[SPEAKER_01]: Now, playing, open, floor.
[SPEAKER_03]: This is open floor.
[SPEAKER_03]: Sports Illustrated's Chris Manix back at an LIA podcast with Sports Illustrated Senior Writer.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's time that the world gets to know.
[SPEAKER_01]: My guy, Chris Manix.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think your opinion's shared by everyone.
[SPEAKER_03]: And now it begins.
[SPEAKER_03]: Now it begins.
[SPEAKER_04]: Rachel Nichols, I was saying this to somebody earlier today.
[SPEAKER_04]: I began my NDA reporting career, just as the spurs were becoming ascendant during the Tim Duncan manager-nobly Tony Parker era.
[SPEAKER_04]: And now it feels like we're right back to that where it's, we have an ascendant San Antonio spurs team that is going to make sure that for the majority of tunes we are in San Antonio year after year.
[SPEAKER_04]: Do you get that vibe as well being back here on the riverwalk?
[SPEAKER_00]: I do.
[SPEAKER_00]: I remember the series sort of span you're talking about.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'd much rather be going back and forth between here in New York City and here and it wasn't even Detroit back then.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was like the wilds of Michigan, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: I guess I didn't realize this.
[SPEAKER_00]: I predate you and spurs dynasties because I covered the David Robinson Tim Duncan teams.
[SPEAKER_00]: And certainly, when we talk about the last time the next one in the final,
[SPEAKER_00]: I was already covering the NBA then.
[SPEAKER_00]: Didn't dose a well for this.
[SPEAKER_00]: That next team, but should be better for this next team.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, officially a rematch of the 1999 NBA finals, of course, a lot has changed since then.
[SPEAKER_04]: We're going to pack a lot of that.
[SPEAKER_04]: We both just came from good old media.
[SPEAKER_04]: We're here in San Antonio.
[SPEAKER_04]: In San Antonio, at media day on Tuesday.
[SPEAKER_04]: I don't know what to take away for media days, it's very manicured.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's very used to be a little bit more like a good thing to see guys were hanging out.
[SPEAKER_04]: There was sit in the stands.
[SPEAKER_04]: Some of them you'd have a decent conversation.
[SPEAKER_04]: Maybe pick up a little bit of a nugget.
[SPEAKER_04]: Now they don't even have podiums on the floor.
[SPEAKER_04]: Not that they were any great shakes because a lot of times it was just a bunch of cameras taken up a lot of space, but it at least created a little bit.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a lot more buckled down there.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, it's more structured than you, which has some upsides.
[SPEAKER_04]: Good to get guys in a room sitting down, but as you well know, like you're far less likely to get a guy to say anything when he's sitting on a dance, addressing a room full of reporters with cameras.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_04]: It's just a little bit more difficult.
[SPEAKER_04]: But we did have media day today, anything interesting, come out of it for you.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, just that this seems very much to be anyone's finals, and you felt that on media day.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's so many media days we do for these finals, where there's somewhat heavy favorite.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so a lot of the questions are, you know, on either side of that coin, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: What's it like for the more favorite team?
[SPEAKER_00]: G, less favorite team?
[SPEAKER_00]: You scrappy folks?
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you think that you can?
[SPEAKER_00]: Why do you think you can?
[SPEAKER_00]: That sort of thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: There wasn't that vibe on either side today.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, again, you bring up the next spurs final that this is a rematch of in
[SPEAKER_00]: Patrick Ewing, the next best player was hurt, wasn't even playing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Charlie Ward, who was a high-spin quarterback in college, was playing their point-guard position.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it was a real, real uneven sort of situation.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was an eight-seed going against, I think, a one-seed, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: This feels to me, as they were not supposed to make prediction, because it feels to me like this is an unpredictable series until we see what the next look like in game.
[SPEAKER_04]: a little bit, but I do think we're, and I say we in the broader sense, be a little bit prisons of the moment where we look at the nicks and they haven't lost in like a month they've won 10 straight games, they blew out the last two teams that they played in four game sweeps and we look at San Antonio and the effort it took for the spurs to win against Oklahoma City.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think
[SPEAKER_04]: I think we have to remember that coming into this playoffs every last one of us said that the western conference was miles better than the eastern conference and the teams that the spurs went through Minnesota which was banged up a little bit but still Minnesota still at Anthony Edwards still was a good team then Oklahoma City the defending champs like going through Oklahoma City in seven games like
[SPEAKER_04]: It's tough.
[SPEAKER_04]: It's a lot tougher than playing a Philadelphia team that was just kind of spinning its wheels after it beat Boston and playing a definitely flawed Cleveland team.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like, is there any doubt in your mind that if San Antonio had the schedule that the New York Nick's had in the Eastern Conference that they would have had the exact same result or better?
[SPEAKER_00]: But that's why I said, until the next play in game one, I know who the spurs are.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know who the spurs team is.
[SPEAKER_00]: I need to see how the next playing game one to know who this next team is.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because they could be either way.
[SPEAKER_00]: They could be the team that just kind of not, not lucky.
[SPEAKER_00]: Obviously, they earned their spot here.
[SPEAKER_00]: But who played a much weaker level of competition?
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sorry, that Cavaliers team beat itself six ways from Sunday.
[SPEAKER_00]: I still think the next would have won the series, but I think would have been a much different series if the caps have played differently.
[SPEAKER_00]: Or been a different team, or possibly had a different coach who didn't.
[SPEAKER_00]: Miss understand how timeouts work.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's just a lot of things along this run on the other hand Look, they're playing great.
[SPEAKER_00]: They have you know, this team was built in a really smart way It was you know oddly enough built to be the Boston Celtics and they got here without even having to play them But you know, they have depth in the right places the way they're playing through Carl Anthony towns now really since game four of the first round
[SPEAKER_00]: where everybody gets to touch the ball, everyone's so much more involved defensively because they don't feel like they've been just standing around.
[SPEAKER_00]: Carl's more involved defensively, which is what you need.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know how the Metravencine situation is going to affect the next or whether he's going to play.
[SPEAKER_00]: So until I see are the next the team that is playing really cohesive and great and has a great locker room core of guys who've loved each other for a decade, or are they a team that just sort of didn't face much of anyone and been off for eight days?
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I know that I think there's anything.
[SPEAKER_04]: I don't know if those two things to me are mutually exclusive, but I think they can be a really good team, but just be overmatched by a potentially great team.
[SPEAKER_00]: So you think it's still pretty going to be pretty clearly.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think they want to get a couple of games, but I think it's a six game series for San Antonio.
[SPEAKER_04]: And I feel pretty confident in that.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think I picked them on SI, picking the win six, but I said it could very easily be five.
[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think in game one, and we get a little ahead of ourselves here, but I think in game one, the fact that the spurs played four days ago when it happens on the day is going to work to their advantage.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think they're going to be a lot sharper.
[SPEAKER_04]: And we saw the last time the nicks had eight days off what happened in game one.
[SPEAKER_04]: They got lucky against the calves.
[SPEAKER_04]: They made a huge incredible comeback that's not going to happen against San Antonio.
[SPEAKER_04]: San Antonio is up 22 points with under seven minutes to go.
[SPEAKER_04]: They're going to win that game.
[SPEAKER_04]: I know that sounds like a scolding hot
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, we start with the rocket's div with the lakers.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, there's been a lot of smurf.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's been a lot of joke jokes.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the same Antonio's first or not, one of those teams.
[SPEAKER_04]: I feel pretty good.
[SPEAKER_04]: A victim webinar team is not blowing that type of lead.
[SPEAKER_04]: So I like the spurs a lot.
[SPEAKER_04]: The only question we had about them coming into the post season was, are they too young?
[SPEAKER_04]: Are they too inexperienced?
[SPEAKER_04]: Is this the year they need to take their lumps?
[SPEAKER_04]: I think we're past that.
[SPEAKER_00]: The only thing I would say about that is that the whole taking your lumps thing, I think, is a little bit overrated and then be a Lord to begin with, and be that they have absolutely passed any of those questions.
[SPEAKER_00]: However, in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, where, you know, it was just sort of how did the Spurs fall apart?
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, it was at least supposed to be more competitive, no matter who won that kind of thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: I saw a young team panic in the fourth quarter.
[SPEAKER_00]: They were close enough in the fort going into the fourth quarter where they could have made a run and instead it was, you know, check the ball at the basket, three seconds into the shot clock, like no ball movement, no setting up even for the best shot, that panic.
[SPEAKER_00]: We see from young teams when they're trying to score 10 points and one basket and with one ball and a loud arena and craziness and they weren't really put in that situation again.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, I need to see when they're in that situation again, can they react more in a grown-up and mature.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think they were in that situation in game 7.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like you've never got that close, but it did get close at times, like, that's it.
[SPEAKER_00]: It did.
[SPEAKER_00]: And look, you know, maybe they didn't get into that situation because they didn't let themselves.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, but look.
[SPEAKER_00]: MSG is MSG, and there is a reason why it is, you know, 20 years, 40 years, 60 years, 80 years in the Mecca of basketball, whether it's in one part of the city or they move into another part of the city, it's just a different place to play.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'd like to see it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'd like to see it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And once they can do that kind of thing, I, man, sky feels like the limit for this day.
[SPEAKER_04]: By the way, Frostbank is at Center Arena for
[SPEAKER_04]: there's going to be a lot of nicks fans in that building like I know some of them that traveling down and right now They're having a hard time buying tickets because you have to I guess use a credit card That is listed as within 125 miles because it's yours I have told season tickets.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, they have that if we see and they have the data to see this.
[SPEAKER_04]: What do you think of that?
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_04]: So I finish your point.
[SPEAKER_04]: I know.
[SPEAKER_04]: I'm going to hit her.
[SPEAKER_00]: They see the ticket data on resale sites because these resale sites are now tagged and it's not like the guy in the corner reselling you tickets.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's all of the official sites.
[SPEAKER_00]: So they see and if you as a spurs ticket holder sell your tickets to someone from outside of the San Antonio greater area, you immediately have your tickets revoked.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you cannot sign up again for season tickets.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think, you know what?
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm good with it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll tell you what.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am.
[SPEAKER_00]: Here's why.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because New York City is eight million people.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is the largest city in the country.
[SPEAKER_00]: By definition, an MBA arena is only so big.
[SPEAKER_00]: So tickets to see their team play at home are so limited.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's the richest city in America and it's the biggest city in America.
[SPEAKER_00]: So the get-in price in New York is so high because it's literally the highest scarcity and the most expensive.
[SPEAKER_00]: That means it is cheaper, not just to buy a ticket here in San Antonio, but to buy a plane ticket to San Antonio, pay for two nights of hotel in San Antonio, buy tickets in San Antonio and get yourself some next souvenirs too while you're at it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's just not fair to the other cities.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not fair to the other cities.
[SPEAKER_00]: That there's eight million people in that city trying to buy tickets and San Antonio was only what less than two million, I think.
[SPEAKER_04]: Something like that.
[SPEAKER_04]: You know, it's certainly small.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so I just, you know, look, it is what it is.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's actually nice.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think home court advantage is a nice thing.
[SPEAKER_04]: what you you live in you and I both lived in New York for decades right and in Boston before that but like I think it's kind of lame and it's not just I'm not limiting it to the spurs the six years tried to do something like that the Cavaliers tried to do something like that like Nick fans and I say this in the most complementary way possible they're like an infection like once they get in they're in like they're kind of like just like burrowing in
[SPEAKER_00]: shouldn't it be that the teams who've spent all year building up the home court experience get to have it for the NBA finals just because they happen to be playing don't you feel like the more you try to block it the more they're going to do they're going to create a play I know at least one one very good friend of mine is an
[SPEAKER_04]: who is flying down without tickets and is gonna find a way to get tickets.
[SPEAKER_04]: If he has to walk up to somebody in the area and say, I will give you like an extra hundred bucks to charge this on your credit cards.
[SPEAKER_04]: That's listed in San Antonio.
[SPEAKER_04]: They are going to do it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Dude, it's been eight days.
[SPEAKER_00]: You could have bought a credit card.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you could have established residency and gotten a credit card.
[SPEAKER_00]: You could have done that.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, look, yes, there are people who are gonna do that and we will see Nick's fans in the building.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I appreciate that this browser at least trying to preserve something for their fans, for their players.
[SPEAKER_00]: And like just the numbers and the numbers, like if we let nicks and to a degree Celtics or Lakers fans or whoever it is from these huge cities where the numbers just the numbers game isn't fair to cities like San Antonio or any of the, you know, I mean it's it's cheaper for a nicks fan to fly to San Antonio.
[SPEAKER_00]: to get it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not just the plug-in.
[SPEAKER_04]: Not just the plug-in.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not just the plug-in.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not
[SPEAKER_04]: That's crazy.
[SPEAKER_04]: I've seen some of those seats, some of them are up in the the upper level media section and it's obstructed view But you're basically watching on a monitor up there that that that level and they do have monitors for the fans.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know which is great But what do you pay in that which money they get to the end building you're in the building people do it again people will do it and that is why the spurs are trying to preserve something
[SPEAKER_00]: I applaud it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think every team should have be able to have its own home court.
[SPEAKER_04]: I just don't think it's going to work.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think again, they're like an infection.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like they will find their way in and they will borrow down and they will establish roots and they will just resume to see.
[SPEAKER_04]: And then as if they start to win, like if they win game ones, the number of fans at the game two are going to multiply by like a third.
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[SPEAKER_04]: All right, let's talk about kind of some of the questions that we have going into this.
[SPEAKER_04]: Some of it came out of media day.
[SPEAKER_04]: The biggest one is Mitchell Robbins, who was a big part of what the next did in the conference playoffs.
[SPEAKER_04]: He has a broken hand.
[SPEAKER_04]: I don't know, I keep hearing Pinky.
[SPEAKER_04]: I'm not sure I'm buying Pinky.
[SPEAKER_04]: Really?
[SPEAKER_04]: I know.
[SPEAKER_04]: I'm not.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think it's more... What's making you dubious?
[SPEAKER_04]: Some of the wrapping...
[SPEAKER_00]: Some of the wrapping...
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you think an MBA could be a team in general with lie about an injury going into the form?
[SPEAKER_04]: It's more significant than just to me, my guess is more, it's just a guess.
[SPEAKER_04]: My guess is more significant than just a broken pick.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think there's something substantial there that he's dealing with.
[SPEAKER_00]: Broken pick he doesn't tend to be surgery, although I guess the ligament can.
[SPEAKER_04]: Can do a lot of different things.
[SPEAKER_04]: We're not medical experts, of course, here on the show.
[SPEAKER_04]: But if they're talking, if they're talking about, it's if he for him to play and if he does play, I think it's a gamemanship or no.
[SPEAKER_04]: Well, I know.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think like I saw ESPN reporting that if he does play, he's going to have a pretty bulky brace on that hand.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like again, that doesn't stream broken pinky.
[SPEAKER_00]: back the ball.
[SPEAKER_04]: I guess.
[SPEAKER_00]: If your Mitchell Robinson, I look this up when they played in the NBA Cup Championship against the spurs, he only played for 18 minutes, but he had 15 rebounds, he had 18 minutes, two blocks, you know, that's what they need him for obviously.
[SPEAKER_04]: They need him on that back lawn.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you can do all of that with a raptor.
[SPEAKER_04]: That's why the whole, if you get flattered, like when, when did they start following this guy?
[SPEAKER_04]: Like, you're going to, you're going to really can't.
[SPEAKER_00]: But is his free throw shooting numbers going to go down?
[SPEAKER_04]: Well, they're not going to go up, so I mean, that is, I would expect the spurs to do hack a Mitch every chance they get with him at the game.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, I mean, obviously regardless of how much he can play and how he can play and I do actually still think that he will be able to do some of the things that he can do for them.
[SPEAKER_00]: It will be less than if he wasn't hurt.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm curious about what the injury was that was very weird that there was a incident in game four against the Cavaliers.
[SPEAKER_00]: that definitely could have been a hand injury to Mitchell Robinson.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you look at the video, there was a bunch of traffic there, he was down on the ground.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's certainly if someone said, that's when he broke his pinky.
[SPEAKER_00]: Nobody would have questioned him.
[SPEAKER_00]: In fact, I believe a teammate reached down to pull him up off the floor and he jerked his hand back and went with the other hand instead and everyone was like, oh, okay, that's when he did it.
[SPEAKER_00]: So
[SPEAKER_00]: everybody and there was no a man had a visual Robinson break his pinky there was an explanation just sitting there I thought it was interesting that the next they didn't take it.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're like it was a non-basketball injury They didn't have to announce that home.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, this right they didn't have to announce
[SPEAKER_04]: This is what I'm saying, like I don't, there's a lot of questions about this injury.
[SPEAKER_04]: And I just, my feeling is that it's more significant than just a little pinky injury.
[SPEAKER_04]: I feel like it was just a pinky injury.
[SPEAKER_04]: Probably doesn't undergo surgery.
[SPEAKER_04]: Probably just tapes it up and goes out there and does this thing, which again, would be fine for someone like him, just rebounding blocking shots.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was gonna happen to anyone on this team, this week.
[SPEAKER_04]: Right, gotta happen too, yeah.
[SPEAKER_04]: You don't need your shooting hand if you're mature.
[SPEAKER_04]: Robinson, you never shoot.
[SPEAKER_04]: I wonder what his availability is going to look like when he's out there, how bulky is that brace that he's going to have to wear, what does the spurs do to take advantage of it, how quickly he started following him when he's in the games.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like they're going to have to play Mitchell Robinson at the start of quarters because you can't afford to get to the four foul range, and all of a sudden you're hacking him, and the game slows to a crawl.
[SPEAKER_04]: I hate it.
[SPEAKER_04]: It's aesthetically displeasing.
[SPEAKER_04]: It's absolutely the right strategy.
[SPEAKER_04]: The guy stinks from the free throw line.
[SPEAKER_04]: And if he has a bad hand, he's not going to make any free throws.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, no, no.
[SPEAKER_04]: Crazy.
[SPEAKER_00]: So do we have to watch the free throws or can't we just be like all agree?
[SPEAKER_04]: It's like, like baseball with the intentional walk, we don't do that anymore.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, like, and you missed two.
[SPEAKER_04]: Let's pick it up.
[SPEAKER_04]: They're just good.
[SPEAKER_04]: Let's pick it up right there.
[SPEAKER_04]: I mean, let's say he's limited or doesn't play.
[SPEAKER_04]: How big a loss is that for me?
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's pretty significant.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, again, my biggest question is, what are these nicks who have gone through this last, you know, month and a half going to look like against, especially Victor Wemmanyama.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you don't have Mitchell Robinson there, that's got to be a huge part of the equation.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, do you think it's not a big deal?
[SPEAKER_04]: I get to big deal.
[SPEAKER_04]: I mean, because if you're no other reason than you lose a big body, however many minutes you were going to play him, and a big part of this series is going to be the nicks ability to drain the energy of Victor Wembenjama.
[SPEAKER_04]: They're going to try to wrestle with him.
[SPEAKER_04]: They're going to have OGN and OB probably start out on him.
[SPEAKER_04]: He makes the most sense.
[SPEAKER_04]: Mitch Robinson will get some reps, maybe cat gets some reps and all of these guys Part of their responsibility to me is to wrestle with them and just try to lower that energy bar a little bit each in every quarter each in every game Just to try to drain him to the point where he's less effective late in games than later in this series You don't have Mitch Robinson I mean who are you turning to?
[SPEAKER_04]: There's not a lot of trustworthy guys on that bench with that kind of size
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, for Mitch Robinson, is it going to be an advantage on the other end of the court that he's got this big club to swing around at Wemby?
[SPEAKER_00]: We've seen that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we have seen before, guys use their injury rapings as does an advantage.
[SPEAKER_04]: way in what way like to didn't someone come out with like their entire hand basically I've seen that before as yeah, yeah, it's just basically there's a flip side to that though, too.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like when be strikes me as the kind of guy that like like a patrily type of player that if he sees a hand wrap on Mitchell Robinson's hand, that's going
[SPEAKER_04]: He's whackin' it every single time.
[SPEAKER_04]: That didn't eat.
[SPEAKER_04]: He's the odd to 90's old-est stuff.
[SPEAKER_04]: It became less cool now because everybody says, We want that best of all back apparently.
[SPEAKER_04]: But when the sound seems like the type of guy that would take advantage of it, and it's pretty cool.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_04]: He would go for it.
[SPEAKER_04]: Look.
[SPEAKER_04]: You're right, if it's going to happen to any player, right, got to happen to, but they need them.
[SPEAKER_04]: I don't think this series is winnable, frankly, if they don't, are they going to be able to count on 15 to 20 minutes per game from it to Rob, but since it's kind of as simple as that?
[SPEAKER_04]: Going into game one.
[SPEAKER_04]: The question to me is what's better, you know?
[SPEAKER_04]: The sharpness that San Antonio has coming off the seven game series or the lengthy rest that New York had coming off the eight day layoff.
[SPEAKER_04]: Now I'm sure both of these teams would want it to be a little bit in the middle.
[SPEAKER_00]: Somewhere in the middle, right?
[SPEAKER_04]: I'm sure the spurs would like five days off instead of three.
[SPEAKER_04]: And the next would like five days off instead of eight.
[SPEAKER_04]: They both like five days off.
[SPEAKER_04]: But do you think one or the other gives us a clear advantage?
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I need to also see how Darren Fox is doing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because there were times during that Western Conference finals, he was a decoy out there.
[SPEAKER_00]: First of all, there were times he just didn't play.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then when he did start to get back to playing, he was more of a decoy than anything.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they need him to be at 100% for this series.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think the quick turnaround for them is going to possibly be an issue with Fox.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm interested to see how he's doing a chat with him today.
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, he told me he's fine, but that's...
[SPEAKER_00]: Everybody's fine.
[SPEAKER_00]: Everybody's doing drugs and has no injuries at all.
[SPEAKER_00]: They just hit him from the media today, but what else?
[SPEAKER_04]: How about that, too?
[SPEAKER_04]: Like finals and you don't like even just sit the guy down and let him hear things to do though than than that.
[SPEAKER_04]: Actually, I guess if you sit the guy down, you're going to have to be a people drilling down on how it happened.
[SPEAKER_04]: Because that to me is the big question.
[SPEAKER_04]: If it's not a basketball injury, did you punch a wall?
[SPEAKER_04]: Did you punch somebody else?
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_04]: What happened?
[SPEAKER_04]: What exactly happened in that moment?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and look, I mean, I guess they can get away with it saying that they don't know if he's going to play or not, but I'm actually kind of curious how they got away with that today.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if Victor Webinar gets a warning for not showing up post game the other night, does they're warning?
[SPEAKER_04]: I guess the injury thing probably prevents.
[SPEAKER_04]: But I mean, you know, you go into Thursday, if he plays, he's going to have to talk and that's your plan going to have to.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yes, at some point, this was the NBA.
[SPEAKER_04]: You know, the NBA's kind of scared of the next, like they are.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think the upper levels of the NBA they don't but they don't like to challenge the next the next push back on everything the NBA Well, that is what I said.
[SPEAKER_04]: It's a nixie and things right and the NBA doesn't really like to confrontation with them because like they the next also like confrontation They also enjoy that like James Dolan and joys confrontation.
[SPEAKER_04]: It's a fact
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not sure if I go that far, but yeah, I don't know, with Dolan, yes, of course.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if the NBA is afraid of him, but that's certainly fine to him enough.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, anyway, look, I am very, what's so exciting about this series is no matter who wins the rest of us win.
[SPEAKER_00]: And there's not very many series where it feels like that.
[SPEAKER_00]: If the next win, it's good for the NBA when the next or playing well.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's good for the NBA when the next win is the largest fan base in the NBA.
[SPEAKER_00]: They spend the most money.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a profit sharing league.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like if you want to be even just that mercenary, because you hate the next.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you know, your team will get money out of this next run.
[SPEAKER_00]: So you can feel good about that if you're a different kind of fan.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's just fun.
[SPEAKER_00]: Look, basketball, the joy of a team that is much as it's with the big bad, money, you know, the New York is sort of the big bad guys in a lot of parts of this country.
[SPEAKER_00]: This team is one since 1973.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's been 52 years.
[SPEAKER_00]: So in some ways, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a Goliath that gets to be a David for a while, which is pretty cool.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then on the other side of the coin,
[SPEAKER_00]: If the spurs and win be win, I mean, I guess unless you're another team in the west that's trying to peak right now, but everybody wins because this guy is just so fun to watch.
[SPEAKER_00]: And he's just so transcendent.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you feel like you're literally watching something you've never seen before.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you know, Michael Jordan, I covered Michael Jordan in Chicago, I covered him in Washington D.C., such that that was Michael Jordan was incredible, but he was the kind of incredible on the best version of a basketball player we've seen before.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Kobe was the best version in some ways of a basketball.
[SPEAKER_00]: Anyone in scene up until Michael and like, you know, LeBron is the best version that we have seen up until whatever, but it is of the same kind of basketball player.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why me is a kind of basketball player?
[SPEAKER_00]: We have just never seen.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think that to bring it back to rest versus the spurs.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're like, why didn't you answer my question?
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, well, my question is it depends on the Aaron Fox's health.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'd rather be the spurs.
[SPEAKER_04]: You'd rather be the nicks for Darren Fox's sake.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like, like, if if Darren Fox needs more rest, yes.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think the rest of the team though doesn't really need it.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think three days is a long time.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like, I feel like we're kind of not us, but like generally people are acting like it's a faster and quicker.
[SPEAKER_04]: This is not Cleveland coming off the Detroit series.
[SPEAKER_04]: They had to fly to New York and play less than 48 hours later.
[SPEAKER_04]: This is three full days.
[SPEAKER_04]: Sunday Monday, two days.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they didn't have to get on another plane.
[SPEAKER_04]: They didn't have to get on another plane.
[SPEAKER_04]: They got home late Saturday night.
[SPEAKER_04]: They probably all slept in.
[SPEAKER_04]: Got their treatment.
[SPEAKER_04]: Same thing Monday that they do in a walk through one Tuesday.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yep.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like, that's a long time in basketball context.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_00]: The only thing that I thought was interesting was Victor Weminyama said today in his press conference.
[SPEAKER_04]: It's going to get to this.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_04]: That's true.
[SPEAKER_00]: He said we have to change our mindset and that it was such a high.
[SPEAKER_00]: They beat the Oklahoma City Thunder who, you know, all season everyone said, oh, this is the real finals.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like that's their nemesis.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's going to be their nemesis for a long time.
[SPEAKER_00]: For Wendy, we know how he feels about chat.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hugely emotional return to San Antonio, pops at the airport, all these fans are at the airport, and Victor made the point of, you know, the famous job's not done.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think he said what we've got 30 more hours of basketball to play.
[SPEAKER_00]: And just the mental reset from that was something he highlighted as something that you know what I did to help them reset this.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like I think it was Mike Wright, the first reported I confirmed it with people in San Antonio.
[SPEAKER_04]: He took the team to go see the movie obsession.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, I was confused about this only in that like why do you feel that that's?
[SPEAKER_00]: You feel the messaging of obsession is something I was confused about the specific movie and why it was considered like such I don't know anything about the movie except it was made for like a million bucks.
[SPEAKER_04]: There's made a hundred billion bucks to be hit So that's them.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're the young plucky Movie makers.
[SPEAKER_00]: I guess I guess that's what I was just I didn't know where the in was or what the
[SPEAKER_04]: I mean, I guess I understand that the word is probably the right word.
[SPEAKER_04]: You want to be obsessed with winning a championship, but like clearly the point is clearly Webby's worried about that.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_04]: Word that there might be some players in that locker room that believe they accomplish something.
[SPEAKER_04]: When the reality is they happen.
[SPEAKER_04]: You won the Western Conference Championship.
[SPEAKER_04]: Nobody remembers who won the Western Conference Championship.
[SPEAKER_04]: Nobody remembers when the Eastern Conference Championship.
[SPEAKER_04]: You remember champions.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yep.
[SPEAKER_04]: That's what you remember.
[SPEAKER_04]: So he's trying to get them focused.
[SPEAKER_04]: And the fact that at his media availability, he emphasized that a couple of times.
[SPEAKER_04]: That gives me a little bit of reason for pause.
[SPEAKER_04]: But I do think if they are mentally sharp, the three days is enough.
[SPEAKER_04]: Maybe not for Dianne Fox, but he could use five, ten whatever to get that high ankle sprain right.
[SPEAKER_04]: But for everybody else, for Wemby, who's 22, for Casaloo's 21, for Dylan Harper, who's 20, that's all they need.
[SPEAKER_04]: They don't need any more time.
[SPEAKER_04]: They're good to go.
[SPEAKER_04]: Ready to go into a series like this in play.
[SPEAKER_04]: So I guess that's my long-winded way of saying, I would much rather be said at Tonyo.
[SPEAKER_00]: need to have a chance to tell you.
[SPEAKER_00]: What do you make when people look, you know, obviously we know who they next played, who was hurt.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, a Philly series, obviously, Joel and B.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was, however, you want to describe him in out himself, never himself again.
[SPEAKER_00]: No.
[SPEAKER_00]: What do you make of the fact that the spurs did play a Minnesota team that, again, had Anthony Edwards, the whole time, people said that they're like, oh, they didn't have anything at the Edwards for part of that series.
[SPEAKER_00]: They did, and played the whole time, but he was coming off an injury, and they had key other guys who were injured and didn't play.
[SPEAKER_00]: and then you have Oklahoma City who was a low no matter who's on the court, but did, you know, they didn't have their number two guy.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they didn't have another one of their like key playmakers.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so a lot of the attention that they were able to focus on Shay was very different than if either one of those guys had been playing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you just feel that thunder or such a jargon?
[SPEAKER_00]: That doesn't matter or do you think the spurs are going to be in a bit of a rude awakening when they have a complete New York 16 on the floor?
[SPEAKER_00]: No, because- Although, Robinson, maybe they're not that easy.
[SPEAKER_04]: Well, the Thunderplid, the Nix, who do you think would win?
[SPEAKER_04]: This version of the Thunder.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, I would take the Thunder.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like, I think I'd make them a big favor going into that series.
[SPEAKER_04]: I look at, it obviously benefited them, not to have jail and lambs, or whatever version of jail and lambs.
[SPEAKER_04]: They did win game one when jailing was out there for 30, some odd minutes.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, but not himself.
[SPEAKER_04]: And they boat-race them a couple of times during the regular season.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, they, you know, it's, they've been consistently great against Oklahoma City.
[SPEAKER_04]: Certainly, you know, the wolves weren't at full strength.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you think that the flip side though, because the nicks have been consistently pretty great against the spurs this year?
[SPEAKER_04]: They have been in two of the games, right?
[SPEAKER_04]: They won two.
[SPEAKER_00]: They won two of three, and the next game, the next game that the nicks lost, I think they only lost by two.
[SPEAKER_04]: They did.
[SPEAKER_04]: Although, you know, talking to some of the players today, like, what was the last time they played with at December?
[SPEAKER_04]: No, they played once.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think they played once after the end.
[SPEAKER_04]: Two in December, and then, who's one after that?
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not saying you should take a lot out of it.
[SPEAKER_00]: The regular season in the playoffs or two.
[SPEAKER_04]: And that was when we just coming back early on.
[SPEAKER_00]: Both of these teams have evolved so much since then, but it's just a curious.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm just sort of curious.
[SPEAKER_04]: I don't, yeah, you, you, you factor it in.
[SPEAKER_04]: Um, I just, to go back to we began with, like,
[SPEAKER_04]: I think we need to remember what we thought of the West and what we thought of Spurs coming into this and how pathetic we thought the East was.
[SPEAKER_04]: And the next, you play, it was in front of you.
[SPEAKER_04]: But they got Philadelphia instead of Boston, they got Cleveland instead of Detroit.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like, they got the right matchups in these postseason.
[SPEAKER_04]: They did exactly the shirt, and I broom two of those teams out of there.
[SPEAKER_04]: And they have, since that game, what three against Atlanta, they have been an absolute juggernaut.
[SPEAKER_04]: They are just beating teams, they came for us, sorry.
[SPEAKER_04]: they're blowing teams out like dominating teams.
[SPEAKER_04]: You've got to give him credit for that.
[SPEAKER_04]: I just think this is a different animal for them altogether.
[SPEAKER_04]: They're a team that is built around Jalen Bronson.
[SPEAKER_04]: More than, as much as Oklahoma City's built around Shea, they've got some other weapons out there that can do some stuff.
[SPEAKER_04]: This team, their offense is built largely around the singular talents of Jalen Bronson.
[SPEAKER_04]: And when you've got guys like Castle and Harper, they're going to dig into him for 40 some odd minutes.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm talking about tiring someone out on time and tiring him.
[SPEAKER_04]: Exactly.
[SPEAKER_04]: This was somebody, somebody I was talking to some coaches about this this week.
[SPEAKER_04]: And what I'm saying to me is like, just, you saw what they did to Shea, where, whether it was Carter Bryant or Castle, they were putting somebody on Shea for like 75 feet.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_04]: They're going to do the same thing to Bronson.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like they're going to, my prediction like, on a small level,
[SPEAKER_04]: You're going to see Jalen Bronson have to work to get that ball up the floor.
[SPEAKER_04]: You have to even give the ball up to get it up the floor.
[SPEAKER_04]: They're going to try to drop that energy bar on him as well and they've got the horses to do it.
[SPEAKER_04]: They've got the guys that can do it.
[SPEAKER_04]: Castle is an all-world defender.
[SPEAKER_04]: Harper is a great defender.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like a guy like Carter Bryant probably going to play 10 minutes again, but for those 10 minutes, it's like, go be a dog out there.
[SPEAKER_04]: Go after Bronson the same way you went after Shane.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to say it could be in terms of tackle.
[SPEAKER_04]: I mean, don't level them in that same way you did with Shane.
[SPEAKER_04]: But go be that kind of guy.
[SPEAKER_04]: Put pressure on him.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think that's going to be successful.
[SPEAKER_04]: It's going to put a lot of pressure on guys like bridges, heart, cat to make shots.
[SPEAKER_00]: I do think that Carl and I think Italians will once again be a huge part of this series.
[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, if the nicks can establish the three ball, if they can establish playing outside, you know, they've shot the lights out, no, again, they have a lot of those shots that they took in these last couple of series that have been against empty floor.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, there was a lot of times the nicks shooter was like, oh, wait, is there a defender here?
[SPEAKER_00]: Is there not a defender here?
[SPEAKER_00]: That probably won't happen against the spurs, but they do have, you know, the potential.
[SPEAKER_00]: If they're going to win, don't you think that's how they win?
[SPEAKER_04]: Absolutely, and I think with specifically Josh Hart's gonna have to make shots, because I would guess that when be plays a lot on him early on, so it frees him up to be more of a realmer.
[SPEAKER_04]: You put somebody smaller on towns.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yep.
[SPEAKER_04]: I'm gonna guess, you know, Keldon Johnson will probably get a lot of minutes coming off the bench.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think that Josh Hart, if he finds himself oh, but he's gotta make some shots.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like that's a big key, all these guys.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like Bridges' too, Bridges' gonna find himself.
[SPEAKER_04]: Bridges had a great conference playoffs.
[SPEAKER_04]: Shot well like 60 plus percent during the conference playoffs like really figured out his offensive game.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the sprint round to prior to that too.
[SPEAKER_00]: He played pretty damn well.
[SPEAKER_04]: Not said the whole conference playoffs like he was he was great in in all three rounds.
[SPEAKER_04]: I mean really everybody was great for the next half of that game four.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, but guys like that got to make shots.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, but that's the thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: They all have to do it.
[SPEAKER_00]: They've been shooting crazy numbers.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're going to have to continue that against a much better defense.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, Brent's in being worn out is a little bit of a different bag than when being worn out because when be so important at the other end of the floor, Jalen.
[SPEAKER_00]: Less important at the other end of the floor.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you know, Victor Wabiniam, as you say, it's 22 years old.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, you see all the stuff you did in the off season, it's not just the monks, it's the lifting weights and the pool and all the stuff.
[SPEAKER_04]: And in a way, he benefits from the number of minutes they played him in the regular season.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like his gas tank, because of that regular season, it's still probably higher than what it would be if he was playing 35, 40 minutes per game.
[SPEAKER_04]: That's a reality, I mean, he should, like the way that, and we've talked about this before, but the way that they disperse played Wemben Yamma, the way that the horn is played the mellow ball, like these should be,
[SPEAKER_04]: strategies that are adopted more, but you don't need to play every star player 35 to 40 minutes a night.
[SPEAKER_04]: 30 minutes is fine.
[SPEAKER_04]: It's okay.
[SPEAKER_04]: You can survive without giving them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Man, I'm with Mark Cuban.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think there should be 40 minutes games.
[SPEAKER_04]: But then you got to like throw up the record books.
[SPEAKER_00]: OK, you have to throw out the record books all the time.
[SPEAKER_00]: So sick of that argument.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to throw out the record books all the time anyway.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hand checkings allowed.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hand checkings down to allow.
[SPEAKER_00]: Throw out the record books.
[SPEAKER_04]: Wow.
[SPEAKER_04]: No, but those are tweaks.
[SPEAKER_04]: There's a three point line.
[SPEAKER_04]: There isn't a three point line.
[SPEAKER_04]: Hi.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, the three point line is a completely different facet of the game than it used to be.
[SPEAKER_04]: I know.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like Reggie Miller might have to be a solution.
[SPEAKER_04]: The fact that the three point lines are different facet is an evolution of the game.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, but still, the record, like Reggie Miller, I don't have the exact numbers of years in front of me, but I did look it up to be on TV earlier this week.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it was like five or six years.
[SPEAKER_00]: He was at the top of three-pointer shot in the NBA.
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course he's gonna be in all time, Reggie Miller.
[SPEAKER_00]: He was there for years.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know how quickly it took him to get knocked down to number seven?
[SPEAKER_04]: fast.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was so fast because again, the game just changed behind me behind like a center at some point.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of introverted.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so again, the record books that they shift no matter what.
[SPEAKER_00]: We play in different eras.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is part of the reason.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm so angry.
[SPEAKER_00]: They screwing with all MBA for these, you know, 65 game rule and all this stuff the only way to me.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can really evaluate guys between eras is all MBA because that is you against your peers.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so for me to know how you were not just in the MVP race itself and the top two or three guys, but for cross the league, the best 15 players, how many times in your career were you one of the best 15 players in the league and where in that ranking were you, that is how I tell how good a player is across eras.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's why to me, that's a bigger screw with the record books.
[SPEAKER_00]: To do the 65 game rule, then it would be to drop games down to 40 minutes or only have 72 games.
[SPEAKER_04]: So it's not also like, doesn't become the same problem as reducing games like where TV becomes an issue.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like, some outs commercial time.
[SPEAKER_00]: Would you sing games is obviously the bigger, that's a bigger, that's a bigger money problem because ticket sales, TV, local TV, whatever.
[SPEAKER_00]: This would be advertising either advertisers would pay more for less or TV networks would have to eat some of it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But guess what?
[SPEAKER_00]: TV never speaking notoriously willing to eat stuff, but here's what here is, at some point we have to stop cutting off our nose to spite our face in the NBA.
[SPEAKER_00]: And here's the thing, if the next TV contract isn't, what was it this year?
[SPEAKER_04]: 11, oh, was it 77 billion over 11 years since something like that?
[SPEAKER_00]: So if the next TV contract is only 70 billion over 11 years, whatever you're preaching the choir in this roundabout.
[SPEAKER_00]: Ratchet that up into 2000, whatever it's going to
[SPEAKER_00]: That's okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: And in the end, we'll save you more money than if the product totally becomes a disaster because of the way these guys are playing.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the only reason we've gone wander down this side road is you're saying, oh, that's the smart way to play guys during the regular season.
[SPEAKER_00]: We are just getting further and further apart of the regular season and the playoffs and what kind of game we are watching.
[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, the words that come out and people like, oh, how did this guy win that
[SPEAKER_00]: the regular season's just so different and I don't think that's great for the product personally.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, I would agree.
[SPEAKER_04]: Um, I'd love to get that 65-game rule thing in their every show.
[SPEAKER_04]: We got to love it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, and am I right?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am right.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I'm proven right.
[SPEAKER_04]: As far as the legacies go, who would benefit the most from winning a championship?
[SPEAKER_04]: The obvious candidates are Wembenjama at 22 years old, winning a title, Jalen Brunson, becoming...
[SPEAKER_04]: I'm trying to think about this, like the smallest...
[SPEAKER_04]: number one guys since I guess I say a Thomas you go back to it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But again, I would say everyone's like, oh, you know, with Becky Hammond said, J.L.
[SPEAKER_00]: and Brentston's size can't win.
[SPEAKER_00]: Look at Isaiah Thomas.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm like different game people.
[SPEAKER_00]: That was a very different game.
[SPEAKER_04]: Those games were like 87 to 80.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_04]: And they wanted a different kind of way.
[SPEAKER_04]: This is this would be arguably a bigger accomplishment.
[SPEAKER_04]: Who do you think benefits the most?
[SPEAKER_00]: Definitely, Jalen Bronson in the next.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because, and look, that's only because I think Wendy is so great, and he will win other titles.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if it's not this year, it's next year, and if he ends up with, you know, God knows how many he's going to end up with, you know, if it's one last or one more, I don't think in the end, that is going to change, you know, injury, willing, or whatever, that is going to change, who Wendy is as a player on a person, and in legacy in this league.
[SPEAKER_00]: Dylan Branson and these next when they become one of the sweetheart teams, the 2004 Pistons, you know, a team where it's just sort of like for one moment that lightning in a bottle, the 2006 by me heat, like where something great happened.
[SPEAKER_00]: And for that to happen in New York City where they haven't won in 52 years, you know, I was listening to a Clyde Fraser talk earlier today.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was just, you know, talking around with some of us.
[SPEAKER_00]: And he's like,
[SPEAKER_00]: I still can't spend money in New York.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's like, I can't sit down at a dinner and pay my bill.
[SPEAKER_00]: I go into a store and people are like, no, no, that's not the house client, that's not the house.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, you know, like, he goes, first of all, I'm never gonna, like, if this next team's wins, he's like, my, my time of never having to spend money in New York is only gonna expand further another, another 40 or 50 years.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, these guys will literally never pay for a thing again.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if, when be in these spurs, when one title and then it turns into two or three or four, it won't have mattered that this was the first one.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, it gets when be started on what is probably going to be a run of NBA championships, but there are other guys that were superstars, that one championship said younger age.
[SPEAKER_04]: As magic Johnson was 20, when we won the title in 1980, Tim Duncan 23,
[SPEAKER_04]: when he won the spur first time with the spurs, Kawai was 22, final MVP that year.
[SPEAKER_04]: So he wasn't the guy, but he was the best player in that series.
[SPEAKER_04]: So it's not like a Wembenjama championship would be like, oh my god, that's unique.
[SPEAKER_04]: Jalen Brunson would check all the boxes.
[SPEAKER_04]: he would be the first or one of the first small guys to be the alpha on a championship team.
[SPEAKER_04]: He would end as you pointed out a 52-year drought in New York.
[SPEAKER_04]: And there are people within the next that would make the argument that he is the greatest.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm on that argument.
[SPEAKER_00]: If he wins this for them.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Who is the greatest nick of all time if it's on him?
[SPEAKER_04]: I mean, there's so many good ones over the years.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like, Ewing has got to be on that list.
[SPEAKER_04]: Didn't wear a title?
[SPEAKER_04]: It's probably on that list.
[SPEAKER_04]: And you've got to go back to the 70s teams that won championships.
[SPEAKER_04]: But does a title, so you're valuing the title in a very high way.
[SPEAKER_04]: I am.
[SPEAKER_00]: Look.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't buy into the rings or everything, and Charles Barkley has made a great point about the fact that like it's not like you can say he wasn't a great basketball player.
[SPEAKER_00]: He absolutely wasn't.
[SPEAKER_00]: There are guys who don't win rings because of who they played in the league at at a certain time.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I'm sorry.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you are, there's enough similarities between Patrick Ewing and what he was trying to do, and Dale and Bronson and what he was trying to do, that if Dale and Bronson was the one to do it, I absolutely, and I love Patrick Ewing.
[SPEAKER_00]: I grew up being a Georgetown fan.
[SPEAKER_00]: But even I would tell you that Jalen Bronson eclipse is him.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you really wouldn't you think that that's a huge question?
[SPEAKER_00]: Only because when you're in the 70s, I just think there's an era pre bird magic where you just have to say that's a big question.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, I mean because you'd have to go back to those teams.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like will this read, you'd put on that list, Erlman Roe, you'd put on that list, Dave DeBusher, Dave DeBusher, you'd put on that list.
[SPEAKER_04]: But that's just a great thing.
[SPEAKER_04]: You know, we get a little bit further down the line.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think the argument becomes between Brunson and Ewing.
[SPEAKER_04]: Ewing, my math is right, franchise leader in points, Rebound's blocks, all those key categories, and he played in the Jordan era, like he's not,
[SPEAKER_00]: Galen Breisen, if part of this though is that for everyone for the next 10, 15, maybe 20 years is going to be playing in the Wemby era.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if J. Limbrunson beats, not just someone in the Wemby era, but Victor in the Wemby era.
[SPEAKER_04]: You're right.
[SPEAKER_04]: I can see the argument.
[SPEAKER_00]: I wouldn't be looking like Patrick Beating, Michael Jordan.
[SPEAKER_04]: What it, I mean Jordan was a finished product at that point.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, at that age, but I'm just, I'm sorry.
[SPEAKER_00]: I look, you're not going to condense me.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just going to be in this top, I don't get it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Conversation all time, you're not going to tell me that's not what is eventually going to happen to him.
[SPEAKER_04]: Maybe I always, it's a good question.
[SPEAKER_04]: If the NYX had won the championship last year under these circumstances when they went through Boston, a Boston team that had clubbed them during the regular season, that was coming off the championship that was playing at a high level, forget the Tatum injury, they'd beat the silver.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, they were, they were getting them.
[SPEAKER_04]: If they had beaten the Pacers that year, and then gone on to beat the funder that year.
[SPEAKER_04]: The funder were like, maybe not a Wemby like juggernaut, but they were there.
[SPEAKER_04]: That was their time.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like, you know, Shay was the MVP.
[SPEAKER_04]: That's right.
[SPEAKER_04]: Well, Shay was the MVP.
[SPEAKER_00]: It won't be as big a deal as if they beat this team.
[SPEAKER_04]: Well, because- But this is such a young team in San Antonio.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like, there are reasons that the spurs could lose.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like, I don't think the spurs going to lose because Wimbledon y'all must struggle.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think the spurs going to lose because Dillon Harper has a game five as a game game five against the spurs.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm just telling you that when the first of all, the thunder have won one title.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they did it in game seven.
[SPEAKER_00]: of a series where in that game seven momentum was not on their side and the best player in the other team was already getting hot and had a season ending injury, you're ending injury.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I am not a hunk and they didn't beat this thunder, and they didn't beat this first team.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am absolutely open to the fact that this thunder team is going to be one of the heaviest hitters in the league over the next however many years because of just who they have on the court now, what they've got coming up the pipe, I am not ready to crown them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some dynasty-esque team, because they won one title in a game seven against a way underdog that was kind of beating them in the seventh game.
[SPEAKER_04]: They were Halle Burton was playing great before he goes down with the injury.
[SPEAKER_04]: And the thunder, the tight in the, I was, you know, you know, you were not able to do anything.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that's the thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: They were just as young.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, I think it's what it was.
[SPEAKER_00]: Was it you who was talking about this earlier today?
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, we're waiting for press conference.
[SPEAKER_00]: We have someone else that the spurs are now the youngest, second youngest team in the finals after that, like old old Portland team, young, young Portland team from a long time ago, um, uh, beating the third, the thunder by, like, point something.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like a point something younger in age.
[SPEAKER_00]: And only when you wait for playing time, and all of that stuff.
[SPEAKER_04]: I can't put him above you, if he wins, if he wins, I can't put him above you.
[SPEAKER_04]: Why?
[SPEAKER_04]: You win was so dominant for so many years.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love Patrick Ewing.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love him in Georgetown.
[SPEAKER_00]: I had little Rachel had little Patrick Ewing Georgetown shirt.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I am I was in on Patrick Ewing long before you were Chris Manning.
[SPEAKER_04]: I don't look, but I'm telling you, I'm just going to bat for you and God.
[SPEAKER_00]: I hate adventure, you're like, you know, appreciating him.
[SPEAKER_04]: I don't appreciate him.
[SPEAKER_04]: I appreciate him.
[SPEAKER_04]: I, I think, maybe your value in the championship is more.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's the championship against this guy.
[SPEAKER_00]: This guy, this is the amount of time.
[SPEAKER_04]: This young, young team, like a team of...
[SPEAKER_04]: 20.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're sitting here telling me how I think they're going to win.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like I think they're going to win.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're like seven castles already, like an all.
[SPEAKER_00]: Step after.
[SPEAKER_04]: It is already all.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whatever.
[SPEAKER_04]: The defender was there was a criminal who was left off the one of the all defensive.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_00]: So there you go.
[SPEAKER_00]: It would be a huge accomplishment.
[SPEAKER_00]: Has the, um, Who has the Toronto Raptors mafia come after you?
[SPEAKER_00]: for Scotty Barnes for for Scotty Barnes and everyone.
[SPEAKER_04]: I didn't did I get what I do with Scotty Barnes or it's just like what everybody they're going to have for everybody.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yes, apparently.
[SPEAKER_04]: I had Scotty Barnes on one of my all NBA teams.
[SPEAKER_04]: I don't know what I did for all defense.
[SPEAKER_04]: I'm forgetting already right now.
[SPEAKER_04]: But no, they're not coming after me like they're coming after some people.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_04]: So the Raptor's Mafia is...
[SPEAKER_00]: The Raptor's fans, especially for the Canadian voters.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_04]: Oh, Michael Grange got it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Michael Grange, who has been around the league forever, had to formally apologize.
[SPEAKER_00]: For not voting Scotty to his MVP ballot, was that accurate?
[SPEAKER_04]: Did he?
[SPEAKER_04]: I know that there's a storm on it, because I apologize to Michael Branch for not reading that whole thing.
[SPEAKER_04]: It's like that.
[SPEAKER_04]: It's like that old that meme, like I'm not reading all that.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_04]: He is a lot more of a Canadian basketball coach.
[SPEAKER_00]: He is one of the faces and has been further.
[SPEAKER_04]: And I think he said he voted for him for all NBA and it turns out he didn't.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think that was the crux.
[SPEAKER_04]: I don't know, man.
[SPEAKER_00]: Those people are there on their intense.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're ready to defense Scotty Barnes honor.
[SPEAKER_04]: They're intense.
[SPEAKER_04]: I don't think I had any crazy thoughts.
[SPEAKER_04]: I didn't have any votes that I don't think anybody was all over with.
[SPEAKER_04]: Look, it'll be a coin flip I would say between Bronson with a championship and you and without one.
[SPEAKER_04]: I just think you and you and you have the Jordan ribbon every single time.
[SPEAKER_00]: But if the next one.
[SPEAKER_04]: Charles Smith, like, I always, how many moments that you and have that were not his fault?
[SPEAKER_00]: I agree, but you know, you're only like, there's guys who, which is like just mentioned Charles Barkley, if he had been swapped onto another team, he'd have a ring.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like,
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, you play in the era and in the time and on the team that you're on, I think, look, it'll be how if the next win, how Jalen Bronson is an ingredient and instrument of that if it's because Jalen Bronson went out there with his cape and, you know, 60 point games and his clutch and the fourth quarter and does the magic, then yeah, I put him ahead of Patrick and again, that is hard for me.
[SPEAKER_04]: What do you think the next fans would say about that?
[SPEAKER_04]: Because Nick's fans are not saying you are, but Nick's fans are not prisoners of the moment.
[SPEAKER_04]: To your point about Clyde, like they all still remember.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like what do you think Nick's fans would say?
[SPEAKER_04]: Would Nick's fans put Brunson above?
[SPEAKER_00]: It is more than it has ever been before, era specific.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because there was a time when, yes, wherever you grew up.
[SPEAKER_00]: your next team or your whatever team in the matter where you live in the country was your favorite team right but you were still getting fed the information about the previous teams in the same way as your dad was with his grandfather's team right so you may have grown up on what were your boss and team's guard.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, you grew up on the bird team, but you heard about the, the, our back arrow team.
[SPEAKER_00]: Russell, have let's check all of that.
[SPEAKER_00]: All by the same modus on barandai that someone younger than you would have heard about the bird teams.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now because of YouTube because of video because of social media.
[SPEAKER_00]: The younger fans in the NBA who are LeBron fans instead of Michael Jordan fans who just haven't really seen Michael Jordan play that much who haven't seen some the Patrick you and how what are the highlights of Patrick you and what do they look like you know in terms of how cloudy and rainy are they to a young person's eye today a young person but you know even my eye today um you know it's just I think that the the mode of being a fan of the war particular era team we've had like the schism of the pre video era and the post video on your phone era
[SPEAKER_00]: that Nick's fans will probably fall more into the Brunston camp than you might think.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't be interesting.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're Nick's fan, maybe I'm wrong.
[SPEAKER_04]: Listening, watching on YouTube, I want to hear.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, let us know.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I could, again, I love Patrick Ewing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, we're going to cut that.
[SPEAKER_04]: We're going to cut that way.
[SPEAKER_04]: We're going to load a lot of Patrick Ewing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Love Patrick Ewing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Come back, cut.
[SPEAKER_00]: But, you know.
[SPEAKER_04]: All right, before we go.
[SPEAKER_00]: And by the way, if J. Limbrunson doesn't want a title, he's not the greatest name.
[SPEAKER_04]: No, he's not.
[SPEAKER_04]: He's still not.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then this conversation isn't even half.
[SPEAKER_00]: He might not even be above.
[SPEAKER_04]: I mean, look, it's, I guess, a different time, but the guys like Clyde and Dupusher and Lillett.
[SPEAKER_04]: Oh, they want a title.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, they want a title, and you put them there.
[SPEAKER_04]: All right, before we go,
[SPEAKER_04]: Go into the game one, give me your series prediction.
[SPEAKER_00]: How does this series I'm not going to I'm not going to be tricked into this.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've just decided I need to see what the most look like in game for their plate.
[SPEAKER_00]: Question and I have a question for you actually prior to okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, because this is your area.
[SPEAKER_00]: Honestly, this is your area of expertise.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not just team building, but the thunder and general area of expertise.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, boxing or the, what decisions do the thunder have to make this off season?
[SPEAKER_00]: Because you and I didn't talk immediately after that game seven.
[SPEAKER_00]: I just want to know sort of you know now there's the honest conversation going on around the league.
[SPEAKER_04]: The same press is not getting.
[SPEAKER_00]: I agree that same press is not going to go trade everything for yannas, but
[SPEAKER_00]: Given who they got beat by, how they got beat, the bills that are about to be due, I did, this was my other note, to I bring into this podcast was the money.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a crazy number, and I need to probably know these by heart, but so, because home-grin and Jalen Williams contracts are both kicking in, home-grin salary is rising from 13.7 million to 41.5 million.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Williams is rising from, I can't even read,
[SPEAKER_00]: 6.6 and a half million to 41.5 million also.
[SPEAKER_00]: So they're going to be taking up.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some of the role players are already going to have to go.
[SPEAKER_00]: What do you think is going to happen to the thunder and will they be in a position?
[SPEAKER_00]: It's trying to take down the spurs next year.
[SPEAKER_04]: Well, I think if they ran it back, they'd still be in position.
[SPEAKER_04]: They lost in seven games without their second best player.
[SPEAKER_04]: They lost in seven games.
[SPEAKER_00]: Are they going to be able to hold on to everyone?
[SPEAKER_04]: I think they hold on to everybody.
[SPEAKER_00]: So Clay Bennett is going to go from a mid level.
[SPEAKER_00]: The right now, they think they're like right around number 15 salary-wise to the most expensive roster in the NBA.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yes, well, they're going to do something to shave some of this off, but they're not going to break up the core of this team.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't believe is a gemitial part of the core of this team.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think a gemitial part of the core.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think the guys that might be looking around wondering if they should sell their homes like Lou Dort is probably on that list, just because he's got a team option.
[SPEAKER_04]: He makes a pile of money and the thunder have like three guys that can replace him.
[SPEAKER_04]: Um, you've got to bring back Hardenstein because you can't play against the spurs without a guy like that Like Hardenstein Mitchell Robinson Like imagine if Luke Cornet was a free agent this summer like how valuable he would be the spurs got him That seemed like a I thought that day was crazy at the time Like you give him Luke Cornet 10 million dollars per year turns out that guaranteed only two of those years But now that guaranteed the whole damn thing keep him around
[SPEAKER_04]: Keep them away from their team.
[SPEAKER_04]: Oh, wait for another team.
[SPEAKER_04]: Exactly.
[SPEAKER_04]: So you need to have that type of guy.
[SPEAKER_04]: They've got flexibility there to restructure that contract.
[SPEAKER_04]: I bet they will.
[SPEAKER_04]: I bet they team option him out of it and then bring him back on other deal.
[SPEAKER_04]: I'd say this.
[SPEAKER_04]: Most of the stuff that we're talking about is probably already done.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like the thunder, like 10 steps ahead of everybody.
[SPEAKER_04]: They probably figured it out with everybody.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure I just done.
[SPEAKER_00]: I just want to know if it's going to be.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't feel for this time around.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're going to be able to trim enough.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're going to be willing to pay.
[SPEAKER_00]: heavy second apron like very tax.
[SPEAKER_04]: Well, I mean, you can you can get under million.
[SPEAKER_04]: I don't know all the numbers off top of it, but you can get under one of the aprons.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like if you just offload Isaiah Joe, you offload Aaron Wiggins, you do some with dorts contract to make it smaller, you do some of heart and science contract.
[SPEAKER_00]: See, this is your area of expertise.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, I think this that to me is more.
[SPEAKER_00]: It tells you, looking.
[SPEAKER_04]: Now, what what will they do with the drafts of big question?
[SPEAKER_04]: I think they're all these picks.
[SPEAKER_04]: But who gives up the pick?
[SPEAKER_04]: Like does Memphis want to move down from three?
[SPEAKER_04]: Would they be willing to move so Oklahoma City could draft a cambooser?
[SPEAKER_04]: I don't think Chicago is looking to move.
[SPEAKER_04]: Chicago needs a star.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like they need to find a star.
[SPEAKER_04]: And that's what you get drafting for.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like I keep hearing the stuff about they'll move up into the top four, but nobody's really telling me who's dealing that pick.
[SPEAKER_00]: What if they just use those picks to make a trade for a human?
[SPEAKER_04]: to even need, to even need a human at this point.
[SPEAKER_04]: Well, they can't pay a bunch of other, they can't, they don't have a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a rock or a
[SPEAKER_04]: guy didn't play a damn game off of your long length.
[SPEAKER_04]: That was a guy that could rebound the basketball at Georgetown.
[SPEAKER_04]: He was a good player.
[SPEAKER_04]: You know, Nicole Topick just given them nothing so far because he's had serious health issues, but maybe he gets his stuff together in the offices and he's all of a sudden the dynamic guy that they saw.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I was just, we know, what's the, what's the, the next threat.
[SPEAKER_04]: Look, it's all about Chet and getting Chet better.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like, Chet has got to deal with the mental side of the game.
[SPEAKER_04]: Like, this thing's skill-wise, he's got to clean up.
[SPEAKER_04]: He's got to, you know, I think he's got to quicken his shot.
[SPEAKER_04]: He's gonna make a shot a little faster on the release, because his three numbers went down this year and it had been going down in the last couple of years.
[SPEAKER_04]: Wait, I think he put in a little bit more weight on.
[SPEAKER_04]: It's probably 10-minute-ish pounds, he could put on.
[SPEAKER_04]: But it's a mental thing with this guy.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's gonna say, neither of those things you just mentioned are the problems.
[SPEAKER_04]: It's up there in his head.
[SPEAKER_04]: It's all in his head.
[SPEAKER_00]: And he's got to... Is that fixable when it comes to check the Wimby?
[SPEAKER_04]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_04]: So guys, that's your number.
[SPEAKER_04]: Somebody said this to me.
[SPEAKER_04]: Check which one of those guys that like...
[SPEAKER_04]: He never has been the best player on his teams.
[SPEAKER_04]: Right.
[SPEAKER_04]: In high school in Gekkenzaga, here in Oklahoma City, like he's always had someone that was a pure or better on those teams.
[SPEAKER_04]: So it's never been, he's never had that, or needed to have that killer mentality.
[SPEAKER_04]: He's got to have it.
[SPEAKER_04]: You're not beating...
[SPEAKER_04]: San Antonio with this team will chat playing the way he did in the series ever does he is the most invaluable part of that That franchise against that team moving forward.
[SPEAKER_04]: You've got to have him playing at a higher level.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, so you're not going to give me a prediction for the series Because you know what I am a grown up, and I am not a grown up.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't need to be five you're in your spurs and five
[SPEAKER_04]: No, six.
[SPEAKER_00]: Six.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_04]: I do think that the next half to get one of these two games or it could end earlier.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I think I think to have the kind of series we want, they're both going to have to steal a home.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_04]: I don't think there's any chance they win game one.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think there's no chance the next game won.
[SPEAKER_04]: I think they're going to get raced.
[SPEAKER_04]: Game two to me is.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh wait, I'm sorry, I'm not saying yes that they're going to get raised.
[SPEAKER_00]: You think there's no chance they win game one?
[SPEAKER_04]: No, I think the lay-off is too long.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm just saying, I think they need to get one of these.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're saying that you don't think the next ever shot in game one.
[SPEAKER_04]: I don't think the next ever shot in game one.
[SPEAKER_04]: I would bet big on the spurs to win game one.
[SPEAKER_04]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_04]: Just everything is working the spurs favor, being at home.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yep.
[SPEAKER_04]: you know, I think they win that game.
[SPEAKER_04]: Then game two things settled down a little bit.
[SPEAKER_04]: The next get 48 minutes under their belt.
[SPEAKER_04]: They're a little bit sharper.
[SPEAKER_04]: See that defense one time.
[SPEAKER_04]: That's the game they have to win.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the most I need to see what's the earth mental Robinson.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I think that is a huge huge.
[SPEAKER_00]: huge impact on this series and I'm not going to be double dog dared by saying I'm chicken because I'm actually wanting to take a measured reasonable look.
[SPEAKER_00]: Give me a prediction.
[SPEAKER_00]: Damn it.
[SPEAKER_00]: The two teams that we're going to get when I find out who those teams are.
[SPEAKER_04]: Let's see.
[SPEAKER_04]: Spurs and six.
[SPEAKER_00]: When I find out, I'll let you know.
[SPEAKER_04]: It goes.
[SPEAKER_04]: Oh, two.
[SPEAKER_04]: I guess person five.
[SPEAKER_04]: That's what I'm saying.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_04]: Person six, my special prediction Rachel Nichols is TBD until the next time we do the