The Daily Zeitgeist - It Was All A Playoff Dream

Episode Date: April 21, 2022

Miles Gray and Jack O’Brien were joined by journalist, producer and author Justin Tinsley on the latest episode of Mad Boosties! They continue to dive into all of the amazing playoff action, discuss Justin’s NBA origin story and plenty more. Be sure to preorder Justin’s book here:  https://www.amazon.com/Was-All-Dream-Biggie-World/dp/1419750313See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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With a hint of mischief. One episode at a time. Buckle up and listen to In Our Own World on the iHeartRadio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts trust us it's out of this world welcome back again we are talking about well what else are we talking about the NBA playoff the NBA oh sorry I was supposed to say playoffs, not the NBA. We'll be talking about obviously that and very, very fun conversation with our guest, writer, producer, ESPN personality, Justin Tinsley is in the building. I'm Miles Gray. I'm Jack O'Brien.

And this is Miles and Jack got mad boosties. Killed it. I love it. I love it. I love it. All right. We've got to welcome our guest. One of the foremost and sought after voices, look, whether it be on sports, hip hop or things directly pertaining to the culture. We've got journalist, producer and ESPN personality, Justin Tinsley. Justin, welcome. Welcome. Welcome. What's going on, fellas, man?PN personality, Justin Tinsley. Justin, welcome, welcome, welcome. What's going on, fellas, man? It is a true pleasure to be here.

I don't know where this conversation is going to lead to, but I'm excited. We're talking the NBA. We're talking the playoffs. I mean, it's only great conversation. I mean, we'll have to talk about your work, too. Obviously, you did the fantastic 30 for 30 King of Crenshaw, I think, for most people in Los Angeles who know, you know, the importance of Nipsey Hussle. For sure. If you don't know, please, please check that out.

And also, we'll have to talk about the you're writing a little book. You got a little book coming out about little book Notorious B.I.G. A little something on this largely unknown rapper named the Notorious B.I.G. Biggie Smalls. I'm not sure if you've ever no i've not heard of him is that the same as that young man christopher wallace i've heard about well that yes that is his government name that is his government name that clears up a lot that clears up a lot right okay now i didn't know he was called that who knew right who knew i mean look let's let's just get right into it i mean we'll we'll get to all that stuff uh obviously in due time but i think the thing that is at the top of

our minds the nba playoffs are in full swing now how was everybody feeling after that first weekend jack how you feeling oh man i'm excited speaking of that a thing that we've talked about on our other shows like i just like randomly came across my desk was how young biggie was like just throughout everything he did he was like so shockingly young like it was like what how he was 21 when he released ready to die like yeah yeah uh 20 21 22 and yeah he was he was gone by the time he was 24 exactly so that ties into what i think has been the most exciting thing about the first weekend which is the young players yeah particularly anthony edwards uh yes yeah yo like we we've talked about anthony edwards here and there but I mean, we devoted the first episode of this show to Ja,

and Anthony Edwards came through in his playoff debut, put up a cool 36, third most ever for a player 20 or under in a playoff game, third most ever for a player of any age in a playoff debut. And I don't know. It's watching this happen. Like, it kind of feels like you're watching someone's game come together in real time. Like, in front of our eyes. Like, I don't know if it just feels like that because I haven't watched every game this season.

But, like, I remember when he came into the league, everyone was like, well, he's shooting. Like, he's not a good shooter. Like, that's the first thing you have to understand about this man But it that one and check Let's check back in like a season and a half Obviously, you know like athleticism and strength are like unparalleled and then confidence is just unfakeable and incredible and his play-in game and his playoff debut i don't know this is like a old head thing but it reminded me of the lebron piston

series where he was all of a sudden unstoppable like he'd been good right but all of a sudden it was like wait is did is somebody like is that a college player playing against a jv high school team like all of a sudden it just looked like he could do whatever he wanted if he chose to every time down the court he's like i will take whatever shot i want to with ease minnesota one point lead two minutes into the third sending away towns edwards step back mid-range is money the confidence just dripping off of anthony edwards with 27 here's the thing and for one john morant is deserving of all the praise and adulation in the world like you know i I went down to Memphis earlier this year

to kind of really report on, not necessarily the X's and O's of, like, Jha's dominance, but, like, when you look at the history of the Grizzlies, like, franchise, they've never had a superstar-quality player like a Jha Morant. And when I mean superstar quality, I mean even things like off the court.

Of course, you know, Zach Randolph will always be the heart and soul of that franchise for a lot and deserving reasons. But Ja is different. And you get what I'm saying when I say he's different. So he's well deserving

of having his own episode. Like, I love the fact that he posted like that clip from the last dance of Jordan with the baseball bat. It's just it's just one game yeah i love it i i love that i think i only bring up the fact that we devoted the first episode to jaw not not to be like and then like anthony's better more to be like we we struggle to not make every episode about jaw uh that is my struggle he's so cool and so like the the things he does like even in game one which

they dropped it was awesome it was so fun to watch right i've i look i'm not asking for too much i want both two seven matchups this year to go seven games yes like whoever wins like i mean it is what it is i'll be fine but i need both of those to go seven exactly whoever wins we all win yeah we exactly we all win now jack uh to what you were saying about anthony edwards i mean there's there's no i'll say this if you find a reason to dislike anthony edwards the issue is you, not Anthony Edwards. Right, take a look in the mirror. Because that guy is everything we want.

From like, obviously you mentioned the fact that he came into the league and people were saying like, oh, he needs to improve his shooting. And then he suddenly becomes a terrific three-point shooter. He's setting records for people, you know, players his age

in terms of like making threes and his offensive game like i think it's at some point in his rookie year he got known for like dunking on people because he would put you he will put you on a poster quick fast and easy but like his game is so polished offensively that you know in a way that in a way that like vince carter he would dunk on people all the time but his offensive game was extremely well polished yeah and you know but the thing about anthony edwards that even sets him apart from vince carter is like this guy is you know he gives you a lot in terms of like media interaction so like i you know i will say that like he's like a 6'7 version of Shaq in a lot of ways.

Right. Like, you know he's going to dominate on the court, but, like, he's going to give you a soundbite. Like, he had the quote of the weekend. Yeah. Like, he's like, yeah, it was the kids that talked the most trash at the Memphis game, and I love that. Yeah. You know, like, I love this guy's game. I love everything about it.

And the fact that, like, he's 20. We could potentially have 13 to 15 more years of this. Right. Right. You know, like it's, it's ridiculous, man.

So like shout out to Anthony Edwards. I love that guy. I think he is, he's going to be a star, a superstar for a long time. And if I had to pick one player that, that one player, one storyline or whatever terminology

you want to use from the first weekend is it's anthony edwards man like that guy's must see tv oh yeah yeah he specialized early in his uh like you were talking about when he became known for dunking on people first of all he had a dunk where he jumped over somebody's head and dunked on them and unfortunately they called an offensive foul because the defender reached up and touched his leg and then fell back. But he also specialized on dunking people with his arm at a 90-degree angle,

just straight out in front of him because he was that high over the rim. And that made me realize, oh, that's a thing you have to unlearn when you're that athletic. It's like, oh, that's very thing you have to unlearn when you're like that. Athletic is like, oh, that's very dangerous what you're doing right there. You're too high above the basket. Like you need to just go as high as you need to to dunk.

As high as I need to? But what about as high as I can go? Well, then you will jump out of the building. When you're 20, you can still live on the edge and reckless. I don't need him doing that when he's, I can't believe I'm about to say this, 28, 29, he'll still be young. He'll be a 10, 11-year vet at that point. But, no, that guy is phenomenal, man.

And he is exactly what that franchise needs. And, look, I don't know what's going to happen in this series, but they've proven and he's proven that no stage is too big for him. I'm not saying he's going to come up on the right side every time because that just never happens to anybody. But even his coach, Finch, he's even said that he's improved dramatically on the defensive end from year one to year two so like this is a guy for as as entertaining as he may be in like a

post-game press conference situation like this dude is a dog yeah yeah he's a dog he gets after it yeah and any basketball fan and i know y'all are like you love dogs yeah well his mentality is it's so elite you know and that's what's so and like what you're saying jack i think you were saying you can't fake that confidence right and you can tell in the game that he plays and the words that he speaks and i think to your point too what makes this series so great is like you have on one side ant saying i'm ready for this. I'm energized by the challenge. In fact, this is all I ever really wanted.

You can tell that's where he's coming from. And then on the other end, you have Ja also saying, yeah, that was a good game, but I honestly felt that we lost that for ourselves. And so you're putting up these two mentalities together, and it's only going to deliver some of the best competition that we've seen in recent years. And we're recording this right before Game 2 tips off. So you guys know more about what happened in this series than us.

But there's one thing that is not going to change. And that's how excited I am about Anthony Edwards. One more thing I do want to say about Anthony Edwards. And I think you all said it earlier, just leading up to this discussion. He wants this moment. Like if you if you go back to the one year he was at Georgia, UGA, they weren't good. So he didn't really get a chance to play in like big time, prime time game. And his first year in Minnesota, you know, they they didn't make the playoff where some people might be like, all right, well, I'm a little nervous going into this game.

And it's natural to feel nerves. You could tell he's not only embracing the moment, he's bear-hugging it. Right. Yeah. It's beautiful to see that. The times when they fall behind or it gets close, that's when you're going to see some ridiculous highlight from him.

And also right at tip, when everybody's amped up, he's just the most amped up. He's just the one who's like, all right, I'm going to score the first seven points here. Hold this real quick. To be young and spry again. What I do. So we're going to get some of his post-game greatness

a little later on just from the past couple of years. I do want to workshop with you guys in just mainlining highlights of him over the course of the past couple seasons i've realized that um the i think it's the minnesota broadcasting team but like nobody has quite figured out what to say after he does something incredible they have tried ants are deadly ants are deadly uh and once they even tried ants bury their dead which is like a cool fact like you ever see ants like going out like carrying a fallen soldier and you know sometimes there'll be a whole line of them i don't know like can we workshop something for that? It doesn't need to be right now, but something...

Right, because is an ant too small to fully encapsulate the majesty? Is that your pitch? No, I feel like either, because I feel like ants are just hard to work. Is an ant too small

to fully encapsulate the ant, a name too insufficient to fully embody all of the qualities that he contains, just dunked it. Like, that's too wordy. Ants can lift 300 times their weight, but like, that's again, too wordy. Right. Cool fact. Yeah. Sorry.

If it was on the Discovery Channel, that would be amazing. You know who we need to consult on this is the charlotte hornets broadcasting staff because they go in every time so i'm trying to like what could you what could you do for anthony so this is why i'm not a broadcaster either something like there are more than 10 000 known species of ant around the world but the deadliest is right here in minnesota there you go like that's also wordy i feel like jack we always talk about how you get mixed up with his name for the actor anthony edwards from er so maybe we my brain will not hold it i i like when we were talking about him on zeitgeist the

other day and i was like aunt and and like i couldn't i couldn't do it because anthony edwards and also i think there's like something with like john edwards like that like just his name needs to be cooler or something i don't know like we need to brand him they're like somehow dr mark green sent this person to the er yeah i'm dr mark green the character's name i don't know and maybe that's too washed of a reference to be like i I get that one. My mother would appreciate the ER reference, you know, because she was the biggest ER fan that I knew.

But see, now y'all got me thinking about it. Oh my goodness. Is that George Clooney on the bench? Because Anthony Edwards has pulled up as his co-star. You're like, in the early seasons of ER, not many people know that George Clooney actually started on ER. Like, now we're getting too wordy i don't know do we have to move on

from ant-man as the like ant-man is a solid heist movie like if he steals it and then dunks it like yeah is paul rudd too we need to ask anthony edward yeah i know exactly what are we talking about he just needs he might even just like, Top of the Mardin to ya! Because he loves the Irish accent. So maybe that's what it is. The Antagonist? That's not good. Right.

Anti-Easy Buckets Task Force? We'll come up with something. He's deserving of something. Yeah. Anything else you guys want to call out from the first weekend of the playoffs? I mean, obviously, Boston-Brooklyn was an all-time classic. Yeah.

I mean, a small moment. I just, you know, I like a good block. And I would be lying if I said it didn't. To see Rudy Gobert against Josh Green, that didn't warm my heart just a little bit. That would be lying if i said it didn't to see rudy gobert uh against josh green that that that didn't warm my heart just a little bit that would be a lie um because i just i just love the i love the clip it's everything about basketball you have the confidence of josh green being like okay watch me let me take the baseline spin off of you here we go and then rudy gobert being like you don't think i'm work on my footwork constantly in the gym for this exact situation?

Yeah, exactly. So let's, we'll play this one real quick because I think it's, I don't know, I think it warms everybody's heart. ...he wants, unfortunately, to be a playmaker or a shot maker. Gobert will drop. Now he's got to...

Got him. Oh, I'm sorry. Oh, yeah, that's... I mean, look, I know Rudy Gobert man like he he hears it a lot from opposing fans and sometimes opposing players man but that was an incredible play right there yeah yeah like that was an incredible play like there's no other way around no that was an impressive block the recovery and then just also like there was something about green's confidence where he really felt he's like i'm out of the woods. Oh, I got him. I think that's what I also love about a great play like that

where you're just like, I will deny this moment. It reminds me of those moments when LeBron is doing a chase down and you know before the person with the ball knows that they're about to get blocked because you can see him counting his steps and doing the thing that it's like, okay 1.5 steps that's mine uh and go bear and with go bear there like that's you know that was a trap that was a trap that he said he was

like all right i'm gonna go over here you won't see me and then i'm going to uh snatch right it's yeah it's like that meme where the guy's like oh call an ambulance and then the person's like trying to rob them and then they pull out their own life it's like but not for me that is one of the all-time great internet yeah right there like that is one i mean it's wild because like i don't know what there's seven billion people on the planet? Right. What is that, like 0.002% of people could ever make that play?

Because one, you've got to be tall enough, and two, you've got to be athletic enough. Right. There's only a handful of people on the planet right now that can make that play. So it was impressive, man. You know, it was good to see Caruso back defending his D on Middleton, even though Milwaukee won game one, his D. That's just somebody who loves to defend. This podcast for casual NBA fans is all about defense. Exactly.

The most underrated part of the game. It is. It is. When you're truly watching like alex caruso or matisse theibel for the sixers play defense like that those are two people who i highly recommend when you're watching when they're in the game just follow them around on defense just watch stay watching them on defense they love it and they like it's kind of ingenious like the ways they find to disrupt

whatever the opposing team's doing i'll tell you something else that i really enjoyed from uh this first weekend of the playoffs chris paul yeah willie green doing a great job down in new orleans and i know he and chris paul are friends they used to be former teammates and they're really close and i thought chris paul's comments after the game where they were basically sending people under the screen on chris paul basically daring him to shoot right you know and it's just like do you really want to dare chris paul to shoot like chris paul has been one of the best shooters in the nba for pre-obama era you know he was knocking down buckets then so it So I don't expect that series to be too long, but I do expect New Orleans to keep it competitive.

But Chris Paul at 36, man. Yeah. Incredible to watch. In the second half of the season, 17 games. Now he defends Paul on the three. Another one. Going for the hat trick. CP three.

Four three. Yeah, he plays he plays with like the true efficiency of someone who is you know like just seeing the matrix now he's like no i can just you know i just love anybody like whether it's yokich or other players are just super efficient with their body movement just like let me orient myself one way and that's enough to give me some space thank you i don't need to be i need to be gassing myself out here. Super producer Jabari asked the question that I was actually had this same conversation very recently. Like, is this the best version of CP3? Like, is this the best he's ever been? Even though, you know, his athleticism was supposed to have fallen off like three years ago.

He's on that plant-based diet that seems to extend people's careers by a number of years. But like he's only getting better at like the thing that he's best at, which is like knowing exactly how to defeat you. Like with just like where he puts his body and where he puts the ball. I think it's a fair question to ask, man. And you know what? I'll say it. I think so. Yeah. question to ask, man. And you know what? I'll say it. I think so. Yeah, I think so, man, because obviously, one, you just mentioned how he takes care of his body and that he's spoken at length about how that's changed his career. And I don't I don't think you can shortchange that. Like, obviously, taking care of your body is, body is i mean one even for non-athletes

that's huge definitely for athletes it's huge so uh and then you couple that with the fact that like he's playing with the best wing player that he's ever played with in his career and devin booker yeah and uh you i mean look deandre ay, we've seen how his career and his game has flourished alongside Chris Paul. Injuries notwithstanding, because CP3 has, for the most part, battled that throughout his career. I think this is the best version of him because he's always going to be a psychopath competitor. Right. We're always going to be a psychopath competitor right we're always going to see that so right i mean and again his game is not really predicated on being the most athletic point guard in the league

right like never has been you know miles you mentioned it in terms of like efficiency bro like that that dude sees the game yeah unlike 99.99 percent of people who've ever played the game of basketball. And literally the only thing he's missing from his career is basically being the first to 16 wins in the playoffs. Yep, there it is. All right, let's take a quick break, and we'll come back and talk about the dopest things we've ever seen on a basketball court.

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or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. And we're back. And so, Justin, this is the point in the show where we like to ask our guests a little bit about their relationship to basketball and specifically, like, what is the dopest thing you've ever seen done on a basketball court, NBA or otherwise? That is a really good question. I can kick us off with just the thing that is occurring to me. So Jordan Poole coming through right now

and being a third splash triplet, might not be any individual play is the dopest thing i've ever seen or like one of the dopest things i've ever seen but his development and like that franchise's development like raises some questions for me that are like really interesting like because i i feel like he's just learning like that they have or have or their superstars have figured out how to create themselves, create new players in their mold. He looks like he is just right on the trajectory of Steph and Klay. That might be a bit much, but I don't know, man. a bit much,

but I don't know, man. It's just, it's one of those undefinable like qualities that doesn't get picked up when people like a lot, a lot of the conversation around basketball in the off season, like that gets a little tiresome to me is like when people act like they know what each player is worth. I'm like,

well, you can't win with that team. You have to like move this guy over here. You need like three blue chips. And it's like, well, you don't know. that team. You have to move this guy over here. You need three blue chips. And it's like, well, you don't know. Or Steph could just teach Jordan Poole every one of his workouts, and suddenly Jordan Poole is like 30 points a game

in the playoffs. And it's, I don't know, it's just really cool to see that team develop into the Splash triplets. Knotted at 32. P 32 pool close by rivers. Got it. His speed, his speed.

You're the sound part. You know, it was, I was watching a game to, uh, you know, golden state in Denver and they were kind of having a similar conversation about this.

So I'm glad that you brought it up, Jack. And it's just like when people talk about player development in basketball, all too often it's about what is the coaching staff going to do for this player? When in reality, yes, the coaching staff is important. But like, who are these young players, veterans? Who's teaching them the game in a sense? And with Steph and Clay and Draymond, you can say whatever you want to about the Warriors.

They've always been open and willing to be like, yo, let's get this person in here and let's, you know, this is how we do things. How does that mesh with how you've done things? And what can we do to bring the best out of you as a player? I mean, look, Andrew Wiggins just made the all-star team. Right. You know?

Yeah. And so, like, we can say whatever we want to. If you're Jordan Poole, you got to think you're in the best possible situation. Like, I'm playing alongside, arguably, the two best shooters of all time. And a guy who just doesn't mind being a hound on the defensive side of the ball but can initiate the offense in draymond green yeah you know like that like you're always going to be open because they can't double you because if they double you then stepher clay is going to be left wide open right and we've already known you can cancel christmas when that happens

so right so i i agree man jordan pool a lot of people either don't know or forget i believe it's since march 1st he's led the nba in three-pointer that's why you know like that and this is a three-point heavy league that we're talking about yeah we were saying earlier off mike jack is like watching game two even and knowing that what the warrior scored 70 points in 19 minutes and then like and in within that situation is like oh here's six man of the year steph curry coming off the bench like to add insult to injury and it does feel like i play a lot of video sports video games for anybody who plays like career mode it's like that part in career mode where like the star players have to age out and

they retire but then you get the regen players that come up that like replace the retired ones it's almost as if they just brought a like a regen onto the golden state warriors without any of the players retiring you're like wait but that's so this is just gen z steph curry now uh who said video games can't be real life yeah right exactly for me For me, I'm like that Leonardo DiCaprio meme pointing at it. I'm like, that's a regen from a video game. But yeah, I think that really is something to watch because that environment says a lot about the skills that you learn and the energy that you're around,

especially to have players of that stature who are willing to give you the space to say, you know what, you should you should feel yourself too and play with the kind of confidence that we do and everybody is winning we don't have to talk about this year's playoffs we can go back to jordan shack penny who who are your guys man i mean i think you watch basketball in the 90s you you were automatically indoctrinated into the school of jordan you know and like it'd be impossible to and i have a ton of memories about a ton of different players but you know i was actually talking to jabari about this even before like we started recording i guess the most sentimental memory that i have in terms of basketball is watching game six of the 1998 finals with my

uncle and so my uncle uh just for like full transparency and I don't mind talking about this at all honestly it's a great memory for me but obviously game six of the 98 finals was what June 98 and you know my uncle he passed from colon cancer in January 1999. So that's the last basketball game he and I ever got to watch together. And he was the guy that put me on to all sports, basketball, football, men's, women's. It doesn't matter. If it involved competition, he just loved to watch it. And he put me on to so much game. But Jordan was always one of our favorite people to watch

because you know we we were people with a heartbeat then we love watching Michael Jordan play basketball and I think we both knew at the time they're like all right well this is probably it right you know like we weren't saying the last dance at that point but we were like this is probably it and you know my uncle at that point in time, he was he was sick. He wasn't obviously as sick as he would become. But for that moment in time, watching that game for however long it was, I think that we both forgot that he was sick. You know what I mean? watching Jordan and you know like Jordan literally carrying that team on his back in game six in Utah so like whenever I see highlights from that game like it doesn't bring back like sad memories for me it brings back great memories and you know to see Michael Jordan however old he was at that point I think he was like 35 at that point you know go 15 to 35 and drop 45 in like game six and you're just literally watching the dude like no y'all are gonna cross this finish line with me you know, go 15 to 35 and drop 45 and like game six.

And you're just literally watching the dude like, no, y'all are going to cross this finish line with me. And I'll never forget like seeing that look of like just sheer shock and joy and amazement. And, you know, WTF is going on right here. Like how is this guy doing this again? i like my uncle was cheering so if he's cheering i'm cheering right yeah and it was it was just a great memory so like for me that's probably the most sentimental memory i have with with the game yeah that's i mean i think speaks to why you know sport and basketball specifically it draws you in right because that moment that shot on brian russell for me i remember when i saw that this was like in this era where i felt that athletes were superhuman right when i'm

like okay he has the ball he scores because he is a god and that's how this works and we are mortals but i can almost have this expectation as I watch that this like supernatural performance will happen before my eyes. And it's those games like that that, you know, make good on that promise of like what the potential is of sport. And you can really say you can sit there and say, watch this can be the last shot. It would be poetic if he hits this and then that's that. And he does. And you just sit with that and you cannot believe it. And it's like all your own hopes and dreams are put into that moment. Cause you live vicariously through the athletes that we can't help that.

And yeah, there is that, that quality where like, yeah, for you and your uncle, everything melts away except just to, just to sit and bear witness to like the, the absolute out of body experience experience it is to watch these

like top tier athletes just you know make it look like it's magic all the time dude i'll never forget sitting in his studio apartment in washington dc like right off constitution avenue i never forget he had a i used to think a studio apartment was like the top floor of the Ritz. You know what I mean? Like it was the coolest place in the world. If he lived there, I was like, oh, man, this is cool. And I thought it was huge. Keep in mind that apartment couldn't have been no more than like 500 square feet. But I'll never forget that look on his face when Jordan hit the shot.

All he did was just like smirk and just like, you know, laugh. Like this dude really did it again like he really did it again yeah so it's i you know i if i ever meet michael jordan after i wake up from passing out um i'll tell i'll be sure to tell him that story right there are two moments where it felt like for a prolonged series one player was was like, actually, I'm going to take over as the screenwriter of reality. And it was Jordan in that series and LeBron in the Cleveland Championship series

where it was just like, this feels like, all right, they're like, now this story would be too good. Like, I'm taking over and absolutely no one can stop me. I know Karl Malone thinks he knows what's going to happen here. I'm still going to steal the ball from him and then come down and hit that shot. You mentioned, obviously, LeBron in that 2016 finals. Obviously, Game 7 is remembered because of the block and the shot. But like Game 5 was incredible where they both went for 41 yeah

down 3-1 on the road yeah right yeah yeah that that 2016 finals was would was crazy but like for lebron and i think one of y'all mentioned it earlier was uh lebron versus the pistons in 07 yeah i call it the first 48. Yeah. That's right. Which is crazy because we're coming up on the 15-year anniversary of that game. The fact that that game

was 15 years ago, and I'll never forget speaking to Donyell Marshall, who was, of course, on the Cavs at that point. And I spoke to Chauncey Billups, who obviously was on the Pistons. And I wanted to talk to them

about what was it like playing in that game. And I also spoke to a fan who was at the game. Chauncey would say, like, dude, we made it an intention to, like, one, get the ball out of LeBron's hands, but two, like, beat him up. Like, we wanted him to know, like, there's not going to be any easy buckets here. It was like, it was something about that game five. And, like, we did pretty much control the game up until that point. And Chauncey was like, it's like the light just came on.

Well, for us, the light went off. And it was just like, yeah, there was nothing we could do. It was like, yo, Chauncey was like, I got LeBron. I got LeBron. Then Rasheed would be like, no, I got LeBron. Then Rip would be like, no, I got LeBron. Then Tayshaun would be like, no, got lebron i got lebron then rashid would be like no i got lebron then rip would be like no i got lebron then taishan would be like no i got lebron the next thing you know this dude's got 25 straight and this is like what do we do against this guy and daniel marshall on the other end is saying like just play defense just play defense clear out clear everybody out

right clear out play defense man so like that which is i think that's when lebron really became quote-unquote the king right and a lot of people because he was still a phenom at that point right but so that's another great basketball memory of mine too and the game is tied at 107. This is unbelievable. This is Jordan Mask. 48 points for LeBron James. 48 points, we'll say it again. The last 25 for the Cavaliers, 29 of the last 30.

One of the great performances of all time in playoff history, authored by LeBron James. I'm also class of 03 when LeBron left high school, and I remember at the time always being like, all right, well, you know, I'm in college, but LeBron, like there was this subconscious thing of always comparing myself to LeBron James because I'm like, well, this person is also graduating at the same time. Let's see where our lives end up.

And I remember May 31st 31st 2007 when this game's happening i'm graduating college and then i'm like yeah all right i know about history and i'm like and this guy is a absolute phenom and i'm like okay and for and then i think that it's oddly enough that was the beginning of for whatever reason i began to let go of this very toxic comparison of like where i was at compared to LeBron. Yeah, but you ain't got a degree, LeBron. How about that? When I meet you, I'll ask you if you know who Cardinal Richelieu is as it relates to Louis XIV or the Sun King you might know him as.

All right, let's take a quick break. We'll be right back. All right. Let's take a quick break. We'll be right back. Lucha Libre is known globally because it is much more than just a sport and much more than just entertainment. Lucha Libre is a type of storytelling. It's a dance. It's tradition. It's culture.

This is 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, the emperor of Lucha Libre and a WWE superstar. Santos! Santos! Santos Escobar, the emperor of Lucha Libre and a WWE superstar. Join me as we learn more about the history behind this spectacular sport from its inception in the United States to how it became a global symbol of Mexican culture. We'll learn more about some of the most iconic heroes in the ring. This is Lucha Libre Behind the Mask. Listen to Lucha Libre Behind the Mask as part of my Cultura Podcast Network

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you stream podcasts. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news, previews, recaps, and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee. No dumb hot takes here, just smart hot takes. We'll talk every single game, every single week,

but I can't do it alone, so I'm bringing in the big guns from NFL media. That's Patrick Claibon, Steve Weiss, Nick Shook, Jordan Rodrigue from The Athletic, and of course, Colleen Wolfe. This is their window right now. This is their Super Bowl window. Why would they trade him away?

Because he would be a pivotal part of them winning that Super Bowl. I don't know why, Colleen. Catch the podcast, the NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal every day. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast I'm Renee Stubbs and I'm obsessed with sports especially tennis on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast I get the chance to do what I love talk about how tennis and other women's sports

are growing and changing and what the future holds I think I just genuinely loved what I did. I loved this waking up, putting on my sports gear. I still believe it was so rewarding. Maybe you can relate to it as well. As a woman, I think it's a very powerful feeling to have a job at which you're able to see improvements in real time. On the show, we dissect everything going on in the game straight from the biggest players in the world.

Plus, serve up recaps of all the matches and headlines in the game, including a rundown of the US Open every Monday. Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis Podcast every Monday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. And we're back. NBA players are very funny. You know, one of my favorite things for the playoffs was Tyrese Maxey. You know, I'm a Sixers fan, so I was maybe paying a little extra attention. There you go. Tyrese Maxey, you know, I'm a Sixers fan, so I was maybe paying a little extra attention. But he seems to be having so much fun

out there. I feel like he is part of this bumper crop of point guards who grew up watching Steph and are just like, yo. He can hit from anywhere now all of a sudden. But it's also just like pure love of the game and pure joy.

And there's also just like pure love of the game and pure joy and there's like a thing like we don't think of people just like joking around and having fun when they're trash talking but like fred van vliet uh like pushed him and thought that he flopped and they were talking about it and uh here we just have that conversation it's like right after the foul was called yeah he felt like maybe it was maybe he was play acting a bit so it pushes him against the ball i didn't try to fall down i swear to god i swear to god i'm weak but i didn't try to fall down i swear to god i swear to god i'm weak it's like that you got to go in the weight room i'm weak man that that dude tyrese maxie like it's so fun watching him play like just for the fact like

jack like you said like you can tell he just loves playing basketball and obviously if you know his story it's a wild story but like it's hard to root against that guy like it we're talking about anthony edwards earlier like he has that same type of quality where it's like if you dislike him something is wrong with you because this dude right he plays hard yeah so like it yeah i i love him too because he's a personality but uh he's like look i'm weak i I got to get it. It's only my second year in the league, man. What you want me to do?

And then just because we did spend some time with Anthony Edwards, his game in the beginning of the episode, he's actually made it into the daily zeitgeist where, you know, our listeners aren't huge basketball fans but we had to talk about uh when he was being questioned by an irish dude oh yeah let's play that one this is an all time great and i think again these are those moments that add to the lovability or just kind of like wow this there's something so sincere and genuine about him. Just from this very, very simple interaction with the journalist.

If you get a win tonight, that would breed confidence going into those next four games against teams in the similar spots beside you on the table. Where are you from, Jim? Ireland. I like your accent. It's tough. I want to learn how to talk like that but ask your question again i was too much listening to your accent yeah no problem come on man like yo you could you can see it into his face too the second he's speaking

he's like it is accessing his brain being like, what am I hearing? It's like you were hearing a song for the first time. Yeah. Huh. What do you call that? He's straight out of Atlanta. Right. That comes with a certain accent as well.

Right. I'd venture to say he hadn't heard too many Irish accents growing up in Atlanta. But you could tell he wasn't trying to be a jerk no or anything about that like he was just genuinely intrigued and again man it's just y'all y'all said this word a couple of times already the likability of that guy like you just want to root yeah like yeah i want to see this guy happy because when he's happy he makes me happy right you know so and also anthony yeah just the the honesty to be like all right ask your question again because i was distracted by your accent is something that i don't and that's the sort of

honesty that only comes from like just 99.9 percent likability where it's like, you can just say whatever you want. People are like, oh man, I love you. Uh, but also being like, I like your accent and I want to learn to talk like that. Like the highest compliment,

the highest compliment. And I also like treating an Irish accent like a foreign language. Like I'm going to get the Rosetta stone on, on that accent and start talking like that right if he just dropped an irish accent on us next season like that would be incredible like he comes back next season like what was the off season like he's like i was just in the gym man watching angela's ashes on because i'm trying to get that irish accent locked in it would be incredible to see him and that reporter have a conversation

in an Irish accent. Yeah. Just, I hope, wherever that guy is, Jim, I hope he comes back and asks him a question. Yeah, we got to find Jim. Follow up.

That's my new favorite buddy cop movie. Yeah, right? Jim. I love that. Interpol has a new case. They have to team up this Irish detective with Anthony Edwards. I'm like, let's go.

I'm there opening night. Yeah. Also, Jim's accent is cool. Like not all Irish accents sound like that. That's like a great Irish accent. And like that combination of words, he sounded really cool saying it. And just having the, you know, poetic soul to stop and be like, hey, you sounded really cool saying that and just having the you know poetic soul to stop and be like hey you sounded really cool saying that yeah like those words sound cool in your voice is wonderful i'm really into the

irish brogue you know yeah i'm trying to switch up my whole swag but also speaking to like his honesty right we were talking about his post game comments too and you can just tell from the way he speaks he's not trying to trick himself into believing what he's saying. You could tell like, there's just this sincerity that comes across where you say, Oh, this person is this confident and truly believes in himself. And also again,

just giving us another moment of being confident while also lovable and speaking like my grandpa. No, a lot was made about their pace their physicality what do you think you were able to show here about your style of play and ability to control the game that we the ones jack yeah that's it old school player for real saying jack all right i love it i mean wow yeah it's just you can't i don't know how you how you get upset about that you know yeah

that's that's beautiful the problems with you not him yeah again that the let that be the rule from this episode right here the problems with you not open your arms and accept the blessing that is we are watching somebody where if this is we're not even close to seeing what the ceiling is for this person oh my so if this is the first floor like we're we're in the lobby yeah like we're in the lobby yeah i'm like this is the lobby big fat yeah all right justin truly a pleasure having you on the on the show man where uh first of all where can people find you and also like i'm i'm very excited i am if i sound distracted it's because i'm furiously pre-ordering your book it was all a dream biggie and the world

that made him uh out may 10th. Tell us about the book and tell us where we can find you on social media. I'll get the social media out the way first. It's actually really easy. It's my name at Justin Tinsley. I'm most active on Twitter and Instagram. I'm on Facebook.

For the professionals out there, I do have a LinkedIn profile. I have not yet mastered how to use TikTok. I got to get my little cousin to teach me how to. Just learn. That's what I do. I'm a learner. Yeah, that's all I do. I got the app, but I don't post it. Yeah. But in terms of the book, as you said, it comes out May 10th. Beyond excited for it, man. I'm doing a lot of traveling in the next couple of weeks just in promotion for it uh and just in relation to what we've been talking about here which is just all things nba uh when you when you pick up the book when you read it you will see that there is like an nba

influence on the book i didn't necessarily get a chance to interview alan iverson for this but he's over the course of his life in his career he's spoken about uh Biggie Smalls and about their relationship because they were actually very cool and uh Biggie in the book there's a scene I won't give away the entire scene because obviously I want you to order the book but uh there's a scene where Biggie gets up, he goes to a Clippers Sixers game in late February 97, because Biggie also knew the late Malik Sealy, who was playing for the Clippers

at that point in time. And he was obviously close with AI. And there's a really great scene that I think is painted in there. It just shows like the humanity of who like Biggie Smalls was, Christopher Wallace was. And, you know, I spoke to Shaq,

who was supposed to be at the party at the Peterson Automotive Museum, where, you know, that was, Christopher Wallace was. And, you know, I spoke to Shaq, who was supposed to be at the party at the Peterson Automotive Museum where, you know, that was the final moments of Biggie's life. But Shaq actually overslept because he and Shaq were very cool. They recorded the song together. And on Biggie's debut album, Ready to Die, he named Drop Shaq, who was, I believe, maybe in his second year in the league at that point with orlando magic so they they had a tight relationship for a while and grant hill he's actually in the book because he was he was he was actually at the party wow that night at the peterson automotive museum so he he saw biggie for a couple of moments at that party. So in terms of NBA connections, those are definitely in there. But

I do hope this book for a lot of people who may know, obviously know who Biggie Smalls is. I do hope this paints him in a more humanistic light, just shows that his life was more than just big hit records, beef with Tupac, and then had a very infamous death yes all of that is part of the story but it's not the entire story it's just it's honestly chapters of a very long story of a guy who was only 24 years old when he passed i mean no he was which is unbelievable it's unbelievable so biggie it was all Biggie, it was all a dream. It was all a dream. Biggie and the world that made him out on May 10th.

Please pre-order. Pre-orders are actually very important for books. So yeah, I hope you read it. I hope you enjoy it. And yeah, hit me up on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. I may see it on there. I may not. But definitely Twitter and Instagram.

Let me know what you think. And also, too, I'll see it on there. I may not. But definitely Twitter and Instagram. Let me know what you think. And also, too, I'll use this shameless plug. If you go wherever you get your podcast, you can listen to The King of Crenshaw. That's another project that I did with the Deep NBA Connection. It talks about Nipsey Hussle's brotherhood with several players within the NBA and how that influenced them. Not just on the court, but more so off the court and why that friendship will forever remain important to them. Amazing. And are you working on something with Dwayne Wade too? Oh, yeah. So Dwayne Wade came out with a photographic memoir.

It's called Dwayne. And I got a chance to work with him personally on that, which was one of the great highlights of my career. Dwayne Wade, who just happens to be uh Tyrese Maxey's favorite player growing up and you can kind of see in the just the intensity of their game yeah yeah so I got a chance to basically work with him and got you know tell his life story and that that was that was incredible so like yeah it's it it's great coffee table material. D-Wade, shout out to D-Wade. An incredible guy.

I love working with him. And I consider him a friend now. Sure. Amazing. All right. Got some good friends, man. Trying to. Yeah.

Miles, where can people find you? Oh, find me at milesofgray, wherever there's at symbols. You'll find me there. You can find me on Twitter at Jack underscore O'Brien. You can find us on the daily zeitgeist. If you're finding this some other way and yeah, that's going to do it. That's been another episode of miles. Miles and Jack got mad boosties.

There it is. I'm Carrie Champion, and this is season four 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 4 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. 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. Do you ever wonder where your favorite foods come from? Like what's the history behind bacon-wrapped hot dogs? Hi, I'm Eva Longoria. Hi, I'm Maite Gomez-Rejon.

Our podcast, Hungry for History, is back. And this season, we're taking an even bigger bite out of the most delicious food and its history. Saying that the most popular cocktail is the margarita, followed by the mojito from Cuba, and the piña colada from Puerto Rico. Listen to Hungry for History on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.