The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Local Hour: Mamba Mendality

Episode Date: March 12, 2026

"IS THAT NOT OUR JOB?!" From players like Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo, to legendary broadcasters like Mike Breen, Jonathan Zaslow, and the ever-eloquent-and-definitely-not-too-white-to-say-Mamba-Mentality Jeremy Tache, people around the NBA are defending the validity of the excellence of Bam Adebayo's 83-point performance, and Dwyane Wade is taking a victory lap over Bam and the Heat's recent success. Today's cast: Dan, Zaslow, Chris, Jeremy, Mike, Roy, and Tony. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Uh, where are my gloves? Come on, heat. Any day now? Winter is hard, but your groceries don't have to be. This winter, stay warm. Tap the banner to order your groceries online at voila.ca. Enjoy in-store prices without leaving your home. You'll find the same regular prices online as in-store.

Many promotions are available both in-store and online, though some may vary. Tom Haberstro put an asterisk on banner. game. He also put it on Kobe's game and Wilts game, no, because all of those high-scoring games are a little bit bogus. This is from Sam Quinn of CBS. Kobe scored the last 22 Laker points when he scored 81, 17 of which came with a double-digit lead, the last seven from the free throw line. Wilt and Devin Booker are the only players to score 70 against winning teams, and they only did it in losses. Luca is the only player to score 70

and single digit win. Mitchell did it in overtime. All 70-point games are a little fake. That's why we don't see them in the playoffs, he said. Don't we have to, or can't we all just acknowledge, the only way a player

can score that many points in a game, there has to be bullshit, right? I don't think that you can get to a hundred without bullshit? I think in the modern game it's possible. I do think that we will see 100 in our lifetime

just because there's going to be a marksman from outside that doesn't miss. Oh, but the greatest quarter I've seen is Clay Thompson's, right? He had 37 points. Did he make 10 threes in that quarter? I think that's the scenario which, unless the rules change, that you're going to see somebody go for triple-distance. This is why I'm telling you guys, though, that the BAM first quarter is the most impressive thing I've ever seen in a

heat uniform during a regular season game. the first quarter. When you're looking at a guy who, and you've seen the stats over the last couple of days here, he made as many threes against the Wizards as he did in his first five seasons in the league combined. I mean, that's crazy. And he shot a bunch of them.

What was funny, one of the many funny things about that, is there were about seven of them that just hit the backboard. Like he threw seven boulders at the rim when he got tired, when he lost his legs. That was all at the end. It was all at the end. Because did you know that he got to 70 points with about seven minutes left in the game? And he was shooting over 50% from the field and over 40% from three.

His stats were unbelievable. And then the bullshit started. In 2015, Golden State Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings and Clay had 37. He had 9 for 9 from 3. And 13 for 13 overall field goals. So another four buckets. at two free throws. Mike, you thinking there's going to be a hundred point game because

Clay's going to do that in three quarters. He's going to go. That was just one quarter. He's going to go 27 for 27 over three quarters and get to 100 points. Dude, if Bam can go for 83, a Steph Curry type can go for 100. I do think that we sort of underestimate the amount of stamina that

takes. I've heard him interviewed some, but I haven't heard anyone to ask him if he's ever been that tired at the end of a game. Because I can't imagine he's ever been that tired at the end of any game he's played. His jersey was a different color than his shorts. I had someone say to me yesterday that his jersey was black at the end of the game. That's a red jersey.

This is the Dan Levator show with the Stucats podcast. Follow me up a logic ladder here. Would everyone here agree that in basketball, defense is equally important? important to offense. Yes. Everyone here would agree with that, even though we celebrate offense wildly disproportionately, we would agree that defense is as important. I speak for everyone.

You would also agree that we do a very poor job of talking about it well, measuring it well. Offense is easier to see, right? So Mike Ryan has understandably grown tired of Bam out of bio as the lead thing for something that has been a play-in team. But would you agree, or is it blasphemy to say, based on what I just said, that bam out of bio to the Miami Heat's defense has been what Dwayne Wade has been to their offense? Yes or no?

I disagree with that because bam out of bio to the heat's defense has not given the same results as what Dwayne Wade to the offense. And I think the example that you just cited is why office. is more important than defense because Dwayne Wade and his offensive game has beaten tremendous defense in the playoffs in moments that you've absolutely needed it. And Audubio knocked out the Celtics at the rim in the bubble with defense in the playoffs. The reason that I say this and the reason that I disagree with what Zaz just said, BAM's defense, and this is why that he won't trade him,

BAM's defense always makes them top five. I saw Wade be great at offense and them not be top five. They're always top five, and it's always because BAMM, Montabai who is at the center of their defense. Have we ever remember to play from a game one in a series the way that we remember Bams? Because a lot of people think

it's Mandela effect. A lot of people think that the series was won on that play. It was game one. If he doesn't make that block, they probably don't win that series. Was the Allen Irishman over Ty Lou game one? Yes. Yes. Oh, there you go. That's a good example. Actually, that's a much better. That's a goat game one. Yeah, because they lost

the Sixers won the first one in L.A. Everyone was shocking in the Lakers. one the next four. What happened there? And it's one of the most iconic moments in basketball. In a five game, on the wrong end of a five game. Gentleman sweep, was Matt Geiger on that team? I think Eric Snow was the point card on that team. Alan Iverson dragged a bunch of bums. Did you see Eric Snow at the reunion? Yeah, but that's not new. No, I'm just what? I can't talk. I'm catching up with my friends. Did you guys see Eric Snow at that? Yeah. All right, and I'm not going to say what everyone's thinking. I saw Pat Croce. You guys see him? He looks good. Well, you just said what you

weren't going to say. By saying that Pat Crouchy looks good, you just said what you weren't going to say about Eric Snow. We didn't comment on Antoine Walker at the 20-year reunion. Why are we doing that? This is something, well, Dwayne Wade was talking about the lack of buzz in town, and are you guys willing to follow me down the path of the Miami Heat who know more than we do are unwilling to trade Bam out of bio because they think he is to their defense what Dwayne Wade is to their offense. What Dwayne Wade was to their offense. It's

regardless of whether you want to split hairs on it or not, it's pretty close. Like he's an all-time defender. Bamadabio will go down as an all-time defender while never winning the defensive player of the year. It's for sure. It's kind of the same way as

Spowe is the best coach but never wins coach of the year. The thing is you can't measure defense. My bad, my voice is going right now with DR last night. WBC and we were absolutely lit last night. But you don't measure the game. It's points scored, not defense, right? They can't be like, oh, BAM's got four defensive stops.

Like, okay, that doesn't matter because if they come down and hit four threes, it doesn't really matter. And I guess I would just kind of, you know, say what I said again, but in different words, where I don't think that BAM can be the best player in your team and you win a championship. And I know Dwayne Wade can be the best player on your team and win a championship. Well, but you're doing the measurement of, of just winning is the only thing that matters. You're doing it the way we measure quarterbacks,

but it's not the only thing that goes into winning. And on the front end, I just ask you, is defense as important as offense? Because before Bamatabio, those heat teams, we celebrate Bosch, Wade, and LeBron. They won. Their defense was great. Like, they made a bunch of mid-range jumpers against the spurs

because, you know, Pop figured out how to get them to just made mid-range jumpers, but they are every year a top five team with Bam at the center of the defense. It's the core principal philosophy of almost everything they do. I wonder if I can just say flatly the heat value defense more than they do offense. They figure they can get offense from every Max Struce, every Gay Vincent, every Duncan Robinson. They'll figure out how to get offense.

This year's heat team is only as many games over. 500 as it is because of its defensive rating, they are an average offense efficiency. But the thing is, Dan, when you say all those guys to Max Truces and Game Vincent's and Duncan Robinson, you have one guy at the center that can put the team on his back when the playoffs are. You don't have a Jimmy Butler anymore. You don't have the guy that's the stalwart to your offense. It can't be Tyler Hero. We know it can't be Bam. My point is that no matter who's on defense, whether it's Tyler Hero, Norman Powell, or anybody or Max Struce or anyone else, the reason they're good at defense is because Bam's always at the center

of the defense guarding all five of your guys. Yeah, their defense this year in particular is fully because of BAM. Like they had so many guys out there at so many different moments who struggled. And while they have some really good individual defenders, Davian Mitchell is a good individual defender, Pella Larson as well, Andrew Wiggins having one of the best seasons of his career on both sides of the ball. At the same time, BAM's ability to guard one through five to play in a zone, to play man to man, to guard a wing, to guard a big.

that's what allows them to do all the different things they do that do slow down other teams eventually, which is why they decided to play with Pace this season because they knew he could anchor it. My point is they have more knowledge than we do. They have more invested than we do. They say, bam is untouchable. I'm explaining the reason to you that they say,

bam is untouchable. We'll talk about the 83 points. It's not why they value him. It's because he always shows up, It's because of the rarest of things. Other players in the league say of Bam Otabio, we know how hard that dude works. It's evident in what it is that he's created with his game.

But Dwayne Wade, I heard him here. He had some pretty great sound. And Dwayne Wade seems legitimately angry. And if I say to the audience, Dwayne Wade's 2010 through 2014, when they were fighting with America, Do you think he misses fighting with America about stuff? This is Dwayne Wade here, and these are fangs for Dwayne Wade when he says what he says here.

Also, let me say things and let me do things that y'all can't do, right? Spoke can't walk in the locker room and do and say certain things that I can say. Right. So let me say certain things, right? The organization can't do or say certain things that I can say. Let me say certain things because I'm going to hold the organization to a standard. Whether you like it or not, right? But here we go.

I wasn't born in Missouri. I was born in Chicago. But our damn show little better. I'm damn show from the show me state. Show me. Seeing this believe in. That's like I said to Bam on the show. Like, it's not that I don't believe in you.

It's not that I don't believe in this organization. I've seen it. But show me. And you know what they're doing? Oh, they're showing me. So if I'm going to send some, I'm about to sit some emojis to ban right now. It's going to be this.

I zip it. I zip it as long as you're going to keep showing me, baby. Show me that you are one of them dudes that we know. you are. And that's what you're doing right now. And that's what the heat is doing. So let's go. Let's go. Sounds like a victory lap to me. He's like, yeah, I told him to play harder. I told him to play better and they're doing it. I think he likes being able to do this where he could talk. Like he said Spoh can't go in there and say all this. I think he likes being able to say these things with no repercussions now, things that he probably couldn't say when he was playing.

He called them a playing team. He pissed them off. He pissed them off by saying there's no buzz around that city. They don't have somebody who was me or Jimmy. or a star, and so he ended up agitating them. Let's get to some more Dwayne sound here because there's a killer quote in here, just a killer quote from him. Yeah, yeah, we got a couple of weeks left. Right.

And they're in six place. And then we could get to the fifth place, and then you could possibly play Cleveland in their first round, that four or five matchup. What's up? Yeah, I like Cleveland. I like James over there,

but you know what? They only been playing together for a little while. Like, yeah, you can make noise. You can have a year. that you know you could be proud of it ain't just it ain't just about winning championships like ultimately yes we want to win championships but you got to take steps to get there you got to build these steps right and so this is a building year so let's build and so the end of this year gonna show us what we're gonna build into for the next season and what the team going to be able to

do it is all season about what we do and how we finish this year and so i'm i'm gonna say we until the day i ain't here no more because i blood sweat and tears was left in that in the in that state. Yep. Yeah. And also, too, don't give me a county. Don't name it out to me. If y'all don't like, that I'm going to always hold us to a standard, baby. His way, county.

It's because it's a standard that's there. That is killer dismount. Do not name a county after me if you don't want to abide by my standard. You could tell that he started cooking. Then he's like, oh, wait a second. I got one more. Hold on a second. How about this one?

Don't get the county line. How do you the jazz fans experience that? Do they care? Like, this guy is supposed to be a part of our? Well, there's never been anything like that. Has there a guy who owns a part of another team and is still representing this one down here? Tom Brady? Yeah, I guess.

He wouldn't even say he roots for the Patriots for the Patriots, the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl. He no commented whether he was rooting for the Patriots. It's not quite this, where he's going after the individual players. He did piss off. He did piss off Bam out of Bio. but one of the things that is always funny about media members and fans and how they react to conflict in a locker room, those guys thrive off of conflict. It was Ray Allen who actually taught me.

He's like, nobody in here is in their feelings on anything. Like they pissed off as fuel. Pissed off is something that, you know, Dwayne Wade learned in an organization where Shack and Morning would go face to face with Riley, and it seemed everyone there like they were going to fight. And then, you know, Shaq and Morning would get kicked out of practice because they thrive on conflict. They create it. It's very different from most other workplaces. And I have seen, before we get to the more positive sound from around the league, because there is some of that, I have seen Zaz and Jeremy getting pissed off about the conflict that there presently is around the BAM conversation.

Yeah. I mean, it's why, and I said this yesterday, I really wish they pulled him at 81 because I think the reaction would have been so, so different. And I'm annoyed and I'm offended at some of the reaction, which, Bam does not deserve. He did nothing wrong. And I just wish Bam was getting the respect and the adulation over these last 36 hours that I think he deserves. And it's played out exactly the way I figured it would play out.

And some of the things that I've heard people say out there, it's offensive to me as a heat fan. Mike, you know I have one rule to live by, right? Don't place parlayers on multiple long shots. Don't say a game is one when it hasn't hit, triple zero. Always drink your Yeagermeister ice cold. That's the rule. Everything else is merely a suggestion.

Everything else? Everything else. Wearing clean underwear every day? Well, that's just a personal decision. Brushing your teeth. Obviously smart, but not a rule. Never pee on an electric fence. Okay, maybe there are two rules.

But the one that is 100% that I insist on completely, Yeagermeister must be drank ice cold. Or don't drink it at all. Damn, that's cold. Exactly. You're finally starting to get it. Drink responsibly. Yeagermeister liqueur, 35% alcohol by volume, imported by mass Yeagermeister U.S., White Plains, New York. Hey, Roy, buddy.

You know that energy shift when the game gets good, and everybody altogether in unison knows to stand up on their feet? Oh, absolutely, Mike. Yeah, you've been at many big-time sporting events. You know that moment quite well. That's what it's like when you take your first sip of Cuervo. Oh, delicious. It's the signal that says, we're not checking the time anymore, pal.

It's when small talk turns into stories. Quervo, man, it's at high five, a random stranger effect. That's right. The game is popping. You're hugging people you never met before. That's the kind of energy that Quervo brings. It's so smooth, so delicious. That's the Quervo effect.

Keep it, Quervo. When Westcham first took flight in 1996, the vibes were a bit different. People thought denim on denim was peak fashion. Inline skates were everywhere, and two out of three women rocked the Rachel. While those things stayed in the 90s, one thing that hasn't is that fuzzy feeling you get when WestJet welcomes you on board. Here's to Westjetting since 96. Travel back in time with us and actually travel with us at westjet.com slash 30 years. Don Levitard.

All these high-paid analysts. I don't want to mention names. TNT. ESPN. You know, oh, yeah, they are dead. They're not going to make it, you know. Even if they win in If they lose it in Miami

I need to calm you down That's right They lose in Miami They don't got a chance in Boston Oh they are going to have their ass You know what in Boston Stugats They were wrong

Are they going to lose their job? No Are they going to get a cutting pay No what are they going to do Keep predicting what is the obvious They're going to say Oh the Noggets are going to win Oh Denver the altitude

And you know what The Hit are going to win at all This is the Dan Levatar show with these two guards. I think there have been some voices that have been weak on this, like Lakers fans in particular, who are trying to discredit what this is. Well, you expect that, though.

Right, but you know what I was taught? Is that Mamba mentality is continuing to go for records, for continuing to score, that if you're getting triple team, wait a second. Why would you undermine that? I was going somewhere. I was going to be a good clip for social and you ruined. He can't culturally appropriate the black mom.

He didn't say black. I didn't say black. He can't do it. It's because your every word says white. Yeah, well, you know, look at me. But the Mamba mentality would be continuing to go out there. You think that Kobe Bryant would have taken himself out to honor some other legend rather than setting a record? Mike and Tony both reacted the same way.

I saw it sweep over the room, okay? and it was like watching one of these tsunami movies. What I saw sweep over the room, they both absorbed what you were saying. I learned from Mamba. What the Mamba taught them. What I've learned from Mamba, they both react by just laughing at the general tone of you.

Someone cut that up, because I don't think I said what I've learned from Mamba. I said what I've learned about the Mamba mentality. And when I said that in here before, when I rehearsed the line, I looked at Tony and I said it, and he was like, oh, that's a bar. Whatever you said. You rehearsed.

the line? Sounded so white. I pitched it out there. You rehearsed it. Minor penalty, two minutes for explaining the show. Wow. You rehearsed that line like Wade County?

No, I said it. I went, hey, you know what? I don't think that's Mamba mentality. And Tony was like, that's pretty good. Wow. I'm not going to stop saying Mamba mentality. I had an opportunity here. The clip yesterday took me out of context.

You rehearsed that? That was rehearsed. A line that half-one? through it, you got through it, and you were serious rehearsing your movie poster line, and Tony and Mike were trying to stifle laughter. Dan, he threw it up to me, and I was like, ooh, that's good. But the problem is, if you don't say it, if I say it, it's good, if you say it, not good. So I thought I was going to say it, but then he said it, and I was like, oh, okay.

You, but you could have gotten away with saying it. I, of course, could get away, yeah, because that's my, that's my culture. You can't appropriate my culture. Well, now, now Mike is looking at you the same way that he was looking at Jeremy. Of course he would, because he's not a hooper. not part of our culture. It's a different story. I have some sound here from around the league, but let's start with

what it is Brian Windhorst is particularly saying. As I talk to people around the league today, I've found great response from Bamatabio's peers. He's very popular amongst his peers. So there's that, and then the peers who are talking matter,

okay, because here's Kevin Durant. I couldn't believe it when I was hearing it in real time. He got 30 in the first quarter, and then it's Congratulations to ban. I don't know how much work he puts in. I looked at the stats. He was pretty crazy.

40 shots, 40 free throws, 23. That takes a lot of stamina, man. It takes a lot of energy to go out there and put those shots up and also make them and set a record. surpassed Kobe as a second highest scoring player in history of the game. I mean, damn. Congrats to him. That's as nice as you'll ever hear Kevin Durant talking to the media right there.

just happy about somebody doing something good. He's just sitting here saying that's positive. When he talks about the stamina, I'm going to say this part again. I don't know if you guys ever saw Ocho Cinco talking about playing against Real Madrid. Wayse. Practice against them when he was at the height of his Bengals powers. Fit, really fit. He's like, I couldn't touch the ball.

Couldn't get close to the ball. And we were talking yesterday. I think our show would have a hard time getting over half court against the Wizards if they were trying to keep us from getting off. over half court because Alex Sarr is an extraterrestrial. Like, he's just super wide and we wouldn't be able to get to the ball. And what Bam did yesterday with the triple teams, impressed people who are used to triple teams like Janus.

83, incredible. Incredible. Speaks volumes in this hard work. I haven't seen the game. I have to watch the game and see it. 36 and 43 from the line. Three throws? Yeah.

It doesn't matter. how you get it. All the minds that you got it. In 10, 20, 30 years from now, nobody's going to remember how many free throw he shot. I don't think I remember how many shots Kobe shot or how many three throws he made or threes. All you remember is 81. Willed, 100. I don't remember that. So at the end of the day, he got 83 points. I mean, I think logic's a little faulty there, you know, even though he's trying to do something, say something positive there about bam.

That reporter just trying to get him to say something. Before you see something good, let me tell you about the free throws. I hear in both Janice and Kevin Durant them experiencing haters a certain way and being clear on, I'm not going to sound like a hater of this by finding all of the ways to criticize this. You can hear the smiles on both of their face, even though those muscles have atrophied on Kevin Durant's. They don't work. He has to bring in trainers and stuff to stretch him with bands. to get the smile to work.

But here also, not exactly appear, but a former player, here's Lou Williams, who knew how to score talking about it. Super impressive. I got no complaints. I got no criticisms. Listen, when you subscribe to doing silly things, you play silly games, you win silly prizes. You know, Washington, they subscribe to trying to stop him from getting, it looked like the 81 points or just trying to stop him from continuing the score the way that he was scoring.

you know, we can make a case about the 36 free throws. Those were legitimate fouls. They couldn't stop them. They were fouling them. And he shot the free throws for it. I didn't see a lot of flopping. If anything, a lot of those are supposed to be and ones. If you ask my opinions, a lot of those files that he were getting,

they were supposed to be finished because he was filed in the act of shooting. A lot of those files, if you look at it, the first half when he had 43 and 19 minutes. A lot of that was just bully ball, him putting his head down, either dunking on somebody, laying a basketball up, or complete and ones. And when they couldn't stop him from getting to the rim, he made three pointers. Now, was it his most efficient night once he realized he was scratching the surface of history? Of course not. Once you get that close to the fire, I'm going for it.

Toronto never doubled Kobe, right? No. I don't know about never, but I've seen photos on the internet of him just being in isolation with one guy. Historically, like, that's the whole thing about the game. It was one of the main criticism of Sam Mitchell. That's why Sam Mitchell was toasting champagne yesterday. Because his strategy is what got them roasted. I'm not going to double Kobe no matter what.

And isn't it why everyone points at Jalen Rose? You were the defender. You're the guy that got torched. And instead, it was the entire Wizards team. Yeah. I actually think, you know, as far as a free throws, because of the way that Washington was guarding him, double and triple teaming full court,

that's not how you defend. Like, you're going to draw fouls when you have three guys who are just crowding you. It's also like I told you guys, during the Shadow Show. Like, he was shooting over 50% from the field and over 40% from three deep into the fourth quarter having already scored 70 points. And then they started triple teaming him, which means that 30 of those free throws came

because they simply couldn't guard him. Like, that's the part of all of this. They're a terrible defense. They could not guard Bam at a bio, and he was asserting his will on a night where they didn't have anybody else to do it. Their next highest score was Simone Fontechio. Yeah, nowhere. no Powell, no Wiggins, no hero. But one of the things that I found interesting about this,

and when I mentioned the Real Madrid-Ocho Cinco example of Ocho Cinco was in his prime as a number one receiver in the NFL, he goes out to play with Real Madrid, and he's underestimated. He couldn't get to touching the ball because of how good they were with the ball. Tony, you know as a basketball lover that the athleticism and the aggressiveness of Bamadabio, when he spins with that body type, you almost can't do anything but foul him. It's why, I mean, is always yelling, please be more aggressive than four and a half free throws a game. There's no one who can stop you. no one in the history of athletic bodies who can stop you if you just go neck first at the rim that way,

because they're going to have to hit you. You're too athletic. But Dan, that's the part that's tough because playing that style, it hurts, right? Shooting 43 free throws hurts. And obviously he's not going to shoot that every night. But if you shoot 16, 17, 18 free throws a night like SGA would, your body's going to break down, playing defense the way he does, bang down low the way he does with Biggs. like it's not an easy way to play.

But when he has that head of steam and you saw it, when he would break through the triple team and then have the ball basically one on one at the top of the key, it was a spin move here. It was just taking strong up this way. They couldn't stop him. And it feels like if any other team he would do that against, he would have the same results.

It's just a matter of lighting that fire and playing that way. It'll be a little bit interesting what he looks like tonight, right? I mean, I imagine he is going to be hurting. His body is physically going to be hurt. I've asked the heat to see if we can get him. I don't think they'd do anything on game day, but I have asked the heat to see if we can get BAM today because I've just got a bunch of questions about how he physically feels because I don't think people understand the amount that that takes to do all of that. But let's just show this video here of Sam Mitchell again, toasting champagne.

They got champagne. That's good work by the staff that both have champagne and the glasses to celebrate the fact that he never double-teamed Kobe and allowed him to get to 81 points. As part of the show back in the day where it was like, hey, Tony, go find us this because we don't have this at the studio. One time I had to go get fruit loops because Stugats could say that he could tell the difference between all the different ones. I had to go

like six CVS's to go find fruit loops. So some poor PA somewhere was like, get champagne. He's going down. He's like, oh, have apple juice. That's tough to do though, right? Because you couldn't have seen none of us saw him getting past Kobe. Well, no, obviously. But even

after that, this was a number that I saw on the sports books. At the half, the over under on BAM for the game was 55 and a half. At the half. So him getting to 81 is nothing that the heat had even considered. Like they weren't considering that until Washington started with the bullshit. I have a couple of buddies that had some under tickets on BAM's points. It was 25 and a half. You just see under 83.

Don Lebertard. Teammates can't shoot from three. Now they're going to see a different Jimmy. Now he's just, just playing. Nickelback in the locker room and... Stugats. They'll play D and show threes as they chase the nets for the six seed. These five words in his head scream, are we winning games yet?

This is the Dan Lebert. our show with the Stugats. Let's play Mike Breen sound here so that people can hear one more basketball voice defending this. 43 free throws, most made and attempted in NBA history. You know what? People love to be outraged. That's just what it is today.

And I can understand on one side that it was made a mockery down the stretch in the way they went about doing it. It's not the normal thing that we're seeing. an NBA game but at the other two as joy goes inside this is bridges the rebound the other thing without a buy this is this is a guy who represents the very best of the NBA by the way he carries himself the kind of teammate he is the work ethic that he has he's been nothing but a great ambassador for the NBA and a high character individual and his story is amazing so for him to have a special night like that for the Miami heat and their fans to have I thought that was wonderful too

both sides have their correct points and that's not as kind of love misses. I'm not trying to cop out by saying they're both right, but sometimes there's a gray area in there. Not everything is definitive and we don't have to be outraged about everything. Zaz, what do you make of this league-wide outpouring is super unusual for what a great guy?

Yeah, yeah. You know, one of the things that I look at actually during games with the heap, Whenever there's a scuffle and you got the players who will come in and they start to separate guys or if Bam's always in the middle of it because, you know, he plays down low by the basket and he's a bigger guy so he's going to be like a peacemaker. I always look to see if someone on the other team is trying Bam. I always look to see if someone shoves him out of the way. If someone starts talking shit to him during this little scuffle. I always look for that, specifically because there is this reputation that everyone loves him.

And yeah, I never see anyone trying BAM during games. I think it's unusual to hear a whole bunch of other players saying, we know how hard he works. Like that's just, and it's a reflection of what they've seen in how his game has changed. It's because they also, like, half these guys played AAU ball with them, right? Donovan Mitchell and Deerrin Fox and all of these guys that he grew up with that were in that same draft class. they all saw him just as a guy who was setting screens for them, being a lob threat for them, grabbing rebounds for them,

and for him to now be the guy of all of them that goes and scores 83 points in a game, and they know how difficult it is to even get to the line that many times. If you're just saying, oh, he was seven for 22 from three, oh, there were this many free throws, you didn't watch the game and see the flow of the game to see the fact that he earned his way easily to 70. Then from there, you can argue the semesters. of it.

Roy, Tony, Mike, can I get an official ruling on this sound? You know what I was taught? Is that Mamba mentality is continuing to go... To continue to go where, Jeremy? Somewhere if Dan didn't cut me off. I didn't like it. He needed more confianza is what it was. You thought he was leaking confidence?

It was Chris, a little bit. Yeah, like right after like, Chris, play it one more time. here where you think he leaks confidence. You know what I was taught is that Mamba mentality is continuing to go. It's just you at Mamba mentality school for me. And also, after all of that, you said that could have been a social clip. Oh, that would have gone viral. It's your guys' fault. We've had no clips about any of this that have done anything. We're playing clips from other people. We're playing clips from other people instead of our show. You want to know why? You want to know why? Brian Windhorst.

And we had our chance. We had our opportunity. Minor penalty, two minutes for explaining the show. Two minutes harrumphing. I mean, you coming in here and saying we've had no clips do anything, that is something that I don't want anyone here motivated by. Like, I don't know what you're doing. Gotta go viral, Dan.

We had the clip. He thought he was going to go. He was going to go. He was going to be clear. I want to be clear on what. Not our job? No. No.

No. When have I ever said to you, Jeremy, that your job is you got to go viral. Because you're failing at your job if that's what your job is. Like you have been an abject failure at it. You went viral eating Cheetos. Like you had your fingers in your mouth. You had cheese dusts on your fingers. That's how you went viral.

You think that was you doing your job well? The guy who makes us wear costumes so that when I say something, Something racist. Whoa. At least he admitted. Allegedly. What did he say? I mean, he is displaying Mamba mentality.

Roy, can I get your opinion? You have sat out peacefully and gracefully. You have sat out the Mamba mentality clip. To be fair, I did think he had said it differently. I had him at a tiny chair with a small desk with gum, stuck underneath the desk, sitting in a class where Mamba was teaching mentality on the board. Like, it was, he was being taught of, shoot, never assist, punch your teammates in the face, be an asshole, win the championship.

Go six for 24 and have Ron Artec, bail you out in a game seven against the Celtics. Oh, five championships, Dan. The fifth one was the one he liked the most, and Meta World Peace won it for him and then thanked his psychiatrist after one. MF for chest and Paul Gasol in the Olympics as I remember that one. Yeah. Oh, you're a hater, too.

Okay. I got this away. Me? No, I agree. I agree. Me? Yeah, he's got to go. Yeah, he's got to go.

I mean, yes, what you gave him? You said yes and. You made it literal. You made yes and as improv literal by just giving him, yeah? Literally threw up an alleyup form. Does Aziz come in and be like, oh, I remember that. My voice, damn. You know what? I'm sorry.

Yeah, that's fine. Minor penalty, two minutes for leaking confidence. You too, right? You got to go? It's like the Tampa Bay Lightning. Just you. You've got to get out of here, and only you. The University of Miami plays at 2.30 today. Louisville? Louisville.

Louisville. Beat them last time. That was a disappointing night. They panicked at the end. They threw the ball out of bounds. I thought the Miami Hurricanes were going to win that game and have more wins than they ever had in a season. On Sunday, you guys are going to want to be with us.

I assume the University of Miami will be about a three seed, but maybe this tournament will change that seeding because they lost at home against Louisville, and I don't know if another loss against Louisville, which has nine or ten losses this season. I like Louisville. I think they're a good team. And Miami's projected in most places to not be that high.

Like, I've seen six, seven. Okay, I just, I figure, if they won the ACC tournament. Oh, if they win it, yeah, that would be a boost. Because presumably, although Duke, sneaky, sneaky tough game. FSU is playing better. Not an embarrassing loss for Miami anymore. But, yeah, if they go through Duke, it would certainly boost their credentials.

Even if they got to the game against Duke, I would assume that they would end up being a very high seed. Mikel-Brown is not playing for Louisville. He's out until he hopes to make a return in the NCAA tournament. Louisville is indeed a tournament team. But they already beat Miami without. him. They did, but they also shot like 60% from three. The shot making in that game was incredible. It was impressive in defeat that Miami was able to climb back into the game and then that entire second half was a was a bit of a war. Miami is a one and a half point dog today. We'll

see 2.30 tip. I've had a couple of stumbles today in which the glitch system has short-circuited me. The Mamba Mandality. Not so bad. The Mamba Mandality. A mendality is totally different. Manatees. You said manatees. I don't know. What would be a mandality? What would that? The Mamba mentality. That's a totally different thing.

That has nothing to do with Kobe Bryant. What is a mandality? The Mamba mentality. Nelson Mandela? Your voice knows you're making a mistake there. It is. That is, you know what? You got me exactly right there.

Minor penalty, two minutes, four leaking confidence. The Mamba mentality. Let's be honest here, though. After the game the other night, I can't be the only one who thought this. After the game the other night and Bam is doing the post game, you know, spotlight on the floor with Kelly Sacco. And, you know, then the whole team came up and they sprayed him with water. And it was a really fun moment.

I mean, how badly did Jeremy wish that was his night? Oh, man. I was sitting on the couch with my wife and I was like, Jared, there's no way Jeremy's on this broadcast. Calm. I feel like we would have seen that via text earlier in the game if that was true. I have never been so jealous of. of anyone in my life. Are you texting Kelly?

I texted Kelly with about three minutes to go and I was like, you are going to crush this. But I also was, Kelly has a hundred more Marlins games than I do and I am more jealous of the fact that she did that than the fact that she has a hundred more So you guys are different teammates than we are around here because if that was you, I would have been texting you,

you're going to screw this out. Don't choke. Yeah, don't choke. Don't stumble over your words. Did you consider ask? What are you going to have? The biggest interview of your entire life right here. Oh, you guys all would have been roasting me. Did you consider at any point, during the game. Like once Bam got

to 70, did you consider getting in the car and driving to the arena? It's like, listen, you know, I'm gonna throw on the suit, drive down there. Kelly, look, I appreciate it. I'm here. But I'm about to have the greatest interview of all time. The Kanye mentality. Like, do you and Kelly have the same amount of games? Yes, we have the same amount of games. I did not get assigned to that one. Okay. Yeah. Super disappointing. Also,

wasn't in the building because it was my grandfather's 86th birthday. Yeah, but I mean, grandfather's 86. BAM, 83. It would have been cool if he scored three more points. To be fair, it would have been a Jeremy game against the Wizards where BAM has like 15 and 8? Felt like a Jeremy game. I was like, okay, cool.

For sure. If I was there, he doesn't score 83. If I was doing that game, for sure. I have tonight's game. I'll be on tonight's game between the Bucs. He's going to be lousy tonight. He's going to shoot like six for 22 and have 14 points and 12 rebounds.

It'll be a win because he's a Yonis stopper. But Yonis might also have like 90. I can't be the only one who thought about. that that's what was on my mind at the end of the game