The Daily Zeitgeist - MJGMB #54: Suns in 4, Conference Finals Kings with Lina Washington

Episode Date: April 6, 2023

Miles and Producer Jabari were honored to be joined by the Emmy-award winning sports journalist Lina Washington on the latest episode. Lina broke down all-things-Suns, made one of the BOLDER predictions we've ever had during Rapid Fire and offered a bit of an olive branch for Lakers fans.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Wow, we're getting into the final stretch. Teams like the Suns, Knicks, and Lakers seem to be hitting their strides at just the right time, especially the Lakers. Oh, my God, I wanted to give up so bad, but now I'm right back, and I'm weirder than ever. The Western Conference playoff race continues to be just a nightly rollercoaster. You're up, you're down, you're up, you're down,

and we'll discuss that in plenty more with, I mean, we are so honored to be here. The Emmy Award winning, okay, sports journalist with 12 News, Lena Washington. On today's episode, I'm Miles Gray. And I'm Jabari Davis. And this is Miles and Jabari. Sometimes Jabari.

And Lena. And Lena. There we go. Three on one. Davis. Love. LeBron. There you go.

And B, driving, spinning, fading, hitting. Curry, a three-pointer steph curry from downtown again lena washington the 12 sports az sports lady how Welcome back. I'm great. Thank you guys for having me back. I guess I didn't screw up too much last time. So, you know, we're back and better than ever. Look, when you're collecting statues like that, you know what I mean? We gotta have you back.

You know, we knew how great you were. And we're like, now she could really class up the joint. Because, you know, the closest I can get is to this dude I know named Demi that is an Emmy. So, you know, that's, that's the best I'm doing right now, but yes. Yeah. It's really great to have you back. Really good to have you back. Anything new going on with you? Oh, well, you know,

I am finally recovered from the entire month of February where we had this, this game. I don't know if you guys have heard of it, the Superbowl. That happened here along with the biggest party in golf. And then in the middle of all that, this blockbuster trade actually favored the Suns in a way that I'm still trying to believe actually happened. And so, yeah, we have Kevin Durant. We have the hottest team in the league right now in Phoenix, six and oh, with Katie in the lineup. And right now it's,

it's feeling and looking a lot like finals or bust. But at this point, I'll be happy if we can make it be on the second round. Cause I'm still recovering from game seven of last year. Yeah. Oh man. Yeah. yeah i i still like feel like my eyes are adjusting when i see kevin durant on a suns jersey i'm like oh wow and in the purple starburst or sunburst jersey like that is chef's kiss to this venetian right here i'm gonna lie i

i get it i get it lena we were talking before the show. You're a Phoenix diehard, right? Like you grew up a Phoenix Suns fan, right? Yes. For better, for worse. My formative. And it's actually funny. I actually got to tell Charles Barkley this in person as he had his arms on my shoulder. I showed him a picture of me and my dad. My dad used to work at what it was then called America West Arena. There is only America West Arena on this show, I will just say. So you don't have to say anything else. It's always Bank One Ballpark and America West Arena. So, you know, real ones, no. If Lena's daddy called it America West, we're going to call it America West.

We're going to call it America West. Absolutely. So I actually got to show Chuck a picture of me in my little, you know, 90s, hot pink, uh, polyester sweatsuit on my way to work with my dad, which thinking back, I'm like, that's pretty cool that, uh, they allowed him to do that. But those were my formative years watching Chuck, watching KJ, watching Dan Marley. Um, so I actually got to show Chuck that picture and he, he said it was awesome, but yeah, I a phoenix die hard those were the golden years uh and and now it feels like they're coming back i was gonna say those were the golden years

i'm like how how good are you feeling now right now because right now now is i'm even like wow i'm part of these jealous i'm like yeah that's that's that seemed pretty cool over there yeah yeah i mean again it's only like what six years ago we were like right there with the kings in terms of the level of misery that we were feeling as a fan base and now we're the cool kids back again you know i always thought this was a great market an attractive market for players and now we actually have the organization from top to bottom to back that up and And we have a new owner in Matt Ishbia that I think a lot of people are excited about. And of course, by the end of his first day in power, he gets the trade done to bring KD here and change the entire trajectory of the season and

the NBA at large. Yeah, truly. That's a grand opening right there. That's how you want to walk in the door. You mentioned the market just in terms of the excitement and the buzz. How does it compare to say seven seconds or less, or even back in the day when Barkley joined the team? Man, it's hard. It's hard to equate it because I think from like, you know, the 30,000 foot view, Charles Barkley is still one of the most beloved athletes to ever play for a team in arizona right but i will again say this uh halfway through our week of coverage of the super bowl and the waste management and all the red carpets and all the nfl honors the question that they wanted me to ask people was what do you think of katie coming to phoenix i was the first person to ask brock that asking deandre Ayton that asking Jalen Rose that,

you know, at the fanatics party, but that just goes to show how much of a headline and how big of a deal that really was when all eyes were on Phoenix. It was all about Katie still. And he hadn't put on a Jersey. He hadn't been with the team yet. And then it was a seven week wait to see him

actually take the court at footprint center right um so i think america west arena america west arena yeah formerly known as yep mr washington yeah of course we gotta keep it og um but i think that's just still something that even the players in the locker room are trying to absorb i mean da is still trying to accept the fact that when he was drafted here like again this was considered widely throughout the league a dumpster fire of an organization and now again they're contenders so yeah i mean right now got a you've got a five game winning streak going as of this recording probably looking good in that four the four spot um which could mean okay so this could be a number of matchups here could be the clippers the warriors

the pelicans maybe even the lakers possibly if things went you know obviously that things have to go very well for the pelicans but if you had your pick is there a preferred matchup that you have or are you just kind of you're fine're like, just get everybody healthy and we're good. I'm, I'm ready for, I'm, we're ready to eat. I'm not going to pull a John and say we're good in the West because the West is going to be tough. And even though the Warriors can't really win on the road, I don't want to see them in the first round. And you know what? I want to give Kings fans what they want, which is to have Warriors fans in their building and maybe be able to talk trash to them

in the first round of their first playoff series in nearly two decades. So I personally would prefer traveling to LA for the first round. I don't care which team it is. Yeah, yeah. Let's link up. Let's go to Roscoe's or something like that.

Yeah, absolutely. But that's what I would prefer, because I think those two teams have weaknesses that the Suns can exploit. And again, with Katie in the lineup, I don't think there's a question that they can get through the Clippers or the Lakers easier than a team with Steph or Clay on it. Yeah, I mean know we would love to have you um and to your point yes we do have a bit of history yeah i i could understand how you feel about that the lakers actually finally snapped their what what was it two year long losing streak to the sun i mean going back to the 2021 playoff so yeah it was that yeah no i heard that i heard that i heard you know it's tough It's tough when you lose to the eventual

champions. Oh no, you're right. They didn't lose to the eventual champions. That's even worse. On the back of your jersey right above the logo what's that number above there on yours? You know what? We have the Mercury.

We got our banner. i'm not i'm not going for them yes absolutely absolutely um but yeah currently got the seventh best team defensive rating eighth in opponents points in the paint 12th in the opponents three-point percentage i mean yeah you got the spurs nuggets lakers and clippers still on the schedule so this is going to be yeah these are thigh rub, as they say over in the UK. Oh, that's a thigh rubber of a match. Yeah, you can start rubbing your thighs because it's exciting. Are you guys as excited?

I mean, this is one of those where it's like asking an obvious question, but I'm so excited about what Katie and Booker can look like as a scoring duo in the series. Like the defense, we'll talk about that later on down the road. But just as a scoring threat, that tandem, to me, it's potentially one of the better scoring duos in recent history. Absolutely. I mean, I think the first three games Katie and Booker were playing together, Book was averaging 30 points and Katie on a bad night was still getting 20. I love seeing them two on the floor together because you can tell that they not only

respect one another but are willing to sacrifice and be unselfish and play to each other's strengths and i'm glad that katie is here to take some pressure off of cp3 when it comes to trying to be the floor general or be the guy that says get on my back we're winning this game mentality so i love seeing them play together i'm happy that they finally got to play together at this level uh and for me it's also been interesting to hear katie say you know he was nervous before taking the floor for in both charlotte and at home he feels the pressure of being who he is every game and he doesn't want to let his teammates down and for someone of his caliber to say that when he doesn't have to i thought was really

telling and exciting for a fan to hear yeah and just with you you brought up cp3 how does he factor into it because like to your point all we're talking about like i feel like i have not mentioned mr christopher paul uh where like How do you see him factoring into all this like in the best possible way in terms of how you see, you know, making a deep run? Yeah, again, I think having KD there to relieve some of the pressure of him and having to be as aggressive as we saw him

maybe last year in the Pelican series, which will, of course, I think help him stay healthy for the long term. I think that's where the Sun sons will have a bit of trouble. And of course this can be said for every team, but when you have a Booker going down with a hamstring or CP missing time with, with some kind of foot or heel or ankle or something like that.

And if, you know, Katie's knee starts to flare up again, you know, that's going to be a big challenge for this team to overcome because they don't have the depth of having Mikhail bridges, Cameron Johnson and Jay Crowder all to kind of be that spark plug. But I think CP does have another run,

especially considering the window that they've enjoyed so far. I don't know how much longer he has in his mind that he wants to play, but I think with this kind of firepower and katie that he can go have another pelicans like free 38th birthday cp3 performance in in the first round for sure i mean i'm always rooting for people my age in the league so you don't be like show them we we're not watching at all we still still got it. We still got it. Come on, Bron. We graduated the same year in high school.

Look at us. Look at us. Look at us. You being one of the most historical athletes ever. And, you know, I got these podcasts, but, you know, we'll talk about it later. We got to move on to some listener questions because, you know, we had to let people know we've got we got Emmy award winning journalists coming on. You know, what are your questions? And I believe at Blunt Doctor was the actual doctor had some questions.

Jabari, what were some of the things that old L Doctor was asking about? Yeah. And shout out to Blunt Doctor. He's actually a really good guy based out of the Phoenix area. And it's actually a pretty good podcaster. Shout out to him. But he did. He did have a few for us.

I'll set it up for you, Lena. He wants to know how many defensive problems did Mikael Bridges cover? And I think the obvious answer to that is a lot. All of them. But are you not willing to sacrifice that when you have the opportunity to bring KD in? Yeah. Losing the Twins was really tough. And we're still emotionally missing Mikaelail especially when he goes off the way he

has in brooklyn and i'm happy that they're together but yeah man i mean mikhail was i thought i mean we call him our deep boy here all respect to marcus smart but over on the west side we we thought that it belonged to mikhail just because he was always given the toughest assignment and he delivered and then he was able to turn that defense into offense. I mean, if you look at just the schedule, I mean, he's on there as one of the leaders for this team throughout the first half of the season up until the trade deadline. So I think defensively, Bismack Biambo has stepped up a lot and his whole journey and story and coming back to the team when he did. He's been a great addition to this roster.

I think he's stepped up. And I think Torrey Craig and Josh Apogi have kind of relished the challenge of being that defensive dog. And even though, you know, it's a challenge for them, endurance and stamina wise to do that, they're willing to do that because they know they don't have to, you know, be the guy to also score on the other end of the floor. They got three or four other options on that end so i think they're missing mikhail but i think they've found ways to to figure it out with 35 on the floor yeah you also have an abundance of riches

when it comes to talent kind of all throughout your rotation and uh just quickly uh quickly with these other two he noticed and he specifically mentioned that the Suns foul too often. He wants to know if there's a fix for that. And I'll just say, yeah, it's called the playoffs. They're going to allow you to play more physically. Now, I'm not talking about the little tick-tack stuff or the foolish fouls that you can certainly get better at avoiding.

But when it comes to the postseason, isn't that when you're going to be able to play more physically in the style that the Suns have been playing? I hope so. I mean, we saw if the national championship games are any indication of what we could see in the NBA in terms of reffing on the biggest stage. It might be tough, but if I knew how to fix their problems when it comes to fouling, I think Monte would immediately put me on his staff. problems when it comes to fouling, I think Monte would immediately put me on his

staff, but I just have to say to harken back to like a Disney Channel original movie deep cut from the classic Brink when his sister Katie comes up to him after he loses a competition, just says skate better. The Suns just need to foul less.

There you go. Just do that. It's just that simple. Or get a time machine and we can go back to 1993. And here we are. Cause that was, I remember as a child being like, that's, that's basketball.

Yeah. That postseason was wild. I love the era, but please don't take us back to 95, 91. No, not a human game. No,

not at all. I'm just saying, bring back that era of postseason basketball. I like the, when the, the whistles vanished. You know what I mean? The physicality.

Yeah. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Shall we move on? Yeah.

Yeah. Let's go for it. I mean, cause you know, we're talking, we're talking a lot about the Phoenix suns. You know, we need to go to,

and you know, I believe that they, I want the best for you. I want nothing but the best, but I do. We just do have to, uh, Jabari and I and other Lakers fans just do need to exhale a little bit and

just say, wow. Okay. Anthony Davis, you are, you're coming online right at the right time. He got the Western conference player of the week for the second time this season.

Lakers went three and on the road and he was putting up almost 39 points, almost 12 rebounds, two blocks the week prior. And yeah, it was one of those things where we needed a lot of things to go right, and boy, have they gone right in a way that I remember telling Jabari, with tears in my eyes, I'm like, how are we realistically even thinking about being above the sixth seed somehow? And here we are. Jabari, I mean, I'll let you, because we talk all the time about our love for AD,

but I will let you continue this love fest. Well, I was actually going to pivot this directly to Lena, and the reason why it's so valuable is because she's unbiased, or certainly not biased in the favor of the Lakers. No, no, to have this Lakers team. Exactly. Thank you. More objective.

You have this Lakers team that started out 2-10. Since then, they've gone 38-28. Like, it's one thing for, you know, and I was talking to Miles about this before the show, it's one thing to poo-poo, oh, they've won six out of seven. So what? But if you move that out a little bit farther, 38-28 is nothing to sneeze at. I recognize that you just let us know that you're not too worried about that matchup, but can you speak from an outside perspective

to what you've seen in terms of their progression over the year? Yeah, absolutely. I think a lot of people were counting them out just about three weeks ago even. I mean, at least in Phoenix, I will say, um, but I think they're, they're doing what a LeBron led team does, which is find a way to win, find a will to win even without him on the floor. He's still a presence and, and 80 getting healthy at this time and performing well. I want, you know, I want the highest level of competition in the playoffs. I want all the stars to be available. However, maybe his availability and

consistency is a bad sign for, you know, April, May, June, depending on his, his bandwidth when it comes to staying healthy. But when the Lakers and the Celtics are in and the Knicks are playing at high levels, I mean, basketball is better. The atmosphere is better. The trash talk is better. So I think the overall experience of post-season basketball is elevated. But I think it's exciting for any big-time team like that to be healthy and ascending at this time

heading into the post-season. This is why you got emmys you know what i mean because you are not you're not trash consuming bacteria like jabari and i where we feed on past glories of the lakers to sustain our life into the next day you could zoom out and actually accurately describe what's going on yes like you said we're it's a big team obviously it's a massive franchise we all know that and i do like though too part of me does you know and look i might regret this i would like to play the phoenix suns you know because i feel like look i remember when they let the fans back into staples in the playoffs and i went to the first game back

against the suns we won that one but the rest was not great but at the same time the pain from that that's kind of what drives you as a fan too you don't want to shy away from certain matchups like you want to feel like you're confident with the performances and you're like yeah you know honestly this is what i want to see like and if we're gonna go as far as we're gonna go we're gonna have to go through the teams that are playing really well so i invite it because i think right now i've really adjusted my expectations and the fact that I'm even like, what? Oh, we're doing this right now. OK, it's happening.

Like, I'm like, all right, well, let's see where it goes. All right. Well, let's take a quick break so I can, you know, just take all the sweat off my brow because I've gotten so excited talking about the Lakers and the Suns. And we'll talk about some of the best performances of the week right after this. All right, here we go. It's Cam Jordan from New Orleans Saints here to tell you it's going down. On season two of my podcast, Off the Edge with me, Cam Jordan.

Can't stop it. You know what's going to happen. Can't stop it. That's right. Catch new episodes every Wednesday, all season long that's what you look for year 14 to do more and i'll have my friends who happen to be some of the nfl's biggest stars join me on the pod we'll give you a player's perspective of the biggest storylines trends and did that really just happen moments from around the league and you know we'll have fun

doing it oh and i'll have a special guest each month join me to mix it up a little bit. Who is it? None other than... Psych! You'll have to tune in to find out. So tap in to Off the Edge with Cam Jordan's podcast, your ultimate playbook for all things football

and not football. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Mike Wright from the Fantasy Footballers Dynasty Podcast. You heard that right. The Fantasy Footballers have officially entered the Dynasty space. Every week we bring you the same in-depth analysis and entertainment you've come to expect from the Fantasy Footballers,

only now from a Dynasty perspective. Maybe you've been living in the dynasty fantasy football space for a while well we're here to take your game to the next level maybe you love fantasy football and you've been feeling that itch to jump into the dynasty format but it feels a little bit intimidating no matter where you're coming from the fantasy footballers dynasty podcast has something for you and you're gonna have a great time listening i promise join me and the rest of the crew every wednesday for a new episode listen to the fantasy footballers dynasty podcast on the iheart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts hey everyone jake storielli here from john boy media i want to tell you about my

podcast, Wake and Jake. It's your go-to spot for anything and everything sports, baseball, football, basketball, hockey, golf, college, whatever's hot in the street. We're talking about it on Wake and Jake. So if you're a diehard fan or looking for the latest buzz, we've got you covered. No matter your favorite sport. We're breaking it down with the passion that'll make you feel like you're in the stands with us. Plus, we've got a bunch of guests. Foolish Bailey, Jolly Olive, Chris Rose, and more. Mock drafts, rankings, whatever you want. It's the sports world.

And come on and join our friends in the Wake and Jake family. You will not regret it. So, new episodes Monday and Wednesday. You can watch along on the Wake and Jake family. You will not regret it. So, new episodes Monday and Wednesday. You can watch along on the Wake and Jake YouTube channel or listen to Wake and Jake on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And we're back. And let's check in on the Mad Boosties.

Great performances of the week. You know, got to highlight some of the big time performances over the past week. Because, you know, this isn't just talking about the West Side on this podcast. You know, we've got to look elsewhere. Let's go north of the border to Toronto. Sick, sick, sick, sick. Where Pascal Siakam, 36-7-7. Fred Van Vleet,

with just the fourth 20-20 game in Raptors history in a win over the Hornets. Before I was saying this earlier, I was like, oh, are they in the picture? Oh, and that's on me for not keeping my eye over there. But I was surprised that they look like they're clawing their way back like a Raptor would with their claws because they're Raptors. Very Raptor-like.

Every time I hear Pascal siakam's name i just think back to my time working in bakersfield covering cal state bakersfield at the whack tournament and they punched their ticket to their first ncaa tournament appearance with edric basil hitting a three over pascal siakam and his new mexico state team at the buzzer uh and that's just what i what i think of when i when i just you know that's how long i've been in this business and that's what i love about it too because i i've seen these guys at that level and now you know they're champions and doing great things in the nba yeah shout out the road getting a boosties performance of the week shout out but remember when you crossed paths with the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners And what happened then

It was ugly It was ugly And then Mr. Ingram Bingy bingy bingy Mr. Ingram 36-8 Should we just play this Baseline jam over Norman Powell

Oh wow Against the Clippers huh anyway that's funny man has a family yeah let's just let's just check this moment out uh from our biggie we haven't we actually haven't done a business decisions in a while have we we haven't yeah that's a business decision right there that was a mr powell sir you have like right there it's looking up to you he knew right here don't gather don't gather now that's where you just run over towards the the ref and take the ball out exactly just be like all right yeah all right check up here we go right back in yep yeah i mean what did he think look the old head we were just talking about Love in 93.

So the old head in me appreciates that he tried to go up and contest that. Like, I grew up watching Georgetown Sinners. And if y'all know anything about Georgetown Sinners, they were either getting blocked or either blocking someone or getting dunked on because they were going after everything. So, you know, shout out to you, Norman Powell. But I do feel for your family because that was rough. Yeah. He tried it. He tried.

And you know what? And again, that is his own business decision. You know, and that's again, this is not financial advice, but sometimes your investments can go haywire like it did in that instance. And this is again, this is not financial advice. Just quickly shout out to the Pelicans, because when it looked, you know, much like with the Raptorss when it looked like the pelicans were down and out and probably going to just be out they quickly won what seven out of ten if i'm not mistaken seven of the last eight yeah and they're right there and right there in the mix the west is just going to be so crazy down the stretch i mean it's like three games separating the fourth through 11th seeds it's insane for the last three weeks why is is it like, yeah, we're

kind of spoiled for how competitive it is, but not how easy it is to, you know, get out. But hey, I like it. I like it because it's so tight. I mean, yeah, you know, like for teams like the Lakers and things, you know, your fortunes can change rather quickly. I remember

a lot of people complaining. I'll be quick about this. I remember a lot of people complaining about the play-in when it came, and I was probably one of those until I thought about it a little bit more, but I'll tell you right now, it has been exciting. It has produced exciting finishes down the stretch these last couple seasons, and quite frankly, we wouldn't be in this situation right here that we're in if it weren't for it. Because, yeah, you've expanded the number of teams that actually have something to play for. And when you have that call me, uh,

you know, a nerd, but I think athletes and elite competitors like to be in a situation like that. And we get this kind of stuff. So yeah, I was not hating on that at all. Um,

most of the time I've been here for the play and I love it. I saw Memphis beat golden state in their first play. Uh, and that was already like, okay, yeah, this is a great game. Great atmosphere. High stakes. Keep it going. Absolutely. And, you know, like just even like Zion, you know, he's not even factoring into this.

It's still very up in the air and we will see what happens there. Speaking of the Grizz. Now, I'm not trying to say this disrespectfully, but they cannot be destroyed. OK, I believe them to be the cockroaches of the NBA. And I say that with respect. Bay Bay's kids. Yes, Bay Bay's kids. Exactly.

For people of a certain age in this position, they beat the Clippers on the night where Ja, J, combined for just 19 points on 8 from 21 on the floor without Brandon Clark, no Steven Adams they are surviving, they are just getting through, and that's what I'm saying, I don't mean that because I'm saying they're roaches, they're dirty, whatever I'm saying that how when they talk about, if the atomic bombs

and stuff went off, you know who's going to inherit the earth? The roaches. They will survive that. That's how I feel about the Grizzlies in the most respectful way because I'm very much looking forward to them playing, but the resilience of the team is really remarkable. They have this I think it's called grit, and

they find a way to grind out these wins. I don't know. I think that should be their identity, right right like a grit grind kind of kind of brand of basketball that they play uh but yeah they they found a way to get it together jawless or with jaw and i would be scared to see them in the playoffs with jaw and uh yeah man they they just won't die they are the cockroaches of the west every time in the best way possible yes yes and i know again this is this if anything this is a Yeah, man, they just won't die. They are the cockroaches of the West. Every time.

In the best way possible. Yes, yes. And again, this is this, if anything, this is a tribute to the lowly cockroach. And because a lot of people don't realize that they can survive a nuclear blast. I don't think people know that. And in the ecosystem that you need that, right? Like if you get rid of them, it's all thrown off. So they're not.

And eventually they might get their own movie on MTV called Joe's apartment. If you remember for people who are that old, too. I'm sorry. I'm just here for a playoff crowd in unison singing and performing. Whoop that trick. So, yeah, there we are. Yeah, exactly. Oh, we got to talk about some of our broadcast calls a week.

And this shot, I got to say, I really enjoyed call it a circus shot. I was telling, uh, you know, Jabari, it's more like when you play the slam ball or something, or are you playing on a rim that is like not weighted down properly in someone's driveway and someone shifts the entire backboard. So when you go to shoot from like the baseline, you're like, I'm sorry, wait, how is this oriented? Somehow Mr. Bridges knew exactly how to get around that in this shot over the Hawks recently.

Partially blocked. Comes back to him. Slaps ankle. Oh, McHale. What is this possible? Stopped him from going out. Shot clock winding down. Bridges way upstairs for the deuce.

Behind the backboard, too. And that was off his shot getting blocked. And he does the double hop on one leg to stay in bounds. Oh, man. We missed the homie. I see clips like that, and it just further cements just how supremely talented all of these guys are. Honestly, whether it's your top guy or your fourth option, all these guys are just, just ridiculously down.

I'm going to lie to you and say five. Okay. But off of the psychological trauma of getting rejected, like he did. And he's like, Nope, I'm right back at it. I'm a lie to you and still say five,

but it might take 20. I think it would take me 23 times. Maybe at least. How about, you know, how, how confident are you hitting a sort of fading shot, might take 20. I think it would take me 23 times, maybe. How about you, Nina? How confident are you hitting a sort of fading shot over the backboard like that? I have to give myself about a dozen tries. I'll probably just give up after

that and be bored with the attempt of embarrassing myself. But yeah, I'll give myself about a dozen. That should be our new segment, Jabari, is we go to a gym. We see how many tries it takes us to do some of this stuff. To recreate some of the shots. Not to be like, I'm not going to windmill on somebody,

but something like that off my left foot, like trying to catch a ball, keeping it from going out of bounds, just to see how many times it would really take us. Because I believe it would probably take 46, if I'm really being honest. And you would need to live stream it obviously oh yeah but people will be the transparency yes and people be so bored they'd be like is this like a charity live stream what are these guys doing what is yeah like is he trying to make it like look worse every subsequent attempt okay maybe not uh and then also billy mack our boy calling this one ad you know look

we kind of went back and forth with the bulls recently again zach levine the way he absolutely just handled us like he was a postal carrier was just it was it was terrible the young man from chicago anthony davis just let them know there was no love lost uh with this wonderful alley that was thrown by my brother from another mother, Rui Hachimura. But let's hear Billy Mack with this call. We'll keep away two-man game. Lob to Andy. Throw it down.

Look out below. I just love just the intent. Lob to Andy. It was pulled out of him I mean that painted the picture for me if my eyes were closed I would know that was an exciting explosive play and that's what you want from your

play by play guy close your eyes and imagine all of those wonderful clips we just mentioned okay or you can find them on the internet they are definitely there we should also shout out some of the unsung boosties ballers we just mentioned. Okay. Or you can find them on the internet. They are definitely there. We should also shout out some of the unsung boosties ballers.

Talon Horton Tucker? His last three games? 41, 28, 32? Who are you? What happened to you? I love you. Come back. Opportunities.

It's okay. Right. Right. 100%. Shaden Sharp with 27 or more and three of his last four is really something else. And then Sfi, Mr. Sfi, what happened here? Averaging 5.7 points per game on the year,

but with 19 over the last five. You'd love to see it. You'd love to see it. You'd love to see it. All right, well, let's take another quick break, and we'll be right back with Emmy Award winning journalist, Lena Washington, to put her through the most intense and fast segment in podcast history,

The Hot Seat, right after this. All right, here we go. It's Cam Jordan from New Orleans Saints, here to tell you it's going down on season two of my podcast, Off the Edge with me, Cam Jordan. Can't stop it. You know what's going to happen. Can't stop it. That's right. Catch new episodes every Wednesday, all season long.

That's what you look for in year 14, to do more. No days off. And I'll have my friends, who happen to be some of the NFL's biggest stars, join me on the pod. We'll give you a player's perspective of the biggest storylines, trends, and did that really just happen moments from around the league.

And you know we'll have fun doing it. Ha! Yeah! Oh, and I'll have a special guest each month join me to mix it up a little bit. Who is it? None other than Syke.

You'll have to tune in to find out. So tap in to Off the Edge with Cam Jordan's podcast, your ultimate playbook for all things football and not football. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Mike Wright from the Fantasy Footballers Dynasty Podcast. You heard that right. The Fantasy Footballers have officially entered the Dynasty space. Every week we bring you the same in-depth analysis and entertainment you've come to expect from the Fantasy Footballers, only now from a Dynasty perspective.

Maybe you've been living in the Dynasty Fantasy Football space for a while. Well, we're here to take your game to the next level. Maybe you love Fantasy Football and you've been feeling that itch to jump into the dynasty format, but it feels a little bit intimidating. No matter where you're coming from, the Fantasy Footballers Dynasty Podcast has something for you and you're going to have a great time listening, I promise. Join me and the rest of the crew every Wednesday for a new episode. Listen to the Fantasy Footballers Dynasty Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, everyone. Jake Storielli here from John Boy Media. I want to tell you about my podcast, Waking Jake. It's your go-to spot for anything and everything sports. Baseball, football, basketball, hockey, golf, college, whatever's hot in the street, we're talking about it on Wake and Jake. So if you're a diehard fan or looking for the latest buzz, we've got you covered. No matter your favorite sport, we're breaking it down with the passion that'll make you feel like you're in the stands with us.

Plus, we've got a bunch of guests, Foolish Bailey, Jolly Olive, Chris Rose, and more. Mock drafts, rankings, whatever you want. It's the sports world. And come on and join our friends in the Wake and Jake family. You will not regret it. So, new episodes Monday and Wednesday. You can watch along on the Wake and Jake YouTube channel or listen to Wake and Jake on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and we're back and lena washington i hope you are ready because it's the fourth quarter which means it is time for the rapid fire round of questions okay this is what we do when i ask you a question don't think about it just give us our answer quick you know we'd like to keep this moving and if jabari and i start dragging it along we are counting on you since you have won emmys to keep this thing moving you're the pro okay yes oh man you're the pro okay okay the pressure's on okay all i'm saying is this is are you ready is on are you ready are you ready are you ready it this like the pitch clock in baseball? Do I have to be ready with eight seconds left?

Do I get it right? Imagine we're just doing some chest passing drills, but don't hold on to it. Fire it right back. You know what I mean? This is everybody playing on the playground, and you catch the ball. Five, four, three. Yeah. Boom.

Right back. Right back. Right back. Right back. Gotcha. Gotcha. Gotcha. Here we go. Start the clock. Start it up. Yeah, boom. Right back, right back, right back, right back. Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. Here we go.

Start the clock. Start it up. Here we go. Lena Washington. Is there a single NBA player you would take right now over the chance of taking Wemba Nyama with the first pick this summer? In a hypothetical, please. Who is there?

Or would you, you ready for Wemby? Yeah, I'm ready for Wemby. Let's see him in action. Let's get him fed really, really well and get the calories up and get him on the court. Now, what is it about him, Victor Wemby that has everybody talking or has you even thinking about him? I think just the hype overall about him. And I just want to see it in action. Sorry, Lena.

I'm sorry. I'm very sorry. But this is, this is the time where we need you to step up in this time. Yeah. I'm sorry. You need to cut miles off and say, yeah,

one and done. This is the tournament. This ain't the playoffs. This is the NCAA tournament. Sorry. Yeah. You know what? Actually no follow-ups.

Jabari, drop your address in the chat. So Lena can send you her Emmy. Cause that was fantastic. what you just did. I want to nominate you for it. Just meet me in Temecula. Yeah. Meet me in Casa Grande. Meet me in Yuma.

Y'all, yeah, it's a pretty short drive for the two of you. Meet me at E.G.'s on 3rd. Meet me at the Mesa College Gymnasium. Absolutely right. Yeah, on on broadway or university or one of those so i gotta go to her i gotta go to her turf okay here we go yeah all right but i'll keep it going lena you can go back and attend any single game in nba history

which game are you choosing oh my gosh um probably i guess uh game four of the 2021 finals so I could run on the court and make the final quarter just not happen at all just put glue on my hand and put it right in the middle of the buck and never move

from Pfizer Forum and make sure that game is never relived or finalized because I think I have the power to change the course of that entire series if I were in the building at that time. That's a true fan. I got a true fan question

for you. What is the best thing to eat at the America West Arena? Oh my gosh. And we will call it the America West Arena. We know it's called but in this home it is the America West Arena. Oh my gosh. And we will call it the America West Arena. Just, you know, we know it's called, but in this home, it is the America West Arena. The president is Barack Obama and, uh, our forever first lady or forever arena, America West. Oh man. That is a great question because I have not, I will say the dessert spread, the dessert spread that they have, at least the media center is top notch. I mean, we get cookies, we get little, you know, parfait cups.

We got brownies. We got cheesecake. We got chocolate. We got tart. We got sweet. We got fruits. We got, we got a bunch of stuff going on. And you know what?

I actually discovered on accident this killer combo. They have these like Fruity Pebbles sugar cookies. But if you kind of crumble it up and put it in the popcorn bag, you get a little sweet. You get a little salty. You get a little chewy. You get a little crispy of the kernel. So for all my Phoenix fans out there,

if you're able to get a hand on the Fruity Pebbles cookies and some popcorn, just let me know what you think about it. Wow. That's next level snacking because I'm going to be honest

with you, you had me a cheesecake. Yeah. And now with the new, you know, the players agreement, that sounds real good. That's what I'm saying. Next level. All right.

So keeping it going, you can take any former Suns player and pair him with Booker and KD. Which former Sun is so close to your heart that you would like to see that? I mean, I have to go with Charles Barkley now because I just want to see how Chuck and KD would be able to pull together. Wow. They're such good friends. And, you know, they respect each other to the highest degree. I mean, that's where I would automatically go with that.

And I just think that that would be a fun little trash talking session among teammates. Oh, yeah. Easy money sniper and Chuck. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Okay. How about this? Lena, what is your boldest postseason or even play-in prediction for this year? Go bold.

Go bold. Are you guys ready? Are you ready? Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Well, you know, the Suns fan in me, I can't fully say.

Okay. I get you. But the Kings will be in the Western Conference Finals. Ooh. Okay. Wow. The kings will be four wins away from a trip to the nba finals wow wow which team they'll have to get past yeah yeah i don't know well i don't know yeah okay but i think they the beam and the power of the beam. Yeah, the beam is powerful. As a harness to the city and Mike Brown's entire staff in a way that we will not see again. And I'm ready for the full.

First of all, I will say they apparently had a 30 for 30 done on the Kings many, many years ago. I've seen the zip drive file. It's not open to the public. You said zip drive. Whoa. Because they had a premiere at a local theater and then it was never released to the public because they had a premiere at a local theater and then it was never released to the grand public but I've seen

it and it needs to be either released updated I don't know but now they need to bring it back with the energy that they've got going in Sacramento and the way that Mike Brown has turned this entire franchise around it's going to be rocking in there and so my bold prediction is that they're going to keep this momentum going

and, and take it to the, to the finals in the West. Could you imagine they went all the way? I can't imagine it. It feels like they're in the team of destiny. It feels. Yeah.

And no, like, like to your point about the power of the beam, like I believe in it. Like I've changed religions to beam because the purple beach from the Laker fan I mean I mean look it is what it is you know I can be fair weather and that wasn't

even a pun the sack no I appreciate it I appreciate that but now I want to say rather than start the clock I'm like like the beam people I feel people say that yeah like that like from Austin Powers but it's. Yeah.

There it is. Yeah. All right, Lena. Are you ready for the most important question that you've been asked today? Oh gosh. I don't know guys. Yeah, this is it. You will be judged based upon this answer.

I know. Miles or Jabbar. on this answer. I know. Miles or Jabari? I've been thinking about this one since the last appearance, actually. So almost, was it a calendar year, almost?

Potentially. It keeps me up at night, to be honest with you. But I have to go with Jabari. Stop the count. We are good. I have to go with Jabari. And I will say this. This is why.

Oh my God. Only because, Miles, he has a little bit of an edge on my familiarity with him because I first heard him on another podcast that I love and adore. But that kind of wrote me in.

And now we've come full circle where I am a guest on this incredible podcast that I'm honored to be a part of shout out to lacy mosley bringing us together that's all it takes yeah wait really yep we are members of the congregation baby oh wow hey you know you know i'm the i'm the person who coined the name scam goddess oh yeah is she scamming you out of your royalties? No, no, no, no. Lacey and I are cool.

She's actually very like anytime she does an interview, she's like, yeah, my friend Miles Gray came up with the name. Because I refer I would nickname her that because before she even had the show, she was we were always talking about scams and how much we love scams. And then when she would come on my other podcast, I was like, the scam goddess is in the building. Oh, man. She took that. And I was like, yo, let me just get a T-shirt. You know what I mean? And we're good.

So I know it's coming. I know it's coming. Well, then maybe I have to go with Miles then because you came up with the name. This is how we do it. No anymore. I'm just saying I'm trying to keep it logical. You get no, no, no, no, no. I respect that first answer.

And look, you are an Emmy winning entity. So what you say, I will never push back on. We really appreciate you, Lena, for coming on the show again. Where can people find you and follow you and read you? You know, just support you in whatever way they can. Oh, yeah. First, thank you guys so much for having me again. Love the podcast.

Love you guys. If you live in the Phoenix area, you can find me on 12 news in Phoenix. I I'm on Monday through pretty much every day of the week, really. But our flagship show 12 sports night is on Sundays at 10 30 during the football season. You can catch me right after Sunday night football hosting Cardinals

locker room and hosting Friday night fever, Arizona's longest running and only high school football show. You can find me on socials at L Washington TV. And hopefully I'll see y'all in the post season at the playoffs at a baseball game. Who knows that when we meet up in the first round, perhaps please, please would love nothing more than that.

And also, yeah, if you can get me tickets, the NBA, you know, that'd be great. You know, Jabari and I would really appreciate it. Hey, we'll go. Yeah.

Okay. Well, that is going to do it for this week's edition of Mad Boosties. You can follow us on Twitter at M-A-D-B-O-O-S-T-I-E-S on Twitter. And be sure to, you know, maybe follow us. Maybe at us. We check our menchies. You know what I mean? So holler at us. We check our menchies. You know what I mean? So holler at us.

And, you know, we asked for your son's takes. And our Boosties listener of the week was at Tyler J. McDowell says, quote, Lena rules, which we obviously agree with. But also thinks book has ascended to officially being the most popular pro sports athlete in Arizona. Wow. Okay. Also shouts to our super. Yeah. Yeah.

Shouts to our super listeners. Erica, checking in from Ireland. And also, you know, PG Paul Garaventa. And everybody's favorite Celtics fan, Alicia. We see you, AP. We see you out there. Always steadfast. That's why we respect you, even though we're on the wrong side

of the tracks. It's all good. Alright, that's going to do it for us this week. We're going to be back next week with who knows where the league will be at that point, but we just can't wait and we'll see you then. And Jack will be back too.

So we'll see you all then. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. 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. 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 and the best analysis delivered by the time you get your coffee. The show hits every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone.

So I'm bringing in all the big guns from NFL media like Colleen Wolf. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, y'all? It's Cam Jordan from the New Orleans Saints here to tell you it's going down on season two of my podcast, Off the Edge with me, Cam Jordan.

Catch new episodes every Wednesday, and I'll have the biggest NFL stars join me to give a player's perspective of the biggest storylines, trends, and did that really just happen moment from around the league. So tap in to Off the Edge with Cam Jordan podcast, your ultimate playbook for all things football and not football. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts.