Welcome in. We'll drive you to the great episode three fourteen. Those of you who were in the YouTube chat or watching beforehand, you got a little sneak preview of the show. Luckily you know what I mean, and you know I'm not the all time legend Mike Francessa out here, just you know, just scolding my producers for bad information, because I got great producers that don't give me bad information. I'm not even So you guys got a little preview of us when we thought we were off the air.
We were on the air. But luckily we're professional at all times drownd here, so we ain't got to worry about it. Being professional at all times seems to be in short capacity in my industry these days. So let's get right to it. Here's what missed the cut. Joker came back, reminded everyone's Joker thirty nine, ten and ten the Tennessee Titans like, but maybe don't love Cam Moore. They might trade the pick major League Baseball opening Day.
None of that is on the show today because of well, demon's a take it away.
Yeah, so Lebron's had quite a day. Obviously, he hit the buzzer Beaterer yesterday. Yeah, a little bit of a rough game, but obviously the buzzerbader to win.
Yeah, the McAfee hit. He's been having.
The whole stephen A Smith thing going on is, yeah, you want to start with the game?
Where do you want to go with it?
So since the moment Lebron walked up on steven A Smith, I would, aside from the groin injury, I would argue everything has come up Lebron, and it would appear we are in the midst. And our younger producers or co host or audience can tell me if I'm using this term wrong, but it would appear we are in the midst from steven A of what the kids call a crash out, and it is day by day by day.
The moment Lebron confronted steven A, just between third and fourth quarter of a game, Bron's team was trailing by tena, steven A's favorite team. On the day, stephen A had gotten and deserved his new five year, one hundred million dollar contract, and then he had to sit there and think about how am I going to respond to the fact that this guy came up checked me, kept it moving.
Did the worst thing you can ever do to someone in our profession, not give us a chance to respond, not let us talk, and then walked my team down and beat him. And then Lebron is very very judicious with the interviews that he gives. And it was not coincidental that Lebron then decides to go on with McAfee, who some people consider Stephen A's rival for face of the network, no rival for face of the league, by
the way, more on that. In the moment, we know who that is, and after this week we know who face of American Sports is. But face of the network, that's an argument, Stephen ay Er McAfee. So Lebron picks that guy to go on that show on that network and then that night, and this is where I will get to the soap opera stuff in a second, but this is where the greatest of all time remind you that they are. Lebron had put extra pressure on himself
by doing that interview. And guess what, through three quarters he had the fewest points he's had through three quarters in a game since I was in college. He's unfathomable. One two hundred and eighty two game streak of double digit points. When the second most is eight hundred something is in real jeopardy. And of all days, the day that the streak's going to be snapped is a day that you know, the biggest voice in sports media the very next morning is going to do everything he can
to rip you to shreds. That's when your streak might break. That's when you're gonna give a little more fodder to the folks who say, oh, great player, but you know, doesn't quite have that clutch gene. So how does he respond, not only by immediately in the fourth quarter getting the to double digit points and leading the Lakers to where Okay, they're gonna win. Wait, did they just squander a twelve point lead? Okay, Ruey hit those two threes, They're fine.
Did they just give up a seven to zero run out of nowhere? And then a perfect, absolutely perfect you want to put on Lebron James basketball tombstone, a fifteen second sequence put the end of that Pacers game with the context of the day. So here's what it is. Down one, gotta get a stop. Can't double off guys on the Pacers because they all can shoot. Bron realizes, oh shot clucks down to three, You're not gonna have
time to pass. Sins Is double creates the terrible shot, and before the shots even miss has leaked out and would have the go ahead layup. Luca doesn't see it in time. They pitch it ahead late. All of the guys who have fewer career playoff buzzer beaters, who are have worse career field goal percentage in the clutch, who are by any objective measure, worse in the biggest moments, but we deify because those players historically have put their
personal glory ahead of the team. All of those guys, when they get the pitch ahead down one six are saying, I don't care that a double is being sent my way. I'm taking this damn shot, not Lebron James. Make the right play in the moment and for the big picture. In the moment, Luca's more open and big picture we need him to be the guy and be great. I'm
giving him the ball. And Lucas said after the game, how much confidence that gave him that in that moment that day, the Lebron James ESPN day, he could have
said I'm making sure I'm taking the last shot. He said, No, make the right play and Luca missed, But for the all around greatest player ever, guess what, right position, right effort, a little more energy, a little higher IQ in the right spot for the tip, ind for his first buzzer beater since he walked off the Raptors in Game three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in twenty eighteen as a cav eighth career buzzer beater, third in the regular season,
five in the playoffs, which, for those keeping track at home, more than Kobe and might combined more on Kobe, the late great Kobe Bryant, who didn't ask to be brought into this but got brought into this in just a moment. So go watch those last fifteen seconds and see why Lebron's the best player we've ever seen, Because in year twenty two, at age forty, he understood when to send a double, He understood how to leak out. He understood, oh I'm getting doubled, it's not about me and my ego.
And he understood, in case Luca misses, let me be in the right spot. And so on a day that as much pressure as could be on a player in a regular season March game, Lebron delivered with another brilliant fourth quarter and with the game winning tipping and then got on his phone found out that stephen A had told the world if Lebron had put his hands on me, I would have swung on him. And so he posts the pictures, the video of steven A boxing and now the feud goes on. So now to the stephen A
of it all. I said it before, I will say it again. It is a lost art in current culture. Just taken l man, just taken L. All you had to do the day after Lebron walked up on you against the Knicks was do kind of what you did on TV, which was be like, I don't really want to talk about this. That was a father talking about his son, and again that was a little misleading. It wasn't so much about stephen A's commentary on bronni as much as it was about stephen A's commentary about Lebron
as a father. And listen, all you had to say was I think I've been more than fair. Lebron obviously disagrees. I would have told him that if he had given me the opportunity he seems to be, and it was communicated to me he was really bothered by what he thought was me questioning him as a father. That was never my intention. I would never do that, and it's dead and it's over. Instead, you do half a dozen podcasts about it, you start fantasizing about what if he had put his hands on me? You you do.
On the putting his hands on him thinking. Lebron ended up posting the boxing video. Stephen A did say that. He said later in the video he would thoroughly kick my butt.
So I feel it.
I am.
He wasn't, you know, he wasn't like faking the funk there, no, but.
He but it's well, I disagree to it. You're right, you're totally correct. He didn't imply. Steven A didn't imply I would have whooped his ass, right, yeah, no, no, no, I'm not saying that. But he is creating you know what he's doing. Oh, this is gonna make him mad, This will hurt the this will cut and I don't mean it too. But steven A, in real time the last three weeks, on national television and podcast and every platform available is doing what we've all done standing alone
in the shower. You know what I'm.
Gonna say, Yeah, like, go ahead, but yeah, I'm pretty sure.
Man, what I should have done. And then if I'd have done that, he'd have done this, and then I'd have done that, and then he'd have done this. He's recreating in real time how the interaction should have gone. For our older audience, it's Costanza and the Shrimp and the jerk store ran out of you. But in real time, in real life, against the world's most popular athlete, that's
what's happening. We are seeing it. Ah, Man, that would have killed him in the argument, Oh, I should have said this, But if I'd have said that, that might have put him over the edge, and then they might have hit me. And if they hit me, man, I'd have to hit them back. I know, I'd get my ass kicked right after. Stop it, man, there's no need for it. And we can say, you know, Lebron should be above this. Lebron been above this shit for twenty
five years. Lebron went his entire career without everone saying these two words. Skip Bayless never mention his name. And by the way, sidebar.
Man, Skip has to be sick livid that he is, I mean just sick that this is.
Happening right now. The one of my demand knows. This one of my kind of you know, sayings that I like, sometimes you know, as a joke, sometimes as a lesson, sometimes as an atta boy. Is every decision you've ever made in your entire life has led to you to this very moment. And that is true for all of us, in every moment. And sometimes you know, it can be a cut, it can be a positive, whatever it is, you know. And again I have affection for Skip, and
so I'm not I'm just being honest. You know, there's a moment last night or this morning when Skip is like I'm about to instead of having this discussion on national television sitting across from stephen A himself or Shannon, I'm gonna have this discussion in my house, sitting across from Ernestine. And that's not how this was supposed to go. Like this is like this would be the moment. And again my record reflects that I don't think that's unfair.
I know that if the wrong people clip it, whatever, I'll deal with this.
Situation.
That is the reality of the situation. And here's the other piece of it. And I say this pretty confidently. I do not think Lebron will ever talk about this again. Now, maybe the fact that Stephen A evidently a few minutes ago said took a shot at Lebron for not being at Kobe's memorial, maybe that will generate a quick reaction because that is what Lebron was talking about last night or yesterday on McAfee, was like, there's basketball criticism, then there's this other criticism.
Yeah, like that's how it bounds, right, like as like how that's a really I mean, that feels out abounds.
It feels out of bounds. I and now listen, I try to be self aware enough. I look back and I say, I've been out of bounds at times, but I get when those guys don't like me, so like something again, to kind of mix metaphors a bit, I know you haven't. If people are kind of new to the pod, well hi welcome everyone, like rate, subscribe review. Also, if you're super new, you probably don't. You're maybe a
little confuser. Don't know. Me and Demonse's dynamic. Demansey's my son, and Demonse didn't grow up like wanting to be in sports media. It just came about that. I wanted him to do this with me, and so we've done it together. For now. The life of the podcast took a few months off. His sister filled in. But that's what it is. And there's a reason I'm explaining this, especially early on in the pod. If you really disagreed with me on something, you didn't say it, now you would like it's still
it's that's not like an asshole. It's my show, and so you you understand the dynamic of it. But you are You've been doing it long enough, and I think and also you're older than you were or whatever. Or if you think I'm way out of bounds on something, you'll politely or kindly or whatever. So here's the reason, right, here's the reason I mention it. There was time when I know for a fact, even though he didn't put voice to it, demands thought some of my Kyrie Irving
stuff was out of bounds. It was like, hey, that's you know what I mean, that's not about basketball. You know that's unfair, And I in the is am I putting words in your mouth like that?
Fair? I think it was a little heavy fork.
Right, Okay, So here's here's the reason I'm bringing that up. If Kyrie Irving does not like me and has a real issue with me because of that totally fair? Now, what I like the opportunity ideally to at some point because I am now not only really impressed by Kyrie, but fascinated by Kyrie, and I actually think there are
a lot of really interesting things about him. If that is how he feels about me, would I really like the opportunity to give the full scope of my commentary and say like, hey, maybe you haven't seen some of these other things I've said, or you know whatever, I would do. I think he owes me that, No, do I just have to eat the fact. Hey man, that guy might just think you're a fucking clown. He might, Yeah, I hope not. And so I know that I was
unfair but a far about far less serious things. But I took kind of basketball exclusive related cheap shots at Durant on Twitter, and he took him back at me. And I have since tried, truly tried through kind of back channels to repair that because it's and I don't even know if it needs repairing. But it was like, hey, I think we all knew what was going on there,
you know what I mean that? And I was keeping it purely about basketball, but it was it was there were a couple things that were probably like, Okay, you're going you are tweeting for the likes or whatever, rather than it's not hardcore analysis and so like. But I own that, I wear that, I know it. Part of the business is accepting some of these guys aren't gonna like you, and some of them are not going to be wrong for not liking you. And here is where, and this is where I think Steven A has made
a grievous error. He just today he's said, quote, He'll smile on your face then stab you in the back. That's why I don't like him. He's bringing up Wade's Hall of Fame induction, Kobe's memorial. He's saying, quote, he literally circummitted meritocracy in the NBA. Here's the problem, man, And this is where, by continuing to talk about this and not allowing yourself to take the l you are really putting yourself in a bad spot. You always claimed
you had no problem with Lebron. You always claimed he only had a problem with you. Up until six weeks ago, the stance was, oh, nothing but loving Lebron James. I, you know, a a great person in the community, a great This a great that I just I just think he's not the greatest basketball player ever. I just think he's only the second greatest player ever. And because of that, he has a problem with me. That's been the public stance.
And now the guy makes fun of you on Instagram and takes a couple of jokes at your expense on McAfee, and you're letting everyone know, actually, no, never liked him. And so if the if, if we are going to do a full, real telling of it, it then the honest answer is, so why what's been the problem? Was there something personal before? And the answer is no, Lebron wouldn't talk to him, that was the problem. Lebron wouldn't talk to him or acknowledge him. And Michael Jordan texts
with him. That's it. It's the whole thing. That's the start of it. And so I.
It is.
People ask me all the time, man, do you believe what you say? And my answer always is, now, do I say it louder or more emphatically, or add some spice to it or whatever? Do I dress it up? Sure? Of course? But the reason and this is not my quote, uh, but this quote is correct. If you never lie, you don't ever have to remember anything when you do as And I'm not acting like I'm someone that never lies. I probably have a bit of a I'm probably true character flaw of mine is I am my most honest
talking to you guys, friends and family. I might you know what I mean. I might be like, you know what, I can dance through the rain drops here a bit and clean this up later. And that's not be honestly. It's self serving. It's not out of some Woodrow and Burnstein Woodward Woodrow Jesus Woodward and Burnstein journalism ethic. It's because I don't want to have to. It is too
difficult to do this much content. If you're having to remember, oh shit, I said that, and if your stance forever, forever has been I have no problem with that person. He has a problem with me. And then the first time you get pressed you empty the clip about everything you've always had a problem with. People are gonna say you're fucking lying to us. You were lying to us,
and I don't. And here is the problem with people in general who don't have the ability to take an l and who are very online and who are public figures. This applies to I guess some of our actual politicians and some of our potentially would be or want to be politicians. All you can do is keep doubling, tripling, and quadrupling down because you don't have the ability to be like I was wrong. You constantly are reminded of the incident at hand, and you are constantly reading people
make fun of you or rip you. So again, I am not trying to act like I am some I am you know, the silver bullet on this stuff. However, I do have one kind of just natural superpower, I guess, and another decision I've made. The natural superpower is this I am totally fine being wrong, like, oh shit, got that one wrong. My bad, not a problem. And the other one is I don't read my mentions, so people are like, I'm I am not finding my and had a third thing I'm very good at. I'm I'm on
the right side of the great athletes conversation. Like. The other thing is like, I you know, I in the hey Lebron James good or overrated. I had the foresight to be like, I'll go with good, you know what I mean. I think I'll plant my flag on good and see how it plays out. Over the next fifteen years. And so that's been help that's been helpful, But I I can't believe that this is how these last few
weeks have gone. And the fact that so here's the other piece of it that's important, demands on one one party in this is fighting a war of war work. I can never say that war of words reminders reminder of the new people in the audience and young people. I, as someone who my only skill is speaking and arguing, had a really bad speech impediment growing up and couldn't say my rs are my ls And now I do
it for a living. So I this is kind of a s bar, but just for you know, young people out there or whatever, like yeah, you can get over anything. I shouldn't say anything, but you can work on stuff and it won't hold you back.
Go ahead, No, I was just flexing on you.
No, well yeah, and we're world and girl. Anything that has the R L next to each other like that. I still struggle with a bit. And I've told this story nothing worse. And not being able to say your rs and your last name starts with a hard R, and when it's not an R, it sounds like a different word. You don't know how many times I went to basketball camp as a kid. They're like, what's your name? Nick White? They're like, no white, white, no white. It
was brutal. Maybe that only happened once, but it's it seared me. It scarred me. The guy wrote down on my jersey right, and I'm like, no, it's not white, it's white. Brutal doesn't matter. I'm good now.
Brutal.
Here's the point I was making. In a war, stephen A is fighting a war of words. Lebron gets actually go out and play the games, and he's still awesome. So think about it. In the couple weeks since this all happened, Lakers had a winning streak, Bronni drops thirty nine drops, a career high in the NBA, has another good game the other night, bron last night hits a game winner. And you have positioned yourself. I can't imagine
being this box stend. You have now positioned yourself where any time you give fair analysis about a good Laker game or Bronni or whatever, you're gonna get ripped for that too. Like you are all. You are so boxed in.
And the guy, honest to god, so much of this as I've said before, so much of the toxicity of sports media, across all sports and all our debates is actually about Michael Jordan and that era and that era of people who came up in that era being like, man, my childhood was the best, I promise like and not seeing that every single human being ever it's like, hey,
what's your favorite type of music? And for everyone it just happens to be the exact type of music they were listening to when they first got their car and first were able to drive. Who were the best athletes and it's like, oh, it just happens to be for everyone, myself included the athletes like we watched in our formative years and then into adulthood and not being able to see that it's not special, it's just how human beings brains are constructed. But point is, this whole thing really
generates from MJ's my body. This guy won't talk to me. I must, against all odds, support MJ's legacy. But MJ ain't playing anymore. You're never gonna be able to go on the show and be like, ah, look what Michael did. But this other guy won't fucking quit. He's he is. We are in a span of ten days, his son almost drops forty in the G League and scores are leads the Lakers in points in the NBA, and he has a buzzer beater. And so it's just a war
you're not gonna win. And it's a war you're not gonna win because I think because of your popularity and success and talent, people of what enough people have watched you for long enough that we know what the record says, and we know you have always claimed you have no problem with Lebron. He has a problem with you, and then today you say he will smile on your face then stab you in the back. That's why I don't like him, is that just in the last two weeks,
literally circumvented the meritocracy in the NBA. That in the last two weeks, and also again on the two online of this, if you were born in the previous century as I was, as demands was, if you were born as not in the two thousands, and you use the phrase as evidently he did today privately via text or god forbid, on television, but hurt, you're either way too online or you're just way too online, and so like.
What are we doing steven A said, but hurt. Yeah, I thought that was Matt. I'm sorry that.
No no, no, no, you thought I was just taking a random shot at Matt Midranto. No no, And listen, I.
The boxing video is bad.
Here's the thing. The boxing video is not bad. And that's here's here's what I mean. And this is where I'm And nobody ever listens to the whole thing. Nobody ever hears the whole thing. I shouldn't say nobody ever. But if you I stand by these shows in their entirety one it's hard to always stand by little individual snippets, you know what I mean. But in their entirety, I think I'm fair. I really do. Here the so this
is a piece of boxing video is not bad. Steven A, by his his own claim, was not in the shape he wanted to be in. Was overweight by his client. Not it's not me Nick saying it his client. So this guy at fifty something hired a trainer, lost a bunch of weight, got pretty jacked, and took up boxing.
That's fucking awesome. That's cool. Actually I respect that and him feeling good about what he accomplished and being like, hey, here's me, you know, sparring or whatever it is, like people can make fun of it looks better than it if I did it, and I'm twenty years younger than it, that's cool. Actually, the problem is knowing that that is out there and then being like, yeah, man, me and bron might have had to throw down in the middle of Staples Center. You can't. You just can't leave yourself
open like that. Like there is again it. There are a few old uh tiktoks that either your sister, your mom, or uh your auntie posted that I am like the funny final reveal of like a dance they're doing. Okay, those have never gone like megaviral, but they're there. There's somewhere you can find them through the internet. You better believe that. If I ever was like, you know what, I'm gonna go on TV and explain how you know, if this happened, I'd give it to Chris Brown like that.
I might be like, oh no, wait a minute.
Wait, wait a minute, that's got gonna end well for me. And I do think there is an element of megal Lamania two in the same timeframe. Thinking even though I'm on the wrong side of the argument, I'm gonna win this pr battle with Lebron James, and that's going to be one of the side quests. I'm on the other one is seriously contemplating running for president of the United States, like like, maybe maybe we've bitten off a little more
than we can chew. So I really wonder in a year and two years and three years, how we're going to look back to this period and whether we're going to say, holy shit, this catapulted stephen A into another stratosphere, or if we're going to say that was as far as cultural, social, political relevance the high water mark. We'll see, I know what I would bet, but we'll see to
the basketball piece of it for just another moment. I really do want to harp on that game itself, and the end of that being why I am I think it is so ludicrous to think any other player in the history of the sport is in the general vicinity of this guy in Lebron. The double digit point streak is something that I am old enough to remember. It was a big deal once upon a time when it was Jordan's and everyone was like, this guy scored ten plus points for ten more than ten years in a row.
In every single game. It was considered unbreakable and unfathomable. And now that instead of the record being in the eight hundreds, the records in the high twelve hundreds. It is an afterthought. It is never mentioned, and I think a lot of people watched last night and weren't even aware of it.
Now.
There was just an article written this week about about people betting on it, and it was really interesting. People bet Demond's air betting like, you know, minus ten thousand or I don't even.
Just for the for the double digit to hit that night, for him to continue.
Will Lebron get ten plus points? People are betting the yes. Sharp betters are betting the yes and just taking the one percent return or whatever it is. And there was an article written about it literally four days ago, and then it looked like it was gonna get snapped last night. It was crazy. But and there is a one of my favorite kind of Lebron anecdotes is he has suffered
two major injuries in his career. Major the torn growing on Christmas against the Warriors his first year with the Lakers, and Solomon Hill somersaulting into his ankle and messing up his ankle and foot he missed months. Those are the only times he's missed months in his career. The Solomon
Hill game, which knocked him out for months. After when Solomon Hill hit him, he had seven points, there was an injury, there was a timeout, Lebron said, I can keep going, played one more possession, hit a three in the corner to keep the streak alive, and did not play again for a couple months. He so it. Those types of things don't mean everything to him, but they mean enough that he was like, let me see if I can knock down one shot because I'm about to
be out of here for a bit. And so last night, at no point was ill he'll score ten. The only way he won't score ten is suffering a very early injury, or if at some point he gets thrown out of the game. Those are the only ways they're either. Last night, there was no question to me whether or not even with three points going into the fourth quarter, he was gonna get it go ahead. What are you about to say?
I'm just thinking, like, what was the last time Lebron was thrown out of the game.
I don't I think he's been thrown out a couple times. He's fouled out obviously a few, but fouling out takes out so much later. But the double digit point thing is just a added piece. The end of the game. Is why he's I'm gonna go back to hold on, sorry, And this might glitch for a moment Lebron's first career playoff games because it is instructive. So it's not so much that in Lebron's is that hold on. Let me
make sure I have this right there. It is. It's not so much that his first ever career playoff game he played all forty eight minutes and had thirty to eleven and eleven. That's not the story I'm telling here when he was twenty one years old. It is that if you remember that first playoff series, he was playing the Wizards, and in that very first Playoff series, ever after that brilliant Game one, I'm gonna pull up the play by play it was so maybe it wasn't Game one.
I have to find the exact game it'll. I promise this story will be worth it. He got it was game one or Game two. He was criticized because down three late, he passed to the open guy. They didn't score, and they ended up losing and it was you have to, you know, take the final shot. And so, you know what, I have the year wrong because the next game he did hit the game winner. That happened, but he did hit the game winner. I want to because I was doing radio in Kansas City. So this is later in
his career. Oh no, that's not it either. Gosh darn it, I don't have it, and I apologize. Uh morel of the story is, in one of his first playoff series, he passed the open guy for a playoff game winner. The I missed and he got annihilated for it. And you know what I do have I do have it right. It is his first playoff series because that's how the series ended, and then he hit a game winner of his own, but he had been criticized for not taking it.
And then, at twenty one years old, in his first playoff series ever, the final two games go to overtime and in both of them he has the opportunity to take it himself, and in game five he does and hits what should have been his first career playoff buzzer beater, but there was zero point four left and in game six to win the series because the other team is like, no, you're not doing this to us again. He finds the open guy in Damon Jones, hits the game winner and
they win. And that has flatly been who he's always been. And it was last night when, on a day nothing would have been better than him hitting the game winner, he found Luca because it was a better shot, and then he still ended up with the game winner that first play. This is why the Lebron narrative has always been so batshit. First playoff game ever thirty three eleven and eleven, third playoff game ever down one five seconds left,
jump shot to win the game. Fifth playoff game ever down two point four left lay up to win the game.
So he had two not quite not technical buzzer beaters, but two inside five second playoff game winners in his first five career playoff games, two in his first five, and it was still and then the very next year had essentially three game winners or game tying ones in the same game, the forty eight special against Detroit, that game where he scored twenty five straight points, where he scored twenty eight of the last twenty nine or twenty nine of last thirty he had dunk to put the
game in overtime. He then had a and then in overtime had a three to tie it, and then a layup to win it. And still the narrative was created, Guys, not clutch because instead of serving his ego or instead of with respect to the late great Kobe Bryant, doing what Kobe would have done, which is what Michael Jordan would have done, which is I'm taking this shot no matter what he said, I'm gonna make the right play. And last night he made the right play and the
basketball gods rewarded him with a game winner. Anyway, and listen, I don't know if you'll play tonight, coming off the injury, second night of a back to back. My guess is he will because he plays. I do know this, I'm gonna be there in Memphis. I don't know if that games. I don't think that games. I thought the game was
gonna be on national TV. I don't think it is on League On League Pass, you'll be able to see me, and I you know, listen, for all I know, Lebron's gonna run up on me and I'm gonna a month long media tour. My guess is the interaction will be a little bit differently, But we'll see. But I'll I'm leaving tomorrow to go to Memphis see Lakers Grizzlies for a game that's wildly, wildly important. Can't wait. When it comes to college basketball in March Mania, one thing's for sure.
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see dking dot co slash b ball. All right, demons, let's get to as quickly as we can some of these other topics, because we did just do an hour long a block. But I think it was I think it's the audience wanted there.
It is worth it.
Yeah, So Dame is out indefinitely with a blood clot in his leg. Giannis missed the loss last night against the Nuggets. Bucks are rough shape right now, and they're their odds are dropped from plus twenty thousand. That's a thirteenth best in the NBA for the title. What do you think about that right now?
I think they're I think they're totally cooked. Yeah, and listen, the way I understand blood clots is very simple when it comes to the NBA. If you get put on blood thinners, you are out six months. So that's why the Spurs instantly ruled out, ruled out Wimby and brandon Ing Listen, brandon Ingram missed six months of Sir Thompson missed six months. Wimby they think he's gonna miss six months.
So this is brutal for Dame. And I think it's obvious that the Bucks championship aspirations, while they were quite thin, are now down to zero. Despite how great Giannis is. I also think that Jannie's future in Milwaukee comes into question a bit. He's thirty years old. It is he has finished Demon's a This is his MVP finishes over
the last seventh season. Simmons brought this up, and he's, I mean it's remarkable first, first, fourth, third, third, fourth, and this year he'll finish fourth, maybe third, but third or fourth. It'll be Tatum and him or him and Tatum. A seven year run of dominance with one great playoff run.
And we don't put many of the deconstruction of the Bucks on you, honest, Like, I think he really wanted uh, I think you really wanted Drew Holliday out of the building because he thought that Damian Lillard had the better chance of getting them back to the championship and that you're just seeing that play out.
You're listen, You're not wrong. You're not wrong. Like the the Bucks went all in to get Drew because they had to get over the hump. They did, and they won a title the next year. I think they were the best by a lot. I think they would have crushed sorry the Warriors in the finals. But Middleton gets hurt. Your guy Tatum goes crazy in that round two in game six, and then Grant Williams. Tatum's crazy game was
Game six. Grant Williams had the Game seven that that Game six was, you know, and I talk about this game a lot because this is one of those just insane playoff moment games where Tatum was unbelievable and Jannis was unbelievable, but Boston ended up running away with it. So Yannis in that game forty four twenty and six, forty four to twenty and six, but Tatum forty six, nine and four on you know, seventeen of thirty two from the field, seven of fifteen from three and they win.
And then Game seven, if people don't remember it, I call it the Grant Williams game because Grant Williams let me I have hit seven three pointers and the Celtics went twenty two to fifty five from three, and you just lose, you know what I mean, It's just you lose.
Then the next two years, Gianni's hurting the playoffs. But in the interregnum of those next two years, they trade for Dame because they're worried Giannis isn't gonna resign the Signs extension and the Dame thing hasn't worked out, just hasn't.
And appreciate it though, you appreciate say it again, I said, we appreciate it though who's.
We the Celtics.
Yeah, the Celtics.
Oh yeah, well that's the other thing. By trading Dame and we win, they know. But also that's how you guys get Drew, Like.
Oh, that's what I'm talking about. I'm talking about Drew Holliday saying I'm saying thank you Giannis for you know, wanting to get him out of the building.
And I got yeah, And I mean he wasn't traded from Milwaukee to Boston, but.
That's how they got the same type of deal, right, yeah, no, it is right.
He's part of the Dame trade and then he ends up being shipped to Boston and it is Yeah. So I tough times in Milwaukee, and you know, they've made some mistakes. Firing the head coach for Doc probably was a mistake. The Dame trade has not worked out, and I just I do want.
To try to get a technical last night on purpose and get I don't know if you saw that, but they wouldn't give it to him. They wouldn't give it to him.
Yeah, he need the time, they wouldn't give it to him.
All right, let's move on to the next topic.
Seeah, last night, not Tatum, no problem. He obviously went down with an ankle injury against Sacramento the other day, but yeah, they still beat up on the Suns. You said the Celtics are in a dynasty or deconstruction tier.
Please explain that.
Yeah, so here's what I mean. Oh, let me send this text. If they win the title this year, I just think they have to. They are obligated to run it back with everyone. Everyone's under contract except for Horford, and they could go for a real dynasty, a three pet if they don't win the title, especially if they somehow don't make the finals. Got new ownership, there's some private equity involved. It's gonna be the most expensive team ever.
I wonder if they cut salary. So the new ownership always worries me, man, Like, listen, new ownership came in with the Suns, did the opposite of cut salary, like we're going crazy. But it hasn't gone well, right, New ownership came into the MAVs and it wrecked basketball in Central Texas, just ruined it. I don't know, so that's
what I listen. I think the Celtics are. I think the Celtics are the smartest bet right now to win the Championship, even though I'm picking the Lakers because I could see at least two maybe three teams coming out of the West, the Thunder obviously, the Lakers obviously, and maybe Denver. I could not see anyone coming out of the East. But Boston. I just don't think the Caves can beat them in a series. So the Celtics, to me,
are the smarter play. So I'm not knocking them, but if they don't win, tough one, tough one, tough one, all right, let's let's go on to uh the Travis Kelcey thing, just because I want to have some fun before we go.
Yeah, So Travis and Jason, they saw that you were trying to come on the show and do like the cat.
I wasn't trying to come on the show. They were looking for a cap expert, and I knew that. They were like I'm sure that they in the head were like, we should ask Nick, right, Oh, he's super busy.
We don't want to bother him.
And so I was just like, guys, don't worry about it, but go ahead.
So what one hundred percent?
And so they mentioned you on the show and we're just gonna play that for the fancy.
Let's hear.
We could go outside of the organizations and go to somebody who is just maybe he used to work in the NFL or works in the media. Nick Right threw his hat in the ring on Twitter.
Nice known Kansas City chief Homer fucking love Nick Right.
My god, my guy, Trav.
What a delight.
So here's the thing. Trav and I have not like talk talked since he's been serious with Taylor Swift, since he's been become like a super celebrity. No, I just don't. So it's the here's the thing. I didn't. I don't want to bother him during the year and then last offseason he was traveling the world with Taylor I and then at the parade last year we were going to I think get together after the parade we're during, but there was obviously the tragedy and the shooting at the parade,
and so everything got a skewed. So I didn't. I haven't talked to trave in a while, so appreciate the shout out on you know, one of the world's most popular podcasts, and also to the folks. I think it's Wave that does that. Into the New Heights, I'll do it, and I'll wave my appearance fee just to help them out. They want someone to come on and really just break down. I don't have an appearance fee. Really just break down
the cap. Nothing would thrill me more. All right, let me before we get to our listener questions, remind you. This episode of What's Right is brought to you by DAYA Pizza featuring dairy free cheese made with their new Daya oat Cream blend. Dairy free cheese come a long way, and Daya's leading the charge their pizzas off of the
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and Walmart. Coming soon to select publics and Sprouts. Follow Daya on Instagram and TikTok for more updates and recipes. All right, demande, Let's get to these last two things before we go.
Yeah, So, New England signs Stefan Diggs to a three year deal that's gonna be worth a twenty six million is going to be guaranteed there, so he's obviously coming off his torn aco.
I thought this was crazybe yeah, I mean I twenty.
Six people are like, well, it's really just a one year, twenty six million dollar deal and then that's fine, but million he's not gonna be ready week one. So, like Diggs, Diggs was a good slot receiver last year, but the yards per catch deterioration concerns me. So here is Stefan Diggs the last three years yards per catch thirteen point two,
eleven point one, ten point six. That's that's alarming. And now he's coming off an injury, and you know this is going to be And I like Drake May, but the worst quarterback play he's had in years and years and years. After all that time with Josh Allen and CJ that, I understand that they feel like they have to add a wide receiver and they have money to spend. I just don't know that. I think Digs is still a real difference maker.
I was gonna say for Stefan Digg's career, like it kind of seems like you're that's where you're at in your career now, like you're kind of just it seems like you'd be done, like close to It's like, not.
Good for him for getting one more payday, but yeah, not competing for anything and rough spot all right, the sweet sixteen tonight. So I gave out with our friends at DraftKings. I gave out a nice little three to one parlay yesterday plus actually three thirty to one, and I'm gonna roll with that. It's going to stay pretty chalky. So I like Houston, Bama, Tennessee and Michigan State all just straight up to win, not against the spread, just
straight up to win. I am if I were of the games today, the one that if I had to pick an up set, the one upset that I would go with is Arkansas over Texas Tech. I just think Coach cal I think those guys. I know they're a ten seed, but I think that's again I'm not betting it, but I would. I think that one's certainly more plausible than the other three. And tomorrow, maybe I'm crazy, but I think Michigan could beat Auburn and so but either way,
I listen. We talked about this on Tuesday. The lack of upsets means we are going to get an unbelievable Sweet sixteen in the leit eight and all these games should be close, they should be good, and I can't wait for it. And I'm also excited to see if Duke can kind of, you know, finish this thing off, or if someone's gonna clip them. Duke was the smart bet, there's no doubt about it. And the team I picked Tennessee, they got their hands full with Kentucky tomorrow, so like
that's that's going to be a war. Just to get to Houston. Just have a chance to get to Duke. But I wonder if someone can clip Duke or if Duke's just too talented. One quick listener question Hayes asks when is the grand opening of Club Superstar? Same time? It is every year, right before, you know, very beginning of the playoffs. We don't have a set date, but it's the very beginning of the playoffs, all right. Demon's a great job, Blue Dock, great job. DraftKings volume day.
Appreciate y'all like rate, subscribe reviews. Seems like we might have had a lot of people watching us live. We appreciate that. So if you're new, if you would subscribe to this on YouTube, if you would also subscribe on iTunes or Spotify, that oddly helps us out a ton. Greatly appreciated. I will see you guys on TV in a few hours. What's right,