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Speaker 1: The Detroit Pistons in the midst of the longest losing

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Speaker 1: streak in NBA history. Some bumpy times in the desert

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Speaker 1: for the Phoenix Suns, the latest on the NBA trade front,

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Speaker 1: and standout memories from the calendar year twenty twenty three

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Speaker 1: in our Year in Review. All of that next on

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Speaker 1: the latest edition of This League Uncut.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to This League Uncut, and you rule of twenty

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Speaker 2: four hour NBA news.

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Speaker 1: This news you'll lose, Chris Hans, let's go time, work's time.

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Speaker 1: It's so tonight. This League Uncut is underway and on fire.

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Speaker 3: This should be a good one.

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Speaker 1: Happy holidays, and welcome in everyone to the latest edition

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Speaker 1: of This League Uncut. I believe it will be the

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Speaker 1: final edition of our pod in twenty twenty three. We're

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Speaker 1: actually nearing our one year anniversary. This pod debuted in

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Speaker 1: late January of twenty twenty three. So when we get

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Speaker 1: to the end of this episode, I suspect Chris Haynes

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Speaker 1: and I will do a little reflecting on the calendar

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Speaker 1: year that was twenty twenty three in the basketball world.

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Speaker 1: We'll save that for the end, but I think tonight

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Speaker 1: we're recording this on Thursday night. I think we have

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Speaker 1: to start with the Detroit Pistons. The Detroit Pistons have

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Speaker 1: lost twenty eight games in a row. Now, the longest

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Speaker 1: single season losing streak in NBA history belongs to them,

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Speaker 1: the longest of all time. They tied it tonight, But

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Speaker 1: really the story of tonight is they went to Boston

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Speaker 1: where the Celtics are fourteen and oh at home, the

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Speaker 1: best home record in the NBA, and the beleaguered Detroit Pistons.

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Speaker 1: Kay Cunningham, by the way, is playing fantastic heat. The

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Speaker 1: man is trying to end this losing streak. He's trying

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Speaker 1: everything in his power. Is everybody else, Well, they might

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Speaker 1: be trying, but I don't know that they're helping. And

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Speaker 1: the Pistons, led by Kad Cunningham, they took a twenty

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Speaker 1: one point lead tonight. It ends up going to ot

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Speaker 1: Boston finds a way to win, the Celtics preserve their

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Speaker 1: unblemished home record, and the poor Pistons have now lost

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Speaker 1: twenty eight in a row. That batches the longest losing

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Speaker 1: streak in league history now, because the Sixers stacked up

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Speaker 1: twenty eight straight losses over the course of two seasons.

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Speaker 1: I covered some of the in the solo monologue Mini

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Speaker 1: SA pod on the Pistons that I recorded earlier this week.

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Speaker 1: Chris and I have had conflicting schedules. By all accounts,

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Speaker 1: his Christmas hosting was a smash success. No further incidents

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Speaker 1: at the Haynes household, but we've both been on the

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Speaker 1: run having trouble, had some trouble getting our schedules to match.

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Speaker 1: And I think the truth is and we haven't heard

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Speaker 1: much from mister Haynes about what happened last weekend in

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Speaker 1: the big Sacramento Rec League showdown that we talked about

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Speaker 1: so much last week, But it's gone kind of quiet

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Speaker 1: on that front. So we'll probably have to dig into

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Speaker 1: that too, because I get in the vibe that that

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Speaker 1: did not go as planned. So I got into some

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Speaker 1: of this in that monologue that it's just it's become

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Speaker 1: this thing now, this game a very grim game in

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Speaker 1: the NBA throughout the league. To look at that Piston

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Speaker 1: schedule and try to figure out where that next win

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Speaker 1: is coming from. Saturday night, they do have a home

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Speaker 1: date with Toronto and the Raptors have their own issues.

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Speaker 1: On January third, they will go to Salt Lake City

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Speaker 1: to play the Jazz again, but they just lost to

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Speaker 1: the Jazz when so many of their key guys were

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Speaker 1: sitting out, they couldn't beat them. In Detroit January tenth,

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Speaker 1: they play the Spurs at home, so they get a

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Speaker 1: face off with women and Yama. But Chris Haynes, tell

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Speaker 1: me what you're We haven't had a chance to really

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Speaker 1: discuss this. Tell me what you think, what you see,

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Speaker 1: what you're hearing about the Detroit Pistons. Twenty eight els

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Speaker 1: in a row. We've never seen anything like this.

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Speaker 2: Never never have, never have, And I definitely didn't think

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Speaker 2: this would be a close game. But you know, those

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Speaker 2: who play sports, you know sometimes that a team has

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Speaker 2: a Tennessee. I would say a superior team has a

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Speaker 2: tendency to fall victim to complacency when you're playing the

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Speaker 2: team that you know you're supposed to be or that

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Speaker 2: you know you're supposed to kill. And I think that's

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Speaker 2: what we saw tonight, and Boston pulled, you know, they

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Speaker 2: pulled through towards the end of the game. Detroit has

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Speaker 2: some defensive mental lapses that kind of gave the game away.

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Speaker 2: They were right there, The game was right there for

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Speaker 2: the taking for the stealings. So I will say this,

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Speaker 2: so let me look at let me go look at

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Speaker 2: their schedule real quick.

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Speaker 1: What makes it so dispiriting is when Boston decided they

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Speaker 1: were taking the game, there was just nothing the Pistons

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Speaker 1: could do. They had this huge lead. And right now

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Speaker 1: Kid Cunningham again, Kid Cunningham is playing really well and

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Speaker 1: they just he's getting very little support. It's a team

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Speaker 1: with no confidence and I mean it is. It is

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Speaker 1: an absolute crisis for them. I mean they, I mean

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Speaker 1: that what's so amazing about this Pistons team. They came

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Speaker 1: into the season, yo, And you didn't believe me last

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Speaker 1: week when I said this. You reacted incredulously when I

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Speaker 1: brought this up before that. The Pistons they didn't trade

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Speaker 1: boyon Bogdanovitch and they didn't trade Alec Burks because they thought,

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Speaker 1: we need to have veterans, because Kaid Cunningham's coming back

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Speaker 1: from surgery, we're gonna be competitive. We're going to be

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Speaker 1: in the mix in the play and mix in the East.

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Speaker 1: And I mean they are miles out of the play

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Speaker 1: and mix in the East. I mean we are, we

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Speaker 1: are not even you know, we were recording this on

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Speaker 1: December twenty eighth, and the Pistons are more than ten

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Speaker 1: games out of the play in zone behind the fourteen

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Speaker 1: and nineteen Chicago Bulls.

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Speaker 2: I'm gonna go out on the limb. I normally don't

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Speaker 2: do it. No, I normally don't do this, but I'm

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Speaker 2: gonna go out on a limb. Detroit is winning its next.

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Speaker 1: Game against the Toronto Raptors.

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Speaker 2: I guess the Toronto Raptors at.

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Speaker 1: Home, the twelve and eighteen Toronto Raptors who just pummeled Washington.

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Speaker 1: Chris Haynes, do I have this right? Chris Haynes is

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Speaker 1: guarantee that the Pistons will win at home against the

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Speaker 1: Toronto Raptors in a matchup of teams that you know,

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Speaker 1: I know you guys want trade talk. We're basically almost

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Speaker 1: to January. I know you want trade talk. So yes,

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Speaker 1: the Toronto Raptors are on that list of teams that

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Speaker 1: we're looking at. What are they going to do with

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Speaker 1: Pascal Siakam before he hits free agency? What are they

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Speaker 1: going to do with ogn Andobi before he If this

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Speaker 1: plays out as expected, if he continues to resist extension

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Speaker 1: offers and declines his player option, and goes into free agency.

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Speaker 1: Gary Trent Junior can also become a free agent. What

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Speaker 1: are the raps? Are the Raptors really going to keep

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Speaker 1: all three of those players beyond the trade deadline without

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Speaker 1: making a move. And then Detroit Tom Gores and that's

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Speaker 1: that's that's really one of the few, you know, and

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Speaker 1: maybe moments of positivity is probably stretching it. But Tom Gores,

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Speaker 1: who's under he's facing a lot of criticism and a

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Speaker 1: lot of justified criticism right now. Last Friday, he did

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Speaker 1: meet over zoom with some local reporters in Detroit to

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Speaker 1: try to take some accountability for this mess, and he said,

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Speaker 1: of his players, blame me, support them. So he's he's

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Speaker 1: pointing the finger of blame at him himself right now.

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Speaker 2: Which is cool. Olners don't usually typically do that.

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Speaker 1: I mean, you know, yeah, I mean there's not many

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Speaker 1: owners who even talk to the media anymore. So Tom

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Speaker 1: Gores did do that much. But Tom Gore is in

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Speaker 1: that chat with those Detroit based reporters said changes coming.

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Speaker 1: So you know, what major change can the Pistons make

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Speaker 1: at this point? I mean, you know, I think making

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Speaker 1: some of these veterans available now, will they trade Bogdanovich,

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Speaker 1: Alec Burks, Monty Morris. Will they make the those moves?

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Speaker 1: You know, I don't. I don't see drastic change on

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Speaker 1: the horizon, but that you know, these two teams do

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Speaker 1: have that in common. But like I said, Chris Haynes,

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Speaker 1: has do we dare say guarantee? Is that what you're doing?

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Speaker 1: I don't want.

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Speaker 2: I don't want That's what That's what you said, Stein,

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Speaker 2: That's what you said. I said, I'm going out on

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Speaker 2: a limb. Is that I can't guarante. I'm looking. I'm

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Speaker 2: looking at but Stein, I'm looking at the schedule. So

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Speaker 2: after that Toronto Raptors game December thirtieth, they're on the

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Speaker 2: road for four games at Houston, at Utah, at Golden State,

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Speaker 2: at Denver. Okay, it ain't happening in Golden State, it's

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Speaker 2: not happening in Denver, Utah. Possibility Rockets are hit and miss,

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Speaker 2: but they're definitely better at home. I'm going to say

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Speaker 2: right now, there's urgency within the locker room of the

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Speaker 2: Detroit Pistons, and I think they're going to try to

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Speaker 2: ride to Moe minium that they had and making this

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Speaker 2: game close game against the Boston selfish and get that

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Speaker 2: next game against the Raptors.

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Speaker 1: I actually disagree, and here's why. I think tonight was

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Speaker 1: a perfect illustration. They went into Boston a team that's

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Speaker 1: fourteen to zero at home, with no one on Earth

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Speaker 1: expecting that they would have any chance of winning this game.

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Speaker 1: I think I saw that the line for this game

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Speaker 1: was in the mid teens somewhere. I mean, I think

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Speaker 1: the Pistons were a sixteen and a half point underdog

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Speaker 1: at Boston, so there were no expectations tonight, and they

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Speaker 1: played great. When they go home Saturday at home against

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Speaker 1: a struggling Toronto team, I think that there's every chance

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Speaker 1: they're gonna be tight. And it's funny. Monty Williams was

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Speaker 1: asked that question the other night after the Pistons took

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Speaker 1: that clinching loss at home to the Nets, and Manti

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Speaker 1: Williams himself said, quote, I was brought in here to

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Speaker 1: change this thing. It's probably the most on me than anybody.

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Speaker 1: The players are playing their hearts out. I've got to

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Speaker 1: get them in a position where they don't feel tight

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Speaker 1: or heavy. But it's where we are. That's the reality

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Speaker 1: of the situation. End quote. And I just my instinct

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Speaker 1: is that they will be tight and heavy when they

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Speaker 1: play Toronto because everyone's going to point to that game

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Speaker 1: and say they got a chance. This is one of

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Speaker 1: the one of the few upcoming games where they seemingly

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Speaker 1: have a clear cut chance. Maybe they should sign Chris

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Speaker 1: Haynes to a ten day after January fifth.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I wouldn't do any well. It would actually contribute

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Speaker 2: to this extended losing period they're going through right now.

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Speaker 2: I'm not going to I'm not going to put any

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Speaker 2: illusions out there on people about my game. It is

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Speaker 2: what it is right now, forty two. I think I'm

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Speaker 2: in tip top shape for forty two year old at

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Speaker 2: this age and still putting up buckets in the league

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Speaker 2: which features guys ranging from twenty to thirty five, and

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Speaker 2: I believe I'm like number three in scoring in the

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Speaker 2: whole entire league. So I'm doing okay. But it's the NBA.

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Speaker 2: It's the NBA style. I don't do that. Don't disrespect

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Speaker 2: these professional basketball players out there. But again, that's why

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Speaker 2: we play the game. That's why we play the game.

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Speaker 2: And I think you know it's going to come to

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Speaker 2: a halt. No team wants to be the team to

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Speaker 2: give to help the Detroit Pistons snap that streak. But

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Speaker 2: I'm saying right now, if they don't get Toronto tomorrow,

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Speaker 2: it might not happen until. Shoot, January tenth, might be

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Speaker 2: January tenth, and January fifteenth will be their best shot

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Speaker 2: the tenth against the Spurs at home and the Wizards

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Speaker 2: away January fifteenth. So this thing can go long or

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Speaker 2: it can end when I say it's going to end,

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Speaker 2: and that is against the Raptors.

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Speaker 1: All right, we'll see, We'll see if that leads to

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Speaker 1: any headlines. NBA analyst guarantees Pistons to n Street.

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Speaker 2: Can I blame the aggregators if they do that? Well,

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Speaker 2: I gotta eat that one.

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Speaker 1: Well, I mean, you did say it.

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Speaker 2: So what people say in this climate, especially in the

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Speaker 2: politics climate, people say things all the time and they

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Speaker 2: claim that they didn't say it.

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Speaker 1: Can we do Let's talk about something else, Well, you

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Speaker 1: didn't say it. Something else you wrote that made some headlines.

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Speaker 1: You saw the Phoenix suns in Sacramento. You wrote a

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Speaker 1: long piece about Eric Gordon voicing some frustration, and you

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Speaker 1: had quotes in there from all of the major Sun stakeholders.

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Speaker 1: I think you spoke to Devin Booker Kevin Durant, and

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Speaker 1: it sounds like Bradley Beal is getting close to returning.

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Speaker 1: But since you saw the Sons in Sacramento, it's only

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Speaker 1: gotten more tense, including a Christmas Day home loss to

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Speaker 1: the Dallas Mavericks with Luka Doncic putting on an absolute show,

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Speaker 1: and the Mavericks were not not at full strength, but

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Speaker 1: went into Phoenix and beat the Suns. And I mean,

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Speaker 1: it's just the Sons have a lot of issues right now,

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Speaker 1: and a lot of people have been trying to analyze

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Speaker 1: the Sun's body language for clues, and I mean it

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Speaker 1: just this is a team that does not give off

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Speaker 1: a great vibe right now. So I'm curious. You know,

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Speaker 1: that's that's me speaking from further afield. You had direct

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Speaker 1: access to the Suns recently. Tell me what you see

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Speaker 1: and heard.

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Speaker 2: Well, you know, like you said, I spoke with kd

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Speaker 2: you know, chopping it up, checking the gauge and pulse

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Speaker 2: of the team, spoke with Devin Booker, spoke with Eric Gordon,

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Speaker 2: and that was the game in which that game, in particular,

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Speaker 2: they lost to the Sacramento Kings. Eric Gordon had two

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Speaker 2: shot attempts he was oh for two. And I went

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Speaker 2: up to Eric because Frank Vogel in his postgame press

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Speaker 2: conference that night, he made a point to mention Eric

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Speaker 2: Gordon that he needs to get Eric more involved. And

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Speaker 2: because I didn't even realize it at the point that

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Speaker 2: he only had two shot attempts. I know, I know

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Speaker 2: he didn't he didn't shoot that much. But I'm like, whoa, Okay,

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Speaker 2: let me go talk to Eg because I gotta get it,

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Speaker 2: you know, I gotta get his I got to see

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Speaker 2: where his head is at, especially based off of what

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Speaker 2: Frank Vogel just told the media, local media. And so

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Speaker 2: I got Eric Gordon to the side, and I'm telling you,

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Speaker 2: I did not expect Eric to go that to say

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Speaker 2: what he said. This was part of Eric Gordon's Eric

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Speaker 2: Gordon's quote to me, this is after they lost to

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Speaker 2: the Kings and he only had two shot attempts the

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Speaker 2: whole game quote. Early on in the season, it was better,

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Speaker 2: and lately there just hasn't been an emphasis to get

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Speaker 2: me more looks. Gordon told me. So, it's definitely different lately.

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Speaker 2: I haven't been getting hardly any touches. Really again that

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Speaker 2: I was surprised that he it's truth in that for sure.

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Speaker 2: But you know veteran guys. Veteran guys they know what

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Speaker 2: to say, and sometimes when they say things, they mean

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Speaker 2: it and they're they're doing it with they they're doing

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Speaker 2: it too. They want to put it out because they

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Speaker 2: have you know, they have a motive behind it. And

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Speaker 2: sometimes players say it and they don't realize what they're

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Speaker 2: saying until it hits print. But I think this was calculated.

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Speaker 2: Here's another portion of a different quote by Eric Gordon

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Speaker 2: quot no question, everybody knows the type of player I

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Speaker 2: am and what I'm about. I came here to win.

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Speaker 2: But what I do is score, Gordon told me. And

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Speaker 2: I think when I score, it really opens up the

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Speaker 2: door for a lot of people because I can score

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Speaker 2: in big games and in big ways. That's just what

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Speaker 2: it is. So you know that that And then it

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Speaker 2: got worse to your your point, Stein, it got worse

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Speaker 2: and they lost to the short handed Dallas Mavericks lost badly,

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Speaker 2: and Luca went off and just did what he did.

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Speaker 2: Now they did get that win against the Houston Rockets,

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Speaker 2: and Kevin Durant had a great game triple double. But

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Speaker 2: you know, everything is still not resolved. Bradley Beal like

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Speaker 2: he's going to be back soon. Is he the missing

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Speaker 2: link to this team finding some continuity and and you know,

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Speaker 2: just getting things back in order. I don't know. Stein

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Speaker 2: what I what I will say is is what I

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Speaker 2: said during pre season. I still feel like the Phoenix

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Speaker 2: Suns need a point guard. I still they'll feel that way,

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Speaker 2: you know. I know Devin Booker has done a phenomenal

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Speaker 2: job running that position, doing it to the best of

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Speaker 2: his ability. And I remember again when Chris Paul was

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Speaker 2: there a couple of years ago, he wanted Devin Booker

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Speaker 2: to handle the ball more and it just didn't materialize

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Speaker 2: it into that. And now to see Devin Booker taking

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Speaker 2: on those reins and the ball handling duties and decision making,

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Speaker 2: you know, he's He's done a really good job. But

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Speaker 2: I still think you need a facilitator that's going to

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Speaker 2: get all of those guys in position to score and

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Speaker 2: be themselves. I think they need that. I think they

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Speaker 2: need that position feel more so than just getting the

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Speaker 2: big three back and then things rolling. I don't know

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Speaker 2: if it's going to be that easy.

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Speaker 1: Well, the problem is that they just they've used all

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Speaker 1: their trade chips to assemble this team. You pose the question,

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Speaker 1: will Bradley Beal's return be enough for this team? It

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Speaker 1: has to be. I mean, this is their team. They

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Speaker 1: went all in to assemble this big three, and plenty

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Speaker 1: of people second guessed it because in the new CBA,

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Speaker 1: in this new era, I mean, you got to get

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Speaker 1: your top two right. But I mean they are you know,

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Speaker 1: they went all in to just say we're gonna pay

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Speaker 1: whatever luxury tax it takes. But I mean they have

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Speaker 1: no depth, and really it looks like that's what's generating

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Speaker 1: the frustration that this team doesn't have much of a bench.

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Speaker 1: I mean, Booker, Durant and Beale are gonna have to

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Speaker 1: be fantastic and for starters, they have to be on

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Speaker 1: the court. We still have only seen these as a trio.

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Speaker 1: We have only seen the Sun's new super team trio

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Speaker 1: for a game and a half. If that I mean

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Speaker 1: in Frank Vogel, they have a coach known for defense

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Speaker 1: and getting the most defensively out of his teams. But

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Speaker 1: I mean, this group, this team has so many issues.

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Speaker 1: I thought the Suns were taking a risk with their

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Speaker 1: approach when it happened, and you know the way this

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Speaker 1: season is played out, They're a team that everyone around

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Speaker 1: the league is looking at and asking a lot of

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Speaker 1: questions because Durant is still you know, we've you know,

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Speaker 1: Lebron James turns thirty nine on Saturday, the day after

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Speaker 1: this pod goes out. But Stephen Curry at thirty six,

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Speaker 1: Kevin Durant at thirty five, it's the same thing. All

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Speaker 1: three of these guys are playing and producing at a

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Speaker 1: level that defies their age.

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Speaker 2: Crazy but crazy, it's just not enough.

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Speaker 1: I mean, even Kevin Durant and Devin Booker need help.

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Speaker 1: And right now, Grayson Allen I think he's given the

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Speaker 1: Sons probably even more than they were forecasting. But you know,

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Speaker 1: this is just a very thin group and deservedly a

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Speaker 1: five hundred ish team right now in a West that

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Speaker 1: is stacked. As the calendar flips from twenty twenty three

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Speaker 1: to twenty twenty four, I don't think too many people

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Speaker 1: were expecting the Suns to be scuffling for the ninth,

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Speaker 1: tenth or eleventh seed in the West, and that's where

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Speaker 1: they are. And naturally, I think Durant and Booker had

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Speaker 1: much higher expectations than a five hundred start to the season.

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Speaker 1: What kind of vibe did you get from them when

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Speaker 1: you were speaking to those two, You can.

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Speaker 2: Well, Book not so much, but you can sense the

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Speaker 2: frustration pretty much from everybody else in that locker room.

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Speaker 2: Book has a you know, he's keeping his I think

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Speaker 2: he understands that if teammates see panic in him, and

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Speaker 2: I think he believes it can this situation can drift

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Speaker 2: even further into what has been abysmal to this point.

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Speaker 2: So I you know, he's done a good job of

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Speaker 2: just trying to you know, stay upbeat and stay positive

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Speaker 2: and try to be encouraged and motivat and so he

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Speaker 2: was he was like that with me and talking about

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Speaker 2: this team. So you know, Book is like he's really

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Speaker 2: developed into a really good leader, locker room guy. I

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Speaker 2: like that. I like that that audio that lead during

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Speaker 2: the game, it was forgot what game it was, but

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Speaker 2: one of the players turned the ball over and and

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Speaker 2: Book ran back to try to contest the layup. The

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Speaker 2: you know, the players scored. There you go, there you go,

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Speaker 2: And he said, you turn the ball over, but can't

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Speaker 2: get back. That's what that's what you do. Get get back,

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Speaker 2: get back. And so you know, I like, you know,

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Speaker 2: little things like that man, I like, you know, hearing

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Speaker 2: especially star players hold others accountable, and not even only

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Speaker 2: have to be star players, just holding players accountable in general.

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Speaker 2: Devin Booker is really a leader on that team. But nah,

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Speaker 2: you can definitely, like in that locker room that night,

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Speaker 2: you could definitely sense the frustration and look, I mean

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Speaker 2: you could just point to Eric Gordon. Eric Gordon is

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Speaker 2: not usually somebody who speaks his mind and that nature.

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Speaker 2: He said, you know, this is not what he expected.

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Speaker 2: You know, there's other quotes in the story, but you know,

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Speaker 2: he said, this is not what he expected, you know,

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Speaker 2: when he when he came on board, and things are

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Speaker 2: different from the way that they were playing early on

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Speaker 2: in the season, when the ball was moving and everybody

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Speaker 2: was getting their shots, and so you know, just to

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Speaker 2: hear him say that, and you know, Devin Booker the

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Speaker 2: next day they asked him about Eric Gordon's quote to me,

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Speaker 2: and he said, nobody on this team is taking this personally.

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Speaker 2: Eric Gordon's a leader, one of the leaders of this team.

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Speaker 2: So they're trying to figure out ways to get him

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Speaker 2: involved and get the offense moving. So it's a dire situation,

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Speaker 2: but it's not something that they can't get out of

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Speaker 2: and I do stay, I do expect them to get

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Speaker 2: out of this. I don't know how high a seed

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Speaker 2: they can climb up, but I would be very surprised

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Speaker 2: if they didn't figure this thing out and became one

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Speaker 2: of the top five teams in the Western Conference. I mean,

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Speaker 2: they have to, don't they. I mean, come on, like

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Speaker 2: they this is the situation they put themselves in. They

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Speaker 2: knew they weren't going to be able to make any

398
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Speaker 2: big trays or sign any big free agents. But Stearn,

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Speaker 2: when I'm talking about a point guard, I'm not talking

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Speaker 2: about some high tier point guard out there. I'm talking

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Speaker 2: about just a floor general. You know, it doesn't even

402
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Speaker 2: have to be a floor general that you were put

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Speaker 2: in the start lineup, but maybe some games that point

404
00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:56,120
Speaker 2: guard would close. But it needs to. You need somebody

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Speaker 2: that's going to that's a veteran that can bring that

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Speaker 2: ball up, get every everybody involved, just set the table,

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00:25:03,119 --> 00:25:06,040
Speaker 2: and you know somebody that can, you know, catch and shoot.

408
00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:10,160
Speaker 2: And that's what I'm talking about. They don't have that consistent,

409
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Speaker 2: steady player of that caliber for that position on the

410
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Speaker 2: roster right now, so I think you can find somebody

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Speaker 2: like that in a trade somewhere. I don't, I don't know,

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Speaker 2: I haven't, I haven't identified.

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Speaker 1: No.

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Speaker 2: I remember when they were trying to, you know, they

415
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Speaker 2: really were trying to look into ways of getting TJ

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Speaker 2: McConnell over there in Indiana. But I don't think TJ

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Speaker 2: is going anywhere the way Indiana is playing.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that's it's interesting that you bring that up, because

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Speaker 1: I think you're right. I think the Suns have been

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Speaker 1: linked to TJ McConnell one way or the other for months.

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Speaker 1: But the Pacers, like the Lakers, have certainly wobbled to

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Speaker 1: a degree since the N Season Tournament. They have struggled

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Speaker 1: to replicate their N Season Tournament form. But this week

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Speaker 1: the Pacers have strung a couple of nice wins together.

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Speaker 1: And I think during that N Season Tournament run, you

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Speaker 1: could see that that group does have togetherness and a

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00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:09,479
Speaker 1: good chemistry. And yeah, that was you know, TJ McConnell was.

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00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:13,159
Speaker 1: You know, he had some really nice moments in the

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Speaker 1: Milwaukee game in the N Season Tournament SEMIS to help

430
00:26:16,520 --> 00:26:20,119
Speaker 1: the Pacers get to the title game. On one hand,

431
00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:23,520
Speaker 1: people might have looked at that and said, oh, there's TJ.

432
00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:26,960
Speaker 1: McConnell increasing his trade value. But when I watched it,

433
00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:30,160
Speaker 1: I had the same reaction you just described. The Pacers

434
00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:34,760
Speaker 1: are going good right now. It's a together group. Rick

435
00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:37,919
Speaker 1: Carlysle has come out multiple times this season and said

436
00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:43,159
Speaker 1: what a huge part of the Pacers culture TJ McConnell is,

437
00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:47,000
Speaker 1: even though he's playing limited minutes. So that's gonna be interesting.

438
00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:50,399
Speaker 1: It will be interesting to see what the PACER's willingness

439
00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:54,560
Speaker 1: is because that phone will probably still continue to ring

440
00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:58,320
Speaker 1: for TJ McConnell, not just from the Suns. I'm sure

441
00:26:58,359 --> 00:27:00,760
Speaker 1: there are other teams that would love to have him

442
00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:04,480
Speaker 1: for his ball handling and toughness. So I think you're

443
00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:08,680
Speaker 1: right there. I mean, look in the West, eleven teams

444
00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:12,040
Speaker 1: have kind of separated themselves from the bottom four. However,

445
00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:16,359
Speaker 1: it must be said that the Grizzlies have been winning

446
00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:18,840
Speaker 1: games since John Morant came back, so I'm not sure

447
00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:22,800
Speaker 1: that the Grizzlies agree with that statement. When Jaw came

448
00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:26,280
Speaker 1: back from suspension, my feeling was at six and nineteen

449
00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:31,520
Speaker 1: they were too far out of it to make a rally.

450
00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:36,840
Speaker 1: But they're four and one with Jaw, and you know,

451
00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:41,880
Speaker 1: the Grizzlies are as stubborn as it gets, I'm sure

452
00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:45,560
Speaker 1: they think they can still fight their way back into

453
00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:48,800
Speaker 1: play and range. They're five games out of the tenth

454
00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:51,720
Speaker 1: spot as we're recording this, So let's say let's say

455
00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:55,120
Speaker 1: that Memphis can, so that would basically give us twelve

456
00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:59,120
Speaker 1: out of fifteen teams in the West that are trying

457
00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:02,600
Speaker 1: to make the playoffs. I think obviously San Antonio and

458
00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:06,120
Speaker 1: Portland and Utah still would have their eye on the future.

459
00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:08,679
Speaker 1: The Jazz are still one of those teams that I

460
00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:12,159
Speaker 1: think most front offices around the league expect them to

461
00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:14,919
Speaker 1: be very active at the trade line in terms of

462
00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:19,280
Speaker 1: making their various veterans available. You've reported a lot about

463
00:28:19,359 --> 00:28:23,760
Speaker 1: Jordan Clarkson. I reported earlier this week about Boston having

464
00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:26,840
Speaker 1: interest in Kelly Olinck. It would be hard for the

465
00:28:26,880 --> 00:28:30,840
Speaker 1: Celtics to manufacture the contracts to get a Linic in

466
00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:33,359
Speaker 1: a trade, but you know they are monitoring it and

467
00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:35,760
Speaker 1: keeping an eye on it. And the Celtics obviously know

468
00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:38,800
Speaker 1: Alinic well and other teams need size, so there will

469
00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:41,480
Speaker 1: a link. There will be interest in Olinic. If you

470
00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:46,120
Speaker 1: were making a list of players most likely to be traded,

471
00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:48,960
Speaker 1: I think it's fair to say that Kelly Olinic would

472
00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:52,960
Speaker 1: likely be pretty high on that list. The Salt Lake

473
00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:57,880
Speaker 1: Tribune has reported Andy Larson has reported there that the

474
00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:02,480
Speaker 1: Jazz are already open to John Collins offers just a

475
00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:06,120
Speaker 1: few months after acquiring him. So the read on the

476
00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:09,560
Speaker 1: Jazz from other teams, I would say is expect them

477
00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:12,120
Speaker 1: to be active and expect them to make moves. But

478
00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:15,120
Speaker 1: you know, let's see if Memphis can keep climbing up

479
00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:18,080
Speaker 1: the ladder. But yeah, right now, I mean the Suns are,

480
00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:24,520
Speaker 1: you know, scuffling with the Rockets, the Lakers, the Warriors,

481
00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:27,440
Speaker 1: all these teams are in the five hundred range. And

482
00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:31,160
Speaker 1: it's interesting. I remember having a preseason conversation with Chris Finch,

483
00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:34,000
Speaker 1: the Wolves coach, and he said the West was going

484
00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:36,760
Speaker 1: to be like this this season, that all of these

485
00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:38,680
Speaker 1: teams were just going to beat each other up and

486
00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:40,520
Speaker 1: we were going to have a nut, you know. He

487
00:29:41,080 --> 00:29:44,280
Speaker 1: Chris Finch's forecast back in October was that we would

488
00:29:44,320 --> 00:29:47,920
Speaker 1: have another season like last season where it's super jumbled

489
00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:50,400
Speaker 1: up in the West. And that's exactly what's happening. And

490
00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:54,400
Speaker 1: ironically it's the Timberwolves, coach by Chris Finch, who have

491
00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:58,240
Speaker 1: the lead in the conference, ahead of the defending champions

492
00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:03,000
Speaker 1: from Denver, ahead of this very young and dangerous Oklahoma

493
00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:05,240
Speaker 1: City team. But yeah, you look up and down the

494
00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:08,920
Speaker 1: West and there is still a lot of parody. And

495
00:30:11,080 --> 00:30:14,320
Speaker 1: last season we only saw two teams in the West

496
00:30:14,520 --> 00:30:17,959
Speaker 1: win fifty games. Are we going to see more than

497
00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:22,600
Speaker 1: two or three in the West this season? Not based

498
00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:26,400
Speaker 1: on the paces that are being established here through the

499
00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:33,200
Speaker 1: first thirty games of the regular season. So as we

500
00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:36,920
Speaker 1: reach the end of the show, and as we reach

501
00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:40,680
Speaker 1: the end of this year, this calendar year of twenty

502
00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:44,320
Speaker 1: twenty three, let's shift gears a little bit and do

503
00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:47,720
Speaker 1: a little, just a little bit of year in review talk, Because,

504
00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:50,640
Speaker 1: like I said, we are recording this on Thursday night,

505
00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:55,080
Speaker 1: and the pod will drop Friday and Friday on my

506
00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:58,120
Speaker 1: sub stack. In print, I'm going to do a big

507
00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:02,160
Speaker 1: year in review package. Basically, I posed the question to

508
00:31:02,240 --> 00:31:07,240
Speaker 1: the readers, tell me what was your favorite professional basketball

509
00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:11,000
Speaker 1: moment anywhere in the world in twenty twenty three, And

510
00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:17,200
Speaker 1: I really got an awesome array of personal, detailed answer.

511
00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:19,160
Speaker 1: So I'm gonna run a bunch of these Friday on

512
00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:22,160
Speaker 1: my sub stack. But you know, I also compiled my

513
00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:25,360
Speaker 1: own list and look from a historical perspective, a lot

514
00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:30,520
Speaker 1: happened in twenty twenty three. Lebron James again, turning thirty nine. Saturday,

515
00:31:31,360 --> 00:31:35,120
Speaker 1: Lebron surpassed Kareem Abdul Jabbar as the NBA's all time

516
00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:39,320
Speaker 1: leading score. In twenty twenty three, Joe l Embiid won

517
00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:44,440
Speaker 1: his first MVP Trophy. Nikola Jokic led the Denver Nuggets

518
00:31:44,480 --> 00:31:50,200
Speaker 1: to their first NBA championship after forty seven seasons of

519
00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:55,560
Speaker 1: NBA existence for the Nuggets. Jimmy Butler took the Miami

520
00:31:55,680 --> 00:32:00,640
Speaker 1: Heat to the NBA Finals as an eighth seed. They

521
00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:06,560
Speaker 1: went on an incredible run. Don't think we'll soon forget Miami,

522
00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:12,480
Speaker 1: eliminating Milwaukee in five games in the first round. San

523
00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:17,040
Speaker 1: Antonio wins the draft lottery, wins the right to draft

524
00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:21,440
Speaker 1: Victor Webman. Yama Mac McClung wins the Dunk Contest on

525
00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:27,880
Speaker 1: a two way contract with Philly, resuscitating the Dunk Contest

526
00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:31,680
Speaker 1: a little more recently in season tournament, the first in

527
00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:35,520
Speaker 1: NBA history. I just saw Mark Cuban do something I

528
00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:39,480
Speaker 1: never expected by selling a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks.

529
00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:43,120
Speaker 1: How we started this show talking about the Pistons and

530
00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:47,000
Speaker 1: a twenty eight game losing streak. I mean, there's a

531
00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:51,600
Speaker 1: bazillion things that happened in twenty twenty three. That's only

532
00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:55,440
Speaker 1: the partial list. But I'm now going to put you

533
00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,040
Speaker 1: on the spot, Chris Haynes, and I'd like you to

534
00:32:58,080 --> 00:33:03,680
Speaker 1: share your favorite moment from twenty twenty three professional basketball.

535
00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:09,800
Speaker 1: So none of your weekend rec league exploits count. You can't,

536
00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:13,440
Speaker 1: you can't. I don't want to hear about thirty and

537
00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:16,440
Speaker 1: ten or twenty seven and ten or whatever it is.

538
00:33:18,160 --> 00:33:23,400
Speaker 2: Those numbers do sound awfully familiar. I will say, I'm

539
00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:25,680
Speaker 2: trying to think what stands out for me on the

540
00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:29,320
Speaker 2: basketball court. Talking NBA right now, I will.

541
00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:31,840
Speaker 1: Probably, like I said, it could be you know, you

542
00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:35,640
Speaker 1: could go for the World Cup, WNBA, anything you want, anything,

543
00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:37,600
Speaker 1: just as long as it's professional basketball.

544
00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:46,560
Speaker 2: I think finally seeing Dang tradeed you know, that was

545
00:33:46,560 --> 00:33:50,440
Speaker 2: something that a lot of people never saw coming. He

546
00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:55,320
Speaker 2: was always somebody that was against moving. But finally seeing

547
00:33:55,400 --> 00:34:02,280
Speaker 2: him like at his win and requesting the trade through.

548
00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:06,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, Look, there were some There were a lot of

549
00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:10,440
Speaker 1: trades in twenty twenty three. We saw Kyrie Irving and

550
00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:14,120
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant traded in a span of just a few days.

551
00:34:14,200 --> 00:34:18,000
Speaker 1: Both traded out of Brooklyn Bradley Beal and Dame in

552
00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:20,880
Speaker 1: the summer. And it's great that you brought that trade

553
00:34:20,960 --> 00:34:26,280
Speaker 1: up because that one absolutely shook the league. Seeing game

554
00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:30,360
Speaker 1: finally moved out of Portland, it led to yannas Antitokumpo's

555
00:34:30,400 --> 00:34:35,600
Speaker 1: contract extension. It led to janas Antitokumpo's contract extension. In

556
00:34:35,640 --> 00:34:39,640
Speaker 1: that trade, the Bucks were forced to give up Drew Holliday,

557
00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:42,200
Speaker 1: who ends up in Boston. But the reason I'm so

558
00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:46,520
Speaker 1: glad you brought it up is one of my readers

559
00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:52,200
Speaker 1: from Portland wrote an incredible story about Dame in this

560
00:34:52,320 --> 00:34:57,239
Speaker 1: piece that I'm publishing later Friday, just about what it's

561
00:34:57,400 --> 00:35:00,840
Speaker 1: like to be a Blazer fan and to see him traded.

562
00:35:00,920 --> 00:35:04,560
Speaker 1: But also he talks he has an amazing story from

563
00:35:04,719 --> 00:35:08,920
Speaker 1: dame seventy one point game. And so that's all I'm

564
00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:11,440
Speaker 1: gonna say. I hope you read it, you especially I

565
00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:13,200
Speaker 1: hope you read it because it was it was a

566
00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:16,360
Speaker 1: really interesting fan perspective. And you know, he watched that

567
00:35:16,480 --> 00:35:19,040
Speaker 1: seventy one point game in a way that neither you

568
00:35:19,120 --> 00:35:22,799
Speaker 1: nor I can. So I'm gonna suggest to you now

569
00:35:22,840 --> 00:35:24,960
Speaker 1: to keep an eye out for that later Friday.

570
00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:27,160
Speaker 2: That'd be cool. I'll definitely check that out. Do you

571
00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:31,160
Speaker 2: remember what you were doing and not he hit seventy

572
00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:32,080
Speaker 2: one stunt.

573
00:35:33,360 --> 00:35:36,720
Speaker 1: With my stupid memory, I'm sure I should, Yes, you should.

574
00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:39,680
Speaker 1: What do we call him? I don't remember.

575
00:35:40,280 --> 00:35:45,880
Speaker 2: We got Chancy on right after the game's ride on

576
00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:47,040
Speaker 2: his drive home.

577
00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:48,759
Speaker 1: I can't remember anything, man.

578
00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:52,200
Speaker 2: I was actually given we were given play by play

579
00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:54,560
Speaker 2: during that game. I was like, starn, stop it, you

580
00:35:54,600 --> 00:35:56,839
Speaker 2: know you were talking about like star stopping he got

581
00:35:56,920 --> 00:35:59,359
Speaker 2: sixty five and just he just scored three sixty eight.

582
00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:03,359
Speaker 1: Well, and actually now you're you know you also? I mean,

583
00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:08,680
Speaker 1: I'm glad that you brought that up too, because two

584
00:36:08,960 --> 00:36:13,400
Speaker 1: major highlights for me in twenty twenty three was the

585
00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:16,360
Speaker 1: founding of this podcast, something you and I talked about

586
00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:20,279
Speaker 1: for years, and it finally debuted in late January of

587
00:36:20,360 --> 00:36:23,400
Speaker 1: twenty twenty three, And so we're nearing our one year

588
00:36:23,440 --> 00:36:27,200
Speaker 1: anniversary next month, but twenty twenty three will be remembered

589
00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:32,000
Speaker 1: as the year that this podcast launched. And I got

590
00:36:32,080 --> 00:36:35,640
Speaker 1: to start a weekend radio show in Dallas on the NBA,

591
00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:40,920
Speaker 1: the Saturday Steinline, and that that leads to something that

592
00:36:41,719 --> 00:36:44,880
Speaker 1: for me, I'm I put this up there with anything

593
00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:48,840
Speaker 1: that happened in twenty twenty three, even though it's silly

594
00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:51,680
Speaker 1: in a lot of ways, and it's it's a completely

595
00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:56,759
Speaker 1: one hundred percent personal thing. It wouldn't impact anybody else

596
00:36:56,880 --> 00:37:01,800
Speaker 1: this way, but an absolute ops shelf highlight for me.

597
00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:08,400
Speaker 1: In twenty twenty three October, getting to interview George Gervin

598
00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:12,800
Speaker 1: on my weekend radio show about his new book, and

599
00:37:13,080 --> 00:37:18,160
Speaker 1: just to be able to visit with the iceman with

600
00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:22,920
Speaker 1: microphones and everything in a studio and talk to him like,

601
00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:26,399
Speaker 1: I just think of nine year old me. What would

602
00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:28,759
Speaker 1: nine year old me have said if somebody would have

603
00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:32,600
Speaker 1: told little Mark Stein in forty something years that guy

604
00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:35,319
Speaker 1: who's basketball card you love so much, you're gonna actually

605
00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:37,960
Speaker 1: get to talk to him on your own radio show,

606
00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:39,520
Speaker 1: that's dope.

607
00:37:40,080 --> 00:37:40,360
Speaker 3: It was?

608
00:37:41,239 --> 00:37:44,440
Speaker 1: It really like, you know what a nostalgic sap I

609
00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:47,200
Speaker 1: am when stuff like that happens and I can't help it.

610
00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:51,400
Speaker 2: No, that's dope, I would say, how can I? I

611
00:37:51,440 --> 00:37:53,799
Speaker 2: don't know if I could match that. But I had

612
00:37:53,920 --> 00:37:56,520
Speaker 2: never met pat Riley before, I believe it or not,

613
00:37:56,880 --> 00:38:01,479
Speaker 2: So thirteen fourteen years in't I've never met Pat Riley

614
00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:05,680
Speaker 2: until Miami's playoff run and I was doing one of theirs,

615
00:38:06,040 --> 00:38:10,920
Speaker 2: one of their games, and Pat saw me before the

616
00:38:11,040 --> 00:38:16,400
Speaker 2: game and back near the locker room. He stopped me

617
00:38:17,480 --> 00:38:19,000
Speaker 2: and he was like, hey, Chris, I just want let

618
00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:21,920
Speaker 2: you know, man, I love the job you do. I've

619
00:38:21,960 --> 00:38:23,960
Speaker 2: been watching you for a while. Man, keep doing what

620
00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:28,640
Speaker 2: you're doing. I was like, Wow, that's pat Riley right there. Wow.

621
00:38:29,600 --> 00:38:32,520
Speaker 1: So was that the game? By chance you wore the

622
00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:33,080
Speaker 1: white suit?

623
00:38:34,120 --> 00:38:36,040
Speaker 2: It might have been. It might have been because I

624
00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:37,359
Speaker 2: don't think I did too many.

625
00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:41,680
Speaker 1: Because somehow that picture, somehow that and somehow, in my

626
00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:44,719
Speaker 1: review of twenty twenty three, I was looking back through

627
00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:47,880
Speaker 1: some old stories and some old notes, and somehow I

628
00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:50,959
Speaker 1: came across the picture of you in the white suit

629
00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:51,879
Speaker 1: on South Beach.

630
00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:54,880
Speaker 2: You know, I start to feel myself in Miami. You know,

631
00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:57,279
Speaker 2: you could just wear things, You could wear colors in

632
00:38:57,320 --> 00:39:00,560
Speaker 2: Miami that you wouldn't wear any other place, and you

633
00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:02,880
Speaker 2: can get away with it. And so Miami I always

634
00:39:02,920 --> 00:39:04,080
Speaker 2: feel like home when I'm there.

635
00:39:04,400 --> 00:39:06,000
Speaker 1: Have you ever worn the white suit?

636
00:39:07,719 --> 00:39:10,000
Speaker 2: No? Where can I wear it. I can't wear it

637
00:39:10,040 --> 00:39:15,719
Speaker 2: in Denver, La. Maybe, but no, you could only wear

638
00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:20,840
Speaker 2: something like that in Miami, bright colors, white like pink.

639
00:39:21,280 --> 00:39:24,560
Speaker 2: I wore a pick suit in Miami. Can't do that

640
00:39:24,640 --> 00:39:28,040
Speaker 2: anywhere else. You can't. You won't get that pass.

641
00:39:29,719 --> 00:39:32,759
Speaker 1: If I know you just did your family pictures, you

642
00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:34,360
Speaker 1: couldn't have worn it to the family picture.

643
00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:42,120
Speaker 2: If it was Valentine's Day, maybe pig suit Valentine's there Easter,

644
00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:46,759
Speaker 2: pick suit white Valentine's there Easter. But aside from that, no,

645
00:39:47,560 --> 00:39:49,800
Speaker 2: I went we were all black this time. You know,

646
00:39:49,840 --> 00:39:52,320
Speaker 2: I have my black suit on, They had black dresses on.

647
00:39:52,680 --> 00:39:55,480
Speaker 2: You know, we were good looking good. But no, I mean,

648
00:39:55,680 --> 00:39:58,120
Speaker 2: Stein is just you know, if I try to pull

649
00:39:58,200 --> 00:40:01,000
Speaker 2: something like that off in La bron A, d is

650
00:40:01,040 --> 00:40:01,680
Speaker 2: going to get on me.

651
00:40:01,840 --> 00:40:05,320
Speaker 1: I was literally gonna ask, Yeah, those guys.

652
00:40:05,600 --> 00:40:08,000
Speaker 2: For sure, they're gonna they're gonna get on me. That

653
00:40:08,080 --> 00:40:10,960
Speaker 2: boy thinky in Miami, which what game you think you covered?

654
00:40:11,120 --> 00:40:12,040
Speaker 2: They say something like that.

655
00:40:12,640 --> 00:40:14,280
Speaker 1: So none of the heat guys said anything.

656
00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:18,640
Speaker 2: No, no, no, oh, well Haslem Hazl did. He was like, oh,

657
00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:21,600
Speaker 2: I know you glad to be here. Huh. Look he

658
00:40:21,680 --> 00:40:25,239
Speaker 2: looked he died this man the og right there. No,

659
00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:28,160
Speaker 2: he looked at my suit immediately said that it's like, oh,

660
00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:31,000
Speaker 2: I see you happy to be here, but uh no,

661
00:40:31,800 --> 00:40:33,839
Speaker 2: there's there's no place like Man. You can just get

662
00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:36,160
Speaker 2: away with certain outfits and colors that you couldn't get

663
00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:37,399
Speaker 2: away with anywhere else.

664
00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:40,839
Speaker 1: All Right, I think we're gonna leave it there.

665
00:40:41,160 --> 00:40:43,680
Speaker 2: We will say we'll leave it there, Star, hold on,

666
00:40:44,239 --> 00:40:47,719
Speaker 2: I have It's not a resolution, but there's one thing

667
00:40:47,880 --> 00:40:51,719
Speaker 2: I want to see in twenty twenty four. Okay, since

668
00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:52,520
Speaker 2: is the last part.

669
00:40:52,840 --> 00:40:55,680
Speaker 1: You've already issued a guarantee. Now let's add a resolution.

670
00:40:56,640 --> 00:40:58,640
Speaker 2: I wouldn't call it a resolution. This is something I

671
00:40:58,880 --> 00:40:59,680
Speaker 2: want to see.

672
00:40:59,800 --> 00:41:02,480
Speaker 1: This is your post Christmas wish list. Go ahead.

673
00:41:02,960 --> 00:41:06,920
Speaker 2: So you know, Stein, when we're doing this podcast, we

674
00:41:07,080 --> 00:41:09,279
Speaker 2: tend to make mistakes or then sometimes we have to

675
00:41:09,320 --> 00:41:11,879
Speaker 2: look up a stat and so we'll pause the pod

676
00:41:12,360 --> 00:41:14,439
Speaker 2: and producer Ryan will have to do what he does

677
00:41:14,560 --> 00:41:17,879
Speaker 2: and fix it and make it look clean. But as

678
00:41:17,960 --> 00:41:22,040
Speaker 2: you know, Stein, producer Ryan, when we start our pod,

679
00:41:22,280 --> 00:41:26,879
Speaker 2: Producer Ryan, he blacks out his video. Well we can't

680
00:41:26,920 --> 00:41:31,640
Speaker 2: see him, so all throughout the podcast, we don't know

681
00:41:31,920 --> 00:41:35,520
Speaker 2: how he's looking, We don't know his facial expressions, we

682
00:41:35,600 --> 00:41:37,720
Speaker 2: don't know if he's getting fed up with us because

683
00:41:37,719 --> 00:41:41,920
Speaker 2: he blacks out his screen Stein for one show next year,

684
00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:46,120
Speaker 2: I won't Producer Ryan to have his video up the

685
00:41:46,239 --> 00:41:49,000
Speaker 2: whole time. How about that, Stele? What do you think,

686
00:41:49,040 --> 00:41:50,520
Speaker 2: Stean or you don't want to see it?

687
00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:53,439
Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't I actually don't know why

688
00:41:54,440 --> 00:41:56,399
Speaker 1: we can't just see him the whole time. Anyway. I'm

689
00:41:56,400 --> 00:41:58,480
Speaker 1: sure there's some sort of technical reason.

690
00:41:59,400 --> 00:42:01,960
Speaker 2: I think he's not there. I think he actually leaves

691
00:42:02,520 --> 00:42:05,400
Speaker 2: and goes to tend to his wife and he's listening

692
00:42:05,520 --> 00:42:08,160
Speaker 2: like I think he's listening within a you know, within

693
00:42:08,239 --> 00:42:10,680
Speaker 2: a ten foot radius. That's why I envision.

694
00:42:11,160 --> 00:42:13,400
Speaker 1: Do you want to explain yourself, Producer Ryan.

695
00:42:13,600 --> 00:42:16,040
Speaker 2: Producer Ryane, what do you do? Are you? Are you

696
00:42:16,160 --> 00:42:19,200
Speaker 2: actually sitting at this chair, at this desk the whole time?

697
00:42:19,400 --> 00:42:23,960
Speaker 1: Of course? Are you just throwing things because we're you got?

698
00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:25,840
Speaker 3: You guys are too much? All I gotta say is,

699
00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:28,320
Speaker 3: if that's the only thing you're hoping for in twenty.

700
00:42:29,520 --> 00:42:32,839
Speaker 1: That is the saddest wish list in podcast. You gotta

701
00:42:32,920 --> 00:42:33,879
Speaker 1: really love farm.

702
00:42:34,080 --> 00:42:36,680
Speaker 2: I've always wondered, I'm like, want a producer, Ryan. I

703
00:42:36,800 --> 00:42:39,439
Speaker 2: wonder how this face is he turning red down? Because

704
00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:41,919
Speaker 2: this is the tip time we to stop the pod

705
00:42:42,360 --> 00:42:44,960
Speaker 2: for a phone call, to look up a stat.

706
00:42:44,960 --> 00:42:46,920
Speaker 1: To get a pizza, because someone's at the door with

707
00:42:47,080 --> 00:42:47,560
Speaker 1: a pizza.

708
00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:51,520
Speaker 2: We got, like producer rytal got things to do?

709
00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:54,680
Speaker 1: Was that a contender for best moment in Professional Basketball

710
00:42:54,719 --> 00:42:57,839
Speaker 1: in twenty twenty three when in one of those early

711
00:42:57,960 --> 00:42:59,920
Speaker 1: pods the doorbell rang and you had to go get the.

712
00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:05,160
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, that's good. I wasn't that. That was my bad.

713
00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:07,759
Speaker 2: I wouldn't used to pot and at that time of night,

714
00:43:07,800 --> 00:43:09,840
Speaker 2: that's time I usually eat at that time. But I

715
00:43:09,920 --> 00:43:12,600
Speaker 2: got together. We haven't had any any of those issues,

716
00:43:12,840 --> 00:43:15,200
Speaker 2: you know, moving forward. But that's just one of that's true.

717
00:43:15,239 --> 00:43:17,160
Speaker 2: That's what I want to see. I want to see

718
00:43:17,239 --> 00:43:22,320
Speaker 2: Producer Ryan the whole show, the whole show.

719
00:43:22,600 --> 00:43:25,560
Speaker 3: Asking ye shall receive. The only reason I do it

720
00:43:25,800 --> 00:43:28,759
Speaker 3: is because the podcast is about the two of you

721
00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:32,080
Speaker 3: guys having great NBA conversations. You don't need to see

722
00:43:32,160 --> 00:43:35,759
Speaker 3: me over here fiddling around taking notes, listening along. But

723
00:43:36,360 --> 00:43:38,560
Speaker 3: if you think it'll help you and make the show better,

724
00:43:39,400 --> 00:43:40,399
Speaker 3: you got it, my friend.

725
00:43:40,840 --> 00:43:42,520
Speaker 2: It has nothing to do with making the show better.

726
00:43:42,600 --> 00:43:44,320
Speaker 2: I just want to see you every time we have

727
00:43:44,400 --> 00:43:46,240
Speaker 2: to stop the poe, I want to see your reaction.

728
00:43:46,320 --> 00:43:49,480
Speaker 2: I want to see if you're like damn again, like god,

729
00:43:49,680 --> 00:43:52,839
Speaker 2: stop it, leave me alone, Just talk and get through

730
00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:55,879
Speaker 2: with the pod. That's all. That's all all good.

731
00:43:56,440 --> 00:43:59,239
Speaker 3: Consider it done. At least one time. I can make

732
00:43:59,320 --> 00:44:00,879
Speaker 3: that happen for you. Twenty twenty four.

733
00:44:01,840 --> 00:44:05,200
Speaker 1: All right. Hopefully we are gonna promise something a little

734
00:44:05,280 --> 00:44:08,560
Speaker 1: more exciting than that in the new year. But for

735
00:44:08,760 --> 00:44:13,680
Speaker 1: now we are gonna sign off this League Uncut, putting

736
00:44:13,760 --> 00:44:17,319
Speaker 1: twenty twenty three in the books. Hope everybody out there

737
00:44:17,560 --> 00:44:21,760
Speaker 1: is having a great holiday season. We will be back

738
00:44:22,320 --> 00:44:25,640
Speaker 1: together again next week. The next time we do this,

739
00:44:26,360 --> 00:44:31,160
Speaker 1: the calendar will indeed have flipped to twenty twenty four,

740
00:44:31,920 --> 00:44:36,319
Speaker 1: and we'll be moving into really the six week run

741
00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:40,040
Speaker 1: up to the NBA trade deadline on February eighth, So

742
00:44:40,920 --> 00:44:43,920
Speaker 1: lots of good stuff to come here next year. We

743
00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:48,160
Speaker 1: can say it next year on this League Uncut. Please

744
00:44:48,239 --> 00:44:52,960
Speaker 1: remember to rate, review, and subscribe to the pod at

745
00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:58,560
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your pods from. Chris

746
00:44:59,360 --> 00:45:04,600
Speaker 1: from Rye and I Happy New Year. Will be back

747
00:45:04,640 --> 00:45:09,840
Speaker 1: with you again very very soon, and that'll do it

748
00:45:09,920 --> 00:45:13,799
Speaker 1: for us. See you next time, This League un Cutter

749
00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:20,720
Speaker 1: is an iHeartRadio production. Put a lock Up Chris Hanes

750
00:45:20,920 --> 00:45:21,800
Speaker 1: and Mark Stein