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Speaker 1: Welcome in the rare Wednesday What's Right with Nick Wright

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Speaker 1: Episode four thirty nine. In this episode, as all the

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Speaker 1: episodes are brought to you, oh my goodness, I try

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Speaker 1: to say brought to me my recory for Boo's Mobile,

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Speaker 1: I realized my Boots Mobile sign wasn't even on. There

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Speaker 1: we go, brought to you by my good friends at

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Speaker 1: Boost's Mobile, little Rusty, fresh off a wee uh, you know,

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Speaker 1: a little weekend in the Bahamas with the family. As

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Speaker 1: at first things first was dark. Also, demand's good to

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Speaker 1: see you. I was six hours into our trip. I

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Speaker 1: was fairly certain I tore my acl and somehow I'm okay.

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Speaker 2: With you to your good couple of days later.

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Speaker 1: Well I was good five minutes later. But in the

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Speaker 1: I'm talking about in the moment, I so the very

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Speaker 1: quick uh and like great subscriber view to the pod.

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Speaker 1: One of the reasons to be subscribed and to hit

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Speaker 1: the bell and to get notified is because sometimes our

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Speaker 1: schedule is a little weird. We try to do three

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Speaker 1: shows a week, but traveling things come up at times,

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Speaker 1: and so that's what this week we're gonna do Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.

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Speaker 1: So also I need a lot of sports news in

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Speaker 1: the next couple of days because we're going back to

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Speaker 1: back to back. Uh. But point is this, So there's

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Speaker 1: this great you would love it, this great water park

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Speaker 1: at Bahamar where I was staying, and they have so

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Speaker 1: they have like giant slides, but then they have two

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Speaker 1: like kitty water parks, one for little little little kids

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Speaker 1: like two to five year olds, and one for kids

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Speaker 1: Deanna's age excuse me. And Deanna basically convinced me to

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Speaker 1: play a variant of like Hide and Seek tag and

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Speaker 1: and it was in the it was the in the

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Speaker 1: little kid water park where so there's like four slides,

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Speaker 1: but they're all very short slides. It's got one of

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Speaker 1: those giant buckets of water that fills up. Yeah, exactly right.

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Speaker 1: And the ground is what some playgrounds are now, like

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Speaker 1: that soft foam almost and whatever. The more of the

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Speaker 1: story is, We're playing for twenty minutes and I and

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Speaker 1: I see her and I try to make a quick

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Speaker 1: turn and my nego sideways. I swear I heard and

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Speaker 1: felt the pop. The other adults around gasped, and I'm like,

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Speaker 1: oh my god, like this will not be the first

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Speaker 1: time I've ever I five years ago in Aruba. On

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Speaker 1: our first day, I was on like a basically a

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Speaker 1: bouncy house in the ocean and trying to climb up

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Speaker 1: on it to play with Deanna. I kicked something and

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Speaker 1: or no, slice the top of my foot so bad, yeah,

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Speaker 1: that I had to Then I then this is an

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Speaker 1: all time bluff by me that your mom called Deanna

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Speaker 1: and her are still playing. They see my foot is

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Speaker 1: grotesquely cut. And I'm like, you guys, stay, we just

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Speaker 1: got here. I'll drive myself to the hospital. And your

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Speaker 1: mom said, okay, and I drove my I drove Uh

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Speaker 1: it was my left foot. I drove myself to the hospital,

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Speaker 1: got stitched up, and then couldn't get in the water

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Speaker 1: the rest of the trip. And I'm like, so, I

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Speaker 1: was like, I've done it again, but this is worse.

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Speaker 1: But somehow, somehow I was Okay. I guess I still

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Speaker 1: if I go from sitting to standing, you're popping in

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Speaker 1: my knee and it hurts. So I think I did

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Speaker 1: something that if I were expected to play in an

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Speaker 1: NBA game, would be a problem. But other than that,

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Speaker 1: it was great. And yeah, I'm washed and so a

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Speaker 1: lot to do. They also have a great sports book

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Speaker 1: there and so I was able to follow everything. Uh. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: it's a nice place. Not only is this an unpaid endorsement,

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Speaker 1: but I actually paid them quite a bit of money

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Speaker 1: via room charge and the casino uh that they have,

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Speaker 1: so the you know, it's a lot of added value

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Speaker 1: for Baha Mar which pays me nothing. But I do

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Speaker 1: imagine giving my gambling failings over the last ninety six hours,

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Speaker 1: will offer me a couple of free rooms if I

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Speaker 1: want to come back there. All right, straight boys. Brought

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Speaker 1: to you by Boost Mobile. Patrick Mahomes attends the Royals

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Speaker 1: home opener. Uh. The Royals won a couple games back

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Speaker 1: to back. They also their second game of the season. Uh,

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Speaker 1: we're leading to nothing on the road going into the

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Speaker 1: bottom of the ninth for the Braves and lost six

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Speaker 1: to two. Something that is damn near impossible to happen,

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Speaker 1: but it did happen. Mark Cuban won't stop talking about this.

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Speaker 1: I regret who I sold to. I made a lot

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Speaker 1: of mistakes in the process. I'll leave it at that. Also,

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Speaker 1: fun fact, Luka Ants scored more points in March than

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Speaker 1: Anthony Davis did as a Maverick. That's true. Look it up, folks,

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Speaker 1: more points in March than Anthony Davis in his Maverick's

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Speaker 1: career and the Blazers selling for a four and a

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Speaker 1: quarter billion dollar valuation. All right, let's get let's get

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Speaker 1: right to the polarizing topic of the day. Rachel Nichols

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Speaker 1: catching strays, Jason tenth volume co host is in the crosshairs.

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Speaker 1: A lot going on the NBA MVP race.

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Speaker 2: All right, about two weeks remaining in the MVP race

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Speaker 2: is getting spicy. So SGA is still the favorite at

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Speaker 2: minus three hundred, followed by wimby Luca and then Jokic,

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Speaker 2: all with great cases questions is this the greatest MVP

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Speaker 2: race that we've ever seen? And why is Luca's case

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Speaker 2: so polarizing?

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Speaker 1: Okay, so we will the The main course of this

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Speaker 1: is Luca the little Amus Bouche appetizer. Is is this

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Speaker 1: the greatest MVP race we've ever seen? And the answer

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Speaker 1: to that question is unequivocally, absolutely, without argument no, because

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Speaker 1: there is it. I to be totally fair, I didn't

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Speaker 1: do pencil to paper go through every MVP race to

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Speaker 1: see if this one has an argument for second place,

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Speaker 1: because it didn't seem like a use of good use

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Speaker 1: of my time. Because I knew it did not have

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Speaker 1: an argument for first place. Because the greatest MVP race

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Speaker 1: of all time and one of the most ridiculous is

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Speaker 1: and we've talked about it once before on the show,

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Speaker 1: but we will talk about it one more here. The

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Speaker 1: nineteen sixty two NBA MVP race is one of the greatest,

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Speaker 1: one of the greatest pages on the Internet, on the

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Speaker 1: whole Internet, al Gore's entire Internet. One of the greatest

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Speaker 1: pages that exists is the Basketball Reference nineteen sixty one

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Speaker 1: sixty two NBA Awards voting page, where if you go

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Speaker 1: there you will see that season. Coming in sixth in

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Speaker 1: the MVP race bullet Bob Pettitt, who averaged a tidy

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Speaker 1: thirty one points nineteen rebounds a game. He got two

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Speaker 1: first place votes. He came in sixth. Coming in fifth

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Speaker 1: in that MVP race was Jerry West, who averaged a

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Speaker 1: nice and tidy thirty one points, eight rebounds, five assists.

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Speaker 1: Coming in fourth in that MVP race was Elgin Baylor,

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Speaker 1: who averaged thirty eight points, nineteen rebounds, five assists. However,

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Speaker 1: only played forty eight games because he was in the

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Speaker 1: military and could only play part time. He was trying

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Speaker 1: to going back and forth between. You know, I don't

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Speaker 1: know if it was the weekends he could play or

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Speaker 1: the weekends he couldn't, whatever it is. But you know,

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Speaker 1: while he wasn't in the US military, he was a

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Speaker 1: part time basketball player, giving you thirty eight to nineteen. However,

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Speaker 1: third place that year was Oscar Robertson, the first year

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Speaker 1: or anyone in the history of the league ever averaged

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Speaker 1: a triple double, came in third. He averaged thirty one points,

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Speaker 1: thirteen rebounds, eleven assists, a nice tidy third and second

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Speaker 1: place with only nine first place votes was Wilt Chamberlain,

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Speaker 1: who that season averaged forty eight and a half minutes,

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Speaker 1: meaning he averaged more minutes than there were in the

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Speaker 1: games because he never subbed out essentially the whole year

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Speaker 1: and played overtimes, and while averaging forty eight and a

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Speaker 1: half minutes, he actually averaged more points A nice clean

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Speaker 1: for Wilt fifty point twenty six rebound a game average

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Speaker 1: on forty eight and a half minutes a night. However,

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Speaker 1: that was only enough to finish a distant, distant second

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Speaker 1: to Bill Russell, who averaged nineteen points and twenty four rebounds.

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Speaker 1: Folks I wasn't there. I can't tell you how it happened.

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Speaker 1: I just know that happened. I know that Billy Bill

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Speaker 1: Russell ran away with it, averaging nineteen and twenty four.

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Speaker 1: Wilt was fifty and twenty six, playing every minute of

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Speaker 1: every game all year. The Big O averaged thirty one

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Speaker 1: on thirteen and eleven. Elgin gave you thirty eight nineteen

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Speaker 1: while also serving the country. And that so I don't care.

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Speaker 1: This top four is pretty sick. It doesn't quite match

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Speaker 1: up to the nineteen sixty one sixty two NBA Awards voting.

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Speaker 1: Now that that is taken care OFVN out of the way,

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Speaker 1: we will discuss what is happening right now with Luca,

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Speaker 1: which is bordering on a little insane. Okay, because folks

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Speaker 1: are in real time, I fear recreating the history of

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Speaker 1: this season and also recreating their own belief in what

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Speaker 1: these Lakers could be. Because going into the Lakers already

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Speaker 1: smashed the over on their win total, many people, smart

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Speaker 1: people that I respect, thought this Lakers team would stone

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Speaker 1: miss the playoffs. They already have fifty wins, they have

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Speaker 1: already clinched a playoff spot. They are a huge favorite

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Speaker 1: to be the three seed. They also have a very

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Speaker 1: decent chance of finishing with a better record than every

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Speaker 1: team in the East except for Detroit. Right now, they're

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Speaker 1: sitting at fifty wins. The Celtics are sitting at fifty wins,

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Speaker 1: and they have done that despite the fact that they

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Speaker 1: made no major moves at the deadline, and Austin Reeves

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Speaker 1: and Lebron James have missed a combined forty seven games,

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Speaker 1: which means they have done that based on the overwhelming

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Speaker 1: strength of Luka Doncic offensive wonder kind. And there are

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Speaker 1: two things happening with the Luca MVP discussion. Three things actually. One,

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Speaker 1: Folks are pretending the Lakers were expected to be this good.

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Speaker 1: They were not. And early in the year, when they

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Speaker 1: were the three seed and Luca was averaging thirty three

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Speaker 1: a night, the discussion happening in real time was, well,

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Speaker 1: they've beat up on some bad teams. They've gotten very

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Speaker 1: lucky and close wins. The clutch numbers won't sustain. This

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Speaker 1: team is not as good as its record suggests. Before

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Speaker 1: the year, they were eight behind but almost universally behind

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Speaker 1: Oka see in projections. Okay, see obviously Denver no problem

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Speaker 1: Houston having added Kevin Durant Minnesota. Yes, the Los Angeles

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Speaker 1: Clippers were a much more popular regular season pick. Now,

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Speaker 1: they were not behind the Spurs for most people, because

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Speaker 1: the Spurs have greatly overachieved their expectation. And part of

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Speaker 1: that is a testament to Wimby, no doubt about it.

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Speaker 1: And that's just in the Western Conference, much less where

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Speaker 1: they would stack up throughout the league as a whole.

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Speaker 1: So that happened people reframing what they thought the Lakers'

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Speaker 1: expectations were this year. That is happening in real time.

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Speaker 1: Another thing that is happening in real time, people pretending

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Speaker 1: like Luca just started having an awesome season. He was

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Speaker 1: the Western Conference Player of the Month for January. Luca's

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Speaker 1: month by month numbers this year are October. He started

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Speaker 1: the year off averaging forty five a game. Okay, but

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Speaker 1: that's three games in October. In October, he averaged forty

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Speaker 1: five a game. In December, I'm sorry. In November, pardon me, sorry,

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Speaker 1: when the Lakers lost two games. All month that he

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Speaker 1: played in, Luca averaged thirty three, eight and ten. That's December.

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Speaker 1: That's November, pardon me. When the Lakers weren't that good,

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Speaker 1: and when h Luca missed a couple games due to

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Speaker 1: injury or he just missed a couple games, he was

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Speaker 1: down to thirty one, seven and seven. Then January rolls around,

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Speaker 1: he's Player of the month with thirty four, seven and nine.

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Speaker 1: March was the one bad month the Lakers were bad.

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Speaker 1: It wrapped around the All Star Game. He was, he

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Speaker 1: dealt with the injury and was twenty seven to nine.

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Speaker 1: And then March rolls around, and for the month of

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Speaker 1: March he's thirty eight, eight and seven and the Lakers

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Speaker 1: have lost twice. And if they gave away Player of

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Speaker 1: the Month for March, I don't know that they do.

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Speaker 1: I think they might combine March in April, but it

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Speaker 1: would be him again. So folks pretending as if he

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Speaker 1: just started being excellent is not true. Now. What is

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Speaker 1: true is if you had asked me in mid February

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Speaker 1: where he was, and I think we did it on

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Speaker 1: this show. In the MVP race, I would have had

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Speaker 1: him sixth in mid February. I would have had Shae.

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Speaker 1: I don't know if Wimby was quite there. Shaye Joker,

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Speaker 1: Jalen Brown, Cad and Wimby all ahead of him. So

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Speaker 1: which is why I have not gotten on here and

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Speaker 1: said he's clearly the MVP. Shae had has been that

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Speaker 1: consistently excellent all throughout the year. But I do think

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Speaker 1: Luca is gaining massive, massive ground. And the last plank

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Speaker 1: of this is folks have simply overstated how awful his

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Speaker 1: defense is. Is luk Adanic a an excellent defensive player?

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Speaker 1: Obviously not. Is lukadan a good defensive player? I don't

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Speaker 1: think so. Is luk adnic one of the worst defensive

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Speaker 1: players in the league by no possible metric? Can you

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Speaker 1: feel that now? Do Luca's defensive low lights rank among

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Speaker 1: the worst of any player in the league, absolutely, the

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Speaker 1: plays where he's just out to lunch defensively, Yes, and

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Speaker 1: that is a fair criticism of it. But my pal

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Speaker 1: Mannix talking about individual defensive rating as if that is

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Speaker 1: a real thing when it really isn't. That's a team

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Speaker 1: in a lineup stat I think is unfair.

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Speaker 2: He rebounds. Do you think he kind of reverses that

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Speaker 2: at all? I mean, I shouldn't say it at all,

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Speaker 2: but like I feel like the fact that he's such

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Speaker 2: a good rebounder playing point guard, it should play.

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Speaker 1: A little worse than that. Well, yes, and I mean

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Speaker 1: that's been a big part. Ask Daniel about you. Look

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Speaker 1: up the the advanced metrics tell us that, you know,

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Speaker 1: Bill Russell, you were great, but the greatest defensive big

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Speaker 1: man of all time is Nikola Jokic. All of us

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Speaker 1: know that's nonsense. But the reason for that is because

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Speaker 1: the advanced metrics really value defensive rebounding ending a possession.

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Speaker 1: And so I understand Luca is polarizing, Okay, I get that.

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Speaker 1: I understand that Luca annoys people. I get that, and

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Speaker 1: I understand that at times Luke is his own worst enemy.

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Speaker 1: I get all of that. But we are moving the

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Speaker 1: goalposts on this player in a wildly unfair manner. The

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Speaker 1: Lakers do not have a great defensive roster, and Luca

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Speaker 1: is obviously a part of that. And they right now

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Speaker 1: have tied with the Clippers for the nineteenth best defense

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Speaker 1: in basketball, and that's, you know, not very good. It

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Speaker 1: is ahead of Denver, by the way, and it is

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Speaker 1: improving and has been improving, particularly over the last month.

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Speaker 1: But for us to in real time try to change

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Speaker 1: what the historic qualifiers for league MVPR, in my opinion,

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Speaker 1: in service of one guy's candidacy in Victor Winminyama and

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Speaker 1: against another guy's candidacy and Luke ad Ancic, which is

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Speaker 1: an award that has never been fifty defense fifty offense.

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Speaker 1: Changing it up, I think is disingenuous, would and.

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Speaker 2: Goes a percentage of it that's defense though.

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Speaker 1: Of course no, of course I listen. I think historically,

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Speaker 1: if you look at the winners, historically, it's been ninety

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Speaker 1: ten offense defense. As far as what is valued now,

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Speaker 1: there are outliers, and interestingly enough, one of them was

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Speaker 1: the sixty two MVP race, where there were they there

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Speaker 1: was a guy who averaged thirty point triple novel, a

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Speaker 1: guy who verged fifty a night, and then a guy

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Speaker 1: who averaged twenty what was it nineteen and twenty four

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Speaker 1: or something, Yeah, no, no, twenty six rebounds, nineteen points. But

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Speaker 1: he was so devastatingly impactful on defense that he won

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Speaker 1: the award. Now, he also was a champion, considered the

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Speaker 1: you know, greatest winner in the sport. Had you know,

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Speaker 1: at that point Bill Russell had accomplished more than Wemby,

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Speaker 1: which plays you know a bit of a factor into it.

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Speaker 1: But there are guys that can change the rules on.

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Speaker 1: All right, it's ninety ten for other guys, but this

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Speaker 1: guy's defensive impact is so overwhelming, so overwhelming that he

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Speaker 1: should win the award. So I understand folks saying Wimby's

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Speaker 1: defensive impact is just unlike everyone else's. That is a

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Speaker 1: fair argument. It is not a fair argument to say,

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Speaker 1: I'm not even considering Luca because he doesn't play both

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Speaker 1: ends of the court. Not if you voted for James Harden,

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Speaker 1: not if you weren't throwing your entire body in front

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Speaker 1: of Steve Nash going first, first second in MVP voting,

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Speaker 1: not if you were part of Steph Curry over Lebron

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Speaker 1: multiple times. Don't don't don't tell me you're you're weighing

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Speaker 1: this on two way impact. And here's the other thing

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Speaker 1: about Wimby's specific candidacy. You it is, in my again

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Speaker 1: not always so humble opinion, outrageous to give him extra

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Speaker 1: credit in the MVP race for how few minutes per

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Speaker 1: game he's playing. If you want to give the Spurs

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Speaker 1: extra credit for how much of a contender they are,

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Speaker 1: because it's like, well shit, what about when Wimby is

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Speaker 1: playing thirty eight minutes a game instead of twenty nine

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Speaker 1: totally makes sense. If you want to talk about what

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Speaker 1: this means for Wimby's upper limit potential about well, what

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Speaker 1: about when he plays the minutes all the other candidates play.

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Speaker 1: I'm all for that as well. There are a lot

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Speaker 1: of things where Wimby's minutes per game should come into

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Speaker 1: the conversation, but his ability to win the MVP Award

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Speaker 1: is not one of them. When a stat that I

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Speaker 1: think will absolutely blow your mind, de Manse and I

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Speaker 1: want to get this exactly right. This year, Victor Winbinyama

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Speaker 1: has played ninety fewer minutes than Lebron. Victor Winbinyama this

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Speaker 1: year is one hundredth in the NBA in minutes. One hundredth.

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Speaker 1: Now you can again that means, oh my god, he's

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Speaker 1: gonna win six titles and ten Defensive Player of the

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Speaker 1: Year awards, and the Spurs are gonna be unstoppable all

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Speaker 1: of that. But what I don't think you can say

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Speaker 1: is what I don't think is accurate is the that

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Speaker 1: Wimby's The gap between Luca's offense and Wimby's offense is

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Speaker 1: twenty points created a game. Conservatively, Lucas points plus assists

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Speaker 1: versus Wimby's points plus assists, and there's more to it.

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Speaker 1: And I know, all of a sudden, Wimby's We've created

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Speaker 1: a new term called role gravity or lob gravity or something.

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Speaker 1: It's like, oh, the corner threes they're generating. I've watched

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Speaker 1: an NBA for my entire life. I've never heard this term. Great,

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Speaker 1: but the gap between so you have this size gap

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Speaker 1: between Luke and Wimby's off offense. Now you can say

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Speaker 1: you have an even bigger guess between Luke and Wimby's defense.

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Speaker 1: No problem. But is it is Wimby's impact in one thousand,

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Speaker 1: seven hundred and fifty five minutes his defensive impact that

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Speaker 1: much greater to where it overcomes the fact that Luca

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Speaker 1: has played five hundred more minutes the equivalent of for again,

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Speaker 1: at Wimby's minutes per game twenty nine five hundred minutes,

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Speaker 1: it's an extra sixteen games. It's not enough for me.

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Speaker 1: And again, if someone I think there are and I

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Speaker 1: haven't even talked about Joker on this, and we'll get

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Speaker 1: to him in a second. If if someone makes the

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Speaker 1: argues for here's why Wimby's the MVP. Nobody thought the

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Speaker 1: Spurs would be this good. He's so far and away

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Speaker 1: the best defensive player in the sport. I ain't that

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Speaker 1: is a legitimate argument, Shay, obviously as a legitimate argument,

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Speaker 1: joker who will get to obviously as a legitimate argument.

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Speaker 1: What I find so galling, and I probably over used

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Speaker 1: that word, is folks, a lot of folks are acting

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Speaker 1: as if Luca does not have a legitimate argument. You're

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Speaker 1: god dog right. This guy, a guy who's averaging almost

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Speaker 1: thirty four a game for an overachieving three seed, who's

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Speaker 1: second and third best player, both have missed a third

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Speaker 1: of the season. That guy, every time, every year in

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Speaker 1: NBA history, had a legitimate argument for the m v

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Speaker 1: P and Luca is not going to come close to it.

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Speaker 1: And I think that's unfortunate, And so go ahead to mind.

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Speaker 2: Over the question. The next two weeks, yeah, we'll see

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Speaker 2: five games where two where the two of the candidates

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Speaker 2: of the MVP race will face each other. So first

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Speaker 2: we got okay, see, they'll play the Lakers twice and

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Speaker 2: Denver once. Denver will play the Spurs twice, and okay,

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Speaker 2: see once, and the Spurs will play Denver twice, and

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Speaker 2: then the Lakers will play Okay, see.

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Speaker 1: Twice, Yeah, those two times. Yeah, so listen. I think

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Speaker 1: I think Shae. One of the reasons I believe Shae

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Speaker 1: is a huge favorite to win this award is and

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00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:02,880
Speaker 1: we're talking more about okay, see in a few I

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Speaker 1: think Shae has a floor of second place on ballots.

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Speaker 1: So I think Shay is going to get first and seconds,

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Speaker 1: and I think Wimby is going to get first, second, third,

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Speaker 1: and fourths. And I think Joker is going to get

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Speaker 1: not a lot of first, but second, third, and fourths.

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Speaker 1: And so I think that there have been instances in

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Speaker 1: the history of this award with the guy with the

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Speaker 1: most first place votes doesn't win it. That happened to Barkley,

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Speaker 1: It's happened a few times. I think Shaye probably gets

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Speaker 1: the most firsts and wins the award. But I also

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Speaker 1: think there's a world where Wimby gets the most first

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Speaker 1: and doesn't win it because Shay's is all first and

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Speaker 1: seconds with a couple of thirds. Me Wimby is first, seconds, thirds, fourths,

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Speaker 1: and that drags that drags him down. I also just

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Speaker 1: I think that this only becomes a very close conversation

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Speaker 1: if the Spurs finished with the one seed.

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Speaker 2: And I have just so you don't think in those

377
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Speaker 2: games there could be any any taking of the torch.

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Speaker 1: Well, the problem is the Spurs don't play the Thunder. Yeah,

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00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:36,920
Speaker 1: and the Spurs did. Is Wemby mentioned the Spurs dominated

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Speaker 1: the Thunder when they played him earlier this year. Wimby

381
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Speaker 1: was playing in a couple of those games, played like

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Speaker 1: twenty minutes, was not like was not the which Again,

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Speaker 1: all of these arguments could be arguments as to why

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Speaker 1: they're gonna win the title, all these things, but the

385
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Speaker 1: MVP is not a hypothetical award. It's not well what

386
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Speaker 1: they could have done. And so I just don't lucas

387
00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:04,560
Speaker 1: in a weird spot, and it'd be I want to

388
00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:06,120
Speaker 1: see one other thing about Luca and then we'll talk

389
00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:16,400
Speaker 1: joker it. It's also really weird that he is treated

390
00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:23,320
Speaker 1: this way despite the fact that he has been every

391
00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:32,080
Speaker 1: year of his playoff career an absolute playoff killer, just

392
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Speaker 1: a killer. His first year in the playoffs against what

393
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Speaker 1: everyone thought was the best team in the league, Kawhi

394
00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:50,560
Speaker 1: Paul George Clippers in that playoff series as a huge underdog,

395
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Speaker 1: puts up thirty one nine, I'm sorry ten and nine.

396
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Speaker 1: They lose in six. His next year in the playoffs,

397
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Speaker 1: again against Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, He's being guarded

398
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Speaker 1: one hundred percent of his possessions by Pete, Kawhi and

399
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Speaker 1: Paul George. He they lose in seven. As a big underdog,

400
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Speaker 1: he averages thirty six, eight and ten. His next year

401
00:32:21,120 --> 00:32:28,080
Speaker 1: in the playoffs, they're underdogs in round two against the

402
00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:33,640
Speaker 1: favorite Suns. He makes Devin Booker cry, almost gives you

403
00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:38,360
Speaker 1: thirty two, ten and six that playoff run. They then

404
00:32:38,440 --> 00:32:41,640
Speaker 1: missed the playoffs one year, and his next time in

405
00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:46,520
Speaker 1: the playoffs, he carries the MAVs to the finals, beating Shay,

406
00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:52,400
Speaker 1: then beating Ant and then last year obviously was you

407
00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:56,320
Speaker 1: know he wasn't He was thirty points a game in

408
00:32:56,360 --> 00:33:00,720
Speaker 1: those playoffs again in the one round against the Timberwls.

409
00:33:00,760 --> 00:33:02,880
Speaker 1: That was a disaster for the Lakers. There's no doubt,

410
00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:07,760
Speaker 1: no way around that. But it's just is he a

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Speaker 1: perfect player?

412
00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:08,800
Speaker 2: No?

413
00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:14,560
Speaker 1: Does he deserve more respect from the people and more

414
00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:19,160
Speaker 1: and folks doing a closer introspection on Wait a minute,

415
00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:22,840
Speaker 1: I didn't think the Lakers had any shot at contending.

416
00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:28,640
Speaker 1: I thought the Lakers might miss the playoffs again, not Nick. Right,

417
00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:33,840
Speaker 1: But folks out there, they're they've got fifty wins. They

418
00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:36,880
Speaker 1: have the same number of wins as Boston. They they

419
00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:41,640
Speaker 1: are They've been the three seed a good portion of

420
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Speaker 1: the season, and our huge favorite to be it. Bron

421
00:33:45,720 --> 00:33:49,720
Speaker 1: has taken on another role. Austin suffered a major injury,

422
00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:53,280
Speaker 1: that the team is leaning heavily on DeAndre Ayton and

423
00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:59,720
Speaker 1: Marcus Smart and Lucas just out there fire breathing every night.

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Speaker 1: What's that worth?

425
00:34:04,680 --> 00:34:05,200
Speaker 2: All right?

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00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:06,479
Speaker 1: Go ahead on Joker.

427
00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:09,800
Speaker 2: Jokic will have average a trip, will double and be

428
00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:13,279
Speaker 2: the first player to lead in rebounds and assist ever

429
00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:15,880
Speaker 2: if he hadn't already run a bunch, you think that

430
00:34:15,920 --> 00:34:17,440
Speaker 2: he'd be the front runner for the race.

431
00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:25,720
Speaker 1: If he had zero MVPs. Probably right, And listen, Daniel

432
00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:30,160
Speaker 1: put in this a I'm not gonna call it a

433
00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:33,920
Speaker 1: whining question, but it felt a little whining from Nuggets

434
00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:37,239
Speaker 1: fan Daniel when he says jo Kics is leveled up

435
00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:40,279
Speaker 1: every year. So is he just ineligible to win at

436
00:34:40,280 --> 00:34:45,160
Speaker 1: this point? He's not ineligible to win, and he's having

437
00:34:45,200 --> 00:34:50,799
Speaker 1: an awesome year. And if folks want to make the

438
00:34:50,840 --> 00:34:56,279
Speaker 1: case that jo Kic this year is having a more

439
00:34:56,320 --> 00:35:00,400
Speaker 1: impressive season than some previous years when I I didn't

440
00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:02,560
Speaker 1: think he should have been MVP, and he won it,

441
00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:12,640
Speaker 1: so be it. But they are any The Nuggets, I

442
00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:18,960
Speaker 1: think by a hair as a team have underachieved this year.

443
00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:27,320
Speaker 1: They have been awful in the clutch. They don't feel

444
00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:34,280
Speaker 1: like frontline A list contenders at the moment. And Joker

445
00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:40,000
Speaker 1: has three MVPs, So I don't think people are win.

446
00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:44,880
Speaker 1: The three guys in my opinion ahead of him in

447
00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:49,000
Speaker 1: the race for if you include Jalen Brown, I don't

448
00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:53,680
Speaker 1: as far as ahead of Joker, all have better records,

449
00:35:54,840 --> 00:36:01,080
Speaker 1: all their team and you know, seems to be in

450
00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:04,560
Speaker 1: a better position to win a championship. I'm not. I'm

451
00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:07,279
Speaker 1: not worried about the fact that Joker, as great as

452
00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:10,600
Speaker 1: he is, isn't going to, you know, get his fourth

453
00:36:10,719 --> 00:36:14,560
Speaker 1: MVP in the last six years. I think I think

454
00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:18,000
Speaker 1: we'll all be okay on that. Today's show is brought

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Speaker 1: All right, demons, let's go to uh Shay if we can.

490
00:38:14,120 --> 00:38:17,040
Speaker 2: Uh Yeah, Shay racket out free throws per usual at

491
00:38:17,120 --> 00:38:20,120
Speaker 2: a crazy rate. So the fans on Twitter piss, the

492
00:38:20,239 --> 00:38:23,080
Speaker 2: players on the quarter piss their coaches coming out pissed

493
00:38:23,120 --> 00:38:26,719
Speaker 2: about it. Here's JB. Bickerstaff after the loss in overtime.

494
00:38:27,239 --> 00:38:29,440
Speaker 3: I mean, he's elite at what he does, and you

495
00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:31,759
Speaker 3: got to give him a ton of credit for his

496
00:38:31,880 --> 00:38:36,080
Speaker 3: skill set and his ability, you know, to create those

497
00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:39,320
Speaker 3: contacts and create those whistles. You know, there are rules

498
00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:42,080
Speaker 3: for a reason, and he's mastered to manipulate him. So

499
00:38:42,760 --> 00:38:45,680
Speaker 3: that's a talent, that's a skill that he's been blessed with.

500
00:38:46,840 --> 00:38:50,399
Speaker 1: So I don't we don't have to spend a ton

501
00:38:50,440 --> 00:38:56,560
Speaker 1: of time on this, but I think it's very simple.

502
00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:12,040
Speaker 1: And the reason this specifically, I think infuriates otherwise, you know,

503
00:39:12,239 --> 00:39:22,080
Speaker 1: neutral parties is the it's a trio of factors that

504
00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:29,040
Speaker 1: all seem to run in one direction even though they

505
00:39:29,080 --> 00:39:33,240
Speaker 1: contradict each other, and that direction is in Okase's favor.

506
00:39:34,840 --> 00:39:40,279
Speaker 1: So on Shay, there is the fact that he has

507
00:39:40,520 --> 00:39:46,000
Speaker 1: mastered that stiff arm better than any player since prime

508
00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:51,080
Speaker 1: James Harden, and maybe more so than even prime James Harden.

509
00:39:51,480 --> 00:39:54,840
Speaker 1: And while they waved off what would have been his

510
00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:58,000
Speaker 1: game winner against Detroit, on it, it feels like he

511
00:39:58,120 --> 00:40:05,720
Speaker 1: gets so feels like he per personenly creates real non

512
00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:13,160
Speaker 1: negligible contact a dozen times a game, gets away with it,

513
00:40:14,640 --> 00:40:20,440
Speaker 1: so that irritates people, but then the irritation shifts to

514
00:40:23,239 --> 00:40:27,880
Speaker 1: being outraged when on the flip side, it feels like

515
00:40:28,560 --> 00:40:33,319
Speaker 1: he gets the benefit of any contact against him that

516
00:40:33,480 --> 00:40:39,560
Speaker 1: is far less negligible than the contact he creates in

517
00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:45,480
Speaker 1: if he's driving to the basket and gets hit at all,

518
00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:51,800
Speaker 1: he's going to the line. Added to that, he's pretty

519
00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:57,960
Speaker 1: shameless in mid play deciding I'm no longer trying to score.

520
00:40:59,200 --> 00:41:02,239
Speaker 1: I simply leave your off balance enough to where I

521
00:41:02,239 --> 00:41:05,640
Speaker 1: can draw foul or make it look like I draw foul.

522
00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:08,400
Speaker 1: So you go from being a little annoyed at the

523
00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:12,640
Speaker 1: push off to almost outraged at the calls he gets,

524
00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:18,560
Speaker 1: and then that then levels up to you know what,

525
00:41:18,800 --> 00:41:22,640
Speaker 1: I think, I actually don't like this team for some

526
00:41:23,920 --> 00:41:29,000
Speaker 1: when you add to it the way his teammates are

527
00:41:29,040 --> 00:41:33,120
Speaker 1: allowed to guard everyone else you have doored out there

528
00:41:33,880 --> 00:41:41,759
Speaker 1: just hurting people are the They are actively daring the

529
00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:44,920
Speaker 1: refs to call four or five thousand in the opening

530
00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:50,640
Speaker 1: ninety seconds of games. They don't. They set the tone,

531
00:41:51,239 --> 00:41:54,640
Speaker 1: and it feels like, man, it's a little Calvin ball

532
00:41:55,960 --> 00:42:00,080
Speaker 1: heads you lose tails, I win like shake and push,

533
00:42:00,120 --> 00:42:02,480
Speaker 1: but I can't guard him and dork can tackle me?

534
00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:03,200
Speaker 1: What the fuck?

535
00:42:04,920 --> 00:42:08,600
Speaker 2: And so I And then with the press is like

536
00:42:08,640 --> 00:42:10,960
Speaker 2: in even the way that it's discussed. As far as

537
00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:14,120
Speaker 2: SGA and the team like, I just feel that they

538
00:42:14,160 --> 00:42:16,080
Speaker 2: are very shameless about all of it.

539
00:42:17,280 --> 00:42:20,000
Speaker 1: And listen, they're the champs. They're the champs.

540
00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:21,360
Speaker 2: They're so rugg.

541
00:42:22,480 --> 00:42:29,759
Speaker 1: And I just it is now it is noteworthy to

542
00:42:29,880 --> 00:42:35,040
Speaker 1: me that they have not been nearly as dominant they

543
00:42:35,080 --> 00:42:37,719
Speaker 1: won the title. Don't get me wrong, but they have

544
00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:43,840
Speaker 1: not been a total postseason juggernaut while they've been a

545
00:42:43,880 --> 00:42:47,120
Speaker 1: regular season juggernaut. So I do wonder how the game

546
00:42:47,160 --> 00:42:50,040
Speaker 1: being officiated differently in the playoffs can't affect them again,

547
00:42:51,600 --> 00:42:59,920
Speaker 1: but it is. I know people were frustrated with hardened

548
00:43:00,040 --> 00:43:07,520
Speaker 1: style for years, totally get understand that, but that wasn't

549
00:43:07,600 --> 00:43:12,840
Speaker 1: then paired with Harden's teammates being able to just mug

550
00:43:13,440 --> 00:43:16,640
Speaker 1: Steph Curry and Kevin Durant and the I mean that

551
00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:20,839
Speaker 1: you could you could argue maybe PJ. Tucker a little bit,

552
00:43:22,480 --> 00:43:27,880
Speaker 1: but so like so that's why people like demonte actively

553
00:43:27,920 --> 00:43:31,520
Speaker 1: dislikes the.

554
00:43:30,040 --> 00:43:35,880
Speaker 2: The Thunder organization. Just not the organization, but this, you know,

555
00:43:37,200 --> 00:43:37,640
Speaker 2: I don't like.

556
00:43:40,120 --> 00:43:42,719
Speaker 1: You can say, by the way, They're one of the

557
00:43:42,760 --> 00:43:45,120
Speaker 1: few teams in sports that I'm okay with just saying

558
00:43:45,120 --> 00:43:47,479
Speaker 1: I don't like if someone doesn't like the organization because

559
00:43:47,480 --> 00:43:50,240
Speaker 1: they stole that team from Seattle. They said they weren't

560
00:43:50,239 --> 00:43:53,520
Speaker 1: going to move, and they moved them. But listen, Presty's

561
00:43:53,560 --> 00:43:57,719
Speaker 1: obviously brilliant. Their coach is excellent. Shay is having another

562
00:43:58,320 --> 00:44:01,520
Speaker 1: one of the greatest guard season. There's no denying any

563
00:44:01,600 --> 00:44:05,160
Speaker 1: of that. He's done it without one of the reasons

564
00:44:05,160 --> 00:44:09,240
Speaker 1: that I won't yet. We see, we got six games left.

565
00:44:10,200 --> 00:44:13,880
Speaker 1: I don't think Luca has yet caught Shay is. Yes,

566
00:44:14,120 --> 00:44:17,400
Speaker 1: Lebron and Austin Reaveson is forty seven games, but Jalen Williams,

567
00:44:17,880 --> 00:44:21,440
Speaker 1: his second best player, missed basically the equivalent, and so

568
00:44:22,680 --> 00:44:25,759
Speaker 1: they deserve credit. But man, oh man, they are in

569
00:44:25,960 --> 00:44:29,960
Speaker 1: raging like there's no there's no argument that it can that.

570
00:44:30,080 --> 00:44:36,359
Speaker 1: It's a lot of people, fans, coaches, other players find

571
00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:39,480
Speaker 1: them in raging. Which is why if the bracket holds,

572
00:44:39,600 --> 00:44:47,920
Speaker 1: Daniel be happy. America will be rooting for your big

573
00:44:48,040 --> 00:44:53,640
Speaker 1: Serbian love Nikola jokicch in round two, folks will be

574
00:44:53,800 --> 00:44:59,799
Speaker 1: rooting hard for the Nuggets. Yeah, and the Nuggets would

575
00:44:59,800 --> 00:45:01,080
Speaker 1: be very live in that series.

576
00:45:01,120 --> 00:45:03,880
Speaker 2: Go ahead. I want to ask, if SGA didn't have

577
00:45:03,960 --> 00:45:06,279
Speaker 2: this weapon with the free throws get into the line,

578
00:45:06,280 --> 00:45:08,080
Speaker 2: do you think that he'd still be where he's at

579
00:45:08,120 --> 00:45:10,720
Speaker 2: in the MVP candidate racer just period.

580
00:45:11,360 --> 00:45:16,839
Speaker 1: Well, listen, I I think it's unfair. I think that's

581
00:45:16,960 --> 00:45:23,480
Speaker 1: kind of an unfair hypothetical because it also is if

582
00:45:23,520 --> 00:45:27,680
Speaker 1: he didn't have it, he would have, like if this

583
00:45:27,880 --> 00:45:32,560
Speaker 1: was called differently or whatever. He has shown he is

584
00:45:32,640 --> 00:45:38,319
Speaker 1: such a smart and skilled player that he yeah, he

585
00:45:38,360 --> 00:45:42,399
Speaker 1: would have just pivoted what he focuses on five years ago.

586
00:45:43,239 --> 00:45:46,759
Speaker 1: And so the I now, I don't think he's the

587
00:45:46,760 --> 00:45:49,440
Speaker 1: best player in the world. I'd never thought he's the

588
00:45:49,440 --> 00:45:56,240
Speaker 1: best player in the world. And listen, I think Joker

589
00:45:56,320 --> 00:45:59,319
Speaker 1: is the best player in the world. And and this

590
00:45:59,360 --> 00:46:02,400
Speaker 1: is where people are gonna say, I can't what do

591
00:46:02,520 --> 00:46:05,560
Speaker 1: I what's my proof on this? And it's just what

592
00:46:05,600 --> 00:46:10,040
Speaker 1: I what I believe. I think Luca's better than Shay. Yeah,

593
00:46:10,200 --> 00:46:14,040
Speaker 1: they've they've like and listen, Shay's won an MVP, Shay's

594
00:46:14,080 --> 00:46:18,800
Speaker 1: won a title, Luca's done neither. I get it there.

595
00:46:18,960 --> 00:46:21,759
Speaker 1: Lucas actually by a couple of months younger than him.

596
00:46:21,920 --> 00:46:26,400
Speaker 1: They've played once in the playoffs. Luca won. I I don't.

597
00:46:26,560 --> 00:46:30,879
Speaker 1: I don't think that Thunder team. It's like, oh man,

598
00:46:32,239 --> 00:46:35,080
Speaker 1: put Luca in SGA's spot. What happens to that team.

599
00:46:35,200 --> 00:46:38,759
Speaker 1: Uh there's they're the favorite still and and like that

600
00:46:38,920 --> 00:46:43,919
Speaker 1: team is actually built perfectly to deal with Luca's weaknesses

601
00:46:43,960 --> 00:46:48,040
Speaker 1: as a defender. So I I so, I I think

602
00:46:48,080 --> 00:46:51,480
Speaker 1: he might be in the category better than this player,

603
00:46:51,600 --> 00:46:55,759
Speaker 1: but of Steve Nash, where the guy one wins back

604
00:46:55,800 --> 00:46:59,399
Speaker 1: to back MVPs and it's not universally regarded as best

605
00:46:59,440 --> 00:47:02,839
Speaker 1: player in the All right, let's before we get to

606
00:47:02,880 --> 00:47:05,080
Speaker 1: the Lakers win last night, and then some other stuff,

607
00:47:05,440 --> 00:47:09,080
Speaker 1: and we'll probably do a bunch of football tomorrow because

608
00:47:09,680 --> 00:47:13,160
Speaker 1: there's this crazy jail and hurts Eagles story that came

609
00:47:13,160 --> 00:47:15,640
Speaker 1: out this morning that I want to get to tomorrow.

610
00:47:17,120 --> 00:47:21,040
Speaker 1: Lamar Demanse might not be going to off season workouts.

611
00:47:21,920 --> 00:47:24,279
Speaker 2: Yeah great, I mean he's doing the boxing though. That's

612
00:47:24,440 --> 00:47:25,280
Speaker 2: that's good, Cardio.

613
00:47:27,120 --> 00:47:29,520
Speaker 1: It was the new head coach, it wouldn't be great.

614
00:47:30,480 --> 00:47:32,840
Speaker 1: So we might get to some of the football stuff

615
00:47:34,040 --> 00:47:38,239
Speaker 1: tomorrow and uh so, but there's more things we need

616
00:47:38,280 --> 00:47:41,520
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642
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643
00:49:22,200 --> 00:49:24,319
Speaker 1: on stuff like this. I think it's very important because

644
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645
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Speaker 1: need a three million dollar policy for thirty dollars a month.

650
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652
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Speaker 1: make you feel better. So again Ethos dot com slash right.

653
00:49:53,640 --> 00:49:59,400
Speaker 1: Application times and rates may vary. Uh, all right, demon's eight.

654
00:49:59,480 --> 00:50:01,520
Speaker 1: We're gonna talk little soccer here for a minute.

655
00:50:03,520 --> 00:50:05,960
Speaker 2: Yeah. So, the US men's national team lost two to

656
00:50:06,080 --> 00:50:09,240
Speaker 2: zero against Portugal on a friendly match yesterday. The World

657
00:50:09,239 --> 00:50:12,160
Speaker 2: Cup is two months away. Can we fix our problems

658
00:50:12,200 --> 00:50:12,960
Speaker 2: now before.

659
00:50:15,200 --> 00:50:21,960
Speaker 1: I'm getting very worried? And for you know what, I

660
00:50:22,000 --> 00:50:24,440
Speaker 1: also want to say something else real quick about talking

661
00:50:24,520 --> 00:50:29,799
Speaker 1: World Cup and talking soccer because I was I was

662
00:50:29,880 --> 00:50:34,839
Speaker 1: updated over the weekend because we did a twenty six

663
00:50:34,920 --> 00:50:37,279
Speaker 1: Players that will Define the World Cup countdown show on

664
00:50:37,360 --> 00:50:41,759
Speaker 1: First Things First Friday, half hour show that some of

665
00:50:41,880 --> 00:50:45,879
Speaker 1: soccer Twitter was none too happy with us, like, oh,

666
00:50:45,960 --> 00:50:49,319
Speaker 1: these guys talking soccer. These guys don't ever talk. So

667
00:50:49,840 --> 00:50:53,680
Speaker 1: let me say this on the front end, soccer gatekeepers,

668
00:50:54,920 --> 00:50:59,320
Speaker 1: it's the biggest sporting event in the world. You want

669
00:51:00,840 --> 00:51:05,399
Speaker 1: that are not necessarily following Siria A and the EPL

670
00:51:05,840 --> 00:51:08,840
Speaker 1: to be super into it, and they are so be

671
00:51:08,920 --> 00:51:12,560
Speaker 1: a little more welcoming and a little nicer. That's first

672
00:51:12,560 --> 00:51:15,879
Speaker 1: of all. Second of all, I am following that shit

673
00:51:16,840 --> 00:51:22,520
Speaker 1: who was in person at Inter Milan's first home match

674
00:51:23,080 --> 00:51:27,759
Speaker 1: as the defending sarah A champions. This guy great seats

675
00:51:28,400 --> 00:51:34,919
Speaker 1: who I won't name names, who had dinner with one

676
00:51:34,960 --> 00:51:39,960
Speaker 1: of the best defenders in Europe that same week talking soccer.

677
00:51:40,360 --> 00:51:47,600
Speaker 1: This guy who used to have season tickets to the

678
00:51:47,640 --> 00:51:52,279
Speaker 1: Sporting KC. This guy we used to go. Those were

679
00:51:52,360 --> 00:51:58,759
Speaker 1: fun matches to go to. I was. I watched the

680
00:51:58,840 --> 00:52:06,520
Speaker 1: single worst moment of Lebron's career Game five Finals against

681
00:52:06,680 --> 00:52:12,800
Speaker 1: Dallas at a bar across from a Sporting KC game

682
00:52:13,200 --> 00:52:15,400
Speaker 1: because I was trying to be able to watch the

683
00:52:15,840 --> 00:52:18,239
Speaker 1: go to the soccer game and watch the finals game.

684
00:52:18,960 --> 00:52:23,239
Speaker 1: So keep your little shit talking to yourself, folks. I'm

685
00:52:23,280 --> 00:52:26,839
Speaker 1: into it, and if someone who's into it, I'm here

686
00:52:26,880 --> 00:52:30,200
Speaker 1: to tell you what a disastrous last ten days for

687
00:52:30,239 --> 00:52:34,360
Speaker 1: the US men's national team. We get absolutely clocked by Belgium,

688
00:52:35,120 --> 00:52:40,680
Speaker 1: Portugal blanks, US Polistic hasn't scored a goal for clever

689
00:52:40,880 --> 00:52:46,960
Speaker 1: country this year. Our coach says, well, the big difference

690
00:52:47,040 --> 00:52:49,879
Speaker 1: is the teams were playing have awesome players and we

691
00:52:49,920 --> 00:52:53,400
Speaker 1: don't what now you might be like. He didn't say that,

692
00:52:53,480 --> 00:52:56,960
Speaker 1: did he He said, The difference is we've been playing

693
00:52:57,000 --> 00:53:03,239
Speaker 1: teams with top one hundred players. We don't have that.

694
00:53:03,239 --> 00:53:09,200
Speaker 1: That ain't great and a little extra knife our group,

695
00:53:10,239 --> 00:53:14,719
Speaker 1: which we got a huge benefit by being if you're

696
00:53:14,719 --> 00:53:17,799
Speaker 1: in the host country, they treat you as if you

697
00:53:17,920 --> 00:53:22,080
Speaker 1: are one of the best teams in the They try

698
00:53:22,120 --> 00:53:25,680
Speaker 1: to separate all of used to be eight now it's

699
00:53:25,719 --> 00:53:30,200
Speaker 1: twelve best teams in the world into their own twelve

700
00:53:30,239 --> 00:53:36,120
Speaker 1: different groups. But what they actually do is they take

701
00:53:36,280 --> 00:53:39,520
Speaker 1: all the best teams plus the host country and make

702
00:53:39,560 --> 00:53:42,400
Speaker 1: sure they're all in all different groups. So the US

703
00:53:42,600 --> 00:53:46,239
Speaker 1: plus Mexico and Canada, who did not necessarily deserve to

704
00:53:46,280 --> 00:53:50,600
Speaker 1: be Pot one teams along with England and France and

705
00:53:50,640 --> 00:53:54,800
Speaker 1: Spain and Brazil and Argentina. We got pot one placement

706
00:53:54,840 --> 00:54:00,080
Speaker 1: because we're a host country and because of that. Now

707
00:54:00,120 --> 00:54:05,480
Speaker 1: our group was looking pretty good. The not quite as

708
00:54:05,480 --> 00:54:07,640
Speaker 1: good I think it was. It was a Canada or

709
00:54:07,719 --> 00:54:12,480
Speaker 1: Mexico that got the absolute best. Mexico got probably no,

710
00:54:12,600 --> 00:54:16,640
Speaker 1: it's Canada, Canada, it's them, Bosnia more and wide, it's

711
00:54:16,640 --> 00:54:20,880
Speaker 1: Bosnia in a minute cutter and Switzerland. So Canada got

712
00:54:21,160 --> 00:54:26,880
Speaker 1: the not high group draw, Mexico pretty decent, South Africa,

713
00:54:27,000 --> 00:54:30,239
Speaker 1: Korea and Chechia. But the US was sitting there with

714
00:54:30,280 --> 00:54:35,600
Speaker 1: Paraguay and Australia not bad, but with one wildcard team,

715
00:54:35,760 --> 00:54:37,600
Speaker 1: and the one wild card team we didn't want to

716
00:54:37,680 --> 00:54:40,839
Speaker 1: win was Turkey. A Turkey A did win. So now

717
00:54:40,840 --> 00:54:46,800
Speaker 1: our group just got harder. Now they've changed the World

718
00:54:46,840 --> 00:54:52,600
Speaker 1: Cup where to make the knockout round in uh Instead

719
00:54:52,600 --> 00:54:55,040
Speaker 1: of it being a thirty two team tournament that's sixteen

720
00:54:55,120 --> 00:54:57,640
Speaker 1: make the knockout round, it's a forty eight team tournament

721
00:54:57,680 --> 00:55:00,000
Speaker 1: that thirty two make the knockout round. So you can

722
00:55:00,080 --> 00:55:02,319
Speaker 1: make the knockout round even if you don't finish in

723
00:55:02,360 --> 00:55:07,360
Speaker 1: the top two in your group. So the US missing

724
00:55:07,360 --> 00:55:11,360
Speaker 1: the knockout round would be an utter and total catastrophe,

725
00:55:12,600 --> 00:55:16,200
Speaker 1: But losing its two warm ups against European competition seven

726
00:55:16,239 --> 00:55:24,480
Speaker 1: to two ain't great, and the the expectation should be

727
00:55:24,520 --> 00:55:28,200
Speaker 1: for the US to win its group, win its first

728
00:55:28,280 --> 00:55:31,000
Speaker 1: knockout round game, and then play in the round of

729
00:55:31,040 --> 00:55:33,360
Speaker 1: sixteen for a chance to get to just as second

730
00:55:33,440 --> 00:55:39,680
Speaker 1: quarterfinals in modern soccer. Right now, I were an underdog

731
00:55:39,719 --> 00:55:44,640
Speaker 1: in that spot. I don't love that now, Demons, it

732
00:55:44,719 --> 00:55:48,600
Speaker 1: could be worse, we could be a different country. Go

733
00:55:48,719 --> 00:55:50,200
Speaker 1: to Eric and the chat on that.

734
00:55:50,880 --> 00:55:54,080
Speaker 2: Yeah, any comments on seem itably not qualifying for the

735
00:55:54,080 --> 00:55:58,360
Speaker 2: World Cup again as an honorary Italian, I'm not honorary.

736
00:55:58,360 --> 00:56:07,640
Speaker 1: I am Italian, uh and I I don't know what

737
00:56:09,239 --> 00:56:17,120
Speaker 1: Italy needs to do on its developmental level, team organizational

738
00:56:17,200 --> 00:56:25,880
Speaker 1: level to stop what is I believe the most mortifying

739
00:56:26,280 --> 00:56:32,040
Speaker 1: decade in the history of soccer for a great soccer nation.

740
00:56:32,520 --> 00:56:36,240
Speaker 1: So let me just tell everybody Italy's history at this tournament,

741
00:56:36,719 --> 00:56:41,360
Speaker 1: because they've won it four damn times. Only Brazil has more.

742
00:56:43,320 --> 00:56:46,000
Speaker 1: The first two times they were in it, they won

743
00:56:46,120 --> 00:56:51,319
Speaker 1: it thirty four and thirty eight. That's pre World War two,

744
00:56:52,200 --> 00:56:55,000
Speaker 1: and this isn't this isn't a well, no, we'll get

745
00:56:55,040 --> 00:57:00,319
Speaker 1: to that, we'll get to more contemporary. You know, we're

746
00:57:00,360 --> 00:57:02,960
Speaker 1: not a history show. But if you know much about

747
00:57:03,000 --> 00:57:08,000
Speaker 1: World War two, Mussolini and Italy on the wrong side

748
00:57:08,040 --> 00:57:12,240
Speaker 1: of that one, and so we don't hold World Cups

749
00:57:12,239 --> 00:57:15,560
Speaker 1: in the forties because of said World War. Italy is

750
00:57:15,600 --> 00:57:19,320
Speaker 1: then you know, call it reorganized a bit post World

751
00:57:19,400 --> 00:57:24,120
Speaker 1: War two, and they go through a damn near twenty

752
00:57:24,240 --> 00:57:30,080
Speaker 1: year drought where back to back World Cups they get

753
00:57:30,160 --> 00:57:32,920
Speaker 1: knocked out in the group stage, then they miss, then

754
00:57:32,920 --> 00:57:35,800
Speaker 1: they get knocked out in the group stage. But then

755
00:57:35,920 --> 00:57:41,440
Speaker 1: from nineteen seventy demanse until two thousand and six. Here's

756
00:57:41,440 --> 00:57:45,960
Speaker 1: what Italy did at the World Cup nineteen seventy second place,

757
00:57:46,680 --> 00:57:50,720
Speaker 1: nineteen seventy four, they went one to one and one

758
00:57:50,920 --> 00:57:54,680
Speaker 1: in the group stage, end up just barely missing out

759
00:57:54,720 --> 00:57:58,720
Speaker 1: on the knockout round. It's devastating. Nineteen seventy eight, they

760
00:57:58,720 --> 00:58:02,680
Speaker 1: make it to the Semis. Nineteen eighty two, they win it.

761
00:58:03,440 --> 00:58:07,400
Speaker 1: Nineteen eighty six they lose in the knockout round. Nineteen

762
00:58:07,520 --> 00:58:10,959
Speaker 1: ninety they make it to the Semis nineteen ninety four

763
00:58:11,480 --> 00:58:14,840
Speaker 1: they lose in the final. Nineteen ninety eight they make

764
00:58:14,880 --> 00:58:17,440
Speaker 1: it to the final eight the quarters, two thousand and

765
00:58:17,520 --> 00:58:20,160
Speaker 1: two they make it to the round of sixteen. Two

766
00:58:20,200 --> 00:58:24,480
Speaker 1: thousand and six they win it, So we are talking

767
00:58:24,480 --> 00:58:28,000
Speaker 1: about pre World War two. They win a couple, go

768
00:58:28,080 --> 00:58:30,440
Speaker 1: through a rough stage, and then seventy.

769
00:58:32,520 --> 00:58:32,840
Speaker 2: In the.

770
00:58:34,320 --> 00:58:37,000
Speaker 1: No and then in the next ten. In the next

771
00:58:37,080 --> 00:58:41,000
Speaker 1: ten World Cups, they win two, they lose in the

772
00:58:41,040 --> 00:58:45,400
Speaker 1: final twice, and they make two more semifinals. So six

773
00:58:45,520 --> 00:58:49,080
Speaker 1: of the ten from seventy to h six they are

774
00:58:49,160 --> 00:58:52,960
Speaker 1: in the final four. Four of the ten they play

775
00:58:53,000 --> 00:58:58,800
Speaker 1: in the final game, and two of the ten they win.

776
00:59:00,600 --> 00:59:05,800
Speaker 1: Then in twenty ten they get popped in the group stage,

777
00:59:06,040 --> 00:59:10,800
Speaker 1: not winning a single game. In twenty fourteen they get

778
00:59:10,840 --> 00:59:15,040
Speaker 1: popped in the group stage, winning one game and losing two,

779
00:59:16,120 --> 00:59:20,400
Speaker 1: and then in twenty eighteen they missed the tournament, twenty

780
00:59:20,440 --> 00:59:24,720
Speaker 1: twenty two they missed the tournament, and twenty twenty six

781
00:59:25,240 --> 00:59:32,160
Speaker 1: in an expanded field, yesterday they lose to Bosnia in

782
00:59:32,280 --> 00:59:34,480
Speaker 1: penalties to miss the tournament.

783
00:59:36,640 --> 00:59:41,760
Speaker 2: This catastrophe is catastrophy is really bad. What's going on?

784
00:59:42,480 --> 00:59:47,920
Speaker 1: They've won four of these things they're Italy. I can't

785
00:59:47,920 --> 00:59:56,840
Speaker 1: believe it. I cannot believe it, and it is unfathomable

786
00:59:56,920 --> 01:00:06,400
Speaker 1: to me that this would It's not quite as it.

787
01:00:08,160 --> 01:00:12,280
Speaker 1: I can't quite say. It's like the US, you know,

788
01:00:12,480 --> 01:00:16,240
Speaker 1: missing the Olympics in basketball multiple years, but it's not

789
01:00:16,440 --> 01:00:21,680
Speaker 1: that far from it. And again I don't have uh,

790
01:00:21,880 --> 01:00:25,680
Speaker 1: the answer here, but I know that Roberto Bosio is

791
01:00:25,680 --> 01:00:29,200
Speaker 1: not walking through that door, Francisco Toddy's not walking through

792
01:00:29,200 --> 01:00:32,560
Speaker 1: that door to save you. And this is I hate

793
01:00:32,600 --> 01:00:34,400
Speaker 1: it for Italy. I hate it.

794
01:00:37,240 --> 01:00:41,600
Speaker 2: And so there's a lot of stuff back Major comeback.

795
01:00:43,080 --> 01:00:45,480
Speaker 1: Well yeah, but I mean it's a generation where they

796
01:00:45,480 --> 01:00:48,920
Speaker 1: don't even make the tournament. You know, everything keeps going up,

797
01:00:49,000 --> 01:00:51,680
Speaker 1: Rints going up, streaming services going up. Your favorite burrito

798
01:00:51,760 --> 01:00:54,800
Speaker 1: spot's charging you extra for things like Solza that should

799
01:00:54,840 --> 01:00:58,000
Speaker 1: just come complimentary. Not with boost Mobile. With boost Mobile,

800
01:00:58,000 --> 01:00:59,880
Speaker 1: you and your phone bill don't have to play the

801
01:00:59,880 --> 01:01:02,720
Speaker 1: will this go up soon? Game? Why? Because boost Moba

802
01:01:02,760 --> 01:01:04,959
Speaker 1: is unlimited talk, text and data plan at a price

803
01:01:05,000 --> 01:01:07,480
Speaker 1: they'll never go up. In fact, same price you'll pay

804
01:01:07,480 --> 01:01:10,200
Speaker 1: for life. So switch now for unlimited wireless at a

805
01:01:10,200 --> 01:01:12,520
Speaker 1: price that will never go up. Only at boost Mobile

806
01:01:12,520 --> 01:01:16,760
Speaker 1: after thirty gigs. Customers may experience lower speeds. Customers will

807
01:01:16,760 --> 01:01:18,760
Speaker 1: pay twenty five dollars per month as long as they

808
01:01:18,800 --> 01:01:24,240
Speaker 1: remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan. Uh all right, demons,

809
01:01:24,480 --> 01:01:27,160
Speaker 1: let's go down to the April Fools thing before I

810
01:01:27,200 --> 01:01:29,320
Speaker 1: give an update on the mailbag and how questions are

811
01:01:29,320 --> 01:01:29,800
Speaker 1: gonna work.

812
01:01:30,440 --> 01:01:32,520
Speaker 2: Uh yeah, so it's April Fools. You don't want to

813
01:01:32,560 --> 01:01:35,080
Speaker 2: do any pranks, but you do want to talk about

814
01:01:35,120 --> 01:01:38,840
Speaker 2: the Todd Monkin haircut story. So New Brown's head coach

815
01:01:38,880 --> 01:01:41,520
Speaker 2: to one can miss the coach's photo because he was

816
01:01:41,560 --> 01:01:44,840
Speaker 2: busy getting a haircut. We've got a photo of it.

817
01:01:45,640 --> 01:01:49,360
Speaker 1: No, no, no, no, though, no, I mean he was

818
01:01:49,400 --> 01:01:53,200
Speaker 1: getting a he was getting a haircut for the photo

819
01:01:53,480 --> 01:01:57,360
Speaker 1: and that made him miss the photo. I mean, you know,

820
01:01:58,640 --> 01:02:02,520
Speaker 1: maybe a harbor of another rough season for the Browns.

821
01:02:02,560 --> 01:02:04,880
Speaker 1: But that's not what I wanted where I wanted to

822
01:02:04,960 --> 01:02:11,000
Speaker 1: take this just quickly. My question is this, what is

823
01:02:11,040 --> 01:02:14,320
Speaker 1: the list of coach Because here's what nobody is saying,

824
01:02:14,400 --> 01:02:17,800
Speaker 1: or at least that I've seen, but I know in

825
01:02:17,880 --> 01:02:24,800
Speaker 1: my core is accurate. For some coaches, they would wait,

826
01:02:26,360 --> 01:02:33,000
Speaker 1: it's a it's kind of a diss that they didn't

827
01:02:33,040 --> 01:02:36,680
Speaker 1: they weren't Like, hey, guys, maybe we shouldn't take it yet.

828
01:02:37,720 --> 01:02:43,960
Speaker 1: So I'm trying to figure out the list of coaches,

829
01:02:44,640 --> 01:02:49,320
Speaker 1: like who is the worst coach that's good enough that

830
01:02:49,360 --> 01:02:54,760
Speaker 1: they hold up the photo for? Okay, So, like I

831
01:02:55,000 --> 01:03:00,480
Speaker 1: the they definitely wait for Andy Reid. Yeah, they definitely

832
01:03:00,520 --> 01:03:06,600
Speaker 1: wait for Andy Reid. I'm fairly certain they wait for

833
01:03:06,760 --> 01:03:11,160
Speaker 1: Sean McVay. You you want to.

834
01:03:12,120 --> 01:03:14,240
Speaker 2: I was about to say, I think I know Rabel.

835
01:03:14,320 --> 01:03:16,600
Speaker 2: It's he's fresh, but I mean he's been coaching for

836
01:03:16,640 --> 01:03:18,640
Speaker 2: a while. I think Rabel Ay wait for him too.

837
01:03:19,200 --> 01:03:22,760
Speaker 1: So I don't think I think they think that Rabel

838
01:03:22,840 --> 01:03:23,560
Speaker 1: Maybe you know.

839
01:03:24,520 --> 01:03:28,400
Speaker 2: Uh, I think he's above programmers.

840
01:03:29,400 --> 01:03:32,880
Speaker 1: Hold on? What so? Hold on the producer telling me

841
01:03:32,920 --> 01:03:37,520
Speaker 1: Sean McVay wasn't in it either? Why not did he do?

842
01:03:37,640 --> 01:03:41,480
Speaker 1: But the hold on? Your producers can if you guys,

843
01:03:41,560 --> 01:03:43,600
Speaker 1: you guys can turn your mic or camera on or

844
01:03:43,640 --> 01:03:46,400
Speaker 1: if you want to or just just be voice of God.

845
01:03:46,800 --> 01:03:50,840
Speaker 1: What do we know? Why why Sean McVay wasn't in it? Okay,

846
01:03:50,960 --> 01:03:54,600
Speaker 1: Sean McVay coaches photo. You guys better not be wrong

847
01:03:54,640 --> 01:04:01,240
Speaker 1: on this. No so so? But what so? Did he

848
01:04:01,520 --> 01:04:05,680
Speaker 1: just not want to do it. So that's so I

849
01:04:05,680 --> 01:04:07,800
Speaker 1: guess I'm wrong. You know what, I.

850
01:04:10,960 --> 01:04:12,120
Speaker 2: Was going to take the picture.

851
01:04:13,080 --> 01:04:20,280
Speaker 1: Yeah, the so I'm very surprised that they did it

852
01:04:20,320 --> 01:04:22,960
Speaker 1: without McVeigh. Now maybe they knew McVeigh wasn't going to

853
01:04:23,000 --> 01:04:26,640
Speaker 1: get there. I really was just trying to get to

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01:04:26,680 --> 01:04:28,880
Speaker 1: whether or not they'd hold it for Sirianni. And my

855
01:04:28,960 --> 01:04:34,760
Speaker 1: answer to that is absolutely not. That was the whole

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01:04:34,880 --> 01:04:38,400
Speaker 1: the I had that I was trying to build up

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01:04:38,440 --> 01:04:41,240
Speaker 1: to to get to that punchline. But the fact that

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01:04:41,320 --> 01:04:43,760
Speaker 1: I was my second pick of who they would hold

859
01:04:43,800 --> 01:04:45,840
Speaker 1: it for wasn't even in there. You know, a bad

860
01:04:45,920 --> 01:04:48,080
Speaker 1: job by me. Blame it on the my ties and

861
01:04:48,120 --> 01:04:49,920
Speaker 1: the Bahamas. I should have been a little more buttoned

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01:04:49,960 --> 01:04:55,240
Speaker 1: up there. By the way, Kevin asks, will mailbag selections

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01:04:55,320 --> 01:04:57,720
Speaker 1: only be from live questions or real questions that come

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01:04:57,720 --> 01:05:00,960
Speaker 1: in after be considered as well? Were we consider everything

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Speaker 1: so YouTube live comment, YouTube live questions, comments on the

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Speaker 1: YouTube page, the you know on Twitter, we will, And

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Speaker 1: so the producers on Wednesday nights, I guess tonight because

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Speaker 1: we record these on Thursday, send you know, put fifty

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Speaker 1: questions in the doc. I pick some of my favorites

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01:05:23,600 --> 01:05:26,080
Speaker 1: and we go from there. So that will be on Friday.

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Speaker 1: All right, It's great to be back tomorrow. Teas for

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01:05:29,280 --> 01:05:35,400
Speaker 1: tomorrow's show. Jalenhard Story on ESPN dot Com, Lamar's off season,

873
01:05:37,040 --> 01:05:47,200
Speaker 1: The the all of a sudden, wildly important Western Conference three,

874
01:05:47,280 --> 01:05:50,520
Speaker 1: but more so four, five, six Race, all of that

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01:05:50,840 --> 01:05:54,240
Speaker 1: and more on tomorrow's show. A huge thank you to

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01:05:54,840 --> 01:05:59,200
Speaker 1: boost Ethos and Hard Rock and as always, Blue Duck

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01:05:59,320 --> 01:06:02,440
Speaker 1: and The Ball. You talk to you guys on tomorrow

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01:06:02,720 --> 01:06:04,880
Speaker 1: for another episode of What's Right