What's Wright - Nick Wright reacts to Jayson Tatum injury, Knicks & Wolves 3-1 lead, Mavericks win NBA Draft lottery

and the fact that the New York Knicks We're gonna win that game even if Tatum didn't get hurt, and what that meant for the Celtics long term. This is a night Windy said it right after the first game that the is gonna have reverberations for honestly for years to come, and before we get to any of that, and I'm sure I'll expand on this more later and

before i even bring in Demnsey. And this is something where I'm probably gonna hurt some people's feelings, and I Am probably gonna hurt some coworkers feelings, and I don't care. There are some times we get real, in live action, in the moment, impromptu IQ tests for the general public, and one of them is this, do you think the NBA Draft lottery is rigged? Because if you think it is, you're kind of dumb. Now you might be like, I'm

not dumb. Explain the odds of these things. And the answer to that question is go to your local community college. You can probably get courses for seventy dollars a credit hour and take in introduction to probability and statistics. And what you'll learn is the thing about things that have a one point eight percent chance of occurring, is they occur one point eight percent of the time. And when you have a bunch of teams, all of whom have a like So here is the simplest way to explain it.

And I knew it. I'm not gonna name names, but I knew there would be people working on this show. Might be one person co hosting the show I'm going to bring in a bit who's like, well, obviously it might be rigged. I know that I'm a jerk for calling you guys dumb, and I'm not saying you're dumb. Maybe I did just say that you're just dumber than you think you are. So here is like the most simple way to look at it from a probability perspective. What are the odds of any one person winning the

power ball? Like is it like one point four billion to one, not one point eight percent, but like point zero zero one hundred times one percent that someone's going to win it? But someone always wins it. So how does that happen? You had one in a billion you had there are more people, there's not a billion people in the United States, yet every week someone hits a billion to one shot. That's how That's how probability and

statistics work. Also, the idea that the firm Ernst and Young is gonna be like listen, been around for about one hundred years. We have a super profitable business. We also have a side business where we rig the NBA Draft lottery for reasons that aren't totally clear. Like the latest conspiracy is if you trade with the Lakers, you get the number one pick. But that of course is idiotic because Anthony Davis. Because like they traded Davis, they got Zion. The NBA didn't want Zion to go to

New Orleans. It was a disaster for everyone. The moment it happened. Well, the the NBA called in is sent in, listen, trade Luca to the to the Lakers and we'll get you Cooper Flag. And the part of that story that folks are ignoring is the Dallas Mavericks were won a play in game, tried to make the playoffs, and we're playing the Memphis Grizzlies in a game that if they won, they don't even have any ping pong balls. That was so neat, Like how how big does the conspiracy go? Boys?

People are just And there's five teams that if they would have won it, we would have said. If the Spurs won it, we would have said rigged, duh, Wimby and Flag. If the Sixers won it, we'd have said rigged. Oh you gotta you're you gotta get him be a lifeline. There's like more teams that you would have called it rigged than.

That's not idiotic because that's easy to execute and one person has to be involved. Any conspiracy where it's like, well, we need a whole lot of the executives and lawyers at Ernst and Young to be in on it. We need the league owners to be fine with it. The Wizard's owners like, God damn it. This conspiracies never works for me, but I'll keep playing along. We need the reporters to be in on it. It's so dumb. And the reason I'm leading the show with it is because

you're I'm just telling you right now. Sometimes it's hard to tell, like who's smart and who's not. As far as people who have public platforms and talk about things for a living. If one of your favorite personalities today is like hah hah, wink wink, that was gonna happen, they're just not that they're not as bright as they

think they are, just dock their IQ points. It's it's like if you saw them, you know, fall off a twenty foot ledge onto their head, like moving forward to be like, oh, probably not as smart as they once were. You now know it. So I'm sorry. And like I said, I know I'm hurting some people's feelings today and I

know that, but it's just idiotic. Now before we get to the show, because I did want to start with that, because today is a tough day for Demandacaus Demonde's a Celtics fan and that's his team, and that was devastating. I have one other note which will shock you, pal, and I think really make you happy. So one of our neighbors is Michelle Roberts, who you don't know who that is, but she for years ran the NBA Players Association. She was the woman in charge of the NBA Players Union.

She's the lady who famously during the lockout, Patrick Beverly barked at and then all the other players had to tell him sit down and shut up, be respectful. Very famous, successful lawyer for a long time, ran the NBA Players Association. Now retired day before yesterday. Your mom and I are out front cleaning up our front porch, and she came by and she and I have talked a few times. She had never met your mom, and she says to your mom, she was like, I have to tell you something.

I love your son on the podcast. Oh what you swear to God? She was like, he's so funny, he's quick witted, he's he is. And I was. I was stunned. Not that she liked you, but I would. Whenever someone important watches the pod, I'm always a little taken aback because it's not like the TV show that you could just have it on. You have to like opt into it. So I find it very touching. But she would, I mean, she spent I don't know three to five minutes talking

to your mom about you on the podcast. Oh yeah, that is awesome.

selected because he's a Chicago guy. I thought the Knicks would have gotten championship bets increased because he's a Nova guy and they're the Nova Knicks. And Michael Jordan's gonna join NBC as a contributor. Listen, you know, I NBC's a different network, but fair is fair. I got to give credit where it's due. I mean, if they're gonna use him the way he should be used, that is going to be an unbelievable addition. And by that, I mean he should be their gambling expert. All right, demanse

like rate subscriber view to the pod. Let's get to the news of the night, which, after we tried to be a little lighthearted to start, the news of the night is serious and unfortunate and a lot of tentacles. So let's get to it.

tore your achilles. Yep, I'm holding out hope, maybe it's naive, hope that that wasn't an achilles, just because and you can speak to it from your experience. I've never seen an achilles injury that had that much seemingly excruciating pain associated with it. Liked the way he stepped and fell. Everyone thinks achilles. But when you tour yours playing basketball similar way, planting and trying to explode, Like I talked to you thirty minutes later, and you like, was it

was it excruciating pain? It wasn't.

and this is this is the cruelty of sports. And I I try not to complain too much about how I'm perceived or discussed or anything, but I will say one thing that I really don't like, just because I think, and maybe it's my own fault, but I think it's like almost an indictment on me as a person, not as a personality, is when people act as if because I have been on the highest level of basketball terms, you know, a Tatum skeptic at times as far as like he'll you know, be the best player in the

league or you know, his place in the NBA hierarchy, as if that means that there is some joy or gratification or anything in a guy suffering that type of injury, Like, that's so obvious, I would hope, obviously untrue or obviously not what anyone would think. But set that aside, because I don't think most people think that. I think most people understand that your analysis of someone as a player, whether or not you're picking the team, is totally separate

from them suffering a devastating injury. For Jason Tatum individually, a guy who has been almost historically durable, and by not his historically is the wrong term, but in the modern context, he has played eighty seventy nine, sixty six COVID year, sixty four post COVID year, so those are both shortened seasons seventy six, seventy four, seventy four, seventy two, and then in the playoffs nineteen ninety, seventeen five, twenty

four to twenty nineteen eight. Like, he's never suffered a major injury to knock him out for you know, months at a time. He now potentially is looking at one of the worst injuries a basketball player can suffer, and there are a lot it we don't know. Again, that's assuming it's an achilles. Assuming if it's not an achilles, then it's some different type of really rough ankle injury. But you obviously hope Jason Tatum gets back to the level he was at. Kevin Durant did I know people

will bring up Clay Thompson. Clay's thing is very unique because Clay blew out his knee and then when he was almost recovered from that, then popped his achilles, and so that was like the double whammy of it. And so you don't the sober analysis of this for Tatum individually is you hope he can get back to the

level he was at this year. You have to acknowledge that that is an unknown and that the other piece of it that is the extra Yesterday was a really really bad day for the sports gods and those of us that want to believe in them, because the Mavericks did not deserve to win the lottery, and of all the moments, for Jason Tatum to suffer that injury, for it to happen in what was looking like one of the three or four best games of his career is

just cruelty beyond belief in the sports context. And here's where it gets even tougher. And this is the part that different people can have different opinions on this, and I respect them legitimately. Some people might say discussing what this means for the Celtics in this moment is poor form. I think it's my job. I think that that it is.

You know, it comes with the territory here. What it means for the Celtics is last night was the last time we see the Celtics in that form, And it is overwhelmingly likely that, let this is Al Horford's last year, so he's gone. It is to me overwhelmingly likely if we assume that Jason Tatum is out for next year, that last night was his last game with Kristaps Porzingis. And it has to be considered on the board that last night could have been the last game of Jason

and Jalen together. Because there has been a lot of discussion and a lot of rumor mill stuff that with this new ownership group, that bar even if the Celtics won the championship this year, but certainly if they didn't and now they won't, that they were going to make some sick, significant moves, you know, to lower the financial burden and so Chris STAPs was the number one guy people were talking about potentially being on the move. But I don't know if Chris STAPs what real like, we

are you gonna give for him right now? Correct? That's the problem. That's the problem is Chris STAPs has this really weird illness that has been months and months that I think casts a shadow over whatever value he has, and so it can. It is unbelievable the speed at which windows can slam shuts the wrong word, but can change.

And a week ago, a week could go. We all thought the Celtics were about to cruise through round two and be in really good position to go back to back, and we were discussing Jason Tatum before he turns twenty eight, has two rings. If he pulls off a finals, MVP, four straight, first team All NBAS, all of this, what does that mean for him in the historical context? And now you look at it like everything is in flux

and nothing is guaranteed, and it is. There are very few injuries in recent sports history that feel quite like this one in that when Durant tore his achilles, you felt terribly for Kevin Durant, but the mitigating circumstances surrounding that were as far as for the Warriors, it appeared that that was coming to an end that era, and for Durant because he had missed almost a month with a calf injury, you kind of had in the back of your mind the concern that that could happen going

into that game. None of that applied to Tatum here, and so it is the next time. I if we assume that he's out for next year, the what the Celtics look like the next time Jason Tatum's on the court. It's just going to be so drastically different. And I I just I the only thing, like I can't say the only thing, but and maybe the if any of the producers want to type in something they're thinking of as a comp as far as like a snap, oh

my god. It kind of reminds me of RG three in the playoff game in Washington, when you have this rookie of the year. Now, obviously Tatum's a much older player. D Rose is a good one. D Rose is probably the right example. D Rose is the right example where you have this guy, you feel like you have the championship window and then he hurts his knee now, but he was already banged up before that. I feel like, no,

maybe I'm wrong. Uh, But and then it's like, oh wait, this playoff runs over, and so is the next one, and so listen, I'm hoping we get good news. And I'm oddly, you know, hoping that this is gonna sound I almost want to say this because this could be clipped out of context so terribly. I'm I'm kind of hoping that they that his reaction was physical pain rather than emotional pain, because that, to me, would be evidents that it's not an achilles. And I listen, I'm obviously

no doctor whatever. Well, so that's the other reason that I'm holding out a little hope that it's Achilles injuries. Right, it's very diagnosable, right, they always do the MRI to double check, But every time someone suffers an achilles, it's like they did, I forget what it's called. I think it's basically they just put their hand on the back of your calf, yeah, and they and they check. So the fact that it's not out maybe is a positive.

I don't know. And maybe I'm painting a little too bleak of a picture, but that was a the reverberations that has across the league, Like if I'm now let me add something to it? Does this This is gonna sound a little too black and white's the wrong word, but it's like harsh reality. But when I say the reverberations, if you're the Milwaukee Bucks right now, do you now feel like maybe we give it one more year with Giannis? If the Celtics are just eliminated, you know what I mean?

Like again, I'm sorry to be doing this to Boston fans, and I'm talking to a Boston fan, but like, I think those are the kind like if the Celtics are just eliminated, and you're like, it turns out the Calves are frauds, Like hold on a second here, Like what does that mean? I if you are dare I say it Lebron James and you're like, yeah, I'm just gonna finish my career with the Lake. But then you're like,

hold on a second. If the Calves are about to get clocked in round two and they clearly do need to add something, and I could start where I finished and in a east where Giannis might be traded the Celtics are eliminated, you know what I mean, like me and me, the Pacers and the Knicks, right, I can give that a look, you know what, Like there's the draft lottery sending Cooper flag to the West, giving the Spurs either the second pick or the Amo to potentially

get wimby. And if they don't get wimby, everyone thinking Houston's gonna get wimby. If the Celtics are knocked out of contention for a year, are nine of the ten best teams in the league in the Western Conference? Like if Tatum's not playing next year and you were to talk about the fifteen best players in the NBA, does the East have three Brunson, Mitchell, Halliburton and everyone else is in the West? If Giannis is gone and Tatum's out for the year, like this is insanely impactful to

that team. Because while everyone understood all year the West was better, I think most a lot of people thought, well, the West has five of the seven best teams, but the very best teams Boston, they're defending champs and even though they have the regular season, So it is just such a such an impactful injury. And I think the lack of news is positive from an achilles standpoint, But I don't. I don't know, all right, demon's before we

get to the actual game. Is there anything you want to add, anything else you want to say?

He will be considered a little off limits, right, like you know what I mean, and that maybe there will be a bit of a what I interrupted myself, but but a lot I know a lot of people have thought he has been over criticized given his level of play, given the team success, but then the not playing his best dur in the finals, then the Olympics piece of it.

People thought he didn't get enough credit for having such a dominant right individual regular season, and so maybe that's a small silver lining that he'll be a guy everyone's rooting for. I don't know, but this is this tough, all right. So now let's go to the actual game.

that Tatum, you know, carries them back. But I think that the Knicks in that moment, I don't know what the live betting line would have been, but minus at least minus two thousand, like they three minutes left, down nine when Jalen Brunson has been the most clutch player in the league this year, and you know the Knicks have at that point to get up one thirteen to one oh four, they're on a I'm trying to find it. I mean the exact run they were on to get up one thirteen to one oh four, they were on

a twenty one? Is that right? That's that's not right. But whatever they had, they had taken control of the game. Is the point that I'm making. And so I and I think, and this is this is where the Knicks have to be given credit. And this is where the stuff I've been arguing with Wilds about all series, I think came into fruition. So much of the series analysis when the Knicks were up to oh and certainly after Game three, was the Celtics haven't played well. The Celtics

are missing shots. And what to me that ignored was a couple of facts. One is, the Knicks had not played well offensively, and the Celtics not playing well offensively was attributed just to missing shots, and the Knicks not playing well offensively was attributed to the Celtics great defense. Both of those had a shred of truth to them,

but were not entirely true. The other piece of it that I thought was kind of miss represented in the discussion of the game was while the Celtics shoot weigh more threes than the Knicks, they are not a better from a percentage three point shooting team than the Knicks. The Celtics this year shot thirty six point eight percent from three. The Knicks this year shot thirty six point nine percent from three. The Celtics were the number two offense,

the Knicks were the number five offense. And the Knicks had not played offensively well in this series. And so when the going into last night's game, the Celtics in the series were shooting thirty two percent from three. The Knicks were shooting thirty three percent from three, and so both teams were down four or five points off their

season three point percentage. Both team star players Tatum and Brunson going into last night had not yet had that awesome game, that explosion game, and so much of analysis was, well, what's gonna happen when Tatum has this huge game? And my response to it was, I don't know, but what's gonna happen when Brunton has his huge game? And then they happened simultaneously, and the Knicks had control of that game.

And now in the series, the Knicks are shooting thirty three point nine percent from three and the Celtics are shooting thirty three point five percent from three, So almost identical for two teams that shot almost identical for the regular season. And the Knicks top six guys are all healthy prior to the Tatum injury, I'm saying, and the Celtics top six guys, you're missing Christaps essentially, like he can barely play, and when he plays, he hasn't been effective.

And I thought the Knicks last night, for people that hadn't watched them throughout the year and I understand all year long they couldn't beat the best teams, There's no doubt about that, but they were They weren't last year's Knicks that were just gonna try to grind you down when they they were an explosive offense, and Knights when Michale Bridges and Ognnobi are scoring, that team's got four legitimate scoring threats. And Brunton was awesome. Towns I thought

was really good. I mean, Towns was eleven of twelve from two and Bridges in the second half seemingly could not miss a mid range and the Knicks just looked freaking awesome. And so the the Tatum injury casts a pale pal Paul Castle, Paul, What's casts a pale over the game? I think, is what I'm trying to say. How about this? Did you say shadow works? Yeah, that's what I was. I should have just said shadow. I can pronounce that word, spell it too. The Tatum injury

casts a shadow over the game. But in my opinion, the one of the underrated stories of the Celtics blowing the Knicks out in Game three was Peyton Pritchard playing an a triple plus game, And is that I know, listen, pay for six Man of the Year is good player, but twenty three points on like eighty percent from the field or whatever he was is probably not gonna happen too many times. And the underrated story to me of this series that you saw last night was the Celtics.

Two old guys have looked a little old. Yeah in Alan Drew like they you know what I mean, they have they just and last night they were both non factors. You add to that that Jalen Brown little inefficient and as you you know, as usual loose with the ball, and you have a game that, after being down big, the Knicks find themselves up nine with three minutes left. And so I think the Knicks deserve massive, massive credit for what they did. And I want to add one

thing before we get to Brunson, and I can't. So after they went up two, Zho, I came on here and I said, the Knicks are going to the finals. I now believe the Knicks have a really good chance of winning the championship. Demonse, Yeah, I do.

than Shay, they can keep it rolling. The Nuggets do not. And the Nuggets having you know, these seven game wars potentially in round one and two if they get through it, and then they have that just pain in the ass Timbrelves team waiting for him who beat them last year, that wouldn't be a quick series. You just wonder because you're already seeing Joker leak a little bit of oil. And so I the Knicks could win the championship. Oh, by the way, one last next thing for where you

get to Brunson. So I'm watching the game last night, so let me give a little So I play in a relatively speaking, low stakes poker game that uh Hank Azaria and uh name drop. Apologies, but the guy who does the voices for two thirds of the Simpsons characters, great comedian actor all that. I got hooked up with him through Brian Koppleman, another name drop, the guy who created Billions and Rounders. And the reason I got hooked up with any of these guys is because Koppleman is

buddies with Bamani and Koppleman's a huge Jordan fan. And Koppleman hit up Bamani one night and was like, invite Nick to dinner. I want to argue with him about Lebron versus Jordan. And we did, and we became buddies, and he got me in their poker crew and they're great guys, like really cool, great guys. And it's a great poker game because again it's low stakes, so it's not like high stress. You don't have to worry about getting cheated. It's not there's none of the a lot

of the New York City home poker games. There's a lot of a lot of it's also a lot of sketchy elements, like people go to the games not necessarily for the poker, for the things around. Yes, and so

this is so this is better. So there's a guy at the game who's I don't I don't want to age him, but you know, I think probably late fifties, maybe early sixties, I'm not sure, but like cool looking, like wears like cool sunglasses and kind of wears his hair cool and just kind of One time flippantly talked about how he had just come back from London. I

was like, oh, why were you in London? And and again I don't want to give this too much of this guy's info because there's four huge soccer clubs in London, maybe more. And he's like, oh, I have a box, a luxury box at one of the most famous soccer teams. So I go every weekend they have a game, fly to London for the game, and fly back because I have a box at the game. Damn, congrats on all your success. And he was and he was like, oh, yeah,

you ever want to come? He was like, if you and your wife want to do a weekend in London, like, come, we'll go to the game. I'm like, I'm like, I don't know if that's a real invite or not, but yes, I'll do it. Never been to London. So I'm watching the game last night and on the sideline next to Tibbs is my pal another name drops. Sorry, I sound like an asshole, Gary Veey, Gary Vee with his two boys in the best seats in the house and the only seats better than Gary Vees once seet over, it's

my buddy from the Card Game. So I text another one of my buddies from the Card Game like, Hey, is that such and such. He's like, yeah, those are his season tickets. Like his season tickets. He's like, yeah, best seats at the house house in MSG. He'll take you whenever you want. I'm like, okay, I'm not gonna ask him to take me during the Knicks run to the finals. But I and and then he was like, yeah, he gives his pair of tickets to my son and one of his friends once a year. I'm like, this

guy might be the greatest guy. Why am I? Hey? Why am I friends with Kevin Wilds and not? This guy is unbelievable. I couldn't believe. It was truly unbelievable. All right, yeah, it was great. Ask the Brunton question.

he is. Yeah, so that's why, Yeah, that's that. That's what I was. I I had to build the whole bridge, Dan, I think they're now agreeing with me. I I think that he's pretty clearly the best Knick since Patrick Ewing, the best not the best player to play for the Knicks, but the best Nick since Patrick Ewing.

Remember one who did this five years ago? Was it fifty or old the top fifty? I think I did? Did I? I think I did? League MVPs League v But let's just yeah, let's just see if I can do it. Just go backwards for Champions twenty four Tatum and then again. So the question is this question? Is this uh all right? Because if Brunton wins the title, does he jump mellow in the all time hierarchy? And my answer is not yet. But then the question is lead guy on a champion? Which of these guys do

I have mellow ahead of? So now I'll just try to go backwards in history and do lead guys on champions twenty four Tatum Melos ahead of him, twenty three, Joker No. Twenty two, Steph No. Twenty one, Yannis No. Twenty Bronz nineteen Kawhi No. It's close though, because Kawhi's weird career eighteen seventeen Steph kt kt Steph No. No. Sixteen bron fifteen, Steph No. No. Fourteen Again Kawhi Duncan. Kawhi wasn't the best player on the team. I should

have just said Duncan but No. Thirteen twelve, Bron No. Eleven, Dirk No. Ten to nine, Kobe No. Eight, Garnet No. If you think Pierce my answers, yes, I do have mellow above Pierce. Sorry, Paul, so that's too maybe, but I think Garnett was the best player on that team. Seven Duncan No. Six, Wage Shack No. Five, Duncan No. Four, Chauncey Yes, so we're three uh three Duncan No. Two to one zero Again those are the years uh Shack No. Ninety nine, Duncan No. Ninety eight, ninety seven, ninety six,

Jordan No. Ninety five, ninety four, Akeem No. Ninety three, ninety two, ninety one, Jordan No. Ninety eighty nine, Isaiah No. Eighty eight, eighty seven, Uh Magic's slash Kareem No. Uh eighty six, Bird No. Eighty five, Magic Slash Careem No. Eighty four, Hold on a second here eighty four, Oh eighty four Magic Kaream Wait eighty five was magic kaream eighty four Celtics Bird No. Eighty three, Lakers Right eighty three Lakers eighty two six ers and seventy six ers

Moses Uh Doctor j No. Eighty one, Celtics No. Eighty Lakers No. And then you get to seventy nine eighty and you get to the weird ABA NBA Merger stuff, and you have the Wizard. So you'd in the last forty five years, I would. The only guys I had were Tatum, Pierson Chauncey. So I know my answer is no, he wouldn't yet be above mellow, but he would be root. But he's already a better nick and the real like if here's another question, No, he wouldn't even with a championship.

He's not above viewing either yet. But I mean the he now is is jailing. Here's another question. God, we're doing an hour on this game. I gotta get better at this stuff. Here's a better question. Maybe is Jalen Brunson now on the mount Rushmore of Knicks read Fraser Ewing are three locks. I think Brunson's four. Willis Reid's got finals MVPs. One of the greatest players ever, Walt Fraser. And again for the kids out there in the Demons,

you've heard of the Willis Reid game. The game Willis Reid was injured and he came out on one leg, hit two jumpers, crowd exploded. Thing about that game is those are the only two shots he made all game. He was too injured to play. The reason the Knicks won that game seven of those finals was because Walt Fraser had thirty six points and nineteen assists thirty six and nineteen and a game seven of the finals to win the championship. So Reid and Fraser are on there.

Ewing is on there. I think Brunson's now on there.

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and because of that, we o me. I overestimated them, because I thought that the Timberwolves were going to run rough shot over the Warriors. And I would love to sit here and be like, ah, this series would be the same as Steph Curry was playing. It sure don't feel like that. It feels like Minnesota has gotten an absolute gift from the fact that they are able to play. I think Minnesota, I know there's gonna sound idiotic. I think Minnesota has played mediocre or worse Demonsey in five

straight games. The close out game against the Lakers, I didn't think they played that well. And I don't think they've played great in any game this series, and they find themselves up three to one. Now where credit is due is Julius Randall. This entire postseason is rewriting what playoff Julius means. And Anthony Edwards after a couple shaky performances, you know it is getting back to being you know, unequivocally Anthony Edwards. But their role players have been disappointing.

The fact that they are their defense is letting a Warriors team without Steph Curry stick around in these games. Now, last night, I give him credit because last night they slammed the door. I know. They ended up winning only by seven, and the Warriors almost had another historic back door cover like if you didn't stay the Warriors back door cover in Game three, which was truly financially devastating

for me. After taking a break from betting the NBA playoffs, I got back on the horse four Game three, laid five and a half with Minnesota, only to see Draymond Green reportedly allegedly possibly say to his teammates spreads five and a half, and then they took a totally meaningless

three and then didn't foul and just crushed me. Last night, though they were up twenty midway through the fourth, so after you know, not being overwhelming early because it was what they were forget overwhelming, they were down two at halftime. They blitzed the Warriors in the third quarter to go up twenty going into the fourth, and then held that lead until, of course the very end. When I say devastating, if you weren't watching the end of this game, the

Timberwolves demanse are up eight with thirty seconds left. Again they're five point favorites. They then foul the lacrosse kid. He makes both free throws. I'm sorry they weren't up eight. They were up Wait, oh no, I this is so much worse than I was making it sound. Let me rephrase it. Timberwlves are five point favorites. They are up twelve with thirty seconds left twelve. They then foul the lacrosse kid makes both free throws. They then throw the

inbounds away. Guie Santos makes a three. There's now five seconds left. They're up seven. They then throw the inbounds pass away again and Quentin Post shoots a three. He misses it, but that would have been up twelve thirty seconds left. The team just basically dribbling it out to not covering a five point spread. Now, I didn't bet last night's game, so I couldn't even take advantage of that.

But whatever set that aside. I have been unimpressed by Minnesota and they better get up their level of play so dramatically for the next round. Uh. And then I know you have a Jimmy what's going on with that man?

the Bubble. Here were his points twenty eight, eighteen, twenty seven, six, forty thirteen, thirty, seventeen, seventeen, twenty fourteen, seventeen, twenty four, seventeen, twenty two, and then in the finals twenty three, twenty five, forty, twenty two, thirty five, twelve, and then two years ago when they made the finals U well, or even take that series against Boston that they lost in seven, here were his points forty one, twenty nine, eight, six, thirteen,

forty seven, thirty five. In the finals, he had the fifty six point game, in the forty two point game. He was unbelievable. But they I'm sorry that wasn't the finals. That's the first round. The next year, I because he made the finals that year. He had that unbelievable first round against Milwaukee where he scored thirty five, twenty five, thirty fifty six and forty two. The rest of the playoff run when they made the finals, he scored thirty one.

He scored thirty once. So he has these fluctuations, and he's banged up, and he's older. And so the sneaky thing for the Golden State that I think is relevant for them is what version are you getting of Draymond next year? I think that's a fair question to ask, all right, and we'll do more of a warrior's autopsy when their season finally ends. I do want to do the Draymond thing, uh briefly, so go ahead.

Draymond is describing. So let me explain. I think that black people men and women feeling like they aren't able to be as expressive, or as emotive or as passionate as their white counterparts is a real double standard that exists and has a real day to day impact on how black people the extra kind of onus on black people and how they carry themselves through the world, and something that white folks such as myself don't really worry about.

I think that's a real thing and a real problem, and I have real empathy for kind of the added extra stuff that black men and women in particular have to kind of think about in how they act in you know, majority white spaces and stuff like that. And if people hear this and like, ah, keep your woke bullshit to yourself, this podcast probably ain't for you if you can't handle these five minutes here. So I think

that's a real thing. And because I think that's a real thing, I think Draymond Green acting like that is what's happening to him with his technical and flagrant fouls is some of the most disingenuous bullshit from a recent NBA player, And I think the way it undercuts valid, legitimate claims as if the NBA is not as if there aren't a lot of black men to begin with in the NBA. There's not a lot of guys that

are passionate in the NBA. And for Draymond to act like he gets unfairly persecuted, when to my eye, it's the exact opposite. Draymond gets away with more explosions and eruptions at refs than any other player I can remember. And while guys like Rashid Wallace the refs had a crazy short temper with essentially they were waiting to give him a flat technical, Draymond, once he gets his first technical, is basically allowed to do anything other than dump the

gatorade on the ref's head. And he's not gonna throw him out. Go ahead, Demonse.

got it. That's he got the absolute most. He for a player that's not that great athletically compared to his peers, shoots like he's wearing a bat with heavy textbooks in it, and was a second round pick and is not that tall. He reached the absolute peak of what he ever could have been in this league. And he had to do it this way, and I respect that. But after Game seven against Houston, he came out and said, I was embarrassed about how I was acting. I needed to be better.

And then against Game two, it's a conspiracy against him, and you are invoking real, true, damaging stereotypes as a shield. I thought was embarrassing. All Right, we need to get to the other series and we need to get to the draft lottery. But first, guys, I'm going to these Knicks playoff games. I just am and I went on Saturday, I went to Game two against a T's right, and that's why I want to give the sponsor of today's show,

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to my history on seat geek. No oh no, this is for here we go. This is for Nicks. Uh, this is for Nick Celtics Game three or Game five? What would this be? I'm wrong about all of this. Sorry, Celtics Knicks. Game six is what I'm looking at. Game three is what I bought. I used my own promo code for my own tickets. Ten percent off any tickets

with promo code RTE ten Wright. Make sure you click the link in the description of the pod, download the app, and have the code automatically out into your account so you can use it later. Thank you to our friends at seat Geek. All right, demons, let's go to Nuggets Thunder and then do the draft lottery and then we got to go because it is a long show and you have to have to work.

their best. Jordan ninety to ninety eight never had a bad series, Lebron twelve to twenty twenty never had a bad series. Those are the only guys that that applies to. So it is not an indictment on Joker, and it's not that he's been bad this series, but that he's

not white playing up to his standards. It is a bummer because what's on the line for him is immortality, because this championship is wide open and Game four was there for the taking after scoring eight points in the first quarter, they were up six late in the third. And if he could despite the fact that he wasn't playing great, and if he could have just activated a bit in the fourth quarter and they go up three to one, they are in great position to potentially win

the championship. They're up three to one on OKC Minnesota. You can get revenge on them, and then you're staring at the Knicks. I believe in the finals. So he's not because listen, Shay has not been unbelievable. Luca is already out, Giannis is out. Nobody's going to dethrone him this postseason. Is the best player in the league. But he has a chance to get real immortal status, and that Game four was a missed opportunity, but he can

recapture it. And remember I said for the Nuggets. Now, they almost overachieved this goal, but I said the goal just keep shortening the series. You won game one, so then even if you lose Game two, it's now instead of a best of seven, it's the best of five. They won game three, so now even though they lost game four, instead of a best of five, it's a best of three. Go win tonight. And that way, if you lose game six, instead of a best of three, it's a best of one. Keep shortening the series on

Oklahoma City, which has issues of its own. Shay's been good ish, but not great. Jalen and Chet have had real problems, and so that to me is what needs to happen. I don't know. I don't really have demonte a strong lean for tonight. My only lean is, whoever wins Tonight's gonna lose Game six. I think this thing is going seven, okay, and I am super excited to see that. All Right, we did the lottery stuff off

the top of the show. Here's what I do want to say, lottery wise, the most Dallas is going to take Cooper flag. And if you want to hear about conspiracies, and you know, does the idea does this vindicate Nico. Nico's plan was not to trade Luca and then get the number one pick. Nico's plan was to trade Luca and contend for a championship this year, So it doesn't vindicate Niko. Was it it might give go ahead? Was

that his goal this year? He said that, Okay, he said it said our championship windows two to three years and it was including this year. But then Anthony Davis got hurt. He was saying, like, you know, Ad got hurt and Kyrie got hurt, but go ahead.

you guys, you guys. This is why I need to just trust myself, the Orlando Magic. Wait that's not right. Then, hold on a second. Maybe I don't need to just trust myself. Hold on a second. That would make sense. I thought the Magic it was a huge shocker. When oh, I have the year, I'm looking at the wrong year. That's the problem. Let me look at that, the top draft pick Shack. Okay, that's correct. The Magic that year won forty one games. They of all the teams that

missed the playoffs. Yeah, they had the worst lottery odds. I knew I was right, So maybe they didn't jump as many spots because how many teams were in the league. Then I gotta look. But the Orlando Magic, they got shack by winning the lottery. And then the very next year they had the worst lottery odds and they got they won the lottery again, I knew I was right about that. You guys, how many teams are in the league? Now,

you guys are really gonna bother me on this. In nineteen ninety three, there were seven teams in the Atlantic. There were seven teams in the Central so were at fourteen? Yeah, there were twenty eight teams in the league, So they went the Orlando Magic. It was a twelve team lottery because the Toronto Raptors and the what you McCall, it's the Vancouver Grizzlies didn't exist yet. It's twenty eight teams

in the league. The Orlando Magic. That year, there are twelve teams in the lottery and they ended up with the Were there twenty seven teams in the league? What's the other team? I'm forgetting? Then? What team was added that didn't exist before? What do I have wrong here? It doesn't matter teams they went from the So who's the other team. Now, I'm gonna be really bothered. Who's the team that didn't exist in ninety three other than the Raptors and the Timberwolves. Because I'm looking at this

and it says there's twenty seven teams. Oh, New Orleans added a team because there was twenty nine for a long time. So that's what it was. So those twenty seven teams. My point remains, not only have we seen a team jump ten spots, we have seen a team go from the worst lottery odds to winning it. It was rigged for Orlando, big deal with Disney. They wanted to everyone's so dumb. I remember these things. See this is the problem with working with the youth of America.

They weren't around for the ninety three draft lottery. I was it's a big deal. No you weren't. It was like, oh my god, they're gonna pair up Shack with Chris Webber. And then they're like, no, we're gonna trade Chris Webber for Penny Hardaway. The story is, is san Antonio gonna trade the pick to get whim to get Yannest. That's the story, and the I don't know what the answer that is, and I wish we had more time on it, but it's almost noon. I just I spent bad job

by me. I spent about five minutes recounting all of the best players on a championship team by memory instead of just looking it up. And then I forgot about NBA expansion. But that was really your guys fault, because you guys tried to convince me that this was the most shocking thing that happened in the lottery history when it obviously wasn't. When obviously it was the Orlando Magic going from the worst lottery odds to winning the lottery. And again, that's the thing with things that are one

in one hundred, they they come in sometimes. And the other thing with the NBA lottery again, if I must remind you, guys, is Daniel's now texting the Mavericks jumped ten spots, highest highest rise in draft lottery history. That's from Sports Center, Guys. I'm just here to tell you just because someone who probably went to this, you know, same high school class as Daniel tweeted something for ESPN's

Twitter account doesn't mean it we gotta fact check this stuff. Yeah, I'm blaming I'm blaming the youth of America.

is a disaster. Love you guys, Thanks Blue Dog, Thanks Volume, Thanks DraftKings, thanks Seek Geeks. See you guys. What's right