The Jason Smith Show with Mike HarmonJason Smith and Mike Harmon - Shai Gilgeous Alexander is showing why he is the face of the league. We made Aaron Rodgers to the Steelers happen. Rick Pitino tells the Knicks to BEAT IT. And the guys react to Tyrese Haliburton winning Game 1 of the NBA Finals!
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live every night on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR give this you're.
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Greetings, Welcome inside, Happy Thursday, The Jason Smith Show with my bis friend Mike.
Harmon, Well Dressed Hobot.
For over forty years, tire Rack's been helping customers find the right tires for how, what, where they drive. Shipped fast and free, backed by free road hazard protection with convenient installation options like mobile tire installation tirerac dot com. He is the way tire buying should be. Well. Here we are, Game one of the NBA Finals. Thunder lead the Pacers sixty five fifty three, eight minutes to go on the third quarter. Let me take a look at my my checklist of reasons why I picked the Thunder and five hang on SGA will do his thing. Check The Thunder defense is unlike what the Pacers have seen before in the playoffs, and that's going to bring them the championship. Check. Okay, everything going according to plan, my carbon, my evil plan. Everything is going according to plan. Yes, the thunder doing exactly what I thought they would do. I feel like I should be petting in a white cat very in a very evil way. Going. Yes, mister Bond, it's all going according to plan.
Playing haphazard offense in the first half, did the Indiana Pacers credit to the ok see defense, but a lot of unforced and let's just play hot potato with the basketball. You know, the Pacers have done a good job defensively though you look at it.
Okay, see they're only shooting thirty nine percent. Job Exauce Sga.
Sga is carrying them like he you know, which is what MVPs and great players do. Okay. Game one of the NBA Finals is gonna be a little different, all right. There's gonna be a little bit of nerves, a little bit of getting used to things. Get on my back, Get on my back, because I got it and he's had them the entire way.
So far, allowed them to battle a bunch you know. One of the things as you're watching it listening to it. Whatever you're seeing, the physicality that we talked about would be part of this series, certainly on display full cord press. The only thing missing was the floor slap, like they were Woja Howski going back to the Duke days.
Uh yeah, that's right.
I got a Wojo reference in three minutes in as we go.
In, you got bombing, Yeah, I.
Got a I remember that guy.
I remember anyway, So you're watching just the implosion of a squad, yet they're hanging around. You can't play any worse, except you know, defensively, they did a pretty good job to cap the results of all those turnovers, big sloppy nineteen in the first half, but the points off turnovers is only nine. That's not terrible. That's a good job of covering up your deficiencies, kind of like they did against your beloved Knicks a series ago. But yeah, if you don't take care of the basketball, you got no shot against the squad's And you.
Know, see this game unfold, right, and you know, we talked about the Thunder defense and we gave you all kinds of reasons why this is going to be a Thunder victory. Right. The way they play defense the Pacers are used to one level of defense they saw in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks, and it's not like the thunder have come out full court press, you know, forcing these bad pass You know, this is not forty minutes a hell Arkansas Razor back of the nineteen nineties, going back to the nineties and college basketball, but this is the Pacers are finding out. Oh crap, because this is what like you would say, you watch them play in the first half, and you would say, well, this is kind of exactly how they played against the Knicks, except it worked because the Knicks are a bad defensive team. All these passes they tried to make. Wait a minute, guys, usually oh here at the end of the shot clock, like the Pacers are trying to you know, first game and trying to feel things out, obviously, but the Pacers they're just playing the same game. This looks like the same kind of game they tried to play against the Knicks, except they're finding out. Oh, when a team is better defensively, it's really more difficult. I'm shocked. I can't believe this. And there's only so much you can do if you're Rick Carlo's only so much you can do with your the pacers. You can plan for different things. Sometimes you just have to see it to understand that. Okay, now that I've seen it, we can make adjustments. It's a critical Game one for the Thunder to continue on to win this game because you know the Pacers will adjust after seeing this and you know going into game two. But this so far is the Pacers realizing that, oh, we're doing the same things we did three days ago, and wow, we are just getting absolutely boat race while we're doing it.
Turnovers twenty one to four, thus far, rebounding wise, a decided advantage for the Pacers in this one. We saw the change in the starting line of Hartenstein went to the bench to start things and then he came off and he was a fire starter when he did come off the bench, seven and four and a plus seven for him in his eight minutes of action. I mean, they've already gone eleven deep, you know, because Williams came off the bench for a minute. So you know, you're you're getting everybody involved, which is what we we predicted what happen as this series went went and flowed is that you know you're you're gonna play up tempo. You're gonna play with pace, uh, and you're gonna have to try to slow things down, change things.
Up as you go.
Wallace got the start twenty minutes for him, he's two of five from the field thus far. But for the Indiana side, you've seen Siakam come out and he's running the floor and he's making plays. But while he's filling up the stat sheet thus far, for Tyrese Haliburton, you're looking at a two of six effort right now, five of those being three point shots, which is not his game.
And so again sixty seven to fifty five. And I love that they're they're putting out all these these right away facts off of the internet right now. And I mean they're putting up who do you believe? You know?
Who you know?
Trump or Musk?
Who do you like?
Who side do you want? Who you got you? No, they're putting up just seven minutes these good ball dude, Come on, man, I mean Trump versus Musk has been I mean that's bigger than Indiana.
Oh, money in the bank is Saturday, plenty of time to get it on the car.
Kendrick versus Drake, but only two Drakes.
I mean watching this today is just it's it's absolute insanity. But I would be it would be a great final four, Like say, this wasn't the NBA Finals, it was Hey, the winner of Oklahoma City, Indiana takes on the winner of Trump Musk like that, that's what happens that these guys are both playing for a spot in the finals. But I love that they put up you know, the Google instant searches that up twenty six hundred percent. They just put this on the screen. I think it's pretty cool. Up twenty six hundred percent on the internet right now are the searches most turnoff person in NBA Finals game like that, that is what the most people are searching right now on the Internet. And I think that's pretty cool when you when you can bring stuff like that up and make that part of the broadcast. Because yeah, I'm sure that that is the number one thing of man twenty one turnovers. We're midway through the third quarter. What the hell is going on here?
Well, but that's it.
You you can now get stats for everything, like we we always have our guys Steve de Sager, and he cites the great statistician in baseball analysts, Sarah langs often and you know, off her Twitter account and now commemorated with the top set and all that stuff. And certainly for the NBA people are trying to match up for the finals, it's like we're just gonna inundate you with different stats. No team has ever done X, no team, no player has ever done X. I mean that Halliburton statistics against the Knicks. Now he didn't win the series, MVP, but how many times was it?
Really? You just had that one at the ready?
At no point has any player done this, this, this and this together, like all right now, now we're just inventing statistics that uh and and categories and used to just be when was the last time a player recorded a no hitter?
Great?
No, Now it's how many guys took a no hitter into the seventh before plunking a guy on a shoe and fracturing an ankle.
You know, I mean things like that.
Jason Smith Mike Harmon live from the Fox Sports Radio studios. Now, now tell me the truth. I don't want you to lie and just say oh no, no, no, no, no way, no no. I just don't want you to lie. Tell me the tell you, tell me the truth, because I think you have to agree with me on this is that. Doesn't it feel like and and this again? This is this is fun for me because I get that it's kind of my way of of my team being in it. But doesn't it feel like the specter of the Knicks is just hanging over this NBA Finals like that, just the just to spect the Knicks, the conversation, the firing of Tibbs and what are they going to do next? And and the Pacers winning and had and the big rivalry like here they are. Doesn't it feel Doesn't it feel like the Knicks the presence, the aura is just is just hanging over kind of like in Harry Potter in Goblet of Fire, when you know Voldemort's back and and he hangs over the whole book and it's like, oh, what are you gonna se him? What are you gonna see? He just hangs over the whole book and you finally see him, you know, at the end, it's like, oh my goodness. Like that's kind of what the NBA Finals feels like me, Like the specter of the Knicks is just hanging over everything going on.
Well, it's certainly there.
I mean, because look there's gonna be dead points, especially if you know the thunder eventually take care of all of the carelessness by Indiana see what I did there is and actually do something with all those turnovers. Then it becomes a blowout, which means, let's fill some time. Oh what are we gonna fill time with Aaron Rodgers to the Steelers. No, we're gonna talk about the Knicks and they're gonna have a parade of all Now they can't photoshop them into the uniform, but into the different suit, combination suit and tie, maybe a hocket square and you'll just go through the forty seven candidates for the next job, and you'll just do that bit by bit, game by game of the series as it gets away, and eventually, okay, see finishes the job. But until then, it's more about the why do we not have a picture in picture of Paul George?
Who's he rooting for?
I don't think it is blueprint, you know, is his footprint is on Bold squads?
Yeah? I know, but I don't think. I think just interesting now, I think if you're Paul George, you're you're rooting for both teams to lose. It's like, you know, I tried it with both these teams, and I left and both of them look at them back in the finals when I'm not there. It's like when I was met for the Patriots Giant Super Bowl, when I was like, okay, at the both of them. I said, at least I know one of them is gonna lose. I just have to figure out which team I want to lose more. But it doesn't matter because in the end, if the team that I want to lose doesn't lose, at least I know the other one's gonna lose. So that's kind of where I think. If you're Paul George as well, you know I'd love there to be just be a tie. Or you know, the Knicks. The Knicks hire somebody that just makes people stop, uh watching the NBA Finals, Like, hey, you get a big push, and hey, the Knicks are hiring Steve Kerr as their new head coach and he's bringing Steph Curry with him to New York. Like that, we wouldn't need the finals. It would be okay, sorry, because of lack of interest, We're stopping the finals and it's all going to be about Steph Curry and Steve Kerr joining the Knicks like that that that would be the only thing that that would stop that from happening, which I love and Paul George would love to be both of us on the same island.
Yeah.
But to be fair though, Jason, I mean, the big complaint about these finals is nobody's watching anyway, so you don't have to pause anything.
They can play off on their side channel.
We don't preemp this for Nicks that has been relegated to Well, no, it's splitting screen with the impractical Jokers.
Yeah, but that's but it's good because it makes me feel like the Knicks are kind of in the finals, like they're kind.
Of like I mean that by all the guys that are former Knicks that are part of this. I mean I just saw be Top and he hit a three point shot. Yeah, you want to talk about a guy who was uh saboteur in the first quarter, Wow, but hits a big three. We got an eleven point game with three minutes left in the first half. But there's Knicks or I should say x Nicks all over the place.
Yeah, so you can at least find some solace that it really was you and not them. I mean, really, maybe maybe you know hot take, the best team in the NBA the last five years is the Knicks. Look at look at the blueprint of all wes.
No. No, there was a bigger failure.
No, no, no, no, because we've talked about we couldn't have all of that. We couldn't have We couldn't have Top in the same time as we had other guys. Right, we couldn't have Hertenstein because we signed other guys. We had to trade Julius Randall and Dante DiVincenzo for Karl Anthony Tawns. It's maybe the Knicks roster of the last five years, they were the best that we can hang a banner with that in MSG.
Now, hot take it. We'll put it up as a poll question. I'd say, open the phone lines. Would you have rather they not have made the deals, kept Randal de Vincenzo and Hart and Stein and run.
It back eight seven? No, I'm just kidding.
The best team in the NBA the last five years? This editions the New York Mix.
See I just Fano snapped out of existence in the next timeline and gave you your other guys back.
Well, I gotta say, if you said, hey, can you have those guys back, I would go, I think I might like to have those guys, which which I believe if you turned back time, it was something this guy was going ECU again because again, honestly, what did I tell you. Another big reason why Tims got fired, whether the Knicks are hanging over the finals is Look, they were just out talenting teams when they were winning games, right because I had the most talented starting five in the NBA. But were they playing together? Was it working? Again? We talked about this. They were just out talenting teams. They didn't work together. Kat was a very difficult fit. It took mcal Bridges so long to get his role involved, and now Josh Hart wasn't the same role as he had last year. I mean really it was. It makes sense. More time goes on and I think people are coming around and say, oh, yeah, I kind of see why they fired Tips. I can't say what happened. He had a good run and he gets thirty million dollars to go away.
Why are well this is true, TIBs.
This is true. This is true, and he goes into the Business Hall of Fame. He doesn't have to coach a day on that extension. If you watch the Ai Tips video after he got fired here, you might have a little bit different different perception of Tips.
Uh.
Jason Smith Mike Harvin live from the Fox Sports Radio studios. Again, Thunder lead the Pacers seventy seven sixty six three minutes to go in the third quarter. Shake Gildess Alexander having the night right now for Oklahoma City with twenty five lou Dort five out of seven from three point range. He is the only other Thunder player in double figures with fifteen. Meanwhile, Halliburton with ten. Siakam has thirteen and twenty one turnovers for the Pacers, who somehow are in this game when it should be a thirty point lead right now for Oklahoma City. So we'll have more on this game coming up Game one of the NBA Finals through out the rest of the show. But straight ahead, boy, do we have something for you because Michael it's not. No, it's not Michael Conforto's rb I. You don't have that. No, you have to pick a lane, Frostburg. You can't. Last night, all might say, Jason, you're talking about a baseball series in June. What does it matter.
Against his old team?
No? Who does con sweet prelay, Dodgers have taken the lad and it's Michael Conforida that's delivered.
In your choice problematic but hey, you know, but but you know you last, Oh, Jason, it doesn't it's a it's a series in June. What does it matter? And now? But you can't honk it up today. You got to pick a lane either. It doesn't matter.
It's in June about Michael Conforto.
It's it's about Conforido getting a hit when everybody has packed his bags, packed his house.
How many times do we see that with coaches there's four sale signs on their lawns.
Canforida was that guy?
Yeah? Actually it's Mets in seven because the Mets won. That's in the series with the Dodgers for to three this year. So Mets it just like the NLCS Mets in seven. That's where we go. Mets in seven right now, Mets in seventy NLS shoes and boy would he loved to do it against his old team.
Who does Confordo? Sweet rerelease, Dodgers have taken the lead. Next Michael Confordo next delivered.
Yeah, it is so there it is Dodgers TV. That is your play of the Day, brought to you by ti Iraq. For over forty years, tire Rack's been helping customers find the right tires for how, what and where they drive. Shipped fast and free, backed by free road hazard protection with convenient installation options like mobile tire installation. Tireraq dot Com is the way tire buying should be. So coming up next a big store in the NFL. I am pretty sure we absolutely made happen the biggest NFL headline of the week, maybe of the month. We made happen with what we said last night. That's next right here, Jason and Mike Fox.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app Fox Sports Radio.
The Jason Smith Show with My best friend Mike Harmon. Are we in that Barbie scene now where like Marvel semou Leu and they're all dancing. Yes, I kind of feel like where we are right now.
Yeah, this is the part where she's dating Michael Conforto. Sure, he's kind of a big deal. We go to the fourth quarter. Do you have a Bobblehead.
Yet Thunder lead the Pacers eighty five seventy six. And I'll tell you what we've told you all along the NBA play you're looking for a face of the league, Shay Gilgess Alexander Right. The guy is everything you'd wanted a superstar. We talked about what he does, the leadership qualities he has as teammates love him and no one and no matter what, he shows up in every big game. You can't say that for Anthony Edwards. You can't say that for Tyrese Haliburton. You can't say that for even some members of the Knicks that I don't want to name, Jalen Brunson, who like maybe once in a while, but he comes up big in every single game, no matter what it is. There's no games where you go. Boy. SGA had a bad game and he's got twenty eight right now to lead the Thunder. The Pacers had just cut it to six, right. It was a pretty good third quarter for Indiana, and the Thunder had the ball for one last possession and Sga just hangs out behind the three point line and he's got Shepherd on him, and he watches the shot clock just tick all the way down to three seconds and he doesn't have a ton of space, but he's got a shot. And and you know, cause only three is there are cold blooded and he just puts up a three with no difficulty, nothing but the bottom of the net, is what Dan Patrick would say on Sports Center. And now it's a nine point lead, go to the fourth quarter, and you saw the Pacers their shoulders just slumped at the end of the third, like all this to get back to within six and Sga comes down and absolutely cool, no pressure, No, hey, things are getting a little weird right now. It's get on my back when things aren't going our way. I got us, I got I mean really, I mean for what we talk about what Jalen Brunson does for the Knicks and how and how clutch he is and all of that, Like SGA is just okay. You just stand around and watch him. Whatever it is, he's gonna make the right play, whether it's a three with no pressure, whether I'm getting the free throw line, whether I'm making a couple of big passes freeing up Chet Holmgren for a couple of easy dunks. Because he's having a tough game shooting the basketball like he shows up all the bleep in time. Man, you want face of the league, that someone who's gonna be there in big moments every single time you look. It's SGA. Doesn't get any more crystal clear than that.
Yeah, I mean, one of the.
Biggest things with this squad coming into this series, go back to the to the last it was we're not done.
We've got work to do. Right then, we haven't won anything.
Yeah, well we'll raise whatever trophy they give us or whatever, but it's back to the drawing board because we have a new chess match that needs to be done with the team that's that's deep, that matches up in a lot of ways except for the cold blooded killer as you call him in SGA get through three quarters, twenty six shot attempts and just saying it's on my shoulders to get us across this finish line. Now Doord had his five to three point shots and other contributors, no question about it, the turnover battle twenty one to five. So the defense team defense, give everybody a participation trophy in the best of ways, you know, not as a pejorative term, but for SGA, it's about the consistency of thirty point games. We've talked about quiet thirty point games. This one's anything but quiet because it's on the big stage. And in that case, coming at the end of the third quarter, you had the Pacers who shot up to what forty seven percent shooting when they haven't turned the ball over. They've actually played pretty well. Probably they did that twenty one times.
Oh yeah, yeah. It's tough thing.
Tough thing, right, So it's like you you have all of these flaws. You played terribly. It's like we're within six, all right, we're gonna.
Go to the fourth like, hold my beer.
Yeah, Face of the League says, no, no, I got this. He is a you know, like every single every single uh a phrase that I could think of, every single cliche, stone cold killer, just all but they all apply to him.
Yeah, but he can't be the face of the league until we are next annex Canada.
Uh no, no, no, he could be fair. It's fine, he's on TV now, everybody is watched.
Ian dude.
It's gonna make the next Olympics really difficult. And forget about France, We're gonna have Canada deal with. But think about a US versus the world. Got that much harder. I mean, I mean the next Canada is part of the world. Yeah, but I mean next Olympics stuff is gonna be. Forty's not gonna be making all those threes at the end of the championship.
Kate, like, I mean, now, he's just spotting up.
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Right.
Not to tell you. When I'm wrong, I miss something, I'll tell you. But now I'm pretty sure Aaron Rodgers listens to the show and sign with the Steelers today just to spite me. Geez there, just to spite me. But again, stealer Nation, you're welcome, because what did I say last night? If he really was going to be a Steeler, all the questions would be taken care of, meaning he would have a contract and he would say I'm showing up for the beginning of mandatory mini camp like those two things. He doesn't have to be there, but those are two things that absolutely he would be done. Does he sound like, yeah, that's gonna something, just say I'm done, I'm ready, I'm showing up next week. Of course not. He's gonna sit. He's gonna wait for the opening that he really wants, which is either JJ McCarthy stinks or a quarterback gets hurt. And he signed some point later on in the summer or early part of the season. But the two things I said, if he really was going, he would have his contract and he would say I'm out right now, but I'm reporting, and that would stop all of the bad optics and the bad headlines of what is he doing? Does he really want to be here? All of the craziness and what happens today. Aaron Rodgers signs a one year contract and says, I'll be at mandatory mini camp next week. We made that happen. We dared you into the arena, Aaron Rodgers, and he showed up. So everybody football fans, Steeler fan, you're welcome. I made it happen. I put it out there, and I'm sure I Rogers sit there and says, you know, I really don't want to play for the Steelers, really want to wait, wait, see if the Vikings call me. You know, I really like that O'Connell system in point, justin Jefferson is so gooder. You know, somebody gets hurt. I could go play for the Bills, I go play for the raven No, there's lots I could play for this forty nine Ers. I could play that. Oh wait a minute, Oh that Jason Smith. Ben always been saying to me, you know what, No, just a blank that guy. Hey, hey, call the Steelers, tell them one year whatever they want to give me, and I'll be there next week. Yeah, Blake, that guy man. So now he and JJ Reddick, both of them.
No, I like all the theoreticals, and certainly it always does, you know, help to hear that so many luminaries, producers, industry people, quarterbacks and their agents listen to the show. I mean, we appreciate it, there's no question about it. But you know, we just add this to the list. Go back to when Fisher got fired, when McVeigh shows up, when McVeigh was going to become a member of the Fox family, and we said, don't go to the light. You're not done yet. Don't be scared of the sideline. You know, sometimes you have to have a hard season of what happens, comes back reinvigorated and ready to go.
And now they're one of the favorites in the NFC. So yeah, we have all of that.
Now, this Aaron Rodgers thing, now he'd left so many breadcrumbs that it was all right. He thought he was going to It's one of two things. Either walks the earth like Kane and Kung Fu, and he never touches another football except you know, to show up at a golf tournament when someone throws him one so he can sign it and throw it back. Or he eventually was going to be a stealer because of all of that talk. But what was curious is not everybody in the organization, present and past, got the memo, right, Terry Bradshaw and so many others just taking him, taking the bat out to smash him about decisions and not being there again. Did he need to be there?
No? No.
Does he need a lot to other than a video, a DVD or access to NFL dot com to know what Arthur Smith's offense is. No, he's a pretty smart guy. I think he could pick it up pretty fast. Right, and then if he's already been throwing with Metcalf and other members of that organization, then he's already, you know, ahead of the game.
Right.
It's like when Tom Brady was taking guys out to the park during COVID. These guys aren't sitting on their asses. They're working, might be not maybe not in the the same way you you would like them to be where they're present at at all off season, you know, workouts and you know, like checking a perfect attendance so they can get some free tickets to a ball game or to an amusement park like we did as kids. No, he showed up when it was winning time and time to go to work. But I did like the news coming down this morning directly after us talking about it that it's like well there's another guy.
We made it happen, man, We made it happen.
Proud how the Steelers have their man.
Rudolph goes to just being a backup that might create noise.
As we talked about a little bit yesterday too. You're gonna regret it, though, Jason, How am I gonna regret it?
I made it happen.
Come on, revenge game right off the jump?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
It was just the Justin Field shock, the jet start all in one.
You just wait on Justin What about the Justin Fields revenge game. It's just a bigger revenge game for him.
But it was until now Aaron Rodgers comes in and supplants that it's all revenge.
It's a big revenge. It's it's revenge week one. That's what it's gonna be. It's revenge. It's revenge of the revenge of that. We gotta have like and we gotta have. One of them is Obi Wan Kenobi, and one of them is Darth Vader. It's gonna be like Revenge of the Sith. No, it's gotta be that.
But do we do a thing where he's got to go become a tourist of the city of Pittsburgh and all the things around it, like he visits Primanty Brothers. He's hanging out at the Fred Rogers Museum section like things of that nature, like he did in New York Hot Hailing Alley that Jerome Bettis used to get everybody away because that was the only thing they had.
Talking to the guys at training camp.
What are you gonna do?
What's the night out? Go to the bowling alley because Jerome likes the bowl. That's all we got. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Hey, hot children, I have ayahuasca in my pocket and my card again, do you know what that is? That's something you can put right in a nice cup of tea right here, just and then he's just he's just turning it around and it's like in Get Out when what's her name is hypnotizing everybody by doing the teeth with the spoon around the tea. Wow, man, this new, this new mister Rogers ayahuanska stuff is great. And I love this show. What's it about? I don't know. I just start watching and the next thing I know, it's like twelve hours.
Later, ready and there's hot take theater here I wanted the program, and there's.
The way stirred on my fingernails and a dead body next to me. I don't know what happened, but I'm just still watching television. I don't know. Man, this is great. Exit alt VOUTI Fresco, Exit, swollen dome. Jason spaths my Carver. So again, you're welcome. We made it happen. Me being so incredibly wrong, I did hell, Danny, I dared you in that court where I practically dared you. You got bullied in that courtroom by the memory of a dead lawyer. You got bullied into another season, Aaron Rodgers, by the memory that Jets fan that you let down for last two years in New York. We made it happen. We made Manhattan look. I did something great for the NFL. Man, I feel good about come to an end I did. I made people's dreams come true. Whether you love Aaron Rodgers like, hey him, I made dreams come true. Man. But now that's an off season, Roy that goes away. It's a big day. You robbed all of us out of We'll get you the industry of lazy. End of June early July segments, we hear you, We're gonna have to pick up other content. Now here's Aaron Rodgers eventually going to be a Steeler.
It's done.
We can't talk about Rogers because Jason Smith he freaking ruined it for all of them.
You jerky.
Ready for a new job. Let Express employment professionals help while Express helps people in all industries, fine work. Our sweet spot is logistics roles and Express never charges job seekers a fee. Go to expresspros dot com. Uh now, let's find out what's trending in the wide world of sports from someone who had all the pressure in the world on her today. She had promised a Vin Scully bobblehead for Justin Frosburg for the better part of the last two weeks, kept forgetting to bring it in, forgetting to getting to bring it in. She says to me, last night, if you can remember to text me at three o'clock, sometimes three or three thirty, so I don't forget the bobblehead. And I said for Justin, because the Mets won in the dominant fashion last night and a Lonzo hit a home run like seven thousand feet. Absolutely, so, Manci, I texted you around three twenty and said bobblehead. Yes, did you bring the bobblehead in for Frostburg?
The bobblehead is in studio. It has been handed to Frostburg. I was already on the road when you texted me, but I appreciated the text.
I loved your set, Michael.
Today you said between three and three thirty. I wasn't sure what time I was gonna leave.
It depends on whether I was going to pick up food and all of that.
Yes, so I text you when I text you with three twenty, that's between.
Three and three third No, no, no, And I appreciate it.
I appreciate it.
Would you have gone back to get the bobble bay, I probably would have. Yes, I see there you go. Okay Frostburg, she didn't want to hear the shame bell if then didn't make.
So.
But Truffert wants to keep He wants to keep bringing up good Furda, good forth. Look what I did for you today, justin make sure you got that Vin bobblehead, He texted me.
Always come my way regardless.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, really because Monti had brought it in, she had twelve times. She was oh for twelve y you know, she's a point. She's like watching She's like watching Juan Soto bat. She's oh for twelve the last twelve chances to bring this into I like that one. Come on.
But she delivered. Like Michael Conforida, we did We did it together, Jason.
The Indiana Pacers had nineteen turnovers in the first half of Game one of the NBA Finals, and they have been climbing back since those turnovers. Okay, s is up ninety four to eighty two with about nine minutes to go in the game. They are up to twenty three turnovers, so they definitely protect the ball better in the second half.
But it has been okay, see this whole game.
Shake Gilles Alexander leading the way with twenty eight points. He's twelve of twenty six. When it comes to Indiana, it's Pascal Siakam who's leading the way. He's got sixteen points. Tyrese Helliburn has ten, Obi topping off the bench has eleven. So ninety six eighty two is a score right now, nine minutes to go in Game one of the NBA Finals. We've also got the Women's College World Series Championship finals and Texas Tech is up on Texas two to one bottom of the sixth inning. It's a best of three series and Texas leads the series one zero. In baseball, after a very long rain delay, the Astros and the Pirates, I guess are back in action instead of just canceling the game, and the Pirates are up one zero bottom of the third inning. In Pittsburgh. The Royals and the Cardinals in a double header today, Game two. Right now, Royals are up seven to five, but bottom of the ninth inning in Saint Louis. Earlier today, the Cardinals won six five ten innings. The Cubs outscored the national seven to one, The Yankees blank the Guardians for zero, and the Rays edged the Rangers four to three. And yes, Michael Confordo come in and clutch with the go ahead RBI single in the eighth inning as a Dodgers held on to defeat the Mets six time.
Jason, we won the season series Mets in seven. We won four against you for you Mets in seven. Yeah, okay, yeah. The last time I wish I had Michael Conforta was twenty fifteen. I'mvoking today. I'm okay with it. I'm okay with it. I'm Okay, I'm absolutely absolutely fine. No, I really am. I really am fine. I really am fine.
He's good.
Thank you, Monsie, thank you for bringing Frostburg that Vin Scully.
And thank you for texting me go team uh exit.
About a Fresco exit. Swalling Dove Jason Smith Mike Harmon. Eleven point lead for the Thunder ninety six eighty five, eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Alex Caruso within with a circus hoop and one getting a knock to the ground by Obi toppin Let's see if the Thunder can put this game away again. It feels like it should be a thirty point lead for Oklahoma City, but instead it's eleven. Now coming up next, we talked about how Game one of the NBA Finals is going according to script so far. There's another huge story out of the NBA that is one hundred percent going according to script, and it's got to do with one big time college basketball coach. That's next right here, Jason I, Mike Fox Sports Radio. We've seen the forty five pound mark, looked at it. It was daunting, it was difficult. Now it's in the rear view mirror. We waved at it. We're past it. Both Mike and I have now lost over forty five pounds a piece thanks to PhD weight loss, and we're still going. I'm telling you, it works terrific. It works with your schedule. Convenience is just one of the great things about PhD weight loss. Guys average losing three to five pounds a week, women two to three pounds. You'll sleep better, your joints will feel better, and say goodbye to all those unhealthy cravings. I've been the biggest chocolate fiend in the world for fifty years. I simply don't have those cravings like I used to. More info on this the podcast with the doctor Ashley Lucas. You can find it off the Fox Sports Radio link. She talks all about her program. Trust me, take a look. If you're sick and tired of being sick and tired, PhD weight Loss is for you. The phone number is eight six four five oh two one seven seven seven. That's eight six four five oh two one triple seven myphdweight loss dot com. When you call mention Jason and Mike Fox Sports Radio, get two free weeks added to your weight loss program. Your program also is backed by PhD's get results guarantee eight six four five oh two one seven seven seven eight six four five oh two one triple seven. Mention Jason and Mike Fox Sports Radio get two free weeks added to your weight loss program. That's eight six four five oh two one triple seven.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific.
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with My best friend Mike Harmon. Be sure to check out the Fox Sports Radio YouTube channel. Just search Fox Sports Radio on YouTube. You'll see a whole bunch of video highlights from our shows. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss our very best Fox Sports Radio videos on YouTube. Well, the last few minutes things have gotten pretty interesting. The Pacers have clawed to it in five of the thunder. It's one oh one ninety six right now, just under six minutes left to go. SGA with thirty points. Meanwhile, Jaylen Williams finally heating up after a rough night shooting the basketball. He and Lou Dort have fifteen. Meanwhile, for Indiana, Miles Turner with fifteen and five and nine rebounds. He's been a huge guy in Obi Top OB seventeen Obi top and seventeen of in the game of his life for Indiana, Right, maybe that's what it is for the Pacers. Every game, somebody's gonna have the game of their life and that's how they win the title. Yeah.
I mean, he had a couple of big moments against this former squad last series.
But now it's a stand out performance from beyond the arc.
After a really rough start because he was careless with the basketball, some defensive lapses, but now making up for it on the offensive end. They've had a tremendous run to get it back to six. And I was standing up in the studio like I was at a WWE Live event, yelling, this is awesome.
That's nice, that's that's I like, chaos really great. Yeah, that sounds really great. Notching. Hey, I'm sure that normal starting. Yeah, I'm sure that looked completely normal. I'm sure that. Okay, Harmon's I don't know what's going on, but Harmon's doing something. I don't know what it is, you know what. So if people can judge all they want, I don't care the radio people. Okay, here by definition, so one O two ninety eight Oklahoma City with the lead again just under five minutes left to go in the fourth quarter. So we'll have more on this game coming up in about ten minutes. But as we told you, right, first half NBA Finals went exact according to plan. SGA taking over Oklahoma City defense was fantastic. The other thing going completely according to plan. What did we tell you last night about how the Knicks coaching search was gonna go. They're gonna draw this out because they're gonna love the limelight and love all the attention. All the Knicks were a destination. We're gonna be the story that hangs over the NBA Finals. All the big names are gonna be mentioned, and this is not gonna be filled for a while, And the next few days are going to be be taken up by all these big names that we're going to think, Oh, would this guy be a great fit? Would this guy be a great fit? I told you it's what's gonna happen. You're gonna hear all these big names just thrown around, not interviewed by the Knicks, because then it will look bad if these guys keep saying no. But all these names thrown out there and what do we get today? What was a big thing that trended because of what he said last night on the broadcast the Yankees and the Guardians. Here is Saint John's head coach and former Knicks head coach Rick Patino saying, Nicks, I don't.
Know that.
Nick John is on to be wanted. Absolutely not.
Michael Kay on the sw So I guess he's answered if you have allowed Paul O'Neil's chuckling.
Ye, Although I gotta say, here's the thing. It sounds pretty much like Rick Patino is saying no. But you know what, Rick Patino says, There's no way I'm going there, and this is where I am. He leaves right, So really you could you could say, well, that means he's gonna be a Nick's head coach, because he's never said that before. It actually stayed right. I'm staying. Iowa is my last stop. I'm not leaving Iona. I'm staying and I I will finish my current IONA a year later. Oh, I didn't know Saint John's is gonna come open.
I didn't know that I was gonna This is like Cruise at the end of Jerry Maguire where he makes the money signed to Glenn Fry, Yes, Glenn Fry of.
The Eagles as the GM of the Cardinals. You're gonna pay I know, I know.
Uh, that's when Patino and a whole host of coaches are gonna do just like Dan Hurley did a year ago.
It wasn't about leverage. It wasn't my ass. It was all about leverage. You didn't or you didn't get the job offer. It was one or the other. Either way, you got a nice big pay raise and more cloud out of it. And there's gonna be a parade of coaches that are currently employed at the NBA or NCAA level doing the same thing. Hey, can I get an extra half a million here as an assistant? Because then I'm I have some responsibility, but I'm not the first guy to get blown out the door, So I'll stay there as opposed to you know, maybe going and fighting to try to really put my resume up and then being you know, kind of left short and now I've got to go back with my tail tucked.
Right.
So all this leverage plays across the landscape over the next couple of weeks, and you get your name in there, you know, like the natural National Geographic.
I'm telling you, man, we're gonna keep track. Every day there's gonna be a new big name mentioned. Right, so day one, Rick Patino, Right, Okay, let's let's see who Day two is. Right, We're gonna get a big name every single day, and it's gonna be like the col Ripken streak. Well, two thousand straight days of big names. Larry Brown is rumored to come back as Nick's head. Gut every single day is gonna be somebody.
Said he's not going right, Yeah, maybe he gets.
Another couple of years added to that contract that you cut. Yeah, have a few more million dollars coming up next. Aaron Rodgers to the Steelers, what it has to do with Tim Tebow Fox, It's it's it's it's not it's not a foul, right you you watch them, but both of them are going for the ball, right you got you got? Wallace is going for it. Sam is going for it, and Wallace just puts his arm out and swats the ball when already has it, doesn't touch him, doesn't touch him, and Sam just loses his balance and goes out of bounds. I I don't know how you call this a foul.
I really don't he get called in at the beginning of the play when he grabs his wrist to keep him underneath the basket. Listen, I want you to go all the way back physicality going into the corner. But the prior couple of possessions for Indiana, it was like, unless you drew blood, you were not getting a fun call.
Yeah it was.
Yeah, they're definitely like, they're definitely even though both it feels weird because it's like both teams have been to the free throw line a ton in the fourth quarter, but it feels it also feels like they're letting them play. It's a it's a weird thing going on right now. It's like, oh, you got to the free throw line, but they're letting them play. We're gonna get the call right now. Again, I'd be really surprised if if it gets reversed, but hey, you never know. It is the NBA Finals and and uh, you know, seven game series is great. But it looks like they are keeping the call as is. Yes, thunder Thunder fans are celebrating Sihawkam was the last one to touch it, and honestly, it's the right call right unsuccessful challenge. I get why they did it right, they had to do it and you know, but here's the thing is, you know when when when players make that move and and and you get caught up in a moment of hey, this is our you know, you kind of had to do it there, but wow, sometimes you're a player, you can't just say challenge, challenge, challenge. You have to understand that, Well, we got to make sure it's the right play. And you know, quite simply, this was a ball that went out of bounds and the officials make the right call.
With the thunder, Well rise to the level Jason, Yeah. And the answer is there's contact, but is it enough?
The answer is no. And Tyre's Halliburton, Oh my goodness, Oh my goodness, Oklahoma City misses a shot. The rebound goes to Indiana. Indiana dribbles down court. They look like they're in trouble. They look like they're in trouble because Halliburton can't penetrate. He finally finds his way free on the right side and he puts up a fifteen footer that falls. It gives the Pacers the lead. They're checking to see if there's time left on the clock. Like Halliburton, there's four seconds left. He's being guarded at mid court and he steps in the he steps inside the three point line and he hits a shot, and they're looking to see how much time is left on the clock for the Oklahoma City Thunder. It looks like looks like three tenths of a second, so they're gonna get to inbound the basketball. But my goodness, man, this this Indiana Pacers team just will not die in a night where Halliburton has had a game where he's only got fourteen points. This really has been something. This has been along the lines with everything the Pacers have done, the big comebacks in the first round, beating the Calves, the way they did Game one against the Knicks, Like this is kind of what the Pacers do. And Halliburton hits the big shot when it looked like they were in trouble and things were gonna go absolutely south of the Pacers, and now it looks like they're gonna win Game one, one, eleven, one ten.
So does he get to go and steal the clutch trophy from your guy Brunson or what?
Oh?
I don't think you can call him over any much. I don't think he'll call him over rated. I don't think any players do that.
I told you he had the extra motivation from having that a ten to go snatch the Larry Bird Trophy and then Pascal Siakam's name being announceshaw. You know, motivation for the next round. But once again you hang around second or in the fourth quarter. Six of ten from three point range are the Pacers the Thunder zero for five. SGA misses that big shot on the Thunder's last possession for Haliburton fourteen ten and six and a plus twelve.
What a disaster this is gonna be for the Thunder. What an absolute disaster. Game one, they control it most of the way.
Sounds like the next series games.
Yeah, this looks like the nixt SJA Ever Recover eight seven seven. SGA playing the role of Jalen Brunson right with thirty eight points and ah, you don't really get what you need out of Jalen Williams and chet Holme, Grant and half, but you get a couple of other performances and here come the Pacers who just absolutely wear them down. They hit their threes right, eighteen for thirty nine from three point range. It's what keeps them in this game, and Halliburton again hits a shot in which it looked like he was absolutely stuck. And you know, I gotta say the the calm, the grace under pressure, under fire that Halliburton has is just I can't get over it. Where there's plays that other players, other clutch players would absolutely melt and panic and look for a ball, look for a pass, he just finds a way, finds a little bit of space and and hits a shot. We've seen him do a time after time after time. I give him all the credit in the world. And they're gonna win a game that I didn't think they could win again. One eleven, one ten. Right now, three tenths of a second left to go, Oklahoma City will inbound the basketball from the PACER's side, so they get a chance for one last alley oop tip, some kind of quick toss up. But it looks like this is going, I mean, other than a miracle, and it seems like the Pacers have the run on miracles. This is gonna wind up being a Pacers stealing Game one from the thunder Hey run that Gordon play run that Gordon oh h No. One that worked against us just exactly what they kind of tried to do.
But the Pacers take the one eleven, one ten victory as the inbound gets tipped away. Jason, you know, we watched the first half and with the turnovers, final turnover count twenty four to six. But one of the things as we were talking about these series was that you do have a bunch of defenders, you do have depth. For Indiana, they kept Oklahoma City. They shot under forty percent for the game. They shot under forty percent for the game, did not take care of the basketball with all the turnovers that they caused. Good transition defense by the Pacers, something you got used to seeing against the Knicks. So they go into OKC and they steal one. Man, did they just just take it? This is very violent fashion. This is just disaster. It's absolute disaster for Oklahoma City.
Like they get a little lost on the final play, like Halliburton kind of slides to the side and Wallace is on him and and Caruso kind of comes up leaves Seakam because he doesn't want to have that little slide past to Seakam.
But then he yeah, he retreats back instead. Yeah, just yeah, not recognizing I guess with the clock because if he passed it and they don't have a they don't have time.
Yeah, and Halliburton hit. Halliburton hits the shot. And I will say this because I know you don't want to foul, but wow, in a game in which in which they were letting you play down the stretch, Wallace was was given Halliburton way too much room, Like you gotta know you got to have that body clock, knowing how much time is left, knowing that I gotta be close to him because he's not going to drive past me and get to the hoop. That's not gonna happen. And he definitely you know, he gave him a a little bit too much room, so he gets up a clean shot. So I mean, look, Halliburton makes the play. But the one thing I will say is that man Wallace kind of gave him a little bit too much room there. Let him go up with a clean shot.
Man Adam was something steaicket. You are going to apologize to Tyre's Halliburton.
How am I gonna apologize? What I say? He got?
He got lucky last round?
When did you when did I say these things had? Yes? Game one? Come on that shot done?
This is it?
Is it? Really? Luck? Come on the end of games one bounce it off the back, bounces off the back of the rim, up in the air and back through. No, that's long.
You want the face of the league forget sgsluck.
Yeah yeah yeah, Now now it's Aliburton who's making all Did you see the metal stand they just put up to win a game?
End of regulation or ot Since nineteen ninety seven Lebron James with eight shots and then tied with five are Reggie Miller and now Tyrese Haliburton. See how quickly they got that stat together, Like we said, my and research staffs getting it done.
Like how big of an underdog were the Pacers today?
They were nine and a half or ten Yeah, depending on when you you started to dive in. I think it got out to ten and a half as you got closer to tip off, a little bit of late money and big bets coming in on OKC to take care of business at home, which they did for three quarters.
Haliburton is a dog.
I mean, you know, you want to look, you want to look at something and a couple of keys to this game. Right. The Halliburton shot is insane. And we're gonna we're gonna continue to talk about that. But you look at the rebounding advantage the Pacers have. They had four starters with at least nine rebounds in the game, right, they had a fifty six to thirty nine rebound advantage, and and yeah, the twenty four to six turnover advantage, but they didn't turn those twenty four turnovers into enough points or was it eleven points off? The twelve points off of twenty four turnovers? Like that's why this is an as this is just a disaster for the Thunder. Like it's game one. We're here, we're at home, we're the better team, we have the MVP, we play better defense, we control the entire first half, and then we just get lost in the second half. Whether because this would not like the Pacers had some crazy comeback where they hit all of their threes. No, they hit a bunch of threes like they normally do. But you know, eighteen out of thirty nine, Okay, you know it's it's you know, it's forty five percent of your threes, all right, but this was still a game where it's not like the Thunder it stopped scoring. It's not like the thunder it all of a sudden hit the skids and and somehow the I mean, the pacers just do this. Man, when you think they're dead, they find a way to stay in it at the end all three rounds of the playoffs. Like, it's not like when Halliburton's got the ball. I'm saying to myself, I'm talking. I'm saying, he's gonna hit the shot. He's gonna hit wherever it is. He's gonna put it out. It's gonna it's gonna bounce off the front of the rim, and then it's gonna bounce off of somebody's head. And then a bird is gonna fly by, and it's gonna hit the bird. It's gonna fall through the bottom of the net, and the pacers are gonna win. You're picturing, Neil what they do. Michael Jordan Larry Bird Horse commercials from McDonald's right.
I was over the.
Yeah, No, I was thinking more than the Danny Rojas the penalty when he when he wow, okay, they hit the dog on the pedalt Wow. You know, I mean, look, it's this, this is what the pacers do that they it's the pacers doing pacer things.
Okay, see, okay, sorry, good.
Here's how it sounded just a couple of moments ago. Tyre's Halliburton's game winner for the Pacers. Patis little chance to win it final seconds, so fouls Halliburton looking, Halliburton driving, pulls.
Off jump shots gone quit, threat touns for a second from time out. Okay, see Tyrens Halliburton touzzled again.
Mike Bring, ESPN, ABC on the call. Disappointing there Burton shot.
Uh, where's the bang?
Bang?
Where's the bang for a shot like that?
No, I think you only use bangs for the Knicks. I don't think I think it's a Hey, he's getting paid by it, but he's not a Knick's broadcast at bangs, Jason that.
Okay?
You want to know, No, I don't. I'll tell you. I will tell you probably why it wasn't a bank or a double bang or a triple bank. I'll tell you what why. I'm gonna tell you what.
Tell me why?
Generally tell me why? Why don't you go watch Michael CONFORDO. It's the first hit he's had as a Dodger again, go watch it. Eighth in he hits I've been.
Kicked off the internet, and now I think he's a bot and he's looked at it so frequently.
Generally, generally with play by play guys, their best calls like this come when it's the home team. If this was if they were at home and Halliburton hit that shot, or if it was the Thunder hit that shot, it would have been a bang or a double bang. But on the road, when the crowd is silent, it's just a weird energy, so I think, and you feed off the crowd in that situation, you got to create your own energy. So I think that's more why he didn't use a bang or double bank. Who's the home team doing it? He would have done it, or.
He came over the top and said Halliburton says, Mike, you to the Thunder seven more made threes than the Thunder tonight, six fewer free throws. I'll take that trade all day long. Only eleven points scored off of all of those turnovers.
The pacers are doing pacers things like that was I can't get over I can't get over it, man, I mean this is a it's a tough one man all of a sudden Game two is the NBA Finals for the Thunder. Game two is the NBA Finals because the PA they continue to do what they've done. They outscore the Thunder thirty five twenty five in the fourth quarter, an amazing ending to an NBA Finals game.
