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Welcome in episode one thirteen of What's Right with Nick Ray, and today's show is going to be a little different. We're gonna do our full regular show, but we're gonna start that after this opening segment, So demons will come in with us. After the opening segment, we'll have the.
Fun and do the stuff we always do.
But we're gonna start today talking about Damarrow Hamlin. And right before we went on the air just moments ago, this might be breaking news to many of you guys. The Buffalo Bills tweeted out the following I will read it in full. Per the physicians caring for Damar Hamlin at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Damar has shown remarkable improvement over the past twenty four hours. While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be
neurologically intact. His lungs continue to heal, and he is making steady progress. We are grateful for the love and support we have received. So I think for a lot of people, the keywords there are neurologically intact, and as is the case with a lot of parts of this great news is also somewhat almost horrifying in that that it is great news. Right, So you're neurologically intact. I'm obviously not a doctor, and unlike lawyer, it's not even
something I pretend to be. But it sounds like what they're saying is I think that means that their concerns about brain damage have been alleviated to a degree. Again, I don't want to put out bad information. I'm just selling my reaction. Neurologically intact, is that's what they mean? Also, Ian Rappaport tweeted a few minutes ago, Deamar Hamlin opened his eyes last night and his responsive.
Truly incredible. One thing that's.
Clear from speaking to those close to him, they are endlessly appreciative of the medical care given to Hamlin on the field immediately then over.
The last seventy two hours.
Rapaport then also tweeted tomorrow Hamlin has been gripping the hands of those close to him, another very positive sign.
So this is all really excellent news. Like I think it.
Seems from reading what I've read from the people that actually are medical experts, this is about as good of news as you could possibly have gotten at this point in the situation, given what a scary and devastating situation this has been, so I want to spend a few minutes here talking about the great stuff and then talking
about where I think we all must do better. And on the do better part, I have been wrestling with how to talk about this for forty eight hours and I'm still not sure how I'm going to do it, so we'll all find out together. On the great part, it is a testament to the professionalism, expertise, and ability of the people, the medical professionals in that stadium. And I do not think this is overstating it that they
saved this young man's life. And I had been hesitant on television on Tuesday to use the phrase saved his life because to me at the time, from what I was reading, was still very on the board that DeMar was going to lose his life. With this latest update, I don't Again, I read everything we have and I don't I'm not a medical expert, so I don't want to act like, you know, he's totally out of the woods.
But it looks like everything is trending in the right direction from everything I've read about sudden cardiac arrest.
Those first few.
Minutes are the tipping point of which direction this can go. If you want to have any chance of a positive outcome, those first few minutes are critical, and the people involved it would appear executed it perfectly. And this is where we now start to bleed into what we must do better. So I want everyone to understand something. An NFL player having his heart stop live on the field during the game. There's a reason none of us had ever seen that
on television. It is because, as best as I understand and call it, the last thirty years, forty years, fifty years of NFL football, this specific medical emergency has never.
Happened on an NFL field.
Yet despite that, the folks who are charged were charged with saving Damar's life, knew exactly what to do and handled it. It would seem perfectly. Got to get the face mask off. I think you need a screwdriver, You need something to do that. Cpo are, where's the defib machine?
All of it?
Bang bang bang moments outdoors in a stadium on a field having run again, these are the real life things, right, They are running from where they were, They're out of breath, confusion. I don't think anyone's head goes to his heart stopped. You usually think he's unconscious because a brain diagnosed it figured it out go seconds matter And clearly this is something they have a protocol in place for, despite the fact that it has literally never happened.
In an NFL game.
They had a protocol in place, and they followed it, and it appears they.
Saved his life.
That is why the reaction of immediate villainization of seemingly anyone or any entity one could vilify, to me reveals a real.
What's the word issue is not the strong enough for it is.
It was a real time example of a flaw that I think far too many of us have, which is the need for a bad guy, a villain, just because we're looking for either a reason or a place to put our anger and hurt. So within moment before DeMar Hamlet was in the ambulance, there was loud via Twitter, which is my preferred social media anger at the NFL
for wanting to resume the game. Now, the NFL, and I don't think the NFL's perfect, and I don't think they always tell the truth, but in this one, I believe them is adamant that was not what they were trying to do resume the game. I also believe Joe Buck, who's a great journalist, that he was told by someone it's five minutes and then they're supposed to be back on the field. I also think it's very there is a clear how can both of these things be true?
How can the NFL be telling the truth? Andre Buck be telling the truth? It's very simple that the written down listed protocol is that for most injuries, once the players off the field, the game immediately resumes. But if there has been an elongated delay due to player injury, you can give the teams five minutes to warm back up. And so someone was asked what do we do here, and somebody in a position of semi power it was like, well,
what's listed here is five minutes. But that was never happening, because this wasn't unprecedent incident, and I think smart.
People knew that was never happened.
And yet they if you have a grudge against Roger Goodell, or a grudge against the NFL, or a weird grudge against football, even if you are invested in football, you make your money in football, or love football, said, look, another example of what sons of bitches.
These guys are, how little they care.
And that was irrational and it was misplaced anger. But people needed a place to put their anger, and I think they also a little bit needed a place to put their guilt.
More on the guilt of the more.
And then once the game was stopped or in the process of being stopped, that the new villain popped up and there's my colleague, skit.
And I listen. Do I think Skip's tweet was awkwardly worded?
Yes?
Do I think that those of us and I will put myself in that same category, that are either intentionally or just by nature somewhat polarizing, have to be extra cautious about anything we say in true real life moments, because we are almost by nature make people feel some type of way about certain things.
Yeah.
And do I understand why for certain folks skips tweet, at least initially, really struck them the wrong way?
I do.
Do I also think that any fair and accurate reading of everything on his timeline leading up to that and including that tweet the end of it made it very clear that.
He was thinking.
What a lot of us were thinking while being concerned desperately for this young man. Anyone acting like it didn't cross their mind. What is the league gonna do here, you can't play this game, but they've got a mess on their hands. Now, anyone acting like that didn't cross your mind, I'm gonna tell.
You, I don't believe you.
There might be say, listen, if you are a family member, if you are maybe a former football player that views it differently, I believe you. But for the majority of us, that at least came in our minds. And the reason I know it is because the very next day, yesterday, that was the topic everywhere. Now you want to say that wasn't the time of the place for it, fine, I'm not.
I am not.
I understand that part of it. However, the immediate cry that this was a near criminal act was once again simply, in my opinion, folks looking for a villain when there it was not one. So why do we do it?
Well?
One is inexplicable.
Tragedy is hard for the huge human brain to comprehend, and we want to find It's the same reason why it took less than twenty four hours or some folks to try to kind of toe the line of.
Maybe to Higgins is a fault. Nobody was at fault.
Anyone that watched this knows nobody was at fault, but we got to find someone because otherwise I don't think we have the ability to process it. Religious folks do to a degree, and we'll talk about that in a moment as well. If great, if great, admiration for religious folks and moments like this. But I said guilt earlier, and I want to say that, I want to explain
my thoughts there. I think the reason with football, specifically, whenever something bad happens, we are so adamant that if not for this boogeyman of the day acts, this wouldn't have happened is because it's the way we all reconcile the fact that the only real way to make this sport safe is for it not to be played. But we all love it, and a lot of us gamble on it, and a lot of us make our money off it, and we play fantasy and we get so wrapped up.
But we can't be the bad guys.
We it.
No, no, no, no no.
When Tua Tongue of Ailoa has his head smashed against the turf in Cincinnati, no no, no, no, no, that's that's that that could have been prevented, Guys. That was the dolphin's fault and Mike McDaniel's lying, and the league must not go about its players because it's something that happened a week before that not many of us took any.
Notice of, but now we do.
And when this young man suffers cardiac arrest after the most regular football play you'll see all week, no no, no, no, that either could have been prevented or the league didn't do the right thing, or this media member that I already hated is the worst guy in the world. As opposed to this is the devil's bargain. We've all made everybody violent, dangerous, scary sport that we love that is the most popular in America, and the players and the fans and the league.
Have all.
Agreed we will make it as safe as we can, while acknowledging can't be totally safe. Yet, when when the true scare, veray tragedy happens, some folks want to pretend that there is their hands are totally clean, and I'm here to tell you my hands.
Are about as dirty as it gets.
I literally make my living talking about these games, and maybe that you know, some folks will say that that is my complicity in all of this, I am letting myself off the hook whatever.
What I won't be is a hypocrite. And what I won't be is pretending.
That every time something awful happens, it could have been preventable, or it prevented, or it could have been handled better if only this boogeyman.
X would have done his job.
I won't do that, and I wish instead there was more of an immediate focus on the folks who did their jobs, who it does appear, saved.
This young man's life.
And lastly, before we get to the actual show, this went longer than I thought it would.
My apologies.
I said earlier I was envious in some ways of the religious folks, and I said on TV that in these times listen, I'm not a religious person. However, and I said this on DV. I'll say it again. My wife is a deeply religious person, and while we don't go to church as much as she would like, she has true, deep spiritual beliefs. There's an envious component of when something like this happens. Those folks have a grounding that I don't. But that's not actually what I wanted
to say about the religious community. I want to say something else here, and we talk almost no pots politics on the show, and we've never talked religion on this show. But bear with me for just a moment. There are in some ways I feel like the religious communities have at times, yeah not at times. A lot of times got a.
Bad rat and zelots of any faith.
Are typically folks that I don't have quarter four and I do a great deal of damage on a worldwide scale. Okay, However, I spent sixty thirty seconds on TV this week's just being honest saying, hey, I'm not a religious person.
This is what I said here, but brew my partner on TV is, my wife is.
And I'm envious of you guys in that regard, in moments like this, and the number of people who are deeply religious who reached out to me with a welcoming hand saying, hey man, it's available to you.
Hey, thank you for your words.
Also know this, that and the other, not trying to convert me, not saying well you better get on board or else you're gonna burn internal, none of none of the extreme stuff that I think we paint with a broad rush at times, just genuine kindness and just genuine care that they were like, Hey, this is a guy who said he's not it doesn't it isn't religious, sounds like he might.
Want to be, and it's available.
I thought that was a striking act of kindness and I appreciate it.
Now.
I don't know I'm gonna take it that I'm gonna take anyone up on it.
It is a conflicted part of my own brain, but.
I I do feel like in this moment.
There is ah.
When I when I'm saying we should give credit more often, I also want to give it to our.
Some of our folks in the religious.
Communities out there that I was struck by their kindness and generosity of spirit. And I hope that made sense. And I you know, one of the reasons I like this show is it's a platform, Unlike you could never do this for a half hour on TV, but we could today and we could hear.
And I appreciate you guys. And as I always say, my.
Thought with DeMar and if you're a prayerful type, please pray for him. And it looks like there's good news on the horizon. And I hope this resonate with some folks. We are going to take a brief break, maybe two minutes and then do a regular show because we're gonna have some fun today.
What's Right?
All right?
Welcome back in What's Right with Nick?
Right?
If you had Nick has a semi religious awakening on your Bengo card for our second show of twenty twenty three, I mean, come collect your prize. But now we're gonna do a regular show. Demonse was sitting there stoically. I appreciate you sitting there off camera. Can I ask you a quick question before we start the show? Do you think you have learned more about like how my brain works in the year of doing this show with me, then you had learned hour fourteen years together prior combined.
That's a good question, maybe, But I feel like I pretty much so.
There's a I guess maybe you knew me better than you know I'm giving you credit for.
But I just wonder.
There's always times because in this space you're my coworker, but obviously you're also my son, and I always do wonder, like what would I because there have been times I have sounded like overly arrogant. You're probably used to that, or really like reckless about certain things and sometimes incredibly vulnerable. You see me almost cry or cry a couple times on here, and every once in a while, I'm like, man.
I had a different relationship with my dad, not a bad one, but I was like I always think, I'm like, man, if I was sitting across from my dad, I'll tell you a quick story before you get to the show, my dad might get mad at me. I'll I'll never forget. I was maybe fifteen sixteen years old. My dad was the fire my dad is His name is Louis Wright, and he was the president of the firefighters union in Kanas City for the better part of thirty years and
was fireman for forty years. And one time, when I was fifteen, sixteen years old, he brought me to I went to a bunch of his union meetings, but there was one in particular where it was really contentious and I don't remember exactly what it was about, but one of the union members was furious with my dad and some of the decisions he made and stood up and said something really really out of line, really out of line that I won't repeat because I don't want to misquote it.
In a quarter century ago. They're twenty years ago. And my dad, oh, he might eve be mad at me. Sorry. Pop's statute of limitations were okay, my dad said to.
Him, if you want to continue that conversation, I think you and I should step outside.
It was like, holy shit, I think he just threatened to fight him.
I'm like, man, I was like, that's a totally new version of Pops that.
I was like, I think you just threatened to.
Fight that guy, like and I And also, by the way, if I was fifteen, I mean my dad was in his early fifties. I also think I was like, Pops, I think you're gonna get washed. I think that guy's I think that guy's like a twenty eight year old fire mutter and you're like fifty two, Like, careful now, Dad, I don't know.
All right, what do we? Uh what?
Let's get into the show. Here's what missed the cut. Here's what didn't make the show. Caveon Thibodeau doesn't know who Jeff's Saturday is. Demon say you and I watched that play together. Caveon Thibodeaux was the one who sacked Jared Goff and then it looked like golfs oh the pa fake Well, no, when it got like messed up and Thibodeau was doing snowing.
Oh yeah yeah.
And then after the game, Thibodeau's like, my job's hit the quarterback because Jeff Saturday said it was totally classless, and Thibodau.
Said, I don't know who that is.
But also probably I don't think he knew that.
He definitely didn't know that Goff was.
It's tasteless.
If he knew, it might be a little tasteless. Either way, it's really egregious if he knew.
What I do wing snow angel was when we sat quarterbacks.
Now, well, no, no, no, I guess I.
I guess one could argue that before you celebrate a big hit, so you should make sure the guy's okay.
But I certainly don't think he knew that Golf was.
Him. He never got off the ground. Now it was also Nick Foles, by the way, at least or something. Oh, thank you, you're right, I keep I'm saying, you're saying golf.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, my bad, that's it was Nick Foles. My apologies there, all right.
Also, Justin Fields is out, he's not going to break Lamar's record, and March Madden is expanding the ninety teams.
I gotta tell you guys something.
This is my you know what I just this is another little window into my brain. I just did twenty five minutes of kind of walking on a tightrope in the Deamar Hamlin talk. I was not nervous for a second of it. What I'm about to say right here, I'm incredibly nervous about.
I don't love March madness.
I don't put that on Social Laureate Championship game coming up.
No, the college football Championship game.
Yeah, college football, but the basketball tournament's about to expand in ninety teams.
I mean, I watch it and I'll gamble on it.
But my investment in the day to day college basketball is directly correlated to is Syracuse good that year?
Syracuse is good that year?
I am all in when they're mediocre, Like, I'll check in in late in late February and see where we're at.
All right, let's get to the actual show. All right.
Every year, folks like you debate whether it's smarter or not to start the start In the last week of the season, the Chargers, Cowboys, and Bucks are claiming they're all going to play their starters. Yeah, you've been saying for the for weeks. The Bucks would get a week eighteen by if they wanted it. Yeah, it seems like head coach Todd Bowles is not using the time to rest. Guys. Are the Bucks blowing it by not taking advantage of this golden opportunity?
Well, they will be if they play them the full four quarters. I don't believe these teams. The Cowboys, I might believe because the Cowboys and Eagles play at the same time, Right.
The Chargers.
Could know by kickoff that they're the five seed no matter what firse psychology.
They could be doing a little bit of.
Just trying to mess with the opposition's mind.
Yeah, make them play their hearts.
Out, correct, I don't so. The Chargers would be insane if going into their games, their games at four point thirty and the Ravens games at one. If the Ravens lose, the Chargers are locked into the five. The Chargers dealing with all the injuries they've dealt with this year, last year, the entire history of the team. If they were to play Justin Herbert and Allen and Mike Williams and Joey Bosa a full game, I don't think they will the Bucks.
Here's a fun Tom Brady stat. He has never sat out again.
Ever.
Tom Brady has played a full sixteen or seventeen games every year of his career, except for his rookieyear when he didn't play. His second year, when he played fifteen of the sixteen games because he was not the starter. Week one came in in Week two when Bloodsoe got hurt and never looked back. Two thousand and eight he played less than one game because Bernard Pollard rolled into his knee and blew it out, and the year he was suspended for four games. So he has never taken
a week off for rest. What he has done is played a few series in Week seventeen now Week eighteen, and then come out of the game.
That's what I believe they're gonna do.
I think Brady will start, keep the streak intact, and then leave. I do not believe forty five year old Tom Brady is playing the entire game. I think that would be crazy. Also, maybe they would do it say they had won last week, but Brady had played terribly and he was like, I need to get a rhythm and said he had his best game of the year.
They're not I just flatly don't believe they're playing the whole game next.
All right, the Prince that was promised Trevor Lawrence has a winning in shot versus the Titans to get one step closer to his crown. Yeah, And the king that was humbled, Aaron Rodgers has a winning in shot versus Alliance and to get one step closer to having some dignity. Yeah. Which one of these guys with your bet? Would you bet your life on the clinch? The future Hall of Famer or the guy that took four tries to beat the Texans?
Okay, don't be disrespectful to the Prince.
It's the Texans, okay, and he beat him.
And last year we know doesn't count.
Trevor's having one of the best rookie years ever because this is his rookie year.
Last year didn't count.
What doll we say when like teams like always beat beat a specific team like they're just no, like Aaron Rodgers.
With Chicago, Well he says he owns them.
So the Texans own no.
No, because last year didn't happen.
Since last year didn't happen with one on winning Trevor Warris, let me tell you some My answer is to Trevor Lawrence. Obviously, I think the Lions are winning in Week eighteen, and clearly the Jags are winning on Saturday night. Let me tell you about what Trevor Lawrence does when he plays football. Aside from the year that didn't happen, he wins some
God Doog jewelry and they hang some banners. Four years of high school football in Georgia, four regional titles, two state titles, three years of college football three acc ACC titles, one national title the year that didn't happen, throw it out. So really, this year in the NFL about to win the AFC South. When Trevor Lawrence plays, his team wins some type of trophy. This year will continue by winning
the AFC South. That will be since grade school. Since since grade school, he has played nine years of football. Eight of them they have at least won their high school college NFL version of Division Region conference, and three of them they've won the TOLL Championship. And then there's the one year that didn't count last year, So give me a break, all right, next.
All right, you think the Jags will walk up the AFC South, then so three teams Miami Pittsburgh and New England are all fighting for the seventh seed somehow. If the Pats win, they're in. The Steelers clearly need help. It's crazy that either of these teams given how bad their rosters are. Wait, I'm saying, yeah, are there? Yeah, who's done more with less? Tomlin or Belichick?
Oh that's it. I didn't think that was gonna be the question, but I like it.
To me.
It's it's clearly Mike Tomlin, because Belichick has less in large part because the offensive coaching staff is so bad, but he picked them. And in some ways Belichick has less because the skill position guys are so.
Bad, but he picked them.
Tomlin, on the other hand, had a quarterback in big band, hang on for way too long, put him in a rough position, and then had Trubisky and Pickett as this guy. And yet they're alive for the postseason. And they are seven and two this year with TJ. Watt, seven and two with their best player. Now, I think Miami's gonna beat the Jets and the Patriots are gonna lose to the Bills, so Miami's gonna be the seventh sea.
But it would be pretty.
Spectacular if Tomlin kept his i've never been under five hundred streak alive, won this game and made the playoffs. Now that he can obviously keep the streak alive and not make the playoffs, they win this game, he's nine to eight, and so I guess I guess he's going to keep that streak alive no matter what. I shouldn't say no matter what, but I believe they're gonna beat the Browns. As long as they beat the Browns, the
streak stays alive. As far as which team is most interesting in the playoffs, if Cincinnati were the two seed, I think Pittsburgh would be the most interesting seven divisional rival.
Right If the Bills are the two seed.
I think Miami, if Tua is back, would be the most interesting. If Tua is not back, I think the Patriots would be the most interesting. Same reasoning divisional rival. Third time playing a team, you'll know something, some institutional knowledge.
So because we don't know now, I guess.
The Chiefs still could be the two seed. In that case, the most interesting team would be Miami. Used to get Tyreek kill up against the Chiefs, but Miami doesn't seem to be right now. Very live to make noise in the postseason, if Tua is going to be out for the rest of the year, which I think he is, and Teddy, who I believed into a degree, can't stay
healthy himself. We had was I mean, we we ran through that first segment in part because I did a twenty minute pre segment on DeMar Hamlin and I also did a five minute preamble to this before the clock actually started. So you know what, we got five minutes of bonus time. We're not even gonna use it. And oh, we have a pole question, go ahead?
Who was?
Oh the who has done more with less? Between Tomlin and Belichick's seventy seven percent say Tomlin, twenty three percent say Belichick.
Yeah, I think that's right. All right, we'll take a quick break.
Keep answering our poll questions, add your comments to the YouTube comments and questions. And I don't know if this is making the show or not. If it's not, our produces done terrible job. But uh, one of the greatest moments of my life happened yesterday on Jeopardy, and we're gonna.
Show it to you. I think it's next. What's right.
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Is a fan of one of the great American art forms?
What is that?
Mird?
I love sports talk radio.
My favorites are Shed and Sharp.
And Nick Wright and I just I you know, I do literary criticism as I'm a grad student, and I think what they do is sports criticism and it's beautiful.
And you're a fan of the sy art, so I have to give you some credit for that.
You have look at that for a lifetime of trying to get on Jeopardy, and I you know what, I think I've been shadow banned. I think they saw then when I was twenty two, I hit who Wants Me a Millionaire? For fifty thousand, and they didn't want me to go on a Jeopardy run. And so I always say that I fail the You know, there's a multiple tests you got to take, and they always say I don't pass them, or I pass some and not enough
of them. But they know it's because they don't want me, or there might be because you know, I'm on TV, on a inter network.
Whatever it is Lloyd's side.
The one guy in your book club.
Shouts me out. No, he's not the one guy in my book club. So here's the deal. So I found this fella on Twitter. He tweeted, end quote, I stand you on Jeopardy tonight. You gotta protect me from the haters. He then tweeted, I have literally listened to I tweeted back to him, I've got you.
This was great, trying to get video for the show tomorrow. Thanks so much.
He then wrote back, I have literally listened to every episode of What's Right and have been there with First Things First since the beginning.
I could weep right now.
Why did he mention me on the show?
I don't know, man, that would be How great would that have been if he said his favorite people were Nick Wright and Demons.
So here's what I want to do?
Because I then once I found him on Twitter, Uh did see he was getting a little bit of blowback for shouting me out. And also he's not a celebrity yet. And but I think what he has done is he searched Lloyd his name and Jeopardy and then saw what
people were writing. So like this jerk wrote, I have a big beef from Lloyd from Jeopardy, and someone else wrote he's kind of annoying, and so he replied back to them buddies with exclamation point, and then this jerk wrote, this Lloyd guy on Jeopardy is such a douche lol, and he wrote back, buddy. Uh So here's what I would like to do everybody. He right now was eight
hundred and fifty three followers. Okay, his at is Lloyd spelled Lloyd the way you spell Lloyd, and then cy s y three three three, so Lloyd spelled properly s y and then three three three Lloyd cyg three thirty three. Let's get this man to a thousand followers and send him nice tweets. The guy just won Jeopardy and shouted me and Shannon out. Let's do that and then I'll tweet out his handle once I have a good video.
Someone's gonna that.
The reason I have that video is because Kevin Wilde's mother was watching Jeopardy and text it to him. My mother called me yesterday and was like, all my friends are calling me all these sorry mom, sorry Kevin's mom. All these old people watch Jeopardy every day. Evidently I'm on TV every day. Nobody calls my The dude on Jeopardy says my name. People are like, oh my god, your son. So yeah, so let's be nice to Lloyd. Lloyd's gonna hear this. Yeah, it is so great.
What a moment.
As it happens. I I don't think I won't name names here. The most random thing ever two or three months ago, someone I work with.
The reason I'm not.
Naming names because I'm not sure there was was tell me someone I work with was at a Jeopardy taping because they work with Ken Jennings, the host, and called me and said, you will not believe what just happened.
I was at this Jeopardy taping and one of the contestants talked about you.
I'm like, what He's like, Yeah, he said he was a big sports talk guy and mentioned you and Shannon.
So I was so I.
Knew this was coming.
The taping a few more.
Because it's not a live show, they tape it a month or so ahead of time. So I knew that was coming, but I didn't know when. And then then it happened yesterday, and then I found him on Twitter.
Wow, this is great. Me and Lloyd. We're gonna be by Lloyd. This is gonna be awesome. All right, demnse, we're playing a game now.
Today, We're playing likely maybe in what if. It's been a while, so let me give the audience a little refresher. I will ask you a question on a specific topic, and you will respond with three possibilities, each more far fetched than the last. First off, let's talk about the crazy offensive boom and basketball. NBA scoring has reached new heights. Last week alone, four players broke the fifty point mark. The Oprah Winfrey Show over here. What's behind this insane
scoring boom? It's likely what? But maybe? What? And what if? What?
Okay? I will answer that question one second, but first I've got to tweet out the Lloyd video.
I'm too excited. I don't want to play defense no more.
Man, No, that is not it is Oh, that is not it.
All friends, they're all friends.
Oh that is so what they all.
They're all buddy. They're tweeting each other and stuff. Oh good game, but you know you did. You did a good job. Come scoring my team too. Everybody's just allowing buckets. Man, It's it's wild.
Okay.
I mean I think I wasn't really alive around that time, when you know, when Jordan had his whole thing. I probably was alive just watching TV like that.
No, I mean, you were born in July of ninety eight.
Retired, they had more like more frustration. I don't want these guys to be mad at each other. But okay, that from the Palace shouldn't be that far off. Like I'm not saying that I want that type of stuff to happen, but it's like that would never happen because everybody's just so cool. Everybody just wants to be friends.
Okay, here's the thing about Demonza's terrible take right there, Sweet, that's what the conventional wisdom is. What Demonte just said is what I bet a lot of my colleagues believe. It's no defense. Everybody's too buddy, buddy, it's too easy to score. And that is what you come to me for.
You're gonna be like humans are advancing.
Well, that's part of it, but let me explain. Let me give you some factual evidence. Okay, right now NBA teams are averaging one hundred and thirteen points per game.
Sounds like a lot.
Nineteen eighty five peak of rivalries defense Doctor Jay and Larry Bird holding each other by the throat and they didn't have the three point shot.
Who they did have it, but.
They didn't use it the way they did. Just keep in mind how much teams are shooting.
Three exactly, so shoring should be even higher. Nineteen eighty five. You know what the scoring average scoring per game was right now? It's one thirteen, one hundred and eleven two points different. And when you incorporate three point shot, it actually would make you think, well, teams are.
Shooting way more than two extra threes a game. So wait, was the offense even more potent then? Now, let's go back further.
Nineteen sixty two the year will average point fifty a game.
Average points per game were a one hundred and nineteen. So let's think about this.
Now.
The sixties we want to throw out because it was about pace and all of that. But The other thing that was going on there is there were only eight teams, and even in the sixties, too many good players for eight teams.
So all these teams had all these Hall of famers. So what was going on in the eighties?
Crazy influx of talent? The ABA folds, Bird and Magic come in, Jordan comes in and all of a sudden scoring his way up. What happens in the nineties the league expands. You add Minnesota, you add Toronto, You had Vancouver that became Memphis, You add I think Miami, you add Orlando. You had a bunch of teams not enough good players. When from twenty four teams to thirty teams quickly, scoring goes way down and rules change. So what's going on right now? Demonsey?
If I were to say to you, the best player in the league is young honest, would you agree.
Or less? Okay?
Second best player in the league is Luca Would you be with it?
Wool?
Some would say third best player in the league is Nikolaejokic. Does that sound reasonable, right? Or at least those are at least three of the top six. You know, no respect to Durant and Staff and Lebron and everybody else. Okay, So Jannisumpo is he from America? No, Luca Ancic you see from America? Nikoliokid you see from America. No, So why does that matter?
Oh?
Well, the league hasn't expanded in the quarter century. The league is now getting not just the occasional r Vitas Sabonis from overseas, but a ton of players from overseas, and they're awesome. So the talent's higher.
Okay, Well, Donovin Mitchell's from here.
By the way, I understand you still have you still have no no, no, hold on a second. You still have great American players, of course, but what you have is the entire world to choose from.
Too many good players.
Analytics that lead to smarter shots, so scoring is up. Of course, the three point shot has something to do with it. But if it's one hundred and thirteen a game right now and it was one eleven a game thirty five years ago, methinks it's not the guys just quit playing defense. It's the lazy answer. I know I didn't follow the rules of it's likely but maybe, but what if? But that's the answer. I'm glad you asked the question. I said this segment was going to be
fast and now it's not. But yea, but there's wrong narratives that even young people. This is a great example. Demonse never watched a basketball game in the nineties, never did it?
Kid? What and a lie?
And even he has been brainwashed because by the way it all the this is fruit of the poisonous Michael
Jordan Tree. This is all because people have conditioned everyone to believe, you know, when basketball was at its peak, when Jordan was playing, as opposed to I'm gonna show you something real quick, actually, Demonse, I'm gonna read the next question and you're gonna watch this video yourself, because I want you to watch the first few minutes of game one of the nineteen ninety eight finals, and you tell me, Demanse, if you think these are peak athletes,
do it away from the mic, just watch it and watch the Bulls Jazz game one, and you tell me in two minutes.
I'll do the next thing by myself.
If you think that the game was as good back then as it is now, just watch it, all right, hey, Nick, last night the Nets ended the twelve game win streak with a loss to the Bulls. Oh did it say? What did you guys, just tell me to say Lloyd is in the chat. Oh, Lloyd is in the chat.
Keep watching Demonse, hold on, just wait till it's over and we'll.
Talk about it.
I'm not taking it out of context. You watch nets into the twelve game Winster. We lost the Bulls, but making no mistake after all the antics earlier this year seem like they can potentially get the East top seed, says new foul Mojo sustainable or' is the off court chaos bound to return? I listen, Kyrie Irving stays without an incident's signs at like forty five, which is near his career high.
I would imagine that's coming.
But Durant has been absolutely sensational and we got to give him credit. And they look incredibly dangerous right now. Would I pick them to win the East, of course not, But with Durant playing at this level, he might win League MVP and they're dangerous. Next, you keep watching Zion Williamson once again dealing with injuries. After looking amazing time. He's out for at least three weeks with a hamstring injury. What's gonna happen to this guy? If he stays healthy,
He's gonna be a league MVP. If he doesn't, it's gonna be a huge What if the hamstring injury concerns me could hamper him all year and with a healthy Zion, the Pelicans could be actually win the Wide open West.
Next, King James, is it over or you got how much more?
I'm done with it? It's got like thirty seven?
No keep watching.
King James took last night off against Miami. Dude, non COVID illness. I think it's a big suspicious He's not sitting up against the former team again. That's Maanse's words, not mine. What's really going on here? Guys thirty eight years old coming off back to back forties, averaging forty five in his last two games. Guys need a light off night off. Leave Lebron alone. Next, Cardinals, Kyler Murray had his ACL surgery yesterdays and I expected back to
being the next season. Arizona's twenty twenty three seasons over before it even starts.
What's next for the Cardinals?
They fire their coach and at some point they admit they're wrong about Kyler Murray? Who that was pretty good? Demonse, what do you think of basketball in the nineties? Those are the two best players in the league in that game, Michael Jordan karl Ma alone, What do you think after watching that?
So I definitely did not anywhere and what I said I egregious take. Apparently did I say that the players these days are not much better than the players?
Well, you started your egregious take with, oh, I know what you're gonna say, guys are bigger, stronger, faster.
Which they are. Go ahead, and they definitely are. But I've seen the games these days and it doesn't seem like they're playing one hundred percent defense all the time. Doesn't really seem like they want to, like, you know, like really get after each other like that is the point that I was saying. I obviously people are more athletic, I under have a better shooting ability than they did.
Right of course.
But my point is the idea that there was ever an era where early regular season everyone was getting after it all the time is a myth. What is true is they played more physically. It was it was more brutal, and there was more on court violence, but that doesn't mean that they actually were trying harder in the past. You could it was actually way easier to play defense because everyone you didn't have to move around.
Everyone is all.
Constricted down in thet Now it was harder to get to the rim, but it was.
Yeah, so that's all.
So you're saying it's harder to score these the points that these guys are scoring.
Of course, of course, you have to be in so much better shape. There's so much better game study. Ever, of course, now is it harder now to get to the rim?
No, it was harder then to get.
To the rim because everyone was compacted in the paint.
But it's harder now.
You're The level of talent needed to be an efficient scorer now is as high as it's ever been on a per possession basis. The thing that happened in the nineties the game was slow. They were walking the ball up to the court, so they didn't score as much as they have as many opportunities to score.
What's up?
They send me back to the seventies. I'm making the league, is what I'm hearing. The sixties.
Sixties is seventies, I don't know, but the sixties. Yeah, the sixties.
I think you could give Bob Coozy some buckets, and Bob Coozy was like the best want a League MVP. We're not doing anything else. We're not doing brock Perdy. We've got to get to the chat where you know what we're gonna do.
The chat.
Lloyd is live in the chat, our Jeopardy champion. He also has almost one thousand followers at Lloyd's ci l O y D S y three three three.
He's in the chat. We'll talk with him virtually next. What's right?
All right, welcome back in final segment. We are way late today. My apologies, but we're live in the chat and our Jeopardy champion, Lloyd that shouted us out live on Jeopardy yesterday one live but it was aired yesterday.
He is in the chat. DeMont, what's our comment or question from Lloyd?
So we've got a question from Lloyd, Who's follower counts at nine fifty. He just said that. Just wanted to say what's up? And also, who's your favorite tennis player?
Favorite tennis player is roughing it all and it might be about over for him. He's dealt with some injuries. I'm not a Jokovic fan and I used to listen. I think Federer is probably the goat, but I like Rafa the most. And Raf actually has a unique goat case. It's kind of tough in tennis. It's not time for Nick's tennis corner right now. But that's my answer. And Lloyd, we're gonna get you to a thousand followers and don't let people we mean to you on Twitter.
What's up?
Yes, don't let people mean you on Twitter? Lloyd said from Jeopardy layed from Jeopardy again. It's the same guy. Yeah, I just wanted to say, what's up? Okay, wait read that one, same boy, Hey just fried me.
The other question was.
Just up there.
Okay, Well what about the question from Colin? Colin says, other than sports, what would be your yo?
Go ahead?
Other than sports? Won't be your best and worst categories in Jeopardy?
I like Demonse is locked in though Demanz's like hold on.
He put his finger up. He's like, I've got another question I'm supposed to.
Read and then then it just does. It took him six words. Realize, hold on a second. This feels familiar. No, I understand. I saw what they did. They did fry you. It's not your fall, but it's just funny. What would be my best or worst categories in Jeopardy, all right. Worst categories would be anything to do with art, like sometimes like art history, and they're like, this is in this era of I know nothing about it, you said, Bob Ross. Yeah, I know nothing about it. Nothing about it,
I would say it. My best categories would be US history, US politics, world history on a generic level, not like on a really smart person level, but like on the type of Jeopardy questions level, world history I'd be good at. I like the post peree segments, Johnsonville Royalty. And the other one I would say is the ones that.
Have to do with like.
It.
Sometimes in Jeopardy it's like each answer has three syllables, or each answer starts with this letter. My brain's good at figuring that stuff out. And occasionally, not very often, occasionally they basically have like a math category.
And I'd run the table on that. So those are the ones that I would do.
All right, We gotta got riddle for you guys. The next time we do the show.
Okay is tune in Monday for Demanday's riddle. Apologies for everyone that we didn't get to your questions. I gotta go to do television. I have a great day, everybody, what's right