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All Right, Welcome in episode ninety six What's Right with Nick? Right the podcast in YouTube shoke like rate reviews subscribe check us out on YouTube. I think we're live on YouTube. I'm seeing all the screens. Looks like we're good to go. I'm told people were waiting for the show, eager with the anticipation and in the chat talking amongst themselves. Uh, what would Demonse's leg ware be today? Demanse went with the more traditional look of pants with a sweatshirt. Well done.
That is that you learning or is that just weather related?
It's thirty degrees okay, so that's why that's fair enough. You know.
I have my little spies around Harlem though that say, you were walking around the streets Arlem yesterday when it was quite chilly in some shorts. So well, listen, you look great day. I speaking of legs, I cannot really walk right now. I have a funny story related to that tangentially, remind me to tell it. Maybe at the start of the second segment. We'll do that there. We have a ton to get to Week eleven in the NFL.
A great night in the NBA. I don't think it's in the show, but SGA just keeps crushing fools and has to be looked at as not only a top fifteen player, but thus far this season a clear top ten player. I don't think that's much in the show. Here's what is definitely not in the show. Not in the show today LaMelo Ball injured again, Deshaun Watson returning to practice, and Taylor Heineke still in as a starter.
One other thing that's not going to be in today's show, and I say this with great shame and embarrassment, We're not going to.
Have a book club in today's show. Guys too busy spending his gambling winnings because I didn't do the reading this week. I'm the head of book club and I didn't.
Do the reading. Next week we finished the book, and next week we do an extended book club at the end of the Thursday episode recapping the final one hundred fifty pages of the book. My apologies, I forgot to do the reading, and then last night I was supposed to do the reading instead I took my daughter to Broadway.
Also quick note before we get to the show. This I very uncomfortable moments last night because Door and I both dressed up because we went to Broadway and I bought some good seats because she wanted to see Funny Girl. With this lady named Leah Michelle who was on one
of her favorite shows. So it was a really nice moment between door and I. The number of people giving me the stink guy because they thought Doora and I were on a date made me so uncomfortable, to the point to where right before the show started, I was like, Deora, let's post something to my IG story.
She's like, no, why.
I just did it so I could loudly say for the people we were sitting around me and my daughter out on Broadway, just so it would attack that I just didn't want to do. I didn't care, like the people five rows over, who cares, but the people were literally sitting next to I didn't.
It was like and it was later. It was like a later.
It was an eight pm show, and your sister dressed super fancy. I wore my suit from work. It was it was un so I had to I had to fall on that grenade im media.
To mind their own business. I mean, but if it were that situation, it's bad.
Yeah, well it was uncomfortable looking, I understand it. Okay, Demons, where are we starting today's show?
All right, We're starting with the Warriors. Yeah, the Warriors start to Their season has been disastrous. Yeah. While their title defense isn't as bad as the Rams, They've still yet to win a game on the road.
That's unbelievable.
It's crazy. Step drop fifty last night and fifty. Yeah, he's had a couple of those games this year. I think it was like forty seven. Yeah.
No, he's been awesome.
Yeah, and they still managed to lose by eleven Verse the Suns. You said last week that the Warriors may be in serious trouble. Has his franchise earned the trust for us to be patient or are you ready to sound the alarm?
Oh?
I'm sounding the alarm. The franchise has earned a lot of things, but not trust for this season. Okay, And I want to talk Macro about the NBA for a moment, and then Micro about the Warriors. It is a damn shame that you have Steph Curry, one of the greatest players ever still clearly in his prime, and the team stinks. Kevin Durant one of the greatest players ever at the
tail end of his prime and the team stinks. And Lebron James clearly not in his prime but far and away greater than any player has ever been this deep into his career and still clearly at a minimum is Lebron one of the fifteen.
Best players in the league, which has.
Never happened in your eighteen, nineteen, or twenty except for with Lebron, and those three teams are all awful. The Lakers are the worst of them, obviously they're three and ten, but the Warriors are only six and nine. The Nets, on the other hand, are six and nine also with
all types of issues. You have, in my opinion, the greatest player of all time Steph Curry, who is one of the fifteen greatest players of all time, and Kevin Durand, who is one of the twenty greatest players of all time, all fighting off Father Time at various stages of Father Time as well as almost anyone ever has. And their teams are awful. Now with the Lakers and the Warriors,
at least they can fall back on. Yes, maybe we have screwed some things up roster wise for this team this year, but in the last few years we've won a title. The Lakers won a title in year seventeen for Lebron, the Warriors won the title last year. For the Nets, it's just a total disaster. We'll get more to the nets later, but they for Kevin Durant. This is his fourth year with the franchise. Year one obviously he didn't play because of the achilles and it has
just gotten worse and worse and worse each year. It's a total travesty and as a basketball fan, it's sad now to the Warriors. So they sent James Wiseman to the G League. He was that is as well as the Warriors have run their franchise. What does need to be acknowledged is they had a dynasty extender cheat code, which was they they were so bad the year after Katie left, when Steph got hurt and On got hurt. They had the number two pick of the draft and they took a guy who right now looks like a
total bust. There's no way around it. I understand, you know, with injury issues, some of it's not his fault. They could have taken LaMelo. Now, LaMelo's dealing with injury issues as well. But LaMelo, at least we know, is a good player. And that was not, you know, an unbelievable draft. I get that, but Wiseman is right now not an NBA player literally or figuratively other problem for the Warriors. Again,
these are smaller problems. They were expecting leaps from three young guys that didn't help them at all the title last year. Wiseman he's in the G League. Moody seemingly hasn't improved, and Kaminga the one guy who did play a bit for them last year in the playoffs. He is not improved, so that's a problem. They paid Jordan poole Pool is not improved. That's a big problem. Steve Kerr said it after they gave him his money, that he's earned it. They're proud of him, but he needs
to get better. He's gone in the other direction. In fact, has only played well when he has started. He had a great game the other day when he was starting for Clay. And then we get to their second biggest problem, which is Clay. And I listen, everybody likes Clay, and Clay is you know, has been very honest and very vulnerable about how he doesn't think some of this commentary is fair and he thinks it's mean, and you know, give him time. I have massive respect for Clay Thompson,
first of all the player. I have massive respect for Clay Thompson the person. I also think it is somewhat sports heroic that, coming off a blown acl and then a blown achilles, he was ever able to take the court again in any capacity, much less have some moments last year route to winning a fourth championship. He deserves credit for all of those things, but it also is our job as commentators to be honest about where he is now as a player. And right now, as a player,
he's hurting me. Their defense is a disaster. He used to be great on that end, and he's not a sniper at the moment. Maybe he will be. And then you get to Drama, who has not had the injuries but is clearly a deteriorating player. The defense has been awful, that's his calling card. He hasn't gotten better offensively, and oh yeah, he punched a teammate in the face right before the season started, and now they're having a season
from hell. And I, you know, Brusard on the TV show has floated out there a few times the possibility of Ben Simmons for Drama. I that's kind of that. You know, that's my problem for your problem. Why would the Nets do it? The Nets would do it to get off Ben's contract and to maybe add a real leader to that team. Why would the Warriors do it? Younger and gotta shake the snow globe that Ben Simmons is separate issue entirely. I feel badly for Ben, but I think he's too deep in his own head. I
don't know if he's ever coming back. But everybody kills me. I gotta be I gotta tread lightly when I talk about Andrew Wiggins. This is a compliment, but it is also a fact here. So Wiggins has been good. Wiggins been good, but we have a decade of evidence here. If Andrew Wiggins is your second best player, no matter how good your best player is, your screwed. That is not a knock on Wiggins Wiggins, but he the Warriors model is not have Wiggans be your second best guy.
And I think people are maybe numb to what Steph is doing. Steph is Demon's eight thirty three, seven and six on the year, averaging thirty three, seven and six on fifty three percent from the field and forty five percent from three But the concern for them is he had fifty last night and they lost. He had thirty nine and nine a week ago. Two weeks ago and they lost to the Magic. They lost the other night, uh to Sacramento when Steph just had a you know
a who home twenty seven, six and four. It feels like they have no chance to win a game like that if.
He's not unbelievable.
So right now, the West think about it. Warriors are bad. Kawhi doesn't really play anymore. He's a total unknown. The Lakers stink. The Suns are really good, but I have real concerns about them at the end of the season. So then who do you have? The Blazers you believe in them, I don't. The Timberwolves. Shockingly, Gobert hasn't contributed
big to winning. So you have the Nuggets and you have the maps, like two teams that are based around one, in Luca's case, historically great player and in Jokic's case, really great player.
Like it's it is.
A weird conference right now, and the Warriors' issues are multifaceted and super concerning.
Next all right, the seventy two Dolphins can now get some rest after the Commanders ruined Philly's perfect season. The Eagles had a rough start, and even everyone is quick to judgment after the loss of the division rival.
Yeah, but what a loss.
To Jeff's Saturday and the Colts prove the Eagles to be total frauds.
Listen, it'd be a really really bad loss. And you know, we always got to be careful, and I did this getting ahead of ourselves, just anointing someone the one seed. You know, three weeks ago we talked on this show about how overwhelmingly likely it was that the Bills were going to be the one seed. They're currently the sixth seed, and the Eagles it seemed like they had it locked up.
But all of a sudden, you lose one game you're not supposed to at home against Washington, and now you're like, oh boy, a lot of pressure on you.
Now.
I do think Philly should be able to dominate INDI's offensive line, force Matt Ryan in some turnovers and win that game. But if the question is the question is not correct me. If I'm wrong, do I expect Philly to lose? The question is if they lose, will it show their frauds?
Correct?
Yep, frauds is wrong. But a loss losing back to back weeks in twenty twenty two to Taylor Heineke and Matt Ryan slash Jeff Saturday, I think would expose you as a non serious contender. I do think that, ah Nick. The Chiefs lost to Matt Ryan and the Colts. I understand that. Listen when Matt Ryan plays, the Colts are frisky. But there should be no complacency for Philly whatsoever.
This week.
They're a debt, they're obviously a desperate team. But the Vikings only have one loss, the Giants only have two losses, the Cowboys only have three losses. Philly can't, you know, can't give away games after giving away that Washington game. And by the way, for Philly, after Indy, they're home for green Bay. Now I don't think green Bay is good, but then a home for Tennessee at the Giants, at the Bears, who all of a sudden are frisky at Dallas, then a home for New Orleans, and then a home
for the Giants at the end of the way. Point is this at Indy is their second easiest game remaining. Their only game easier is home for New Orleans. It's a game they should win. It's a game I expect them to win next. And by the way, did Washington expose the Eagles? The poll question, Oh, I should have said this off the top. If you're watching us live on YouTube right now, we'll get to your chat questions. In the third block of the show, fifty six percent
said they did expose the Eagles. Listen, frauds is too strong to me. But I'm yet all year to consider the Eagles a super Bowl team and I still do not.
Next, oh, Ed, Dallas goes to Minnesota the Sunday. After winning the game of the year, You'd think that the Vikings would be favored, and after a loss to Green Bay, you think the Dallas would be a big road dog. But believe it or not, the Cowboys are favored by one and a half in Minnesota. What does Vegas know that we don't. This is a confusing line.
I gotta admit when we on Monday show, I had you guess it, and I think you guess Minnesota by three or two and a half something like that, And at the time it was Dallas by two. So it's moved a half point. So I think there's and we'll talk about this more on tomorrow's Gambling Show. Also, by the way, I meant to tell you another thing we're gonna do in the Sea Block. So we'rena talk about
Demonsey's twitch stream. We need some of you subscribers to this show, if you're a gamer, to check out Demond's twitch stream. He's gonna get that going. So we're gonna talk about that. Remind me to talk about that Demondsey in the Sea Block. Uh. But on Monday show, we talked about how we were surprised by the line. Here's what I think is going on there. There is the Cowboys blowing a game, Minnesota having their pinnacle of the season,
great amazing win. Sometimes you feel like the Cowboys are gonna come in more desperate, the Vikings might have a bit of a hangover. So that element of it exists right then. What you also have is the odd thing with the Vikings this year is they are doing this despite Kirk Cousins having his worst year with the Vikings by far is passer rating. Every year with the Vikings have been north of one hundred. This year it's eighty seven. It's like twentieth in the league, and they are justin.
Jefferson is having an unbelievable season. I do wonder and this was Buffalo tried this, but I wonder if it's going to be even more, even more dramatic against the Cowboys if teams are gonna start treating Justin Jefferson, giving him the Randy Moss treatment of we're just doubling you. We are doubling you every play and seeing if someone else can beat us. Now I know the Vikings. They
have feeling. They just traded for Hockinson, they have Dalvin Cook, but Justin Jefferson has been the engine that has been driving that offense. So it's what I would do. I would try to make feel and have a monster game. I would try to see who else can beat me. I also think that the Vikings are one of the teams that they and Philly lead the NFL in forced turnovers, and that's listen, credit to them for that. That is
a great thing. But you also worry that if the turnover starts, luck starts to regress a bit like it did with Philly, that they're gonna give a game up. I like the Vikings in this game. I expect the Vikings to win, but that line is fishy.
All right, last, all right, things are really cool.
I'm sorry. There was a poll seventy six percent like Dallas minus the point and a half.
Wow, that's more than I would have thought. All right, next trouble in Paradise in Brooklyn. Yeah, the team is reportedly frustrated with Ben simmons lack of production, and Katie finally opened up about his frustrations, saying the team wasn't putting pushing him enough. Yeah. He also threw his starting lineup under the bus, saying, look at our starting lineup, Edmund Sumner, Royce, O'Neil, Joe Harris, Nick Claxton and me. It's no disrespect, but what are you expecting from that group?
You're expecting that we play well? Because number seven is out there? Does he have a point or not? All right? What did you think of that quote? I one hundred percent side with Katie. What do you mean so talk to me? So I think that once you look past the fact that Katie is just a good basketball player, and I don't really think takes the stance of wanting to be the be a leader. He just wants to play good basketball. It's like I think that you guys
are putt like, look at his starting lineup. Okay, I do think that in the fashion that he did it was not great. So all right.
So I think from a basketball analysis standpoint, he's totally correct. From a team standpoint, that's a crummy thing to say out loud to a reporter like that is. And Dragonfly Jones had this, and it's really funny, And credit to Dragonfly Jones for remembering this or finding this KD. The tweet that he sent that exposed the fact that he used burner accounts was when he accidentally sent this tweet from his own account. This tweet read, imagine taking Russ
off that team, see how bad they were. KD can't win.
A championship with those caps.
Point being it's a lot like what he's saying here that look at the guys around him. And I'm not saying he's wrong. I don't love him saying this to Chris Haynes. The other thing that I thought was to be totally honest ridiculous was him arguing, not arguing, stating that he asked for a trade because they didn't practice enough. He wanted more shell drills and close out drills. First of all, that is a ludicrous reason asked for a trade.
Second of all, you're Kevin Durant. If you want to practice more, you can call practice if you want to do different things in brain and it's not like, wow, there are other stars on the team. No, there weren't. James Harden got traded and Kyrie wasn't there. So they're not doing what you want to practice because they're deferring to Patty Mills. No, like it's it's a crazy thing to say. And that is where the leadership problem bites it, because yes, I understand he just wants to play ball.
I get that.
But if you're if you want to get if it's so bad you want to get out of there, then you you have a responsibility to try to change things. It to me is like asking for a divorce without first telling your spouse. Here's what you're doing that is irritating me. Try to fix it. So and it's such a the idea that the reason he wanted out and none to do with Kyrie, had nothing to do with the organizational upheaval, had to do with they weren't practicing enough.
I just don't buy it. I flatly just don't buy it. And now, by the way, the other news from Woades late last night is that Kyrie's coming back, that Kyrie's completed the steps and he's coming back. I don't know that that helps them to be totally honest. I think the big news in that Haynes article that wasn't from KD was that league executives are still quietly monitoring to
see if KD asked for a trade again. This thing in Brooklyn's not gonna work, and their only way to reboot the franchise is to trade KD.
I don't know, listen.
I'm a season ticket holder, so it's in my interest that they don't. It's unbelievable to watch him play basketball every night. You know that they're at home, but this team's drawing dead. They are absolutely drawing dead. Their best case scenario is sneak into the playoffs, and their best best case scenario is KD is unbelievable for a few weeks and they steal around. But the fact that their ceiling is round two is a total indictment on what Sean Marks has built. The lack of a culture there.
The mayhem Kyrie is wrought.
And French just put a big target on their back. I feel like, who did that conference? Like whatever, everything that Katie said, I feel like that makes other teams look at you as like a like a certain way, like you just your pushover at that point.
I think you're right. I think that they don't.
You're not.
I think teams know we show some resistance and this team will roll over. Which is how you allow one hundred and fifty three points to the Kings like they did a couple of nights ago. All right, Uh, I have Oh, I don't think we have a pole question for this. However, we have two amazing things coming up in the B block, plus a game we have.
This is gonna be a long B block telling you right.
Now because I have an unbelievable curb your enthusiasm esque story about me at the gym. And oh, we're getting nick soccer corner up and running. With the World Cup on deck. We're gonna give out some winners, some gambling winners. That's next.
What's right?
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All right, welcome back in episode ninety six. What's right with Nick? Right demanse? Or is your Twitch stream up and running?
Yeah? So I started it a long time ago living in Kansas City, and I haven't logged in it for so long, and they changed it to where I can't use my email to log in. I have to have my username.
So you so, are you ready to give it out yet or you want to wait?
I think we might, We might. I might be able to give it in the C block.
Okay, all right, well, okay, so we'll see if you're able to do it, but if not, next week.
Glad you caught me over here trying to work it. No, it's fine. It was also my way of saying, let's let me let let's lock.
In here all right, before we get to the World Cup, before we get to our game. So you've seen the last two days I've been walking with basically a limp, like my legs are stepped. Yeah, So here's what's so.
Let me give background here.
So anytime I hit a big gambling win, I try to take some of that money and do a like a kind of like long term life improvement thing. So the last time I hit a real big win, we hired that weekly chef. The guy comes to the house once a week, makes some Meals's healthy, it's good, take some stress off me and your mom did it. So I hit that parlay last week, finally took the plunge, hired a personal trainer. I'm gonna work out with this guy a couple of days a week, try to get healthy, right.
So Wednesday we go to this gym in Harlem and he's like, I just want to basically see how you move, do a bunch of stretches and see your form on things. He's like, we're not gonna do really any weight stuff. So the reason I'm walking funny is because I have the world's tightest hamstrings. I have no flexibility in my legs whatsoever. Even though I've been really good on the peloton,
I have no flexibility. So we did a lot of stretching, and it just the stretching kind of messed up my legs and I think I was working muscles that I worked before. The other thing we did was he wanted to see my form of different you know, on curls and on overhead press and then on bench press, just my form. So where at a packed jym bro he has me lay down on the bench and he has just the bar and he's like, I want you to bench press just the bar.
So he goes, I'm not going to tell you anything.
I just want to see if weight's not a problem, what you think the right form is?
Like, okay, you know what I mean. That makes sense.
So he told showed me I had my hands a little too close and I was bringing it like slightly at an angle. So he was like, no, like, you know, do it exactly like this. So I'm like okay. And it's a forty five pound again it's the bar.
With no weights on it.
Okay, So it's fine. And then he's like, Okay, now I want to see how many of those you can do consecutively without losing form. So even though it's just forty five pound bar, after twenty five you're you know, what I mean, at least for me, your arms get tired. But he's he's saying to me, He's like, I want to see I want to see how you do when you're really exhausted. Right, So I got in my head I was like, I'm gonna try to do forty Now.
Maybe people that work out are gonna laugh. They're gonna say forty pounds or forty times of forty five, this should be super easy whatever. I have no shame in it. I'm trying to get in shape.
Right.
So I get past thirty five and it's, you know, one of those things like your arms are shaking, you're tired, all this stuff, But I'm not worried about it because I know what I'm doing. Bro. I finally get the last one up and it's like a full blown, like arm shaking.
I'm exhausted.
Right.
There's a guy standing like four feet to my right back right who clearly recognized me, who had just walked over so was totally unaware that I had been doing this for five minutes or whatever, and I'm sure just saw me like struggling with just the bar and I almost left the gym. I was like, this is my worst nightmare. This guy and hopefully whoever he is, if he's watching right now now knows or at least it
likes me. Because if it's someone who recognized me and hates me and substitiously like you know, put on TikTok. Here's Nick right about to crumble. Ben's pressing forty five pounds. I don't know if Oliver Survill, I don't know. All make it ah, So that's my workout story. Also, I do think it's good advice if you win money gambling, spend them. If you have debt or whatever, yeah, use some pay off debt all that, but do something. Spend some of the money in something that will provide returns
or that you can enjoy long term. I think it's a great way to kind of remind yourself of the gambling win and also improve yourself.
All those things.
All right now time, I'm so excited, demons. Whether you're excited or not about this, I don't really care.
What are we doing?
My friend?
All right, guys, if you like Nick, Nick writes tennis corner, buckle up, yeah, grab your footballs and umbrellas, because it's time for the FIFA forecasts. Yes, the tournament begins this Sunday with a match between Qatar and Ecuador. Yep, your favorite team, Brazil yep. Coincidentally are also the odds on the favorite to win it all at plus four hundred. Yeah, they're always the odds on favorite. That's fine, go ahead. The US is all the way down to plus fifteen thousand,
which is freaking one hundred and fifty to one. Yeah, that's wild.
That's not that wild the US. Let me can I tell you the real quick?
I guess we are?
World Cup history. World Cup started in nineteen thirty. Nineteen thirty World Cup, the US made it to the semifinals. That sounds amazing until you realize that there were only thirteen teams in the tournament, and in the semifinals they lost six to one. The very next year in the World Cup, in the next World Cup nineteen thirty four, they finished dead last. Of the eleven World Cups that followed that, they didn't make it to ten of them. They're in a bit of a soccer drought. Starting in
nineteen ninety. We have now qualified for six of the seven World Cups, so that's good, and in four of them we have made it out of the group stage in one of them, we have made it past the round of sixteen. That was two in South Korea. The goal here for the United States. So the way the World Cup works, if you don't know, there's thirty two teams that qualify. Okay, they break those up into eight eight groups. Four teams per group. You follow group A b.
CD E f G. Right, that's eight.
Is there an H e G No, that's five six H Yeah, So ABCD FGH. There are four teams per group, and it is random what four teams are in which group, So there's relatively random. So there's like a group of deaths some years like, oh my god, that's going to be impossible. Because the way it works is two of the four teams from each group advance, so you play every team in your group once you get three points for a win, one point for a draw, zero points for a tie, and then the two group leaders advanced
to the knockout round. That's then single elimination sixteen teams, you know, and they play down to one. The US, yes, has made it to the round of sixteen four times. They've made it to the round of eight once and that's never further except for again first World Cup.
Ever, when there's only thirteen teams, that doesn't count.
So the big goal for the US is get out of the group stage and then move on from there. So in our group, which is Group B, there is England, who is the huge favorite, US, Wales, and Iran. Iran's drawing dead. Everyone should beat Iran and they get their three points against I run. We play Wales in the opening match for US on Monday. And by the way, the World Cup's gonna be on Fox and FS one. There're gonna be days the TV show and the podcast are off because the TV shows off and because we're
preempted by the World Cup. So our schedule is gonna be a little odd the next few weeks, but it'll be great. The World Cup is so fun, it's so awesome. If we beat Wales in our opening match, we will advance. I believe you beat Wales and get three points against Wales, and you beat Iran, you're guaranteed to advance if you get two wins. But if you beat Wales, Wales is the other team we're competing with, really because England, who
would be shocking if they don't advance. So that opening match, if we lose to them, then we have to at least draw against England, which is gonna be tough. Here's the other thing to know the US. It'd be nice to win the group, but we play group in the
round of sixteen. If we get there second place Group B place first place Group A, first place Group A play second place Group B. You follow that Group A is Netherlands, Senegal, Ecuador, and Cutter Cutter's drawing dead in that Senegal and Ecuador one of them is gonna finish second and the Netherlands is likely gonna win it.
They had a question, Yeah, you do know I have a question on here right or are we just? Are we going? Are you answering that through the what's what could your question be? What am I?
Yeah?
You are up. I'm just doing it. I'm just doing it.
I'm just I'm just doing it. You got to it. I'm just doing it. I just I'm treating this like tennis. Are you set it up? And I just go. So a perfect world for the US if we finish second in the group as is predicted, is somehow the Netherlands finishes second in Group A. That way, in the round of sixteen, we get Senegal, or Ecuador and avoid the Netherlands. I think we have a be very tough for us to beat the Netherlands in my opinion. Now, I talked
to Stu Holden about that. He thought that if we play well enough to get out of the group, we have a good chance to beat the Netherlands. So maybe I'm wrong. I have already made a few World Cup wagers that I will share with the audience, and then I will talk about the other some predictions quickly, Okay, I have I have Brazil and Argentina both to win their group parlayed at even money. I think that is a great bet, a great bet we'll get to their groups in a moment. It would be shocking to me
if either doesn't win their group. I also have a longer list of I have a five team World Cup parlay of teams not necessarily to win their group, but just to advance. So it's Denmark, Croatia, Mexico, the US and Uruguay. Those five teams all to make it to the knockout round. That is plus eight sixty. So I've made those bets. So I will just quickly go group by group and tell you what I think is going
to happen. Okay, Group A, the most likely outcome is that the Netherlands wins it and Ecuador is the other one to advance. Now the odds say Senegal is more likely than Ecuadora. I would like Senegal because it's more fun, like when the African countries that don't have a long history of World Cup success do well.
But I think Ecuador is more likely.
Group B I expected to go with the odds. I expect England to advance and the US also advance. Group C Argentina. It would be shocking to me if Argentina doesn't win that group. Saudi Arabia has no shot. It'll come down between Mexico and Poland. As you could tell from the previous bet, I like Mexico. Group D. Where's Group D on here Group D France and Denmark. This is Franton. Denmark got pretty fortunate. France and Denmark are either one could win the group. France is the favorite,
but the other two teams Tunisia and Australia. It would be shocking if either one of them knocked France or Denmark out. And in fact, another bet that I'm gonna make is France and Denmark to be the two teams to advance from that group. Group E. You have two dominant teams, Spain and Germany, two teams that could win the whole thing. They will advance. It's a bad beat for Japan. It is terrible luck for Japan that they are in a group with Spain and Germany and Costa
Rica's in that group has no shot. Group F. This is I like Croatia's chances that this is another pretty soft group after Belgium up top, with Morocco and Canada being the other teams. So Belgium and Croatia that's the odds on favorites. Group G. Brazil is the huge favorite, Cameroon batting markets to tell you no shot, and then Switzerland and Serbia. I have no idea. I have no clue one of those two teams is gonna finish second to Brazil. And then what group have I not done?
Oh?
Group F and H? Wait No I did? Group Oh? Group H is the only one? Uh Ghana, which is a team that beat the US in the World Cup.
Few years ago.
Oh, we're a decade ago, I guess or US played gone in the World Cup. I should say is in this along with South Korea. Portugal is the big favorite. I think Uruguay is. I think it will be Portugal and Uruguay there As far as I said on the previous podcast, I pick Brazil every year. Brazil is the heavy favorite. Argentina is the second best favorite. Another fun bet you can make is continent winner. So will the
winner come from Europe that's minus one ninety. Will the winner come from the Americas North America, South America that's plus one p forty. I like that bet because you get not only Brazil and Argentina the two favorites, you also get Uruguay and cos Righetta never shot, but you also get the US if the US were to go on some magical run and Mexico. So those are my bets. That's where I'm at. I'm super excited for it. It
would be a really great story of Argentina wins. It's the If Argentina wins this World Cup, it's cements, in my opinion, Messy as the greatest soccer player ever and it's the one thing missing from his resume. If he has a great World Cup and if they win it, I think it cements him. Cristiano Ronaldo maybe you might say the same with Portugal. So that's fun. Brazil's m pick I love. By the way, we have some viewers in Brazil that were so happy that I picked Brazil.
So there it is. There's the World Cup corner. Are you gonna watch these matches with me?
Some of them? I don't know about that, but I'm all good for our World Cup questionnaire that I have in a couple of hours now. So you have a World Cup questionnaire.
One. Oh, I owe you a smart ass. I thought maybe you actually had to do it for your office job with Fox. You're gonna have to grind some World Cup tape, buddy, I guarantee, because there's gonna be a lot of days the TV shows whose tape you have to do usually is off. You're gonna be grinding World Cup tape all right. Time for a game we are playing this or that.
Urzadi Football travels to Green Bay, Green Bay this week, where the four and six Packers will take on the six and three Titans. The Packers or are alive or dead?
The Packers are dead, Okay, I'm shocked people think that because the Packers stole that win against Dallas that they're still alive. Even Let's just give them the win tonight. I don't think they're gonna get it, but let's just give them the win tonight. They still have the rest of the way after tonight, Philly at Philly, at Chicago, A buying in the Rams. That's fine. At Miami, home for Minnesota, home for Detroit. They can't get more than
eight wins. They're ceilings. Eight wins. Eight wins will not get them in all right?
Next, all right, the Bills and Browns are preparing for three to six feet of snow and Orchard Park this weekend, which would lead to some crazy football. Snow games are the best or worst? Oh, I think they're the best. I love them.
I wouldn't love them all the time, but the occasional crazy snow game where you can't see then I think it's fun. I really like snow games.
I want how much fun that the players are having.
You know, some players don't mind it. The it it's if it is. If they do play there and it is two feet of snow, it will be what. It is great theater, it's great visually, and it looks really cool. I love it.
Next, all right, Chiefs are back on primetime against the Chargers this Sunday night. But watching games against Brandon Staley are always taxing on you. But the Charge are so injured. Okay, yeah, yeah, but the Charge is so injured. Do you for for see Chiefs blow or trap game?
Neither? Actually, I don't think it's a trap game because I think the Chiefs are gonna take it super seriously.
But I don't think they're gonna blow them out.
I mean, there's the Chargers last gasp to have any shot at winning the division. I expect this to be another Chiefs comeback. Chargers get out early. And if you're gonna bet this game, I would not bet the Chiefs minus the six. I would wait to end the game the Chargers take the lead, then you can probably get the Chiefs on the money line or maybe like minus two and a half.
Next all right, Speaking of the Chiefs, My Holmes is the MVP favorite, followed by A Tree, Josh Allen Tula, and Jalen Hurts, all tied at plus five hundred. Yeah, which of your takes aged worse? Tula is a backup or Hearts is QB five?
Listen, your Hurts is QB twenty five was not a bad take. It was at that moment going into the year that was a fair ranking of him. He has played better since then. To it, the Tua one is a backup? Is right now looks.
Like a bad take. I gotta tell you something. I'm gonna whisper. I'm still not fully sold on to it. I still don't totally you think you think Tyreek Hilling Jalen Waller are just making him look.
I just don't fully believe in him yet. I'm sorry. I just fully I don't fully believe in him yet. But I don't want them. I don't want Joy Taylor and the Miami fans to kill me. So let's just move on next.
All right. The Lakers have been a little since Sunday, or I've been off since Sunday, maybe long enough for Lebron to look at the Lakers three and ten record and regret resigning for another year. Lebron resigning was the worst decision of his career or the right move.
I think it was a terrible decision. I said at the time, I didn't think he would do it. It didn't make sense to me. I don't like it.
There's nothing about it. I like.
It makes me very sad that this happened, and I don't want to be sad in the show. Let's take a quick break. We'll answer your questions in the chat. We will not do book club this week. My apologies. I forgot to do the reading again. I'll go to the after school detention. We finished the book next week or this week. We recap it next week in an elongated book club. Your questions in the chat next What's Right?
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Welcome back in What's Right with Nick Right final segment where we answer we usually do book club here, but I forgot to do the reading. I apologize, I'm ashamed. So now we will do book club next week. We're finishing the book. If you're just joining us and you want to read the book in a week, it's a quick read, A little History of the World by eh Gombek. It's awesome. We'll do that next week. Deman's a time now for our listener questions, go right ahead.
All right? NOA. Rodriguez asks, what does Steff have to do to pass Bird on your list? I think it's closer than most people think. Neither were great defenders, would play good team defense and great offensively.
Okay, so I understand thinking of Steph versus Bird because on my list was tenth of the fifty gradest players last fifty years, and Byrd is the next perimeter player on the list. But he would have to pass Shack a team and then Bird because Shack's nine, a team's eight, Bird is seven. I think one more to jump them all, he would need one more ring and he jumps them all. One more ring as the guy and he.
Jumps them all.
One more league MVP and he jumps Shack and maybe a team.
But I don't know about Bird.
Uh, can he jump them without a ring or an MVP maybe, but it would take an excellent longevity that a smaller player typically is not able to have. Right now, though, I go ahead, I.
Think the way that Steph plays, oh.
I think he'll be able to play for a long time. But I'm not about to dominate the game, like put his impact on the game. You're saying, because he's such.
A great shooter.
It's like, no, that's true. Well, the level he's playing at right now, plays at this level all year. Is an MVP caliber player this year, though, the team stinks, so that Steph just to.
Be very quick on it.
Looking at my list, Steph four time first team All NBA, three times second team, two time League MVP and four rings. Obviously, Shack eight time first Team All NBA, two times second team, one league MVP and four rings, obviously a team six time first Team All NBA, three times second team, one MVP, two rings. You also, with a team got to incorporate greatest defensive player ever or of the last fifty years. Bird nine time first Team All NBA, three time MVP,
three rings. It's tough, man, It's hollowed ground.
All right? Next? All right? Omar Rodriguez asked, Nick, are you going to the World Cup in twenty twenty six. I'm already saving money from when they're in the States. One hund I'll go. I mean all the what of the you know what?
Let me check the World Cup post cities twenty twenty six. I want the full list of them, because, if I'm not mistaken, Kansas City got one. Yep, Kansas City got the World Cup at Arrowhead. It's one of the eleven host cities.
I will go to that.
I will just see so the stadiums'll probably go to some of them because it's going to be in New York, in LA, and Dallas, in San Francisco, in Miami, in Atlanta, in Houston, in Philly, in Boston, and Kansas City. By the way, what an honor for my hometown to prove what a great soccer city it is. Think about the list of cities there, Okay, New York, LA, Dallas, San Francisco, Miami, Atlanta, Philly, Seattle, Houston, Boston,
and Kansas City. There are two cities on that list that kind of stick out, like that's weird, Seattle and Kansas City. And it's because they have both proven to be great soccer cities. Like Chicago didn't get it. Kansas City did. Kansas City is the Midwestern city. So in twenty twenty six, I think it's on the board. I'm living in LA at that point in time. Whether I'm living in LA or New York, I'll go to some of the games in that city, and I will make it a point to go to Kansas City to see
the World Cup played in my hometown. It's unbelievable for a city the size of Kansas City that we get to host the World Cup. It's truly truly remarkable. Also, what's also going to happen, I mean, it's four years down the road. A lot of international soccer fans when that is approaching are going to be incredibly bummed when they realize the massive geography of the United States. So typically when the World Cup's in a country, it's you know, the US is so huge as far as square miles.
It's so different than so like when the World Cup was in France, and France is a big country, but you could pretty easily like you could be like, I'm going to a bunch of locations.
You can't do that in the US. Can't be like I guess you maybe could do La and San Francisco.
But there are gonna be people that realize, oh, if I want to go, I can only go to the matches in one city, like you could do New York to Boston or New York Philly. There's a few. But and it was when it was in Brazil. There was a similar issue with Brazil so massive, but the US is so spread out that it's really it's like a truly eleven different venues not consolidated all right.
Next arcmistic ass. What's something you wish you had known when you first started betting on sports?
Oh so much. But the biggest key is too and it's the hardest thing. The biggest key is to accept that there are going to be losing days and not try to chase it. The biggest key is to not a djut And by the way, I struggle with that to this day. Okay, I'm not great at it, and it's it's it is honestly. Self control is the biggest issue. Is can't do you have the self control to just say today's not my day, I'm gonna lose Or are you now all of a sudden making bets that you
didn't like at noon? At seven pm because you're chasing. That's the biggest key. Everyone will tell you that's the biggest key. And the other one is to recognize parlays. The casino loves parlays for a reason, and you cannot look at a parlay like it is a smart bet. You can look at it like it's a fun bet. And I actually think for you know, casual gamblers, it's a great way to do it because it's minimal investment
for big reward. But you can't ever like treat You have to treat that like paying for a ticket to the movies. You don't expect to get any of that money back. You're paying for entertainment. You're paying for the fun of following the bet.
All right. Next, Kal Hidalgo says, we've seen the Panthers and the Colts get huge wins this week after firing their head coach. Do you think it's more important for an NFL head coach to be a good motivator or schemer?
I think in the long run schemer. I think in the short run, motivation can be great on a one off event, but in the long run you need a staff and a head coach on down that can x's and o's teams like there's.
There's there's no doubt about that.
But in the short run, I think a great motivator can be excellent next. Uh, that's a tough name. Kurt Bartikia Mohana.
Mohan says watching Dallas Mavericks from India all year for Luca magic, but despite his heroic efforts, Dallas is just barely over five hundred. Do you still think Dallas can win the West?
Listen, I'm gonna stick with it. Obviously, I've been underwhelmed by some of the rest of the team. Did you see the numbers yesterday?
Demise?
No, Luca didn't play yesterday. The rest of the starters demanse, so they lost to the Rockets.
Oh yeah, that is.
The starters without Luca playing scored twenty nine points, were eight of forty from the field, and two of twenty.
Four from three, eight for forty.
The t like the West because the Lakers are no good and Quiet doesn't play and the Warriors are in flux. I actually feel a little better about the MAVs pick, but not because they've been great. Luca's been great and the rest of the West has been bad. The thing is the guy that is the perfect fit with Luca, who actually might get traded at some point, but they don't have the assets to get him. As Anthony Davis quietly, the MAVs have not done a great job surrounding Luca with talent.
All right. Next Dan asked, did Demonte do the reading? I did? You? Did?
You?
Was you want to lead book club? Then? Since I didn't? You get twenty seven week? Its a Western hemisphere. Gon Brick makes it seem like the only thing stopping Europeans from finding the New World was that compasses weren't popularized in Europe yet? Didn't people know how to find the North Star for centuries? If millenniums, though, I can keep going, but I'd rather not. I don't want to take the whole shine on the book club. You can do your
thing next week, so let's go millennia. Millennia. Yeah, not millenniums. Man. Otherwise I kind of solve it. Saw it in the book, No problem, all right. Next, Baxton says, I just visited New York and State in Harlem. Question is what's your favorite restaurant in Harlem? Mine was Sylvia's Soul Food, which is great that I just went there two days ago. That place is awesome. Yeah, their mac and cheese is amazing.
Sylvia's is excellent. So Manza used to work at a great spot called Boulevard b stro They're really good. Long wait though, because they're so like long on the weekend table. Yeah, because they're so popular. Yes, I like Amy Ruth's lot, Sylvia is probably actually Sylvia's. And Red Rooster, which is right next to Sylvia's, you also used to wear, are probably my two favorites in Harlem. I'm trying to think, Yeah, those are probably my two favorites. Sylvia is unbelievable. Yeah,
absolutely unbelievable. I just strongly recommend it for anyone that comes to visit. I also recommend you stuff by Trinage, the hottest latest new women's clothing boutique in Harlem. Onnage, we're trending meat s vintage exactly right on Linux between one nineteen and one twentieth. Great job today, Pal, he s good working with you Gus book club readers, and we'll get that reference. We will talk to you guys tomorrow for the Gambling Show. I'll see you on TV today.
One quick note, don't put this part on social but we can have it up on the end of the podcast. The TV show is crushing right now, and I really really appreciate you guys who are watching it. There's a lot of you guys that are consuming a lot of me. You're watching this or listening to this, and you're watching the TV show, and the TV show's doing the best it's ever done, and it makes me incredibly proud, incredibly happy,
and lowers my anxiety by about one thousand percent. So it is greatly appreciated that you guys are vibing with what we're doing on the TV show. And then the podcast continues to grow, so like subscribe, rate, review, tell your friends about it, hit the bell so you get alerts. We will talk to you guys tomorrow for the week eleven gambling show.
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