Welcome in What's Right with Nick Right Episode two thirty four. We've hit one hundred and fifty thousand subscribers. That's exciting. Appreciate you guys. Subscribe rate review audio digital YouTube podcast. However you want to do it. I have keys in my back pocket. They're stabbing me. Sorry about that. Uh so do all that if you can one hundred and fifty thousands, nice. We'd love to be at two hundred thousand by football season. That is a lofty goal, probably
not a realistic goal. Maybe two hundred thousand by the end of football season. But one hundred fifty thousands a nice number, doesn't get demands a new plaque. In fact, I don't think you get another.
Plaque another million, right, it's until.
Million, so that plaque might just be all you know, million's gonna be tough. I'm not gonna lie to you, but one, yeah, I mean yeah. See. Here's the thing. I don't even know if we're on a ten year pace, because I don't I think that the fact that we've got one hundred and fifty thousand people that like this show enough that they subscribe to it. I think everyone who likes this show enough to subscribe to it for
the most part, has found it. Like I feel like, I feel like I don't think there's eight hundred and fifty thousand folks that are undisdiscovered. Oh to you. By the way, I was in Philly on Sunday walking from the casino to the Sixers game Sunday morning. Because the way it's set up, it's really cool. You got to
come with me sometime when you're out here. They have this giant complex where they have the football stadium, the baseball stadium, the basketball slash hockey stadium, a big beer garden, and a.
Major All of their.
Teams play in this same you know, concrete park essentially, and they're all within walking distance and there's a big casino right there. So Sunday morning, your mom and I played a little blackjack and then walked over to the game. As we're walking over to the game, someone leaving the casino drives by, rows their window down and goes, yo, where's demonse. It was great, Yeah.
It was really cool. Appreciate all Right, we've got.
A lot, We've got a lot of a lot to get into today. Uh so let's get to what missed the cut. Uh, this is I mean beavas and butthead go to the fall Guy premiere. That doesn't mean a lot to people. To Monday's age people, my age, Beavis and butt Head was a big part of our of age and childhood. Nearly fifty thousand hot dogs eating at Dollar Dog Night at City Field. Oh, by the way, and by so I didn't see this story. Uh and okay,
So I saw that the Dolphins. I saw you guys say, Dolphins owner rejects a ten billion dollar offer, and I as soon as I saw that, I was like, that can't be right. The Dolphins are not worth ten billion dollars. But now I'm seeing the offer was ten billion, but it was for the Dolphins, for Formula one Miami and for the stadium, So that makes a little more sense. Formula one Miami is worth a massive amount in and of itself, and so that that does make a little
more sense. But what was I about to say? I interrupted myself. Gosh darn it, hot dogs. I oh yeah, hot dogs, thank you, good job, great work. A week from tonight, I'm gonna be at s Field playing in Hank is Aria's and Jeff McNeil's charity poker event. And you know who's going to be So I'm I'm I've become pals with Hank Kazaria. Shout out to him. Great
sports fan. He also is the you know, famous actor and comedian, but also probably most known to the audience as the voice of two thirds of the characters on the Simpsons. He's Mo, the Bartender, he was a Pooh. He's the voice of the basically all the Simpsons regular characters that aren't Homer, bart Marge. Hank does the voices, but he's also been in a million things. He's the guy that in Heat al Pacino is screaming she's got a great ass. He's yelling that at Hank's area. Great actor.
So he and I have become buddies, and I'm at at City Field. A week from today is his charity poker event. Our buddy Chip Bully Joe Black's coming with me to play in it. But you know who's also gonna be there. I think I'm allowed to say, yeah, sure, I'm allowed to say this. It's gonna be there. Walter White, Brian Kranz. Yeah, yeah, he's playing in the poker tournament. I'm super excited. That's one of my favorite actors. Of all time, one of the most talented actors of all time.
So I'm excited for all that. Okay, I thought of that because of the City Field hot dog thing, because that was at City Field. Okay, so we've got all that. Let's get to basketball. Then. I think we do have to have a conversation about the Twitter habits of Dion Sanders and his sons, because I think at this point it's a story. Uh So we'll do all that. But first, who could have seen this coming?
Go ahead, Demontay, Yeah, So Dallas dismantled, the Clippers went in by thirty. After that terrible second half from the Clippers, we finally got that vintage hardened performance. I think he went February twelveth from the field. But Luga balled out on a hurt knee. Your choice, take a victory lap on a hard and trade or a hype up your one leged Slovenian son.
Well, I'm gonna do both, do a little bit of both. So listen. Luca is a legendary playoff performer. He has been every step of the way, and it is a testament to what his standards are that he was averaging thirty ten and nine up to yesterday, and people are like, man, guys having a rough series. And by the way, he was from an efficiency standpoint, he was not. You know, his shooting percentage was not great. He was thirty nine
percent from the field, twenty seven percent from three. And then last night, despite going two of eight from three, he throws up a thirty five seven and ten. They take control of the series, and I believe they're gonna end up in the conference finals. With respect Oklahoma City. I do not think they're gonna be able to handle the MAVs. And then I think that, you know, Denver, Minnesota will get too later, but that's gonna be a war.
That is going to be an incredibly tough series. And so Dallas right now with Luca playing like this, even though he's not one hundred percent, and you add to it, man, Kyrie is playing the best basketball of his life and you just have to give him credit. And so I was on with Cowherd last night. Let me talk a little Kyrie, then we'll do the Harden of Visceration, I suppose. So Colin was talking about how sports media is so different than any other entertainment media that how like music
critics or film critics or art critics. They're not really critics these days. They're supporters that you don't really see so much these days, like oh my god, a scathing review like it is either stuff is either not written or it's supportive. This is great, this is awesome, and that's not how it always was. But that's really what that the I can't remember the last time that there was a big time movie critic that just ripped apart what was, you know, a big time movie made by stars,
and that used to happen. And maybe I'm not, you know, on Pitchfork enough, but I don't think there's a lot of I think again, a lot of the critics in other entertainment fields are mostly portive. And then there are sports where if you consider what I do, what we do to be critics, we go the other way. We actually spend more time on the negative than the positive. And so Colin was talking about that and I kind
of had a light bulb moment. So I'm gonna get I'm gonna put you on the spot here demand say there's no wrong answer. H Well, I mean, I guess there are wrong answers, because you're gonna have to guess what I'm thinking. But there's no reason, there's no expectation to get this right. Of all of the NBA active NBA players, name one or two that you think consider themselves artists, like I'm an artist at athletes active NBA players that the like, I don't think. Let me give
you an example. I don't think Anthony Edwards has one day in his life thought I'm an artist like.
Bro exactly right, exactly, go ahead. Yeah, So definitely definitely Kyrie Irving, he's got to be one of them. Yes, And then dude, you know what, probably shy Gilkers Alexander.
Oh, maybe I didn't even think about him. I thought Kyrie and Katie that Katie's out here, like you know what I mean, like, hey, I am I'm out here, surgical, Yes,
I am out here. And Kyrie certainly like I. And what I said to Colin was and that quintuple clutch layup from Game four over three people that was his masterpiece, Like I have been practicing for twenty five years in order to be able to do this thing that I truly believe I might be the only human being who's ever walked the earth who could do it like I
think that's in play. I think Kyrie Irving is the only person who's ever lived that could have pulled off that exact move, and it's because he's been working on it. So what I stumbled upon talking with Colin is I think that's why Kyrie and Katie hate how sports media works, because they're like, we're artists, man, appreciate it, look at what we're doing out here, look at this thing, and like, why don't you appreciate my art? And instead you're like,
you know, why don't you win more? Why didn't you
do this? And I just I think it is a Colin and I didn't even mean to talk about this, but once he said the thing about how music and cinematic media works versus sports media, because Kyrie and Katie certainly are the two players most critical of sports media, of how they are discussed and the context of it, and I just again, I'm going right, it's about like, look at what I have practiced and perfected and appreciated, and don't do a who was better Picasso or or Monet,
just be like they're both amazing. And so I just find I find it really And when I say I find it interesting, it's my own idea, I guess. So that's kind of weird to be like, I find my own idea interesting, But I think I'm right, and it kind of just gave me a different window into how I look at those guys. With all that said, Kyrie's been brilliant, been absolutely brilliant, and is locked in from a leadership and defense standpoint in a way that I
can't remember ever him ever being. So that makes the MAVs super dangerous, super dangerous.
So do you think they're the best offensive duo in basketball?
Well, Joker and probably have to hold that crown right now. Yeah, I mean, I think Joker and Murray have to hold that crown, but I think Luke and Kyrie can have a strong argument for it. And I will say I think Joker and Murray hold it for consistency. I think apex,
Luke and Kyrie of an argument. If you're getting an A plus Kyrie and an A plus US Luca game, that is gonna be a pretty unstoppable offensive due But if you're getting a plus Joker in A plus Murray, yeah, Jok Murray and so I just I do think it's less like I don't know, I was gonna say less likely for both of them to be a plus at the same time. But I don't know. They they they're they're on the list. But now it's time talking about
James Harden exactly. So I put out some stats yesterday that immediately got misaggregated and misquoted these basketball like guys, I don't even care if you steal my exact screen shot and don't give me credit for it, but don't steal my exact screenshot, not give me credit for it, and then misquote what the stat is on the screenshot, like it's just the these the the the anonymous Twitter accounts that it's just spreading missing information, just the worst.
They're so bad that when I saw an anonymous Twitter account with a screenshot of a Darvin Ham quote where he was like, what do you expect me to do when one of your starters is showing the bed for ten games? I was like, oh, well, that's obviously a fake quote. And it took me old twenty four hours to find out he actually said that that was a real quote to a reporter after the season. You did you thought it was fake?
I thought it was fake.
I was like, Ah, these idiots, I was like, this is not a real quote. There's no chance. Darvinham said on the record, what do you want me to do when one of my starters is showing the bed for ten games? I was like, these dumb fake news people, But.
It's a real quote.
It's a real quote. Okay, back to the hard and stuff. So last night, Harden was two for twelve from the field. That is now his tenth ten career playoff game where he has taken at least ten shots and made two or fewer. Okay, that breaks a tie with the late great Clifford Robinson for most all time. After that is Jamal Crawford with eight and Jay Crowder with eight. So what do Cliff, Jamal and Jay all have in common?
They were never your number one option. They were always guys who that could happen to him like hey gotta you know, gotta stay ready and to get hot, you gotta stay hot or I don't even know what the saying is, but you gotta keep shooting. Harden like the the if you go down that list, other than Bob Coozy, there's no number one options with more than four of these types of games. And Bob Cosey was playing at a time right when thirty five percent from the field
was fine. So okay, what about playoff games with at least ten field goal attempts and three or fewer makes. Harden now is tied with Cliff Robinson for first with seventeen of these games. Seventeen. Now, you might see Jason Kidden be like, oh, kids an all timer, and he is. But kid also early in his career could not shoot and was controlling the game from the floor and was
an excellent playoff performer. Harden's postseason resume, it's like clockwork, man, He's just gonna have one of these games in the worst spot imaginable, and it is. It is not surprising, it is not deniable, and it is not defensible. Okay, so there are I'm trying James Harden now in his playoff career. You know what, We're just gonna go through it real quick. This is what a podcast is for. And I'm just gonna go year by year and show you the and I'll be fair. I'll include the key
games when he was excellent. But and I won't even use against him anything that happened in Okay, see, because he was young and he didn't have the same role. Now, was he objectively awful in those in those finals? Yes, James Harden in those finals, the final three games two for ten, two for ten, five for eleven in a lopsided loss. But let's just get to Houston, and what
you're going to see is a wild trend. Okay, first postseason in Houston, he's objectively bad the opening three playoff games to fall down three to zero, and then bounces back a bit in Game five after being four for twelve in a deciding Game four. In Game five when the series is decided and the pressure is off, Okay, let's keep going. Then next year, this is the Dame Lillard Series twenty fourteen, where Dame hits the buzzer beating three to walk off down three to one in a
potentially deciding game. James Harden goes five for fifteen from the field, but they win. Now, the next game in game six, he was pretty good. He's nine for sixteen from the field, got to the freezer line dozen times. What they lose, and then you're going to see it really get going twenty fifteen, down three to two, getting blown out by the Clippers in Round two, gets benched in the fourth quarter because he is five of twenty
from the field. They win despite that. The very next round, down two to Golden State after two heartbreaking losses, where he's good in those heartbreaking losses. Twenty fifteen, coming home for Game three, three of sixteen from the field, down oh three, series over game by the way. Then in game Game four, no pressure, no expectations, down three to zero, has one of the best playoff games of his life, dropping forty five. Now Game five, two of eleven, go
home for this season. Next year against Golden State, Round one, opens the series with back to back seven of nineteen's down two to one in game four to basically stay alive, throws up a four for fifteen. The next year is playing the Spurs, down three to two, Kawhi Leonard is out for the game. You're at home, Kawhi is not playing because he's hurt. It's twenty seventeen. You are a big favorite in this game. He goes two for eleven
and they lose by forty points. The next year, I mean this all happened, bro, I mean it's really really rough. The next year, two to two against Golden State, the best Rockets team ever sixty five wins. You're the league MVP two to two against Golden State, you're five of twenty one. You win despite that because Chris Paul was
so great. Now you're up three to two. This, by the way, this James Harden performance cost Lebron James a championship, and I'll never forgive him for it, because if he could have just beaten the Warriors, that twenty eighteen Caps team that's stunk, but Lebron was apex. Lebron would have rolled over Houston. But set that aside. Up three to two, now Chris Paul's out, you go ten of twenty four. You then go twelve of twenty nine in a home game seven. Both games you have fifteen point leads. In
that game seven, you're two of thirteen from three. The next year, Demonse, you are playing Golden State. Kevin Durant goes out, it's the series' is two games a piece, and you lose games five and six. He actually played decent in those games, to his credit. The next year, you're in the bubble. You're playing an OKC team that no one thought was gonna be any good. That people when they traded Chris Paul there, they were like oh, should he ask for a buyout? They're not even trying.
It goes to a Game seven in the bubble. In that Game seven, you're four for fifteen. You win anyway. The next year, I'm sorry. The next round you're down to one to the Lakers in the bubble, the swing game of the series. Is it gonna be a series or not? Two for eleven? These two for elevens are just impossible how often they've happened. Now you're a Brooklyn net you come back from an ankle injury. Now, maybe
you shouldn't have come back. I would argue you definitely shouldn't have come back because in your first game back you were one for ten in a two two two series, and then in Game seven you were five for seventeen in an overtime loss. Like the next year, you're in Philadelphia, you are actually finally, wait was it this year? He had a big no? In Philadelphia? You're two to two with Miami. You go five of thirteen in Game six and then four of nine in Game seven. Then next
year you're still in Philadelphia. You have two of your best playoff games ever in this series against Boston forty five in a Game one forty two in a game four, and then what do you do the rest of the series? Four for eight, then four for sixteen, and then in a game seven loss three four eleven. And by the way, I haven't even mentioned the turnovers when he has let
me go ahead and check real quick. In his playoff career he has one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight games with eight or eight or more turnovers and five games with nine plus. And then this year in the key game of the series, you go.
To for twelve, you score from all that, what tell me you got James Harden on your team? You're making the playoffs? Well, no, that is bention when you get there. But you'll get there.
That No, that listen, that part is one hundred percent true. You are making the playoffs, and it is and that is what is so baffling about it. So and that is the part that is so hard to wrap your mind around, other than the moment is just too much for him. When I say James Harden's regular season resume is that of an all time legend, I'm not exact aggerating. Six times he has been first team All NBA. Okay six times four context for that, who's the best guard
of his era demonse, it's pretty odd. Yeah, Curry has been First Team All NBA four times. James Harden has been First Team All NBA six times. The in James Harden has won the league MVP once, has come in second three times, and has six top five MVP finishes. Steph Curry has four top five MVP finishes. Like when I say his he has won, Harden has averaged thirty five points a game in a season, He's won an
assist title. His regular He's in resume is unimpeachable, top twenty all time, and every single year in their biggest playoff game, he falls apart like clockwork. And it's just who he is. And it's also why when the Clippers traded for James Harden espn BPI or their analytics department or whatever made them the favorites, the sizable favorites to
win the championship. Vegas has had loved him all year long, and everyone just keeps pretending like you couldn't like I saw and listen this, I'm not taking a shot here, uh, because I actually like this guy a lot. I actually got a chance to chat with this guy on the phone last week for a few minutes is super nice
guy Kendrick Perkins. But Kendrick had a tweet last night that, uh that said, Paul George and Harden are the most unpredictable players in the league, and I just responded, I'm like, I would argue Harden is one of the absolute most predictable players in the league. Like anyone that is surprised by what we saw last night, like where have you
been the last decade? And now folks that are longtime viewers or listeners of mine might say, Nick, when first things first had just started, weren't you one of Harden's biggest defenders. And the answer to that is yes, absolutely, Because I thought my argument for James was pretty simple. I'm not going to hold the OKC time against him. He was the sixth man, was young, and in Houston. His big sin was you can't beat the Warriors. But
nobody could beat the Warriors. So I thought that I was like, we don't have enough evidence to say that this guy is anything other than a great regular season player who he doesn't get better in the playoffs. But you're running up against a juggernaut. But now we have six playoff runs of evidence, Like that's one of my more frustrating things when people are like, oh, what changed,
I'm like, they're still playing the games. It's one of my all time the there's a tweet and I don't delete tweets, but there's a tweet from me from twenty eleven where I do an all time NBA Top ten and Lebron's not in it, and people send it to me all the time. They're like, oh, so this guy, you used to not have him in the top ten, but now he's the goat. I'm like, well, four championships and nine trips to the finals can change the math on some of how you rank players, and so like,
I mean, like, what are you fools? So yeah, I did. I once upon a time thought Harden's got had some bad luck in the postseason. You run into the Warriors, you're running to Lebron's heat with the thunder. But now, I mean the the jury is not out on this anymore. Okay, all right, let's move on.
So yeah, Celtics completed the gentleman suite, took care of business there to scare before a second. But it seems like they might be without porzingis around two for part of it, or maybe the full series because he's got a cap straight. Now, we obviously know that injuries have been an often problem with Pazingis in the past. What do you think the Celtics is the ceiling without Porzingis.
Oh, if they can't win the title without you can.
Get past round though, they're tooled to beat the Pacers without Porsinis, Well.
No, they wouldn't be playing the Pacers. They'd be playing either the Magic or the Calves. Oh yeah, and so listen, Yeah, shout out to the regular season. Shout out to the Celtics for caring about it. Go get the one seed and now you get to rest Magic Orlando, Magic Orlando. The Magic Calves is gonna go seven. Those teams are gonna beat the hell out of each other and you don't have to rush Chris STAPs back. You absolutely can beat You will win next round to that. So I
wouldn't play him in round two. Like if I'm wrong and all of a sudden the series is two to two or something, then maybe.
But playing for the first game for the first two and then maybe if you go down. But I don't see it.
Exactly right, but I don't think that's gonna happen. And by the way, we haven't talked about that series at all, but hell of a play by Evan Mobley the block. Now this is I do have to say something about this because nobody understands just common sense. So the Cleveland Cavalier, I'm sorry, the Orlando Magic were down two in the waning seconds of that game. Do people not realize how unless you have a wide open, uncontested dunk, shooting a three is always the option. Like, just do the math
on this, guys. What what percent probability do you need to have of making the two pointer to then have going to overtime as your reward be a better way to win than shooting a three? Honestly? Like what you follow what I'm saying here. These teams that are down two in the final moments and take a tough two, it's bananas. Like what is let's just say, Calves Magic is a coin flip in overtime a true fifty to fifty.
I don't think it was, but say it was. Then unless your two point attempt is going to be an eighty percent likelihood, like you're taking an eighty percent chance in order to get a fifty percent chance, which means your your chance of winning there would be forty percent. Okay, what is your likelihood of making a three? Right, that's the math on it. You hit a three, you win.
So even if it's the worst shooter you have on the court, say he shoots thirty percent from three, that is still better than a tough two where that you have a fifty percent chance of making, just to get the opportunity to have a fifty chance of winning. So no, I didn't like Franz Wagner going up against Evan Mobley, who's drafted purely for his defense. Just like if all of a sudden Franz Wagner makes this unbelievable play, congrats, Now you got to go beat them for five minutes.
Let Paolo try to take the Tyrese Maxi shot. That's a better opportunity, that's a better op It's just insane of these teams that go for two. Now, if you are way better than your opponent, maybe you're like, okay, we'll take overtime. But that's not the case there. But yeah, I think the Celtics will be fine. Now I will to go ahead.
Yeah, and if they do, when they win, they get past them. If they end up having to play the Pacers. How do you think they match up against them?
Well, here's the thing. I think all four teams on the other side of the bracket are still ALON because it's Nick Sixers, which we'll get to. The winner of that plays Pacers, Bucks and the whole NBA should be furious with Indiana furious. I'm not saying the Bucks are a great team. What I am saying is they have a high ceiling. Any team that employs Giannis and Dame theoretically has a high ceiling in theory. And you could have ended their season in the game Yiannis and Dame
didn't play and you mailed it in Indiana. That's pathetic. Indiana's game two days ago was embarrassing. You can end the Bucks season without their two best plays. Can you imagine how? And I'm not going to compare the Bucks to the Chiefs, So let me find a better example.
If if in the first round of the NFL playoffs, a team was playing the Ravens and Lamar and Rokwan Smith were out for the game but expected back the following week, do you know how angry everyone else in the postseason would be if you give that team if you didn't beat them, can you. They'd be like, you've gotta be kidding me, Like, and so now listen, maybe
Dame and Yannis don't play tonight. It seems like the the let me check the point spread, it seems like Vegas doesn't think they're playing because the Pacers are eight and a half point favorites. So now maybe they'll get another chance at it. But that was a horrific loss. And but I think that if the Pacers do win that round, then the winner of Nick Sixers is going to be playing the Celtics in the conference finals. Nick Sixers winner is gonna beat the Pacers. That's what I think.
All right, go ahead?
Uh yeah. So Game six of the Game six of Nick six Ers is back in Philly tonight. This series has had a cup crazy finishes. But after the after the crushing loss, do you think the Knicks will be able to take back the momentum and be able to be Philly.
Oh. I don't think they're going to like be emotionally unable to win. But I do think Philly wins tonight. I don't think it's because of like the tritus of Game five. I just think and I'm still thinking about going to that game.
I have to leave.
Well it's tonight, but it's not an the tips not till nine. So I could leave the show, pick you know what I mean, pick up your sister, do whatever I need to do. And still I could leave for Philliate could leave for the game at seven and get there in time. But the problem is then the next morning I gotta get back and all that, and I don't I don't know. Also, I was thinking about bringing your baby sister, and I don't know if that's gonna that's a hostile environment, man.
Uh.
And so I'm still considering going because it's been so much fun. If I don't go, then I should go to Game seven in the garden, assuming that exists. But my god, man, those those tickets are so expensive and your mom is so funny. Man, I gotta tell you guys this real quick. Then we'll talk Nick sixers. Your mom a god lover this. She is so supportive of me, and I appreciate it. She's really convinced. You know how the Knicks have like celebrity row. She was like, they
would give you tickets for that. You just need to ask them. I'm like they would not give me tickets for that. It's like it's John Stewart and Chris Rock and Ben Stiller. They're not giving She was like, well, maybe the row right behind them. She's like, yes, they would.
Nick.
She was like, you need you need a PR person. You just need to have someone called. I'm like, oh, I don't have a PR person and I'm not calling. She was like, all called for. I'm like, no, babe. What they're going to say is who and then let me connect you with someone. And that person they are gonna connect you with is gonna then ask for a credit card number. They are not giving me free tickets there.
It's just not happening. She's convinced we could be going to these Nick games for free, based off the juice of me being me, which I really appreciate her believing, but it's just not true.
Well like, hey, you're a lot closer now than you would have than you were five years ago.
Well I appreciate that that's true.
And I.
Do think that if we if somehow I was everything about our life was the exact same. But we were based in Oklahoma City. I do think I could get free great seats. I do think when They're like the who are the local celebrities there? I do msg it's the Mecca. They're not giving me tickets. I think the Sixers win tonight. I think Joel is a good game. The Sixers in a rough spot, man, because they are really struggling when Joel's off the court. But he's not
in peak shape because of the uh Max's slack. Yeah, but he's not in peak shape because when he was hurt out with the knee that you know, you can't do all the cardio stuff that you need to do. So he's kind of working himself back into shape. MAXI was unbelievable, though, man, I mean, I feel like that's a little old news now because we talked about a lot yesterday. That was an all time, all time from him. All right, let's go to the last one.
Kickoff round two. The Nuggets survived a close gentlemen sweep with the Lakers, obviously, But with that said, are you gonna double down on fading the Nuggets Wolves here? I don't know that I have made my decision on Series.
I. I I will admit I'm getting a little tired of picking against Denver. Now. People say I picked against them every Round last year. That's not true. I picked them to beat Phoenix. Brew has run from this entirely. Brew picked Phoenix to win that series for the record America.
But I did pick the Lakers to beat them in the Conference finals, and then I just got drunk on Heat culture and I was still mad about the Lakers getting swept, I think, and I had the Heat beating them, and then obviously I had the Lakers beating them there in a row.
Honestly, don't remember you're doing that, but that's insane.
What picking the Heat to win, picking the Heat to beat the Jimmy Butler was we were putting Jimmy Butler in the hall, bro Jimmy, Yeah, Jimmy Butler was on a heater. And then if you remember, they stole Game two and stole home court. I listen, I would love Anthony Edwards to have his moment. And the Timberwolves played them tough last year.
They play them close in the season during the regular season. Yeah, they beat him, they beat him.
They're gonna have Karl Anthony Towns guarding Jokic, which sounds ridiculous, but it's so Ruey Ruey, Rudy, Rudy can roam and Rudy can then come over and help. And that's gonna listen, they have a big long, number one defense in basketball.
Go ahead, If there is any team in the NBA that could deal with Jokic, it's gotta be the Timberwolves. With that those I mean, it's.
What they were, whether they knew it or not, they were built for it, and they they're the number one defensive basketball a year long. I'm gonna make my pick tomorrow on TV. I I I'm not. I'm not there yet on it too. And no, it's not that, it's that I just don't know. I don't what is the Let me check what the series odds are. I mean, Vegas has it minus two five to plus one sixty five, So Vegas thinks it's like a sixty to forty series, so you know what I mean, relatively close. What do
you oh, they're not gonna have the Pacers. I'm sorry the Celtics odds listed yet, but hold on, let me see what the The Celtics right now to win the East are minus two minus five, yeah, minus two thirty to win the East and based basically even money to win the whole thing. That's unbelievable. All right, take quick break, come back, What's Right? All right, welcome back in What's
Right with Nick? Right? Episode so two thirty four, demand before we get to a new game we're playing called Time Traveler, let's talk a little Dion Sanders.
Yeah, so coach Prime is in the headlines again. He's recommending a lot of his players enter the transfer portal. One of his players, Xavier Smith, told the Athletic quote, I was getting mad, tears coming to my eyes. Dion never even tried to get to know me. End quote. Then his sun should do our way to in tweeting,
I don't even remember him. To VH, We're gonna show a tweet for those watching on YouTube and yeah, so what do you what do you make of the situation in Boulder, everything going down there?
I just think, objectively speaking, this is an awful look for Prime and his kids. And I think that Dion tweeting publicly reply to a guy. Uh So, Dion tweeted, folks don't hate you because they Folks don't hate you because they really don't know you. They admire you in a negative way. They realize they can't be you. Think like you, talk like you or walk in your shoes
that bothers them. Always smile when you see them because that makes them admire you so much more in that negative way, like, oh, that's like a it's a little bumper stickery, But it's isn't it. That's decent advice, Yes, but it's fine. So somebody, somebody then replied to him, tell your son to stop acting like here's the coldest out there, and then put up a four and eight season. He quote tweets and replies, he will be a top five pick. Where's your son going? L O L l
O L I got time today? Okay, so that okay, a little petty but whatever. So then this happened right so then, and I want to make sure I have this correct. So oh this somebody deleted a tweet and then Jahim Ward wrote, uh bruh, you had thirty eight yards last year. Stopped trying to downplay somebody and somebody quote tweeted him again just anonymous dude, Oh wait, no, hold on as a Colorado football fan, quote tweeted him. Maybe he's it a fan or a player. No, I
think it's a fan. Quote tweeted that guy's stance and said, man, go take a seat. This kid jaheim Ward who uh was talking and Dion quote tweeted that because the guy had eight tackles and four pass deflections and wrote, law Jesus, like okay, again it feels a little like Dion Sanders. And again there's a lot about Dion. I like a lot, and I think there are He has good relationships and there's a lot of stuff of him that's really admirable.
And I think because of that, people have been afraid to say what's obvious here, which is Dion, you were born in nineteen sixty seven, Like, no.
I know the age is gonna come up.
Well, yeah, because you're fifty six years old, Like, you can't be getting mocking kids on Twitter. Kids, you just can't. You just can't now what people would be like. Well, then his sons can. And because Shador is a kid. So Shador in response to the guy who was saying basically his heart was broken when Dion said you shouldn't be on the team. I don't even remember him. To be honest, bro had to be very mid at best. That's what Shdor wrote about a former teammate.
Go ahead, what's the point of even coming out like that? Like with what the kids said, Like, it's not even like the kid said something I don't think. I don't think that was crazy. I didn't think he called for a flame in response, but a thousand correct.
But then there is also this demonte Did you see the story about why Spencer Rattler fell in the draft?
No?
So okay, So let me so this is kind of a wild thing, but it's been reported out. So Spencer Rattler, who was one of the top picks or one of the top recruits out of high school when he was sixteen, was on a Netflix show produced by Lebron's people called QB One. I never watched the show. Okay, Evidently, sixteen year old number one high school recruit in the country,
Spencer Rattler was a bit of a dick. Turns out, he bullied his backup quarterback, wasn't a great teammate, and at sixteen years old kind of acted like you would imagine a lot of sixteen years year olds who are the number one football player in the country who have a documentary crew walking around with them, might be a little full of himself. I you know what I mean? Who could imagine that that was the case? Okay, so, and I even feel bad even saying that because he's sixteen.
He's sixteen. But here's why I'm saying it. Ian Rapaport reported when Spencer Ratler was falling in the draft that multiple teams brought up to him the Netflix series and about how they they couldn't get it out of their head that like, a we're gonna bring in this guy to be our quarterback. Look at how he was, you know, two years post puberty. I don't get it, but that was a thing. Okay, So here's why I mentioned that, Bro, what are you doing?
Should or.
You don't? Think? You are not Caleb Williams where there is a level of doesn't no matter what the off field detractors are, no matter how much people want to tear down the painting of the nails or the phone case or crying or any of that, the talent and pedigree is so undeniable that you're gonna be the number one pick of the draft that ain't shoud or sanders Man now should or could be the first quarterback off the board. We also need to see how he plays next year and need to see a lot of things.
And I do not think being a dick to people online is a smart play for that position in particular. Like, I don't think people would care at all if he were a defensive end or a corner I really don't. We're even a wide receiver and you're on social media being like you suck, I'm awesome, get out of here, You're not good enough. I think we'd be like, ah, what are you gonna do?
You know what I mean?
Like, it's just but if Spencer Ratler's draft stock can fall around because of he was being immature when he literally was not yet mature, I don't even think it's being immature. If you're sixteen, it's just called being sixteen. You have not yet matured. I just think this is a terrible look for shure to or and I think it has real potential negative implications. I really believe that. And I'm not even saying it should or it shouldn't
impact his draft stock. You can make an argument if you draft a player based on anything other than the football player they are, you're making mistake. You can make that argument. I don't know that I totally agree with that, but you could make that argument. But I just know the reality of it. I know the reality of the situation, and I think this is a wild way for a
potential top ten quarterback pick to act. So I think it's a bad look for all involved personally, like a significant bad look for them all involved.
All right, Demanse, let's go go back in time before making those tweets. So we're gonna play time traveler. All right, there are Oh this is back.
Hold on real quick, Tomnse have you so, I'm gonna really make the producers, particularly I would imagine, Gabe mad have you have you ever seen Back to the Future.
I've not. Me neither, I have not seen Back to the Future.
You have an excuse because of your age. The producers are not gonna believe that I've never seen any of the Back to the Future movies. I feel like this is such a matt Ford special Um and Gave I would imagine as well. I just haven't seen any of them, but I do. I'm aware of the iconography of it, so we'll be able to play the game. But go ahead.
A ton of people throwing out their NBA future tickets right now as teams get bounced, But those Suns and Lakers to win the title tickets are not worthless. If you have a time machine, which I happen to have, all you have to do is send me back to the perfect point in time to change the course of history. To get the team back on track. I'm gonna hop in the portal and then you punch in the event or time that you want to send me back to. That's fire up the time machine. Fire enough the time machine.
All right? So Lebron is the goat, but another ring or two wouldn't hurt. Let's help him out. What's our destination last summer to trade for Kyrie twenty twenty one, stopped the Rush trade twenty nineteen to stop the eighty trade because it would have happened eventually, Doc, right, when are you sending me? Where are you sending me back to? When are you?
Obviously we're not obviously not stopping the Anthony Davis RD. They won the title the first year with them. Oh, Demonse's gone. Uh. The answer is they shouldn't have traded for us. And if they don't trade for us, maybe they do still end up getting Kyrie. I don't know, but the that Lakers, that is a totally underrated moment. That this Lakers team won the title in dominant fashion, had the number one seed, and then never, you know, never was challenged in the play and then the very
next year was awesome. The very next year was twenty one and six, and then Lebron got hurt and when the playoffs rolled around, Anthony Davis got hurt, and so they were never whole again and at the end of the year and then they blew the whole thing up. That's the like if they had just kept going with that defensive minded team where Lebron carries the offensive load, they but then they blow it up for uss blow
a season there. Last season is kind of still worn because of the rough stuff make moves at the end, they're still making up for it. So that's the move like adding Kyrie, I understand, but I think that Lakers team that won the championship should have been given an opportunity to have a second playoff run with a healthy Lebron and AD and they weren't. Just sucks go ahead.
Yeah, I'm with uh. I went the Kyrie pick there, But we're getting back in the tud getting back in the portal. Okay, the Sons were once a team with a young core in a bright future and a matter of years that bright future was eclipsed by bad moves and bloated contracts. But it's not too late to fix it. Where are we going last summer to stop the Bule trade, last year to stop the KD trade? Or twenty eighteen to pick Luca over eighten?
I mean well, I mean it's twenty eighteen to pick Luke over eight And I'm going to try to find this tweet, get Nick right Luca vacation. Let me see if I can find it. Uh gosh darn it. Hold on, get Nick right, Luca Draft one.
Pick.
Uh gosh darn it. I wish I could find it. I remember where I was. I was on vacation. Oh, here it is. This is a tweet from January twenty first, twenty eighteen, demanse that I had I promised fashion Bird no tweets during vacation, but she just tweeted a picture. So I'm breaking two to say this donct should have gone number one. That was during the draft, Luca's draft where he ended up going third and then was traded to the team with the fifth pick that was not
second guessing. I'm retweeting that right now. Actually remind folks, especially with Jake Laski, I love you, Nick, but you're so wrong, and then a bunch of people replying with that stupid Trump gift of him going wrong. Ryland, you know what, let's just fry these people. Six years later, Ryland's world. I agree with ninety nine point nine nine percent of your opinions, but this one, no, can't pass
up on eighton Matt Straub. Yeah, total and complete bust this guy, throw it deep CG twenty one old takes exposed hotal on to it um and the this is uh, I mean this is oh And then it got retweeted a bunch three years later. I guess because then there's a lot of retweets from uh twenty twenty one. But yeah, I mean their whole frame. You had an opportunity to draft Luca Antrich and you didn't. You don't recover from it. Sorry,
you already had Booker could add Luca. And can you imagine how much better Devin Booker's life is if Luke hadn't been tormenting him for a couple of years. Yeah, you get the The answer is that's what we're doing, all right.
Next, Arthur Warriors Dynasty has come to a screeching halt the Warriors fans are willing to forgive that. We're willing to forgive you for the Wiggans take if you help after the time line out? All right, do I go to twenty twenty two? How Draymond's fist twenty twenty to draft someone other than Wiseman twenty eighteen to make sure Draymond never gets into into it with Katie. There should be a twenty twelve option on here as well, Doc, right, where are you sending me back to?
What would the twenty twelve option.
Have been not drafting Draymond Green?
But oh well no, then they don't win those championship.
Oh yeah, then they don't win them. Yeah, of course, yeah they don't.
They needed him. I think Katie was gonna leave either way. Uh, it's the obvious one is just get Draymond not to punch Jordan Poole. Oh yeah, and just see how different last year is. That's what I would do. But here is the and when people say draft someone other than Wiseman, like, guys, here's I mean, here's the next ten picks after Wiseman, LaMelo is Body's broken, Patrick Williams. You don't know who he is Isaacacoro Okongwu for the Hawks. Killian Hayes, I
don't even know if he's still in the league. Obi Topping a good player, but not Denny Abdia, Jalen Smith, Devin Vessel and then Halliburton. Now, but the thing is that it's not really fair to say they should have drafted Halliburton because Halliburton was not like considered a top three pick in the draft, you know what I mean, that's too much. Now here's what is true. And by the way, and then Maxie also was in that draft at twenty one. But man, the Warriors ended up with
the second pick of that draft. That draft demons. You know who went number one, Anthony Edwards. Dude, if they had got if they had at right after right after going to five straight finals and winning three titles, they have a down year because STEP's out all year and plays out all year. If they then got Anthony freaking Edwards, I mean, they'd have never stopped, you know what I mean, like they how good would they be?
Right?
So yeah, but the answer is the Draymond.
All right, next, you predicted the Bucks are going to the finals this year, but everything fell apart, well, we can make sure your main America's most accurate sportscaster through a bit of time travel. Should I go to last summer to stop the Dame trade and keep Drew a bit earlier to stop the Griffin and Doc hires entirely by keeping Bud twenty twenty three to make DeMar today and take a day off school to help keep the heat out of the playoffs, thus preventing Giannis from ever
getting ever getting hurt. Versus Miami dot right, where are you sending me back to?
I'm sending you back somewhere else. Actually, I'm sending you back to Game six twenty twenty two, second round, the Jason Tatum game, when Tatum had up to that point the best game of his life to stave off elimination. Oh, of course, of Game seven against Milwaukee. In that Game seven, Grant Williams hit seven threes the Celtics couldn't miss. And
here's why the Bucks were the defending champs. Giannis was playing amazing basketball and that Bucks team would have rocked the Warriors in the finals and they would have won back to back and have been a totally different story. But they lose that Game six. They lose Game seven, you know what I mean? And then ever since then things and then you're not making any if you've won two titles in three years, you're not making a trade like they did this summer because you lost to Miami.
You're just like Yannis got hurt. So that's where I'm sending you back to. Okay, all right, I the go ahead, Demanse.
No, I think we broke the timeline. Let's see if we can get it back over the break.
Okay, all right, So those are the that was a good game, Time Traveler, take quick break, come back and answer some questions where I go to the TV show What's Right? All right, welcome back in What's Driving the Great Episode two thirty four, Demanse, Let's roll through a few of these questions before I gotta go.
Producers asked, who do you have in the Kentucky Derby and what would you name your horse? Uh?
I don't I don't know who I have in the Kentucky Derby. I'm not a I am a horse better. Okay, that's a good photoshop. Oh, never a doubt, Yeah, that's what I would name my horse. Never a doubt would be a great never and down the stretching comes never. Yeah, but I don't study horse racing. I just I will that.
On the horses. The people were tiny.
Oh yeah, they have to be the jockeys.
Yeah. I saw one of them doing an interview with the lady and like she put the freaking mic. It was crazy. Yeah, they to horse right, yeah, exactly, all right? Next, just Justin Justin Fields asked my returning kicks.
No, he's not gonna return I saw that story. He's not gonna return kicks, all right.
Next, Joey Kindra asked what would be the best duos in the NBA if you had to pair a superstar thirty three and older with a twenty with a star twenty five and younger. Big fan of the show Ghost Steelers.
Thirty three and older. I mean there's a few options here. I think Steph Wimby would be pretty dynamic. I think I think Steph Wimby be pretty good. Who would I pay? I mean Lucas twenty five, But for the spirit of this question, I don't. I think they mean people younger than Luca, you know what I mean? I Luca feels like an established star. Uh Lebron and Aunt would be pretty dynamic too. I think Steph Wimby and Lebron and
Aunt are my two picks for that category. Uh okay, all right, let's go to uh tied Dog Demandseai.
My teenage daughter saw someone that looked like Nick. I asked what she would do? Well, what she have done if it really was Nick? She says she would have asked Nick to FaceTime Demons so she could say, Hi.
Well that's that set. Listen they I really need I need more specifics than teenage and that question that's like a nineteen year old teenage daughter that that has one connotation. If this is like a junior high school teenage daughter and has a different connotation. So I don't really know exactly how to respond to that. Also, though, shout out to tie Dog for the family being viewers of the pot like that is always the It's one thing to have the TV show on, It's another thing to like
have it be a A yeah exactly. I like that a lot. All right, the let's see if there's any more. Uh, let's go to Scott Murphy and then we'll roll.
Scott Murphy asked the Celtics heat indifferently if Jimmy was playing and Is that an argument for the Heat to stop coasting in the regular season or eyeing the pan?
Uh? I mean yeah, I mean there are certainly some arguments that this season for the Heat was a disaster. I am I'm keeping my eye on Miami.
Uh.
When it comes to Kevin Durant, I'm just gonna say that, I'm just keeping my eye on it. I think a lot of those assets they didn't trade for Damian Low. I just wonder if they're gonna call up James Jones and see if Durant wants to see it fifth times a charm as far as like really finding a home. Just something, just something to keep an eye on. All right, great job, Demand's a great show. I might be at
six ers nixt tonight. I haven't determined it yet. If not, either way, I'll see you guys on TV in a few hours and we'll be back here on Tuesday. 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 new episodes. After you've done that, one more favor, go to your favorite audio platform of choice and subscribe there as well. Don't forget.
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