Get A Bucket Show

From SB Halftime Hype To NBA Contenders

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We celebrate a record-smashing halftime show, a balanced Seahawks win, and then flip to the NBA with one test for greatness: who sustains energy and effort for 48 minutes. Our contender board gets bold, our Lakers reality check gets blunt, and we want your list.

• Bad Bunny’s viewership surge and cultural reach 
• Seahawks’ defense choking drives for three quarters 
• Kenneth Walker’s MVP case and kicker’s near-MVP math 
• Balanced phases: offense, defense, special teams 
• Lakers’ effort gap over 48 minutes 
• Honorable mentions: Spurs, Celtics, Wolves, 76ers, Lakers, Cavs, Magic 
• Contenders ranked by stamina: Thunder, Rockets, Nuggets, Knicks, Pistons 
• Matchups that threaten OKC’s path 
• Health, cohesion, and late-game habits as deciding edges

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SPEAKER_00:

What's up everybody? It's your favorite show. It's favorite show, get a bucket. I'm your host, Trey, as usual. Hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day. Now, today, we're gonna talk about two big topics, right? So let's go ahead and go right on into it. The first one, NFL Super Bowl. I want to talk about the halftime show first. That's why we're gonna talk about the halftime show first because you have to appreciate the cultural impact that it had. Off top, it cost the NFL about$10 to$15 million to have. Okay. It brought in the most views that the NFL has ever seen. Now, Kendrick Maher's halftime show last year, it was at 133.5 million views, right? Bad Bunny, that was the artist for this year's. He got in between 135 to 142 million views. So that's not bad. And again, we got the cultural influence. Like the Spanish wave is about it's not about to. It's been hitting. It's been hitting. And I've heard some I've heard some gripes like, oh, we couldn't understand it. Okay, well, there's a there's a few couple million people that did. And that's what matters. You're expanding the game. Now you're making Americans want to learn different languages. Is that not important? Because we also look at other cultures learning the English language, and we highlight that. So why can't we learn different languages? I don't know. That's like the fact that we're complaining about that is weird. It's weird to me. But it was a successful halftime show. I've heard people say that he could have done better, could have given some different songs. That's fair. That's a good opinion. I still like the the vibe that he gave. You had a wedding during the halftime show. Like, dude, that was pretty spectacular. Like what what he did, I'm not mad at Bad Bunny. I'm not gonna lie to you. He might have given, he might have made me more of a fan. So maybe I might start listening a little bit more to Bad Bunny. But overall, I thought the halftime show was good. Now, getting into the game right fast, right? Because you had the Seahawks versus the Patriots. Seahawks did end up winning 29 to 13. That was the final score. You gotta tip your cap and give kudos to the Patriots for getting there, right? Shout out to Drake May. Uh, it looked like he did his thing. Two touchdowns, two interceptions. That's cool. Uh there were some memes out there, some good ones, right? Like there was a Drake Bell meme out there. That was funny. Like I never thought that it'd be so simple, but like that was a good one. I'm not gonna hold y'all. But I can't go too, too badly at Drake May. Because again, it was a good overall effort by the Seattle Seahawks. Also, players like a Sam Darnold, right? I think that that storyline of patience, remember, like he's played in eight seasons. Shout out Kobe Bryant. Like, that's that's spectacular. But like I said, ladies and gentlemen, the Seahawks, they had a balanced team effort. Let's look at the defensive end, right? Elite, off top. Demarcus Lawrence. You got Cowboys ties. So for those of y'all who like to slander Cowboys, hey, DeMarcus couldn't get it on the Cowboys, but he did with the Seahawks. You can go that route. Uh Kobe Bryant, number eight. That's right, number eight, actually, on defense. And his name is in fact Kobe Bryant. Shout out to my Lakers, right? He had four total stats, three total sacks, and one pass defended. And if you add those numbers up, that again equals eight. Again, shout out Kobe Bryant. Good defensive effort, but the defense did hold the Patriots to 13 points. They almost went scoreless. It won't until like the last quarter that they really started scoring, honestly. It was kind of crazy. So again, the defense, it was elite. The offense, they had a good run and solid pass game. Donald was number 16 out of the last 25 years of quarterback passing ratings, according to Statmus. And then Kenneth Walker, their running back. He's number eight all time in Super Bowl rushing yards. And he earned Super Bowl MVP. Shout out to Kenneth Walker. You know, and again, that reference to number eight is still there. So we got to throw that out there. The special teams. Fun fact, the kicker actually could have won Super Bowl MVP. He went five for five on the field goals and then two for the extra points. Now let's take away those two extra points right quick, right? Let's just say those didn't occur. The game's a lot closer then than what we saw. Remember, I said it was 29-13, so let's remove 14 points. That means that's now 15 to 13. Seahawks still win. And if there's no other points on the board except for the field goals, the kicker does win the Super Bowl. I mean, Kenneth, Kenneth Walker didn't score a touchdown, so maybe you can argue that case if he still ran the same amount of yards. I genuinely believe that the kicker had a very valid shot at winning it. If you remove those two touchdowns, which one was the pass and one was on the defensive end. But again, all of this to say that they had a balanced attack from start to finish on the offensive, defensive, and special teams ends. They did. So again, congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks for winning the Super Bowl. And again, shout out to Sam Darnold. Because you know I gotta put my little bias in there. I'm a USC Trojan fan and I'm a Panthers fan. And that's what Sam Darnold was on. He was on my Trojans, you know what I'm saying? Then he eventually went to the Panthers, and I've been supporting buddy. So I'm happy that Sam Darnold got his little chip in there. You know what I'm saying? But the Seattle Seahawks, again, congratulations. Because you guys sustained energy and effort for the entire game. And y'all won the Super Bowl, rightfully so. So good job to them. Now, again, ladies and gentlemen, this is called Get a Bucket, right? We talk about hoops out here, but I wanted to really quickly talk about that Super Bowl. So we're gonna get off that first topic right there, right? Um, if y'all have anything that y'all want to say, please comment below. I want to know that, but we're gonna go on to the second topic, which is the NBA. Now, recently I heard LeBron talk about my team, the Lakers. And he said, We're not a championship team. I agree with him. I do. I've been saying that too for the longest. I don't think we won a championship this year. He said, and I quote, we can't sustain energy and effort for 48 minutes, and they can. And when he said they, he's talking about the Oklahoma City Thunder. Because we recently just played them and lost by nine. Now, for context, OKC was without Shea Gilders Alexander, and we were without Luka Doncic. So I'm not overly mad at it. It's a nine-point loss, but it makes you think too, well, damn, what would have happened if both of them played? Would it have been a similar result? I think so. And again, he said, we can't sustain energy and effort for 48 minutes. Now that got me to thinking, just who in the world are the contending teams in the NBA? And I started looking at the listings. I got some honorable mentions, and I got a list of contending teams. So we're gonna start with the honorable mentions, right? And this is in no particular order too for the honorable mentions, ladies and gentlemen. Might not be uh uh an order for the contending teams either, but we'll see how it goes. I'll see what leds, I'll see what's on the hawk. But honorable mentions, we gotta talk about the Spurs. Now, again, the the the barometer that we're using is who can sustain energy and effort for 48 minutes. And I think the Spurs can do that. The issue is their age, because they're a little young, especially where it counts, and their playoff experience that matters. Wimby has not been in the playoffs yet. You got a couple players who have been, Lou Cornette, Harrison Barnes, Darren Fox, right? They played in there, but the the bulk of the team really has not. And you gotta wonder, okay, how do they play when it comes to the playoffs? So that gives me my calls for pause for the Spurs. If there is a world where they do win the championship this season, I think we're a season two early because I still think Wimby is a little light in the tail. And it's going to, and I've been saying it's going to take him about four years maybe to get where he needs to do, to be strength-wise, skill-wise. I think he's closer than what we might want him to be. I think he's right there for skill-wise. He's going to get better, but the physicality aspect, that's what he needs to improve. And bigs usually take about five years. I think because of who he is, it might happen in four. So I'm expecting them starting next year to be contenders, just not this season. But they got the pieces, though. Another team to talk about for honorable mentions, we got the Celtics. And we got to remember, ladies and gentlemen, okay, this team did lose Christos Porzingis, Drew Holiday, those were key players on their championship team. They also lost Jason Tatum to injury. Now they are still number two, number three in the East. And they've three in the East, they've gone as high as number two in the East. You gotta tip that you gotta tip your cap to them for the effort that they've displayed. And I think for the energy and effort aspect, they can sustain that for 48 minutes, which is why I have them as an honorable mention. Losing someone like JT, that is a lot. And I would say the same thing if they had JT and lost Jalen Brown. But at least they got one of them. So that's what that's partly the reason why I got them as an honorable mention. But they're retooling right now. So the fact that they're even an honorable mention speaks volumes, and you gotta pay attention for them coming next season. Because if they're healthy, oh my gosh, watch out. Now we gotta talk about the Timberwolves because we know Ant-Man out there, right? We know what he's gonna give us. We kind of know what Rudy Gobert is gonna give us. Hell, we even know what Jaden McDaniel is gonna give us, at least on the defensive end. Offensively, he could flip-flop here and there. But the real X factor for me is Randall. Do they give the energy and effort for 48 minutes? Yes, I do believe they can. Randall is somewhat of a question mark because sometimes he will let his emotions get the best of him, but he's still a hooper, though. Quality hooper. Remember, he was an MVP candidate at one point in time, not too long ago. And he plays like exceptionally well in the games, especially in the regular season. Come playoffs, might dip he might dip just a smidge. So if he can continue his level of play, you might be able to make the wolves a contender. Although I still think they need a little bit more retooling. Just a little bit more. They gotta figure some more things out. But overall, honorable mention, wolves, I gotta throw them there. Because again, Anthony Elwert is a stud. He's a top 10 player in the game. You might even want to call him top five. Some people do. So I get it. But I gotta throw him in the honorable mention. If Randall playing the way he should play, and that's as a second option, too, uh, it could be a little tricky. But I gotta see that because I'm expecting consistency from Ant. I'm expecting a little dip-off from Julius Randle. Speaking of a little dip-off, we gotta talk about the 76ers. Because this one's a bit tricky, right? I gotta give them an honorable mention. There's a world, there's a world where all these teams win weirdly. Um at least the ones I'm about to mention, right? 76ers, they gotta have MB be healthy. After that, you gotta have health and availability for your team. Like Paul George, he was he wasn't healthy, and now he's gone for 25 games off suspension. That could provide some rust, or it could provide some good some good body rest for him. Not gonna lie to you. That's two ways to look at it. So I'm curious how that does for PG. But the 76ers, they have the talent to surround Joel and B. Joel and B just needs to be 75% healthy, maybe even 80, but 75 bare minimum for them to win a championship. Because he's gonna give you 30 at minimum, right? Tyrese Maxie, dynamic guard, and they got a bunch of quality small forward wings, or wings, not small forward wings that can do their job, defend and score. Backup big, you got an Andre Drummer who's still serviceable, get you some quality minutes out there. I I think there's a world where the 76ers can do something, but they're honorable mention because that energy and effort piece, that is a little bit in question. They got the talent, that energy and effort piece, that's a little bit in question. So, like I said, there's a world. I don't know how much money I'd put on it right now, though. I'm not gonna lie to you. I gotta see, I gotta see a little bit more out of the 76ers. Same thing with my Lakers, and it's very frustrating because honestly, we got the skill to do it, right? Braun, Luca. Those are two polarizing players still. Now, I I would like it if we can get LeBron James off my team, don't get me wrong, but again, he's still a quality player. Like, you gotta say that at least. Austin Reeves, overrated. Personally, I thought we should have flipped him for another player. Maybe we can do something in the offseason. Let's see what happens. But I don't like Austin and Luca paired on the same team. That's our backcourt, which means our backcourt getting cooked because they're not defending anybody for real. So again, we got to get lucky as a team. Like, we would lose to the Wolves, we would lose to the Nuggets, to the Rockets, to the Thunder. Like, those are four teams right there that we would eventually have to see. So I'm like I said, man, we gotta have some luck go our way. Because that energy and effort, even Braun said we can't sustain it for 48 minutes. And he's partially talking about himself too, by the way. You know what I'm saying? Like, what's going on to the next team, Grossa? If not, I'm gonna be talking about my boys all damn day. Cavs. To be honest, this is gonna be short and sweet one. And I've said this before, and I'm gonna keep saying it. Evan Mobley has to be their best player on the team. Has to. And that's especially the case because they got James Harden now. James Harden can pass the ball, Donovan Mitchell can score the ball. We know that. I don't believe in Donovan Mitchell being your best player if you're thinking you're trying to win a championship. He has never been to the conference finals. And for a player who's been called overrated, Tyrese Halliburton's been there already. We've seen Anthony Edwards get there already. Devin Booker's gotten there before. At what point in time will we see Donovan Mitchell get there? And I keep hearing, oh, he doesn't have help. Well, Evan Mobley helped his ass out last year. He played in four games. And you mean tell me out of the five, y'all can only win one? Given 18 and 10? I don't know. That's kind of tough. That's kind of tough. So again, I don't believe in the Cavs getting over the hump unless Evan Mobley is their best player. And I don't know if that's gonna happen. So I personally don't believe in the Cavs. That energy and effort piece, it might have been there if they didn't trade for James Harden. That effort piece might dip for Harden personally. Definitely the energy piece. He don't defend, man. He don't defend. So how can we say we give him maximum effort if he don't really defend? I'm just saying. And another honorable mention, the magic. For me, it's health and cohesion. Because again, ladies and gentlemen, the health aspect, it's it has been questionable. Like Jalen Suggs was injured, Paolo was injured, Franz was injured. Was Desmond injured? I don't remember, but he was the newest guy on the damn team. Which leads to cohesion. Because they won a game and then lost a game and then won a game and then lost a game. Like it was tough for them to muster up back-to-back wins, which tells me there's a little bit of shakiness, but also too, y'all are winning close games, to be clear. And that energy and effort is there. They're a young team still. So that's definitely there. And they're on the up and coming. I can't hold y'all. Like next season, I show I think there's a little bit more promise out of them next season than there is this season. If they're healthy, though, they could surprise some teams because the East is wide open, to be clear. I just have them as an honorable mention. I can't put them as a contender because of that cohesion piece and that health factor. They give effort and energy. I gotta give them that. They got the skill, I gotta give them that. But that health and cohesion is a big thing for me personally. So the magic, honorable mentions. But y'all heard all my honorable mentions now, ladies and gentlemen. We got Spurs, Celtics, Wolves, 76ers, Lakers, Cavs, and Magic. Okay? So now we're gonna go to the contending teams. Yeah, we gotta go here. Pistons. I gotta say this, because they're at the top of the East. But for me, the age and the playoff experience does make me wonder will they be a champion? Like, could they lose in one of the early rounds? That could potentially happen depending on who they go up against. So the Pistons are a team that I can see winning and I can see losing early, all because of their playoff experience and age. They're here early, earlier than I expected. I'll give them that. They have what it takes. They sustain energy and effort for 48 minutes. They've also had some injury issues themselves too. So as long as they're healthy, they got a shot. But their age and playoff experience, very similar to the Spurs, has me wondering where they would be. And that's why I kind of have them fifth. I do of my of my contenders, of my contenders. So if you're listening, there are five of them things up there that I have listed. The fourth team is in fact the Knicks. Now, hear me out, hear me out, hear me out. I believe this is their final shot. If they don't win it now, I'm completely writing them off the books. They got everything they need. Maybe minus a respectable head coach, no disrespect. But they got everything they need in order to win. You got a dynamic guard who can play, make, and score. You got versatile wings. You got bigs. You got a big who, while people try to question him, he's still solid. He's honestly a top five big in the league still. You got everything you need. And if you can't do it now, I don't know when the hell y'all gonna do it. So again, Knicks, age, experience, it's over a team like the Pistons. And y'all have better health than a team like the Celtics. If the Celtics were healthy, they're easily the top team in the East to me. I think the Knicks can beat a team like the Pistons in the playoffs. So this is y'all's final shot. Because if you can't win it now, I don't know when you're going to. And seeing the Knicks respectable in the NBA has made the NBA a little more interesting, right? It's interesting to see the Knicks back into the thick of things a little bit. Could be the end after this season. So I hope y'all enjoying it. Because they've only won two championships out of how many that they could have. Like they've been around for the long. I'm not gonna get into it. Let's talk about another team like the Nuggets, who are actually trying to tie the Knicks. It's crazy. Because the Nuggets, I ain't gonna lie to you, if they're healthy, oh, they could look decent. Like they have been. They won a championship not too long ago. They have an arguably top three player in the league. Which some people say he's the best. So have you still got that pair with the Jamal Murray who's been playing well? You got some defenders on your squad still who can shoot the ball. Aaron Gordon, if he comes back healthy, oh my gosh, like y'all have you have it back. Plus, you got Ballonchuna still. Y'all looking okay. You're looking okay. So again, the Nuggets, they're if they're healthy, you gotta make them a contender. If not, honestly, I would still say they're contenders. As long as it's just Aaron Gordon out. Because Aaron Gordon's a big piece, don't get me wrong. But you can still put them as a contender. They got the energy and effort. They genuinely do. I think they have that. The skills there, it's literally just the health. So contender-wise, Nuggets, they're third for me. Without question. Now that second team, the top two teams, you can kind of assume where we're going. The second team, maybe not. The first team, I think so. But the second team, you could be wondering who it is. So I'm gonna go ahead and just spoil it for you. It's the Utah Jazz. No, I'm playing no disrespect. But holla at me next season, though, because they could they could make some things little interesting. But the Rockets, the Houston Rockets, ladies and gentlemen. Um yeah, health is a big thing, right? But also, are they in fact ready? If they had Fred Van Vliet, oh my gosh, this might have been a little bit more, this might have been a little more interesting. But them trying to bring along Reed Shepard has looked interesting. I want to see a little bit more out of Amin Thompson, which I wish that he could get the reins a little bit more, but it's a balanced team, right? Singun's been playing decently. KD's still there, Jabari Smith's still there. Like they got a balanced squad on their team. So are they in fact ready? Because some of those players who we're talking about, the Amin Thompson, the Reed Shepard, like they have to be ready. I think Amin will be because at minimum he'll be a solid defender. And like you can put him in the dunker spot. At minimum. And what I'm envisioning is he can actually run the damn show. And you can pair anybody on the floor with him, too. That's what's crazy. He can play with anybody on the floor. Reed Shepard, will he be able to knock down shots when it matters? Good player, solid athleticism. Still young. So I mean, yes, they have the talent. Yes, they got the depth. And they will play and give you energy and effort for 48 minutes. It's now just about are they ready? And will they be healthy? Like I said, ladies and gentlemen, this is my number two, my number two contending team. And I'm I I got high expectations for KD. I'm not gonna lie to you guys. Like if they go up against a team like the Thunder, I would expect the Rockets to at minimum make it a game seven. Like if it goes game five, I'm gonna be very disappointed. Game six, depending on how it goes, I can understand it. But I'm expecting it to at least go seven. And I would hope that it favors the Rockets. Because they got the talent to do so. But the number one team, contending-wise, that I am looking at is the Oklahoma City Thunder. And ladies and gentlemen, that's just barring health. They they they y'all y'all seen what they've done. They're defending champs. They got the reigning MVP who could win it again. They got good depth. And keep in mind, Jalen Williams has been injured for a lot of the season. So they're still viewed as one of the better teams. If not the best team. They still have good depth. They still have good management. Like I said, health is the only thing that's going to prevent them from winning it. Health and going up against the rights, going up against the wrong teams would prevent them from winning a championship. Like I said, the Houston Rockets, they could lose two. The Nuggets, I think they could lose two. The Spurs in the playoffs, that would be interesting because the Spurs have beaten them three to four times in the regular season now. I know three, I just got double check on that fourth one. So if the Spurs swept them in the regular season, could that happen again? I'm not going to say I'd be surprised because again, they'd beat it's hard to beat a team four times in a row. It really is. It really is. Hell, even three times in a row. So the fact that they could do that in the regular season makes me think they could lose to a team like the Spurs. I could even see them losing to the Wolves, although I would expect the Oklahoma City Thunder to win that game. Everybody else I would expect them to beat in the West, honestly. But those are the only teams that I expect them to win or at least put up a good enough fight. But I expect those games to be close. So again, OKC, they have a bullseye on their tar on their back now. But they've been handling it pretty daggone well, if I do say so myself. So again, ladies and gentlemen, those are you heard my honorable mentions, right? Spurs, Celtics, Timberwolves, 76ers, Lakers, Cavs, and Magic. And then you heard my contending teams, OKC, Rockets, Nuggets, Knicks, and Pistons. I am very curious what teams you think are contenders. And again, I'm basing this off of which teams can sustain energy and effort for 48 minutes. Because to go back to the start of this, LeBron James already admitted my Lakers can't do that. We got the skill and talent to maybe win a championship. But as I as you just listened, it might be a little tougher to go up against them contending teams. I expect us to lose in five to OKC. Same with the Rockets. Y'all have already seen us lose in five with the Nuggets before. So that's, you know, I I could see us losing to the Pistons if we got to the Dagon playoffs, finals. Like that would be oh, that would be disgusting, bro. We couldn't beat the Pistons again. I'd be pissed. I would be pissed. So again, and the Knicks, damn. Actually, that would that would be interesting. Um, yeah, that would be a little interesting to see. Uh, I could see the Knicks still winning that one too. That's crazy. But I'm curious, who do y'all think are contenders? Who do y'all have as honorable mentions? I want to hear it. I want to hear your thoughts. So please like, ladies and gentlemen, make sure to like, subscribe, comment, and tell anyone who's anyone about the show. My name is Trey. I'm the host of Get a Bucket. That is all that we have. Hope y'all enjoyed it. Hope y'all enjoyed the talks about the Super Bowl as well as the contenders for the NBA currently. We'll talk a little more about the contenders at another time, but uh hope you all enjoy this. Like I said, pay attention and uh get ready because we also will be talking about the All Star game coming up, give some predictions, give some gripes, maybe. Maybe I'll do a recap afterwards. We'll see what happens. But I'm giving y'all a little foreshadowing. So, you know, stay tuned. But like I said, ladies and gentlemen, hope you all are having a good one. And uh thank you all for listening. Take care.