20 NBA Finals Moments That Define Wanting 'ALL THE SMOKE'

This episode is presented to you by DraftKings.

The crown is yours. Talk to us about that journey.

I remember to this day. I was like, we're not gonna lose to them. We're not gonna lose Game five on our.

Home court, Ladies and gentlemen, if you don't think you're gonna win.

It's over.

So when I player gets him in the game, I knew everything was gonna do. Like I swear to guy Snack every every move, every counter.

I know this shit is just haben.

I know this ship is just saber, not.

Not.

I can't live with myself if he beats me on the highest stage.

Like bro y'all does have to have my back.

Let's welcome to the show. Magic Johnson, your rookie year. Go to the finals. First, Doctor j you're able to beat them finals MVP is a rookie.

But before where we get to the.

Final dinner, Before we get to that final experience, Doctor Jason, when you looked up to I heard in college he kind of rolled out the red carpet to you.

Explain that story about doctor j Yeah.

So I was leaving school and I called him up, and.

So he said hey, I said, hey, what is it.

Like leaving you left? So I want you to tell me what it's like for me to leave Michigan stay early. And so he was explaining to me on the phone, and then he said, I'm gonna do you one better fly out to Philly and hang out with me for the weekend.

I said, what, Doc, No, Doc, that's doc.

This is doctor J saying a young fellow can come hang with him. And he put me up at his crib at the big mansion.

How he pick you up a limo?

And my brother was like, oh, show, I'm calling everybody. I'm with doctor J at his house.

And so you know, I'm sitting there, living in the living room and he's talking to me and I'm just zoning out, like I can't even believe it. I've always had docs on.

So now I'm with him.

Oh it was.

Crazy, man. So we hung out the whole weekend. Wife took great care of me as well, went to a couple of playoff games he was in the playoffs.

He gave me some great advice.

And then here it is seven months later, I'm playing the brother in the NBA finals. My idol, I'm playing him in the NBA Finals. And so we so I said, man, I love you, but I gotta take him out too, and take him out. But when he came down that middle I mean on that right side and cuffed that ball on cool, I said, oh oh man. And then the other one was he came down the right side and he jumped out of bounds and he started walking the finger roll yeah, in.

The air and fro going back, bunting against the glasses.

Good.

I said, man, this dude is too much.

Man.

See he was doing that George before Michael. People forget that. Yeah, he was the first dude walking in the air. Oh man. It was so much fun playing against Die and that we won.

But talk about talk about yourself.

A little bit because Kareem went down.

You're a rookie twenty years old years in the NBA Finals, the only first and only rookie to ever win finals.

MVP.

Talk to these people that didn't follow the game back then and what it was like and the numbers.

You put up slid to the center, that center from point go out to center.

Well you know again, man, I so he gets Kareem gets hers it in game five, and so I get to the airport, everybody head.

Is down because Kareem can't play.

I said, so what, Kareem can't play, We're still gonna win, right, And they looked at me like rookie.

Go sit down.

We can't beat Philadelphia without Kareem. I said, man, we're gonna win this game, and they.

Was like, we can't do it.

Irvan, I said, so I gotta do something, Matt, I said, I got to do something to get these guys going. So Kareem would always sit in one A that was his seat. So I asked a flight attendant could I go on the plane first. So I went and sat in Kareem seat, and as every Laker came by, I said, never fear magic is here.

And they were like, this dude is crazy.

You know, so they laughed. So I had five hours all the way flight from LA to Philadelphia to work on their mindset and lattitude. Because ladies and gentlemen, if you don't think you're gonna win an win over, it's over. So I told him, man, gonna win this game. And so I told the coach I'm gonna play center. He was like he was like, he looked at me like, yeah, have you ever played center?

I said, yeah, I played center in high school. He said, Man, that was two or three years ago.

I said, I'm gonna play center tomorrow against Cadwell Jones. So long story short, you know, I scored forty two points, fifteen rebound, seven assists, winning the game. And it was a blessing to him. To be named NBA Most Vavable Player the Finals was a true blessing. But to win the game, yes, again.

First and foremost.

All the other stuff don't matter, right, just win the game.

So we won the championship.

So that was my first one, and then I became the third guy ever in NBA history college come out of college.

That's right, to go back to back.

So it's a bit a blessing, a lot of history.

And welcome to the show, Sean kimp Man. Six, you finally break through. You sweep Dream and Clyde beat Stock in them alone. In seven, you get to Mike. You're avenue twenty three and ten in the finals. What was that we got GP started. We had GP a couple of years ago. GP said, if GP said, if they would have put him on our MJ earlier, y'all would have won it.

Yeah, Gary was having had They had a couple of little injuries he had, so they didn't want to exert him at first. They put that lia on Michael Jordan.

Which didn't go well.

I mean, I mean, look at it. DeLand is a great player. I mean he is, man. I don't think it was fair to him all of a sudden. You know, you come on, you know what I'm saying. If anything, you pull somebody off the bench and pull on Michael Jordan, they can just waste files.

And be physical with him.

But you know, you come out there being soft with Michael, He's gonna take advantage of you. And that's exactly what happened. But Michael wasn't the reason he didn't beat us in the championship. He did not beat us. Man, we was on his ass. Well, he didn't beat us. Dennis Robbins the one who we had no answer for his ass man, Really,

Man, what kind of ship would he do?

Uh, I'm gonna tell you what, Frank mcconsky. Man, Then this mon dinnis started wearing color contacts doing the championship. He started wearing color color contacts during the championship with some lip ship on man. He would be like he was trying to kiss Frank's arm and the ship, and then Frank just couldn't take it. Man, it was just the man and him just couldn't allow it. Dinner's new buttons to push, man, we need to freak the rebound. He got him all discombobulated.

Man.

So yeah, my god, absolutely, man, Dennis Robert.

He I was his defense man, well me.

I mean his defense was good. It wasn't. I mean, he wasn't just too big for dinner. You know what I'm saying. I'm a little bit too big for dinner. I don't think that's a fair agile to But his defense was great.

Man.

Like I said, he was just tipping the ball and rebounding high knee and doing all this silly ship man, all the ship that you hate to see.

And they needed.

Yeah, that's exactly what they need.

Man.

Scotty Pipping is great man. You know, I played with Pipping in Portland. I just say this, but sometimes they people don't get Pipping his props. But Scottie Pippen was gonna be good ball player without Michael Jordan. He would have been a quality ball player without Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan definitely made him a little bit better. But my man, Scotty Pippen was still balling when he was in Portland. You know, he wasn't no match for Kobe when we were playing back then.

Yeah, Kobe, but.

Scotty was still balling. Man. He could still play the pass and lanes. He's never been a great shooter, but he's just been athletic to do a lot of different things, you know, pass, scoring, rebounding, that's his game.

Talk.

What was Mike like in those finals? Talking just straight about business?

What was it like?

And well, we played Mike in the finals. We were trying to engage with him a lot, man. We really wanted him. We wanted physicality, we wanted to uh, we were trying to test him, but he wasn't. He wasn't going forward.

He was focused all right here there was a picture right there.

No, that's that's Gary. Gary was letting him know that he was getting in his ass, because that's when they didn't put they took Gary, They took Daglas off. Michael put Gary on. So Gary, you know, I used to run down court. I'd be and I'd be like, showt him the glove. I'll be like the glove, can't give his back the ball away and gave him flashy glove to But that's you see Michael looking back a flashing that glove side. He didn't like that ship. That's the ship.

Get a chance to know Mike off the court.

Not so much off the court, but definitely battles on the court, man, definitely battles on the choir respecting. I got a lot of mad respect for the man. You know, I've seen people be physical with Mike. I've seen him have a game plan to stop him. He altered his game plan every night. You couldn't stop him. Is he the best ever played the game?

No?

Who is?

I mean, people get mad at me when I say this, spell but Bill Russell, Bill Russell, Bill Russell. You know what I'm saying. The best they ever played the game is not gonna be the league scorer. The best to play the game is gonna be one. It's gonna be in the middle doing a lot of different things because he's gonna be able to help people out keep the ball and play. Bill Russell was the first one blocking shots.

Lebron most dominant player ever step on the basketball court, man Shack ninety five Finals run because shut the Boston Garden down, beat the Bulls, pace her battle and then you run into a team.

And then in the finals.

That was.

My fault.

We lost.

Why you say that because as a leader, I didn't lead after we beat the Bulls, I let up, Mike, We're straight. We didn't play it Houston before. I think it was one and one on you know, even Siri, kam gonna get thirty. I'm gonna get twenty seven, right, and off the record, we had eight days off me and these guys was doing stuff we weren't supposed to be doing.

Yeah.

Yeah, they had like a little parade and all that.

We were just celebrating.

So it taught me never to celebrate too early, and then when we get in the game, we hang out with him and then it just you know, Nick's and you know, can't blame it on Nick. My fault because I didn't get the guys ready, but Nick missus the free throws. We go down on one second game, we go down, oh two, we go to Houston, we know we don't have a shot, so we get swept. But it just taught me never to celebrate too early, and

If you walk to your.

Brother and sisters to school, and your brother come back when his shirt messed up because he got jumped. That's your fault and I'm whooping your ass. Question handles right, no question. So it just taught me never to celebrate too early.

Welcome to The show Man T two thousand Finals versus the Pacers. We're seeing Kobe turn into a star in front of our eyes. Jayden Rose spoke to this about that series. It's a new part of our show. We never did this before.

He's coming on party.

We hit us with to get down and laid down.

That was dope because he was arguing with their bench like I used to hear Phil yelling at Kobe.

Passed the ball, the ball, get off of it, Yeah.

Get off of it.

I don't know what.

And he watched it right and Shaq fouled out. Hey man, Cole, I love cold so much. He went to work on us and then he hit that jumper at the top of the kid and he did this that wasn't even to us, that was to his team. When Cole first got drafted to the probably shouldn't say I'm just trying not to say too much of what I know. But like Cole was presented by his own teammates on show, his own teammates I couldn't believe it.

They was hating on him.

I'm like, why y'all gonna hate on.

Him because he was that confident.

But he ain't.

He ain't even like go out, he ain't dream.

He was over with us. We was in college. He was a laker on campus. Chilling when you hear stuff like that, taking you back to those times, what comes to your mind?

Man, just a killer, just like we talked about it, just you know, shock foul out. So like everybody kind of panicked. So they thought, like, okay, shock foul out. We got to move the ball. We gotta get everybody involved, we gotta play a different style of basketball.

And so I think Covid missed like three shots in a row.

He like took a couple of bad shots whatever, and he missed three shots in a row.

So guys like, man, you got to move the ball.

And the field was on him a little bit in the time out, and he came out. I think he might have scored like twelve straight or something, and then he hit that big shot and he was.

Like relaxed, like I got this.

And after that, after that series, then that's when he it was over.

It was over.

Relaxed. I got it, so, you know.

The reporter asked Kobe, He's like, you know, your teammate say you don't trust him? You don't said how you feel about that? He said, well, I feel like I got a better chance of making a shot out with two people than the guy's wide open.

You know what I'm saying.

You know what I'm saying.

You got serious?

You know?

So you know I love him? I love him sure?

With that, and with that.

He might just make this ship now.

Two thousand and one, fifteen to one in the playoffs, the infamous step over with Alan Iverson. He spoke to that on our show, and I think surprised a lot of people with his answer. Let's take a look at that. You guys run into the Lakers in the two thousand and one finals, go into La Get Game one, when you hit the jumper on Tilu and stepped over. I mean that still gets played daily looking back now, almost twenty years ago, what do you think about that?

I don't like it?

Really, he was giving me so many problems, man, straight dog like. When I stepped over him, it was like, I ain't no, I did it, And then they try to get me to mimic that shit years later, like, I don't even know how to do it. You don't know when you're gonna do something. You don't know the emotions in the game or what go on throughout the game. It can be a coach that pitched you off and you react a certain way, you know, to basically tell him, yeah, look what I did that moment.

Yeah it was.

It was dope when you look back on it, but I just don't like it.

H Obviously a moment we live in a social media moment now that wasn't back then, but it's still something that kind of surfaces around speak to that moment, and then also your relationship.

With him at the moment.

You know, like I said, people make a big deal out of it, like he crossed me over and I fell down, and then he stepped over me like he had a contested shot. I stepped back and I failed, he stepped over top of me, and you know, for me, it wasn't even a big deal.

Still to this day, it's not a big deal.

And you get kids like, oh, that's the guy you weren't even born.

I'm on that same mixtape. They showed me more highlights after they're falling.

So I'm with you, But it wasn't even a big deal, like to me, you know what I'm saying. People make a big deal of it, like it's a part of history, and that's okay. Like I love I love Ai even before the series, like it's somehow idolized.

He's two years.

Older than me.

But like, man, the corn rolls from the hood, like my height, all the things.

That girls like.

But like he he changed our game, like in thet to the culture of our game, like the change you know, Jordan, they weren't suits, they like te.

White teas, change braids, Like.

He changed the game for us as from where we come from. That's huge for us because a lot of times, you know.

It's young black men.

Yeah, I'm not comfortable wearing a suit, and if I get a suit, it might be a two hunds suit.

Eddie Jones laughing at me, like what you got on? You know, you're always teasing people.

So like he changed the culture for us and made it okay to be an NBA player but also be.

Who you are. And so I idolized this dude.

I told him from day one, and so when I played him every day in practice before he played in the finals, like just mimicking who he was and feel like.

Play fast, do this.

I knew every movie did Like I was so happy two weeks of just being a man move And so when I played against him in the game, I knew everything he was gonna do, like I swear to God, stack every every move, every counter. And so you know, to me, like I said, I idolize a dude. And so if it's a moment in history and he deserves it like he deserves it, like I don't, I don't make me.

No, No, it was that because how he is the love for you, for you, like he don't like hot. People try to make it as it seem like he be liling you. You know what I'm saying, Because the love he got for you, that's why he don't like it.

And I love that.

But I mean, you ai, I'm t lou and I have no problem with that. Like I'm a realize both here. Yeah, I mean I'm a dog like you know all you like, like I'm a dog, like I'm a guard every night, I'm not gonna back down.

If we got a scrap, I'm gonna scrap.

You know what I'm saying. It is what it is.

But at the end of the day, like he's MVP and I'm just I'm just happy to be able to have a chance to compete against him at a high level.

So I'm giving everything I got. But like I said, that's my guy, Like if he needed it or whatever, that's that's my.

Guy to the end.

They don't know Chuck is one of the most sensitive NBA players ever. He cry all that he gonna tell you he loved you twenty times, twenty times.

You know what I'm saying.

People don't know that the random phone out the blue yea, I love you, Yeah, and.

I love him too.

To get a chance to compete against him in two thousand and one.

I don't know where I would be because, like you know what I'm saying, Like, you don't know if you don't get an opportunity, like I was like on the bench kind of you know what I'm saying. I didn't play till six minutes to go in the third quarter. I didn't play the whole first half, you know what I'm saying. So, like having an opportunity to compete against him, like it just it changed my career, changed my life.

Yeah, yeah, that two thousand and one team one of the greatest, if the greatest of all time, all time.

Yeah, the greatest of all time for sure. Nobody could beat that team.

Who so it was name that wrote Who's who's on that roster with y'all?

Derek Fisher, Ron Harper, Brian Shaw, Rick Fox, Horse, Grant Shack Cold there yet Robert or Yeah, So, I mean it wasn't. I'm just basing off of Shock and Cold, like people talking about you know, Draymond got crazy, Like yeah, I mean nobody see the pro mean is what they understand is Shock, Like you know we can you can double team guard Shack? Ye forget everything everything.

Else, Like how you're gonna guard Shack?

Like that's that's the biggest thing because now you and the bonus for six minutes to go in the game, I mean the in the quarter. Now Kobe gets loose, you can't touch him night free line, So like, how are you gonna guard Shack?

That's what people understand, like that was that was the best.

That was the great team of all time to me, for sure, Kobe any Kobe and Shock team, I don't see how you can how you can beat that team.

He's saying my brother Kenyan Mark k motherfucking Mark.

Two thousand and two Finals.

You guys and they came across that midpoint they were having.

They came across the midpoint.

So we're talking about that.

We're gonna get to that, oh too, Shock and Kobe, you were you guys run through the east and you guys run into them?

What was it like?

There was the one picture I think in that finals where Shack was dunking on everybody on the team at one time, absolutely.

In one video.

That is one of the best pictures in sport history, in NBA history though, like steel shots, that's one of the best pictures.

Ever.

How tough were they though? How tough were they in the it's But you were someone you had to guard. You you were a rare person could guard Shack and you.

Had to you had to guard.

I was the romer.

I was the double guy. Because it fits like, wait, while I can't do nothing with that dude. If I did get caught on, all I have to do is try to front him, and he just pushed me up the lane. They thought it was impossible to guard.

Impossible.

Listen, man, So you pick your poison, do you try to play him straight up.

You know what you're gonna do? Do you double swing swings?

Now you got Now you got Derek Fischer going four for seven, Robert or going two for five, Devin George going too for It's just so then what do you do? And then you got the other animal that one on one is destroying.

Us everybody in the world.

He average shock, averaging thirty six. He averaged twenty six whatever, like it was impossible. But you know what I'm saying. I I look back at it, like I averaged twenty two against them, like my second year average twenty twenty finals against them, Like I posted on like somebody like the number of points in these serious somebody posted like it was one of them apps.

Oh yeah, I seen that thing. You were up there. That's right, I'm.

Third on the list.

Of course you had Shock and coke cole and then came on.

You know what I'm saying, So I average twenty twenty finals like my second year, like game four and our home flow like man, we ain't getting swept like fuck that, Like I'm not going home tonight, Like we're going back there, like you.

Went home that night.

You were home that night.

It happens though.

Seventeen in the first thirty five for the game No, I hate, but wasn't.

It was.

It was a different animal.

There was just no no machine, nothing you could put in front of shock in Cobe around that time.

I don't care what it was. It was nothing. You could do nothing.

And then the next.

Year, next year, you run into these fellas.

It came on down and say in the Texas boy, old spur boy, they ass got lucky. We split the first two games on their floor. No, we were scared with after y'all should have been. I told j JK was busting our ass.

Bro.

We split if we go home and get two because it was the two three two s they got with our home floor. If we go boy, listen, No, but Timmy was prob.

He took one.

He went to UH and took one in Jersey by him damnself.

Some of the numbers he put up in that series.

Dog.

Yeah.

And when Tumbo was talking about don't double, all right, they stopped doubling. This is why they doubled him a Tumbo, Hi, Hi, how you want to hook crossover played away off the glass like Dumbo. Yeah, you need to come you have it your way, stopped playing.

Bro and blocking everything. He playing offside on me and on the ball on me. Like now he did his thing and they had to double Yeah.

What happened?

That's that's swing swing Stack? What's Stack doing that game?

Serious?

I'm saying it went six? What I'm saying it went six?

He that played well was raining?

Yeah, we have a maxisions what I'm saying. No, but I didn't listen ye but one No, but one thing for show. Two things for certain. When employees six was guardening, there was no double teams. It wasn't no double team what I'm saying, Like he might have scored it all. He did his thing. But you can go ask that man to date did he had to work for each in, every one of them, know what I'm saying, Like I figured out how to guard people because having to guard

It was on him.

Yeah, I'm a crowded, you know what I'm saying, So therefore I'm gonna take something away. You're gonna have to do something else, Like that's the one you can get to make him do something. You got to make him do something else. So therefore, no, he was like, shout out to him. What I'm saying, He made me better? What made him made me? In that series?

Though he welcomed the double team, he waited on me. He waited, he waited.

Yeah, no, no, he he made me a better basketball player and a better defender, him and a couple of guys, but him was definitely.

Let me ask you this.

So we was hearing the same thing because me and you was together up damn after every game. So we was hearing the same things about Jay Kid possibly coming to San Antonia. What was you thinking about that when you was hearing that too?

I ain't think nothing of it, to be honest, saying, I know they had and all that.

I was just I didn't if you were the winning win, I was hoping they was getting rid of Tony.

Yeah, like if you win, you win. You know what I'm saying, Yeah, like now you would have changed everything. You know what I'm saying, of course, but please, but history has You know what I'm saying, he stayed and then they got rid of me, so m they would pay me and it still didn't work. Yeah what I'm saying, the didn't want to pay me, so they had.

Yeah, they made some bad moves.

Welcome to the Show Byron Scott.

So that off season Marbury for j Kid and then fast forward the two thousand and three finals Nets versus Spurs, Young stacky versus old team. What's going through your head as because like I said, you on your young bullshit, So it's it's all payback in your mind.

But let me say this, even though it was it was two years because the first year I was on injured list when I left, and the second third year I played in two thousand and three, so I had a left I had a left time to grow in that San Antonio Spur system.

For two years. I was learning how to be a professional.

I was around Steve Smith, I was going to church with David Robinson, so I was starting I was starting to grow up a little bit. So that's how I ended up being in the starting lineup. I was learning how to be a professional. So I just wanted to just play. Well, you know what, I'm saying, yes, your old team, but I just wanted to play. Well, you know what I'm saying, that's all I was focused on.

So and your that's your third year coaching, third year coaching, you find yourself in the NBA finals, Like, what's going are you?

When I wrote back to back to back? Yeah, we went, We went San Antonio doing with the Lakers.

So you as a player, you've experienced that as a player. Now your experience is from a coaches point of view, like what what's your mindset and what's your preparation and thinking?

Like in the finals.

Well, you know what, It's funny because I think the first finals we got.

To was the Lakers, and that was ugly. It was ugly.

Man.

We had Jack, you know, we had no answer with Shock.

Yeah.

Yeah, you know, we had guys that could guard Kobe. They can't stop Kobe, yeah, but they could make it tough on Kobe and you know he's still gonna get twenty five thirty.

Yeah.

I was like, nah, just look at that.

I was like this and I was at the crib.

He dunked on the whole team.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

The shack man Man, Shack Shack was so dominant. It was unbelievable. So I knew he was in trouble because I told I told the team, you know, before the game, I said, this is this is something that you guys have never experienced. So when we come out, make sure you're focused on the game, you know, because we had the Staples Center, right, So the guys come out, be and my coaching staff. We walk out about the three

Were about to get the ship beat out of us? Because they were like looking around deer head, like, man, you.

Know that, yes, we about to get the ship beat out of us, right, And they went up about twenty five so fast.

You know.

For the rest of the game. We played even but yo, they swept us in that series. But we we we really played well for three cores the street and half quarter.

We just couldn't.

We had nothing for Shack, you know, and when you know, you guys both know when he come ready to play, there's nothing you can do. We double team d we triple team d uh. And it was just nothing we could do. And we just we were just out man. They just had a much better basketball team. But it was it was great for me to be able to take a team back to la where I'm from and to be in the finals, you know what I'm saying as a coach.

So that was a very proud moment for me.

And then the following year, you find yourself right back in the finals. Now you're against Tim Duncan and the Spurs.

Against Jack and the Dunk and Tim Duncan and those guys. Yeah, he was on the mission. Unbelievable season. You know, probably should have got m VP, to be honest with you, him and Tim was right there. Him and Tim was right there, and we gave him a fight, you know, but they were there again. You know when you got your Jack and Genoblee, you know their their wing players were so good. You know, Tony Park was that Robinsons

You know, he is one of.

Those coaches that still to this day is still old school in his mentality as far as discipline, doing shit the right way, and if you don't, you sit down.

That's what I tell him.

I say, Pop is more of a coach, He's more like a leader because he leads the whole organization into even if the team is not good enough, you come into that season believing you can, you win in the championship.

It's just that, just to feel around the whole organization.

And he started that right Rip Hamilton, Welcome to the show Man. He obviously talked about your team, how you guys are perfectly constructed. You guys run into a great Laker team where many teams didn't give you a shot, and you're playing against you know, one of your high school How many people can say they played like one of their best friend from high school in the finals and then beat him.

You know what I mean.

Talk to us a little bit about that was because, like I said, I don't think many people gave you guys a chance because of Shaq and Kobe's dynamic. But you guys just had a deeper, better team.

Man.

You know what it was, like I said, it was you.

We were built on against all odds, like my man Tupac said, right, you know, we felt like we were misfits. You know, we felt like teams gave up on us too early. My situation in Washington, Chauncey situation him, you know, being on a few teams before he got there, Tay Shawn being a number twenty second pick at that time when he felt like he should have been the top fifteen pick. Ben Wallace being moved all around, you know, him not being respected Rashid you know, you going through

Yeah.

And and Cole from the from the standpoint of me knowing him as a kid, always been a killer. So I know that he's gonna come ready, right, So I can always remember, like h going to to Ben and Chauncey and she and and Tay, and I used to tell him like yo, man, this dude been. He beat me for a state championship in high school because that was our thing. It was always a back and forth thing. You know, who would get the upper hand? Uh he won there, he he won, he got. He won the

That shit don't mean nothing. I got a college. I got to college.

He was like, real, man, in two years, I'm gonna have two NBA championships.

I'm like, yeah right.

He was like, trust me, two years, I'm gonna have two of them. So that you know me, that back and forth was was us since kids.

So he was like, man, you don't want to no.

So when we got there on that stage and knowing the history of us going back and forth and always competing against each other, I'm looking at Chauncey and I'm like, bro, I can't let this dude beat me again. Hell nah, Like like I fuck that. You know what I'm saying, Like, I can't live with myself if he beats me on the highest stage, Like, bro, y'all dudes have to have my back. And I can remember being saying to myself, bro, what you're talking about?

Rip shit?

I got shock, Like he said, all this stuff, I gotta and.

I got to guard him head up, I said, Bro, I get it, I get it, but I can't leave this game, this series with with with allowed this dude to beat me. So you know, it was fun man, Like I said, confidence wise, we believe that we can beat them, you know, but we know it was gonna be an uphill, uphill battle, just knowing that the roster they had up they had set up with Gary Payton and Karl Malone on that team also, but uh, we just fell.

Pelsog was our year.

We got our big bro on the show today, coach of the Portland trail Blazers, big Shot Billips.

Detroit has a number two pick. You got a chance to get Carmelo Anthony. We talked to him about this shit, and he his whole energy changed the thought of what would have happened if I would have got drafted by Detroit. You guys take Darko. Obviously took a chance. Didn't work, but you guys had a hell of a team. But imagine that team with Carmelo Anthony. Oh my goodness, man, what was your guys initial thought process? Though when it happened, we all thought we was taking Mellow. Okay, we all

Mellow would have been at the three.

Obviously ripped myself being we didn't have shed at the time that later season, yeah, during them by the end of the season, So it would have been she been Mellow, you and Rip with Tayshawn coming off the bench doing everything. It would have been crazy. Here's the here's the interesting question. I say this all the time. So if we do get Mellow, when was Bron gonna ever takeover?

Because people forget Mellow was neck and neck with Bron rookie.

A hell of a rookie season. But now we're in the same division.

But he has you, you have a he has a way better support system with y'all.

That's what I'm saying now. Now he gonna get raised right in the game, his whole five times, his whole directory of his career changes every narrative on him, his legacy. So I'm saying, bron is Broun and we all know he's incredible on Mount Rushmore, But when was he ever gonna beat and be better than y'all with Melow? You know what I'm saying, Like it's it's a it's an interesting question, yeah, Marry, but yeah, we all thought we was.

We all thought it was Mellow was taking Mellow.

Damn who was the gym at the time, Joe du marsh Damn, Joe d d Yeah.

Yes, tricky plays fuck up.

I guess go ahead, Jack, two thousand and four Finals, the whole world say, y'all didn't have a shot.

No, y'all wasn't thinking that? What was that? What was your train of thought?

We're here, it's funny, man, but we thought they didn't have a shot, like for real though. It's not even nothing cocky though, Like we was just we felt like the way that they played and the way that we played, we was a team dog like we knew that we can't stop Cold, we can't stop shot them. They the best two players in the whole series. But our game plan was gonna be thorough, and we knew that they couldn't stop picking rolls with me and they can't stop

Damn.

She even laughed at me like, man, what, yeah, it's funny, we.

Can d Ham was sitting here earlier today and he just said he felt like something was off with them, a little bit between their big fit. They're big two, and you guys seen it and just went to work on it.

Yeah, we played into that, like for instance, like I'm sitting there like, we know that we could beat them. It wasn't a talent thing. We didn't have the best talent in the series. We had the best team and we did play on that. You know, at that time, Cole had won finals MVP. It's always been Shocked. We knew they had their little thing and we really played into that. You know, we really did. Like we we trapped Cold. Cod was really frustrated with us trapping him.

You have a twenty one to five shot forty seven from three and won to fin his MVP big shot, she said, his whole life flash when the buzzer sounded.

Talk about that, knowing you a champion.

Yeah, yeah, that was obviously my shining moment in my career. She will say the same, Ripishitus. Everybody will say the same, because that's how we played for, you know, for the win. You know, that's how I grew up in the game. Is you talk about going against other guys and competing against other guys and all those names you listed. The only thing as a point guard that matters is winning, right, So if I win, say you got twenty eight and twelve, I got eighteen and eleven, but I won. I want

It was. It was the greatest, she say.

They stayed up and ring the dawn there all night, back and forth all night, all night.

I still didn't drink. You know what's crazy is I told the funniest thing I told. I promised she that I would smoke with them, yeah if we won. And I promised Ben and them that I drink.

Didn't do either.

So we won, right, I was like, I ain't doing it because you know why, I don't want to forget about nothing that happened tonight. You know what I'm saying, I don't want to be too. I don't want to be nothing somber. From until the next morning, was just straight adrenaline, going hard, wat watching everybody be crazy, laughing at everybody.

Yeah, that's crazy. Everyone welcome Kevin Garnett one and all. You were able to help bring back the Celtics Laker rivalry. You guys met in the finals. You guys got one, they got one. Tell me what it was like going against Shaq and Kobe with your squad before I got to Boston. Now would battle the Lakers. It was always the premier game. It was nothing less.

Playing shack was always entertaining, It was always hierarchy was always it was always the pinnacle. Uh Cobe and I knew each other. Shaq and I would befriend each other and become friends later, but the match ups was always high end. There was always electric. I was always felt like I was under man So when I had perk, who would who battle? Who would battle anybody and don't.

Care about anything.

Right, Shaq was in Cleveland as we was making our runs and stuff, so I felt like this is a great time to have redemption on that whole COVID shack thing in the West. I felt like this was redemption and now you know, they was kind of separated, so that when I when I actually went up against both of those guys, it felt like a payback for me.

Lot of you know, it's a lot of.

You better get over here, like yeah, you know.

What I'm saying, And there's a bunch of it now. I ain't no switching. And it was win both ways. Even though the big fellow was big and he knew he was a house I told him when he came out to Cleveland and I and the doctor was like, Yo, I need you to guard a shock for like two minutes. I was like, holy shit, guarding shack is like holding up the side of a house shaw. I was trying to see a wall in here, see a face of wall. I can't even describe it. But I played Shock for

I couldn't. I couldn't.

Like if you slapped me, I would have to be like, yo, you know what I'm saying. I couldn't even go. I couldn't even protect myself. But playing those two brought the best out of you every time you played them. Every time you played COVID was nothing shy or nothing, nothing less than the electric And it was all about wins.

It was all about wins and rings.

And when I got to Boston, it was just it was just just different times. But I've always enjoyed playing against those guys. There was always a challenge to play those guys, and it was always hard to get a win on them.

You know what I'm saying straight up?

So a Hall of Fame career, I mean, you'll be going inducted at twenty twenty. I mean, tell me what that kid from South Carolina that came up the way you came up Mom's working graveyard, you having to do what you have to do to everything. Twenty five years later you could be inbducted to the Hall of Fame. Tell me what that feels like.

I never thought that. I never really I never really cite my I really never put that on the goal, never put that on the paper. It was all about busting these guys they asked right here, crossing their name out. It was always about being the best in this right here, and putting your name at the top and that and that and that was it. I never really imagine taking this and being global. Never had a vision of that.

I just wanted.

To be able to have a list of motherfuckers that you thought was better than me, and I wanted to bust all the ass.

And that was it.

Co too, We talked a little kill list.

What you're doing.

Ain't got no vision who you chasing, who you being? Who the king in the mountain? Like right, that's what That's what competition is, Joe. It's about who's on king in the mountain, who's on top, and how and how you can take him off that or her, you know what I'm saying, like straight up. And then that's polishing your tools and at the same time pushing it. You know, you got to push this line of creativity, got to

Welcome man, Rajon Rondou. What was it like?

You know, as I mentioned at the top of the show, you won a championship for the Boston Celtics. You want a championship for the Los Angeles Lakers. Has it kind of sunk in?

Yet?

Obviously you still have more time And until I finished, I didn't really kind of look back at anything I had done. But has it kind of sunk in that you want a championship for the two greatest franchises in the sports history.

It's definitely sunk in, but you know it's still being active right now. It's you know, my main focus is obviously now going into the season so quickly, is.

The Hawks and helping us grow as much as possible.

But you know, I see it.

I hear it every day, understanding of what I've accomplished, but it still hasn't really hit it sunk in for the most part. But I'm definitely aware and grateful with the opportunity to be able to just play this game for so long and one or two more story franchise in history.

It's definitely a blessing to do what I did in my career so far.

What has it been like, you know, just just being you know, being a champion again, Like you know, I got a chance to experience mag got a chance to experience. But being able to be back at the tip, being at the mountain top twice, you know, how does that feel the second go around?

For me?

It's even better? You know you obviously guys, you saw it. It's a crazy quick story. When I won back in Oh wait E House Son Eddie House, Sun was always on the sidelines in a round, and you know, I was like, damn, that'd be dope, you know what I mean, Like if I had the opportunity to do the same thing, you know what I mean. So I wanted to, you know, I want the kids earlier I had kids. My son is nine now, and you know, for him to be

Ten years later or twelve years later. Uh, you know, to come full circle.

It was definitely a surreal moment to be able to have been there with me celebrating my second championship, So winning one at twenty twenty one now thirty four. You know, it's a big difference, you know, like I said, just having people around me that I love, being able to witness an experience that as well with me. So it's been a hell of a run. You know, leaving the bubble was it is, is what it is. But after leaving,

You gotta you gotta blow that picture up though, with you and your son on the court, that has to be. Yeah.

And if you ever decided to drop an hour, if you.

Ever drop a little like like like me did.

A little quarantine, packed up songs, that gotta be.

The cover that got.

Yeah, that was was a beautiful picture. It's funny you

Know they may. They may replica little rings too. If you need an idea for a Christmas President, just want to throw that out there.

Welcome JJ Reddick your three. You guys run into Lebron. You guys knock out the Celtics minus KG, knock out the reigning MVP Lebron James, and face Kobe and the Lakers in the finals. What was that like being on that stage and only your thirty year removed from college, Man.

Of the some of the best memories of my career, to be honest with you, and and that playoff run was really the turning point in my career because I came out of college with a lot of confidence and I got punched in the mouth my first two years. I really got punched in the mouth and to the point where you know that summer between my second and third year, I had to like reshape my body. I had to I had to basically redo my my sophomore in to junior year back at Duke all over again.

Like how does how do how does it work in Russia?

So that playoff run, you know, I was finally like a rotation player, but there were still some nights where.

I got those d NP coaches decisions, you know, and and that playoff run.

Courtney lee Uh broke his face in Game five against Philly in the first round. So I started Game six, which is was a closeout game in Philly on the road, and I hit five threes, played really well. Then I started the whole Boston series. I guarded ray Allen the whole series and.

Then got to you know, we beat Cleveland.

I got to play against Kobe in the finals, So you know that that to me gave me all the confidence like I belonged in the NBA. And I remember distinctly like feeling in the Boston Series, like okay, like this is it, Like this is what I've been after for three years. You know, We're in Boston and KG was hurt and he's fucking screaming at me the whole game, you know, just obscenities from the bench, and I'm like, this is what I want.

This is what I want.

You all the way over there on the other bench, you know, and a souon like I was for most of my first two years. So that playoff run was was life changing for me. And truthfully, like we all have Kobe stories, and I have, I have a couple, like more personal ones, but I'm like eighty, hopefully I'm still a live. But when I'm like eighty, I'm gonna tell my grandkids like I guarded Kobe Bryant in the NBA Finals and yes he got the best of me, but I had some stop I had some stops.

Check now are you counting stuffs? When when when he passed the ball or you actually stopped him?

Come on, man, come on, man, don't do that.

So the following year, you guys, you guys, battle LA falls short to l A. The next season, myself and Vince come we have a you know, a great season. You play all eighty two games. You know, you were one of our consistent guys night in night out. I've always kind of had a feeling of what happened, because you remember, if you remember j j As when we beat this ship out of Jack and Charlotte. We swept

It didn't.

We go into the West Eastern Conference finals and Stan was on some ship like that.

You know, this is a.

Very you know, veteran driven team. We're gonna have to switch a little bit the offense something completely fucking give our offense the facelift or am I was I just smoking too much weed back then?

I think you've always been smoking too much weed.

First of all, Game four of the Charlotte series, we're up three to oh keep in mind, and it's like the second quarter and Jack makes a three and he's like, I'm still here.

I'm still fucking here.

Going back down the court, I'm like, man, you're asked about to get swept. Man, shut up, Jack, Come on, man, you guys had no chance anyway.

Anyway, He's right, right, so right, I.

Thought, Matt.

I thought twenty ten truthfully was the best team that should that was the best team I played on the NBA.

Even though we made the finals of No.

Nine, our twenty ten team was the best team I played on.

Loaded man, most games up won in the NBA.

We had a stretch where we were thirty three and eight to end the season, and then we went eight to zero in the playoffs. So we're going to that Boston series on a forty one and eight run.

Beating the shit out of people. And I think, as.

Often times happened with really really smart coaches and really detail oriented coaches is that they can get ahead of themselves. So they it was almost like Stan adjusted before the four.

It needed to be made before we had to because then we beat up We in the season series. We beat them three to one, right if I'm not mistaken, And we played well against.

Them, and so they you know it was you know, Timms was the defensive coordinator. It was all that strong side stuff, guy at the nail, weakside, pulling all the way over and Stan just felt like it wasn't in our best interest to run like a steady diet of high pick and rolls.

So it was what we honested, like motion, but it was.

Just more like side to side stuff and looking back, like that's how everybody plays now. But it was like an adjustment on the fly that we had to make, and it just, you know, I don't necessarily think that it fit all of our personnel, if that makes sense. Like for me, it was great because I was like, oh, I don't want to get in a wrestling match with Tony Allen, you know, in a half court setting, but if you get me on the move and the balls movement, okay, now I can attack a club and make a play.

So we get down three to zero, we win a couple.

Of games, and then we lose in game six, and you know, Matt, I mean, I know you ended up winning one in Golden State, but it's like, you know, for me, I didn't realize that was going to be my like, you know, ten years later, that was my last chance real chance that I've had.

You know, I'm under the assumption, like, oh, no, we'll be back next year. We had I think we had the best team in the league this year. We'll be back next year.

And then Lebron and Chris Bosh and d Wade go to Miami and then as they're transitioning out, all of a sudden, the Warriors come along. And so it's like those two years in Orlando where we had a legit chance to win, like that was.

That window closed? That window it close fast, coach, and closed really fast.

You know that.

I always say that was one of the most talented teams. We had a legit ten guys that were ready to go to battle the war anytime we were too deep at every position. Stan was one of the best x and Os coaches I ever had. But I always felt like, and I remember when Shaq would say he would panic and get nervous, and I think you put it more elegantly. Obviously, I think he overthought the situation we were adjusting before

Yeah, you know what was out and say though like Stan, like there's no there's no perfect coach. I think Stan probably had a bigger impact on my career than any coach I've played for Doc as well, because Doc was the first coach who who let me be, you know, who looked at me as a starter and gave me more of a role in an offense. But but Stan, you know, probably the best coaches I played for in the NBA, you know, and and and I I hate that.

And and it worked a lot of the time.

And he would always get us a game just because you know, he was so prepared and he worked so hard, he took such responsibility on what he could control, and and he was.

Great for that.

His attention to detail, I've know, second to none. As far as coaches, he was the Only thing I didn't like about stan was our fucking taped tape shoot arounds with knee pads. I'm like, Damn, Stanley, can't cruise like we had real Like, Bro, we were taped with knee pad. I didn't shoot around. It was unbelievable.

Hey, JJ, what was Matt like as a teammate?

I mean, that's just the same guy I'm talking to right now. You know, this is what I was talking earlier about your reputation. Like when people asked me, like, who are the best teammates you've had in your career, I'm like, Matt Barnes is definitely one of them. He was a great teammate. I think, you know, I saw this in Orlando, but it was a different group when

It did.

There was no there was no like status on the team plane or status in the locker room. Like they just had an amazing way of making every guy in that team feel feel special. And that was I mean, that was that's rare. Man that just doesn't happen a

Pissed, Yeah, pissed because they.

Didn't play, or they were they were in a suit, or you know, they got their run in the first half but didn't get their run in the second half. And so you know, doing the check in with those guys, man is important, and I think DJ and Matt were always were always great about that.

Coming to you from Dallas, set the tone with with the boss man, mister Mark Cuban, And now we got one of the greatest to ever do it.

Jack.

You guys pushed me to be better a little bit with my back to the basket. You know that was I mentioned it earlier. I always liked to face, select to drive and then spend. It was just a little too predictable. So you know, I said, you'd have to add. You have to add more to you game. You have to work hard the summer and be a better be

Out muscle you and get to the basket.

But I was more comfortable there operating in that area and shooting over smaller guys, shooting fadeaways. And then one legger came and so I think, yeah, you guys forced me to get back in the lab and and get better and push and and I always say, without the disappointments in O six and O seven, I wouldn't have been the closer and eleven, I think that's that's very true. You know, you have to go through tough times and and and learn from from some tough mistakes and and and get better.

And so that was you guys pushed me to be to be better.

So eight and ten, you guys are building you bringing Jason Kidd tricks Sean Mary and Pasia Karan who doesn't help you get down this front because he gets hurt, but with a big piece Rick Carlisle as well. What are all those pieces being to you?

So actually when we made I was like, okay, it was seven, we still had the best team going to A eight. We lose to you guys, but we're we won sixty seven games, we're straight, we're good. And then the oait season started and stuff is just not going that well, and it actually shows don't take stuff for granted. Man, Sometimes things can change in a heartbeat within one season. You know, all of a sudden, we're not right there anymore. We're not with the best team. All of a sudden,

Did the trade at all set game for Jake Kidd. We felt like his leadership is is.

You know, like I mentioned earlier, weren't great passing, We were on great great playmaking. We had some good scores at the guards, but not not getting everybody involved playmakers. And so we made the deal for j kid at the All Set game and and that didn't pan out that way we wanted to at the beginning either. So they're in O eight to ten. There was there were

We felt like we had a good team. We had some.

Veterans and yeah, and going into that you know, ten to eleven season, we felt like we had a good team. I don't think we were necessarily favorites, but we felt like we had some veterans.

And we had a good start to the season.

And then I got hurt right around Christmas time, and then so I was out. I was hurt, and then New Year's Day, I'll never forget. We're in Milwaukee, that's where Karan is from, and I'm sitting out in a suit because I'm not playing, and Karan goes up for a rebound and just screams and lays on the ground and I'm so, we're all rushing over there, and I see literally he tore his patel attendant and his his kneecap had dislocated, so it sat it sat up top

It was.

It was nasty, and so our trainer was like, oh my god, we need wheelchair. Wheelchair And that was one of the toughest things I was saying. I mean, Kuran is pretty tough. So he heard wheelchair and he's from Wisconsin. His grandmother was there, his family. He's like, I'm not I'm not getting out of here in a wheelchair.

So he's like I.

Watched him push his kneecap down by himself, and he gets up and starts hoping. You know how in the old Milwaukee arena that was to go back to the locker room and he walked that on his own power.

I said, this, this guy, this guy is.

Built different and U but then you know, here we go again. We think in our our windows closing, you know, losing up. He was probably our second best scar. I think he was our second best scorer that year, and so we're like, oh god, here it goes again. Right, It's just a bunch of bad luck. And but I would say that he he motivated us, inspired us the way he wanted to come back and fought and attacked rehab. I mean he was almost ready to play in that in that final series in eleven, I mean he was.

He was a beast.

And every day watching him, how he how he handled himself, how he attacked that rehab, that that really motivated us, and that that inspired us for that ten to eleven run.

Blazers Lakers, Okay see Miami twenty eight points. We gained forty nine percent field goal, forty six throw line gee Woolakers.

Took down Kobe kat and Lebron. We call that as you know, on one, he was definitely on one. What mind frame will you win?

We had a good run, you know, I started, We started against Portland.

They they gave us some problems, you.

Know that Mary b roy Still they had they had a good team, they were they were smart. Uh, And so we didn't play the well there. We almost lost one at home, and I took us, we get took us well to get going. And then I felt like we lost both both games in Portland, and it was it was too too coming back here. And that's still I remember to this day. I was like, we're not going to lose to them. We're not going to lose

Where we got that.

You know what they do your teammate to hear Dirk say that, you just in the back of the locker room.

Quill, No, they ain't beating us today.

Yeah, everybody.

Yeah.

I just felt that.

I just felt that because in Game four we were up like twenty and b Roy made that magical run and they beat us, and I just had that that's not going to happen again. And so and then from

I guess.

Welcome to the show, Mark Cuban.

A lot of tough stuff happening on that journey to twenty eleven. To me, that was one of the greatest journeys to get there beat a lot of good teams. Talk to us about that journey. You guys end up beating the Big three with Brondy, Wade and Bosh. But that was a hell of a row. It was incredible.

Like we started that season like twenty nine and five, nobody was beating us. Then then what's his name Koran got hurt and Koran was our number two score, and then Son we didn't have a score a second score, and then Dirk gets hurt and we go on this road trip in like January and lose six in row and get abliterated. So as we had no Kuran, even Roddy Bouboy, who's a guy who is really coming on,

We lose.

I think we lose the next game and then come back and fortunately close it out. But that having our you know, just being destroyed like that by Portland instead of putting us down really like had it helped us figure it out and I think we wore them down, won that series.

Goes smacked us, Yes, swept us, beat the dogs out of us.

That was insane because I remember sitting there going.

Oh, Lakers back to back, back to backs.

And everybody, no one gave us a chance.

And so we go there and playing in in your court and you no where did it open up?

We were the highest?

Yeah.

So we played here first and had to come from behind twice, right, and came from behind. And then we go there and.

What was that?

That was the the Corey Brewer game I think where we were down like fifteen and Corey Brewer just went off and no, no, we started there because we closed it.

We closed yeah final JJ.

Yeah. So we go there and we come down from behind both games, and as I'm walking out, I go to Jack Nicholson, who sits right by the visitors, like you need tickets or anything, and Dallas, you just let me know. He goes, we're coming back. Don't worry about it. I'll see you back here. Then we get to game four, we win game through, get to game four and we can't miss. We're up like twenty something.

That half to like nine in the first half.

And I told my buddy, you sits next to me, he's always sat next month, like, if you touch me and wake me up out of this ship, I'm going to beat the ship out of you because this is a dream.

And I don't want to wake up.

And then buying them towards the end, right, And then Jerry West even called me after that and he goes, you know that's just not you know, Laker basketball, right, it HAPs like yeah, and JD doesn't care.

JJ is tough dude.

And then a young OKC and when we.

Went that whole crew kind of like the Clippers, this year's Clipper team back then except for Kad right, and they were they were squad.

But they beat us the first game, I think, and then we won the rest.

Yeah, and then in that finals, what did Tyson say, someone hit the shot in front of d Wade hit the shot in front of the bench and kind of rubbed it in, and then.

You got fifteen. Yeah that and he looks at us and you know, he does this and this and all this ship and she turned on the light.

No.

And then what people don't know.

Is like that they won the first game, and then that second game when we're in Miami halftime, that's the same game. They're up whatever fifteen or whatever. And what's his name? Oh my god, I'm facing fucking the GM. Pat Riley Kim pat Riley says to me at halftime, is I'm walking through because you know you had to walk through it the middle park right there.

He goes, not long enough, not strong enough.

Mark, they said to you, We're just too quick and too long.

I'm like, I didn't say anything bad. It's pat Riley, right, I'm not going to disrespect him. I'm like, okay. And then we come back.

And damn interesting.

Yeah interesting, sweet?

It was nice.

And then cool part because Mickey Errans is cool too. I like Mickey a lot.

And he goes, you know, we close it out and we're getting the trophy down in Miami and I see Mickey shakes my hand. He goes, Oh, the irony, right, because we were supposed to be supposed to bet him two thousand and six and then they were supposed to kill us in twenty eleven.

Crazy how that works.

Obviously, a ton of accomplishments in the business world. Lord, does that eleven championship rank for you?

Oh, I've got Larry O'Brien in my office. They in the face every single day, right, you know. The good news is it was amazing. The bad news is it's been twelve years.

Right, you know, and so.

You know it's like, yeah, I went out with the hottest girl in high school, right, That don't do any good anymore? Right, So, so now it's frustrating, but I think we're on a good path here.

Man.

Welcome to the show.

NBA VET and World Champion Edonna's has one. When we get to twenty thirteen, the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs epic series, looking back on that, now, what stood out the most to you?

Oh?

Man, pop, Man Pop pops amazing. That's not a take.

That's not to take nothing away from their talent, but damn, man, Pop's amazing. You know what I'm saying, you know, I know, you know, you know. I don't know if in this league how to work, how it work. You're supposed to give shout out to other coaches if.

You ain't playing farm.

I don't know how that shit work. But we on all the smokes, so we make y'all boys make the rules. Y'all boys make the rules.

I ain't no TNT or none of that.

You all good, You all rules Pop Pops.

Pop's amazing, man, and I've always had great admiration for the way he's been able to not just coach a game of basketball, but man, it's just players in the personality.

Man, this dude. The dudes love him, you know what I'm saying.

And I've always been amazed by the way Pop Pop has been able to manage all of that and translate that ship also into winning, yep, because none of that shit matters if you don't win, don't matter if your team like you, it don't matter, none of that ship if you ain't winning, you know what I'm saying. So I've always been amazed with what Pop been able to do. So you know, just the first thing that stands out in that series is just a ball movement, man, and

That ship running.

Everybody buying in.

Yeah, yeah, everybody buying in.

But Jack, you were supposed to or should have been playing in that final, so I'm not mistaken, right, tell us, uh, tell us your t max story during that time.

Yeah, I would probably got that rebound. I all to block the ship out of that week ass three race shot. But hey, but I was. I was supposed to be on the team, and Pop cut me right for the playoffs. Man, he cut me right for the playoffs. He put me in the position. Pop one of the smartest people I even know. He put me in a position to where he knew I was gonna respond to where I was gonna se off the team. Yeah, he knew that. He

And that's what happened.

Brouse, Why was my boy where he needed a real one on.

The side of him.

But Nah, all boys should decided that I was supposed to be on that team. Man, it would have been great to be in the finals again, to play against y'all in that finals.

That was a good series. Yeah, you would.

You would have loved that.

Man.

It would have been a hell of an environment and we would have been able to hang out while you was down.

He would have been no COVID boy.

And the finals in Miami with U d shit.

Definitely, we'd have definitely been able to do something.

Definitely did do something.

Everybody had been on the South Beach, we would have been on.

The other side there was that where you was at where we was on the other.

Side of the We don't know nothing about that.

Y'all can have that beat ship.

We don't want none of that, yes.

Sir, Hey, So game six, the Spurs have the title in hand and can't secure rebound. Ray hits that shot. Take us back to that night and how that juve you know, reduced you guys for game seven.

Once again, I wasn't even playing that serious.

So I had front row seats to that whole goddamn game and that shot from Ray. Man, I just remember sitting over there and they bringing them damn them, damn rope stop and I'm saying, I'm saying, yo that I'm saying, I'm like, I'm in disbelief, Like I'm looking at this ship like.

In our own city again. The marriage got us like that before.

Man, man, man, it's like they done came in the house and took our food and walked out. This motherfucker. Man, I'm it just you couldn't have told me that we.

Were gonna win again.

And yeah when that well, see we got that rebound the way the angle that I had, I was directly on the other side of the shot from Ray and when I saw Ray let that motherfucker go, I.

Knew it was good. Room. You can't get no room. Man.

People don't know you watch Ray.

He do some drills when he lay down on his back like he taking a nap, and jump up and run to the corner and shoot that motherfucker.

Man.

Ray be practicing all kinds of shit.

He'll sit down Indian style and run to the three point line and shoot.

He do all kinds of little drills like that.

So for him, the backpay don't get to that three point line and know where that line at.

He practiced that every day. That's that's a mental exercise that he go through.

That's one person I used to always try to lock up brother when let me tell you one thing I used to hate with Ray. When he got the ball, I'm like, oh yeah, I'm good money. But as soon as I see a screen or two and I got to chase him off the screen, you think you own him, you think you're right there on him.

But as soon as he get them feet set, bro, that's your ass man.

Listen.

Part of Boston offense, I guess us was the god Damn d Wade chasing Ray Man.

They know that they.

Man, they had Ray running all the rady, God damn caught the way like man, that was part of the goddamn offense for Boston, just to run his ass to get him tied.

Yes, sir, So you guys are able to come back, get that game and winning game seven to go back to back. What does it feel like to be back to back champs, something that rarely happens.

I don't think we appreciated the way we should have, you know, the whole run, you know what I'm saying, And that's just the gods don the truth, you know what I'm saying. The team that we had, the run that we had, the success that we had. That's not to say that we didn't appreciate it at all, but that amount of success in that short period of time, four straight finals, you know what I'm saying.

I don't think we appreciated the way we thought the way we should have.

I think we got to the point where we thought we were just gonna do that ship every year, you know what I'm saying. It was just like it was just expected that we were just gonna keep going back to the finals, and we're just gonna stay together, and we're gonna stay healthy and it ain't gonna never break up. And I think I think that was. That was probably a mistake. We should have probably just you know, probably you know, loved it a little more, you know what

Doing it again.

I think we really should have took time to understand the position that we was in as a team, you know, as a group, you know, as a coaching staff, organization, everything, and that was something special that we was able to do.

Man.

And you know, Golden State obviously came in and they had their run and they duplicated and they took it even further and did what they was able to do. But anybody that's been a part of runs like that, you understand how special that is, especially once you get towards the latter part of your career and you start to get you know, started to see yourself walking away from this man that's a team and a situation.

And a run that will always be remembered and always talked about.

Man.

Welcome to the show, dann Ingratiation. Just go back to time, Tony Yo, we was teammates briefly. Was that the year that they got you out of there and abought teammates?

First first we lost in the Western Conference finals.

I had Jack, So Jack came at the end of the year that year, and then he came through for like a year.

So he came in the year and he came, he came in.

Let him well, I came into thirteen.

Okay.

In the thirteen we los in the Western Conference finals. Okay, come back in fourteen and right before the playoffs, pop cup, Pop cut me for.

Trace McGrady, Yes and so, and they ain't played. Tracy, you came, you came twelve twelve. Twe twelve thirteen, We went to the finals. We lost the West const Finals in twelve okay, so yes, so twelve you came in, they let you go. Thirteen thirteen four we got there, Okay, yeah, and y'all won in thirteen, right, we lost in thir thirteen.

Yeah, supposed to be team I was supposed.

To be on Mac was with us. Is his first time.

I would have got out of the first rebound in game six. I would have got the fucking rebound.

I was damn ray down Show wouldn't have got it if anybody would it. I mean, he wouldn't have got to shot off for none of that. He wouldn't have been involved because you know I take that shit personal him. But look, I would have got that got that watch. We played a lot together. Though we played a lot together. When I did play, we did, and I would I would have been Bars. I would have been Bars. Yeah, I would have been Bars going to switch or somebody.

I would have been Bars.

There was no switch here. But my question is they wanted to switch everything.

Barsh is one of the best players, the most played.

Very good, but we went smaller because they were trying to get a three, so they wanted to switch everything, so we had Timmy off the floor.

Five would have got that rebound. I'm telling you we wasn't switching that.

We did miss two free throws and the play the possession before Bron hit a three the possession before you weren't there, but that play was played over over over over the following your film room, because that's where my mistake was the most because the year before you were there with us. Yeah, maybe you can give me you can test this. We were contesting and if we tested, they take off. Oh they changed that on you though, huh right after this year take off?

This year take off, because if we weren't getting to be found with him down there was getting all take off.

If you can test, go so to play before this Bron he missed, took one, missed it. I can test the first one. I'm trickling out toward half because my natural habit was to start leaning to take off. They get another rebound and kick it back to Bron and he hits it. I think went off the off the backboard at the big shot. He kept rewinding that ship. Where the fuck are you going?

Where the gonna do that?

He took that right out. There was no more leaking out that.

It was no more.

But you know, the older, the older tim got, they probably start taking it out because at one point, it don't make.

No sense to going in the key, tim getting all that ship everything.

Bro.

Yeah he was Timmy was great. I can test the first one. I'm leaning to our half and I'm ready. It'll be like, all right rebound, we would have been out.

But it was like it goes off the glass.

The second rebound three ball. It's hard to watch.

But said that film session the following year, because Pop always does every following year. He watches the previous and we had the same group together for a long time. He watched the last series or last game.

I probably watched that just as much as you do.

He was rewinding and rewinding my seven bars.

And but the craziest part is this part here five seconds they stopped the clock. They stopped, they called, they stopped, They took the ball to boards and we're trying to go. So Pop was going ape ship.

Look at him. What's Joey Carford doing? Point shaving.

Yeah, it took them because we're trying to get and go. They's celebrating. We could have get we go, get a layup or a basket. At this point, Tony's like, get it out. Tony would have been gone five seconds. What we're gonna get a look.

Now they get a chance to review it, to get a chance.

To see if it's a two or three, they get a time out.

Joey every I was with the Spurs.

I made it at least the Winstert Conference finals, at least.

What we were spoiled, bro at least we were spoiled, I was like them.

And then after that we ain't been back.

We had been after fourteen with the first round against goals, I think Kwihar at the ankle. We had a couple were Clippers, CP got the game. Yes, that's your old States championship. It was a couple of times. We never have been back to the Western count finals, like damn. So when I got back to Toronto, I was like, you know, I'm enjoyed this. We ain't been back here in a minute. And to realize how how hard it was to get back there.

I like to introduce my home boy, our home boy, Draymond Green. But talk to us about on the court, because that was your guys.

Man.

You guys met them in the finals consistently, and you know you possibly you tell me it could have been obviously a three peat. You don't get kicked out of the series. Was that was that sixteen?

Yeah?

Sixteen, right, you know what I mean? So talk to us about what stood out the most about going up against him and Kyrie and in those battles.

I think, well, first off, I'll just speak on him and Kyrie and their thing, Like I think they kind of had the perfect thing, you know what I'm saying, where like Lebron is fucking great. You know what I'm saying, He gone the ultimate floor general.

You know what I'm saying. Lebron can control an entire forty eight minute game.

I mean we watched him do it against Boston, like in Game six and seven, he played forty eight minutes.

And he controls the entire place of the game.

But he can do that in any game, controlling into absurd and so on, which I think is what makes him so great. But Kyrie being next to him, it kind of took the weight off Kyrie to do anything else. But when I give you the ball to go score,

Kyrie kind of came out and said that this.

Year, like yo, I had to call bro a year ago or something like, you know, I called bron and said, Yo, my bad, right, And I respect Kyrie for that.

But they had a real good thing going for sure. And come in love with them as well. They like they were a really good team.

But you know when when you start to talk about like US meeting in the finals, like yeah, they had no fucking shot at winning in twenty sixteen, Like people talk all, oh, y'all blew a three to one lead, like they was coming back here game five and they didn't have a fucking clue of how they was going to win that game.

I got suspended.

They win game five, We're going.

Back to Cleveland for game six.

Okay, you go back home for game six, as fucking loud as hell.

I'm coming back.

From a suspension, like everything's kind of thrown off. They win game six, all three of us know. You go to game seven and it's a fucking coin slipping game. Any game seven, like.

You go to get I'm play.

Game seven is a coin flip and sean enough, the game went down to the wire and Kyrie hit a tough shot.

You know what I'm saying.

That's game seven, and so uh you know, will we have three pet it? Though I can't necessarily say we wouldn't have we would have three pet it because what I will say is this. In twenty sixteen, twenty fifteen, we beat the shit out of everybody and nobody had a clue of how to stop us.

Twenty sixteen, things got a little harder, but we were able to figure it out. We won seventy three games.

But like we had to, we had to move a lot, Like it wasn't just the same exact offense we ran the year before, Like it was like Steve Kerr was playing chess and he was making great moves, but it was it was always a chest nation In twenty sixteen, although we won more games, it wasn't as easy. And then we got to the I mean you can even remember.

They were preparing for.

Us, like watching film on us all summer, and so it was starting to get harder. So because we lost in twenty sixteen, we then got Kevin, and once we got Kevin, we were fucking unstoppable, even losing last year.

Kevin, don't get hurt like you see that game. We came back in game five. I looked up we had like forty points in the first quarter.

And it wasn't They wouldn't instid a chance if Kevin didn't get hurt.

But you know, shit.

Happens, and that's the part of the game. You know what I'm saying. Injuries happened, and Kawhi was fucking amazing, you know what I'm saying, Pascal Siato, They were fucking amazing. But you know, to go back to twenty and sixteen and Lebron, like those matchups in the finals.

With Lebron and Kyrie and them and then.

Lebron by himself or with Kevin loving Kyrie is gone, like they were fucking incredible matchups.

You know what I'm saying.

We were able to get the better of it, But I don't think we would have lost in twenty and sixteen. I know we wouldn't have lost.

We would have won Game five and it would have been over. But shit happens.

But twenty seventeen and eighteen probably wouldn't have been the same either, because getting Kevin played a huge fucking role in that, you know what I'm saying. So what does the dynasty end up going as long as it did?

Probably not, you.

Know, but when we got Kevin, it fucking made it.

You know it over started over.

Welcome to the show, Emon Shepard.

The step back right, wouldn't it?

Was it the truth? In the huddle he told you, Luke, give me the ball or was that.

Just urban legend?

He told you it would give them ball? Like this was early in the fourth. He was frying. He was good, That's what I'm saying. He was early in the fourth.

He said he wanted the ball because uh Bron Bron wanted he.

Wanted a three to one screen Bron was.

He like, yeah, he the biggest, Like matchup, Nick, Bron will play chess with you. It be stone cold to crowd, be quiet. He'd be at the top. No, no, make him him like him, like no he gonna play Like no, he gonna play today.

He'd be like.

Whoa buddy, He like, whoa calm down, but he'd be dead serious. So he brought that over and we realized Steph wasn't trying to match up with Kyle.

I don't remember the foul situation or.

What it was, but all we took it is like, oh, you scared a dude, You scared a buddy.

So we just feed him.

If if Steph came and guarded me if they tried to do a triple switch whatever they tried to do. I say, bro, if I go down here and I set this screen and Steph switch off and try and go on me while I'm in the corner, I'm gonna bring my screen up too, and now you got a double screen. But you, Finnah, have to guard Kyrie. And once we knew that at the end of that, Like I mean, if you watch film, you knew Kyrie he gonna get to that right wing and he gonna punish you.

Hundred play said that was one of the biggest regrets of his career, was switching that screen. I think Clay came out and said, that's the biggest one of the biggest regrets of my career was switching that screen.

Clay in his mind, he like, I know exactly what it was.

Clay, Gary Payton, whoever was on that wing was getting cooked on this show.

But I'm saying, like I know that, I know that that that energy that Clay talking about where it's like I knew good and well, I know what this is, I know what's about to happen, and now I got to watch it on TV. Yeah, Like now I gotta sit here and act like yeah, like my one of my biggest regrets. And Steph, I'm sure you would have been the light skinned man either way.

He was gonna be the light skinned man.

You know what I'm saying.

That was destined for you.

But I feel like when you came to the garden and I let Raymond Felton's pride getting away and he had fifty.

Let me tell you why I'm not.

I feel you because Raymond felt was on my team.

Jamier Nelson had twenty points in the first quarter the first three games of the first round of the playoffs on him.

So I get it. I get it when I tell you my dog, but I get Raymond. That's my dog too. That's what I said. I Raymond said, schump no, like he was like bro like stop like stop, I'm like, ge come on, ge like come on.

Because I just switched off to him. I immediately poked the ball away.

Let's get to this dude, Joe, like stop, letting dude do this, but he really be doing this to us.

Stop letting Tom do this.

He really be doing it real because I've seen it coming coming. I'm like the confidence is changing.

Gee.

He going back to Davidson on us. Bro, Nah, his jersey ain't read, bro.

Don't let him do that.

You feel me.

I'm like, he doing the shit that we was like, you can't do that in the league.

He started doing it.

I'm not, Yeah, you going too fast, shooting that jumping Now, that's too much.

You ain't even holding it up no more.

You ain't you ain't you even yeah falling this shit? I no, Bro, Now he talking to the crowd, he pointing that fans. I'm like, Steph, don't even do that. I think it was us Hey, jim My bad, Hey, Hey New York, my bad. If I was a part of that, cause shorty, I did not. I could have ran up to Raymond like a g you're guarding whatever the fuck else.

But I'm now guarding Steph ninety four feet.

But I had just got back from injury, so they was like, something, you overgassing yourself.

He's gonna do you.

That's how they say you on a minute restriction.

He's gonna do you let raining handle?

Willing to reblow this wheel?

Just yes.

I really felt like in my heart like we are birthday an animal. Bro.

I really think of that moment.

I'm like, Bro, I think we ignited that confidence that came because.

After that game, Bro, he got very disrespectful.

He got disrespectful shit twelve.

Thirteen, twenty twelve thirteen.

Yep, that's it.

I had just got back, Bro.

I had to wear a sleeve on my ny I never had a black sleeve on my knee.

Bro.

I'm like, shorty ass was really dragging us, and I'm like, shorty y'all acting like it's record.

Was coming to I never forget being in a huddle.

Ron Better? What is he right now? Yeah?

My dog my bad?

But yeah, I like all my nigga rong, I just like you run you.

Moron.

We don't call him Meta?

Well, better start rubbing my shoulders, like, calm down.

If he telling you to calm down, he like, be cool, what's it?

No?

It couldn't have been Meta though, because Meda came.

The next who was.

KT?

Kurt Thomas came grabbed my shoulder, say.

Hey, that sound different?

He say a man.

Calm down, Calm down. But I'm like, I'm like, man, what the fuck this? Nika car like three. I'm like, bro, this is he putting bullets in us? Bro Like what y'all mean? It's not cool? Foul um? Hit him? I'm like, Bro, what y'all talking about? He ain't got no bruises on nothing. Hit him? Hit him? Like what are you talking about?

Bro?

Take a foul he coming off the screen? Hit him.

I'm like, Bro, y'all want me to do it, but I'm like asking coach. They like, man, somebody get wild Man. But he liked, he like, come get wild Man over here. Calm down, man, that man on the wood. They like talking to me like it's before we knew it. The man fifty and the garden was cheering for him. I say they cheering for him.

I was sick.

Bro, light skinned man. I just want you to know, bro, light skinning my day. Do you know the light skinning man, the light skinning man, the light skin Do you know the light skinning man that lives on Jewelry Lane?

Oh?

Bro, that light skinned man. Now got after that, it was real, Yeah, it was run away with it.

After that he started shooting from forty than start turning around when he show him, like you Gilbert areenas now you Gilbert Jesus Christ agent zero pieces.

Man Nix will do it. You stand everybody in confidence. He's standing going trust man. I was about to say something, what what's the best.

Version of Bron? Best version? Yeah?

Yeah, you play with him, you've seen them couple against them. Yeah, what's the best version you've seen?

I think the best version I saw Bron was you remember the year that they lost to when Dirk won? Yeah, that next year, that next year they came back when him and d Wade valve to not shoot, not settle for threes, and they played that whole first season and they wasn't shooting no threes.

They was just attacking. It was vicious. I was like, bro, what the fuck are we supposed to do with that? I was looking at the league like downhill too.

When I get there, How am I gonna What am I gonna do about that?

Like?

What is that? Nigga?

Like?

They're running fast? They big as shit.

I'm like d Wade and Broun literally passing it back and forth and.

Just downhill, downhill, down game. Yeah, I'm like y'all not gonna shoot.

They was pump faking every three no matter how wide open it was, and attacking.

I feel like that was the scariest Broun to deal with.

He was so focused, Like you remember that clip when they did they I think they did the the oop they did the oop they dunked it. Coach, you would have me watch this clip like ten times before the game they called a ooh dunky, Ron d Wade and Chris Bosh did the fastest sprint like right next to each other, like it was like to get back on defense.

I was like, Nigga, that's the.

Scariest shit I've ever seen in my life.

Those three right there going on a breakaway, banging that bitch after like passing it back and forth and then sprinting back to where you can't throw an outlet.

I was like, well what I was.

I'll be remembering ship like that because it's like, Bro, like you feel me like Bron being able to do that and say, you know what, I'm not gonna shoot a three now, Like that's what's crazy about Braun.

Every version is.

Scary now that I think about it, because it's like even now he can say I'm done dunking on y'all, but you still finna have to deal with my back to the basket and you got deal it.

I can still pass it really really good.

I don't feel like.

If I catch a rhythm. I'm here five or six threes on.

Real talk, real talk, you know what I'm saying. And I figured out this. You throw things for the most part.

For the most part, my nigga, nigga stills the while, he sh I'll just be eyeballs. He funny though, Broo, Yeah, I didn't happen a shutty funny though, bro it'd be funny, bro Like.

We got rock on the building trying to find out what's going on over here.

But man, welcome to the show. Clay Thompson, Clay, we appreciate you.

Twenty sixteen, Uh you guys a clips the Chicago Bulls. Yeah, dude, seventy three and nine?

What was leading up?

We'll talked about the finals? Like, what was it up?

I mean, you guys were on the pace early on.

What was every what was it energy like around every single game? Oh?

Man, it was special. That was a special season. We didn't finished the job, but that's the season. I'll never forget. Man, we remember one point a lot. We were fifty and five at one point. I'm like crazy Indiana and there and Rick Carl said it was like when the Rolling Stars come to tell you know. I was like, that's hilarious, more like Bone Dugs and Harmony's you know, yeah, Rick.

We know you all playing both dugs at hard. That was the best. That was a special year.

Man.

Every game was just right and like like the team wanted to beat us so bad. We're getting hate from the old heads like oh, his team would get smacked by the bulls, and like, we know, all.

Right, we just want to We're just doing our job.

I mean, I've come to also realize like it comes from a good place.

They're just we're all just competitive.

And I'm not gonna I'm definitely in twenty years and not gonna be like these guys are the best now.

I'm like, nah, twenty tens are the best.

Let me tell you.

Uh.

Game six in the Western Conference Finals that year against the thunder down three to two on the road, forty one and eleven excuse me, forty one points eleven for eighteen from the three point line. You guys come back and win that series Game six, clays about who he is.

The beginning the game beginning, Man, that was.

I just you know, we had obviously everything working against us, like, oh, look at these failures. They're about to blow the best season of all time. So I just thought my mind, like, man, you got to empty the clip, like we can't go back to the bay with.

Yeah, what are we doing here?

So I just I remember coming out the gate early that game and it felt good. Everything was in rhythm and just have to be one of those nice man. It's just I barely remember the moments, honestly, but I watched the Oh you watch the footage, you'd be like, I can't believe I shot that shot.

And when they like a lot of them, I'm like, dang.

A lot of them.

Right, They have some nice rooms out.

There, they like some bouncy. But that was special, man.

It's still a special team. We didn't finish the job, but that was such a special season. I hold that record still dear in my heart.

Man.

So you get to the finals against bron again again, too, what's the game plan? Obviously you knowing what he did kind of single handedly with all due respects the first time, second time around went your guys game plan approaching him in the finals this stime.

Oh man, you say like, oh, I'll make the others beat us.

But then like.

Bron and Kyrie get going, and then you overhelp and j R. Smith can shoot, Kevin Love can shoot, James Doones can all them all their role players could really shoot.

So it was actually a great matchup.

Like personnel watch both teams is you could see there's a new era of hoo's being played. Like no traditional center, we're not. It's all very guard heavy. Lebron's really a guard and having a.

Gosh, so exhausting.

I'm so grateful for Andrew just thinking like having to chase Kyrie around those seven games was exhausting.

Man.

Well, I've bet some people don't realize, like you were the one that always took the best player on the other team, whether it be Dame Kyrie. But we're still able to do it on the other end too.

Yeah, who played two guard did the same thing, whether it's Mike, Kobe d Way, the greatest to ever do it, even a I led the league in steals, like the best players to play shooting yard play both sides of the ball. I mean go way back to out who's Alvid Robinson? He won dp O Y like doing that. That's a beast moode. But uh yeah, man, that was

And Kyrie.

I still can't, like, I can't bring myself to watch that footage. It's it's too uncomfortable. You know, if you watched yourself, you know, I can't just gave it that.

It was a big shot.

Now, Kyrie got.

One of the greatest shots the NBA history, and I like Steph's great defender too, But I'm just like, man, I can't believe I can see of that switch.

It still burns. You never get over things like that.

But that was the game plan though at the time, right, Yeah.

But I'm like, when I look at the footage, I'm like, that was a pretty.

Weak scream I could have got through just but just saying you don't. Yeah, both of y'all go.

And picking pop and jail Kyrie with his tongue contested three.

You gotta take that, Yeah, you gotta take it.

That was a that was a dagger.

Your thoughts when Draymond gets suspended.

I knew he saw a chance, like he'll be so much harder. You know, it is Draymond's are heart and soul.

Did you think he deserved it to get kicked out?

Honestly I didn't at the time.

Yeah, I thought he got stepped over, and I was like, man, he's defending him.

So it happened so much. You're supposed to just do this, steps.

Over everybody, ain't lou here you go. I'm just saying, took tie out of it.

Hey, I stepped over after we throw Dollard to the face, and he just he just took He just looked.

For a time.

But at least he was there checking him.

Man balls to check him like that.

I've never been teammates, but just always admired from afar Man Jr.

Man appreciate it.

Twenty eighteen, Game one of the Finals. You get the offensive rebound and dribble towards half court. Talk about that to me?

What happened the play before? It was a foul?

Uh?

Wasn't Lebron passed to George Hill? Yeah, who was shooting free.

Throws right and I thought he made both of he did, so I was all right, bet, so next time, George, get the bar on the free throws. I'm all right, bet, we get the bar.

Ship.

They're gonna you know what I mean, we call time out whatever, they're gonna try a foul anyway, so we do what we normally do. All right, Bet, get the ball. Nobody called time out. All right, Bet, I'm about to, you know what I mean, dribble it back out. Then game, game about to be over. I look Lebron, Bron pointing like this. Oh I look over oh man. And then after that it was just like, I know this ship ain't just happen. I know this ship ain't just happened.

Say with the box out.

The box out looked at you didn't expect to get that ball because you had k right there.

I had no It's no way he was getting the riboud, no bullshit, I was told.

I was so bet on going the other way and trying to steal the rebound because I was like, damn, if the ball come this way, I'm dead anyway. So I'm thinking, if the ball goes out. Way I can. I can at least at least try and tip it somewhere right in your hands.

The way it look.

The ball came right, I said, oh, ship, grab the ball all right, bet, Bro, we get to we'll get to the time out. I can laugh about it now.

How long before you How long did it take you to laugh about it? Because it was memes, it was all over the world. It's going to go down here.

He lied about that ship that night.

No, he did in the chata.

Dude, Bro, I can't, don't. I'm not a person to hold on the ship. I'm not going hold on to no grudges. I'll never forget it, but I'm not gonna.

Suck up the first time.

We all.

Messed up?

So what was the time out?

Like? Man?

When I tell you it was like well, Brian asked, do we haven't? Oh my goodness, and nobody wanted to answer the question.

I didn't want anything.

I tell you, I'm telling him all the way. But what I'm telling him all the way to the bench. We gotta time out, I said, Bro, why do you need to just call time out? Why do you just call time out? That's why we was talking, Bro, he was like walking to the bench. I'm like he asked.

He said, Yo, we gotta time out? Do we gotta time out? When I tell you?

Some of the players just looked away, and the coaching staff looked like they could turn spook. Why as a ghost, bru I was like, oh ship, I replayed, I was.

Crying in my in my room.

How is crying?

How did he get the downy picker up or paper towel? Like he has a house paper towel and just when he found out we had time as luck, he put it on his edge and back his face. When did he get the downy the quicker picker.

That he always because he don't used the regular towels, you know, so he.

Has a roll a quicker pickle down on the side.

It ain't down there. I can't lie because I'm using.

Ships work, using all the same toils and ship and you're trying to wash and I ain't trying with it.

I saw that though all the coaches were spooked.

I've seen it and.

Want to say, got any time out?

This is this is my thing though, like if it was, if it's my fault and you want to depend it on me, all right?

Cool?

Make me free throws.

First g he will make the damn free throws.

None of this, I mean, that's why it happens, you know what I'm saying. That's why I can't be mad at him for making the free show. We couldn't we we didn't have to be in a position to win the game.

Yeah, had an incredible game, you know what I'm saying.

So I hit TU that night. I was like, oh, man, bro, I don't even know what to say. He's like, Bro, what are you talking about. You made a basketball play, it didn't work out, and you mess and it happens. I was like, yeah, bro, but I should have shot the ball whatever whatever I said to him. He's like, man, but what if you ain't get the rebound? The game

But that game won Broun that game he had, that's one of the best games of his career for sure.

Wow, for sure, the wow I would have changed the whole series of bro if it.

Was the fifth.

Yeah, we'd be perfant on that right.

Had balls Grandpa, and we got.

The one and only Kevin Durant. Take me back to the finals.

Yeah, last year.

And I say sometimes as athletes, we need to be protected from ourselves because at the end of the day, we got that.

Say.

You know what I mean.

So you're on the brink of your third straight title Finals MVP the prior to years, tell me where your mindset was to come back and try to help your team get.

Over that hup.

I mean, as I started getting healthy, I started, you know, having these pictures in my mind about what it would be like to come back from down three to one.

I know for a fact, I wasn't gonna.

Get finals MVP, but seeing you know, Steph get that moment I was looking forward to, or Clay whoever it was at that time I was looking for. I was just picturing so much in my mind. At that point, it's just great things happening. If I stepped back on the court, and you know it started to turn that first you know what I'm saying, Like you know I

You know.

It was just a life is crazy.

You know, you can be on that high so fast and then a matter of second you go back down. I'm grateful for it. It's fucked up that I had to go through, but I'm also grateful that I can experience it because down the line, I can be able to speak on how much it helped me as a player in the person.

What was it like once you went down, knowing you're down, and then seeing Clay go down, and then the Raptors winning a championship, knowing that should have been your guys' third in row.

Yeah, it was rough.

It was rough because I feel like throughout the season we could have definitely we could have locked in a little bit earlier for the playoffs, and I feel like and I feel like when we getting down to that moment, it was just like damn it, you know, having me and play out and not winning the championship out the planning for so long, just like that's just that's just how the gods work. That's just how the games work sometimes.

That's a gift in the curse, you know what I mean. Because for them it was a five year run to know that, Bro, we're gonna be playing till June every year. So it's kind of like, you know, I mean, it's a lot of basketball.

It's a lot, you know what I mean.

And I didn't realize that until, you know, until we started getting into the playoffs and we played Houston and it was just like, Ship, this is the third year

H