Speaker 1: Welcome to this League Uncut in the rule of twenty
Speaker 1: four hour NBA News. This's you, Chris Haynes. It's time,
Speaker 1: Mark Stein, it's some time. This League Uncut is underway
Speaker 1: and on five this should be a good one.
Speaker 2: Gonna be a good one, indeed, a fresh and clean
Speaker 2: edition of this League Uncut. As we move firmly into
Speaker 2: the second round of the NBA Playoffs, Mark Stein here
Speaker 2: with Chris Haynes. As always, eight teams left in the
Speaker 2: race for a title. Those eight teams hold the lowest
Speaker 2: composite winning percentage for a final eight in the history
Speaker 2: of the NBA's sixteen team playoff format, which by the way,
Speaker 2: turns forty years old next season. And that awesome stat
Speaker 2: comes from our shared former teammate from ESPN, Kevin Pelton.
Speaker 2: You got the defending champions in there as a number
Speaker 2: six seed. Two playing teams in the second round for
Speaker 2: the first time, the seven seeded Lakers the eighth seeded
Speaker 2: Heat We're gonna get to all that We're gonna get,
Speaker 2: of course, to Warriors Lakers. The series that Chris will
Speaker 2: primarily be covering in Round two, Lebron James versus Stephen Curry.
Speaker 2: Round five in the playoffs starts later to night, but
Speaker 2: we gotta start with this crazy Philly game. We are
Speaker 2: recording Monday night for a Tuesday morning release of this pod.
Speaker 2: Game one the Sixers, with no Joel Embiid and James
Speaker 2: Harden goes for forty five, Tyrese Maxi goes for twenty
Speaker 2: six seventy one combined from the Guards and without Joel Embiid,
Speaker 2: they take a one to zero lead in Boston. Chris Haynes,
Speaker 2: I did not see that coming at all. I know
Speaker 2: obviously we're I mean Tuesday, later today, the MVP award
Speaker 2: is going to be announced. Joel Embiid is has emerged
Speaker 2: as the favorite to win that. I think we all
Speaker 2: expect him to be announced as the MVP. But Joel Embiid,
Speaker 2: he's told you, He's told me, he said it all
Speaker 2: year long. All he wants to do is get to
Speaker 2: the playoffs and be healthy. And here he is. He's
Speaker 2: not healthy, but his guys just stepped up huge, and man,
Speaker 2: the Sixers. This is this is this is a whopper
Speaker 2: of an upset.
Speaker 3: I mean, I don't think anybody could have really saw
Speaker 3: that coming in Boston. Game one, without arguably well I think,
Speaker 3: like you said, he's gonna be the favorite to win
Speaker 3: that MVP Award. James Harden turned back the hands of
Speaker 3: time with that performance. That was vintage James Harden with
Speaker 3: the Houston Rockets. That's what he did. You could tell
Speaker 3: he was in a comfort zone. He didn't have to
Speaker 3: really defer at all. It was his show and he
Speaker 3: felt comfortable. He looked comfortable doing it. And then you
Speaker 3: had Tyrese Maxi going off and being a speechter that
Speaker 3: he is and making plays, getting downhill, hitting that jump shot.
Speaker 3: Philly looked like they looked like a really good ball club.
Speaker 3: He saw James Harden talking with my colleague Ali leave
Speaker 3: Forth after the game and he said he was short,
Speaker 3: but he was real candid with with his with his response.
Speaker 3: His answer, he said, she asked like, how did it
Speaker 3: feel to be back in that mold of the James
Speaker 3: Harden of old. He said, I was gonna shoot regardless
Speaker 3: whether they where they where, do they win in or not,
Speaker 3: that's a different story. But I was gonna get my
Speaker 3: shots up. So you know, he looked like a really
Speaker 3: confident guy man. So it was good to see him
Speaker 3: kind of back to his old ways. I know, a
Speaker 3: lot of people felt like he may have lost a
Speaker 3: step or lost the lost the ability to gain separation.
Speaker 3: But he did that, and he did it against one
Speaker 3: a tough one, a tougher defensive clubs we have.
Speaker 2: I mean, there is so much to unpack just from
Speaker 2: this one game, because really, with Milwaukee home for the
Speaker 2: summer before the playoffs, if we would have said the
Speaker 2: Bucks would lose in the first round, you would have
Speaker 2: I mean, I think most reasonable people in the NBA
Speaker 2: would have said the Celtics Philly winner becomes the favorite
Speaker 2: to win it all. But the Sixers now don't know
Speaker 2: what kind of Joel Embiid they're going to have back
Speaker 2: when he does come back. The Celtics just look like
Speaker 2: a mess. I mean, they couldn't close out Atlanta when
Speaker 2: they had the chance in Game five. They finished that
Speaker 2: series in very limp fashion. And then for the Celtics
Speaker 2: to come out in this game the day after the
Speaker 2: Boston Bruins in the same building. This ain't a hockey podcast,
Speaker 2: but yes I am a Buffalo Sabers fan, so I
Speaker 2: do keep a little bit of an eye on it.
Speaker 2: The Boston Bruins had the best regular season in hockey history.
Speaker 2: They go up three to one. They lose Game seven
Speaker 2: in overtime at home, out in the first round. Twenty
Speaker 2: four hours later, the Celtics are back in the building
Speaker 2: with a city in mourning because Boston fans love their
Speaker 2: Bruins as much as they love the Celtics as much
Speaker 2: as they love the Patriots. And with the city in mourning,
Speaker 2: how you don't show up locked in to take advantage
Speaker 2: of Philly when Embiid is not there? Is crazy? But
Speaker 2: they look, I mean they finished the finish was I
Speaker 2: mean indescribably bad. And I mean that, you know, again,
Speaker 2: it's only one game, and we don't know even if
Speaker 2: Embiid can come back in game two or game three,
Speaker 2: whenever it is, we don't know how effective he'll actually be.
Speaker 2: What would you do if you're the Sixers, do you
Speaker 2: now sit him in game two to give him, you know,
Speaker 2: three more extra days before game three? I mean, you've
Speaker 2: got the split now in Boston.
Speaker 3: I would sit them. I would sit them because the
Speaker 3: Sixers have confidence now. And I know teams and players
Speaker 3: like to say they always have confidence, but they won
Speaker 3: Game one in Boston. That is not easy to do,
Speaker 3: and so now they really do have confidence because they've
Speaker 3: seen it happen, and I would sit them. I would
Speaker 3: give him the extra rest, see if he can get
Speaker 3: back for Game three in Philly. But I most definitely
Speaker 3: ride the confidence that they have right now. Ride the wave.
Speaker 3: See if James Harden and Tyres Maxi and those other
Speaker 3: guys can step up again. And you never know, But definitely,
Speaker 3: I think there's no way if I'm management, there's no
Speaker 3: way that I allow Joel Embiid to come back for
Speaker 3: game two.
Speaker 2: I think we both know mister Embiid pretty well, but
Speaker 2: I'm going to ask you how hard will it be
Speaker 2: to sell him on that strategy? You think he'll see
Speaker 2: the wisdom in it and say, yes, let me sit
Speaker 2: out here because it's Game three is not till Friday,
Speaker 2: it's not too Friday.
Speaker 3: But I think it's easier to sell him on that
Speaker 3: being at they won game one. I think he gets
Speaker 3: that because ultimately, like he's told us time and time again,
Speaker 3: his number one goal is a championship, right, so it
Speaker 3: looks like he's going to get MVP. He's going to
Speaker 3: be happy with that. He's definitely going to be pleased
Speaker 3: by finally being able to raise that award. Up in
Speaker 3: the air. But championship is what's most important. So if
Speaker 3: that's what's most important, then you have to put your
Speaker 3: health first and foremost. And if that means wait until Friday,
Speaker 3: I think he'll be willing to do that considering the sething,
Speaker 3: I mean, considering the sixth were able to get game one.
Speaker 2: Yeah, because I do think for him, I mean, were
Speaker 2: he to win MVP but then the Sixers to go
Speaker 2: out in the second round. Again, I mean, I don't
Speaker 2: want to say hollow because like, like we both know
Speaker 2: he does want that award and it does mean a
Speaker 2: lot to him and to finally check off that box. Mean,
Speaker 2: you know, that's a big deal to him. But he
Speaker 2: does need a playoff run. I you know, he needs
Speaker 2: a playoff run. A long playoff run is least as
Speaker 2: at least as much as he needs the MVP award.
Speaker 2: So yeah, I mean this is and look, we don't
Speaker 2: know for sure, but just the way that this is
Speaker 2: all kind of played out, the Nuggets will have played
Speaker 2: both of their first two games against Phoenix. I mean,
Speaker 2: they're they're playing game two as we speak. So you know,
Speaker 2: when if Yokic won the MVP, you'd think that that
Speaker 2: would have already been announced that the league wouldn't announce
Speaker 2: it when Yokic is about to go play two games
Speaker 2: in Phoenix. So I do think Embiid is going to
Speaker 2: be announced as the MVP later today. But man, we
Speaker 2: got to I mean, what about James Harden? Seriously, he
Speaker 2: He's been crushed for years for his playoff performance. He
Speaker 2: was crushed tonight for that. Did you see the did
Speaker 2: you see the pregame fit? As the kids would say,
Speaker 2: am I allowed to say it like that? Can I
Speaker 2: say it like that? Or do I sound ridiculous?
Speaker 4: What do you think?
Speaker 2: What do you think of the well pregame fit?
Speaker 3: I think David Stern is rolling over in his grave
Speaker 3: right now with what we allow to happen with this
Speaker 3: dress code. He would David Stern would definitely not approve that.
Speaker 3: That bagging thiss That is beyond bagging this, That's beyond
Speaker 3: the baggingess that we were putting ourselves in the nineties
Speaker 3: early two thousand. It's it's he's taking He took it
Speaker 3: a couple of degrees up with that style. You know,
Speaker 3: I'm a I'm not a stylish I'm not a stylist
Speaker 3: at all. You know, I'm just now getting back into
Speaker 3: getting into custom suits and being tailored, and you know
Speaker 3: suits fit in your body mold. So what James Harden
Speaker 3: pulled away with that, that's the complete opposite of what
Speaker 3: I'm doing right now. So whatever flows you up, both
Speaker 3: him and and SGA over there in ok See. You
Speaker 3: know they're they're known by you know, most of the
Speaker 3: players to beat some of the sharpest dressers. You hear
Speaker 3: that sharpest dressers we happen to lead. That's that's the
Speaker 3: courting to them. You ask people outside the NBA, They'll
Speaker 3: probably have to give you a different tale.
Speaker 2: Let's say he got crushed for the look he got.
Speaker 2: You know, his playoff history always gets thrown in his face.
Speaker 2: And then on top of all that, you know he
Speaker 2: was seen in Vegas during this week off that the
Speaker 2: Sixers had to kind of yo. You know, they they
Speaker 2: finished off Brooklyn quick, and you know, we were thinking, okay,
Speaker 2: this is extra time for for maybe Joel Embiid's need
Speaker 2: to heal, and all of a sudden, there's James Harden
Speaker 2: sighting in Vegas that I don't know what.
Speaker 3: Hold on you mentioned a signing in Vegas? Stein hold On,
Speaker 3: I got room so Stein, Yes, come come on here,
Speaker 3: I mean, come on.
Speaker 2: What Yes, America, this is what happens on the This
Speaker 2: League Uncut podcast. You remember, early in the history of
Speaker 2: the show, when we were really a fledgling show, Chris
Speaker 2: Haynes had to stop one episode because the pizza delivery
Speaker 2: man rang the doorbell. But this, this is more excusable.
Speaker 2: I think we're not gonna find him because he is
Speaker 2: on the road. He is in a hotel getting ready
Speaker 2: for Game one of Lakers sixers. So the room service,
Speaker 2: you know he's in a nice hotel though, because there
Speaker 2: was not a knock on the door, there was a
Speaker 2: doorbell ring. So when the doorbell rings at a hotel,
Speaker 2: that tells you that that TNT's got Chris Haynes hooked
Speaker 2: up and he stands somewhere nice.
Speaker 3: A brother has to eat. Oh but that's what I
Speaker 3: was saying. So, Stein, you brought up James Hard James
Speaker 3: Harden's sighting in Vegas. What was he seen doing? Can
Speaker 3: you tell me that? Stin?
Speaker 4: I have to ask do? I had to ask?
Speaker 3: Man? I thought I thought he made some news somewhat
Speaker 3: with his side of it. Maybe I was wrong. I
Speaker 3: thought they said he did something I don't know.
Speaker 2: I don't know either.
Speaker 3: That's why I don't know.
Speaker 2: I'm just waiting for the explanation. I don't know either.
Speaker 3: I doubt we get an explanation style. I highly doubt that.
Speaker 3: Can you imagine, hikesaun stide? Can you imagine? Because I
Speaker 3: think this is the first time Hard has been in
Speaker 3: front of reporters, can you imagine him getting asked that
Speaker 3: question after after? It's nice?
Speaker 2: This is the playoff game of his life. So maybe
Speaker 2: it's a good time because he can say pretty he
Speaker 2: can say pretty much anything now and uh, and it's
Speaker 2: gonna They're gonna bless it. Do we need to take
Speaker 2: a break so you can have this room service meal?
Speaker 3: No, so my my best friend and Terrence Hall drove
Speaker 3: down from Fresno to come kicking with me. So this
Speaker 3: is actually his food, So it's for him, I ad.
Speaker 2: So your idea of a way to, you know, reconnect
Speaker 2: with one of your best friends is hey, come come
Speaker 2: hang out with me and watch me talk on a podcast.
Speaker 3: No, it's not like that. Usually when my friends find
Speaker 3: out I'm near, they just come over uninvited. That's usually
Speaker 3: how it works. And it's not like I keep it
Speaker 3: a secret. You know, there was a press release of
Speaker 3: what out says. I decided I reported for game one
Speaker 3: the Lakers and Warriors. So that's how my friends are
Speaker 3: all right?
Speaker 2: That was not part of tonight's plan discussion. But like
Speaker 2: I said, I'm not sure we can say that anymore
Speaker 2: because we need a lot more clarity on the Joel
Speaker 2: Embiid health situation. But wow, I mean, Philly winning Game
Speaker 2: one was not in the script, and James Harden with
Speaker 2: the playoff game of his life. After all of these
Speaker 2: other interesting sidebars to the discussion, what I wanted to
Speaker 2: ask you when we got together tonight was is this
Speaker 2: the year of the lower seed again? Warriors number six?
Speaker 2: Take out number three Sacramento. The Lakers as a number seven,
Speaker 2: take out number two Memphis, the Heat as a number eight,
Speaker 2: as we all know, take out number one Milwaukee in
Speaker 2: historic fashion in five games. Boston is a two versus three.
Speaker 2: But as we've said fifteen times already, Tonight and Beads
Speaker 2: got this knee situation, the Celtics have looked like an
Speaker 2: absolute mess. I mean, we knew this season was wide open,
Speaker 2: but I think it's even more wide open now than
Speaker 2: we anticipated. After a bizarre regular season like Warriors, Lakers, Heat.
Speaker 2: Could our chie champion really come from that trio? I
Speaker 2: guess you've been saying you've kind of been a Lakers
Speaker 2: believer now for a while, which I clearly have not.
Speaker 3: Yeah, ever since they made those moves at the deadline.
Speaker 3: But I will say about you know, the point about
Speaker 3: lower seeds taking down the higher season is this the season.
Speaker 3: I think there's an exception for a few of those teams.
Speaker 3: I think there should be an exception made. Let me
Speaker 3: know if you agree or not. I believe there should
Speaker 3: be exception made for the Warriors and the Lakers. The
Speaker 3: only team that I feel like is really in that
Speaker 3: boat of a true lower seed is the Miami Heat.
Speaker 3: The Lakers got better at the deadline, so they you know,
Speaker 3: they climbed up the rankings ever since they made those moves,
Speaker 3: so they're really a better team than their seating. And
Speaker 3: the same thing for the Warriors. They were dealing with injuries,
Speaker 3: Stephen Curry out, so they're a better team than their seating.
Speaker 3: The Miami Heat is really the only team out there
Speaker 3: that you can't say, well healthy, didn't make any moves.
Speaker 3: They're really a number eight seed and they took the
Speaker 3: hard way of the playoff playing route to get to
Speaker 3: the playoffs. That's probably really the most spectacular thing that
Speaker 3: we've seen as far in the playoffs. But to answer
Speaker 3: your to answer your question going into the postseason, Phoenix
Speaker 3: was my team that I said, I think, you know,
Speaker 3: that's not looking too good as of right now. No,
Speaker 3: it's only one game. But Denver is looking really good.
Speaker 3: And I think a lot of people, include myself, were
Speaker 3: sleeping on a bit. But Warriors and the Lakers they're
Speaker 3: better than let me see what the sixth and seven seed. Yeah,
Speaker 3: they're better than the sixth and seventh seed. And uh,
Speaker 3: you know, Philly and Boston they were right there for
Speaker 3: a minute. And uh, but I do I do feel
Speaker 3: like hmmm, I feel like, hmmm, do I want to
Speaker 3: say this? I'm a bail. I'm a bail. I'm not
Speaker 3: saying that I'm a bail. I was stine. I was
Speaker 3: gonna say something that was gonna have me in some
Speaker 3: hot water. SI, it was gonna have me in some
Speaker 3: hot water because I was gonna pick a team because
Speaker 3: I really feel this way.
Speaker 2: But I'm a whole is what you're saying.
Speaker 3: This will get aggreated. What I was thinking right now
Speaker 3: is we'll get acting. But Stein, I learned from you
Speaker 3: because a lot of times you tell me, don't just
Speaker 3: say what I'm thinking at that moment, give us, give.
Speaker 2: Us something hugely. You ignore my advice.
Speaker 3: I do most of the time. I but the tip,
Speaker 3: ask for my old head counsel.
Speaker 2: And then you just do it anyway, which I which
Speaker 2: I actually admire because I wish because I'm too safe.
Speaker 3: You always have.
Speaker 2: The gumption to say, you know what, I'm just gonna Stein,
Speaker 2: thanks for looking out, but uh no, I'm gonna do
Speaker 2: it anyway.
Speaker 3: But Stian, how many times have I said something on
Speaker 3: this pod? You let it go, and then once the
Speaker 3: pot is done, you go back to our super producer
Speaker 3: Ryan and you say, hey, Ryan, I think we should
Speaker 3: take out what Chris said in a ten to fifteen.
Speaker 3: Let's take it out.
Speaker 2: Oh.
Speaker 3: The whole time the rest of the pod, I'm thinking,
Speaker 3: like I'm weighed it. I'm like, should I have said that?
Speaker 4: That may or may not.
Speaker 2: Have happened once or twice in this show's brief history.
Speaker 3: So I listen to you. I listen to you.
Speaker 2: I can't confirm or deny that the larger question here,
Speaker 2: and the truth is we can't answer it yet. Is
Speaker 2: has something materially changed in the league, Like do we
Speaker 2: have new found lasting parody? And I would caution that
Speaker 2: there's just no way for us to have that answer
Speaker 2: and know that yet. There's just no way because this
Speaker 2: season was so bizarre. I mean, we've we have covered
Speaker 2: this in the past. This is the nineteenth season in
Speaker 2: the league where you had thirty franchises. In the first
Speaker 2: eighteen of those seasons, the West averaged five point three
Speaker 2: fifty win teams. This season, there were only two, and
Speaker 2: a lot of that was because we had so much
Speaker 2: I mean, there was just widespread injury throughout the West,
Speaker 2: and it makes it harder to judge, Like, you know,
Speaker 2: how can we say it now that this is that
Speaker 2: this is the new NBA and it's the new way
Speaker 2: it is when a we don't even know what kind
Speaker 2: of roster changes we're gonna see from teams for next season.
Speaker 2: I mean, a bunch of teams could look drastically different.
Speaker 2: But yeah, I mean, I do agree with what you
Speaker 2: were saying earlier. The Warriors, they're not your normal number
Speaker 2: six seed. They're the defending champs. They had to play
Speaker 2: long stretches of the season with no Steph and no Wiggins.
Speaker 2: Andrew Wiggins missed forty five games, Stephen Curry missed twenty six.
Speaker 2: The Lakers, like you said, that's a completely different team now,
Speaker 2: they made four trades between January twenty third and February ninth.
Speaker 2: It is a new roster. And I would actually where
Speaker 2: I would disagree with you. I think even the Heat
Speaker 2: belong in this category to a degree because I checked
Speaker 2: with the great Jeff Stotts from in street Clothes dot com,
Speaker 2: and he keeps a database on every injury in the league.
Speaker 2: And you know, the Heat were fourth in games lost
Speaker 2: to injury this season. Only Detroit, Portland and Orlando lost
Speaker 2: more games to injury. So even they had a very
Speaker 2: up and down regular season. And even now with this
Speaker 2: one to zero lead that they take into MSG for
Speaker 2: Game two, you know, Jimmy Butler's playing with an injury now,
Speaker 2: and they've lost Tyler Herro and they lost Victor Oladipo.
Speaker 2: So this is such a strange season. I just I
Speaker 2: don't know yet if this is the new way. But
Speaker 2: you know, Lawrence Frank dropped this stat last week when
Speaker 2: he was doing his season ending media, and he brought
Speaker 2: it up. Basically, he was saying, the Clippers need to
Speaker 2: take the regular season more seriously than they have because
Speaker 2: if you look at it, the last twenty eight champions
Speaker 2: in the NBA have been a top three seed. We
Speaker 2: have not seen a champion in the NBA outside the
Speaker 2: top three since the Houston Rockets in nineteen ninety five,
Speaker 2: my first full year covering the NBA.
Speaker 3: So I like that he said that, Stuy, But who
Speaker 3: was he talking to?
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, that's I mean, he was clearly from my seat,
Speaker 2: clearly talking to Kawhi and PG. So how do you
Speaker 2: think that landed with them? I mean, that's really the
Speaker 2: question because obviously they you know, Lawrence Frank was effusive
Speaker 2: in his praise of those guys, and he said, the
Speaker 2: Clippers want to resign those guys and keep those guys.
Speaker 2: But if you're talking about taking the regular season more seriously,
Speaker 2: he could only that could only mean he was referring
Speaker 2: to Kawhi and Paul George, unless I'm completely missing the point.
Speaker 3: I just want to get.
Speaker 2: Great, so you just let let me get aggregated. Thanks,
Speaker 2: that's all right, Let's talk talk about the Marquee series.
Speaker 2: Of Round two. You're gonna be on it both TV
Speaker 2: wise and writing wise, and you're already there. Warriors Lakers.
Speaker 2: You know, I'm I'm I kind of brought this up
Speaker 2: already on Twitter, but I don't think we can say
Speaker 2: it enough, and it'll be in my story that posts
Speaker 2: today on substack. You know, the joke always used to
Speaker 2: be in the David Stern era, the dream series in
Speaker 2: the NBA offices, when they would talk about their absolute
Speaker 2: if they could do any playoff matchup that they could,
Speaker 2: if they could really control it and joystick it, that
Speaker 2: their dream series would be Lakers versus Lakers because nothing
Speaker 2: would get better ratings, and Lakers versus Warriors Lebron versus
Speaker 2: Steph is probably as close to the mythical Lakers versus
Speaker 2: Lakers matchup. I mean, this is going to be the
Speaker 2: series that TV ratings or you know, that TV executives
Speaker 2: dream of, because you know, these guys have already met
Speaker 2: on the final stage four times. They met on the
Speaker 2: playing stage once, even though the record books you can't
Speaker 2: even find that. You tell me, I mean, how psyched
Speaker 2: are you to be to be on this one? I mean,
Speaker 2: this is this is uh, you know, Draymond's gonna say
Speaker 2: you're spying for the Lakers.
Speaker 3: And I mean, I hope we got over that already.
Speaker 3: I hope, I hope I was able to convince them.
Speaker 3: But Stan, you know, allow me to reflect real quick, man,
Speaker 3: Like I grew up Fresne, California, west side of Fresnel.
Speaker 1: And.
Speaker 3: I remember watching NBA games on NBC and we went
Speaker 3: to church every Sunday early in the morning, and so
Speaker 3: I will only catch about the first quarter of the
Speaker 3: games that came on. And usually the first games will
Speaker 3: be those Eastern Conference games, be the New York Knicks,
Speaker 3: you know, being down in California, but that music would
Speaker 3: come on, you know, the NBC music. We talked about that,
Speaker 3: and I just remember watching Ahmad Rashad Peter Vesi doing
Speaker 3: sidelines for those games, and for some reason, you know,
Speaker 3: as an eight year old, nine year old kid, you know,
Speaker 3: they stood out to me. And that's way before I
Speaker 3: even even thought about pursuing journalism or anything. First of all,
Speaker 3: I didn't think about pursuing that until my late twenties.
Speaker 3: But man, I am so honored, man so honored to
Speaker 3: be doing this, doing this game, covering this game, being
Speaker 3: on the sidelines for the Lakers Warriors, Lebron, Steph. I've
Speaker 3: covered Lebron for ten years. I've covered Steph for what
Speaker 3: was it about four or five years? Man, it hasn't
Speaker 3: hit home, man, So I'm excited. I'm I'm stoked, Man,
Speaker 3: I'm super stoked to be on it. What do I expect?
Speaker 3: I don't know. I don't know what. I don't know
Speaker 3: what I'll expect Stein, But I'll tell you this, man,
Speaker 3: I know Lebron, James and Stephen Curry. They're definitely up
Speaker 3: for this task. This was I talked to Lebron believe
Speaker 3: I believe it was his first year when he came
Speaker 3: with the Lakers, and we were talking about these scenarios
Speaker 3: about what the NBA. We was having just a conversation
Speaker 3: on the side about what the dream matchups the NBA
Speaker 3: wants to wants to see. And he brought that up, Star,
Speaker 3: he brought that up, said for sure they want the
Speaker 3: Lakers or Warriors. You know at that time he said
Speaker 3: Lakers Warriors Western Conference Finals. And you know this is
Speaker 3: the second round. But this is man, I can't wait, Starn.
Speaker 3: I'm very excited. I'm very humble, man, Thank God for
Speaker 3: this opportunity man, So hopefully I can do my job
Speaker 3: and stay out the way and let them perform.
Speaker 2: Well, look, I'm happy for you. I mean that's you know, obviously,
Speaker 2: that's I can hear the excitement in your voice. I
Speaker 2: totally get. It's funny though, like just just what you know,
Speaker 2: the age difference between us, because I you know, of
Speaker 2: your generation, there is such reverence for the NBC broadcast
Speaker 2: and the song you know, Roundball Rock. But I feel
Speaker 2: the exact same way about the eighties when it was
Speaker 2: on CBS, and like the CBS music from the eighties
Speaker 2: will just stop me in my tracks.
Speaker 3: I like, yeah, I have to. I don't even know
Speaker 3: if that sounds like that. I need to go to that.
Speaker 2: Because there was you know, basketball was the NBA was
Speaker 2: very very much the third class citizen. You know, Baseball
Speaker 2: was almost on equal footing with the NFL. And when
Speaker 2: I was probably you know, when I was really just
Speaker 2: becoming a sports fan in the seventies, I would argue
Speaker 2: baseball had a larger profile. So, I mean, you know,
Speaker 2: throughout the eighties, baseball and football, you know it it
Speaker 2: took Magic and Mic, It took Magic and Larry and
Speaker 2: then Michael to, you know, push the NBA to the
Speaker 2: heights that had ultimately reached. But in the eighties a
Speaker 2: national TV game on CBS, they were rarer and just
Speaker 2: like I said, I would hear that. I'm surprised you
Speaker 2: actually haven't heard this like that the eighties CBS music
Speaker 2: like oh, just like perfection and yeah, I get misty
Speaker 2: eye just think about that. So it's just just funny
Speaker 2: the uh you know that you feel the same way
Speaker 2: about about the nineties, and I'm sure, I'm sure, mister
Speaker 2: VESSI will love hearing the hearing you say that. I mean, look,
Speaker 2: but this series, like we talk about Lebron being, you know,
Speaker 2: the greatest thirty eight year old we've ever seen, and
Speaker 2: nobody has ever aged like him. I think we got
Speaker 2: to start saying that about Steph. He looks fantastic and
Speaker 2: it's I remember when the Mavericks went on their title
Speaker 2: run in twenty eleven, and I would talk a lot
Speaker 2: about this with Paija Stoyakovich, who was a former All
Speaker 2: Star and a great shooter scorer in his own right,
Speaker 2: but at that point he was a role player, and
Speaker 2: Pajia would marvel at what Dirk was doing on that
Speaker 2: title run in twenty eleven, and when I would speak
Speaker 2: about this with Paiga, he would say, like Dirk, you know,
Speaker 2: we would both kind of say that. You know, Dirk
Speaker 2: is a surgeon now like in his later stages, he
Speaker 2: knew exactly what he wanted to do, exactly how to
Speaker 2: get to his spots, exactly how to operate. And that's
Speaker 2: just that's how I feel with Steph.
Speaker 4: I mean, he.
Speaker 2: You know, he would not let his team lose that
Speaker 2: Game seven in Sacramento, and uh, you know got inside
Speaker 2: more than really we've ever seen him. You know, took
Speaker 2: the thirty eight shots on a on a on an
Speaker 2: afternoon that most of his teammates outside of Kaan Looney
Speaker 2: didn't have it. I mean, that was that was surgeon like.
Speaker 3: So here's a I might regret going on to this topic,
Speaker 3: but again it's.
Speaker 2: A good say something, say something, say something crazy, so
Speaker 2: it takes takes the focus off whatever I've said.
Speaker 3: Stile. So now Steph, I mean, he's he's gotten this
Speaker 3: recognition before, but after that performance Game seven, people are
Speaker 3: saying the greatest point guard in history. I don't know
Speaker 3: that I have a problem with that. The hard thing
Speaker 3: about that sinking in for me, is is he the
Speaker 3: best point guard ever? Or is he the best player
Speaker 3: to be labeled a point guard? Does that make.
Speaker 2: Because I don't I don't look at him as a
Speaker 2: pure point guard.
Speaker 3: I mean, you know, yeah, I don't. I don't need
Speaker 3: but people will go people get crazy when you say that.
Speaker 3: They get defensive about that, and so it's like I
Speaker 3: have a hard time, like, are we talking about you know,
Speaker 3: are we talking about he's the best point guard ever?
Speaker 3: Because the point guard has certain obligations, certain responsibilities. And
Speaker 3: I'm not saying, Steph, I'll see I'm gonna get myself
Speaker 3: in trouble, but you get what I'm.
Speaker 2: Saying, and you're not. Look, you're not getting in any
Speaker 2: trouble with me. I mean, to me, greatest point guard. Like,
Speaker 2: you know, it's pretty hard to rest that mantle for
Speaker 2: Magic Johnson. I you know, I don't. I don't think
Speaker 2: he's not gonna get like that. One's not up for
Speaker 2: debate for me. But you know, the debate is communist
Speaker 2: Steph a top ten player? And I say unequivocally, yes,
Speaker 2: he is a top ten player, not only not only
Speaker 2: for his complete body of work, which he's you know,
Speaker 2: after winning the Finals MVP. He's won everything now. But
Speaker 2: also when you bring in the change the game factors,
Speaker 2: he has that, and you know, Dirk had that too,
Speaker 2: and I thought that was you know, Dirk only has
Speaker 2: one championship on his resume, but that's one of the
Speaker 2: things that I think puts Dirk in the top twenty.
Speaker 2: Dirk changed his position. Stephen Curry changed what constitute a
Speaker 2: good shot in the NBA. He changed the shooting range
Speaker 2: for a whole generation. And I looked this up. Howard
Speaker 2: Beck did a piece on Steph last year and Draymond
Speaker 2: had this fantastic quote in here, which I think backs
Speaker 2: up your point. Steph'son anomaly. He's different than anything we've
Speaker 2: ever seen in this league. He's not Alan Iverson, he's
Speaker 2: not Isaiah Thomas, he's not Ray Allen, he's not Reggie Miller.
Speaker 2: He's like some mix of all those guys. So I'm
Speaker 2: in total agreement with you and Draymond. He's not a
Speaker 2: point guard. I don't even look at him like that,
Speaker 2: especially in this positionless era. But you know, we we
Speaker 2: could do a whole show debating top ten, and for
Speaker 2: some people, they're not going to have Steph in the
Speaker 2: top ten, But you know, I think he belongs there.
Speaker 3: I'll put the top ten. Yeah, I put them top ten.
Speaker 3: But is there anybody else that's in that category where
Speaker 3: we really can't give them a position, like they really
Speaker 3: don't do, not hold a primary position. They're just great,
Speaker 3: They're just great basketb.
Speaker 2: Play At this point, I mean, what is Lebron's position?
Speaker 2: He's played them all, I mean except center. Yeah, I
Speaker 2: mean he's He's been elite as a one, as a four,
Speaker 2: as a three. I mean, so I don't I don't
Speaker 2: think he I don't think you can put him him
Speaker 2: in a positional box either.
Speaker 3: Well, I think most people say he's a small four,
Speaker 3: But I get your point. He's played at all.
Speaker 2: Obviously, Will Russell kareem their centers, MJ is, you know,
Speaker 2: the quintessential two guard of all time, And obviously you
Speaker 2: know he's a lot of people's goat. But I think,
Speaker 2: I you know, that's the thing is, I think I
Speaker 2: think Lebron and Steph who've played the bulk of their
Speaker 2: career in this positionless era. Yeah, like, I'm not so
Speaker 2: hung up on player designations. But look, whatever we say,
Speaker 2: people will disagree with it. That's fine. These are. You know,
Speaker 2: these are all topics that everybody gets, you know, crazy
Speaker 2: mad about.
Speaker 4: I mean.
Speaker 2: Series wise. You know, I'm picking the Warriors. I'm not
Speaker 2: picking against you know, last year I said it, I
Speaker 2: I last year I got all swept up in you know,
Speaker 2: the MAVs took out Phoenix and I actually made the
Speaker 2: regrettable mistake, despite having spent so much time with the
Speaker 2: Warriors for the first three years their dynasty. I you know,
Speaker 2: I picked the Mavericks to beat the Warriors and was
Speaker 2: made to look foolish. Huge mistake. The Warriors and all
Speaker 2: their playoff know how Sacramento just experienced it. You know,
Speaker 2: how much did we talk about the Kings going or
Speaker 2: how much do we talk about the Warriors being eleven
Speaker 2: and thirty on the road and then well, the only
Speaker 2: road record that matters is they're two and one now
Speaker 2: on the road and they got two road or two
Speaker 2: and two on the road, and they got two wins
Speaker 2: and sack and and there in the second round. I
Speaker 2: just a d and Lebron are gonna know. Ad was
Speaker 2: a defensive monster in the Memphis series. I mean he
Speaker 2: was He showed you what the best defensive player in
Speaker 2: the league looks like he was. You know, when Anthony
Speaker 2: Davis plays like that, he is the best defensive force
Speaker 2: in the league, but offensively he was a bit up
Speaker 2: and down. I think both he and Lebron are gonna
Speaker 2: have to play at a higher level in this round
Speaker 2: for them to beat the Warriors. I just, you know,
Speaker 2: unless the Lakers others come up huge. You know, if
Speaker 2: Reeves and Hatchamura and Vanderbilt and but Beasley and all
Speaker 2: these guys. You know, if you know, if those guys
Speaker 2: play above themselves, I might look foolish here, but I'm
Speaker 2: I'm not picking against Golden State after what they just
Speaker 2: did not in the West.
Speaker 3: Can we Giveloney unreal? Oh my goodness. So I'm I
Speaker 3: want to see this matchup Kavan Looney Anthony Davis. I
Speaker 3: want to see if he can have a similar impact
Speaker 3: defensively on the game like he did in dominating his
Speaker 3: matchup with th My Sabonis Man. Kavan Looney was a beast,
Speaker 3: Oh my goodness, the unsung hero of the Golden State Wars.
Speaker 2: I've been saying this one for years. Find yourself someone
Speaker 2: who loves you the way Steve Kerr loves Kevon Looney,
Speaker 2: Kavan Looney is Steve Kerr's favorite player. I've told Steve
Speaker 2: Kerr that I say this. He laughs because he knows
Speaker 2: it's true. But I mean, what that guy is an
Speaker 2: incredible story, the player that he's become after all the
Speaker 2: injuries to now become an iron man who never missed
Speaker 2: his games and a twenty rebound machine. I mean, that's
Speaker 2: the thing. I just you know, there are a lot
Speaker 2: of things that the Lakers are gonna have to overcome
Speaker 2: to win this series. But you're lucky man, envious that
Speaker 2: that you're gonna be right there in the middle of
Speaker 2: it all.
Speaker 3: And I have to My friend is getting on me
Speaker 3: right now because he was the one that was telling
Speaker 3: me I'm not giving Kval Loony enough love, So you know,
Speaker 3: I have to give him a shout out. My guy
Speaker 3: t Hall over here at Terrence Hall, he was the
Speaker 3: one to put it.
Speaker 2: You buy T Hall's room service.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm taking care of it. He got some he
Speaker 3: got some pizza and some wings. He got some piece
Speaker 3: and some wings. I'm taking care of it. That's how
Speaker 3: your friends do, Star. They come over visit and order
Speaker 3: room service.
Speaker 4: Man.
Speaker 2: Oh you I might just show up for like Game
Speaker 2: three or Game four and just knock on, ring the ring.
Speaker 2: I can't knock on the door because you stay in
Speaker 2: such nice places. I gotta ring the doorbell.
Speaker 3: These are my frids. Man, get you some friends. Man
Speaker 3: show up unexpectedly and charge your room service. Those are
Speaker 3: good friends, man, he said, the best the world.
Speaker 2: All Right, I'm gonna let you and t Hall enjoy
Speaker 2: the rest of the evening. Look, there's lots more here
Speaker 2: that we're gonna get to. A Grizzlies post mortem after
Speaker 2: the way memphisis season ended. What this means going forward
Speaker 2: for John Morant, What this means going forward for Dylan Brooks.
Speaker 2: I think there's a growing sense around the league that
Speaker 2: questioning there's certainly questions about the Grizzlies appetite going forward.
Speaker 2: Do they really want to bring Dylan Brooks back? Is
Speaker 2: that a change we're gonna see from the Grizzlies. But look,
Speaker 2: we're gonna be talking lots about the Grizzlies. I think
Speaker 2: once we start moving in to the off season portion
Speaker 2: of the show, we will get more into Denver Phoenix,
Speaker 2: which Game two is going on as we record this
Speaker 2: Game two of Nick's Heat Tuesday Night, Amazing season for
Speaker 2: the Kings. I mean it was you know, and we've
Speaker 2: talked a lot about the Kings, but you know, I
Speaker 2: really kind of feel like, yes, they had a two
Speaker 2: zero lead and couldn't convert it, But to me, there's
Speaker 2: nothing that can besmirch their season after missing the playoffs
Speaker 2: sixteen years in a row, just to do what they
Speaker 2: did and push the Warriors the way they did. I'm
Speaker 2: sure they're disappointed, and I know Kings fans are probably inconsolable,
Speaker 2: but I still think when they step away that that
Speaker 2: season is going to go down as a success.
Speaker 3: Hell of a year year. I can't take that boy
Speaker 3: for him.
Speaker 2: All Right, it was a great first round. Let's hope
Speaker 2: the second round can maintain that level. Injuries, of course,
Speaker 2: are always the thing that can throw us. And you know,
Speaker 2: we got a monitor the Jimmy Butler situation, got a
Speaker 2: monitor what happens next with them bed but both of
Speaker 2: their teams, Miami and Philly. By winning Game one on
Speaker 2: the road, their teams have this option. Now, maybe they
Speaker 2: rest the star in game two and you know, bring
Speaker 2: Butler back, bring them be back in game three, and
Speaker 2: hope that those guys are a little bit closer to
Speaker 2: the expected level. We'll get into all of that in
Speaker 2: the next edition of This League, Uncut later this week.
Speaker 2: In the meantime, everyone please rate, review, subscribe to the show.
Speaker 2: Chris and I'll be back in a couple of days
Speaker 2: with more. Thanks for being with us.
Speaker 4: Everybody, and that'll do it for us. See you next time.
Speaker 2: This League Uncut is and iHeartRadio production.
Speaker 4: Chris Haynes and Mark Stein.
Speaker 2: Don't