WEBVTT - Pacers/Thunder Finals Set, WNBA Heat Check and Haliburton Hate with Robin Lundberg 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:06.040 Indiana, Oka see just what every pundit and Adam Silver 0:00:06.600 --> 0:00:10.240 and all the casual fans were hoping for right the top, 0:00:10.640 --> 0:00:14.720 like the bottom five markets in the United States, the 0:00:15.240 --> 0:00:20.959 fan bases that are passionate but small and rabid, but 0:00:21.120 --> 0:00:24.360 doesn't exactly draw the sexiness that say a New York 0:00:24.480 --> 0:00:28.640 Knicks and an l a Lakers per se would draw. 0:00:28.760 --> 0:00:30.560 But you know what, I don't give a fuck because 0:00:30.560 --> 0:00:32.159 I'm a basketball fan and I want to see the 0:00:32.159 --> 0:00:34.360 best basketball I can. I think we got it. A 0:00:34.360 --> 0:00:36.400 couple of stories from around the league, and we also 0:00:36.400 --> 0:00:39.280 have a special interview with Robin Lumberg from Sports Illustrated. 0:00:39.320 --> 0:00:43.120 A lot happening. Drop that motherfucking beat that should be Rihanna. 0:00:43.479 --> 0:00:48.879 You're listening to the Hottest, the Hottest. It'd be a 0:00:49.000 --> 0:00:53.760 podcast out here. I said what I said, it's the check. 0:00:54.720 --> 0:01:01.480 Check to the Knicks. They get Game five right, and 0:01:02.240 --> 0:01:05.680 they're rolling, they're high. Everybody's like, ooh, the Pacers. The 0:01:05.680 --> 0:01:08.039 Pacers are the ones with all the pressure on them 0:01:08.040 --> 0:01:11.080 now because if they lose at home to the Knicks 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:14.240 and they have to go back to MSG, YadA YadA, YadA. 0:01:14.240 --> 0:01:16.600 And I even said it myself. Listen, you don't want 0:01:16.600 --> 0:01:19.720 to go back for a game seven. That's what happened 0:01:19.920 --> 0:01:23.480 to Reggie Miller in the nineties. He also didn't enjoy that. 0:01:24.520 --> 0:01:27.200 So they're like, Okay, what's this going to be? Like, 0:01:27.880 --> 0:01:31.480 the Knicks have swag, Karl Anthony Towns has unlocked something. 0:01:31.959 --> 0:01:35.839 The Knicks defensively have figured out. The Pacers they thought, 0:01:36.240 --> 0:01:40.640 or maybe just the Pacers rice cold hard to know unclear, right, 0:01:40.760 --> 0:01:43.640 So then the Pacers go ahead and do what they 0:01:43.680 --> 0:01:49.880 do best, slowly, methodically, before you really know it, like 0:01:49.960 --> 0:01:55.400 a frog slowly boiling in hot water. You're down six, 0:01:55.800 --> 0:01:58.880 and then all of a sudden it's impossible for you 0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:02.880 to win. You're down fifteen. You make a change in 0:02:02.920 --> 0:02:05.520 your rotation and they exploit it, and all of a sudden, 0:02:05.520 --> 0:02:09.160 this night night's sleep mask, no cracks, just great defense, 0:02:09.840 --> 0:02:13.920 timely shot making, and the team that was fifty to 0:02:14.000 --> 0:02:18.080 one to win it all now as a chance to 0:02:18.120 --> 0:02:22.520 make history as the longest shot in NBA history to 0:02:22.560 --> 0:02:26.280 win a championship, and they I think they believe they 0:02:26.280 --> 0:02:29.960 can win. I tell you what. I texted somebody from 0:02:30.000 --> 0:02:33.280 the Pacers organization in the front office and I said, Yo, 0:02:33.320 --> 0:02:36.840 I'm so happy for you. Congratulations, you get your flowers. 0:02:37.160 --> 0:02:41.480 Love you. This is amazing all this, You know, you'd 0:02:41.480 --> 0:02:44.560 think like, oh, trist thanks, appreciate you, blah blah blah. Yeah, 0:02:44.600 --> 0:02:47.960 this is incredible, incredible run right. No. All I got 0:02:48.000 --> 0:02:52.600 back in response was four more, four more. They think 0:02:52.639 --> 0:02:55.440 they can win this, they think they can get OKAC, 0:02:56.280 --> 0:02:59.120 and there are some reasons why they might not be wrong, 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:02.120 and we'll get into those second. While a lot of 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:05.480 people are up in arms about this matchup, I am stoked. 0:03:05.800 --> 0:03:08.240 I am over the moon. I think this could be 0:03:08.280 --> 0:03:10.400 one of the best basketball finals in a long time. 0:03:10.600 --> 0:03:13.320 We're gonna see a team that's never won a title 0:03:13.639 --> 0:03:16.920 win a title. That's pretty freaking cool. You have an 0:03:16.960 --> 0:03:20.240 OKC team that has been great for long stretches. They 0:03:20.280 --> 0:03:22.840 haven't been to a final since Kevin Durant and Russell 0:03:22.880 --> 0:03:26.639 Westbrook were there. They run twelve deep, they've got two bigs, 0:03:27.000 --> 0:03:33.160 they've got perimeter defense in spades. They've got timely shot making. 0:03:34.000 --> 0:03:37.760 But guess what, Indiana also plays great for long stretches. 0:03:38.000 --> 0:03:41.840 They also run very deep. They also can play physical, 0:03:42.000 --> 0:03:45.720 lockdown defense. They also have a guard who has the 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:50.440 ability to change the dynamic and the game and put 0:03:50.480 --> 0:03:54.040 the historyonics on it, put the extras on it, like 0:03:54.120 --> 0:03:57.960 he did showing up for Game six in all black 0:03:58.040 --> 0:04:01.280 on black on black suit to say, listen, it's time 0:04:01.520 --> 0:04:03.640 for you to go to sleep. And that was actually 0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:07.760 quick side road hilarious because we had Ben Stiller getting 0:04:07.800 --> 0:04:11.560 on too social media and said he said, I'm glad 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:14.840 he brought his Duffel bag so that he can come 0:04:14.880 --> 0:04:19.120 back to MSG something like that, travel back to MSG. 0:04:19.400 --> 0:04:23.279 This is I'm butchering this. And then Tyrese Halliburton responded 0:04:23.320 --> 0:04:25.240 after the game and he said, no, I brought a 0:04:25.279 --> 0:04:28.880 Duffel bag so I could pack your ass up. Oh, 0:04:29.080 --> 0:04:33.400 I could pack your ass up. Bars anyway. Pacers plus 0:04:33.440 --> 0:04:37.320 five hundred to win the series. Plus five hundred is crazy, 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:42.839 very similar Oka see the last three OKC will be 0:04:42.880 --> 0:04:46.240 favorites for the fourth straight time. How do I think 0:04:46.279 --> 0:04:49.960 this series plays out? I just don't think Indiana's getting 0:04:49.960 --> 0:04:53.600 the respect that they deserve. I really don't. Nobody's been 0:04:53.600 --> 0:04:57.320 giving him a shot this entire road, this entire run. 0:04:57.920 --> 0:05:02.240 Even very smart basketball experts were like, I just don't 0:05:02.240 --> 0:05:05.800 think Indiana can get physical enough. I just don't think 0:05:06.240 --> 0:05:11.280 Indiana can beat this Cleveland Cavaliers team. The Cleveland Cavaliers series, 0:05:12.160 --> 0:05:15.400 I don't even remember. I was like fanost for the 0:05:15.480 --> 0:05:20.919 Cleveland Cavalier series. I forgot until the second recounting what 0:05:21.080 --> 0:05:23.520 was going on. I haven't even thought about the Cleveland 0:05:23.560 --> 0:05:28.919 series in weeks. It's it's just Milwaukee New York for me. 0:05:29.080 --> 0:05:36.320 That's how unbothered Indiana was with Cleveland. You've got Siakham, 0:05:36.720 --> 0:05:39.720 You've got Hallie, you've got Turner right, and you can 0:05:39.800 --> 0:05:43.720 sit those guys for long stretches of time and you're 0:05:43.720 --> 0:05:45.480 not gonna get blown out in the way that New 0:05:45.560 --> 0:05:48.200 York did when they sat out Brunson, when they sat 0:05:48.279 --> 0:05:51.520 when when Minnesota sits out Aunt Edwards. They are not 0:05:51.720 --> 0:05:56.320 reliant on their stars to score, to be even in 0:05:56.360 --> 0:05:59.159 the game, to be impactful, to be healthy in order 0:05:59.200 --> 0:06:01.840 for them to win game. By the way, what is 0:06:01.880 --> 0:06:05.480 Denver without jokis nothing? Because you got TJ McConnell doing 0:06:05.480 --> 0:06:08.200 his damn thing, you got Obi Toppin doing his damn thing. 0:06:08.440 --> 0:06:14.080 You got my man, Benedict Mathern. They've proven that they 0:06:14.080 --> 0:06:18.920 can handle big moments. Nothing is new to this team, 0:06:19.080 --> 0:06:22.279 and they're playing a team in the finals with even 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:26.360 less experience. In the postseason than they have. Right, you 0:06:26.440 --> 0:06:29.960 might say, oh, okay see, okay see is like a juggernaut. 0:06:29.960 --> 0:06:33.680 Okay see has been proven, has has shown how gritty 0:06:33.720 --> 0:06:38.000 they were. I'm sorry last year when did okay see? 0:06:38.839 --> 0:06:40.960 Did they Did they go to the finals? No they 0:06:40.960 --> 0:06:43.320 did not. Did they go to the Western Conference Finals? 0:06:43.480 --> 0:06:46.600 No they did not. Did they take it to seven 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:50.400 against the Dallas Mavericks, No they did not. They absolutely 0:06:50.440 --> 0:06:52.960 did not. And if you're an OKC fan, you gotta 0:06:53.000 --> 0:06:56.760 be happy with a few things. When the Denver Nuggets 0:06:56.760 --> 0:07:01.120 were up on Oka See multiple games down, they're down, 0:07:01.160 --> 0:07:04.520 their backs are against the wall. Baby, in the fourth quarter, 0:07:05.200 --> 0:07:09.320 the Thunder responded not once, but twice in two separate games, 0:07:09.600 --> 0:07:12.480 with barrages of threes from guys that you don't expect, 0:07:12.480 --> 0:07:16.480 like Jalen Williams, like lou Dort hitting three consecutive threes. 0:07:16.560 --> 0:07:19.040 If lou Dort doesn't hit those three consecutive threes when 0:07:19.040 --> 0:07:21.360 he was basically benched for a minute from Mark Dagnoll, 0:07:21.920 --> 0:07:26.080 no shade uh. Denver's in the finals, not okay see. 0:07:26.200 --> 0:07:30.240 So they have the ability to now pull themselves out 0:07:30.240 --> 0:07:32.360 of these holes, which I'm really happy to see because 0:07:32.680 --> 0:07:34.760 until you see it, you will not believe it. Right, 0:07:35.440 --> 0:07:38.320 coming off of a forty two point loss against Minnesota, 0:07:38.640 --> 0:07:42.960 they respond they are healthy. Pretty much, everyone is healthy. 0:07:43.120 --> 0:07:46.040 That's a good thing. If the thunder though, have an 0:07:46.080 --> 0:07:50.440 achilles heel, it's that they aren't that great. On the 0:07:50.520 --> 0:07:53.840 road against Memphis, they probably should have lost. Well, they 0:07:53.880 --> 0:07:56.000 definitely should have lost game three. They were down by 0:07:56.000 --> 0:07:59.960 a bajillion and they could have easily lost Game four 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:03.000 if John Moran doesn't get hurt. Okay, so that's two 0:08:03.040 --> 0:08:06.800 of their road wins. They lost two of three games 0:08:06.920 --> 0:08:10.520 on the road to Denver, should have lost all three 0:08:10.680 --> 0:08:14.560 again LOUDRT madness. And we're one and one on the 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:18.960 road against Minnesota. So although they're technically four and three, 0:08:19.760 --> 0:08:23.680 they could have easily lost all seven of those. That 0:08:23.840 --> 0:08:26.840 is something that Indiana is gonna keep in mind as 0:08:26.880 --> 0:08:28.600 they go to Okac for Game one and game two, 0:08:28.720 --> 0:08:33.000 because here's the thing, people, here's the thing. What they 0:08:33.040 --> 0:08:39.720 do against Cleveland boom boom bam. Right, things are scary 0:08:39.760 --> 0:08:43.000 already by the time you go to Indiana, Right, that's 0:08:43.000 --> 0:08:45.920 what it is. You're the fucking favorite, and you're like, yo, 0:08:46.040 --> 0:08:50.200 they just took two from us on the road. You serious, 0:08:50.600 --> 0:08:54.080 we gotta fight, in Claude, just get home court back. Yeah, 0:08:54.200 --> 0:08:56.800 get multiple games, just the home court. What is happening? 0:08:57.040 --> 0:08:59.480 Then they do it again against the Knicks. It is 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:04.880 so difficult once you lose twice in a row your 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:08.080 first games to be like, I don't know what we 0:09:08.160 --> 0:09:12.000 do now. I think Oklahoma City is more resilient than 0:09:12.040 --> 0:09:15.040 New York. I think they're more resilient than Cleveland. But 0:09:15.160 --> 0:09:17.480 don't fuck around and find out and go into an 0:09:17.480 --> 0:09:23.760 O two hole now when OKAC is rocking. Because Indiana 0:09:23.840 --> 0:09:26.080 is a very good road team, maybe a better road 0:09:26.080 --> 0:09:31.320 team than a home team. So that's something Indiana is 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:33.240 going to be counting on. They are six and two 0:09:33.360 --> 0:09:38.439 also at home in these playoffs. OOI. And also let's 0:09:38.480 --> 0:09:43.199 give Kevin Pritchard, President of Basketball Operations, and Chad Buchanan 0:09:43.360 --> 0:09:48.640 GM and Herb Simon the owner because he's important. Just 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:50.360 getting out of the way is all we want you 0:09:50.440 --> 0:09:52.880 to do, you know, create stability is all we want 0:09:52.920 --> 0:09:54.800 you to do. Your job as an owner is not hard. 0:09:54.800 --> 0:09:58.640 But somehow these owners stay fucking it up right, They 0:09:58.720 --> 0:10:00.959 just stay at getting in the way. They think they 0:10:01.000 --> 0:10:03.160 know more than the people who have just dedicated their 0:10:03.320 --> 0:10:06.080 entire lives to basketball. But hey, what do I know, 0:10:06.160 --> 0:10:08.920 I just talk on a microphone. So Chad Buchan and 0:10:09.000 --> 0:10:14.680 Kevin Pritchard deserve a lot of props for building this 0:10:14.800 --> 0:10:20.400 team and changing the culture pretty much overnight when they 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:25.280 got Tyrese Haliburton. There's a long, fifteen thousand but jillion 0:10:25.400 --> 0:10:28.680 word article in the Player's Tribune that Miles Turner just 0:10:28.679 --> 0:10:32.440 put out that essentially states, as soon as Tyrese Haliburton 0:10:32.480 --> 0:10:36.040 got in the door, that franchise player lifted all ships. 0:10:36.040 --> 0:10:40.320 The rising tide that Tyrese Haliburton is instills confidence to everybody, 0:10:40.360 --> 0:10:44.000 extract the things that those players do well and exploits 0:10:44.040 --> 0:10:48.160 those is a great playmaker, has that tenacity and that 0:10:48.320 --> 0:10:52.200 verve and that fucking swagger, and the front office trusts 0:10:52.280 --> 0:10:55.280 him to be a partner in decisions for the roster. 0:10:56.120 --> 0:10:58.800 He's not just a stud that can get you a 0:10:58.880 --> 0:11:00.800 double double. He can get you when he assists, he 0:11:00.800 --> 0:11:03.960 can get you thirty points, zero turnovers. No, he's the 0:11:04.040 --> 0:11:06.600 kind of guy that says, yeah, I don't think we 0:11:06.640 --> 0:11:09.320 should re sign so and so I don't think that 0:11:09.400 --> 0:11:12.679 guy's worth it at all. We can spend that money 0:11:12.679 --> 0:11:16.199 on so and so and so and so. So they 0:11:16.240 --> 0:11:19.439 went out and got the quietest star in all of basketball, 0:11:20.720 --> 0:11:23.920 Pascal Siakam, when they told me, hey, we just need 0:11:23.960 --> 0:11:26.800 one more piece, and they did, just need one more piece. 0:11:26.800 --> 0:11:30.240 And they just keep adding to the coffers, little draft 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:33.200 picks like Ben Shephard out of Belmont looking like the 0:11:33.280 --> 0:11:37.360 Ai Jordan Poole killing it, Ben Mathing out of Arizona, 0:11:37.760 --> 0:11:41.440 just making sure that they're a very deep team, which changes. Actually, 0:11:41.520 --> 0:11:45.360 these teams like okay See in Indiana have shown the 0:11:45.440 --> 0:11:48.040 new model. We've gone through these iterations. Right, it's the 0:11:48.080 --> 0:11:51.480 Big two, it's the Big three. It's like these studs 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:54.280 that rise everybody. You need stars, but you also need 0:11:54.320 --> 0:11:58.560 a couple of role players. Now it's like you need stars, 0:11:59.040 --> 0:12:01.040 you need one guy I didn't get your buckets down 0:12:01.040 --> 0:12:05.720 the stretch, but you need like ten dudes that you 0:12:05.800 --> 0:12:10.640 can play heavy minutes because knowing that puts less pressure 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:14.920 and less strain and less mileage on your stars, so 0:12:15.040 --> 0:12:17.960 they're fresh when they need to perform in these crucial 0:12:18.480 --> 0:12:21.680 moments in the fourth quarter. So the deepest teams, so 0:12:21.840 --> 0:12:24.920 deep they'll put your ass to sleep. Teams, they're the 0:12:25.000 --> 0:12:27.559 ones that are really thriving, and that even includes the 0:12:27.600 --> 0:12:30.120 New York next to a degree. They had like eight 0:12:30.200 --> 0:12:34.080 guys that Tom Thibodau didn't always want to use, but 0:12:34.160 --> 0:12:37.120 when he used them, then jel Alright did his thing. 0:12:37.520 --> 0:12:41.880 Landry Shammitt did his thing. Winner of the Eastern Conference 0:12:42.000 --> 0:12:45.360 Larry Bird Trophy Award for MVP's passouse Yakam. By the way, 0:12:45.520 --> 0:12:48.080 he had thirty, thirty one and thirty nine in the 0:12:48.080 --> 0:12:51.760 Eastern Conference Files. Three of the six games he put 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:54.640 up thirty or more. It's fucking credible. I also love 0:12:54.679 --> 0:12:57.199 that Tyrese Haliburton thought that his little choke moment was 0:12:57.240 --> 0:12:59.920 good enough for him to get the Eastern Conference File 0:13:00.280 --> 0:13:03.560 Eastern Conference Finals MVP, No, sirs, just sit your ass 0:13:03.600 --> 0:13:06.319 back there and give it to Pascal. They said, it's 0:13:06.400 --> 0:13:09.760 my it's my ship now, or what is this like, 0:13:09.840 --> 0:13:12.560 I'm the captain now? They did all those memes. Just 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:16.480 an awesome matchup for so many reasons, not the least 0:13:16.640 --> 0:13:18.679 of which is the fact that they are two small 0:13:18.679 --> 0:13:21.280 markets that have never won a title. And for me, 0:13:21.360 --> 0:13:24.040 as a basketball fan, that's just really cool. We are 0:13:24.040 --> 0:13:29.120 headed towards our seventh champion in seven years. And Adam 0:13:29.160 --> 0:13:33.880 Silver's parody and that new CBA is here to stay, 0:13:34.480 --> 0:13:37.120 all right. Moving on a couple of notes from around 0:13:37.120 --> 0:13:39.720 the league. So, the Utah Jazz just made a higher 0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:43.320 their new president of operations. Who could it be? Trista 0:13:43.640 --> 0:13:46.840 Who did they go out and hand select the brain 0:13:46.960 --> 0:13:50.160 trust over there in Utah? Who is just the shining 0:13:50.240 --> 0:13:53.880 star of the NBA that they felt compelled they needed 0:13:53.880 --> 0:13:56.840 to bring in to set the tone in the culture 0:13:57.840 --> 0:14:03.880 operations Stan, It's it's who It's excuse me, Austin Ahe 0:14:04.679 --> 0:14:09.520 Austin Inge, the son of Danny Ainge, the former GM 0:14:09.559 --> 0:14:12.520 of the Boston Celtics, current CEO of the Utah Jazz. 0:14:12.800 --> 0:14:19.640 That Austin age that Danny's oh icy got it okay, 0:14:19.880 --> 0:14:25.160 and no shade right Austin's apparently because I don't know Austin. 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:28.600 I know nothing really about Austin except for people say 0:14:29.120 --> 0:14:31.640 he's good at his job. Not here at a dispute 0:14:31.760 --> 0:14:35.840 or to correct or to even validate that, because I 0:14:35.920 --> 0:14:38.800 don't know. What I am here to say is that 0:14:38.840 --> 0:14:42.480 when news dropped from regular newsbreakers in the league, none 0:14:42.480 --> 0:14:47.040 of them reported that, Hey, Danny Ainge just hired his son. 0:14:47.600 --> 0:14:50.000 None of them even like mentioned that it was like, 0:14:50.120 --> 0:14:55.880 congratulations to Austin Ange, new president of basketball operations for 0:14:55.920 --> 0:14:59.200 the Utah Jazz. It's like people think Danny Ange is 0:14:59.240 --> 0:15:02.040 still in Boston. I think it's a pretty big story. Hey, 0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:08.320 dad hire son again again. Austin has been working for 0:15:08.400 --> 0:15:11.680 himself for the Celtics since twenty eleven, and he sees 0:15:11.760 --> 0:15:14.680 the riding on the wrow wall. Baby, got Tatum down 0:15:14.720 --> 0:15:19.240 with the torn Achilles, You got moves being made, new 0:15:19.280 --> 0:15:23.640 ownership group. Things are a changing, okay, And Austin said, 0:15:23.760 --> 0:15:27.720 I need to go where it is calm, stable, rebuilding 0:15:27.800 --> 0:15:31.680 waters right. And so I went back and forth on 0:15:31.760 --> 0:15:34.840 threads with another media person who thinks when I threaded this, 0:15:34.960 --> 0:15:39.160 I was clickbaiting when I said, oh, he works for 0:15:39.240 --> 0:15:43.360 his dad again, like classic American white boy dream, right, 0:15:43.840 --> 0:15:47.480 you get you just you fail or things don't look great, 0:15:47.800 --> 0:15:51.560 just fly back to the cool baby. And somebody was like, oh, well, 0:15:51.560 --> 0:15:53.840 he's responsible for X and Y and Z, and he's 0:15:53.840 --> 0:15:56.200 great at his job, you know what. You know what, 0:15:56.720 --> 0:15:59.120 I don't care about that. I don't care because the 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:03.040 question is, is Austin Ange the head of basketball operations 0:16:03.640 --> 0:16:07.920 If he's not Danny Ainge's son, probably not, Probably not. 0:16:09.040 --> 0:16:14.280 He will rise and fall on his merits, and then 0:16:14.320 --> 0:16:19.239 if he falls, he will rise again on the nepotism. 0:16:19.360 --> 0:16:22.400 That's how that goes. Then this lady said, you know, 0:16:22.440 --> 0:16:24.880 he didn't always work for his dad, right, He worked 0:16:24.880 --> 0:16:27.200 from twenty one to twenty five for the Celtics after 0:16:27.240 --> 0:16:30.080 his dad left. Okay, so let's do the math here. 0:16:30.400 --> 0:16:34.480 Danny Ainge worked as an executive for the Celtics from 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:37.800 two thousand and four to twenty twenty one. He hired 0:16:37.840 --> 0:16:43.280 his son in Boston in twenty and eleven, promoted him 0:16:43.960 --> 0:16:48.240 multiple times, including to the head coach and later GM 0:16:48.360 --> 0:16:51.160 of the main Red Clauser G League team, and now 0:16:51.200 --> 0:16:53.600 he has hired him in Utah for the top job 0:16:53.760 --> 0:16:57.960 next to his We're really talking about whether Austin Ange 0:16:58.000 --> 0:17:02.560 is good at jobs or his job or whatever. Many 0:17:02.760 --> 0:17:06.719 children of Importland, people in any field, become good at 0:17:06.720 --> 0:17:09.800 their jobs when they're hired by their parents. But let's 0:17:10.160 --> 0:17:13.800 not sweep it under the rug. Okay, let's not pretend 0:17:14.320 --> 0:17:17.320 that's not happening here and just be like, oh, so 0:17:17.480 --> 0:17:20.520 and so age Austin Age. It's not really telling the 0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:22.320 whole truth, is it it's not really saying, hey, like 0:17:23.000 --> 0:17:25.119 kid gets hired by his dad again. And I know 0:17:25.240 --> 0:17:28.440 these newsbreakers are terrified of saying anything untour because they're 0:17:28.440 --> 0:17:30.800 probably getting the news from Danny Aingel himself, and Danny 0:17:30.840 --> 0:17:33.200 Ange would be fucking pissed if he points out any nepotism. 0:17:33.200 --> 0:17:35.160 But a I have to because I don't know Danny Ainge. 0:17:35.400 --> 0:17:38.679 It's ludicrous to me that this is not part of 0:17:38.680 --> 0:17:42.200 the narrative. I'm sure Austin is smart. I'm sure he's 0:17:42.240 --> 0:17:44.560 worked his ass off. I'm sure he put in lots 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:48.000 of bleary eyed one hundred hour weeks. I'm sure he 0:17:48.000 --> 0:17:50.840 did all the unglamorous stuff that you need to do. 0:17:51.840 --> 0:17:54.439 But I tell you what, it's a lot easier to 0:17:54.520 --> 0:17:57.960 know what the road is to greatness when you can 0:17:58.040 --> 0:18:00.400 just ring ring ring and call up the top guy 0:18:00.520 --> 0:18:04.080 whenever you want and have turkey with them on Thanksgiving 0:18:04.400 --> 0:18:07.280 and then see if there's coal in your stocking on 0:18:07.400 --> 0:18:09.919 Christmas and pick his brain about how to rise to 0:18:10.000 --> 0:18:12.640 the top. And no middle manager or executive is going 0:18:12.680 --> 0:18:16.320 to give a guy with the last name age hell 0:18:17.160 --> 0:18:19.119 at all. It just will not happen. You fuck up. 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:21.280 It's like, hey, you don't. Maybe you should talk to 0:18:21.280 --> 0:18:23.920 your dad about this. So, yeah, nepotism played a role. 0:18:24.320 --> 0:18:25.760 He may even be a Hall of Fame or someday, 0:18:25.800 --> 0:18:28.240 I don't know. A lot of sons of NBA players 0:18:28.280 --> 0:18:32.680 and execs are really good. Also, by the way, Michael Malone, 0:18:32.720 --> 0:18:37.960 son of a coach, Eric uh Eric Adelman, David Adelman, 0:18:38.160 --> 0:18:43.200 Eric Adelman's son, also son of a coach, both former 0:18:43.240 --> 0:18:45.479 head coaches and a current coach of the Den Ruggets. 0:18:45.480 --> 0:18:48.240 And you can be very successful, but we still see 0:18:48.280 --> 0:18:51.800 the name and we know, hey, that's what happened. You 0:18:51.880 --> 0:18:55.720 just can't pretend like someone started didn't start on third base. 0:18:56.840 --> 0:18:59.160 We have to just like at least put it into 0:18:59.160 --> 0:19:02.480 the footnotes. Anyway, moving forward, a couple of small morsels 0:19:02.480 --> 0:19:06.280 of news before we get into our Robin Lundberg interview. 0:19:07.640 --> 0:19:12.800 Robin Lundberg, we have confirmation that the Milwaukee Bucks are 0:19:12.920 --> 0:19:16.000 kicking the tires on their lottery picks on lottery picks, 0:19:16.240 --> 0:19:19.240 which I think is pretty interesting considering that this team 0:19:19.280 --> 0:19:22.240 doesn't have a pick until the middle of the second round. 0:19:22.440 --> 0:19:25.159 The father of a probable top ten pick said that 0:19:25.240 --> 0:19:27.600 the Bucks called him and wanted to set up a meeting, 0:19:27.840 --> 0:19:30.280 which is really interesting because if you look at their roster, 0:19:30.359 --> 0:19:32.640 there's only one player who could command a top ten pick, 0:19:32.840 --> 0:19:37.560 and that is yannessh It's not Portland because we have 0:19:37.600 --> 0:19:39.760 the eleventh pick. So we know that. And today the 0:19:39.800 --> 0:19:43.760 rumors were flying that Toronto is open to going after 0:19:44.000 --> 0:19:48.680 Yannis Wo and Masai Yugieri. The GM of the Raptors 0:19:48.880 --> 0:19:51.840 is committed to going all out the season and BI 0:19:51.880 --> 0:19:56.160 was just the beginning, he said, BI was b I 0:19:56.400 --> 0:20:00.119 was just the beginning. Okay, b I insert that on 0:20:00.200 --> 0:20:02.760 James Ooh be it anyway, The Toronto Star reports that 0:20:02.800 --> 0:20:06.119 the interest is mutual, is it? Joannis wants to go 0:20:06.160 --> 0:20:10.440 to Toronto to that team that's drafting night. He wants 0:20:10.560 --> 0:20:13.400 to go there with b I okay, the other guy 0:20:13.440 --> 0:20:15.000 that loves to have the ball in his hand at 0:20:15.040 --> 0:20:17.600 all times. Okay, And Scotty Barnes, the other guy that 0:20:17.640 --> 0:20:18.760 loves to have the ball in his hands. 0:20:18.800 --> 0:20:19.120 And RJ. 0:20:19.160 --> 0:20:20.480 Barrett, the guy that loves to have the ball in 0:20:20.480 --> 0:20:24.760 his hands. Oh, I don't believe that for a second. Also, finally, 0:20:24.800 --> 0:20:27.120 the Phoenix Suns have narrowed their head coaching search down 0:20:27.160 --> 0:20:32.320 to one team and two coaches. Cleveland Cavaliers Zachlow said. 0:20:32.320 --> 0:20:34.120 The funniest thing, by the way, he said, the Sun 0:20:34.240 --> 0:20:37.840 search has basically been narrowing the list of candidates day 0:20:37.840 --> 0:20:40.280 by day with a tweet. The Sons are looking at 0:20:40.440 --> 0:20:44.480 eleven candidates. The Sons have reduced are listed to nine candidates. 0:20:44.600 --> 0:20:46.920 There are five men in the running for the Sun's job. 0:20:47.200 --> 0:20:49.680 Now there's two, and we finally know their names. Guess 0:20:49.720 --> 0:20:52.840 what that is? All I wanted from the Sacramento Kings. 0:20:53.200 --> 0:20:55.400 This is Zick. I know that the Sons are gonna 0:20:55.440 --> 0:20:59.000 fuck about, but at least I'm a part of the narrowing. 0:20:59.200 --> 0:21:01.960 You know. It's not like, oh, the Sons have hired 0:21:02.080 --> 0:21:05.440 so and so. It's like we've got eleven. We've now 0:21:05.520 --> 0:21:09.240 done the survivor thing. It's your time on the island 0:21:09.320 --> 0:21:12.240 has now come to a close. Like what's put your 0:21:12.240 --> 0:21:14.760 torch down? Unlike your torch, you know, damn it, whatever 0:21:14.800 --> 0:21:17.679 it is. Whatever, you know what I'm saying, dem your torch, 0:21:18.800 --> 0:21:21.840 he said, The tribe has spoken it's time for you 0:21:21.920 --> 0:21:24.639 to go. That's less exciting than I thought it was. 0:21:24.680 --> 0:21:27.600 I thought it was something about snuffing out your torch. Anyway, 0:21:27.840 --> 0:21:31.480 we're a part of it, Okay, And now I know 0:21:31.680 --> 0:21:35.080 it's started at eleven. There were eleven dudes, and now 0:21:35.119 --> 0:21:40.240 there's two and those two are Johnny Bryant and Jordan Ought. 0:21:40.560 --> 0:21:43.200 Do I know anything about them? No? Do I know 0:21:43.240 --> 0:21:44.720 they were a part of a team that just won 0:21:44.800 --> 0:21:47.760 sixty plus games? Yes? Do I know? They're also part 0:21:47.800 --> 0:21:50.160 of the team that just lost in the second round 0:21:50.160 --> 0:21:54.080 to the Indiana Pacers. Also, yes, they've already interviewed with 0:21:54.119 --> 0:21:58.480 Matt Ishpia, so I'm sure that'll go great. After the break, 0:21:59.200 --> 0:22:01.600 let's get nore in you with Robin Lundberg. It's a 0:22:01.640 --> 0:22:08.560 great one. Welcome to the show. We got Robin Lundberg. Man, 0:22:08.600 --> 0:22:11.240 it's been a minute. Robin. If you don't know him, 0:22:11.480 --> 0:22:14.320 what are you doing really with your life? He runs 0:22:14.400 --> 0:22:18.480 Robin Lundberg Media. He covers the NBA, covers the WNBA, 0:22:18.640 --> 0:22:22.240 doing the Lord's work for SI. He's on Serious XM, 0:22:22.320 --> 0:22:25.560 has his own podcast, and he is here to break 0:22:25.600 --> 0:22:29.080 down some of this NBA playoff madness. But also I 0:22:29.119 --> 0:22:31.320 want to get his thoughts on the WNBA season so 0:22:31.440 --> 0:22:36.000 far as well. And if you're listening or watching on video, 0:22:36.600 --> 0:22:41.080 Robin's got a brand new stash situation going on. I'm 0:22:41.119 --> 0:22:45.280 calling it the multiverse of madness looking like Benedett Cumberbatch, 0:22:45.640 --> 0:22:46.560 doctor Strange. 0:22:47.200 --> 0:22:49.560 Yeah, I mean you mentioned the WNBA. Every time I 0:22:49.600 --> 0:22:54.040 open Twitter or x and start seeing stuff about the WNBA, 0:22:54.119 --> 0:22:57.119 sometimes I feel like I've entered the multiverse madness as well. 0:22:58.280 --> 0:23:01.280 You know what, That's a great point, and we'll get 0:23:01.320 --> 0:23:03.800 to that, because I'm starting to feel like there are 0:23:03.880 --> 0:23:06.719 certain topics I just can't talk about it on social 0:23:06.760 --> 0:23:08.800 media anymore at all. 0:23:09.240 --> 0:23:12.520 Well it's wild because for some of them, there's no 0:23:12.640 --> 0:23:14.960 reason for that to be the case, right, Like it's 0:23:15.080 --> 0:23:18.360 just like it's having I've been doing this a long time. 0:23:18.440 --> 0:23:21.320 You mentioned, you know, I got a little gray in 0:23:21.359 --> 0:23:23.719 the beard now right, I'm Around the Horn just went 0:23:23.720 --> 0:23:25.919 off the air, Trista. That's where I got my start. 0:23:26.000 --> 0:23:28.800 Like really, wow, I was an intern on Around the Horn. 0:23:28.960 --> 0:23:31.240 I went and got Tony Reality's suit the first day 0:23:31.240 --> 0:23:33.600 he went on TV because Max Kellerman couldn't make it. 0:23:33.640 --> 0:23:35.800 I think it was a dental emergency that day. So 0:23:35.960 --> 0:23:39.840 like that was my foray into sports media. But I've 0:23:40.040 --> 0:23:41.520 never covered a. 0:23:41.480 --> 0:23:44.600 Top Where did you get the suit from his apartment 0:23:44.720 --> 0:23:47.960