The Daily Zeitgeist - Steph's Signature Finals Moment with Jabari Davis

Episode Date: June 16, 2022

Miles and Jack were joined by co-host of NBA Finals File and producer of Mad Boosties, Jabari Davis on the latest episode. The trio dove into Steph's signature Finals moment(s), the ascension of Andrew Wiggins, Boston's chances of fighting back and more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm Keri Champion, and this is Season 4 of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry. Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. Every great player needs a foil. I know I'll go down in history. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's sports. Listen to the making of a rivalry.

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

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. Diet Coke. 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. The NBA finals continue to deliver elevated heartbeats

and getting us out of our seats with every game. And we're here to talk about it all. No, I thought I could, but I got the momentum out. I'm like, I'm about to spit a bar, but I can't get very far. But don't worry about that because we have a very special guest, co-host of the NBA Finals File, and producer of some show called Miles and Jack Got Mad Boosties, Jabari Davis. I'm Miles Gray. And I'm Jack O'Brien.

davis i'm miles gray and i'm jack o'brien and this is miles and jack got mad boosties perfect just a look on jabari's face as we're doing that intro when he realizes that this is what he has chosen to do for a living is to be involved with two clowns. I do always like to look at the guest face while we're doing that. It's like the AKs on our show daily zeitgeist where it's fun to watch them be like, Oh wait, what, what is happening?

Why, uh, am I here? But it's also fun to watch the producer's face cause they are also tied to this. People are either instantly panicked or immediately get that it's a joke and it's it's either or and i love that about that uh jabari how you feeling about the finals we got what we just had game five as of this recording game six coming up when you hear

this today thursday um let's see so we got to cover three four and five basically since our last episode three four five yeah why was six afraid of five because three four five ah it doesn't work for that series of numbers four five seven eight nine that's the one there it is i don't think we're going to a game eight but i do think we might be going to a game seven that would be my prediction i think yeah i feel like off the strength of these last three games it feels like that is very very possible so the celtics in six first theory that you had jack when did that change for you aside from when the math became impossible that changed with about three minutes left to go in the game i continue to be all right so i don't think i'm alone in this i continue to feel like when the celdics are at

their high point it's better than any team i've seen in the nba this whole season is like that because of how dominant they are on defense and how much they're flowing on offense like i'm in various nba text threads and like most of them were only lit up when the Celtics went from down 12 at the half to down two. It was literally less than two minutes. So I don't know. That is still my big takeaway is every time they lose, I'm just a little bit confused. Like I'm glad I do not bet because man, they just look so good when they have it going. Yeah, I came into the series thinking that, like, if both teams were at their best, that the Warriors probably had the edge.

But, you know, of course, anytime you have not necessarily two completely opposing teams, but two teams with somewhat different styles. Obviously, whoever is able to impose their will more, whatever. Let's see if I can work in eight or nine more generic systems related to the NBA. But honestly, I felt like the team that imposed their will was going to be the one that came out victorious. Also, if they put the ball in the basket.

Yeah, that too. And stop turning the, if they put the ball in the basket. Yeah, that too. Stop turning the ball over. Put the ball in the basket. You got to make your free throws. But I actually agree with you, Jack. When we've seen both of their best, it still feels like the Celtics are the better team. Yeah, because

like you were saying, in your text, I guess we'll talk about that third quarter in game five, which typically has been the Warriors quarter in this series. Like when you say you're getting texts or people like, whoa, Celtics. I feel like that's how the Warriors felt to like playing against that. Like they were like, whoa, what they can we get one shot off, please? Maybe. And it felt like then they were like just resorting to try and shoot their way out of it

to no avail. And I was like, this is not a good situation for the Warriors if they can't figure it out. Yeah, Steph didn't have it going from deep. But yeah, I mean, overall impressions from games three through five, you know, game three, Celtics won, obviously, Jalen Brown,

17 points in the first quarter. don't know man like they just they look really really good when when they got it going but i think my my big takeaway or like my you know what's dope or did you see that or whatever we we have uh decided to call that was steph going for 43 but even that, I remember Jeff Van Gundy being like, what he is doing right now is carrying a team. You can talk about the Splash Brothers and all that stuff, but this team has some major flaws, and Steph is really carrying them the way LeBron carried some of those Cleveland teams.

And that felt right to me. It feels like the Celtics, and they still might win the series, but not in six, which is a tragedy because I really wanted to be right. I'll say this about that game from Steph. It's not fair. And when I say it's not fair, I'm talking about like the general narrative when it comes to, you know, his, his career, you know, where it's always never had that, you know, that pivotal series or that incredible moment or game. Well, we got that, you know, in Boston garden on, you know, on obviously on the road in a pivotal situation where, you know, if they go down three,

one, I'm not saying, I'm not saying it's over because obviously, you know, they, they were involved in a final series where, you was not over at 3-1. But I will honestly say I think it's done in five if they had lost that game. So he met the moment, was absolutely incredible, and to your point, was absolutely not just caring, but very clearly covering for significant holes that honestly i didn't necessarily anticipate heading into the series yeah it's i mean i think yeah game four i depend if the if the warriors end up winning this series i feel like we're going to look at game four as the absolute turning point because like you're saying that's the three like three one that's a difficult situation to be in he found an extra gear to prevent that and then they go on to

win game five and then that's the first time the celtics i believe have lost back to back in the playoffs this year right so they're also in new territory too where they're like look we can go back and forth with you to a certain point but this you know coming off the backs of game four and five you're like oh well now it's a little different but all that to say i don't i feel like the celtics will find it within themselves too to avoid going out in six and i do think that when we look back at that game four and we're looking at the performance of steph curry like so one of the things that's going to strike us is like how far he was shooting from like he was really shooting from

very far like the three-point line you get three points because it's like far away from the basket but then like some of those was like even you know really far like really far from the basket those are like some pretty far ones i would say yeah that's what i was thinking like i was i was trying to say that but i don't think i put it as well as you. Oh, you know what? And those shots are far, too. Gary Payton pokes it away. Payton, the elite defender off the bench.

Curry steps back, three-pointer, got it. Steph Curry, his first three. Curry, another long-distance shot. It's good! steph curry back-to-back long distance threes and a five-point lead for the warriors and speaking of far it's interesting he wasn't the only one that you know was shooting it from far yeah that's a really good point uh game five jordan pool got in on the action j Jordan Poole, buzzer beaters. Is it the same with you guys that the first thing you remember hearing his name is when

he was a freshman at Michigan hitting that buzzer beater to keep them alive in the second round? Do you remember that? I didn't know about that, actually. Nah. I was ignorant. Yeah. I think he was a freshman.

I remember he was the most notable prior to that, other than being a pretty good shooter, most notable for having the shortest shorts in the NCAA tournament. And he hit a go-ahead buzzer beater, I think, for Michigan a year that they made a deep run. Yeah, 2018. Yeah. I'm trying to find the tweet tweet but i'll just paraphrase

it i don't know if you guys saw it somebody said jordan pool plays like it's the students versus faculty game in in the finals and he plays with that type of confidence and that's not a knock that's not it that's not a diss in any way but he plays with that type of confidence out there and it's kind of amazing yeah it does feel it's so self-assured that you almost can't believe it because even when he took the shot i was like yeah he might make that and he didn't okay so uh students faculty i get that joke but which team is he on he when they when people say he looks like he's student faculty like he's on the student side and he's just like breaking old people's ankles type thing basically either either that or that faculty member that actually hooped.

That's just out there to destroy lives. Right, right, right. He's like, y'all think I'm washed, huh? Y'all were making fun of my sneakers earlier. Oh, I got something for you. Wing tips, huh? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Put these pro wings on.

See what you got then. But yeah, should we just play that clip of the the that third quarter buzzer beater sure off the mark rebound wiggins got three seconds to get a shot on wiggins to pool pool gets it off the time thanks it was the bank i think the confidence he was just like i can bank this one in guys i know this might sound crazy i think if he doesn't make that shot they don't win i i recognize there are folks that they get annoyed by even the mere mention of momentum in sports. No, but and I get it. I respect folks.

You know, if you're a numbers person, it exists for me. It exists for me. I think that that absolutely, you know, puts them. Yeah. pushed him over the edge. The numbers only go so far and you have to actually count in the psychological energy and intangible quality of winning. That's why we watch sports because if it was overly logical

there wouldn't be any excitement. How much was that shot worth? That was worth three? It was really far. Okay, it was far. It's a far one from the finals one but all right yeah i don't think jabari knows how to score yeah it was a far pointer do you want me to tell him this wasn't rocking hold on hold on mute mute jack go on mute oh did i not mute that oh i'm sorry no but yeah we like to do far shots a lot. We like teams that do far shots.

It feels like a new way of playing. It did feel like Jordan Poole shut up all those text chains that were like, here come the Celtics. And then, you know, he put them on top after three. You're talking about ours. I'm talking about Miles here. Yeah, we haven't acknowledged that. So Miles, we have a

the three of us have a text thread and Jabari is the one who always opens it up. And this was the first time that Miles was like, the Celtics. No, I said, dubs are shook. Yeah, dubs are shook. With nine O's. Because, again, like we're talking about,

when we talk about what makes the Celtics feel so like there's another level, it's because they're also like messing with your your head when you're playing against it because you almost like lose your belief in yourself so to see them begging they were trying to beg to get a shot off right you know some kind of offense going i was like oh my god they've psychologically capitulated but to that end like yeah it was it then they kind of found it within themselves to kind of keep climbing back and that's why yeah i think that that pool three does help really punctuate

the thing like it put the lid back on it you're saying not okay we let you have your fun but the lid is back on it was very rude of the celtics for the the celtics were being very rude in that third quarter not letting them shoot which is definitely definitely what they want to do as a basketball team. They're very good at it. And the Celtics... That text thread, right, is me saying, Doves are shook. And Jabari says, This is usually their quarter, so this is surprising to say the least. I say, Yeah, no one

has heart right now. And then I said, Okay, maybe they got some. And this is... I was putting my kids to bed, so I'm... This is my only interaction with the game other than a bunch of other text resumes like celtics oh my god the celtics uh and so i i i was assuming the celtics were up 10 again and um right it was a real it was real back and forth that third quarter was um intense yeah because they were really sparring

like as they were you know trading basket after basket it and again that's also what inspired jabari to say we might get one of those all-time finishes from this one not that it was down to the wire but the winners found their winning spirit and you know got the job done and had more points and put the ball in the basket that works w how it works. Wiggins. We got to talk Wiggins for a number of reasons. That pool three was off a Wiggins rebound. Yeah. 29 rebounds in games four and five. It was just like he was like,

oh, okay, you want me to rebound? All right, I will be a dominant rebounder. He's got 29 boards, like you said, and those are rebounds that feel like he is taking them from what would have been like offensive boards or, you know, taking them from the Celtics. Like he really is coming in, flying in from out of nowhere and just grabbing the ball with extreme prejudice. one of the things that I, over the course of, of, of hosting finals file, one of the things that I've really appreciated is I now kind of watch the, you know, watch the game a little bit differently than I did before in that I,

yes, I'm, I, I love watching the, you know, like the main guys. I love when, you know, when Tatum's going off, you know, which obviously he hasn't necessarily been in this series, but, but when he does, it's fantastic. I love watching Steph do his thing. Like I, like, like I mentioned, I agree with you, off, you know, which obviously he hasn't necessarily been in this series, but, but when he does, it's fantastic. I love watching Steph do his thing. Like I, like, like I mentioned, I agree with you, Jack, you know, game four is, you know, was absolutely a performance for the ages, but it is the in-between guys. And, and, and I, I, I'm hesitant to call them the other guys or like, or, you know,

sound dismissive in any way, but the guys like Andrew Wiggins, the guys like Kevon Looney, you know, like it on the flip side, obviously, you know, the Horfers, the Marcus smarts more often than not, I genuinely believe that those are the difference makers in a series, you know, like, like whether it's in punctuation, like, you know, like a final shot at the buzzer or those, those specific, you know, winning time plays like grab snatching rebounds, you know, from off the top of the backboard or you know in the middle of traffic or you know like you know as you mentioned um uh miles how not only you know not only does you know wiggins grab that one board but he's the one that also finds an open jordan pool for that long shot again like i genuinely believe that like if the dubs end up

winning this you know we can look back at all of those types of contributions all right real quick real quick i just have to put out a theory I have here. You name dropped the other guys and winning time. Do you have a deal with Adam McKay? Listen, I don't have one, but

as you guys know, this is all making so much sense. I'm a speaking into existence type person. Adam, baby, listen. If you need somebody for these next couple series next couple seasons i'm here for and tell me about how like you got really close with big shot bob robert ory then now you feel like you said step brothers hey you know oh and i mean i get it man cozying up to basketball players is a vice of yours but you know i know

how they used to talk about you when you were playing in high school they called you the big short that's right they did call me the big short actually yeah and when you went up to dunk it they said don't look up all right y'all i that's been our time thank Thank you so much for listening to Mad Pussy. Let's take a quick break. We'll come back and talk about some of Adam McKay's more underrated films. SNL sketches. 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 vs. Angel Reese. I know I'll go down in history. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Every great player needs a foil. I ain't really near them boys. I just come here to play basketball every single day, and that's what I focus on. From college to the pros, Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's sports. Angel Reese is a joy to watch. She is unapologetically Black. I love her.

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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. And we're back. And yeah, let the idiots do their thing. I think Jabari has that written on next to his computer.

Don't know what y'all are talking about, but okay. So we're just going to waste everyone's time, huh? All right. Funniest clip that we found. Talladega Nights. Sorry. I just had to say that. Adam McKay film.

Funniest clip we found and Jabari just queues up a Talladega Nights clip. Alright. Oh, I didn't bring up my clip because we were actually just talking about Andrew Wiggins and how he's the anchor man of the team.

See what happens? We completely lost the thread there was this dunk my man Andrew Wiggins this is in the end of the fourth quarter about 225 left he brings it up the court and just finishes 227

he's bringing it up he's on smart Golden State, who was 16-point lead. 22-7. He's bringing it up. He's on smart. Defensive player of the year. All for Mr. White. He almost blew his headband off. Can't do that. And that put him up 15 with two minutes to go.

And that was the first time I felt like the Warriors' lead was safe. Yeah. And yeah, exactly. Because I think also the manner of like you could even tell from the celtics after that there's oh man that was we're not playing defense anymore i guess that was mathematically correct that uh it shouldn't have felt safe because they did come back from 12 so they made up 10 points in uh in two minutes at the beginning of the third. So, yeah. I mean, I'm still very impressed with the Celtics' defense for the most part, but Wiggins' defense on Tatum has been just wild. And again, this is the stuff, like one of our reasons for doing this podcast

is like a lot of the coverage will talk about things like it's a done deal. And we know because they added this player that like they are a top three team and first of all like for anybody in the nba media to be acting like anything is a done deal when like the the people like they've been picking the nets and the lakers for the past like two seasons but also just like i don't know like nobody had wiggins even like heading into the playoffs nobody thought wiggins was going to be like the second best player on the warriors and the finals but man he is balling on both ends of the court he's like turned into a dominant rebounder and he was

like hitting some shots that made me stand up last night like he he was like hitting some shots that made me stand up last night. Like he, he was really hitting some like hard shots. Tatum had four air balls in the second half of game five. Yeah. And three of those were at, because Andrew Wiggins was on him. And I think that was, that was game one too, where,

or yeah, wasn't it when we first saw like, Oh wow. Andrew Wiggins can cause problems uh yeah because game one the celtics won despite the fact that tatum had a off night yeah and i'm not gonna lie to you i just i appreciate stories like that you know like you know much like you guys i don't necessarily love all the hot takes i don't necessarily you know they're not for me i recognize if that's your thing that's you know you know, that's fine. But one of the things, you know, I would even acknowledge is I didn't see this type of, you know, like, you know,

mid-career, you know, arc for, you know, for Wiggins, especially after he came out and then, you know, it was not, I wouldn't even say disappointed. It simply didn't land the way that, you know, a lot of us anticipated. But honestly, it's a testament to him. It's a testament to his professionalism. But also sometimes it would point out, sometimes you just need to be in the right situation. Now, of course, it's a lot easier to play with future Hall of Famers and look good, but not everybody will take advantage

of the opportunity in the way that he has. So it's really been great to see. Has anybody done the story about, did he just decide to get a lot stronger? Doesn't it seem like all of a sudden he has like a different body and it's probably just like i'm remembering him from when he was younger and playing with the wolves but like all of a sudden he seems like a big man like he's like just banging around in there and really filled out yeah he's clearly worked on his body no like you know jokes aside he has clearly worked on that

body and and it and it shows you know whether that's a testament to the strength and conditioning team up there. I think what Jack is trying to discern is whether or not that's him going to the gym or he just decided that was going to happen. If he was just like, did somebody make him angry? And he was like, oh, there's this thing I say about when people make me angry and whether or not they're going to like me. And it's not. They're not going to.

And then he got, like, instead of five times as big, like 25% stronger. I mean, it's just a good, it looks like the Warriors are a good place to be. You know, if you're a young developing player, because you have generous, like you're saying, future Hall of famers who are from my perspective seem quite generous and willing to work with these younger players and like give them the space to develop and also you know uh transmit their wisdom to them too and yeah it feels like just like you're saying just a good probably the best situation for him specifically right my four-year-old is rooting for the Celtics, so we are a household divided because his favorite color is green. So, frustrated.

So, where is he going to live if the Celtics were to win this? But also, funny moment. There was a nice moment in the pregame press conferences. Steph Curry hearing Marcus Thompson of the Athletics phone going off in the middle of it. And it was just, it was like one of those nice moments between athlete and journalist. And this clip takes place over what,

between game three and game four, right? The first one's before game three, where he goes off, the phone goes off. And Steph remembers from the game four press conference as well. So good memory. Marcus Thompson, unbelievable. I'm calling you.

It's like when you're in church and like the pastor is giving a sermon and you over there with your phone. I like to begin by repenting for my press conference sins. Steph's very generous with his laughter I don't know why this keeps going off it's my daughter don't blame it on the kids it is Marcus Thompson

you've been driving a lot hold on my phone's gone got him call back repeat what you said got it uh great moment good job good job good job good job steph i hope you're happy wow steph you embarrassed me just trying to do my job been able to take it at all Good job. Good job. Good job. Good job, Steph. I hope you're happy. Wow, Steph. You embarrassed me.

Just trying to do my job. I've never been able to take it at all. My daughter was actually locked out of the house and it was raining. Okay. Wow, Steph. You want to take that again? That's how I would have played it. That's how I would have played it.

Really flipped it on him. I get it. I get it. Yeah. Well, one of the great superstars in nba history just everything great love love the addition of like all right so i'm gonna be putting up 43 in a finals game probably gonna like look really nice while i'm doing it like i'm going to be smiling and just seem like a nice person while I'm doing it. That's kind of cool. I don't know. I think it's kind of

neat. That's my take. I got to be honest with you. What I love most about Steph, and I'm not taking anything away from prior or past superstars, is that he's kind of a psycho on the court, but also one of the nicest guys off the

court like like to miles's point you know he's he's giving you like in those situations and you know yeah you don't necessarily see people yeah well i think also too just like i think just being in comedy you're you're really aware when people are generous with their laughter because that's like a really big part of like having a good exchange with somebody. Like there are people who don't laugh at all

at stuff and you're like, whoa, that'd be stingy with your laughter. But there's like a generosity to it that I'm like, see, because by doing that

you're extending. Yeah, and especially growing up being one of the best basketball players in the world, like I feel like your instincts could players in the world like i feel like

your instincts could go in the direction of being like dismiss yeah i bet you would cold or something like where you have to have the last line and like you're trying to one-up everyone all the time because that's just how um the dynamic can be because you're gravitationally you know a neutron star in every room that you've been in your whole life and for him to just be nice is pretty cool. Shall we do some little rapid fire questions?

I think we should do some big rapid fire questions. This is a segment that was invented by Jabari, but we haven't seen how he holds up under the rapid fire of our questioning gun. Yeah, okay.

Let's start the clock. Hold on, let me do that. He comes on and he thinks... Hey, that's my line. Take him away, toys. You know, honestly, I actually apologize for that because normally I'm muted and that is where I'm sitting.

You gave me a moment to be Chief Wiggum there, so I appreciate that. Start the clock. Miles is pissed, Jabari. Jabari, you can have any three throwback jerseys. Which three are you choosing? All right, I got to go old school. What if he was just totally stumped?

Yeah, just like, right off the bat. Oh, no! I don't know what that means. I want an old school 1987 Lakers jersey. Okay. Oh, with the big L. Crooked L. Whether it's a

Magic, you know, Kareem, Big Game. We'll pick one. Michael Koop. Alright, you know what? Let me get Michael Koop. Okay. You know, defensive player of the year, Michael Koop. Yes, sir. Okay. I wore the Abdul-Jabbar version of this very jersey to my

second grade career day class. As you should have. Because I wanted to be Kareem Abdul-Jabbar when I grew up and still do to a large extent. The airplane actor? The guy from Airplane? Yeah, yeah, yeah. He actually played a little ball pretty good. They gave you a jersey?

Yeah. Oh, man. Okay, nice. He's a great author, too. There you go. He is a great author. Shoulders go it's a great shoulders are red yeah um okay so that's one 88 nuggets do you guys remember the old and i want it to be a fat lever jersey like the the blue with the you're with the you're with with the logo underneath

yeah yeah yeah one of those okay and honestly just because as a kid i just like love the fact that his nickname was fat like i was like, Fat Lever? Man, that's disamazing. 88 Nuggets is rainbow stripe, horizontal stripe. Block gradient rainbow. Looks like it's got a little of that 80s logo.

Like 80s design kind of vibes. Yeah, because it looks like it's like an eight bit like yeah computer drawing it's like super block the city looks like it could be going by in the background on like you know a video game like a driving game that you're playing that is like very lo-fi right right exactly it's like going by the rainbow city okay that's two three mac is jogging by it on the training there's a thing from mike tyson's punch out all right fantastic all right we're

old go on number three but i'm with you oh four black kg oh yeah that that that black t-wolves jersey back in the day honestly i'm a sucker for any black jersey. Okay. Yeah, that one was pretty hard, as we say in the West Coast. And to be clear, it is specifically because Wesley Snipes told me to always bet on black. There you go. True words. True words.

Okay, that wasn't quite rapid, but let's stay on pace. The clock is still ticking. I can barely keep my dang hat on. This thing's moving so quick. All right. A question that I feel like is going to stump you. Ice Cube Jabari, as you may know, has the big three. Tracy McGrady has recently introduced his one's basketball league.

Is that one-on-one? Let me just fact check, consult with my producer real quick. Is that one-on-one? A one-on-one league? That's the guess, too. Hold on. Yeah, it that one-on-one? Let me just fact check, consult with my producer real quick. Is that one-on-one, a one-on-one league? That's the guest too. Hold on. Yeah, it's one-on-one. Go back to him.

So what would your alternative basketball idea consist of, Jabari? I want the dunk contest, but I want somebody underneath trying to block it. So I line them up. Rudyy gobert you say that you could shut shack down get get underneath the rim right we got a series of guys coming at you like an nhl

hockey shootout yes basically that where it's like all right you got the ball there's the rim what's good what you got yeah and none of these like five and six and seven attempts you get one try if you miss you're out next up so basically we get 20 21 21 mixed with the dunk contest mixed with knockout that is what i would like oh wow i like that because yeah we see a lot of like the game of basketball being played but what about all the other ways we play basketball as kids and younger people, like knockout 21, lower the hoop to eight feet.

Those two-on-one, three-on-two, fast break drills from practice, that's like instant drama. Yeah. Yeah, I like that. Especially if your coach has you continuing to be in the drill. Like, no, no, stay in. You got to learn.

Next up, the clock is still ticking. You're on a game show, Jabari, with $1 million on the line, and you can call anyone to help you answer an NBA trivia question. Who are you calling besides yourself? Because if this was me, I would be calling you. But who would you call? Who do the ghostbusters call besides the two of you let's see don't come wow you know what you got jokes now this is this is kind of cheating but robert keith ory oh i was gonna say i should introduce you to my good friend robert ory um yeah oh you know him

you introduced us yeah he's kind of the reason we met oh that's nice yeah he's a good guy i feel like you two would get along why is he just it's it's everything's encyclopedic with him or what he's he's pretty i mean he he for what however he did it i don't know whether he really researched or you know he just knew it but each final series that we went through it pretty much was you know he was breaking down again second quarter of the game blah blah and i'm just like oh let me go to my notes let me go to youtube yep that's one of my favorite like the the this happens with movies too where you like find out that an actor or a director like watches every movie knows every

like piece of like you know service-y information about it. And that just adds something. I don't know. There's a genius there. He must have figured something out because, like we said, his ability to be in the exact right spot at the exact

right time and know exactly what was about to happen before anybody else takes a lot of a lot of study all right jabari go to arena or ballpark meal slash snack i'm i'm pretty trash so it's always going to be nachos whatever the biggest nachos you know the cheesier the better i want meat on them give me some chicken on them. You know, you got beef. That's fine, too. You know, pulled pork. You know, hey, we're in business. Oh, so you get those big nachos.

You get those big nachos at Staples. Absolutely. Or, I'm sorry, blank.com arena. At the Crypto, yeah. Soon to be nameless arena. What do they serve them in? Because I know Dodger Stadium serves them in a batting helmet. No, it's just in a big plastic tray.

They don't, like, give you Shaq's shoe or something full of nachos. Oh, could you imagine? I would take a Shaq's shoe full of nachos. That's a lot of nacho. It's about the amount of nachos because they're intimidating. When you see people walking around the arena like that, the Crypto.com arena or whatever we call it, I always see it and I'm like, I could never finish that.

I go with the roast beef sandwich. Not mad at that either. What about you, Jack? Hold on. We'll ask the questions here, but yeah. How about you, Jack? Have you guys had hot dogs?

Okay. My favorite meat is a hot dog. Hot dog. What's your favorite animal? Hot dog. I like their bones. Jabari, what's your favorite animal hot dog i like their bones um jabari what's the best basketball movie ever you know people get on these types of shows and lie all the time and mention things like hoosiers or mention things like no the answer is white man can't joke anybody that has anything else to say otherwise you know you know that's fine because let's be real it's just my trash opinion but white man can't joke anybody that has anything else to say otherwise you know you know that's fine because let's be real it's just my trash opinion but white man can't jump is still the

one that it's still the one that i watch more often than that i like that you are not only claiming that that is the best basketball movie ever like with authority which i don't i happen to you know i think that's probably in the right You're also claiming that anybody who says it's not is lying, is knowingly lying. Yeah. That's what they're doing. That is exactly what they're doing. It's called a hot take, Jack.

Glory Road. Come on now. Strong. Glory Road. Coach Carter was cool. Drake. I'd rather watch Sunset Park than a lot of the ones that folks watch. Glory.

I mean. Sunset Park, what time is it? Time to get live. Time to represent. There we go. Basketball, Mount Rushmore, and you get to name a coach as well. How many faces is Mount Rushmore? Four faces. We're going to do four players, and then a coach is the Statue of Liberty

standing next to them for this hypothetical scenario. So I'll just be straight up. There's no way to narrow it down to four, so I'm just going to go with my four favorite players of all time. That's all it has to be. Doesn't have to be the best. It's Magic Johnson,

Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley. And it's so tough to leave. If I leave one of them off, give me Kobe. Okay. And I don't want them coached by Phil. I want them coached by Riles. You are doing – Wow.

You are doing – Oh, we already wrapped up the series early? Doesn't matter. Three-hour practices, let's go yeah okay so i noticed you left fat lever off sorry fat interesting kg oh yeah i'm sorry kg mabdool jabbar okay well there's one the next that's the one that honestly that's the one where i was like i i can't leave kareem off but yeah well it's about favorite players and i think when people hear those kinds of questions we don't have to treat it as if well whoever he doesn't name is dead like if you're not in my four you're terrible no like you can i could

probably have given you 30 of those yeah they're like songs you know they're they're different to every person all right um let's take a quick break we'll come back uh to wrap this thing out and talk a little bit about our good friend robert ory oh you know robert ory yeah oh i do great guy great guy i love him i'm carrie champion and this is season 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. 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. 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

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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. 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. and we're back um robert ory friend of the podcast was kind enough to offer you as a guest on this podcast and we said wow we would love to talk to your co-hosts i'm just playing javari you have

the distinct honor to produce co-host this show another fellow sister show on the nba uh slate here uh finals file with none other than our good friend as we said robert ory big shot bob um none other than um i mean i just i think one of the things when i remember when you first told me you were even doing this i was like what i'm not i was like can you do matt boosties and i'll do i'll talk to him but there couldn't be someone better to speak with robert ory because like just can you do Matt Boosties? And I'll talk to him. But there couldn't be someone better to speak with Robert Ori because just like you're saying, you would call him for trivia. We look at you as someone with just an unbelievable amount of NBA knowledge and context, history.

So for you, working with Robert Ori, first of all, how does that affect how you even view an analyzing basketball when you're bouncing ideas off another like a champion like our friend Robert Ori? One of the things I appreciate most from him is that he, you know, he doesn't suffer fools and he's not going to just, you know, like go along with it simply because, you know, like, oh, you know, we're friends. No, he will let you know right away. No, that's a very foolish way to look at it. That or you're just giving a hot take or, you know, or stay off, you know, stay off of those debate shows. What he has done is basically just made me look at it as a simple game of basketball as opposed to like trying to come up, reinvent the wheel or come up with something, you know, like, you know, something, you know, some crazy way to describe it.

He's a very, you know, basically just, you know, back to basics. We all, you know, we all pick the ball up at just you know back to basics we all you know we all you know pick the ball up at one point you know we all shot it we all dribbled we all understand these things and like he in basically given the way that his career went i think that actually plays into it it's not that he is like oh well like don't pay attention to the main guys but he really really likes to pay attention to the other guys on the court or the guys in particular that will you know can come off the bench in a moment you know like you know like a game five of 2005 and you know put up 21 second half points you know second half and overtime points right just more of an appreciation for detail do you want to tell people like what

the what's the premise of the show it's that each episode you're covering a different finals so every each week we cover a finals we give you two two episodes per uh per series uh and it's basically just a basketball nerd you know and and i you know like i say it honestly that's what i am i'm a guy that came up watching the game and coincidentally this is a coincidence robert ory was one of my favorite players as well because i i always had an appreciation for a guy that can do the things that he did but you know and this is a callback to when you had robert ory on on the show yeah just do it like it was no big deal like it was just no big deal you know knocking down what you know some of the greatest shots in finals history like it was

nothing um but yeah but the the premise is we we break down a series each week uh you know diving into diving into the matchup beforehand then breaking down each game uh you know we have a you know finals file awards where you know robert ory will give his breakdown of the awards sometimes he goes with who won the mvp or the general awards sometimes he says well nope that was a total mistake. And, you know, it throws out a surprise. But it has been a, it truly has been a fun experience because, you know, like I said,

if there's anybody that you're going to talk about the NBA finals with that's not named Michael Jordan, honestly, Robert Ory is not a bad, you know, not a bad second option. Yeah. Got some good cameos. Like he's all over the place. It's like Forrest gump of the finals

what's the what's the best thing you learned that you're allowed to talk about from the vfi because there have been a couple things we've talked about off mic that were very compelling also you know maybe not things that we're we're talking about on mic um but hit us with the best thing. The best thing is that knowing just how deep the 80s rivalry hatred still runs. Big game James was kind enough to join us to break down the 1984 series. Obviously, it's Lakers versus Celtics. The Lakers were up by significant amounts in the first four games, ended up dropping two of those games in somewhat tragic fashion. And then ultimately end up losing that series. But big game James, he comes on with us.

I'm asking him the generic questions. Then I finally thought about it. I was like, so basically what happened on that play where you push Cedric Maxwell into the stands? And I'm thinking he's going to give a generic answer like the you know media friend answer and he just he just lets it let you know he lets it be known that not only does he still hate the celtics but any of them can still get it uh we we ended up having a cutting room floor some of some of that conversation but just knowing like like how seriously and obviously he's not truly you know wanting to

fight you know but that competitive edge exactly yeah you know how true their competitive nature is and of the you know finals that you've covered so far is there a favorite series that you've talked about or is there one that you wish you could talk about i'll give you both of those so 2000 was my favorite one specifically because i came of age obviously watching that team up close and personal i went to game two of those finals oh yeah who played who won that one it was the lakers and you know the pacers um you know you see jabari and i'd be like oh yeah yeah yeah i think it's gonna be the pistons exactly and then don't get me wrong.

I could have given you another one because 1993 was also absolutely fantastic. I had actually forgotten how great of a series that was. It's a series where you've got prime Jordan, prime Barkley, you know, hall of famers all over the court. You get a triple overtime game in there. You get a showdown game where both guys go over 40 points. It was, that was fantastic. But if my, if I'm answering honestly,

it's 2000 again, because like I said, I witnessed it up close and personal, but to be able to get actual insight from someone that played in the series, made a couple significant shots, especially in the Western Conference Finals, in game seven of those

Western Conference Finals, that was my favorite one. The one that i wish that we had been able to do and that i hope ultimately we are able to do is a 2001 series and you guys know why 2001 now i'm not familiar but uh oh wow okay um um sorry don't remember that I mean anyway we know it was the Sixers um so oh the 76ers that's the name for them right

2001 doesn't ring a bell as a year so whether or not you covered it you want to cover it you've talked a lot about your appreciation for the other guys who are anchorman for their team and make people say don't look up because they're right down here on the court um is there a underrated performance in in the finals whether it's one that you covered or not that like you

just feel like people have slept on like i i think of jimmy butler and the bubble. Some of his games were absolutely next level, like Herculean. I think people remember like how tired he was by the end, but like that was noteworthy because what he was doing on the court was absurd. But like, who are some of your underrated performances that you think people should talk more about? I'm going to lead in with one that seems like I'm being funny, but I'm not. Austin Crozier in the 2000 finals was absolutely spectacular thank you right somebody needed to say it and i'm happy to be the one no austin crozier really was fantastic and he ended up you know getting paid as a result of it uh in those 2000 finals but uh 1990 um the microwave so obviously i you know like i i was a kid in 1990 i i watched

the series but i i didn't have it under a true understanding for what i was watching uh the microwave vinnie johnson was absolutely fantastic in that series um but what what also leads me to i had no idea that bill lambert could could shoot it so well from deep because to be honest with you I always just saw him as a bruiser yes in one game of those finals he makes either six or eight threes like oh he he was going off it was actually one of the games that they you know the only game that they lost in the series uh but yeah no um I I I, you know, you'll stand out performances again. Of course, we know Jordan was incredible in 93 and we can go with the bigger guys. But that's why I let in with the awesome Crozier, because you know what?

Sometimes the other guys need that love. Not to mention 1994. Robert already played that entire series after game one with a hairline fracture in his back. What the hell? Oh, man. What a oh man what a time what a time back in those days all right and last last question am i am i wrong in thinking like this is unique i i probably am i think we tend to remember the finals based on like who won it right and so like we might miss out on some amazing performances by the team that didn't end up pulling it through but like do you feel like

this year's finals is unique in the sense that like the celdics are like it have do you have another example of a team where like the team that is winning the series doesn't seem like they have the highest high point you know what i mean yeah you know that's a tough one that's a really good question that um it's tough for whatever reason 2011 still stands out to me in that and that's not and that's not taking anything away from that maverick squad because they were you know they were fantastic when they needed to be uh but you know given the way that those fourth quarters went for LeBron, obviously, you know, I would usually hesitate to bring that up. But, hey, I feel like he's made up for that, you know, since then.

But given the way that he's had a pretty good run. A couple. Yeah. Right. Yeah. You heard of him? Yeah. Yeah. But there were those flashes in that series of like what Miami was about to do. Exactly. And for whatever reason, they weren't they weren't able to put it together enough and, you know, end up losing that series of like what Miami was about to do. Exactly. And for whatever reason they weren't, they weren't able to put it together enough and, you know, end up losing that series,

even though, you know, on paper, you definitely, we definitely would have all gone into that series saying like, oh, okay, they're expected to win.

Right. Right. Well, Jabari, such a pleasure having you on, uh, your own show. Uh,

Miles and Jack, I'm Matt Bo boosies thank you for coming on the friends of robert ory podcast robert and friends thank you for having me guys i really do appreciate it all right so uh by the time you listen to this game six might be in the books the season might be in the books next week's episode we in the books. Next week's episode, we will know who won. And we'll have more on that then. More Adam McKay plug. More cramming in things about how shots were from so far. Oh, yeah.

All of this. We will be back next week. So we'll talk to you then. And keep your eyes trained on the final. Bye. Bye. Bye. I'm Carrie Champion, and this is season four of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry.

Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. Every great player needs a foil. I know I'll go down in history. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's sports. Listen to The Making of a Rivalry, Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

I'm Keri Champion, and this is iHeart Women's Sports. I'm Keri Champion and this is season four of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry. Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's basketball.

And on this new season, we'll cover all things sports and culture. Listen to Naked Sports on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio apps, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Black Effect Podcast Network is sponsored by Diet Coke. Captain's Log, Stardate 2024. We're floating somewhere in the cosmos, but we've lost our map. Yeah, because you refuse to ask for directions. It's Space Gem, there are no roads.

Good point. So where are we headed? Into the unknown, of course. Join us on In Our Own World as we uncover hidden truths, navigate the depths of culture, identity, and the human spirit. With a hint of mischief. One episode at a time. Buckle up and listen to In Our Own World on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Trust us. It's out of this world.