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Welcome in What's Driving Nigart Episode two thirty eight jam Back Show. Today, we have a conference finals. We are going to have a new champion. For the first time in the history of the NBA, there is not in the final four a single person who has ever won a league MVP. It's the first time we've ever had a conference finals that does not have someone who has already won a league MVP. It's almost like maybe we've been giving those MVPs up to the wrong person. But listen,
that's not what we're talking about today. We're talking about the games. Demonse's here. I'm fresh off a trip from Los Angeles. Who's great to see you. A bit of a surprise. I surprised Demons at work. I don't know how much he appreciated that. I also think there's probably some weird inner office politics he has to deal with when I come in. But that's fine. I don't mind making a few other people feel a little uncomfortable at times if need be. But it was great to see you.
We shared two outstanding meals, A nice little crawfish feast even though it's not really the season, and then you know, some great dumplings, so that was wonderful. I played in a poker tournament. We'll see if we have time to get to that. But we've got to get to Nugget Simberwolves. So let's get to what missed the cut. Here is what is not in today's show. The NBA All Rookie team being announced. Don't care. These other two things I do care about. Actually, Thursday's show is gonna be an
odd one because I haven't wanted to. I didn't want to discuss the Harrison Butker thing in you know, just a small SoundBite, and then the Schefler thing happens. And so Thursday's show, we're gonna talk about the cops and Harrison Bucker. Just letting you guys know right now. So it'll be a little bit of a different show. It'll be a good show. But that's what we're doing on Thursday. Also, the Red Please America, do not buy into the stupid,
inaccurate headlines that Red Lobster American institution. It went belly up because of endless Shrimp. They went belly up for the same reason. Countless of our institutions have gone belly up. They got bought and stripped clean by private equity. Private equity bought Red Lobster, then bought the land that the Red Lobster stores were on, then leased the land back to Red Lobster at an exorbitant rate. They couldn't service the debt, they couldn't pay for it, and now Chaterbay
Biscuits are gone. That's what happened, Demanse. Somehow just slid off the screen. I don't know what's going on, And in that regard, I do see timberwolves there. Maybe that was on purpose, Demanse. Let's get to the actual show.
Oh he's back.
I'm okay.
Thanks Bell all right, So a classic two by you. Denver was bounced by Minnesota and had the largest blown lead in a Game seven in history. You're celebrating like you nailed the series or like Denver didn't get Minnesota didn't get win the skin of your teeth. Sorry, but uh, you didn't even make a pick, So go ahead and take your victory lap. I know there's gonna be plenty you got to talk about with Jokicchen, probably even Lebron somehow.
So we're gonna put thirty five minutes up on the clock for this topic alone, and the fans will be able to vote on the side if you'll make the time or not.
Okay, So you're gonna be thirty five minutes to discussed.
Under over to be specific.
Sorry guys, Okay, yeah, so people can vote in the chat.
That's fine.
No, this wasn't a classic two by me because you're right, I didn't pick. I didn't make a pick in the series, and then when I did, I think I ended up saying nuggets in seven at the very end. And so no, I don't get credit for this series pick. And I am not going to do anything unfair or untoward when discussing one of the biggest collapses in NBA history. What I am going to do is give a fair appraisal of what happened, and the Timberwolves obviously deserve credit, and
so let me give that on the front end. But as often happens in sports, the bigger story is the loser, particularly because we're gonna have more time to talk about the winner. And listen, I haven't bought so much into the Anthony Edwards Michael Jordan comparisons. But if this guy's gonna be able to be, you know, pretty damn inefficient in a massive spot and then get all the credit for the win, maybe he's more like Jordan than I thought.
I mean, my goodness, gracious, But in seriousness, Anthony Edwards finding a way to put his imprint on the game despite being six of twenty four is what great players do. As far as biggest game seven comebacks, on that list is some iconic games biggest second half game seven comebacks. This is the biggest by far, twenty points in the
second half. But on that list are the twenty two thousand Timberwolves, I'm sorry, Blazers, Lakers, the game that kind of culminated in the Kobe to Shaq lob and then Kobe Shack running up the court pointing at Kobe. That was the two thousand Blazers. Shaq and Kobe came back there another game in the Western Armens Finals. Another Game seven comeback was the twenty ten NBA Finals Celtics Lakers, where Kobe was exactly six of twenty four like Anthony
Edwards was, but added fifteen rebounds. Ron Ard tests now a world piece, hit the huge three and the Lakers get that title. I so Anthony Edwards was not the star of this game, but never lost his confidence. The two guys on the timberwlf side of things that I want to give massive credit to are two guys that I have been very critical of. First one is Rudy Gobert, and unlike Draymond Green, just because I've been critical of Gobert in the past, I'm not going to be dishonest
about his impact. He in these playoffs has the best plus minus differential of any player in this series. The Timberwolves crushed when he was on the court and side from Game two got crushed when he was off the court. In this series. His ability to roam, which is his defensive assignment allowed for them to shut off the water forever.
Everyone butt joker. And this idea that all, well, if you're the defensive player of the year, you have it is your responsibility to shut down the best offensive player in the league is belied by history. A fun fact for you. And again, I have been critical of Rudy Gobert in the past because of his playoff deficiencies. They did not show up here. There are not many four time defensive player of the years. Rudy go Bear is
one of them. Another one is to Kimba Mutumbo. To Kimba Mutumbo once in the NBA Finals had to play the best player in the league, Shaquille O'Neal. In those finals, what did four time Defensive Player of the Year to Kenbe Mutumble hold Shaquille O'Neal to. The answer is nothing, He didn't hold him to anything. Shack averaged third v three sixteen and five on fifty seven percent shooting. Also the idea that the defensive player of the year must have an ego where I am going to abandon what
my team wants me to do. Instead, I am going to guard the other guy's best player. Draymond knows better than that because in every damn Finals he played Lebron James, he didn't guard Lebron James. Andre Iguidala won Finals MVP for holding Lebron James to thirty six, thirteen and nine for the series because the Warriors defense was unlocked by Draymond guarding the other team's worst player and roaming, the same thing the Timberwolves do with Rudy, So shout out
to Rudy. The other guy is Cat Kat, who I have considered a good stats, bad team guy, not a winner, not committed defensively, kept them in this game in the first half when Anthony Edwards had nothing, when Rudy was fumbling with the ball. There were multiple times when it looked like the Nuggets were gonna blow it open, and there was one possession in particular, the Nuggets had just gone up fifteen late second quarter and Cat hit a
three to cut it to twelve. Cat, also, because of his strength, was able to do something so that when the Lakers played the Nuggets, the Lakers had Anthony Davis doing what Rudy does, or they tried that multiple times. You roam, but then Ruey had to do what Cat did, which is you guard Djokich. The problem is when Jokisch would back into Rudy, Rudy would get knocked backwards five feet. When Jokis knocked into Cat, Cat stood his ground and
was able to stype a bit. Now, again, Jokic was phenomenal in games four and five and was I thought good, not great, but good in Game seven. But Karl Anthony Towns kept them in this game, played solid defense, winning basketball. So those guys get credit, no question about it. They get credit. And now we get to have what will go down as one of the greatest series in NBA history.
From a talking perspective between Luca and Ant, I mean, it is going to be in multiple languages, It is going to involve snarls, It is going to involve I imagine bad breath. I can't wait for it. But we'll talk more about that later when we talk Luca. Now, we do need to do the Nuggets piece of this. This is a historic collapse. There is no way around that. There is no out for that, there is no excuse
for that. You are the defending champions up three to two against a team with no history, no pedigree, no champions. In fact, the only guy on this team who had played in a single game bigger than every game of this series was Mike Conley a decade ago. And once you go up three to two with a fully healthy team, and that part's important, you're down by fifty fifty in Game six and you lose Game seven at home despite being up fifteen at halftime in twenty in the second half.
The Nuggets starting lineup Demonse going into this series had lost two games ever against Western Conference teams in that building. Ever, when it's Jamaal MPJ, Gordon Jokic KCP, that's starting five at home against the West playoffs and regular season combined, had lost twice. Ever, they lost three times in this series, including a historic collapse in a Game seven at home. So how and why does that happen? Go ahead, Demonse, if you want to jump in rule it's the history.
I don't know how much more history the Nuggets have then the Timberwolves. I guess. I guess they won the finals last year.
I mean, they're a defending champion. That's the history. The history is the right now, they're the defending champion. Every single guy playing for the Nuggets played in games, uh bigger games eleven months ago. Zero guys playing for the Timberwolves except for Mike Conley, had ever played in a bigger game in their career. They were at home, they had a lead, and this was not a scenario where
the other team gets red hot and runs away in hides. No, and this is what makes the collapse harder to swallow. This game was a possession game the bulk of the fourth quarter, and the Nuggets did not have answers. So the Timberwolves go on the great run at the end of the third quarter to cut a twenty point lead to a nineteen point lead. They then take a three
point lead early in the fourth quarter. Michael Porter Junior hits the one shot he hits seemingly the whole game to tie the game at seventy seventy to a piece. They then just don't have answers. They have opportunity after opportunity, and their possessions go like this. Joker missed three, and Joker shot twenty six point four percent from three this postseason. It was a weakness for him this postseason. Last year,
he couldn't miss. This year, he couldn't hit it. That twenty six point four percent, by the way, is the exact to the tenth of a percentage that Lebron actually shot from three last postseason when folks were speculating should they give Lebron the Dylan Brooks treatment Darren to shoot great players go cold from three. At times it happens,
but it hurt them. Jokic misses a three next Denver possession, Michael Porter misses a three, next Denver possession, Jokic hits his one three, I think one of his two threes for the game. Now again eight minutes left, down two. The next possession is when Rudy hit the turnaround and you're down four. That then led to a Aaron Gordon
miss layup, followed by an Aaron Gordon turnover. Joker, however, follows that up with his other made three of the game, and again you're down just three points and they just
can't connect. Mpj misses a three, Joker misses, gets his shot blocked, and then when Jamal makes a couple plays and again you're down it goes Joker miss lay up, turnover, Jamal Joker miss three, and all of a sudden you're down ten and Anthony Edwards is mother effing that old man in the crowd and it's good night, good luck. So so so, how did you get here? So what happened? And how rare is this? And what do you do moving forward? Those are the questions for Denver. So I
want to start with how rare is this? Because right now, what everyone's saying, oh man, six different champion in the last six years, this is the new NBA. Not really, So how rare is it for a whole defending champion that is healthy to get not follow up their title defense with anything. Well, we can go through it, guys, and we can go all the way back to nineteen eighty. The eighties are very simple to go through. The Celtics were in it at you know, won three titles, went
to five finals. The Lakers won five titles, went to eight finals. In the eighties. The Sixers didn't defend their title well, but it was their fourth trip to the finals that was kind of their last stand. The Pistons obviously went to three straight finals, one two. The Bulls defended their title every year that Michael Jordan's started the year with the team. The Rockets won a title and defended it. Right, So now we're through the eighties and nineties.
In the nineties, the Spurs won a title and then ran into the Lakers repeatedly. The Lakers win three. The Spurs then, you know, win another one. On the back end of that. The Pistons win a title and then go back to the finals the very next year in a game seven. The Heat did not defend their title well at all, and it's a kind of a weird spot for them. You can say Shack got old, but he played another like four years that. The Shack d Wade Heat did not defend their title well at all.
The Celtics win, the Spurs obviously won five total titles. The Spurs, I'm sorry. The Celtics go in two thousand and eight, they're injured in or win in two thousand and eight, they're injured in O nine, they're back there in a game seven NBA Finals in twenty ten, the Lakers win a title and defend it, win another one. The MAVs twenty eleven win that title and don't defend it at all, And it's kind of a weird one, right. Obviously, the Heat win two, the Spurs win their last one.
We then have the Warriors go on their run. The Calves, how do they defend their title? They go back to the NBA Final and then we get to this weird era, right, But over the last forty years, there was the four heat where it's like, what the hell happened that four? Pardon me? The six heat, like, what the hell happened there? The twenty eleven Maps, okay, twenty nineteen Raptors, they didn't defend their title at all. Kawhi Leonard left. The twenty
twenty Lakers, they didn't defend their title at all. Anthony Davis injured in the playoffs. The twenty twenty one Bucks, they didn't defend their title at all. Chris Middleton injured in the playoffs, misses all of round two. The twenty twenty two Warriors, they didn't defend their title at all. What happened? Will Draymond Green punched one of his teammates and the season went to hell from the beginning. The twenty twenty three Nuggets didn't defend their title at all.
What happened, Well, that's the question. What happened? Was it injuries?
No? You think the Bucks was a little weird. They still had Giannis. I guess they they lost Chris Middleton, but they still had The best player was considered to be the best player at the time.
Yeah, but there was. But we know what happened, We know what their second best player was out and they lost in They lost in round like there is a you can say they shouldn't have lost it. And by the way, I'm we can pause on the Bucks thing because I'm good with a lot of these Bucks conversations. I'd like to have them. But I still think at least they had a you can say the Bucks looked
like the overwhelming favorite. Chris Middleton gets injured early in Round one and does not come back and they end up losing in seven to Boston. If Jamal Murray had missed the last ten games for the Nuggets, it does feel differently. Flatly, it does. And so the question is what happened? Why were they not good enough? And I know folks are gonna expect right now that I'm gonna hang this on Jokic. I'm not Jokic. Was Jokic. Game four and five by Jokic in this series were as
close to perfect offensive basketball as one can play. And Game seven he was good. I don't think he was great I alway, but I thought he was good in game set exactly right, exactly right. The so, but here is what I am So. What happened was, in my opinion, was nothing happened. This is about what is supposed to happen for any team in league history that is not either a legendary all time dynastic team or any team that doesn't have one of the seven or eight best
players in the history of the sport on it. This is how it can go. You won a title, it was unbelievable, you were the deserving champion. But you're not a dynasty. And the questions all of a sudden are about to get a lot harder because when you look at the Nuggets moving forward, what are they going to do with KCP who is a pending free agent assuming he opts out. You desperately need him. Are you going
to pay him? Because you weren't able to keep Bruce Brown, and Bruce Brown if he weren't playing in these playoffs, maybe you win. You missed him. Michael Porter Junior is on the books for thirty five million, thirty eight million, forty one million. Is that the best use of that money? Aaron Gordon has a player option after next season. You desperately need him he's making twenty five million a year, and Jamal Murray, you have to extend this off season.
And then you have to delicately gently say, hey, Jamal, if for the first time in your career, you could come into a season in shape rather than play yourself into shape, it would be helpful, it would. I mean, everyone's like man, Jamal Murray, he just goes to this different level in the playoffs, Like well, he goes to a different level by the end of the season because
he's a peak condition. He's at his peak playing shape and caught up to him a bit this year, and so it gets hard and it gets tough, and that's why sports are great. But it's also why and now I will circle back around. It's also why so much of the commentary and the accolades about this team always felt like we were two steps ahead of reality. It always felt like we were trying to press fast forward on eras and places in history and throwing terms around
like better than a chema lajauan. And I just wanted us to wait a beat. I just wanted us to no, definitively, the simple question of is Nikoi Jokic forget where he is in history, Is he the best player of his own era? Because I don't know the answer to that. I do not know who is going to be better him or Yannis. And let's see how this next month goes and whether or not my guy Luka really throws himself in that conversation. Because right now, Jokichiannis are One
is forty three and thirty six in the playoffs. One is forty four and thirty six in the playoffs. One has three MVPs, One has two MVPs and one Defensive Player of the Year. They One has two conference finals appearances. One has two conference finals appearances. One defended their title by losing in seven in round two, the other defended
their title by losing in seven in round two. Both guys had epic all time championship runs culminating in brilliant NBA finals, and one guy hasn't been close to being back there since. The other guy. We'll see. Yannis has six All NBA caliber seasons, Jokicic has five. Yannis has
five First Team All nbas Jokich has three. Right now on the pyramid, on the lists, they've gotta be neck and neck, and I am not gonna sit here and kill Joker for them not defending their title, just like I didn't sit here and kill Yannis for him not defending for them not defending theirs. But let's just take a beat on the anointing and on the greatest offensive
player we've ever seen. Stuff, Just a breath, And let's also remember for the guys in that upper upper crust they lived in late May and early June, after a ton of long seasons, Magic went to nine finals. Kareem went to ten, Brons been to ten, Steph has been to six, Shack went to six, Kobe went to seven. Okay, Duncan went to six. Anybody Bird went to five, Jordan went to obviously six. Russell I know it's you know, we don't we don't talk about Russell. Russell went to twelve, okay,
Wilt went to five. Let's those guys that we are so quick to elbow out of the Dream who I didn't mention Dream went to three. Doctor j who we throw out went to four in the NBA, two in the ABA. So that's six. Durant, who has been just cast aside entirely for Jokic, entirely. Durant has been to four. Well, one with the Thunder, three with the Warriors. So because Duran Durant got took the Thunder there when he was
twenty three. So again right, long time ago. So let's just all I'm asking Dirk, now, Dirk, Dirk's to me a guy jokich is has ascended past, but it's not not miles apart. Dirk went to two one one one league one a single league MVP for him as opposed to three for Joker. But so, and this is why the MVP stuff, I must admit, does me just a bit well, because so much of the commentary around this player in this team would have been more measured and would make more sense if he was, as he probably
should be, a two time MVP. It's like, okay, then we can have a real conversation like Durant versus Joker. One's got one, MVP one has two, but he did this, Dirk versus Joker one is one, MVP one is two, but he did this, and I'd have a Joker added Dirk those things. But it's the those the premature MVPs on the front end and now the deserved ones on the back end. Add it to where it's like, well, the guy does have the same number of MVPs as Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, and and so what are
we talking about here? He does have as many as Durant, Shaq and Kobe combined. So what are we doing here? And I all I want is an accurate reading of the story. And the story here is Joker was good enough for his team to advance, his teammates were not. And I also think Jamal Murray and Michael Malone needed a bit of a reality check, both of them. Both of those guys, while excellent, had been living in a
luxury penthouse paid for by their best friend. And while you know, listen, they kicked in and they helped and they were good at what they did. Both of those guys started, in my opinion, carrying themselves as is, as if it was a Big Three situation when it was more yet that the Street band. What do you mean, what's unfair to tell me?
I mean, he's hitting game winners, he carries a little when he needs to. I think being a little like to the to the Denver, I think you might be be being a little unfair to the surrounding cast because they had a bad game seven. I get that, but they did get it to a game seven after going down oh to from home, and it's like those guys, those guys.
Go to a home how did that?
Wait?
Wait, wait, wait a second, how did they fall down o to at home? Were they not? Were they absent from those games? Part of the reason they were in the hole? And then hold on, you said, I'm being unfair to Jamal Murray. Tell me the mate again. I'm going to keep up with this. Be honest. You's a bucket conversation. Okay, tell me. Tell me the massive distinguishing factor between Jamal Murray and Chris Middleton. I want to know it because I saw Chris Middleton hit game winners
in the playoffs. I saw Chris Middleton be an awesome, awesome robin to a clear cup batman. I saw all of it. What I didn't see was Chris Middleton handle the adversity the way Jamal did. I didn't see that. And what I didn't see from Coach Bud was him the Finally, it's like, oh kind of deal. I didn't see Coach Bud when they won Preen the way I saw Michael Malone, and I didn't see Coach Bud when
they lost throw a tantrum. I didn't see those things, and so what I I am not saying again, Jamal Murray is as good as any player in NBA history to never be an All Star. He's probably the best ever in that group. So that's kind of a it's like being it's a weird category to be in. But he is an excellent number two who had a rough postseason. It's fine, but there there was a level of, to me, unearned. I don't know if arrogance is the right word, but stature that I felt. I felt Joker every step of
this journey. Once Joker became super high profile, I didn't listen. Joker early in his career got thrown out of a playoff game because of nasty flagrant and the shoven on the Morris twin in the back. I didn't love as years ago. Since Joker has been face of the league adjacent, he has conducted every step perfectly, perfectly. They tried debate him in the postgame into saying Denver was the better team. He wouldn't do it. He was like, no, we play
a seven game series, we lose. That means they're the better team. So I either I've got no I've got no arrows for him because he doesn't deserve any arrows. Have some arrows. A lot of my joker angst is really media criticism, is really talking less about him and more about my colleagues that I think were so in such a rush to press fast forward on something they didn't let it play out. And a little bit of almost Yannis protectionism, because I thought Yannis Yannas scored fifty
points to win a championship. The next year, looks like they're gonna win it again. He doesn't have his robin for the playoffs, they lose, and then all of a sudden people are like, well, Yannis is great, but you know what I mean, if you need a bucket, can you count on him? I'm like, I don't know. The guy averaged forty two points a game for the final five games of a finals, Like, I think you can count on it. So there was a little bit of that, I will admit, where I felt like one guy was
being elevated way ahead of the other. But these are real questions now. And if you're the Nuggets, how strong of a position are you in moving forward? That's a real question too. Because I watched these playoffs, and Christian Brown is fine but doesn't want to shoot and can't shoot, and that could be a problem. Peyton Watson eliminated from the rotation justin Holidays thirty four years old. Now we'll see what Nause and Strawther and these young guys who
got no playoff run whatsoever, what they evolve into. But life comes at you fast in this league, man, and that team is about to be a second Apron, super expensive team that when you get down to brass tax on this to Monsey. The question they have to ask themselves is this, it's really only one question for the offseason. Well, I guess it's two. One is do we want to you know, overpay to keep KCP. The answer that is
probably yes, you have to. But the other question is this, are we shopping Michael Porter Jr. Can we turn his thirty five million dollars into something better? That's the question they're gonna have to ask themselves, because am I ready to say, like, oh, this team can't you know, they've hit their sailing, they can't win. Of course I'm not ready to say that.
Like they were, like you can say, I feel like you get some good stuff for MPG.
Yeah, I think he's gotta be yes, and I think you could. I also think it's a unique spot because he hasn't shown the ability to create off the bounce at all, right, and so and he's a lack of daisical defender. So he's super valuable in certain like they have two guys in MPJ and Aaron Gordon who might be more valuable to them than to almost anyone else. Like Aaron Gordon would never be more valuable to any team in the league. Dan the one he's on with Denver.
You know you don't have to run a single play for him. He's gonna guard the other team's best wing. He's got no you know he's gonna do the dirty work, add toughness, right, huge asset for them specifically. Now that doesn't mean there's no other team like that, but they're at the top of the list, and that was a great trade they made in acquiring him MBJ. Again, like, you need to find the right fit and it needs to be a team that can have one of their
wings never need the ball. I mean the team that I would imagine would love to have him as the Suns, not they could use them at all, but because they just want the same version. They just want worse version, market type on down the list. But uh, and so they My point is it's real questions. They have demons, it's real questions.
So I've got a question for you. So Denver losing to Minnesota, this say is how how are the Lakers looking at this point? Doesn't that make them look even worse? And then you also say they've got like a top five, top ten change the game type of guy and they play the Nuggets and they lose, and okay, bad?
Who wait? When did what do you mean a top five, top ten change the game type of guy?
Top ten Lebron Lebron? You were saying that he was like one of the guys that still impacts the game on a super heavy level, and then ended up getting a he got the gentleman sweep. Yeah.
I don't think the Lakers would have lost to the Nuggets with with peak Lebron. I think that. I don't. I mean, maybe I'm crazy, but I don't think I saw I saw Pete Lebron uh dominate the league for a decade. No, I don't think they would have lost. I don't think right now the Lakers have one of those guys. They obviously don't. They have the oldest player in the league. And it's here's the thing that folks I think get frustrated by when it comes to trying
to troll me on basketball things. I don't give a shit about the Lakers. I am not a Lakers fan. Lakers fans mostly don't like me because of the old Kobe stuff. I have no loyalty to the Lakers. I am a basketball fan, and Lebron James is my favorite player. Ever, nothing would make me happier than Lebron leaving that organization that is run like the family Dollar Like I don't so.
I yeah, does it mean the Lakers were further from a championship, Sure, but it's also one of the reasons why nobody in their right mind was picking the Lakers to win the championship, even when I picked them to beat the Nuggets. I had the MAVs winning the championship and we'll see how that one turns out. But yeah, I don't, I don't care. I'm not and I'm also not really trying to do the transitive property of series. I don't think that's the story though, But go ahead,
if you have more questions. Maybe ones that don't annoy me as much as that one.
Go ahead. Yeah, so you got mad at the producers for the Chiefs Denver comparisons. But it seems like that could still be true if and the Tea Wolves equal Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
So here's the problem with a number of those things, of those Mahomes and comparisons, and this is the or the Chiefs comparisons. So Patrick Mahomes is twenty eight years old, and he has his three championships and has been to four Super Bowls, the equivalent of the NBA Finals and six conference finals. Nikolajokich is older than Patrick Mahomes. He's older than it. So it's not like, oh, they're on the track the Chiefs were on The Chiefs were on that track when my guy was twenty three years old.
So if we want to retroactive, be like, oh, last year was the Nuggets twenty nineteen year and this year is their twenty twelve. In fact, no, also, that's not even the history of it. The Chiefs followed up their first championship by getting back to the championship, is what they did. The Borough thing happened to the following year and then they won two straight. So no those and also will that is where I'll get irritated. Patrick Mahomes at worst, at worst is going to finish as the
second greatest player in the history of his sport. They're not in the same grouping guys. They're not. And so again it's like that. It's it is not fair to Joker, it's not fair to anyone with an IQ over seventy. It's not fair to people who appreciate the games. To compare these two, one is already a minted dynasty, the other has won one title. That's okay, that's where that's
where we're at, and that's fair. That's fine. The if you want to right now, the far better comp for the if we want to go cross sport, the far better for the Nuggets is the Rams won a championship banner hangs forever, had a very disappointing championship defense, and then is trying to get back to that place. And last year I thought the Rams could have But and this is the last thing I'll say on this, but then I'll move on. Man, you don't wanna waste the
healthy seasons. And this is where the Nuggets maybe got
unlucky already. Maybe the Nuggets feeling is our championship window was cracking open in the bubble when we made those conference finals, when we had the back to back three to one comebacks against Utah and the Clippers made the conference finals, get cracked by the Lakers, and then Jamal Murray got hurt and two of our contention years were ruined by Jamal Murray's injury, which is probably accurate, right, And now we've had two that the next two years
when we've been fully healthy we had we won a title and then we you know, blew the biggest lead in the history of a Game seven at home. And the point I'm making is this team doesn't have the depth in order to deal with somebody's spraining an ankle and missing three weeks of the playoffs, and and they don't have the luxury the Celtics have, which is we could lose a guy like Kristaps Porzingis and it doesn't matter because our path to the finals is so laid
out for us. The West is gonna be brutal every year, and some hard financial realities are coming for the Denver Nuggets, and we'll see all they respond, but defending your title by getting fifty balld in a closeout game and then blowing the biggest game seven lead in the history of the sport. It's on the resume. It's not the first thing on the resume, but it's it's before the old story continues on page A seven part of the resume. It's on there. How long did how long did we go?
Demanse went forty.
Three, So it's it's mirrored for me, So uh okay, I mean we went for it. I bet the kid's college fun. On the over, where do I collect my winnings?
Fifty seven percent said over those fifty seven percent were winners. Take quick break, talk about the other series, What's Right?
All right?
Welcome back in What's Right with Nick Wright episode two thirty eight. Again a reminder, and it's a reminder because I'm putting I'm saying it multiple times because I sometimes I say I'm gonna talk about something on the pod and then I'm just like, I don't have the energy. It's gonna be a heavy topic, but I'm pot committing myself to it. Thursday show, I'm gonna use what Happened with Scottie Scheffler, pardon me, thank you, And we're gonna
talk a little bit about the cops. And also we haven't had a pod since Butcker's comments at the graduation because we didn't have a pod last Thursday, so we'll talk a bit about that as well. So we'll do both of those things. Speaking of, by the way, the Chiefs and an off season that has been you know, not without some news blotter this front on Football Talk. The photographer who said initially that Rashi Rice hit him at the club, evidently the photographer wants the chargers dropped.
So that was a weird one where the initial allegation was that Rashid texted the guy come back to the club, the guy came back to the club and he clocked him in the face. But then the next day the owner of the club was like, yeah because the yeah, so it was it wasn't like paparazzi photographer. It was like club photo, you know what I mean, if you're out a nightclub and they have like the person who does it for like the club's social media something like that.
It was more that type of thing. I guess, yeah, because at first when you hear allegedly hit a photographer. You think it's one of those things like walk into your car, someone taking a picture, you push the camera. That's the image at least I had in my head. But then the allegation was this guy was working at the working left, was texted told to come back, came back, and she hit him in the side of the face. Like, well, it's pretty bad to see you're already in trouble. It's
pretty bad. But then the next day the owner of the club came out and said, none of this happened. He said, I was there and I reviewed the videotape. None of it happened. But then the police report came out and the police report said the photographer had a visible mark on his face, so seemingly something happened to him. So it's like it was an odd it was an odd story to begin with. Now, according to uh I
think w or. Tom Pellisaro of NFL Media says that the man said there was a misunderstanding and he wants any and all charges dropped. So that's not going to go anywhere. I don't know what did or didn't happen. That's the thing. The thing is this, even if he is one hundred percent innocent on this, okay, And this is where I'm gonna you know what, I'm gonna ask your opinion demons, and then we'll get back to the basketball.
But there's a little breaking news on it. And I get annoyed with people who think that there are.
Something dress address for.
Yeah, I mean it's yeah. I mean it's like, guys, I do like you. The folks who say that they they act as if one hundred percent of the content I produce is like the seven minutes of clips a week. At first, things first puts out of you know what I said. I'm like, guys, there's been a lot of dress that did not make it into your Twitter feed.
But but I so let me ask you this. If I sound like an old man here, if you think what I'm saying is reasonable, if you think you're honest to god opinion okay, okay, if you're Rashi Rice and the street racing thing happened and is hanging over your head from the moment that happens until the moment it gets resolved. With the NFL and with uh the court system, I don't want I don't I don't want you at clubs A club Yeah, is that a reasonable take in your opinion?
It's a it's a reasonable take if you I think the guy has the ability. I don't. It's a it's a weird one. But yeah, i'd say that's reasonable. Are you saying, like as a coach, Andy Reid front office whatever, Yeah, I'd say that's fair to to.
That I'm saying. I'm saying if if I were his dad, if it were you, and you had made a big mistake, that the consequence is we're pending for right that we don't know how much trouble you're in, and within a
month you're like out partying. I am nervous even if now and I think this is and I think my stance on that is proven by this exact thing, because either within a month you were out partying and made another egregious decision, or within a month you were out partying, did absolutely nothing wrong and now get drawn into more controversy, you.
Know what I mean.
Like the either way, it's kind of evidence of let's just chill on the hanging out with our buddies in Dallas, Like, let's just let's just chill a bit, man. And so yeah, so there there's.
A super bowl Man having a good year.
I know, but let yeah exactly all right, let's get to the back to the basketball, all right.
So the Knicks players can finally get some rests. The injuries were just too much. I think Josh Hart got injured, Og was injured, and then Brunson fracture his hand at the end there. So they have a sup They have their superstar and Jalen Brunson in a good supporting cast and a lot of assets. So with that said, Lebron James to the Knicks next year.
God, I'd love it. I mean, it would be awesome. I don't think it's gonna happen. Uh. I think it is on the board, but not at all likely in the least. I think it's possible. I think you would fill a massive need for them. They need another piece. They obviously should spam the Sun's phone calling for Kevin Durant. I understand a lot of folks want Mikhale Bridges because he's the Nova guy and it at if I'm being honest, I don't think the Knicks are in Mikale Bridges away
from being champions. I think, then you have this awesome roster, but you don't have the guy. Well, listen, Jalen Brunson has made himself the guy. But if he's gonna be your guy, you need a better number two than McHale Bridge, right, exactly.
I do want to talk about the injuries though, because I think people are being so intellectually dishonest about the TIBs piece of it, which is folks are acting like because of what the injuries were, that Tibbs playing his guys these insane minutes has nothing to do with the injuries, and that just that defies the obvious logic and the most basic point of this. Are you more likely to suffer a basketball related injury when you're playing basketball or not?
On the bitch, right, that's this area.
Yeah, Like the people are like, oh, well, only Oge's was an overuse injury. Yeah, but I And so this was the analogy that I that I used on the
show that I'm going to use again. If I run a delivery business, okay, a courier business in New York City, and my business is known for working my guys incredibly long hours, having them run or do more deliveries than any other company, and I don't give them water breaks, And at the end of the year I've had, I've lost ten couriers to injury or other and I'm like, well, hold on the second guys. Only two of them was dehydration exactly. The other seven got hit by cars or
turned an ankle. You can't say that's on me. It's like, well, no, but they had more opportunities to get run over by somebody on an ee bike because they were out in the streets more. There are more opportunities for these guys to get hurt because of the minutes they're playing. And if it to us, could take the TIBs and analogy further. If every year I ran this business, around September, people wrote articles like, oh my goodness, Nick's delivery business overachieving again.
Everyone said he couldn't hit these quotas with that number of employees, but look what he's doing. And then every year, by Christmas time, my customers are disappointed, and I'm like, well, what do you want for me? All my guys are hurt, Like what do you want for Like, well, I don't know, Adjust. Adjust. I respect him as a coach, He's obviously an excellent coach. He needs to tweak this one thing. Man, There is every coach, they play their best players all the minutes.
Do they get there without him playing the players the way he does?
But I guess my point is, what is there? Do they get to round two? Yeah? Maybe? Like this is like this was not a you know, a historic run, and I like the Knicks, but you the this whole thing of and we saw it with the We've seen it throughout his career, and so I just I just chill a little bit, bro, especially when you you wouldn't play Alex unless you had family members kidnapped, and then
you finally play him. Burg's like, I'm all right, i might miss a few defensive rotations, but I'll help you out. Like it's just too much, all right, let's move on.
So your lard Slavinian Son has a chance to make it to his first finals, but in the Timberwolves obviously stand in his way. So everybody's ready to crown ant. But if Luca ends up winning this series, does it belong to Luca?
Well, no, winning this series, Winning this series won't give Luca the best player in the league crown. I don't even know if winning the championship definitively will I think that. I think that if Luca wins the title, that crown is up for grabs with Giannis and Luka and Jokic vying for it. Jokic, I think, is still in the pole position fairly because yes they lost, but they didn't lose because he no showed, So I don't think you can't. It's not just the guy who wins the title becomes
the best player in the league. That's not how it works. But it puts Luca in that territory. And I and here's the other thing I want to say about Luca. The guy twice in his career has had an All Star ish teammate and both times made the conference finals. When Jalen Brunson was ascending, they go to the playoffs. They make the conference finals. Last year was a bad year, no doubt about it, missed the playoffs, trade for Kyrie midyear.
This year, Kyrie, who's not even playing that great this postseason, they make the conference finals. Luca's played seven series playoff series in his career. Six of the seven were against top nine defenses in the league that year, and now they're playing the number one defense. He already has beaten the number one seed twice. He's already just the tenth guy in NBA history to be the best player on a multi time conference finalist before he turns twenty six
years old. Like, the guy's a legendary player, and I think they can win the title.
Go ahead, demanse you think he stops? Uh oh, yeah. If Luca wins the finals, will he be the runaway MVP for next season?
Well, he's always in contention for it. I think he'll start with a lead.
Yeah.
Absolutely, But what was the other question you were gonna ask?
He stopped Jalen Brunson, Like, I feel like Jalen Brunson left Dallas and immediately like sprouted. Do you think that Luca was responsible for any of his.
So here's the thing on Jalen Brunson. So, I don't the I think Jalen Brunson. What happened with him was he got way better as a player, right, So, Jalen Brunson was Was he a second round pick or into first round pick? I don't hold on. I gotta look. I don't I think he was a second round pick, but I gotta look. So Jalen Brunson was an early second round pick, Yes, and so his his first year in the league. He was nine points a game. His
second year league, he was eight points a game. His third year in the league he showed something was thirteen points a game. And then that year, let me make sure I have this right, Yeah, that year in the playoffs was brutal. Was brutal, and wasn't really all that playable in the playoffs. Uh, but you know what, Brutal's unfair. He wasn't brutal. He Carlisle didn't trust him, is what it was. He didn't get many opportunities. Sixteen minutes a game and eight points a game. So it's unfair to say.
But it was a tough matchup for him against those Clippers, and and the MAVs didn't pay him because of that. And then the next year he ascended and in the postseason was twenty one a game after in the regular season being sixteen a game. He's just gotten better and better as a player. Now, would he have turned into this alongside Luca, No, because they're No, because they're they're But I think he But I think that's because of
the style of players they are. They both made the ball so much right exactly, and so I don't but I don't think Luca was holding him back. I think he you know, he's a very undersized score first guard that took a lot of time to develop. All right, let's see is that and we'll talk about is that?
What would you describe Kyrie? He's game ass because I know he's been like shape shifting and playing different to what they need. But what would you say? Because I was like, I'm kind of is that not?
What is?
Slightly? It is?
Except Kyrie had those three years playing with Lebron, so he learned how to be his best self alongside a guy that's going to have the ball in his hands a ton And Kyrie's up more of a dead eye shooter than Jalen and so you know, those two things I think. But yeah, that's why I thought the Kyrie Luka fit wasn't going to be a great one. And Kyrie's had to take a lesser role and Kyrie, to his credit, man.
He's playing to it his well and his.
Maturity and leadership has been awesome. Like I really think Kyrie, I think that post that the video when he was with the Nets when I think that was a really devas. I think that was a really hard moment for him because he was being accused of being anti Semitic, and I think, and I said at the time and will say it again, I don't think Kyrie is a hateful I don't think hate is part of how he operates at all. I think he can be stubborn and hard headed,
and I think that to this day. I don't believe Kyrie actually watched that two hour movie that the you know. He posts a clip on Instagram. It turns out the movie he's talking about, actually you know, paints Hitler in a positive light. Kyrie's then asked about it because he's, you know, kind of you know, an anti establishment. He's more like, bleep you Yeah, I watched it, Yeah, I believe you know what, and then it's snowballs on it.
I think that was a bit of a scarring experience sperience from him, and I think he grew because of it. And I think that Kyrie trying to He clearly takes being a leader, a cultural leader seriously, and I think that finally has he has matured to the point of understanding so much of his ability to lead and to impact communities financially and otherwise is generated from his brilliance as a basketball player, and that was being put into question because of you know that he was missing games
and wasn't on playoff runs and all those things. And I think he's a more committed defensive player than ever before. I think he's been more mature. I think he's been trying to be like the wise elder. He's the oldest star left in the playoffs at thirty one years old. Like, I've been super impressed by Kyrie, super impressed.
Uh and will turn around.
He hasn't even played great and despite that, the MAVs find themselves in the conference finals.
All right, next, all right, so my Celtics continue this treacherous path to the finals. They've got the Pacers up next, Boston Open at minus twelve hundred favorites. Is it worth watching or should I just tune in to June sixth.
For Game one of the finals? Yeah? I mean, I mean it's worth watching.
But they're they're gonna give them, They're gonna give them a game or two. I honestly think they might give them too. I know they're gonna give them one.
Well, listen, it's hard to sweep. There's there's no there's no doubt about that. It's hard to sweep.
I snatch up. Yeah, I know, it's the easiest sweep, should possibly be good.
Yeah, I mean, And Pacer fans, I get why you're annoyed at how Game seven was presented, because the game broadcast should give each team equal time, so to speak. But this isn't the game broadcast, this is my podcast, and I'm not interested in the Pacers. I mean the I I'm just not. I mean, shout out to Halliburton for rallying in that series against the Knicks after a really tough start to the series. They're a good story, but they're multile interesting.
But they they had the most efficient shooting night and a Game seven win.
Yeah, I don't. I'm happy for him, but I'm not. But they don't have any chance.
Something to look out for them.
I'm not going to no, I'm I'm but I'm not going to pretend like they have a chance to win the series.
They don't.
And so the Celtics are going to be in the finals. And we'll talk more about the Celtics as we get closer to the finals. All right, Uh, we've got a a I'm not gonna do the poker thing today because I don't have time to do it. We'll take quick break, come back and answer a few questions next, What's right? All right? Welcome back in what's right with Nick? Right? All right? Demon say, let's get to a few listener questions before I go.
Sham S reports the Lakers think that JJ Reddick has pat Riley type pat Riley like potential. What do you think of Lebron's sorry, sorry, the Lakers opinion.
So I think that the Lakers the thing they most like about the idea of hiring JJ Reddick is it'll create buzz and if it doesn't work out, they can act like Lebron made them do it, when I know, definitively for a fact, Lebron has not commented one time to the Lakers about this coaching search. The Lakers are a poorly run team that make a lot of their decisions not based on what's the best possible decision, but what's the decision that if it doesn't work out, we
can keep our jobs despite it. So that's what I think. I'm not excited about the idea of the Lakers hiring a first time head coach who's never even been an NBA assistant. It's also why I hope Lebron James is not on the Lakers next year, but I think he will be next.
Scott Murphy asked the Celtics gonna lose lose with non Boston NBA fans. If they don't win, it'll be a failed season. But if they do, it'll be chalked up to an easy path against the injured week East. Scott Murphy ass, that's no question, like once a week now the no.
So here's the thing. Are you talking about the conference finals or the finals? If they don't win the conference finals, it will be a failed season. If they lose as minus fourteen hundred favorites to the Pacers, it is a failure. Okay, let me make that clear now that you get to the finals, I not lose lose if you win the championship. If you win the championship, no one will care what the path to the finals was. You will be playing either Luca or Ant in the finals and if you win.
The way to make it not a lose lose is to win. But if you make the finals through this path and then get rolled by one of these two teams, yeah, people are gonna say you know that you made the finals. But were you the fourth best team in the sport that year? Where the MAVs, the Thunder, the Nuggets all better than you, and that'll be a fair conversation. So go win the championship and it's not a problem.
Next, Bradley Hammond asked, can you give us a few players whose future with their current team is most tied to how the season ends? Might not even be a player on the one one of the remaining teams.
Well, you always have to include Jalen Brown because when if the Celtics don't win the championship, his name always comes up in trade conversations. So there's one Kevin Durant, I don't know what his future with the Suns is going to be. Donovan Mitchell as well as far as teams players on the remaining teams, No, Jalen Brown's the only one. All right, Uh, let's go to Dylan Demase.
Dylan A. Dylan L. Nick. What historical NFL team is your count for the Wolves so far these playoffs?
So I saw that question. I don't know that I have a great answer.
Cam Newton's like, sorry, well.
That's not a bad one. But that team was fifteen and one and Cam was the league MVP. Uh, this is like a team based on defense that seems to be there early Russell Wilson Seahawks, is I answer? And when in year two they win the whole thing? Uh, and they beat uh Peyton, Manning and Denver. Oh, they beat Denver in the Super Bowl. So off the top of my head, Russell Wilson Seahawks, all right? Last one?
Genghis Khan asked Nick, what happens to your Scoot Henderson over Wimby call?
It was a bad rookie the year pick. I mean it was, by the way, it was not a career length call. It was it was it was. It was for that I picked Scoot to win Rookie of the Year because I thought he was going to be more NBA ready, and I thought Wimby might not play the requisite games. But I clearly undervalued Wmby and clearly overvalued Scoot. Again, folks, try to be like, ah, I got you, guys. If when I'm wrong, it doesn't happen that often. But when
I'm wrong, I admit it. The Scoot over the Category three?
What now I know that he's another Do you think Wimby would be good with the Knicks?
Yeah, I think every team. But why are you bringing that up?
Oh? Because you were saying, like the Knicks that piece that they're missing. Interesting.
I think Prime Bill Russell would be good with the Knicks, but he's not available. I mean r I P. But I mean the I mean Wimby's not available. They could offer the deed to Madison Square Garden. He's not available. So yeah, there's a lot of guys that could. I think Joker would be good with the Knicks. They should call and see if they can get him.
They available.
No, I'm sorry, I was ending the show and you threw out. Do I think Wimby would be good with the Knicks? Yeah? I think Justin Jefferson be pretty good with the Chiefs. I don't think they're gonna be able to get him. Sorry, pal, I don't mean to flame you at the end, but there's you just threw that out there. It's just a bad take. Yeah, I think it'd be great with the Knicks.
They should call.
Go could tell world Wide West, you can call San Antonio, see what if you'll take a couple future twoes. Demon's a great job everyone, Great job, Daniel. Sorry your team ended up being a one time champ. No problem with that though, there's you still get to hang that banner. Talk to you guys on Thursday. 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
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