniquely great for a champion, but the injuries in the finals are a tough sell and their second guy was an older Lowry or a young Siakam so that holds them back. 5. 2021 Bucks: I think Giannis wasn't quite as good as some of the other top tier guys in recent years and the supporting cast is fine but nothing amazing, to me they go here is bc Khris Middleton was amazing that run and he was clearly better than any of the support guys on the 22 warriors. 6. 2022 Warriors: feel like as you said this was a fine team but nothing all that special that got very hot at the right time and steph went crazy, but the way they've imploded since then has really soured me to how this team was.

[@kevinmclain6741]

2019 Raptors? Lmao.

[@slugintub312]

@@kevinmclain6741 Wdym, that team was very solid but nowhere near those top 3. Very weird to evaluate

[@kevinmclain6741]

@slugintub312 That team benefitted from a weak injured EC (which they struggled to beat even needing a miracle shot) and a team with 2 injured HOF (which they still struggled against) to win. You put the Warriors last who beat a very similar team to the one about to sweep you have 2nd? I mean they literally beat them minus Jrue. And that team had Smart the DPOY. Lol. Myopia

[@slugintub312]

@@kevinmclain6741 This celtics team is 100 times better than the 2022 celtics. The bucks weren't amazing but they took a celtics team to 7 without middleton and with the way he was in 2021 i think the bucks were a bit better. Really the tiers are bucks and gsw last, then raptors, lakers, and then nuggets/celtics

[@kevinmclain6741]

@slugintub312 100x better lol? They had 100x as many wins? Just a dumb take. Smart vs Jrue. 2022 bench was SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER. And Porzingis WHO HAS BARELY PLAYED ALL PLAYOFFS. Your rankings are flat out dumb.

[@chrisdixon8615]

6.Bucks 5.Raptors 4.Lakers (following years hurt their status) 3. Warriors(interchangeable with Lakers, but they had more pop in their run) 2.Nuggets(Soft path as well as Boston so interchangeable. Celtics dominated more tho) 1.Celtics( dominated from absolute start to finish)

[@glenn8886]

Talking about the order of last 6 years champion: I agree most of Jayson’s thoughts, but just want to flip the order of 2019 Raptors and 2022 Warriors

[@subliminakeys1674]

This dude hates the Celtics you can feel it. He really really hates Tatum and it's very obvious. Which is fine, cause everyone hates him because he is likeable and just so good at every aspect of basketball

[@jackchimney1971]

If Luka played Luka, Luka would get a switch onto Luke every single time and probably score +40 easy

[@DanikDiLallaBonneau]

How good would it have been if last year's Heat team faced this years Mavs team and this year's Celtics faced last year's Nuggets and who would have won each matchups?

[@syhchiang]

How can a guy be a complete liability on defense, still be considered a top tiered super star?

[@kwesip6267]

The dunk at 85:70 broke the back of Dallas. Before then, I thought there was a chance and after that dunk - it was over!

[@everminenow]

Jason's Ranking Last 6 Championship 6.) 2021 Bucks 5.) 2019 Raptors 4.) 2022 Warriors 3.) 2024 Celtics 2.) 2023 Nuggets And of course he's a Lakers fan and his number #1 is 2020 Lakers Lmao. I still believe, in a vacuum if KP is 100% healthy. Celtics will beat the shit of off everyone.

[@DoctorX101]

Game One sort of shows that if he was healthy, Game Three would not have gotten close.

[@EmanresuThe]

How a 25yo All-Star that was in Season MVP Conversation is a defensive liability in the Finals is beyond me. Man up, Luka!

[@taylor7264]

your nba champion rankings are off bc you forgot the prompt. its abt which team has the most matchup flexibility not who has the best apex alpha or the hardest path etc... ofc talent matters but all of these teams are talented so thats why matchup flexibility becomes crucial in evaluating which one is rly best. that being said these are my rankings based on matchup flexibility 1. '24 celtics (white/holiday/brown/tatum/porzingus): bc they have 5/6 two-way guys that can all dribble-pass-shoot and guard multiple position. they are the definition of versatility. theres not style of ball they cant play. let's remember we've barely seen them at full strength this post szn. 2. '21 bucks (holiday/middleton/tucker/giannis/lopez) - bc on offense they had 3 guys that could initiate offense in pnr or pnp w lopez stretching the floor. buddenholzer may have been a little rigid in his defensive philosophy but they had 3 great perimeter defenders that theoretically could switch 1-3/4 while having 2 elite rim protectors. in terms of top end talent giannis is as good as 1 on this lsit. 3. '19 raptors (lowry/green/kawhi/siakam/gasol) - during their run kawhi was as good as any uperstar on this list in terms of his 2-way dominance. offensively they played 5 guy you have to respect from 3 while having two iso scorers as well as ball handlers that could create in 2-man action. all their guys guarded too. i put them below the bucks bc the bucks had a little more size w their versatility. 4. '20 lakers (kcp/green/bron/ad/howard) - also a versatile two way team. i have them at #4 bc that lakers team had limited playmakers outside of lebron. so essentially they only had 1 way to play on offense. i think they'd struggle if a great team found a way to make "the others" make decisions w the ball instead of being play finishers. defensively they were as versatile as any1 on the list. 5. '23 nuggets (murray/kcp/mpj/ag/jokic) - theyre great bc of jokic and bc the complemetary nature of their roster construction. they have a lot of counters offensively and a guy in jokic that makes the right play every time. defensively they have just enough personnel wise to cover all facets of nba defense. however imo they have a few more weaknesses than the teams above. offensively they lack offensive initiators relative to the teams above. defensively they have entry points in murray n mpj and relatively little rim protection. 6. '22 warriors (steph/klay/wiggins/dray/looney) - they started 2 non shooters and only rly had 2 offensive initiators in steph n poole. defensively they lacked elite rim protection but they were extremely versatile

[@Bald_Monkey]

This years Celtics and last years Nuggets would’ve both beat the 2020 Lakers and we all know why you wouldn’t see it that way. Otherwise i agree with your List (as a Warriors Fan, even they didnt view themselves as a championship roster).

[@Elan8chz]

You might be casual! Lakers played no one in that 2020 Mickey Mouse run. Yes Warriors did not have another top player, but Steph put a MJ like playoff performance. That Mavs had Jalen Brunson and Luka, Nuggets, Memphis was stacked. Compare to banged up Dame and Bam Lakers opponent, not to mention AD shot 42% from 3 from that bubble court.

[@Bald_Monkey]

@@Elan8chz alright there chief Do you remember any of Kerr’s, Draymond’s and Steph’s comments on questions like “which of your 4 championships was the most unlikely” or “which ring was the hardest”? Drop your apples v. oranges stats to the actual achievers of that championship we are talking about here🙄

[@winsonboss1240]

For Boston, they been building this for the last six years. Not a shocker they are in this position.

[@hipking23]

If it wasn't for Luka, Mavs would have been in the lottery.

[@Qsaine9]

I think we throw that word apex around to lightly lebron was a apex Kobe was a apex I feel like a apex is a unstoppable force no limitations in his being can dominate offensively and defensively

[@lockvegas05]

Dallas is short a player as they need a Big man that has a decent post game. For example, if Dallas had Jonas Valanciunas they would likely win the series. He would punish Tatum on the block. Dallas needs to add Jonas Valancuinas and get rid Powell. That is the missing piece.

[@SomeChink]

Valanciunas would have only made the defense even worse. With Luka, it would be a complete disaster.

[@Mist_R]

This is why your ranking sucks, and it's simple. It's based very specifically on having "the best top 2 players." That's a very odd, niche criteria just to give the Lakers the edge. You basically said, screw everything else, let's narrow it down to this random criteria.

[@otislamar8613]

1. 2023 Nuggets 2. 2024 Celtics 3. 2021 Bucks 4. 2019 Raptors 5. 2020 Lakers 6. 2022 Warriors

[@connorkimball3064]

The most frustrating part was luka was passable on defense the first 3 rounds. It just fell off a cliff and its frustrating

[@joel2421]

He was passable because there were better places to hide him. When he got hunted Dallas could help off whomever Luka’s man had previously been. Celtics have 5 shooters on the floor, nowhere to hide Luka and when he gets hunted if you help then you leave a good shooter open. Plus his physical condition kept getting worse. There’s no easy fixes, he plays a very physical brand of basketball so unless he gets into tip top physical shape then his body is always going to break down. He also is going to have to become at least a competent defensive player, part of that starts with him using his IQ on that end instead of zoning out completely.

[@connorkimball3064]

@@joel2421 nah man this is different, he slipped mentally defensively heavily. Too many stupid mistakes that he just didnt make against OKC or Minny

[@joel2421]

@@connorkimball3064 I agree, but in this series all of his miscues get punished, before some of them didn’t hurt the team as much.

[@onetake721]

Because Celtics attack him and expose him!! Exactly what u do to a weak link

[@truthhurts837]

The sheer nerve of this guy to complain about Luka, who led a trade deadline team with exactly ZERO Allstars through three 50 win teams on to his first Finals as a 25 year old, is absolutely laughable. While on a bad knee, with an ankle and a chest contusion, Luka will be the second player ever to lead an entire playoff in points, rebounds and assists. Joker was the first player to do it, last season. But Luka will also lead this entire playoff in steals. You haters are a joke.

[@johngist3761]

It's easy to make the justification why the 2020 Lakers are better than the other champions. Simply because the 2023 and 2024 Nuggets are MUCH better than the 2020 Nuggets and the Lakers lost both those series with a point average around 7pts or less. It wouldnt have been as dominant as the 2020 series win but I'm sure the 2020 Lakers would beat the '23 and '24 Nuggets in 6 games for both series. Match up wise though, I think the 2020 Lakers might have struggled with the 2019 Raptors and 21 Bucks. Kawhi was on another planet in '19, same with Giannis in '21

[@connor_phillipz5689]

Luka is one of the reasons they're down 0-3 as he hasn't been good enough. But he's also the reason why they are in the finals and have even had a chance in these games. People can criticize his defense, effort, and attitude all they want. He deserves a lot of heat for those things. But if anyone says that he is the why the Mavs are losing they're just lying.

[@christophervisconte1518]

Welcome to the club. This was Jayson Tatum after he lost in the finals 2 years ago.

[@MRulli427]

@@christophervisconte1518hell no it isn’t, that team around Tatum was WAYY better than this cast around Luka

[@christophervisconte1518]

@@MRulli427 that team around Tatum was not better. Your problem is you think those players suck because Luka kills all rhythm and rhythm players look better without Luka than they look playing with Luka. Until Luka starts playing basketball instead of 1 on 5 the mavs will never win,

[@Trillchris9607]

@@christophervisconte1518this is disingenuous lol

[@connor_phillipz5689]

@@christophervisconte1518 That Celtics team was objectively better than this Mavs team. And the whole "Players look better without Luka" comment is just utter BS. Luka makes everyone around him better because he's constantly feeding them easy shots with on time and on target passes while making their offensive roles much simpler. Exum was out of the league before this season and was a big contributor during the regular season. DJJ was a minimum contract player who wasn't nearly this impactful on any of his previous teams. People said the Mavs were insane for spending a first round pick in the trade for Gafford and he nearly broke Wilts FG streak specifically because of the easy looks Luka was giving him. They said the same thing about PJ and he was arguably their 3rd best player for this playoff run despite having no playoff experience. Dereck Lively was a 19 year old rookie when the Mavs drafted him thinking he was a project and playing next to Luka allowed him to become a key contributor on a finals team. That's unheard of for any rookie let alone one that young. Luka made all of those guys undeniably better than they were before playing with him. The idea that he's somehow holding his teammates back is absolute nonsense.

[@masstarvation]

Now can you all stop with the "Luka is the best player" narrative? How can you be the best player when you are the reason your team lost? IF he played just a bit of defense in this series, he could have given themselves a chance. Instead he killed Kyrie's momentum and allowed 10000 points from Boston while complaining to the refs. People today don't value defense anymore, and they got a rude awakening and a reality check. Defense wins championships

[@dood949]

Mailbag: Why do you call yourself a lakers fan? Shouldn’t you say I support the Lakers bc LeBrons on the team? If LeBron left the Lakers wouldn’t you not be a fan of the Lakers anymore?

[@spl1x]

I am a Celts fan. I do NOT think Tatum belongs in the MVP mix. He's great, plays excellent D but is not quite at the 'unstoppable at certain things' level. Yet. If he develops a stop and pop or floater after beating his man at the 3 point line he could make that jump. That being said, the Celtics have been under-appreciated by the national media, strictly because of this. You do NOT have to have the BEST player to win a championship. You NEED to have the best TEAM. Run back this EXACT team next season and I'm confident they will be back in the finals. Can they repeat? Obviously this depends on the moves made by everyone else to catch up. I'm very optimistic about our future, but I'm NOT calling this squad a potential dynasty until they can prove some consistency. Thanks Jason, love your stuff.

[@BlockchainBreakthru]

Celts had 5 best point differential all time this year and actually hit more 3s at a higher shooting percentage than 16-17 warriors. Pretty shocking tbh. On paper they had an all time regular season. With going potentially 15-2 in the playoffs. Results are results. No alpha dog for sure but the results are impressive.

[@98091238]

After a couple rounds, Dončić was said to be the clutchest player in the game. After beating Minnesota in the Western Conference Finals, people were claiming that Dončić was the best player in the world. After 2 games of the finals and poor displays by Tatum, people were saying that Dončić should be the Finals MVP on a losing team. Fouls out in Game 3 and Dončić is overrated, a terrible defender, the reason the Mavericks lost etc.

[@truthhurts837]

The sheer nerve of this guy to complain about Luka, who led a trade deadline team with exactly ZERO Allstars through three 50 win teams on to his first Finals as a 25 year old, is absolutely laughable. While on a bad knee, with an ankle and a chest contusion, Luka will be the second player ever to lead an entire playoff in points, rebounds and assists. Joker was the first player to do it, last season. But Luka will also lead this entire playoff in steals. You haters are a joke.

[@jessief2048]

Media needs to have this conversation. Why are they so flagrantly racist against Luka? It’s a real problem. A very injured Luka beats the Clippers, the #1 seed in the West OKC, and the #1 defensive team in the NBA, the TWolves. But today US media is trashing him like he’s the worst player in the NBA. They didn’t do it to Brunson, Shai, Ant, or any other player. Luka has the best stats in this series at 30/10/6, but media makes you think he’s averaging 5/5/5. Why is that except that he’s White European?

[@jmipre1985]

Lmao This Celtics team would absolutely destroy the 21 Lakers

[@marlynsal]

Denver, Celtics, Lakers, Bucks, Warriors, Raptors this the list

[@AAblade7]

Wow Boston is a little early to the criticism of Jason from the championship fan base. Wait till you win game 4 before going all in.

[@ClarkeKent5]

At some point Jason ur gonna have to realize that the nba Isn’t really about having top tier stars anymore more than it is about identity

[@lucaswild9077]

how is it not? every champion since 2014 has had a top 3-4 player on their team.

[@AAblade7]

@@lucaswild9077more like 2004.

[@roselelouch3038]

Luka is my 2nd favorite player ever after LeBron but I think it’s ridiculous to put him over Giannis the man was the best player in the league won 2 MVPs a DPOY and a championship on a 50 point performance and he was literally just injured these past 2 playoffs

[@truthhurts837]

The sheer nerve of this guy to complain about Luka, who led a trade deadline team with exactly ZERO Allstars through three 50 win teams on to his first Finals as a 25 year old, is absolutely laughable. Luka will be the second player ever to lead an entire playoff in points, rebounds and assists. Joker was the first player to do it, last season. But Luka will also lead this entire playoff in steals. You haters are a joke.

[@zinktomas8251]

Your opinion of Jokic’s defense is wild. He is a well below average defender. Opponents shoot nearly 60% in the paint when he is the closest defender. He has elite perimeter defenders to help protect them, but when they are torched (as they were in the Wolves series) he’s exposed.

[@officerricky3230]

You still missing the point. Jokic gets exposed because he can’t guard. He can’t jump or move left to right. But jokic is out there running up and down that court. He’s not on the floor because he didn’t get a call. Is embarrassing

[@ForeverBleedinGreen]

OMGosh! I've been saying this - it seems at my age - FOR CENTURIES! ... DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS KIDS!...PERIOD. End of story. End of Finals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! History HAS been MADE!

[@Taylorrr-Made]

This guy understands numbers

[@ahmahlondo6748]

1. Jason Kidd is a good coach. However, not only do the celtics have much better role players but he is also outcoached. 2. Celtics have great 1 on 1 defenders. With the very very stagnant playing style of Dallas, they cannot bring up the ball at slow paces and allow the boston defense to settle. 3. I understand Luka is a defensive liability, however seeing him not giving an effort is frustrating. 4. MAILBAG: Do you think Mikal Bridges would fit pretty well for Dallas? A good perimeter defender and an efficient shooter.

[@joshuaj1442]

Mailbag: Dont you think Luka counters this point you just made. Luka is a genius offensively, comparable to jokic, but his defensive limitations will be almost universally to agreed as the reason they lost. You can get a somewhat serviceable ball handler to Bucks to scheme around Giannis limitations and put shooters around him. I still think its 50:50 especially seeing hpw much of a hole luka has been and the effect on his team despite his all world offense. Good defense leads to offense and more transition opportunities

[@truthhurts837]

The sheer nerve of this guy to complain about Luka, who led a trade deadline team with exactly ZERO Allstars through three 50 win teams on to his first Finals as a 25 year old, is absolutely laughable. While on a bad knee, with an ankle and a chest contusion, Luka will be the second player ever to lead an entire playoff in points, rebounds and assists. Joker was the first player to do it, last season. But Luka will also lead this entire playoff in steals. You haters are a joke.

[@sloetea]

the matchup vs. the 2021 bucks would at least be fun for the jrue vs. younger jrue matchup.

[@jessief2048]

The fake news stories about Luka defense are horrendous. Google best defensive ratings by guards and you’ll be surprised to find him 2nd. But media hatred for Luka outweighs facts or objectivity. It’s totally out of control.

[@1800LUNATIC]

2019 raptors definitely beat the 2022 Warriors. Damn near played that team in the finals and beat them. Kawhi isnt going to shit the bed like Tatum did in the finals