WEBVTT - EPISODE 22: ODE TO KD

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to this weegue uncut the Rule of twenty four

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<v Speaker 1>NBA News Chris Hans, Markstein, It's time this lig uncut

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<v Speaker 1>is underway on fire. This should be a good one,

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<v Speaker 1>Friends of the show. Hello Mark Stein here checking in

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<v Speaker 1>solo with an audio dispatch for this League uncut. A

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<v Speaker 1>shorter submission on this Friday before Chris Haynes and I

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<v Speaker 1>nailed down be very fun surprise, the newsy surprise we've

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<v Speaker 1>been working on. Hopefully that comes together this weekend. The

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<v Speaker 1>signals are promising. I don't want to say too much

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<v Speaker 1>about it in advance. I just don't want to jinx anything. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>you're stuck with me. I'm a bit pod superstitious, so

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<v Speaker 1>I'm going to exercise some caution here, some restraint. We've

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<v Speaker 1>also had a bit of a funky week scheduling wise,

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<v Speaker 1>because I had a game to cover Wednesday night, Sacramento

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<v Speaker 1>at Dallas, and then Chris had to travel because he's

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<v Speaker 1>got Memphis at Milwaukee tonight on NBA TV. Of course,

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<v Speaker 1>it's a rare Friday night assignment on the sidelines for Chris.

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<v Speaker 1>Usually we see him on a Tuesday night or a

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<v Speaker 1>Thursday night. But rest assured we will be connecting this

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<v Speaker 1>weekend to record fresh material for you, some good stuff. Again.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm really excited if we can pull off what we

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<v Speaker 1>have planned. Let's see if that comes together. I did

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<v Speaker 1>those still want to check in today no matter what,

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<v Speaker 1>because we appeared to be on course for a very

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<v Speaker 1>interesting and absorbing scene in Los Angeles. If Kevin Durant

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<v Speaker 1>would have played for Phoenix in the Sun's game against

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<v Speaker 1>the Lakers, if we were to see that, it would

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<v Speaker 1>have been the first time time both of these heavyweights.

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<v Speaker 1>A Kevin Durant versus Lebron James showdown would have been

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<v Speaker 1>the first we've seen since Christmas Day in twenty eighteen. Unfortunately,

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<v Speaker 1>that does now not appear to be forthcoming. Montie Williams

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<v Speaker 1>basically gave us that hint last night after Phoenix held

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<v Speaker 1>on to beat the Denver Nuggets reserves. Monnie Williams basically

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<v Speaker 1>said Kevin Durant would play a half at most in

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<v Speaker 1>the second half of this back to back. It now

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<v Speaker 1>appears that even that much the plan to let him

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<v Speaker 1>go a half has been scrapped, and you can understand

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<v Speaker 1>why the Suns are locked into the fourth seed in

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<v Speaker 1>the West. The problem there for us, it means that

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<v Speaker 1>it's going to be the eighteenth straight meeting between Durant's

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<v Speaker 1>teams and Lebron James teams. That we haven't had both

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<v Speaker 1>of these guys on the floor. You were talking almost

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<v Speaker 1>five years ago. Now that one injury or another has

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<v Speaker 1>prevented us from seeing Katie versus Lebron, and it just

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<v Speaker 1>feeds into Unfortunately, what's frankly been this whole final week

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<v Speaker 1>of the regular season. It's just been a dud, huge disappointment.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm a huge fan of the play and tournament. You

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<v Speaker 1>guys have heard me say it a million times. I

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<v Speaker 1>love the way the play in Tournament has juiced the

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<v Speaker 1>end of the regular season March basketball. From my seat,

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<v Speaker 1>it's more interesting now than I ever remember it being. Unfortunately,

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<v Speaker 1>last week of the season, there's very little left it

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<v Speaker 1>aside now teams left and right are resting. Guys. I

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<v Speaker 1>can't even keep track of all the bulletins announcing who's

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<v Speaker 1>not playing. Entering Friday's play Nineteen of the twenty teams

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<v Speaker 1>either going to the playoffs or going to the play

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<v Speaker 1>in Tournament. They were already known. It was basically down

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<v Speaker 1>when we woke up this morning. It is basically down

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<v Speaker 1>to Dallas as the last team on the outside that

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<v Speaker 1>could force its way in, and that's only if the

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<v Speaker 1>Mavericks beat Chicago and San Antonio in their last two

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<v Speaker 1>home games. And the Mavericks also need Oklahoma City to

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<v Speaker 1>lose Sunday at home to a Memphis team with nothing

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<v Speaker 1>to play for. And of course, the Mavericks have since

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<v Speaker 1>announced that everybody not named Luka Dontchich that you would

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<v Speaker 1>expect to see on the floor, we're not going to

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<v Speaker 1>see them against Chicago. Kyrie Irving, Maxi Kleiba, Christian Wood,

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<v Speaker 1>Josh Green, and Tim Hardaway Junior. They're all out for

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<v Speaker 1>the Chicago game. So the Mavericks even now are prioritizing

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<v Speaker 1>draft position when they're still mathematically in a position to

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<v Speaker 1>compete for a play in spot. So any game we

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<v Speaker 1>were looking forward to this weekend, something is derailing it.

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<v Speaker 1>I do, though, want to go back to Kevin Durant,

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<v Speaker 1>even though it appears he's not playing tonight against the Lakers,

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<v Speaker 1>because okay, beyond that, what is going on in Phoenix

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<v Speaker 1>in the big picture, it remains absolutely fascinating to me

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<v Speaker 1>because Kevin Durant, He's only played eight games as a son.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe he plays in the last regular season game to

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<v Speaker 1>take it to nine, maybe he doesn't. Either way, what's

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<v Speaker 1>going on in Phoenix. This is unique. It's beyond unique,

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<v Speaker 1>It's really unprecedented. My old friend Bill Simmons tossed out

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<v Speaker 1>a pretty provocative position on his latest podcast. Bill's view

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<v Speaker 1>is that an NBA team has never traded for its

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<v Speaker 1>best player at mid season and gone on to win

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<v Speaker 1>the championship. Now, we can quibble a bit here, and Bill,

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<v Speaker 1>to his credit, did throw this into this particular take.

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<v Speaker 1>Rashid Wallace, to me, was the Pistons best player in

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<v Speaker 1>two thousand and four when Detroit traded for him and

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<v Speaker 1>then won it all. But Bill's right, obviously, it wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>clear cut that Detroit team was the rare ensemble cast

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<v Speaker 1>that got all the way to the NBA mountaintop on

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<v Speaker 1>the strength of its whole starting five with Chauncey Billips

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<v Speaker 1>and Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince and Ben Wallace, all

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<v Speaker 1>of them alongside Rashid Wallace. I do, though, think Bill's

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<v Speaker 1>main point is still a great one. We've really never

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<v Speaker 1>seen a star of Durant's magnitude who gets moved at

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<v Speaker 1>the deadline period, so by definition, we haven't seen it

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<v Speaker 1>leading to a championship. And then, on top of it,

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<v Speaker 1>a star of durant stature to get traded mid season

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<v Speaker 1>and then he only plays eight or nine games with

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<v Speaker 1>his new team because of injury. That's a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>wonky variables to factor into a potential championship equation. Because

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<v Speaker 1>remember Clyde Drexer traded to the Rockets in nineteen ninety five,

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<v Speaker 1>but that was a chem Elijah One's team. Marcus Saul

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<v Speaker 1>traded to the Raptors in twenty nineteen and certainly made

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<v Speaker 1>a contribution to a championship run, but that was Kawhi

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<v Speaker 1>Leonards team. You could also say this certainly looks like

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<v Speaker 1>the right year to try, it doesn't it. With the

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<v Speaker 1>state of the messy West being what it is, absolutely

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<v Speaker 1>there for the taking. I mean, the trust factor in

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<v Speaker 1>the Denver Nuggets is not high at all. That's a

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<v Speaker 1>big reason why people say this West is so open

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<v Speaker 1>and the pressure awaiting Nicola Yokis and the Nuggets in

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<v Speaker 1>the playoffs, it's going to be a level of expectation

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<v Speaker 1>they've never faced before. Because people want to see this team.

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<v Speaker 1>They don't want to hear about what Denver has done

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<v Speaker 1>in the regular season. They want to see them do

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<v Speaker 1>it on the playoff stage. So wide open West. And

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<v Speaker 1>then you factor in what Durant is doing individually this

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<v Speaker 1>season at age thirty four. Okay, injuries have limited him

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<v Speaker 1>to forty seven games, and Durant last night even tweeted

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<v Speaker 1>he sees the chatter, and somebody tweeted, what an amazing

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<v Speaker 1>individual stat line he has, and Durant comes back with,

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<v Speaker 1>don't count. Didn't play sixty five games. He's obviously being facetious.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm pretty sure Katie thinks it does count. Don't worry,

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<v Speaker 1>mister Durant. I do think there are plenty of people

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<v Speaker 1>out there who are counting it and taking note. Fifty

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<v Speaker 1>six percent overall shooting from the field, forty point four

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<v Speaker 1>percent shooting from three point range, ninety one point nine

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<v Speaker 1>percent shooting from the line. People, those shooting splits are

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<v Speaker 1>fifty six forty ninety two. If you take three pointers

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<v Speaker 1>out of that first number, which some people advocate for,

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<v Speaker 1>it's sixty one point seven percent. Sixty two percent. Basically,

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<v Speaker 1>oh yeah. And Durant's teams, the Nets and the Suns,

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<v Speaker 1>the two teams he's played for this season. They're twenty

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<v Speaker 1>six and two, twenty six and two in the last

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<v Speaker 1>twenty eight games Durant has played so all. That is why,

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<v Speaker 1>in lieu of a clear cut favorite in what for

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<v Speaker 1>so long has been the NBA's power Conference, that's why

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<v Speaker 1>you hear so many people saying they think the Suns

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<v Speaker 1>can win the West and make it back to the

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<v Speaker 1>NBA Finals, even though we've barely seen what a Sun's

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<v Speaker 1>team that revolves around Kevin Durant looks like. We really haven't.

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<v Speaker 1>We really don't know. We're going to find out in

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<v Speaker 1>the playoffs themselves. So look, there will be lots more

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<v Speaker 1>to come very soon from this league. Uncut. Chris and

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<v Speaker 1>I will be examining those very layers throughout the next

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<v Speaker 1>couple months. We've got some great stuff planned. Like I said,

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<v Speaker 1>fingers crossed that our big weekend ambitions come to fruition,

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<v Speaker 1>and honestly, next week can't get here soon enough. The

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<v Speaker 1>NBA scriptwriters owe us, They owe us some good playing

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<v Speaker 1>round drama. We deserve some drama to make up for

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<v Speaker 1>what's been a very limp finish to the NBA seventy

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<v Speaker 1>seventh season that we've been subjected to this week. It's

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<v Speaker 1>going to get better. Let's hope for that talk soon everyone,

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<v Speaker 1>and that'll do it for us. See you next time.

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<v Speaker 1>This League Uncut is an i Heeart radio production bosucka

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<v Speaker 1>Loca Chris Hanes and Mark Steyn