MJGMB #100: State of the Bucks and All Star Game Talk with Martenzie Johnson

The doctors wrong, the lawyers wrong, the fortune tellers wrong, the psyche gigs wrong, wrong, the haters wrong. Because said what.

It couldn't do it losers, Look at us, Look at us.

It's episode one hundred of Jack on Matt Boosy's I guess what today we are talking about All Star Weekend because it kicks off on Friday, and we've got a few new faiths in a few new places, and we're gonna be breaking down the state of the bucks with and escape. And I said almost said espens and ESPN's done so nice. We're moving back here we go. They said it couldn't be done because the host did not know what ESPN was and ESPN Martesse Johnson on today's episode, I'm Miles.

Gray and I'm Jack O'Brien and this is a mouth and Jack got bot episode.

It okay here you're job driving, spinning.

From blocks.

Got up with five? Is gonna try another three? Mister, look on James to be honest, to tell God, look out show time. Yes, oh man, what a time, What a time. We're basking in the light of a century of episodes. We couldn't have done it without you. Thank you so much. For listening and bearing witness to the greatness that is MOUs and jackob mad Boostie is We really appreciate the love and support because we wouldn't have gotten here without you that And.

Are you saying like that we couldn't do it because that is what motivated us exactly.

That's what we do. Push ups. We do two push push ups in front of a quote that we printed up from an Apple review, and we're like one, two, Yes, I'm thoroughly motivated. But yes, welcome, welcome Martenzi Johnson to one episode. Thank you so much for joining us. Man.

No, it's pleasure. That was a flawless opening.

Uh, I love every everything about that was not I was not prepared for that, but that flawless.

Is it like working with espen?

I never heard? So it's sounded like a pharmaceutical company. It's great.

Yeah.

We uh we we priced gouge and we take advantage of the less vulnerable in this country.

So yeah, it sounds like it's like the new kind of EPI pen. You like you got that pen? Yeah, I'm I'm I'm allergic to cashews, so please please make sure you have it on hand. Yeah, I mean, look, I heard Spike Lee once told you that you you are the future? Is this you know?

Actually, I don't like to boast a lot. I don't want to be known as kind of a narcissist. But that one, I'm holding one to that for the rest of my life. It has not come out yet. I think it comes out probably next fall. But I was interviewed for the Colan Kaepernick documentary for being a Spike League uh directed, And so I got to go to Brooklyn and go to a studio and record with him.

And I tell people this all the time.

I want I want to I want to think that Spike new read all my work and was just so impressed that he said I think he just meant you as in, young people are the future of this but.

Me.

But also I got to say, like an impressive turnaround between like I don't like to brag and then bragging.

It's like on, it's up there with rappers, delight.

I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast, but we're like hot butter on breakfast toast like exactly, you know, from one sentence to the next.

Yeah, yeah, I like it. I was like, you know, whatever, this is it's just a disclaimer.

You know, I believe Martenzi is the future.

That's what he cated it, right, and he will lead the way you reach away. Yeah, I actually need to start taking that more literally because actually I was once in a group of like young people with like a state like senator and they're like, and you guys are the future. And I'm like, oh my gosh, I need to put that on my bio. I'm like, did you did y'all hear that about you?

I'm obsessed with me.

I'm the future. I'm like, I barely have any stuff out right now, but you could tell that's crazy? Thank you something. Oh you know who actually said that? It was? It was actually a House of Representatives. It was Elijah Cummings who told like, this was I could tell no, this is like, which is wild civil rights icon Elijah Cummings. I remember, this is like when I was working in politics and it was like me and a group of young political activists, like consultant type people, and he's like,

Yeah?

Uh, let me let me just start by saying Jabari did not tell me we'd be talking to Bucks, and if he had to that I would not come on here.

For me.

Uh he mentioned none of this, but uh, yeah, it's not good. Uh it is the best way to put it.

Like you said there two and five, I think, yeah, I got there. They weren't playing exactly great before, but at least the record was better. So before it was the process was bad, but the results were great, and now the results are bad, and according to people in Milwaukee, the process is great. I've missed some of the games, but like, if you're losing, I don't think the process is all that great. But for the game I saw

When we saw the nasty sham guy who's.

Some respects is his name.

Yeah, I know people like to pick on him, but uh yeah, he shows you can't.

He's a real NBA player, just the fifteenth man.

Yeah, I gotta say, like, just just so I'm a Sixers fan. I remember when we exported James Harden to the Clippers. They had a rough start, and then the seventy six ERSNSS kind of washed off of him through repetition, and now they're one of the best teams in the league. So I will just say sometimes it takes a seventy six Ers export a couple reps to just like get

That's Is this a metaphor about Pat bit or Doc Rivers.

The Doc Rivers doctor?

Yeah, yeah, because yeah, I mean I remember the last time I was like, see when James Harden went there, I was like, see, it's he's not that.

And then of course he's good. He's really good.

Yeah.

I knew he was good. I knew he was good last season a counter.

I mean, we've seen James Harden be great in the regular season, and then it's the same most story in the playoffs, So like, you know, wait until June before you completely buy into your theory that he watched all the seventy six ers off of him. But yeah, it's not great for the Bucks that you have to not only fire a coach midseason, but then hire a completely new one.

I didn't even go to the interim route. There was like, no, we're gonna.

Completely clean break yeah clean, Blake replaced everything with Doc Rivers, which I mean, obviously he's had success if you win championship in Nbaly, but so many people can say that. But at the same time, I don't know how to put this other than I don't like his vibe.

I believe Doc Rivers a few I don't.

I just kidding, but I mean, even how he got here if you believe the athletics reporting, but if he can, if we can give it some.

Time, seven games is not enough, I don't think.

I mean, Adrian Griffin got thirties to my game, so you know, give it some time. But I didn't like what I saw in the beginning of the season, even when they went on that win streak with a lot of those time like one of the one of those games I believe was the one and Dame hit the game winner.

So there's a lot to want more from this team.

Obviously, the partnership of him and Dame, the health of christ Middleton, is brook Lopez still a defensive star.

Wark, it's still a question.

But if they have stability now, if the players believe in their coach, which it was clear even before they it felt like that they did not believe in Adrian Griffin, then actually there can be some optimism, but until then.

It looks rough.

Yeah.

I do love just talking about each each party believing in the other, right, I did love.

This felt very.

Familiar to me as a Sixers fan when Doc was like and I wouldn't wish this assignment on my worst enemy, having to coach this team. I mean, you didn't say it about you didn't say it about the team in particular. He was like having to pick up a new But it just felt like, I don't know, maybe I would be like, I'm getting to coach the best player in the world like this, and then like one of the most clutch players and greatest scorers of the past twenty years.

I wouldn't wish that on my enemy.

Yeah, I feel like I'm waking up from a dream, like this is amazing.

Uh And yeah, so I could see how that might like rub people the wrong way.

But then sometimes maybe you need that initial like who does this man think he is to like get get all the energy right, so that they don't feel like they've got a coach that they can just like push around and cancel out.

Yeah, they, like you said, they sort of needed someone in charge before Adrian Griffin got fired. Giannis is there is on the bitch drawn up plays. We heard the reporting that he would just ignore whatever Adrian was telling him to do. He's arguing with the coach of when he goes in and out of the game, Bobby Portis, I believe snapped on him at least more than once,

Been like eight months, it's just not good.

Were you surprised how quickly they showed Adrian the door or were you like it's coming based on sort of what you're meeting, because I you know, like if the reporting also was true, was that it wasn't so much that they wanted him, They just didn't want Nick Nurse.

Yeah, I was.

I was only shocked by it because before Doc Rivers popped up, I didn't think that they would do the interim route, because you're essentially throwing the season away by doing that. Like Joe Frunt, Like, I mean, he's he's helped the Bucks a little in the past, but like he's not exactly championship coach. So I just assume they'll just ride it out and if things don't get better, if there's another first or second round exit, then okay and it's over.

You can restart fresh.

But I didn't think that they would do it misdseason because you'd be punching on the season.

When came I was like, Okay, that makes more.

Sense because he at least has a proven coach here, and I think you needed probably a championship for Eastern Western Conference championship caliber coach to do that, and so they got that. But no, I thought they would just write it out just for a simple fact.

It's like, he's new. You all knew that, right. You knew that when when when.

You hired him, when Giannis resigned, when you got Dame, you knew that you were dealing with a freshman coach, So like, why give up so easily if you knew that this was going to be your process.

So that was the surprising part.

But again, once I saw Doc River's name pop up as a possibility, I was like, oh, yeah, they're going with Doc, because you wouldn't fire someone if you didn't have a plan. At least I don't think.

You right, right, especially with all these players that you've already you know, have in place, And yeah, you can't really waste time, but what about it?

And it's actually impossible not to hire once you have the idea that we might hire Doc Rivers, it's actually impossible not to hire him.

That's actually been proven. Yeah, it's like a Harry Potter thing, right, physics.

I think. Now, what about Dame? Are you how are you feeling about Dame? I mean, you know, he has his moments, he also does really well and like in the postseason and things like that, But are you you know, what's your assessment so far? Does it feel like that was the right move and we just need to let it work out? Are you kind of be like?

See, yeah, so I'm impartial to Drew Holliday because just watching him play defense for the last three years, Like, I don't think there's just anyone better as far as the point guard.

To do it, So you don't want to give that up, right At the same time, is Dame literally like you.

Kind of have to do it?

And not to mention with Chris Middleton this injury aside recently like he's almost literally on his last legs and asn't seen this year, he's not capable of being the consistent number two score that he used to be and so that would have thrown Drew Holliday into that position and regular season aside, like Drew Ate that good at that in the playoffs and so you could run it back like you did last year and really the year

So that's not great.

But at this point, with how he's playing defense, with how Bess playing defense again, I mentioned Brooke Loveez, who I thought was defense player a year last year didn't win it whatever, He's not that this year. People can score him at the at the rim with ease compared to what they used to. It's going to take Dame time all throughout the postseason for the Bucks to even have a chance, I think, because the defense ain't gonna be there. So at least score one hundred and twenty

Right, And I guess one word to describe Pat Beverly on the Bucks, Okay, and.

There that was there worth, there was there was more of a sound utterance.

It didn't have to be word. It could be an energetic you know, something that describes the feeling, you know, something abstract. And that was fine.

Yeah, it's it's two words.

But game two, let me just see what he does in the second game. Yeah, rather than just running.

Off the high of his debut the other night again against the Hornets.

But yeah, but game hey, he was he was drawing up some plays like you know, he's in there. He's dedicated, so we'd like to see it.

Should we should we take a break?

Yeah?

Back, we'll talk. We'll talk to some All Star weekend.

Yeah, there's a lot some things happening. I guess this All Star week Yeah.

All right, we'll be right and we're back.

We're back.

This is our hundredth episode on this you know, our hundredth episode feels appropriate to reflect on an equally impressive one hundred, the time Chamberlain scored one hundred in a single game. The sixty second anniversary's coming up, and just as nobody thought it was possible for a weekly basketball podcast make it to one hundred episode, yep, a lot of people didn't think a single NBA player would make

Which is wild.

It was just like half of the arena happened in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The game held the record for most points scored by both teams is currently fourth all time and regulation points, and the Knicks started fouling other players to keep Wilt from scoring. It was like a reverse hack a shack where they would foul anyone else to keep the ball out of Wilt's hands. And yeah, they just like kind of decided they were going to do this at halftime.

They were like this this is It was almost like they were they were so bored. Yeah, They're like, this is like do something. This was this would be fun.

What you see as boredom, I see as.

Uh they were like, I'll be damn if Will chamber scores one hundred points. I mean it didn't work, But because no one wants to be on the other side of a historic moment, this is Wilt Chamberlain.

I have an example that iconic.

Lob from uh Duane Wade to Lebron James. You know what team they were playing when they did that, now the Milwaukee Bucks.

So I have to be when people were like, oh, it's the greatest photo ever. It happened.

Like what Jersey said was in the background, just don't don't is Ai man there?

You're like take out his legs. Yeah, I was saying.

The Warriors were kind of doing it out like they were like, man, will Scott forty something, which isn't unheard of. What if like he scored one hundred, that'd be I mean, that'd be something. And it was like a huge deal. It did, like he was on the Ed Sullivan or one of those old guy shows, like the next night. It was like a big deal for basketball, like they started.

It helped.

I think NBC was thinking about canceling their contract and they were like, well, this is something.

There's an actual star. He was only in his third year.

Also, just a blend of like how impressive it is with how long ago it was. The starting center for the Knicks was out with quote influenza that was widely suspected to be a hangover.

I love that kind of cover. He's out with influenza. Yeah, sorry not to wow.

With the old mad mad Men flew.

Yeah, but anyways, he played an every minute of seventy nine out of eighty games that season.

Every minute.

So I don't know, that's why they don't make them like they used to.

Huh Hey, am I right, that's just wild.

Yeah yeah, hey if Will did it, man, what's your excuse? Man? Was seventy nine games without the help of modern medicine.

But I just wanted to put it in perspective, how impressive, what we've done. Yeah, is it is like Wilt's hundred point game? Really the equivalent in many ways. Historians are saying we.

Will be honored at halftime. That's All Star Game. I know they're bringing us on the court and a three D holographic Wilt Chamberlain will be giving us an award. Say, fellas, you did something even I couldn't dream of. Congrats on one hundred. Anyway, Sorry to spoil, but look out for.

What's everybody most excited abou about All Star weekend. I mean, I'm I'm excited about the glass court, the led glass Court.

I'm curious to see how that works. It's gonna look like a video game, That's what it is.

Wild truly, I feel the same exact way. I'm looking very much to this led court and not much else. Maybe Steph Curry. I will be excited about Steph and Sabrina. Yes, Steph takes it seriously. Do not take it lightly on her. Treat her like a competitor. We want equality.

Treat her like she can shoot too, because that's the thing. If he messes around, she's gonna come to play. I was watching her record breaking performance in the All Star Game for the WNBA, and I was like, if well, what's out. But it's funny you're talking about the dunk contest because we're like, okay, who's in the dunk Contest? We got Jalen Brown, we got Jacob Toppin, Haimi hawkas junior and returning champion Mac McClung of the Osciola Magic, and I was like, wait this. I'm like, he's in

And then his game doesn't exploit his game does not suggest I want to see this man of the dunk conk.

No, however, who put who put us on? Was that Jabarb's at you Jack? That was me.

I had heard that there is I had heard tell.

Of a high school dunk contest with him and Drake London, the NBA or NFL player Drake London and the.

The dunks that Heimi Hawk has is hitting are I didn't realize. I was like, I'm sorry, I was as much as in the beginning, I was like, okay, we're fine. I was like, oh, sir, you almost hit your face on the rim multiple times while jumping over people. And I'm like, okay, so he might reveal a new dimension to people in the league, so there's something there. And then I was like, would Jacob Topping. I'm like, you what,

Legacy admission, but it's uh yeah, but nobody's actually seen him dunk. But just based on you know, his his work and his family's legacy, they're gonna they're gonna get let him give it a try.

For a second, I thought Obi Toppin was what his real name was, Jacob and he was going by Obi at the end of Jacob to be Obie Topping, and I was like, oh, no, no, Ja Kobe, Yeah, yeah.

I mean Brown and Hawks there are two of the better players to have been in the dunk contest, So I mean, if they can bring something that would be pretty pretty exciting.

I have feel like this will probably be like a very underrated dunk contest because, like I said, I was like, the second I saw Haimi Hawkins, I'm like, that's not that's not Hoimi hawk as his game. And then you like watch him in high school and I'm like, oh, this kid just wanted to like he was throwing his body at the rim with reckless abandon and I'm like, Okay, if that kid shows up, then we're gonna see something interesting. Because he was one where.

He jumps over somebody Windmills, loses the ball. I think he's like still growing and his hand isn't big enough, loses the ball and still like dunks it with his el like the inside of his elbow because he's up so hot.

It's pretty wild, almost like shatters his orbital like his cheekbone on the rim. But yeah, I think it's gonna be It's gonna it's gonna be something. I mean, I think you think Tyrese Haliburton will put on a show for the for the home fans over there.

Yeah, I mean he's been he's been looking Spike.

He's been able to just little highlights more and more than these last couple of weeks, and I'm like, well, let's see let's see because.

Himself recently he threw it off the glass like everyone else because he's like premiere point guard.

At this point, he's like, no, I'm gonna get an assist out of his.

Yeah, wide open corner.

I mean it kind of you kind of break the matrix because you're like, oh, he went off the glass, usually to yourself to finish, but he's like, watch me break the form, dish it out to the corner.

Yeah, we can, and I can.

Be honest, I don't know about you all, Like it's impressive, but the most swaggerless value or self value have I ever seen in my life?

Like I don't off the board. I don't want you to then pass the ball. The whole point is trace McGrady passed it all the way.

If Kobe passed all the way, we would not be talking about it, you know what I'm saying, Like you're like six foot four, I imagine like dump the ball, you got it.

Yeah.

Although I kind of like because that we've been seeing off the backboard as like a move like this just being a casual move to like get get your dribble back essentially is like is interesting to me, Like what if this is just a new dimension in the game that people are opening up that it's like, yeah, and I'm just gonna throw it off the backboard to get, you know, for it, Like it's it's not that big a deal to throw it off the backboard, right.

I feel like players like Chat and Wemby could probably exploit that very well for themselves, and it starts becoming a thing that you start watching like kids and like an under twelve year old league start doing because.

They're just like a new dimension feeding somebody inside is You're just like throwing off the backboard to them, just like a wall ball pass.

Who emerges victorious between East and West Martenzie.

I'm gonna go, Oh, they won't have him beat. I'll go West.

I think with with no embiid And honestly, I don't know why Dame is starting, so yeah, I'll go I'll go with the West.

Yeah, Okay, two Bucks in the starting lineup? Yeah yeah, who would have thought, right?

Yeah? I know? And me watching it, I'm like, wow, Malie Beasley is playing in the three point contest. I was just watching that young man last year and it was not the same.

This is a very napolist, like All Star game where you got a bunch of Bucks players running around here.

It's in Indianapolis.

There will be no Joel and be slacking some it's not lacking in star power, but you know what I mean, but it's very very it's very who's yours All Star game? But yeah, I got the West, like Lebron and Steph Curry seem to take this seriously. Uh right, and so well Lebron when he plays the entire game.

But so yeah, I.

See more so the West, West and the East. Yes, yeah, I think too.

Oh yeah, when you're also like you're like Steph is on the bench, Yeah, yeah, yeah, I like I like what I see coming off that bench too. Yeah for sure, for sure. Yeah.

Steph had, by the way, great game winner. Oh just unbelievable.

That was against Phoenix, right, yes, yeah was someone? Was it Booker or someone? After he's like, we should have known, you know, that's really on us, Like there's no.

I mean they did though they overplayed him.

The pass was like wild that he caught, Like it was like just kind of tossed out there. He it was like a scramble scramble for the ball. They like kind of threw a fifty to fifty ball up for grabs and then he went and got it, and yeah, you know.

How it happened is Bradley Beal went for the steal, which for any other player, sure, but with Steph Curry, you run the king exactly what he did, like just man him up, like let him get the ball and then like at least put a hand in his face, but you blue past him and then this man again it's the most acrobatic, crazy shot you've ever seen in your life. But I don't want to leave it up the chance, Like I rather guard him than try and make.

The steal, right, which yeah, and also it could a lot of good memories too, Seth the playing for the Hornets and in his dad's number thirty Jersey. It was a very heartening, heartening time for the Curry family. So good to see it, especially old heads like me when I was first being like, wow, Del Curry's kid is playing in the NBA. That's something I remember, Del Curry.

And now because like Kenya Martin's kid is in it, Like.

Yeah, yeah, I was like, I remember when your daddy broke his leg.

All right, we should take a quick break.

We'll be right back for the rapid fire round of questioning right back, and we're back. We're back, and MARTINSI, it is time to You've entered the fastest round of questioning in NBA podcasts period. So we're we're just gonna hit you up questions. Don't even think, don't even you know, it's just bing bang boom.

Yeah. And I'm sorry, is there smoke coming off of your screen because you're in the hot seat right now? Yeah, and I don't know you understand?

Sorry, I forget.

Yeah, yeah, we're cooking right Miles.

Do you want to kick us off?

All right?

This is fast. Here we go. Yeah, I'm gonna go first, MARTINSI, what is your favorite All Star weekend moment or game there? Uh?

Jason richardson winning the dunk cat Test. I believe in like two thousand, three thousand four. I don't remember which you one. Uh, it's just because that's the one that comes to mind quickly.

Wow, that's just that's the dunk contest.

This is the first thing that came you said, said, yeah, rapid fire, that's the first one.

What was I can't even like picture one of his dunks.

Did a reverse reverse respect?

Yeah?

Can you catch into a reverse. I want to say, I don't know which year it was, but I believe he did that.

He did a few and yeah he went through the legs. He's I mean it was yeah. No, no, No, that's a good answer. That's a good answer.

All right, What school yard game do you want to see added to the NBA All Star Game, All Star Weekend?

Uh?

Like Pro Bowl does dodgeball and uh, you know, tug of war and stuff, but like a.

Game.

Oh yeah, thank you for this because it's a very Milwaukee thing. You might you guys might not know what it is. You ever heard of cans before?

Cans can c A N C A N S No.

So basically, you.

Take a what a down soda cans, smash it and then you put it on the line and the other person puts it in a line, and then you try and throw the basketball and hit it. Uh, And the winner who hits it the most wins. It's a very Milwaukee thing that we do. I'm not great at it, but it just shows precision and your ability to hit a target.

But yeah, it's called cans.

And so you have like a smush can on the line and then you're kind of throwing a basketball like you're throwing like bags kind of thing.

Yeah, you're like.

Fifteen feet apart, and so you're just trying to throw it and hit the can in front of your opponent.

You just do that back whoa.

I'm watching there's like I'm seeing full on cans tournaments photos here. Okay, real thing, Okay.

I love that.

Yeah, maybe we just leave it up to each individual All Star like City hosts right, to come up with what their local game is the people and just put one thousand dollars on it, and the players are going to be trying to kill each other to win it, you know.

Okay, Martenzi greatest Bucks player ever and most underrated Bucks player according to your fandom or just in general that people need to be regarding this person as the most underrated Bucks player.

Uh, Giannis is the is the greatest Green. Obviously he's the better player overall, but most of that was with the Lakers, So I'll go with Giannis for that.

The most underrated.

H Williams uh d enough, he carried that team that was supposed to micro rigs after after Ray Allen left, so I would say, man Williams.

Okay, Williams, but I.

Got some more.

Darvin Ham, okay, Darvin Ham. Yeah, we know him. I heard.

You heard what I heard him?

Yeah?

Yeah?

Uh Johnson him.

We know, we know. He's the guy who broke the the He broke the backboard back of college, the backboard of Texas Tech. And I didn't hear anything after that.

Well, Martinesse Johnson, what a pleasure having you. You've got a profile on Notre Dame's Hanna Hidalgo coming up, Wizard's Rookie blall Coolabali coming up for Anscape?

Where else can people find you?

Follow you?

All they could stuff?

Yeah so andscape dot com for for my written content of what you just mentioned. On Twitter, I don't call it x one than Johnson, and then on Instagram my first name Martins m A R T E and z I E J.

There y'all, hey, all right, Well you can find me on Twitter at Jack underscore O Brian Miles.

How about you? You can find me at Miles of Gray on Twitter because in this house we believe it is called Twitter and not x uh. And you can also follow hashtag mad Boosty's b dow s t I E s for show links and updates and even more if you want to, you know, just stay up to date with the story tale of this podcast, the one they say just couldn't keep going, and yet we do, Yet we persistent. All right, y'all, we'll see you next week where we're definitely going to be talking about the