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Who's scoring big this NBA season?
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Head over to your nearest boost mobile store and make the most out of your tax refund. Go James, Go James, Go James. For the first time, he entered the game from the fourth quarter, where he had scored a field goal. He has three points. If I'm not mistaken, I think he only had two points at the half. And he has a streak eighteen years. He scored at least ten points in every game for the last eighteen years. It's the longest consecutive streak of double digit games in NBA history.
And he kept the streak alive because he was sensation. I think he scored twelve points in the fourth quarter, but none bigger than the tip it at the buzzer to give them the win. The Lakers beat the Pacers, uh nineteen. Lakers had a seventeen point lead. They squandered that again. O Joe, ay, what quarter?
What quarter?
Third? Third? Every time they gave up thirty seven points in the third quarter. Remember the other night they gave up thirty fourth points in the third quarter, and it looked like they scored sixty a little over sixty points in the in the second half. And that'll get your beat.
And the Lakers is gonna have to fight out until it's important to them to take care of the basketball, to play federal def They're gonna find themselves in these kinds of games because they allow teams to hang around because they turned the ball over when they can stretch and lead to twenty twenty two to twenty three. They turned the ball over in a couple of quick threes, and now all of a sudden, the seventeen point game
is down under ten. But when it mattered the most, and that's what good player, that's what great players do. They can play bad no matter the sporto till they can play bad for a particular period of time, but when they absolutely have to have it they can dig down. Now, a lot of times you and I both played the game of football. Sometimes when things are not going our way,
real allowed to creep. When I gained cre creep into our minds and of the effect that overall play, Yes, Sir, I thought he rebounds the ball extremely well.
He had thirteen rebounds.
He led the Lakers and rebounds he did a great job of facilitating, considering Luca is the primary ball handler.
Now it'mental sis with seven.
But when he needed it, he dug down and in the fourth quarter he got it going. He played half primarily had the ball in his hand while Luca was on the getting his risk. To start the fourth he got his double digits and then he turned it back over to Luca, and Luca got hot to getting down the stretch.
I think Luca ended up with thirty four points.
Ar Austin reeves at twenty four, but it was Lebron at the end of the ball game they got the tip in at the buzzer. Because this would have been heartbreaking, but this would have been a gut rig they lost his game.
They would have looked, listen, they are the three. They were on the old three skid. Then O three skied for one. Like you said earlier, they can play in stretches in the game and get a lead, but because of the lack of defense and always being inf and beating transition, being lazy turning the ball over, they allowed teams to come back in team that they should be dominating. Obviously, the game of basketball is about against is a game
of runs. But still you're playing the Pacers. I'm not saying the Pacers are horribly sorry, but when it comes to the Lakers, if you're serious about not only making the playoffs or keeping the scene that you're in, this is the game that you're supposed to go in and dominate quarterback quarter But yet again in the third quarter, after after happy the lead they had, they almost squandered that.
Because the Pacers ended up taking the lead.
Don't joke.
The Paces took the lead.
And then I don't want to, I don't want to.
Butcher's last name Roy rue Ruey Ruey Hotche Murrow brother brother hachimror Hakatana hit the two threes towards the end of the game, and Lebron had to come through in a magical moment in the game.
They should have lost. Honestly, yeahntly he owed him that on Lebron. He's in the locker room, say hey, knowing Lebron, he's probably the locker room guy like, hey, that was a big win. But I owe y'all, are y'all owe you for that first half for the game, because I think what was he ended up four and twelve? Yeah, so he was three eleven four before that. Tim So he ended up going four and twelve and he's he knows all seven from the three. He knows he didn't
his overall game. But the thing is about a great player and you find the other ways to impact the game. Look at it, defensive, rebounding. Look, I mean, look at his rebounding. Look at his assists. His assists, let him assists, let him in rebounds. But that's what great players do. They find ways to impact the game, even though he wasn't scoring a lot of times the score. When he's not scoring, no Joe, he molts, he pops, and all of a sudden it impacts other areas of the game.
Can you impact the game when you're not doing what you normally do to impact the game, find whether other ways to influence the game?
Rebound the basketball?
Can I facilitate, Can I play defense, can I guard jaw?
Charge of things of that nature?
And I was very happy to see Lebron and pull it out at a lot going on today. Luca in the month of March thirty one point four points a game, eight and a half rebounds, eight point six suspense, forty three point so basically forty four percent from the three point line on eleven on eleven tenths of per game. He's on pace to be the youngest Laker to average thirty points in a single month since Hoby in two thousand and three.
Nah, hey, uh, I like the Lakers chance. I love all the mantras, all the quotes of Lakers and five, but I honestly think they need one more pieces as greate as they get it as great as greatest Hakatana you Rory is playing.
Yeah, they need they need something else.
On another another score, Lebron has an off night, then Luca gives you what he does.
Tonight.
He was kind of off and on, but he still ended up with thirty four. But I think if they just had him one more person, they give him just a little bit more. I know reads is good. I know can work and score as well. They just need one more, one more piece of that puzzle.
And that's what they were hoping for. What they were hoping for that Alex Lenne could give them something. Now, I don't know what they see from Alex League and you don't like Buddy Man. It's not about lack or dislike O Choe. I mean, I think the chatter would agree. They've watched him at many different stops. I think he's been in Washington. I think he's been with the Sons, He's been different places. He's what he is.
He's what he is.
I don't care. You take a grizzly bear out of the forest, whether he in the alask cub, he's in Canada, or it does not matter. You take him out of that and you put him in a different environment. He's still a grizzly bear. His instincts does not go away for another word. If he's sorry over here, what do you expect him to be over there? He's to be that. I mean, it's not like he was good at one point in time on Joe and you say, you know what, hopefully he can summon that up again. But he has
not been good at any stop. He's tall now, a coaching is calling his name. It is what it is, and I'm just being factual. They're not anybody else side there that can help him on Joe. And the problem is is that when when Jackson Hayes goes to the bitch, that's that ball team don't have another big Lebron got to go to the five. Lebron has to go to the five, or you bring in during your phineis Smith
and he has to play the flap five. Right, They're a very very small team, and that's the problem that you have because you're really not playing Jackson Hayes more than twenty five minutes a night. Right, And he's a guy. And the fain that I love, I mean you love it, you hate is that you don't run plays for Jackson Hayes. He's a lob guy. He gets it off the rim.
He gives you a second chance of opportunities. But he's not a guy that you can run to the bard and say, hey, he gonna put hey, put his back to the basket, throw it to a head and you're gonna do something with it. That I got what he is.
That's not who he is.
Right now, I got a question. Now now listen. You know, my, my, my knowledge of the game of basketball is a little limited. I'm getting better at it though. Now listen, if they got to go small, if they gotta go small, shouldn't the Lakers that at times, depending on who this is, be at it be at an advantage when it comes to, you know, playing small and having to transition up and down the court as opposed.
To you know, yeah, for the other team, go small, But what happened when they got Joki out there?
What do you do thenn And that's the problem.
Okay, let's just say you played you played Memphis, right, Memphis got Zach Keatie who's seven, seven to three. Yeah, he's.
He's said, clogging up space.
He he he.
He's not advantageous on offense at all.
Or am I wrong?
He gonna give you, He's gonna give you extra possessions because of rebounding, okay, And without rebounding, there are no rings without rebounding, okay, And that's the that's the problem that the Lakers gonna have. Even when Lebron Lebron has an off night, you still have ar and Luca that can carry the load. If Lucas struggling Lebron and arntruct can carry the load. If Ar is struggling, Luca and Lebron can still carry the load. Will look, you got three guys that can score. Uh Ar has given you
like twenty a night. Lebron has given you twenty five. Lucas given you a thirty. Right, Okay, that's fine. One of those guys struggling that other guys can take can take over. Need a little bit better production consistently from the bitch. You got some good minutes tonight. But JJ is just gonna have to trust Dalton connected. I think the thing is is that he loses his way sometime of the defensive end and being around JJ, the little bit I had working with him at ESPN.
He doesn't like that. He likes students of the game. He likes smart.
He likes smart guys, Smart guys you can win with, even if they're not the most talented, supremely talented guys.
There aren't bad that doesn't have basketball IQ get jazz bat now.
That frustrates JJ because JJ wasn't the most talented, although he was a great player in college, really good player in the NBA.
He was very smart. He knew where it was.
Supposed to be when he was supposed to be there, boom.
So he did all the small things right, Mary, Yes, yes, very discipline.
And when you're out aletic O, Joe, you're not pre le athletic, you're not six Saint sixty nine. Do everything right, or you don't have handles like a kyrie, you're not quick. So what other way can I find a way to get on the court, steal on the court and not cost my team? And if you look at it, Oho, I think there's ten games left, and you look at three through eight, there's only four games different. There's only four games difference. They're basically you're three four games back.
Denver Nuggets have the same well lost record as the Lakers, and they're in the three seed. Lakers are four, memphisis five. All of them have twenty eight losses. And then you got the Clippers Golden State with thirty one losses, with are three games back, and you got Minnesota at thirty two losses at a game back of them. So four games separate three through eight, and there's ten games to go, right, ten games to row.
Excuse me, ten games to go. So the rubber got to beat the road something got to give.
Yeah, what's what's what's the high what's the highest seed or what you think is preferable for you as a leaguer fan for them, get what would be easy for them best case scenario to be able to get out of the first round or at least have a chance getting to the second round.
Have home court advantage. So you need to be you need to be one through four to have home court advantage. They're not going to get to one seed because Okay, seed is run away with that, right, So the one seed is already etched in stone. Now could they get the two seeds? Yeah, that's the possibility they got. They got the Rockets on the schedule. They need to close out this road game strong and then go home and close out that home homestand strong. I could see them
three or four, right, Uh, three or four? So that means that they if everything remains the same, that means they get Memphis in the first round. What you what you like?
What you like by that?
Mass I say, just stay away from Okac. We need to get some rhythm before before we see ok See, we need some pressure them. Ound ain't no pressure in the first round. They need pressure.
So he's saying Memphis ain't no pressure, No, not for the Lakers.
I like, I like that matchup against Memphis.
But you know, you know who Memphis got over there?
Yeah job, Yeah, yeah, I give you, I give you jobs to give you a Luca.
Who you tak it?
Okay, I give you John, give you Lebron? Who you take it?
Okay? Okay?
No, Now they got Jared Jackson, who's a def dp O why play candidate who made the All Star Game. Bain has played well in the absence John's nursing a hamstring or something. But he's been up and down now when he's been in Yeah, oh he's John. I mean, the second pick of the jaff. He's been an All Star, so you know what he can do. I mean, nobody's surprised. I mean just to actually go to a game and watch him, and to watch the way he elevating, the
way he can con toward his body. He's Yeah, he's a guy that you know, I pay my good money to go see because that's what he is. Look I basically, if I'm paying my money to come see it, th't for having my money come to see you have? Oh you have? Damn How many points you have, and I'm interested. Jack got to do with me. John's interested because he can finish above the rim. Got a nice little float game. Mitt rainshot. He's gotten better than to shooting the set three,
but he's fun. He's fun to watch. I like that matchup. Do I think they can beat anybody?
Yes?
In seven games, absolutely, because Luca and Lebron can both take over game and give you forty So those two guys. But the thing ere O Joe. In the playoffs, your three best guys need to be really good. Two of the three need to be great damn near every single night. Now, if I was getting eighty points sixty, if I'm getting sixty five to eighty points from my big three, I don't need the other I'm gonna need the other six guys because you're not gonna go that deep playoff start.
You might go nine.
As you go further, you do, you reduce that, but I'm gonna need those other other nine guys that if those three guys give me eight, i'm gonna need those other guys to give me thirty five. And they're gonna have to give a little bit more production from the bench. Gabe Vinson is shooting the ball a little better. Phoiney Smith is doing a little better. But they got to make a decision. What are we gonna do it? Don't connect because he can shoot the three, but he gets lost.
He gets lost on defense and he gives up easy buckets and I don't know what something is being lost in translation, O Joe, he's a liability, well all of them. Look, Luke can't playing no defense. Austin reason this, it's hard. Ain't playing defense. Lebron can't sit in the chair no more. Lebron is mainly an up side defender. He does use his body really well. Guys try to go round him, he'll body him up because that's that's that's a big man to try to move, and so he slows him
down like that. But Lebron can't sit in the chair, and no one, no one expects him to, Ojoe, he's forty. What guy you know play defense at forty? Kobe didn't, Jordan, I'm talking about historically great players, even Pipping that, Pipping that didn't blay till he was forty. He couldn't slide those feet like he could when he was in his in his pride, we understand that because you and I talking about the other night.
The lateral quickness is what Lou Lou you lose as we starts to aid.
Yeah.
So with that being said, O, Joe, I like the Lakers. I believe they could beat anybody in the Western Conference. Yeah, it'll be a struggle. Uh uh for the Okay, see hold do you see that five? We still we're still were still winning at five? Uh so you want to hold up going to the next topic? Fashion Okay, oh Joe Yo. I don't know if it was this morning or tape yesterday. I'm thinking that this morning. What happened Lebron went on the Pat McAfee show. Yeah, yeah, he
had a lot to say today. Hey, that was that was added character him. I've never seen him in that setting before and actually just talking freely like that.
Yeah.
So we're gonna get We're gonna get to that. Yeah, just a second while we wait for TJ to connect. But the Lakers, I'm looking at the Clippers. I think the thing is oto you're trying to stay out of seven through ten because you don't want to play any more games than you have to. You won't rest and it won't start until be a seven, eight, nine, ten, is determined who to play and who's gonna be seven, who's gonna be eight? To that determined, So you need rest.
Lebron James is forty. He's been playing. He played what thirty eight thirty nine minutes tonight, so he's gonna need rest any buffs and bruises. You want to try to get those guys as health as you possibly can. Now, the best thing about the playoffs you don't play every other You don't play in back to back, right, I mean the first game you play and then you might have a couple of days off, and then you get
into the routine you play it every other day. Okay, you can live with that, but you try to get Lebron. And Lebron's gonna need as much rest as he possibly can because he is forty.
Here's what it is.
And so once they determine who they're gonna once they are if they can secure one of these top six seeds, you avoid the play in. You get an opportunity to get a couple of days of rest, and then hey for the markets for all the game, Oh Joe, Now, Lebron James went on the Pat McAfee sere Today, nearly three weeks after confronting steven A, had a basketball game, Lebron broke his silence on the incident's referring to the fallout as a Taylor Swift tour run for steven A
to be started. Excuse me over comments stephen A made regarding Bronny. I initially wasn't gonna say anything. I wasn't gonna talk about it. We didn't talk about it. Y'all didn't hear anything from me for about for three weeks ago. But now Lebron has went on P Matt and we have to talk about it now. Lebron said he hadn't been too happy with how stephen A has reacted to the situation.
He's on a Taylor run Swift tour right now.
It started off with I didn't want to address it, but since the video came out, I feed it. I feel this is Lebron talking. I need to address it. He completely missed the whole point. The whole point never would I allow people to talk, not allow people to talk about his sport and criticize players about what they do. This is your job to criticize or to a position
where that's a guy's not performing. You know, that's all a part of the game, but when you take it and you get personal with it's not It's not my job to not only protect my damn household, but protect the players. He's gonna be smile the ear to the ear when this comes o talking about it, because I know he's gonna be happy as hell. I wish Steven they would just left it alone once he addressed it.
¶ LeBron James on Pat McAfee
Once it happened the first time address it. This is what happened.
He came over to me, said what he said.
I want to address it now, and I'm gonna be done with it, because as my Grandma's to say, boy stirring up old ish. It still smells. So every time every time stephen A talks about it, it reached it, it stirs it up again. And look, I see both sides. I see both sides of the equation. But Stephen they just need to let it go. He needs to let it go. And now you're like, well, if you to head it, I don't think Lebron was coming to hit you. Lebron was coming to tell you, Bro, just stop talking
about my son. He said, because you said or have a father. Now you make it personal. You're making it personal because now you''re making it seems and this is how Lebron, I think, took it. You make it it seem that I'm not a good father, that I'm not putting myself and putting my son in the position to be successful. And so you're like, you're pushing this, And so Lebron took it a certain weight. And am I surprised Lebron responded the way he did so publicly? Because
Lebron is a very private person. He might have an issue with someone and.
You will never know. Yeah, you will never know it.
And so for him to do that at a game, and it wasn't after the game, it wasn't before the game.
It was the third corner during.
The time out. Let you know how upset he was that stephen A and what Steven had been saying. But at this point in time, I understand Lebron. They asked Lebron about this, But if I'm stephen A, hey, guys, I've already addressed that. He said what he said. I understood his point. I said what I said. Now it is time to move on. Look, it's not gonna stop me from talking about Lebron. James the basketball player on the court. But the incident, I feel that we've talked
about it at nauseum. I feel talked about it enough and now it's time to move on. That's what I wish, Stephen they would do. But like you said, I mean, look, I get it, that's Lebron James is the biggest name and wrote North Americans more and when you mentioned his name, good batter and different people don't want to click and hear what you have to say about him. But the one thing I know about this guy, and I know him a little bit, I don't know him as well as a lot of people do.
That man loves his family. He's gonna protect his family.
Now, always, always, And I think, I think when you think about it and you go back to the way things things happen with Lebron actually addressing stephen A courtside is well, what what Stephen A said obviously was said.
Publicly on a public on a public forum on TV.
So he addressed it the same the exact same way, publicly courtside in the middle of a game. Yes, yes, as a father, you know, And like Stephen A said, he understood where Lebron was coming from. Knowing Steve I think and the individual that he is, Lebron said what he had to say today.
I'm sure stephen A is going to respond to that because he did.
Think about any time anyone says anything too or about stephen A, He's going to have an answer.
To whatever's being said. That's just him and it's always been him. I know you would like him leave it alone, but I don't think that's that. That's not how it's gonna go.
The only thing I would have said is stephen A. Look, I know people that don't like man Lebron should have stole on you. Lebron should have did this. Man. They just talking stephen and men, you saying, man, you about how about to be fifty seven? You about to be fifty eight? But not even your right a't gonna find nobody. Lebron wasn't gonna swing on you, and you weren't go and look and he Lebron w wasn't go swing on you, so there would have been no need.
For you to swing on him.
I'm glad you guys stood there and y'all talk. Look, he said what he said. You seem to be receptive at the time of it. You under see me, and you said you understood because he was speaking to you as a father and nott Lebron James the basketball player, and he seemingly you said you understood that.
Let it go? Now, let it go? Now, look I look, I mean down had this you?
I remember I had a conversation with Kevin Durant when he first got traded the Phoenix U and I walked into the hotel.
I said, damn that Ki, and he said, oh, lem me, holl at your right quick.
I said, what's up?
Okay?
You know I you know, I'm like, damn, I ain't get no da da it's lemon. Hall at you right quick?
What's up?
Bro?
He said, Man, what it is?
You you got beef?
You don't like me or something? I said, Now why you say that?
He said, Man, the way you talk, I said, KD Bro, I'm passionate.
I say, any topic that we discussed on that show, I'm very very passionate. I spent a lot of time researching it, and I'm very very careful to what I say. I said, kad, ain't about no like or this, Like I said, I don't.
Know you personally. All I talk about is what you do on the court.
That's it. Whatever you may or may not do out the court, I don't give a damn, I said, you can ask your mom. I've had I've talked to your mom at nauseam or he used to come on the show. I've seen that event, I said, Katy, ain't no like or dislike, I said, I'm just passionate about topics. Bro, I said, I ain't got no I don't dislike anybody
because I don't know anybody to dislike him. It's not like like me and oh when when I used to hang out with oh oh you started Charles Oakley used to run track with us, used to come to the gym and work out with me. Oh can I used to go out to Houston's, that said, if that was his favorite restaurant. The N word always got the cheese toes. Men oak had a have a relationship. I been a phony call Oh, I said, I don't know any of
these current players like that. I said, But I'm just passionate about topics, I said, bro, I ain't no like or dislike. I said, but if I probably didn't let if I didn't like you, you know it right?
He said, all right?
He said, man I just he said, I just you know, I said, cool, bro, I said, I ain't got no problem with you, I said, anytime he say, hey, here give me a fall with Shange's numbers.
Left it at that.
He saw I was at the game the other Uh last year, A couple of years ago, I took my daughter to the first Well it might have been this now I was two years ago. But anyway, Yeah, talk to hey, talk to one of the mens. You laugh and talk. I ain't got no problem with nobody on Joe and and I'm not trying to go for bad or nothing like that. But that ain't how I am that guy. I think when guys see me, they know I ain't. Ain't all about that, man, I'm just I'm just cool. I just want to vibe, have a good
old time. But I, like I said, I appreciate instead of him like you know, bal on Twitter and and and and the end of that, trying to blow it up. Hey, somebody got a problem with me, Just hey, come to me. It's coming, man. I ain't got no problem. I talked to anybody anybody anywhere about anything.
You got a problem with what I said?
Uh?
Why you said that, Sean?
Why you said that, right, Hey, this is why, this is why said that A right, you know what I do like though I'm not sure how the people.
I'm not sure how the people in the chat field, but I enjoy when you talk about Kevin Durant, players of that magnitude, elite players. I mean, obviously we talked about one of the greatest scores of all time. I love the way Kevin Durant uses social media. I love the way he's so accessible to the people.
To be the star that he is.
Will Lebron would and allow himself to be vulnerable we Lebron did today. I've never seen Lebron do before what he did on the Pat McAfee show, sitting there for an hour straight and actually just being vulnerable, talking about everything. I really really enjoyed that because that's some from Lebron that we've never been that obviously, I've never seen before,
and I really really enjoyed that. And I wish more superstar elite athletes would do that, be a little bit more open, be a little bit more accessible, and I mean it would just enjoyable.
It was enjoyable to see him outside that that normal setting.
Of of not being.
Not being viewed as the king.
If that, if that makes sense, well, most of the great players are gonna be guarded because they're gonna they're gonna only gonna give you so much. They're gonna allow you to see so much of what they want you to see. If you look at all the great players, they've always been very, very guarded. They're not gonna totally let you inside. It's especially why they're a current player. But back to this Lebron and Pat McAfee, Like you said, Oh Joe, we're not used to seeing Lebron James sit
down for an extended period of time. Normally, right when he's in the finals or he's in the playoffs, he would sit down. That's like five that's like ten minutes, and it's always it's always basketball related. He's to he's literally talking about other stuff going on in life. He's being vulnerable, letting people in something he's never never ever
done before. Players like that of his magnitude, of his status that allows the world in the public to see what he wants you to to actually sit down for a change, I guarantee you if they were to do the numbers on how many people watch that, Pat McAfee show.
I bet it's astronomical crazy because this is something he'd never done, right, and you know, and see and to see like you said, to see him, But that just lets you know that he and for me looking at him considering that he had ever ever done anything like this before, to think about how many people have criticized him. Yeah, and he's never ever done it before. So that lets you know he had gotten to a place that he's like, I've had it up to here.
Yeah. And I don't know if he knew.
I don't think he knew steven A was gonna come to the game, but he had it in his mind if he ever saw stephen A, he was gonna step to him.
But uh, he got steven a number, he got a TEXTA call him if there was an issue, you'a Texas calling. They communicate with each other, obviously, they have some some some some sort of relationship.
No they don't.
You don't think so, No, Okay, well I'm bad.
No, but like you said, I mean.
What you mean.
No, they don't now as opposed, No, I don't.
I don't think they've ever had a relationship where they picked up the phone and they talk to each other like that. I don't. I don't think they've ever had that type of relationship. Do I think they've been cordial to each other. I remember, I think I saw something on an old cliff maybe with YouTube, where Steve and they actually sat down to the interview Lebron. But I don't think they're in a situation where they like picking up the phone. They have each other, they can call
each other like that. I don't.
I don't know if any Lebron is maybe teammates. It could.
I could be wrong, I could be wrong. I could be totally wrong. But I don't know if Lebron has is Nomber or he has Lebron's number. Lebron is, you know, very very very Lebron rock with who he rocked with. And I think once you get to this level, if you had if you haven't developed a friend by now, Lebron, James ain't letting you in the circle.
It's really that simple.
So he got he got his friends. You know, Rich is his agent, Maverick is his steps the chief of staff. Mav is one of his business partners. I'm trying to
¶ LeBron James on Pat McAfee continued
think who else he wrote Chris Paul, He's very close to Chris Paul. I think he's the grand grand godfather to run a CP three that I think if if vice birds are the same thing with CP.
But other than that, I don't think.
Lebron has a whole a whole lot of what we call I look at those guys like I look at Bucket, like I look at bucket and burns. He ain't got a whole lot of bucket and burns.
In his life.
You ain't got a whole lot of you know, KEJ, your boy you rock with TJ t O, you ain't got a whole lot of them.
Nah.
And I look at Lebron and I think Lebron is kind of like that.
But hopefully, hopefully, hopefully everybody's made their point. Yeah, Lebron was upset what he said, Stephen, They said what I was trying to say.
Sometimes things get lost in translation.
It is what it is.
But at the end of the day, I think we've got a We've got a lot of juice.
I think both have kind of squeezed that orange jojo yeah, and got a lot of juice out of it. And then Lebron took aim at Wendy. Brian Windhor said, this guy says he's my best effing friend. These guys are just weird. I don't know if Wendy's ever said I think Wendy went to the same school he went to Ojo. I don't think when I've never heard, and I could be wrong. Guys, hell, I was on I was on Undisputed for seven years. I didn't hear everything Wendy said.
As a matter of fact, I didn't watch anything on anywhere. All I watched was the games that were on his spend. I don't watch any of the debate shows. I don't watch any of the shows that do what I do. And I'm gonna be talking about something because I don't want what they say to creep in what I's going to say, so I don't watch it.
So Wendy Chad, if he's said that he was Lebron's best friend.
I apologize, but I don't recall, and if I misspeak, I apologize to you guys.
But I don't believe Wendy has said that he is Lebron's best friend.
I think because he's covering Lebron for so long, and I think they went to the same school, Saint Visus, Saint Mary. He says, I think he said, I might probably know him better than anyone else, but I don't get why.
I mean, he would say that about Wendy.
Man. You never know. I think.
I think, like, like I said, Lebron is probably Lebron is fed up.
He's he's he's on I'm not saying he's on the way out the door, but he's on the tail end of everything, and now he's opening up a little bit.
More, doing things out of character that he normal wouldn't do, which is giving them people what they want, letting us in, you know, giving giving us a glimpse of what's inside the world and mind of Lebron King James and I enjoyed it.
I enjoyed it.
I hope he does more of it. I hope other athletes, uh do more of it. You know what I wish Lebron. I wish Lebron was like Jeff t have you ever heard have you ever sat and listening yet? Yeah, Lebron would it would be It would be an honor for him to take a page out of Jeff Team's book and be that bone over and open and just just just give it, just give us the stories.
I would love that.
Yeah.
Uh, Lebron talked about his relationship with MJ.
While he still has a misrespect for Jordan, the pair don't talk much these days. I think that would change when he retires from NBA, saying jordan intense competitive spirit is why the two don't talk much. Now, we all know MJ, even if you don't know him personally. He's
one of the most ruthless competitors there. He is and until I'm done and he doesn't have to look at me run up and down that court where in the twenty three every time my name is mentioned is mentioned with his, he's like, I don't want to and talk to you.
Do you agree with Joe?
I mean, that's dope, that's dope list and that's a competitor. The competitor nature in MJ. I think it's understandable, especially when it comes to him. I think he's he's not closed off. But MJ and Kobe are like in a sense. MJ and Kobe are like in a sense. I think their relationship will be much better and a lot closer once Lebron is done playing. Yeah, they go play together, go play golf together, smoke cigars, you know, have a little have a little one whatever it is that they do.
But right now, while Lebron is actively planned, I don't think him and the MJ just outside of playing the game of basketball and being successful businessman, there's not much for them to talk about right now.
The only friend I know, Jordan, got it oat. I mean, okus, this guy. Now, I've been around Jordan a little bit, and his ultra competitive first thing got ben. I mean, I want, hey, you want to play cards? No, I don't want to play cards, because you know Jordan games. You got to come down at least a hundred one hundred, one hundred grand, two hundred grand in cash.
You don't play?
He do not. I was like, no, I said, Bro, you're not going to have me. You're nothing to have me living on the streets. I love my house, ain't it ain't.
George, But I ain't trying to keep up with you.
No, No, I don't.
I don't play No five five fifty thousand dollars in hand. Hell no, no, bro, Bro, guess what, as long as they make shoes with that logo, you got money coming in.
I ain't in the NFL no more. I ain't got no more money coming in.
You know.
I was thirty five. Then I could draw my pigeon in sixty two. So I got five other five years before I could get that on job before I take.
A pen of it.
Hell no, I ain't gambling with you. As a matter of fact, I'm mad you asked me that.
You know.
Damn well, I ain't got no money. Now I'm gonna let you and I'm let you, oh because I think they played guts. It's kind of like bou ray You ever played boue Ray? No sir no, sir, no sir or in between? But nah, hell day? Also uh uh Lebron talked about Giannis on p MAC. You trying to tell me Joannas wouldn't be able to play in the NBA games in the seventies. Johannis would have had two hundred and fifty points in the game in the seventies.
But let me ask you, see you transporting Gianni's today back then?
Right?
Do y'all really know what they did? Did y'all see those fights? How many people gonna got to go down the lane? See the stuff that they called They called foul, Now, that wasn't no foul. There was nobody getting suspended for slapping an inshot of somebody. There was no I mean there was no I mean wanting a calm alone put forty four stitches in, I say a head. You still
think you want to come down the lane? Do y'all remember uh the finals in eighty four when when Larry Bird when who's that Kevin McHale snatched Kurt Ramba say, it's out the sky and it wasn't a playground, It wasn't nothing. If nobody was suspended. You can't take the modern play because oh Joe, you're talking about technology and you talk about the modernization. Yes, if you transport uh uh jahns today and put him back then looking at
as Yeah, what player cutting? What player? If I take oh Joe, if I take you today, you know what you know in the technology that you've been able to develop, and put you back in the seventies.
Man, oh Joe was killing?
Yes, yeah, modernization.
That's unfair.
Yeah, I think from.
It's just like it's unfair one more thing, o Joe, Just like it's unfair to say, oh, man Jordan play today he averaged fifty. Let's how about this. Let's leave everybody in the era in which they've been Yanni's plays in the twenty tens and twenty twenties. Lebron has been in the two thousands to twenty tens and now the twenty twenties. Let's lead everybody that because it's unfair. It's unfair. Look, I get it, and it's a conversation, but come on,
because we're robbed. We're not being fair to the guys that played in that era that was great, right, Because it's almost like if you talk about these guys like you're trying to minimize them, and I get mad at the old guys for trying to minimize the current players.
Guys, you were great. Nobody's trying to rob you of that. You were great. These guys are great.
The guys in the sixties that were great, the guys in the seventies were great.
Guys in the eighties, right, But.
It's unfair, Oh Joe, I mean, I mean, listen, now, I understand what Lebron was saying. Obviously he is is exaggerated a little bit, But if you look at the players from back then, I know, just being honest, from a technical standpoint, from a physical standpoint, I know what they did in between the lane and being physical, and you know, slapping and punching and all that. But you're thinking about Giannis and Jannie today and it, oh my goodness, athletic.
It's called technology. Oh Jo, you got an opportunity to work on things guys didn't have. They didn't have modern medicine, they didn't have technology. Think about when you rupture the killis you were done. You tore a knee, you were done. You had that big as balky knee, brace that big dune joy on.
It's different.
Now we got modern medicine. We know how to eat, we know how to trained, We have personal trainers and busyo. Those guys in the sixties and seventies and eighties didn't have the money to have all of this stuff, right, But Brian, when you're making fifty million dollars in basketball in another seventy five eighty million dollars off the court, you could have a chef that prepares every meal to your specifications. You can have a physio, you can have a Mike Masiles as lebron as an excuse me and
Jordan had Tim Grover. Tim and Tim and I we still we text a lot now, but it's different. It's not fair that you try to compare fifth era to that era or that era to this era. Oh boy, Damian Lillardu was diagnosed with blood clots in his right calf. He's the third player this year to have blood clott issues. In twenty twenty two, the playoffs, no Chris Middleton. In twenty twenty three, Yannis plays two out of five games. In twenty twenty four, Dame and Giannis both were injured.
Dame is out indefinitely. Should the Bucks be thankful that Janni's had all time finals run in twenty twenty two, I mean twenty twenty one, because it seemed like ever since then, at some point in time, a key player.
Has been injured. Chris Middleton was injured, then there was a couple of years.
That Janni's was injured, and then you had Yannis and Dame both injuries, and now Dame is injured, and the Bucks for not going anywhere without just with just Yanni's. First of all, he's not gonna be at the calv without him, and he's not gonna be able to beat He's not gonna be able to beat the Celtics.
Damn hell.
He wasn't gonna probably be able to beat the Celtics with Day whatever along with it. Without him, I'm not so sure they can beat the next without Dame. The Day is the one guy dominating a series and winning the hope that's over.
You forget all about that.
Yeah, I mean it's unfortunate. It's unfortunate.
Obviously, it's very very serious when Mayama has something similar to this. If I'm not mistaken, I don't know if they diagnosis is exactly the same, but obviously.
It's a blood clock. I'm glad they were able to catch it.
Uh.
It sucks.
It sucks for the Bucks, it sucks for the organization, and it most definitely sucks for Damian Letard and his family. I'm hoping a speedy recovery for him.
Especially something like this is very very serious, especially when it comes to oh.
Yeah, you're on blood and you probably go you'll build blood thunders the rest of his life.
Man. Hey, that's that sucks. Man, I'll be Oh he gets better fast man.
The Lakers fall to the Magic One on nine ninety eight. The Lakers win three with three losses in a row. They lost seven out of their last ten ball games. They lost to Boston, Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Denver, then they won three straight beat Foix, San Antonio, Denver. Then they lost another three straight Milwaukee, Chicago, and Orlando. The Lakers bench was outscored thirty to fourteen, which was an issue. The Lakers got to do a better job of guarding. Watch
this game from start to finish. They're just not garden. They're just not guarding.
Now.
Look they'll fout a year or two away. Orlando, Paulo up On Caro and Paun Bardner. Oh they legit, Oh they legit, legit. Yeah, they legit legit. Ben Carroll had thirty, Wagner had thirty two, and then they got black came up the bitch and gave him seventeen. But they are legit. The Lakers got to do a better job of defending. It's really that simple. They didn't shoot the ball well. They shot about forty six percent. They shot twenty eight free throws or the free throw was pretty close, ten
of thirty two from the three point line. The difference with us Orlando shot down there fifty percent from the floor. You're not gonna beat a team if you allow them to shoot fifty percent from the floor. But everything was really close. I mean Orlando had forty three rebounds twelve offensive. The Lakers had thirty nine eleven offensives. But the only difference I could really see Ojoe was that third quarter
got him again. They had a two point lead at the half and then they get out scored the third quarter by about fourteen sixteen, and it's the third quarter again. JJ's gonna have to put some different buttons because they come out lacks of days ago, and they let the team go on a run, and it's hard to reattack yourself to them when they go when they get a streak like that.
But give a Orlando credit. They won their the ad.
As a matter of fact, they they broke they stopped Cleveland. They went on the road, Cleveland had a sixteen to seventeen game win streak. They went into their building and they won. So the record they're better that their record would indicate. The problem was man Carroll got hurt at one point time. Lagner got hurt at one point in time, so they haven't been able to play extending period of time together. But this is a good team. Don't let don't let their record fool you. But the Lakers have
to be disappointed. They got to play better than in fourth spot. Right now, they're two and a half, I think two and a half games out of the second spot. But tonight, again it was defense. They gave up one hundred and forty six Saturday night, and they gave up one hundred and eighteen to night. And they had been playing really, really good defense up until that point.
Okay, now with everything that you said, they're in fourth, right, they lost the night. You understand the problems and the wolves that the Lakers are having consistencies they want to run.
¶ Damian Lillard out indefinitely with blood clot
You're understanding their woes coming out of halftime in the third quarter, allowing teams always going to run. You think about everything you just said. I'm wanting to I want your honest answering, your honest opinion. It's still Lakers in.
Five Leaggas are five, niggas are five. Look that's fix something. Look that's that's fixable.
Oh cho, that's something like, Look, guys, we've got to do a better job of defending.
Yes, and you can't.
Guys can't get broken down off the first dribble, Right, you get broken down in the first dribble. Now you're compromised because help's coming. And now they swing the ball they're getting wide open threes or getting uncontested layoffs, so you can't get broken down off the first dribble. They got to score thirty four to eighteen in the third quarter. I mean there's no there, in no way should Lakers team that got Luka Doncic and Lebron James on the
court only score eighteen points in a quarter. Yeah, and if you only score eighteen, you better make sure they don't score more than twenty two because if you do that, and I get it, the Lakers, I think they played what seven games, well at one point time they had seven games and ten days. But we don't do excuses here. You either win or you lose. It's a very shot on sports menu. At my restaurant, the only thing I got on my menu is doves and als. That's all
you could order. I can't order excuses because I don't serve it. So the Lakers are gonna have to find a way to play better in the third quarter. They're gonna have to fly find a better way to find a better way to defend because this is not this is not acceptable. This is not acceptable. I mean, look at all these minuses. Daurian Phinney Smith minus six, Lebron minus seventeen, Jackson Hayes minus ten, Luca minus nine, Austin Reeves minus seven. Every starter was minus hell. As a
¶ Lakers vs. Magic
matter of fact, everybody was minus. That's not good enough. You can't you can't win. You can't win like that. There's no where round you can't win like that. And when you take Jackson Hayes out, Bron is basically playing the five.
Too small of a lineup.
Yeah, I mean maybe maybe the last two three minutes, four minutes on a ball game, you can run this lineup, but not when they go in bank, not when they go in bank, Carol, not when they're going window Carter, not when they going Fronz Wagner. Too small, just too small. Reddick admitted the Lakers look tired tonight. We weren't able to sustain the level of intensity we started a game with.
They did.
They scored thirty in the first quarter, thirty in the second quarter, sixty. They had a two point lead, sixty to fifty eight and a half.
But then again out of the third quarter, here come on, Orlando, boom.
Boom, boom boom.
Yeah, there you go, same quarter every time. Maybe they play some different music in the half.
Huh. They need to do something because this ain't getting done. This ain't getting it done. I mean, and what's the record, So that's fifty, that's sixty one, that's seventy one game. They only got eleven games left, O Joe. Yeah, you're supposed to be gearing up. You're supposed to be playing your best ball heading into the playoffs. Not you know, maybe they left a little bit on the look because at one point they were like eighteen and three at old less won a bunch of games. You don't want
to be sliding going into the playoffs. You want to be playing your best ball hitting into the playoffs. But this performance was unacceptable. And dog Connect only played five minutes. But I think a lot of that has to do with it. Look, his defense intensity, I mean, he needs to understand. I mean, he just gets lost. It's like and I could tell JJ is. JJ doesn't like minim mistakes. That irks him because he's a perfectionist and he wants guys like guys, we went over this.
That's why I couldn't coach. We went over this.
The guy comes, Okay, you still on that guy, don't try to fight over the top of the lead, a guy on a wide open three Solncoln's got some problems, nothing they can't solve. They got what three more games on this road trip? I think they got a four game road trip before they turned back to uh the Crip.
Well, I know that hurt that. I know that, I know that those road trips back to bed Indiana.
Yeah.
Yeah, so they got, they got, they got a way, they got, they got. They got three more games on the road show before they turn return home. They need to play better than what they played tonight or what they've definitely what they played against the Bulls, they picked right up where they left off, not playing defense. They started with great intensity in the first half, but that wayne in the third quarter, and that was really the undoing of them.