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NBA Finals Preview: Knicks vs Spurs + Champions League Final Reaction
13 Plays2 days ago
Episode 79 – Knicks vs Spurs NBA Finals Preview & Champions League Final Reaction
Episode 79 of Who's Got The Ball? sees Michael join James and Shane to break down one of the biggest games of the NBA season as the Spurs defeated OKC in a dramatic Game 7 to secure their place in the NBA Finals.
The lads discuss what went wrong for Oklahoma City, which players stepped up when it mattered most, and whether the Spurs have what it takes to win it all. They also preview the NBA Finals showdown between the Spurs and the Knicks, looking at key matchups, X-factors, and making their championship predictions.
In football, attention turns to the Champions League Final as PSG once again got their hands on Europe's biggest prize. The lads discuss where the result leaves Arsenal and what both clubs need to do during the summer transfer window.
Another packed episode full of NBA Finals discussion, Champions League reaction, football debate, and big takes throughout.
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(0:00) Intro
(3:24) OKC Stumble in Game 7
(8:53) Knicks vs Spurs Preview + Picks
(28:30) Champions League Final Reaction
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and NBA Finals Preview
00:00:09
Speaker
Alright lads, welcome back to another episode of Who's Got The Ball. This one coming at you earlier in the week, hitting your inboxes on Tuesday so you can get your full and NBA Finals preview before it goes down.
Shane's Holiday and Arnie Slott's Sacking
00:00:21
Speaker
Shane is here with me, Shane is back from his holidays. What's the crack, how did you get on Shane?
00:00:26
Speaker
Yeah, had a great time. Nice to get away and just relax. Arnie Slott got sacked, so that made it even more relaxing then. I knew wouldn't have to come back and listen to you for the summer, tell me about how much of a mistake it was that Arnie Slott stays.
00:00:39
Speaker
Lens Rode is a great spot if you're looking for somewhere. There's so many pubs, but none of them are wild. If you want something just kind of relax, you can go out for couple of pints till midnight or one and not get...
00:00:50
Speaker
and attacked by people selling illicit subs substances on your way home, then Lanzaradi is the place for you. the the this The water was so nice and the sea. yeah it was just really, really relaxing and it's good to be back to the typical Irish weather then of overcast clouds and Never fails, never fails when you come back from a holiday to be like that. Yeah.
00:01:10
Speaker
Even in June. We came into Shannon and we were getting off the plane and it was just pelting down. i was like, this can't be when I'm coming back. to like It was still warm, but the rain was just constant. I was like, no, this is so unfair. And the car was parked so far down in the car park. It's like, no, just leave me alone.
James's Barcelona Trip and Rashford Rumor
00:01:28
Speaker
Well, I'm heading away this evening. We're recording this on Monday, Bank Holiday Monday, hitting your inboxes on Tuesday, as I said. and I'm heading away for the week to Barcelona, so getting some warm weather over there, hopefully. Looks like it's it's set up nicely over there for us in the...
00:01:44
Speaker
High 20s so getting away from this rainy weather and hopefully when I come back it's not as bad but yeah we've got a little bit of a shorter episode this week because we wanted to just hit on the and NBA finals and give you a full preview of that and then of course we had to talk about the Champions League final and a bit of a recap so Michael does join us and we talk everything about game seven how that went down but then also how the matchup of the spurs and nicks is going to look heading into the and nba finals and we all give our predictions for who's going to come out on top so give a listen to that and see see what you think and let us know in the comments who you think is going to come out on top of this because it's going to be such a great matchup and then obviously with the champions league final we recapped how everything went and
00:02:29
Speaker
kind of our takeaways from the game in terms of how it's played but also going into the future maybe what is needed for Arsenal and PSG for PSG to continue on this brilliant streak and for Arsenal maybe to retool it going into the summer but yeah a bit of a shorter episode let's jump straight into the action just Just before you do jump into the action, we're in episode 79 now. We might as well be honest with the people.
00:02:50
Speaker
The real reason you're going to Barcelona is to try and negotiate his Rashford Steele to get him out of Manchester United. There's no point in lying anymore. You might as well just tell him that's what you're actually doing. You're not going to knock on holidays. You're going over and negotiating with Deco for the week, trying to get get him to sign Rashford as well as Gordon. Yeah, well, look, Barcelona all of a sudden have all this money that they never had before to sign Gordon and Alvarez. And yeah, they don't want to take Rashford. So that tells you all you need to know. But if I do post a picture from the new camp, just know that, you know, you guys know the inside scoop what I'm doing over there.
NBA Finals Discussion: Knicks vs. Spurs
00:03:22
Speaker
There we go. Okay, so we have our finals matchup in the and NBA. It's finally here. Starting this week, Wednesday night is the first game.
00:03:33
Speaker
and We've got the New York Knicks facing off against the San Antonio Spurs. I don't think too many people saw this matchup coming, especially at the start of the season. and Game seven was electric between the Spurs and OKC.
00:03:51
Speaker
SGA tried his best to carry the team. 35 points, 12-21 shooting, but only Cason Wallace showed up outside of him on that starting lineup. Chet was just disgraceful.
00:04:03
Speaker
for points. for four pointsts It feels like he took a couple of shots early and then he got dumped on Wemby and he just went right into his shell and he just stayed on the perimeter for the rest of the game.
00:04:15
Speaker
And they didn't have J-Dub and they didn't have AJ Mitchell who was covering for J-Dub in the last couple of series. So Chet needed to step up, but he didn't. wendy wendy 22 and seven he only took 15 shots but didn't matter because julian champagne he went six to ten from three and between the iron fox dylan harper and kellen johnson they went seven of 15 from three as well so they just they just showed up when they needed to lads what did you make of that game seven you want to first, Shane? No, fair right there.
00:04:48
Speaker
I'll go first. I thought it was a cracker game. It was such a good game, Seven. I feel like SGA definitely, to me, was the best player out there. And that's what I was predicting as well, that SGA was just going to have a great, you know, end end of series game.
00:05:05
Speaker
And I was hoping that would push him through. But we saw Julian Champagny stepped up. We saw Chet take it. huge step back and I think we need to have a discussion because earlier on in the series I was kind of like it's not his role it's not supposed to be him leading the charge to beat this team but when you got no AJ you got no J-Dub you're in game seven No offense, man.
00:05:34
Speaker
Chet looks terrified of Wemby. Like, it felt like the longer the series went on, the more intense the games were, and the less he wanted to have any bit of that.
00:05:47
Speaker
All NBA second team. I'm pretty sure. Yeah. Nope. All NBA third team. Yeah. adam Gotta do better than that. Yeah. i would argue i would argue that a Jay Duren situation. To be fair, he wasn't that bad. But like, at least if it was consistent, they could plan around it. It felt like here they were like, all right, Chet, we know what you can do. Just go out and do it. And he got bitched immediately. yeah You were saying after that dunk, it felt like he was non-existent.
00:06:20
Speaker
The Julian Champagny game. I really thought that the Spurs surrounding cast would be more disappointing than they ended up being in Game 7.
00:06:32
Speaker
Mr. Champagny went from getting waved by us at the trade deadline for Mac McClung from Philadelphia to... of Being like the most impactful role player in a game seven to make the finals for the Spurs. um And that kind of togetherness from this team, if they can keep getting production like that from all of these guys around Wemby, that's going to be huge for them in the finals. But honestly, i think the Knicks, they're on a roll.
00:07:07
Speaker
they They've got the points together. need to go here you hold on there for a minute. I've got to relax. I've got to relax. I'll let Shane go. I'll just have a couple of quick things. There's plenty of everything you've mentioned already. Kaysom Wallace, 14 of the 26 points for OKC in the fourth quarter.
00:07:24
Speaker
No one else decided they wanted to do anything really outside of him in s sha and SGA. And think that's... what would be the biggest disappointment for OKC, that it was there for if they just showed up and none of them did. And I really thought this was a dynasty we all did. And is kind of, it might still be, but this has put them back a couple of steps.
00:07:42
Speaker
That Spurs' young core are actually insane. And the three of them can get rookie extensions again next year. So they so much cap space going into next year again to... If they do win it this year to go and put two or three on the board before they have to worry about who we sign out of Harper, Castle, Wemby.
00:08:00
Speaker
So they've a bit of time left in here to try and do something now. I just i thought they were really good. Wemby just a joke. He really is. He's a joke. he There's nothing he he can't do.
00:08:11
Speaker
And the pieces around him have just fit in so well as well. So, yeah, I i wasn't as surprised as he seemed to have been. The OKC started nearly every game so slowly in this series and they ended this one so badly as well. So it was kind of, it was one of those, I think they were they werere looking to get bitten and dave they finally got bitten.
00:08:30
Speaker
Yeah, I think the injuries kind of did catch up to them finally in this fun. Yeah, that doesn't help either. I think the AJ Mitchell thing was the big one. Like, if J-Dub was out and AJ Mitchell was still there, it would have been fine.
00:08:43
Speaker
I think it would have been... I don't know if they would have won, but they would have looked less disjointed and they would have had someone to to take a bit of control. But yeah, it's it's going to be interesting to see how this Spurs-Young Corps move on now into the finals because...
00:09:01
Speaker
They've arguably come up against their hardest test. Like everybody was kind of touting this as the finals. And now they're coming up against the Knicks. But, you know, the Knicks can't be written off because the way they've played down this stretch, it's one of the best 11-game stretches in and NBA playoff history where they've just won and won and won and destroyed teams offensively. Now, you can put the argument together that they played...
00:09:28
Speaker
basically non-entities compared to what the Spurs and the OKC put up against each other. But you still have to go out and beat the teams in front of you. And Jalen Brunson, 27-3 and 6.5 so far on nearly 50% shooting this playoffs.
00:09:46
Speaker
It's going to be so interesting to see how Stefan Castle matches up against him and for the Spurs because he defends physically. We saw... him defend very physically on SGA and, you know, he never had an issue with fouling out, but Brunson is a different beast entirely where if you actually, if he gets by you, he's still going to jump backwards into you.
00:10:09
Speaker
So does that become an issue where Castle, you know, could potentially be someone that fouls out in one or two of these games and then the Spurs look to someone else, but they don't have a defender as good as Castle on on guards. So...
00:10:23
Speaker
It's going to be really, really interesting. I also think SGA made loads of tough shots on Wemby that I don't know brunson if Brunson makes those. So that's going to be a challenge for him too. So it's really interesting in so many ways as to how Brunson is going to attack this team, but also how the Spurs are going to defend him. What do you make of this kind of Brunson matchup?
00:10:46
Speaker
I think I've been thinking about this for a while. At first, I really thought like, oh, Knicks are going to be in for a rough time here. But the more I read about it, the more I think about it, i i think I think Brunson will be able to get his stuff off. I don't think it'll be too difficult for him.
00:11:07
Speaker
i don't think he's going to have like horrific like stats or whatever. But I think a big thing is what we saw at the end of the last series, which was, I think, in the last game against the Sixers, he had, well, sorry, against the Cavs, he had something like 14 assists. i should have double-checked before I was bringing it up. But to get that kind of assist from Jalen Brunson, and then also what we were talking about in a previous episode where Cat went from 2.3 assists a game to this playoffs having 8.3.
00:11:40
Speaker
Like, Mike Brown is doing such a good job of getting efficient offense out from these players. you were talking about their 11-game stretch. They're outscoring their opponents by 200 and, like, 35 total points over the 11-game stretch.
00:11:58
Speaker
Like, that is an outrageous number. at Every elimination game, they're just blowing the shit out of the teams. Like, it's just even the three rounds in, they're still up by, like, 30 points in against the Cavs.
00:12:16
Speaker
I think this will really come down to, i think the big thing that the Knicks have is experience. There's so many young players on the Spurs. I think it does come down to that. We might see some more Harrison Barnes minutes, but,
00:12:30
Speaker
I think the Knicks are rolling right now. They're all together. And as long as there is more injuries, I think we could definitely see game six. I don't know if it goes to seven, but I think Knicks in six, at least for me, I've got to admit, I'm really interested to see if we see Carter Bryan get a lot of minutes against Brunson. I love him, love his defense, love what he was doing against OKC. So that would be a big deal.
00:13:00
Speaker
ah I'll have a big eye on him to see if he can be able to get like consistent minutes on this team or if his offense is going to drag down at the rest of the Spurs around him.
00:13:11
Speaker
But Stefan Castle is definitely going to have to step up here. He's probably going to have Josh Hart in front of you. Can't let that guy get the most of you, okay? Got to show that you are the next coming of De'Aaron Fox or Russell Westbrook, whoever you want to say.
00:13:30
Speaker
I think this is going to be an interesting social experiment of anything of can you actually win anything with kids as Alan Hansen said on Matchday all those years ago. The youth first experience here is going to be, i honestly think this is it's going to be the deciding of it. might not even come down to who was more talented roster. I think it's going to come down to can they experience heads for the Knicks?
00:13:51
Speaker
just kind of nullify him, slow him down, make make good fouls, things like that. Will the safari just come out and try and blow this out in the first half and then have no energy in the second half of it if they're not up by enough? So I think it's going to come down to the coaching, keeping everyone grounded, keep everyone and keep everyone's feet on the ground and just i ah I think it's a really hard one to call. I think it's harder to call than it would have been if it was the OKC and the Knicks, obviously, which I think that kind of goes without saying, to be honest. But I think this Knicks team is really, really good. And i say all year that their their side of the NBA is a lot easier than what the Spurs go up against. But they still go out there and they do it every single week.
00:14:32
Speaker
It's very rare the Knicks go out and kind of just throw one in. And I don't see them coming out here and throwing one in. And I think it goes at least six, if not seven as well. Yeah, I think it's interesting as well the fact that we've got a Knicks team that only played 14 games and Spurs played 18. And they had some tough ones along the stretch as well with overtime and stuff.
00:14:53
Speaker
So only the Cavs, I think, played more total minutes because of their their game sevens and the overtimes and stuff like that. So... it's it's very interesting to see if that will play an effect too you wouldn't think too much because as we've mentioned a lot of times that there are a lot of young guys so they're able to kind of weather this but wemby is someone who you people are worry at times if he racks up minutes does it increase any chance of injuries with the size of his body you would hope not and you would hope that they can kind of manage this now with a few days rest but the Knicks have had a lot of time to rest and regroup and retool and I'm sure they were prepping for the eventuality of playing both teams but now they know for sure who they're playing they can hone in on that game plan and obviously they've had so much time to prep for for either team as I've said but
00:15:46
Speaker
Their offensive rating this playoffs is just something that I don't think stays at that level against the Spurs team. They've had 123.30 rating. It's the best in the playoffs.
00:15:58
Speaker
It's not going to be as easy to have something like that against the Spurs side who who have 104.4 defensive rate four point four defense of britain it's the second behind the Knicks, which is kind of crazy because we all thought they'd just steamroll people and their defense wouldn't be good. Now you could put that down to the teams they played against, but also I feel like their defense has really clicked like so much more than before.
00:16:19
Speaker
And Josh Hart is a driving force of that. like He's just insane what he does out there for them at his size to get so many rebounds. They're a third in offensive rebound percentage in this playoffs, which is crazy and considering the number of minutes Mitchell Robinson has played is not that high.
00:16:38
Speaker
And he's still out there grabbing those rebounds. It's all down to the effort from Josh Hart, like constantly putting that effort in. And that's what makes it so interesting when you see guys like Dak get into the finals, because that's what makes the difference.
00:16:51
Speaker
And although I think OKC and the Spurs are probably the two most talented teams across the season in the NBA, I just think that fight from this Knicks team, the likes of Josh Hart, Ananobi's experience of already being there and having done that, Cat looking like he's settled into the system a lot more,
00:17:13
Speaker
I think those things ultimately are what win you titles. And anybody who rules out the Knicks, I think it's a mistake. And I really do think that they could push this.
00:17:25
Speaker
And I'm going to settle on it with Knicks winning in six. I just think the Spurs have done so well to get this far. They've beaten so many good teams. But I think the head of steam that the Knicks have can't be written off.
00:17:38
Speaker
And that experience does matter so much when you're getting to a stage like this, where this is it. It's the end now that there's nothing after this. So you have to win it.
00:17:50
Speaker
And the Knicks have to win it when they're here because the Spurs are probably going to come back here like five, six, seven more times with this core, you could say, and the Knicks may only get one more shot at it with this, this kind of team. So I think they have to take the chance.
00:18:04
Speaker
Yeah, I'm looking at the Knicks 5 here in front of me and it it it is just full of talent and it's lads who, well, they haven't been to finals before, many of them, but they've played in so many playoff games that they clearly know what they're doing because the fact that they've absolutely walked here to the finals pretty much.
00:18:20
Speaker
um Especially what they did to the Cavs who knocked out the Pistons. I said at the start of the year that I thought the Knicks were going to win I think I honestly did that because didn't want to say OKC back to back and be boring.
00:18:31
Speaker
But I am just going to stick with we've what I said at the start the year. I'm going to stick with the Knicks to win it. I'm going to say six as well. But a game seven, I think if we win seven, I think i think the Spurs would win it, would win the decider. I think the Knicks are going to have to try and get it wrapped up ASAP and just get it over and done with.
00:18:50
Speaker
Like their bench minutes are all quite low when you look at. So they're starting five, kind of play the bulk of the minutes. And is that going to catch up to them come game five, game six, game seven? So I think they just need to get out and get it done early and just kind of get it over and done with.
00:19:05
Speaker
Where is game one? Is it is game one in New York or in San Antonio? San Antonio, they have the higher ceiling, I think. Okay. so yeah your they needs about a yeah, they need to get out of there with at least one win from the first two games and then we'll see where they go from there.
00:19:21
Speaker
Yeah, I think both of you guys kind of got it. Exactly how I was feeling about the Knicks, their experience and stuff. And exactly like you said, the longer this series series goes on, the more worry I have for the Knicks. I think if it comes to a Game 7, anything can happen in a Game 7, like you said. And I think it's it's more likely the Spurs come through, especially if they have that momentum. But...
00:19:48
Speaker
after After hearing you guys go with Knicks, I don't know. i kind of want want to say Spurs in seven now, just to just to be contrarian, you know. But deep down inside, no I do believe it's Knicks in six.
00:20:00
Speaker
I... It feels crazy because it feels like the last two years, i have bet like in my head against the Knicks. I've just said, like they'll get the pressure and they'll just crumble.
00:20:13
Speaker
And I said it the year before as well. It's just like, yeah, everything looks good. But once they get some pressure in the playoffs, they're just going to fall apart. They're going to upset you. To have, like, they have four games this offseason where they've led by 40 points or more.
00:20:31
Speaker
Last year's Thunder only did that three times. And we thought they were truly dominant. They're averaging, like, they're outscoring their opponents by 20 points per game on average this playoffs.
00:20:45
Speaker
I just feel like a team that's rolling this well, even if one or two of their players doesn't play at the same level as they've played the last 10 games, the other players are all on fire.
00:20:55
Speaker
Like, if they get a couple injuries, like like you guys were saying, and and the bench comes up, it might start to get shaky. But Nixon 6, man. Give it to me. Come on. I want to see New York just explode after...
00:21:12
Speaker
Well, watch the word in there on that one. That sounds... a yeah no Going back to September 2001 there with that reference. No, no, no. Let's pass you that.
00:21:31
Speaker
Can I just say, if we're if we're all going with the Knicks to win in six, we have to answer one question. It means San Antonio are going to win. Yeah, that but also we all have to answer one question before we wrap up here. How are they stopping Wemby? Because that's something they need to do. I want to know how you think that they're going to go for it, Shane, because that's going to be the biggest question mark here.
00:21:53
Speaker
i think that I think everyone is going to have to have a shift on Wemby. And like if you want to get six fouls each. So that's 30 fouls from your starting fights. You want to use 20 on Wemby, fire away and do it. I don't think there's too many other ways to stop him.
00:22:06
Speaker
I think they're just going to have to try and keep him to around 20, 25 points. just double him when you can and just outscore him. I think it's the only way to do it because like we've seen from nearly every team he's come up against this year that it's very, very difficult to stop him. So it's going to be about trying to just outscore him and the rest of his team and just kind of live it on a prayer then as well, maybe. i do Maybe Wembe doesn't show up. I know it's very, very unlikely, but maybe Wembe doesn't show up for finals.
00:22:39
Speaker
No, I think that's not possible at all. I think we're definitely going to have at least one big Wemby game in MSG, and it'll like really cement what everything that everyone is thinking about him.
00:22:54
Speaker
What we saw in the OKC series is that, like for example, in the last five games, three of those games, he's shot only 15 field goals. So, like... Now, he still scored 20-plus in all of those games. It's not that he's incredibly efficient, but if you can keep him to under 20 shots in a game, which is possible, bumping him off his spot, staying close to him, making sure he doesn't get easy buckets, I do think it's possible to kind of limit the amount of offensive production he can have on the game. And that'll be really where this matchup is. Kat is going to have to do a lot here. He's played great so far in the series. But if everything that everyone was talking about over the last few years about his defense starts rearing its head now in the finals, it'll be extremely disappointing after the run he's went on.
00:23:46
Speaker
Other than that, I think i think a big thing will be Like, oh, gee, I don't know why. I've got a feeling that guy has been on a streak the whole time. We'll probably see him some minutes on Wemby. If he can not get absolutely, like, destroyed on those, I think the Knicks are looking good. It's just about limiting those shots that Wemby gets. If you can kind of keep him on the perimeter, keep him shooting threes, okay, there might be one or two games where he's on fire. But the more that happens, the less he's under the rim, and that's good for them.
00:24:22
Speaker
Yeah, I wanted to just follow up a Michael there before I let you back in, James. But everything Michael said there is dead right about let him have his trees because he hasn't been very efficient from tree bar game one of series one where he he looked like, oh God, he's after adding trees to his game now as well. Everyone really is in trouble.
00:24:39
Speaker
And just stopping him getting downhill, just stop him running into so much space because he can do whatever he wants then if he's just holding the ball over his head, no one is getting it. So you just need to just be physical with him, but like physical but fair.
00:24:51
Speaker
And just, if you want take threes, let him have threes. And as Michael said, he might blow up in one or two games and go five of eight or something. But I don't think that's what's going to cost you this series of when he goes out scores five of eight from three. I think it's everything else he does is where the problems will be.
00:25:06
Speaker
Yeah, I think it's the Knicks need to take advantage of the fact he's still like young in his career. He has so much talent and he has all the skill in the world, but he doesn't have that polished game that some of these guys, even on the Knicks, do. That they've been there and they know how to get to their spot like so much better than some of these younger players do. So the Knicks need to take advantage of that and cause some kind of confusion for him, I think.
00:25:32
Speaker
josh hart or ananobi doubling up on him like maybe a late double when cat is on him because he's gonna need that help and then mitchell robinson even though he's injured and with his pinky i think he had surgery on it and he'll be strapped up for the games but he's still gonna play realistically you're not over reliant on mitchell robinson's basketball skills here like you just need him to be physical but when be the same way hartenstein was um So I think that could be something that they look to deploy off the bench and look if he fouls out every game, but he s slows Wemby down a little bit, then he's done his job.
00:26:05
Speaker
I think if if you could say to OKC that Wemby's only going to take 15 in game seven, they'd take that any day of the week. And it was the role players that beat them. They made them beat them and they did it.
00:26:15
Speaker
And I think if you look at this series, the role players aren't going to step up every single time. So as long as that Knicks starting five can put out what we know they can, I think that's that's going to be key. And if they just wear Wemby down a little bit more, that he only hits that kind of mid-teens to high-teens shooting volume per game, then that's the recipe for success, I think. But unless you guys have any more closing thoughts, we'll leave it there with our Knicks in six predictions.
00:26:45
Speaker
i got I got one more thing to say. Go for it. I just need to say because it is a possibility. If the Knicks, if like Cat comes out disappointing and Brunson can't get a shot off and all of this momentum from the Knicks is not present in the finals, we will see like it will just basically be us watching Wemby ascend to the greatest player in the game.
00:27:11
Speaker
Like he will just be destroying the Knicks and In MSG, with all of the NY media on him, everything he does is going to be amplified times 100. And if he ends up like, you know, Spurs in six or Spurs in seven, he's winning finals MVP. I think it'll be very, very difficult to not go into next season and say, hey, man, this guy is clearly the best player in the league. And I don't know if there's much of anything that anyone can do to bump him off that.
00:27:42
Speaker
I think that's a conversation for the offseason, definitely, if it goes that way, because I think that's going to be an interesting topic, given that, you know, even in the Spurs OKC series, he didn't look like the best player on the court, but he won. And then everyone's saying that he's now better than SGA, which we didn't see that in basketball sense, but that's going to be the thing. So I think, yeah, that would provide provide a great debate topic if that does happen. But...
00:28:08
Speaker
Let's see how it goes. We've all got the Knicks in six. Like Shane said, that means it's almost certainly not going to go that way. But you never know. You might hop on the train. The Knicks are the underdogs. We're all going with the underdogs.
Champions League Final Recap and Critique
00:28:21
Speaker
Let's see. We'll be back with you again next week, midway through this series. And we'll catch up on everything that's happened so far and see see how things are going.
00:28:30
Speaker
So we say goodbye to Michael and we move on to some football. We have to round this up. We wanted to preview the NBA Finals for you, but we had to hit on that Champions League Final too. Shane has been buzzing for this one. and PSG win on penalties.
00:28:46
Speaker
Look, I think it if you look at the game, the first hour-ish or more was not enjoyable to watch. It was a lot of the dark arts from Arsenal to try and drag the game out as long as possible at at the scoreline that they had 1-0 after Havertz's early goal.
00:29:05
Speaker
It was very hard to watch, to be honest. And then PSG get their penalty, they get a goal. who Should have arguably had a red card to go with it, with a second yellow. And then the rest of the game kind of gets a bit more open and is more enjoyable for the rest of the 90. And then extra time was kind of a bit of a tame affair, getting to penalties and...
00:29:25
Speaker
yeah as a very poor penalty way too much in the routine did not work out and then gabrielle takes one and surprisingly ahead of some of the other players that i thought would have been ahead of him like zuby mendy and malueke but we can say i think football won although psg didn't win in regular time i think they were the deserving winners because a lot of the first hour wasn't really football Yeah, our biggest fear came through. i think we said on the show last week that if Arsenal got 1-0 up early, this game could be a nightmare to watch and that proved through.
00:30:03
Speaker
Arteta just Arteta'd it. He tried to nullify PSG. He got his early goal and then they just tried to sit in. The referee was having none of them. Blown for half-time because Saka took too long to up to the corner flag. Things like that were good to see and I hope that comes into next season. But i just i've always never necessari have I've never thought he was a brave manager and this was just the complete another epitome of someone not being a brave manager.
00:30:28
Speaker
Safinov made zero saves in 120 minutes. and this will come out on top. The goal, while it's one hell of a finish from Kai Avers to be fair to him, it just comes from ah bit of luck. The ball just hits off, throws it and falls through to him, and then Arsenal just try and sit in, try and stop PSC attacking. I thought PSC's front three were poor troughs.
00:30:48
Speaker
like I think Dembele might actually be the worst player to ever win a Ballon d'Or. I just don't i like i don't think he's that good a footballer. And then he gets his penalty, sticks in the corner, fair play, and then PSG thankfully go on and win it. But it was one awful game football.
00:31:04
Speaker
And Arsenal are all at fault for 1.72 to 0.51 XG. i'm one one point seven two is to point five one h g The passing attempts are hilarious. to there was a stage after thirty eight minutes im made forty five passes And that stuck me as like, wow, they basically made a pass a minute since this game kicked off. And I was just so happy it was him that missed penalty as well. That was just the icing on the cake for me. All I wanted was a good game of football and we couldn't even get that because Arsenal scored after five minutes and tried to make it all about ball in middle of the park.
00:31:38
Speaker
Dicton Rice, that man of the match somehow. okay I don't know what he did to get exposed. UEFA gave him the man the match. He was awful in the second half. He was quite good in the first half when he came to just kind of sitting slowing down, bringing the ball out. And yeah, I can see sometimes there is a footballer in there. But the second half, no Arsenal player came out after halftime. And and think Gart Hether made a mess of his subs.
00:32:04
Speaker
taking off three of his penalty takers. Like, if you think you're going to go to penalties, then maybe start Maduwecki and bring Saka on after an hour. I know it's it's harder to do that, but start Giochrez and bring on Havertz for Odegaard or something like that, because you're taking off all your penalty takers. You end up with Gabriel having to take one.
00:32:22
Speaker
i actually can't even remember. I know Eze missed two scores. I suppose it doesn't matter. Giochrez scored. Yeah, Martinelli. Yeah, like Martinelli wouldn't have been in your top five penalty takers, I can't imagine. So...
00:32:34
Speaker
I think Arteta just made a dog's dinner of us and I'm i'm so happy he did. Yeah, I think the the epitome of the first half was that sequence at the end where Arsenal had three different players have the ball in their hand to take a long throw in. Yeah. It took about a minute for them to take it and then they get that corner that you're mentioning and Saka is like ambling over to it, fixing his jersey and then the ref is just like, no, it's half-time now because you literally really just wasted like three minutes to take one throw on one corner.
00:33:03
Speaker
Like, that just epitomized the whole first half and it was really abysmal watching and the start of the second half followed suit i think kovar scalia did get defended very well by mascara until the penalty i thought he he was really good on him he didn't give him an inch and i think that was a a great shift he put in but ultimately he did give him the penalty that got them back into the game and I think Barclay should have wrapped it up in regular time. Those two chances he had going through, the one where he makes the angle so narrow for himself, just makes no sense. Into the players, into the side netting.
00:33:40
Speaker
Just like, what are you doing in that situation? You know, you need to, the everybody knows you need to make the angle more favorable. And if you cut across the defender, you get fouled or you look to square it to somebody or whatever you want to do. But just don't take that touch away from the goal.
00:33:59
Speaker
Because that really should have been wrapped up. Vitinha had a nice chance on the edge of the box as well that that went over the bar. i take That was a really good effort though. Yeah, but you would bank on him scoring that. you know he He would often put those away. And I think PSG had enough chances to win it in regular time. Although they didn't have a mountain of chances. It was just Arsenal literally one shot on target, 25% possession. It's just not really...
00:34:27
Speaker
football that they were playing for the majority of that game and I think there was some players that played well like Gabriel did have a good game in regular time and in extra time his defending was really good but then like you said he spent so much time this season diving and jumping around and holding his face and kind of going for simulation rather than actually defending in big moments and then he comes up and misses the penalty i think for a lot of fans of rival teams that was kind of a moment that they wanted whether it be arsenal losing but then to see gabriel being the one to miss just to add on top of it i think that just really really like you said put the icing on the cake for for a lot of people i think that as a penalty you know
00:35:12
Speaker
Why do you need to have so many elements in your in your penalty? Like you had the stuttered run up. Someone was saying that he had four different variables and he was running up to it. He starts in the middle he to get out and then he has to stutter.
00:35:25
Speaker
Then he stops and trying to wait for the keeper to move. And then it's like, I don't even know how he hit it that badly because he's walking up to ball so slowly that he knows exactly where it is. He knows when he steps taken. He still but almost puts it closer to to the corner flag than he did to the bottom corner. It was a very, very strange penalty. I think it's just the fact that the keeper doesn't move.
00:35:46
Speaker
So then it's like, okay, I actually don't know where he's going, so I can't just slot to one side. I have to put it right in the corner. And then yeah just misses the goal entirely. I mean, at that point, just try and get it on target because you have a better chance, obviously, of scoring. If you just try and get it on target, like it just...
00:36:03
Speaker
I just don't get how they can have two penalties out of your best five or the five that step up to take it that don't even hit the target. like Safinov, he didn't make a save in 120 minutes. He didn't make a save in the shootout either. yeah And they missed two penalties. like it's It's just madness for that to to happen. And for Zubimendi and Madueke not to step up and take them, I know that...
00:36:28
Speaker
Like, you know, they might not be the most confident or they might not be the best takers, but like Gabriel is a centre-back and we just saw that he can't take a penalty. So I don't know why those guys didn't step up and do it. He's also a left-footed centre-back and i I have such an issue with left-footed penalty takers. I've said throughout Salah's nine years at Liverpool I didn't want him on penalties because i just I've always found left-footers taking penalties is just... I must actually get up to stats and I'll have for next week of how many... the percentage of penalties missed by left-footers because Mendes stood up.
00:37:00
Speaker
like his was His was saved and he was a left-footed... They nearly always try and go across the body, which is what Gabriel tried to do as well. And it makes it so much easier for keepers when it's a left-footer penalty taker. Madweke should be ashamed, I think.
00:37:13
Speaker
Like, you're coming on as the backup to Saka. You're the backup for Saka at the World Cup as well. So you're going to on the pitch for England more than likely if they go to Pindesuit. Are you going to back away from that as well? I think as an attacker, you're surely better at hitting the ball on target than your centre-back is.
00:37:30
Speaker
You have to be. And Zubimendi... Yeah, it like he's aant a defensive midfielder, but like we've seen the way he strikes the ball this season as well. He'd surely have been a better option than Gabriel as well. on Actually, on Zubomendi, I thought dropping him for Lewis Kelly was a big risk, and I actually thought Lewis Kelly had a really good game for Arsenal in the central pitch, and maybe maybe wasting him at left-back for year wasn't the way to go. Maybe he actually is just a defensive midfielder.
00:37:54
Speaker
You can sit him in there beside Rice or besides Zubomendi when one of them needs a break, and like He he kind of finished the season in that position. I thought he was really good. and I was like, wow, where was this player being for the last six so the first six or eight months of the season?
00:38:07
Speaker
I thought he was very, very good. i just think it was there for Arsenal when they went 1-0 up to go and try and get a second. They only really created that one chance where Havertz got in behind.
00:38:17
Speaker
That was a lovely move. like yeah though we've We've seen that they can play football. they just it's It's actually like they just choose not to. and I think Odegaard has to go there somewhere. I don't think he's a player that Arsenal need in there. I think he was really, really poor again. He goes hiding in nearly every game and he's your captain.
00:38:34
Speaker
like He's the one that needs to be out there putting his hand up, playing the balls in behind. I think Eze should have started this game. um Penalty miss aside, I think he should have started this game over Odegaard's. Could have started Havertz in there and Giacca's up front. There a couple of decisions that really were weird to me and I think the only one that really worked out was Lewis Skelly coming in for Zubimendi.
00:38:53
Speaker
Yeah, I was surprised that Odegaard started the game. I thought he would be someone they would bring on. Because you would, you know, in a moment, then it goes to extra time. Maybe he can calm it down a bit and he can take a penalty. Yeah. Whereas he didn't have much impact on the game. and i do think that if Lewis Kelly didn't have injuries this season, maybe Arsenal do have a better...
00:39:13
Speaker
better season in terms of the football played because he's well able to play and he he's not afraid to progress the ball as well with carrying it so I think maybe that is something they need in midfield next season that will change the way they play a bit but I agree with you I think Odegaard has reached his the end of the road for Arsenal I don't think he offers too much unless it's off the bench and if your club captain is coming off the bench when he's not but not you know Seamus Coleman age then it doesn't really make sense to to have it that way Yeah, i think I think next season is going to be an interesting in one. PSG would be going for three in a row, which would be crazy and unbelievable speed that Luis Enrique has already got them to win two in a row after the failures they had with their super teams down the years. And now you know they've built it the way he wants to play football. Yeah. no matter what, they always stick to their principles. And that's why Arsenal didn't want the ball and PSG were like, yeah, well, we're not just going to hoof it into the box because you have a load of lads in there, we're going to work it. And that's how they got their penalty and credit to them for sticking to those principles and
00:40:20
Speaker
seemingly always getting the results that they need in Europe, whether it's, you know, a defensive performance like the second leg against Bayern the first leg where they just score five goals against them. It's it's always something that they have a plan for it and they have Enrique to kind of mastermind that. So I think two in a row is amazing, but if he could do three in a row, that would cement him as probably one of the greatest managers of this era.
PSG's Glory and Midfielders' World Cup Anticipation
00:40:44
Speaker
Yeah, like Zinedine Zidane only did one job and it was a Real Madrid one and everyone's still Every time a job opens up, he gets linked to it because he went and won three in a row for Madrid that time. So Enrique, he has a past of being elite manager, but what he's doing at PSG now is what is really setting him apart. He went into that Barcelona team and had just all the superstars and just kind of did what was expected.
00:41:07
Speaker
He went into PSG and everyone's like, well, there's no way anyone can turn this around. They're too far gone. They're this or that. And he's like, well, I don't want any of these players. people that are causing the issues, I want to bring in my own players, they all seem so quiet and unassuming when they speak.
00:41:21
Speaker
Like Sharon Evers, Vitinha, when he was speaking to CBS after, it's just so quiet. You're like, how are you a man that's possibly lead the best midfielder in the world at the moment. They're barking orders on the pitch, which came off they're so quiet. And Kravish Gellia is another one who's just so grounded, so down to earth.
00:41:36
Speaker
They all seem to be like that. And I think he's just put together, obviously, the best squad in Europe. And they're all actually of a really good age as well. So they have another one in them next year. That midfield is still very young by Fabian Ruiz. But oh my God, we have three in Warren's Ironbury. What a pity.
00:41:51
Speaker
like kid And the kids they've come through. My Oulu was a great player as well. He scored in the final last year. I can't remember if he got on in this one. bust Yeah, they just have talent coming out their ears. And like when you look at it on paper, you're like, that team is not great. And then you watch them, you're like, actually, every single one of them has a job to play and they all do it.
00:42:09
Speaker
I'd actually never noticed until Saturday how much Dewey and Kravitz Galia swapped sides. And it was driving Arsenal defenders wild because obviously, as you said, Mascara was doing a really good job in Kravitz Galia.
00:42:21
Speaker
So Dewey would go over there for a while and give Kravitz Galia a break from being... pounded and then did the spot back over again and then Dembele just does what he wants and I know I said he's the worst player to ever win Ballon d'Or but that doesn't mean he's a bad player it's just that I just he does he misses more chances than he takes which is not something like Stalow was saying missed so many chances he reminds me of Lotao Martinez in that way like yeah he needs so many chances but he's still a great player Yeah, and it's kind of like, it's very hard to compare these people to Messi and Ronaldo, who obviously never missed a single chance in their whole entire lives. But I just think he fits this team so well. He was worth every cent of hate. And and know obviously back-to-back Champions League winner as well. And this PSG team, only going to get stronger and stronger, especially as the French League gets weaker as well, so they can rest more players as the weeks go on.
00:43:09
Speaker
Imagine having Zabari, it's just bring him on. And Beraldo as well, as some player. centre-back came on and centre-mid and just talks his penalty calmly into the bottom corner. Yeah, they're they're just some squelves.
00:43:20
Speaker
Yeah, I can't wait to see those midfielders in the in the World Cup, like Fabian Ruiz. I thought he was had a really good game again. yeah And he's just so good when he's in the middle of the park. And then Vettinha and Neves will be together for Portugal. So it's going to be great to see.
00:43:34
Speaker
We'll hit on that World Cup next week with our preview. So keep an eye out for that. But that's all we've got for you this week. and NBA Finals preview and ah Champions League recap. A bit of a shorter episode. But um yeah, I'll throw it to you, Shane, to wrap it.
00:43:50
Speaker
Yeah, and it feels like I only did this the other day because it's it's an early in the week episode, but just keep listening, keep liking and subscribing. We'll be back with you at the usual stop next week. Welcome back to another episode of Who's Got the Ball with Shane and James.