Speaker 1: We have our in season tournament semifinal matchups Pacers and Bucks,
Speaker 1: Pelicans and Lakers. We're gonna get into all the ins
Speaker 1: and outs about knockout round week in the IST. We're
Speaker 1: also gonna find out why Chris is texting Adam Silver
Speaker 1: and all the latest with de Aaron Fox and his
Speaker 1: future in Sacramento. All that next here on this League Uncut.
Speaker 2: Welcome to this League Uncut rule of twenty four hour
Speaker 2: NBA news.
Speaker 1: This you'll.
Speaker 2: Chris Hans, it's time, Mark Stein, It's so time. This
Speaker 2: League Uncut is underway and on fire. This should be
Speaker 2: a good one. Everyone.
Speaker 1: Welcome in to the latest edition of this League Uncut.
Speaker 1: Mark Stein here with Chris. It is the first full
Speaker 1: week of December. It is the in season tournament takeover
Speaker 1: of the NBA. This week, Chris Haynes and I we
Speaker 1: are doing this podcast and watching the last of the
Speaker 1: four quarterfinals as we speak. It's sixty three All Suns
Speaker 1: Lakers in LA. We already know the other three teams
Speaker 1: that will be in Las Vegas. The Indiana Pacers will
Speaker 1: play the Milwaukee Bucks for the East's birth in the
Speaker 1: IST championship game. It'll either be Pelicans Sons or Pelican's
Speaker 1: Lakers for the West Birth in the nd season Tournament.
Speaker 1: Chris Haynes will soon be on his way to Vegas.
Speaker 1: I will be watching from afar. I could not make
Speaker 1: the entrepreneurial equations work to get myself to Vegas, so I,
Speaker 1: like many of you, will be living vicariously through Chris
Speaker 1: Haynes as he is this League Uncuts official and loan
Speaker 1: Ist representative. Chris Haynes, are you ready for your return
Speaker 1: to the Desert, this time without me? So no live
Speaker 1: show like we did in July. It's just gonna be
Speaker 1: you holding it down for both of us.
Speaker 3: You know, it will not be the same. I'll say
Speaker 3: that Stne because usually we are we do go to
Speaker 3: Vegas this time of year, but it's for the G
Speaker 3: League Showcase. And this is probably the one time on
Speaker 3: a few occasions that I really get to run into you.
Speaker 3: You know, You're really hard to catch throughout the season,
Speaker 3: unless I end up in Dallas, which I will be
Speaker 3: in Dallas next week.
Speaker 1: That's right, December twelfth. It is written in Penn in
Speaker 1: my calendar.
Speaker 3: Sorright, so I'll see you there, so that would be cool.
Speaker 3: But yeah, no, I'm looking forward to this. I actually
Speaker 3: text Adam Silver today and I told him, I said,
Speaker 3: I got to give you your props. This is season
Speaker 3: tournament good idea, because I was actually excited for the
Speaker 3: pair of games today, like and And that's why I
Speaker 3: told him. I'm like, I haven't. I don't think I've
Speaker 3: been excited to watch a game like that in December
Speaker 3: or late November in a long time, probably since I
Speaker 3: was just probably a fan before I was covering the league.
Speaker 3: So you know, I just think a lot of people
Speaker 3: feel that way about what they're watching right now. And
Speaker 3: I had to give him as props.
Speaker 2: Man.
Speaker 3: He hit me back, he say, appreciate that, Chris, But
Speaker 3: I think every I think a lot of people like Stein,
Speaker 3: we didn't know going in. We had no clue, and
Speaker 3: I'm somebody who doesn't. You know. I don't like change often,
Speaker 3: you know. I like to stick to my routines, and
Speaker 3: so I'm not always the best person to ask about
Speaker 3: if something should work or not. But this this show
Speaker 3: looks like it's going to work. And just to give
Speaker 3: people a little background on how this thing is going
Speaker 3: to play out, once once this once all four teams
Speaker 3: are confirmed for Vegas, so December seventh will be the
Speaker 3: semi finals, so will be the four teams playing East
Speaker 3: and West, and then once they both gets down to two,
Speaker 3: there will be media Day n Season Tournament Championship Media
Speaker 3: Day on the eighth and it will feature the final
Speaker 3: two teams. So just like during the NBA Finals we
Speaker 3: have media Day, it's gonna have media day on December
Speaker 3: to eighth Friday. At the end December ninth is the
Speaker 3: championship game. So I'm looking forward to it. Sten, So
Speaker 3: I wish you were going, Buddy, I really do.
Speaker 1: No and I do too, and listen. As critical as
Speaker 1: I've been, I am certainly not yet sending any congratulatory
Speaker 1: texts or messages or emails to the commissioner. But even
Speaker 1: as critical as I've been about the group stages and
Speaker 1: the various issues that I've voiced, I too was looking
Speaker 1: really I was looking forward to the knockout round because
Speaker 1: I was fascinated to see how the teams would treat it.
Speaker 1: I never had that. Once we get to Vegas, once
Speaker 1: there are four teams in Vegas, I have no doubt
Speaker 1: that people are going to be psyched about that neutral site.
Speaker 1: Four teams, two single elimination games, and even in these
Speaker 1: quarterfinal games which are not at neutral sites. The crowd
Speaker 1: in Indiana on Monday night was so hyped. That was
Speaker 1: as big a game as the Pacers have played in
Speaker 1: a long long time. Tyrese Halliburton has talked about how
Speaker 1: he has never even been on TNT until that game,
Speaker 1: and now this week we're going to get to see
Speaker 1: him on national TV multiple times. Halliburton rose to the
Speaker 1: occasion first career triple double play, saying, while sick, you know,
Speaker 1: for New Orleans two, same thing. Zion Williamson has never
Speaker 1: played in an NBA playoff game, So for some of
Speaker 1: these teams this is a huge deal. And it's, like
Speaker 1: I said, as critical as I've been about so much
Speaker 1: of this, to me has not felt like a tournament.
Speaker 1: This week, it's finally starting to feel like a tournament.
Speaker 1: And when the Vegas portion starts, I'm sure it's gonna
Speaker 1: feel like a tournament. And again, along with all the
Speaker 1: criticisms that I've levied, when the league does good things,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna give them their props. And I have to
Speaker 1: say a couple things that I've really liked this week.
Speaker 1: The scheduling has been smart to make sure that Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday,
Speaker 1: the only games being played on those days will be
Speaker 1: in season tournament games. You have the two quarterfinals Monday night,
Speaker 1: we have two quarterfinals Tonight, Thursday's the two semis, Saturday's
Speaker 1: the championship. If you want to watch NBA games this
Speaker 1: week on those days, the only thing you can see
Speaker 1: is the is team. And that's really smart and to
Speaker 1: go with, you know, to at least somewhat slightly offset
Speaker 1: my many many complaints that this thing, this tournament hasn't
Speaker 1: been soccer like enough for me. But one thing the
Speaker 1: league has done that is very soccer like. This week
Speaker 1: they announced they sent out pictures in a long release.
Speaker 1: You've got the NBA Cup that the championship team will win.
Speaker 1: They have a trophy for the tournament MVP. But they've
Speaker 1: also got winners medals. Every player on the championship team
Speaker 1: will collect a championship medal. And that is very soccer
Speaker 1: like and something that this soccer nerd definitely appreciates.
Speaker 3: If we're talking about you know, I think everybody has
Speaker 3: an opinion and half suggestions about how we can make
Speaker 3: things better. I think a couple of them. You know.
Speaker 3: The point differential is kind of debatable. If you talk
Speaker 3: to coaches around the league, and I've talked to probably
Speaker 3: a dozen, and they're it varies, you know, it varies.
Speaker 3: You know, some are for it, some are against it.
Speaker 3: Some talk about implementing a you know, a quarter system
Speaker 3: where the team who's won the team who's won more
Speaker 3: quarters are prioritized in the standings. But stein, what do
Speaker 3: you think about this, because I think largely this is
Speaker 3: probably confused a lot of spectators. Is the group play?
Speaker 3: And when I mean the group play is that you
Speaker 3: know when these games, you know, they're they're spread out.
Speaker 3: The n C tournament, they're they're they're spread out, like
Speaker 3: so they'll play n season tournament group game, then they'll
Speaker 3: play another one next week or a week and a
Speaker 3: half later, and people forget, like the what the record
Speaker 3: is during the season, I mean during you know, during
Speaker 3: the course of the regular season that early on. What
Speaker 3: is the problem with just doing the nd season tournament?
Speaker 3: Just just take carving out two and a half weeks.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I hope that that's what I would like to see.
Speaker 1: That's I mean to me because if you know, again,
Speaker 1: and I'm a soccer nerd, so I look at this
Speaker 1: often through a soccer fans perspective, and if you really
Speaker 1: want to make it like the FA Cup in England
Speaker 1: or the League Cup in England, the games in the
Speaker 1: tournament would be separate from the regular season schedule. I
Speaker 1: totally understand why the NBA didn't want to do that,
Speaker 1: especially in year one, because on top of all the
Speaker 1: logistical challenges, they were worried that teams might not play
Speaker 1: their main guys if the games are separate. They wanted
Speaker 1: them to be regular season games that counted twice to
Speaker 1: incentivize teams to make sure they use their best players
Speaker 1: because if you lose those games, it can hurt you
Speaker 1: in the standings as well. But yes, down the road,
Speaker 1: and I don't know how soon it will be, but
Speaker 1: I'm hopeful. I would love. I think the whole thing
Speaker 1: should be in Vegas, and I think they could do
Speaker 1: it in less than two weeks realistically, And I think
Speaker 1: it should be completely single elimination, because that's what would
Speaker 1: really make it different, unique and inject some novelty into
Speaker 1: this thing.
Speaker 3: Oh so you said, so you're saying screw to group play,
Speaker 3: like screwed.
Speaker 1: Totally if it was up to If it was up.
Speaker 1: To me, there would be no group play because the
Speaker 1: group play, it's it's just it's not real group play.
Speaker 1: It's just these four regular season games are gonna count twice.
Speaker 1: I just to me, it's it's not it's you know,
Speaker 1: it's not a separate group. When college basketball teams play
Speaker 1: in tournaments before league play, they go to the Maui
Speaker 1: Classic or wherever it is, and they play games that
Speaker 1: do not count in their conference schedule. But you know,
Speaker 1: the NBA again, and like I said, I understand why
Speaker 1: the NBA doesn't want to do that, but I think
Speaker 1: if they if they went the route I'm saying, if
Speaker 1: they just said, you know what, the whole league is
Speaker 1: going to go to Vegas for a week and a
Speaker 1: half to two weeks. You know, we'll give the top
Speaker 1: we'll give the buys to the top four seeds. The
Speaker 1: other twenty eight teams go into a hat. Let's just
Speaker 1: pick it, pick it out of a hat, mix up
Speaker 1: East and West, and let's really get crazy and play
Speaker 1: a real tournament. I think we will get more of
Speaker 1: the excitement that we've seen this week because single elimination.
Speaker 1: To me, that's where the juice is. That's why people
Speaker 1: are loving this this week because it truly is win
Speaker 1: or go home in one game, and that's something the
Speaker 1: NBA is not used to. It's new, and to me,
Speaker 1: that's where that novelty factor comes in.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I wouldn't be opposed to that. I actually like that.
Speaker 3: I just think that, like, even if they do keep
Speaker 3: the group play, I just think, like, just carve out
Speaker 3: two weeks, go ahead and go through your group play
Speaker 3: schedule and then from there get to your knockout rounds. Like,
Speaker 3: just just keep it focused on the N Season tournament
Speaker 3: for two weeks. Give the N Season Tournament two weeks.
Speaker 3: Don't put other regular season games in between, because people forget,
Speaker 3: you know, like the broadcast crew, we have to continue
Speaker 3: to remind people, Hey, I know, like a team might
Speaker 3: have lost, a team might have lost three in a row, right,
Speaker 3: but we have to remind them, hey, but they're two
Speaker 3: and zero in N Season tournament games, you know what
Speaker 3: I mean. Like, so it's like, let's just go into
Speaker 3: ND season tournament mode. Stay there for how from beginning
Speaker 3: to end, so everybody can focus and concentrate on that,
Speaker 3: and then you give it all the attention you need.
Speaker 3: But I'm definitely not a p go to you saying
Speaker 3: just go straight to knockout rounds, inviting all the you know,
Speaker 3: inviting all the NBA teams into it. It would definitely
Speaker 3: be much more pilling. But you know, those are those
Speaker 3: small suggestions.
Speaker 1: Yeah. And one of the things I'm looking forward to
Speaker 1: this week when you go to Vegas and this is,
Speaker 1: you know, I will you know, I was joking before,
Speaker 1: but I really will be living through you in this respect.
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm really hopeful that you being on the ground,
Speaker 1: and you know, I'm sure there's gonna be some sort
Speaker 1: of availability with Adam Silver, and I hope something that
Speaker 1: happens this week is that we get some kind of
Speaker 1: glimpse of what the league thinks worked well, what the
Speaker 1: league thinks didn't work so well. Will they reveal in
Speaker 1: Vegas any of the changes in tweaks that they're likely
Speaker 1: to implement next season, because I look, you know, they
Speaker 1: haven't made any kind of formal announcement, but I think
Speaker 1: we can all say it's been enough intrigue just this
Speaker 1: week has been spark that they're going to try this
Speaker 1: again next season. I certainly don't think it's going to
Speaker 1: be a one and done. I'm sure, they're gonna want
Speaker 1: to bring it back and see if they can make
Speaker 1: it better and see if they can keep building this thing,
Speaker 1: because ultimately we know they would love to be able
Speaker 1: to sell the n Season Tournament as a separate TV property,
Speaker 1: and you got to do it for more than one
Speaker 1: year if that's the case.
Speaker 3: Yeah. I spoke with CJ McCollum of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Speaker 3: He's also the president of the Players Association. I had
Speaker 3: their game for TNT, the Kings Pelicans, and we saw
Speaker 3: that the Pelicans they advanced it beat the sacrament of
Speaker 3: Kings in Sacramento for that. But CJ said they've already
Speaker 3: started the process of offering suggestions to the league on
Speaker 3: how to improve this theme. But he said the players
Speaker 3: are definitely on board with continuing this on. Pretty Much
Speaker 3: everybody you know think this is a great idea. In
Speaker 3: New Orleans, they were, They took care of business, but
Speaker 3: they were ready. You know, they got to Vegas Wednesday,
Speaker 3: excuse me, Tuesday morning. So they played Monday night and
Speaker 3: they left first thing in the morning for Vegas, like
Speaker 3: they they were prepared. I was in Stein. I was
Speaker 3: during the there was a huddle, there was a time
Speaker 3: out in that game, and it was the second half.
Speaker 3: I can't remember if it was the third quarter or
Speaker 3: fourth quarter, but New Orleans had a pretty nice lead
Speaker 3: and Alvarado is talking, you know, pumping his teammates up
Speaker 3: and motivating everybody, and he was like, come on, we're
Speaker 3: this much closer to to get on that bus for Vegas. So, uh,
Speaker 3: you know, it's just like, guys, are you know this?
Speaker 3: They're motivated about this, and you know, Las Vegas is
Speaker 3: definitely an attraction that appeals to a large mass of individuals,
Speaker 3: including NBA players, So you know, it's it's so far,
Speaker 3: so good.
Speaker 1: Yeah, So let's talk a little bit more about that, because,
Speaker 1: as you said, you had Monday night's game, New Orleans
Speaker 1: go into Sacramento and beats the Kings for the third
Speaker 1: time this season, Pels three to zero against Sacramento, and
Speaker 1: I mean that was a big opportunity for both teams
Speaker 1: because we all remember last season was Sacramento finished third
Speaker 1: in the West, but that was their first trip to
Speaker 1: the playoffs in seventeen years, after a league record and
Speaker 1: unwanted league record sixteen consecutive seasons out of the playoffs.
Speaker 1: So the Pelicans Zion Williamson has yet to play in
Speaker 1: a playoff game. The Kings have no recent playoff success
Speaker 1: to speak of, so there was a lot on the
Speaker 1: line for both teams. And also in the middle of
Speaker 1: all that, I saw you on TV reporting about the
Speaker 1: dieron Fox contract situation. So maybe you can expound for
Speaker 1: us now and give us a little gives give us
Speaker 1: a little on TV. You have to kind of rush
Speaker 1: through it in a minute or two. Maybe you can
Speaker 1: take a little more time here and walk us through
Speaker 1: what's going on with deer Fox and the King's attempts
Speaker 1: to resign him.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so I reported during the game, and this was
Speaker 3: never reported before, but uh, you know, sources have told
Speaker 3: me that Dearn Fox was presented with an extension prior
Speaker 3: to this season started starting. And we all know he's
Speaker 3: represented by Rich Paul, the CEO of Clutch Sports, but
Speaker 3: they were presented a two year, one hundred and five
Speaker 3: million dollar extension that Fox and Rich turned down. And
Speaker 3: let me just say this, I remember this was a
Speaker 3: few years ago. I remember when when Rich Paul signed Deerren.
Speaker 3: Deerren had let go of his longtime agent and hired
Speaker 3: Rich the I think the the immediate response. I would say,
Speaker 3: I think a lot of people thought that this is
Speaker 3: another Anthony David situation, hiring Rich Paul to try to
Speaker 3: get the Aaron out of Sacramento. And this was before again,
Speaker 3: this was before Sacramento took off, probably a year before
Speaker 3: Sacramento took off, and have you know, have become the
Speaker 3: team that they are now. And so now you see
Speaker 3: it's a situation where Dearn like really loves it in Sacramento,
Speaker 3: really really really loves it. And you know, Sacramento, I
Speaker 3: think they were kind of still trying to figure out
Speaker 3: what Dearn ceiling was in this league. And then you
Speaker 3: see what Daren he did last season. You see that
Speaker 3: he's stepped it up this year, averaging thirty a game.
Speaker 3: And Sacramento Kings are still clicking, and so they want
Speaker 3: this to be a long term partnership, Sacramento Kings and Fox.
Speaker 3: So they're in agreement on that. And I wanted to stein,
Speaker 3: you're so accurate on you know, on TV you say
Speaker 3: one or two minutes, no more like thirty second. You
Speaker 3: got about thirty thirty forty seconds to try to make
Speaker 3: your point, and you know, sometimes you leave stuff out
Speaker 3: you're like, dangn, damn, I want to tuck, you know,
Speaker 3: I want to There's more context I could have added,
Speaker 3: but I wanted to clarify on air that that that
Speaker 3: was the most that the Kings could extend deer was
Speaker 3: a two year, one hundred and five million, And from
Speaker 3: what I was told, the Kings offered that because you know,
Speaker 3: that's all they could, but they understood that Deeron likely
Speaker 3: wouldn't accept that, and that was fine. And so Dearon
Speaker 3: is holding out for the chance that he can become
Speaker 3: eligible for a Supermax. And from what I was told,
Speaker 3: his supermax, you know, these numbers are ballpark as of
Speaker 3: right now. There's still some things we have to they
Speaker 3: have to clear, but he can command around a four year,
Speaker 3: two hundred and forty five million dollar supermax extension. So, uh,
Speaker 3: the Kings understand Fox wants to be in Sacramento long term.
Speaker 3: They want him their long term. But that was just
Speaker 3: just think about that steing guys. You know, this is
Speaker 3: just a different league. Now, the money is different. You
Speaker 3: think about guys turning down two years, one hundred and
Speaker 3: five million, that's what fifty two to fifty three million
Speaker 3: a season. Man that's crazy money right there. But you know,
Speaker 3: you got to think about the long term plan and
Speaker 3: what you can have for you know, double the years
Speaker 3: if so.
Speaker 1: And you can understand why the Aaron Fox would take
Speaker 1: this position because, as you said, the Kings, the most
Speaker 1: they can offer as we speak, two years in the
Speaker 1: ballpark of one hundred million. Maybe it's a little bit
Speaker 1: north of one hundred million, maybe it's a little bit south,
Speaker 1: but basically it's just two years. One hundred ish million
Speaker 1: is the most Sacramento can offer now. If the Aaron
Speaker 1: Fox makes another All NBA team after this season, and
Speaker 1: remember he made and All NBA team last season, if
Speaker 1: Dearon Fox can do that again, now he becomes eligible
Speaker 1: for that four year megadeal you were describing that's worth
Speaker 1: almost two hundred and fifty million. So it's the sensible
Speaker 1: move for the Kings to make that offer now, and
Speaker 1: also the sensible move for Fox to hold off on it.
Speaker 1: And you know, maybe All NBA is not his only
Speaker 1: aim because your guy Mike Brown, Man, how many press
Speaker 1: conferences already have we heard Mike Brown campaigning for Dearen
Speaker 1: already to win MVP honors, already winning MVP honors, or
Speaker 1: Defensive Player of the Year would also get it done
Speaker 1: for Dearon Fox. But I think the more realistic aim
Speaker 1: would certainly be making an All NBA team for the
Speaker 1: second straight season. That would do it. And I think
Speaker 1: you what did come across in your report on TV
Speaker 1: You made it clear both the CA and de Aaron
Speaker 1: Fox they wanted they want a long term relationship together.
Speaker 3: Yes, And the earliest if he is able to get
Speaker 3: All NBA or MVP or Defense Player of the Year,
Speaker 3: the earliest he will be able to sign his super
Speaker 3: Max extension will be July eighth of twenty twenty four.
Speaker 3: So that's the long play. That's the long game right there.
Speaker 3: And again, Sacramento, they're balling. Darren Fox is balling. I
Speaker 3: don't see if they if they have, if they continue
Speaker 3: as he is right now, continue on this trajectory, Darreon
Speaker 3: Fox will definitely make All NBA again.
Speaker 1: He's not gonna win Defensive Player of the Year. I'm
Speaker 1: gonna go out on a limb right now and say
Speaker 1: that ain't happening.
Speaker 3: What about MVP Star All NBA.
Speaker 1: He's got a great chance and about uh, Sacramento's gonna
Speaker 1: have to win fifty plus games, I think for him
Speaker 1: to get in that conversation. But like I said, Mike Brown,
Speaker 1: Mike Brown is he puts that in the ether every week,
Speaker 1: so he is. He is a very loud campaign manager
Speaker 1: for the years. Yeah, so back to the present again,
Speaker 1: as we said, we're taping this in the midst of
Speaker 1: Lakers Suns fourth quarter.
Speaker 2: There.
Speaker 1: That's been a tight game all night to see who
Speaker 1: claims this last in season tournament birth. But you know,
Speaker 1: I will be jealous of you in Vegas because there
Speaker 1: is gonna be a lot going on Indiana Milwaukee. That's
Speaker 1: one of Thursday's games. Now, Milwaukee beats the Knicks. Milwaukee
Speaker 1: scores one hundred and forty six on the Knicks. The
Speaker 1: Knicks came into that game with a fifth ranked defense,
Speaker 1: very impressive showing. But the cynic, the skeptic within me
Speaker 1: is gonna ask what kind of crowd are we gonna
Speaker 1: get in Vegas for Pacers Bucks? Had that been paid Nicks?
Speaker 1: I mean, there are Vegas is a Laker town, but
Speaker 1: there are a lot of Knicks fans in Vegas as well.
Speaker 1: Are we gonna see Pacers fans and Bucks fans traveling
Speaker 1: to Vegas on short notice? That is one of the
Speaker 1: really intriguing questions to me here this week, what kind
Speaker 1: of turnout are we gonna get from the local fans
Speaker 1: in Vegas? And how excited are the locals gonna be
Speaker 1: about a Pacers Bucks showdown for a spot in the
Speaker 1: n season tournament final. So that is something I will
Speaker 1: be texting you throughout that game to get to get
Speaker 1: some crowd flavor.
Speaker 3: STI. So you bring that up, you pose that question.
Speaker 3: Did you see our good friend Nick for Dale's tweet today?
Speaker 2: I did?
Speaker 3: Uh huh, So Nick, let me pull Let me pull
Speaker 3: up Nick for Dale's tweet just a moment. Bear with me, please.
Speaker 3: I found it Nick for Dale's tweet today. He tweeted
Speaker 3: this before or the Pacers. Excuse me, he tweeteds before
Speaker 3: the Bucks and Knicks played. He said, I quote, the
Speaker 3: NBA has got to be absolutely praying the Lakers and
Speaker 3: Knicks win tonight. Who is going to watch, let alone
Speaker 3: pay to see the Pacers and Bucks play at two
Speaker 3: pm Pacific time on a Thursday afternoon in Vegas? And
Speaker 3: you know, you know, I tend to scroll on Twitter
Speaker 3: to kind of get the reaction of some fans and
Speaker 3: what they're saying. The majority of them are saying they
Speaker 3: got pretty similar tweets saying, so you mean that people
Speaker 3: wouldn't want to go see Giannis Dame Halliburton and they
Speaker 3: would rather see Julius Randall play in Las Vegas. So
Speaker 3: that's pretty much. That was pretty much the response from
Speaker 3: a lot of people right there. I would tend to
Speaker 3: believe that vague knew that the n season tournament was coming.
Speaker 3: You know, you still have great stars. I don't know
Speaker 3: necessarily that people in Vegas want to see the Knicks
Speaker 3: at Lakers. I think the Lakers being there is important
Speaker 3: because it is a Lakers town, But I don't know
Speaker 3: that necessarily a Lakers Knicks would be a big draw.
Speaker 1: Well, I would say, look, I do. I do think
Speaker 1: there are tons of Knicks fans in Vegas, tons of
Speaker 1: displaced New Yorkers. But I would also say this as
Speaker 1: Vegas has shown summer after summer after summer, with the
Speaker 1: huge crowds we see at Summer League, there are a
Speaker 1: lot of NBA fans in Vegas. And if it was
Speaker 1: me and I was a Vegas resident to see a
Speaker 1: game with stakes, you know, all the games in Vegas
Speaker 1: are always Summer League games or USAB exhibitions or preseason games.
Speaker 1: I mean this is this is a real game. A
Speaker 1: real game is not played in Vegas too often. So yeah,
Speaker 1: with Giannis and Dame and Halliburton and real stakes, to me,
Speaker 1: the gym should be full. But I also think it's fair.
Speaker 1: It's a fair question. It's fair to wonder because again
Speaker 1: from you, if you are a Bucks fan or a
Speaker 1: Pacers fan, how easy is it to just wing your
Speaker 1: way to Vegas on a Thursday on short notice. I
Speaker 1: don't know that it's that easy. So I don't know
Speaker 1: how many fans from those cities will be traveling, but
Speaker 1: I would like to think that the game can you know,
Speaker 1: it's three games in Vegas, I would like to think
Speaker 1: that that's a pretty decent ticket, a ticket in pretty
Speaker 1: decent demand.
Speaker 3: I'm not even thinking about fans of teams following them
Speaker 3: to Vegas. I'm just thinking more so Vegas. Vegas is
Speaker 3: a basketball town. It is a really good sports town,
Speaker 3: and it's a Lakers town as well, and so especially
Speaker 3: if the Lakers make it, the draw is already going
Speaker 3: to be there. But I still think there's enough star
Speaker 3: attraction for Vegas. Vegas residents to peck that arena out
Speaker 3: at the end. It's an extra bonus. If if the
Speaker 3: fans of teams.
Speaker 1: Travel, you're always dialed into the Bucks. How do you
Speaker 1: think they're looking at this? We know the Pacers are psyched.
Speaker 1: We know this is a big moment. Haliburtonist, Miles Turner,
Speaker 1: Rick Carlisle, these guys have all talked about what a
Speaker 1: great opportunity, the opportunity this is because, let's face it,
Speaker 1: I mean, no one's picking Indiana to win a championship
Speaker 1: this season. The Pacers have been fantastic in the ist.
Speaker 1: They're five and ohero in tournament play, but they're just
Speaker 1: five and eight in all other games. So the Pacers
Speaker 1: have definitely played their best in the tournament. I mean,
Speaker 1: but the Bucks. Bucks have to be feeling great again
Speaker 1: to almost put up one fifty tonight on the on
Speaker 1: the defense first Knicks, the number five defense in the league.
Speaker 3: M hm oh. They they're pumped up, they're motivated. I
Speaker 3: spoke to Dame a little bit after the game, and
Speaker 3: you know that they're ready to go in there and
Speaker 3: win this thing. But Dame did say, you know, he
Speaker 3: had he spoke at he spoke after the game. It's
Speaker 3: post game presser. He was asked about like would this
Speaker 3: have any carryover to try to help and propel them
Speaker 3: to just finding a new identity and reaching a new
Speaker 3: level to that that will prepare them for the playoffs,
Speaker 3: and he said he doesn't think, you know, even winning
Speaker 3: the n Season Tournament would have any carryover, he said,
Speaker 3: because this is it's too fast, exactly what he said,
Speaker 3: he said, it's December. I don't think that's going to
Speaker 3: play a part in what's going to happen in May
Speaker 3: or June. And so, but the competitive the com heatheror
Speaker 3: in him and the team and all these teams that
Speaker 3: make it to Vegas, you know, they want to win.
Speaker 3: They're going out there, they're they're excited, they want to win.
Speaker 3: And that's that's what I'm most impressed by Stein with
Speaker 3: this n Season Tournament is that there's passion in November
Speaker 3: and December. And you can't you couldn't honestly say that
Speaker 3: was the case in years prior, because again the knock
Speaker 3: on the league as being the NBA season doesn't get
Speaker 3: started until after all Star break. And so we're seeing,
Speaker 3: you know, we're seeing this thing just revived here and
Speaker 3: I love it, and so That's why I'm like, I'm
Speaker 3: pumped and motivated to for being out there and checking
Speaker 3: this thing out. And it's and it's new, it's fresh
Speaker 3: and new, and you know, the players and they're getting
Speaker 3: paid to go as well, they getting a little extra bonus.
Speaker 3: So so far, so good.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, player buying has not been an issue.
Speaker 1: I think the players have embraced this thing more than
Speaker 1: I thought they would. There's been no shortage of guys
Speaker 1: who have let it be known that the five hundred
Speaker 1: thousand that will go to every member of the team
Speaker 1: that wins this thing. Even the guys making really good
Speaker 1: money want that money. Even Lebron James, he wants that
Speaker 1: five hundred k he's making. You know, he's he's not
Speaker 1: on a minimum deal, but he wants that money. And
Speaker 1: as we speak, Lebron just put the Lakers up five
Speaker 1: here with two minutes and change to go, and Lebron
Speaker 1: trying to drive the Lakers to to a win over
Speaker 1: the Suns and put LA into the ist semis as
Speaker 1: the last team to advance. But it's really the bigger
Speaker 1: questions will be how much does how much does this
Speaker 1: mean to fan bases? Whoever wins well, I am curious,
Speaker 1: so like, you know, how how will you know whoever
Speaker 1: wins this thing? How will they celebrate? How will their
Speaker 1: fans celebrate? Are they going to raise a banner if
Speaker 1: they win the first?
Speaker 3: Is? S t like?
Speaker 1: Just how how robust the celebrating will be for whoever
Speaker 1: wins this thing? And we're now just a couple of
Speaker 1: days away from getting getting some of those answers.
Speaker 3: That's a good question. I never thought about that. Banners. Hmm,
Speaker 3: I don't know how I feel about that.
Speaker 1: Look, I fully expect the banner. I don't expect a parade,
Speaker 1: But you know, so.
Speaker 3: The Lakers, the Lakers and the Celtics, they're rich, their
Speaker 3: rich history that they all they all they want are championships.
Speaker 3: You really think they'll include.
Speaker 1: Bat you know, I guess, you know, I guess it
Speaker 1: does depend on the franchise because those teams are you know,
Speaker 1: the late You know, there are some teams that will
Speaker 1: hang a banner if they win a division or.
Speaker 3: It gets all my nerves s tign it gets oh
Speaker 3: my nerves when I see them.
Speaker 1: But that's exactly but that's exactly why your pal Adam
Speaker 1: Silver wants this thing. Well, the biggest reason is because
Speaker 1: he wants to create something that they can sell as
Speaker 1: a separate, a separate menu of games to TV partners.
Speaker 1: But his whole thing has been to try to give
Speaker 1: NBA teams, like soccer teams abroad, the chance to compete
Speaker 1: for something else. So the Larry O'Brien isn't the only
Speaker 1: prize that everybody's chasing. So I would think many more
Speaker 1: teams than not if they win the IST or hanging
Speaker 1: a banner.
Speaker 3: I honestly do think the IST is here to stay.
Speaker 3: I'm not a pope. A banner can it do something
Speaker 3: else to acknowledge? Like, I don't know, Uh, banners, uh
Speaker 3: just not fit. Like I'm thinking about.
Speaker 1: The Indiana Pacers if they win the IST.
Speaker 3: They'll probably put a banner up for sure.
Speaker 1: They'll put New Orleans Pelicans if they win the tournament.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm just not you know, Stan, I'm still not
Speaker 3: into the participation awards. And I'm not saying that, you know,
Speaker 3: I'm not saying that the isht Cup Championship, whatever it is,
Speaker 3: it's not bann or worthy. But yeah, no, I just
Speaker 3: hold in high regard, uh of a Larry O'Brian trophy.
Speaker 3: I just hold that in high regard, and I just yeah, hey,
Speaker 3: whatever again.
Speaker 1: And look and that's and that's you know, that's wow.
Speaker 3: This game, start this game, look at this game.
Speaker 1: Star like both these teams want this bad like they.
Speaker 3: They Lakers upon twenty seconds left, Yeah, I mean, oh,
Speaker 3: big three by Austin Reeves puts them up four with
Speaker 3: fifteen seconds left.
Speaker 1: All right, Well, Producer Ryan, much to our dismay, muted
Speaker 1: our microphones. There. Chris and I were gonna do an
Speaker 1: absolute live watch along play by play extravaganza for the
Speaker 1: last two minutes until Producer Ryan broke the rule book
Speaker 1: out and informed us that we probably get in trouble
Speaker 1: if we went that route. So we watched the ending together.
Speaker 1: But you didn't get to hear you won't get to
Speaker 1: hear our attempts at play by play. And let's just man, man,
Speaker 1: that is the Lakers hold on for a one oh six,
Speaker 1: one oh three win, but a very controversial and sure
Speaker 1: to be hotly disputed call. On the morning after, the
Speaker 1: Lakers able to call a late time out when man,
Speaker 1: it sure did not look like they had possession of
Speaker 1: the ball. So that the league is uh, the league,
Speaker 1: we'll be hearing about it for sure with the Lakers advancing.
Speaker 3: And maybe they get the Laker Press Corp. Can get
Speaker 3: what you have to do. Yeah, that's right, fool reporter.
Speaker 1: Maybe by the time this podcast out we'll get a
Speaker 1: pool reporter explanation for why the Lakers were able to
Speaker 1: call a time out there. And don't want to take
Speaker 1: anything away from how well Lebron James and Anthony Davis played.
Speaker 1: They were quite a duo in this one. Lebron fifteen
Speaker 1: of his thirty one in the fourth quarter, huge three
Speaker 1: pointer from Austin Reeves, Lakers escape, Lakers get that last
Speaker 1: berth in Vegas. So it's Pelicans, Lakers, Pacers.
Speaker 3: Bucks, Lakers getting in this big. That's big. That that helps. Like,
Speaker 3: if there was one team the league would want in Vegas,
Speaker 3: the Lakers.
Speaker 1: Are, which is exactly why they ain't gonna hear the
Speaker 1: last about this time out call the Sons would have.
Speaker 1: The Sons were still down two. But yeah, you have
Speaker 1: not heard the last about that one.
Speaker 3: Yeah that's tough, but no, this is it. This is
Speaker 3: it final four, It's set, it's set, sn Stan. You
Speaker 3: still got time, man, what's what's today? Today is the fifth?
Speaker 3: You still have time to make arrangements to be in Vegas.
Speaker 3: That's a nice easy flight, Stein.
Speaker 1: Nice easy flight. But for reasons I'm gonna keep to myself.
Speaker 1: I'm sadly not gonna make it. But like I said,
Speaker 1: you are representing me and all our listeners. You are
Speaker 1: this league uncuts official Vegas representative correspondent, And I cannot
Speaker 1: wait to see, can't wait to get the in game text,
Speaker 1: can't wait to hear all the things you're hearing, and
Speaker 1: we'll see, We'll see what happens. Can the Lakers Vegas
Speaker 1: is a Lakers town? Can the Lakers take advantage of
Speaker 1: that late fortuitous whistle to go on and win this
Speaker 1: thing and give Lebron James a trophy that Michael Jordan
Speaker 1: will never win. Are we gonna get some crazy surprised so?
Speaker 1: Is it gonna be Lakers Bucks in the finals? Are
Speaker 1: we gonna get Pacers Pelicans? Are we gonna get a
Speaker 1: Pacers Pelicans final that no one saw coming? All kinds
Speaker 1: of possibilities, and Chris Haynes will come back with all
Speaker 1: kinds of stories to tell us we will actually somehow
Speaker 1: we're gonna find a way to do a pod while
Speaker 1: you're in Vegas to get some of the local flavor,
Speaker 1: hopefully before Saturday's championship games, so stay tuned for that.
Speaker 1: Safe travels out there. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.
Speaker 3: I'll I'll have a bodyguar out with me. Really, yes, wifey.
Speaker 1: Ties and losses, Ties and losses, all right. That will
Speaker 1: do it for this edition of This League Uncut Please remember,
Speaker 1: as always if you haven't already, rate, review, and subscribe
Speaker 1: to the show, and Chris and I will be back
Speaker 1: with you very very soon. Thanks everybody for listening.
Speaker 2: And that'll do it for us. See you next time.
Speaker 2: This League UNCUTTA is an iHeartRadio production. Put Suck a
Speaker 2: locket
Speaker 1: Chris Hanes and Mark Stein