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Very terms 0:00:26.640 --> 0:00:36.720 apply All State Fire and Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois. 0:00:42.880 --> 0:00:47.000 Welcome back in or Welcome in to What's Right, Episode 0:00:47.000 --> 0:00:49.959 one fifty three. If I you know, I don't think 0:00:50.000 --> 0:00:53.159 I've ever messed up the intro of this podcast, you. 0:00:53.159 --> 0:00:54.520 Gus I need to do it now. 0:00:54.760 --> 0:01:01.560 Well, little frazzled, Little rattled, fifty to one bet down 0:01:01.600 --> 0:01:04.880 the tubes again once again. Get to the final four 0:01:05.720 --> 0:01:08.959 with a fifty to one wager. Can't make it across 0:01:09.000 --> 0:01:17.160 the finish line. I watched Lebron have arguably one of 0:01:17.200 --> 0:01:22.080 the three greatest playoff halves of his career, only to 0:01:22.120 --> 0:01:26.040 have it squandered in minutes to start the second half, 0:01:28.040 --> 0:01:30.520 and then the game end and a loss, the season 0:01:30.640 --> 0:01:35.200 end in a sweep, and if that's not enough, I 0:01:35.240 --> 0:01:39.400 didn't go to sleep. I turn everything off, don't read 0:01:39.440 --> 0:01:40.920 anything on social. 0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:42.400 Media, and cry yourself to sleep. 0:01:42.520 --> 0:01:45.160 Did not There was no there were no tears, but 0:01:45.200 --> 0:01:47.360 I was like, I gotta it's gonna be a long 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:50.720 day for me tomorrow, meaning today I got this show, 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:54.320 I have the Herd, I have my own TV show. 0:01:55.360 --> 0:01:59.520 All of that on a day after my pick to 0:01:59.560 --> 0:02:03.000 win the time Idol gets swept in the conference finals 0:02:03.040 --> 0:02:06.240 against a team and a player that I have been 0:02:06.320 --> 0:02:10.600 Let's call it a somewhat vocal skeptic of like, I'm 0:02:10.600 --> 0:02:13.400 not gonna consume any of the postgame stuffle. Deal with 0:02:13.400 --> 0:02:19.280 it in the morning. Wake up this morning, walk your 0:02:19.280 --> 0:02:24.480 little sister to the bus stop, open up the old phone, 0:02:25.000 --> 0:02:28.880 say okay, gotta start preparing for the show. And people 0:02:28.880 --> 0:02:34.000 are talking about Lebron James retiring, retiring. 0:02:35.360 --> 0:02:39.000 That's when the tears came. There were no tears, but 0:02:40.320 --> 0:02:41.040 you are loud. 0:02:41.200 --> 0:02:47.840 There is a sense of mortality, a sense of wistfulness. 0:02:50.320 --> 0:02:54.440 Lebron James famously has been in the league. It's played 0:02:54.440 --> 0:02:56.400 in the NBA for over half its life, but he's 0:02:56.440 --> 0:02:59.160 the exact same age as me, which means same for me. 0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:03.280 Over half my life, I've watched this guy play basketball. 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:10.399 He's never once talked about retirement. And now the door 0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:13.760 has been cracked open, So we will get to that momentarily. 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:19.359 I'm gonna be lashing out today one person in particular, 0:03:20.320 --> 0:03:21.400 I don't know exactly. 0:03:21.720 --> 0:03:23.600 He called me hysterical this morning. 0:03:23.600 --> 0:03:26.519 Guys, I did not call you hysterical this morning. 0:03:26.680 --> 0:03:29.079 Do you guess what happened happened? 0:03:29.120 --> 0:03:32.960 Well, that's because I can't trust your professionalism to even 0:03:33.160 --> 0:03:34.760 know what happened in the NBA life. 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:36.840 Don't say that because you. 0:03:36.960 --> 0:03:39.400 I would like to say, is he a prom No? 0:03:39.720 --> 0:03:42.840 I would like to say my entire prom weekend, I 0:03:42.920 --> 0:03:46.920 was checking scores and everything, something I never think i'd 0:03:46.960 --> 0:03:47.400 be doing. 0:03:47.640 --> 0:03:52.440 And that's exactly the entire prom weekend, which involved multiple 0:03:52.880 --> 0:03:58.920 post prom parties. Well, you were multiple houses in the 0:03:59.000 --> 0:04:04.400 Hamptons with your bougie friends and their bougie be towels. 0:04:04.760 --> 0:04:08.120 But I'm not listening there. You think I'm coming for 0:04:08.280 --> 0:04:14.320 you or for Victor who can't handle the microphone levels, 0:04:14.760 --> 0:04:22.880 Wait till I get to producer Daniel and his future 0:04:23.000 --> 0:04:27.440 with this with this show. Wow, we'll get to that later. 0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:32.880 Welcome in for the pod listeners. Episode one Free the 0:04:32.960 --> 0:04:38.280 Lakers lost, Lebron's contemplating retiring. Here's what missed the cut 0:04:38.920 --> 0:04:45.440 for today's show. Tom Brady comes Raiders Minority owner don't 0:04:45.480 --> 0:04:50.279 care brooks Koepka win says it validates live golfers. I 0:04:50.360 --> 0:04:53.680 would care about that, and my little gambling consortium that 0:04:53.800 --> 0:04:57.359 I'm just wait a moment, please, young lady in the 0:04:57.400 --> 0:05:01.599 little gambling consortium that I'm in. I tried to bet 0:05:01.680 --> 0:05:05.400 brooks Koepka on Saturday morning to win the tournament, and 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:07.360 no one would take my bet, and then I had 0:05:07.360 --> 0:05:10.200 to watch him run away with the tournament. That was frustrating. 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:13.280 And Demon's evidently feuding with his new snake. I told 0:05:13.360 --> 0:05:15.200 him to wait to get a snake. I told him 0:05:15.240 --> 0:05:18.400 to wait. He didn't listen, and now evidently he's got 0:05:18.440 --> 0:05:21.000 a problem with it. But none of that is where 0:05:21.040 --> 0:05:25.239 we're starting. DOORA, go right ahead. Where are we starting? 0:05:25.720 --> 0:05:30.799 So? Oh yeah, so we're starting with, of course, your boyfriend, 0:05:31.440 --> 0:05:35.400 Uh huh, Lebron. Despite Lebron dropping forty ten and nine, 0:05:35.720 --> 0:05:38.320 the Nuggets were just too much for the Lakers, as 0:05:38.320 --> 0:05:42.040 they completed the sweep. However, the story is actually about 0:05:42.080 --> 0:05:44.960 what happened after the game, not during, as Lebron, for 0:05:45.000 --> 0:05:48.560 the first time ever, seems to be contemplating retirement. 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:52.559 So we can read you the quote that Lebron said 0:05:53.080 --> 0:05:54.440 at the podium, go ahead. 0:05:54.480 --> 0:05:56.799 So he had he said just for me personally, going 0:05:56.839 --> 0:05:59.320 forward with the game of basketball. I got a lot 0:05:59.360 --> 0:05:59.840 to think about it. 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:03.799 And then Dave mcminnimmon and fellow Syracuse grad great journalists 0:06:03.800 --> 0:06:06.440 for ESPN followed up with him. He was like, are 0:06:06.440 --> 0:06:09.560 you actually talking about your futureies? And he confirmed yes, 0:06:09.600 --> 0:06:11.720 he's contemplating retirement. Go ahead. 0:06:11.839 --> 0:06:14.560 So I have three questions for you. Yeah, are you okay? 0:06:15.200 --> 0:06:15.800 Yeah, I'm fine? 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:18.960 And are you actually okay? Is my second question? 0:06:19.200 --> 0:06:20.360 Yeah, I'm fo okay. 0:06:20.880 --> 0:06:24.440 And are you buying that Lebron could actually retired? And 0:06:24.720 --> 0:06:26.760 if so, are you retiring? 0:06:27.120 --> 0:06:31.680 No? I won't be retiring. Am I buying that Lebron 0:06:32.560 --> 0:06:39.760 could actually retire? Yeah? I think I think it's on 0:06:39.800 --> 0:06:45.719 the board. I don't. I said on TV yesterday that 0:06:47.320 --> 0:06:51.280 just like it was on the board that the Lakers 0:06:52.240 --> 0:06:54.080 could be the first team ever to come back from 0:06:54.120 --> 0:06:57.760 three to zero down, it was on the board. That 0:06:58.000 --> 0:07:03.440 last night would be Lebron's final playoff game of his career. 0:07:03.760 --> 0:07:08.799 It's on the board, and I will tell you Lebron 0:07:09.880 --> 0:07:15.520 played as if he thought it might be his final 0:07:15.600 --> 0:07:20.880 time playing. He played the entire game except for the 0:07:20.880 --> 0:07:26.400 final four seconds of the first half. He came out 0:07:27.440 --> 0:07:33.080 guns blazing, trying to give the Lakers a big enough 0:07:33.120 --> 0:07:39.600 cushion that potent I would imagine. The plan was, shoot 0:07:39.640 --> 0:07:43.760 all your bullets in the first half, build a big lead. 0:07:44.680 --> 0:07:47.280 See if the Nuggets with a three to zero lead 0:07:47.480 --> 0:07:52.480 on the road, fold up shop, and then you can 0:07:52.520 --> 0:07:57.520 get some actual rest in the second half, and then 0:07:57.760 --> 0:08:01.800 put some pressure on them in Game five thirty one, 0:08:01.880 --> 0:08:06.720 in the first half, eleven of thirteen shooting his first 0:08:06.760 --> 0:08:13.440 half alone was the greatest old guy playoff game ever, 0:08:15.160 --> 0:08:21.320 and far and away the greatest year eighteen, nineteen or 0:08:21.440 --> 0:08:25.560 twenty playoff game ever. Just the first half. And then 0:08:25.600 --> 0:08:30.080 the Lakers immediately blew the lead. And we'll get to 0:08:29.680 --> 0:08:32.840 the end of the game and the Nuggets side of 0:08:32.880 --> 0:08:36.440 it in a bit. And then after the game, Lebron's 0:08:36.480 --> 0:08:45.280 questioning his basketball mortality. Now I know everyone's saying something 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:48.720 of a similar thing. So Lebron's gonna talk about and 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:50.760 talk about and talk about how he wants to play 0:08:50.760 --> 0:08:57.600 with Bronni, and then when he's potentially just two seasons 0:08:57.640 --> 0:09:00.560 away from being able to do that, that's when he's 0:09:00.559 --> 0:09:07.439 gonna walk away. Well, Lebron softened that play with Bronni's 0:09:07.520 --> 0:09:11.760 stance a few months ago when he said, just because 0:09:11.800 --> 0:09:16.719 that's my dream or my ambition doesn't mean it's his. 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:26.920 And if Bronni doesn't think he's one and done, that 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:31.559 then extends the timeline. If Bronni doesn't necessarily want to 0:09:31.559 --> 0:09:36.120 play with his dad, that extends the timeline. There are 0:09:36.200 --> 0:09:41.360 a lot of There are factors where maybe Bronni does 0:09:41.480 --> 0:09:44.040 think he's one and done but has made it clear 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:48.040 he doesn't want to be on a team with his dad, 0:09:48.880 --> 0:09:53.600 and Lebron might feel uncomfortable competing against him they're on 0:09:53.720 --> 0:09:56.200 different teams. What do you do. 0:09:56.360 --> 0:09:57.959 Like, that's a thing, though, that you have to kind 0:09:58.000 --> 0:09:58.520 of deal with. 0:09:59.240 --> 0:10:01.240 Well, no one's the history of basketball's ever had to 0:10:01.240 --> 0:10:01.600 deal with it. 0:10:01.679 --> 0:10:04.439 Well, not with your child, but right other family members. 0:10:04.760 --> 0:10:09.599 Yeah, it's stall too, and but we've never seen it. 0:10:09.200 --> 0:10:12.199 We we we saw King Griffy Junior and King Griffy's 0:10:12.200 --> 0:10:17.200 senior play together. And baseball is also different because unless 0:10:17.200 --> 0:10:19.280 one was a pitcher and one was a hitter, which 0:10:19.280 --> 0:10:23.240 they weren't, you're not in direct conflict. We've never seen 0:10:24.679 --> 0:10:30.360 a father and son competing against each other at that level, 0:10:30.920 --> 0:10:33.920 and so there is so I don't know. I do 0:10:34.080 --> 0:10:40.120 know that through the first fifteen years of his career, 0:10:40.760 --> 0:10:44.680 Lebron was the most durable athlete in NBA history, he 0:10:44.760 --> 0:10:49.040 and Karl Malone. And then in year sixteen he tores groin. 0:10:50.920 --> 0:10:58.480 In year eighteen he suffered he ripped up a ten 0:10:58.640 --> 0:11:04.120 in his ankle. In year nineteen, I forget even what 0:11:04.160 --> 0:11:06.560 the injury was last year, and this year he ripped 0:11:06.640 --> 0:11:10.120 up at tend in his foot. So the injuries are 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:13.599 starting to pile up, which is what happens with older ambulance. 0:11:13.920 --> 0:11:16.719 Well okay, well that's just what happens with older athletes. 0:11:17.840 --> 0:11:27.679 And so is it on the board that he says, yeah, 0:11:27.760 --> 0:11:31.640 you know, I broke Kareem's record. I've done everything I 0:11:31.679 --> 0:11:35.640 came here to do. I'm done. That's on the board. 0:11:35.880 --> 0:11:40.360 Is it on the board. This is a leverage play, sure, 0:11:43.040 --> 0:11:45.520 and we'll get to what I would do if I 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:49.040 were the Lakers later that this is a leverage play 0:11:49.080 --> 0:11:51.120 to get them to go all in, to go for 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:54.280 Kyrie to do all those things. Yes, that is on 0:11:54.360 --> 0:12:01.040 the board. Is it on the board that Lebron takes 0:12:01.160 --> 0:12:07.240 a year off to rest and recuperate and then tries 0:12:07.280 --> 0:12:11.960 to come back to play with Bronni Yeah, I think 0:12:11.960 --> 0:12:18.559 that's possible. On the board that he has off season surgery, 0:12:18.920 --> 0:12:22.880 does not retire and misses the beginning of next season. Yeah, 0:12:22.920 --> 0:12:24.720 I mean, I think that one might be the most 0:12:24.920 --> 0:12:33.280 likely of the outcomes. But it was jarring to hear 0:12:33.320 --> 0:12:39.240 a player who has never talked about retiring all of 0:12:39.280 --> 0:12:43.880 a sudden volunteer it. And while I understand at the 0:12:44.080 --> 0:12:48.120 end of the game he got his shot blocked, he 0:12:48.400 --> 0:12:55.480 was spectacular yesterday and this is not the biggest story 0:12:55.520 --> 0:12:59.280 of the day. But I'm going to use this time 0:12:59.320 --> 0:13:01.280 for a moment before we talk about what's next for 0:13:01.320 --> 0:13:05.880 the Lakers, to talk about guys that I like, but 0:13:06.000 --> 0:13:11.000 that I thought did the audience a total disservice calling 0:13:11.080 --> 0:13:16.520 this game yesterday. In Van Gundy and Mark Jackson. I've 0:13:16.559 --> 0:13:19.400 had Van when I did radio in Houston. Jeff Van 0:13:19.440 --> 0:13:22.800 Gundy would come in studio and talk hoops with us. 0:13:23.320 --> 0:13:28.080 I love the guy Mark Jackson. I don't know personally, 0:13:28.760 --> 0:13:33.400 but my TV co host Chris Brussard does says nothing 0:13:33.480 --> 0:13:37.200 but great things about him. I think Van Gundy, Breen 0:13:37.480 --> 0:13:42.200 and Jackson are a great booth, the best NBA booth 0:13:43.880 --> 0:13:48.720 aside from Hubie and Doris when they're together in a 0:13:48.760 --> 0:13:57.079 three person booth. But their commentary in the second half 0:13:57.120 --> 0:14:08.640 of yesterday's game was as fascile and to me misleading 0:14:08.720 --> 0:14:17.600 to the audience as anything I can remember. They're in 0:14:17.640 --> 0:14:25.760 a ninety second stretch. Van Gundy demanded of Lebron, who 0:14:25.880 --> 0:14:32.400 had played the entire game sixty five thousand minutes into 0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:36.520 his career at age thirty eight in year twenty, to 0:14:36.760 --> 0:14:41.280 drive to the basket every play, to do work in 0:14:41.360 --> 0:14:44.880 the low post, to run the pick and roll through him, 0:14:45.280 --> 0:14:49.280 and then threw in there at the end gard Nikolajokic 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:58.040 and they were commentating just clueless while Lebron was taking 0:14:58.160 --> 0:15:03.960 some possessions off offensively floating around at the three point line, 0:15:04.520 --> 0:15:09.800 and Mark Jackson had the audacity to say, I know 0:15:09.960 --> 0:15:14.960 you're tired, but the great ones find a way. Pardon 0:15:15.040 --> 0:15:21.400 me here, give me a goddamn break, Give me a break. 0:15:21.720 --> 0:15:25.760 Anthony Davis, ten years younger than Lebron, in the prime 0:15:25.800 --> 0:15:31.800 of his career, sat for eight minutes last night, played 0:15:31.880 --> 0:15:37.120 forty and wasn't guarding Yo Kich every play, wasn't banging 0:15:37.160 --> 0:15:42.120 on the low post every play. The idea that you 0:15:42.160 --> 0:15:48.520 would call this game and act confused, Why isn't Lebron 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:52.640 driving to the basket with the same regularity that he 0:15:52.800 --> 0:15:55.200 was in the first half of the second half, because 0:15:55.240 --> 0:16:00.000 it's not NBA two K with the fatigue sliders turned off, 0:16:00.520 --> 0:16:07.600 because it's exhausting, because these are professional athletes, not robots, 0:16:07.880 --> 0:16:13.280 who have a set amount of energy. Could prime Lebron 0:16:14.440 --> 0:16:18.360 have done it? Yeah, that's what made him the best 0:16:18.400 --> 0:16:23.560 player ever. The fact that year twenty Lebron can somehow 0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:25.800 find a way to give you forty ten to nine 0:16:25.920 --> 0:16:30.200 in a closeout game against the one seed playing forty 0:16:30.280 --> 0:16:33.760 seven minutes and fifty six seconds is of forty eight 0:16:33.760 --> 0:16:39.200 minutes is incomprehensible. The fact that Lebron I thought people 0:16:39.240 --> 0:16:43.200 always kill him for taking threes at the end of games. 0:16:43.680 --> 0:16:46.800 I thought the final possession he should have pulled up 0:16:46.800 --> 0:16:53.080 from three, because had the layup been successful, all that 0:16:53.080 --> 0:16:57.840 would have done was guarantee another five minutes of overtime, 0:16:58.360 --> 0:17:06.760 and they were clearly gas. But it was to not 0:17:07.040 --> 0:17:11.560 acknowledge that he was the only guy on either team 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:20.640 to play the entire game was crazy to me, absolutely 0:17:20.880 --> 0:17:24.760 crazy to me. All right, what's next. 0:17:24.600 --> 0:17:26.800 To your Okay? If you were running the Lakers, what 0:17:26.840 --> 0:17:28.199 would you do this offseason? 0:17:30.160 --> 0:17:34.000 Run it back? I know there's a ton of conversation 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:40.080 about Kyrie. Kyrie the juice has not been worth the 0:17:40.119 --> 0:17:45.639 squeeze with Kyrie in seven years, and you would have 0:17:45.760 --> 0:17:48.919 to give up all of your flexibility. You would have 0:17:48.960 --> 0:17:52.680 to give up all of your potential depth in order 0:17:53.000 --> 0:17:57.120 to get Kyrie irving. I would not do that. There's 0:17:57.200 --> 0:17:59.960 no chance I would do that. One of the benefits 0:18:00.680 --> 0:18:07.639 to having young players is you can expect them to improve. 0:18:08.800 --> 0:18:12.439 Austin Reeves has been a revelation. He should get better. 0:18:13.000 --> 0:18:16.639 Whatever contract he gets offered, you have the rights to 0:18:16.720 --> 0:18:23.080 match match it. Ruy Hachimura is a young player coming 0:18:23.119 --> 0:18:26.360 off the best stretch of basketball in his career, A 0:18:26.400 --> 0:18:32.520 former lottery pick, match whatever contract offer he gets. He's 0:18:32.560 --> 0:18:37.159 also restricted free agent, and expect him to get better. 0:18:39.040 --> 0:18:45.199 De'angelo Russell was unplayable in the Conference finals. If you 0:18:45.280 --> 0:18:48.800 want to re sign him for a reasonable number and 0:18:49.000 --> 0:18:54.000 see if he takes the defensive ends seriously for the 0:18:54.000 --> 0:18:58.960 first time in his career. Great. If not, you move 0:18:59.040 --> 0:19:04.919 him at the deadline, and you challenge Anthony Davis to 0:19:05.240 --> 0:19:09.320 night in, night out be the guy we saw at 0:19:09.440 --> 0:19:15.800 different moments this postseason to take that next step to 0:19:15.880 --> 0:19:19.960 be an actual MVP candidate. But the idea of trading 0:19:20.000 --> 0:19:23.000 away and moving on from all your depth so you 0:19:23.040 --> 0:19:30.400 can sign an unreliable, injury prone Kyrie Irving is totally 0:19:30.440 --> 0:19:36.600 insane to me. The Lakers post deadline had the second 0:19:36.600 --> 0:19:40.800 best record in all of basketball. They got beat by 0:19:40.840 --> 0:19:42.800 a better team, and we'll get to the Nuggets in 0:19:42.880 --> 0:19:48.800 a moment. But I wouldn't make drastic changes assuming Lebron 0:19:48.920 --> 0:19:53.800 is back. Now, what I would do is tell Lebron 0:19:56.080 --> 0:20:00.120 and get on the same page with Lebron that it's 0:20:00.119 --> 0:20:05.960 gotta be Duncan in year seventeen and eighteen Lebron in 0:20:06.080 --> 0:20:09.399 year twenty one, meaning thirty minutes a night and a 0:20:09.400 --> 0:20:10.320 lot of nights off. 0:20:10.480 --> 0:20:12.880 You should tell your buddy Maverick that it would really 0:20:12.920 --> 0:20:14.960 hurt your feelings if Lebron retired. 0:20:15.080 --> 0:20:22.040 Well, that's the see so the I mean, I appreciate 0:20:22.119 --> 0:20:25.520 the attempted humor while I'm trying to give cogent analysis 0:20:25.560 --> 0:20:31.400 to the listeners. I was being serious, but I mean, 0:20:31.520 --> 0:20:36.240 I I do wonder MAV tweeted, and MAV doesn't tweet much. 0:20:36.720 --> 0:20:40.240 A couple months ago from a game, saying like watching 0:20:40.440 --> 0:20:42.679 watching you play will never get old. I hope you 0:20:42.760 --> 0:20:46.639 never retire. I wonder if for Maverick's business purposes, if 0:20:46.680 --> 0:20:50.480 it's if it's better if Lebron retires and they can 0:20:50.520 --> 0:20:55.359 go full fledged into that phase of their career. My 0:20:55.359 --> 0:20:59.640 my guess is Lebron's playing two more years. That would 0:20:59.640 --> 0:21:02.600 be my to kind of finish that part of the conversation. 0:21:02.720 --> 0:21:08.160 But I was saying about the minutes is the other thing, 0:21:09.480 --> 0:21:13.520 and I said this on TV, but it warrants mentioning again. 0:21:13.600 --> 0:21:19.080 Here one of the great things about sports is more 0:21:19.200 --> 0:21:27.680 often than not, every bill becomes due. So the Boston 0:21:27.840 --> 0:21:32.040 Celtics make the NBA Finals, they look like they're right 0:21:32.080 --> 0:21:36.200 on the cusp, and then right before the season, their 0:21:36.240 --> 0:21:40.800 head coach is involved in an infidelity scandal and he's 0:21:41.119 --> 0:21:45.800 dismissed from the team essentially, and they have to promote 0:21:46.440 --> 0:21:50.600 an assistant who's not ready named Joe Missoula, and all 0:21:50.680 --> 0:21:53.119 year long, they're fine, they're fine, they're fine, And then 0:21:53.160 --> 0:21:55.639 the playoffs come around and he goes up against the 0:21:55.680 --> 0:21:59.080 best coach in basketball, Eric Spolstra, and he's getting undressed. 0:21:59.560 --> 0:22:04.040 We'll talk series later, but that emo Udoka bill finally 0:22:04.119 --> 0:22:09.200 became due these conference finals. Draymond Green punches Jordan Poole 0:22:09.240 --> 0:22:13.560 in the face before the season starts, and the team 0:22:13.640 --> 0:22:20.199 just kind of scuffed pretty aggressive. Yeah, it's terrible on 0:22:20.240 --> 0:22:23.600 the road. No one can quite put their finger on why, 0:22:23.960 --> 0:22:27.120 even though it was obvious why. And then they lose 0:22:27.320 --> 0:22:29.920 at the end of the year, losing three straight road games, 0:22:30.320 --> 0:22:34.199 and Kerr and Raymond said, yeah, the punch ruined our 0:22:34.240 --> 0:22:38.320 team chemistry. That bill became due. Why am I bring 0:22:38.440 --> 0:22:43.880 that up here? In this context? The Los Angeles Lakers 0:22:43.920 --> 0:22:47.280 decided to start this year with a roster they knew 0:22:47.480 --> 0:22:51.840 was broken, with Russell Westbrook as the point guard and 0:22:51.880 --> 0:22:55.240 no shooting, and they started the year two and ten. 0:22:57.480 --> 0:23:00.320 Now they eventually traded him fixed the right sure to 0:23:00.320 --> 0:23:03.360 do would agree, went on a playoff run. So how 0:23:03.400 --> 0:23:06.920 did that bill become due? Because it's quite clear watching 0:23:06.960 --> 0:23:12.320 this series that the Lakers, most notably, Lebron ran out 0:23:12.320 --> 0:23:16.520 of gas at the very end. Why because they had 0:23:16.520 --> 0:23:19.840 to start playing playoff basketball with a month left in 0:23:19.920 --> 0:23:23.680 the year. Because of that two and ten start, that 0:23:23.840 --> 0:23:29.920 bill became due. That bill came due. Pardon me, they 0:23:29.920 --> 0:23:32.680 did have two months of playoff basketball in them. Unfortunately 0:23:32.720 --> 0:23:35.520 for them, their playoffs started a month before everyone else. 0:23:35.600 --> 0:23:38.440 Is then a play in game, overtime in the playing game, 0:23:38.720 --> 0:23:41.359 and they ran out of gas three weeks before the 0:23:41.400 --> 0:23:46.639 finish line. Everything matters. There are no free passes in 0:23:46.720 --> 0:23:50.000 this stuff, and I hope the Lakers know that. Moving forward, 0:23:50.680 --> 0:23:52.560 you have a follow up question. Go ahead. 0:23:53.040 --> 0:23:55.720 If the Lebron era is over, was it a successful 0:23:55.720 --> 0:23:56.800 tenure in La? 0:23:56.880 --> 0:24:02.119 So full disclosure. I put this question in here something 0:24:02.160 --> 0:24:04.840 of a I guess it would be a rhetorical question. 0:24:04.920 --> 0:24:09.439 I wanted you to ask because this has become a 0:24:09.560 --> 0:24:14.720 line of questioning, and I think it's the most ridiculous 0:24:14.760 --> 0:24:18.240 line of questioning there is. Lebron has been with the 0:24:18.320 --> 0:24:26.320 Lakers from twenty nineteen to now five years. At worst, 0:24:27.000 --> 0:24:32.760 at worst, they've been the third most successful franchise in 0:24:32.800 --> 0:24:37.199 the league, likely been the second most. Let's just the 0:24:37.320 --> 0:24:45.680 idea that the Lakers under with Lebron have not been 0:24:45.720 --> 0:24:49.600 a success, then no one's been a success in this timeframe. 0:24:49.960 --> 0:24:54.520 So five years, right, let's go through the champions and 0:24:54.560 --> 0:24:59.760 what they've done. The Warriors in these five years have 0:24:59.800 --> 0:25:05.840 won one title, made one other finals, two years they 0:25:05.920 --> 0:25:10.320 missed the playoffs. One year they made the playoffs and lost. 0:25:10.320 --> 0:25:12.920 That was this year, by the way. One of the 0:25:13.000 --> 0:25:15.000 years they missed the playoffs in the play in and 0:25:15.040 --> 0:25:18.040 this year they were knocked out by the Lakers. But 0:25:18.320 --> 0:25:21.800 they are the benchmark. They have been the most successful. 0:25:22.119 --> 0:25:28.080 The next most successful is the Lakers. They won a 0:25:28.160 --> 0:25:33.840 championship and made a conference finals. That is more successful 0:25:33.920 --> 0:25:38.159 than the Raptors who won a championship in this timeline 0:25:38.480 --> 0:25:41.320 and did nothing else in the playoffs, or the Bucks 0:25:41.640 --> 0:25:44.320 who won a championship in this timeline and did not 0:25:44.440 --> 0:25:49.479 make another conference finals. Now there's the Heat. If the 0:25:49.520 --> 0:25:53.960 Heat win the title this year, then they leap frog 0:25:54.040 --> 0:25:56.800 the Lakers because they would have made two finals, an 0:25:56.800 --> 0:26:03.359 additional conference championship year or appearance, and won a title. 0:26:03.720 --> 0:26:08.000 If the Nuggets win the championship this year, they will 0:26:08.000 --> 0:26:11.600 have the exact same resume as the Lakers, both winning 0:26:11.600 --> 0:26:14.200 one title. Both being knocked out by the other one 0:26:14.320 --> 0:26:18.560 in the conference finals. So if this tenure wasn't successful 0:26:18.560 --> 0:26:22.520 for the Lakers, then it wasn't successful for any team 0:26:22.560 --> 0:26:26.399 over the last five years. It is an absurd question. 0:26:26.480 --> 0:26:28.639 Not that you're asking it. I asked to be asked it. 0:26:29.280 --> 0:26:33.199 But of course it's been successful. A championship and a 0:26:33.280 --> 0:26:38.320 conference finals appearance is more deep playoff runs and more 0:26:38.400 --> 0:26:41.480 success than any team has had in these five years 0:26:41.520 --> 0:26:45.360 other than Golden State, and Golden State twice had their 0:26:45.440 --> 0:26:49.920 season ended by the Lakers. Uh. All right, let's move 0:26:49.960 --> 0:26:50.720 on to the Nuggets. 0:26:51.000 --> 0:26:54.159 Okay, here's a question that you didn't ask to be asked. 0:26:54.600 --> 0:26:57.359 Producer Dan warned you about the number one seed Nuggets, 0:26:57.680 --> 0:26:58.760 but you didn't listen. 0:26:58.840 --> 0:27:01.160 All right, Before we get to the actual question, let's 0:27:01.160 --> 0:27:06.360 talk about this for a moment. So I know some 0:27:06.440 --> 0:27:09.840 people on this show. I don't know others because the 0:27:09.880 --> 0:27:13.480 show's by coastal where in New York, show's in LA. 0:27:15.480 --> 0:27:16.440 You're about to say something. 0:27:16.480 --> 0:27:19.680 I obviously know Demanse's my son, works on the show. 0:27:20.359 --> 0:27:22.560 I know Diora, she's my daughter, works on the show. 0:27:23.440 --> 0:27:27.760 I know Gabe because Gabe worked at FS one. Right 0:27:27.800 --> 0:27:30.399 when I was hired, and Gabe and I developed a 0:27:30.400 --> 0:27:35.520 real friendship. I know Matt Ford from the show. I've 0:27:35.560 --> 0:27:41.760 actually hung out with Matt briefly in Vegas. I know Victor, who, 0:27:41.800 --> 0:27:46.240 even though he seemed to have some technical difficulties today Victor, 0:27:46.320 --> 0:27:49.240 I met him in person in New York. I see 0:27:49.280 --> 0:27:52.679 him on Cameron Studio. I felt I got to know 0:27:52.840 --> 0:27:57.879 Karra a bit because I misidentified her job title and 0:27:57.960 --> 0:28:04.160 felt terribly about it. I don't know Daniel that well. However, 0:28:05.600 --> 0:28:09.679 I did find I did, despite not knowing him that well, 0:28:10.400 --> 0:28:18.600 develop a deep seated boiling anger towards him throughout these 0:28:18.640 --> 0:28:27.680 playoffs because on our let me count ten person group chat, 0:28:29.760 --> 0:28:32.040 Daniel found it. 0:28:32.400 --> 0:28:32.520 Oh. 0:28:32.520 --> 0:28:35.960 I also know Nick Wider. I think he plays basketball 0:28:35.960 --> 0:28:40.680 at the Monse. Daniel found it appropriate after each game 0:28:41.920 --> 0:28:49.640 to send either videos from the game saying love butterfingers, 0:28:50.560 --> 0:28:58.800 trolling UH texts saying keep hating Denver, will still welcome 0:28:58.840 --> 0:29:07.760 everyone with open arm UH sending UH eyeball emojis after 0:29:07.880 --> 0:29:14.520 other games, sending video of him pretty videoing well. I 0:29:14.560 --> 0:29:17.800 didn't see any of that until this morning, and I 0:29:18.040 --> 0:29:25.560 missed important texts because after about the third unprompted, unrequested 0:29:25.640 --> 0:29:28.600 text from Daniel. I just muted the thread. 0:29:28.920 --> 0:29:32.160 Now you muted the thread? Yeah, after we were talking 0:29:32.240 --> 0:29:34.480 during the game and you just decided you didn't want 0:29:34.480 --> 0:29:35.360 to hear us anymore. 0:29:35.640 --> 0:29:41.160 Yeah. Yeah, guys, if I want to be trolled by people, 0:29:41.280 --> 0:29:46.720