Kawhi's Continued Excellence and more with Tomer Azarly

Do you just mean they're moving around on the court, because that's not true. They're making moves. They're making moves up and down. The standings were static. I feel like some we're stagnant. Other there's movements. But yes, because there's also they have away games, so they have to travel to those, which they're these these crazy guys are moving all around the country. We'll see where they end up. The next Lakers are in New York. The heck is

that about? But yes, to welcome our guest, Tomas Ale. Welcome, welcome man, and thank you for joining us on. Appreciate having me. Thank yeah, thanks for doing it so lifelong nb A wops, whops said man without a country a little bit, but you cut you kind of pulled for the Clippers. Yeah, I mean, if I'll be honest, I was a I'm a lifelong Bron guy. I mean I

grew up watching him, so that that's kind of my guy. Um. I mean yeah, again, like I said, I just kind of just didn't want to root for the you know, the team that everyone's rooting for growing up here in l A. Everyone's going for the Lakers. It seemed too easy for him at the time, you know, three o two, they would just winning championships left and right. It's like it's too easy. So I said, let's make life hell. Let's go to the opposite of the life, absolute hell.

And uh, I mean yeah, been covering the Clippers now for about seven years. I mean also games were more affordable to go to all. Yes, it was just it's easier to get into the into the team, into the sport that way. So uh yeah, I've covered him seven years now and it's been a blast. I love it, honestly. Yeah. Has it been painful for you since, like being split

allegiance with Lebron on the Lakers? No, I mean, honestly, the first two years we're you know, there's a lot of you know, being star struck and learning the way how things go. But it's been I think, my I'm pretty objective now. I just I'm just a basketball fan, to be honest with you. And you know, um, I did get to INDIVI Lebron for the first time last year, and that was one of the you know, the long I had been strut talking a long time until lasting

my question. I was like, I'm asking Brown a question. That's the guy I watched growing up, you know, ten twelve years ago, and now I'm asking the question. So you hear his voice come out of his head and you're like, that's Lebron James's voice coming out and I'm talking to that voice. And let me tell you that the the aunts and uncles who see that, and you know, the parents obviously gotta post that on on Facebook and let the family members know. So tattoo of that moment

that you might got right after embedded in history. But now, I mean, I'm pretty objective now. I I'm just a general basketball fan. I like watching you know, I'll watch seven. I got leaked my TVs on and be a TV when there's no games on. So I'm just hoops at this point, who's You're like? Okay, if if you you know as a fan, what's like the next team? You You're like, I really like what I'm seeing out of them. I really like the Thunder for one with Alexander Um.

I'm a big Sacramento guy. Ever since they had DeMarcus Cousins. I really just rooted for him and the Kings because they have such a passionate fan base, but really never felt like they can get over the humps. So like, remember this year one of our parts, I predicted they were gonna make the playoffs, not even be a playing team, but I got laughed at. So definitely, I'm definitely enjoying this and the Kings of Thunder, I would say, um, I think those are my two teams. I always like

watching Damian Lillard. Lillard He's he's fun to watch. Um, it's really fun to watch. Lately, I love watch Dame when he is like just has it going and you know it's going in before it even leaves his hands. When he stepping into those thirty five footers, you just just got a good feeling about those the confidence in the swagger he pulls up walking just like it's almost like I think that's it in Yeah, Like the slower

he moves, You're like, oh, I don't. I just know by how slow he's moving this is going in because he's just like I'm I'm just seeing the matrix just moving within and you're like, there goes. Man's at his own pace and pulls up and hits it. Things are slowing down so much for him that they slowed down for us watching him. It's like, how does that times dilating for me as well? On Twitter video clip? I mean, that's real with Luca. We're gonna talk about some some

Luca performances, but man, he seems to be moving. I feel like that would be a very frustrating person to guard if I were an NBA player, and just seeing him do things in slow motion, it really is so casual and so for him, it's it's amazing. That's what I think is so that's so like it draws me in because I think it's because he's so slow moving, not like in a bad way, like he moves at the speed he needs to. It just underlines his like

mastery of shooting too. They're like, yeah, he's just you can't. He's like the old wise man on the mountain. Basically, I always look at him as like very quick though you when you are you talking about like his step backs and like just like like he he has a casualness to his shooting that I mean, like that's what I mean. That's what I mean, Like not slow, but like it's there's he doesn't feel like he's frantic when he shoots. He's so calm and collected that it feels

like it's slow. Like he's like, yeah, man, I got this, just confident is not going to get blocked. Whereas if I was shooting and somebody's within four ft of me, I would close my eyes and turn my face away before because I would be so certain that I was about it about to get sent. I was listing that with Chris Middleton too. I was watching the Bucks Pelicans game, and he just he shoots the most contested shots like he is just like it doesn't matter. He will he

will shoot. When you have your hands in his face and aren't like moving anywhere, he'll still just like put it up. He's like thank you. Yeah, that's just and there are two of the best shooters in the league. So I mean, speaking of shooters, let's talk about the Clippers, the best three point shooting road team out there. I

witnessed that recently when the lake would happen. First, Oh, I just remember a certain point, I was like, they're shooting sixty percent from there, and I turned into a husk of a man and I blew away in the wind in a thousand pieces because I was so destroyed by that, Like every single thing was dropping. Like how are you feeling? I mean, like your y'all are cooking right now? Yeah, I mean, look, the biggest thing that I've said this for a while is just they they've

got to stay healthy. They they're going to be a contender if they stay healthy. Their problem is they just can't put together more than four or five six games fully healthy. I mean, at the halfway point of the season, I think they played four games fully healthy total, none

of them consecutive. At two of those games quite coming off the bench, which, like Tyler said, it was disgusting and nasty is the word he used, And I was like, no, I was killed immediately, So like, I don't even know if you really count those um, I mean, yeah, if they stay healthy, I still think they need a backup center. I think at the start of the U I even thought they needed one, UM just to you know, give a visa zoobot some some some rest and not have

to play them forty minutes a night some nights. But yeah, if they stay healthy, they'll be okay. I think they got a really good you know nucleus here, a good core. UM good offensively. I think they're the best defensive team in the West, and I think they're third overall I want to say in um like defensive ratings. So they're up there. They're up there right now. They just got a string games together. Um, stay healthy. There's no back

to backs here until after the All Star break. I think, like March second and third, they got a good stretch here to put some good games together. Um. I think the next ten or eleven, I believe it is, and and really stay healthy and put together some wins and

see what they can do. Really yeah, And like with the trades, like you know, the rumors, you know, there's a lot of Fred van Vleet talk, but it sounds like you're more like you got around Mason Plumbly maybe yeah, or what you think of, like how do you feel? Because I feel like those are the two rumors I've

heard a lot about, like swirling around the Clippers. I mean, I think there's there's just there was a lot out of There was a lot of mouse turner buzz for one, um, but I think that was with a lot of things. Mason Plumber is obviously a guy who he's having a career year right now. I think he's averaging sixteen and eleven in January, quietly because Charlotte is awful and no one watches it. Um Isaiah Hartenstegned their former player who's

there last year. He's another option. I think the Knicks are obviously playing him more now because of the injury to Mitchell Robinson. But he's the guy who I think was on the radar. Tyler knows how to use him. I can't say he's being used to perfection in New

York undertop Thibodeaux. Um So I think that's another option as well, And I think there's there's different guys around the league, whether it might be like a ten day type of guy or a I think they have a trade exception still available so they can also absorb someone into that. I believe it's about eight or nine millions. So, um, there's options out there, it's just what the Clippers you.

You never you almost never see the deal. Um that's rumored done, Like last year with Norman Pound Robert Comington, that came out of left field. I don't even think people knew that Norman Powell was available. Um, you know the year before that, I think, uh, they treated lou Williams. That was the only one that I felt like it felt like it could happen. But even you know, going years before that, you had the Blake Griffin Jade, you

had the Tobias Harris trade to Philly. So like there's a bunch of things around them, but whatever is rumored usually isn't the what ends up happening, So they kind of work in silence. My kind of opinion on anything you hear might be other teams leaking it, um, because it's certainly not coming from them. You know, they're trying to get some leverage or trying to get other teams involved or something like that. So the one thing I've learned this team really doesn't leak, and anything you hear

probably from another team with a specific angle. So I really you mentioned Fred bend Lee. I'm not really sure that a point guard is what they need. I mean, they went out this past off season got John Wall who hadn't played I think played forty games in about three years. Um. I mean, look, he's been solid. But again, a guy who hasn't played three years, a guy who was a former star acclimenting to a venture role, um playing limited minutes. That's not easy, uh, easy at all.

So they've had to It's been a process to get getting him acclimated. And you know he started the season off wealth and head of rough stretch here. Um was playing well before he got injured. So, um, you know, it's a long season, a lot, a lot of ups and downs. I don't personally feel a point guard is what they need right now. I've never really felt that way, because you have a guy like Terrence Man, who can you know, be your Swiss Army and not I can

play your point guard player, shooting guard player three or four. Um, you have Reggie Jackson obviously, so I felt like they had the pieces of Fred VanVleet. I mean, unless you're trying to construct the nineteen Raptors all over again. You know, maybe I could see it. I don't think it's you know, hurt because it was a stretcher where they lost about six in a row and I think eight of ten or eight of twelve, and it was looking bleak. It was looking really bad. So you know, when you win,

things look better. Yeah, he has friend Lane like had a bad season or something, because it does feel like people are like, yeah, you gotta get rid of Fred VanVleet. Prior to January, he was struggling quite a bit, I would say, with the shooting, and I think he was doing a bit more off the ball stuff, um, which I think he kind of attributed to a slow start. Obviously you got Scott Barnes and o g so they all got to handle the ball. That being said, friend

Red Leady is a really really good player. Uh. The thing is anyone on the Raptor and this is this you know, I've talked about this with some guys, like anyone the Raptors is going to have a heavy heavy like medical history and the like they have. They've been playing like forty minutes at night. If you look at the minutes per game for these guys, it's like Pascal Cia and Fred rev leto near the top every year for the past like four years. So you get these guys,

they had history. Man, you gotta be careful, you gotta you can't be playing them. What's the raptors are playing them because they're gonna break down. Um, And I think that's a bit of the word. You gotta pay these guys. What are you gonna have to trade to get those guys? And what does their history look like? All that has to factor into it. And you have to worry about

team chemistry. I got like, um, Reggie Jackson, you know, when he wasn't starting a few games, when he wasn't playing a few games ago with John Long the rotation, Uh, he was a little frustrated and it showed. So you don't want to mess with team chemistry. At the same time, there's a lot of things to balance. This is so

many things about it. Yeah, I mean, I guess we can look forward to being surprised by it being none of these things and being something that totally takes is by surprise because a lot of people don't know this. But the little Wayne line real GE's moving silence like LS was about Lawrence Frank, Like he's on the record saying that that's about Lawrence Frank. Yeah, I think the real bar was Lawrence Frank moves into silence. But then he did the thing the Barden actually worked out, but

he really wanted to underline that moment. Jerry West, he was a consultant and really you know, worked his way and worked his magic. That's what I thought, Yeah, we'll have that. Also, just the the idea of having somebody who can shoot, who has playoff experience, finals experience, like Fred van Vleet just really really appeals to me as a Sixers fan because I don't know, man, the Sixers are putting something together. They're won seven of their last eight.

The Magic are unbeatable, giant killers, but still the Celtics. But Who's whose door do they knock on next? It's like that very for me. The Sixers had a huge win this week against the Nuggets, top team in the West, uh M v P leader Yokich. Everybody's like he's he's locking it up for a third year in a row, and then embat you know, dominated him a Bill Simmons. Bill Simmons said he grabbed the race by the you know what's Yeah, I don't. I don't. I don't acknowledge.

I mean, we know that he believes in like verous Jenks and this is the riverous riverous Jenks, and he's clearly trying to get em beat. Uh you know, have him have a have a bad run here, But um, I don't know. I still all the playoff talk is like I need to see we still we still rely on two players who haven't done it in the playoffs and embeat. It's been really bad luck with like his face repeatedly getting broken from and both with Harden. I don't know, man, I'm don't believe in the Sixers. I

don't believe in them absolutely. I think I think they got it. They gotta figure it out right now. I mean obviously that that loss of the magic isn't isn't working well. But Tyris Max he has been fantastic for them that now that he's healthy, James Harden looks like a legit point guard. I think he's every ten very very quietly this year. I don't think people have talked about him enough. Tobias Harris has been solid, gotten better as a defenders. So like their top four might be

the best top four in the league. Did they go past the second round? That's the question. That's the question. It's all luck, man, It's it's all I mean, who do they lose to last year? The Heat? Yeah, I mean yeah, it's a lot of luck, a lot of matchup based you know, uh situations. But and Mbiad's face was broken at the beginning of that and missing came

in out of shape, and yeah you stay you stay healthy. Um, you got PJ Tuck on your team this year, another year under Tiris Max, he's about another year under you know, James, and James had a training camp with him be this year. They think, you know, forming a good one to punch here.

So I can see it, man, I really can. I thought the thing with the with the Celtics for me was like last year they were clearly the better team in the finals until the Warriors just found what worked for them defensively, like the Celtics could not capitalize on their athletticism, and I worry about that happening again over the course of the series, where a team will be able to figure them out. So like that's why I'm don't get me wrong, there's still the favorites in the East.

But I could see Philly making a run for sure. I could see Milwaukee making a run for sure. Like, I don't think it's that clear cut right now. Milwaukee looks really good to me. Have you seen the Jannic the Yeah, he's really when he's when he's got to go, and he's as dominant as as anything. Yeah. But anyways, I just wanted to mention the Sixers because I know our listeners are like, you guys don't talk about MB you don't talk about the Sixers enough, So I had to.

I had to mention it. Really, just mention it. You know what's funny. I actually when when they played the clip us here a couple of weeks ago, I asked him about like the rise of European players, like the best four, the best players are international right now, and he cut me up and he goes, but who's the best player. I was like, I just said four, the four, the five or the best who was the best player that. I'm like, no, I want the best players international and

he goes, okay, okay, I'll take that. I'll take that, Okay, you asked Yeah. I asked him beat that post game and he was like, yeah, but I'm good he wanted me to say whether he was better than your kid is basically what he's trying to say, And I just went I played save. I was a kind of a coward. I was like the best players international, Yeah, very boy, don't give don't give the child what he wants. He was trying, and he was trying. He was trying right right, Jack.

What did you think of the pleasantries exchanged between Marquelle Faults and like the team and there's there's a nice back and forth. I noticed, you know, like Embid was like, you know, I think we I think we gave up on him too early. False was like, I really, you know, Philadelphia can be a tough city, but they showed me love. It was all good. How are feeling around all that?

Mark hell Folts and Jason Tatum are both very painful players for me to watch and contemplate because of the fact that I feel like embiad has a couple of chips if they if they make the right decision on on that trade and don't do it and just take Jayson Tatum at the three spot or you know whatever whatever, or draft him first if if they had to trade up for it. So I don't know and then you know,

Ben Simmons. I find myself the Sixers and the Nets played a really great competitive game, obviously without k D, but it was it was very fun, and I find myself still getting excited for when, like Ben Simmons had the best quarter I think he's had this season, maybe in the third quarter, just being aggressive and getting into the paint. So I'm just I'm ruined by my my

history as a Sixers fan. You know, I can't, I can't be objective, but you know, when when they are playing mind games with Simmons, I'm like, well, you know was the real reason we're all here? You understand, right,

But anyways, I'm happy. I think it's all silly and everybody should be friendly everyone, and it looks like and yeah, not to say that there's any bad blood, because I feel like most Sixers fans enjoy seeing that he's getting on, you know, in Orlando, which is always nice to see because for a moment there was I think but before this, I remember, before this podcast was out of markl. Folter was having trouble with the shooting. We were always like,

what what has to happen? Well it was I I did give him some pointers right after he was drafted and told him to you know, we're at work with a tennis ball and softball and in your old high school coach. Yeah, my old high school coach gave him the shot doctor t M. I do have a trademark next to that. Anyways, I am I am glad every time he's healthy and putting up some impressive stats and he's he's really like a fun person to watch. Should we take a break, come back and talk about some

movers and shakers, Why not? As long as they're moving somewhere and we're back. I feel like we're starting to see things shape into a standings that I wouldn't have been shocked by, like at the beginning of the season. So the Pelicans, I mean we we did say the Pelicans were gonna be good. I didn't necessarily think they were gonna be at the top of the West like they were a couple of weeks ago. They have since

them gone one and nine over the last ten. They're down to the eighth seed in a plant spot Pacers one and nine over the last ten, and then the Wolves and Clippers, who I think we expected to be pretty solid this year are six and four and seven and three, uh or the Clippers are six and four, seven and three over the last ten. Warriors are back

in the five spot. I think the big surprise that like the team that everybody was, you know, expecting maybe to be contended, like at best, to be contending for a play in spot except for the King's sack down, Like there, what would what would that bed have looked like? I know, I'm pretty sure that they're over under on wins was like thirty three or something, right, Yeah, not being in the playoffs since what like two thousand six

or whatever. So they're in the three spots in the West with a four game lead and the lost column over the four seed. So there, you know, they're solidly in there. But the heat are now rising, Like it really feels like the past couple of weeks has been a reversion to the mean of like what people's expectations were heading into the season. So I don't know, now they get a factor in like strength of schedule. Guys

are in and out like matters um. So yeah, I think the Clippers finished the first half of the season before they all start playing the most games of any team in the league. I think it's like sixty I want to say sixty one or sixty two somewhere like that. So, uh yeah, and March they have they have like four different sets of three days off or two days off they have. They have a bunch of days off in March.

So they they got like a very front loaded schedule and then like the second half it is very very light. I don't know, I don't know why we call the second half twenty games left, but um, they have a very you know, black second half. So I guess that all that all factors into you look at the rest days and who's in and out and all that. A lot of guys started the season hot and then kind of cool off, Like I think the Blazers kind of started hot and they felt like they kind of peaked

too early. Um, so you know, the Clippers starting to play well, the Warriors are starting to play well there somehow back in the five seeds after it felt like they were the thirteen seed like a week and a half agour something like that. So close together out West, you know, I mean, the Lakers are the Lakers are what are the thirteens right now? And there three games out of the sixth seeds like yeah, and then yeah,

even Memphis too. They're starting to slip. Ever since uh that little showdown with Shannon Sharpe went down, feels like jaw hasn't quite quite found it. You know what, alright, we we do wanna. I think we've made a decision on who at least temporarily gets our nickname that we've

been looking for the right candidate for business decision. The business decision being what how do we And as we define a business decision on this show is is somebody who is about to be on a poster and that makes the correct business decision to not contest the don't and just get out of the way, do not engage as quickly as do not engage, do not engage. Um, And I think I think we have it from last season, but this this does embody our definition of a business decision.

You're going up. You realize, no, actually I'm gonna be I'm gonna sit the no smoke section. Yes, in fact, and smoked his head down the way to put his head down. I was like, nope, nope, praggye smoke said no smoke for me. It's truly So we're gonna we'll link off to it in the foot notes of this episode and on Twitter. Just suproducer Jabari found this and linked off to it on Twitter. But and he did.

He did kindly contrast this with what I did in high school, which I went up against seven footer Dan goid Zerich and tried to contest every dunk. After he had dunked on me thirteen times, I was like, this one, this one, this is the one where my jumping skills exponentially increased. Yes, wow, so you were kind of like a punch drunk boxer, like it was the rocky one of getting dunked on. I was just punch drunk and still, you know, I thought I was going to get like

style points or something because it was Jim. There's nobody there and it was just me getting abused. Well, look, and that's what it takes to make proper business decisions. Yeah, that's why I admire this so much. To marry you play ball like you ever you ever come across some moments like that. I mean, look, you know, egos aside, because this has been a touchy question, we've realized on the internet, nobody wanted to come in when they've had to.

We we put into our listeners, like, hey, anybody else had some business decisions they had to make and people were hitting us up in the d M s and like just the tweet. I mean, I've always been I've always been the type of guy who just like, if I know, if I know the guy's trying to trying to slam it, I'm just I'm just gonna go for the arm as hard as I can. And so one time I did get the arm, I did exactly. I

didn't block the dunk, just got in here. And the next time he decided to use two hands, So that's not did you tell him that's not fair as he was dunking it over you with two hands? Hey, no fair, no fair? Look at the ref. You look at the ref after ref. No fair, man, no fair. He used two hands on that one. Yeah, so ever since ever since I got two hands bunked on in high school, Um, I was, yeah, it's just not worth it, just not worth it. If it's if if if I think I

can go for the arm, I would do it. Other than that, I'm just it's not worth it. Older I got, the more, I'm like, well, it's just it's just a game. I don't don't. I don't need to get dunked on. I don't need to. I don't need to take a charge here or or or you know, contest this shot here. Go ahead, have your highlight. I'm just gonna go back down and try to you know, get to the bucket or something. You know. Yeah, and I don't have a bruise dug at that point, so you get dunk. I'm not.

I don't have a bruise d go. We're okay. Well, I do want to say just the the technique he uses Frankie Laino in this is so he jumps, but his body like so his legs jump, thinking I'm I've got to contest this because I'm the defender in the

NBA basketball game. But like you can see as like the signal from his brain travels down his body to like recognize, like, oh, I'm gonna get dunked on if I don't do something drastic, and so his like eyes go dead and then his hands go down to his side like he's doing like the pencil dive that year when you're jumping into the like uh, and then like he also, I don't know. It reminds me of like what they tell you to do against a bear attack, Like if a bear is attacking you, you just go

limp like that. You don't fight back, Yeah, don't fight back and just like kind of make yourself small, don't be interesting. I think I think Mila Kino was considering international relationship between Canada and France and didn't want to anything. He wanted to know business decision internationally as well. It's

not just so yeah, yeah, that's true. I just love though, like how early though he gives up like he's still he's still on the ground here, and then as soon as he gathers to go up he started he gave up right here because he started immediately starts tucking his arms. It's as soon as his arms go down, as soon as Wiggins put his hands back yea, and it's like you know what this is gonna badly? Yeah, he's like,

oh no, he's cocking it back right right. Well look, I mean look, Tom or do you have any other do any other memories hit your brain of other business decisions in the past that you felt like, you know that getting dunked on wasn't enough you want no, no, no, I mean like of that you can even recall from seeing the NBA or games past, because I feel like we always want our listeners to always be looking out for these kinds of interesting moments that we're trying to

give definitions to, like making a big business. I can't think of any one moment, and I don't mean to put you on the spot, so I can't. I can't think of any one moment. But yeah, I mean I'm a big fan of those. I love when guys just admit, you know, a mid air that they're just not getting this. Is that almost now, now that I think about it,

What would be more satisfying to the person dunking? It's to be like, oh, he made a business decision, or is it to like, you know, flex up over the vanquished when they're on the ground after Because I don't know, a party you'd be like, yeah, you already knew you did not even want to sign up for that. I don't know. Now I'm trying to think, what if you want to go viral? You know, Job food agree. I think I think job will take it both ways. But you know, the glory of cocking back and detonating on

someone seems to be pretty satisfying. I I wouldn't know personally no, I would not. But just like the sounds that Dan get Zeriic was making when he was jumping on me, it seems to be sounds of great satisfaction and joy. Oh you felt that. You're like, this is probably disrespectful to to to give up, bit air if you if you're the guy who you really just don't just don't back up and give up. Yeah, kind of

like a warrior code. It's like you came into the colosseum and this is to death, baby, this is to death. I would have went up with you too, and if you killed me, then that's what it is. What it is, okay, because if you block that shot, you're flexing on them. Yeah. Although although it is a terrible to be like going up and like, oh, he's dunking it and then be like, you know what, arms across my chest as if I'm going down like an emergency slide on an airplane that's evacuated.

I think that's the move. That's a business decision. I want to see across the arms like you're going down the slide off and coming off playing or like a water slide. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. Tom as somebody who gets to see a good deal of NBA action in person. Is there a player that you've seen in person that just you would tell people like, don't talk about this person's game until you've seen them in person. Honestly, I

think post injury Kauai has been pretty badly disrespected. Yea, And I think people just and you never know how someone's gonna come off with, you know, an a c L injury. I think he's one that is so you can never speed him up. He's gonna play his own game no matter what you're doing. Honestly, Steph Curry, if you just watch him like in an arena, watch him move off the ball and that guy standing on that

guy's just Cardio is through the roof. I mean, it's it's really insane to watch it in person because defenders have to go through screens, went through the screens. It's just it's it's crazy to watch. Honestly. I know, I know it's not to pick it's kind of whack to pick the stars, I guess, But like just the way those guys um methodical, not sped up playing their own game,

I think is is really really fun to watch. I think the Curry thing is really interesting because we were talking about, you know, his conditioning and how other NBA players who even attempt like some of the drills he does are just like vomiting within like twenty seconds basically yeah, And I can like yeah, because I mean I've I actually haven't seen Steph playing person, but that is like when I hear you say that, I'm like, yeah, actually, that is something I feel like I would really want

to see in person, because just reading about his fitness regime and what he does to stay in condition is enough for me to be like, uh, yeah, that that sounds about right. He not only needs to be able to like run all the all that distance, like you know, top speed, but he's doing it while trying to keep his heart rate below a certain level, which is like the level at which he knows he can shoot well

like that. That's just it's a whole different level of precision that I was not aware existed prior to him. I feel like it's one more thing. Let me throw one more thing out there. I guess one thing one player I think is like an underrated level of strong.

It is probably like Demontes sibonis Um. He doesn't look like the biggest guy and I think like when, for example, when Steven Adams says that's a big guy, like a strong guy, but that you know that probably he's a guy who who doesn't look super bulky, but that guy in the post is just going to back you down no matter who you are. He is so wide, strong, base,

just nice built, just he's incredible. He's another guy who I think his his post, his post game and his his strength has not really talked about as much because you don't really see that until you see, like in person for example. So right where Steven Adams reads as like you could put him in roles that were written for Andre the Giant and you'd be like, yeah, I mean that's that's that's about right. I should lift that car up with one hand. Um, all right, should we

talk about some performances real quick? Yeah, yeah, let's give let's hand out some flowers real quick. Luca put up a fifty three, seven and five versus the Pistons, started the game with twenty four of his team's thirty points um just score of precision like the bal dominance and ability to make that work again continues to be unparalleled with Luca, and there was also I read a stat that he he hasn't scored fifty points outside of the

state of Texas. Coming, Yeah, it's coming against the Spurs and the Rockets, like this season that he's just like, He's like not, He's like, yeah, Texas is where he goes off at the highest level. It turns out, okay, the big state. Maybe it always feels like home to him. We saw him Money showed up in that cowboy outfit to the game and just looked very was that was

that a Christmas Day game? I'm trying to remember why where Luca was arriving, but he he just looked like a kid who just got in a costume and was like the most funny. He looked like Mike TV from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory who had like the cowboy guns and stuff. But there was a great moment afterwards where they're talking about it's like, hey, you know, Luka, you're you're you're not bad with your mouth. You know you'd like to talk a little bit of trash, Like

what are your feelings on that? And there's this this exchange. But his answer about his like love of trash talk sent just shivers down my spine, just in the way he answered, I haven't having no problems that it's it's basketball gets me going for sure. Uh, I don't have no problems. Do you enjoy it? Yeah, there's almost something perverse about look on was basically yeah, that's me. Whoa, whoa, he said, yes, but it was yeah, which I think again, I love that. It just felt like something like a

batman villain would say. His mouth said yeah, but his eyes said feed me daddy, which was never ending, never ending. Jana's put up a fifty thirteen versus the Pelicans, Uh, caped it off with a pull up three and did it all in thirty minutes, and it was just yeah. But when he's going towards the basket and they're throwing three bodies at him and he's just matrix ing himself through the time space continuum. Uh, it's it's pretty cool to watch the three body problem. The three body problem,

that's what Yeah, that's what he solves on the regular. Yeah. There was some some wild stad I mean, like across like the last four games, like how he's just like the most potent score with like the least amount of minutes, but you know he's coming back with a bang. I think recently he was asked like, how do you feel are you better that this season the last season? He's like, yeah, but you're only seeing it yet. And you're like, oh no, what do you say, y'all? Aren't what he's like. He's like,

he's just not seeing it yet. You like, mental, Yeah, I'm like, huh. And Chris Middleton's back, come on now, hold them back? Okay, Okay, Yeah. They looked terrifying in that game. Granted the Pelicans were banged up, but like they they looked scary and like they were having fun and then they did it to the Pacers. I mean that that there were some dunks in that game that, barring if job Moran didn't exist, they would be my dunks of the year from Janice. There was one that

was it involved a bad business decision. I'll say that it turned over the place of Alan pushing it. Oh my goodness, to building is buzzing right now, and what a pass coiverus the Hawks. It's a good point about like just his economy of motion, like there's no wasted movement, is just always so efficient, just directly gets to his spots um and it just like looks inevitable and there there's no other player. I heard this, This was true of Michael Jordan. That is like he just every part

of him was incredibly strong. There's another player where you can like see how strong their hands are the way you can with Kauai, Like just when he's defending someone or when he's holding someone off, it's just wild, like it's just like a piece of steel. Don't you ever had a chance to or if you have a chance to, try to watch his just his shot release, watch how the ball looks so tiny and his in his palm and watch the release. It looks like he's throwing like

a little tennis balls. Yeah, it's weird. He wasn't a good shooter when he came in league because like that is that makes it really hard to shoot when your hands up. Can I get a bigger ball man? Come on? Yeah? It was like I couldn't shoot a golf ball from three point range. But he is on point. He's shooting well, like when you know when he has a going he's he looks really good. I'm starting to believe the Clippers

are gonna make some noise. And then Sacramento there there was like a University of Kentucky Showdown between Darren Fox and Anthony Edwards uh and Sacramento one. That one, Darren Fox dropped thirty two, Leek Monk dropped nineteen off the bench. So Wildcat fans were probably enjoying that one, and Hot Cheetos fans as well. Yeah, what was the hot Cheetos thing? Yes? Yes, three back, he's got a three bag problem. Well that brings us to the hot seat. I guess we'll come

back and do a rapid fire eh. Yeah, yeah, and we're back until Mara Zarlee. You are about to embark on the fastest paced question and answer segment in podcast history. We call it the rapid Fire Round of Questioning. We're gonna ask you a question t M t M trademark. We're gonna ask you a question. Don't think too long. It's like a chess pet like just chest pass it right back. No no reactions, like here's a question right back. And so we wanted to straight out your brain. Don't

take don't give extended answers. If we start talking about some nonsense, Pomer, please keep us on track, the host, This is kind of your responsibility as the guest. Also in this segment is to kind of drive it as well. You might want to look down and notice that the seat you're sitting in just became the hot seat. Yeah, trademark, Yeah, brought to you fries my wanting you go first. All right, here we go, Wow, thank you. We didn't even have to fight over that one, shall we? Here we go

start the clock. My gosh, Clara Darley, if you could bet on any fan base to make the in arena challenge shots, you know, like the lay up, free throws, three point or half court you know that whole thing, which fan bases or fan base would you bet on to do that? Successful Lakers? Yeah? I mean they've they've had three half court winners just here. Oh that's true,

three alone, three half court winners just this year. I think it was like a hundred thousand, seventy thousand the amount of resets every time someone makes it, right, So like they've had three of them. There's the three half court winners. Yeah, it's it's insane. I mean that that team has that. The Lakers should bring every one of those guys and signed them, like, yeah, two lasers out there. I mean I already forgot about my man who drove

for Uber eats and hit that buzzer beater. Matt Ryan. Yeah, Matt Ryan se this this is, this is where we're at. And I think he actually got got on the team from hitting a half court shot. I think during so got him for that game. Hit the shot, and then he just actually dropped off some movie eats for me earlier this week. So he's like out of it. He's like, Also, why so many Frosty's from Wendy's. You're like, hey, relax man,

why are you asking so many questions? Okay, we were asking because the Pacers gave somebody five hundred dollars for doing Yeah, that's embarrassing. Yeah, that's embarrassing. But it also suggests that they're just like, yeah, of course you're going to hit that. You're from Indiana. Yeah, Church of Basketball. Minimum minimum if it was it was an half court shot. Yeah minimum, easy three, half court shot. Make all those Yeah,

oh my god, that's that's disrespectful. Yeah, we got to call the u N you know what I mean, the Human Rights Counsel on this, Like this needs to be re addressed. They need to come back. I think, okay, okay, let's maybe more questions. I've only had one so far. Wow, Okay, tomares really okay, Okay, so he's fired me up, but I've only got one. Okay, Yeah, you're right, thank you, Tommara.

We should keep this going, Jack, what's up? Anthony Edwards recently acknowledged a three bag per day habit of hot Cheetos fries. I believe it was twenty one a week, so you know we're averaging there, but we we don't know if like on Saturdays he's putting down eighteen and then like three on another day. But anyway, what was or is your wildest eating habit when you were a young athlete, like Anthony Edwards McDonald's with chickens, how many

of you putting down? I mean there was a McDonald's right outside our high school, so I mean I don't say we're going every day or we were going maybe like three times a week to chickens for like two bucks. So I would tell me this probably five to sick the week, and was like the like the biggest hooper on your team? Did he have the worst diet of

every any person on earth? Didn't follow that because there was a trend of hooper like people around me where I was just like are you guys even serious about your bodies because you're you play really well, but all you eat is like ice cream. I don't remember. I actually don't remember. Actually I used to do really well, Like, don't be wrong. I used to eat a lot of home cooked meals. We used to watch a lot of a lot of what I ate. But having a McDonald's

gonna tell your high school. It's just dangerous. It's really really bad. Like I'm I'm talking like we walked for maybe like a minute and we got there, like it was there right there. So um, I don't know about his diet. I don't. I can't remember, honestly, I can't remember. Yeah, No, I just feel like there's there's just something always unfair about like these elite athletes are like, yeah, what's your secret?

Like I don't know, twenty one bags of Chester hot fries a week and you're like what there was like a takedown piece on Jeordan. It was like Jordan's rules and they're like he just polished off of Pepperoni pizza. Like this guy doesn't take it. Is like, actually, you're just making him seem more like a superhero man, Like that's unbelievable. That he doesn't watch what he eats, and like, yeah, Tommary, you never hit up that that Tommy's on Victory. Isn't that just up the street? So I have, but it

was so much. I felt like I gained. I felt I felt so heavy after that. Yeah, at least felt I felt, you know, chi Burger from which man, No, that's just that's crazy. All right, Tommary, we really got to keep this moving, man. We can't just keep talking about obscure Burger, chains on Victory and Kester. We got to keep this segment moving. With All Star Weekend coming up in a few weeks, you have the chance to put together an all time three point competition. Which four

shooters from throughout NBA history are you picked? I guess, like whenever playing, I'm guessing we're talking, yeah, George Gurban now yeah, i'd want to see Clyde Now, Um, I guess we'll go. I mean, is it Steph play Ray and Reggie right Miller? Like, I mean, there are no right, there's no wrong answers, right or wrong answers. But that's that's powerful. Yeah, that's a good Thompson, Reggie Miller, Ray Allen. See what those guys do if you get out of fifth?

Who would you? Guy? Sorry to augment the question like that, but I just wanted to see what was you've got. No, let's just disappear. Maybe Kyle Korverer. I guess interesting could be in JJ Reddick. I'd be interested. Like some of the people from the eighties that you know weren't shooting as much as those guys like a Larry Bird for instance. Have you heard of that guy Larry Bird? He played for a little bit and like he was apparently real cocky and uh like like to talk trash around the

three point contest. I think that'd be interesting to like put it out there or Craig Hodges Craig Hodges Man I think said ellis yeah interesting. Um, all right, you can go back time and watch any single NBA game gam from throughout history. Which game are you choosing? Or game or game in person or on TV? Oh since Calves games five in Yeah, game where a row thirty? I just wanted to earlier this year. Yeah that was It was like, oh, this is gonna be our next

two decades, right, Yeah. I mean I was a Bronze fan that I watched that and I was like, yo, This dude is crazy. He was doing things he's never done before, like behind the back, dribbled to a side step three like I've never seen him make that move in his life. And he was sitting overtime like that. So yeah, it'd be game It'd be game five. Pistons Calves two thousand and seven, Uh Conference Finals. Yeah, you

could like kind of see the joy. He was like just making it up as he went and was like yeah, fun. And finally Tomara the most question Jack or Miles. Oh come on that. Oh that is tough. I'm gonna say Jack because they feed me Daddy from Luca line earlier. Just um, wow, you're putting oh wowed daddy. I probably would have picked Miles. I'm just I get it. No, you you doubled back on that after even on the break. You're like, man, that feat is my year. I panicked

when he went Tomary said he liked that line. I was like, um, he called out I had much that video, So I guess myles, thank you for bringing that up. You don't have changed, you don't have we get you can also may be a compliment. Come on now night, Yeah, stop that, I'm not here. Every what happened Tamary, I went oh and thirty before before winning my first one. I think I think is isn't aren't you going? Isn't like a three peet? Now? Yeah, this is three in

a row. So I'm defeated in January after being without a win. It's it's like the plot to Major League. You know, so Miles has been to the mountain top and you know, now, what's your turn? Is what you're saying. You can kind of see it the way he like treats the guests like the under room. You know. It's like, I'm not gonna It's just like I don't know, dude, Like I find out Jack's texting the guests during the recording behind ahead of time, like coming to a financial agreement,

like what's this three one o number? Man? Like fifteen texting this, you'd be like, I'm I'm gonna lighte that after No Taste, No case. Tolmara is our lead. Thank you so much for joining us. All Miles and Jack got Matt boost has been a fantastic guess a fantastic time. Where can people find you, a follow you and support you and read you all that stuff? How how can they get in your world. Well, first of all, appreciate you guys having me. This has been a fun episode,

uh school to stock coops and and have fun. So I appreciate that. Um trying me on on Twitter, on Instagram, TikTok at tomyris Arlie. That's t O M E r A z A r l y um. You can find my work on clutch points dot com by cover the Clippers obviously, but we have a bunch of guys who cover teams around the league. But you find me there for the most part that I post all my stuff on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, so follow my at there. Oh okay, so you can find us on Twitter at

mad boost. These M A D B double O s t I E s our tweet of the week comes off the heels of our business Decisions question with Jack Dan get Zert story of mine. We asked the listeners you know for the former or future pros that had them making business decisions when they swear it off and our boost These listeners of the week work first. Mr Ricky Spanish tweeted, I played against several but hell no,

they gave me five thousand. I who's all five? Oh that's okay, that's a business decision at Alan Ramick tweeted Dario Sarich no further comment, Okay, Alan, I kind of need to know a little bit more. I mean that you've you've you've got my interest. But make sure you follow us, like I said at mad Boosts on Twitter, so you can see our tweets and engage with us. Uh. And that's gonna do it for us this week. We're gonna be back next week because this show don't stop.

All right, We'll talk to you that Bye bye everyone, Bye. Jack's a winner. I'm a winner. This is your winner, Jack, co host signing off. I wear it well like I've always been here, you know, just saying things like this is your winner, Jack. Hey, is that winner Jack? Yes, it is. See you later.