The Daily Zeitgeist - NBA Defense Week with Steve Jones Jr.

Episode Date: September 1, 2022

Miles and Jack had another legend in the building as they were joined by former assistant coach for the Nets and current Basketball News analyst, Steve Jones Jr. for the NBA’s official Defense Week episode.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. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's basketball. And on this new season,

we'll cover all things sports and culture. Listen to Naked Sports on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio apps, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Black Effect Podcast Network is sponsored by Diet Coke.

I'm Keri Champion and this is season four of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry. Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese.

Every great player needs a foil. I know I'll go down in history. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game.

Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's sports. Listen to the making of a rivalry, Caitlin Clark versus Angel Reese, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. There's so much beauty in Mexican 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. 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. Guess what, everybody? Only 47 days until the start of the new season. And guess what? It's officially NBA Defense Week, and we're celebrating some of the all-time greatest defenders and some news and notes from around the league with former assistant coach with the Nets, former video coordinator for the Grizzlies,

and current co-host of the highly entertaining and informative Dunker Spot podcast, Steve Jones Jr. is in the building. I'm Myles Gray. And I'm Jack O'Brien. And this is Myles and Jack. I'm Matt Bustis. There it is. Beat ya. Yeah, you did.

Oh, you were racing me that time. Oh'm Matt Bustis. There it is. Beat you. Yeah, you did. You were racing me that time. Oh, little stinker. Well, let's bring in our guest, Steve Jones Jr. You may know him as an analyst on Basketball News. Again, former assistant coach of the Nets and video coordinator for the Grizzlies. Steve Jones Jr. Welcome to the show. How are you, man?

I'm doing good, man. How y'all doing? Happy to be here. Fantastic. Listen to that voice made for radio and podcasting holy cow you got a voice changer on there a lot of a lot of a lot of vitamins and water yeah yeah yeah how tall are you steve six two on a good day okay okay bad day give on a bad day, 5-3. Be my 5-11 on a bad day. So, alright, I have this theory that I want

to ask you about straight up, right out the gate, that video coordinator is like sneaky good prep for being just like an all-around basketball galaxy brain, because you imbibe more NBA basketball than anyone else um what what are

your thoughts on that as a former video coordinator uh your theory is correct yeah so no matter which pathway you go if you go to coaching you go to the front office you have been forced to watch the game in a different way consistently over and over and over again night in night out so yeah you get the prep you get the reps your brain grows you see the game you're spot on there unless you for some reason it doesn't stick but yeah if you're if you're a video coordinator you you're you got a different brain a different mindset yeah i did frank vogel was a video coordinator uh spo mike Spoh, Mike Brown, Taylor Jenkins. If you want to see, you know, if you,

if you want to use this information to, uh, invest in the future of a young coach who hasn't done it yet, Taylor Jenkins. So I don't know. Frank Vogel used to be the video coordinator for my dad, uh, when he was a coach with the Celtics and And I was interning with them one year.

And he just couldn't understand how I was so stupid. He was trying to show me how he broke down the film. And I was just like... He was like, so right here. All right, freeze it. You know exactly what play it's going to be, right? And I was bringing the ball up. And one person had entered the paint.

And I was like, uh, they're running motion he was like no man no that's all right he's like that's really your dad that's your dad really yeah oh man and my dad actually like i think had i had the i remember when he was talking about i forget what the editing software was but it was like in the 80s like right when it was coming out and and 90s when he was working with uh university of kentucky and he was like early on the editing machine under under patino so he he also got a lot of reps oh like cutting like tape basically yeah yeah exactly oh if you hear the stories about the actual cutting and editing of like tape like vhs yeah it's insane even i was like how did y'all do that like i'm not gonna

complain about just trying to shuffle some things around here on a computer y'all really had to like yeah avid is what he was like saying he was talking about avid before like i had heard that now now it's like everybody's worked on it before yeah well i mean but that's yeah that's like what people were like the only way you could edit television and film back then was like on an avid system and it wasn't like today where it's like yeah i can fire up my laptop and cut this video it's like you had to go to what they called an avid bay like to just even operate that yeah and now i feel i do feel like speaking of what kids have access to today like um i we we talk on here the like it feels like basketball is progressive and

like the each year like players are building on what people were doing the previous season and like getting better or just like showing new angles and i do feel like the young players today grew up with like a closer approximation to what a video coordinator had like 10 years ago than ever before just because youtube is like so just like loaded with so much film like you could just watch film on any player you want like all day so i don't know what do you think about that no i agree i mean you could youtube almost anyone across the world i remember even when i was in the video room to do some of the uh overseas prospects it was still like double triple top secret ways to get the dvd and then try and find it and then

make sure it was the right team and all that good stuff. And then you got to look up the roster to make sure you got the right person. Yeah. Because that's a whole nightmare if you cut the wrong minutes up. It's like, oh, he's not on the court. But yeah, they got a whole lot more. They could see a whole lot more. They could do a whole lot more. It's a beautiful part because

now you can kind of see more of the older players than even I could have. Yeah. I haven't seen them. You can look at a highlight compilation. You can get the, where she lost was a problem at any time you want.

It's fun. You can look up any player actually, except me. I actually had the NBA scrub every video of me trying to play basketball just because I felt like it was going to, you know throw the title of our show and me having that boosties into you know the the clips that were out there just weren't weren't great didn't show off my best stuff very one-sided you know more of a 5 10 day than a 6 2 day if you know honestly i like you were saying i think they put that rim up

at 12 feet yeah no some days it definitely felt like that. That's what it looked like. I would try and kick it to get it up high enough. Punting it from the three-point line. Like, what is this dude doing? But the two of you, I would say, have grown up around basketball. Obviously, your whole lives. You being the son of the late, great Steve Snapper Jones.

And Jack, you and your dad and like grandfather like you come from you know you've lived and breathed around basketball i'm curious you know steve being around the game so much like what like jack always has these wild stories i'm like what like what how do you know these things or why are you experiencing those things like for you would have been some sort of like sort of standout moments whether during your time playing or beyond or just being in and around the game that will make us the normal people jealous of your proximity to the game the toughest part about that is usually most of my stories come either a around beat people or b when something pops up so like i like all of a sudden we'll be in a conversation say you mentioned someone

and i'll pop in a memory and casually drop something. And they'll be like, what do you mean? And I'm like, and I'm like, Oh yeah, that's not really a thing. Like I just,

I was at practice the other day and you know, Zach Randolph was doing this and people would be like, what do you mean? You talked to Zach Randolph. I'm like, yeah, yes, yes.

That's how, that's how this works. Or like it's, it's more funny to kind of sometimes you forget i guess in talking that you have experienced some of these things that are kind of just wild yeah yeah and then like i remember it was just tough to relate like when i was working the league as an assistant coach no one wanted to hear about my problems which i understood totally got it but it was like i can't bring my work problems to you because you'll be like your job is dope and i'm like right right you're like who threw hands with

who oh and you're like never mind this is this is explosive yeah all the ones that immediately come to mind when people are like what's your best story i feel like they're ones the nba would want want to leave on the cutting room floor for the most part. Well, also, too, I feel like your anecdotes probably to your point, too, Steve, are like the kind of thing where offhandedly just triggers a memory and you're like, oh, wait, I have something to say about this that you've never heard. Yeah, pretty much. I got to the point where I just remembered that Tim Legler found me at the NBA jam session

in the All-Star Weekend in San Antonio. I wasn't lying. I told told you they just pop up wait what do you mean he found you he found i was lost i was lost i was doing something i was wandering around i went to go to one booth and i couldn't find my mom and then tim legler found me why probably that's my mom so yeah see that's what would anyway was this like when he was like in a three-point contest or something yes yes okay this was this was washington tim legler heater yeah i got everything for you yeah he's also looking out here i was crying how old were you at the time eight eight or nine eight or nine i was young i was young enough for it to make sense yeah right right right i was like 22 you know yeah i was just really missed my mom and are you a blazers fan now is that your squad i was a full-time blazer fan i will always love the blazers but as far as the fan that was my my team. That was my squad. That was my go-to. It ended

probably right around the end of the Odin era. Was where the fan hat came off, and then I started working in the league. But through college, yeah, I was a massive Blazers fan. Massively disappointed for the majority of my life.

We sure made the playoffs a lot. But, yeah, man do you like root for scenarios you root for players like what what are you what what are you hoping for this season in general yeah i like a good story i like to see teams grow i like to see teams perform well i like redemption arcs you know so if kawaii were to come back and do something crazy it'd be fun if lebron hits another peak of job Wright takes another leap. It's fun to watch young players develop from one thing to the next, and then they really start to get it.

It starts to click, and then you see that success in the playoffs. It's also fun to see the greats just be great. What Seth Curry did last year was great. It was fun to watch. So for me, just feed me all the good basketball you can, and I'll parse that what i want as opposed to no i need this to happen i feel like that's kind of a bummer way to watch the game sometime right yeah yeah man i like how you're almost talking like like dr manhattan

and the watchman where it's like i don't engage with your sport on a level so tortured but do you when do you watch the watchman i know you know the watchman you better know the watchman man or dr manhattan the big blue naked man who is so wise uh but like in do you find yourself like ever regressing to having that instinct as a fan i know because you watch so much basketball and you engage with it in a slightly different way but does part of you still kind of have that like little bit of heart flutter oh yeah absolutely so like i remember a couple years ago carmel anthony did a dunk out of nowhere i lost my mind okay you can still get me like i'm not mr you know bow tie right i don't do any of this stuff yeah uh it just takes a little bit to

get me you know gotcha right right i kind of stick in my bubble a little bit maybe i should loosen up right um i don't know there's there's so many hot takes i just kind of just in my bubble a little bit. Maybe I should loosen up. I don't know. There's so many hot takes. I just kind of stay in the corner with some mild sauce. I'm fine. I root against the haters. That's the only real rooting interest I have other than the 76ers, which is my own

cross to bear. That's called self-hatred, I think. That is, yeah. Hey, live your truth. All right. Should we take a quick break? Come back, talk about defense. Defense, as I like to call it. Yeah.

And then clap twice after. Let's do it. I'm Kerry 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. Why is that? 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. 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. Lucha libre is a type of storytelling. It's a dance. It's tradition.

It's culture. This is Lucha Libre Behind the Mask, a 12-episode podcast in both English and Spanish about the history and cultural richness of Lucha Libre. And I'm your host, Santos Escobar, the emperor of Lucha Libre and a WWE superstar. Santos! Santos! Join me as we learn more about the history behind this spectacular sport from its inception in the United States to how it became a global symbol of Mexican culture. We'll learn more about some of the most iconic heroes in the ring. This is Lucha Libre Behind the Mask. Listen to Lucha Libre Behind the Mask as part of My Cultura Podcast Network

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you stream podcasts. Señora Sex Ed is not your mommy sex talk. This show is la plática like you've never heard it before we're breaking the stigma and silence around sex and sexuality in latinx communities this podcast is an intergenerational conversation between latinas from gen x to gen z we're covering everything from body image to representation in film and television we even interview iconic Latinas like Puerto Rican actress Ana Ortiz. I felt in control of my own physical body and my own self. I was on birth control.

I had sort of had my first sexual experience. If you're in your señora era or know someone who is, then this is the show for you. We're your hosts, Diosa and Mala, and you might recognize us from our flagship podcast, Locatora Radio. We're so excited for you to hear our brand new podcast, Señora Sex Ed. Listen to Señora Sex Ed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And we're back. And so we're getting into prediction season feels like a lot of people starting to make their calls at least on like nba reddit and i was just like looking back at the predictions heading into last season and the thing that it feels like people rarely

take into account because it's really hard to predict is like, oh, well, this team is going to take a huge step up because of how great they are on defense. The Celtics became unstoppable once they locked in and became one of the best defensive teams of all

time. The Warriors stayed good on defense, but like, you know, the Grizzlies, I feel like some teams that figured it out defensively were unexpectedly good. And then the Knicks and Lakers got worse on D and like everybody was pretty disappointed by how they performed.

So true. I don't know. That's all just preamble to it is nba defense week and it's hard to predict and it's hard to predict who's going to be good but i i do feel good about thibault like we were just kind of looking back at all-time great defensive performances and some highlight films and thibault's like one of the most fun defensive highlight reels because he just comes out of like, comes at the ball in such weird angles and is like blocking you from behind and just like tapping the ball in places that like you,

you haven't really seen people do that often. Yeah. On the prediction front, like the T wolves obviously are the one team that like demonstrably got better on defense in a way that like really seems to like shore up some of the some of the issues they had in the past so I'm excited about that

do you want to look at some of our favorite defensive moments perhaps yeah let's do it yeah I mean I'd hate to do this first but speaking of the trailblazers well Brian and Roy yeah this is a LeBron I'd hate to do this first, but speaking of the Trailblazers, old Brian Roy. Yeah, this is a LeBron highlight that I hadn't seen before. Probably because it's, I think they call it goaltending, right?

Yeah, there was, yeah. Look, there's some debate about that. I think it may have been on the way. I don't know. I don't know. But this was definitely considered the block of the night then. And now is the first time since he's been out of the game.

Brandon Roy. Come on. That's coming down, I think. It's at its peak. It's a floater, so it's hard to tell. That's a goaltend. That's what they called it,

which is why it's not ranked as the greatest defensive play of all LeBron comes across the lane and blocks a floater at the peak of its arc and his head is above the rim it's pretty cool how do they ever measure

who can actually get their arm at the highest point in the league? Combined with their vertical. I would also watch that as an all-star event. Like when you're a kid walking through a parking structure and you're trying to touch one of the overhang concrete pillars.

Who can do the most ridiculous overhang? Alright, we got Hakeem blocking kemp like five times hakeem was you hear about the dream shake but yeah this is probably one of my favorite displays because this right here twice in a row twice in a row sean kemp he really went he got rejected once he went straight back with the conference like maybe that guy who just blocked me is not there anymore He's still there Sean and he was waiting for you said okay. I'll eat that too And then I think what that was the on his way to His fifth on him

Yeah Yeah, I mean camps used to coming down and just yoking but this was Olajuwon I mean he had that like kind of sneaky subtle block on Starks in the finals that year this is rude

these are not subtle these are loud these are loud and mean not nice this is me playing with like small kids right and not caring if people are crying because i'm a pathetic adult who's like you know what get that out too yeah working some stuff out here in this driveway it's not pathetic it's just mentally healthy you just like to you know get get yourself into a good headspace before we record our NBA podcast. Look, the parents on my block are like,

hey man, you gotta go easy on my kids, man. You don't have to dunk on my three-year-old. He's barely getting out there. But I'm curious for you, Steve, we're looking at these and kind of laughing. They're all things that draw us to defensive play, but for you, what are you looking for and who do you put on your all

time let's say let's go first let's zoom out and say all like you know retired players who do you have there in terms of the people you really uh you really admire i have five perimeter defenders i have five big defenders how about that wow i came half prepared yeah no i'm bad is more prepared than us so please now you're carrying the show. Thanks so much for joining us on Steve's Got Mad Boosties. As far as my perimeter defenders, I had Gary Payton. I had Sidney Moncrief. I had Scotty Pippen.

I had Michael Jordan. I had Tony out. Okay. Those are my five best perimeter defenders of all time. I've heard of most of those guys. Most of them? Yeah. It's all right.

It's all right. Like two of them at least but i just i always value the guys who get after them like i love effort i love right ball pressure activity i could do multiple things you can't score on me and if you do it's gonna be tough so those are the people i usually gravitate to gotcha far as the bigs go i had to go uh bill russell akeem obviously kg uh tim duncan and i went draymond green wow yeah draymond draymond's hands are uh i'd say a sight to behold but like you never see him coming and you know it's just the ball is loose all of a sudden he's sneaking

in there that's one of the reasons i enjoy like nerding out is so I can hopefully show more people what Draymond Green does defensively because it's a lot. It is a lot. I think a lot of people are like, well, he doesn't really get up vertically or whatever. They look at these very myopic things like, but yeah, he's all over the place and he is talking about reading the Matrix.

It is a little frustrating sometimes. I'm like, this guy is again, already has like well it's going to be one of three things right now and i'm ready to react to any of them and then it's off and i think that's yet that's it is pretty breathtaking to watch i can't believe y'all threw a brandon roy block out in front of my face i kind of threw me off you know i just had to see if you were a fan still we were kind of we were priming that we're like he said he's not a fan anymore let's see if again if the heart flutters. I'm sorry we had to do that.

That was a... Look, my heart goes out to you because I was very excited for that team, too. I appreciate it. It's all right. You learned how to handle the triggers inside. It's okay. It's all growth here. It's all growth.

Jack, you got five of each? Nope. Or did you have a... we're all, it's all growth here. It's all growth. Uh, Jack, you got five of each. No. Or did you have, I know, I know, I know he's got some current players. You got some current players. I got some,

yeah, young guys who get me, get me worked up. Herb Jones. We've talked about on the show, uh, a number of times, but I was looking at his highlights and I was like,

wait, so this is third, third year in the league. Like how, but he blocks so many threes. Like it's, he's, he's all over the place. I mean, it helps that his arms are, you know, the length of most humans full length bodies. But he, yeah, he, he's a lot of fun to watch. I love watching a three-pointer get blocked.

There's just something so unexpected about it happening. And he blocks them convincingly a lot of the times. And sometimes he just like grabs them. And he's like, all right, I'm taking the ball now. That was cute. That was a nice try. Drew Holiday also really enjoy. I mean, I just, I like the defenders too,

who are like hungry, but also it doesn't feel like there's any wasted movement yeah you know that they're they're not like having to shuffle their feet they're like no i know where each foot's gonna go i know if i have to leap with this foot or this foot or this arm or this arm that there's something i don't know like you're saying yes smooth or just very calculated that they're truly like reading the game or watching getting these like watching these passing lanes just get cut like milliseconds before and you know i that's also uh that makes my list of modern people for sure i wish all time i will always say ben wallace as a laker fan always frustrated me and i was always like this man is from some other dimension he is so like he just looked like he's like man this is this is it this is ben wallace i was always joking like it seems like a phase

of evolution that we got to this point was like we we got there was the ben wallace phase of like physical humanity uh that we don't see so much anymore but yeah i'm always looking down for him oh jabari is asking where does prime run our test factor on this list top 25 would be a good estimate he was very good very physical he's very good yeah and this is the problem with these lists you're going to disrespect somebody well that's right and we're not here to do that we like we don't really do the list from your personal perspective this isn't to say because i said it everything else doesn't you know is irrelevant thank goodness that was like i was concerned for a second i was like wait a minute no the league was gonna have to publish what we

said and engrave it on outside every arena so we'll be all right we'll be all right kobe has to be mentioned there's this highlight that i think the sports center guy scott what's his face glasses scott van pelt uh did did like an anniversary look at this second half in the finals when ai put up 16 in the first half, was just on his way to his 32. And then Kobe took him for the second half. And the highlight package is wild. He's blocking and deflecting everything. AI is just not getting a clean look at all.

And it really... That was the thing that people were saying about Kobe right away. He's young, but he also like such a lockdown defender and just like cares so much shrink wrap shrink wrap yeah i mean holiday caruso is is a lot of fun to watch i miss him i know i didn't want to i didn't want to do it to you i mean look i yeah i love watching him i miss his his heart i mean you know before this i was joking i mean, you know, before this, I was joking. I call him, you know, Samara from the ring because my man goes through

screens. Thank you. Shout out to anybody who's seen the ring or just call him Wingstop Lemon Pepper because it's there it is. All right. Thank you. And this has been branding with Miles Gray. I was going to mention one thing because y'all kind of mentioned modern players.

Do you guys have an appreciation for what Jose Alvarado did, his little sneaky move last year? Oh, hiding in the backcourt? Yeah. Yeah. Just take a little nap in the backcourt, run right to the corner, let you in about it, and then peek right behind you and poke the ball away.

That was one of my favorite things ever last year. It's like one step above getting down on the court and barking like a dog to distract people so that your teammate gets an open look, but it's also a very important step

above that. It's much more respectable. I appreciate it. The fact that you did it against Chris Paul, somebody who is always shaving an edge. I appreciate it. The fact that you did it against Chris Paul, somebody who is always shaving an edge, I appreciate it. Yeah, why not? Let's do another quick break, and then we're going to come back,

and it's time for rapid fire. The rapid fire round of questioning. I hope you are in an athletic stance. I hope you've done a little bit of a warmup because you are going to need to be at 100% when we start this scenario. Exactly. 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. Why is that? 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.

Do you ever wonder where your favorite foods come from? Like what's the history behind bacon-wrapped hot dogs? Hi, I'm Eva Longoria. Hi, I'm Maite Gomez-Rejon. Our podcast, Hungry for History, is back. Season two. Season two. Are we recording?

Are we good? Oh, we push record, right? Okay. And this season, we're taking an even bigger bite out of the most delicious food and its history. Saying that the most popular cocktail is the margarita, followed by the mojito from Cuba, and the piña colada from Puerto Rico.

So all of these, we thank 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. Señora Sex Ed is not your mommy sex talk.

This show is la plática like you've never heard it before. We're breaking the stigma and silence around sex and sexuality in Latinx communities. This podcast is an intergenerational conversation between Latinas from Gen X to Gen Z. We're covering everything from body image to representation in film and television. We even interview iconic Latinas like Puerto Rican actress Ana Ortiz.

I felt in control of my own physical body and my own self. I was on birth control. I had sort of had my first sexual experience. If you're in your señora era or know someone who is, then this is the show for you. We're your hosts, Diosa and Mala, and you might recognize us from our flagship podcast, Locatora Radio. We're so excited for you to hear our brand new podcast senora sex ed listen to senora sex ed on the iheart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast and we're back and it's time to kick it kick it up full to... Sorry, I am not having a stroke. I know some people at home were worried.

It was just my words were distracted or my words were leaving me because my children are... It sounds like having a fist fight in the other room. They're four and six, so that's never good. Let's do it. Let's do rapid fire.

It's time for the rapid fire round of questioning now steve i know you've listened to every single episode of this podcast so i don't have to tell you about the rapid fire round of questioning but let's presume that maybe you haven't or maybe this listener is listening for the first time this is the round of questioning where we are just going to hit you with a question and you have to reflexively respond don't think about it just react do not waste our time i got you i got because this is this is the round of questions here we go just no explanation no explanation this is that round of questioning yes that one that you've been hearing about oh

yeah the questions are happening parents hide your children put them to bed because we're starting the clock you want to go first or should i go first um shoot for it okay all right shoot you saw mine before. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot. Oh, we're doing this again. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot. Yeah. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot.

Oh! Rock, paper, scissors, shoot. Yes! He got my ass again. Oh, my gosh. That was fast, too. See, we think about y'all the listener that wasn't a waste of time because we like to do things equitably on this show we should probably say what we're doing

uh like what like narrate the rock paper scissors oh yeah okay so the first one the first one we did the first one we both did rock rock then we both did scissors scissors then we did paper a lot of then we both did paper again oh again a lot of paper yeah yeah and then paper on my end before scissors your end no no no are you lost to a rock i have to rocking you through scissors that's how that's how that got decided yeah that's what we got to make sure see and that's why we like to recap what happened in that for the list you know how how they're the chess masters who can just look at a chess board and immediately just have photographic recall of every piece. That's how Miles is with rock, paper, scissors.

And it's actually pretty impressive. I should know better. I don't know why I keep doing this. I know. I should just be like, you take the first one, man. Whatever. It's so important to you. Just get real passive aggressive.

Do you remember the first time you got good at rock, paper, scissors? Oh, well. See, now I'm getting all distracted. Start the clock again. It's time for the rapid fire round of questioning. Steve Jones Jr., do not waste our time. Starting off with this one. Now, let us know.

What is a more likely scenario for the following teams? Playing situation, comfortably in the playoffs, or looking for lottery love in all the wrong places? Starting with the Lakers. Playing. Is that depending on who you think comes in in the offseason? Or you just think no matter what? You're still thinking the offseason trade

is going to save you. I think it's more of a salute to the West. Salute the West. Okay, Mr. West. Mr. West! That's kind of hard to hear. Okay, let's move on. The Timberwolves. Playing. Wow.

Okay. Pelicans. Comfortably in. Yes. I like that. Okay. Pelicans. Comfortably in. Yes. Okay. I like that. I like that. I'm so excited to watch them.

Very excited to watch them. Very excited to watch them. The Nets. Comfortably in. Wow. Okay. Okay. This is a controversial take.

I'm hearing a lot of people who aren't believers, and i'm excited for them too the pelicans and the nets are my like the teams that i'm pulling for to see them like put it together and now that yuta is on the nets too i'm gonna pull for them too because shout out my japanese brethren okay what about the blazers finally i know the vegas people think that they seem to be they might be doing a big leap but how about you where are the most likely right lottery lottery whoa i wouldn't be surprised by playing but you said most likely so i'm gonna take it literally okay i mean but dame's gotta like be playing most of the games this year i feel like they're they're not gonna be in a lottery if dame's playing the majority of the games right they're they're to be a lot better. But again, the West is disgusting.

The West is really good this year. Alright. Keep it going. Keep it going. Here we go. And this is just me talking conversationally. I am in no way reading this. I use these words all the time, such

as per Vegasins insider.com. Vegas currently has Luca as the favorite to win the MVP next season, followed by Embiid and Giannis. Give us your dark horse candidate. Folks aren't currently discussing. End sentence of me speaking just off the dome. There it is. Dark horse?

Mm-hmm. Yeah. Ja, Ja Morant. Yes. Okay. Oh, man. Yes. Okay. Oh, man. Wow. This is just getting me excited for the season.

We should have Steven back all the time, man. He's saying all the right stuff. Anybody else? Any other candidates? Do you agree with those top three candidates? I don't know where the winner of the last two is. Like, Jokic seems like he's missing. For Jokic to not be up there is weird, but it's going to be

tough for him to win another one. Embiid probably should be mentioned. It probably feels like Luke as if Dallas wins enough games. Got it. Let's move on. I don't know who the Giannis is.

I'm not familiar with that name, but I bet he's good too. I will. With Chet Holmgren's unfortunate foot injury at the crossover a couple weeks back and the news that he's expected to miss the whole season. Is there a chance we could be living in a world where OKC winds up with the top pick and could conceivably put Victoror wemba nyama next to chet holmgren on the same court as six eight josh giddy one day is that real is that a fever dream or is

this a possibility that's their one two three six eight seven foot and seven five possibly definitely possibly okay not your immediate reaction is there's no cold water you're like nope i can see it okay that one clip of wambayama just like hitting without hesitation just so smooth from the logo is terrifying yeah i'm i'm very excited yeah now that you mentioned it i kind of want to just see it yeah just to see that that crew yeah of daddy long legs and starting at shooting guard seven foot chet home grand and at three seven five victor it's a hypothetical but they did it, you kind of have to lean in and now just find all seven footers. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Who do you have at four and five? With that being your backcourt. Alright. And final question. Miles or Jack? Miles. God. Yes! Every time

No last time was a draw No I don't think so I think maybe two times ago was a draw Oh I thought Favalli was being real Oh yeah but then immediately Was like when I was like Yeah he was like That's depressing

But I did want to be nice Because you seemed like you had a lot riding on it. No, that's understandable. It's understandable. I appreciate your honesty. Next time, Jack, we'll do this. We'll reword it and your name comes first and we'll see what happens. How about that?

Hey, man. Hey, come on. Chin up, man. Chin up. No, it's fine, man. He said Embiid might be in the running for MVP. That felt good, right? That was great.

I was thinking of Miles Turner. Oh, wow. Wow. Or Jarrett Jack. That was literally the comparison I had in my head. Miles Turner or Jarrett Jack. If it's me last names, I got to be the Darius. He's got a better future in this league.

Yeah. Oh, man. Well, Steve Jones Jr., thanks so much for joining us today on Miles and Jack Got Mad Boosties. Man, it was really

fantastic having you on. Where can people find you, follow you, engage with your work and all that? You can listen to the Dunker Spot pod

on all podcasts and find me on Twitter at SteveJones20. I'm so good at plugging myself. There it is. Beautiful. Beautiful work. Speaking of the Dunker Spot pod on all podcasts and find me on Twitter at SteveJones20. I'm so good at plugging myself. There it is. Beautiful. Beautiful work. Speaking of the Dunker Spot, how do we feel about Ben Simmons on the Nets?

Ben Simmons. Ben. Hopefully not just the Dunker Spot, right? Yes. Hopefully he's not just standing at the Dunker Spot or else it'd be a whole different conversation. But I think he's going to have a good year. I think he's going to have a good year. Me too.

See, Jack? Let's do it. Remember, he did pick me though all right y'all thanks so much for listening i need you to stop with the condescending see jack because you're looking up pal look at that buddy he said that guy don't mean play for y'all he might be all right yeah a little head pat. A little audio head pat for Miles. Z-Sport. All right, y'all. Thanks so much for listening. We'll see you next week when we come back with Miles and Jack.

Got Mad Boosties. I'm Kerry 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 Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. I'm Keri Champion, and this is Season 4 of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore The Making of a Rivalry, 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 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.