The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Hour 2: The Pierce vs. Ruiz Trilogy (feat. Paul Pierce)

Episode Date: December 2, 2024

We kick off Hour 2 with Lucy's Off-Rohding as we see the video of the moment Rose was pepper sprayed and find out that Lucy couldn't stop laughing at Rose at it happened...and she can't stop laughing now. Is that a normal coping mechanism...? Then, why are we more upset at college-aged players for planting flags than coaches for escalating and police officers for pepper spraying the players? Plus, Paul Pierce is here to ask about "Ruiz." Pierce discusses how his Celtics used to "out-tough" other teams, why this year's Celtics are the most talented in the league, what "the streets" are saying about Jimmy Butler and the Heat, Dwyane Wade's statue, the biggest challenge for the Celtics, and why Kevin Garnett's answer is "no" to everything at first. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Shop your wishlist 25% off at majori.com today. This is the Don Leventor Show with the Stoogats Podcast. ["The Stoogats Podcast Theme"] Rose with pepper sprayed. The Hey Dan, it's cold. We're at the Ohio State-Michigan game. And I can't real my toes. It's colder than a witch's titty in a brass bra. It's been a while since you've beat the team up north. How have the last few years been?

They cheated. They cheated. Not good. They're not good. Cupcake win. That's a great cupcake win. They probably could put me on the field. I think I could probably throw 45 touchdowns. F*** Michigan. Get rid of that whole state.

That'd be good. Top five of the worst things ever. Michigan. Michigan. Michigan. Let's go Michigan and Michigan. Did you guys see where Ryan Day said that losing to Michigan, Michigan, let's go Michigan and Michigan. Did you guys see where Ryan Day said that losing to Michigan, the only thing worse was when he lost his father? It's a big game, but like that is kinda crazy to say.

I'm not gonna lie. Would you say losing to Michigan is equivalent of facing like the death of someone close to you then? Absolutely. The fact that they're six and five and they think that they deserve to have me out here watching them get their ass beat. Absolutely. The fact that they're 6 and 5 and they think that they deserve to have me out here watching them get their ass beat.

Did they cheat? Yeah, I think so. Connor Stallions? F*** that guy. He cheated. I saw it. He told me himself, actually. Okay, so what should the punishment be?

You guys get to choose. Public execution. So you all know that Rose comes with me every week. We also have a producer, his name is Harry. He went to Michigan, and he's gone. They took him a long time ago. We put an air tag on him, so I'm sure we'll find him later, but we haven't seen Harry in hours.

Do you guys have anything y'all want to say to my producer Harry over here? Harry, we love him. He said he went to Michigan though. That was probably not the best thing to tell us right away. Him and Conor Stallion's public execution. What do you guys feel about Michigan fans? Are they nice? My producer Harry. Harry! I would know what Harry is. Okay, do we like Harry?

He has a yellow hat. No, he has a yellow hat. And I can see that he's a Michigan fiend. A closet Michigan fiend. Over, this interview's over. Talk about idiots, didn't we? Harry's fired. Idiots. Go blue.

Do you have a favorite person on the show? Definitely Dan. It feels like a lazy answer. Speaking of lazy answers, Stu Gott's period is the lazy answer. Like so are the, you think Dak Prescott could be the answer for the Cowboys? And I want to shout out Dan Lemontar...

Did I say it wrong? Shout out Dan. Shout out Dan. Oh my god. I don't know if I can feel my face because I'm in shock. It's so f***ing cold. Big tip. We're the best conference in the world! Alright, Ohio State fans have been very nice, I have a feeling that's gonna change. So, not so fun note, after the game, Michigan went to plant the flag in the Ohio State field and all the Ohio State players started fighting with the Michigan players.

I've never seen anything like it in my life. The cops showed up pepper spraying everyone, including Rose. Rose pepper sprays everyone. She's doing alright. I don't think she's going to want to come back to Ohio State anytime soon. But she is okay. Rose, can we get a wellness check? Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you very much, Rose.

What would make you feel better? A raise. I have to get through this without laughing because I seem like, Rose, who was pepper sprayed. It's so funny. I can't stop laughing. I can't believe Rose got a pepper spray. It's so funny, I can't stop laughing. I can't believe Rose got pepper sprayed.

It's not funny, I just laugh in uncomfortable situations. I will say, ton of respect for the Michigan football players when Rose got pepper sprayed. It's crazy to say they all came over to help her. Dan, I'm sorry, Lucy wanted to do some interviews. But I can't do it. If you want to watch Ohio State next season, most likely with a new head coach,

you can download the Game Time app and use code Lucy for $20 off your first order, terms apply. What time is it? It's game time. College football is the best. Except for the time that Rose got pepper sprayed. Lucy, you are laughing at your own material there. You are gazing into how amusing you are,

and no one in the world has found a pepper spray funnier than you found this pepper spray. You can't stop laughing. And Rose, you're covering something very seriously and can't stop laughing during the serious coverage. Okay, one, that's my coping mechanism. When my parents got divorced, that was the funniest conversation of my life okay I couldn't stop laughing

there is a video that has been deleted however when we saw that Rose was on the ground Harry was filming and I did just pointing at her and laughing. She's on the ground and I'm just pointing at her and laughing. Now wait a minute, you are, I'm wanting to. I told Harry you have to delete the video, that's the worst I've ever looked ever. I want to examine your coping mechanism. After all this screaming that she got pepper sprayed. Alright, wait a minute, that sounds like someone stepped on a duck. A goose.

That's someone absolutely stepping. That is absolutely the sound of someone stepping on a goose. One of the bigger birds, maybe a swan. Unusually aggressive. Give me the whole context for the whole video. What happened here? Not just the sound. Give me the whole sound so that whole video what happened here not just the sound give me the whole sound so that I know What happened before it before a honking rose?

She's okay, by the way That's why we're laughing let me hear from a honking rose there's chaos and awesome Okay, so after after I laughed and pointed at Rose I said hey, are you okay? She said am I blind? Harry said no, you're not blind. Okay, then I'm good. Which like, we don't know. We couldn't have really confirmed that she wasn't blind at the time, but she, we were just like, yeah, you're not blind. And then I gave her my scarf. I said, use this to get the pepper spray out of your eyes as I was laughing at her. And I said, hey, I'm really sorry I'm laughing at you. If I got

pepper sprayed, would you laugh at me? And she said, yes, so then everything was even. And it was just so funny. And then we went to the press box and Rose was like crying laughing, or it may have been the pepper spraying. I don't know. It may have still been the pepper spray. What you guys are describing,

like I really do enjoy the idea of you're horribly uncomfortable. A riot has broken out. And a national riot has broke out around the game. Lucy, uncomfortable in this environment, with men running past her both crying and vomiting because they've been pepper sprayed, deals with uncomfortable moments

with the laughing mechanism that is all coping and then you're just pointing silently because your friend is on the ground and you're actually scared, but you're masking it because this is how you felt when your parents got divorced. I gotta be honest it was more funny than I was scared like objectively it's still really funny I'm no longer scared and Rose getting pepper sprayed is like one of the funniest things ever. You're telling me it's a genuine response that you have to

uncomfortable to discomfort in social settings that involve fighting or conflict or whatever just discomfort discomfort, you laugh. Sadness is funny and it makes me laugh. My therapist said this is a normal response. My mom did not speak to me for like a week when our dog died and I couldn't stop laughing because that's just how I deal with this. I thought that was gonna be a funnier sort of bit.

Nobody laughed, no, I feel really bad. Well it's odd, it's a dog dying. It's a dog dying. No, it's a very, I talked to Nina about it, and she was like, that's a pretty normal coping mechanism. But this was just straight up funny. We've got a quote here from, and I know you want more of this with your sport,

SEC Commissioner Greg, I'm sorry, he's not SEC Commissioner. Greg Sankey is, whatever the hell the name of that conference is now, Big Ten's moved on agreg sankie says quote well if you want to hear if you want to plant a flag play capture the flag or you join the military or you fly to the moon

we've got eight pissed off greg sankie by the way we we're trying to plant these flags in turf. You can't do it. What are we doing? Why are we planting flags at the big house or Ohio Stadium? Stugats has said the two smartest things today. Let's go college overtime. Just do it in the same end zone.

We don't need you walking up and down the field. And also, he's totally right on this. You can't, the flag would not be planted. Not because Ohio State wouldn't allow it. Not because Ryan Day is mad. Just because that's not how turf works. Also, we didn't even acknowledge Kirby Smart calling a timeout during every overtime.

That was so annoying. We need to get rid of the timeouts too. Dabo Swinney has chimed in the fun police, not a good look for the sport he says. Oh wow. Either is that die job. Yeah, well said. The Ryan Day die job is the most egregious in the sport, correct?

Shut your mouth, that's our king. He is the king of the die job, right? We asked him about it and he flat out denied it on Gobbler's Football. He said no, that is not a die job. And we've asked other people who have seen him at food courts and they said no, it looks very real. At food courts. That was two years ago. At food courts.

I sat next to Urban Meyer at the gate at the Columbus airport when I was leaving. He didn't seem very happy. Does he ever? No, but he seemed especially unhappy. iPad guy, by the way. I've seen a couple videos where he seems happy. Yeah, one or two. That's a bit of an invasion of privacy.

It feels like to give the iPad guy to Urban Meyer when he didn't authorize you as a reporter to give out that information. I didn't look on his screen. I just saw he was using an iPad. And I'll say he didn't use it like my dad. It was like close enough. He wasn't doing the thing. Did he have a stylus like pen to write on it or no? No it

seemed like he was just watching stuff and then he like put his sunglasses on inside and I said whoa big time. Is anyone saying lose with class with the same intensity that they're saying win with class when they start assigning blame to bad optics on this and they tell Michigan to behave in a time in a way that's more sportsman like and also Ohio State to lose in a way that's more sportsman like when people are going to talk about bad look for for the sport. I don't actually think that Stugats and Billy are in the majority in saying that, you know, beat them and you will get rid of all the fighting

and all the flag planting. I think we all understand that if the emotions of this escalate, it can end up in a very malice at the palace type of place, people swinging helmets. You don't wanna keep throwing lighter fluid over what is already like a cauldron. It's a hundred thousand. Stigatz, what this game is, okay, never mind the rivalry of it, what this game is between recruits who have been fighting each other to get to these two schools because let's just say it matters

to some of the people when you get into these brainwashed sort of cults that our college campuses and beating Michigan is the most important thing and beating Ohio State is the most important thing and Ryan Dade can win all the pressurized game but he keeps losing that one and I'm gonna say die his job go ahead it's gonna die like I'm gonna fire that guy even though he wins all the time so at the at the center of the field where it's it's physical all game, and emotions, of course that's going to be lighter fluid to allow that to escalate anywhere beyond where it already is.

But the idea that the histrionics of this could escalate to this place because of the stupidity of what it is that we're talking about after the game instead of before the game which is just Celebrate how it is that you like on an empty field that people are leaving You don't have to get insulted and indignant on the way off the field because somebody's doing something at midfield To a midfield that you couldn't protect during the game. That's the problem. They stayed on the field They were looking for the lighter fluid. They were looking for something to get upset about instead of being upset about the fact

that they just lost to an inferior Michigan team. Also while upset. Well, Dan, you know what? There's emotion on both sides. That game is like Michigan's national championship game this year. It's like that every single year when those two teams play. And so they beat an Ohio State team.

They had no business beating on the road in their stadium, and they wanted to plant a flag afterwards to celebrate. And you know what? I'm good with that, because there's a motion on both sides of this. There's a motion to winning, and there's a motion to losing. But if you lose, get off the field.

The action is symbolic, but also redundant. Michigan had already planted that flag in the most humiliating of ways because in that cauldron of 100,000 people stunned and sad because of what Michigan just did on its field when those people get their regional identity politics from what's at the middle of that that whole thing is a furnace like the whole thing is right

for something going off the rails because somebody gets emotional so for context ohio state was on the field singing their like alma mater which a lot of schools do but i think something that we keep overlooking is that these are eighteen and nineteen-year-old boys and i've never met a smart or rational one of those in my life. Well, but I'm adding to that all the other stuff that I said, it's, yes, you're correct.

I mean, Kamekormack's also lurking around there. I mean, there are some 24 year old boys. I get the larger point. Look, I've gone to plenty of games over in England and it's kind of a joy suck. If you, I like that here in the United States, I can go to the game time app, I can wear a Kane's Jersey, it's at my own peril, but I could sit next to someone at Doe Campbell Stadium who's wearing a Seminoles Jersey and

I'm allowed that right. I'm not afforded that right over in England. I have to have, I have to go through my own entrance. I can't be wearing the color of my team to support. Why? Because it got out of hand in the 80s and 90s. Violence got ratcheted up. And look, I understand. You don't want it, win. I get it. But it's unsportsmanlike.

There are rules against it. It's not something that you see in the professional ranks because it can spiral out of control. You're asking people to check their emotions in a very physically and emotionally draining game. Billy's rolling his eyes at you. Not rolling my eyes at him, but it's just kind of like, you need to control your emotions because I'm not able to control my emotions.

So you better not plant a flag because I'm not going to be able to control me going over and punching you in the head. So you're really to blame because I decided to punch you in the head. Why is it the only place where it's allowed in all of athletics? Name me another example where taunting like this after a game is allowed because I'm telling you if it happened in the pros You'd have grown ass men Resorting to violence you'd have fans coming customers It didn't happen in the pros, Terrell Owens did it.

And it caused a problem. It's not the pros. These are amateurs. These are children. They're very young. So protect them from their bad decision making. But they're not pros. So I think it's weird to hold them to the standard of, you need to be more mature. The Ohio State rosters make it $20 million.

They are pros. But they're not old. They're young. They're 18, 19. Hell, there are 17-year-olds out on that field. They are not professional athletes. I think if anything, I was on the Michigan side of that ordeal, but from what I heard

and what I saw, Ryan Day didn't do a lot. That's who we should be upset about. Also, we should be more upset with the cops for pepper spraying. That's true. That's the top thing we should be mad about. Forgive me, I haven't come down on the kids doing it. The action of it, I think we need to protect ourselves

from this situation unfolding. And the conferences have been totally fine when we put together our highlight packages of Baker Mayfield planting a flag and hyping up those aspects. Oh, it's bad when these two teams get together and everyone feels that, yeah, yeah, mix it up. We like all that stuff because we're fed it.

It feeds to what we like about this very physical sport But I do think you need to put some things in place To prevent things from spiral spiraling out of control because this was a very ugly weekend for the sport interesting because I disagree That ugly is bad for that sport. I disagree that us is bad for that sport. I disagree that us caring this much about the aftermath instead of what happened in the game is good for the sport. Us being fascinated that the violence can escalate to a tipping point that might scare you a

little bit. I don't see it know if you've seen the video of McCaffrey's calf giving in a game that Fred Warner is playing with a fractured ankle. For weeks Fred Warner is playing with a fractured ankle ford for weeks fred warner is playing with a fractured ankle i don't have any earthly idea how that's done what we're watching that were throwing kids into the mall of is the hundred thousand people watching the gladiator spectacle on show us your violence show us your ego show us your pride

let's fight one school against the other in the biggest rivalry that any of us in this region will know in our lifetimes passed down from our parents and our grandparents because this stadium fills 100,000 people to watch you be more violent than them. Better at the violence than they are. Like that whole thing ends up symbolically with a flag planted because many of the participants think of it as war. Like they use all of those war analogies because of what they're giving their bodies to. But what are you fighting to protect?

This is a very recent trend. This is not something that is passed down from generation. Baker Mayfield did this and everyone now is cloud chasing for the social media clip. I love college football and I love that it feels a little dangerous and it has more passion and it's the closest thing that we have to European football in this country.

What I'm saying is protect it by instituting just some small rules because you're gonna have a situation that is gonna get so out of hand that you're gonna lose it and we may get to a day where you're not allowed to wear the opposing team's color and you may get to a day where you have your own designated entrance and we may get to a day where you're not allowed to wear the opposing team's color. And you may get to a day where you have your own designated entrance. And you may get to a day where they decide

no more alcohol sales. I've been to those soccer games. It's not fun for the neutral. So what would the rule be? What would the punishment be? Because they did fine both schools $100,000. I don't, and all that money. Which is not enough, by the way.

I mean, that's not gonna stop them from doing it. All that money should go to Rose. All the money should go to Rose. All of that honey should go to Rose. I think it's very plausible to say, after a game is over, the coaches shake hands, but the teams go to the locker rooms. And have your celebration in the opposing locker room,

and do whatever you want, just don't get collateral damage involved. Don't have it a situation where fans are running onto the field and you're hell bent on planting this flag or doing something disrespectful when the emotions are super high. I do believe I might be wrong on this, that Ohio State and Michigan's locker rooms

are on the same side. So even then, like you're running through this and you have a situation at the, like at the big house where you saw this a few years ago with Michigan and Michigan State, there's one entrance to both of those locker rooms and you have to go in that way together. I think logistically there are just issues that you're going to come up with. I just, I agree with what you're saying.

I just don't know what the punishment and the order would be. Can I just stop you for a second because I will say, I don't want to say it's a feature, not a bug, but I want to remind you about how you sound right now even while fearing a malice in the palace type of video where the sport gets harmed by the idea that the violence can't be policed and all the rules have to change much uh... the swifter and more of them change because you have to react to an action as opposed to leading and getting ahead of the day that people are swinging helmets and it can get really bad when Judd Apatow saw everybody was talking about a certain thing and Chris Rock gets slapped everyone mocked him

for saying he could have died he could have died and what's the show sounds like right now is fearing the very real potential of where it is something like that can get end up where somebody can really get hurt but i ask you again but what do you think we're doing all week getting to that game it's like we are making these two groups of people that are going to collide get to a heightened place where dumb testosterone soaked kids are going to do dumb shit in front of each other

because they just want in front of a hundred thousand silent people and that's the best feeling in the fucking world. Right, but we don't see that in combat sports and we very rarely see it in the NFL. And when when shit gets real in the NFL, like Miles Garrett swinging a helmet, everybody wants to change everything and chastise it. You've gotten kind of lucky with all these field storming incidents with this most recent weekend. I think everyone can see a scenario in which this can spiral out of control. I understand it's a logistical challenge. I also don't think we can't make a solution to wrangle

teams and say you stay in this quadrant while we let the other team in. They already do that. Well, it's great coming from a Keynes fan. Well, I'm not, I understand. We kind of started it. But I've always, we did. I'll wear that. Well, it's great coming from a Cain's fan. Well, I'm not, I understand. We kind of started it. But I've always, we did. Yeah, we.

I'll wear that. Well, Mike. I'll wear that, but I can also. We has never done as much lifting as Stu Gott saying that he's responsible for UM Swagger. I'll take it. The 80s Cains did that, but I can also be from it, be amused by it in a documentary,

and understand why there were rules made specifically against them. They should be doing it, be amused by it in a documentary, and understand why there were rules made specifically against them. They shouldn't be doing it. Rose was pepper sprayed, and we have to take that very seriously. Ha ha ha. You got here right now, my friends over at Simply Safe are extending their massive Black Friday deal

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Dyson On Track, headphones remastered. Buy from DysonCanada.ca. With ANC on, performance may vary based on environmental conditions and usage accessories sold separately. Don Lebatard. Where the mother f***er Roeys at? Bring his ass on here.

Where's the mother f***er Roeys is a great question. Stugats. Running, huh? He his ass on here. That's right. Where's the mother f**ker Ruiz at? Is a great question. Stugats. Running huh? He running today huh? I'm ready. This is the Don LeBathard Show with the Stugats. Oh no.

Oh there he is. Oh no. This loud mouth. He's a Hall of Famer. He's an NBA champion. He's a ten time All Star. He is Paul Pierce and he's here looking for Ruiz. He's looking for...

Where is Ruiz at, man? Ruiz is in the back row. I don't think we have talked about the Miami... Put that book down, Ruiz. He's reading The Pride of a Lion right now by Greg Cody. Get it? You're not reading about that loss to the Toronto Raptors last night? We have not talked much Miami Heat this season.

We did not talk at all about them losing it home to Milwaukee without Antetokounmpo. And here comes Paul Pierce with the most To remind us. The most overwhelming team in the league, the reigning champion, but we have the fortunate timing of getting him right after Cleveland drag your ass. Yeah, I know I know that that's all right we we not even the

we're not even where we listen to our premier players and we just give us some experience of the other guys, you know, there is this is this is every you understand the Celtics are every team's biggest game of the year. So, you know, once we understand that, when we go on the road and back to backs and all of that and accept that, they'll be fine. Paul, this team's better than yours.

I don't know. We don't know. It's damn close. I ain't gonna lie, this team is really good. Really good. But I will tell you this, our team, I don't know, we we we learned we knew how to break teams mentally. So you know what they what we lacked in skill versus them, we had with will. So

Oh, wait a minute. Wait a minute. This is cloaked in some stuff. Are you saying that this, I want you to state it clearly and I don't want to get you aggregated here, but you're saying that you guys are tougher and the way that you would win is not being more skilled by breaking the will of players who are not as tough as you. Absolutely, absolutely. We gonna turn it into a bar fight, you know what I'm saying?

We, this ain't gonna be no finesse dancing for the ring. This is gonna be body blow, body blow. Right. So you're gonna break Al Horford's will, huh? I think KG has a good reputation of doing things like that. Whose will would you break? Listen, when you start getting guys

that foul trouble in the first quarter, and then they foul, I mean, it's just like, listen, I've known to's just like, listen, I've known to break a few wheels, you know, sent some of them from Cleveland to Miami, you know, so. I don't know. You really didn't answer my question though. You know that, what do you mean you don't know?

You're not allowed to say I don't know to that. You can say that's a shitty question, it's leading, it's unfair. You can do all those things. It can't be I don't know. No, I just say I don't know. I said I've been known to's a shitty question. It's leading. It's unfair. You can do all those things. It can't be I don't know No, I just say I don't know I said I've been known to break a few wheels But who and I asked you who's well, who's would you whose will would you go after on this team that you're saying you? You're not sure that they would be true

Even though they're more suited to the modern game than you guys are are you talking about the current Boston team? Who's will This is a really short book Was more mailed in than suga says I'm doing a bit and I read half of it. Listen, you just like LeBron you've been on that same page for the last Actually down for the LeBron shots. Never turned up, but still on page one. What can you tell us, Paul, about the future of the Miami Heat that you played tonight?

Because I said last year that the window had been closed before the season was even played, that Boston in architecture had gone much further, deeper than Miami was just in what their roster is, younger, better, stronger, faster. Yeah, I mean, the thing about Miami right now is, and the beautiful thing about the NBA, every team is one trade away.

You know what I'm saying? Especially when you got guys like Jimmy Butler and Bam on the roster and Terry Rosario. I mean, you got some talented guys and every team is one trade away. I think they're missing a piece because you got the culture and you got the culture, and really haven't been known

to be a great regular season team, but for some reason been great in the playoffs. So I would never count Miami out based on the history over the last four or five years. And so the problem with them is just probably staying healthy, the health of Bam and Jimmy Butler. You wouldn't count them out. I've heard a lot of trade rumors down there that,

I don't know if Roddy is gonna resign, Jimmy and maybe Jimmy wants to go somewhere else. I don't know, man. It seems like everything is, the sky is falling in Miami. I don't know what's going on. You guys give me the forecast. What's the forecast now?

Are you getting any credible sources telling you that? Or is this just nonsense gossip? Or is it somebody telling you that that makes you feel like you know something that's going on in Miami. Listen, I listen, I know the streets on the streets be talking. And I know a word on the streets. It's things ain't too sunny down there in Miami. I don't know. I don't know what that means. I still don't think you answered

my question. How credible are your sources? Are you in the newsmaking business right now by trying to be a newsbreaker or are you just telling me? I'm in the newsmaking business and I'm not sure Jimmy is gonna be there by the end of the year. All right, Dan, allow me to handle this. Who are you talking to? Name the sources.

I thought you were gonna say the streets be talking. I thought that's what you were gonna, you are gonna be. The streets are code for somebody and I wanna know who that somebody is. That's a word Name the sources. I thought you were going to say the streets be talking. I thought that's what you were going to... The streets are code for somebody and I want to know who that somebody is. That word on the streets. I want to put... Listen, that's the name of it. Hey, word on the streets is. I can't tell you more, I can't tell you less. It's a bullshit report. It gives me no proof that you've talked to anybody. There are no words on those streets.

I feel like you're just, you're an agent of chaos and you're trying to cause division in Miami. You're not reporting shit. Let's put up on the screen and let's let him look at, here it is, your nemesis, Dwayne Wade, and his statue, Paul Pierce. Give me your thoughts here. No, listen, first of all, shout out to Dwayne Wade and his statue, Paul Pierce. Give me your thoughts here. No, listen, first of all, shout out to Dwayne Wade

for having a statue, because that's truly an honor, because not many players have a statue in the NBA. He's well-deserved enough, and he built the culture to what it is today. But I thought it looked like they gave him too much facial hair based on the picture that you showed next to it, And he always kept a low cut. So it was, it feels like the statue was in between

his rookie year and his final year, but nonetheless, well-deserving Dwayne Way, our ultimate respect man, you know, but you listen, he was part of the process, he approved it. So we all live with it. I am very disappointed by the grace you have shown here. I am- It's Wade, I mean.

Listen, this is the perception you guys have to understand. I don't have beef with LeBron. I don't have beef with D Wade. We just sometimes fire shots back and forth, really fire. Ray Allen, there is some beef with, you texted Tony Allen that he looks more like the Dwyane Wade statue than Dwyane Wade.

Well, listen, I'm not the only one that thought that. So don't blame me. So other people said, hey, some people thought it was Loris Fishburne. I don't know. You're just being very gentle and you're showing the proper respect and I don't know. You know, I don't know. You're just being very gentle, and you're showing the proper respect, and I don't know what to do with it,

because I can't, Ruiz, I can't tell you how disappointed I am that Paul Pierce, the ultimate troll, is now too disrespecting of the Miami Heat to even engage them in verbal back and forth. That's because he knows his statue would be him in a wheelchair shitting himself. Oh, come on. Come on.

What happened there, Paul? Who said that? Who said that? Who said that? No! Oh, no. Is that fucking- Oh!

Oh, my God. I love you, Paul. That would be a good statue. Your I love you is the most insincere thing I've ever heard in a lifetime of insincerity I will tell everybody who's listening that you can subscribe to KG certified on YouTube for the truth lounge as well as ticket in the truth his show with Kevin Garnett Kevin is still Kevin holds on to the rivalries of the day

in a way that I find charming from a stubborn old man. I love that he's just totally unreasonable. Like, he must be this way about everything, correct? If I tell, listen, he's like, listen, if I say KG, pick up a billion dollars I got for it, you'd be like, no, fuck out of here, right? Everything is no initially, everything, until it starts sinking in,

but very stubborn about everything. Like, you wouldn't even believe it. Like, you could be the most like, KG, hey, I just got this private jet for you. No, I don't need it. And then he'll think about it like, oh, okay, thanks. Right, right. Right. So just contrarian, just disagreeable at the very start I don't need. I think about it like OK.

So it's just contrary and just disagreeable at the very start because he wants the sparks right at the start of whatever it is we're doing everything is no to everything. Hey, your newborn is here. Would you like to kiss her? No. Come on. No, literally is like that like come on. Well literally is like that it with everything do you

remember during your playing days with him as a teammate coming back to the locker room and being like he is crazy I love him I love him he's my teammate all fight with him everywhere. But this is not like the way he gets about some of this stuff it's not saying. No it's passionate what we call insane and that's to everyone else I call it passion, you know we call different I call it.

I just I call it love. It's his way of loving because if you ever around them and I promise you every teammate. He's the best storyteller. He sits there, he takes all the guys under his wings. Like, just to know him off the court is totally something different that you see on the court or interviews and things of that.

It's like the complete opposite. And I know it'll be hard to believe because of the passion and the energy, but he's always energetic, you know. He'd probably wake up and say, he'd probably wake up and yell, anything's possible, he'd probably do that on the wake up. That's annoying, that's annoying.

The days that you were hungover, rolling in to practice, that's annoying. You know, that guy's, nobody wants to be around that guy all the time, you can love him. And that's not the energy level to greet the way that you were spending some NBA nights Can you tell us who you regard as the greatest challenger to the Celtics this year the most reasonable challenger the most reasonable challenger the most reasonable challenger? The most reasonable challenger, man, bro.

Oh, in the East or the West? Well, you've counted and beat out, right? So I- Yeah, I've counted six years out. So start with the East. I don't see- Yeah, start with the East. I don't see how they recover.

The Eastern Conference is weird, but I'ma have to say, I'ma have to probably say the Knicks. I'ma say the Knicks. I like Cleveland and everything, you know, it looks good and they won, they beat them the other day, but that's obviously without Derek White and without Jaylen Brown. So I think with those two guys, it's just, it's not even close. I think the Knicks can challenge the Celtics, could probably push them to five games maybe.

And out West? And out West, OKC. Man, are you seeing what's going on out West? OKC, Houston Rockets and Memphis is in the top three, all the young teams. And it just feels like all the older teams are sliding, get onto a great start, they're all just sliding back to the pack.

And then I don't know what happened with Minnesota or Dallas. Dallas is coming along a little more, but like, it's just seem like these young teams is taking over the league right now. And it's a new guard, it's a new guard in town for the Western Conference. But you can't count out Joker either. I'm going to let you go on this one. When people complain about ratings being down in the NBA They give an assortment of different reasons for it. Do you have one theory above all others?

It's not one thing. I think I think our stars are aging our superstars. I think International players are taking over and I think there's a lack from that that newer American star waiting to emerge. You know I said it was Jason Tatum and then maybe it's the style of play. You know when you see games I was watching the game the other day and I saw like six threes get put up back and forth both ways and maybe it's just early in the season because football too you know once football is over you know people start paying attention. Or maybe it's just the Celtics are so dominant. All right, we gotta go.

Good seeing you, good seeing you, Paul Pierce. That's, the thing is run its course. He had the Knicks pushing them to a fifth game. We are done here. Thank you, yes, yes. They'll win one game. Look at him, still laughing on his way out the door. Only thing more annoying than the Celtics winning is the Celtics winning that they're gonna win

see you later Pierce. See you Paul. You suck. Howdy folks it's Mike making this podcast time Miller time that's right Miller Lite makes all the great times even better. Why? Dependability for one, great taste, less filling, you know exactly what you get, everybody's gonna be happy because they're gonna be drinking on a beer that tastes like beer. Can you imagine it?

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