EPISODE 14: Breaking News! The MVP race is not over!

on Tuesday night. Joel Embiid put on another show and we're over We're over due for some Eastern conference talk on this podcast, and your interview with him certainly got people talking. Let's actually listen to some of that first MVPs Defensive Day All the Year. Yeah, I doesn't you know what I mean anything to me. I'm just still gonna be the best bell on the floor. That's a nice segue to my question that you know that's coming. Joe. There is a he did debate out there about who's

the front runner for the MVP Award. So I want your unbiased opinion, who do you feel is the favorite in the front runner right now? I don't know, that's not for me to answer. I feel like you know, you know, obviously being in the running the last few years, you know has been whatever. And you know this year, you know, I've taken a different appostion. She's trying to focus on the white things. Uh, you know, win games, dominate, Uh,

which I've been doing, and whatever happens happens. Uh. You know, obviously who would have loved to you know, win one. That's the you know, the best award anyone anyone can get. So but like I said, I'm just focused on making sure, you know, first of all, staying healthy, winning games, and dominating. I love how you put the question right too. In full court press from Freds though there because we all want to know what he's what he's thinking on this

MVP stuff. He knew it was coming, so there was a okay, what was it towards the end. So towards the end of the third quarter, he goes back to the locker room and he just runs him to the back, and so producers in my ear during the game, hey go check on MB. So I go back there and I'm waiting for I'm waiting for him for probably about man, it seems it seemed long. It seemed like a long time.

Probably about five minutes. Then I heard he was using the bathroom, and then somebody told me he usually goes that's like a routine of his, like towards the end of the third quarter, he'll go in the back and like get some oxygen or do whatever he does. I don't know exactly what he does. And so I'm like, okay, So I figured I'll just wait out, just wait him out, And so as he comes out, he's like chopping it

up with me. We're actually having a conversation as he's walking back up to the walking back inside of the side of the red only you, because that is not normal Sidehind reported to walk and talk in the middle of the game. Yeah, look, it was. It wasn't like an interview. He was asking me what game I got next, and I told him I think I might be in um La in a few weeks. And he was like, oh, he's still giving you know, Lakers still getting getting all

the love or something like that. It was just something like like it was just like small chat stuff and we were just talking and so um I said, hey, I'm gonna have you because at that point, Sixers were up a pretty sizeable lead on the Timberwolves. I said, hey, i'm gonna have you for the walk off interview. I'm gonna ask you about the MVP that he just smiled.

He's like, all right, I'll be ready and so that So that's that's what that's why when I alluded to it in the interview, I said, Okay, you know what's coming, and here it is. So that's how it's all set up. You know, when you listen to him, he somewhat sounds resigned that it's already out of his grasp. I actually doesn't think it's out of his grasp yet. That's what I got at. That's what that's what I took away

from it. He didn't say it, but he seems like he can sense that the votes are going in the direction of most likely the Joker, and so he wanted to make it clear that, Okay, I have no control over the votes, but what I do have control over is my play. And you know, I think he made a strong statement right there, saying, no matter who he's playing against, he's always going to be the best player on the court, and I think that speaks volumes in and another. And look, Joe, he wants that MVP for

sure he wants that MVP. I think last year he did, he did a little bit more campaigning. I think he's a little disappointed this year. I think he's disappointed with the narrative. You know, Joker's having a great, unbelievable season. Should he be the front runner? You know whatever. I think i'll vote this year. I chose not to last year,

but I think I will this year. And so I don't know which way I'm going as a right now, but I get the sense that embiid is kind of like just disappointed with the process and the narrative that's taking place, and and and I think that way he said that Stein to also get voters to kind of look at him a little bit more, with him saying I'm always I'm gonna be the best player on the court. Oh you are, huh okay, Well let's see. I want to say, let me look at the schedule. I'll let

you talk best. I think sixers have one more about with the nuggets they do. I'm a check right now. I'm a check right now. But go ahead, you go go ahead and take over. There's lots to unpack her because this hits on fifteen different things that First of all, I think i've I've told you this before. I don't know if I've said it on the pod before, but I've definitely I wrote about it even at the time. Um Joel Embiad is one of my favorite players to talk to. I love interviewing him. I love that he's

he's edgy, he's all he's ready to talk. In the Bubble. One of my most memorable experiences in the Bubble was at the beginning of the Bubble. There were twenty two teams, which you remember well. There were so many games at the beginning that the games had to be played in three gyms at the start until they started narrowing the field down. And the Sixers played the Spurs in the smallest, the supposed least attractive of the three gyms, and there

were only two reporters there. I'm not going to name the other reporter, but maybe i'll maybe I'll ask him and see if he didn't care later on, but there was only two of us there at this game. The Sixers won on a shake Milton buzzer beater. If I remember this correctly, and knowing me, you have to assume that I might be messing up some of these facts, but hopefully I'm remembering it right as I remember it.

Shake Elton won the game on a buzzer beater. My only other press row colleague in the building left, which meant I had both teams to myself. Now. I went there thinking that it might be a chance to get Greg Popovich alone. But obviously, when the Spurs lose on a buzzer beater, that was not going to happen. But I was able to pull off a Chris Haynes like Sidal and I walked Joel. I walked Joel Embid to

the Sixers team bus. I was not you were not supposed to based on the letter of the law in the bubble, But I said, you know what, I'm in the third gym. Nobody's here, nobody's watching. Screw it, I'm doing it. Had a great little interview with Joel on the way to the bush. He's a fantastic talker. He knows what he's doing. You're You're absolutely right. I think he knows what he's doing. He's trying to He's like campaigning without campaigning in that interview with you. But look,

I he's I don't think it's been decided. I do think. Look, I mean, I don't know how much we want to get into the MVP conversation because it's been so just it just gets worse and worse and worse in spirals to an uglier, uglier place. It has got, it has got ugliest. I've been looking at hey, I've been looking outside. You know, I haven't went outside. I don't play a vents ernolf and getting into those uh, those shenanigans out there. But I'm looking out there. I'm seeing all the talk.

But uh, to the point we made yes, MB and Joker do meet one last time March twenty seventh, sixers in Denver, and here like I no longer vote. I mean you mentioned that you didn't vote last year, which I didn't even I didn't even know that. I have not voted since twenty seventeen, when the twenty seventeen awards were the last time I voted. My my the subsequent four seasons I was at the New York Times at

the times we were not allowed to vote. And then I just decided, when I started my own substackt that I was going to continue on that path and not vote. And just you know, I still do a faux ballot that I print, and I still print out all my choices of who I would have voted, but I don't I don't cast a real ballot. But I've softened my position because I used to be very absolute about what MVP is, and you just have to realize that the reality is everybody is almost invited to just see this

the way they want to see it. There are no strict rules and criteria from the league. The way I've always done it and the way I think a lot of old school writers do it. It's a best season award. And that's why you know when Nash won the MVP in his first season in Phoenix is because they went from twenty nine wins to sixty two and he was the driving force. It's not because he had better stats

than Shaquille O'Neil. That's why Steve Nash won. I think Steve's second MVPs the more controversial one and the one that probably pissed Shock off more. But look, Yokich won last season for a lot of the same reasons that Westbrook won in twenty seventeen. He had an amazing stat line, largely without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Junior. At his side, and his team almost won fifty games. I know for me, I personally use the exact same rationale with Westbrook. In

twenty seventeen, the Thunder lost Durrant. They were supposed to fall off the face of the NBA map. They won forty seven games. RUSS average a triple double. They you know, fifty wins has always been the minimum standard. You know, in the modern MVP voting, your team had to win fifty games for you to be an MVP. Yoki won forty eight last season, RUSS one forty seven, So it's like they came close to fifty in adverse situations with

a shorthanded team. So but like it just seems like the strongest case against Yoki this season is he's already won two in a row. And I mean, look at it that, you know, it's a one all star team and they're winning the West, and Yoki's numbers are unbelievable. So his case is really really strong. But Joel has a great case too, and Philly has put on an absolute They've been on a monster run now for three

months and it's not over. We still have fifteen ish games left in the season, depending on where Philly ends up in the ladder, and if Joel keeps playing the way he's playing, it both ends. I still think he has time, Yeah, I think he does. But Joker's numbers are they're unbelievable, triple double as a right now, number one in the Western Conference standings Philly right now they are third, yeah, third and Eastern Conference. So there are four games back of Milwaukee for the top spot in

the Eastern Conference. So there's still some there's still some room for him to make a push. I would say that make a push. But you just hear, you know, you see these straw polls that come out, and you just you hear from a lot of the you know, the NBA talking heads, and you know, you hear Joker pretty much. It seems like he almost hasn't solidified. And so I think that's kind of what Joel is hearing right as a right now, and he's kind of, you know,

fed up like Philly. You know, obviously I'm talking from the six er standpoint. Man. They they believe it should be Joel's award hands down this year. And I think Stein to your point, like I think I would have if I voted, I would have voted last year. If I voted, I would have voted for for NBA last year and this year as a right now, the way it stands right now, I don't you know, I can see why somebody has given the ass to Joker is

you know, it's crazy. You know, we we we never seen anything like that from a big to put these type of us. I mean, he's shooting forty percent from three point range as well. He's gotten better as field goal percentage. I believe career high field goal percentage as of right now too, So you know, he's playing unbelievable. But Joel embiid Man, that dude is a dominant beast man. He's definitely you could definitely make the case he should have had at least one MVP by now. But yeah,

there's there's still more time. So I was saying, b don't give up, keep doing your thing, keep you know, keep killing out there. And that matchup, that matchup against Denver, that could go a long way. Because again I'm going back to that Russell Russ brook Brook MVP. Russ stole my vote the last two weeks of the season. He stole my vote. I had it. I was going to give it to Harden, and I remember the Rockets got mad at me at that, you know, at that time

when they found out I voted for Russ. So there's still time for MB to take it, to steal this award. Yeah, And look, you know, like I said, when I when I give my synopsis of the race, it's again using that the way I've always done it, the way, you know, And again this is just me, one voter out of the usual hundred or used to be, I think even more than a hundred. You know, I've always treated it as who had the best season combination of their production

and team success. But then other voters might feel like, you know what, Joel Embiide is a sensational two way player. Yokich is not known as a two way player. And I'm going to give my vote to MB because he does it at both ends of the court. And that was always the knock against Nash. Nash was certainly, you know, by no means any kind of force on the defensive end.

And so that used to bother the anti Nash lobby that would say, how can this guy be the MVP when he really is only doing it at one end? But that's kind of the whole point is that there are no guidelines. Everybody can do this eye of the beholder and anyone who has a vote can do it anyway they want. I mean, that's really it. You can't and I think yeah, and and you make a good point. We're talking about both sides of the ball right there.

I think most people, most unbiased people would say, pound for pound, all around player, they would probably say Joel is probably the more complete player because he could do it on both ends. But again, when when you're talking about the Joker and what he's doing, yes, he's not that efficient on a defensive end, but you know, still like what he provides to a team and how important he is and the numbers he's putting up and how much onnes is he you know, he's a quarterback of

that team, so you can't dismiss his contribution. But definitely, like for Pal to me, I don't know if this would be controversial. We'll see on social media. We'll see if if this is aggregated, we'll see if this is controversial. But I don't think it's controversial to say Poal for Pal, Joel Embie is a better player than a Joker and that's not that doesn't mean that his Hibbie p case should be stronger because of that. I'm just stating what

I think. It's probably fast. I mean, you just you just kind of summed up one of the biggest debates about this award that has always been is this. And that's why I say I'm from that old school that says this should be a best season award, because if we try to make it about best player again, I came up. I started my first season in the league, was the second half of the ninety four seas and I probably got my first award ballots the next season.

So ninety four ninety five, you know, Jordan comes back at the end of that season. But so now you know the first you know, ninety six, ninety seven, ninety eight. If you want to give MVP to the best player on Earth, we could have given it to Jordan on opening night. We didn't need to even have a vote, I mean if And that's why I've always felt that

MVP should be best Season. And I think to this point because the Nuggets have been the runaway first place team in the West with only one All Star, with these other guys missing some time, with Yoki putting up the numbers that he has and you know, I think

shooting better than sixty percent from the floor. I mean, I'm not saying he's already won it, but I you know, when when you know, I think Tim Bonchamp's from ESPN when he came out with a straw pole that said Joker was in the league, I think Joker was in the lead. But the season ain't over. And so you're right, if Joel Embid comes out in that showdown with Denver later this month and absolutely dominates the Joker, It's only one game, and one game shouldn't change everything, but you

know it will. I mean, can you know if that face off the next day, the noise is going to be loud. It shouldn't. But if he wins that face off and dominating fashion, it's much more significant to do it late in the season opposed to haven't done it earlier in the season, because that's going to be the last impression, you know, so that that's a significant game. That game is going to mean more than just one game. It's going to be more than just one performance. That

could if he keeps dominating up until that point. The Philadelphia seventy six to continue to climb up in the standings, and he dominates that game where it's a clear cut, no doubt about it. Be got the best of Joker that can that can have a significant that can play a significant part on who's this year's MVP. Yeah, no, it's gonna be fascinating. But you know, to your point about how you know, Joel has kept it focused on the playoffs and on winning, and he's been super consistent

with that. I went to Houston in early January and went to the Sixers were playing the Rockets, and the way it turned out, it was actually Harden's return game from his long injury absence. It wasn't planned like that,

you know. I had planned to just go to Houston and see the Sixers because they were in Texas, and it just worked so worked out that that that was Harden's comeback game and the rock the The Sixers loss in overtime that night and looked awful, and since then they've just been on an absolute tear since since that game. But I wanted to I wanted to talk to Joel

not about the MVP. I wanted to talk to him about which a story which I I've been writing about since I want to say, September and October, a story that I just find so fascinating that France and Team USA are basically in a recruiting war to get Joel to play for their national team. The basketball romantic enemy would love to see and Bead and Siakam team up for Cameroon and see how far they can take Cameroon. But all the rumbles suggest that Joel is either going

to play for France or the United States. He is a citizen of both now and has the choice. These are the two best teams in world basketball. You know, France beat the United States at the twenty nineteen World Cup. They beat them at the Olympics. The United States ended up beating them in the medal round and coming back to win that game. But I'm really fascinated by what happens there and and what decision and Bead makes. So I got trying to say, can I say yeah, I

think I can say this. I think I can. So there was there was a this was what's Grant Hills role? You know, that's my partner in crime over there at TNT. What what USA basketball? I mean basically GM Okay, So I was we were doing me and Grant were doing a game. M it might it had to been longer. It had to been longer than a year ago. It had to have been. But I was on the phone with with Himbad about something. I don't know if we

were doing a six year game or whatever. And this was before you know, this was before you came out with the emerge with the report of that. I thought Grant was playing. So I'm on the phone with him bad and Grant like it is in the background, he heard me talking to Joel and he was like, hey, tell him a come on this side, tell him come on this side, you know. And I didn't know what he was talking about, and so I like, I left it alone. I didn't really entertain it or dig too

deep into it. Then when you came out with your story later, I was like, that's what Grant was talking about. Man. That whole time, I had no clue. I had no clue. Man, I was completely lost. But that that would that would be big, that would be I don't know which way he's was, which way he's headed. I'm kind of like you, I kind of I guess I want to see him go against the USA a little bit. That would be cool. But here's the thing. Here's the thing. France has Gobar already.

They also now have this guy named when Ban Yama, who I think everybody's heard of. Do they really love and beat as well? The United States actually has a void at center? But does I mean USA basketball has always had the deepest rosters in international competition since nineteen ninety two, when NBA players were allowed to start playing. Does I mean does USA basketball really now need to recruit Joel and bead on top of all the talent they already have. Yes, yes they do. They want the best,

they want the best. Yes, I mean it's not it's not like, you know, the Team USA has had a resurgence over the last few years, but it's still not like we're night and day above the rest of the world. It's no longer that. So you got to you gotta pile up as many players as you can. I was had. I had a conversation with stan Van Gundhi not too long ago, and we were talking about the process of Team USA and how they select talent now because a lot of stars nowadays. Remember remember when I think it

was yeah, when Colangelo took over, there were cuts. You know, you bring in a certain amount of players, you would have cuts. Now players don't want to participate in that process. They want to be guaranteed a spot. They don't want to go through. It's kind of like the All Star Game. Stein. Players don't want to be they don't want to be publicly put out there to be pick lass or pick

you know, it's an ego thing. And so the same thing as with the Team USA and how their selection process is now, you're not They're no longer can get the top guys just to come in, come in for a couple of weeks, try them out, then cut them over a period of time. These are still all star players or pretty close to being star players. And so that's the tough part, you know. Now it's like you

know Lebron, you know, you know it's Lebron's KDS. You know though you know those guys they're gonna be guaranteed. So it's harder to get guys into the fold now. So that's why I say what Joel and Bi, Yes, you need them. You need them because you don't know who's going to come over and commit to the whole process. You don't know who you don't even know who's going to accept the automatic roster spots. And so that's why I say, you gotta just you gotta get as much

talent as you can and figure it out later. So I'm gonna do now what I don't like to do, but I can't resist. This is when I this is when I know you know a player well and I ask you to speak for that player, which is a terrible thing for me to do, but I can't resist. So your guy Batoum, you will always talk about you and Nick Batoum. How far back you guys go? What do you think Nick Batoum's reaction would be? And the

other French vets if Joel picks the United States. I mean, France has a wonderful team full of talented NBA guys, but none of them I don't think are current All Stars. Rudy didn't make the All Star Game this year, so it's like France wouldn't have a current NBA All Star on their roster. And now Embiid picks the United States, you don't think the French would be like, come on, man,

you guys really need Joel Embiid. You have Durant and every you know, everybody on one Hell yeah, they'll be piss Hell yeah, they'll they'll go at them and give him some flat and rightfully. So I'm just I'm missed talking from a you know, from a United States citizen. We gotta go after all the big talent we can, That's what I'm saying. But of course Dicket and Rudy, Shoot, they better be on the recruiting recruiting pride right now.

They should be calling him every week just to make sure that he knows that they still want them and get his butt over there and let's let's take down the USA. But I'm speaking solely as a member of the United States of America. We gotta be getting everybody that we can, and Joel Embiid is a big fish. That fish should be over here. But I definitely understand the other side of the story is money. That was and that was again that was before before you came

out with the story. So I had no clue. I didn't even ask, I didn't follow up with him about it. I just thought it was some inside joke that they had, so I didn't know. Yeah, no, they I mean, that's the thing. They want him badly now. But I guess. So I went to Houston to try to talk to him about this, and you know, again he's he's great, took my questions. We ended up having a nice little chap, but he's just like, look, I want to stay focused on the season. We're trying to win a championship here.

I do not want to talk about my international future until after the season. So he's been he's been consistent and steady all year that he knows, you know, campaigning for the MVP or whatever else he's tried the last two years, he's fallen just short twice. So he's doing the smart thing, just keep chasing the championship and see where the chips fall. But no, I think you're right.

I think between the way he's been playing here the last few weeks, just crushing it, and then you know, your interview with him certainly help help help kind of feed more into it that I do not think this MVP race is over. I really don't. Yeah, man, I want to see I want to see those two goal. I want to see it be a head on head collision course down the stretch. I think, um, I think Embiat has had a phenomenal season. He definitely should be

in the run out. Hope, hopefully people still have an open mind about this, as you tend to believe Stein so because in beat Man, he's doing some unbelievable things. Man, The way he's the way he moves on the court, man, the things that he can do at that size, Man, it's nobody else in the league can even compare. You know, as great as Joker is what Embat does on that offense, being the way he moves, I'm talking about the dribbling,

the step backs to like that. Dude, he has the whole game and defensively he's a beat So you know, we'll see Steine. Let's let's talk about embat teammates the other start. He didn't make the All FTAR team this year, but how about that, so let me let me let me talk. So I had a I had a I was able to talk to briefly his um, his new agent. You know, James Harden hasn't had an agent over the last man. Hasn't been a handful of years already, this

three four years something along those lines. He hasn't had an official agent at the time. So he hired his longtime friend business partner Troy Payne and he launched Equity Basketball Agency. So me and him were going back and forth on a text exchange the day of the game between the Sixers and ten Bulls, and so I didn't get to use this on air, so I can I can use it here. I didn't use it on air because James didn't play. So, you know, it's kind of

been like with the success that James is having. He's having a phenomenal season and kind of just reinventing his game, shooting a career high from three point percentage, twenty something assists or whatever game he had. I can't remember the number on top of my head, but he's just playing unbelievable.

But you know, there's been a little bit of a cloud over the Sixers team once you go past this year because we heard the reports or the rumors about how James Harden is looking to get back to Houston, and that's kind that's kind of weird because we heard this back in December, I want to say, so it's kind of weird time you really don't hear a story like that on a team that is a contending team.

You don't really hear the stories like that come out but there's been an awful lot of people talking about it in the industry, so there's seemed to be some some some level of credibility to these reports. So I asked Troy Paying, his new agent, about that, and he said, look, everything right now is a distraction. He said, James is focused solely on Philly. He said they have really a real chance to make a legitimate run for a championship, and James is doing everything that he can to try

to facilitate that process. And he talked about not being sidetrack, talked about how James doesn't want to be sidetrack with all these outside noises talking about what he could do next season whatever. He said, he's committed to He's committed to Philly. They're trying to do something right now, and he wants to stay in the moment. And so and I asked him about, you know, just All Star did he feel did James feel slighted at all? And he

said that definitely. He said he felt there was disrespect and he felt that his performance this season should have got it should have been enough to warrant him being to the All Star team, he says, so he's definitely has used that as fuel to help him, he said, but ultimately, the number one goal is to win a championship. And he said, that's where James's head is right now. He's not looking beyond next beyond this season. So what

do you say to that. St Well, look, when it came out that he had a new agent, I think that only whipped up more of the speculation and the rumbles around the league that he wants to go back to Houston. And I do think there is some level of credence to it. I mean, like you said, it is just talked about way too much in league circles for there to be nothing to it. The talk about Harden wanting to go back to Houston again. I do

think it is real to some degree. To what specific degree, I don't think anybody could tell you in early March, because let's face it, if the Rockets win the lottery and win the right to draft Victor wemman Yama, presumably they are going to do everything they can to build around wembon Yama, and I doubt that they would have interest in a James Harden reunion if the Rockets don't win the lottery and don't get Wembanyama and are looking at a situation where they're bringing in another young player

to add to the slew of young guys they already have. And Tilman, for Tita, I think wants to be back in the playoff mix. I don't think he wants to put up with any more rebuilding. And they you know, it has been a tumultuous season in Houston. There's a lot of uncertainty there with where this team is going in the future heading into this draft lottery. If if they don't get Wembanyama, would that make the Rockets as intrigued and as interested in a James Harden reunion as

people around the league think. James is you know, I don't think that that is a way out of left field connecting of the dots. So I think we have to keep an eye on the draft lottery first. I think that will tell us everything. But that's a doomsday scenario for Philly because you know, Harden took this shorter contract, he took the pay cut that facilitated the ability to

bring in PJ. Tucker and Daniel House and DeAndre Melton and make these you know, make the moves to make their you know, taking lesser money with a player option for next season enabled Philly to make moves that it didn't look like the Sixers were going to be able to make. But if Harden then walks, I mean, that's Darryl Moorey's guy. I mean, it would be stunning if that's the way that this played out, that Hardened, you know,

opted out and left. Even that we're talking about it, even though people have been talking about it season, it seems like I still think it would go down as a shock that Daryl Morey waited. You know, Darryl Moorey tried to get James Harden almost as soon as he got to Philly. He spent all last season trying to get him until he actually did. He wouldn't entertain Ben Simmons offers from other teams because he wanted James Harden.

Got James Harden. I mean, if Harden were to leave Philly after a season and a half, that would be

an absolute seismic development. It would you touched on it because you know what they did to get him, and then the sacrifice, the financial sacrifice James Harden made to acquire certain players, and if he were to bolt huge blow, this would be this would be I would say this would be a tougher blow than what Toronto had to deal with with Kauhai leaving after or a year because of everything that went on with UM with James prior

to this season. So with that being said, I still I still want to see how this season ends with Philly. You know, what if they make it to the NBA Finals or what if they win the NBA Finals. You don't you don't think that that has any type of leaves any type of influence on James to say, Okay, maybe I need to hang around another year. He has a player option for next year, correct, right, So it's

his choice. It's his choice, yea. The assumption is that he would decline the option and redo, you know, do a new deal with Philly for more. But you know, this Houston talk has been there for literally months with an S So I still think there's other scenarios that could play out depending on how the season shakes out

and how they finish. So it's it's a weird story, a weird story to be covering because this is a team, this is the Philadelphia seventy sixer team that is a legitimate title contender, So it's kind of a weird story to be covering right now, especially when it came out. That's report came out in December, so a little weird, but hey, this is the NBA, that's this league. That's that's why we do this. Who says that this league?

This league? Hashtag this league uncut? Yeah, like it's I mean that loss in Houston December fifth, Harden comes back from injury. The Sixers lose in double overtime, not one overtime, double overtime. I told you my memory sucks. Sixers lose in double overtime at Houston on December fifth, go home for a one two, three, four, five six seven game homestand the Sixers sweep that homestand and go seven and oh.

Since that Houston game, they were twelve and well on December fifth, they are now they are thirty one and ten. Since that night that I saw that, I spoke to mister Embiide in Houston, so they have been absolutely fantastic. And you know, no, I'm not no, I'm not the reason. I mean they yeah, they got they got me out of their sites and then started. I'm not the reason. But look, I mean the you know, we talked so much about the West. I'm actually glad we did it.

We didn't even plan it this way, and it just kind of this ended up being a full on Eastern Conference podcast because you know, Philly, with with the way Boston has struggled here lately, with the way Milwaukee has just been playing fantastic, but you know, Philly, they've really kind of made it a three team show out there. We're in the West. We have so many question marks in the West, but this is good that we u you know again, just you know, we're recording this on

Wednesday night. This drops Thursday. Just today we had Memphis come out and say that John Morant will will not be with the team for at least four more games. Luca don Chich exited the Dallas loss at New Orleans with an injury. KD twists his ankle pregame. Can't even play for Phoenix tonight and what would have been his first home game. Zion Williamson is out for at least two more weeks in New Orleans. So nothing but question marks in the West that we will keep getting to

and analyzing and dissecting and breaking down. But in the East, props to Philly. It's been all the talk This season was about Milwaukee and Boston. And it started out Boston and Milwaukee being a tier under themselves. And Joel Embiid and James Harden have powered these guys. It's a three It's a three team tier at the top of the East. And yes, we are here to proclaim that the MVP race is not over breaking news. The season is still going.

Let it play out. Let it play out, Stein, And before before we get out of here, Stein, let me, let me let me stick with the East real quick. Let me ask you a question. See how you feel about this. I want to go to the Milwaukee Bucks. And no, I'm not talking about Yannis. I'm not going with Yannis. I'm not talking Drew Holiday, I'm not talking Chris Milton. I want to talk about something that I witnessed firsthand with Pat Connington. This had to have been

a month ago. Bucks Lakers. I'm covering Bucks Lakers, so Stein, I'm minding my own business. Or walk into the arena is right before the game, and I see Pat Connington about to take a picture with a young boy. This boy looked like he's about nine years old, eight or nine years old. The young boy asked Pat, Pat is my guy. By the way, me throw that out there. He also started his career in Portland. But this just

throw that out there stock full disctosure. So this young boy, he's sitting courtside, he asked Pat Connington for a picture. Pat Connington comes over and grant he's about to grant him this picture, but he noticed. He noticed it's the jersey that this young boy is wearing. The young boy is wearing a Lebron James Lequer jersey. He makes the young boy take the jersey off before he took the picture with him. And so I walked past, and I'm seeing the boy as I as I'm walking past, I'm

seeing the boy take the jersey off. And so I look at Pat. I'm like, Pat, you made him do that. He said, that's right, that's right, that's right. Want to take a picture of me take that jersey off. That's right that the boy did it. He took the picture. It was funny. I would have mentioned it during the

game if it was time for it. So, Stein, do you have a problem with Pet Connaughton making this young eight nine year old kid take his lebron jersey off as he's taking a picture with Pet you know what, I think, I side with Connaughton here. I watched and of course again because my mem man, it's getting old sucks.

This happened Saturday, and I can't even remember the specifics exactly, but on the ABC pregame show, they actually showed footage of I want to say, it was a young Bucks fan, and I think she had Embad's jersey on and I think she got Embad's autograph pregame, and then she took the jersey off and was actually wearing a Bucks jersey underneath it because she's really a Bucks fan. So wow, it was a very savvy move by this young lady.

And like I said, I'm I really hope I'm not screwing up the story because like I said, I watched it Saturday, it's Wednesday night. But apparently for me, remembering something from four days ago as impossible. So I said, I think I'm I'm retelling the story properly. But um, maybe maybe maybe Pat was a you know, I guess you also got a factor in the age. If the

kid was really eight or nine, that's probably too. I would probably say if it's a teenager, okay, but you know, eight or nine, I think you just rolled with it and that was cool. It was fun, you know what I'm I'm I'm saying this just to start some engagement. But I'm rocking on what Pat did. I'm rocking one hundred. I have no problems whatsoever. I was a little surprised, but I'll rock with him one hundred. Listen, they're going he's going up against the Lakers. That's a that's a

big game. That's a big showdown. Can't be taking pictures with somebody rocking Lebron's jersey. Like now, if he would have did it, I wouldn't you know. I wouldn't tripped, I wouldn't said anything, I wouldn't have any second thoughts. But the fact that he handled it that way, I'm like, pet That's why I messed with you. Man. You petty, You petty like me, That's why I messed with I had no problems if he wasn't if you guys were in in Portland together, No, no, no, I didn't. Actually

I wasn't covering the Blazer. I wouldn't a beat writer when he was there. Man, How am I to tell Scott Cassiola of the New York Times, who I thought was the president, the media president of Pat Connaughton's fan club. How am I going to tell him that you that I rock with Pet, that you are tight with Pat Connors. I rock with Pet. That's that's so petty and I rocked with it one one hundred percent. I know some people, some of the people probably feel some type of way

about it. Oh, he's a kid Stein You being the gentleman you are, I figure you'd be like, uh, he's eight nine. No, you know, I may be a gentleman, but I've got I've got plenty of pettiness and grudge holding. You know, you know, you know, I do know. I'm trying to get it out of you. Stop. I'm trying to get it out of you one day day, slowly but surely. We got many, many, many pods for my pettiness and grudges to be revealed here and there. This

was awesome. I love that this. Very little of this was planned and this we did a whole pod that just kind of organically flowed. Absolutely love it. Thanks everybody for joining us on another edition of this League uncut. If my voice sounds lower about halfway through this pod than it was, that's because I'm recording this in a hotel room, and I think I was shouting so loud at the beginning that someone next to my room was pounding on the wall, so I had to tone it

down a little bit. Chris and I will be back very very soon, back Monday on our normal schedule. Please please rate, review, subscribe, have a great weekend, and let's get some of these guys healthy. Be good everyone, and that'll do it for us. See you next time. This league uncut is and I heard radio production