J.E.: GOOD EVENING, SWEET WORLD.
WELCOME TO "THE STARTERS."
WHETHER YOU ARE JOINING US LIVE,
WATCHING LATER ON YOU TO, WE ARE
HAPPY TO HAVE YOU.
ALONGSIDE ME, TAS MELAS.
TO HIS RIGHT, THE INTERNATIONAL
MAN OF MYSTERY.
LEIGH: FRIENDS.
J.E.: LAST BUT NOT LEAST,
WEARING SUPREME FOR THE THIRD
DAY IN A ROW, TREY KERBY.
TREY: I AM HERE LOOKING FOR YOUR
BEST TWEETS.
WHAT A NIGHT ON DECK.
NUGGETS AND TIMBERWOLVES, THE
BIG GAME.
THE WINNER OF THAT GAME GO TO
THE PLAYOFFS.
THAT HAPPENS AT 8:00 P.M.
EASTERN.
RUSSELL WESTBROOK IS 16 REBOUNDS
AWAY FROM AVERAGING A
TRIPLE-DOUBLE FOR THE SECOND
STRAIGHT SEASON.
MANY MORE TEAMS IN ACTION SO
THERE ARE BOUND TO BE SOME
RANDOM PERFORMANCES.
THERE IS A MERGE ON SURVIVOR
TONIGHT.
WHAT A NIGHT.
WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF THE
NIGHT?
WANT YOU TO HIT UP OUR TWITTER
PAGE WHERE YOU CAN VOTE.
WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF
TONIGHT?
NUGGETS-WOLVES?
RUSSELL WESTBROOK?
WHEN THE SURVIVOR MERGE?
GET YOUR VOTES IN.
WE WILL CHECK YOUR RESULTS
LATER.
J.E.: THERE IS A GUY NAMED
JONATHAN -- BONATHAN.
WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT
DONOVAN MITCHELL'S ROOKIE
HOOTIE.
-- HOODIE.
LATER, TAS GETS THE HIGH TO THE
FACE -- PIE TO THE FACE, THE
WINNER OF THE SHORT MONTH OF
APRIL GETS THE PIE TO THE FACE.
THE HIGH MAN IS BACK, -- PIE MAN
IS BACK, TAS.
DOING THAT.
TAS: THAT LOOKS APPEALING.
J.E.: LATER IN THE SHOW, HE GETS
THAT.
LET'S START WITH, IS THIS NEWS?
TREY HAS ROUNDED UP SOME
HEADLINES.
TREY: OUR FIRST HEADLINE COMES
FROM THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE.
BLOWOUT LOSS TO THE JAZZ SHOWED
THE WARRIORS HAVE LOST THEIR
AURA OF INVISIBILITY.
J.E.: THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN
OPINION.
TREY: IN MICE --
TAS: IT WILL NOT BE NEWS ONCE
THE POSTSEASON STARTS.
THIS TEAM KNOWS HOW HARD IT IS
TO GET TO FOUR STRAIGHT IN
GA FINALS.
AT SOME POINT, WHEN THEY ARE
COMPARABLE COMFORTABLE, THEY
SAID, LET'S PUT IT INTO NEUTRAL.
IF WON 58 GAMES, WHICH IS A HECK
OF AN ACCOMPLISHMENT.
ONLY TWO OTHER TEAMS HAVE DONE
IT THIS YEAR.
A LOT OF TEAMS WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS
AT 58 WEDNESDAY THEY TOLD US --
AT 58 WINS.
THEY TOLD US THEY ARE NOT GOING
TO HAVE THE SAME INTENSITY
LEVEL.
WE HAVE TO CHILL OUT AND THAT IS
WHAT THEY ARE DOING.
LEIGH: THEY NEED STEPH CURRY
BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
HE IS LIKELY TO MISS THE FIRST
ROUND.
THEY HAVE NOT LOOKED AS A SHARP
AS POLISHED IN YEARS PAST.
PART OF THAT COULD BE FATIGUE,
THE LAST THREE SEASONS THEY HAVE
GONE TO THE FINALS.
THEY KNOW THE 73-9 SEASON
COUNTED FOR NOTHING BECAUSE THEY
COULD NOT WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP.
THEY KNOW THEY DO NOT NEED TO GO
FULL THROTTLE THE ENTIRE REGULAR
SEASON.
THEY GOT HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
CORRECTLY ONLY TIME THEY WILL
NOT HAVE IT IS IF THEY FACE THE
ROCKETS.
LEIGH: AND THE RAPTORS --
J.E.: AND THE RAPTORS IN THE
FINALS.
LEIGH: THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO
TURN IT UP.
DEFENSIVELY, THEY HAVE SLEPT A
LOT.
STEVE KERR WANTED TO SEE MORE
FOCUSED.
HE KIND OF JUST DISMISSED THAT
AT THE END OF THE GAME.
J.E.: DID THE DUBS SLYLY
ROW THAT GAME?
-- THROW THAT GAME?
BY LOSING, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO
SEE THE JAZZ.
WE KNOW THEY ARE GOING TO FLIP
THE PROVERBIAL SWITCH.
CRANK UP THEIR INTENSITY.
IS THAT GOING TO BE ENOUGH
AGAINST BECOME EDITION IN THE
WEST?
THE ROCKETS WILL BE THE BEST
TEAM THEY HAVE SEEN IN THE LAST
COUPLE OF YEARS GOING TO THE
PLAYOFFS.
YES, THEY WILL DO THAT, BUT WILL
IT BE ENOUGH?
CURRY BE ALL RIGHT?
NO ONE SOUNDS ALL THAT CONCERN.
THE JAZZ ARE AWESOME.
THEY WERE PLAYING FOR SOMETHING.
TAS: THE DEFENSE IS A CONCERN.
TEAMS CANNOT DO THAT HERE IN AND
YEAR OUT.
ONLY THE HEAT, THE CELTICS AND
LAKERS OF THE 1980'S, ARE THE
ONLY TEAM THAT WENT TO FOUR
STRAIGHT FINALS OTHER THAN BILL
RUSSELL'S CELTICS.
TREY: OUR NEXT HEADLINE, DONOVAN
IS READY FOR THE MERGE
.
LEBRON JAMES ONE GAME AWAY FROM
PLAYING A FULL 82 GAME SEASON.
? IS THIS NEWS -- IS THIS NEWS?
LEIGH: I THINK IT IS A GOOD
REFLECTION OF THE LEAGUE.
THE HEAD OFFICE WILL BE HAPPY TO
KNOW THEY HAVE STRETCHED THE
SEASON OUT.
THEY HAVE GOTTEN RID OF BACK TO
BACKS.
IF IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR LEBRON,
I THINK THAT SENDS A SIGNAL TO
THE REST OF THE LEAGUE, THE
LEAGUE EXPECTS EVERYONE ELSE TO
DO IT AS WELL.
J.E.: WHY IS HE PLAYING THE LAST
COUPLE WEEKS?
BECAUSE HIS TEAM IS TRYING TO
LOCK UP IN LAYUP POSITION.
LEIGH: HE COULD EASILY TAKE
TONIGHT OFF.
TAS: I THINK HE IS HELPING HIS
MVP CASE AS WELL.
J.E.: YOU THINK IT SHOULD?
TAS: I THINK JAMES HARDEN WINS,
BUT I THINK IT IS NEWS FOR HIS
TEAM BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN THE
ROCK WHEN THERE ARE 17 DIFFERENT
ITERATIONS.
LOSING THE COACH, A BLOWUP OF
THE TEAM WITH TRADES.
THIS GUY HAS BEEN THE ROCK.
FOR HIS TEAM, IT IS NEWS.
FOR HIS LEGACY, PEOPLE WHO LOOK
AT HIS LEGACY, IT IS NOTHING.
SHE HAS PLAYED IN 81 GAMES.
WHAT IS ONE MORE GAME?
HE HAS PLAYED IN 70 93 TIMES.
-- 79 THREE TIMES.
JORDAN DID IT A BILLION TIMES.
J.E.: HIS LEGACY IS ALWAYS GOING
TO BE COMPARED TO JORDAN.
JORDAN DID IT NINE TIMES.
IN THIS ARTICLE, THERE WAS THE
PART THAT ANGERED ME.
HE WROTE SOMEONE LIKE LEBRON HAS
TO PLAY ALL 82 AT LEAST ONCE SO
NO ONE CAN EVER QUESTION HIS
STAMINA.
WHAT?
HE IS ONE OF THE MOST CONSISTENT
SUPERSTARS.
HE IS TRYING TO GO TO THE FINALS
FOR THE EIGHT CONSECUTIVE YEAR.
TAS: THEY WOULD SAY JORDAN DID
IT NINE TIMES.
J.E.: THAT IS THE SILLIEST
THING.
ARE SO MUCH YOU COULD
COMPARE.
-- THERE IS SO MUCH YOU COULD
COMPARE.
NOT NEWS.
TREY: THIS FINAL HEADLINE MIGHT
BE NEWS.
LOOK WHO TAKE -- LUC MBAH A
MOUTE LIKELY OUT FOR THE FIRST
ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS WITH A
DISLOCATED SHOULDER.
LEIGH: THIS IS A CONCERN FOR THE
ROCKETS.
THIS IS THE SECOND TIME HE HAS
POPPED OUT THAT SHOULDER.
THEY SAY HE IS GOING TO MISS THE
FIRST ROUND, SEVEN
GAMES.
HE IS AN UNDERRATED PART OF THE
TEAM.
DEFENSIVELY, VERY IMPORTANT.
HE CAN SWITCH.
GIVEN THE THREE-POINTER, HE IS
GOING TO KNOCK IT DOWN.
THE ROCKETS ARE GOING TO MISS
HIM.
THIS IS A BUMMER GOING INTO THE
PLAYOFFS BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN
GOOD ALL SEASON.
TAS: THEY SIGNED HIM AND P.J.
TUCKER TO PLAY ALONGSIDE CHRIS
PAUL, JAMES HARDEN AND CLICK
HELL AND PLAY AGAINST THE
WARRIORS.
-- CLINT CAPELA AND PLAY AGAINST
THE WARRIORS.
THEY HAD GUYS LIKE A RYAN
ANDERSON OR ERIC GORDON WHO CAN
PLAY ON THE WING.
WE ARE MORE OFFENSIVELY FOCUSED.
DARYL MOREY SAID TO MIKE
D'ANTONI, I'M GOING TO GET YOU A
COUPLE GUYS WHO CAN DDO BOTH.
HE IS UNDERRATED.
HOPEFULLY HE IS BACK FOR THE
SECOND ROUND.
MIKE D'ANTONI SAID, IT IS NOT AS
SEVERE AS LAST TIME.
LEIGH: I AM NOT A DOCTOR, BUT IF
THEY DO NOT POP OUT ONCE, IF YOU
DON'T GET IT FIXED PROPERLY,
THEY TEND TO POP OUT MORE
OFTEN.
J.E.: SORT OF LIKE ANDRE
ROBERSON, WHAT HE NEEDS TO THE
THUNDER, LUC MBAH A MOUTE IS
COMING OFF THE BENCH.
WE WILL DISCUSS DONOVAN
MITCHELL'S ROOKIE HOODIE AND
J.E.: BACK WITH "THE STARTERS"
WITH THE UP DOWN REPORT.
ONE DAY AFTER BEN SIMMONS
ESSENTIALLY DISMISSED DONOVAN
MITCHELL'S CHANCES OF ROOKIE OF
THE YEAR, DONOVAN MITCHELL
OFFERED A NOT-SO-SUBTLE RETORT,
WEARING THE HOODIE.PEOPLE ARE
LOVING THIS
.
TREY: I AM NOT INTO DEFINITION
SHIRTS.
THE DEFINITION BUILDS THEN
SIMMON'S -- BEN SIMMON'S CASE.
THEN SIMMON IS PLAYING HIS FIRST
SEASON.
-- BEN SIMMON IS PLAYING HIS
FIRST SEASON.
TAS: HE IS PROMOTING LEARNING, I
AM COOL WITH IT.
LEIGH: THIS LEAGUE IS THE
GREATEST.
TWITTER JUST LOST IT.
I HOPE HE COMES BACK WITH A
ONE HOPING HIS CASE.
J.E.: RUSSELL WESTBROOK NEEDS 16
REBOUNDS TO AVERAGE A
TRIPLE-DOUBLE, BUT HE IS TIRED
OF THE NARRATIVE HE IS STEALING
REBOUNDS TO PAD HIS STATS.
UP OR DOWN ON THIS IDEA?
LEIGH: HE DOES NOT NEED TO DENY
HE IS DOING IT, AND HE IS NOT
THE FIRST PLAYER TO HAVE DONE
THIS.
ON THE LAST DAY OF THE SEASON,
1994, DAVID ROBINSON SCORED 71
POINTS TO WIN THE SCORING TITLE.
COACH BROWN REPORTEDLY SAID IF
ANY OTHER PLAYERS SHOOT, THEY
ARE GOING TO GET FIND.
-- FINED.
IT IS A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT BY
RUSS.
J.E.: J. YOU WOULD LIKE HIM TO O
OUT AND SAY, I AM GOING FOR IT.
TAS: I THINK YOU CAN'T ASK FOR
HIM TO SLOW DOWN SOMETIMES AND
SPEED UP OTHERS.
WE TALKED ABOUT IT, EARLIER IN
THE SEASON, RUSS WAS MAYBE NOT
DOING ENOUGH FOR HIS TEAMMATES.
HE HAS TO BE THE MAN AT ALL
TIMES TO GET THE MOST OUT OF IT.
J.E.: HE MADE A GOOD POINT, IT
IS HARD FOR A TEAM TO SCOUT A
GUY GRABBING A REBOUND.
STEVEN ADAMS IS GREAT AT BOXING
OUT.
CARMELO AN SAYS HE STEALS THEM,
BUT IT IS COOL.
LEIGH: HE GOT HIS AVERAGE TO 20
POINTS IN THE SEASON.
EVERYONE DOES IT.
J.E.: THE ZERO IN ON WESTBROOK.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GOING
FOR 15 REBOUNDS AND THEN CHECK
HIMSELF UP.
LEAVE IT AT THAT.
FINAL ONE.
DREAMS DO COME TRUE.
AFTER A DECADE OF PLAYING IN THE
D-LEAGUE, G-LEAGUE, ANDRE INGRAM
PLAYED IN HIS FIRST NBA GAME.
32-YEAR-OLD ROOKIE.
THREE BLOCKS, THREE BOARDS, A
STEAL AND ASSIST.
ARE YOU UP OR DOWN ON THE IDEA
OF SIGNING INGRAM AGAIN?
WAS THIS ONE OF THE COOLEST
STORIES?
TAS: IT IS WONDERFUL TO HAVE
SOME GRAY HAIR IN THE LEAGUE.
J.E.: 32-YEAR-OLD ROOKIE, LOOKS
MORE LIKE 40 2.
LEIGH: THAT IS WHY I ALWAYS HOLD
OUT HOPE, THERE IS GOING TO BE A
CHANCE.
I AM IN REASONABLE SHAPE.
J.E.: THAT WAS THE AWESOME
THING.
IT WAS NOT LIKE HE WAS JUST
PLAYING.
HE WAS ON FIRE.
MAYBE HE COMES BACK NEXT YEAR.
EVERYBODY NEEDS SHOOTERS, GRAY
HAIR.
TAS: GREAT LOCKER ROOM GUY.
J.E.: TAS IS GOING TO GET A HIGH
TO THE FACE.
-- PIE TO THE FACE.
JIMMY BUTLER, HE ALWAYS KNOWS
WHERE THE CAMERA IS.
NEW MEME TEAM, NEXT.
THE MEME TEAM.
TAS: LANCE GONNA LANCE, GETS
BACK ON DEFENSE FOR THIS FIRST
ATTEMPT.
STOPS MOVING.
THERE WAS NO WHISTLE, MY FRIEND.
HE BLOCKED WHITE.
COOL BLOCK
POST GAME, HE GETS A SECURITY
GUARD RIGHT IN THE HEAD.
HE LOVES IT.
LOOKS BACK AT THE CAMERA.
J.E.: WE ALL KNOW KYLE LOWRY AND
DEMAR DEROZAN ARE THE BEST OF
FRIENDS.
SO MUCH SO THEY ARE LIKE SETH
AND EVAN FROM SUPERMAN.
>> I LOVE YOU.
I LOVE YOU.
I AM NOT EVEN EMBARRASSED TO SAY
IT.
I JUST, I LOVE YOU.
>> I AM NOT EMBARRASSED.
I LOVE YOU.
I JUST WANT TO GO TO THE
ROOFTOPS AND SCREEN, I LOVE
YOU.
IT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING
IN THE WORLD.
TAS: STEVEN ADAMS, ALWAYS MAKING
AND LAUGH.
DATE US LAUGH VIA -- MADE US
LAUGH VIA HIS INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT.
HE TAKES THE EXACT SAME PHOTO.
J.E.: HE IS GOOD.
TREY: ALWAYS WITH A THUMBS UP.
J.E.: WOW, VERY SOLID FORTNIGHT
WHEN.
NUMBER TWO, BUTLER.
HE IS INTERNET GOLD.
HE IS ALWAYS CREATING THE
PERFECT GIFT.
THIS IS ONE OF LIKE 10 GREAT
BUTLER GIFS.
SOME CLASSICS, WHEN HE WAS WITH
THE BULLS.
THE LIEN IN STARE DOWN.
-- LEAN IN STARE DOWN.
TAS: DONOVAN MITCHELL WORE THIS
SWEATER WITH THE DEFINITION OF
ROOKIE IN IT.
THAT IS ONE BLAKE GRIFFIN
TWEETED, THAT WAS LIKE EIGHT
YEARS AGO.
LET US KNOW IF YOU NEED THE
DEFINITION OF PLAYED.
WE KNOW WHO THE REAL ROOKIE OF
THE YEAR IS.
ANDRE INGRAM, THE
32-YEAR-OLD ROOKIE.
J.E.: FINAL BREAK.
WHEN WE COME BACK, TAS GETS HIS
PICK 'EM PIE TO THE FACE.
J.E.: IT IS TIME FOR THE NBA
COULTER REPORT PRESENTED BY JACK
DANIELS TENNESSEE HONEY.
JOEL EMBIID, DRAWING OUT THE
MASK.
HE IS JUST GIVING IT A GO.
YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO WEAR A CLEAR
MASK, BUT THAT LOOKS PRETTY
COOL.
WE ASKED YOU, WHAT IS THE BEST
PART OF TONIGHT?
SO MUCH GOING ON?
IS IT THE NUGGETS-WALLS GAME?
75 -- NUGGETS-WOLVES GAME?
YEAH, IT IS GREAT 74% OF YOU SAY
IT IS.
THIS GAME COMING ON RIGHT AFTER
US.
PLAY, WIN, YOU ARE IN.
IT IS INCREDIBLE.
IT IS ONLY THE SIXTH TIME IN NBA
HISTORY THIS HAS OCCURRED.
SHOUT OUT TO DOUG MILLER FOR
FLEXING THOSE SCHEDULING GUNS.
WINTER GO HOME.
THIS IS MUCH WATCHED CHANNEL.
THE PLAYOFFS BASICALLY START
TONIGHT.
TOMORROW, WE GET ON BECAUSE THE
STARTERS ARE ON AT 7:00 P.M.
EASTERN.
-- BASICALLY JUST LEAVE IT ON
BECAUSE THE STARTERS ARE ON AT
7:00 P.M. EASTERN.
LEIGH: WE ARE GOING TO LOS
ANGELES TO END OF THE REGULAR
SEASON, A BEAUTIFUL BOOMERANG
FROM THE ROCKETS.
KNOCKS IT IN THEIR.
HERE -- THERE.
HERE IT IS.
JUST KNOCKS IT IN.
THAT IS WHAT I CALL A VERY SOLID
PLAY.
J.E.: VERY SOLID.
ARE YOU GOING TO BE DOING THEM
DURING THE PLAYOFFS QUESTION
?
LEIGH: OF COURSE.
J.E.: IT IS TIME FOR TAS TO PAY
OFF HIS APRIL PICK 'EM LOST WITH
A PIE TO THE PACE.
LEIGH: GOOD ONE.
LEIJ.E.: YOU ARE GOING TO BE
STUDYING FOR THIS, RIGHT?
YOU JUST GET A HEAD TO THE FACE
-- PIE TO THE FACE.
3, 2, 1.
[LAUGHTER]
[LAUGHTER]
J.E.: WORTH IT.
TAS: WHAT A SLAT.
-- PLAT.
LEIGH: ONE OF MY BASKETBALL
DIGESTS.
OH, NO.
THIS IS THE 1988-1989 PREVIEW.
NOW IT HAS MISSES DOUBTFIRE ON
IT.
TAS: I GOT CREAM ON MY FACE, YOU
ARE UPSET ABOUT A BASKETBAL
DIGEST.
IT IS IN MY NOSTRILS.
LITERALLY IS IN MY NOSTRILS.
J.E.: TOMORROW IS THURSDAY.
WE HAVE THE STARTERS DROP
PODCAST.
WE WILL GO ALL THROUGH EIGHT
SERIES AND MAKE OUR PREDICTIONS.
LEEIGH IS FREAKING OUT THAT
HIS BASKETBALL DIGEST FROM THE
1980'S IS --
TAS: I LITERALLY THOUGHT I
WAS GETTING A PIECE OF PAPER
TOWEL.
AND THIS GUY DROPS THIS.
LEIGH: THIS IS BOBBY AND HIS
GIRLFRIEND.
THEY BOUGHT TICKETS TO THE
WARRIORS AND JUST GAME.
IT WAS IN UTAH.
-- JAZZ GAME.
IT WAS IN UTAH.
J.E.: HE IS AT WOLVES NUGGETS
FOR HIS 30TH BIRTHDAY.
J.ENJOY THE GAME.
NUGGETS WOLVES, WHEN YOU GET IN.
PREDICTIONS?
I AM GOING AGAINST WE HAVE
WALLS.
LEIGH: -- WOLVES.
LEIGH: HOME TEAM.
WHO DO YOU THINK WAS BETTER AT
IT?
JEROME KERSEY.
J.E.: ENJOY THE GAME TONIGHT, WE
WILL SEE YOU TOMORROW.
EMBRACE THE NIGHT, PEOPLE.
