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Speaker 1: Human, Welcome back to the show.

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Speaker 2: Thank you.

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Speaker 3: Down memory lane we go, why don't you put your

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Speaker 3: pants back on?

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Speaker 4: Slappy cop.

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Speaker 2: Copping, copping topping topping?

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Speaker 3: Hell, Yes, how you doing?

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Speaker 5: Nine and nine to noon is in the air and

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Speaker 5: we begin with a howl all writing out here we go,

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Speaker 5: day before Thanksgiving and we start focusing on a really

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Speaker 5: really cool game tonight. It's our Minnesota Timberwolves at the

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Speaker 5: Champion Thunder. And joining us now from OKC as Chris Finch,

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Speaker 5: coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Per usual, thanks to second

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Speaker 5: Harvest Heartland and two Harvest dot Org, they provide three

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Speaker 5: meals for every dollar given. Chris and I deeply believe

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Speaker 5: in the program, and we hope you take a peek

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Speaker 5: at the website to Harvest dot Org. Chris joins, now,

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Speaker 5: be cool if we feasted on the Thunder this evening.

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Speaker 5: And by the way, Gilgess, Alexander came up questionable on

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Speaker 5: the injury report yesterday.

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Speaker 3: What do you think is going on there? Chris?

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Speaker 2: And good morning, Hey, good morning Pa listed as having

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Speaker 2: some illness, so we'll see. We fully expect him to play,

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Speaker 2: though he doesn't miss many games, and that's one of

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Speaker 2: the great things that you know, we love about him

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Speaker 2: in the league as he plays plays every night.

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Speaker 5: Is is that a procedural thing as the NBA goes like,

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Speaker 5: I mean, if he has the sniffles, got to make

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Speaker 5: him questionable in case he gets worse, then we have

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Speaker 5: to scratch him.

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Speaker 3: And he wasn't on the injury report.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, there's there's a protocol to it all. And

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Speaker 2: you know it starts the day before I think at

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Speaker 2: four o'clock everybody's got to kind of give a status

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Speaker 2: update on their roster and then throughout the day on

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Speaker 2: game day. You know, this is for transparency purposes and

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Speaker 2: and so yeah, it's just it's all part of what's

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Speaker 2: normal protocol.

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Speaker 5: These uh, these thunder do do I mean, I think

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Speaker 5: we're eighteen to twenty ish into it something like that.

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Speaker 5: Do they play any differently without Jalen Williams.

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Speaker 2: I mean no, not largely the same and they just

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Speaker 2: they look they're just another year into their connectivity, their chemistry,

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Speaker 2: their their understanding and reading of each other.

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Speaker 4: Uh.

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Speaker 2: I do I feel they have a little better ball movement,

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Speaker 2: but I don't think that's to do with not having

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Speaker 2: Jail in the lineup. I just think that's uh, you know,

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Speaker 2: I think Shay's moving the ball a little quicker and

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Speaker 2: that's creating even more you know, off shot opportunities for

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Speaker 2: his teammates. Uh, you know, because Shaye's obviously facing you know,

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Speaker 2: a lot more double teams and multiple defenders, looks h

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Speaker 2: And they're doing a really good job. So they're they're

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Speaker 2: they're just doing more of the same, but even better.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 5: You you mentioned the word connectivity, and and I mean

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Speaker 5: they from the championship season last year when they beat

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Speaker 5: the Pacers. They they're pretty much rolling back everybody from

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Speaker 5: that team, And in all sports, I would imagine it's

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Speaker 5: it's key to be able to keep stuff like that

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Speaker 5: together year after year, right, Oh for sure.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, no doubt about it.

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Speaker 2: I Mean, they have a great roster situation here there.

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Speaker 2: They're still under the tax. They have a lot of

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Speaker 2: players on the similar timeline whose whose new contracts don't

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Speaker 2: pick in until I believe next year, and and then

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Speaker 2: then they'll face some some financial questions on how they

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Speaker 2: go forward, you know, how deep they want to be

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Speaker 2: in the tax and how long they want to stay there.

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Speaker 2: And these are things that we all have to deal

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Speaker 2: with as a reality of roster building. But for right

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Speaker 2: now they're in a little bit of a purple patch,

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Speaker 2: as the British would say, where things are really lined

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Speaker 2: up well for them.

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Speaker 5: And with you guys, Phoenix and Sacramento were there or

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Speaker 5: or in your estimation, you know, absorbing it, taking it

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Speaker 5: in and getting past it. We're what were some common

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Speaker 5: threads to the late game defeats?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean obviously execution down the stretch, you know,

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Speaker 2: game management stuff, you know, those those little small pieces

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Speaker 2: of the game that are not small at all, but

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Speaker 2: the things you got to do to win the game.

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Speaker 2: You know, we we listened. We two losses that should

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Speaker 2: have been wins. You know, all credit to our opponents

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Speaker 2: for making the place to beat us. We didn't make

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Speaker 2: the plays that we needed to make. You know, those

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Speaker 2: losses are are are largely on me as well, for

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Speaker 2: you know, not handling the end of the games in

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Speaker 2: the way that I could have done or should have done. So,

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Speaker 2: you know, but there's none less to do but move on.

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Speaker 2: We got, you know, sixty more games to play, sixty

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Speaker 2: plus more games to play, and as I said the

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Speaker 2: other night, you know, we we got to you can't

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Speaker 2: let one loss become two and I do think we

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Speaker 2: fell victim of that a little bit the other night.

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Speaker 2: And that's, you know, certainly not the mindset you need

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Speaker 2: to be.

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Speaker 1: And as you move.

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Speaker 5: Forward, So Chris Bench, coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves Weekly

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Speaker 5: nine to noon courtesy of Second Harvest Heartland and the

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Speaker 5: two Harvested dot Org and man Anthony Edwards has taken

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Speaker 5: the scoring to a new level at least the last couple.

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Speaker 3: What's the raid with his game of late?

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Speaker 2: And I mean what I'm enjoying about his game of

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Speaker 2: late has been really efficient. You know, he's shut the

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Speaker 2: ball well as three point volume is back up where

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Speaker 2: it was last year. He's getting to the rim, getting

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Speaker 2: to the free throw line, he's doing a lot of

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Speaker 2: those things. Well, you know, we got to continue to

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Speaker 2: find ways to get them cleaner looks at times with

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Speaker 2: all the double teams he's facing, and you know he's

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Speaker 2: but he's in a little bit of a kind of

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Speaker 2: a vein right now, which is good to see. I mean,

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Speaker 2: he went through a couple of games I know where

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Speaker 2: he was frustrated his three didn't.

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Speaker 3: Fall for him.

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Speaker 2: But as we said at the time, it was always

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Speaker 2: ever going to be a blip and he usually responds

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Speaker 2: to those moments with.

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Speaker 5: Big numbers as as as a coach with a high,

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Speaker 5: high end superstar like that in close games, say against Phoenix,

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Speaker 5: maybe more so against Sacramento, how do you balance this

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Speaker 5: is the best guy on the team, which subsequently probably

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Speaker 5: gives us the best one on one chance to win

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Speaker 5: as opposed to ball movement when he does get double teams.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you know it's we did get a

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Speaker 2: little dagging him down the stretch in both games. But

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Speaker 2: you know, he's a guy that we want the ball

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Speaker 2: in his hands and from that we're gonna create good offense.

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Speaker 2: I mean, he's surprisingly of all these high end superstars

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Speaker 2: in the league. Like his shot percentage basically the number

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Speaker 2: of times he actually takes a shot and those situations

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Speaker 2: is a.

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Speaker 3: Lot lower than some guys.

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Speaker 2: Then that is a result of all the double teams

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Speaker 2: that he does face. So we got to make him

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Speaker 2: pay when when people double.

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Speaker 5: Hey, do you guys do anything as a team for

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Speaker 5: Thanksgiving or do you kind of scatter before the Celtics

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Speaker 5: game on Friday?

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Speaker 2: Well, we're head home tonight, so we'll be able to

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Speaker 2: everyone will be able to spend Thanksgiving with their family,

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Speaker 2: and which is great. You know, we're back in town

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Speaker 2: for a couple of days for the weekend and play

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Speaker 2: a big, big, back to back doubleheader coming up, so's

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Speaker 2: it'll be nice to be in town for the holidays.

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Speaker 5: Are there are there any recommendations or any mandates on

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Speaker 5: amounts of food people can eat day before a game

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Speaker 5: that includes coaches as much as you want enjoyed it.

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Speaker 5: You want enjoy it and give thanks. And and your

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Speaker 5: your Eagles host the Bears Friday, I have and that's

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Speaker 5: before your Celtics game. Have you warmed up to Black

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Speaker 5: Friday football? Because I know you love the NFL?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I didn't really realize they were playing on

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Speaker 2: Friday until somebody said it yesterday. So Friday we'll have

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Speaker 2: practice in the morning and then be able to enjoy

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Speaker 2: enjoy some football. Then got a big game Ohio State

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Speaker 2: Michigan on Saturday. So it's really good. Good weekend of

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Speaker 2: sports as it always is.

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Speaker 5: And your your media relations con do it. And dear

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Speaker 5: friend Aaron Freeman, big Bears fam Chris Finch, big Eagles fan,

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Speaker 5: How's how's how's that relationship working out right now?

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Speaker 2: Well, we have a great relationship, but We'll see how

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Speaker 2: it ends up on Friday into Saturday, so but fully

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Speaker 2: expect to bounce back. Win by the birds, yeah and

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Speaker 2: uh and also won by the bike Yeah.

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Speaker 5: Winter Winter of Free as an Aaron Freeman has a

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Speaker 5: little bleep talking to him And I didn't realize that

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Speaker 5: until his bears beat my vikings and I had to

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Speaker 5: look at like six texts and then finally was like,

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Speaker 5: holy col Winter a free We got to slow down

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Speaker 5: with this stuff. But his squad's doing great and hopefully

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Speaker 5: yours does tonight. Let me let me ask you this. Uh,

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Speaker 5: do Hartenstein and Holme Grin play together a bunch? And

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Speaker 5: like overall, how do they compliment each other?

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Speaker 2: Well, they're a great duo, you know. It's they are

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Speaker 2: both really skilled, hard and signs an unbelievable passer, is

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Speaker 2: a great feel for the game, can make tricky shots

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Speaker 2: around the rim. Excellent defender, you know, as we know

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Speaker 2: Check can really he can really protect the rim on

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Speaker 2: defense as well, So they have great interchangeability there defensively

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Speaker 2: then offensively with Check, you know he's gonna stretch the floor.

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Speaker 2: He's he's the guy's gonna put traditional centers under pressure

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Speaker 2: with his skill set. And you know, they do a

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Speaker 2: great job of playing together. Gives them unbelievable size at

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Speaker 2: the rim, but also they create problems at the other

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Speaker 2: end of the floor. So it's a it's almost a

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Speaker 2: perfect pairing. Uh, in many ways.

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Speaker 3: This tonight, Chris, this is an NBA Cup game, right

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Speaker 3: it is.

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Speaker 2: It's the final NBA Cup game. So still alive and

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Speaker 2: well in the Cup. With a win tonight, I believe

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Speaker 2: we clinched going through, but I'm not showing that. But

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Speaker 2: I do feel like I haven't done the mathematic tiebreakers,

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Speaker 2: but I think it gives us a great chance to

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Speaker 2: go through for that win.

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Speaker 5: I laughed because I tried to this morning, and it's

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Speaker 5: like Minnesota lost Sacramento, this Minnesota win point differential that. So, so,

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Speaker 5: do you guys need to win tonight to keep the

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Speaker 5: the NBA Cup dream alive?

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Speaker 3: Absolutely? Yeah? Well the the.

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Speaker 5: Half what what do the players get if they win

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Speaker 5: the It's a half million, right.

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Speaker 2: I'm not sure what the what it is. Honestly, I

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Speaker 2: thought it was more towards a million, but I'm not.

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Speaker 5: Sure that and that I mean that of course matters

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Speaker 5: to two players. I'm in locker rooms, and of course

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Speaker 5: you only monitor one locker room. But you know what

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Speaker 5: I mean, I mean that they they they circle their wagons,

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Speaker 5: you know, around things like this, right.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's been a great product for the league.

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Speaker 2: You know, creates early season interest, it gives you know,

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Speaker 2: it's just a platform for for them to be able

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Speaker 2: to promote the game and and link up with the

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Speaker 2: media partner to do so. Got you know, guys have

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Speaker 2: taken taken to it in the league. They understand that

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Speaker 2: they feel that little extra motivation. They're almost all like

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Speaker 2: do or die games, which you don't play many of

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Speaker 2: those in the league, even though you know at the

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Speaker 2: end of the day they kind of all are, don't

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Speaker 2: They don't all have that feeling.

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Speaker 3: Have you.

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Speaker 5: Have you seen some of the scores in these NBA

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Speaker 5: Cup games only cow just astronomically high.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, points differential matters, So when you have a

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Speaker 2: chance to pour it on, you're pouring it on. I

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Speaker 2: think that's the one thing that's a little different. You know,

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Speaker 2: having coached in Europe for a long time, and you'll

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Speaker 2: play like two leged affairs like a home and away

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Speaker 2: and then points differential matters at the end of it.

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Speaker 2: Of those types of different tournament settings that they have overseas. Uh,

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Speaker 2: you know, that's just part of the equation. But for

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Speaker 2: here in American sports, we don't really stress that. It's

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Speaker 2: not something that we kind of build our competition around.

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Speaker 2: So it is an odd dynamic. It feels a little unnatural,

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Speaker 2: unsportsmanlike even at times. But you know, when you're up

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Speaker 2: thirty five, thirty six points and you got to keep

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Speaker 2: going for it because you're just gonna you never know

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Speaker 2: when to tiebreaker situation, what it's going to cut down to.

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Speaker 5: Dude, dude, I mean coaches and players just kind of

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Speaker 5: have to handle that, right. I mean, you got a

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Speaker 5: little more than a half million a stake per player,

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Speaker 5: And you know, I shared this example yesterday. It was

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Speaker 5: recently with the Orlando Magic. They're killing somebody. Man, they're

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Speaker 5: by like seventeen nineteen with a minute to go, and

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Speaker 5: Suggs hits a three and then the other team goes

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Speaker 5: the other way and Franz Wagner blocks the shot, like

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Speaker 5: up twenty one. I'm like, are you kidding me with this?

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Speaker 2: Well, I mean, in some way, isn't that how you

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Speaker 2: want it to be played all the time? But yeah,

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Speaker 2: you know it's it's professional sports. Like if you don't

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Speaker 2: want to be beat by thirty five, don't be beat

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Speaker 2: by thirty five. You know, it's I'm not here to

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Speaker 2: protect each other's feelings, so it's never bothered me no

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Speaker 2: matter what the competition is, if you're not if you

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Speaker 2: don't wanna, if you don't want to get your butt

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Speaker 2: but whipped like that, and then do things to prevent it.

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Speaker 5: All right, lastly too, and then happy Thanksgiving with tonight.

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Speaker 5: What's what's key with go Bear's game this evening?

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Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it was, you know he's his defense against

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Speaker 2: the two bigs, of course, you know, just they're just

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Speaker 2: countering obviously what they're doing. We'll have to play some

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Speaker 2: on the perimeter, you know, being early in his help

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Speaker 2: to try to bother shay. Uh, you know, Chase one

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Speaker 2: of the best attackers in the league as we know,

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Speaker 2: and he gets kind of gets wherever he wants to

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Speaker 2: go past the first line of defense pretty seamlessly. So

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Speaker 2: just presenting himself there, and I think, uh, you know,

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Speaker 2: smart offense spacing is huge against these guys. They generate

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Speaker 2: a ton of turnovers. They will really you know, be

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Speaker 2: big at the rim. So Rudy kind of reading space

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Speaker 2: around that was going to be also big.

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Speaker 5: And lastly, what about Jalen Clark? What are you thinking

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Speaker 5: of him lately? I noticed I didn't I didn't get

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Speaker 5: a chance to see a lot of the Sacramento game,

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Speaker 5: but but I noticed his minutes were cut a little bit.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, we got TJ back, so we're trying

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Speaker 2: to work him into the lineup. Jalen's fine. There is

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Speaker 2: a big part of what we're gonna do. You know,

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Speaker 2: we said from the beginning that these young guys, the

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Speaker 2: situation that they're in this year, their roles will be

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Speaker 2: consistently inconsistent.

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Speaker 3: And we're gonna.

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Speaker 2: We're in a discovery face. Sometimes you've got to go

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Speaker 2: through these periods where you got to figure out what

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Speaker 2: you got, who can do what you got to give

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Speaker 2: him extended games to do it, and you know, sometimes

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Speaker 2: they're gonna play more minutes than others, and you know,

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Speaker 2: sometimes that might be the right decision, and sometimes I

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Speaker 2: might not be the right decision, but it is what

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Speaker 2: it is. And at the end of the end of

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Speaker 2: the day, we're trying to get them all seasoned up

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Speaker 2: so they can help us over a long season into

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Speaker 2: the playoffs.

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Speaker 3: Happy Thanksgiving my brother and I'll call you next week.

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Speaker 2: Hi. You two have a good one.

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Speaker 5: Thanks see you. But that's we definitely give thanks for.

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Speaker 5: Chris Finch, coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, joins nine to

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Speaker 5: noon weekly vein opening just quite forthright and frontal with

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Speaker 5: the way he describes things, and we appreciate the relationship

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Speaker 5: and collaboration we have with Chris Finch, head coach of

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Speaker 5: the Minnesota Timberwolves. Part of the timber Tech What's on

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Speaker 5: deck set list. Hey, we have a talkback marathon segment

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Speaker 5: about an hour from now, and here's the deal. Get

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Speaker 5: to the free iHeart Audio app and give thanks or

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Speaker 5: give the gizzard for local teams, players, scenarios. It's really

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Speaker 5: up to you. Free iHeart Audio app, give thanks or

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Speaker 5: give the Gizzard if that's what you want to do.

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Speaker 5: We gave thanks yesterday amidst a sea of purple negativity

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Speaker 5: and did so via strays of kindness. So give thanks

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Speaker 5: for what's good in your sports world, or deliver the

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Speaker 5: gross gizzard for what's working on your last nerve talkbacks

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Speaker 5: around ten twenty around the Corner Michael Russo Russo Hockey

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Speaker 5: on the Red Hot Wild taking on the Blackhawks on

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Speaker 5: KFA in this evening Nordo produces, and I'm Paul Allen.

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Speaker 5: You're listening to nine to noon on FM one hundred

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Speaker 5: point three KFA N nine to noon.

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Speaker 4: Once you're handed.

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Speaker 1: He played it on vice.

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Speaker 4: Joe Hanson carries it right side, Joe Hanson, Hippoly Hill

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Speaker 4: coming favor, took a shot.

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Speaker 3: Pis calls.

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Speaker 5: Rock Faber ripped it under the crossbards a shorthanded goal

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Speaker 5: in the Wild of a two nothing later Minnesota Wild

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Speaker 5: and these airwaves this evening taking on the Chicago Blackhawks,

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Speaker 5: and nobody better to discuss it than Michael Russo with

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Speaker 5: the Athletic and the Athletic dot Com at Russo Hockey vax.

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Speaker 5: If you would like to follow it nine to noon,

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Speaker 5: does please do? And Wild and Blackhawks this evening from

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Speaker 5: the Windy City. Five in a row, seven of the

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Speaker 5: last eight for the squad like nine to one and

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Speaker 5: one in the last eleven. So, Michael, for sure, they're hot.

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Speaker 5: But to your trained eye, truly, how good is it

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Speaker 5: for the Wild right now?

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Speaker 4: In good morning? Good morning? I mean it's been great.

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Speaker 4: They are defending impeccably, they're getting outstanding goaltending from both

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Speaker 4: their guys Gustafson and Volstad, and and they're getting timely goals.

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Speaker 4: So you know, the other night against Winnipeg was just

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Speaker 4: a precision like game. They got great goaltending in the

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Speaker 4: first period and I thought controlled really the majority of

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Speaker 4: the game from that point on. And that's been really

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Speaker 4: the sign here for the last little bit. They were

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Speaker 4: outstanding in Pittsburgh Penguins like they left their their legs

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Speaker 4: in Sweden. It was their first game back from the

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Speaker 4: Global Series. But really this entire month has been an

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Speaker 4: absolute switch of the you know, flip of the switch

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Speaker 4: in every every facet of their game. Expected goals, uh,

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Speaker 4: you know, goal saved above expected. They are just every

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Speaker 4: metric right now is just a completely completely different team

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Speaker 4: than the one that we saw in October. And mostly

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Speaker 4: they're playing with the lead. They've they've scored first in

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Speaker 4: twelve straight games. This is an organization that in the

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Speaker 4: month of October trailed more than more than all Like, uh,

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Speaker 4: I think it was the only Boston that trailed more

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Speaker 4: than them in the entire month of October. And here

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Speaker 4: they are in in this month and they just never

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Speaker 4: seem to trail so It's been an absolute, you know,

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Speaker 4: shocking turn of events here.

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Speaker 5: How significant, How big is having Zach Bogosian back. I mean,

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Speaker 5: he he had some beast to him in Winnipeg.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, he was, He was good. He added some physicality,

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Speaker 4: you know, definitely rusty in the game in Pittsburgh and

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Speaker 4: and much much better in Winnipeg on I think, And

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Speaker 4: that's the element that he brings to this lineup and

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Speaker 4: why they won him in the lineup. You know, I

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Speaker 4: thought David Hunt came in and did a really good job,

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Speaker 4: you know, filling in. He had a couple of rough

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Speaker 4: games his last two, and Zach came back at a

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Speaker 4: perfect time, and he's added some physicality to this lineup.

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Speaker 4: But I think the biggest thing that's really changed is

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Speaker 4: just the overall play from their top four blue liners.

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Speaker 4: I mean, Spursion has been unreal, hasn't been scored on

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Speaker 4: at five and five in the last one hundred and

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Speaker 4: seventy five minutes. Favor is playing just tremendous hockey right now.

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Speaker 4: Middleton's been great, Brodean's been much much better, and you know,

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Speaker 4: and guys like Boyam just continue to get better. So

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Speaker 4: their overall blue line right now you know, I think

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Speaker 4: that they're getting probably overshadowed just because Volstad and Gustison

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Speaker 4: have been really the story of the league. But the

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Speaker 4: blue line has been tremendous.

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Speaker 5: Now, after they beat the Jets, did they play down

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Speaker 5: beating Winnipeg for the first time in two plus years?

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Speaker 3: I mean that that. I mean, it just doesn't ever happen.

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Speaker 3: That was big. Yeah, it was.

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Speaker 4: Big, and you know what, I was impressed a like,

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Speaker 4: I know, you know, Jets fans were pointing out that

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Speaker 4: the Wild didn't you know that the Jets didn't have

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Speaker 4: Connry Hellibuck in the lineup, but the Wild didn't have

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Speaker 4: four injured players, including two of their top three centers

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Speaker 4: in Hartman and Rossi. So you know, it was a

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Speaker 4: heck of a win in a building that hasn't been

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Speaker 4: kind to them. Obviously, a long way to go in

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Speaker 4: this season. Winnipeg hasn't been nearly as good lately, and

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Speaker 4: obviously not having Hellibuck in the lineup is starting to

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Speaker 4: hurt them. But look, you can only play, you know,

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Speaker 4: that's the thing. I mean, how many times has Winnipeg

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Speaker 4: played the Wild in the last three years and they

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Speaker 4: haven't had crease off in the lineup, or Arabsinek in

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Speaker 4: the lineup, or their goalies in the lineup, or Middleton

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Speaker 4: or Spursion. It's been over and over again when the

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Speaker 4: Wild go into these division games completely shorthanded. And here

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Speaker 4: they were technically again with four missing players, and they

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Speaker 4: went out there and you know, in my mind dominated

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Speaker 4: the game. So you know, did they play it down?

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Speaker 4: I think that they that The one thing right now

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Speaker 4: with this team is that they're very confident in themselves.

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Speaker 4: They had a lot of time to talk about that

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Speaker 4: game after they got stuck in Winnipeg for about eight

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Speaker 4: hours after the game, I because of a problem that

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Speaker 4: they're playing, and didn't get home till three am from

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Speaker 4: an afternoon game. But you know, right now they're they're

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Speaker 4: in Chicago and looking forward to tonight's game.

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Speaker 6: If you're if you're looking at little morsels or clues

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Speaker 6: or hints, mister Russo, can it be games like that?

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Speaker 6: From the standpoint that, I mean, you know, as much

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Speaker 6: as you follow this team in this league, I mean,

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Speaker 6: what's what's a broken record? Been been the last couple

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Speaker 6: of seasons. They'll beat on the bad teams and then

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Speaker 6: they're always losing to the Dallas squads, the Vegas squads,

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Speaker 6: the Avs of course, mattin Ay on Friday, looking forward

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Speaker 6: to that in Winnipeg and nearly two years, as we

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Speaker 6: talked about, like if you're looking for signs in terms

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Speaker 6: of steps forward for the state of hockey, beating these

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Speaker 6: teams means so much in the grand scheme.

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Speaker 4: Absolutely, and they are. They've been in a stretch of

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Speaker 4: beating really good teams. Have They beat Vegas, they beat Carolina,

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Speaker 4: they beat Anaheim, and obviously the other night against Winnipeg.

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Speaker 4: So look, I mean Colorado, they want to look past

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Speaker 4: Chicago tonight here here in Chicago. But but the Colorado

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Speaker 4: game is obviously going to be a big test. That

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Speaker 4: team is rocking and rolling there. They've won nine in

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Speaker 4: a row. But but you're right, I mean, how many

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Speaker 4: times in the last couple of years have we said

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Speaker 4: that every time in the Wild played Dallas or Winnipeg

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Speaker 4: or Colorado, that they are really genuine, genuine generally any

436
00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:35,439
Speaker 4: playoff team north of them in the standings they just

437
00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:37,760
Speaker 4: don't play well against them, or at least don't have

438
00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:40,080
Speaker 4: the two points at the end of the night. So

439
00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:41,920
Speaker 4: you're right, I mean, the fact that they're beating these

440
00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:44,720
Speaker 4: teams right now. It says a lot. The fact that

441
00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:48,000
Speaker 4: they're defending is as well as they've been. You know,

442
00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:50,520
Speaker 4: it's just ridiculous the number of shutouts that they've already

443
00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:53,520
Speaker 4: had here, especially in the last little stretch here for

444
00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:56,560
Speaker 4: the last seven games. So they are just playing a

445
00:23:56,720 --> 00:23:57,800
Speaker 4: terrific hockey right now.

446
00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:00,720
Speaker 6: You mentioned, you know, at the store of the league

447
00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:04,439
Speaker 6: might be Gus Boss in Volstad. How difficult can it

448
00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:08,000
Speaker 6: be when and Gus it's almost like by way of competition,

449
00:24:08,119 --> 00:24:11,120
Speaker 6: Gus Buss after a tough October has been terrific this

450
00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:13,800
Speaker 6: last month or several weeks as well, So that's awesome

451
00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:17,399
Speaker 6: this tandem. How difficult is it for Hines to manage

452
00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:21,120
Speaker 6: two heaters between the pipes on a game by game basis.

453
00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:24,119
Speaker 4: I don't think it's difficult at all. He just I

454
00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:26,400
Speaker 4: think he feels confident every throws in there. I mean,

455
00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:29,480
Speaker 4: look tonight, if in Chicago, this could be the fourth

456
00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:32,040
Speaker 4: time this season of the five shutouts. So we see

457
00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:34,399
Speaker 4: the goalie that got the shutout the game before doesn't

458
00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:36,760
Speaker 4: start the next game. When does that ever happen? In

459
00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:39,640
Speaker 4: the NHL, in a superstitious league, he usually always start

460
00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:41,800
Speaker 4: the goalie that got the shutout the night before. But

461
00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:45,199
Speaker 4: Hines has almost set the precedent now where he's willing

462
00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:47,600
Speaker 4: to do this and rotate these two and as long

463
00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:49,560
Speaker 4: as they're both playing well, I think that's the way

464
00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:52,560
Speaker 4: to manage it. Especially in such a condensed season. One

465
00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:54,639
Speaker 4: of these two goalies will be in the Olympics, so

466
00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:58,000
Speaker 4: Gus has a lot of great you know a lot

467
00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:00,000
Speaker 4: of games ahead of him. So I think it's huge

468
00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:02,760
Speaker 4: for him if he could, you know, get rest at times,

469
00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:06,720
Speaker 4: and in a league where everybody's getting hurt, play them

470
00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:09,600
Speaker 4: both if they're both willing to you know, continue to

471
00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:12,000
Speaker 4: if they're both able to continue to win games. And

472
00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:14,760
Speaker 4: what I like about Gus's attitude is he basically says

473
00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:19,240
Speaker 4: it that the competition that jesspervalstad Is is providing him

474
00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:21,199
Speaker 4: is putting him in a position where he knows if

475
00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:23,280
Speaker 4: he doesn't play well, he's not going to get the net.

476
00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:27,400
Speaker 4: So I think that's great, healthy internal competition. And right now,

477
00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:30,160
Speaker 4: both these goalies have been delivering a big time.

478
00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:33,760
Speaker 5: I mean, they're absolutely in a roundabout way making each

479
00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:36,280
Speaker 5: other better. I mean even casuals can figure that out.

480
00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:39,119
Speaker 5: From afar, it's it's kind of like the hold my

481
00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:40,679
Speaker 5: beer situation right.

482
00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:44,960
Speaker 4: Absolutely, and and you know we're seeing that. I mean,

483
00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:47,480
Speaker 4: you know, I remember the game in Pittsburgh. You know,

484
00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:50,159
Speaker 4: when I announced that Gusson was starting that game, you know,

485
00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:53,360
Speaker 4: fans were freaking out why Hines would change it. And

486
00:25:53,359 --> 00:25:55,760
Speaker 4: and then guss goes out there and gets a shutout himself.

487
00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:58,520
Speaker 4: And obviously he wasn't tested a ton because as we mentioned,

488
00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:01,439
Speaker 4: the team is defending really well. But then Volstadt follows

489
00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:04,359
Speaker 4: up that shut out but going out and shutting out Winnipeg.

490
00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:07,959
Speaker 4: So it's it's just been tremendous to watch, you know.

491
00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:10,520
Speaker 4: And and now the entire team is playing well. You know,

492
00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:13,119
Speaker 4: Zucurello hasn't had hasn't been in the lineup for a

493
00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:16,720
Speaker 4: regulation loss. And since he's been back, Caprisoff is playing

494
00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:19,919
Speaker 4: absolutely his best hockey this season. Same thing with Boldie

495
00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:23,800
Speaker 4: that Eric'sinek Johansson. Boldie line continues to every single night

496
00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:27,359
Speaker 4: shut down the opposing stars of other teams. They'll have

497
00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:30,840
Speaker 4: a big task tonight, obviously on the road against Connor Bedard,

498
00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:34,600
Speaker 4: who has been tremendous this season. But right now this

499
00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:37,760
Speaker 4: team is you know, they're getting incredible play from Felino

500
00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:41,439
Speaker 4: and Trenion right now. So they are just really this

501
00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:43,040
Speaker 4: is as good as we've seen them play in a

502
00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:43,760
Speaker 4: long long time.

503
00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:46,600
Speaker 6: How's the how's the kid doing? How's year off coming along?

504
00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:49,160
Speaker 6: I mean there kind of some conversation to that game

505
00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:51,159
Speaker 6: where he got to play on the first line with

506
00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:53,600
Speaker 6: the big timers. But but how is he doing? I

507
00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:55,479
Speaker 6: think six points in his eighteen games.

508
00:26:56,600 --> 00:26:59,560
Speaker 4: Yeah, he's doing great, Nordo. You know, he's been on

509
00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:01,400
Speaker 4: the top line line for the last three games. He's

510
00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:03,320
Speaker 4: chipped in a couple of goals. Although the goals the

511
00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:06,119
Speaker 4: other night was he played with it. You know, it

512
00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:08,760
Speaker 4: was a partial change for Caprice and Zukerl hadn't gotten

513
00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:10,720
Speaker 4: on the ice yet, so he was with his old

514
00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:13,000
Speaker 4: two line mates and Trenyon and Felino and training and

515
00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:15,479
Speaker 4: set him up for the goal. But you know what

516
00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:17,440
Speaker 4: I love about the kid is he doesn't change his game.

517
00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:21,119
Speaker 4: He's so solid and dependable on the on the on

518
00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:24,080
Speaker 4: the you know, defensive side of the park. He competes

519
00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:26,920
Speaker 4: his butt off his board battles continue to get better.

520
00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:29,639
Speaker 4: I think he's just going to be a really, really

521
00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:32,520
Speaker 4: good hockey player. I still don't know how how simple

522
00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:35,120
Speaker 4: points will come to him. It's obviously going to depend

523
00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:38,080
Speaker 4: on where he winds up eventually landing full time in

524
00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:40,720
Speaker 4: the lineup. But right now, I mean, if you have

525
00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:42,880
Speaker 4: him as a middle sixth center on this team long

526
00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:44,720
Speaker 4: term in the in the future, I think that's going

527
00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:46,800
Speaker 4: to be a heck of a win for the Wild

528
00:27:46,880 --> 00:27:49,960
Speaker 4: with that draft pick. And so I just continue to

529
00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:53,880
Speaker 4: be impressed with what this kid brings. He speaks very

530
00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:57,560
Speaker 4: little English, yet he's mature above his his years, and

531
00:27:57,600 --> 00:27:59,679
Speaker 4: I just can't wait to watch him mature over the

532
00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:01,640
Speaker 4: next two or three years and just see him as

533
00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:05,080
Speaker 4: he gets more comfortable in this country off the ice

534
00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:08,040
Speaker 4: what that helps in terms of on the ice. His

535
00:28:08,119 --> 00:28:10,600
Speaker 4: kids lived in a hotel now for three months a

536
00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:13,840
Speaker 4: bench basically, and still has not been told they can

537
00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:16,720
Speaker 4: go get an apartment. At some point, I think his

538
00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:18,760
Speaker 4: agent's going to probably have to step in and tell

539
00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:21,199
Speaker 4: Bill Garin, you know, there is a time limit that

540
00:28:21,240 --> 00:28:23,359
Speaker 4: you could keep a guy in a hotel. At some

541
00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:25,840
Speaker 4: point they're gonna have to let him, let him move

542
00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:28,359
Speaker 4: out of the out of uh. I don't want to

543
00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:30,520
Speaker 4: say where he's staying out of his hotel.

544
00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:32,560
Speaker 5: Yeah, but I mean you know, living in a hotel

545
00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:34,679
Speaker 5: for for that long and having somebody else playing your

546
00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:36,280
Speaker 5: room and do your sheets every single day.

547
00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:38,720
Speaker 3: I mean that's I'm giving thanks for.

548
00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:40,960
Speaker 4: That, but you know what, like yeah, but you know

549
00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:43,800
Speaker 4: what he's not getting, Like I'll just give the brand

550
00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:46,040
Speaker 4: of hotel. I was trying to explain to him the

551
00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:48,240
Speaker 4: other day what Marriott points are and he doesn't have

552
00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:51,040
Speaker 4: a Marriott number. I mean, just think of the number

553
00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:54,520
Speaker 4: of free nights you would have this offseason if he

554
00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:57,320
Speaker 4: just during the during the Olympics you go off to

555
00:28:57,400 --> 00:28:59,640
Speaker 4: the you know some to Hawaii for two weeks and

556
00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:02,720
Speaker 4: have Marriott paid for his room. But right now he

557
00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:03,840
Speaker 4: doesn't have a Marriott number.

558
00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:05,240
Speaker 3: You could share some points.

559
00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:09,240
Speaker 4: You could do it retroactively. You'll get a Marriott number

560
00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:11,800
Speaker 4: and give it to the hotel and get points man.

561
00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:13,840
Speaker 5: Or you could share some points with him for all

562
00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:16,680
Speaker 5: the great did bits he gives you thanksgiving gesture.

563
00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:21,400
Speaker 3: No, let's not, let's not go too far brusso radio.

564
00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:25,240
Speaker 5: What's U If there's a common thread, you'll unveil it.

565
00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:28,160
Speaker 5: But what's leading to all of these shorties?

566
00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:33,000
Speaker 4: Well, I mean their penalty kill has been just outstanding

567
00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:36,200
Speaker 4: here the last month of the Season's shocking to say

568
00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:38,960
Speaker 4: that for this organization that has really struggled on that

569
00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:41,280
Speaker 4: department for a while. But I think a lot of

570
00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:43,520
Speaker 4: it is the fact that there's just been one a

571
00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:46,200
Speaker 4: lot more aggressive. But it put you're adding skill guys

572
00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:48,400
Speaker 4: to this lineup. I mean, obviously Rossi's hurt right now,

573
00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:51,000
Speaker 4: but Rossi's been on the penalty kill this year. Boldie's

574
00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:52,680
Speaker 4: been on the penalty kill this year. And I just

575
00:29:52,680 --> 00:29:55,560
Speaker 4: think when you have really good offensive players, like a

576
00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:57,240
Speaker 4: lot of teams have done for a long time in

577
00:29:57,280 --> 00:29:59,080
Speaker 4: the league, and the Wild have never seemed to do.

578
00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:04,000
Speaker 4: I think that they just generally anticipate plays that opposing

579
00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:06,480
Speaker 4: really good players are going to make. And a perfect

580
00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:09,360
Speaker 4: example is Boldie's first career shorthanded goal the other night

581
00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:12,880
Speaker 4: against Carolina. He anticipated that path by a great player

582
00:30:12,880 --> 00:30:15,800
Speaker 4: in Sebastianajo, picks it off and scores the breakaway goal.

583
00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:17,640
Speaker 4: We saw a favor the other night. They cod an

584
00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:21,560
Speaker 4: incredibly good defensive player in his own zone to spur

585
00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:24,120
Speaker 4: that odd man rush and then he joins the fray

586
00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:26,400
Speaker 4: and scores the big goal. So I think that's part

587
00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:28,520
Speaker 4: of it is that they've been more aggressive. I think

588
00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:31,960
Speaker 4: they they're using you know, more skilled players in that area,

589
00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:34,760
Speaker 4: and right now they just are completely on the same

590
00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:37,680
Speaker 4: page and they're getting they're getting saves too. I mean,

591
00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:39,760
Speaker 4: I know that we're making a big deal because they've

592
00:30:39,760 --> 00:30:41,880
Speaker 4: got a couple shorthanded goals in the last three games,

593
00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:45,800
Speaker 4: but most importantly their penalty kills having around ninety percent

594
00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:48,880
Speaker 4: this month, and it's just, you know, it's just a

595
00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:52,640
Speaker 4: perfect example of how every single thing about this team

596
00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:56,080
Speaker 4: has flipped completely upside down from what we saw in October.

597
00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:57,959
Speaker 4: It looked like this team was going to, you know,

598
00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:01,760
Speaker 4: wind up with a lottery pick. Now they're they've they've

599
00:31:01,760 --> 00:31:03,960
Speaker 4: climbed up to the tenth best points percentage in the

600
00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:07,240
Speaker 4: National Hockey League going into tonight's game in Chicago, Time.

601
00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:08,360
Speaker 3: For two more Heinz.

602
00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:11,720
Speaker 5: He told us yesterday, ericson K is playing at his

603
00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:14,320
Speaker 5: high highest level of the season. I mean, he really

604
00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:17,080
Speaker 5: really threw some flowers his way. What are you seeing

605
00:31:17,120 --> 00:31:18,000
Speaker 5: with ericson K.

606
00:31:19,520 --> 00:31:22,640
Speaker 4: Yeah, he's just been unbelievable. You look at the the

607
00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:26,040
Speaker 4: analytics of what he is doing to the opposing top

608
00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:29,480
Speaker 4: players the team every single night. It's truly remarkable. The

609
00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:33,400
Speaker 4: way he's shutting down every single game the top line

610
00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:35,480
Speaker 4: of the other thing. And it's not just him, Boldy

611
00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:38,760
Speaker 4: and Johansson are part of that. He's winning key draws.

612
00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:40,600
Speaker 4: Now he leaves the league in face off wins and

613
00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:44,360
Speaker 4: face off faceoffs taken. So that's huge too, is that

614
00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:47,360
Speaker 4: you know he's he's they're starting with the puck and

615
00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:50,440
Speaker 4: when you're obviously in the offensive zone, that's the best

616
00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:53,720
Speaker 4: way to defend the top line. So he's been just tremendous.

617
00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:57,320
Speaker 4: I mean, you ask any any the amount of respect

618
00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:00,520
Speaker 4: he's hated by opposing players, but it's because of how

619
00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:03,040
Speaker 4: much they respect him they hate going up against them.

620
00:32:03,080 --> 00:32:05,719
Speaker 4: It's the way the way opposing players talk about Eric

621
00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:07,200
Speaker 4: Sanak is the way they used to talk to me

622
00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:10,400
Speaker 4: about Nko Koivu. Nobody likes to go up against him.

623
00:32:10,440 --> 00:32:14,160
Speaker 4: He's just an absolute competitor on the ice. And you know,

624
00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:16,560
Speaker 4: from a work ethics standpoint, there's a few guys in

625
00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:18,480
Speaker 4: the league that work harder than Eric Sinak. So he

626
00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:21,760
Speaker 4: has just been playing elite elite hockey lately.

627
00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:25,240
Speaker 6: Non non wild specific question. But they are in Chicago tonight,

628
00:32:25,320 --> 00:32:27,719
Speaker 6: so I'm sure you saw the news and followed it

629
00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:32,440
Speaker 6: loosely Mason West Blackhawks draft pick winning a football state

630
00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:33,480
Speaker 6: title with a Dina.

631
00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:34,880
Speaker 3: I'm just curious.

632
00:32:34,920 --> 00:32:37,360
Speaker 6: I mean, you know, into the draft, first round pick,

633
00:32:37,720 --> 00:32:40,240
Speaker 6: you know, the the idea of him letting teams know like, hey,

634
00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:42,479
Speaker 6: I want to play football and finish this out with

635
00:32:42,520 --> 00:32:45,240
Speaker 6: my guys before I transition to every day I'm at

636
00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:45,720
Speaker 6: the rink.

637
00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:48,400
Speaker 3: I mean, just the time you've spent covering the sport.

638
00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:51,120
Speaker 6: Like, how unique is that moment where teams kind of

639
00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:54,040
Speaker 6: got to loosen the reins or maybe that alters the

640
00:32:54,080 --> 00:32:56,840
Speaker 6: way that they view a prospect when choosing in the draft.

641
00:32:57,160 --> 00:32:59,280
Speaker 6: Just kind of Mason West and and you know, the

642
00:32:59,600 --> 00:33:02,960
Speaker 6: black hole giving him that leeway to go play football

643
00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:06,000
Speaker 6: before he he puts the puck on on front of brain.

644
00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:10,080
Speaker 4: Yeah, he's he Well, first of all, he's just tremendous kid,

645
00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:13,400
Speaker 4: a tremendous athlete obviously, you know, and he's about to

646
00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:17,000
Speaker 4: go play junior hockey and and look, the one reason

647
00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:18,880
Speaker 4: why he probably was drafted at the end of the

648
00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:21,400
Speaker 4: first round is that teams were not comfortable with him

649
00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:24,800
Speaker 4: playing another football season and trying to capture his dreams

650
00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:27,280
Speaker 4: of leading a Dinast to a state title in football,

651
00:33:27,320 --> 00:33:30,600
Speaker 4: which he achieved remarkably and now you know he still

652
00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:33,880
Speaker 4: is is making it very clear that that hockey is

653
00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:37,280
Speaker 4: his future. But it will be interesting if he if

654
00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:39,200
Speaker 4: he makes it big for the black Hawks, there are

655
00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:41,480
Speaker 4: gonna be a lot of teams regretting letting that slip.

656
00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:44,600
Speaker 4: And it was all because of a dinosaur mentality where

657
00:33:44,600 --> 00:33:46,760
Speaker 4: they just were all concerned that he wanted, that he

658
00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:49,520
Speaker 4: was caring too much about football or or you know,

659
00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:52,920
Speaker 4: worried about injuries or something like that. And and you know,

660
00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:55,560
Speaker 4: the Blackhawks where he took a gamble at the end

661
00:33:55,560 --> 00:33:57,720
Speaker 4: of the first round, took him and and they might

662
00:33:57,760 --> 00:34:01,320
Speaker 4: wind up being the team that that that really you know,

663
00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:03,880
Speaker 4: it's gonna be thanking their lucky star as they did that.

664
00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:06,760
Speaker 4: So I'm happy for the kid. I got to talk

665
00:34:06,760 --> 00:34:08,240
Speaker 4: to him a couple of weeks ago from my Josh

666
00:34:08,239 --> 00:34:11,760
Speaker 4: Harding story because Josh coaches him at a Dinah Josh

667
00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:14,960
Speaker 4: Ashley even though he's a goalie, he changes the forwards

668
00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:17,239
Speaker 4: there and coaches the forward. So Mason was, you know,

669
00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:20,200
Speaker 4: outstanding talking to me for that feature I wrote on Herds.

670
00:34:20,239 --> 00:34:23,240
Speaker 4: And I'm really excited for the kid because he seems

671
00:34:23,239 --> 00:34:25,640
Speaker 4: like just an absolutely awesome kid with a with a

672
00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:29,399
Speaker 4: real bright future in the sport of hockey, which I'm

673
00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:32,360
Speaker 4: excited excited about that he's switching over to the sport

674
00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:32,960
Speaker 4: full time.

675
00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:36,560
Speaker 5: Have a great Thanksgiving Michael, safe travels. Enjoy the game tonight.

676
00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:36,719
Speaker 1: Man.

677
00:34:36,920 --> 00:34:38,719
Speaker 3: We appreciate you.

678
00:34:37,640 --> 00:34:39,560
Speaker 4: You two guys.

679
00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:44,520
Speaker 5: See you, Bud Russo Happy Radio. That is Michael Russo

680
00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:47,799
Speaker 5: out of Russo Hockey, the Athletic and the Athletic dot

681
00:34:47,840 --> 00:34:52,680
Speaker 5: Com go wild taking on Connor Bedard and one day

682
00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:55,239
Speaker 5: Mason West and the Chicago Blackhawks.

683
00:34:55,440 --> 00:34:58,320
Speaker 3: Seven thirty puck drop f M one hundred point three.

684
00:34:58,200 --> 00:35:01,719
Speaker 5: K f am back to OKC to chat about this

685
00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:04,960
Speaker 5: life changer tonight against the Thunder for the hol and

686
00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:08,640
Speaker 5: Alan Horton, who calls games on radio but also does

687
00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:11,360
Speaker 5: the simulcast radio and TV.

688
00:35:11,880 --> 00:35:13,400
Speaker 3: I will talk to the Vox after this.

689
00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:29,719
Speaker 5: Fuck Alan Horton that Wolves radio via X follow him

690
00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:32,400
Speaker 5: if you are so inclined. He'll be on the microphone

691
00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:36,200
Speaker 5: or microphone zah this evening for the Wolves and OKC.

692
00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:37,120
Speaker 3: Alan.

693
00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:40,120
Speaker 5: It's Paul Allen with Nordo by my side. How have

694
00:35:40,239 --> 00:35:43,080
Speaker 5: you been, Vox, I have been good.

695
00:35:43,120 --> 00:35:45,120
Speaker 2: It's good to catch up with you guys. It's been

696
00:35:45,160 --> 00:35:46,160
Speaker 2: a minute.

697
00:35:46,080 --> 00:35:50,600
Speaker 5: Likewise, and radio or TV and radio tonight, what's the play?

698
00:35:51,760 --> 00:35:54,680
Speaker 2: It is radio only tonight, as ESPN is in the

699
00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:57,880
Speaker 2: house and they've got the exclusive tonight, so there's no

700
00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:02,640
Speaker 2: fan duel Sports network, uh television cast and so it's uh,

701
00:36:02,680 --> 00:36:04,360
Speaker 2: it's k fan all.

702
00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:04,920
Speaker 3: The way tonight.

703
00:36:05,320 --> 00:36:08,040
Speaker 5: Is Is this your first season? Is this the first

704
00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:09,439
Speaker 5: time you've done a simulcast?

705
00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:12,200
Speaker 2: Yes?

706
00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:15,359
Speaker 7: How because we only did the one one TV game

707
00:36:15,440 --> 00:36:17,239
Speaker 7: last year and you did you did the radio for

708
00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:20,440
Speaker 7: that one, and then uh, yeah, everything happened so late

709
00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:22,680
Speaker 7: in the season and it was difficult to figure out

710
00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:25,560
Speaker 7: what Michael Grady was doing with his national stuff, and

711
00:36:25,640 --> 00:36:27,680
Speaker 7: so by the time we got to media day, that's

712
00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:29,560
Speaker 7: that's really when we kind of hammered things out. And

713
00:36:29,600 --> 00:36:32,319
Speaker 7: it was so late in the season that they kind

714
00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:34,400
Speaker 7: of decided to go the route of of doing the

715
00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:38,040
Speaker 7: simulcast and putting me and Jim Peterson on on both

716
00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:39,200
Speaker 7: airways TV and radio.

717
00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:41,920
Speaker 5: So as a play by play guy, how do you

718
00:36:42,040 --> 00:36:46,239
Speaker 5: balance it for the TV watchers along with the radio listeners.

719
00:36:47,680 --> 00:36:51,839
Speaker 7: Well, you know, it's it's a TV broadcast, it's being

720
00:36:51,880 --> 00:36:54,480
Speaker 7: simulcast on radio. I have I have not really tried

721
00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:58,279
Speaker 7: to thread that needle because it's it's almost impossible to do.

722
00:36:58,320 --> 00:37:00,759
Speaker 7: It's why the NBA went away from some cast back

723
00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:03,400
Speaker 7: in the you know, I was in Seattle. I actually

724
00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:06,040
Speaker 7: got hired in Seattle with the Sonics and Storm because

725
00:37:06,120 --> 00:37:09,400
Speaker 7: Kevin Collabor, who was the fine broadcast for the Sonics

726
00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:11,799
Speaker 7: at the time now he's the Trailblazer's TV voice. He

727
00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:14,000
Speaker 7: was the last one to do a simulcast and the league,

728
00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:16,120
Speaker 7: you know, really wanted to separate the two because you

729
00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:19,680
Speaker 7: really can't serve both mediums. And so when he moved

730
00:37:19,719 --> 00:37:22,160
Speaker 7: to TV, that opened up an opportunity on radio. I

731
00:37:22,200 --> 00:37:24,839
Speaker 7: wasn't to play by play voice, but I came in

732
00:37:24,880 --> 00:37:27,759
Speaker 7: and ran the network and got my opportunity for one

733
00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:31,000
Speaker 7: year in Seattle before moving to Minnesota. So you know

734
00:37:31,080 --> 00:37:33,759
Speaker 7: that that I'm a big fan of opening things up

735
00:37:33,800 --> 00:37:37,120
Speaker 7: and giving people opportunities. And we'll see how it goes

736
00:37:37,160 --> 00:37:39,720
Speaker 7: going forward. You know, who knows if there might be

737
00:37:39,760 --> 00:37:41,000
Speaker 7: a change going next season.

738
00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:45,680
Speaker 5: Cal soder Quiz still runs radio, right, It sure does

739
00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:49,000
Speaker 5: if if you want to tease him. Because I've done

740
00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:53,520
Speaker 5: Viking's preseason games in simulcast form for about, yeah, about

741
00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:56,200
Speaker 5: thirteen to fifteen years and I know what you're talking

742
00:37:56,200 --> 00:37:58,280
Speaker 5: about when it's like, you know, you got one person

743
00:37:58,360 --> 00:38:01,520
Speaker 5: in your ear about over describing, another person in your

744
00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:05,080
Speaker 5: ear about underdescribing and stuff like that. So once you

745
00:38:05,120 --> 00:38:07,799
Speaker 5: get past that, you probably are if you want to

746
00:38:07,840 --> 00:38:11,480
Speaker 5: start teasing like Calus Soderquist, you know, he'll mention to

747
00:38:11,600 --> 00:38:14,480
Speaker 5: you something about description or lack thereof, and then you

748
00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:21,040
Speaker 5: just go Randall Edwards, Oh and.

749
00:38:21,040 --> 00:38:23,120
Speaker 3: The rout radio people being going like what happened?

750
00:38:24,360 --> 00:38:26,200
Speaker 2: Yeah, what happened there? What side of the floor are

751
00:38:26,200 --> 00:38:26,480
Speaker 2: we on?

752
00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:26,600
Speaker 3: What?

753
00:38:27,040 --> 00:38:29,880
Speaker 2: Who passed to who? What was the ball movements?

754
00:38:30,040 --> 00:38:32,479
Speaker 7: It's definitely different, and those two mediums have grown further

755
00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:35,360
Speaker 7: away I think through time, and so it's uh, but

756
00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:38,400
Speaker 7: it is definitely a first and foremost a TV broadcast.

757
00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:41,640
Speaker 7: That's that's your biggest audience. That's you know, that's where

758
00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:44,399
Speaker 7: that's where your bread gets buttered. I mean, that's let's

759
00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:46,799
Speaker 7: let's face it. TV money is the is the is

760
00:38:46,800 --> 00:38:50,520
Speaker 7: the driving force in sports, and so the TV broadcast

761
00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:53,160
Speaker 7: has to come first, unfortunately at the expense sometimes of

762
00:38:53,200 --> 00:38:53,640
Speaker 7: the radio.

763
00:38:53,920 --> 00:38:57,120
Speaker 5: When when when doing T Wolve's TV, Uh, do you

764
00:38:57,120 --> 00:38:59,800
Speaker 5: guys get better seats than if calling it just for radio?

765
00:39:01,040 --> 00:39:01,399
Speaker 1: We do.

766
00:39:01,600 --> 00:39:02,520
Speaker 2: Generally, we do.

767
00:39:02,440 --> 00:39:05,160
Speaker 7: Where it's been nice to sit you know, second row,

768
00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:09,200
Speaker 7: sometimes sometimes front row and have a have a better

769
00:39:09,320 --> 00:39:13,640
Speaker 7: seat for the broadcast, you do run into more interference

770
00:39:13,960 --> 00:39:16,000
Speaker 7: with all the players checking in. You know, back in

771
00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:18,399
Speaker 7: the day when we grew up watching the NBA PA,

772
00:39:18,560 --> 00:39:20,000
Speaker 7: it was you know, all those guys who used to

773
00:39:20,040 --> 00:39:22,000
Speaker 7: squat down to the scores table. They were they were

774
00:39:22,120 --> 00:39:25,000
Speaker 7: very considerate and they would, you know, not block your view.

775
00:39:25,080 --> 00:39:27,759
Speaker 7: Now it's like a wall of humanity. When three guys

776
00:39:27,800 --> 00:39:30,279
Speaker 7: are checking in from one team, three guys from the

777
00:39:30,320 --> 00:39:32,200
Speaker 7: other team. There's a bunch of ball boys there that

778
00:39:32,239 --> 00:39:34,840
Speaker 7: are collecting jerseys and stuff. The coaches are up, the

779
00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:36,960
Speaker 7: referees are up, and so sometimes even though you've got

780
00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:39,600
Speaker 7: a great seat, you're completely boxed out, which is the

781
00:39:39,640 --> 00:39:42,440
Speaker 7: reason why on national TV games you'll see that the

782
00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:45,040
Speaker 7: broadcast team is that the other they're on the other

783
00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:47,920
Speaker 7: side of the floor, so they're not obstructed with all

784
00:39:47,960 --> 00:39:48,759
Speaker 7: those kind of things.

785
00:39:48,760 --> 00:39:50,000
Speaker 2: They get a much cleaner view.

786
00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:54,160
Speaker 5: I And it's it's interesting you mentioned that because like

787
00:39:54,320 --> 00:39:57,360
Speaker 5: I'm I'm gonna, I'm gonna deliver a stray of kindness

788
00:39:57,360 --> 00:40:00,759
Speaker 5: the way of Karl Anthony Towns. I was watching the

789
00:40:00,840 --> 00:40:03,520
Speaker 5: Nicks and the Nets the other night, and H and

790
00:40:03,560 --> 00:40:06,360
Speaker 5: I was watching the New York Feed, the YES Feed

791
00:40:06,480 --> 00:40:10,760
Speaker 5: with Mike Breen and Clyde and Walt Clyde, wal Fraser,

792
00:40:11,320 --> 00:40:15,200
Speaker 5: the Glide. Clyde the Glyde and Karl Anthony Towns took

793
00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:17,880
Speaker 5: a bad spill and then he left and he was okay.

794
00:40:17,920 --> 00:40:21,000
Speaker 5: So he came back and they're calling the game and

795
00:40:21,080 --> 00:40:23,840
Speaker 5: Cat's standing right in front of him, and then Glide

796
00:40:24,440 --> 00:40:27,920
Speaker 5: like jokes about it or mentioned something, and Carl turned

797
00:40:27,960 --> 00:40:30,160
Speaker 5: around and looked and almost was like, oh, I'm sorry,

798
00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:33,399
Speaker 5: my bad, and he went down to a knee.

799
00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:35,480
Speaker 2: That's fantastic.

800
00:40:35,920 --> 00:40:38,879
Speaker 7: Yeah, it's uh yeah, some of the guys still do it.

801
00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:41,400
Speaker 7: And I think when you see when you see someone

802
00:40:41,400 --> 00:40:44,400
Speaker 7: of the caliber of Walt Clyde Fraser, you're just a

803
00:40:44,480 --> 00:40:46,600
Speaker 7: cat knows the history, he grew up in New Jersey,

804
00:40:46,719 --> 00:40:50,520
Speaker 7: he knows what Clyde meant to the Knicks, and you know,

805
00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:53,080
Speaker 7: and you can't miss him too, because he's usually wearing

806
00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:56,920
Speaker 7: something pretty outrageous as far as his jacket and suit combination.

807
00:40:57,080 --> 00:40:58,400
Speaker 1: He's he's always.

808
00:40:58,040 --> 00:41:00,840
Speaker 7: Sharply dressed, but you always know he's there, not just

809
00:41:00,880 --> 00:41:03,960
Speaker 7: because he's almost, you know, a seven foot of there box.

810
00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:07,080
Speaker 5: What do you think about tonight? SGA has come up questionable?

811
00:41:07,239 --> 00:41:10,480
Speaker 5: It's an illness FINCHI joined fifty minutes ago. He fully

812
00:41:10,520 --> 00:41:12,640
Speaker 5: expects Gildus Alexander to play.

813
00:41:13,840 --> 00:41:16,399
Speaker 7: Yeah, probably, I mean you have to assume that he is.

814
00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:18,719
Speaker 7: This this team's an absolute jugger not He does not

815
00:41:18,880 --> 00:41:22,600
Speaker 7: look like they're hungover at all from last year's title run.

816
00:41:22,640 --> 00:41:25,400
Speaker 7: They're so dialed in. I mean, they've put that in

817
00:41:25,440 --> 00:41:27,680
Speaker 7: the past and they look just as determined as ever.

818
00:41:27,719 --> 00:41:31,160
Speaker 7: They haven't even played Jalen Williams yet, and so they

819
00:41:31,280 --> 00:41:33,600
Speaker 7: have they are deep. You know, we knew this was

820
00:41:33,640 --> 00:41:36,160
Speaker 7: going to happen. I think next year is the year

821
00:41:36,280 --> 00:41:39,239
Speaker 7: you'll see them have to cut some of their come

822
00:41:39,280 --> 00:41:39,920
Speaker 7: of their guys.

823
00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:40,760
Speaker 2: I don't know if.

824
00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:44,879
Speaker 7: Alex Caruso is still on this team. Isaiah Hartenstein, those

825
00:41:44,920 --> 00:41:49,200
Speaker 7: guys get really expensive next season when when chet Holmger's

826
00:41:49,200 --> 00:41:53,200
Speaker 7: contract check kicks in, so does Jalen Williams, then they

827
00:41:53,280 --> 00:41:55,400
Speaker 7: become you know that they've got to rely more on

828
00:41:55,440 --> 00:41:57,600
Speaker 7: their young guys. But the problem there is that they

829
00:41:57,600 --> 00:41:59,319
Speaker 7: have so many draft picks, and they draft so well,

830
00:41:59,320 --> 00:42:00,920
Speaker 7: and they've got so much of young guys that they

831
00:42:01,040 --> 00:42:03,719
Speaker 7: might be able to just plug and play some of

832
00:42:03,719 --> 00:42:08,000
Speaker 7: these guys. So it's an absolute uphill battle. It's you know,

833
00:42:08,080 --> 00:42:10,160
Speaker 7: it's but the Wolves did come in here. First off,

834
00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:12,480
Speaker 7: they beat us thunder twice in the regular season last year,

835
00:42:12,480 --> 00:42:14,560
Speaker 7: and one of them was an incredible twenty four point

836
00:42:14,560 --> 00:42:17,600
Speaker 7: comeback in the fourth quarter. So it's possible, and the

837
00:42:17,640 --> 00:42:20,120
Speaker 7: Wolves have done it. And so you know, there haven't

838
00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:22,120
Speaker 7: been too many road trips in which the Wolves that

839
00:42:22,239 --> 00:42:24,320
Speaker 7: have gotten swept. You have to go back three years

840
00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:26,759
Speaker 7: to see the last time the Wolves lost all three

841
00:42:26,800 --> 00:42:29,280
Speaker 7: games on a road trip of at least three games.

842
00:42:30,080 --> 00:42:31,839
Speaker 7: And so I think you're gonna see a much better

843
00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:34,600
Speaker 7: effort after what happened in Phoenix and in Sacramento tonight.

844
00:42:34,840 --> 00:42:36,279
Speaker 6: Yeah, And that's that's where I was going to go

845
00:42:36,280 --> 00:42:39,040
Speaker 6: with it, Alan, I mean, it's it's absolutely a massive

846
00:42:39,080 --> 00:42:41,759
Speaker 6: step up in class. But this feels also like the

847
00:42:41,800 --> 00:42:45,400
Speaker 6: perfect opportunity for this thing to come together and in

848
00:42:45,440 --> 00:42:49,200
Speaker 6: somewhere some ways wash away the meltdowns that you saw

849
00:42:49,280 --> 00:42:52,080
Speaker 6: the previous two nights, right, Yeah, And.

850
00:42:52,080 --> 00:42:53,960
Speaker 7: I think they've got to find they've got to find

851
00:42:53,960 --> 00:42:57,720
Speaker 7: a rhythm. It can't just be Ant scoring forty plus

852
00:42:57,760 --> 00:43:00,000
Speaker 7: points or Julius right there behind.

853
00:43:00,320 --> 00:43:00,799
Speaker 2: It's got to be.

854
00:43:00,920 --> 00:43:02,920
Speaker 7: It's got to be a team concept. It's got to

855
00:43:02,960 --> 00:43:05,800
Speaker 7: be a rhythm, a flow. You know, the Wolves offenses,

856
00:43:06,040 --> 00:43:08,000
Speaker 7: you know, while their defense has been on the rise

857
00:43:08,640 --> 00:43:11,520
Speaker 7: over the last seven eight games, their offense has gone

858
00:43:11,520 --> 00:43:13,520
Speaker 7: the other way after it was really good to start

859
00:43:13,520 --> 00:43:16,360
Speaker 7: the season. And I think down the stretch, you know,

860
00:43:16,400 --> 00:43:19,080
Speaker 7: you've got to The game gets sped up, the crowd

861
00:43:19,160 --> 00:43:21,680
Speaker 7: is going crazy, and you know, everything that could go

862
00:43:21,719 --> 00:43:23,719
Speaker 7: wrong has gone wrong for the Wolves the last two

863
00:43:23,760 --> 00:43:27,120
Speaker 7: games down the stretch, and it's easy to see why

864
00:43:27,120 --> 00:43:29,120
Speaker 7: when you're in that you're in that space, you're in

865
00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:31,880
Speaker 7: that arena, and like I said, the crowd is going crazy,

866
00:43:32,040 --> 00:43:34,279
Speaker 7: the game gets sped up. You're trying to do the

867
00:43:34,320 --> 00:43:37,719
Speaker 7: simple things, but everything becomes difficult and then it just

868
00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:40,919
Speaker 7: kind of snowballs from there. I just I just think

869
00:43:40,920 --> 00:43:42,600
Speaker 7: the Wolves have to be you have to be calm,

870
00:43:42,640 --> 00:43:44,920
Speaker 7: cool and collected. And now it's easier said than done,

871
00:43:45,080 --> 00:43:46,680
Speaker 7: but this team knows how.

872
00:43:46,600 --> 00:43:46,920
Speaker 2: To do it.

873
00:43:46,920 --> 00:43:49,359
Speaker 7: They've got some they've got the pieces to do it,

874
00:43:49,400 --> 00:43:50,880
Speaker 7: and it just they've got to.

875
00:43:50,840 --> 00:43:51,560
Speaker 2: Put it all together.

876
00:43:51,600 --> 00:43:52,960
Speaker 7: It's got to be more of a rhythm, because I

877
00:43:53,400 --> 00:43:55,960
Speaker 7: do feel like while Anthony Edwards has put up big numbers,

878
00:43:56,640 --> 00:43:58,520
Speaker 7: things have gotten out of think in the fourth quarter.

879
00:43:59,040 --> 00:44:00,560
Speaker 7: You've got to involve teammates.

880
00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:01,160
Speaker 2: It's got to be.

881
00:44:01,160 --> 00:44:04,600
Speaker 6: More of a balance with with Julius Randal and it's

882
00:44:04,600 --> 00:44:07,000
Speaker 6: tough coming off those two losses and you're mentioning the

883
00:44:07,040 --> 00:44:09,960
Speaker 6: rhythm and such. But with Julius, I know the statistical

884
00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:12,520
Speaker 6: apex may have been his second or third season with

885
00:44:12,600 --> 00:44:14,800
Speaker 6: the Knicks, but you got to watch it up close

886
00:44:14,840 --> 00:44:17,080
Speaker 6: and personal a year ago and now seeing it now,

887
00:44:17,520 --> 00:44:21,160
Speaker 6: there's just something different about Julius in totality. Thus far,

888
00:44:21,239 --> 00:44:23,400
Speaker 6: I think he's playing some of the best basketball of

889
00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:23,920
Speaker 6: his career.

890
00:44:23,960 --> 00:44:24,760
Speaker 3: What have you noticed?

891
00:44:25,719 --> 00:44:27,719
Speaker 7: Yeah, you can argue, look at the shooting numbers. I mean,

892
00:44:27,719 --> 00:44:30,240
Speaker 7: he's putting up career high numbers in field goal percentage

893
00:44:30,239 --> 00:44:32,439
Speaker 7: and well the three point numbers have dipped a little

894
00:44:32,440 --> 00:44:36,840
Speaker 7: bit last few games, he's still shooting it better than ever.

895
00:44:36,880 --> 00:44:39,120
Speaker 7: And so while I think two or three years ago

896
00:44:39,200 --> 00:44:41,960
Speaker 7: he averaged twenty five point one with New York, he's

897
00:44:41,960 --> 00:44:45,160
Speaker 7: at twenty four to two. Maybe cutting into tonight, but

898
00:44:45,239 --> 00:44:47,439
Speaker 7: I'd argue he's been better this year than that. Year

899
00:44:47,480 --> 00:44:50,600
Speaker 7: because he's got those shoot he's got on less shot

900
00:44:50,600 --> 00:44:53,520
Speaker 7: attempts too. He's taking about sixteen game instead of nineteen games.

901
00:44:53,560 --> 00:44:57,040
Speaker 7: So he's been super efficient. And his bullyball style that

902
00:44:57,120 --> 00:44:59,560
Speaker 7: we saw in the postseason last year has just it's

903
00:44:59,600 --> 00:45:02,280
Speaker 7: just trans played this year. And his shooting touch inside

904
00:45:02,400 --> 00:45:05,399
Speaker 7: is fantastic, and so it's been a really good start

905
00:45:05,400 --> 00:45:06,200
Speaker 7: to the season for him.

906
00:45:06,440 --> 00:45:10,480
Speaker 5: Alan Horton radio and sometimes TV play by play voice

907
00:45:10,480 --> 00:45:14,720
Speaker 5: for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Fuck Wolves and OKC this evening.

908
00:45:14,800 --> 00:45:17,319
Speaker 3: OKSE has one loss this year. Now. They blew a

909
00:45:17,360 --> 00:45:18,480
Speaker 3: twenty two point lead to.

910
00:45:18,440 --> 00:45:21,040
Speaker 5: The Blazers a few weeks ago, and that's it. And

911
00:45:21,200 --> 00:45:23,640
Speaker 5: of the game is it's six point thirty this evening.

912
00:45:23,719 --> 00:45:28,480
Speaker 5: It's an NBA Cup game. Why from your standpoint, why

913
00:45:28,480 --> 00:45:30,960
Speaker 5: do the Wolves keep getting so sloppy in the late

914
00:45:31,000 --> 00:45:32,600
Speaker 5: stages of these recent losses.

915
00:45:34,160 --> 00:45:36,279
Speaker 2: You know, I just think it's a little bit of

916
00:45:36,320 --> 00:45:40,239
Speaker 2: a mental fatigue down the stretch. Pa. It's just like

917
00:45:40,280 --> 00:45:40,719
Speaker 2: I said, the.

918
00:45:40,719 --> 00:45:42,920
Speaker 7: Game gets sped up, and you've got to be at

919
00:45:42,920 --> 00:45:45,600
Speaker 7: your sharpest and at your best in those moments, and

920
00:45:45,640 --> 00:45:49,319
Speaker 7: you can't get away, you know, with little things, not

921
00:45:49,480 --> 00:45:54,160
Speaker 7: boxing out, making sure of a pass before you throw it.

922
00:45:54,160 --> 00:45:56,200
Speaker 7: It just it's it's the Wolves that just have not

923
00:45:56,280 --> 00:45:59,560
Speaker 7: been sharp in those moments, and the turnovers have really

924
00:45:59,600 --> 00:46:01,839
Speaker 7: been I think one of the biggest problems. They've got

925
00:46:01,840 --> 00:46:04,879
Speaker 7: the highest turnover rate and clutch time of any team

926
00:46:04,920 --> 00:46:07,480
Speaker 7: in the league. I mean, they're turning over fourteen times

927
00:46:07,520 --> 00:46:11,920
Speaker 7: now and you know, in a very small sample size

928
00:46:11,920 --> 00:46:15,560
Speaker 7: and only six clutch time games. So they're just those

929
00:46:15,600 --> 00:46:19,480
Speaker 7: those decisions have to be sharper in the game's biggest

930
00:46:19,520 --> 00:46:23,759
Speaker 7: moments because that feels everything, and a turnover is so much.

931
00:46:24,080 --> 00:46:25,919
Speaker 7: You know, you don't even get a shot at the rim,

932
00:46:25,960 --> 00:46:28,480
Speaker 7: so you don't even give yourself a chance to score.

933
00:46:28,560 --> 00:46:31,520
Speaker 7: You're just giving the opportunity to the other team to

934
00:46:31,560 --> 00:46:33,799
Speaker 7: score and giving them momentum and the process and then

935
00:46:33,840 --> 00:46:36,080
Speaker 7: it just snowballs from there. So to me, it just

936
00:46:36,080 --> 00:46:40,080
Speaker 7: stems from those turnovers and being physically and mentally sharp

937
00:46:40,440 --> 00:46:41,120
Speaker 7: down the stretch.

938
00:46:41,360 --> 00:46:45,319
Speaker 5: Now, lastly, Jalen Clark and that perimeter defense. Like I'll

939
00:46:45,320 --> 00:46:47,080
Speaker 5: look at a game like tonight and I'm like, at

940
00:46:47,080 --> 00:46:50,719
Speaker 5: this stage of Jalen Clark Clark's career, Okay, nobody one

941
00:46:50,760 --> 00:46:53,359
Speaker 5: on one is going to shut down Shay Gil just Alexander,

942
00:46:53,560 --> 00:46:56,160
Speaker 5: but if you want to throw bodies at him, specifically

943
00:46:56,440 --> 00:46:58,760
Speaker 5: the big upper body and the strength of Jaalen Clark,

944
00:46:59,040 --> 00:47:01,840
Speaker 5: seems like it would be and maybe it'll happen. So

945
00:47:02,040 --> 00:47:03,520
Speaker 5: I didn't get a chance to see much of the

946
00:47:03,520 --> 00:47:05,680
Speaker 5: Sacramento game. His numbers came down.

947
00:47:06,480 --> 00:47:07,080
Speaker 3: They're there.

948
00:47:07,280 --> 00:47:10,200
Speaker 5: Yeah, he took a rough boul at the end of

949
00:47:10,239 --> 00:47:12,480
Speaker 5: the Phoenix game, I think, or one of those two games.

950
00:47:12,840 --> 00:47:17,000
Speaker 5: So like the the the maguration of Jalen Clark with

951
00:47:17,080 --> 00:47:20,600
Speaker 5: his calling card being defense, what what corner three is

952
00:47:20,600 --> 00:47:22,759
Speaker 5: an offense you get from him? I still look at

953
00:47:22,800 --> 00:47:26,480
Speaker 5: it as gravy, but Jalen Clark, what what are you

954
00:47:26,480 --> 00:47:27,680
Speaker 5: seeing with him?

955
00:47:28,400 --> 00:47:28,680
Speaker 1: Yeah?

956
00:47:28,800 --> 00:47:31,319
Speaker 2: I think you know it's if you have to remember too,

957
00:47:31,320 --> 00:47:34,760
Speaker 2: he's only i mean only entered the rotation about midway

958
00:47:34,760 --> 00:47:36,640
Speaker 2: through last year, so he's only played really a year

959
00:47:36,640 --> 00:47:39,239
Speaker 2: of NBA basketball, and he's already shown.

960
00:47:38,960 --> 00:47:41,120
Speaker 7: That he is one of the up and he's making

961
00:47:41,120 --> 00:47:42,719
Speaker 7: a name for himself. He's got a rep around the

962
00:47:42,800 --> 00:47:46,319
Speaker 7: league that you know his defense is his calling card. Yeah,

963
00:47:46,360 --> 00:47:48,960
Speaker 7: he came in late in that Sacramento game and fouled

964
00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:51,240
Speaker 7: someone before the ball had been inbounded, So that didn't

965
00:47:51,280 --> 00:47:54,920
Speaker 7: go well, but he didn't play as many minutes against Sacramento.

966
00:47:54,960 --> 00:47:57,760
Speaker 7: I think I still think I think with TJ. Shannon

967
00:47:57,840 --> 00:47:59,600
Speaker 7: back now, I think Chris Finch is still trying to

968
00:47:59,640 --> 00:48:02,760
Speaker 7: figure out kind of his rotations, and those become tough

969
00:48:02,800 --> 00:48:05,880
Speaker 7: when when when certain lineups aren't working together or certain

970
00:48:05,880 --> 00:48:09,680
Speaker 7: guys aren't going, you know, having a great night. But

971
00:48:09,800 --> 00:48:11,720
Speaker 7: he's got to be part of the plan going forward,

972
00:48:11,719 --> 00:48:14,080
Speaker 7: and he is. He'll he'll be a solid guy because

973
00:48:14,080 --> 00:48:16,359
Speaker 7: when you have Aunt and you've got Jayden, and you've

974
00:48:16,360 --> 00:48:19,160
Speaker 7: got Jalen Clark, and I still think TJ. Shannon is

975
00:48:19,160 --> 00:48:20,360
Speaker 7: going to be a big part of this team. And

976
00:48:20,360 --> 00:48:24,040
Speaker 7: I think defensively he can be you know, he can

977
00:48:24,080 --> 00:48:25,839
Speaker 7: be in that upper echelon group too.

978
00:48:25,880 --> 00:48:26,799
Speaker 3: I think he's going to be.

979
00:48:26,719 --> 00:48:29,359
Speaker 7: A bit, you know, a little bit bigger body, so

980
00:48:29,400 --> 00:48:31,800
Speaker 7: he gives you some options when you're facing an SGA,

981
00:48:31,880 --> 00:48:35,080
Speaker 7: you're facing a Luka Doncic. But Jalen Clark has to

982
00:48:35,080 --> 00:48:37,239
Speaker 7: be a part of things going forward. He's he's just

983
00:48:37,320 --> 00:48:40,640
Speaker 7: solid defensively, He's already got really good defensive metrics. I mean,

984
00:48:40,680 --> 00:48:42,960
Speaker 7: teams guys just don't shoot well against Jalen Clark.

985
00:48:42,960 --> 00:48:44,760
Speaker 2: That's the bottom line. It's like Rudy inside.

986
00:48:44,760 --> 00:48:47,799
Speaker 7: Guys just don't shoot well against Rudy, and that's that's

987
00:48:47,800 --> 00:48:50,440
Speaker 7: what you want. You want to force misses and even better,

988
00:48:50,640 --> 00:48:52,719
Speaker 7: like you know, you don't want guys shooting in the

989
00:48:52,719 --> 00:48:55,160
Speaker 7: first place. And that's what Rudy has done for his

990
00:48:55,320 --> 00:48:58,560
Speaker 7: entire career. The numbers are are are staggering this year.

991
00:48:58,600 --> 00:49:00,640
Speaker 7: When he's on the floor, teams I don't shoot in

992
00:49:00,719 --> 00:49:01,799
Speaker 7: the paint or at the rim.

993
00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:04,160
Speaker 2: When he's off the floor, those numbers jump up through

994
00:49:04,200 --> 00:49:06,040
Speaker 2: the roof and jailing.

995
00:49:06,040 --> 00:49:08,520
Speaker 7: Clark is doing similar type things, so he's going to

996
00:49:08,560 --> 00:49:09,840
Speaker 7: be a big part of things going forward.

997
00:49:10,120 --> 00:49:12,359
Speaker 3: Happy Thanksgiving box call a good one tonight.

998
00:49:12,360 --> 00:49:15,640
Speaker 7: All right, all right, guys, I appreciate the time. Yeah,

999
00:49:15,640 --> 00:49:17,480
Speaker 7: Happy Thanksgiving everybody out there. We'll see if we can

1000
00:49:17,480 --> 00:49:19,359
Speaker 7: finish this road trip in style.

1001
00:49:19,239 --> 00:49:23,319
Speaker 5: Yes, sir against ok see, beating the best indeed would

1002
00:49:23,320 --> 00:49:29,319
Speaker 5: personify finishing in style, by the way personifying thanks and

1003
00:49:29,560 --> 00:49:33,080
Speaker 5: or giving or getting the gizzard. Don't forget we have

1004
00:49:33,160 --> 00:49:36,839
Speaker 5: talkbacks about twenty minutes from now. Free iHeart audio app

1005
00:49:37,400 --> 00:49:41,120
Speaker 5: things for which you give banks with your sports World,

1006
00:49:41,600 --> 00:49:44,759
Speaker 5: the nine to noon Sports World did it yesterday delivering

1007
00:49:45,080 --> 00:49:47,920
Speaker 5: strays of kindness. But on the other side of it

1008
00:49:47,960 --> 00:49:50,960
Speaker 5: is what I'm calling the gross gizzard. You want to

1009
00:49:51,000 --> 00:49:55,160
Speaker 5: deliver the gizzard to somebody or something or some entity,

1010
00:49:55,280 --> 00:49:57,120
Speaker 5: You can do that too. We're going to run those

1011
00:49:57,120 --> 00:50:00,759
Speaker 5: talkbacks in a marathon segment about ten twenty. You can

1012
00:50:00,840 --> 00:50:04,280
Speaker 5: give banks strays of kindness and or give the gizzard.

1013
00:50:04,400 --> 00:50:07,000
Speaker 5: But around the corner, Vike spits on KFA