Gil's Arena - Gil's Arena GOES OFF Celebrating The NBA Season Tip-Off

Episode Date: October 22, 2024

Gil's Arena CELEBRATES The Tip-Off Of The NBA Season as Gilbert Arenas & The Gil's Arena Crew kick off the NBA Season with a jam packed episode inside the arena. They open up the show by reacting to the news that both Joel Embiid & Paul George will be out for at least the first few games of the Philadelphia 76ers season and discuss if this is just a minor speed bump in the 76ers championship plans or a sign of things to come. They then breakdown the roster of another eastern conference team with lofty expectations in the New York Knicks and discuss if the Knicks and their fans should be worried by Mikal Bridges pre-season shooting slump. Then they preview tonight's big games by reacting to Joe Mazzula saying the Boston Celtics have no pressure on them and discuss what Jayson Tatum and this team need to do if they want to repeat as NBA Champions before reacting to Jaylen Brown's interview with Stephen A Smith where he dished on Nike, Team USA and his goals for the 2024 NBA Season. Finally, Gil and the Crew break down their most anticipated game of the season with the Los Angeles Lakers by reacting to JJ Redick's opening night starting five and debate if LeBron James & Bronny James will make history and share the court for the first time as a father son duo. Please leave us a like and subscribe!!! Gil's Arena Crew - Gilbert Arenas, Josiah Johnson, Sheryl Swoopes, Lexie Brown & Rashad McCants Gil's Arena Merch is Available NOW at http://gilsarenamerch.com/ Use code GIL10 for 10% off your SeatGeek order*. https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/GIL10 Sign up for Underdog Fantasy HERE with promo code GIL and get up to $1000 in Bonus Cash and A FREE Pick: https://play.underdogfantasy.com/p-gil's-arena Tail or Fade The Gil's Arena Opening Night Slip Here https://play.underdogfantasy.com/es-6oYTBI4OIl SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAvjYgmwadC682OoC4Cc6TQ Join the Underdog discord for access to exclusive giveaways and promos! https://discord.gg/underdog Intro 0:00:00 Show Start 0:02:12 Gil's Arena Tip Off Pick'Em 0:08:39 Joel Embiid & Paul George Injured Already 0:13:29 Mikal Bridges' Janky Jumper 0:24:37 The Knicks New Chemistry 0:39:47 There's No Pressure On The Celtics 0:44:20 Expectations For Tatum & Brown 1:02:40 Jaylen Brown CONFRONTS Stephen A 1:24:59 Expectations For LeBron & The Lakers 1:51:12 Lakers Top 6 In The West? 2:00:40 Ant-Man Wants To Play Football 2:14:58 Gil's Arena's BOLD NBA Predictions 2:21:01 MostlyFans 2:33:39 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's better than a well-marbled ribeye sizzling on the barbecue? A well-marbled ribeye sizzling on the barbecue that was carefully selected by an Instacart shopper and delivered to your door. A well-marbled ribeye you ordered without even leaving the kiddie pool. Whatever groceries your summer calls for, Instacart has you covered. Download the Instacart app and enjoy $0 delivery fees on your first three orders. Service fees, exclusions, and terms apply. Instacart. Grocer $0 delivery fees on your first three orders. Service fees, exclusions, and terms apply. Instacart, groceries that over-deliver. To support sustainable food production, BHP is building one of the world's largest potash mines in Canada. Essential resources responsibly produced.

It's happening now at BHP, a future resources company. Welcome back to Gills Arena presented by Underdog. We finally made it back. Ooh. I didn't see that. I didn't see that before the show. You started already. I did not see that before. Yeah, repeat on the way.

Wow. Oh, okay. I respect you for coordinating. All right. Don't like the energy you're in today. I respect the coordination. We respect the coordination. The NBA season is here, and we are locked in for the next eight months. How everybody doing today?

Great. It's a great day. Fantastic. It's a great day for basketball. It's a great day. Banner day. Banner night. Mm, uh-huh.

Second game. We're just locked in for the second game of the evening. But nonetheless this is Gil's Arena presented by Underdog. As always we got the legend Gilbert Arenas here with us. Purple gold you already know what time it is. As we defend our in-season tournament championship. And look to raise another banner in Los Angeles as well. We got four-time WNBA champ, three-time WNBA

Sheryl Swoops back up in here. Sheryl, you got too many accolades. You can never have two in. Four-time WNBA champ, three-time WNBA MVP. I love to hear it. It's a lot to say. And we appreciate to hear it, though. That's a lot to say. Okay. And we appreciate you.

We know you didn't want the Lynx or the Liberty to win. Either. But either one. But I have green and black. Okay, so. It kind of represents both of those teams. We're going to keep New York off your point. Or Boston.

There we go. I'm saying. I'm saying. There it is. We got none other than Cemetery Larry. Rashad McKess, back in the arena. Represent the Houston Rockets. The sound effects. Sound effect.

I'm Larry. I'm Larry. You're gonna see a lot of Larry. You're gonna see a lot of Larry. A lot of red. You're gonna see a lot of Larry. We good. We out of harm a lot of red. Thanks, Lerion Woodland Hills. We good. We out of harm's way.

And WNBA champ Lexi Brown is back here with us. Repping her Boston Celtics. That's respect, though. New season. There is no champion. With my help. With my help, of course. No.

No. Of course. You guys had a major off-season loss. As Cemetery Larry took his talent to the Knicks. It's going to be devastating. We will see. It's going to be traumatizing. See you tonight.

Literally. Time will tell. Okay. They're playing against who? The Knicks. Okay. Yeah. Sean, do you have any sadness with your former favorite team taking on your current favorite team?

No. Okay. You shifted. You still got respect for those guys? First game of the season, we ain't putting favorite team? No. Okay. You've shifted. You still got respect for those guys? First game of the season, we ain't putting no pressure on nobody. Okay. For sure. Because you know you're about to lose. I can change my team

any minute. You better play good. We got a lot to get into today, but for all the fans out there, we still have two viewing options for our traditional version and a mobile vertical version. Pick whichever one you want to watch.

Just make sure you support our show. Here's what's cracking in the arena today. Joe Mazzulla says the Celtics have no pressure to defend their title this season, but will Boston become the first team to go back-to-back since the Warriors in 2018? We all know the answer, and it's not yes. Joel Embiid and Paul George are both

out for the season opener against the Bucs. How concerned should the Sixers be about the health of their two veteran stars? Oh, brother. That process. That process. Process me. And LeBron

is coming off an all-NBA season, but how much should we expect to see King James on the court in year 22, and how much should we expect to see Prince James as well? We might get a little bit of that today. Tune in to that second quarter is what they say. But before we get into all that, as always, this show is brought to you by Underdog. Go ahead, download the app, use promo code GILL,

get up to $1,000 in bonus cash plus a special pick-em. And you already know, Underdog got you covered with a new special every day in October. NBA season tips off tonight, and to celebrate, apply a 20% profit boost token to every NBA-only entry you make from now until October 27th. Check your lobby for the unlimited NBA profit boost tokens. Head over to the Underdog app, use promo code GILL, and you get $1,000 in bonus cash and a new promo every single day this month.

And as always, we do Mostly Fans at the end of every show. If you drop a good question in the chat with your Underdog fantasy username, we use it on this program. $50 bonus to your account if you send us a video at mostlyfansgill at gmail.com. And we use that on the show. You get a $100 bonus.

And if one of us happens to slip up and say the N-word, you get $100 as well. So make sure you're monitoring in the chat. Your N-word count is very high right now. Gil's already paid his debt, Rashad. I feel like they put it in for me specifically. Gil, you have an extra one. Y'all had a powwow about it.

You gave $1,500 out. You only have $1,400 to pay. So you have a freebie. You're overruled. Oh, you gave $1,500. So higher, lower,.5, and we're going to get on the show today. I didn't get mine.

Higher. Okay, higher. We're going higher? I'll go to the chat. I gave you the cash app. Air Swoops 22? Did the bread land? I didn't get it.

The bread did not land. Okay. Nope. If you can't watch the show live, we're just on YouTube. We got audio versions available on Apple, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts.

You thought I was just like... You're still a little short. You got to go ahead and pay your debts, as the young kids say, but... No, you should have got it then. Did you really send it? Yeah, it should have went in then. That's not what I know.

Uh-oh. Did he run into the zoomer? Ladies and gentlemen, you cannot see it, but offscreen as a reminder. That was a tragedy. Sometimes the glass is real clean. I had it happen to me about three times. Did you see it? Yes.

That's somebody's. It ain't mine. You didn't see this. We had a legend step in the building, did not realize the glass was there. I've done it about three or four times. You heard that loud thud. I've told them that before. That was funny. I did that one. Call or four times. You heard that loud thud. I've told them that before. I did that one.

Call the Amber Lamb. That's a very clean glass door. We have a clean glass door. Sometimes you may walk into it. I did it. I did it. But I respected the cleaning crew. I couldn't even be mad.

Whoever is cleaning that glass, you're doing a hell of a job. L-O-L. So we're gonna do a special underdog high or lower to kick off this season. So with the first two games of the season tonight, we gotta get these underdog pick-ems going. So we're gonna go around the couch, get one pick-em from everybody that they like. This will make the Gills Arena pick-em for the night.

So fade us or rock with us if you like the picks. Gil, let's start with you. LeBron James, higher or lower, 1.5 first quarter rebounds? Higher. Do you think it's because the Timberwolves are going to be missing a lot of shots or because of the Lakers?

We're not missing. I guess at first quarter. 1.5. He'll get three rebounds in the first quarter. He should. Yeah, for sure. I'm sorry. That's 1.5. If he gets two? He'll get three rebounds in the first quarter. He should. Yeah, for sure. I'm sorry. That's an easy one. That's an easy one. Yeah, that's an easy one. So, Rashad, let's go with you. Carl Anthony

Towns, higher or lower, 2.5, three-point field goals made for the game. This has a special boost attached to it for better odds. Higher. Oh, cats coming. Rashad, you previously said you like dogs, not cats. Prior to the trade. Cats do what cats do. Okay. you like dogs, not cats. Mm-hmm. Prior to the trade. Cats do what cats do.

Okay. But cats are on the prowl. Shoot threes. Cats shoot threes. Dogs in the paint. Dogs are in the paint. Dogs in the paint. Cats shoot threes.

Cats don't do what cats do. That's what we want. Hey, do what you do. So, Lexi, obviously we see you rocking the Celtics gear, so we already knew your pick was going to be Celtics related. Yeah. You got Jason Tatum. Higher or lower 8.5 rebounds?

Lower. Mm. Yeah. You don't think he gonna get 10? Buckets only. Buckets only? He average 9. I'm still going lower.

Wow. Azura, you had a Celtics pick as well. I did. Jaylen Brown, higher or lower 24 points? I think Jaylen Brown is pissed. So higher. OK. You told Steve and I, state your source.

Got the t-shirt to prove it. Chaud, you said that he was the number one option on that Celtics squad this past season. Is he looking to now cement himself as such? That 24 points or more. You're asking me? I want to know. Whose team is it?

It's Jason's team, please. It's still the Jays? It's somebody with Jane right now. I mean, I do like the Jays together as a unit. I don't know what's the problem with them being a unit. Okay. I like that they're a unit. We will see.

We will see. And last but not least, they let me put a pick-em in as well. Bronny James making his NBA debut tonight. 0.5 points higher or lower. We will see. And last but not least, they let me put a pick-em in as well. Bronny James making his NBA debut tonight. 0.5 points higher or lower. I'm going to take higher in support of LeBron and the James family. Bronny, I think Bronny will drop a triple single in the game, at least 1.1 rebound, 1 assist.

You think he's going to get in the game? Triple single. You think he's going to play? You think he's going to get in the game? He's going to play. You think so? That's what they're saying. Timberwolves. Who is they? The people that

know. People with direct access to JJ. Ken Griffey Jr. Sr. in the building, you think they're not going to let Ronnie and LeBron play together? You don't disrespect the Griffey family like that. The script is scripting us quickly.

Ronnie's getting a bucket. You're not going to say nothing? Key rotational player. If he gets it, I hope he gets a bucket. Key rotational player in this game. As the Lakers look to defend their in-season tournament championship. Yeah. He won't get a bucket.

I'm going to say nothing. I believe that too. I don't think he's going to get in the game, but if he does, I want to say something. So higher or lower, 0.5 minutes for Bronny? Lower. You think they're going to throw him in the game? Yes. After that thrilling final preseason performance, every two points? for Bronny. Lower. You think they're just going to throw him in the game? After that thrilling final

preseason performance, every two points? Come on, man. Thriller. It was a thriller in Manila. Catch it live. I know, but it's like... It's the entertainment now. It's not the game no more. We're not playing no more. The Griffey's in the building to not see Bronny play? At least 50 games into the season, we're

not playing any basketball. We're following the script. So I see Bronny play? At least 50 games into the season, we're not playing any basketball. We're following the script. The scripts. So, Underdog is also offering a free pick on Jalen Brunson,.5 points higher. So, take advantage of that. I see you smiling. Bronny playing? No, he read the script.

You know he already read it? It's a good script. You made some notes on it. What are we doing? Triple single? The father-sons are in the building. He has to play huh? Has to play. Nike campaign. Has to play. That's what that is. That's crazy. They got the ad ready to go. Pitchers ready to go. Pitchers gonna be taking all kinds of...

Historic moment for the game of basketball. Crazy right there. Commercial ready. I'm gonna shoot the commercial at halftime. I love it though. They're going to shoot a commercial halftime. They're going to shoot a commercial halftime. Go ahead. Come on out here. Nobody care about what we're doing tonight. Why did you not capitalize on this moment? That doesn't make sense. Because you have a good player that's going to come in,

coming off a dominant preseason performance, 17-piece, against a mostly available Warriors player. I hope he gets some momentum on that, though. It's easy to take that one game and get some momentum on that. Like, get confidence and all that. So, like, for Bronny, if he do get in, he do get an open shot or a layup or something. Wait, that last one. Don't let him dunk on Gobert.

They lost by, like, 100. Did they lose by 100? This preseason, we don't care about scores. Stop that. No, they lost by a lot, didn't they? It was like 40. If Bronny gets a dunk on Gobert, that's what we need. That's what this preseason is.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, everybody gave up on making the team. This is the money given. They don't care. So it remains to be seen if Bronny will play with LeBron tonight. But let's talk about two players who will not be playing. After entering the offseason with only two players on the roster, the Sixers had arguably the best summer of any team in the league, landing Paul George to form a big three with former MVP Joel Embiid

and rising star Tyrese Maxey, and filling the roster with solid pieces to compliment those three stars. But things were already off to a shaky start when PG hyperextended his knee in the preseason and Embiid saying he probably wouldn't play back-to-backs for the rest of his career.

And now, according to Shams, both Embiid and PG will miss the Sixers' season opener against the Bucs on Wednesday with Embiid reportedly ramping up and scrimmaging with the team. PG will miss the Sixers season opener against the Bucs on Wednesday with Embiid reportedly ramping up and scrimmaging with the team. PG will be re-evaluated later this week. There are also some reports out there unconfirmed that Embiid may not play for the entire week. We will see.

But the former MVP only played 39 regular season games but all six of the Sixers playoff games last season and decided to spend the summer playing with Team USA in the Olympics. We obviously had some mixed thoughts about that decision and how it would impact him moving forward coming into the season. Now we know he will at least not be available for the season opener.

So how worried should Sixers fans be? How worried should Sixers fans be about the potential slow start as PG and Embiid get healthy? Before I get you to answer the question, here are their first 10 games. They got the Bucs at home. Then they go at the Raptors, at the Pacers, Pistons at home, Grizzlies at home, at Suns, at Clippers, at Lakers, Hornets at home, Knicks at home.

Two easy games. So they might win two. They might win two out of that. Two and eight in that first? And that depends on the Charlotte I'm really out for blood damn to an eight shot. I mean we're not talking about Charlotte right now But there they are scary team to prove yeah, Detroit Detroit to though lady we don't know how they gonna start they might not win a game whenever they went to

It's a lot of hard to you on that. That's good in those ten games. They might not win our game our game I can't help being there near another Raptors. Maybe yeah, I think I forgot about that There's a lot of hard teams on that. In those 10 games, they might not win our game? Our game. Our game. That would be the Raptors. The Neronetas? Raptors, maybe. Yeah, I forgot about the Raptors. They might beat the Raptors.

They could have potentially get three, but they might not get nine. So how concerned should the Sixers be? How bad was PG's? I saw it. Was it bad? Did you say it looked like a little bone bruise maybe a week or two? It just looked like a hyperextension. The way, the angle it was, it looked funny. Yeah.

Like, it was straight up and down. Zesty hyperextension. Have you ever done it before, hyperextended? No. It's just funky. It's a funky little movement. From last year? Why, dang, PG.

Well, he played another one. Good. Two, three weeks. Ramping up. What does he say? Rashad, how worried should the Sixers be about the health of PG and NB? PG, 34 years old, and B, 30 years old. Like we said, only played 39 games last season. So how worried should the Sixers be about the health of PG and MB? PG 34 years old and B 30 years old.

Like we said, only played 39 games last season. PG did play a lot of games. His most with the Clippers last season, but. You say how worried should the Sixers be? Shit, they put all that money into them. Gave them that four-year 212. We talk about investments, right? Shit. You evaluate your product before you invest in it, right?

Then you get reliable sources to verify that this is a good product to go after. But if your product go down the first two weeks after you bought it, do you take it back? Okay. Is it a defective product? You got to make it work. You got to make it work at that point, especially if it say no refunds on the back of that motherfucker. There's no refunds.

Don't bring it back over here. We do not want it. We don't want it. Okay? Joel Embiid, that's tough. That's tough. No back-to-back. Now you ain't about to start.

Well, at least for him to say it before the season starts at least makes it a little bit easier for the team to plan around that and schedule it out well enough instead of him waking up one day and being like, I don't got it today. What about the city? What about the city? We talk about how the city feel about this. Because remember, trust the process was,

hey, city, bear with me. It's going to take us some time to get where we need to go, but bear with me, city. He wasn't talking about nobody else but the fans. So now the fans is like, all right, we finally got a team that can take us where we need to go, and here we go again.

Sean, I was in Philly in September, took a bunch of Ubers, got to talk to a lot of local Sixers fans. They were not too excited about this squad. Really? For this very reason. Yeah. And B got a play.

PG always hurt. Damn. I was like, I know y'all Philly fans and y'all miserable, but be optimistic a little bit. They're going to get booed at some point this year. Think about the pressure it puts on Maxie. He has to perform now. He did last year.

He was killing. He did. But he has to overperform now. Yeah. He was killing last year. KJ got to perform now. He did last year. He was killing. He did. But he has to overperform now. Yeah. He was killing last year. KJ got to step up. Caleb Martin got to step up. Who was the other acquisition they got?

They had another guard. They got a... Kyle Lowry. Huge squad. Eric Gordon. Eric Gordon. That's who it was. There's a lot of guys that can step up. They need to.

They probably will. Kelly Oubre. They're not doomed. They're not doomed. Ricky Jerry McCain. They can beat Charlotte. They can beat Charlotte and Detroit. So that's optimism?

That's not doomed? They can get them through. I don't know. Charlotte is tough. Yeah, but they still maxing still out there. They got a lot of energy. Right. And then they got Drummond.

Drummond over there, too. Where? In Philly? Yep. Backing up Embiid. Man. All hope is not lost. They can get them.

But it's still... So, good, we know Embiid not playing back-to-backs. It also reports PG may not play back-to-backs this season. How concerned should the Sixers be that we haven't even started the season yet? Why is PG not playing? And your former MVP and PG are already not in the mix. I mean, it started off 2-10, 2-2, 2-5, 3-5. I mean, I don't think this is the way you want to start off the season,

knowing that Boston's fully healthy. Knicks is fully healthy, right? Bucks is only missing Middleton, but they know how to play without him. So the fact that these teams can get a jump on them, now you're playing uphill the rest of the season. Now there's gonna be games where you're gonna be forced to play them back to back. Mm-hm. And there's gonna be a time at the end of the season where you're gonna have to

play these guys back to back, and it's gonna cost you in the playoffs. Facts. Facts. the end of the season where you're going to have to play these guys back to back and it's going to cost you in the playoffs facts facts that's what it might not hurt here it's going to hurt when you're trying to do for the playoff seed that four five you six and then third is the knicks or some or somebody you don't want to see that's going to be the problem yeah and we talked about this yesterday on the couch just having momentum coming into the beginning of the season to give yourself a little runway for potential issues down the road. But we now are at game zero, Cheryl, and these two gentlemen are playing. Game zero.

We didn't even get one yet. You know what I'm saying? These two dudes are not playing. Like Gil mentioned, you put yourself behind the eight ball already. Now you're trying to play catch-up all season with guys who, let's just say, don't have the best health record. Are you nervous if you're Darryl Morey in the Sixers right now? Yeah, I mean you should be right and you you went and got

PG I'm assuming to help your chances of possibly winning a championship and You're starting the season off, he's not playing, Embiid's not playing, and they're both talking about not playing back-to-backs. Totally agree with you. Right now, maybe it doesn't matter, but as the season goes on and you're trying to get ready for playoffs, this moment right now could potentially affect you later on.

And Embiid has already said that he wants to win that championship. That was a reason that, obviously, he applied the pressure with the Sixers to make these moves. He had it going. Gil, you said he doesn't care as much about individual accolades anymore after what happened last season, trying to make that MVP push by playing games he shouldn't have played. But there's a realistic chance.

Even with the back-to-backs, I think that got him at 67 games total, just barring any other unforeseen situations. Is Embiid's injury his knee still from last year? I think they're ramping up. But the thing is, he played in the Olympics, and there was a lot of questions and concern about that. Yeah. Was with Team USA, wanted to go metal play this whole summer.

Yeah. So... You get your bread from the Sixers, though. And obviously signed that extension. Sign the three-year extension. But you're not ready to go. 59. I'm trying to figure out how many games could he possibly win

to be championship-looking. Could the Sixers win to... No, for him, just personal plan. He's not going to be able to even get any type of real rhythm. It's going to mess with the team. There's going to be no cohesiveness, really, if he's in and out. Both of them, in and out, in and out. Because it's a win streak that you want to go for at some point during the season as a team.

You want to win ten in a row, five in a row, you know, and it's going to affect that if you're at four in a row and you sit out that game, we lose. Or they're, like, on a streak, and then Embiid or one of them is, like, not playing. Like, they're having a good streak, and then you throw them back in. Oh, yeah, yeah, and they'll fuck up the streak. And then it messes up. Yeah. And then they're like, oh, well, now I don't want to sit down again.

That's what happened with Kawhi last year in the playoffs. Yeah. Kind of threw him in there while they was rolling. And then he could mess it up. Then he just said he had at least six hours. Celtic's not at full strength. Porzingis still

still dealing with his stuff. You're not worried about Sorry, sorry, sorry. You're not worried about the unicorn? Oh, no, no. They dead. We need the unicorn.

You definitely need the unicorn. They a little nervous. We're not worried like the rest of the world. Or for gone. So y'all got y'all got Tillman and Cornette.

I think that's it. Man, but you still got four. Yeah, you still got four, though. They small. You got Tyrese Maxey, though, creeping on a come up. The way you're just switching it up this quickly is insane. It's not. Yes, it is.

It's been like four months. Gosh. Like four months. Crazy. You're late. Rashad did announce at the end of summer. I know, but still. He made his choice. Still like it. I gave Like four months. Crazy. You're late. Rashad did announce at the end of summer I know, but still. He made his choice. She don't like it. I gave her a championship

and she's mad at me. Are you still? She's mad at me. Oh, what did I can't do? I can't win. I can't win. Thanks, Rashad. Damn, we didn't even go to Applebee's or nothing. I just said championship here. No skillets. No nothing. You know what we're going to add to the N-word board? Applebees.

Oh, shit. Many times he mentions applebees. That's quality. That's a quality American cuisine. That we can't mention no more. We can't talk about it. The quality word and a quality cuisine. A quality word.

So. It's a part of American culture. We asked the chat, are the Sixers already in trouble? 82% said yes. Damn. Damn. Damn. Chad has been very, very overwhelmingly with whatever their picks are. It's going to be interesting to see them.

The first 10 are going to tell us a lot about this squad, but hopefully Embiid will be back on the court soon, and PG as well, so we can see them at full strength. Because, you know, we've got Kenyon on the show. We want to keep him happy. You know he's happy, though. He's KJ going to play. Oh, KJ's going to play. Yeah. He's going to play. He's going to keep him happy. You know he's happy, though. He's KJ going to play. Oh, KJ's going to play.

Yeah. He's going to play. He's going to play. Yeah. So let's talk about. He got to play. He got to play now. You know, fella, you get to shine now.

Find the shine. So let's talk about your new team, the New York Knickerbockers. Knicks and Celtics tip off the NBA season tonight. So Mikael Bridges, who the Knicks traded for this offseason, has tweaked his jump shot with interesting results this preseason. We got some video. So, fans have compiled video pointing out a hitch

in Bridges' release. While he's a 38% career three-point shooter and shot 37% from deep on a career-high seven attempts per game last season, he went two for 19 from three in the preseason, which, for all you math experts out there, 11% from three. They do look a little janky. I'm not gonna lie.

What the...? Do we...? How many did he shoot before? What? Kind of like that, but not really. But not... Yeah, it was just kind of... It was more fluid of emotion. Policy. About 6'7". Yeah, I don't remember it being like Bill Cartwright. A little bit.

Oh, my gosh. It's a lot going on. They ain't got no footage of his shot before that and when he was in Brooklyn? We were going to talk about it. Okay. It's a missile. Oh, my gosh.

Even players from other teams have noticed the change. With Ant-Man bringing attention to it during the preseason. No, Ant-Man. He said it in the middle to get ready. Oh, you're going to change the shot, man. Damn. Can we add two for Ant-Man to the board, please? He said, damn.

He said, damn. He said, oh. You done changed the shot. Damn. That's how you got trolled. Damn. Give him one. Oh, my gosh.

What? Shout, we heard it. Heard what? N-word. You quoting Ant-Man. It was a quote, though, so. Yeah, it was a quote. What you mean?

We have underdog here in the building. Rules are rules. What? It doesn't matter if it was a quote. What you mean? We have underdog here in the building. Rules are rules. What? It doesn't matter if it's a quote. You said it. Okay. He don't care. Y'all going to chase it down anyway. You're going to have to chase it down. It's going to be hard to find. You're going to have to chase it down.

Come get it. Come get it. Come get it. I've been running all my life. They're still looking for me. Y'all going gonna find it there. Does it look like something's off with Bridges' jumper? Yeah, what? I'm shooting from the top of his head.

But it's like a little. There's a little hitch at the top. Yeah. That was. Honestly, I don't even know how he shot before. So I'm going to have to see what that looked like Yeah, so we actually have some video bridges shooting in practice from earlier in the preseason

Look but that's the old one or that's the new one It don't look like that. I'm saying... Hold on, hold on. That's Cameron Payne. Oh, my God. That's not much better. But he'd be hitting that shit, too. Wow.

I'm a big camp shot over bridges. You got a hood jumper, but it's effective. Yeah, it's very effective. At the end of the day, if it's going in, it don't really matter. Yeah, I'm not leaving neither one of them open, really. But at 11% right now with that, Jay, I don't know, boy. It might just been an off night, though. A few off nights.

You said he shot 38% from three? Career 38% shooter shot 37% last year on a career high seven attempt from three. That's a drastic change. For someone that shoots that. That shoot that already. So he's 6'6", but has a 7'1 wingspan, so that might be why he got to do the cart right.

I thought he... I don't know if it was a KD type of shot, but I thought that's how he shot, kind of like KD. It was more, yeah. Yeah, up above the head. I mean, is there a point, like, where you get to a certain age where it's like you just got to leave the shot alone?

Thanks. Like, I feel like... Unless you get to a certain age where it's like you just got to leave the shot alone? Thanks. Like, I feel like... Unless you're bad. Yeah, unless it's horrible. You can only try to get better, but if you're already decent, you shouldn't change it. You shouldn't change the shot. Clearly, because he was shooting well before.

You know, you see Mikel Bridges' shot. What do you think the issues are with it? Like, I mean, why are you tweaking your shot this late in your career? Most likely you have a trainer that Never played basketball at a high level because if they did then They know the first thing you don't do is try to change a shot on a player that's in his 20s. You know, that's something you address when you're a little kid because you have time, you have years to do that, right?

So the fact that you probably went into this summer, we don't know if he had an injury like Mikel Foulkes, but that's what messed his shot up where they had to tighten his rotator cuff, his shoulder, kind of gave him a hitch. So he has a hitch just like that. Last year's shot and before was a smooth jumper. It was still the same way up high, but it was smoother. So the fact that he's pausing, either he got injured or someone changed it,

and the fact that they changed it, meaning he don't't have the hundred thousand reps he had of the old jumper so if I'm the defense I'm gonna let him go I'm not gonna run out there on him right there's no point there's this new jumper is not established yet yeah for you to be consistent with it right he's doing it on his free throw and his jumper. If you're a real trainer, you wouldn't have touched his jumper to try to, no matter what it was, right? When Zoe came back, Zoe spent two years

improving that. When you've seen his jumper look better, it was when he got to the Pelicans. That's two summers plus all season to work on his form, and his form just came from here to here. Yep. It didn't come with a, you know. Yeah. What does it look like off the bounce? Because those are all just catch and shoot. I think when he's coming this way it's easier

going left. That hitch is crazy. Yeah. It was just a, now it's a. Yeah, yeah. But you think, you know, you said a,000 shots, and a lot of people might hear that and think that's a crazy amount. Well, I mean, just imagine. You've been having your jumper. How long have you shot the same way? Right. Right?

You know. My entire life. Yeah, your entire life. So imagine in one summer someone says, all right, you're going to change it. We're going to throw this in there. Question to him, though. Why would you even... Think about it.

Yeah, think about changing the shot. You think this coach is a professional and he knows what he's talking about because he's probably some kid that just has a natural, regular shot. You think he mentioned it to him to change it? Probably. When somebody changes their shot,

it's someone that's telling them that they need to change it. Get it off faster. Get it off faster. You know, that bullshit. That's kinda what it looks like too. He's trying to get it off faster. He's trying to what it looks like, too. Trying to get it off faster. I remember when I was in college, oh, no, when I was going to college,

someone said that, oh, you're not going to be able to get your jumper off. And I said, how? I know when I'm shooting. So if you're right next to me, I'm going to drive or pump fake. If I think you can block it, I'm not going shoot it, right?

We're too slow this is supposed to mean but you know you have people out there that's They think because they're the shooting coach that they need to make Their shot look like yours And that's the problem I have with a lot of shooting coaches. They don't take the time to see what this kid has already adapted through that time. The only kids, like even Lonzo, when he was shooting like that, like you were saying, he was still hitting it when he was set shot.

But it was just moving left and right that he needed adjustments. And he made those adjustments when he was with the Pelicans. But those are rare cases. The other kids that come in, they pretty much already know how to shoot the ball, where to shoot the ball. They need repetition, though, consistent repetition, spacing, technique, and just discipline in that repetition. But if you don't got that and you got some coach coming in trying to tell you

how something's going to be successful they that their ones that they weren't successful in that's probably my half like how is it you telling him that this is gonna work or to gill's point a lot of them never even played but they've watched shots or they've studied i studied this shot yeah he's been shooting that his whole life. Yeah. And you're studying him. You're studying him. Why is he not teaching me?

Why is he not teaching me? But that's on you for even listening to it. Exactly. So Bridges was asked about some of the struggles with the shot during the preseason and said he was basically trying to get it back to what it was when he was at Villanova, saying, quote, ever since I got into the league, I've been trying to fix it back to when I was in college. So it has been seven years of just every day.

When I came out of college, I kind of tweaked it a little bit, and then my second year in the league, I had the hitch and tried to build back from that ever since. So just trying to get it right pretty much. Seven years? So did he come in with an injury? Did he come in today and be able to... I think he's just saying, like, he's been trying to tweak it

to get it back to that Villanova form, but... So he changed it. So he didn't have a hitch in Villanova. He must have been a little bit more pure. He's trying to get it back. He had a shot at Villanova, then he changed it when he got to the league, and now he's trying to change it back.

Yeah, so when I came out of college, I kind of tweaked it a little bit. And then my second year in the league, I had the hitch and tried to build back from that ever since. So he's saying he's had that little hitch. I think his second season is trying to... Phoenix, he was good in Phoenix. He was good in Brooklyn.

35, 36, 42, 30... I want to call cap. Yeah, I'm like. He shot like 43, I want to say. 2020, 2021. Yeah, 43%. Yeah, he was shooting at. This is shooting too good for you to be. Career, 30%. That's good. Talking about you trying to get back to something that got you, like, it got you here, but you, you exceeded exceeded that you're trying to go back to a college Jumper that you haven't had for seven years. What is that even supposed to be? What that means that makes no sense He averaged what was his highest average? 43 percent no four points per game

Look at 20 26 26 a game, but that was only for 27 27 games. That a lot, though. Yeah, that's a lot. 27 games. Hey, that's buckets. And them ain't all layups. Like, what do you need to change? Yeah. That's what I was happy about him going to New York,

because I'm like, he got a nice jumper, middie. You know, he can hit the consistent three. Now he done changed his shot. It looked different now. And that 43% was on 4.4 attempts. The 37.2% he shot last year was on 7.2 attempts. So you're obviously with the increase in volume, the numbers are going to go down a little bit.

But going from that to 11% in this preseason. Like you said, it's early, you know. If we can judge, this is like Clay going down there and not hitting no shots. You best best believe clay gonna hit some shots this year You best believe McHale gonna hit some shots this year, but not with that hit cheese. I mean it just looked nasty though Yeah, once he get him we get a little flow going he gonna get back to yourself Did you guys ever make even minor adjustments to your shot during your career or did you just lock in? The change it always stayed the same pretty much for your entire career?

Just foot placement, right? That's the easiest thing to do, right? Just change the way you're setting your feet, you know, for it to be a faster shot. The faster shot is not you pulling up. The faster shot is how fast you can set your feet. Pick up. The actual one side, pull it up, no. Right?

I learned how, because I was a laceshooter, I learned how when I'm bouncing it, to let it hover so I can feel it in this hand to pull it. When you tell people laceshooter, what do you mean for people out there there with broke jumpers who may not know what you're saying. When it look pretty. Right? Because that means it's face forward instead of just

looking like a knuckleball. Okay. Right? So when I'm dribbling and when I'm pulling it up, I'm letting it slide so I can track it. Yep. Okay. I love playing against y'all. What? Because y'all. What? Because y'all got to track it to shoot it.

You're shooting it for wherever you get it? I have to. I learned that. Like, not to be- Oh, so you'll shoot it anyway? Yeah. I learned, because the tracker, if you're playing defense, I know you have to have the ball in your hand a certain way before you shoot it. You won't shoot it if it's not on track.

So when you know that against certain players, it's cool. And I learned that early. Shooting is probably the one thing that I'm probably most passionate about because I learned early on like you have to be able to make shots to play and one of my gurus early on taught me you got to make shots everywhere on the floor literally everywhere on the floor like every spot half court full court three-quarter court everywhere on the court so I started to really understand the masters of uh footwork and spacing and technique especially the spacing between the fingers and the in the wrist wrist so important um balance is so important um like gil was saying as far as how quick you get your shot off, how accurate you are is

just about your repetition. How comfortable you are at shooting the ball, having your window. When you're here, you got your little window where you can always see out of, you can always goose neck hold it up. You know what I'm saying? I think I'm really passionate about it, so when I see other people doing it, I see other people doing it, it see other people doing it it's just like man, they're doing a disservice because

When you were shooter you want to find your own niche as a shooter and build on it You don't want to just take somebody else's whole regimen and be like I want to shoot like you I took pieces of Allen Houston Reggie Miller Grant Hill guys who'd have form guys who just had form, guys who just had technique, foundation. Yeah. I mean, history shows there's no such thing as a perfect shot, so there's no point in trying to teach someone a perfect shot if all the great shooters in the world ever,

from the woman's side to the man's side, all shoot different. Facts. Right? Steph Curry's shot wasn't a perfect shot, but he's making it. It becomes, oh, let's all shoot like this. Facts.

Reggie Miller's shot, slapping himself. Oh, let's all shoot like this. Man. First shot from the top of his head. Right. It's, everyone's different, right? So it's just, you just perfect what, how this guy's shot is. That's all you do is perfect it and try to clean up

before you get to the release. Yeah. That's all it is. Little tweaks. It's the, it's the tweak at the bottom, not at the top. Yeah. It don't matter how you get it there, as long as it goes in the loop. Once it get above your head, you're dead.

Once I get it above my head, you're dead. Don't let them do it. So let's talk Little Knicks. Made some big moves this offseason. Resigning Jalen Brunson for a discount. Locking up O.G. Ananobi. Trading for Bridges and four-time All-Star Carl Anthony Towns. Still have some issues at the center position with Mitchell Robinson out until at least January.

Cat will be expected to fill that void. But do Knicks fans need to be patient as they figure out how to make Cat and Bridges fit into this squad to start the season? Patient? Do y'all know how to be patient? The Knicks,

we ain't one since... You know how patient we've been. I know, but it's like, y'all are aggressive over there. I don't know. I know, but it's like y'all are aggressive over there. Very aggressive. I hope they're gentle and nice to Kat for a little bit. Just a little bit. A little bit of time. Well, you ain't got nobody else.

Especially when you got traded in the middle of the night. Like, going through it. You used to hear Kat. You know what I'm saying? He up. He up. He up moving around. Trying to figure out where he going to go. He done found a new home, man.

I mean, they don't have to be patient with Cat. I don't mean Jalen. He don't got nothing to prove to that fan base or the city. So it's going to be on how Cat learns how to adjust to playing with someone like Jalen, who's very different than Ant. I think Cat is a bailout guy, though. Cat's the bailout guy. Like, Jalen do his thing.

They all go out there. They muck it up, fuck it up. Throw it to Cat. He'll bail you out. Three, two, one. Cat live for that. Like, there's no pressure on him just to hit shots when I'm open and then take advantage of mismatches when you got bigs that can't guard you.

I think that opens the floor up. Because the thing that hurt Cat the most was like you were saying. You were saying it so much. You said Rudy in the way. Yeah, that's true. Rudy Gobert in the way when Cat get the ball, he want to move and do shit. Cat, he's like, yo, move. And he didn't move. Remember the series?

Rudy came over asking for the ball. He was asking for the ball, and nobody would throw him the ball. Nobody would throw him the ball. They just kept saying move. We did break down that foot. We broke down the whole play, and it was just, like, frustrating, right? So Cat don't got to deal with that no more. Like, he got an open lane to drive now.

It's him. It's him. Like you're saying, like, it's him. Before, they brought in Rudy when it was just Cat Wiggins and Levine. I think it's a great move. Where he actually got to be himself. I ain't mad at it. I think it's a good move.

So, Gil, yesterday we were talking about how Dame and Giannis didn't spend time together in the summer coming into year two and how concerning that was. Similar situation. We mentioned Cat traded right before the season starts. He's got to now try and jalen form cohesion with his team mikhail bridges obviously has a relationship with brunson with josh hart and that nova nicks crew but how long do you take you expect it to take for this next team to to figure out the chemistry side of it

i mean this this one is a little bit easier because cat wanted to shoot jumpers uh jayden brunson is a pick and roll guy so he's used to pick-and-pop type of players. So that's an easier adjustment for them versus, you know... Giannis. Giannis is not used to picking and rolling, right? He's used to picking and popping, but he can't shoot. So, you know, Dame is getting double for the first time, so he'd rather play with Lopez as the pick guy.

So that became more of something that they needed to work on. Where are they playing at? They're going to be in Boston. Oh, I was going to say, that's lucky. They're lucky to be in Boston? Yeah, because, you know, they could have been in New York, cast off 0-6 from the three-point line, and they would have booed. What are you talking about?

I'm in Boston. No, I'm just saying. Lucky that he's playing his first game away from the Knicks. Well, yeah, you're playing away from the Knicks so you can get that. Wow. You know what I mean? Because if you have 30 and you win, you get to come back home to a great arena. Oh, yeah, they're going to be excited.

Yeah. But get to your point, if he doesn't do that. But he ain't at home to hear them boo. But now he got to come back. But they ain't going home to hear them boo. But now he got to come back. But they ain't going to start off booing. They going to forget? Yeah. They ain't going to start off booing.

OK. Oh, thank you. We got some turnip juice. Well, y'all saying I'm dead or something? I ain't saying nothing. You saying I'm not lively? Wake it up, Phil. I ain't got nothing to do with that.

Yo, the Lakers play basketball today. I know. Why are you not more excited about your team starting? I already asked this question. Maybe someone else can get the answer. We haven't got to Lakers Hobbit yet. Oh, he's holding it in. Oh, should we do a Lakers Hobbit?

The excitement. Okay. Maybe later in the show. I wasn't planning on doing it. Anything Lakers? But maybe later in the show. No, but... But let's keep it in the Eastern Conference

with Lexi Brown's favorite team, Cemetery Larry's former favorite team. So Boston Celtics are looking to repeat as champions, something that hasn't been done in the NBA since the Warriors did it in 2017-2018. One might say the pressure comes with being a defending champ, but not Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla. He's been awesome.

He's been awesome. He's like morbid. He's a on so many. He's like morbid. He's a deep seeker. He see the future, man. He better prepare. Like, sir. It is Halloween Monday. I get it, but dang.

Larry's here. I'm telling you. Here's what Mazzulla said to the upper room. But here's what Mazzulla said when asked about the pressure on the Celtics this season. Zero money.

No pressure. We'll all be dead soon, and it really doesn't matter anymore. So there's zero pressure. You're either going to win or you're not. And when you win, you try to forget about it a week later. And when you lose, you try to forget about it a week later. And so it's not pressure. It's an opportunity.

He said you either win or you die. Yeah. He's pretty high pressure to me. Yeah. I mean, you better win. That means you better win. You better win or you die. Yeah. Coach, I'm going to need you to... He's pretty high pressure to me. Yeah. I mean, he better win. That's like the highest pressure you could ever have. He better win. He coached college?

Did he coach college? I don't think so. Went to West Virginia, though. I mean, a week later. No, he played in college. You mean tomorrow? Coach, I'm going to need you to pee in this cup real quick. Nah.

Let's just see what's in the system. I just want to know what's in the system right now. I need to come coach in the Secretary Larry Academy. He's ready for everybody to go. You know, with the Celtics... I love that the... He looks younger. He looks refreshed.

He looks like he owes somebody some money with that. He can still play, too. He's still who? He's probably going to practice a little bit. A little lefty. I believe him. No pressure. I think last year was all the pressure because they never won it. I think

that monkey is off their back that we need to win a championship or we got to trade this team. They're not going to hear that anymore. Right? So I don't think that the divide and conquer method with them is going to be a narrative this year. And the reaction of everyone after they won.

There's so much drama going on with everybody else in the league that no one's going to be paying attention to them or even putting any kind of pressure on them to win a championship. And I think they're about to just smack through people.

They got no... There's nothing that's... Right? There's no... We're champs. We're the champs. We champs, right? If we lose...

All summer. If we lose, we champs. We got one. We got one. But how long does that got one last we need another one? Them Milwaukee boys need one. Them Philly boys need one. Desperately. New York them need one. Them Philly boys need one.

New York them need one. Them Lakers sons need. They need it. We don't need it. So what's happening? Y'all need it now. I don't think it's, maybe pressure's not the right word. Like, I don't think there's pressure to win again.

Mm-hmm. Is that weird, right? But maybe there's an expectation to repeat. From fans. But like in history, right? When Golden State was coming back with the KD, it was like, oh, they got to repeat.

Right? The Lakers. Repeat. You know, even Denver. No one's... It's like there's so much other things going on where they're like, like, Boston's going to repeat. It's like, it's all like damn near guaranteed, which is crazy. But even when Jason Tatum has said, we will be there again?

Everybody was, it's like everybody was like, yeah. They're very confident. Yeah, that's what I'm yeah. They're very confident. They're very confident. And it doesn't seem that any of the negative stuff that was happening has knocked any of them really off their pivot at all. It's like right now. We'll see tonight, but I think they've handled

everything very gracefully. There's no strong suitor. There's no strong suitor for anyone to run a narrative. Everybody else is dysfunctional. Who do the Celtics really fear right now? You know, when you're going to the season, if Middleton was healthy and they're coming in, if 76ers, everybody was healthy going in,

everybody would be more, like, comp. Right now, everyone's done. Lakers, we got Sideshow Bob. This shit going on. Nobody believes in the Phoenix Suns, right? Hold on, Gil. What's Sideshow Bob going on? We got Nike shit.

We got father and son shit going on right here. Don't fuck this up. I have other priorities right now. Don't fuck this up. Strong black parenting. Yeah, you know. Strong black parenting at its finest. There's going to be all father-son relationships.

Present father. Right? So you got so much things going on, and nobody's really, like, dialed in and say, okay, this is going to be, like, we don't know what's going on with Denver. What was like, what do you expect them to say? They ran through the league last year, and everyone was like. I thought it was lucky, but, you know. Right, but how is that lucky?

The pressure's on, Joe. 12 games ahead of everybody else in the East. The pressure's on, Joe. The pressure's on, Joe. You're not coaching for OKC, okay? This is not... This is not the Orlando Magic winning. This is not Orlando winning.

This is the Boston Celtics. The pressure's on to win again. You know what it feel like now, right? Your players in the locker room know what it feels like to take it all the way now Okay, here we go again. You don't think that you you don't think you're gonna come into this season with no pressure Like oh we could just cruise and not make it and it's gonna be okay.. No. Especially if you got better. Did you get better? Who? The team. Celtics? Yeah. Thank you. Okay, so since you didn't get better

But what we need to get better for, we won. Remember who didn't get better? We don't need to get better. We won. Who didn't get better after the championship a couple years ago? A team in Denver. And what happened? And what happened to both of them teams? They did not get better. They did not get better. They did not get back.

No, but a lot of other teams got way better. In the East, that's not... Everybody else got better. That's the point. This year, everybody got better. No. But that's the problem. Nobody else got better.

Like, exceptionally better. No, not exceptionally, but... But that year after Denver won, everyone loaded up. You can't be cocky and arrogant enough to think that you don't need to make changes in any season after when... Oh, not be cocky and arrogant? I mean, you ain't made no changes.

Nope. How does that make them cocky and arrogant? Well, no. That you don't need no changes. Why do they need a change? Because the circumstances you get in there last year was contingent on injuries. No.

Yes, so those other teams at full strength is going to be a different story. discrediting this championship. This is just the reality. It's not discrediting because I was rooting. Because he was. I was there.

He was a Celtics fan. I know. What was my concern the whole time? What was my concern throughout the whole playoffs? Rashad, you know, I have a very vague memory.

I take a lot of edibles, but I believe you were worried about the Celtics in that first second round with the Heaton Cavs. First second round, up full one. But not facing teams that were at full strength and kind of just cruising through and not being tested, not being challenged.

Obviously, we get to the Eastern Conference Finals, similar with that Pacer squad. Thank you. Then you get to the finals, but you got... But you still got to handle business, though. She would say we walked through the league. And they were smacking them. I would be like, look, y'all walked through it where the other people were not in the trenches with their teams they couldn't be there so now that we're full strength again you gotta be able to run it back with these teams at

full strength sometimes you don't have to look at adding a piece or something. Something. I'm just going to go on the women's side with the aces. I said all along I didn't think the aces would repeat only because they were missing a piece. And to his point, other teams are building

their squad to beat you. Yes. Right? So they're adding other pieces, and you're sitting there like, well, we won, so we're good, but it's a whole different year. Yes. You know what I mean? Yeah. Not saying that they can't

repeat, but... Everybody who rebuild, anybody who was a threat, right, how do they look right now? Injured. Probably the same. No.

Philadelphia reloaded. Oh, they got better. Now look what happened to them, right? Right? You got now they're coming in with no back-to-backs. Two of the stars won't be playing at the beginning of the season, not playing back-to-back. So that Superman you built is flawed now.

Doesn't threaten us anymore. You threatened us when the trade happened, but now this trade, this trade right now says you're not playing back-to-back and you guys are not going to be healthy at the beginning of the season. You come in here with one leg now. One leg is gone.

It makes sense because I'm thinking, who did get better? I'm just thinking, Philly got better. Probably the only team that got the best. They got it on paper. Now that they're hurt, though, now that they're down, it's like. No one else did anything. Yeah, and I'm thinking, I'm like. I'm telling you.

No one did anything. Wait, wait, wait. Nobody else made no big. No. Only the Kings. Nobody's worried about them. Only to kick the Kings. Nobody's worried about that. It wasn't even Phoenix. Right now, the only...

Dallas would play. Dallas would probably second with moves. But you're the only person... You're not worried about that. It does. It does, because you faced them in the... Yeah, that was a full one. Because we're going to get there, right?

No, the only team that looks stable right now is Minnesota. Minnesota is the only team right now that looks stable. But that's still a big question mark. We're not Randall and Devin Chinzo trying to figure out how to. But they're healthy. And they made a move. But they're healthy. There's really no backtracking with this, right?

And even without Cat, Nas Reed can't fill Cat's spot. So that team is loaded, right? OKC, still young enough, but they're not experienced enough to beat Boston Celtics, right? You don't think this playoff experience in this past season? No, they're too young. They're still too young. They got about 79 draft picks. They still have to pretend to make a big move.

The only team that's built that has the players that can walk through them is Phoenix. Yeah. And not even walk. That's bold to say walk through because that's going to be a tough one. If Boston is still chucking threes and not playing to their athleticism, Suns, they're going to mid-range. They're going to get to the basket. They're not going to sit there and chuck 53s on you, even though their three-point shooters is probably better than yours. Yeah.

But they're not going to spend time chucking threes like that. Would you put the Nuggets in that conversation? You got one player that they're not signing the max to. He ain't locked in. He's definitely not locked in. MPJ. MPJ and Gordon.

Gordon just signed. Yesterday Gordon signed a four-year, I think, 133 or something like that. Wait, what happened with MPJ? It was one of the maxes. There was reports earlier in the week that they were unwilling to give him the deal that he signed that, I think, four-year, 133. Wait, what happened with MPJ? It was one of the Maxes? Yeah, so there was reports earlier in the week that they were unwilling to give him the deal. Then he signed that, I think, for your $133,000. Wait, what happened to MPJ?

They said that they weren't going to sign him to a Max deal? Well, I didn't know he signed. MPJ. MPJ. He did sign? No, MPJ already had a contract. MPJ already had a contract. Aaron Gordon.

It was Aaron Gordon. Aaron Gordon. But they still, they're... They lost KCP to the Magic. Yeah, that's what I said. They're losing key pieces and not replacing that type of guy back. Yes, yes.

And then, you know, we got the Lakers. Championship. We the show. Just not the Lake show. We just the show right now. We're going to see how that pans out. Come on, Gil. So right now, there's no real...

There's no real threat for Boston to be like, oh, yeah, we're concerned right now. Like, there's going to have to be somebody that's rising up. So for Boston to be like, oh, yeah, we're concerned right now. There's going to have to be somebody that's rising up. So for everybody, okay, that's a real contender. Come on, that's not a contender. I know they're not a contender. They're a threat. No.

When we're talking about threat, we're talking about someone who can really dethrone them. The only team was Philadelphia. I think... If they were fully healthy. I think it's just we look at it because of the names on paper. I look at it from that series that we watched Indiana play Boston, right? And you look at what was missing in that series for Indiana. And then what they got this year in replace of that.

They got Wiseman. They're going to have Matherin back, they're going to have Neesmith, they're going to have all their key pieces, and they got Siakam. So now they got one full year of gelling together, right? Great regular season, too. Great regular season team, but that's all you really need

to put fear in the team's heart and let them know that you're not fucking around when you get to the playoffs. You know what I'm saying? Just show them that, hey, you know we're a hard-nosed team we can beat you any night yeah but we could beat you it's it's it's boston celtics when you lost the golden state yeah you could beat you you're good enough to get to the championship you're just not wise enough to win it facts right and that's i think that's where they are like Like when OKC played Miami with Bron them, y'all are good enough to get it.

You're just not wise enough. You don't have the experience to dethrone us, right? So they are first, second, and third right now. Is that the only thing keeping Boston at the top, though, is the experience? Experience, the talent, and then everybody else's experience and talent is fickled. That's because Drew gets kind of

muddled behind Jalen and Jason because they're the two stars, but he's actually the one with the experience that's anchoring. But now they have the experience. Now you're combining all three of them. Derek White is getting some experience along the way. I just see it like outside of the four of them.

I don't know, man. They're not adding pieces. They can be just as strong for that. I mean, all them guys' pieces, what's the dude? Pritchard and Hauser, like, they cool. But, man, man, you need some more pieces. But isn't it important to lock those dudes up?

Obviously, you got Horford, too. Obviously, his age is going to be a question coming into this season. But kind of similar to what the Nuggets did. And, you know, Nuggets dealt with

some injury issues this postseason that thwarted their repeat chances. But don't you want to prioritize locking these up? Obviously, Tatum got the extension.

You got Jalen Brown, who signed it the previous year. You got your two core guys and the rest of those role players around them, so why do you need to go search for some other thing when you can just keep those guys in house? A lot of teams will lose those guys. I mean, they'll win a chip and those dudes will bounce,

get bigger bags, whatever. How often do you see them all together playing, the four? They probably play together more than any other core that we've seen. Right? So that's their event. Yeah, I think their core starting lineup last year, you know, was top of the league for over 20 games. Top, and I'm pretty sure with OKC was probably second.

Yep. I think Denver's over 20 games. I forget what the exact stat was, but. So they're resilient, right? They're a resilient group that can stay together, so you wouldn't need the other pieces that would be required. In free agency, you're going to need some other pieces if Drew go down, if Derrick White go down.

If they both go down at the same time, now your team cracks in half. Production cracks in half. Who you got, Hauser and Pritchard? They got to step up. They don't know how to take 12, 13 shots a game and be efficient. Who? Pritchard? One of them. Pritchard takes 12 shots in 30 seconds.

But he's used to that in 30 seconds. Not in the course of a game where you ain't got to hunt for this no more, Pritch. You ain't got to hunt for this no more. I understand what you're saying. You went here hunting and we know you. It'd be that when you're really aggressive coming off the bench and then you become a starter and we know you did. It'd be that when you were really aggressive coming off the bench, and then you become a starter, and then your mindset changes.

Like, that happens to a lot of players. This goes back to something Jalen Brown said, I think, right around media day or early in the start of training camp, when he was basically like, you know, some of the boo-boo teams in the league, we're going to let those guys really cook so they can get comfortable and learn how to do it. He used the Pistons as an example. You know, I respect the city of Detroit, so I don't want to.

No, for sure. No, it's hard to exempt too much. But, like, you have a team that won the Eastern Conference by 14 games last season, so even if they do stumble, hit those missteps, and say it's only five games, six games,

that's still a comfortable margin. It is. But think about the NBA. At some points during the last five years, we've had skids where the league wasn't that good and we watched games and we're like these guys this year is just not good this year or these guys are just not healthy we just never can see these guys on the floor at the same time where they can compete against each other so it's always going to be something i think last

year was one of those years similar to that Milwaukee year, when Milwaukee won it. You can get there and then certain injuries happen and you can make it past this Brooklyn team and you can win it all. All we got to do is beat them? Shh. KD, thank you so much for wearing a size 22. Thank you so much. With insufficient lotion on the ankle. Man, see it was disgusting, right? 22. Thank you so much.

With insufficient lotion on the ankle. Man, see, it was disgusting, right? So, I mean, I feel like that Boston got a good chunk of the luck through injuries last year. But they were still a good team. They still took it where they needed to go. Good. Yeah.

So let's talk about, obviously, the two most important players on the Celtics roster. The Jays. The Jays. Both the Jays have chips on their shoulders during the season. Jaylen Brown won the ECF and finals MVPs but got snubbed from the Olympic team and Jason Tatum got treated like a scrub on Team USA's gold middle winning squad. So Sha, last season during the playoffs you said that Jaylen Brown had emerged as the number one option on this team. Gil, obviously you disagreed. You guys went back and forth with it. But this is a new season now.

Jalen Brown likely feeling some type of way. We'll get more into that in a second. But what are your expectations for the Celtics' dynamic duo of Tatum and Brown this season? Lexi, we'll start with you since you are still a current Celtics fan. Yeah. I still think it's Jason Tatum is the number one option. But I feel it's 1A, 1B for me, and I just don't know why that's like a difficult concept

for people to understand that they're able to coexist together and win games and win a championship. I don't, I mean, we don't know them personally, but the jealousy obviously isn't there. They're able to win. They're able to win. They're able to compete together. I do think Jalen is a better defender, so I will give him that. But I think they both have huge chips, a lot of things to prove, which is crazy.

And it was crazy. You guys watched the Netflix doc? We did. I heard my voice a few times. No check, but thank you. What episode? Was we in it? Two. We wasn't in it.

Really? I missed it. It got us out of there. What was it? Because I was in it. They got to cut it. They did come film with us for a little bit. It was interesting seeing all the media members and the coaches and Jason talking about all

the things that were going to come with a championship and how everything played out complete opposite of what everybody was saying. So I was just like, that's just very interesting that all y'all... It's kind of sad, though. I mean... Said all these things that would happen if he brought a championship to Boston and then y'all all, like, just, like, kicked this out.

Did this... Did this... Yeah. I was like... So that's why I was like, it's very... I mean, I caught him in real time and then changed up on him. Literally, because I don't think they thought he could do literally because I don't think they thought he could do it I don't think he's a number hold on What were they saying

What were they saying in a document? What about this isn't him what he can't win it as a number one option, right? Yeah, it's too hard But then he's a bird with it. He can't win it. He can't win it as a number one option, right? Yeah. It's too hard. But then he said they do win. He can't win it. He can't win it. He can't win it as a number one option. And then they're like, if he does win, he'll be the face of the NBA. Now, who selected Eastern Conference MVP, Finals MVP?

So they didn't want to make themselves look stupid, but they did they were so now They get to say oh see they won a championship See he wasn't a number one option Like we said right you get to like we've got to cover your tracks with it because they're the same people voting So you're saying this guy ain't good enough to win it then when his team is doing all this and he looked like he's about To win his award you're voting the opposite. You're the same ones... They told on himself in that time of the century.

You're the same ones talking, and then when we look at your vote, we're looking at what you're voting for. Mm-hmm. So you can make yourself look like he was right the whole time. If he does win it, he didn't win it as the number-one option.

Yep. Was he the number-one option? Was he the number one option in the finals? I mean yes, but I think Jalen, I guess everyone thought Jalen outplayed him, but that doesn't mean that he... Jalen, who? And what... But I'm just like that doesn't mean he wasn't the number one option. What I'm saying is if you turn the volume up and you watch the game, without the people talking, who is the number one option? Jason. I think.

If you're watching it without anybody saying anything, you're just watching the game, you clearly see who's the best player on Boston is. The only thing that's changing your opinion is the person talking. The narratives. How it's written. Oh, Jalen Brown is great at defense. Oh my God, he's doing

all this. That's what you see? I've seen this guy lead the team in scoring, rebound, assists, deflections, key stops. Where's this?

Where's this magical numbers you guys are putting up that it doesn't even make sense six players since 1980 to win a title while leading the team in points rebounds and assists in the playoffs Did not win the Eastern Conference finals You'd be like what's that and I win the one I'm saying is what's that stood out here that overshadowed there wasn't one It was just it was just the media voice saying it. Hi, I'm Larry. Okay. I'm telling you, it's because they know what they said in that Netflix thing.

What happened? Okay, what happened in the playoffs? The same reference I gave you before when I said that the Boston Celtics look kind of lethargic. Why is Jason Tatum playing the way that he's playing? It's going to affect him down the line when he wants to win these MVPs and he doesn't

perform to the level of winning it because he's playing the way he's playing as I'm watching it in real time. I like that we're blowing these teams out. I don't like the way that you're playing the way you're playing. A little slow of a start to kick off the post. All right.

Okay. So who has to pick up the slack? Even though he covers the board with the numbers, what I see in his play is something that can affect the team down the line. So I'm like, all right, I hope he gets this right. I hope he checks this. Jalen Brown Brown in the meantime covering ground

Around the board staying solid and consistent. So when you look at it, he didn't win these awards He didn't get all these things and everybody kind of predicted all of these things and it's like he could have affected it By playing better early and late We can't give you something if you don't go out there and show that you deserve it over everyone that's out there. Jalen Brown, I felt like, fought for it. And it wasn't in an individual aspect of it. He fought for it like, I got to take my team over the top.

Took on the challenge of guarding Luka. I got to take my team over the top because I feel it's my team. I think Jalen Brown thinks in that kind of context where it's, man, I got to do this. I love bro. He my little baby, man. He cool, man. But look, man, when it comes down to the trenches,

when we in the trenches with Cemetery Larry, you got to take it to the house, bro. Okay, I hear you. So, question for you. Sorry. So, question for you. And to Lexi's point, they could be 1A, 1B. I don't really understand why it has to be one over the other. But with Jalen Brown not making the Olympic team,

does that change anybody's mindset, approach, anything coming into this season? And by anybody, I mean with Jalen and Jason. I think if anything, they've come together and told a story that can help them both Fuel ambition towards this next season Jason got the stories about what happened over there Jalen got the stories about a man. I ain't even get to go over there right stories that you On the team, but Jason you ain't play so we both feel a certain type of way so we can use that They both got to feel another type of way because Derek White white gets brought in to replace kawaii and i'm in here and you playing over both

of us oh yeah my team now either either that contributes to derrick being better than we thought and we can use that fuel with derrick say hey derrick keep doing what you was doing when you was out there let's keep this thing going. Let's keep flowing, right? Instead of everybody feeling some type of way about it, hey, let's just contribute this to something that we can feed off of. I feel like they've both been in the league long enough. We've talked about what this situation that happened this summer, obviously winning the chip kind of caused any rift amongst them,

but they both played together long enough and now accomplished that goal. Got to see what it feels like to win a chip that they will likely try to do it again. I don't anticipate a lot to happen, but we asked the chat who is the Celtics' number one option? 47% said Jay

Centeno. Jaylen Brown got 18%. Neither their 1A, 1B received 35% of the votes. Wow. Hold on. What was the options? That was confusing.

Jason, Jalen, or both. Wow. So Jalen got third place. 18. He got 18. Wow. When you said that he took the team on his back, that first round he didn't took the team on his back right that

First round he didn't lead the team in nothing Round two he didn't lead the team in nothing. I wasn't talking about round three. So what is he leading it in? You watching Yeah, I'm trying to figure out what he lead him in so it was you mean when you watching the game He didn't have one double double in 19 games You'll see energy plays effort plays that don't come up in the stat book. You know what I'm saying is, in 19 games, not a double-double. Not one double-double in 19 games. The other kid who got screwed on everything had 15 out of 19.

15 double-doubles out of 19 games. You get defensive rebounds when you're not guarding the hardest guy on the floor. You're chasing him around. You can't go out here and go get double-doubles. You got to guard this dude. You're 6'9". You're not guarding the hardest dude. Go get the rebound, bro.

Do what I can't do. Obviously, we got two different positions. I'm going to go do this. This is harder than you doing what you do. The ball come to you. I got to go stop this dude. He averaged 35. Who? Luka. And He averaged 35. Who?

Luka. And he averaged 30? He had a damn near triple goal? I got to go try to stop this guy. He averages 30. He averages 30. I got to go try to stop this guy. But that's five games.

Another 1A, 1B. What about the 11 other games that I had a double goal? So the rebounds can be the rebounds for the stack. But when you a hooper and you're watching, when you're watching, you know when the team needed plays to be made, Jalen Brown came through and made plays. Game

changing plays. He didn't get doubled one time and not once. He didn't, but he made the plays. But what I'm saying is, you can say he didn't get doubled ever. So how can he be and step his game up and he is the guy that gets all the stuff from being double-teamed.

This guy's being double-teamed. You should be able to lead us in scoring because this guy is being, I just don't see where this. Everybody has their function. I don't need to function at all different aspects of everything we're doing. I can function as this two-way player that goes and gets you a bucket when you need a bucket. And I'm going to stop this dude you need to be stopped.

That's my function. Jason Tatum, your function is to go out here and get buckets. Get buckets and rebound. And get the rebound. So we both doing our function. I just do my function when the team needs it. So question for you guys.

Can you be the number one option on a team but not the best player? Yes. I think so. Wait, hold on. Say that again. Can you be the number one option but not the best player? It doesn't make they cater to what you're good at. Yeah.

Can you be the number one? Wait, hold on, hold on, hold on. Can you be the number one option on, wait, hold on, hold on, hold on. Can you be the number one option on the team... But not be the best player. But not be the best player on the team. Yes. You can be. I mean, that doesn't...

It happens, but... Can you give me an example? Lou Will... Who? Jamal Crawford. What's that again? Lou Will, Jamal Crawford. Lou Will was the best player on the team.

At that moment in time, he just came off the bench, but he was still the best player He wasn't the number one option on we could number one option when he came out there He was out. Yeah what I'm saying is the team whoever the star the team is the number one option He wasn't the star. He was the sixth man, but he but there was nobody in a certain lineup That was actually better than them. That's what I was saying. He. He just didn't keep his pay down. He was the best player. But he is the best player and the number one option because at the end of the game, it's him. So I need a real example. So let's use the example from this past finals.

No, no. You said J.T. Name somebody else. You said J.T. Tatum's number one option. Name somebody else because he's the best player and the number one option. So that is to make sense. So then why was he not the most valuable player? Because the narrative was already clear. So that's what I said. That's what you mean. You know why. So now doesn't make sense. So then why was he not the most valuable player of them all? Because the narrative was already pushed.

So that's what's up. That's what you mean, you know why. Pick somebody else that is... So now you discrediting Jalen Brown. No, no, no. Yeah, you are

because you're saying you know why so a narrative had to be pushed for him to win. He won because he was a dog and he showed up

in the final. Pick somebody else so we can see an actual example of the best player or not being the best player, the number one option. Who is that? Who's the best player on the Lakers, in your opinion?

Just asking. Oh, shit, Cheryl. Don't you do that to him. Still early. Look at his face. Look at his face. Look at my roof. You did this to my roof. Look at my roof. You did this to my roof.

Look at my roof. I got to live here, Cheryl. I got to live here. You get into it with them people. You've seen that list up there, right? Do you see that list up there? The top ten list? He was number seven.

Seven. There was not another Laker in the NFL. There was not another Laker up there. Who's the number one option? LeBron James. Who's the best player? LeBron James. At 40.

No facts. No facts. Which I don't know. I'm sorry. I'm just going to speak a fact. Really? I'm really upset with the mindset of the Lakers because there's no way I'm in my 21, 23, 25, 30

healthy and I'm going to let a 40-year-old out beat me in anything. I'm sorry. Not a sprint, not eating, not getting on the bus, not going to sleep.

Hey, you sleep yet? bus not going to sleep. Hey you sleep This becomes this becomes internal absolutely absolutely One o'clock I'm fucking my day up. I need to prove to him that I'm worthy. I'm not going to let him beat me. He's 40. I'm beating him and his son. This is something that you've talked about before, though, right? When you went and watched Kobe's workout.

But you have LeBron, right? You have this guy who's the pinnacle of staying in shape, staying healthy, year 22, doing things that have never been done. If you're a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, why am I just not looking exactly what LeBron does every day? And like you said, you get to rank 7, I'm there at 659. He's 40 years old and he's still ranked 7 in the NBA. And I'm sitting there 27, 28, 30, and I'm 17.

I know everybody's looking at me like yo you can't mimic the 40 year old he eating broccoli I'm eating broccoli what's better than broccoli McDonald's gone he done set an example for me this is I just don't get it where is true that's facts for real

if you put Jordan in the locker room right now for a month, Jordan have the big head with the skinny body. Because you know you can't change the head size. Once you gain weight, it don't get smaller. This is true. It don't get smaller, so it's

going to stay the same size. But Jordan to be ripped. Because he would literally be trying to beat him in everything. The competitor, where's the competitor? Because if you're competing with LeBron James, you're automatically winning. You're getting better naturally. We don't even see nobody with that type of physique even trying to mimic that size, that stature, that speed.

No one's trying to get there. They think they have time. I don't think... I think it's opposite. I think that they don't think they can get there at all. I think they're scared. It's just like anybody. Everybody wants to get better until they see the process. Yeah. I don't want to do that.

They want to talk... Like, when I see, hey, yo, hey, Dwight, how... True. He's like, yeah, I do 500 push-ups a day. Oh, hell no. That's too much. I'm good. I don't want the muscles now. I'm not going to be sitting at home watching TV.

Now I got to sit there and do a pack of 20s, a pack of 50s. You remember I asked you, you said, do 200 a day. Yeah. Two days. And that was it. I'm good. Yeah, I'm cool. It's too much time.

It's, ah. I was 400 foot a month. That's it. You bargained with yourself. You bargained like, I got this. I know, listen, I know Kobe said. Don't feel 13 today. Hey, Kobe said you do not negotiate with yourself.

I don't negotiate. I did. All the time. I think I did enough for the week. I'm going to 400 on Friday. See y'all on this Friday. I'm serious, and that's what ends up happening in the NBA. So, who is the second option? Who is the second option but not the best player?

Or whatever, however you are. First option. Who is the first option but the second? Can you be the number one option but not the best player? Can you be the number one option but not the best player? The number one, but the last five minutes? Or how does that work? Because I know Sam Cassell, it depends. are you the number one option the whole game or just the whole game?

I'm talking about the whole game. We're going through you. We're going through Ticket. He's the number one option. We can't shoot it until he touches it. He don't touch it, you better not shoot it. You're coming out. Should it be Boston Celtics

team? You can try to figure out the Paul Pierce. Like, who is they really going through? Oh, it had to be number one. Like, he's the best player on the team, but they're going through Paul still? They're going through Paul. Well, probably. But sometimes that best player may be getting double teamed. Yeah.

So you got to go to the next best player, which would be the number one option. It can be the, you can do that with Steve Nash Amari. You can try to figure out, they're going through Amari. Yep. But was he the best player? Steve was the best. You know what I mean? So it only happens with a point guard.

Point guard. So it happens, though. It does happen. See, girl? Well, Shaq. That's what I was talking about. Shaq and Colt. I was thinking, too.

Shaq was the number one option. Shaq was the number one option, but he was still the best player, too. Up until? That was the beef. The beef was when Colby felt he was the number one option and the best player. Reggie and who? Reggie and Jermaine O'Neal. Reggie and Jermaine O'Neal.

Jermaine O'Neal. Reggie was number one. He was number one option, too. Reg. It'll be this year. Who's going to be the number one option? Who's the best player on Milwaukee? I think that ain't going to change.

See, I think this shit is right... Right now, what's going on? Back then, shit was established. We knew who was number one and who was number two. We knew who we were going through and who was the best player. Now you have these teams teaming up

and there's two stars. Coming to the same team. I also think sometimes it's about that's a real one I do there's one out there. There's an example other Who who is defending you yes Player get the best defender you're probably Like the second option, if you got a weak-ass

defender on you, like, we're saying give her the ball. Yeah. Because she can't guard her. No, but we're talking about the whole season. Is there a second option

that was the number one option the whole season? Who was the second best player but was the number one option? Tim Duncan's first year? I always think about

the Clippers, man. But he was the best. With Jamal, Jamal was on that team. Jamal Crawford was the best player on that team. But they went through Blake.

Okay? They went through Blake Griffin with the Clippers. But Jamal came in, he was the best player. It was like, let him rock.

They said Shaq Wade as an example from the chat. That's good. Magic let him rock. They said Shaq Wade as an example from the chat. Magic Kareem. They went through Wade. When Shaq first got there, they went through Shaq. They lost the championship year. They went through Wade. But Wade wasn't the best player.

That was the second year. Shaq was the best player still. Shaq was still the best player. It transferred year three. The only close example that I can think off top is... Murray and Joker. You think Murray better? Because remember, Murray was better...

From the bubble? From the bubble. He got hurt, right? Right. He got hurt. But was he the best player? Was Joker always the best player, but he let Murray rock? Right? You got it. But was he the best player? Was Joker always the best player, but he let Murray rock? Right?

See, that's the only one that gives you the... Was Joker always the best player on the team? Because he is unselfish like that. But he let Murray do his thing. I think we're going to see it with the Kings, too, this year. Who's going to... Whose team is it? Now you've thrown

DeRozan in the mix. And how effective can DeRozan be being outside of the one-two punch? He's always been a one-two puncher. So if you got Sabonis and Fox doing their one-two, where does that leave DeRozan? I feel like he's gonna get it where he feels.

And it's very interesting because I think Fox and Sabonis are super underrated, and then DeRozan? I feel like he's gonna get it where he fits in. And it's very interesting, because I think Fox and Sabonis are, like, super underrated, and then DeRozan is very not underrated, in my opinion. So it's gonna be interesting to see how that dynamic works with someone like DeRozan coming in with all this fanfare and respect that Fox and Sabonis just don't have for whatever reason, and just see how that dynamic works. They're like the little Stockton Malone

kind of duo, Sabonis, Fox. They don't get that respect. They in a small market. They effective, highly effective. And you get somebody like Jeff Hornacek. I ain't saying DeRozan is Jeff Hornacek, per se, but just a third piece. That third piece that can help you get over the hump.

Thank you for perfecting that. They taking it. Paul Pierce. Paul Pierce was the best player. And he went to Paul Pierce. Alright, so let's go back to Jalen Brown for one second. Shai, we got to address something that you sent to the group chat this morning that you were passionate

about. Back in May, during the episode of First Take, there was a discussion on why some people think Jalen Brown isn't marketable and Stephen A. Smith read a text from an unnamed source. But I wanted to read to y'all what an NBA source just sent me.

He said, Jalen Brown, it's not so much that he's underrated, it's that he's just not liked because of his, quote, I am better than you attitude. He knows it. It's the same reason he is not as marketable as he should be. So in response to the clip, Jalen Brown tweeted at Stephen A, state your source. Stephen A refused.

It was an unnamed source. He likes to protect his sources, journalists in Kentucky, if you want to call me. Made A refused. It was an unnamed source. He likes to protect his sources. Journalistic integrity, if you want to call me. Made that up. You know. That's why I can text any one of y'all right now.

Unnamed source. But the pair sat down for an interview recently to address Stephen A's comments with Brown wearing a state your source shirt and offering these thoughts. Honestly, I couldn't wait to address this. I know they probably will be

watching this. People like that are always watching. And I wanted to let them know that I had a great summer. Like just as simple as that. Like I traveled the world. I went to UMR. I won two MVPs. I launched Black Wall Street in Oakland and made a music video. I had a blast. So I wanted to let them know that I had a great summer. I really wanted to address them directly, but I feel like since this all kind of happened on your platform, I wanted to send a message to you, to them, because you're only a person that knows who the source is. And I basically wanted to say to them that I think it's cowardice. I think historically unnamed sources have attacked some of our greats and I slash we are not responsible for what they lack in design

Frankly, they can call all their buddies They they they pals and you know friends from all over the world all the unnamed sources And and they can shove it where they got it from Whether they think they are marketable or not, I walk with God. I'm going to be me and stand with my community in this life and the next, and that's my journalistic integrity.

So, shout out to Stephen A. Smith, Stephen A. Smith show for doing the interview. Did he tell him his source? No. Alright, Stephen A. Well. I was going to say something, something but I'm gonna keep my mouth shut. So Shot, thoughts on Jalen Brown's response to the unnamed sources out there speaking on him and other important figures around the league? I find it egregious as a journalist that you stand behind unnamed sources when plagiarism is all about citing your source.

Cite your source. Or your source is not credible unless we know who it is. An anonymous source can come from anywhere. One of your friends who just don't like Jalen Brown can text you and say, I need you to say this on the show today. Because we trying to kill his deals. So when Jalen Brown get on TV and he can't speak for himself because he still got brands.

He still got things in the work like Black Wall Street in Oakland. Right? So imagine this comes out right before he made a statement saying I just got $300 million and I'm going to build Black Wall Street in Boston. Better get that Negro off that nag.

I don't know why you think you got that kind of power. You're not marketable. You're not the face of the league You're not a USA Olympian Who you think you are but we're gonna send this dude in here to do it We're gonna send him in to set you straight cuz we can't tell you who we are how how and you can sit up there in front of him as A homie and say I can't i can't give you my source imagine if you really in you really with the homies and you tell me hey you tell me something

somebody said about me and i say well who said you say man i can't tell you you're my homie right you can't tell me what that... I need to set that straight. I need to be able to combat that. I can't combat an unnamed source. Yep. 100%. I just find it egregious, man. It's not good journalism. And I feel like when Jalen Brown attacked him

and came face to face, there's a lot of things he couldn't have said as he wanted to say. Who, Jalen? Jalen. You know, the problem is the reason that there's this big turn

any goddamn way, right? That what does journalism rely on? Facts. Right? What do they, like when you break down their job, the woes and all of them, what do they rely on?

All their information about the sport has to come from somebody else because they've never done it. Right. So if someone like Woj tells you who's giving you the information, that means he's not fucking important anymore. You're not important. You're a vessel for information. You're a preacher, not God. Wow. Wow. Can we get a...

Can we get a... Can we get a... Can we get a... Can we get a... Can we get a... Can we get a, can we get a, can we get a, can we get a, can we get a, can we get a! Can we get a, can we get a! New preacher! I've been waiting for that, Gilgamesh! I've been waiting for that, Gilgamesh!

Yeah! That was good. Yeah! Welcome to the show! Yeah! You's a preacher! He's back! Wake up!

That was good, that was good. For the knowledge. He's back. Wake up. That was good. That was good. Brother knowledge. Brother knowledge, kick it. I'm just saying that. Oh, I'm going to use that. Because they can't talk the game to X's and O's.

That was good. That they need someone to give them the information for it to be breaking news. So they can't give you their sources. They can't give you the general manager or the owner or this agent. They can't give you those sources because it messes up the credibility of this person. Because now Jaden Brown is going to go back to whoever said it. Right? So all their information, what gives them money is these sources. So you can't give them up.

So Gil, I just got a text from an unnamed source that says Stephen A.'s unnamed source was a combination of Brad Stevens, Jason Tatum, and Joe Mazzullo. Let's throw the pie right now. We're gonna create that distinction amongst the Celtics right now. Why do y'all keep doing this?

We're gonna create that distinction. That's how I know everybody is here. Fight back, Jalen. I've never seen so many people trying to tear a team apart this way internally. No, that's not true. Well, no, no, no. Kobe and Shaq and all that. I mean, even when you go back to the Kobe and Shaq,

they both had their own separate trainers that couldn't touch each other and don't touch him. Yeah. I have my media guy that I talk to. But we knew that that was going on. No, but that's how... We don't ever see these two... But that's how it starts.

...at odds with each other. No, but that's how it usually starts for you. Like, if you put... You're going to make... If you talk to me directly, you're going to make me look good, and you're going to make him look bad if you want all my takes.

Yeah. Same with him. Yeah. You got got him and if i see you talking to him and then you write something good i won't fuck you no more and that's what ends up happening so everyone has a source so there's really there's no such thing as breaking news but we got it because somebody already knew it i can give it to you or i can give it to you. Like, think about if someone reports who the Lakers is going to draft two minutes earlier. Who knows the information originally? Only the people in the Lakers office know, okay, we're going to pick this person. So that means they have to leak it to someone for that person to report it. If I don't leak it to you, I'm going to leak it to someone.

But even the leaking, right? There's always a source. There's a leak, right? There's a source, right? But we sitting there in real time watching it, and they talk to J. Will and the other homie, and he's saying, I just received a text message. This text message is so important that I got gotta share it with y'all right now it's so important that i gotta tell y'all how important it is that jaylen brown is not marketable and how this particular person's opinion of him i want everyone else to form an opinion on him

about around this as well so let me say this out loud to the world so you all can now start a narrative around this young man being arrogant and too smart and too credible to be around right as it goes into the NBA playoffs. So what did the easy interview, the easiest, the easiest thing to think when it comes to Jalen Brown, if Stephen A is going to use the source information, it has to be credible for him, and it has to be very high up, right? And that's what we would think. When I get it, I'm going to read it on the air. Like somebody, like whenever he usually says a source, we can tell, oh, Jordan, text me this, right?

So most of his source is very high up, right? It's not going to be some middleman. It's not going to going to be a coach right there's going to be somebody in the marketing so we can say probably nike right you know what i mean it has where it came from they'll be like they'll see all the bias probably attached but it doesn't it ain't a Nike employee. It's going to be somebody really high that really their opinion matters because they don't have a deal with them. Could their opinion be instrumental in perhaps constructing an Olympic roster? How would you feel in your situation? Yes, completely. While going through your situation, right?

Stir it up. right you got somebody on the outside media stirring the pot to have everyone think opposite of what mistake you made based on someone else's opinion on the outside we don't know who it is so we can't say it's a upper higher upper we can't say it ain't no politician we can't say it ain't somebody overseas we don't know all we know is he got this text and he won't tell us who it is But together so if I get a text and I get something to say something about Stephen a and I say it's just my opinion I'm gonna start a rumor What if you didn't you are not you are not a journalist. You are a chatty patty You taking something somebody told you on your phone and said i'm gonna say this i'm allegedly

there could have been no people in the nba don't like jaylen brown and they don't think he's marketable they think he arrogant they think he this they think it had it's like well what i the the main guy you talking about says hey i need to know who you who's your source who told you that and you know the code in the urban community. Hey, bro, I need to know who told you that, man. I can't tell you, bro. But you can't be around me. I can tell you this. You can't be around me.

1,000%. 1,000%. Off the record, I'm gonna tell you who this is. You just can't repeat it. Think that's happening? 1,000%. He has to tell them. So Jalen Brown knows exactly... Has to tell happening? 1,000%. He has to tell them. So Jalen Brown knows exactly.

Has to tell them. 1,000%. For me to do this interview. For me to do this interview. No, no, no, no. Period. He owes him. I want you to think about how he's saying what he's saying.

I want the people who told you to know. Yes, he did. Just like that. I want them to know who, right? He's saying it as if I know who you are. Yeah. I promised him. I wouldn't say it because he promised me for the information.

So I know moving further what I'm dealing with here. Yep, yep. Right? Because let's just be honest. If you listen, Stephen A is very different from the rest of them. If you have a problem with him, if he says something you don't like, he will give you the opportunity to defend yourself. Yeah.

Right? So, Jalen, not you yet. Not you yet. You just got to push the button. And he ain't holding himself accountable either. He got to come on to your party. He wasn't holding himself accountable either, Cheryl. I gave him the invite.

Okay. And you DM'd him? He ducked him? He ain't responded. And the DM? I tagged him. Tagged him? That ain't working. You got to DM. Wait, that's who? No, I tagged him and I DM'd him? He ducking? He ain't responding. And a DM? I tagged him. Tagged him?

That ain't working. You got a DM. That's public. Wait, that's who? I tagged him and I DM'd him. Who? Who? He ain't looking at the DM?

I said bring me on your show or come on mine. You got to come on yours. I got to respond. You got to cover your home court. I don't know if that makes sense. Do you got the blue check? Yes! We got one!

Yeah! Write it down! Finally! Right in the mouth! Finally! Everybody in the chat like... Yeah. Everybody in the chat like... Everybody in the chat like... Stephen A.

Stephen A. tried to call out. But Underdog did acknowledge that was inappropriate for the moment and worse so... He didn't respond? No, he didn't respond. What did your message? They will give you a hundred percent profit match Because I want you to finish your point whatever you were saying, but you usually size your off one He usually gives everybody a chance to But if you ask them a question

You promise not to say it. He will give you the answer. So Jalen knows. But the damage is done already. Because you know how to move forward. That's what he wanted to let Stephen A know. Listen, bro, look, the damage is done, but I just feel some type of way sitting in front of you. Like, why would you do that?

Why would you put my whole reputation in jeopardy based on an opinion of one of your friends? What was the benefit of him even saying that? Probably saying it to let, like... Instead of asking us questions on why you're not getting these things, I'm letting you know some persons,

this is what it is. If you're Jalen or anybody, sometimes you need to know why certain things ain't happening for you. Because the people around... Like, if I'm Jalen or anybody. Sometimes you need to know why certain things ain't happening for you. Because the people around, like if I'm Jalen, I'm happy that he said it

because the people around me is not going to tell me the truth, right? So this outsizing person said, I can look at him like, oh, you a hater. Or I can look at him like, cool, thanks.

Is that how, but this is my thing with that. I want to know, I'm going to want to know what the outside world is really saying about me because I'm averaging 28, I'm doing know what the outside world is really saying about me, because I'm averaging 28, I'm doing this, and I'm not getting the same deal. That's not the outside world, though.

That's one person. No. And that's the difference. When you got one person saying, I don't like the way he walk, I don't like the way he talk, I don't like none of that. But I'm not getting it. But a lot of people must be saying it for him to be able to be comfortable enough to say it on television. But I'm not getting it. But what I'm saying is but what he's saying is it's really actually happening in real time

because I'm not getting, I'm not being judged fair, so it has to be something. No, it ain't because of what he's saying. It's because I'm in control. They're not in control of me. That's what Jalen Brown represents, freedom. He is a sovereign man. Well, that's what he's saying. Unlikable.

Why am I unlikable? Because he's not in control. In the interview, you can watch it all the way through. This is what I'm passionate about. I'm going to always stand with my people in this life and the next. He also said this. He said when he was drafted, they had a knock on him. Yeah, he's too smart. The knock was he's too smart. Too smart.

And you know what the other knock was? You're always going to question authority. Do you know what that means? I'm going to take too smart because I just saw a video of three NBA players not know where Egypt was in the world. That upset me. So you're saying he was smarter and more arrogant than Kobe Bryant? He is a guy that's... We don't like that.

He understands logic. He understands you trying to tell him to run through a brick wall, and he's like, it's a brick wall. Why would I do that? But I'm not that dumb. Why can't I go around it? While everybody else is like, huh? You're not going to just run through it?

He's like, can I jump over it? Can I build a ladder? He's asking simple questions, too. Like, why would I run through the brick wall? There's a door right there. Can I walk through that? I'm going to walk through the door. Can I just run a 17 instead? But if he's smart, but just like an educated

man, he's going to want to know who his enemies are in real life. So I know he asked him so he can know what he's dealing with. You want to know if there's someone poking a hole at the bottom of the milk cart. You know,

while I'm filling it up, I'm trying to fill it up. And he's had massive success despite all this, too, on top of it. That's why we're not worried about no enemies. At all.

We're not worried about them at all because they're going to show up regardless when success shows, enemies show. You don't see no enemies when you're on the bottom.

Like, I can't wait to be somebody else. I'm an enemy. You know what I'm saying? You don't see none of that. So, Like Cat Williams said about haters. Looking around, everybody trying to be somebody else. Say it again. Say it again. You know what I'm saying? You don't see none of that. So I look at it like, look, bro, they did what they did.

I forgive you. I forgive you. But moving forward, you got to move around. Yeah. But you can't say that. You can't say move around. I think he know. I think Steve and Aiden know he got to move around.

He messed up because he put this man on the move around. No, I didn't mess up because me and him, me and him, we good. Of course. I told you who it is. So when you're trying to build Black Wall Street, you know, you really know like what you're dealing with. Because at the end of the day, it's the same entities that can entities that can say I don't want this to come off the ground I can would I have listen I have sources and these sources can fund that and I'm telling them not to we know how this world works we know how everything works so you know

with Jalen he understands now I have an ally who's going to tell me rumbles that's going on so I know how to move. I don't think he rolling. I think Jalen is one of them dudes like, I don't need your resources. I don't need none of that. But listen, man, keep my name out your mouth,

bro. Keep my name out your mouth, bro. Like, I understand you trying to get viewers and all that, but you messing up black excellence over here. We doing something bigger than clicks and views, bro.

So you messing up the wrong guy's name. There's a lot of other guys you could have named that were not marketable other than me. Okay, Steve? He's doing real good things. Okay, Steve? He's doing great. He's doing some of the most amazing things. And you wouldn't even retract your statement. You said, I'm not taking nothing back. I stand on my business. It's like, what?

When did his shoe... When he decided to throw his shoe stuff? A few months ago. After, right? Yep. After everything. After the season? No. After, right? Yep. After everything. So, I mean, it wasn't the work. After the season?

No. After the Olympics. After the Olympics. And all of that stuff. After the Olympics. Right? The song, the shoes. So there's a group

he really don't like. September 25th is when he unveiled the commercial M4144 majors. He's independent. So his beef is who? With who?

With Nike? He's previously said to. I think it's just Nike. Did he say that on the show too? What did he say? The higher up. If he has to switch over to Nike, Independent so his beef is who we do we can just like he's previously If he has to switch over to Nike he wouldn't go to the 2020 So So we see who it is. Yeah, so if we're gonna say someone's sitting there not mark. Hold on. What did he say? What you're talking about the 20 Nike athlete to be on the team? He just won't be honest He won't just won't do he gonna keep his brand. No, he has to keep his... No, what I'm saying... Yes.

Oh, he's standing up for him. Oh, that's why we rolling with Zaylon Brown! What? Hey, if I had to change my shoe that I made, my brand, I had to change this to be on... to wear Nike just to be on that? Man, y'all move around. I'm rolling with him.

That's a leader. But I'm saying we know who his... We know who his issue is with. Right? we know what I'm saying. We know we know who his issue is with right? We know who his enemy is probably right so Who told you bet got it I got it and that's what he said about the I got I got it I got it Got it. I know what? State your source state your source. I thought you were... No, I'm just saying, he got it. Yeah, on his shirt. He got it.

He know who it is, so he knows how to move. That's what I'm saying, I want to know who Mike is, so I know how to move. So, do we give Stephen A a pass for the fumble? It ain't a fumble. It's information that he didn't have before. But he's doing this, I get my information out of thin air. But is it? You you just printing money? You just now all of a sudden you can come up with a source to create a topic

I would rather you just create a ESPN topic to say is Jalen Brown marketable I'm print but I'm printing money But he was but even in that he said he read it from a source went on to say that he didn't necessarily agree with What that source was saying so why read it and it? We talked about it back and forth. All right, so that's the point. So none of it makes sense, but you got a lot of clicks and views, and you kind of destroyed the reputation. But he's saving the money.

It can't be a reputation if it's already out there. Because I'm pretty sure Jalen Brown is just like anybody. Why am I not getting these? The regular fan did not know anything about what Stephen A. Smith said. The regular fan had no idea. The topic was him being an underrated player, and what Stephen A. Smith said. The regular fan had no idea. The topic was him being an underrated player and then Stephen A. threw that. Yes.

Now if you're Jalen Brown and you're sitting here averaging 20 and doing all this and you wonder why you're not getting stuff and nobody's telling you. I'm pretty sure Dame. Why am I not getting all NBAs and I'm not doing this? Trae Young. No. I've been averaging 26 and 10. What's going on?

Somebody tell me something. I just got $300 million. I got everything I could ever ask for. So I don't need you. Yeah, I'm cool. You repay me. But you still don't want people talking down on your name for no reason. But what I'm saying is you don't think Trae Young want to know what's going on with his name?

If I got $300, I'm not thinking about none of y'all. Well, NBA, you don't have money on everybody, so that doesn't really... It's important, obviously, but... That's what we work for. We're not working for people's appreciation of people's opinions. Yes, because the life after basketball. But the opinion of another person is not life.

That's slavery. I'm not out here moving around trying to appease somebody else's opinion of me. Jalen Brown is moving exactly how men post a movie. I'm getting $300, but my name, but my game is worth $600. Yeah, because I'm being sabotaged.

I got another black man. There's a $300 on the table because people won't tell me what's going on. I got another black man trying to sabotage my friend. He's saying it loud. He's not the one people won't tell me why it's going on. I got another black man trying to sabotage my bread. No, he's saying it loud. He's not the one that's not giving me all

who did it. But why couldn't he just reach out to Jalen? And tell him. Why you got to tell the world? You told the world before you told Jalen. I couldn't reach out to Jalen and say, listen, my source, whoever, this is what they're saying about you. Who told Tria? Instead of. told Trey Young? Instead of.

What if he did? Instead of. I'm also going to. But who told Trey? It's lame shit. Who's telling Trey Young, though? That's fair. Who's telling this man who's been leading the league in the assistant average and double-double,

we're not inviting you to nothing? We know Stephen A. didn't get up there and say this shit about Trey Young. So that's a disadvantage. It's like, why you ain't say it about Trey? But if you want Trey, but if I'm Trey Young, I want to know this. Like, I want to know. The way Trey Young gets disrespected is crazy.

Well, I want to know, is there something I can do to change it? Because, to be honest, I don't like this feeling. I don't like this feeling where I'm looking around and you pushing everybody in front of me on everything. USA tryouts, fucking the weak FIBA tryout, them sorry motherfuckers on the team. Like, you're not even putting me on that group.

So it's fuck everybody. So let me know. It's fuck everybody. Let me know what I need to do. Give me a chance to compromise my integrity. Please give me the chance. If I got to bend over and spread the cheeks, give me the opportunity to do it. Give it to me. Hold on, let me jump in. Right? If I got to bend over and spread the cheeks, give me the opportunity to do it.

Give it to me. Hold up. Let me jump in. Let me jump in here. Nah, son. Let me jump in here. I want to be. Huh?

I want to be the Marvel. I want to be the Marvel next black hero. Give me the chance. God damn it. What I'm saying is. That's the room down there to the left. But give me the chance. Down to that room over there.

Give me the chance to say no. Give me the chance. I might be winning. I might be winning. You got to give me the chance first. So don't keep giving it to them.

No. I might be a hole down inside. Speaking of marketability. Just give me a chance. You know what they say. Offer me the $400, right? Speaking of marketability. Speaking of marketability,

speaking of marketability, I just got another text from an unnamed source that says Gil's Arena merch is finally here. Go to gilsarenamerch.com. That's gilsarenamerch.com to access to our first drop.

You see Gil rocking the Lakers-themed Gil's Arena shirt. If you like what you've seen us rocking on the show, head on over there. We got a link in the video, link in the link in the description all that stuff everybody in the chat support us get your bread right so you have enough hopefully get enough n words on this show to get

you at least a sweatshirt but go to gills arena merch.com to access through our first drop and you already know underdog got you covered with a new special every day in october nba season tips off tonight and to celebrate apply a 20 profit boost token to every NBA-only entry you make from now until October 27th. Check your lobby for the unlimited NBA profit boost tokens. Head over to the Underdog app. Use promo code GIL. Get $1,000 in bonus cash and a new promo every day this month. So, Gil, I see you rocking the Lakers hat.

I see you rocking the purple and gold. Gil's arena shirt. Woo! So why not talk about the Lakers hat. I see you rocking the purple and gold. Gil's arena shirt. So why not talk about the Lakers a little bit? Lakers tip off. You don't have a hat on. You're right, I don't. But you're letting the hair flow, so we got to, you know. Yeah.

So Lakers tip off their season tonight against the Wolves in L.A. as LeBron enters year 22 in the league. Last season, Darvin Ham wanted to lean on younger players and put LeBron on a minutes restriction. It didn't last long. So, LeBron is coming off a limited offseason that saw him lead Team USA to Olympic gold, winning Olympic MVP for his efforts.

After playing 76 games with the Lakers last season, including the playoffs, 77 if you include the play-in, which is the second most total games he's played since the COVID season, he was the third team All-NBA selection, averaging 26 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, while being selected to his record 20th All-Star game. But he turns 40 in December.

Gil, I see you rocking the Lakers supporting. How should the Lakers manage LeBron's workload this season, and how many games do you expect LeBron to play in this season? Man, listen, from his career, he showed that he is A1 standard in everything you do. Winning, you know, he's still coming from, you know, the genetics of what Jordan stood stood for what kobe stood for so he's gonna always buck against the idea of minute restrictions right you're not gonna i'm not gonna be available and then you're gonna say 22 24 That's going to be pushed out of the window because the game is the game.

So it's going to either be you're going to play me and play me, or you're just going to sit me. There's not going to be this in-between play 22 minutes, and 22 minutes and it's a tie game, and I've got to sit. That's not going to work. It's never have. It didn't work when they tried to do it with Jordan. There's going to be a clash at some point right so he's going to go out he's going to average his 25 7 and 6

whatever and that's just going to be that he's going to go out there he's going to play he's going to look great is you know this is not going to there's nothing that's going to change from what we've seen the end of the season from what we've seen in the Olympics that's that's not going to change he's going to go out there and do what he's been doing from what we see in the end of the season, from what we see in the Olympics. That's not going to change. He's going to go out there and do what he's been doing. Right? It's everybody else.

Let's step up. Let's step up so he does not have to do this. Right? The only way he's going to average 22, 5, and 5 is if AD is averaging 30. If Rui is averaging 15, 16. If Lemon Daddy is averaging 21, 22, then he's going to selfishly say, all right, I don't need to go hard like that.

If they're not bringing it, he's going to turn his engine on. That's facts. That's facts. And that's what the whole thing for him extending is because he see how much they need him. Take him away from the team. What you got?

We got Bronny. We still got ticket sales. We got the ticket sales, you know. So he's always been smart. What was that? Conocova in tennis? We got that. He always been smart when it came to that, though.

Like, understanding, like, I know y'all need this production. So, if the other guys ain't going to step up, well, I got to play. Darwin, I got to play. I got to play. So, I mean, you can't blame him. But it still is like, to me, it's like, what is there to prove? Honestly, I think he just wanted to play with Bronny. I really think that.

So if you're forced to play him, and the other players haven't stepped up yet, it's like y'all are behind the ball, depending on a guy who can check out any moment. He can decide he want to retire any moment. Who? Like mid-season? Oh, no, no, no, no.

Never. No way. Nah, he's going out of here, man. He's going to go out on a bang. He's going to go out on his terms. One thing is the same thing. He's going to go out exactly like the people he's in the conversation with. Jordan went out with a bang.

Kobe went out with a bang. I have to let you. I'm in a realm where we announce our last season so you can give us our flowers. You know what I mean? That's just the, you know, it's not going to be just this disappearing act in the middle of the season right i just think that you know either we're going to be in the middle of the road and that's where lebron is carrying us or we're going to be top one two three because everybody else stepped the fuck up right we got the bones. We do have the bones.

We do have AD. We do have solid players that know how to play this game. If D-Lo plays like a top 10, top 15 point guard, we're good. We're good. If everybody just steps up just a little bit more, we're a good team. If Christian Woods come out and he's Robert Horry, we're good. Good in the West is six. Nah, but our bones is better than that.

No. The six in the West? Good in the West is six. Good five sixes in the West. All right, just be honest. Just be honest. Be honest. Where do you rank LeBron and AD for twos?

For duos? For duos. In the whole league? In the whole league. Given the production, given the amount of time they've been together. Production. It's still 50 points a game. I get it.

But I'm just saying, as far as how long you've been together, you won that one chip. Just the talent itself and a production from the talent. Just regular season just regular season My just then what so for for okay, so so for okay now Rui Lemon daddy and D-Lo. Those three compared to everybody else's three. What would they rank? Their production. You sure?

Mid, mid. They'd be in the middle. Okay. There's another three. Because I don't think Lemon Daddy's production is high enough, and I definitely don't think Rui's high enough. They're both underachieving. They could be playing better for the league.

And that's what I'm saying. So now if those two, just, I mean, those three themselves. It will make you a good team. If they can jump themselves as the little three. Yes. And go into the top ten. Yes. I agree.

Right? I agree. I say five, six. That's a good, solid team. Now you got the top two, top five. And then you got the middle three, top five. That's. Solid. That's what I'm saying got now you got the top two top five and then you got the middle three top five That's solid. That's what I'm saying. Those are great bones and that's the bones y'all had for the last five years them three three Them three is what you first said the last yeah, you just automatically doing that because that's how they've been pretty

Yeah, they've been producing that way, yeah. Yeah. Y'all cooked. Definitely not cooked. Y'all cooked. It was for sure. Hey, stop calling us Diddy. No, listen, listen. What? Call it who, Diddy? Because of my comment.

You said us? The comment I'm saying is this. I'm saying... You said something about cheeks. Cheeks. Cheeks being? You said you would do anything? No, no. I did not say I'll do anything.

I said, give me the opportunity to say no. Toothpaste. You know what I mean? Like, don't just like. Don't just assume. Don't just say no. No, don't. Yeah.

Yeah, don't look at me and say, nah, I'm good. He going to punch me in the face. Just offer it to me and let me say no I might say yeah, right you you know I mean you might you might throw in a For this Marvel. Here's here's a billion dollars Give me the opportunity Interest you see here listening like she forgot No, no. You know what I'm saying. You get what I'm saying.

I get it too, but... You know what I'm saying. I just wish we used a different... I was supposed to say... I feel like there was a lot of other things... We hear chicks, we hear... I don't want you to... To make a decision on it.

Just don't make a decision. Right? Without... There's so many things that could have been offered up. All tied. All tied. All tied, yeah. All tied.

You know, and there's a whole bunch of women that's like, you didn't even give me the opportunity to be all tied. Just offer it and let me say no. That's all I'm saying. I'm not saying I will. Just offer it. Just offer it. Just offer it. Back to more important talking points.

Back to more... Just offer it. Back to more important... I was like the chat back there. So, Gil, you talked about the Lakers starting five, but let's get into it. Even before camp started, J.J. Redick announced what the starting five was going to be.

D'Lo, Reeves, Rui, LeBron, A.D. And that starting five was 20-10 last season, including the play in the postseason, going 18-6 in the regular season. Wait, so that starting five only played 30 games? So we're getting into it. The Celtics and Nuggets were the only team that had better records amongst starting lineups to play at least 20 games together. It took Darvin Hamm more than 40 games into the season

to finally roll out that lineup. Okay, what was our lineup anyway? What was the lineup that wasn't this lineup? I don't even know who was on the team. There was mixing and matching. Vandy was in there? Vandy, but Vandy had foot injuries at various points. Okay, so who went in for them?

It was different. What the fuck was the lineup for? A lot of different lineups. What I'm saying is, what was... Rui? Because Rui was out for a little bit. So he wasn't in the starting lineup then? Who else was in there? That's what I'm saying. What was the lineup?

Was it Cam Raiders who was in for a little bit? Cam was starting. Cam was starting for a little bit? Oh, yeah. They were doing that defensive team. That defense. Yeah. Okay.

There we go. It was. Yeah. I'll tell you the lineup they started with was A.D., LeBron, Torian Prince, Austin Reeves. Torian Prince. D'Angelo Russell. Moved Cam Reddish in there for a few games.

Yeah, we were like... But Torian Prince was kind of dominating that. Max Christie started a few games. Okay, so they were just... You know, they were mixing and matching. So they were just fucking around. Vandy started some games, and then they rolled that lineup out around, like, game 42, 43.

That was when Rui came back from injury, though, right? Because he was hurt. Guys were dealing with various injuries at different points. But the point being, Lakers fans very salty throughout the season that it took nearly more than 40 games into the season to roll that out. They were 18-6 in the regular season. That's when they made that push to make themselves a playoff team. But, Rashad, you asked this before, and I need to know from you,

are the Lakers the top six team in the West? With that lineup? With that lineup that they're rolling out. And that rotation. When Christian Wood gets back healthy, Jerry Vanderbilt's still dealing with foot injuries, ramping up, whatever that means. Because I haven't seen Lakers ramp up for two, three years before they hit the court again.

So, Vandals out. Foot surgeries, he's ramping back up, progressing. Christian Woods is... Still, I think, dealing with some injury. He'll be back soon, though, allegedly. Let's see. Who the fuck do we have on our team, then? Dalton. Dalton.

West Side Connect gang. They're playing, for sure. Jackson Hayes will be in the mix. Jackson Hayes. I think they're going to make the playoffs. Okay. Who else? Yeah, they'll make the playoffs.

Gabe Vincent. Gabe Vincent is back. One more, girl. I don't know, man. It's just like the league has just become where you can look at rosters, you can be like, they got a chance. Because they got good core players, and then you got a couple guys. Who will sub in?

Max Christie is in the mix as well. So we have a whole bunch of young dudes? Yeah, Max, Vincent off the bench. So we have basically the Miami Heat that first year. Yes. Young, old as hell. Yes. But ours is old young old as hell. Yes, but ours is old young as hell

So you got dog connect gonna sub in for real if Ronnie gets in a game, there's nobody we can be like Why? No Cuz brownie gonna have to play the point. Yeah, he's running the one right? He gonna have to you see I don't know. He's where he runs. It's kind of like the two Who's their backup? That's what I'm saying. Who's their backup shooting guard?

Jabroni. If Bron is on the court with Bron. No, Cam Reddish is still there. But if Bron is on the court with Bron, Bron is running the one. If Bron is getting many of them, Cam Reddish. But I'm just figuring out, you know what I mean? Like he's a 15 spot. You've had a lot of opportunities to do something.

We've got a new coach. So we don't really have a bench right now. That's our starting five. And Redick said he wants to kind of hammer down that nine player rotation. Obviously still doing it. Who's the injured players on y'all team? Christian Wood and Vanderbilt. So basically moving towards

the playoffs, it'll be K'Net, Christian Woods, and Vando coming up. And Max Christie. And Gabe Vincent. And Gabe Vincent. Max Christie or Gabe Vincent will be in the mix as well. One-two. Two. He's 21.

Christie's two. Yeah, but just got that new deal. They're going to lean on him a little more. That's the second five. So Gabe in the playoffs. So that's our nine for the playoffs. Yep. With Gabe probably playing less minutes because they'll just move Austin Reeves to the point nah

Gabe he needs I mean because I've got a showcase him You got a plan you don't want to keep him you don't want to keep him you don't want to not play him you got To play him at the point especially especially if you're trying to make some movements obviously being a name to monitor other things going on I got some because we're not done We have an in-season tournament championship to defend in case you guys know Who's in the group with the big guys? No team has won back-to-back in-season tournament championships in NBA history. Pressure?

No, we don't feel pressure. We make love to pressure. I mean, it's... For the in-season? You see, we starting off with this lineup. Starting off top. We starting off top. Yeah, no.

Yeah, it is, though. I think we can get top. Top 60? Hell top. Top six? Yeah, hell yeah. Top six. So we would not have to be in the plane to get. We've been seven the last two seasons. Let me ask you this.

I forgot we've been seven the last two seasons. Moving up one more, huh? Is the pressure on JJ? No. Is the pressure on? Hell yeah. You think? After this preseason?

After we've seen? No, the pressure pressures on JJ and the reason why the pressures on JJ is because He has two entities When you had Kardashian there, right No, no, no. Just think that's a whole different light. Yeah, absolutely that day was not ready for that Made too much pressure on the coach. There's outside. Now you have LeBron. You already had dealing with the LeBron machine.

His son has just this. He has his own machine. He has a kid machine, plus the video game community. He has his own circuit that he brung on a team. Right? That's like dealing with one of the ball boys. Facts.

Right? You had the father's machine, then you had the son, UCLA, and his. So is it pressure to win a lot of games or managing? You're managing the game, and then you're managing the social media influence. Because there's going to be during moments of the game where all the kids are going to be doing what? Brawny. We already saw it in the preseason.

And as a coach, right? You're sitting there like, putting them in the game? This is a real game. Right? This is a real game. And over time, boo, it's going to affect it. And he's going to, he's dealing with something that just, that wasn't expected. Nah.

I think JJ at this point right now, he's moved into the Coach K seat. This is the dream job for him. So he's not going to let nothing fuck this up. But. At all. UCLA, USA basketball, four-time champ coach,

ten-time, whatever the fuck he is, right? One game. It took one game where they won the game, but a player didn't play, and he had to change everything up. Everything was changed, and he had to change everything. Everything was changed. Now he got to start them, bench this person.

Like, that was part of the original deal. Coach? Black? No. Steve Kerr. Steve Kerr. No, he didn't start Tatum. He didn't play Tatum.

The whole Internet blew up. Then all of a sudden, he got fired. Okay. Then he had to start him this game, bench somebody that he probably didn't want to bench. So that entity changed how he coached the rest of the... You have another entity on your bench that you're not expecting to play, but his crowd is going to want it.

It's no different than the Kalen Clark situation. You have an entity that's sitting down there that is sitting there famous as fuck. That not a normal second round pick we know he's not normal because the nba himself had a whole draft just for him you can pretend it was for the other 29 people but the draft was just for him so you can catch the moment. Hey, so am I the ringmaster in this situation? Are the circuses going on? Or do I carve out a legacy of my own in this opportunity?

Who, JJ? Absolutely. This is what I'm saying. The pressure on JJ to win right now is not just because you got such and such on your team. It's because the pedigree and the expectation we put when you got hired. You got hired because your JJ J.J. Redick. They said they had the potential to bestow him

as a Pat Riley type of coach. You're doing a pod with LeBron. You're doing all these X's and O's, right? So I'm expecting y'all to be undefeated in preseason coming out the gate. Well, it seems like he's not very moved by all this. Coming out the gate. So are we accomplished what we need to accomplish?

I'm just saying. No scoring. Undefeated. Whoa. Relax. You got LeBron and you got JJ at the rims. You got plays. You can run with AD and scoring opportunities.

I want to see all this, right? Yeah, he seems like he's all about hoop. Ropa-dopa. He's all about hoop. Ropa-dopa. So the pressure is on, though, right? First 15 games of the season, you should be on pace. Listen, no strides.

On pace for what? It's the Lakers. This is the tournament championship. We got the players and the pieces. We should be... It should go the way it should go.

What's their first 10 games? It should be Don Connect averaging 17 a game. Who, Connect? Yup. Game one. Probably the beginning of the second quarter.

What you think the Laker crowd is going to start chanting? Ronnie. But Connect has 17 The best way for them to do it is for them to sub him during a timeout or something. So he can just walk out.

I'm not even a Laker fan. But that's what I'm saying. I'm not even a Laker fan. But what you say, what was your first statement about is Bronny going to get in the game? I said he's not going to. Now what happens,

that's what I'm saying, what happens when you start chatting? And you sitting there as the new coach, this is your first year trying to coach this team. What happens? He better be afraid that they blow them out or something. If she asks you to drive the car, right, you don't say no.

She asks you every single day until you say yes. And then I got to put you. Are you going then I gotta put you are you gonna keep saying? You know, she can't drive You know this my Ferrari, you know, she can't drive but she acts every day You can't just cuz they telling you to do it. Don't put that Who's her daddy? the daddy bought the ferrari god damn it you go hey the daddy bought the ferrari not you you can get you five more ferraris and that but that becomes but that's what i'm saying so much pressure is on him because he has yes

LeBron James already and his son is the second most famous person on the team But he's not the second best player on the team, but I know I debatable the Sun is not expected to play I know he is he's cool right there But the crowd is expecting him to you better late JJ better ignore that crowd like you was in Yeah, you can go ignoring them NC State fans. Game one. Hey, you good at ignoring all that. You don't hear nothing. But that's what I'm saying.

Now you got the Quincy kid on there who played five years of college basketball. They signed him? Two-way contract. So he spent some time on the squad. And I can tell you right now, just so you don't want them problems, you can't even have them on the team with Bronny. Can't at all. That's a bad thing. Because every time I put Bronny in the game before him,

the crowd would be like, why him? All media are going to be like, what the hell? Facts. Y'all ain't trying to win. We know who the better player right now is. We know it's him. He's played five years of college basketball, and he's showing what he can do.

So that means you got to have this entity removed so you don't have that problem. This is more of managing all of the elements around it. This is only a job for a Phil Jackson type. I have a Jordan, I have a Pippen, and then I have a fucking Rodman. I have a fucking Dennis Rodman who we have a game in five hours.

He ain't showed up hurt. He's at the ball. Dennis, where you are? We're about to start. I'll be there. No, don't worry about it. He'll be here. Right?

You have so many... That's only a veteran mind. So we're going to see. The court self is his own thing. It's... Outside. Everything else. It's everything else

if JJ's ready for it. This is the biggest circus that's gonna be moving right now. He's ready, because he ain't got no choice. And JJ Redick is in the middle of that motherfucker. And I'm gonna be... That crockpot. You know what they're doing in there? They cooking. No, no, no. Cooking his ass.

No, no, you said it wrong. You said it. It's the crockpot. It's... But is he a seasoned cook going by the name of Nana? Or is he J.J. Redick and don't know what seasoning to put? This ain't no salt and pepper. You can't just put salt and pepper. You need some lorries. When it's in the crock pot, you're not doing this.

But you don't know lorries. When it's in the crock pot, you're not doing it. Jeannie Buzz doesn't taste the real food. She She like, I don't want this bland shit. You got to have those arms for this crockpot. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You got to have them southern roosters for this crockpot. I don't know. He is a vegan.

He is too fit for this type of crockpot. Hey. No. It's by the pressure. I say the pressure's on. Please put some paprika in there. You know who's cooking that good meal that the arms look like this, right?

They're not buff, man. If you ask for some, listen, let's just, if you ask for some macaroni and cheese and somebody with 2% body fat came out there with the plate, you're going to be like, it's nasty.

I know it's nasty. I know it's nasty I know it's nasty you don't even look good enough you don't even look like you're supposed to have the great mac so JJ signed a four-year contract with an annual average salary around eight million per year yes that's our now how confident are we that JJ Reddick finishes that contract. He sees the end of it. J.J.? Four-year. 100%. Okay. Yeah, that's huge. Yeah, we believe in you, J.J. Just because...

No, no. You see that? You see that? You see what she did there? I knew something was going on. You see what she did there? I knew something was going on. Now I got to double down.

Fuck them all. Y'all put Duke and UNC on the same side of the couch. I was trying to be cultured with it, and she broke it in. So now it's fuck them. Well, we will find out tonight as the Lakers start their quest to defend their in-season tournament championship, the hardest in-season tournament championship in NBA history they won this past season.

Let's see if they can replicate. But let's move over to the other side. So they face off against the Wolves tonight. So ahead of the start of the season, Wolves superstar Anthony Edwards did a cover story for ESPN with Vikings All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson. So we got the photos. So the photos pay tribute to the legendary photo shoot

with KG and Randy Moss back in the day. I like it. I don't know how y'all feel about it. I'm rolling with these dudes. They got dynamic personalities. I like it. I don't know how y'all feel about it. I'm rolling with these dudes. They got dynamic personalities. I like it. So Edwards is known for joking and embellishing at times, but he made an interesting comment in his discussion with Jefferson.

I told my buddies, I said, if I win a ring in the next three to four years, you're not going to football. I'm going to play football. So Anthony Edwards said, if I win a ring in the next three to four years. I'm going to play football. So Anthony Edwards said, if I win a ring in the next three to four years, I'm going to play football. How serious do you think Ant-Man is about crossing

over to play football? I think he's dead serious. I think he's dead serious. Like in the NFL? Did playing high school was a standout? He said he was going to play in a game, but he would go try out or something or go do some drills and try to show some value or something.

No, he has the physique. He will go out there and try. And he's competitive. Like he's going to go to football and be done with basketball? Yeah. No, he was just dabbling. So he played when he was younger, didn't play in high school. I think he would dabble and then come back.

But we have seen videos of him throwing footballs, going out there doing what he does. He is a dog. Did go to Georgia. You know this new generation. Yeah. I think he'll try it, but I don't think he's going to. But the bigger question, he said, if I win a ring in the next three to four years, I'm going to play football. The caveat being I need to win a ring.

In the next three to four years. Is he going to get that in the next three to four years to have the option to go play football? Negative. I can tell you right now the fact that you put that out there, it's over for you. I was just about to say the same. He ruined it. I was about to say the same exact

thing. Championship. Gone. And look, we had you slotted to win the championship. The script just... Get him had you slotted to win the championship. The script just see, ah. Get him out of here. We want to go. He gone. They made the call. 2026, 2027, we had you winning it.

Bro. No. Nope. 2030. You going to go where? Boy, we're not having enough. Unless, listen, we know what happened with Jordan. We had to move the goddamn three-point line in.

We had a three-point line at the free throw. Two years. Because he retired to go play baseball. We're not doing that again. So the fact that you verbally said it, I cannot have you win in the next two to three years. And not even come close to winning. No, not even come close. I'm sending you a message.

You better not ever try to go out there. First round exit. Think of him like this. Hey, Rudy. Your passport. That shit's been revoked. Get the fuck back to France. Julius Randall.

You got traded back to the Knicks. Back to the Knicks. And Catty Stank. And Catty Stank. You got traded back to the Knicks. And Catty Stank. Sorry. He tripping, man.

Tripping, man. He's fun. I mean, he's fun. So, you know, I like it. Yeah, he's definitely fun, man. But put that out there, for sure. It's like, ah. Adam he's fun. So, you know, I like it, but, you know. Yeah, he's definitely fun, man. Put that out there, for sure. It's like, ah. Adam Silver done changed the script on you.

Mm. He had it. He said, but... He had it. He was gonna win the very super... As our producers pointed out, he said, I'm going to play football. He never said NFL.

He can go arena football league, go into off-season. Flag football. He can play some flag, you know. I think it's gonna be in the Olympics. It's in the Olympics, yeah. He can go play some flag. Man. Come on, Ant. We're reading crazy. You can play some flag, you know, I think it's gonna be the Olympics. Yeah, go play some flag

You know to be just be honest just as a human, you know, I like his personality because he's always upbeat Everything he does he always has that upbeat personality So, you know, it'd be hard for it I don't I don't see him going through one of those drought years where we're questioning his mental. Right? I think, you know, as long as he's healthy, as long as he's moving, you know, he's going to always have that upbeat personality. Well, those were the questions as he came in,

into the draft. How much was he committed? How much did he actually want to play basketball? I think he has shown that. He loves hooping. He loves hooping. He loves commenting on people shooting for him. He loves trying to lock up Jalen Brunson. There's a lot of things he loves doing out there. I think it has shown that. He loves hooping. He loves hooping. He loves commenting on people shooting for him. He loves trying to lock up Jalen Brunson.

There's a lot of things he loves doing out there. I think it's just competing, though. I think he's just one of those athletes that don't even matter. If he was playing soccer right now, he would be hooping the same type of way. And then in the middle of soccer, he'd be trying to play baseball because he's good at it. He's like, I'm going to try to go out here. He says it in interviews all the time. He's like, I'm good at every because he good at it. He like I'm

All the time he's like I'm good at every sport Baseball and why not try to tell you what is he told the Olympians who won gold? Well, I've seen airplay table tennis before Jakey he got me Is he happy he missed the copy we had him go up against a little 12-year-old, but the 12-year-old was a ping-pong pro. Fast, fast hitting? Let's see. Okay. A little project we were working on back in the day, but nonetheless.

I'm about to get a ping-pong table, too. I just got my new little spot. We got a ping-pong challenge for girls around? Uh-oh. The work don't play ping-pong, bro. The work do play ping-pong. Uh-oh. All the time.

Play rock for this one. I got it. I Got the beat I hate you Or don't. Or don't. Don't do it. No. Yeah, yeah, just... Yes, move on. We got underdog here. We got underdog in the building right now. Yes. We got underdog crew here. They're about to drop in.

Just talk about vamping. They're about to have their work out at home. We've been good with N-word today. Can't get y'all happy. I don't know nothing about it. Very eloquent one. Just her. Very meaningful.

I had deal with this mess. Deliverable purpose. All the way to the A. No. To the A. I had guilt. I had guilt with this. Delivered with purpose. All the way to the A. No. To the A. I got to the G. The first G.

G-H. Delivered with purpose. Whoa. You said that. That's $50. Thanks. All right. Moving on. So season begins tonight.

So let's get some predictions of the action tipping off. Last season, Shea Gildas Alexander was voted the Gills Arena MVP. However, the Square Media disagreed. They had to push their narrative that we talked about before, some unnamed sources did not put him over the top. So Nicole Yoko was officially voted most valuable player by the Square Media voters. But starting the season now, who wins MVP?

Wait, I thought y'all said... No, wait. I thought it was Shea. I thought it was too. I thought the media did vote Shea. No, last season. We picked Shea during our live show last year. We said Shea, SGA should be the MVP. The media did not disagree. I did not agree. Jokic won. I think he's the favorite to win this season from the Square Media. Ah, he's the favorite to win this season from the Square Media. Ah, he's the favorite this year. But I'm asking the Gills Arena couch. No, SGA, I believe.

SGA is the favorite? From the GM. Yes, you just said Jokic just now. Jokic won it last season. He won last year. So SGA is the favorite this year. Yeah, but SGA was our MVP last year on the Gills Arena couch back in April. Y'all said he deserved to win everything he did the previous season. I'd say joke. Okay. Well the rest of them

We will find the tape you gotta be Joker out to beat it. So who wins MVP this season? Luca currently the favorite Joker is second SGA in third Lucas gonna have that he can have a season like he did they gotta win they won they won plenty this year they gotta win more than KD I'm going with Tatum

the number one option I picked him last year we're just gonna go by how they've been doing it they've been doing it mm-hmm they've been doing it so erratic right he wins the MVP Jason you know Jalen Brown what the finals I just think they're gonna just it's they don't get all of it and set up for him to get it he just gets all these weird ones that though he gets this one but don't have that one Like winning MVP that you don't got the finals MVP, right? You just you just go share these

Yeah, so both you both your legacies is just like yeah back so Gil you go with Jason Tatum Lexi's You're going with Luca. Mm-hmm Don trick Rashad who is MVP this is I'm gonna throw a wild card out there. Brownie. Jalen Brinson. Right? It ain't even that wild because we all thought about him.

You think Wimby, Victor Wimby-Nyama. Why do you think Wimby will win the MVP? He's going to take a big enough leap in year two. I think Wimby at 21 points a game. How many wins? I ain't even thinking wins right now. I'm thinking the way I see CP play with him and what they can do. They have to win.

Yeah, you can get some wins. But you think he's on average 21? No, last season. Last season he averaged 21. But I'm saying after seeing that, how he did it with guys who didn't understand how to look. I think it changed. Now that you're older and wiser, you have to see. If he puts the numbers up with the defense and he gets boards,

he'll have the same type of numbers Joker has. You think they'll give him MVP and defensive player of the year? Hell yeah. There's going to be a year where. You said about 2026. By the time he's like 2028, I believe. By the time he's like 24, 25. It won't be this year. He's cleaning shots. 26, I think. By the time he's like 24, 25, he's clean.

He's clean. Defensive player of the year is wrapped from now on. It all hits. They're going to have no one else. They're going to have the Jordan here. Are you sure? Positive. What?

Positive. They ain't going to give it to Rudy. It was such a clear sweep this year. The way they did it with Rudy, they have to. It was such a clear sweep. They ain't going to give it to Rudy. No, they can't. They can't.

They can't. They had to give it to Rudy just so they never give it to nobody else. It's going to be the Jordan year where they're going to be sitting there trying to figure out how to give it to someone else. Oh, Charles Barkley. Huh? They're number one, and it's Jordan still, right? Carmelo.

Jordan's number one, and it's Jordan still. Right? It's like... So there's going to be somebody who their team was like six and then went to two. Yeah. Here you go. We found one.

Sorry, Wimby. You can't win seven in a row. Sorry. Sure. Who wins MVP this season? Ugh. I want to go with Luka, too, but I'm not. Kalen Clark.

You're going to surprise me with this one. You know what? What did he say? You're going to surprise me with this one. What did you say? Nobody.

I'm going to go with SGA. Okay. That's a great choice. That is a great choice. For some of y'all, I've shifted off of SGA. I don't know. Like, the Thunder aren't going to be doing what they're doing. But let's flip it over to the team side of things.

Gil, you were a fool. Who did Gil pick? Tatum. Oh, you said Tatum. Okay, okay, okay. Sorry. So who's a team with high expectations that will disappoint this season? I have a feeling I know where y'all are going.

But who is a team with high expectations that will disappoint this season? I thought you were going to say the Boston Celtics. Okay, Lexi, you're going. Why would I say that? Because you know what's coming for y'all. Oh, Philly. The Sixers. Yeah.

So you think the injury issues to now start this season are going to spill over throughout the whole season? Yeah. I mean, the expectation is to win a championship, right? To them. Philly's in championship mode. Yeah. So when you have players that can't play back-to-backs and start in the season not healthy, it's very hard to win a championship that way. Shaw, who are you rolling with? What was the question? Who's a team with high expectations that will disappoint this season? That will disappoint?

That will. I got two teams. Okay. Don't you dare. One of them better not be in Los Angeles. Or Boston. That plays in Crypto.com Arena. Phoenix.

Okay. Phoenix Suns. And Milwaukee. Ooh. 2021 Finals. Damn. Damn. Both have high expectations. Will both disappoint in your opinion? Yeah. And Milwaukee. Ooh. 2021 finals. Damn.

Damn. Both have high expectations. Will both disappoint in your opinion? Yeah. Damn. Everybody can't win. Didn't they disappoint last year? You all agree?

Did the Phoenix disappoint last year? For sure they did. Phoenix too, right? For sure they did. So even if they played well, they got as far as they got, he still disappointed us. And you didn't change anything. So you brought the same team back, same coach back.

Do you think I'm going to change my expectation? Fair. Who's the team with high expectations that will disappoint this season? I want to say Dallas. You think the Mavs will not? Because I... I don't think they're going to win, though. I think what happened is they over-exceeded last year

to do what they did, and I don't think they've gotten that much better to sustain what they did last year. I think it's either Luka MVP or they're going to try and win the championship. I don't think both will be able to happen. Honestly, I don't think so. The way Luka has to play. How he played last year and didn't win MVP means he has to elevate a little bit.

Was it Luka that took him there, though? I don't think it was Luka that did it. Luka did Luka. I mean, it's Kai. Those trades were. Kai stepped up. Kai stepped up and Washington, T. there, though. I don't think it was Luka that did it. Luka did Luka. I mean, it's Kai. Those trades were. Kai stepped up. I stepped up in Washington, P.J. Like, it was some great.

That's what I'm saying. Some great things happened, and then they just caught a rhythm, became unstoppable. But I don't think they got a lot better to sustain going back and being, what, third? I know what you mean. They swap out Tim Hardaway Jr. for Clay. No, no. They lost Jones. They lost.

Derrick Jones went to Clippers. Derrick Jones too. So they lost something. You gain something, but you lost something. And I don't. Mavs were fifth last season, 50-32. That's why I think he was good. This is the year.

They can go to fifth to play in real quick. He's enough talent to where he's not going to have so much defensive pressure on him now. Are we saying Klay not going to give us 12? Yeah. 12 a game? But Derrick Jones did. He's going to give more than 12. Derrick Jones is like seven.

Seven a game. I don't know. Derrick Jones stepped up big in the postseason, though. 16, 18. You think he can get 16 to 18? Klay? Easy. First, yeah, in his sleep. Easy.? Easy. First, yeah, he's like...

He's shooting. I mean, he's shooting now. Yeah. I just don't... Like, their fifth last year, as great as they played, they can be seven real quick. Now they're in the play-in game. That's a disappointment from where they went to.

Remember, they went to the championship. But remember, they got their own match-up. So they're thinking back-to-back champs. They got their own match-ups, though. But think about where they are mentally. They think they're that back-to-back champs. They got their own matchups, though. But think about where they are mentally. They think they're that good to be there. But if you think about their mentality of thinking that, they got their own plan against certain teams

who they knew they could take advantage of. If you think about the Western Conference and the top five, top six, we know we can beat them. They don't match up. None of the top five, top six, we know we can beat them. They don't match up. None of the top five, top six match up good with us. We match up worse against the bottom six than we do the top five. Last year we did. So now that we got Klay, think about how much different our matchups are.

Our matchups are so much different because Klay has respect, more respect than Derrick Jones Jr. But we gained a shot, but we lost athleticism, right? And that's going to be a key thing. So that... It's going to be hard. It's going to be hard to go back to... Like I was saying, their expectation is getting at least back

to the Western Conference Finals, which I don't see. Facts. It'll take... You're not facing the. Facts. Hmm. It'll take... But you're not facing the same Minnesota team. No. It's a different team now. And the Denver Nuggets too. Yeah.

Denver... Okay, Steve, what are you going with? Dallas? I'm going with Dallas. Sure, how about yourself? Is that your team? You can pick the same thing. Yeah, well, it's Dallas or Philly.

Um... I'm gonna roll with Philly. Yeah. You're gonna pick Philly? Yeah. I'm gonna pick Philly. Yeah. I'm gonna pick Philly. Yeah. I'm gonna or Philly. I'm going to roll with Philly.

Yeah. That's the most obvious one, right? Right now. We can look at them and be like, ah, y'all let go do it. Last but not least, I need right now, give me your NBA finals predictions. Lexi, we'll start with you. We'll work our way around the couch. Damn.

Who's going to win? Who's going to be in the Finals? The Boston Celtics will win. Against who? Against the... The Timberwolves. Boston and Minnie Finals. Boston, Minnesota. Yeah.

Shot. Boston, Minnie. Knicks, Minnesota. Ooh, okay. Teams that made the trade. Boston Minnesota yeah Boss makes me any soda Whoo, okay teams are made to trade. Yeah, do yourself. You got the Knicks going to the finals. Yeah Yeah, I Got Boston The Lakers. I said Boston and the Lakers.

Boston and the Lakers. Boston and the Lakers. Lakers versus Celtics. I'm going to say it with my chest. I see no issue. That's a real fan. Quality choice. Hey, that would be crazy. That would be crazy.

Cheryl, last but not least for yourself. Lakers go to the championship. Ronnie's rookie year. Amazing. What? To go against the Celtics? Are you serious? First father, first father's son do want to win a championship together?

What? Nah. What? The real, the official, the official championship. I just made a billion dollars for you, Nike. The storyline sounds good. That's crazy. That's a real movie right there.

That's a movie. Cheryl, give me your... He's going to be like, this is it. I'm done. Yeah. I know. You're going to retire right then and there. I think...

I think New York gets a double this year with the Liberty in the big. Let's go! Let's go, Cheryl! Let's go! Double, double! I don't like it. Double, double!

Cheryl, this will be your last show on Gil's Arena. We appreciate you for everything that you've done. Let's go, Steve! Let's go, Steve! Cheryl, we got a tribute video for you. We're about to play right now. Let's go! Let's go! Yes, Cheryl! We got a tribute video for you. I'm going to play right now. It's as a thank you.

Yes. It's something about, I just, I think, yeah. It feel right. It's New York. It just feel right. It's New York. It's New York's year. No, it actually.

I don't like it. It's Minnesota's year. On that note, let's move to Mostly Fans. Yeah. Yeah. Presenting my underdog. I don't like that. Yeah. Okay,dog. I was like, yeah. Yeah.

Okay, rewind. I'm in New York. Download the app. Use promo code GILF. I had to. Get a thousand in bonus cash and a special pick. Yankees too. Stop all that.

Dodgers, Yankees, are you serious? Shohei. Dang. Shohei the money. You know that dude, Dane. The judge, jury, and the executor. That's going to be ugly, too. Y'all like that.

We got bullpen games coming for that ass. Yeah. Yeah, Jared Jeter and them. Get a starting pitcher with all this bullpen shit. Let's go. Roger Clemens and them. Question from underdog user kingshock82. What NBA star is more marketable? Ja, Wimby, or Ant-Man?

Man, that's... Currently? Season 10 ball. We coming with the question. I'm gonna read it. Again, what NBA star is more marketable, Ja, Wimby, or Ant-Man? Ant-Man, I think. What do you consider more marketable? Yeah.

Who you can sell your... Who? Unnamed person or not? Who? Who? The most secret to the job. Who are you selling the NBA? You're selling the image.

Of everything they bring. Right now? Are you selling the NBA though? I don't know right now. What do you mean? To the consumer. What are we selling the consumer? The NBA?

Their image, their swag. Well, our own individual, our own person, his own personal. Because he like working for, he's selling his shoe. NBA market, like if you're a business, who are you going after? They all got merch. Who looks like they can sell your product the most? Mm.

Yeah. Ant-Man right now. I'm going to go Ant-Man. He goes to a broader market. I'm going that Frenchie. See? Sacai Blue. Because I was thinking globally, too, with Wimby, but... You can't teach kids how to be seven foot.

No, but his mannerisms... Yeah, but that's not what you're marketing. It's like he already knows the business. No. Ant-Man... You're not marketing. Right, but it's like, he's like a businessman,

but Ant-Man is like fun. Wimby's fun, too. He is fun, but when you... To his point... Wimby's cool. He can speak a businessman, but Ant-Man is like fun. He is fun, too. But when you're not as fun as Ant-Man. To his point. Wimby's cool. He can speak a different language. He's not as fun as Ant-Man.

Ant-Man sitting there, man, with the shades on, man. What buddy talking about, man? Like, what? Wimby's on GQ. Like, he's just in a different league. Like, he reminds me of, like, the Tiger Woods. He's in that. Elevated.

Yeah, he's in the elevated, more prestige type of bougie. He's bougie. Ant-Man is hood. And so is Ja. But I think that Ant-Man is a hood professional. He's like the professional hood. He's the professional hood dude. So he shows up in the hoodie.

No. But he still knows how to talk on the camera. But he got the bands in his pocket. They leaking out. He's no, he's no, he's, Ant-Man can get into Nobu. Yes. He can get in there. Like he knows how to get in there.

But the kid's going to dunk and jump. He's using a fork. He's using a fork at Nobu. Wimby's No-boo is just... In the back of his house. It's the black one where there's only 12 people that get one. Right? There's only like...

You know what I mean? It's exclusive. So exclusive. Right. Right? And that's the one he can get into. He's going to get... There's things that's going to be given to Wimby that no one else can get.

It's going to be a little bit cleaner in there when we're eating. Yeah. A little bit cleaner. No flies and none of that. We're going soul food. Those doors are only open for a few people. It's the Kobe door and then the A.I. door. It's two different doors.

Yeah. I think Ant-Man is in the A.I. door. For sure. But I think so is Jai. Jai is definitely in the A. doors. Yeah. I think Ant-Man is in the AI door. Yeah. For sure. But I think so is Jai. Jai is definitely in the AI door. But I don't think that Wimby's in Kobe's door because I don't think Kobe was that level. I think Wimby's, like, more marked, like, more.

I think Kobe grew into that. Yeah. He's already over there. Kobe was in the door. They kicked him out. Yep. He knocked his ass back up in that door. Right. Where, Kobe was in the door. They kicked him out. Yep. He knocked his ass back up in that dough.

Right? Right. Were you talking about the SPs? You're talking about all... He got back in that... He got back in that... GQ, all that. Yep.

So... Like, we're A-Rod. It's just a different... You know what I mean? It's just... Gil, I got some great news for you. We had 30,000 fans in the chat today watching Gil Zerina presented by Underdog. Hey! That's not the great news. Gills Arena presented by Underdog. Hey.

That's not the great news. Come on now. Great news. We don't got to leak that sex tape now. We got the numbers. We did it. We are good to go. What did you say?

Y'all got a sex tape? What? No. Come on, man. I'm just here to host. You know I'm merely a host. I'm just hearing what y'all sound like. What the hell is sex tape?

We was going to have to leak one to get them numbers back. What's going on? What's going on with the sex tape? We don't have to do it. Lexi, why are you late with that thing? We appreciate going to have to leak one to get them numbers back. What's going on today? We don't have to do it. Lexi, why are you late with that thing? We appreciate you to everybody who pulled up to support the show for the NBA season tip-off. Cheryl, we appreciate having you this week. Let's get away.

I'll give you an opportunity to explain yourself. We appreciate. No, I see you jumping to conclusions. I was on your side all show. I was trying to figure it out. I'm like, what is this? Cheryl, we appreciate you pulling up this week for the first time season through. I'll be waiting for my to drop. Move Around Podcast.

I'll leak your tape. Like and subscribe to the Move Around Podcast. That was my best performance. And we've got Dwight Howard pulling up to the arena tomorrow, so make sure you tune into that. We will recap all the games. Another legendary show. I'm Larry.

Another Gills Arena presented by Underdog. We will see y'all tomorrow. Smoke. Smoke. Smoke.