The Daily Zeitgeist - Early Season Reactions and Barkley with Tim Bella

Episode Date: October 27, 2022

Miles and Jack were pleased to be joined by Washington Post writer/editor and author of 'Barkley', Tim Bella on the latest Mad Boosties! The trio dove into ALL of the early action around the league, introduced a new segment and found out all types of great info on Charles Barkley.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. I'm Keri Champion, and this is Season 4 of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry. Kaitlyn Clark vs. Angel Reese. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's basketball.

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I think this is how the show opens. I think that was the intro of the show. I don't know if I should cry or celebrate but y'all we do know that the season is in full swing at least the number one pick paulo van caro made a statement in his debut he looks looks solid the pelicans have already taken flight as it were and game time is back and we're joined by none other because it be me me me, me, and Timothy. Bella, on today's episode, I'm Miles Gray. And I'm Jack O'Brien. And this is Miles and Jack Got Matter Boosties.

I wonder if basketball fans are appreciating my 60 Minutes impression. Because I do feel like I'm nailing my Leslie Stahl. And I think I was nailing my Missy Elliott. It be me me me and timothy yeah that was a reference to timbaland but anyway the real timothy that we are with is the wonderful reporter editor and author timothy bella or tim can we call you tim timothy of course tim's great guys and i have to say that is the best intro I've ever gotten. Sincerely appreciate that. No BS here.

We're the best at this. I don't know. Did they not tell you that ahead of joining? We're the best podcast in the basketball space. Sorry, Jabari. I think he likes the effect produced when people just find out as they're recording the podcast

that we're the best at this. Yeah. So it's great to have you you got a new book which is exciting barkley a biography that's what it's called yeah we yeah it wasn't a description that's the actual title um but we're gonna dig into that in the second of three quarters that we that we do on this show right we call them periods if we're doing three of them like hockey all right whatever it is it's an nba show we we do three periods um but we got to get into i am both crying from you know disappointment that my sixers got off to a rocky start and joy and i don't know which is which at sometimes it's just swinging back and forth but it's so good to have basketball back and yeah there are those players the returning players that we were excited about who have looked amazing your zions williamson and then there's

ones i forgot about man i forgot about damn you know i thought you mean like i forgot about job and we're gonna talk about job because I mean, that that's never too far from our mind, uh, Timothy for it to fill you. And we did do our entire first episode just about job Moran because we were worth it. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. He's worth it. He killed my, uh, high rockets, like 48 on him. Like,

of course. Yeah. 49. Yeah. 49. All right, Jack, way to go. Thank you, 49. Sorry.

He's also shooting 60% from the three this season, which. Come on. Like if he he's already unstoppable in terms of like getting by you, getting where he wants and just like burying a shot or a image defining dunk over your head. But now if he's, I don't look, I'm not a analytics guy. I'm going to say though, I don't expect him to stay shooting 60% from three for the rest of the season. But man, he looks good.

So of course we will just do our requisite ode to John Morant. I mean, we're doing it right now. Yeah. I mean, Timothy, what's getting you excited so far? Yeah. Honestly, guys, like I mentioned, I'm a Rockets fan, so, I mean,

there's some exciting things, but still, I... And they won last night, so I was like, damn it. Stop winning. So you're getting excited about W thing um oh big tanky yeah yeah and health you're rocking your tankini um yeah yeah yeah had to do it uh besides that though i'm still even though he left i'm still a very big james harden And honestly, I just love seeing him just come back to the level that he was in Houston. Even if it's only for a few games, who knows if it's actually going to last. But for me, I've always been a Harden backer, even in his darkest, darkest days.

So it's cool seeing to just kind of go off and just be the Jimmy Jam Jam to I remember in Houston, like, oh boy. Yeah. He's dropping dudes, like he's doing everything. Yeah. Yeah, it does feel like there's some ingredients there for the Sixers that they just need to like

kind of make work together. And I truly believe that they will get to make work together and I truly believe that they will get back to the second round of the playoffs and get unceremoniously best. Their rightful place for the second round exit. They have a gravitational... The second round banner.

You know, everybody talks about LeBron getting to the finals all those years in a row. I think by the end of this run people are going to be like, the Sixers, man. What a run they had of second round exits. Consistent, if anything. 100%. It's like the saddest version

of a Pina Turner simply the best. Top 8. You're really definitely top 8. Let's's talk palo though i mean yeah we we saw flashes of it in the summer league i think everybody likes to throw cold water anytime i get too excited about the summer league as i want to do but it was good to see it in live nba action putting up in his debut game first game in the nba i feel like if i was starting to play in the nba my first game would be more of a

you know feeling it out situation first day first day of college yeah first day of college you don't want to go too hard you don't want to show them all your all your cards and i'm not going to raise your hand to answer every question. Maybe this is a critique, Paolo. Maybe don't put it all out there right away. But this man put up 27, nine boards, five assists, two blocks. First rookie to go 25-5-5

in a debut since LeBron joined the three other players to ever do 25-9 in their debut, along with Grant Hill,ie anderson and harp uh ron harper so i don't know this is going to be exciting the orlando's uh i think they were they started oh and three but they're just a lot of fun to watch and he's going to be a lot of fun to watch he makes me sad every time i see him because for starting in march up until the

nba draft i was convinced he was going to be a rocket like that was the guy i wanted that's it i don't care about the others and i was shocked that he was rejected third and then woj killed me about an hour fourth the draft my heart shattered and it's been a great year for me don't get me wrong but that was definitely not my best moment yeah it's like oh no he's leaving

it's tough because it was one of those things where you're like wait everybody else is wrong and I'm right and then you find out oh they were just lying to me they're not wrong. They knew he was the best player. Right, right, right. I was very lied to the whole time.

Super producer Jabari pointed out that this dunk that is kind of the highlight, the de facto highlight that I think people have seen from Paolo's first game reminds me of Tom Chambers, which is for the old heads who, uh,

and not like the old head NBA tape fans, the old head video game players. If you remember, uh, the game bulls versus Lakers, um, right. Where each player had like a move that they could do.

And right. Like magic. If you got magic going down the lane he would go behind his back and do like a little behind the back scoop shot that was basically unstoppable once you got it going it was like the a fatality immortal combat this dude completely reenacted the tom chambers and and i think it's one of tom chambersbers' most famous dunks also, but it is kind of a one-handed, like he cocks it and puts it down and then dunks over somebody

in a somewhat embarrassing fashion. Van Carrel going to take it, fly over the top of Joseph and draw the foul. Put that on your highlight reel, young fella. Oh, young fella. Woo! If you didn't see it you're gonna see a lot of this play it does seem like i'm just gonna overcome this minor obstacle in my way kind of energy where look i get it it's uh you're just skying over people but i it is really nice to see like the continuity from getting excited from his college performances, preseason, and now.

And just playing so, man, just so, you can tell he's having fun. And he's just aggressive. I just love to see him just dunking it nonstop. Because right now, I'm definitely shifting gears into more neutral territory to appreciate all the basketball bounty that is in front of me and not get involved into the tribalism of just, you know, supporting my one team. Fandom is so beneath us now, Miles. Absolutely. Leading podcasters. You know, we've had a lot of guests on, Tim, who have been like, you know, I remember the days when I was a fan

now I'm like too much in it too close to the game I've had the fandom drilled out of me and now I'm just like a Socrates of basketball just standing back and like just seeing the matrix go by

and the Sixers the way the Sixers started the season and i'm not going to speak for anybody else who might co-host this podcast with me but looking at that outlook and being like i think i'm gonna i think i'm like they got something going there yeah they got something i'm no longer a fan of any particular team yeah yeah yeah yeah one quick question. Do you think Paolo could have pulled off that dunk and Tom Chamber's shorts, though? Because the shorts were very different back in the day. Yeah. Yeah.

Oh, man. That's a great question. Jordan Poole was my great hope for somebody who was going to. Because I remember when he was in college, he was wearing the Stockton 1980s basketball shorts in college. And then he, I think he succumbed to the pressure. I don't know if that's how we put the tense that one. Succumbed it. It's out there now.

Yeah, it is now, baby. Shakespeare of basketball podcasting. It is now, baby. Shakespeare of basketball podcasting. But now he has the tights underneath, and it's not as strong a statement when he goes out there in the short shorts. But it's there. Somebody could come into the league rocking the shortest of shorts. And you know what? This is... Super producer Jabari is asking, is this our dumb recommendation of the week? Tim, we are an official partnership with the NBA, so they do have to listen to this. So this is where we seed them with incredibly stupid ideas.

With that said, in fashion, we're already embracing the short shorts again. You know what I mean? Like for swim trunks and things like that. And I feel like, why not just come out and show off your quads? You know what I mean you're a professional athlete

mesmerize the people with those thighs I saw Jalen Green last season he was rocking on short shorts like alright cool alright Jalen Green might be our and just slowly each game just keep

taking them up a little bit. Just the seat just get higher and higher until people are like, wait, wait a second. They're like, hold on, those dudes wearing volleyball cutoffs? Like, what are they doing? Who do you think is actually keeping track of this? Yeah. There's got to be someone who's keeping track of, like, who wears very short shorts in the league. Yeah. I mean, but yeah, somebody needs to take... Our new segment, who's wearing short shorts in the league. Yeah. I mean, but yeah, somebody needs to take...

Our new segment, who's wearing short shorts in the league this week? So this isn't necessarily a pitch for the NBA, although Adam Silver can, you know, when he's kicking it with Jalen Green, he could just be like, hey, I heard a wild idea. And actually, you know what, Commissioner Silver? You can take it as your own. You could say, I had a wild idea the other day i'd steal ideas from other podcasts all the time

so just just for my podcast yeah another thing so i'd put palo in the category of like things we were appropriately excited about right like we were yeah yeah absolutely, right? Like we were pumped about that. Pelicans, I think we were appropriately excited about. Although it is tough to, I know like as we're recording, having Zion and Ingram out, because you're like, oh, that's the thing we're just like, healthy, healthy, healthy, healthy, please. But man, when they had everybody going,

Willie Green was stirring the soup, making all the flavors work together. The play that got me most excited was actually the Herb Jones closeout block. Yeah. On Kevin Durant, like a seven footer who has one of the highest releases in the league. And he just came from the paint and blocked it. It was pretty. I mean, where did he take?

I guess he's just that long, huh? Like, it's not like he was really necessarily covering uh horizontal distance but just him closing out and getting vertical yeah i couldn't believe like that it was blocked until i was like oh wait that was so short kevin durant doesn't usually miss uh but yeah not like that yeah gonna be durant blockedd. Boy, that'll go viral. You know how hard that is to do? You know how hard it is to block Kevin Durant's jump shot? I just loved how he didn't stop the entire time. He just went and

he was in full control and just didn't care that one of a dozen best players in the game's history has put up a shot at the corner. He's like, nah, man, I got this. Yeah. Yeah. That was the other thing that made it kind of hard to shot at the corner. He's like, no, man, I got this. Yeah, that was the other thing that made it kind of hard to catch at first because he wasn't like,

oh my God, what did I just do? Just puts his head into his hands and starts weeping like I would have. He goes to the ref. He's like, can you stop the game? Can I get the ball? Can I get the ball real quick? Can I take that?

Can we get a new ball? I want to take that home. I would have appreciated that though. KD had a good block later in the game. Block. Yeah. Brandon Ingram at the rim, which KD sneaky good shot blocker has been in the past.

That was one of those like Looney Tunes blocks where Ingram goes up to hand is like, and I'm dunking. And then when his hands touch in the rim, it's like, no, I'm sorry, Kevin, Kevin Durant is holding the ball now. Rejected that, sir. I'm sorry, but I'm dunking. And then when his hands touching the rim, it's like, no, I'm sorry. Kevin. Kevin Durant is holding the ball now.

Rejected that, sir. I'm sorry, but good luck to you. But Zion looked good when he was in there. Yeah. And hopefully he's able to, you know, bounce back from the contusion. But yeah. All right. Should we take a break and then get to the things we were probably underrating?

Yes, I think we should. All right. Let's do that. We'll be right back. In a galaxy far, far away. No, babe, that's taken. We're in our own world, remember? Right, in our own world.

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you get your podcast and we're back and we were underrating john morant even though we devoted a whole episode to him last season um it seems like it would be hard for us to underrate John Morant. No, not at this point. I'll say I was right about the Celtics. I thought everybody was underrating how good the Celtics were going to look coming out of the gate that Jason Tatum was going to be a legit MVP candidate.

And so I feel good about that. But Ja, you know, with everybody, like there was a lot of Sixers take. The Sixers might be the best team in the East. Like there's just all these like But Ja, you know, with everybody, like there was a lot of Sixers take. The Sixers might be the best team in the East. Like there was just all these like fun takes, you know, people, well, what's going to happen with the Lakers?

Who's going to, the Grizzlies? Well, they'll probably be about the same as last year. So we can just move on. And Ja Morant was just in the dark, getting stronger. Yeah. Who would have known? Who would have known? Who could have known? Yeah. I mean, there was another block.

It wasn't as good as the one where he just like flew up and defied the laws of physics and caught that layup. Plenty of games left, Jack. Plenty of games left. But it was so... He just... He got up so high. Should we play that clip?

Please do. It sounds like wrestling. I love it. Come the other way. And then throw an alley-oop. I mean... I was saying this before. watching that nets game it's like it's like spider-man is playing on the court yeah it is it is like watching that's that is what he

most evokes that's that's a great evokes spider-man yeah because in a way they're mortal beings moving at their normal pace and he just has like this extra step this little bit of bounce to everything that and that like audacity too or jodacity as we've trademarked it just taking certain shots going up for boards you're like bro you're how tall are you sir oh you know what i forgot you're spider-man so peter jark your thing. And when he blocks a shot, it's the jaudacity of nope. Yeah. Thank you. There we go. Yeah.

I couldn't stand the Memphis Grizzlies for a long time. I just thought they were just flat out boring. And then here comes Spider-Man in here. And I'm like, oh, damn. That's a point. Yeah. Point in viewing now. Just every night with him. It's unreal. It's just

a shot in the arm. The entire city and franchise right there. And he did drop 49 and 31 minutes on your team. So I guess we got to ask you how to feel. What would it look like from your vantage point? I was

at a friend's wedding, so I was kind of drunk. So i was like ah five right another there you go perspective yeah i'm like all right that's probably going to happen at least another 15 times to the rockets this season so if it happens once but jaw a couple times but jaw i not going to be shocked anymore. And the stroke looks smooth. The, the, the jump, like he had a shot. I think the nets have pulled within six with a minute left in the fourth.

And he had the ball at the top of the key. And it wasn't like when he was like hitting threes last season where they were giving it to him because they just didn't want him to like blow by them and get in the lane. Like there's anything you can do about that. But they were guarding him and he was dribbling and like pulled up off the dribble and hit like a deep three. Like that was, you know, just ice cold. And it was like for fun. Yeah.

It looked, it just looked smooth. Like this is supposed to be happening. Yeah. Right. You always let him take that shot. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Not this season be happening. Yeah. Right. You always let him take that shot, right? Yeah. Yeah.

Not this season. Apparently it's like, it's like, ah, damn. And then, yeah. Adding that to his game.

Now, what are you going to do? And KD who, uh, as we talked about on this show last year, Kevin Durant, he has a really good eye for young players. He was on a podcast years ago when Ja was still in college. And they

were like, who do you see out there? What do you think of Zion? What do you think of? And he was like, there's this guy from Murray State, Ja Morant. It was before he kind of exploded onto the scene in the NCAA tournament. He was like, keep an eye out for Ja Morant. And he was right. And he recently said ahead of their game, he's the most marketable guy in our league, the face of our league going forward. So many kids are inspired by what he does. That is coming from the other,

like one of the other faces of the league. So that's pretty cool. And then, so one that I think I, I felt like I totally missed on in the sense of just like things that I was excited about going into the season. Damien Willard. Dame time has returned. This also reminded me, because I always use the example of Clay as like the most kind of locked in and uncanny, like locked in shooting performance you've ever seen when like the ball,

you know, they're just throwing it up and the, you know, the ball's going in like before the ball even leaves their hand. But I think Dame has like the most times where I've just seen him do that, where it's literally like Dame time and, and the game is over and there's nothing you can do to stop what is happening to you.

And he is locked in this season. He looks awesome. He looks so fast. His explosiveness is there. He's shooting threes at his... He had an off-shooting year last year, and he's just back and looks amazing and is, like, getting to the line at a record rate

and just, like, doing all the things you would want. And the Portland Trail Blazers are the only team in the West with a 4-0 record, which is pretty wild and not what a lot of people had coming into the season. Yeah. I mean, a lot of the Bla coming into the season. Yeah. I mean, a lot of the, a lot of the Blazers were looking good, you know,

like, and for me, Anthony Simons. Yeah. And Jeremy Grant too. I was just like, Oh, you know,

I watched that game, the Lakers against them. I was like, Oh yeah, no, there are a lot of people are doing pretty well right now. But yeah, Damian Lillard,

I'm always just like, sir, why are you so loyal? Yeah, please. Please. uh but yeah damian lillard i'm always just like sir why are you so loyal yeah please please either of you gotten the chance to see his pre-game shooting routine or anything because i i know everyone talks about steph and it's incredible but if you ever get the chance you just watch Dave's pregame routine. He just goes so hard.

I feel like he shoots from every possible spot on a court. He gets into a real sweat ahead of time, too. And I was just in awe when I saw him. It's amazing. His step back is so mean. His step back is just so violent. It's so impossible to guard that was also hard man that was that was a moment too i think we were watching that where like russ took a shot on one end and then dame comes down just vicious step back for three and you're like yeah yeah that was a tough one yeah or beautiful or beautiful because i am a neutral. So I said, I like that. I embrace that. Yeah. But

Portland can just fill it up. Just buckets on buckets on buckets real quick. They were, I think, losing when I checked their score yesterday and then checked it again and they were up 25. So Simons is kind of the

younger guy that you've been hearing for years now that they won't trade this guy. So they're not pumping him up. They're just like, yeah, don't even talk to us about Simons. And everyone was like, hmm, maybe that was a mistake. We don't know. He looked decent at times last year. He looked really good at times last year.

But he put up, I think, 22 of his 29 points in a five and a half minute burst last night. And they're just, yeah, the Blazers are exciting. So shout out to Blazers fans. Shout out to Celtics fans. Also, they look just as good. They look like they didn't miss a beat. Always like to see an Anthony doing well in the league. Yeah.

You know, for us old folks. Should we do our underrated performance of the week? A new segment? Yes, we should. Yeah. Yes. Our new segment. Because sometimes you sleep the week? A new segment? Yes, we should. Yeah. Yes. Our new segment because sometimes

you sleep on stuff and you miss things. Well, not now. Now we have to take the time to point out some fantastic underrated performers of the week in our new segment

and got to highlight some of the best performances that definitely flew under the radar. This is just a Jabari sees all. He's an all-seeing. Our producer,

Jabari Davis, like an all-seeing basketball mind. Yeah. He's an all-seeing. Our producer, Jabari Davis, like an all-seeing basketball mind. Yeah, he's like Sauron. Yes, he's Sauron very much. And like just same vibe. Just as evil. Similar vibe. But so these are some performances

I personally had missed over the past week. Brooklyn's Nick Claxton put up a 19-11 and four blocks in his win over Toronto. While on the Toronto side, Precious Achua had 10 points. And this is where I am performatively taking off my glasses and putting them back on and rubbing my eyes. 22 rebounds off the bench. 22? In a win over the Heat.

22? Wow. Yeah. And then Charlotte's Nick Richards put up a 20-11 and two blocks off the bench in a win over the Hawks. So, you know, all you daily fantasy players out there, it's good times. Keep your eye out on that one. Yeah, yeah. And also, I think just as a team, got to mention the Jazz because I was like, hey, let's check in with that project.

And they're, what, 3-1 right now? And I was like, I thought y' check in with that project. And they're, what, three and one right now? And I was like, I thought y'all were supposed to try not do so good. Yeah, I wonder if any of the players are saying that as they're beating them. They're like, hey, hey, hey, Lori, man. Hey, chill. Yo, what's happening? You and Kelly are wilding right now. What happened?

Does Danny Ains know about this? You're in so much trouble you're in so much trouble when you know danny plays the long game you know he plays the long we've seen him do it oh man all right so we do want to get to your big news the barkley bio drops november one just a few days. How are you doing? Is this your 300th interview in the last couple of days? No, this is really my first day of just really going hard. And I mentioned this, but I've also got a seven-month-old son, too. So I am doing these interviews. Also, I'm making sure he stays alive too.

So like it could be a challenging day today, but it's going great so far though. Yes. So I don't know, like what are the story? Because this is a legendary dude, right? Like how do you approach a biography? What are the stories that you came away with where you were like, wow i did not did not know like there there's one with a musician that i'm told is very popular

named madonna well i i don't even like that yes that feels like if you had like a celebrity fridge magnets you just charles barkley mad, Godzilla, and breakdancing. Yeah. What happened between Charles Barkley and Madonna? So it was one of those situations when Charles had separated from his long-time wife, Mo. And it also had come at a point in time where Charles was at the peak of his power. at the point in time where Charles was at the peak of his power. This was the 93 season, his first in Phoenix, his MVP season, and they are in the middle of this playoff run that eventually ended in the NBA Finals.

Well, right around the time of the playoff start-up, Madonna is spotted attending one of Charles's games in LA with Arsenio Hall and Rosie O'Donnell. Just to paint a picture here. Okay. So it's 93. It's pure 90s. Yeah. Big 93 energy. All the way. We're like three of the most 90s people out there. We should do this, right? Let's just kick it at a Lakers game right that's great i'm thinking like are madonna and rosie o'donnell kicking it because like they just did a league of their own yeah you know what i think they were friends before a league of their own i think i know that that like that friendship was was out there ah okay okay okay they even had this magazine back and forth that they did in which ros.C. O'Donnell asked Adon at one point,

if you had a choice between this guy, this guy, and Charles Barkley, who would you marry? Who would you date? And she said without hesitation, Charles Barkley. And she said, maybe jokingly, And she said, maybe jokingly, that Charles Barkley is a god. So the affinity that she had for Chuck was very public at this point in time. And actually, it was so public that they were actually spotted out to dinner in Phoenix one night. I know this because I actually talked to the owner of the restaurant. It was like, yep, that's Madonna. And Charles actually introduced her as such.

And they were also spotted out at a nightclub. And there were just a bunch of rumors that they were dating. And Chuck denied it every time. The timing of it is really interesting because she actually called him during the Western Conference finals right before game seven against Seattle and that following day Charles has perhaps the best game he ever has 44 points 24 boards game seven win off to the finals and just like everyone the whole time is like is he friends with her is he seeing her as far as it did they said no it even got to a point where charles said that um his mother-in-law

at the time had a heart attack and he said it was because of the stress and these stories surrounding these allegations. So like it was a really heavy, heavy point in his life, his career that we kind of forget about now. And can you imagine if something like that happened now, like in this age of social media and memes and how that would just never go away? Yeah. Yeah. Right.

It would be like, I'm trying to think like, I guess LeBron. No, maybe not LeBron. Who, who's like a player of that magnitude. Maybe Durant.

Who, who like, is there a, an artist like JLo? Is that. Who, who Jack, come on,

get, get with the times, man, not JLo. I mean, Madonna wasn't like new on the, with the times man not jay little things someone current i mean madonna wasn't like new on the on the scene in 1993 right that's why i'm like trying to come up with like people who are iconic and established adele um yeah beyonce maybe i don't know just like imagine james harden and taylor swift right yeah yeah something like that i can totally see that so yeah they've

forget about this and then a year later madonna has her infamous interview on ederman's show in which she drops the f-bomb like you, 17 times. And during the course of the interview, Hederman actually asked her about if she was friends with Charles Barker. And she said that he was incapable of being friends with anyone. Just extremely uncomfortable and wild. Yeah. uncomfortable and wild yeah yeah yeah so she just even a year after that uh the subject of chuck just kept coming up wow you can't you can't really even contain him that's how i would have taken that if i was charles barkley you can't really be friend he can't be friends with anyone

is like i don't know like first of all wow you still have feelings for me second of all yeah i like it that was at the time when she was a secretly dating tupac too and that came out like years later um right so like if there was a lot happening in her life at that point in time and my name i'm a big fan of hers so it's like yeah it's a lot yeah no i mean great taste um so and then inside the nba which is i think what a lot of the younger people kind of know him for man even still like that 44 24 line it's like crazy in a game seven is wild conference finals yeah the right the fact that that isn't the thing that everybody talks about and people are still like, well, he didn't win a title.

It's like, he put up 44-24 in a Game 7 of the conference finals. The man could do things in the clutch. That's crazy. So now he's known for being just one of the best TV personalities, maybe, I don't know, like in the game, anywhere. So like, what's the backstory on how the inside the NBA came together? Yeah, it was kind of this open secret

that he was always going to go into broadcasting after he was done. It was just a matter of when. And he started hinting at his retirement from basketball starting to 94 and so so if this went on this tease went on for like six seasons before right he finally stepped away after 2000 um so everyone thought and recognized that he would end up on NBC, which had NBA rights at the time, which was the standard for NBA programming. Right up until Turner started to actually get more of these games and their head at the time wanted to make a run at Charles, even if it was unlikely. And they had this mutual friend who set up this dinner, which turned into this legendary

hours-long dinner with food, cigars, everything. And when Charles got back, he admittedly could not sleep that night. He talked to his agent. He's like, I have to sleep on it. He didn't sleep. And then early that following morning, he told Dick Ebersole, his friend, and the NBC sports giant that he was going to Turner. And I think it surprised everyone.

I know when I spoke with Kevin Harlan, he was like, the prospect of Charles coming here seemed so distant and in such a long shot that I didn't want to take it seriously. Then it happened. And he and others said that it just changed how everyone viewed Turner at that point in time. And from the moment he got there, he really did change things. And he really did open up things for how studio shows go. Some have tried,

a lot have failed to replicate that. And he's opened up a ton of opportunities for a lot of people. Like when I spoke with Kalen Rose, he told me that he would not be on espn now if chuck had not done that on turner and showing people that this can be done at a high level you can be funny we could talk about things that are not just basketball and it's going to be okay. I mean, that is truly

thank God things happen that way because it's easy to forget now, but there was a huge difference between what you could get away with on NBC versus what you could get away with on a cable, not even one of the top cable channels, cable like not even like one of the top cable

channels but i guess i guess it is one of the top cable channels but there were so many tnt had nitro man right so like the fact that he went to not one of the networks where he would have had to deal with you know a legacy and uh you know you just wouldn't have been it like the networks is like bob costas and stuff like they're not gonna leave it baggy and just be like let's just let chuck be chuck and like kind of invent like podcast vibes in the process because like that's really what is the closest thing that we had to podcast back then which was just like them seeming like they were chilling being honest about the environment being honest about their shortcomings,

being like, I don't know, I didn't really watch it that closely. It's a blast. And you're not mad about that either because you're more just in awe of hearing these sincere interactions between these guys. Yeah, I wonder if that was his instinct

in that moment or if it was just that good of a meal that he was like, man, I'm going to eat. Well, if I go to Turner, let's just like, what did they tell you?

He's like, I forget, man, but the potato that they had, I don't know what the dish is called, but they were creamy and mashy. This all sounds so good. I got to make the reference to it, so

yeah, it's just... It's true, though, because speaking with Bob Costas, Pat Riley, Dr. J, Hannah Storm, people who were at NBC at that point in time, they all said that if Chuck went there, he

would not be the same guy. He was too straight-laced. He was too by-the-book. Right. And sometimes it was just very boring, too, for being honest. Yeah. And honestly, the same could be said about

TNT and Turner before Chuck, when it was just Ernie and Kenny. They were both very good, but it was not exciting it was yeah it was good but nowhere near if they are now where you know this guy ducked into the hall of fame for that show which is unheard of right yeah yeah man off the strength of just your show being so good like you know what so good that's how that's how much joy you've given us super producer anna hosnia she's one of the

producers of our other show the daily zeitgeist i watched her become a fan of the nba through just being a fan of inside the nba she was just like that show is so good that i am now watching games to know what they're talking about when they're talking about things it's a gateway show yeah it's a gateway you know because there is i think it's just that level of sincerity behind it it's like yeah charles barkley trying to do a very polished version of what a on-air pundit is is not as interesting as merely just letting people embrace who they are and just taking that because that's truly that's the magic isn't even like well what's the secret it's like we just let people on as they are and work with that he's just been cooking for so long and and thankfully shortly

after Shaq joined he found himself too because if people forget this kind of when Shaq first joined, he was trying to be ESPN Shaq instead of like himself. And Shaq. Right. Yeah, exactly. Instead of the guy who was in the Shaq expedition, you know, pulling up a pickup games in L.A. Right. Being a real regular guy. Angelenos remember that phase of Shaq.

Yeah. Just being Shaqtoberfest Shaober fest shack you know that's another angelina local reference but there's a oh yeah there's a horror night now in long beach that is shack themed and like shack shows up and djs there so shack is really a force of nature but yeah the fact that that show was able to make itself roomy enough to contain that force of nature like a like a blimp hanger containing a containing cloud um yeah that was poetry let's take a quick break we'll be right back with rapid fire when you think of mexican culture you think of avocado, mariachi, delicious cuisine, and of course, lucha libre. It doesn't get more Mexican than this.

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This podcast is an intergenerational conversation between Latinas from Gen X to Gen Z. We're covering everything from body image to representation in film and television. We even interview iconic Latinas like Puerto Rican actress Ana Ortiz. I felt in control of my own physical body and my own self. I was on birth control. I had sort of had my first sexual experience. If you're in your señora era or know someone who is, then this is the show for you. We're your hosts, Diosa and Mala, and you might recognize us from our flagship podcast, Locatora Radio. We're so excited for you to hear our brand new podcast, Señora Sex Ed. Listen to Señora Sex Ed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

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or wherever you get your podcasts. And don't worry, we promise to avoid any black holes. Most of the time. And we're back. We're back. And Miles, you know what time it is man you do right it's time yeah it's like 4 20 no no i mean like damn we missed it by three minutes oh what this guy got him uh yes it's time for the rapid fire round of questions now timothy rapid fire round of questions i don't know if you've always done that but uh i like that being the name of it

because it's very um yeah it is if there's another round of questions that were less rapid look don't pick apart the just let me be miles okay we just learned let chuck be chuck let miles be miles i'll be Bob Costas. Timothy Bella. It is time for the rapid fire round of questioning. I changed it even that time. Now, this is the fastest segment in sports podcasting. Nay, all of podcasting.

We're going to ask you a question. You just respond with your first instinct answer. Do not extend your answer. Keep it quick. And we will hold you accountable, even if Jack or I continue to bloviate and extend an answer. Which won't happen, because it's the fastest moment.

Obviously, we know that, Jack. Capital A, boys. Let's go. Exactly. Thank you so much. And Jack, you already know, obviously, we know how important it is to keep this segment moving. Obviously, we're the ones who conceived the idea. So let's do it. So, of course, let's not dawdle any further shut wait hold on let me get oh man all right i thought my cup of noodles was done not yet okay here we go uh let's go start

the clock that's right the rapid fire round of questions begins uh do you want to go first uh sure go all right Timothy, what is the biggest surprise so far in the early going? Is it the Jazz coming out and, you know, winning games? Is it the Blazers going 4-0? Is it the Lakers?

The Sixers. Where are you at? What surprised you the most? I go Jazz and every time I see Danny Angel's face look stunned I think that kind of sums it up

definitely the jazz I'm feeling like true major league vibes like the movie major league where they have they're all just like we're gonna win despite the owner yeah it's like yeah these players got a lot of heart but that's They have, they're all just like, we're going to win despite the owner. Yeah.

It's like, yeah, these players got a lot of heart, but that's about it. And then look what's happening. They're putting up big numbers. I'm sorry. We have to keep this going. Next question. Timothy, Indiana rookie, Benedict Matherin joined Reggie Miller as the only two Pacers rookies to ever score 20 plusplus in consecutive games off the bench. Between Halliburton and Matherin,

has Indiana found the next Pacers stars? Or might this make them more likely to make a deal to clear even more space for them to shine? Similar predicament. They're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. And this is a Lakers fan leading question where they're like, should they just get rid of everybody else in a fire sale? You're putting that complexion on there.

But low-key, I am curious as a Laker fan. Two, that just is a coincidence. Yeah. They can deal everybody else to accept those two. I really do think they've got something cooking. In the case of Henrik Matherin, he killed my TCU Frogs in Porch Madness last

year, so I respectfully hate him, but he's fantastic. He's great. But objectively, you've got to understand he's got some talent. He's good. He was the other player in the Summer League that everybody was like, watch out got some talent. I get it. He's good. He was the other player in the summer league

that everybody was like, watch out now. All right. This is news to me, but it says here that the Sixers and Lakers are both off to rough starts. Which team do you think is in more trouble? And which team is more likely to make a move first? It's got to be LA on both of those. Honestly, I don't think it's

close. I mean, at least with Philly, you've got Harden, who seems like he's bounced back. Embiid, who is my MVP pick for this season. You've got all the pieces there. Everything

looks okay, even if it's a start to first in la can you name anyone off their bench who isn't austin reeves right now because i'm having a really hard time with it so i think they're just an absolute mess. Yeah, it's a big moment. Existential gut check. I think right now we're looking at what is the best way out. How did we get here? How do we prevent being back here for a very long time? But I'm just going to say, you know what?

You got to start off rocky to end somewhat Rambo. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know yeah i'm i think i'm i'm worried no that was coherent and seems like you're in a good place um i am i am i am i'm look i'm a big grizzlies fan you know what i mean like uh shout out to my lakers though yeah as someone who um experienced rust for a whole season. Yeah. Oh yeah. You did. It's hard.

I don't even have anything to say. Just yeah. Yeah. And I think, I think that, I think that conversation is rapidly shifting towards like, is it, you know,

what is going on with him? And is this more of a situation where it's like, they're like, he, I think needs the space to be able to come to like neutral like i think there's i think the situation has become insurmountable for however he's used to doing things and now i'm less like man this guy like get him out of here i'm like is this guy okay yeah yeah is he okay is he okay it's like now i'm shifting that thing you know agree with what Chuck said a week or two ago, how his joy has kind of been sucked out. Like you can see just in his eyes, there's not as much fire or life.

Even with all of his flaws, he still had that energy to just love and you just don't see it right now. And it's sad. Yeah. And you know what, timothy i love the empathy uh but we have to keep this moving you know what i mean i'll let you go a little bit long there but we have to keep the questions yeah so so sorry about that so sorry about that but also the second we're shooting three-point team in the league is that i think 29 percent and the lakers are currently at 21 so just um hey what about those defensive ratings? The defensive ratings are off the charts.

That's why I'm not all out on this team. Their defense looks great. They just need to find some shooting, which is easier said than done. We're like a Disney films inciting incident away from figuring this out.

You know what I mean? It's like some zany thing. Utah gets out to a 10-0 start, and then Danny Ainge is like, fire sale! Alright. One of our listeners, Adam Silver, A. Silver

in the Discord, mentioned relegation and teams taking the message. Is there any world where that actually takes place in the NBA? No. I don't see it ever happening, to be honest. Would I be against

it? No, I wouldn't be because teams like my Rockets, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Detroit, Orlando have just been so, so bad for multiple stretches now and i do think it would accelerate some of these rebuilds hopefully um so i wouldn't be opposed to it

i just never see actually going through yeah yeah it's i mean it's just hard i think just again we're not like other sports leagues like where can do that in potentially minor league baseball or things where the infrastructure is set up that immediately a team is like, well, kick these guys out because guess who's using the crypto.com arena now? Like the Ignite team from the G League. Yeah, right. But I mean, it is interesting to see, like, obviously, because you want to try and figure out a way to not incentivize playing so cynically, especially when, you know, like a lot of people are you know fans and want to be like hey let's let's see where this goes but i get that there's you know how do you how do you alter that system already it seems just overly complex and i just don't think logistically or infrastructurally uh there's a way for that to happen but hey i'm down for

hermit crab switching like if you're relegated guess what come up off it some new teams now playing in the garden or what if you decided who the next uh who got the number one pick in the next year with a mid-season tournament between like the bottom eight teams or something like that oh right right right like rather than it's like now get it together yeah yeah um i feel good about that yeah yeah yeah i think there is a way to do a gladiator fight. Anyway, moving on to the final question and most important question, Timothy,

Bella, Jack or miles. Bari. No, I'm kidding. Wow. That's an exception. That's actually,

that's an answer. That is, that is an answer. That was the answer last week. Oh, man. No, um,

I never pick between people. So I always pick who's not an option, just always. So, okay. I appreciate that. You are fantastic. I could see us all being friends. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, no, I could too until like a minute ago.

That's cool. I'm 0-13-2 and 2 stop spamming the chat with tim you burned me oh man well timothy bella man thank you so much for joining us on miles and jack cop map boosties uh where can people find you uh follow you read your work and all of that yeah so i am on leave at the washington post at the moment but i'll be back there in two months on twitter okay at tim bella yeah and parkley is out november 1st you can find it on amazon horns and noble any independent bookstore anywhere. Just go and buy it. You will be supporting a seven-month-old baby, too.

So, yes. There you go. Exactly. Do it for the kids, please. Name it Barkley, right? You said the baby's named Barkley? His middle name, yes. Yeah, yes.

First name Charles. So, you know. Yeah, there you go love that uh also be sure to follow us on twitter at mad boosties and shout out to this listener of the week at paul garaventa thank you for you know being like hey did you see this one binyama clip you see this wimpy clip we appreciate y'all so hey follow us at MadBoosties, B-O-O-S-T-I-E-S. And also, you know, hit us up. You got something you want us to see?

A take that we should consider? We'd love to hear from you. So that's going to do it for this week, right? Yeah. We did it. Can't wait to see. Man, can't wait to check in on those records. Let's see where the standings are at. Okay, in a week.

And then we'll see if I'm still feeling... If you're still no longer a Lakers fan. Just a basketball thinker. I'm going to turn into Mr. Burns when he was glowing in that one episode. I figured out. I'm enlightened now. I do not have a team. Only the league.

They're like, this dude has been contaminated by some kind of toxic substance. Alright. Well, anyway, thanks so much for joining us. We'll see you next week. Bye. Bye. Thanks, guys. Bye. I'm Carrie Champion, and this is Season 4 of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry.

Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's basketball. And on this new season, we'll cover all things sports and culture. Listen to Naked Sports on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio apps, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Black Effect Podcast Network is sponsored by Diet Coke. I'm Keri Champion, and this is season four of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry.

Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. Every great player needs a foil. I know I'll go down in history. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's sports. Listen to the making of a rivalry. Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presented by Elf Beauty. Founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. There's so much beauty in Mexican of I heart women's sports. There's so much beauty in Mexican culture, like mariachis delicious cuisine, and even Lucha Libre. Join us for the new podcast Lucha Libre behind the mask, a 12 episode podcast in both English and Spanish about the history and cultural richness of Lucha Libre.

And I'm your host Santos Escobar, emperor of Lucha Libre. And I'm your host, Santos Escobar, emperor of Lucha Libre and a WWE superstar. Santos! Listen to Lucha Libre Behind the Mask on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you stream podcasts.