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Speaker 1: You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Vine

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Speaker 1: from News Talks, Be Busy.

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Speaker 2: Old Time and the United States as far as sport

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Speaker 2: is concerned. With finals in both the NHL and NBA,

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Speaker 2: plus lots of other storylines to chat about. Let's bring

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Speaker 2: in our American sport expert, Leon Busby. How you doing Leon?

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Speaker 3: Good afternoon, Jason. It's great to be back. Make it

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Speaker 3: the sex some of our headlined American sports. But first

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Speaker 3: and foremost, I'm just gonna hold you right there. Congratulations

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Speaker 3: on your continued success at the highest level. Now, your

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Speaker 3: loyal listening audience have often heard you say that the

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Speaker 3: Blackburn's Woman seven steam of the standard of excellence in

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Speaker 3: their field. Well, I'm more than justified to say one.

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Speaker 3: Jason Pine falls into that same narrative as the benchmark

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Speaker 3: here and his inner sports journalism. Well done, mate, on

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Speaker 3: you deserved award. Once again. Hey, now that we've got

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Speaker 3: the important stuff out of the way, let's get into today.

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Speaker 2: I think we should have left that till lastly on

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Speaker 2: but thank you very much. It's greatly appreciated. Now we

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Speaker 2: come to you as the NHL playoffs for the Stanley

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Speaker 2: kupp are going on the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida

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Speaker 2: Panthers that was tied at two games apiece. Game five

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Speaker 2: is in its final stages in Edmonton. How's it looking?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, not looking too good for the home team at

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Speaker 3: the moment of the Oilers are down four to two

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Speaker 3: as we speak. Now, in a way, it's sort of

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Speaker 3: muss up my notes of it, but but I'll try

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Speaker 3: and get there. Now, there's one thing that separates these

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Speaker 3: two teams because over the series so far, three of

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Speaker 3: the first four games were resulted resulted in overtime, so

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Speaker 3: their boat teams are quite evenly matched. But there's one

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Speaker 3: real factor that separates these two teams. Now, what I

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Speaker 3: want to talk about quickly and I'll explain this to

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Speaker 3: your audience. Finally that may be unfamiliar with this term.

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Speaker 3: It's called a power player. Now. Power player is a

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Speaker 3: situation where one team is a numerical advantage on the

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Speaker 3: ice due to a penalty caught against the opposing team.

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Speaker 3: So when a player's center the penalty box, usually for

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Speaker 3: two or five minutes, depending on the seriousness of the indiscretion,

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Speaker 3: their team plays shorthanded while their opposing team gets a

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Speaker 3: power play. Typically five on four or even five on

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Speaker 3: three if multiple penalties are called. So think of it

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Speaker 3: as a yellow cart and rugby. The chances of the

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Speaker 3: team with the pack of a significant chance of scoring

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Speaker 3: while the penaltized player players are off the ice. So

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Speaker 3: if we look at this series again, Florida has done

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Speaker 3: today on a couple of power players. Florida has a

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Speaker 3: huge advantage in terms of the power play and have

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Speaker 3: punished all as on numous occasion. This would be well

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Speaker 3: their key going back to back. However, statistics aside, I

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Speaker 3: feel that Edmonton are still with a very good chance

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Speaker 3: to win it all as they have the best player

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Speaker 3: in the game, Colin McDavid, and also showed real resilient

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Speaker 3: in Game four, the last game, and they became the

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Speaker 3: first road team in the Stanley Cup Final to come

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Speaker 3: back from a three goal deficit since get this nineteen nineteen,

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Speaker 3: a mere one hundred and six years ago. So the

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Speaker 3: series is lookinguckly to go to seven games as it

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Speaker 3: did last year. But at the moment, yeah, not looking

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Speaker 3: too good for their Edmonton.

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Speaker 2: I'm afraid all right, we'll move to the NBA playoffs.

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Speaker 2: This has been rarely compelling Staff Oklahoma City Thunder Indiana

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Speaker 2: Pacers OKAC came back from eighty seven eighty down at

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Speaker 2: three quarter time to win Game four yesterday one eleven,

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Speaker 2: one oh four in Indiana. So we're tied up at

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Speaker 2: to a piece. We go back to Oklahoma City for

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Speaker 2: Game five on Tuesday. Can you pick which way this

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Speaker 2: series is going to go?

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Speaker 3: Yeah? So much like the Stanley Cup Finals, this series

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Speaker 3: has quite every balance. Are two games all at the

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Speaker 3: moment either side. I've never won the Lario Broke Brian

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Speaker 3: Trophy before, so this is new territory for them. So

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Speaker 3: were the first four games Pony Oksee of average one

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Speaker 3: hundred and thirteen points well Indiana one hundred and nine

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Speaker 3: point five, only three point five points difference in Game

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Speaker 3: three won by the Paces one sixteen one oh seven.

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Speaker 3: Indiana's bench was a big factor here. Okaysee's bench only

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Speaker 3: scored a combined total eighteen points while the home team

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Speaker 3: bench contributed forty nine, showing their superior depth outside of

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Speaker 3: the starting five. That really was a telling difference in

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Speaker 3: the end result. Now, if we wandered back to yesterday's

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Speaker 3: pivotal Game four, the Paces, like you you alluded to, Piney,

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Speaker 3: the Pace has led for most of the game, and

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Speaker 3: we're up by seven at the end of the third quarter. Unfortunately,

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Speaker 3: they only scored seventeen total points in the fourth quarter

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Speaker 3: and capitulated down the streets, losing at home one four,

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Speaker 3: one eleven. Now, I believe it. If indi Enda had

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Speaker 3: won that game yesterday, the chances of winning the series

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Speaker 3: would have been almost hard to bet. Again, so I

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Speaker 3: feel in a way, the Pacers blew their chances of

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Speaker 3: taking the commanding and seemingly understandable leading the series. But

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Speaker 3: I'll look back on Game four and realized that this

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Speaker 3: loss was defining. But we can also look at the

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Speaker 3: remainder of the series and say it's now our best

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Speaker 3: of three when it takes all. However, although I've got

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Speaker 3: no skin in the series, and I know you use

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Speaker 3: their term often, I'm leaning slightly towards Okase, who have

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Speaker 3: home court advantage should it go to a deciding game seven,

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Speaker 3: Like you said, Poney, a compaigning series.

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Speaker 2: Nonetheless, indeed, we know Americans love to watch their sport.

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Speaker 2: Do you have any ratings for the NHL or the

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Speaker 2: NBA postseason?

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Speaker 1: Ah?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, but who's all I want to say that, As

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Speaker 3: you know, Poney, I'm one who loves to extend you're

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Speaker 3: at the positive. But there's something that I really need

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Speaker 3: to address in terms of this, and it's a real

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Speaker 3: concerent and I'll quickly cover this. So have you managed

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Speaker 3: to catch any of the NBA or NHL games the

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Speaker 3: past couple of weeks?

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Speaker 2: By the way, I've been watching the NBA ice hockey's

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Speaker 2: not read in a sweet spot, but I've been watching

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Speaker 2: a bit of the NBA.

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Speaker 3: Yep, not fair enough. Well, then you're not alowing there

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Speaker 3: because in terms of TV ratings the NHL Final, when

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Speaker 3: the US is averaging only two point four to two

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Speaker 3: instituents excuse me, viewers per night, down of wapping twenty

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Speaker 3: eight percent from last year. Now in Canada, though the

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Speaker 3: numbers are much more respectable at four point two million,

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Speaker 3: mainly because many Canadians are backing the Edmond and Orders,

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Speaker 3: jumping on their band bag and to finally break, hopefully

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Speaker 3: break that thirty two year who do for a team

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Speaker 3: north of the border to finally lift the coveted Stanley Cup. Now, worryingly,

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Speaker 3: the NBA final numbers are also tanking, mainly due to

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Speaker 3: a combination of small markets with both OKC and Indiana.

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Speaker 3: Then in that mix, you mix that with two teams

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Speaker 3: that are relatively anonymous, they have anonymous players. Most who

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Speaker 3: follow the NBA wouldn't be able to name another player

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Speaker 3: from both sides outside of OKC MVP Shi Gildris Alexander

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Speaker 3: and Indiana star Tyre Telliburton. Earlier this week, the NBA

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Speaker 3: Commissioner tried his best to down play the poor TV ratings,

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Speaker 3: but with only two percent watching the actual final series,

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Speaker 3: it's no wonder that NBA hu have legitimate concerns player

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Speaker 3: salaries are going to the roof, but unfortunately this doesn't

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Speaker 3: translate with TV audience numbers. Now, the overriding problem seems

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Speaker 3: almost contagious, and that the NBA, NHL and other sports

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Speaker 3: leagues are facing said challenges despite competitive games for most part,

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Speaker 3: and that viewing habits and how we consume live sports

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Speaker 3: have changed over the last decades because of rapid advancements

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Speaker 3: and digital technology. This is a global challenge plining and

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Speaker 3: there's no easy fix. Those in control need to evolve

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Speaker 3: with the times and must address this challenge much more

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Speaker 3: sooner than later.

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Speaker 2: Just while we're on the NBA, it's trade season. I

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Speaker 2: guess you can call it a lot of NBA trade

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Speaker 2: talk at the moment. What are the big storylines for you?

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Speaker 3: Yes, so two of the biggest names in the league,

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Speaker 3: former MVP and two time champion Kevin Durant and two

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Speaker 3: time MVP and former champion Jiannis and at Coompo, both

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Speaker 3: future Hall of famers. Both players are elite and would

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Speaker 3: command top dollar from many franchise to move now. There's

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Speaker 3: a lot of speculation at this point about where both

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Speaker 3: players may land, with the LA Clippers now throwing their

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Speaker 3: hat in the ring for Kd's services as well as

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Speaker 3: a blockbuster trade that could involve future NBA draft picks.

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Speaker 3: As for Giannis, again, a lot of rumors in speculation,

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Speaker 3: but the bidding money is on him staying in Milwaukee,

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Speaker 3: as he has not yet requested a trade. It's well

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Speaker 3: known that he longs for another ring after his success

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Speaker 3: in twenty twenty one, but it seems more likely that

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Speaker 3: the Greek Freak will stay a Buck for now at least. Also,

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Speaker 3: just to quick side note Piney and breaking news from

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Speaker 3: earlier this morning, eleven year NBA veteran Stephen adams An

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Speaker 3: inked a new three year extension worth a reported sixty

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Speaker 3: six million New Zealand dollars fully guaranteed through twenty twenty

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Speaker 3: eight to stay with the Houston Rockets. He turns thirty

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Speaker 3: two next month and was slated to become an unrestricted

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Speaker 3: free agent. The big key we expressed a desire to

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Speaker 3: stay with the franchise, who had a very successful overall

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Speaker 3: season finishing second in the West. He was a significant

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Speaker 3: priority for the Rockets after playing a key rotation and

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Speaker 3: leadership roll with season and Houston's first playoff run since

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Speaker 3: twenty twenty. The team roster is quite young with good depth,

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Speaker 3: and there's a lot of expectation that the Rockets will

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Speaker 3: be a genuine contender in a top heavy Western conference

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Speaker 3: for years to come.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Great to see Steven Adams secure his immediate future.

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Speaker 2: And the biggest name of the women's game Caitlyn Clark.

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Speaker 2: Now she's been out with a quad injury for the

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Speaker 2: last five games, she's back with a vengeance. By the

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Speaker 2: looks of things, leon.

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Speaker 3: Oh for sure. Earlier today, She's now known as the

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Speaker 3: faith of the NBA superstar Caitland Clark made her a

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Speaker 3: highly anticipated return for the Indiana Fever against the reigning

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Speaker 3: champion New York Liberty. He showed little rust in an

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Speaker 3: impressive all round performance, recording thirty two points, eight rebounds,

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Speaker 3: and nine assists. After suffering a quad strain injury on

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Speaker 3: May twenty four, Clark missed five games and the Fever

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Speaker 3: clearly struggled to a two to three record during her absence.

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Speaker 3: The twenty twenty four w NBA Rookie of the Year

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Speaker 3: was clearly unimpeded by her recent injury today and was

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Speaker 3: a catalyst and a fourteen point statement win over the

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Speaker 3: previously unbeaten Liberty. Clark is vitally important to Indiana's chances

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Speaker 3: this year if they hope to be a genuine contend

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Speaker 3: to come to playoffs, but even more also for the league,

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Speaker 3: as we know she's the place and the start of

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Speaker 3: the league financially moving forward.

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Speaker 2: They'll be very very pleased to have her back. Got

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Speaker 2: to leave it there, Leon, but I can tell you

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Speaker 2: that the Florida Panthers of one game five in the

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Speaker 2: Stanley Cup by five goals to two, they've moved to

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Speaker 2: within one game of winning the Stanley Cup. Leon Busby

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Speaker 2: stateside with us here on News Talks, EDB and Weekends.

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Speaker 1: For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine. Listen live

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Speaker 1: to news talks edb weekends from midday, or follow the

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Speaker 1: podcast on iHeartRadio