WEBVTT - Nick Wright Mailbag: First Things First BEHIND-THE-SCENES, Jordan's playoff failures, Rams #1 threat 0:00:02.160 --> 0:00:05.760 Welcome in What's Driving nick GRD Episode four seventy seven 0:00:05.800 --> 0:00:09.959 hour semi monthly mail bag episode. This episode of what 0:00:10.080 --> 0:00:13.120 Driden nick Grid is brought to you by boost Mobile 0:00:13.200 --> 0:00:15.920 or reminder to you, guys, subscribe to the show if 0:00:15.960 --> 0:00:19.480 you can. We are approaching episode five hundred. We are 0:00:19.520 --> 0:00:25.640 also approaching two hundred and fifty thousand subscribers on YouTube. 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:29.280 It's a nice little milestone. Quarter of a million subscribers 0:00:29.360 --> 0:00:33.159 on YouTube would be nice. 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UH 0:01:06.280 --> 0:01:11.720 do exclusive to long form questions, including there's a really 0:01:11.720 --> 0:01:16.320 interesting one about where Lebron James should sign if he 0:01:16.440 --> 0:01:21.200 one day has presidential aspirations and what which team would 0:01:21.319 --> 0:01:23.880 which fan base would be most helpful for him to 0:01:23.920 --> 0:01:28.880 one day running for president, which was a really very 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:32.080 interesting thought exercise. So again, if you have you doesn't 0:01:32.080 --> 0:01:35.120 have to be long form questions, but you can comment 0:01:35.200 --> 0:01:41.080 on Twitter or Instagram or dm our Instagram. I think, 0:01:41.600 --> 0:01:44.640 uh to send in questions, but you can also send 0:01:44.760 --> 0:01:48.000 questions short or along to What's Right mailbag at gmail 0:01:48.160 --> 0:01:51.360 dot com demands. Good to see you. It has been 0:01:51.440 --> 0:01:55.600 a long week for you, I know, moving into a 0:01:55.640 --> 0:01:58.920 new place, got a lot going on. You also sneaky 0:01:59.520 --> 0:02:01.880 have a burn they in five days that I'm not 0:02:02.240 --> 0:02:04.800 just now realizing, I promise, but I kind of am 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:08.680 just now realizing. Uh So you have a lot going on. 0:02:09.480 --> 0:02:12.480 Uh but it's great to see you. Appreciate you putting 0:02:12.520 --> 0:02:17.959 in the double shift. Let's before we get to some 0:02:18.200 --> 0:02:22.519 more random email questions. We did get a late question 0:02:22.760 --> 0:02:26.040 ad that's kind of the story of the week this week. 0:02:26.240 --> 0:02:29.000 It's about Team USA and Christian polistic So let's get 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:29.320 to it. 0:02:29.840 --> 0:02:32.000 Uh So, Hank asked, what do you make of USA 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:35.720 legends like Carly Lloyd and Landon Donovan crushing policic after 0:02:35.760 --> 0:02:38.080 the Belgium the Belgium loss. 0:02:40.639 --> 0:02:49.400 Yeah, so this is really noteworthy that not only did 0:02:50.760 --> 0:02:54.400 the you know, fraternity of the US national teams men's 0:02:54.400 --> 0:03:01.640 and women's not circle the wagons around Polisic. Not only 0:03:01.760 --> 0:03:08.720 did some of them come after him, but hard to 0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:18.280 find anybody going to the mattresses defending him. That that's 0:03:18.320 --> 0:03:27.400 noteworthy of me, the fact that you have almost unanimity 0:03:28.720 --> 0:03:32.400 in folks. And I'm not again, I'm not trying to 0:03:32.440 --> 0:03:36.640 pat myself on the back here but saying exactly what 0:03:36.720 --> 0:03:44.160 I said from Afar on Tuesday morning, which is his 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:54.440 performance was wildly underwhelming and disappointing, and his comments after 0:03:54.480 --> 0:04:05.840 the game were outrageous and they are hinting at or 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:12.240 flirting with questioning is toughness, all of which I did 0:04:12.280 --> 0:04:17.240 from Afar. But I now feel more emboldened, if you will, 0:04:17.760 --> 0:04:23.960 in that take in that opinion. And I saw again 0:04:24.000 --> 0:04:30.160 I'm not trying to call anybody out, but Henry Bushnell 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:39.640 for The Athletic wrote an article scolding everybody. And I'm 0:04:39.680 --> 0:04:41.920 not going to read the entire thing to you, guys, 0:04:42.680 --> 0:04:49.120 but I do want, I do want to address this critique, 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:55.360 which is he tweeted I wrote about Christian polistic and 0:04:55.480 --> 0:05:01.280 all your stupid takes parenthetical, many based on a fifteen 0:05:01.400 --> 0:05:05.760 second interview clip stripped out of context. In proper context, 0:05:05.839 --> 0:05:08.720 was the opposite of what you think it is. And 0:05:08.760 --> 0:05:12.680 then I went and read the article, and I had 0:05:12.760 --> 0:05:16.599 watched the full interview, but I watched it again. And 0:05:18.160 --> 0:05:22.159 the defense is that in the same art you know interview, 0:05:22.560 --> 0:05:27.160 Polisics said quote I never wanted it to end, and 0:05:27.880 --> 0:05:31.919 that he also said it's just an unfortunate way to finish, 0:05:31.960 --> 0:05:39.599 and that it's it's really difficult. Guys. We're not going 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:43.440 after Christian Polisic just because he said I have time 0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:49.640 to rest. That was the cherry on top of a 0:05:49.960 --> 0:05:59.279 year long march towards this wildly uninspiring, seemingly disinterested World Cup. 0:06:00.680 --> 0:06:06.640 And listen, part of being a pro athlete, I've said 0:06:06.640 --> 0:06:12.520 this before, I'll say it again is we do expect 0:06:12.760 --> 0:06:19.760 a level of ma chese mo and toughness. And that's 0:06:19.800 --> 0:06:23.520 from female pro athletes too, Like there is. That's not 0:06:23.760 --> 0:06:28.960 like a a Neanderthal thing. That's just like you, oh, 0:06:29.080 --> 0:06:34.160 you need these alpha male No, you expect folks, particularly 0:06:34.200 --> 0:06:38.880 in the biggest spots, to play through pain. Shit. We 0:06:39.200 --> 0:06:45.839 just found out this week, Jalen Brunson's having surgery right 0:06:46.279 --> 0:06:48.320 on his and I think is that is it on 0:06:48.400 --> 0:06:52.880 his shooting hand, because the let me the I just 0:06:52.920 --> 0:06:55.479 want to make sure I get this right surgery on 0:06:55.640 --> 0:06:59.120 left wrist. He's a lefty. We didn't like. One of 0:06:59.120 --> 0:07:02.560 the reasons people things people love about Jalen brunton is 0:07:03.000 --> 0:07:06.799 first game of the finals, it looked like he suffered 0:07:06.800 --> 0:07:09.200 an injury that might knock him out for the finals. 0:07:09.960 --> 0:07:13.440 He missed ten minutes. That's part of the deal, man, 0:07:14.520 --> 0:07:23.560 and it is we have become way more, way more 0:07:24.880 --> 0:07:30.240 forgiving and gentle and kind in the sports media than 0:07:30.280 --> 0:07:36.880 it once was. And there is way more caution about 0:07:37.000 --> 0:07:41.360 questioning anybody's toughness and never question anybody's injury any of 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:46.480 that stuff. And in general, that's a good thing. What 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:55.040 is tough for Polisics specifically, is the combination of you know, 0:07:55.960 --> 0:08:01.280 it was the parlay of the following things. He skips 0:08:01.320 --> 0:08:07.600 the Gold Cup, Poachettino gets upset, Landon Donovan gets upset, 0:08:07.960 --> 0:08:12.760 Then his dad goes after Landon Donovan. Again, that's not 0:08:12.880 --> 0:08:17.440 really Polistic's fault, but it probably you know, it wasn't ideal. 0:08:18.760 --> 0:08:22.520 Then he starts. You know, this year after skipping the 0:08:22.520 --> 0:08:24.520 Gold Cup to be as ready as possible for the 0:08:24.560 --> 0:08:29.760 World Cup, playing his worst ball of his professional career. 0:08:30.160 --> 0:08:33.520 That doesn't help. Then it's the injury in the first 0:08:33.559 --> 0:08:36.600 game that nobody seemed to think was that big of 0:08:36.640 --> 0:08:39.000 a deal, but it knocks him out for a game 0:08:39.040 --> 0:08:43.000 and a half. That didn't help. Then it was the 0:08:43.040 --> 0:08:48.719 fact that he wasn't that good when he played. And 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:52.360 then yes, the comments at the end were the cherry 0:08:52.440 --> 0:08:57.200 on top, but the real thing that killed him was 0:08:59.280 --> 0:09:03.640 it was so clear what happened to him on the injury. 0:09:04.760 --> 0:09:10.720 This was just my opinion. I think had he stepped 0:09:10.800 --> 0:09:15.920 funny and you see, like the knee wobble, people would 0:09:15.920 --> 0:09:19.560 have been way less critical because it would have felt like, 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:23.240 you don't know, like who knows a lot of there's 0:09:23.280 --> 0:09:27.640 ligaments and caps and tendons and stuff like ah, like 0:09:28.600 --> 0:09:34.120 who knows. But because it we all saw what happened. 0:09:35.600 --> 0:09:38.719 He tried to kick the ball, hit the guy's foot 0:09:38.840 --> 0:09:42.120 and his ankle turned, and then after the game he 0:09:42.360 --> 0:09:47.600 said it I turned my ankle or sprained my ankle. 0:09:50.160 --> 0:09:55.400 Even people that want to defend him deep down were saying, 0:09:55.880 --> 0:09:59.079 you gotta be kidding me. So it's a World Cup 0:09:59.160 --> 0:10:03.120 knockout round game, a home World Cup. So then you 0:10:03.360 --> 0:10:09.440 add to it that I think a lot of those folks, 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:17.880 those legends in general, were not big fans of his beforehand. 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:23.280 And I think that you have a perfect storm of 0:10:26.280 --> 0:10:32.240 they were waiting for their moment because they haven't they 0:10:32.320 --> 0:10:38.280 haven't been huge polistic people already. And Tim Howard came 0:10:38.360 --> 0:10:42.800 out and said that it was very interesting with Tim 0:10:42.840 --> 0:10:45.800 Howard said, he's like, he's a nice footballer. If you 0:10:45.840 --> 0:10:47.680 want to know any other things that I think about 0:10:47.760 --> 0:10:50.720 Christian polistic, you'd have to ask me very direct questions. 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:53.240 I'd give you very direct answers. And then he moved on. 0:10:54.200 --> 0:10:55.920 And so he just doesn't seem to have a lot 0:10:55.920 --> 0:10:57.719 of allies. And this last point I'm going to make 0:10:57.760 --> 0:11:05.320 on this demon's I he was not good in this 0:11:05.400 --> 0:11:14.040 World Cup. It's undeniable. I think that is less of 0:11:14.080 --> 0:11:18.960 a problem for him than I think that is less. 0:11:19.080 --> 0:11:23.360 I think people could justify or deal with that, Hey, 0:11:23.360 --> 0:11:27.959 I had a bad tournament, sucks, it happens everyone. Then 0:11:28.800 --> 0:11:31.600 that's less sticky, even though it was a home World Cup, 0:11:31.679 --> 0:11:36.360 such a big moment, all of that than Oh, I 0:11:36.360 --> 0:11:41.000 don't think he's that tough. That's a sticky one. And 0:11:41.200 --> 0:11:45.840 that's worse than being injury prone. Like it's I don't 0:11:45.840 --> 0:11:50.920 think well that I won't I won't hit him with that, 0:11:51.600 --> 0:11:57.480 I cause, but I just think I think people are think, oh, 0:11:58.000 --> 0:12:00.160 you know, and I said this on the show today, 0:12:00.559 --> 0:12:06.160 but and it's reductive. But for lack of a better term, 0:12:06.160 --> 0:12:09.720 it's like, Oh, might not have that dog in him, 0:12:10.040 --> 0:12:15.120 as the kids say, And it really does feel like 0:12:16.280 --> 0:12:19.040 Oh doesn't have that dog in him. Yeah, And that's 0:12:19.080 --> 0:12:22.520 a tough one. And that's you know, that's that's kind 0:12:22.520 --> 0:12:24.440 of where we land. All right, let's get some other 0:12:24.480 --> 0:12:24.960 stuff here. 0:12:25.520 --> 0:12:28.000 Uh So over to the NBA. We got Lama. He said, 0:12:28.000 --> 0:12:31.199 you referenced the media doesn't talk about Jordan's bad playoff moments. 0:12:31.320 --> 0:12:33.920 What is the worst one and is and is it 0:12:33.960 --> 0:12:37.120 comparable to tragic Johnson or Lebron in twenty eleven? 0:12:40.000 --> 0:12:45.880 So I I don't listen. Jordan did never have a 0:12:45.920 --> 0:12:49.480 playoff moment that was as bad as Broun in twenty eleven. 0:12:49.559 --> 0:12:52.800 That's just as true. Le Bron in twenty eleven was 0:12:52.880 --> 0:13:00.720 the most inexplicable. What is going on? Superstar thing we've seen. 0:13:01.640 --> 0:13:05.160 That's the even as a guy who thinks Lebron is 0:13:05.240 --> 0:13:11.440 clearly the greatest player ever. That's that is the that 0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:14.440 is the truth. The other thing that is the truth 0:13:14.559 --> 0:13:21.280 is the idea that Jordan never had bad playoff moments 0:13:21.400 --> 0:13:26.679 is of course laughable, but folks will consider it gospel. Okay, 0:13:27.040 --> 0:13:31.240 So we can just go through a few that would 0:13:31.280 --> 0:13:37.920 I think be or at least noteworthy and while obviously 0:13:37.960 --> 0:13:40.800 not part of the not the whole story or anything, 0:13:41.880 --> 0:13:48.559 they happened, right. So the fact that in his first 0:13:48.600 --> 0:13:52.079 three years in the playoffs, they the Bulls won one game, 0:13:52.679 --> 0:13:54.240 not one series, one. 0:13:54.160 --> 0:13:58.000 Game is noteworthy. 0:13:57.040 --> 0:14:01.320 Ok, you didn't know that, right? Like the his first year, 0:14:01.760 --> 0:14:08.640 his first year in the playoffs, they uh, they won 0:14:08.760 --> 0:14:11.240 one game. His second year in the playoffs, they got 0:14:11.280 --> 0:14:13.600 swept in round one. And by the way, his second 0:14:13.640 --> 0:14:15.959 year in the playoffs is such an interesting one because 0:14:16.000 --> 0:14:18.440 that's the one year Jordan had a real injury. Jordan 0:14:18.520 --> 0:14:23.960 broke his foot and missed most of that season. And 0:14:25.160 --> 0:14:31.640 that Bulls team, Demanse made the playoffs. They went thirty 0:14:31.680 --> 0:14:35.160 and fifty two. So when people are like Jordan never 0:14:35.200 --> 0:14:37.840 missed the playoffs with the Bulls. Again. He was hurt 0:14:37.840 --> 0:14:39.560 most of the year, so it wouldn't have been his fault. 0:14:39.880 --> 0:14:43.320 But they made the playoffs with thirty wins. They went 0:14:43.560 --> 0:14:47.720 thirty and fifty two. It was what was going on. No, 0:14:47.800 --> 0:14:50.600 there was no play in but the league didn't have thirty. 0:14:50.680 --> 0:14:52.880 They had way fewer teams and they were still doing 0:14:52.920 --> 0:14:57.480 eight teams a conference, and so they made it that. 0:14:57.480 --> 0:15:01.400 That was the year. He had his first two games 0:15:01.440 --> 0:15:05.040 those playoffs. They lost them both. Again, he scored forty 0:15:05.160 --> 0:15:08.080 nine in his first game they lost. He scored sixty 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:13.400 three in the second game they lost. And that's when no, 0:15:13.480 --> 0:15:16.760 not at all. Game three, he didn't play. It didn't 0:15:16.800 --> 0:15:18.360 play that well, but they were never beating. That was 0:15:18.400 --> 0:15:20.480 the eighty six Celtics, one of the greatest teams ever. 0:15:20.840 --> 0:15:26.240 Okay eighty seven though the Celtics team not quite as good. 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:30.840 You get Boston again, you lose the first two in Boston, 0:15:31.680 --> 0:15:34.160 and again you at this point in your career, you've 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:39.000 won one playoff game ever, Game three at home for 0:15:39.080 --> 0:15:45.120 a Bulls team that you know was supposed to be competitive. 0:15:45.880 --> 0:15:49.040 He goes nine of thirty in that game. They get swept. 0:15:49.040 --> 0:15:52.360 But again, those aren't the bad moments like that's all 0:15:52.840 --> 0:15:56.160 growing pains, part of what it is. Fourth year in 0:15:56.200 --> 0:16:00.000 the playoffs, finally win a series, get clipped by Detroit 0:16:00.080 --> 0:16:06.000 in five. He was good but not great in that series. 0:16:07.320 --> 0:16:12.600 Fifty in the playoffs, you're up to one on Detroit. 0:16:12.720 --> 0:16:16.760 This is the first one that you're like, oh, yeah, 0:16:17.000 --> 0:16:20.800 this were Lebron, people would remember it more. Again, these 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:27.520 are it's year five, haven't been to a finals, have 0:16:27.600 --> 0:16:32.520 won a league MVP. You're up to one on Detroit 0:16:33.560 --> 0:16:36.920 in a home game four, you go five of fifteen, 0:16:37.760 --> 0:16:40.360 and then in the thing that people say Jordan would 0:16:40.440 --> 0:16:44.920 never do, Oh he would never, he would never shy 0:16:45.040 --> 0:16:48.400 from the moment in the critical game five in Detroit, 0:16:49.360 --> 0:16:53.920 four of eight from the field, four of eight, Detroit 0:16:53.960 --> 0:16:56.560 wins and they win the next game. So again, those 0:16:56.560 --> 0:17:02.320 are little demerits, if you will, noteworthy things that you 0:17:02.320 --> 0:17:05.680 would that if it was Braun, I feel like folks 0:17:05.720 --> 0:17:10.520 would remember. The next year against Detroit, another critical game five. 0:17:11.440 --> 0:17:13.760 It's year six, you still haven't been to a finals. 0:17:13.960 --> 0:17:16.200 You're trying to get over the hump. It's two to 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:19.640 two in the series seven of nineteen and you get 0:17:19.680 --> 0:17:24.920 blown out, lose series and seven. Not great Okay. He then, 0:17:25.080 --> 0:17:30.160 to his credit the next two years goes scorched earth 0:17:30.840 --> 0:17:36.639 on the entire league wins those two titles. It's hard 0:17:36.680 --> 0:17:40.600 to find a bad playoff moment until we get to 0:17:41.680 --> 0:17:46.439 the game that is lost to history. And this is 0:17:46.480 --> 0:17:50.119 the one that I just can't get over because the 0:17:50.240 --> 0:17:54.880 last dance tricked you on it. So if you watched 0:17:54.920 --> 0:17:59.399 the last dance right before Jordan retired the first time 0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:03.679 they it is. They are going for their third straight title. 0:18:04.200 --> 0:18:07.040 They have lost back to back games to the Knicks, 0:18:07.680 --> 0:18:11.520 and mj in those two games shot thirty seven percent 0:18:11.560 --> 0:18:14.359 from the field in both. They are down oh two. 0:18:15.160 --> 0:18:20.520 Jordan is talking about all of the scrutinyum pressure, and 0:18:21.200 --> 0:18:25.320 he is getting killed in the media because he was 0:18:25.359 --> 0:18:30.960 in Atlantic City gambling all night. Okay, they go back 0:18:31.000 --> 0:18:35.199 to Chicago, they are down oh two, their season is 0:18:35.240 --> 0:18:41.600 on the line, and Michael Jordan goes three for eighteen, 0:18:43.440 --> 0:18:48.080 but they win because Pippin's unbelievable and in the next 0:18:48.160 --> 0:18:51.960 game he scores fifty four and they end up winning. 0:18:52.240 --> 0:18:55.760 They tie the series up. The last dance totally skipped. 0:18:55.920 --> 0:18:58.240 The last dance made you think he's they're down oh two, 0:18:58.600 --> 0:19:02.639 he's getting killed gambling all night and then drops the 0:19:02.680 --> 0:19:08.320 fifty four points. That's not what happened and so but 0:19:08.960 --> 0:19:12.160 then he by the way after that three for eighteen. 0:19:12.720 --> 0:19:15.280 It's the greatest stretch of basketball of his career, including 0:19:15.280 --> 0:19:20.000 the greatest finals ever, those finals de Mons against Phoenix 0:19:20.160 --> 0:19:24.920 and against League MVP Barkley. In those finals he averaged 0:19:25.600 --> 0:19:31.040 forty one to eight and six. He was unbelievable. In 0:19:31.080 --> 0:19:37.639 the ninety three finals, six does six games, he was 0:19:38.480 --> 0:19:41.800 the He scored in the in those games thirty one, 0:19:41.960 --> 0:19:45.600 forty two, forty four, fifty five, forty one, thirty three, 0:19:46.280 --> 0:19:49.240 and one of their losses was a triple overtime game. 0:19:49.680 --> 0:19:52.760 He was unreal. So he more again more than made 0:19:52.840 --> 0:19:57.400 up for it. But the real answer is twofold on 0:19:57.520 --> 0:20:01.159 did Jordan have rough playoff moments. The real answer is 0:20:03.080 --> 0:20:07.280 when he came back from baseball the series against the Magic, 0:20:07.720 --> 0:20:14.679 he was not good and people thought the Bulls were 0:20:14.720 --> 0:20:20.040 gonna win that series. He was had a forty point 0:20:20.080 --> 0:20:23.760 game in that series, so like, and another a thirty 0:20:23.760 --> 0:20:27.400 eight point game early in that series, and then at 0:20:27.440 --> 0:20:29.560 the tail end of that series he was not good 0:20:29.920 --> 0:20:32.720 and in the game they got eliminated, he was out 0:20:32.800 --> 0:20:35.679 right back. He had a half dozen turnovers, He was 0:20:35.680 --> 0:20:38.439 eight of nineteen from the field. He got stripped at 0:20:38.440 --> 0:20:44.040 the end and they lost. Right, that's so, that's what 0:20:44.200 --> 0:20:47.919 everybody says. Everybody's like, yeah, but that doesn't count. They're like, 0:20:48.560 --> 0:20:53.280 and then so, and then I would imagine he probably 0:20:53.359 --> 0:20:58.159 wouldn't have been that good in the playoffs with the Wizards. 0:20:58.680 --> 0:21:01.320 But he was not good enough to get the Wizards 0:21:01.359 --> 0:21:05.520 to the playoffs. And again, folks can say, oh, that's outrageous. 0:21:05.560 --> 0:21:07.800 How can you ask him he was thirty nine years old. Well, 0:21:07.840 --> 0:21:11.760 I don't know, he was like some thirty ninety. You know, 0:21:11.880 --> 0:21:15.840 forty year olds can do amazing things these days, and 0:21:15.960 --> 0:21:22.800 so but no, so he had some Oh let me 0:21:22.840 --> 0:21:26.679 add one other thing. That again, I just think is 0:21:26.800 --> 0:21:33.200 part of the story. He only had one tough finals ever, 0:21:33.960 --> 0:21:41.879 and it was against UH Seattle, and George Carl in 0:21:41.960 --> 0:21:45.359 his infinite wisdom for Seattle, for some reason, decided not 0:21:45.480 --> 0:21:48.639 to have the league's best perimeter defender, Gary Payton guard 0:21:48.720 --> 0:21:53.359 Michael Jordan until the Sonics were down three to zero 0:21:53.359 --> 0:21:57.800 in the series. They went down three to zero, he 0:21:57.960 --> 0:22:02.600 finally put Peyton on mj over the final three games, 0:22:02.600 --> 0:22:06.320 of the series, Jordan averaged twenty three points a game 0:22:06.359 --> 0:22:08.359 on thirty seven percent from the field. But it was 0:22:08.400 --> 0:22:10.800 too late. The Seattle was able to win games four 0:22:10.840 --> 0:22:13.879 and five, Chicago won game six, series was over, but 0:22:14.000 --> 0:22:17.760 no he One of the check marks in Jordan's column 0:22:17.840 --> 0:22:21.320 is he doesn't have that just like, oh my god, 0:22:21.400 --> 0:22:26.320 what happened playoff series? But it also some folks would 0:22:26.359 --> 0:22:31.520 have you believe, you know, he didn't have bad playoff games, 0:22:32.119 --> 0:22:36.560 and that's you know, that's not an accurate reading of history. 0:22:36.600 --> 0:22:38.720 He got another basketball question here in a second, but first, 0:22:38.720 --> 0:22:41.760 today's show's brought to you by representing sponsor hard Rock 0:22:41.800 --> 0:22:45.360 Bet Florida sportsbook. 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In Indiana, if you are 0:24:23.880 --> 0:24:26.320 somebody you know as a gambling problem wants help, call 0:24:26.480 --> 0:24:30.080 what eight hundred and nine with it. In Arizona, Ohio, Virginia, 0:24:30.160 --> 0:24:33.000 call one eight hundred My reset gambling problem called one 0:24:33.000 --> 0:24:34.000 eight hundred Gambler. 0:24:34.160 --> 0:24:36.960 A reminder everybody to like, rate, subscribe, and review to 0:24:37.000 --> 0:24:38.760 the pod. All right, Demanse, we have a question from 0:24:38.760 --> 0:24:40.280 Elijah about Kevin Durant. 0:24:40.640 --> 0:24:42.760 He said, where would Kevin Durant be ranked all time 0:24:42.800 --> 0:24:45.960 without Stephen Curry. 0:24:46.040 --> 0:24:53.080 So this is such an interesting question because do let's 0:24:53.119 --> 0:25:00.960 say Durant in twenty sixteen Demands had signed with the Celtics, 0:25:01.400 --> 0:25:05.879 which seemed to be a second choice. I happen to 0:25:05.920 --> 0:25:12.600 believe if that happened over the next three years, Lebron, 0:25:13.520 --> 0:25:20.240 Steph and Durant all would have gotten one. I think 0:25:20.280 --> 0:25:24.960 that instead of it being Stephan Durant win those two together, 0:25:25.440 --> 0:25:27.879 and then everybody in the Warriors gets hurt, and Kawhi 0:25:27.920 --> 0:25:33.359 and the Raptors end up, you know, grabbing that one. 0:25:33.920 --> 0:25:36.800 I think that Kyrie doesn't ask to leave Cleveland. I 0:25:36.840 --> 0:25:39.400 think there's a lot of things that happened then and 0:25:39.440 --> 0:25:44.280 then all of a sudden, the you know, the ring 0:25:44.400 --> 0:25:48.720 count then also is more indicative of what their careers were. 0:25:48.800 --> 0:25:52.240 Like Lebron finishes at least as of this minute, he 0:25:52.280 --> 0:25:57.119 has five, Durant has won, Steph has two, and like, 0:25:57.200 --> 0:26:01.320 oh okay, that's about you know how it probably should 0:26:01.359 --> 0:26:09.040 have gone. But there is a very interesting push and 0:26:09.119 --> 0:26:16.760 pull of if Durant never joined Steph, if Steph doesn't 0:26:16.800 --> 0:26:20.040 like one of the reasons Steph got those two more 0:26:20.160 --> 0:26:25.600 rings in the twenty tens, right, was because Durant was there. 0:26:26.800 --> 0:26:31.119 So if so, that helped his historical ranking, you know 0:26:31.160 --> 0:26:35.960 what I mean. So it's like a very I don't 0:26:37.000 --> 0:26:42.159 if Durant would have never gotten any rings had he 0:26:42.240 --> 0:26:46.640 not joined Steph. That obviously is uh that hurts his 0:26:46.640 --> 0:26:50.199 historical ranking massively, But I've gotta think he would have 0:26:50.200 --> 0:26:53.840 won one. He was so good during that time. Do 0:26:53.920 --> 0:26:58.560 you do you question that would have found a way 0:26:58.560 --> 0:26:59.080 to win one. 0:26:59.720 --> 0:27:02.560 Yeah, one hundred percent. I think people would have been 0:27:02.640 --> 0:27:06.000 easier on putting putting him up above other players too. 0:27:06.040 --> 0:27:08.480 I feel like it's just kind of hard to get 0:27:08.480 --> 0:27:08.800 you know. 0:27:08.880 --> 0:27:11.560 What I'm saying is are you what I'm what I'm 0:27:11.960 --> 0:27:14.720 hold on. What I'm saying is are you as confident 0:27:14.720 --> 0:27:17.200 as I am that had he not joined the Warriors 0:27:18.840 --> 0:27:19.760 champion somehow? 0:27:20.800 --> 0:27:25.240 Yeah, I just yeah, the I can't say for sure, 0:27:25.359 --> 0:27:27.119 just because it seems like Katie is a little bit 0:27:27.119 --> 0:27:28.720 of a different type of dude. But I was just 0:27:28.720 --> 0:27:30.840 gonna say that people are gonna want to play with 0:27:30.920 --> 0:27:33.320 Kevin Durant, So I feel like he would have gotten 0:27:33.320 --> 0:27:34.040 a chip somehow. 0:27:34.520 --> 0:27:41.840 But well, you know, had he joined the Celtics, potentially, 0:27:41.960 --> 0:27:44.320 you know he's you know, he gets Tatum and Brown 0:27:44.480 --> 0:27:49.000 like there's still some really interesting teams. No way he does. Yeah, 0:27:49.760 --> 0:27:51.600 that's what I think. I think he finds a way 0:27:51.640 --> 0:27:58.960 to win, he wins one. I think Durant is ranked 0:27:59.040 --> 0:28:05.760 properly historically. He is in everyone's top twenty, and no 0:28:05.800 --> 0:28:11.280 one's who's serious in their top ten. That's and so 0:28:11.840 --> 0:28:13.440 you know, I don't really want to spend a lot 0:28:13.440 --> 0:28:18.119 of time here debating if he's fourteen or eighteen, right, Like, 0:28:18.200 --> 0:28:22.960 that's not as productive. And I think that's about where 0:28:23.000 --> 0:28:26.439 he was supposed to stand up, this all time great 0:28:26.480 --> 0:28:35.800 player who had some I would say leadership shortcomings that 0:28:36.280 --> 0:28:43.320 ultimately prevented him from reaching that top, top, top level 0:28:44.000 --> 0:28:47.520 that as the greatest shooting seven footer of all time, 0:28:47.640 --> 0:28:52.600 he certainly could have gotten to. And so I think 0:28:52.640 --> 0:28:58.080 he's right where he's supposed to be. All right, this 0:28:58.240 --> 0:29:01.880 is a longer question, demonse, but I like it's from 0:29:02.000 --> 0:29:02.680 water bottle. 0:29:03.200 --> 0:29:05.400 Uh So, water Bottle says, the sports world is what, 0:29:05.600 --> 0:29:08.200 as well as the broader economy, seems to be increasingly 0:29:09.000 --> 0:29:11.760