Mark Willard & Ephraim Salaam Talk Cooper Flagg's Looming Decision, Shedeur's Draft Stock & More!

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
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Speaker 2 (00:02):
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Tyraq dot com the way tied buying should be.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
I don't know if you've noticed this through the years
of us doing this, Ephraim, I kind of use this
as a Sunday night with someone I think is a
very smart person. It's a little bit of a okay,
it's a reboot. It's kind of a little therapy mixed
in let's get ready for the week ahead.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
Right.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
And so when people say sometimes they go what would
Jesus do? Sometimes I like to play what would Ephram do?

Speaker 4 (01:00):
First of all, how you doing, I'm getting the man
good evening?

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Okay, So let's let's put your let's put your Cooper
flag shoes on, okay, and tell me what wud he
from do?

Speaker 5 (01:10):
We talked about this. So you you do know we
do a weekly show, right, I've heard about it and
it's a pretty good weekly show. And so I remember
maybe a wee uh, maybe two weeks ago, we were
having a conversation and I made a comment of I'm

(01:34):
not sure sure he's leaving yep, And you.

Speaker 3 (01:38):
What why why?

Speaker 5 (01:38):
Well, you know, and I was explaining right, Number one,
his price tag is gonna increase. Makes about six million
in IO right now, that'll go up to probably close
to ten h And he's on the second year of
a two year shoe contract, which we'll expire if he
stayed in college after next season and r after his

(02:02):
rookie year in the NFL, I mean NBA. So I said,
I can see him staying. Number one, he'll make more money.
Number two, when he does leave and enter the draft,
he'll still be the top pick in the draft, and
he'll be a free agent. When it comes to shoes, Now,

(02:22):
what that does is it allows you to enter the
market at a high before you even play. You can't
enter the shoe market any higher outside of coming in
and being a perennial All Star and so on and
so forth. So business wise, why wouldn't I enter my

(02:44):
rookie year as a top pick in the draft with
the brand new two hundred, two hundred and ten million
dollar shoe contract, which whichever shoe that is. Now, given
what happened yesterday, I'm one hundred percent coming back because

(03:09):
just listen, I am those other two five star freshmen.
Where are they projected to go? And I think this
is what a lot of people are not understanding in
terms of it's no coincidence that guys end up at

(03:30):
college together as freshman phenoms. There's no coincidence that they
all end up in one place because there's communication being had.
I can promise you they talked about winning the national
championship together and riding off into the sunset. I can

(03:52):
promise you they felt like this was an opportunity where
they were going to do that because they were phenomenal team.
Cooper Flag is by far the best player in college
and so that didn't happen, and it didn't happen the
way it didn't happen, And you can just see on

(04:14):
the face of Cooper and what's the other kid's name,
the other two guys, two other freshmen, Well.

Speaker 2 (04:20):
All right, I'm not even going to tell you because
you're making you're making my rebuttal point. But anyway, go ahead, No, No,
it's fine, it's fine.

Speaker 3 (04:28):
What is it?

Speaker 5 (04:32):
But that's the that's the whole point. They may not
be anything to us, but to each other. That's the difference.
What AAU has taught us is that brotherhood, that bond
is a real thing.

Speaker 4 (04:46):
And if you guys said, look, it's not like they're
not making money.

Speaker 5 (04:51):
Of course, it's not like, oh I gotta go because
I gotta go feed my family.

Speaker 4 (04:57):
That is not the case.

Speaker 2 (04:58):
I'm asking you because I I do acknowledge that there
is a.

Speaker 3 (05:02):
Decision to be made.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
However, I will caution like, just because you have dreams
of being a national champion and just because you think
you have the best players, Listen, I'm gonna go to
bed tomorrow night still thinking Duke was the best team.
But they didn't win, and in fact, they outplayed Houston
the entire night, the entire night, and then ninety seconds

(05:26):
went the wrong way. Ninety seconds went just completely erroneously
for Duke.

Speaker 3 (05:33):
A lot of it was their own doing.

Speaker 2 (05:35):
I thought that over the back call on Cooper flag
was a terrible call. These are the things that happen.
This is the nature of college basketball. You've got a
one and done tournament, and you can't have a bad ninety.

Speaker 3 (05:47):
Seconds against the wrong team at the wrong time. You can't,
or it's gone.

Speaker 2 (05:51):
And so I would think real long and hard if
I'm Cooper Flag about what is my actual goal and
how likely and attainable are all these goals?

Speaker 3 (06:05):
And now you and I can't sit here and answer
that tonight.

Speaker 2 (06:08):
I have no idea where that sits on on his
list in terms of of of money shoes, national championship.
And what I'd like to add to the conversation is
who gets the number one pick? Like, to me, that's
one of the very compelling things.

Speaker 4 (06:25):
And that's exactly right.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
If Utah gets the number one pick. I played for Duke.
I play for Duke. I'm not going to Washington. That
one's interesting.

Speaker 3 (06:38):
Number one pick. I hear you, I hear you.

Speaker 2 (06:41):
But at least it's the nation's capital, a major market.

Speaker 5 (06:44):
Sto Washington bullet or excuse me, the Bullets.

Speaker 4 (06:52):
No, Washington Wizards is not a major market.

Speaker 5 (06:55):
Well, I mean it's okay, yeah, no, I hate it's
so if the now there's the caveat if San Antonio
gets the first pick in the draft.

Speaker 3 (07:06):
Now we're cooking, guys.

Speaker 4 (07:07):
I really love playing with you guys, exactly, but I'm
about to go play with somebody who no one has
on their team.

Speaker 2 (07:15):
Well, let me throw some teams at you, cause we
mentioned And by the way, I've got the current NBA
Tankathon lottery odds in front of me right now, and
there are three teams that have equal fourteen percent chances
to get the top pick in the NBA Draft, So

(07:35):
forty two percent chance that one of these three teams
has the number one overall pick. Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards,
and the Charlotte Hornets. Are any of those getting Cooper
Flag out of college?

Speaker 3 (07:50):
No? Okay.

Speaker 2 (07:51):
Next on the list of twelve and a half percent
New Orleans Pelicans.

Speaker 3 (07:55):
No okay.

Speaker 2 (07:56):
So now we're already over fifty to fifty. It is
a better than fifty to fifty chance that.

Speaker 3 (08:01):
That's one of the choices.

Speaker 2 (08:02):
But after that, because we're only at about fifty four,
so there's a forty six chance that one of these
teams gets it.

Speaker 3 (08:11):
What about Philadelphia? No? No, no, no, really.

Speaker 5 (08:16):
Yeah, really, why I think they're in a in the
process of figuring out the Joel Embiid experience is not
working and there's going to be uh, some trepidation and
some turbulence.

Speaker 3 (08:31):
There a lot of other pieces there. Yeah, Max is
the piece.

Speaker 4 (08:35):
Paul George.

Speaker 2 (08:36):
Paul George were the injuries, you know? And and now
don't forget.

Speaker 4 (08:41):
The biggest piece is the big the piece that.

Speaker 3 (08:43):
Matt, Yeah, of course, and I think it's you.

Speaker 5 (08:47):
We're just talking about underperforming man, And I don't want to.
I don't want to have this metric of all the
teams that underperform won't get Cooper Flagg or won't spark
his interest. That's not the case. But Philadelphia has to
figure some things out. And do you want to be
in the middle of them trying to figure that out?
That's all I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (09:06):
Next up is Brooklyn, New York.

Speaker 4 (09:08):
Oh No, nobody's going to Brooklyn.

Speaker 3 (09:10):
Nobody's going to Brooklyn.

Speaker 4 (09:11):
Nobody's going to Brooklyn.

Speaker 3 (09:12):
Why not? Why? The better question is why would you?

Speaker 2 (09:16):
I don't know, three NBA superstars just shows that place
three years ago, and.

Speaker 4 (09:21):
What happened to those three NBA superstars?

Speaker 2 (09:24):
I mean, nothing honestly has happened for any of them
there or since.

Speaker 4 (09:29):
Right, Yeah, it's called a black hole.

Speaker 3 (09:32):
You know.

Speaker 2 (09:33):
And I know Dallas made the you know, Dallas made
their run last year. So I don't want to just
totally dismiss Kyrie Irving.

Speaker 3 (09:39):
But how about.

Speaker 2 (09:40):
Toronto, no shot, no shot the country, no good young players.

Speaker 4 (09:45):
Now we're not going out to country though. That's double Texas.

Speaker 2 (09:48):
So San Antonio is at six percent, that's the only
one at this moment.

Speaker 4 (09:53):
So far, so far the teams, did you geet Portland.

Speaker 3 (09:56):
Four and a half percent? No, Miami three percent?

Speaker 2 (10:00):
Yes, how we're talking, Yes, Okay, how about Phoenix at
two percent?

Speaker 3 (10:05):
He'll he'll say yes to play with kd Well.

Speaker 2 (10:09):
I don't even know if he's gonna be there are
Devin Drinker or something like that.

Speaker 3 (10:14):
But no, Chicago Bulls. Big brand, that's a huge brand.
That's a big brand.

Speaker 5 (10:22):
It's a huge brand that's enticing Sacramento Kings.

Speaker 3 (10:28):
No Dallas Mavericks.

Speaker 4 (10:30):
Yes of course.

Speaker 2 (10:31):
Okay, I mean, now that's a half of one percent
at this hour because they're probably not going to they
may not even end up in the LIS.

Speaker 4 (10:37):
So.

Speaker 5 (10:37):
But what I'll say with all those things, and this
is just based on me, this is my opinion.

Speaker 4 (10:42):
People this is not gospel.

Speaker 3 (10:43):
You add it up to about ten percent, right.

Speaker 5 (10:46):
So out of all of those things, that's in one hand,
and on the other hand is we're going to increase
your yearly salary by four million dollars. You get to
play it place you love, with the friends that you love,
and we really have an opportunity to really win this thing.

(11:07):
This time, we were ninety seconds away from playing for
a national championship. All right, Which one of those I
hear you makes me feel fuzzy, warm and fuzzy inside?

Speaker 2 (11:16):
I know exactly which one makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
The question is, is what I'm looking for warm and
fuzzy is not what I was Because you have control.
That's the that's the difference. Ah see, you have the control.
Now we arrive at the question. To me, that is
the absolute ultimate question here and it is not under
his control. And I want to ask you that coming

(11:39):
up next to me, this is the real, real question
and if you can answer with one hundred percent certainty
that the answer is yes, that I'm willing to hear
this idea about staying in college. But I'm going to
ask you that question coming up next.

Speaker 3 (11:54):
Glad you're with us.

Speaker 2 (11:56):
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Speaker 3 (12:35):
All Right.

Speaker 2 (12:35):
The one out of control question for Cooper Flag is
next with you from Salama Mark Willer on Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 6 (12:44):
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Speaker 3 (13:18):
All right, from salam Mark Willard.

Speaker 2 (13:21):
So I trust a thoughtful response here, because you're good
at that.

Speaker 3 (13:29):
Tell my wife that please. Yeah, Well, I can't speak
for how.

Speaker 4 (13:32):
You find her. It ain't out of pocket. I can
promise you that.

Speaker 2 (13:39):
It's like, rules are different, rules are different for couples. Now, yeah,
rules are different.

Speaker 5 (13:43):
But I've been domesticated, so.

Speaker 3 (13:47):
So you know then you're just you're wrong, You're wrong.

Speaker 4 (13:52):
It happens. Well, this is what we sign up for.
Damn right we do?

Speaker 3 (13:59):
All right? Are you.

Speaker 2 (14:04):
One hundred percent sure?

Speaker 3 (14:11):
One hundred percent sure of nothing? Go ahead?

Speaker 2 (14:16):
That Cooper flag, if he stays, is still the number
one overall pick in the NBA draft next year?

Speaker 3 (14:27):
Yes? How can you be so sure?

Speaker 5 (14:31):
Because he's not going to get worse. He's at a
real program. That's the difference.

Speaker 3 (14:36):
Right.

Speaker 5 (14:37):
You got guys who come in and they pop here,
pop there whatever, Like he at eighteen, At eighteen years old,
it's clearly the best player in college basketball, no doubt,
at a program that's steeped in history and development and
all of those things. This is just not like a
money grab program. So you mean to tell me he

(15:03):
gets to continue to train, continue to work with the nutritionists,
continue to do all of those things that he's been
doing to make the jump from high.

Speaker 3 (15:15):
School to.

Speaker 5 (15:18):
Being the best player in college basketball. And he's going
to what what's.

Speaker 3 (15:27):
Going to happen?

Speaker 4 (15:28):
Well, I mean he's going to get worse.

Speaker 3 (15:31):
I could come up with some scenarios. No, I don't know.
I mean I don't.

Speaker 5 (15:34):
I don't barring barring the you know, the unforeseen injury
or something like that.

Speaker 3 (15:38):
Okay, well there is that.

Speaker 4 (15:39):
Well yeah, but that's what the money.

Speaker 2 (15:41):
Is for or for or there are other players who
could develop into something great.

Speaker 3 (15:51):
They're they're like, there are a.

Speaker 2 (15:52):
Whole host and by the way, we go through that
whole list of teams that you don't want to join.

Speaker 3 (15:58):
What says that's going to be any next year?

Speaker 5 (16:01):
Yeah, but that we don't know that, right, And then
at that point the goal is the goal, right, So
the thing that stands at the top of everything we
just said is we came here to do something we
didn't get a chance to do it.

Speaker 3 (16:15):
Let's do it.

Speaker 5 (16:15):
Okay, Then we start there, and then you start going
to is that a good idea? And then you see
who gets the first pick in the draft and it's
the Wizards, or is the Repelicans or and then it's
just like, now, this sounds like a good idea, right, Like,
so every step along the way things add to your
original thought and original thing. Now what can throw that

(16:40):
off is if san Antonio gets the first pick in
the draft, then it's a different conversation. Well, this is
a great opportunity. I get to come right into the
league and be partnered with to all stars. This is
now you start, you know, navigating around your original decision.

Speaker 3 (16:59):
I mean, are we doing this again next year?

Speaker 5 (17:02):
In other words, no, no, no, no, you get two
shots at it, well and then you move on. Okay,
is having a ball he's having a ball at Duke.

Speaker 2 (17:10):
But what says that the Utah Jazz don't get the
number one overall pick next year?

Speaker 5 (17:14):
But that's not like we can't sit here in right
now in a couple months and make decisions based on
next year. You can only make decisions based on what's
in front of you.

Speaker 4 (17:28):
Does that make sense?

Speaker 3 (17:29):
Oh, it makes It makes complete sense. And so all
of this makes sense.

Speaker 5 (17:34):
So if you're if you say night, like I said,
this shoe component that I and and that's not a fact.
I've heard some rumblings a couple sources that if like
that's a major component.

Speaker 3 (17:49):
No, that would make sense to me.

Speaker 5 (17:50):
Right, that's that's a that's a that's a two hundred
million dollars deal.

Speaker 2 (17:55):
That's something that people don't know about. And I think
that that absolutely factors into this thing. And listen, I'll
acknowledge that you may well be right. And I know
this is a different sport. It's just everything that's being
said in this conversation gives me all of the Matt
Lioner PTSD, all of it. It gives me all of

(18:15):
the Matt Barkley PTSD. And so like, maybe this is
a weakness of mine in this conversation, but I sort
of live I've lived life by this by this credo.
When it comes to professional sports drafts, when you're eligible
and you're number one, you go.

Speaker 5 (18:35):
Now you've gotta also understand like football is completely completely different.

Speaker 2 (18:41):
Of course, of course it's a completely different as I
get it. No, you're not wrong, and I agree.

Speaker 5 (18:47):
And so yes, in theory, yes, when it's time, it's time,
and you go the reality of that is.

Speaker 4 (18:57):
He's fine. A little bit different.

Speaker 3 (19:01):
Now, of course it's fine.

Speaker 2 (19:02):
But like, okay, are you going to start believing in
NBA conspiracy theories?

Speaker 3 (19:07):
Then? I mean that's my next.

Speaker 5 (19:09):
Orlando did get back to back first round, you know,
first picks in the draft.

Speaker 2 (19:13):
So do you already do you already believe in manipulation
of the draft lottery?

Speaker 5 (19:17):
Look, all I know is this the Pelicans traded tried
to trade uh Chris Paul to the Lakers. Listen to
the Lakers.

Speaker 3 (19:32):
I'm listening.

Speaker 4 (19:34):
For a package that would have got them better.

Speaker 3 (19:36):
Yep.

Speaker 5 (19:39):
The deal was xnay by David Stern by the league. Yeah,
the Pelicans that April got the first pick in the draft.
I'm just saying I may or may not have had
a close friend that I grew up with as the
GM of said team.

Speaker 3 (20:01):
I know that you have.

Speaker 5 (20:02):
So so what I'm telling you is business is business
for sure.

Speaker 4 (20:09):
And you can read whatever you want to read into that.

Speaker 2 (20:11):
Can you at least acknowledge that when the Pelicans did
get the number one pick, the guy they took also
ended up with the Lakers and want to ring there,
mm hmm.

Speaker 4 (20:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (20:20):
In other words, it always works out it so it I.

Speaker 5 (20:23):
Mean, but that that that stole from Kobe, that Kobe,
and that's.

Speaker 3 (20:27):
Fair, that's fair. I get that. I get that.

Speaker 2 (20:31):
So I guess what I'm saying is if you believed
in NBA Draft lottery manipulation before, then you really ought
to believe in it now because now what if I'm
listening to you correctly, the NBA has got to go compete.

Speaker 3 (20:46):
To get its number one overall picks. Yeah, to join
the league.

Speaker 4 (20:50):
And you know what, I love that.

Speaker 2 (20:51):
And there's only one way to do that, and that
is to that's to get the Spurs a nice cold envelope.
Hey man, I like that they compete to go get
They never had to do that before.

Speaker 5 (21:03):
I like that because now, look, these kids have options.

Speaker 4 (21:08):
Yep, these always really have options.

Speaker 3 (21:11):
That was not a piece of the puzzleble Force.

Speaker 2 (21:13):
No, it was just about branding and marketing in the
future and all that. But you didn't have to worry
about competing to get the guys that you want in
that draft. In that draft, if there's no Cooper Flag,
he from ninety nine percent of America couldn't name another player.

Speaker 4 (21:28):
Period, draft period.

Speaker 3 (21:30):
So there you go.

Speaker 5 (21:32):
And that's the beauty of the situation we're in right now.
This is great. I like guys staying college longer. I
like having the top four seeds in the Final four. Yep,
those two games were amazing.

Speaker 3 (21:53):
They were amazing.

Speaker 4 (21:55):
That's what we as fans.

Speaker 3 (21:56):
That's what we want to say. That's that's what we
want in college basketball. Out with the NBA.

Speaker 4 (22:00):
Wo No, no, no, no, I'm talking about the purity of
the sport in terms at the Collie level.

Speaker 2 (22:05):
Sure, but the the NBA does not want Cooper Flag
next year's Final Four.

Speaker 3 (22:11):
No, Yeah, the NBA wants him. They want him now
and yeah or whatever or Spurs Jersey.

Speaker 5 (22:19):
Our Spurs Jersey. I know I'm saying they want him now,
no matter who's the face.

Speaker 3 (22:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (22:22):
I loved your point about the Spurs last week and
the international market. But if it's available because of Wehm
bin Yama, if he's playing with Flag.

Speaker 4 (22:30):
Oh it's it's over, right that it's over.

Speaker 2 (22:33):
So you're talking about a lot of money at stake
based on this one decision.

Speaker 3 (22:38):
It's a lot of money at stake.

Speaker 5 (22:40):
Yeah, and and and it's bigger than you know, the
money we have here because a lot of a large
portion of that money is doled out to uh our
truth sayer, which is Stephen de Seger.

Speaker 7 (22:56):
It's nice that you call the person something that involves true,
but if you lie to do it in the process.

Speaker 3 (23:03):
I think that's a fair retort.

Speaker 7 (23:04):
Yeah, well, no, lie. The Lakers just took care of
Oklahoma City, But.

Speaker 3 (23:09):
What what did they do to that? Whatever?

Speaker 7 (23:11):
The final of one twenty six to ninety nine at OKC,
a team that was sixty four and thirteen this season.

Speaker 2 (23:21):
You can try to erase last Thursday all you want,
but we're gonna have a con Go well, we are
gonna have go back last week. We're gonna have a
con for sation. Go ahead, Steve.

Speaker 3 (23:35):
Thirty points today.

Speaker 7 (23:37):
Those two will play each other again on Tuesday, also
in Oklahoma City. Lakers and LUCA at Dallas on Wednesday,
And as Mark mentioned at the beginning of the hour,
the NBA regular season ends next Sunday. A lot of
NBA games have just in it, so most of the
Sunday schedule is complete, including another Celtics victory one twenty

(23:57):
four to ninety over the Washington Wizards. And this is
even without Jason Tatum sprained ankle he sat out. Hawks
win one forty seven, one thirty four over the Utah Jazz.
Cleveland lost at home to Sacramento Kings won twenty to
one thirteen the final Demantis Sabonis twenty seven points, nine rebounds,
seven assists wins for Portland and the Raptors. Chicago got

(24:21):
to win today. Kobe White thirty seven points in the
Bulls victory at the Hornets one thirty one, one seventeen,
and the Knicks have him back. Jalen Brunson is playing.
He's been out a month with the sprained ankle. Nicks
leads sixty seven fifty five against the Phoenix Suns mid
third quarter. As for other NBA news, yes, a week
left in the season and then those playing games that

(24:44):
don't actually count as statistics For some unknown reason, those
will be taking place. Speaking of statistics not counting in
the NHL, Alex Ovechkin of the Caps with career goal
number eight ninety five that is the most in the
history of the NHL, he passes is Wayne Gretzky. Of course,
the NHL doesn't count the stats from Gretzky's rookie season.

(25:05):
The Islanders defeated Washington four to one, Minnesota in overtime
beat Dallas three to two. We had the Women's National
Championship game in Hoops today, no contest. Yukon wins over
South Carolina eighty two fifty nine, twelfth national title for
the Connecticut program. Brian Harmon took the Texas opened by
three strokes in San Antonio. Mark Leishman won the live

(25:28):
golf event in Miami by one. Yes, We've got the
Masters starting Thursday. Denny Hamlin was the NASCAR winner at
Darlington Nascars on FS one again next Sunday from Bristol, Tennessee.
The IndyCar Series is off until next weekend. All the
IndyCar races this year on Fox TV, so that would
include the Indy five hundred in late May. And to

(25:48):
Major League Baseball, The Sunday night game is going to
the bottom of the fourth at Boston. It's Red Sox
ten to two over the Saint Louis Cardinals. Earlier today
Miami at Atlanta rained out the Raves are one in
eight so far. Wins for Colorado and the Angels. Pittsburgh
beat the Yankees in eleven, Houston got a ten inning
win at Minnesota.

Speaker 3 (26:09):
San Diego with.

Speaker 7 (26:09):
A run in the ninth, beat the Cubs eight seven,
and Philadelphia won a great game against the Dodgers eight seven,
the final Jose Alvarado to save and excitement for the
Giants at home, they get a walk off win five
to four over the Seattle Mariners, and in that game,
mike Yastremsky came through for his team. He says, I
get to get a shout out to my daughter. Let's

(26:32):
let's hear it. Today, I got to give a shout
out to my daughter Quinley, honestly, because she asked for
a home run, and well, that's all it takes lay
and he did deliver a three run shot.

Speaker 5 (26:43):
You get good good luck, buddy, that's gonna be well.

Speaker 3 (26:47):
Let me tell you something, if you just do everything
your daughter asked exactly. I get.

Speaker 7 (26:53):
She's a little young and probably doesn't realize at this
point how difficult it is to hit a home run.

Speaker 3 (26:58):
It's like that these kils like she has the power. Though.

Speaker 7 (27:01):
It's like the old LESSTV sketch about somebody. I think
it was John Candy dressed up as Babe Ruth visiting
the kid in the hospital.

Speaker 3 (27:08):
Can you hit two runs day? Kid?

Speaker 7 (27:10):
Do not know how difficult this is? Anyway, The Giants
are eight and one. The best nine games start in
the franchise's history is nine to zero. You'd have to
go back to nineteen eighteen for the last time that.

Speaker 3 (27:23):
Happened to Drance history.

Speaker 7 (27:25):
Wilmer Flores had the walkoff single, bottom of the ninth
game winner. He now has thirteen career walkoff plate appearances
Since the start of twenty fourteen. He Wilmer Flores is
tied with Bryce Harper for the most walkoffs in Major
League Baseball in that span.

Speaker 2 (27:40):
Back to you, man, that's crazy and even crazier that
somehow the Dodgers never lose but find themselves in second
place at this hour like.

Speaker 3 (27:49):
That just bonanza nuts.

Speaker 2 (27:51):
Yeah, the NL West, those top three, I mean, what
what an insane couple of weeks to start off that division.
If anyone's paying attention, the Giants are eight and one,
the Dodgers are nine and two, the Podres are eight
and two.

Speaker 7 (28:06):
In other words, they are all at eighty percent or
better and wins. Nobody else in the majors is over
eighty percent, winning twenty five and five collectively. And unfortunately
Dodgers don't play the Padres until June.

Speaker 3 (28:22):
Same with and Giants as well. Same.

Speaker 2 (28:24):
Yeah, that like the balance schedule. Normally the word balance
is like that's a positive in life. You want to
be balanced, right, like you want balance in your life,
not in your baseball schedules.

Speaker 3 (28:37):
God, it stinks.

Speaker 2 (28:38):
It's look at all these teams are playing right now, Like,
just was it the Tigers? That was that the Dodgers opening?

Speaker 7 (28:45):
Yes, it was because it was interleague. It couldn't be
a four game weekend series that the Dodgers had the
Sunday off. Remember, oh gosh, they're only Sunday off this year.

Speaker 4 (28:55):
So anyway, but anyway, I will say it's exciting though
they're all they're all playing unbelievable.

Speaker 2 (29:02):
Yes, over the yep, yep, yep Yankees, Yankees six and
three and uh and then the Rangers. The other team
that's off to uh a pretty good start, Phillies two.
But yeah, that nationally West has gotten off to a
blazing beginning, kind of like Yukon in the tournament.

Speaker 3 (29:22):
Can we talk that out for just a second?

Speaker 4 (29:23):
Sure?

Speaker 2 (29:24):
Like, and I know I follow this, you you follow
this though even even more? How did Ukon? First of all,
they're Yukon, and I know this team wasn't, at least
during the regular season cracked up to be the same
as some of the Yukon teams of the past, just
overly overly dominant.

Speaker 3 (29:42):
How did you kN end up a two seed? Can
you answer that for me?

Speaker 4 (29:45):
Oh? That part, I can't. I cannot answer that.

Speaker 3 (29:48):
I mean, they and.

Speaker 2 (29:49):
I know Juju Watkins got hurt and that changed that,
That changed the dynamic of that bracket. I get, But
watching what Yukon they did not even sweat in the
whole tournament, And to get to South Carolina today and
do this and Page Beckers didn't even score that much,

(30:12):
Like it was such a full team, I didn't understand.
I'm like, wait a minute, you can't be that dominant
but hiding somehow in the bushes the whole time, only
had three losses all year. Man, they blew the competition away.

Speaker 3 (30:30):
I was crazy, crazy.

Speaker 5 (30:33):
They were on a mission and they remember the last
time they felt they faced South Carolina.

Speaker 3 (30:40):
Didn't go the way the Geno.

Speaker 5 (30:42):
And the Huskies wanted it to go, and I had
a little retribution on their mind. I was in the
middle of watching that game intently, and then I had
to rush out of the house because I have a
ten year old. So you rush every ten year old boy, yep,

(31:03):
who as a ten year old boy? And so we
spent the better part of the early afternoon, late morning
in the emergency was literally going to be like you
already know this sentence going to end in the you've
been there all you have to say, you've been there.

Speaker 3 (31:23):
You said, I have a ten year old.

Speaker 2 (31:25):
So we decided to spend the damn like the answers
emergency room.

Speaker 4 (31:29):
He's the number one answer, number one answer man.

Speaker 3 (31:32):
Is he all right?

Speaker 4 (31:33):
Yeah, he's all right. Instead of.

Speaker 5 (31:39):
Walking into the house from the backyard and coming out
of the front door.

Speaker 3 (31:45):
No no, no, no, that'd be too easy.

Speaker 5 (31:47):
He decides, Oh, the gate's not opening, I'm going to
climb it. Well, as you may realize that a ten
year old isn't all that equipped to parkour our American
ninja warrior over a wrought iron fence with the spikes

(32:09):
at the top. Oh god, And so when he ran
in the house. A piece of his arm was missing
a chunk.

Speaker 2 (32:16):
Oh oh wait, is this related to the whole fence
thing that happened in the backyard?

Speaker 4 (32:23):
No, no, no, no, no, okay, no no.

Speaker 2 (32:25):
I didn't know if that was because of some sort
of temporary wall that had got put up or all right,
you got a lot going on in that house.

Speaker 4 (32:32):
They still haven't fixed that backyard.

Speaker 3 (32:34):
Well, of course not. It sounded like a complete disaster.

Speaker 5 (32:37):
Yeah, it's been a month and a half. I still
have a hold in my fence. But that's another story.

Speaker 3 (32:43):
Who's got time for that because we're at the.

Speaker 2 (32:45):
Emergency Yeah, all right, Tyreck dot com Studios. What a
perfect read for you right now from Calm the Chaos
with shipping software that delivers use code sports for free
trial at shipstation dot com. That's shipstation dot com code Sports. Also,
speaking of disasters, I'd like to talk to you about

(33:07):
Ja Morant. Let let's do that coming up next, and
then we'll get to some lakers here at the top
of the hour with eat from Salama Mark Willard on
Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (33:18):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Speaker 2 (33:21):
Okay, it's the tire Rag dot com Studios. That's where
we sit. That's e from Salama Mark Willard. A lot
to get to with the Lakers, the Warriors too, the
Western Conference. We get to it at the top of
the hour, although I guess we'll jump right into the
Western Conference right now.

Speaker 3 (33:37):
Seventy five thousand dollars for.

Speaker 2 (33:41):
Gun finger pointing gestures from Jamarant.

Speaker 3 (33:47):
Look, we're all human beings.

Speaker 2 (33:50):
We come from different places in spaces, different cultures, different opinions,
my god, different opinions, and so I don't I don't
like for people to have to fit into some sort
of a box.

Speaker 3 (34:05):
That is not my thought, my goal, none of that.

Speaker 2 (34:10):
Big fan of be you, and I'm a big fan
of self expression. You should see the shoes my son
just picked out from the store today. Woo my goodness,
those are bright. But whatever, man, that's what you like,
that's how you want to express yourself.

Speaker 3 (34:26):
Let's go. There's got to be certain exceptions, and this
is one that, for the life of me, E like,
I just don't understand. I don't understand how after.

Speaker 2 (34:39):
Everything that that man and that organization have been through,
I don't understand, Like, what is the point that you're
trying to drive home is what is the hold up?
Here and then the larger point for me, this is why,

(35:01):
And I know it's all bunched up and everybody's moving
seeds every day.

Speaker 3 (35:04):
Right now in the.

Speaker 2 (35:05):
West, the Memphis Grizzlies currently sit in eight. It like
it was about three weeks ago they were three and
now they're eight. They fired their coach right before the
playoffs start, and this is their best player. They've got
a massive leadership problem and it is not threatening to
get better anytime soon.

Speaker 4 (35:28):
This is one of those situations where.

Speaker 3 (35:34):
You know, you.

Speaker 5 (35:37):
At a certain point, as a young player that's had
that level of success in that amount of money based
on his abilities, you just tune everybody else out and
be like, I'm just gonna do me.

Speaker 3 (35:55):
Now.

Speaker 4 (35:56):
The problem with doing you is you don't pay you.

Speaker 3 (36:00):
M hm.

Speaker 4 (36:02):
That's the difference. You don't pay you.

Speaker 3 (36:06):
And so.

Speaker 5 (36:09):
With that said, their consequences to your actions. And you know,
Jah Morant in general is not.

Speaker 4 (36:21):
A bad kid.

Speaker 5 (36:24):
Right Like most young adults in today's society, the notion
of self expression is paramount above all because of the

(36:46):
advent of social media and podcasts and being able to
be unapologetically yourself. So although he was disciplined, he lost
a bunch of money last year for his actions. He's like, look,

(37:06):
I haven't gotten in any trouble this year. I'm just
doing me. This is part of myself, you know expression,
and and I don't mean nothing by it, but this
is what we're doing.

Speaker 3 (37:18):
Right.

Speaker 5 (37:19):
He's not the only person that does it's a bunch
of guys with the NBA doing it. So he's thinking, well,
if they can do it, I can do it.

Speaker 3 (37:26):
Now.

Speaker 4 (37:27):
They don't have his past and the grand scheme of things.

Speaker 5 (37:32):
If if I'm a franchise or organization, I wouldn't want
him to do it to bring up feelings of you know,
what he went through last year. But the reality of
the situation is he's gonna be who he's gonna be.
He's not hurting anybody. If they don't want the gesture
on the court, then they have to find everybody, not

(37:53):
just him. That's the point, right, You can't no, no, no, no,
This is this real thing, Okay, Like, if you don't
want the gesture on the court, you have to find
anyone who does it because you don't want it on
the court. You're not saying as a league, we just

(38:16):
don't want you to do it. Okay, everybody else can
do it. That's that's that's a recipe for disaster.

Speaker 3 (38:21):
It is.

Speaker 2 (38:22):
I'm not disagreeing with you, But the reason I hesitate
there is I think it's a faux thing that we
chase in life that everybody lives by the same rules.
Dylan Brooks and Draymond Green and get technicals faster than
other players.

Speaker 4 (38:36):
Yeah, but it's a different thing.

Speaker 3 (38:37):
And there's a reason for that because they've earned that.

Speaker 5 (38:39):
Yeah, you're right, But the difference is in that very
same game against Golden State, Buddy Hill did it to him.

Speaker 3 (38:45):
Yep, I get it.

Speaker 4 (38:47):
So he does it back.

Speaker 5 (38:50):
You can't, like if you have to make a blanket
statement like the NFL NFL when guys were doing the
cut the throat thing.

Speaker 2 (38:58):
Sure, anybody who does it as a fine, but Jah
wasn't drawn into this is doing it again the next night.

Speaker 3 (39:04):
Yeah he did. I mean that's just as part of
his celebration. Now. Yeah, well, so they can't do that.

Speaker 5 (39:09):
So what I'm saying is he's gonna keep taking those
fines because he doesn't care.

Speaker 4 (39:13):
He's got four hundred million dollars.

Speaker 5 (39:16):
But what you can do as a league if you
don't want it in your game, you have to ban
it now. You can't say everybody else can do it,
and you can't. Of course, the nbap A is gonna
have a field day with that. No, I understand that's
the problem they're having right now. Until they banned the gesture.

Speaker 4 (39:34):
Then he has a right to do it, whether it's
smart on his behalf or not.

Speaker 3 (39:39):
But but you earn the reputation, like I.

Speaker 5 (39:42):
Said, Like, if I'm not saying it's smart.

Speaker 3 (39:45):
You earn the reputation you have. Man, you earn the
reputation you have. You earn it.

Speaker 2 (39:51):
Like I get what you're saying. I'm not disagreeing with
you at all. But if John Moran is like, hey,
different rules for different people. Yeah, exactly, different rules for
different people. All Right, we'll get to the Lakers and
the Warriors coming up next.

Speaker 1 (40:08):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Speaker 2 (40:11):
I mean I said, I said, we need to have
a conversation, and we're about to have a conversation, are we.

Speaker 4 (40:17):
We're gonna have some conversations. We've been having a conversation.

Speaker 2 (40:20):
Oh we're gonna keep going. Oh yes, we're.

Speaker 3 (40:25):
Talking to dude. All right, we got we gotta do
more hours to do it. So we do. Yeah, we do.
We're gonna use them.

Speaker 2 (40:31):
We'll broadcast the live ty rack dot com studios. Ty
rat dot com will help you get there, an unmad selection,
fast free shipping, free road hazard protection, and over ten
thousand recommended installers. Ty rack dot com the way tire
buying should be. I'm not gonna sit here and tell
you that there is any panic with the Los Angeles Lakers.

(40:54):
They've they've largely had a good week. Great right if
you look at it as a whole. Right now, they've
moved into the three seed by a full game over
the Nuggets.

Speaker 3 (41:03):
The Nuggets are playing right now, so are the Warriors.

Speaker 2 (41:06):
There's a lot going on every night in the Western Conference. Literally,
the space between the three seed and the eight seed
is two games. It two games, and everybody's all up
in there. So the Lakers have not had a bad week. However,
we always say styles make fights, and I do think

(41:29):
that from the perspective of some teams, and the Warriors
are now one of them. I think the Lakers they
got worse at the deadline. I just think that. I
think that it makes sense long term, but I believe
that the Los Angeles Lakers for some playoff matchups are

(41:53):
now an easier target.

Speaker 5 (41:55):
Well, yeah, when you take a player like ad out
out the middle of the court, and yeah, obviously, but
that also allows you to be able to consistently score
from the outside. In the league, that's based on scoring
from the in the outside.

Speaker 4 (42:15):
And so.

Speaker 5 (42:17):
I think adding more shooting, wing defense, which we have,
and being able to have Lebron off the court and
not having to slow the game down and you know
post something someone who doesn't even want to play in

(42:37):
the post.

Speaker 3 (42:38):
I think bowls well for us.

Speaker 5 (42:40):
Now we got small, but there's not a lot of
big in the Western Conference.

Speaker 4 (42:46):
So you just got to be able to play with
that level of.

Speaker 5 (42:51):
You know, intensity and what you they you know, Steph
Curry was unbelievable last week.

Speaker 3 (42:59):
It was great Steph Curry.

Speaker 2 (43:02):
And just to let you know, I know people are
listening all over the country. In the Bay Area, this
week was referred to as the Gauntlet, So the Warriors
came in needing some victories. It felt pretty nerve wracking
playing tournament is looming, and that at the start of
the week they were the sixth seed and they were

(43:23):
playing in succession the five seed, the four seed, the
three seed, and the two seed. They are playing the
two seed right now as we speak and leading by
six at the end of one quarter. But so far
through the gauntlet they are three and zero and it
was playing extremely well. So that was a road win

(43:44):
in Memphis followed by a road win in LA against
the Lakers. Those were games five and six of a
road trip. Coming off that six game road trip, they
had a plane flight home where they discussed kicking the
next game because it was twenty four hours later in
their own building against none other than the Denver Nuggets.
The Stars decided not to kick it. They went out

(44:04):
there and fell down by double digits right away and
somehow had the wherewithal to come back and win it
going away.

Speaker 3 (44:12):
And so even with all that, they've clinched.

Speaker 2 (44:15):
Nothing like I said, everybody is just in this big
bucket of teams. But when I when I like Steph
Curry in these first three games he from has scored
one hundred and twenty five point Yeah, he's out of control,
So I get all that.

Speaker 5 (44:33):
How great was that game down to stretch with Lebron
and Steph going out.

Speaker 3 (44:36):
Well and throwing Austin Reeves and everybody else.

Speaker 2 (44:39):
It was just three pointer followed by three pointer followed
by three It was amazing. It's wonderful theater, and Luca
had a really off night. But I don't know, man,
I'm looking at the Lakers from a larger view of
what does playoff basketball look like. I feel you when
you say, look better better scoring from the outside that
runs the league. Now, this helps Lebron get off the court.

(45:02):
All of that makes sense. But man, somewhere in this conversation,
somebody's gonna say the phrase defense wins championships, and I
just I they can play defense, I've got, but not
like they could before.

Speaker 5 (45:16):
Yeah, but when you take an all defensive player and
quite honestly, was on track to be the defensive player
of the year off the court, that's like if you
if Draymond left Golden States, they could right, you wouldn't
have the same defensive pop. Not saying that you guys
couldn't guard anymore, but you wouldn't be able to have

(45:37):
that same defensive pop, Which I get, I understand that.
But in a playoff series, a seven game series, with
time and adjustments, I believe the Lakers will be okay.
I think they got better in terms of taking some
of the pressure off their star, which is a Lebron James.
And they added a generational town which is a Luka Doncic.

(46:02):
And so now with Vanderbilt healthy, with Gabe Vinson showing
up three and D guy like they have several three
and D guys they have, uh.

Speaker 4 (46:15):
Darren Finny Smith tremended.

Speaker 5 (46:19):
All of these guys are tremendous wing defenders, which is
what you need in the playoffs. You got to be
able to run people off the line. You got to
be able to rotate, you got to be able to switch.

Speaker 3 (46:31):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (46:32):
And and I think that bowls well for them in
a series because in a series, you're gonna have to
deal with a Luca and a Lebron James, which is
going to be extremely and excuse me, and Austin Rivers.
Excuse me, Austin Reeves. Uh, that's a that's a tall task.

Speaker 4 (46:53):
You ask any other coach and everything.

Speaker 3 (46:55):
Sure, I'm not here to tell you they're not still
a good team.

Speaker 5 (46:59):
What it sounded like that's what you were saying. It
sounded like you were like they got worse.

Speaker 3 (47:03):
They did.

Speaker 4 (47:05):
I don't think so.

Speaker 3 (47:06):
I think so.

Speaker 2 (47:07):
Like I think they got worse for this year, and
actually in about six minutes seven minutes, I want to
have actually a conversation about the future with the idea
of everything surrounding Luca Datchets, and so we'll do that
in a little bit.

Speaker 3 (47:28):
But as of right now, like.

Speaker 2 (47:31):
Maybe worse is the wrong word. The right word is different.
That's good, we can agree on that. I think there
are certain matchups though, where they are an easier target,
and so playoff basketball is different. And what I think
the Lakers have now become and you've watched that this week.

(47:51):
This week, those three and D guys that you were
talking about, they were hot and they were hitting shots.
And when those guys are hitting at that level Phinney
Smith's and the gate Vincent's, when they're hitting the way
they were today, well the Lakers can beat absolutely anybody.

Speaker 3 (48:08):
But as you know, that can be very fleeting.

Speaker 2 (48:12):
And so now they've I just feel like they've gone
from one of the most physically imposing teams in the
West to now just another make or miss team. And
maybe they've got the better players than most, but they've
become a make or miss team. And when those threes
go cold, man, it's just not that like Luca was

(48:33):
cold the other night and it was not that hard.

Speaker 3 (48:35):
Of a team to beat.

Speaker 2 (48:36):
Yeah, Like the whole world was set up for the
Lakers to win that game on you.

Speaker 4 (48:41):
But that's like if if Steph goes cold to.

Speaker 5 (48:44):
A degree, I no, no, but you gotta remember a
couple of weeks, a couple of days ago, what he
had thirty five Like if that.

Speaker 3 (48:52):
Well, he's been on a heater.

Speaker 2 (48:54):
But they from since Jimmy Butler arrived, they've lost two
games when they both play.

Speaker 3 (48:59):
Yeah, and he's not been hot for all of them.
I get it that they've got different pitches that they
can throw at you.

Speaker 4 (49:06):
Now, yeah, they do, they do. I remember when they
started the season off twelve and one or something like
that and they were playing twelve guys.

Speaker 3 (49:12):
Yep.

Speaker 5 (49:13):
Right, everything changes when it changes, yep. And in the playoffs. Look,
I'm not going to bet against Golden State in the playoffs.
I'll bet against them against the Lakers in the playoffs.
I don't think they match up well in the series.
But outside of that, I'm not going to take a
team over Golden State if it's not the Lakers. And
same with the Lakers, same with the Lakers. I'm not

(49:34):
taking okay See over the Lakers in the seven game series,
absolutely not.

Speaker 3 (49:38):
The're no shots really, no shot.

Speaker 5 (49:41):
No, no, I'm not taking Houston over the Lakers.

Speaker 4 (49:45):
I'm not taking Houston. I'm not taking ok See over
Golden State.

Speaker 3 (49:49):
You're taking Are you taking anyone over the Lakers?

Speaker 4 (49:52):
The only team that gives me pauls is Denver. That's
literally Denver, because that's the team with the size, right,
that's it.

Speaker 5 (50:03):
But other than that, no, we we we're rolling, We're
gonna run it. And I think that's the team that
gives Golden That gives Golden State trouble too, because of
the size.

Speaker 3 (50:15):
You can't hold on real quick. This is the quick aside.

Speaker 2 (50:19):
You can't hit me with a sixty four and fourteen
basketball team and use the phrase no shot.

Speaker 3 (50:26):
You can't. I can.

Speaker 4 (50:27):
When it comes to the playoffs, I mean, come on, man,
hey man, they're good, they are good. They're good, they're
good today.

Speaker 2 (50:36):
Well today, I wonder if Oklahoma City is not in neutral.

Speaker 4 (50:40):
No, they're not in this game. No, no, no, no, no no.
I'll tell you why.

Speaker 5 (50:44):
Everybody was there, everybody was available, is going to look
a lot different.

Speaker 3 (50:49):
You're damn right it. Well, I'll bet you.

Speaker 5 (50:52):
Don't think that the Lakers ain't anybody Bronnie might start, well,
because I don't need that one. They need to Oh,
they need Wednesday's game. They need the Dallas Mavericks game.
That's the game they need.

Speaker 3 (51:07):
Well, that's Lucas return.

Speaker 5 (51:09):
Yes, so they need that game. And we're talking about
in the back to back. You don't need the first
of the back to back.

Speaker 2 (51:15):
No, No, I mean, look, you want home you want
home court backage a round one.

Speaker 5 (51:20):
But I understand that. So what I'm saying is, if
you punt on Tuesday, you take Wednesday Dallas, then Friday
at home against Houston against and then.

Speaker 3 (51:36):
You should be you should be locked in.

Speaker 5 (51:41):
You should be locked in to wherever you're going to be,
and on that Sunday at Portland, you let the other
guys go and get to get them some minutes and
and try to shake out what your playoff roster is
gonna be.

Speaker 2 (51:54):
You gotta remember, you got a lot more confidence than
I do that this thing is gonna be figured out
by Saturday.

Speaker 5 (51:59):
Well, well it'll will have an understanding, right, like maybe yeah,
because that's three games. Three games, it's not gonna come
down to the last game. Somebody's gonna fall, somebody's gonna move,
somebody's gonna you know, we'll have that understanding going into
that final day on Sunday about who's who and what's what.

(52:21):
So all I'm saying is if they take two out
of the next three, we're good. Based on the lose
based on the lost column. Okay, based on the lost column.

Speaker 2 (52:33):
Based on the lost column, right, I mean where right
now you are a game ahead of the Nuggets and Warriors.

Speaker 5 (52:38):
One game yep, we're playing right now. Yeah, both tough
games for both of these teams.

Speaker 3 (52:43):
And both winning right now at this moment, yep.

Speaker 4 (52:46):
And the first happen it's early, Yeah, it's very in
the first act. So we did our work today.

Speaker 5 (52:51):
I'm hoping that Houston does their work and that the
Pacers do their work.

Speaker 2 (52:55):
Okay, Okay, you got a lot more confidence than I
do in the way this thing going to shave.

Speaker 4 (53:00):
Well, that's how it's supposed to be.

Speaker 5 (53:02):
I mean, based on the way they play today and
based on the way they can play then, yeah, I
would think I would think they would have the same
type of urgency as I'm having as a fan.

Speaker 4 (53:15):
On the outside looking in.

Speaker 3 (53:17):
Do you watch the Lakers the same way most people golf,
which is anytime anything bad happens like that one didn't count.

Speaker 4 (53:22):
No, no, no, that's not true. That's not true.

Speaker 5 (53:25):
They I thought they played terrible on Thursday and came
back in the fourth quarter and had an opportunity.

Speaker 4 (53:33):
I thought they could have played much better.

Speaker 5 (53:35):
Of course, just with that knowledge, I'm like, oh, okay,
we got I see what this is. I mean, and
that stopped them from being the Golden State from being
swept by the Lakers this year.

Speaker 3 (53:43):
So it's correct. You know.

Speaker 2 (53:45):
I would argue that that that series has only had
one game because Luca and Jimmy Butler about that these
are completely different teams.

Speaker 4 (53:52):
Yeah, I get it. But the fact of the matter
is you guys got one.

Speaker 3 (53:57):
I get it. I get it. One. It didn't count
because they lost. I got it. No, No, now I
know the rules. I'm glad.

Speaker 2 (54:02):
Now now I understand why the Lakers are definitely gonna
win the title because the losses don't.

Speaker 3 (54:08):
I got it now, all right, I got I got more.

Speaker 2 (54:12):
Luca questions calm the chaos with the shipping software that
delivers use code Sports for a free trial at shipstation
dot com. That shipstation dot com code sports. Yeah, Mark
Willardy from Salam Luca the Future. I really want to
challenge the way Laker fans look at this. I got
some questions for you on it. Coming up next on
Fox Sports Radio. Okay live tyrack dot Com Studios with

(54:37):
me from Salam Mark Willard. Good Sunday evening to you
wherever you may be, except for where wait it is
an evening yet, then good afternoon. You can stream the
show and all of our Fox Sports Radio shows live
twenty four to seven in the new and improved iHeartRadio app.
Just search Fox Sports Radio in the app to stream

(54:58):
us live. And one of the the newest features in
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Radio in the iHeartRadio app and it will always pop
up at the top of your screen, all right, like always.
I'm gonna ask for some real honesty here, I guess

(55:20):
I'll start with this. Remove all the standings and the
wins and the losses, just just watching Luca play basketball.
Do you find it entertaining.

Speaker 3 (55:36):
To a degree that pauses all I needed to hear,
but go ahead, No, to a degree I do.

Speaker 5 (55:42):
I think Number one, I think he gets away with
travel and carry almost every possession.

Speaker 3 (55:49):
Yep.

Speaker 4 (55:50):
I mean, I've never seen so many discontinued dribbles in
my life, and those little extra feet of extra shuffles,
and you know, when he gets around the basket, it's like.

Speaker 3 (56:02):
WHOA, everybody's flying by.

Speaker 4 (56:03):
Yeah, I know why everybody's flying by. But because I'm
on the beneficial end of those non calls, I'm okay
with it. That's just how fandom goes.

Speaker 3 (56:21):
I asked for honesty, and I got it.

Speaker 4 (56:23):
I'm always gonna be honest. I'm just gonna give it
to you.

Speaker 3 (56:26):
Yeah, so.

Speaker 5 (56:28):
I understand what you're saying, and I get it.

Speaker 3 (56:37):
I get it. I just say that.

Speaker 2 (56:40):
Look, I'm not someone who will just say this about
any player who's not on my favorite team. I love
this game. There are a number of players around the league,
and I can immediately just like I can look at
a board and tell you some of the players that

(57:00):
I think are just like Cad Cunningham.

Speaker 3 (57:03):
I love watching him play.

Speaker 2 (57:05):
Jason Tatum, I love watching him play. I love the
guards for Cleveland. I like watching them play. I like
watching Pascal Siakam play. I like there's a lot of guys.
Anthony Edwards I think is incredibly entertaining. I love watching
basketball when you are not rooting for the team that

(57:32):
houses Luka Doncic. That's one of the most frustrating watches
in the whole league. And so there's that side of it.
It's it's a lot of what you just said, which
is like, it's not even that he gets away with stuff.
It's that when you're the person who gets away with stuff,

(57:54):
don't then also double down and complain after every possession.
And this was the thing in Dallas, right, The thing
in Dallas was this guy would try to drive to
the hoop and if he didn't get the foul call,
like he's talking to the ref while his teammates are
playing four on.

Speaker 3 (58:12):
Five on the other end.

Speaker 2 (58:14):
But that's not even what I'm getting at, Like, that's
a part of it, and I'm glad you brought it up,
But what about what about this? The second this trade happened,
I heard from everybody, Oh, this is the Lakers solidifying
their future. There's always a Hall of Fame talent on
the Lakers, and that's why this is a no brainer deal.

(58:37):
And right, I totally get that side of it. But
the part that I don't get is does this guy
actually fit that bill? You're the entertainment capital of the world,
and the people who have held that job before are

(58:59):
Magic Johnsen and Kobe Bryant and Shock and now Lebron James.

Speaker 3 (59:07):
You're telling me that that.

Speaker 2 (59:09):
This style of play, this very large, lumbering, traveling, whining,
fall away three point artist, that that's the entertainment capital
of the world. Like, what is this when Lebron leaves Aphraim,

(59:33):
when Lebron's forty eight, what are we doing?

Speaker 3 (59:39):
That is that really going to tell? Talk to me?
Of course, I don't think that he alone gets.

Speaker 2 (59:49):
Him outside of one playoff run.

Speaker 3 (59:53):
What do we got?

Speaker 4 (59:55):
He won't be alone.

Speaker 3 (59:56):
This is l A. I understand that he won't be alone.

Speaker 2 (59:59):
You know that he won't be a But I'm also
talking about entertainment and and.

Speaker 5 (01:00:04):
Oh he's he's he's a crowd favorite. Now you go
to them games, there's rocking in there. So that's not
that's not the problem. That's not the problem.

Speaker 2 (01:00:12):
He's uh, Lebron's on the team, like I'm not talking
about right now, I get it.

Speaker 3 (01:00:23):
I'm talking about when the offense.

Speaker 4 (01:00:25):
Is they love him. They love him here, they.

Speaker 2 (01:00:27):
Love him right Remember when they loved David Beckham when
he came to the Galaxy as well.

Speaker 3 (01:00:33):
You know what thing l A loves not just a winner.

Speaker 2 (01:00:36):
They love something brand new and and and that's what
they've got right now. But dude, you're gonna need a
real interesting surrounding cast.

Speaker 3 (01:00:49):
It's l A.

Speaker 5 (01:00:50):
That's not that's that's not okay, the difficult thing, Okay, okay,
but that's not.

Speaker 4 (01:00:55):
I have plenty of guys whore gonna want to come
play with Luca.

Speaker 2 (01:00:57):
I can promise you that well, but it's not even guys,
it's gonna it's gotta be a certain Look.

Speaker 3 (01:01:04):
This is not Kobe Bryant.

Speaker 5 (01:01:05):
Brother, no, no, no, no, no, one's Kobe Bryant. Magic
wasn't Kobe is Kobe wasn't magic And it's not But
it's not either a Brons not Kobe.

Speaker 3 (01:01:14):
But it's not him either.

Speaker 5 (01:01:16):
No, it's it's not the great thing about remember that
Jerry West.

Speaker 3 (01:01:22):
Magic wasn't Jerry West.

Speaker 4 (01:01:23):
Understood right like that? You know, Kareem wasn't Wilt.

Speaker 3 (01:01:30):
Understanding.

Speaker 2 (01:01:31):
Shaq wasn't Kareem Shack was entertaining. Yeah, but what I'm
telling is still entertaining. Shock is more entertaining than Luca now.
And all he's doing is talking on the left.

Speaker 5 (01:01:42):
End, telling you is l A is not gonna worry
about that. It's trust me, it's built in. It's built in.

Speaker 3 (01:01:57):
Now.

Speaker 5 (01:01:57):
There was a downtime when it was Sidel three and
Eldon Campbell, right, it was like, what is happening right now?

Speaker 3 (01:02:05):
Well, you didn't have a good player, right. It was like,
oh boy, I'll grant you got a good player. I
don't know about the look.

Speaker 5 (01:02:12):
He got a generational player. Yeah, it is the last
five years first team All NBA. That's not a sure
not a good player. That's a great player.

Speaker 3 (01:02:20):
It's a great player.

Speaker 5 (01:02:21):
And what happens when LA gets a hold of a
great player, they become.

Speaker 3 (01:02:25):
Legend ooh we oh okay.

Speaker 5 (01:02:28):
I did right there, which brings me this is called
a segway people to our legend.

Speaker 4 (01:02:34):
Steven L. De Seger, I've been in this business for
a while. He is a professional.

Speaker 7 (01:02:39):
Do not try that at home.

Speaker 3 (01:02:41):
I would have gone Stephen W. De Seger.

Speaker 2 (01:02:44):
If that's the point if we're talking about W's but
anyway onward we go.

Speaker 7 (01:02:48):
He'll always talk about the Dubs.

Speaker 4 (01:02:49):
We're talking about legends.

Speaker 7 (01:02:51):
By the way, the NBA record has fallen most three
pointers made in a season. This is by the whole
league combined the thirty teams. We're over thirty one one
thousand three pointers made this season. Precious few by the
Suns tonight as they lost at New York. Knicks won
twelve ninety eight the final Phoenix from three point range

(01:03:11):
four for thirty four. The Knicks did have Jalen Brunson
back in the lineup. He had fifteen points, about half
of that from the free throw line. He had missed
a month with a sprained ankle. Janisan Tenecumpo out for
Milwaukee tonight with a bad shoulder. That's among the late games.
It's halftime. Milwaukee leads fifty eight to fifty three at

(01:03:31):
New Orleans, Gary Trent Junior eighteen points. Golden State has
tied late first half against Houston forty seven to all,
and the Nuggets lead early third quarter sixty eight sixty
five over the Indiana Pacers. Among the earlier games, the
Lakers won at Oklahoma City won twenty six to ninety
nine Luka Doncic thirty points. Those two will play each
other again on Tuesday, also in Oksee road wins for

(01:03:55):
Toronto and Chicago. For Sacramento as well, the Kings won
at Cleveland one thirteen Zach Lavine of the Kings with
thirty seven points dominance from Yukon. And the women's basketball
National Championship Game Connecticut eighty two fifty nine over South
Carolina in Tampa. In San Antonio, Monday night is the
men's final Florida versus Houston. Nebraska won the College Basketball

(01:04:19):
Crown the New week long tournament on Fox that was
in Las Vegas. They beat UCF in today's finals seventy
seven sixty six. Along the eight NHL games, Alex Ovechkin
scored for the Caps. That's career goal number eight ninety five,
most in NHL history. It was the only tally for
the Capitals. Washington was beaten four to one by the
New York Islanders. Minnesota in overtime defeated Dallas three to two.

(01:04:42):
Brian Harmon won the Texas Opened by three strokes. Mark
Leishman took the Livegolf event in Miami by one Denny Hamlin,
the NASCAR winner at Darlington to Major League Baseball. The
Red Sox are leading sixteen to two over the Saint
Louis Cardinals top of the seventh inning. This will be
a bubble header sweep after yesterday's rainout. Boston already won

(01:05:03):
a game today against Saint Louis, five to ten innings.
San Francisco won its seventh game in a row, beating
Seattle five to four. Colorado and the Angels each with wins.
Miami at Atlanta reigned out. They'll make it up with
a doubleheader in August. Pittsburgh over the Yankees and eleven innings,
five to four. Philadelphia beat the Dodgers eight to seven,

(01:05:23):
Padres with a one run in the ninth one eight
to seven at the Cubs, and the Mets have won
four straight, defeating Toronto two to one. I got to
mention as far as the women's hoops season ending today,
coach Gino Oriema now with his twelfth national title, all
at Connecticut and this unlikely run. As you mentioned earlier,
they were a two seed, not a one. They beat

(01:05:46):
three number one seeds in a row these last three
games to win the tournament and to win a final
four game by at least twenty points. His clubs have
done that twelve times. To say that's the most in
women's final four history is an understatement, because if you
add up all the other teams in Division one women's history,

(01:06:09):
they have eleven such blowouts in the Final four. Just
Yukon now has done this twelve times, and this was
by a lot more than twenty today eighty two fifty
nine the final against South Carolina, which has been dominant
in its own right in recent years.

Speaker 2 (01:06:25):
Back to you, all right, great stuff, Steve, Yeah, that
was By the way, Can I add one other thing
about that women's final e.

Speaker 3 (01:06:31):
From Is there anything better in sports?

Speaker 2 (01:06:34):
And maybe this is what you're getting at with regard
to Cooper Flag, But Paige Becker's to have it end
that way, to have it in that way, she had
no championships, best player in the game back at school,
WNBA number one overall pick everybody knows it, and then

(01:06:56):
you know, boom, this is this is the way it
ends with this kind of a run.

Speaker 5 (01:07:01):
Well, I guess if you stay in college long enough,
you're bound to get one.

Speaker 3 (01:07:04):
I guess how many years has she been in in
college that was twelve twelve years Like seriously, like, if
you if you're a player.

Speaker 4 (01:07:12):
Of that caliber and you stay in college long enough,
eventually you're gonna fall into one.

Speaker 3 (01:07:19):
That's just what it is. Yea. And so.

Speaker 4 (01:07:23):
That's where that's where I sit. I mean, look, she's
twenty four years old playing against eighteen year olds. That's
a real thing.

Speaker 3 (01:07:35):
Yep.

Speaker 4 (01:07:36):
And I know women have to stay longer than than mena.
There's no one that done.

Speaker 3 (01:07:41):
Yes, correct, But.

Speaker 5 (01:07:43):
I mean if you chase something long enough, if you
have the skill level, you eventually catch it.

Speaker 3 (01:07:49):
Well, it was a great moment though, Oh yeah, it
was great.

Speaker 5 (01:07:52):
She deserves it, It's fantastic. I'm a Gino fan. I
think he's been tremendous for women's basketball at the collegiate level,
but overall, and so I'm like, you know, it's one
of those things where she got it.

Speaker 4 (01:08:12):
She escaped having to go through juju, which it was
gonna be musty TV.

Speaker 3 (01:08:17):
We want to die that one. That is no joke,
no joke.

Speaker 4 (01:08:21):
You know, And that's see you know, try but they couldn't.

Speaker 3 (01:08:24):
You know.

Speaker 5 (01:08:24):
That's thirty plus points missing with eight assists missing, off
a team that's.

Speaker 3 (01:08:29):
Hard to replace. Yeah, no doubt.

Speaker 5 (01:08:32):
And so a situation where I'm happy for she will
be the first picking in the w NBA draft. She
finally got her championship, and you know, was she going
to stay another year if she didn't get it?

Speaker 4 (01:08:46):
I mean, you know what the COVID years and all
of that is over right, what is this six for her?

Speaker 3 (01:08:53):
Right? So six years? And I'm serious being honest, I
don't even know off the top of my head. Yeah,
I don't even know off the top of my head.
Would have to look it up.

Speaker 2 (01:09:01):
But if she got there at eighteen, yeah, carried the
three three yeah, four.

Speaker 3 (01:09:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:09:08):
But I mean, like, cool moment, great, great moment. I
want to take any thing from her. I think the
team was extremely dynamic. I think it was great. Uh
well coached.

Speaker 4 (01:09:20):
Uh and Carolina ran into a bus, so it really did.

Speaker 3 (01:09:25):
Yeah, yep.

Speaker 4 (01:09:26):
And they were locked in early in that game, they
were going for it. They were getting getting after every
fifty to fifty ball. You know, they just you can
tell they just wanted it more. That's what it is.
They just wanted it more.

Speaker 3 (01:09:38):
No doubt.

Speaker 2 (01:09:39):
Mark Willardy from Salaam, very very glad that you're with us.
Tie rack dot com Studios for the best pregame show
every weekend, be sure to tune into Fox Sports Radios
Countdown presented by bet MGM every Saturday and Sunday morning
from nine to noon Eastern six to nine am Pacific.

Speaker 3 (01:09:56):
We're going to count you down to all of the
biggest games.

Speaker 2 (01:09:58):
There's no better play to prime you for the tournament
games then right here. Tune into Countdown presented by bet
MGM every Saturday and Sunday morning right here on Fox
Sports Radio on the iHeartRadio app our producer Ian Roddy. Also,
while Steve was talking kind of like piggybacking on the
conversation we were just having. I like what he said,
he goes, you know, the word that might help this

(01:10:19):
conversation is showman. Is Luka Doncich enough of a showman
to play this role?

Speaker 3 (01:10:28):
Like? I got no.

Speaker 2 (01:10:29):
Issues with Luca as far as a great talent, a
great player, but does he have the showmanship to step
into the role the future role? But it sounds like
the Lakers are giving him. I got questions about that.
Not very fun to watch my opinion.

Speaker 5 (01:10:51):
The W's man, I hear you the WS, but that
remains to be seen.

Speaker 3 (01:10:55):
Step back threes.

Speaker 4 (01:10:58):
Right, wrap around, But did you see what was happening today?
Just jump up behind the night, behind the head, flip
to the corner for the three again. Don't that's a showman.
It's a showman.

Speaker 2 (01:11:08):
Don't be a presenter of the moment he was. He
was gross on Thursday night. He was awful, like absolutely
objectively awful in a huge game on three nights rest.
Their record since he showed up is not any better
than it was before he got there. I don't like
we're moving too far. We're jumping ahead with this whole
idea that he automatically means wins. I think he hasn't

(01:11:34):
proven that, and La would be the first one to
say that, because it's all about rings, right, yes, okay,
nothing else. So he's achieved nothing now.

Speaker 4 (01:11:48):
But we'll take someone who just played in the the
final NBA Finals to join a team that two years
ago was in the Eastern I mean Western Conference front Like,
we're yeah together.

Speaker 2 (01:12:05):
I'm not suggesting you don't do the deal. I'm suggesting
there have been some conversations in my ears that have
sounded like the cards before the horse I got you
as far as the future, like we're solidified.

Speaker 3 (01:12:20):
Now for the next ten are you are you? Ah?

Speaker 2 (01:12:27):
Maybe maybe I've got an NFL question for you. Okay, Yeah,
a very under the radar signing this week that had
me scratching my head. So uh, let's get to that
coming up next on Fox Sports Radio. Hey, Ephraim, Yes, Well,

(01:12:47):
first of all, we're live in the Tireck dot Com studios.
But while we're all getting into it about all this stuff,
we've got a couple of games going on right now. Okay,
we got some games going on. The Pacers have cut
it to one, No, they've tied it. The Pacers and
Nuggets are tied. Three minutes to go third quarter halftime,

(01:13:09):
Golden State rockets up by a point.

Speaker 3 (01:13:12):
And one thing that I think might just be might
just be the deal.

Speaker 2 (01:13:17):
I don't know that Dylan Brooks and Draymond Green at
the same court the same time as a workable situation.
Just not sure if that's something that anyone involves can hand.
Holy crap, it's getting chippy. It is getting hot at
Golden State halftime came just in time. Everybody, go to

(01:13:42):
your corners and breathe for just a minute. So we're
gonna be watching both of those games coming down the stretch,
because they are monstrous basketball games in the Western Conference.
You've already had today as far as other games that
have mattered. Obviously, the Lakers very very big win at
Oklahoma City.

Speaker 3 (01:14:03):
They throttle them. Now, they rushed them, came in.

Speaker 5 (01:14:06):
And you know, like like I was saying earlier, we
had to give one of these. Now, no one's expecting
them to win both.

Speaker 3 (01:14:15):
Oh right at all. No, you take a split, but.

Speaker 5 (01:14:17):
You got to take the split, especially on the road.
They did their job. They did their job. Now they're
playing with house money on Tuesday. Luca, Lebron and Rory
and Austin Reeves would all be resting on Wednesday. Yep,
that would And then I let the you know, and

(01:14:39):
who knows, we might you know, catch a spark.

Speaker 2 (01:14:42):
Yeah maybe. I mean, like I just look at it.
I'm not disagreeing with you from an emotional standpoint. You
take a split when you go on the road twice
at Oklahoma City with sixty four wins, like, sure, you
take the split. The idea though that any game at
this hour doesn't matter to any of these teams.

Speaker 3 (01:15:03):
I just don't look at it that way.

Speaker 5 (01:15:04):
I think it would matter but you're not gonna blow
yourself out, No, no, no.

Speaker 2 (01:15:08):
No, absolutely absolutely, But I like it is, like, just
as an example for those of you who aren't locked
into these standings, the Nuggets and Warriors are both playing
right now. If the Nuggets were to lose and the
Warriors were to win, the Warriors are the four seed.
If the Warriors lose this basketball game in the trail

(01:15:29):
by one at half, I don't even know what seed
they would be. I fee would be in a four
way tie for five, six, seven, eight. Yeah, all four
of those teams are the exact same record, and somebody
else's guess is as good as mine in terms of
how that would shake out, though it doesn't matter because

(01:15:50):
the season doesn't end today, But all of them would
have the exact same record and then head into next
week and and everybody's got varying levels of difficulty with
regard to what is in front of them this week.

Speaker 4 (01:16:07):
Let me say this, Nicola Jokic is the best player
in the NBA.

Speaker 3 (01:16:13):
Yeah, he is a pretty.

Speaker 4 (01:16:17):
Special, unguardable force yep in the NBA.

Speaker 3 (01:16:21):
Yep.

Speaker 5 (01:16:23):
Like, seriously, he's the one guy. There's nothing you can
do to stop him.

Speaker 3 (01:16:31):
Pretty much did you watch them play the t Wolves
last week? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:16:36):
Okay, this was hah was that Tuesday night? So we're
going back. We're going back almost almost almost the whole
week here. I think it was Tuesday night, the nightcap
of what was a great day of NBA hoops all
across the board. But that was the game where Nicole
scored over sixty yes, and it went right sixty one

(01:16:58):
points and double overtime.

Speaker 3 (01:17:01):
And all of that, and you could tell it was
just like it got to a point.

Speaker 2 (01:17:05):
He played fifty three minutes, he from he played fifty
three minutes, and they put everything they had to do it,
and in the overtime it was just like, here, take
the ball and just start moving people until you get
to a spot where you feel like you want to
shoot it.

Speaker 3 (01:17:22):
And he would do it over and over and over again.

Speaker 2 (01:17:25):
And you got all the way down to the end
and Russell Westbrook just ruined it.

Speaker 3 (01:17:32):
He just ruined it for everyone, which he is prone
to do.

Speaker 4 (01:17:36):
One that is Look, I've always been a Russ fan,
but when he came to the Lakers, it drove me
crazy because I was like, what is he doing? Oh dude,
I didn't know he would he would himself.

Speaker 5 (01:17:53):
Stop an eleven oh run, Like if the Lakers were
were on an eleven old run to get back into
a game, he himself would stop it, yep, and throw
the momentum out of that like it was. I was
like that lay up underneath the rim, don't get it
over it, like all of it, bru. He used to
drive me for airball to three pointer for no reason.

Speaker 3 (01:18:16):
Well, that's the thing.

Speaker 2 (01:18:17):
Sometimes this guy will splash a three and on the
next possession he'll pull up from sixteen feet and throw
it twelve. It's like what I've never seen an NBA
player like him is so hot, just like what it's
not even hot and cold like it is. But it's
also like, how's that possible? Like you're in the NBA,

(01:18:37):
you have an e trophy like and that crazy.

Speaker 3 (01:18:42):
Oh my god.

Speaker 2 (01:18:42):
So the end of the game, for those of you
who didn't see it, Denver's up one. He does a
great job by getting a steal. He gets the ball.
There's twenty seconds to go. You have the lead, you
have the ball. Do the math. What do you do,
ladies and gentlemen when you've got the lead and the
ball and twenty seconds to go?

Speaker 3 (01:19:00):
What do you do?

Speaker 2 (01:19:01):
Well, if you're Russell Westbrook, you run like a bat
shot out of heaven, straight for the hoop and try
to break as if somebody's chasing you. Run to the hoop,
try a layup and hit the bottom of the rim
with it.

Speaker 4 (01:19:21):
And then and then, not to.

Speaker 2 (01:19:25):
Be out done, but the other way and double your
mistake by fouling a three point shooter with zero point
one seconds left on the clock.

Speaker 3 (01:19:35):
Amazing.

Speaker 2 (01:19:36):
It's the most incredible finish I've ever seen from an individual.

Speaker 3 (01:19:41):
Unbelievable, un be believable.

Speaker 2 (01:19:45):
All Right, I didn't get to ask you my NFL question,
but we have another hour to go, so that works out.

Speaker 3 (01:19:51):
Well, we'll do that coming up next.

Speaker 2 (01:19:55):
You're listening to sports down the stretch we come.

Speaker 3 (01:20:00):
I'm into the night on Fox Sports Radio. College basketball
is down to two. You go, Draymond, here we go. Yeah,
we got a lot, Yeah we go. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:20:11):
It's had that look the whole night. It's a little
bit of a throwback Draymond game. He's been on his
best behavior this year, but I would say for about
the last forty five minutes, this has had the look
of a game.

Speaker 3 (01:20:22):
That he's just not long for. So anyway, there is.

Speaker 2 (01:20:28):
There is a review underway right now Golden State on
what may be an offensive foul and Draymond's fifth foul
of the game, or it.

Speaker 3 (01:20:38):
May get overturned and be an end one. We'll see.

Speaker 2 (01:20:41):
But it's hot and heavy there with Houston up by
seven there later in the game in Denver where the
Pacers with nine minutes to go lead by three. So
we're yeah, yeah, Laker fans are clapping right now broadcasting
live tyrack dot com studios. Tyrack dot com will help
you get there, and I'm match selection, fast, free shipping,
free road hazard protection and over ten thousand recommended installers

(01:21:04):
tire rack dot com. The way tire buying should be
may feel a little random right here off the top.
Not the biggest of names though it was a few
years ago, but I would really love to know what
your thoughts are on Trey Lance signing to be a
backup quarterback to Justin Herbert with the Los Angeles Chargers.

(01:21:28):
Thing he's great for him, Okay, doesn't he need to play?

Speaker 5 (01:21:31):
Yeah, but he's not gonna play. There's not a team
that's gonna take a shot on him being a starter
without him in the NFL without him, where's he gonna go?
Did UFL or Canadian?

Speaker 4 (01:21:44):
You don't why that?

Speaker 3 (01:21:45):
Why?

Speaker 5 (01:21:46):
Yeah, because you don't leave the league to go somewhere
to get back to the league. That's hustling backwards. As
we say in the neighborhood, right, you don't leave the
league to go somewhere to get back to the league.
You stay in the league. And you know, look at

(01:22:08):
the rebirth of Sam Darnold, look at the rebirth of
Geno Smith. Look at they They didn't go to the
UFL or to Canada so they can play. They're all
first round draft picks. No, you write it out. If
you get an opportunity to get in a game, you
got to show up and show out. If someone gets hurt,

(01:22:31):
you have to be able to get into the game
and win a game, win a couple of games. That's
the If you're not coming into a team as a starter,
then you got to come in. You gotta learn the system.
You got to prepare like you're the starter, and if
given opportunity, uh with something unfortunate happening with injury, then

(01:22:55):
you step up and you actually Jimmy Jimmy Garoppolo became
a starter because Tom Brady was out and they didn't
miss a beat. Matt Flynn got a bag from Seattle.

Speaker 4 (01:23:14):
Yes he did, from coming for coming in for a
hot second in Green Bay.

Speaker 5 (01:23:22):
That's the formula. You don't go away from there to
show people you can play against inferior talent.

Speaker 3 (01:23:32):
To try to get back.

Speaker 5 (01:23:35):
No, I'd rather do my playing in practice, and if
he gets an opportunity, then yeah, if I was him,
I would have went down to Miami. I would have
signed with Miami. If I was Miami, I would have
signed him. But I think that's a great pickup by

(01:23:56):
the Chargers.

Speaker 3 (01:23:59):
Why why Miami?

Speaker 4 (01:24:00):
Me because just given the injury history of Tua.

Speaker 2 (01:24:06):
No, but I like, why would Miami be interested in him?

Speaker 4 (01:24:10):
Oh? No, I mean they well who do they have
as a backup?

Speaker 3 (01:24:13):
I don't even know.

Speaker 5 (01:24:13):
We ran into a bus all edge. It was just
grabbing guys from the stands.

Speaker 3 (01:24:17):
Well, but isn't that what like?

Speaker 2 (01:24:19):
Okay, here's something I struggle with when it comes to
players like Trey Lance. I don't want to make it
about Trey, but what does it say about a player
when very highly drafted and it goes a certain place
and he kind of never really gets an opportunity. Look,
he was the starting quarterback to start a year, but
he got hurt. He got hurt in the second week

(01:24:42):
of the year, and that really effectively that was it,
because it led to the rise of Brock Purty. And
he never really got another chance, and they had to
get him somewhere else, and they did, and off he
went to the Dallas Cowboys, and the Dallas Cowboys took
a look at him for a couple of year, yea,

(01:25:02):
and their starting quarterback got hurt.

Speaker 3 (01:25:05):
And he's still never got on the field.

Speaker 2 (01:25:08):
I mean for a hot second here and there, but
he never really got a chance. And so I never
know what to do when someone goes, hey, like, you
still don't know what Trey is. He's never he's never
had a chance.

Speaker 3 (01:25:22):
We don't.

Speaker 5 (01:25:23):
The great thing about backup quarterbacks, yeah, you don't need
them until you need them, understood, And so he's gonna
be in a system, he'll be able to get reps
in practice and all of that if he does get
to a situation. That's why I would have picked Miami
just given you know, I don't know if it was
even offered, but you want to be in.

Speaker 4 (01:25:40):
A position to where you know something happened.

Speaker 3 (01:25:45):
Are you gonna make the shot?

Speaker 4 (01:25:47):
You get into a position where I'm watching all watching
all the you know, I've got a nice little.

Speaker 3 (01:25:55):
But I don't. You know.

Speaker 5 (01:25:57):
He gets to go uh and learn under hardball. He
gets to learn from a Justin Herbert who's a dynamic
passer of the of the football. And so all of
this is just him, you know, sharpening his tools. So
when he gets a he gets an opportunity to cook.

(01:26:18):
He doesn't have a dull knife.

Speaker 3 (01:26:19):
I got you.

Speaker 2 (01:26:20):
I guess what I guess what I'm getting at is
whenever someone says, well, we haven't we haven't seen him,
my thought is, well, actually two different NFL coaches have
seen him every.

Speaker 3 (01:26:31):
Day for years, for a period of years.

Speaker 2 (01:26:36):
Kyle Shanahan saw him for two and a half years.

Speaker 5 (01:26:40):
Well, I think they had Kyle had to get off
of him, right because they made the mistake. Okay, if
you can't count, though, they made the mistake. So the
furthest you can get away from the.

Speaker 3 (01:26:50):
Mistake, fair the better. Totally fair.

Speaker 2 (01:26:53):
But then the Cowboys had him in practice for two
years and and and Dak Prescott missed the better part
of a season, and they still didn't seem interested in doing.

Speaker 3 (01:27:03):
Anything about that.

Speaker 2 (01:27:04):
And so somewhere in that without my own eyes, I
have to be able to infer that nobody's that impressed
by him.

Speaker 5 (01:27:16):
Yeah, but going to the UFL or canon Canadian football,
that's not going to change that.

Speaker 3 (01:27:21):
That I understand that. Like, I get your point there,
I guess I just I don't.

Speaker 2 (01:27:28):
I don't know what to do with this idea that
a player like him quote hasn't had his chance.

Speaker 5 (01:27:35):
You know, they used to know he's had a chance.
He hasn't done anything right, and injuries has stopped him
have a prolonged chance.

Speaker 3 (01:27:43):
I don't.

Speaker 2 (01:27:43):
I don't feel like talent at the professional level stays
on the sideline for too long. It just does true
like you're gonna find your way to the field.

Speaker 5 (01:27:53):
Yeah, but one man's trash is another man's treasure. And
two years Trey Lance could be a starting quarterback in
this league. And and and we're going to be having
a whole different conversation. This past year and the last
couple of years has shown us rebirth is possible.

Speaker 4 (01:28:09):
Look at Baker Mayfield.

Speaker 5 (01:28:11):
Look at these guys, man, these guys have come in
and whatever the narrative was in any given year, they've
changed it dramatically, and so just as long as they're working,
they're getting better, they're understanding their craft and what's required
of them, then they got a shot. They obviously can

(01:28:33):
throw the football, but can you do all the other things?
And that's sometimes it takes a little bit longer.

Speaker 3 (01:28:40):
Understood.

Speaker 2 (01:28:41):
No, I got you, but by the same token again
to me, especially when you're talking about the politics of it,
when you're the number three overall pick, when you when
you put all of all of those assets into into
picking that player, You've got teams, even the Cowboys. The

(01:29:02):
Cowboys it became like, oh, let's just do a flyer,
Like they gave up a fourth round draft pick, Yeah,
to bring him in and do nothing.

Speaker 4 (01:29:12):
Now, I don't think it brought.

Speaker 3 (01:29:13):
Him in to just let him go two years later.

Speaker 5 (01:29:15):
Yeah, I don't know if they were doing a lot
of developing over there. They got their own issues and
their own problems. Uh, clearly, its hard enough for them
to get a backup Braddy, he got to get starters
ready so that a little bit more on their plate.
Didn't have the bandwidth to really develop someone, you know
what I mean. So it's It's one of those situations

(01:29:37):
where it's like, oh, okay, we get it.

Speaker 4 (01:29:39):
They're moving on. They got a lot of other questions
to answer outside of sure, what are you doing with
Trey Lance?

Speaker 3 (01:29:44):
For sure? No, I got you.

Speaker 2 (01:29:47):
The whole the whole journey, The whole journey that's unfolded
for him just leaves me scratching my head. Yeah, it's
a head It's a complete head scratcher. Now in multiple places.
It's a bigger head scratcher in his first place then
the second place.

Speaker 3 (01:30:02):
But the whole thing to me is just what a
what a weird dude?

Speaker 4 (01:30:06):
The kid only played sixteen games, and.

Speaker 2 (01:30:09):
That's what I mean, Like, he's not like the college
experience followed by the NFL experience. The kids still barely
played football yet yet millions of dollars and tons of
draft assets have been poured into him.

Speaker 3 (01:30:22):
You know, yeah, I get it. It's weird, weird situation, man.

Speaker 2 (01:30:28):
Okay, I want to grab a little bit of something
that's a not only happening in the NBA right now,
but also last night with Cooper Flag and the Duke
Blue Devils down toward the end of that game. There's
a call that is going to be talked about for
a long time, and it's the one where Cooper gets

(01:30:50):
called for going over the back on a rebound.

Speaker 3 (01:30:53):
And let's just call it what it was. It was
a bad call. It's a bad call.

Speaker 2 (01:30:57):
It's not the only bad thing that Duke did down
the stretch, so they earned their loss in the end,
but it's a very bad call that could have twisted
the game in a different direction.

Speaker 3 (01:31:08):
Let's get into the anatomy of a bad call.

Speaker 2 (01:31:13):
From the perspective of a fan and how to kind
of move through that when a bad call hits your
team at the wrong time.

Speaker 3 (01:31:24):
So we'll get into that.

Speaker 2 (01:31:25):
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(01:31:48):
dot com.

Speaker 3 (01:31:48):
See how our hosts are doing with their picks.

Speaker 2 (01:31:50):
Where the top ranked listeners are the listener with the
best bracket at Foxsports radio dot com will win a
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me from Salama Mark Willard and this is Fox Sports
Radio okay, Tyreight dot com studios is shortly after the
show podcast goes up. If you missed any of today's show,
be sure to check out the podcast.

Speaker 3 (01:32:12):
All you have to do is search Fox Sports Radio
wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 2 (01:32:15):
Be sure to follow and review the podcast and rate
it five stars. Again, just search Fox Sports Radio wherever
you get your podcasts. Just see today's show posted right
after we get off the air. But not done yet.
I bet you have one or two of these or twelve. Like,
think back to your career. Any calls still bother you, man,

(01:32:42):
It's gotta be some of course.

Speaker 5 (01:32:44):
I mean you played one hundred and fifty nine games
or something like that. Yeah, you know, but.

Speaker 4 (01:32:54):
You know, the no calls, the calls, it's.

Speaker 5 (01:32:58):
All part of the game. Sure, it literally is all
part of the game. And to get hung up on the.

Speaker 4 (01:33:08):
You know, the one that's called or not call, it's
it's Ebbs and flows, man, big game, small games.

Speaker 5 (01:33:17):
Should that call have been called No, not at that moment.
Did he make contact from behind him? Yeah, it was
a good box out, But would I have made that call?

Speaker 4 (01:33:28):
No?

Speaker 2 (01:33:29):
Interesting, So so you thought it was about timing and
by the way, for those yeah I did. We're talking
about Cooper flag getting called for the over the back foul.
I didn't even see it as a foul at any time.
I didn't see it as a foul with with ten
seconds into.

Speaker 3 (01:33:45):
The game, I did not see that as a foul.

Speaker 5 (01:33:50):
Yeah, I mean, but it's like most files are interpreted
for interpretation.

Speaker 3 (01:33:55):
So yeah, I guess, you know, I guess.

Speaker 5 (01:33:57):
I mean, was there contact as a player was boxing
out at you tried to go over the top of them?

Speaker 2 (01:34:03):
Yeah, it was, well, I mean boxing out in and
of itself is contact.

Speaker 3 (01:34:08):
Yeah, you know.

Speaker 5 (01:34:11):
Yeah, the defender doesn't have the right to elevate over
the shoulder or make contact forcibly in the back of
the player in position for the rebound.

Speaker 4 (01:34:21):
That's the that's what the law, the letter of the law.

Speaker 3 (01:34:24):
Yeah, I yeah, I saw it as pretty as pretty clean.

Speaker 2 (01:34:28):
But I the larger and that's fine, you know, you
you say it one way, I see it another that sports,
but I I like.

Speaker 5 (01:34:35):
Let me tell you this hit me. These two games
are magnificent.

Speaker 3 (01:34:40):
They're pretty, they're preretty good.

Speaker 5 (01:34:42):
Team point eight seconds left in the Pacers Nuggets game.

Speaker 4 (01:34:47):
The Pacers are up by two. Yep, Denver had the ball.

Speaker 5 (01:34:53):
Nikola Jokicz just turned it over with fifteen seconds left.
Obviously the Pacers have to foul. H Man, this is
great Golden State and Houston seventy seven, seventy four left
in the third.

Speaker 3 (01:35:07):
And chippy and chippy, hippy, chippy. Draymond's got five fouls he's.

Speaker 2 (01:35:12):
Been on the bench and uh yeah, this this one.

Speaker 4 (01:35:16):
High level basketball. Yeah right now.

Speaker 5 (01:35:18):
But the thing I love about this is because it's
coming down the stretch and teams are jockeying for playoff playoffs,
and this is playoff basketball.

Speaker 3 (01:35:28):
This is playoff basketball. That's exactly what it is.

Speaker 2 (01:35:30):
That's exactly what it is, which is why I kind of, well,
I fully understand where you're coming from. Like, that's why
the idea of hey, we're gonna set our players for
the set, Like, do you really think the Lakers are
gonna sit a bunch of people?

Speaker 4 (01:35:47):
Yeah, I would.

Speaker 3 (01:35:49):
Play that a different way.

Speaker 2 (01:35:51):
I really would like I'd go in with the idea
that maybe let's see if we can peel off some
minutes here or there. And if you're in the north
quarter and you're down by seventeen, sure, take a seat.
Take a seat. No, I'd give it a look, though,
he who knows. Maybe maybe your role players are raigning
threes again, and Oklahoma City, who's lost to in a row,

(01:36:15):
maybe maybe their mojo is, you know, maybe their confidence
is a little shaken after today.

Speaker 3 (01:36:21):
I'd give it a look and try to win that game.

Speaker 5 (01:36:23):
I think they can win that game without suiting those
guys up, really, because I don't know who OKAC is
gonna be suiting up.

Speaker 3 (01:36:30):
Well, if you know they're done, they're done.

Speaker 5 (01:36:32):
There is nothing that can happen. Well, they're done there.
I think that there's nothing that can happen. They can
lose the last four games.

Speaker 2 (01:36:42):
No, they could lose home court advantage in the NBA Finals.
If they do that, Oh, what's that good? There are
two games up right now on Cleveland. I don't know
if they're worried about Cleve Well, but I don't. I don't.

Speaker 3 (01:36:57):
I don't know either. I don't know.

Speaker 5 (01:36:59):
He got that's that that's the problem. Once you over
there they got some size on it.

Speaker 3 (01:37:03):
They've got size.

Speaker 2 (01:37:04):
They've got they definitely have size.

Speaker 3 (01:37:08):
They've also really cooled off. I don't know if you
notice what they do down there today. Oh yea, yeah,
the Kings was on them. They lost a home game.

Speaker 5 (01:37:16):
But look to but look what I'm saying is the
Kings are playing for a play in and a playoff
birth sure, and so all of these games. This is
when this is the real sweet spot of the NBA season,
especially with the play in the last few years, since
the play in this last week of the NBA has
been unbelievable.

Speaker 3 (01:37:37):
It's been incredible.

Speaker 5 (01:37:37):
It's been everybody's playing, everybody's given what they I mean,
the Lakers went into the number one seed by a mile,
by seventeen games and asserted their dominance. That's a message
for sure. That's sending a message, and everybody sending messages.

(01:38:01):
I mean you you look at these players playing there.
They're playing, and the Pacers are gonna come away with
the victory.

Speaker 3 (01:38:11):
Yes, one down, one to go, that's big. One down,
one to go, that is big. Ye yeah, come on, Austin.

Speaker 2 (01:38:18):
The Denver Nuggets have quietly lost four basketball games in
a row. Yep, and it also you know, we were
laughing and going crazy over that.

Speaker 3 (01:38:29):
Russell Westbrook.

Speaker 2 (01:38:29):
Think last Tuesday night, the Nuggets lost that game one
hundred and forty to one hundred and thirty nine and
doublet They had to play the very next night against
San Antonio. But this zat everybody butt Russ, which felt
like a punishment. I don't know if you took it
that way, but everybody good on Denver sat and they're like, here, Russ,
you go play, and and he did, and he scored

(01:38:54):
thirty and they still lost. They lost that home game
to the Spurs. Then there was the aforementioned trip to
Golden State on Friday night where the Warriors came in
in theory exhausted but won by They won by fourteen points.
And now this back home, rested and you lost to Indiana.

Speaker 4 (01:39:14):
Like I said, all of these that's wild, man, Yeah,
that's do you.

Speaker 2 (01:39:20):
Want to know what no one's even thought about, brother,
The Nuggets could end like if this doesn't go well,
the play in tournament, Like, no joke.

Speaker 3 (01:39:31):
You're absolutely right. Right now they are.

Speaker 2 (01:39:33):
A half game clear of the play in tournament and
uh and and looking at what they've got coming up
next after this lost to Indiana, they have to go
to Sacramento their rest now for a couple of nights.

Speaker 3 (01:39:46):
They'll go to Sacramento on Wednesday.

Speaker 2 (01:39:49):
They have Memphis come them on Friday, and they finished
in Houston on Sunday.

Speaker 3 (01:39:55):
There's no picnics in.

Speaker 2 (01:39:56):
There, no picnics, all three teams that need those wins. Yeah,
that is a concept I hadn't even thought of until
just now, that the Nuggets could end up in the
playing tournament.

Speaker 4 (01:40:14):
Yeah, because as it sits now, they're tied for.

Speaker 2 (01:40:17):
Six right, Yeah, they're forty seven and thirty two and
everyone else is forty six and thirty two. And the
Warriors are forty six and thirty one. But they trail
as they start the fourth quarter against Houston.

Speaker 3 (01:40:31):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:40:34):
Whoa.

Speaker 5 (01:40:35):
That's why that game today was so important for the
Oh my goodness.

Speaker 2 (01:40:40):
Yeah, no, it was big. It was big. It was big.
But you know, you're sort of advocating kicking to a
degree the game on on is it Tuesday, yes, Kik,
But what if you also don't win on Wednesday?

Speaker 3 (01:40:58):
I know you got to win, but but you might
not know.

Speaker 4 (01:41:01):
But you have to but but you might not No,
but you have to.

Speaker 3 (01:41:04):
Well, Okay. I know I've watched a lot of sports.

Speaker 2 (01:41:08):
You're not allowed to just say we have to and
then that automatically means it happened.

Speaker 3 (01:41:12):
No, but you have to, like you have to go,
but you gotta go win that game.

Speaker 4 (01:41:16):
You're right, but it's it's not.

Speaker 3 (01:41:18):
Gonna be easy. That's going to be a very emotional environment.

Speaker 4 (01:41:20):
Obviously, good emotions, all of that stuff, right, Gotta win
that game.

Speaker 3 (01:41:25):
Anthony Davis is getting ready for that game too. He
is getting ready for the game.

Speaker 2 (01:41:28):
He's probably gonna have fifty if I were him, If
I were him, I would be the most motivated guy
out of all of them.

Speaker 3 (01:41:36):
Draymond's back in the game. Is hegel foul out at
some point? We'll see how it goes? Black someone Eye? Yeah?
You know who else is back? Uh, Steve the Sayer, Yeah,
that's he's back.

Speaker 7 (01:41:54):
Hello again, gentlemen. And it wasn't just a Denver loss
at home. It was a loss where Nicole yo Kitch
had another triple double and it was forty one points,
twelve rebound, fifteen rebound excuse me, and thirteen assists. But
the Pacers win one twenty five one twenty at Denver,
which leaves us to the two late games. They've started

(01:42:15):
the fourth quarter at Golden State. The lead is Houston
eighty three seventy nine over the Warriors. And in this
game Golden State Steph Curry is one of eight shooting
from the floor three points, Starter Moses Moody one of seven,
three points, Draymond Green one of five two points and
five fouls, and they're still in this game. Milwaukee up

(01:42:38):
one O one ninety five at New Orleans with under
four minutes to go. Janis Antenakumpo out tonight with a
bad shoulder, twenty six points for the Bucks, Gary Trent
Junior everything else as a final. New York beat Phoenix
one twelve ninety eight. Jalen Brunson returned, had fifteen points.
He missed a month with a sprained ankle. Og On
and Obi thirty two points for the Knicks. Boston and
Atlanta each one at home Portland, as well road wins

(01:43:00):
for Chicago, Toronto and Sacramento, which won at Cleveland won
twenty to one thirteen. Zach Lavine of the Kings thirty
seven points. He was fifteen of twenty one shooting from
the floor. The Bulls Kobe White thirty seven points in
their win at Charlotte won thirty one one seventeen, and
the Lakers won at Oklahoma City won twenty six to

(01:43:21):
ninety nine. Talk about it despite shay Giljes Alexander having
twenty six points, Nina Sis one turnover, Lukadoncic with thirty points.
In fact, the Lakers shot fifty five percent from the
floor from three point range twenty two for forty Today.
The Lakers lead in the second quarter was seventy three
to forty four. These two will play each other again

(01:43:42):
on Tuesday, also in OKC. Lakers at Dallas on Wednesday.
Dominance in the women's basketball National Championship game in Tampa,
Yukon over South Carolina eighty two to fifty nine. The
men's finalist Monday night, Florida versus Houston and SEC school
has not won the National time Idol in men's hoops
since twenty twelve. Kentucky Nebraska took the College Basketball crown

(01:44:05):
the New week long tournament in Vegas, NHL. Among the
eight games, alex alex Ovechkin of the Caps did score
a goal today, but it was the only one for Washington.
For what it's worth, they lost four to one to
the Islanders, but for Ovechkin career goal number eight ninety five,
the most in NHL history. At the UFL Spring Football
League on FS one tonight Saint Louis twenty six to

(01:44:26):
nine over San Antonio. Danny Hamlin on FS one today,
the NASCAR winner at Darlington. NASCAR's on FS one again
next Sunday. It's a Major League Baseball Everything's now final
because Boston was a winner tonight eighteen to seven over
Saint Louis. After beating the Cardinals earlier today in ten innings,
five to four. After yesterday's rainout, they sweeped two from

(01:44:47):
the Cards today, five straight wins for Boston. San Francisco
won its seventh in a row, five to four over Seattle.
The Mets won their fourth straight, to to one against Toronto.
Extra inning victories for both Houston and p Wsburg Miami
at Atlanta rained out. Texas won its fifth straight game
four to three over slumping Tampa Bay. And to the golf.

(01:45:08):
We did get a win at the Texas Open for
Brian Harmony won by three strokes. In San Antonio. The
Master starts Thursday. Mark Leishman took the LIB golf event
in Miami by one stroke. Sergio Garcia finished two back.
The weather was not great for the PGA event in
San Antonio, but a guy from Georgia now heads to
the Masters, winning this weekend's tournament. This guy, Brian Harmon,

(01:45:31):
shoots a seventy five in the final round and still
wins today in the wind and the cold. It is
the highest final round score this season for a winner.
In fact, the average score today was seventy five. Oh
my goodness, it's this guy's first, his first PGA Tour
title since winning the Open a couple of years ago,

(01:45:54):
known for bad weather. His winner's check about one point
seven million dollars. The unknown finishing second gets a million dollars.
Very impressive. And then there's Andrew Novak, who was in
contention and bogeyed fifteen, bogied seventeen, bogied the eighteen, eighteenth thoual.
It wasn't just that on the eighteen he had a

(01:46:15):
par putt and left it short and that dropped him
to a.

Speaker 3 (01:46:18):
Tie for third.

Speaker 7 (01:46:20):
The difference between tying for third or tying for second
place is two hundred and eighty five thousand dollars. That
came down to that final putt of his ouch. The
Live Golf Miami winner the Aussee Mark Leishman gets his
first win since joining them and his first worldwide victory
in four years, winning by a stroke over Charles Schwartzwel.

(01:46:43):
He also gets extra cash because he was part of
the team title as well that they do and Live Golf.
Sergio Garcia finished third and takes home one point five
million dollars for three days of golf.

Speaker 4 (01:46:56):
Quick math.

Speaker 7 (01:46:56):
That's a half a million dollars a day this weekend
that he earned for golfing in Miami.

Speaker 4 (01:47:03):
Goodness.

Speaker 7 (01:47:03):
Great Carlos Ortiz finished fourth and takes home one million dollars.
It was nice that the PGA second place guy a
million dollars fourth place got a million at the live
golf event and that guy Carlos Sortiz did finish just
ahead of Bryson de Shambo and Phil Mickelson. This weekend again,

(01:47:24):
the Masters is coming up Thursday.

Speaker 3 (01:47:26):
Back to you, Thank you, Steve, great stufford.

Speaker 2 (01:47:28):
We always love our golf update at seven thirty seven
thirty our time out here in the in the West
and uh even you know.

Speaker 4 (01:47:36):
When Steph Curry has three points.

Speaker 3 (01:47:38):
Three points, by the way, no, three points.

Speaker 5 (01:47:40):
No, I'm just saying like three points in the quarter
and he only has three.

Speaker 2 (01:47:45):
And did you see the three that he has? Yes,
it was a pull up from about thirty five. Oh
my god, what is happening it.

Speaker 3 (01:47:52):
With two seconds left to go in the uh in
the in the magic the first that Juju ran out? Man,
that magic we ran out.

Speaker 7 (01:48:01):
So in other words, aside from that shot, he'ser of
eight from the floor.

Speaker 2 (01:48:04):
Correct, yeah, correct, yeah, good is great in twenty nine minutes.
You know what I'm seeing from them right now? I'm
seeing from them right now.

Speaker 3 (01:48:13):
You know. Have you ever like kind of pulled the
all nighter?

Speaker 2 (01:48:17):
Oh yeah, or you do the thing where you're like,
I gotta be up to get to the airport at
three point thirty.

Speaker 3 (01:48:22):
In the morning. Yep, I'm just going to stay up.

Speaker 2 (01:48:24):
And you're like, I'm gonna be exhausted, and then you
do it and you're you're kind of not You're not exhausted,
but then you are the next day, yeah, catch or
the two days like that's and Houston, Houston beats you up.
They're a good defensive team and they've come in with
a pretty good game plan.

Speaker 3 (01:48:42):
That's how this thing got real chippy here.

Speaker 2 (01:48:45):
But yeah, they look Steph, Steph looks he looks tired.

Speaker 3 (01:48:51):
He looks tired on this one.

Speaker 4 (01:48:52):
They put a lot of shots up last week.

Speaker 3 (01:48:55):
One hundred and twenty five points in the first three games.
Is that a way out when seven.

Speaker 2 (01:49:00):
Now he's got one hundred and twenty eight, Yeah, rockets
are up ten. Just went on a little rug that
it's fro up ten six and a half.

Speaker 3 (01:49:10):
Minutes to go.

Speaker 4 (01:49:12):
Come on, y'all, yeah, come on that game on Tuesdays
looking less and less important.

Speaker 3 (01:49:18):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean.

Speaker 2 (01:49:20):
The wild thing is though, like as you say that,
you sit here right now and say that, let's say
that the Lakers do go ahead and kick that, and
then they go to forty eight and thirty one. Like,
that's that's a that's a game ahead. That's a game
ahead of all the teams that are in the play.

Speaker 5 (01:49:38):
The magic number for us as fifty. We get to
fifty wins, we're gonna.

Speaker 3 (01:49:42):
Be alright, which you should do.

Speaker 4 (01:49:44):
Yeah, we're gonna be We get to fifty. That's that's
that's the goal.

Speaker 2 (01:49:48):
Get to fifty does the does the and I we
have this conversation. I feel like probably every other year
of my life in watching NBA ball, But does the
league ever have any interest in I mean, look at Okay,
eighth in the West. Eighth in the West is forty
six and thirty two. Let's just give all these teams,

(01:50:09):
let's say they essentially.

Speaker 3 (01:50:10):
Play five hundred ball the rest of the way.

Speaker 2 (01:50:15):
Somebody who wins forty eight games is going to play
for their lives.

Speaker 3 (01:50:20):
On the road.

Speaker 4 (01:50:22):
That's crazy.

Speaker 3 (01:50:23):
And if they.

Speaker 2 (01:50:24):
Lose that game, they'll get a home game one and done,
like they get a March Madness game to see if
they can make the playoffs, and if they do, they
get to go to Oklahoma City two days later. Meantime
on the other side of the country. Good lord, everybody

(01:50:46):
in the play in tournament is under five hundred, all
of them, all of them. And in fact, if you
want to get all the way down to ten, and
they've all clinched it, that's the other thing, my right,
I'm a heat are thirty five and forty three.

Speaker 4 (01:51:02):
And they have a shot to be in the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (01:51:04):
And they have already locked up the ten seed because
of all of the other teams doing such a wonderful
job of tanking. The Raptors, Nets, Sixers, Hornets, and Wizards
have all already been eliminated. Oh my god, what do
we do with that?

Speaker 3 (01:51:20):
Man?

Speaker 4 (01:51:20):
Cooper Flag is looking at that like you, I'm not.

Speaker 2 (01:51:24):
Detroit Pistons have locked up a playoff spot, as have
the Bucks, and both of them would be in the
bottom bracket, the bottom half of the play and tournament.

Speaker 3 (01:51:36):
In the West.

Speaker 2 (01:51:38):
Yeah, if they were in the West. Yeah, it doesn't
seem right. It's right, literally, don't right? That isn't it?

Speaker 4 (01:51:50):
It always is, always like that.

Speaker 2 (01:51:52):
We're live in the Tirech dot Com Studios, calm the
chaos with the shipping software that delivers use code sports
for free trial at shipstation dot com. That shipstation dot
com Code Sports. We'll be back to put some finishing
touches on this one. Mark Willardy from Salam Fox Sports Radio.
All right, let's play with this tyreq dot Com Studios.

(01:52:13):
Mark Willardy from Salam. Just about a handful seven or
eight minutes left for us before we hand it over
to PLANKT Spaniard. You'll be good on this. I want
to ask you if you buy or sell this idea.
Every year we get to this time, people are talking
about playoff seedings and who scares them and who doesn't right,

(01:52:36):
who's a good matchup, who's a bad matchup? You said
it earlier, Denver is the only team you're kind of
looking to avoid. And unless there is a at least
a mini miracle here, Houston's gonna get this win at
Golden State tonight. They're up by thirteen with three and
a half left to go. So what I hear people

(01:52:57):
say is, boy, if they haven't done it before, then
you don't know if they can do it. So everybody
loves the idea of that opponent that is sort of
like new as far as the playoff advancement is concerned.
That's why I hear people go no, no, no, Like you

(01:53:21):
said it earlier, you got no worries about playing Oklahoma
City despite the fact that they've lost a game like
once every two weeks all year long, like they barely
ever lose basketball games. You're like, yeah, piscake, because they
haven't done it before. And I hear it even more
about this team. This team, this is the team no

(01:53:44):
one's talking about. And they're the ones who quietly separated
themselves from this bucket of teams in the West that's
all jumbled up. You know who's really chilling this week
is the Houston Rockets and their babies, their pops. They're athletic,

(01:54:06):
they defend, they've got moxie, they'll make you mad. Dylan
Brooks is on the team, all of that stuff, But like,
where are you with these guys?

Speaker 4 (01:54:20):
I think they're young and energetic and fun, and.

Speaker 5 (01:54:26):
That's not what the playoffs are. The playoffs aren't young,
energetic and fun. It's a grind, it's a slugfest. It's
adjustment after adjustment after adjustment. It's can you survive without

(01:54:46):
your top player being your top player? Yeah, that's what
the playoffs are. Well coached and and yeah, well coach,
of course, coach.

Speaker 4 (01:54:56):
Yeah, but you've got to be able to go through it,
like you gotta know what that is.

Speaker 5 (01:55:02):
We saw it with Minnesota and and Edwards last year.
Remember how fun and energetic he was when he was
going against KD and doing all of that, and he
ran into a bus. Saw Yeah, exhausted. Yeah right, he'll
be better in the playoffs this year.

Speaker 3 (01:55:21):
He won.

Speaker 2 (01:55:22):
He won a game seven on the road against the
defending champs. Yeah you know, I mean, yeah, he ran
into a buzzsaw, but that I don't know if that
means he can't.

Speaker 4 (01:55:31):
No, no, But what I'm saying is he'll be better
this year. Yes, right.

Speaker 5 (01:55:37):
This is the team where they're like the hardest thing
and the toughest thing for young players and including myself.
I'm speaking from experience. I remember when we won the
NFC Championship game many moons ago, and Adam Schreiber, our
backup center who was starting because our center got hurt.

Speaker 3 (01:56:00):
Was sobbing on the ground.

Speaker 5 (01:56:02):
I'm talking about like fetal position sobbing, and I was like,
what's happening? He was he couldn't even talk. This was
that was his fifteenth year in the league and the
first opportunity he ever had to get to the Super Bowl, and.

Speaker 4 (01:56:27):
It was one of those things where you're like, oh, okay.
I didn't understand that because it was my first I
had been in the league for three months essentially, and
here I am in the super Bowl after starting nineteen
of the nineteen possible games. So for me, I'm like, okay, man,
get up, man, We're going to the super Bowl. I'd

(01:56:50):
never sniffed the Super Bowl since, so I didn't know
what I didn't know until I knew it, if that
makes sense. So these guys are playing unbelievable. They're fast,
and they're they're clicking, they're well coached, they're doing all
of this until there's a brick wall in front of you.

(01:57:10):
You can't outspeed everyone in the playoffs because that's when
the game slows down, the matchups slow down, the bench
is shortened.

Speaker 3 (01:57:24):
Are you sure they're not built for that? I don't know.
That's the whole point. That's kind of what we don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:57:30):
No, we don't know, but but that means that we
don't know it in both directions.

Speaker 3 (01:57:35):
And and you know.

Speaker 2 (01:57:36):
I kind of hear the assumption that the top two
seeds in the West, the much harder conference, are very
likely to just wilt when when.

Speaker 3 (01:57:49):
Not wilt, not wilt.

Speaker 5 (01:57:51):
But what I'm what I'm saying is there it's a
different it's a different feel and it's hard to explain.
But when you see it, you're like, oh, Okay, they're
a year away. It's a reason why people say that.

Speaker 2 (01:58:04):
We thought that about Washington too in the NFL are
they are a year away.

Speaker 3 (01:58:09):
Yeah, I guess you could argue that, but.

Speaker 4 (01:58:11):
They are away.

Speaker 2 (01:58:12):
They advanced, they advanced did and it ocked out the
top seed.

Speaker 4 (01:58:15):
And it happens. But then they ran into a train.

Speaker 2 (01:58:18):
Right, they ran into the best team as it turns out,
which was kind up hiding in the weeds.

Speaker 4 (01:58:23):
Yeah, but you don't know that until like once you're
in the game. It's hard to make those adjustments like that.

Speaker 5 (01:58:35):
Like case in point, So, we had won the Valley
Regional championship, right, we got a banner. So now we
were playing in the city championship. So we played against
the Palisades. I think I talked about this last week.
We're playing against the Palisades.

Speaker 3 (01:58:50):
Yep.

Speaker 5 (01:58:52):
Our whole focus and intent was to get that banner
for the Valley, and then I had to repump the
guys up, my kids, it's up to go play for
the city, which didn't have the same We got boat
raced by the Palisades. JJ Reddick and his son, they
were there Saturday, J J. Redicks son, and they advanced

(01:59:13):
scouting the whole nine yards. I'll get into that story
next week, but I say that to say, if you're
a team that's doing something that you haven't done before,
once you get to that thing, we did it number
one seed, it's hard to carry that the whole way

(01:59:33):
until you win the championship.

Speaker 4 (01:59:36):
That's why they say they're a year away. That's it.

Speaker 3 (01:59:41):
I got you.

Speaker 4 (01:59:41):
Shout out to the Palisades, they deserved it.

Speaker 2 (01:59:43):
Shout out to the Rockets and the Pacers as well. Man,
all right, talk to you next week.

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