Lakers advance to Western Conference Finals, Jayson Tatum, Celtics eliminate 76ers | NBA | THE HERD

I did pick the Lakers to win the play-in game and I did pick them to beat Memphis, but I thought they would lose to Golden State and I've said they're not a championship team and they really handled Golden State. Now I didn't think the Warriors were a championship team either, said that multiple times, but it was the way in which they dominated mostly the Warriors and so I don't hate them, I just don't get them and so yet many people that I respect, a lot of people, I mean my guy Nick Wright's been saying they're going to win the NBA championship and a lot of smart people believe that and I'm like, I don't get it. They also had the best record in the NBA since the trade deadline, the whole league, not the Celtics, not the Nuggets, not the Bucs, the Lakers do and so I asked myself yesterday, I went in a long drive after that guy came up to me and said, you understand him now? I'm like, no, I don't. So I had about a 20-minute drive and I got into my car and it hit me. I mean nobody hit me, it hit me. I'm comparing this LeBron to LeBron in his prime. Of course he looks average. He's the greatest basketball player probably ever. Of course he looks old and at times mediocre and of course he disappears at times. So this player that I've loved, discussed, built my show around during the basketball season for 15 years, it came to me. Stop comparing this LeBron to old LeBron and just compare him to the rest of mortals and so I went this morning and we got the play-in game, which the league doesn't count statistically, but I consider it like a playoff game. So I counted the play-in game, every game against Memphis and every game against the Warriors and then what is LeBron? Let's get out of me thinking of LeBron now against old LeBron. Pretend it never existed and there was just this guy named LeBron James. What is he? And what he is is 24 points a game, 10 rebounds, five and a half assists, 50% shooting, 38 minutes per game. Oh wait, that's a better version of Jalen Brown of the Celtics. Yeah, now I get it. That's double the rebounds of Jalen Brown. That's 60% more assists than Jalen Brown. So it's a bigger, stronger, more experienced, more winning when it matters version of Jalen Brown. And then it hit me. Now I get it. What the Lakers are, they have arguably the best player in the whole thing, AD, certainly the best defensive player left. They have a player that's better than Jalen Brown. I mean, do you realize only three players left are averaging 20 plus points, 10 plus rebounds and five plus assists. Jokic, Tatum, and LeBron. So if you consider LeBron, basically somewhere around Jalen Brown and Tatum, then you have AD who's arguably the best player left and certainly the best defensive player. And then throw in like a Jason Tatum level player. And then Austin Reeves and D'Lo are certainly capable offensive players. They can be a little spotty because they're not superstars, but they're more than capable. And a coach that's been very good at in-game and in-series adjustments, Darwin Ham, and some role guys who are hot and cold. Okay, now I look at him and think, oh, it's different. It's not AD who's good every other game and old LeBron and undrafted Austin Reeves. If you really forget and stop myself comparing this LeBron to the greatest basketball player ever, LeBron, and just say, what is he now? Just compartmentalize it. What is he now? 24, 10, five and a half, 50% shooting, great experience, insanely high basketball intellect, situationally a marvel. Okay, now it's a championship team and I will pick them to beat Denver in six. And I think they match up okay with Boston. I didn't before that drive, I couldn't figure it out. I mean, part of being a host, this part I love, is not just watching games and having an opinion. Anybody that's listened to me knows I like theories, holistic, what's the bigger picture. And I just haven't understood this Laker team all since the trading deadline. I thought they were bad early, they were. And then they make these moves and I'm like, okay, they barely beat Utah again in Chicago. And yeah, they'll beat Memphis because Memphis is immature, but Warriors and I kind of hammered them. So I'm no longer, at least for the rest of this year, going to compare LeBron to young LeBron. I'm just going to be able and capable of just saying, what is he tonight? What will he be in game one against Denver? 24, 10, five and a half, 37, 38 minutes, 50% shooting. We may be the highest basketball intellect we've seen in our lives. It hit me, it took me a while, I'm slow, but it hit me, they'll beat Denver. Okay, let's talk Jason Tatum. So every Celtic fan in this country, be honest with yourself. No, no, no, I mean, really honest. You woke up yesterday morning. Now on this show Friday, J-Mac and I said, Celtics win easily. And J-Mac said, easily? I'm like, yeah, they're going to win easily. But you woke up as a Celtic fan and your takeaway was, okay, they'll win if Tatum's great. And the reason you ask yourself that is because Tatum's not always great, although he's a great player, but he can be a little bit tight in big spots. You know, like earlier in the series against the Sixers. Not last year, the year before, earlier in this series. But you knew if he brought it, he would be great because he often is. But everybody that watches the Celtics, the real fans that watch the games know, this team dominates blowouts. They led the NBA in point differential. They're Mike Tyson. They knock a lot of people out. In fact, they knock more people out than anybody in the league, but they were sub 500 regular season when games got close, or maybe it was just 500, 13-13. I think we looked it up. So yes, Jason Tatum delivered yesterday, but you were nervous in the morning and you didn't know. And we still don't know. You're really going to brag about Jason Tatum's 51-point game 10 years from now at a Boston bar over a Sam Adams if they lose to Miami or get vanquished by LeBron in the finals. Yeah, there's nothing cooler than a guy bragging about Jason Tatum's second-round win over sagging Philly. The great ones don't talk about the second round. MJ didn't. Kobe didn't. LeBron doesn't. The great ones are judged by the finals. And last year he lost the finals, but he was magnificent. He's capable of doing it more than he does. I'm happy for him, but don't lie about it. You know, and I know you woke up yesterday as a Celtic fan thinking, okay, if Tatum's great, we'll be great. Larry Bird did it forever. Russell did it forever. Koozie did it forever. You'd seen it. Kevin Garnett came and did it, but Tatum had the talent. Will he be the guy? And he was, and he deserves credit. And the NBA is a league in which there are steps to greatness. And he just checked another box off the list, a 51-point game seven. Remember Giannis for years and years and years and years and years, you're like, yeah, but he doesn't like to hit free throws. He can be reluctant. Then he had that great series in the final one. We checked it off. And then this year he reverted back to what he was earlier, which is kind of regressing, afraid to get the ball, doesn't want to get fouled at the free throw line. So this is a box checked, a box checked, but years from now, nobody's going to care about a second round win against Philly. And this is going to seem incredibly hollow. If they get beat by the heat, don't think they will pretty sure they won't. But if they do, and it's not going to feel that great either. If the Lakers, your primary rival beat you again. And some of this is Philly just quit, which we kept telling you all year, love to watch them, didn't trust them, but it was a remarkable moment. He checked a box. He deserves all the credit. What he was was in his head, which he gets into a lot. He didn't yesterday as he just said, and he gave you an all time performance play. Don't think about it. I said this last week, he's a great kid. Sometimes the best players aren't great people on the floor. They punch, they push their selfish as an athlete. Sometimes that's okay. Especially in game sevens. Yesterday Tatum knew he was the best player on the floor. Wave people off. This is me celebrated his greatness. That's okay. You wouldn't want that as a human being, but like an athlete game seven, that's what we want. Stay out of your head. Stay in the moment and crush for the record. What was the knock early on LeBron James? Maybe LeBron and Jason Tatum have some similarities. What was the knock on LeBron? He didn't want to take the big shot. He passed too much. Now I didn't buy into it because I thought he was such a great passer and he was putting up massive numbers, but LeBron sometimes the knock was he's kind of a little passive late. Didn't really buy into it. He just wasn't as aggressive as a Kobe or an MJ late, but I didn't buy he was passive. Sometimes I feel Tatum is a little leans toward passive. Wasn't yesterday, but it's a pretty good comp with LeBron and Tatum. It was an all time performance.