Welcome in episode three thirty eight, What's Right with Nick Right, and check this out fresh from a trip to Vegas. This couldn't have come any The timing couldn't have been better, because while the show is more than solvent, I don't know that I am anymore. So, you know what, we need sponsors, and we got a brand new one. This episode of What's Right is resented to you by boost Mobile and Demonte. We have been for three years doing What Missed the Cut off the top of the show as a way to kind of get in some quick hit or stuff that doesn't really deserve a full segment. But also, I'll be honest, it's always it's been kind of sponsorship bait, like that's a great segment right off the top that someone should gobble up. How about this no longer What Missed the Cut now known as straight the voicemail. Guess that these people Boost Mobile, Trevor Lawrence, the producers are such jerks. They want me to say this. Trevor Lawrence stuns in new photo. I mean, listen, the guy does look quite regal. I mean, let's be honest here, that guy looks outstanding. Wimby embraces monk culture at the Shaolin Temple that's actually really cool, and shaved head Wimby is a little more intimidating. And Adam Sandler offers Derrick Henry a movie role if he hits two thousand yards. Now. This was broker by my friend Dan Patrick, which means I am going to try to play a similar card. I'm gonna see if there is some threshold, some something that I can that Dan doesn't think I can do that. Dan will then leverage into Okay, if you do that, I'll get you in one of the Sandler's movies. I think that's possible, so uh, it'd be great. Years ago, we tried to get demands on the HBO show Showtime as Young Byron Scott. We were not yet able to leverage. We weren't able to leverage the show for that. Maybe I can leverage my relationship with Dan Patrick for something else. But I am back in New York. I am in a I go through this once every few years when I prepare and I plot and I study, and I get all ready for a big poker trip and then I have my absolute guts ripped out by I can't even say bad luck, just poor play, over zealousness, being too excited. Where I am now in something of a poker detox, where I just like the I'm not gonna I gotta take a few days away from even watching the World series. My buddies are out there still final tabling stuff. I can't even like really sweat them and root them on. It's like the feeling one gets right after in college drinking way too much of a certain liquor, where like the next time you go out and you get just a whiff of it, you feel that hungover feeling. Again. Imagine that, except imagine if instead of having a terrible headache, you know, you lost the equivalent of a I don't know, a mid size semi luxury sedan. All right, deman s like rate, subscribe, review, everybody check out the show on all available platforms, and again, if for no other reason, then you know, in some ways subscriptions funnel down eventually into money in my pocket, and right now I need it. Where are we starting, pal?

Welcome in episode three thirty eight, What's Right with Nick Right, and check this out fresh from a trip to Vegas. This couldn't have come any The timing couldn't have been better, because while the show is more than solvent, I don't know that I am anymore. So, you know what, we need sponsors, and we got a brand new one. This episode of What's Right is resented to you by boost Mobile and Demonte. We have been for three years doing What Missed the Cut off the top of the show as a way to kind of get in some quick hit or stuff that doesn't really deserve a full segment. But also, I'll be honest, it's always it's been kind of sponsorship bait, like that's a great segment right off the top that someone should gobble up. How about this no longer What Missed the Cut now known as straight the voicemail. Guess that these people Boost Mobile, Trevor Lawrence, the producers are such jerks. They want me to say this. Trevor Lawrence stuns in new photo. I mean, listen, the guy does look quite regal. I mean, let's be honest here, that guy looks outstanding. Wimby embraces monk culture at the Shaolin Temple that's actually really cool, and shaved head Wimby is a little more intimidating. And Adam Sandler offers Derrick Henry a movie role if he hits two thousand yards. Now. This was broker by my friend Dan Patrick, which means I am going to try to play a similar card. I'm gonna see if there is some threshold, some something that I can that Dan doesn't think I can do that. Dan will then leverage into Okay, if you do that, I'll get you in one of the Sandler's movies. I think that's possible, so uh, it'd be great. Years ago, we tried to get demands on the HBO show Showtime as Young Byron Scott. We were not yet able to leverage. We weren't able to leverage the show for that. Maybe I can leverage my relationship with Dan Patrick for something else. But I am back in New York. I am in a I go through this once every few years when I prepare and I plot and I study, and I get all ready for a big poker trip and then I have my absolute guts ripped out by I can't even say bad luck, just poor play, over zealousness, being too excited. Where I am now in something of a poker detox, where I just like the I'm not gonna I gotta take a few days away from even watching the World series. My buddies are out there still final tabling stuff. I can't even like really sweat them and root them on. It's like the feeling one gets right after in college drinking way too much of a certain liquor, where like the next time you go out and you get just a whiff of it, you feel that hungover feeling. Again. Imagine that, except imagine if instead of having a terrible headache, you know, you lost the equivalent of a I don't know, a mid size semi luxury sedan. All right, deman s like rate, subscribe, review, everybody check out the show on all available platforms, and again, if for no other reason, then you know, in some ways subscriptions funnel down eventually into money in my pocket, and right now I need it. Where are we starting, pal?

Yeah, So, after the crazy comeback by the Pacers in game one, Haliburton hit that crazy shot you know, okase he came back in game two and was shown in their showing their stripes. They look dominant. Ye, based on what you've seen so far. How comfortable were you with your bet that you placed at the beginning? Okay see minus one and a half?

Yeah, So, after the crazy comeback by the Pacers in game one, Haliburton hit that crazy shot you know, okase he came back in game two and was shown in their showing their stripes. They look dominant. Ye, based on what you've seen so far. How comfortable were you with your bet that you placed at the beginning? Okay see minus one and a half?

Well, I mean here what I will say about that bet to put a little pin in Vegas for now? That bet was a luxury bet when I placed it. It's a necessity bet now I just can't you can't have you can't have bet of the year go awry right after a five day poker bludgeting. Obviously, the bet didn't look great after Indiana steels game one because then for the thunder Haft to win in four, five or six, for that bet to win and after you lose game one, four is literally eliminated and five is potentially eliminated. However, we now have had ninety six minutes of this series. The Indiana Pacers have led for two of those minutes. I do not think there is a single player on the Pacers demonte who can say I like how I'm playing. I don't think there is a single matchup in this series right now that Rick Carlisle can look at and be like bang, that's where we take advantage. So even though it's one one I feel just as confident as I did before the series that this is a real mismatch. And again, it is no shame in it for the Pacers. And if you disagree, we can discuss it in a second. But it it's no shame in the Pacers that they have finally found an opponent that is truly out of their weight classes. This Oklahoma City team is eighty one and nineteen on the year. No one has been able to deal with Shay all year long, and Nie Smith and Nimhard are not gonna be any different in that regard. And you don't look at anything Oklahoma City has done thus far and say, oh, well that's not sustainable. Oh well, that guy's not gonna keep playing like that. If anything, you look at how Jalen Williams is playing. I think he's eleven of thirty three for the series. Uh, fact check me on that, guys, if you would. Jalen Williams total shooting splits in the series. But I think he's eleven of thirty three and I think Chet has only made one to three the entire series. If anything, you look at that and you say, well, those guys should get a little bit better, and will Shay average thirty four a game in this series. Maybe not thirty four, but will he average thirty Well, he has all year, and so I just think that there is there's not a lot of adjustments Indiana can make aside from try to get hot from three and that might be worth a game, but that I do not think is going to be worth multiple games, and they need it to be worth three games. And so we didn't end up making the series exacta bets, which is, you know, game one this way, Game two that way, so on and so forth. And I'm glad we didn't because I obviously would have gotten game one wrong. But in that I thought we would head to Game three with the Thunder up to nothing, and then they let their foot off the gas a bit and the Pacers steal Game three, and then the Thunder retake control in game four because the Thunder already lost a game. I now feel like there will be no foot off the gas in game three, and the Thunder will be in position to retake home court advantage in game three, which is what I fully expect them to do. So before we get to Morche and Haliburton stuff, Demonse, you I saw your kind of you know, yeah reaction. When I was saying that, I thought there was just there was no spot where the Pacers had an edge or you know, nobody's playing that well, so go ahead.

Well, I mean here what I will say about that bet to put a little pin in Vegas for now? That bet was a luxury bet when I placed it. It's a necessity bet now I just can't you can't have you can't have bet of the year go awry right after a five day poker bludgeting. Obviously, the bet didn't look great after Indiana steels game one because then for the thunder Haft to win in four, five or six, for that bet to win and after you lose game one, four is literally eliminated and five is potentially eliminated. However, we now have had ninety six minutes of this series. The Indiana Pacers have led for two of those minutes. I do not think there is a single player on the Pacers demonte who can say I like how I'm playing. I don't think there is a single matchup in this series right now that Rick Carlisle can look at and be like bang, that's where we take advantage. So even though it's one one I feel just as confident as I did before the series that this is a real mismatch. And again, it is no shame in it for the Pacers. And if you disagree, we can discuss it in a second. But it it's no shame in the Pacers that they have finally found an opponent that is truly out of their weight classes. This Oklahoma City team is eighty one and nineteen on the year. No one has been able to deal with Shay all year long, and Nie Smith and Nimhard are not gonna be any different in that regard. And you don't look at anything Oklahoma City has done thus far and say, oh, well that's not sustainable. Oh well, that guy's not gonna keep playing like that. If anything, you look at how Jalen Williams is playing. I think he's eleven of thirty three for the series. Uh, fact check me on that, guys, if you would. Jalen Williams total shooting splits in the series. But I think he's eleven of thirty three and I think Chet has only made one to three the entire series. If anything, you look at that and you say, well, those guys should get a little bit better, and will Shay average thirty four a game in this series. Maybe not thirty four, but will he average thirty Well, he has all year, and so I just think that there is there's not a lot of adjustments Indiana can make aside from try to get hot from three and that might be worth a game, but that I do not think is going to be worth multiple games, and they need it to be worth three games. And so we didn't end up making the series exacta bets, which is, you know, game one this way, Game two that way, so on and so forth. And I'm glad we didn't because I obviously would have gotten game one wrong. But in that I thought we would head to Game three with the Thunder up to nothing, and then they let their foot off the gas a bit and the Pacers steal Game three, and then the Thunder retake control in game four because the Thunder already lost a game. I now feel like there will be no foot off the gas in game three, and the Thunder will be in position to retake home court advantage in game three, which is what I fully expect them to do. So before we get to Morche and Haliburton stuff, Demonse, you I saw your kind of you know, yeah reaction. When I was saying that, I thought there was just there was no spot where the Pacers had an edge or you know, nobody's playing that well, so go ahead.

Yeah, No, they are out match.

Yeah, No, they are out match.

I was just saying, like, with the first game, I feel like they played a pretty poor game. They obviously I think they had over twenty turnovers and they still may have to get the win. So I was just saying, with those stats, I feel like they should be able to do something. But you say that there's just no mismatches that Indiana can exploit. I understand that there is not a single guy on there that you can just say, go get a bucket or no. Yeah, they are outmatched, but got And here's the.

I was just saying, like, with the first game, I feel like they played a pretty poor game. They obviously I think they had over twenty turnovers and they still may have to get the win. So I was just saying, with those stats, I feel like they should be able to do something. But you say that there's just no mismatches that Indiana can exploit. I understand that there is not a single guy on there that you can just say, go get a bucket or no. Yeah, they are outmatched, but got And here's the.

Other piece of it. They win the turnovers. Thing isn't fluky. This is what OKAC does to people. Yeah, and they particularly this is one of the reasons. And I thought this was a mistake. It was mistake, might be too strong, but I was shocked that OKC changed their starting lineup before Game one, that when they had been this dominant team all year, that they took Hartenstein out of the starting lineup. But they did that to add another perimeter defender, so they could just harass the pacers out on the you know, on the perimeter, and they they caused nineteen first half turnovers in Game one. Now what was fluky about that was despite causing all those turnovers, they weren't getting fast break points. They weren't getting as many points off turnovers. But it's still dead possessions and there Listen. It is incredibly difficult too. I know this is going to sound almost sacrilegious to how basketball is supposed to be played, but it is incredibly difficult. And history will back me up on this. To win a championship, if your best player is a true pass first point guard that is not a natural scorer, if you don't either have to go along with that person the best defense in the league or a go to dominant big that he can get a lot of his you know, assists to. So when you look at the most traditional kind of pass first elite point guards in NBA history and you go and that Listen, I'm not putting Halliburton on the historical list, but he obviously is a pass first point guard. Chris Paul ran into this where it's like, Okay, I I am I'm the best player on the team. Yes, I can score, but this is not really where my bread is buttered, so to speak. And then as competition gets harder and harder, and the other teams more and more talented, eventually I'm going to play a team that is going to have enough talent of their own on the perimeter, particularly defensively or inside defensively to slow down the guys. I'm trying to spoon feed these buckets too. And he never made He didn't make a finals until he was alongside a dominant scorer and booker, and they didn't even they you know, when they made the finals, didn't win. Steve Nash he could score like Haliburton can score, but he's a career like eighteen point a game guy. He's a pass first wizard who never had those dominant defenses and had a hard ceiling. Some bad luck, some injuries, some bad suspensions. I get it, though. Of the NBA Finals, Chauncey did it, and Chauncey's not the caliber of those two previous players, but that was the best defense in basketball. Isaiah Thomas did it. But that was the best defense in basketball, and Isaiah had real, real high end scoring ability that he kind of tempered on his own. I mean, John Stockton had Carl Malone as the go to score. He's a pass first guy, and those teams were championship caliber. They just ran into the bulls. But you had stockedon, you had Malone to go alongside alongside him, and people will be like, well, Magic did it, and you can't even be like, well he had Kareem because older man like it the for the last couple championships that was not the same cream. But Magic's one of the five greatest players in the history of the league, and as great as great as Coozy was, Like they didn't win. It's a little unfair to Cooozy, but they didn't win until they got Russell and they had the best defensive player in the history of the sport. It's just so hard to win four rounds if your best player can't reliably just go get you a bucket. And it's one of the reasons why I have always been a defender of Luca, even though people don't like the heliocentric style, because guys like like Luca and Lebron, they are at their core past first players, but they are also dominant scorers. And so I know I'm kind of stepping a bit on the Haliburton conversation, but we'll still get to it because there's something specific about how he's playing. But it's just it is. If you don't have if you are, let me rephrase it, let me kind of turn it a bit. The Pacers are an offensive minded team. There is no precedent for a team that is their identity is their offense to be able to win four straight rounds. If they don't have anyone on that offense that you are not at all surprised. In fact, you kind of expect them to go for thirty. And so it's a very thin needle that's trying to be threaded here, which is the thunder of the better defense, we have the better offense. The thunder, by the way, also have far and away the best offensive player in the series. It's a tough spot and that's where I think the that's the hard ceiling the Pacers have run into. I know, you want to talk a little Lesga before we get to the other stuff.

Other piece of it. They win the turnovers. Thing isn't fluky. This is what OKAC does to people. Yeah, and they particularly this is one of the reasons. And I thought this was a mistake. It was mistake, might be too strong, but I was shocked that OKC changed their starting lineup before Game one, that when they had been this dominant team all year, that they took Hartenstein out of the starting lineup. But they did that to add another perimeter defender, so they could just harass the pacers out on the you know, on the perimeter, and they they caused nineteen first half turnovers in Game one. Now what was fluky about that was despite causing all those turnovers, they weren't getting fast break points. They weren't getting as many points off turnovers. But it's still dead possessions and there Listen. It is incredibly difficult too. I know this is going to sound almost sacrilegious to how basketball is supposed to be played, but it is incredibly difficult. And history will back me up on this. To win a championship, if your best player is a true pass first point guard that is not a natural scorer, if you don't either have to go along with that person the best defense in the league or a go to dominant big that he can get a lot of his you know, assists to. So when you look at the most traditional kind of pass first elite point guards in NBA history and you go and that Listen, I'm not putting Halliburton on the historical list, but he obviously is a pass first point guard. Chris Paul ran into this where it's like, Okay, I I am I'm the best player on the team. Yes, I can score, but this is not really where my bread is buttered, so to speak. And then as competition gets harder and harder, and the other teams more and more talented, eventually I'm going to play a team that is going to have enough talent of their own on the perimeter, particularly defensively or inside defensively to slow down the guys. I'm trying to spoon feed these buckets too. And he never made He didn't make a finals until he was alongside a dominant scorer and booker, and they didn't even they you know, when they made the finals, didn't win. Steve Nash he could score like Haliburton can score, but he's a career like eighteen point a game guy. He's a pass first wizard who never had those dominant defenses and had a hard ceiling. Some bad luck, some injuries, some bad suspensions. I get it, though. Of the NBA Finals, Chauncey did it, and Chauncey's not the caliber of those two previous players, but that was the best defense in basketball. Isaiah Thomas did it. But that was the best defense in basketball, and Isaiah had real, real high end scoring ability that he kind of tempered on his own. I mean, John Stockton had Carl Malone as the go to score. He's a pass first guy, and those teams were championship caliber. They just ran into the bulls. But you had stockedon, you had Malone to go alongside alongside him, and people will be like, well, Magic did it, and you can't even be like, well he had Kareem because older man like it the for the last couple championships that was not the same cream. But Magic's one of the five greatest players in the history of the league, and as great as great as Coozy was, Like they didn't win. It's a little unfair to Cooozy, but they didn't win until they got Russell and they had the best defensive player in the history of the sport. It's just so hard to win four rounds if your best player can't reliably just go get you a bucket. And it's one of the reasons why I have always been a defender of Luca, even though people don't like the heliocentric style, because guys like like Luca and Lebron, they are at their core past first players, but they are also dominant scorers. And so I know I'm kind of stepping a bit on the Haliburton conversation, but we'll still get to it because there's something specific about how he's playing. But it's just it is. If you don't have if you are, let me rephrase it, let me kind of turn it a bit. The Pacers are an offensive minded team. There is no precedent for a team that is their identity is their offense to be able to win four straight rounds. If they don't have anyone on that offense that you are not at all surprised. In fact, you kind of expect them to go for thirty. And so it's a very thin needle that's trying to be threaded here, which is the thunder of the better defense, we have the better offense. The thunder, by the way, also have far and away the best offensive player in the series. It's a tough spot and that's where I think the that's the hard ceiling the Pacers have run into. I know, you want to talk a little Lesga before we get to the other stuff.

Oh yeah, Bruce said, SGA is a little too mature to be the face of the league.

Oh yeah, Bruce said, SGA is a little too mature to be the face of the league.

Can we play That's what's going on.

Can we play That's what's going on.

So he was SGA just had such like a measured, mature response to how every game is a reset. He's like, listen, we've won by fifty, and then we've lost big, we lost at home, and then we won by forty. And he was just very calm, cool and collected. I don't think. Here's what I think, because there there's going We already knew this was coming that in Oklahoma City, Indiana Pacers NBA Finals was not going to capture the imagination of America. So we knew the ratings would not be great and people and I listen, Adam Silver went on Breakfast Ball and he was like, if it was Steelers Packers, people would be celebrating it. Steelers Packers are one hundred year old brands. Yeah, it was you know what, I like the league exactly right, And so that is not the right comp The right comp is if it were the Colts. No, just say it again, the Colts no, because the cults even have a sure if I mean, I'll take that, But Colts Panthers, or if it were Jags Saints, you know, like it wouldn't it would feel Now it's the NFL and the NFL doesn't rely on individual star power as much as the NBA does obviously, so there would be some of it, but it wouldn't feel as exciting. Now. What some folks might say is, yeah, Kansas City might as well be Oklahoma City in one hundred. That is true, That is correct, which is why Oklahoma City can become a huge draw, but it needs sustained long term success. You know, people are just now recognizing who these guys are and how good they are. The point Brew was either intentionally or unintentionally making is the short The shortcut to that is to be controversial or polarizing, and Shay is not going to be that. Like the shortcut to notoriety is to have, you know, have people on both sides of the argument in a way. I'll give you a different example. So Shae this year, by any objective measure, Demonte had a better season than the last Oklahoma City Thunder player to win League MVP, Russell Westbrook in twenty seventeen. But that Thunder team and Russ individually was a wildly interesting captivating figure for a lot of reasons. One was just stylistically, and that's something that is going to somewhat work against Shay. There is an element and a level of are you dunking on people's heads that will grab an audience in a way great footwork and mid range jump shots and playing underneath the rim typically will not. Right. So there's that piece of it. There was the morality play piece of Durant left, he's there, now he's you know, basically it felt like a one man show and it kind of was, you know, there is that piece of it. There was also this piece of it. A lot of people who cover the league was like, he's not that good. Triple double, shmippele double, don't care stat batter, empty calories, and there are other people that were saying, no, he does more for his team than any player in the league. So it didn't matter that it was Oklahoma City. His style was exciting. There was real emotion to his story at that time, and there was a real argument about how good he is or isn't. So it is in a way it this is a weird one because lucas with the Lakers now. But if Luca, let's just say everything about Luca were the same, but he had been traded instead of to the Lakers, he was he was traded to Indiana. Let's just say that was the trade. Instead of Luca for a d it was Luca for Halliburton, all right. While Luca wouldn't have the high the aesthetically pleasing style of play the way Russ did, people would be invested because there is real debate about is he a great player, a ballhog, or a legend? Like you have opinions all across the spectrum, and man, this team, his team gave up on him all like. There's all those pieces to it, and so I don't I think market size has something to do with it, but there's just it's not just that it's Oklahoma City and Indiana. The Indiana pieces, they were not taken seriously by anyone as a contender all year, so they weren't like really in the discussion. And the Oklahoma City piece of it is they are not really a debatable team, which is the only thing anybody could say about them all year is like, Ah might be too young. Nobody was like they're not that good, nobody was like Shay's overrated, nobody's had any and we've never like hadn't seen them fail and come back. So there's just a lot of pieces to it and if folks can say that, well, if you need something to debate in order to be interested, then you don't love basketball, like you're not a die hard basketball fan. But those people miss the point because here's thing, demanse, whether or not the ratings are good has absolutely nothing to do with the die hards. That die hards are there for the finals, no matter what a rating is generated by our people who typically are not watching, watching, and like and for those people, you can't. You can't sell a casual and by the way, sports League shouldn't try to and there shouldn't be any like shame about this. You the people that truly appreciate the real artistry of the game, and you know how the thunder were built and Haliburton's story, those people are all ready the d if when you are trying to for your premiere event, trying to draw in the everyone else, those people, it's the same way any of us ever have been drawn into something that we previously weren't interested in. So like the people weren't go ahead, de mindset.

So he was SGA just had such like a measured, mature response to how every game is a reset. He's like, listen, we've won by fifty, and then we've lost big, we lost at home, and then we won by forty. And he was just very calm, cool and collected. I don't think. Here's what I think, because there there's going We already knew this was coming that in Oklahoma City, Indiana Pacers NBA Finals was not going to capture the imagination of America. So we knew the ratings would not be great and people and I listen, Adam Silver went on Breakfast Ball and he was like, if it was Steelers Packers, people would be celebrating it. Steelers Packers are one hundred year old brands. Yeah, it was you know what, I like the league exactly right, And so that is not the right comp The right comp is if it were the Colts. No, just say it again, the Colts no, because the cults even have a sure if I mean, I'll take that, But Colts Panthers, or if it were Jags Saints, you know, like it wouldn't it would feel Now it's the NFL and the NFL doesn't rely on individual star power as much as the NBA does obviously, so there would be some of it, but it wouldn't feel as exciting. Now. What some folks might say is, yeah, Kansas City might as well be Oklahoma City in one hundred. That is true, That is correct, which is why Oklahoma City can become a huge draw, but it needs sustained long term success. You know, people are just now recognizing who these guys are and how good they are. The point Brew was either intentionally or unintentionally making is the short The shortcut to that is to be controversial or polarizing, and Shay is not going to be that. Like the shortcut to notoriety is to have, you know, have people on both sides of the argument in a way. I'll give you a different example. So Shae this year, by any objective measure, Demonte had a better season than the last Oklahoma City Thunder player to win League MVP, Russell Westbrook in twenty seventeen. But that Thunder team and Russ individually was a wildly interesting captivating figure for a lot of reasons. One was just stylistically, and that's something that is going to somewhat work against Shay. There is an element and a level of are you dunking on people's heads that will grab an audience in a way great footwork and mid range jump shots and playing underneath the rim typically will not. Right. So there's that piece of it. There was the morality play piece of Durant left, he's there, now he's you know, basically it felt like a one man show and it kind of was, you know, there is that piece of it. There was also this piece of it. A lot of people who cover the league was like, he's not that good. Triple double, shmippele double, don't care stat batter, empty calories, and there are other people that were saying, no, he does more for his team than any player in the league. So it didn't matter that it was Oklahoma City. His style was exciting. There was real emotion to his story at that time, and there was a real argument about how good he is or isn't. So it is in a way it this is a weird one because lucas with the Lakers now. But if Luca, let's just say everything about Luca were the same, but he had been traded instead of to the Lakers, he was he was traded to Indiana. Let's just say that was the trade. Instead of Luca for a d it was Luca for Halliburton, all right. While Luca wouldn't have the high the aesthetically pleasing style of play the way Russ did, people would be invested because there is real debate about is he a great player, a ballhog, or a legend? Like you have opinions all across the spectrum, and man, this team, his team gave up on him all like. There's all those pieces to it, and so I don't I think market size has something to do with it, but there's just it's not just that it's Oklahoma City and Indiana. The Indiana pieces, they were not taken seriously by anyone as a contender all year, so they weren't like really in the discussion. And the Oklahoma City piece of it is they are not really a debatable team, which is the only thing anybody could say about them all year is like, Ah might be too young. Nobody was like they're not that good, nobody was like Shay's overrated, nobody's had any and we've never like hadn't seen them fail and come back. So there's just a lot of pieces to it and if folks can say that, well, if you need something to debate in order to be interested, then you don't love basketball, like you're not a die hard basketball fan. But those people miss the point because here's thing, demanse, whether or not the ratings are good has absolutely nothing to do with the die hards. That die hards are there for the finals, no matter what a rating is generated by our people who typically are not watching, watching, and like and for those people, you can't. You can't sell a casual and by the way, sports League shouldn't try to and there shouldn't be any like shame about this. You the people that truly appreciate the real artistry of the game, and you know how the thunder were built and Haliburton's story, those people are all ready the d if when you are trying to for your premiere event, trying to draw in the everyone else, those people, it's the same way any of us ever have been drawn into something that we previously weren't interested in. So like the people weren't go ahead, de mindset.

I was never a big boxing guy, but the Jake I never like would watch pay per view, But Jake Paul Mke's eyes something came out and I was watching boxing.

I was never a big boxing guy, but the Jake I never like would watch pay per view, But Jake Paul Mke's eyes something came out and I was watching boxing.

You gotta right, it's a spectacle. But no, there's the people that knew nothing about Formula one racing and don't and can't understand why this overtake was impressive, or why this car is better than that car, or why that pit crew is the best. Saw the one show got to know the personalities. They're like, oh, I'm interested. And by the way, that show on Netflix that Lebron and Anthony Davis were in, I forget the name of it, Starting five, the one that they're recording this year. Two of the five are Shay and Haliburton. So maybe that's good to bring in people for you know, future future years or whatever it is. But that's just what it is. And I don't think there's anything wrong with it, and I don't think we have to. I don't love the folks who are like patriotizing on NBA Twitter, like, well, if you can't appreciate this basketball, then you don't love basketball. It's like, no shit, the people who love basketball are already watching. It's the people who, you know, they're debating between you know, restarting the last season of Love is Blind or flipping on the finals and though you're like, those people know the storylines, you know, uh, and the of Stafford Lebron or whomever, and they're not familiar with these folks. Now you and again, now I'm kind of like shadowboxing potential other arguments. People be like, well, it's the media's job to inform people of these stories, sure, but not all stories are as interesting from a story perspective as others. And so like, there is there is not a lot that is very interesting about the Thunder the Pacers outside of the basketball, which is totally fine. You're not always going to have that, but that is going to make it difficult to bring in people who are only passively interested in the basketball. And like, that's just a reality of you know, I don't know if it's marketing or how this stuff works. And so I don't think that is.

You gotta right, it's a spectacle. But no, there's the people that knew nothing about Formula one racing and don't and can't understand why this overtake was impressive, or why this car is better than that car, or why that pit crew is the best. Saw the one show got to know the personalities. They're like, oh, I'm interested. And by the way, that show on Netflix that Lebron and Anthony Davis were in, I forget the name of it, Starting five, the one that they're recording this year. Two of the five are Shay and Haliburton. So maybe that's good to bring in people for you know, future future years or whatever it is. But that's just what it is. And I don't think there's anything wrong with it, and I don't think we have to. I don't love the folks who are like patriotizing on NBA Twitter, like, well, if you can't appreciate this basketball, then you don't love basketball. It's like, no shit, the people who love basketball are already watching. It's the people who, you know, they're debating between you know, restarting the last season of Love is Blind or flipping on the finals and though you're like, those people know the storylines, you know, uh, and the of Stafford Lebron or whomever, and they're not familiar with these folks. Now you and again, now I'm kind of like shadowboxing potential other arguments. People be like, well, it's the media's job to inform people of these stories, sure, but not all stories are as interesting from a story perspective as others. And so like, there is there is not a lot that is very interesting about the Thunder the Pacers outside of the basketball, which is totally fine. You're not always going to have that, but that is going to make it difficult to bring in people who are only passively interested in the basketball. And like, that's just a reality of you know, I don't know if it's marketing or how this stuff works. And so I don't think that is.

Just saying don't coming, don't come with the casuals because it's okay.

Just saying don't coming, don't come with the casuals because it's okay.

So yeah, I mean that's why they're casual fans, and I think that's totally fine. And I think that you know, interest ebbs and flows, and sometimes you need you know, sometimes you don't know that this is going to be an all time classic book. After the first chapter and if the Thunder go on the type of run some people not me as much, but some people think they really could, then this will build and this will be like Chapter one, and the people who were locked in and dialed to these NBA Finals in four years, when Shay and Chet and j Dubb are all household names, people will be like I, you know, I remember watching them nervously host to Game seven against Nikolai Jokic. That could have derailed this whole thing for it even started. You can be the hipster for the Thunder if they ever go from playing coffee shops to play in arenas. But that's that's just how this works. NBA Finals are here and this is your last chance to bet on the NBA until next season. Drafting sportsbook and official sports betting partner the NBA is pulling out all the stops to make this a finals. To remember, one team will be crowning the champ and the other will be lost to history. See this is what I was talking about. Who you got winning at all? Put your hoops expertise to the test. All season long. DraftKings has been the go to spot for NBA player props, and that doesn't stop now who's going to carry their team to the chip. Try placing a bet on your personal MVP to drop thirty, forty or over fifty. Ready to place your first bet, download the Draftings sports Book app. Now lock in your bets and finish the season as a winner. Here's something special first timers. New DraftKings customers. Bet five dollars to get three hundred dollars in bonus bets if your bet wins. Don't miss your last chance to bet on the NBA this season. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use code right code right wriaght for new customers to get three hundred dollars in bonus bets when you bet only five bucks only on DraftKings. The Crown is yours.

So yeah, I mean that's why they're casual fans, and I think that's totally fine. And I think that you know, interest ebbs and flows, and sometimes you need you know, sometimes you don't know that this is going to be an all time classic book. After the first chapter and if the Thunder go on the type of run some people not me as much, but some people think they really could, then this will build and this will be like Chapter one, and the people who were locked in and dialed to these NBA Finals in four years, when Shay and Chet and j Dubb are all household names, people will be like I, you know, I remember watching them nervously host to Game seven against Nikolai Jokic. That could have derailed this whole thing for it even started. You can be the hipster for the Thunder if they ever go from playing coffee shops to play in arenas. But that's that's just how this works. NBA Finals are here and this is your last chance to bet on the NBA until next season. Drafting sportsbook and official sports betting partner the NBA is pulling out all the stops to make this a finals. To remember, one team will be crowning the champ and the other will be lost to history. See this is what I was talking about. Who you got winning at all? Put your hoops expertise to the test. All season long. DraftKings has been the go to spot for NBA player props, and that doesn't stop now who's going to carry their team to the chip. Try placing a bet on your personal MVP to drop thirty, forty or over fifty. Ready to place your first bet, download the Draftings sports Book app. Now lock in your bets and finish the season as a winner. Here's something special first timers. New DraftKings customers. Bet five dollars to get three hundred dollars in bonus bets if your bet wins. Don't miss your last chance to bet on the NBA this season. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use code right code right wriaght for new customers to get three hundred dollars in bonus bets when you bet only five bucks only on DraftKings. The Crown is yours.

Problem called one eight hundred gambler in New York called eight seven seven eight open wire text ope and wy at four six seven three six nine In Connecticut. Help is available for a problem gambling called eight eight eight seven eight nine seven seven seven seven or visit CCPG dot org. Please play responsibly on behalf of boothilk a Cinnamin resorting Kansas twenty one on over agent eligibility varies by jurisdiction VOYD and Ontario. Bet must win to receive reward minimum minus five hundred odds required. Bonus bets expire one hundred and sixty eight hours after issue. In four additional terms and responsible gaming resources see DKNG dot Co. Slash audio.

Problem called one eight hundred gambler in New York called eight seven seven eight open wire text ope and wy at four six seven three six nine In Connecticut. Help is available for a problem gambling called eight eight eight seven eight nine seven seven seven seven or visit CCPG dot org. Please play responsibly on behalf of boothilk a Cinnamin resorting Kansas twenty one on over agent eligibility varies by jurisdiction VOYD and Ontario. Bet must win to receive reward minimum minus five hundred odds required. Bonus bets expire one hundred and sixty eight hours after issue. In four additional terms and responsible gaming resources see DKNG dot Co. Slash audio.

By the way, erisiss in the chat says is this actually live? Yeah, and you can ask questions in the chat. I should have been saying that earlier, but yes, we are actually love. Check out the boost Mobile pillow in the background. We actually had that funny the last show we did from here, even though the partnership with boost Mobile was not yet like pinned to paper, donn or finalized or I don't know, they don't inform you this type of stude. I think it was done. Gause already had the bill, but we weren't. It hadn't started yet, and I put it up there just as like a little extra bonus for our friends at boost Mobile for showing faith in the pod. But then Dexter, my dog, walked in and sat right on the couch and blocked the pillow the whole time, So now I have to close the door. He's laying right there, right outside the door. I'm gonna have to figure that out because I do like when he hangs out with me in here sometimes. So maybe we need to get a second one in case he knocks that one off. All right, Demanse, let's talk a little more Halliburton and then get some other stuff.

By the way, erisiss in the chat says is this actually live? Yeah, and you can ask questions in the chat. I should have been saying that earlier, but yes, we are actually love. Check out the boost Mobile pillow in the background. We actually had that funny the last show we did from here, even though the partnership with boost Mobile was not yet like pinned to paper, donn or finalized or I don't know, they don't inform you this type of stude. I think it was done. Gause already had the bill, but we weren't. It hadn't started yet, and I put it up there just as like a little extra bonus for our friends at boost Mobile for showing faith in the pod. But then Dexter, my dog, walked in and sat right on the couch and blocked the pillow the whole time, So now I have to close the door. He's laying right there, right outside the door. I'm gonna have to figure that out because I do like when he hangs out with me in here sometimes. So maybe we need to get a second one in case he knocks that one off. All right, Demanse, let's talk a little more Halliburton and then get some other stuff.

So, yeah, you touched on a little bit of Halliburton's lackluster scoring ability. Rick Carlisle came in the conference and backed him and said, you can't judge him off his box score. He had five points and three quarters in Game two. Do you think that everybody overreacted by crowding Halliburton?

So, yeah, you touched on a little bit of Halliburton's lackluster scoring ability. Rick Carlisle came in the conference and backed him and said, you can't judge him off his box score. He had five points and three quarters in Game two. Do you think that everybody overreacted by crowding Halliburton?

The yeah, he does. No, I don't think everyone overacted. I here's what I think. It's undeniable that what he has done in the clutch is unprecedented. He's thirteen of fifteen on game go ahead or game time shots in the final minute this year. He has hit four de facto buzzer beaters this playoffs. And one of my favorite things, I'm just gonna be honest with you guys, one of my favorite things about and this is why is a bit of a sidebar. I'll get back to Halliburton, but for years I have said that the next generation is going to look back on the goat debate and be like, you gotta be kidding me. That was a debate, and they're gonna look back on some of the arguments and say, no, nobody actually said, you know, Lebron wasn't clutch. Nobody actually did this stuff. And the reason that I have been so confident in it was demonstrated, really, I think well by what happened after Halliburton's last game winner, where all over TV and all over social media are a bunch of graphics and it's like, wow, Tyre's Halliburton now has five five playoff game winners or game tires in the final second in his career, and you know, here's his percentage and this is unbelievable. And then you see it and he's tied for second because Lebron has eight. And then you see the other ones where it's like wow, look at look at this guy's percentages and you see it and then it's like, oh, wait, hold on, is that Kobe at twenty two percent and Lebron at you know whatever, it was fifty percent. I mean, Nate Tice tweeted it, tweeted out, and I'm looking for it that you know, all I can see. I'm looking at this and all I can see is twenty two percent, which was you know what, Kobe was four of twenty two for his career. And I'm not trying to denegrate the late great Kobe Bryant, but it was just about yeah, here it is right here. So extra Stats had tweeted most game tying or lead taking shots with under five seconds left in the game in the playoffs since the stat tracking era has started, and so since nineteen ninety seven. And what you see is the you know guys with four or more. It is Chris Middleton, Kobe Halliburton with five, Reggie with five, and Lebron with eight. And then you look through it and you're like, you know, Lebron eight of twenty, Reggie five of nine, Halliburton and impossible five of six, Middleton four for eight, and Kobe four for eighteen twenty two. And so there is an element of the numbers are the numbers, and the facts are the facts. And we are going to because of Lebron's longevity and the fact that in the playoffs he has every record there is for the next at least twenty five years of basketball. Every time every single time a guy hits a milestone or a threshold, there is going to be a reminder to the audience that this player just became the second youngest or the second oldest, or has the second most and first on all of those lists is going to be Bron.

The yeah, he does. No, I don't think everyone overacted. I here's what I think. It's undeniable that what he has done in the clutch is unprecedented. He's thirteen of fifteen on game go ahead or game time shots in the final minute this year. He has hit four de facto buzzer beaters this playoffs. And one of my favorite things, I'm just gonna be honest with you guys, one of my favorite things about and this is why is a bit of a sidebar. I'll get back to Halliburton, but for years I have said that the next generation is going to look back on the goat debate and be like, you gotta be kidding me. That was a debate, and they're gonna look back on some of the arguments and say, no, nobody actually said, you know, Lebron wasn't clutch. Nobody actually did this stuff. And the reason that I have been so confident in it was demonstrated, really, I think well by what happened after Halliburton's last game winner, where all over TV and all over social media are a bunch of graphics and it's like, wow, Tyre's Halliburton now has five five playoff game winners or game tires in the final second in his career, and you know, here's his percentage and this is unbelievable. And then you see it and he's tied for second because Lebron has eight. And then you see the other ones where it's like wow, look at look at this guy's percentages and you see it and then it's like, oh, wait, hold on, is that Kobe at twenty two percent and Lebron at you know whatever, it was fifty percent. I mean, Nate Tice tweeted it, tweeted out, and I'm looking for it that you know, all I can see. I'm looking at this and all I can see is twenty two percent, which was you know what, Kobe was four of twenty two for his career. And I'm not trying to denegrate the late great Kobe Bryant, but it was just about yeah, here it is right here. So extra Stats had tweeted most game tying or lead taking shots with under five seconds left in the game in the playoffs since the stat tracking era has started, and so since nineteen ninety seven. And what you see is the you know guys with four or more. It is Chris Middleton, Kobe Halliburton with five, Reggie with five, and Lebron with eight. And then you look through it and you're like, you know, Lebron eight of twenty, Reggie five of nine, Halliburton and impossible five of six, Middleton four for eight, and Kobe four for eighteen twenty two. And so there is an element of the numbers are the numbers, and the facts are the facts. And we are going to because of Lebron's longevity and the fact that in the playoffs he has every record there is for the next at least twenty five years of basketball. Every time every single time a guy hits a milestone or a threshold, there is going to be a reminder to the audience that this player just became the second youngest or the second oldest, or has the second most and first on all of those lists is going to be Bron.

Hey, how Burden might be first on that? On the go ahead book, is he already got five? Took Lebron like two years to get that.

Hey, how Burden might be first on that? On the go ahead book, is he already got five? Took Lebron like two years to get that.

Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna go ahead and say he's not gonna get.

Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna go ahead and say he's not gonna get.

For in his whole career. He's already got five.

For in his whole career. He's already got five.

Kobe played twenty years, he got five. I'm the and and so again like just man twenty four. Let me go ahead and guess the twenty four is for Kobe rights in the chat Bro, Come on, that's a longevity stat. Game winners and percentage is a longevity stat. Okay, But again there is there's no reconciling the percentages. They're just there. There just isn't. And the the the playoff game winners, Kobe's shooting eighteen of them and making four and Bron shooting twenty and making eight, you can call that a longevity staff. But you're just that's just what kids would call cope. It's it's just I mean, it's just what it is.

Kobe played twenty years, he got five. I'm the and and so again like just man twenty four. Let me go ahead and guess the twenty four is for Kobe rights in the chat Bro, Come on, that's a longevity stat. Game winners and percentage is a longevity stat. Okay, But again there is there's no reconciling the percentages. They're just there. There just isn't. And the the the playoff game winners, Kobe's shooting eighteen of them and making four and Bron shooting twenty and making eight, you can call that a longevity staff. But you're just that's just what kids would call cope. It's it's just I mean, it's just what it is.

Go ahead, And Haliburn's percentage is higher right now.

Go ahead, And Haliburn's percentage is higher right now.

And no, well, Halliburn's percentage is the highest of any exactly five on these Yeah, no listen, So to get back to the Halliburn thing, because we're actually gonna talk Lebron in a second. Anyway, he has been this clutch run is one of the greatest, if not the greatest single season clutch performance in playoff history. That's undeniable. It's also that can be true, while it's also true that, as I said earlier, for any NBA player, if they cannot reliably go get you a bucket, it's there is a ceiling on their consistent effectiveness offensively, that's all. And so there is both things can be true that there are ways to slow down Halliburton that that don't exist to slow down most of the other superstars in this league. But while also true he can impact the game differently because of his passing, while also true that his clutch stuff this postseason we've never seen before, Like you know what I mean, that's all. That's all part of the story with him this year I'm going to add one other thing though, demons for the Pacers before we move on, And this is maybe the adjustment Carlisle needs to make, And it's more about approach. The Pacers all year, if they're not out running, have been a good shot, good shot, great shot.

And no, well, Halliburn's percentage is the highest of any exactly five on these Yeah, no listen, So to get back to the Halliburn thing, because we're actually gonna talk Lebron in a second. Anyway, he has been this clutch run is one of the greatest, if not the greatest single season clutch performance in playoff history. That's undeniable. It's also that can be true, while it's also true that, as I said earlier, for any NBA player, if they cannot reliably go get you a bucket, it's there is a ceiling on their consistent effectiveness offensively, that's all. And so there is both things can be true that there are ways to slow down Halliburton that that don't exist to slow down most of the other superstars in this league. But while also true he can impact the game differently because of his passing, while also true that his clutch stuff this postseason we've never seen before, Like you know what I mean, that's all. That's all part of the story with him this year I'm going to add one other thing though, demons for the Pacers before we move on, And this is maybe the adjustment Carlisle needs to make, And it's more about approach. The Pacers all year, if they're not out running, have been a good shot, good shot, great shot.

Team.

Team.

Oh that's a good look. Extra pass that's a good look. One extra pass, that's a great look. Halliburton needs to recognize that shit doesn't exist against the Thunder. What exists against the Thunder is okay, look, decent look, bad look, turnover. Like you have to be willing, especially if you're the best player on the team and you know the the engine of the offense, to take some shots you otherwise wouldn't because a B minus look might be the best look you're getting that that time up the court, and that takes some adjustment, you know what I mean, Like the you are not going to ball movement them into a bunch of wide open threes. They're too good. Yeah, And so like that's that's something that you almost have to retrain your yourself.

Oh that's a good look. Extra pass that's a good look. One extra pass, that's a great look. Halliburton needs to recognize that shit doesn't exist against the Thunder. What exists against the Thunder is okay, look, decent look, bad look, turnover. Like you have to be willing, especially if you're the best player on the team and you know the the engine of the offense, to take some shots you otherwise wouldn't because a B minus look might be the best look you're getting that that time up the court, and that takes some adjustment, you know what I mean, Like the you are not going to ball movement them into a bunch of wide open threes. They're too good. Yeah, And so like that's that's something that you almost have to retrain your yourself.

There are just times in the game where it like flips on the Pacers where Halliburton has to just be like I'm getting a bucket right here, like the crowd's going crazy.

There are just times in the game where it like flips on the Pacers where Halliburton has to just be like I'm getting a bucket right here, like the crowd's going crazy.

They just went up nineteen twenty one points. You gotta go down and do something correct.

They just went up nineteen twenty one points. You gotta go down and do something correct.

All right, all right, let's speaking of Lebron. Let's talk a little more Lebron.

All right, all right, let's speaking of Lebron. Let's talk a little more Lebron.

Go ahead.

Go ahead.

Uh yeah, Lebron might be the NBA's leading scorer, but uh, what does that mean when you got no back?

Uh yeah, Lebron might be the NBA's leading scorer, but uh, what does that mean when you got no back?

Uh?

Uh?

On mine the game? Lebron said, I see all the time, I'll be on social media like Lebron has no bag. Lebron has no bag, and I'm sitting here like I got fifty billion points. I thought he should have said I've got fifty billion chips, like wordplay on like a bag of chips. But to Lebron be the undisputed goat if he's got no bag.

On mine the game? Lebron said, I see all the time, I'll be on social media like Lebron has no bag. Lebron has no bag, and I'm sitting here like I got fifty billion points. I thought he should have said I've got fifty billion chips, like wordplay on like a bag of chips. But to Lebron be the undisputed goat if he's got no bag.

Okay, so let me go. Let me ask you this, what do you think having a bag means? Because it's this is not an agreed upon definition, and I think this is an important piece to it. So I'm curious where you what you think?

Okay, so let me go. Let me ask you this, what do you think having a bag means? Because it's this is not an agreed upon definition, and I think this is an important piece to it. So I'm curious where you what you think?

Okay, I think having a bag is is James Harden that's like like Steph Curry, just just a go to move or or a bag of moves that you can go to to break the defender down. I just think it's offense. It's offensive game. I don't think it's like anything outside of that.

Okay, I think having a bag is is James Harden that's like like Steph Curry, just just a go to move or or a bag of moves that you can go to to break the defender down. I just think it's offense. It's offensive game. I don't think it's like anything outside of that.

No, So it's and it's a it's definitely offense and definitely related to scoring. Yeah, right, Like I think everybody agrees on that. So here is what I think is fair and true, and here is what I think is just nonsense. Right, So I think, what do you think the weakest part of Lebron's offensive game is? Because I think it's very clear. I think there is one thing that offensively he is average at. I would say it's just league.

No, So it's and it's a it's definitely offense and definitely related to scoring. Yeah, right, Like I think everybody agrees on that. So here is what I think is fair and true, and here is what I think is just nonsense. Right, So I think, what do you think the weakest part of Lebron's offensive game is? Because I think it's very clear. I think there is one thing that offensively he is average at. I would say it's just league.

Average stop go, stop start.

Average stop go, stop start.

Well, maybe we're saying the same thing just general ball handling. Oh okay, he's not an elite He's not an elite ball handler. And so if people if by bag they mean like a Kyrie's style, like fifteen dribble move, then sure, then yeah, Lebron's not going to be one of your top thirty picks of people when it comes to ball handling like the he I think Duran at seven feet tall might be a better ball handler like I do. And so like that is to me, that's a if that's what people are talking about, that's actually accurate. Now, to Lebron's point, is it possible that not just kids on Twitter, but also retired NBA players on horrific podcasts wildly overrate the bag. If to Lebron's point, he's got fifty thousand points and doesn't have one, then yeah, then maybe it's not quite as important as you think. So if we're just saying bag is ball handling, then it's probably It's probably true. Here is where I think it gets a little though misconstrued or misleading. If by bag people are talking about ability to score from anywhere on the court at any time, Lebron's as good as anyone in the history of the league being are. And this is where and this is again where we will simply run into folks who some I'm sure are in the chat right now, who are going to try to douce a lot of mental gymnastics around the numbers in the facts, which is now Lebron early in his career, didn't you know, was not a good jump shooter. But the benefit of playing twenty two years is even if you weren't good at something for the first seven there were fifteen years you were good at it. So like even be like ah, Lebron couldn't shoot. But by year nine he was literally forty one percent from three. His third year in Miami, I guess that would have been year ten, and then you know that was year ten for him was still the first half of his career. In Miami, he developed his three point shot. His second stint in Cleveland, he developed his mid range shot, particularly the turnaround, And since then has been the idea that he's gotten his fifty thousand points by putting his head down and just going to the rim one hundred times a game. Again, that's just blied by the data and by the date, I mean the games are on TV. You can see where the shots are made, all of it. That he has the same shot. People talk about him as if he has the same shot chart as Shack did. That it was layup some free throw, dunk some free throw. But this is where now we are, and this is why and I you always have to be sensitive here because of obviously the tragedy surrounding is passing, but the juxtaposition of Kobe versus Lebron, as far as what the actual truth is and was versus how they are remembered, has always been very interesting because if you ask one hundred NBA fans who was the better three point shooter, Kobe or Lebron, the vast majority are going to say Kobe Bryant, despite the fact that any possible way you slice it, it's not true. And I will and that's you know, that's bag for some, it's like your ability, like I said, to score from all three levels. So Kobe for his career was thirty two point nine percent from three. Lebron for his career thirty four point nine percent from three. Oh, well, Nick, Kobe shot way more, No, he didn't. Kobe for his career four point one attempts per game, Lebron for his career four point seven attempts per game. Well, Kobe was better in the playoffs. No, Kobe for his career from three, his three point percentage is thirty three point one percent on four attempts per game. Lebron for his career in the playoffs is thirty three percent on four point one attempts per game. Well, oh wait, hold on, I had I got that last one exactly wrong. I apologize because I read Kobe's I read Kobe STAPs twice. Kobe for his career in the playoffs thirty three point one percent on four attempts per game four point zero, exactly Lebron for his career in the playoffs thirty three point three percent, essentially the same Lebron to took better, but on four point nine a tempts per game. Oh well, Nick, and this is one you'll hear when people are really at this point grasping, Nick, the game's changed so much, even though Lebron and Kobe played in the league together for a more than a decade. Okay, so if you just take Lebron's career and stop it when Kobe retired, Kobe again for his career thirty three point one one percent on four point zero attempts per game. Look, that's for the playoffs and for the regular season Kobe thirty two point nine on four point one attempts per game, basically identical for Kobe regular season of playoffs. He retired in twenty sixteen. Lebron his rookie year through the date of Kobe's retirement the exact same number of three point attempts per game four point zero, and Kobe's thirty two point nine Lebron thirty four point zero. And so this isn't a I'm not trying to do like a Kobe versus Lebron thing, because I think that's a silly, really untenable argument, as much as people try to make it one. The reason I am mentioning that is because that is as clear and as clean and as matter of fact as data can get, and people simply will say, I do not believe that. That's not how I remember it, which is that and the people in the chat can get as angry as they want, and they say that's longevity, even though it's per game, that that's a different era, even if we just go year per year. In their mind's eye, Kobe was a dominant three point assassin, and in their mind's eye, Lebron was just putting his shoulder down and get into the rim, despite the fact that at the date of Kobe's retirement, he averaged the exact same number of three point attempts per game as Lebron did and shot him worse. It's just what the facts were. So when Lebron is talking about I'm get on social media and say Lebron doesn't have a bag or this or that, it's because so much of that is it's not revisionist history. It's just absolute fake news so to speak, that people will believe to their dying breath. Like one of the number one questions people will ask is, okay, so whatever you're gonna say Lebron's better than Kobe because of you know, he played longer or whatever it is. However, but one shot life on the line, and then you tell him, well, playoff game winners like we just talked before Lebron took was eight of twenty, Kobe was four of eighteen. People will simply say, I don't believe you, even though it is what it is. And so now doctor Frank says in the chat, but would you say Kobe had a deeper bag than Lebron? I think there's an argument there, yes, a hunt because I Kobe was a better mid range shot maker than Lebron, and I think Kobe was a better ball handler than Lebron.

Well, maybe we're saying the same thing just general ball handling. Oh okay, he's not an elite He's not an elite ball handler. And so if people if by bag they mean like a Kyrie's style, like fifteen dribble move, then sure, then yeah, Lebron's not going to be one of your top thirty picks of people when it comes to ball handling like the he I think Duran at seven feet tall might be a better ball handler like I do. And so like that is to me, that's a if that's what people are talking about, that's actually accurate. Now, to Lebron's point, is it possible that not just kids on Twitter, but also retired NBA players on horrific podcasts wildly overrate the bag. If to Lebron's point, he's got fifty thousand points and doesn't have one, then yeah, then maybe it's not quite as important as you think. So if we're just saying bag is ball handling, then it's probably It's probably true. Here is where I think it gets a little though misconstrued or misleading. If by bag people are talking about ability to score from anywhere on the court at any time, Lebron's as good as anyone in the history of the league being are. And this is where and this is again where we will simply run into folks who some I'm sure are in the chat right now, who are going to try to douce a lot of mental gymnastics around the numbers in the facts, which is now Lebron early in his career, didn't you know, was not a good jump shooter. But the benefit of playing twenty two years is even if you weren't good at something for the first seven there were fifteen years you were good at it. So like even be like ah, Lebron couldn't shoot. But by year nine he was literally forty one percent from three. His third year in Miami, I guess that would have been year ten, and then you know that was year ten for him was still the first half of his career. In Miami, he developed his three point shot. His second stint in Cleveland, he developed his mid range shot, particularly the turnaround, And since then has been the idea that he's gotten his fifty thousand points by putting his head down and just going to the rim one hundred times a game. Again, that's just blied by the data and by the date, I mean the games are on TV. You can see where the shots are made, all of it. That he has the same shot. People talk about him as if he has the same shot chart as Shack did. That it was layup some free throw, dunk some free throw. But this is where now we are, and this is why and I you always have to be sensitive here because of obviously the tragedy surrounding is passing, but the juxtaposition of Kobe versus Lebron, as far as what the actual truth is and was versus how they are remembered, has always been very interesting because if you ask one hundred NBA fans who was the better three point shooter, Kobe or Lebron, the vast majority are going to say Kobe Bryant, despite the fact that any possible way you slice it, it's not true. And I will and that's you know, that's bag for some, it's like your ability, like I said, to score from all three levels. So Kobe for his career was thirty two point nine percent from three. Lebron for his career thirty four point nine percent from three. Oh, well, Nick, Kobe shot way more, No, he didn't. Kobe for his career four point one attempts per game, Lebron for his career four point seven attempts per game. Well, Kobe was better in the playoffs. No, Kobe for his career from three, his three point percentage is thirty three point one percent on four attempts per game. Lebron for his career in the playoffs is thirty three percent on four point one attempts per game. Well, oh wait, hold on, I had I got that last one exactly wrong. I apologize because I read Kobe's I read Kobe STAPs twice. Kobe for his career in the playoffs thirty three point one percent on four attempts per game four point zero, exactly Lebron for his career in the playoffs thirty three point three percent, essentially the same Lebron to took better, but on four point nine a tempts per game. Oh well, Nick, and this is one you'll hear when people are really at this point grasping, Nick, the game's changed so much, even though Lebron and Kobe played in the league together for a more than a decade. Okay, so if you just take Lebron's career and stop it when Kobe retired, Kobe again for his career thirty three point one one percent on four point zero attempts per game. Look, that's for the playoffs and for the regular season Kobe thirty two point nine on four point one attempts per game, basically identical for Kobe regular season of playoffs. He retired in twenty sixteen. Lebron his rookie year through the date of Kobe's retirement the exact same number of three point attempts per game four point zero, and Kobe's thirty two point nine Lebron thirty four point zero. And so this isn't a I'm not trying to do like a Kobe versus Lebron thing, because I think that's a silly, really untenable argument, as much as people try to make it one. The reason I am mentioning that is because that is as clear and as clean and as matter of fact as data can get, and people simply will say, I do not believe that. That's not how I remember it, which is that and the people in the chat can get as angry as they want, and they say that's longevity, even though it's per game, that that's a different era, even if we just go year per year. In their mind's eye, Kobe was a dominant three point assassin, and in their mind's eye, Lebron was just putting his shoulder down and get into the rim, despite the fact that at the date of Kobe's retirement, he averaged the exact same number of three point attempts per game as Lebron did and shot him worse. It's just what the facts were. So when Lebron is talking about I'm get on social media and say Lebron doesn't have a bag or this or that, it's because so much of that is it's not revisionist history. It's just absolute fake news so to speak, that people will believe to their dying breath. Like one of the number one questions people will ask is, okay, so whatever you're gonna say Lebron's better than Kobe because of you know, he played longer or whatever it is. However, but one shot life on the line, and then you tell him, well, playoff game winners like we just talked before Lebron took was eight of twenty, Kobe was four of eighteen. People will simply say, I don't believe you, even though it is what it is. And so now doctor Frank says in the chat, but would you say Kobe had a deeper bag than Lebron? I think there's an argument there, yes, a hunt because I Kobe was a better mid range shot maker than Lebron, and I think Kobe was a better ball handler than Lebron.

That one I agree with there, Yeah, yeah, on the back you Agreeeah.

That one I agree with there, Yeah, yeah, on the back you Agreeeah.

Yeah, there is. But the that then circles back to the more I think interesting question is, but then what does it really matter except for again to be fair, because I am I gotta tell you, among other things, I'm the most I'm the fairest arguer in sports media because I will often make an argument, and while I'm making it, because it's how my brain works, think like, oh, does this contradict something you were making? Argument you're making about something else, and how do you reconcile those two? So, while how Deep your Bag is might be overrated when it comes to your effectiveness as a player, as evidenced by our discussion about why people were more maybe attracted to Russell Westbrook's style of play than Shay Gilgess, Alexander's how Deep your Bag is certainly has to do has an impact on popularity, grabbing the casual fan highlights things like that. That part there is a real impact, all right, Before we get to a few other things, my friends at Boost Mobiles got a well there are newest friends, there are a newest sponsor, and we got something we want to tell you from them. Have you ever signed up for a phone plan thinking wow, it's an unbelievable price, and it probably is right in the beginning, and then a few months later it's like, wait the bill, what's this fee? That was introductory? What? I don't all of a sudden I thought I was I thought I was getting a great deal, paying thirty bucks a month or something, and now my bill they it might say thirty dollars a month, but then at the end of it, I'm paying sixty or seventy five dollars a month. With Boost Mobile, you pay twenty five dollars a month forever, unlimited talk, text and data starting at just twenty five dollars a month. No price hikes, no contract. That's forever. Plus. Boost Mobile is now a legit nationwide five G network. No one tell Aaron Rodgers. They've invested billions building five G towers across the country. Visit boostmobile dot com or head to your local Boost store today and get unlimited talk, text and data for twenty five dollars a month four Ever, a reminder, of course, five G speeds not available in all areas. After thirty gigabytes, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay twenty five dollars a month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan. All right, Deman's let's get to the New York Knicks before we get to some NFL stuff.

Yeah, there is. But the that then circles back to the more I think interesting question is, but then what does it really matter except for again to be fair, because I am I gotta tell you, among other things, I'm the most I'm the fairest arguer in sports media because I will often make an argument, and while I'm making it, because it's how my brain works, think like, oh, does this contradict something you were making? Argument you're making about something else, and how do you reconcile those two? So, while how Deep your Bag is might be overrated when it comes to your effectiveness as a player, as evidenced by our discussion about why people were more maybe attracted to Russell Westbrook's style of play than Shay Gilgess, Alexander's how Deep your Bag is certainly has to do has an impact on popularity, grabbing the casual fan highlights things like that. That part there is a real impact, all right, Before we get to a few other things, my friends at Boost Mobiles got a well there are newest friends, there are a newest sponsor, and we got something we want to tell you from them. Have you ever signed up for a phone plan thinking wow, it's an unbelievable price, and it probably is right in the beginning, and then a few months later it's like, wait the bill, what's this fee? That was introductory? What? I don't all of a sudden I thought I was I thought I was getting a great deal, paying thirty bucks a month or something, and now my bill they it might say thirty dollars a month, but then at the end of it, I'm paying sixty or seventy five dollars a month. With Boost Mobile, you pay twenty five dollars a month forever, unlimited talk, text and data starting at just twenty five dollars a month. No price hikes, no contract. That's forever. Plus. Boost Mobile is now a legit nationwide five G network. No one tell Aaron Rodgers. They've invested billions building five G towers across the country. Visit boostmobile dot com or head to your local Boost store today and get unlimited talk, text and data for twenty five dollars a month four Ever, a reminder, of course, five G speeds not available in all areas. After thirty gigabytes, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay twenty five dollars a month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan. All right, Deman's let's get to the New York Knicks before we get to some NFL stuff.

Uh yeah, So, Whendhorses reported that there's mutual intrigue between New York and Dallas head coach Jason Kidd. You mentioned a few days ago, a couple of days ago, that this might be an efforts to.

Uh yeah, So, Whendhorses reported that there's mutual intrigue between New York and Dallas head coach Jason Kidd. You mentioned a few days ago, a couple of days ago, that this might be an efforts to.

Push for Giannis.

Push for Giannis.

Why would Dallas let this happen, Well, it's very interesting. You could listen. Jason Kidd's history of forcing his way out of situations or leaving tough situations in his wake is somewhat legendary. Okay, so Tim bond Temps did a good job describing describing this. But as a player, Jason Kidd was with the MAVs that thing within a couple within a couple of years for a lot of reasons we don't really need to get into. On the show got toxic and he goes to Phoenix. That then at the end it ran its course. He goes to the Nets and it's awesome. Early on, they make two straight finals. He arguably should have won MVP early on in his career with the Nets. That then goes sideways. He goes back to Dallas, then finishes his career with the Knicks. He then for one year as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. At the end of that year, he tries to basically take over the team Uh, that doesn't work, So he gets his way to Milwaukee. Then in Milwaukee they end up souring on him, they fire him, and now he's in Dallas. You know, he's with the Lakers briefly. Now he's in Dallas, when even when he was with the Lakers, there was like worry, like is he gonna try to like unseat Vogel? But he goes to Dallas and now he's in Dallas and it sure looks like he would like to be the head coach of the Knicks. And you can say, why would they let you, you know, why would they allow it in Dallas? But the answer to that is how messy does Jason Kidd want to make this? Because you can't have a guy coach your team that wants to coach another team. It's one of those things like there are certain industries where a contract really only as good as long as the person wants to fulfill it. Like if if Demanse came in and was like, hey, guys, I would like permission to interview you to be on Rory and Mao and leave this show, well then that kind of just means he doesn't want to be on this show anymore. And even if I'm like, no, you can't, it doesn't really mean like that. I think it's going to be right exactly. And so this idea that like the Knicks want permission to interview kid, that's not an interview. If somebody has a job and they're going to talk to someone about another job, it's not like a real negotiation. It's like you have that job now. So I think go ahead.