WEBVTT - LeBron scoring 50k points & Kyrie's season-ending injury 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:02.599 Welcome in What's Driving the Great Episode three oh five, 0:00:02.759 --> 0:00:07.440 Fresh off vacation back from New Zealand, I have an 0:00:07.520 --> 0:00:12.040 amazing ability to not be jet lagged at all while 0:00:12.160 --> 0:00:16.000 on vacation, hit the ground running half a world away 0:00:16.040 --> 0:00:19.560 in New Zealand, landed at five am Sunday, New Zealand time. 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:24.640 It immediately started traveling, traversing, exploring, and then since I've 0:00:24.680 --> 0:00:27.240 been back to the States, I've slept for three hours 0:00:27.280 --> 0:00:30.160 about every twelve hours and have no idea what day 0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:33.360 it is or what's going on. So I'm actually grateful 0:00:33.400 --> 0:00:36.960 of that ability that I don't waste my vacation sleeping 0:00:37.000 --> 0:00:40.320 and jet lag. But it is made today. I don't 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:42.640 know what day it is, but we're back. I have 0:00:42.760 --> 0:00:46.960 been waiting for the better part of a week to 0:00:47.080 --> 0:00:50.640 discuss this story. We didn't even do it on the 0:00:50.680 --> 0:00:54.400 TV show yesterday, in part because Brew wasn't back yet, 0:00:55.360 --> 0:00:59.320 but also because I wanted to. I'm going to go 0:00:59.520 --> 0:01:03.360 long on this face of the league's stuff. So first, 0:01:03.360 --> 0:01:07.240 Demonse welcome in. Demanse also has some things he wants 0:01:07.280 --> 0:01:10.080 to get off his chest about. I think Jason Tatum 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:12.319 and Shadora Sanders are both of these correct. 0:01:12.959 --> 0:01:15.840 Yes, both of those are correct, and then things, but 0:01:15.880 --> 0:01:17.640 we're gonna hit on those naturally. 0:01:17.440 --> 0:01:21.039 Or right, We're gonna throughout the flow of the show. 0:01:21.640 --> 0:01:28.319 I will admit this opening will I'm hoping to keep 0:01:28.360 --> 0:01:33.160 this rant under twenty because I, in theory, would like 0:01:33.240 --> 0:01:36.399 to be able to post the entire thing, not just 0:01:36.440 --> 0:01:40.640 to YouTube, but to other social media because I think 0:01:40.680 --> 0:01:43.920 it's I'm gonna sound self aggrandizing. I think it's important 0:01:44.760 --> 0:01:46.920 and it's gonna be a little bit of history and 0:01:46.959 --> 0:01:50.560 a little bit of a course correction from I think 0:01:50.640 --> 0:01:54.960 some people who are playing fast and loose with what 0:01:55.200 --> 0:01:59.200 actually has happened in the past and how we actually 0:01:59.280 --> 0:02:03.960 in the past have treated other NBA superstars, which has 0:02:04.040 --> 0:02:09.240 led to the current angst of this crop of NBA superstars. 0:02:09.240 --> 0:02:11.440 Before we get to any of that, what missed the 0:02:11.480 --> 0:02:15.440 cut The Bengals are franchise tagging T Higgins. I do 0:02:15.520 --> 0:02:17.640 not understand what the Bengals are doing. More on that 0:02:17.720 --> 0:02:21.520 on Thursday NFL Combine reactions. I didn't watch a second 0:02:21.560 --> 0:02:24.120 of it all. Catch up on that this week and 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:27.760 John Cena turns heel fellas. I should have made this. 0:02:27.960 --> 0:02:30.480 I should have made this note to the producers off 0:02:30.480 --> 0:02:31.880 the air, but we can do it on the air. 0:02:31.919 --> 0:02:35.800 I suppose the WWE doesn't even qualify quite for the 0:02:35.880 --> 0:02:39.440 miss the Cut category. Nothing against our friends at Pro Wrestling, 0:02:39.760 --> 0:02:42.960 but I'm not I don't know enough about any of 0:02:43.000 --> 0:02:45.480 it in order to even have I don't know if 0:02:45.480 --> 0:02:49.440 they I feel naked when it comes to analyzing that. 0:02:49.960 --> 0:02:53.480 So that'll be your first and last wrestling update on 0:02:53.560 --> 0:02:57.680 the What's Right Pod. But where we have to start 0:02:57.760 --> 0:03:07.799 today is with what Lebron James said, what was said 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:13.280 about what he said, and how we got here. So 0:03:13.680 --> 0:03:19.200 first the level set of what happened. Anthony Edwards was 0:03:19.240 --> 0:03:21.480 asked about being face of the league and he was like, 0:03:21.520 --> 0:03:24.840 I don't really have an interest in it. I just 0:03:24.880 --> 0:03:28.680 want a ball. Lebron was then asked about that as 0:03:28.880 --> 0:03:32.840 the face of the league, and Lebron said, yeah, I 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:37.160 don't blame him. Why would you want to be when 0:03:37.320 --> 0:03:40.760 all the people who talk about our league And it 0:03:40.840 --> 0:03:44.360 seemed like he was about to say former players, but 0:03:44.480 --> 0:03:47.320 the and media, but instead it was just a catch all, 0:03:48.440 --> 0:03:53.720 just shit on the players. And then as Bomani Jones 0:03:53.760 --> 0:03:57.040 would say, hit dog, gone holler, and then all the 0:03:57.120 --> 0:04:06.920 guys who Lebron was talking about doth protested too much. 0:04:07.040 --> 0:04:13.200 So the first one was stephen A, who did a 0:04:13.360 --> 0:04:20.080 five minute rant in response to Lebron that and I'm 0:04:20.120 --> 0:04:25.240 not I am not exaggerating when i say this. In 0:04:25.320 --> 0:04:31.080 the first ninety seconds of stephen A responding to Lebron 0:04:31.320 --> 0:04:37.320 saying that the biggest voices in the media just go 0:04:37.440 --> 0:04:41.520 after you repeatedly, particularly if you're the face of the league. 0:04:41.800 --> 0:04:44.040 In the first ninety seconds of a response to that, 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:48.760 stephen A blamed Lebron James for the following the downfall 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:53.960 of the Slam Dunk contest, the lockout in twenty eleven, 0:04:54.720 --> 0:04:57.960 and the Chris Paul Laker trade being mixed. He put 0:04:58.000 --> 0:05:02.440 it all Lebron's feet. He's like ruin the dunk contests 0:05:02.480 --> 0:05:08.680 because you wouldn't participate, and then said the decision was 0:05:08.960 --> 0:05:14.640 what led to the owners locking the players out and 0:05:14.760 --> 0:05:17.799 changing the collective bargaining agreement, and then threw the CP 0:05:17.960 --> 0:05:23.400 three trade in as kind of a little dessert after 0:05:23.440 --> 0:05:28.760 a delicious entree and didn't really, to my ear, address 0:05:28.839 --> 0:05:32.640 any of what Lebron actually said. And then and I 0:05:32.760 --> 0:05:36.880 couldn't believe this, and let me say this as well, 0:05:37.160 --> 0:05:39.560 I have a really good relationship with steven A. I 0:05:39.560 --> 0:05:42.760 actually texted with him this morning, but he is so 0:05:42.839 --> 0:05:46.000 I don't want people to think that this is there's 0:05:46.080 --> 0:05:49.640 like media beef. But he knows this. We both have 0:05:49.680 --> 0:05:52.880 strong opinions. We disagree. I disagree with a lot of 0:05:52.920 --> 0:05:57.400 what he says. He's a big boy, grown man. He 0:05:57.480 --> 0:06:01.800 understands none of that's personal. And so I'm not I'm 0:06:01.800 --> 0:06:05.080 not trying to start something. That guy's a friend of mine. 0:06:05.200 --> 0:06:07.080 I just think he's out of his mind on some 0:06:07.200 --> 0:06:11.159 of this stuff. And then on his podcast and this 0:06:11.320 --> 0:06:14.520 I won't put on him. And you know, appreciate those 0:06:14.520 --> 0:06:17.640 producers of that podcast because they put us on their 0:06:17.720 --> 0:06:20.960 you know, friendly relationships. But and Demon's ay, this will 0:06:20.960 --> 0:06:28.360 blow your mind again in addressing Lebron James saying that 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:32.520 if you're the face of the league, you get extra criticism, 0:06:33.200 --> 0:06:38.599 get shit on. When Steven A brought that up on 0:06:38.640 --> 0:06:43.200 his podcast, you know what video played alongside it, like 0:06:43.279 --> 0:06:48.239 the soundless what we call b roll highlights. Hand to god, 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:53.919 it was Bronni's bad minutes against the Sixers. That's true. 0:06:54.560 --> 0:06:57.600 Go look, go watch so like again, I don't think 0:06:57.640 --> 0:07:01.240 that's stephen A's call, but it it doesn't exactly just 0:07:01.360 --> 0:07:06.080 spell the narrative that, well, yeah, you there might be 0:07:06.200 --> 0:07:11.600 a little a little unfairness here, And so that was 0:07:11.640 --> 0:07:17.960 his part of it. Bill Simmons, who is as loud 0:07:18.120 --> 0:07:22.680 and as respected and as important of an NBA voice 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:27.400 as there is, who is an unabashed, obvious, diehard Celtic 0:07:27.520 --> 0:07:30.480 fan who has never really been what you'd call a 0:07:30.600 --> 0:07:39.720 Lebron guy, and Lebron's never been a Simmons guy. Simmons 0:07:39.760 --> 0:07:44.640 sent out the following tweets, Celts Cavs is a wonderful 0:07:44.720 --> 0:07:47.840 NBA game between two excellent teams that's included some terrific 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:52.000 individual performances. This next game will be splendid too. We're 0:07:52.040 --> 0:07:54.080 so lucky to be able to watch great players like 0:07:54.120 --> 0:07:57.520 Luka Ancic, Lebron, James and James Harden battling it out tonight, 0:07:58.120 --> 0:08:03.000 just basically making fun. It's being like, this is ridiculous. Oh, 0:08:03.080 --> 0:08:06.640 everyone's got to be so positive. And then Bill went 0:08:06.680 --> 0:08:11.000 on a long history lesson on his pod this week 0:08:11.520 --> 0:08:13.960 where he was like, this is how it's always been, 0:08:14.960 --> 0:08:21.160 and then explained how we went after guys who either 0:08:21.400 --> 0:08:28.280 hadn't won or until they won, or very specific postseason 0:08:28.440 --> 0:08:31.960 failures in the moment, which is not at all what 0:08:32.240 --> 0:08:38.520 Lebron's talking about. Lebron was talking about the general conversation 0:08:39.160 --> 0:08:43.360 surrounding the league being constantly negative. And you know who 0:08:43.520 --> 0:08:48.960 totally agrees with Lebron that that's a problem, Bill Simmons. 0:08:49.559 --> 0:08:54.240 You know how I know that because on December thirty first, 0:08:54.280 --> 0:08:59.439 Bill Simmons did an NBA pod with the great Kirk 0:08:59.440 --> 0:09:05.280 Goldsbear that is titled The All Positive NBA Show with 0:09:05.440 --> 0:09:09.560 Kurt Goldsberry that he says at the beginning he's doing 0:09:10.000 --> 0:09:14.040 because the conversation surrounding the league has gotten too negative. 0:09:15.120 --> 0:09:18.360 So for some of these guys, even when Lebron says 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:21.640 something they agree with, because it's Lebron saying it, they 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:27.920 can't agree with it. And then Wilbond on the greatest 0:09:27.920 --> 0:09:35.600 sports TV show that's ever existed, pardon the interruption, did 0:09:35.760 --> 0:09:40.040 you know, did what he always does, which is whether 0:09:40.120 --> 0:09:44.800 it is while he's on the broadcast, when Lebron happens 0:09:44.920 --> 0:09:51.480 to past Magic Johnson for career assists, or when he's 0:09:51.600 --> 0:09:56.320 addressing Lebron's comments, can't help himself but make it clear, 0:09:56.920 --> 0:10:00.439 no matter how great these guys are. They're not quite 0:10:00.520 --> 0:10:03.959 as great as the guys that happened to be playing 0:10:04.360 --> 0:10:08.480 during my personal heyday covering the league. It's crazy how 0:10:08.480 --> 0:10:12.400 that works out, and we're yet to see what the 0:10:12.480 --> 0:10:17.000 chuckster's going to say, but we'll find out here very soon, 0:10:17.480 --> 0:10:19.400 and my guess is it'll be more of the same. 0:10:19.800 --> 0:10:23.720 So now that I've set the table on what happened, 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:29.840 oh yeah, and then Lebron responded with tweets. It would 0:10:29.880 --> 0:10:32.480 appear this first tweet as a response to stephen A, 0:10:33.000 --> 0:10:36.320 where I wrote, exactly made my point. But anyways, happy 0:10:36.360 --> 0:10:39.400 this convo has started. It ain't about face of the game, 0:10:39.440 --> 0:10:41.679 and it ain't about one person or one show. It's 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:44.960 about the culture of basketball. The most beautiful game in 0:10:45.000 --> 0:10:48.720 the world. Our game has never been better. Incredible young 0:10:48.760 --> 0:10:51.800 stars from all over the world and some older ones too, 0:10:52.000 --> 0:10:55.680 laughing emojis. Steph Curry should be all we're talking about today. 0:10:55.720 --> 0:10:58.520 This After you score fifty six, let's discuss how great, 0:10:58.559 --> 0:11:01.080 okay seeing the cav have been this season, won two 0:11:01.080 --> 0:11:04.400 complete different styles and breakdown why and how they have been. 0:11:04.800 --> 0:11:07.240 Of course, if players don't perform, we need to discuss 0:11:07.360 --> 0:11:10.280 that too and break that down even that can be 0:11:10.360 --> 0:11:13.120 discussed in a way, and this is the important piece 0:11:13.160 --> 0:11:15.800 of it. Even that can be discussed in a way 0:11:16.120 --> 0:11:19.880 that's not to bring finality to that player's game, but 0:11:20.000 --> 0:11:22.720 to leave room to see how that player responds, and 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:25.760 let's watch the journey of that player. This ain't about 0:11:25.840 --> 0:11:29.040 me either. This is where I disagree with Lebron, and 0:11:29.120 --> 0:11:30.920 I'll get to that in a second. This sayin't about 0:11:30.960 --> 0:11:33.280 me either. At this point, I don't really care what's 0:11:33.280 --> 0:11:35.640 said about me. It's always something. This is about the 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:38.439 impact the negativity is having on our beautiful game and 0:11:38.480 --> 0:11:40.440 our fans. I know I speak for a lot of 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:42.319 the players, more importantly, a hell of a lot of 0:11:42.360 --> 0:11:45.440 great fans that truly love and celebrate this sport around 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:48.720 the world. Hashtag mind the game than a cloud emoji, 0:11:48.720 --> 0:11:51.600 a brain emoji, and of course a crown emoji, because 0:11:52.000 --> 0:11:54.440 what would a Lebron tweet be without the crown emoji? 0:11:54.520 --> 0:11:57.319 All right? He then went on with my pal Scott 0:11:57.400 --> 0:11:59.960 van Pelt made a similar point after the Laker game, 0:12:00.400 --> 0:12:06.200 and now everyone's caught up. So to me, the question 0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:11.800 should be, is Lebron right that the coverage of the league, 0:12:11.840 --> 0:12:15.959 particularly for the super duper stars, face of the league 0:12:16.000 --> 0:12:24.160 caliber guys too negative and if he's right, how did 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:28.400 we get here? So I do think he is correct, 0:12:28.800 --> 0:12:33.160 and I do think I have been a part of 0:12:33.200 --> 0:12:36.200 the problem at times. I'll explain how in a moment, 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:41.840 and I think so where I disagree with him, where 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:48.120 he says this isn't about him, it actually is almost 0:12:48.400 --> 0:12:55.120 entirely about him and one other person, because so much 0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:59.800 about how we currently cover the league has to do 0:13:00.080 --> 0:13:05.160 with how we covered Lebron James, because how he was 0:13:05.280 --> 0:13:12.120 covered has impacted how every other superstar, true super duperstar 0:13:12.440 --> 0:13:16.120 is covered. So this is a point I used to 0:13:16.160 --> 0:13:19.880 make about Prime Klay Thompson. The better example right now 0:13:20.000 --> 0:13:26.280 might be like Devin Booker, where I think those guys 0:13:27.440 --> 0:13:34.400 who are in the Jalen Brown Devin Booker tier of 0:13:34.600 --> 0:13:39.760 players like ten to twenty, if you were ranking them, 0:13:40.400 --> 0:13:47.640 might be in the actual sweet spot because they get 0:13:47.760 --> 0:13:53.280 the same MAX contract as the superstar as the super duperstars. 0:13:54.679 --> 0:14:00.480 But it is not a daily legacy referendum. When they 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:04.319 play great in big spots, they're lauded. When they play 0:14:04.440 --> 0:14:08.920 poorly in big spots, it we usually look to instead 0:14:09.679 --> 0:14:13.520 the best player on their team and why didn't he 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:18.800 do more? And that's I think what ants comments are 0:14:18.800 --> 0:14:20.640 referring to. While he wants to be this player on 0:14:20.640 --> 0:14:24.680 a team, obviously he sees man heavy is the head 0:14:24.680 --> 0:14:29.400 that wears the crown. And so that the reason I 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:35.000 say this is about Lebron and one other person is 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:38.840 the Lebron of it all? Is this? How many times 0:14:39.280 --> 0:14:46.040 have you been watching sports TV and heard a version 0:14:46.120 --> 0:14:49.400 of this? Sometimes by me? That's why I'll say, hand up, 0:14:49.440 --> 0:14:54.560 I'm part of it. Well, after a guy misses a 0:14:54.560 --> 0:14:58.480 big shot, or plays poorly in a big spot, or 0:14:58.680 --> 0:15:02.720 doesn't carry his team far enough, whatever it is, how 0:15:02.760 --> 0:15:06.960 many times have you heard this, Well, if we're Lebron, 0:15:07.160 --> 0:15:14.320 we'd be killing him. Well, if Lebron did that, And 0:15:14.400 --> 0:15:21.520 so the way Lebron was covered set a template to 0:15:21.680 --> 0:15:27.720 where it's how then Durant and Steph and Embiide and 0:15:27.720 --> 0:15:33.400 Giannis and Jokic, those MVP guys, Well, fair's fair did 0:15:33.400 --> 0:15:36.960 it to Lebron? So then we get to this question 0:15:38.760 --> 0:15:45.960 why did we cover Lebron that way? And that then 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:50.840 gets to the other person in this story. The only 0:15:52.120 --> 0:15:57.800 name in all of NBA history bigger than Lebron's, and 0:15:57.840 --> 0:16:07.920 that's Michael Jordan, because so much of our basketball, and 0:16:07.960 --> 0:16:13.400 at this point it's not just basketball, it's overall sports 0:16:13.640 --> 0:16:24.160 commentary has been twisted is probably too strong of a word, 0:16:24.880 --> 0:16:32.320 but adjusted, tweaked, manicured to serve the legend of Michael Jordan. 0:16:32.800 --> 0:16:36.600 You hell you saw it in some of the reaction 0:16:36.760 --> 0:16:41.720 to the Super Bowl and Mahomes getting a loss in 0:16:41.800 --> 0:16:44.480 the biggest game. It's like, oh boy, we all know 0:16:44.600 --> 0:16:50.200 those super Bowl losses count different than divisional round losses. 0:16:50.600 --> 0:16:56.600 That's a Michael Jordan argument. And when you look back 0:16:57.800 --> 0:17:00.800 at how we have covered this league for four years, 0:17:01.280 --> 0:17:06.879 there's only one guy, one guy who at each and 0:17:06.920 --> 0:17:13.640 every turn has benefited from him, and it's Michael. Let's 0:17:13.640 --> 0:17:17.760 go back to how we talk about the nineteen eighties 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:21.840 as a decade. Who was the face of the league 0:17:21.880 --> 0:17:24.359 in the nineteen eighties, Oh, there wasn't a face. It 0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:26.760 was two guys. We've turned two guys into one person, 0:17:26.800 --> 0:17:33.040 Bird Magic. So why why was it not magic and 0:17:33.119 --> 0:17:39.639 bird or bird and magic separately? Well, in part is 0:17:39.680 --> 0:17:43.360 it because when we turn bird Magic into one person 0:17:43.400 --> 0:17:49.720 and don't give Larry Bird his kind of individual standing. Folks, 0:17:50.000 --> 0:17:53.400 right now, big enough, NBA fans to care about this, 0:17:53.680 --> 0:17:56.880 to be watching this pod to or to be watching 0:17:56.920 --> 0:18:01.520 this clip, probably don't know that Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, 0:18:02.600 --> 0:18:07.480 their teams played in six playoff games against each other, 0:18:08.000 --> 0:18:11.480 and Larry Bird was six and up, not in series 0:18:11.560 --> 0:18:15.080 in games disease, you know bird magic in the eighties. 0:18:15.400 --> 0:18:23.520 What we have totally erased one person's legacy from the 0:18:23.760 --> 0:18:27.800 If you ask die hard NBA fans, give me your 0:18:27.840 --> 0:18:32.560 top twenty five, twenty five players of all time, the 0:18:32.640 --> 0:18:37.520 vast majority are going to have every single guy that 0:18:37.680 --> 0:18:44.159 was the best player on multiple championships with one glaring omission, 0:18:44.240 --> 0:18:49.120 and it will be the same omission Isaiah Thomas. Why 0:18:50.119 --> 0:18:54.600 because part of part he is just he has been 0:18:54.680 --> 0:18:59.200 turned into a bit player. In the story of Michael 0:18:59.280 --> 0:19:06.240 Jordan partially erased a keeam's legend. Well, his championships came, 0:19:06.680 --> 0:19:09.520 you know, when Michael wasn't playing. Even though one of 0:19:09.560 --> 0:19:13.320 those championships came in a year Michael Jordan got MVP votes, 0:19:13.600 --> 0:19:20.399 we've glossed over. When people talk about Shaquille O'Neill, Shaquille O'Neill, 0:19:21.440 --> 0:19:25.080 does anyone have you ever heard someone make this point 0:19:25.520 --> 0:19:31.560 about his greatness at twenty three years old, he out 0:19:31.680 --> 0:19:36.960 played he was the best player on the court in 0:19:37.000 --> 0:19:41.360 a playoff series with Michael Jordan and beat him. No, 0:19:41.760 --> 0:19:46.520 we just pretend it didn't happen. And then the pia 0:19:46.600 --> 0:19:50.119 stay resistants of all that is the guy who was 0:19:50.160 --> 0:19:55.960 his wingman for the whole thing, Scotty. We we act 0:19:56.080 --> 0:20:02.119 like he was a just a a nineties run our 0:20:02.320 --> 0:20:07.639 test and that included in Michael's docs. So why am 0:20:07.680 --> 0:20:13.760 I explaining that in relation to this, Because it's not 0:20:13.840 --> 0:20:17.159 only that the guy that today's face of the league 0:20:17.280 --> 0:20:22.040 or the potential faces of the league have to deal 0:20:22.080 --> 0:20:26.800 with a constant teardown of what they have or haven't accomplished. 0:20:28.119 --> 0:20:34.200 It's that the last the previous guy, the all time 0:20:34.280 --> 0:20:37.959 face of the league, got the exact opposite treatment. And 0:20:38.000 --> 0:20:41.200 it is again, if you really look at it, we did. 0:20:41.560 --> 0:20:48.520 There's so much of how we consume today's NBA that 0:20:48.680 --> 0:20:55.440 is colored by how we have discussed and talked about 0:20:55.440 --> 0:21:00.439 these two players, Michael Jordan and Lebron James. When it 0:21:00.480 --> 0:21:05.359 comes to Michael, we elevate lesser players like Reggie Miller, 0:21:05.600 --> 0:21:09.000 who was a nice player. He was eighteen three and 0:21:09.119 --> 0:21:12.359 three for his career. He made zero first or second 0:21:12.359 --> 0:21:18.639 All Team nbas. That's who he was into a guy 0:21:18.720 --> 0:21:24.000 with almost legendary status. Why he had that great one 0:21:24.200 --> 0:21:32.400 series against Michael. You hear more about Craig Elo who 0:21:32.520 --> 0:21:37.040 Jordan hit the shotover than Sidney Moncrief who beat him 0:21:37.040 --> 0:21:39.240 in the playoffs. Was one of the best defensive players ever. 0:21:39.720 --> 0:21:44.760 Why we talk about the nineties Nicks, who had one 0:21:44.840 --> 0:21:48.560 All Star on their entire team for a decade like 0:21:48.640 --> 0:21:54.240 this legendary opponent. Why to build up the legend of 0:21:54.280 --> 0:22:02.919 the face of the league. Juxtaposed that to how Lebron 0:22:03.840 --> 0:22:09.000 when he was rolling through the East the way Michael 0:22:09.080 --> 0:22:14.840 was in the nineties. We didn't build up the sixty 0:22:14.920 --> 0:22:22.920 win Hawks, or the Paul George Pacers or the DeRozan 0:22:23.119 --> 0:22:26.560 Lowry Raptors into something bigger than they were. No, we 0:22:26.600 --> 0:22:30.240 went the opposite. That's the Yeah, yes, you made eight 0:22:30.280 --> 0:22:34.159 straight finals, but in that conference against those teams. What 0:22:34.280 --> 0:22:39.480 is it again? It's it's not that it's always been 0:22:39.560 --> 0:22:44.040 this way. It's not that it slowly became like this. 0:22:44.800 --> 0:22:49.000 It's that it did a one to eighty. There are 0:22:49.080 --> 0:22:53.080 just certain things that, again in service of one guy 0:22:53.800 --> 0:22:57.359 at the expense of the other. We've just decided, like 0:22:58.440 --> 0:23:05.639 someone in some bible, some sports bible somewhere decided coincidentally, 0:23:06.160 --> 0:23:13.600 right around the time that this guy Lebron was lapping 0:23:13.640 --> 0:23:19.400 the field in every category. Actually, you know what, longevity 0:23:19.520 --> 0:23:23.000 is not a factor in any of this. It's just 0:23:23.480 --> 0:23:25.640 you know what. And when it comes to how great 0:23:25.680 --> 0:23:29.480 a player is, how long he was great, nobody cares 0:23:29.520 --> 0:23:35.560 about that since when that was that was literally never 0:23:35.640 --> 0:23:42.359 a part of any logical sports discussion until again, so 0:23:42.560 --> 0:23:46.560 much of how we talk about today's league has to 0:23:46.600 --> 0:23:50.199 do with these two players. And then we get to 0:23:50.280 --> 0:23:58.800 the media piece of it, because Bill talked about this. Yes, 0:23:59.200 --> 0:24:06.280 Michael was criticized until he won, and then once he won, 0:24:06.800 --> 0:24:11.800 he was deified to a level an athlete in this 0:24:11.920 --> 0:24:18.280 country has never been deified. And so the guys this 0:24:18.720 --> 0:24:25.600 current generation, not this generation, the old guys of this generation, Lebron, Katie, 0:24:25.760 --> 0:24:34.080 those guys who watched that growing up thought, man, I'm 0:24:34.080 --> 0:24:39.560 gonna get that same treatment once I win and I'm 0:24:39.640 --> 0:24:45.159 great and I'm the face of the league, universal praise 0:24:45.200 --> 0:24:51.440 and adoration. And then the guys who gave that to Michael, 0:24:51.760 --> 0:24:57.040 like Wilbond, now say we're not on your payroll. Were 0:24:57.080 --> 0:25:03.600 you on Michaels because that's what he got people. It's 0:25:03.720 --> 0:25:12.920 it's all projection. People. People say to me and Shannon that, uh, 0:25:13.119 --> 0:25:17.160 you guys are They make up in their minds this 0:25:17.320 --> 0:25:23.240 tight relationship with Lebron that we must have while denying 0:25:23.640 --> 0:25:28.080 the reality of the pretend relationship that you're acting like 0:25:28.440 --> 0:25:32.960 that we have with Lebron a moderate shod actually had 0:25:33.000 --> 0:25:42.080 with Michael, my main man, Michael Jordan, the sideline reporter 0:25:42.400 --> 0:25:49.159 for the finals, was his dear friend and golf buddy. 0:25:49.960 --> 0:25:56.280 We we then act like people are being honest arbiters 0:25:56.320 --> 0:26:05.520 of this God love him. Built a huge portion of 0:26:05.560 --> 0:26:11.520 his career on a singular take, which was this guy 0:26:11.560 --> 0:26:15.000 will never be Michael Jordan, and nothing that he can 0:26:15.080 --> 0:26:20.320 do can ever change my mind on it. He could 0:26:20.400 --> 0:26:24.919 never move off that it was. It was the only 0:26:25.080 --> 0:26:30.760 through line other than his Cowboys fandom for his TV career, 0:26:33.280 --> 0:26:38.159 and in Woje, who at a point in time was 0:26:38.200 --> 0:26:43.400 not only a great reporter the best columnist in the 0:26:43.720 --> 0:26:50.160 in basketball media, got iced out by Lebron's camp and 0:26:50.520 --> 0:26:59.320 just eviscerated him for years and years and years. Simmons, 0:26:59.760 --> 0:27:09.040 who crushed Lebron's family during uh back when he was 0:27:09.080 --> 0:27:12.080 doing running diaries about the draft, and then Lebron never 0:27:12.119 --> 0:27:16.080 had a real relationship with him, and then Lebron annihilated Simmons. 0:27:16.119 --> 0:27:27.879 Celtics has always been a begrudging appreciator of what he 0:27:27.960 --> 0:27:33.320 has or hasn't done. And then there's like, there's other 0:27:33.400 --> 0:27:39.520 guys who's so much of their career is tied into Michael, 0:27:41.119 --> 0:27:44.600 whether it's Wilbon or why does Barkley get a pass 0:27:44.680 --> 0:27:48.480 for not winning while he ran into Michael Jordan? All 0:27:48.560 --> 0:27:58.040 of this, so you have a whole medium machine, and 0:27:58.080 --> 0:28:04.200 then folks have the audacity, the absolute audacity to act 0:28:04.280 --> 0:28:12.640 like it's shocking that that it's shocking that Lebron might 0:28:12.680 --> 0:28:17.119 occasionally push back or might say, you guys changed the 0:28:17.240 --> 0:28:23.119 rules mid game and this isn't how you've treated guys previously, 0:28:25.600 --> 0:28:33.560 and so that's what they're talking about, and I think 0:28:33.600 --> 0:28:38.000 it's reasonable. I don't know if there's a fix for it. 0:28:39.160 --> 0:28:42.640 I think maybe the fix for it is for when 0:28:42.720 --> 0:28:49.560 Lebron retires, this whole thing resets, but honestly, maybe not. 0:28:53.160 --> 0:28:57.160 All Right, we've got some breaking news here, Demons. Yeah, uh, 0:28:58.000 --> 0:29:01.360 this sucks. If you want to break it to the audience. 0:29:01.400 --> 0:29:02.360 Then we'll get into it. 0:29:04.320 --> 0:29:08.320 Kyrie. Kyrie tours ACL last night. I thought it was 0:29:08.320 --> 0:29:10.520 a hyper extension, but way. 0:29:10.320 --> 0:29:14.400 Worse, way worse. So a hyper extension can lead to 0:29:14.440 --> 0:29:18.920 a torn ACL. Uh like the when when when the 0:29:19.040 --> 0:29:24.080 hyper extension happens, you can then uh, then the ligaments 0:29:24.120 --> 0:29:28.560 are at risk and he tours a cl So for Kyrie, 0:29:29.560 --> 0:29:34.280 obviously you feel sick for him. I think Kyrie has 0:29:35.000 --> 0:29:38.520 handled the last couple of years about as well as 0:29:38.560 --> 0:29:42.520 any player could have. And I've been so impressed by him, 0:29:43.040 --> 0:29:50.760 and as far as on a dime, remaking his leader 0:29:50.920 --> 0:29:57.520 reputation and maturity reputation and kind of sage wisdom and 0:29:58.040 --> 0:30:02.160 all of that, I've never seen any like it like his. 0:30:03.040 --> 0:30:06.280 Him going from a guy who it's like, well, great player, 0:30:06.320 --> 0:30:08.040 but you're gonna have to deal with a bunch of 0:30:08.080 --> 0:30:11.800 other stuff to a guy where the other stuff is 0:30:12.400 --> 0:30:17.000 a huge part of his greatness. And it seemingly happened 0:30:18.440 --> 0:30:23.760 like on the trade to the Maps, and so you 0:30:24.360 --> 0:30:28.000 give him massive credit. You feel sick for him. I also, 0:30:28.640 --> 0:30:32.920 he's a pending free agent. How this impacts the contract 0:30:33.000 --> 0:30:36.280 he will or won't get. For a guy who turns 0:30:36.400 --> 0:30:41.040 thirty three in a few weeks. Maybe it's craven to 0:30:41.080 --> 0:30:44.600 talk about that immediately, but you think about that, and 0:30:44.640 --> 0:30:47.800 it concerns you. And the other thing you think about 0:30:47.920 --> 0:30:54.360 is this, since they traded Lukadncic, he was playing way 0:30:54.400 --> 0:30:57.360 too many minutes because they didn't have another ball handler 0:30:59.120 --> 0:31:05.400 and this is a and they left themselves with one creator, 0:31:06.120 --> 0:31:12.240 one ball handler. And now I mean the minutes he 0:31:12.280 --> 0:31:19.600 has played since the start of February. Let's go there, right, 0:31:20.000 --> 0:31:26.640 Luca was traded on February first, Okay, so perfect since 0:31:26.680 --> 0:31:32.760 the Luca trade forty two, forty forty two, forty four, 0:31:33.400 --> 0:31:39.200 forty thirty seven, thirty two in a blowout, forty thirty eight, 0:31:40.120 --> 0:31:48.240 thirty eight, and then last night, I it was now 0:31:48.280 --> 0:31:51.080 he was playing big minutes prior to that as well. 0:31:51.120 --> 0:31:54.840 Actually since Luca's injury, he was playing big minutes. But 0:31:54.960 --> 0:31:58.440 Luca was coming back, and Luca would have obviously would 0:31:58.480 --> 0:32:01.800 have been back, you know, well earlier than that. 0:32:03.200 --> 0:32:05.640 And going in on the maps, is this the maps 0:32:05.640 --> 0:32:06.400 topic right now? 0:32:06.680 --> 0:32:09.040 Yeah? We do it right now, like we might as 0:32:09.080 --> 0:32:13.400 well just get to it, uh, the because we have 0:32:13.440 --> 0:32:20.360 the breaking news on it, and so I I don't 0:32:20.840 --> 0:32:24.800