Speaker 1: Welcome to this League Uncut in the rule of twenty
Speaker 1: four hour NBA News. This's you, Chris Haynes. It's so time,
Speaker 1: work's time, it's so time. This League Uncut is underway
Speaker 1: and on fire. This should be a good one.
Speaker 2: Hey, everybody, it will be a good one. Thanks for
Speaker 2: joining us again. Mark Stein here with Chris Haynes, another
Speaker 2: edition of this League Uncut. We're actually recording on Monday night,
Speaker 2: a night later than usual. But in the playoffs you
Speaker 2: gotta make adjustments. And Chris Haynes, unlike me, is going
Speaker 2: to be doing tons of traveling, moving all up and
Speaker 2: down the NBA map to fill his various TNT sideline assignments.
Speaker 2: Me I'm happily, happily consuming all of this from home.
Speaker 2: The opening weekend of the NBA Playoffs. It was at
Speaker 2: the same time, on one hand, really absorbing many good games,
Speaker 2: not all, but many good games. But then there was
Speaker 2: the dispiriting slash depressing side of things with the injuries
Speaker 2: we saw on Sunday. To see Janna Santetokumpo and John
Speaker 2: Morant and Tyler Hero all sustain concerning injuries in two cases,
Speaker 2: then you know a downright crisis for the Miami Heat
Speaker 2: to lose Tyler Hero for at least a month. So
Speaker 2: we're going to get into all that here. But it's
Speaker 2: great to reconnect with Chris because on my list on Monday,
Speaker 2: I did my list of superlatives from the opening weekend
Speaker 2: of the playoffs, and Chris Haynes he earned a spot
Speaker 2: on that list because the man looked absolutely resplendent Friday
Speaker 2: night in his South Beach clean white suit, impeccably tailored.
Speaker 2: It was still the playing round, then the play It
Speaker 2: was the night before the playoffs actually started, but I
Speaker 2: counted it as part of the weekend. And Chris Haynes,
Speaker 2: you are the first recipient on my sub stack of
Speaker 2: the Look of the Weekend Award. You won it in
Speaker 2: a route in a runaway.
Speaker 3: I've officially made it. I've officially arrived. I have officially arrived.
Speaker 3: I got to Actually I didn't see that start. I
Speaker 3: didn't see that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the tweet, the tweet misfired. I thought the tweet
Speaker 2: actually was funny because I thought people because what I did.
Speaker 2: I had the picture of you with Max Struse and
Speaker 2: Jimmy Butler your postgame interview, and I put the tweet
Speaker 2: out thinking everyone's gonna know I'm talking about his suit.
Speaker 2: But instead I'm gonna say, please rate and review dot
Speaker 2: dot dot dramatic pause are podcast. And I thought that
Speaker 2: would be funny, but man I I it was. It
Speaker 2: was a swing in the swing and miss it did
Speaker 2: nothing on Twitter?
Speaker 3: What else? Why you're a sports writer and not a
Speaker 3: comedic writer.
Speaker 2: Well, I do, but I do have a story to you,
Speaker 2: know how you always say you want to hear personal stories.
Speaker 2: You want to hear a humorous personal story.
Speaker 3: A dude, I don't.
Speaker 2: In high school, I was so much more daring than
Speaker 2: I was than I am in adulthood, Like you know
Speaker 2: me in adulthood. I know, I frustrate you because I'm
Speaker 2: so I'm always worried. I'm so safe. I'm like ultra safe,
Speaker 2: and you love to like ask me for advice, hear
Speaker 2: my safe advice and then just do what you're gonna
Speaker 2: do anyway, But you love to you love to do
Speaker 2: that to me. But in high school, I can't believe
Speaker 2: I had the guts to do this. High school graduation,
Speaker 2: we go on a cruise. You know, my ten or
Speaker 2: so best friends of me. We're on a cruise to
Speaker 2: celebrate our graduation from high school, and they had a
Speaker 2: talent show on the ship. And this is nineteen eighty seven,
Speaker 2: so Jerry Seinfeld is not super well known at this point.
Speaker 2: Obviously he he was, you know, comedy fans knew him,
Speaker 2: but like he was not a national sensation. I had
Speaker 2: memorized his whole act, and at the talent show, I
Speaker 2: basically went up there and did his whole HBO act.
Speaker 2: And I actually, for the rest of the cruise had
Speaker 2: people coming up to me going, wow, you got talent,
Speaker 2: like they obviously didn't know who Jerry Seinfeld was at
Speaker 2: that point. No absolutely criminal offense for you know, comedy
Speaker 2: to just completely rip off somebody's act. But but uh completely, yeah,
Speaker 2: I'm guilty, But that part's not the importan part. The
Speaker 2: important part is I can't even imagine that I actually
Speaker 2: had the guts to go up there and do that
Speaker 2: in front, Like, I don't know, it's like a different person.
Speaker 2: I don't know. I don't know where I got that.
Speaker 3: Which leads me to my next question. What got you
Speaker 3: to this point?
Speaker 2: Honestly I don't know, but something early in college, something
Speaker 2: changed and I became mister worry, mister safety, mister panic.
Speaker 3: I like.
Speaker 2: To cry too late though, because it's been a long
Speaker 2: time since I was eighteen or nineteen. It was a
Speaker 2: long time ago. But yeah, thankfully there is no video
Speaker 2: of that. But uh yeah, like I said, I you
Speaker 2: know again, please forgive me for the horrendous comedy crimes
Speaker 2: of you know, not going up there with my own material.
Speaker 2: But I'm just still more like, how did I actually
Speaker 2: have the guts to do that in front of a
Speaker 2: whole ship?
Speaker 3: Yeah? No, chest no, chick definitely impressed.
Speaker 2: All right, So that's that's we start. I didn't see
Speaker 2: we all I we always have a plan and then
Speaker 2: somehow we diverged from the plan. But yes, let's let's
Speaker 2: get back to the point. The point here was you
Speaker 2: looked fantastic. You look fantastic, game on, you came out strong.
Speaker 3: You definitely I was in Miami style. You feel you
Speaker 3: feel Miami us. I'm gonna tell you. I'm gonna tell
Speaker 3: you how you feel. Maybe looking at all these beautiful
Speaker 3: people walking walk in the face of the earth in Miami,
Speaker 3: and you look at everybody looking fit, looking good. Skin
Speaker 3: is just everybody's skin is just glowing, and you feel
Speaker 3: a certain way, so you put you know, you put
Speaker 3: a suit on that's kind of you know, bright, So
Speaker 3: I had it was a light bluish I was called
Speaker 3: a light bluish, light bluish color looks it could look
Speaker 3: white depending on the view. But you know, I have
Speaker 3: my my shirt on, and you know, it's one of
Speaker 3: those days, starn where you might you might want to
Speaker 3: take an extra button out, you know. Man. Jeff Yeah,
Speaker 3: well they was doing that way before, Richard Jefferson. That's
Speaker 3: just Miami, baby, that's just Miami. So you feel yourself
Speaker 3: a little bit. So I'm like, let me But Eric
Speaker 3: Sposer was getting who Billy Donovan? They all they was like,
Speaker 3: oh you and Miami.
Speaker 2: Huh have you ever warned?
Speaker 3: Have you ever come out.
Speaker 2: In all white suit before?
Speaker 3: Yeah? Once? That was high school, my high school prom,
Speaker 3: last first and last time I wore all white suit.
Speaker 3: It's not white anymore. By the way, it wasn't white
Speaker 3: anymore at the end of that night. What happened was
Speaker 3: the last I mean, it's just white, just white. Just
Speaker 3: seventeen year old getting into whatever, you know, especially that night.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: Okay, but I was confused. I thought we were talking
Speaker 2: about your new Miami suit. Did your new Miami suit.
Speaker 2: Make it past one day.
Speaker 3: The new Miami suit. Okay, yeah, let's get this. Let's
Speaker 3: get this straight, just so aggregators will get this roll.
Speaker 3: I was talking about the seventeen year old Shenanigus back
Speaker 3: in the day, not a couple of days ago. No,
Speaker 3: this suit is okay. I learned.
Speaker 2: I learned how to shirt this time. That was good.
Speaker 2: You didn't have to buy a shirt. You didn't have
Speaker 2: to buy a shirt in Miami.
Speaker 3: I did bring a shirt. But if I chose not
Speaker 3: to buy a shirt and chose not to wear a shirt,
Speaker 3: I would have fit right in in Miami. Now on
Speaker 3: the broadcast, that would have been a different story.
Speaker 2: That's right. I think Russ didn't Russ walk into Game
Speaker 2: one with no shirt.
Speaker 3: He's in Phoenix. You can do that, stiin the weather
Speaker 3: is so beautiful.
Speaker 2: Ally, you did not do You did not do too
Speaker 2: bad on the weather assignment, starting out in South Beach
Speaker 2: and then heading to the desert.
Speaker 3: And that's why you don't hear not one complaint from me.
Speaker 2: So was there anything notable that happened on your Miami
Speaker 2: trip besides everybody giving you a hard time about your gear?
Speaker 3: No? You know, listen, I'll say this. You know, we
Speaker 3: talk about how all Stars run the league and how
Speaker 3: there's there's just a fascination with knowing what the stars
Speaker 3: have to say, what they do, how they really are.
Speaker 3: But I'm telling you something people disagree. Patrick Beverley has
Speaker 3: that appeal. And what I would say about that is
Speaker 3: that you never know what the guy is going to say.
Speaker 3: He's just so in Miami, my seat is right there, courtside,
Speaker 3: right in the middle, so it's a great view, great
Speaker 3: for listening and eavesdropping. So and I'm surprised video hasn't
Speaker 3: surfaced of this moment that I'm about about to say.
Speaker 3: So it's the first half and Pat Beav and Tyler
Speaker 3: he Row got into it about something early on. Early
Speaker 3: on in the game. I think Pat foul DeMar Tyler
Speaker 3: got in his face, kind of roused up the crowd.
Speaker 3: Later on in the game, Pat foul Tyler again, and
Speaker 3: the heat gets the ball on the side out. So
Speaker 3: Pat walks to where ma max Strus is inbound to
Speaker 3: the bass. Tonight's guarding him, so he's by the inbounder
Speaker 3: and remember Pat had just fouled Tyler hero I believe,
Speaker 3: and so he comes over walking towards Max Druce, saying, man,
Speaker 3: trying to somebody, try to be hard, but they flopping
Speaker 3: like that. They can't take a foul. That don't make sense,
Speaker 3: That don't make sense. He kept like saying that, saying
Speaker 3: that repeatedly. Then Max Druce, who's I'm behind Max Sdruce,
Speaker 3: who is back is towards me. So I couldn't really
Speaker 3: make out what Max said, but he said something to Pat,
Speaker 3: and Pat said, shut up. I don't even know who
Speaker 3: you are. I don't even know your name. Shut up.
Speaker 3: And then you know, Max goes and have one of
Speaker 3: the best by the end of the night. The night.
Speaker 2: Look, man, you know we've talked about this before. I really,
Speaker 2: really really did not like that move the Lakers. I
Speaker 2: never thought that he could fit into Lakerland. I just
Speaker 2: thought his personality was too big on a team that
Speaker 2: already has two rather large personalities in Lebron James and
Speaker 2: Anthony Davis. But you have to give the man his props.
Speaker 2: He went to Chicago, his hometown team, and he clearly
Speaker 2: made a difference. They played with an undeniable edge after
Speaker 2: adding Pat Bev. Gotta give him his props.
Speaker 3: Yeah, props, you know, We've had some things me and him, uh,
Speaker 3: some issues or two before, but I got none of
Speaker 3: love for the dude to do his funny. He's a competitor.
Speaker 2: No, he never switches it off. It'll be interesting to
Speaker 2: see do the do the Bulls bring him back. He
Speaker 2: had such a big impact there that you know, I
Speaker 2: know Minnesota fans were devastated that when Pat became available
Speaker 2: on the buyout market that the Wolves decided that they
Speaker 2: weren't going to bring him back because he had such
Speaker 2: a similar impact in Minnesota. So I'm gonna be curious
Speaker 2: to see if the Bulls say, you know what we need,
Speaker 2: We need that edge back for one more year. You
Speaker 2: were the first to report about Tyler heroes injury. The
Speaker 2: severity of it, I mean four to six weeks.
Speaker 4: Man.
Speaker 2: It's like with the state that the Bucks are in
Speaker 2: the heat, actually have a chance to win this series,
Speaker 2: which nobody would have thought. Milwaukee's surely thinking that they're
Speaker 2: gonna get get Atlanta in the play in, or maybe
Speaker 2: even a lower seed like the Bulls or the Raptors,
Speaker 2: and instead the Bucks end up with a first round
Speaker 2: matchup against Miami. Giannis goes down. Jiannis was already playing
Speaker 2: through a wrist injury. So I mean there's a lot
Speaker 2: of pressure already on the Bucks, who really began these
Speaker 2: playoffs as not just the Eastern Conference favorite, but a
Speaker 2: lot of people's favorites to win it all. I'm sure Miami,
Speaker 2: now having stolen Game one, the Heat think they can
Speaker 2: win this series. I'm sure they believed it going in,
Speaker 2: because that's we know, Jimmy Butler's gonna always kind of
Speaker 2: carry himself that way. But what is it four to
Speaker 2: six weeks?
Speaker 3: Right? No?
Speaker 2: No, I mean they're not getting Tyler Herro back for
Speaker 2: at least a month.
Speaker 3: All right, So I'm being told that it would take
Speaker 3: the Heat making it to the NBA Finals for Tyler
Speaker 3: to have the chance to come back. That's rough.
Speaker 2: Terrible opening weekend for injuries, man, Just terrible style.
Speaker 3: You know, it's behind the scenes. We give people a
Speaker 3: little bit behind its pull back the curtain a little
Speaker 3: bit when it comes to reporting. So I was actually
Speaker 3: working the Clippers Clippers Sons game last night during the brocket.
Speaker 3: I mean, I was working, you know, the broadcast, and
Speaker 3: I got this news about Tyler Hero. So I actually
Speaker 3: broke it during that game, and you know, stoan. It's
Speaker 3: one of those things where you you know, the Miami
Speaker 3: Heat are not the favorites. They were not the favorites
Speaker 3: going in, and then you get news of Tyler Hero
Speaker 3: breaking his breaking his hand, and it's well, let me
Speaker 3: let me get make sure I state what exactly he
Speaker 3: broke for clarity purposes out there, he broke the middle
Speaker 3: and ring finger of his shooting him. So immediately when
Speaker 3: I got that news, initially, you know, I was thinking
Speaker 3: about reporting Tyler Hero done for the season. You know,
Speaker 3: obviously broken you know, broken middle finger, uh, middle finger
Speaker 3: and ring finger, and you know, I'm thinking, like, hold on, okay,
Speaker 3: And then I got like soon after, my sources hit
Speaker 3: me up saying, you know, it's a four to six
Speaker 3: weeks uh timetable, and so I'm still thinking, okay, he's
Speaker 3: out for the year. But then I was like, hold on,
Speaker 3: the NBA playoffs will still be going on. And you
Speaker 3: don't want to get on the wrong side of the
Speaker 3: fans here, you know what I'm saying. They believe they going,
Speaker 3: They're going all the way. So I'm like, you know what,
Speaker 3: let me just keep this conservative. Let me let me
Speaker 3: keep this strictly uh to the facts of how I
Speaker 3: you know what I received, uh, four to six weeks, so,
Speaker 3: I mean, but definitely if you look at the Bucks
Speaker 3: and Miami still in game one, Giannis's condition, sure, I mean,
Speaker 3: if they get past the Bucks, I mean you can't.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's that's what That's what I'm saying. Yeah, they
Speaker 2: beat the Bucks, they can win the East.
Speaker 3: Yeah. But I wasn't thinking that, you know, you know
Speaker 3: at the time, you know, I was like, well, man,
Speaker 3: I guess, I guess he's out for the year. But nah,
Speaker 3: let me just you know, let's let's keep hope alive
Speaker 3: out there. And and I think I'm definitely with them
Speaker 3: going in there and getting Game one. They definitely feel
Speaker 3: like they still have a shot, even with Tyler Hill
Speaker 3: being out. Now.
Speaker 2: On the Milwaukee side, it sounds like there's some some
Speaker 2: hope there that they isn't a super serious injury for
Speaker 2: Yannis and that even if he can't make it back
Speaker 2: for Game two, that it it should be some time
Speaker 2: after that. Like, this doesn't seem to be like it's
Speaker 2: going to be the kind of thing that knocks him
Speaker 2: out for a whole series. But I mean, look, it
Speaker 2: doesn't get more alarming than losing Jannis for any amount
Speaker 2: of time because the guy is so durable and we
Speaker 2: know he tends to play hurt.
Speaker 3: So but that back, that back is nothing to play with. Man,
Speaker 3: that pas back and knees. Oh, those those are some
Speaker 3: of the worst injuries to play with. You can you
Speaker 3: could possibly get out there and and be of service,
Speaker 3: but you don't have your lift. You know each step
Speaker 3: I play, you know I play with both both those
Speaker 3: types of injuries. Man, I'm dealing with some neat issues
Speaker 3: right now as I continue to try to keep playing
Speaker 3: Who three or four times a day, So.
Speaker 2: Three or four times a week especially, you don't play
Speaker 2: three or four times a day? Thank you for correct
Speaker 2: But do you do you try to find Hoop on
Speaker 2: the I mean, I'm hundreds of years past that point.
Speaker 2: But on the road, do you try to find pick Up?
Speaker 3: No? I don't. I don't. I just save it. I play.
Speaker 3: Actually I play more than three. I play. I played
Speaker 3: about five times a week when I'm at home, five
Speaker 3: days a week. Yeah, when I'm at home. But when
Speaker 3: I'm on the road, Nah, I don't. I don't find Who.
Speaker 2: How does your game look objective?
Speaker 3: How do you you know what I'm I'm playing the
Speaker 3: best basketball of my forty one year.
Speaker 2: Why now, so.
Speaker 3: I'm smarter my athletic. You know, there's there's video of style.
Speaker 3: See me duncan no catch.
Speaker 2: That's why we're so excited. That's why we're so excited.
Speaker 2: Just when you showed me that picture of you playing
Speaker 2: in the post, I had never even seen a picture
Speaker 2: a still picture of you playing in college before that.
Speaker 3: Oh you're serious. Yeah, there's video out there me playing
Speaker 3: against Will Barton. It's about six years ago. He's throwing
Speaker 3: me alley.
Speaker 2: Oops, just like at a practice.
Speaker 3: We were playing one one.
Speaker 2: Will Barton the only NBA player you hold in higher
Speaker 2: esteem than Damian Lillard. I don't know if Dame knows that.
Speaker 3: Yes, Will Will Barton, but no, my athleticism is not
Speaker 3: where I can still dunk, but the nowhere near what
Speaker 3: I used to be able to do. But nah, that's
Speaker 3: the only way sign for me. That's the only way
Speaker 3: that I can get cardio in. I'm not one of
Speaker 3: these crazy people that can just go and just run
Speaker 3: somewhere and just hear their own breath breathe in and out.
Speaker 3: Like I can't do that. Like when I'm playing basketball,
Speaker 3: I'm trying to stop my guy from scoring, or I'm
Speaker 3: going at my guy to get a bucket and then
Speaker 3: next thing you know, it like you're running up and
Speaker 3: down the floor hundreds of times and then you're drenched
Speaker 3: in sweat, so you're not even thinking about all the running.
Speaker 3: So that's how I get my cardio. I can't even
Speaker 3: getting on the tramp mill. I'll do it if I
Speaker 3: have to, but it's nothing like playing basketball for me.
Speaker 2: But and this is probably not the basketball we should
Speaker 2: be delving into so deeply. But I'm gonna ask one
Speaker 2: I'm gonna ask one more. I'm gonna ask one more question.
Speaker 2: I'll get back to the NBA playoffs because of your
Speaker 2: job now. So if you're just playing pick up at
Speaker 2: whatever LA Fitness, aren't guys trying to go after you
Speaker 2: because you know now that they know you.
Speaker 3: All the time, all the time. And you know what
Speaker 3: I say, bring it, bring it on, Oh that stile,
Speaker 3: you don't go to my ig. I'm always posted, always routine, Lee,
Speaker 3: I post about I'll post some video clips.
Speaker 2: Actually, you just reminded me because you know I'm so
Speaker 2: I like Twitter obviously is the domain that I'm familiar
Speaker 2: with and comfortable with. I know, I'm terrible at monitoring IG.
Speaker 2: I'm terrible at using IG, terrible at posting IG, even
Speaker 2: worse at reading IG. But my sources say, and I'm
Speaker 2: gonna actually out this source, it's my son who follows you.
Speaker 2: Now he's and he's he he said. I I asked him.
Speaker 2: I was like, what, what good stuff's he been throwing
Speaker 2: on there? And of course He's like, man, he just
Speaker 2: got a haircut. And I'm like, of course he did.
Speaker 2: There's nothing that makes there's nothing in life that makes
Speaker 2: this man happier than getting a haircut.
Speaker 4: Oh man, you put that on I g.
Speaker 3: Stein. Listen, Man, a haircut does wonders to a mass confidence. Man,
Speaker 3: you just feel like it's a new person. Man.
Speaker 2: Or did I freeze?
Speaker 3: I'm good? You froze froze Ryan did Stein freeze? Yeah?
Speaker 2: Was that me? Or you who froze?
Speaker 3: Okay, froze me? Or you you froze?
Speaker 2: St So I missed it.
Speaker 3: I'll I'll start, I'll start back up. Three yep three
Speaker 3: two one Stein. Nothing makes a man feel more confident
Speaker 3: and more prepared than having a fresh haircut. Man. When
Speaker 3: you get a haircut, man, you feel like you can
Speaker 3: do anything, and so before. But I gotta go on.
Speaker 3: I gotta go on TV with a clean cut. I
Speaker 3: have to, man, I feel good. When you feel good,
Speaker 3: you play good. That's real. When you feel good, you
Speaker 3: play good. It doesn't matter what type of job you have,
Speaker 3: what type of occupation. When you look good, you perform good.
Speaker 3: And so I believe in that. And and I don't
Speaker 3: know how much longer I'm gonna have hair, so I
Speaker 3: gotta keep documenting as long as I can.
Speaker 2: If you say so, man, I believe you. All right, Well,
Speaker 2: let's move on then, to you, because the next stop
Speaker 2: of your travels was even more eventful than South Beach,
Speaker 2: even more eventful than strutting into the arena with the
Speaker 2: white suit, because you saw quite a game between the
Speaker 2: Clippers and the Suns. The Clips with Russell Westbrook, the
Speaker 2: most inspirational three for nineteen performance in league history, incredible
Speaker 2: string of clutch plays at both ends as the Clippers
Speaker 2: stormback and win. Bizarre game for Kevin Durant the third quarter.
Speaker 2: I know everybody's talking about the fourth quarter, but in
Speaker 2: the third quarter, Kevin Durant no field goal attempts but
Speaker 2: six assists. But not only do you get to cover
Speaker 2: this amazing game. You've got one on ones with Paul
Speaker 2: George and Russell Westbrook. So let's start with PG. Give
Speaker 2: us the PG update. Where is he? And I mean,
Speaker 2: I think it's pretty well established that we're not going
Speaker 2: to see him in this first round series, but just
Speaker 2: kind of what were your takeaways from visiting with him?
Speaker 3: Yeah, well, you know, he's it was tough. I wish
Speaker 3: you could see video of why he was talking to me.
Speaker 3: I grabbed him after the game, after Game one, and
Speaker 3: you know you could tell it's really tough, he said.
Speaker 3: It is a frustrating time to be sitting down watching
Speaker 3: the guys because you know they can help, he said,
Speaker 3: but he's doing everything he can behind the scenes to
Speaker 3: try to get back when he can when it's possible.
Speaker 3: And so it's looking like the Clippers they're going to
Speaker 3: have to extend this out, when I mean extend this
Speaker 3: out if they want to have any hope of Paul George.
Speaker 3: I mean, you got talking Game seven, but you for
Speaker 3: sure talking, you know, next round, and I don't know
Speaker 3: that you would bring Paul George back for a Game seven. Anyways.
Speaker 3: I think he's been out since March twenty third, so
Speaker 3: that would be a tall task. But you know, he
Speaker 3: just talked about doing everything he can to try to
Speaker 3: get back as soon as he can. But he believes
Speaker 3: in this team and believes they can do what it
Speaker 3: takes to get them to that point. And you know
Speaker 3: that that was a tremendous game. Stein. I ran across
Speaker 3: my guy, Nicholas Patune in the locker room, who you know,
Speaker 3: who hasn't been talking to me because he called me
Speaker 3: the black Cat, because he said every every game that
Speaker 3: I cover, they lose. Well they won last night. As
Speaker 3: soon as I go in the locker room, he's there
Speaker 3: standing up, greets me with a hug. Say bring it in.
Speaker 3: The curse is broken. Gave me a hug right there
Speaker 3: in the locker room. I said, I told you, I said,
Speaker 3: now you can. You could conquer anything. Now you get
Speaker 3: past me, You could get past anything now. So but
Speaker 3: russ tine russ Man again, what do you call that?
Speaker 3: The most inspiration.
Speaker 2: Inspirational three for nineteen game in league history? And I'm
Speaker 2: happy for him because like he's he I mean, even
Speaker 2: when things go well, he's still taking all kinds of
Speaker 2: heat and criticism. And I mean that fourth quarter belonged
Speaker 2: to him. You know, I put it on Twitter. Give
Speaker 2: Russ the game ball now, then you have to take
Speaker 2: a step back and say, okay, Kawhi Leonard did score
Speaker 2: thirty eight points and looked really, really, really good. So
Speaker 2: maybe we have to split that game ball in half.
Speaker 2: But I mean, Russ, everyone second guess the Clippers when
Speaker 2: they made this move. And you know, to this point,
Speaker 2: for now, you have to say he's making a difference there.
Speaker 2: He's fitting in they you know, he's he's definitely helping
Speaker 2: fill the Paul George woyd which is really unfillable. And
Speaker 2: I mean it sounds like from your convote from PG thirteen,
Speaker 2: I mean, that's that's Russ's number one fan.
Speaker 3: Yeah, he said, you know what are people saying now
Speaker 3: as a remember because Paul George is the one who
Speaker 3: voiced publicly vouching for Russell Westbrook at the time when
Speaker 3: Russ got traded to the Utah Jazz, and so this
Speaker 3: is something he's seen. And he said, you know, Russ
Speaker 3: and his other stop. If he wasn't making shots, he
Speaker 3: would have got the quick hook. And he said, you
Speaker 3: have to allow Russ to play through it, because he's
Speaker 3: going to find a way to impact the game. And
Speaker 3: then on Russ gave me some time after the game
Speaker 3: as well. That's my guy. Russ has become my over
Speaker 3: the last few years start. I don't know why, but
Speaker 3: he's become my guy. But he gave me some time
Speaker 3: after the game as well, and I told him about
Speaker 3: what Paul George here. He said, yeah, it means. It
Speaker 3: means the world to him to have the coaching staff
Speaker 3: talking about Tyron lu in particular, believe in him and
Speaker 3: trusting him that win his shots when one aspect of
Speaker 3: his game is not being effective, that they know that
Speaker 3: he can do other things in the court. And he's
Speaker 3: not looking over his shoulders. That's one thing he said.
Speaker 3: He's not looking over his shoulder after a mistake, so
Speaker 3: he doesn't have to hesitate when he's playing. He can
Speaker 3: still go out there and play relentlessly. And that's what
Speaker 3: he did. Stein from offense clutch offense to rebounds, multiple
Speaker 3: clutch offense rebounds down the stretch to hit in two
Speaker 3: big free throws to get in that isolation on isolation
Speaker 3: isolation island with Devin Booker, which is not easy to do.
Speaker 3: Got the block but still was able to get to
Speaker 3: keep ball in bounds and Clippers ball. He just did
Speaker 3: an unbelievable job on the defensive end all night keeping
Speaker 3: guard and Kevin Durant he you know, you had to
Speaker 3: be happy for the guy man to have to have
Speaker 3: that feeling while going while missing sixteen of his nineteen shots. Man,
Speaker 3: he was really he was really, he really didn't.
Speaker 2: I don't know if we'll ever get the full candor
Speaker 2: on this, but you know, the vibe I got really
Speaker 2: was that I don't think the Clippers front office was
Speaker 2: completely sold on the idea of going after Russell Westbrook.
Speaker 2: I mean, it really looked.
Speaker 3: I thought about writing that STN. I thought about right now,
Speaker 3: but I'm like, you know what, it ain't time for that.
Speaker 2: But it really looks it. I mean, you know, from
Speaker 2: the outside, it certainly came off as Paul George is
Speaker 2: the one who had the lobby to get this thing done.
Speaker 2: And I think right now they're obviously glad that they listened,
Speaker 2: because you know, as you said, Paul George, in a
Speaker 2: best case scenario, realistically, the soonest we see him is
Speaker 2: probably the next round. And this was pg's quote to
Speaker 2: you and your piece quote. This is the reason why
Speaker 2: Russ was such huge pickup for us. They just see
Speaker 2: Russ for the shots that he misses. They don't see
Speaker 2: him for the rebounding the defense. Look at the block
Speaker 2: on KD to start this series off and the block
Speaker 2: on d Book to finish the game. They don't see
Speaker 2: the intangibles, and they look past everything else that he does.
Speaker 2: They solely look into whether he make or misshots and
Speaker 2: judge him off that. Please don't judge him off who
Speaker 2: he is as a basketball player. And you know what,
Speaker 2: I'm glad you relayed that story about Batoomb because again,
Speaker 2: like I said, I said the last time this came up,
Speaker 2: Batoomb doesn't know it yet, but he is. He is
Speaker 2: going to be a huge part of our NBA draft coverage.
Speaker 2: When when when, when we get closer to the draft
Speaker 2: time we are bringing we are gonna lobby him. We're
Speaker 2: gonna work on him to come on this show and
Speaker 2: give us the Parisian view of Victor Wembinnyam. The more
Speaker 2: than presumptive number one pick in the draft, the obvious,
Speaker 2: the automatic number one pick looming in the June draft.
Speaker 2: So what do you see from the Suns? You know
Speaker 2: this this playoffs is so weird because it was a
Speaker 2: weird season in the West with only two fifty win
Speaker 2: teams and so many teams clumped together, and then the
Speaker 2: playoffs start, and really, has there ever been a postseason
Speaker 2: where the number six Warriors, who of course are the
Speaker 2: defending champions, or the number seven Lakers, or you know,
Speaker 2: the number five Clippers would be in this conversation if
Speaker 2: Paul George were healthy right now. The number four Sons,
Speaker 2: they're another team that, like all of these middle to
Speaker 2: the middle, middle to lower seeds in the West, they
Speaker 2: all generate more public belief than the one, two or
Speaker 2: three seeds that they can win the West. I mean,
Speaker 2: you just outside of Denver, outside of Memphis, outside of Sacramento,
Speaker 2: outside of the city limits, you don't see anyone saying
Speaker 2: that those teams are capable of winning this supposedly wide
Speaker 2: open conference. So it's just been a strange year. But
Speaker 2: you know, I think the Suns, again, I don't want
Speaker 2: to overreact to a Game one, but they're immediately under
Speaker 2: pressure because you know, yeah, they were eight to o
Speaker 2: in the regular season without Kevin Durant, but right now
Speaker 2: they're owen one with Kevin Durant. When it matters, and
Speaker 2: they did not look like a team that really knew
Speaker 2: each other in that game one.
Speaker 3: That's that's why I say the playoffs are a different ballgame.
Speaker 3: When everybody was talking about the eight to no regular
Speaker 3: season start KD Sons, I'm gonna tell you what I
Speaker 3: think happened with the Phoenix Sons is what I kind
Speaker 3: of talked about doing the broadcast. Uh. You know, I
Speaker 3: spoke with Chris Paul night before the game and I
Speaker 3: was asking him. I said, hey, like, where is KD
Speaker 3: at with, you know, finding his way, learning the concepts,
Speaker 3: learning the schemes, you know, having it all in his head.
Speaker 3: And he said, we're still getting to that point. And
Speaker 3: I was like, okay, so if you still getting to
Speaker 3: that point, that means you're still learning on the fly
Speaker 3: in the playoffs. He was like, yeah, it is. It
Speaker 3: is what it is. He says, really impressed in it,
Speaker 3: but that's the task we have. And he said, I'm
Speaker 3: not making any excuses, but it is what it is.
Speaker 3: And so think about that, stiin, has there ever been
Speaker 3: a scenario where a player of that magnitude comes over
Speaker 3: to a new team and he's learning, still learning things,
Speaker 3: learning concepts and nuances of his team in the playoffs,
Speaker 3: like this is really unpressed. Like usually you know, trade
Speaker 3: that line you got them in for months before the playoffs.
Speaker 3: I mean, you know KD got injured so that that,
Speaker 3: you know, put it different things. But they're still learning him.
Speaker 3: And the thing and one thing that showed me why
Speaker 3: they still are learning on the fly, KD was under
Speaker 3: utilized in the second half. He was he was, Yeah,
Speaker 3: I'm not.
Speaker 2: I think Kg's adjusted. It's everybody else adjusting to him.
Speaker 2: I mean, they like whatever you throw a KD, he's
Speaker 2: going to figure out. Like again going back to that
Speaker 2: third quarter, that he could manufacture six assists in this situation,
Speaker 2: first playoff game with these guys, and you know, he's
Speaker 2: so adaptable. I think it's the other guys finding their
Speaker 2: spots around him that I mean. And the other thing,
Speaker 2: I mean, they only took nineteen threes. I mean that
Speaker 2: that's not enough. They're gonna have to They're gonna have
Speaker 2: to in game two, increase, increase the attempts and makes
Speaker 2: from the three point line. I mean, it's just into
Speaker 2: in the modern NBA, you're not gonna win shooting only
Speaker 2: nineteen threes. But yeah, like you said it is unprecedented.
Speaker 2: I mean, really the when we talk about you know,
Speaker 2: mid season trades that lead to a championship, there are
Speaker 2: three prime examples in NBA history that everyone points to.
Speaker 2: Clyde drex Are going to Houston in ninety five, but
Speaker 2: they had a Keem Rashid Wallace, that's really the one
Speaker 2: two thousand and four. He went to first, he went
Speaker 2: to Atlanta for one game, then went to Detroit, and
Speaker 2: he was like the last puzzle piece in a perfect puzzle.
Speaker 2: I mean, the Pistons were just such a unique team
Speaker 2: because they didn't really have they didn't have anyone in
Speaker 2: the durant role, you know, Chauncey and Rashid and Rip
Speaker 2: and Ben Wallace all in a way. I mean, you
Speaker 2: could make the case that all of them were the
Speaker 2: best Piston if you if you narrow it down to
Speaker 2: a certain skill or two. And then obviously Tayshawn was
Speaker 2: was another great, you know engine to help make things
Speaker 2: happen there. But and then Marc Gasol going to the Raptors.
Speaker 2: But I mean you had Kawhi Leonard. I mean Mark
Speaker 2: Marcasol was a great you know center and defensive play
Speaker 2: anchor and all that stuff, but you know, a complimentary
Speaker 2: piece to a championship team. And you know, Durant is
Speaker 2: he is the universe now with you know, or at
Speaker 2: least he shares it with Devin Booker. So I mean, yeah,
Speaker 2: this is this to me, was why as good as
Speaker 2: the Sons looked in the regular season, like we had
Speaker 2: no idea what the Sons would look like on the
Speaker 2: playoff stage, and and the first look was not was
Speaker 2: not a work of art.
Speaker 3: I know, kdstuy he's still trying to I.
Speaker 2: Mean, you're you got a better feel to me, you
Speaker 2: were there.
Speaker 3: Doesn't want to nah, he doesn't want to infringe upon
Speaker 3: what the Sons have done to this point. And so yeah,
Speaker 3: you talk. You mentioned that how the Sons have to
Speaker 3: get used to him, and yeah, they they they do.
Speaker 3: But I'm telling you right now, like there's going to
Speaker 3: have to be there's going to have to They're going
Speaker 3: to have to get to a point where they give
Speaker 3: it to KD. Get out the way, let them go,
Speaker 3: force feed them. And it's going to have to get
Speaker 3: to a point where KD is demanding the ball because
Speaker 3: Chris Paul, Devin Booker, everybody else, they're used to playing
Speaker 3: with each other used to playing and doing their thing,
Speaker 3: and they haven't. They haven't really adapted. KD is just
Speaker 3: so good where he's coming in and he's just fitting.
Speaker 3: And he did that in the regular season. If you
Speaker 3: look at like, he's still not he's not taking more
Speaker 3: shots than Devin Booker. And not to say that, it's
Speaker 3: not saying that he needs to take more than Devon,
Speaker 3: but I'm just I'm using that as an illustration of
Speaker 3: how he's just coming in and trying to blend. Because
Speaker 3: KD he always talks about, I can go with any
Speaker 3: system and play with Yeah, you can do that, but
Speaker 3: in order for the Sons to go to the distance,
Speaker 3: KD is going to have to be the best player,
Speaker 3: and he is the best player on the team, and
Speaker 3: so they're eventually they gonna have to treat him like that.
Speaker 3: So it's going to be an adjustment, and that's what
Speaker 3: I'm saying. Is so uncommon to have an adjustment period
Speaker 3: in the first round of the playoffs, So they're trying
Speaker 3: to figure all all these things out on the fly,
Speaker 3: and they will. You don't want to overreact to one game,
Speaker 3: but that was one game that damn Like, if you're
Speaker 3: gonna win a game with Russ going three for nineteen.
Speaker 3: If you can't get that one, it's gonna be tough
Speaker 3: and sty The Suns don't get much production from the bench.
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, they're incredibly thin now after this trade. I mean,
Speaker 2: their four best players are you know, it's a great
Speaker 2: top four. But behind that, I mean there's no question
Speaker 2: they've been weakened severely. I mean, look, I mean, I
Speaker 2: don't think we're I don't think we're taking a huge
Speaker 2: leap to say the Clippers are gonna take a lot
Speaker 2: from that Game one win and really believe now that
Speaker 2: they can win this series even without Paul George. I mean,
Speaker 2: they they clearly have that belief. I'm curious, from your seat,
Speaker 2: how rattled are the Suns? What's the panic level after
Speaker 2: one loss?
Speaker 3: They're They're fine, They're fine right now. They're fine right now.
Speaker 3: But look, I'm gonna say this it the Clippers took
Speaker 3: Game one, they took Game one. They were they are
Speaker 3: not the favorites. Sons were heavily favorite, the heavily favorites,
Speaker 3: and they went in there and took it that that
Speaker 3: has to do something, that has to do something to
Speaker 3: a team psyche And again it's not like the Suns
Speaker 3: are used to being in this situation as constructed, you know,
Speaker 3: So it's not like they can lean on past experiences
Speaker 3: to say we've been knocked down before we got up.
Speaker 3: Well you haven't. With this group, it's different. So that's
Speaker 3: why it's a little bit alarming. Now, if I was
Speaker 3: to say who's still gonna come out victorious in this series,
Speaker 3: I still would have to lean towards the Suns just
Speaker 3: because damn they got you know, they arguably, yeah, well
Speaker 3: they got great players. They got great players over there.
Speaker 3: So but Clippers are deep, they're deep. Anybody can contribute,
Speaker 3: somebody different could contribute, you know, each night, and the
Speaker 3: Sons don't have that. Their main three guys have to
Speaker 3: be on or close to beyond close to being on
Speaker 3: to get to have a chance. So it's gonna be tough.
Speaker 3: So I wouldn't say they're a rattle, but it definitely
Speaker 3: is alarming. And look stein my my my first quarter interview,
Speaker 3: after the first quarter interview with Tyler lou you know,
Speaker 3: I asked him about what was his message to the
Speaker 3: team before they took the court, and he said that
Speaker 3: we're here to win, We're here to win like they
Speaker 3: believe they can win. That was in the first quarter
Speaker 3: when he said that they believe they can win. And
Speaker 3: you know, ty Lou, once he gets the playoffs, he started,
Speaker 3: he started, the lineup, he started. He had zuke box
Speaker 3: guarding some perimeter. It was a perimeter player, I can't remember.
Speaker 3: Like he just switches up the defensive NEPs like he
Speaker 3: he's like a wizard when it comes to this time
Speaker 3: of year. Man, So it has to be alarming. I'm
Speaker 3: not saying it in trouble.
Speaker 2: Tylou is an excellent coach, still an underrated coach after
Speaker 2: his championship with the Calves, and I'm guessing you've probably
Speaker 2: experienced this in the sideline role. But you know, I
Speaker 2: have to say, you know I've said this before. In
Speaker 2: fifteen years at ESPN, there is no assignment I loved
Speaker 2: better than being the sideline guy for ESPN Radio during
Speaker 2: the NBA finals. And I got to do that four times.
Speaker 2: I believe it was twenty thirteen through twenty seventeen. So
Speaker 2: I got the Calves in the finals. The first year
Speaker 2: was blat but the second two years that I did it,
Speaker 2: ty Lou was there, and Tylu he'll talk to you
Speaker 2: during the game. I don't get those seats very often
Speaker 2: anymore to know how many coaches would be willing to
Speaker 2: do that, but there have not. In my four years
Speaker 2: of doing sideline for ESPN Radio, there were not many
Speaker 2: coaches at this point who would stroll over to where
Speaker 2: you're sitting and actually ask you stuff during the game.
Speaker 2: But but Ty would always do it. I mean he
Speaker 2: would throw questions that, you know, do you see that?
Speaker 2: What'd you think of that call? Just you know, he's
Speaker 2: he is, uh, he's very entertaining to watch during a game.
Speaker 2: And and I would have to you know, have you
Speaker 2: know I remember his calves huddles like he you know,
Speaker 2: he had Lebron tuned in. Not every coach who's coach
Speaker 2: Lebron can say that, but when he was coaching the Calves,
Speaker 2: Lebron was dialed in.
Speaker 3: Well, I could definitely say he's much more cordial to
Speaker 3: you than he is to me when he when he
Speaker 3: walks over to me when I'm on the sideline.
Speaker 4: What But that's what I mean.
Speaker 5: But that's even that is like he's he's loose, like
Speaker 5: he's he's he's loose, like he's chatty during game games,
Speaker 5: all right, everybody.
Speaker 2: I think that does it for this edition of this
Speaker 2: league uncut. You got Game two clips at SUNS. What
Speaker 2: do you have next? Is it top se? Are you
Speaker 2: allowed to reveal your sideline assignments?
Speaker 3: Yeah? Bullshit. I believe it may be out out to
Speaker 3: the public already. If it's not, then hey, I'm revealing it.
Speaker 3: But yeah, I got Game two. He'll still here Phoenix
Speaker 3: and the Clippers. Then i transitioned to San Francisco on
Speaker 3: Thursday for Game three of The King's Wars. So I'm
Speaker 3: looking forward to seeing what that action is like, seeing
Speaker 3: what the atmosphere is like, and then I believe then I, yeah,
Speaker 3: I do. Then I come back to this series, but
Speaker 3: it would be Game four in La Clippers Sons and
Speaker 3: if I don't know the rest throughout, but I wouldn't
Speaker 3: be surprised if I if I stuck on the look.
Speaker 2: I should have said this earlier, and I'm glad you
Speaker 2: you doing your schedule kind of reminding me to say this,
Speaker 2: because there is an undeniable flaw in this show that
Speaker 2: we're that we're recording Monday night for a Tuesday release
Speaker 2: because we're recording it during six ers nets, so we
Speaker 2: obviously do not know at this point as we're recording
Speaker 2: what the results are of Game two in Sacramento, which
Speaker 2: is a massive game. Obviously, if the Kings, I mean,
Speaker 2: Sacramento is already lit to the max. If the Kings
Speaker 2: go up to zip I get to defending champs, not
Speaker 2: only is that an absolute party in Sacramento, but you
Speaker 2: know how much pressure that would heap upon the Warriors,
Speaker 2: who looked the Warriors were eleven and thirty on the
Speaker 2: road during the regular season. I believed it, and if
Speaker 2: I believed it, I know they believed at times ten
Speaker 2: that they're gonna win one of these first two games
Speaker 2: on the road. The Warriors, of course, have that streak,
Speaker 2: that NBA record streak twenty seven consecutive playoff series with
Speaker 2: at least one road win. Stephen Curry, Clay Thompson, Draymond Green,
Speaker 2: Andre Gudalad they have been part all four of them
Speaker 2: have been part of all twenty seven of those series.
Speaker 2: If I'm not mistaken, maybe Andre, I'm throwing him in
Speaker 2: there and I shouldn't, but definitely, Steph, Clay and Draymond
Speaker 2: have been part of all twenty seven in a row
Speaker 2: of those series. That Golden State has managed at least
Speaker 2: one road wind. So obviously by the time this podcast drops,
Speaker 2: everyone will know if that series is two to ozho
Speaker 2: or one to one. But either way, you've got yourself
Speaker 2: quite an assignment for game three at Chasin.
Speaker 3: And I want to leave by saying this, free E forty,
Speaker 3: Free my boy forty one, Free him Stace. I know
Speaker 3: you're a big E forty fan.
Speaker 2: What's the fact that I cannot even pretend that I
Speaker 2: could name a favorite song? But but I uh, I
Speaker 2: did take note of the fact that the Warriors were
Speaker 2: playing his music at their practice today, So this is
Speaker 2: clearly so this is clearly something that mattered to shoot around.
Speaker 2: This is clearly something that matters to them, like they're
Speaker 2: you know, is it going to be motivation that puts
Speaker 2: I'm over the top in a game they need to win.
Speaker 2: I don't know about that. But this is definitely not
Speaker 2: a small story. This is something that is on the Warriors'
Speaker 2: minds too.
Speaker 3: I can't wait to get over there forget all.
Speaker 2: Right, everybody, And I actually want to sign off with
Speaker 2: a small message because on this Monday night, it is
Speaker 2: Yoma Shoah, which is Holocaust Remembrance Day, and I just
Speaker 2: want to pay tribute to my father, Rubinstein, who was
Speaker 2: a Holocaust survivor. And you know, I've written about this
Speaker 2: a few times, but I can't say it enough. If
Speaker 2: it wasn't for him and everything he did and the
Speaker 2: fight he waged to survive the atrocities of the Holocaust
Speaker 2: and then make it to communist Romania, and then make
Speaker 2: it to Israel, and then make it to the United States,
Speaker 2: all to set up his spoiled kids to you know,
Speaker 2: grow up in the shadow of Disneyland. And and for me,
Speaker 2: you know, to basically live out this pinch me life
Speaker 2: as a sportswriter. None of that is possible without everything
Speaker 2: my dad did. And I just on this Yoma show
Speaker 2: wanted to pay tribute to him and talk about him
Speaker 2: and remember him. And if I can mix a couple
Speaker 2: of languages here, Abba tell you best. I think about
Speaker 2: you every day. And that's all I had to say. Everybody,
Speaker 2: Thanks Samil for listening to another edition of This League Uncut.
Speaker 2: Take care of.
Speaker 4: Him and that'll do it for us. See you next time.
Speaker 1: This League Uncut it is and iHeartRadio production.
Speaker 4: Chris Haynes and Mark Stein can't care for