Stephen A. WAS SHOCKED to hear this Kevin Durant & Luka Doncic HOT TAKE 🔥 | First Take

and whoever ends up as the West champ is

going to have to go through one of the

deepest conferences in league history

for the first time ever a single NBA

Conference had 10 teams finished 10

games above 500 the nuggets are

currently favored to get out of the West

for a second year in a row that

according to ESPN

bet all right uh Tim we'll start with

you all right which player in the west

has the most pressure to win a title I

think there's two

I and it's hard to differentiate between

the two Kevin Durant Luca donic I think

those two players have more pressure on

them and I and I'll tell you why I'll

tell you why for Kevin Durant I'm one of

those people that thinks that not every

ring carries the same weight I just

don't believe that it does interesting

and this is the one thing right Kevin

Durant hasn't checked that box he went

to a team that was already a champion a

team that was already great and joined

them yes he's got two rings two Finals

MVP so at the end of the day will he

sleep like a baby either way probably I

think he's solid with with what his

Legacy is but the way he's viewed

externally if he were able to carry the

Suns on a western conference run okay I

think that's going to do more to cement

in people's minds what he is and who he

is if they lose in the first round when

he's been paired up with Devin Booker

and Bradley Beal they're coming for

Kevin Durant he's going to hear a lot

about that and it might cost Frank vogle

his job if that were to happen the other

guy's Luca and here's why I think Luca

donic is on a level he's either going to

be second or third in MVP voting I think

he's had the best indiv idual season of

any player in the NBA and I think this

team represents his best chance to make

a run at the Western Conference to this

point in his career because of the way

Kyrie's playing the pieces they've added

around him they are on a roll heading

into the postseason I think everything

is lined up for Luca now to C and put a

stamp and pound that gavel who he is

relative to other star players in this

league so I think one of those two guys

have more pressure on than anybody else

and I know you guys are probably going

to say

the dudes on the Clippers and I strongly

disagree if that's where you're going to

go and I'll tell you why but go ahead

well first of all it's Blasphemous what

you're saying I'm going to come to the

defense of KD Trey AKA Kevin Durant the

man is a two-time NBA champion he is a

two-time NBA Finals MVP I'm not trying

to act like he's devoid of pressure to

depart from Golden State to go to

Brooklyn and then from go from Brooklyn

to Phoenix of course there's pressure

but not the most pressure let me throw

something by you Tim legler let me throw

something by you Shannon shot let's

bring up the name James

Harden 10 time NBA Allstar six time all

NBA first team a league MVP member of

the NBA 75th Anniversary team three

scoring titles two assist

titles but hasn't been no Conference

Finals since

2018 hasn't been an NBA Finals since

2012 and has never ever won a title are

you kidding me are you kidding me of

course James Harden's name has to come

into the equation because when we look

at the Los Angeles Clippers if kawh

Leonard is on the basketball courton

he's played more games than he's played

in years this season okay if Paul George

is on the basketball court then really

what you're asking with the Personnel

that the Clippers have what's James

Harden going to do what's he going to

bring to the table for you I'm not

questioning Russell Westbrook here I'm

not questioning a healthy Kawai and Paul

George here I know what they going to do

okay the question is what is James

Harden going to do if James Harden is

the James Harden that we know he can be

oh the Clippers could beat anybody no

don't don't tell me that he's got less

pressure on him oh yeah than somebody

who's already W two rings he does for

the simple fact he's not that same

player that when you talk about 2018

he's not that player anymore he's not

asked to be that player anymore and I

agree I agree with legs on this LeBron's

championship in Cleveland means more to

than the two that he won in Miami 100%

so are you trying to tell me if Kevin

Durant wins a ring with the Suns it

wouldn't mean more than the two he has

in Phoenix it would be I excuse me with

golden state it would mean more but

here's the thing finally normally Kevin

dur Durant has a a Ticky Tac injury he's

lipping in or some of his teammates he

didn't get it done whatever the case may

be Kyrie went down where you had Co year

or whatever the case may be and if you

look at it he's his numbers are better

after the Achilles injuries than they

were before if you look at his scoring

numbers his rebounding yes him and book

averaging over 27 so now you got two

guys averaging over 27 Bradley Bill

everybody is healthy you mean to tell me

there ain't no pressure for him to win a

title after that horrible remember the

last time with Brooklyn he got swept out

of the playoff Boston by Boston he got

swept and you trying to tell me ain't no

pressure I'm not I'm not trying to say

there's no pressure I'm saying guys you

can't tell me that there's more pressure

on him than Harden with what I just

broke down to you let me also say this

yesterday I was on TV and I picked the I

picked the Wolves to beat the Suns I'm

sorry I got to retract that I think the

suns are going to beat the Wolves I

don't like what they how the how the how

the te- wolves have looked against the

Suns the Suns have beaten 3 and 0 they

have they have not they have not trailed

in the second half and they've been up

by double digits in the second half of

each game they've had their way with

Minnesota and with Rudy go on the floor

it's even worse and for some reason

Anthony Edwards He's on ant-man's only

averaging like 14 a game against them I

don't understand it and so I I want to

retract that but I will say this this is

the number I wanted to throw out at you

Clipper's teammates Harden Russell

Westbrook Paul George have 28 combined

Allstar selections five scoring titles

zero NBA ranks so I'm saying at some

point in time I mean what doesn't it

matter what somebody has actually done

Kevin dur has won two chips I'm GNA

explain to you go ahead go ahead Shannon

no I was going to say this and Paul

George because Paul George more times

than not especially in the West

Conference has come up small remember

they keep called himself playoff P but

people can't forget pandemic P yes we

saw that remember when he was

an go off for 45 I two things create

pressure

expectations and then reaction and James

Harden is not going to elicit that kind

of expectation anymore I think the bar

has been set so low for him with past

playoff performances I don't think

anybody is expecting James Harden to be

that guy in the postseason so as a

result the ball the expectations aren't

there for him and expectations create

pressure it's not about him being that

guy it's about looking at the Clippers

as constructed if kawai's heard or Paul

George is heard and they're out I get

y'all I'm saying if those two brothers

are on the court you know what you can

get from them you're looking at him and

saying all right you ain't being asked

to be that dude that you were in Houston

anymore you ain't even being asked to be

what you were in Philly with EMB you in

an ideal situation there is no excuse

what I'm tell no excuse hey there is no

comparison to the v in the vitri all

that is going to go in their direction

if both of those guys lose in the first

round Kevin Durant coming for Kevin

Durant they're not coming for if if

Luca's averaging over 30 he ain't gonna

get vitri all if Dallas lose no no well

LC I don't think that's gonna happen

with him no I'm talking I'm talking

about James Harden and Durant saying if

the Clippers lose in the first round no

matter what James Harden does people

gonna forget about that in 48 hours if

Kevin Durant loses in the first round to

the Minnesota Timberwolves a team with

no Collective playoff experience as

winners and he's got that much talent

next to him and they lose that Series in

the first round that we're going to be

talking about Kevin Durant probably all

summer if he we're not talk about James

Harden the first round Stephen A M

that'll be twice yeah they won they' won

10 of their last 14 games but prior to

that we were lamenting the fact that

what the hell is going on in Phoenix

because they can't seem to hold fourth

quarter leads they got what's going on

with Frank Vogal and Phoenix what the

hell's going on here we've looked at

them like that did they lose in the

first round last year they Phoenix they

lost second round second round because

because Kawai got hurt after dropping 38

and then the Clippers won the rest of

that series because Kawai went down wait

so he got he got he got swept by Boston

his last his uh last full season in

Brooklyn he lost in the second round

last year to the Nuggets right if he

goes out with you got two guys averaging

27 stepen a and and everybody is

healthy listen again I'm not trying to

imply there's not my there's not

pressure on Kevin rant I'm not saying

that I'm just making the argument that

if James and remember with James Harden

we ain't talking about ability we're

talking about I mean this man has been

accused of quitting quitting you no

we'll be talking about that for more

than two days if that happens this go

round now I don't believe it will I

believe in James Harden but I don't I

but there's still pressure but this is

why I agree with legs is because we

don't have the same level of expectation

he's the third option we had

expectations last year when he was with

uh Joel embiid because he was the second

option as you move down the ranking as

far as options the less culpability is

normally Heap on you yeah but how about

how the Clippers were looking before he

arrived and then how they were looking

after they had a they they started off

rough the first five or six games and

then they went on this damn tier and

James Harden was the one that was in the

headlines because his elevated level of

play elevated the Clippers to

Championship expectations just

forgetting that as long they'll be just

fine won't they I no you ain't said

anything about that a l all last year he

was over there buing his gum talk about

they run LA because they were doing it

they were running they don't run nothing

but

M La not well listen or you can say that

don't y have to get past Denver assuming

y'all face him I think there's more

pressure I think there's more pressure

on Kyrie Irving than James Harden I

agree

p

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