NBA Draft Lottery Reform

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You don't need weather tech floor liners in the summer unless you hit the beach or go camping then you'd want a cargo liner Or a road trip goes sideways, Ketchup goes roadue Iice cream drips. Yeah You'd be pretty happy about those weather teech seat protectors So just to be clear, as the mud, you're inevitably going to step in this summer donon't need weather tech. unless you plan on doing summer So v it. Weather tech . com So here's what happened. It was like you watched it was like you turned on a movie First ten minutes were absolutely riveting. just unbelievable, totally hooked you And then you had to watch like the last hour and twenty minutes to get through it and you're like, that was all right. Game one of this series was an instant classic could see like if they played it if I just was scanning through and they're playing it on NBA TV tomorrow, I'd like stop and watch it Be of the W be forty one and twenty four and the the thirty first shoting Oh and it was just over time There more memorable moments in that. Outside of the castle Dunk on Iheart than the rest of the series. Oh yeah the rest of the series has been absolutely marred by non competitive basketball and the discussion being about iating and the way basketball is played where I woke up this morning I got my morning coffee. I'm scrolling through Twitter And I see a guy has like made a compilation of the forty four times that Sake Alexander has fallen down series or wh I was like, all right, enough. I mean I've seen seven versions of those already. And I was hopeful Game six You knew you were going to get a home run sppurs effort. You knew this when Wemby Doubt without doing his media responsibility A game five after throwing up a colossal dood of a performance You knew this When you saw the walk ins And he was dressed Master Yon attire I think that was abe. I believe that was a Middle Eastern throbe. Oh, it was? Yeah. Oh, I thought that was the monk suit Maybe, who knows? What do I know? Yeah. I the robe I thought he was honoring his monks his monk warriors. And so anyways And they were going to be at home and they were going to have the chicks with the big boobs behind Mitch Johnson. like the whole thing. And they did. All of that took place O the other hand, you thought like he man, that's still a team that you saw them be able to pull it off without AJ Mitchell and out Jayalen Williams You You know they are capable of reaching an insanely high level and you got to give them respect because they've been through this before And they are the reigning champions And so I was really hopeful that like we were going to get this monster sppurs effort alsoso it would coincide with the monster Oklahoma city effort And It felt like the Spurs were in control of this game for forty eight minutes It was the open of the game was a champagney three. and then a Wimby three and then a Wimby block on McCain. and then a W B three It was like nine to two with Wembi all over it to start the game. And remember in game Five He had like two points at the half or whatever, like one shot attempt. likeike he was like non existent in the first half. He made a concerted effort to go out be aggressive, get his shots He didn't get around the rim as much as I wanted to. likeike I love game four Wby when it was just like Im a set scre, I'm a roller basket you guys throw up in the air Ill make something happen I love I don't remember a Wempie dunk today, do you M I'm sure there was one but I think but I memorable and maybe in transition Yeah, like I don't remember a Wimby Dunk I'm sure there was one or two, but like I think This was a great Weemby performance, but I like him when he's around the rim like he was in game four. And it seemed like he was he was S sure a lot of jumpers tonight, but didn't need to do anything more than he did. Well, and how many times have we talked about role players at home? And you saw it tonight. I mean, the Spurs got they were shooting fireballs in the first half of this game. I mean And it was one of those. it got so extreme where I was like, Hey, man, I don't know if they should be playing like this because This stuff does there's usually a regression to the mean and they're shooting from it feels like They're taking a inordinate amount of outside shots, but they are making them. So No harm or foul. But You figure like, hey, man, that's going to run out. but then they came out in the third quarter. I mean listen for the game The number did go down. I mean, it ended up only being fifteen for forty one, but that's just fine when the other teams ten for forty F And there's no, there's no good offensive Oklahoma City stats, the defense tonight And you can find this to be true of young teams, especially playing at home theirir level of intensity on that defensive end. I mean The spurs look so locked in. this was night and day from how this team looked. as you said, forty eight hours ago It's it's wild the way this shifts. And also this game, I think is is going to be forgotten. Like Do you remember that weird Weemby hits a three? but Carter Bryant for some reason just runs into SGA And like and Carter Bryant has been like you know, chewed up by Miss Johnson. he's been focused for his turnovers and fel. That was a wild play. So that little five point swing was important and then Chf misses a shot. Iheart finishes it. It's sixty to sixty five in the third quarter felt like the Thunder were like building back They were staying attached. It was nine, twelve, ten. and then they get it down to five and then from there it was just twenty to zero run Well, twenty zero run. and that's with Wby and Fox on the bench That's right. It was a cornet. because They play so different when Cornet is in the game, especially Chet Ch'serrified of one. 's terrified of Like he needs to get hypnotized and fixed They need to do something with him. But that twenty nothing run started with them on the bench and then when it was about like a fifteen or sixteen nothing run, they put them in there It was it was over from there. Okay, he just fell apart Well thireen misses in a row, dude, fourteen misses in a row I mean, they're flying around and look I mean, the dirty little secret is That is not a secret. Fox was horrendous. He's broken. I mean he' mean What was that one for nine five points if you would have told looks Deron Fox is going to be one for nine for five points I have been like, Yeah, that ain't going to go their way He's hurt, but he's likey I understand his ankle is compromised, but he's getting like ten foot wide open jump shots. likeike you should knock those down with a hurt ankle. It's not like he's like missing shots where he's going to the rim and trying to bump into somebody in the air and finish. But it didn't matter because Harper was a star I mean a bonaf fide Star doing everything ends and every once in a while we see a player like this and you're watching them in the playoffs right now and You're sitting there and watching some of the moves he makes and the plays that he makes in this game against the defending champions against the best defense that you can do it against and against some of the best individual defenders that you're going to face And you see him bodying them all the way to the basket or you see him taking step backs or you see him locking somebody up and you're like Oh my God, what is this guy going to look like in five years? He is unbelievable. He hit a couple beautiful threes, made a couple of great plays and then I think it was like the it's it's the second quarter He drives on the left side with his left hand left hand player jumps straight into the chest of Iheart. Iheart must weigh like two hundred and eighty pounds and just jump straight into his chest. Remember, I h been givven whimmy problems with physicality the entire series. moves Iheart out of the way in the air. and finishes easily. He's finishing easily over a seven foot two hundred and eighty pounds center like It was it was it was like he was barely there He looks like a vet. And and that's and that was the huge It's a huge thing that totally unlocks them. and that's why 'causeuse it was like he was beyond invisible One game ago. Game five, it was like he didn't even play in the game He didn't even take any he didn't take any shots He was just like kind of a innocent bystander to the to the results of the game. And it was like I didn't know if it was because it's game five and it's such a pivotal game and it's, you know, it's a big game and you're a rookie and so There is that, you know 's it's one of those times. where it can show up and we will see in game seven, right? Because Game five it could have been like there is always going to be a bit of timidness because you don't want to mess up, right? You know, you this these are huge stakes now And you're on the road, but he just was not himself at all. And then tonight he's got the whole crowd behind them and it's obviously he's been gassed up by his teammates probablyably Greg Pop of it, Mitch Johnson and everybody else. Dylan Harper they have to have especially when Fox is a done it It's u it's so strange in this series to me a singular player can be so different from one game to the other. It's like there's absolutely no momentum or there's no confidence that that a game Fty eight hours ago can give you in this game like Carusso's game five was like Shoot. Did you notice in tonight He's out there You know, I guess it took seven shots, three for seven and Andy like wheny game one game four game six is a completely different player than game two, game threeame five. And that's going to be the fascinating thing, right? Because Even though he only had ten field goals, he made or he took twenty one tonight rightight Yeah. He took twenty one field goals tonight. in the game. And you wonder When you get to a game seven the same way Wemby wasn't his aggressive self. in that game and the same way that Harper wasn't his aggressive self in that game. Now you wonder. What it's going to look like in game seven because there is no tomorrow. and so you would think lesson learned in fairness to them on the game five do always know that it's not You're going to get to go back home in order to keep this series alive, right? the stakes are not I'm going home if I lose this. L now the stakes are going home if I if I lose it so though though we have had Lamo games pretty much in the middle of this I mean, my expectations for game seven could not be higher. I mean, it's got to be great, right? It's got to be great. It has to be I think they're setting a great I just don't think it's as simple as The old cliche will role players better at home. I mean, it has been that. It really has been that has been throughout the series. like it's been exactly that. And it's an old thing that I've heard when I was four years old in the playoffs, but that is what has happened in the series But in this game, I just felt like Wendy came out and he said, we're not going home tonight and it went really, really well for them. I think that Lou Dork going one for night from three. you're not going to win like this It and like I I when was the last time Shay goes Alexander scored fifteen points Seriously, Wh' the last time I have no idea I mean, we don't have the time to like look it up, the buzzer to sound. The same thing with the Weemby shotsh stuff. like I thought he played really well tonight, but I do want to see him. I don't remember him like catching around the basket, turning and drop stepping and dunking on people, even put back dunks You're right. He might have gotten a drop off from Castle for a dunk, I think on the fast break. I think he got one but they do a good job of putting him off his spots and also ye their big guys do a good job of breaking up loobs You mean And then like also the little guys getting there too. like ye, they've they've done a good job of keeping him away from just dunking all over them like he did in game four Chet is just terrified of Wimby. Like he had this one baseline drive where his man like overplayed him and he had like a wide open drive to the baseline. And normally he would just rise up and dunk it And you know, Weemby was there. He was under the basket as a help defender, but he was moving towards Jet It Chet is one of no part of. I think he dumped the case on Wallace for a like a bucket, so it would end up being a bucket for them, but like I can't imagine another player in the NBA in which was not try to dunk on outside of Membinyama in that moment. I mean, you're seven foot, whatever and you're shet and you're dri you got a naked drive to the basket from the corner. Yeah, there's help defender there, but like you try to rise up and dunk on that hel mean has no interest. He changes everything He changes everything when he's out on the court. I mean You watch these guys, as you mentioned make a make a decision like they you mean they how How completely demoralizing it must be to beat your man off the dribble and then look up and see this guy that's eight foot tall standing in front of you. You know I mean it's don't know I just you like I just beat Stepan Castle off the dribble. Carusso had one where he was falling to his left. I think he wass trying to hit the foul or something. He's like falling on too his left. He threw the ball like at the jumbo dron to try to get it in over wh. he was like What makes you think that's going in the basket, Alex. Well they tried also tonight with, you know, they had you mentioned the Lou Dort shooting numbers. It tried to get Jayla Williams back in the mix and this that's I mean, it's very I I give them a lot of credit, but it is very Aaron Gordon trying to go for the nuggets. OGN and be trying to go for the nexts last year. It's like b this is that's not Jayen Wood. I've seen Jayalen Williams. I've watched Jayen Williams score forty in a finals game That is an imposter. That is not No That made you Jayly Williams suit Yeah. that's A I J. That's Tamoo Jayy Williams. Yeah. But like a When he didn't start, I was like, oh It's interesting And when I saw he wasvailable, was like, oh Thnder are going to w They've got J Dub back, like This is what they need. They need a second creator, someomeone who just the same swing it to him. think you know They miss AJ and Jen Lam so much. And when I saw he was playing, I was like, o I'm leaning thunder now. then I saw wasn't starting. I was like, that's interesting. And then when his first rotation through, I was like, oh, he has no interest and being in this basketball game. And I think if if and again, this is not reporting anything, but it felt to me like Thunder and Dagonal We were like, let's put them in the uniform Let's put them on the floor See what it looks like and then maybe in game seven we'll get some facsimile of the actual JWub because that wasn't it They play of twenty five minutes tonight did they? Yeah think so what it?, no, no, no, no. He played ten. oers played ten. He played. Bill two Giames on the thunder. Pill. there's two Galames on the thunder. He played ten. I just look at J. Woods. He played ten But I mean because you looked in the starting five or theing five and you had the and you had the what's it called? You had the one kick to the corner to the other Jalen Williams because Mike Tarico did the whole Jayen Williams to Jayen Wiams, but that's like the only play you remember. And they showed him in the tunnel like trying to warm up his legs again And it was like, all right, this he's not to be able to do. It did It did feel like OG and an OB and Aron Gordon. That's a good call. It felt like yes, you are hurt and commend you for trying to play for your teammates, but you're probably better off on the bench Well, and they also they were like they they did this whole bit where he wasn't got to play and then like It was like you Oh, Taylor Williams is just run out with his team with five minutes left on the clock. He's in the lay line and it's like Five minutes left. You see you're warming up for five minutes and you're injured Yeah I don't And you're not starting. it's weird. in There's not much for the thunder. There's not much that happened in this game that the Thunder can build off. Well, that's the hardest thing about this series so far is because you watch these games In a vacuum It is hard to foresee how the other team looks could possibly win the nextight Right. It's like after game four I was just like there's no way that Thnder could possibly win game five A game five like there's no this first could possibly win game six. And here we are with game seven. I think, you know Thunder have played well at home and they are a championship team. I think that I would favor the Thunder in game seven, but I just want this to be a good game. that theseese have been stinkers to watch as a fan. That's the crazy thing is like you have this chess match and you have these two outstanding teams, two outstanding coaches and yet these games turn out to be nonc competitive. That is weird. It just feels like play I don't know. the extra time U the the extra time and the preparation for only a singular opponent And then the adjustments that are made game by game have led to these Margins that I would have never expected. Never I would never expected these games to be runouts and they've just been like where the fourth quarter is inconsequential. How do the Thunder score one hundred and twenty seven points? twoo days ago and scored ninety one today Well the same way that they had And they had eighty eighty two eighty two before. What is happening What it's like a coin flip So they scored eighty two. one hundred twenty seven and ninety one. Okay, you figure Right I mean Caruso Mbe I don't know I can't figure it out Give me help Role players play better at home, Jac Co. I guess role players play better at home. I guess that's it. And R play the same way. Weby's either got it or he doesn't. The whole like Weembi was tired in game five. I'm looking back and I'm like Well, he sucked in the first quarter You know what I mean? Like it's one thing if you fall apart in the second half. but like he was bad the first half. The mismatch is brought to you by Fandou and Fandou is giving you better payouts on same game parlays all NBA playoffs long more ways to build more value every time you play, you can stack your picks your way for every game, every matchup, in every moment from spreads to player points to threes and more, build it all into one same game parlay and go for bigger payouts. So If you're betting same game parlays this NBA post season, bet them on Banduel. More options, better payouts All MBA playoffs long because of the spurs. Dominant. win in game six Game seven, Saturday night, eight o'clock Eastern. We're all going to be locked in and I'm to be locked in on fan del. And at this moment as I record this Thunder minus three and a half. I will be banging that. I also believe that The alien, Victory Wiminanyyama is not going down without a big game twenty five plus points for him Same foriche, twenty five plus points for him. And I like to sprinkle a little like Chet will get five points Carusa will get five points just to like, you know, boost the odds a little bit on Fendel get some of those Easy bets that you think are almost guaranteed. You put all that together in the same game parlay, you get great payouts on Fandual. That's what I'll be up to this Saturday. Can't wait for this game So head to fandool dot com slash mismatch to get started Bandal partner of the NBA Pl your game Remember, you must be twenty one or over in select states, eighteen or over in DC., Kentucky or Wyoming. Got a gambling problem callall one hundred gambler Call eight eight eight seven eight nine, seven seven, seven seven or visit CC pG dot org slash chat Yeah This episode is brought to you by Weather tech Winter gets all of the credit for being messy, but here's the thing. sumer mightight even be worse. sand from the beach, grass from the park, melted snacks, sunscreen everywhere, drinks spilling on long drives, it all adds up. Weather tech keeps you covered whether it's a cargo liner, floor liners and seat protectors They all help handle Ever, summer throws your way They're tough easy to clean and made to last. If summer means getting out and doing more Weather teech helpels make sure your car isn't slacking on defense Visit Weather Tech. d. com How about this one? These teams have proven they just need people cheering for them It's the boobs and the nuns. I love that the celebrity fans for the sppurs are four nuns and four boobs. thoseose the celebrity fans for the sppurs. You know what? the boobs showed up late tonight too. They did They might have been They in theoobs No win. Yeah, you did say that. You said to us that the boobs were not there and then they showed up in hot pink Well then they've got good seats. they probably in the lounge having a couple of beverages, getting some snacks and then go out there mid first quarter But I was concerned about them not showing up. And I do have to say something that's going to be controversial. I'm going cause some problems today First of all, I want to open by saying that my wife is black. That is relevant for what I'm about to say gives you It's relevant. No, no, doesn't no, no, no, no, no, no no. it's good context for what I'm about to say. Oh o. We're watching Game four at my brother's house with my sister in law and my brother and my wife in my they're like a hockey family. like they've literally never seen Victor Wim Byama before And that was the game where he hit the half court shot I was like, I was like, this guy is a seven foot six, but he doesn't play like a seven foot six guy. He's French. He's like an alien. And they're like, they're like, what am I watching?ike what is this guy? right? So we're talking about Webby the whole time and they cut to Miss Johnson. and my wife without missing a beat, she's like, Oh Black Elon Musk Oh no. And once you hear it, you can't unsee it You can't unsee it It's all I think about when I see him now. And I want to apologize to all the mmatch listeners because you will not be able to think about anything else Black M C Mitch Johnson He's blackking our muts And my wife just said it like without missing a single beat. She's like Oh look, Lackyo Mutk Wow between him and the The memories to his right shoulder over his right shoulder his left shoulder. It's the way they frame the shot. I don't know' what his faces look like. Nobody does They need to reframe that shot. I'm surprised they invited him back for Game I mean, I think they must be seasoned ticket holders I don't know. I saw like an article about them. They' going viral. Oh really? Oh, yeah, they might have done an interview. I didn't click on it. I don't care that aret And aren't they aret they aren't they supposed to behind like the visitors' bent is like a distraction or something? rightight? I would think I don't know. Do you I don't know how it works. Do you think it is U Do you think it is a shot of adrenaline to have Girls with gigantic boobs sitting Would you rather than be a distraction for the opponent or adrenaline for your team. Well, you're facing the other way I don't think it's so much a distraction for anybody. you see them every time public. No, every time you're walking back to the bench. come on. That's good point. Yeah, they do have to turn around Honestly, I would prefer if they weren't there if I was Joson I gotta focus on the game There A lot going on here This's a high stakes playoff game. This is my first career run like right when he turns around like when the guys are like doing the whirly bird and it's time to challenge. He's Yeah, you right at the Sates look at the states Its like, please, I' got is ack going. I have to make quick decisions. So what is the deal with the nuns? likeike I didn the the nuns double this were there twice as many nuns at game six in game four You know what's weird is I have not seen a nun in many, many years Do you see them? I don't see them anymore games? No just in in in the in the Yes, yeah, in the wild. Like you know what? I ever cons there's less nuns out there. I think they're not around anymore. I mean There was a lady on the st. There was there was a lady that was very formative. mom Taught at a my mom was a college professor and she taught at a at a school that had a . What are they called church? They're called church. No, no, a convent Right next com right Yeah with the nuns and sister John Bosco. had to my mom would take me to work. She was teaching. and then sister John Bosco would like She was like basically babysat me, right? She was like the librarian. And so I would be there with Sister John Bosco, whatever. But like I knew all these n these nuns were around, right? But like now point now that I think about it, I hadn't seen a nun in her I't seen a nun in I see priests Priests are outside. They're. They're walking around the street. I don't see New York City is a unique place. those real fake they had fake nuns in OKC. did you see those? Yeah, yeah, those were fake. Those were I think I mean, if those are nuns like whats those are nuns like the The Alalian cust. No, L in the in the town L on the Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. those B at nuns. Yeah, Bed athlet. You know what? Let's to launch our supp mismatch investigation. Are there less nuns now than there were before? or L just living them more inside. Yeah. there's I think Jones are not as much a part of our community than they used to be unless Luke Cornett and Sams first Also I' never even heard of anybody that's like my sister's a nun or my, you know, my my aunt's a nun or like I don't even know anybody that great point. I don't know. it's just o where is happening in the Western conference finals. It's not like we're just bringing this up out of nowhere. There are nuns in San Antonio And yet you live in New York. I live in another city and I travel, you know, enough to where I see people theoretically I would run I would see a nun I see ps I don't see nuns I'm aw where the nuns are at They're h there I don't know This is the this is the big conversation what is quote unquote the best Westercpnce finals we've had since whatever. What where are the nuts? That's these games are just kind of like like Hey many more games. What happened to Nuns and the Airon Fox? Yes. What happened to the Nuns, what happened to Earfox? I do want to say something as a nick fan though. which I've really enjoyed about this series I've been able to build an absolute strong hatred for both of these teams. Why? I hate them both. I hate them both Okay, let me let's talk this out. So I thing. that I'm torn in terms of what I would want to see for an NBA files. What I want this Game seven, what I want the result to be No I am not a Thunder fan. I' not objective observer. I am not no. I'm not particularly objective because I truly detest the way the Thunder play basketball, like I detest And That winning is annoying to me And I and the rewarding of that. And so to me the more ethical basketball team is the San Antonio sppurs. The New York and number one media market in the world spotlight being on Oklahoma City. And the amount of hatred that would come towards Gilges Alexander and the referees and everything. I mean, it would be And it's an NBA finals. It would be Ty young Times billion And these Oklahoma City fans I mean, any time a clip comes out of anything. it's like they're spending their whole day in life. J pissed about everything that anybody is saying about them. about Tom Haverstrows articles about what Stephven A. Smith is saying, what me or you may say, what anybody like any clip that goes up there and they're just spending their day and been dealing in fantasy world and fantasy world is where youre your little stinky small market team with not much media and not a huge fan base basasically having to play against San Antonio. there's really not much of that either And so You are not prepared for New York fans Right? San Antonio's Dasa You know what I mean? Like they they've got all the championships and they've won a bunch. They don't have these like titled crazy fans that are out there defending San Antonio's good name everywhere and telling you you're stupid and that they you know are jealous or whatever else. But these Oklahoma City fans, they are not ready to get in war with with New York fans That's a that's a fool's errand And so I do kind of want to see that happen. I do want to see that take place. I do want to see him get the Trey Young treatment. I do want to see the Garden going crazy over foul calls On the other hand Viictor Wbinyama versus The New York Kicks pretty damn fun as well I we can't lose. There's no there's no bad option here. That's how I feel too. I am going to be so wildly entertained. And I feel like it is much easier. You said you have grown to hate fe What is there to hate about the spur I don't likeicture Man Yama. don't like him I just don't like him personally. And again, like I know people call me a hater and like, oh, you're you're skidalist or whatever. like you can't you cannot cannot tell me how this feels. This is my French cigarette. And it's not that I don't respect his game. One of the reasons is like a what was it Naz said, like You hate what you don't understand, you fear what you can't conquer. Like yeah, that's exactly right. Like who N I'm mayaybe Yeahah maybe he quot mayaybe he's quoting like, you know, like Julius. Yeah. But like I will say that like The idea of this seven foot six Like he's so good now. Imagine what he's going to be like in four years. The idea he's going to win ten straight NPs They're win like eight of ten championships is just terrifying to me and I hate articles about the monks and I hate the the I hate it. I hate it. This guy did not dribble up a mountain with a basketball. And I only wear these certain glasses after nine PM. likeike this all like try hard look at me stuff I work harder than everybody' stuff really bothers. I've done this rampant before. so I don't want to do it again. But I just don't like that guy. And when I see his face, I just don't like it I just don't I don't like him. I do not like him. I'm terrified of him I am You have to be more look I'm newew Castle Look Cast, do you agree with me on and you love Black Elon Musk Um Do you and do you like the girls behind Black Elon Mos? Not a big fan of the girls behind Black. Yes, you big not a big fan. cover those things up you' on TV The nuns, the nuns, the nuns aren't dressed like that That would be crazy if they were. Allorry. I think I see It would be cra. It would be crazy. All right. so look Bonjour, compomadre, it's the How do I negotiate so many great travel deals? My greatest gadget The Priceline app. It's got hotel deals, flight deals, rental car deals, all of those deals in a bundle, deals, game day deals, concert trip deals. No one deals more deals than priceline. Hold your horses? There's more. The app lets you filter hotels by neighborhood, vibe, star level, and amenities like pools and spas and beachfronts and Wait, I'm not done Cutting the ice sline. Though you have built up proper vitriol fora said opponents Yes, bothoth them If you want the Knicks to win the championship You should want this sp first You should want this first because they they're still They you four of guys under twenty three years old Go through it for the first time. Dar f hurt Yeah. Harper was compromised a couple of games ago. Oa city has and they can it And they can't really shoot You know what? Like Wh who are you afraid of shooting threerees besides champagne and w I know Bll hit a bunch today And Okloma City's been through it. But again, When Oklahoma City went through it the least viewed finals that people were not like, you know, me head over heels over. and it was in Indiana This is a different It's a different world, bro This is a different world. I mean, it's Madison Square Garden. It's New York City. It's five thousand dollars for upper deck seats. every media member the world No it's also your hotel. You can't even go to your home Like honestly, it's a war zone. You're in enemy territory. This city is absolutely on fire about the Nicks. Everybody cares about the Ns of sud It's anybodyax You know, you know it's big when um They have these like Every other block are these folding tables with like non licensed merch, you know what I mean. Like it's just like this cottage industry, like someone just printing mix t shirts on like really poor fabric, just like sil streamed on there in China by the millions and they probably cost three dollars to make yourself for thirty dollars. It it's every four blocks There was someone with a folding table looking out for cops selling nick stuff Do your kids care yet? No, not at all. A a little bit, a little bit. a little bit because they're friends at school, that's all they talk about It's all anybody's got to be talking about. It's all the'sking about. It's all the talk t know this's there's been a development th for now Uh oh Mitch Robinson Pinky Gate What is pinky gate Now they said he fell down and grabbed his hand in the last in game four This is bad What do you mean it's bad? What is he don't even need hands. You could put That's the counterpoint. The counterpoint is like he doesn't shoot or dribble and past likeike he's just kind of like doesn't mean like you could put tape all these figures together. I play. I played in a flag football game in college and I was I was the quarterback and I b and I broke my finger. U I broke my finger on my left hand Um It's still screwed up to this day, but it like shot out like dead side to the side, right? My pink Yeah. It was my pinky. No less, right? and The championship game was up next and no lie. The next game I was like, well, all I have to do is when the guy hkes it, I can just pat it. So I wore a oven mitt on my hand. That's why I said that to you tonight because I was like, bro, he could wear an oven mitt literally No one would notice notothing about Nhing about this game would chame changes. He could wear the oven mitt I think he's playing. He's got to play. Just put t Ta them together. fine. Yes. You're still missing the freak thes. He doesn't dribble. He doesn't pass And he can't shoot So what is changing I mean, maybe catching catching passes. My's taped up. come on Taaped up He can pad it together. I'm he's he's the one guy that I would be like, o, he hurt his hand, who cares Another thing I'm concerned about. They don't want him to shoot anyway Nick Thunder match upp, Carlington Towns two thousands the first thirty seconds. likeike on the jump ball. they're going to flop and follow. Carlington Towns cannot control themselfves. with the fouls. he's done a better job this year, obviously But man I can see a just go three like the second he goes like the first four minutes of the game. He's got two fous because it's flopping around. No, it's a concern because I know you're indix fan It's a concern that that we would just get Brunson towns Vse the Thunder Gift offff It would just be grift off twenty twenty six And they would just be both just every possession. J that's why That's why their heads in the ever suuper critical ofest if you' for the flopping because's like, well our guy does it do. You know what I mean? Like our guy isn't exactly he throws it he does the throws his head back. thingang and he's b. He uses the braids. He uses the braids and his head's huge. hisis heads enormous In fact, I've never been able to this guy that I sit next to at when I'm going when I'm covering games Uh says to me last year This was opening night, no less. They played against the New York Kicks And he says to me very innocently He was like, He man And I was like, Hey, so he's like Why is Jayen Brunson's head twice as big as everybody else's. and I was like So number one I don't know if like are you being serious? like I don't I don't have a great answer for this. But now it's all I see. I mean, he truly does have a head It's like a funko pop It is twice it doesn't look real. And when you see it in person, it is He's enormous, huge. Yeah Itorm from his eyeball to his hairline. is like you need like a flight So normally that and then he does. you're right. He kicks the braids back. And so I don't want it to become Gift off between those because you know town f Oh, you're know town And I also think I also think they'll call it We're not there yet. We're not there yet. Another thing I'm little concerned want First. Beuse you think that's who the K nextick could be I think the Kicks are going to beat whoever comes out of the West. I don't think it matters. You don't think I do not think it matters. I just think they're the hott team in basketball right now. They've won eleven straight playoff games. likeike I think people are just like f breezing past that Ohough the East isn't that good. There are great, great teams like some of the best teams in history They end up in gentlemen' sweeps all the time. All the time. H's what I'll say Gally how it goes. Yeah, Yeah, right. good Especially when you've had to close teams out. notot only have you closed them out, you closed them up by fifty. that it's not even the the eleven in a row in the winning by twenty four point seven points for game or whatever it is It's that Two losses are about one Sus McColl hitting crazy shots too I mean twelve and two. And the two are by one point That's insane. It's insane that like you didn't have a dud You have not a dood amongst all of the playoff games that you have played. Everybody. we just saw it Dud tonight. from the reigning champions SJ to j points. SJ went to the line three times. They st That's this whole thing. How do you go to the line twelve times twoays later going to learine three times I get it. They stunk. And I mean like he has not been great. He's not been great this entire series No, he's shooting under forty percent, Jakobbe 'srazy becausecause he's getting to his mid range. and it's just like going in They're playing great defense against them and they got also one also look, there's been so much attention paid you do wonder the way these games are being officiated because there's just been so much attention paid. to you know, when he goes sixteen of seventeen from the line in the last game and all this stuff about him f falling and all this whatever. you know many free throws he took tonight in the game Three. Three Tam. teeam took twelve teeam took twelve free throws. in the entire game. J how many he had in game five And this did not feel No, he had seventeen free throws I they hit twelve No, no, no. he was sixteen of seventeen You game five? Gilda as Sander was He was sixteen of seventeen from the free throw line last game. R ridiculous six How to take seventeen and then take three and be the same person. this is the weirdest series It's the weirdest series. I le a little disappointed After game one I was just like, this is, I'm gonna to remember this forever What was that way we will remember game one forever.. was game one forever. Yeah.. Yes. But that's the extent of it What do you think? let's preview game seven a bit that it can't just be Role players play better at home and Cruzo hits a bunch of threes and then all of a sudden Kase Wallace is hit threes and It just can't go like that. I just can't imagine that first team is going to go down without a fight Okay This will be my prediction My prediction is that it will be like many game sevens we have seen in the past. all out gutter war. points are going to be super high hard to come by. guysu are going to be nervous to make mistakes. And I think that if you get to one hundred and five you win the game I think that's fair. I think I think I think that this is going to be a war You know, they've played each other six times now, obviously played each other five times already prior or for four times five times prior to And I think that by the time we get to game seventyzero, two young teams Uh and know each other extremely well, know all the sets and so this is just about like This is about like and I do think that It's hard to know what What version of Castle you get in a game seven? What version of Harper you get in a game seven? you know, that is the advantage of being Oklahoma City. they have been been in game seven against to Denver nuggets and came out on top. They have been in a game seven for the championship and came out on top.ike you don't We don't know how San Antonio is going to respond. This is a first for them And Dere Foxes, he's hurt. like he's he's playing injured. likeike not just hurt. He's playing injured and Like I don't know how much you can rely on like Carter Bryant in the game seven, You know what I mean? Like Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. Like it's like those You know, and so this is like This is going to be this is going to be short rotations. They got away with the Cornet minutes tonight in that third quarter. He was sort of like on the floor when they saw have't donon't say get away with them because he they were whying with Cornet in there Yeah, it game five was different. I know Game five felt it was like, man, we got to get be back on the floor. Right. So it's I'm picking the thunder to win game seven. Obviously you think the number is on that they already posted it. Oh, if I had to guess, Bill and Sal picked the lines. Thunder minus three Thunder minus four and a half That's what I would guess. It's on Saturday night at seven Seven PM? like for you Yeah Yeah, oh yeah, cetera. three and a half. That's about right that on the number I did say three and a half I changed it to four and a half, to be fair Oh, you did All It's three and nine So I win that one. I won that one on the mismatch picked the lines, David Jacobbe, won nothing. Yeah. I mean, look tonight, you've had you had free throw attempts the Spurs went to the line twenty five times the Thunder going to the line twelve times and it's like and we talk about the possession game Spurs won the rebounding and kept turnovers low Yeah,'s that's the trick. You don't just cross my mind SJA went to the line three times and two of them were because Carter Bryant ran into him when he's getting a rebound. Oh Like so that's so we went to the line once on a shooting fou 's crazy trick I think that's right. That's absolutely crazy. All right, here's a little trivia question for you since we extoll the virtues of Dylan Harper. So we had eighteen points tonight off the bench in twenty one minutes. Also six rebounds for assist The most Playoff points by a Western conference rookie Since Donovan Mitchell It's a long time ago. Damond Vid didn't leak a long time. It came out of Louisvilles which probably you know's a long time ago though for that Western contast. Al Also here Also weirdly Gils Alexander is now one in five in game sixes. That's insane. Figure that out From a Western confonference rookie playo in the play It was Donaman and Mitchell. No, that was the anser. Oh, that's the answer Oh I said they said since Donam and Mitchells I I Dylan Dylan Harper Okay, I gota. Is the most since Dot of image My go's craz This hass been crazy. Um I am not going to get political here in the mismatch. No But I do want to discuss this. Jackson Dartart Close. Oh Trump announces he' going a g. It's just like, really dude He was like I'm going to an MSG game. and I found the Nicks I'm like Cool. You have to sit between Tracy Morgan and Fat Joe. That that's that's your spot D He'll be in a tr I know he'll be in a. he'll be in a box be there for fifteen minutes so he can show up on camera and then he'll leave. And he said weird boot And he said boot And he said James Dolan invited him Jim Dolan, great guy, great guy. Great guy, G guy. L loveo his bluesps. G guy, great guysy. great decisions. works really hard for his position G S itself changes. I will say I will say the next it's weird that he's going. It's weird J cute I mean, in New York City You you don't think he's going to get a good response there I don't even know but it it's like a weird vibe. I don't like that variable being. I didn't like it when Kylie Jenner showed up to be honest with you. It's like these guys just fel like she was just kind of like riding the N wave last year. And now it's like Trump is going to be there like, okay. The City presidents I can't get the game. I can't imine. I don't think he'll go Bro he goes like you haveC fights. Yeah. I guess Yeah. And I guess he's been to college football games as well. The reception is going go. He gets a great reception And their ratings are going to be huge Like the rinning is going to be huge. Oh yeah for this, regardless of who comes out of the West Because even like we say small market ver, but the Thunder and the sppurs are interesting basketball teams to watch What if Trump shows up with Jackson dart Oh my God, that's actually on the table And Abdul Carter and Yes. Am and hard. and they all chug beers with their camera like Jve Kelsey. Yeah. Anyways I'm sure Adam Silver will be there as well. But is dude. . Adam Silver This guy' got my a here today and this and this guy who would hold on. I'm a I'm to tell you what this guy's name is I didn't know how. You've never looked up a name on the show during the show. This is ground What's his name? What's the name on what is it wash? Oh Wash, Evan wasash. I don't know what you're looking at. He he's like the the speaker, the speaker of the house for them for the NBA This is very political political mismatch. That's what he is. He's a speaker of the the defense secretary for the NBA. No, what's this guy's Dave. It's Evan Wash. He is the executive vice president, head of basketball strategy and growth And So the reporter for the Grizzlies for the Daily Mimfian got him on record. basasically No paraphrasing like hey, how come the Grisies got screwed here and this guy Vomited up this entire wor salad Oh. Where he should have just said, you know what? we don't give a shit like that's why We're kind of crossing our fingers and hoping that jazz don't up at the top five. That's what we're doing. Yeah So for those that need to say. So for those that don't know, here's here's what I'm going to say. So there's two things that I have a big problem with. Obviously I have a problem with. the grizzies traded Jer Jackson Junior and the best asset they got back was Utah's first round pick next year. Okaykay. that pick They could be second in the Western comomes for all you know way. Yeah, you don't know. they may who knows and well, and I know look t trust me. peopleople have already hit me up and they're like actually the if the jazz are good, the expected value of that pick is actually better as I. Don't talk to me about expected value because expected value is trading Desmond Baye And in two weeks, we've got the sixteenth pick in the draft, which was supposed to be golden because that was Phoenix's pick You got the Phoenix twenty twenty six p. in the Desmond Bain deal, which was a hundred percent going to be a lottery and maybe a good chance of being a top five pick. And then we look up And Phoenix is good. It's like what just happened? So you never know what these kicks are going to turn out to be When a team traded somebody three and a half months ago. Th and a hal months ago Under the old law And then you switch it. So there's two problems here. A should have been grandfathered it endnd of story Right? Like hey, they just made this deal. It's the only one it affects because the stipulation is you can't make three years in a row. You cannot pick in the top five three years in a row. Okay The spirit of that is not team that traded pick. is or the team that now owns that pan They should not be able to be in the top five three years in a row, right? Like the the whole spirit of it is that this team should not be. But if you've traded your pick The idea that that applies to the team that now has your pick When it's not you picking it Bananas The other thing is This is going to happen and Heres hereere's my two big problems Let's just say for instant Brooklyn gets the number one pick in the draft next year. Okaykay Well, their're no their pick is going to Houston. So now the next year land cannot pick number one They can't pick first in the draft. Can you imagine if this took place like this? I mean, that's a thing that could happen So Brooklyn got the number one pick next year is conveyed to Houston And then the next year Brooklyn gets the number one pick in the draft again The NBA says no, you can't have the number one pick two years in a row. but they didn't pick number one They gave their pick to somebody else. This is all so cockam Ay. I used to think that you got a bunch of super smart people in these rooms. I am convinced They people aren't smart at all. They can't figure out anything. The other thing is this, there is a sunrise provision in suunsetleision suunset, sorry, suunset provision and all of this that they can basically change it in three years Taring up three years I kind like that piloting the program. But before we even know what the results of this are. You don't know what the results of it are And I'm not a lawyer in c They should just put a paragraph that says teeams that have already traded for picks can't get fcked over, period. That's the That's make that amendment. I's going to put that amendment in there. if a transactions has happened prior to this change. you can't get fucked over. That's as that's my legal analysis this whole entire thing. It should be that those rules apply to the person that has the pet Okay, just quick counteroint. I'm not a lawyer. I can barely understand this stuff to begin with, but I think if you were had a top five pick U two years in a row, you might like actively shop and trade that pick if you were bad S see what I'm saying In case you get the top five again, someone else can get it So it should be the deals that have already been done, the transactions that have already been made should be able to be untangled, but the ones that are made after the rule change These are the rules. I under that is the provision for me Well, because I just gave you a perfect instance. It does not include Memphis which just exposes how ridiculously goofy this is You didn't know when you had traded those picks if you're Brooklyn. And why would Brooklyn be penalized if that happened and say you can't get the first pick two years in a row. Well, they wouldn't be getting the first pick two years in a row. No, But they would have players on in their team. Right. You wouldn't be able to the next year because you did get it, but that pick was already that had been traded years ago I just think it should retroactively moving forward Those are the rules But anything that was done before the rule changed you can untank. And here's the other thing You you might be screwing somebody if they wanted to say, hey, you know what because they basically did say this Somebody's going to have downsides to this. This he even said this is zero sum. So it's like, okay Memphis got screwed. We don't really give a shit. That's basically what they're saying because There was going to be downside to this, right? Like this could happen. But for the betterment of the game It's worth the cost for Memphis. to have that pick become a worse asset than what they traded for for the better bit of the game Even if you said that and you said And there's a there's forty picks that are traded in the future ammongst these teams This stuffs, there's going to be other teams That it should just case by case it. It should case by case it. No If it works out that someone gets screwed over, then we'll undo it. evenven if they just said bunch of picks that are traded in the future. We know that this kind of stuff is going to come up. There's going to be other teams that are going to be screwed too. Memphis is just the first. You're just the first to get screwed But instead, what they're saying is, hey, we're going to kind of see how thisity, like you're getting screwed and we'll see how the system works. Like what No! No. like So let' let's imagine s in which they changed the system in three years. Oh my God Th they're going to have to do this all over again. And they will because they don't know what they're obviously Like if you saw you could go look at the Drew Hills the is the writer. He's got Drew Hill is an R andB band. He also an R andB band A which featured the great Cisco Cisco. That's how we learned Cisco which is where we got the thong song from. So Bge j up. True Also, if you go read this, I mean, it is just word salad vomit And you will just like your mind will be in a pretzel and you'll be like These are the people that are deciding this stuff does make me feel because I always like defy that I'm an idiot I always defer to the fact that I'm idiot Like that's why I don't criticize coaches that much because I'm like, they've got like eight people that are intelligent They' doing this for their entire lives making these decisions. There must be something I'm missing. But when I saw this, I was kind of like, I don't know, it seems unfair Ses it fair. You got thirty you got thirty lawyers in a budget of like X coaches and player competition committees and like there's fifty people working on this thing. Well here's the other thing put in a provision that only affects one team on a trade that was made three and a half months ago for up my daughter Th days when they traded the guy. And also, I we don't have bone I was read the Bod Times article just like makes sense of it all. and it's like, it was a near unanimous vote. The vote was twenty nine to one with m czy shut up. The onlyly ones I love it so much. They're like rule. because Everybody else benefits Yeah, he everybody No, let's also be fair. let's also be fair. It will be better next year. L good that will solve tagking but it will be better. This will be better. This is an improvement. This is holistically better for fans in the league. I told you that I told you this a week ago when this all came up. I said I ain't going to freak out until they actually go through with it because surely someomebody's going to pipe up in a meeting and be like, Hey, man, we can't do that. That's that's literally there's there's one team this screws literally. Like come on guys. Oh you know, add one sentence. just add a sentence. sentence. And also yeah But anyways That's neither here nor there I have been in because I have been on a twenty year mission to. end tanking. I have had to cover so many tanking seasons. I just watched Lucas Williamson a Doma ball Dark whitehead And Bozo Malone like start game. I mean, it was just Bo Mone. It was it was atrocious. Absolutely. Bzo Malone. Yeah, Boo Malone. And so that's a real player That's an awesome name. You wouldn't know anyway if it's real or not. That's the point Um I hate tanking. I hate You know, that fans, you know, have to buy tickets or watch their favorite team And they are incentivized to lose and that we have to root for that. And it's like, I want tanking gone so badly and I could not be happier that the league is finally taking it super seriously and doing it. But then they did this and they don't even have confidence in what they just did to the point where it's like, hey, yeah, we'll just kinda see how it goes. We'll readress this in three years. And no it's gonna take one year. If Oklahoma City gets a number one pick in a year, they're going be like, Ohh ye me Like is it what we is and what we wanted? Wh because they have a million picks going forward? They do and they're going to have they're going to have pig bong balls in there And and and a lot of those are going to have a chance at getting in the lottery that would not have had a chance of getting in the lottery prior to Be the because of the odds being evened out. There are some picks in the future that could end up being infinitely better than you ever expected them to be. Well there's also this like Do you remember two years ago the last day of the regular season, we had that Clippers Wriors game It was awesome. It was like, it was a playff game. It was basically a playoff g We're going to have that between the Four I' into third worst teams in the league Yes. Like those are basically going to be playoff games to not be in the relegation zonone. So you don't you get three ping balls if you win, you only get two if you lose Like, that's going to be a weird day L all of a sudden're going to be like, are this pelicans game is all that matters right now? No the thing that and we bitched about all year long and especially post All Star Break when you had ten teams that were a raced to the bottom was cannot be incentivized to lose And I do think that they have They've done that. I can have a problem with a lot of the stuff and especially this one particular thing better and and and I understand why twenty nine other teams don't care that one team got screwed during this. Um, in the end As someone who hosts an NBA podcast and also someone who goes to forty one basketball games a year that sees people sitting all the time and people losing on purpose all the time You're in the building. I can I can't energy in that building I can't. I can't love this more Yeah that they have nobody has a reason to lose on purpose anymore what this is Your problem with this is Meghgan Fox's thumbs. I don't know if you know that Meghgan Fox has w's weird thumbs. It's not her fault. Yeah she was born with weird thumbs. It's like some you know, firstir thing that she has and I feel bad for you bring What do you mean we? What do you mean weird? How are they weird I don know, I don't know, we did it on TV a million years ago and we had a meeting about it and we were like, we should not be doing this on television making fun of Meghgan Fox's thumbs because it's like some sort of she didn'toose to have weird thumbs. She's got weird thumbs. But you never notice her thumbs. What I'm saying is this whole Lottery reform is Megan Fox The whole lot of reform is Meghan Fox and you're the grizzy guy being like, but what about her thumbs This is holistically good for the NBA and for NBA fans Oh's now I feel like a Yeah. Th they're called club thumbs. Yeah, she's got like a thing and no one's ever talked about it because everything else on her is perfect. Yeah, I don't care What I'm saying is this lottery reform is Meghgan Fox, and you're like, put the thumbs That's That's what you're doing right now You're focusing on the thumbs, focus on everything else Okay. I saw it. I don't Don't just stop. You're being a bad person. She did not choose. I don't like making fun of people for things they didn't choose. You know what I mean? She not tr. I'll make fun of people for things they choose to. No, if I'm being fair, when I when I do it, the first thing that popped up was some Reddit user saying I have I have a Mad Megan fox th and it's I don' know' tough. It's tough. It's tough. It's not her fault. I didn't even know that was a thing God bless me Meggan Fox. I do not like the surgically enhanced Meggan Fox She's Oh, I do. Oh she She's's different that's a different p She's awesome She be a great nun. Allright You're fired God is gonna stke you down All right. It's gonna do it for this episode of the Saturday Game sevenh on Saturday. We will reconvene on Monday to talk about it and get you ready for the NBA finals with the Kicks facing either the San Antonioos firstur or the Oklahoma City Thunder. Thanks to Jeff and Steph as always in Jacobia, I'll see you next week Remember, you must be twenty one are over end president in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino, or eighteen and over end president in DC. Kentucky or Wyoming. Gambling problem, call one hundred gambler or one hundred My reset. orr you can call one, eight sevenenty nine seven seven seven, or visit CcPG dot org slash chat in Connecticut. orr you can visit mdgamblinghelp dot org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelp line ma dot org or call eight hundred three two seven fif thousand fifty for twenty four seven support in Massachusetts or call eight, seven, seven, eight, hope and why or text. Hope NY in New York for Louisiana Call, eight, seven, seven seven seven zero. seven eight six, seven.