transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:00] This episode is brought to you by Beneful. Dogs of the world, lend me your ears, snoots and little toe beans. We've been sitting and staying for boring food for too long. It's time to demand high quality ingredients fresh from the pantry. Together with Beneful freshly prepared meals, we can start a mealtime revolution. Can I get a woof woof? Kick boring in the bowl with Beneful freshly prepared meals. Visit purina.com/beneful to shop now.

Speaker 2:
[00:30] Now, at McDonald's, a McDouble is $2.50, so you can get your gym gains on or just get lunch for only $2.50. Get more value on the under $3 menu. Limit time only.

Speaker 3:
[00:41] Prices and participation may vary.

Speaker 4:
[00:42] Prices may be higher for delivery.

Speaker 1:
[00:43] Ba-da-ba-ba-bo!

Speaker 3:
[01:02] Welcome to The Mismatch, I'm Chris Vernon, and joining me today is every week from theringer.com, it's David Jacoby. Jacoby!

Speaker 5:
[01:09] Verno, the playoffs started over the weekend, but let's be honest, those games weren't great Saturday and Sunday. We had some games last night. We had some games.

Speaker 3:
[01:19] You good?

Speaker 5:
[01:22] No. Do you know what, do you, so I've had a lot of time to sit and think about this game, Verno. First of all, that was a Knicks win. Like they were up the entire time. Nine points, it gets down to eight. It's up to 12, 14. They're just cruising comfortably the entire game. And I've had a lot of time to think about this, Verno. Do you know what this really feels like? It feels like the Celtics game one and two from last year.

Speaker 3:
[01:51] Oh, I was going to say...

Speaker 5:
[01:51] When they blew those leads at the end?

Speaker 3:
[01:52] I was going to say Indiana.

Speaker 5:
[01:56] A little bit like that too. But Indiana felt... Those were like closer games though. Like this was a... The Knicks were cruising to a two-nothing hold serve, go to Atlanta with a two-game lead in the series. It was just cruising that direction. There was no part of me that was concerned. With five and a half minutes left, Brunson hits a shot to put them up eight. And I was like, okay, because, you know, six is close. They're up eight with five and a half minutes left. And I was like, this game is over. Great. We have a two-nothing lead. And CJ McCollum.

Speaker 3:
[02:30] CJ McCollum did happen. And it does feel strange watching the crowd chant FU CJ as if he is Trey Young. It is like this trade has happened and now they have. But he doesn't like he's not the guy that bows like he's on Broadway. He's not the guy that does the ice cold. He's not any of that. So it does feel like he is miscast as a villain. He even addressed this after the game last night.

Speaker 6:
[03:03] CJ, you've joined a pretty short list of Hawks guards who pissed off Knicks fans. I'm curious. Just how do you feel like tonight's performance is leading to a villain status, maybe?

Speaker 7:
[03:16] I am no villain. I'm a nice guy with two kids and a wife.

Speaker 3:
[03:20] I kind of feel the same. I kind of feel the same. I mean, you know what I mean? Trey Young wanted to be. He was like the, oh, brr. And he's like bowing to the crowd or whatever. CJ McCollum just like played well and like knocked down big shots.

Speaker 5:
[03:38] A million years ago at Grantland, we went to the Combine and interviewed a lot of the prospects. It was Bill and Jalen interviewed them. And CJ was one of the prospects that came through. And he sits down and does this interview. And he just seems like a 55-year-old man. You know what I mean? He's just so mature and experienced. And he was just like so together. And we were so impressed with him and his maturity at that time. And I think what this is, is the residual of him saying what he said after game one. Do you remember that? When he was like, Jalen Brunson thought we used a Broadway show or whatever? I think there's a little bit of residual bad feelings about that. But hats off to CJ McCollum, man. Because I remember he had a couple of game winners with the Wizards. And he started playing so well once he got to Atlanta. And he had himself a game last night. And Jalen Brunson is not a defensive stopper. And there was two possessions at the end where he just went right past Brunson and got buckets. And he hit a really tough baseline fadeaway over OG that was just that was. I mean, that was a really tough shot. And hats off to CJ McCollum.

Speaker 3:
[04:44] OK, where are you on blame game? Why the Knicks lost game two? Are you a this is Brunson was trying to prove that he could score on every wing defender and should have gotten his teammates involved? Are you, McCollum didn't want any part of that last shot? Are you, Mike Brown screwed around with lineups and did stuff that they haven't done like the whole year? Like, because he did do things that they have not done like the whole year. Like sometimes these guys, you know, we'll get to Detroit a little bit later, but I kind of felt that way in the Detroit game. It's like, hey, what is it? What is this? It's like, I saved one from last night. It said McBride, Shamit Clarkson played 23 minutes the entire season without Brunson or Catt on the floor. McBride and Shamit played 46 minutes the entire season without Brunson or Catt on the floor. Mike Brown didn't attempt this all year, but has randomly decided to try this out now for no apparent reason.

Speaker 5:
[05:53] And that doesn't bother me because at that time they're cruising to a victory. Like, it's not like those minutes were terrible for the Knicks either. Like, it was the starting five that fell apart at the end.

Speaker 8:
[06:02] Well, and here's the thing.

Speaker 3:
[06:03] What's so crazy to me is, you know, it's 6154 and a half. And then they come out in the third quarter and I'm like, oh, here we go.

Speaker 8:
[06:14] Like, all right, so Gay's gotten hurt.

Speaker 3:
[06:17] Landell is out. They bring in Tony Bradley in the first quarter. And I was like, what the hell? I was like, I thought Tony Bradley. No choice.

Speaker 8:
[06:25] I thought Tony Bradley was a pacer and he was.

Speaker 7:
[06:28] He was.

Speaker 3:
[06:29] They said Tony Bradley has played three games.

Speaker 8:
[06:32] And I'm like, he's played three games for the Hawks.

Speaker 3:
[06:36] And he's in a game two in Madison Square Garden against the Knicks, getting first half minutes.

Speaker 8:
[06:44] So like they had nothing.

Speaker 3:
[06:45] So back to what I was saying. They come out in the third quarter and it's like, what's the advantage here?

Speaker 8:
[06:52] And Kent goes nuts.

Speaker 5:
[06:53] He's crawling through the town. He had four at the half.

Speaker 3:
[06:57] Dude, in the third quarter, six of seven from the field, 14 points, six rebounds, two threes made. And it's like, here's the advantage, here's the dominance. Let's just make them pay. O'Connor is literally out there by himself. They have nothing else.

Speaker 5:
[07:16] So I'm glad you brought this up. Because if you remember before the series started, I thought this was going to be a huge cat series because they have defenders for Brunson, but they have no defenders for Cat. And if you remember the first possession of the game, Cat gets a bucket. And then it wasn't much later than that. He gets another one and then nothing in the entire second quarter. And he goes into half with four points. Game one, he had like zero points, like midway through the second quarter. They just don't get him going early. That, to me, is the advantage, is Carlinthi Town versus the front court, or what's left of the front court, for the Hawks. And it didn't show itself until the third quarter.

Speaker 3:
[07:54] I'm so glad you said this, because I read this quote, and this was after even game one, that they won. This is Mike Brown. When Cat wants to be, he can be a really, really good defender, especially at his size, he can cause some problems. I've kind of said it all year long. It's a matter of whether or not he wants to do it all night. As of late, he's been really good on that end of the floor. Okay. So that's what he had to say. So anyways, 100 years ago, I did this interview with Taishan Prince, who was part of those great Detroit teams that won, that went to the Eastern Conference Finals over and over and ended up winning a title. And so Taishan Prince told this story to me about how when they were, during their run with the Pistons, he would, Larry Brown said we're going to come out and we're going to the first play of the game. First play of the game. We're throwing it to you, Ben Wallace, and you can do whatever the hell you want to do. You want to take an 18-footer, you want to throw it over the backboard, you want to do anything, right? And Teyshawn was like, there's a method to this madness because he touches the ball, he's involved with the ball, and we're going to need him to rebound, block shots, and do all that dirty stuff all night. And if he's a part of things on the offensive end, and he goes, and there was a game during the Lakers series that they won, and they beat Kobe and Shaq. He goes, you can go back and watch it. I can't remember what it was. It might have been game five. But he's like, you go back and watch. And he goes, the tip comes, first play of the game, Ben Wallace pulls up from like 18 feet. He said, when I told you the roof came off of Auburn Hills, like it was, and he's like, oh, he's like, the moment I knew, we got this, right? And you have seen this wisdom that Larry Brown used so many years ago in a lot of different situations. And it's like, if you want your big guys to really engage on the defensive end, get them involved on the offensive end. When they've got to go in offensively, that's when they, but when they're just running up and down the court and never touching the ball and you're expecting them to block shots and rebound all the time, you don't get the same guy. Guys that are involved on the offensive end, find their way to be involved on the defensive end in a different manner. And I thought about that last night. It's like I'm reading that quote from Mike Brown and I'm like, I bet what you would find is you get the best defense you want out of Carl Towns when you're, when he's part of the offense, when he's not getting three shots, when he's involved because you think about like that third quarter. Did anybody complain about Carl Towns defense? Of course not, right? No, because he's cracking on one end and then he gets all excited on the other end. And now he's really like they get locked in. Big guys are hard to get locked in on the defensive end sometimes. And I just, you know, then you get to the fourth quarter and it's just Brunson, Brunson, Brunson versus Dyson Daniels versus big long wing defenders. Obviously, you know, what's his name? Nau had a huge strip.

Speaker 5:
[11:16] Oh, he had a huge strip. I mean, that was that was the play of the game right there. And Brunson hit two huge threes down the stretch to keep him around because they were up four at that point. Then they have an ATO and Brunson hits a three. And then McCollum misses two free throws, which is. And I thought they had a timeout. The broadcast thought they had a timeout. I thought they had a timeout. I was fooled. I thought I thought I was going to call timeout. But apparently, they had no timeouts left. The broadcast fooled me.

Speaker 3:
[11:43] That was a monster.

Speaker 8:
[11:48] Thank you.

Speaker 3:
[11:49] Like, a monster. Alright, Eagle says they're guaranteed to take a timeout after this one, which was the second McCollum free throw.

Speaker 5:
[12:00] I don't count the timeouts myself. I rely on the broadcasters to tell me whether or not they have a timeout.

Speaker 8:
[12:05] I don't count them. There's no way to know. You lose them.

Speaker 2:
[12:09] I don't count them.

Speaker 3:
[12:11] You have to be a broadcaster to keep up with it. Because they lose them, if they don't use it before this, you don't know. There is a marker on the screen that says it. And then what I'm saying is the broadcast said, guaranteed to take a timeout after this one.

Speaker 8:
[12:31] And then they're coming down, and he goes, no timeout is used. If you go back and watch the broadcast, that's what he's saying. No timeout is used. McCowell Bridges shoots a shot, oh, the ball's short, and Atlanta steals it.

Speaker 5:
[12:44] To be fair, they did not have a timeout, and the players knew it. So the game would have played out the exact same way. But my experience as a fan watching the game...

Speaker 8:
[12:53] That was crazy...

Speaker 3:
[12:54] .was kind of ruined.

Speaker 5:
[12:55] It was kind of ruined.

Speaker 3:
[12:56] That was crazy. Honestly, that was crazy.

Speaker 5:
[13:00] That's who I blame. You ask me who I blame, I blame Eagle. Ruined the end of the game.

Speaker 3:
[13:05] All right. Can I... Let me ask you this. Does it worry you that they have not gotten a good Alexander Walker? He's been... you know, he's a menace defensively.

Speaker 5:
[13:19] He made two huge plays.

Speaker 3:
[13:21] I understand.

Speaker 5:
[13:22] The strip and the three... that three from the corner, contested-ass three, that was a tough shot.

Speaker 3:
[13:26] I understand, but he's three for twelve in that game. They haven't gotten big time Jalen Johnson. Jalen Johnson was six for twelve, seventeen points. That's not like thirty point triple-double Jalen Johnson.

Speaker 5:
[13:41] They got Kaminga, man. They got... McCollum and Kaminga won that game for them. And they went away from Daniels, if you saw that. They kind of went away from Daniels. And Kaminga played thirty-five minutes. I didn't see that coming.

Speaker 3:
[13:53] The other thing is, nine steals and seven blocks for the Hawks in this game. The defensive activity. And Dyson Daniels, like, I mean, just pummeled every screen. He's like... one point, he's like elbowing people in the head. He's like a shoulder to another guy's head. And I'm like, oh, this is getting a little feisty. Then you have Mitchell Robinson trying to do the Allen Iverson stepping over Ty Lue on... and that makes Daniels all mad. And it's like, oh, my God, like, I did kind of like that there was a little bit of heat in this thing.

Speaker 8:
[14:32] But that's two games in a row.

Speaker 3:
[14:33] You know, they started a little bit late in game one on their comeback.

Speaker 8:
[14:38] But that's two fourth quarters in a row.

Speaker 3:
[14:40] And the other thing is, I was reading this morning, that is the worst fourth quarter the Knicks have had all season.

Speaker 5:
[14:47] Seriously?

Speaker 3:
[14:47] They've never scored 15 or less.

Speaker 8:
[14:51] They had 15 points in the fourth quarter, bro. 15.

Speaker 5:
[14:58] And then those two threes that Brunson hit when they were down and they needed them were kind of desperation. That's six of their 15 right there.

Speaker 3:
[15:05] And they did it in front of Timothy Chalamet? Oh, he showed up? You know, I did see people blaming Steve Cohen. You know, the Mets haven't won a game in like a month. And Steve Cohen showed up in a...

Speaker 5:
[15:17] They've lost 11 in a row.

Speaker 3:
[15:18] And Steve Cohen showed up in a Knicks hat and they lost. Might be his fault. Are you worried?

Speaker 5:
[15:24] No.

Speaker 3:
[15:24] What?

Speaker 5:
[15:26] No. No.

Speaker 3:
[15:28] Oh, I'd be a little worried.

Speaker 5:
[15:30] I'm not worried. Not concerned. Should I be? Why should I be worried?

Speaker 3:
[15:35] The reason I would be worried is because, you know, look, and you agreed with me when we came in and I said, if you're playing these slowdowns under the one-teens, you remember that's what I said last week? That's in your lane. The fact that the Hawks won 1-0-7 to 1-0-6 would disturb you. That's what would disturb you. Because I would think that game needs to get flying up and down to be in their range. But they went heads up and like CJ McCollum was the Jalen Brunson role. That was crazy. The honesty. That would like... What we thought Jalen Brunson would do when it comes crunch time is what CJ McCollum did when it came crunch time.

Speaker 5:
[16:22] That when Nikila Alexander Walker stripped Brunson, I just sat there with my mouth open. I was just shocked. Brunson is so reliable. I mean, everybody misses shots, but something like that, just to have the ball strip for you, that leads to a Jalen Johnson dunk. Then you're down four. I just sat there. I was flabbergasted.

Speaker 3:
[16:43] It was... Floored. I mean, and look, they were active. They were active. And McBride, Shamett, Alvarado had zero points combined. Zero? I mean... That's tough. That's tough. That's tough.

Speaker 8:
[17:01] Zero?

Speaker 3:
[17:03] Can't give me a bucket between the three of y'all?

Speaker 5:
[17:08] McBride played 13 minutes and Alvarado and Shamett played nine.

Speaker 8:
[17:11] I'm surprised you're okay.

Speaker 3:
[17:12] You're not sky is falling. You think they're gonna be fine, huh?

Speaker 5:
[17:15] No, I'm not. I'm not sky is falling. No. Because you say, like, oh, Jalen Johnson hasn't been triple-double all-star Jalen Johnson. Carlinthi Towns had a nice quarter. But he... I just... I honestly feel like Carlinthi Towns says he needs to take over the series. They have no one for him. They have no match-up for him.

Speaker 3:
[17:33] That's what would upset me. That's what would upset me. Like, what are we doing?

Speaker 5:
[17:39] I'm not there yet. I'm not there yet. I'm not there yet.

Speaker 3:
[17:42] Okay. Here's what I think coming out of that. I do think that it guarantees us we're going to be watching a Game 6 in Atlanta. and then we'll either get... Right. Right. So we're going to get a Game 6 in Atlanta. It'll be a great series. And then we're either going to get a Game 7 in New York or not. But I never expected that we would be coming on after a Game 2, talking about CJ McCollum turning into the Trey Young figure. Like, what is that? Really? It's 2026. 32 points in the game. That was crazy. I know.

Speaker 5:
[18:26] That one he hit over OG on the baseline was nuts. That's such a tough shot. He was just feeling himself. But he went by Brunson twice, just like...

Speaker 3:
[18:36] Why do they let him hide on defense? In the way that he exposed Brunson, why are they letting him just hide in the corner?

Speaker 8:
[18:45] Doesn't make any sense.

Speaker 5:
[18:48] Uh, Hart played well.

Speaker 3:
[18:50] Oh, Hart shot out of a cannon at the beginning of the game. I mean, just everywhere, doing everything. He was absolutely awesome. Honestly, like, I thought that... Through three quarters?

Speaker 8:
[19:03] That was the Knicks game.

Speaker 3:
[19:05] It was.

Speaker 5:
[19:06] It was the whole time. If you were just to tap me on the shoulder, in the end of the third quarter, be like, they lose this game. I'd be like, how?

Speaker 3:
[19:14] No. How? Vomited all over themselves.

Speaker 5:
[19:17] They really didn't feel like... It didn't feel like it wasn't a back and forth game. There was zero lead changes. They never even... The Knicks never really called time out to stop a run. Like, it just felt like a Knicks win the entire time.

Speaker 3:
[19:30] Yeah, it did.

Speaker 5:
[19:31] The entire time. And then it fell apart at the end.

Speaker 3:
[19:33] Well, maybe they'll...

Speaker 5:
[19:34] I'm not worried about it.

Speaker 3:
[19:34] Maybe they'll realize that they have Aneko Okongwu and Tony Bradley, who's been there for a week.

Speaker 5:
[19:42] Yeah. Tony Bradley is staying in corporate housing in Atlanta.

Speaker 3:
[19:46] I mean, forget... Look, I love...

Speaker 5:
[19:48] With a duffel bag.

Speaker 3:
[19:49] I love Brunson like you do. But I don't need Brunson going friggin 10 for 27, trying to go up against Knoll and Dyson Daniels and whatever when Carl Townes has the matchup.

Speaker 8:
[20:02] It's like, throw him the ball, bro.

Speaker 3:
[20:04] Like, what are they doing? Bizarre. Like, they do have great perimeter defense on this team.

Speaker 5:
[20:12] Townes had, I know they do, and I thought this would be a Townes series. Townes had 12 field goal attempts, five of them from three. Think about that. So that means he took seven shots, seven two-point shots. That should be the first quarter. He should take seven two-point shots.

Speaker 3:
[20:27] I mean, you watched him in that third quarter, and I was like, all right, here we go.

Speaker 5:
[20:30] Yeah. It was the same thing in game one. Game one, he had zero points, like in the middle of the second quarter. I don't understand. The Mismatch is brought to you by FanDuel. The NBA playoffs are here, and everything is on the line. Every possession matters. Every bucket swings the game, and tonight is your shot to boost your bet. That's right. All customers get a profit boost tonight. So when the moment hits, your win gets bigger. Tonight, in the late game, I think LeBron James is going to have over 10 assists. I think Alpern Sangoon, after a terrible game one, will bounce back. And in upcoming games, I think the Knicks are going to dominate game three. And I think Carlyle in Three Towns is going to actually start scoring in this series. And I will be playing all that on FanDuel. Lock in your bets, boost your odds, and make the playoffs pay off with FanDuel, official sports betting partner of the NBA. Remember, head to fanduel.com/mismatch to get started. FanDuel, play your game. Remember, you must be 21 or over in select states, or 18, and over in DC., Kentucky or Wyoming. Optin is required. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable profit boost tokens. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat in Connecticut.

Speaker 3:
[22:09] The late game was an absolute classic.

Speaker 5:
[22:13] What a game.

Speaker 3:
[22:14] So we are now at 1-1 in another series, and that is Minnesota versus Denver, who have, you know, as they were saying last night, I can't remember the exact number. I want to say they said it's like they've played 31 times now.

Speaker 5:
[22:27] It was like, I was like 16 and 15. I think it was after, I think it was 15 and 15.

Speaker 3:
[22:33] Yeah, unbelievable. Like these teams just go back and forth. And speaking of fourth quarters, I mean, if you would have told me that Murray and Jokic were going to get absolutely clocked in the fourth quarter, that McDaniels is just going to put an absolute straight jacket on Jamal Murray and Rudy Gobert is going to put a straight jacket on Nikola Jokic. Like, what was...

Speaker 5:
[23:03] It's crazy.

Speaker 3:
[23:05] I mean, what an unbelievable defensive performance by Minnesota in that fourth quarter. Like, truly, to do that to that team who has been doing it for years and years and years and years and years and you know what's coming and you still can't stop it and they're both so individually and collectively awesome, that was so impressive last night. That was like heart determination, everything and just like five guys locked in on the defensive end. That was crazy.

Speaker 5:
[23:41] They put up a graphic at one point and they're like, Yocuch and Murray combined for two points in the fourth quarter. I was just like, what?

Speaker 3:
[23:47] Oh, it was unbelievable.

Speaker 5:
[23:48] I was shocked.

Speaker 3:
[23:49] And look, I can't.

Speaker 5:
[23:50] I look back, I was like, what?

Speaker 3:
[23:52] Everybody knows, look, this is going to carry way more weight for me because I cannot stand Go Bayer. He was awesome.

Speaker 5:
[24:02] Yeah, the most dominant two-point performance in the history of the NBA playoffs. The most dominant two-point performance.

Speaker 3:
[24:08] He was awesome.

Speaker 5:
[24:12] Hold on, hold on. After the game, Anthony Edwards was asked about Rudy Go Bayer's defense and here's what he had to say.

Speaker 9:
[24:17] People just don't want to go at Rudy. Like, regardless of what they say about him on the offensive end or forward, like, he's a four-time defensive player, year four reason. He's been doing it at a high level for a long time and we need him on the floor. That's why I challenged him at the end of the third. Because, I mean, Yoko just was four time MVP, three time. What is he? He got three NDPs, but like Yoko's got four defensive players. Rudy got four defensive players, a year four reason, man. Like, he can guard. So I think people got to start respecting him, you know, pushing respect on his name. And that's what we do, man. We trust him. I told him, like, we ain't bringing no double ten.

Speaker 5:
[24:50] If Yoko is the best player in the world, he certainly didn't look like it in game one and game two. I know he had a triple double in game one. But did that look like the best player in the world last night?

Speaker 3:
[24:58] And I'm telling you, this is a familiarity. These teams know each other so well and go bear. This is why Tim Connolly went and got Rudy Gobert. The exact reason. When we talked about how your Knicks are built with the Celtics in mind, because it was like, this is what we're going to have to deal with. Inevitably, when we get to the draft this year, there's going to be an onus put on big guys in a way that maybe they weren't in the past, because people are going to look at the league through the prism of, hey man, we're going to have to deal with this 7'5 Freak-O in San Antonio for the next 10 years. We better have something to throw at, right? And when you have a team that is built like Minnesota, we talked about this with this in mind, and they're both so high level, and they know each other so well. And Gobert does a great job. That was, he did so good. He did such a good job on him last night. He really did. Especially when you saw, like, you know, the other one I thought held up really well was Randall. He kind of got underneath him and played strong like the other Jalen Williams does in Oklahoma City sometimes. Nasreed got torched. Like, Nasreed had no chance against him. But Gobert was there for the fight, man. And like, look, I'm going to give credit where credit's due. He was unbelievable. And as you mentioned, the two points might have been the most awesome two points in league history.

Speaker 8:
[26:29] He like shoved them out of the way and then dunked it.

Speaker 3:
[26:32] I was like, damn! And then, and then Jokic came right back and dunked on him.

Speaker 5:
[26:38] Jokic dunked on him. And then, and then I thought that the microcosm of the entire game, and I was pretty frustrated with Jokic's performance because like, as someone who thinks he's the best player on the planet, he certainly didn't look like it, especially after watching Wemby on Sunday night. But a pick and roll, Murray gives Jokic a pocket pass. He's got tons of space, about 10 feet from the basket. And I'm just, you know the plan I'm talking about. I fully expect him just to shoot a floater. And instead, he tries to tuck a pass, pass Edwards to Christian Brown, and it kind of gets deflected, so it slowly like dribbles to Brown, and then Brown gets fouled, goes one for two. And that was a huge play in the game. It just felt like, it felt like Jokic was a little deferential. It felt like he was a little fatigued. It just didn't feel like I was watching the best player on the planet.

Speaker 3:
[27:24] Well, and they also, they had them so out of sorts. I know Gordon hit that one big three in transition at the end, but even after, even after the Brown play, right? So then they go to the other end, and now they're down three. And, you know, I know that the announcers are like, you don't need a three here, but you don't need a contested 23 footer.

Speaker 5:
[27:52] Oh, the Murray one?

Speaker 3:
[27:52] What was that?

Speaker 5:
[27:53] That was terrible.

Speaker 3:
[27:54] What was that?

Speaker 5:
[27:56] Like, if you look at, like, modern day shot charts, that spot is empty. That spot is empty. If you look at Kurt Goldsberry, like, hexagon chart, no one shoots from there. No one shoots from there.

Speaker 8:
[28:08] Against the four-time defensive player, what is going on?

Speaker 5:
[28:12] Contested long two?

Speaker 8:
[28:14] What are we doing?

Speaker 3:
[28:15] That's what I'm saying. They're so frazzled. And that's just not what you see. Out of Denver. If there's anything...

Speaker 5:
[28:21] I do want to say this.

Speaker 8:
[28:22] They're the team that's like, they're gonna keep a cool booty, we're gonna run our stuff, you know, we're gonna get a good shot.

Speaker 3:
[28:28] And it's like, that is just... That's just terrible team stuff. Like, you're down three, you got one...

Speaker 5:
[28:37] No chance of going to the free-throw line when you shoot a 20-foot pull-up. No chance. I understand. I agree you don't need a three in that spot, but go to the basket. I do want to say this, though. Dante DiVincenzo.

Speaker 3:
[28:53] Oh, awesome.

Speaker 5:
[28:54] He's built for it. What a game from him. Huge shots, no fear, no hesitation. Give me the ball, and that thing's going up. It reminded me of him on the Knicks. I love that game from Dante DiVincenzo. They don't win without those shots.

Speaker 3:
[29:10] And then, of course, he gets the emphatic ending to it, where he pulls himself up on the rim at the end of the game. I mean, absolutely awesome. I mean, I was so wildly impressed with Minnesota last night because that's like a backs against the wall. I mean, look, man, you can't... This is what a great series is. And you can't put yourself in a position where you've got to win four of the next five against a team that good. And they did it. And they did it.

Speaker 5:
[29:43] After game one, I was very concerned about Edward's health. He didn't seem like himself in game one. And he didn't have a great game yesterday, but, you know, he's got enough. He's got enough to get him there.

Speaker 3:
[29:53] Well, and the other thing is, can you win? Can you win, you know, now three out of the next five? And the answer to that is yes. Yeah. They can't win three out of the next five, especially when you got the, now you stole home court advantage.

Speaker 5:
[30:08] And remember game one, the very beginning of game one, the Timberwolves sort of jumped out and took a lead. Like, it's all forgotten now because the Nuggets got up winning the game. But I remember thinking, like, the Nuggets just don't have the defensive resistance to stop the Wolves. And after the game, Jaden McDaniels had something to say about the Nuggets defense.

Speaker 7:
[30:31] Um, boy, the Yokes, Jamal, all the bad defenders, Tim Hardaway, Cam Dias, Aaron Gordon, the whole school, like, just go at them. They're all bad defenders. Yeah, they're all bad defenders.

Speaker 9:
[30:44] Check it.

Speaker 8:
[30:45] I just considered it on the tape.

Speaker 7:
[30:46] I think it would be...

Speaker 9:
[30:47] It feels like you guys kind of set it where they are.

Speaker 7:
[30:49] Yeah, just, they don't got people that could defend the rim. And if he is there, we still more athletic than them and just got to be able to finish when we do it. But they're deserted.

Speaker 10:
[30:59] But discipline involved in just staying in that attack mode?

Speaker 7:
[31:02] Yeah, you got to... Yeah, just sometimes you got to know when to attack and when the right moment and just... If it's your time to shoot or pass it, but either way, if you just break the paint, you're going to have a shot or someone else is going to be open.

Speaker 8:
[31:14] Amazing.

Speaker 5:
[31:14] He's naming names.

Speaker 8:
[31:15] Amazing.

Speaker 5:
[31:16] He's just naming names. Tim Harker, Junior Camp Johnson. He's an Aaron Gordon. Here we watch him shut down Wimby Niyama like two weeks ago.

Speaker 3:
[31:23] Amazing. All bad defenders.

Speaker 8:
[31:25] All.

Speaker 5:
[31:26] All of them.

Speaker 8:
[31:26] The whole team.

Speaker 3:
[31:27] They're all bad defenders.

Speaker 5:
[31:29] They got no one that can defend the rim.

Speaker 8:
[31:32] What is he doing?

Speaker 5:
[31:33] They're all... There's this whole like athletes are so careful to not give the other team bulletin board material. How many times have you heard someone say like, they've got a great team in that locker room. We're just lucky to go head to head with them. It's going to be a long series. They're so good. You know, bow down. Respect, respect, respect. No respect. None from Jay McDaniel.

Speaker 3:
[31:51] Well, I guess, no. The only one that like dodged the bullet was, I guess, Bruce Brown, who he made.

Speaker 5:
[31:59] He just forgot about Bruce Brown.

Speaker 3:
[32:00] He made two monster energy plays in the fourth quarter. Oh, yeah. And I was like, this is like, this is title run Bruce Brown. You know what I mean? Like, he's making those, like, grimy plays and then knocking down shots, and then everybody's like, Bruce Brown? Really? Like, that's the guy? That was just, I, I can't say, I can't say, wild stuff from McDaniel. I can't say enough either about, like, how good Minnesota was when it mattered most. I mean, just awesome.

Speaker 5:
[32:32] Do you know what I love? Do you know what I absolutely love from this game? Anthony Edwards travels. They call him for a travel. And Jokic wants to get the ball out. So he tries to create it from Edwards. That was, I was just like, just give me more of that. So now we got McDaniel saying the entire team can't defend. We've got Edwards and Jokic kind of going back and forth at the end of the game. Like, this game got me hyped. Cause let's be honest, Chris, I love the NBA so much. The playing games were so great. Those first four playing games, God, that was amazing. But all day Saturday and all day Sunday, there was very little competitive basketball.

Speaker 3:
[33:07] Okay. Good point. It started Friday. I settled in.

Speaker 5:
[33:12] With the other play-ins.

Speaker 3:
[33:13] I settled in and I'm like, hell yeah. Here we go. We got Hornet's Magic. We got Sun's Warriors.

Speaker 8:
[33:21] And they stunk. Stunk. And then all day Saturday, I spent 11 hours.

Speaker 5:
[33:27] I ignored my family for an entire weekend because I was working watching basketball for 11 hours in a row. And there was not like one point where I stood up and screamed at my TV. Not once.

Speaker 3:
[33:40] Okay. I'm going to give you a perfect one. So Sunday, it was beautiful outside. But I'm like, you know what? I got to watch these games. And work, bro, when Oklahoma City went up by 30 on the Suns, I told my wife, I said, I'm going to hit golf balls. I can't do it. Do something. This is stupid. What am I doing? Like, it's been nice outside all day. And I'm just watching terrible basketball. Like, but well, because the first guy, I had, so look, sorry, sons, but you paid for the transgressions of 76ers. Because I just watched them get their ass kicked. And I'm like, okay, that sucked. And then the second game, and you know, I texted you guys on our group text, and I'm like, bro, we just need a good game. And thank God for the magic and the pistol. Because that was the afternoon game. And that one ended good.

Speaker 5:
[34:34] And watching Wimby was fun. Watching Wimby was fun. Like, it wasn't a very competitive game, but watching him was fun. And the Blazers showed a little something in the second half of that game, too.

Speaker 3:
[34:42] So we did have late afternoon Sunday, night Sunday, and then the carryover to Monday, which now this sets up two, like, unbelievable first round series. Two of these. Because the Atlanta one now has turned fun with the Knicks.

Speaker 5:
[35:02] Both the three-six series.

Speaker 3:
[35:03] Yes. And that's going to be great. Now, the early game, which I did watch... All right. I'm going to tell you something. I know that there's going to be a recoil to, like, the Raptors and how, like, the Raptors aren't good enough. And we could talk about Brandon Ingram or whatever. I thought that Cleveland thing was devastating. I did. I'm watching them. And I'm like, oh, brother, that backcourt in unison being that awesome, parted in Mitchell. And then they've got the running buddy.

Speaker 8:
[35:45] Like, Mowgli was awesome. Yes, I'm watching that game.

Speaker 3:
[35:50] And I'm like, yo, say whatever you want about Toronto. Toronto is like scratching and clawing. And they're trying. And they ain't got enough offense, right? But they are.

Speaker 5:
[35:59] They just don't have enough front court. They have.

Speaker 3:
[36:01] Right.

Speaker 5:
[36:01] Yaka Pertle. I've been saying this since, like, October. Like, what is their plan in the front court?

Speaker 3:
[36:06] But they had guys come in like Walter and Mamu and.

Speaker 5:
[36:11] Mamu. Mamu played well.

Speaker 3:
[36:13] And Murray Boyles. Like, these guys came in and were giving them, like, energy. And I kind of liked what they brought to the table. And they're trying to go small. And then they're trying to. And Scotty Barnes is like bully balling people to the rim. And, like, Cleveland just withstood it. And we talked about this in our preview for the series. There's just, like, this assembly line of white guys that is your fifth beetle. And, like, the first game, it's Max Struess, and he makes everything. And then it's Dean Wade.

Speaker 5:
[36:44] Struess was so good in the first game.

Speaker 3:
[36:46] But then it's like Dean Wade, Sam Merrill, Max Struess. They throw a little Jalen Tyson in there.

Speaker 8:
[36:53] And it's like, I'm like, all right, this is going to be fine.

Speaker 3:
[36:55] I'm like, I'm not even really noticing that wing player that I thought I was going to have to notice. But the backcourt being simultaneously so awesome and then having Mobley also be awesome, that's where I was like, like, dude, we always talk about the white pool. And it's like, okay, Mitchell was awesome.

Speaker 8:
[37:20] Harden was awesome.

Speaker 3:
[37:21] So good. And Mobley was awesome too. Like how far do I have to get down? They did a good job on Jared Allen. Like how far do I have to get down before I find somebody that wasn't massively efficient and effective? And I thought it said a lot about Cleveland because, you know, you're throwing kitchen sink at somebody in a game too when your backs against the wall. And for those guys to all be simultaneously awesome, I know that there's going to be a ding on Toronto for that. But I walked away more impressed with Cleveland than I thought I was going to be.

Speaker 5:
[37:56] They have the offensive engines with Harden and Mitchell are just like unmatchable. Look at this. So Dean Wade, the fifth Beatle, he was one for three from the field. Evan Mobley shot 84% from the field. Jared Allen shot 66% from the field. Donovan Mitchell had 23 attempts, 56% from the field. James Harden, 64% from the field.

Speaker 2:
[38:20] So who did you stop?

Speaker 3:
[38:26] Keon Ellis?

Speaker 5:
[38:26] Who did you stop?

Speaker 3:
[38:27] Yeah, I think Keon Ellis at zero, right? Did he have zero?

Speaker 5:
[38:30] Yes, he had zero points. He was 0 for 4. They shut down Keon Ellis.

Speaker 3:
[38:34] Remember when he was the hottest trade candidate in the world? That was weird. Hell, yeah. Keon Ellis fell into that, like who was the guy years ago for the Clippers who's like gone into witness protection now? Terrence Mann. He fell into that pocket where it's like, you can't, you know what I mean? No, he's untouchable. Like unless you're going to give us first round picks, like, you know, we're not moving Terrence Mann. Like I haven't heard Terrence Mann's name in three years. And it's like, Keon Ellis, I watch him come in and I'm like, you remember when everybody said that he was like, like, oh, you're going to have to give up a lot. There's a big market for Keon Ellis. And I was like, okay.

Speaker 5:
[39:16] Well, I think picking up Schroeder too is big for them. So if...

Speaker 3:
[39:22] He almost got his head taken off twice last night.

Speaker 5:
[39:27] Here's a question for you, Verno. I want serious question. Is this an overreaction? Right now, of all the teams in the Eastern Conference, I would say the Cleveland Cavaliers would be sort of the most likely to end up in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Speaker 3:
[39:48] That is a first round overreaction, but...

Speaker 5:
[39:53] But if you look at the Celtics and Knicks, like they have to play each other. And then if it clearly beats the Raptors, then it's going to be Magic or Pistons.

Speaker 3:
[40:01] I would be interested because that will be like a mega physical, whoever they draw out of that one. And so I'll be interested to see how they like match up. And the other thing is, you know, the Raptors, look, we'll see how they do when they get back to Jurassic Park, like the quickly thing. They have to have him. They have to.

Speaker 5:
[40:21] If you're relying on Emmanuel quickly, you're not as serious. I'm not taking you seriously.

Speaker 3:
[40:25] I understand. But I'm just saying like it is a... They have to have him back. And Brandon Ingram cannot come throw coaches under the bus and then come back with a 0.1st half and a 3-for-15 game.

Speaker 5:
[40:42] I mean, it does...

Speaker 3:
[40:43] I tell you this, RJ and Barnes, they were there for it. Those guys were there for the fight.

Speaker 5:
[40:49] RJ. RJ was great.

Speaker 3:
[40:50] No, no. Those guys...

Speaker 5:
[40:51] RJ was great.

Speaker 8:
[40:52] Also, just the way they like pumped their chest out and like...

Speaker 3:
[40:55] Those two were there for it. It's like, all right, we're going to scrap. Like, we're here for the fight. And then you turn around and like Brandon Ingram's like, I don't really feel like fighting. You know what I mean?

Speaker 5:
[41:08] Ingram's the only like, get yourself a bucket guy. And he did not get himself a bucket.

Speaker 3:
[41:12] No. I hope Glorilla yelled at him.

Speaker 5:
[41:15] But he's supposed to be the like, ISO scorer.

Speaker 3:
[41:17] I hope Glorilla yelled at him.

Speaker 5:
[41:20] I hope so, too.

Speaker 3:
[41:21] You know what I mean?

Speaker 5:
[41:23] That's the only thing that could turn this series around is Glorilla.

Speaker 3:
[41:25] That's it. Like, what's wrong with you?

Speaker 5:
[41:27] That's the only hope they have. That's the only hope they have.

Speaker 3:
[41:29] What's wrong with you? Come on, man. And like, you can't come in the press conference after game one and be like, our coach wanted to use me as a screener. And it's like...

Speaker 5:
[41:40] And then do that?

Speaker 3:
[41:41] Come on. Are you serious? Because those other two, they were there for the fight. Like, I gained respect for...

Speaker 5:
[41:49] I thought RJ played great.

Speaker 3:
[41:51] And Mammu is there for the fight. Like, you just want like, who's going to come in and scrap for me? You know what I mean? Like, that's what the... These things can become wars. And I will say, they could have gotten run out of the gym and they didn't give up. So that said something to me. But I still was... I was mega impressed.

Speaker 5:
[42:07] The biggest takeaway was just Mitchell and Harden. Like, I mean, those guys are individual offenses. Harden once said that he is the system. Remember that? He's like, I am the system. And like, Mitchell was just hitting tough shot after tough shot. He's unstoppable.

Speaker 3:
[42:20] Every year, Donovan Mitchell reminds us that he's one of the best playoff performers in NBA history.

Speaker 5:
[42:25] Yes. Like, usually a bunch of his teammates are in street clothes and they end up losing and he's got 42 points. That's usually how it goes for the Cavs.

Speaker 3:
[42:32] Yeah, his like points per game is amongst the top, like, five in NBA history. The guy is a bona fide star when it matters most. And now he's probably got some running buddies with him. That was, you know, we'll see how they... how they look when they get back to Toronto, but I do know this. You can't have... You could look at one thing in that box score and it's 22 turnovers and 23 assists for Toronto.

Speaker 5:
[43:01] 22 turnovers.

Speaker 3:
[43:04] Having... I mean, 22... 22. That's why I say they need quickly just to handle the ball.

Speaker 5:
[43:12] Yeah, that's a good point. Yeah, I guess, yeah, quickly we'll do that.

Speaker 3:
[43:15] We can dribble the ball up and pass somebody. I mean, Shedd is just so miscast in this role. It's not even fair. You know what I mean? It's like, hey, he's a good defender. But it's like, bro, now we're playing in the playoffs against Donovan Mitchell and James Harden and I'm bringing Jamal Shedd to the party. Yeah. That's a tough one. That is tough. Anyways, I'm so glad with the way that last night played out. Me too. Because we went through Friday as we chronicled Saturday, Sunday, all the way to the afternoon, and then it got good. And then last night was unbelievable. I was even entertained by Cavs Raptors, honestly. I was entertained. So that was Tariqo.

Speaker 5:
[44:01] I was locked in on the Knicks game.

Speaker 3:
[44:03] I mean, I know you were. And so was CJ McCollum.

Speaker 5:
[44:09] Yeah, he was.

Speaker 10:
[44:10] There's a reason I trust my shopping list with Shipt. Shoppers with Shipt know that no order is ordinary, and come through adding care to my cart. They double-check labels, wouldn't confuse mozzarella for Monterey Jack, and they know what's right. With Shipt, it's never just delivery. It's shopped same day in the same way you would.

Speaker 1:
[44:31] Use code SAVINGS to become a Shipt member.

Speaker 2:
[44:34] For half-off, only $49 at shipt.com/offer. Terms apply.

Speaker 1:
[44:41] Kayak gets my flight, hotel and rental car right.

Speaker 5:
[44:44] So I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong.

Speaker 3:
[44:47] Bro, Skycoin, way better than points.

Speaker 1:
[44:51] Never fly during a Scorpio full moon.

Speaker 2:
[44:54] Just tell the manager you'll sue.

Speaker 9:
[44:56] Instant room upgrade.

Speaker 1:
[44:58] Stop taking bad travel advice.

Speaker 4:
[45:00] Start comparing hundreds of sites with Kayak.

Speaker 1:
[45:02] And get your trip right.

Speaker 10:
[45:04] Kayak. Got that right.

Speaker 3:
[45:08] Locked in. All right. This is what we got coming up. As we record this on Tuesday morning, 76ers-Celtics got off to a horrendous start. So do we think, do we think that the Sixers can punch back in a game two? Or is this just the way it's gonna be? Because I will tell you that, you know, there's that zigzag theory when it comes to NBA playoffs, where you could typically take, like, the team that got run out in game one, usually can make it close in game two. Vegas is not messing around with this. The Celtics are 13 and a half point favorites in game two. So they just think this is a white lie.

Speaker 5:
[45:58] 13 and a half.

Speaker 3:
[45:59] They think it's just a wipeout.

Speaker 5:
[46:02] I just can't imagine the Sixers are going to shoot that poorly again. They were four for 23 from three. Four for 23 from three. They shot 35 of 90 from the field. They were 40% from the field. I just can't imagine they shoot like that again.

Speaker 3:
[46:18] It was just such a domination, though. Didn't you feel like the Celtics could have won that game by 50? Really? Oh, yeah. I mean, it was just like this is that these teams are not, these teams are not peers. That's how it went. Watching game one, I was like, oh, my God. Like, because the Sixers kind of had us, they kind of won us over with that Orlando game.

Speaker 8:
[46:42] It's like, okay, all right. You know what I mean?

Speaker 3:
[46:44] Like, the Max has got the chain on at the end. And it's like, all right, like, what are the chances? Even in a big game against the Celtics, like, I got it. Like, they just had to play, and now they're having to go, and now they're having to play game one or whatever. But it's like, you could foresee a circumstance where in a game, Tyrese Maxey is the best player on the floor in any game. Like, he has gotten to that level.

Speaker 5:
[47:07] Absolutely.

Speaker 3:
[47:08] He has gotten to that level. And it was like, you watch that game unfold, and you're like, hold on. Is Jason Tatum like 100% now?

Speaker 5:
[47:17] Like, he was- 100%! Is he better than he was last year?

Speaker 3:
[47:21] What was that?

Speaker 5:
[47:22] What's going on?

Speaker 3:
[47:23] How are you so awesome?

Speaker 5:
[47:25] What?

Speaker 3:
[47:27] Are you coming back from Achilles?

Speaker 5:
[47:31] It was shocking. That was my biggest takeaway. I was just about to say that. My biggest takeaway from the game was just how good Jason Tatum looked. I mean, there's no answer for Tatum and Brown. None.

Speaker 2:
[47:40] It's amazing.

Speaker 3:
[47:42] He was amazing in that game. Like, rebounding everything, assist, like, I mean, dominant.

Speaker 5:
[47:47] He has 10 rebounds at half time in every game.

Speaker 3:
[47:51] He looked like first-team all-NBA.

Speaker 5:
[47:54] Yes. I can do everything. I play defense. I rebound. I play make. I shoot. I'm efficient. I'm perfect.

Speaker 3:
[48:02] Top-five MVP getter, like, that's the version of Jason Tatum that showed up for game one. And I'm like, this is jarring. How good is this guy? Like, you're just expecting that, like, you know, it's like, all right, this is Jalen's team now, and, you know.

Speaker 5:
[48:21] I hate the whole, whose team is it, whatever, like, two players can't be good on the same team.

Speaker 3:
[48:26] I understand, but the pecking order thing.

Speaker 5:
[48:28] I didn't expect it. After the season played out the way it did, I was like, oh, well, Jason Taited will come back. He won't be Foley himself, but guess what? They've got a go-to guy now in Brown. But it didn't look like that in game one.

Speaker 3:
[48:41] No, it looked like the Celtics were awesome and the 76ers sucked.

Speaker 5:
[48:46] Yes.

Speaker 3:
[48:46] That's what it looked like. I'm watching that game.

Speaker 5:
[48:49] The 76ers could not hit a shot. Could not hit a shot. Kelly Oubre couldn't hit a shot. Remember Oubre in the playing against the Magic? Frustrating.

Speaker 3:
[49:00] We got a link to this.

Speaker 5:
[49:01] Do you think we get a game today?

Speaker 3:
[49:02] We got a link to this. We got a link to those socks. That whole thing like he's doing this for millennials. They had that whole conversation like, is he wearing socks? And then they show it and he's got like the little tiny, tiny ankle socks with the low tops.

Speaker 5:
[49:19] I like those. I like the no-shows. I like the no-show socks.

Speaker 3:
[49:22] He just looked bizarre. A seven-footer with low-top shoes and no-shows on. NBA game is wild behavior. I don't...

Speaker 5:
[49:34] I think that was a linic.

Speaker 3:
[49:36] Oh, that was a linic. I'm sorry.

Speaker 5:
[49:37] You got your Kellys mixed up. Yeah, you got your Kellys mixed up.

Speaker 3:
[49:39] I did get my Kellys mixed up. No, I just felt like... I hope they surprised me. But I had so little confidence in them being able to make this fun.

Speaker 5:
[49:51] I think it'll be close today.

Speaker 3:
[49:55] As soon as I saw the line, that's what made me re-think it. Like, if this was eight, nine, I'd be like, oh, you know what I mean? Like, they think they're going to punch back.

Speaker 8:
[50:08] Thirteen and a half?

Speaker 5:
[50:11] I'm going to put 20 American dollars on the Sixers right now.

Speaker 3:
[50:14] Thirteen and a half? Are you really?

Speaker 5:
[50:16] Twenty American hard-earned dollars.

Speaker 3:
[50:18] Don't text me when it's 50 to 19.

Speaker 5:
[50:21] I won't.

Speaker 3:
[50:22] I won't say, why did you talk me out of this? Because I'm selling.

Speaker 2:
[50:25] Because I'm selling.

Speaker 5:
[50:26] Fendle says 14. I'm getting 14.

Speaker 3:
[50:28] God!

Speaker 5:
[50:29] Twenty American dollars. Just made it up to Sixers.

Speaker 8:
[50:32] Fourteen in a playoff game?

Speaker 3:
[50:36] All right. Well, look, the same thing goes. Trailblazer Spurs, it says it's 11 and a half. So, I mean, that would, again, let's hope that these are more like Orlando and Detroit, where the line is big. It's expected that one team is going to dominate the other, but it surprises us. But what's happening right now, at least for tonight's games, and we'll get to the late one a little bit later, but for tonight's games, we're not supposed to see highly competitive basketball tonight. And so let's hope that those lines are wrong because the Celtics are supposed to mangle the Sixers. And I'm just, the fact that it is Sunday at noon, I spent two and a half hours of a beautiful day watching that has got me so down on the 76ers.

Speaker 5:
[51:26] I'm rejuvenated after last night. I was fired up last night. I mean, the Knicks fell apart, but that Nuggets-Wolves game, because I thought the Nuggets-Wolves would be the best series. Because the Knicks was more like a collapse, and CJ McCollum being flourished at the end. But that Nuggets-Wolves game was like, this is what I thought I was going to get.

Speaker 3:
[51:45] And I'm not, honestly, when we're talking about San Antonio and Portland, I'm not too amped up for that one until it gets back to pork. You know what I'm saying? Like, I would be surprised if they're able to make that, like, mega competitive tonight. But like, the game for these teams, just like I said in the Toronto thing, like, game three is the one that if it becomes a general, usually that's the one, it's a first playoff home game. You know, every, your crowd's all amped up, your back's against the wall, the other team doesn't need it like blood and you do. Like, that's the home run effort, right? But I would be surprised if you get some kind of, like, massive home run effort out of Portland tonight and they're able to even it up, even though they did put up a much-

Speaker 5:
[52:39] There were flashes, there were flashes in that first game. I think the big takeaway is like, Wim Benyama, I mean, Wim Benyama had so many highlights and so many, just such an impressive performance from him and that is the number one takeaway from the game. But there were spots where the Blazers went on runs.

Speaker 3:
[52:55] And Denny, Denny being awesome was covered up by Wim Benyama doing the 35. Denny had 30 in the game, right? That was, and we were just so impressed with him in that play-in situation where he was just absolutely awesome against Phoenix. And he took over down the stretch and it's like, all right, what are you going to do in your first playoff game? Because again, as we always say, you're top of the whiteboard now. And his response going up against the team that's got unbelievable perimeter defenders and Wemby manning the paint was to have 30 in the game. Like that shows you what that kid's made up.

Speaker 5:
[53:35] Oh, yeah.

Speaker 3:
[53:35] You know what I mean?

Speaker 5:
[53:36] I think, do you remember? I'm sure you don't, you don't listen to me when I talk, but the key to the series was can the Blazers provide some sort of blueprint? Like, can they, can they show the Nuggets or the Wolves and eventually probably the Thunder what you do against Wemba and Yama? And I think like Tumani Kamara on Wemba and Yama can be something interesting. Like, this isn't new, putting, putting like a wing on Victor, but like, I think that they can neutralize him using Kamara.

Speaker 3:
[54:09] Hey, can I just say this? I agree with you. Like, it'll be, sometimes with these big guys, right? The smaller guys that could just get up underneath them. It's like, fine, if you're going to shoot over me and make a ton of shots, so be it, right?

Speaker 5:
[54:24] Oh, no one was better at this. Chris Paul was great at this. No big ever scored on Chris Paul because he just got under him, pushed him out super physical because the ref's never going to call it because they have a size disadvantage. And I think that that using a smaller player, again, this is like, you know, the Suns did this famously, the Lakers did this like, yeah, using a smaller, strong person that can move Victor off of his spot because he hasn't filled out yet is sort of one of the ways that you can neutralize. I mean, obviously, he's seven foot seven and he's, you know, can hit step back threes, nothing you can do about that.

Speaker 10:
[54:55] But that is the blueprint.

Speaker 3:
[54:57] It's the one defensive thing that James Harden would be awesome at when he does it. Yes. You know what I mean? Yes. Like he's strong.

Speaker 5:
[55:04] James Harden is stronger than you think.

Speaker 3:
[55:05] He's strong. Like you don't move him off his spotty. His numbers were always good back in the day in terms of like post ups, right? Like when he was down low, he was able to hold up in a way that maybe, you know, you can't blow past him in the paint.

Speaker 8:
[55:24] I mean, like, you're not going to hold him like...

Speaker 5:
[55:27] I was thinking another... I'm interested to see if Steph Castle can knock down the threes because he was shooting well at the end of the regular season. But it does feel like they're going to make him make some to respect him.

Speaker 3:
[55:39] I also... Can I just comment on this very quickly?

Speaker 5:
[55:43] Of course you can, Mr. Vernon.

Speaker 3:
[55:46] I think it's... I listen to a lot of NBA podcasts from our brethren and others after......yesterday, right? And it wasn't just Bill and Zack. It was me reading articles. It was, you know, Mark Stein's newsletter. It was commentary that was going around. Like, we watched Portland beat the Suns. And it was an awesome story. And Denny Oddy came into his own and like played like a superstar. And it's like, and like, this is fun. And now it's like their chance and they made it to the playoffs. They had to go and win their way in on the road. And they did it. Now they're where the rifle is deserved. And every story is about this new woman and about how he didn't send the two ways to the game and about how he's not buying the t-shirts and about how he's low balling Thiago Splitter and about like, what is going on? Seriously, what is going on?

Speaker 8:
[57:00] How is this?

Speaker 5:
[57:01] You just got here.

Speaker 8:
[57:02] How is this happening? How is this happening? Like this is the time for good feelings, good story.

Speaker 3:
[57:10] Your team's in the playoffs.

Speaker 8:
[57:12] Your best player is like there for the fight.

Speaker 3:
[57:15] He's been awesome. And it's like, you're going to allow like, you being a, Bill calling him El Cheapo is unbelievable.

Speaker 8:
[57:24] But then I was like, wow, wow, is that really a big deal?

Speaker 3:
[57:28] And then like, as soon as they start talking about it, I see the, I start seeing these stories everywhere. And I'm like, this is wrong, bro. This is wrong. This is wrong that this is like, they're talking about Low Ball and the Codes, the two ways didn't get paid for to go. And like, Caleb Love played a lot of minutes for them this year. Like, what are we talking about? Yeah. Like, just cheap for being the sake of being cheap.

Speaker 8:
[57:53] And it's like, this sucks.

Speaker 5:
[57:55] Like, but how do you spend $4 billion on something and then try to save $10,000 here and there?

Speaker 8:
[58:01] So weird.

Speaker 5:
[58:02] Like, it reminds me of like, my wife will buy like a $400 shirt and then get mad because I spend like $10 a month on Claude. You know what I mean? It's like, what are we talking about? Like, how are you like going to be the Nicholl and Dime person on Tuesday and then be Daddy Warbucks on Wednesday? Like, if you spend $4 billion on something, don't try to trim around the edges once you get it.

Speaker 8:
[58:25] It's just so odd that you're allowing this to be a thing.

Speaker 3:
[58:30] It's so odd to me.

Speaker 8:
[58:33] Your team's in the playoff.

Speaker 3:
[58:34] Why on earth would you want headlines everywhere about what a cheapskate you're being?

Speaker 5:
[58:39] And they haven't been in the playoffs forever.

Speaker 8:
[58:42] It's not worth the bad publicity. Whatever it costs, it's not worth it. Like, you want everybody excited about the future of your franchise, and instead, like, the stories are about you and your unwillingness to spend on this new toy you bought, and everybody's like, what the hell? It is.

Speaker 5:
[59:05] It's really, really poor PR management. It's terrible PR management.

Speaker 3:
[59:09] It sucks. That sucks. I feel so bad. I feel so bad for them. It's like, it's the most exciting time of year. You go through this slog of the regular season, your friggin head coach got indicted, and it's like, nice...

Speaker 8:
[59:24] It's a great point.

Speaker 5:
[59:25] You started the season with your head coach getting indicted.

Speaker 8:
[59:28] When was the last time they were in the playoffs? Right. This is the fun.

Speaker 5:
[59:34] You made it.

Speaker 8:
[59:35] This is the fun talk.

Speaker 3:
[59:38] And it's like, you wake up and you're just reading more stories about how your new owner is a cheapo, and you're listening to podcasts about, I'm sorry, Portland fans, you deserve better than this.

Speaker 5:
[59:49] You know what I thought you were going to say when you started this?

Speaker 3:
[59:52] It's so lame.

Speaker 5:
[59:52] When you started this, I thought you were going to say, I can't believe Bill hates the t-shirts. Because I thought the Spurs t-shirts were just top-notch t-shirts.

Speaker 3:
[59:59] Oh, I love them too.

Speaker 5:
[60:00] That was great t-shirting.

Speaker 3:
[60:01] Great t-shirt. He old manned that. Bill old manned that. He, you know what it is? Bill's the guy that doesn't, he doesn't want to wear the t-shirt at the games, right? Like, I got it, right? Like, I mean, he doesn't want to wear the t-shirts. I got it. But like, there is a, especially, I love this, because, you know, I'm in a small market. Like, the community, the community of it.

Speaker 5:
[60:26] You talk about this all the time.

Speaker 3:
[60:28] That's the point of it.

Speaker 8:
[60:30] It's the community.

Speaker 5:
[60:31] I was like, the Manu Genoble had the t-shirt on.

Speaker 8:
[60:33] We're all in this.

Speaker 5:
[60:34] Tim Duncan had the t-shirt on.

Speaker 8:
[60:36] Yeah, we're all in this.

Speaker 3:
[60:38] We're all in this.

Speaker 5:
[60:39] I love that they brought out the legends.

Speaker 3:
[60:40] We're all rooting for this.

Speaker 5:
[60:41] I loved it. Popovich, Manu, Robinson and Duncan. We're all rooting. I loved it.

Speaker 3:
[60:47] That's what it is. It's a signal that we're all rooting for the same thing. Yeah. You know what I mean? And we're going to create an advantage, we're all, ain't nobody in here rooting for that other thing. Right?

Speaker 5:
[61:02] Also, the New York crowd and the LA crowd are always trying to get these fits off, you know, and get on camera and look good for each other. They're like, no, we're here to watch basketball.

Speaker 3:
[61:13] That's what we're here to do.

Speaker 5:
[61:13] It's going to help the team win for me to put on this creamsicle colored t-shirt, then I'll do it.

Speaker 3:
[61:17] The arena looked cool, too.

Speaker 5:
[61:19] It looked really cool.

Speaker 3:
[61:20] It looked cool on TV. Visually, it looked cool. It looked like a soccer game. It looked like you see those soccer games in like Barcelona or something like that looks awesome. That's what it felt like.

Speaker 5:
[61:31] And when Minyama gave us everything you could possibly want, anything, everything you could possibly want, he was fantastic.

Speaker 3:
[61:38] I'm happy to hear you say that. All right. The late game tonight is Rockets-Lakers. Let me ask you this. Do you think either of these teams as currently constructed would be playoff teams?

Speaker 5:
[61:51] As currently constructed?

Speaker 3:
[61:54] I felt like I was watching two non-playoff teams in the playoffs in a four or five game. I don't think either of them over the course of 82 games would be playoff teams. Would them without Luka and no way.

Speaker 5:
[62:10] No, the Lakers for sure no. I think the Rockets would be a playoff team.

Speaker 3:
[62:14] No, you don't.

Speaker 5:
[62:16] Yeah, no, you I mean, you do not think that the Warriors, the Warriors were almost a playoff team.

Speaker 3:
[62:25] Almost doesn't count. They're not. I think the Rockets, you think they'd be better than the sons of the Blazers? No way.

Speaker 5:
[62:33] Yeah, Kevin Durant's playing tonight.

Speaker 3:
[62:36] He's playing as long as he plays, then they're back to being.

Speaker 5:
[62:39] I think he practices, he's questionable, is the latest I saw.

Speaker 3:
[62:43] My boy Luke Kennard was firing though. They had no answer for Luke Kennard. I love Luke Kennard.

Speaker 5:
[62:49] I'm glad he's not on the Hawks. I'm glad he's not on the Hawks.

Speaker 3:
[62:52] I love Luke Kennard. He was fired up. I was happy for him. I can't stand when Lakers guys have success, but I love Luke Kennard. He's an awesome dude too. Yeah, Luke Kennard is killing it. Awesome guy. It's crazy. I'm watching the friggin Grizzlies from two years ago play for that DMT. It's like Luke Kennard, Jake Larravia and Marcus Smart. It's like... And LeBron and Ayton. Like, what is happening here? Three of those guys were like, oh, the Grizzlies two years ago. This is bizarre.

Speaker 5:
[63:26] Smart was good. Smart was really good.

Speaker 3:
[63:28] Smart was good. Shen Goon was crap.

Speaker 5:
[63:31] Oh, my God.

Speaker 3:
[63:32] He was so bad.

Speaker 5:
[63:34] I'm thinking to myself, like, to rants out, right? Who do the Lakers have that can stay in front of Shen Goon or stop him?

Speaker 3:
[63:42] Who?

Speaker 5:
[63:43] The good Lakers defenders, if you could say that, who like, Smart? I'll give you Smart.

Speaker 3:
[63:49] Jackson Hayes, Vando, Ayton.

Speaker 5:
[63:51] Vando. Yeah, Vando.

Speaker 3:
[63:53] LeBron, when he walks in for the five possessions he does.

Speaker 5:
[63:57] Brony, I guess. But you got Ayton, Ayton and Hayes. I thought Shen Goon was going to have 35 points. And all he did was just catch the ball. He does the same thing every time, tries to back his guy down, and then takes a little spinny to it, spins over his right shoulder and misses every time.

Speaker 3:
[64:14] I thought that was two totally average basketball teams playing mediocre to poor basketball. I thought game one...

Speaker 5:
[64:24] And Luke Kennard. And Luke Kennard was absolutely on fire.

Speaker 3:
[64:27] But game one sucked. It was not...

Speaker 5:
[64:30] I liked the first quarter. LeBron having like eight assists after the first quarter.

Speaker 3:
[64:33] It was just bad basketball.

Speaker 5:
[64:34] LeBron being like, all right, Joe, I can still do this.

Speaker 3:
[64:36] It was bad basketball. It was. It was bad basketball.

Speaker 5:
[64:40] I believe in the playoffs again, Verno. I'm not going to let you drag me down into this. I believe. After last night, I'm back.

Speaker 3:
[64:47] I hope so. Look, this is the one that's actually got the shortest line. So they expect the Rockets to like, we just need to get players back. We need to ramp back and then we need to, we need the Lakers guys back. Yeah.

Speaker 5:
[64:58] I just need Luka in my life again. Play off Luka. Just whatever, whatever, whatever robotic stem cell, blood spinning, thinning you got done in Spain. Just, just get out there on the court.

Speaker 3:
[65:10] I mean, maybe the thing goes long enough to where they can get some guys back, right? All right. Two others that we just need to mention, because those games are not going on tonight. A little extra time for Detroit and Orlando. And Detroit's got to sit there and marinate in their loss. Detroit's got to sit there and marinate in their loss. Do you think that that was, is it scary hours for Detroit? And it's like, there's Cade and nothing else. And oh my goodness, they should be worried. Or do you think that was, didn't have the right competitive edge? That was not what we've been used to seeing with Detroit. They gave up 35 points in the first quarter. And that was a bad, Orlando played really well. It was a bad representation of Detroit. And we'll get to game two and things will look more normal. Which one?

Speaker 5:
[66:10] I can't imagine a world in which Jalen Dern is that ineffective in game two. This was Dern's big breakout season. And he didn't look like himself in game one. And to big up the magic, we always talk about Franz and Paolo and whether or not that's sort of a duo that can move forward together. Are they too redundant? And we said the same thing about Tatum and Brown before they won a championship. And then I was watching the game. And I'm like, well, if you're Detroit, who do you put on Franz and Paolo? Like, who do they?

Speaker 3:
[66:44] Assar. Assar. But then they're mad that he doesn't, he's not good enough on offense. And so now we're doing Danis Jenkins. Like JB started doing stuff in that game too. And Durin was just a total non-factor in that game. It was crazy. They took away that K-Durin, you know, pick and roll lob thing. And it's like, okay, so now it's kick it out to somebody. And it's like, okay, this feels like too much to buy. Yes, this feels like too much, you know? Like they're gonna have to, they got some figuring out to do. But to me it was, and I know everybody's gonna focus on the offense. It was more of the defense. It's like the magic were what the Pistons have been that won them 56 games. They were the ones diving on the floor, fighting, punking people out.

Speaker 5:
[67:37] Physical rebounding, pushing people out of the way. Suggs was great.

Speaker 3:
[67:41] A menace.

Speaker 5:
[67:42] And Frantz in the second half, Frantz in the second half was unstoppable.

Speaker 8:
[67:46] And the other thing is like, we were so done with the magic after that Sixers thing.

Speaker 5:
[67:52] They were done with the magic. The magic themselves were done with the magic.

Speaker 8:
[67:56] And then they looked amazing against the Hornets, and awesome in game one, to the point where you're watching them like, you know, they do have a bunch of good players.

Speaker 5:
[68:11] I mean, Wendell and Carter were great.

Speaker 8:
[68:14] Great.

Speaker 3:
[68:16] They looked awesome.

Speaker 5:
[68:16] Find me the sucker in their starting five.

Speaker 3:
[68:18] They looked awesome.

Speaker 5:
[68:19] Find me the sucker.

Speaker 3:
[68:21] They looked awesome in that game.

Speaker 8:
[68:22] I'm like, what is this? Why have you sucked? And the other thing is, I just watched you a week ago.

Speaker 5:
[68:35] Looked so disinterested in winning basketball games.

Speaker 8:
[68:39] Against the Sixers. I just watched it.

Speaker 5:
[68:41] They looked so disinterested.

Speaker 8:
[68:44] Palo stung. The team looked fractured, mostly searching for answers. And then they turned around, and again, Charlotte, they, like, it looked like, it looked like the varsity versus the JV.

Speaker 5:
[68:58] It looked like, yes, it looked like little brother, big brother in the backyard.

Speaker 3:
[69:01] Yeah, like, you are not ready for this. Like, it just punked them out. And they turned around and went and punked out the Pistons in game one. I didn't know what to make of it. I was so shocked.

Speaker 8:
[69:13] I'm like, who are you?

Speaker 3:
[69:14] What is this team?

Speaker 5:
[69:17] I can't. Carter, Suggs, Palo.

Speaker 8:
[69:20] They were so good.

Speaker 5:
[69:20] Trons.

Speaker 3:
[69:21] They were so good. They were so good. I think Detroit are getting back to it.

Speaker 5:
[69:27] I think Detroit wins game two.

Speaker 2:
[69:28] Detroit are winning.

Speaker 3:
[69:30] I thought, by the way, I thought Detroit sucked. So I thought it was a combination. I thought Orlando played extremely well and Detroit sucked. And I would be surprised if we repeat that. If we do, then you got major problems on your hands, right?

Speaker 5:
[69:50] I mean, imagine a world in which we completely... Imagine like you're looking back at this season, you're like, you know, the Magic made the Eastern Conference finals and you completely forget that they were terrible all regular season.

Speaker 3:
[70:02] I mean, I heard them bring up like it was the... The Heat did it a few years ago. Remember when they ended up playing Denver?

Speaker 5:
[70:10] Of course.

Speaker 3:
[70:10] So of course. And then the other one eight is, I mean, do we think the Suns can even win a game against the Thunder?

Speaker 2:
[70:19] No, no, no. All right.

Speaker 3:
[70:21] Before we get out of here, two things. First, we've got breaking news while we're recording this. Billy Donovan has stepped down from the Bulls. After they got rid of all his bosses, it says...

Speaker 5:
[70:36] Wait a second.

Speaker 3:
[70:37] It says after... Because I thought they were just going to put him in the front office.

Speaker 5:
[70:42] Yeah.

Speaker 3:
[70:42] It says after a series of thoughtful and extensive discussions with ownership regarding the future of the organization, I've decided to step away as the head coach of the Bulls and allow the search process to unfold. I believe it's in the best interest of the Bulls to allow new leader staff as they feel fit. And of course, they got rid of Arturus and they got rid of Mark Eversley. And I guess they're going to be overhauling all of that.

Speaker 5:
[71:09] At the end of the announcement, is he like, I will now be coaching the Orlando Magic in game two against the Pistons?

Speaker 3:
[71:13] He is not. But I will say that we do need to remember Michael Reinsdorf, the Bulls president, when they got rid of Karnasovas and Eversley, like he made it very clear that we want to keep Billy Donovan going forward.

Speaker 5:
[71:29] Keep Billy Donovan. And it wasn't part of the job search that Billy Donovan was a fixed variable in that equation. Like if you want to be in this front office, you have to understand that Billy Donovan is our head coach.

Speaker 3:
[71:41] Wow. So, I mean, I guess...

Speaker 5:
[71:43] Didn't you say that you knew from someone who knew Billy Donovan that they were going to give him more, that he was going to be in the North Carolina job and this is that?

Speaker 3:
[71:49] That was the thing. That Billy Donovan wanted more power. That's what I was thinking. That Donovan, like, you know what I mean? That that's why, because all that stuff was weird. Go back and look at that North Carolina timeline in conjunction with the Bulls timeline. And whether or not he was ever going to get the North Carolina job or not, I don't think there's any, I'm sure that was leverage, right? Because he, again, you got to follow the timeline. It was out there from college writers that he would be interested in the Carolina job, right? Like college basketball writers, like I think it was Jeff Goodman had that story who covered him years ago at Florida, right? Like he's basically, he's a phone call away. And then you go through the timeline and it's like the Bulls announced that they're blowing out the front office. Billy Donovan is going to stay there. That's what Ryan Storff says. And then within like, I mean, literally that day, North Carolina hires Michael Malone as the head coach, as a head coach at North Carolina. And it's like, okay, like what? Cause they remember it was like the April 6th or something. It was like a couple of weeks ago. Like it was an odd timing with the bulls thing anyway. It was an odd timing. And then, so at that point, someone told me, like, Billy wants more power, more say with the bulls. But it looked like there was probably-

Speaker 5:
[73:15] And there's a vacancy in the front office where there's a power vacuum for him to fill in. Perhaps those conversations didn't go the way he wanted them to. But it does feel like the bulls need to sort of make these kind of wholesale changes because they've been so bulls for the past like eight years.

Speaker 3:
[73:31] They can't hurt anything. They're in no man's land with a weird roster and they're rudderless. They've looked rudderless. You know what I mean? But interestingly enough, also, last thing before we get out of here, before the second half of the Knicks game last night, you had to be in an event.

Speaker 5:
[73:52] Oh, yeah.

Speaker 3:
[73:53] Because you're so famous. And I was reading Vogue this morning and I saw-

Speaker 5:
[73:58] Oh, you were just reading Vogue?

Speaker 3:
[74:01] I was just looking at their red carpet pictures from The Devil Does Prada 2. And I saw you on there.

Speaker 5:
[74:06] The Devil Wears Prada 2.

Speaker 3:
[74:08] Oh, yeah. The Devil Wears Prada. And it's you and Lady Gaga on the red carpet pictures. And I was so proud to see my co-host. First of all, the reason you're at the premiere is because your wife and Anne Hathaway are big buddies, right?

Speaker 5:
[74:25] Yeah. Anne's been a very close family friend for decades. They were college roommates together. I met Annie when she was 20. And I didn't even know she was an actress for like four years. She was just Annie, Joey's friend. Right. And she's the godmother of my twins. And her and her husband Adam are very close to us. And Adam invited us to the premiere. And I was just wearing regular clothes, like a regular suit. Like I was going to like a job interview or something. And I was way underdressed. I should have worn like a feather boa. You didn't. And like a kilt. Like it was just like, everyone was just really just throwing. They looked like they were like Shane Gilder's Alexander in like a tunnel walk. That was like the entire look. And I was just sitting there like in a suit, like I was like an accountant or something.

Speaker 3:
[75:14] It's like it was the Met Gala.

Speaker 5:
[75:17] It was crazy. They treated me like I was a celebrity. They're like, oh, we gotta go to the picture station. You have to go to the picture station. And I was like, oh my God, I can't believe I'm gonna walk the red carpet in Devil Wears Prada. No one gives a shit about some NBA podcaster. I was like, I told my wife, I was like, I am not going on the red carpet. No one knows who I am. They're gonna take one picture of me just because they feel bad for me so I can hear the shutter click. But instead, it was like literally, I was behind a wall behind the red carpet. They took one picture of me.

Speaker 3:
[75:49] In a closet.

Speaker 5:
[75:50] The lady is like, it's my job to see you out now. You can't be here.

Speaker 3:
[75:55] I'm gonna see you out. Like your riffraff. Get out of here, riffraff.

Speaker 5:
[75:58] Yes, exactly. Of the red carpet.

Speaker 3:
[75:59] Lady Gaga's walking up. Lady Gaga's walking up. Get out. Scram, weirdo.

Speaker 5:
[76:06] But I've seen the movie a million times because I have 10-year-old twin daughters and they love the movie, Devil Wears Prada 1. And this movie, it was just a fastball down the middle. It's good. It's awesome. I laughed a lot. I cried. There's great clothes that go to Italy. Is it? Do you? Oh, I think I can say this now because I saw it last night. Do you know who makes an appearance? What NBA player do you think is in Devil Wears Prada 2?

Speaker 3:
[76:35] Uh, SGN.

Speaker 5:
[76:39] No, but New York Knickerbocker.

Speaker 3:
[76:44] Not Towns.

Speaker 5:
[76:46] Towns.

Speaker 3:
[76:47] No.

Speaker 5:
[76:48] Carl Anthony Towns is in Devil Wears Prada 2.

Speaker 3:
[76:52] And oh.

Speaker 5:
[76:53] It's like some sort of fancy dinner in the Hamptons.

Speaker 3:
[76:57] Oh, I thought you were going to say he's at the very end and they don't throw him the ball. He can't. He can't figure out how to get the ball.

Speaker 5:
[77:10] They're playing pick up. They're playing pick up. He doesn't score for the whole first half. It's just Meryl Streep crossing them over. You're backing them down, giving them buckets while he complains to the rest. Stanley Tucci giving them work. It was an awesome movie. It was an awesome time. I didn't get reception inside the theater because I thought I would just be streaming the next game while the movie was going. Oh, you couldn't. But the movie ended right before halftime. Actually, it was the second quarter. So, I'm just sitting there in the after party, surrounded by all these fashion people and famous people. I'm in the corner just looking at my phone with my headphones in. The entire time.

Speaker 3:
[77:54] Is your wife mad about this or she understands?

Speaker 8:
[77:57] She doesn't care.

Speaker 5:
[77:59] She's with all of her friends hanging out.

Speaker 3:
[78:00] Yes.

Speaker 5:
[78:01] I'm just in the corner with the security guys just watching the Knicks. Unbelievable. They're cruising the entire time. They're cruising the entire time. So this morning, I woke up at like 545 so I could watch the Cavs, Raptors in the first half of the Knicks again.

Speaker 3:
[78:17] Do you hate CJ McCollum?

Speaker 5:
[78:19] No. Why would I hate CJ McCollum?

Speaker 3:
[78:21] I don't know.

Speaker 5:
[78:22] He's a sweetie. He's a sweetie.

Speaker 3:
[78:24] The whole crowd said, F you, CJ.

Speaker 5:
[78:26] I don't know. That's a compliment. He's not a villain. He's got two kids. He told us earlier in the show. He's got two kids.

Speaker 3:
[78:34] I got a wife and two kids.

Speaker 5:
[78:36] Yeah. I got a wife and two kids. How can I possibly be a villain? I don't even understand that. You know when someone's got a gun to someone's head, they're like, I'm a dad. I've got four kids.

Speaker 3:
[78:44] No. Hold on.

Speaker 5:
[78:45] It's irrelevant.

Speaker 3:
[78:46] No. I don't. All right. Me and you, we're going to have one last disagreement before we get out of here.

Speaker 5:
[78:52] Okay.

Speaker 3:
[78:54] How many villains have a wife and two kids? I agree with CJ McCollum. Think about all the villains in history. They don't have a wife and two kids, bro.

Speaker 5:
[79:06] That's not fair, because I'm thinking of fictional villains.

Speaker 3:
[79:09] But that's what villains are. They're usually not real. You hope not.

Speaker 5:
[79:16] I mean, they're all real villains. Like, Jeffery Dahmer did, like, wake up and make lunches for the kids and bring them to school.

Speaker 3:
[79:23] How many real psychos or villains have a wife and two kids?

Speaker 5:
[79:26] Ted Bundy wasn't having a catch with an eight-year-old in the backyard.

Speaker 3:
[79:29] Yeah. I agree with CJ.

Speaker 5:
[79:32] Yeah, you got me there. So, I can't be a villain. I'm a great guy. I've got four kids. I'm a great guy.

Speaker 3:
[79:37] All of a sudden.

Speaker 5:
[79:38] That's the qualification.

Speaker 3:
[79:38] I don't know. I think it's two. I think once you get to four, you could turn into a villain.

Speaker 5:
[79:43] I'm not saying you must be a psycho.

Speaker 3:
[79:44] You could. You could. I'm the guy with two. I'm never going to be a villain.

Speaker 8:
[79:49] You, on the other hand...

Speaker 5:
[79:51] You're a villain in Oklahoma City. I'll tell you that much. You're a villain in Oklahoma City.

Speaker 3:
[79:54] You, on the other hand, with the four kids, that could turn you into a villain. You could go into villain mode. All right. That's going to do it for today's show. Thanks to Jeff and Steph, as always, at Jacoby.

Speaker 2:
[80:04] I'll talk to you later this week.

Speaker 5:
[80:17] Remember, you must be 21 or over and president in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino, or 18 and over and president in DC, Kentucky or Wyoming. Gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET, or you can call 1-88-789-777, or visit ccpg.org/chat in Connecticut, or you can visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here, visit gamblinghelplinema.org, or call 800-327-5050 for 24-7 support in Massachusetts, or call 877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY in New York for Louisiana, call 877-770-7867.

Speaker 4:
[81:06] Start the spring season off right with a new pair of Tacovus Western boots. Handcrafted and over 200 steps from genuine leather, they're built to last, and feel broken in the moment you put them on. From cowhide to exotic leathers, Tacovus blends timeless style with all-day comfort. Pair them with premium denim, Western shirts and accessories for an effortless, polished look. Shop quality Western goods in-store or online at tacovus.com.