Gil's Arena - Gil's Arena Debates Jayson Tatum's Place in The MVP Race

Episode Date: February 28, 2024

Gil's Arena Debates Jayson Tatum's Place in The NBA MVP Race as Gilbert Arenas and the Gil's Arena Crew discuss The Boston Celtics Superstar's rising candidacy for the NBA MVP and welcome on his teamm...ate and Gil's Arena recurring guest Xavier Tillman to dish on all things Celtics following his trade to the NBA's best team. They also react to last nights NBA highlights with a special edition of hibachi time, breaking down Donovan Mitchell & Max Struss' miracle finish against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks before reacting to Anthony Edwards putting the Timberwolves on his back and OFFICIALLY taking the reigns as the face of the franchise. Please consider giving us a like and subscribe!!!! Gil’s Arena premieres every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 11:30am PT / 2:30pm ET. Sign up for Underdog Fantasy HERE with promo code GIL and get a $100 first deposit match: https://play.underdogfantasy.com/p-gil's-arena SUBSCRIBE: / @gilsarena Use code GIL for $20 off your first SeatGeek order https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/GIL APPAREL PARTNERS TUFF CROWD: https://www.tuffcrowd.com/ ADIDAS: https://www.adidas.com/us/agent-gil-restomod-basketball-shoes/ Gr8ness: https://www.gr8nss.store/ Order Rashad's Book Here - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CD9ZQ3HD?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420 CHAPTERS: Intro 0:00:00 Show Start 0:03:52 Mr. B's EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW With Giannis 0:05:43 Hibachi Time Presented by SeatGeek 0:32:04 Max Stuss Miracle Game Winner 0:35:53 Should Cavs Retire Kyrie's Jersey 0:40:59 Can Ant-Man Be The Face of The NBA? 0:45:32 Gobert Puts Wemby on Le Poster 0:50:20 Xavier Tillman Joins The Arena 0:51:46 Does Tatum Deserve More Love in MVP Voting? 1:27:02 Allen Iverson Would Dominate Today's NBA 1:54:18 Looking Back on Tyreek Evans' Rookie Season 2:03:20 NBA Admits To Purposesly Juicing Stats 2:12:21 Josh Hart SMACKED By Zion 2:24:14 MostlyFans 2:26:24 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:39 Service fees, exclusions, and terms apply. Instacart. Groceries that over-deliver. Welcome back to Gilderina. We're getting my $100 fantasy. We're talking about flashing lights, baby. Flashing lights everywhere. They could say shit about me. They didn't even fucking know me.
Starting point is 00:01:00 This is my store. This is what I was doing with what nobody knew. Y'all don't know what goes on in practice or the locker room. Age is zero. Change it, yeah. Welcome back to Gills Arena presented by Underdog Fantasy. Woo-woo! Damn, I just got dizzy doing that. Them woo-woos are not easy, ladies and gentlemen. It takes years of practice to perfect your craft.
Starting point is 00:02:00 We a little light today, but we all we got, we all we need. What's going on with y'all? Y'all good? Good, baby. Can't complain? All right. Okay, for sure, for sure. Well, this is Gil's Arena presented by Underdog Fantasy. As always, we got the legend Gilbert Arenas here with us.
Starting point is 00:02:10 What's happening? Kenya Martin, back on the couch. What's happening, Jack? And we got all y'all at home watching, so we got a nice crew. Here's what's cracking in the arena today. Jason Tatum is the best player on the best team in the league, but does he deserve more love in the MVP race? We were going to hit this yesterday. We're hitting arena today. Jason Tatum is the best player on the best team in the league, but does he deserve more love in the MVP race?
Starting point is 00:02:27 We were going to hit this yesterday, we're hitting it today, deal with it. One of the newest Celtics, a friend of the show, Xavier Tillman, is pulling back up to the arena to talk about his new team and if they'll be raising a banner this year. And our very own Mr. B went one-on-one with the Greek freak to find out what it takes to be an MVP. And if he actually watches film, Gil, the answer may surprise you. But before we get into all that, as always, this show is brought to you by Underdog Fantasy. If you have not done so already, download the app. Use promo code Gil.
Starting point is 00:02:56 They will match your first deposit up to $100. Again, help us help you support Underdog Fantasy. They do so much for this show and for the basketball community. And we do Mostly Fans at the end of every show. So if you drop a good question in the chat with your Underdog Fantasy username, we use it on the show. We'll give you a $50 bonus to that Underdog Fantasy account. You send us a video, mostlyfansgill at gmail.com, and we use it on the show. You get a $100 bonus to your Underdog Fantasy account.
Starting point is 00:03:21 And if you can't watch the show live with us on youtube audio versions available on apple spotify wherever you get your podcast from so let's get right into it our very own brandon jennings is out in milwaukee and pulled up on yannis after the bucks won their third straight game tuesday night to find out what it really takes to be the best basketball player in the world man you over there with the media now? Yeah, a little bit. Yeah, I got to come in here a little bit. But I got a question.
Starting point is 00:03:53 As a father, right, as a father, and you're a father too, what was your mindset for all the young that's coming up and all the young hoopers like my sons and your sons? What was your mindset going into 2017 and 2018 MVP back-to-back? Like, what was that mindset so I think for me I was I'll be very honest with you know everybody expect me to say yeah I came to the season I was lucky that one of the MVP was not true you know obviously Kobe had the challenge being the offseason and it was actually it just happened on accident you know I think it there was this Nike campaign that he was like sending challenges out to Isaiah
Starting point is 00:04:30 Thomas and the mother Rosen and I saw it and I didn't know it was like a campaign so I tweeted at him and he said you should go get the MVP right so that was in the back of my mind but you know going to the season I was just playing hard it was the first time I was with Coach Bud and they knew, with Brooke, with Pat, and Bledsoe, all the new guys. And we had an incredible team, incredible chemistry. So, you know, the conversation started happening that, oh, he's going for MVP. He's going for that.
Starting point is 00:04:59 And, you know, like everybody fell into that bubble and they started getting competitive. And that consumes them. But I was just happy that I was in that conversation. I came from nothing, you know. So I'm like, man, I came in the league. They told me that I should go back to the G League, that I was too skinny to be in this league, that I couldn't be able to handle it. That I should go back overseas and play in Greece. So now on the side, five, six years later, Kobe's giving me a challenge and now I'm in
Starting point is 00:05:26 the conversation. So I'm like, I don't even supposed to beat you. So I'm just going to go hard. I got nothing to lose. So, you know, God, we played hard and we played to win. And, you know, God blessed me with one. And then when you get that feeling, then you start craving it more. Right.
Starting point is 00:05:40 So the next year, I'm like, OK, I got to be better. I got to work my game. I got to, you know, sharpen my tools tools i i gotta make my team be even better and the second year i came back with coach body we don't pay us to win 70 games but that would happen we were 52 and 7 you know and it's probably the bible never happened probably never happened maybe the whole different case we would have won the championship that year, but it's okay. But I came in with the mentality, okay, now I'm here. Now every day I got to show up for my teammates, my teammates expect me to be great.
Starting point is 00:06:14 The greats never get bored. I can't get bored. You know, I can't get bored with doing the simple stuff and competing every single night, and I was able to win a second one. And since then I've always been in the conversation now I don't want that to be assumed it's a lot so now once you're out there it's a lot like every game I don't want to do that but for every Hooper out there just play the game the right way man I know this new generation like they go on social media and see all this stuff how people
Starting point is 00:06:45 talk about them good or bad that's not reality that's not true you know I'm saying you go out and they're gonna go drop my kids in school nobody told me I had seven four eight three throws but the teacher doesn't tell me that the parents don't tell me that that's not reality if I go on social media they make me feel like I'm trash you know know, so good or bad, when they talk good about you, you're not that good. And when they talk bad about you, you're not that bad. So just keep on doing what you're doing, keep on competing, and, you know, if you stay on course, good things are going to happen.
Starting point is 00:07:20 So shout out, Mr. B, first of all all for getting a credential, becoming the first member of the Gills Arena crew to receive an NBA credential. We did it. We did it. He got in the locker room. But obviously we hear Giannis just talk about that, where he came from when he was drafted to being a two-time MVP champion and just his message for the kids. What's y'all reaction to that?
Starting point is 00:07:50 I mean, to be honest, it's kind of powerful because, you know, just listening to him talk, watching the movie, how skinny he really was when he first came in. So, you know listening to Critics had him change his whole style. You know, there's always that thing when someone does something right you write something about someone and Then they look at it and then they improve themselves and they say, you know, the people say well he proved y'all wrong Nah When we said it, we were right. He used it as fuel to better
Starting point is 00:08:27 himself instead of just looking at the situation and saying, oh, you know, I'm skinny. I don't care what y'all saying and stay skinny. He actually improved himself and became as dominant as he is right now. So he talks about how Kobe motivated him, but do you think he got some motivation from anybody else? Gil, maybe a certain somebody who has a show on Underdog Fantasy? No, we wasn't on then. We didn't want MVP, MVP. No, I'm saying that, but just in current times to keep improving, expanding his game. No, I mean, he's just one of those players that just goes out and play hard. So, you know, if he hears something negative about himself,
Starting point is 00:09:08 it seems like he's going to go try to improve it, you know, to just get better. And, you know, when he said Kobe said it and he came out playing hard and then he was in that conversation. Once you get into a conversation, you're entering that game. You're entering every night every moment like yo I am a part of this conversation and once his name was you know said you know you know MVP top three from there was no looking back for him so I got there in the second year.
Starting point is 00:09:45 Yeah, let me double check, but you were out there 2015, right? Yeah. And still a skinny kid, played hard. And I hadn't seen him, I saw him last year at the dunk contest, when KJ was in it, right? And I hadn't seen him since I had left. And we had a conversation right and I hadn't seen him since I had left and we had a conversation I was like, hey man, like congratulations. All right, she says is that in the table or whatever and
Starting point is 00:10:11 I told him yo, man, I Thought they was overworking you dog. He said shit they was Hey, man, yo The time That this man spent in that weight room and on that floor, like, it was borderline abuse, but it worked out. But, like, J. Kid never had this man doing unbelievable shit, dog. Like, I was in awe, like awe of just how he never complained one time. I wasn't alone, but the time that I was there, he worked and worked and worked and worked
Starting point is 00:10:55 and didn't say nothing. I'm going to leave a few of the details out of this story because I don't want to embarrass him, because he is who he is. So it was a situation during the game where he broke the playoff, right? J.K. got at it, but he made up for it. Broke the playoff and had a turnover, went down and got a block, came down and scored, right?
Starting point is 00:11:24 J.K. trying to teach him a lesson. J.K. didn't let it go, right? Jaquit trying to teach him a lesson. Jaquit didn't let it go, right? Even though he made up for it, it was still like a teaching moment for him because it was a bunch of young guys. So he got dead after, man. The under is upset, this, that, and the third, but went from doing that,
Starting point is 00:11:40 and I'm like, man, you guys can't let these people sit. You got to back, dog. But he went from that, and then'm like, man, you guys can't let these people sit back, dog. But he went from that and then I saw the interview and then when him and James Harden was going through they little thing back and forth and then him mouth and I'm the real motherfucking MVP. I've just thought about that situation. I was like, oh yeah, like, he used all of it. Everything somebody ever did, said, but,
Starting point is 00:12:08 nah, he worked his ass off, man. And I saw it with my own two eyes, and... Yeah. Yeah. I think the thing that... Problem. Now, because you seen what they was doing to him, right? Mm-hmm
Starting point is 00:12:30 And we see the product now, you know Whose fault is it when players don't develop in Teams right. Mm-hmm. Absolutely Absolutely, cuz I see this your first hand man. If you put the time in with a guy, that's what it could be, man. I seen this shit first, and I thought it was like, oh, but it was like, it was slowly... Because he was still that skinny, frail kid. Fragile in every sense. Emotionally, physically, emotionally, all of it, he was just fragile. He hadn't been through nothing, hadn't been nowhere, but everybody saw something.
Starting point is 00:13:08 And J. Kidd pushed him. And the people that was around him pushed him, man. And they developed. Yeah, to your point, absolutely. So J. Kidd pushed him. Absolutely. Right? So challenged him.
Starting point is 00:13:20 People in the franchise. You got someone who's never been pushed themselves in the sport How can they push the next generation? Absolutely? J kid was pushed. He pushed his teammates. He sees something that special He pushes him to be great That's what you miss when you don't have guys that were on that type of level inside the organization because most would have said oh you're you're working them too hard, you're doing this too much. And a Hall of Famer is like, relax, I got this. He looks like he knows where he wants to be
Starting point is 00:13:54 and I'm going to make sure he gets there. And this is right, because I had 2013, 14, that year with the Knicks That's when they would start the load management shit right start making you wear the chip and on the jurors You got the fucking antenna in the corner. Is that it again? 2013 the load management shit so who start wait so the players started this right? Okay, okay. I'll just so who said who started this load management fucking team the team Okay, what do they do? Yeah, so they put like they gave us chips
Starting point is 00:14:31 Putting the layers like this little practice vest thing you put it in your back and then got the little heart monitor thing and they got the antennas in each corner and it's reading and If you went too hard during practice if your thing was in the thousands during practice, then they told you the next practice, the next day, like, you couldn't go. And they told, can you please wear it? Man, I'm not wearing that.
Starting point is 00:14:54 Because you can't tell me that I'm working hard if I'm not working hard enough. Like, this is not going, like, but it was a real thing. Like, and this is coming from that to seeing how hard they was working him. And I'm like, he ain't got no fucking chip in his shirt. He damn sure, hey, ain't no load management with him because he going and going and going and going. And this was like a real thing. I'm like, that shit we was doing at the Knicks? Was that real? What's so funny is I asked 2007-8.
Starting point is 00:15:28 Okay, I remember a team came. It was like a group, outside group that came in, and they was putting monitors on everyone. It was like, alright, Gil, we're going to put a monitor. You go through practice, right? And then went through practice, and then right before the game the next day, they came back, put it on,
Starting point is 00:15:44 and said, yeah, you know, everything is reading. You reading you know i'm just gonna let you know you're not gonna play so well today that's what that monitor says i'm not gonna play yeah the way your energy is running you're not gonna play i said does these monitors tell you the motherfucker over there can't play no defense yeah i got 30 something tonight yeah i don't know if the monitors are telling you he don't know how to play defense very well right so you can take this off and i remember that and i was like this is stupid went out there had 40 yeah right um and then i remember talking to bill when we were just having a discussion and he was talking about like when i was like yo where's
Starting point is 00:16:21 everybody at it was like, everything is monitored now So when they were bringing up load management, I forgot this information. That's why I was like wait hold on I do remember players had to play they wear chips they determine how much energy they're passionate like and and sharp shit was always Crazy. Mm-hmm. Like they was trying to get this. Like, he just go. He work hard.
Starting point is 00:16:49 He work hard. And they just, like, his shit was always. And they were trying to get him. You got to sit out. They was like, no, I'm not. He was a young fella, so he had to listen. But, like, then my mother was sitting over on the side. She was like, damn, why you?
Starting point is 00:17:01 Everybody else practice. Damn, we 15 minutes into practice. You got to sit out the rest of the practice. Because he worked out before. And they put that shit on you as soon as you start. They putting that shit on you and you got to. Yeah, I remember talking to, I talked to Otis Smith, you know, the manager, Orlando, back in the day when I was there.
Starting point is 00:17:19 And he was telling me, because, you know, I like to ask him information about, you know, what's going on. Because he does scouting and, you know, stuff for, you know you know I like to ask him information about you know what's going on because he does scouting and you know stuff for you know Philadelphia and he was we were having a discussion about the Orlando days because they were more advanced than everybody else right we had to take glucosamine and all that shit and do all that and do our blood test. Oh the nicks. Yeah the nicks the same way. Yeah we got to got to see. Oh, they pricked our ear. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:17:46 Same thing. We got to see what's going on with our food and stuff. Yes. He said, Stan Van Gundy used to be mad at me because I used to be at the gym 3-4 in the morning working out and I didn't have enough energy for practice the second hour third hour that he wanted to do and you know and uh he kept telling Stan the practice part doesn't matter he's in the gym working out that's all that matters getting better
Starting point is 00:18:19 as an individual and he used to have that battle and he told me for the first time and I didn't know that because that was around the time everything started changing so the narrative now yeah since you got information we don't want to hear nothing about no load management and players are picking on a load management you guys have real information you got updated information motherfuckers work damn your heart monitors out that muffler right and that makes sense too because you know when they start catching dudes with heart problems now Yeah, come on, but I want to go back to something you guys said about about Giannis in terms of his development I feel like a lot of us on the team, right?
Starting point is 00:18:56 But when you give players access to all these resources like my dad tells this story he works for the Bucks They got a hotel right across from the training facility Middle of a snowstorm. Nobody should be on the streets. He looks out his window, sees this big-ass, tall, shadowy finger, short sandals, rolling into the facility late at night, and it's Giannis. So it's putting that work in,
Starting point is 00:19:16 but it's also taking it upon yourself to want to get there as well. So how much of that is on the team, and then how much is it on a player to actually want to be great? Well, I mean, by the time your dad sees him the work ethic is already instilled yeah right when you're trying to instill a work ethic remember when you're coming from college you have a college workout you have a college work ethic right you are pushed by the team right you have classes you have practice you have weightlifting.
Starting point is 00:19:46 You have that. As a player. When you get to the NBA. Shit. 25 teams. You on your own. God damn it. This is.
Starting point is 00:19:58 We're not babysitting here. So. You know. Basically. It's like. It's like being in your house every day. With no parent. Right?
Starting point is 00:20:06 You're going to start thinking the shit you can do. Like, you know, I'm going to the refrigerator every time I have all the air on with the windows open. All the lights on. This is my shit. And that's how you enter your NBA career. career so if you don't if the team doesn't really like instill the NBA lifestyle into you those first few years you can be lost so with Jason kid is like I see talent let me go ahead and correct it now because he was 17 we got drafted to you so he couldn't do it so that and that's the beauty about a lot
Starting point is 00:20:41 of it now right and from his like, they coming in young. Mm-hmm. And he didn't have those bad... Bad habits yet. ...habits of being an American. Right? Just bad habits, period. A period, but...
Starting point is 00:20:58 We... Being American. Yeah, being American. 17-year-old different than being... I'm sorry? Like, so... That's the only one thing I do. Like, the one thing I do like about
Starting point is 00:21:11 high school kids coming out and them one and done. The only reason I like it is this. They're coming in at 17, 18, 19. When they get their money, they're handicapped from a lifestyle. You know what I mean? They can't go to the club,
Starting point is 00:21:36 so they're not going to be out there trying to pop bottles. They're too famous to go to 18 and over shit. And most of the time, their parents got to come live with them because they can't. So you're handicapped by stupid shit like, ooh, I'm going to buy a big-ass waterbed. I'm going to go buy five Playstations. So they sit there and spend their time at the mall, right? Because there's still kid mentality.
Starting point is 00:21:59 So they're not out there taking 30 shots. You ain't got to worry about them super drunk coming in 3, four, five in the morning because they don't have that lifestyle. So if you can, those young kids, if you can instill the work ethic into them, by the time they turn 21, they already have a blueprint of, you know, that's what happened with me. When I came in, I couldn't get to the club and I was broke. So I couldn't even afford a drink if I had a right so your parking lot pimp It but it's but go get a shot. I mean that wasn't even a thing So by the time I got my money 21 is like And then when I went to the club for the first time, you know, oh shit. It's what it is up in here. Yeah
Starting point is 00:22:42 Got my bracelet on everybody looking at you like This is first time yeah yeah i don't like the feeling of this look right but you know but that's three years in so i i that's the only reason i love the young kids coming in because you can you can really can control them and you have an advantage over because of their age. So let's talk about another aspect. Mr. B, our very talented Gills Arena correspondent. So clip dropped during All-Star weekend and Giannis jokingly saying he doesn't watch film. Gil, you alluded to the fact that maybe it wasn't a joke. So Mr. B had to set the record straight. And you watch film? I watch film?
Starting point is 00:23:25 Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. To be a two-time MVP, you watch film? Yeah, yeah, I do watch film. I don't watch highlights. Okay. Young generation watch highlights, not mixtapes and shit. Okay.
Starting point is 00:23:34 No, I watch film. Okay. I watch me, I watch me, my jump shot. I watch me missing passes that I could make in Barbie. Sometimes it's working the dunk and I'm being late. Like, I watch all this stuff, for could make in in Bobby just let's work the doctor I'm being late like I watch all this stuff show big-ass hands Hey watch film So good. Why he so big?
Starting point is 00:23:56 I want to see honest put you in the headlock. No, not no more. You see that fucking off. Yo, I wish I could man I wish my hands that is in there just sitting there talking to you. So I've been hearing about you on that. You said that did not watch film So we got the record straight deal would you like to offer an apology for y'all No, for what hold on hold on you said you don't watch film. No, he said he don't watch film He was I told you how to smirk on his face. Okay. I'm just saying he said it I just said okay. I agree Lord all right, so okay. No, but I mean, you know, um, how much did he pay a king? I Don't think I think he got it for free. Yeah, I'm free in order to charge I want to say in the $50,000 range for about a week worth of instruction.
Starting point is 00:24:45 I was talking to somebody the other day, like, I didn't, I got, he ain't got to pay me. He ain't got to, but that, what he got, that's all I worked on when I was a senior in college. Mm-hmm. And, hey, man, you get to turn over both shoulders, you got to sum over both shoulders, get up on it, do, got all that athleticism and strength. Like, if I have to give advice to anyone that has the type of, you know, athleticism you have and some of these other guys, I would say, listen, the disadvantage that you have is when you learn,
Starting point is 00:25:23 you can just jump over everyone. You stop worrying about the fundamentals of footwork right so you and you'll catch have two different paths right because he's not fast and he can't jump he has to be skillful right he has to work on every detail of his his game when you can jump over everybody is like just give me the ball. I'm going to bounce it. I'm going to, huh? Stay down there, right? In the summer, I would just say, you don't even need a ball to work on your footwork. Just do footwork drills. Play soccer in the summer, right? Play soccer in the summer. Do some of them bladder football drills Alright do a bunch of one-legged two-legged stuff that just requires independent movement, right?
Starting point is 00:26:11 You don't need to like with Hakeem You don't even need to be on the court to learn great footwork because you Hakeem been learning on the court He learned it in soccer, right? So that was my thing like you can just Go to damn near Ocho Cinco one of these football players one of these wide receivers out Here and then just work with them all summer just on your footwork shit, and then you'll be surprised the moves That you create because you understand your where your foot placement need to be
Starting point is 00:26:39 Like once you have the groundwork of footwork All moves are unlimited now You know how to dance right yeah back in the day crip walking no but i'm but i'm saying but you know how to write yeah modern dance yeah yeah no but that no no that too yeah no no no that's what i'm getting there right yes guarantee the dudes that can't that don't have like post game and that don't, bet they can't dance. Can't dance. Right?
Starting point is 00:27:11 You're right. Footwork, hips, all that shit still, your legs don't, you can't, they don't, I had to grab KJ, dude, you got to loosen up. This shit just tight, just like Kawhi Leonard out there, this bitch, this is just here, like who I learned about this business. It's just just here like one muscle now loosen up Like it's just being able to move your feet in. Yeah, you got to be able to That's why I was important to go back in the day back when dance Training you're at parties you can get your grind on wall They don't know about grinding on the wall wall You're saying they don't do that grind. So got a little chick over in the corner and you everybody
Starting point is 00:27:48 Yeah, the tables now watches each other. See my big ass over the corner. No, I'm saying hi in high school Everybody can see like even when you talk about the Europeans most of them did ballerina Ballerinas that was whatever the main version of that is. Ballerino, I would guess. Ballet. Ballet. Okay, oh, ballet.
Starting point is 00:28:11 Good job. Ballet. And soccer. Right? So the ballet and soccer is, I remember we had Uri Welsh when I was my second year in the NBA, and his footwork. I remember. I'm like, man, this is nice.
Starting point is 00:28:30 What did you do? He said, ballet. Yeah. He said I was a ballerina. Yeah. Oh, shit. He was a dancer. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:28:39 So this is boxer, Lomachenko. Dad took him out and he foot ballerinas, dance shit. Had him step away from boxing for a few years just to focus on his footwork. He got some of the best footwork that you can imagine in boxing. So, yeah, but yeah, them dudes can't, they ain't got no shimmy. Yeah, they ain't got no shimmy. They ain't got no shimmy in there. But that's kind of our father that's kind of you know Most athletes problems too, right, you know, once you get dialed in to the sport you like you focused on that, right?
Starting point is 00:29:14 that's what I'm trying to tell my son right now is like you're a basketball player, but to to To enhance your basketball ability. You have to do other sports, sports right you need the technical part of every other sport Right so running track right Work on your speed long jump work on your long jump right if you want to play football and receiver You go out there and lift weights with them You ain't got to check into the game just get the weight program and get the practice shit in you know Do some of them bear claws. That just helps your overall core strength for basketball.
Starting point is 00:29:52 Yeah, that's real. Let's keep this thing moving. We got to do a little hibachi time. Ooh. Uh-oh, you already know the time of this game. Oh, damn. I forgot about the grass. Mood lighting.
Starting point is 00:30:04 But we're going to do it a little different today So now Gil we don't venture outside our gills arena cocoon much But for the appropriate situation like a basketball game a concert or another basketball game we might pull up. Is that fair to say? Yes, sir. Okay, cuz you bet the crib, can you? You'll be at the curb watching Netflix. Yeah but You'll be at the curb watching Netflix. Yeah. But the problem was we needed a ticket plug, and now we got one. We officially got a 10-day with SeatGeek. Ten days.
Starting point is 00:30:31 Got a 10-day with SeatGeek. So with over 28 million downloads, SeatGeek is the number one rated ticketing app. There are more than 70,000 events on SeatGeek, including concerts, sports, festivals, and more. They put all the tickets across the web in one place to make sure you're getting a respectable hookup. That's always important nowadays. And so you don't get got. Each ticket is rated on a scale of 1 to 10.
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Starting point is 00:31:18 They will give you $20 off your first ticket purchase. Again, you got to use that promo code GIL. Help us help you. All right. SeatGeek has blessed us with a fluffy bag, but we got to do our end of the bargain. So everybody who's watching GIL's Arena right now, download the app. Go check out a concert. You get all types of tickets for cheap. Not the Usher one.
Starting point is 00:31:35 You can go to Usher one. Just don't bring your girl because she's gone. And you get $20 off your first purchase. Again, we're promo code GIL. So make sure you click the link in the description to download the app So good. Yeah, you download a seat geek. No you use promo code Gil. Oh, yeah, y'all don't already had this okay, I already that was the gig and I Love the game that I'm trying to get us tickets to what are you getting a ticket to Clippers Lakers?
Starting point is 00:32:13 Hey the best thing about the Clippers Lakers is Clippers Look if you want to join us cuz I'm gonna get a suite and I'm not gonna be down there with the regular folks Just just gonna be honest. I got a lot of enemies down up on the Clipper bench. PJ Tucker looking for you! PJ Tucker chasing me! PJ Tucker looking for you! Yeah, so look, we gonna be in one of them suites. Download, use my promo code and just join us. So again, use that promo code GIL on SeatGeek, pull up to the Clippers-Lakers game
Starting point is 00:32:43 tonight, Battle of LA.A. Can you? Alfred Lakers? Okay. Can you just hold? Is he? Hold on. Is that Alfred? Let me just go ahead and take him off.
Starting point is 00:32:55 We got to put you in the. Got me about 12 seats. We good, y'all. Damn. So we will be at the Clippers-Lakers game tonight. If you are in the Los Angeles area, pull up on us. We'll be out there doing whatever. Again, we security so you or somebody you know friends with PJ Tucker You cannot get to our sweet come watch the Clippers get this win
Starting point is 00:33:13 I mean and the problem is I hope I hope PJ don't see because he can probably pull up cuz he won't get in the game I'm just saying yeah, I'm like God damn. Where's PJ at? He over there knocking on the door. Like, ah, shit. PJ, the views expressed by Gil are Gil's and Gil's alone. I really enjoy your shoe collection. I'm just trolling right now. I'm just trolling right now. Hey, if he pulls up to the suite tonight. I'm not opening the door.
Starting point is 00:33:39 I got a surprise for you, Gil. I got a surprise for you. They got the peephole. I can see out the peephole. So now let's actually get into hibachi time, brought to you by our friends over at SeatGeek. So Cavs have been one of the hottest teams in the league. And Tuesday night, Donovan Mitchell and Max Struess were cooking.
Starting point is 00:33:56 So Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 31.7 boards, six assists, with an assortment of Bucky getting plays like that one right there and this one right there. And this one right here. Ooh. You got to give Donovan Mitchell more love too, man. He is out here doing his thing. The Cavs are really high right now. But it was a Max Drew show in the fourth quarter with the Cavs trailing late in the game.
Starting point is 00:34:21 Drew's caught fire, including a stretch where he hit four straight three-pointers that we're showing you right now. Closed the gap, made it a game. With eight seconds remaining, Luka found P.J. Washington for the go-ahead layup. So that was Luka's 14th assist to go along with 45 points, nine rebounds on the eve of his 25th birthday, but Strews gave him an early birthday present,
Starting point is 00:34:44 calling game with this 59-footer. That's a tough-ass way to lose, man. Hell yeah, bro. Hit nothing but net. PJ Washington's out there feeling good about himself. I got my squad to win, Strews said. The name note to that for all my Poodie Tank fans out there. So, Struis' game winner is the second longest in NBA history.
Starting point is 00:35:12 We got the list of some of the other out there. Devontae Graham hit the 61-footer. Mahmoud Abdur-Ruf came through a 55. Irving hit a 53-piece. I think it's the Mahmoud right here. Damn, against the Clippers. I hope the Lakers do this tonight. Buckets. And then we got Strews with the 58.
Starting point is 00:35:33 It was 58 or 59. Damn, they took a foot away from that man. And then, damn, that's a... That's a tough one. That's... That's a tough way to lose. That's a tough way to lose. That's a tough way to lose, but the other one, you got the dime went up and didn't get hit with it.
Starting point is 00:35:54 That one is like, okay, it's overtime. The other one, you got a guaranteed win, and they're like, nah. It's a tough one, but the Cavs moved into second place in the east uh bumped the Bucks down to third with that win so Gil you've been on the wrong side of some game winners in your career but you've been on the right side as well what's your favorite game winner my favorite game winner is me against the Utah Jazz on Martin Luther King Day because that became... Black history. I mean, don't act like I don't do that, though.
Starting point is 00:36:30 No, but on MLK Day in Salt Lake City... No, no, no, it was in Washington. In Chocolate City. Even better. Yeah, so that game winner, because it was game winner and 51, so it was the best performance on Martin Luther King Day
Starting point is 00:36:44 until some of these young guys got this. You had a dream. You had a dream, but you executed it. Just wanted to throw that on out there. Oh, shit. Kane, what's your favorite game winner that you've been a part of? I dunked on Samuel Dallenberg for game game duck day yeah they ran out of bounds played it will man turns around a pick a roll and they double Chauncey I guess they thought he would go past and I didn't know I short rolled it mm-hmm top of the key and then muffled just opened up his dumb ass standard and and it was a and one a didn't call oh yeah I don't know they come ass again it's
Starting point is 00:37:24 nothing under him I think I was gonna do that ain't open I'm not him like yeah No Yeah, he got dumped on for game So a little bit about the mass more specifically Kyrie Kyrie black back in Cleveland. Whoa, whoa, whoa Why we can't talk about you said give Donovan Mitchell a little bit more love I'm just no I'm just saying you said that okay, so give him some more love give him some love good awesome his stats
Starting point is 00:37:52 I told you he's averaging what oh this isn't yeah, come on. They're number two man. Come on See, this is our problem. We gotta show them them small see some love Shout out to Cleveland So he's having a 28 5 and 6 yeah Yeah, there we go. Say it again 28 points 5 rebounds 6 assists who doing that Donovan Mitch Donovan Mitchell, baby Cleveland Cavaliers y'all gonna ride I have a minute shout out the damn girl You trying to repair your image with the Midwest cuz we can't go to Detroit. I've been couldn't go to Cleveland. That was due to the shit I was out there hitting in they face talking shit. I was banned from the mall. You know how you got the mall that's
Starting point is 00:38:33 next to, yeah I was banned from that. Like you can't even come in here. I don't want none of that funky ass shit y'all got in here. Yeah, tell me. Trash ass mall. You wasn't missing not a damn thing. Only thing in the mall was Morton's that was worth anything Yeah, the Warren's that was it. Yeah, damn. You can't hit them off. That's that's unfortunate when this is shit Well, let's not measure the mass of it Kyrie was back in Cleveland Spent six season with the Cavs where he averaged twenty two point six assists three rebounds 381 games NBA champion during that time rookie of the year four-time All-Star, one-time All-NBA selection, and responsible for the biggest shot in franchise history, helping lead the Cavs to their only chip. Kenyon, I know you are big.
Starting point is 00:39:18 It's dusty up in here. It's dusty up in here. It is allergy season. Shit. So, That shit was violent. Violent sneezing. But back to Kyrie. Ken, I know you're a big Kyrie fan. Should the Cavs retire Kyrie's jersey? No.
Starting point is 00:39:44 Why not? Had to play longer than he did there, man. He did some wonderful things there, absolutely, but... But spending six seasons in Cleveland? Ohio? Does that mean something? That's a lot. That's a lot. I'm with you, but still, no, I just don't.
Starting point is 00:40:02 Okay. And this is coming from a Kyrie fan. Yeah, yeah. I just don't. Okay. And this is coming from a Kyrie fan. Yeah, yeah. See, whether I like someone or I'm not that fond of them, I'm honest. Okay. So, I'm just... That's important. No, I just like if he would have been there longer, where he had more numbers and more wins and certain things on this belt during that time then there's some foot discussion, but
Starting point is 00:40:30 No, I don't because you definitely have to retire LeBron's there and I don't think it's So it's It's just if you want to just hang a jersey, yeah but It's just if you want to just hang a jersey. Yeah but Like mark price per play this whole career there. Well, Brad Daugherty played his whole career like this That's her right so it's Mark Price has his jersey retired These effects, okay, I know these are fat facts. Okay, I know. These are facts. These are for the fans
Starting point is 00:41:06 watching the show. I played there. I know. I played in the arena. That motherfucker hang right up there in the thing, yeah. 25-43.
Starting point is 00:41:14 Played the whole career there. But you don't see Kyrie doing enough to get in that mix? No. You gotta, yeah, like I said, you play somewhere forever.
Starting point is 00:41:24 John Stockton, like, then McCall Malone went somewhere, but he's played his whole career there. He was just... For sure. No, just... Yeah, no, it just doesn't... For me, it doesn't fit the criteria. And Price spent, obviously, most of his career there,
Starting point is 00:41:37 played for a couple of other teams, but the bulk of his time in the league was in Cleveland. Who that? Mark Price. Okay, well... But Gil... What do you know what I mean? What? No, no, no, no, exactly what you're saying. in Cleveland. Who that? Mark Price. Okay, well. But Gil. What do you know what I mean? What?
Starting point is 00:41:46 No, no, no, no, exactly what you're saying. My bad. No, not at all. Gil, Kyrie deserves his jersey retired by the Cavs. Number two. I mean, Mark Price and Brad played their whole career there and only got 2,000 more points. No championship for them. So the guy that brought you a championship and hit big shots for you,
Starting point is 00:42:11 the reason you can celebrate and have and be called a champion is Kyrie. He played his part. So if Shaq got his jersey retired in Orlando, you know you go ahead and Okay, go and put them over the top. So we asked the chat of Kyrie deserved to have his jersey You just asked the chat you need to let the chat really get full They not even fully invested in the numbers right now. You already trying to but you stalling A little bit. Oh, I don't know what side it's on yet. Yeah, like what all those things that you say Yeah, I get it. But it came a few more years with it. I mean, I mean
Starting point is 00:42:54 But look at a year. Yeah. Yeah, I mean for for the city day It's not like the people that's up there has resume. I'm with you and I mean that you know They got but 18 mo hunting mo points, you know for sure resumes. I'm with you. You know what I mean? They got, what, 18 more, 100 more points? Yeah, for sure. So I'm with you. Yeah, from that standpoint. I get you. Yeah, I'm with it.
Starting point is 00:43:11 So we've had ample time to stall to allow the Achats to do their thing. We got over 1,500 votes right now. Over 60% say that Kyrie deserves to have his turn. Okay, I'll go with you. So let's keep it moving. Cataway, for personal reasons, ant-man held it down for the timberwolves but and had timberwolves fans nervous in the first half when he dropped to the ground
Starting point is 00:43:33 after suffering a non-contact injury but he came back did his thing 34.5 rebounds five assists four steals to keep the wolves to go up strong tied atop the West with the Thunder. Edwards is going at Wimby as you see here. Yeah, got it, the ball. 50-50 ball. Teaching him a lesson or two. Highline. And deliver some highlights as well that look eerily reminiscent of the man
Starting point is 00:44:00 that some claim is his pappy, the one and only MJ. So we talk a lot about who will be the face of the league in the near future. Well, Ant-Man's own teammate, Cap, had this to say. Anthony Edwards is special. I keep saying it, and he hates when I say it, but he's going to be the face of the NBA sooner than later. So we're just super honored that we all get to play with him. We all get to help him in this process of maturing and becoming the face.
Starting point is 00:44:31 And I think that the future is very, very bright for him. So do you guys agree with Cat that Ant is kind of going to be that guy to be the face of the league? Yeah, just not there. Gilbert. He's going to be the face, just not in that. I mean, you know. Nice city, tons of targets. Come on, man. to be the face. Just nodding that. I mean, you know. Nice city, tons of targets. Come on, man.
Starting point is 00:44:47 This is the NBA. We're talking big business here, man. Yeah. Like, the NBA big business, dog. I understand. Hey, I know them. Listen, the Ant-Man is about to go. They're about to sell out.
Starting point is 00:44:59 They're about to sell out. One of the little kids from school, TJ, asked for the Ant--Man's so I gave him the Ant-Man's Had eight threes yesterday Like you know, so I mean, you know the way he plays his style charisma funny, right? You know it is of the face, you know, when you're trying to sell a product. So, just, you know, Timberwolves as a business is just not... Big business. Not big business. Timberwolves fans are being their feelings.
Starting point is 00:45:34 We'll add another city to the list. Man, listen. I'm just telling you, girl. I can't help it. If reality is reality. Find people in Minneapolis. Truth. Birthplace of the Mighty duck truth sound like hey
Starting point is 00:45:49 If they think if they think I'm saying something that's just out of this this world, I mean After Indiana right the Commissioner decided to put on rules like some of you cities just ain't gonna get this all-star game Yeah, I'm sorry. Just some of y'all just Small cities. Just, you know, we're just going to keep these to the big boys. Either you're just going to have to move to another city, or you're just going to keep getting your crumbs, but we're not going to make this thing fair no more.
Starting point is 00:46:16 Well, I'm optimistic and hopeful that Ant stays with the Timberwolves. I think they got a good thing going over there. But I understand. My draft was in Minnesota It was the last draft they had outside of New York City. Mm-hmm Hey, you want to know how how much NBA cares about small cities last year don't know in the West Who is the second and third team who Who was number two seed, number three seed? The whole year.
Starting point is 00:46:48 No one cared, right? No one gave a fuck. Where's Minnesota right now? Number one, tied with the Thunder. No one gave a fuck, right? And then who's second in the East? No one gave a fuck, right? The Cavs.
Starting point is 00:47:00 These teams are playing so great, no one talks about it cuz no one cares and don't push the needle for ratings Sure How many TV how many TV games you'll catch us right now and they're the champs back-to-back MVP finals MVP jersey selling number 14 14 and uh how many how many tv games do they do they have uh i think they have 22 true nationally televised games this year abc espn and tnt and where does that rank i think middle of the road okay good i'm just i'm nearly merely a hugger. You gotta win a championship to get 22. Just let y'all know out there. When you in the small city.
Starting point is 00:47:50 And quickly before we move on, we gotta talk about another moment in the game. So, there was a French on French crime. Ooh! Hand off to Gobert. Gobert spinning away. Rudy Gobert wins it. Ooh! It's sometimes matchups to see who's the winner. Gobert caught Winby slipping, put him on late post there.
Starting point is 00:48:08 That's about as good a post move as we've seen. The dunk was payback for Winby hitting Gobert with the sham guy earlier in the season. And he threw it in there. And y'all remember that video of 16-year-old Winby going at him? Pump fakers. Yeah. It's not utilized enough. And I like that.
Starting point is 00:48:24 Hey, OK, Rudy. Rudy. Get some get back, okay? Here you go, young fella. Here you go, young kid. You been fucking me up for the last five years. Oh, shit, not even last five years. Last what?
Starting point is 00:48:36 Three years, four years. Hold that. Hold that. So that was Hibachi Time. Remember to download the SeatGeek app. Use promo code GIL for $20 off your first purchase. Again, help us help you. The show is growing. People are noticing. And they are blessing us with beautiful bags. For great products. You already had SeatGeek, so this was an easy one.
Starting point is 00:49:01 Yep, got them. I just had to make sure I got the shit confirmed Hey, that's a good screen grab your QR code. There's gonna be a bunch of people in our suite We will see y'all at the Flippers Lakers game tonight at Staples Center the arena currently known as crypto. Mm-hmm, but we call it staples We're like pull up on us. But remember we will have ample security We got Kenyan so if you want a situation you very well we got a special guest pulling back up to the arena spin his first three and a half seasons with the Grizzlies before
Starting point is 00:49:44 getting traded to the Celtics before the deadline a few weeks ago. Xavier Tillman, welcome back to Gil's Arena. You are back in the crib. Whoa, whoa. Appreciate it. Can y'all hear me good? We got you. We got you.
Starting point is 00:49:56 How's everything with you? You know, it's moving, man. This team over here, we don't lose. We don't lose. Imagine a little different experience from what you were dealing with before your trade deadline with everything going on over there. Yeah, I mean, we got hit with the craziest injury bug ever. When we came to Boston to play, we had 13 roster guys out.
Starting point is 00:50:21 Like, it looked crazy when I was with Memphis. So coming here and knowing that everybody's healthy and, like I said, they don't lose and they find a way and everybody's mentality is like, like when adversity hits and teams go on the run, bro, like, nobody's flustered, nobody's anxious. It's like, it's all right. It's just basketball, bro. It's going to shake back.
Starting point is 00:50:44 Just watch. And then it shake back. Yeah, we just went by 17. He was down by six. Going from Memphis to Boston and how you guys played last year, right? Great basketball. How different is the mindset when you're on a wholeher side compared to where y'all were last year? Is it still a big difference?
Starting point is 00:51:11 Are you saying as far as like the teams? Just the mentality of how, because you guys were young and these are more veterans. Like just the attitude of how they approach the game and like there's levels. Yeah, absolutely there's levels to it i mean we were young in turn you know what i'm saying every before every game we dance we got the things going you know the music going on we're young in turn versus you know being my first couple games here like this is like the whole vibe is like this just chill just like hey we clocking in today damn clocking in don't to, you know, everybody got to get hyped for the game.
Starting point is 00:51:47 Watch. Just watch. Come in there. Everybody do your thing. Everybody keeps it light. And they get the job done. But it's definitely interesting, though, to see. Because obviously we're successful.
Starting point is 00:51:59 We were number two, you know, in the West last year. But at the same time, like, I feel like it's a whole other level, though. It took us everything, health included, to be number two. Versus, obviously, health is on our side over here, but it feels like we still got more in the tank, and we're at number one.
Starting point is 00:52:17 I think we got a seven and a half game lead in the East. I want to say five games better than any team in the West. But for you, how did you find out that you got traded to the Celtics? And what's that experience been like for you so far? You've been there a few weeks now. Yeah, I was on my way back from I had a like a lift and a workout a day before the deadline. And I had some inklings, you know, thinking about, okay, well, they didn't extend me.
Starting point is 00:52:46 They picked up my option. I'm on an expiring contract. And throughout the year, I had been playing pretty well. So I'm like, all right, well, I got some value there. It's the likelihood that they would let me walk into free agency for nothing. I don't think it's going to happen. But as far as when, no, I didn't know when and I didn't know where. So when I got the call, you know, the day before the deadline, I was surprised for sure.
Starting point is 00:53:11 That's part of it. What is it like being around, you being sort of young in this league, being around a guy like Al Horford? Yeah, he's been great. Al's been really good at showing me the meticulous things that you need to do every day, from the lifting, from the eating right, from even mobility stuff and stretching.
Starting point is 00:53:36 And then when you're coming in and really just locking in and getting your core work done, he's been a consistent thing. And it's not just been him, but it's been everybody telling me that over the past years, this is all Al's been doing is just being consistent every day and like they're looking at me like we need you to be as consistent as you can every day and that's something i'm like well i'm built for it i can do it you just kind of give me the blueprint of what you want from me
Starting point is 00:53:59 and i'll get it done you know what you uh went to? Because you was a vet, right? And now you're going to a team where you have other vets that's teaching you how they've lasted this long. And do you think that the Al Horford for you is missing in Memphis? To take it to the next that next step? Because, you know, like most of us, when we're coming in, we're young, right? We don't know what that how
Starting point is 00:54:38 to get to where some of these people are until we see it, right? Do you think every young team needs the Al Horfers to teach them how to be pros? Yeah, you're talking about the Al Horfers, the Udonis Haslam type.
Starting point is 00:54:54 Yeah, absolutely. Especially with the league trending so young. What was the average? Not the average age of each team was like low 20s. Low 20s. Maybe like 22, 23. Like, yeah, 22 23 like yeah no no we need some seasoned
Starting point is 00:55:08 vets seasoned vets over you know probably over your 33 33 or higher and i say that simply because it's like they just know they know how to move like when you give an 18 year old millions of dollars it's like what do you expect from them it's an 18 year old if you would have millions of dollars 18 guess what you're not gonna have 18 millions or 18 you're not gonna have millions of dollars after that because you're gonna be spending it on your friends your family on the girls on the club well you know i'm saying whatever so like having those seasoned vets to tell you like all right this is how you're supposed to move and it's ever watching to listen to you because i've been in this league since the big you know not the beginning of time but since before you even
Starting point is 00:55:42 thought about coming to the league and then like okay cool, oh, okay, cool, like, this is a vet, this is the OG, he's been helping me out. Versus if it's a peer, you're not really going to listen to your peer like that. Like, as far as key advice, you might kick it with your peer, but when they tell you something, you're going to be like, ah, but what do you know? Like, you just got here when I got here, or maybe a couple years before I got here, you don't really know. So, yeah, definitely every team needs that season vet for sure. So, Xavier, it's your first time living in a major city.
Starting point is 00:56:10 You grew up in Grand Rapids, went to the College of East Lansing, spent your entire NBA career in Memphis before now coming to Boston. What's the biggest difference between Boston and Memphis on the court and off the court? Off the court, easily. So right now I'm downtown trying I'm trying to find or trying to move into a new spot out here. But the city vibe as far as even just driving to the practice facility and driving to the arena is so different. In Memphis, you could live, everybody really live
Starting point is 00:56:40 30 minutes around in the suburbs. like when you're here everybody's kind of in the city in the town so the route to get here like i the first game i missed five exits trying to get to the game because there's so many different you know tunnels and stuff like that where in memphis it was just straight highway um and it's funny on the court though i would say the biggest difference is it's kind of like I mentioned, the vibes are different, where it took us everything to get to where we got. And over here, it just feels like we have more in the tank, and we're already doing so well.
Starting point is 00:57:14 So it just feels kind of like almost scary at the instance. So when everybody's like full-fledged in, and I'm not saying anybody's half-assing it, but everything's not required yet. When everything's required, I feel like we're going to take it to an even crazier level. Shit, I can tell you the difference, young fella. You ain't got all them niggas there.
Starting point is 00:57:32 Easy. You got all them niggas shooting outside. You can go to the game comfortable. You can go to the game, you ain't got to worry. You can go out to the restaurant comfortable. You can go to the game, you ain't got to worry. You can go out to the restaurant comfortable. Shit, this is nice. Hey, ain't nobody was really outside of Memphis like that. And obviously Memphis, they got their pockets of great stuff over there,
Starting point is 00:57:58 but ain't nobody was really outside. Yeah, Memphis is great. I'm just giving you a hard time, young fella. And then just in terms of with the team, what's the adjustment been like? Obviously, you know, you got to uproot, move from Memphis to Boston, kind of join this squad, middle of the season. So just in terms of former relationships
Starting point is 00:58:14 with your new teammates, learning the Celtics schemes on both sides of the ball. So what's the question you asked me? So just what's it been like for you, the adjustment, now going from the Grizzlies to the Celtics, trying to build relationships with your new teammates, and then learning the schemes on both sides of the ball? So it's three questions in the one.
Starting point is 00:58:32 It's multi-part. The first, I guess for me, when I first got here, the biggest adjustment was not trying to disrupt the flow that they already had going. So I was really sitting back the first couple days Just kind of seeing and like meeting people obviously was just seeing the culture when everything was like because obviously they had it working for Them so I didn't want to come in there just disrupt everything they had going on So my thought process was let me just go in here see how they function and then see where I can you know make my impact
Starting point is 00:59:02 I'm still learning, you know where I can, you know, make my impact. And I'm still learning, you know, where I can best make my impact, whether it's on the defensive end, whether it's getting guys open like, you know, your JTs, your JBs, your Derek Whites, getting them open with screens, whether it's me guarding the primary bigs on the other side when I get my opportunities and stuff like that. So I feel like for me the biggest adjustment was not coming in there aggressively with my voice. Like in Memphis, my voice was heard, obviously, because technically I was one of the older guys being a four-year guy.
Starting point is 00:59:33 So I could kind of say what needed to be said versus over here. Not saying that I can't, but I got to see where my pockets are. Where it's like, all right, X, you got the floor. What do you see? Yeah, I think people don't realize that when you're getting traded to a team, they already have a flow and you do have to take a back seat to try to figure out how you're going to fit in. So sometimes when people get traded, people are like, yo, why their numbers is down? Because that person is trying to figure out where he actually
Starting point is 01:00:05 fit into this system right so sometimes when he wants to do certain things he still has to think about the other the other 14 players right that's coming with stretching times practice times you know shooting before the game time like all of that factors in and you don't want to be the dude that comes in and bring your your routine into a situation and that fucks up 14 other people right so it's one of those things where you're coming in and you're like all right i'm gonna sit in the back of the bus and i'm gonna just watch and see all right what's your time what's your time what so you're not even doing your routine when you first get there because you want to figure out what everybody else routine is right and they asking me right, what's your time? What's your time? So you're not even doing your routine when you first get there because you want to figure out what everybody else's routine is.
Starting point is 01:00:48 Right, and they asking me, yo, so what's your routine? What do you like to do? And I'm like, well, let me just see what y'all got, and then I'm going to come in there and figure it out. Like, I got one of the first shooting slots in the days because it's just like, all right, let me just knock my stuff out and make sure everybody, yep, you know, I'm not in the way. Also, what's another thing that I got?
Starting point is 01:01:08 Like, even, like, treatment times and stuff like that. Like, coming in there, it's a little bit different how they run. Usually people aren't on, like, a true, true time schedule with the treatments over here. So it's like, okay, you kind of peek your head in. My turn is over. Let me get in there. Get in there for a second, get some work done. Yeah, so those are the kind of differences and stuff like that but exactly what you said though
Starting point is 01:01:29 just trying to find where I can really fit in and then make my impact what's hilarious though is that I fit in right away at the boo-ray table that didn't take no time yo come over here you play? yeah that money ain't way we normally don't play with seven
Starting point is 01:01:44 come on in't play with seven. Come on in. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We play with five. Yeah, like, long as money talking shit, you're going to fit in on the playing. Yo, for real. Y'all both play Bure a lot? Yeah, we played, yeah. Yeah, for sure.
Starting point is 01:01:57 For sure. Shit, I got suspended on Bure, you know. Yeah, that was Bure. So we fed it real good at the table so what was the pot at to make y'all beef like that what was the pot at man it was over 1500 1100 it was that's what i said yeah it didn't have nothing their face right there it didn't have nothing to do with money my reaction to it wasn't the money. That's that that wasn't a principal It didn't have that principle. It didn't have nothing to do with me Right, so he already got booed. He got booed and I quit and I'm like you gonna get booed by yourself and we friends
Starting point is 01:02:36 He's like you just gonna let me lose money like that. Yeah. Yeah, so I was it. Yeah, it was more It was gonna get boo winning Because I had three Trump. And you got out? Yeah. Oh, you're fucking horrible. See? I had three Trump. That's petty.
Starting point is 01:02:51 No, that's petty. That's petty and shit, right? No, no. Look, look. Hold on, hold on, bro. You got to go get that. You can't let them play the ones from my team. Yeah, because, so, listen.
Starting point is 01:03:00 You know how, like, somebody make noise and you're like, ooh, what you got over there? Yeah. So one of them, one of them, like, ooh. So I'm like, ooh, shit, got over there? Yeah. So one of them, one of them like, ooh. So I'm like, ooh, shit, he got Ace, King, Queen, right? It was one of those. And I'm like, and then he's like, I don't want none. You don't want none? So you got four Trump.
Starting point is 01:03:14 So I'm like, you got four Trump and one high card and you got all five Trump? And then Javar's like, yeah, I need five. You about to get booed, sir. So you stay. So, no, I'm the dealer. Oh, you deal. Oh, shit. i'm the dealer oh you dare oh oh i'm the dealer so he's like i need five and he's already been talking shit to me yeah right so he already been letting me have it so i'm like all right bet yeah i'm out and i got three trump and boom and he was like oh hell no you just ain't gonna have three truck cuz most likely he'd had that so you ain't gonna have three Trump and just get out of
Starting point is 01:03:48 The game like that. That's how you so it became a personal thing. Yeah, that was a fight That's what it was Absolutely that would because it because we even have kind of things like that like what you got you in you in Because we always like the way I play We never I've never liked to play heads up because then somebody always runs the pot We go back down to base. So it's like you gotta have Three at least you gotta have three so people like y'all my mom. I'm looking like give me Well, well we pay that right here young fella Okay, if if my money and if I just got my regular auntie and your money in the pot, I'm gonna let your money walk
Starting point is 01:04:28 I'm not even if you got three truck. Did you got three chuggy not letting three babies? Yeah He didn't take none and somebody I'm gonna let your money I had listen and I let your money walk I had like Jack 10 Sam. Are you horrible? No, listen, I'm going to let your money walk. I had, listen, and I had like. I'm going to let your money walk. I had like Jack, T, and Sam. Oh, you're horrible. No, listen, I was going to stay, but he just, but talking. I get why you did it. So I'm like, so it was just more like, all right, you're going to get booed, and then
Starting point is 01:04:55 you got to put the money back up any motherfucking way. So it was, that's why I said it was more personal that that's the dude I hang out with, and that's what you did to me. Oh, I didn't. So I wasn't, I wasn't wrong. 100%. So really though, it was, it was the way he was talking to you so if you would have never been talking to you like that no I've been enough yeah yeah because I already because I wasn't even in the game so I had to match the pot anyway just to get in the game so I just let my money walk anyway so shit you're gonna get booed because you you gotta take five she that's gonna be twenty three hundred in any goddamn way run it back and I just threw my cars
Starting point is 01:05:29 in I went back to sleep think of fuck you so not so he got boo for 1100 now he got booed for 20 treasures that's what yeah that was the problem it wasn't really the game itself yeah I didn't be the a situation where dudes ask for cards like at the table messing with him. Uh-huh. Keep three and ask for three. Uh-huh.
Starting point is 01:05:52 And make you miss deal. Yeah. Oh, man. Yes. Oh, no, we petty, dog. Yeah, you talking shit to me out there. We're going to make you miss deal. We're going to make you miss deal.
Starting point is 01:06:02 Yeah, yeah. Shit, I said two. Dudes don't remember how many you asked. Oh, yeah. Oh, yes bad No, that's hilarious We way more friendly on this table. We wait cuz cuz people been saying I mean I think I'm about to be done I think might be done the way I am like nah, you just can't be done versus now what you need, but to turn it to Come on, we're getting it's like it left people on the table, you know the pilot gonna grow So y'all got two tables or one table
Starting point is 01:06:29 We've just found a front we didn't on the shoe tables. Yeah knows. Yes certain team No, no, no, no the team now like the case in the lake. They got a high rollers table And then they got a regular folk take it a paper table. Yeah. Yeah, they got a high roller Join with a mickle paying five hundred thousand hand off top You started a thousand hand. Yeah Is he over there Philly he over there Philly? How much y'all plan for Now we play hunters we got up to threes, but we don't play five though. Jaden was tell me James Springer. He got traded
Starting point is 01:07:03 From Philly over.. He was like, they get busy over there. They got a big boy table. And they friends? They got a big boy table. We playing $20. Yeah, we was big boy table. Big boy bourree.
Starting point is 01:07:21 We playing Cleveland in playoffs. That was the most expensive table I ever played with. Big boy boot. But the problem is, it wasn't no big boy. It was Richie Paul, $45,000 a year. Yeah. At the time, right?
Starting point is 01:07:38 It was a different... It was Damon damn Jones. Big boy. Me and Larry Hughes. Hold on. Damon Jones owe me money still. David damn Jones Big boy me and Larry Hughes. Mm-hmm David hold on Damon Jones owe me money still the landlord Gil the lit. Oh Somebody tagged him he all got this on the landlord. He's the only money man. I Want my run it. I feel like I'm pulling up. He said you don't have to repay you after you hit that game winner. Facts. He did say that, though.
Starting point is 01:08:07 That would be good. Man, a thousand. Boy, y'all trying to hurt feelings. Y'all trying to win houses, cars. The highest the pot got, we probably got up to 14, almost 14,000. Oh, shit. All y'all babies That just would that just what boss when I was in Memphis. We probably got to
Starting point is 01:08:30 25 oh Man, I got boo for 30. Oh, they don't even know how to play. I got boo for 30 Oh, yeah, I don't know how to play. Y'all don't know y'all don't know Put the air on so they can miss deal double the pot. y'all don't know none of that, huh? Y'all playing freedom we put the air also Crazy yo, yeah Oh, yeah now put your fingers on the thing So when they try to slide it and hit your fingers flip up shit like that or that ah, yeah, we was grinding See we used to drink on the plane. So they should try to stop us from drinking on the plane
Starting point is 01:09:08 We had to play cards and or drink you can do both anyone's doing both And or drink, yeah, you got us playing we playing cards like this You yeah you is Ian. Yes, or that's the question is he to Three ain't no ain't none of this. Hey, this is out the game You in? Is he in? He's already asking questions. Is he in? Two, three. Ain't none of this. Hey, this is out the game right here. The one that's supposed to slip over. Motherfucker let the card go.
Starting point is 01:09:35 I'm not stopping your card from going off the table. None of that shit. Dog, yeah. Put my card in front of me. Like, the worst thing was, like, you know how being excited to be a dealer? Nah, that was stressful. Because you got three other people trying to get you to miss deals. You know how being excited to be a dealer. No, I was stressful Because you got three up you got three other people trying to get you to miss deal. So yeah But that's crazy because then y'all not even playing the real card
Starting point is 01:10:05 That's that we playing we playing $20 a hand Getting the damn $30,000 Huh? Yeah you got three You got three people You got three people Getting booed At a certain time And if I know
Starting point is 01:10:14 Like I hold like the ace Knowing he got the king Right And he trying to hold His card at the end And I'm like You be like Oh yeah
Starting point is 01:10:21 You ain't got no book Bah Oh yeah Listen So y'all way more friendly Y'all friendly Y'all locker room And I'm like, oh yeah, no, you ain't got no book Y'all friendly y'all locker room y'all listen we like we cool, but I like you but I already fuck with you like that Like you can't be cool that let me show you This is the type of vibe we got on the plane. Javaris Crichton just got to town, right? He just got there, and he wants to be part of the bourree. Now, we have Deshaun Stevenson.
Starting point is 01:10:56 Deshaun Stevenson makes up his own rules, right? Like, flip his card over and put it this way and put it that way. Like, he plays how he wants to play, right? And Javaris comes around and be like, yo, you can't do that. Argument. Argument, all right. Hey, brother, you just got here. Don't let me slap the fuck out you just because you...
Starting point is 01:11:14 And we're like, oh, shit, here we go. It already got to popping on $20. There's $80 in the pop. The plane ready to set it off. So it was hostile environment. Oh, I made somebody go sit in the back. Listen, when I got booed for 30, the dude like- Who laughing?
Starting point is 01:11:36 But just made the statement to him before, I don't want nobody laughing at me if I get booed. And I get booed for 30 and you laugh. Man, listen, you go to the back of the plane and you don't say shit else don't hear you if I hear you one word I'm a whoop your ass now you see why they couldn't drink this person followed those directions I'm just gonna make sure it would have to land him up wherever we would have been whoop I'll would have been wearing them, jagging them up.
Starting point is 01:12:06 I would have put them in an overhead bin. That's what's so funny. You know what I mean? It ain't about the money because everybody got it. It's always the little shit that got to do. Saying certain words, laughing, bragging about you got all my money. It's always the little things that get fights happening on the plane. That's crazy. Yeah. He's like, little things that get fights happening there on the plane. That's crazy
Starting point is 01:12:31 Yeah, we he's like, yeah, that's not how we play we know we drink wine. We talk about each other families We you know, how's your family doing? They coming to the game? They got wine and sage I hope everybody break even tonight Somebody don't know mother got a Pilates machine Playing a 500 in the thousand so we're gonna to talk shit until you win your money. Until, hey, we're going to strip club on me tonight. Yeah. Or actually on you tonight.
Starting point is 01:13:09 That's what I'm saying. Dog, five. Absolutely. But that's what I'm saying. 500 to 1,000, brother, you talking about 100,000. That's Boston's pots. Them, like, there was only a few teams in the NBA that was playing, when I was playing, that had that type where you got
Starting point is 01:13:26 at least Four people making over 50 some million to even play like that like when I played Larry Hughes like Larry Hughes played but like Antoine didn't play he was maxed and Karan didn't play so everybody I played with was Minimum contract so, you know most the young boys, so we was at $20. Like, if we got the $40, it was like, ah, yeah, I'm about to make some money today. JT and JB, they don't play.
Starting point is 01:13:54 But JT said it's strictly because the pot ain't up that high. See, yeah, yeah. I was like, well, cool. Well, I ain't. I was like, well, I ain't supposed to be here donating. I'm cool with that So I always took five cars because there was nothing that could hurt me
Starting point is 01:14:10 Yeah for sure See that's the shit Chuck used to do AI got all of them money in the bag Give me five So at one particular time you got Chuck at the table, Melo, me So yeah That five star look So at one particular time, you got Chuck at the table, Mello, me. Ooh. So, yeah.
Starting point is 01:14:27 Yeah, that's five-star look, you know. J.R., then we, Andre Miller used to play. Yeah, we, yeah, we rotated a few in and out. That's that game, though. Once I found out about Bure, I was like, yeah, that's it. I love that game. Let's get back to basketball that was that was that was for a broke individual like myself i can only imagine uh so a lot of people think there is no defense in the league right now it's been one of the biggest conversations going on
Starting point is 01:15:01 so in your opinion is the defense really bad, or is the offense just that good? Well, first off, offense is really that good. But it's a timing situation, too, though. Like, when you think about your star guys, the guys who have the ball in their hands a lot, like your Jalen Brunson's, your D-Books, and actually play defense. I'm trying to think about
Starting point is 01:15:26 them star guys who are like, I'm going to have the ball in my hand the whole game. I can't get in foul trouble. I'm going to show my hands and somebody better come block it. Otherwise, you can get two points because I can't get a foul because I'm about to come back and get two or three points myself.
Starting point is 01:15:42 I definitely think it's that talented. Now, you definitely have your two-way guys. Like I said, Ant's that talented. Now, you definitely have your two-way guys. Like I said, Ant's up there. Low-key, since I got here, I didn't know JT and JB played defense like that. Obviously, I know Drew locked up. Derek White, really, he plays defense for real. But, yeah, it's like two-fold, though. Because, you know, you'll have your guys, and you'll see it, too,
Starting point is 01:16:01 where they're just out there kind of like, all right, I'm just not trying to foul. You know? Like, Luka, I feel like he's just not trying to foul. I'm just shorthand, contest, because I'm about to come back with the ball. Yeah. Okay. You know, I don't think anybody ever pays attention to this part of just their knowledge of just what defense is 80s is everyone's golden era of defense right but people don't realize that's when you've for the first time seen defense right so in the 80s tv
Starting point is 01:16:41 allowed you to see a game so however that game was played is your first visual. That means whatever the defense was then, that is the top. So if it's been getting down, watered down since, you're comparing it to this right here. Not realizing the 70s thought the 80s was weakest shit in defense because the rules were changing. Like back then, I can clothesline you and punch you in your mouth, and that's just a foul. Right? So, you know, like the 70s was arch rivals. The 70s was arch rivals compared to the 80s.
Starting point is 01:17:17 But for the fans themselves, 80s was their 10 on defense, realizing to the 70s, that was a nine. And then from there, it's been watered down. So people don't understand just that's how the game of just all sports is, right? Football today is less, is kitty cat compared to back in the 70s and the 60s, right? Yeah, I mean, in football, they got that rule. Don't quote me on it because I don't know what it's called. But wide receivers, like, or was it targeting somebody? They penalized the quarterback for putting the wide receiver in a bad position.
Starting point is 01:17:55 That was never the case back in the day. You got cracked and you hit the ground. Like, that was just it. Just business is business. And I just don't think people understand just like it was tougher defense back then.
Starting point is 01:18:09 They've been changing the rules ever since for the business of basketball itself. Yeah. The owners want longevity. They're like, I need these stars
Starting point is 01:18:19 to be able to play so please don't close line Michael Jordan anymore. Please don't take him out of the game. I guess people just assume that I'm guarding Luka. I want the motherfucker to score 70 on me.
Starting point is 01:18:30 I just think they think we go into the game like, yeah, you know, all right, Luka, score 70 on me. Like, I got pride. I just can't guard this motherfucker sometimes. Absolutely. Your man's going to call you after the game like, 70, bro? 70, bro. Like, you're looking like, call you after the game like, 70, bro? 70, bro? You just, you're looking like,
Starting point is 01:18:48 no. Like, yeah, I tried, bro. I don't want to have 70. Like, your people at home will call you like, bro, that's crazy. Just let him do that. Like, I used to think about
Starting point is 01:18:55 Ant had that play where he, I'm guarding him at his place, tween, tween, crossover, step back. I'm like, I'm guarding him. Good.
Starting point is 01:19:03 He pump fake and I jump for the pump fake and he throws out the crossover, step back. I'm like, I'm good. He pump fake, and I jump for the pump fake, and he throws out the glass and dunks it. People are like, to be honest with you, he was in front of him. I'm like, I know, but at the same time, he's that good, bro. He threw four fakes at me, and I stayed down for all three of them until the last one.
Starting point is 01:19:19 And you're three for four. That's a good percentage. But you talk about Jason Tatum, Jalen Brown, one of the best duos in the league right now. So what have you seen from both of them just in terms of preparation and how they go about their business and what makes them so special? I feel like each day they kind of know what's needed of them. I don't feel like they're ever searching. They're out there like, ah, let me just see what needs to be done.
Starting point is 01:19:48 Like, I feel like they both kind of go into each and every day, not just the games, but each and every day and kind of know what to do. Like, I don't ever see them kind of like, I don't know, just not being efficient. Like, everything they do is efficient. Like, even if Jay, like, let's call it, let's be in the game now. So, if JT's got the ball, or let's say he doesn't have the ball, like, he's still pointing at people where to be at and being that coach on the court.
Starting point is 01:20:13 Like, he's very efficient with everything. And I feel like so is JB. Like, they don't, and maybe it has something to do with their longevity so far and how far they've made in the playoffs that they just know, like, there's not a lot of wasted energy between them at all in terms of their production level. That's why I say when it really
Starting point is 01:20:31 requires us to give it our all, we can take it to another level because I'm like, they're not half-assing it, but it'll look easy though. So when it's required, when more is required, I bet you they do some crazy stuff. So for sure, for sure. This is just, yeah, I bet you they do some crazy stuff. For sure, for sure. This is just, yeah, I'm just, people don't realize, this shit's easy.
Starting point is 01:20:55 Like, it's, when you get to a certain level of confidence, a certain level in your game, no matter how many, you can throw fucking two doubles at me, that shit don't matter. I, it just, it just, I think the media and just casual fans, they try to minimize the work ethic of some of these guys. Right. They think, oh, he scored 70. You know, there must not be defense.
Starting point is 01:21:33 No, motherfucker. I work on my offense all day. I work on my game all day. I manipulate this game every time I'm out here. Don't try to minimize my my my my offense and my Ability to say he can't play defense right like when I'm coming down the court this motherfucker just spraying out No, he's spreading out because I did something to make him move, right? That's why even back when we the toughest defense that the NBA is considered the toughest era. I look at it like lunch me
Starting point is 01:22:05 Like yeah, he was a first-team all-defense, but he was ass. He was only good because these certain people was on his team, right? There's this back line right here. This guy is here. When this guy subbed out, he was on his own, and because he was on his own,
Starting point is 01:22:20 yeah, if Antoine and Karan was in a game with, you know, this person, there was no way he was guarding me. Right? Yeah, if Antoine and Quran was in the game with you know, this person there was no way he was guarding me Right. Yeah, it became easier to guard me if I had these two guys because they couldn't shoot or spread the floor So now you're sitting here which forced me to shoot more jumpers now if I got to shoot more jumpers and you know That I can't get to the basket. Of course, you're to overplay me. Right? And I don't think people understand that part of the game. Like when Detroit played the Lakers,
Starting point is 01:22:51 kind of everybody in the league was like, oh, Detroit actually probably has the advantage over this team. One, Lakers don't have nobody to spread the floor. Yeah, they have a whole bunch of names, but they're big enough to just pack it in. And on the other side, Detroit had four guys who can spread the floor,
Starting point is 01:23:11 which means the individual defense of the Lakers is in trouble because Chauncey shot the ball, Rip shot the ball, Prince shot the ball, and Rasheed Wallace shot the ball. So you got five dudes that can hit the outside shot, which now forces the Lakers to be behind that three-point line. Nobody facts or any of that in. They just look at names like, oh, this team is about to be like, all right, we'll see. Yeah. And in terms of even when nobody even talks about how you said you mentioned the work ethic, like people really think luca is not conditioned or or fat and i'm like bro you can't be fat and drop 70 bro they don't go they don't go hand in hand but you're gonna be tired you're gonna be and this is not like he dropped 71 game and sat out for the next
Starting point is 01:23:54 two weeks because he was exhausted no no he played the next game you know what i'm saying so it's like okay let's be realistic like these guys are these guys cardio is is amazing maybe he's not chiseled and cut but does that really matter like i mentioned or not mentioned but you had said something about like yeah but you know these guys might look chiseled but like look under the hood though and let's see what his cardio really is can he really go can you really play 48 if they said hey you gotta play 48 and like that's that's when my mentality kind of switched because I thought about it. Like, yeah, what's the point of looking chiseled if you're getting tired after 20 minutes?
Starting point is 01:24:28 Like, I'd rather be slightly chunky and I can play 48 minutes because my cardio is good. I've trained by running. I've trained by biking. I've trained by swimming to where my cardio is good. And I'm like, yeah, bro, like, I'm good. And more than likely, you're not going to be chunky if your cardio is good.
Starting point is 01:24:44 But still, you know what i mean yeah so uh xavier you got to play against jason tatum now you get to play with him uh do you feel like he deserves more love uh in the mbp discussion definitely i thought at first he was just a scorer until i realized his defensive passing and rebounding ability like he almost had a triple doubledouble last night. And like I said, it was efficient. Like, it didn't look like it was, you know, JT really had to, like, get in his bag and shoot tough middies to get there. Like, he was, like, nice.
Starting point is 01:25:15 Going to the free throw line, he's dunking. He's throwing these wicked around-the-back passes. Now, you got to look out for him. When he's with KP, like, he got this thing mastered now where it's like if you leave him he's going to the cup and finishing or getting fouled or if you double him when he's driving he's got this sick around the back he's mastered um that i'm like i didn't have the respect for his passing ability before i got here because i just you know you don't see the passing and the highlights for you just see the scoring so when you get in person you see that um and then the defensive ability like i've seen him really move his feet and take the pride like nah you're not just about
Starting point is 01:25:49 to score it because i know because he's a guy who would get the ball back on offense if he got scored on but his pride in his defense like we went to new york and he had a couple chances to guard jenna brunson and he was locking him up like standing in front of him moving his feet showing his hands like so i was like, okay, well, you know, he definitely needs to be in that discussion, not to mention, you know, we're number one in the league. Cool. Well, Xavier, man, we appreciate you pulling up to the arena.
Starting point is 01:26:17 As always, we wish you the best of luck this season. Man. They just cut your goddamn feet. Oh, damn. I'm sorry, you say it. We thought your feet cut out. I didn't just cut your goddamn feet. Oh, damn. We got your feet cut out. I just feel like, ah. But I'm going to tell you the same thing. We told you when you was with the Grizzlies,
Starting point is 01:26:33 hope the Lakers beat you in the playoffs, even though that's not particularly realistic right now. But we hope it goes to seven out of respect for you because you are a friend of the program. They Lakers fans. We delusional still, baby. We still delusional. Yeah, nah.
Starting point is 01:26:50 I appreciate y'all though. Thank you. Nah, it's a different time now. It's different? Okay. All right, well, we appreciate you, bro. Look forward to seeing you back on the show again soon. Best of luck, rest of the season.
Starting point is 01:27:02 All right, y'all be good. All right. So, as we mentioned, Celtics' best team in the show again soon. Best of luck. Rest of the season. All right. Y'all be good. All right. So as we mentioned, Celtics best team in the league right now. They got a seven and a half game lead in the East five game lead over the best squads in the West. Jason Tatum is their best player. I think that's not debatable. He's after 27, nine rebounds, five assists this season. So during a recent interview with the athletic, Tatum had this to say about his MVP case this season.
Starting point is 01:27:28 He said, I don't have the points per game that the other three or four guys will, but I think the voters are smart enough to understand the dynamic of our team, essentially having to do less scoring, maybe on certain nights, but still impact the game in a lot of ways to kind of ensure that we win every single night.
Starting point is 01:27:45 So somebody who's come in support of Tatum is Draymond Green, who was on his podcast recently, offered some thoughts on Tatum and how he's viewed in the league. In this guy's case, he's fifth, and they got a seven-and-a-half game lead. That goalpost is moving on JT. I don't know what JT got to do. I do know what JT got to do. I told you don't know what JT got to do. I do know what JT got to do.
Starting point is 01:28:05 I told y'all last time what JT got to do. JT will not be taken serious for the MVP until he win a championship. And it just hasn't been that way for everybody else. I must say, it's not that way for Joker. It's not that way for Giannis. It's not that way for Joel. So when you listen to what Draymond said, do you feel like Tatum's held to a different standard than some of those other guys he mentioned?
Starting point is 01:28:38 The problem is you don't know what the criteria is because it changes. It changes year after year i mean you got you know guys who are you know their their fifth one year their team is fifth this and that and then they win it and then they become second they win it and then when they first they don't win it this guy who had the four their numbers not you know fluctuating like where's joker? Is he one? I think he's been leading the race. So last year, his team was one, and he didn't win MVP, right? This year, his team is third,
Starting point is 01:29:17 and he's leading the pack in voting, and you were the champion last year. Your team was number one last year and your team is third this year that's technically a disappointment in a sense of you know voting but they got them number one which is you know we don't know what their criteria is because they're just they're just picking who they like i think it got something to do with... Boston? No.
Starting point is 01:29:50 They held to a different standard, just like the Lakers are. They held to a different standard as far as team, as far as, like, everything. So if he isn't winning it, or if he hasn't won one, then it's like, is he that? In their mind, in the voters' mind, I'm thinking, I'm just trying to figure out, like, why.
Starting point is 01:30:09 But that's one scenario. But the other thing is, over the last few years, who has he played better than? Right? When Joker won back-to-back, did he play better than Zendikola? No. Did he play better than Giannis when Giannis won back-to-back? That's tough to say. Did he play better than Embiid?
Starting point is 01:30:29 It's tough to say over the last six years. Right? Because he was... But that's what I'm saying. When we say better than, right, is his team better than their team? Like, as I said, it changes. I'm saying, did he play better? I'm saying, did he individually...? I'm saying, did he individually? What year is Jason Tatum in?
Starting point is 01:30:49 We've got seven seasons. You're seven? Let me double check. So we go back, count six MVPs. You've got two back-to-backs. Two back-to-back, two back-to-back. Yeah, two back-to-back, two back-to-back. Yeah, you know, so that saying? So that's four.
Starting point is 01:31:05 Then you got Joel, five. And then who was before? Who won MVP before? Giannis. Giannis, Giannis. Was it Joker, Joker? Was it MVP? Was it James?
Starting point is 01:31:17 No. It would have been... Who was the last seven league MVPs? Let me give it to you. It would have been James or Curry? So, Westbrook, Harden, Giannis, Giannis, Joker, Joker, and B. So it was James Harden. So that would have been his rookie year.
Starting point is 01:31:36 Uh-huh. So who has he... So Draymond's point is, only time that is now and the year is not over right if he's fit this addition is disrespectful right now to have him fit if he's fit than MVP vote right now but this is the only year that you could say that Jason Tatum should be in discussion for MVP mean, last year they were one. They were one, and he was playing well. And the guy that won it shouldn't have won it.
Starting point is 01:32:11 Yeah, see, but that's... So it's like, what is... Because if the guy that won it wasn't supposed to win, the guy... So Joel won it. We thought Nikola should have won it, right? So either one of them guys last year, so Jason Tatum don't, he's still third. But at least gives you- Even if his team is first, he's still third
Starting point is 01:32:31 to vote. But that's what I'm saying, but when you mess up one year, you kind of try to autocorrect it the following year. So it's like, well, what do I need to do this year? If this number one, fucking fourth with this, I'm one. That's what I said. It kind of. Well, everyone's going to be able to autocorrect this year because if Joel don't get hurt, he wins the fucking MVP.
Starting point is 01:32:57 But what happens here? Because the person they have number one is not the number one. And we all agree on that right now. You know what I mean? And they're defending champs, right? If you're defending champs, your whole team is back. You're supposed to be plus seven in all of this. So the fact that you're not considered a top team in a sense of your record,
Starting point is 01:33:21 how are you playing like an MVP? What are you doing MVP like? Nothing. This is bias voting shit. You know what I mean? That's why I said right now for me Shea is one. His team. The youngest team in the NBA. No superstars. No
Starting point is 01:33:39 nothing. And this is where they are. That is MVP. He has the number. He has the record. The fact that he don't have nobody on his team. That's an all-star that shit I don't even know if any of them was first team all rookies, whatever right? That's what he's that's what he's rolling with Jason Jason that y'all was number two last year, right? Right your record your rent. So it'd be like, okay, he's won. Luka, what he's doing, where his team is, you're three. But you got to put Anthony Edwards in there.
Starting point is 01:34:11 Anthony Edwards? So Anthony Edwards is two. So you have to go, if you're doing it, if you're looking at the game right now and you're being honest, you got what Shea is doing, of course. He's leading because of all the things that you said. Jason Tatum definitely should be two. Anthony Edwards, three. And if you want to have Nikola fourth in this,
Starting point is 01:34:31 because of what he does nightly on a nightly basis as far as an individual player, yeah, I'm with it. Luka fifth. And then the Giants deserve some love in that mix, or the squad this year. He's the new, listen, he is the new LeBron James, right? Every year, if you want to, you can give it to him. Like, you just have to choose, like, you know what? Yeah, we're going to have to give this motherfucker to somebody else this year.
Starting point is 01:35:03 Right? Because every year that LeBron was in Cleveland, right? Yeah every single year He could have been league MVP when he went to Miami. Yeah could have been illegal. It's just You trying to figure out how not to give it to the Lakers. The man is carrying teams making final like it's He so that's what Giannis is now so at any given year if you just want to know who won the last year last two years I we're gonna give you honest this one issue oh yeah you know I fucked in the last year because he's gonna be that and so yeah he's going to always be in the discussion but
Starting point is 01:35:42 if we talking what your team is doing, success, how you're playing individually, what you have around you, how you impact them, all those things are considered for MVP, which should be at least. But, yeah, so I think we got a list that I think is an honest assessment of the game, what teams are and what individuals are right now.
Starting point is 01:36:06 So we look at that Celtics squad, like we said, seven and a half game lead in the East, best team in the league. How good is that team without Jason Taylor? Good. You still think? They're still good. They have a good team.
Starting point is 01:36:22 For sure. Right? I mean, how many all-stars you got? One, two, three, four? Where they should have been. Right? I mean, how many all-stars you got? One, two, three, four. Where they should have been. Huh? I'm saying, this year's, they should have had three this year. They should have had three this year, but overall, they got one, two.
Starting point is 01:36:34 Porzingis made it. Al Horford. Al Horford. Yeah, shit. You're a high level. Yeah, and Drew. So, I mean, they have a star. I mean, you know, they, shit, overall, they have the most talent on the team.
Starting point is 01:36:45 I mean, in the league. So, you know, and I think that, in me, that knocks Jay a little bit. That's why I can't put him number one or two. Only because your team has gotten better, right? So, you know, even though y'all were second last year, you added better pieces to enhance your team's winning percentage, right? So that's a great thing for you as a team, but it's a knock against you. But should be penalized to fifth, though. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:37:14 It's crazy. I mean, yeah, it's fifth as it is right now. And then he talked about, and Draymond said he has to basically win a chip to get that level of respect. Would a chip stamp him over some of those other guys or put him on another level? But he's still no league MVP, so what did, like, that's not. He could know. He could win a championship this year and still never win a league MVP. Like, because these other guys are still fucking playing.
Starting point is 01:37:40 These other guys are still getting better. These other guys are still putting up these numbers. And you got to worry about the younger crop that's coming up and so no it could still very well much be that right he can win the championship this year and they can come back next year be in the same position be first do all this and they can still have him fifth and if you people so it don't i don't think it moves the needle at all and then that's but that's what said that's the problem with the criteria because we don't know what exactly they're going by,
Starting point is 01:38:09 but we know the motherfucking bias. Because there's no way if the guy's the best player, we know he's the best player, he can win it every year. You know, Jordan. I mean, if he was the best player and they won, they was the most unstoppable team every fucking year. I mean, you're telling me,
Starting point is 01:38:30 so the three years he won championships, he wasn't the best player with the best team and the best record? Right, so he should have, what, three sets of goddamn? Yeah, everything. There should be three sets of goddamn MVPs? Everything. Right, you know what I mean?
Starting point is 01:38:44 And that's the thing, because one, you you get tired of it and that becomes the problem. You can't get tired of greatness That's not how this works. Oh, you know, we got to give it to someone else because no Let it let know you just don't JT He's gonna there's gonna be one year where he's averaging 28 his team is one and come like RJT winning. He gonna the fuck that I do Yeah, I've been doing this shit for six years And I wanted like when you're doing they gonna be like here you go when dirt the whiskey wanted you can sit around like oh Okay, I should okay Hi you know, okay. I didn't use a fucking
Starting point is 01:39:25 average 24 teams in first place where they went to the championship the year before, so I'm expecting them to be in first place because Shaquille O'Neal and all of them are hurt, so the second best team should be number one. I mean, if we're just going by what we expect.
Starting point is 01:39:41 What we expect is Miami to be number one, Dallas to be number two going into the season well Shaq and all of them got hurt so Dallas you're going to be number one this year oh and you're averaging a cool 24 got it oh that's oh there's not I mean let's put you where on the scoring list you're uh okay talking about some awesome by eight. Yeah. Okay. Where you had a rebound in Oh not even the top five. Okay. Yeah It's nearly you You can't tell me Jake here wasn't supposed to win MVP, bro Don't buy some some some fuckery going on and we want 26 games in my rookie year
Starting point is 01:40:23 We want 52 the next. We flipped our record. That's how Steve Nash won his, right? It was bullshit. They just added him. Boom, 62 wins. MVP. Okay, that makes sense.
Starting point is 01:40:43 Yeah. 62 wins MVP. Okay, that makes sense Yeah, that's I said you just That but that's what I said like When something drastic happens we get it like, you know what I mean? You know, some of these are not drastic and it's drastic the other way like you go from you know You know to to them third or fourth and you still win it because your production went up two, three points. But it's players sitting, it's people sitting behind, you know, on a couch,
Starting point is 01:41:11 don't even watch the games. Like, you know what? This is what I want. I think all media who has voting, we should be able to see how they watch the game. They should better be looked like a motherfucking Dave and Buster's.
Starting point is 01:41:28 Right? We got four TVs back there. There has to be a requirement. So we know you looking at multiple games, looking at multiple players. Because here's why. We just heard Tillman say this. He is a player, right? He has a scouting
Starting point is 01:41:45 report. That means he's playing against Boston two times a year, right? He has the game film. He's doing this. And he told you, I didn't even think he was like this. He surprised me on the defensive end.
Starting point is 01:42:01 I just thought he was a score until I get behind the hood and I'm watching him buckle down on defense. I'm watching him do all of this and this. So if a player has a misconception of another player,
Starting point is 01:42:17 what the hell you think the media has? How far do you think the media is on something like this? If he said, I didn't even know he was a defensive player until I'm watching it now. Oh shit. He plays defense. He does this He makes it look easy because you get a close-up now versus just looking at us, you know Okay, I'm looking looking at a little game film and then we play the game and then we move on to another one So what do you think the media is having when they're sitting there trying to watch there's eight games on
Starting point is 01:42:43 I'm a Laker I'm a Laker. I'm a Laker media guy, and I have a vote on the MVP. I haven't seen shit. I haven't seen no other goddamn games. Vote for my guy. So I'm voting for my guy, and then I'm going to see what everybody else is voting for. That shit needs to stop. Need to check their iPad hours like they do. Yeah, I want to see that. I want to see your TV set up. What's your screen?
Starting point is 01:43:09 Yeah, yeah, I want to see your league package just like our phone. It lets us know how long we on the phone I need to know how long they watching their league pass games and they turn it on SportsCenter Seeing who they talking about or what is he averaging, they looking up stats, for the last ten games, oh man. You can't tell me they're not, just by the sheer number of games in the box. There's nobody that's, you know what I mean, the amount of time it would take you to watch every game in the season. Yeah, watch, re-watch the film.
Starting point is 01:43:39 Or not watch everybody. Just watch the people that people are considering for MVP That is why those games watch those games That's a lot you watch all of the Cola's game you watch all of shades game you watch all of JT's game you watch all The Joel's game you watch all Lugan five people. Mm-hmm Damn the rest of the people in the league Give you five guys to watch What other time do you have?
Starting point is 01:44:08 What's the funny? You can't. You can't because it's physically impossible. Because MBE, they play at the same time. And you sit there. I know you ain't doing this. Because they can't. Yes.
Starting point is 01:44:21 Their brain don't work that way. We can turn four games on right now, and we can watch and see some shit that's going on We can be watching this one and see some shit that happened on this one And they can't do that. They watching this TV. They watching this TV They they peripheral shit don't work the way ours do right but even from somebody obviously is knowledge But this something always bothers me you got super knowledgeable been on teams watch tons of film We can all watch the same game. We're not all watching the same. We're not at all I'm not at all like I don't even that I don't even watch games as
Starting point is 01:44:55 From the fan stand the game. I don't watch it because you can't been so Programmed to watch flaws and watching. Oh, whoo. we missed the rotation. Oh back door back door Yeah, ah fucking mr. Back door get his ass out of there. So you're watching the game From the players standpoint like all this motherfucker selfish right now. So you're not even really injured. We don't even enjoy it I don't you don't enjoy it. I do not I do not enjoy watching basketball cuz it's tough man Like do I be I've said at home do Watching the game my wife and my wife she has no clue what the fuck I'm talking about Oh, I didn't probably pause in the fucking game walking over to the television. Like I'm watching feel yeah Yeah, we're winding this shit slowing it down. I mean, it's me. He should he pad didn't pass
Starting point is 01:45:39 He should have been here. She looking at me like any rotate rotate rotate. You're supposed to shoot that shot. Yeah, I'm I'm bad dog so this horrible watch again because I like going to watch enjoy it all people watching again like When I go in like people invite me to come watch the game hang out my partner. I'm there But I'm not There watching everybody you see that play. Oh, then what what happened? Yeah. Y'all don't want to watch the game with me. Yeah. That was a horrible fucking mood.
Starting point is 01:46:09 I'm a fucking whole mood up. The game ended at 8.30. It's 10 o'clock. We still in the third quarter. Look at this bitch-ass nigga right here. Look at that. See, this is why he don't play. This is why he don't play. He don't run back on defense. I do all that. Watch yourself. This is how you know
Starting point is 01:46:25 media just have cliff notes to the stuff. Who made the comment about Allen Iverson not averaging 40 because of his percentage? Brian Winhurst, if I'm not mistaken. Brian Winhurst. This is the one question that
Starting point is 01:46:42 a player should ask you when you're looking at Allen Iverson shot 41. He couldn't do this in today's game Did you ask yourself when you made that statement? The 41 percent comes because he was doubled in triple teamed every play Right because he's being doubled in triple teamed every play that's gonna knock his percentage out, right? If you put him in today's game and he gets to line up, let's just put him on Miami. And he becomes Jimmy Butler.
Starting point is 01:47:15 And the rest of the cast is Hero, who can shoot the three. Duncan Robinson, who can shoot the three. Kevin Love, who can shoot the three. Kevin Love, who can shoot the three. And then you give him Bam. How much you think he's going to average when you can't flood the lane with a whole bunch of people trying to stop him from getting there?
Starting point is 01:47:35 So the 40% and 41% is meaningless when we know he has to go through fucking triple teams to score. Fucking idiot. Mr. Mark. Why the fuck y'all talking to Brian Wendhorst? I'm not talking to him.
Starting point is 01:47:52 Why are you responding? I don't know who he is. Exactly. He was referring to a comment, and we didn't hear him. I know. Like I said, look at Brian Wendhorst and why are you responding? When has he ran up and down a basketball court? No, it ain't even about that. Yeah, it is. It's about he don't know shit about the game No, but but this goes for all of them when y'all looking at fucking percentages ask yourself. Why?
Starting point is 01:48:15 Someone when someone has 55% shooting from the three-point line in a wide open all the time They fucking better have 55% because I'm getting double teamed the whole fucking game, so when I pass it to him, he better not have 40-some percent. He better be shooting at a high 48-50 clip. The person who should have a slightly less three-point percentage is the guy who has to come off the pick and roll,
Starting point is 01:48:40 he has to bring the ball up the court, he has to pass the ball, he has to come down, he has to shoot the three. They don't understand all that. They don't know so therefore Oh, oh this guy's better shoot point tell him to tell him we both get a hundred shots I guarantee he won't beat me because he only shoots 400 400 shots every week I got to shoot 400 shots a game because I got to carry this fucking team on my back So my percentage is not gonna look look like everybody else's. Right? Shea's, Shea,
Starting point is 01:49:05 Alex, Shea, his percentage is not going to look like the rest of the players on the team because when they get the ball, they're wide open. He's never going to be wide open. Steph Curry is never going to be wide open. If he gets wide open, shit,
Starting point is 01:49:22 his percentage goes down. His percentage goes down because he's never shot like that before so stop looking at fucking percentages because there are meaningless to the real game of basketball So back to what I said You don't know what the fuck you're looking at old I mean none of them so it's pointless to say it What I'll get you remember when I used to say this I used to say some people I said Yeah, he shoots 43% is like that's good Wide open every time you're shooting only 43% and all your shots is wide open
Starting point is 01:49:56 Yeah, man, give him the fuck off the court Yeah, wide open I got doubled I passed to you and I'm up Shooting 43 man get your ass off the court Y'all that's that's me. Yeah, man shot 42 Man play 42 minutes a night. Mm-hmm This 42 double them running around hit him hit them, this, that. I mean, come on.
Starting point is 01:50:28 I wish we could go dig up these old scouting reports. He played 44 one year. I'm just, you know what I mean? And that's what I'm saying. Go dig them up. Go dig these old scouting reports up. Let me see it. Damn, you know what?
Starting point is 01:50:40 I'm going to try to get our playbook. I'm going to try to get the scouting report. Try to get a scouting report and a playoff. So you can see some of y'all favorite players don't even got scouting reports. Nobody paying attention to them third options, man. All right, just run them off the line. He had the idea. The average is 44 minutes?
Starting point is 01:50:58 Yeah, 44 minutes. 44 minutes in 2001-02. God damn. Led the league 31.4 points per game closer to yeah, I played four times now I want you I want y'all to think about it 44 minutes a game right Being double-team Running away he did what you think his shooting percentage is gonna be being doubled right if we take Giannis his energy
Starting point is 01:51:21 Right and we push how he plays up to 44 minutes, you think his percentage is going to get higher on fucking layups and dunks? Or is it going to go lower due to the fact? Like, if I can stop at 30-something minutes, trust me, I'm going to be fresh as fuck. I'm going to be fresh. Like I said, people don't factor in none of this shit, man. And that 44-minute season was the year after he won MVP, led the Sixers to the finals. But he was playing all the way through mid-June.
Starting point is 01:51:52 They don't factor in that. I was chasing the little ass around. Me too. So you got the chance to play with AI too. You guys are referencing, he was on Shaq's bid podcast. He said he could average 43 in today's game. A lot of people felt like that wouldn't be possible. But, Kane, as a former teammate of AI, do you think and agree with him saying that?
Starting point is 01:52:10 Fuck yeah, you can't touch him. In this NBA, you can't touch him. You can touch him in our NBA. You couldn't, but still, you can't. I'm saying, no, we can knock him down and do shit to him. Like, he go to the basket, we can. No, ain't none of that. He is getting by everybody. Y'all think John Morant fast and getting to to him. Like, he go to the basket, we could... No. Ain't none of that... He is getting by everybody.
Starting point is 01:52:28 Y'all think John Morant fast and getting to the basket. He just ain't as athletic as John. It ain't a soul that's stopping this man from getting to his... getting to his basket or getting to his spot. And, yeah, that's easily 45.
Starting point is 01:52:43 He averaged... He averaged 32. Was it 31? 31 32 he averaged 31 a couple of seasons 33 just imagine him getting all the calls now that that's our favorite stars getting now he gets all of those calls and that this is a now when you talk about 31 see this is why players we understand we like all right. And he averaged 31 in an office that wasn't really moving that fast. He was moving more in a half-court setting. And we had a zone, so when we didn't want to guard him, we put a zone in on him.
Starting point is 01:53:20 And he didn't shoot threes, averaging 31, right? So if Embiid is averaging 35, right, 34, 35, so his game is basically Embiid's game. Mid-range, get to it, get fouls. He's a lot faster coming downhill, and he was more energized like a Giannis and a Westbrook, right? And I'm pretty sure he would have been shooting a lot more threes in today's game, which makes him more dangerous. And the fact that none of you guys are sitting in the lane and you got five dudes that's out. If you think Shea is a problem and Luka is a problem, now add someone that's fucking faster. And has a mentality that y'all have no idea about. A fucking killer.
Starting point is 01:54:03 And listen. Yeah. Because back then, when you think about it, now I'm thinking about it. We're shooting at the fastest we can do is the 17 seconds left. No, shit.
Starting point is 01:54:20 Shit, 15 seconds left on the shot clock. 12. They shooting this. 20 seconds left on the shot clock. 12. They shooting. There's 20 seconds left on the shot clock. They already done put that motherfucker. And you give it, that's what I said, 30, you're giving him more possessions to score. You're in trouble. On the floor when he's on the floor, 42 or 44 minutes a night.
Starting point is 01:54:38 Now he's playing it. Your star that's guarding him is only playing 32, 33. That means he's playing against the backup a little bit more. He spent a whole quarter. I didn't even think about that. He spent a whole quarter more than your best guy. In this current NBA, he would have worked on the three more, I think
Starting point is 01:54:55 average four attempts in his career. I'm just saying, that number would have boosted up. Free throw attempts. Free throw and three-point attempts, all that's up. If you really want to gauge Allen Iverson, actually just hit LeBron. Just go with LeBron, right?
Starting point is 01:55:11 You got a 39-year-old dude averaging 26. You have a 39-year-old dude averaging 26. For the slow people in the back, say it again. The game is so open and easy that you have a 39-year-old
Starting point is 01:55:36 averaging 26. Right? When he was younger, he was averaging 31, so he's been dropped off about five points since his heyday And you talk about you you're gonna keep Allen Iverson out of the lane you can't even keep the 39 year old
Starting point is 01:55:56 You can't keep Luke out of lady he's walking just Here we go Hmm. Yeah, you think motherfucking job coming at you drop that bitch. Hey, man. Okay. All right Okay, like there's a few there's a few that like him TMAC AI And just I imagine what fucking brawn 22 23 year old bra huh
Starting point is 01:56:29 Would you think mellow gonna give y'all? Cuz I can tell you right now mellowing ain't gonna fuck around waste his time on a three-point line yet He gonna sit here. He gonna sit there and say cuz y'all don't do y'all don't ISO Oh, oh you little fucking are not cuz y'all don't do y'all don't ISO. Oh You little fucking are not helping y'all not helping So y'all not gonna double y'all y'all not gonna man, please yeah, I go double I'm just thinking I'm just really thinking what like This Allen Iverson thing and this NBA, like, how, no.
Starting point is 01:57:11 It'll be, yeah. There's just, like, certain people, like, there's just certain people that the rules, the rules itself kept them at 31, right? Just the rules. But who they were, we needed those rules at those times. Right? Even with someone like Shaq. You put him in today's game
Starting point is 01:57:33 with the shooters. The whole, the whole, just like Steph, changed the whole way you played. You put Shaquille O'Neal and you talking about your big...
Starting point is 01:57:47 Joel Embiid. Joel Embiid by himself would be murdered in that post. And now he don't have nobody behind him. You're telling me teams that have... You got Joel Embiid. You got Jokic at the fold. You got Rudy Goldberg trying to... That would be your back line trying to guard Shaquille O'Neal by himself.
Starting point is 01:58:08 With everybody digging. You better. Put your hand in here. I'm going to break it. Yeah. And that was the right way. Put your hand in here. I'm going to break it.
Starting point is 01:58:17 Like, all right, I'm good. You're on your own. Imagine if Allen Iverson had a a feel handy at the that could work on What if Chuck had that what if Chuck had that that Tyrese Maxey or What if Allen Iverson had that Kyrie shit with it That's it. It's no people so like if I did just certain things like like even someone like Like when I used to look at talent like I remember was talking about was a Tyreek Evans Mm-hmm, and I said
Starting point is 01:58:53 Tyreek Evans was one of the guys who came into the league at the wrong time and the reason I Say the wrong time is because Sacramento didn't know what they had and the evolution of the game. Right? Five-point goal. They didn't know that you had a 6'8", 6'6". No, he was bigger than me. 6'6".
Starting point is 01:59:12 6'6". Remember, that's with the shoes off. So on the court, he was 6'8". Strong. Right? Coming downhill with all the moves. With his momentum. Right?
Starting point is 01:59:24 You didn't know what you had. So what you tried to do is you looked at his height. He had his 25 and five because he was the anomaly at that position. That's just like saying, all right, Luca, go play a natural shooting guard or a three man position. His whole game changes, right? That was Tyreek Evans. I had to guard him and said, oh shit, I'm about to get ran out of the league. I thought, you know, at 6'3", 6'4", I'm bigger than everybody. Now you got 6'8 coming in the game? Help! Help me.
Starting point is 01:59:54 And then you put him at a shooting guard. Can't shoot. Now he don't have the ball coming downhill. So you became the disadvantage to him. And then you're like, oh, he's not good. Yeah, he's not good in into position you put him in. You brung in Oubre, or no, no, Uno. Bane-o-U.
Starting point is 02:00:11 Bane-o-U. You put him in, put him at the one because you thought you needed a point guard, which made you normal now. Him at the one, and you put Green, who was damn near 6'11", at the shooting guard, now you have a whole different team that's unguardable. But when you've never played
Starting point is 02:00:28 basketball or 2K, you didn't realize you had a fucking 2K lineup. These kids who's winning these championships, LeBron plays the point. I'm just letting you know. LeBron is at the point. He ain't playing small forward. He's at the point
Starting point is 02:00:44 on these lineups so he can keep his momentum So can you bring up Tyreek Evans LeBron actually last week after playing Wimby? He listed all those guys that he felt like had comparable seasons that show greatness in their rookie season So let's talk about Tyreek a little bit. Yeah, we just did Have a check I need to secure. I have not done enough today. I got to hit my minimum. So Tyreek averaged, like you said, 20 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds,
Starting point is 02:01:15 46-26-75 shooting splits, one rookie of the year over Steph Curry and our very own Brandon Jennings. So Brandon was talking about just Tyreek in that rookie season. Brandon said the following, 6'6", big guard, unreal. That motherfucker made me work on my game, laughing my ass off. So when you look back at the history, it's a name that I feel like a lot of people have forgotten. So now just seeing that in real time, maybe his career didn't pan out the way that a lot of people expected. But early on in that
Starting point is 02:01:45 career just what level of greatness was he he was the next gen he was the next generation of guard that was coming in right it was i mean you're talking about like at the position like you know i mean like when penny came in right it was the net when when magic came in you know it was these guys that were coming in that this is what we need to go. Like when we said, where's the game going? And we're like, shit, with Wimby, you got Chet out there. These motherfuckers can play the four and the five. You got Katie who can play the three, four, five.
Starting point is 02:02:15 You got them Tatum that can play the one, two, three, four, five. You got Luka at the point. point what what is it what ends up happening is your point guard in the next five six years is the smallest is going to be sitting that damn near six six because if if you not if you're not a point guard at six six six seven you better be john morant you better be fast as hell because you know what i mean those those little guards are going to be pushed out because i can i can there's the lucas is coming in right now i got a point guard i can play at the one two three now my two is about six eight you know what i mean so now my point and my two is sitting there about six eight six nine what you gonna do
Starting point is 02:03:01 yeah good luck yeah you know what i mean and that's and that's where That's what that's what they missed they missed that dude that's just a sometimes some of these general managers that they do not have the eye and Because they don't have the eye the eye the reason that they don't have the eye because they never played the game They never seen the game. They never you know been around the game besides on a tv standpoint what do we need we need to find our magic johnson oh you do you need to find magic let me here all right listen go to the hospital right the you know they just they just born if you're looking for the next magic, he ain't, he's about one or two years old right now.
Starting point is 02:03:49 Right? Because it's not coming up. The Magic Johnson, the every 20 year guy is exactly every 20 years. And you're trying to look for something that's a unicorn type of person. And you're trying to say, oh, we need these past, first, and type. Unless he's 6'9", unless he's fucking Turkaloop and you're putting him at the point with his vision, you don't know what the fuck
Starting point is 02:04:10 you're looking for. Basketball player. We know what we're looking for. We know like, oh yeah, he different. Oh, if we put him in this type of situation, oh, he's going to be unguardable. As I said, I came in the league, I was a shooting guard and I'm sitting here like
Starting point is 02:04:26 Yeah, I ain't gonna get off the bench and this motherfucker ever I can't guard no Kobe T Mac and a I'm I'm good. Let me go with my overseas and it's like yeah, but look at the point guards Oh, yeah, no they don't oh He only shoot the ball three four times four five. Yeah Yeah. Oh, yeah. Nah. Hey coach You say you got to open it for the points? Yeah, let me go ahead and try out what I got to do what I got to do for that You know, I got you know, um
Starting point is 02:05:01 Was a Mookie Baylock, you know Bobby Sears, so yeah, yeah, yeah, I got speed and I can shoot. So just sub me in, let me show you what I can do, coach. And then from there, now I went from a player who's not even a real type of threat as a shooting guard. You put me at the point guard with my shooting guard mentality. Now I'm damn near apex. Because everybody, that's when people say, you don't play defense. I say, who told you that?
Starting point is 02:05:28 Because I'm sorry, the guys I had to play against didn't even shoot the ball for me to even have to worry about that. Jason Kidd, he going to put me in his post. We going to double because he's big. And then he's making a pass. I don't got to worry about Jason Kidd trying to score 30-some points. Mike Bibby, I don't have to worry about Mike Bibby trying to score 37 points. You're telling me I didn't play defense. Why?
Starting point is 02:05:51 Because you're looking at a stat that has nothing to do with me individually. Look at the guys I had to guard. I didn't have to guard Allen Iverson. I'm guarding Eric Snow. I'm guarding Eric Snow.
Starting point is 02:06:05 Every episode, we don't need to hang out with Eric Snow. What I mean is, if you're saying I'm not playing defense, I'm telling you, what makes you say that? I'm guarding Eric Snow. In a sense, he does not shoot the ball for you to say I don't play defense. What part of the game are you judging? My job now is to help Larry Hughes run around with Allen Iverson. For the most part, I'm secondary to Allen Iverson.
Starting point is 02:06:33 Shit. Kobe, I got Smush Parker. What do you think he's going to score in a game? 10, 12 at the most? I'm the help guy. I got to sit there and guard. I'm not guarding this dude Right. So you're just what are you judging my defense ability on because the guys that I got a guard aren't threats
Starting point is 02:06:52 We're gonna cuss him out If muffling Allen Iverson turn this corner and he muffling up there touching smush Parker and I'm gonna ask why the fuck you wasn't in the help dog. But that's what I'm saying. What they're going to do is they're going to go to the defensive rating. Like, oh, his defensive rating is bad. Do y'all know, like, look at the top point guards in scoring. I'm number one at 29. Next is Mike James at 21.
Starting point is 02:07:20 That's number two, Mike James. And most people are like, who's Mike James? He's number two. Then Mike, baby. And then from there, it just falls the fuck off other than that yes that means every game i'm sitting here following the two because it's funny you know how they be like yo we gonna close the elbows and what's the name if your man score your man score my job you know what i mean and that's that's what people don't understand like so when people say yeah can you stop today's guys i'm like wait hold on i never had to guard a steph curry and
Starting point is 02:07:52 i never had to guard those type of dudes to have that responsibility my responsibility was net follow rest Follow. Rest. Yeah, Coach said you can shoot that sorry ass, bro. So before we move on, we asked the chat how much Iverson would average in today's NBA. 42% said over 40 plus points. So chat knowledgeable. They listening. They understanding a little bit more and more. Realizing their information is coming from somebody who never really...
Starting point is 02:08:32 We have the best chat in the game. They keep me on my toes. Damn, Don Lemon got that bag. With that 24-24. Damn! Who? Don Lemon. Or Don Lemon. From CNN.
Starting point is 02:08:44 That's my drink. 24 and a half. Where's he at? Home doing a trip. What you just did, yawning. They got to pay him out. But again, shout out to our chat. Very supportive. A lot of haters keep me on my toes, so I appreciate you guys.
Starting point is 02:09:02 So we got one more thing we're going to talk about before we get prepared to go to this Lakers-Clippers game, courtesy of SeatGeek. we were on a 10-day contract with SeatGeek we need to deliver hope we get another 10 day then we might get signed for the rest of the season so download the SeatGeek app use promo code Gil get that $20 off your first purchase and as always underdog fantasy presents this show so support them if you had the game today first beer on y'all right it's gonna be about 12 14 of us so if you had the game today, first beer on y'all. There's going to be about 12, 14 of us. So if you want to just show your love, send us a pitcher of beer. Buy Gil a beer. I know that's the other way around. They want us to spend money.
Starting point is 02:09:33 But no, you spend money. Let me know you really care. Bacon wrap hot dog. They got all types of, like the front of Stables is like a swap meet now. I'm just saying, with all the setups, they got shirts, they got all types of stuff going on. Oh, I was going to say, you eat the food in the front? No, I haven't messed with bacon right now.
Starting point is 02:09:50 Yeah, we eat the food in the front. It's just male appetizers. Not since like 2003, 2004. Knew better. Back in the old days when it was $5 for a combo. They've gotten too egregious with the price point. But that's neither here nor there. Support your local food vendors.
Starting point is 02:10:03 So on a recent episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out, NBA analyst Tom Haberstroh did an interview with former Grizzlies scorekeeper Alex Rucker, who admitting to juicing stats during the 90s. My job is to create the most accurate, you know, historical record of what occurred in the game. And I learned very quickly that that was not the prevailing viewpoint. I went to the training in Detroit. Part of this training is they
Starting point is 02:10:27 would show us video clips. They'd show us talking to Malone clip. And there's a discussion and that wasn't an assist. It was a pass. And then Malone dribbled a couple times. Pump fake, pump fake. And then made a tough shot. And that's great. But to me, there's no real connection.
Starting point is 02:10:44 There's no causal connection between the pass and the basket, and the majority opinion by a mile was, oh no, that's definitely an assist. I was like, what? Like, well, that's John Stockton. I'm like, yeah, I understand, but so? I left
Starting point is 02:10:59 there clearly understanding that, you know, yes, we are supposed to create the most accurate representation we can, but the NBA is also an entertainment business and it's up to us in very small part as statisticians to support and reinforce stars and excitement and fun. And that message was definitely reinforced internally within the Grizzlies. So he used Stockton as an example. John Stockton obviously has an NBA record for career assists, 15,806.
Starting point is 02:11:31 Mm-hmm. NBA is entertainment. It is fantastic. So when you hear him say that and break that down, do you agree, disagree, do you feel like? Sir, we played. Yes, you did. And I watched. We played, you know.
Starting point is 02:11:52 We played, sir. There's been plenty of times where we sitting there like, hey, hold on, I had four blocks today, brother. Who you give my shit to? Who you give my shit to? You know what I mean? It would be some of them days where you look at the stat sheet and be like, oh, come on. you give my shit to? Who'd you give my shit to? Like, you know what I mean? Like, it'd be some of them days where you'd look at the stat sheet and be like, oh, come on. Did you
Starting point is 02:12:10 give my steal to Larry Hughes because he's the leader right now? I bet. Well, take one of them points off of that motherfucker right there and just go ahead and throw it this way then. That's what we're doing. Obviously, I did not play as high as you, gentlemen, but in college, it'd be the same situation. Arguments near fights would break out after checking the stat sheet. I took my rebounds. You got home stats. You got home stats. You got road stats.
Starting point is 02:12:32 So you might think you have 15 rebounds on the road. Look down at that motherfucking 11. Like, God, hold on, man. They give your shit a team rebound. Team rebound. Yeah. Or you're at home and you got guys like they rebound the ball crazy or something like that.
Starting point is 02:12:50 They give them team rebounds to the guy. So it goes the other way. So they look out basically. At home. I mean, it depends. It should. Like I remember someone told me and said, yeah, you know, if you, like with
Starting point is 02:13:05 Steve Nash most point guards, right People don't realize man some of these guys are fans Right score keepers are fans. They understand the game they have there So you'll go if you started looking at people's splits you'll realize some of your favorite point guards They have better assists on the road right that's you know because it's more it's more exciting so when john i mean when steve nash and probably magic went on the road you know they bring in that that circus style game i'm pretty sure their assists would be a lot higher on the road versus at home, right? Points at home would be for the scores, right? So most scores, their points would be higher on the road,
Starting point is 02:13:53 I mean at home than on the road. But when it comes to passing and playmaking, your assists would be more on the road than it would be home because just the way, if you listen to them, they say our job was to... The NBA is entertainment, not basketball. Sorry to hurt your feelings. It's about entertainment. It's not basketball, right?
Starting point is 02:14:29 So when you guys are running around with the year-old is in a year-old ad and Adam silver talking about we need To have farm leaves and this and this over there It's basketball team shit Here it's the individual jerseys you are buying and that's all that matters Right. It's about the business when we talk about a team that's 10's tenth and they'd like why y'all talking about the Lakers so much Because it's a business and the business produces money and the money produces Views So no one gives a fuck about your favorite team because this is the same football The same football this is this is a football right this ain't football this is
Starting point is 02:15:05 this is a business here and that's how it's going to be ran so if i gotta if i gotta fluff your favorite player's stats for him to be the greatest of all time or the second greatest of all time and do all that there's a reason for that right so when we start talking about when we start talking about people's greatness and you have people players arguing for other people the reason is is because sometimes before any of us came in some of these games was a little bit juiced up for fan participation right so when we talk about will's 100th and all that shit, all y'all can say whatever the fuck you want. We've been in there. We understand. Show us the footage.
Starting point is 02:15:50 They're still looking for it, Gil. Show us a fan that was at the game and let us say who was all playing, where they playing, what city were they in? Hershey, Pennsylvania, Gil. What arena was that? I don't know. Near the Hershey Chocolate Factory. Hershey Park? But I'm just saying. By Willy Wonka.
Starting point is 02:16:07 But I'm just saying, just think about it, people. The game is being changed for entertainment value. They don't give a fuck about your feelings, right? They don't care. You're thinking, oh, this person played 82 games every year. Why can't y'all do it? Because when someone retired, when that one man who was holding his motherfucker up like this, and he retired, and it went down like this, they realized, oh shit, we can't have this anymore. We need to
Starting point is 02:16:41 figure out a plan to put it in so it can stable itself out. Hence, he retired. Michael Jordan retired. They moved the three-point line in. Think about that. One man retired, right? They moved the bitch in. Tufi, hey, hold on.
Starting point is 02:16:59 Hold on, y'all. Before y'all start this game, we're going to have to draw a whole other line. Let me just use some bitches. We're going to put some new lines in. We're going to take some handshakes off. We're going to throw some small. Hey, we're going to throw in some expansion teams so y'all can score against they sorry asses, right?
Starting point is 02:17:16 None of y'all think about that, huh? Jordan, they can't beat the Detroit Pistons. Hey, Chicago, go buy some of they players. Y'all didn't think about that either, huh? Some bitches. Y'all didn't realize Jordan's team in the championship was damn near Detroit's team. It was Detroit Pistons. So when you say
Starting point is 02:17:35 all of this about Michael Jordan, all you do is just ask the Pistons what y'all think about how soft them Bull teams were. Stop holding on to shit. Let shit go and evaluate it as it is when you're watching it. Because these stats are fucking fluffed and you have a fluffer
Starting point is 02:17:52 who's telling you that it's fluffed. I'm sorry. I want to go back and look at how many assists Scott Skiles actually had in that 30. Now, he had 30, but I want to know how many of them motherfuckers actually assist
Starting point is 02:18:07 Right it also to it also is also this this part two is no different than a referee, right? Right is no different in a ref What he thinks is a foul might not be a foul to you what I'm as a Bookkeeper thinks is an assist might not be an assist for the other one I might be thinking like well he took two dribbles then the layup that's not an assist one person might be like shit as long as he passed the ball that's an assist you know what I mean and that's that's score they're different people so they're watching the film like people don't really they're we're all watching the same film
Starting point is 02:18:50 what an assist supposed to be what a travel supposed to be we're gonna all interpret it different no different than the bible no different than what i think defense is great considered what the offense looks like some of you guys saying this defense is horrible, right? If we're both got a chance to grade the defense, we're going to all grade it different. But all of our votes count, right? We have polls in here, right? Those polls is the same thing when people are voting, right?
Starting point is 02:19:22 62% said, so if you guys vote actually counted, this is how it would sway, right? I thought about something yesterday. The game, the way we're talking about referees, like the game flowing and certain shit, the calls and all that, right? Mm-hmm. I'm like, if they want the game more free-flowing and less inter interruption and all that shit take the refs out of it We're gonna call it on will it we are my we're my boy. We more honest than but yeah, we're more honest We're more honest in the moment, right? If I filed you I'm gonna give you the file If this you can play through it, we're gonna make a play through it, right? Yeah
Starting point is 02:19:58 Yeah, if it's a dispute what we do go to the top of the key shoot y'all ball our ball it's until it until it until it's point game and then now from there all yeah but then you get them out there though if it's point game then you get them out there like all right all right come here last five minutes yeah that's all we need you for or or you just wait till someone calls some there's always that one cause of our refs come on he already on the dump shit. So now that just gonna trickle down a whole more dump shit You know, but for the most part Sound like a UCLA pickup game But think about but think about it like this right when you look at from thousands when you look at The game itself the refs can never call the game
Starting point is 02:20:41 The way it's supposed to be if the game was called on the rule book itself, there wouldn't be no game, right? Because one, most of us, for the most part, are too physical. We do dumb shit throughout the game. We're going to hit you for no reason here, slap you. Your whole fucking team will be fouled out. Carries will be called. There wouldn't be no game Carry carry this little whoo-hoo whoo-hoo care every time double dribble trap I don't even know what a gather step is bitch, but they just told us as a new gather step
Starting point is 02:21:15 I'm sure all of the three steps anything we can make they can block this shit Y'all we be sitting there like yo what the referees are doing? We're earning our money, god damn it. Shit, I pretend I don't see half this shit just to keep the game going. But he can't stop dragging his foot. He don't know what two steps is naturally. Every time he pump fake, he going to pull his leg back and travel. Y'all mean on his left side when he do this move and he try to turn back towards his left, he traveling every single time. You don't even have to look at it.
Starting point is 02:21:48 Soon as he get the ball, did he do a jump hook? Travel. So if the referees actually did the job, shit, this, trust me, y'all would be mad as shit. Mad as a motherfucker. Y'all be mad as a motherfucker out there. So speaking of referees doing or not doing their job, on Monday night, Josh Hart and the Knicks benefited from a no-call in their win over the Pistons.
Starting point is 02:22:09 But on Tuesday, Hart found himself on the other side after Zion smacked him in the grill after blocking his shot. So here he is after the play. We're going to show a quick replay for you guys. As you can see. Oh, that's blocked. Oh! Quick replay for you guys as you can see They say no blood no foul but heart was leaking nothing was called Duh That's that's more you how does that work? That's a fire
Starting point is 02:22:39 So enough hit the ball, but he followed through on the followers file the way to hit the ball, but it followed through. On the follow, it was a foul. Nobody hit the ball first, not. It followed through. They should have called. They should have? Yeah. The follow through counts? Yeah.
Starting point is 02:22:54 Can someone pull up? They might have had a block. No, no, I had a block against Kirk Heinrich to save a play. And I blocked it, but I pushed through him after the block and they didn't call a foul Yeah, some people not like I didn't buy people should in pushing down my momentum. Yeah, it's happened But that's yeah, like I didn't block that in my momentum same shit that you did. Uh, yeah, yeah coming down. Yeah I'll see it. I am no top way. Yeah, I didn't block the shit land on top of y'all like Yeah
Starting point is 02:23:24 And they didn't come well That's in the playoff game. Right so it's like and it feels like the ref might have turned his back after you blocked it That's what I said. I don't know. I I don't know if you just hit the ball first or okay Some people call it some people I've been on the side of that word nigga you 10. I ain't got foul I got blue it I got scratches already Yeah Anybody pull it up In the meantime in between time where y'all grab it. How long is it gonna take to grab it quick? Mostly fit. Yeah, let's move on. I was the fuck so Adam G. You know what time it is
Starting point is 02:23:57 Oh, so that's what I said I don't be knowing I don't be knowing on the on the follow through because they've been changing the rules so much just to follow through Let's get into Mostly Fans. Because I know now you can hit the hand and they don't call that a foul. Yeah, we're going to talk about that tomorrow. That's Dylan Brooks' new trick. I just made that shit up. No, you watched the game.
Starting point is 02:24:16 You're very seasoned, very knowledgeable. But now it's time for Mostly Fans presented by Underdog Fantasy. Before we ask these questions, download the Underdog Fantasy app. Use promo code GILD. They will match your first deposit up to 100 American dollars. So, first question from Underdog user kingshock82. He says, hypothetically, if SGA, Ant, Halliburton, and Ja are all available to sign, who are you taking and why?
Starting point is 02:24:42 Say it again. SGA, Ant, Halliburton, and Jha all available. Say hypothetically, they're all free agents. All available to sign. Who you taking and why. There's no trouble.
Starting point is 02:24:55 We ain't going to bring up Jha. Clean slate. They get all players. No injuries. Just basketball ability itself. Four years in the league. All the stuff that they got going on Basketball ability itself. Four years in the league. All the stuff that they got going on the floor.
Starting point is 02:25:12 Day after year four. What city am I in? Damn. You pick. Have you all never noticed I talk about the business of basketball? In the city that they all play in, the small city. Well, I got to say in the small city, though now I gotta say in a small city though, but sure I mean what were you factoring in night? No, I'm factoring the New York Knicks give a guy to New York Knicks. Yeah, who you gonna get?
Starting point is 02:25:35 Who is he? The is he the guy later either John Ant-Man hold on hold on is either John Ant-Man. I got New York. I'm you Well, yeah, we don't have that motherfucker rockin to with the highlight man do the same thing he got a cool yo damn the Lakers who would you want to see on the Lakers shit I'm stuck both ways because they're both they're both they both give me exactly what I want from the business standpoint right they both give me exactly what I want their highlight reels the They got the charisma. They got the style they got the aura
Starting point is 02:26:15 Only because it's Adidas I'm gonna go with that man I'm gonna go with it man just cuz of the Adidas, but I don't know man that that that John Moran boy That's so that's a walking Whoo, that's a walking prodigy right there when it come to business Oh You have to cut his hair Yeah, I know that but I don't wanna I don't want to say that I'm gonna say why it's the truth Josiah the fuck I'm just asking you can you know, it's the truth
Starting point is 02:26:43 Cuz the boy I ever so much this business is no no no no no throughout this is business throughout sports The history of it who who did it push for dreads who I'll wait Huh did you notice when I'm asking so He can break down a barrier. I'm just asking. He could be the Jackie Robinson of dreaded athletes. Throughout the history of sport, who is the guy, if any sport marketed, any that's in the top two, three, four, five, six guys
Starting point is 02:27:19 in their respective sport that wasn't clean cut to a certain degree as far as facial recognition, who? That's fair. But you know what the problem is? See, when we talk, they don't understand. We're not talking from our personal how we feel. We're talking from the business standpoint.
Starting point is 02:27:42 Yes, the business of sports. The business of sports, right? No matter what you think or how you feel if John, Morett had his haircut There's no question and who's gonna be on the fucking face of the NBA because he controls all kids I'm gonna take it a step further for you and a whole different sport an individual sport. Who is the best female player of all time? Serena Williams, right? Yeah doing her time go look at Anna Konnikova career earnings. Mm-hmm while she was playing is
Starting point is 02:28:16 Serena Williams was kicking ass out there. Mm-hmm Anna Konnikova Endorsements model all that shit date Serena at the whooping ass with the beads and other companies was going elsewhere it's trust me he would have to cut his hair with no trouble on the board nothing when i deal with trouble he was still have to cut his hair we're not talking about trouble we're just he would still have to cut his hair look. Do you feel like that impacted Iverson during his time with the Braves? Yes. But did the culture rally behind it? Okay, how about this?
Starting point is 02:28:50 No, tattoos and Braves affected him. We all, man. I'm saying we all. They don't give a fuck about you. They don't give a... It's only now that LeBron James can be on commercials and all that with tattoos, sleeveless, shirt off. Listen, where's the McDonald's? Like when we're talking about McDonald's and all that stuff, Bubble Yum.
Starting point is 02:29:09 Have you noticed most of those commercials, he had long sleeves on? Long sleeves, up it. With AI, as big as AI was, what endorsements did he get? Besides Reebok. Besides Reebok. That's fair. That's what we're trying to say. I feel like it negatively impacts.
Starting point is 02:29:22 Like when you're talking about, who was bigger, Dwyane Wade or LeBron James? Who's on the GQs first? Yeah. Who got the clothing deals first? Yeah. Why you think I didn't have tattoos on my arms, my necks and stuff? I wanted tats. This shit is all right.
Starting point is 02:29:41 I got corporate tats. My tats copy my jersey. Yeah. Because they can sell me they can sell me They couldn't certain guys. I know certain guys had tattoo because they ain't got any more for the day. He got tattoos That's what when I tell you I said when I want to put you on a fucking billboard boom Yeah, it's only now that LeBron James is the biggest thing at Nike. Yeah. So it's...
Starting point is 02:30:05 He can be one fucking do-rag in every press conference and every... Like, people... Because he is him. But my question for you, looking at Ja and his cultural impact, you're going to every AAU gym now, everybody's rocking his shoes.
Starting point is 02:30:17 Yeah, but look how long... Could he ever get big enough to overcome that? Look how long... That's what I'm saying. Look how long it... Like, when the NBA, when he was coming up and he had The tattoo though and he had to put the thing on my member even with Kobe when they put that tattoo
Starting point is 02:30:30 They was like well people that look like giant buying shoes. Mm-hmm It's little kids people the people that look like John Moran not by you know buying shoes the kids that go to fucking Crespi and Goddamn, that's but that's my point viewpoint. That's 52,000 a year When Cam Newton was doing this did he had him dreads at the time Say it Nah, and what the Cam Newton People would think what he grew all this shit. Yeah people It's the real thing That's what I say y'all want to sit with a so real no devil like the old Dale Beckham's
Starting point is 02:31:09 You can sell the hell out of that boy Swing around and dance god damn it. I can I can tell you to the women wait I keep trying to tell you the greatest Tom Brady was at his craft. Mm-hmm Wait, you know every commercial shit clean-cut white guy like look good on good jawline it's Drake come on the same that's fair no I'm just saying just just to just think about it not make sense right and just in it you know but I feel like we're John this in this current climate like you saying he's been able to overcome that cuz the kids are rocking with him.
Starting point is 02:31:45 Who? Ja. But that's, we're talking about being the face of something and being that, and people looking at, as far as marketing, him going to a big city,
Starting point is 02:31:55 being able to eventually become the face of the NBA, right? Makes sense. Anthony Edwards has a bigger chance now that smile is infectious, it's him, his personality his personality things that he says He was growing his hair out at what point do I and what he do cut it Cut it when you think when when you just randomly get somebody to cut his hair
Starting point is 02:32:18 Did they had to convince him somebody was like hey? Yeah? Hey? Hey? How about this got this shoe coming out? We need to be this ball and in Bob and in Toronto wasn't it? No one knew it was he cut his hair when he got to Miami Brown LeBron even cut that shit You want these TV did now he became TV TV. He got cooking. Yeah. Yeah cut that shit off Boom sold him. So good before we move on we got your block on Kirk Heinrich that you requested. We got the technology. We got the technology. Oh. That's what I'm saying. Is that a foul?
Starting point is 02:32:58 No. No? No. There's no foul? No, his shit was a follow through. Okay, okay, okay. You see? It was him, ball, it was like simultaneously, right? You hit the ball, face.
Starting point is 02:33:11 Okay. Right? So, we got... You hit the ball, the ball bounced. That way, your momentum took... Okay. Our last question is from Underdog User silent day oh six question is why I think Charles Barkley chooses not to be on the game with the TNT crew and any other aspects of the
Starting point is 02:33:35 game appreciate y'all what do you say why do you think't Barkley in 2K, even though the rest of the TNT crew? Oh, because Jordan's not in 2K? I told you he was his little sidekick. Chill. What? Charles wants somebody to pay him for his fucking likeness, and he's not doing it. Yeah, because of Michael Jordan wants you to pay for his likeness. Yeah. Put him in games and stuff like that.
Starting point is 02:34:00 It's the same. And I'm, listen, listen. There's certain people that do certain things, and as a follower, you think that's cool, and you want to follow it. That's it. You know what I mean? Man, them licensing checks are cool when they come in.
Starting point is 02:34:14 Yeah, they're cool. I take it. Yeah, you're about to get ran up on. Keep using my license. Why am I going to be ran up on? Good. By who? Charles Barkley?
Starting point is 02:34:21 You and Charles Barkley in a fight right now. No. I bet you can stick them in. No, no. I'm just saying that, you know, when you throw shots out, just remember that you was a player once before. Okay. You was a prima donna once before.
Starting point is 02:34:34 Like, this is like, I can't talk about somebody doing some dumb shit with guns, right? Because I'm guilty of it. So if I start saying, oh, John Moretti, idiot, this and this, people are going to say what? There's going to be somebody out there that's going Like we hold on right all I'm doing is all I'm doing is saying hey hold on Don't be like me be better than me that's what I'm saying I'm over here like hold on I know there was a social media when you played I'm a buddy like but I'm a study or of the game and I try to understand certain things. So if I call you out, I'm only calling you out because you are guilty of it. That's it.
Starting point is 02:35:11 That's all. You know, the chat's saying that MJ is on 2K, and he's been on there for years. No, yeah, but the reason that someone knows is because he's trying to hold out too. Like, I'm just playing NBA Jam, right? I'm playing NBA Jam Jam and I was like, oh yeah, I remember Charles Barkley was in Phoenix and he said, let me go. Then I had to remember
Starting point is 02:35:32 as a little kid, oh yeah, you're not on the game. Neither is Jordan. God damn it. I got to play with BJ Armstrong and Luke Longley. He was wondering like, what the hell? You can do work with the right button. Hey, when you was talking to Xavier Tim, you said some arch-rival was the game. He had no idea about who said that shit he didn't even like
Starting point is 02:35:52 And that's because we all and that's when you know, but but it's like it's like you're teetering on being washed No, so like people just so you know when? So when you when you're an NBA player your rights is already signed off so all NBA players have to be in the game when you're an NBA player, your rights is already signed off. So all NBA players have to be in the game. When you're an ex-player, you're retired, there's a retired union. So for any retired player to be in a game, they have to actually make a deal with the player themselves. So if there's some players that's not in there one they haven't reached out to Most of them players are still negotiating their their deals and don't like the numbers to case getting that's what we should talked about when he
Starting point is 02:36:33 Was on here so like, you know, like there wasn't enough Yeah, so you have to basically sign your rights over to be in a game every year. So, you know They want that cut the check and me I mean Listen, I got kids, right? I want bragging rights. You know what I mean? You know, they can be like, yeah, you know, we only going to give you this. Hey, listen.
Starting point is 02:36:53 Okay, cool. I need 20 games, right? And just spike me up just a little bit, just a little bit, right? So when my son playing his kids, he's like, oh, I'm going to just be my daddy. That's, I don't know what y'all thinking about y'all got kids this I want to be on a game where my kids is playing a game where Yeah, they can get on the video game homeboy. What if they get cooked? I'm gonna find what you don't know to play with me I'll be getting love on 2k people coming to be honest. I amen your goal someone 2k is my man you like that
Starting point is 02:37:21 I'm like, oh you appreciate it. That's She Okay, I'm like man you like that. I'm like, oh you appreciate it She But that's I'm saying you're talking about yeah, you're talking about a leg of you when you're talking about legacy and stuff like that, right? Holding out cuz you you you you're looking for something like oh, yeah, they make billions and stuff. They only giving me this It ain't about the money. It's about Yeah, I got kids that's playing the game so me not being in it like like ah it's more that's what i said it's more for them than it is me like i'm i'm writing it off so yo when they playing they playing with their friends and they getting
Starting point is 02:37:57 diamond cards and like yo dad i just got your diamond i don't know what the fuck it is but yeah that's me i'm diamond diamond up. That's my fault It might be my son was like, yeah, I'm trying to get the pink diamond. Relax. Hold on cuz that's my credit card. God damn it Let me see if I can get a cold for that shit right there Give them the discount code speaking of discount codes as we announced earlier. We teamed up with CG We will be at the Lakers Clippers and we will be easy to find But remember we will have security so level B to we level be we will be at the Lakers Clippers and we will be easy to find but remember we will have security so level B to we level be weaned at the top
Starting point is 02:38:30 night of a girl there's so many sweet I knew I was not gonna every door in there bitch yeah there was a hell yeah you're not familiar with with Staples Center sweet city couple levels well I'm so I'm... A couple levels. Get your numbers in. I didn't realize it because I'd be sold. It's usually I'm with the Lakers. Ah. In a different place.
Starting point is 02:38:50 Level B is 20 grand sometimes. I should have known when it was like 10 grand. I was like, damn. Okay. I should have just went down to level A, you know? You know, it's discounts
Starting point is 02:38:59 with the clips. Got $20 off, though, with that CD promo. So I might buy some food at the Clipper Joint. Open some food at the Clipper Joint. Open credit card at the Clipper Joint. Don't pull up on us. You can buy the combos with the clips.
Starting point is 02:39:12 This has been another episode of Gil's Arena presented by Underdog Fantasy. We will see y'all tomorrow. I forgot what day it was. Thursday? That new arena, they're going to be expensive. We're going up next year for damn sure សូវាប់ពីបានប់ពីបានប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់បានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបាូវាប់ពីបានប់ពីបានប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពីប់ពី Thank you. Outro Music

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