The Mismatch - Knicks Take a 2-0 Lead, Spurs-Thunder Head to San Antonio Tied at 1

Episode Date: May 22, 2026

Verno and Jacoby return to react to the Knicks' Game 2 win over the Cavs and recap Spurs-Thunder Game 2. Then, they preview the remainder of each series, dissect the Giannis trade rumors, and look at ...the NBA All-Rookie teams. Welcome to The Mismatch! (00:00) Knicks-Cavs: NY takes Game 2 with 109-93 victory, Josh Hart 26 pts (09:31) Wave of Knicks fandom throughout the five boroughs (11:53) Ice-cold Cavs: Shooting woes continue, 35 percent FG in Game 2 (17:13) Knicks-Cavs: Worst of the conference finals, series ends in five (24:10) Thunder-Spurs recap: Physical WCF battle, turnovers kill Spurs (29:15) SGA 30 pts, 12-24 FG, OKC 34 Assists (second-highest in the playoffs) (34:15)  Wemby 21 pts, 10 pts in the paint (down sharply from 26 pts in Game 1) (43:47) Thunder vs. the World: Can the Spurs rebound in Game 3? (49:16) NBA All-Rookie First Team: Flagg, Knueppel, Edgecombe, Harper, and Coward (52:06) All-Rookie Second Team: Bailey, Fears, Murray-Boyles, Raynaud, and Queen (55:09) Giannis trade watch: Bucks open to offers (57:56) Jeff Van Gundy as the Blazers' next head coach? Leave us a message on our Mismatch Voicemail line! (323) 389-5091 The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit https://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines. Protect your summer today at WeatherTech.com Hosts: Chris Vernon and David Jacoby Producers: Stefan Anderson and Jeff Shearin Social: Keith Fujimoto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:00 That's I'm Chris Farnan and joining me as he does every week when The Ringer.com is Dave Jachovic. Jekovey. No, I don't know how to feel right now. I don't know how to feel. What? You should feel great. It's just weird. It's weird.
Starting point is 00:00:32 Like, game one with a huge comeback, you can walk away from it being like, that kind of sucked. We should never be in that position. I can't believe they put James Harden in front of Jaylen Brunson over and over again. And this time I kind of feel similarly. Like, I don't like. like to criticize coaches because they spend a lot more time and energy on their craft than I do, but you can't just leave Josh Hart alone when he's hitting. And they did it over and over and
Starting point is 00:00:59 over again. This episode of The Mismatch is presented to you by WeatherTech. Everyone knows Winter is the MVP in making a mess. You don't need WeatherTech floor liners in the summer, unless you hit the beach or go camping, then you'd want a cargo liner. Or a road trip goes sideways. Catchup goes rogue. Ice cream drips. Yeah, you'd be pretty happy
Starting point is 00:01:24 about those weather tech seat protectors. So just to be clear, as the mud you're inevitably going to step in this summer, you don't need weather tech unless you plan on doing summer. So visit weathertech.com today. This is one of the things that we've talked about a lot when it was, it's Rui Hachamura when it comes playoff time for the Lakers.
Starting point is 00:01:52 It more recently has been Alex Caruso, right? There's going to be those guys that get abandoned. They're going to be the open ones because of the extra attention that is paid to the stars and the defensive scheme that is put together. And those guys have to step up and knock down shots. and it was the huge difference in this game. Because I thought, especially throughout the first half of that game and into the third quarter, I thought the Cavaliers got all kinds of great wide open three point looks.
Starting point is 00:02:25 And maybe in Cleveland, those shots will go down. But when Max Trues is one for four and Sam Merrill is 0 for seven, I mean, these are the guys like, you know, right, the extra attention. going to get paid, you're swinging out to them. Those guys have to knock down those shots. And we talk about this, every playoff game. The difference between winning is losing is the
Starting point is 00:02:49 Josh Hart characters or the Sam Merrill characters or the Max Trues characters. Like, which of those guys is going to step up and knock down shots that they have to, because they've been abandoned by the defense, in order to make life hard on the Brunson's
Starting point is 00:03:05 and the towns and the Ananobes of the world? Absolute nightmare. game for San Meryl. Like he, he had butt-naked threes, and he missed the first three. And then it's just in his head. I thought, I honestly felt bad for him, and I'm a Knick fan. I was just like, you could tell. He just, his confidence was just shot.
Starting point is 00:03:23 And he didn't, every time he rose up, it was like, that's not going in. And we all knew it wasn't going on. It was an absolute nightmare for Sam Mero. I mean, you're two for 14. We talked about this assembly line of white threes. that Cleveland has. And it's like, all right, which one's got it tonight? Wade, Struz, Merrill.
Starting point is 00:03:46 And they're two for 14 from three. Yeah. Between the three of them. So we've talked about this. And I remember you and KOC talking about this. Like, who's the fifth beetle? Right. And we thought like Struz.
Starting point is 00:04:01 We thought it was true. He had a good, he had a good series at the end of that series against the Pistons. Also, Merrill had the one game. He was hitting shots. Yeah. I mean, that came seven. He just, I mean, knocking down everything. And so it's like, but they need one of them to pop off.
Starting point is 00:04:17 And he's got three choices. So it's like, who can do this tonight? And none of them can do it tonight. And I don't know about you. They recognized this at the very beginning of the broadcast. Mitchell does not. Mitchell's not right. No.
Starting point is 00:04:31 He's not right. He's not telling you what's wrong, but something is wrong. Well, did you hear the, I think it was post-Haptime? when the sideline reporter was like, I spoke to Kenny Ackinson about Donovan Mitchell. And he said he hasn't said anything to me, but I'm seeing what you're seeing. Like Mitchell is injured.
Starting point is 00:04:50 Like I'm just going to say it out loud. That I'm not reporting it. I don't know for a fact, but he is not himself. Like I've seen that man bounce up off a two feet, cock the ball back and dunk on Biggs over and over and over. And he gets two feet in the paint. It seems like he has no interest in scoring.
Starting point is 00:05:05 Yeah, what was crazy. Because even then, right? Like it was, because there's a bunch of times, even in that first quarter, when they got that early lead, like right off the bat. They're up like, whatever, 17 to 11, whatever. But I'm thinking to myself, boy, he is getting downhill, but he is not, like you were saying, he's not finishing at the rim. He's finding the dunker spot guy. And this was, and this was. And kicking it out to a shooter, Merrill, a white shooter who misses.
Starting point is 00:05:31 But he's getting downhill. And it's like the first step's fine. But then he just, like, now he's passing. It's like he's the point of the drive is to get the paint touch because he's not finishing like you normally would. And there's some level of explosion that's obviously not there that we have seen before. But you don't see like a blatant limp or like an obvious him holding something or getting something. I was like Anthony Edwards was compromised in the playoffs. He was compromised.
Starting point is 00:06:02 He had two knees. And then he had ice all over him. He's going to the back and getting treatment. but Mitchell just seems not himself. If I would have told you, let's just take this sample. If I would have told you that Josh Hart, by a pretty wide margin,
Starting point is 00:06:15 would lead the Knicks in field goal attempts, if that's the only thing I would have told you going into tonight's game, how would you would have felt about that? Pretty good. Really? Because he doesn't shoot him when he's missing him. You would have said, oh, that means.
Starting point is 00:06:33 Yeah, because he doesn't shoot him when he's missing him. This is because those threes turn into like, well, up fake, dribble into the middle, probe, and then try to kick to somebody. Like, when he's missing him, he doesn't take. In fairness, he did miss the first three, but then he did keep shooting and then they started dropping.
Starting point is 00:06:51 Oh, I mean, they all dropped. But I mean, it was like he had SARS. They were like, there was nobody here. It entered. Enta heart. Yeah. Hot the virus. He just got off the car.
Starting point is 00:07:05 cruise ship. Yeah. But honestly, like, it wasn't just the threes. Like, he was getting the lane. He was causing problems.
Starting point is 00:07:13 I do feel like there's been a lack of in-game adjustments from the Cavs in the series. It's only been two games, but like, we're going to double Brunson. But like, they double him so far from the basket and the Knicks are ready for it. And then somebody cuts to the nail.
Starting point is 00:07:31 And then they've just got a four on three. And there's eating them up. Like, Every time they double Brunson, it was just like, do you remember last episode? You know what it reminds me of? It was like they double Brunton high, and it was, it's reminiscent of the old Curry double.
Starting point is 00:07:50 And now Ananobe is playing the Draymond role, just like navigating it from the top of the key. And it's like, all right. It's Annobeas heart, it's bridges. And they seem ready for it. They are, they are, they're like, guess what? in game four, Brunson cooked harded over and over and over. We're not going to let that happen again.
Starting point is 00:08:11 We're going to double. And the Knicks were ready for it. It's kind of like what I said about the Thunder last episode. It didn't seem like in game one. We'll talk about game two later. In game one, it seemed like they weren't prepared for SGA to be doubled the way he was. It felt like the Knicks were prepared for this and had a counter for it. It was a really well executed Brunson game.
Starting point is 00:08:28 Brunson's like, oh, you guys don't want me to score because I cooked you last game. I'll get everybody else involved. And everybody's knocking down shots. Well, and they also, right, like they just, they, they, they, they, they extended that lead in the third quarter and it never really, there was that one mini run that Cleveland went on, but there was like the huge response from New York. Yeah. And then they got down to like seven and like OG hit a three. Next thing you know, you're back to double digits. And the crowd's into it.
Starting point is 00:08:55 It's just over. Oh, and the crowd. I mean, and my God, the crowd tonight. I mean, how about the, how about the legends row when they showed it? it had Shumpert, it had Larry Johnson, it had John Starks. Bernard King. Bernard King. It had Starberry.
Starting point is 00:09:13 Youing. And it had John Calipari. I was watching the pregame. He was there at like 530. He was there so early. I was watching ESPN pregame just getting ready for the game. I was like, you ain't got there at like 4 o'clock and had lunch and just like warmed up with the team. What is it like to be in New York right now?
Starting point is 00:09:33 Is it all anybody is talking about everywhere? Is it everywhere you go? People are wearing Knicks gear. Like, has it, do you feel like it's at a fever pitch because they're in the conference finals? It is absolutely blowing up. Like it's like my son will come home from school and be like, did what happened?
Starting point is 00:09:54 The Knicks game last night. It's all anybody he talks about. And you can always tell because like, just follow the money. There's now like a cottage industry of like dudes with like folding tables just selling like knock off knicks t-shirts in the middle of the street yeah it's like a lemonade stand but it's like nix gear yeah they're getting all the team who like unofficial nix gear just like it's just like get me a hundred of those and i'll sell them for $10 a pop and i'll come home
Starting point is 00:10:21 with a thousand dollars like it's it's it's really turned into a thing and you can also tell like a lot of brand new knicks hats you know oh yeah a lot of like like that like you know like the brim isn't really curved. There's no sweat stains on it. You know, it's like a brand new cream hat. Like, clearly it's just like you've just ripped the tags off it. And you're now a Nick Finn. It's a wave.
Starting point is 00:10:45 It's a lot of that. It's a wave. And that's what happens. Right. That means that you have, you have brought in all the, all the people that have not paid attention throughout the year. They're caught up in it now, right? When a city, when you, when you're one of the last four teams remaining,
Starting point is 00:11:00 the city just gets on fire for a team. Well, also when you're up too well, remember they went down 02 and they hosted the first two games last year. That's a different vibe. Remember game one with the weird bounce and like that? Like it's a different vibe when you're up too well. I'm starting to look at the Thunder Spurs series like, how are these hamstrings doing? You know how many times I refreshed Dylan Harper news on Google today? There's no information about this stuff.
Starting point is 00:11:31 Well, they said that he, that when they listed him is questionable for the next game? Abductor. Yeah, they said it was an abductor. I thought he hurt his leg. That's what I thought, too. Okay. Well, that's way better. It's way better if it's an abductor than if it's a hamstring.
Starting point is 00:11:48 Because we know this soft tissue stuff is just the worst. Yeah, it's all. I mean, like, let's talk to Cass for a second. Like, I thought, I thought they had a bad game plan. I thought they executed poorly. I can't name a calf that had a good game. Can you? I mean, it started off where Jared Allen was getting a ton of rebounds. And I was like, hey, look, at least lights are light dark too bright for him, right?
Starting point is 00:12:13 I mean, he played 28 minutes. No, but then he cooled out. Yeah. I mean, it just seems like the double big's not working. It seems like Dean Wade's not working. Bro, they're going to. They're going to do it a bunch of three. They're going to have to hit a bunch of threes.
Starting point is 00:12:27 They're going to have a bunch of threes. they are getting a lot of open threes. You know, it's going to be one of those. I promise you that shot quality is going to look. Like they're going to be able to do the process thing. Like our process is good. We're just not making the shots that we would normally make. And it's like, yeah, well, this is where.
Starting point is 00:12:45 That's also a problem. This is also a problem. And this is also where the game is not played on paper. You know, even going into this, they, into this series, they're saying Nick's opponents have shot. I think it was like 31% on what would be considered wide open threes. And that's the first two rounds of the playoffs. Okay.
Starting point is 00:13:08 So there's something to that, right? And that these shots are harder to make when you're playing in conference finals. And you're playing the Madison Square Garden and Bernard King. And Salome's there. Bernard King's there. Fat Joe's yelling at you. And the other thing is these, so the shots aren't the same even though you could just you know, if you played it out on a computer,
Starting point is 00:13:31 they're going to say that the cavaliers got a lot of good looks. And then I think the silver lining would be, we'll go back home and these guys will be comfortable in that gym. And if we get all those same wide open threes, they're going to drop for us at home like they have not dropped on the road. Because, look, that's just, I mean, they have zero chance if they're going nine for 35 from three.
Starting point is 00:13:55 Well, I also think that I think, I don't, I'm not going to sit here now. like I know anything about Donovan Mitchell's health. But he just doesn't seem like himself. But I think that that can trickle down. Of course. Well, he's the guy, you know. And like Brunson's the Knicks guy and they're doubling him and he's creating and getting
Starting point is 00:14:13 other people involved and making the right reads constantly. And I feel like when your main offensive engine is somewhat compromised, and again, I have no idea what's going on with him. But the U.E. We're seeing it. You know, what we've seen Donovan Mitchell. We just saw it. him take over the game.
Starting point is 00:14:31 39 and a half. I mean, we just saw it. So that guy is, and it's not the defense. Like there's something up with him where he is not at his, that, that night, that 39 and a half. I mean, that was like this guy is a superstar. And also, there is a long track record of him being an outstanding, even if his team has not had the success, he's been an outstanding individual performer.
Starting point is 00:14:57 He's one of the leading scorers in NBA history. He's got like 44 and a loss. You just don't remember it because it was a loss. But it's like everybody else is hurt. Guess what? I'm going to go out there, do everything I can. You know, I think it was the Celtic series two years ago, I want to say. And he's like, you know, he's just doing everything he can,
Starting point is 00:15:14 has him a lead in the first half. It's just there's only so much one man can do. And I think that, you know, you start to miss some shots. Meryl's missing shots. It's a little contagious. It just kind of gets contagious throughout the team. When Donovan Mitch doesn't feel like he has it. the guys who normally knock down the threes aren't knocking down threes and the crowd gets excited and just like that you know that's an L.
Starting point is 00:15:33 I thought the crowd is really good tonight. Like they were, they were into it tonight in a way that they were much more subdued. And that's just what happens when for three and a half quarters, everybody's going, what the hell is going on? You know what I mean? Right.
Starting point is 00:15:48 So they never really got, but I mean, this was like as soon as the Knicks went on that first run of the game, it was like, I mean, they were so loud. They're so loud. And every time they go to break, they're showing, you know, Ben Stiller and these guys,
Starting point is 00:16:01 high five and everything and everybody's going nuts. It looked like a party in there. But how do you even get in there? Like, I don't know. I'm rich, Verno. I'm rich. And I can't go to the game. I can't go to the game.
Starting point is 00:16:15 His dude, said, I'm rich. I'm rich and I can't go to the game. Oh, get him, Zoron. Get him, Zoron. I can't spend $800 to sit with my back against the wall. I just can't justify. by that in my head. You better hope Mondami don't listen to this podcast, brother.
Starting point is 00:16:31 Oh, I'm getting taxed. You are getting taxed. I'm getting taxed. I'm getting taxed. You're going to hit the paper extra trash cans. Oh, God. Yeah, man. I mean, I'm literally here, this is, this happened after they beat the
Starting point is 00:16:48 Celtics last year where the next group chat started being like, who's better to play? The wolves of the thunder. I'm starting to get there right now. I'm starting to be like, well, we matched up well against the spurs in the regular season, but, you know, if the Thunder are dealing with some injuries, maybe that's going to be better. Like, I don't know. Let's be honest, though. Like, yeah, look, happy for Josh Hart, you know, mildly competitive for whatever you're about to say, don't say it. What are you about to say? I mean, this game versus
Starting point is 00:17:18 what we've been watching, the Western Conference finals. This was, this was by far the worst of the four finals games that we have gotten thus far. By far. Let's not forget. The Cavs, Pistons and Cavs Rappers wasn't exactly like Picasso either. No, I'm saying. I'm saying we have watched, I'm saying four conference
Starting point is 00:17:44 finals games. Oh yeah. This was by far the least entertaining. There's a, there's a varsity conference and a JV conference. However, there are some soft tissue. issues in the Western conference. Soft issues issues
Starting point is 00:18:00 issues. That's what I'm rooting for now. When I watch a game, I'm like someone laying on someone's ankle. I text you, I texted you the other day I said, man, you better tell them guys outside the garden to chill with that We Want Wemby chant.
Starting point is 00:18:14 I'm sure they're doing it right now. We want Wemby. I told you what happened out there last year. It's not a good scene. It's just like everyone's filming for something so they can post and go viral. It's it. Yeah. Like it's, it becomes a huge, like, it's not like a pure celebration of Nick's fandom.
Starting point is 00:18:31 It's a like, what can I do or what can I shoot to then post on social media to go viral? Also, the last two times I've walked out of the garden, just the most unbelievable freak of marijuana and CBD cigarette. I mean, it's the entire city. You just walk out and you're like, damn. Is everybody out here smoking weed? Yes. The answer is yes. It's unpoliced.
Starting point is 00:19:03 It is unpoliced. This is wild. Times Square. Times Square is like just all marijuana. And the cops are right there. And they're on the street too. It's illegal. It's literally illegal to smoke marijuana on the streets of New York.
Starting point is 00:19:19 For sure not. It's just like, it's the same thing as jaywalking. They're like, we don't care. Whatever. Go ahead. But it's one thing for it to not be legal. Eagle and they're like to be like a guy that's like smoking a blunt or something, it's everybody.
Starting point is 00:19:34 So they would have. I saw a lady in her. I saw a lady in her late 70s smoking a blunt at 9.30 this morning. What is going on? He's just trying to get by. She was having a conversation with someone else. Of course she was. Like it's 930.
Starting point is 00:19:52 Of course she was. All right. So anyway. Look, good effort by the Knicks that I think go up to do a lot. I expect the calves to bounce back. Don't you expect the calves to take three? Oh, then just give us the gentleman sweep. Yeah, I think this ends.
Starting point is 00:20:08 It does, it does feel like, yeah. It feels like that. I just can't imagine. I can't imagine that Struce and Wade, I don't know how many Wade took. How many Wade take? I mean, Wade only took three.
Starting point is 00:20:19 Between the, look, the assembly line of white guys. that are getting open shots for the cleave of cavaliers were two for 14. I'm not, again, I've said it before. I'm not fully comfortable calling Strews's way. So you got a Hartnstein thing going on. There's something going on there.
Starting point is 00:20:38 The other thing is like, look, this is, Evan Mowgli has to be a guy for them too. Did he play? He looked good in the first quarter. And then what? Nothing. Jared Allen, same thing. I mean, nothing.
Starting point is 00:20:55 I mean, eight. shot attempts in the game? I swear to God he's got six in the first quarter. I don't have it tracked in front of me, but I swear to God. He's got to be a guy for them. Let me look at my notes. I've got my little game notes here. Evan Mowbrley played 36 minutes took eight shots, three of which were three points.
Starting point is 00:21:16 Yeah, Mobley hit two threes in the first quarter. Yes. He drove past Mitch dunked in the first quarter. And I literally don't even mention him again in my notes in the entire game. It's just Merrill Mrs. Merrill Mrs. Merrill Mrs. Merrill Mrs. Merrill Mrs. Yeah. And I mean, and also you only went to the free throw line four times too. So I mean, this guy just wasn't even, like it's not even usage. And it's like, good grief.
Starting point is 00:21:38 This guy, this guy, like, he's got to be a guy for them. This is, this is what we talk about a lot where it's like to, to whom much is given, much is expected. You're getting paid like a guy that's got to be able to take more than eight shots at a playoff game, bro. Well, also, if you were the defensive player of the year, maybe make a mark on defense, because I'm watching the other series, and there's some defense going on in the other series. The mismatch is brought to you by Fandul.
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Starting point is 00:23:04 I know Shea's going to have over 25. I know Wemby's going to have over 20. I know Steph Castle is going to have over 15. And I know Chet's going to have over 10. And then you put all that together with the Thunder Money Line. And then you boost it. And then you're rich. just locking your bets, boost your odds, and make the playoffs pay off with Fandul,
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Starting point is 00:24:10 122, 113, Oklahoma City won game two. there was no fox going into the game then Dylan Harper went out with about four and a half minutes left in the third quarter and you saw how hard life was for San Antonio that is not the team that you need to be playing against down to ball handlers because Castle now has 20 turnovers in the first two games and it's like he should never have to do this role that he's just not cast for You know what I mean? It's like... And look, that team, that team is impossible to dribble against. Hard to make cross-court passes against, like, all the things that you are capable of doing against other teams are not on the table against Oklahoma City. You know, those passes that you make, there's somebody in the passing lane. Those, those...
Starting point is 00:25:07 They see it before you do and they're anticipating it. It's... And they're just hacking and hacking and hacking and hacking and hacking and hacking. and hack it. It's a physical brand of basketball. And they are unbelievable defensively. And as we've talked about throughout the season, your chance, and this is what the spurs were able to pull off in game one. They were able to overcome their turnover problems in game one
Starting point is 00:25:36 because they demolished them on the board. when Binyama was otherworldly, and they got them, they were able to score it up to turn it into half-court basketball. And you're getting to play half-court basketball with outstanding perimeter defenders and a seven-foot-five guy standing at the free throw line. Okay, so it's like,
Starting point is 00:26:00 they're hard at shit to score against in the half-court. In this game, they turned it over again 20-plus times and 21 turnovers leading to 27 points. And the rebounding was either even or Oklahoma City won it. I mean, it was right there. I think they both had 40-something rebounds. But, I mean, you know, you can offset you, if you're going to turn the ball over like that against Oklahoma City,
Starting point is 00:26:28 you have to offset it by killing them on the, on rebounds. And because you're going to lose the, and you can't lose. 45 to 41. Well, and look at the possession game. you're not going to beat that team when you know what I mean like losing the possession game like that so what I'm saying is in game one they turned the ball over a lot but they were able to make up for it in other areas in game two they turned the ball over a lot but they didn't have anything to offset that and so those 21 turnovers turned into 27 thunder points um and you just can't have over 20 turnovers and expect to win a game. I mean, they, again, they got away with it in game one. They got away with it in game one.
Starting point is 00:27:16 They're 23 in game one. But Wemby was like, oh, they offset it. They had 60 friggin rebound. Yeah, it's also crazy. Like, game one, I was shocked when they put Caruso in for Hartstein. It was so early. You just don't see subs come in that herb. Right. You just don't see it. It's like so outside of the normal rotation. So then you're like, oh, I guess like, I guess Dagenold doesn't believe in Hartenstein. Guess what? MVP of game two, Hartenstein.
Starting point is 00:27:45 Well, there's zero point zero percent chance that he's going to be able to defend Wenbeniama like he did. That was a one-time deal. I promise you, with the attention that that has got you. You don't think they're going to call it the same in game three in San Antonio with everyone's got their fiesta t-shirts on? Zero. He's going to have three fouls in the first, like in the jump ball.
Starting point is 00:28:08 He's going to have three fouls. I mean, it is just gained so much attention. The clutching and the grabbing. I mean, NBC ran a highlight package of him grabbing the guy. It was really the most egregious stuff to me was when SGA was driving. And then he's just got two hands on his chest, just pushing him away from the play. It's like, okay, like, it's one thing if you're jostling for a rebounding position that can get kind of gnarly sometimes. but like off ball just just just offensive tackling the help defender is abnormal to see on
Starting point is 00:28:45 the basketball court there is like there was like eight still photos of him either have a hand on a jersey or holding an arm or whatever the case may be and and then he just pulled step castle's hair which led that was weird it led to a three that was weird Of course, it was weird. I'm just saying, like, it's not going to be officiated like that. We expected a response from Oklahoma City. The playoff series are about problem solving. And SGA was 12 for 24, 30 points, nine assists.
Starting point is 00:29:29 Most importantly, one turnover in the entire game. And also, you do. That's really the key. And you knew they were going to have to pop that ball around, get that thing side to side. 34 assists on 45 made field goals is mega impressive. Yes. 10 players had an assist. Against that defense?
Starting point is 00:29:51 I mean, getting 34 assists. I mean, that is. I was looking at Caruso. I was like, oh, he's three for four from three. I said to myself, I don't remember the one he missed. Yeah. And then I looked at it. It was like end of the shot clock like grenade.
Starting point is 00:30:09 It was like that's why I didn't remember. Right. It wasn't like a real runoff play Caruso 3. It was sort of like he just had to throw it up there. But like this guy. How awesome has he been? Peter. He has been essential.
Starting point is 00:30:24 I mean, just absolutely essential. And he's just in the mix all the time. They did a look, we talked about the physicality of game two. Wemby only having 20, look, if you could sign, as insane as this sounds, if you could sign up for 21 and 17 every night, you'd sign up for that. Oh, hell yeah.
Starting point is 00:30:50 And I thought that, you know what I didn't think? I don't think it was a great Wemby game, but I really didn't feel like, if the, it's the Hartnstein thing, like if you allow this 267-pound man to just grab you, push, you pull you,
Starting point is 00:31:04 it's going to fatigue you. Like, I just felt like it was a fatigue game from Wemby. He played whatever, 51 minutes, two days ago. And now he's got this big, remember he's being covered by Caruso and like Jdub in game one. And now he's got someone who weighs 40 pounds more than him, leaning on him, grabbing him, bothering him, fouling him. And I just felt like they were just kind of like body blows in a prize fight where after a while it just adds up. And he just got tired. But this is exactly.
Starting point is 00:31:35 the moment that Master Yan was training him for. Oh, right, right. He had to dribble a basket. I, first of all, you don't have problems with this whole Shal and Mug thing. Oh, no, I read the article. Bro, bro, you cannot dribble a basketball up a mountain. The uneven surfaces, the rocks, the trail.
Starting point is 00:31:56 You can't dribble. I don't think, I just, I'm saying he did not dribble a basketball up a mountain. Did not happen. He's lying to the people. That article is amazing. It takes normal people seven to eight hours to go, but he dribbled a basketball up there for four and a half hours. This is bullshit. This is such bullshit.
Starting point is 00:32:14 You have to read it. It's not real. It's not real. It reminds me of Beatrix kiddo going to Pi May in Kill Bill. And that's how it reads. This Master Yon character, who is, by the way, according to Ramona Shelburne's article, a 43rd generation monk warrior. Who's keeping track of that?
Starting point is 00:32:44 Like, who's keeping track of that? Like, do you even know what your great-great-grandfather did or was or what his name was? No, I have no idea. Master Yon. No. Your great-great-grandfather's master's. No, no, he was not master-yo.
Starting point is 00:32:59 I think my great-great-grandfather was like a Navajo Indian. I think one of my guys. That's why they... One of my great-great-grandfathers was working on the train tracks and he had earmuffs on and didn't hear the train coming and got hit by the train and died. Oh, no. Shout to the Dowlings. No, the Irish side of the family.
Starting point is 00:33:17 And forgive me, it's a charity. But if you have earmuffs on, wouldn't you feel the train coming? I think so. Wouldn't you? Like, the earmuffs, like, what kind of intense earmuffs did this guy have on? I mean, he should have heard it. He should have heard it or felt it or something. He had seen it.
Starting point is 00:33:32 He had the first... Just get out the way. the first noise cancelling earmuffs. It was 1930 or whatever. Yeah. And forgive me for a case of my parents. It was Cherokee India. That's what I have.
Starting point is 00:33:45 That's why they tell me I don't have like hair on my arms and stuff. Because we've got Indian blood. I'm serious. You ever see an Indian? You never seen like a hairy chested Indian? I'm serious. Name is American, Verno? It's 2026, please.
Starting point is 00:34:00 And there are my people. I can say what I want. Respect your heritage. Respect your heritage. I get different. Respect your heritage. I'm allowed to. Anyway, how do you feel about the Washington Redskins name?
Starting point is 00:34:13 Huh? Nothing. Wembe had 26 points in the paint in game one. He had 10 in game two. It's. That's the trick. And he had 16 shot attempts, seven of which were threes in game two.
Starting point is 00:34:31 Also, in game one, He went to the free throw line 13 times. In game two, he had two free throw. It's because they made it work. Like in game one, it wasn't hard for him to get paint touches. You just needed a good entry pass. Put it up high. Put it around Caruso.
Starting point is 00:34:52 And he's just catching and dropping it in the basket. But it was work to get the ball into the paint in game two. It was hard. And he was tired. And it just, it's easier to shoot a jump shot than it is to put your head down, your shoulder down and go through contact, especially when it's Hartenstein and Chet instead of Caruso and J-Dubb.
Starting point is 00:35:10 Also, to your point, they lost the two players that can credibly make an entry pass. Because Fox is out, and then when they lost Harper, now you're at, I mean, Castle might throw it into the 10th row. I just feel bad for Castle.
Starting point is 00:35:27 It's honestly, it's like, it's like you're like a backup singer and someone taps on the shoulder and be like, Bob Seeger's out tonight, so you're going to have to be Bob Seeger. You're like, I'm a backup singer. I don't know why I use Bob Seeger as a reference. I'm going to tell you something funny.
Starting point is 00:35:41 So last night, we had to go down to my dad's house because it was a 79th birthday. And of which, by the way, he didn't know. My mom, my mom told him, said, Bill, she said, happy birthday. And he was like, what? And she's like, it's your birthday. And he's like, it is?
Starting point is 00:36:05 She's like, yeah, it's May 20th. It's your birthday. And he was like, oh, okay. And so, he's like, Chris and the family's going to come down. We're going to eat cake, right? And so anyways, we go down there to eat cake, which, by the way, I grew up in Westchester County in New York. And when I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do was go to this ice cream shop called Carver. You got Carvels?
Starting point is 00:36:36 Cookie Puss, yeah, man. Cookie Puss. Okay, Carvel. So anyway, my mom found a Carvel ice cream cake at Walmart in Memphis. I was like, how? So I thought she got it off Goldbelly or something. She's like, no, I bought it at Walmart. I was like, really?
Starting point is 00:36:53 So it was a blast from the past. Anyways, we go down there. The point of this is we're all sitting around watching cake. I said, Mom, I got to turn the game on. So we're all standing around in my parents' kitchen. The game is on. Bro, when that Steph Castle dunk happened, I went bonkers, rewound it and watched my mom, my dad, my kids, my wife.
Starting point is 00:37:17 Everybody had to watch it back five times. I'm like, oh, my God, oh, my God. And they're like, wow, that dunk was unbelievable. off to be spiked it. You know what I thought he should have done afterwards? Do you, you probably got close to the same goofy-ass algorithm I do. You got the sassy volleyball player. Of course.
Starting point is 00:37:48 I showed my whole family the sassy volleyball player. I love that guy. I've watched an interview with him. I've seen like a 30-minute interview where he was being asked about. I think it was Katie Nolan might have done it. Yeah, I love that guy. He's like my favorite person in the world. They're like, who do you love the most?
Starting point is 00:38:04 My kids, Chris Vernon and the sassy volleyball player. That's what I got. Dude, he spiked it so hard. It reminded me of the sassy volleyball. You should have done the twirl? Yeah. Come down and put his hand up in the air. I feel like that would have been awesome.
Starting point is 00:38:20 Not really, not really. I was talking about him. I was like, you guys see the zesty volleyball player? They're like, no, I haven't seen it. And I'm like, are you serious? And I showed it to him. They're like, I love this guy. I love this guy too.
Starting point is 00:38:30 Oh, that's true. Dude is awesome. Yeah, I mean, really, honestly, like, we've never had a guess on the mismatch. Let's get him. Get him? Let's get him. I'll DM him right now. You said, Isaiah Hartinstein was the MVP at 10.13 rebounds.
Starting point is 00:38:49 None of that matters. None of that matters. None of that matters. I mean, it's crazy. And wrestle the Shaolin Monk that's seven foot five. The dribble to basketball amount. How do you dribble a basketball? a mountain. I'm so tired of this Victor Winben with you. I'm a lying shit. This is just bullshit.
Starting point is 00:39:05 You can't dribble a basketball up a mountain. Have you ever been on like a trail before? You can't dribble a basketball up a mountain. You haven't seen. They said that you can't, they said that when you climb the mountain at night, you have to do it just by like, almost by feel because the steps are uneven too. So you're supposed to be able to dribble a basketball doing that? He might have carried the basketball, but he wasn't dribbling it. I don't know. I I haven't seen the steps. I don't know what the, I don't know what the,
Starting point is 00:39:34 I don't know what the Mount. The Mountain looks like. Castle one for six from three. Not going to cut it, right? Well, here's a thing. Like,
Starting point is 00:39:43 they get Fox and Harper back. They're going to be just fine. When they got, I mean, they lost both of them. That was a bridge too far. It seems like A.J. Mitchell's fine from what I've read.
Starting point is 00:39:53 Never heard. Watching social media react to, who the hell is that on the Jordan McLaughlin? minutes. What's hilarious. hilarious. He was like, who is that?
Starting point is 00:40:09 Who is that? Seriously. Who are you? He hits some shots. I know. He was two for three. I mean, but anybody,
Starting point is 00:40:20 anybody that tuned into that game was like, who? I thought they had Deer Fax. I thought they had Dylan Harper. And Dylan Harper, I do think it is a I mean, you never know with the way reporting of this stuff goes. What's an abductor?
Starting point is 00:40:39 But they did say an abductor. They did not say a hamstring. So what is an abductor? It's her side, right? Bro, did you just say, don't you dare just say into a microphone, it's your side, right? Yeah, yeah. I think it's on your side. What part of your side?
Starting point is 00:40:56 I think it's typically, I think an abductor is typically a baseball injury. Am I wrong about that? Oblique. Oh, yeah, I'm thinking about obliques. What is an abductor? What is it? What is it? I don't know.
Starting point is 00:41:09 What do I look like? I don't know. I probably don't even have. We probably don't even have. I don't have abductors. We don't have abductions. That's what you know. Is there any muscle that draws a limb or body part away from the body's midline?
Starting point is 00:41:22 What the? Also means a person who commits a kidnapping abductor. Oh, it's inner, inner. Oh, it's inner thigh. You Google Abductor. Somebody that abducts people. Oh, it's your inner thigh.
Starting point is 00:41:38 Oh, I know what it is. No, I think an abductor is there's many of them, but they have one of your thighs in your buttocks. Yeah, no, no, no, no, no. I know the abductor now. It's the thing. All right, so you know, like at the gym. If they drive a white van and they say they have candy.
Starting point is 00:41:54 You know, no. It's that one of, it's the, it's the machine at the gym where your legs go like this. You know what I'm talking about? This is a podcast. Yeah, I know that one. And I always feel awkward when I see a girl doing that one. I'm not looking over there.
Starting point is 00:42:09 Yeah, like it's like the legs, the leg spreader one. Yeah. So he must have hurt that. Sure. Whatever. He's hurt, man. He seemed to hurt. He'll be fine. And then he's young, right? And Deerrin Fox, I mean, look, he said, you do wonder twofold.
Starting point is 00:42:28 You wonder if they handled the injuries the way they did because they were able to get game one, right? In a different world, if it a different world, does Fox play in game two? If it's 1 O KC, does Fox play in game two? But you can get him with extra rest. I got it. He finished game seven, right? Yes.
Starting point is 00:42:52 And then does Harper come back if you don't get game one, right? It's just like you're just going to be on the side of call. either way. So we will see. Six, I'm saying. We will see when they, if they're able to return. But I would expect a,
Starting point is 00:43:07 you know, this is, this is a heavyweight matchup, man. I'd expect a big response from the Spurs in game three, wouldn't you? I love this series so much. It's great.
Starting point is 00:43:16 Unbelievable. Everything about it. Everything. I love every player. Every possession feels so important. Yes. Every matchup they try to exploit.
Starting point is 00:43:27 It just, there's a pretty big gap in terms of like mental and physical quality of play between the Eastern Conference Finals and the Western Conference Finals. But man, like, I fully expected Hardenstein to not be a factor in Game 2. And he was the most important player in the floor. Well, and watching, especially after what happened in Game 2.
Starting point is 00:43:52 Hey, y'all, it's Kelly Clarkson with Wayfair. Ever order furniture online and wonder what if, like what if it doesn't hold up? That sofa was four days old. You should have ordered from Wayfair. With Wayfair, there's no what-air. Just style you love and quality you can trust. Visit Wayfair.ca.
Starting point is 00:44:04 Wayfair, every style, every home. Watching the online, just absolute hatred of Oklahoma City, it feels like everyone outside of the state of Oklahoma is rooting for the spurs in this. And not only that, they are going out of their ways to put together, video compilations of why you should also hate Oklahoma City. And the algorithm pumps them to you again and again and again. I mean, him flying,
Starting point is 00:44:37 him falling down after shooting as many times he did. It's just like, it's indefensible. Come on, guys. Like, nobody's watching that and thinking that is a legitimate basketball play. That is just an attempt to get foul calls. And he doesn't have to do it. Gildizzo Alexander's an awesome player. But I mean,
Starting point is 00:44:56 No, but he did it. One time he did it, it directly led to a break the other way. Yeah. Because he was on the ground. It's kind of like Luca when he argues with the ref. Like you go into the ground and he only went to the line six times. Right. Like that's three foul.
Starting point is 00:45:14 So it's not like it worked. No, no. So like you watch the clip. We've all seen the same clip. Shaggillaz-Alexander falls down what, like seven times in the game yesterday? At least. Yeah. But then you think like, oh, people are like a.
Starting point is 00:45:26 playing because these led to fouls. They weren't really called. No. No. Three of them were called. Which makes it all the more embarrassing, honestly. Yeah. And twice I saw twice, they led to baskets the other way because he's on the ground. So, I mean, there's just video compilations of, like, nobody likes them outside of Thunder fans.
Starting point is 00:45:44 Honestly. Like, nobody. It is strange. Bill asked me on his pod last week. He was like, do you know any SGA fans? And I was like, he's probably the only two-time MVP that like, I've never seen someone wear a jersey. Ever. Ever. That's a lot of letters, too.
Starting point is 00:46:02 Yeah, that's fair. Even, hey, tell me you saw the... And Gilgris is hard to say. Tell me you saw the Dill of Brooks video today. Of course I did. You sent it to me. The unethical hoops video or board game. I didn't think it was funny, to be honest with you.
Starting point is 00:46:17 I was like, whatever. It is funny because they, when you think about it, that they have known each other since their kids and that they are on Team Canada, together. Come on. It's not just some... I didn't consider that part. I didn't consider that part. Yeah. They've known each other since childhood. And they are on team Canada together. It's all time troll stuff from Dylan Brooks. All time. You were too long and not that funny. Really? Yeah. I didn't think it was funny.
Starting point is 00:46:51 Bro, I thought it was hilarious. You sent it to me as I was going to be great. Bruno, Vernon never sends a bad clip. I was like, yep, first time for everything. Oh, how dare you? I didn't think it was funny.
Starting point is 00:47:00 I never laughed. I was like, I get it. Here he is. Operation, but it's SGA. Wow. What?
Starting point is 00:47:10 It wasn't funny. Wow. You can't tell me I'm wrong about my opinion. I just did. I didn't find it funny. I literally just did. I can't do that.
Starting point is 00:47:20 I think I just made the rules. I just made the rules. You can't do that. You can't do that. No, you're wrong. I think you have a poor sense of humor at this moment. And a current NBA player putting out a video mocking.
Starting point is 00:47:36 Sponsored by a gambling company. Called unethical hoops. He's crazy. It's ridiculous to do that. It is a ridiculous thing to do for a current NBA player who is a tacit friend of this guy. and they are on team candidate together to put out a video of him playing a game called unethical hoops and going oops can't touch him there whoops can't touch him there see you're laughing at it now i'm laughing at you because you're funny it's ridiculous i'm loving you
Starting point is 00:48:15 all right so look you i will say we break ways on this i think as long as fox and harper come back that the spurs are going to be able to take care of this. Thunder and six. Okay. There's a better team. There's a better team. I've got Spurs and six. You've got Thunder and six.
Starting point is 00:48:33 Jordan McLaughlin was playing the game. And we both have, we both have Nixon five. Is that right? If I had to pick, I would say Nixon five. Okay. I think I just,
Starting point is 00:48:45 I just really like, you know, someone, but like, I really enjoy this team. And it's sort of like a surreal experience watching this. I think they're going to be in the NBA finals. I haven't seen that since I was like a junior in college. They're going to be in the NBA finals.
Starting point is 00:49:12 It feels like it, right? I'm not losing to Cleveland there. And they're up 2-0 now. Didn't Cleveland go down to the Pistons, though? Cleveland's chance was once they lost that game one. Didn't they go down to the Pistons? Are my crazy? This ain't the Pistons, brother.
Starting point is 00:49:25 they did, but this is not the pistons. No. All rookie teams were announced. It's the top four picks in the draft. Cooper flagged Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, Con Cinnipple, and then Cedric Coward. Okay. I have a follow question for you. And I've been thinking about this. Because watching Dylan Harper, especially in these like high pressure, high intensity,
Starting point is 00:49:51 like high level basketball shit is happening. and Dylan Harper is thriving. Yes. If you had to rank those four players in terms of like betting on the success of their career over the next 20 years. I kind of think I would have the exact order. Flagg, Harper, Edgecombe, Con.
Starting point is 00:50:15 Well, and I would put coward ahead. Well, coward number one, obviously. No, probably third. But I could see a world. Let's not sleep in the fact that, That was a game one against the Celtics. With Edgecom at like 33. Like he's showing some signs.
Starting point is 00:50:31 You know what I mean? Absolutely. And Khan didn't leave a great taste in my mouth the last couple of games he played. Well, and one of the things is you look at this all rookie team and you see how they performed it. And then you even look at the second team,
Starting point is 00:50:43 Derek Queen, Raynaud, who popped off for the Kings, Fears, who had some huge games. First of all, calling him Raynaud is amazing. It's just great, great, great pronunciation. Thank you. Ace Bailey. How do you say Isaiah Hart?
Starting point is 00:50:59 How do you say his last name? Hartenstein. I don't know how to say it. Steinsteinstein, Hartenstein, German, right? Hartenstein. And then Murray Boyles was the other guy.
Starting point is 00:51:09 I love Murray Boyles. I love Murray Boyles. And so, I mean, and there are good players that did not make these all rookie teams. This was an amazing rookie class. Like, we're going to look back.
Starting point is 00:51:19 And, I mean, there are all timers. Everybody is pumping up this upcoming draft. it's going to be hard to be better than that draft. Because that draft, like, it's... Just think about like, Trey Johnson. It was like not even mentioned. Like, he can be a guy.
Starting point is 00:51:40 And Cooper Flagg won rookie of the year. We're seeing what Harper is doing on the highest level. I mean, the guy just had, in his first conference finals game, he had a double, double with seven steals. You edgecombe, as you mentioned, and had a 30 plus playoff game. Con Cynipple just broke the record for the most three-pointers made by a rookie. But he led the league and three-pointers made in the league in which Steph Curry played most of the season.
Starting point is 00:52:07 Right. And then obviously Cedger Coward, who had a really good season, who I got to watch up close and personal and has crazy potential to be outstanding. Derek Queen, Fears, Bailey. I mean, it's going to be, look, I know that this draft coming. up is great. This one, these guys are going to have great careers if they're not in. So here's what I think about
Starting point is 00:52:31 this draft class. And I'm glad you brought this up, Bruno. Great hosting from you. It really makes me think about the franchise that drafts you and how that impacts your career. Oh, it's everything. It's because like the, you know,
Starting point is 00:52:47 Queen and Cnipple it's like, and Bailey. Like they're just not on winning franchises at the moment. And Harper is drafted into a situation in which he's in the Western Conference finals tied one-one. Right. You know?
Starting point is 00:53:03 And I think that if you look at Bailey, it's like, well, well, Bailey showed some signs here and there. It's like, well, if you put Bailey on the spurs, how does that look different? Are we talking about him differently? He's not polite. He's not playing. He's not playing. No, he's not playing.
Starting point is 00:53:18 What I'm saying is is Bailey could be Harper and Harper could be Bailey, but they're just, it's Harper got drafted by a quality ascending franchise with a strong culture and great coaches and player development and great teammates. That's it. And it just makes all the world a difference. I mean, it alters your career forever. Honestly. And it doesn't make, it doesn't make one better than the other. It's just sort of like the luck up the draw.
Starting point is 00:53:44 I used to always use the analogy that it's like good schools and bad schools. and there's kids, and if you were to take the same kid that is in a bad school, and you put them in a good school, you would get these results. Now, there are some kids, and I remember I used to always use Devin Booker as the example, and there have been others. It doesn't matter where you put them. Like, they're so exceptional. They're going to excel.
Starting point is 00:54:12 Even if they have to go to the worst school, they're going to excel, and they're going to be fine. And they're going to be great no matter what, because they're special. Put it to be anywhere. They're special. Yeah, it doesn't matter. Put him anywhere. Put him anywhere. He could be a wizard.
Starting point is 00:54:26 On the cabs. Yes. He could be a wizard and he'd be fine. I actually feel that's the same way with Harper. And it was true with flag. That situation sucked. And he showed us what, I mean, he was thrown into a mix playing for Jason Kidd,
Starting point is 00:54:44 who was recently fired. And like, he was playing point guard at the beginning. He didn't have anybody going with him. Also, don't forget, Lively's out. You know what I mean? He's supposed to be like his guy. I'm looking at the Mavs like, all right, you've got flag. He had nothing else.
Starting point is 00:55:02 What's the plan? Right. Outside of that. Kyrie is not the answer. Right. What did you get back in the AD trade again? What? Masayu Jury says he wants to see them together.
Starting point is 00:55:14 He wants to see Kyrie Irving with Cooper flag. He wants to drive up Kari Irving's trade value because I don't see a world in which you have Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flag. Like, what are we doing? I mean, uh, all right. Do you see this, uh, proposed Janus trade from the heat that was going around? Now, it, it, evidently the details are a little off, but the crux of it was.
Starting point is 00:55:36 It's a hero where. Hawkes. And second. Yeah. And I don't have in front of me. And obviously they would have to throw in like Yovich or something like that to make the money work. Did you see the Lakers one, dude?
Starting point is 00:55:48 Okay. No, no, no, no, no. But listen. If you had Hero Ware-Hawkes, 13, 2 Future First, they've got the 10th pick. So you would have Hero Ware-Hawkes-13, the 10th pick, I'm sorry, the 10th pick, 13th pick, two future first, and maybe like Yovitch
Starting point is 00:56:12 or some other kind of like salary or whatever or another guy to make the money work. And, you know, you kind of got Ryan Rollins and some other guys that are there that kind of young on that, right? Like, you can be good quick if this, I, I, no, this deal is, that is a lot of return, bro. It is a lot of return. If you've already got the 10th pick in the draft
Starting point is 00:56:37 and you're getting 10 and 13 along with those three players. And I don't know, man, I don't think in, to future first, I think it's going to be a hard deal to beat if that's really what they're putting on the table. Is it the Heat's future first? Yes. That's a lot, man. That is a lot.
Starting point is 00:56:59 Okay. But doesn't wear feel a lot like Highsmith? Where it's like he played well for the heat, but specifically for the heat. Oh, no, no. And then you put him somewhere else and it just falls apart. Like, no. Where? There's something going on with where.
Starting point is 00:57:16 Because when I watch and play, I'm like, this guy's amazing. Like his seven foot could shoot, can defend. It's always, it's amazing. It's always been an effort thing. He can't find his way to the floor. He's getting benched from time to time. It's a consistent effort thing. You know what I mean?
Starting point is 00:57:33 I'd be a little concerned. I think Miami's getting the best out of him, which is not even that good. And I think it feels a lot like Highsmith. Remember where in Highsmith's goal? Like Portland or something that just disappeared. Oh, you're talking about White Side. White Side. That's exactly.
Starting point is 00:57:48 Hassan White Side. Why am I saying Highsmith? I was like, who is this dude talking about? That's exactly what I'm talking about White Side. Hei Smith. Hassan White Side. The San White Side. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:57:59 No, they did get the most out of Hassan White Side. And he was also a goofy. That's a Google Highsmith. Hey, he's also. You're talking about Haywood Highsmith. Yes. Yeah. Jeff Van Gundy is a finalist for the Trailblazers job?
Starting point is 00:58:16 It's just a matter of time, man. I went to that Clippers game with Van Lathen, and we sat there. And I'm telling you, I was like, it was a Clippers Timberwolves game. And I was like, if I didn't know better, I would think that Jeff Van Gundy is the coach of the Clippers and Mike Anorro was the coach of the wolves. But, but like this guy ain't going to pay money. Like, I can't imagine that Jeff Van Gundy is going to do that job for the amount of money that they, I mean, that, right? Like, that was the whole like, they're saying Tiago Splitters like still, Tiago Splitter did a good job. job. Great job.
Starting point is 00:58:51 Imagine your Chicago Splitter. You're like, I took over on like day two. And we went to the playoffs and took a game from the spurs. It also feels like the kind of guy that Jeff Van Gundy would hate this El Cheapo. First of all, he was a guest on game over last week. I don't care. And he's not cheap. He's efficient. Okay. Well, Clyde Drexler is what, if not the greatest. he's the great show plays for a all time.
Starting point is 00:59:20 Maybe it's day, but or maybe. No, I think Clyde. Yeah. But Clydexie. Sure. Clyde Drexler just did an interview and the quote, the headline was, you can't act like you don't have money. That's what I'm saying.
Starting point is 00:59:34 Like, you better pull up to the facility in a Camry. You know what I mean? He's got. Like, if you're going to do this, you have to do this across the board. He's got to want to see you in some sketchers, driving a Camry, and like with no jewelry and no assistant and eating McDonald's cheeseburgers because if you pull up in a Mayback
Starting point is 00:59:54 and wearing designer clothes, then this is inconsistent. I'll be, I'll be stunned if he hires Jeff Van Gundy because I don't think Van Gundy's going to do it for the peanuts that the guy's probably going to pay. I think that someone's going to pull his coat and be like, look, man, like this is a $7 million a year job.
Starting point is 01:00:12 It just is. It just is. Well, it's more likely, it's more likely that he's going to hire one of these assistants, you know, because they'll get- Why not Tiago Splitter, though? Like, if I'm Tiago Splitter, like, what more do you want me to do? I saw what's his name?
Starting point is 01:00:24 The guy that's always alongside Finch, who everybody thinks is been good. Anoro. Yeah, no, Mike Anori. Yeah, Norrie. Really good for a long time. And, like, you know what I mean? It feels like, it feels like this guy is just going to go hire an assistant from somewhere because you give an assistant a meager raised by being the head coach.
Starting point is 01:00:43 But if you're already the head coach, coach. It's like, and again, under the circumstances and which when your best friend got in trouble with the law, your best friend, who you wanted to leave your kids with, Chauncey Billups. Yeah, yeah. And then that job is hoisted upon Tiago Splitter and he did what he did with that team this year and got the, and like the best version of Denny Adda and like, I mean, there's a lot of good stuff that happened. Why wouldn't he get that job? If I'm Tiago Splitter's wife, I'm so pissed. I'm like, What else do you want him to do? What else do you want him to do?
Starting point is 01:01:18 Like this is a, it's a quantitative success rate. There are wins and losses. This is not like being a professor. You know what I mean? Whereas it's like you can't, it's like it's a qualitative or an artist. It's like, no, no, no, this is quantitative. You win or you lose every single night for 82 nights. And he won a ton of games and went to the playoffs with a team that had much lower expectations
Starting point is 01:01:40 that he was able to perform at. Why would he not get that job and be rewarded with it? Why? Yeah. Right. It's going to be very interesting to see what they do. And I will be absolutely stunned. I know I saw that headline everywhere, but I'd be stunned if Jeff Van Gundy's the head coach of the Portland Trailblazers.
Starting point is 01:01:56 After all these years. He should be a head coach somewhere. Of course. I wouldn't be stunned. He's got an agent. The agent negotiates him a fair contract. Just because he says he doesn't want to pay, doesn't mean he's not going to pay.
Starting point is 01:02:07 Someone he, I hope he has an advisor that says, you can't pay a million dollars to an NBA head coach annually because you will get, It's like, there's this one bar in Los Angeles that sold 25 cent tacos. I was like, I don't want a 25 cent taco. I don't want that. I don't.
Starting point is 01:02:22 I want to spend at least $2 per taco because I don't, like, if you're, if you're him, you're like, I want a 25 cent taco. Like, no, you do not want a 25 cent taco to head coach the Portland Trailblazers. It's not going to work. I don't know, man. He just fired 70 people this week, bro. That is. I saw that.
Starting point is 01:02:39 I mean, he's not. Yeah, this ain't a kid's game, bro. He ain't paying nobody. how's the prospector doing it? You've been doing some work? Yeah. In the pre-draft work? We got a month to the draft.
Starting point is 01:02:53 Well, that sounds like you've got to get to work. Prospector's been in his caves, prospect cave. He sounds like he's got to get to work. You got to worry about him. You got to worry about him. You got the number three pick. That's the easiest pick of the world. Easiest pick.
Starting point is 01:03:10 Yes, it is. No, four is the easiest pick. Four is the easiest pick. The four is not the easiest pick. It's whoever's left, I'll take it. No. Three is the easiest pick of the world because. Why is that?
Starting point is 01:03:20 Because there's no bad option. You control everything. What if Peterson's sitting there? Whether it's Peterson or Boozer. Then they'll take Boozer. Peterson or Wilson. They'll probably take Wilson. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:03:34 So I guess, they ain't got to try to mess around with that. They're not going to try to mess around with that. Wait. They don't want, they don't want, they don't want any kind of worries, off-court worries. I mean.
Starting point is 01:03:50 Yeah, I don't. You can't, I mean, look, there's no bad option. There's no bad option. Huh? I don't think so. He might end up, he might end up being the best of all of them.
Starting point is 01:04:04 There's honestly arguments for all of them being, like, that we're going to look up. You could make an argument and a real argument. that any of them could end up being the best player out of the draft. Absolutely. And maybe even A-Cuff. You could look up at A-Cuff's the best one.
Starting point is 01:04:21 You don't know. This is a great draft, too. I mean, these young players are just so good now. It's different. They're so good and so ready for NBA basketball in a way that they were not 10 years ago. Yeah, if you were to tell me that Harper is out for the season, I'd be like, well, there goes, their title chances.
Starting point is 01:04:40 Which is an 19-year-old kid. Unbelievable. 19-year-old kids. Like, well, there no way they can do it without that 20-year-old child who was born in 2006. Yep. You know what I mean?
Starting point is 01:04:50 Well, we're going to get to see how the Knicks play in Cleveland. We're going to get to see how Thunder play in San Antonio and we will reconvene on Monday night. Thanks to Jeff and Steph as always. I'll talk to you next week. Remember, you must be 21 or over and present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 and over in president in D.C.
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