WEBVTT - Best Of Nick Wright - What’s wrong with Luka? LeBron debate over, responding to Draymond Green 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:02.520 Welcome to the Best of the Week for What's Right 0:00:02.600 --> 0:00:05.240 with Nick Right the best takes in moments from this 0:00:05.320 --> 0:00:11.200 week on the show. Enjoy. I thought the conversation was 0:00:11.240 --> 0:00:19.160 gonna be about Luca today because Luca looks unsettled. However 0:00:20.600 --> 0:00:23.440 it's not because if people didn't stay up to watch 0:00:23.480 --> 0:00:26.640 this game. Let me give you the quick recap. Lakers 0:00:26.640 --> 0:00:31.120 were up twenty. They then slowly but surely blew the game. 0:00:32.440 --> 0:00:40.040 They then late down four, well actually down two. Ruey 0:00:40.159 --> 0:00:43.320 misses back to back free throws with thirty five seconds left, 0:00:43.440 --> 0:00:47.120 just a killer, just a good free throw shooter, misses both. 0:00:47.560 --> 0:00:51.080 They then find themselves down four after LaMelo kind of 0:00:51.120 --> 0:00:53.440 cooks Luca out on the perimeter and they get a layup. 0:00:54.840 --> 0:00:58.720 Lebron hits an impossible three to cut it to one 0:01:00.200 --> 0:01:03.000 the Hornets. Then LaMelo hits a couple free throws, and 0:01:03.040 --> 0:01:06.240 then Lebron has a really good but deep look and 0:01:06.319 --> 0:01:09.640 misses it. They get the rebound, gets another decent look 0:01:09.680 --> 0:01:14.560 and misses it, and they lose. And I'm like, man, 0:01:16.240 --> 0:01:18.360 I was like, we're gonna have to talk about how 0:01:19.360 --> 0:01:23.160 sad Luca looks. That to me is the actual story. 0:01:24.280 --> 0:01:27.560 Little did I know and this is a bad job 0:01:27.600 --> 0:01:31.800 by me, bad media, you know, kind of seeing the 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:36.360 tea leaves. I missed what the obvious story was gonna be. 0:01:36.959 --> 0:01:41.720 Lebron missed another clutch shot, which, by the way, he 0:01:41.800 --> 0:01:46.120 has been shockingly bad at those in the regular season 0:01:46.160 --> 0:01:49.960 since he's been a Laker. Last five second shots to 0:01:50.120 --> 0:01:54.440 tie or take the lead as a as a Laker 0:01:54.640 --> 0:01:59.040 one of twenty nine, So like, really really bad at 0:01:59.040 --> 0:02:03.400 those in the regular season. And that's a legitimate complaint, 0:02:03.480 --> 0:02:11.320 I guess, like whatever, But I foolishly thought we were 0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:16.880 done with and passed the Lebron clutch geen stuff. I 0:02:16.960 --> 0:02:20.160 thought maybe, and you guys know, I, you know, I've 0:02:20.200 --> 0:02:24.799 always been pretty respectful uh to my former colleagues Skip baylists, 0:02:24.840 --> 0:02:30.880 but I did think that with Skip uh moving to 0:02:30.880 --> 0:02:34.400 a different part of his career, maybe the Lebron clutch 0:02:34.560 --> 0:02:38.760 gen stuff would you know, wander off into the sunset 0:02:38.800 --> 0:02:44.080 as well, because not because it's unfair to talk about 0:02:44.120 --> 0:02:46.360 whether or not guys can come through in the clutch, 0:02:46.720 --> 0:02:52.360 but because it has always been an empire built on lies. 0:02:53.600 --> 0:02:57.560 But you know, you made a mid February regular season 0:02:57.600 --> 0:03:00.600 game against the Hornets missed threes. It's like man Kobe 0:03:00.600 --> 0:03:03.240 would have made that. So now I have to I 0:03:03.280 --> 0:03:06.920 don't want to do this, but now I have to 0:03:06.919 --> 0:03:09.640 be the person. And by the way, this is something 0:03:10.040 --> 0:03:14.440 that if we edit this properly and because I'm gonna 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:20.720 machine gun you with numbers and put this on the 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:25.320 the TikTok and the Instagram, folks are going to say 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:31.919 these are fake stats because there's such a Mandela effect 0:03:32.440 --> 0:03:36.400 of Oh, I know what I remember and what is 0:03:36.440 --> 0:03:39.880 true and what isn't. So again, I did this eighteen 0:03:39.960 --> 0:03:42.840 months ago, I looked it up in our archives. I 0:03:42.880 --> 0:03:45.800 will now do it again with the updated numbers. Thanks 0:03:45.880 --> 0:03:50.240 to our friends at Statthead and Basketball Reference. The database 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:55.160 goes back to nineteen ninety seven to now here are 0:03:55.680 --> 0:04:00.560 the clutch shooting numbers for Lebron and or all your 0:04:00.560 --> 0:04:05.080 favorite players. We will go from the max to the men. 0:04:05.400 --> 0:04:08.680 So the set, the setup is this shots to tie 0:04:09.000 --> 0:04:14.680 or take the lead in the playoffs final minute Lebron 0:04:14.840 --> 0:04:21.040 James twenty three of fifty forty six percent. That is 0:04:21.160 --> 0:04:26.480 a better percentage than every player in the database from 0:04:26.560 --> 0:04:30.000 ninety seven to now except for Demonse's guy Ray Allen, 0:04:30.240 --> 0:04:33.600 who was just an absolute killer. So it's not only 0:04:33.600 --> 0:04:36.360 that Lebron has made the most and taken the most 0:04:36.760 --> 0:04:40.760 forty six percent. You might be like well and ninety 0:04:40.800 --> 0:04:44.279 seven to now that covers Kobe's entire career. Kobe was 0:04:44.320 --> 0:04:48.200 assuredly better than Lebron at these again. Playoff games tie 0:04:48.560 --> 0:04:52.080 take the lead final minute Lebron twenty three to fifty 0:04:52.200 --> 0:04:57.159 forty six percent, Kobe Bryant twelve of forty four twenty 0:04:57.279 --> 0:05:03.440 seven percent, Kevin Durant nine of thirty five twenty six percent, 0:05:03.839 --> 0:05:09.279 Steph Curry six of twenty five, twenty four percent. You 0:05:09.320 --> 0:05:13.159 want to go to We've heard forever, Uh, you know, 0:05:13.320 --> 0:05:16.800 Lebron just put his head down, get to the basket. 0:05:17.320 --> 0:05:21.719 It doesn't have the bag. What about threes? Lebron final 0:05:21.760 --> 0:05:25.359 minute of playoff games to tie or take the lead 0:05:25.920 --> 0:05:32.320 four of eleven from three, Kobe Bean Bryant three of seventeen, 0:05:33.040 --> 0:05:39.520 Kevin Durant three of sixteen, Steph Curry three of fourteen. 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:46.720 Let's go smaller. Final thirty seconds playoff games, tie or 0:05:46.800 --> 0:05:52.360 take the lead Lebron James fourteen of thirty five forty 0:05:52.440 --> 0:05:58.800 percent from the field. Kobe mister clutch killer. Kobe Bryant 0:05:59.120 --> 0:06:04.120 brono of thirty five forty percent, Kobe eight of thirty 0:06:04.200 --> 0:06:10.719 one twenty six percent, Durant six of twenty four twenty 0:06:10.880 --> 0:06:18.080 five percent, Steph four of nineteen twenty one percent. Let's 0:06:18.120 --> 0:06:22.479 go smaller. Let's go to the stat that we're hearing 0:06:22.520 --> 0:06:25.679 about Lebron in the regular season as a Laker final 0:06:25.839 --> 0:06:30.720 five seconds tie or take the lead. In the playoffs 0:06:31.279 --> 0:06:38.480 Lebron eight of twenty forty percent, Kobe Bryant four of 0:06:38.640 --> 0:06:46.560 eighteen twenty two percent, Kevin Durant two of eleven eighteen percent. 0:06:47.080 --> 0:06:49.440 Let me, where is Steph on this? I know he's 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:52.160 on this somewhere. I can't even find him. Step maybe 0:06:52.200 --> 0:06:54.799 hasn't taken in the final five seconds. Oh, there's Steph 0:06:55.279 --> 0:07:07.000 one of six seventeen percent. So the reason the Lebron 0:07:07.200 --> 0:07:14.320 clutch thing has always been so such an outrage in 0:07:14.400 --> 0:07:20.680 an affront to kind of the way we consume basketball 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:25.240 at large, is it was literally not only was it 0:07:25.360 --> 0:07:29.360 never true, the opposite was true. The guy hit a 0:07:29.400 --> 0:07:32.160 game winner in the first playoff series of his career 0:07:32.720 --> 0:07:36.280 at twenty one years old. And if we go for 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:40.360 again now, I'll just do percentages and show you the 0:07:41.040 --> 0:07:44.080 full list of guys in the last thirty years in 0:07:44.120 --> 0:07:47.600 the NBA, who have been more clutch in the postseason 0:07:48.760 --> 0:07:52.760 final minute. Tire take the lead of every player to 0:07:52.840 --> 0:07:55.880 take at least fifteen of those shots. There have been 0:07:55.960 --> 0:08:01.000 twenty in twentieth place. This one's rough, So Westbrook three 0:08:01.040 --> 0:08:04.880 of twenty four in nineteenth place, Steph Curry six of 0:08:04.920 --> 0:08:09.559 twenty five, second place, Lebron James twenty three of fifty 0:08:09.680 --> 0:08:14.560 forty six percent. Ray Allen first place by a lot, 0:08:14.680 --> 0:08:17.680 eleven of twenty one, fifty two percent. If you want 0:08:17.720 --> 0:08:24.000 to do three point percentages, ray Allen sits alone ten 0:08:24.080 --> 0:08:29.680 of sixteen, pretty remarkable, ten of sixteen sixty three percent, 0:08:30.680 --> 0:08:35.760 Dame five of ten fifty percent, Reggie Miller fairs Fair 0:08:36.800 --> 0:08:41.120 six of thirteen forty six percent, and then Lebron four 0:08:41.200 --> 0:08:46.080 of eleven thirty six percent. You go down the Russell 0:08:46.120 --> 0:08:53.160 Westbrook yikes again, one of fourteen, that's seven percent, Kobe 0:08:53.200 --> 0:08:59.200 three of seventeen, that's seventeen percent, Steph three of fourteen again. 0:08:59.440 --> 0:09:02.800 If you want to just go raw percentages final thirty 0:09:02.880 --> 0:09:07.160 seconds of the playoffs, Tire take the lead. The only 0:09:07.320 --> 0:09:12.520 guy ahead of Lebron is ray Allen nine of eighteen 0:09:12.840 --> 0:09:18.199 fifty percent Lebron fourteen of thirty five forty percent, Ray 0:09:18.240 --> 0:09:21.120 Allen by the way final thirty seconds on threes demons 0:09:21.720 --> 0:09:25.040 eight of thirteen to Tire take the lead in the playoffs. 0:09:25.200 --> 0:09:31.160 Guy just unbelievable at those on those shots, gen He's 0:09:31.200 --> 0:09:34.680 maybe the best ever. His statistically is the best ever. 0:09:35.240 --> 0:09:38.360 Now if we expand that to where you don't have 0:09:38.400 --> 0:09:41.560 to have taken fifteen of these shots, just to where 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:44.439 you only had to have taken ten, two more guys 0:09:44.520 --> 0:09:47.960 jump ahead of Lebron. One is Chris Middleton six of 0:09:48.000 --> 0:09:50.880 eleven in the playoffs to Tire take the lead in 0:09:50.880 --> 0:09:54.360 the final thirty seconds, and Jimmy Butler six of thirteen 0:09:54.920 --> 0:09:58.080 at forty six percent Lebron fourteen to thirty five. But 0:09:58.160 --> 0:10:01.440 again the guy in your head that was the ultimate 0:10:01.559 --> 0:10:07.040 clutch guy Kobe Bean Bryant on these shots final thirty 0:10:07.080 --> 0:10:10.480 seconds Tire take the lead eight of thirty one from 0:10:10.520 --> 0:10:16.720 the field and on threes one of twelve final thirty 0:10:16.760 --> 0:10:19.720 seconds Tire take the lead in the playoffs and Steph 0:10:19.760 --> 0:10:24.680 Curry four of nineteen overall, Again, these numbers are not 0:10:24.920 --> 0:10:28.920 very kind to Russell Westbrook Russ one of fourteen from 0:10:28.960 --> 0:10:32.200 the field, zero of nine from three and then last 0:10:32.240 --> 0:10:37.080 but not least, final five seconds tire take the lead 0:10:38.200 --> 0:10:41.400 playoffs if we just make it to where have you 0:10:41.559 --> 0:10:46.160 taken five of these shots? Because Lebron's taken twenty. The 0:10:46.240 --> 0:10:49.600 only guys with a better percentage Jimmy Butler's three of five, 0:10:50.080 --> 0:10:54.000 Reggie's five of nine, Chris Middleton's four of eight. Lebron 0:10:54.080 --> 0:10:59.080 Is eight of twenty forty percent, and on threes in 0:10:59.160 --> 0:11:05.040 those spots Lebron's two for five forty percent. Kobe, who 0:11:05.160 --> 0:11:10.160 everyone remembers as the ultimate clutch killer. Final five seconds 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:13.520 of playoff games to tire or take the lead four 0:11:13.559 --> 0:11:16.960 of eighteen twenty two percent, one of seven from three, 0:11:17.480 --> 0:11:22.560 Steph one for six, Durant two for eleven from the field. 0:11:22.920 --> 0:11:27.320 So I, so the lesson on this is multifaceted. One 0:11:27.480 --> 0:11:32.440 is nobody really, aside from Ray Allen shoots an amazing 0:11:32.480 --> 0:11:40.319 percentage on these Nobody but shooting more than thirty percent 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:47.840 on him is remarkable, And across every five second, thirty 0:11:47.840 --> 0:11:51.960 second minute playoff game, TI take the lead, Lebron's looking 0:11:52.040 --> 0:11:55.439 up at one guy, Ray Allen, and again you might 0:11:55.440 --> 0:11:58.160 be like, well, Jordan, I know Jordan was eighty percent. 0:11:58.440 --> 0:12:01.400 The database only goes back to nine, so I can't 0:12:01.440 --> 0:12:04.520 tell you what Jordan was. The NBA is very cagey 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:07.920 about play by play data early in Michael Jordan's career. 0:12:08.000 --> 0:12:10.280 Maybe it's because the eighties were a different time, or 0:12:10.320 --> 0:12:12.360 maybe they're, you know, protecting a legend. I don't know. 0:12:12.679 --> 0:12:17.160 What I do know is this that if you asked 0:12:18.640 --> 0:12:25.000 one hundred basketball fans what they thought Kobe or Lebron 0:12:25.400 --> 0:12:29.240 or Durant or Lebron or Stephor Lebron's percentages were in 0:12:29.280 --> 0:12:34.320 these circumstances, the vast majority would look at Kobe's numbers 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:36.120 and be like, those are Lebron's And look at Lebron's 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:38.560 numbers and say those are Kobe's. And even after I 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:43.000 present this data, you know what folks are gonna say, Ah, 0:12:43.720 --> 0:12:47.480 I don't believe it. It didn't feel that way. And 0:12:47.640 --> 0:12:50.200 the reason it didn't feel that way, and the reason 0:12:50.240 --> 0:12:55.560 I'm doing this today is because no other player ever 0:12:57.160 --> 0:13:02.600 could miss a twenty eight footer down three after hitting 0:13:02.640 --> 0:13:05.480 the three to cut it to one in a regular 0:13:05.559 --> 0:13:08.880 season game against the Hornets when he was the best 0:13:08.920 --> 0:13:12.080 player on his team that night, and have that morning 0:13:12.240 --> 0:13:17.800 sports television be an indictment on him. The reason you 0:13:17.880 --> 0:13:23.800 don't remember the Kobe misses is because every single Kobe 0:13:23.880 --> 0:13:29.480 game wasn't a referendum on his clutch or anti clutchness. 0:13:29.880 --> 0:13:33.720 There's been one athlete ever that has been treated like this, 0:13:34.840 --> 0:13:40.240 and it's the same guy who was criticized for not 0:13:40.280 --> 0:13:42.959 playing in his twenty first straight All Star Game and 0:13:43.000 --> 0:13:47.840 then was criticized for playing last night. Oh looked awful 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:50.839 healthy last night, didn't he? But he couldn't get it's 0:13:50.840 --> 0:13:56.080 the regular You saw that, right, Yeah, he was having 0:13:56.080 --> 0:13:58.760 a good time. Good thing. He got that rest on 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:04.240 Sunday for real, it might not have been able to 0:14:04.280 --> 0:14:10.319 do it. So I do find these I find this 0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:15.160 this stuff fascinating, if for no other reason than how 0:14:15.600 --> 0:14:22.320 gas lit kind of sports media has been or sports 0:14:22.320 --> 0:14:28.240 fans have been by sports media. Like Chauncey billups Mister 0:14:28.320 --> 0:14:32.560 big Shot is his nickname, Chauncey billups On in the 0:14:32.600 --> 0:14:34.880 final minute of the playoff games to tire or take 0:14:34.920 --> 0:14:39.200 the lead is five of twenty. The exact same five 0:14:39.240 --> 0:14:43.000 of twenty is James Harden. But that's it's just not 0:14:43.240 --> 0:14:48.240 how we remember it because we remember the moments of it. 0:14:49.680 --> 0:14:54.600 So also there's a couple funny names on like, if 0:14:54.640 --> 0:14:58.160 you go through the in the last thirty years, the 0:14:58.240 --> 0:15:00.960 twenty guys who have taken at least fIF teen shots 0:15:01.200 --> 0:15:03.640 in the final minute of playoff games to tire take 0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:09.280 the lead. The names it's all names of like Okay stars, 0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:14.160 Hall of Famers, all time greats. And then also Haydu Turkalou, 0:15:14.360 --> 0:15:17.560 who took sixteen of these, And I just imagine that 0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:20.880 was because he was on deep playoff runs with Dwight 0:15:21.560 --> 0:15:23.240 and you know, Dwight, you're not going to give the 0:15:23.280 --> 0:15:24.920 ball to in the fire. He was the guy who 0:15:24.960 --> 0:15:27.240 ended up having to take those shots. Yeah, but it's 0:15:27.680 --> 0:15:30.960 it's Ray Allen, Lebron, Jimmy. This is in order of 0:15:31.280 --> 0:15:35.560 field goal percentage, descending number one, Ray Allen, then Lebron, 0:15:35.680 --> 0:15:39.520 Jimmy Butler, Reggie Miller, Manu Ginobili, Chris Middleton, John Stockton, 0:15:39.600 --> 0:15:44.640 Derk Noovitzky, Steve Nash, Damian Lillard, Haydu Turkalou, Tim Duncan, 0:15:44.720 --> 0:15:47.720 Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, Paul Piers, Kevin Durant, John t Billis, 0:15:47.760 --> 0:15:52.760 James hard and Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook. So Okay seventeen 0:15:53.080 --> 0:15:57.280 no doubt Hall of Famers, two borderline Hall of Famers, 0:15:57.840 --> 0:16:01.600 and haydo so out to my guy? Heyu Turkle, I 0:16:01.600 --> 0:16:07.840 don't know why he's my guy? Who knew? So many 0:16:07.920 --> 0:16:11.800 people gave two shits about Norman Powell making the All 0:16:11.800 --> 0:16:15.680 Star Game, and the answer is they didn't. The idea 0:16:16.120 --> 0:16:20.160 the amount of people that were tweeting about Norman Powell, 0:16:20.200 --> 0:16:24.160 because if Lebron had bowed out a week early, Powell 0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:29.240 would have gotten the spot. Though the ven diagram of 0:16:29.320 --> 0:16:34.280 people who two weeks ago demonse were like these Pro 0:16:34.440 --> 0:16:39.200 Bowl alternates. It's such a joke. Drake May gets to 0:16:39.200 --> 0:16:42.280 call himself a pro bowler when he didn't actually make 0:16:42.360 --> 0:16:46.760 the team and then tweeting this week, why aren't people 0:16:46.840 --> 0:16:48.760 thinking about Norman Powell? 0:16:49.280 --> 0:16:53.040 The fans in San Francisco definitely wanted to see him play. 0:16:53.480 --> 0:17:00.440 It's disingenuous nonsense, and the idea that there was any 0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:04.760 way for Lebron to thread this needle and not end 0:17:04.840 --> 0:17:10.840 up being criticized is just disingenuous and not true. So 0:17:11.320 --> 0:17:14.240 if he would have a week ago said I'm not playing, 0:17:14.960 --> 0:17:17.200 the media cycle would have been this is why nobody 0:17:17.200 --> 0:17:21.400 takes the All Star Game Seriously, this is you know, 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:26.040 people are excited and the face of the league doesn't 0:17:26.040 --> 0:17:32.919 do it. Lebron gave it to the last possible minute 0:17:33.400 --> 0:17:35.600 to figure out can I play? 0:17:36.160 --> 0:17:38.320 And it's not so much can I as much as 0:17:38.320 --> 0:17:41.920 it is should I? Like if it were a playoff game, 0:17:42.200 --> 0:17:47.040 would Lebron have played? Of course? Does that mean that 0:17:47.800 --> 0:17:51.080 when he clearly believes this Lakers team has a real 0:17:51.200 --> 0:17:55.000 chance to do something and this Lakers team, because of 0:17:55.000 --> 0:17:58.840 the California Wildfires, has the shortest break of any team, 0:17:59.119 --> 0:18:01.720 well them and the Hornet because they play Wednesday and 0:18:01.760 --> 0:18:04.840 the rest of the league plays Thursday, that he was like, 0:18:04.880 --> 0:18:07.479 you know what, not going to push it on this ankle? 0:18:09.280 --> 0:18:13.359 That makes total sense to me and the number of 0:18:13.560 --> 0:18:18.720 people who failed to acknowledge the following truths. Okay, first 0:18:18.720 --> 0:18:24.320 of all, is this Has anyone given more time, effort, 0:18:24.640 --> 0:18:28.479 sweat energy to All Star Games in the history of 0:18:28.520 --> 0:18:30.680 basketball than Lebron James? The answer is, of course not. 0:18:32.040 --> 0:18:36.560 He's played in twenty of them. Kareem played in eighteen, 0:18:37.280 --> 0:18:41.440 the next closest or Kobe and Duncan at fifteen. Has 0:18:41.520 --> 0:18:46.879 Lebron consistently shown up to this event more than any 0:18:46.960 --> 0:18:50.439 player in the history of the league. Yes, by a 0:18:50.680 --> 0:18:55.000 massive margin. This broke his streak. And but the other 0:18:55.119 --> 0:18:58.320 reason that people are just so out of their damn 0:18:58.400 --> 0:19:03.560 minds about this is one criticism of Lebron that I 0:19:03.600 --> 0:19:05.760 don't even look at it as a criticism, but is 0:19:05.960 --> 0:19:11.640 true is the guy cares about streaks and records and accolades. 0:19:11.720 --> 0:19:14.680 He does, and he would have liked to keep this 0:19:14.760 --> 0:19:19.159 thing going twenty one straight All Star appearances because the 0:19:19.240 --> 0:19:24.760 record prior to Lebron playing in twenty in a row. Again, 0:19:25.280 --> 0:19:30.239 twenty in a row was held by John Havlicek and 0:19:30.359 --> 0:19:34.840 Bob Coosey, who both played in thirteen in a row. 0:19:35.280 --> 0:19:38.919 That was the record. So Lebron set the record for 0:19:39.119 --> 0:19:43.920 consecutive All Star Game appearances back let me do them 0:19:44.119 --> 0:19:47.440 before he was a Laker, when he was with the Calves, 0:19:48.800 --> 0:19:52.080 midway through his second sit with the Calves and has 0:19:52.119 --> 0:19:55.640 just been spreading it out. Of all the active players 0:19:55.680 --> 0:19:59.639 other than Lebron, Durant is the only one who has 0:19:59.640 --> 0:20:02.520 played in ten of these in a row. He did 0:20:02.560 --> 0:20:07.840 that pre Achilles. The new active streak for consecutive All 0:20:07.840 --> 0:20:14.000 Star Games played is Joker at seven. So this is 0:20:14.040 --> 0:20:17.720 the guy that we're gonna say, owed it to everyone 0:20:18.160 --> 0:20:20.959 to play, to play. The guy who's played in twenty 0:20:21.080 --> 0:20:24.919 straight of these, the oldest player in the league, a 0:20:25.000 --> 0:20:30.400 guy who has literally played more professional basketball than any 0:20:30.480 --> 0:20:32.800 human being ever to live. We're like, give us more, 0:20:33.160 --> 0:20:37.960 and if you don't, you're selfish. It's just so ludicrous. 0:20:38.920 --> 0:20:42.280 And then there's this piece of it. And I'll get 0:20:42.320 --> 0:20:46.800 to the picture stuff later. There is so Nick Fredell, 0:20:47.280 --> 0:20:51.800 who I really like. I really like him. He was 0:20:51.840 --> 0:20:54.760 with the ESPN. I think I don't want to speak 0:20:54.800 --> 0:20:57.720 for him, but the way I understand it, I think 0:20:57.760 --> 0:21:02.920 he was absolutely foolishly a part of their layoffs months back. 0:21:03.200 --> 0:21:08.720 He is a great NBA reporter opinionist. Chicago Guy loved 0:21:08.800 --> 0:21:14.439 Nick Nick quote tweeted it and said, there is just 0:21:14.600 --> 0:21:19.119 absolutely no way mj would do this. He always understood 0:21:19.160 --> 0:21:23.800 what his presence to the game meant. Guys, Michael Jordan, 0:21:23.840 --> 0:21:25.760 at this point in his career, had quit the game 0:21:25.800 --> 0:21:30.800 three times. It meant that his presence to the game 0:21:30.840 --> 0:21:36.320 meant so much that he quit the game. He went 0:21:36.359 --> 0:21:39.400 and played minor league baseball, then he came back, then 0:21:39.440 --> 0:21:43.560 he quit again, then he came back, then he quit again. 0:21:44.840 --> 0:21:50.760 Do you know, the most consecutive years that Michael Jordan 0:21:51.680 --> 0:21:58.760 played in an All Star Game seven seven years. The 0:22:00.119 --> 0:22:03.680 longest streak of consecutive All Star appearances Michael Jordan had 0:22:04.000 --> 0:22:07.760 was seven. Well, there's no way mj would do So 0:22:07.880 --> 0:22:11.560 this is where the criticism. People just lose their minds. 0:22:12.080 --> 0:22:16.920 So if Lebron had just retired four years ago, believed, 0:22:17.080 --> 0:22:21.280 no problem, no problem, you win your championship with the Lakers. 0:22:21.680 --> 0:22:26.840 You've played at that point eighteen years. You know what, 0:22:27.000 --> 0:22:30.720 You've given a lot to the league. But because he 0:22:30.880 --> 0:22:35.800 keeps playing, because he's good enough to be a deserving, 0:22:36.440 --> 0:22:41.439 top tier All Star, he then to these and I'm 0:22:41.480 --> 0:22:44.760 gonna talk about Nick here, talking about the folks at large, 0:22:45.440 --> 0:22:49.639 folks that have just become entitled that no, you owe 0:22:49.760 --> 0:22:54.720 us this. He he's not allowed to be cautious with 0:22:54.760 --> 0:22:59.280 an angle ankle injury? Uh Nick, where did this injury 0:22:59.320 --> 0:23:02.960 come from? From Solomon Hill three and a half years ago, 0:23:03.440 --> 0:23:06.760 the only real injury he's ever suffered his entire career. 0:23:08.359 --> 0:23:11.120 That ankle and foot have been messed up since then. 0:23:11.600 --> 0:23:16.840 He's and if you watch the Lakers, Lebron all the 0:23:17.000 --> 0:23:21.600 time pops up on a morning of injury report because 0:23:22.480 --> 0:23:27.360 the ankle tightened up on it. And do I imagine that 0:23:27.440 --> 0:23:29.840 in the days leading up to the All Star Game 0:23:30.320 --> 0:23:35.320 he actually took some time, maybe didn't do his regular 0:23:35.960 --> 0:23:41.720 every day cryogenic chamber treatment that he would do if 0:23:41.760 --> 0:23:44.600 they had actual games coming up, so it was more 0:23:44.680 --> 0:23:50.479 likely to tighten up. Of course, of course, this being 0:23:51.160 --> 0:23:57.400 such a universally criticized thing that even Shannon and Kendrick 0:23:57.520 --> 0:24:00.680 and guys who are normally you know, onlawe Lebron's side 0:24:00.720 --> 0:24:04.240 on suffers like, ah, this was this is a bridge 0:24:04.240 --> 0:24:06.760 too far from me. What are we talking about? 0:24:06.960 --> 0:24:09.320 And I've seen fans go as far as say is 0:24:09.359 --> 0:24:10.880 like Lebron's ruined the game? 0:24:12.160 --> 0:24:15.080 Well, oh yeah, well that's the other piece of it. 0:24:15.240 --> 0:24:18.600 The other piece of it is the fall of the 0:24:18.640 --> 0:24:23.080 All Star Game is late at the feet of Lebron James. 0:24:23.760 --> 0:24:26.240 I mean, it's just again, the All Star Game in 0:24:26.280 --> 0:24:30.159 twenty twenty was awesome. The All Star Game in twenty 0:24:30.200 --> 0:24:34.960 twenty two was awesome. And this is just it is 0:24:35.200 --> 0:24:41.560 just an entitlement from fans and media that a guy. 0:24:42.440 --> 0:24:48.960 Can you imagine any of these conversations existing around Tom Brady? Honestly, 0:24:49.080 --> 0:24:53.120 could you that if Tom Brady is second to last 0:24:53.160 --> 0:24:57.080 year with Tampa was like, guys, which he did do. 0:24:57.280 --> 0:24:59.840 By the way, I know I was named a PROB. 0:25:00.840 --> 0:25:04.160 I'm not gonna play, and it's not because I'm hurt, 0:25:04.720 --> 0:25:09.320 it's just because not interested. It's exactly what happened. Was 0:25:09.359 --> 0:25:13.640 there a Could you imagine how stupid folks would look 0:25:14.080 --> 0:25:16.800 if they went on TV and they were like, Tom Brady, 0:25:17.000 --> 0:25:20.879 this is why it's a flag football game. Now see 0:25:20.920 --> 0:25:25.040 this guy, Hey, look at the direct line of the 0:25:25.080 --> 0:25:29.000 Pro Bowl's popularity with when Tom entered the league and 0:25:29.040 --> 0:25:32.640 where it is now. Blood's on his hands. And then 0:25:32.720 --> 0:25:41.200 we get to the photo stuff. Guys, there's like, this 0:25:41.280 --> 0:25:48.480 is all documented. Injured players still are in the photo. Oh, 0:25:48.640 --> 0:25:50.959 they don't have to be at the middle. You guys. 0:25:52.160 --> 0:25:54.080 Go look at the picture of Yao when he was hurt, 0:25:55.000 --> 0:25:58.640 and obviously the middle of that picture has to be Lebron, Steph, 0:25:58.760 --> 0:26:02.399 KD just has to be. Those are the guys you 0:26:02.600 --> 0:26:05.880 and people are like, oh, they'd have criticism if off 0:26:05.920 --> 0:26:13.160 to what'd you say, Demonse? First of all, First of all, 0:26:13.200 --> 0:26:16.240 the injured players. When Kobe was injured, he didn't suit up. 0:26:16.520 --> 0:26:19.439 When other guys were injured, they don't suit up. But 0:26:19.960 --> 0:26:26.040 everyone is lying if they are acting like if Lebron 0:26:26.320 --> 0:26:30.119 had suited up for the picture, there wouldn't be this 0:26:30.200 --> 0:26:36.560 exact criticism. It would just be the exact opposite suited up. 0:26:37.000 --> 0:26:40.760 Why he wants people to think he played. This guy's 0:26:40.760 --> 0:26:45.560 ankle is so hurt, you don't think he again, none 0:26:45.640 --> 0:26:50.720 of this ship is logical. It's just it's Lebron. I'm 0:26:50.760 --> 0:26:54.040 going to attack it. If he'd have suited up, he'd 0:26:54.040 --> 0:26:57.159 have gotten roasted for it. Jan has suited up, and 0:26:57.240 --> 0:27:01.600 again Anthony Edwards, who in the mean time he didn't 0:27:01.600 --> 0:27:05.560 play either. He gave less notice than Lebron. We found 0:27:05.560 --> 0:27:09.760 out during the game. Anybody crying for Norman Powell with 0:27:09.800 --> 0:27:13.679 Anthony Edwards? No, Anthony Edwards allowed to be injured? Why 0:27:14.560 --> 0:27:16.520 why is he? He's because he's twenty three at the 0:27:16.560 --> 0:27:20.760 peak of his powers, young athletic. No, it's so dumb. 0:27:21.400 --> 0:27:29.159 This whole thing is so stupid and it is. I 0:27:29.480 --> 0:27:36.040 don't understand how people call this selfish. I don't get that. 0:27:37.440 --> 0:27:39.879 I know, dude, I doesn't really have to be playing 0:27:39.960 --> 0:27:40.399 right now. 0:27:40.640 --> 0:27:40.960 It is. 0:27:41.000 --> 0:27:42.960 It is crazy to differ him to get criticized on 0:27:43.000 --> 0:27:46.159 anything that he doesn't do because any extra time. At 0:27:46.200 --> 0:27:48.160 this point, he's in. 0:27:48.320 --> 0:27:55.439 Year twenty two. He has now played more minutes in 0:27:55.560 --> 0:27:59.800 years twenty one and twenty two than every other player 0:27:59.840 --> 0:28:02.800 in history of the league who made it to year 0:28:02.840 --> 0:28:07.440 twenty one and twenty two combined. So let me say 0:28:07.480 --> 0:28:13.560 that again, as of two years ago, if you said, 0:28:14.240 --> 0:28:18.000 give me all of the minutes, all of the points, 0:28:18.040 --> 0:28:22.480 all of the assists from every player ever in year 0:28:22.520 --> 0:28:26.239 twenty one and twenty two and put it in a bucket, 0:28:27.000 --> 0:28:30.840 that bucket is now doubled just from what Lebron's done 0:28:30.840 --> 0:28:37.600 the last two years. And for it's just folks say, oh, 0:28:37.640 --> 0:28:42.200 he's the face of load management. The guy is going 0:28:42.240 --> 0:28:44.840 to play more games in more minutes than any player 0:28:44.840 --> 0:28:46.840 in the history of the league. And he's the face 0:28:46.880 --> 0:28:49.760 of not playing. I mean, give me a fucking break, 0:28:50.920 --> 0:28:53.280 this suffs. If people are out of their mind. And 0:28:53.320 --> 0:28:58.000 I again, I mean Kendrick saying put your damn uniform on. 0:28:58.240 --> 0:29:01.080 He messed up the whole picture. Again. Where was this 0:29:01.200 --> 0:29:04.320 for Kobe or for Yow, for Schef? 0:29:04.480 --> 0:29:06.760 His greatness at the end of the day, though, is 0:29:06.800 --> 0:29:09.120 really what it is. I feel, what do you mean 0:29:09.960 --> 0:29:12.520 people want to see him play people are our age. 0:29:12.560 --> 0:29:14.280 It's like, I don't think it's I think people just 0:29:14.320 --> 0:29:15.120 want to see Bron. 0:29:15.680 --> 0:29:18.720 Oh. I agree with that piece of it, But the 0:29:19.200 --> 0:29:25.240 criticism about the picture and about again, I Lebron cares 0:29:25.280 --> 0:29:30.560 about these records, and also he likes the accolades of winning, 0:29:31.760 --> 0:29:36.720