The Ringer NBA Show - The Phoenix Suns Are For Real. Plus: The Bucks-Nets Series Is A Bummer So Far. | Real Ones

Episode Date: June 8, 2021

Late Monday night, Logan and Raja get into Game 1 of the Suns-Nuggets second-round matchup, which Phoenix ran away with in the second half (2:15). Then they talk about this bummer of a Bucks-Nets series (20:45) and the Trail Blazers going out with a whimper (34:17), before Jomi puts the Mavericks, specifically Kristaps Porzingis, on pack watch (40:50). Hosts: Logan Murdock and Raja Bell Guest: Jomi Adeniran Associate Producer: Sasha Ashall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listen up all you New York fans. Veteran New York sports talk host, John Dostrompsky gives his unique take on all the big stories in the Big Apple and beyond, including guest conversations, gambling picks, and reactions from you, the listener. Check out New York, New York with John Dostromsky on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. And we're back. This is Logan Murdoch from the Real Ones podcast on KMEL. I'm here with Roger Bell, and we got the Mad Hooper here. Yeah, we're here with the Mad Hooper, and I think we're going to open it up for the audience to ask some questions. question to the Matt Hooper? Young lady, do you have a question for the Matt Hooper? Yeah, this is Sasha from St. Louis. And I just have a question for the Mad Hooper. Like, why are you so mad? I don't get it. Like, why are you so mad? This is shot from New York. I'm calling from the car. I'm just really mad about the Knicks,

man, all year long. We're talking about Julius Randall, pay the man, Mac Tasha. Get another superstar in, get the one team, get to the finals, compete with the next. but this man is the reason I'm mad today. Can't get me a win in Atlanta. Blows the can't get shoot more than 30% on the playoffs. What he's doing all year putting up triple doubles. It's not right for New York, bro. Shit.

And I just want to say that I'm mad. And I'm upset. And they better get their horses in line. Because this ain't no Joe. This is New York. I don't care. It's not Denver, Oklahoma City, or Philly. this is New York.

This is a garden. We're talking Madison Square Gardens. I was at Game 5. The lack of effort, these boys, they didn't know how to tie their sneakers. They weren't ready to play under pressure in the garden.

Game 5, Nick Hawks. Trey Young, Clint Capella, that's who you stared up. Eat those guys. Forget it. Forget about it. I'm irate.

And I'm upset. And I'm a mad Uber. It's popping, man. Real one. Slogan Murdoch here. Roger Bell, producer Sasha on the board, Sasha Mizzack. We are talking to you after the Phoenix Suns have taken game one of the Western Conference semifinals over the Denver Nuggets. Now, Roger, I'm just going to flat out say it, man. This team is better than yours.

Every one of those teams that you talked about, that's you that you played for. This team is better than each and every one of those teams, Roger Bell. I'm just going to say it right now. That's your response, right? That's bait. It's bait. My response is you're trying to bait me into saying something that's going to get me in trouble in Phoenix. I'm not going to say it. This Phoenix Sun's team is great.

We had great teams as well. I'm not going to compare one to the other. I mean, we're playing in a different era of basketball right now. I'm not doing that. No. Rara, how does this team match up with the teams that you played on? and who wins in the seven-game series. Yeah, right.

Now, that's the question. You know what I can say? I'll tell you what. I'll tell you this. This team is much better defensively than we were. That's a fact. I watched them fly around all night. We talked about them flying around in game six or game five.

I'm sorry, in Phoenix of the Lakers series. There's no question that from top to bottom, they are a much better defensive team. And when they get to feeling it, that team is flying around at a level that we never did as a son's team. We were more of an offensive team. We were built on, you know, space and ball movement and Steve Nash being brilliant with the ball. But this team is probably a more well-rounded team, I can probably say that we were. Hey, Roger, what does I have a question for you?

What does this team and your team have in common? Oh, you just want me to go there, huh? I mean, amongst other things, I mean, we both bested the Lakers. I mean, so that's something that we can both hang our hat on. Got it. I feel like, are we at the stage yet, Roger, because me and you both picked them as fake on the real or fake series. Is it too early to apologize to them? Because I just want to say, from experience, I apologize to Chris Middleton, I think, too early.

We're going to get to that a little bit later in the show. I may have apologized a bit too early. Are we at the stage to apologize to one Phoenix Sun's organization? I think the segment was flawed. All right, can I say that? I think the segment was flawed. Like, they don't have to be fake. Fake is one of those things like, I don't.

Ah, this is tough. They're not fake. They are not fake. They are not fake. So I said that. I probably shouldn't have said that. I've regretted saying that since I said it, they're definitely not fake.

I will apologize. I have no problem apologizing to Sons fans, like of any fan base. Like, I have no problem saying that to the Sons. I do still, like, have my concerns as I did when we had the segment, or when we did the segment, about those tough games. Like, tonight was a good game to three quarters, and then you kind of ran away with it.

This is not taking anything away. from what you did. But I can still have my reservation about the moment, right? And when the moment is at its, at its biggest, some of the guys within experience. And I think that's fair. Like, that doesn't mean you can't get it done. The West is wide open, Logan.

It's a wide open West. Wide open. So you, I think the biggest thing is both of these teams, in my opinion, are two teams that haven't been there together. Like the current group of rosters just haven't been that far. Now, Phoenix has guys like, Jay Crowder, who had a great game in night. Guys like Chris Paul, who had a great game in night, that have been to that place, but

collectively as a group, neither one of these teams have been that far, right? I mean, they've been in the conference finals, but they're, I don't know what I'm saying. I think that this is one of the similar teams is what I'm saying, because that, you know, the nuggets did go to the conference finals a couple years back. Do not want to discount that. They do have postseason experience. But in terms that they just seem like similar teams, Roger. I think they are in terms of

Before this season I would have said Denver was one step closer maybe Because of the success that they had last postseason But yeah I mean if I'm going to be real And I pride myself on being honest You know I think Denver being where they are now

Speaks more to The flaws in Portland's team Than it does to like Denver They're without their starting fucking backcourt Yeah You know what I mean So like sons I they should should beat them because they're without their starting back court.

Like the sons were a great team all year long. So I, you know, if they had Jamal Murray and they had Will Barton, I don't know where I'd be. Like, you know, it's a conversation for another time. But, but the Nuggets like, let's keep it a buck. They're without their starting back court. Yeah. I mean, I don't know about you guys. But the NBA playoffs have been exciting to see.

There's no such thing of certainty on the court until the ref blows that final whistle. But basketball wouldn't be the game we know without a few surprises, right? And Raja, one of the biggest surprises in this postseason has been your Phoenix Suns. They've been bawling, man. They've been balling. Phoenix Suns has been balling. Not just the Suns, man. Like, not just the Suns, but the arena, like being full again, like post-COVID, that's an electric atmosphere.

If you haven't been to a playoff game in the desert when the Suns are like a relevant team, You owe yourself a trip there. It's phenomenal. DeAndre Aiton, we talked about him needing to be the X factor, like the most important player, role player on the Sun's team. He's been on point or close to it in every single series. The Suns have been a phenomenal story, Logan. It's great to watch as a former Suns player and as a fan now.

Phenomenal to watch. Yo, honestly, though, that Phoenix Sun's crowd, though, is popping when you guys are good. I've been there when you guys are bad, but I see it on TV whenever y'all are good, it's electric. It'd be lit. One of the most underrated arenas

when the team is good and it's really popping. It's Phoenix. Love it. The playoffs are showing that surprises are all a part of the game. The same can be said when it comes to shopping for insurance. With State Farm, you get the personalized service of a local agent for a surprisingly great rate.

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. It was, you know what's cool though? I mean, no one on this pod probably cares, but I sat there tonight. I was watching the game and I saw faces that I remember being at those games. Do you know what I mean? And it really was kind of nostalgic. I was sitting there feeling like I was lightweight in the time machine because there were faces back in those front couple rows that, like Robert Sarver's son, I think it was Max. I don't know which one of them it was.

Like he was a little like four-year-old on our bus telling us that his daddy owned the team. Like saying we had he had he had to sit in the seats that we were in you know what I mean that he's Courtside throwing the throat slash at him like you know what I mean like that it was pretty cool to see that man that place was poppy yeah man okay so one thing I want to say that I've noticed is that I'm starting to it seems like and I'm not sure if this is real real ones all out there let me know if you see this too but Chris Paul has turned from heel to hero, man. I don't know what it is. We all know Chris Paul's reputation, one of the greatest point guards of all time. Also, could come off a little annoying to his opponents. His opponents,

by and large, are annoyed by him, by and large. But it seems right now during this run and with that injury out in the first round, Chris Paul's sympathetic figure, do you think? Do you see it, or am I just, am I wilding right now? Not to his opponents. I would say he holds, He holds the same, he holds the same type of reputation with his opponents as he did back then. He's just one of those guys. I'm thinking about fans though. I'm thinking about fans though. Yeah, for sure.

I mean, Chris Paul's just kind of been snake-bitten lately with the injuries at untimely, you know, parts of the season and what have you. But, you know, Chris Paul is one of those dudes. So with the fans, yes, but he's one of those guys that will always be. What's it like playing against him? Let's apply guarding Chris Paul, bro. I didn't have to, I didn't draw that assignment that much. So I can't speak to guarding him, but I can speak to a player like him, right? Not every player comes across like this.

They're players in the NBA that you play and you have, they're great players, but you have no problem playing against them. You don't. It's not a pain in the ass. Like, they're just really good. It's not, you know, a physical battle. It's not a FU of sorts. It's just whatever, man.

We go out there. You play. You're brilliant. It's like Tim Duncan. Good job. Yeah, whatever, man. Good job, Raja. Yeah.

But he's the type of dude that you hate playing against. You'd rather have him on your team. Like you don't want to pluck a play against it, man. Like, it would Chris Paul search dribbling. I don't know if you saw a play today. Like he was, he came up the right side of the court, right? He got by his man,

so he was searched dribbling into the paint. And a big came over to kind of cut him off. So Chris Paul went into a spin move, but the spin move was just so he could hip check the big. Like it was just to like give the big a hip check. He had no. He had no, like there was never going to be a point where he shot that layup. He just spun into the big so he could get a quick hip check on him and wound up

surged tribbling out the other side and then kicking it out and they finished, you know, they wound up getting a bucket out of it. But he's that type of dude. He's just going to take a shot. Is it because does he do it? I've always fascinated by this because I see it, you know, I see it on television. I see it in person. Is he annoying because he's so fucking savvy and smart with his shit?

Is that why? Because everything it seems like. with Chris Paul is a purpose, whether he's like fucking what your shoe laces, whether he's hip checking you, whether he's trying to draw a foul. Everything has a purpose to it. Is that why he can be annoying when you're defending him or when you're even playing against him in general? That's part of the reason. The first reason is because he's so fucking good. I mean, he really does just dissect what you're trying to do defensively to him. Like there's, you know, there are a few names you could throw in the mix of all-time greats, guys that just know what's happening, you know,

before it's happening. And they've got the answer for it, you know, on deck, right? So that's the first part of it. But the second part of it, he's a willing participant in the shits. Like he wants to be in the shits. His game is played in the shits. Like, he's got a brilliant mind about it. And he's super skilled and gifted.

But he would get in the gutter with you, given the opportunity to do that, right? And so it becomes, like, super frustrating because you can, you get a good. getting in the gutter with him. What do you mean when you, what does that mean? Well, I mean, like, we're going to get to, like, throwing these bows. We're going to get to taking a couple of cheap shots. Like, I'm going to grab that jersey. You come across the screen.

I'm going to, I'm going to maybe stick that leg out and try to knee you in the thigh. Like, just, you know, the stuff that old school. Are you, like, sore when you, is he one of those guys where, because he fucks with you so much that you're probably sore the next day? Is he one of those guys? Or you just annoying in that way when he's, like, elbowing you and stuff? He's not big, so you're not going to be... Look, the guys that you were sore after you played, those were Brian Grants, those were Kurt Thomas's,

those were the Davis brothers, those guys with Shaq, Oak, even Ty Hill, like big, you know, big six, nine, big elbows, big bodies. They were going to... That's going to take its toll on you. I wouldn't say Chris Paul necessarily have you sore, but he'd have you super frustrated

because here's the deal, Logan, most guys... that are as good as they are. They don't want to get down. They don't really want to crawl into the gutter with you with that shit. You know what I mean? Like, so if you were to get them to crawl in, you referenced the clip of me and Kobe, right? Pre-p-shell, like, of a moment in Utah where it was like-

Where you clearly fouled Kobe, where you clearly fouled him. Let me just paint the picture. He's not going to see the video. You clearly fouled Kobe and he- in the open court. You tried to talk shit in the open court, and you got called for a foul that was, looked like a foul.

It was a foul. You know, I might be, I might be biased, but then you started talking shit. And he walked right past your ass. That was a foul. But yeah, Kobe didn't want to get in the gutter with me, right? Like he wasn't trying to be here. He would occasionally get in the gutter, though. He would occasionally get in there with you, right?

Yeah, but if he got in the gutter with me, I won. So, like, more often than not, he wasn't trying to get in the gutter with me, right? Like, he was just going to keep doing what he did. And most of those guys, they're above that, you know, like, I'm in the gutter. They don't need to be in the gutter. But Chris has no problem getting in the gutter with you. Like, let's fast forward to that. We ain't going to do that.

Because we were talking about a fucking, in that same game, that six foul on Kobe with some bitch shit. I didn't foul him on that fucking play. I fouled him on the one before that. That six foul. Look that shit up. That shit was not a foul. Hold on.

Let me go to the text real quick. I want to give you all the o'wap. So this was Lakers Jazz January 11th, 2012. It was a highlights package on YouTube that Sasha Mac sent us. And Rogers been pissed for the last six hours since she has sent that to us. Relax. Shout out Real One, Austin Iveson for sending that clip to Sasha Mac. Who won the game, man?

Who won the game? Who cares, bro? It was January, Doug. In the lockout year. And the Lakers won. Did the Lakers win the game? The Lakers won the game. But shut up.

Anyway, what's it like when you're brought into a superstars gutter and they bring you up into their and today world? And Kobe had 40. He brought you it to you. Who was it? Who was gutter that night? When was that? It was January. Yeah.

Kobe had 40 a lot of nights, bro. A lot of nights on you. What do you mean? mean. Like say big example, right, is when Ruben Patterson called himself the Kobe stopper. And Kobe was like, all right, bet and put Ruben Patterson in the spin cycle for the whole series. Have you ever had that type of thing happen where you pop shit off to a certain player? And then they just have retribution. You've never had that happen to you? I didn't talk shit to anybody. Like, that wasn't really much style. You did that when Michael Jordan at one time in the preseason, right? Remember that game?

Yeah, but that wasn't, I learned my lesson pretty quickly. I did to him once and I did it to Reggie once, and it didn't work out great for me in either one of those cases. So, like, it wasn't my go-to. Like, I wasn't really talking shit to a lot of people. But, I mean, once someone knows that you're a quality defender or once a defender knows that you're a quality offensive player, you're getting that A-game from either that, you know, all-deafensive player

or that all-MBA score. So, you know, that automatically brings that game up. Like when I have to see Kobe, you know, there's some pride in my shit too. Like, you like to make jokes and shit. But I was all-MBA first-team defense, motherfucker. Like, I'm trying to lock you up. Now, it didn't always work out like that, but that's your mentality, right? Because you know he's the best in the business at what he does.

And so on the flip side of that, like, I never professed to be a Kobe stopper. Kobe, like, Kobe knows the dudes that are game to play him. So when he sees them, he wants to obliterate them and the team they play for. So you're, you're, everyone's game is going to raise in that scenario. You know what I mean? Like everyone's game is going to, going to be lifted. And I think you see that, you know, with not just a me, but like, you talked about Tony Allen, right?

Like if Tony Allen was going to guard a Kobe or or a LeBron or somebody like that, you were going to see both of them raise, you know, or rise to the level because, you know, that's who you're trying to measure yourself against. Mm-hmm. Oh, wait, hold on. I'm looking right now, Jazz Lakers. Now, Kobe had 40. Yeah.

He went 14 and 31. How does that make you feel? Great. That makes you feel great. What are you talking about, bro? 14 to 31? Yeah, I'm good with that. And they, even if they emerge in overtime and they, and they, they emerge in overtime against a jazz

team that by January was Darren traded already? He was not playing in his game. No, I think he did get traded. Yeah, so I feel real good about that because we were in disarray. If we got the Lakers in the OT and I'm able, again, this is a league. Roger. You scored seven points. Okay. You had six fouls. We were three or four from the field hit a three, which you were minus eight from the court

that day. What was I from the field? Three or four. Yeah, so my last year in Utah fucking sucked. right now I'm not I'm not saying that I was a great player I'm not saying that but you gave me three shots you gave me four shots I hit three of them and you asked me to guard Kobe for however many fucking minutes I was on a quarter to three shots

14 for 31 I'm living with that bro and that was my argument in Utah like I was playing on a team and I am I hit it's late at night if you could dig what I'm saying it was hard to do work in Utah the last time I was there was a lot of shit wrong in Utah We've about to talk about that in depth, but yes, yes. Yes.

Real ones. Real ones. Let's say a quick break. We're going to talk about another conference. And we are back. Rogers is here. He's, I don't know. Are you dancing right now?

What's going on? What are you listening to? I just got a text. I just got a text and said, what time are we going to Waffle House in the morning? Okay, bro. Wait, hold on, hold on. Hold on. Okay.

Waffle House, listen. I might, I'm probably going to get slander for this take, and I don't care. Don't say, hey, listen. I'm about to say, you bet. But I'm about to say Waffle House is trit-ass. It's trash. I'm sorry. The Twitter birds.

Let's go. All of the Twitter birds. I'm not even going to fucking dignify that with a response tonight, bro. Twitter birds, get his ass. Bro, I went to Waffle House. in Atlanta, Georgia, that was, and I went one more time

just to make sure. Nah. And I'm probably gonna get, I'm gonna lose a lot of friends for this. There's probably gonna be a lot of subscribers lost to this. I won't care. No,

they shouldn't unsubscribe because I stand like firmly on the other side of that argument. What do you do? What my good sir are you talking about? First of all, the waffles, what you're Belgian,

you're a fucking Belgian waffle fan where you're a little powdered sugar on your one. waffle, you know, a powdered sugar on your waffle. You can't eat a nice, like a nice waffle that soaks up the syrup. All right, all right, all right, all right. I don't like, I don't like Waffle House and that's that. Roger, we got to get to the shits, man.

Bucks Nets was a travesty. It was, it was absolutely game two was, it was ridiculous. I heard, Roger, you know what I heard, Roger? Let me tell them what I heard. I'm going to tell you what I heard. I heard that this was going to be the best postseason series since the Kings Lakers in I heard that this was a clash of the Titans. This was Kevin Verscianis.

They weren't going to let us down. This was going to be great. This was going to be, we're going to be telling our grandkids about this. So far. Where'd you hear that shit? Where'd you hear it at? First off. Twitter.

I heard it on Twitter. Oh, well. Anyway, so, Raja, should I expect a good series tonight? Like in this, what should I expect? What should I expect on that? All right, let me just do this. First of all. All right.

it's only two games in. So as bad as it looked, and I'm not here to tell you that Milwaukee is 100% going to go back to Milwaukee and turn it around. I'm not saying that. But what I'm saying is,

you could lose two games on the road. One of them looking real ugly because you said, man, this shit got out of hand real quick and it's in the bag. We just got to take this home and do our job. And I know it's corny and it's cliche,

but that's all you have to do if you're the bucks. It doesn't matter how you lose one and two. You just got to go home and hold serve. And then you got another opportunity to flip the series on the home court advantage front, you know, back in Brooklyn. It's not looking good though. I mean, it's full disclosure. I mean, I got to admit that. It's not looking good. Rara, a couple weeks ago, I got on this pod and I did the mature thing. And I apologized to Chris Middleton. I apologize to him. I said, I apologize. I say I was wrong for saying all those things that, you know, maybe you were overqualified three. I was like, man, you are a good too right now.

You are really good, man. You are picking up the slack. And then through the first two games, he basically proved everything that I've been saying about him all year. My man is averaging. are you shooting 30% from the field? He's not getting to the baggage claim right now, Raja. But my biggest question in this one is, when you think about a number two and a number one guy, what is the responsibility of that? As a role player, when you were looking at a guy

that you probably thought it was the number one, maybe number two, what did you look for in those guys, and what is the baseline that you need to have with those guys, particularly in the playoffs? That's tough, right? because it's not tough. You do your damn job. Your job is to get buckets, bro.

Like, what's your job is? But no, but what do you do when you see that, right? Because remember you had the argument earlier this season when you were like, yo, there is, you know, when you have an Amari Stadamar, have a Steve Nash, those guys have to do their job as a one and two. Because if they don't, it makes guys like you role players, Tim Thomas is the Rajabelle, have to go above and beyond themselves for longer periods of time. So like, what is that, how does that manifest on this Bucks team?

What is, what is that, how much does that put pressure on the other guys with Middleton doesn't do well? Well, it puts a huge amount of pressure on, on other guys. I mean, you know, in a game like tonight, I'm, Chris, not just Chris Middleton, but, you know, Drew Holiday had 13. Janice didn't carry his normal load offensively. That's 18. And, you know, a guy like myself or let's say in this equation of PJ Tucker or a, you know,

Bryn Forbes. While you might be able to score 26 in a game, 30, like there was a game in the series that I hit that big three against the Clippers, right? I sent it into overtime with that big three out of the corner. It was, and then we go back. No, no, no, but we go back to the Clipperland, right? And we're minus someone.

I forget who it was. But Steve might have been nicked up or something like that. But I had like 33 in that game. Like, that's out of character for me. But we lost because it's like, you understand what I'm saying? like that's not my role. If I'm the guy scoring 33 for your team, then you're going to get beat. My 33 was dope, but you're going to lose. And so you have to have at least two of those three guys, like KD would have 32 tonight and Kyrie chipped in with a with a with a with a for him relatively benign 22.

But that's still those are still that's 54 points that you're getting out of those two. You you can't role players can't make that up. They got you have to do your job. I remember a game when the, uh, the warriors were playing. playing the Portland Trailblazers in Portland. I think it was the last time I went to the Western Conference Finals. And Myers-Lennard just went off. Like, he was going off in that series. And I remember after one of the games, he went off.

I went to Warriors, but I was like, man, Myers-Litters going off on y'all, man. Like, you know, what's going on? And the player comes and looks at me and he's like, it's fucking Myers-Lennard. What are we talking about? Myers-Lennard. The more times Myers-Lennard shoots is less times that Dame and CJ get the ball who can really hurt us. It's fucking Miles Linnard. Correct. That is what you mean when you say all those things, right? That's the type of thing.

Like, you don't care if, you don't care if another guy is scoring. If Middleton isn't doing his job, then what the fuck? That's the key, right? That's the key. And that's the essence of it, right? I don't care if Raja or Myers-Lennard or, or, you know, anyone else is getting their 25 if it's, if it's keeping food off a Dame Lillers plate or Steve Nash's plate or, you know, Janus's plate. But, you know, if Janus is going to go off and I chip in with 25, now we're probably beating you by 15 to 20. Do you understand what I'm saying to you? Like, if he could do his job and then I come up with one of those games, your team probably doesn't stand a chance. But if the game plan is really thwarting what that number one and number two player can do,

and it leaves a bunch of crumbs on the table for a player like me, because that's what we're talking about, right? Logan, we're talking about a game plan. So we're talking about my game plan is oriented around stopping Janice Antico and Chris Middleton. And so in that effort, I'm going to leave more stuff on the table for Brooke Lopez to eat and Bobby Portis to eat and, you know, Bryn Forbes to eat.

If they eat more and those two can't get to, you know, their normal numbers, like I feel pretty good about that. That's what we've done. That's the essence of what you're saying, right? But if they can eat and they chip in with 25,

the supporting cast that is, we got problem. We'll see what happens, man. I just want a good series, bro. I really just want a good series. That's not too much to ask, right? So does you have the first round that we had with all those seven game series?

I just wanted this to be the epic matchup that we always thought it is. And I'm not getting that. One thing that we are getting, though, is Blake Griffin. Also, before we talk about Blake Griffin, I just want to say, good job, Steve Nash. Way to go, Steve Nash. You're coaching your ass off, Steve Nash. We see you, Steve Nash. We see you.

A byproduct of us seeing you is seeing what you have done with Blake Griffin, who is playing, like, I always like this to see this out of veteran players who were once stars when they is when they see, when they know their role and they know that their role evolves, right? Because Blake Griffin has been a superstar in his role. And you don't see that with a lot of former superstars, right? When they, you know, their ego is in it. They don't necessarily want to do all the things that their acts to do because they feel like maybe they're above that because they are, in their mind, they're still a superstar. Blake Griffin has played exceptionally well for this team. And it's funny because it's, it's just, it's great to see.

What have you seen from Blake? And what do you like from what he's doing? It's been really fun to watch him. I almost shot Steve a text the other night after that full, like, stretch out dive a la Dennis Rodman that Blake had back after a ball in play. Because, and this is why, I, you know, I told. you, I came really close to going to work in Brooklyn. And so I had a lot of conversations with Steve. And I don't think I'm, you know, this one I could share about the team, the makeup of the team,

the philosophy that he was going to approach it with. I won't share all of that. But what we got to at some point was the personnel. Now, James Hardin wasn't there yet, but the conversation was from Steve that we have to find a guy. There's got to be a guy that fills the role of the guy that's not going to take share. from anyone on any given night. Like he's going to be out there doing all of the, you know, that was a thing for that team. Like he felt like he needed a guy, a nuts and bolts type of dude, tough guy, stand up, give you a little bit of grit in those tough moments. And Blake, kudos to him for coming in, the humility to hit a team with his, you know,

pedigree, like the Brooklyn Nets and say, hey, man, I got to step outside of my normal role. You know, I was cast in different roles on different teams. but on this team, I'm going to bite on that. Like, that's going to be what I dive into. And I don't know if that was a Steve conversation, because it could have been. I haven't asked him. Or if it was a Blake just being, you know, at that point in his career

where he said, look, this is my value to a team like this. But in either case, it's been great and sorely needed. How valuable is that type of guy, right? Because that's the guy that we hear all the time. There's a superstar. There's a second superstar. There's the superstar role player. But I don't, I guess this goes,

This is a superstar role player, but we don't hear a lot about the guy that don't take shit guy, right? The guy that is, you know, I can't put a name on it, but we all know that guy that Udana's Haslam in Miami, especially during his prime, right? A guy that's going to die for those loose balls. He was going to, shit, getting somebody's faces, you were a guy like that. What does that role guy do when, you mean, you know, we probably talked to Juan Tiscano Anderson. He was a guy like that. When you see a guy jump for a loose ball or die for a loose ball, what does that do for the rest of the club when you have guys like that on your team who don't necessarily get the stats? That's infectious energy.

That type of I will sacrifice my body for what we have going on here and for a chance to win a championship is infectious, man. Like not everyone's built like that. And I mean like the greatest superstars on the planet, and rightfully so. Like they can't afford to have the bursers on their elbows swollen like like like tennis balls every night. They got to come out and shoot 20 shots. Do you know what I mean? Like 30 shots the next night. They can't afford for some of those nicks and bruises.

So someone has to dig into that role and provide that example for the rest of that team. Like, yo, I would I would gnaw my own leg off right now for a chance to win that. And this is, this is, you know, like metaphorically speaking, but this is how I'm going to show you I do that. like I will stretch out, that hurts, bro. When you're suspended above a hardwood court, like parallel to that bad boy and you fall on that, that shit hurts. And so, you know, someone has to do that. And I think if you take us back a pod, Logan, remember when we had Coach Fieldsdale-on, when we had Fizz, and he said a lot of times those emotional leaders of those teams aren't the stars.

They're the Tony Allen's. Yeah, they're the hard hat, nuts and bolts, lunch, old dudes that come in there and do that type of work. Yeah. No, I agree with you. But those are the unsung heroes of the team. And I'm glad Blake has gone into that role. Another thing I want to get into, man.

And it's probably the, I wouldn't say, the most bizarre superstar conversation happening. But it is kind of interesting. In Portland right now, have you ever seen a superstar? Let me give a contest. Dame Willard talked to Yahoo! who sports is Chris Haynes and basically just said, I want Jason Kidd to be my coach after Terry Stott's and the team went to go parted ways.

I want Jason Kidd to be my coach. We know that superstars have sway within organizations, but they usually do those behind closed doors. And there was another report that said, I think it was from ESPN's Woge, who said that Jason Kidd is just backed out of the coaching search. which is interesting, but I'm on the line of disagreeing

what the way Dame did what he did to try to get Jason Kidd. I think if you want a coach like Jason Kidd, you should just do it behind the scene to say that. But when you publicly say it, there's a whole bunch of other, there's a whole bunch of other things that come up, right? Like a lot of different pressures

that come up for Jason Kidd. So I would have just been like every other superstar before him and just leak it through maybe the media or something. or like maybe you just, I don't know, but I would have did it publicly. Would you have done that? Do you agree with Dave's decision to do that publicly? Ultimately, the decision to do it publicly, no.

I don't think that was the right way to handle that. Him trying to exert some muscle and use his leverage or whatever he has in Portland. Like, you know, I have no problem with that. I'm pro player in that. I want to ask you, though, do you think to some degree it's because, Dame hasn't really participated in that much. He's just been a good soldier. I mean, at least from what we can tell

from the outside looking in, and he doesn't have enough experience, like he's not polished in that regard yet. I can't. I don't know, man. I mean, this is what like, you know, I mean, he has a great agent, you know. Aaron Goodwin's a great agent.

He has people around him that could, that it will give him the best knowledge possible. I don't know, man. I just don't agree with them. That's assuming he ran it by his agent. Like, he didn't, like, them boys that when they're tweeting, they're not running shit by the agent. He didn't tweet. He just caught up Chris Haynes and Baines.

But he tweeted some shit. He tweeted some cryptic shit after the game, though. He Instagram some cryptic shit after the game. Or Instagram. You know, yeah, yeah, yeah. I get my fucking media platforms fucked up. But, I mean, point being. Yeah. I know.

But I just would have just been like, you know, do some sub tweets or some shit. I just, I think because he went out so publicly, it put kid in a weird position. is what I'm thinking, right? Because like I said, all the pressures that come with that. If you leak it to Rowan's podcast, if you leak it to us, you know what I'm saying? And we get your message out, then I think it would have just went better. I don't know. Maybe you would have got the guy that you wanted if you would have did it more behind the scenes.

Hey, Portland, if Jay Kid's not going to take your job, you know who else Dame Liller's a big fan of? Who's that? David Vance or Poole. Yes. He was there for years. He's a big, I mean, they have a really good relationship. He has not got his opportunity yet, but I think it's coming. So, hey, call my man DV of Gussie Poo.

The Blazers are just feeling like just funny in the light, man, because they're doing the, GM, Neil O'Shea basically said, we're not going to do anything structurally different to the roster. Basically, we just said that. Like, we just like only a coach will change this. I don't believe that at all. Like, you've got to, you're basically saying, I don't got to do anything.

Listen, friend of the show, Perk, I saw Perk's tweet, or was it an Instagram, correct me, if I'm wrong. It was a tweet maybe about Dame, your time, you've done your job, like, time to go. Yeah. I'm with Friend of the Show perk on that. Like, you've done, you've done what you can do.

We've done what you can do there, man. If Neil O'Shea is going to get his ass in front of a microphone, I'm not, but I stop cursing, all right? It's a little late at night. If he's going to get his behind up in front of my microphone, talk about he's not changing that roster and we're just to coach away, get your ass up out of Portland, Dame Lillard.

And I say that affectionately because I love Portland, but they're not into what you're into. Real talk. If that's his, if his vision is that, that we're good, then we just need another coach, then you ain't on the same wavelength.

Yeah, man. Portland's a great city, by the way. Portland is a great city. It is a phenomenal city. I love Portland. I'm just, I'm just going to be in real with you, man. I'm so mad.

We're going to get to this talk. We're going to get back to it. I love Portland, and I'm so pissed that the NBA doesn't have a team in Seattle because that, or in Vancouver, because that Pacific Northwest trip, you know that that was great, right? Wasn't it?

When you go Vancouver, Seattle, Portland. You remember the old SNL skit or the two there are good times? Yeah. Good times. Yeah, yeah. No, but. times. I just, I'm not, I'm not ready to just say leave Dame, but I, Dame ain't going to win no title in Portland, man. It's just not going to happen. There's no title coming to Dame in Portland. It's a rap song, man. It's a, you're right. You're correct, because he's like, they just don't, they don't seem to get the point. Think about the West now, Logan. Where are they at in the West when you're talking about, I mean, we got to put, okay, so boom, all right, boom, you got the, I'm no particular order. You got the Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, right in there.

That's just five. That's five off the top. That's before you even thought. That's before you even thought. And then, then you got Memphis coming. Memphis is coming next year. Memphis is coming next year. The Mavericks.

You trust them to get it right before you trust Portland. The Mavericks are, yes, the Mavericks. You're at seven right now. That's seven teams. you just named right now. And Golden State's coming back. And Golden State, that's eight right there. That's eight right there.

Because at the very least, I think next year, you know, the very minimum is an eight seed for the Golden State Warriors next year with the roster intact. I don't know, man. It's tough, man. Okay. Speaking, we speak into one of those teams that we just did. The Clippers. Roger.

The Clippers, I just want to note, ever since Jomey went to Palmdale, the Clippers have been great. and the Lakers have been gone. But the Clippers have advanced to the second round. Are they title contenders before we get, are they title contenders? Yeah, yes. What do you mean? We had a segment, real or fake.

You said fake. Yours truly said real. Yes, they are title contenders. Whether you believe it or not, whether you trust them or not. And I hear you. And that's fair.

But they are in the mix, man. Anything like, why didn't this Kauai game seven Kauai come out like for the rest of it. Why didn't, why did it take so long for him to just be the best player on the planet? Yeah, I don't have a great answer to that. But his, his sidekick, like, playoff P, playoff P. Somebody said, somebody said, somebody said, I saw a tweet, I'm sorry, I can't really, you know, I forgot the person who tweeted it, but they said he, um,

pushed off the pandemic P moniker to Christophevvv Singhis. So shout out to Paul George for exercising demons, man. You still got to get past the second round. But good job, buddy. Good job, man. Really happy. Anyway, before we get out of here, man, I want to get it, Jomey, who has a new series that you can look on the Twitter sphere.

It's called Packwatch, where he basically lights up a pack for every postseason loser. Now, he does his version on the timeline, but I want to do. to give them a chance to do a version here on the real ones. Jomey, you have two minutes. Give me all the details on this Mavericks pack. Sasha, could you spark it up for me one time? All right. So here's the thing about the Mavericks Pack, right?

It's very concentrated, right? Luca went and Luca went and did his thing. Tim Hardaway, Jr., Dorian Finney Smith, they played all right. this solely rests on the shoulders of Chris Tapp's poor Dingus. All right. What a, what a fraudulent series from that guy. All right. That dude was 7-3 Sean Bradley.

What are you doing, bro? You know what I mean? Like, he was tragic Bronson. The dude, like, he hit a couple shots. You get a couple dungs. He played solid defense. but when they needed him most, right, to make plays to take the load off Luca. The man was non-existent, right?

He was Latvia and Kyle Kuzma out there, bro. That thing was embarrassing, man. You're supposed to be the dude. You got drafted, fourth of the Knicks, everybody remembers Tenghis, Pinguish, right? You showed out in New York, right? But then you weren't happy with Phil Jackson, whatever. You traded to Dallas. They were doing triple dirks out there.

You went and you just embarrassed yourself. Be better. And now, KOC's got a great video on the Ringers YouTube channel. Check it out. Fall on the boy. Talking about how nobody wants to trade for Chris Depp's. You're 7-3. You can shoot.

But for whatever reason, nobody wants you on their roster in this age of versatility. It was like, I can actually pass on this 7-3. Like, come on. That's just embarrassing. and like, yeah, we light him up. Fish Taps all summer. The man's finished. We're going to see what happens, you know, whether he gets moved.

But he's got to come back next year and show somebody something. Or that dude's going to be, he's going to be the Kiel O'Neill, the Beijing, whatever team of China. He's going to run the Chinese basketball league next year if he don't step up. That's what it's going to have to be. Can I play devil's advocate for one second, Logan? You always do. You always do. Can I make the argument while I don't,

there are a lot of things about Chris Depp's, right? Like health and availability. There's a lot of shit, right? So I'm not going to sit here and completely defend him. But I can make the case. I'm going to make the case that Luca Donch's brilliance puts Luca in a really fucked up spot. It just becomes a spot-up shooter, man.

Like, that's what he's asked to do. Okay. That's great. But like, it, this is not, I want to make, I want to be, I want to play devil's advocate. So I'm going to continue my argument, right? Yeah, go back. Yeah, please.

It's not that easy. Let's say he's not a true number two. Let's say he's not an all-world number two. All-world number two's can hop out of like-yll. You say any Chris Middleton? I'm saying maybe he is where it's not that easy for him to hop out of the role of spot shooting. And then you throw him the ball and say, hey, we need you to eat because Luke is getting double-team. Maybe it's not that easy for him.

So maybe it's all. Either way, though, Raja, he's on pack watch, man. That was another edition of Pac Watch. Fuck both y'all. From Jomey. He's got no post moves. You're 7-3. They can't throw the ball to you.

And he gets Nick Batum. He's really soft on the ball. I'm going to get that. I'm going to get that. I'm out. I'm out. I'm out. You're right, right.

All right. That's been another edition of real ones. That's been another edition of real ones. Make sure you check out everything on our NBA feed. That's group chat. That's the answer. That's real ones. And they'll check out mismatch.

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