First Things First - Is A.J. Brown a good fit in New England, KAT's impact on Knicks' struggles, Alec Pierce in Buffalo?

Episode Date: February 21, 2026

(00:00) Could A.J. Brown land in New England, Patriots' harder schedule in '26(21:07) Karl-Anthony Towns' negative impact on Knicks as NBA Finals contenders(31:16) How big of a loss Isaiah Likely would be for the Ravens?(38:16) Doctor Danny's offseason cures for AFC East(47:44) Stu Holden joins the show ahead of 2026 MLS Season(56:07) OKC's biggest threat(s)(01:04:59) Weird and Wonderful Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Live from New York, it's the show that's getting our Jake Garcia on. Congrats on the pole position. Yes. Do you think I could beat you in an auto race? Yeah, you know, driving cars? No. No? Okay.

Well, I can't beat you in a foot race, so I was thinking maybe a car race. You can keep thinking. It's okay. Now, okay, what if you were running and I was driving a car? I would have to concede. Then you would give you a chance to him. I'm honest. of the month. All right, thank you. Very much. I appreciate that. We have a very, it's a sprint of a show,

actually, until 6 o'clock. The Patriot schedule is going to be tougher than last year. Is it? Yeah, well, it would basically be mathematically impossible for it to be easier. It was the easiest than a quarter century. So we'll talk about how worried they should be about that. Also, in about an hour or so, Stu Holden will help us kick off the MLS opening weekend. Messy. to repeat. It's all a primer. Also, MLS, World's Cup. It's all happening.

And also, Dr. Danny completes his run through the NFL with the AFC East. What off-season move would cure the bills? I have been prescribing some great stuff, Greg Jennings. You have been prescribing some things. I'm not going to say they were all great, but definitely great throughout. Thank you.

And I noticed also, I looked over at your notes for the show, your handwriting is impeccable. You could not be a doctor. Well, just because I have good handwriting doesn't mean I couldn't be a doctor. It does, actually. Doctors are notoriously a bad handwriting. By choice. They just choose.

By choice? So you could choose. They choose the script. Oh, okay. It's quite a theory. They're like, let's start the show. I don't know what these guys are talking about. AJ Proud was on, I don't know if there's ever been a more appropriate name for a podcast.

The Dude on Dude podcast with Julian Edelman and Rob Robb. What up, dude? What's better than this, guys being dudes? The all pro wideout opened up, though, AJ Brown did, about his time playing for Mike Vrable, and they were flirting or trolling around the idea of a possible reunion. Take a listen.

Because he was so hard on me when I was a rookie and I didn't really understand it. And so it was at the time I told Ray, it was like, hey, I'm humble already. You all got to humble me, but I really didn't understand what he was trying to, you know, push me to be. Just remember.

we're all patriots you know that right are you going to be a patriot are you going to be a patron no no no I'm trolling now he says he's trolling there at the end but it is a fun thought exercise

there have been reports of course that the Eagles want to keep AJ Brown but this is this will not be the first nor the last story of I wonder if a team made a real offer you know the first round pick for A.J. Brown what would Howie Roseman do? Would A.J. Brown be a good fit on the Patriots?

Yeah, he would be a good fit. Look, and I'll start off by saying this. When they acquired Stefan Diggs, there was questions surrounding whether or not he would be a good fit with a young quarterback, that type of strong personality, the demanding of the ball, the focal point of an offense being solely on him. We didn't see that.

We saw a consummate pro, a guy. who evolved as a leader, continued to impact their performances on offense, made huge impact, added value. AJ Brown, four years younger, more productive. Now, obviously, his production has been down due to the way that the Eagles

choose to run their offense. I don't think it has anything exclusively to do with just AJ Brown, not achieving his standard of play. But yes, that's a need that they have. They want to get better at the receiver position. He would feel that need. They have a, he has a rapport with the head coach.

Just because we see him in one light and he's been the voice, if you will, of that locker room in the Eagles, doesn't mean that he would automatically do and be that same guy in another locker room. When you have a head coach that has a handle on him that he has respect for, we, you listen to how he talked about Rabel and he, he, mentioned I didn't like Vrable at first. I used to write down in my, I used to act like I was taking notes and I was like, I hate

Brable. I hate Braybo. But there's a respect that you have for a coach when he can show you what he's trying to get you to become. When he can critically and constructively correct you and you receive it, that

you then automatically have a level of respect that you typically don't go into a building with. So that would be there. The only question that I would have is he's always been on an offense that has had an established running game. Now, the Patriots can run the ball. They don't run the ball like the Tennessee Titans did when he first entered in the National Football League with Derek Henry. And obviously what we've seen with the Philadelphia Eagles over the past few years.

But he would definitely be a good fit. If you have a good coach and a good quarterback, A.J. Brown would be a good fit. I like that. Like, honestly, like, this is pretty simple. Like, we talk a lot about the noise with A.J. Brown. Mm-hmm. But I will let you in behind the curtains. It's really because it's good TV.

Like, you know, honestly. Of course. Like, like, and it's like, oh, he did this on a Twitch stream on a Wednesday. Thank you for the content. Like, it is, it is, it is a, he produces. And his message is not like, I don't like my quarterback or I hate winning. It's just if they win and they don't win by a lot and they don't involve him,

he's like, hey, I think we would be doing ourselves a service if we threw the ball and you gave me the ball a little bit more because when you give me the ball, we tend to score more. And that is borne out in the numbers. Like he is telling the truth. Yes. And so do I think AJ Brown is the best receiver in football? No.

But, and you know this better than I do, your production as a receiver is tied to a lot of things. How good your quarterback is. How good your offensive line is. What volume you get, right? How many targets you get? It's not just you. Like there are some receivers that are in better situations than others.

So if we just like peel back a second and we remove the noise, we remove the book on the sideline and the tweets and the Instagram and the bad. And we're like, all right, what has A.J. Brown done since he entered the NFL? he has outperformed his opportunities. He is ninth in targets. So you would expect, statistically, he'd be around ninth in production. And he's top five.

Yeah. So he's saying, like, hey, I am not getting the ball as much as I should because when I get the ball, I'm producing top. So imagine if I had top five production. And then you take in, I don't know where you rank Drake May in the NFL, but I assume you believe that he would be by far the best quarterback on this list

in terms of a pure passer. That is the entire list of quarterbacks in which AJ Brown has caught a pass from since he's been in the NFL. Jalen Hertz, Super Bowl MVP, great winner, great winner, great intangibles, but not as good of a passer as Drake May. Ryan Tannehill, a good on-schedule on-on-time thrower of the football, but not as special traits as Drake May. So that list is a it's certainly just not elite. So of course A.J. Brown would be a good fit in New England because Vrable would be able to handle the

noise and the nonsense and Drake May would be able to get him the ball. Yeah, so I'll take you even deeper inside the mind of a guy like A.J. Brown. When you are on an offense that has been productive you feel like you know we can be even better. But we're

not really, we're not even trying. Trying is not the right. word. We're not operating at the level that we know that we're capable of. And sometimes even the way that we're preparing, I don't believe that we're putting forth the best scheme to where it will produce that. You sit back on the sidelines or you sit back at home and you turn on TV and you watch a young Drake May and you watch Stefan Diggs and you watch Kayshan booty and all these guys that they have that you believe that no knock on them, they're not as good as I am.

man, this is a young quarterback that can put the ball down the field. The one thing we know that AJ Brown is excellent at and excelling at, going down the field, getting the 50-50 ball, making the big play. That doesn't happen frequently when you're watching the Philadelphia Eagles. And so there's a level of frustration that broods. Let me ask you this, though. I've heard Wilds mention it. He's obviously a huge Patriots fan.

and Nick echoed it, and I haven't had the opportunity to talk about it with them on air, but I disagree. But they both seem to think that this would be a bad fit just because don't mess up a good thing. Like, don't risk messing up a good thing, as I paraphrase their opinions, in terms of, like, the culture that the Patriots have. I don't look at A.J. Brown that way, but maybe that's like a head in the sands thing, because there was plenty of noise around him, but he didn't have a lot of his teammates coming on and being like, man, we wish A.J. would not have done that.

It seemed like he was the messenger for the locker. Yes, and I've said this over the course of the season when you, there has to be that guy. There has to be that guy, whether he's going out in publicly and exposing into the media. That's different. A.J. Brown will choose to do that. Other guys who are that guy may not even do that, but there's always a voice in the locker room. A.J. Brown has no problem, no qualms with being that guy and view it a certain way because he

believes I'm still going to produce no matter what. I will say this. We, again, we felt the same. Same way when the New England Patriots were tied to considering Stefan Diggs, based on how we saw him in Buffalo. And then he went to Houston, had a great start to the year. We saw him begin to kind of tone it down, understand the moment and where he was in his career and what was expected of him and what he needed to be for that team in Houston. you go get Stefan Diggs and bring him to a Drake May. All his job, if you are able to fully lay out what the expectations we have of you

for a veteran receiver coming into a locker room, they will deliver. He knew he needed to be a leader on that offense. He needed to set the tone in that unit, that wide receiver unit room. A.J. Brown believes the same thing. He just has to believe in the guy that's under center and the guy that's on the sideline calling the plays. And I also, this is like, listen, I've been known to have a tone issue a time or two according to my wife, but I would just say this.

Like, I've never thought that the message of A.J. Brown was off. No. You can question, like, should you have done that on Instagram? Should you have done that on the Twitch stream? Was that the right thing to say after a win? Of course. Like, timing. But, like, in terms of, like, the substance of the message that he was delivering,

he's been pretty spot on across the board. Yeah. Some of the, like, I wasn't a fan of the book. Still not. Sure. Like, wasn't a fan of the book. The optics just didn't look good. That's a reasonable opinion to have.

You didn't like reading a book during playoffs. But then when you listen to his teammates, it was like, well, he'd been doing it all year. Oh, we, that's what he's done. Yeah. That's how he's able to center himself. Certain players are comfortable being themselves. That is A.J. Brown. It's an admirable quality, honestly.

It really is. And by the way, I still think he's going to go back to Philly. Because I think Philly knows it. Yeah, they're not letting me go. And they know they're better. with him, but we have to stop pretending like AJ Brown would just like sink every team that he goes to. He won a Super Bowl last year. Speaking of the Patriots, this is fairly obvious, but the Patriots are going to have a much more difficult on-paper schedule next year than this year. And it's not just because it's a first-play schedule. That only affects a couple of games, but it's also just by the projected opponents that they are slated to face.

do you look at this as the type of thing these are their opponents outside of the AFC East so they get the NFC North obviously very difficult division and they get the AFC West very difficult division arguably the two deafest divisions in football do you think

this is something that should be massively concerning for Patriots fans no okay like we have to stop this no I approve the question I don't think I don't think I heard in any year of me being in tune with NFL football,

it talked about as much as last year of a team having an easy schedule. Not a single coach in my 10 years of playing has ever gotten in front of a team and said, guys, this year is going to be tough. We have a first place schedule. Or this year's going to be a lot easier. Yeah.

We got a really, laid up schedule, guys. We can take advantage of this. No, your opponent is who your opponent is gonna be. You have, you understand you have to put together a game plan every single week. The Patriots are looking at this. They look at their, the NFC North and the AFC West

and the three first places that they have and say, look, we got an opportunity to play Seattle again. We got an opportunity to play some of the best teams in the National Football League, but remind yourself who we are too. We're one of the best teams in the National Football League as well. That all sounds good, and I fully understand why a player would feel that way. And it is very difficult to predict in February who is going to be good in September,

much less who is going to be good in January, right? Injuries, it's not who you play, who you play them. The playoff field turns over by like 40 to 50 percent every year. There's a worse-the-first team every year. The league is built on parity. I get it. But if we could put up the opponents again for the Patriots, because listen, I love the game. like the old super fans on S&L, like week one, when, week two,

win, like for the Bears when they go through the schedule. We all do it. We all do it. We all do it. And you'd agree that it looks like that's a tough schedule. Yeah, it's a tougher schedule. Without a doubt. So that's the only because they also, they got blown out in the Super Bowl.

They beat a backup quarterback on championship Sunday. They needed, not needed, but they forced slash. he did. C.J. Stroud had a miserable game in the divisional round. And they buy the numbers, and I would not expect Mike were able to talk about it. I would not expect any player to talk about. I'd expect people who look like me to talk about this, not people

who look like you to talk about this. Like, they literally played the easiest schedule we've seen since the 99 Rams. Just based on how it worked out. Not their fault, but it's just how it worked out. It's hard for me to imagine that playing the Bears, the Packers, the Lions, the Chargers,

the Broncos, the Chiefs, the Seahawks, that's going to be tougher. I can see that you're unmoved by this argument. I am so unmoved because I just talked about this with the Tennessee Titans. They had a rookie starting this year, Cam Ward. Yeah. They had the toughest schedule in the National Football League. You think they led with, hey, Cam.

That's not what I'm saying, though. I'm not saying that Mike Vrable or Drake May or anyone in that locker is concerned. No, I understand. I'm saying as we evaluate how good the Patriots can be next year. Just for a second, like, I do not at all expect Mike were able to mention this one time to the Patriots. I'm just saying when you and I are talking about how good the Patriots are going to be next year, it feels like a relevant data point to say they're going from the easiest schedule in a quarter century to those opponents. That feels relevant.

It is relevant. It's very relevant. But when you look at all those other teams schedule and you throw their schedule up and the Patriots show up. And the Patriots show up on theirs. They're circling that game as well. Like they're no longer looking at this team as one of the slums of the league, one of the lower hanging fruit teams that we can take advantage of. That's not what they're looking at the Patriots as.

And so why would they look at themselves? Look, they are going to have to put together a fantastic season. Do we believe that they're going to be 14 and 3 again? No. No. That is just hard to do. We don't see that every single year. It's hard to do, especially to repeat.

it. However, you grow from playing opponents like this. You know who you are by the time the postseason come along because of opponents like this, which is why we were questioning them going into this postseason. Right. And why I questioned them up through making it to the Super Bowl, frankly. And I could absolutely see myself saying on this desk sometime next season, next November, December, that the Patriots are a better team with a worst record. Because they're not going to have a better record. But if they go 10 and 7, 11 and 6 through that schedule with more close, grinded out, had to execute in the fourth quarter type of gritty wins against that

opponent, it's like I would feel like it would callous you and make me actually believe in the body of work. And it would validate this season all the more. Yeah, that's definitely a way to look at it. I think sometimes we look at the, we can put that. schedule up there and we look at those teams that they're playing. And unlike Willie was able to willing to do yesterday, we, we take what they did last year and we just say, oh, well, the expectation is they're going to have to face a really good Broncos team

this upcoming year. Well, we don't know if they're going to be great this upcoming year. We don't. We don't. The Patriots anticipate themselves being one of the better teams in the National Football League again to retool. so does these teams as well. Whether you are one of the goods or one of the bads, you feel like

this year coming up, we're going to be better. It's a fun schedule too. It is. I like, like I said, I like playing the schedule game, but also they are, they're just, they're a, unique, they're a unique team to have made it to a Super Bowl.

In what way? Well, me, Drake May was the youngest quarterback. Yeah, okay. Right, right? So like, he made, he made it earlier than basically anyone had ever made it to a Super Bowl. Outside of Drake May, what makes them unique to have made it? The schedule? That is, I mean, that, again, since the 99 Rams, like, the path to the super,

playing a backup quarterback on championship Sunday. What we overlook, though, Danny, what we overlook is. That is unique. Is it? Okay, so, okay, the 99 Rams did it. How many, how many? Drake May, the schedule playing a backup quarterback on championship Sunday? Answer this question.

Answer this question. How many seasons since the 99 Rams and before was there a team that had the easiest schedule? Well, someone has to have it every year. Somebody has to have it every year. Do we talk about that team? Do we talk about that team? If they make it to the Super Bowl, yes. So why does it matter if they make it to the Super Bowl,

but it doesn't if they don't make it or they don't make the postseason? Well, we tend to talk about the better teams. Like, if you played the easiest schedule and you went nine and eight. It matters now because- Well, I'm saying we probably don't think that highly of you. If you grind out a nine and eight record against the easiest schedule in the league, we don't think that idea of it. And that's fair.

So obviously you're really not, you're not a good team. Correct. And so if you go 14 and 3. And you just beat up on everybody. You're clearly a good team, but I think it is fair to question how good you are. I think it is fair to question how good you are. I think I think that's all that's all I'm saying we will question how good a team is every single year pending on how we got to prove it all over again no single year no I mean for me the schedule I'm like stop it with the schedule stuff all right that's fine I want to talk about your pistons against the Knicks and something do that and sounds like Isaiah likely is uh on his way out of Baltimore how big of a loss that would be for Lamar Detroit basketball We have a podcast.

Is it the best podcast in the world? Some people are saying yes, actually. In addition to a great YouTube page, check out First Things First. Wherever you get your content, we're available everywhere. Last night, big result in the world of the association. The Knicks needed to win. They needed to prove they could beat a good team.

They had lost the first two to the Pistons. Their favorite, Isaiah Stewart suspended, Jalen Duren, suspend. Cade Cunningham goes off and the Knicks lose pocket. 15 at the garden. Not a great spot. Carl Anthony Towns tried to explain what happened. Take a listen. I think that any game is important in a regular season.

I know you're talking about seeing them in the playoffs, but you've got to get there first. For standings, you always want to win. You want to make sure you give yourself the best chance to control your destiny. All right, so I'm never going to overreact to any one regular season game. But that's a bad loss for the Knicks when put it to the next. when put into the context that you're seeing right here.

They are now two and five on the year when they've played a top three seed from either conference. They are one game over 500 against teams that are just over 500. That is mediocre personified, but they are 19 and 6 against the bottom of the NBA, and we know if you've been paying attention to macro NBA conversations,

the teams at the bottom of the NBA simply aren't trying. So that is an alarming graphic in totality for the Knicks. You think it's time for the next to hit the panic button? So I'm going to say no. Okay. I'm going to say no because we watched the Knicks last season struggle, specifically in the east, with the calves who swept them,

the Celtics who swept them, and then we watched them get into the post season and then turn into something different. So for that reason, I'm going to hold off and say, let's wait and see what this team looks like in the postseason. However, against that team, they don't want that problem against the Pistons. And for me, if you are starting to be a little unsettled, I think that's fair. If you're a Nick fan. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And the person that we listen to, Carl Anthony Towns, is one of the main reasons, if not the sole reason.

When I watch this team, I'm always blown away because you know what you have in Jalen Brunson. You know he's going to start and finish every game like a pro, like a champ, like a closer does. But you don't know what you're going to get with Kat. And I'm of the mindset and the mentality. Why don't we play through if you are the Knicks? Kat, we got to start with you. We're going to play through you to start the games so that you can get going. The old school give the big man some touches.

Yeah, because we know what we have in Jaylen. We know he's going to get whatever he needs to get and we know how he closes. Kat, we don't know what we're going to get with you from night to night. And when you're playing against a team like the Pistons, when they're down two of their bigs, the ones that give you the most problems, and you still have issues with Paul Reed and Smith, like, I'm sorry, Kat, you can't do those types of things.

And so there's going to be a level of frustration if you are a Nick fan and rightfully so. I think the Knicks are drawn dead in the playoffs. I don't think they can win the East, but I felt that way before last night. They're definitely not winning the East. Oh, okay. Well, so then like, yeah, it's panic button time because this was an NBA finals or bust season. It was not an NBA, it was not a win in NBA finals or bust season, but the expectation this year, after what they did in the playoffs last year, and with the Tatum injury, was that the Knicks were supposed to make the finals.

And when I watch them, they are the same. And Brunson is an incredibly likable player who plays very hard, who is a great closer. But I do not believe that when your two best players are defensive liabilities, but they have to be on the floor because they're your two best players in Brunson and Carl Anthony Towns. I don't think you win multiple playoff series in terms of, like, I can beat all three to get to the NBA finals. I don't think you can do it. You need two-way players in the NBA. And so I just, when you put on top of that, that they're just beating the bums of the NBA. this year, yeah, man,

Panic button time. Now, if you say they have to win the Eastern Conference finals, then that's a different conversation. I think that is, listen, I don't want to speak, I never want to speak for a fan base because they're not a mono with. That's what they're hopeful for. It's what they

expected. It is. It is what they we are here in New York. We know Knicks fans, we work with Knicks fans, we talk to Nix fans. Coming into the year, the only thing Nix fans were going to be satisfied was, was if they were playing for a Larry O'Brien Trophy. I do not think this team can win the East. I don't.

And again, can I just highlight Carl Anthony Towns? Please. Last night. And this is what he can't be. And reason why I say you got to start fast, you got to play through Kat. This is him in the first half. Two points, three field goals. He only put up three shots.

That doesn't sound like a, that doesn't even look like a player. If I tell you those stats, that doesn't look like a player that you are going to depend on when it comes down to how if we win or lose basketball games. Now the second half, did he come to play? Yeah. He came with a little bit more energy. He's crazy talented and that's frustrating about it. That's the part that's so upsetting.

Yeah. Because we know that there's that second half version of Kat in him, but we don't know if he can consistently provide that every single night against the elite teams. That's the problem. Jalen Brunson, I, I'll take what he isn't defensively. Of course.

Because we know what he's going to do offensively. Especially in the fourth quarter. Yes. Yeah. And listen, I, let again, I never really overreact to any one of 82 in the NBA. But that spot with Stewart and Duren suspended for Detroit in your building when you've lost, when you've got blown out by this team, the two times you'd face them. Yeah. And they're the one seed.

And you're rested. and you're coming out of the break and you're the favorite. And Cade Cunningham was the best player on the floor by far. Brunson had a good game. Cade Cunningham last night was like... In his bad. Oh, my God.

I was like, well, this guy, we were doing the... Aunt Edwards, like... Give me three and him. He was awesome. Like, he was like, oh, is he the best American basketball player in the world? Which he said he was. Like, he is nasty. And he looks so smooth and it looks so effortless.

Like, the way... he can get to the basket, the mid-range, we've always known he had the mid-range game. What is becoming impressive is that right there. The three-point shot? Him extending his game, his offensive game, beyond the three-point line. If he continues to grow and develop that, problem. I also like that he will guard the other team's best perimeter player. Like, for how much he has the ball in his hands on offense, you would think, like, traditionally,

like that guy gets, like, hit in a little bit, or let's give him a little bit. easier assignment or whatever on the other defensive end of the floor is like no and i know that's because he's young and that's their identity of the team but he he is he's a stud and and what i love about kade is when you watch him play the in his teammates clearly love playing with him because he's a high volume yeah he's going to get everybody involved yep like he's not looking to like i know he put up 34 shots last night and rightfully so he should be putting up about 30 shots again When you're playing like that. When you got it going, you do that.

But even in the way he plays in the ebbs and flows of the game, he's looking to find his guys, get guys good shots on the break in the half-court set. He gets everybody involved. Like when you watched that game last night, the Knicks came out blitzing them immediately. And I felt like that was what they were going to do. That was their best shot. And Kay is just like, we got it. And everybody else, we cool, regardless of who we don't have on the.

the court, we better than this team. That's what scary. Yeah, listen, I still have questions on whether or not they're ready, like, to, to win the East. Again, we, but, but here's the thing. If I say that the Knicks can't do it. Thank you. What do we, what do we talk?

Who's beating them? Listen, I, Cleveland, Boston, them. Here we go. I, I, like, just for me personally, for me personally, those are the three teams that can win the East, Cleveland, Boston, and them. I'm including them. I don't think that's, I don't think that's disrespectful. You're starting with Cleveland.

I am. I just know. Okay. No. Because you talk about, you're talking about a team that that has guys that can get buckets on the offensive side. Now, obviously, Cade is a, he's one of one. He's incredible. But their length, their ability to defend across the board, back court, front court, it doesn't matter.

They have it covered. They're going to be physical. They're going to play bully brand ball. Listen, it's a compelling argument. Like that team last night without Stuart and Duren was very impressive. And Cade, I'm a big team USA basketball guy. We've talked about this before. Like he's probably going to be the starting point guard for the Olympic team in 2028,

which there's a lot of competition for that role, Tyrese Halliborne and others, but he is, he is nice. Can I say one last thing really quick before we go? Like he was asked after the game. Like, what does your team have, what does your team proven so far? You know what his answer was? Did you, did you, did you? I didn't see this. Nothing.

He just simply said, that's a guy who's locked in. What a revolutionary answer. I, he was, nothing. We, we, we've proven nothing. Well, he's objectively correct. He understands. Oh, he has that right mentality. He absolutely.

He has that right. He's got the right lines. He's got the right lines. The weirdest and the most wonderful. A lot of highlights last night. Time now for some weird and some wonderful, but really, it's all wonderful when you're talking Olympics. Because Greg, we got to get you to a hockey game.

Megan Keller, weird goal here, squeaks it through, brings home the gold for the Team USA weapon. Let's go. That is awesome. That is definitely wonderful. I definitely got to get to a game. Man, man, lives in Minneapolis. He's never been to a hockey game. It is disappointing. I'm sorry, guys. It's just like, so it's not the story with Team USA, but I'm talking to talk hockey with you. Give me some. Thank you, Wembeyanama. Look at where he takes off from on this dunk.

This is the benefit of being 7-7. That's just ridiculous. Kind of like alien type. Kind of like an alien. Someone should make that comparison. Look at that length from Victor Wembeyanama. Absolutely absurd. All right, let's move on here.

Now entering the no bull zone, sponsored by Credible, get great rates with none of the bull. So Isaiah likely was with John Gruden on his podcast to speak about how he plans to attack free agency and what he's looking for in a new team and his value that he would bring. So let's take a list. Well, my agent, what I told him was I just want to be able to, you know, blossom.

Like, I feel like, you know, the last couple of years, I've had a great, you know, vet in Mark Andrews where it was he's taught me everything to be, you know, a star caliber tight end to the point where it's like now, I feel like, you know, I just want to be on a team that where I could just get out there and, you know, help a quarterback, help a team be able to put as much points of the board as possible. So if he leaves, Greg, do you can see? consider this a huge loss for the Ravens losing Isaiah likely? It's a big loss.

They've been able to win kind of with minimal production. I shouldn't say, I say minimal in comparison to Mark Andrews, because that's their primary tie-in. That's why he's talking about when he uses the word, I told my agent, I just want to go somewhere where I can blossom. He must be a number one. I want to be a number one. He wants targets, supposed to be a number one.

I want to be a feature tied in. And in that offense, that's not happening. Can I just go through some numbers real quick and then I want you to, like, more evaluate him? Because it surprised me. I was like, because you hear so much about him and he does have 15 career touchdowns. And some of his plays are like, oh, wow,

that guy's big guy who can run. He's never had more than 500 yards in a season. He has never had more than 60 targets in a season. This past year, he had one touchdown and two fumbles and only 11 first downs. That's because he's never. played over 60% of their snaps in the season. This past, last year he played, I want to say it was 56% of their snaps.

This year went down to only 48% of the snaps. You can't expect the level of production that he can provide. We know the talent is there. We know the skill set that he possesses. It's a classic eye test guy. Yeah, he is. He's clearly good. And it's like, man, if he, he knows it.

He's like, man, if I can, it's not a Lamar thing. I would say it was more of a Todd Munkin deal where you got the veteran guy who's always produced in Mark Andrews who is the safety blanket, if you will, for Lamar Jackson, who he just can't break that, he can't break through that threshold.

And rightfully so, Mark Andrews deserves to be the number one, but when you have a young guy that's right there, it's a hard decision to make. If I'm drawing up plays, am I going to say, Mark, you get this one or Isaiah, you get this one. Sure.

You're probably going to say Mark. So, like on paper, it's not that big of a loss. But I think when you look a little deeper at the Ravens and there's their situation, like, so Mark Andrews will turn 31, week one of next year. Derek Henry is 32. Isaiah likely is gone. DeAndre Hopkins is 34. He signed a one-year deal.

He was their third in receptions or in receiving yards. excuse me, this year. So third and fourth are going to be gone, and number two is in his early 30s, and then we know that Zay Flowers is not a true number one. A nice talent and has some real upside, but hasn't really produced like a true number one. They have, so I think bigger than just likely specifically,

they really do need to attack weapons. And they've got the 14th pick in the draft, which is going to be right in that range. Yeah, one of the reasons why he's the big loss too is because of how versatile. he is. You can split him out wide. You can match. He's a match up problem with

if you're trying to guard him with any safety, definitely you're not going to try to guard him with a linebacker. He's a matchup a massive matchup issue. But when you are a player and you have this type of talent and you know you possess it and your numbers are going down and he wasn't productive.

Even when he was in the lineup, he just didn't get the targets. He didn't get the opportunities. Like to only have 37 targets all season long, Like for a guy like that, I know he only played in 14 games, but you still, he had more, he had more catches than he had targets a year, two years ago than this year. So he just felt like I was going to be a little bit more of a focal point in this offense. And when that doesn't happen and your time is coming up, it's like,

now that Munkin is gone, I mean, is there any chance they bring him back? So that's, that's the question. Because when you watch what Declan Doyle and obviously Ben Johnson was able to do with Colquemette, the guy who was there first, you bring in the young guy in Loveland, and Loveland emerged as their past catching guy, but you found a way to use both of them. You found a way to satisfy both of them. Maybe Declan Doyle can sell that. He's made $7 million, which is obviously for us normal people, a ton of money.

But my guess is he's going to try to get as many targets and as much money as possible, classic thing in free agency. But there's this kid out of Oregon, Kenyon Saddam. I don't know if you've seen much of him. He didn't produce a ton in college, but he's 6-3, 245. He looks like the type of guy that's going to crush the combine next week. I could see him being top tight end in the class and, like, learn from Andrews for a year, get in that system where they do really need the tight end, and he could maybe be likely's replacement.

I could see them targeting him in the draft if he has a good combine. If you are allowing, if you're planning to allow. likely leave. Yeah, you're definitely going to have to retool at the tight end position because Mark Andrews, as you mentioned, getting a little longer in the tooth. He's still productive, but how sustainable is that productivity? And when is it going to start to drop off? Well, listen, I already diagnosed all the issues with the AFC North.

You got more? Well, nothing to be coming up. The AFC East. The doctor's in the house, Greg. The doc is sick. When a loved one is sick. you of course bring them to the best medical professional possible and maybe you explore a second opinion when you want the best help for your NFL team no second

opinion is needed you bring them to Dr. Danny done every division this week except for the AFC East and people have been asking Greg for my credentials I graduated summa cum laude from I know ball university I know ball that's right I actually liked it don't be so surprised that's where I am from All right, I know ball. I know ball, exactly. All right, all right. So I got some patience here for you in the NFC East.

You ready? I'm ready. I'm ready. We begin with the New England Patriots. We're just in the Super Bowl. It's a pretty thin chart. Looking pretty good. Pretty, pretty good.

But you got one major problem. Protection. Stay safe out there. Left side of your offensive line. You got to protect the franchise. Drake May took. way too many hits. And I know that you've invested.

You've got young guys. Wilson and Campbell left side of the offensive line. Will Campbell's the attack. Was your guard. It's going to be a big talking point for the offseason. They have to do that evaluation. What you cannot do is simply rely on improvement. You need to bring in some form of competition in the form of a veteran in case your

plan A doesn't work. Let's just look at the Patriots offensive line and the pressures they allowed in the playoffs. It's very simple. the issue was. You're always trying to add to your offensive line, but maybe week one next year, Will Campbell and Jared Wilson are your left tackle and your left guard. And they've just improved and they got stronger, they got more familiar with the NFL and all that. Fine. But you've got to have a plan B in case it isn't because the number of hits Drake May took this year is not sustainable. You need to improve his blindside protection. Yeah, with your greatest,

with your greatest asset being your quarterback, and typically that's the case in league and with him holding the ball in the fashion of which he chooses to hold the ball. It's not all exclusively on that offensive line, particularly on that left side. But you're absolutely right. Look, I'm calling you die. You're absolutely right. As you should. You're absolutely right.

Expect my title. I expect for them to get better. I expect for them to improve. I'm sure Vrable and Josh McDaniels, you expect for that side of the offensive line to improve. However, you cannot just solely depend on they'll be better next year. You have to protect your greatest asset and know that you got somebody in just in case. All right. The next patient for Dr. Danny to step into my office is the Buffalo Bills.

And again, you've got a lot going for you here. There's some pretty good vitals, some pretty good underlying signs, a lot of success over the last few years. But one thing, as we trend, you know, charts in the medical profession, One thing is trending in the wrong direction, and that is your wide receiver production. So my prescription would be to win the arms race and sign Alec Pierce. Everyone's going to be trying. I expect him to leave Indianapolis.

Other teams I mention him as a possibility, but he is a sound route runner with good hands. And if we look at what Buffalo, we talk about that chart in terms of their production. Back in 2020, no team got more production from their wide receiver. court. And it's just steadily going the wrong way. You cannot rely. How many times did we refer to Josh Allen as Superman? It's unrealistic. You've got the offensive line. You've got the running back. You have the quarterback. You have tight ends. Get him someone who can be a legit number one there, and he'll do wonders in Josh Allen's office. Yeah, it's no secret that they need help outside the

numbers at the receiver position. Like, I think in their defense, some of those numbers have trended down in the wrong direction, if you will, because of the emergence of a James Cook and the value that he possesses in that offensive passing game. Absolutely. But you also throw the ball to James Cook a lot more. But you definitely got to add a piece on the outside, maybe two pieces on the outside, because it's not just going to be a one player fixes your and resolves your issues on the perimeter position.

But Alex Pierce would be a great addition. I don't know if the Colts let him go. I don't think they want to, but I'm expecting them to have to use the franchise tag to begin negotiations with Daniel Jones, and so that would give Alec Pierce a chance to sign. And I would think if you get to the open bidding, someone's going to be able to outbid the Colts.

All right, the next patient, who we allotted some extra time for this one because there are some serious issues here with the Miami Dolphins. And I got to be honest, see, when you graduate at the top of your class, from I know Ball University. You have the ability to prescribe some radical things. And I am suggesting that you tank.

I'm suggesting that the only fix to your problems, Miami, is to not say it out loud. This isn't the NBA. But carry the biggest dead cap hit in NFL history. Tua is not the answer. He is not going to be the answer. I've seen him in my office too many times. But if you look at the largest dead cap hits

that teams have taken in NFL history, Russell Wilson was at the top. That worked out for the Denver Broncos. You got a new coach, you got a new GM, they have job security. If you carry all of two as dead cap hit for this year, we talked about it yesterday. Mike Floreo wrote about it.

It's about a third of your salary cap. You will be awful. It'll be terrible. And then next year, in a loaded quarterback draft, you'll be drafting at the top where you can begin your rebuild in earnest. I would embrace the tank this year. You already got rid of Bradley Chub,

already got rid of Tyree Kill. just admit what you are. Don't lie to yourself. Doc, I'm a little disappointed that you're just telling this team to just deal with it. Like, you got to love the solution. You still got to add some value. Even if you don't move forward with Tua, when you do find your guy, you want to have them in a ready-made situation. So you've got to do more than just tank. What would you suggest?

I would suggest them continuing to try to improve their roster outside of the quarterback situation. I don't, I mean, good luck. Losing wide receivers, losing past rushers, losing quarterbacks. Well, that was inevitable. That was inevitable. All inevitable? Okay. Now, I was, yeah, well, there is one more patient that we need to do. And it's a bit of a, it's a bit of a doozy.

And my nurse, Christina, is a Jets fan. fan and she suggested some unethical things. Some things that you need to move overseas or to the Pacific Northwest aren't legal in all parts of the country for the New York Jets. And here's what I would say. Your issues are so plentiful at this point.

All right? That honestly, don't even think about drafting a quarterback. Don't do it. You're not ready. Okay? You're not ready to draft the quarterback. But you have an opportunity here. This time next year, you can have a normal sized file if you just draft well.

Hit in the draft. It's a unique opportunity. They have four picks in the top 44. They have the first round pick from the Colts and the Soss Garner trade, second round pick from the Cowboys and the Quinn and Williams trade. You have the new general manager who came in from Denver. Four picks in the top 44. Have a draft like the Lions had when they got Laporta and Gibbs and Branch and Campbell.

It wasn't a quarterback. They just, they weren't even premium positions. It was a safety, an inside linebacker, a tight end, a running back. Just draft good players. If you hit on three of those four picks, you'll still be bad. But next year, you'll be in a much better position to drop a quarterback into your infrastructure. Yeah, this is definitely a franchise that's locked in on the best available player. At any position, other than kicker?

Other than quarterback? I would not draft the quarterback. Listen, it's a one quarterback draft. So the inclination is going to be, well, we can get the second best quarterback in the class and reach. You do not want to do that. Yeah, you don't want to do that. Look, defensively, we know what they gave up last year to acquire some draft capital. They have that.

You have to hit because the previous regime, if they didn't do anything, If they didn't do anything right, they did draft well, specifically on the defense side of the ball. And it was good for a stent. Yeah, they underachieved massively relative to their talent. I don't know if you can sell Aaron Glenn on this because they're going to try to bring in Malik Willis. They're going to try to go get Kyler Murray. And I understand why that would be exciting. And if you can do hit a home run like that, okay, fine.

But in the draft, yeah, I don't think they're even focused on a quarterback. I don't think so. You can't be. But what we're focused on, start of the atmosphere. the last season. Stu Holden going to join us. And anyone stop messing from the repeat. Son? Son?

A little bit too close, magic. Put me in magic. Gene bite the whole league. Are you ready to kick it? I'm ready to kick it. I'm ready to kick it. See you there. Kick it.

Major league soccer returns this weekend to Fox with FC Cincinnati and Atlanta United, Saturday at 4.30 p.m. Eastern on Fox. And joining us now to talk about the start of the MLS season, former U.S. men's national team midfielder and Fox's lead match analyst, Stu Holden, with us here on First overtime. Stu, we very much appreciate your time. Obviously, we should start with the champs, with Messi, Inter-Miami. I don't know if anyone can slow him down.

What say you? Wait, who, Messi? Who's that? Oh, yeah, just the greatest player that's ever played the game, that has just lit MLS on fire as if we expect anything different since he's joined the league. I mean, you know, they didn't win in his first year. They lost in the playoffs. Messy was a little bit banged up. This last year, he was far from banged up.

In fact, he was on another level, 35 goals in 34 games. That's pretty good. I'm not really good at math guys, but that means that was a goal every game. And that's a very good stat. Then they went on and they won the title. And look, they're the favorites, as you would expect, to defend that title. I was down there in Miami calling that game live on Fox, and they just ran away with it. They've stacked with talent, and in fact, they've actually even loaded up with some new talent.

Some of their older veteran players have retired. They brought in some younger guys, Bertrami. They had signed from Mexico. So as you say, the rich get richer. But Jorge Masu, you can see there. And David Beckham, their ownership has said, look, we're not stopping here. We're going to keep pushing. And they are by far and away the biggest favorite.

But as we know with MLS, it's not as easy to do it in the regular season and to repeat as champs. We've only had a couple of repeat champs in this league. So I'm interested to see in a World Cup year if they can maintain that momentum. Well, Stu, we know what Messi brings to the table, but what player would you tell us to be looking out for this year in MLS? One of the fun trends in MLS over the recent years is there's some real stars in this league now. And one that I have loved watching who came the middle of last season was Sun Hung Min, who plays here in L.A. for L-AFC. And he and Denny Buonga, who's an MLS former MVP,

Golden Boot winner, top goal score. The two of them have formed a really great partnership. So make sure you watch San Moore this year. He's scored some free kicks. He's lightning quick in the transition. He's also super motivated because he'll be playing in a World Cup with South Korea. And they were drawn in Mexico's group. So that's going to be a lot of fun for him playing games here in North America. And then, Greg, I know you're a Minnesota guy, man. Hamas Rodriguez. gonna ask. Yeah, look, man. There's a lot of excitement around these. You got the Colombian superstar who like turns it on every time he plays for Columbia,

ends up signing for Minnesota United, which look, no disrespect to Minnesota United, but over their history, they haven't signed a player of this type of caliber. And it was kind of a little bit of a head scratcher for some of us, but like what a statement of intent for Minnesota and so cool to have a player like Hamas Rodriguez who will be playing an MLS this year? Stu, obviously, it's a World Cup year. We're all counting down the days. It's hanging over the whole soccer world.

It's going to be the biggest event possible. Which U.S. men's national team players are you most looking forward to watching in the MLS this season? Yeah, I actually think, guys, that this could be one of the heaviest MLS rosters that we've seen from a World Cup perspective. I go back to when I played in the World Cup, as Alexi used to say, way back in yonder years in 2010. I think we had maybe two or three MLS players on that final roster. I think you could see up to 10 guys at least on this 26-man roster. The starting goalkeeper, Matt Freese, I'm a big fan of. He plays for New York City, FC, and he, I think, will be the starting goalie for the U.S.

He's a young and rising star. He's got Miles Robinson, who's a defender for FC Cincinnati. So there will be a big MLS DNA as part of this team, Sebastian Burrhalter from Vancouver. You've got guys I'm interested to see how they fill out the roster, but it's pretty cool to know that a lot of these guys will be playing in your backyard that will also, I hope for their sake, make the World Cup roster and have that opportunity to represent their country in a home World Cup because it's going to be amazing. This is truly like MLS starting is kind of the beginning of the ramp up for us in the soccer world than what we know is going to be our biggest year yet. So, Stu, you mentioned Hamas, obviously the signing for the Minnesota United.

Like, there's a lot of excitement there, but what team they've, they've got. getting proved over the last three years. They're inching up in the West every single year. Which team do you expect to kind of be the team that just rises to the top this year? You know, I do like Minnesota. They lost their coach from last year. He's gone over to England, but they've made some really good enforcements. Cameron knows their coach has been a part of that organization for a while.

It's a really well-run organization, Greg. So you should be very proud of your Minnesota boys over there. They're a ton of fun to watch. I'm excited again to see San Diego. San Diego last year was an expansion team. It was their first ever year in the league. And they get to the Western Conference finals. They were up there in the mix for some of the teams and the best record in the league.

So I've got San Diego once again to be a team that I think is not just going to be a good team, but can contend for a title. And I know it feels like a little bit of a cop out to make a surprise run. But I'm thinking like this is a team that could win a championship. And to win a championship in MLS is very hard. so that would mean a new champion for the first time. So obviously, again, we're excited for the MLS starting up tomorrow, but the World Cup is going to impact every soccer league around the world.

We know there's going to be a break in May. What is the impact on the World Cup on MLS in terms of what fans should be expecting? Guys, we've been talking about this World Cup for 15 years. Is that all? Yeah, at least, right? Coming back to North America, this is going to be not just the biggest soccer event. the biggest sporting event the world has ever seen. And MLS is making sure, look, it's taking an early break.

It's going to take a break all the way through until right before the final, which is July 19th. So a lot of players, not just American players, but a lot of international players will be playing in the World Cup. So you're going to see these players that play for Atlanta, Cincinnati, Miami, Philly will all be representing their countries. But it is a moment where all of us, anybody touch point to, soccer in this country has to make sure we're doing everything we can to try to make new fans,

those fans that come, keep them, keep them involved in the game. The last men's World Cup that we hosted in this country was 1994. That's a long time ago. The league didn't even exist back then. This league was born off the back of that World Cup. So I'm excited to see what the circus leaves here, because we all know the circus comes to town in the World Cup, but I want to make sure that we have a continued thriving soccer economy here in the U.S. once that World Cup is done.

All right, Stu, you got to give us a bold prediction. Don't back out. Yeah, I know. See, these ones are hard to quantify. Like, what makes it bold? So, you know, Inter-Miamy, if I pick them to win, that wouldn't be a bold prediction. That is not bold. No, that is exactly.

I'm going to give you a bold prediction is that we're going to see a new champion in MLS for the first time ever. I'm going to go with FC Cincinnati. They have been a team that has been pushing so close. I don't think they made the playoffs the first four seasons. They were in MLS. They've been getting better every year.

I think this could be their year. So I'm going to pick a new champion this time and it's going to be FC Cincinnati. And of course they play tomorrow to kick off the season. I tried to tee you up, Stu, and you swung and miss. I was looking for a specific answer. Yeah, 430 Eastern. Make sure you watch it.

Stu, great stuff. We can't wait to watch you. It's going to be very exciting season and we appreciate always your time here for us at first things first. Thank you, Stu. Thanks, boys. See you. Big night for the big men last night in the association.

Victor Weniamo led the Spurs blowout over the Suns, 121.94. Just 17 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. Meanwhile, it was a crazy game, and I got more on that Spurs game in a second. It was a crazy game with the Nuggets and the Clippers, the Joker at 22.17 boards and six assists, but Denver fell 115, 114, in a heartbreaker. So in this Spurs game, no player played more than 26 minutes, Greg. 13 players played. All 13 guys on the Spurs played double-digit minutes.

I don't think I've ever seen that before. Yeah. Look, it's going to benefit this team. The more they can get guys on the court, they're a young team. They want to see more guys play. They obviously have great depth. That's one of those teams that's got a chance, Danny. Very scary.

And then the Nuggets game, Murray had three free throw. to win at the end. And Matherin talked a little trash to him. He needs to hit three to tie. Hit the first two. Brick's the third one. Matherin, who's his first home game with the Clippersons coming over from the Pacers, had a monster.

Had 38 last night. But the West is the power conference in the NBA. And I want to throw up the title odds here, if you can, because it's reflected in it. The Thunder are basically the even money favorite. You bet $10 you win $13.50. Puggets and Spurs right behind them, and then the Eastern Conference starts to enter the picture here. So, you know, the odds makers would say there's a big two, there's a big one, a two, and then there's the gap, obviously, but all three of the top ones out west.

So I guess my question to you would be, who do you view as the biggest threat to the Thunder, who, again, are basically even money to win the title? So for me, it's the Spurs. Like, when you look at their, when you look at their back court, their youth, they can challenge them. With Stefan Castle, obviously, Dearon Fox, Devin Vassel, like they have guards that can not only play defend, but they can get buckets on their own. And we know who the alien is. We know what he brings to the table. And it's something about him playing against Chet Holmgren. There is something that comes out of him that's a little extra.

He doesn't like that they get compared. Man and his shows. He really doesn't like it. And it shows. I absolutely love that. I love that he goes at him with that old school playoff intensity. But look, I really think it's this Spurs team. That's no disrespect to the Nuggets because they added depth from last year.

Obviously, something that they needed with Bruce Brown, obviously Tim Hardaway, Jr. Yep. Huge additions. Valentuna's might be the most important piece because when the Joker is not on the floor, you got to have a big that can do something. And they can't just get blown out what he's off the floor. Correct. Just try to play it to somewhere around even.

So I get why the Nuggets are right there, but for me it's the Spurs. So I think it's the Nuggets because, but I will fully admit that I have a little bit of confidence leaking from this take. And I will explain why. So just stay with me here for a second. Throughout NBA history, almost universally, you have to crawl, then walk, then run in the NBA. in the NBA finals to win a championship. Hold on.

The best teams. I get it. Yes. LeBron had to deal with it. Michael Jordan had to deal with it. It is not a disrespectful thing to say that normally that's how it works. Right?

And the Nuggets, they have been there. They have won a championship. And they took the thunder to the brink last year. Last year, we saw it. No one on the Spursus played in the playoffs like together, right? Victor Wenbinoa has obviously not played in the playoffs yet.

Dylan Harper, they draft him this year. I think he's going to be an absolute superstar. But, like, so it is, by NBA, NBA history tells me that it's very hard to go from zero playoff series wins to four in a row when you'd have to go through Joker and the champs with the thunder. But the reason that I have confidence leaking in the take is because they have an alien. Yes. You know, so I don't know if I can apply.

But think about what I'm saying there. Yeah, it's valid. He's different. But like, that means he would also be different than Michael Jordan's path than LeBron's path. Like it is not. O'KC had to go through it. Oh, right. So I don't think that is disrespectful to Victor Wenbanyama for me to say that his first time in the postseason,

I still will give the benefit of the doubt to Nicola. I don't think that is disrespectful. I think that is totally in line with NBA history and who most people still think is the best player in the world. No, it's not disrespectful. But when you think about the type of player and that Wimby is and that he's... Rules might not apply to him.

There we go. It's possible that rules just might not... I'm open to that, man. As much as, again, we know who Michael Jordan was and is. Yes. We know about LeBron. We know about all of those. But we've never, and we, this sometimes get loosely thrown out there.

We've never seen anyone like this. We've never seen anyone like this. It's like human evolution in basketball. Oh, well, this is different. And again, if they, if he takes his game up just a notch in terms of if he plays the way that he plays against Chet against every opponent, every single. opponent that steps foot across from him on the hardwood, if he goes at them that way, done. Okay, well, then it gets your bets in because you can get him at 11 to 1, and they were like 60 to 1 before the season. The other thing, and as someone who picked the Thunder last year, picked the Thunder this year, and I still do think the Thunder will win, and I think they're the best team, and I really respect how Sam Presti has built it, so I enjoy watching them.

A thing that has been very good for basketball this year is that all of the teams that we would say, are contenders, they all believe they can beat the thunder. Like if you look at the thunder this season against the spurs and the wolves, compared to the rest of the West, like, lumped Minnesota in there too. Yeah. So the spurs are four in one against OKC. The T-wolves are two and one against them.

And then the thunder are 30 and three against the rest of the Western Conference. But Denver knows, hey, we've only played them one time. We've got him a few more times. And we took them to the brink last year in the play. Denver is definitely not scared of Oklahoma City. Correct. They've got the best player. The Spurs are definitely not afraid of them.

They've got an alien and they've won 80% of their games. And they don't know what they don't know. And they don't know what they don't know. And then Ant Man believes that he can meet anyone. And he's been in the Western Conference Finals the last two years. So even though I am convinced that Oklahoma City is better than everybody else by a fairly healthy margin, the teams that are the most likely to compete with them do not agree with me. All three of those teams believe that they can beat Oklahoma City.

Yeah, watching the timber wolves, the one thing that glaringly stands out to me is when you have a team that that files a lot. Yeah. And they obviously get to the free throw line a lot themselves, but they don't shoot the free throw percentage at a high clip. That's going to be problematic. That can come back to bite them in a long series where the game is shrunk into the half court and you're going to have. to play a defensive game and you're going to be on the free throw line is games are going to come down like we've watched jemal murray last night it's they got to shoot the ball better from the free throw line the the reason like how i explain the thunder to people and you should know you've been in the playoffs a couple years in a row they win the championship last year

every player they put on the floor is good at defense yeah like there's there's not the one guy who's like well he's just the three-point shooter who's a liability at the other end of the floor every single guy's a good player on defense. It's like, oh, your seventh guy is Wallace. Okay, he's awesome. And there's Taruso and there's SGA. He's getting all NBA defense votes and Jalen Williams is getting all NBA defense votes and Chet's getting in and Adams. It's like every guy is good at defense. I mean, they are a little bit of a problem. Everybody knows it. I'm saying it's like everyone can beat them, but they're probably still going to win. Coming up, the weirdest and the most wonderful, including something that I haven't seen yet, but I'm very excited to.

Time now for some weird and wonderful. Wilds is back with the crew next week. So my last turn, picking the weird and the wonderful. Let's go. Let's go to the Olympics. It's always nice to celebrate Team USA gold. Megan Keller, overtime. A little crossover, slides it through.

It's called the five hole in hockey, Greg. Okay. I mean, can we, next time we need like the actual call. That wasn't good enough? I mean, it was cool, but I want to get excited. I want to like. All right. I'm no Kenny Albert.

It's a very exciting goal. I know it didn't. That's not all that. There we go. All right. Give me something. Yeah, my bad. I was on a high note.

And you're like, hey, you're not a good play by play guy. Pritchard and Porzingas, they used to be teammates. This is a jump ball. The whistle has been blown. The whistle's been blown. Gentlemen, give up the ball. Give it up. Give it up.

I love this. This goes back to just playing at the park. Let the ball go. No. It's my. But I also like the. The refs understood what was happening because there's like a smile on both guys' faces. There was no, there was no thought of technicals or anything like that.

Just let the boys play. You better not even think about a technical. I've seen some terrible calls. I know why you said it. Trust me. I know why you said it. I was just happy that that was a nice lighthearted moments. It was a little weird, though.

Let's go to the wonderful. We can't show enough highlights in this guy. He takes off from 14 feet away. I don't even know if that's wonderful. I don't, I just think that's like a tear above wonderful. Really? Yeah, something, I don't know. Okay.

That is just on. Extra terrestrial wonderful. It is just. Exactly. See? Well, that play, like our last conversation about him, also like he's 22. So what else can he do? Look, if you're OKC, if you're Denver, go get your championship, hurry up.

Get him now. Yeah, yeah. That's a great point. That's a great point. Because he's going to start stacking them. Yeah. Very, very soon. Let's get to the wonderful Hornets host of the Rockets.

Check out this sequence from Charlotte. Again, can't get used to the uniforms of the floor, but they're playing such good basketball. Block on one end, pass, pass, into the lane, paint touch, three in the corner. They're playing fun basketball. They're the 10 seed in the east, but I had them as the 10th best team in the NBA right now for how they're playing. They're playing fun. You did have them at this team. Maybe it was a slight reach.

They are fun to watch. If you are looking for entertaining ball, the horn has got you covered. They make you play at their pace. They do. It's a dangerous thing they got going on there. All right, let's go to more weird here. Maxime Reno gets the and one.

Over the hoop. Give me the buckets. A horse shot. Let's go. Yeah, definitely a horse shot. Right? Every kid ever is like, let me stand on the baseline and try to arc this thing. Look at Danny.

You've done that. Yeah, P-I-G-P. man absolutely you dot the eye of course okay let's just make it yeah all right now this last one i would say is wonderful o t we're on vacation this week and the crew put together all the different hats i've worn i dress up a lot on television i don't take this seriously at all i just i think what we do is such nonsense oh the dry ice i missed that right in the cheese i didn't like that one well i didn't it was a pro my guys I felt so secure.

And then Dr. Danny in the house. Very versatile. And you make them all work. Thank you. You make them all work, man. I miss my calling on SNL. Lorne, give me a call. I've got characters.

She's has the best look. Regulations back next week. We're back in week.