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If the Warriors had lost this finals, people unequivocally would say, ooh, that hurts Lebron's legacy. You know, he lost to a team that wasn't unbeatable, wasn't a juggernaut. These kids in Boston beatle Welcome in What's Right with Nick Right the podcast and YouTube show. As we sit here the day after the NBA champion has been crowned, and I don't want to act like it's a sad day, because it's a very exciting day. It's an exciting day for the NBA,
it's an exciting day for NBA history. It however, is a bit of a sad day for me financially. It is a very sad day for my dear son, whose beloved Boston Celtics, who seem he has ridden throughout these playoffs. It looked so good just a week ago, and then a team that had not lost back to back games except for once in the last five months, and the one time they lost back to back they were rested four starters finished their season losing three consecutive games. So
here's what I would like to do today. Because today is a shorter show than usual, We're just going to talk NBA Finals, just going to talk about Game six and then we'll be back on our regular schedule. This weekend we have our continue the countdown of the fifty Guarders players last fifty years. Players twelve through ten come out this weekend, and then next Tuesday we'll have a regular episode. Here's how I would like to format today's show, DEMONSA.
I want to talk Warriors. Then I want to talk Celtics. Then I want to talk a little bit about the tangential other NBA stories that are affected by the Warriors winning the title. Then I want to talk about you, but not the way you expect. So those are the four things we must do today. How are we gonna lead off? Well, let me lead off with this. First of all, are you doing okay?
I'm good.
Are you sure? Yeah? Are you more wounded by your team's loss or by your financial loss?
Yeah, I'm more affected by the money.
Buy the money? Okay. That will be discussed at the end of the show. However, we must start with the Warriors. I assume we're starting with Steph, but I'm not sure you lead us there.
Yeah, Boston kind of started off hot, and then you know, the Warriors took over.
Yeah, fourteen to two, and then that was basically the end of their good offense for the day.
Exactly unfortunate.
But Steph wins his fourth title, and along with that, he goes thirty four and seven and seven in the closeout game and finally wins finals MVP.
Yep. Is this Curry's greatest achievement in his career.
No question about it. Okay, there is no doubt about This is Steph Curry's crowning achievement. And it's not just because it was his best finals. It was without at though. It's not just because it was his first finals MVP. And by the way, here's the thing. I know a lot of people like to say, well, he should have had one before. I don't believe that. I believe in twenty fifteen he was more deserving the Niguadala. But in twenty fifteen, the man who deserved finals MVP was Lebron.
This was, without a doubt, the first he's played in six finals. This was his first finals where no one would argue someone on his team or the other team was better than him. This was the first finals where it was clear and obvious he was the biggest problem for the opposition on the court, and they had no answer for him. He had a bad Game five, But I don't really even think that's because Boston guarded him
that well. I think it's because he miss shots. A lot of that over nine from three, A lot of those were open threes. And for Steph Curry to be the architect of the best dynasty since Michael and Scotti's Bulls, it is is an unimpeachable basketball resume he now has. He now has a finals where he was brilliant start to finish. He has the crowning achievement of the game four of those finals down to one, a forty three point masterpiece, a great closeout game. He fought his ass
off on defense. The Warriors won this series because of their defense, and he would listen, he's obviously not a great defender. But you weren't watching the twenty fifteen to twenty sixteen finals as closely as I was. You watch twenty sixteen with me in my apartment in La it was on Father's Day twenty sixteen. But those finals, the plan was attack Steph Curry. Attack step Curry, put him in picking rolls. He has made himself into an adequate enough defender where now you no longer can do that.
You can try to and you can try to wear him out, but he is not a turnstile. And also he is sut to be the guy for this run to help keep the team. I think the Warriors management deserves credit. The ownership for spending all that money. Their luxury tax bill is off the charts. The management deserves credit for not pivoting some They semi pivoted by not trading away or by keeping the draft picks and going with these young guys Kaminga and Moody who did nothing
in the finals. They wanted to have a plan long term, but they continued to spend to invest in veterans, bring back Iguadala, to not flip Andrew Wiggins, all these things that cost them enormous amounts of money because they had faith that with Steph Curry their viable championship contenders. Despite two years ago having one of the worst records in basketball when Steph was hurt and last year missing the
playoffs when Steph was healthy. This is, without a doubt, the finest achievement of his career, and it does put him into a different stratosphere that next stratosphere. I think the question everyone's asking this morning is what stratosphere is that?
Right?
I mean, so he's got four titles, two MVPs and one finals MVP and he's one of five guys to ever do that.
Yep. So where would you put him now on your top fifty list?
Okay, so I'm not going to spoil the top fifty list entirely. What I am going to tell you is this, the top fifty list is just the last fifty years. But what everyone else is doing today is is he one of the ten greatest players ever?
Right?
The problem with a ten person list is we have talked about many times, is there are only room for ten people on it. And in my opinion, there are a few guys who it is inarguable, right, so lebron Kareem and Michael it is inarguable that Steph is not there yet. I believe it is inarguable he is not there with Wilton Russell. So now we're at five. I do not think he is yet to Magic, certainly not to Magic or Bird. One could say Bird's a little argule.
I don't think he has yet surpassed Duncan or Kobe. And then you also still have Shaq in a team that's eleven people. So is he and my all time top ten? He is not? Is he banging on the door? He is? Do I think? And nobody's having this discussion today. But when it's all said and done, if we're trying to take someone from the top ten, if you don't order it, you just have ten guys and you're trying
to replace one of them with Steph. The guy whose resume stephs is going to I believe match up quite favorably too, because they're gonna have the same blemishes, which is missed the playoffs during their prime, won some of his titles with a guy who might be the best player in the league, had some really rough final moments, but went to a bunch of finals, won a bunch of rings. That guy is Kobe Bryant, and nobody's kicking Kobe out for Steph right now, but Kobe's that listen.
Steph has two titles with Durant, well, Kobe has three with Shak says Kobe won. Kobe didn't win finals MVP that year. Step didn't win finals MVP that year. Steph missed the playoffs two straight years. Kobe the first three year Shack was gone, missed the playoffs once and two straight first round exits. Kobe then had the renaissance with pal. Kobe also was bad in the four finals, was mediocre in the two thousand finals. Like these are real things.
And so I do think that we've got to acknowledge that if you're if you want to have the Steph belongs in the top ten discussion, it's going to get quite uncomfortable on the people you might have to push out. And so I don't think he's top ten all time yet. However, it would foolish to say he can't get there because he if he wins another ring, it has to matter. Going into this season, I had him behind Durant, Moses
and Doctor J. He passed Durant. I don't want to spoil too much of Sunday, but you know what, I I'll go ahead and spoil some of it. He passed Moses, and he and Doctor J. If he was neck and neck with Doctor J going into the finals, then doesn't he almost by definition, have to pass Doctor J by virtue of winning the finals? Probably now is that enough for me to put him a head of Shack or a cheme much less Bird or Kobe or duncan not yet.
But he's got time left. And there's one other thing I want to say about the Warriors before we get to your Celtics, which is there is massive credit that Klay Thompson gets for fighting through the hell of the previous two years. And even though Draymond used his podcast to roast me today by name saying I know nothing about basketball, that's fine Draymond to take his victory lap. I'm gonna use mine to give him some credit. He was miserable, miserable the first three games of this series,
truly awful in games one and three. He had a moment in Game four of goodness after being benched and after his mom called him out. Game five, he was fine, but going into Game six, Draymond was having a horrific NBA Finals by eye test, stat opinion of his own mother. And then last night in Game six, he was outstanding.
He was a force on defense, he kept his cool. Yeah, though, those Draymond backpack threes when he makes them, they're so heartbreaking for the opposition, and that is what a champion does. Game seven of the twenty sixteen Finals, when Steph had what he called the worst game of his career. Draymond had arguably the best game of his YEP, I think he had thirty two fifteen and nine. I'd have to look. In fact, I will look it up to be sure.
It was a game seven of the Finals, and Draymond showed up and showed the hell out twenty sixteen Finals Game seven, he had thirty two, fifteen and nine. Gosh, I'm good at that stuff, just remembering. I hadn't even looked at it, but I knew. I knew he was just shy of the triple double. And so Draymond, listen.
This goes on the resid on on the resume for Draymond in a finals where going into game six he was averaging fewer the same number of points five thousand, five points per game, rebound, seven rebounds, five assists on twenty eight percent shooting zero percent from three is what he was averaging going into game set. And in game six he hit half his shots. He hit two threes, He had twelve points, twelve rebounds, eight assists, only one foul,
and played a hell of a defensive game. Draymond gets credit. You listen, when you win, you get credit. When you play well in the win, you get credit, so he gets credit. Now, are you ready yet to talk about your Celtics?
Yeah?
Do you do? Forget what the forget what the script says. Let's just you and me talk. What's your opinion of what happened to the Celtics the final three games.
I don't want to say that they were scared. I don't think that they were scared.
I think that there were times where they just played like they it's like high school basketball. Like coming into Game six, I thought that the mistake they made in the last couple of games, and very easy mistakes to fix it was like, you know, the one thing that you can't do. It's it's I feel like, easy stuff to capitalize on, which is free throws and turnovers. And they just went out there and did the same thing again.
Throw because they weren't getting to the free throw line the way they needed to.
Exactly, and like obviously Marcus Smart didn't show up, And a big thing for the Celtics in this postseason run, I feel like was the role players, and the role players were basically absent.
In the Warriors series. It seemed like after Game.
One, Yeah, exactly, Okay. So all that's true and all that's accurate. But the name you didn't mention there that we need to discuss.
Is Jason Tae.
Yeah, okay, because I said, going into game six, I thought Horford and Brown would have big games. Jalen Brown had thirty four points on twenty three shots. Al Horford had nineteen points on eight shots to go along with fourteen rebounds. Right, Staff played really well, but Clay was not good. Clay was five of twenty. So if I tell you STEP's going to be really good, but Clay's going to be bad, Corford and Brown are going to be excellent. It's in Boston. The answers were seeing we're
getting a game seven and they didn't get a game seven. Yes, everyone was turning the ball over. Brown turned the ball over, but Tatum turned the ball over as well. Tatum had two points in the second half. Tatum was six of eighteen for the game, and he had thirteen points. He was having a rough series and he had going into game six he hadn't been good and in Game six he was awful. These things are true. Now what does that mean for Jason Tatum moving forward? I believe it
will be a net positive for him. It's not a guarantee, though. The concern if you're a Celtics fan is is this going to scar Jason Tatum?
Right?
Is this going to.
He seemed to be pretty down on himself. Correct.
Is this going to stunt his development? I don't think it will. I think instead this will fuel Jason Tatum.
Right.
I think Jason Tatum is wildly talented, and when it's going well for him, he does look like kind of a poor man's combination of Durant and Kobe. Some of you know what I mean, like Durant's smoothness and defensive versatility, Kobe's impossible shot making. And when I say poor man's that's only because those are two of the sixteen seventeen greatest players ever. So you could be a poor man's version of that and still an all time great player.
The problem for Tatum is when it's not going well, he gets nothing easy like what the best players understand is. And the reason that the true best players in the league rarely have actually bad games, They just have bad games by their standards, is they find their way to twenty four points, they will get to the free throw line. Tatum was shying from contact. Tatum absolutely, and it was very clear from Game one the moment was a little too big for n And that's by the way, I
want to make this clear. Lebron James. I believe he's the greatest player ever. Lebron James in his first Finals, the moment wasn't too big for him. He just he averaged almost identical to Tatum's statline, including shooting percentage. This series. Now, Lebron was twenty two. They were playing a Spurs team that's better than this Warriors team, but still wasn't great. But Lebron in his second Finals, when he was twenty seven,
guess what, the moment was too big for him. He got nervous, he got a little scared, and he was eighteen points per game in that series against the MAVs. This happens, so it is not career defining. The tough part for Boston is this glass half full. Is everybody's back. You have everyone under contract. It's not a situation like the MAVs are in where it's like, hey, we had this really good season, but Jalen Brunson might league. We want to have to remake some things. Everyone that matters
is under contract, and everyone but Horford is young. The glass half empty thing is this Joannis ain't going anywhere? And after watching these full playoffs, do you believe like I believe that if Chris Middleton hadn't gotten hurt, the Milwaukee Bucks are champions.
Man, I just had this conversation with Daniel last night. I'm not. I don't.
You don't, I don't what everybody always wants to talk about. Well, such and such was hurt, this and that. All right, well everybody is, everybody's getting hurt. There's gonna be people that are hurt. It doesn't It's absolutely true.
No, no, no, So I'm not talking about that as a look back on someone accomplished next year. Correct. I'm talking about if you're moving forward. I don't think I think I think a ball moving forward. Looks at them against Brooklyn, they say, man, kiss my ass. We swept you. Even if you have been Simmons back. We know how to defend you. We beat you four games to nothing. Mie, Milwaukee, It's like, all right, we were down three to two game six. It took the best game of Tatum's life.
We won the series in seven, and you didn't have your second best player that's concerning. So that's where if I'm if I'm Boston, I do think Boston will be better than Brooklyn next year. I don't know what Philly's gonna be. Miami is an older team, not a younger team. Boston should be a clear cut second best team in the East. But Vegas has them as the best team in the East going into next year, and I don't believe that. I think Milwaukee is the best team in basketball.
I think that there's I mean, I don't know if the Bucks. The Bucks are like they average, kind of like middle aged. They're not like super young, but they're also not old.
No exactly right, No, it's kind of perfect. Guys are like in the prime of their career.
Right.
So I think between now and then, I think that with the Celtics just going to the finals, they know exactly what they have to work on, and I think the development from now until the next time that they possibly see the Bucks or whoever it may be, that they will be ready for me.
Well, that's the hope, right, The hope is exactly that, and that the Celtics are a young team that guys are entering their prime. Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum are entering their prime. Marcus Smart just started his prime. Time Lord. The other thing for you guys is this time lord's got to get healthy like time. Lord. Robert Williams, who's been your guy for some time, huge factor, huge factor when he was able to be out there, and he was not able to be out there as often or
as long as you would have won it right. So, and I thought Udoka, who's been excellent, made some real mistakes last night as far as playing why and and Pritchard early. He didn't he needed to go into last night's game. And I understand the thought process is this, we we have to win twice, so play. If playing Brown and Tatum forty six minutes each leaves us with no chance to win game seven, then what's you know, what did we accomplish? I would argue that's the wrong
thought process. The wrong thought process is you must get to game seven by any means necessary. And then who the hell knows what happens?
Right?
Who knows if somebody tightens up on the other team, If all of a sudden, Grant Williams has this amazing shooting night like he didn't games something, it'st Milwaukee, and I thought early in the game, when you guys were rolling going to the bench and letting the Warriors immediately take back control, that's something that listen, whodoak as a rookie coach. It's something though that I believe, will you know,
give him sleepless nights over the summers. Now, there's two other people I want to talk about before we get to you, Okay. The first one is Kevin Durant, because well, no people are going.
To ask the question what does this mean for his legacy?
Yeah, of course.
And I think Katie might have been more pissed than me last night.
Listen, I think Katie is not as it's weird. He obviously cares what people say, but I don't think it affects like it changes his own opinion of his I think it's like the thing is go ahead.
I think that'll actually mess with him in his head. Like I don't think it really matters what other people are saying as far as like, cause I think that he thinks that he is a major reason. I mean, obviously he has some type of responsibility for the championship that they won when he was on the team.
But I think like in his head. Like them winning this, it's like, oh wow.
It's obviously painful for him, right, there's just no way around that. The fact that they now won without him and beat the team that swept him. That's like if going into these playoffs, it's not and I'm not taking shots here. This, I think is a very sober reading of it. If you were to say, okay, let's draw out worst case best case for the superstars of the league, right, I think the worst case scenario for Kevin Durant would have been I get swept in Round one and don't
play well and the Warriors win the championship. I can't think of a bar, right, And that is exactly what happened.
Yeah.
The other person who didn't play in these finals, who it's hard to have anything happen in the NBA and not have the discussion at some point, get to does it impact his legacy is Lebron. So what I think people are going to say, is some would say, and they I mean they won't be wrong, is there's a Lebron James era and he doesn't even have the most rings in it. Steph has the same amount as is dre Klay and Iggy but we're talking about star players, right,
Lebron's got four? Steph has four? Does that hurt you know? His case that I believe he's the greatest player ever. Now, I understand you might laugh at this, and some people are gonna say I'm playing favorites here. I think one could make an argument that it helps his case.
Yeah. You know that tweet that you released about me? What tweet that I live?
Look at Dewanse byrd right now? Yeah, yeah, I think this You've got that same situation.
Okay, can I explain? Let me let me see if I can convince you.
Let's get it.
Okay, why does Lebron James not have more titles? Well, there's twenty eleven that he did to himself, right, we melt down. Aside from that, why doesn't he have more titles? Because of the Golden State Warriors at Lebron's apex prime, he played them four years in a row, he lost to them three times. If not for the Golden State Warriors, he would have more titles. We all agree, right, Okay, that was all ready true. Steph climbing the greatest Player pantheon.
Just makes it even more true and makes it even more like, you acceptable, right.
Why didn't Larry Bird win more than three? Well, Magic Johnson was winning a bunch. Then do we hold that against Larry Nope, because Magic is one of the ten greatest players ever. All of a sudden, if at the end of the day, Steph right now, who we talked about, I think's top twelve of all time. Durant, who I think is top sixteen of all time, there's still you know, let's just say both of them. One finishes top fifteen,
one finishes top ten. And I think a lot of people already have Durant in the top fifteen and Steph in the top ten. And people are looking back, they're like, oh, wow, Lebron finished with four or five champions whatever it is, like what stood in his way? Oh? Two of his best years ever? He made the finals. Was unbelievable in those finals, averaging thirty five point triple double across those two finals. But two other Pantheon guys were on the same team. What would So let me here's the reason.
I think you can argue this doesn't hurt, in fact helps Lebron. And this is the part. This is the part that if we're gonna put any of this out on social This is the part I went out there because if people just see on Nick says this helps Lebron's legacy, people are gonna not think it through. Tell me if you agree with this, because you know this is true. If the Warriors had lost this finals, people
unequivocally would say, ooh, that hurts Lebron's legacy. You know, he lost to a team that wasn't unbeatable, wasn't a juggernaut. These kids in Boston beat them. So if the Warriors losing the finals, oh Kawhi beat them. Now that now the Celtics beat them, like, oh, Lebron couldn't they were beatable when they didn't have Durant? Why didn't Lebron win in twenty fifteen even though his team wasn't That absolutely would have been the narrative, a partial narrative had the
Celtics won. So if the Warriors having had lost this finals, I think people would have used it as a little shot at Lebron. Then by definition, if we're going to be fair and logical, and I as always am an impartial observer on this, them winning it, even though it you know it gives Steph equal ring count helps Lebron. Now, the last thing I wanted to talk about here and
then we're going to rap is you. Okay, So there is a hilarious moment, There is a learning moment, and there is a proud moment that I would like to discuss with you about these NBA Finals, in these playoffs. Okay, are you ready or are you prepared?
Yeah?
Okay, I want to start with the hilarious moment. We're watching the game together last night and Demonte is frustrated and tilted from the Celtics and all of this, and Jalen Brown dribbles the ball off his foot. Yeah, and at that moment, because I looked at that moment, Jalen Brown had thirty one points in Game six of the NBA Finals, and DeMont says to the screen, God, damn it, man, I could have played in the NBA and was totally serious.
Was totally serious because he was so disgusting with Jalen Brown's lack of ball handling skill on there. And I'm like, this dude is just is dropping thirty in the NBA Finals. It's not We're not watching a regular season King's game where some eleventh guy off the bench comes in or he sees Nick Stauskis off the bench for the Celtics, He's like, man, why wasn't I Stauscus He's watching Jailen Brown and he's like, that should have been me. This is bullshit.
I was not like actually, like, oh, I could have really been in the NBA. This guy just shes to cook me. But no, it was like a little in the moment, Well, I just it would have felt great to know that I could turn the ball. That turned the ball over that many times. It's still still that was the point.
Okay, No, that's fine, that's the funny moment. Here's the learning moment. Okay. I don't want you to say this is a do as I say, not as I do. What's wrong is everything? Okay, Okay, this is a do as I say, not as I do thing, because you know, I gamble, and I've tried to communicate to you that even though I do it, it's caused me probably as
much pain as joy in my life. And I don't recommend you're flying real high with these little bets you were making with your friends about the playoffs, and then you got a little over your skis and made a big bet. We don't have to say the amount, but a big bet. What was it? Five times your regular bet sign?
We didn't know about that?
Thereabouts three times three times? Yeah, three x what we would call that is a three unit wager. And tell me if this is true. Did you have a little dream about it? The dream at any point? Did it disrupt your ability to fall asleep last night or was it one of the first things you thought of when you woke up this morning?
I was it was more of a night thing. Yeah, I figured after I rest put it by And.
Uh huh is it fully behind you?
No? I don't. I don't know yet.
I okay, not necessarily sure, Okay, go ahead. Sorry, I broke even broke even as.
Right, All your hard work gone in an instant. So here's listen. This is as as many things with you, and this is not just you. This is any young person becoming you know, an adult. Your parents can tell you as many times this is going to be the end result here, and you can say, okay, I get it, I get it. In your head you're like, I don't know what they're talking about, and then you play out the actual life and you're like, damn, how they know?
And the answer is because I've been there, so like you make your own money, you make good money, you're gonna make your own decisions. But I do think that's a learning moment. Now, allow me to have a proud
moment here. Okay, obviously this podcast isn't going anywhere, and we're gonna be back on Tuesday with a new episode, and it'll be challenging for you over the next few months because it's no longer the NBA's your favorite sport, and there's been games every night, and now this is the hardest time to do sports media, the dog days of summer. Neither one of us really like baseball, so we're gonna have to be creating, you know, content and
finding interesting things. So that'll be a good challenge for you. But to me, this is the the unofficial end of the first season of What's Right because we started at the stretch run of basketball, and now basketball is over. And I told you when we started that you're gonna feel great about our first show and about our second show, and that if you went back a month later and watched it, you would say, oh my god, I'm so
much better than I was. I want you today to you don't have to watch the whole thing, but go to our YouTube page and check out a few clips from our first month of shows, and then check out a few clips from our second month of shows, and then check out a clip from the show that from today's show or the one that posts earlier this week.
Your not only development growth and maturity on the air is has been exponential, but also your intuition into how you know to establish a take like I'm the Celtics guy and live and die with it and ride with it. It has been one of the true joys of my adult life to share these last few months doing this with you and to watch you do it. I was part of the reason I was pulling for the Celtics was because I wanted you to have the ultimate victory there.
But either way that you can't impact how you what you've done, and you becoming a true contributor to the show on the air, which is really it's really been a total joy for me, and I'm proud of you and I love you, and it's been it's been just great to be a part of it.
I really appreciate that pop. So this is we're all care I feel like I don't know. No, you'll hug, but.
It's all right. So it's all right. And by the way, it's really good. He's gotten much better and so good on the air because technically he was hired to do the tech stuff and he still can't figure that shit out. I'm over here getting microphones together before the show, so there is a value add there. We'll talk to you guys on Sunday to continue the countdown. Regular episode out on Tuesday. Enjoy your weekend. Happy Father's Day, everybody,