The Josh Innes Show - I Loved The Pistons/Knicks Series

Episode Date: May 2, 2025

It is really a shame we don't get to witness a Game 7 in the Pistons/Knicks series. I enjoyed it. It was old school, scrappy, hard hitting basketball. For people who rip the NBA for being soft, this series was a throwback. Plus, I enjoy when poverty sports towns have a resurgence. That's what's happening in Detroit. Will the Rockets force a Game 7? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Battle of Ontario is on, and FanDuel is your home for live betting the series, with features like live SGPs, build-a-parlay, any game, any period, or stack multiple matchups onto one slip with same game parlay plus. And what's better than playoff hockey? Overtime playoff hockey. Get more from the game with live overtime markets. Download FanDuel today and get more with North America's number one sportsbook. Please play responsibly.

19 Plus is physically located in Ontario. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or the gambling of someone close to you, please contact Connex Ontario 1866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. The following was recorded from inside an ice plunge. Okay. All right. What a course life is cold enough. The mountains on the can turn blue!

So the next time you want a cold lager, cold filter, cold package, core's light, just wait until those glorious mountains on the can turn blue! Woo! It's easy to say that fast when you're freezing gold! Do you eat food? Three times the points. Do you go anywhere? Three times the points. Do you eat food? Three times the points. Do you go anywhere?

Three times the points. Do you stream stuff? Three times the points. Well then, get the RBC ION Plus Visa and earn three times the points at grocery stores and restaurants as well as on gas, EV charging, daily transit, streaming services, digital gaming and more. All the time. Get the RBC ION Plus Visa.

Three times the points. Conditions apply. Visit rbc.com slash ion cards. Your business doesn't move in a straight line. Some days bring growth, others bring challenges. But what if you or a partner needs to step away? When the unexpected happens, count on Canada Life's flexible life and health insurance

to help your business keep working even when you can't. Don't let life's challenges stand in the way of your success. Protect what you've built today. Visit CanadaLife.com slash business protection to learn more. Canada Life, insurance, investments, advice. Alright everybody, welcome in. Glad you're with me today. Thank you everybody for listening to the podcast. Thank you for sharing it with your friends. Thank you for passing it along. You guys are wonderful. We have got a game six tonight with the Rockets and the Warriors. Let me check what the line is on this one right now. We got the Rockets and the Warriors game six. That is the only game in town tonight. Most of these series are over. This game or this series has a game six tonight and we have a game seven tomorrow with the Clippers and

the Nuggets, which has been an outstanding series. So we have a game seven in that one tomorrow. Should have, could have, would have had a game seven in the Detroit Knicks series, which I would argue people are blowing the series, the Clippers Nuggets and saying how great it was. The Pistons Knicks series, I'm fairly certain it went six games. I know for a fact it went six games. I think the total number of points separating the teams was like 16 over the course of six games. I think the total margin of victory for each team combined was about 16 points, which is stupid. It was an amazing series and it looked

like we were going to get a game seven. We deserved a game seven in that one. I usually don't say that. I hate using these kind of things you hear on sports radio all the time. Oh, that had to be a game seven. We deserve a game seven. But damn, that was a good series. And I mean, the Pistons would fall behind 15 points in the game last night, rally back, take the lead, fall down big again in the third quarter, fourth quarter, put on a charge to take the lead.

And then they couldn't stop Brunson late. They took like a seven,8 point lead late in the game and then Brunson took over because Brunson's a fucking beast. Like the fans in Detroit are chanting flopper and everything towards Brunson and he is a notorious flopper. That is reality, that's what he does. He's not like LeBron level flop but he flops. They think he's a call hunter, which I think he is. I wouldn't say that he's, you know, classic Jim Harden or anything like that where every play instead of looking to score, he's looking to get fouled, but he gets fouled a ton. He gets a ton of

calls, but late in the game, dude stepped up and made every big shot, including the one that iced it. He crossed over a Sarthompson so hard at the top of the key late.. Like so you can dump on Brunson, you can say hunts for fouls, you can say he's a flopper, all that shit and Detroit did. They hammered him. Great crowd in Detroit too. It's fun when cities like Detroit that are super passionate are good at things. Like a lot of people like to play up the role of like we're an underdog and we're scrappy and no one likes us and we don't care. Like Philadelphia does that a lot. Like Philadelphia, giant major American city, all four sports teams, they've won Super Bowls at least in the re- obviously this year. They've won two Super Bowls, been

to three in the last eight years or seven years, whatever that number is now, and they've won the World Series in the last eight years or seven years, whatever that number is now, and they've won the World Series in the last decade and a half, whatever. They've been to the World Series. They've been there. So it's not like it's a poverty city as it relates to sports, right? And it's not like it's a run down, jank ass, bankrupt city or anything like that, right? It's got its issues, but it's a major American city and the issues it faces face every American or are faced by every American major city. You're not

St. Louis or something right? Yet somehow Philly always plays the you know we're this scrappy little rocky underdog like I always found that to be the most preposterous thing about Philadelphia is that Philadelphia loved to play this blue-collar scrappy no one likes us we don't care rocky bow all that kind of stuff when it's just a major American city with millions of people in it right and it's a very if there's a fits an affluent city it's got major universities it ain't a dump right and it's not a poverty sports city Detroit for about the last two decades, give or take, has been

a poverty sports city. Obviously, the Tigers have had ups and downs, been to the World Series a couple times, but up until last year hadn't made the playoffs in like a decade. Shockingly, Hockey Town has had terrible hockey for the last like decade plus. Just bad hockey. They don't make the playoffs. They're a bad hockey team for the most part. So you look at the Red Wings. They've been bad. So you know the Tigers who are really notoriously shitty. They've had some runs of being

pretty good, but for the most part, they're notoriously shitty. The Red Wings who historically have been great are shitty. The Lions are historically shitty up until the last couple of years and by the way, the Detroit Pistons have still not won a home playoff game since like 2008. It is a poverty until the last couple of years. And by the way, the Detroit Pistons have still not won a home playoff game since like 2008. It is a poverty sports city. So Philadelphia and cities like that like to play poverty sports city. Like I saw someone post about Houston. I saw somebody I follow on Twitter and they're like something about how rough it is to be a Houston sports fan and blah,

blah, blah. I'm like bullshit. You've gone to the World Series like four fucking times, right? Your football team's got a star quarterback, you're going to playoff games, man. Like, shut the fuck up. Like, now your basketball team's back. Let's stop acting like, you know, it's so tough to be in Houston where you've won two World Series in the last eight years. Boy, it's a real rough go. Your college team just went to the final four again, went to the national championship game. Oh, it's so tough to be Houston in this beautiful major American city with great, just this beautiful American city.

It's so tough. But if you're Detroit, think about Detroit. City was bankrupt, still hadn't come all the way back, and it's a poverty sports city. Detroit is like a true fun story. Let me play a couple commercials and we'll continue. All right, if you're ready to win some real cash during the basketball playoffs, you got to check out Pick Six from DraftKings. When it comes to basketball payouts, DraftKings Pick 6 posterizes the competition including price picks. It's a very simple concept. Hit all your picks and score higher minimum payouts on Pick 6 plus even more cash if you outscore

the competition. Pick 6 is available in most states including Missouri, California, Texas, Georgia and more and I absolutely love it. Look, every night we're going to be having playoff basketball. Every night. So when you're sitting around and you might not have interest in a particular game, let's say you're a fan of a particular team, they're not playing that night, here's how you make it a little bit more fun for the other games. Build a little lineup there with pick six.

It's really great. Me and my wife do it all the time. So make sure you do it and new players get 50 in pick six credits instantly on just a $5 entry. Download the Draft Kings pick six app now and use code Ennis. That's my name, I-N-N-E-S for new customers to play. $5, get 50 in pick six credits, better payouts, bigger wins, Only with Pick 6 from DraftKings, the crown is yours. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org in Connecticut. Must be 18 plus. Age and eligibility

restrictions vary by jurisdiction. Pick six not available everywhere including New York and Ontario. One per new customer. Bonus awarded is non-withdrawable pick six credits that expire in 14 days. Limited time offer. See terms at pick six.DraftKings.com. Are you a forward thinker? Then you need an HR and finance platform that thinks like you do.

Workday is the AI platform that helps propel your organization, your workforce, and your industry into the future. Workday, moving business forever forward. What matters most to you? Is it unforgettable adventures? Connections with lifelong friends?, peaceful moments of reflection, feelings of joy and freedom you can't wait to experience again and again?

Or is it the vehicles that help you make all those special moments possible? Whatever your answer is, Toyota is here to bring you closer to the things that matter to you. Because they matter to us too. Toyota. For what matters most. Spring is here and you can now get almost anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. What do we mean by almost? I mean you can't get a well-groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parmesan delivered.

Sunshine? No. Some wine? Yes. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol in select markets. See app for details. Thursday, May 8th is McHappy Day.

When every menu item purchased at McDonald's helps support families with sick children. So you can feel the good that comes from doing good. Just from ordering. So if I order a Big Mac, I'm helping. Yup. What about a McFlurry? 10 piece chicken McNuggets and apple pie?

You got it. Every single order helps. Join us at McDonald's for McHappy Day on Thursday, May 8th. Do good, feel good. A portion of food and beverage sales will support RMHC chapters and local children's charities across Canada. So when I watch Detroit, I'm like I want them to be successful. You know, I want the I want the Pistons to be successful and then they're playing a style of basketball that fits the city. Now it's not gonna fit winning championships. They're a lot like my old school Memphis Grizzlies, not the John Morant Memphis Grizzlies, but the Tony Allen, Zach Randolph, Mark Gasol, and Mike Conley Jr. Grizzlies,

the grit and grind winning playoff games like 98-94 type of teams, right? They're like that. That team obviously had a ceiling and they made it to the conference finals once it got swept. Teams like Detroit have to go out and find more shooters and more scorers, you know. But I keep bringing up Detroit just because I think I'd gravitate towards that team because they remind me of a team that I loved watching so much, which was the Memphis teams of the loved watching so much, which was the Memphis teams of the late 2000s and mid 2000s. I just loved watching them. So either way, that was an amazing series. The fans like this you like you can tell they're thirsty for it, right? And that's kind

of what makes it fun. I'm a Cardinals fan. I've never really experienced my team being as terrible as they are now. I didn't live that. First year, I really remember following the Cardinals. I was 10 years old and it was the first year Tony LaRusso. They went to the playoffs. They were up three games to one on Atlanta in the LCS and should have won. I was a kid. I was ready to celebrate and go to the World Series.

It didn't happen. I had rooted for the Cardinals before. I remember it, but I don't remember being as invested as I was when I was 10 years old in 1996 watching the Cardinals. That's the first time I really remember being balls deep in it. I was heartbroken. Right after that, McGuire comes to town at the next year's trade deadline. The year after that he hits 60 or 72 home runs. The year after that he hits like 65 home runs and then the year after that they go to the LCS against the Mets and they were off and running. I never really had to experience shitty times, but a lot of the

Cardinals fans here did because 87 they go to the World Series they don't go back to the playoffs for nine more years and then they don't go to the playoffs again for four more years after that. So early in the rebirth of the franchise and when I say rebirth, I mean early in the holy shit, we're good again. And there's Jim Edmonds and Albert, by the way, Albert Pujols wasn't there the first year they were good, but Jimmy Edmonds and they go to the LCS against the Mets where they

lose four games to one. The stadium's packed. The next year you get Albert Pujols. They're back in it again. They go to the division series. The next year in 2002, they go to the LCS again. The next year, 03, they're not in. Then 04 happens, you get the World Series appearance, get swept by the Red Sox. But if you go back and watch the old videos of that, you can tell it was a city that hadn't been spoiled by success yet. So people were locked in and into it. It is impossible

as a sports fan to not be spoiled by success. It is if you have great success. Like I think Astros fans are 100% spoiled by success. I'm not judging you, but you've been to the World Series a handful of times. You've won two World Series. You've got Hall of Fame players. Every year you're in competition. You're not out there, you know, just fledgling. You haven't had to have two or three shitty seasons. Right now, this new crop of Astros fans is spoiled

and people get so offended when you fucking say that, oh, we're spoiled. No, you're fucking spoiled and that's okay. It is okay that you're spoiled. Right now, the Eagles fans are spoiled with the football they have. That like people take that as a horrible affront and an insult. It's not. It's good to be spoiled because that means you've had success. You know, I know I've told you this anecdote before, but like I used to do these football games on Friday nights

in Baton Rouge and afterwards we'd go out and have beers and stuff. And one of the guys, one day I'm sitting with him and we're drinking beers at the Chimes East, one of my favorite places in Baton Rouge. And he just goes, you know, Josh, no matter how hot some girl is, there's always some guy ready to kick her out of bed. And I'm like, that's a good piece of information.

That's a nice anecdote you've delivered to me there. And that's how it is. You know, you start winning World Series all the time, like the Cardinals fans here got spoiled. They got used to doing it. So when you don't do that anymore, people tune out, right? That's just kind of the way things go. Why I enjoy what Detroit is doing is Detroit is still in the

rise, like the Lions are still in the rise, right? Although I think fans are going to start to have higher expectations, especially after they got smoked in the playoffs last year in what was supposed to be a big, you know, Super Bowl run that didn't happen and they got smoked by a rookie quarterback so maybe they're going to look at things differently now and maybe the vibe will change. But you saw the crowds in Detroit. Like I like when cities like Detroit that are really good sports towns. Like there are some towns that are just better sports towns than others. Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, and Chicago's gone right. Detroit fits into that

category as well. Again, it makes sense. They are these cities that are usually in colder weather, kind of grimy, grinded out type of cities, right? Cleveland's a great sports town when things are going well. Obviously, if they're not, people aren't going to go, but that's any city. But the sports fans, in terms of the passion, the passion, generally speaking that sports fans have in those cities is not matched by the

LA's or the Dallas's or the Houston's or the Miami's. It's just not. There's a different world that you have in those cities. I mean, it just is. Look, I'm not ripping the Houston people because I get the traffic fucking sucks and they eventually got to the game. But when the game tipped off, there were seemingly hundreds to thousands of empty seats it seemed like for game five of the series against the Warriors, right? So, like it's, eh, eh, right? So, look, and I lived in Houston and I love Houston, I'd move back there tomorrow if there was a job, but Houston is not a super passionate sports city,

it is a passive sports city. If the Astros have back-to-back seasons of losing games, people aren't gonna go. Just like every city, but that's how it's gonna go. Anyway, point being in all of this is I am enjoying watching Detroit play basketball. I wanted that series to go seven. Jalen Brunson had other thoughts. Dude took over late. If you're a team like Detroit, now you gotta find some. You gotta find your dude. You got Cade. Now you gotta go out and get somebody else. Find another score. Find another shooter. It seems impossible

and I only know these things because these are the type of things I bet on because I'm a degenerate. But on draft kings, you can take different bets for three-pointers. And there was one bet that I saw where each team playing in games last night to make 10 three-pointers, right? So the Knicks got to 10 three-pointers. I think they got to 11. Jalen's one was a three-pointer that got them to 11 threes in the game. The Pistons had eight three-pointers

at halftime, I believe was the total. Eight three-pointers, like six of which were hit by Malik Beasley. He was stupid in the first half. That's his job basically is to hit threes and he decided to start hitting some. Second half comes around. The Pistons hit one three-pointer. In today's NBA, like you have a better chance of a UFO landing at center court and probing LeBron James with aliens coming out of the UFO and anally probing LeBron James than an NBA team making one three-pointer and a half of basketball. I would assume on average, each team makes about five to six to seven three-pointers per. I'm going to guess somewhere in the

neighborhood of like six. So on average, because I think the average that teams are hitting in terms of three-pointers in the league per game is probably 11 or 12, right? And I know these things because I study them too much, because I bet on them too much, because I'm a degenerate. But I would have to assume that on average five to six three-pointers are hit by each team in each half of each NBA game. And even if it's the playoffs, say you slice that down a little bit because it's a tougher, more gritty atmosphere, right? To make one three-pointer, one and a half of basketball is remarkable. Another remarkable thing is that I needed each team to score 20 points in each quarter of both games. You want to talk about this shit getting tight? Sometimes miracles happen. Most of the time the miracle goes the other way.

Like the other night I needed the Lakers to score 20 points in the fourth quarter and I would have had a nice hit. They didn't do it. They scored 16 because they were terrible. With the game tied at 113, Detroit Knicks tied at 113. I needed 3 points from the Knicks in the fourth quarter for that to be a victory. I needed them to get to 20 points. Jaylen Brunson steps up. Bang! Hits the 3 so I get to 20. Then I'm still thinking, holy shit, so there's still time. I need one more three from the Pistons and I would also get the 10 threes. And they actually were going to get a look. I think the Knicks

were trying to foul and somehow they got an open look and Malik Beasley, who hit six threes in the first half, couldn't even catch the wide open pass. He fumbled it. Ball game over season over in my bed over but I did hit one of them and it worked out. What a shitty feeling that must have been to be Beasley though like that. I'm sure there have been worse feelings for people in games before sure, you know Buckner and shit like that. But and who knows that the ball

would have even gone in but they were trying to foul they couldn't get the foul somehow the ball gets to your best three-point shooter one of the better three-point shooters in the league wide open on the wing not a soul near him and he dropped the pass it's one of those got stuck in a moment and can't get out of it situations but i really wish we were getting more of that series because that series was fun. Everybody that bitches about the NBA and says, oh, I don't watch because they shoot too many threes and they don't play defense. Watch that fucking series because people weren't hitting a ton of threes

and they were playing a fuck ton of nasty, grimy, scratching, clawing defense. And it was a great fucking series. And we deserved a game seven in that series just so I had to have something else to bet on. Then you do get a game seven in this Clippers Nuggets series and that's been a fantastic series. I'd say that you've had some wacky **** that's happened in those games and it's probably been more exciting than the Pistons and Knicks but they were equally as entertaining and

that's going to give us our only game seven. Maybe we'll get two if the Rockets win. I don't think the Rockets are going to go on the road and win as we talked about yesterday. Basically what happened was it was weird because if you watch it even early in the game, they're talking to the sideline reporter early in the game game five in Houston and she was basically like well, we talked to to coach current if this thing gets out of hand, they're

going to kind of keep an eye on what's going to happen here. And there's a chance that maybe they just sit the guys and like just kind of concede the game. Basically saying that. Then they said that to start the second half as well. Like if this thing gets out of hand, we're probably just going to, you know, concede. So in a way, they gave up that game and they've done that before. It doesn't mean that the Rockets didn't take it. I mean, a team

can give you the game. You still have to go out and beat the shit out of them and the Rockets did. But I don't know. I feel like they set that thing up to come back and just have Steph drill seven threes tonight and just say good night to the Rockets. I hope that's not the case. But you look at where the Rockets are and they've had essentially perfect performances in terms of shooting the basketball from but now three or four games in a row I guess three games in a row now from Van Vliet can he still go out hit six threes for you? Jalen Green. Tired of seeing

Jalen Green in the Wingstop commercial. Cut the shit you're scoring like eight points a game outside of that one big game in this thing. Cut the shit you're not the beast or the largest I don't want to see you eating your stupid chicken tenders on the fucking commercial. Go score more than nine fucking points. Go score more than 11 points. You're a superstar. How about this? Be on the floor with two minutes to go in a close game instead of on the bench painting your fucking nails. Somehow I'm going to fall

for it again. Well, let me see what his total is for today. somehow I'm going to fall for it again. Well, let me see what his total is for today. Let's see. Let's see here. Let me see what Jalen Green's points are. Josh, don't fall for it. Don't fall for it. Don't fall for it, Josh. Jalen Green. Boy, his total has gone down though. Jalen Green is now, well, no, it's still 15 and a half. Don't fall for it Josh, don't take the cheese Josh. Rockets are also really like a sizable underdog for this series because every game has been you know within type of 3-4 points for the spread.

Rockets still about 5 and a half. I would probably consider the over again. I would, you know what, I bet the Rockets over is still in play in this one too. Let me see, I would probably consider the over again. I would, you know what, I bet the Rockets over is still in play in this one too. Let me see, I would guess theirs is 99.5 or 100.5. Let me see here. It's a 101.5 shit, so... I feel like the over may be in play, but I never play under, so take from that what you will. Anyway, more to come.