WEBVTT - #thisleague UNCUT: The Celebration Room 0:00:01.120 --> 0:00:05.600 An exclusive glimpse into what happened in the celebration room 0:00:05.640 --> 0:00:10.360 at the in season tournament in Las Vegas, an unexpected 0:00:10.480 --> 0:00:14.200 recounting as well of what it's like to shake hands 0:00:14.200 --> 0:00:20.119 with Pacers coach Rick Carlisle Lebron ad the Lakers winning 0:00:20.440 --> 0:00:23.639 the ist, the future of the n Season Tournament. We 0:00:23.720 --> 0:00:27.160 get to all of that next here on this League Uncut. 0:00:32.520 --> 0:00:34.880 Welcome to this League uncut. 0:00:35.880 --> 0:00:39.159 In the rule of twenty four hour NBA News, this's blue, 0:00:40.960 --> 0:00:45.240 Chris Hans, it's so time, works time, it's so time. 0:00:49.520 --> 0:00:52.200 This League uncut is underway and on fire. 0:00:53.840 --> 0:00:56.360 This should be a good one. 0:00:57.040 --> 0:01:03.160 Everyone, Welcome in to another of this uncut. Chris Haynes 0:01:03.200 --> 0:01:08.200 and I recording on a Sunday night, a very quiet 0:01:08.480 --> 0:01:13.360 Sunday night in the NBA after the n Season Tournament 0:01:13.440 --> 0:01:16.640 championship game in Las Vegas. Of course Chris was there. 0:01:16.680 --> 0:01:19.160 We're going to get to all that in a sec 0:01:19.280 --> 0:01:21.679 but first things first, I have to Chris, we have 0:01:21.760 --> 0:01:24.679 to amend. If you remember, I recently asked you the 0:01:24.680 --> 0:01:29.640 trivia question, how many days once the season starts, and 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:33.640 this season started on October twenty fourth, how many days 0:01:34.760 --> 0:01:40.480 during the season are there no games, and you guessed four, 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:43.760 and at the time it was actually five. You were 0:01:43.880 --> 0:01:47.520 very close. It was only five nights during you again, 0:01:47.600 --> 0:01:51.960 five nights between October twenty fourth and mid April when 0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:55.000 the regular season ends, only five nights where there are 0:01:55.040 --> 0:01:58.800 no NBA games. But that number actually has now climbed 0:01:59.400 --> 0:02:02.280 to seven because this week in the NBA was so 0:02:02.520 --> 0:02:06.240 funky schedule wise the way the league set it up. 0:02:07.280 --> 0:02:12.880 Monday Tuesday, two quarterfinals each in the n Season Tournament, 0:02:12.960 --> 0:02:18.200 no other games. Wednesday and Friday. Everybody who didn't make 0:02:18.240 --> 0:02:21.760 it to Vegas or didn't even make the quarterfinals of 0:02:21.760 --> 0:02:25.720 the IST, all those teams played Thursday again, only the 0:02:25.760 --> 0:02:30.360 semifinals in the IST. Saturday night, the only game on 0:02:30.400 --> 0:02:35.320 the calendar was the championship game. But this Sunday and 0:02:35.360 --> 0:02:38.960 the previous Sunday there were no games at all, So 0:02:39.040 --> 0:02:42.320 it took that number to seven. So we have to 0:02:42.400 --> 0:02:46.880 change and update that answer. But obviously we'll be back 0:02:46.919 --> 0:02:50.000 to full speed by the time this podcast drops Monday, 0:02:51.080 --> 0:02:54.480 all thirty teams will be back to full speed and 0:02:54.560 --> 0:02:57.360 easing their way back to some semblance of normalcy. But 0:02:58.320 --> 0:03:03.960 I'm glad we're connecting tonight because my sources say that 0:03:04.080 --> 0:03:10.960 you were the only reporter initially granted access to the 0:03:11.080 --> 0:03:15.640 vaunted Did they call it the celebration room in Vegas? 0:03:15.720 --> 0:03:17.720 Is that is that true? Have I been? Have I been? 0:03:18.160 --> 0:03:19.919 Have I received accurate information? 0:03:20.400 --> 0:03:22.960 You got good sources, Sten, you got good sources. You've 0:03:23.000 --> 0:03:26.079 been working your magic. Yeah, that's yeah, that's what they 0:03:26.080 --> 0:03:28.760 called it. They called the celebration room. So it's the 0:03:28.919 --> 0:03:35.440 room that you know, the NBA designates to have all 0:03:35.480 --> 0:03:42.400 the champagne, beer goggles, you know, all that. It's the 0:03:42.480 --> 0:03:45.839 room that the winning team they will go in there 0:03:45.920 --> 0:03:49.520 first celebrate, you know, do do what they do. Then 0:03:49.520 --> 0:03:52.800 they'll go to the locker room. And so yeah, no, 0:03:52.840 --> 0:03:55.800 it was cool. I was, you know, due to my 0:03:55.800 --> 0:04:00.360 my affiliation with Turner, they allowed they allowed for me 0:04:00.480 --> 0:04:04.400 to be in there amongst among the let me see 0:04:04.440 --> 0:04:09.520 the Laker, you know, the team, the team's media camera crew, 0:04:10.600 --> 0:04:15.560 ESPN's camera crew, and then Turner's camera crew. But again myself, 0:04:15.600 --> 0:04:18.400 I was the only media member in there. So it 0:04:18.480 --> 0:04:18.840 was cool. 0:04:18.880 --> 0:04:20.719 So I was, And let's be honest, I didn't need 0:04:20.839 --> 0:04:24.320 super I didn't need super top secret sources on that one, 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:27.320 since you're the only one I saw who tweeted pictures 0:04:27.320 --> 0:04:31.320 of the champagne, pictures of the goggles, and pictures your source. 0:04:31.400 --> 0:04:36.480 Okay, I gave it away, Okay, bad? Yeah, no, I mean, 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:38.640 but it was cool. I was in there, so I 0:04:38.640 --> 0:04:43.000 didn't I was. I was in there probably ten minutes 0:04:43.080 --> 0:04:46.039 before the Lakers came in there, and you know, I 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:49.039 watched them set set up everything, put the champagne out, 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:54.280 the beer, the goggles, the new championship T shirts. What 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:58.039 one thing that I found curious, Stein is that, you know, 0:04:58.080 --> 0:05:02.200 the league was a little bit they were a little worried, 0:05:02.839 --> 0:05:07.800 and they didn't know how the Lakers were going to 0:05:07.960 --> 0:05:11.520 celebrate or if they were going to celebrate. And I 0:05:11.560 --> 0:05:13.160 had to think about that. I'm like, well, I guess 0:05:13.200 --> 0:05:16.520 it would be a bad look if the Lakers came 0:05:16.560 --> 0:05:21.160 in here. Lebron just saw everything and it was like, oh, nah, 0:05:21.520 --> 0:05:25.000 We're not doing this. I'm chasing championships. No, the Lakers 0:05:25.000 --> 0:05:28.400 were We're bigger than this. This is not what it's about, 0:05:28.720 --> 0:05:31.720 you know, I think, you know, the League were a 0:05:31.720 --> 0:05:34.039 little they were a little bit concerned and worried that 0:05:34.279 --> 0:05:37.680 they wouldn't go all out and celebrate. And so I 0:05:37.880 --> 0:05:41.599 was like kind of looking and trying to you know, 0:05:41.680 --> 0:05:45.400 see for myself. And so the first person to come in, 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:48.520 they gave us word that here come the Lakers, and 0:05:48.600 --> 0:05:52.680 Lakers are coming, and so the door opens. Lebron James 0:05:52.680 --> 0:05:55.800 the first one to come in. So he comes in 0:05:56.680 --> 0:05:59.600 and then he looks at all the champagne and everything 0:05:59.600 --> 0:06:01.919 and he was like like, oh ship, they got it 0:06:01.960 --> 0:06:04.919 all out here. And so once he said that, he 0:06:05.000 --> 0:06:07.599 went straight for the champagne you knew was on and 0:06:07.600 --> 0:06:11.320 popper from there. So he he kind of greeted everybody 0:06:11.640 --> 0:06:16.000 with like Dowson, him with Dowson, with champagnes and uh 0:06:16.279 --> 0:06:18.520 so it you know, they they they I think, you know, 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:21.080 the videos and clips are out right now, and you 0:06:21.120 --> 0:06:22.960 know they really you know, this was something that they 0:06:23.480 --> 0:06:26.080 really took the heart. This was something that they understood 0:06:26.279 --> 0:06:30.279 was a huge accomplishment and and it's it's you know, 0:06:30.480 --> 0:06:34.520 noted that they're the inaugural champions, which is a big honor. 0:06:34.880 --> 0:06:37.040 But yeah, they they took it seriously and so I 0:06:37.320 --> 0:06:39.640 think it was you know, one thing start you have 0:06:39.680 --> 0:06:44.479 to think about this, like to have Lebron James embrace that, 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:48.200 you know, to brace this n Season Tournament championship That's 0:06:48.200 --> 0:06:51.719 exactly what the league needed. You know, they just that image, 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:55.760 you know, those those video clips of seeing them celebrate 0:06:55.839 --> 0:06:58.400 such a such an honor that I think that they 0:06:58.480 --> 0:07:01.320 needed that to move forward. I think the league didn't 0:07:01.360 --> 0:07:04.360 know what they were going to get. Yeah, if the 0:07:04.400 --> 0:07:07.840 Lakers won, now the Pacers, for sure, the Pacers are 0:07:07.839 --> 0:07:10.880 going to go all out, for sure, but you know, 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:12.920 they didn't know what they expect with the Lebron and 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:14.040 the Lakers. 0:07:14.480 --> 0:07:17.040 Yeah, to be honest, that was one of my personal 0:07:17.120 --> 0:07:22.320 biggest sources of curiosity how the teams would react in 0:07:22.360 --> 0:07:24.000 the moment. And I totally agree with you. I think 0:07:24.000 --> 0:07:26.720 with the Pacers, there would have been no hesitation for 0:07:26.800 --> 0:07:29.760 the Pacers to win that thing and beat the Lakers 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:33.080 in the finals. You know, that would have been a 0:07:33.160 --> 0:07:35.360 huge deal. But yeah, the Lakers. You know, look, we 0:07:35.480 --> 0:07:40.280 still don't have official word. Will the Lakers hoist a banner? 0:07:40.640 --> 0:07:44.960 Adam Silver had a press conference Saturday evening before the game. 0:07:45.280 --> 0:07:48.880 I was really hoping at that press conference that Adam 0:07:49.000 --> 0:07:52.960 was going to be asked what he's expecting and would 0:07:53.040 --> 0:07:57.280 he be disappointed if the Lakers didn't hoist a banner, 0:07:57.360 --> 0:08:00.440 Because as we've already been talking about on this pot cast. 0:08:01.000 --> 0:08:05.840 The Lakers have seventeen NBA championship banners. They've won more 0:08:05.880 --> 0:08:10.400 than thirty Pacific Division titles. They've won I think eighteen 0:08:10.560 --> 0:08:14.200 nineteen twenty conference championships total. But they don't hang banners 0:08:14.200 --> 0:08:17.000 when they win the West. They don't hang banners when 0:08:17.000 --> 0:08:19.040 they win the Pacific Division. And we're gonna have to 0:08:19.080 --> 0:08:23.360 wait to see if they hang a banner for winning 0:08:23.520 --> 0:08:27.840 the first n season tournament. But yeah, I think the 0:08:27.920 --> 0:08:32.760 fact that the Lakers did celebrate this and did really 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:37.680 show a pretty high care factor to try to win 0:08:37.760 --> 0:08:42.719 this thing, that's one of the huge Year one successes. 0:08:42.960 --> 0:08:46.800 We don't know the ratings yet for Saturday's championship game. 0:08:47.080 --> 0:08:50.920 I assume we will get those on Monday. They'll circulate 0:08:51.000 --> 0:08:56.400 after this podcast drops. Monday Night and Thursday night the 0:08:56.520 --> 0:09:01.439 TV ratings not surprisingly paled and compared garrison to what 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:04.880 Monday Night football did. And obviously there's Thursday football to 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:08.199 contend with as well on Amazon. So you know, this 0:09:08.440 --> 0:09:13.000 wasn't a The quarterfinals and semifinals were not a you know, 0:09:13.240 --> 0:09:17.400 by no means a ratings bonanza for the NBA. But 0:09:17.480 --> 0:09:21.640 I really do think and as someone who has been 0:09:22.160 --> 0:09:26.199 quite critical about various aspects of the Year one format 0:09:26.280 --> 0:09:30.120 that the NBA adopted. Here, I do think a big 0:09:30.200 --> 0:09:33.920 measure of whether this succeeded or not in Year one 0:09:34.200 --> 0:09:37.480 was how people within the league treated it. Did the 0:09:37.520 --> 0:09:41.480 players accept it, did the teams embrace it? Do they 0:09:41.559 --> 0:09:44.600 want to keep this thing going forward? Did they take 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:48.319 it seriously? And I think throughout the league we saw 0:09:48.440 --> 0:09:51.000 that teams did care about this. And you'd have to 0:09:51.000 --> 0:09:54.680 put the Lakers and the Pacers, frankly, right at the 0:09:54.720 --> 0:10:01.640 top of the list. Those those two teams, they both 0:10:02.280 --> 0:10:05.880 went after it hard and deservedly earned their spots in 0:10:05.920 --> 0:10:09.960 the title game. And it's good to hear that after 0:10:10.000 --> 0:10:15.359 the game the Lakers were whooping it up and celebrating 0:10:15.400 --> 0:10:17.719 because you know, on the court we saw Lebron he 0:10:17.800 --> 0:10:21.360 got the championship hat, but he tossed it. Actually quite 0:10:21.360 --> 0:10:23.840 an impressive toss to a d right on the number, 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:27.600 right on the numbers. But yeah, like I'm, I'm. The 0:10:27.679 --> 0:10:30.200 Lakers will be in Dallas Tuesday, Chris Haynes will be 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:33.040 in Dallas Tuesday. Big week for yours, Truly, I get 0:10:33.080 --> 0:10:35.760 to see the Lakers, I get to see the seventeen 0:10:35.760 --> 0:10:38.079 and four timber Wolves, and I get to see Chris 0:10:38.160 --> 0:10:41.520 Haynes all between Tuesday and Thursday. So it's a big 0:10:41.559 --> 0:10:44.760 week for yours, truly, But I'm really eager to just 0:10:44.800 --> 0:10:47.680 spend some time around the Lakers because now my curiosity 0:10:47.800 --> 0:10:50.720 is are we going to talk about this at all 0:10:50.840 --> 0:10:55.640 between now and the playoffs? Like how much will it 0:10:55.720 --> 0:10:59.520 come up going forward that the Lakers won this thing? 0:10:59.679 --> 0:11:02.040 Because you know, as we mentioned the last time you 0:11:02.080 --> 0:11:03.800 and I got together for one of these pods, you know, 0:11:04.360 --> 0:11:07.560 Lebron played fantastic throughout the seven games. I mean, his 0:11:07.720 --> 0:11:11.000 numbers in this tournament were ridiculous. He basically averaged I 0:11:11.000 --> 0:11:16.000 think twenty eight, nine and eight, shot better than fifty 0:11:16.040 --> 0:11:19.080 percent from the field, shot better than sixty percent on 0:11:19.280 --> 0:11:22.280 threes in the seven tournament games. He was super dialed in. 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:26.040 But I also remember him telling Ali Laforest, it's December 0:11:26.080 --> 0:11:27.800 and we're not going to make too big a deal 0:11:27.800 --> 0:11:30.280 about it. So I really I'm really looking forward to 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:33.280 seeing seeing a bunch of Laker people here on Tuesday 0:11:33.360 --> 0:11:36.240 night and kind of like start to get a picture 0:11:36.280 --> 0:11:39.760 of like does this you know, do we just put 0:11:39.760 --> 0:11:41.040 this thing away? Now? Do we? 0:11:41.240 --> 0:11:41.320 You? 0:11:41.320 --> 0:11:44.760 Know how much how much N Season Tournament chatter will 0:11:44.800 --> 0:11:47.119 there really be between now and the playoffs. 0:11:48.360 --> 0:11:50.080 Yeah, I don't know how much shadow they will be. 0:11:50.240 --> 0:11:53.480 But you know, I spoke with D'Angelo Russells about it, 0:11:53.880 --> 0:11:57.120 and he called it the n ceason tournament like a 0:11:57.240 --> 0:12:02.400 cheat code where guys and get in an intense, you know, 0:12:02.480 --> 0:12:08.280 an intense ballgame in early December, a type of intense 0:12:08.320 --> 0:12:11.800 game that you wouldn't see until later on, you know, 0:12:11.800 --> 0:12:14.800 in the season, during playoff time. So he feels like, 0:12:15.440 --> 0:12:18.160 you know, being able to go into that mode, being 0:12:18.200 --> 0:12:22.160 able to dig deep, you know. And one thing about 0:12:22.200 --> 0:12:29.319 it too, like Stein, you know that coaches don't implement everything, 0:12:29.440 --> 0:12:32.400 like they don't pull out like say, like I'll give 0:12:32.760 --> 0:12:37.079 for an example a couple of years when Chris Paul 0:12:38.679 --> 0:12:42.840 was playing for the Phoenix Suns. He didn't receive a 0:12:42.880 --> 0:12:45.319 lot and this happens to him a lot, but he 0:12:45.040 --> 0:12:48.520 doesn't receive a lot of pressure full court. You know, 0:12:48.600 --> 0:12:50.560 teams aren't going to do that in the course of 0:12:50.559 --> 0:12:53.920 the regular season until the playoffs come. Playoffs come, you 0:12:54.000 --> 0:12:57.120 throw out everything, and you know, you all of a sudden, 0:12:57.440 --> 0:13:01.000 you got multiple guys being thrown at you that's going 0:13:01.080 --> 0:13:04.000 to pressure you the full ninety four feet. And even 0:13:04.040 --> 0:13:08.920 look at Dame the Milwaukee Indiana Pacers game as soon 0:13:08.960 --> 0:13:13.120 as Giannis went to the bench, because there's a substitution 0:13:13.240 --> 0:13:16.760 pattern for Milwaukee when Jannis goes to the bench first 0:13:17.200 --> 0:13:20.559 and then Dame leads the rest of the way, and 0:13:20.600 --> 0:13:23.839 he just usually he goes off because now they're trying 0:13:23.880 --> 0:13:27.480 to get him settled. And usually it's the horn offense, 0:13:27.960 --> 0:13:30.720 two guys that come up for the screen, or maybe 0:13:30.760 --> 0:13:34.520 one guy. But the Pacers trapped him in the first quarter. 0:13:35.000 --> 0:13:36.920 They came and trapped him, got the ball out of 0:13:36.920 --> 0:13:39.839 his hands in the first quarter. You don't see that 0:13:39.920 --> 0:13:42.800 in the regular season. But since this is a high 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:49.120 intense game, this game matters. It's a severe significance. You're 0:13:49.160 --> 0:13:55.200 seeing teams throw out everything. It's not another thing. I 0:13:55.240 --> 0:13:57.360 want to say, you're going off with basketball, but it's 0:13:57.360 --> 0:14:00.319 still basketball. By the way, you have Rick carl On 0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:05.880 on your radio show not too long ago. Believe it 0:14:05.880 --> 0:14:10.760 was last week Saturday Saturday. Okay, Star, what was the 0:14:10.800 --> 0:14:13.480 last time you shook real Rick Carla's hand. 0:14:17.360 --> 0:14:21.440 Well, it's funny. We ended up on a flight this summer. 0:14:21.600 --> 0:14:24.920 We both yeah, because because he still spends quite a 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:28.160 bit of time in Dallas. We ended up unexpectedly at 0:14:28.200 --> 0:14:33.120 the airport together in Dallas in August flying to Vegas. 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:37.160 We had we were on the same flight to see 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:40.920 the start of Team USA camp because I couldn't stay 0:14:40.960 --> 0:14:43.480 away from Team USA camp, and of course Tyrese Haliburton 0:14:43.560 --> 0:14:47.080 was there. But I honestly don't remember. I don't remember 0:14:47.120 --> 0:14:48.600 if we shook hands. 0:14:48.360 --> 0:14:51.400 Or just well, you didn't. You wouldn't, You wouldn't you 0:14:51.400 --> 0:14:53.400 would remember it if you did. Let me tell you this. 0:14:54.120 --> 0:14:57.280 You know, the bro hug has become common, you know, 0:14:57.320 --> 0:14:59.920 that's what we're used to bro hug, you know, yeah, 0:15:00.040 --> 0:15:03.040 embrace with the pound type hug then and it's the 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:06.600 one arm you know, on on on the individual's back, 0:15:07.080 --> 0:15:11.560 and it's you know, really not any there's not really 0:15:11.600 --> 0:15:16.480 any struggle, there's not really any power that summoned in that. 0:15:16.640 --> 0:15:20.520 It's a really light hug, a light embrace. So but 0:15:20.560 --> 0:15:23.280 then every now and then there's certain people that you know, hey, 0:15:23.520 --> 0:15:26.080 you know, you stend that hand and you go back 0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:29.600 to the traditional handshake. I wasn't prepared for a Rick 0:15:29.680 --> 0:15:33.800 Carlile handshakee My hand was hurting it was hurting. I 0:15:33.840 --> 0:15:37.720 had to interview him pregame before the championship game, and 0:15:38.320 --> 0:15:39.960 he gave me you know when you when you give 0:15:40.000 --> 0:15:44.200 somebody that the regular traditional handshake, and you feel the 0:15:44.240 --> 0:15:47.040 pressure and then you just think, oh, the pressure is 0:15:47.080 --> 0:15:50.480 about to go away. No, the pressure intensified. He kept going. 0:15:50.720 --> 0:15:52.480 It got he kept going to a point where I 0:15:52.480 --> 0:15:55.280 thought it was personal, like like like like he was 0:15:55.320 --> 0:16:00.360 really trying to I never did that the Rick. 0:16:01.640 --> 0:16:03.880 Maybe he thinks you're too close to Tim McMahon and 0:16:03.920 --> 0:16:04.480 he didn't. 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:10.520 Like watching Tim. Tim has some words for you. Vegas 0:16:10.640 --> 0:16:11.560 started watching. 0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:15.600 Yeah, I was like, man, I'm I got the same. 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:19.600 I'm sure we got the same. I mean. 0:16:21.040 --> 0:16:22.320 Tim, he'll he'll get over it. 0:16:22.720 --> 0:16:25.080 I don't remember, like like I said, I you know, 0:16:25.360 --> 0:16:27.520 I just saw Rick in person in August. He was 0:16:27.520 --> 0:16:30.960 on my radio show on Saturday. But I can't say 0:16:31.000 --> 0:16:34.120 that I remember uncomfortable handshakes. 0:16:34.120 --> 0:16:37.840 So my dad, my dad used to always talk about 0:16:38.240 --> 0:16:40.240 how important it is for a man to have a 0:16:40.280 --> 0:16:43.760 firm handshake. I used to remember as a key I 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:49.240 used to practice my handshakes, practice like trying to squeeze, uh, 0:16:49.440 --> 0:16:52.440 you know, just show him he's a manly handshake. But 0:16:52.480 --> 0:16:55.200 the bro hug, you know, the bro hug is pretty 0:16:55.200 --> 0:16:58.000 common now. It's pretty common now, and it doesn't take 0:16:58.080 --> 0:17:01.480 much squeezing effort. Matter of fact, it's kind of hard 0:17:01.520 --> 0:17:03.840 to really put a good squeeze on the bro hood. 0:17:04.440 --> 0:17:07.800 But Rick Carlout, he extended his hand traditional handshake. I 0:17:07.840 --> 0:17:10.480 extended mine too, as you know. I had to give 0:17:10.520 --> 0:17:13.080 him a handshake right before I do the interview and 0:17:13.119 --> 0:17:16.159 stein that handshake. It was I haven't felt pain like 0:17:16.200 --> 0:17:17.040 that in a wild man. 0:17:17.080 --> 0:17:17.920 How is the interview? 0:17:18.520 --> 0:17:20.560 Oh, interview is good. He was gold. He was gold. 0:17:20.640 --> 0:17:23.520 No problem there, no problem there. So I don't know, 0:17:23.560 --> 0:17:26.119 you know, I don't know if that was personal or 0:17:26.160 --> 0:17:27.960 if that that's just a Rick carl out. 0:17:28.000 --> 0:17:31.000 I'm gonna check with some indie sources and see what 0:17:31.040 --> 0:17:31.480 I can find. 0:17:31.760 --> 0:17:34.040 Check on that, check on that. I think I've been 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:36.719 good to call out over the years. But no, but 0:17:37.160 --> 0:17:39.760 it just it just reminded me that I gotta firm 0:17:39.840 --> 0:17:41.680 up my handshake. I gotta get that back. 0:17:42.080 --> 0:17:44.160 Let me ask you this, did you did it pop 0:17:44.240 --> 0:17:47.000 into your head at any point Saturday night? We were 0:17:47.000 --> 0:17:51.440 obviously neighbors and co residents in the Walt Disney World 0:17:51.520 --> 0:17:53.720 Bubble in twenty twenty. Man, that was more than three 0:17:53.800 --> 0:17:57.240 years ago now, But I was only there for fifty 0:17:57.240 --> 0:17:59.280 odd days, if you remember, I was working at the 0:17:59.280 --> 0:18:02.120 New York Times then, and the New York Times set 0:18:02.119 --> 0:18:04.879 it up to where I did the first fifty or 0:18:04.920 --> 0:18:08.439 so days in the bubble, and my former colleague and 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:11.879 teammate Scott Cassiola took over for the next thirty to 0:18:11.920 --> 0:18:14.240 forty days. I don't remember exactly what the breakdown was, 0:18:14.280 --> 0:18:16.159 but we split it up. We thought that was the 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:18.320 best way to tackle it. You, on the other hand, 0:18:18.720 --> 0:18:22.880 were there for like one hundred plus days, and Spears 0:18:22.960 --> 0:18:25.880 was there the whole time. Washburn was there the whole time. 0:18:25.920 --> 0:18:27.760 You guys were really I mean you guys were there 0:18:27.840 --> 0:18:31.240 almost twice as long as I was, so you really 0:18:31.480 --> 0:18:34.359 really really spent a lot of time there. But you, 0:18:34.520 --> 0:18:37.240 when you brought up that celebration stuff, it made me think, 0:18:38.359 --> 0:18:41.840 I remember seeing footage of you in the hallway when 0:18:41.840 --> 0:18:45.639 the Lakers won their Bubble championship in twenty twenty. I 0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:50.399 was not there. You were, And now three years later, Yeah, 0:18:50.480 --> 0:18:52.639 again it's a neutral site. 0:18:53.600 --> 0:18:57.199 PTSD PTSD, So you did you did it? 0:18:57.200 --> 0:18:58.080 Did cross your mind? 0:18:58.320 --> 0:19:01.840 Yes? Because so one of the individuals that were that 0:19:01.960 --> 0:19:05.280 was in that celebration room with me, Jessica Showbar and 0:19:05.359 --> 0:19:08.640 you know Jessica longtime ESPN what what is her role 0:19:08.760 --> 0:19:14.120 exactly sports and producer. She was in the bubble with us, 0:19:14.480 --> 0:19:19.840 and I'm in this celebration room waiting and she's next 0:19:19.840 --> 0:19:23.040 to me. I said, yes, I got I'm feeling something 0:19:23.119 --> 0:19:26.040 right now. It's like PTSD man, don't you feel She's like, yeah, 0:19:26.680 --> 0:19:29.280 I'm feeling it. Like yeah, so now you're right staring 0:19:29.400 --> 0:19:33.320 like it. It had the it had similar vibes as 0:19:33.359 --> 0:19:35.159 the bubble. I was nervous a little bit for a 0:19:35.160 --> 0:19:38.199 little bit, you know, even though they were fans in 0:19:38.240 --> 0:19:41.520 the arena this time it just had that feel because 0:19:43.280 --> 0:19:45.600 even though like even though the you know, the Lakers, 0:19:45.760 --> 0:19:49.280 like people try to take that or try to minimize 0:19:49.320 --> 0:19:53.879 that championship. The Lakers won, which I I think is 0:19:53.960 --> 0:19:57.760 dumb because everybody was there and trying to, you know, 0:19:57.840 --> 0:20:00.760 do the same thing, and the Lakers came forth and 0:20:00.800 --> 0:20:05.159 got it. But this the feel was like it was 0:20:05.280 --> 0:20:10.440 like I guess because it was something new. This was different, right, 0:20:10.760 --> 0:20:16.440 this was different. We're we're everybody's telling us how important 0:20:16.720 --> 0:20:20.800 this championship is, but it just felt different. And I 0:20:20.800 --> 0:20:24.400 think that's probably why I had that feel as well, 0:20:24.440 --> 0:20:27.200 because it was all new. But yeah, definitely stein Man, 0:20:27.240 --> 0:20:32.480 I found myself like wow, wondering, like, man, dude, I 0:20:32.560 --> 0:20:34.879 have to stand six feet apart, you know, somebody like 0:20:34.920 --> 0:20:36.680 it was really really. 0:20:36.800 --> 0:20:39.040 It is it is, but it is crazy that. I mean, 0:20:39.080 --> 0:20:42.800 the Lakers now with these, you know, two neutral site championships, 0:20:42.800 --> 0:20:45.720 and look, it has made me think because I'm you know, 0:20:45.800 --> 0:20:48.240 you've heard you know, our poor listeners have heard me 0:20:48.960 --> 0:20:52.240 why about this for weeks now, and you know, my 0:20:52.240 --> 0:20:54.480 my take on the Ndcason tournament was that, you know, 0:20:54.520 --> 0:20:58.560 it needs to all be single elimination. Let's take everybody 0:20:58.600 --> 0:21:02.440 to Vegas. Let's do this thing in a week and 0:21:02.480 --> 0:21:05.080 a half or two weeks. Let's just play the tournament straight. 0:21:05.160 --> 0:21:08.119 But one of the things that I think people are 0:21:08.160 --> 0:21:12.480 coming away with is maybe the neutral site is not 0:21:12.600 --> 0:21:15.600 the best idea because the crowd for that quarter final 0:21:15.680 --> 0:21:20.240 game when Indiana beat Boston at home, that crowd was 0:21:20.280 --> 0:21:22.040 so good. And I think one of the things that 0:21:22.040 --> 0:21:24.840 the league will be looking at going forward is do 0:21:24.880 --> 0:21:29.359 we want to play these games at a neutral site 0:21:29.400 --> 0:21:32.080 and Vegas is typically a place that everybody gets excited 0:21:32.080 --> 0:21:34.040 about going. So, I mean, I think for the Semis 0:21:34.040 --> 0:21:37.920 and finals, there definitely is a strong case we made 0:21:37.960 --> 0:21:39.960 that this was a good idea and a good experiment 0:21:40.000 --> 0:21:42.520 to do this way and that guys would want to 0:21:42.600 --> 0:21:46.119 earn that. But beyond the carit of winning five hundred 0:21:46.200 --> 0:21:48.400 k each if you're on the winning team and two 0:21:48.480 --> 0:21:50.960 hundred k each if you're on the losing team in 0:21:50.960 --> 0:21:53.959 the championship championship game, that there is some level of 0:21:54.000 --> 0:21:59.680 appeal to you know, to getting a trip to Vegas. 0:21:59.680 --> 0:22:02.639 But yeah, I have to, I have to, you know, 0:22:02.760 --> 0:22:05.399 for my own I'm starting to again, I'm starting to 0:22:05.440 --> 0:22:07.880 rethink things that I you know, I don't know if 0:22:08.600 --> 0:22:10.560 doing this whole thing in a neutral site, I don't 0:22:10.600 --> 0:22:12.359 know if it holds the same appeal for me as 0:22:12.359 --> 0:22:13.000 it once did. 0:22:13.720 --> 0:22:18.320 Yeah, I mean, and again, like the Lakers are just 0:22:18.400 --> 0:22:22.240 the ideal draw for the you know, for this event 0:22:22.359 --> 0:22:27.880 being in Vegas. If this is any other two teams, 0:22:29.359 --> 0:22:32.679 is it a big draw in Las Vegas. All I 0:22:32.680 --> 0:22:37.000 can speak on from my experience of watching was that 0:22:37.080 --> 0:22:39.359 Bucks Pacers game. But you have to keep in mind 0:22:39.400 --> 0:22:43.200 it was a Thursday game at two o'clock local time, 0:22:43.560 --> 0:22:46.880 and so you're really not going to get much fan 0:22:47.040 --> 0:22:52.800 traction anyways. But the fans that were there, it was 0:22:53.000 --> 0:22:55.960 you know, the environment was was bad. You know, it 0:22:56.000 --> 0:22:59.520 was bad. You know, it wasn't you know on May 0:22:59.680 --> 0:23:02.880 bast it wasn't really a lot of loud sheering. I think, 0:23:03.200 --> 0:23:06.240 you know, obviously you don't have a lot of Bucks fans, 0:23:06.240 --> 0:23:08.399 you don't have a lot of Pacer fans there, So 0:23:09.200 --> 0:23:11.920 you know, is it good? But does that even matter? 0:23:12.160 --> 0:23:14.879 Maybe the TV product is the appeal for the league, 0:23:15.200 --> 0:23:17.639 you know, because the players are playing hard, you're getting 0:23:17.640 --> 0:23:20.400 a good product, right, You're getting a good product because 0:23:20.440 --> 0:23:22.119 that money is important. 0:23:22.280 --> 0:23:25.280 But yeah, there were three games in Vegas. Obviously Lakers 0:23:25.320 --> 0:23:27.600 Pelicans was awful, but the other two games were. 0:23:27.480 --> 0:23:32.080 Good, competitive games, Yeah they were. And so I don't know, like, 0:23:32.119 --> 0:23:35.240 so when you're saying you're kind of rethinking the neutral 0:23:35.320 --> 0:23:38.679 you're you're taking Vegas out of the equation and saying that. 0:23:38.560 --> 0:23:41.120 Well, it's more like it's more like this. I remain 0:23:41.280 --> 0:23:46.040