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Welcome in What's driving Nick Great? Episode two thirty. This could be a two hour show and we don't have two hours to do it, so we got to get right into it. There's too much to get to. Here's what did not make the cut. Jontay Porter receives a potential lifetime ban from the NBA Bulls Hawks. Happened last night?
The Bulls won. It doesn't really seem like that relevant of a basketball game, to be totally honest with you, and maybe as a reason, the NBA should tweak the nine to ten part of the play in where you don't have eligibility for it if you're X amount of games away from the seven eight part of the play in and news to me Taylor Swift new album dropping at midnight. I did not know any of that, Demanse, how are you doing?
I'm doing great? How are you doing?
I'm doing great? This I love this time of year. These next two months are probably my favorite two months on the sports calendar. The NBA Playoffs just starting Saturday. We have six straight weeks where every single night saved two or three total massive basketball games on I can't Wait, and a series that I've been waiting eleven months for. We're gonna get right off the bat, and I think my excitement showed by what I did the night slash early morning of the first playing game, which is where
we're gonna start today's show. Go ahead, DEMANSA.
Yeah, and I see you to join us, mister right, you don't have a Twitter space to go in terrorized this morning?
Okay, so we got a sound bite to play in the morning. I'll give some context. Yeah, go ahead, Let's play the sound bite and then I'll give some context. Go ahead, And then I keep saying I have to go. I really do have to go. My wife is texting me. Who are you talking to? Its least coast, So I gotta.
Talking Nick, t you talking.
Game? It will make a ton of sense. Okay. So if any of those folks are up early on the West coast, or maybe there were listening not from the West Coast and want to leave comments, you can do that live on the YouTube feed now and I'll try to get to them. But Demonse, I know you have a bunch of questions, So start with whatever you want to start with him, then we'll discuss.
All right, Well, we'll start off with the how did you end up in the Warriors Twitter space? The Warriors?
Okay, so I have never I've only participated in a Twitter space once before, and I didn't really participate, but made an intention to log in and listen. And it was actually this same guy's Twitter space when Kevin Durant had jumped on defending himself against these maniacs. And there are I'm familiar with Warriors Twitter and Lakers Twitter and Nuggets Twitter and a little bit of Nick's Twitter, and all of them have what I would consider postgame call
in shows via Twitter spaces right after the game. They have built communities and people you know, listen and chime in. And I had never been a speaker on it. I didn't realize how easy it was. You just request to speak and whomever is running the space can then just they call it put you on stage, and you're running the right Well, so that is that is true? Right? So?
I think because there were once I started rolling, there were almost ten thousand people listening to this thing, and so everyone listening, whoever's hosting, would have to scroll through it. But I think the algorithm populates to the top of the listeners. Is someone either with a check mark or prioritizes by number of followers or something. I'm not sure, but they instantly knew I was there and then let me talk. And so why did I do it? Well, I mean there's a lot of reasons. One was these
guys have been trolling me for years. These guys also have been trolling a fan base that I have become somewhat I don't know if protective is the right word, but a defender of in the Lakers over the last five years, and these guys have essentially sworn a blood oath to attempt to destroy my favorite athlete ever who also happened to be the greatest athlete ever in Lebron. So there was some bad blood, I would say, and you know, this was them at their lowest, So I wanted to hear it.
I was wanted.
There was little less wholesome reasons in there.
Yeah, there was. There was some shawdenfreud of I want to hear how down bad these guys are, because these were the These folks thought the Warriors were gonna win the championship. They thought all year long, this was the best team in basketball, that this was the deepest team in basketball, that this team had still the best player in basketball. Those are all these things that this group of people thought, which is why I ended up actually speaking.
Because when you think all of those things right, and then you get beat by two dozen points by your little brother from across the bay in Sacramento, who doesn't even have its fourth and fifth best players, and a guy named Kean Ellis outperforms Klay Thompson massively, you've got to find someone to blame. And they laid it all not all of them, but some of the most vocal ones at the feet of Steve Kerr, who they clearly thought was out of his mind, and they thought, they
think is one of the worst coaches in basketball. And I think that shows a fascile, juvenile and low basketball IQ understanding of what Steve Kerr's job actually is. Because maybe and the guy that I got into it the most with was adamant that if the Warriors had simply played Trace Jackson Davis Moore, the whole season's different. And I know what you're thinking, is Trace Jackson Davis fair question? The answer is he's the fifty seventh pick of this
past year's draft. Probably not the difference between being the ten seed rocked, the first team officially eliminated from this year's playoffs that made the play in and a championship. But it's neither here nor there. The Steve Kerr stuff was a fundamental misunderstanding that Steve Kerr's job. The reason he's great at it is because he has kept this team together for a decade, because he has this live grenade of a key player in Draymond Green that he
has to navigate. The reason Steve Kerr great at his job is because it is not as simple as Jonathan Kaminga gives us more value in certain spots than Klay Thompson and he should take his minutes. It's recognizing this isn't NBA two K or Football Manager, where you can just where the emotions of it don't have any factor. How will staph react to Clay's minimization? How will it
hurt the overall morale? Enjoy the team plays with? All of these things are things Steve Kerr learned when he was part of a dynasty with the Bulls, part of the beginning of a dynasty, with the Spurs, part of a dynasty with the Warriors, navigating all those things, and these folks wanted him fired for Mike Brown and whomever else, and they're just out of their minds. And so I jumped in and I gotta tell you to Monsey man, oh man, did I have fun? That was? That was?
Go ahead? You can ask your next follow up question. Go ahead.
I mean, what a sick man?
Uh?
Do you are you have any teams? Do you have any other teams that you're going to go to next?
No, I'm not listening. I'm I'm open to it. But uh, I mean, if the Lakers end up beating the Nuggets, maybe I'll stop by, you know, the Nuggets fans space space. The thing is, I hope I don't have bad blood with Knicks fans. I know some Knicks fans are mad at me because I underestimated Jalen Brunton right when he got there, but so did everyone's I don't think you know what I mean that I that there is a key,
so maybe i'd have fun with it. But go ahead, what's your next follow up question, because that's yeah for you into what I want to talk about.
Were you just trying to prove that you still have the ability to chop it up with chop up sports with the fans?
Did it feel good to have that back?
Well, I'd love to say it was as innocent as that, but I really really like arguing and having an opportunity to And this is where I'm gonna sound a little, not a little, I'm gonna sound arrogant, but it's okay because I'm right. I truly believe I'm the best in the world at this specific thing, this specific thing. I think I am the overall number one draft pick of
the world. Take a sports topic. To take a sports topic, develop an opinion, gather evidence, and then defend it against possible weaknesses.
Naysay, Yeah, and to have it be one on nine thousand and whomever got the mic got to be like, well, what about this?
And I just swatted it down and said next man up. It felt like an old WWF royal rumble where whoever the best in the like Andre the Giants, like, okay, who's next? And I felt like Andre the Giant.
It was this is going on, okay, so this is.
The funniest part of it. And this actually worked to my benefit, I think, and it was a good reminder for me because right after the shooting at the Chiefs Parade, I went on uh conservative radio in Kansas City and had a one on one debate with a total fool uh for about as long as this lasted about an hour, and I ofviscerated that guy as well, but I lost some standing because I got so angry that I kept raising my voice and I have trouble at times modulating
the volume of my voice when I'm passionate about something. But it was demands understands how our house works. So we live in a brownstone in New York City. But let me just describe it to the audience. Like brownstones in the city, they're very skinny houses with a bunch of floors. And because of that, from the bottom floor to the fourth floor, it's open air at the stairwell, you know what I mean. It's like a column of open air if you will. So if doors are open,
you can hear anyone in any room. And on the kitchen level of the house and the living room level of the house, there are no doors except for bathrooms. Right, So it's I logged in it twelve thirty this winter or twelve, you know, I got on at like twelve forty am. This was still going at one thirty in the morning. I had left the bet in my bedroom where your mom was sleeping, hadn't closed the door. Your sister's sleeping as well, and Dexter are doll is the
floor beneath us. So I am in the living room, sitting on the couch trying to talk to people at this level because I didn't want to wake anybody up, and so this entire time I appear to be whispering, so I don't wake up the house. But it gave me, I think, because I'm not gonna lie to you, guys, I've listened back to it when I told you, like I listened back to it this guy first time today before the podcast, because I knew we were going to talk about it.
It gave me a uh batman.
Really well, No, I felt like a patronizing parent, which is exactly the tone I was going for, Like, Okay, I know you think you're right, but yeah.
I guess I do recognize that tone.
Yes, they like it's one thing to be like god, dog it what, it's another thing to be like okay, but here's what you don't understand because actually you're a moron and so the and that's not to you, that's to them. And so uh so I had I mean, I just honestly had a grand time, a grand time and all right, you got one more follow up. Pal.
I'm glad you. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.
But yeah, I mean you came at them one versus nine ten thousand, and it seemed like it ended up and everybody respecting you.
So that's well, so that was the risk. So the risk was.
Most folks would say, don't do this. You're punching down and there's no wins, only losses. Right, what are you going to win from this? What? And what you have to lose is look like an idiot, you know, kind of make yourself seem less important to all these things. Turns out what I won was the massive respect of the Internet, because folks, evidently a lot of people don't
like love it. This Warrior spaces crew and you know what, to sound like a bit of a jerk again, I helped him out because this morning, when I was looking for the recording so I could re listen to it, I'm like, oh, they've done a lot of spaces and I'm like, let me see if I can find which one was the one I was on. Well, this one here had two hundred and eighty six listeners, this one had ninety six, this one had one point eleven hundred, this one had twenty one hundred, this one had sixty
three thousand, six hundred. Oh that was mine. So yeah, it was kind of mutually beneficial, Like I brought a wider audience to your crew that thinks, if only you were lucky enough to have Chris Finch and Trait as your coach and Trace Jackson Davis and that your starting rotation, you to win a championship. And I got to exercise a lot of old uh you know, warriors, demons and last, but not least, I gotta kind of, you know, prove to myself still got it, man, Like I don't one
of the things like that. This was similar to when I used to I used to get a haircut twice a week, when I used to have the skin fade, I'd get a haircut, well, I guess I got a haircut once a week and with my beard lined up, and then my beard lined up another time. And so there was a barbershop element of I'd go to the barbershop and everyone just want to argue with me, and I just you know, like kind of take turns of like this why you're wrong, This is why you're wrong.
That's actually disappoint keep going. So yeah, so for all those things is pretty good. Uh So, I'm glad we did it. Dusty says, be Less Humbled twenty twenty three is bleeding over into twenty twenty four. I think be Less Humble might be the next tattoo. I think never a doubt this arm, be less humble. This arm just three just three words each. By the way, I haven't shown the audience this from when I broke my arm and I had the plate put in. Shout out to
the surgeons at NYU langone. I gotta do this upside down, you guys, probably you can't see. I still don't know how to show my arm to the camera, but regardless, the scar is right over the never a doubt it didn't ruin the tattoo, So very fortunate in that regard. Maybe alright, you want to read a few of these chap responses, demanse, and then we'll get you to the basketball.
Yeah, Duke de Duct said, bro is absolutely ethering these Warriors fans a bunch of laughing umojis. TMP from the MAVs Pod said, thought Nick was extremely gracious while also shooting facts.
Doves fans just couldn't cope.
So oh, by the way, So that's uh, that's just I don't know if I think they do. Because the Mavericks online community likes me because I've been a Luca guy forever. Uh so I might the I might hop because I have a hard time. Here's the other thing. I have a hard time, uh falling asleep right after great sporting events, like sporting events that I'm super into.
So the for the MAVs folks, I might join after one of the you know games in Los Angeles when Luca drops forty two, sixteen and eight on the Clippers, I might join one of theirs as well. Go ahead, let's read a cup more than we get to the basketball.
Sam Davidson when the Lakers. Oh, so, I guess when the Lakers go up to to one, are you start?
You're gonna start? Are you gonna start a space?
Then?
So that's I guess, Like it's kind of like the Instagram live thing. Now I'm thinking about it, just not on video. It's the same idea behind it. I said to these guys that I'll do one when the Lakers are up to one on the Nuggets. I might just be too busy facetiming Daniel making him answer Daniel, I will not forget those brooms you sent in the group chat last year.
A So somebody said, no hate, I guess you really did win the Internet.
Well I got it. It was I the Oh, I do have to hold on. I'll tell you what I did, what did happen, and then we'll move on. So the next morning after this, I I woke up and I saw I was trending. Okay, so when I saw I was trending, I clicked on the trend and I guess on Twitter now they've got an AI tool. So this is not written by a person. This is by Grock or yeah Groke Croc. I know, I saw like an old man when I don't know these things. So this
was four hours after the space ended. There had been enough commentary from people's tweets on the Internet that this is how the Twitter AI tool described it in its trending session. Nick Wright quote schools Warriors fans in epic online showdown, this is from again a robot or a computer. In a lively online exchange, sports analyst Nick Wright engaged in a spirited debate with Golden State Warriors fans, showcasing
his expertise and knowledge in a Warriors space. The discussion, which took place in an online forum, highlighted rights master class in sports analysis, leaving fans both impressed and entertained. Just fight the intensity of the debate, Wright maintained his composure, providing a testament to the power of respectful debate even
in the face of different opinions. The interaction was marked by playful banter and humorous remarks, with fans and right exchanging arguments and facts about the team.
I mean sounds like that a lot to learn.
I mean, how about that. Look at that the AI overlords when AI takes over. I really I'm gonna I'm gonna be like, hey man, your people like me. They say, I'm a good part of respectful, lively debate. That you got you AI folks wrote this, all right, let's talk actual hoops.
Go ahead, all right, So every dynasty must come to an end eventually.
Uh, some men in war and some in corruption.
But the Golden State dynasty ended with you whispering on Twitter spaces to disgruntled fans.
Uh, you called it on Tuesday Show. So where did the Golden State war do? Now? Where do they go?
Okay, So let's let's be honest about how. And I made this point before. How dynasties actually end? They they'd don't end like this and Russell's Celtics. I think I might have done this on the pod and here, so I'll do it quickly. The original dynasty, they ended with an eleventh championship game seven win and Bill Russell retiring.
There were no Dynasties in the seventies. In the eighties, Magic's Lakers five rings, four other finals appearances from nineteen eighty to nineteen eighty nine that ended in a finals loss, going for a three peat with Kareem retiring, Michaels, Bulls ended with a third straight championship, sixth overall, and Michael retiring. Shaq and Kobe's Lakers won three in a row, lost in round two, got back to the finals, lost in
the finals, and Shaq was traded. You want to talk, you know, like many dynasties, what with the Heat lost in the finals and Lebron left, the Pistons lost in the finals, or the I'm sorry the Pistons lost in the conference finals. But that's not really a dynasty. Uh, those are the dynasties. The Warriors lost in the playing game to Sacramento. So it's odd for it to end quite like this. Now, another way to look at it would be that the dynasty actually ended when kd left, right,
six straight finals appearances. You could make that argument, right with that, No, that would have.
Been Warriors fan probably hate that arguing.
Huh, exactly right, So I'm sorry, not six to st eight finals appear. It was fifteen, sixteen, seventeen eights, five straight finals appearances, three rings and a loss in the finals, and that you know, that's when the dynasty ended, and then from twenty twenty to now, because from twenty twenty to now, what they've done is missed the playoffs, missed the playoffs, win a championship out in round two, missed
the playoffs. So that's kind of weird. But if you consider this whole thing, the dynasty this ten years, then it ended with a whimper. I believe and I sat on Tuesday Show that that was going to be Clay's last game with the Warriors. I think it's his last game with the Warriors. What I am the only person discussing is this, Well, Steph want to.
Stay and.
The Warriors are in a weird spot because Steph wants Clay back. But Joe Lacob has said, they've got to get under the salary this luxury tax, pardon me, not just under the second apron. They don't have enough assets to acquire another star. They need to shed salary. So my point is this, if Steph is like, I want you to pay Clay whatever it takes to keep it, and they don't, does that open the door for Steph Curry to consider his options. Because as I set a
month ago. What is my my Nick Wright's dream retirement to retire in Kansas City and live on the ocean. Can't do both. What is Steph Curry's dream end of career scenario to retire a warrior competing for championships? Can't do both? So I will have to make a choice one day. Do I want to retire in my home town or do I want to live on the ocean. Steph Curry is going to have to make a choice either this summer or next summer. Do I want to retire a warrior or do I want to compete for championships?
Because he can't do both. And there is a unique thing that is happening this summer de Monsey the Olympics, where all these guys hang out together and people talk about plans and off seasons and free agencies and trades and the heat Big Three was plotted at in the Olympics. Legend tells it. The Katie joining the Warriors was plotted
at in Olympics. They tell us the Olympics are, and who's at the Olympics, Old man, Steph, old Man Lebron, all these guys that maybe have just watched, you know, the the inner National Crew when all the MVPs and all the championships as of late, something just something to watch for. So yes, the Warriors as we know them are done. I am gonna continue to be the one person that says, I think demand's a I think it
is better than seventy five percent. That Tuesday night was Clay's last game as a Warrior, and that sucks that he went out that way. By the way, that's a big reminder, man, stuff just ain't always fair. You don't get the ending you want, like it it almost always ends in a loss, but to end in the war that is. We were talking about this on the show. That's almost assuredly the worst basketball game of his entire life.
Wild said on the air, He's like, he probably hasn't gone over for ten since he was nine years old. And I said to him, I was like, you know what, I bet at nine years old, Klay Thompson was busting ass. I'm guessing he's never like I bet nine year old old Clay was cooking up the fellow nine year old Like that was almost assuredly the worst game of his life. And that sucks. And I hate that because everybody likes Clay and I think that he was the only unlike done.
That's what I was gonna say. But I see I was that. I don't think that was arrogance, Tomansey. I think that was yes, yeah, you know what I mean. I think over compensation exactly right. I think it was I'm not the same guy. This is kind of unfair, and I don't you know what I mean. So, and everybody has those moments because that is like the only unlikable thing he's ever done. He's got everybody loves Clay. No the the your your mom said to me yesterday,
she's gonna get mad at me. Uh. She was like, I'm kind of sad the Warriors are you know, gonna break up. I was like, you're not a Warriors fan. She's like no, but you know I love Clay Thomas. I'm like, okay, yeah, I know you love it. But uh. And so I think Clay's gone. And then this is the thing nobody thinks but me. If someone were to offer me ten to one, let me put it like this, a ten to one bet that Tuesday night was STEP's last game with the Warriors. I would take that bet.
If you offered me five to one, I wouldn't. I don't think there's a one in five chance. Do I think there's a one in ten chance? I do? All right, let's go on to the series that you know everyone's excited for, most notably me. But go ahead.
Yeah, despite a late comeback effort by the Publicans, the Lakers held on and clinched that seventh seed. So now they've got a date with the Nuggets in the first round. You're a believer in bulletin board material, and boy did Denver and Daniel give La that bulletin board material. Is that the Lakers best Is that their best weapon head into the series.
No, the best weapon that they have headed in this series compared to last year's series. The first and foremost is this, Lebron's healthy and Lebron's shot isn't broken right now. So that is a fundamental change from last year. Okay, so last year, Lebron in that series shot twenty seven percent from three, which was an improvement from how he
had been shooting in the playoffs. And Lebron couldn't drive to the basket repeatedly because he was dealing with the broken foot or plan or fascio, whatever it is, right, that's the biggest change. But I went on TV yesterday and I picked the Lakers to win the series. Lakers have lost the Nuggets eight straight times. The Nuggets have been the best team in basketball. Why would I do that? Here is the argument for why this series can go
differently than last year's series. What are you laughing about, Demons? Before I go, go ahead, tell me what you're like?
The follow up here is just hilarious.
Okay, but all right, you're fine. So in last years Western Conference Finals, the following things happened. Jamal Murray, who is a great player, Okay, I want to make this clear, a great playoff player, even by his playoff standards. What series of his career was the best one by a mile? The one last year against the Lakers. The only one that comes close is the seven game series against the Jazz four years ago. But he was thirty two and a half points, six rebounds, five assists on fifty three
forty splits. Just for a context to that, Jamal Murray he averaged more points in the series against the Lakers than any guy other than any guard, pardon me, other than Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant have ever averaged in a conference finals or NBA finals. Okay, so is if let's just say Jamal Murray instead of being thirty three a game on fifty three forty ninety five splits, is twenty seven a game. Okay, So there's one thing. What about the guy across from Jamal Murray, the Lakers' best
perimeter player. Well, that's D'Angelo Russell. How did he do in that series? Well, he avered six points on thirty two percent from the field and thirteen percent from three. Well, he'll be better than that. Okay. What about the key rotation piece that both teams lost, Well, the Lakers lost Dennis Shrewder. How did he play in that series? He averaged seven points on thirty seven percent from the field. The Nuggets lost Bruce Brown, who averaged twelve points on
fifty three percent from the field. Oh, so the Nuggets lost a player who helped them. The Lakers lost a guy who hurt them. All right, that's noteworthy. Were there any aberrant team level events? Well, the Nuggets shot a better percentage from three in that series than any team that has played Lebron in the playoffs in a decade, which means better than the Warriors ever did in any of their series against the Lakers, including the Katie Steph
Clay Peak Warriors. Oh well, that's noteworthy, a little intangible factor. Hey, Demonse, is there a huge scandal going around the NBA right now? Did somebody just get banned for a bunch of like the first player band? Who was that?
Michael Porter Junior's little brother.
Oh okay, I don't know. It distracted me, It's all I'm saying. I don't know, like the it would be, it would at least be on my mind. And if I it would, it would It's not a nothing if the if? And so I am old enough to remember they're once being early in Lebron's career, alleged scandal and certainly rumors swirling around about a family member of his going into a playoff series he didn't quite look like himself. So all of that is layered into this analysis, right,
and then you ask yourself this question. Okay, but even if all those things go differently, this series was a blowout last year, yes, and no it was four to Zho. But what were the games?
Well?
Game one, where, according to the broadcast, nikal Ijokic had the best first half of basketball Jeff BEng Gundy had ever seen was a three point game with the ball in Lebron James's hands with forty five seconds left. Oh, so that game could have gone either direction. What about Game two, Game two, when Jamal Murray had literally one of the greatest fourth quarters in Finals history when he scored twenty three fourth quarter points? What was that situation?
That game was a I want to get this exactly right, a three point A two point game, pardon me, A two point game with one minute left?
Oh?
Okay? So what about Game three, Game three, which was uh, Jamal Murray had another monster game, thirty seven points. Meanwhile, D'Angelo Russell in that game played twenty minutes and had three points, so he was outscored thirty seven to three. Was that game a blowout?
No?
That game was tied halfway through the fourth And then Game four, of course two point game with Lebron either taking the three for the win or going for the tie, go to the basket and misses it. So do I think Jamal Murray average? Again?
The Warriors music guy did put up a whole paragraph about how Clay Thompson just owns the Kings and like the history that he has with him, and then he went out there and went off for Ted.
Maybe listen, maybe I did.
I'm opening The easy pick here is to go with the defending champion, the guy who's about to win his third MVP in four years, a guy who the team that's won eight straight games. I don't think Lebron is going to be worn out in the fourth quarters of these games. I don't think that the there is going to be a twenty six point differential per game between
Jamal Murray and D'Angelo Russell this time around. I don't think Jokic, on four separate occasions, is going to find himself with the ball with the shot clock expiring and throw a one handed hook shot towards the rim or over the head like he's firing a pass from out of bounds in soccer.
There was a lot of magic involved in some of those.
So and by the way, even if those things don't happen, the Nuggets win the series last year the Lakers were out of gas.
But how much.
Would people's analysis right now be different if that series were four to two last year instead of four to up. Maybe a little so instead of being every other day after a month of the playoff gauntlet. We're talking every you know, three days between the playing in game one and then the schedule. Let me give you the exact schedule, because there are some every other days built in here obviously, but here is the rest Lebron is going to have and the Lakers are going to have between games. They
played on Tuesday, the next play Saturday. So Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, three days off, Saturday then Monday. Okay, but no travel. So that's just one day off Monday, then Thursday, two days off, Thursday, then Saturday two days off, and then Saturday to Monday, just one day off with travel. That's a tough one. And then Monday to Thursday two days off, and then Thursday to what is now listed is Saturday night,
but I don't. I guess that's locked in. I thought that could potentially be Sunday, but I guess I'm wrong. That would be just one day off. So yeah, I'll go ahead and you know, play the fool again. We'll see how it works out. I think the Lakers win. Now I don't know that that means at all they even win the next round, but I think, and I'm
gonna add one other thing and Daniel knows this. I'm sure who is the last team to beat the Denver Nuggets in a playoff series that Nikolajokic and Jamal Murray played in That is, of course, Okay, the Lakers were the one seed, guys, that is of course the Los Angeles Lakers, same top two on both teams, so we'll see.
I'm excited for it. And I'm gonna add one other piece to this if the Nuggets lose Demonse or even if they win, but it's a long, hard series and they then lose in the next round to either Phoenix, who's beat them twice in the last month, or Minnesota who played them. Both those teams played them tough in last year's playoffs and have real answers for him. Uh, both I think have winning records against them this year.
You know who's sneaky gets a weird legacy boost if the Nuggets either lose this round or next, like it's his first real relevant NBA moment, Wimby, because the Nuggets were gonna be the one seed and they were blowing out the Spurs, and he scored seventeen straight points and brought the Spurs back in Game eighty one, to knock the Nuggets down from instead of being the one seed to dealing with the Lakers in round one and the
need of the sunder Timberwolves in round two. It's an interesting little sliding doors moment if Wimby ends up altering Jokicic's path to defend his title. All right, that was a good thirty five minute a block. We'll get to the news from last night, Jimmy Butler's injury, Philly advancing all of that. Next quick break, right back, what's right? All right? Welcome back in what's right with Nick?
Right?
Uh, let's get to the games and news from night demanse Uh.
Yeah, So the seventy six Ers pulled off the comeback versus the Heat who will be endure di mode against Chicago now? But Philly fans can't feel too good about it because Embiide looks sluggish all night and the Sixers were bailed out by Nick Batoon, of all people, what do you expect when they face the grittier Nixon round one?
Well, so a few things. It's okay to be bailed out by Nick batoum. And this is where and I will admit my bias here because he's a personal friend of mine, but I like being friends with smart people and people who are good at their jobs. This is why I think Darryl Morey's as good of a GM as there is in the NBA. He filled out this roster to where you can all of a sudden have either Buddy Healed or Nick Batoum or Kelly Oubre come through with big in big spots for you. You know
what I mean. They have, in my opinion, a legitimate even and a half guys they trust because you've got your You've got obviously Embiid, maxi Ubre, Tobias and Lowry and then Batoom and Buddy coming off the bench with a little b ball, Paul if you need it. So shout out to Daryl on that. I think that's that's good roster building. I am gonna a spoiler alert, sorry,
I'm gonna pick Philly to beat the Knicks. I think the Knicks are a regular season team that has a Round two ceiling under its current health, and I don't I think this Philly's a bad matchup for him and Embiid, even when he's far from one hundred percent, can have real impacts on games. And you saw it in the
fourth quarter yesterday. Uh so, I understand Philly fans being frustrated, but I'm gonna pick Philly to beat the Knicks the now, if we may demands get to what he's maybe the bigger news or just as big of a news from yesterday's game.
Yes, so the reports are Jimmy Butler's dealing with a knee injury, so it seems like he's going to be out multiple weeks. Do you think the heat will make light of Chicago? Will they be able to still do it without him?
Well, I don't really actually think the Chicago game matters with Jimmy Butler out. Yeah, And this is where I'm going to turn the screws on you a bit. If the Boston Celtics don't make the NBA Finals this year, it is one of the biggest choke jobs in modern NBA history.
And even if they do, they're gonna say that they didn't have to face Jimmy Butler.
Well, well, hold on, maybe so Jannis Embeid, Jimmy Butler, all Giannis is out for the time being. Embiid is not one hundred. Jimmy Butler is you know, not going to be ready for if they get to the Celtics. The Celtics. So my point is the path could not be clearer for Boston's. And this is a weird spot. Boston's season begins in the NBA finals. It starts in the NBA Finals. They are the healthiest team, the best
record by a mile, top five point differential, everything. If somehow they don't make the finals, it's inexcusable, absolutely utterly.
In team as well. Huh. I feel like they're.
Yeah, well the I mean they they're they're starting five, is the is the best and then you will So I'm just trying to think of I don't love because I remember talking about on the show, I don't love the bench that much, but you have five awesome starters because coming off the bench, your first guy's probably Al Horford, who's old, and then after that you're talking to either Peyton Pritchard or Sam Hauser. So I don't know if I agree with you on you know, guys six, seven, eight,
but that doesn't matter. Like you're one through five, every single guy and you're starting five. The Ringer does the top one hundred players in the league. Every single guy and you're starting five should be on that list. Like every single guy and you're starting five has had moments this year where they look like their top fifty players in the league. And obviously Tatum's one of the very best Browns one. You know that next tier. So I
you've got to make the finals. You absolutely have to make the finals, rested and ready to go the right now, demands Let me check again. Hold on. Whoops? Uh, you guys are like a minus two hundred favorite against the field to make the NBA Finals, to be the gosh darn it, this is the I can't pull up. Let me try it on my phone. I'm trying to.
Pull up back in another three days. Last game was.
Yeah. I mean, you've been able to rest for weeks essentially, and now you're not gonna have to deal with Jimmy. So conferences right now they are minus two twenty. The next best odds are is Milwaukee at eight to one. So just little context here. If you bet on the favorite in the Eastern Conference to win the title, the Boston Celtics one hundred dollars, you win forty five dollars. If you bet on the second favorite to win the title for one hundred bucks, you win eight hundred dollars.
So they are overwhelming favorites to make the NBA Finals. They absolutely have to finish it off. And for Miami, this is listen, this is I have massive respect for playoff Jimmy, massive respect. But this is one of the problems of kind of puttsing around during the regular season as a team. Yeah, all of a sudden you find yourself in the play in when you shouldn't have been. In the East this year, there's no reason the Orlando Magic should have finished higher than the Miami Heat and
the standings for Philly. You had an excuse, you know, Philly's excuse was our best guy missed half the year. And now all of a sudden he's hurting. Your season could end Friday, if not at all, end in a week. All right, next, all right?
So Zion Williamson has had a career plagued by injuries.
He probably had his best post season.
Game earlier, he had forty points, and then he got ended up getting injured again. So he's already been ruled out for the game Friday versus Sacramento. So for the Pelicans, is it worth keeping Zion around or is it too big of a risk considering his injury history.
Well, no, you're not going to move on from Zion, especially after he played his best game ever in his biggest game ever. And I want to be very careful with how I say this. That was a weird injury, right, I said the same thing. That was really strange. He didn't even really seem to right, I want to I'm not, And I mean, the audience is smart and understands why I'm trying to be very judicious with my words. It just looked weird. It you didn't see and I understand
with muscle injuries you don't see it. But even his the pace at which he left the court and his ability to jog into the tunnel. For it to then be a hamstring injury, it was just weird. And for them to immediately rule him out it was bizarre. And I'm not it wouldn't you know, any like conspiracy theory doesn't make sense. He was having the best game of
his career. He had just tied the game. There, you know the the I it looked so weird to meet himnse that I honestly thought in real time, because it also looked like he pointed to his stomach. I was like, oh, man, was he dealing with like a stomach bug throughout the day. I was like, geez, there's worst time possible. I have to run to the bathroom. I honestly thought that, like which I that would be The timing would suck, but that would be understandable. But then he's not ruled out
for the next game. So it is an odd microcosm of what his career has been so far, which is these unbelievable highs, tantalizing talent, and then head scratching like injury stuff that doesn't totally make sense. I'm also really interested to see how Brandon Ingram looks Friday, because Brandon Ingram got benched by Willy Green for that fourth quarter. Now he's been out, he's been injured. I understand that, but he's the highest paid guy or second highest paid
guy on your team. He was the piece from the Anthony Davis trade. You know that was a huge moment for him and Willie Green, even after Zion got hurt left him on the bench. But also, Okac's got to be like, this is perfect. This is why you fight for the one seed. We're out here chilling with the We're not gonna have to deal with the Champion. What you know, last vestiges of the Champion Warriors, Phoenix moved
up to six, LA moved up to seven. Now we either get a Kings team that kind of just won its own championship right by beating the Warriors and is injured, or we get a Pelican's team where it looks like Zion is not going to be available. All right, I know we're supposed to do it, maybe in the next segment or whatever. I want to Sorry for the graphics on the side. Let's do the Bill Belichick combo here quickly, because this show's gone too long already and we've got more to get to.
So reports of the Patriots owner Robert Kraft Warren Falcons owner Arthur Blink about hiring Bill Belichick says, do not trust Bill. What could have possibly happened there for Robert Kraft to be saying that about Belichick?
So I think this is one of the worst I think this is one of the slimiest things I've ever seen, unless it comes out that Belichick was like embezzling from the Patriots, was stealing money for Robert Kraft to knife Bill Belichick like this right after producing a documentary that painted Bill Belichick as a villain is so beyond the pale. To go out of your way to submarine this guy's job prospects when your franchise is worth billions more dollars
than when you bought it thanks to him. Now you can say thanks to Brady primarily fine, but Belichick also is the guy who drafted Brady and the guy who put Brady in the game, and to go out of your way to cost him a job he thought he had. And also there were so many good things in that ESPN story. And credit to those great reporters for acting. You know, we could use some of the great NFL reporters that get actual stories on the NBA beat, by the way, that would be nice every NBA All our
NBA stories are just transactions. Like all the breaking NBA news is actually things that if reporters did not exist, we would find out anyway eventually, like trades, draft picks, signings, That news would come to light anyway. But what the heck actually happen with em Udoka? Where's Andrew Wiggins been? Who leaked the Draymond Green tape? What is going on with Zion? Those things just out in the ether like
nobody can. Nobody can damage any pre existing relationship. They have to actually report on those things, because then they won't be able to tweet out one second before somebody else that this guy got an extension. But the Don Van NATting Company, they get real stories. And this was a treasure trove of stories there about the Eagles, the Bills, so many things. Right, one of the underrated parts of it is this. I think this likely torches Belichick's relationship
with the Patriots organization. They had that press conversation, is like, I'll always be a Patriot, I'll come back. No, I do not think that is happening. I think Belichick reads this and is like, I had a job. You used your relationship with Arthur Blank to cost me my job, Like I brought you six super Bowls. So I think
that was wild, absolutely wild. And I also and also, if you're Robert Kraft, buddy, you don't have exactly a spotless reputation during the I understand Bill Beljack's been accused of cheating, he hasn't ever had to show up to court for it. You like, let's maybe glass houses my man, quick break right back? What's right? All right? Welcome back in What's right with Nick? Right demands that were playing a new game here Before we get to the listener questions.
Go ahead, Uh yeah, so weird. It's time for moving the needle.
I will ask you about a team, and you'll determine how far, how far a run they can go in the playoffs, and where their season will end. For those watching on YouTube, there will be a small graphic, but your options are in round one, sweep later in Round one, the conference, the semis, the semi conference, or the finals sorry,
or NBA Finals. First, we've got the Bucks here. You had the Bucks as your finals favorite at one point, but now it seems like Giannis will miss multiple games in Round one versus the Pacers, and that scenario didn't go well for the Bucks last year.
How far did the Bucks go? All right?
Right now, right now? My pick is the Bucks go to round two. I do think they can beat the Pacers if Giannis only plays a couple games in that series, I think that it could be two to one Indiana. But that is a coin that is I don't want to say a coin flip, but close to it. The thing is, Halliburton's not fully healthy either, and hasn't looked the same. They haven't been able to guard him. Can Dame be awesome for a week and a half? I
think so? So I'm gonna go round two for Milwaukee given Giannis's injury status.
So no, no finals at all.
No fine, No, I mean that they were they were my pick to win the whole thing, but the Jannas the Janni's dealing with a calf, which could mean dealing with an achilles, obviously changes things massively. Next.
Uh, the Sons went all in on Kadie Booker and Beal and they've had mixed results throughout the season, but the postseason is a whole different story.
So how far do the Suns go?
Same thing? Round two? I do think they can beat Minnesota, go barn the playoffs not great history, trying to work Carl Anthony Towns back in. But then in round two they're playing either Denver or the Lakers. And so round two to me is where the Suns where the Sons go. All right, let's go on to the next one.
Okay, go ahead? Uh yeah, how far up? How far of a star or a rising star do you think Anthony Anthony Edwards will go?
Well, if you lose one, not far, you know what I mean, Like if they if he carries them to the conference finals. Yeah, but with a round one exit, he probably stays where he is. All right.
Next, Despite the Knicks facing injuries all year, they claimed they climbed to the two seed Brunton and this team has exceeded expectations to this point.
But do you see the trend continuing? How far do the Knicks go?
I mean, unfortunately it's round one. I think it is a you know, a six or seven game war against Philly, But I think they I could.
See the Knicks beating Philly for some reason, but that's just no.
I listen, I don't think that's just you. I wonder are they the favorites? Hold on, I'm gonna check real quick. They might be the favorites, demanse underdogs even as the even as the home team they got it. Yeah, I mean it's minus one thing even money, so they're close to a coin flip. But I'm gonna go Philly in a close series, all right?
Next?
All right, So, after a year off from the playoffs, your lard slovignion my son is gearing up for another run. This time he's got Kyrie in the passenger seat. How far do you think the MAVs will.
Go the NBA Finals. I think the MAVs are gonna right now the Maps we might pick to win the Western Conference. Uh now, I reserve the right to change that pick if it's MAVs Lakers in the conference finals, because I all, obviously, I mean, that's kind of a can't lose for me. It's kind of the opposite of when it was uh, who was it Warrior Celtics in the NBA Finals, which was a can't win. But I am, yeah, I think the MAVs. I think the oh yeah, that's true.
Sorry about that, buddy. I think they're going to annihilate the Clippers and then beat okayc and then be waiting for whomever just got through a gauntlet on the other side of the bracket. All right, next, all.
Right, So my Celtics ran through the league this year on their way to the one seed and are now minus two hundred to make the finals. But as Vegas just begging to make make that a square bet, how far do my Celtics go?
I mean, they're gonna be in the finals at a mini Yeah.
I mean, like we said, the question or who they're seeing there?
Correct? Who are they seeing there? And any of those teams? I mean, I think the Celtics are probably rooting to see the other one Seed. I think that they are probably rooting to see Oklahoma City because the Celtics have so much playoff experience in Oklahoma City has none, and the Celtics can throw so many people at Shay that it's weird to say they're hoping to face the other one Seed, But I think they are. But they'll be there. All right, let's get I'm gonna run through some of
these listener questions. What's the read the one in bold demonse? The first one?
We found your award for being the best in the world at one specific thing.
Let me see it.
Let me see what what I'm the best in the world at. Oh, that's great. That's a coach?
Is that so?
I that's a Coach of the Year award? Maybe that's Greg Popovich holding it. I'm not sure who that is that they photoshop.
All right, we have a bunch of questions.
We have a bunch of questions about the same thing, which is Nick, why didn't you Essentially the question is why didn't you include the Spurs on your list of dynasties. So the Spurs are a tough one.
We got some technical difficulties over there in New York. We got you, we got you back, we got you, okay back.
And so the Spurs dynasty question is because they never won back to back. They did win three and five years. They won in ninety nine three to five oh seven, and then the really unbelievable one in fourteen, and they also went to the finals in thirteen, So I do
consider them a dynastic run. What's weird is if you're saying it started in ninety nine, then in the middle of their dynasty, another team three peat and had their own dynasty from and if you're like, no, it goes from three to fourteen, will still in the middle of their run, two separate teams went back to back, the Lakers and then the Heat. So it's just a weird one. So it is an unbelievable run of excellence, but it's a dynasty, and so yeah, I would probably have it sixth. But it's weird.
Does that make sense?
Kind of feel funny saying say the Spurs are on a dynasty. Definitely the most likable if they were a dynasty, I think they'd probably be the most likable dynasty.
Yeah. Yeah, and I and I and I think that. No, I I'm fine with including them on the Dynasties. It's just it's all you just say Pop and Duncan. That's fine, but it's just hard. It's just weird and all the other like dynasties you know, did win back to back the Spurs didn't. I don't know, just a weird one. Eric Allen Demonse has a question we can get too quickly.
Eric Allen, I know you skipped over Porter, but if he was an A level or even B level star in the league, do you still think he gets a lifetime ban.
Oh. I think if he was an A level or B level star accused of doing these things, it's a way bigger story. And yeah, an A level or B level star in the league was betting on his own team to lose and clearly giving out tips on you know, bet his under it's on it's on sixty minutes instead of on first things for h go to Scott Murphy.
Okay, we got Scott Murphy.
Nick, what's most likely Katie wins a ring with the Suns wins a ring as a veteran role player on a young team like Okay See, or spends his final years ringless with a revived Seattle franchise.
Oh, I mean, I think none. I think Katie's gonna be retired by the time Seattle comes into the league. I was actually at Demons the final game ever played in Seattle twenty years ago or whenever it was. Was it twenty years ago, No, it was eighteen years ago, something like that. I was seventeen years ago. I was there when they did save Barsonics and Katie did the thing rookie Kevin Durant. Oh, I got yeah, it was pretty cool. Uh. I had a friend that was living
in Seattle at the time. I went to go see her and I, you know, I was doing radio in Kansas City. I got us two press passes because my producer at the time his name was had the same last name as my friend in Seattle. We got there and then it just went down to the Great Seats where her it was totally unprofessional and against the rules, went down to Great Seats to baby. Yeah, Rookie kad as a Seattle Supersonic in the final game they ever
played at Key Arena. I was there for that. It was unbelievable.
You're taking any like anything from the game now.
And the person who I went with, if they have pictures, I can't ask them for it, all right, and so uh so the yeah, but I was it's cool memory to be there. Uh I think I don't think Katie wintering with the Suns. I think he's kind of an NBA nomad. So I'm going to go none of the above. And then last question is I got to get to work. JD has a very important question, demonse Y.
So, JD. I realized that as we were wrapping up the show. But here about two minutes ago.
I tell the audience what the question is, Oh, j the sunglasses? Sorry guys, Yeah, so I just I didn't put them on came in. I forgot about the I'm sorry, guys, but also.
Yeah, go ahead.
Right.
We also were saying that I was gonna get the shades this whole time when I went out to Kansas City for the vow renewal, and that that didn't get wrong.
Forgot to Yeah, I forgot to give it to you so bad, Joe.
I saw you had them, so they were there.
Yeah, they're in my backpack. They were in that room at them where we were watching the Masters, and I just forgot to give them to you. All right, great show, fun show. I'll see you guys on first things. First, good job de mont A, good job Blue Duck Crew. Daniel, you're my sworn enemy the next two weeks. See you guys. Letter what's right? Hey, thanks for watching. If you're still here, do me a favor. Hit the subscribe button, then hit the bell so you can be notified when we have
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