The Los Angeles Lakers will hang a banner Monday night to commemorate winning the NBA's inaugural In-Season Tournament. Should they? Chris Haynes and Marc Stein discuss that as well as the latest with Draymond Green's indefinite suspension and GameBallGate in Milwaukee on the latest edition of #thisleague UNCUT.
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The Lakers will hang a banner tonight to commemorate winning the NBA's inaugural in season tournament. But should they should they hang that banner? The latest as well with Draymond Green and his indefinite suspension. The latest with Draymond Green and the Warriors and they look Back, and another one of last week's major headlines in the NBA game ballgate in Milwaukee. We dive into all of that next here on This League Uncut. Welcome to this League Uncut and rule the twenty four hour NBA news, This news you'll Chris Hans, let's go time, work's time, It's so time. This League Uncut is underway, in on fire. This should be a good one. Hey, everyone, welcome in to the latest edition of This League Uncut. Chris Haynes and I recording late on Sunday night after a wild week. I'm gonna tease the end because this crazy social media post cross my desk today that featured some Chris Haynes gaudy stats from a game. So we're gonna end with that. I just want to tease that at the beginning because we need some We're gonna need some explanations on that but look, so much happened this past week, we're not gonna be able to even get to it all. Like in Philadelphia we saw Darryl Morey get a contract extension through twenty twenty seven to twenty eight. The Sun's Big three finally played a game together, but it was only one game, and then Bradley Beale goes out of the lineup again with an unfortunate ankle twist, and now he'll be out a few weeks at least. Cleveland loses both Darius Garland and Evan Moe to long term injuries. Luka, Doncic, Joel Andbi throwing up crazy stats. December fifteenth has come and gone. That means trade season is officially here, and I will soon be on my way to Orlando for the G League Showcase, and so we will be talking more and more about trade matters, I'm sure after I hit the ground in Central Florida, because the whole league will be not the whole league, but a good amount, a very large amount of front office executives from all over the league will be at the showcase, which we really do see and regard the G League Showcase now as the NBA's answer to the winter meetings. Not really in terms of deal activity. You can't say that the amount of trade action in December and January matches what we see in baseball, but in terms of getting the whole league in one place and to get face to face discussion going, so you know, we'll have a lot more to come from there. I'm still shocked though, that Chris Haynes will not be joining me in Central Florida after he and I spent a summer together there in the Bubble in twenty twenty. I am going back. Chris is not. We'll get to that later too. So among the many, many, many news items that surfaced last week was official confirmation from the Lakers that they are indeed hoisting a banner to the rafters of Crypto dot Com Arena to commemorate winning the NBA's inaugural in season tournament. And last week we did a pod before that announcement and then we did our interview with Magic coach Jamal Moseley. So we really haven't had a chance to talk about this. Chris and you and I were together in Dallas for the lakers first game after the n Season Tournament, after they were crowned NBA Cup champions in Las Vegas, so we both had a chance to talk to various people with the organization about this, because I like, I think this is going to be a pretty noisy thing tonight. Like I think when the Lakers actually hold this ceremony and we see this banner and we reported together, actually the banner is going to be different. It's going to be a different color than the typical championship banner, and the Lakers have said that they're only going to if they are fortunate enough to win the n season tournament in the future, They're just going to put future years on the same banner. So they're clearly trying to make this banner look like something different, not to the level of a full on championship banner. But I still think there will be people screaming that the Lakers shouldn't be doing this. And if I remember right, I kind of got that vibe that you you weren't sure yourself if the Lakers should do this? Am I putting words in your mouth? Third? Do I have that right?
I wasn't sure. Yeah, yeah, that's pretty accurate. I wasn't sure they would do it, But I know the league really wanted any team who won the Ncason Tournament. I know they wanted they wanted the team to do something to kind of say that this is a big deal. So I know the Lakers had a little bit of pressure. I don't know to what extent, but I know the Lakers felt a little bit of pressure to try to do something. But Stein, I feel like this was the best case scenario for the Lakers because the Lakers, remember we talked about this before. The Lakers, Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat, those teams, they're trying to win championships. You know, it's not about division banners. It's not all about the n Season Tournament banner. We're trying to win championships. But this does set the precedent, and I think this is a This is a great idea. Whoever came up with it to put up a banner. It's not going to be the same size. You're gonna be able to tell that it is different from the championship banners, right, different colors, and then if they win other banners in the future, they're just gonna add dates. That is perfect. That way is only one banner. Now, Stein, had this been the Indiana Pacers who won, they probably would have had a one individual, probably big size banner up there. And if they won another one, they probably would have put it, probably put another banner up there. And so I think with Lakers doing this, I think this kind of sets precedent because say the Pacers win next season's end season tournament, can you really put a full banner up there, and you know, and don't go with the format of adding more dates if you win another this is a tournament in the future. I think this this kind of sets the president, and I think other teams should follow suit with this. But it's a great idea. It's not gonna get too chaotic up there with the Raptors putting all these banners up there. It's gonna be one banner and you just add in future dates. I think it's a great idea and I think it was a great compromise.
Well, every team should do whatever they want in my view, So look if the.
Lakers looks putin Stan, I hear what you're saying, every team should do what they want. But that looks weak. It looks weak. Stan. The Lakers put up a small banner and with room to add future dates and then another team the next year puts it up in this big banner, like you really want a championship, Like, come on now, that that looks really weak, that looks really weak and uncompetitive, and that doesn't that's not a good look. So we'll soon.
Let's just say the Pacers do win it next year, or the Grizzlies, or the Suns or the Timberwolves, you know, a team that has yet to win an NBA championship, I would expect them to hang a full fledged banner because I think that really is one of the reasons why Adam Silver so badly wanted this tournament. Yes, we know that the NBA would love, love, love to be able to sell the nd season tournament as a separate property to a media partner. That to me is you know, they're not going to admit it, but that's ambition number one. But I do believe that one of the more pure motivations here for the league was to create a second prize that Okay, it's not gonna be on par with a championship, but it is going to be something teams covet and teams want to win because you know, there are a lot of teams out there that are not the Lakers. And if they win the division title, they're proud of that and they're gonna hang that banner. And if they just get to the NBA Finals and lose, they're going to hang a conference championship banner. And if they win the NBA Cup, they're gonna hang a banner. But see, to me, the Lakers, it would have been a huge slap in the league's face if they didn't do what they've come up with. And I just I really I didn't. I never thought that's what would happen the Lakers. You know, Genie Buss has an excellent relationship with Adam Silver, and I just don't think that she would, you know, say no, we're not gonna do anything. We're just we're gonna have a little pregame clap and that's it. You know. It's good to me that for this thing to have a chance to be what the league wants it to be. It's good that the Lakers are taking it to this level of seriousness.
To me, well, the size of a banner is not going to derail or diminish the significance of the n season tournaments. Don So it's not going to Derail Adam Silver for But.
What I'm saying is there are people out there, and you will hear them screaming later tonight that the Lakers shouldn't even put up this banner that they're going to put up. We haven't seen it yet with our don't I have.
You know, I haven't talked to people and ask them this question directly within the Lakers, but just the sets that I've gotten, if this was truly up to the Lakers with no pressure, I don't think a banner is up there. I don't. I really do feel like this is the And again I'm saying field, I haven't spoken to anybody, just based off of the people I know within that organization, the field is that I believe that they're just being a good partner. They understand the league wants to implement this n season tournament, have it be a great package, you know, TV rights and all that stuff. So they're they're they're they're they're being a good partner. I think that's what's happening. And I don't think just because a banner is smaller or it sets the Lakers are set setting the precedent. I don't think that's going to derail Adam Silver from being able to add a add that package into the new TV rights deal. But you know, I do, I do. I like the idea, I really do, And I still again, I'm not stin these last twenty something years we're been in the participation trophy. That's what That's what we've been in the last twenty so years, participation trophy. And I'm not putting this n Season Tournament in that field. What I am saying was, when you were a champion, you're the champion you are. You've won the highest award within your league, within your competition. That should always be held in high regard, period high regard. So let me ask you a question. Stan, say the Memphis Grizzlies won the n Season Tournament. Okay, they won n Season Tournament and then they just completely just bomb the rest of the year, the rest of the year. They are ten and seventy two. Would they consider that or would you or anybody else consider their season to be a success.
No, but I do think it's banner worthy. Now, should they get rings?
Should?
Should they get rings? No? Should they have a parade? No? But should you hoist a banner for winning the NBA Cup? If the NBA Cup is going to become what the league wants it to become, which is the second biggest prize available to its thirty teams and eventually thirty two teams, if and when we get the expansion that we expect, If the NBA Cup is ever going to be that, it has to at least be banner worthy.
To me, it is bannerworthy, just not the same size as the real championship banners. That's all. Is banner worthy.
Well, look, we don't know. We don't know how the next champion will treat it. Sorry, Ryan three two one. We don't know yet how the next champion will treat it. But that will be a fun thing to see because, like I said, had the Pacers won this, you know it's all speculative because they have not given a definitive statement on it, even though I tried to get one when I had Rick Carlisle on my radio show the morning of the n Season Tournament championship game in Vegas, but he wouldn't play ball with me on that one. You we'll see how the next champion handles it. But you know, the Indiana Pacers who've won three ABA titles but none in the NBA. I suspect they would have hung a pretty prominent and easy to spot banner in their fieldhouse. But you know, we're gonna have to wait a year to see how that goes. But like I said, I'm I'm really interested to see Monday night, what the online reaction is, what the end the building reaction is, how the players reactors again, no rings. You know, it's gonna be a pregame ceremony or halftime ceremony, whatever it is. I don't know how excited Lebron and Ad will be. But look I did get you know, I did have a chance. I asked Darvin Ham and I asked Anthony Davis, and they both said they were very glad that a banner of some sort is going up. So were they just you know, were they just being gentlemen? We'll find out.
Stin, I want to see the placement while the Laker's gonna tuck it like in the.
Corner underneath underneath.
Placement is important, So I want to see what A're gonna position this batter here and the Clippers again, that's just one more thing for them to you know, hi, you know what it's time for them, you know, what it's time for them to be the home court resident. That's just another poster they got to ask. So you know, you make me we should send.
We should send for since since Producer Ryan is in the greater Los Angeles area, we should really send him to the game as our representative to take some notes and get get good answers to all these questions.
That will require Producer Ryan to go straight from his job with the working with the cow herd the man himself, and going straight to the arena. That's that's given him overtime. Ryan works too hard, he has too much on his play. We can't we cannot ask him to do that.
All right, let's not so gracefully shift gears here to what was the story of the week. Amid all those things that I've already listed, and I even forgot as I was going through the list of crazy stuff that happened last week, you know, we also had Jalen Brunson going to Phoenix and putting up a fifty point performance, the first fifty point game of his career, as Jalen Brunson makes his bid to break through in the East and earn his first All Star appearance. However, the Draymond Green suspension and indefinite suspension, it really looms and lords over the entire league. When the suspension was announced last Wednesday night, the Warriors had nine games left in twenty twenty three. The league is calling this an indefinite suspension. They're doing it on purpose. They're trying to get us away from trying to focus on how many games it will last. And this approach, to some degree, certainly mutes the discussion about is it too long, is it too short? It kind of quiets down that smoldery reaction that would have happened Thursday morning no matter what they announced. But look, this is my unofficial forecast. I want to stress unofficial, because you know, the league is insisting that it doesn't have any kind of timescale. There's no secret timetable, that it's just not withholding from us. But I just have to think it's hard for me to imagine that we would see Draymond Green back on the floor before twenty twenty four. Again, there were nine games left in this calendar year when the suspension was announced. Just to me, it's got to be at least ten games to have any real validity and credibility in terms of trying to get Draymond Green away from the daily madness, to try to move on from this thing and just comport himself in a much better manner. And you know, ten games would be double what we saw for the choke hold that he applied to Minnesota is Rudy Gobert. But let me ask you, the Chris Haynes view, look into your crystal ball and tell me what you think. How soon or not so soon do you think it will be before we see Draymond Green back for the Warriors.
I think you made a very astute point there when you said that the NBA made its decision but and called it indefinitely. Calling him out indefinitely, it cleared them of any reaction, any backlash, good or bad. It cleared them of that matter of fact. Now it postponed it. It postponed it. It's a delay. It's going to come. But I think so say say in their minds ten games is the amount of games that they want him out, But they don't want to come out and say that publicly right now, because again, there would be some backlash. I think people might say it it's not enough. Could if you consider his history, but say ten games is the number they have in mind. So I think the the longer this plays out. So you let these games go by, let these games go by, and the Warriors they are struggling, they are struggling. The Warriors are they're they're they're in. You know, it's it's not looking good. So you know, when you're struggling and these games kind of go by, it seems longer than what it really is because you're just going through so much hell, losing, losing in different ways, different fashion. So I think around the game eight, nine or ten, say, if the Warriors are struggling, and it's just been the commentary about them struggling and the need to have Draymond, they really need Draymond, they really need Draymond. Then you get to the point where fans from other teams are starting to say, man, dang, Dremond has been going a wild the Warriors have lost seven in a row, you know, something like that. Then I think they could kind of read the room talking about the league. They can read the room and say, you know what, if he's if we let him back now, I think I think it will be okay because everybody's seeing the Warriors struggling. It seems like it's been a long time. I think we'll be better off letting them play right now. So I don't know if that's what they're doing, but I know I really just feel like, you know, with with Adam Silver being in in charge, you know, David David Stern, you know, he was he was hard with the punishment, and I think people at being a little bit confused just with the consistency of suspensions, the amount that is and uh that that's that's something that you know, I think Adam Silver Joe do more as that's that they would have to answer to because at the end of the day, like are they going to release I don't believe they're gonna do this unless it leaks from Draymond's side. But what is going to be a list of requirements to complete in order to get back on on task? I was gonna get back on the court. I was told that Draymond will still be allowed to practice with the Warriors during this time. Will the Warriors say no, Draymond, stay away, go get go, get your work done first. I don't know. I don't think Steve Currz addressed that, but I don't know Star. It's uh, it's puzzled a little bit. I see what. I see why they did it, but uh, you know, I don't. I don't know. He's not going to be back before twenty twenty four for sure. That's that's the only thing I do know.
Yeah, And look, it's just you know, how much even if he is away ten games, even if he is away fifteen games, how realistic is it for Draymond Green to change when Draymond Green has repeatedly told us he doesn't want to change and this is who he is, and he's insistent that he knows how to manage himself. But look, I think it's pretty clear if you've listened to this show that I mean, you know, I'm a Draymond Green fan. I really hope he can figure this out, and when we do see him back on the floor that he has, you know, more of an ability like again to change. I mean, is he really going to change? I don't know if that's possible. Can he can he walk his own personal in game tightrope better than he has? I hope so for his sake, because I just feel like at this point he's damaging his legacy. Yo, whether you are a Draymond Green fan or not, there is no denying that he has been an absolutely rev illusionary defensive player and one of the greatest keys to small ball success. As a small ball practitioner for the Warriors, he's been revolutionary with the stuff he can do offensively and defensively. And the reality is, so much has happened in this last year, starting with the Jordan Poole punch, and then the soccer style stamp on Demonte Sabonis, and then the choke hold on Rudy Gobert and now this incident with Yusuf Nurkic. Nobody's talking about his winning qualities, nobody's talking about the ways he's changed the game. It's gotten to know the Draymond Green transgressions in the last year, they've gotten to an untenable place. And the Warriors, Stephen Curry, Steve Kerr, others in the organization have always backed him, and the reason is because he's been an integral part of four, not one, four championship teams. Steve Kerr will tell you over and over the Warriors don't win any of their titles without him. But he's gotta now figure out a way to stay on the floor and not get involved in these situations. I mean, these are these are more than this is more than technical fouls and flagrant fouls. These are you know, this last year it's just been way too much.
And again, you know, I talk about consistency from the league. Remember Draymond Green was not officially penalized for punching his teammate last year. He was not suspended by the league, and you can make the case that that incident was probably the most brutal of all the incidents. He took a few weeks off from practice. I believe you missed what missed some preseason games, but he was there available before open at night to receive his reign. So you know how, I don't.
I don't know how that's that's the Warriors culpability in this. They he can't you know they that punishment was like a week or so.
Yeah, But should the league have stepped in an issue the punishment?
That's interesting, I wonder, you know, and the next time we get with Adam Silver, I hope someone asked that question because the league. No, you have to wonder does the league now regret not doing more then? Because what we've seen since it again, it's just too much. And you know you mentioned the Warriors struggling as you and I are recording this, they are trying to hang on and put this game away in Portland, which would give them a second straight win, a badly needed second straight win to get to twelve and fourteen. But now with Draymond Green out of the lineup for X amount of time, we don't know how much longer, but he's already missed. This is the seventh game this season he will have missed through suspension, and he's been ejected three times, so there's been a lot of unavailability, and it just the question just keeps coming up. Now, is this it? Is it over? Is the dynasty officially over? Do we dare make that declaration? Now? I think a lot of people in our business have been afraid to do it because it was just eighteen or so months ago that the Warriors went on title run number four, when none of us know it all is we're forecasting that. But you know what I'm not personally, I don't find myself so hung up on the is it over question? Because it's supposed to be over. This is this is year ten. If we start the clock with that first Champmionship team in twenty fourteen, fifteen, and like it's not supposed to go for a decade, and there's so much discussion, how about what should the Warriors do? What trade should they make? They're not one trade away from fixing this team, because Draymond Green is just one of the many problems that the Warriors are looking at right now. And you know, for all to talk about Draymond and his availability and all the talk about Klay Thompson's early struggles, you know, the Andrew Wiggins regression, the Andrew Wiggins situation. To me, that might actually be Golden State's foremost problem at this point because here's Wiggins twenty eight in year one of a four year, one hundred and nine million dollar contract that he got because he was such a difference maker in that title run two seasons ago, and he's just been benched. He's out of the starting lineup now. So I mean they are I mean in their current state. To me, they are not a trade away from being back among the Western Conference elite. They got a zillion things to figure out in the Bay Area. So getting Draymond Green back, that's that's just one thing to me on a long to do list. Now, this story that we move on to is of a far more frivolous nature. But man, this is another story that got NBA Twitter superheated. And look, I'm still confused by exactly what happened. I don't know which I still don't know which ball Jannis Antetokumpo has in his possession. But he scores sixty four points at home against the Pacers. Thirty two trips to the line in that game. No threes for Yannis in that game. I think you got to go back. C got almost twenty five years for a player to score sixty without a three. I think I think Shaq was the last one to do it, and it was forever ago. But I think most people probably know the story. You know, Jannie went ballistic after the game because he thought the Pacers swiped the game ball. And I know that well, no one I know knows the Bucks as well as you. So I'm just gonna turn it over to you and ask you. Now that we're removed from this by a couple of days. And by the way, the Warriors did hang on and get that win in Portland, their second straight win to go to twelve and fourteen. But now that we're a little bit removed from game Ballgate as people are calling it, what can you explain this whole Yannis Pacers thing? These I think the only one thing I do know these which this part's nice. These teams do not like each other.
Yeah, that's what I like. That's the point. I like the fact that they don't like each other. That would be a really good and entertaining series should they meet in the playoffs. But stan Stein, go and say, before I jump in with what I think people are missing from the gate with this whatever you want to call this ballgate, explain what Carl Carlis said, Explain his rationale or reasoning for taking the ball. Then I will jump in with what I think people are completely missing from all of this.
All right, So, based on what I could gather in full candor, I have to say that I have not studied this all as closely as some I know worldwide. Wobb did one of his famous what does he call him web investigations with video, and my fellow substacker Scott Agnes, had a great story on his substack Fieldhouse Files about how all the balls have numbers and so it should be easy to figure out which one Yiannis had. But basically the game ends and it looked like a Bucks official grabbed the game ball, but the Bucks were saying the Pacers had it, and Rick Carlile after the game came out and said, no, we were not trying to keep the ball away. We were not trying to keep the game ball away from Janis Antetokumpo after he had just scored a career high sixty four points. No, the Pacers claim was that they were simply trying to get the game ball because PACER's rookie Oscar shebwe recorded his first NBA point from the free throw line in the same game. So Rick Carlyle went to the podium and said, there was no malice intended towards Giannis. The Pacers simply wanted to get the ball for Oscar Shebweh. And again, like I said, when you watch the video, it's it sure looks like it's a Bucks official who had the ball first. And we know there are at least two game balls for every game. And then Giannis came out and said he has a game ball, but he's not sure if it's the one that he actually scored all the points within the second half because it quote feels different to him. So, like I said, I've done enough talking. Please shed some Chris Hayneses clarity on this because I'm still confused.
Man. Okay, let's talk about the game ball. First of all, there's only one game ball, and there are usually two reserve balls in case the game ball gets damaged, it gets wet. Then you go to the scores today. They usually keep these other two balls behind the scorers table. But there's only one game ball unless another ball actually gets on the court and it's played. So it's only one game ball, period. That's it. I want to just clarify that. The other thing that I think people are missing from this whole thing. And I understand what Carl, I understand what the Pacers we're doing, and I respect their pettiness. I really do. I respect their pettiness.
So you're not.
No, no, no, not at all, not at all. What really happened was they were ticked off that the Bucks left Giannis in the game to get that sixty four brick. Carliut pulled his starters around a five minute mark. I think it was closer to the six minute mark. And the Bucks, you know, left their starters in. And it wasn't like they left their starters in to just play, No, they left their starters in to get Giannis more points. Nobody else was shooting the ball. That's what the Pacers had a problem with. Now, when coach Griffin did pull he eventually did pull his starters out, and the Pacers bench made a run and which caused Giannis and everybody else to get back in there to make sure they officially closed it. But the main problem, main issue was that they had with the Bucks were that they kept their starters in a little bit too long. That's why that's why we had this whole post game drop. But that's why we had that. It was not to get Oscar his his you know, I went so so stein, you know, I'm I'm I'm putting the news out as I as I get it live that night, you know what I mean. Like I'm tweeting, I'm tweeting all the updates I'm getting. I'm getting quotes from what the coaches were telling the players about why they're keeping this ball and they were and you know, and I was told this was before rook Carlile said it publicly, but I was told the Pacers were saying like they're they're they're keeping the ball because their rookie scored his first basket, and that's all the information I had. So stein, I'm getting on my laptop quick, like okay, who's this rookie? Who's this rookie? And I'm looking and I'm like, okay, I see one rookie, but he didn't score phield goal and I'm like, he scored one free throw. I'm like this, this is the rookie they talking about because they never gave me a name, and so I started looking at the rookies game log and then I noticed I'm like, well, this can't be true because this rookie scored one free throw again against the Lakers in the ND Season Tournament and I'm like, this can't be true. Like this don't make sense, you know what I mean. Then I realized, okay, hold on, that N Season Tournament championship game did not count towards the stats, towards the regular season stats, and so I was kind of hesitant on even putting the Oscar's name out there because I'm just like, this cannot be the line that they're using, right, now, but they did, you know, minutes later, you know, I put my report out and then Carlos a few minutes later came out and said it publicly. You know, they were indeed trying to give the ball to Oscar, who made one free throw. But again, the whole reason why they went down this hole because they didn't approve of how to Buck handled the minute distribution down the stretch of the game, a game in which the Bucks. They felt like the Bucks clearly had the game one. That is what people are missing. It's not about Oscar, it's not about Yannis. Well, it is about Yiannis. But you know, they did not like the way Adrian Griffin kept his starters here. They felt like the Asian Griffin kept his starters in there too long and which disrespected them. So in return, they were gonna disrespect them back. And that was the most petty way to do it. You're in bill Waukee and you say, I'm gonna take the ball away from the guy who just scored a franchise record sixty four points. But this is something we always do in Indiana. I'm not gonna go give it to somebody a rookie who scored his first basket. I'm going to give it to a rookie who made one free throw. That's what he did.
Can I ask the person, can I ask a personal selfish favor. Now that we're a few days move from this, can you check with your extensive network of bucks sources and find out, like, so, is Giannis andy clear? Does he have? Does he have what? Or? No? Maybe the better question which ball does he have? The Scott Agnes story on Fieldhouse Files says that all of these balls have a serial number on it, so we should be able to figure out which which one Yiannis actually has. Okay, that's what I want to note.
I'm gonna tell you right now and later on I'll tell a story about this. If you give me forty five seconds. I have a NBA Finals game ball in my closet. This is the game ball from the Warriors Raptors. Now, when I say game ball, remember I tell tell people there there are usually two reserved balls behind the scores table, just in case the game ball gets damaged somehow. So I have one of those balls. I have one of those two balls.
Which is story and which is a story.
It is a story in itself, and I you know, and.
I got to see you're saving that one for the book though, right.
No, no, I don't know. I don't know if that'll make the book. That might be that might be of this league uncut why not they want to hear it. But I have one of I have one of the balls, and so let me go get it. Give me forty five seconds. I want to see if it has a serial number. But one more thing I want to.
Add before I know the problem is.
That that's that's the same that that was the last I believe that was the last year they used as Spalding. But shouldn't it still? Yeah? It should It's okay, give me forty five seconds. So stein as you see here NBA official official game ball the NBA, and you see right there it has two thousand, twenty nineteen NBA Finals subscribed on the basketball. Again, this is one of the three well excuse me, this is one of the two NBA reserve balls that they keep behind the scores table just in case the official just in case the game ball gets damaged somehow during the course of the game. So now let's look on. I'm looking on this bad boy, I'm looking all around. I do not see I do not see any numbers at all on this basketball. This is twenty nineteen. I'm looking all around stein, no serial code, nothing.
Well, maybe it's a new policy that started when Wilson took over.
Okay, that could be a possibility. This is a Spaulding. I believe this was the last year that a Spaulding ball was the official game ball. Again, this was the twenty nineteen NBA Finals Golden State Warriors Toronto Raptors. The actually the last game when Toronto won and Golden State whatever game that was? So yes, six game six yep. So yeah, nothing, no numbers on this basketball. But again, there's only one game ball. Now, if they ended up giving Oscar another ball, it's not the game ball, it's the reserve ball. There's a difference. Game ball is the ball you played with during the course of the game. But again, I think that was just the boat that was completely missed. It wasn't about Oscar, it wasn't about Giannis. It was about the Bucks feeling like the Bucks kept their starters in too long.
Well, as you mentioned earlier, it'd be great to see these teams meet up in the playoffs. They will play a two game baseball series to start twenty twenty four January first and January third, two Pacer Bucks rematches in a row, And like I said, I hope that. I hope we can figure out And man, this is crazy that that Warriors Blazers game I mentioned the first time in two hundred and sixty nine games. Mm hmm, Stephan Curry does not sink a three pointer. Oh for eight for Steph on threes as we're recording on this Sunday night. But the Warriors managed to pull out their second straight win regardless. But yeah, like I would love if again, if I can dial in this personal favor that you kind of check back with these guys one more time to find out, like which what which bald with a little bit of distance in time, which bald does Giannis actually think he has? He said he was gonna give it to his mom. So which bal did he give to his mom? Yeah?
He said didn't feel like the game ball, That's what he said. Was last one. He said, I played with thirty thirty five minutes. I know what a ball a ball feels like if you've been playing with that ball for that that amount of.
Time, especially when you take thirty two free throws.
Yeah, and you know he holds on to the ball a long time. With free throws, he would well a.
Week, what a week this was. There's a reason we call it hashtag this league. You know what. We're going to end on an even lighter note than game Ballgate, although this also I do want to seek some explanation and clarification justification from you, because I'm still not even sure how this blipped onto my radar. But I'm looking at a social media post from the TUMACBO Rec League in Sacramento, and this post, which is actually very well done, a very nice post. Got a team picture here and it says player of the game twenty seven points, seven dimes, thirteen rebounds, Chris Haynes. This apparently happened today, eighty nine seventy seven win. And yeah, I guess, I guess. You know, Producer Ryan I think is trying to connect with the Elias Sports Bureau right now to see where this ranks in terms of career achievements for you. But you really, so you really went for twenty seven, seven and thirteen in this rec league game today?
With this today, well probably this was yesterday. We'll probably have to call another participant total. I'll make it one call. Let me, let me make this call on air. Hold on, let me make this one call to get this to get this right here, Mike, I got you on you on my podcast. You're live on my podcast right now. So my my, my whole, my podcast host, my co host Mark Stein. He somehow, I don't know how he got a hold of it, but he got a hold of, uh my latest game stats from my last game yesterday in the league. My stat line says twenty seven points, seven assists, thirteen rebounds, and he wants to know if these stats are manufactured. Mike, So can you please answer him?
Manufactured?
In what way? All these fake stats? Mike? Oh no, no, no, they're not fake.
Okay, Okay, he was killing.
He's laughing.
He's laughing.
Oh man, but I appreciate you set the record straight. First of all, give give you give me your ig handle again. He makes he does pop up shots. Make some of the best Filipino food and Sacramento in the Bay Area. Give me a shout out, Mike, Mike j underscore a dobo king.
Okay, appreciate you, bro, Thanks for the info. Mike.
All right, thanks man, there you have it, Stein, no fake news here. This is a Filipino league. So I appreciate my Filipino brothers allow me to join their league and we have every Saturday. And with this win yesterday, we advanced to the final four, which will happen next Saturday. So if we win our tam.
Wait it says your team is one in five, this was your first win.
But I have explanation. I have explanation, have explanation for you. So this graphic shows that we're one and five and we beat a team that's four and two. I missed the last three games because I was out of town, but there was a couple of games as well that were canceled because the gym that we use had a leak in it. So they just they kind of scrapped the last few games of the regular season and say, hey, these games, these last three games are going to matter, and so we were able to get a few wins when it really mattered. Now we're in the final four. And yes, and I told you, Stein, I don't play when it comes to my stats. This is a post. This is a social media graphic from the commissioner of this great Filipino League himself, and he creates this every week and has a player of the game have their stats, and they they take you know, they keep track of everything. Man, it's really impressive. We got jerseys, you see, we all got jersey with our name on the back. You know, I think I'm only brother. It's about two of us, man, Yeah, I'm no. Three. There's three brothers in this whole league. It's an eight team league. Three brothers in this whole.
Why are you number fifteen? Why do you wear fifteen? Story?
Great? Great, great, that's a great question. Stein. So Stein, I'm in this league on Saturday, and I'm in another league on Sundays. This is an adult league like thirty and up, and that Sunday league. I wear eight this league. What do you gotta wear fifteen? Growing up, my favorite player was Latrelle's free will. He wore number fifteen for the Golden State Warriors, and he wore eight with the New York Knicks. So eight and fifteen growing up was always my favorite numbers.
That is good. Did you get to where it? Did you get to wear either fifteen or eight in college?
No? I couldn't. The best players got to wear those numbers. No I had. I had forty four and like forty two. I had those high numbers here, high numbers in high school, in college, so though I didn't get to let bra water. But Stean, I was telling you, Man, I was telling you this whole time.
More equals eight and four times too equals eight? Is that why you had?
That's the There you go, star, you did the math if it works. But Stian I was telling you. I was telling producer Ryan how I've been. I've been killing in these leagues. I've been telling you, and you thought I was lying. You thought, Oh, I told you I'm in pretty good shape. I go Stein, I cook out there. And this post doesn't prove.
This post doesn't have a field goal attempts, so we don't know how you actually shot it to get those twenty seven.
Stott, you see, you see, you see, you see my height compared to my teammates.
Stein was a highly What you're saying is you were this as a highly efficient twenty seven Exactly what I'm saying.
I don't need I don't need thirty shots to get twenty seven points in this league style. You know, I just need some help. I need help, and I think I got the help. We need. I don't know if we're favorites going into Saturday morning's game, but I like our chances. We're on the roll. We're on a one game winning streak, and Stein, if we win Saturday morning, we play in the championship game that same day at noon. So I'm highly motivated. I'll be going to the gym three about three times this week to get prepared, get my teammates prepared, and I'm sending them texts every day, just keeping them motivated.
Yea twenty seven, seven and thirteen. I want to see three more dimes? Can you get a triple double?
Well, if the game calls for us, Stein, if the game calls for it. But sometimes you got to be you know, my team needs me to go, they need me to go and score, and sometimes I have to do that. And I can do the good thing about my game, Stean, I can do whatever the game is called for. And so that's what that's what it was called for that day. It may be forty ten and ten Saturday, we'll have to see.
Well, look, we can promise you in forthcoming podcasts, there will be lots of trade season discussion. As I said, I am en route to the G League showcase in Orlando. So trade season is going to be a big part of this podcast from now through the February eighth trade deadline. But I also can promise you there will be further updates of Chris Haynes's Sacramento rec League exploits because now we've we got to see if he can live up to all this talk.
Stin, I'm gonna say this, man, it just came. It just came to my head right now. I might go live during my game. I might set my I might have somebody. I might put my phone up on a tripod and have somebody just following the game, and I might just go live IG live. That might be an ig live type of opportunity, so you can see and watch what I do.
First, bringing back the media game that was so popular. How many years ago is that now? Four?
That that was? That was actually when I got this ball, Starn, that was twenty nineteen, twenty nineteen.
And how you got this ball? We're gonna be getting a call from the league office, guys, we your podcast. What is this ball that Chris Hayes is talking about from the twenty.
No, I didn't take the game ball from Kawhi Littard. No, it wasn't. He didn't. He didn't get no record that night, so it was safe to take this ball. But I got this on good authority. I'm clean.
Hopefully we answered some of your questions on this edition of This League Uncut. I grant you that we have probably raised a few more unanswered questions that we will with time if you show us just a little more patience. If you stay patient with us, we will eventually gradually answer those new questions we've raised as well. Great to be with you again, mister Haynes. I don't know when we will be together again in person. We were only together briefly this past week in Dallas. Not sure again where we're gonna cross pass, but hopefully we see each other in person again soon. We will definitely get together electronically again soon for another edition of This League Uncut. If you haven't already, please remember rate, review or subscribe to the show wherever you get your pods, whether that's Apple, Spotify, any other pod provider. Thanks for listening. We'll be back again soon and that'll do it for us. See you next time. This League Uncut is and iHeartRadio production. Chris Haynes and mark Stein