WEBVTT - Kyrie is Back featuring Matthew McEwan 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:12.559 No, no, come home, Come home, Come home, come home. 0:00:16.239 --> 0:00:19.320 On this episode of the Heat Check, guess who's back 0:00:20.160 --> 0:00:20.960 back again. 0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:26.759 Kyrie's back, still not vaccinated. He's out here trying to 0:00:26.800 --> 0:00:29.400 save the net season. How did he do? What does 0:00:29.440 --> 0:00:30.080 it mean for the. 0:00:30.120 --> 0:00:33.600 Nets and how will it affect Brooklyn's chances going forward? 0:00:33.880 --> 0:00:36.080 Let's talk about it from the betting side, and let's 0:00:36.120 --> 0:00:38.920 have on a special guest, Matt Mhewan of the Sports 0:00:39.000 --> 0:00:39.880 Betting Dime. 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:42.280 So do me a favorite brock and drop that. 0:00:42.400 --> 0:00:53.159 Motherfa I love the fielding crimson me cern me is 0:00:53.280 --> 0:00:57.120 exactly a upon and bucking. 0:00:58.960 --> 0:01:02.560 Kyrie is back after the world and all of the 0:01:02.640 --> 0:01:05.400 Nets said that there was no possibility that they would 0:01:05.440 --> 0:01:07.600 have Kyrie back as a. 0:01:07.080 --> 0:01:10.679 Part time player. Turns out that was a lie. That 0:01:10.840 --> 0:01:11.399 was a lie. 0:01:11.480 --> 0:01:13.760 So he made his twenty twenty one, twenty twenty two 0:01:13.840 --> 0:01:18.440 debut on January fifth, twenty twenty two. And the man 0:01:18.480 --> 0:01:22.319 who has become, I guess an icon of the unvaccinated 0:01:22.880 --> 0:01:25.080 had a pretty good stat line just coming off the 0:01:25.120 --> 0:01:29.720 street twenty two points nine to seventeen shooting in Brooklyn's. 0:01:29.240 --> 0:01:31.640 Win over Indiana one twenty nine one twenty one. 0:01:32.080 --> 0:01:33.800 And of course this was on the road, which is 0:01:33.840 --> 0:01:37.559 the only place that Kyrie can play, and although he 0:01:37.880 --> 0:01:39.280 was I think he said he was. 0:01:39.200 --> 0:01:41.240 Like very nervous, very rusty. 0:01:41.840 --> 0:01:45.160 He missed his first shot, which was apparently scripted by 0:01:45.200 --> 0:01:49.080 Steve Nash as a gift to Kyrie Irving and later said. 0:01:48.880 --> 0:01:53.080 Like, I was so nervous, That's why I missed. Dude's 0:01:53.120 --> 0:01:53.680 a bucket. 0:01:53.840 --> 0:01:56.280 And the only real stat that matters is that in 0:01:56.360 --> 0:02:00.400 thirty two minutes Kyrie was plus sixteen. 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:02.000 On the floor. And that is what the Nets have 0:02:02.080 --> 0:02:03.800 been missing this year. They've been missing the death. 0:02:03.920 --> 0:02:06.600 Now they have Patty Mills coming off the bench, and 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:09.120 now they have another scorer who can get his own shot, 0:02:09.200 --> 0:02:12.080 where all the burden doesn't have to just be on 0:02:12.240 --> 0:02:15.520 Kevin Durant and a hamper James Harden and Katie of 0:02:15.520 --> 0:02:18.440 course was happy he had thirty nine points on sixty 0:02:18.480 --> 0:02:21.520 three percent shooting. That's what happens when you don't have 0:02:21.560 --> 0:02:25.280 to shoulder the entire burden offensively for your franchise. 0:02:25.360 --> 0:02:28.720 And for once this year, all was well in Nets world. 0:02:29.000 --> 0:02:32.320 Currently Brooklyn twenty four and twelve, just one and a 0:02:32.360 --> 0:02:34.920 half games behind the Bulls for the one seed, so 0:02:35.120 --> 0:02:37.400 was now the right time to bring Kai back. 0:02:38.160 --> 0:02:39.720 I guess it depends on how. 0:02:39.560 --> 0:02:42.080 You look at things, right, Like, it's not ideal having 0:02:42.120 --> 0:02:44.960 a part time player, it's just not. But the Nets 0:02:45.000 --> 0:02:48.680 are They are better. They are undeniably better with Kyrie 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:51.320 on the floor. And even if that's only on the 0:02:51.400 --> 0:02:55.440 road and I didn't realize it to the full extent, 0:02:55.480 --> 0:02:57.960 I mean, I've seen it, but the only he's really 0:02:58.000 --> 0:03:02.400 the only key to unlocking what's best about James Harden 0:03:02.680 --> 0:03:06.480 Harden eighteen five and six and the Pacers win. But 0:03:06.560 --> 0:03:09.760 that was really actually great because he wasn't asked to 0:03:09.760 --> 0:03:12.760 be superhuman at a time when. 0:03:12.560 --> 0:03:15.240 He's just Stella trying to get his groove back. 0:03:16.160 --> 0:03:19.320 So what does Kyrie Irving returning as the Road Warrior 0:03:19.360 --> 0:03:24.359 actually even mean? What can we expect going forward? Has 0:03:24.400 --> 0:03:26.680 there ever been a team more different at home on 0:03:26.720 --> 0:03:27.640 the road than these Nets? 0:03:27.639 --> 0:03:28.440 Probably not. 0:03:28.880 --> 0:03:30.840 So to get to the bottom of this, we're interviewing 0:03:30.880 --> 0:03:34.840 Matt McEwan, national sportsbook expert and editor in chief at. 0:03:34.720 --> 0:03:35.720 The Sports Betting Dime. 0:03:36.360 --> 0:03:38.920 We had a great conversation with Matt at the start 0:03:38.920 --> 0:03:41.920 of the NBA season where he explained how COVID affects 0:03:41.920 --> 0:03:45.440 the way that the Vegas looks at NBA lines, what 0:03:45.520 --> 0:03:48.440 it means for players like Kyrie Irving and Bradley Beal, 0:03:48.760 --> 0:03:52.880 Bradley Beal recently getting vaccinated, and whether the league had 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:57.480 prepared for the eventuality of another wave or another lockdown. 0:03:57.840 --> 0:04:00.480 Spoiler alert, they did not, so without form or a doom. 0:04:00.680 --> 0:04:15.760 Let's get into it. 0:04:10.680 --> 0:04:13.400 All right, Welcome back to the heat check, matt Man. 0:04:13.400 --> 0:04:17.480 We got a lot of news to break into two parts. First, 0:04:17.720 --> 0:04:21.880 big news Kyrie Irving's return, what do you think it 0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:25.039 means to the net so? And then let's after that, 0:04:25.120 --> 0:04:27.039 let's return to a conversation that we had on the 0:04:27.080 --> 0:04:28.799 season eve of COVID. 0:04:29.839 --> 0:04:33.800 First, do you think that at that point, like throughout. 0:04:33.440 --> 0:04:35.479 The course of the season, half the almost half the 0:04:35.480 --> 0:04:38.640 season is up, did you think that Kyrie would play 0:04:38.680 --> 0:04:39.120 this year? 0:04:39.480 --> 0:04:40.960 Or did you believe. 0:04:40.640 --> 0:04:44.599 That Josie was being truthful when he said we're not 0:04:44.640 --> 0:04:46.680 going to have any part time players. 0:04:49.200 --> 0:04:51.279 I personally thought Kyrie was going to play this season. 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:55.440 You know, as much as we all loved the idea 0:04:55.480 --> 0:04:58.720 of you know, just just a Kevin Durant, James Harden 0:04:59.360 --> 0:05:02.200 led that team with you know, some decent role players 0:05:02.200 --> 0:05:06.440 there and Aldridge, Patty Mills. I mean, unless they were 0:05:06.480 --> 0:05:09.120 running the table here, how do you not fight for 0:05:09.200 --> 0:05:11.120 someone like Kyrie Irving coming back? 0:05:11.279 --> 0:05:11.479 Right? 0:05:11.560 --> 0:05:15.400 I mean it makes sense, so I figured he would play, 0:05:16.880 --> 0:05:19.800 you know, I think this is a small step towards 0:05:19.920 --> 0:05:23.800 him becoming a more full time player. You know, that's 0:05:23.839 --> 0:05:26.720 not any I don't have any insider info on New 0:05:26.800 --> 0:05:31.279 York politics, just for the record, but I did expect 0:05:31.279 --> 0:05:34.000 to see this, and obviously sportsbooks did too, based off 0:05:34.040 --> 0:05:37.680 of you know, the nets very short championship futures. 0:05:37.360 --> 0:05:39.039 Right right, and COVID. 0:05:39.400 --> 0:05:42.000 This holdout, I think has made a lot of news 0:05:42.040 --> 0:05:47.000 because Kyrie his history and it's tie into this larger story, 0:05:47.120 --> 0:05:50.680 right Like, ever since being in Brooklyn, he's played twenty 0:05:50.720 --> 0:05:54.040 games the first season. He's played fifty four regular season 0:05:54.120 --> 0:05:56.479 games last year and nine games in the playoffs before 0:05:56.520 --> 0:05:58.640 he hurt his ankle. You know, do you think we 0:05:58.640 --> 0:06:02.960 should feel safe or better, should feel safe that because 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:06.040 he missed the early part of the season, that he'll 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:08.360 be good to go for the remainder. 0:06:07.920 --> 0:06:08.760 Of this season. 0:06:09.440 --> 0:06:10.400 Yeah, that's really tough. 0:06:10.400 --> 0:06:13.320 I mean, injuries just strike whenever, right, I mean, you 0:06:13.360 --> 0:06:15.880 always hear of you know, the pitch counts and things 0:06:15.920 --> 0:06:18.960 like that, you know, trying to keep somebody, you know, 0:06:19.880 --> 0:06:23.360 less strain on the body. Right, So, I think there's 0:06:23.400 --> 0:06:25.920 definitely a case to be made here with Kyrie being 0:06:25.920 --> 0:06:29.120 a part time player, maybe right up until the playoffs. 0:06:29.240 --> 0:06:32.279 I mean maybe full time sorry, full time part time 0:06:32.279 --> 0:06:36.599 player funny there, Like, maybe he does continue sitting out 0:06:36.720 --> 0:06:39.960 home games in the playoffs. Like it's all possible now. 0:06:40.520 --> 0:06:43.880 I think there's a strong case to be made that 0:06:43.880 --> 0:06:47.200 that could keep Kyrie healthy and we could see him 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:50.520 in every single road game outside of you know, Toronto 0:06:50.600 --> 0:06:51.760 and Golden State there. 0:06:51.800 --> 0:06:54.920 But I think that's definitely. 0:06:54.520 --> 0:06:57.200 Something to you know, you could lean on a little 0:06:57.279 --> 0:06:59.520 more than you could in previous years with Kyrie. 0:06:59.640 --> 0:07:02.680 There's a lot of people who consider this team to 0:07:02.839 --> 0:07:07.360 be a super team, right, Like two to four all 0:07:07.360 --> 0:07:10.720 star MVP level players just means it's. 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:11.360 A super team. 0:07:11.840 --> 0:07:14.240 But to me, that like, there are real super teams 0:07:14.240 --> 0:07:16.920 that not only have all stars, but they also have 0:07:17.040 --> 0:07:20.760 deep benches, they also have role players. There's a chemistry 0:07:20.800 --> 0:07:23.800 to them outside of just the stars playing on it. 0:07:24.080 --> 0:07:26.720 And to me, the only teams that really. 0:07:26.480 --> 0:07:30.080 Match the star power between outside of the nets are 0:07:30.240 --> 0:07:32.559 Warriors and the Lakers, right, I guess you could maybe 0:07:32.600 --> 0:07:37.040 say the Bucks sort of, and one of those teams 0:07:37.120 --> 0:07:40.400 is terrible this year, like the Lakers have been awful, 0:07:41.080 --> 0:07:42.600 and then you have the Suns and the Bucks who 0:07:42.640 --> 0:07:44.760 have stars and they have depth and they have chemistry. Like, 0:07:45.400 --> 0:07:50.120 do you think even with Kyrie there, even if he 0:07:50.160 --> 0:07:53.040 comes back full time, would you consider the Nets in 0:07:53.200 --> 0:07:56.840 that same class Because Jeff Green's gone, Blake is dropped off, 0:07:57.400 --> 0:07:59.840 and the two leading scorers after Harden and Katie are 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:02.200 Paddy Mills and LaMarcus Audridge. 0:08:03.800 --> 0:08:06.160 Now, you know, I don't get me wrong, I'm not 0:08:06.200 --> 0:08:10.320 a Patty Mills super fan over here, but I think 0:08:10.680 --> 0:08:13.800 Patty Mills getting moved to the bench, you know, for 0:08:13.920 --> 0:08:18.760 road games essentially, I think that gives them like that, 0:08:18.760 --> 0:08:21.320 that's a big shot of depth to me. I think 0:08:21.360 --> 0:08:25.560 Patty Mills was doing just fine, you know, in that 0:08:25.640 --> 0:08:29.120 starting lineup. You know, it'll be interesting to see what 0:08:29.120 --> 0:08:33.400 Steve Nash does with lineups there. But I do I 0:08:33.760 --> 0:08:37.640 think this is the super team, you know, I think 0:08:37.640 --> 0:08:41.000 without Kyrie Irving they are a super team. And you 0:08:41.080 --> 0:08:45.200 throw him back into the mix, I it's gonna be really, 0:08:45.240 --> 0:08:48.120 really difficult to make an argument that that this team 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:52.240 gets stopped in the East and you know, further in 0:08:52.280 --> 0:08:53.640 the NBA Finals as well. 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:58.640 Other than the Bucks, this Eastern Conference is full of parody, 0:08:58.679 --> 0:09:01.320 I guess is a gentle way of saying it. Do 0:09:01.400 --> 0:09:02.000 you think that there. 0:09:01.880 --> 0:09:04.920 Are any good teams good enough in the East to 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:07.800 throw a future bed on that can contend with like 0:09:07.840 --> 0:09:10.320 a healthy Brooklyn or maybe even push into six or 0:09:10.360 --> 0:09:12.559 seven games? 0:09:13.360 --> 0:09:17.120 Yeah, I mean, you know, the Bulls right now obviously 0:09:17.120 --> 0:09:19.320 are the team that has to come to mind, right 0:09:19.480 --> 0:09:23.160 with just just looking at their record round twenty five 0:09:23.160 --> 0:09:25.280 and ten at the time that that we're talking here. 0:09:25.360 --> 0:09:27.800 But I'm looking you know, you can get. 0:09:27.640 --> 0:09:30.439 Twenty five to one there not a bad price for 0:09:30.800 --> 0:09:33.240 you know, the top team in the East right now. However, 0:09:34.200 --> 0:09:36.199 you know, like we've seen with a lot of DeMar 0:09:36.240 --> 0:09:40.319 To to Rosen lead teams, they tend to be very good 0:09:40.520 --> 0:09:43.280 in the regular season, you know, and and all of 0:09:43.320 --> 0:09:45.599 a sudden, the whistles go into the rest pockets a 0:09:45.640 --> 0:09:48.640 little more and they're they're you know, play gets a 0:09:48.640 --> 0:09:51.240 little more physical in the playoffs tomorrow hasn't been able 0:09:51.240 --> 0:09:54.160 to keep up, right. I'm a big Raptors fan, so 0:09:55.320 --> 0:09:57.480 you know, I lived through that far too many years, 0:09:57.600 --> 0:10:02.080 so I don't personally believe that the Bulls have what 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:04.160 it takes to keep up with the nets right now, 0:10:04.200 --> 0:10:06.680 even at twenty five to one, I don't feel great 0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:11.120 about that bet. I think Miami is the one team 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:13.800 that comes to mind that I think, you know, even 0:10:13.800 --> 0:10:17.560 though we haven't, they haven't been outstanding yet, I think 0:10:17.559 --> 0:10:20.640 they have the pieces in place where if they can 0:10:20.760 --> 0:10:24.160 just continue, you know, with building that chemistry, kind of 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:28.480 learning each person's role on that team. Here, they're about 0:10:28.480 --> 0:10:32.320 fourteen to one right now, I would love like if 0:10:32.520 --> 0:10:35.280 they got to twenty to one, I would be very 0:10:35.280 --> 0:10:37.200 comfortable putting a bet on the heat. 0:10:37.280 --> 0:10:41.200 I took them early preseason twenty five to one heats. 0:10:41.440 --> 0:10:43.400 There you go, that's a great price there. Yeah, you 0:10:43.480 --> 0:10:44.360 must be feeling pretty good. 0:10:45.000 --> 0:10:48.600 Plus nine hundred as well. Both those feel good. That's 0:10:48.600 --> 0:10:50.760 the time to place those futures bets. It's hard to 0:10:50.800 --> 0:10:51.160 do that. 0:10:52.480 --> 0:10:55.960 Last time we talked, you talked a lot about how 0:10:56.080 --> 0:11:00.760 Vegas was going to deal with COVID this year, and 0:11:00.880 --> 0:11:06.000 I don't know if any of us, UH including Vegas, 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:11.120 was prepared for omicron right like it didn't even I 0:11:11.120 --> 0:11:16.280 don't think exist when you and I spoke, no, considering 0:11:16.640 --> 0:11:20.120 that the last two years have been COVID plagued, either 0:11:20.320 --> 0:11:22.920 partially or fully. You know, why do you think this 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:26.960 surge caught not only just the NBA, but but Vegas 0:11:27.000 --> 0:11:28.240 by by surprise? 0:11:30.000 --> 0:11:30.800 Why? You know what? 0:11:30.880 --> 0:11:34.080 I think everyone was just starting to look forward and 0:11:34.200 --> 0:11:37.960 into you know, better times, a non COVID world. And 0:11:38.880 --> 0:11:41.280 you know, even though they had this you know a 0:11:41.280 --> 0:11:43.760 bit of a playbook on how to deal with this, right, 0:11:43.840 --> 0:11:47.800 because they had to do it, you know that, I 0:11:47.800 --> 0:11:49.320 think they kind of threw it out a little too 0:11:49.400 --> 0:11:52.440 quick obviously, right, and and forgot some of these lessons 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:53.000 they learned. 0:11:54.240 --> 0:11:58.120 It's it's been absolutely nuts, you know. 0:11:58.240 --> 0:12:01.320 I I hope that at the worst, you know, is 0:12:01.320 --> 0:12:04.319 behind us here, but you know, it's it's going to 0:12:04.360 --> 0:12:07.720 continue being a struggle here as long as you know, 0:12:07.760 --> 0:12:10.640 these these new variants keep coming along. And you know 0:12:10.720 --> 0:12:14.120 how you know how how bad are are. 0:12:14.080 --> 0:12:15.120 Each one of these variants? 0:12:15.200 --> 0:12:15.360 Right? 0:12:15.440 --> 0:12:17.520 I mean, we we know what we've heard of omicron 0:12:17.600 --> 0:12:17.920 is it's. 0:12:17.880 --> 0:12:20.840 Not as deadly, but who knows the next one that 0:12:20.880 --> 0:12:22.439 comes along what that one's. 0:12:22.200 --> 0:12:22.600 Going to be? 0:12:23.280 --> 0:12:25.520 And and the other part here is all all these 0:12:25.520 --> 0:12:27.800 all this talk about boosters right now, right if if 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:30.959 you know, if the government decides, if all these states 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:33.880 start deciding two isn't enough now you have to have 0:12:33.920 --> 0:12:35.839 all three shots? You know, does that all of a 0:12:35.880 --> 0:12:38.560 sudden rule out how many players is that potentially you know, 0:12:38.600 --> 0:12:41.200 put on this same list as as Kyrie Irving is 0:12:41.200 --> 0:12:44.280 now being seen as unvaccinated? Right and and do other 0:12:44.320 --> 0:12:46.640 states start trying to step up and impose these same 0:12:47.080 --> 0:12:48.880 types of rules that we've seen at in New York, 0:12:49.760 --> 0:12:54.559 California up here in Canada. It's it's going to be 0:12:55.440 --> 0:12:59.959 very interesting to see how Vegas continues dealing with them. 0:13:00.400 --> 0:13:02.720 Last time we talked this is this was your quote 0:13:02.800 --> 0:13:08.120 about Vegas. Vegas prize themselves on having inside information and 0:13:08.160 --> 0:13:10.840 being one step ahead of the public, but a lot 0:13:10.840 --> 0:13:13.960 of this stuff they're going at the same speed as 0:13:14.040 --> 0:13:16.760 the public, and there was such a lot of uncertainty 0:13:16.880 --> 0:13:17.920 from the sportsbooks. 0:13:18.200 --> 0:13:20.559 Do you think what it's like a couple of. 0:13:20.520 --> 0:13:23.800 Months into the season now thirty plus games, almost forty 0:13:24.480 --> 0:13:28.240 many like different variations with guys coming into these ten 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:33.520 day hardships and like lines swinging huge amounts last minute scratches. 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:36.120 Do you think that Vegas has gotten better at dealing 0:13:36.480 --> 0:13:38.600 with NBA lines this year. 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:44.680 I personally believe they have from what I have experienced 0:13:44.720 --> 0:13:48.880 here just watching you know, the last couple of months there. 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:51.439 You know, it seems like they've just got people with 0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:54.720 their finger on the trigger ready to just pull games 0:13:54.760 --> 0:13:57.800 off the board, right that like the moment there's any 0:13:57.840 --> 0:14:01.400 sort of doubt over anything, instead of trying to quickly 0:14:01.520 --> 0:14:04.240 you know, adjust a line, you know, move a total 0:14:04.440 --> 0:14:07.880 anything like that, it's just gone off the board. Let's 0:14:08.400 --> 0:14:11.680 sit down, let's talk about it before we reopen this 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:15.679 line and potentially, you know, expose themselves with a bad 0:14:15.760 --> 0:14:20.720 line to you know, any sort of yeah, potential money exposures. 0:14:20.800 --> 0:14:20.960 Right. 0:14:21.360 --> 0:14:25.680 We also talked about how Vegas doesn't need to break 0:14:25.720 --> 0:14:28.720 COVID news, but they just need to read the public. 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:32.400 How well do you think they've done at reading the 0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:34.920 public this year as it concerns the NBA. 0:14:36.920 --> 0:14:38.760 So, you know what, there was a great example last 0:14:38.840 --> 0:14:41.920 night actually in this Nets game where I. 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:44.360 Can't believe they weren't more prepared for this. 0:14:46.840 --> 0:14:49.840 You know, the line in this Nets Pacers game, the 0:14:50.160 --> 0:14:52.640 total opened up at about two eighteen or so to 0:14:52.760 --> 0:14:56.600 eighteen and a half, depending where you looked, and I 0:14:56.600 --> 0:15:00.320 mean it seemed like it was, you know, a pretty 0:15:00.320 --> 0:15:04.680 popular opinion that Kyrie's back, We're gonna get more points. 0:15:05.080 --> 0:15:06.880 Everybody just bet the hell. 0:15:06.760 --> 0:15:09.800 Out of the over, you know, And they did, and 0:15:10.120 --> 0:15:12.400 the line went all the way up to two twenty 0:15:12.400 --> 0:15:14.600 five at one point before it kind of settled back 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:16.000 down to. 0:15:15.480 --> 0:15:16.360 Two twenty four. 0:15:16.440 --> 0:15:20.040 But they just exposed themselves to a pretty big window 0:15:20.120 --> 0:15:21.520 for people to middle them right. 0:15:21.840 --> 0:15:24.120 And I was amazed to see that. 0:15:24.520 --> 0:15:27.800 I suspected last night that we would be facing a 0:15:27.880 --> 0:15:31.320 bit of a sharp versus square game where you'd see, 0:15:31.440 --> 0:15:33.880 you know, the majority of the public money all on 0:15:33.960 --> 0:15:37.560 Brooklyn and you'd have these sharps just kind of come 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:40.280 in late pick off the plus eight and a half 0:15:40.360 --> 0:15:44.200 plus nine lines, which admittedly I was, you know, I'm 0:15:44.200 --> 0:15:47.360 no sharp myself, but I found myself on that side 0:15:47.440 --> 0:15:49.880 last you know, last night, I picked off them at 0:15:49.880 --> 0:15:52.120 at eight and a half. Thank you for that layup 0:15:52.160 --> 0:15:55.960 with three seconds left to go. Appreciate that one. But 0:15:56.920 --> 0:15:59.440 they you know what I've been I've been surprised by 0:15:59.480 --> 0:16:03.320 some of the risks this year that they have, you know, 0:16:03.360 --> 0:16:06.800 created these liabilities for themselves. Now, you know, don't get 0:16:06.800 --> 0:16:09.560 me wrong when when they're pulling in the handles they 0:16:09.560 --> 0:16:13.160 are and the you know, the whole, the whole percentage 0:16:13.200 --> 0:16:15.080 that they have. I mean, you've got some room to 0:16:15.120 --> 0:16:17.240 play with. So I don't think any of these sports 0:16:17.240 --> 0:16:21.040 books are by any means going broke. They're they're doing 0:16:21.200 --> 0:16:25.160 just fine. So, you know, little losses here and there. 0:16:25.200 --> 0:16:26.520 I guess they're willing to just put up with. 0:16:26.640 --> 0:16:29.400 Yeah, that's interesting, especially I guess if it drives engagement 0:16:29.440 --> 0:16:32.480 on a really heavily like marketed game too, right, like 0:16:32.520 --> 0:16:35.640 people jumping all over a line. Yeah, that was a 0:16:35.720 --> 0:16:38.040 shaky line, like that felt fishy. 0:16:38.280 --> 0:16:40.720 It started at what it opened at seven seven and 0:16:40.720 --> 0:16:41.120 a half. 0:16:42.240 --> 0:16:46.000 I saw six and a half, actually as low as 0:16:46.000 --> 0:16:49.400 six and a half, which I felt like that was Honestly, 0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:53.000 I felt that was probably a decent line based off 0:16:53.040 --> 0:16:53.520 of my own. 0:16:53.680 --> 0:16:54.840 This is just my opinion that. 0:16:54.880 --> 0:16:58.200 I figured Kyrie would you know, kind of harm the 0:16:58.280 --> 0:16:59.280 chemistry a little bit? 0:16:59.440 --> 0:17:02.240 Might might not? You know, have his legs underneath them 0:17:02.280 --> 0:17:02.680 right away? 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:08.240 First game back in a while, but I it was, yeah, 0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:11.480 so you know, every dog has its day, right, that 0:17:11.560 --> 0:17:12.400 was mine last night? 0:17:13.720 --> 0:17:15.280 I yeah, wild. 0:17:15.400 --> 0:17:19.479 Do you think omicron has changed your opinion about the 0:17:19.600 --> 0:17:24.879 value of watching NBA opening lines, like with all the 0:17:25.280 --> 0:17:29.240 uncertainty about how these things change, like you'll see lines 0:17:29.640 --> 0:17:31.000 from the night before. 0:17:32.359 --> 0:17:34.720 To the to tip off ten. 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:37.240 Point swing sometimes like do you feel like it's more 0:17:37.320 --> 0:17:41.120 important now than ever to kind of assess what games? 0:17:41.359 --> 0:17:43.399 And like I now have the NBA. 0:17:43.240 --> 0:17:46.720 Injury report list bookmarked on my laptop every thirty minutes 0:17:46.800 --> 0:17:50.080 i'm watching. So is there now like more importance than 0:17:50.119 --> 0:17:52.480 ever to kind of like not only look at the 0:17:52.560 --> 0:17:55.400 opening lines, but maybe punt all the way until tip off? 0:17:56.960 --> 0:18:00.280 I I yeah, absolutely, Now, I'm I am someone who's 0:18:00.280 --> 0:18:03.920 always been a you know, very big on opening lines. 0:18:03.960 --> 0:18:06.360 I I do believe that, you know, before the public 0:18:06.560 --> 0:18:09.320 touches them. You know, books have bad. 0:18:09.160 --> 0:18:12.520 Lines sometimes, right, and and there are some some. 0:18:12.480 --> 0:18:15.280 Very good betters out there that you know, expose those 0:18:15.320 --> 0:18:17.760 lines and and informed the public of them, and then 0:18:17.960 --> 0:18:21.280 you know that's it's no longer a bad line, you know, 0:18:21.359 --> 0:18:24.720 speaking to to NFL just really quickly here, I know 0:18:24.760 --> 0:18:26.760 we're we're talking NBA, but I mean it's been the 0:18:26.760 --> 0:18:29.240 same thing in NFL where I've I've picked off what 0:18:29.359 --> 0:18:32.360 I thought were terrible lines. Uh, you know, first thing 0:18:32.440 --> 0:18:36.159 Sunday night when they open, only for Wednesday to roll around, 0:18:36.200 --> 0:18:38.320 and all of a sudden, this player, this player, and 0:18:38.359 --> 0:18:41.040 this player have been ruled out with COVID. Okay, well, 0:18:41.320 --> 0:18:43.080 you know I'm not sitting on a good line anymore, 0:18:43.160 --> 0:18:45.880 right So, it's it's been the same with NBA. It's 0:18:45.920 --> 0:18:49.520 it's you know, everyone, you kind of have to change 0:18:49.600 --> 0:18:52.679 some of your betting habits right now, right where, you know, 0:18:52.760 --> 0:18:55.920 not permanently, but at least temporarily during this this time 0:18:55.920 --> 0:18:59.520 of uncertainty where I would have a really hard time 0:18:59.560 --> 0:19:02.479 placing it significant wager on an opening line right now. 0:19:02.560 --> 0:19:03.400 Yeah, it's interesting. 0:19:03.480 --> 0:19:06.879 I think early on in the day yesterday, the Milwaukee 0:19:06.880 --> 0:19:11.800 Bucks were ten point favorites over the. 0:19:10.560 --> 0:19:12.480 Goodness gracious Detroit Pistons. 0:19:12.520 --> 0:19:16.000 I want to say, somebody trash and I forget who 0:19:16.040 --> 0:19:20.440 it was. And I took Milwaukee minus four and a 0:19:20.520 --> 0:19:24.680 half first half, and I'm thinking to myself, this is great, 0:19:24.840 --> 0:19:26.919 like I'll take this, and then all of a sudden, 0:19:27.000 --> 0:19:29.600 Yannis gets called out for a non COVID related injury 0:19:29.960 --> 0:19:33.800 and our illness, and now not only has the line changed, 0:19:33.840 --> 0:19:36.399 it's flipped. Like now I have to just kind of 0:19:36.440 --> 0:19:41.080 sit there and wait in those situations first and foremost, 0:19:41.160 --> 0:19:43.199 they then became dogs, and then they they were like 0:19:43.240 --> 0:19:45.040 three and a half point favorites for the full game, 0:19:45.080 --> 0:19:49.480 and then they became full dogs in those situations. What's 0:19:49.480 --> 0:19:52.000 your best advice? I sat there and ate it. I 0:19:52.560 --> 0:19:55.680 still ended up winning the full that first half spread, 0:19:56.119 --> 0:19:58.200 but it didn't feel good, didn't feel comfortable, and I 0:19:58.320 --> 0:20:00.679 kind of like my initial instinct was like to just 0:20:00.760 --> 0:20:01.840 go and try to hedge. 0:20:03.280 --> 0:20:04.000 Yeah. 0:20:04.160 --> 0:20:07.200 Now, first of all, I think this trash team that 0:20:07.240 --> 0:20:09.600 you mentioned was my Toronto rapt That's what it was. 0:20:09.640 --> 0:20:12.200 It was the Raptors. Ye. Actually, you guys are playing 0:20:12.240 --> 0:20:14.000 a lot better right now. You guys are. 0:20:13.880 --> 0:20:15.159 Playing a lot thank you. 0:20:15.240 --> 0:20:18.200 That's that's very nice of you to say, we're finally healthy. Now, 0:20:18.280 --> 0:20:21.399 finally got all all of our players on the floor. 0:20:22.560 --> 0:20:25.560 That's okay. So it was my wrap. 0:20:25.640 --> 0:20:29.480 Now, I mean this is very situationally based, right, but 0:20:30.880 --> 0:20:31.240 it is. 0:20:31.280 --> 0:20:32.840 It is tough, and it's it can. 0:20:32.760 --> 0:20:36.520 Be extremely difficult to try to find that hedge on it, right, 0:20:39.960 --> 0:20:42.080 It's it's so situational. I don't want to give any 0:20:42.080 --> 0:20:44.840