I would love to see a Bucks/Nuggets finals. And Denver is still more than capable of not just coming out of the West, but defending their title as well.

It’s crazy how even after winning a championship people still sleep on Denver and just how good they are.

Unless Jokic gets a season ending injury, no one is sweeping the Nuggets

No lie, I was hoping to see a showdown between the Bucks and Nuggets, they were the two teams I was banking on to be 2023 Champions.

For someone who thinks "empty stats players are not real", Rusty really seems keen on pointing out how some players "put on numbers and lost so they arent that good"

People still sleeping on the KCP, AG, MPJ and Braun defense lmao

yall forget nuggets constantly wash bucks because of how big of a mismatch it is and dame doesn't change anything

How many teams in NBA history would be capable of sweeping the 2023 championship Nuggets? Can’t be more than 5

Wilt Chamberlain related hot take I have: If he played like 1967 for his whole career, we’d be talking about how ridiculous his shooting efficiency would be as opposed to his per game volume stats. He’d still probably be considered great statistically, but in a different way.

Wilt is criminally underrated. You put every basketball player of all time in a gym together. Same era. Same rules. Wilt's goin' #1. Man was different. He was just different.

nobody is mentioning the fact that the bucks hired a rookie coach while mike malone has been in the nuggets forever. Huge coaching advantage in favor of denver.

Rusty massively overstates the value of team accomplishments like most people

You would think Nuggets after winning the title would finally stop everyone underrating them. But I guess not. Bucks at this point are too hyped. Reality is that they lost in 5 in the 1st round. They improved Jrue with Dame, but that's not enough. And Dame is my favourite player in the league.

Dame & Brook in the pick & roll is pretty dangerous too

The energy you have for Beal or Drummond should be how you feel about Luka then. Especially considering how he’s heralded

I think the Nuggets take is a little misinformed. The Nuggets starting 5 is insanely good and while they lost bench depth i think that Braun will take a leap and some of the rookies and possible trades that could happen will solve that. They are the favorites in my opinion but not a surefire lock

I think in terms of *talent* Milwaukee is better than Denver, but there are a lot of questions. Dame is new to the team, and one year might not be enough to fully mesh. The coach is not only new to the team but a first time head coach, and we’ve seen that coaching is very important. And lastly a lot of their starters are starting to get older. Brook, Khris, and even Dame are getting into their mid 30s, and I have to wonder about health and stamina for them, particularly for Brook. I guess we’ll have to wait to see how things turn out and which teams work

"i'm a big nuggets guy" yea, i never noticed it

Sweep the nuggets? If anything, Jokic and the nuggets won't go down without a fight, so i see it going to atleast 7 games

I agree with the first take so much

My 1 disagreement would be able the lack of belief in Denvers depth, we could have a 9-10 man rotation imo, but I’m a fan so I just love our players

Ayton and Brogdon are both established, Ayton has been to the Finals as the number two guy on the team, Brogdon has been to the Finals too..if Scoot can shoot decently well, Portland could be in the playoffs.

Ray Allen is so underrated as a sniper, his form and the speed in which he released was magical. Played in the wrong era.

Remember when Malik Beasley was on the Lakers and he didn’t even get on the floor during the Nuggets sweep? Now he’s going to kill the Nuggets? Also, the Dame/Giannis pick and roll is not as good as Jokic/Murray because Giannis has no jump shot.

First take valid.

I think the shooting takes by a lot of people don’t take into account how clutch the player is imo Ray Allen is the clutchest 3 point shooter ever which makes him a #2 under curry only slightly, you also have to consider the era, Ray Allen played in an era where you only took like 4-5 3’s max in a game if you where considered a very good shooter now you can take 4-5 in a quarter if your elite, not to mention how you’d get benched pre 2010 if you took half the shots Curry and Dame take even if you could make them, I’d have Dame right below, Ray and Reggie, Klay could have an argument but I think Reggie and Ray Allen need to be taken in the top 3

Nah Bill Russell after many hours of research and reading his book, is top 5 for me. If you rank Magic Johnson in your top 5 you should 100% have Russell in there too. Clutchest player maybe ever.

Blazers making the playoffs would take scoot having a bron level rookie season, Simons and Ayton being all stars

Here’s one: All contracts should have a No Trade Clause. If we’re going full player empowerment then players should have the say on if them and their family’s lives get uprooted just because the team wants to get better. It should be a mutual agreement by the players that they consent to getting traded away. The only reason it’s accepted is that it’s institutionally commonplace, which is not alone valid reason for keeping it if it has negative impacts.

For me it depends who the Bulls would've got instead of Pippen. Kemp would've been there for the second 3peat, but if Scotty was gone before then, you've got to look at who they'd have gotten instead of Pippen when he got picked up, or who they'd have traded him for before the first 3peat. As long as it's someone decent, there's a fair chance Jordan still gets a couple of the first 3 anyway. Would be worth a video just to look back and try and give some options for who and whether it'd be enough to still win.

Wilt at 13 is crazy! Way more dominant than shaq. Who you play with is also important.

Wow cant agree on the first answers 🤯

Shaq was also more dominant because there was literally nobody in the league who could slow him down at his peak. In 2001 he destroyed the DPOY in the finals. Wilt meanwhile was regularly held far below his regular-season averages in the playoffs by elite defenders, first by Russell and then by Willis Reed

That hot take about the bucks sweeping the Nuggets really hurt my head and I’m pretty sure whoever said that doesn’t know basketball

If Ayton actually turns into literal Hall of Fame David Robinson then yea the Blazers are a playoff team Nuggets Fan 👋🏾 I have the same exact personal pride in Denver that you do Rusty. Long time fan. We want all the smoke with the Bucks 😤 I’m just happy that we got 1 ring. As a hoop fan I’m happy either way 🤷🏾‍♂️

Not justifiable, he accepted that contract.

That first take was BASED. People put those two in the most random ass spots in their top ten. Sick of seeing them

Only injuries can end the Nuggets season early. Thinking the Bucks will sweep a healthy Denver team is incredibly dumb

Bad take on Wilt. He had bad coaches for all but two times in his career and both times he won. Not to mention he was going against the biggest juggernaut team of all time, who had the greatest coach of all time, and 4 of his losses were in game 7 by a combined total of 9 points. Wilt dominated in a league where he wasn’t even allowed to use his physicality to score because of offensive fouls. He averaged 8.8 blocks per game in 112 games tracked by Harvey Pollack, the most respected and longest tenured NBA statistician ever. He was the strongest and fastest guy on the court in every game. He owns 73 records to this day, which were set before blocks and steals were officially tracked by the NBA. He grabbed 55 boards on Bill Russell. 60% of his shots were on fadeaways- unguardable in any era. He scored because he had to in order to win games. Then we he finally had good teammates and a good coach, he changed his play style and led the league in assists. He played a good portion of his later career on a formerly blown out knee, back when that was a majorly invasive surgery, and most of his highlights on film are from that time. Only one percent of Bill and Wilt’s highlights are even on film. To call him a selfish loser is an ignorant take which ignores context- one of the most important aspects of rating a player’s legacy.

Well Bill Russell also lost in 1958 to Bob Pettit's Hawks

The Wilt hate is unreal, he had two regular season win records concurrently for something like 35 years, with two different teams. Say what you want about his playoff shortcomings, but two rings in an era dominated by one insanely stacked team isn't bad and a lot of those close calls for the Celtics were against Wilt teams, one of which he got injured during. I can respect top 11 player with your focus on rings but the dislike sounds personal haha

Pedja Stojakovic is on the same level as Reggie, Ray and Klay. Just wanted to add this forgotten hooper 💪🏽

Don't forget the Bucks haven't played a single game with Dame yet. Don't get too high on potential. Dame is also 33 and hasn't don'e anything in the post season in 3 years

Not dominant yet still has alot of the nba records

Values winning over stats, puts Bill Russell, the guy who wins 11 rings, as number 9 Says 30 seconds later, I don't care about your stats, I care about winning The ever changing, inonsistent criteria of this guy

Bill Russell is 10-0 in game 7s, many of which came down to the wire and depended on Russell coming up clutch

That was a top tier Simp Celtics/Wilt take

Giannis has still not proven he is a half court offensive player

I'm here to tell you right now. The Bucks ain't gonna sweep the Nuggets. People loves to forget Dama is actually atrocious in playoffs. The dude plays 0 D too. People are extremely undervalue how important,impactful and meaningful Jrue Holliday is. Dame can score you 12 more points, but Jrue could save you 20 points solely with his defense alone. The Nuggets are way, waaaay to stacked on their starting lineup and they were this good having the 2nd worst bench in the league last year. If their bench reach top 20 or 15. The league will have nothing to do to stop them. As a Nuggets fan i was at lot more scared of the Bucks with Jrue Holliday.

Bucks vs Nuggets would probably be best (most even sided) Finals since 2016 that we have.

If you played Dame in the same role Ray, Reggie, or Klay play and took away the massive amount of tough shots he creates off the dribble and from extra deep, he would easily shoot over 40% from 3. His % being dragged down still leaves his as the 2nd most efficient volume shooter off the dribble/in-iso ever, only behind Curry

9:15 Nuggets offensive scheme and team chemistry is probably going to be too much for the Bucks to handle in a series not that it won’t be close. I have nuggets in 7.

Didn't know scottie almost got traded for Kemp...man Kemps life probably would have ended up a lot better if that happened.

Rusty I’ve watched only a minute of this video, is wilt chamberlain just James Harden?

Hot take: I believe that bad coaching plays a role in Harden's bad playoff reputation. Throughout his career, he has played for coaches that have been known to not make any adjustments in the playoffs (D'Antoni, Doc Rivers). Yes, he's still the superstar and he's the one out there on the court, but I've seen many occasions where he was struggling and his coach didn't do anything to make it easier for him or the team (2017 - G6 vs. Spurs, 2018 - G7 vs. Warriors, 2019 - G6 vs. Warriors, 2022 - G6 vs. Heat, 2023 - G7 vs. Cetics).

Bucks looked very top heavy based on their opener. Bobby didnt look like he was fitting in at all

imo bill russel shouldn’t be top 15 and saying wilt was a more winning player js takes it so much out of context, like if the kd warrios vs 2021 suns for 12 years even for them we all saw lebron as the best player in those kd warriors series the odds were js insanely stacked against him

If you swap the nuggets and the bucks in the title then great take

He was the best player in a championship team that contains Kbe freaking Bryant!

Dame is on his way out. Jamal Murray will pass him this season.

I personally have wilt top 5 cause I view winning as a team factor not as an individual

Bill played with so many hofers it don’t count

Look, I’ma Bucks fan, and even I know that the Nuggets are a problem. A sweep? Not impossible, but HIGHLY improbable.

MJ didn't need scottie. He just needed another all-star. Like you Said they almost traded him for Kemp. I think they still 3peat. MJ with an all-star big man is scary. Not to mention scottie name came up in trades for Alonzo mourning, Tracy McGrady, and Shaq. If they got any of those young players MJ hang around for another 2 or 3 years.

Denver is the team, Bucks are the stars with stat...team always wins...Remember the Nets...

The dame downplay was kind of weird.

rusty i love ur vids but no way you think in an era without free agency if you put wilt on those celtics teams with multiple other hall of famers they wouldn’t win the championship

No one has an answer for Jokic and/or Jokic/Murray

The possible problem with The Bucks is Giannis doesn't have any real post up ability. He's a beast, but it takes so much energy for him to score.. I'm nit picking, but i think it could be a problem

Busty Ruckets

6:00 The Bucks have 8 players you are confident are playoff caliber Giannis, Dame, Khris, Brook, Pat, Bobby, Cam Payne, Jae Crowder

What you said about the Bucks is what people said about KD and Irving in the nets

"I super-duper value winning... So the player who won more than anyone else is only #9..." Okay. Excellent consistency... And "super-duper" evaluating a player based on the team result...

Jokic showedast year that it doesnt matter what you throw at him. I dont think thia year will be any different

Wilt is definitely better than bill. Comparing Andre Drummond to wilt is crazy. Wilt got to be dance a bunch of times just could beat a stacked team in the Celtics

I find myself missing the media take...

Really think we could get another ring this year with Dame, but stop disrespecting the Nuggets. Same thing happened when we won a championship, it was back to underrating us because of the small market factor. But small market teams make big moves in silence, and that's alright. Hope to see a Denver Milwaukee final

I won't accept that Drummond slander. He is one of the best rebounders, and according to Drummond himself, a top 20 center of all time. He aint capping☠☠

As a delusional bucks fan there is no way we would ever sweep the nuggets. I would be surprised if we beat them in 6

HOT TAKE: The Bucks and Celtics match up is only 60% 40% in favor of the Bucks. Because I don't trust Dame in the playoffs being guarded by Jrue.

Simmons is one of the worse defenders in the league statistically speaking😒. Not sure why🤷🏿‍♂️

Ant simons 27ppg 7dimes

I disagree with the 3pt% argument on Dame. He is guarded too fiercely. Neither Klay, nor Reggie or Ray have ever expierenced that. Watching Portland closely for years it's evident for me how the teams fear him. He is top 2 easily for me. And if he had luxury of comparatively open looks like other guys considered for that title, no one would have argued against it.

If Giannis wins a ring with dame this year he will surpass Hakeem all time

Is it sacrilegious to think that Wilt is the GOAT tho? cuz I do.

Wilt>bill

Giannis has only beaten Jokic like one time his entire career. Casuals just see names but don't watch games. Giannis can't even shoot outside of 6 feet. The Celtics are going to beat the bucks. They have continuity. I don't know whose coming out of the west. But Celtics are going to handle the bucks in the playoffs.

I hate this argument of winning. One man can’t carry a whole team. Take dame for example, place with the right people and he would win multiple titles and everyone would call him a god. But instead he’s placed with terrible teammates

Yeah I hate when people bring up that wilt led the league in assists. He did that to prove a point, but imo it actually makes him looks worse. He showed that he could’ve been less selfish and just chose not to

Wilt never played 100% tho

ROFL at this casual opinion. Lilard didnt play one game out of Blazers since 11 years ago and he played 0 games with Antetokounmpo. Only the NBA2K playing crowd imagines you can just transplant superstars like that and it all just works perfectly. Denver in 5. If Bucks get out of East.

What do you mean bring double yo mike lol you could not double team

Hack a Shaq for the win every time! You got no chance beating Jokić with a poor foul shooter on your team….

If you think the crazy numbers are the reason Wilt didnt win, and not because of the teams they were on, then you would have to think Bill Russell still wins most the championships if they switched teams. And theres no way you actually believe that.

Dame is no I’m not sure Dame is a top 5 3PT shooter all time

Shaq woulda dropped 100 in wilts era. Just saying

Kyrie is a better shooter then dame. How is this a conversation. Kyrie is a career 39% shooter while dame is at like 37%. Kyrie also has a 50/40/90 season under his belt as well as a wayyyy better mid range game.

Nuggets have the best player in the world. Dame is a lot like Wilt. Numbers Numbers numbers and nothing to show for it. Now you have him sweeping the Nuggets. Hope they can just get there to find out. I found putting 2 ball hogs together does not work most of the time.

People forget Dame can’t defend shit and the Bucks just traded one of the best perimeter defenders in the league to their rivals. Like relax on the hype

Wilt > bill.