The Daily Zeitgeist - MJGMB #118: Finals and Summer Plans with Molly Morrison

Episode Date: June 19, 2024

This week's episode features a great Finals wrap-up and lookahead at the coming summer around the league with Bleacher Report's Molly Morrison!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 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. I'm Keri Champion, and this is Season 4 of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry. Caitlin 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.

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. 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 a WWE superstar. Listen to Lucha Libre Behind the Mask on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you stream podcasts. Well, well, well.

The NBA Finals and the 23-24 season are officially over. I would like to think of it as the Mavericks being knocked out of contention for the championship rather than the Celtics hanging up the 18th banner. But it has happened. Jalen Brown was the prince that was promised. And it's already time to look ahead, obviously, for some of us, to NBA free agency and pick up the pieces of our shattered season and think of what we can do better this time. And we're going to discuss all of that and more with bleacher reports very omali morrison on today's episode i'm miles and i'm jack o'brien and this is got it and luka docic hits 10k there you go driving spinning fading hitting lebron's got it with five he's gonna try another three mr lebron james

wow wow wow i was doing colonel kurtz from uh apocalypse now there at the top after he's completely lost his mind yeah yeah that's what i feel like a little bit varying forms of uh emotional trauma are being experienced by people but uh yes we have someone who's a very funny follow on twitter does commentary the are there. The commentary is there for Bleach Report. Molly Morrison, thank you so much for joining us. Molly Morrison! Molly Morrison! Molly Morrison! Molly Morrison!

Anyway, Molly, how are you? Look, this is the day after the NBA finals. The Celtics have done it. A little time capsule. As of right now, we think the Celtics won the title. That will not change.

That's not going to change. You don't think? No, it's happened. I know we've got a few court cases right now to challenge the result. Stop the steal. That's what I was doing at my house. I was just screaming, stop the steal at my television the whole time. But yeah, Molly, how did you...

I mean, top line thoughts after watching the last game of the finals and the season ending? Just generally? Yeah, you know, you guys are such big haters. Were y'all amongst the Mavs fans that changed their profile photos to just Luca with

the headphones in? I feel like half of that was Mavs fans and maybe half of that was just people who hate the Celtics so much that they're like, you know what? We're in this, Mavs. I'm not changing my profile to anything involving Luca for a little while.

Me and Luca are on... We're taking a break right now after that finals performance. That was... Not what I was looking for. Not my tempo,ca but yeah the celtics they did the gentleman's sweep um and what this is the first time we've had six consecutive new champions since the time it happened between 75 and 80 i know we said the i think we had been

saying the first time ever i think a lot of people on the internet thought this would be the first time ever. No, the 70, 75 to 80 also had a similar run, but yeah, like 12 teams or whatever, you know,

it's like all these Celtics titles are from when there were four teams in the league for the most part, you know? So it's, I'm, it's, I'm really, I'm fighting.

I'm, it's wild to, I'm fighting all my salt right now. I'm just letting it pour forth. You're letting it out. Let me come in here. Okay. Because I'm not salty.

I don't care. Thank God. That's what we need you for. I'm not going to be salty. They're not at my favorite team's conference, which is the West. I'm a Grizzlies fan. So the Celtics have never really bothered me. They're players I'm not big fans of.

I'm not against. i'm impartial and what i'll say is yes these finals were boring in the sense that it was not very competitive the basketball was not competitive however i think something really interesting was shown in these playoffs and that's that you know it kept feeling like can teams skip that step right can a team like first it was OKC in Minnesota, you know, who went from not even making the playoffs to, OK, are they going to go to the conference finals then? OK, now they've made the conference finals. Could they go to the finals? And it's like, hold on a second.

Even the Mavs with Luca, who's so great, like he was in the freaking finals. Can they really do it can they win the finals after no one thought they were really contenders and last season they didn't make the playoffs and the answer is no and it went to the Celtics who have been there and they have been battle tested and as annoying as it might be to fans who maybe wanted to see a more exciting outcome I think it is pretty cool to see all these new teams in the mix. And I don't think that the playoffs were boring. I resent the statement that the playoffs were boring.

The East was slightly boring because... The Western Conference, yeah, it was wild. Yeah, the West was wild. It was good. It was good playoffs and it was exciting. Now there's all these teams who are new and emerging. And the Celtics, like I said, it's not like... It had to happen. it had to happen it had to happen and yeah they just they were just worlds better than the

mavs it was so funny because everyone was so like on the mavs hype train because the celtics were just sort of like lazily strolling through their their opponents and everyone's like oh the mavs mavs and six and then it's like no guys look at these two teams yeah they were an unstoppable force and I think it was easier to be to like dream up something where they just didn't continue to dominate as the evidence was so clear the entire season it's like maybe maybe maybe the

Mavericks can do something it's like no their stats suggest they're a historically good team and then in the playoffs we like the narrative somehow became well they haven't played anyone because look how easy it looks for them and so it turns out the reason that it looks easy for the celtics has something to do with the fact that they're really good at defense so you can actually do you can actually be a historically great defensive

team while also being good at offense is what this Celtics team has shown us. I didn't know that was allowed. I think that's going to change a lot of things in the NBA. All these teams... Dallas looked

incredible against Minnesota. Then they ran into you know that there was just nobody to hunt on the celtics defense so they were able to get buckets at will throughout the playoffs and then they looked terrible against the celtics and yeah there's it turns out there's a reason for that i mean there are many reasons for me to feel terrible as a Lakers fan. Not only the Celtics now ahead in the title count, but also Jason Tatum over Kobe Bryant with total playoff points before what age 27. So I'm like, okay, yeah, there's, there's, there's that too. And apparently Tatum and Brown joined Kobe and Shaq is only pairs of teammates to each score

four and a 50 plus points in three straight post seasons and then look our man jaylen brown ended up with the finals mvp jack were you reading a little bit into the the finals mvp at all i had yeah i was i don't know i was glad that it was jaylen brown i felt like it could have gone either way between tatum and brown I was definitely surprised it went to Brown. It seemed like counter to what the NBA typically does. But yeah, I don't know. As somebody roots against the Celtics, this was like right as they're at their peak, I was like, do I see a crack here? Because Jason Tatum looks like he is smiling through the pain a little bit when Jalen Brown accepted the award.

I'm not saying they need to trade one of the two because they're secretly mad at each other. I'm just saying it's interesting. Molly, all I'm saying is it's interesting. It's just interesting the way he looked when they cut to him when jalen brown won the mvp he looked not happy see this is what the haters are doing this is what the haters are doing in every situation cope cope cope cope there's nothing there's nothing to say about negative negative following the cell like they just did it and tatum was just happy i i've

seen the most ridiculous narrative stem from it it's like oh my god this dude is is trying to be in all the emotional compilations he's like guys he just won the championship what do you want him to do it's so funny wait wait what was what were people saying no this narrative is just like he's so corny he's nothing he's saying is authentic all of his emotions he just wants to be creating these legendary playoff moments like got it got it all i saw today and i'm like y'all this is ridiculous just wants to like be the best player in the league and he's like trying so hard it's so lame who does he think he is larry bird hakim elijah tim duncan lebron or yokich is like the only player since 1980 to win a championship while

leading their team in playoff points assists and rebounds i don't know i don't buy it i will say he is more awkward than i realized and this made me like him more he seemed like he didn't know what to do with his hands right after he won the championship like he knew who the camera was on him and he he which is like that something i 100 identify with i never know what to do with my hands like in a room of people and it just seemed like he was like yeah uh okay yay we did it we did it yeah and that made me like him a lot more. I agree. I agree. I think that there's something like people have this expectation that when you're an NBA superstar, you have to just be the most

like loudest person in the room confident or you're just this like killer mentality. And Tatum's just seems like a pretty easygoing chill, maybe quieter, low key guy. And I just think people are like don't know what to do with it they're like yeah well how are we supposed to respond to you being like kind of normal i think

it's like that one moment where he yelled what did he yell he was like we did it we did it we did it you're standing for i just think people are so hard on him. I love, like, I think it's so endearing when players like, aren't maybe the coolest, but also I think like the whole like aura thing is the most ridiculous thing ever. Like, what is that? What does that mean?

Like Jason Tatum is cool. He's just not like, I think it's, it's easy to be like, good looking and good at basketball and stuff. No, but people say he doesn't have aura. That that's the. That's this ridiculous

narrative. It's a version. Everyone's aura is different. I think just because it doesn't conform to maybe the other players, you expect his aura to be like, then sure, maybe he has no aura. I think that's what's interesting about him is that he doesn't really have

that natural charisma. Yeah, that's why kawaii and kd are like two like my two favorite non-grizzlies ever i think right because i love their game and both their personalities get it done yeah you're like yeah so what my legs are ashy i don't care i'm here to win a basketball game like make all the jokes you want but like yeah i think with with tatum too because there are a few people like i keep like look you just said we did it i'm like well you first of all you will never know what it's like to win an nba championship and know what that does to your brain in that moment you know what i mean like when people are like we're competing early in my career but okay we'll see

you yeah you have something so swaggy you're like first of all like rubbing your nits you're like no sir no then they're gonna be like this fool is corny but like yeah what do you expect from Yeah, you have something so swaggy, you're like, first of all, like rubbing your mitts, you're like, no, sir, no. Then they're going to be like, this fool is corny. But like, yeah, what do you expect from someone for these people who are so singularly focused as athletes to reach this achievement that not like only a handful of players do and completely have it together, like in terms of their like PR presentation? Like, yeah, we did it is and maybe you are in disbelief that you did it and i'm in disbelief too as a hater that they actually did it but they did it but i think the one thing that i i keep fighting the salt and the cope as much as possible um because i want to just be like join all the other like freaks in la right now like but i'm like no they're so good and again just like how I felt after the

Western Conference finals last year I'm like we are nowhere near there and like stop playing yourself thinking we're ever going to get there if we're not even that close like this we have to we have to do we have to make the right moves we have to have the right team and this is it they have it they're complete and that's how you win titles i mean you're right y'all aren't no no not at all that's all that's all i have to say about that no it's true and like it's so many people to have pointed out it's like you know like every single like you know every time the the celtics win it's followed up by a lakers chip you know and i'm like yeah we were close back then like i don't think the last. I don't think I knew that. Like, I wouldn't brush past that.

That stat is wild. Courtesy of our producer Jabari. The last four Celtics titles led to an immediate at least one title for the Lakers. Yeah. The Celtics won in 81. Lakers won in 82. Celtics won in 84. Lakers won in 85.

Celtics won in 86. Lakers won in 87 and 88. Celtics won 2008 lakers 109 and 2010 so that's science molly you put it you put it that way that's science right there yeah but we were also playing them in the finals most of the time too to be like oh really and we had something to use as like a launch pad right now we are struggling to be like like even support our supposed franchise player anthony davis um but you know that again this is you know i guess all i can say is congratulations to boston i mean the new big three lebron brawny anthony davis y'all ohall interesting wow can't forget

coach JJ see this is this is what I was saying when we were talking about JJ happening like I can't handle the jokes that are going to happen from other fans in the league no here's the thing like you know actually

there's no thing it's going to happen It's going to happen. It's going to happen. And nothing but respect to JJ, obviously. Great basketball mind. Yeah, but going in your first time and you're going in one of the most high-pressure

situations in the league, it's like it's sort of a setup for a bad outcome. It is, especially because the Lakers head coach position is just automatically a because and like it's not like you're giving them you know it's a trap star meal so to cook with like he's he's kind of got he's got crap so yeah you have like got some old ingredients they're old but you know they're starting to smell a little bit a lobster that's maybe like a week past it's freshest possible date

still a lobster nonetheless a week past it's freshest um yeah I don't know it's uh like I actually had the thought like I just have to be full time Denver fan now because that seems like the only

team that has a chance at beating the Celtics in the next year or two. I feel so dumb for having cheered for Minnesota over Denver in that series. Oh, man. I was cheering for Denver. For that reason, I thought they would give us the best finals.

Yeah. I blew it. I blew it. It's my fault because i was cheering so hard that minnesota won so yeah but you know what pal if they were meant to be there they would have been there you know yeah and i guess they and thank you for calling me pal yeah you're right it's okay pal we should take a quick break and then then we'll come back we we got to

keep talking about tatum because he's he's our champion we'll be right back. I'm Carrie Champion, and this is season four of Naked Sports, where we live at the intersection of sports and culture. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry, Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. I know I'll go down in history. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Every great player needs a foil. I ain't really near them boys. I just come here to play basketball every single day, and that's what I focus on. From college to the pros, Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's sports. Angel Reese is a joy to watch. She is unapologetically black.

I love her. What exactly ignited this fire? Why has it been so good for the game? And can the fanfare surrounding these two supernovas be sustained? This game is only going to get better because the talent is getting better. This new season will cover all things sports and culture.

Listen to Naked Sports on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Black Effect Podcast Network is sponsored by Diet Coke. Do you ever wonder where your favorite foods come from? Like what's the history behind bacon-wrapped hot dogs? The Black Effect Podcast Network is sponsored by Diet Coke. Oh, we push record, right? Okay. And this season, we're taking in a bigger bite out of the most delicious food and its history. Seeing that the most popular cocktail is the margarita,

followed by the mojito from Cuba and the piña colada from Puerto Rico. So all of these... We have, we think, Latin culture. There's a mention of blood sausage in Homer's Odyssey that dates back to the 9th century B.C. B.C.? I didn't realize how old the hot dog was.

Listen to Hungry for History as part of the My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It was December 2019 when the story blew up. In Green Bay, Wisconsin,

former Packers star Kabir Bajabiamila caught up in a bizarre situation. KGB explaining what he believes led to the arrest of his friends at a children's Christmas play. A family man, former NFL player, devout Christian, now cut off from his family and connected to a strange arrest. now cut off from his family and connected to a strange arrest. I am going to share my journey of how I went from Christianity to now a Hebrew Israelite. I got swept up in Kabir's journey, but this was only the beginning. In a story about faith and football, the search for meaning away from the gridiron and the consequences for everyone involved. You mix homesteading with guns and church

and a little bit of the spice of conspiracy theories that we liked. Voila! You got straight away. I felt like I was living in North Korea, but worse, if that's possible. Listen to Spiraled on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And we're back. Are you a lakers fan too no i'm a sixers fan oh i was i know you just the pity in your eyes you said that like he had left you said like he had leprosy no no i feel like knowing someone's a sixers fan you kind of understand them to a certain level. You're like, okay, you've been through things. Can we

keep this, Brian? I think this is an important document of what it means to be a Sixers fan. Oh, you were in the war. I understand. Yeah, exactly. You've made it through. You've survived. Yeah. The one thing I have left to say about Jason Tatum

and about the Celtics is this comes from a purely small-minded, small-hearted place for me. I am mad at Jason Tatum because the Sixers traded up to not draft him. That is essentially it. I'm just jealous. How close are we? Who did we trade up to draft? Mark Helfoltz. And who did the Lakers pick number two? Lonzo Ball. And the Celtics were there. And then also we also missed out.

We are the two fan bases that passed on Jason Tatum. So this explains the show maybe a little bit more. And maybe that's all you need to know. We also passed on Jalen Brown. And so did we. Yeah, yeah.

Look, we got a great front office. Again, that's why I'm saying we're not even close. We're not even close. No, I think my team's closer personally than either of y'all's. So you are a Memphis fan. How are you feeling heading into next year? I mean my team's closer, personally, than either of y'all's. So you are a Memphis fan. How are you feeling heading into next year? I mean, everything's up from here, right?

It can't be down. That's the thing. It simply can't get worse than last season. So that's kind of refreshing. It's like, okay. It's funny because I got to this seat after years of making the playoffs, which is really cool. I'm lucky that, you know, when I'm growing up,

the Grizzlies have been pretty consistently good. It was kind of fun to, you know, sit back with the fan bases of the Magic fans, the Wizards fans. We were enjoying making fun of everyone else's team while we didn't have to and worry about constant stress and pain however i don't want to be back there like i had my nice vacation i i am very much ready i can't i can't take two years in a row and we're not gonna have that because it's genuinely impossible that every single player there's no one on our team just like

passes away during the season just just gets injured so yeah yeah what is it about desmond bain's build that makes it so difficult for me to i feel like it's a thing that every time i watch him play basketball i have to relearn that he's good at basketball because he looks like an action figure from like an 80s like yeah gi joe line it's so weird that he's good at basketball if desmond bain did not have a short wingspan he would not have fallen to the grizzlies in the draft so i am so thankful for desmond bain's t-rex oh does he have a short wingspan wait is that not what you're that's what i'm just talking about how like his his arms are like big like he like... It looks like that because

of his wingspan. Because of his short wingspan, it's just shortened up. Yeah. It's more condensed. That's why he's got the really big, meaty upper arms. You know what I mean? Yeah. It's like when people are like, the Rocky movies are unrealistic because boxers are like, that actually makes you worse

at boxing when you're that jacked. And Desmond Bain is like, well, that's not what a real NBA player would look like, that's actually makes you worse at boxing when like you're that jacked. And Desmond Bain is like, well, that's not what a real NBA player would look like. That's just like a dude who lifts weights all the time. Well, and then people also Photoshop his arms too. So like half the time you're looking at memes. You're also looking at me, a memed version of his arms that has people completely thrown off. And you're like, how, how?

Well, why don't we swing our focus to the Mavericks how much oh i mean i'm good yeah we can move on part of me is like how much do ah gosh yeah that was like i don't know that well i think everybody's assuming luca's gonna like get into shape, like into some sort of shape that he's like not currently in. And, um, I just don't know. Like he's a great basketball player, like top five in the NBA basketball player looking like he's looking. And there's a reason he looks like he looks,

you know, he's 25. So his like metabolism is not going in that direction where he's gonna like suddenly slim down like there's always the chance that he like goes tb12 or something like that but i like i truly like i've heard stories like from math's like front office person who was like yeah like one of the first things is like at a practice they brought in the breakfast cart and luca ran up and like took a whole gallon of lemonade to the dome and like let then like took a gallon of sweet tea down and we were like yo hey man like you can't like he's just got a real

sweet tooth and that's hold on is that a real thing that you're like that's a uh haralabob vulgaris told that story on i think the bill simmons podcast that like the dude just like hammers lemonades and sweet tea oh i mean coming from europe our drinks are a kind of sweet that people like in europe are like whoa yeah i mean y'all are cooking with gas out here with this stuff we're like yeah we are but uh watch your blood sugar but yeah i don't know i mean like he's definitely getting a lot of the anger from people i think i don't think he should be at all personally yeah i mean i i get the fresh i think because people were hanging so much expectation on him and it wasn't quite what maybe they expected, but also he's always in some form of injury level. And I think just as much, Kyrie also deserves just as much, or if there's more criticism going to somebody, I think Kyrie also deserves some too because for as much talk, we'll see what Boston does to him.

He was like a shell of himself in Boston. I didn't think that was going to be the case, but he really vanished. Boston's perimeter defense was so good. That's the thing. But in the game, Luka gets fouled out, right? Luka's freaking

cooking. You're like, oh my god, okay, they could do it. He fouls out and then kairi's left in the game and he can't get a good shot up with boston's defenders in his face and there's really no one else who can also get a good shot up right so kairi can't like get that good look it's just like oh wait who else do we trust in this moment right uh to do that and that's when you realize like the celtic step was just so huge but also it's like when kairi isn't playing well you you just there's nothing like you can do because it's luca and kairi and then like several steps down to everyone else whereas with the celtics it's jason and jaylen but then

it's like a few guys like we're not worlds you know below them like a few guys that are actually like legit good players so when jason isn't as good offensively it like doesn't really matter yeah yeah yeah it's not felt like that sort of lack of output is not felt like it was with the maps because it really i mean i feel like you know lively was probably the bright spot for them it's like well at least you got something there uh yeah that's like the thing right it's like lively is awesome so so congrats for lively i i personally if i'm a maps fan i'm feeling pretty uncomfortable it's not one of those runs where you're like oh we'll be back we'll be back next season there's a lot of things that have to like go right

especially when you look at other teams who are just gonna inevitably get better and other teams who like now have some of that run and can come back and like have done it i don't know i'm yeah i worry i i'm curious like because the maps did sort of masterfully craft this this roster after a lot of people including myself were like okay now what the hell are they gonna do with the brunson stuff they kind of they kind of did it and now it's like okay how do they get back there because it just it felt crazy that they even got there in the first place it did jack are you do you think luca can turn it up another level for next season yeah you seemed a little bit

right like because i mean it feels like come on man can't can you do it at both ends please please please yeah and if he's as elite as we think he is i feel like that's possible but yeah he probably he probably needs to get into better shape just like in terms of endurance and his ability to defend um it's just so weird though because it was essentially like a lot of the same players last year when they missed the playoffs like it was still that same core but i guess i guess it's just about those extra pieces around them that that allow you to have an off game or make it so that you can't just shut down Kyrie and Luca and your work is done, like Molly was saying. Yeah. I think he needs help.

And then to just continue improving at the trajectory that he's at. It's just such a weird... His skill set includes shots that, to me, look like magic tricks. Some of the shots that he makes are just so... Both he and Kyrie. So it's kind of a weird team to project on.

It's like, yeah, as long as they continue to have magic powers, they're going to do great. Yeah. For me with Luka, think like the biggest like valid criticism of him because with the defense it's like when a guy has that much responsibility i'm sorry like he's not gonna be able to play like lockdown lock and he i thought he showed like a lot of significant improvements defensively you know he definitely has his his downfalls but also

he was injured he was doing everything offensively he was having to run you know the entire offense so but for me with luca i feel like the most valid criticism is the complaining um and i think that is something that if he is able to like actually hear the noise and take out of his game i do think that that will help him just like that can't be good every possession to just yell yeah in wine the dark rivers of players yeah it's yeah it's not good it's not a good look and i think he he although you could argue it's because the referees didn't have as many calls like i did notice you know in that last game that he seemed to like kind of hear some of that and not do it as much um well yeah because if your focus is so externalized like that in a game where like you need to be at your best

like then you're you're giving up your power like in terms of being able to like just lock your game in if it's everything is so dependent on like what these other people are doing like and yes you're going to get bad calls but the ones who do it well they brush it off and they know, well, I just have to do this despite whatever difficulties I'm having with the refereeing. And so, yeah, that can definitely, that's always like, you never like to see that kind of thing because you're just like, I need a little bit of that elite mentality where it's not always going to go your way. And don't just, you know, throw the toys out the pram, as they say in England, because you got frustrated. Oh, they just say that in England? They don't say it because I say that all the time. Don't throw the toys out the pram. Do we call it a because you got frustrated they just say that in england they don't say because i say that all the time don't throw the toys out the pram we don't yeah dude i call it a jumper i call it a pram uh i call the elevator a lift um yeah so i don't know it's my favorite time of the year because the season is over. Hope springs eternal. The 76ers don't have anybody on their team yet.

So I don't have to rein any expectations in. It's like, yeah, man, we could be pretty tough next year. Right. I read this one article where they said Paul George is going to be part of the big three. You want that? With Embiid and Maxey.

Yeah, I mean, they need big swings. Yeah, it's like, why not? Yeah, at this point, yeah. I'll take that. I'll take Kawhi while we're at it. I don't care. I'm crazy. The most fragile. If only they were healthy, the team.

Yeah. We would have the all if only they were a healthy team in the history of the NBA with Embiid, Kawhi, and Paul George. That would be wild. For me, with the Sixers, it comes down more to the issue I was saying with Dallas. I just feel like you've got Embiid, you've got Maxie. Obviously, the injuries are the issue, like they need some more stronger pieces around them. So you think like good players

around are good players? I think that would be good. Interesting. So that's what I was thinking too. We were tinkering with that idea. I've been told that's crazy. It's a hot take. Something to think about. I don't know.

Better players around. The thing I'm most excited about right now is a photograph of Victor Wembyama looking like he added like 20 pounds of muscle already shoulders are white that guy yeah I'm excited about that yeah we're all talking about

the future we're all sitting here like oh this team and then we forget about this. Absolutely. There's an extraterrestrial with basketball skills. Yeah. Terrifying. Who's leveling up like a Pokemon. I think he's going to be

a problem. He's already a problem from game to game, but I think he might be a problem for the whole league next year. He might be really like they might be good next year which that so that is like as much as i love the sixers like you know they're they're right there next to the celdics just waiting to be demolished by the celdics so like i don't i don't know how much they're going to be able to accomplish in the off season that they're going to like be competing with the super team. But the,

so I'm now a full-time Denver fan because that, that is the team I think currently has the best chance of beating the Celtics. But I also like, there's this outside chance, like what can the Spurs do in the next couple of years to like build something around Wembingama?ama like what where do they go for their point guard that is going to like get him the ball see for me i feel like women yama has

shown that he's so good already and like so capable that i don't want to get a point guard in the draft like if i'm them i'm looking at the hawk situation and being like yes exactly can i get one of them? Because for me, it's like, if you bring Wendy a real point guard, I would be so excited to see the kind of jump they could take. Just like, and,

and I, I say one of those guys, cause you know, I think the obvious one is Trey or yeah, that's the one most discussed, but I don't know. There's something like more intriguing potentially about the other, you know, Dejounte potentially about the other DeJounte

potentially returning. DeJounte coming back like LeBron coming back home. Coming home, yes. Garland is the other one that has been mentioned that Super Producer Jabari got me super excited about before we started recording.

Garland just... I don't know. He feels a little spursy you know like he's just uh you know he's gonna get the job done he's a good defender i'm i'm pretty excited about that idea actually i i love that idea garland's awesome but like what how how does that happen i think they just like they're like you know what would be cool if garland played for played with wimping yama sort of like how laker fans mind work yeah jason tatum come home literally literally come on back baby even though we grow up in la no no you just mean come home because he wants because he grew up being a huge kobe fan huge laker fan. And then he's like, but the Lakers wanted nothing to do with me. And that's our karma now, obviously, in the form of him just being a fantastic player.

And that worked out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. More on that later. But yeah, he's what? Set to make like 300? Tatum, what's the deal he's about to sign? Yeah. It's a lot of money.

sign yeah he's gonna it's a lot of money he's already started building the experimental spacecraft that he's going to launch to start his that's how rich he's gonna be billionaire billionaire impulses yeah five-year 315 million dollar contract yeah wow so can't offer that but hey that'd be cool though that'd be pretty cool though hey man that was just like how i said pretty you know be cool in the lakers anthony edwards and then you just leave it there take care of the swaps and pray yeah yeah exactly yeah exactly that's exactly what we'll do what's the grizzlies main need molly that they need to address this offseason the grizzlies main need, Molly, that they need to address this offseason? The Grizzlies need a center and shooters. We need shooters. Okay. Yeah.

Those sound like a joke. Not going to make a joke. But I know you said it can't get worse than this, but do you genuinely feel like you got something? There's energy, there's hope, there could be with the right moves. You're back. The Grizzlies are awesome.

They are awesome. And what this, like, they've got the great core, right? They've got Jaw, they've got Bane, they've got Jaren. Jaren, who, you know, as much as some people,

including myself, have often thought, like, he should make more sense as a center, but he's just not going to be a center. That's not what he fits as. And, you know, last season, as unfortunate as it was and as hard as it was to, you know, watch a new guy suit up for us every single day while another person dwindled to the injury report. Gigi Jackson and Menz Williams were two just like huge revelations after years of the Grizzlies struggling to make something out of these mediocre wing players who they kept drafting high. It's like, actually, these two guys who you didn't draft high are better than all of them. So I'm excited. I think adding them in, you know, people forget about Brandon Clark.

He was hurt for a lot of last season. We have... It's like a brand new team. It's like a brand new team coming back. Exactly. Because the thing is, these guys haven't played together. Sure.

They really haven't played together, especially with the addition of Marcus Smart. If he's on the team next season, I don't know if they're going to use him as some type of asset to get a center we'll see but i'm very i mean i also am just like so high on jaw and it's been it really was like night and day when he found when he came back and played like he really yeah it was awesome he's literally that kind of player and like people forget that you know people just don't see him so they forget but like jaw came in and after a season like was able to

get them to the play-in and then into the playoffs that takes a lot of franchises no matter how great their star is it takes them a little minute and like obviously we had jaron too but jaron you know dealt with injury struggles and was also young. Jaws is the kind of player that is just like that guy. He can take over. He has that ability at the end of a game

to take over. That's something a lot of players, no matter how good they are, don't have. So I'm excited. Why don't you give him to the Spurs? Just be nice to the league and the rest of us. Just give him to the Spurs just be nice to the league and the rest of us John Morant come home it's just we're gonna have like a two like it'll be like

the cold war you know just two powers what if we do like what if we got Ja on the weekends like joint custody kind of thing Ja is such a special player like seriously yeah someone who has watched like more of him than you know any anyone else um any other whatever he's he's so good yeah i'm i'm so excited hopefully for him to be able to come back

in a good headspace good health and remind the world who he is. Yeah. Yeah. Vince Carter even agrees when we spoke to him, he was like, well, Vince Carter's a Grizzlies legend. So I expect him to rep. Yeah.

He gets it. Um, all right, let's, uh, let's take a quick break and we will be right back to do the fastest segment in podcasting. Yeah.

I'm Carrie Champion, and this is season four of Naked Sports, where we live at the intersection of sports and culture. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry, Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. I know I'll go down in history. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Every great player needs a foil.

I ain't really in here than boys. I just come here to play basketball every single day and that's what I focus on. From college to the pros, Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's sports. Angel Reese is a joy to watch. She is unapologetically black. I love her. What exactly ignited this fire? Why has it been so good for the game? And can the fanfare surrounding these two supernovas be sustained? This game is only going to get better because the talent is getting better.

This new season will cover all things sports and culture. Listen to Naked Sports on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Black Effect Podcast Network is sponsored by Diet Coke. In a galaxy far, far away. No, babe, that's taken.

We're in our own world, remember? Right. In our own world, we're two space cadets. And totally normal humans. Sure, totally normal humans. Embark on a journey across the stars, discovering the wonders of the universe one episode at a time. We'll talk

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Listen to In Our Own World as a part of the My Cultura podcast network available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And don't worry, we promise to avoid any black holes. Most of the time. And don't worry, we promise to avoid any black holes. Most of the time. 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. Lucha libre is known globally because it is much more than just a sport and much more than just entertainment.

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Santos! Santos! 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 iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast apple podcasts or wherever you stream podcasts and we're back we're back and molly you have wandered into

yep segment of podcasting the rapid fire out of questioning uh we're just gonna throw some questions at you you're gonna just fire back with the first thought that comes to your mind and if we get off topic if we uh you know slow things down with our meandering it is your job to keep things on the rails um yes we want to keep it quick boom boom boom i'll do my best all right no and i know you will i know you will and I'll do my best. I know you will. We'll do ours, but we fail frequently. Miles, do you want to start? I think we should, but first,

Brian, start the clock! I almost forgot to shout at Brian to start the clock. That's my job. He doesn't listen. He doesn't listen. Jack, we're already messing up The clock's running

Molly Morrison, you have a time machine And with this time machine You can go back in time To personally witness any finals matchup From history And however many games the series went You are front row for every single game Which finals series

Do you want to witness in the flesh oh my god um first of all it's stressing me out that there's a clock and I can't see it it's okay it's okay but this is your end score uh seven six uh the do I say like the 96 is that boring no good one i mean why wouldn't you because yeah yeah i feel like and i'm not trying to be how old were you when that was when that series was i was zero i was negative i was negative that's dope to me to hear that and this also makes me want to cry makes me feel young because i was also zero yeah i wasn't born yet either yeah yeah that's do you see the clip of costas like that people are passing around like this would be impossible in today's media environment where he just it's the end of the

game like jordan has moments before hit the byron russell like game winner in utah and then costas just does this like two minute soliloquy about like the state of professional sports and like how great what we've just witnessed and how this may be the end for the Jordan bulls and like kind of nails a bunch of things about the future. And it's pretty, pretty wild that he like kind of appreciated what he had just seen. Molly,

we really have to keep this segment moving oh we got it yeah sorry we got it yeah I would love to see how different things were because I feel like there was probably like a magic that doesn't exist yeah right yeah yeah people actually watched him hit that game winner with

their eyes and said through their phones um yeah that was crazy kind of crazy. Yeah. All right. So we've heard Ant be described as a face of the NBA for the next five years. Who are some other candidates that you think are face of the NBA next five years that we might not be thinking of? When Minyama is the face of the NBA,

in my opinion, I think that's, he's being like, to me, it's kind of inevitable. I'm also okay with there being multiple phases. I don't think there's just one phase. So Anthony Edwards is one. I'm going to say John Morant as well.

Love it. And that's kind of my SGA, I think. He's going to have his moments. Okay. He's really close, too. I feel like he's at the doorstep. Wimby is...

Everything he did in his rookie year is just perfectly propping him up to be that. He's so... He's so willing to as well. You could tell he likes being marketed and he's good at it. He has a really good mind for it. I'm excited to see

everything with his rookie year, which is perfect. Perfect marketing. Yeah. Do you think he's going to win defensive player of the year next year? Like is it a is it a wrap on that one? I feel like it might be a wrap on defensive player of the year for the next because especially because we got caught

drawn in by Rudy again. And then I think he will. Yeah. I would be surprised if he's not defensive player of the year next year. And I think he's going to score 25 a game. Wow. Okay. I'm feeling, I'm feeling spicy.

Molly, we really have to keep this segment going. So I apologize for this, but I'm going to have to, I'm going to have to teach you with this next question. So you brought up your Grizzlies. You talked about how you have camaraderie with the Orlando fans, other teams that have taken thatie with the Orlando fans.

Other teams that have taken that step over the last few years, although sometimes it's up and down, up and down. Who's another team or two teams, three teams, however many teams you also expect to kind of surprise us, do something a little bit different, have the fans going, oh, I see you. Oh, I like that question. I actually like the magic for that answer. I had the magic beating the Cavs, and I don't think it looked like that wasn't too absurd of a projection.

But I think they're a really fun, good team. And they've got a lot of depth. And also, Palo is freaking amazing. I'm excited about them. freaking amazing. I'm excited about them. In terms of surprising, because I feel like you can't say, okay, see you, Minnesota. That's probably

my answer. Great answer. Good answer. Good answer. We are planning a 90s throwback series this summer to fill time where we highlight players or teams from that era who, as somebody who was not around for that era is somebody that you want us to

dig in on. Uh, we, so far we got Grant Hill, we got Penny, we got Vince Carter, uh, Shin Kemp,

uh, young Kobe, uh, Allen Iverson. We also have AI listed here. So we're, we're stretching here because we have both Iverson and AI, Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen, any, anyone else you think we need to look into i mean for me like dennis rodman is like the

most fascinating rodman yeah yeah throw that on the list that is that is the one that we were missing that is the correct answer molly morrison you have aced it. You got it right. Great job. Thought I could help. Molly, someone is planning on going to Memphis this summer. What kind of restaurant do they need to absolutely check out? Or what attraction do they absolutely need to check out so they feel like they have maybe experienced Memphis in an authentic way?

They need to go to the Civil Rights Museum. They need to go on a less serious note to the most ridiculous monument in the world, which is the Bass Pro Shop here in Mid. It's absurd and you have to see it. It's fantastic. You need to ride it to

the top and just see the city. And for food, barbecue, obviously, gotta go with Central Bar central barbecue which is my favorite my favorite barbecue in memphis i i dream of going there i've only bought their sauce online and based on the sauce that i've bought online it's delicious but that's not even close to having the actual meats there but yeah no actually now i'm like really sad that i'm in new york because now i'm just really craving that.

Yeah, yeah. Hey, the grass isn't always greener. Well, Molly Morrison, you have gotten every question correct in the Rabbit Fire Round of Questioning. Congratulations. 100% A-plus for you. Where can people find you, follow you, all that good stuff? Oh, gosh.

Yeah, you can find me online. Where can people find you, follow you, all that good stuff? Oh, gosh. Yeah. You can find me online. Twitter, TikTok, Molly, Hannah M, Instagram, Molly underscore Morrison. Just see me occasionally pop up on your timeline for the vibes. Throw an RT up. No pressure. You don't have to find me. You can't escape her.

Yeah. You can find her or she will find me. No pressure. You don't have to find me. You can't escape her. Yeah. You can't escape. You can find her or she will find you. Yeah, exactly. There you go. All right. Well, what a pleasure. Miles, where can they find us? Oh, you can find the show actually at the hashtag MadBoosties, B-O-O-S-T-I-E-S.

And that's you can find show links, updates, as well as getting information on joining our Discord, which is popping off. Shout out to everybody on MadBoost's Discord. Participating. We love to see it. You can find me on Twitter at MilesOfGrey. I'm on Twitter at Jack underscore O'Brien. That's going to do it

for another episode of Miles and Jack at MadBoost. Another season of the NBA. We'll be back with off-season content, Olympics content, fantasy free agency signings, draft coverage,

all that good stuff. 90s topics. We're going to have it all. Yeah, there we go. Talk to y'all next week. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. 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.

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. 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. 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. Captain's Log, Stardate 2024. We're floating somewhere in the cosmos, but we've lost our map. Yeah, because you refused to ask for directions. It's Space Gem, there are no roads.

Good point. So, where are we headed? Into the unknown, of course. Join us on In Our Own World as we uncover hidden truths, navigate the depths of culture, identity, and the human spirit. 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.