Nick’s Soapbox Anti-Jokić Rant, the Suns Face Injury Trouble, & Special Guest

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the Big League. They do an investigation and they say their research says I'm somewhere from five to seven to five eleven. And again, I know I sound like a jerk for all our five to seven brothers out there, and I know I shouldn't care, but I do care, like legit angry and they just stand up at the end of the show. We'll do it back to back. That won't help because you're so tall and people won't know how tall you are. The problem is, for all they know, you're five to ten.

players of the last fifty years in NBA history. This Sunday, we will get to players I think forty three through forty including an incredibly controversial player makes makes his debut, and the single biggest snub from the NBA seventy five list makes his debut. That coming out on Sunday. But right now, as we always do, we start the show by talking about what we're not talking about. So here is what did not make today's show. Not on today's

show is George Carl and Boogie Cousins Twitter view. It's gonna make the show a little bit. George Carl is the worst. He blew the ninety six finals by not letting Gary Payton Gar Michael. He's terrible on Twitter. Don't like the guy at all. There you go, it's in there. Coach K's grandson leaving Duke. Don't care about that. And the match, the latest golf match with Tom Brady, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers. None of that made the show.

There is no jacket rewarded for that, Demonse, It's just a charity thing. The only reason we talk about golf is if Tiger's involved. However, I will now turn to Demanse, who might at some point today vacate that seat for a different family member for the first time in the twelve episodes. We've done this. What are we starting with today, Demansey? Yep, as we know you've already started your victory lap with Jolkic. Isn't too straight to Golden State? Yeah, you clearly don't

think he's MVP. Yeah, but he's going against the Warriors alone. What's your problem with this guy?

of this being misrepresented and it is. I have the benefit of knowing with utter certainty, with every fiber of my being, that history is going to judge this opinion favorable. And so here's all I've ever said about Niko a Yogi over the last couple of years. He is an excellent player. No one can deny he is an excellent player. I have not denied he is an excellent player. However, I felt last year that he was being elevated to a place a step or two above where he actually was.

Instead of excellent player, he was league MVP, and last year I didn't like it, but I understood it. I in fact, last year said he would be second and on my ballot. Because Lebron got hurt, Embiid got hurt, I said I would have Chris Paul first. People wanted to give to Jokic. My general pushback was not just that I thought Chris Paul was better, but league MVPs, in all of NBA history, with one glaring exception, are supposed to terrify their opponents in the postseason. I didn't

feel like Jokic did that. You can call it a regular season award, but what also is true is the way we've been doing it for seventy years in this league. And Mom, say, you know how much I care about this. I did a damn recitation of every MVP in order. I think it's the most prestigious professional award in sports. NBA MVP I think it matters, and when we're doing the rankings of players, MVP in top five finishes really really matter, and I thought last year Chris Paul deserved it.

Instead Jokic got it. And then a great confluence of events, Chris Paul and Jokic play in the postseason. First of Paul's unbelievable they sweep the Nuggets and Jokic gets kicked out of the final game. But I dealt, guy who I thought should come in second came in first. It happens. You have bad MVPs. Give me right, Karmelone won one.

He shouldn't have. It happened. But then this year is where it got truly bat crazy, because this year we changed all of the rules literally and figuratively for how we have done MVP voting since the media has been voting for forty years to make an exception for Yokich, so nobody that was a sixth seed or worse had won MVP except for Russell Westbrook, and we'll get to him in a moment. Jokics was the sixth seed all year long, and they were like, no, he has to

be the MVP. And then at the same like, I'll give you a great example of why to me it had gone so crazy. Phil Simmons, who I have a lot of respect for voted Yokic MVP. He also said on the same podcast that he said he's voting JOKICMVP, that he thought the Nuggets were the single worst team in the Western Conference playoffs. And I'm sitting here saying, guys, that's never how NBA MVP is worked ever, where you could be the now back to back MVP, the best player in the league two years in a row, and

everyone thinks your team stinks. This isn't baseball with Mike Trout. You're on the court forty plus minutes, you play both INDs. And the only response was, look at the advanced numbers. Look at the advanced numbers. They said, I was an idiot if I said, listen, I think there's seven or eight guys in this league better than him, still a top ten player. But if we're if you're asking players, and at some point players' opinions have to matter, who

scares you in the postseason. I think Giannis's name gets mint. I think Kawhi when he's healthy, his name gets Mint obviously, Durant obviously, Staph obviously. I feel Lebron.

back to back MVB should never be an underdog. And round one it's never happened. Who.

Magic Johnson did it. Magic Johnson had won multiple championships before he got his second MVP. After him, Michael Jordan did it. Michael Jordan had won a championship before he got the year he got his second MVP after Jordan did it just once after him. Tim Duncan did it. Tim Duncan had won multiple championships before he got or Win. He got his second MVP, won a championship in ninety nine, got his MVP an two and o three after him.

There's Nash. Nash is the bad one. Nash is the one that everyone regrets now, and yet they're doing the same thing with Jokis. But at least Nash. That team won sixty two games and made the conference finals, and the next year won fifty some game and made the conference finals. They weren't out in round one. Then Lebron did it. Lebron, first of all, had made the finals before he won a second, before he won any MVPs,

because he made him an O seven. They the first year in nine when he won MVP, they lost in the conference finals in six to Orlando. He averaged thirty eight, nine and nine in that series, thirty eight, nine and nine, and he got trust for losing. The next year he won MVP again. He that was the series against Boston when they lost in round two, and he was called an all time choke artist. They said he quit on

the team in game six. Game six, by the way, he had I believe twenty eight, eighteen and twelve, and they said he quit. That was his final game with Cleveland. He then left. So again, let's go the next guy to win multi back to back MVP, Steph. He already had a championship in the bag when he won a

second one. And then there was Giannis. Giannis, by the way, got crushed for the second year that he won MVP, they lost in round two to Miami, even though the previous here he had carried him in the conference finals. All of these guys had real championship expectations. No matter the supporting cast, none of them were Round one losers, and the ones who didn't deliver and hadn't delivered got

incredibly criticized for it. I am now being told that it is unfair to say, hey, Nikola jokicch be better. People are like, oh, you're holding him to an unfair standard. He's the goddog thirteenth player ever to win back to back MVP. If we were listing the guys other than jokicch and Nash, oh I left out Moses Malone By the way on the back to back MVP's list, he had carried a team to the NBA Finals before he

won a second MVP. But if I am listing out the worst back to back MVPs ever other than Jokich and Nash, the worst one is Moses. The second worst one is is it Duncan? Might be? Is it Steph? I guess THEO we're everyone told me all year I was a caveman for not putting Jokic in that tier. And then he falls on his face and everyone's like, oh, what do you expect from me? To be better? To be better? And people like, oh, well, listen, the Warriors

are the better team. That's why we don't give MVPs to six seeds because you're all playing a better team. The path we're walking is a path that leads to why isn't Trey Young in the MVP conversation? Yeah, he scored more points than they wanted basketball all year, He had more assist than he wanted basketball all year. His team won mid forties in games. Oh, nobody can blame him for them losing their the nine seed. They stink. That's so.

just a little bit. They have said he is the greatest passing big man ever. I think de Walden have something to say about that. R Vida bonus maybe even but fine, give him that. They told me that if you if you care about the numbers, he just had

the single greatest individual season in NBA. His player efficiency rating the highest ever, one of the highest bpms ever, the first ever two K, one K point five K guy, which is not a thing we've ever carrid about before, but with we did, Like so, if I were on television arguing that, as people were fifteen years ago, that Lebron just had the greatest and people weren't arguing this the greatest season ever, he would not be allowed to then lose in Round one and this other thing that

happens here with Jokic's it's a weird spot where it's like, well he doesn't have Jamal Murray and Michael Porter junior. Listen, Michael Porter Junior might one day be good. He is a great high school prospect. His back injuries. He's had a good playoff moment, some bad playoff moments. Jamal Murray is a good player, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Junior are not good enough to be the difference between a

team being swept in round one and championship favorites. And if you are the back to back league MVP with a mediocre supporting cast, you should be championship favorites. Lebron was he didn't deliver, and then he did when he went to Miami. But Giannis was, he didn't deliver and then he did, Steph was, all the other guys delivered, and so it's just unbelievable to me. And it's the same. It's the same. Don't trust your eyes and don't trust the players. The players show you and tell you that

they don't fear this guy. And one other thing about Jokics this postseason, then we move on. Draymond Green is one of the greatest defensive players ever. He's also six seven. Nikola Jokic is almost seven feet tall. Jokic is like six for twenty eight with Draymond guarding in this series, has a half dozen turnovers and just got kicked out of the game because he was so frustrated by it. I have seen Draymond Green in playoff series against guys who are actually in the discussion for best player in

the league. Saw him against Durant in twenty sixteen before Durant joined him. Durant got him, He got Durant, then Durant. He got Durant at the end in three one comeback. I saw him in four finals against Lebron James Lebron gott Is. The Warriors won most of them. Lebron got his. I saw Draymond against Kawhi Leonard when Kwai was healthy. Yeah, Kawhi had to work for it. Kawhi gott Is the idea that Jokic is that caliber of player, which is what he must bean at. And we're like, no, you're

being too harsh. There is no too harsh. And here's the last point. People say all the time, add the MVP. You know it's an important award, but you know, Shack only has one. And I don't know if you mean that. Shack only as one MDP award and Kobe only has won MVP award, and right now Chris Paul has zero and Joel Embiid has zero. You know what would have fixed that if Steve Nashon equally. Jokic never won him because in five second place.

It's like trying to prove a negative. If the Nuggets won this look we're competitive, or won this series against Golden State, they would say, see our guy's amazing. They're getting blown off the court, and their answer is, see his team stinks. No matter what they were gonna say,

we were right. We rewarded MVPs one way. For forty years, it has rewarded the greatest players in league history with a with a Nash mistake in Ali Yokas, all right, I'm done, talking about it forever until next year when I'm told, Hi gotta give you have you seen this? R gotta give you three in a row and Larry Bird, Wilton Russell the only guys do it. Gotta give it to the Will.

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lost in five to Houston. And what Russ did, and those five playoff games were game one, they got blown out by thirty one. He had twenty two, eleven and seven, and he got crushed the next four games. They lost by four, they won by two, they lost by four, they lost by six. And here's what Russ did. Fifty one, ten and thirteen in a four point loss, thirty two twelve and eleven in a two point win, thirty five fourteen and fourteen in a four point loss, and forty

seven eleven and nine in US six point loss. You can't say, well, you know, he should have done more. Now, it was a bad MVP. He shouldn't given it to him. But at least if Jokic was out here doing what he did all regular season, it's like he had thirty eight points on eighteen shots, nine assists and they lost a close one. I'd listened to it. Instead, he is twenty five points and gets thrown out of the game.

and it changes everything. Twenty sixteen, pretty clean, the biggest injury is probably Andrew Bogetting Game five of the Finals twenty seventeen. There weren't any super significant injuries other than I guess well, one could argue Kawhi when Zazob put his foot underneath him, but I don't think anyone's beating that Warriors team either way. Twenty eighteen, Chris Paul. They're up three two on Golden Stakes. Christ Paul pulls his hamstring.

They lose the next two. Twenty nineteen, Katie blows his achilles and the rap you know what I mean. That's the biggest reason the Raptors won of than Kawi's excellence. Twenty twenty was pretty clean, but that's probably because you had the stoppage midyear. Guys got healthier, and last year there was oh Anthony Davis. Well, Anthony Davis goes They're up to one on the Suns in round one, dominating the series. Anthony Davis goes down, and then the Lakers

never went again. They're never the same Sun go to the finals, So this happens. And I think the two best players in the Western Conference this year were not Nikola Jokic, but Luka Doncic and Devin Booker and Luca got hurt in Game eighty two, and Booker got hurt in the second game of the playoffs, so you do have to you have to be able to overcome that in round one and the MAVs. You know, it's tougher for the MAVs because they're not a great team. They

have a great player. But I believe the Suns will still handle the Pelicans. What's most interesting to me is does this raise or less than the likelihood that we maybe see zi Zion back in New Orleans? Can he give them fifteen minutes? I don't know, but I think the Sun should be fine. But the Suns need Booker fully healthy to deal with the mAbs in round two. I don't think they can beat the MAVs in round two without Booker fully healthy. You know, I think the

MAVs are gonna win. Are Oh, Scott Foster's in the show?

crooked run. He said, I wasn't swinging outcomes. I was just swinging totals. But regardless during the time period, Google This America, pause the podcast in Google Scott Foster Tim Doneghie phone calls. I'll do it right now and I will read you the first result again because I don't want to get sued on this, but this is it's

amazing that this is not discussed. The record show Doneghie placed one one hundred and thirty four calls to refereen Scott Foster, more than the one hundred and twenty six calls Doneghie made to his bookie between October of six and April of seven, the period during which he has confessed to betting on games or passing on game information to gamblers. So he had a ref that we know is crooked who seemed to amazingly all the time called this other ref who was also refing games. That ref

is still reping games. He's a well respected ref, which is maybe why no one talks about this. He also, oddly enough, fourteen straight times that he has officiated the game involving Chris Paul, which crosses multiple teams. Chris has played for Chriss team has lost. Hey, I don't love how it smells. Is I guess my point on this? I can't prove anything. And again I think I'm clean there. But the Doneghie Foster thing always struck me as how

is he still refereeing? And now that fifteen years later that he seems to have some bias against Chris Paul and they've lost fourteen in a row. It strikes me, is at least a yeah, it gives me a little bit of pause. All right, let's have fun. Let's play a little two rights, one wrong? What are we doing first? Two wrongs one right? Two wrongs one right? All right? Well I already got that one wrong? All right? What are we doing first?

is what he was saying after the fact. What are you saying after the fact, Like what about the hostility? What do you mean who says it was hostile? But not just that the idea The Boston fans are particularly harsh on Kyrie. I get that, but there have been plenty of fan bases that have gone after individual star players over the years, and most guys recognize as much as they want to go back at them, they can't, And if they do, that's fine. I don't see Kyrie

complaining about the fine. I am very interested. We were recording this before game two. I'm interested in what happens if he does it again. Because you think you don't think it's on the board that he does it again.

What if Trey Lance doesn't work out like Brady's going to be a true free agent where he can go anywhere he wants. So I believe Brady is going to keep playing for years and years. I don't believe it's going to be in Tampa. I'm not certain it's gonna be Miami. The other possibility, I don't think it's likely. But what if Tua balls out this year? Mine was like, we've got our guy, he's young, he was our top five pick. I don't think that's gonna happen, but I don't.

I either will ever be superstars. I don't think either will people get throw around superstar a little too lightly? MVP Candid, he's looking nice. I think I think his ceiling is all star, and I think Tyree's Maxi ceiling is all star. So like I think for both of them, the absolute ceiling is a This isn't a perfect cup but a Donovan Mitchell type of player, you know what I mean? Like the could be the best player on a team. But if he is the best player on

a team, you can't win a title. You're in really good shape if he's your second best guy. The interesting thing is, is Maxi already the six or second best guy? With the way Harden's been, he might already be their second best guy? All right, what's last? Uh?

him the super Bowl. He's been underpaid. We are also living a world where the wide receiver market is exploding to unprecedented levels. He certainly has a case that he is the best receiver in football, and the best receivers in football now make almost thirty million dollars. Now, do I think there's a chance because they like la I think Do I think he is going to force the hand of I need to be the highest paid ever, I don't necessarily think just like Mahomes, by the way, that's a thing.

cups going to make them? You sometimes do get like the Chiefs got with Mahomes, a bit of a just won the Super Bowl, want to keep things together discount, right, But that discount doesn't mean it's significant. It means like eight percent. It means like instead of making twenty nine million a year, I could see him making twenty seven million a year. So I think for the most part he's bluffing. I believe, however, and I not blumving on this. We have a very special guest, our first guest, Joan.

It's not Lil Wayne, but he will be on the podcast. He just told me so, a very special guest joining us to finish up the show. That's next War Truck.

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how would you describe your clothing situation? I will still get Yeah, yeah, you were you were I think, shirtless and coming out. And do you remember what you said to me? Who held this white boy in the house? And you actually said, who is this John brown white

boy making all this noise in the house? Yeah, that is exactly what happened then, And I introduced myself, and then you said, I'll be right back, and then you went back to your room and you got dressed, and then you asked me a question, and it was about insurance. Do you remember that part of it? Okay, you tell, you can tell the audience of online. I had just met him. Danielle and I had been together for sick seven months, but we knew we were getting married, and

so I really wanted to impress her grandparents. So her grandfather, who's always been, you know, an imposing figure, but this fifteen years ago, so you were you know, you were in your prime. You're in the mid seventies fifteen years ago, so you're even more of an imposing figure. You say, uh, do you have life insurance? You remember that? Okay, well you do? Yeah. Grandmother sitting over there and remember said you said, do you have life insurance? And I said, yes, sir,

I do. And then you said, is my granddaughter a beneficiary? And I said, yes she is, which I don't even know if it was true, and you said perfect. I'll be right back, and you called me outside, and you had a ladder up against the side of your house and giant hedge clippers and do you remember what you made me do? Yeah? What what did you make me do? Grew up the ladder in pim Trie. Yeah, their direct TV wasn't working, so he had me climb the ladder

in the most unsafe fashioned imaginable with these giant hedge clippers. Wait, are you leaving us? You can't leave it, You can't leave yet, the most unsafe fashion possible to trim the tree. But now, oh, he's fixing the mic. But now, let's be honest. Fifteen years later, I'm probably your favorite non blood relative. Correct correct?