May 27, 2024 • 35 mins
Today on 2 Pros and a Cup of Joe, Fox Sports Radio Hosts Brian Noe and Jason Martin are tagging in for this Memorial Day Special! The guys talk about the NBA Playoffs, breaking down the Game 3 matchups from the weekend! Also, the guys talk Ravens QB Lamar Jacksons latest weight loss journey and so much more!
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the best of two pros and a couple
Joe with Lamar airings, Rady Quinn and Jonas Knox on
Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Man, oh Man, it is looking dire for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Some thoughts on that. In a minute, We're broadcasting live
from the tierrack dot com studios.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
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Speaker 2 (00:25):
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morning to you, Jason Martin.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Man. This Memorial Day weekend.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Obviously a major shout out to all the veterans, especially
the men and women that laid their lives down so
we could be free. That's first and foremost. And now
we get to games which are definitely of secondary importance.
But man, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jason, they had a two
point lead with five minutes to go last night and they.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Lost by nine. I think about that. They're up by
two with five minutes to go and they get out
scored thirteen to three.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Down the stretch and they are in an three series hole. Man,
This thing is a rap and you've had three straight
games that are coin tosses in the fourth quarter, and
none of them have gone the Timberwolves way. They just
don't have the closers that Dallas does. And it's apparent
(01:35):
every single game it comes down to closing, and Minnesota
can't close and Dallas can.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
That's right, I mean, you said it exactly correct. There's
not really anything to add to that take. There is
no question that you have two assassins that are playing
at the highest level right now in Dallas, and you
have the others that are just coming right along for
that ride, and they're not just being carried along, but
they do have two guys that can carry them. Now,
(02:02):
on the flip side, you've got Anthony Edwards, who I
think he's a little banged up, but he is very tired,
even though he tried everything he could last night to
bring it back, including that incredible dunk where you just
felt like the momentum could shift for them, and they
still weren't able to find a way to close. And
then you have just the baffling nature of how Karl
(02:23):
Anthony Towns has decided he's going to play his.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Career and I don't think there's any.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Way other to look at it than he doesn't want contact,
he doesn't want physicality. I don't know if he's afraid
of the way that the game's being officiated or what.
But he's just going to stand out there and take three.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
He is.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
He's not a waste as a player, but he's a
waste of his size because he does not play anywhere
near as big as he actually is. He did not
physical he does not generate contact very often at all.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
He just wants to stand out there and take threes.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
He wishes he was six ' three, but instead he
just happens to be big and when he's zero for seven,
but he's still not forcing the issue on the inside.
I mean, it'd be different, Brian, if he was, you know,
sixty sixty five percent in the paint, working hard and
stepping out and taking that three here and there.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
I mean, he would be.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
Such a better well rounded player. It just seems like
he has no interest at this point in doing that.
And it is a massive flaw that. You know, you
look at that team, he should be the two, he
should be the second best option on that squad. But honestly,
I'd rather have nas Red any day of the week
because I trust what not and naz REI didn't play
great last night, but naz Reed is out there doing
(03:39):
absolutely everything for you in Towns. At times, it's just like,
why do you play the way that you play? So's
it's the whole office meme. I hate all the things
that you choose to be Like. As as big as
he is, he should play with that size and the
fact that he doesn't is incredibly bothersome.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Man, he was five for eighteen last night, and from
three point range, which is what you're talking about, he
was for eight over and the stats just go from there, right.
Charles Barkley was outspoken last night. Karl Anthony Towns from
three the last five games, he is four for thirty two.
(04:21):
He just not making threes, and he keeps on jacket
up threes. It's like he's sticking with what isn't working.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Right. What's the definition of insanity? Right? That's what's going
on there with Karl Anthony Towns.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
And I get that shooting from the perimeter is a
big part of his game, but look, man, if that
part of your game is not working at all, you
gotta change it up, and you got to take advantage
of your size. And he just refuses to do that
in the fourth quarter of this series. Some more horrible
stats for kat here Jason. He's two for twelve in
(04:57):
the fourth quarter. Just in this series against Dallas, he's
won for eight from three point range. So when they
need him the most, when it's closing time, when it's
winning time, he's just not delivering at all. And it
could not be more obvious. Again, all three of these
games could have gone Minnesota's way. You go back to
(05:18):
Game two, Minnesota was up by five in the final
minute and you had Kyrie hit a corner three, you
had Luca hit the insane step back over Rudy Gobert.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
In Minnesota, they had the Anthony.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Edwards turnover out of bounds, Nasried had a shot that
barely rimmed out. But that's the thing is you're saying,
oh man, so close Minnesota, and you look at Dallas
and it's just clutch shot, clutch Jay, like Luca doing
his thing in Game two, Kyrie clutch baseline jumper last night.
(05:52):
It's just Dallas has closed every single time in Minnesota
has it. It's been crazy to watch, but it is.
It is so drastically different between these two teams.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
No, I mean it is. And you look at you.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Know, acquiring Gafford, acquiring PJ. Washington at the trade deadline.
I mean they just quietly got guys that made them better,
guys that were in terrible situations. I thought was interesting
with Gafford on the set last night on TV, just
you know, being asked by Charles Barkley, you know, what
was it like, how many of those moments did you
(06:28):
have when you felt like maybe I can't play basketball
after all because of how bad it was in the
situations he found himself in. And he said he wasn't
saying it to dog out gafferd. He said there were
times in Philadelphia I would get to the hotel and say, man,
I suck at basketball right because we aren't winning. And
it's just I thought I was better than this, And
say said, what is it like to go from that
(06:49):
situation to go to a situation where instead of walking
in every night expecting to lose, you walk in every
night knowing there's a chance for you to win a game.
And just to look on Gafford's face, you could just
see it right there, like they're playing right alongside these
two guys who were at the highest level, and they're
doing everything for them even when live. And when Lively
(07:09):
went down, that.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Was a big deal.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
That changed the way Dallas wanted to attack, and certainly
you hope the best for Lively. That looked really ugly
in real time. And I don't know if he comes
back for the next game or not. They said it
was a next strain, but boy, it's sure look concussive
to me, the way you could barely stand even after
the commercial break.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
But what Luca and Kyrie are.
Speaker 4 (07:35):
Doing, I don't know how you say it other than
it's just unreal to watch. But the fact of the
matter is in both the series, actually in the Eastern
Conference Finals, which probably we'll predict it but certainly could
come to an end tonight, and then the Western Conference Finals,
which may be right behind it, you have one team
(07:57):
that looks ready, even if they're not at all times
firing on all cylinders. I think Dallas has been the
most impressive of the four team so far in the
Conference finals.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
But Indiana can't close.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
They find a way to have a bad inbounds, or
they allow Jamin Brown to take a three that he
shouldn't be allowed to take, or they lose a lead
when they're up eighteen nineteen points in the first half.
It just doesn't look like they're quite fully formed yet,
and the other team, it feels like, Okay, maybe it's
their time. You already knew what the Celtics had. The MAVs,
(08:31):
I honestly did not see this coming.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
I didn't.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
I was waiting for this to kind of blow up
in their face at some point in the postseason, and it.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Just absolutely has not.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
They've been outstanding and it's hard to bet against them
right now because again, when Kyrie plays like this and
then you have Luca making the kind of shots that
he is making, it's tough to see a team beating them.
Although I'd love to have the debate later on in
the show as to whether not they could have beaten Denver. Yeah, yeah,
(09:04):
because I think that's where you got It's like Denver
and Yokichi, even said Brian. He said the Timberwolves were
built to beat us, just the way that matchup was
set up. They were built to beat us. But Denver
is built to beat Dallas and most everybody else. I
don't think that Minnesota is a good matchup at all
(09:26):
for the Dallas Mavericks as close as these games have
actually been. And so you look at you like, if
we had gotten Denver and Dallas, what would our discussions
be looking like right now? But we don't, and what
we have in front of us is an excellent Mavericks team.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
It is pretty crazy that if you just look at
Minnesota last series against Denver, in this series against Dallas,
just think about how the previous series went, where it's
a seven game series, Minnesota wins three games on the
road in Denver. These are the defend champs. This is
(10:01):
Yokiic right raining MVP. Joki is the MVP three of
the last four seasons. And Minnesota goes in there in
a Game seven in the second half Jason and just
shuts them down, and you're like, man, this Minnesota team, Wow,
They've got Anthony Edwards, this young superstar and their defense.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
And then you.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Get to this series against Dallas and three coin flip
games in the fourth quarter don't go their way. And
I don't know what it is. It's it's a combination
of things. It's really Dallas being elite at closing games
in Minnesota not that's the biggest factor. But I wonder
how much of this is it's so hard to sustain
(10:44):
that level of defense series after series after series, and
you just can't see them sustain that throughout the entire playoffs.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
They're starting to wear down. But that's the thing, man.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
I think sometimes we go into movie trailer mode when
we're breaking games in series down, you know, where it's
like in a world and we just start going over
the top when it comes to that type of thing.
I just think that, Listen, Minnesota is a little bit tired,
and sometimes in a series, when you get to this stage,
that makes a huge difference. So it is an all
(11:18):
movie trailer mode. It's just Dallas is closing at an
elite level. In Minnesota, they're not even closing at a
basic level.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
They they came undone.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Jason, I had Minnesota last night in a variety of
betting ways.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Okay, they had to get to one.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Hundred and nine points, they had to win the game
in one bet, they had to just not lose by
more than five on an in game line, you know.
And I'm sitting there with five minutes to go, like
this is beautiful. They have one oh four with five
minutes to go and a two point lead. I'm like
(12:00):
I'm in a great spot here and it was just
swinging a miss, swinging a miss, swinging a miss. They
just and it's weird to say that with Anthony Edwards,
Karl Anthony Town's a legitimate supporting cast, but they they
are not even close to closing. This would be like
a baseball closer who seems to be pretty good just
(12:21):
playoff time freaking unraveling, you know what I.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Mean, Like just giving up big hits, give it.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Up home runs. That's what Minnesota has done here. But
on the heels of that Denver series, it has been
baffling man craziness. We got a lot to get to
this morning.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Here.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
We are coming to you from the tyreck dot Com studios. Here,
two pros and a cup of Joe. He's Jason Martin.
I'm Brian No filling in for the guys coming up next.
We have a lot to get to here, not just hoops.
You know, we got some ball that always means football
in my in my world. Here, my vocabul ball means football.
(13:01):
Got a lot to do as far as that goes,
And I mean, hey, we'll go rapid fire through some
of the things here. Innby five hundred, you NHL Baseball.
We got a lot to work through. I'll tell you
what coming up next. There was one thing that happened
last night where it's gonna sound like I'm against an
entire system and I'm not at all, but something that
(13:24):
we have to talk about. That was a breath of
fresh air last night. That's coming up next. He's Jason Martin.
I'm Brian no In for the guys right here on
Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
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Listen to This League Uncut with Chris Haynes and Mark Stein.
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On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get
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Speaker 4 (14:14):
On this Memorial Day, Welcome in to Fox Sports Radio,
our number two of the program. Brian knows with me.
I'm Jason Martin. The guys are off today for the holiday.
Hopefully you're going to spend time with loved ones and
do good things today. But certain we don't forget the
sacrifice that has been paid to make it possible for
(14:34):
us to talk about escapes for three hours this morning
with you, and just to the freedom that we have.
Freedom is never free, and so we certainly lift up
those families that are going to have a much more
difficult day.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
But man, the sacrifices.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
And just the honor with which those men and women
carry themselves just should never be forgotten. We are live
into tyrack dot com Studios tyrack dot com.
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Selection, fast, free shipping, free roads, hazard protection, over ten
thousand recommended installers.
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Tyrack dot com. The way tire buying should be real quick.
Speaker 4 (15:09):
Brian, I wasn't gonna do this, but I'm gonna give
you a life hack today. I don't know if you're
a coffee guy. I'm a big time coffee guy, but
I know we have plenty of coffee guys out there.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
Just something that if you've never tried this, give it
a shot.
Speaker 4 (15:22):
This is not some crazy recipe or something's gonna be
like that's just bonkers. I'm not saying put cicadas in
your coffee or anything like that. If you just want
a different experience and you you're a cream guy, try
some heavy cream instead of like half and half or
milk or something like that.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
Just pure heavy.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Whipping cream, big big keto guy myself and have been
now for years and it's been huge for me and
losing half a person, losing one hundred and twenty eight
pounds or actually waiting longer one hundred and twenty eight
and one year and then like one ninety.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Five over a two year span.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
Wow, heavy cream which has like zero carbs and it's
got a little bit of calories, but you're not dumping
the half the thing in there. It adds this layer
of smoothness to the coffee. It doesn't matter cheap coffee,
expensive coffee, any coffee, and it gives almost like a
savory feel. It's not like putting butter in your coffee,
but it it has a kind of a sense of
(16:18):
that without being that ridiculous.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
It's a good thing to try. It's not an expensive
thing to buy.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
Just give it a shot. I think it will. Maybe
it's not for you, but you should give it a shot.
I'll tell you two things.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
But one I don't even understand myself sometimes, and coffee
is one of these times. I love coffee and I
hardly ever drink it. I don't even understand that. How
can you love something and you're like, yeah, maybe two
months from now, I'll have a cup of coffee. It
doesn't make any sense. I don't understand that about myself.
(16:52):
But I just naturally wake up in the morning and
I'm good, I'm fine, you know, Like I'm not a
huge morning person.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
But I guess that's the main reason.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Is I'm just so conditioned to waking up and going like,
for instance, this show it's on early right I'm down
in New Orleans right now physically, and so it starts
at five am, so you're getting up in the four
o'clock hour. I can wake up and just be like,
that's good, let's go, you know, And so I don't
get into that habit. The other thing, though, is you
(17:24):
lost almost two bills over how long that's applause to you.
This is over a bit like a year and a
half or so. You lost one hundred and ninety five pounds.
Speaker 4 (17:34):
Yeah, I was back in like two thousand and I
may have been seventeen or eighteen. I could go back
and look for sure, but yeah, I just had a
complete a mental shift that I just hand glory to
God for because he just woke me up one day
and changed it. I went to the Super Bowl in
Houston to cover it and had to use a seat
belt extender on the way back on the flight, and
(17:56):
something just.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Triggered in me. It's like, how long do you want
to do this?
Speaker 4 (18:00):
And I had been praying for years and just felt like,
you know, this was not a thing that that was
going to happen for me. And I just woke up
one day and my mind just said, how about you
just knock out the carbs and knock out the sugar.
I didn't look anything up, I didn't do anything. And
then it was why don't you just head to the
gym see if you can walk for ten minutes? And
that was tough for me at three hundred and seventy
(18:20):
pounds at this point in time. Sure, and then it
was how about fifteen minutes? And then it was how
about twenty? And then I went and got blood work,
and I was sure I was going to have diabetes
and high blood pressure and everything.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Under the sun. There's a history of it in my family.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
And you know, they weighed me and they said, do
you know you definitely need to do something about this,
And I said, well, I've had this kind of feeling
that I needed to do X, Y and Z, and
they said, well, that's a good start. And so I
went home and I had blood worked on like six
weeks later, and I got reweighed at that point in time,
and I felt like, just tell me I've lost a
(18:54):
pound from what I've been doing, and I'll feel pretty good.
And the doctor comes in and gives me a high
five and says, man, you've lost thirty more.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
Pounds in six weeks. Wow. And it just kept going.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
I started basically losing five pounds every two weeks from
that point on, and in that first year, I lost
one twenty eight. My blood work came back perfect, which
was stunning to me considering the life that I was
living at the time, and then I was able to
lose another seventy or so. But I mean, when I
started with Klay Travis in the mornings, in this very
time slot, I was three seventy. Wow, and just by
(19:26):
the grace of God, that's the only just point the
direction straight to him.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
He has.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
He completely changed my life. And so that's where that
life act comes from. Is I mean, I drink coffee
all the time. It's my passion and my hobby. One
of the big reasons is more coffee I'm drinking the
less of anything else I've been just satisfies me all
day long. I don't put cream and sugar and all that.
I do put heavy cream in here and there. And
so I just wanted to throw that out this morning.
(19:51):
Didn't want to derail us from the sports conversation, but yeah,
I lost half a person legitimately.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
No, man, that's good, I'll say real fast because I
know you to move on. But it just makes me
think of I was living in Fresno at the time.
Eddie Garcia has Fresno roots, right, I was doing local
radio and Fresno and I had to get like a
physical or some check up or something.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Going on, and they were like, dude, your.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
Cholesterol is through the freaking roof, right, what are you doing.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
I was like, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
I was Jason, like daily just crushing banquet chicken. It's
frozen chicken, comes in a box, and I'm just killing
banquet chicken all the time. And the point is, yeah,
like what is it like? No, not Brenden, No, just
like I didn't go with the bread and kind But
I think sometimes we're just freaking idiots and we should
(20:46):
know better, and for whatever reason, we just don't. But
thankfully the light bulb went on with both of us
and we made some changes. It's like, oh, drinking water
is good for you, huh wow, I should give that
a shot. Like obvious stuff. But credit to you, man,
that's awesome. You put in all that hard work. It's
paid off. You said, sometimes we're freaking idiots.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
So is that like Karl Anthony Towns continuing to shoot
three eason yes or thirty two yes? And that's exactly
the size to try to make himself feel better about
having a few go through the net real close in
the paint like it's it's insane to me.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
But you know, we have not talked about it at
all on this program yet.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
Today, Brian the Eastern Conference finals, which may well come
to an end tonight, we'll see. Rick Carlisle says they're
coming Oh for the Celtics, Oh boy, he was upset
with a Do you think Drew Holiday fouled no on
the steal?
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Not not in today's NBA.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Okay, Okay, they've changed it like ever since the All
Star Break. You have to collabor someone in the head
to maybe draw a foul, like they they let a
lot of these ticki tac calls go and there was contact.
But the way the NBA has been officiated for half
of the regular season and most of the playoffs, no,
(22:03):
I have no problem with that being a no call.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Okay, I tend to agree with you. I think that
if it's a different player that Drew Holliday does that too,
maybe the call doesn't you know, goes the other way.
But there was definitely not a star move right there
where you were.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Likely to get that call.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
But either way, you look at this series, Game one,
Pacers should have won it, Yeah, found a way to
lose it. And then in Game three it just you
don't have Halliburton, but you have DeMar Go insane, you
have all the scoring of the world for them, and
you still end up losing that game in the end.
It's like it just ran out of gas at the
(22:41):
very end and the Celtics kind of just do what
the Celtics do. We talked about this the last time
you and Auer host. I think is just that Torres
and I on Saturday nights have discussed about how the
Celtics play like dramatic games, but they're kind of boring
to watch for some reason, like compared to some other teams.
They do like they're really good and they should win
(23:02):
the championship, and everybody is saying that right now. Are
you impressed or concerned by what you have seen? Is
it impressive that they came back, for instance, on Saturday.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Or would you rather not be that close? Right?
Speaker 2 (23:16):
That's an interesting question. I thought that it was impressive
the way they came back. They were down by eighteen.
The defense, they cranked up the defense. It was night
and day between the first half and the second half,
and especially Drew Holiday the defensive play. They hit some
clutch shots down the stretch. So I looked at the
(23:37):
positives more than but I get it. You're down eighteen
to a team that didn't have Halliburton, Like, what are
you guys doing? But I think Jason, that's how Boston
is mostly viewed. They're viewed as what they don't do
well or what they should have done better, instead of
what they actually did bring to the table. And it's
(23:59):
just funny where the honeymoon is clearly over with Boston.
And I think once they got to the finals a
couple of years ago and they lost to the Warriors,
they were absolutely in championship or bust mode. And so
we see the talent, we see the playmaking ability, we
see the star power with Tatum and Brown, and our
expectations are so high that when Boston has a let
(24:22):
down and maybe drops a game to Miami without Jimmy
Butler or the Calves without Donovan Mitchell or what have you, right,
we're just like.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
What is this? What are they doing?
Speaker 2 (24:32):
Like oh my gosh, But you stop, take a breath,
and you're like, they're gonna end up losing maybe two
games in the whole Eastern Conference playoffs en route to
a finals appearance. And I just think that we look
at what Boston doesn't do well instead of what they
actually do bring to the table. They've done all this
without berzingis right, Like, it can't just be their lucky
(24:57):
and we give them no flowers when they deserve them.
Speaker 3 (24:59):
They do, you deserve a lot of props.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
And I think if it's Dallas Boston, for all the
negativity out there, Boston is live in that matchup.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
If that's what we get. Yeah, yeah, I mean, I
agree with you.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
They're an odd team because it's like they don't want
to show how good we know that they are. And
when you look at their roster, they'd have so many
ways to beat you. They play great defense. I think
they're the best three point shooting team in the NBA
by the statistics. They've got a couple of closers. I
will say, I don't know what it is. During this postseason,
(25:37):
I have come in a different direction to appreciate Jalen
Brown more than I thought I was going to. I mean,
I've watched them for a long time, but I was
pretty vociferous after last year that they should have moved
on because it felt like that that tandem was not
making the best for either one of them. It's like
you keep one of them and you move on. And
at the time I was Protatum big time. Actually think
(26:01):
you tell me if I'm insane for this. But I'm
not saying he's the better player, but I think I
want more Jaywen Brown than I do Jason Tatum. I
know how good Jason Tatum is, but there's something about
Brown that feels tougher, more just he has more of
a killer mentality. To me, there's there's like I would
(26:21):
rather you play with the pulse of Jaywen Brown than
the pay than the pulse of Jason Tatum. And I
know that's crazy to say coming off a thirty plus
point performance from Tatum where he was excellent, especially in
the second half of the first quarter that game. But
I've come around to where I think Tatum is actually
the one I'd want to go to war with in
terms of on the floor as opposed to Jason Tatum.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
To me, what I want more of is just more
ball movement, you know, the ball sticks. So many times
I freaking hate their offense because I don't have anything
against ISO matchups because Tatum is magnificent as an ISO player.
Speaker 3 (26:59):
They just rely on it way too much.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Where you'll see Al Horford or if Sam Hauser is
out there on the court. He's a great three point shooter.
He can't buy one in this series. Again, the Pacers over,
but they just park themselves in the corner and they'll
stay there the whole offensive set. I don't know how
many times Jason Tatum is just dribbling the ball at
(27:23):
the top of the circle right and it's like, all right,
there's seven seconds left. You just got to create something
and go ISO where Man, you'd look at the Pacers
and it's cutting, moving screens. You see the game last night,
even Minnesota, even though they faded down the stretch the
final five minutes, they're running like the three man weave.
(27:44):
They're moving, they're cutting, they're handing the ball off. Sometimes
that sets up easier shots, and Boston's offense just doesn't
do that. They remind me of the Warriors before Steve
Kerr got there.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
Their offense looked completely different.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
With Mark Jackson, and I think more movement, move the
ball like set.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
Some screens have some motion. They're just such a stagnant.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Offense, and I think they get stuck in the mud
way too often that way.
Speaker 4 (28:12):
Yeah, I mean, interestingly enough, I actually thought Edwards was
guilty of that last night. A little bit more often,
Like I don't need to see eight seconds on the
shot clock and you standing ten feet beyond the three
point line with the ball. I know you're the guy
and you want to go make a play. I'm not
suggesting that you're not capable of that, but I have
come to appreciate the Mike Conley's of the world more
(28:34):
and more because Conley opens up the floor.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
I don't necessarily like I love.
Speaker 4 (28:38):
The ball in Anthony Edwards's hands, but I also like
Conley driving and creating and that being kind of the
way that it's set up as opposed to there is
way too much ISO basketball. And that was the problem
with the Oklahoma City Thunder when Durant and Westbrook were
in their heyday, is you had other guys standing around
that were almost disengaged in the play because they were
(29:00):
waiting to see one of the stars make something happen.
It doesn't need to be that way. There's five guys
on the floor for a reason. You can utilize them
as more than just decoys, guys that you can give
it to if you get into just dire trouble in
the paint, you know you can actually they can actually
move around and do things for you and create. And
(29:21):
there are teams that take advantage of that clearly in teams.
Speaker 3 (29:24):
That do not. So yeah, yeah, that's a really good
point by you. Well, thank you.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
I'd say real fast where I think that ball movement,
I think that helps you get into a rhythm, because
just think of this. If you're Sam Howser again, he
had a really good regular season. He hasn't hit a
three in this series against the Pacers, but think how
challenging it would be.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
Jason.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
You get into the game and you park yourself in
the corner, and possession after possession after possession, you don't
even touch the basketball, you know what I mean, And
then finally Derek White or somebody drives in, they kick
it out. Now it's your time, can a corner three.
You know, you haven't touched the ball in five to
(30:06):
seven possessions, and now you're expected to just drain a
jumper when you're cold off the bench. I just think
that more ball movement, touching the ball, that gets you
in a better flow, in a better rhythm. And I
think their offense looks far too choppy, and with the
playmakers they have, I think if they moved it and
just had more motion, I think it would help their
(30:27):
offense a ton.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
Yeah, I think that's I think that's very much true.
So when we come back out of the break. If
you didn't play for your team, how much would you
hate him?
Speaker 3 (30:40):
We'll talk about that after the break.
Speaker 4 (30:42):
That's next on Two Pros and a Cup of Joe
Live here in the Tyreck dot Com Studios Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
Be sure to catch live editions of Two Pros and
a Cup of Joe with Brady Quinn, LeVar Errington, and
Jonas Knox weekdays at six am Eastern three am Pacific
on Fox Sports Radio and The Hard Radio Whip.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
He's Jason Martin.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
I'm Brian no In for Two Pros and a Cup
of Joe here on Fox Sports Radio. Have you seen
the new slimmer trimmer Lamar Jackson, huh, Baltimore Ravens quarterback.
He's lost a lot of weight here, Jason. Where he
was pretty thick last year and he's down at least
(31:22):
ten pounds. It's a noticeable difference, and Lamar says that
it's important enough to be able to move around a
little bit extra is why he dropped the weight.
Speaker 3 (31:36):
I don't know about you.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
That was never a question for me about Lamar Jackson
is moving around quick well enough. He's totally finding that department.
But he wanted to slim down to move around even
a little bit more. I just wonder because that's been
the knock on Lamar. It's been the durability concerns, and
I thought the extra bulk helped out with that. He
(31:58):
played sixteen games last season, and yet he's slimming down.
I don't think that's a great approach, but hey, man,
if it makes him feel better, maybe it would be better.
I don't know, but that's never been the question for me.
Is him moving around more? And I thought the way
helped him And this is off the heels of a
full season when he was upright and he's switching it up.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
What do you think about this?
Speaker 4 (32:20):
I'man the last critique that I would have of Lamar
Jackson as anything involving added mobility, agility, speed never looked
at Lamar Jackson be like, man, if only he was
a little faster, or if if only he was able
to maneuver just a little bit smoother. I mean, if
that's I mean, he knows his own body and maybe
(32:41):
he needed this because I mean, you have to come
up with something because this Baltimore team, you look at
last year and the pathway that you felt like that
they had and they still aren't able to make it
to a super Bowl, and you're looking at it and
just what was the problem? Credit to Lamar for not
immediately just well, somebody on the team to do this, this, this,
and this.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
It's always him. I mean, he's he always.
Speaker 4 (33:04):
Does kind of take it on himself the failures of
the team. And you appreciate that, although eventually he needs
to stop doing that because they're not having those kind
of failures.
Speaker 3 (33:12):
But I would be worried.
Speaker 4 (33:17):
That it would make him even more susceptible to injury
or getting knocked around. But I certainly just I mean,
he just felt like I didn't look at him last
year and think, man, he's fat. He seems he seems
a step slow. Now he's still looked awfully good to me.
So I guess we will see. I don't know that
it's going to change anything for the Ravens, but maybe
(33:38):
it's just a mental thing. Maybe it's just here's something
I can control. I can lose ten pounds and I
think that might give me a little bit more of
an edge. And athletes are always looking for that extra
one percent if they can. So you know, I guess
who were we? But that's definitely not That's definitely not
what I would have looked at and been like, Man,
Lamar Jackson's got to find a way to move more.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
Yeah, it's Lamar isn't quite Tom Brady running the forty
at the combine right right, Like, LeVar is one of
the best athletes in sports. So I didn't think he
needed to add speed to his game. But that's what
he's looking to do. I think, listen, man, if we're
being completely honest, Lamar is staying healthy.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
Most of it is decision making.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
There are a lot of times where he just takes
unnecessary punishment.
Speaker 3 (34:29):
I love that he runs.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
I'm not against him running because that's what makes him special.
I'm against him taking unnecessary hits. And he's had a
tendency in his career to do just that where he's
trying to get those extra two yards and he's not
going to go out of bounds. He's going to take
that extra punishment, and it's like, you only have so
many hits. So I think it's more so the decision
making that it is having more bulk or slimming down
(34:55):
or what have you. But I do think that goes
into it. Tua is slimming down also, And that's weird
to me too. He played a full season when he
was bulked up a little bit.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
And now he's slimming down.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
It's just strange where they had successful seasons, they played
full seasons, and now they're changing it up slimming down.
I thought it helped a bit, take some extra punishment,
but they're looking to do things differently going into this season.
Speaker 4 (35:21):
Yeah, you losing ten pounds isn't gonna get your wide
receivers open and you finding them with the ball. Maybe
it makes you a little harder to hit in the pocket.
Maybe that's the thought. I don't know what it is.
Speaker 3 (35:30):
We'll have to see.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
Yeah, yeah, that's an interesting one for sure. All Right,
we got a lot on the menu here. You know,
this is a full buffet. Ball, hoops, baseball, maybe a
little racing. The conversation continues. Hang with us,
This is the best of two pros and a couple
Joe with Lamar airings, Rady Quinn and Jonas Knox on
Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Man, oh Man, it is looking dire for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Some thoughts on that. In a minute, We're broadcasting live
from the tierrack dot com studios.
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Tierrack dot com the way tire buying should be. Good
morning to you, Jason Martin.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Man. This Memorial Day weekend.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Obviously a major shout out to all the veterans, especially
the men and women that laid their lives down so
we could be free. That's first and foremost. And now
we get to games which are definitely of secondary importance.
But man, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jason, they had a two
point lead with five minutes to go last night and they.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Lost by nine. I think about that. They're up by
two with five minutes to go and they get out
scored thirteen to three.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Down the stretch and they are in an three series hole. Man,
This thing is a rap and you've had three straight
games that are coin tosses in the fourth quarter, and
none of them have gone the Timberwolves way. They just
don't have the closers that Dallas does. And it's apparent
(01:35):
every single game it comes down to closing, and Minnesota
can't close and Dallas can.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
That's right, I mean, you said it exactly correct. There's
not really anything to add to that take. There is
no question that you have two assassins that are playing
at the highest level right now in Dallas, and you
have the others that are just coming right along for
that ride, and they're not just being carried along, but
they do have two guys that can carry them. Now,
(02:02):
on the flip side, you've got Anthony Edwards, who I
think he's a little banged up, but he is very tired,
even though he tried everything he could last night to
bring it back, including that incredible dunk where you just
felt like the momentum could shift for them, and they
still weren't able to find a way to close. And
then you have just the baffling nature of how Karl
(02:23):
Anthony Towns has decided he's going to play his.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Career and I don't think there's any.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Way other to look at it than he doesn't want contact,
he doesn't want physicality. I don't know if he's afraid
of the way that the game's being officiated or what.
But he's just going to stand out there and take three.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
He is.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
He's not a waste as a player, but he's a
waste of his size because he does not play anywhere
near as big as he actually is. He did not
physical he does not generate contact very often at all.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
He just wants to stand out there and take threes.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
He wishes he was six ' three, but instead he
just happens to be big and when he's zero for seven,
but he's still not forcing the issue on the inside.
I mean, it'd be different, Brian, if he was, you know,
sixty sixty five percent in the paint, working hard and
stepping out and taking that three here and there.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
I mean, he would be.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
Such a better well rounded player. It just seems like
he has no interest at this point in doing that.
And it is a massive flaw that. You know, you
look at that team, he should be the two, he
should be the second best option on that squad. But honestly,
I'd rather have nas Red any day of the week
because I trust what not and naz REI didn't play
great last night, but naz Reed is out there doing
(03:39):
absolutely everything for you in Towns. At times, it's just like,
why do you play the way that you play? So's
it's the whole office meme. I hate all the things
that you choose to be Like. As as big as
he is, he should play with that size and the
fact that he doesn't is incredibly bothersome.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Man, he was five for eighteen last night, and from
three point range, which is what you're talking about, he
was for eight over and the stats just go from there, right.
Charles Barkley was outspoken last night. Karl Anthony Towns from
three the last five games, he is four for thirty two.
(04:21):
He just not making threes, and he keeps on jacket
up threes. It's like he's sticking with what isn't working.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Right. What's the definition of insanity? Right? That's what's going
on there with Karl Anthony Towns.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
And I get that shooting from the perimeter is a
big part of his game, but look, man, if that
part of your game is not working at all, you
gotta change it up, and you got to take advantage
of your size. And he just refuses to do that
in the fourth quarter of this series. Some more horrible
stats for kat here Jason. He's two for twelve in
(04:57):
the fourth quarter. Just in this series against Dallas, he's
won for eight from three point range. So when they
need him the most, when it's closing time, when it's
winning time, he's just not delivering at all. And it
could not be more obvious. Again, all three of these
games could have gone Minnesota's way. You go back to
(05:18):
Game two, Minnesota was up by five in the final
minute and you had Kyrie hit a corner three, you
had Luca hit the insane step back over Rudy Gobert.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
In Minnesota, they had the Anthony.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Edwards turnover out of bounds, Nasried had a shot that
barely rimmed out. But that's the thing is you're saying,
oh man, so close Minnesota, and you look at Dallas
and it's just clutch shot, clutch Jay, like Luca doing
his thing in Game two, Kyrie clutch baseline jumper last night.
(05:52):
It's just Dallas has closed every single time in Minnesota
has it. It's been crazy to watch, but it is.
It is so drastically different between these two teams.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
No, I mean it is. And you look at you.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Know, acquiring Gafford, acquiring PJ. Washington at the trade deadline.
I mean they just quietly got guys that made them better,
guys that were in terrible situations. I thought was interesting
with Gafford on the set last night on TV, just
you know, being asked by Charles Barkley, you know, what
was it like, how many of those moments did you
(06:28):
have when you felt like maybe I can't play basketball
after all because of how bad it was in the
situations he found himself in. And he said he wasn't
saying it to dog out gafferd. He said there were
times in Philadelphia I would get to the hotel and say, man,
I suck at basketball right because we aren't winning. And
it's just I thought I was better than this, And
say said, what is it like to go from that
(06:49):
situation to go to a situation where instead of walking
in every night expecting to lose, you walk in every
night knowing there's a chance for you to win a game.
And just to look on Gafford's face, you could just
see it right there, like they're playing right alongside these
two guys who were at the highest level, and they're
doing everything for them even when live. And when Lively
(07:09):
went down, that.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Was a big deal.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
That changed the way Dallas wanted to attack, and certainly
you hope the best for Lively. That looked really ugly
in real time. And I don't know if he comes
back for the next game or not. They said it
was a next strain, but boy, it's sure look concussive
to me, the way you could barely stand even after
the commercial break.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
But what Luca and Kyrie are.
Speaker 4 (07:35):
Doing, I don't know how you say it other than
it's just unreal to watch. But the fact of the
matter is in both the series, actually in the Eastern
Conference Finals, which probably we'll predict it but certainly could
come to an end tonight, and then the Western Conference Finals,
which may be right behind it, you have one team
(07:57):
that looks ready, even if they're not at all times
firing on all cylinders. I think Dallas has been the
most impressive of the four team so far in the
Conference finals.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
But Indiana can't close.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
They find a way to have a bad inbounds, or
they allow Jamin Brown to take a three that he
shouldn't be allowed to take, or they lose a lead
when they're up eighteen nineteen points in the first half.
It just doesn't look like they're quite fully formed yet,
and the other team, it feels like, Okay, maybe it's
their time. You already knew what the Celtics had. The MAVs,
(08:31):
I honestly did not see this coming.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
I didn't.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
I was waiting for this to kind of blow up
in their face at some point in the postseason, and it.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Just absolutely has not.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
They've been outstanding and it's hard to bet against them
right now because again, when Kyrie plays like this and
then you have Luca making the kind of shots that
he is making, it's tough to see a team beating them.
Although I'd love to have the debate later on in
the show as to whether not they could have beaten Denver. Yeah, yeah,
(09:04):
because I think that's where you got It's like Denver
and Yokichi, even said Brian. He said the Timberwolves were
built to beat us, just the way that matchup was
set up. They were built to beat us. But Denver
is built to beat Dallas and most everybody else. I
don't think that Minnesota is a good matchup at all
(09:26):
for the Dallas Mavericks as close as these games have
actually been. And so you look at you like, if
we had gotten Denver and Dallas, what would our discussions
be looking like right now? But we don't, and what
we have in front of us is an excellent Mavericks team.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
It is pretty crazy that if you just look at
Minnesota last series against Denver, in this series against Dallas,
just think about how the previous series went, where it's
a seven game series, Minnesota wins three games on the
road in Denver. These are the defend champs. This is
(10:01):
Yokiic right raining MVP. Joki is the MVP three of
the last four seasons. And Minnesota goes in there in
a Game seven in the second half Jason and just
shuts them down, and you're like, man, this Minnesota team, Wow,
They've got Anthony Edwards, this young superstar and their defense.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
And then you.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Get to this series against Dallas and three coin flip
games in the fourth quarter don't go their way. And
I don't know what it is. It's it's a combination
of things. It's really Dallas being elite at closing games
in Minnesota not that's the biggest factor. But I wonder
how much of this is it's so hard to sustain
(10:44):
that level of defense series after series after series, and
you just can't see them sustain that throughout the entire playoffs.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
They're starting to wear down. But that's the thing, man.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
I think sometimes we go into movie trailer mode when
we're breaking games in series down, you know, where it's
like in a world and we just start going over
the top when it comes to that type of thing.
I just think that, Listen, Minnesota is a little bit tired,
and sometimes in a series, when you get to this stage,
that makes a huge difference. So it is an all
(11:18):
movie trailer mode. It's just Dallas is closing at an
elite level. In Minnesota, they're not even closing at a
basic level.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
They they came undone.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Jason, I had Minnesota last night in a variety of
betting ways.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Okay, they had to get to one.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Hundred and nine points, they had to win the game
in one bet, they had to just not lose by
more than five on an in game line, you know.
And I'm sitting there with five minutes to go, like
this is beautiful. They have one oh four with five
minutes to go and a two point lead. I'm like
(12:00):
I'm in a great spot here and it was just
swinging a miss, swinging a miss, swinging a miss. They
just and it's weird to say that with Anthony Edwards,
Karl Anthony Town's a legitimate supporting cast, but they they
are not even close to closing. This would be like
a baseball closer who seems to be pretty good just
(12:21):
playoff time freaking unraveling, you know what I.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Mean, Like just giving up big hits, give it.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Up home runs. That's what Minnesota has done here. But
on the heels of that Denver series, it has been
baffling man craziness. We got a lot to get to
this morning.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Here.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
We are coming to you from the tyreck dot Com studios. Here,
two pros and a cup of Joe. He's Jason Martin.
I'm Brian No filling in for the guys coming up next.
We have a lot to get to here, not just hoops.
You know, we got some ball that always means football
in my in my world. Here, my vocabul ball means football.
(13:01):
Got a lot to do as far as that goes,
And I mean, hey, we'll go rapid fire through some
of the things here. Innby five hundred, you NHL Baseball.
We got a lot to work through. I'll tell you
what coming up next. There was one thing that happened
last night where it's gonna sound like I'm against an
entire system and I'm not at all, but something that
(13:24):
we have to talk about. That was a breath of
fresh air last night. That's coming up next. He's Jason Martin.
I'm Brian no In for the guys right here on
Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Be sure to catch live editions of Two Pros and
a Cup of Joe with Brady Quinn, LeVar Arrington and
Jonas Knox weekdays at six am Eastern, three am Pacific.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
Two NBA Insiders podcasting twice a week to plug you
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Speaker 5 (13:50):
Five, all happening in only one place. This League Uncut,
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Me Chris Haynes and me Mark Stein.
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Join us as we team up to expound on everything
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Listen to This League Uncut with Chris Haynes and Mark Stein.
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On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get
your podcasts.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
On this Memorial Day, Welcome in to Fox Sports Radio,
our number two of the program. Brian knows with me.
I'm Jason Martin. The guys are off today for the holiday.
Hopefully you're going to spend time with loved ones and
do good things today. But certain we don't forget the
sacrifice that has been paid to make it possible for
(14:34):
us to talk about escapes for three hours this morning
with you, and just to the freedom that we have.
Freedom is never free, and so we certainly lift up
those families that are going to have a much more
difficult day.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
But man, the sacrifices.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
And just the honor with which those men and women
carry themselves just should never be forgotten. We are live
into tyrack dot com Studios tyrack dot com.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
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Tyrack dot com. The way tire buying should be real quick.
Speaker 4 (15:09):
Brian, I wasn't gonna do this, but I'm gonna give
you a life hack today. I don't know if you're
a coffee guy. I'm a big time coffee guy, but
I know we have plenty of coffee guys out there.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
Just something that if you've never tried this, give it
a shot.
Speaker 4 (15:22):
This is not some crazy recipe or something's gonna be
like that's just bonkers. I'm not saying put cicadas in
your coffee or anything like that. If you just want
a different experience and you you're a cream guy, try
some heavy cream instead of like half and half or
milk or something like that.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
Just pure heavy.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Whipping cream, big big keto guy myself and have been
now for years and it's been huge for me and
losing half a person, losing one hundred and twenty eight
pounds or actually waiting longer one hundred and twenty eight
and one year and then like one ninety.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Five over a two year span.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
Wow, heavy cream which has like zero carbs and it's
got a little bit of calories, but you're not dumping
the half the thing in there. It adds this layer
of smoothness to the coffee. It doesn't matter cheap coffee,
expensive coffee, any coffee, and it gives almost like a
savory feel. It's not like putting butter in your coffee,
but it it has a kind of a sense of
(16:18):
that without being that ridiculous.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
It's a good thing to try. It's not an expensive
thing to buy.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
Just give it a shot. I think it will. Maybe
it's not for you, but you should give it a shot.
I'll tell you two things.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
But one I don't even understand myself sometimes, and coffee
is one of these times. I love coffee and I
hardly ever drink it. I don't even understand that. How
can you love something and you're like, yeah, maybe two
months from now, I'll have a cup of coffee. It
doesn't make any sense. I don't understand that about myself.
(16:52):
But I just naturally wake up in the morning and
I'm good, I'm fine, you know, Like I'm not a
huge morning person.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
But I guess that's the main reason.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Is I'm just so conditioned to waking up and going like,
for instance, this show it's on early right I'm down
in New Orleans right now physically, and so it starts
at five am, so you're getting up in the four
o'clock hour. I can wake up and just be like,
that's good, let's go, you know, And so I don't
get into that habit. The other thing, though, is you
(17:24):
lost almost two bills over how long that's applause to you.
This is over a bit like a year and a
half or so. You lost one hundred and ninety five pounds.
Speaker 4 (17:34):
Yeah, I was back in like two thousand and I
may have been seventeen or eighteen. I could go back
and look for sure, but yeah, I just had a
complete a mental shift that I just hand glory to
God for because he just woke me up one day
and changed it. I went to the Super Bowl in
Houston to cover it and had to use a seat
belt extender on the way back on the flight, and
(17:56):
something just.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Triggered in me. It's like, how long do you want
to do this?
Speaker 4 (18:00):
And I had been praying for years and just felt like,
you know, this was not a thing that that was
going to happen for me. And I just woke up
one day and my mind just said, how about you
just knock out the carbs and knock out the sugar.
I didn't look anything up, I didn't do anything. And
then it was why don't you just head to the
gym see if you can walk for ten minutes? And
that was tough for me at three hundred and seventy
(18:20):
pounds at this point in time. Sure, and then it
was how about fifteen minutes? And then it was how
about twenty? And then I went and got blood work,
and I was sure I was going to have diabetes
and high blood pressure and everything.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Under the sun. There's a history of it in my family.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
And you know, they weighed me and they said, do
you know you definitely need to do something about this,
And I said, well, I've had this kind of feeling
that I needed to do X, Y and Z, and
they said, well, that's a good start. And so I
went home and I had blood worked on like six
weeks later, and I got reweighed at that point in time,
and I felt like, just tell me I've lost a
(18:54):
pound from what I've been doing, and I'll feel pretty good.
And the doctor comes in and gives me a high
five and says, man, you've lost thirty more.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
Pounds in six weeks. Wow. And it just kept going.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
I started basically losing five pounds every two weeks from
that point on, and in that first year, I lost
one twenty eight. My blood work came back perfect, which
was stunning to me considering the life that I was
living at the time, and then I was able to
lose another seventy or so. But I mean, when I
started with Klay Travis in the mornings, in this very
time slot, I was three seventy. Wow, and just by
(19:26):
the grace of God, that's the only just point the
direction straight to him.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
He has.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
He completely changed my life. And so that's where that
life act comes from. Is I mean, I drink coffee
all the time. It's my passion and my hobby. One
of the big reasons is more coffee I'm drinking the
less of anything else I've been just satisfies me all
day long. I don't put cream and sugar and all that.
I do put heavy cream in here and there. And
so I just wanted to throw that out this morning.
(19:51):
Didn't want to derail us from the sports conversation, but yeah,
I lost half a person legitimately.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
No, man, that's good, I'll say real fast because I
know you to move on. But it just makes me
think of I was living in Fresno at the time.
Eddie Garcia has Fresno roots, right, I was doing local
radio and Fresno and I had to get like a
physical or some check up or something.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Going on, and they were like, dude, your.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
Cholesterol is through the freaking roof, right, what are you doing.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
I was like, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
I was Jason, like daily just crushing banquet chicken. It's
frozen chicken, comes in a box, and I'm just killing
banquet chicken all the time. And the point is, yeah,
like what is it like? No, not Brenden, No, just
like I didn't go with the bread and kind But
I think sometimes we're just freaking idiots and we should
(20:46):
know better, and for whatever reason, we just don't. But
thankfully the light bulb went on with both of us
and we made some changes. It's like, oh, drinking water
is good for you, huh wow, I should give that
a shot. Like obvious stuff. But credit to you, man,
that's awesome. You put in all that hard work. It's
paid off. You said, sometimes we're freaking idiots.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
So is that like Karl Anthony Towns continuing to shoot
three eason yes or thirty two yes? And that's exactly
the size to try to make himself feel better about
having a few go through the net real close in
the paint like it's it's insane to me.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
But you know, we have not talked about it at
all on this program yet.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
Today, Brian the Eastern Conference finals, which may well come
to an end tonight, we'll see. Rick Carlisle says they're
coming Oh for the Celtics, Oh boy, he was upset
with a Do you think Drew Holiday fouled no on
the steal?
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Not not in today's NBA.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Okay, Okay, they've changed it like ever since the All
Star Break. You have to collabor someone in the head
to maybe draw a foul, like they they let a
lot of these ticki tac calls go and there was contact.
But the way the NBA has been officiated for half
of the regular season and most of the playoffs, no,
(22:03):
I have no problem with that being a no call.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Okay, I tend to agree with you. I think that
if it's a different player that Drew Holliday does that too,
maybe the call doesn't you know, goes the other way.
But there was definitely not a star move right there
where you were.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Likely to get that call.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
But either way, you look at this series, Game one,
Pacers should have won it, Yeah, found a way to
lose it. And then in Game three it just you
don't have Halliburton, but you have DeMar Go insane, you
have all the scoring of the world for them, and
you still end up losing that game in the end.
It's like it just ran out of gas at the
(22:41):
very end and the Celtics kind of just do what
the Celtics do. We talked about this the last time
you and Auer host. I think is just that Torres
and I on Saturday nights have discussed about how the
Celtics play like dramatic games, but they're kind of boring
to watch for some reason, like compared to some other teams.
They do like they're really good and they should win
(23:02):
the championship, and everybody is saying that right now. Are
you impressed or concerned by what you have seen? Is
it impressive that they came back, for instance, on Saturday.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Or would you rather not be that close? Right?
Speaker 2 (23:16):
That's an interesting question. I thought that it was impressive
the way they came back. They were down by eighteen.
The defense, they cranked up the defense. It was night
and day between the first half and the second half,
and especially Drew Holiday the defensive play. They hit some
clutch shots down the stretch. So I looked at the
(23:37):
positives more than but I get it. You're down eighteen
to a team that didn't have Halliburton, Like, what are
you guys doing? But I think Jason, that's how Boston
is mostly viewed. They're viewed as what they don't do
well or what they should have done better, instead of
what they actually did bring to the table. And it's
(23:59):
just funny where the honeymoon is clearly over with Boston.
And I think once they got to the finals a
couple of years ago and they lost to the Warriors,
they were absolutely in championship or bust mode. And so
we see the talent, we see the playmaking ability, we
see the star power with Tatum and Brown, and our
expectations are so high that when Boston has a let
(24:22):
down and maybe drops a game to Miami without Jimmy
Butler or the Calves without Donovan Mitchell or what have you, right,
we're just like.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
What is this? What are they doing?
Speaker 2 (24:32):
Like oh my gosh, But you stop, take a breath,
and you're like, they're gonna end up losing maybe two
games in the whole Eastern Conference playoffs en route to
a finals appearance. And I just think that we look
at what Boston doesn't do well instead of what they
actually do bring to the table. They've done all this
without berzingis right, Like, it can't just be their lucky
(24:57):
and we give them no flowers when they deserve them.
Speaker 3 (24:59):
They do, you deserve a lot of props.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
And I think if it's Dallas Boston, for all the
negativity out there, Boston is live in that matchup.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
If that's what we get. Yeah, yeah, I mean, I
agree with you.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
They're an odd team because it's like they don't want
to show how good we know that they are. And
when you look at their roster, they'd have so many
ways to beat you. They play great defense. I think
they're the best three point shooting team in the NBA
by the statistics. They've got a couple of closers. I
will say, I don't know what it is. During this postseason,
(25:37):
I have come in a different direction to appreciate Jalen
Brown more than I thought I was going to. I mean,
I've watched them for a long time, but I was
pretty vociferous after last year that they should have moved
on because it felt like that that tandem was not
making the best for either one of them. It's like
you keep one of them and you move on. And
at the time I was Protatum big time. Actually think
(26:01):
you tell me if I'm insane for this. But I'm
not saying he's the better player, but I think I
want more Jaywen Brown than I do Jason Tatum. I
know how good Jason Tatum is, but there's something about
Brown that feels tougher, more just he has more of
a killer mentality. To me, there's there's like I would
(26:21):
rather you play with the pulse of Jaywen Brown than
the pay than the pulse of Jason Tatum. And I
know that's crazy to say coming off a thirty plus
point performance from Tatum where he was excellent, especially in
the second half of the first quarter that game. But
I've come around to where I think Tatum is actually
the one I'd want to go to war with in
terms of on the floor as opposed to Jason Tatum.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
To me, what I want more of is just more
ball movement, you know, the ball sticks. So many times
I freaking hate their offense because I don't have anything
against ISO matchups because Tatum is magnificent as an ISO player.
Speaker 3 (26:59):
They just rely on it way too much.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Where you'll see Al Horford or if Sam Hauser is
out there on the court. He's a great three point shooter.
He can't buy one in this series. Again, the Pacers over,
but they just park themselves in the corner and they'll
stay there the whole offensive set. I don't know how
many times Jason Tatum is just dribbling the ball at
(27:23):
the top of the circle right and it's like, all right,
there's seven seconds left. You just got to create something
and go ISO where Man, you'd look at the Pacers
and it's cutting, moving screens. You see the game last night,
even Minnesota, even though they faded down the stretch the
final five minutes, they're running like the three man weave.
(27:44):
They're moving, they're cutting, they're handing the ball off. Sometimes
that sets up easier shots, and Boston's offense just doesn't
do that. They remind me of the Warriors before Steve
Kerr got there.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
Their offense looked completely different.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
With Mark Jackson, and I think more movement, move the
ball like set.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
Some screens have some motion. They're just such a stagnant.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Offense, and I think they get stuck in the mud
way too often that way.
Speaker 4 (28:12):
Yeah, I mean, interestingly enough, I actually thought Edwards was
guilty of that last night. A little bit more often,
Like I don't need to see eight seconds on the
shot clock and you standing ten feet beyond the three
point line with the ball. I know you're the guy
and you want to go make a play. I'm not
suggesting that you're not capable of that, but I have
come to appreciate the Mike Conley's of the world more
(28:34):
and more because Conley opens up the floor.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
I don't necessarily like I love.
Speaker 4 (28:38):
The ball in Anthony Edwards's hands, but I also like
Conley driving and creating and that being kind of the
way that it's set up as opposed to there is
way too much ISO basketball. And that was the problem
with the Oklahoma City Thunder when Durant and Westbrook were
in their heyday, is you had other guys standing around
that were almost disengaged in the play because they were
(29:00):
waiting to see one of the stars make something happen.
It doesn't need to be that way. There's five guys
on the floor for a reason. You can utilize them
as more than just decoys, guys that you can give
it to if you get into just dire trouble in
the paint, you know you can actually they can actually
move around and do things for you and create. And
(29:21):
there are teams that take advantage of that clearly in teams.
Speaker 3 (29:24):
That do not. So yeah, yeah, that's a really good
point by you. Well, thank you.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
I'd say real fast where I think that ball movement,
I think that helps you get into a rhythm, because
just think of this. If you're Sam Howser again, he
had a really good regular season. He hasn't hit a
three in this series against the Pacers, but think how
challenging it would be.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
Jason.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
You get into the game and you park yourself in
the corner, and possession after possession after possession, you don't
even touch the basketball, you know what I mean, And
then finally Derek White or somebody drives in, they kick
it out. Now it's your time, can a corner three.
You know, you haven't touched the ball in five to
(30:06):
seven possessions, and now you're expected to just drain a
jumper when you're cold off the bench. I just think
that more ball movement, touching the ball, that gets you
in a better flow, in a better rhythm. And I
think their offense looks far too choppy, and with the
playmakers they have, I think if they moved it and
just had more motion, I think it would help their
(30:27):
offense a ton.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
Yeah, I think that's I think that's very much true.
So when we come back out of the break. If
you didn't play for your team, how much would you
hate him?
Speaker 3 (30:40):
We'll talk about that after the break.
Speaker 4 (30:42):
That's next on Two Pros and a Cup of Joe
Live here in the Tyreck dot Com Studios Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
Be sure to catch live editions of Two Pros and
a Cup of Joe with Brady Quinn, LeVar Errington, and
Jonas Knox weekdays at six am Eastern three am Pacific
on Fox Sports Radio and The Hard Radio Whip.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
He's Jason Martin.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
I'm Brian no In for Two Pros and a Cup
of Joe here on Fox Sports Radio. Have you seen
the new slimmer trimmer Lamar Jackson, huh, Baltimore Ravens quarterback.
He's lost a lot of weight here, Jason. Where he
was pretty thick last year and he's down at least
(31:22):
ten pounds. It's a noticeable difference, and Lamar says that
it's important enough to be able to move around a
little bit extra is why he dropped the weight.
Speaker 3 (31:36):
I don't know about you.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
That was never a question for me about Lamar Jackson
is moving around quick well enough. He's totally finding that department.
But he wanted to slim down to move around even
a little bit more. I just wonder because that's been
the knock on Lamar. It's been the durability concerns, and
I thought the extra bulk helped out with that. He
(31:58):
played sixteen games last season, and yet he's slimming down.
I don't think that's a great approach, but hey, man,
if it makes him feel better, maybe it would be better.
I don't know, but that's never been the question for me.
Is him moving around more? And I thought the way
helped him And this is off the heels of a
full season when he was upright and he's switching it up.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
What do you think about this?
Speaker 4 (32:20):
I'man the last critique that I would have of Lamar
Jackson as anything involving added mobility, agility, speed never looked
at Lamar Jackson be like, man, if only he was
a little faster, or if if only he was able
to maneuver just a little bit smoother. I mean, if
that's I mean, he knows his own body and maybe
(32:41):
he needed this because I mean, you have to come
up with something because this Baltimore team, you look at
last year and the pathway that you felt like that
they had and they still aren't able to make it
to a super Bowl, and you're looking at it and
just what was the problem? Credit to Lamar for not
immediately just well, somebody on the team to do this, this, this,
and this.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
It's always him. I mean, he's he always.
Speaker 4 (33:04):
Does kind of take it on himself the failures of
the team. And you appreciate that, although eventually he needs
to stop doing that because they're not having those kind
of failures.
Speaker 3 (33:12):
But I would be worried.
Speaker 4 (33:17):
That it would make him even more susceptible to injury
or getting knocked around. But I certainly just I mean,
he just felt like I didn't look at him last
year and think, man, he's fat. He seems he seems
a step slow. Now he's still looked awfully good to me.
So I guess we will see. I don't know that
it's going to change anything for the Ravens, but maybe
(33:38):
it's just a mental thing. Maybe it's just here's something
I can control. I can lose ten pounds and I
think that might give me a little bit more of
an edge. And athletes are always looking for that extra
one percent if they can. So you know, I guess
who were we? But that's definitely not That's definitely not
what I would have looked at and been like, Man,
Lamar Jackson's got to find a way to move more.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
Yeah, it's Lamar isn't quite Tom Brady running the forty
at the combine right right, Like, LeVar is one of
the best athletes in sports. So I didn't think he
needed to add speed to his game. But that's what
he's looking to do. I think, listen, man, if we're
being completely honest, Lamar is staying healthy.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
Most of it is decision making.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
There are a lot of times where he just takes
unnecessary punishment.
Speaker 3 (34:29):
I love that he runs.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
I'm not against him running because that's what makes him special.
I'm against him taking unnecessary hits. And he's had a
tendency in his career to do just that where he's
trying to get those extra two yards and he's not
going to go out of bounds. He's going to take
that extra punishment, and it's like, you only have so
many hits. So I think it's more so the decision
making that it is having more bulk or slimming down
(34:55):
or what have you. But I do think that goes
into it. Tua is slimming down also, And that's weird
to me too. He played a full season when he
was bulked up a little bit.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
And now he's slimming down.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
It's just strange where they had successful seasons, they played
full seasons, and now they're changing it up slimming down.
I thought it helped a bit, take some extra punishment,
but they're looking to do things differently going into this season.
Speaker 4 (35:21):
Yeah, you losing ten pounds isn't gonna get your wide
receivers open and you finding them with the ball. Maybe
it makes you a little harder to hit in the pocket.
Maybe that's the thought. I don't know what it is.
Speaker 3 (35:30):
We'll have to see.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
Yeah, yeah, that's an interesting one for sure. All Right,
we got a lot on the menu here. You know,
this is a full buffet. Ball, hoops, baseball, maybe a
little racing. The conversation continues. Hang with us,
Hosts And Creators
Brady Quinn
LaVar Arrington
Jonas Knox
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