Welcome to This League Uncut rule of.
Twenty four hour NBA News. This's hell, Chris Haynes, it's no time, Mark Stein.
It's so time.
This league and cut is underway inod on fire. This should be a good one. Here we go.
Everyone, Welcome in at last to the first of this week's episodes of This League Uncut. Mark Stein, still in La Chris Haynes en route to Miami. We've had some travel challenges this week with both of us on the road covering different first round matchups. We've had some technical snaffoos that we had.
To work through.
We actually started recording the other day and had to abandon it because my hotel room was just not cooperating.
But we've worked through it all. We are finally together again.
And it's perfect timing now because last night Chris Haynes was in Boston to see the Mighty Celtics, who everyone thought were gonna absolutely roll through the short headed Miami Heat but oh no, heat culture goes wild from three twenty three threes from the Heat and Chris Haynes was there.
What did it look like? What was it like to be in Boston last night?
Boston's always won, I will say top three most rowdy crowds environments in the league, especially in the playoffs. But I love Boston Celtics fans. But I will say, you know, you can't tell an awful lot about a team's demeanor, especially how they're going to play, by just looking at a team before the game. But I saw the Miami Heat walk into the arena. They were laser focused, like there was just a seriousness about them that it just caught.
My attention right away. And again I'm not I'm still not.
Thinking like, damn, okay, they gonna they gonna come up here and put on the show.
But it just caught my attention.
Coach Spode, everybody, everybody, pat Riley, everybody's walking.
They're laser focused.
And they came out and put together a game plan and a performance that many didn't expect. I did predict that they would win yesterday.
Didn't war. Where was that? Where was that prediction registered?
I didn't predict the publicly? Is that okay? Start? Do I have Do I have to predictable thing? Publicly?
I did, hold on, I will bring listen, I would bring Actually I did, I did publicly. I did do it public but it wasn't on any airways or on any podcasts. But Stan Van Gundy can vouch because before the game, Stan said he had Boston blowing him out, and I said, no, I think Miami is going to get this game. We're going to bring Stan on at some point, and he could vouch for me that I did say that Miami is going to get it.
I'm going to ask him because listen, you you don't have to publicly make your predictions, but if you're going to take a victory lap, you have to have made it.
Doesn't knows about it, so that that should officially count. They had the Garden quiet, and I'm not talking about Madison Square Guarden. I'm talking about TV Garden. They had them quiet, especially the latter part of that fourth quarter. Miami was just making plays down the stretch. Tyler Hero was phenomenal. Bam out of Bio. He was hitting that mid range jump shot with so much consistency, the three point ball like they were flying on defense. They executed
a game plan to perfection. So now off to Miami, where where things really get interested start Miami for games three or four.
Well, look, I'm not gonna take too much of a victory lap. But I do feel somewhat vindicated because I did in France.
I can send you the link if you need proof.
I did say this series with those six games, and I think people thought I was a little crazy. But such is my respect for the Miami Heat. And you know what it isn't It isn't even just about these last few years, with three trips to the finals in a very short span. And last season, of course, we all remember Miami as an eight seed, looking so bad in the play in they lost to Atlanta, they barely squeaked past Chicago, and then they go on this magical run,
starting with the first round upset of Milwaukee. It's not even just because that is so fresh in the memory. I have lived in fear of the Miami Heat since two thousand and six, when I watched them go down two zero in the finals.
I was critical of that team all season.
Dan Lebattard used to bring me on his radio show in those days, billing me as the Heat hater. I didn't like the construction of that team. I thought they overdid it by bringing in all the veteran stars. I never thought that group was going to flourish and man did they teach me a lesson? Down two Oho? In the six finals, they come back beat Dallas four in
a row. It was the first comeback from two to down the finals that we had seen since the seventies and ever since then, since two thousand and six, I said, I am never writing off the Miami Heat again. So almost twenty years later, my respect for this franchise is still so strong that I said, even without Jimmy Butler, they're going to win at least two games in this series, and I'm sure they will be insulted even by that.
Knowing the Heat, they probably think that they can this series without Jimmy, even against the mighty Celtics.
It's funny that you say that, Stein, because I spoke to Bam right before the game. I didn't get to use this during the broadcast, but I asked him. I said, you guys are shorthanded, you're missing your best player, and you're missing your starting point guard tiros Year. What makes y'all think that y'all could come in here in TV Garden and do what most people think can't be done?
He said.
My whole tenure with the Miami Heat, we've been doubted and We've been to multiple NBA finals. He said, why would I think otherwise now that we can't do it. We've never been the favorites. So what he said, this is all we know. He said, So we're comfortable being in this position. And he said, and I'm confident and my guys can't come away with the win. I didn't get to use that. He said, they're comfortable in this position. I have to think about that. They're comfortable in this position.
You buying that though you really think they are?
Yes, I mean, look with the results shoot multiple.
NBA Finals appearances over the last three four years, like they're accustomed to this. Whether it's the coaching staff or it's up from pat Riley on down. They get off of being discounted, like it motivates them. And some people can't function that way, but for some reason, this team does. And I'm not going I'm not going as far as said they're going to take down the Celtics in this
entire series, but yeah, I do. I do believe that they feel comfortable like this is there used to being in this situation?
Well, because the skeptic would say, okay, they made twenty three threes three point variants. There's no way they're going to shoot the ball that well more times to win this series. So I think there is still a healthy dose of skepticism that the Heat can actually find a way to the finish line in this series without Jimmy Butler, because we know we're not going to see Jimmy Butler
in this series. Yeah, and again, I'm sure just me even saying that would insult Spoe and various members of the team and anyone else who hears it, because they are I mean, you might not like hearing about Heat culture, you might not like seeing it on their court, but they are stubborn and like you say, they believe it.
Mm hmm.
Stian, let me tell you this after the game me, stan Van Gundy, Brian Anderson, we're getting chauffeur back to our hotel.
And this is why we got to bring him on.
He made a very astute point and something that I didn't even recognize throughout the course of the game. He said the Miami he put Tyler Hero on Jalen Brown, and we all know Jalen Brown.
Loves to post up.
He's a He's an excellent post up player for a guard. But by them making that switch. Boston started feeding Jayden Jalen Brown in the post. Okay, he had some success, but that there's some times he didn't, you know, forced up some shots. But that played into Miami's hands of getting Boston off of that three point line to where Boston will see, oh, we have an advantage over there.
Let's go over there.
Let's go over there, completely taking Boston out of what got them the one O League, which was the threat of the three point ball. That's what Miami, he kept saying before the game. We got eliminated three point shooting. We got to close out, liminate three point shooting, close out. And so just like one little tactic like that where people, uh, you might miss, even hardcore basketball fans you might miss.
But a little tactic like that kind of went, you know, went away from what Boston did to get in, you know, getting to put themselves.
In a bition to go up one.
Oh and I'll say this before we transitioned out before game one, the day before Game one, the day before Game two, I should say I had dinner with the Stan van Gundy, Jeff van Gundy, Brian Anderson, and myself Stein. Hearing those two talk and When I say talk, I probably mean argue, you know, because that's just how they communicate.
They communicate, might argue it having differences of opinions, but then they come back, you know, past that meat over there, stand past pass Negric over there, you know, get right back to that. It's very hilarious. Just watching those two interact, you can tell that really closed. So that was a good time to have. I told them that. I told them get they shout their own podcasts. They are very hilarious.
The world according to the Van Gundies.
And Jeff of course now working as a consultant to the Celtics, so he has a vested interest in this series. And yeah, that would I'm guessing that would be a rather entertaining evening.
You're on this series.
You got both the games in Miami, you just did game two in Boston.
Yes, it's a little usual.
Isn't it for you to have an extended run on the same first round series, isn't it?
Yes? It is?
But TNT has TNT has those games. So I think I think the higher ups Obviously I don't have a say on where I go, but I believe the higher ups felt like, okay, since we have all these games. We have these we have four. They actually have two, three, four and five. So I guess they figure just keep you know, just keep the same crew on those games, because usually you'll have TNT for game three, ESPN or ab SEE for game four.
Five.
It just happens that TNT has three through five, two through five, I should say. And so yeah, they're keeping me on. And I don't know if they know that I would love to be in Miami. I don't know if they listened to this podcast, but there was no complaints at all once I got my schedule.
No, I have to think for you to be able to lock into one series, it has to be easier and give you a chance to really dig in. And these guys see you every day, makes the reporting better. So well, you tell me how is the Celtics mood before we move on to the other seven first round matchups?
How did the Celtic I mean, again, with no Jimmy Butler, the Celtics were widely expected to just roll in this series, maybe win a game, maybe it's a gentleman sweep in five, but to be one one going to Miami, I don't know how many people really expected that So how shaken were the Celtics by this turn of events.
Yeah, it was a shake for sure. I would say.
I went to Celtics shoot around the morning of the game and Jalen Brown was the last player to leave, and I actually talked to him before I left that shoot around session, but he was the last player to leave. He was working on his free throws, and it was this free throw drill that they had where they were trying to cause all type of confusion, and there was an assistant coach behind him, like throwing a basketball in
his direction as he's shooting a free throw. They're making a lot of noise, so they're trying to simulate just a Rockets environment. And I was wonder because I've never seen that before. And I started asking people around, like does he do this like this? They're like, no, this is not his routine.
I'm like, huh.
And I found out he missed like consecutive free throws in game one, but he ended up shooting pretty poorly from the free throw line in game two.
You know, even after having that.
Me see free throws, he was three or six from the free throw line in game two.
So yeah, I guess they'll gotta keep doing those drills.
But I was in there time out huddles a lot that night, and a lot of heads were down.
A lot of heads were down.
Our Horford was trying to keep them, keep those guys encouraged. I saw Horford on multiple occasions trying to like pep talk Christats Porzingis who had a horrible shooting night.
He shot. Let me see, he scored six points. He was one of nine from the field, and.
There were a couple of times I believe Christah Perzinger forced some shots. And I went into the timeout hull the very next break and Horford was telling Pazingis, like, when you get the ball, fake the pass this way to get the defense to shift, then shoot your jump shot. And so they was trying to help them and motivate them and encouraging them. You could tell they were rattled.
They were shot. You know, you don't you don't expect Miami to come out and hit twenty three threes and take They made twenty.
Three out of forty three, Lee shot.
Fifty three percent doing so that was they didn't expect that. So, yeah, a little bit shaken for sure.
Last night I was talking to one of my most trusted league observers, someone who I love to consult in situations like this, And the reaction that was shared with me was, you watch, this will be a great This will end up being a great thing for Boston. They rolled during the regular season, and this will snap them back into focus. They were probably feeling themselves too much. They probably didn't take Miami as seriously as they should
have without Butler. But man, I am struggling to co sign on that one, to lose this early and give Miami even more belief than it already had. You know, again, I'm not trying to do too much of a victory lap, but I felt like I was somewhat in the minority to say that this thing could go at least six, and I think now will for sure go at least six, given that Miami already got that.
Split in Boston.
But I mean, man, I think the Celtics have been rocked here and it's going to be really interesting to see how they respond.
Stein about two weeks. Should I even say this? Let Mestak, Should I say it?
It's funny whenever you say should I say it? You usually go ahead and say it. I usually don't.
You usually can I think I can. I think I can. So.
About two weeks ago, I got a text message from a random number. It said, this is JT new number. Lock me in. And you know, during playoffs or whatever time it is, even like playing even in some of the last games of the season, light there. It's such a frenzy, like you're doing so much when you're covering this league, and so I didn't have time to investigate it, look into it or anything. And so during the broadcast yesterday,
we are highlighting a player's shoes. His new colorways dropped yesterday on the day of the game, so we were going to highlight.
So I got I got the shoes, and so we're highlighting during the game.
Yeah, it ended up. So that's why I'm getting to So the selfiess come out into the to do their warm up, to do their layup drills, you know. Fifteen minutes before the game, Tatum sees me on the sideline, comes over, gives me that he said, Hey, you didn't respond back. I'm like, respond back to what? He's like, I got a new number. I text you. I'm like, you text me?
What, Like, what are.
You talking about? He said, Yeah, I text you JT. I was like, man, I said, Bro, you gonna give me a little bit more information than that. Man, Come on, you know what I mean? JT's I know, like every people don't I told people don't refer to you as j T that much.
I'm like, God, come on, man, Like all.
You got to say this is Jason and spell your name that way JY, because you the only person I know spells the name j Y s O N.
Yeah.
So I say you would think commercial thing he would know about confusion over his name. I amazingly did Notaly did not get the same text.
I did not get the hey, here's my number, lock it in.
Hold on, what what ESPN commercial? What you're talking about?
You haven't seen that ESPN commercial When Jason Tatum is like there on you know, it's one of those Sports Center comercials and he's there getting his ID and he has to give you know that. He sits down to take his picture and the guy's asking for his name, and he goes through all his nicknames and finally says Jason with a Y.
You haven't seen that one?
No, I don't think. No, what else I forgot?
Or maybe you just don't watch ESPN anymore.
That's that's true, too cold blooded? That's true. Who watch games?
You're even more cold blooded than me? I love it.
Yeah, I'll watch games.
All right, Well, we will continue.
I suspect to be talking more about Celtic's heat than we ever imagined, especially with Chris Haynes on the sidelines upcoming in his beloved South Beach for games three and four of that series.
And you said you might even end up on five. Yes, back in Boston.
Yes, that's TNT game as well, So I predict that I'll be there for.
Five and you're with Stan the whole time.
Stan and Bia with them the whole way through up until the Eastern Conference Finals, and then Stan Stan for the Western Conference Finals. Stan will join Reggie and Kevin Harlan for the Western Conference Finals.
We need to get Stan on the podcast.
It's don Dale, just lea, let me win, yes, Dundale. All right.
So look, there are seven other first round series that we could be diving into.
I have been covering Mavericks Clippers. I was at the two games in La.
I'm actually still in La as we record this, because before I fly back to Dallas for Game three of MAV's Clippers, and that's Friday night. I'm gonna at least
drop in on Lakers Nuggets. I'm not going to be able to stay for the actual game, but I wanted to at least go to pregame later today after we finish this recording, so I can see the Lakes, see the Nuggets a little bit, see some people before again getting back on a plane, getting back to Dallas and resuming my coverage of Mavericks Clippers, which is another one
to one series. We finally had some road teams win some games here, with the Heat winning in Boston, with Indiana winning in Milwaukee, with Dallas winning here in LA against the Clippers in Game two. But instead of and again, we're also recording this on Thursday afternoon, so by the time this drops Thursday early evening, there won't be much time before some pretty huge game threes Philadelphia and New York. That series moves to Philly now, but the Sixers are
down two to oho to the Knicks. Of course, Game two hugely contentious circumstances. We'll get into that here shortly. The Lakers playing host to the defending champions from Denver. The Nuggets have a two to oh lead in that series, and now Cleveland and Orlando, that series moves to the Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom also down two to oh. And of course NBA historians and I think fans are pretty well versed in this stat because it gets circulated
so often. When you go down two to oh in a best of seven series in the NBA, history tells us that nearly ninety three percent of the time you go on to lose. There have only been thirty three teams in nearly five hundred best of seven series with a two oho deficit, only thirty three that have managed to find their way back. It's really right around four
hundred and fifty in league history. So I think the way we're going to try to laser in here instead of trying to deal with three of these other seven first round matchups that we haven't talked about three of them with games tonight shortly after we finish recording. So instead of doing a series by series breakdown, let's try this. I just did this on my sub stack as well. Our old friend Royce Webb, who has a substack of
his own. He loves to curate these surveys where he talks to a bunch of different voices from all around NBA sub stack, and he posed the question this week. So, like I said, I just wrote my answers, but I'm going to give you the floor first. What team or player has impressed you most to this point of the playoffs basically five six days in.
I'm going to go with the Oklahoma City Thunder. I believe that going into the playoffs, I believe a team like the OKC Thunder, Minnesota Timbols, teams like that with little experience, I thought they could be rattled. I thought they can be taking advantage of And I know it's still halfway through the series.
Anything can happen.
But the way they're winning games, the win that they're playing with so much comm for this and swag, I am very impressed. Even though the New Orleans Pelicans are playing without Zion Willimson, I still thought New Orleans would put up a better fight. Yes, okay, see as a great home court advantage, but man Sga Jalen Check like they are playing together. They have so much energy, they're playing with so much confidence. They're playing with nothing to lose.
You know, that's exactly the situation for them. They have nothing to lose.
Period.
They're number one seed, but they have nothing to lose. Their future looks bright, and so I'm very impressed with what they've been able to do thus far. And that looks like a series that can very well end up in a suite. Don't know going back to New Orleans now, but they're playing some really good ball. I'm very impressed.
Well, let's be honest.
I mean, I think the thunder were rattled in the first game of that series. They were not convincing and crunch time and found a way to escape with a win. But we saw turnovers from Shay gild just Alexander that are uncharacteristic. I mean, they did not look super comfortable in their first.
Taste of playoff basketball for this group.
But then Game two, they couldn't have been more impressive last night, just blowing New Orleans.
Off the floor. And that's why I said stuff.
I didn't expect them to come back like that after that game won. You know, CJ McCullum hiss the three at the end of game one. It's a different story. So I expected, you know, Okay, maybe that was a gut punch they took. Let's see how they bounced backward or if they even do bounce back. In the game two, they definitely did bounce back.
And I'm going to keep it in the Northwest Division with my nomination because I'm going with Minnesota, and it's for a lot of the same reasons. I mean the Wolves fifth. It only got them the number third seed. They're in a matchup as the Phoenix team that swept them three to zero during the regular season, tough matchup.
The Wolves are under massive pressure because, as we've talked about on this show a bazillion times, in the first thirty odd years of Wolve's history, this team had only won a playoff series twice before, both in the spring of two thousand and four, so twenty years without beating anybody in the playoffs. They're facing a hot Phoenix team all this expectation, and they have been sensational. They've won the first two games by nearly forty points combined. They've
held Phoenix under one hundred points both times. Aunt Edwards was mortal offensively in Game two and it still didn't matter. And again, you don't want to overreact too much to a two to zero lead, but again history says, history tells you that if you take a two zero lead in the best of seven, nearly ninety three percent of
the time you're advancing. So it's difficult not to be absolutely wowed by what we're seeing from the Wolves, who have shown us again that they are the best defensive team in the league.
That was definitely a choice I could have made as well, but I had a feeling you a pick Minnesota.
So I'm glad you made the choice you made because I was not expecting you to pick Oklahoma Sea.
That's so, that's good.
We do want to we don't want to have just the same answers, but this will be you know, this will be interesting to see if we can come up with a difference here, because I'm not sure.
That we can.
What team or player has most disappointed you through the first four or five days?
The Phoenix Suns disappointment disappointment and yes, yeah, yeah, I mean I don't this is a team that's built or should I say, has aspiration.
I'm not aspiration.
They're supposed to be a championship contending team, period. And we can talk about, you know, how the team is structured. You know, you can we can have complaints or have gripes or how they were modeled. But point blank, you got Bradley Beal, you got Kevin Durant, you got Devin Booker. That is a team that is expected to win a championship and contend for a championship. They're not playing anywhere close to that type of a level. And it's a disappointment.
Disappointment on all fronts period. Everybody has to take blame in this, from players to coaches, to management to ownership. Everybody has to take blame in what's going on. Have to take a part in the shortcomings. Again, don't want to overreact. You did point out to the stats with the teams that do jump out the two O leads, oftentimes they're going to move on to the next round. But shot, the series goes back to Phoenix now. But
this is a disappointment for sure. This team should not be and is not expected to be underperforming at this level.
Look, their season was all over the place.
You know, I was constantly tracking how many games we would actually see Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal played together. It got so bad that I think at some point on our show, I said the over under will end up being thirty. Okay, they ended up playing forty one games, so they went way past my over under. My over under was too low. But they only played together in forty one games. The Sons were twenty six
and fifteen in those games. But remember the Suns lost in San Antonio in late March, which just seemed like an unforgivable loss.
They didn't even the Spurs didn't even have.
Victor Weman Yama that night if I'm remembering correctly. And then the last ten games on the Suns schedule, we're all against teams with winning records. After that terrible loss in San Antonio, the Suns finished seven to three.
More importantly, it was.
The best Beal has looked all season, and the Suns came into the playoffs with real momentum. And I think we're a pretty popular pick to upset Minnesota in first round because of the inexperience that you mentioned. And now look where the Suns are down two to zero. They haven't been competitive really in either game. Grayson Allen is banged up now, and he's been such a huge.
Part of that team's success.
This is a team that doesn't have depth, It doesn't have a great amount of size and so an injury to Grayson Allen, if he's compromised in any way for the rest of this series, that's a huge problem. And they are going to be huge, huge, huge question marks about what this team does in the offseason because they they're in the second apron and it's not easy to make changes. It's not easy for them to do anything to really change this roster.
And so man, they have gone all in on a team that.
You know, they were to to two with Denver in the playoffs last year in the second round. Are they going to see the second round this year?
How?
How are they going to dig out of a two to zero hole against the best defense in the league. Can they win four out of five from here against the Wolves?
I don't see it. I don't see it.
And the Suns were clearly mine, but since since you have nominated them, and I don't want to just repeat what you've said, and I think I've pretty much made my son's stance pretty clear here. Just I'm still just bummed. There's just so many injuries. Giannis Antitokumpo. Are we gonna see him in this first round series against Indiana? Knowing Yannis I'm sure he's gonna do everything he can to try to find a way. A calf strain is such a tricky injury. It's such a potentially dangerous injury in
terms of reaggravation and what it could lead to. Rushing back just does not seem like a wise idea. So I think it remains fair to question are we gonna see janus Antitokunpo in this round? We know we're not gonna see Zion Williamson in this series. We know we are most likely not gonna see Jimmy Butler in this series.
Joel Embiid is playing, but is clearly compromised.
I was there in La for Kawhi Leonard's comeback game, and I really thought the Clippers were going to wait until Friday's Game three to give Kawhi some extra time because Game one and Game two were in such a short span.
But Kawhi is back, has the rust.
Work through, and like I said, this is just it's just a disappointment for so many big names to either be out or less than full strength. And you could throw Karl Anthony Towns into this discussion as well, because Towns missed only a month after a meniscus injury and his back very very quickly.
So it just.
It's always a downer to see so many injury situations impacting the playoffs.
Yeah, and Bee's not looking good.
I covered that game two Nicks Sixers.
Hey, let's get into that, stime.
I know you have some news on what happened in the aftermath, but you know I was, I was working that game, and Beid is just not right.
Man.
He's hobbling, he's pulling up. I feel bad for him. I really feel bad for him. The seat that I had in Madison Square Garden is a seat that's right behind the Sixers bench, and when at one point when in Bed got pulled out and he sat at his seat at the end of the bench, you know, probably about eight feet away from me. The physical therapist is misogynist, knee stretching it out, and at one point and b
put a towel over his head. I don't know if he did that to cover up a painful expression he might be making, or.
He was just tired, but it's not a good look.
Man. He You can tell he's just trying to be out there for his team and give him everything that he has.
But he is.
Nowhere near himself, and I'm hoping that he doesn't get out there and further damage, damages anything, because he's trying to fight it out.
But Stan, you.
Had some news on on what the Sixers, the beef that the Sixers had with how the ending came about, and what happened in the ending of Game two, So I'll let you have the floor.
Yeah, I did a story today earlier on Thursday that you know, when look, the Sixers were on the wrong end of more than one bad call in their Game two loss and late collapse in New York against the Knicks. I mean, multiple mistakes were cited in the last two minute report.
But there was a lot of reporting after.
That game that a grievance was going to be filed by the Sixers in this situation, And my story today basically explains there is no such thing as a general grievance about officiating. A team can call the league office and register complaints that way, and I'm told that the Sixers certainly did that, but the word grievance was widely reported, and that suggests that you can officially file some grievance document. There's no such thing as a general grievance that can
be filed over officiating. Teams have the right to file a formal protest, and the Sixers, to be fair, never said they were going to file a protest over Game two, But that was the only official measure that the Sixers could.
Have taken, and they did not do that.
And again they never said they were going to file a Game two protest. But in terms of filing a grievance, I just wrote this story to stress and explain that there is no such thing. Teams call the league office all the time, they send video clips into the league office all the time, but there's no grievance language in the league's bylaws and constitution that allows a team to
file a Quotevens. And the reason you see so few protests, look, there have only been six successful protests in league history, and this season the Knicks actually filed one after a loss in Houston, and that protest was denied because what the league always says in the protest situation is they're not going to overturn human error mistakes. The last protest to succeed in the NBA was way back in two thousand and seven, two thousand and eight.
When your TNT teammate Shaquille O'Neill.
Playing for the Heat at the time, was fouled out of a game against Atlanta. Scorers Table said he has six fouls. He actually only had five fouls. So that was a real misapplication of the rules. And that's why the last forty odd seconds of that game had to be replayed because that that wasn't a judgment call, that was a scorebook airr and that's why that protest was upheld. But I'm sure you remember in January Portland, Chauncey Billups went ballistic, calling time out, time out, not granted, he
ends up getting two texts. The Blazers lose a close game. The Blazers actually came out and said we're going to protest this game, and then there's a forty eight hour window to file a protest. The Blazers decided against it in that instance because I think they know you never win these protests. The Knicks did go ahead and register a protest from that February game in Houston, but the
protest was not successful. And again, I just wanted to do this story today to clarify there was all this talk that a grievance would be forthcoming, and there's no such thing as a written grievance in the NBA by law, So that was really the story.
Well good, so now people can move on and get ready for Game three because they spent so much time and I understood the Sixers point of view, but they spent a lot of time faulting the officials, which they had a right to, but they made costly mistakes. I'm telling you throughout that. You know, let's talk about Kyle Lowry. And they said Nick Nurse, they they acknowledging that two Many report that Nick Nurse is trying to get a call the time out.
But you know, Kyle Lowry is right there. He's a veteran.
You know he should He's supposed to have a five second clock in his head. On Okay, if I can't get a clean pass in, well I got to call it time out.
He did it, and so he put you put the team at risk.
And then just even that play, okay, even with you still want to talk about that play. The Sixers had multiple guys crashing offensive rebound, diving on.
The floor for loose balls.
But they've been doing that in those two games thus far. The Sixers are more to on it. But the Knicks have dogs who are going to crash boards. Josh hart Dante, Isaiah Hartenstein, isn't Hartenstein or hartenstein Stein?
Which one is? And what?
That's a great question because I've.
Heard people say different Yeah, people, I've.
Heard multiple different ways.
Myself, I've been wanting to ask him for his preferred pronunciation because that will make it official.
Harten Stein.
I mean, yeah, it's what.
But he's a dog, and right now he smells blood, and the blood he's smelling is coming from Joel and Bid. Because he understands that he doesn't have he's not fully himself. So I'm just gonna I'm just gonna say, Isaiah, I don't want to disrespect him by saying the wrong last name.
Offensive rebound or Supreme.
The offensive rebound and Supreme is crashing, which is putting a lot of pressure on Joeln Bid to box out, which Joel didn't box out, and know those last seconds got the office rebound, got back to Dante for a second three and that three went in. But all throughout that series thus far, the Knicks have had guys that
are just willing to do the dirty work. And so Philly is going to have to identify some guys who are willing to do that, who're gonna have to get down and dirty in order to make this a series.
Well, look, multiple things can be true.
I mean, there is no question that Philly was robbed on multiple calls. Late Maxi had his jersey grabbed. There was a foul that landed him on the ground. Nick Nurse didn't get the time out. But I think what you said is true too. The Sixers also participated in their own demise.
There was a Kyle Lowry.
Miss free throw in there, And there's a couple things that work here. With all this talk about grievances and whether there's an official filing or not. Look, on one hand, it comes off as excuse making, and I don't know
that it's healthy for a team. But on the other hand, and my sense is when it becomes so widely reported that a team is going to complain to the league about the officiating in the first two games, then it stays in the headlines, it becomes a story, and maybe it puts pressure on the game three, Game four referees. They know they're going to be watched super super closely. So I can see why the Sixers would also want that story to be known for their dismay to get
more coverage. But we'll see what effect it has now, because again shortly after this podcast drops three.
Huge game threes in the NBA.
Tonight before we go. Philly down two oh to the Knicks, Lakers down two oh to the Nuggets, Magic down two oh to the Cavs. Do you think any of those three teams can win their series? Can they get out of a two to zero hole?
Man, you said win the series? Wow?
I would probably give Philly the best chance.
Yeah. Probably.
Well, if Joel is like how he is right now, I don't I can't see it.
I can't see it.
If Joel if this is how he's going to be all season with that knee, I don't see it.
But yeah, it's gonna be tough. Yeah, that's a good call. I don't.
I don't know who out of those other two old series leads Lakers.
Can the Lakers dig out of a two to zero hole against the Nuggets, against the defending champs? Can they beat Nikola Jokic and co. Four times out of five? That is a hard one to imagine as well.
Yeah, that's why they played the game, looking forward to it.
All Right, Well, I'm glad we finally connected.
It has been a circus of a week not often that we're both on the road. I will not be traveling as much for the rest of the playoffs as you, so hopefully this was just a week one situation for the both of us. But I think something else happened in New York that you wanted to share with us.
Yes, I did, Stein. This is a personal monumental feat in the history of me. This was something that I've always wanted to encounter, never had the chance to since I've been covering the NBA. My favorite player growing up, favorite player of all time growing up was Latrell spree Will when he was playing for the Golden State Warriors, and he was the reason why I really didn't growing up, I really didn't have a favorite team baseball.
I liked the Atlanta Braves. That was it.
But as far as that, like the NBA and NFL, I I liked players, and so I'm probably the start of the generation of fans who follow players wherever they go, because that's what I did with the Treil Spriwill. But anyways, growing up in Fresno, California. We got all the Warrior games televised, and this was when Michael Jordan had retired for the first time. I liked Michael Jordan like everybody else, but't I can't say I was in love with him, but I liked him like everybody else. Then he retired.
I was looking for who's this next ballhead shooting guard type player that I can.
Follow, and I Warriors game was on.
I saw the Treil Spriull, who was probably in his second year at the time. He was doing these tomahawk dunks. Reminded me of Jordan a little bit.
He was young.
I'm like, I'm gonna follow him, and so I started wearing fifteen. I started wearing fifteen like Spree. Well, when I was able to dunk. My sophomore year in high school, I started doing the tomahawk two hand dunk like Spree.
And I remember in junior high. Junior high was when I first started following Spreewall.
So it's seventh grade and that was around the time where the NBA jersey started being popular. And at that time, Champion used to make the jerseys and they were around forty four dollars at that time and I couldn't afford when my parents wouldn't give me a jersey. And I remember me finding a surfing tank top around the house. It was like a surfboard on the picture on the front of this tank, white tank top, but it was empty on the back, and I wrote spree well on the back and put fifteen.
And I wore that thing to school and I.
Got talked about like crazy, but I wore the like I was just determined to have Spree wall on the back of my jersey.
So I've always wanted the meat Spree.
And I followed him when he you know, when he was when he went to the Knicks when the temblewles, I root it for him.
Never met Spree will before.
I've been covering to leave for what thirteen years now, running to him at our hotel that was staying. That was still at the Renaissance Hotel, which is across the street from Masison Square Garden. He actually walks out the hotel, so I had a chance to just talk to him for briefly because he was on the go, and I told.
Him, man, man, Spree, I've been a fan of you. Spree for three. Spree for three.
That was the call the broadcast call whenever he was shooting three back when he was playing for the Warriors, sprae for three and I just told a little bit how I felt Man.
And he took a picture. I sent you.
I sent you and our producer Tim the picture, and I was going to post about it. And I posted about it today and put on Instagram if anybody wants to see it on my Instagram. But I also put on Instagram like the moment I had with Spree. After that next game, ended up having a drink with Spree. Gave me a drink. You guys know I don't drink, but I felt forced to take drink was Spree. Chess was burning like crazy. Took a little drake. He was like, oh okay, I can see you don drake. That's okay, Christy.
They gotta take no more. But he said this to me, Star, He said, listen. He said, I've been watching you afar for years and I'm a fan of what you do. He said, So for you to tell me I was your favorite player growing up, he said, Man, that touched me. And he said, I never knew we had that connection. He said, so thank you for telling me.
Man. That made my day and Stein, to this day the house that.
I grew up in. My parents still live at that house. In my room I got as I sent you pictures, sent you and producer to pictures. That is how my room is right now, still dirty. But you have three spree Well posters. They're really not posters. There are pages I took out of a magazine of a feature that I forgot what magazine was, a feature that was done on spree Well. But that's the way it looks in
my room right now with those Spreewel posters. So and I showed you guys a high school photo of me wearing fifteen as well, so you know that was a real special.
Moment for me to be able to meet him.
And you know a lot of times people have bad experiences when they meet.
There, that's what they.
Yeah, yeah, but you had a good one, great one. And lastly, Stein, I want to say this, I was twelve years old when I put these posters up on my wall. That you see, Stein, go to the picture I showed you is go to the picture of the posters. The one poster I want you to pay attention to is the one where he's wearing the blue Warriors Jersey. Go to that real quick.
If you can.
Okay, I think I found it.
Reminded everybody.
I put these posters up when I was twelve years old. This poster has been in my room ever since. I'm forty two years old. Now you see that photo.
Stein NBA on TNT in the corner.
NBA on TNT on a corner of that poster. NBA on TNT is on a corner of this the Trails Spree World poster, the NBA on TNT. I would never, in my wildest dreams ever would have thought that I would be working for TNT as an NBA sideline reporter.
I'm at twelve.
I'm getting straight fs at this point, so I'm just man, that's to me. I don't mean to get religious on people, but you know, I believe that was God. Man, that was that had this in my room the whole time and had plans for me and I didn't even know it.
So you know, I'm hopeless on Instagram.
So did you post all the pictures you posted the stuff from your room.
I post I post all those pictures. I posted up the pictures, all the posters and the picture of me wearing fifteen in high school. The picture of me and Spree, Yeah, I'll post it all man just came back full circle.
So I had a.
Pretty That was a great trip in New York Man to get the meat Spree.
All right.
On that very warm note, we are going to put a bow on this edition of This League uncut As always, everyone please remember to follow us, rate the show, review the show.
We would love to earn a five star review.
And who can resist that heartwarming tale that Chris Haynes just shared about meeting the favorite player of his youth, Latrell Spree will Nicks legend. All right, Chris and I will get together again very very soon for another episode
as we both continue to cover these playoffs. As mentioned, I'm headed back to Dallas to pick up mas Clippers Game three and Chris he's got games three and four in Miami and game five in Boston three of Celtics Heat after doing Game two in Boston the Heat's stunning victory.
So stay tuned.
We will be back together with you very very soon. Thanks everyone for listening, and that'll do.
It for us. See you next time. This League un Cutters and iHeartRadio production. Chris Haines and mark Stein