All right, welcome in What's Driving the Great Episode three point thirty nine. If you're watching on YouTube, you got a quick preview of what the show was going to be a moment ago. If you're just listening on iTunes or Spotify, we greatly appreciate that, or watching on YouTube
later in the day. We had slight technical difficulties in Los Angeles, but it's to maybe be expected this earlier than we've ever done the show in Los Angeles, but I don't actually think that had anything to do with it, because first things first, Early Today Live for you guys. Then we head to Miami for one year out from the World Cup celebration, and we could not be on the air for this episode of What's Right with Nick Right, presented to you by our good friends at boost Mobile
because last night was an utterly stunning result. We will get to that in a second, but first straight to voicemail, brought to you by boost Mobile. Bobby Witt Junior the player. According to anonymous IMA player poll, that is second most beloved by his fellow player as far as watching him play, only show Aotani has more people are interested in watching him play. Aaron Rodgers can't stand his new helmet. We knew that already and the state of American soccer, which
we could spend a lot of time on. However, we're not going to, just because last night's basketball game was to me as stunning of a game as we've had in the finals. Gosh, for my purposes in fifteen years, that to me was as stunning of a singular and I know it was only a five and a half point spread, but as stunning of a singular finals game as we've had since Game five of MAVs Heat in twenty eleven. And so we will get to all of that. Reminder to you guys, follow us on YouTube if you
don't mind. We're we're close to two hundred and ten thousand subscribers. Also subscribe on iTunes, Spotify. All of that demands is bravely repping his old school Shay Gilgess Alexander Jersey that was purchased I mean six five years ago, like right after the thunder got Shay, before he was anything close to an All star, much less a superstar. He's repping it right after they have their first, in
my opinion, truly devastating loss of the year. So let's get into First of all, proud of you, good job in that regard. Second of all, let's get into the game.
Yeah, so you said you said the Pacers had to win this game, and they went out there and win it.
Their role players showed up.
Okay, ces role players did little for them, shave and kind of underwhelmed a little bit. Do you think that that performance is replicable for the Pacers?
Well, what I think is this. I think we have something now that I never thought we were gonna have, which is a real series that could go either way. And I'm shocked Indy won that game. And I know I shouldn't be, because again, five and a half point underdogs win all the time. It's not like and they were at home. And I understand all of that, I really do, And if I the only solace I have, I suppose from a personal perspective, in all, you know
my terrible poker results from last week in Vegas's. Had I not had terrible poker results last week in Vegas, I almost assuredly would have fired considerably on the thunder to win this basketball game. Because I have bought in.
I have bought in the the twenty twenty five Oklahoma City thunder as far as singular seasons are an all time team that Indiana did not have an answer for Shay And as we talked about I think pretty intelligently on Tuesday, it is just so hard, unless you have the best defense in basketball to win a championship if your best player is a pass first guy, if he's
not a just go get you a bucket guy. And we talked about it on Tuesday that the greatest point guards we've seen in the history of this league, aside from Magic Johnson, were not able to crack that code if they were listen. Steph did it. Obviously he's not a pass first guy. Zeke did it. He could have scored more, but also had the best defense in basketball.
But Jason Kidd or Chris Paul or hell Oscar Robertson before he had a Keeam or Bob Coosey before he had Russell, Steve Nash, those guys, It's just so hard because you are going to come again across a team who's best guy can go get a bucket whenever he wants And how do you answer that? And again, I'm not acting as if the Pacers have won the series.
I am acting as if however, we now have a series, and now all of a sudden, the Pacers have a game to play with The Pacers demonse go into Game four, and I'm sure they won't view it this way, but it's a house money game. They go into Game four saying, all right, if we win, we have a vice scrip on this series. And if we lose, we already know we can win in Oklahoma City. And unlike Game one, which you give the Pacers credit for their heart and their grit and all of that, Game one, however, let's
be honest, felt fluky. It felt like, Okay, Oklahoma City took their eye off the ball for just a minute, and the Pacers stormed through that door.
Say if this is what they do when they get they get in those late game situations and they can overcome it.
I think they did it again.
So but that's not what they did here.
Oh yeah, this not in this game. I'm talking about Game one.
Ok yeah, So here, here's why I'm saying. It didn't feel fluky that they hit. You know, that Halliburton hit the game winner. That didn't feel fluky. What felt fluky was the fact that Oklahoma City led seconds into the game the Pacers never closed the gap. That it was a fourteen point game in the fourth quarter and it was I and all of a sudden, the Pacers have a chance to steal it. And you're right, that was the fourth time they've done that in these playoffs. I
get that. So maybe fluky's the wrong word, Jeeves, but not they weren't gonna win four games that way. They were not gonna win four games where Oklahoma City dominates the game and then they come roaring back like they've won one game a series that way. And then Game two, when Oklahoma City dominated from start to finish, that felt to me much more indicative of the game we were going to get, where the Pacers are good but Oklahoma City's great, and instead everything you wanted to see from
Indiana they did. They did bother shay More Halliburton was more aggressive, Siakam was more efficient, and the star of the game Benedict Mathern, who has had such an interesting playoffs. So Matherine who the Pacers beat Demond because they never tank, don't have a lot of super high draft picks on their team, and in fact, I think, like I don't know if it's franchise history like the last thirty years or something, but there's only two guys that they have
drafted in the top nine or something. I'm gonna get that those details a little wrong, but it's about that Mathern and a kid who's hurt, and Matherin was kind of it looked like, oh wait, is he gonna be odd man out win? In the Cleveland series, Game four, he basically gets a DMP coaches decision. Game five, he only plays eleven minutes. Then against the Knicks Game two, eleven minutes, zero points, Game three, eight minutes, two points,
and it looked like Carlisle was souring on it. And then Mathern has had in the last six games three just unbelievable stat lines off the bench. Game four against the Knicks twelve minutes, twenty points, Game five against the Knicks twenty five minutes, twenty three points, and then last night Game three against the Thunder twenty two minutes, twenty seven points. And I'm gonna pull it up so we have it exactly. But since he was basically looked like,
oh man, is Carlisle done with him? In the six games since then, Benedict Mathern has played one hundred and six minutes and scored ninety three points. The guy is basically a point a minute over his last six games. None more important or noteworthy than last night when nobody had an answer for him, when he just he was the X factor off the bench for them, and all I'm just so yes, listen, TJ McConnell did TJ McConnell things. And he loves getting those steals in the back court.
You know, he's just us up a white man's Jose Alvarado, like I'm gonna play this scrappy style, I'm gonna annoy you. He doesn't. He doesn't go out of bounds and and trick people like that. But he's a past And one of his steals, the one where he just caught the inbound pass and laid it up, was one of the dopest things. That was one of the coolest mini highlights of the season. Yeah, he just jumped up and grabbed and laid it up right there again.
Couple.
Yeah, And so he had he made three baskets, I feel like they were and he had five steals. So TJ McConnell off the bench, five steals, Obi Toppin off the bench four of five from two and some big rebounds. And Ben Matherin man nine of twelve, got to the free throw line eight times, which is another thing he did against the Nick. He drew foulsand got to the line. He's plus sixteen and twenty two minutes.
Give is okay? See another thing to have to worry about one.
Hundred percent and credit where it's due to Halliburton, because Halliburton the point that I made. Now, let me just be clear here, my playoff bracket and my playoff predictions are in shambles. I have been wrong about three series picks more this playoffs than any playoffs I can remember. And bet of the Year, which we'll get to later, is on life supports. It's truly on life support. My in series analysis has been far better.
And one of the points that I'm excuse me, I apologize. One of the points I made after game two was the Pacers need to recognize you are not playing.
A good shot, good shot, great shot team. You are playing a bad shot, decent shot. Take the shot. And it felt like Halliburton understood that. That Haliburton, when his teammates go five of twenty one from three, when aside from Mathern nobody hits more than one three when aside from Siakam, none of the other starters really seem like they have it offensively, he understood, I've got to be a little more aggressive looking for my own shot, and
he did. Now he's still the ball was still popping and moving, and he's still had his eleven assists, and he's a rebound shy of a triple double. But he was a little more aggressive offensively. And here's the other thing the Pacers do, man, They wear your ass out where they are. And the part of this is because Carlisle trusts the bench like it is remarkable demons that
in a basketball game. That keep in mind, I thought the thunder kind of stole the game a sneaky what could have been a sneaky huge moment was the very end of the third quarter when the Pacers are up one with thirty five seconds left and Check gets a
dunk and one. Now they're up to McConnell misses a you know, like a five footer, and then j Dubb hits a three basically at the core buzzer, and it went from oh, the Pacers are gonna have the lead going into the fourth to the Pacers are down five going into the fourth and then it didn't you know, they crushed him in the fourth thirty two to eighteen. But the fact that Halliburton, in what I felt was a gotta have it, must win game that was nip
and tuck really throughout. He only played thirty six minutes. Like Halliburton has not played forty minutes in a regulation playoff game this year, which is maybe one of the reasons he's so good at the end. But it de testament to the Pacers that they're able to do that have their best player on the bench and not get blown out. And the Thunder at the end of this game were the tired team.
Like Indiana seemed like they switched identities with okay See, Yes, as far as defense, Indiana is a.
Lot more suffocating. They're flying around.
Okay See was obviously still playing decent defense, but it just seemed like the Pacers had a lot more energy on defense.
Well, it looked like he hadn't played in the fourth quarter at all.
The listen Pacers thirteen steals, Thunder six Pacers, fourteen turnovers, Thunder just nineteen All Right'm sorry, Thunder nineteen, not just nineteen they Pacers won the points off turnovers battle twenty one to fourteen. They won the fast break points battle seventeen to ten. Like a lot of these metrics that the Thunder have been eating off of, and those aren't really metrics. Those are just kind of old school stats
eating off of all year, the Pacers won. And for the Pacers to win that game, when Jadub plays that well, man oh Man, like, because I thought Jalen Williams was excellent.
He played well.
I also thought no, no, no. I also thought, for the first time this series, and one of the only times all playoffs, it felt like Daggonall was struggling to find who on my bench do I trust. He threw Isaiah Joe in there. Isaiah Joe hit a couple of threes in a couple minutes. He didn't go back. Aaron Wiggins didn't have it, Caruso didn't have the impact he'd been having. It was probably Hartenstein's worst game of the playoffs.
And so even though Cason Wallace played well, Dort played well, Jada played excellent, and we'll get to Shay and Chet in a second, but you can't say either one of those guys was herrrific, like neither one of those guys like had just awful awful games. Indy stormed back and then was in firm control for the second half of that fourth quarter. They take the lead with eight minutes left after being down five going into the quarter and never relinquish it and stretch it at one point all
the way up to eight points. And credit to the officials, by the way, for not going flagrant.
Fact yes, yeah, because it would have that all on the broadcast to a.
Sea which was weird. Like I but again I don't know the broadcast. It doesn't matter point that like, because that was it was a terrible Haliburton turnover, probably his worst moment of the game. And you're up eight with three minutes left with the ball, you get a bucket. The game's basically over. What you can't allow is the live ball turnover transition layup all of a sudden at six still, what you really can't allow is a four or five point possession, which is what could have happened
if they would have called a flagrant. They didn't call a flagrant, and I listen, I thought, Indiana, if I'm being totally honest, and then we'll get to the okayc side of things was as funny as odd as this is Demond's because they've they've been so good when they've been trailing. I thought Indiana was a little shaky on
their their late game execution. So with three minutes left, you have or a two and a half minutes left, I guess was the Halliburton turnover, and then almost the flagrant the next possession, Miles Turner turnover the next possession, kind of an early in the shot clock Nie Smith three. Siakam then makes a bucket, calms things down. But then you're up eight with a minute left and you commit a dumb foul that you can't do that. The next possession you commit a foul. Haliburton upset he doesn't get
the call and they commit a foul. You're up seven with thirty five seconds left, like and the balls eighty feet from the basket just don't foul. So there were a few moments late where it looked like Indiana nem Harden committed a foul with seventeen seconds left. Again, those things didn't end up mattering, but they could have. But overall, man, what a what a performance, And it is not lost on me that I said, this was to me the most shocking singular Finals game for me since Game five
twenty eleven MAVs heat. And the coach of the team that pulled off that upset and the coach of the team that pulled off this upset are the same guy, Rick Carlisle, who I imagine once the Finals are over, the Knicks are gonna say, hey, can we interview him?
So?
Uh DEMONDI. One of the questions from.
The chat, oh yeah, so, anonymous three to five four says Nick, what do you think has been the issue with a lot of pundits getting behind the Pacers is a good team?
A and I's three five four. I've been there with you, but go ahead.
So listen. I don't think people have denied that the Pacers are a good team. I do think people have. I think it's fair to say people have not acted as if the fact that they have the second best record in basketball since and I don't think I've lost consecutive games since January one. I think that people have dismissed that, maybe a little more than they should have.
But I think this was less about a dismissal of Indiana and more about a reverence for Okac, who, if we're being honest, through two games, controlled ninety six percent of this series ninety six minutes played. OKC led for ninety one, was tied for two and a half, and trailed for two Like that's but yesterday was not that. We'll get to the Okac side in a second. But first, the NBA Finals are here. This is your last chance
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All right, demons, let's get to the OKC side of things.
You're better of the year, okay, seys one and a half.
Well, the series is struggling, so okay, see, he just needs to win every single game in a row to close out the series. How do you think that bet to cash one hundred percent? How do you think that Okayc's gonna respond now that the pressures on them?
They are going back to Indiana?
All right? I know this is cliche. I understand that this might be too simplistic for some of the more erudite members of NBA Twitter, but I don't care. Game four is about one guy and one kind of one other guy, and that one guy is shit. Shay was mediocre yesterday. He was nine of twenty. He didn't get
all the Shay calls that he's used to. He turned the ball over a half dozen times times, he was targeted a fair amount defensively, and he never even had like that stretch of the game where it's like, oh a Shay Gilgess Alexander individual seven to zero run. He is the league in MVP. He had scored seventy two points in the first two finals games. He came into this game with I think the seventh highest finals average
for a single series in league history. He had, you know, he came into this game averaging thirty six a game and really being not just the best player on the court, but head and shoulders markedly better than whomever the second best player was. And then yesterday he had an off night. You don't kill him for it, You absolutely, unequivocal, do not kill him for it. But the pressure is on him. In game four, we the best player in the league.
Conversation was starting. We were already. I tried to Demanse thought that I was too premature, and he might have ended up being right. Some of Demand's playoff takes might end up aging a lot better than mine.
Go back and watch.
Yeah, because after what was it? It was Game four against Minnesota when I just basically did the thunder have won the championship but they're not a dynasty yet? The show Yeah, and you were like, can we slow down a bit? And I was like, no, we can't. I think Thunder have won the title now. Demand wanted to pump the brakes on me. A couple of weeks ago
doing that. I can't imagine how he felt watching Sports TV, you know, Monday and Tuesday when forget the thunder of won this title, the thunder have won the next few like we were a full fledged dynasty discussion in a lot of places. And by the way, I still think the thunder are gonna win the series.
Crazy.
You think that's crazy right now? You would pick Indiana.
I'm picking Indiana.
That's I think they're gonna Honestly, this is probably just emotion. I just don't want okay See to win. I want the Pacers to win it. I like the Pacers a lot more. But and I do truly think the Pacers.
Can win it.
I don't think that in the next game exactly what happened this last game will happen, but the other players that didn't play to their best standard can make up for the math room or the TJ McConnell. I think TJ McConnell's game is pretty replicable. But yeah, I feel pretty strongly about it.
Okay, if you're listening on iTunes or Spotify, that commentary from Demonte made total sense. If you're watching on YouTube, it might be a little confusing, as he is saying, I just want Indiana to win while proudly wearing his SGA jersey. So it might be somewhat there might be a little a little es right, so the that so I credit to you for that take. I still think okay See is better and I still think that they are. While my minus two and a half or minus a
game and a half take is in trouble. Okay Se still should should have in their back pocket a game seven in their building, where they have lost two playoff games all year, both on buzzer beaters. However, in order to get to a game seven, they have to win a game in Indiana and that and Shae is the guy that in that context has to be better than he was not in this series or in this postseason. But then he has then he was last night. The other guy who I'm going to, you know, shine a light on.
A bit.
Is the highest drafted player on this team and the guy a lot of people thought Shae obviously has superseded this but had the highest upside of any of these guys, at least as prospects. And that's Chet. Now, listen, Chet last night was six of nine inside the arc eight of nine from the free throw line gave you twenty and ten. You can't kill Chet for his performance last night at all. What's odd for him this series is he just can't hit his three. He's now one for
ten in the series. From three last night took six of them. And Jalen Williams had been consistent but inefficient in this series prior to last night. Last night he was good. He was fifty percent from the field, and from three last night was Jalen Williams was the best player on the Thunder. Game four, Shay's got to be exceptional and Chet's just got to make a few rain shots. I think they can. I think they will. What do you think, Demande.
I don't know.
If I'm guessing you haven't looked. What do you think the line for Game four is in Indiana?
I'd say Indiana. Uh, it's okay, okay, see minus three.
Okay, see minus six? Jesus Vegas? Is they okay? See is minus two twenty for the series? Still they're minus six in this game. I'm telling you the like DraftKings and Vegas do not believe. And now minus two twenty isn't minus seven hundred, which is where okay s was to start the series. But they still think okay See is in very good shape. Mine it Like, let me put it like this, minus two twenty would still be one of the seven biggest finals upsets ever, Like what
okay See is favorite by right now? Down to one losing that would be the seventh biggest finals upset of all time. I and here's the other thing. I'm really excited to see what Shay has for us here because Jokic is not the right example in this because Jokic in his one NBA Finals, they lost game one, but then first of all, that Heat team was wildly overmatched, and second of all, they you know, they then won
four straight. Yannis's one NBA Finals, however, is an interesting one where they're down two to Phoenix and he responds with a forty one thirteen to six, then a twenty six fourteen to eight, then a thirty two nine and six including I think that was the game with the alley the steal by Drew in the alley oop, and then of course game six he had the fifty and fourteen, Like how does the MVP scoring champ leader of the team, uh? How? And the Daniels reminded me Denver lost game two, not
game one. But the point kind of remains, even after losing game two, they were never really in jeopardy. They were never they never even more to the point, they never trailed in the series. Thank you, Daniel, I forgot that. I just knew they lost one of the first two. But how does Shay respond? Now you can say, well, how did he respond when they were trailing in the series against Denver? And the answer to that question is responded decently. He wasn't great in that game four that
they won. He had twenty five on eight of nineteen, but then he was exceptional the final three games of that series, after it was two to two, and then after falling down a one to Denver, they beat Denver by forty points. But there's a different type of pressure. This is a different situation.
And they need to win convincingly.
Huh, Like I feel like if this is a close game, and like Indiana just has that, you know, the mindset of all these games are gonna be close that I think that they can they can bite okay see and catch them slacken again.
Oh so you okay? I thought you meant they need to win convincingly rather than just win a close one for like morale purposes. You're saying that they need if it's if they're not up big there, they risk blowing it at the end.
Yeah, they is blowing it again, I think it. No, I honestly think they should. They have to try to take some of the PACER's confidence away. If it's a close game, then the Pacers are gonna feel like they're in it the entire time, which they are.
But well, I'm I'm really impressed by the pacers stamina. Now, part of this is that the bench that they're playing all of it.
But Shay.
One of the brilliant things about Shay is the dude never looks tired, never.
Like seconds after he falls down by himself.
Yeah, that part's true, but he never He's never like dripping in sweat, you know what I mean. He always seems very in control. Yesterday, at the end of the game, we saw some hands on your knees type of stuff, and that is what the Pacers do to you. And so I am listen, I can't front on this. I just have to be totally candid. I am shocked we're able to actually analyze this series you guys know what I thought that I thought it could be four to oh,
that I thought it would be for to one. That I thought the worst case scenario for OKAC was four to two. And listen, that's still on the board. Four to two is still is. I wouldn't be shocked if OKAC wins the next three. But man, last night's game, I did not see coming from a mile away. And people can say it's bad analysis by me, whatever it is, I don't care, like I just have to be honest with the audience. I did not see that coming from a mile away. All right, let's we'll get into the
Knicks head coach stuff in a second. But first, you ever sign up for a phone plan thinking wow, what a price, and then a few months later it's like surprise, bill's higher. With boost mob our friends. At boost Mobile, you pay twenty five dollars a month forever unlimited talk, text data starting at just twenty five dollars a month, no price hikes, no contract forever Plus. Boost Mobile is now a legit nationwide five G network. They've invested billions
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remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan. All right, demons, let's go to the Knicks head coaching search and a few other things before I have to get out of here, because we're doing first things first early today.
So the Knicks were asking a bunch of coaches who already had jobs to be their next coach after firing Tivs. Seems like that has not worked out so far. You said that you haven't closed the door on kid being the coach. How do you see it playing out now that all these teams have said no to them?
All right? Can I listen? This might sound Devil's advocaty, but can I make the case for the Knicks here?
All right?
If you're not worried about that it looks like embarrassing? What's the harm in asking? So they have now asked and been rejected as far as not necessarily by the coach but by the team for the Rockets with Udoka, the MAVs with Kid, the Timberwolves with Finch, the Hawks with Quinn Snyder. And there's one other one that I'm forgetting. I know there's been it's been five teams, the producers maybe, oh, Billy Donovan with the Bulls. So they have asked about
five head coaches. Now. That seems haphazard and it seems amateurish. I understand that. But this is the argument that I would make on the Knick's behalf if they've known all along, Hey, assistant coach X is someone we are comfortable with. Brew has talked a lot about Johnny Bryant. Let's just use him as a placeholder. He used to be here. Are players liked him? He didn't get the Sun's job right.
They feel that way. They also feel confident that no other coaches getting fired, like the There's only two teams left playing, so it'd be kind of and obviously Daggon, Alton Carlisle aren't getting fired, so they don't have to worry about anybody potentially jumping them in the line for one of those assistant coaches. If they have that in their back pocket, what's the problem being like Hey, awesome coach, why we'd love to talk to you. Are you interested
in talking to us? And the team saying no, you can't. They're like, okay, no harm in asking. There is a there is an element of this that I gotta say, I almost respect the humility. Well, I mean, I don't know if it's humility, but like the the lack of shame in that. Hey, Like, I really there's a If I'm an NBA coach at this point and the Knicks haven't asked to talk to me, I'm a little offended.
And like, if you're Eric Spolstra or Joe Missoula, are you not like, hey, what you don't want to talk to me?
Well?
That is insane? Well, I spols was a funny one because obviously pat Riley, you know, was that go to the Knicks. He now runs the heat there. But they're no, Suppo's not going anywhere, Missoula is not going anywhere. curR is not going anywhere. I understand all that. I but I'll tell you who and again he they would get rejected.
But my buddy who I just saw uh for the first time in a few months, Uh Tylo when I was out in Vegas, if yeah, the tylu Yeah, Kansas City's own you know, US US US native Kansas Citians we got. I mean he's from Mexico City, Missouri. But still, uh, Tyleru's gotta feel like, where's my ask? Why haven't you asked Balmer to interview me? Now? I don't Again, I think Balmer would say no, here's the thing, and this is where I am serious. What is the harm? What
is it? And for everyone making fun of then and I'm not a Knicks fan, but for everyone making fun of the Knicks on Twitter, someone finished the thought, this is awful because dot dot dot they look disorganized.
I mean you go ahead, oh yeah, you fired your coach and you like had kind of basically no plan and you can't find one. But you're saying that they had an assistant coach over there that they trusted in that scenario, I guess it does make sense.
Yeah, and not necessarily one of their own assistants, but an assistant somewhere else in the league. Here's the thing. Most teams fire when they fire their coach. It's not because they knew who the next coach is going to be. It's because they don't want that guy to be their coach anymore.
But I guarantee you most of the candidates that they're asking for aren't currently employed.
Well right, they're they're not setting their sites high enough, I guess. Like but when that when the Nuggets fired Michael Malone, they did not know who that Dave Adelman was going to get that job. They knew he was gonna be interim and then they were gonna do a coaching search. Now, because they played well in the postseason, they felt they didn't need to do a coaching search. And so if people want to argue they shouldn't have fired TIBs, so be it. I think they might be
right about that. I also understand, and this was the analogy I used on uh the show Yes Yesterday. The Kansaity Chiefs won double digit games and won the division basically every year with Alex Smith, but they felt like there was a hard ceiling, so they were going to take a risk trade up for you know, a rookie quarterback, and then after he had basically no experience whatsoever, trade away Alex Smith, knowing our floor might get way lower, but we want a chance to win a championship. Now.
That guy ended up being the greatest quarterback to ever live in Patrick Mahomes. So it worked out beautifully. But or the on a much briefer scale, the Minnesota Vikings with Sam Darnold, like, yeah, we won fourteen games, we made the playoffs. We want a chance, though, to be great, so we're going to move on from you to me. He is the logic with what they did with TIBs.
They felt like, you're a good coach, but we are not going to win four straight rounds if we don't with this roster, if we don't get an upgraded coach. So we're gonna roll the dice, and the first dice. You know, the first half dozen dice rolls are.
You know?
They they went after the best and the brightest. I don't I think it is a weird look. I don't think it actually as a tangibly negative impact on them. All right, let's talk Katie and Giannis.
Yanna's shut down any trade rumors that there were a circulating sin that he would like to be in Milwaukee next year and win a championship. So that makes the Katie sweepstakes much more interesting. And Sham's reported that Houston's San Antotio Miami Minnesota and the Knicks are all interested. Which team would you see Katie suiting up for? All right, Jianna is just waiting for Katie. But pick a team so see where he should go.
So I'm not ready to say the y honest thing's done. I don't think the honest thing is guaranteed that he's asking for a trade. But I certainly don't think it's guaranteed that he's staying in Milwaukee. But the y honest trade is going to be more complicated and in two thirds of the league are going to be interested. There seems to be a lot of smoke surrounding Durant and the Spurs. That's a fun one that I'm interested in, But I do not think that team can win a championship.
I just don't think Wimby is ready yet to.
Be Kevin Durant's goal.
What a question do you not think it is?
I mean, he wants to go play in San Antonio, it doesn't necessarily seem like it is. I don't think that he thinks that he's the missing piece from Santi Tonio getting to a championship.
Well, and to be fair, we don't know where he wants to go.
Play but this San Antonio, but it seems like go ahead.
I'm sorry, no, I mean, listen, the Spurs. It's not like if he were to go to Miami and pick Miami, then I would say he's not that worried about winning a title because they can't win. You know, with respect to him, you'd have to give up something for him, even if you've got a hero and bam, that team's not good enough. The Spurs, Castle's good, Dearn Fox is
really good, Wimby has unlimited upside. And if Durant still feels like and I'm the you know, fifth best player in the NBA, even if he's closer to the fifteenth best player in the NBA, Like, it's not like he'd be going somewhere where they have no shot whatsoever. The So the Spurs to me are interesting, but it wouldn't put them over the top. I am those other three teams. You could maybe convince me on any of them that, man, that team could win the title if you took away
Jalen Green's minutes and gave them to Kevin Durant. They beat the Warriors, like, that's that's not even to me a question. They beat the Warriors, and then they have a real you know what I mean, a real shot next year, Shongoon a little better. You know, you're gonna have a great defense with Udoka Like that, to me, that team is really interesting. Now that's the perfect, y
honest team. But Houston is really interesting. Anthony Edwards plus Durant, if Ant can level up just a touch, that one's interesting. And the n I don't think the Knicks necessarily would be better than the Knicks with Durant, wouldn't necessarily better be better than Houston or Minnesota with Durant, but because one's in the East and ones in the West, like the Knicks, would be a really fascinating one and one that I would be really interested in seeing how it
plays out. I do think KD has at least one more elite year left in the tank. And I also think people need to understand because of his contract, he's not easy to trade. So like the idea, I know that Shams has said, or Shams has said, there are wild card suitors. You gotta find wild card suitors that aren't second apron and can get the salaries together and all of that, And so I would imagine just my guess that one of the wild card shuters is the Clippers.
That'd be a very hard trade to pull off. And that's when I wouldn't like, Yeah, i've seen Durant with Harden, I'm not and like Kawhi's an injury risk, Durant's an injury risk. I'd like to see Durant be the old VET on a young team, like you know what I mean. I think that would be I think that would be fun. But Durant is one hundred percent getting traded. Yannis might get traded, and then we'll see what the other moves are.
All right?
Do we have a couple listener questions, Demonse, we can get too quickly before I got to get out of here.
Uh yeah, we'll catch ass which is more likely Thunder coming back or Demonte's rec lead team turning it around. What's the answer, I'd honestly say Demands's league team turning it around. Wow, I think that the Pacers. I just think the Pacers are gonna win this series.
Man, that would be great. Can I just say something else? And I'm gonna bring I'm gonna bring my art pods set up with us to Miami and if the Pacers win game four Friday night all do sometimes Saturday morning, some emergency pod type of thing. It would be awesome if the Pacers win. I'm like, I don't think they're going to, but it would be awesome. Joseph says, what's up with the gun show today? Demonse looking all jacked. You know what's so funny? And this is a compliment, demonsey,
don't take this the wrong way. I actually was thinking the opposite. I was like, you need to hit those push ups. You're not as this no for real, like again, like I mean, you're in great shape and a great athlete, but just for like when I saw you in your jersey, I'm like, oh demons than he was a few months like, appreciate.
Than Joseph.
Sorry, but all right, Nick, right, muse what did he say? Tomase quick grammar.
Check for Nick. I know Nick will appreciate this. He said change tech a couple of times now on First Things First and the Herd, and it's changed tech.
Really it's so that, thank you. I do appreciate that. I have said they need to change their tacked tact and he's saying that the phrases it needs to change tack which is T A c K. I didn't know that. I'll look up why that is. I had no idea, all right. Appreciate the Blue Dock and Volume folks for fixing our technical difficulties. Appreciate Boost Mobile for sponsoring the show, for DraftKings for being great. Uh, and everybody out west for getting up early.
Uh.
Stay safe. I'm heading the first things first, then to Miami. We will talk to you guys, maybe Saturday morning, maybe Monday morning, definitely Tuesday morning, see you guys. Then we'll try