Explicit

Nightcap - Hour 1: Lakers win 8 of 9, Jokic "Worst MVP Ever"?

Published Apr 4, 2024, 5:45 AM

Shannon Sharpe and Gilbert Arenas react to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Washington Wizards for their eighth win in nine games. Later, they discuss to an anonymous NBA executive saying Nikola Jokic winning his third MVP in four years is "not going to age well."

0:00 Introduction
04:20 Lakers defeat Wizards takeaways
18:00 Celtics defeat Thunder for 60th win of the season
26:15 NBA GM says Jokic winning a 3rd MVP won’t age well
47:15 Unc thinks the NBA is winning because the playoff races are so tight
54:10 LeBron jokes that he should “lay off leg day"

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Hello, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us again for another episode of Nightcap.

I am your favorite THUMK Shannon Sharp.

He's your favorite Number zero Arizona Wildcat legend wizard great once scored sixty points in an NBA game in flip flops. He is the Habachi Man himself, Gilbert Arenas, thank you again for joining us. Guys, Please please go vote for us for a Webby Award.

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Mission to take the Swifties down along with with with Travis and Jason Kelsey.

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You can listen to Nightcap through the Club Shay shaped feed, but we would greatly appreciate it if you subscribe and listen to the night through the Nightcap podcast feed. Thank you again for selling out Shay by La Portier. We have pinned the link at the top of the chat. Also, we have shipment sin so we should be able to fulfill all orders pre orders on. That's what we're doing, not only pre orders, but we should have enough in start to supply the orders that were placed before and the pre orders as they come in, So thank you again for that. Also, please like and subscribe to Gill's Arena channel on YouTube. His show airs Monday through Thursday live at eleven thirty am. Pacific time. That's Gill's arena channel on YouTube. His show airs Monday through Thursday live at eleven thirty am Pacific. Gil also has a personal YouTube page and it's called no Chill Gill. He has a personal page gilbl arenas no Chill Gill. Let's go there, get get his subs up, Gil, Let's get right into it. Tonight, the Lakers beat the Wizards one t LA approved forty four and thirty three, finished the six game road trip five and one. The game really shouldn't have been this closed, but ended up having to put the starters back here with about thirty five seconds to go because of what a twelve or thirteen point league got cut down the five.

So they're six and five to one on the road trip.

They're currently tied with Sacramento and Phoenix in the lost column, but two games back no no time in the win column.

With the two games back in the lost column.

Lebron James another magnificent night twenty five seventy nine. Anthony Davis was dominant thirty five points on ten of seventeen, shooting fifteen to fifteen from the free throw line, eighteen rebounds, two steals, three blocks, and they hold on to beat the Wizards one twenty five to one twenty. As you watch the game, not just just let's go all the way back and if you can remember the games that they played and they played really well on this road trip, Gil, what have you liked most about what you've seen from the Lakers.

That they've.

They've beat the teams that they were supposed to beat. They they they did what they were supposed to do. Yes, on James has stepped up, Ad has played well. And the role players that we were having troubles with, let's say around the end of December January, those guys are playing more consistent now, right, Yes, you're talking about getting to the playoff. It seems like everybody is ramping up for the playoff and it's on the same mission here.

Yeah, I like what I saw.

Lebron has been really, really good, and as he mentioned, he says, look, guys, the last year I had to deal with the foot, so basically I was just playing the games. I wasn't able to get any on court activity. I couldn't do, you know, practice, I couldn't do shooting rounds or anything of that nature.

Now I come out here before the game.

I'm able to get my shots up before the game, I'm able to get on the court with the guys for shoot around. I'm able to, you know, work on my shot and you can tell nine to ten the other day, what forty points on seventeen shots comes back?

Last night?

What was he eight or ten, ten or twelve? Very few shots? Again, very very efficient last night against Toronto. Another fishing night, another fifty percent shooting night tonight. But as you said, Gil, we knew this was on the horizon. Horizon they knew. We knew they were gonna play a lot of sub five hundred teams. And if you're trying to get to where you ultimately need to be, these are the teams that you need to be. These are the teams that early in the year that was sub five hundred, when they were the November in December, that was beating the Lakers, and you're like, what the hell? And it's still it's still troubling to me. With Anthony Davis playing as well as he is, and he's played seventy two games, Lebron is being Lebron, and here we are forty four and thirty three and we're in the night we're in a nice spot.

Gil, I still can't understand that for the life of you. You know what, I want to give Prince his credit. Right at the beginning of the season, right, my my complaint with him and Van Do was, you guys are sitting in the corner being atmosphere, right, And as of late, Prince has been diving a lot more, getting into those open spaces.

Yeah, the creases. Yeah, he's been.

He's been slashing, diving because the defense didn't expect that. So he's getting a lot of easy points and keeping the defense honest by moving. Just little things like that is what makes those guys important. If you're sitting in a corner, just be an atmosphere, it's harder for ad and Lebron. So the fact that yes, he has played this well, Lebron has played this well, and we are struggling. I will take that to see how we're playing now.

Right. And Plus the thing is d Lo.

D Lo has vastly improved from the end of January, it's the beginning of February until now.

Dlo has been sensational.

Had he been playing like that all along, the trade talks would have never come up.

Yeah. No, You're right, it wouldn't have. It wouldn't have.

And I think because of the trade talks and put some urgency into his game, right, And when you when you start off a season, you don't want to be traded, right, Well, we can count the millions, you can count all the money in my pocket, But leaving the city that I call home to go somewhere else to learn that city, to learn that players, to learn the routes, the roots.

Money has no impact on that. You know. If I know you from your job, no matter how.

Much you're making, and take it to a whole nother city, you're gonna have a tough time struggling, especially men death, right.

I think, And I think I don't know if he has a wife or significant other. I know he has a small child that I see him with from time to time after the game. Now you got because it's just not you.

Yeah, you have to think of other people.

You have to think of your wife or your significant other, the kids. And I think he really wanted to be back in LA because I'm not so sure he really wanted to leave LA in the first place. So he looks at it as a second chance. I got a second opportunity to come back and fulfill or correct the wrong that happened before. And so I don't think he really wanted to leave LA the first time, and I know for certain he doesn't want to leave now because he said, I want to be a Laker next year, and he's playing like he wants to be a Laker next Year's shooting the ball extremely well, doing a great job of running the offense when he's asked to do so. But I love the way he's fled Lebron is Lebron is Lebron. I mean, it goes without saying, we don't the guy shooting fifty four percent from the floor, Anthony Davids is giving you twenty five and basically thirteen on a nightly basis. Rui has been sensational also, I mean he's shooting the ball at a high level. Austin Reeves and Michigan sister, you know what you're gonna get. But I do think Gil, we're gonna probably need a little bit more for our bench. Denwick's gonna have to give us a little more. Prince is gonna have to give.

Us a little more.

We know what to expect from Jackson Hayes he's an evert guy. He's gonna challenge shots at the rim. He's gonna run, get you some footbacks, get you some love dunks. So I don't know, really, I'm not expecting him to give us twelve. If he can give us six and eight, a couple of blocks some time, you know, some solid defense, Okay, we can live with that. But I think den with it. I think Tory and Prince, those are our two main bench guys. Those guys gonna probably need to be being the double figures in order for the Lakers, because you can't ask your starters to go out there and score one hundred and twenty points every day an night.

No, no, you're gonna need.

About I'll say, in the playoffs, depending on who we matchup matchup against, twenty twenty twenty five thirty points from our bench. And yeah, ninety percent of that is coming from Princes friends and did with it and didn't with it, right, And that's just the way it is. And you know, just like Miami, you know, Jimmy Butler played very well first two rounds and then I think it was Caleb Martin right that that almost won the MVP of won one of those games and they was chanting his name.

Right, Yeah, those what we need.

We need different players stepping up at the right time because it's not expected in the playoffs, and the playoffs is GrITT and grind. Right, we're we're we're dial then we know the playbook, we know your first option, we know your second option. So to really be to really be like dominating in the playoffs, you're playing in your third option mode for the first time for the first part. So when guys step out of their body, right, Austin Reeves goes for a thirty dlog goals for thirty.

Right, Ruby goes for there.

Those are the games that we need in those in those times.

If you look at last.

Year against the Grizzlies, remember that road game, Ruy goes crazy. They're like, we go, let you shoot the three. Ruis said, okay, thank you. And the next thing. The next thing, you know, you go back and you get your split and so now and then the next and then you come home. Ostar Reeves takes over a game, so they're gonna be game. Look your start you need a D and Lebron to be a D N a D. But you also need a third guy. Yep, at different points of a game. It was ruly one game, it was hot and more it was oster Reeves another game. And that's what you need the because a D and Lebron is gonna be a D and Lebron. Can we get another game from a Roy where he gives us twenty to twenty five? Can we get a game like that from ouster Reefs where he gives us twenty to twenty five? Because I'm counting on Lebron them to give me somewhere between fifty and sixty on a nightly basis. Yep, him and a D to give us somewhere between fifty and sixty on a nightly basis. Now we get Rouy a game, we get Auster Reeve gives us a game to go along with those guys.

We get d Loo to give us a game.

We get our bench to give us twenty between those three guys, but the main contributed will be then Witty will be Tory and Prince Jackson Hayes, but the main corporates would be those two guys didn't win in Prince I liked, I like the Lakers chances, but they're gonna have it, and like they have a big lead and then they give it away. They run back out to another big lead seventeen eighteen points, and they let the Wizard to get it all the way back down to two.

Because I don't when Lebron, when Lebron is not taking over the game, those guys don't know how to finish players off.

They don't know how to finish you right.

And I know this is a different league where threes really help you get.

Back into games.

Oh, for a twenty point a twenty point a twenty point lead can be cut five four shots, right, you know, you get you know, three, three threes and one and right, you're right back in the game. And that's what the Golden State style was. So you know, sometimes when you have your foot on their throat, you just got to crush it. Yeah, gotta do it.

I think the thing is also, Gail, is that a lot of times when you get up and if you get up a certain way, you keep playing that way, but you keep taking bad shots and when they go in, you're like, yeah, everybody high five and everybody like key keying. But all of a sudden, you take a couple of those bad shots and they race back to the other end. Get some easy buckets and the next thing, you know, to hit a couple of threes and all of a sudden, like you said, your twenty point lead is not down to and.

Maybe even nine.

Now you're like, oh damn, what happened because we just watched the Wizards go on a fifteen oh run. So if the Wizards can go on a fifteen oh run, you know Sacramento can do that. You know Phoenix can do that. You know the Nuggets can do that. But this is old.

But right now, this is this is bad team's best time to play basketball.

Yeah, oh this is old.

This is it right now, coach, you can't sub me right it is what it is.

Season about to be over.

You're about to be fired, I'm about to be traded free agency.

So right now is the best time for bad teams.

Because you get no responsibility whatsoever.

And it's basically it's basically summer league basketball for these guys.

So you're gonna have a lot of teams playing a spoiler alert.

You know what, Gil, you knew. I knew one thing. Kyle Cool ain't played of the week, but I know he's gonna play against the Lakers. You know what I'm saying because he wants to show y'all should have never got rid of me and I love the ways playing, but he wasn't gonna be able to do that with a D and Lebron. And that's what he doesn't understand. I mean, yeah, I mean, look at Bradley Beal. Bradley Beal average thirty, Bradley bial is a twenty average thirty one.

Year at the high twenties. But he's not gonna get the shots.

It's hard for a third option to be what he was when he was the first option, especially when the first two options is Anthony Davidson Lebron.

The first two options are.

Booked and KD, KD and book So it's hard for Bill to get those You understand that James Worthy, Jay, it's a Hall of Famer, but you know it was going to Koreem magic, Okay, everybody else feeling you.

Know, with Bill, and you know I watched him a lot. They overpassed. Sometimes there's times where that guy has that shot and he'll swing swing right. You know, those guys are okay, playing unselfish sometimes to the point where your shot is better than that that that open corner shot from that guy, And I think Bill does that a lot where he has the shot and he makes the extra pass, and there's gonna be times where he could average twenty. The shots are there, the ball movement is there. But I think because they trust each other so much that they're willing like he'll he'll pass up a shot to pass it to Grayson, Allen or Gordon where.

That's sometimes in a situation.

Gil, You're absolutely right, And I noticed that also a lot of times when teams have big threes or teams just come together. I'm gonna show you that I'm so inch selfish. Yeah, I'm gonna fast up this shot right here.

I see you right.

It seems like when I did it, I gave up this good shot to get a great shot. Bro go ahead, take that.

Take that.

Already already touched. The main two guys hands boom bot, it came to you. This is when you get to work. So making that picture pass sometimes kind of takes away from what you do. But they will be dangerous in the playoffs, So this is gonna be a bropin on.

Yeah.

The Celtics beat the Thunder at the Garden won thirty five to one hundred for the first time in fourteen years, they've clinched the NBA's best record and the home court throughout the NBA playoffs.

For as long as they play, they will have home court.

The current record is sixty to sixteen and they have six games remaining. Christoph Prazingas led the way with twenty seven points, twelve rebounds, fours sists, five blocks, JT. Jason Tatum twenty four points, seven rebounds, three assists, JB. Jaylen Brown twenty three points, seven rebounds, four sis, two blocks. Al Horford had sixteen points, four rebounds, he was plus thirty two Holiday twelve points, seven rebounds, four since Satan Pritchet eleven points, four rebounds, eight assists, two still and Howser even Chimp then with ten points.

Very ballast. But what did you expect that.

I don't think they had shake Gilgess and I didn't see Trett Honker unless he played early in the game. I tuned into that game a little late because I didn't really expect them to do much because Shay has been in and out of the lineup with that quad injury.

But the Celtics are a.

Very balanced team and you're gonna have to play extremely well to beat them. Now, the their their achilles heels or the the bugaboo is to get him in the fourth quarter, to make him execute, because they hit a lot of tough, a lot of tough. Those shots gilt that go in early in the ball game, and those tough that J T bet between between his legs and side step three, JB THO D threes that go in early.

And the fourth quarter, they're still taking those shots.

They're not going in and they're allowing teams to creep back into the ball game and nipplement.

To d Yeah. You know.

Uh, the their their struggles is that they consistently rely on jump shots.

Yes, right, when you have two guys that are all of six A six nine, six ' ten that are athletic.

Yes, you guys are the athletic players in your position where no one's stopping you from getting to the rim. You're stopping yourself by relying settling for jumpers, right. You know, if I'm a defender, if Tatum goes for thirty forty on jump.

Shots, so be it. Right, so be it. But I'd rather him.

I'd rather that than him putting me in the basket, putting the team in foul trouble, putting me in foul trouble. Right now, I got to ask for helps and all that stuff. Right, that's where they need to switch their game in the playoffs, where they have to come out and consciously think, get to the basket, get to the basket, and get to the basket, because the playoffs is strategy, right. I need to show you something in the first three quarters and give you what I really want to do in the fourth quarter. If I really want to shoot jumpers in the fourth, first three quarters, I need to.

Be driving, so you're on your heels so I can.

But if you side stepped me the whole first three quarters, I know what you want to do in the fourth. So now basketball becomes stale to you because for the most part, you're gonna go pick and roll, go by yourself. The other two guys are gonna be sitting in the cutter. In the cut you guys don't know how to play without the ball. That's one problem they have too, that when one has the ball, the other one doesn't know how to play basketball.

He goes in the corner and stands, he sits.

He might as well just sit on the bench at that got damn point he can sit on the fish clapping hands and stuff because he don't move right. It's not like he's keeping the defense, honest, he's not. You know Gordon or back when Lebron and d Wade was playing, when one driving the other one's driving to that dump off in the dump. If they play that way, trust me in the what they're gonna run through teams right, yeah, it's it's gonna be very interesting to see because we keep saying this is their year. Jay Jason Tatum has gotten better and better year. Jaylen Brown has turning to more than an athlete now. He's he can shoot the ball, he can drive the ball. There's no excuse that have for Zingers, who's a mismatch because he can drive, he can pull you big out and then when you switch, they go pick and roll with him team, or they go pick and roll with him and jb Or or Darrick White. He's gonna get a smaller guy on him and he's gonna shoot right over the top of him.

Or he's gonna put him in the basket.

So really, as far as the complete team, they are the most complete team in the NBA because when you look at him, they can shoot the three, and they have guys that can if they want to do. Jak can post up, he can get you. He can he can drive. Hey, he can shoot the mid range. You can put the ball on the floor.

He can get to the rim. We know Jake.

We've seen JB put guys in the rim, so we know he can. His jump shot is not as consistent as a JT's.

We know what Prezingers is. He can shoot the three.

He wants to shoot that more so to get his side, but it's okay. Al Horford is solid. You're gonna get your rebounds. You'll hit the open three, he'll crash the glass. They have a very consistent team, and when you look at the guys that they have, Holiday is gonna take a couple of threes. But he's mainly your perimeter defender. That's his job. Who's the best player, who's your best perimeter to play on the post the team. So even if you have to give up some of his points to have him help neutralize some of the other guys, you can see that because you should be able to get enough points from JB.

JT.

Presingas Derrick White that even if he doesn't give you his normal twelve fourteen points and he's holding the other team's perimeter to player to under his average.

You could live with that. Yeah, you know what I like. You know what I really like about the team. It's like they're so versatile.

Right when they're small, all they're big, right, they're still big.

Now.

They haven't put this, They only put this line up in a few times.

When they did, they dominated.

When you have someone like Jason Terry, I mean Jason Tatum at the point, right, Jaden Brown at the shooting guard.

You can put uh.

Sam at the three, you can put Al Horford at the four, and you can put Porzingis at the five and be a very.

Big, mobile team.

Which when Jason Terry and when I mean Jason Tatum goes to the point, who guards him, right, it forces you to switch your whole lineup. And no one has a lineup that versatile, right, So they they can really do something if they're playing against Denver, they make it against Denver, I'm gonna use that lineup at the end of the game, where now Murray has to guard Jason Tatum. Yeah, he he's not equipped to do that if he's posting no playing from the minus no and the plus.

When you play that lineup, they can switch everything. They can switch. They can switch. Yeah, very few teams they're like, oh, we want to switch, but you're really not equipped to switch. You just switching because it sounds good and it makes you seem like you're athletic and you're versatile when you're really not.

But they can't.

They can literally switch because JT at six nine sixteen, JB is probably six seven six eight.

Holiday is a big is a big two guards.

Now even Holiday, you got you got Sam at the three, who's six seven six eight.

Okay with Sam? Yeah, Then you got Horford.

You got Horford who sixteen, and you got Prizingers who's seven foot Oh he's seven three, my man.

Oh you rim protection. And then when your kitch, when you switch on your kitch. He's not going against the Sam Vincent like he was against Miami. He's not going to a cow Liarry right when that switch happens, He's going against Tatum brought home that that has.

Had on him. With Porzingis sitting in the back protecting the rim.

So Celtics sixteen sixteen, with six games remaining, clinch home court throughout the entirety of the playoffs. So as long as they're in the playoffs, they will have home court. Now it's time for our next segment, and it's called a news cap. ESPN Tim McMahon reported that one NBA executive believed that Jokic winning his third MVP in four years is not going to age well.

I had somebody from another.

Team, who's who will, saying you can't in a historical context, you cannot give this guy three MVPs in four seasons. Basically, his take was like, that's going to age well. But Yok's been dominant. Yale twenty six and a half points, twelve point three rebounds, nine as sists, one steal, one point three steals in seventy three games.

He's shooting six fifty.

Eight percent from the floor, thirty four percent from d If he brings home is thirty MVP.

He brings home is thirty MVP.

Just because you guys fed it up and wouldn't give it to guys that Jordan probably should have seven to eight, Lebron should probably have six or seven.

Other guys not. Ain't they fault?

But here's the problem that you had give until nineteen eighty one players voted for the MVP.

Letg just sing it for second people at home.

One year, Will Chamberlain averaged forty four points in twenty seven rebounds, and he finished eighth in the MVP voting. I want you to hear me again. He averaged forty four and twenty seven. He finished eighth in the MVP voting.

Hear that he averaged fifty to twenty five.

He did not win the MVP. So you have players like if I don't like you, I ain't voting for you. So you see what happened prior to the eighties, players voted for the MVP.

So now you go. Now you got the writers and so maybe Will should have the man had he had five.

Hundred What have I think he had five hundred and fifty one consecutive double double. We're applauding some bonus for having fifty four. The man went down there five fifty years, it had double double. He never finished the season with less than eighteen rebounds in a season. He averaged twenty three rebounds for a season for a career, So he probably should have more, and then you wouldn't be upset that Yokich has the potential to win three and four years if you had, if they had done it right, so you wouldn't be mad because Jordan would have seven. And you said, well, damn he get three.

He only two behind Jordan and he's twenty eight. That means he's only one behind Lebron. He's only twenty eight.

He's only this and he got That's not his fault. That's not his fault that y'all missed it up. I got to use your language, that nineteen sixty four languages those morefo jih turkis.

Like, you're right, they they screwed.

It up on it and you can't rewind it back, like I know, send both.

Sides one side.

The fact that they're having a discussion that they can't give it to him, that is disturbing, which means, yes, you've been doing this the whole time. Thank you, thank you. You've been penalizing people the whole time. To pech who historically and what right? Who have you been protecting and what have you been protecting? Because you've been doing it. We know Jordan should have seven, so who he should have three in a row? Were you protecting birds three in a row by not giving to Michael Jordan right, ron.

One should have had some. Shaquiel should have had some. Yes, Kobe only has one. Now.

Now I do understand when they say this about Jokic. Jokic is probably, statistically when it comes to overall game, the worst MVP winner. He's the worst MVP winner in the last forty years. Why you say that when you're talking about MVP the guys outside of first and second place, their teams was first and second place.

The people who won the MVP, the teams was first and second.

When Jordan won it, his team record they were seventh in the NBA.

That year.

He had a thirty five six five three steals, All Star, MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, scoring titles, steels leader. That was the MVP historic year. Makes sense, right, that makes sense. When Westbrook won it, his team had the tenth best record triple double right first time Oscar Robinson. He want something amazing. His team was tenth, but he was he did something that wasn't done since Oscar Robinson. When Jokics in twenty twenty one, Yokish team was fifth. He have his twenty six, eight and ten. What was the historic part of that? There was no historian. Oh, the big man almost had a triple double. Let's give it to him. That's what the narrative was. A big man almost, not did, almost won the triple double, and they gave it to him.

When his team record was like that, his.

Second MVP, his team was tied in tenth place, tenth best record of the NBA twenty seven, eight and thirteen. What was historic about it? The two people before him had amazing, an amazing season. When you're talking about historic magic team's first place, second place, first place, Jordan's seventh, second, one and one, Bird one and one and one. His team was first place every time he won it. Lebron first, first, fourth, first, Yokish fifth and ten. That is but you they did that, Yes, they did that. Ain't his fall. He didn't know, he didn't vote for himself.

You did it. So either you're gonna meet correct it or keep sucking it up.

Yeah, Yogi's probably said, don't correct it on my watch, because don't pick by season.

Don't pick by season to use white out to make a correction. Yeah.

So look, his first two ones, he probably shouldn't have had those if you go by history last year, that should have been his shouldn't have been in beads.

Jason Tatum team has been one.

He's been the best player, he's average thirty, he's had the number with the rest of history.

That was his MVP.

Now yokis just sitting in first with great SATs, right, and you know what I mean.

Now you're sitting there like, well shit.

It I mean, you know, we don't cheat it for him the last.

Couple of years, so we gotta give it to this year.

So when you look at the history of this game, right, what how yokish one is MVP has never been It's like we're we're dumbing down. We're dumbing down the game for a narrative, if you want year roles to look like they're playing well, fin just let him play well. When when when when Giannis was winning, Yannis was winning. He was dominating every thing his team was won. He dominated from the beginning given the season to the end of the season.

Both years he won.

You don't you don't you don't need that. He capped greatness the handicapped Greatness.

Karee probably should have won it every year in the seventies. Karee probably should have won it every year in the seventies.

It's just because you go people don't realize how good.

Kareem was because he was mercurial. He didn't do a whole lot of talking to the media. Kind of surly.

Uh.

I think it hurt him a lot. His behavior do when he played hurt him and after because that's why he didn't get a coaching job. But you go back and look at Kareema stats in the seventies when he's with Milwaukee, but when he's when he's averaging thirty five, he's averaged thirty five and fifteen to thirty three and sixty with three blocks and all that, you're like, old on who won it? I think Moses Malone was the last one to win the MVP with a losing record. I think in the late seventies people don't realize Moses Malone got three MVP's mostes.

I got Moses here. I mean in the eighties his team was first and second. They had this first second best record. This must be because he wanted.

He wanted his only year in U in Philly, the year they won the championship in eighty three. You look at his numbers, he should have won it and his team was first. His team was first, two in eighty three seven what do you want? He wanted he might have won it in eighty one eighty three and his team was.

Second, and eighty two and his team was first, had the first best record in what did you did?

He win into seventy eight with seventy seventy sis and I ain't even go down to the seventies. That was when the last look right.

But but but it's like when you when you looking at it, it's like when you look back in history and say, all right, he has the fifth best record average twin like if you take.

Them, it's the it's the assist.

That we want to glorify. That kind of puts his sat in another category. But it's it's not to the point where he did what Westbrook did. Oh he averaged, we used oh a big that can pass the ball. That's not how you do that's you can't do that. And the fact that you did it for that now his team is in first, it's.

Like, well, you you, you gotta give it to it.

You got to give it to him now, like it's it's him where you give Jason Tatum the the the MVP deserves.

I don't think I don't think Jason jam are gonna finish top three. I think the top three would be Yo Kic. I think it's gonna be Luca, Shay, Gilgis, It's gonna be one of those, and then Gianni Jannis is gonna probably be just somehow. Now that's gonna be. That's gonna be all the NBA team, Yo Kic, Johannis, j T. Shaye, and Luca. That's gonna be your that's gonna be your all the NBA team, your first team. But even I don't think even with Luca, it's.

Not a real triple double.

We already seen it before, like when James Harden had his in twenty eighteen, his team was first.

Yeah.

Right, It's like that's why I said, like, what is the criteria? Because you're giving mixed signals. No one like Jason, I mean, Jayson Tatum's over there.

Like what am I need to dude?

My team's in first every year, We've dominated every year. I'm the best player and I'm playing very well.

How am I not an MVP?

In twenty twenty two, Tatums teamas first. He averaged twenty seven eight and four and win against twenty seven, eight and thirteen.

But its team was ten, Like, how do you justify it that? That's what I'm saying, Like, you know, they need to sit.

Back and see how they're just how are you justifying when you've never done this before?

Right?

Well, it's all it's hard to correct a wrong when the wrong he's already been committed.

Yep. So now.

So the guys like, hold on, wait a minute, So you're talking about historical purposes, because prior to Bird winning three in a row, I don't think I think the person that won three in a row was whether it Will or Rustle think it might have been Will that be Will won might have been Will run three because if you go back and look at that season, if you look at the season, I think Russell won it that year. I think he averaged like fifteen points and twenty three rebounds. Will was fifty twenty five. El Jem Baylor was like thirty thirty eight nineteen, Walt Bellamy was like thirty six and seventeen.

Jerry West was.

Like thirty six and five, Bob Pettit was thirty five with like mean that would statistically say they said that was the greatest NBA season ever. And if you go back fans, you get an opportunity to go back and look at the numbers in that season, and I think you'll see what I'm what they're talking about.

But really, if you really thought about it, if you look at.

It, Will should have brother, Like I understand that his team and you're like, well, Russell dominated, but you look at Will's numbers.

They're like crazy, like how But that's what I'm saying.

You got guys who didn't win, who wasn't there, and they had crazy numbers.

And what is crazy about twenty six?

Like when Kobe now, as a Laker fan and a Kobe fan, it is upsetting now when Kobe had that historic year individually behind MJ. Right, yeah, that thirty five it was two thousand, two thousand and five.

Yeah, it was two thousand and five in the six because that was the year he Aver.

He had eighty one, He had those that fifty, had like three straight games of fifty. So yeah, his team had the tenth best record, just like Jokic and I don't even know if Kobe finished second.

Right, they were you know, back then, the voters were still out on Kobe because what transpired was probably still fresh.

That what the what the hell does that do with the game itself?

You but you But I'm just telling you how base.

I know you know what that listen AI taken over everything? Yeah, kicking writers out kick some of these writers out report and see who.

It votes for. I used to vote.

I used to be a voter for the All Pro Team, MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player, to your things of that nature. And I watched all the games. I watched the players. I'm not just your name. Your name, don't do it for me. And just because you got a big name and you don't win the three All Pro teams back to back.

No, I'm watching your play and it's going.

To determine whether I believe your your Defensive Player of the Year or your op Y or your your MVP. And so I took it serious. And that stuff off the field they got No. I'm voting for a football player. What he did on the field, what he did off the field, Hey, that ain't got nothing to do it is clearly it didn't stop.

It from doing being great on the field.

So that's that's how I voted, and I voted for a decade. I picked every MVP care I picked every Defensive Player of the Year basically correctly. I missed one defensive Rookie of the Year. I ain't gonna tell you who it was, but I missed that. But that was the only one I missed. But I get it, Gil, And I'm just saying, and you and you know how you know they're human and they they factor things and things that happen off the field, although they shouldn't. They sometimes they let personal feelings or bias creep into the subconscious, maybe not even the subconscious. Like I ain't vote for him because I think he's this or I think he's that, and it happens.

And I definitely believe that's what happened to Kobe. Yeah, no, that that happens to a lot of people. And that's the problem. Like when you're when you when you're looking, it's like you have to play the game within the game.

But you shouldn't have to. I shouldn't.

I shouldn't have to kiss up to you for you to vote correctly.

Right now, that is not part of the game that we try. We're not training.

Every single day to kiss ass. So this guy who see me once twice a year votes for me correctly.

He don't put no bias in it, right, I think you know, like something like that.

It needs to be AI generated and then let the commissioner whoever go from there. That because if you let the commissioner and his staff vote, that is great because they have no input in the day to day relationship with a player. There's no bias against someone like Trey Young.

Trey Young only way he wins an MVP.

He a his thirty five tennisist, his team forty one. He smiled, He took the referees out to dinner. He doesn't rescue some puppies, right, he doesn't like he has to do every the Man of the Year ward.

Trey Young can't even make the All Star All Star Game averaging twenty seventy ten, so he damn ain't win no MVP less averaging forty and fifteen.

I'm just I'm just keeping stacked with y'all, man. I mean, the best.

The last two years, even twenty five, twenty seventy ten, and he can't even sniff the All Star Game.

There's like just certain stats that it's it's it's it's weirded, like.

Like I have.

I have winby as a defensive player, of the Year right, he hands down, he should get right right, And someone said, well, his team ain't winning, so he is. That don't stop the stills leader from winning this award. That don't stop the assist leader from winning his award. That don't stop the block leader, the scoring leader, order rebounding. It don't stop those categories to winning their award. Exactly, Sir, and lea the best defensive player when he's on the court. This is what he does, his metrics. This if it doesn't relate the wins, it's not his fault.

But plus he can't guard everybody.

Plus minus says he is the best defensive player in the NB.

Nothing to do with.

This record, Yeah yeah, and he's he's been phenomenal. I you know, I hope it hadn't happened. I mean, we've only had one m v P. Uh that was a rookie that was West some so on. So I think that was sixty nine. Uh, it doesn't happen often in baseball. I think it's happened. I wouldn't look at a show head of a rookie because he played professional. I think Fred Linn the Angels won Rookie of the Year and MVP. Maybe Eachi Road did too, but I know I think fred Linn of an Angel each Ye Road might have won it when he beat Jason Giambi in two thousand and one. Maybe each Ye Road did. I'm not sure, but I think Fred Linn is the only guy can think of. Now what Gretzky seeing hockey. Gretzky won the MVP nine straight time.

And they looks but they did it right, that is right?

Like when we when I'm looking at back, when I'm looking at whereas that when Michael Jordan was them eighties and you're sitting there like, all right, okay, carmelone, Okay, your team was second. That means Michael jordan team was first. How did you win that one?

David Robinson, Well, first of all, David should have won over a keem that year because King made him pay for it too when they got the playoffs in ninety four.

Yeah, he should not have won it that year.

But it's just when you look through history, it's like history is being jaded by personal agendas.

Yeah, all right, that's our soul box for that topic. Yeah, the NBA In Season Tournament is suddenly looming large over one of the closest playoff racing years, Every seed except the number one seed in the Eastern Conference is up for grabs. Seeds two through five in the East are separated by two and a half games. Seeds six through eight in the East are separated by only two and a half games. Seeds one through one through three in the West are separated by one game. Seed four through six in the West are separated by two and a half games. Seed seven through nine in the West are separated by one game.

Wow.

Uh, the NBA could not have asked for anything better than what they're getting right now, because with the exception of the the Boston Celtics, you can't rest. Nobody rest. If you want to, you'll go from second to fifth. Rest, if you want to, you go from uh.

In four or five.

I think you hear me, We got you hear me, Gil, Yeah, yeah, yeah, you frozen a little.

Better, I said.

The NBA couldn't ask for anything better because, with the exception of the Boston Celtics, nobody can rest.

Because if you rest somebody, you might be a two seed.

Today, and and and and and two three days you'll be a five seed. And if you're a four to five seed, you find yourself in the play in tournament. So the NBA is actually winning because the standing says everybody's gonna have a virtual end.

Now, yeah, this is this is this is great, especially with all the talk around no defense.

This is this is bad right coming at the All Star break. It's all made up.

Right now you have some of the greatest games that's about that happened the last We've never went into the last two weeks on our seats because now.

Teams can't rest.

Teams got to win right now, It's about positioning also trying to get the right favorable matchup in the playoffs. So this is really a very important time for a lot of teams, right for a lot of teams. I mean, you know, even with like the Lakers themselves, the Lakers or Phoenix, everybody is shoot for that six.

Matchup so they can play against OKC. Right.

You didn't want the seven matchup because didn't present it right, it goes to first place.

You don't want the eighth seed. Right. So there's a lot of things.

That's gonna be happening, and I don't think we're gonna really get a real defined schedule until that last game of the season.

I agree.

I agree because right now the Lakers, the Lakers and Lakers, Sacramento and Phoenix all have forty four wins. The Lakers have two more losses there forty four and thirty three, and Sacramento and Phoenix so forty four and thirty one. They're about to go to forty five because they were blowing out Cleveland just a moment ago.

But everything else is nipped up.

Dallas has been on that winning streak and they've surpassed the Pelicans and they're nipping at the Clippers. The Clippers have won a couple of games, and so they've kind of solidified themselves back into that fourth spot. But I don't think I don't think Dallas fears uh of the Clippers at all. Lucas given them fits now by himself without a sidekick, and now.

And you don't want to call I mean, you know, Gyrie is.

Good a if he's a he's as good as super super hero, as the heels. He got all the gadgets, like a bat if a Lucas Batman. Well he gotta get he gotta he got a Kate, They got super pounds, he got a bat belt to.

Like and and when you when you're talking about that fifth seed, I mean Dallas right now is smiling from ear to ear. They have the Hawk, Snacks, Warriors, Rockets, Hornets.

He Pistons, Thunder. The last game.

They can go, they can go six and one fist into which is gonna keep them at the four five spot.

Yep, yep. I agree if believe that the Clippers have kind of solidified themselves. They had a little rough patch there where they lost like four or five games, but they are the last two, last couple of games, pulled those games out, reasserted themselves. But yet this is definitely what the This is definitely what the NBA wanted, meaningful games, no resting. I think they have to be happy with this year team guys didn't rest guys.

In all you know, load management, day.

Off and all that stuff. Nah, it's too important and you see that, and uh, and I'm happy. I'm happy for the NBA and what they've been able to do because it keeps the game interesting and because you gonna want somebody to break the bank open for these games and networks you don't want to hold on bro a Adam.

You know we're paying you billions of billions of dollars.

But the Superstars they missing ten twelve games of these national televised games.

Yeah, you know what.

These players that the West playing games is gonna be crazy, crazy because even when New Orleans sitting at six, they could end up as uh an. They can know they can end up as a knife seed because their scheduled they got four or five hard games.

Yeah, right, well, they definitely could be in the play in.

We don't know nine yen seven, eight, but they definitely could be in the play in.

Yeah, they can. They can be in the play in, right it.

It's ideal if you can somehow get Lakers and Lakers and Phoenix in five to six and then let Dallas fight for the uh the playing game but for the most part, Golden State, Lakers, Phoenix playing game with Sacramento as it is right now, that's gonna be must watch. Yeah yeah, But and the pibility there's a chance that Steph or Lebron or KD don't make the playoffs.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa whoa.

There's a possibility set don't make the playoffs.

Yeah that I'm just saying.

I mean, but like, look, in a given situation, he can get a hot give that joke. Will make fourteen threes? He ain't going on. He made for he had one of them games to get away.

He made. He make fourteen threes in the game.

And you never know. Clay Clay out on the summer about the Lakers. He been chilling all year. He came to a state. He came to the Crip, had seventeen in the first quarter, had twenty one and a half, and every steph shot about it.

Hey, I mean even when Lebron, even when Lebron had forty, he played defense, right.

Huh defense right?

Who sit down? Oh yeah, we don't have to get Clay out the game. Foul foul, Sit down, sir, you're shooting out.

Hey.

I'm not gonna say I've seen it, but I seen it been for walk.

I've seen I've seen the the referee.

Try to extend some series out here, and the only way you do it is on the defensive end them TICKI tack files you let go call it tight boom, sit him down. We ain't got to worry about your shooting today.

Lebron jokes. He'll put on his post on his IG story. Lebron said he should lay off leg day. After photo from the Rafters game, he quoted captured, maybe I should lay off leg layout one leg day, one day this week. You see as a squad.

Is Lebron the most physically gifted athlete we've ever seen?

Uh yeah, I mean you know, from from top to bottom. Usually a guy is not built as solid as him that height just just straight from the bottom.

I mean you got you got uh you got Yannis. Yeah, you do have Giannis. But from oh, we talked. We just talked at basketball players. We just talk at basketball. We're gonna put like a bo Jackson. I mean like the football players.

He's he's built like from like thirdy more more like a football player because for the most part, basketball players, because we don't lift like that.

We definitely don't lift legs like that. Right now. We we did like we we we.

Prison, we prison workouts, right we don't have the little arms red head. Yeah, we got the true bottom.

We tworking at the bottom. Y'all do it, y'all, do it, box squads, y'all drop y'all really, y'all. They get hit the body on the legs. But he has tremendous legs separation. I mean his squads. Uh they're splitting. You look at his calves. Oh man, he you can tell he put time in on his leg And that's the foundation. One of the first things to go on to the athlete deal, you know, is his legs. You're right it and his legs go. See people, everybody thinks that, well he does this. Uh No, I don't care that.

I don't care.

Baseball players, your legs go, you're going. Football players, your legs go, you're going. Basketball players, leg you're gone. That's your foundation. That's that's the foundation in which everything is solidified from waste up.

Yeah.

And that's and that's the thing that NBA players we do not.

Focus enough on, right.

We we focused on the part of the body that you can see, right, the arms, the shoulder, the abs. Right when it comes to leg days, we run so much, we jump so much that we don't want to do legs right like. But when you think about the players that that that really was destroying the game, it was more they had football backgrounds.

Mh. They had football backgrounds.

They were they were legs dominant, they were very strong, you know from the leg standpoint, right, And that's just that's that's what the ones who played longevity.

That's what they understand. They do a lot of leg lifting.

Yeah, I think you have to, and like you said, a lot of guys you don't want to. I mean, we have a lot of guys that would. I mean the only legs I did, especially during the season, was on my off days.

I did, you know we had to do legs twice a week.

So I went and and got my in, got my legs in on a Monday and uh probably like Thursday, but not nothing heavy. And you know I did a little leg press, leg and stitch and hamstring stuff like that. But I mean Lebron, I mean for him to be put together like he is, which you could tell he puts time in nutrition of the big part of it. It's one thing to be physically gifted. It's another thing in talent to work at it. And I think that's what that's what the greatest, that's what the greatest. Have you look at Michael Jordan, Yeah he was talented, but did anybody work harder? Look at Kobe Yeah he was talented, but did anybody work harder? Lebron? Yes, he's talented. So when you combine those, now you get the perfect storm. And I think Lebron is giving guys the blueprint. It's like, okay, you eat right, you get your rest, you work at your craft, everything else.

But now these guys come in, they.

Think brand brand brand brand. Winning is a brand. No, winning is a for him, winning is a brand. I wish y'all focused on my legs on even today.

I got paraplegic legs. Huh right, you look at my legs.

I got snow definition nowhere like not quad and muscle in sight.

Ah, come get you don't do the You is your knee band and you got bone.

You have bone on bone. I got bone on bowl. I can't even ben. I can't ben maleg I can't even extend it. I just, for some reason think that it's gonna work itself.

Out, and it keeps getting worse.

Oh you know what, But you know what gil I mean, I got prepaired hills and I still do.

I do squats.

I do squats, I do lunges, I do leg fress because I gotta. I gotta keep I gotta keep those auxiliary muscles. I gotta keep you know, hell flaxers. I gotta keep glue muscles. I gotta because you don't want that saggy booty, Gil, you don't.

You gotta have you got you gotta have.

You gotta have those glue muscles and quad muscles, the firing, because that's your fount because what he what he once those go, Gil, it's on the amount of time, man, it's only.

A matter of time.

A fight almost broke out in our locker room because one player sends to another player, man, you got a stripper booty right, because didn't have no one definition, because we was laughing because we all said it like ye, he gonna look horrible when he done because he had the second body. And one player just couldn't help it, like, yeah, boy, you gotta stripper booty over. We're gonna throw some ones at you. Man. He was so mad, like he was so mad at a smith because it was funny.

Likedl because everybody could be like pause. He understood what we were saying.

You are sloppy body, dog you yeah, heighten your body.

You out here looking like a baby mama.

Yeah yeah, you be like a garden. You belt like a garment bag. You got to garb. The garment bags ain't got no definition conformed to anything.

Yeah, I like come on, bro. But uh, but that's what you have to do. Gil. If I was, you go do box squats.

If you don't have to go parallel, you don't have to go hey, I mean, can I go parallel? Absolutely? I don't go below parallel. But I do goblets squats, I do Bulgarian split squats.

I can do step ups.

I do leg press, I do leggas, stinch and hamstring curls. Just start that back to get those glue muscles, hamstring quads, get all that stuff fired again and see what you feel better. I got a full gym in the basement. I go there and watching next week. So that's a great that's a great slitude. If you want to sell the house comes with it. In the home jail.

I get my enage this. I wake up every morning five thirty and.

Go give me a coffee, right, Go give me a coffee.

I put on the cream. Get him a little outfit on right, sit right on the box, turn on right now. It's Jamie Fox.

I'm on season two, just started last week, just sitting there just watching.

What you go down there for you by what just go ahead, work out? Give I said, I tell myself.

That every day, I said every day, this is the day I'm gonna start.

Right and I get down there and just want to watch TV.

Man, I'm telling you feel so much I mean, if you started doing some legwork, man, you feel so much better.

Gil, you would. I'm telling you because I know Gil. They had Gil.

I was squatting in Lundon like a week after I had hilp my heaps from place.

Oh wow, Andy, now we got we got bad.

We got we got bad helps, bad jeanetics running our family. So but Waller, Oh yeah, yeah, but I had to like before, Now I can't. I can't do what I used to do. Hell, I was damn there six hundred pound squad. I could there livet six hundred pounds. I can't move that kind of I wouldn't try to. Now I don't need you. I just want Hey, I just want to stay strong enough, you know, to get them up off me. So I want them up by the gill. You know that's say you know what I'm saying.

You know what I'm saying. A gat Sometimes you know, like, hey, damn, you're still pretty strong. Who you're dealing with, You're dealing with the Lizzos.

Yeah, nah, I mean I can't.

I can't.

I can't lift it like ice could. No give.

But every once in a while, like you know, I lift him up, put him back down. Now, I ain't no lift him up and hold you. You know you ain't fun size all right.

Don't go over there trying to hold hold it up.

Oh that no, no, no, I tell you just to ay. Oh you know you got all the money, you know. I lift him up, everyone set them back down. You know what I'm saying.

It ain't like you don't hold them up. You don't walk around you know over here over there. You know, I ain't got that kind of back anymore. Ain't got that back no more. I was one on five, one ten.

See you got them dogs. See you got them dogs, them barbies. I ain't got tired to put legs back together.

They're too small, they're too small. I trying to pick you up. We both falling.

I mean yeah, I mean the Morrow water. If they want to feel sexty, get in like, can you pick me up?

Yeah? You know what I'm saying.

I mean you look, everybody that had you know, you got to pick up up at least once. Now, didn't get too big. You know, Hey, you haven't just one leg, you just hold one leg up. One leg you mayby can you pick the other one up? Hell now I'm finished, sit this one down.

I'm tired. And you talk about picked both Papa, Hey to get that bad like they have it in the bed? How to have your leg hang it up?

Gil? And when you're in the hospital, Hey, the contraption hole in one.

I got dot for you, baby, help me out.