MAX: DISAPPOINTED. OBVIOUSLY BOTH BUT MORE DISAPPOINTED IN RUSSELL WESTBROOK BECAUSE HEADING INTO THIS GAME, I THOUGHT RUSSELL WESTBROOK IS GOING TO WILL HIMSELF TO BE THE BEST PLAYER ON EITHER TEAM. AND IT TURNS OUT WASN'T EVEN THE BEST POINT GUARD ON EITHER TEAM.
YOU'RE SET UP FOR THIS WATCHING THE PACERS AND HORNETS AND YOU SEE THE WAY CHARLOTTE CAME OUT AND SAID DAMN, THEY JUST LACK INTENSITY, RIGHT? ONE THING, I TWEETED A PICTURE OF WESTBROOK ENTERING THE ARENA BECAUSE I WANT TO SHOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INTENSITY AND WHAT CHARLOTTE SHOWED. I USED WESTBROOK AS THE POSTER CHILD FOR THAT.
THIS DUDE IS INTENSE. IF ANYTHING I THINK SOMETIMES WESTBROOK IS TOO INTENSE, HE PULLS TOO HARD AND NEEDS TO EASE OFF BUT NOT TO THE EXTENT WE SAW LAST NIGHT. THE BODY LANGUAGE, EVERYTHING.
I DID NOT SEE THE NORMAL RUSSELL WESTBROOK, LET ALONE A GUY WHO REFUSED TO LOSE AND THAT'S WHAT IT WAS GOING TO TAKE. SO RUSSELL WESTBROOK, MR. INTENSITY, DOES EVERYTHING, TRIPLE-DOUBLES ON A TEAM THAT WAS EXTREMELY HOT LATE IN THE SEASON LARGELY BECAUSE OF HIM, WAS NOT THE BEST PLAYER BUT WAS OUTPLAYED BY THE OTHER TEAM'S POINT GUARD AND SO OF COURSE THEY HAD NO CHANCE TO WIN AND NOW I HAVE TO SIT HERE AND LISTEN TO THIS GUY, MOLLY, TALK ABOUT WAKE ME UP WHEN RUSSELL WESTBROOK WINS IN THE PLAYOFFS, PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO DO THAT ANOTHER YEAR.
MOLLY: YOU DO LISTEN TO HIM 10 HOURS A WEEK. STEPHEN A. : HATE TO SAY "I TOLD YOU SO.
" BUT LIKE I TOLD FOLKS, GUY'S A FUTURE HALL OF FAMER, WITHOUT QUESTION, AN INCREDIBLE TALENT P. GOT TO WORK OP THE J BECAUSE WHEN BRAD STEVENS DECIDES TO TAKE A 6'9" GUY WITH JAYSON TATUM'S LENGTH AND PUT HIM ON YOU TO DEFEND YOU BECAUSE HE KNOWS THAT CAN BE AN IMPEDIMENT TO YOU FINISHING SHOTS AT THE BASKET WHICH IS WHAT RUSSELL WESTBROOK'S SPECIALTY IS, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU'RE COMPROMISED. DID YOU KNOW THAT BRAD STEVENS LITERALLY PUT KEMBA WALKER ON HACHIMURA WHO IS LIKE 6'9", 6'10", YEAH, KEMBA WALKER ON HIM FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.
THAT'S HOW LITTLE YOU WERE WORRIED ABOUT THE OTHER GUY. YOU KEYED ON WESTBROOK AND KNOWS HE STRUGGLES TO SHOOT PERIMETER SHOTS AS THE GAME SLOWS IN POSTSEASON AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT WHEN I WAS SAYING STEPH CURRY, DAMIAN LILLARD AND OTHERS ARE MARKSMEN AND WHY THEY HAVE MORE SUCCESS IN THE POSTSEASON BECAUSE THEY CAN PULL UP FROM LONG RANGE. NOW, HAVING SAID ALL THAT, AS DISAPPOINTED AS RUSSELL WESTBROOK'S PERFORMANCE WAS, I'VE GOT TO GIVE PRAISE TO JAYSON TATUM WHO PUT THE WORLD ON NOTICE AND JUST REMINDED EVERYBODY, THE BROTHER'S ONLY 22.
HE'S DROPPING 50. HE IS AVERAGING 26 A GAME AS THE NUMBER ONE OPTION FOR THE BOSTON CELT INTHS. SHOOTS 45% FROM THE FIELD, BETTER THAN 38.
5% FROM THREE-POINT RANGE. THAT DUDE IS 22 YEARS OLD. THAT'S THE DUDE THAT BRIAN COLANGELO GOT HOSED BY DANNY AINGE OVER.
WHEN THE SIXERS HAD THE NUMBER ONE -- I'M SORRY, WHEN THE SIXERS HAD THE NUMBER THREE OVERALL PICK AND WANTED TO MOVE UP TO NUMBER ONE SO BADLY TO PASS ON JAYSON TATUM AND PICK MARCKELL FULTZ INSTEAD. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE. JUST IMAGINE FOR ONE SECOND, MAX KELLERMAN, IF JAYSON TATUM WAS PLAYING WITH BEN SIMMONS AND JOEL EMBIID.
THEY'RE WINNING IT ALL. THEY'RE WINNING IT ALL. THAT'S HOW GIFTED THIS KID IS AND HE'S ONLY 22 YEARS OF AGE WHICH ULTIMATELY BRINGS US BACK TO THE CONVERSATION WE HAD WITH BRAD STEVENS WHO DID AN INCREDIBLE JOB COACHING LAST NIGHT AND GIVE CREDIT WHERE CRED SIT DUE AND NOTE ADVOCATING FOR HIM TO BE FIRED OR YOU, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE A TALENT LIKE THAT IN JAYSON TATUM AND KEMBA WALKER DROPS 29 AS WELL AND YOU SAW WHAT JALEN BROWN WAS DOING BEFORE HE GOT INJURED, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU GUYS DOING BEING A .
500 TEAM HAVING A ROLLER COASTER RIDE YOU WENT ON. THAT'S NOT ABOUT TALENT BUT ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE THAT WAS MISSING. I WALKED AWAY INCREDIBLY IMPRESSED WITH JAYSON TATUM A GUY EMERGING AS A STAR I THINK IS MAYBE A YEAR AWAY FROM BEING A FLAT-OUT SUPERSTAR IF HE'S NOT ALREADY.
HE'S THAT SPECIAL AND THAT'S WHAT WE WALK AWAY WITH LAST NIGHT'S GAME WITH. MAX: I SAID YESTERDAY AND HAVE BEEN SAYING JAYSON TATUM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO MAYBE ONE DAY BE THE NUMBER ONE SCORING OPTION ON A CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM. NOT MANY GUYS WHO EVER LIVED CAN REALLY BE THAT.
I THINK TATUM HAS A SHOT TO DO IT AND HE WAS PLAYING, STEPHEN A. , I'M NOT TAKING CREDIT AWAY FROM HIM, HE WAS GREAT LAST NIGHT. BUT HE'S PLAYING AN AWFUL, A MISERABLE DEFENSIVE TEAM.
WASHINGTON EVEN WHEN THEY GOT HOT, AND BY THE WAY, I THINK THEY HAVE REAL CHANCES, YOU KNOW, WITH INDIANA'S HEALTH, I THINK THEY HAVE REAL CHANCES AGAINST INDIANA. THEY HAVE BEATEN THEM TWICE RECENTLY. THEY'RE WINNING GAMES IS 37-135 IN REGULATION.
THEY WERE WINNING GAMES BY FAST PACED, HIGH SCORING GAMES. THEY'RE A BAD DEFENSIVE TEAM PLAYING A GREAT, YOUNG PLAYER WHO YOU KNEW HAD TO GO OFF TO WIN. STEPHEN A.
: YEAH, BUT THAT'S WHY I BROUGHT UP HIS NUMBERS BECAUSE IF HE JUST SHOWED UP LAST NIGHT AVERAGING 20 A GAME THAT WOULD BE DIFFERENT. WHEN YOU SPEND AN ENTIRE SEASON AND PLAY 64-72 GAMES AND YOU'RE THE NUMBER ONE OPTION FOR THE BOSTON CELTICS AND YOU STILL AVERAGE 26. 4 A GAME ON 45% SHOOTING AND BETTER THAN 38% SHOOTING FROM THREE-POINT RANGE WHEN YOU ARE 6'9" WITH A HANDLE AND PERIMETER SHOT AND MID RANGE GAME, THE WHOLE ENCHILADA, THE BROTHER IS SPECIAL!
AND JAYSON TATUM IS COMING. MOLLY: NO QUESTION. HIS THIRD 50-POINT GAME, ONLY ONE CELTIC HAS MORE, THAT WOULD BE LARRY BIRD WHO HAS FOUR.
GOOD COMPANY TO BE IN. WE LOVE LARRY BIRD AND THE ROSE FAMILY. STEPHEN A.
, LET ME ASK YOU THIS HERE, HOW FAR DO YOU THINK THE CELTICS CAN GO IN THIS NETS SERIES, WHAT KIND OF SERIES DO YOU THINK WILL GET THEM? STEPHEN A. : THEY'RE GETTING SWEPT.
THEY MIGHT LOSE IN FIVE BUT MY INITIAL RESPONSE IS THEY'LL GET SWEPT BECAUSE I THINK THAT BROOKLYN'S OFFENSE IS JUST SO LETHAL, THE FACT THAT JALEN BROWN IS NOT THERE, I BELIEVE THE ONLY WAY THAT BOSTON CAN WIN A GAME IN THIS SERIES IS IT KEMBA WALKER PLAYS THE WAY HE PLAYED LAST NIGHT. KEMBA WALKER DOESN'T SHOW UP AND DO WHAT HE DID LAST NIGHT, JAYSON TATUM CAN'T CARRY IT BY HIMSELF AGAINST THOSE BROTHERS. HE'LL GET HIS POINT.
