The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Victor Wembanyama Has Officially ARRIVED | Local Hour (feat. Michelle Beadle)

Episode Date: June 1, 2026

"For a split second, the entire world was at peace." Tony's concern over 'galactic fascism' taking over the NBA is that much closer to becoming a reality as Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs went into Oklahoma City and won Game 7 over the Thunder. Are we about to watch the first of 10 straight NBA Finals involving the Spurs? Is it over for everyone else? Is Chet Holmgren done in OKC? Is everyone going to be okay? Today's cast: Dan, Zaslow, Chris, Jeremy, Mike, Roy, and Tony. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales, using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result? Less time spent on operations, more time connecting brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most. Learn more at Accenture.com slash Spotify. 2006 Chevrolet Equinox, awarded the most dependable compact SUV in the U.S. by J.D. Power is designed for your everyday. And with available all-wheel drive, you can handle your to-do list with total confidence. Start your build at Chevrolet.ca. Details at J.D.Power.com. I'm surprised I'm saying this, Zaz, because I sort of rummaged around in this bin last week a little bit,

where I was saying, is previous information on basketball, given the way the sport has changed, obsolete because basketball's now unpredictable. You can't have game seven at home losers regularly. It's been three of them this postseason. It's been happening since 2016 where it's changed so much that it doesn't matter whether you've got game seven at home. And I could not and would not have predicted that because the numbers are a bit crazy, Before 2016, game sevens at home were 101 and 24.

And since 2016, it's 14 and 17. It's a coin flip. If you're at home, you're the better team. You played all season to be the better team. You've got game seven at home. It doesn't matter. I like that, though, because it really did, used to be an impossibility to win game seven on the road. And that sucks.

Well, but the other thing that's changed, too, is Amin kept pounding, our expert. Not only did he think O'GC was going to win. We'll talk to him today. He kept pounding. The Spurs don't have playoff experience. They don't have playoff experience. They just got to the finals with less playoff experience than any team since 1977. Which is amazing because they have Harrison Barnes, Kelly Olinick, and Bismock Biombo.

Dan, for the eighth consecutive year, longest such streak in the history of the NBA, we're going to have a unique champion. It's never happened before. Eight consecutive years, we're going to have a new champion. Wow. I mean, you guys keep saying how unpredictable this season is when it's a rematch of the in-season tournament final. I mean, you want to talk about predictive analysis. Go ahead and play a means analysis, predictive analysis before the series.

I think the thunder are going to destroy them. Why are you sadly shaking your head, Tony, and speechless? I was sick about it. I'm there watching Game 7, one of like 11 people rooting for Oklahoma City because, again, I'm trying to stop Galactic Fassism. Fast engine, but you guys don't want it. So I'm sitting there like two inches for my TV and I'm just looking at Wemby celebrating and crying and I'm like, is he faking this? Can I say that he's faking this emotion?

Then I'm seeing him take the trophy, which is actually kind of cool, but whatever, I'm not going to say that. Taking the trophy and like running it up and down the tunnel and people are touching it. It was cool. It was cool, but I'm trying to think of an ulterior motive he has. But again, maybe data collection on people's fingerprints. I'm still working that one out. But I'm sitting there looking and I'm like, damn, I have a, just this feeling in the pit

of my stomach and I'm sick to my stomach. And I'm like, it's happening. It's happening. He's already in the NBA finals. The journey was supposed to be, you're supposed to get beat by the better team and then go back and beat them the next year. And all of those old school rules are now completely out. He tore them out of the book. How do you imagine Amin watch that game? Because Amin keeps getting these things wrong. Like he knows a lot. There's no question he knows a lot. But knowing a lot does not allow you to be good at predictions. But Tony, he did do his suffering in the in-season tournament final. And now you have a redoubt.

Demption arc. This is the Dan Levatore show with the Stucats podcast. I really love basketball and love having watched the last 45 years of how basketball went from tape delay to Magic and Bird to we're going to make our players stars, stars, stars, and individuals and stories and stories. And it felt like this weekend we got for the first time. First time. We've been talking about that face of the league stuff for a long time. First time. Oh, this is how it moves from LeBron and Steph and everything we've been talking about for 20 years.

Here's how it moves. Somebody, a country falls in love with a guy on the road beating the defending champions. Tony, do you feel alone with this? Because I really do wonder how Amin watched that game when he's saying that OKC is going to win the series very easily. I think the thunder are going to destroy them. I'm wondering if at the end he's looking to sneakie. out with an overtime victory so he can say he just wasn't spectacularly spectacularly wrong. But instead, Wemby wins the trophy and it felt like for one of the few times in my lifetime, America's rooting for the giant.

And I thought it was weird. Did you feel alone with that, Tony, that you're pulling the other side of the rope where you're saying, no, I don't want to like Wembe. He's about to win for the next 10 years. Yeah. And I know Mike was here at this side of the mountain as well. And I don't know if he's still there now or if he's gone into the Wembe side. So I do feel incredibly alone because I'm looking around and I'm in my

group chats. I'm like, guys, this is, I'm like, chicken little. I'm like, the sky is falling. Don't you guys understand what's happening here? And everybody's like, no, this is awesome. Look how this. Look all that. I'm like, no, you don't see the twinge of evil in his eye that I see. I'm trying to help you. I'm, I totally understand where Tony is coming from. But for me, the greater evil that needed to be slayed was the style of play from Oklahoma City. And yeah, this might have happened a year early. And yes, we may be facing galactic fascism from here on out. I understand. that Wemby was the underdog in this series and there was support for him

because of the SGA style of play and all that. But how is it going to look in the finals? And I understand it's New York and people have their feelings. But you literally have a player who is a giant going up against a really small, lovable point guard for the New York Knicks. The way that that's going to look. Here are these faces of the franchises.

It's legit David versus Goliath. But face of the league's over, right? Like we had that nonsense conversation for several years. Is it Anthony Edwards? Shaw Moran's me. No, it's when banyan. But I'm saying it happened this weekend. When you take it from the champs in their building and you make me pity Chet Holmgren because he has been born at the wrong time.

If he'd been born 10 years earlier, this never would have happened to him. Maybe Shaq would have done it if it had been 20 years earlier? Shaq. Shaq would use him as a toothpick? No, not as a toothpick. He would have gotten stuck in Shaq's ass crap. He would have used them as one of those. Go ahead.

Barbecue ribs, hold on. The floss thing that you use? The floss stick? No, I felt bad for Chad Holmgren. Did you? No. And I'll tell you why, Dan. Here's why I did not feel bad for him.

What a pro wants. He was so dirty early in the series. He was trying to hurt Wemba Nyama early in the series. You had him stepping on his foot on the free throw line. You had him on his hands and knees when he was on the, the ground and then lunged into Wemba Nama's legs to try and take him out. If you're going to be dirty to the point you have intent to injure, I'm glad what happened to Wemba, to Home Grint in game seven happened to him.

He was as meek as it gets in that game seven. Not only was he clearly scared of going up against Wemba Nama in that game seven, but he didn't even compete, Dan, like, do the dirty things. He literally did nothing. He did nothing in game seven. So just to understand, to recap what your point. Just was you got mad at him for doing the dirty things and by the end you wanted him to do the dirty things To show you that he was capable of something. But I'm what I'm gonna tell you Zaz this is the reason that I felt bad for Chad Holmgren

Okay, I don't know what your greatest insecurity is maybe it's that you're a cuck But if everyone knows what your greatest insecurity is and you're watching it and it's playing out and my theory on what you're saying about how he played early in the series He's known since high school he doesn't have a chance against this. person. And so he tries to injure him early because he doesn't have a chance against this person. He's running up against somebody who is better than him with his body and his skill set, and he knows it. And so that insecurity to me was on display for all of us there. That's not the player he is. His extension kicks in next year, five years, $250 million. That is not the player that he is, but against that guy and only that guy. Because OKC this year was

71 and 14 against everybody else and 4 and 8 against the Spurs. That's crazy. And it's only because Wembe's there and they've got Chet Holmgren. And what happened in that series, you saw this. I don't know what Deerrin Fox is going to give them against the Knicks. As soon as they brought in Deerrin Fox, the Spurs stopped turning the ball over and it didn't matter if Deeran Fox was missing 50 shots as long as they didn't turn the ball over. because OKC can only do what they do on offense and not frustrates you with their style of play if they're in the open court and they're stealing the ball. And so they just bring back the broken remains of Deerrin Fox.

He doesn't turn the ball over and that's all he's doing because he's giving them next to nothing being out there. And he's just not turning the ball over when Castle was turning it over 21 times in two games. And so as soon as that happened, the Thunder had no answers. Like none. They just, the moment that happened, the Thunder just started losing. losing and losing and knowing they were losing. And so it wasn't just Chet Holmgren who's saying, oh, we're going to lose. It became all of them.

If we can't turn the ball over, we're not going to score against this guy. Yeah, Dan, and the crazy thing is that what the spurs were doing was what OKC does great, which is, you know, steel transition basket. The spurs were doing that to OKC, turning them over, getting easy buckets in transition. And the OKC Thunder had no explanation or no advantage at that point. It was like, all right, you've nullified what we do great. Now we've got nothing for you because our two best ball. handlers outside of SGA are not in the game and you got Chad who's a department store

mannequin. No answer is the word you were looking for. No explanation was not. No answer. They had no answer. Ah, man, come on. What he's doing here? What are you doing here?

We're not going to do that to you. We're not going to do that to you. Is it too early to Zag? We're going to have a mean on and we're going to chew on this series. It was a great series. I'm trying to help you. But I have a take. How are you helping me there?

How are you helping me? What do you mean? I had something for you on the turnover thing. You were just saying the same thing that I had just said. No, you did not say the same thing I said. I said a different thing. Here comes to Zag. That was great for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Wow. We don't have a lot of data points when it comes to Janus v. Wemby, but I'm seeing this dude. And I'm thinking of body types, and it ain't Chad Holmgren that can potentially stop him. Yonis is literally the perfect player to stop him. You would think. Now, we don't have enough evidence.

We don't really know what Janus will look like coming off of this injury. He is getting older. I saw him run around playing soccer over the week. It looked great. I mean, he's got the strength, the length that, I mean, if you're OKC, you've got to be thinking, what is it going to take? Because now your whole prism is this is the guy that's built to stop us. And the rest of the league, Miami Heat included, got to be thinking like, well, how do we stop that guy?

The answer may be honest. That was my first thought, Dan, over the weekend was, oh, did the Janus market just become a little bit more clouded for the Miami Heat? Because if Sam Presti and the Thunder want Janus, he's theirs. Like, they can get him. They have all the draft capital that you want. You could trade them, Holmgren. Heck, I don't know. Maybe you keep homegrin.

You trade Jaylon Williams. I don't know. But if they want Janus, you can get him. Yeah, that's one of the things that happened. on Saturday that has reverberations, because that's absolutely so. And when you say, if they want Janus, no, that's not an if anymore. The thunder in front of all of us just fell behind the spurs. Like, we all watched it happen.

I know they're a little bit injured. They can make the argument that they're a little bit injured, but this sport injures. And Wemby's not going to get worse from here. Like, Wemby's going to keep improving. And the problem with that is he makes your $250 million second. player, totally useless, and he makes your MVP skittish and inconsistent, because what I just gave you in those numbers, the Thunder were 71 and 14 against everybody else, but against the Spurs, they were four and eight. They're behind the Spurs now. They came into their building and took

the title from them. And when you ask, how do you stop Wemby? Well, oddly enough, An Anobie is the one who defends him best in the entire league. That kind of physicality. There's not anybody better who frustrates Wemby more, and I believe the Knicks have a legitimate chance, and that was the perfect result for the Knicks, because I think they would have had more trouble against OKC than they will against the Spurs. I'm not willing to say that the Thunder are now behind the Spurs, because it's not a small thing that they went to seven games, while they didn't have their second best player for four of them. And their second best player in Jalen Williams, when he was out, they then had an emerging second best player in A.J. Mitchell, who was also out. And they still

went to seven games. Zaz. But Deerrin Fox being out early in that series is what happened early in that series. Like, Deerrin Fox was also hurt. If the spurs don't turn the ball over, they don't lose to OKC. That's how that's going to play out. If the spurs have somebody who doesn't turn the ball over, OKC is going to keep losing. Like, when I say to you that Wemby before this series pointed out, hey, we beat them three times when they had their full squad during the regular season, and the games weren't close. The games weren't close.

OKC looks bad against them. Unrecognizable. And so I understand why you would say, well, they haven't fallen behind the Spurs. The Spurs are the only team they've fallen behind because it's the only team that can make them look like that. There's no second team that makes them look anything like that. I did not recognize the defending champions at home. Didn't recognize them. For two years, they haven't lost back-to-back games in the playoffs.

They just did at home. The most important one, why? Because there were no turnovers and Wembe plays for the other guys. And the matchups are really bad for Oklahoma City, right? Like you have tough defensive wings in Stefan Castle, who's 21 years old, who's going to be a problem. Dylan Harper is so good, by the way. They're all going to get better. They're also younger than the thunder.

And cheaper. I think it would be, look, if I'm Oklahoma City, if I'm Sam Presti, I'm absolutely acquiring Janus. He seems the perfect player to go up against Wenbanyama. And I know we like talking about, oh, dynasty, it's the beginning. We never know how long these things are going to last. In 2023, when the Nuggets won the championship, they're going to win several. In 2024, when the Celtics won, they're going to win several. In 2025, when the Thunder one, they're going to win several.

No one even returns to the finals after they win it. Okay, so, like, I'm not sitting here ready to crown the world. the spurs, but it does feel very anti what Sam Presti does, where he would have this emotional reaction. No Jalen Williams and like, let's get super emotional and go ahead and trade the guy who he just signed for $240 million whose money doesn't even kick it until next year and we're going to get rid of him. Not only that, you're trying to get Janus who maybe he doesn't even fit with the pieces that you have in Oklahoma City currently, right? Like he's a guy that wants to play with the ball in his hand where you have the two-time MVP who's not going to give the ball up out of his

hit his hand. So how do you play Janus off ball? Tony, you know that moment at a party or a tailgate where everything just sort of clicks? I know it well. It's usually when I show up. Everybody goes crazy. Yeah, you usually take all the credit for it, but it's because Tony usually walks in with Quarvo. I'm walking like this. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Quervo is a thing that turns hanging out into this is the night. It has that effect on people. It does. You usually take the credit for it. But again, it's the Quervo effect. It's like that moment in a big game where everyone and the crowd just start standing up, hooting and hollering. Keep it quervo. Keep it quervo, baby.

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Brought to by headquarters, Toyota. 441, Powerline Road. Second out of nine. This is the Dan Lebatar show with a Stugat. I understand why Heat fans would immediately go there because OKC has more to offer. Presti is a very smart general manager. I don't think any of what I'm saying is emotional. He's got a problem.

It's 7 foot three and is going to dominate the league if it's healthy for the next 10 years. You saw Nike was ready right after the game because now it begins, okay? This is how it has to happen when you're talking about face of the league stuff. He goes into Madison Square Garden now to conquer the happiest New York there's been about basketball in as much time as any of us can remember. And Nike always meets these moments. Nike is ready as soon as that game. I don't think this ad is running. If they don't win game seven, here's an ad that Nike runs on behalf of Wambunyama just, yeah, he's a, he's a, it's like a spaceship.

Extraterrestrial. He has arrived at the end. Dude, wow. That's good. I hate it. It's good. I love him so much. I'm so excited about this.

It's good. It's so cool to have a star like Wembe who just cares, like the emotion that he's willing to show. And it's not that these other players don't care. All of these guys care to be at that level of craft. But to be there and be willing to show the emotion he talked about earlier in the year, he's not willing to wear the burden of hiding his emotions. And to have that happen at the end of that game as this extraterrestrial, it's a special time to watch the sport.

You saw the advantages of being really tall when you want to celebrate with your teammates. That guy could see everyone on the court. Like, okay, here, like, I feel like, you know, if you're 5'3 there, you're like, if you're Brunson. Where are my teammates? And Wembe was just like, I'd like to go to Castle now. I'd like to go to you now. It was so cool to see him just be able to get to every teammate.

The better story, and I know you guys are going to accuse me of being a Knicks fan again, the better story for the league, I believe is New York winning and Wembe having to wait another year. I believe that's the better story. Oh, I think it's the opposite. I think going into every year, is this the year that New York finally wins? Is the story? New York's not going to win for 10 straight years, as?

And I know you just got done saying every year we think the team that wins is going to win again. There is a new, there's a new predictive model now in the NBA where the thing has changed, seven or eight straight different champions is crazy. The three-pointer has, the three-pointer and the injuries have sort of changed how easy it is to predict what it is that we're why. But I keep vacillating between, is he going to save the sport or is he going to ruin it? I really don't know the answer to that. I know we threw it out as a poll question.

But if Wembe is going to get better, and if I'm going to say this again, that team is really young, they have no experience. It's all on the bench. It's all Harrison Barnes and Biombo. There hasn't been a team this inexperienced in the finals since 1977. Like they don't they're not supposed to be here and they're here because they've got the 7-3 guy and since when is the 7-3 guy the lovable underdog that everyone roots for? Can you guys give me all the examples you have of that? Because Shaq had to wait a long time before winning and I don't remember anyone rooting for Shaq to win. I mean were we root? Shaq was in the finals in his third year also. Were we rooting for Shaq like this? I don't remember people rooting for Shaquille O'Neal outside of the region or the, you know, he was rooted for in Miami and Orlando and L.A.

But I don't remember the nation saying to itself, wow, I really hope Shaq wins the title. Shaq was viewed as an underachiever. Did Shaq? Shaq didn't win until he was like 30, right? Did Shaq? It took Shaq a long time. Yeah. He's the most dominant basketball player there's ever been in terms of dominance.

And it took him, it didn't happen in his third year. And still, people didn't really love Shaq because nobody loves Goliath. That's not how that worked. It was his eighth year. He was 28 years old, Shaq. Eighth year took him to win. I mean, look, Wilt was Dominion. Only won twice, you know?

I view this more like how we watched LeBron ascend. Like, when LeBron first came into the league, there was all of this promise. There was this hype that we saw as he entered with who is this going to be. He's the chosen one, according to Sports Illustrated. We saw similar hype with Wembe of who is this freak from a foreign land coming over here to be the number one pick and save the Spurs franchise. And when you see talent and expectation met this early in a career, that's why you find people rooting for him. He's a likable guy. He's an excellent competitor.

He shows emotion. It reminds me of the beginning of LeBron. Yeah, but the beginning of LeBron was a runway that we saw the suffering, right? He got drafted in 2003 to make to the finals till 2007. That's four years. He didn't win. He got smoked. And then it took them fighting the Detroit Pistons, fighting the Boston Celtics, him going to Miami, then finally doing.

You're talking about almost 10 years of struggle, right? Where Wemby's just like, third year, I'm here, I'm better than everybody. And good luck with the league. Yeah, it was LeBron's ninth year that they won the championship. Yeah, but we haven't seen Wembe win it yet. This is the beginning. They're both 22 years old when they get there. Jeremy, can you look up for me, please?

some of what Wembe did against the Knicks this year because I think people are sleeping on the Knicks against the Spurs because of how well the Spurs match up with the Thunder, but less well with the Knicks because Wembe wasn't quite what you're used to seeing when they were playing the Knicks, at least in part because Ananobe was a legitimate problem. I'm going to say this again, though. Has it all changed now in basketball that you don't need? need to be experienced in the playoffs? Like, that it doesn't matter. You've got 50. If you have a 7'4-3 guy, that's, you know, a demigod, perhaps.

Because this can still be exposed. Like, an absence of playoff experience would reveal itself in Madison Square Garden in a finals game. Like, that's where something like that could be present if all your players are 21 and 22 years old. I know that they are not directly matched up, but Brunson can cause a lot of problems by getting inside. And for me, it's the shots that he's not going to take in this series. Does he avoid Wendy's, you know, reach his presence? Because we've seen that, we've seen that iconic photo now,

and it's only aging better of Steph Curry shooting over Wembenyama. Brunson's got range. Brunson's smaller than Steph Curry, and he isn't exactly Steph Curry. No one is. You got it right, though. The way that they can beat the Spurs is the way that they beat the Sixers. They make 18 threes and a half, and it's not Brunson that has to make them, because he's just colloquy. your defense again and again and again and again, and your three-point shooters are open. They can beat anybody that way. They can play that style against anybody, and if they hit 18-3-pointers in the first half, they're going to blow anybody out. In the regular season loss to New York, Wemba Niyama had 25 points and 13 rebounds.

And the regular season win against New York, Wemba Niyama had 31 points and 13 rebounds. And I would tell you what happened in the in-season championship game, except the NBA treats it like the game didn't exist. It doesn't count, so there's no box score for it. No, it's a different campaign. The drop-down bar. NBA Emirates Cup. Try that.

He had 18 and 6 off the bench because he was coming off injury. That's a big bit of context right there. Wasn't healthy. But to everybody's point, we did see these two teams play for a trophy. Is everyone here except for Tony rooting for Wembe? Is that what's happening around here? Yeah. You have to.

It's the Knicks. I think we're already there. This is what I was fearing initially when he got drafted. It's like, well, this guy's going to be really difficult to beat. He's going to be boss in this league. He's already in the NBA finals. Let's be there. Let's get started on that storyline so then we can all unite and how the hell do we topple this guy?

I want to read you guys a couple of quotes here. Jalen Williams says, quote, I think we could have won if I played. Yeah? Yeah, why wouldn't you say that? And this is what Wembe said, I want to win so bad. It's like my life depends on it. Winning the Larry O'Brien, it's a childhood dream. It's almost like the meaning of my life.

Who says that? Someone who has been sent here by aliens with that mission. Do you think they could have won if Holmgren played? He took two shots in Game 7. What do you have? Four rebounds? Yep. Two shots, four rebounds.

He attempted three three-pointers in the final four games of the series, including none in Game 7. What are you doing? He's not even competing, Dan. Well, you say he's not competing, and what I would tell you is the reason that I, I so rarely feel this. I can be an empath about a million different things,

but I so rarely feel pity for someone just while they're playing. And I'm telling you that what I felt was, oh, look, everyone can see that Chet is scared, and he knows it. Everyone can see, not just on both teams, everyone watching on television can see that Chet Holmgren is scared of this game and this person, and we're all watching him be scared,

and he knows that we know. that he's scared because everything's going wrong for him. Maybe he needs to go visit the monks or do whatever it is that Wembe did and try to channel his inner Wembe, but what he did is got punked the entire series. Like, you can't be scared, though. Exactly right. You can't be scared.

We weren't watching San Antonio against Portland in the first round saying, oh, they're scared. Or San Antonio against Minnesota, oh, they're scared. Chad Holmgren on the defending champs. He's scared. All right. So you're saying you can't be scared, but would all of you acknowledge,

Would all, am I getting all yes votes to this question? Chet Holmgren played a game seven of basketball at the highest professional level, scared. Yes or no? Yes. Yes, 100%. That dates back to high school. That guy's been getting his lunch eaten by Wembe since they started playing together for the first time. Do you know how, do you know what a big thing it is when greatness announces its

by taking an ancillary character like Chet Holmgren at the start of this decade and just blowing him right off the page, you will never be a superstar. You will never be the person that is needed to be giant in these moments. You're not going to grow into this. The player we have seen up to now, this is the player you are. And when you run into Wembe, you're going to be scared for the rest of your life. because we saw at the very beginning of your career how scared you were. Eddie George was a terrific NFL player. And when I think of Eddie George, I think of Ray Lewis.

There aren't a lot of examples like that. It's such a good one. That is such a good one because if you do word association with me on Eddie George, Ray Lewis. It's practically that. Right away. Ray Lewis. That we watched somebody on a field get hit so many times,

somebody who looked like Eddie George, so many times so violently that we were like, oh, he stole a soul. This episode is sponsored by Better Help. We've gotten a lot better at talking about our mental health than we used to, right? People are more open about it, conversations are happening, and that's a really good thing. But asking for help? That still seems to be the hard part. Better Helps' 26th State of Stigma Report surveyed 2,000 Americans, and if it revealed that 85% of Americans believe getting support is wise, yet 74% say society discourages people from doing so.

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I was going for a thing. And I have a family. You're going to pretend here that you don't love Matthew Kachukch more than you love anybody you've ever loved? I don't love Matthew Kachukch more than my daughter. Stugats. Now it's pretty damn close. This is the Dan Levitar show with the Stugats. Give me all the examples you have of that where you have felt this is one.

This is absolutely one because it's what I felt watching it. Give me all the examples that you have of. players that you just associate. I'm not talking about the James Harden stuff. I'm talking about players who you associate with, they look across at another player, and they're scared of that player. Matthew Kachukin, Van de Kaine.

Took a soul twice. How'd you guys feel about Vegas and Carolina for the Cup? Oh, this is terrible, Dan. I mean, who do I even root for here? I guess the answer is Vegas, but... I wanted the vengeance against VGK. and I just hate that this all worked out for Carolina. I hate it.

I hate it. And do anything? Barcov did something. He stepped on the ice and tore his ACL. By the way, I don't know if you saw Sasha Barkov at the World Championship. Champion. But borrowed time for whoever lifts this cup with a big-ass-a-astresk on top of it

because counting down already. Yep. All right? I am counting it down already. This Carolina thing is just, It's such a bummer. I mean, every time they go up against the Panthers in the playoffs, it is not close, despite Robbrenner-Mor saying,

that wasn't really a sweep. Like, this team gets dominated by the Florida Panthers, and they just had to go through the senators, they had to go through the flyers, and Montreal's all right. That's the best team that they face in the playoffs. But that's the eight, the seven, and the four seed. What a chump path this team took.

That's how the next basically got to the finals. Barkoff, Barkoff win the championship this year, if he's healthy? Is he saying the same thing that Jalen Williams is saying? We all know. Doesn't have to. When you're the best, you don't have to tell everybody you're the best. So the Florida Panthers have to watch Vegas and Carolina in the finals.

And I think, obviously, this is not something that's going to interest America a whole lot, this particular final. But also, I know it's going to sound like sour grapes or buy. or homerism. But do I have it wrong when I say that the path that the Panthers took the last two years over great teams felt like it was a lot harder than what just ended up in the finals? Yes. Dan, I have banners in my office and my home office that show like the path. And I was just marveling.

Tampa, Toronto, Carolina last year, right? The first one, we had to go through Tampa, Boston, New York, and Edmonton. It's just insane. Any single one of those teams on that path is better than both this Carolina hurricane team and any team that they've played or encountered along the way. We're the best. It's a crazy thing to say, though, is it not? So I have it right, Roy, when I say that on merit, if you're just simply someone who loves hockey,

you're looking at this final and you're saying to yourself, meh, like how you got there, me. Man, I missed them play Panthers. I mean, it seems like they're going to end up going seven. in this series. I got caught in between playoffs and Panthers. I don't share that thought, whatever that was from Chris.

The hockey world is saying, man, I missed the Panthers. There, nailed it. Hey! We are absolute homers, and this is total sour grapes. And we sound, to the rest of the hockey world,

probably ignorant, but no one took it from us. No one took it from us. Do you sound ignorant, though? Because I'm asking the question from ignorance, okay? I saw the playoff teams and the conferences that the Panthers were climbing over the last two years. And I'm like, good God, this is grueling.

But also the series before, like the years before that I was looking at the hockey playoffs. And I'm saying, good God, this is grueling what every champion has to get over. But I don't feel that way with these two teams. Like either one of them, even though I should probably feel that way, at least in part for Vegas, because it's kind of stunning what Vegas is doing. Yeah, exactly. they swept the President's trophy winning Colorado Avalanche.

They swept them. He embarrassed them. Panthers won more games in Vegas. Not the Stanley Cup champion. The team that has the playoffs this year. It just feels different, too, because you haven't had these grueling series. I would say that this is one of the rare occasions.

The NBA playoffs have been more dramatic than the NHL playoffs. Oh, but that's my point. And the NBA playoffs haven't been dramatic. Like, that is my exact point. is like it feels like not just the last two years, don't make it the homerism of the Panthers. The last 10 years of hockey,

I feel like the champion, I'm always watching. I'm like, good God, the hockey playoffs are hard and impossible. And look at all these good teams, and I think seven teams can win. Last year I felt like 10 teams could win. I just want to point out that Montreal did have two seven-game series in this playoffs. So if they have gotten past Carolina,

that would have seemed pretty grueling as well. And the Tampa series, the Tampa Montreal series was all right. But in hockey, you can get to double digits on the incredible series that you see. And Montreal seemed to be the only team playing interesting ones. I don't necessarily agree with you on the NBA playoffs, storylines, what have you, has been better than the NHL.

I feel like if there's a little bit of recency bias there, because the first couple rounds of both playoffs, the NHL was far superior. The NHL conference finals were terrible, and at least one of the NBA conference finals, you had the good storylines. Like overall, the Stanley Cup playoffs happen better. Sure, I guess if you tell me, because I haven't really noticed, right?

Like, they haven't broken through. Like, Wemby has broken through for people that don't watch basketball. People are like, oh, my God, what's happening there? Oh, New York is really excited. I see it on social media. Like, I had to be told who was in the Stanley Cup final because I didn't really know. Like, it hasn't broken through. Let's get back to what it is that I was asking you guys, though.

What is the better story for the league and for America? New York winning or Wembe winning? because it's not even San Antonio. So what you have in Wembe is not only the giant. You also have the franchise, though it hadn't won a playoff game since 2017 before this year. You have a franchise that has done a whole lot of winning over the last 25 years. So if you're rooting for Wembe, you're also looking for the Spurs to have a corner on the market that New York never gets won and the Spurs get all of them.

It's not just that Brunson is the small player going against the jrower. giant, it's also that the New York market, while it's large against the smaller market, San Antonio, that's the underdog franchise. That's the laughing stock for 25 years. Which do you think America is rooting for, Zaz? Not you, not this room. What do you think America is rooting for? Is it Wemby? Is Tony alone everywhere where all of America is saying, yes, Wembe, please, you've got to slay New York? I think he's very likable. I think you're pretty much on your own there, Tony. I think almost everyone outside of New York is rooting for the Spurs.

Yes. Oh, look who's here. Michelle Beatle, our favorite Spurs correspondent. I'm sure that she will be just sunshine and easy to listen to. So happy. Hello, Michelle. What's up? It's nice to see you.

Anything happened this weekend that you enjoyed? Yes. For a split second, the entire world was at peace. It felt like joy was being felt by all. And you are right. Everybody in the entire world. has jumped on the Spurs bandwagon. I am in Los Angeles where Lakers fans are stopping me in the street and telling me we're rooting for you guys. That's never happened for as long as I've been alive. So this is a glorious time to be. I'm happy that everyone's joining in on the dynasty that is about to be a very much four or five year run of these bad boys. So you're welcome NBA and the world. Joy once upon is on us all. Are you guys stoked? Look at that. Look at that. God, I love them.

So you felt like democracy was secured by Wembe. Any divisions in America, there was bomb for them on Saturday. Fixed it. He fixed racism. He fixed hatred. The divisiveness is, look at this. This picture alone should win all the prizes. Nobel, name it.

Hey, David Getta fixed racism six years ago. Also French. Shout out to his family. Tony, do you have anything for Michelle here? It sounds like propaganda is what it sounds like. It sounds like the Galactic Federation is sending down one of their own to tell me how great everything's going to be over the next 10 years where the Spurs win everything. No, I'm going to be batting down the hatches and making sure that the rest of the NBA can go forward into the future, non-galactic fascism. I'm going to tell you this.

The rest of the NBA is going to cower like Chet Holmgren did in this series. Absolute fear of another man. It was an embarrassment to basketball. Honestly, Chet Holmgren should have a job overseas next season as far as I'm. concerned. And that is how the rest of the league is going to look. Because Wemby's only going to get better people. We got dog. Don't threaten us. Don't threaten us. Michelle, do you think that Dan is the only person who felt bad for Chet Holmgren?

How could you feel bad for Chet Holmgren? Like, I despise the idea of feeling bad for Chet Holmgren. You took two shots in a game seven in which the number two dude was in street clothes. Look, I mean, he, I don't know that I don't know that I. I've ever been afraid of another person, but now I know what it looks like. And I don't want any part of that. That was- You answered your own question, though. That's why I felt bad for him, because he was scared, and he knew that we knew that he was

scared. And Wemby knew, and the Spurs knew, and he's playing, he's like, beetle nose. She can see, I'm scared. I don't want to take this shot. Everyone can see I'm scared. It's like, why would I even bother? You know what? Go down in flames, man.

Take ugly shots. Take all the shots. Take 20 ugly shots. And you wouldn't be hearing it as badly as. as you are this morning. And it ain't going anywhere. And the problem is, is like,

you know, we see Wemby do what he does in the off season. Chek can't even do that now. Like, Chet can't go work out with monks because we'll just make fun of that as well. Like,

he is in a bad place. The monks are all right. The monks are not going to work with Chet. Let's keep it real. The monks have chosen the right side. We know. Put it on the poll at Lebitard show. Will the monks allow Chet to work with them?

What if we go Catholic monks? We leave the other monks somewhere else. We go with Catholic monks. You know about them Catholic monks? She's going to be laughing. Listen to that laugh. You're going to be hearing you for the next 10 years. Thank you, Michelle.

Nice seeing you. Thanks, guys. Going for two when you're up by five. Switching the zone when man isn't working. Oh, and building your new stadium in a state your team actually plays in. In sports, some things just make sense. You know what else makes sense? Drinking Yeagermeister shots.

ice cold. Drinking it any other way would be like punting on first down or letting your worst hitter bat first or like going for two when you're down three

with a second to go. It wouldn't make any sense. So don't let the team down when it comes to Yeagermeister drink it cold or don't drink it at all! Yeagermeister, damn that's cold. Drink responsibly.

Yeagermeister liqueur, 35% alcohol by volume imported by massed Yeagermeister U.S. White Plains, New York.