The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Hour 1: Me Maximum

Episode Date: April 23, 2024

Somehow Mike Ryan is still angry about the state of the Miami Heat, but his tone is admittedly much better during this segment. Are these the Heat tears fans of this show have been searching for? Then, Greg Cote is aggressively selfish, and Chris shares some of the catchphrases that prove it. Plus, Knicks superfan Sam Morril is here to discuss the greatest game experiences of his life and to become our new Commissioner of Fandom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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What a delight during the break for me and Stugatz to just stare at Cody because of what he did at the end of the last segment. Just to explain to the audience, we've been talking to Ron McGill for a long time. Stugatz hasn't listened to three quarters of what's happening when Ron McGill is talking. But I saw an elephant.

But Stugatz got engaged in the animal segment and I saw that flash in my old partner's eyes and I was going to ride it into the sky. He saw an elephant near a casino and he had something. I saw my partner invigorated because he was just titillated by an elephant walking through in Montana. A sad casino and Greg Cody took the ball and saw the gas station imagine this scenario where the elephant was buying a pack of cigarettes right

all of us taking us further and further away from where it is that we began the entirety of the segment with an unhinged mike ryan and this is what i would say to you as someone who gets perpetually accused of carrying water for the miami heat know the standard is win the championship. That's where they put the standard, that's where the standard is expected to be. And I, as someone who's in the content business and someone who appreciates how hard it is to keep businesses functioning in South Florida, am an admirer of this team being relevant for 15 years and creating a standard where we expect it to be 2010, 2014. We're in the middle of the conversation all the time.

Like that's, this team, it is our somehow our birthright in this region that the Miami Heat get to feel every season what the Knicks are feeling now in the first round because they're desperate for it. And I would just ask you to stand back for a moment while all your criticism is valid at the end, if they don't win the championship, and they look like this season, that it's fallen apart.

I would say there are some body issues there. You guys are always running past the injuries on everything in sport, and I think it matters that Joel Embiid isn't healthy right now. Yeah, I'm not skipping past the body issues. The body issues specifically were why I wanted to improve the roster. What happened this season was them for several years striking out on an inability to improve a roster that was almost championship good.

And everything just came home to roost at that point. Man, like I'm not, I don't have this impossible standard. Yes I love heat culture was aiding and abetting the the marketing strategy I just don't want the arrow pointing down We can have lateral moves as long as we're competitive or we can have the arrow pointing up This arrows been pointing down since a got gentlemanly swept by the Denver Nuggets last year. There were Absolutely reasons to improve this raw. In the finals. Yeah, reasons. I'm sorry. Yeah, the reason for encouragement to know that if you added to this roster, they could be right back there. They failed. The roster got older. They're not good

enough. We are criticizing. Okay, and let me just go back better tone less than twelve months and say to you as all of us get lightheaded with loopiness because it's like what do you mean jimmy butler's michael jordan during the playoffs now all of us are totally confused by and then when it arrived in denver it started to look like it had the lack of lift that you've seen this entire season in the legs but up till the last seven games of the season when what they needed to beat yokich was hey jimmy can you be michael jordan again because it's ridiculous

that we now expect that from you he then fails in the final five games in your remembering and i'd say misremembering it with all this gentleman's sweep out was no good at the end when he made all of us believe that in a seven game series he might summon some 40-point guy and we're all like who is this person? That's your opinion I might be I think you're also forgetting that after he did the camera snap to to Boston and it looked like they were just running a flat track against Boston he fell off then and it was like they were just running a flat track against Boston, he fell off then.

And it was very perceptible to the eye. And we just chalked it up to, well, that incredible run, what he had to muster to beat Milwaukee. And then the season started and he looked like the same guy and he kept running into big teams. And we thought, now it's playoff Jimmy time. He even told us, it's that time and it didn't turn on it's not like he's a 27 year old Dan at a certain point you have to realize that the window is closing and sometimes a window closes in the NBA Finals and that can be confusing but this to me is Ric Flair I love you I'm sorry you were a 16 time champion Shawn Michaels is kicking you in the chin you got to do something I think what Mike is saying is actually fair.

It's much better tone. I can understand him. But what are you saying is fair? They've gotten to the finals. You're right. They haven't won when they've gotten to the NBA finals. And all Mike is asking is, hey, Pat Riley, do what you used to do.

Improve the team. Because the team up there in Boston, they're improving every single year They're getting better and we're not and that's a fair ass from a big time. Even like it is all fair and Pat Riley remembered in winning time on HBO as the Boston Boston when he was with Lakers Boston when he was with New York and then when he was with New York, and then when Danny Ainge comes out and says what he says is the head of the Boston

organization, he sends out a team spokesman when they're fouling LeBron and says Boston. Again, Pat Riley at near 80 years old has been fighting at the top of the conference with this organization and has won for five years and after a sex scandal that makes their exceptional coach coach great in Houston Brad Stevens appointed himself when Danny Ains left as the top of that organization and the trade he made is a monster the the two guys he added in holiday and porzingis are obvious yes third and fourth pieces on championship

teams we've seen that happen before boston got better fast in the conference is now been taken from them by boston and executive ship as your team has fallen behind boston it can't be disputed i'm simply saying we got drunk on the fumes of playoff Jimmy will always be here when it matters and you just can't expect 45 point games every time out from that guy. That's what Mike is saying and what Greg is saying. We agree. Like you guys are agreeing but there's also a middle ground between 2010 and play in games

every season hoping that you you advance the next round. And like, what you're saying is, look, back 12 months, but their job is to look forward 12 months, look forward 24 months, and they're not saying get rid of Jimmy entirely, it's give Jimmy pieces to make it not have to be something that's so reliant on Jimmy. Make him a three so you don't need playoff Jimmy.

And it's not unfair to say that. I was enjoying beating Boston, and while we were beating Boston I was also saying I'd trade Jimmy Butler for LeBron James tomorrow. I knew what was happening when it was happening that it was an outlier and I was always saying this team is not good enough this is wild this is unprecedented I'm gonna enjoy listening to EEI with the rest of you I love beating New York but we are not positioned well. I was saying it then. I said it throughout the offseason. You want to talk about they made it to the NBA finals last year? Boston made it to the NBA finals two years ago. They totally changed out what was a young roster.

Milwaukee won the championship three years ago. Did the hard thing by getting rid of Marcus Smart, who was the leader of the team. I mean, yeah, Golden State had the best season in the history of the NBA and they added Kevin Durant I mean they succeeded where Miami's failed. But what do you want me to say? I'm not here to argue that you what you do you are because you're telling me that They were in the finals last year to which I say so what yeah because I would add I think you do over emphasize They made the finals last year because this is also true two years in a row in a play in tournament

is a warning signal it it's flashing red it's it's warning you you're not that i'll get you know a lot of teams make the playoffs in the nba okay you have to fight through it uh... a play in tournament two years in a row not a good sign the fact that this entire crew doesn't see the absurdity in they were in the finals last year, so what? Like doesn't see the absurdity.

Did we not give them their flowers? No, I'm just saying. Did we not give them their flowers? I'm just saying that the Panthers got a lot of flowers from you for the first time I've ever doing anything over the last 25 years. What does my Panther fandom have to do? Thank God Riley not had his ass kicked enough around here lately. Thank God Bill Zito did what Pat Riley failed to do, which is realize I'm not good enough,

I need to make a drastic move. And it worked immediately. What does my Panther fandom have to do with anything? Because of where the standard has been put on all of this stuff, you feel entitled to AA, I'm in the championship game. So what? How can you say it? all of this stuff you feel entitled to a a I don't feel entitled so what I don't feel it's fan I want my team to be championship good if that if that's entitlement every sports fan is entitled like I thank you my love beating this is where they put the standard because they do I have to walk over there across the

street take my shirt off and say Stella I'm very thankful for that but also I'm a sports fan I want my team to win! But you're a sports fan who is saying because this is I think we can all agree it sounds like we've been arguing yes of course improve the team always every year nobody disagrees with that well they do because they fail do it do it it's been four years of me saying hey great year we're this close. And then some other team gets closer. I have a question for the class, Greg, you as well. So this team's championship window is closing.

Dan, do you agree on that? Yeah. Okay, so this team's championship window is closing in the off season. You want, you know, not that he's a one anymore, but would you trade Pat Riley for LeBron James straight up? And you get Bronny.

And you get Bronny. Is that a piece you would take on this Heat team, LeBron James? Hell yeah. But he says the only way I'm coming back is no Riley. You understand that when you ask me has their championship window closed, that when they were with Hazan Whiteside and Dion Waiters, and I didn't think there was any opportunity

to get Jimmy Butler, and they did get Jimmy Butler, if you'd ask me then, hey, Dan, is their championship window closed? Yes, if he's their best player, yes, that's a nice free agent acquisition, and Amin and everyone else is making fun of me, saying, no, he's a superstar. You don't know it yet, he's a superstar.

And then he comes to Miami and he becomes a superstar. Mike, Bill Zito or Pat Riley? You could only have one. Right now, it's Zito. He's got his whole career at him. Would you trust Bill Zito to rebuild the Miami Heat? I'm trying to have serious conversations. I am too.

If Riley could make- The other one was going nowhere. If Riley could make a trade, the equivalent of Kachuk for Uber dough then the heat have a championship contender It was summer after summer. That's good. Yes. That's good. That's good. Yeah, and they've been there Anthony Edwards do it The trade piece has been on this roster the entire time and they haven't brought themselves to it, which is bam. That's been the trade piece.

The difficult trade to make has been on their roster for five years. And they haven't wanted to make it. 14th best setter in the league according to Stan Van Gundy yesterday. You need to stop doing that. You need to stop doing that. Did Stan say that?

I didn't listen yesterday. No, it was Jeff. No. No. No. The Van Gundys. You're going to get me. You need to stop doing that. OK? It was Jeff. No. The Van Gundys. You're gonna get me, like, you need to stop doing that.

Okay? It's not a request. You need to stop doing that, okay? Because you're gonna cause me a problem. Hey everybody, it's Mike. And typically I record these Miller light spots in the studio, but I requested that I specifically record this one from my home office because I got a window

and I'm looking outside at those beautiful fishtail palms knowing that in just a few seconds I'm gonna go out there, I'm gonna crack open a can of Miller Lite because while sitting outside by my fishtail palms is usually a good time, I like to take it up a notch and make it a Miller time. That's right, you crack that puppy open and you don't have to think about what you're drinking for a darn second. A lot has changed over the years, including my backyard. Lots of landscaping being done right now.

But the one thing that hasn't changed is the undebatable quality of Miller Lite. You don't have to choose what quality is the best. Miller Lite has great taste and it's less filling. Tastes like Miller-tot. To get Miller Lite delivered right to your door, visit MillerLite.com slash Dan, or you can find it pretty much anywhere that sells beer. Celebrate responsibly Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories per 12 ounces, fewer cows and carbs than premium regular beer. Don LeBretard!

Yeah, very fast. Imagine if someone told you you couldn't have a Corvette. Stugats! I'm a grown-ass man who's not who's not filthy rich. I can't afford a Lamborghini. Well I probably can but that's beside the point. Hey! Wow! Wow!

Cake Flags! Cake Flags! This is the Don LeBathard Show with the Stugats! I hate when this happens. I just got a text here, vigorously siding with me on this saying the Heat literally won more games with the most starting lineups in the history of the franchise. Something that would allow me to have a winning argument, but it was sent by Jeremy. I called it from back here.

I was like, Oh, Jeremy texted me. As soon as you started talking. And I hate my ally here and I surrender I will put my sword down carrying water for the Miami Heat My only point is you say that the heat have to improve my only point is that it's just hard to be this good for this Long and I wouldn't take it for granted It's an unusual thing to have a franchise get roster turnover and give you sustained excellence and relevance. I would just, I would not be so busy round one, game one of a series of the playoffs

that your standard has gotten so high that you can't appreciate that you basically just had what the next season was by a game or two. Look at how New York enjoys it because they've been starved for it and look at how Miami reacts to it because it's not good enough and it's not good enough. I really don't think anyone on this show takes them for granted. I think everyone is well aware of how great this organization has been

for a very, very, very long time. Right. Like I think everyone knows that. It's the only reason this market has been relevant in sports for 20 years nationally. And I think everyone understands that. And the Yankees have been relevant in New York forever, but they continue to try and get better and that's all people are asking.

That's all Mike is asking and there's nothing wrong with that. You can respect what the organization has done and certainly I think everyone does and you could also ask that same organization, hey, you set the bar so high, like go find some pieces, get us back to that place. I want to get back there, get us back there. We have the guy to get us back there and place i want to get back there get it back there we have the guy to get us back there he's not get this back there that the ultimate compliment to uh... pat riley's poster regime is the dissatisfaction being felt by two play

in seasons in a row there's a big gulf between the nix winning the number two seed and and the heat going through the purgatory of a play-in again I'm just need to stop everything that we're doing here because we are we are the playoffs is just started okay just I lost it that's not gonna last last night I just want to take was just starting some inventory of what's happening around here because I think Mike Ryan said that on the way in, he was listening to multiple Maple Leaf podcasts, and I think Chris Cody said he was scouring Philadelphia Sports Radio last night,

and I just realized that one game into this postseason, this show is now that flavor to America, that the most enjoyment enjoyment the people who love This show and hate its fandom the most enjoyment that's possible is Listen to the hour that they just did throwing feces at each other caring deeply about sports in a way That's fundamentally unreasonable after one game. It's dynamite time over here unreasonable after one game, it's dynamite time over here. It's dynamite time and over there, it's just total mad man.

I broke a bobblehead of Lucy's pound, literally pounding the table because I mentioned Kyle Lowry's name. I don't take them for granted. I just, I'm passionate about my sports teams very clearly. And I feel like we've seen this day coming. So I don't want them for granted. I just, I'm passionate about my sports teams very clearly, and I feel like we've seen this day coming. So I don't wanna talk in circles. Instead, I'd rather move the puck around the blue line. Okay, and we will talk hockey in a second,

but not before we play again this video of Kyle Lowry in the scrum yesterday, because this, it is 38 years. It's fantastic. It's 38 years. That's his career right there. Wait a minute, that's a Hall of 38 years. That's his career right there. Wait a minute, that's a Hall of Fame career.

That's a Hall of Fame career. His career is not falling out of bounds, but he has spent the last five years doing that. Kyle Lowry was supposed to be that fourth piece, Hall of Famer Kyle Lowry. Well, to some. But when he was acquired, I'm like, not my favorite, but okay, we trust him. He made some plays last night.

They lost you on Terry Rozier. They lost you. I wasn't a fan of the Kyle Lowry thing, but to go through all these pursuits, and for them to have the nerve to come back to me with Josh Richardson after everything that I'd been through, that was very disrespectful, and I still haven't been apologized to.

Chris, Cody, I heard you and Billy talking about a booth anxiety that the two of you had that I wasn't totally understanding, because you called it a social anxiety. Well, my dad brought this up as well. It's really the stress, if you're ever going to lunch with three people, the stress when approaching a booth.

Because there's gonna be one, like one person's gonna get to be sit by themselves and the other two are gonna be crammed in there. Are you the jerk that just establishes one side and gets your elbows real wide? I do that. Your dad's very selfish at all turns. I sit big on my side of the booth.

My knees are apart, my elbows are like this. I sit big on my side of the booth. My knees are apart, my elbows are like this. I will in a threesome, I will be the guy who sprints. I will sprint to the booth to be the first one seated. You also have these rules where you need to have your back to the, like my dad never wants to sit with his back to the door. He's got to have it basically when we go to dinner, when we go to dinner as a family, it's basically let Greg pick the seat he wants. Thank you to complain of course the least you could do He got halfway through man, and it's only one syllable I was beginning I started the same matriarchy.

I realized I was about to misspeak so I said matriarchy. But the bad spot that you get put in is when you're the third person. So two people have sat and now you have to be the jerk of like who am I going to screw here. Two is ideal right? You want to be two or you want to be one? Because two you could take your time. One has already gotten there and there in two you take your time.

Then three goes into where one was I would think. take your time. One has already gotten there and they're in. Two, you take your time, then three goes into where one was, I would think. Yeah, if there's two, you saunter. Chris, would you not describe your father as aggressively selfish? I don't want to say that out loud. But yes. Selfish, because I want to be the one who chooses where to sit. You just think that you think in your family that you deserve all of the best things.

He's the Pingu. I'm the patriarch. Dad, what's your slogan in a car when we're on a family road trip and there's maybe air conditioning dilemmas, what is your saying? Me maximum. Yeah.

Well, you also say driver comfort is paramount. Well, driver comfort is paramount. Me maximum second. Me maximum. Meount. Yeah, me maximum second. Me maximum? Me maximum! No, me maximum was in hotel rooms when you want the TV off but everyone else wants it on. You would say me maximum TV.

Well hold on a second, when you're on an airplane is it selfish for you to put on the oxygen mask first before you assist others? No! The pilot instructs you to. How do you save everyone else. You're not saving yourself. You gotta take care of old number one first and then you're able to take care of the others. But what the shit does me maximum mean?

No, I get it. No, I get it, Greg. I get it. Me maximum, I need more air. But I'm telling you, picture a dark room with like the TV on and my dad trying to sleep, wanting it off and just out loud saying to the room, me maximum TV.

Well. And I'm nine years old and I'm like, what the hell does that mean? I mean, I'm in a hotel room. Yeah. I can't leave, I can't go someplace. I'm trapped. Didn't you sleep in the bathtub once

because we wouldn't turn off the TV? Well, only because you wouldn't. No, it was the family, me, mom, Michael. Now, if I were to bet, if we were to take bets around here, who was it? Michael or Chris? I think we can all, it was Christopher that didn't want to turn off the television. Because he thought me maximum, but he's not maximum, you're maximum. Right, well, I'm maximum when I need my sleep. He minimum.

You know, I'm the driver of the family. I'm the one, I'm going to be balling the jack tomorrow, driving about 600 miles, I need my sleep. You know, there's a TV blaring at 11 p.m. at night. I mean, what's going on? I'd like to know the genesis of me maximum. I would like to bring in your mother on this to explain to me the origins. She maximum. What it means, because I don't believe that it should be you maximum all the time.

It isn't. But you are aggressively selfish, as I mentioned it's it's commemorated by me maximum okay well I would put it on your tombstone me maximum when to the very end when Christopher mentions that driver comfort is paramount okay when I'm driving if I asked for the air conditioning and more often than not I asked for the air conditioning to be pointed away from me, because the wife loves air conditioning, she'll put it down to 40 degrees if she could.

I don't want artificial cold air blowing on me when I'm driving. But Greg, that's only once you've reached your maximum. Right. Right, because if it's hot, you need air going to your way. But then when you get a little chilly, I can defer to others. But first yeah driver needs to be comfort

Yes, and then everybody else your lives are in Greg's hands when Greg is driving you around Driving comfort is paramount. No, but you guys don't like he could just say hey, can we turn the air down? But no he speaks in these like sayings like driver comfort is paramount Maximum is something a gladiator would say. It's great. Me maximum. It is the greatest. Me maximum is his self-absorption on maximum display.

I wasn't listening to the last 90 seconds, though, because I was just laughing at Kyle Lowry in the corner of my screen. Can you put this behind me, please, on the video? Can you put it on the wall behind me so that I could just have me carried to break by this? Because this is a Hall of Fame career and in the middle of that scrum yesterday because this is where Stu Gantz is trying to cut the line here ahead of the process, right, in team building. New York trying to get out in front of Philadelphia on, we're talking about how organizations

are built the nicks have fixed something fundamental they that the people in charge there have relationships they brought jaylen brunson over with one of them and they fixed some things and now they're at the top of the conference fighting a philadelphia team right that that tanked several seasons in order to be that kind of good they've made a lot of great moves the nicks have they've signed a lot of the right players, but Dan, they're still not close to Boston.

I don't mean to bring this full circle, but they're very good. This is very exciting and we'll take it. Like we will take it. Okay, but- We'll take it, go to the Eastern Conference Final, fine. They're not beating Boston. The part that I'm interested in though

is the last 10 years of this story. The Sixers, what they've been doing, who they have now and how they head into the fight they've got their mvp organizationally stood out so what they're when now it's but some of its library it's a bunch of old dudes they don't try to do a pj talker james hardin comes in you get that experience for a little while and now it it gets belt out the side neither one of them were able to topple miami or

boston and doesn't look like they're gonna be able to do it again and now new york's in the fray yep new york wasn't in the fray before now new york had not earn the fray for twenty years and they're in the top two and this is the stuff that makes it cool when history gets passed down when you're watching what happens in

haze joe is gonna is he gonna be an underachiever forever is he gonna be someone i'm gonna be able to tell my kids i know that was a wilt you wouldn't understand but no he never won anything why did he win anything all that you'll get checked for terrestrial that ruined everything for everybody doesn't even jump wins the championship

i mean that went south of philadelphia the second they did not take jason tatum when they had the chance to take j Tatum imagine Tatum and Embiid together it went south for ten years they took away the GM's job and gave it to a Colangelo because they were so aggressively losing to get into this position it's been ten years to get to here and it's still Embiid grumbling into a towel saying we're the better team as again you don't trust them to get to the second round. Me maximum. Don LeBretard. Surely every time you're watching this you recognize that your wife is laughing that she married Larry David. Yeah I do yeah.

One of the great characters in the history of television in my humble opinion and and to my credit My personality in my humble opinion followed by to my credit to my amazing my personal Using free date curve your enthusiasm still gots. Oh wow Larry David okay All right, put it on the pole, please Jude you did Greg Cody copyright being an asshole long before Larry David This is the done libertar show with his two guards. I Think if this man's comedy is sort of a cervic dark, you know It's got a and it's got a wonderful acid tinge to it. But about his Knicks, he is sunshine.

He is in love. It is strange to see what a childhood boy, Sam Morrell, becomes around his Knicks. And last night, you were courtside, correct, with all the celebrities? Because you're living your sports dreams right now, sitting next to L Latrell Spreewell as you're stealing a playoff game in the most magical New York you've seen in two decades.

Yeah, pretty stupid. I'm right next to Tibbs last night. I mean, best game maybe I've ever been to. That was epic, man. That's a prisoner of the moment. And yet I don't think he's wrong. No, but I think New York has already been, they've been swept up. It's not just that they won that way last night, Stu Gotts. It's the guys doing it the way they do it at the end where they'll fight you, they'll bite your face off to get the basketball back. It was incredible, but what Sam is doing is what Nick fans do.

It was the greatest game he's probably ever been to. There haven't been many great games there in my lifetime and Sam's lifetime. And I guarantee you, Isaiah Hortelstein, whatever his name is. Oh no. Excuse me? No. I guarantee you, Hartenstein has become a top five player in Nick's history, according to Sam. I guarantee you just after last night. And I guarantee you knew his name and you were just trying to rile me up because you got it correct right there. I day Hardenstein, the beauty of what he did last night and the dude in front of Stephen A, the guy who trashed him, the guy who said some guy named Hardenstein, some guy named Hardenstein just played his ass off. Every big floater shot seven and eight from the field,

got the game saving rebound and the game winning block last night. Stephen A, you don't really get to deserve, you don't deserve this with us. You didn't earn it. You weren't down suffering when we were suffering. That's the joy of being a fan. That it feels good

because you were there when things weren't good. Wait a minute. Things weren't good. I think Sam. I think Sam. You could have put it off as smooth. I think Sam needs to be our new commissioner of fandom. That Sam gets to tell you who's allowed to be a fan or not allowed to be a fan of this

team because you've fallen on your face. You're a giddy school child. It's absurd. Does Stephen A. not feel like the villain in every movie? He's like, I don't believe in you. And then that guy makes the game when you play. I say, Hardenstein, some guy named Hardenstein. Oh, now you're cheering for him. You don't get to do that.

He plays like the guy in the movie who calls a girl ugly. And then she becomes hot. And he's like, I always knew you were hot. I always knew it. No, you didn't dude. You're fair weathered. Sam, you can enjoy this without going after Stephen A all the time.

Nobody's right. Can I? Can I, Dan? I know, because I don't understand it, you've got a big victory, it's 2-0. It was beautiful. I'm sorry, I got swept up in the moment. I mean, look, Isaiah is great. Dante is money.

The beauty of this is Jalen has not even really found it, this series yet. And we're still finding ways to eke it out. And that's really Tibbs basketball. That's the culture here is Josh Hart has just been brilliant and OG on a Nobby's D and Deuce and Boy on a Bench have been phenomenal. It's been a team effort.

It's been awesome. Mike Ryan, are you annoyed by this Nixdom making its appearance here on our show for the first time in 20 years? No, it's earned. They're up two zero on the Philadelphia 76ers. That building was everything that we've been told it was supposed to be.

No, no, no, they get to enjoy their moment as also a commissioner of fandom. Well, thank you you i appreciate it who's the commissioner of fandom going to be i'm good sam because you are you are dopey child around this team so you're on you're you're sitting next to spree well and how does that go like is the childhood you sort of you know uh lightheaded i was next to spree last game, not this game. I was next to Tibbs last game, so it's a different vibe. Spree, yeah, that bugged me out because I was trolling Josh Giddy.

We lost that game. That was against OKC. And, you know, you better believe I had some creative insults for Josh Giddy. Really? It's not that hard these days, but I was stomping and they missed like three out of four free throws. So Spree started high-fiving me.

He's like, he's getting it done. I was like, this is all I ever wanted man. I'm so jealous. Spree is recognizing my fandom. So yeah, Spree is the man. I did Garden of Dreams, the benefit there. So I got to do my thing in front of the Knicks legends. I took a big risk.

It's like 5,600 people in the crowd and they opened Garden of the Last By saying they raised over $2 million. And I was going on first. It was a line about heavy hitters. It's like Bill Burr, John Stewart, a lot of heavy hitters and they threw me on first. And right after they said they raised 2 million,

I was like, let me take a risk. Let me do a riff. And I said, and it's all going to Diddy's Legal Defense Fund. That got a big pop. And I'm like, all right, I'm good to go here. You know, and like I got off and I got, I got a big hug from John Starks. It's like that. Yeah. I'm giddy. What can I say? Okay. But you're an actual heckler during the game. You're a heckler. You're, you're going after giddy. I don't look, I mean, he went after some people too, if you think about it.

But, you know, look, Joel Embiid, I'm not like, I'm not one of those people. And look, when they blame Knicks fans for like burning the jersey, I'm sorry you found one Knicks fan who did that. That's like blaming all Muslims for 9-11. That's, that's not how we normally are, okay? We're good, respectful fans.

You found the one bad ones. Okay, Knicks good, respectful fans. You found the one bad one. OK, Nick's fans are good fans. So no, I'm not going to root for injury. I think that's disgusting. I have great respect for Joe Owen Beatty's. He's a hell of a player. I have great respect for Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, a little overpaid,

obviously. But, you know, does that work when you do that? Does that work? Did you actually keep what happened? Did anyone? That always happens. And, but you know. Does that work when you do that? Does that work? Did you actually keep what happened? Did anyone? That always happens. I don't know.

I did that. But the third player you could name. I have to give great credit. He's played. He's played good D on Brunson. He's very long and athletic. He's a tough defender. I still think Brunson would figure it out,

but got to give credit where credit is due. They're a tough team. Kyle Lowry is soson will figure it out, but gotta give credit where credit's due. They're a tough team. Kyle Lowry is so annoying. I mean, God, he's annoying. He's just a pest. He's still good, still a good player. I wanna play for Sam here, some of what happened with Aaron Boone yesterday.

He has the ability to annoy both fan bases, the team he's playing for, the team he's playing against. Kyle Lowry is annoying everybody at this point, but but let's uh... let's play for what's the backstory i need to need here because and bone got ejected yesterday and during the game i don't know if you saw this and but he got a judge for something that a fan said behind him erin boone when he was told to shut up actually did shut up but got ejected anyway here's what that sounded like and

looked like so that's an in the blue shirt is the one who says something to Hunter Wendelstadt that's what he reacts to and he kicks out Aaron Boone who says whoa I didn't say anything. We also have a 40-second clip where Aaron Boone loses his mind. There you go. Aaron's saying, I didn't say anything. Aaron's saying, hold on a second, I didn't say a word. I swear to God. I did not say a word. It was a bomb or a bomb out.

Bullsh**. I did not say anything. I did not say anything! I did not say anything! I did not say a f***! It's frustrating if you're that innocent. He was innocent! He was looking at his nails! He was an innocent man! He was pretending to look at his nails! Ridiculous.

It's like your girlfriend making you sleep on your couch because of something someone else tweeted at her. It doesn't even make sense. It's like, what are you talking about? What are you, my mom? You're just going to punish me with no evidence, you know MLB arms really need to be under fire. Like they've been letting people get away with this for way too long Angel how is Angel Hernandez? It's a good question. It's a blight on my people. It's a good question. You're asking

I don't get it. You know, I nothing worse than when You know, nothing worse than when Umps or refs in sports ruin the game for fans at home. Like, that shouldn't have happened, you know? Yeah, I'm going to try to defend the Ump here because I imagine if me, Dan, Greg Cody, if we were an Umpire and you tell Aaron Boone to shut up and someone else keeps chirping, when you get to a certain age, Sam, I'm telling you, you're young, I'm old, okay? But I can absolutely see an umpire. It's hot out, the sun is beaming on him, he's got all the equipment on,

and he tells Aran Boone to shut up, and then he hears someone, he thinks he's Aran Boone, and he just ejects Aran Boone. And he becomes stubborn about it. Greg would do that. Greg Cody would absolutely do that. You just hear voices as you get older, you have no idea where the voice is coming from, whose voice it is. You just kick someone out.

Yeah, but if you're the umpire, you can't go, oh, my bad, you're right, Aaron. Why? Sorry. You can't do it. You can't do it. Once you punch a guy out, you punch him out. By the way, by the way, I hear voices.

You know who else says that? Mass shooters. You don't get to use that as a defense. What do you mean? What part of that are you not understanding? I'm not using that as a defense. I'm using age as a part of that are you not understanding? I'm not using that as a defense. I'm using age as a defense where you just hear things and you think it might be Aaron Boone, so you kick him out.

Yeah, no, you've got to take the L on that if you're the ump. I mean, look, coaches are always getting fined. Why are umps not getting suspended? Players and coaches are always getting in trouble for chirping back at bad officiating. Why is there no punishment for, like like some of these NBA refs too is like how how was Scott Foster still in the NBA? Like some of these guys you're like you're known as being corrupt. Sam I think we need to do this with you as like an

outtake where you just come on with you come visit the sports world and come with the hottest of sports takes like that one where you're just how are these games allowed to be? officiated by clearly corrupt person Well, I mean look we all know Tim Donahue was corrupt were these guys some of these guys were around It's like you think they were just innocent. It's literally like like you prosecute Henry Hill and you're like Well, this guy was a gangster too, but he can stay out. He's cool Where are you going these days? Where are you joining us from, Sam? I'm in New York City right now because I just taped a special.

So I'm off the road until the first week of June, but I'll see you in Miami soon. I'll be at the improv soon. I'm working out to build up an hour again. So I'll be back. But you're you're now going to ride this ride. This is going to be the sports ride of your lifetime, correct? There's nothing you care about like this, right? There's nothing that will feel like this to you.

I may or may have not, if canceled a European tour, just be here for the playoffs, so yeah. My man. Commissioner fans, that's what you do. I think you've gotta be the commissioner fandom. I mean, Stu Gantz here couldn't name the starting lineup last night, and then didn't, and I'm saying,

you gotta be a better fan than that because he wants to jump on the bandwagon but your your your kicking people off now no no no uh... look we're grateful for any fans who are coming through the garden but i just think some people who have been profiting off it and trashing us for a living and question every move you get to question their motives when they come to the game.

Are they there for the team? Are they there to pat themselves on the back? What's the accusation you're making? You do the math, Sam. Say it out loud. Say it, Sam. Because now you're going to have court, I want what I would like if you could help me with this.

Because I think the Knicks rivalry needs something on the sideline that's a little bit more modern than Spike Lee. No offense to Spike Lee he's the original. He loves Spike. Be careful Dan. But if we can get Sam to have courtside beef with Stephen Hay who's also courtside he insists on escalating this scrum because Knicks fans are siding with Sam. Knicks fans don't like Stephen A because they know he's not a real fan. Shout out Knicks Twitter for always keeping it real. We love the Knicks fans there. I love the Knicks energy. All the Knicks Twitter stuff is amazing. They're the best fan base, man.

So yeah, look, there are killer celeb fans. Ben Stiller is legit. That guy's a real fan. He's awesome. Chris Rock, real fan. Spike, as you know, real fan. A lot of great fans. Oh man, Kelly Huber, Kelly Huber, come on. Come on, thanks Stiller. Jason Bateman, Johnny Come Lately.

Yeah, look, I don't know him, so I don't know about that. But look, I'm telling you the ones I know as the hardcore fans. Sam, good seeing you. Good catching up with you. Good seeing you guys. Go Knicks! Hey, everybody, it's Mike, and typically I record these Miller Lite spots in the studio,

but I requested that I specifically record this one from my home office because I got a window and I'm looking outside at those beautiful fishtail palms knowing that in just a few seconds I'm gonna go out there. I'm gonna crack open a can of Miller Lite because while sitting outside by my fishtail palms is usually a good time, I like to take it up a notch and make it a Miller time. That's right, you crack that puppy open and you don't have to think about what you're drinking for a darn second. A lot has changed over the years, including my backyard. Lots of landscaping being done right now. But the one thing that hasn't changed is the

undebatable quality of Miller Lite. You don't have to choose what quality is the best. Miller Lite has great taste and it's less filling. Tastes like Miller time. To get Miller Lite delivered right to your door, visit MillerLite.com. We can find it pretty much anywhere that sells beer. Celebrate responsibly Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories per 12 ounces, door, visit MillerLite.com slash Dan, or you can find it pretty much anywhere that sells beer. Celebrate responsibly Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 96 calories per 12 ounces, fewer cows and carbs than premium regular beer.