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Speaker 1: We have our in season tournament semifinal matchups Pacers and Bucks,

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Speaker 1: Pelicans and Lakers. We're gonna get into all the ins

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Speaker 1: and outs about knockout round week in the IST. We're

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Speaker 1: also gonna find out why Chris is texting Adam Silver

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Speaker 1: and all the latest with de Aaron Fox and his

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Speaker 1: future in Sacramento. All that next here on this League Uncut.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to this League Uncut rule of twenty four hour

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Speaker 2: NBA news.

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Speaker 1: This you'll.

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Speaker 2: Chris Hans, it's time, Mark Stein, It's so time. This

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Speaker 2: League Uncut is underway and on fire. This should be

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Speaker 2: a good one. Everyone.

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Speaker 1: Welcome in to the latest edition of this League Uncut.

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Speaker 1: Mark Stein here with Chris. It is the first full

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Speaker 1: week of December. It is the in season tournament takeover

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Speaker 1: of the NBA. This week, Chris Haynes and I we

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Speaker 1: are doing this podcast and watching the last of the

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Speaker 1: four quarterfinals as we speak. It's sixty three All Suns

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Speaker 1: Lakers in LA. We already know the other three teams

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Speaker 1: that will be in Las Vegas. The Indiana Pacers will

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Speaker 1: play the Milwaukee Bucks for the East's birth in the

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Speaker 1: IST championship game. It'll either be Pelicans Sons or Pelican's

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Speaker 1: Lakers for the West Birth in the nd season Tournament.

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Speaker 1: Chris Haynes will soon be on his way to Vegas.

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Speaker 1: I will be watching from afar. I could not make

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Speaker 1: the entrepreneurial equations work to get myself to Vegas, so I,

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Speaker 1: like many of you, will be living vicariously through Chris

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Speaker 1: Haynes as he is this League Uncuts official and loan

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Speaker 1: Ist representative. Chris Haynes, are you ready for your return

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Speaker 1: to the Desert, this time without me? So no live

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Speaker 1: show like we did in July. It's just gonna be

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Speaker 1: you holding it down for both of us.

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Speaker 3: You know, it will not be the same. I'll say

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Speaker 3: that Stne because usually we are we do go to

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Speaker 3: Vegas this time of year, but it's for the G

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Speaker 3: League Showcase. And this is probably the one time on

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Speaker 3: a few occasions that I really get to run into you.

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Speaker 3: You know, You're really hard to catch throughout the season,

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Speaker 3: unless I end up in Dallas, which I will be

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Speaker 3: in Dallas next week.

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Speaker 1: That's right, December twelfth. It is written in Penn in

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Speaker 1: my calendar.

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Speaker 3: Sorright, so I'll see you there, so that would be cool.

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Speaker 3: But yeah, no, I'm looking forward to this. I actually

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Speaker 3: text Adam Silver today and I told him, I said,

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Speaker 3: I got to give you your props. This is season

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Speaker 3: tournament good idea, because I was actually excited for the

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Speaker 3: pair of games today, like and And that's why I

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Speaker 3: told him. I'm like, I haven't. I don't think I've

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Speaker 3: been excited to watch a game like that in December

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Speaker 3: or late November in a long time, probably since I

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Speaker 3: was just probably a fan before I was covering the league.

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Speaker 3: So you know, I just think a lot of people

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Speaker 3: feel that way about what they're watching right now. And

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Speaker 3: I had to give him as props.

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Speaker 2: Man.

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Speaker 3: He hit me back, he say, appreciate that, Chris, But

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Speaker 3: I think every I think a lot of people like Stein,

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Speaker 3: we didn't know going in. We had no clue, and

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Speaker 3: I'm somebody who doesn't. You know. I don't like change often,

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Speaker 3: you know. I like to stick to my routines, and

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Speaker 3: so I'm not always the best person to ask about

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Speaker 3: if something should work or not. But this this show

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Speaker 3: looks like it's going to work. And just to give

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Speaker 3: people a little background on how this thing is going

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Speaker 3: to play out, once once this once all four teams

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Speaker 3: are confirmed for Vegas, so December seventh will be the

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Speaker 3: semi finals, so will be the four teams playing East

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Speaker 3: and West, and then once they both gets down to two,

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Speaker 3: there will be media Day n Season Tournament Championship Media

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Speaker 3: Day on the eighth and it will feature the final

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Speaker 3: two teams. So just like during the NBA Finals we

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Speaker 3: have media Day, it's gonna have media day on December

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Speaker 3: to eighth Friday. At the end December ninth is the

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Speaker 3: championship game. So I'm looking forward to it. Sten, So

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Speaker 3: I wish you were going, Buddy, I really do.

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Speaker 1: No and I do too, and listen. As critical as

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Speaker 1: I've been, I am certainly not yet sending any congratulatory

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Speaker 1: texts or messages or emails to the commissioner. But even

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Speaker 1: as critical as I've been about the group stages and

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Speaker 1: the various issues that I've voiced, I too was looking

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Speaker 1: really I was looking forward to the knockout round because

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Speaker 1: I was fascinated to see how the teams would treat it.

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Speaker 1: I never had that. Once we get to Vegas, once

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Speaker 1: there are four teams in Vegas, I have no doubt

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Speaker 1: that people are going to be psyched about that neutral site.

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Speaker 1: Four teams, two single elimination games, and even in these

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Speaker 1: quarterfinal games which are not at neutral sites. The crowd

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Speaker 1: in Indiana on Monday night was so hyped. That was

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Speaker 1: as big a game as the Pacers have played in

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Speaker 1: a long long time. Tyrese Halliburton has talked about how

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Speaker 1: he has never even been on TNT until that game,

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Speaker 1: and now this week we're going to get to see

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Speaker 1: him on national TV multiple times. Halliburton rose to the

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Speaker 1: occasion first career triple double play, saying, while sick, you know,

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Speaker 1: for New Orleans two, same thing. Zion Williamson has never

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Speaker 1: played in an NBA playoff game, So for some of

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Speaker 1: these teams this is a huge deal. And it's, like

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Speaker 1: I said, as critical as I've been about so much

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Speaker 1: of this, to me has not felt like a tournament.

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Speaker 1: This week, it's finally starting to feel like a tournament.

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Speaker 1: And when the Vegas portion starts, I'm sure it's gonna

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Speaker 1: feel like a tournament. And again, along with all the

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Speaker 1: criticisms that I've levied, when the league does good things,

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna give them their props. And I have to

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Speaker 1: say a couple things that I've really liked this week.

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Speaker 1: The scheduling has been smart to make sure that Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday,

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Speaker 1: the only games being played on those days will be

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Speaker 1: in season tournament games. You have the two quarterfinals Monday night,

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Speaker 1: we have two quarterfinals Tonight, Thursday's the two semis, Saturday's

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Speaker 1: the championship. If you want to watch NBA games this

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Speaker 1: week on those days, the only thing you can see

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Speaker 1: is the is team. And that's really smart and to

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Speaker 1: go with, you know, to at least somewhat slightly offset

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Speaker 1: my many many complaints that this thing, this tournament hasn't

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Speaker 1: been soccer like enough for me. But one thing the

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Speaker 1: league has done that is very soccer like. This week

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Speaker 1: they announced they sent out pictures in a long release.

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Speaker 1: You've got the NBA Cup that the championship team will win.

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Speaker 1: They have a trophy for the tournament MVP. But they've

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Speaker 1: also got winners medals. Every player on the championship team

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Speaker 1: will collect a championship medal. And that is very soccer

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Speaker 1: like and something that this soccer nerd definitely appreciates.

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Speaker 3: If we're talking about you know, I think everybody has

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Speaker 3: an opinion and half suggestions about how we can make

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Speaker 3: things better. I think a couple of them. You know.

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Speaker 3: The point differential is kind of debatable. If you talk

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Speaker 3: to coaches around the league, and I've talked to probably

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Speaker 3: a dozen, and they're it varies, you know, it varies.

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Speaker 3: You know, some are for it, some are against it.

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Speaker 3: Some talk about implementing a you know, a quarter system

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Speaker 3: where the team who's won the team who's won more

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Speaker 3: quarters are prioritized in the standings. But stein, what do

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Speaker 3: you think about this, because I think largely this is

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Speaker 3: probably confused a lot of spectators. Is the group play?

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Speaker 3: And when I mean the group play is that you

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Speaker 3: know when these games, you know, they're they're spread out.

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Speaker 3: The n C tournament, they're they're they're spread out, like

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Speaker 3: so they'll play n season tournament group game, then they'll

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Speaker 3: play another one next week or a week and a

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Speaker 3: half later, and people forget, like the what the record

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Speaker 3: is during the season, I mean during you know, during

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Speaker 3: the course of the regular season that early on. What

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Speaker 3: is the problem with just doing the nd season tournament?

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Speaker 3: Just just take carving out two and a half weeks.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I hope that that's what I would like to see.

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Speaker 1: That's I mean to me because if you know, again,

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Speaker 1: and I'm a soccer nerd, so I look at this

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Speaker 1: often through a soccer fans perspective, and if you really

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Speaker 1: want to make it like the FA Cup in England

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Speaker 1: or the League Cup in England, the games in the

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Speaker 1: tournament would be separate from the regular season schedule. I

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Speaker 1: totally understand why the NBA didn't want to do that,

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Speaker 1: especially in year one, because on top of all the

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Speaker 1: logistical challenges, they were worried that teams might not play

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Speaker 1: their main guys if the games are separate. They wanted

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Speaker 1: them to be regular season games that counted twice to

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Speaker 1: incentivize teams to make sure they use their best players

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Speaker 1: because if you lose those games, it can hurt you

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Speaker 1: in the standings as well. But yes, down the road,

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Speaker 1: and I don't know how soon it will be, but

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Speaker 1: I'm hopeful. I would love. I think the whole thing

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Speaker 1: should be in Vegas, and I think they could do

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Speaker 1: it in less than two weeks realistically, And I think

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Speaker 1: it should be completely single elimination, because that's what would

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Speaker 1: really make it different, unique and inject some novelty into

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Speaker 1: this thing.

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Speaker 3: Oh so you said, so you're saying screw to group play,

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Speaker 3: like screwed.

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Speaker 1: Totally if it was up to If it was up.

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Speaker 1: To me, there would be no group play because the

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Speaker 1: group play, it's it's just it's not real group play.

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Speaker 1: It's just these four regular season games are gonna count twice.

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Speaker 1: I just to me, it's it's not it's you know,

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Speaker 1: it's not a separate group. When college basketball teams play

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Speaker 1: in tournaments before league play, they go to the Maui

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Speaker 1: Classic or wherever it is, and they play games that

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Speaker 1: do not count in their conference schedule. But you know,

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Speaker 1: the NBA again, and like I said, I understand why

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Speaker 1: the NBA doesn't want to do that, but I think

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Speaker 1: if they if they went the route I'm saying, if

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Speaker 1: they just said, you know what, the whole league is

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Speaker 1: going to go to Vegas for a week and a

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Speaker 1: half to two weeks. You know, we'll give the top

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Speaker 1: we'll give the buys to the top four seeds. The

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Speaker 1: other twenty eight teams go into a hat. Let's just

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Speaker 1: pick it, pick it out of a hat, mix up

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Speaker 1: East and West, and let's really get crazy and play

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Speaker 1: a real tournament. I think we will get more of

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Speaker 1: the excitement that we've seen this week because single elimination.

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Speaker 1: To me, that's where the juice is. That's why people

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Speaker 1: are loving this this week because it truly is win

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Speaker 1: or go home in one game, and that's something the

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Speaker 1: NBA is not used to. It's new, and to me,

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Speaker 1: that's where that novelty factor comes in.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I wouldn't be opposed to that. I actually like that.

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Speaker 3: I just think that, like, even if they do keep

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Speaker 3: the group play, I just think, like, just carve out

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Speaker 3: two weeks, go ahead and go through your group play

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Speaker 3: schedule and then from there get to your knockout rounds. Like,

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Speaker 3: just just keep it focused on the N Season tournament

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Speaker 3: for two weeks. Give the N Season Tournament two weeks.

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Speaker 3: Don't put other regular season games in between, because people forget,

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Speaker 3: you know, like the broadcast crew, we have to continue

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Speaker 3: to remind people, Hey, I know, like a team might

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Speaker 3: have lost, a team might have lost three in a row, right,

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Speaker 3: but we have to remind them, hey, but they're two

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Speaker 3: and zero in N Season tournament games, you know what

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Speaker 3: I mean. Like, so it's like, let's just go into

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Speaker 3: ND season tournament mode. Stay there for how from beginning

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Speaker 3: to end, so everybody can focus and concentrate on that,

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Speaker 3: and then you give it all the attention you need.

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Speaker 3: But I'm definitely not a p go to you saying

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Speaker 3: just go straight to knockout rounds, inviting all the you know,

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Speaker 3: inviting all the NBA teams into it. It would definitely

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Speaker 3: be much more pilling. But you know, those are those

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Speaker 3: small suggestions.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. And one of the things I'm looking forward to

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Speaker 1: this week when you go to Vegas and this is,

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Speaker 1: you know, I will you know, I was joking before,

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Speaker 1: but I really will be living through you in this respect.

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Speaker 1: I mean, I'm really hopeful that you being on the ground,

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Speaker 1: and you know, I'm sure there's gonna be some sort

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Speaker 1: of availability with Adam Silver, and I hope something that

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Speaker 1: happens this week is that we get some kind of

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Speaker 1: glimpse of what the league thinks worked well, what the

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Speaker 1: league thinks didn't work so well. Will they reveal in

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Speaker 1: Vegas any of the changes in tweaks that they're likely

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Speaker 1: to implement next season, because I look, you know, they

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Speaker 1: haven't made any kind of formal announcement, but I think

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Speaker 1: we can all say it's been enough intrigue just this

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Speaker 1: week has been spark that they're going to try this

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Speaker 1: again next season. I certainly don't think it's going to

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Speaker 1: be a one and done. I'm sure, they're gonna want

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Speaker 1: to bring it back and see if they can make

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Speaker 1: it better and see if they can keep building this thing,

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Speaker 1: because ultimately we know they would love to be able

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Speaker 1: to sell the n Season Tournament as a separate TV property,

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Speaker 1: and you got to do it for more than one

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Speaker 1: year if that's the case.

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Speaker 3: Yeah. I spoke with CJ McCollum of the New Orleans Pelicans.

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Speaker 3: He's also the president of the Players Association. I had

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Speaker 3: their game for TNT, the Kings Pelicans, and we saw

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Speaker 3: that the Pelicans they advanced it beat the sacrament of

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Speaker 3: Kings in Sacramento for that. But CJ said they've already

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Speaker 3: started the process of offering suggestions to the league on

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Speaker 3: how to improve this theme. But he said the players

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Speaker 3: are definitely on board with continuing this on. Pretty Much

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Speaker 3: everybody you know think this is a great idea. In

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Speaker 3: New Orleans, they were, They took care of business, but

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Speaker 3: they were ready. You know, they got to Vegas Wednesday,

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Speaker 3: excuse me, Tuesday morning. So they played Monday night and

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Speaker 3: they left first thing in the morning for Vegas, like

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Speaker 3: they they were prepared. I was in Stein. I was

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Speaker 3: during the there was a huddle, there was a time

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Speaker 3: out in that game, and it was the second half.

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Speaker 3: I can't remember if it was the third quarter or

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Speaker 3: fourth quarter, but New Orleans had a pretty nice lead

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Speaker 3: and Alvarado is talking, you know, pumping his teammates up

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Speaker 3: and motivating everybody, and he was like, come on, we're

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Speaker 3: this much closer to to get on that bus for Vegas. So, uh,

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Speaker 3: you know, it's just like, guys, are you know this?

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Speaker 3: They're motivated about this, and you know, Las Vegas is

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Speaker 3: definitely an attraction that appeals to a large mass of individuals,

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Speaker 3: including NBA players, So you know, it's it's so far,

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Speaker 3: so good.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, So let's talk a little bit more about that, because,

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Speaker 1: as you said, you had Monday night's game, New Orleans

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Speaker 1: go into Sacramento and beats the Kings for the third

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Speaker 1: time this season, Pels three to zero against Sacramento, and

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Speaker 1: I mean that was a big opportunity for both teams

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Speaker 1: because we all remember last season was Sacramento finished third

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Speaker 1: in the West, but that was their first trip to

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Speaker 1: the playoffs in seventeen years, after a league record and

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Speaker 1: unwanted league record sixteen consecutive seasons out of the playoffs.

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Speaker 1: So the Pelicans Zion Williamson has yet to play in

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Speaker 1: a playoff game. The Kings have no recent playoff success

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Speaker 1: to speak of, so there was a lot on the

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Speaker 1: line for both teams. And also in the middle of

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Speaker 1: all that, I saw you on TV reporting about the

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Speaker 1: dieron Fox contract situation. So maybe you can expound for

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Speaker 1: us now and give us a little gives give us

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Speaker 1: a little on TV. You have to kind of rush

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Speaker 1: through it in a minute or two. Maybe you can

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Speaker 1: take a little more time here and walk us through

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Speaker 1: what's going on with deer Fox and the King's attempts

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Speaker 1: to resign him.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, so I reported during the game, and this was

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Speaker 3: never reported before, but uh, you know, sources have told

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Speaker 3: me that Dearn Fox was presented with an extension prior

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Speaker 3: to this season started starting. And we all know he's

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Speaker 3: represented by Rich Paul, the CEO of Clutch Sports, but

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Speaker 3: they were presented a two year, one hundred and five

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Speaker 3: million dollar extension that Fox and Rich turned down. And

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Speaker 3: let me just say this, I remember this was a

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Speaker 3: few years ago. I remember when when Rich Paul signed Deerren.

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Speaker 3: Deerren had let go of his longtime agent and hired

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Speaker 3: Rich the I think the the immediate response. I would say,

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Speaker 3: I think a lot of people thought that this is

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Speaker 3: another Anthony David situation, hiring Rich Paul to try to

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Speaker 3: get the Aaron out of Sacramento. And this was before again,

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Speaker 3: this was before Sacramento took off, probably a year before

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Speaker 3: Sacramento took off, and have you know, have become the

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Speaker 3: team that they are now. And so now you see

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Speaker 3: it's a situation where Dearn like really loves it in Sacramento,

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Speaker 3: really really really loves it. And you know, Sacramento, I

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Speaker 3: think they were kind of still trying to figure out

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Speaker 3: what Dearn ceiling was in this league. And then you

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Speaker 3: see what Daren he did last season. You see that

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Speaker 3: he's stepped it up this year, averaging thirty a game.

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Speaker 3: And Sacramento Kings are still clicking, and so they want

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Speaker 3: this to be a long term partnership, Sacramento Kings and Fox.

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Speaker 3: So they're in agreement on that. And I wanted to stein,

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Speaker 3: you're so accurate on you know, on TV you say

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Speaker 3: one or two minutes, no more like thirty second. You

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Speaker 3: got about thirty thirty forty seconds to try to make

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Speaker 3: your point, and you know, sometimes you leave stuff out

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Speaker 3: you're like, dangn, damn, I want to tuck, you know,

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Speaker 3: I want to There's more context I could have added,

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Speaker 3: but I wanted to clarify on air that that that

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Speaker 3: was the most that the Kings could extend deer was

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Speaker 3: a two year, one hundred and five million, And from

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Speaker 3: what I was told, the Kings offered that because you know,

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Speaker 3: that's all they could, but they understood that Deeron likely

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Speaker 3: wouldn't accept that, and that was fine. And so Dearon

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Speaker 3: is holding out for the chance that he can become

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Speaker 3: eligible for a Supermax. And from what I was told,

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Speaker 3: his supermax, you know, these numbers are ballpark as of

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Speaker 3: right now. There's still some things we have to they

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Speaker 3: have to clear, but he can command around a four year,

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Speaker 3: two hundred and forty five million dollar supermax extension. So, uh,

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Speaker 3: the Kings understand Fox wants to be in Sacramento long term.

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Speaker 3: They want him their long term. But that was just

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Speaker 3: just think about that steing guys. You know, this is

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Speaker 3: just a different league. Now, the money is different. You

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Speaker 3: think about guys turning down two years, one hundred and

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Speaker 3: five million, that's what fifty two to fifty three million

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Speaker 3: a season. Man that's crazy money right there. But you know,

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Speaker 3: you got to think about the long term plan and

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Speaker 3: what you can have for you know, double the years

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Speaker 3: if so.

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Speaker 1: And you can understand why the Aaron Fox would take

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Speaker 1: this position because, as you said, the Kings, the most

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Speaker 1: they can offer as we speak, two years in the

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Speaker 1: ballpark of one hundred million. Maybe it's a little bit

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Speaker 1: north of one hundred million, maybe it's a little bit south,

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Speaker 1: but basically it's just two years. One hundred ish million

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Speaker 1: is the most Sacramento can offer now. If the Aaron

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Speaker 1: Fox makes another All NBA team after this season, and

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Speaker 1: remember he made and All NBA team last season, if

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Speaker 1: Dearon Fox can do that again, now he becomes eligible

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Speaker 1: for that four year megadeal you were describing that's worth

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Speaker 1: almost two hundred and fifty million. So it's the sensible

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Speaker 1: move for the Kings to make that offer now, and

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Speaker 1: also the sensible move for Fox to hold off on it.

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Speaker 1: And you know, maybe All NBA is not his only

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Speaker 1: aim because your guy Mike Brown, Man, how many press

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Speaker 1: conferences already have we heard Mike Brown campaigning for Dearen

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Speaker 1: already to win MVP honors, already winning MVP honors, or

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Speaker 1: Defensive Player of the Year would also get it done

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Speaker 1: for Dearon Fox. But I think the more realistic aim

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Speaker 1: would certainly be making an All NBA team for the

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Speaker 1: second straight season. That would do it. And I think

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Speaker 1: you what did come across in your report on TV

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Speaker 1: You made it clear both the CA and de Aaron

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Speaker 1: Fox they wanted they want a long term relationship together.

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Speaker 3: Yes, And the earliest if he is able to get

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Speaker 3: All NBA or MVP or Defense Player of the Year,

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Speaker 3: the earliest he will be able to sign his super

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Speaker 3: Max extension will be July eighth of twenty twenty four.

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Speaker 3: So that's the long play. That's the long game right there.

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Speaker 3: And again, Sacramento, they're balling. Darren Fox is balling. I

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Speaker 3: don't see if they if they have, if they continue

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Speaker 3: as he is right now, continue on this trajectory, Darreon

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Speaker 3: Fox will definitely make All NBA again.

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Speaker 1: He's not gonna win Defensive Player of the Year. I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna go out on a limb right now and say

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Speaker 1: that ain't happening.

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Speaker 3: What about MVP Star All NBA.

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Speaker 1: He's got a great chance and about uh, Sacramento's gonna

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Speaker 1: have to win fifty plus games, I think for him

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Speaker 1: to get in that conversation. But like I said, Mike Brown,

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Speaker 1: Mike Brown is he puts that in the ether every week,

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Speaker 1: so he is. He is a very loud campaign manager

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Speaker 1: for the years. Yeah, so back to the present again,

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Speaker 1: as we said, we're taping this in the midst of

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Speaker 1: Lakers Suns fourth quarter.

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Speaker 2: There.

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Speaker 1: That's been a tight game all night to see who

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Speaker 1: claims this last in season tournament birth. But you know,

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Speaker 1: I will be jealous of you in Vegas because there

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Speaker 1: is gonna be a lot going on Indiana Milwaukee. That's

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Speaker 1: one of Thursday's games. Now, Milwaukee beats the Knicks. Milwaukee

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Speaker 1: scores one hundred and forty six on the Knicks. The

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Speaker 1: Knicks came into that game with a fifth ranked defense,

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Speaker 1: very impressive showing. But the cynic, the skeptic within me

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Speaker 1: is gonna ask what kind of crowd are we gonna

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Speaker 1: get in Vegas for Pacers Bucks? Had that been paid Nicks?

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Speaker 1: I mean, there are Vegas is a Laker town, but

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Speaker 1: there are a lot of Knicks fans in Vegas as well.

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Speaker 1: Are we gonna see Pacers fans and Bucks fans traveling

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Speaker 1: to Vegas on short notice? That is one of the

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Speaker 1: really intriguing questions to me here this week, what kind

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Speaker 1: of turnout are we gonna get from the local fans

405
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Speaker 1: in Vegas? And how excited are the locals gonna be

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Speaker 1: about a Pacers Bucks showdown for a spot in the

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Speaker 1: n season tournament final. So that is something I will

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Speaker 1: be texting you throughout that game to get to get

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Speaker 1: some crowd flavor.

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Speaker 3: STI. So you bring that up, you pose that question.

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Speaker 3: Did you see our good friend Nick for Dale's tweet today?

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Speaker 2: I did?

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Speaker 3: Uh huh, So Nick, let me pull Let me pull

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Speaker 3: up Nick for Dale's tweet just a moment. Bear with me, please.

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Speaker 3: I found it Nick for Dale's tweet today. He tweeted

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Speaker 3: this before or the Pacers. Excuse me, he tweeteds before

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Speaker 3: the Bucks and Knicks played. He said, I quote, the

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Speaker 3: NBA has got to be absolutely praying the Lakers and

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Speaker 3: Knicks win tonight. Who is going to watch, let alone

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Speaker 3: pay to see the Pacers and Bucks play at two

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Speaker 3: pm Pacific time on a Thursday afternoon in Vegas? And

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Speaker 3: you know, you know, I tend to scroll on Twitter

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Speaker 3: to kind of get the reaction of some fans and

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Speaker 3: what they're saying. The majority of them are saying they

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Speaker 3: got pretty similar tweets saying, so you mean that people

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Speaker 3: wouldn't want to go see Giannis Dame Halliburton and they

427
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Speaker 3: would rather see Julius Randall play in Las Vegas. So

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Speaker 3: that's pretty much. That was pretty much the response from

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Speaker 3: a lot of people right there. I would tend to

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Speaker 3: believe that vague knew that the n season tournament was coming.

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Speaker 3: You know, you still have great stars. I don't know

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Speaker 3: necessarily that people in Vegas want to see the Knicks

433
00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:13,080
Speaker 3: at Lakers. I think the Lakers being there is important

434
00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:15,680
Speaker 3: because it is a Lakers town, But I don't know

435
00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:19,920
Speaker 3: that necessarily a Lakers Knicks would be a big draw.

436
00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:22,360
Speaker 1: Well, I would say, look, I do. I do think

437
00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:25,880
Speaker 1: there are tons of Knicks fans in Vegas, tons of

438
00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:29,840
Speaker 1: displaced New Yorkers. But I would also say this as

439
00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:34,240
Speaker 1: Vegas has shown summer after summer after summer, with the

440
00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:37,639
Speaker 1: huge crowds we see at Summer League, there are a

441
00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:41,119
Speaker 1: lot of NBA fans in Vegas. And if it was

442
00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:45,520
Speaker 1: me and I was a Vegas resident to see a

443
00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:48,159
Speaker 1: game with stakes, you know, all the games in Vegas

444
00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:53,560
Speaker 1: are always Summer League games or USAB exhibitions or preseason games.

445
00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:56,159
Speaker 1: I mean this is this is a real game. A

446
00:26:56,280 --> 00:27:00,560
Speaker 1: real game is not played in Vegas too often. So yeah,

447
00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:04,359
Speaker 1: with Giannis and Dame and Halliburton and real stakes, to me,

448
00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:08,560
Speaker 1: the gym should be full. But I also think it's fair.

449
00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:12,000
Speaker 1: It's a fair question. It's fair to wonder because again

450
00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:15,560
Speaker 1: from you, if you are a Bucks fan or a

451
00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:18,880
Speaker 1: Pacers fan, how easy is it to just wing your

452
00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:22,439
Speaker 1: way to Vegas on a Thursday on short notice. I

453
00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:24,280
Speaker 1: don't know that it's that easy. So I don't know

454
00:27:24,800 --> 00:27:29,600
Speaker 1: how many fans from those cities will be traveling, but

455
00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:35,439
Speaker 1: I would like to think that the game can you know,

456
00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:37,840
Speaker 1: it's three games in Vegas, I would like to think

457
00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:42,159
Speaker 1: that that's a pretty decent ticket, a ticket in pretty

458
00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:42,959
Speaker 1: decent demand.

459
00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:49,080
Speaker 3: I'm not even thinking about fans of teams following them

460
00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:52,879
Speaker 3: to Vegas. I'm just thinking more so Vegas. Vegas is

461
00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:56,119
Speaker 3: a basketball town. It is a really good sports town,

462
00:27:56,760 --> 00:27:59,840
Speaker 3: and it's a Lakers town as well, and so especially

463
00:27:59,840 --> 00:28:02,719
Speaker 3: if the Lakers make it, the draw is already going

464
00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:06,480
Speaker 3: to be there. But I still think there's enough star

465
00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:12,120
Speaker 3: attraction for Vegas. Vegas residents to peck that arena out

466
00:28:12,280 --> 00:28:15,840
Speaker 3: at the end. It's an extra bonus. If if the

467
00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:17,080
Speaker 3: fans of teams.

468
00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:19,639
Speaker 1: Travel, you're always dialed into the Bucks. How do you

469
00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:22,240
Speaker 1: think they're looking at this? We know the Pacers are psyched.

470
00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:26,240
Speaker 1: We know this is a big moment. Haliburtonist, Miles Turner,

471
00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:29,439
Speaker 1: Rick Carlisle, these guys have all talked about what a

472
00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:33,719
Speaker 1: great opportunity, the opportunity this is because, let's face it,

473
00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:37,360
Speaker 1: I mean, no one's picking Indiana to win a championship

474
00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:41,320
Speaker 1: this season. The Pacers have been fantastic in the ist.

475
00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:44,960
Speaker 1: They're five and ohero in tournament play, but they're just

476
00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:48,240
Speaker 1: five and eight in all other games. So the Pacers

477
00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:52,800
Speaker 1: have definitely played their best in the tournament. I mean,

478
00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:56,040
Speaker 1: but the Bucks. Bucks have to be feeling great again

479
00:28:56,080 --> 00:28:59,760
Speaker 1: to almost put up one fifty tonight on the on

480
00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:03,040
Speaker 1: the defense first Knicks, the number five defense in the league.

481
00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:09,560
Speaker 3: M hm oh. They they're pumped up, they're motivated. I

482
00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:11,920
Speaker 3: spoke to Dame a little bit after the game, and

483
00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:14,240
Speaker 3: you know that they're ready to go in there and

484
00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:17,720
Speaker 3: win this thing. But Dame did say, you know, he

485
00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:23,120
Speaker 3: had he spoke at he spoke after the game. It's

486
00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:27,440
Speaker 3: post game presser. He was asked about like would this

487
00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:32,520
Speaker 3: have any carryover to try to help and propel them

488
00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:36,360
Speaker 3: to just finding a new identity and reaching a new

489
00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:40,280
Speaker 3: level to that that will prepare them for the playoffs,

490
00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:43,280
Speaker 3: and he said he doesn't think, you know, even winning

491
00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:46,680
Speaker 3: the n Season Tournament would have any carryover, he said,

492
00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:50,440
Speaker 3: because this is it's too fast, exactly what he said,

493
00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:52,680
Speaker 3: he said, it's December. I don't think that's going to

494
00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:54,800
Speaker 3: play a part in what's going to happen in May

495
00:29:54,880 --> 00:30:00,440
Speaker 3: or June. And so, but the competitive the com heatheror

496
00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:03,320
Speaker 3: in him and the team and all these teams that

497
00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:05,320
Speaker 3: make it to Vegas, you know, they want to win.

498
00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:09,400
Speaker 3: They're going out there, they're they're excited, they want to win.

499
00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:16,320
Speaker 3: And that's that's what I'm most impressed by Stein with

500
00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:20,760
Speaker 3: this n Season Tournament is that there's passion in November

501
00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:25,880
Speaker 3: and December. And you can't you couldn't honestly say that

502
00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:29,920
Speaker 3: was the case in years prior, because again the knock

503
00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:33,480
Speaker 3: on the league as being the NBA season doesn't get

504
00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:38,200
Speaker 3: started until after all Star break. And so we're seeing,

505
00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:41,000
Speaker 3: you know, we're seeing this thing just revived here and

506
00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:43,480
Speaker 3: I love it, and so That's why I'm like, I'm

507
00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:48,040
Speaker 3: pumped and motivated to for being out there and checking

508
00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:49,880
Speaker 3: this thing out. And it's and it's new, it's fresh

509
00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:52,880
Speaker 3: and new, and you know, the players and they're getting

510
00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:55,200
Speaker 3: paid to go as well, they getting a little extra bonus.

511
00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:57,240
Speaker 3: So so far, so good.

512
00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:00,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, player buying has not been an issue.

513
00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:04,400
Speaker 1: I think the players have embraced this thing more than

514
00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:07,640
Speaker 1: I thought they would. There's been no shortage of guys

515
00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:11,080
Speaker 1: who have let it be known that the five hundred

516
00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:14,840
Speaker 1: thousand that will go to every member of the team

517
00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:18,640
Speaker 1: that wins this thing. Even the guys making really good

518
00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:21,520
Speaker 1: money want that money. Even Lebron James, he wants that

519
00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:25,239
Speaker 1: five hundred k he's making. You know, he's he's not

520
00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:28,080
Speaker 1: on a minimum deal, but he wants that money. And

521
00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:30,880
Speaker 1: as we speak, Lebron just put the Lakers up five

522
00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:35,640
Speaker 1: here with two minutes and change to go, and Lebron

523
00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:38,840
Speaker 1: trying to drive the Lakers to to a win over

524
00:31:38,880 --> 00:31:43,120
Speaker 1: the Suns and put LA into the ist semis as

525
00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:49,719
Speaker 1: the last team to advance. But it's really the bigger

526
00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:53,360
Speaker 1: questions will be how much does how much does this

527
00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:56,760
Speaker 1: mean to fan bases? Whoever wins well, I am curious,

528
00:31:56,800 --> 00:32:00,280
Speaker 1: so like, you know, how how will you know whoever

529
00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:02,800
Speaker 1: wins this thing? How will they celebrate? How will their

530
00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:05,920
Speaker 1: fans celebrate? Are they going to raise a banner if

531
00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:06,800
Speaker 1: they win the first?

532
00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:07,719
Speaker 3: Is? S t like?

533
00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:14,080
Speaker 1: Just how how robust the celebrating will be for whoever

534
00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:17,080
Speaker 1: wins this thing? And we're now just a couple of

535
00:32:17,120 --> 00:32:19,520
Speaker 1: days away from getting getting some of those answers.

536
00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:25,200
Speaker 3: That's a good question. I never thought about that. Banners. Hmm,

537
00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:27,240
Speaker 3: I don't know how I feel about that.

538
00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:32,120
Speaker 1: Look, I fully expect the banner. I don't expect a parade,

539
00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:33,560
Speaker 1: But you know, so.

540
00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:38,360
Speaker 3: The Lakers, the Lakers and the Celtics, they're rich, their

541
00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:43,240
Speaker 3: rich history that they all they all they want are championships.

542
00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:45,440
Speaker 3: You really think they'll include.

543
00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:47,160
Speaker 1: Bat you know, I guess, you know, I guess it

544
00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:50,320
Speaker 1: does depend on the franchise because those teams are you know,

545
00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:53,800
Speaker 1: the late You know, there are some teams that will

546
00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:56,000
Speaker 1: hang a banner if they win a division or.

547
00:32:57,480 --> 00:33:00,600
Speaker 3: It gets all my nerves s tign it gets oh

548
00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:02,800
Speaker 3: my nerves when I see them.

549
00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:06,320
Speaker 1: But that's exactly but that's exactly why your pal Adam

550
00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:10,320
Speaker 1: Silver wants this thing. Well, the biggest reason is because

551
00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:13,280
Speaker 1: he wants to create something that they can sell as

552
00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:18,440
Speaker 1: a separate, a separate menu of games to TV partners.

553
00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:21,640
Speaker 1: But his whole thing has been to try to give

554
00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:25,320
Speaker 1: NBA teams, like soccer teams abroad, the chance to compete

555
00:33:25,640 --> 00:33:28,600
Speaker 1: for something else. So the Larry O'Brien isn't the only

556
00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:32,920
Speaker 1: prize that everybody's chasing. So I would think many more

557
00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:35,800
Speaker 1: teams than not if they win the IST or hanging

558
00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:36,280
Speaker 1: a banner.

559
00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:39,720
Speaker 3: I honestly do think the IST is here to stay.

560
00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:44,200
Speaker 3: I'm not a pope. A banner can it do something

561
00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:50,760
Speaker 3: else to acknowledge? Like, I don't know, Uh, banners, uh

562
00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:56,640
Speaker 3: just not fit. Like I'm thinking about.

563
00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:58,840
Speaker 1: The Indiana Pacers if they win the IST.

564
00:33:58,640 --> 00:34:00,440
Speaker 3: They'll probably put a banner up for sure.

565
00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:04,160
Speaker 1: They'll put New Orleans Pelicans if they win the tournament.

566
00:34:04,800 --> 00:34:08,840
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm just not you know, Stan, I'm still not

567
00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:13,360
Speaker 3: into the participation awards. And I'm not saying that, you know,

568
00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:18,080
Speaker 3: I'm not saying that the isht Cup Championship, whatever it is,

569
00:34:18,320 --> 00:34:22,120
Speaker 3: it's not bann or worthy. But yeah, no, I just

570
00:34:22,200 --> 00:34:27,520
Speaker 3: hold in high regard, uh of a Larry O'Brian trophy.

571
00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:30,480
Speaker 3: I just hold that in high regard, and I just yeah, hey,

572
00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:31,960
Speaker 3: whatever again.

573
00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:36,440
Speaker 1: And look and that's and that's you know, that's wow.

574
00:34:36,520 --> 00:34:38,960
Speaker 3: This game, start this game, look at this game.

575
00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:42,880
Speaker 1: Star like both these teams want this bad like they.

576
00:34:42,719 --> 00:34:48,040
Speaker 3: They Lakers upon twenty seconds left, Yeah, I mean, oh,

577
00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:52,120
Speaker 3: big three by Austin Reeves puts them up four with

578
00:34:52,280 --> 00:34:53,520
Speaker 3: fifteen seconds left.

579
00:34:53,719 --> 00:34:58,480
Speaker 1: All right, Well, Producer Ryan, much to our dismay, muted

580
00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:01,719
Speaker 1: our microphones. There. Chris and I were gonna do an

581
00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:05,840
Speaker 1: absolute live watch along play by play extravaganza for the

582
00:35:05,920 --> 00:35:09,680
Speaker 1: last two minutes until Producer Ryan broke the rule book

583
00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:12,400
Speaker 1: out and informed us that we probably get in trouble

584
00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:14,880
Speaker 1: if we went that route. So we watched the ending together.

585
00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:17,239
Speaker 1: But you didn't get to hear you won't get to

586
00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:21,879
Speaker 1: hear our attempts at play by play. And let's just man, man,

587
00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:25,520
Speaker 1: that is the Lakers hold on for a one oh six,

588
00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:30,439
Speaker 1: one oh three win, but a very controversial and sure

589
00:35:30,520 --> 00:35:34,840
Speaker 1: to be hotly disputed call. On the morning after, the

590
00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:38,520
Speaker 1: Lakers able to call a late time out when man,

591
00:35:38,560 --> 00:35:40,600
Speaker 1: it sure did not look like they had possession of

592
00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:44,760
Speaker 1: the ball. So that the league is uh, the league,

593
00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:48,919
Speaker 1: we'll be hearing about it for sure with the Lakers advancing.

594
00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:52,560
Speaker 3: And maybe they get the Laker Press Corp. Can get

595
00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:57,080
Speaker 3: what you have to do. Yeah, that's right, fool reporter.

596
00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:00,440
Speaker 1: Maybe by the time this podcast out we'll get a

597
00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:04,360
Speaker 1: pool reporter explanation for why the Lakers were able to

598
00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:08,000
Speaker 1: call a time out there. And don't want to take

599
00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:11,440
Speaker 1: anything away from how well Lebron James and Anthony Davis played.

600
00:36:11,480 --> 00:36:14,800
Speaker 1: They were quite a duo in this one. Lebron fifteen

601
00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:18,000
Speaker 1: of his thirty one in the fourth quarter, huge three

602
00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:23,160
Speaker 1: pointer from Austin Reeves, Lakers escape, Lakers get that last

603
00:36:23,200 --> 00:36:29,160
Speaker 1: berth in Vegas. So it's Pelicans, Lakers, Pacers.

604
00:36:28,719 --> 00:36:37,120
Speaker 3: Bucks, Lakers getting in this big. That's big. That that helps. Like,

605
00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:42,960
Speaker 3: if there was one team the league would want in Vegas,

606
00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:44,000
Speaker 3: the Lakers.

607
00:36:43,560 --> 00:36:46,239
Speaker 1: Are, which is exactly why they ain't gonna hear the

608
00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:49,360
Speaker 1: last about this time out call the Sons would have.

609
00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:53,200
Speaker 1: The Sons were still down two. But yeah, you have

610
00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:54,719
Speaker 1: not heard the last about that one.

611
00:36:55,239 --> 00:36:58,400
Speaker 3: Yeah that's tough, but no, this is it. This is

612
00:36:58,440 --> 00:37:03,320
Speaker 3: it final four, It's set, it's set, sn Stan. You

613
00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:06,320
Speaker 3: still got time, man, what's what's today? Today is the fifth?

614
00:37:06,719 --> 00:37:10,560
Speaker 3: You still have time to make arrangements to be in Vegas.

615
00:37:10,120 --> 00:37:12,560
Speaker 3: That's a nice easy flight, Stein.

616
00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:17,719
Speaker 1: Nice easy flight. But for reasons I'm gonna keep to myself.

617
00:37:18,640 --> 00:37:20,880
Speaker 1: I'm sadly not gonna make it. But like I said,

618
00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:25,560
Speaker 1: you are representing me and all our listeners. You are

619
00:37:26,840 --> 00:37:31,880
Speaker 1: this league uncuts official Vegas representative correspondent, And I cannot

620
00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:36,200
Speaker 1: wait to see, can't wait to get the in game text,

621
00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:39,839
Speaker 1: can't wait to hear all the things you're hearing, and

622
00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:45,520
Speaker 1: we'll see, We'll see what happens. Can the Lakers Vegas

623
00:37:45,600 --> 00:37:48,640
Speaker 1: is a Lakers town? Can the Lakers take advantage of

624
00:37:48,680 --> 00:37:52,640
Speaker 1: that late fortuitous whistle to go on and win this

625
00:37:52,719 --> 00:37:56,560
Speaker 1: thing and give Lebron James a trophy that Michael Jordan

626
00:37:56,640 --> 00:38:00,680
Speaker 1: will never win. Are we gonna get some crazy surprised so?

627
00:38:01,080 --> 00:38:03,160
Speaker 1: Is it gonna be Lakers Bucks in the finals? Are

628
00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:06,000
Speaker 1: we gonna get Pacers Pelicans? Are we gonna get a

629
00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:11,439
Speaker 1: Pacers Pelicans final that no one saw coming? All kinds

630
00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:15,480
Speaker 1: of possibilities, and Chris Haynes will come back with all

631
00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:19,160
Speaker 1: kinds of stories to tell us we will actually somehow

632
00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:20,879
Speaker 1: we're gonna find a way to do a pod while

633
00:38:20,880 --> 00:38:23,920
Speaker 1: you're in Vegas to get some of the local flavor,

634
00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:28,319
Speaker 1: hopefully before Saturday's championship games, so stay tuned for that.

635
00:38:28,840 --> 00:38:32,000
Speaker 1: Safe travels out there. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.

636
00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:36,360
Speaker 3: I'll I'll have a bodyguar out with me. Really, yes, wifey.

637
00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:43,839
Speaker 1: Ties and losses, Ties and losses, all right. That will

638
00:38:43,840 --> 00:38:48,480
Speaker 1: do it for this edition of This League Uncut Please remember,

639
00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:53,920
Speaker 1: as always if you haven't already, rate, review, and subscribe

640
00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:56,760
Speaker 1: to the show, and Chris and I will be back

641
00:38:56,800 --> 00:39:00,239
Speaker 1: with you very very soon. Thanks everybody for listening.

642
00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:05,640
Speaker 2: And that'll do it for us. See you next time.

643
00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:12,040
Speaker 2: This League UNCUTTA is an iHeartRadio production. Put Suck a

644
00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:12,480
Speaker 2: locket

645
00:39:14,360 --> 00:39:16,080
Speaker 1: Chris Hanes and Mark Stein