Gil's Arena - The Knicks EPIC Game 1 Comeback FIRES UP Gil's Arena

Episode Date: May 20, 2026

The New York Knicks EPIC Game 1 Comeback FIRES UP Gil's Arena as the Gil's Arena Crew reacts to the Knicks overcoming a 22 point deficit in the 4th Quarter to stun the Cleveland Cavaliers in a Game 1 thriller and break down how Jalen Brunson & the Knicks stole the opening game of the Eastern Conference Finals with their gutsy performance. They analyze what the Cavs can do to slow down Brunson as the series moves along and call out James Harden for sinking his team with his 6th game in these NBA Playoffs where the beard had more turnovers than FGs made. Next, they react to the stunning news from the Dallas Mavericks as the team decided to move on from head coach Jason Kidd and break down what this means for Cooper Flagg and the rest of the Mavs roster as the team looks to move in a new direction under new leadership. Then they give their takes on the viral clip of Anthony Edwards shaking hands with the San Antonio Spurs with 8 minutes left in their Game 6 blowout and debate if the Timberwolves superstar was overstepping with this immature action before getting into a heated debate on who is the best player in the World right now after Victor Wembanyama outplayed Shai Gilgeous Alexander, despite the OKC Thunder Superstar taking home his 2nd NBA MVP Award. PLEASE give us a LIKE & SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy the show!! Today's Gil's Arena Crew : Josiah Johnson, Kenyon Martin, Brandon Jennings, Skip Bayless & Rashad McCants Gil's Arena premieres every Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday at 11:30am PT / 2:30pm ET. Sign up for Underdog HERE with promo code GIL and play $5 to get $50 in bonus funds or bonus entries https://play.underdogfantasy.com/p-gi... SUBSCRIBE:    / @thearena0   Read Rashad's Blog - https://rawrashad.com/?blog=y Join the Underdog discord for access to exclusive giveaways and promos!   / discord   Must be 18+ (19+ in AL, NE; 19+ in CO for some games; 21+ in AZ & MA) and present in a state where Underdog Fantasy operates. Terms apply. Concerned with your play? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit www.ncpgambling.org; NY: Call the 24/7 HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY or Text HOPENY (467369) 2 Min Countdown 0:00:00 Show Start 0:02:09 Knicks Pull Off A GUTSY Comeback In Game 1 0:05:13 Skip Calls Out James Harden 0:41:53 Jason Kidd FIRED By The Mavericks 1:12:25 Anthony Edwards Gives Spurs An Early Congrats 1:27:17 Gil's Arena Debates The Best Player In The World 1:52:53 Who is the best player in the NBA right now? 1:57:36 Kenyon Calls Out Skip For Ditching The Spurs 1:59:42 Rashad's Best Player In the World 2:04:03 Spurs/OKC Game 2 Picks 2:07:26 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Gills Arena presented by Underdog. Whoa, whoa, whoop. How are everybody feeling today? Better than the cat. Better than cats. Hey, better than just. Damn sure. Good in the calves.

Woo. That's a tough one. Better than Kenny Acos. I'm going to use one of Kenny's timeouts right now. Please. Please. You got four of them. You took him on with him.

I mean, you lose two. What did you keep on four for? Hey, listen. Taking them home, you're going to put him on his mantle. Wow. We will discuss that shortly, but this is Gills Arena presented by Underdog Woo-Wo. I'm merely a host, Josiah Johnson.

We've got one of the biggest legends in the sports media game. Skip Bayless back in the building here with us. Representing tough crowd, car carrying country club member. Also, Tough Crowd Golf, the newest and truest installation in the Tough Crowd family, Mr. B, Brandon, Jenny. On this side of the couch, we've got a distinguished gentleman from Oak Cliff, former number one pick Kenyon Martin. Fucking hands look like Nick over here.

Can we get Kenya some moisturizers? Please. My shit looks like, look down like, oh, these don't belong to me. Last but not least, the man they call Cemetery Larry, NCAA champion of the world, Dr. Rashau McCann's Ph.D. back here with us. Yes, sir. He representing for New York? Absolutely, you know

We Knicks and... Yeah, I'm a real knicker. I'm a real knicker, man. Oh, well, we got a lot to get into Here's what's cracking in Gills. Before we do, Cangelo, we'll make sure you're properly more sure off.

Oh, yeah, no, I don't know. Let us know we good to go. Uncomfortable. Another Canadian... I'd have been sitting over here like this during the show if I ain't get no love. We got a lot to discuss. Here's what Cracking in Gills Arena today.

The next. overcame a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit to take Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Will the Cavs recover from their epic meltdown? The Mavs and Jason Kidd mutually agreed to part ways after five seasons. How will this move impact the franchise and their franchise player moving forward? And Wimby, coming off a historic performance in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, is the alien in the convo for the best player in the league right now. We will discuss, but before we get into all that,

As always, this show is brought to you by Underdog. Underdog's available in most states, including Texas, California, and Florida. New customers get $50 and bonus entries when they play just $5. To get started, just use Code Gill when you sign up and it'll load instantly. Underdog, Make Picks Win Money with Code Gill. And with the playoffs, Heading Up, Underdog is dropping 6 40% boosts during the conference finals. Boost your lineups all series long and call your shot on Underdog. Shout-offs for them 40% boost.

They do make a difference, ladies and gentlemen. If you can't watch this show live with us on YouTube, we got audio versions available on Apple, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast. So let's start in the East. Cavs and Nix tipped off their Eastern Conference final series Tuesday night in the garden. Cavs blew out the Pistons in Game 7 in Detroit Sunday to advance to their first conference finals since 2018.

Meanwhile, the NICs were posted at the crib like a mailbox for the past nine days after sweeping the Sixers. New York was plus 194 in their first. two series, the largest margin ever through a team's first 10 postseason games, got some good news with the return to OG Ananobe after missing two straight games with a right hamstring strain. The calves look poised to pull off another road upset after starting the postseason 0 and 5 away from their crib, but the King in New York defended his castle to guide his squad to one of the biggest

comebacks in playoff history. Let's take a look at the highlights if we can please. The cab struck first taking advantage of a rusty Nick squad to take an early lead. But the Knicks fought back in the quarter with a 15-3 run to take a seven-point lead after the first frame. Cab's 16 points was a fewest in any quarter this postseason, but Cleveland responded in the second quarter outscoring the Knicks 32-23, and in the first half of the 21-8 run to take a two-point lead into the break. Cabs continue rolling in the third quarter. Cleveland had five players scoring double figures with Donovan Mitchell leading the way with 29 points, five boards, and six steals.

Evan Moby added 15 and 14 boards on six-for-16 shooting. James Hardin had 15 on 5 to 16 shooting along with six turnovers, six time this postseason Hardin, had more turnovers than made field goals. Caves led by 22 with just under eight minutes remaining. But then Jalen Brunson got to cooking, scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter as he had his way with Hardin and the Cavs defense. Brunson finished with a game high, 38 points along with six assists and three steals. It was his 16th career next playoff game with 35 plus points. McKell Bridges added 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting, while OG and Anobie and Kat both had 13. Big Bodega also had 13 rebounds and five assists along with the game high seven turnovers.

So Knicks went on a 28 to 6 run to claw their way back into the game. Thanks in large part to plays like that from Jalen Brunson. They were just picking on James Hardman. Very, very unfortunate to see a Mighty Mouse out there doing work, making it go. Mikhail Bridges, they were hating on Michael Bridges earlier in the playoffs, but he's come along and come very strong in these past few games. Knocked down that big three right there to cut the lead to three. And then Landry Shammett hit this three to tie things up with under a minute remaining. Hardin and Brunson exchanged buckets to keep things tied up.

James Harder got that one right there. But Brunson came right back. And I got that for you. tie things up at 101. Game on the line, Sam Meryl had a chance for the win, but his three went in and out, almost got a preemptive bang from Mike Brink.

As game one of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals, both went to overtime for the first time in league history. O.J. Ninobe and Jalen Brunson scored the first six points in overtime. Then Landry Schemitt hit another big three to extend the lead to nine with under two minutes remaining. Shemitt was three for three from distance in the fourth quarter in overtime. Knicks ended the game on a 44-11 run in the final 1249 of regulation and overtime

to close out this game. Calf shot 22% from the field during that stretch with Mitchell and Hardin going to combine one for 10 in that time frame while the Knicks shot 71% in crunch time. It was the Knicks' largest playoff comeback win since at least 1970. Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell had this to say after the game. Keep fighting. Keep chipping away.

You know, we're not going to get it back of one possession. most importantly sticking together. No matter how that game finished, habits translate. And so they translate to the next game. So just finishing the game strong regardless of whatever is going on, making sure we have the right habits.

So we'd be going the next game. And now we're doing what we're just doing. We're not just giving up. We don't want to give up ever. And so just having faith in each other. It's one loss. It's a bad loss, but all we can do is go back and watch the film and fix it. It's one game.

We could have lost by 40. Still would have been 1-0. So we just watched the film. We played pretty solid for three quarters or so. We'll make adjustments and go from there. I said in the locker room. Just that. We lost.

We fucking blew it. All right. Let's run for game two. Simple as that. We effing blew it over the last 30. postseason entering this game, teams down 22 points in the fourth quarter were one and 594. Nix made it two in 594 with this gussy performance.

Skip, we will start with you with your thoughts on the Knicks. Come back when over the calves in game one in the garden? So I've been doing this for a while. And in all my years, I've never seen anything quite like that. If I didn't know better, and I hope I do know better, it was like the Cleveland Cavaliers up 22 with seven and a half minutes left, just decided to lose. Just stopped playing, stopped competing, stopped coaching. And I'm talking about Donovan Mitchell and James Hardin and Kenny Atkinson, in order, just stopped. just disappeared.

Maybe they weren't trying to lose, but they quit trying to win the basketball game. And I slept on it, and I still can't figure it out. And the flashpoint moment for me was the second Landry Shamet 3 came with 45 seconds left. He missed it. It's long, and it's long. and it hits long, and you guys have shot a million of these,

and if you hit the long side of the rim, it ain't going down from that far out, because it's just going too fast, and it hit just perfectly to carry them up sideways off the backboard, drop down, hit the back iron, hit the short rim, just softly enough that it hung and fell forward, through, and when that shot fell, I said, that's it, it's over. Even though that just tied the game, I said they are done.

But they were really done for the last seven and a half minutes of the game, a 44-11 run that they give up all the way through the overtime, which was a joke. And my biggest takeaways are, this is why you don't trade for James Harden. I'm sorry, yes, he won an MVP in his, in his, time, his perimeter skills were one of one. But he has consistently displayed in his biggest moments in playoff games. I'm sorry, I'm just going to say, he has a loser intangibles. That's what he has. He is a turnover waiting to happen in the biggest moments. He's an airball three waiting to happen in the biggest moments. He has a long history of playoff flameouts and

disappearances. And last night was classic James over the 44 to 11 run. He goes one of five, 0 of three from three with a turnover and two miss free throws. Both of them, big momentum maker breakers. And as you point out, they just hunting him on defense, but everybody now hunts him on defense. He's going on 37 years of age. And yet, how can Kenny Atkinson just, just sit over there and watch it happen again and again and again. Jalen Brunson, who was great late, I take nothing away. But again, this was much more of an epic collapse than an epic comeback. Because I'm just watching Jalen Brunson just get the switch.

Just go down and get the switch, just get the pick switch. Oh, he's got James Harden, and he scores seven of eight baskets on James Harden. Where is Kenny Atkinson? we're watching the other series, and obviously the San Antonio Spurs are just saying no to SGA. They're just saying, you can't do this. Two people are going to take you just past half court, and you're going to have a hard time getting anywhere near the paint,

and they get the switch on James Hardin, and there's never a double team. It's just here. You can have it, and you can have it again, and yeah, we're totally comfortable with James Hardin playing. I don't know what happened to Max Schroeder. Drew's. I know he had five fouls, but he's the only defender that they really have, and he just doesn't make it back into the game, and I don't know why. And then you brought up the

timeouts. Again, you got two left with three minutes because you lose the two. He did use one much earlier, but in the last three minutes, you have to use your two timeouts just to try to break the momentum or at least try a strategy session. Let's switch something up on defense or on offense. Let's call a play. Let's try to snap Donovan Mitchell back into life a little bit. Let's call a play for Donovan Mitchell. Let's let him touch the basketball because down the stretch, Donovan Mitchell in that 44 to 19 run, he goes 0 for 5, 0 for 2

from 3, but more important, he shoots zero free throws. The whole rest of the game, he made his last basket with 849 left in regulation. Donovan Mitchell doesn't get to the free throw line. He is a beast of a bitch to guard. He can get to the rim whenever he's got the physique, right? I mean, he just is. He's hard to guard because he plays so strong. And he stopped playing, and I don't know why.

And it comes down to the last possession in regulation. And James Harden dribbles the ball up. They got plenty of time. It's a tie game now. If you told the Cavaliers before game one at Madison Square Guard, it's going to be a tie game and you're going to have the ball with 12 seconds left, wouldn't you say, okay, we'll take that? We can do that.

Absolutely. We got some scores. We got some people. We got Donovan Mitchell on our side. And James Hardin dribbles past half court, and they send Sam Merrill out to pick for James, who wants no part of this. There's no way he's going to shoot this or try to get to the free throw line

because we know what's going to happen if he's at the free throw line. And Jalen Brunson leaves and doubles James Harden, which was crazy, and James goes behind the back bounce pass to Sam Merrill, who was three of six from three at that point, but he didn't even start for the Cavaliers. So he's got the ball in his hands, and Donovan Mitchell is standing on the right wing as an innocent bystander or a guilty bystander, right?

He's just over there, just standing there like, I don't play now. I'm not part of this team. I'm just watching. I'm having fun watching this collapse. And Sam Meryl's like, I guess, I guess you guys want me to do this, you want me to shoot this shot? And he shoots it and it takes a whole rotation around the rim inside the rim and the rim spits it out. Because by that point, the basketball God said, no, Cavaliers, you did not earn this. You're not going to get any luck from us.

They said, you are done because this is what you deserve. And that was that Because the overtime was 14 to 3 The game was over when that shot Lipped. So in the end Shame on you, Cleveland for trading for James Harden. That's just me. Took it all the way over there

Then we came back. Yeah. Hell yeah. Wow. Okay. Well, Mr. B, what are your biggest takeaways from that next 22-point comeback? Caps, epic meltdown, game one of the Eastern Conference Final. I mean, well, Mike Brown didn't coach good either. And Kenny Agerson, he looked like he was trying to compete to see who can, you know, out coach you at that time.

Amid off? I don't know what he was doing. So, you know, let's just start there with the coaching. I mean, you know, you lose a 22-point lead with eight minutes to go, which is unheard of. You have all these timeouts. You know, you were depending on Mobily to be able to shoot your threes. He was shooting eight threes. And Donovan Mitchell, I mean, come on, man, the game is on the line.

You know, you're supposed to be the number one option. You give the ball to James Harden, you go stand in the corner. I think that's very unacceptable for a person that we call a superstar. You know, I apologize. I might have to unapologize, just depending on how this shit going to go. And, you know, the way they did James, 21 possessions, I mean, you know, just having them out there, you know, that was just, I mean, coaching. I mean, that was just terrible coaching. I mean, if Cleveland don't get out of this series,

I wouldn't be surprised if the coach ain't fired just off this one game. Because this is a game where now game two, you're definitely not beating the Knicks game two. If you thought it was loud then, just think about what it's going to be for game two. So we already know this is going to be a two-oh. And I mean, with this momentum and the way Brunson is playing,

long as James Hardens out there, we're just going to keep putting them in pick and roll, so you're not going to siting. So you guys are just kind of basically, just out of luck now. And you guys look tired and you guys are tired because you guys played around with Detroit. You know, you guys went seven games with a team that only had one guy that can score. And now you guys are playing New York,

which is way better and energy is better. And this guy over here, Brunson's playing like one of the best Knicks ever. So, yeah, I mean, man, just good luck. And, man, we'll see what happens. Good luck. Donovan Mitchell, corner with freedom in that final possession. Yeah, I mean, you're supposed to be the number one guy. Why are we giving us, this is your team.

James just got here. Brandon, considering taking your apology back. Yes. Considering it. Considering it, yes. After one game, oh, well, let's shift over this side of the couch, Canyon. What were your biggest takeaways from the Knicks? Getting the win, Cab's epic meltdown in game one of the ECF?

Yeah, no, the Knicks kept playing. Cleveland did Cleveland things No it's the effort that the Knicks Jalen Brunson saw a couple of baskets go through it energized them right it revitalized the building but yeah it's it's a situation I've been a part of something similar

to be honest like we was at Boston and yeah we were big in Boston and they came back and it liked that And like shell shock, right? But how fragile can you be in the next game, right? It's depending on the series, right? But what I took from Kenny Atkins not calling time out of taking James out was you've been in this shit too long, bro.

Hey, you got, hey, I'm not going to, you got to try, right? You do all that scoring and shit down here. You got to try. And that's what I took from it. Like, if we're not going to double, we're not going to do none of it. Hey, you got to, hey, like I told Chet, you got to put your pick boy pants on, James. Because they are, they're making it obvious what they were trying to do. And Jaylon Brunson had it going, man.

For the team not to double or do anything different is weird. For players not to try to do something different while doing one of those timeouts that the coach didn't change the, um, the way that we're defending it. It's just you got Donovan over there. You got James over there who we look at as leaders for that team. And no one's like, yo, they run another pick and roll. We just going to trap him and make the get the ball out of his hands.

But he didn't do that. And that was the result. Yeah, you had a golden opportunity in Cleveland to get game one, which we all know is the easiest game of the series to get. to Donovan's point, y'all played well three and a half quarters, which is not good enough with, I think it was 739 to go in the game to skip for seven and a half minutes. The Cavs had a 99.9 probability, 99.9 probability to win the game. It's, and it flips, like, that's hard to do.

Like, that is really hard. try to lose to do that. And they did everything to lose the game. Yeah. But I think the Knicks understand what, like, the days off, all those things might have played a factor, but you did enough to win game one. And you understand how you need to come out in game too. I like some of the things Mike Brown did earlier playing Mitch Robinson and Cat together, which I thought the last series should have did, playing Stewart and Paul Reed or Paul Reed and Deering together because you got two bigs in Cleveland.

Like, that's key, right? So you got Mitchell Robinson down wrestling with Jared Allen. That's a wash. And I think that was good at times. Larry Shaman was a plus 25 and nine minutes of action. You've been sitting over there. It's like, when you're going to put me in?

Yeah, plus 25 in nine minutes of game action is unheard of. But there was a lot of unheard of in this game. But the Knicks deal with that. do man to come back and take to get game one and I'm pretty sure there'll be more focused for game two with them timeouts Kenny Ackison hope he can I'm gonna call another one call another one phone right here Kenny's timeouts right here is on you yes shift over to Dr. Rashob McKess PhD rocking the butters properly loosened

not choked up never like the calf never in that final seven minutes I really be in New York I'm really from there Low key. Well, what are your biggest takeaways from the Knicks getting that 22-point comeback? We're in 22 points in the fourth quarter, 739 to go. I mean, I guess we address multiple things. First, the elephant in the fucking room. And we're going to talk hoop.

Let's talk hoop from the totality of it, which is the New York Knicks had time off. You can call it ring rust. You can call it rim rust. can call it. We ain't been on the court. That's at a certain point when we talk the preparation of the game, there's the team that has momentum from playing a seven game series and they can come in and they can hit you right in the mouth and take the game away from you because if you really go back and look at the game, the Knicks did not hit shots in the first half. They did not hit shots, but they were still in the game at halftime. I don't think that the Cavs played good basketball

in the first three quarters. I think they survived the fact that the New York Knicks were trying to heat up and trying to get their latherback from what they know to be winning basketball. And so when you look at the fourth quarter, the NICs, the calves go up 20 points based on, I guess you could call it turnovers, I guess you can call it just not hitting shots, or you could just say that the calves got it going. Regardless of what that is, Jalen Brunson knew he was going to wake up. because like I told you guys before

Jaylen Brunson is a hell of a hell of a basketball player now the other side of the coin where you talk about the calves as a coach it's only so much he could do Kenney Ackinson only can do so much let's say he does take a time out and we we have to kumbaya can you mention the word shell shock

shell shock means when everybody is sitting in the huddle and we don't we have this face this face that's like, yo, what the fuck is happening? Right? Everybody don't know what to say to nobody else. Everybody's just straight face. But then what I know to be true is that one leader on that team is coming into that huddle,

whether it's a Udana's Haslam or Chuckie Atkins or whoever. Anthony Carter fucking Kenyon. Hey, wake the fuck up. What we doing? This ain't us. usually it should be the star player because he's the one that has to answer the message. So when that star player, which should have been Donovan Mitchell, hey, let's go. Fuck this.

Hey, look, they made their run. We have to make ours. The only way we sustain our lead is if we answer the run. So if we don't answer the run, they're going to get back in this game because they have home court advantage. The team and the crowd are energized. We have to take it out. Now, when we go back, you look at Michael Jordan in the garden, Kobe Bryant, in the garden. When they have that run, Reggie Miller, in the garden, when I hit that shot and that crowd goes,

Reggie again, Michael again, Kobe again, Paul Pierce again, whoever it is, it gives everybody back down to the earth that did not happen because neither one of those star players, James Harden or Donovan Mitchell, had the guts to get the team together and say, give me the ball. I got it. James made a little step back in the middle, in the middle of the lane. It wasn't enough. We already had enough momentum, and we've been picking you out.

The other thing is, who's going to tell James that he needs to step the fuck up? Who's holding James accountable for, hey, look, bro, what are you going to do? He's coming at you. He don't matter who we put you on. We can tell that man. You're going to have to. He didn't play the enough playoff games. We're a team.

What time it is? We're a team. We're a team. You know you're a team. You know you getting cooked. We're a team. Hey, James, you want to switch this? Exactly.

You want to switch this? Are we going to double this? Well, yeah, that's the man. Ain't too many, ain't too many baskets. I'm going to sit back and watch. Without me saying something to James or the coach. Hey, listen, man. Do you think he recognized that at some point?

Yeah. Man, listen, you know the motherfuckers. Enough way. You know somebody scored two straight buckets on you. Yeah, you know. You know somebody scored two straight on you. So what are we doing as a group? How are we going to do we?

Our man is on the island. Our man is on the island. That's my man's. He on the island. Hey, listen, James, you see what they doing. You have to show some backball or we got to double this. We haven't called a time out. We can't make no.

We got to do something out there. He's just letting us play. We just out there. No, it's on, no. It's on James. Right. You know the picking roll coming. Orson Donovan.

No, how about this? What about Donovan? I got it. But you know. That too. But they both got five files. Either way it go. They both got five.

They're going to seek James out either way it goes. There was no way. He can be Guarded Mobley. He can be Guarded Allen. Whatever way they was going to do, they was going to try to get James on Jalen Brunson, right? Trap. That's my thing. Listen, hey, we're going to jump in.

We're going to jump him. It's that simple. You're not going to just keep beating your ass, bro. We're about to jump them. We're not going to keep switching. I don't keep switching. You beat, he jabbing the fuck out you, bro. Wawp, walk, walk, look, duck a little bit.

They made the call. Listen. They made the call. That comeback was crazy. Fight back. Like, they, it would look like he was coaching on his way out. Like, yo, listen, I'm going to just let this go because I don't.

Well, like you said. Like, you're talking. Listen, I think the NBA was like, no, listen, we can't let the cast go up one-0. Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. The Knicks got to. The Knicks got to beat one-oh. You're talking about an experience. The league called Kenny Akinson.

No, no, no, I mean, I'm just saying. Don't use your timeout. We're talking about an experienced team, right? We're talking about a bunch of guys who know how to play the game. Schroeder, all those guys over there. Struis. Shroder, Harden, Mitchell. But James is the only one that's ever played in the finals, right?

Probably. Being over there. And been to the... Max Struz. And Struz. And been to the western... Oh, yeah, okay. So you're looking at an opportunity for that whole team...

Not a bell's experience. To look at each other and say, like, What are we going to do? What are we going to do? Now, I got shout out to my boy, Berenjay, Edwards. We was talking about picking, and he wanted some information on who to pick between Evan Mobley and Jared Allen as far as, oh, man, is Jared Allen going to give me 10 points tonight? And I'm like, eh. Is Evan Moble going to give me more than 15?

Eh, because it's tricky. It's depending on who you're playing, how you're playing in the momentum of the game. And I'm like, the way these guys playing after the first quarter, I don't see it. Why don't I see it? Why don't I see it? They're not in there to win it like Skip said. They found a way to lose the game because they wasn't playing to win the game. You go up 30 after being up 22 and 8 with eight minutes left.

No, they was planning to win the first three quarters. They was planning to survive. They was trying to survive. No, no, they were playing. Third quarter they went up. What was the fourth quarter? What was the fourth? It was when they started to actually play.

The first three quarters was we got to. to make sure they don't be New York in New York. We just sustain. We just make sure we end the game. And then fourth, we figure out that James can take us home or Donovan can take us home. Donovan didn't touch the ball, though. Neither one of them showed up. You can't be Superman taking a break.

No. You stuck in the fucking booth? What you're doing, bro? Superman, no off day. Come on, man. You don't get stuck in the booth. Memorial Day? He can't.

Ah, man. No, no crypto night for that. Labor Day? No, man. But look, the look on his face, that Donovan Mitchell, look. That's scary shit. He's scary.

I've seen him be scary. And to your point, first he needed to take over the huddle and say, this is not going to happen. And then he has to back it up on the court by saying, give me the damn ball and get out by way. Just give me the ball.

The last possession, he should have been in his hand. Come on. Five minutes left. No, but even if that. Okay. The last position when Sam Merrill took the three. Yeah, he didn't touch the ball

with James had. James had, your ball should have been in Donovan Mitchell's hand. What are you doing? But it's like he quit. He didn't want the ball. He just went over and stood on the side like, I'm good. Guess where he's from? I mean, I mean, it's his first.

Guess what Donovan Mitchell from? You mean Westchester, like New York? New York. Yeah, okay. He's from New York. 45 minutes where from the city, though. The state. But there's a very, New York, very big state.

A lot of New York State. He's New York State. Right? So you know this energy in here. You know what this is. Yeah. His father worked for the Mets, right? So he grew up in the culture of the city.

Okay. And then the other crazy thing to me, the stat of the night is the Knicks won points in the paint, 60 to 38. And guess who was scoring the points in the paint for the Knicks? The guy who's six feet tall. And you've got Jared Allen and Evan Mowgli. I'm not saying there are a dynamic deal. but they're pretty good. They're playing very well.

Yeah. And they can command the paint and they can make it hard. They're not two wimby's, but they can make it hard on people driving the basketball because there are two of them. And it's like they stopped playing too

because Jaylen Bernan just kept getting, he's scoring points in the paint. He's scoring little runners up off, high off the glass. He is making you look silly, and it started with James, but once he gets past James, which is no problem, then we're the two, quote, unquote, twin towers.

You know, where are they? Occupied. I don't know. They're occupied. You think about points in the paint all games, 60 to 38. Yeah. New York, 60 to 38. That means Jalen Brunson is not settling for the three. No.

That means Carl Anthony Towns is not settling for the three. They did not. That means I'm getting sham it, OG, all of these guys, good quality shots that they just were not hitting. Not hitting. Not hitting. They scored 38 points he made one three. One three. Big three.

By the way, the starting lineup for the NICS, the five starters went six of 26 from three for the whole game. Six of 26. If you told me that before the game started, I'd say, they're in trouble, man. Blown out. But it didn't matter because they were 60 to 38 in points in the paint, to your point. But one thing the NICs always do, though, they fight back.

When given the opportunity to fight back, if we see any weakness in your fight, we know we can bring our Josh Hart to the table. They can. And they did. And you look at the actual threes Cleveland kept shooting. They were 16 for 50? They were.

For 50 threes. So you look at the opportunity for second chance points that you didn't get because you didn't get no offensive rebounds, but you look at us. We get the stop. We get a rebound and we're not going to settle for the three. We're going to chip away, like Jalen Brunson said, let's chip away at this lead. You cannot eat an elephant in one bite. You have to chip away.

You chip away. Every single stop. You practice this in practice. We get three stops. We get a point. We're trying to get to five. Three stops, point. Three stops, point.

Three stops, point. Next thing you know, it's five to two. We win because we got more stops than you got buckets. And that's the best part about the game right now. Okay, but it did help that Landry Shamet finally got a shot and made three big shots. One was pretty lucky, but he made, he started the whole comeback with the first one, that he made. And I love Landry Shaman.

He's like a game time. Wherever he's been, he just comes in and just lights it up. And he's not afraid. And he's going to change the energy. He's got some Genobley in him where he just comes in and everything. And he'll fight you on defense too. And he was the X factor in the comeback because the starters aren't making threes, but he made three huge ones.

Okay. Well, I mean, when they were doubling, you know, O.G got in the lane. and, I mean, you know, they were able to hit some three. So they were trying to. It was just, other guys were just stepping up, like, two at the same time. What do you do if you're Mowgli and Allen, knowing that they're needed like they were in the first half? Come in in the second half. You're shooting all these threes.

Both of them are on the outside. How do you get yourself into the game at that point as a big? No, in that kind of. No, what Jared, Jared Allen is offensive rebound. So his job is the offensive rebounding. and defense rebounding, and block a shot of two. So that's his contribution. And if he's getting the little pocket pass

where he can roll and do his little one right hand, big hand lay up and those things, that's one thing. But Evan Mowpley, on the other hand, they need his offense in order for them to have success. 15 points. And him being on the perimeter is not the answer. A few times where they swishy had a small loan him, he did take him to the block.

They did look for him. Jalen Brunson got stuck down there a couple of times and they did look for him in that instant. I think it used to be more of that. I think you got to force feed him. He's not going to demand the ball. So it's on Kenny Ackison. It's on James. It's on Donovan Mitchell.

Two B guards, right? And realize that big hasn't had a touch in four or five possessions, right? Run something to get him a touch. Yeah, because they be, like it's just, it's unfortunate that. we are at times relying on guards as bigs right and once the game the floor of the game and certain plays are called and certain guys get it going or not get it going and they're trying to search for their game bigs can get lost in the fray facts um and then the old saying go get it off the glass well no you can run something for me as well right but jared allen job is to

keep the plays alive, offensive rebound. So his energy is needed more than buckets, I think. If he plays with that energy like he has in the last two game sevens, if you look at his numbers in the last two game sevens,

astronomical, right? That energy is needed the first six game. He plays well, but he just seen for some reason when it's on the line. He just like balls to the wall. Like he goes all out and big time double-doubys in both of those games.

Yeah. Close-out games. But yeah, now, Evan Mobley needs someone, James or Donovan to call his number, right? Not for me to be standing over in the corner. It's not my best attribute. I can shoot it, but I'm an athlete. I'm agile. I need to be making plays on the move.

You're running little pitchbacks for me and you use my athleticism. And if I get a small on me instead of forcing a three, let's throw the ball down to me. Right, so that's what Evan Mobley can get itself going, I think. Who's the X factor at us, this particular game? Who changed the game for both sides? Well, let's just say the next, fuck it. Oh, Larry Sherman was the X factor. Normally is Mitchell Robinson because the offense is rebounded.

But it was Larry Shamman. It was the one three that Jordan Clarkson made. It was little things like that that kept them afloat where they just didn't get buried all together, I think. What do you all think of all together? What do you all think, McElbredgers is well? I just want to. I was going to say one of them two, but then I had to think about it. No, OG.

OG went two for nine, one for six. It was eight for ten from the free throw line, but the things he did was not on the stat sheet. Driving the lanes off that pick and pop with Jalen Brunson, forcing them to collapse, pushing the ball out, getting those guys. I think it came from him stretching the floor, being the stretcher. You're playing Mitchell Robinson and Kat in the same time. That leaves you a little bit vulnerable to being in the paint. That's harder for Jalen Brunson to get inside without getting blocked. But when you stretch the floor with OG, now you've got a guy that you can pick and pop with

and you have to full rotate. And I think that's what happened during the run is they were doing the pick and pop with OG. He's wide open. Now you're forcing the rotation. Swing, swing, swing, drive. He gets a lay up on Mobley. Swing, swing, drive. He passes it to the corner.

These are things I think, OG, if you think about it, he wasn't available. We don't know if he's going to play or not. He comes back in. We don't know how rusty he's going to be. But he looked athletic. He's out there trying to dunk on guys. He played defense. He moved his feet.

He didn't hit shots like he usually does. But just imagine if he starts. And I think the sham it and Mikhail Bridges did what they're supposed to do. They're contracted to be the guys they were. And I could vote them in as that. but I would say, OG was the game changer with his energy and effort. All right. So would you guys allow me to just quickly hit the low lights of James Hardin's playoff flameouts?

If you're always hitting the low lights here, can we mix in some positivity as well? Not when you lose, you don't get no positivity when you lose. This is classic James Harden Knight. And tell me if I'm wrong about this, because maybe I am. But here are the facts. and I'll start with this year's playoffs. They play Toronto, it goes seven games in the first round. And then the two games at Toronto, three and four, he has eight turnovers and seven

turnovers. Then we go to Detroit game one, seven turnovers, one of seven from three. And then Detroit game two, three of thirteen and O of four from three. And then that classic game five, he's going down the stretch in the last two and a half minutes when obviously the nine-point lead was blown and the calves came back, but James was trying his best to give it away. He goes, one of eight in the last two and a half minutes in overtime, Ove three from three with three big miss free throws in overtime and three

turnovers, but they still survive and win. Then game six, they're supposed to close out at home, close out in Detroit, and he has eight turnovers. And then game seven, they win by 31, but James Hardin in that game goes two of ten, of six from three, and somehow they won 125 to 94. Quickly, last year, game seven, he's a clipper, and they're at Denver in game seven, they get it to seven games, and in that game, he just completely disappears and quit shooting.

He goes two of eight, one of four from three, and is a minus 29 in that big game seven at Denver. Then three other quick classics. There's the one at Houston's game seven against Golden State. It's 2018. He goes two of 13 from three. Yeah, that's the name is 27 straight. Yeah.

Yeah. Game six. Was that OCP? What's that? No, Chris Paul. Yes, when he got it. No, they didn't have Chris Paul. They lost, and he once again pulled his hamstring, which he pulled many times.

All right. The classic Spurs game was game six at Houston in 2018. I'm sorry, 2017. And the Spurs don't have Kauai and don't have Tony Park. for this game. Again, it's in Houston, and James has six turnovers and goes two of 11 from the floor and two of nine from three. And then

the all-time game was the game five at Golden State back in 2015 in which he set the all-time NBA playoff record for turnovers in a playoff game with 12. I don't know. It's just, it's consistent when you need him the most,

he'll give you the least. That's just me. And he is a great basketball player. He obviously, his resume, he's obviously a Hall of Famer. He's a first ballot Hall of Famer. But this screams, hide your eyes, man.

You better be careful if you're going to lean on him. And you talked yesterday, what is he? Well, he became their facilitator, their point guard when he is a classic scoring point guard. He's a two guard. I don't know. in his MVP year he was a two guard. But can he pass the...

Sure, he couldn't pass the basketball. And they thought, well, give him the two bigs, and he can just pick and roll all day and just drive you nuts. Well, he just... He's a turnover way to happen. And then you want to talk about hot, cold from three. He's mostly cold from three. Where if he gets it going cold, it's just cold.

And the crucial moment last night was the late three took... He just missed everything. And when you miss everything, teams like, oh God, you know, like, that's it. Do you think he should play closer to the basket at his age, James? Like, instead of being out on the three, like, because of his size, and he's so good with the step back and still being able to score. Do you think he should just get it at that midpost or on that wing now at his age?

They don't make the plays. They run. I agree with you, yeah, but because it's a foot speed thing now. Exactly. So I'm just thinking, like, to make it easier. He's not comfortable doing that. He's not comfortable doing that. Yeah, but it's just the offense thing they run.

I mean, but you're a score, right? So how hard is it just to sit? We're closer. No, you would think that. Like, I'm closer now. Just get it to me right here. I'm way more of a threat. And now, if anybody come, I'm still a passer, and I still can do my thing.

I think him being around that three point line is taking too much energy, trying to get off, trying to do this. It's like now it's like at the age, just give me this shit right here, like a mellow, like whatever, and let's get right to it. I got a question for you. As a point guard. James is playing bad fourth quarter comeback is ensuing do you subbing

you're the point let's say you're Shruder you're on the bench coach throw me in there if he's not we're saying James without offense what are you for us if you're not giving us James Hardin offense

I can throw Dennis Shrewder in there and we can make it to Donovan Mitchell's show so I'm asking you like what would you think a timeout substitution would be ice James out for the fourth and get us into the overtime. I mean. Kenny Ackinson did say that he thought Hardin was playing

good defense by and large in that game though. I mean, they were definitely, they were trying. I mean, but, I mean, that's tough. I mean, this is the first time we've seen that, though, from James. Like, I mean, what other, I mean, they got, they've been winning. You know what I'm saying? But he's been playing bad. But they still been, I mean, at the end of the day,

they still, it's one game at the end of date. No adjustment, no adjustment in a 22, 22 point comeback. So the timeout is for me to make the adjustments right now. But what adjustment would you have made? Now, am I bringing Dennis in? Yeah, I like Dennis. Because Dennis Stroller, he don't care. Like he, one thing about it, he don't care.

He's going to play hard. He's going to pick up 94 feet. I'm not going to have to wear it. Can make shots too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he could make shots. You know, last night he was one for nine. Yeah, but he also led them with five assists.

So to your point, he's capable of just. He's capable of still getting in the middle of the lane. But he also, remember he had that stunt in Detroit. He was playing against the next. He was in Detroit. He was like, so he still has it in him. So he's just one of those guys to where, shit, the defense is still come down here to three.

Yes, that's what I'm asking. He's definitely one of those guys, though. And we just traded for James Hart. No, no, no, I get it. So, no, I get it. I just seen Detroit too sit down their All-Star. Absolutely. It was like, yo, bro, listen, me.

You can sit this one out tonight. Just tonight. Paul Reed, got his shit going. You know, so we've seen it happen. Yeah, 22-year-old, 36-year-old, you just, like, can you imagine made a big trade-down on the football? But my, it's like pride has to kick in at some point,

but, but if you've never, like, been that, if you ain't never relied on that side of the ball to be somewhat a part of your makeup, you're not going to turn the switch on when somebody's attacking you. You just, you can't. Why not? Because you can't change the spots on the leopard and the stripes on the zebra.

You can't. That means you can't ask us to stop criticizing you either. Well, that's fine. It comes hand in hand, right? I want to hear none of these. It comes hand in hand. I would try not to get on the pal on James playing bad all the time thing when the games count. But stats and things be out there, numbers fly around and you hear things.

Like, the fact that you've had 40, 50 games where you've had more turnovers than you have baskets is alarming. 43 in the playoffs. 40, like, that's, like, 40, 45 games where you've had more turnovers than buckets is bad business. But you want me to keep them in the game and you're not playing no defense either? Yeah. Like, that's the one thing. If we turn your water off and you can't play no defense, you got to be able to. to stand on pride.

But that ship sailed when he was playing for Dantone. But you said we brought him in to help us in the championship and we traded for him. But that set you down because you can't defend shit. Ship sell when Dantone. But I'm not saying that. With the 60 point triple double shit and all that. That ship been said.

I'm saying sit your ass down because you're not hitting the shots that we need to. So you wanted to be like the commercial. When the ball went out of bounds on dude, be like, coach take me out because I can't guard him. No, let's remember the Titans. Remember the Titans. No, you know. And coach.

Put, Put, Peewee in. Or just put all three of them in. Or just put, move James somewhere else and put, put Dennis Sruiter in. That's what I'm thinking.

Or Struth, somebody that's going to give us something on this end where he's attacking. What thing is? I keep James and and Donovan. Yo, all that's all right. They're going to do what they have to do to find James Hardin out there,

bro. No, that's, No, that's fine. If he's in the, we're trapping. We got it. We make a, yes. Anytime James is in the action, we're trapping. Yep, we're trapped.

That should be the mess. We're just trapping. I'm out. We make that adjustment. Like, that should be the message. We about to, maybe tonight you're going to have to have 30. Whatever. Whatever.

They're like they did with Caruso. You're going to do something else. Same way they play with Caruso, right? We're going to double SGA. And if Caruso make eight threes tonight, so. We're living with it. He's shot. 13 of him, he made eight.

He won't make eight again. Right? That's my thing. He won't go eight for Thursday. And that's the way you have to play it. If you're going to have James out there, that needs to be the message. Anytime Jalen Brunson has the ball and James Harden is the primary on him, we are double teaming. We are jumping him.

No if ands nor butts about it. Do y'all understand that? If you don't do it, you come sit next to me. No, I was about to say that too. If it's a pick and roll, now we talk. We're going into scheme now. Yeah. So we double in James.

I mean, we double in Brunson. We pick who we want to shoot the ball. That's what I'm saying. So now, now you got the pick between Landry, O.G. Just threw him out there. He's just throwing him out there. He's three for three. Well, I'm saying, but he has just put him out of mind.

So we're talking about for game two, right? Yeah. The start of game two. We know the game two. What are we doing? Okay. This is what we're doing. If James Hardin is on Jalen.

We're going at him. We are jumping him. Full rotation? We're going to, no, we're going to pick who we want to shoot the ball. How are you going to do that? Let's say it's side pick and roll. O.G. Let's go.

Corner field. I'm going to make the ball find Josh Hart. Josh Hart, if he's in the game, we let him shoot. But they was doing that. The ball will find Josh Hart. Kat can get it going. We know that. OG is a better shooter.

Miles and McHale Bridges is a very capable of shooting, right? The ball, if I'm scouting it, right, if I'm game planning, the ball will find Josh Hart. So we take Josh Hart out the fucking game. What are we doing? What's our adjustment? It depends on who you put in. Then you put Mitchell Robinson in? No, no, no. We put an OG in.

Okay, he started. Okay, so OG is going to be OG shamit. Josh Hart. No, Josh out. O.G. Shamit, Bridges, Kat, and Brunson. That's going to be my five. OJ ain't in no rhythm, so I'll make the ball find him. But remember, he's the driver.

He was the one that was driving. Two's, bad, and threes. But he's breaking the day. defense down for the three. For the kickout. That's what he was doing. Drive, drive, kick. Now you got everybody contained it.

These dudes overhelp, man. That's why we sit down what we're doing right now. What are we going on the floor for right now for no reason, right? We're not practicing. This is the winning. West, Eastern Conference Final. So we ain't going to get up and down. We need to spend as much time in front of this film and the goddamn clicker,

rewinding this shit so we can figure it out. We tutor and whatever. How long we need to sit in it? to figure out how we're going to play it when they're trying to exploit James this is what we need to do in order to figure it out as a unit. It just don't need to be the coaches in their motherfucker brains

because they're not out there. Yeah, why we can't go zone? You can mix it up. I'm with it. Listen, mix it up. Go zone, jumping. I'll go one through one and how to do, stay at the top. Listen, boxing one, triangle and two. Listen, I'm so locked into defensive game playing. I'm like, what's up with that?

What's up with that? Boxing one, triangle and two. We're going to jump in. We're going to come out of ATO, we're going to go zone because we know you're drawing up a man play. It's tougher, though, because the only time you had to win that battle with the zone was this last game. When they was cold, they're coming off of rest. Now they got that feeling now. So these guys are going to hit shots. You go zone now.

They're going to make you pay. Well, we're going to have to see because I'm going to mix it up on you. I'm going to say, yeah, I'm going to go zone. Out of ATO, we're going to go zone. Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's do that. Out of ATO, we're going to pick up full court. Yeah. Listen.

And find Jalen wherever he at, you remember, you got him. So let me ask you all this. Right. We've seen time and time again in just this playoffs

throughout, throughout time, but just this particular playoffs where teams have a hard at the end of the game when the game is closed and teams are trying to come back and this thing and third

and teams can get the ball up the floor, right? Yep. Because teams are pressing. Why don't teams do it more in the beginning of the game? Just to push that button switch it up.

Right? Why not? Why not pick a, up full court press make you into mistakes early in the game. Why do we have to wait until we down 10 with 30 seconds to go to scramble and fly around and try

to create havoc? Okay, see you do a little bit of it. Like, why do we win? Well, the Lakers did it to the thunder because Mark Smart picked up all the game. I'm saying everybody on, but I'm just wall to wall. But you see at the end of the game and guys flying around frantic, it's that sense of urgency that we're trying to go get this wing.

Yeah, yeah. Why not play with that? college, that college, that. That's that college. Right. I ain't saying you're going to do, you ain't got to do it 408 minutes because guys can handle the ball and all that shit. But coming out of ATO, right, we're 55, whatever it is.

Pick up full, we're in 55, ATO, we're going to pick up full court. We're going to, whatever it is. Pressure the ball. Okay. Well, it's for nothing more than waste some shot clock. Waste the shot clock. By the time they get crossed half court,

they had, because they got to cross it by 15. Now, now they got less. time to set up and they all. But it can wear you down. That's fine. No. That too. If we're ready for it.

But defense is effort and won't to. Right? Defense is effort and won't to. So you can't tell me that a 22, 22, 23, 24 year old guy can't run around and trap you consistently, 26. Like, you can't sit like, that's what we're here for. Okay.

So you can play 43 minutes tonight. You can, you can motherfuck and trap somebody. And I can play you 37. Yeah. Right? I can play your 37 minutes. And we can run around and be a, aggressive defensively, or I can play you

42 minutes and we can just play with this passive shit and team just throw the ball they won't. Absolutely. Okay, with Jalen Brunson, why at the very least wouldn't you jump double him like double hard as soon as he dribbles across half court? You see you coming. And he's good

enough to know exactly where to go with him. You're dribbling at me, you're coming at me, I can see you. I'm coming off a pick and roll. It should be a surprise. Yeah. Or turning them. Jumping, make him turn. Turn his back. And now we come. That's that dumb. That's that dumb shit that they was doing SGA and all they can see you, I can see you, I can see

right to you. I got one guy on man, I can see you, I'm just going to throw the ball to your guy. Like, get open guy. Whatever, that's what they do. When he's coming down, like, off of like a time or make asses. It's just coming down. Yeah, he bringing it up. Run out. Yeah, what's going to go to ball. Yeah, what's wrong with that.

I mean, that's what he's going to get it back. You give it up. He's just going to get it back. It's real simple. Yeah. Because you're going to rotate out. They're doing it every time. No, they wait. They wait, though. Okay, so that's what I'm saying. No, no, that's what I'm saying.

No, he comes down and then the play comes. Because the reason why I feel like the Spurs is working with the Spurs because SGA keep playing in the middle of the court. So you got to make, so you got to make Brunson do something else outside of being up here at the top. Like, he got to be on some stuff shit. The difference though. Like where he got to come get it from another.

SGA don't have guys like the Knicks got. Brunson trusts those. He trusts Bridges. He trusts, he trusts cat. He trusts those guys. I don't think SGA trust. That those guys are. No.

That's why he played the way he did. That's why he had to play that way. He had to play that way. He had to give it up. He had to give it up. If he didn't have to give it up, he would not give it up. Dailen Brunson has no problem. He's a winner.

He has no problem giving the ball up. What are you talking about? This is- They were losing the last couple of years. That's because you allow me to. That's because you allow me to. You don't double them? They were losing the last couple years because he had the ball so much.

But how do you have to. How many times were they doubling him? Listen, they wasn't doubling him. When they put a cat in that position to run the one, you know his possessions is less and he's averaging more. Because we have an offensive system now. But if we're coming down, that's what I'm saying. But you wasn't throwing guys at him, though. Jaylen Brunson didn't trust to get that bitch up.

But you wasn't throwing guys out of them, though. We're going to win and lose with me doing this what the fuck I'm doing. But you wasn't doubling me. That's what I'm saying. I'm saying no one was doubling Jaylen Brunson. People was trying out. No, no, they weren't. He just wasn't getting the ball up.

Yes, he was. You know who is giving the ball up to? Josh Hart. They was giving him a ball in the middle. Okay, so what's the difference now with Kat? All you have to do is give it to Kat. Because Cat is playing the fucking dunker. Cat is down in the dunker.

They're playing Josh Hart in the middle. So now we're 2-1-1. It's Josh Hart. You get it. You make the play the cat or you got bridges in the corner. That's usually their thing. That's why people don't double Brinson. Once they put Cat in the Draymond Road, they've been going crazy.

I'm telling you. That's the Sabon's role. Huh? He's playing the Sabonis Road. That's the, that's the, whatever. Mike Brown was over there at the Warriors and put Draymond up there at the one and let him do what he got to do. But that's that's what that is. You ain't really going.

It's a little bit of that just that he got better off. The difference between doubling Jalen Brunson when you got rotations and you got motherfuckers that can hit them shots, it's a big difference between you playing zone and then trying to scheme and it's who's on the floor. He's going to have McBride out there, Clarkson, Shamit, and motherfucking bridges. And, oh, gee. And guess what that's, he's going to have to have in Jalen Brunton. I'm saying, in order for me to not do it, he's going to have to have Jordan Clarkson out there, Meg Bride, fucking sham it, and bridges.

So the way you don't double, he goes small that way, he fires shooters. The ball won't have to find one of them dudes going, O. Jananoby, Josh Hart, the ball will find them if I'm game-planning-it. I'm not just going to sit back and continuously watch dudes play one-on-one. It's just what it is. But the way the thing is, you're going to have cat out there some. You're going to have Mitchell Robinson out there. They're going to play. So when they're out there, we're more aggressive.

And they play bad. They're going to have a better. Mitchell Robinson is going to lose that battle. When Mitchell Robinson is out there, when Mitchell Robinson out there, we are playing so reckless because I want him to have the ball. Yeah, yeah. We're doubling. Anytime he coming to pick a ball, we're doubling. Please pass him the ball.

anything, I don't go for who it is. We are, the ball will find Mitchell Robinson. But good coach and make you pay on that. Who? Mitchell Robinson going out to make him out to me. Dribble handoff. Mitchell Robinson go right into the dribble handoff. To who? To whoever's on the wing. Whether it's Landg's shaming. And we're trapped

that. Why would he get that? Because he's by himself. You can't. You can't. You can't. Remember, if it's a double up here and you passing it to Mitchell Robinson, the reason you do the dribble handoff is because it's a one on two. I'm literally dribble handoff and I'm giving the same bride. I'm over here.

And I'm a trapp. You can't. No one's guarding me, Robinson. Who? Who one's guarding Robbins? That's what we want. No, this is what happened yesterday. What?

The dribble handoff with, I think it was Bridges. Bridges dribble handoff, Mitchell Robinson rolled to the basket. He threw the lob to him. Cool. That's the backside. That's the backside. Cool. Off a dribble handoff and you coming off and we trap you.

How are you gonna throw a lob? No, you're not trapping because there is nobody guarding me. No, that's what we're saying. We are doing that. So you can throw it to him. We're going to rotate. Yo, do what you got to do, buddy. Who's going to rotate?

You got you in the double team up top. What are you talking about? We got somebody over here at the bottom end. What are you talking about? We can rotate to him. It's two on one on back side regardless. No, it's it easy. No, it's not.

You got two guys on one. You got two guys on one. You say he getting the ball at the top of the key, right? And dribble hand off right away. Off the three lines. So he's coming off the three. Right, right. Yeah, whoever he's handed off his turn in the corner.

I'm trapping off that. So you have to do this. trapping off of it is only one defender bro. It's the dribble handoff. No one's guarded Mitchell Robinson. His man is in the double. His man is in the double. Remember, you only got five guys on the floor. You got two guys

in the double, got one guy on McBride, and you got the other two guys down low. So somebody has to rotate. Whoever doesn't rotate because you're not all right, don't rotate the Mitchell. Now you see what I'm saying. I thought you said like he was going to. So now if you have, so now it's dribble hand.

So now it's dribble hands. It's one on two. Guess what Mitch Roberts is going to have to score? Yeah, right there. Wilp. He's going to have to, listen. Mitchell Robertson will have. Yeah.

He will have to have a triple handoff, go to the rim. It's alive. He would have to have a Wilk Chamberlain night. Well, first one, listen, when we throw it to him and he looked. The first one, he goes, listen, go ahead, bro, you by yourself. No, no, no, no. He knows to dribble hand off. Okay.

That's like Andrew Bogget. It's like having Bogot in the game. By the time, he's doing that, I'm still making my way. I can still get back. No, it's too late. He's going to look over and everybody going to be in denial. Your role guy, which is Mitchell Robinson's rolling. You're going to have a small guard that's going to be down there trying to stop him for the live.

Listen. So this is what it is. Who's guarding Mitchell Robinson in the picking roll? So hit me out. Let me hear me out. Who's in the picking row? Y'all, you know, Joe Robertson. Y'all just disgusted.

Let me tell you the way it is, right. Mitchell Robinson is in the game. And Evan Mobley, I mean, um, Just say, Jared Allen is on him, right? Jared Allen is on him. And you're saying you're going to double the pick and roll. This is off the first one. Jalen Brunton is in the picking roll, right, with them too.

Jalen Brunton is being guarded by, just say, James Harder. All right. We jump it. Mitchell Robinson coming up to set the screen. You and Jared Allen and James Harden jumping. Jump. Jump Brunson, right? The release guy is Mitchell Robinson.

The ball. He throws it to Mitch, Roberts. Yes. Right. I'm denying on the weak side. So no McBride,

we're not letting him get it. I'm denying the week's side. Okay, so it's just him going to the rim. Fine. By itself. Cool. Cool.

That's what I will game plan. That's just me. Because guess what? He ain't going to continue. Listen, he's going to, I'm just telling you why I see, dog. Every time, too.

That's a dunk. I'm going to give you a dunk, dog. He's not going to do it. The rest of how they start hacking. How they start hacking him to mess up the rhythm? It messes up the rhythm of the Knicks is all I'm saying. Not when Mitchell Robinson get to be really Mitchell Robinson.

Y'all thinking like he's just some goony-ass dick out there. He actually can dribble that bitch and dunk it. I want him to. He will. I want him to. That's just like saying the same thing with Jared Allen. Jared Allen. Exactly.

And that's what we're going to do too. You're wasting foul now. Okay. We're wasting foul on somebody who ain't going to be out there. You lose a momentum. You're losing momentum. You're wasting momentum. And you're buying into our game plan.

Our game plan is we know y'all. going double. We know y'all going to deny the sides. So we're going to play this based on this. In this moment right now with the game on the line like this, I would definitely make y'all scrambling now. Now y'all look desperate. It's about winning the game. That's better than

that's better than trap him and have them play. Because it's backside basketball if I'm Mike Brown, I need to outcoach you on the backside. Period. Mitch Robinson go get them off a few times and ain't nobody going to beat her and he ain't going to win. And he's going to feel like, and he's going to like, it's my guy. He ain't got no, I agree.

I agree, right? I see it. Guess what? So, hey, this's not working. O.G., you play this position now. Now we play a different. Now you have to play a different. Now you've got to figure out what you're going to do.

Now we go Zoom. Now we go, now we go. All right. That's what I'm saying. You can't do it the whole game. But now I'm still doubling. If James, if Mitchell, if OG sets to pick on Brun. You're still going.

I'm still doubling. Even if he hitting that three. No, I'm going to double it. Then we rotate because he shot that one he shot late. Yeah, it was nasty. Yeah, all of it was 1%. Listen, hey, that bitch went right. He said, ooh, I said, yeah, that was a bad one.

But just the game plays, that's all I'm saying. I'm just not going to keep giving you the same look. I get it. We're not going to let Mr. Robertson keep doing some bullshit up, but either. We're going to be like, look, if you don't dunk that shit the first two times, hey, serve his ass out. Is he real bad? Cool. Go small.

Now we can throw it in our beach. Does they go as Jalen Brunson? goes. In the end, yes, they do. Absolutely. Both quarter for sure. Okay, so to me, game two, I'm just saying if any of those other Alex Caruso's beat me, they beat me. Name them all. You named them all,

and you respect them a little more than I respect all the rest of them. I just say, if any of those other guys, if Kat's going to get 30, if Bridges are going to get 30, let them get 30, and then I'll lose on that. But I'm not going to let that little man beat me again because he just beat my ass for

44 to 11 and he was the driving force of the whole show. I'm not going to go with the cat. Like, Cat can get that thing going. He can. Cat just had a bag of it? But he can get that motherfucker going, so I'm going to play him honest, right? I'm not going to not rotate to him. I'm going to make him have to play in crowds and things like that.

I'm not because he can get it going from three, right? He is aggressive. He just had an off night. And I think he will sing. But that's where McCall and O.G. becomes so on more. Yeah. But I get what Skip is saying. Like, I can't let.

I can't let Mr. Clutch do what he just did to one of our guys. Especially not down the stretch, man. It's just, it's insane. It's a fireable offense for the coach, and he may be sitting on the hottest seat right now in basketball. Absolutely. Well, how often do we expect Jalen Brunson take 29 shots in the game, though?

Who? And we're in the series. I'm just saying. Maybe. Say it again? Maybe. I'm just saying it. He has to.

Say it again? How often do you expect Jalen Brunson to take 29 shots? Often. That's good. Very often. I mean, shit. Huh? Go look how many times you do it last year in the playoffs?

He shoot that. He's shoot that. He needs to. I guarantee, listen, more times than not, they made what second round last year? Yeah. Shit, listen. He's putting that motherfucker up. Most this postseason, but let me check.

Most this post season. He's putting that motherfucker up. At least 25. Because they've been blowing people out. He ain't had to shoot it 29 times. They was playing close games last year. 33 and one game, a lot of 27s. Yes.

That's what I'm saying? That's 29. He will. He will. 27 is 29. I'm saying? He took 33 shots. He is putting that bitch up on that rim, though.

And he dribbling that motherfucker 400 times a game, 300 to 400 times a game. No, I get what y'all. Guaranteed. Just double, get it out his hands and see if everybody else can play on. I mean, when I found that that shit was a stat. When I was doing radio, I had a radio, and I really, like, dribbles per game, I found out that that was a stat. And I was like, like, they really,

really keep track of dr so it was the series that CP and James and Clay and and it was Katie and Steph I think it was and it was like James and they had dribbled it like twice as many times that both of them CP and James they dribbled twice as many as the other two teams best player that's what Mike Brown said when he said it he did hard and close to a thousand dribbles yeah when they were playing them like yeah if you just wear them down let them keep dribbling the ball so eventually Yeah, he's just about dribbling the shit out that ball.

Mike Brown talking a lot of cash shit after game one, I will say. He did. He was, he was, he didn't coach good, so I don't know why. The man damn-tham-to-his shit out called him time out. Yeah, he did.

He damn-to-his He didn't, he didn't. We're trying to outdo each other. Who could be the worst tonight? Yeah, who can be the worst tonight? Who can put their job on the line tonight? Who can put their job? Who can make this a more fireable offense tonight?

So, last question before we move on, Will the cast be able to recover from blowing the game with this game? You mentioned experiencing these things. How long is that hangover after you feel an opportunity like this slip away? On the road, it's – because we did it at Boston. When I was with the Nets, Paul Pierce had a great fourth quarter, and they made some big shots. We were on the road.

But the series – it wasn't game one. That's the beauty of it. I think it was game three. We came back won a series in six. But game one, the tough one, man, when you're going there and you're playing as well as you are, and we haven't played the best on the road. We had a couple road wins, but we haven't played the best on the road. So to collapse in that fashion, it's going to be a lingering effect.

They're tired. You know, play the seven-game series. Two seven-game series come out, an overtime game, one-day rest in between the game. The Knicks are going to come out even more energized and even more focused. Yeah, it's a tall task. It's a tall task to bounce back from that in that high-star environment when you're not the best role playoff team. So, yeah, it's a big ask. It can't get done.

I don't say it can't get done, but you've got to play a full, complete game. You've got to compete, you've got to coach for 48 minutes. You've got to play for 40. I have it on the game last. You've got to coach and play for that long. It's saying it can't be done, but it's a, it's a, a, it's a, you got to. it's a tall ass. It was ominous.

We'll say that we will keep monitoring this series as we do, but now let's shift over to Dallas, where Jason Kidd out as Mav's head coach after five seasons with the team. Kid and the team agreed to mutually part ways Tuesday. So Kidd took over as Mav's head coach, 2021, had an overall record of 205 and 205 with Dallas, 22 and 18 in the playoffs,

led them to a 52 and 30 record in conference finals appearance in his first season. season and an NBA finals appearance in 2024. But since trading, Luca to the Lakers last February, the Mabbs have missed a playoffs in each of the last two seasons as the squad has been hampered by injuries. So earlier this month,

the Mavs named former Nuggets and Raptors Executive Masay Ujiri as the new team president, according to the report, Kit was lobbying to get the position, but the Mavs opted to go in a different direction. So during his introductory press conference back on May 5th, Ejuri was asked about Kitt's future with the team but was non-committal saying he's done a great.

job. We're going to look at this thing from head to toe. And in a statement release Tuesday, Massai said in part, as we elevate the future of our basketball program, we believe this is the right moment for a new direction for our team. We have high expectations for this franchise and a responsibility to

build a basketball organization capable of sustained championship contention. Kid had four years and over $40 million remaining on the contract extension signed with the MAV before last season. Skip, when you hear this news, count us all by surprise, but what's your reaction to Jason Kid

in the Mazz parting ways after five seasons? Mutually-ling parting. Yes, that's what they said. No surprise at all, because, as you point out, Jason wanted that job. And once you don't give it to Jason and you hire somebody else, then that guy comes in and says, oh, he wanted my job. He's out.

Be yours with your fucking win. Yes. Thank you. That part. I like Jason a lot. I respect him a lot as a head coach. I know the record's not glowing, you know, brilliant. He's 388 and 395 as a head coach, but he's been in a couple of tough spots.

And when he's right, he can be really right. And what I still can't wrap my head around in Dallas is, I didn't mind the Luca trade. Jason seemed to mind it a lot, and he made big internal waves about it, and that was the beginning of the end for him and the franchise. But I thought, if you have Anthony Davis, and they kept saying that Kyrie last year was going to be back by Thanksgiving,

and then it went to Christmas, and then it went to first of the year, and then he never came back. But if Kyrie had come back last year with AD and the emergency Cooper flag, and then you've got Clay and PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, and live live, he was hurt last year, but when he came back and Najee Marshall and Brandon

Williams and Caleb Martin, I like that roster. I do. And I thought Jason, if you could get him in the right spot at the right time, I thought he would have been the perfect coach for that roster. So it's just a sad situation to me that it never

detonated right place, right time. And now they just need to start completely over and rebuild around Cooper Flag, obviously. And to do that, they need to start completely fresh from the top. Because he moved out, he fired a bunch of people in the front office and more will probably go. Now they're saying Kyrie's going to be on the block to trade sooner than later. And knowing besides history, he's hired two head coaches and they were first timers. So he'll probably reach for somebody. We're not on our radar right now.

so he can just, he wants somebody who will listen to him, who will take direction from him. So now the Dallas Mavericks just started from scratch to me, but you do have a nice piece to build around a young Cooper flag. Mr. B, what do you think about the Mavs, Jason Kidd mutually agreeing to part ways? I think the writing was on the wall when they let Luca go. But with his time there, I mean, I still think he has success. I mean, he got to the finals.

He is a point guard. He's one of the greatest point guards ever to play this game. So you saw what he did with Janus, putting the ball in his hands and what he did for Janus. And then even with Cooper Flagg this year, he didn't want to play the point. But we saw some things that I don't even think he knew he had. He's the youngest ever to score 50 points. You know, yeah, the team was bad, but he still did what he was supposed to do. And I think the year that he had under J-Kid, I think it's going to help him out in the long run.

You know, like I said, just because we've seen what he's done. So I'm not shocked. I mean, you know, when a new GM or new everything comes in, you know, they usually want their guy. And now that he was fighting for another position, like he said, you know, you don't get that. So you know what happens after that. But overall, I mean, what, I think he's still, what, four years, $40 million left on his contract? Yeah. He'll still be getting paid.

Jason Kidd will be somewhere in the basketball world before because he has one of the greatest minds ever when it comes to the game. And yeah, man, just, you know, unfortunate, but things happen. Four years, $40 million not the coach. Obviously, Massi, Jerry, Patrick Dumont, Mav's governor, made that decision. A kid that got that extension before last season. But shall, let's move on you. When you think about Jason Kidd and the Mav's parting ways after five seasons? Well, there's two different dynamics to this.

there is having a coach that can coach players that have experience, players that you can actually not have to coach, go out there and play the game that you know, give them little tidbits here and there. I think that showed in Brooklyn where he coached with KG, Darren Williams, all those guys, get them to the playoffs without having to do too much because they all know the game. And he can use his mind based on not having to teach guys where he needs him to be. I think that's what happened in Milwaukee where he had to go into development mode. And when you're going into development mode as a coach that knows the game, there's two things that happen.

You clash or you thrive. And you look at Greg Popovich, you're going to have to coach younger guys after tenure when Tim Duncan and all those guys retired, didn't go well. Steve Kerr, after the guys collapsed and he loses his main guys and the centerpieces, things didn't go well. Bill Jackson never put himself in that position, but I don't think he's a development coach either. He wouldn't be able to deal with young guys. That's why he didn't come down in New York to coach those guys in New York. Pat Riley, he was in Miami. He was coaching and he didn't have Shaq and those guys anymore.

It was just D. Wade. It was like, look, Eric, come in here. I'm not about to deal with these young guys like this. So I think with a guy like Jason Kear, you got to put him in a position where he has established guys that know how to play, that he can give tidbits to, that they have respect. for him to understand what he needs and wants to see and go out and execute it. And I think this year was a big glaring year for him admitting that he's good at developing players. But you have to then at the same time try to win games with the expectations of who you are. And I think that was the clash with Dallas. They had some type of expectation of him to still win games without

having AD and Kyrie and having them being like, show us something with Cooper. And it's like, I can only show you how good I can make them. I can't give you 50, 50 games. game 50 wins and then take you to the conference finals with Cooper flag and to Skip's point if you do have Kyrie AD Clay Thompson and all those guys are readily available It looks different for Jason Kidd. It definitely looks different for him and As brilliant as he is as a point guard There's like I said two dynamics of coaching that you have to adapt to whether you're going to be a development coach or you're going to be that veteran You know winning coach that you don't have to do a lot with so

he'll definitely get another opportunity because you can't let that type of mind go to waste with all these different teams out here that they're just getting rid of coaches left and right I think he'll have a place somewhere and he'll still continue to be who he is and thrive so just trying to figure out where that will be so math's have the ninth and the 30th pick in the draft this year so obviously they're going to build to the future try to surround cooper I believe with the team that we'll put them in the right direction McKinion when you hear This news, Jason Kidd, Math, Muti, Green, or Parway, is your former teammate. What's your reaction to that? I'm not surprised. Bringing new guy in up top, new ownership within the last few years. Them trading Luca, to Brandon's point, the right end was on the wall. Then, it was just a matter of time, I think, and the way the season went, the way the season ended. On a high note for Cooper Flagg, but overall,

not so much. But having a ninth pick, I think, is going to help. Yeah, Masai wants his own guy in there. He wants to have that voice, have a guy who that he has that relationship with. Getting rid of a lot of the previous regime and starting over fresh, I think is needed in a lot of situations. Where you have winning ways before, you want to get back to those. I think the Dallas Mavericks have that. You have a cornerstone piece in the Cooper flag to build around.

If they are going to move, Kyrie, I don't think it's a bad thing. You can get something great for him. Still a hell of a talent with coming off of injury, but having time to rest, I think it has been beneficial for him. So I'm pretty sure wherever he lands will be great. And the Mavs will get something back for it to help with that. But, yeah, this is Jason Kitt's third job. does he get another one?

500 regular season record. Mason made a deep run in the playoffs last year, I mean a couple years ago, but does it, like what it, and I'm glad you made that point about the development part of it, right? I was there when my last year in the league, I was there to watch the beginning

of the emergence of Yannis, right? And the things that they, implemented to get Yonis better. Don't know if it was J-Kid, don't know if it was Yonis people or collective, a group, everybody in the room collectively and come up with a game plan on how to get Yonis to where he became, rather. And at the time, I'm like, yo, they're abusing this kid. Right?

And I told him when I saw him at the Dunker this couple years ago, because I hadn't seen him since. I'm like, yo, man, I thought they was abusing you and he laughed and said how they was. But it was worth it and just for Jay Keir to be a part of that, the development part I saw, right? And you honest, we all know what the product has become, right? And at the same time, the same player, Jay Kear not having the patience when you are making mistakes throughout the course of the game. So with that, I could see where there was a clash, right, with Cooper Flagg and a certain way of coaching him and certain your way of The way you see the game, the way you expect guys to go out and play, and the way you voice those things, I could see a problem. Because within the confines of locker room and things, J. Kidd is a straight shooter.

You might come across media as passive and self-spoken in those things. But when putting situation or pissed off, he's going to tell you exactly what it is. And we saw a few times on the press conference. of developed players, what the heck can you tell me and all them assholes. Yeah, yeah, all y'all. You see that part of it, but then that's very rare publicly for him.

But when we are in this locker room and certain, when things are competitive, he doesn't have that tact to sugar-coated for you. And I could see young players not being able to handle that. And if you are that way with this generation of number one pick, and Cooper Flag, I could see

where there could have been a clash with that. So the important ways, I've never heard somebody mutually being fired, but this is a mutual, mutually decision to that's,

you play with people intelligence at this point. We owe you $40 million. Yeah, we owe you $40, but we're just going to pay you to stay home. Like, come on it. Like, you're fired the man. Your Mavs great. Yeah, I know it looks better

on the resume made to say that I didn't get fired. Like, we mutually parted ways, but it's, we see what it is. And Jekid is a beautiful basketball mind. I can see him in certain situations, but you're on your third gig. Is there another opportunity out there for the way the game is moving forward? Orlando is open. True, right?

No, there's jobs out there. I'm saying, but what that race? Billie Donovan might be headed over there. Orlando? Billy Donovan, Bicago. Yeah, so what... Like, oh, yes, yeah. Yeah, but what, it's just what direction do they want to go?

You know, after... You're right. After that, after that, yeah, no, it's... It's going to be interesting who Messiah brings in, because his way of analytical thinking, the way they approach it in Toronto when he was at the ham, I'm pretty sure they'll bring that same recipe

and thought process to the Dallas Mavericks. But yeah, it's going to be interesting who they hire them, but yeah, this is it's the right time to do it. The draft is coming up. You know what you're trying to do for the future. Everybody being on the same page. They're hired a coach pretty, he has a short list. They'll hire someone quick, I'm sure.

His draft is coming up. The draft process is coming up. You're having guys end and out for workouts now. So, yeah, you want that head coach and have some say-so and that. We will see what goes down with the man You're our inside man out there So you'll keep us up to date on all the

We got some comedies and going So let's talk about something that went down Last week that we haven't addressed us on this couch So the Spurs eliminated wolves in six games in Minnesota this past Friday 30 point blowout There was a moment that had the internet buzzing Let's take a look at it So Chris Finch and the Wolves waved the white flag

early in the fourth quarter, pinched benches starters, and during the timeout with a little over eight minutes remaining, the squad down by 33. Ant Man walked over to the Spurs bench to dapp up damn near everyone on their sideline

to congratulate them on their impending win. Interrupted the stoppage of play. Made sure, even dapped up Kelly Olenick, as you see. With a half that for Kelly. Amongst others, Aunt was asked about the move and had this response.

At that point, you know you ain't going back in, so you're just trying to get them in respect they deserve. So, yeah. Well, Skip, when you watched that, I heard you laughing during, while watching the clip, what's your reaction to Ant Man dapping up the Spurs with eight minutes left in that game? I didn't like it.

And I like him a lot. I think he's still growing up right before your very eyes as the leader of that franchise. But you win together and you definitely learn to win by losing together. And that was a look at me move. That was, I'm apart from my team. I'm above my team. It's a grandstand move. It's a self-promotional move.

and leaders lead with the team, not apart from the team. And so you guys have sat through a lot of losses in your time because everybody does. And you just sit with your guys. You're down 128 to 95. I got it. But you sit with them and you lose with them and you feel it with them. And then you do what everybody does. then as a group you go and you congratulate them for kicking your asses because they kicked your

asses. Okay, I got it. But you don't do that. I've never seen anybody do that and I've watched a lot of great players. And I realized it was concession and he framed it correctly afterward by saying, well, I wanted to give them the respect that they had earned. But you can do that when the game ends because you don't want to look like you're above and beyond your team. You don't want to look like I don't want to associate with my team. I just want to end this now. And that rubbed me the wrong way. Can you agree or disagree with Skip?

Grandstanding, he is the representative of the Minnesota Timberwells franchise player, but eight minutes to go on that game. Still time left on the clock. Elimination game. Skip has been in media and stuff a lot longer than me, so his choice words for him are a little different. That's some bullshit, man. Like, straight up.

Us being in this shit together, and game is not, like, yeah, I had a big-time problem with it, and we probably would have fault in the locker room after the fact. Like I would have tried him in the locker room after the fact. It probably, we probably wouldn't have made it to the locker room. Yeah. What the fuck you just do down there?

What the fuck? That would have been my ass in real time. So I'm too competitive for that. I'm in this foxhole with y'all. I'm not standing over, like to your point skip, I'm not standing over the foxhole and, hey, what y'all need? Like, no, we're not doing that in this thing, man. You are the leader of that team.

I don't want to get in the name calling for about it, but it was something I had never seen. It is something that is as competitors is frowned upon during the course of the game. The game's still going on. Okay, yeah, you waved the white flag, we get it. But as a head coach, how do you feel as Chris Fitch? How do you feel about that? Like do you address him publicly? Do you go to front office and demand we do something because that's unacceptable for me as a coach?

Because it is. It's unacceptable, man. Behavior from any player, but especially my guy. It is a losers-quitters thing, man. I don't look at Anthony that was as that. But that moment showed something totally different than the competitor I thought he was. And is.

Yeah, but for me, it was, it's for us, man, we've been, y'all been in this thing together, man, y'all competed, y'all, y'all won with teammates, y'all lost with teammates, we played bad, we played great, we, but to see that happen. And for the Spurs, right? What does that do moving forward to our confidence with this guy.

Right? I don't respect you anymore. I don't care for what, how well you played during the NBA season as somebody who will have to see you at a minimum four times next year. I've lost all respect for you. Like, I'm pretty, when he walked off,

I'm dudes so proud over there, like, fuck this. Like, when he walked up, I thought he was just going to shake Ms. Johnson's hand. Like, all right, I don't like that, but all right, just going to shake the head, coach him, like, hey, you have my number, I see you next year.

But to go to around each fucking assistant coaches, the trainer, the, the, the ball boys that they bring, like, everybody gets a dab. Kelly Olenny. Right? Even Kelly O'Neenny got a half-dap, not a fool. Plumly, like, do them dudes ain't touched the floor one minute against you, and you over there dabbing people up who, like, no, dog.

Like, nah, man, I'm glad we got to this, because it was a, yeah, we, I talked about it other people, man, but it's fucking unacceptable as a competitor in this at the highest level. You have a problem if a child did it. So at the highest level, man, we're fighting for something out here, man. It's unacceptable, man.

Unacceptable. Let's shift over to you, Mr. B. What do you think about Ant Man, dapping up the Spurs, congratulating them on their series win with eight minutes left to go in that game? I mean, he was dapping them up like it was his last time being in the T-Wolf's jersey.

I mean, you know, if I, you know, I mean, I got to look at that, like, at a front office from a coaching standpoint, from my teammates. I mean, it's definitely something we've never seen before. And he's, you know, he's a guy who, I wish Nick Young was here because I could be like, well, this is your face of the NBA. Right. So, you know, how, you know, this is an example. You know, I'm saying? So this is what he does, you know, with eight minutes to go. You know, we're always known to have sportsmanship.

and we do that at the end of the game. You know, plus in the playoff series, you know, you go shake the guy's hands, you know, if you want, or sometimes you just don't. But I just think at the NBA,

you know, you only get so many chances to do like, you know, to show who you really are. And this was one, especially in the area that we live in today, you know, so from here going out,

you know, going out, now he's going to have to really take his game to the next level and show that that was just a stunt or something because, you know, next year now,

you have a target on your back. So when you're down 20 again in a 4-for-something, you might as well just go shake somebody else's hand every time now. So you just got to be careful with things like that and how you present yourself. I mean, look, a hell of a talent, you know, shows up all the time.

You know, off-the-court, marketability is crazy. But like Kenyon said, from a competitor standpoint from other guys, it's like, hey, shit, man, all we got to do is be up by 30 or 40. He comes shake our hands with eight minutes, left, you know, some type of shit like that. So that's just what you're leaving on guys' face. And guys remember, and next year is going to get even harder.

So you see with San Antonio, they're not getting, they're not getting no worse. OKC's going to make, everybody's going to be better next year. So whatever that was, maybe that was your last game. Or maybe you're just telling them, like, you know, hey, my time here is done. Like you mentioned, tough to see an American surrendering to a Frenchman. I mean, well, we've been telling you about that. We've been telling y'all that Americans got to bow down for it. No.

He did. He did. I mean, but we've been saying this for three years. And they've been acting us like we've been crazy. Playing the long game, Amir Ropa Dope, let us hope. But, Sean, you watched the situation, Ant Man walking over to the Spurs sideline during the stoppage of the play over eight minutes ago on the game. Down 33.

Game pretty much decided. Wolves had already waved the white flag. What's your reaction to Ant Man dapping up the Spurs? In particular, Kelly Olending. No, I'm just kidding. Leadership is lonely, but leadership is not selfish. And when you think about the statement, everything y'all highlighted as far as boxhole, far as I'm with my guys, win as a team, we lose as a team. When your leader puts up a white flag, say essentially, there is no white flag when I'm dying on my shield.

There ain't no I gave up, especially in this series where we fought tooth and nail. We clawed and we scratched and we bit. We got elbows. We threw elbows. This is a rivalry. This is us against them. Next year, I can't wait to get back here. Matter of fact, I might not shake nobody's hand.

How many times have we seen LeBron James walk to the fucking locker room and not shake nobody's hand? Isaiah Thomas. Shit, shit. Kobe Bryant in 2003, Lost of the Spurs. Man, did that interview, man. He didn't want to shake nobody's hand. I'm coming back next year with a vengeance. I can't wait to work my ass off to get back to this spot

so I can take these guys out. I think this generation is taken for granted to pay check over the performance. I think that when you're so good with how you're living in your lifestyle, you forget about competitiveness. And a true competitor means I don't give a, fuck about what's going over there. We just got our ass beat. There ain't a bone in my body that's going to smile

and go look at the coach and shake his hand. It's no way. In the back in the tunnel, after we even got out to shower and I see you, and my message would be I'll see you next year. Right? Holla. Like, I'll see you next year.

Holla. I might dab you up with the elbow. Yeah, yeah. But watch out. It's one thing to be emotional. but it's one thing to just be critical. Like, when you're critical of your performances, we just got our asses whooped at home.

Nah, nah, last thing I'm doing is trying to shake y'all hand and let y'all respect. There's never respect. Respect nothing. Even if you beat me, yes, I was wrong, but I'm always right. I'm always right.

Even when I'm wrong, I'm always right. You will never get me to admit that I'm wrong. All right, going to be like Isaiah Thomas. Never. We'll be off that USA team. Go shake his hand. Never! Yeah, no, but that's like, I don't think losing bothers these guys enough.

At all. Like, for me, I'm a sore loser, dog. I ain't gonna even hold you. To your point, shaking hands after the playoff series and all that, I'm not shaking your fucking hand, bro. I'm just not. Like, you just beat me. That's like, we're not finna.

That's why I'm glad, I watch, like, I'm a big fan of boxing and mixed martial arts and different things. martial arts and different things like that and they get done and they shake hand. I don't think I could have been in that, right? Because you're trying to knock my head off. Like you're trying to hurt me in here. So what about boxing? Same thing. I'm the same way.

I mean, but when you guys are here at this one guy like that, you just like- I dig it. You want. I don't have to- I don't have to do that. I don't have to do. There's nothing in the rule book that says I have to dab you up after that after you as a winner.

No, no, not you. What if the other guy? just comes up to you and we're like, yo, man. That's cool. I'll accept that. But for me to initiate it, for me to walk over there after the game, we meet it.

Like, dude, we got to be something real special for me. Like, we got to have this bond before we started this. For me, I'm just saying for me, how I approached it, right? I just, so when you win, once I get going, I don't, if they come up, win or lose it don't matter.

I'm not fin to go up to you after we beat you or if you beat me, I'm not walking up to you better look next time or you just beat me and you want a good season. I'm not. Not a fan of the police series Dapper? I'm not. My mom just listen. So what about the respect for the game?

I respect the game as it is, but there's nothing that says I have to do that part of it. When we're in the 94-50, I respect that. I respect playing. hard. I respect us competing. I respect all of that. But there's nothing after the fact that says when this is over,

I have to shake your fucking hand. So do you respect if they have a problem with you not doing that? Cool, I have a problem with it. Like how Mike was... Cool, you can't beat me. Cool.

What's next? My thing, what's next? What's next is you're going to be off the USA team and you're going to... But that's... But that's... But that was the whole... No, no, I know, but I'm just saying, like, I'm saying, the respect of, like, we've seen the consequences

when people don't, well, don't do it. But for me as just individually, right? Winning and, like, winning and losing, like, does something to me and for me, right? That's just me as, like, my mom stayed with me for two seasons in Denver, right? And I remember it vividly. We used to get in the car after the game, and I remember one day, somebody asked me something,

and I didn't, I had nothing to say. I, like, she's like, I just, I can still hear like, I hate when he gets like this. This is a regular season game, dog. Like, I hate when he gets like this. We had lost like three straight or some shit. And I'm, I just don't do it well. I understand one team has to lose and one team has to win.

I do, I understand that part of it. Nobody's 100% in it. But if I care too much, maybe that's my, maybe it's internal or maybe it's a fault of mind that I care entirely too much. So you care too much to not shake the opponent's hands. Yes. Yes. So, I mean, I mean, no, no, I'm just saying. So the fact that you won't even shake their hands or what Garland is.

So what Ant Man did, it's still sportsmanship at the end of day now then. And I think, I mean, if we're going to look at it like. And I fucking think that's overrated. Sportsmanship? I think sportsmanship is overrated to a certain degree. Man, so like, so. To a certain degree. To a certain degree.

But I'm just saying, like, okay, you got magic bird back in the 80s. You know what I'm saying? I respect you, but I want you. You know what I'm saying? Like, I respect was so much to where, like, they did commercials together. Like, it was like they cried. Like, you know, because of the- It took a while.

I was there. I was there. But that's a while. But as you get older, right, and we see the top 75. It was after they were both established. You know, they each won a champion. I see you a month later, two months later at the bar, some of it. Hey, but I get you a drink or a shot.

But doing it, but I get you a drink or a shot. Mike wasn't cool. with the guys he was going against in the road. There's, Hey, the school. Michael hang out with the Knicks and Michael hang out with Pat Ewan the night before and bust his head to the white. That's fine.

That's his man's office. They could hang out before, but that's the same thing. I can hang out with you before. Listen, we could have been out to three in the morning. Me and you can be out, but we play tomorrow. We can be out to three in the morning. Mm-hmm. Y'all kick, we lose by 30?

Mm-hmm. Don't text me nothing? After, yeah. But as soon as the, soon as the, go off, the whole one go off, I'm not going to walk up to you and be like, my nigga, I'm not going to do it. Listen, I fuck with you.

Listen, okay. Ten toes, hey, we've been from the sandbox, right? So you, but you still have respect though. Like a month, yes,

the respect is there. Okay. But soon as we get done, I'm still on 10. Give me an hour. Listen, when the game started, I was on 13, 14, right?

When it's over, I'm still on 10. I need time to, hey, the process what the fuck, how I play for one. And then we can go from there. But as soon as we get done, nah, because I don't want to misinterpret anything.

That's just me. I hear you. Yeah, source loser I was ever around was Michael Jordan. But he went 6 and 0 in the final because of that. Yeah, like, I'm... What you mean, the source looks like... Like regular season games, He was, the last thing he wanted to do was shaking him by his hand,

especially the way Aunt just shook their hands. Okay. Like that, that's not, it's like Kenyon's saying. It's not in your makeup. It's not in your psyche. It's not who you are. You just, yeah, he can go hang with Barclay before he goes and kicks Barclay's ass. There's a difference, though, man.

I mean, I can't say that I'm a sore loser. There is a respect for the game that is integrated in the same. sportsmanship when you do beat the motherfucker ass and you, whether it's a Dap-up or elbow or look in the face, I'll see you later. There's still a respect level and there is a disrespect level. And I think with sports we've gotten to a point that we've lost the middle ground of regardless of like you said, the magic and bird, Michael and Isaiah, at some point there still was a come to the middle.

and all right, go ahead about your business, KG, and Chris Weber, you know, Paul and D. Wade, and there's a lot of different scenarios we can throw in there. But you never let them see you laugh. You never let them see you cry. But as a warrior, you know that I'm not trying to wave no white flag. I'm not trying to be friends with nobody. But if you beat me, you beat me. If I lose, I lose.

I got to be able to take my losses like I take my win. Absolutely. And if I could take my wins and everybody can celebrate me, I got to be able to get criticized when I lose. And I'm not going across the side to do some extra shit to make everybody feel good about our loss. And I think that's what he did. He tried to jump ahead of the loss and have everybody feel like he was being the ultimate

sportsman. And it didn't, it was unnecessary. Backfired. But didn't the coach's way to what white flag? But still though, it back. Regardless of the coach, because the coach has to be in the coach. a different credence than the players do. Yeah.

We don't owe other players anything, but that line when we walk and we shake everybody in hand, we say good, good, good game, good game, good game, all of that. That ain't no pound, all hugs and all that. Everybody has a decision to do that, but if I just want to and get up out of here or if I just want to do what LeBron do

and go straight to the locker room, hey, I know y'all, I've been playing y'all all season long. Hey, man, fuck that. Y'all beat us and I don't want to see none of y'all faces. Watch out. That's not being a sore loser That's taking the loss personal I'm taking the personal

So if I see y'all backstage And it's like yo it's love It's just not in the middle Of the game where Everyone's watching and seeing that I got the ultimate respect for losing That's not being a competitor That's not saying I want to be a champion one day

That's being like You know what If we punch you in the mouth soon enough You'll come over here and say Hey man, I know y'all punched me in my mouth but see y'all at dinner later Not doing that Hey Josiah did both coaches take out both their starters

No they were still in the game San Antonio guys were still on the bench And still in the game It was eight minutes to go And they were getting blue out Right and then The Minnesota Timberwell's coach throwing the white flag

Right he was like yo it's it y'all not going back No matter what it's over Cool so instead of him doing it after the game I'm just get this out the way now and then I'm out No, it ain't no after. Think about the coach. If you're the coach, you're watching your players. What I'm saying, your coach, he throws on the white flag.

Listen, it don't matter. Y'all not getting back in. Listen, boom, boom. All right, it's over. But you're not going to get up from your bench and walk all the way down as a coach. If I see my player, get up and go down there and then you're like, what is he doing? And then he's dapping everybody up. When he come back over here, I'm calling another timeout.

I'm calling another time. What the fuck was he? that bro what is you doing hey man i mean they beat the eyes i don't want to hear none of that young immature who over there going to tell him that yeah that is that was like like like like don't like i'm not saying i'm not saying somebody's going to tell him that i'm not saying nobody's like if i'm the coach i'm going to tell him that okay i'm saying time out i don't i don't care he's going to get the message that this ain't can it ain't no message yes it is that we stuck in i'm out of the way with no bad needs and you're being a punk

No, the message is, I'm not here with too bad ease. I don't care you should have set your ass down if you're going to use your knees as an excuse. Use your knees as an excuse. Don't bring your ass out here. Hell no. The fuck you plan for. Hell no. So if you plan with two bad ease, take the ice, take your ass in the back and get in the fucking ice tub.

You don't leave them alone. And you just beat our ass. They just robbed us. They just robbed us for all our jewelry. And you like, hey, my nigga, hey, keep that jewelry though. I mean, you had good guns. Damn, fuck out of here, man. I'm not.

Come on, man, I'm on two bad knees. We ain't got our best players. If that's how Chris talking to him, Chris, you can get your ass up out of here. Because, first of all, I've been holding down this fucking organization. You just went down there and pulled your skirt down, bro. You just went down there and pulled your skirt down, bro. My coach's you talking about. My coach did.

No, the coach don't play. The coach don't play on the court. The coach don't play on the court. The coach's throwing the white flag. If the coach did, y'all not get back in, he threw the skirt down. We're down 30. I can't get back in. No, you can't because you ain't do shit when you was in.

Oh my God, I'm on the- You didn't do shit when you was in the game. We got out the first round. Now sit your ass out. We got the first round because of me on two bad knees. We weren't supposed to do that. But now we ain't doing it. Why are we not in the next round because of you then?

Why are we not in the next round? We're in the bone, bro. You know, you want the motherfucking credit? You take the criticism. Sit your ass down and wait to this shit here zero. Then you go say what's up there all them niggas like you want to. Until then, man, watch out. That's a sucker shit.

Quit on this team. against the Lakers, right? Remember when Kobe quit on his team? He still shook hands. Was that, was that respect for the game? He still shook hands. Still shook hands. I can't play with these guys. Remember when LeBron quit on his team?

Was that, was that sportsmanship? Remember when when did it? Remember three times? When? When he left out? He left out? Yeah, didn't shake nobody hand. Went to the fucking locker room with three minutes left.

No, not doing the game. Not doing it. We're not going to say Kobe. We're going to say everybody. No. Everybody done did it. No, your favorite player. No, your favorite player.

Your motherfuckers start doing it and they think they is, that they think that it's cool. It ain't cool. It ain't cool. It ain't cool. Mama mentality. It ain't cool. Come on man.

It ain't cool. Facilitator, Mr. Big. It ain't cool. He quit on this team. It ain't cool. We went back and won two more though. Quit that. Now, quit that.

Thank you. Next. Quote on your team. Next. Put on your team. I can't play with these guys. Next. Give me some guys I can play with.

Next. I'll shake you nigg's hands, but I ain't going over there to the I ain't going down there to shake their hands. So he wanted to improve his roster? Don't matter. I got two in a row. Give me some guys I can play.

After that. When the plot, he wanted to improve his. Watch out, man. Y'all watch out. You ain't me either. So don't even start saying you, me, you're not me. Legium. Does they like to say?

Yeah, no, it was something like that. You just don't do that. All right, well, let's try. He'll be back. It's Ant Man. He'll be back. It is Ant Man. He'll get healthy.

We will see if that's in Minnesota or elsewhere. but let's move on to our last topic of the day. So we talked about SGA winning his second straight MVP yesterday. But there is a difference in being the most valuable player and the best player in this league. Obviously, the Spurs came in and spoiled SGA's MVP trophy presentation night before game one. Wimby become the youngest player in league history

with a 40.20 rebound game. Wimby was asked if he thinks he's the best player in the world right now had this response. Do I feel like it right now? I feel tired. But it's not a question I'm wondering right now. We'll see. The world is 8 billion people, so it's 8 billion opinions.

Very composed, very measured, interesting. So we've had this conversation previously. I think we did last year after SGA won the MVP. Some felt that Yoke is still the best player in the world even after that. Now SGA has gone back to back with the MVPs, but the Thunder dig gets smacked over. against Wimby, third in MVP voting, had the best defensive season in NBA history, according to the Square Media, the only unanimous defensive player of the year in NBA history.

Skip, when you look around, in your opinion, who is the best player in the league right now? I think tonight you'll see that Shay Gilgis Alexander is the best player in the world. And he has one back-to-back MVP's legitimately, decisively for reasons. that I've detailed on the show. And I know most people are prisoners of Wimby's incredible moment the other night when he made a 30-foot three-point shot to tie the game. And as a thunder supporter and believer, I believe they're going to win this in seven games,

and I believe they'll win this tonight, and I believe they will figure some ways to keep him to a lower roar than he roared the other night, and he is on his way to becoming all-time great. Maybe he will become the greatest player ever in the history of this game at some point, but I don't think he's there yet, and I think you'll see that tonight, and SGA is there. He is the best player, the best leader, the best clutch player, and a very good defender in and of his own right, and he does. He did have five steals the other night. And he did score 12 in the fourth quarter when it was time.

And he did hit the shot that did tie the game and send it to overtime. And I'm just happy that we're doing this question. And I'm happy that the world has decided that Victor Wimbunyama is the greatest player in the world because the thunder needed to hear this for 48 hours. And Chad Holmgren needed to hear this for 48 hours. And he needed to hear Kimmer. Kenyon say it's time to put your big boy pants on. It's time to grow up and be a man.

And whatever you have to give, you've got to give it. Because he did average 17 and 9 did Chet Hungren, and he did make the All-Star team. He made the All-Star team. That's pretty great for a kid his age. And now you need to say, I want him, I want to take him. Maybe I'll foul out in the first half, but I want to take him and he's going to take my best shots.

And I saw Chet maybe by accident have to take him late in that game three different times. And he made him work. He bothered Wimby as much as you can bother that 7 foot 6 inch man or whatever he is. And Chet is 7 feet tall. It might be 7.1. And, you know, he can jump a little. He can jump a little. He's got a little spring to him.

and because of that, I think he can bother Victor Wemnon Yama, and I think he will tonight. And I think Shea Gildes Alexander will show up tonight in ways he hasn't shown up against San Antonio all year long. This is, to me, do or die for the home team, and I believe the home team will do. That's what I believe. And I believe by tomorrow, the world will be. won't be saying Victor Wiminyama is by far the greatest player in the world. That's what I believe. Let's shift over to you, Mr. B.

Tough crowd golf, country club, hard-carrying member. And your expert opinion, who is the best player in the league at this very moment? Right now, I would have to say Wimby. He's been taking his game to the next level since the playoffs started. You know, with everything going on, even from last year not making the playoffs, so this being your first year in the playoffs, you are definitely having a run. But also, man, that man over there in New York, Jalen Brunson, he's been doing his thing also. You know, they've been going through the playoffs too.

And right now he's playing like one of the best Knicks players ever to put on that jersey. I know it's too early, but, you know, he's playing like it right now. But no, it's between him and Wimby. I know he got one game against SGA on his MVP night, but, you know, this is going to be a long series. So right now it's out of those two to me. So, Ken, let's shift over this side. I know you're a big Yalkich fan. Oh, so I was going to ask, so we're saying, of the guys that still playing or?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think that's not saying at this very moment, who's the best basketball player? In the national basketball association, not just still playing. Let alone the world. Oh, you know, I'm not going to deviate. I'm saying, Wemby is there. She doing this thing. There's some dogs in the league, of course. But what Nicola is doing, I'm not going to ignore.

I yell it from the rooftop. When guys are doing things that we've never seen in history, not being as athletic as most and not doing it this way. But last five, six years, either one or two in MVP voting every year, I'm going to go with that guy. production and numbers and things are hard to ignore. The efficiency is hard to ignore. Makes his teammates better.

It's hard to ignore. Leading the league and assists the last two years. So, yeah, I'm going to go with that guy. Big fellow. Let's move on to yourself. Hold on one second. I'm sorry before you go. Skip, my memory serves me.

Like, I'm... I used to listen to you and be on the show a lot. And I can vividly hearing you saying, my spurs, my spurs, this, my spurs, that, my spurs, my spurs, my spurs. It was always my spurs. Yeah. Yeah. So when did Oklahoma City become last year when they won it? No.

Because they only been in Oklahoma City for a handful of years. Yeah. So born and raised in Oklahoma City. I heard of the first 18 years there. But let me ask you a question. Maybe I don't know this or not. But when your first 18 years of your life did the Oklahoma, did they have a basketball team?

No. The closest thing to y'all was maybe the Sooners, right? Definitely. Okay, all right. So then when I went to Dallas, Texas to be the columnist there when I was 25 years of age in the Dallas Morning News, maybe you read it once upon a time, I don't know. Probably so.

There was no basketball team. Okay. It was pre-mavericks. Gotcha. And so for my, basketball fix I would have to go to San Antonio and watch one of the greatest players I ever watched George Gervin who was the ice man it's not Caleb Williams it was George Gervin I dig several ice men nowadays yeah I there are lots of ice men yeah when that are the the one and

only original to me okay and I became a spurs fan at that point but really became a spurs fan when they broke through in 99 and won in that strike year with Tim Duncan And I loved Duncan, Parker, and Genobley. And I was never a Popovich fan, but I loved those three. And once LeBron came along, the arch rival for LeBron, obviously, as they began to clash, became the San Antonio Spurs. So all my years on first take, I was a Spurs supporter. Yeah, I vividly. And then when the thunder rose up in 2012, I've said this a thousand times on the air.

That team of Durant, Westbrook, and Hardin, I clashed with all of them repeatedly. They didn't like me, and I slowly but surely did not like them. And I found them as a threesome unlovable and unembraceable. And I took a lot of crap for it, and I was a wanted man in my hometown of Oklahoma City because of that. So they turned me completely away from the thunder. and I think all three have shown in their different ways to be pretty unlikable off the floor. That's just me for all the reasons that we've talked about.

And even Durant was all over me for criticizing Westbrook for taking more shots than Kevin Durant took. In that first year of 2012, they broke through, he would constantly rip me and say, Skip Bayliss didn't know shit about basketball while I'm defending Kevin because he was a much better score and shooter it to me than Russell Westbrook.

That was like as blatantly, painfully obvious. So that's what happened. They turned me away from the thunder. And three years ago, I became, I came back to the thunder. Put the needle back in young. This team right now is lovable to me

because it's a T-E-A-M team. They win together, they lose together. They're just fun to watch. because they play hard. So I am now a... Yeah. I'm now what I should have been from the start, a Thunder fan. I dig it.

All right. Yeah. I was... There you go. My memory was... Well, I know who you're going to pick for the best player in the league. How did he become a Spurs fan? No, that's just...

Just Winby. Just Winby. That's it. Wamba, Wamba. He is Winby, and we know he is going to pick Wimby. Wimby is it, that, and some... All right. I think we need to get back to what the fans

and the Hooper community knows to be true. If I was to put in to chat GPT, stats from SGA, stats from Jokers, stats from Wemby, what would it spit back out to me when I asked it, who's the best player? I thought you were talking Hooper is not chat GBT. Just let me get to it.

Can I get to it? I'll let you cook. I'll let you cook. They would spit back out what? Joker probably is the best or SGA because of the da-da-da-da. But Chad GBTBT don't got no eyes. It can't watch the game. And this is what we've done in the basketball community.

He's going off metrics of data. Everyone gets mad at the nerves for bringing analytics in because it goes away from what we see to be true. Somebody tells me that Kobe Bryant's number nine all time trying to tell me that I didn't see some shit that I seen. Then you're trying to tell me that I'm not watching Victor Wimbignana. What you said, he could go down as the greatest basketball. How you can give him this much potential at 22?

But then I say he's the best player on the floor right now. You would bring up all these stats about why he's not. And I would say, but what am I watch? I just watched him do 41 and 24. And I watched him. Control the whole game on the defensive side and the offensive side. He did it all year. Unanimous defensive player of the year at 22 years old.

First time ever. Debut, never been to the playoffs before. Debut against the Oklahoma City Thunder I went 4-1 all season against. Whoop they ass. I'm going to whoop your ass again. Again, game one. Record. We ain't seen shit like this since Wilp.

But somehow, some way, they want to trick the fans in the audience into believing that the numbers are more important than what you actually seeing in real time. If you threw together a collage of highlights, of Victor Wembejana, in comparison to everybody else, I can guarantee you they would throw them other highlights away. This guy. This guy.

That was a highlight. This guy is one of a kind blocking shots running down, shooting from the logo off one foot. Why are you doing that, Victor? Why are you doing that? That's weird. That's weird.

Did you block somebody shot twice by Kenya Martin used to do? Boop bloop. So I dare you once again pick a sweep. Tell me the spurs are going to sweep. This was not in the run now, but it always comes back to this.

It always starts. You have a few hours out. Because if they don't sweep, I guess I'm wrong, right? You can win one game. You feel good. I like seven. I like to take you a stretch. Stretch your arms.

I think you're going to get stretched. Mr. Elastic. Stretch that motherfucker and let you see every single game about why I'm the motherfucking MVP. You're going to see every game. Why? Well, then I'm going to see three losses, right? No. What's the record now?

Five and one. winning on the postseason well speaking of Spurs Thunder let's wrap up today with our playoff picks powered by underdogs prediction markets so let's take a look at the updated standings if we can

is that another dub I think everybody with Knicks if I'm not going up don't it? Yeah we both pick the same teams the whole couch I think it was it everybody did too at a New York State of mine but the other game we picked

everybody picked the Knicks yesterday this very cut. Yes, we all picked the Knicks. San Antonio again, right? We all picked the Knicks. Game two of the Western Conference Finals tonight in OKC, Thunder dropped game one of the Spurs and double over time behind a wimby master class, as we have already talked about. Thunder still sizable favorites in game two to tie the series up at one game apiece.

OkC, 69% chance to win. Game two, Spurs, 33% chance to take a commanding, 2O lead, back to six. San Antonio. So Shabwe will start with you. Who wins game two of the Western Conference Finals? Um, hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Go a 2-0. Spurs. You have taken the San Antonio Spurs to take a 2-0 seriously against the defending champion. Oklahoma City Thunder. But you're sticking with seven? Yeah. If you shoot high, you don't have to shoot low.

Mm-hmm. All right? You shoot high, and then if we come up and we do sweep you, it's more of a celebration. Okay, let's move on to you. Who you taking tonight game two of the Western Conference Finals? This could help you close the gap on shot. Close the gap on shot. That's what it sounds like. I was trying to close the gap on me.

I'm still the first place. Or improve your... Shit. Increase the gap. Excuse me. I'm going to spurs on the road, man. So we have two spurs. He can't lose if he agree with me.

I can't lose if he agree with me. He gets a very good strategy. If he can't lose, if we both lose, we both lose. He's going to still hold on. It don't matter. I'm going to go with it. Yeah, because when we prove he's the best player on the floor, man. So we'll, until some change, I'm going to go with the Spurs.

Let's move us to this side. Oh, you know. You want to go? It's only one choice for Skip. Spurs is 5 and 1. I mean, I'm the Spurs. I ain't changing that until they. And you're getting Fox back?

Good. You know what? I'm going to go O.K.C. Already. I'm going to go O'KC. I'm going to hold it down, beat. I'm going to go OKC tonight. Why? I think they tied up 1-1.

I mean, S.J. is still who he is. You know, when he gets boomed on, he does come back, and he always answers. He's always been a guy that's talked about consistency and being able to go back to the table and figure things out. So this guy has seen everything, and I think tonight he'll be able to come up. come back and show who he is. And chat. I think chat is going to get the message. Chad hologren.

So who got boomed on? Oh, when OKC was getting boomed on all year. When it was 5 and 1, like SGA got boomed on, right? Yeah, yeah. The boom. I just make sure you said with your chest a little bit, say boom, boom, boom, boom.

Yeah, I said boom. Bada boom, bada boom. There was a boom what response. There was a boom what? There was a boom what? It was a boom. I'm just here to talk music, man. I'm just here to talk basketball.

Who are you taking it? I've never heard the album, so I don't know. Game two, Spurs. It's cold. It's cold. They told us, don't push play. It's cold. I ain't going to push play.

It's cold. It's icy. I got right back to that wall. So, a year ago, the Thunder lost game one at home to Joker, and they won the series in seven games. And a year ago, they lost game one at home at the NBA finals to Halliburton on a great last second shot. And they won the finals in seven games. And I will remind you that in last year's finals, Pivotal Game 5, Jalen Williams, who did make the All-Star team a year ago, scored 40 points.

It was at home. And I believe Jalen Williams will come up huge tonight. I think he's ready to be back. He needed one game to get his legs underneath him. She had 26. He scored 26 and he took 25 shots, two more than SGA took. Yeah. Made 11 of 25.

So I think he's ready for a bigger game than 26. And they need a bigger game from him because the onus and focus will obviously be on the two-time MVP. I do think Chet will play much bigger than he has. And I do think that the Thunder will do what they always do. going to win this game too and they're going to win this series in seven games. I'm sticking with that. All right. Okay.

We got our picks up for this evening. We will see what happens. Shout out to everybody in the chat. Shout out to everybody on this couch. As always, shout out to our our crew. Punctual, diligent. Always make sure the fridge is sufficiently stocked with an assortment of fine beverage. For that you are appreciated.

But this has been another episode of Gil's Arena. Presented by Underdog. Whoa, whoa, whoa. We'll see y'all tomorrow.