The Daily Zeitgeist - What's Good in Motown with Mike Curtis

Episode Date: December 1, 2022

Jack is back this week and the guys were pleased to be joined by Detroit News beat writer Mike Curtis on today's episode! The trio discussed the start of the season for the Pistons and that exciting young core as well as plenty more action from around the league!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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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. And we're back with the full roster, and we're breaking down the early season of the DeProy. I said DeProy. What I mean to say is the Detroit Pistons. And we're going to keep that in there because we're honest. The DeProy Pistons. Exactly. to say is the Detroit Pistons. And we're going to keep that in there because we're on the DeProy Pistons.

Exactly. Thank you. The Detroit Pistons. And we're checking back in with the Dubs, discussing a point guard showdown between Jalen Brunson and John Morant. And more with DeProy. Who? Oh, you haven't heard this guy?

You haven't heard this guy? Even his own father, I think, finally heard this guy, John Morant. Yeah. Anyway, and more with Detroit News beat writer Mikeis on today's episode i'm miles gray and i'm jack o'brien and this is wow we can that was we didn't even okay i like that you knew i knew you're going for the alley up i said you know what i'm throwing it up i trust left it for me let god and let go just threw it up left it there and then i jumped up and missed the ball and i threw it up too high because neither of us can forward and landed landed on the stanchion i dropped kicked a photographer on the baseline. Turns out. Wait, Mike Curtis is here.

Hello, Mike Curtis. What's going on, man? Welcome to the show. Thank you for having me, fellas. It's always good to get on here and talk a little bit of basketball. Yeah, of course. Of course. You know, who are you a big fan of coming up?

I mean, first of all, I'm sure when you say who you were like the biggest fan of, it'll probably age you. There have been a few shocking times when people have said the teams they're fans of. And I was like, I'm, I'm so old, but please, Mike,

who, who did you come up on? And, uh, you know, like what, who are your favorite players going up? The Buffalo Braves,

Bob McAdoo. It's funny. I was raised in second on Michigan. Um, okay. I moved here when I was four and I pretty much grew up on the Pistons. So that's kind of all I saw. Yeah.

So I grew up a fan of the Pistons and I really enjoy Chauncey Billups. Chauncey Billups is my favorite player. And it wasn't just because he was the most flashiest. He wasn't the most athletic. He probably give you one dunk every year. But the way he was able to shoot, the way he was able to kind of lead that group of guys um that really stuck out to me so i would definitely say chauncey bills is one of my favorites okay along with duane wade and alan iverson i mean arguably one of the best but like

the title team with the least like flashy superstar like of the past 25 years and like yeah so gotta gotta be a lot of credit for the for the leadership there right like yeah yeah like when you have a team with so many personalities like there was chauncey that was ripped that was taishan there was rashid wallace who pretty much got a tech on a nightly basis and And then of course you got big Ben. In order for someone has got to like kind of corral those guys together for Chauncey to do it. I think that was pretty big of him. Did you see that stat that said basically for someone to get Rashid Wallace's tech record,

the NBA season would actually have to be 112 games in order because with the new rules to prevent like, cause when he had like 41 in his season they said for you to get to 41 technical fouls in a season you'd need 112 games just to deal with the suspensions that come along i did not see that and and it's so funny because i think they changed the rule because of him yeah exactly get suspended after you're 16 right exactly exactly i don't see how he hooped in air force ones i think that's part of the mystery of rashid wallace you know like as someone i i mean i grew up usually on

the other side i oh man when he almost became a lakers coach i was like i this is the closest i've been to sheet i need this because i've been such a fan of his but yeah his energy and because i've been such a fan of his but yeah his energy and hooping in high like air force one highs that's yeah that's that's different yeah yeah exactly i gotta ask you because i always like to ask our our guests who are you know do this professionally as credible journalists with you know uh upstanding character has that evolved your ability to enjoy as a fan? Are you kind of in the camp of I've now, because I talk and live and breathe basketball so much and cover it that I've transcended to the point of,

I really appreciate it for what it is. And every now and then I get in my fan bag, but I've grown past it. Are you in that group? Are you still, you still kind of in your fan bag? Yeah. So it's funny when,

when I i um 2008 when chauncey got traded to the never nuggets for alan iverson um that's kind of when i separated my fandom from the pistons as a whole um at that point i still didn't even know that i wanted to be a journalist honestly i wanted to be an architect because i was a really good artist and i wanted to make money so yeah okay that that's the best route to go. Yeah. Literally, I know math and me does not mix whatsoever. So I changed my major after my freshman year at Tennessee State and pursue journalism. But yeah, back then, that was the last time I was really a fan of the Pistons. And I think that allowed me to kind of come into this role with an objective point of view but it's why i've always been a fan of the

game just yeah yeah for sure i'm a fan of individual players but it's not like you wear like a lucky pair of shorts underneath your clothing no matter what season it is because that might help the team do better not at all okay okay i don't even wear the jerseys that I have anymore just because. Wow. That's, wow. I mean, I'm five months into the job, so I'm going to wear them again in the summer, but definitely not during the season. So Detroit's having kind of a tough run, you know, gone two and eight over the last 10 games and Cade was playing really well, but he's been out since I think early November 11, nine, I think might have a stress fracture

in his shin. My thought immediately goes to Wembingyama. I don't know if that's, you know, I'm not, I'm not a big Detroit fan, but we were running through the teams that are like kind of feeling that gravitational pull to the bottom of the standings. And of those teams, like I, I think Detroit would be my favorite, like just as an NBA fan, my favorite,

you got Detroit, Orlando, rocket Spurs, Charlotte are all seem like they're in range. And like Detroit feels like having all three of those guys being young coming up together, like, and also having a big man with,

with the two guards that that would be exciting. Is that something that is crossing into the collective Pistons fan consciousness and Pistons beat writer consciousness, or how are you guys feeling? Um, let me tell you this. So every time I tweet out the injury report, because the Pistons have been taking their fair share of lumps and they're pretty much having five guys out pretty much every night or they're being listed as questionable. So every time I tweet those out, the fans immediately say, oh, we're tanking.

Oh, we're getting ready for Wimbledon. So the thought is definitely out there, especially since the Pistons are last in the league right now, 5-17. It's interesting. It's interesting when you think about the trajectory of how this team kind of wanted to compete at the beginning of the season. And fans even expected them to possibly compete for a playoff spot play in spot.

But that has quickly gone the other way just because of all the injury trouble they had. So I think, I think fans are starting to think that this team isn't going to be able to kind of get to that play in spot. So they're definitely kind of looking towards the future, but I'll also think that think that they definitely want to start piling up some wins pretty soon.

Yeah, because it feels like every moment there's like something to feel good about, like injuries just kind of completely start the clock over. Or just like, that's always been the big, or at least this season from what I've seen, you have, you know, like K getting injured or Bay like coming, you know, there's just there's right when the rebuild or something feels like it's it's coming together a little

bit. It just kind of sets you back now. Yeah, I think for me, I was saying earlier, I was like, I don't want to feel like one of these arrogant fans who's like real patronizing to like other teams like, yeah, man, you know, I remember when the Pistons, they were one of the best teams. It just doesn't feel like the NBA without saying the detroit pistons are like one of the top teams and i don't mean that to be patronizing but it is something like i do wish i'd want to see the pistons do really well so however it needs to happen whether that's through the squad they have

or through new talent coming in you know like wim Yeah, I mean, we already have like a repeat of the 80s with the Celtics and the Lakers. Well, you know, they're putting it together. I'm not saying, I didn't even say that they invite any objective analysis of the Lakers. What I need to say is... Hey, I can put Philly in there too. Struggling.

A little slow start. But, I don't know. So, I mean, we are seeing the warriors kind of start putting it together a few of the teams that got off to really slow starts you know the warriors started the year three and seven they've gone eight and three since his steph season is pretty bonkers it's yeah 31.4 points per game seven assists seven boards on 50 through 52 44 and 91 split which is the same or better than his unanimous mvp season so that's insane when you think about it especially since um he's much older in his career now um but you got to think about how the team has kind of

progressed it looked it appeared as if clay was kind of regressing a little bit but now he's showing everyone he could still perform at a high level i think it took four games to get his three point percentage from like 33 percent to now it's at 40 um right so that's interesting draymond is still playing at a extremely high level despite everything that happened in the beginning of the season with um Jordan Poole so I think I think it's interesting they're pulling it together at the right time I don't think anybody expected um them to have the slow start but I think we all expected them to kind of get it together and kind of get back on track right I remember at the beginning I was kind of like oh what's happening all these players that we thought we're gonna make good in this next season but it is good now like you know jonathan

kaminga seems like he's slowly kind of finding his feet there uh and and making it all work and you know we were talking what it was only like three weeks ago we were like clay hello are you are you there um it turns out yeah he's still there clay said specifically that he didn't play a lot in the offseason because remember like he was coming back last season off of two injuries you know there was the one that happened in the finals and then in the offseason he was you know so psyched to get back that he played a lot of ball and tore his achilles i think that was the second injury so he like kind of superstitiously or not decided to not play a lot of ball in the off season.

So we're seeing him kind of play his way into shape. And that might just be what this looks like when you're just a little bit older. Can't count them out. You can't count them out. One thesis I had and like we, you know, I've just done very loose research at this point, but, you know, talking about Steph shooting loose research at this point but you know talking about steph shooting as well i guess that's the one he's 44 this season his mvp season he was 45 but he's still like you know any anything over 40 is pretty incredible but just across the league

the three-point shooting like it started really hot was like, well, we'll see regression to the mean, but we're still seeing, like, Utah Watanabe is 57% right now. Yeah. 57%. And, like, not on, like, you know, making one three a game. He's shooting a lot of threes. KCP is next at 49.4%. George Niang from my 76ers is coming in the 18th spot at 44.9%. And I only bring that up because last year's leader for three-point shooting was Luke Kennard at 44.9%. So I'm just

wondering, did they figure something out? Did the offenses figure out something to like scheme to get better looks is it just people building their game on top of past games than like past practice regiments and protocols and like just figuring out like this is what you have to do to shoot well in the league and just everybody's getting better and better as the three-point shot becomes like a more and more important part of offenses because you don't you don't expect it to go up that much. I consider three-point shooting percentage to be a thing that we're at a steady level now. Obviously, in the 80s, I think... I was looking up what the percentages were year over year, and they also had decade by decade. In the 80ss it was like 28

it was like people just threw it up at the end of a shot clock basically but it's kind of got to 35 in the early 2000s and it's stuck there but now it's it just feels like this season is an outlier for some reason i don't know if that's a sign of things to come or like even if you go by team by team you know the ninth ranked team is shooting 37.4 percent the number one team last year shot 37.3 so like even at a team-wide level it's much higher the celtics are leading the league shooting 40 as a team from three yeah well i Well, I mean, what could, what could it, cause that's like a pretty big jump. That's what I'm like,

are we missing something where someone who's more, you know, has an intimate knowledge of how the stats work? It'd be like it, like you're saying, like, is it going to regress to the medium or median or what? But it seems pretty pronounced when you're like, yeah. And the 18th best shooter is shooting as well as the best shooter last season. Yeah. I think it's really interesting.

I don't want to make it this simple, but could it be that teams just aren't playing a lot of defense? I think that could be an aspect of it because you got a lot of teams now that are switching almost everything. And sometimes a big is on the guard. Sometimes a guard is on the big. Yeah. Nowadays, a lot of guys only need this much space in order to get their shot off.

So that could be a contributing factor. But I think it is interesting how there are a ton of guys just lighting it up from three-point range right now. Yeah. Yeah, the switching, that does seem to be a trend right that like changed this year and presumably like the only reason that somebody would pick up on a trend and like make it their defense's kind of mo is because they think it gives them an advantage but obviously if if everybody's shooting better from three then that's that's not really the case but maybe maybe it's leading to better inside defense or something we might have to have uh stats on what was the guest we had that one time who's

like the number cruncher oh oh yeah uh was it tim yeah yeah yeah yeah oh but i mean look and i think another thing if if if they're going to be taking new approaches to defending, I just have to shout out the cornet. The cornet. The pop-up in your face. It's spreading, baby. Because Marcus Smart even pulled it. And these two clips just kind of brought a smile to my face

because there's something so funny. I don't know about why. Just like the simple, hey, I'm going gonna jump in your face and hopefully throw you off but the first one is where is it at uh here we go this is from what uh last night or two nights ago i guess that'll be sunday for those uh listening but here this is against uh this is against washington i just want to play this clip where you won't see it, but you will know that Cornette takes the leap and Jordan Goodwin is not able to make the shot.

He's in the paint and just contests the shot by jumping straight up. And we've seen him do this throughout the season. He's like, it's a thing I've always done. And the numbers back it up. I haven't done the dive on the season, he's like, it's a thing I've always done. Yeah. And the numbers back it up. I haven't done the dive on the numbers, but presumably he has. And then later in the same game, I think it might be the next possession. No, no, this is later in the game.

But yeah, you got Marcus Smart even saying, you know what? Let me go ahead and try that little, that cornet contest. saying, you know what? Let me go ahead and try that little, that cornet contest. Again, jumps from, you know, he's a little bit closer, so he hasn't fully... But it was so early, you know what I mean? It's so, when I see that,

I'm like, okay, if you have the defensive player of the year being like, let me see if I want to even tinker with that as part of my game i'm like there's gotta be he's also he's must be seeing something he's like it there's there's something to it i'm still trying to put my finger on it but yeah you know what that reminds me of um i used to i used to be a big video game guy and i still am i played 2k from time to time but we used to play nba street and you

used to just sit in the paint and just wait until your opponent shot their three-pointer because you could jump all the way up and just block it and take it out of your ear so that's yeah goaltending yeah clearly goaltending right right right well see that's why i need somebody to do a game breaker in the middle of the game like an nba street and see if they really can you know come with the same effects and i need babito uh calling the game on the sideline because that was a one of my favorite parts of that game it's a legend yeah yeah maybe people are just giving up on defense they're like i don't know i'll just jump from the paint and see if they're three and that's why everybody's shooting percentages but right they're like you're only missed the three and that's why everybody's shooting percentages but right

they're like you're only seeing the two times that worked yeah meanwhile across the league it's an epidemic of accurate three-pointers but we do talk about how players like build you know the the league the play is progressive players get better by building their game on top of other people's games like we talked a few weeks back about bones Highland and like how he has this like herky jerky ability to like get a foot of space while in the paint as a, you know, smaller player. And like,

I don't know, that reminds me of job. I'm sure he wouldn't be like, I modeled my game after job, but I'm sure watching somebody who can create space, like while staying close to the ground is, you know, something, something that at

least is inspiring to be like oh yeah i do i do that move i know i just never thought i could do it in the nba or something so yeah but like three point shooting you don't expect them to be like oh try and make them interesting all right hold on steph so what are you trying to do so you're trying to make them when you shoot them oh okay wardell i didn't know that okay get that one in all right let's real quick talk about our underrated performers of the week which is the segment where we highlight some of the best performances that may have flown under the radar of uh you know lesser nba fans than us obviously didn't fly under our radar but george Niang scored 18 off the bench, 5 for 7 from deep in 23

minutes in a win over the Magic. Not for nothing, but Philly is 6-2 over their last 8 at the time of this recording, with the last three games being without Embiid and Harden, and I believe the last one was without Maxie,

and they won by 30. I don't know how they're doing it Christian would put up 21.7 boards off the bench for us the Bucks kind of slowly gaining the trust adjacent kid Seth Curry is coming back to

being Seth Curry 29 points off the bench 7 of 10 from deep so I mean with Watanabe and Curry, like, just bombing from deep, that makes them much more dangerous. And then Malcolm Brogdon, 17, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 23 minutes off the bench. Like, that's exactly why we were like, ooh, that trade is scary. Yeah, I was waiting for a name

and you didn't say it. What's the name? Kevin Knox. Kevin Knox. 21 points. Six of eight from three. And they helped, he helped the Pistons beat the Jazz

over the weekend on the 23rd. Yeah, that was actually fifth on our list uh we just didn't include it but yeah that obviously did not fly under our radar no yeah that was pretty significant just because um he's had kind of a up and down career since he's been drafted um to the knicks as a lottery pick that kind of didn't pan out um he played sparingly when he was with the hawks and now he's trying to get that quote-unquote second chance with the piston so um they really enjoy the intensity and the level of play that he's brought over the past week or so there it is all right should we take a break come back talk

about uh lebron zubak you know the two first names that get pop into your head when you're thinking nba man uh leBron and Zubac and then we'll be right back together again when you think of Mexican culture you think of avocado mariachi delicious cuisine and of course lucha libre

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No days off. And I'll have my friends, who happen to be some of the NFL's biggest stars, join me on the pod. We'll give you a player's perspective of the biggest storylines, trends, and did that really just happen moments from around the league. And you know we'll have fun doing it. Oh, and I'll have a special guest each month. Join me to mix it up a little bit. Who is it? None other than Syke. You have to tune in to find out. So tap in to Off the Edge with Cam Jordan's podcast, your ultimate playbook for all things football and not football listen on the iheart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your

podcasts mtv's official challenge podcast is back for another season that's right the challenge is about to embark on its monumental 40th season yall, and we are coming along for the ride. Woo-hoo! That would be me, Devin Simone. And then there's me, Davon Rogers. And we're here to take you behind the scenes of... Drumroll, please. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. The Challenge 40 Battle of the Eras.

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of the Challenge 40 Battle of the Eras. Listen to MTV's official challenge podcast on the iheart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts and we're back we're just talking best masked performances uh rip hamilton you know who just liked liked it so much he kept it throughout his career. The Masked Man. And even then, we couldn't even give him a superlative

for Rip Hamilton. Top five shooting guards of all time. I mean, that's I think that's pretty pretty rarefied air. But, you know, we were pointing out that LeBron put up how many with a mask on?

Put up 60? 61, I believe. 61. Put the mask back on, LeBron. When Embiid plays with a mask, it feels like how I would feel. It's the most I ever identify with Joel Embiid. When he has a mask on and he's like, can't see. And he's just like, I hate the way it feels on my face

i'm like yes you get that is me after two houses of trick-or-treating when i was a kid thing kills just want to get out of it but lebron stepped into the time machine yeah this week 39 like again over the spurs as many people were reminding me uh i was like hey did you see that so they were they were really trying and they still got by but yeah it's he's he continues to impress although look i it's it's so i have to watch every game with restrained excitement because i just have to say now my bar is that we improve. That's all I want. I just want to see some kind of incremental improvement.

And then I'll probably get to the new year and then completely lose my mind as a fan and then be like, how come we are not in the playoff race right now? But for right now, it is nice to see. And it is nice to see LeBron still, I think, showing people that he is still LeBron. Because I know, like, as of this recording, we're going to be playing the Pacers. And Matherin, if you remember, he was like, I don't know if anybody's better than me right now. Yeah.

So that has the potential to be a very interesting game. But yeah, it's nice to see. And Matherin is playing extremely well. Like, he's definitely in the running for rookie of the year. Especially if Paulo can come back and kind of get back healthy. And Jay and Ivy has to come back and get healthy too. But I feel like that's three man race right there for rookie of the year. Yeah.

It'll, it'll be interesting to see if LeBron comes out with a chip on his shoulder. Right. Because the rookie's been kind of talking trash to start. Yeah. Even played an NBA game. Which I like, you know, a lot of people are like, man, he's out of, he's all, he's lost his mind

saying stuff like that. But part of me is like, you know, let these young guys come in there with their chest out. And maybe if LeBron has to remind him of his age or whatever, then so be it. And if not, then we have a fun moment, but I'm not, I'm not as mad because i'd rather see people be a little more arrogant than humble sometimes it helps inspire others um this also makes lebron both the youngest player to ever go 35 10 with seven made threes and the oldest to ever do it um which yeah there you go but lakers started on five seven and six since then um seven and six with russ coming off the bench uh shot 22 from beyond the arc through the first five games and i don't know lebron's lebron's three looked really like the best i've ever seen it in that game you guys were saying that that was an anomaly but just like the stroke felt like very smooth and all one motion. And I don't know if he could,

if he could put it together, that would be, that would be something. If this LeBron James guy can put it together, we might have something here. If this LeBron guy can put it together, I think there, I think he might be making some noise later this season.

Yeah. I mean, we'll see. I remember there was a point in time where we didn't even talk about LeBron in the regular season up until a certain point. Maybe until March, April when the playoffs were starting to get going. But since he's been at LA, barn 2020, the 2020 title, it's always a conversation about are Lakers going to make the playoffs?

Can LeBron get this together? Does he have enough help? And I feel like we have that conversation every year. Yeah. And we'll continue to, especially when LeBron is just in the papers too. does he have enough help um and i feel like we have that conversation every year yeah yeah and we'll continue to especially when lebron is just in the papers too he's like write this part down say um lakers now believe they are two players away from potentially being contenders yeah write that write that write that okay thank you yeah so producer jabari just said he's currently at 28.7 percent from deep but rising so yeah that would have been good in the

80s that's right that would have been league average um zubac so uh this feels more like the season we've been seeing which is people like the the league average the the players who i think were perceived as replacement level just coming through and wrecking people like for a game or two zubac put up a 31 and 29 versus indiana 31 points 29 boards three assists three blocks first player to do that in an nba game since kareem in 1978 so that's a compliment to say you're putting up Kareem in the 70s numbers. Right. You know what I mean? Wow.

Yeah. Okay. Okay. Wow. I definitely think it was a mistake for the Lakers to trade away Zuboff. Oh my. I think that was one of their biggest mistakes in terms of kind of the LeBron era because you had a solidified center who

could score in the post he could rebound block shots i think they definitely missed out by trading them away to the clip oh i don't know they got good return right who they did they oh no they did they didn't get which i don't even remember who was involved in that right i mean first of all it was against miles turner right exactly he put up those numbers against miles turner when the headline previously was like maybe clippers yeah now i think there's two theories one is that zubach was like oh okay watch this is this is this your god is this your? Like when he comes through and he's like, this is who you wanted. Or did Miles Turner be like,

I don't want to play over there. Yeah. Yeah. Go ahead, bro. Do what you want. Do what you want. I don't want to,

I don't want to play for the Clippers. That's a very Laker brain interpretation. That's my, yeah. You saw what he did. He was just trying to put them off, man. That's what he was doing.

But yes, it could be. And I think, but yeah, it was, that's what he was uh but yes it could be and i think but yeah it was that's i mean again it's impressive and i think it's a moment too where it inspires another player to perhaps be like oh i hold on this person may take my spot let me do something i mean there's been there's been a lot of like jobbers brunson was a lot of fun that back and forth jaw ended up having a triple double 27 14 and 10 uh brunson had 39 assists five rebounds brunson's been his last four games as this is recording like 30 32 34 27 so he's who they thought he was i guess yeah i just like i saw this uh headline that apparently

the first time ever john moran's dad like ever in jaw's headline that apparently the first time ever, John Moran's dad, like ever in John's career, this is the first time his father asked for his Jersey from a game. Yeah. And was this like, I guess, and because I think he said his dad has like, he has like a very special feeling about Madison square garden. And the fact that he had a triple double there, he was like, okay, okay, son.

You know what? I believe the hype now i guess you are good at basketball my dad once asked for my jersey after a game but it was more the way that like a police captain asks for someone's badge when they really screw up just be like hey man i need your jersey on my desk in the morning hold on man how did you put the ball back a defensive rebounder in a free throw? And you just put it back. What was that?

And it was a three somehow? Look, I got to tell you, man, that step back three was cold. But it's the wrong basket. It's the wrong basket, son. I need your jersey and your sneakers now on my desk. 0 for 8 from three on your own basket, but 2 for 3 on the opponent's basket? How? How? Yeah. Oh, man. And then Jeremy Grant too, also. Yeah.

44. He's, and I know we'll look back on our predictions in a later episode, but I feel like very early on, I think we were saying, look out for Jeremy Grant this season, weren't we, Jack? I was saying that. He's liable to put up 38 and 12. Sorry.

I was reading the wrong stuff. He's liable to put up 44 points against the Knicks in an OT win without Damian Lillard. Exactly. Yeah. He's in a really good position now that he's kind of out in Detroit. I think he was kind of tasked with being the guy when he was here and it kind of led to what kind of didn't fit,

especially the way Detroit wanted to have their roster with K coming in. Now K gets to kind of shoulder that offensive production and Jeremy kind of gets to play. I think he's the third option behind Damian Lillard and Simons. So he gets to kind of play free in a way that I don't think he had the opportunity to when he was in Detroit, because so much attention was on him so he's having a year and that's when you add a score like that sometimes it can be you know they need the ball too much it's like their gravitational force and like the the offense kind of collapses around them and it's not it's

not as uh helpful or is not as good a fit but like to add somebody who is just like yeah by by being the third option it actually helps my game is is pretty uh you know that that worked out nicely for them yeah all right let's take another break and we will come back with the fastest segment in podcasting, the rapid fire. 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. All right, here we go. It's Cam Jordan from New Orleans Saints here to tell you it's going down. On season two of my podcast, Off the Edge with me, Cam Jordan. Can't stop it. You know what's going to happen. Can't stop it. That's right

catching new episodes every wednesday all season long that's what you look for year 14 to do more and i'll have my friends who happen to be some of the nfl's biggest stars join me on the pod we'll give you a player's perspective of the biggest storylines trends and did that really just happen moments from around the league. And you know we'll have fun doing it. Ha! Yeah! Oh, and I'll have a special guest each month join me to mix it up a little bit.

Who is it? None other than... Psyche! You'll have to tune in to find out. So tap in to Off the Edge with Cam Jordan's podcast, your ultimate playbook for all things football and not football. Listen on the iHeart Jordan's podcast, your ultimate playbook for all things football and not football. Listen on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. MTV's official challenge podcast is back for another season. That's right. The challenge is about to embark on its monumental 40th season, y'all, and we are coming along for the ride. Woohoo! That would be me,

Devin Simone. And then there's me, Davon Rogers. And we're here to take you behind the scenes of... Drumroll, please. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. The Challenge 40 Battle of the Eras. Yes. Each week, cast members will be joining us to spill all of the tea on the relentless challenges,

heartbreaking eliminations, and of course, all the juicy drama. And let's not forget about the hookups. Anyway, regardless of what era you're rooting for at home, everyone is welcome here on MTV's official challenge podcast. So join us every week as we break down episodes of the Challenge 40 Battle of the Eras. Listen to MTV's official challenge podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

And we're back. Mike Curtis, you thought you were ready. The great state of Michigan can only prepare you so much for what you are about to endure. I know the winters can get cold over there, but nothing is colder than this segment. More unforgiving than this segment called the rapid fire round of questioning. Now, we're going to ask you a question. You just give us your answer. Just reflexively.

Don't think about it too much. Just keep it moving, okay? Because we want to keep our title as the fastest segment in sports podcasting with a show that starts with an M. And I do just want to clarify that the seat, your seat will be hot. The fire is rapid. But our responses will be cold and unforgiving. Just so I know it can get confusing sometimes.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry. I'm still working. I'm kind of working that. I was just going to say, because, you know, Mike, you're paid to write words. Do you have any notes for that? How was that? That was pretty good, right?

Okay, good. That's what I thought, Jack. You see? Mike Curtis said it was okay. So I will no longer believe you when you try and throw hate on my name. Well, it sounded like you said it was pretty good based on what I heard or

how I interpreted it. Enthusiastic. Anyway, let's get to this. This is a rapid-fire round of questioning. Start the clock! Jackson, you want to go first? Yeah, I would love to go first, Miles. Thank you for asking. Good to go first yeah i would love to go first miles thank you for asking good go first yeah go ahead oh joy i thought you said oh first okay no but i'm going first right yeah mike that's what you should do you can pick any three sharpshooters from history

for the ultimate three-point shooting contest what's your three play thompson steph curry and ray allen oh ray now what is it about ray allen that made you say that right i think it just because his consistency he releases it the same way every time it doesn't matter how he catches it doesn't matter where he is on the floor i think it's pretty much consistent um with step, it doesn't matter how it comes off. He's pretty much, he has that muscle memory down. Right. So it's pretty much always going in. And then with Clay, we've seen him as one of the best,

if not the best standstill shooter in league history. Who wins between them? I'm going to say Clay. Yeah. I'll say Clay. On a hot night? You got to keep, I'm sorry. I'm going to say Clay I'll say Clay on a hot night I'm sorry Jack I know what you're about to say

on a hot night this segment has to be going faster exactly on a hot night like this please man we've got it we've got to keep this going I was ready for that okay Mike Curtis how about this one now you have the chance to win $10,000 I was ready for that. Yeah, yeah. Okay, okay, okay. Oh, okay. Okay, Mike Curtis. How about this one?

Now, you have the chance to win $10,000 to make a layup with each hand, $25,000 to make at least four of five free throws, or $100,000 to make at least three of five from deep. Which challenge are you taking? I'm taking the free throw challenge. Wow. Okay. Confidence.

Last week, got the same answer. Four out of five, you're feeling real confident. I don't trust free throw challenge. Wow. Okay. Confidence. Last week, got the same answer. Four out of five, you're feeling real confident. So you're... I don't trust my left hand with the left. Wow. Yeah. And my range is kind of limited since I'm five foot six. So I'm not going to shoot any three pointers. Yeah.

The layup, man. I remember layup lines on the left side. I almost had... I used to have panic attacks. I'm like, I would pray. I'll go up with that left. I'm like, please on the left side. I almost had, I used to have panic attacks. I'm like, I would pray. I'll go up with that left. I'm like,

please let it. Yes. Thank you. I'm still on the team. I would do like a reverse layup on the right side, but then I'd accidentally run into the rebounder and then, you know, I'd shout and one,

uh, but it would never go in. But yeah, I mean, this goes back to the pitch that we've been sending to the NBA. I guess we might as well say it on the thing. Replace the three point shooting contest and

the dunk contest with free throw shooting contest. You know, thank you. That's what people want to see. They don't want to see anything else. They want to see who's consistent over and over again. I would like to see that with the worst free throw shooters in the league yeah oh wow better better viewing experience and like yeah and then like people have no business dunking in the dunk contest like just invert all of them you know i mean like the worst three-point

shooters in the league are now also going to be in the three-point contest so like to add some fun to their dunks they have like choreographed dances ahead of each one and then just do like a little like one-handed dunk whatever they got to do you know what i mean and they get more props i think these are all fantastic ideas these are great ideas yeah yeah so i i think i'm up is, I think so. Can I get a ruling from the judges? Yeah, it's you. What is a new rule, Mike, that you'd like to see implemented or altered, effective immediately? And this can be as serious as outlawing defensive three-second or as silly as taking the air out of the ball for a quarter. And everybody just has to play with a floppy

basketball yep okay i'll go semi-serious and say i want the nba to implement the feeble rule where you can touch the ball when it's on the when it's on the rim pretty much blocking it so i think that'll be pretty pretty entertaining um especially when guys aren't as used to it. And everyone probably thinks it's goaltending, especially if you haven't watched the international game. So I'll say that one. That feels like something that if somebody was good enough at it,

you could just time it so perfectly that you just get somebody who is one of the best volleyball players in the world and just come and spike every shot the second it gets to the rim. I like that. Yeah, and they need to introduce the stat for it. How many

shots does he block off? Right. Or if one of the best players in the league already happened to be a great volleyball player when they were young, like, I don't know, Joel Embiid. I like this idea. Was he a big volleyball player? Yeah, he was a volleyball player

that was he's a multi-hyphenate yeah a multi-hyphenate this man mike i said man what do we say we got to keep this going i got to ask you one of the most important questions i've ever asked anybody on this podcast which is mike curtis what are your top three throwback jerseys of all time? The Royal Blue, Kobe Bryant. Number eight, LeBron's rookie jersey, the white one. And let's go with Jordan's red 97-98. No, black 97-98 jersey. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. 97 98 no black 97 98 jersey and striped yeah

that's a jersey I always wanted and I remember the shorts I could not find the shorts anywhere in LA I remember that like that year that was like the hottest pooping item you could own were the black bulls shorts couldn't find them anywhere they say to this day

I haven't recovered and that's why i got into podcasting i believe them all right and finally most important question of the night uh i know miles likes to say that that last one was the most important but this is really it eric you should note that mike kind of arrogant is it jack miles or super sound engineer Brian? Miles. Yes! No, that's right. That's the right answer. That's correct.

I knew you were intelligent. I knew you were an upstanding journalist who had just the sense and judgment of character like I knew. And also, remind me of your Venmo again so i guess i can send you that cash on an unrelated thing on an unrelated thing on an unrelated thing jack completely unrelated we even gave him the out of brian and he picked miles i don't even know what i just answered

yeah you know but you did answer confidently you did answer and you answered gave it some thought we did and And look, we like to have them pick. Yeah. You know what I mean? We just, and it's totally fair. And that's,

that would be my pick as well. No, no offense to engineer Brian. Thank you, Jack. Thank you so much. You, you,

you honor me, you honor me, but Mike Curtis, thank you so much for honoring us by appearing on our show. Uh, where can people, you know, find you, read you,

follow you, all that kind of stuff. Yeah, no, thanks for having me again, where can people, you know, find you, read you, follow you, all that kind of stuff. Yeah. No, thanks for having me again, guys. It was really fun. My Twitter is Mike A Curtis too.

You can find me on there, at least while Twitter is still active. You don't know if it's going to be here tomorrow, but if not, then you can find me at the Detroit news. I'm pretty much writing stories pretty much every day. So, um,

check me out there, subscribe and thanks for all the support. And we asked a listener, which game you would travel back in time to experience. And our boosties listener of the week, Aaron and McSee, uh, who said,

as I heard the intro music today, I thought this is Jack's week to finally get chosen during rapid fire and then he wasn't even there. Womps. In reference to the last episode where I was missing because I was working with my therapist about the fact that I'm 0 and 30,

I think. It's not a part. Look, records aren't meant to be. No, it's okay. And my therapist was like, just walk into it, prepare for the fact that be. No, it's okay. And my therapist was like, just walk into it. Prepare for the fact that you're never going to get picked. She was like, you're never going to get picked in this.

I also like that. We're like, which game would you travel back in time? And then Aaron's like, man, I can't believe Jack took an L and he wasn't even there. Like, Aaron, please have some just. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I like that too. Anyway, make sure you give us a follow on Twitter at mad boosties. Yeah.

B O S T I E S. And you know, I'll, I'll continue to keep improving and getting, uh, you know, better. So maybe one day I get a win, but even if not, I'm going to be happy. That's good. Good attitude. That's what I like about you guys. Hustle players. You know what I mean? Just flying all over the court, giving heart. You know what I mean? May not have all the talent, you know, but you got the heart and that's what matters a lot. All right. If you ever invite me back on, I'll be sure to pick you, Jack. Oh, thank you so much. And it sounds like it would be genuine and totally earned.

And you know what? Why don't we invite you back right now and do that like no no no it's okay miles this is this is what we talked about okay my therapist talked about you're right you're right well shout out dr phil yeah yeah dr phil hey at least you're listening tim mcgraw thanks shout out to you man uh well thanks so much for listening week, we'll be back next week and tune in for the mysteries that surround the league and whether or not our guests will make the right choice during the rapid round of Question 8. Until then, we'll be us at UBU.

Bye. Bye. I'm Carrie 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, Caitlin 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 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, iHeart Radio apps, 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 and this season we're taking in a 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 piñocolada from Puerto Rico. Listen to Hungry for History on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.