May 3, 2025 • 41 mins
On tonight’s edition of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon, the guys break down all the NBA action as Jason recaps the Knicks eliminating the Pistons and gives live analysis of the Warriors-Rockets Game 6 matchup as it unfolds. Then, they react to the breaking news that LeBron James suffered an MCL sprain in Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs, as the Lakers were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves — and they ask the big question: will LeBron remain a Laker? Plus, the guys dive into the start of the WNBA preseason, which tipped off this week. All that and more in Hour 1 of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
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Speaker 2 (00:22):
Eyles you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Greetings, Welcome inside a Happy Friday, also known as the
day after Jalen Brunson's legendary shot. Oh my God, The
Jason Smith Show with my best friend Mike Harmon.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I'm an ass man.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
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is the way tire buying should be. Well, I'll tell you, Michael,
I can't tell you how many times I will watch
that shot again today. Man, I can't just how just
(01:03):
watching Thompson just skid out of the screen like the
road Runner, And I mean it, It's just amazing. It's
like it's the shot of the playoffs right now, it's
the biggest moment.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
Well, I spent a couple of minutes, you know, playing
around with some software to try to get my editing
skills together with the cartoon sounds. It's not quite crisp
enough to where I want to release it, but you get.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Where I'm going.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
It's just all of our cartoons from the seventies, because
let's face it, they don't make them the same way
the seventies and eighties with all the cool sound effects
and boying and.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
All that stuff.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
I mean, you just don't have those kind of sout
effects anymore to punctuate a moment in your cartoons. So yeah,
that that also begat a number of conversations. People are
all of a sudden deciding that out Mount Rushmore of
the New York Knicks, Jalen Brunson has moved into the
pole position off one shot, oh, the first round of
(01:58):
the playoffs. First round of the playoffs. Well, Fraser suits are.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Better than anything he's done.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Come on, okay, okay, okay. First of all, Mount Rushmore
means there's four and he's one of them. Okay, So
just understand that so yeah, but.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
He's like the lead guy, like he's the greatest Nick
of all because people don't.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Remember nineteen bleeping seventy three. Man, the last time they won.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
No one remembers that Phil Jackson and his bony elbows
taking guys down in the low post.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
You know, Ewing is on there. You know Ewing's on
the mountain.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
I mean this is this is Alan Houston's got to
be on there like nothing else. A lot of big guys.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Look if you did about Rushmore for money, he's absolutely
he's like the only face on there. Yes, he kind
of like.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
The guy that goes to the business.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
Like when we're talking about the NBA, is he he
kind of like Kirk Cousins, Well, the business acumen of
it all.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Kirk Cousins looked looks like a lowly paid rookie compared
to Alan. The NBA made an amnesty rule specifically for
Alan Houston because so the Knicks could get out of
that contract. And of course Nicks they didn't use Alan
Houston's guy. I mean they had to make an amnesty
clause to help teams out because of the Alan Houston contract.
They said you made too much money and didn't really
(03:08):
deliver and your team is getting killed because of it.
So here's a clause, everybody, you get to buy yourself
out of one bad contract.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
We really need to write that book though, where we
have you know, like the Homer Simpson to pull a
Homer and all that where it's his little whatever Wall
Street Journal kind of charcoal sketch going up. How did
you do that with sports with all different moments like
in sports history with the snarkiness to it. Yeah, they're
news items, yeah, but taken from two long standing fans,
(03:38):
long suffering fans and well loud mounts on the radio.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Like if you made if you made a a a
mount rushmore for money in the NBA, like it is
all Alan Houston's face and like the other three guys
can be his two eyes in the mouth, but it's
all Alan Houston. These guys are all small in the
middle of the eyes and the mouth. That there, Oh,
look at that there, Keith van Horne because he's still
getting paid. Okay, let's got okay, grant, Like those are
(04:06):
the guys that I mean, that's where it is. That's
because it's these guys are just small.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Yeah, I mean because it's tough, because everybody goes to
like the baseball side and becomes Bobby Benia. Most folks
don't realize Ken Griffy Junior is still making money. But
because you like Ken Grifty Junior, I mean he's getting
paid three million.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Dollars a year to be a photographer. Sure, well, he
takes really good pictures. He does, he pictures. I mean
the kid, he's the photography kid. Now, like, is he
a kid in the photography world? Like it is? Now
You've got this young griffy kid who's you know, fifty two.
He's just come on now, you know you need your
whole life to you know, get your eye ready to
to shoot up. I mean, maybe he's a kid in
the in that in that world.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Or is he ostracized because he has an unfair advantage
because that hitting eye was so keen all these years
that it really gives him an unfair advantage to see
the world in colors and lights that nobody else can.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Yeah, but the thing is he gets hurt really easy.
He gets hurt really easy. How many fractured eye lashes?
I can't take pictures for I can't do it, No,
could be it?
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Well, I mean, look, he's probably should have sued the
hell out of the rents. The way the way that
hamstring and everything else went down. I still have questions
about all the treatment and advice he was getting, but
you know, hey, uh, he's into a new territory now.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
But back to the task at hand.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
Yes, I was asked several times by people about Jalen
Brunson today, which you really ticked me off because I'm
not a Knicks fan, but they know my association with you,
so they asked me, one, Uh, do you hate Jalen Brunson.
I'm like, no, no, because he's an undersized kind of
stocky guy and from me my entire life, I'm being
(05:41):
an undersized stock sure, so so I identify with Jalen
Brunson as well as his greatness.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Now you realize, you know you're underachieving because you know
both you guys are both short and stocky, and he's
way more successful. No, that's it.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
I mean, I mean I'm low man, and I off
my name off and his left off of and images
is left off of things.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
So yeah, I got a lot of work to do.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Who's that guy in the side. I don't worry about it.
We're gonna air brush him out. Don't worry, We'll just
air brush him out. So while we continue to marvel
at the accomplishments of Jalen Brunson. Right now, one game
in the NBA tonight and it's the Rockets over the
Warriors forty six thirty eight, three minutes to go before halftime.
The last night I picked the Warriors to win this
(06:26):
game and send it back. A couple of reasons. The
Rockets needed some time to get it for this series,
to for them to get their legs under them, because
the first few games it's Draymond Green and he is
yapping at them, and they were really out of their element.
They started playing into exactly what the Warriors wanted to
get him out of their game, and it worked going
(06:47):
up three to one. They fixed a lot of things
at three to two, so the rub don't people forget
how good the Rockets are, and don't forget Steph Curry
has a really bad thumb, and right now he's got
ten points to lead the Warriors, but he's not shooting
like he used to. He's got eight shots so far tonight.
He's not been the offensive machine. Jimmy Butler also has
(07:09):
ten tonight, but the Warriors are relying on both of
these guys, and eventually they're gonna come up empty because
they're too old to carry this the two of them. Right.
But Zemski is really good, right, Don't get me wrong,
he's a really good player too. But they've been carrying
it themselves, and eventually that that you know that when
that hits empty, you're not stopping and going to get
(07:29):
a can of gasoline and figuring stuff out. Right, So
tonight could be that night. And that's why I got
the rockets. And that's kind of what we've seen so
far tonight. Houston has shot pretty well and they have
been able to keep this six point lead over the Warriors,
a game in which he thought, hey, Golden State should
come in shoot some threes and this is gonna be it.
They save themselves for this game after the first five minutes,
(07:51):
a game five going okay, not our night. Bring put
put all the subs in, but get let's empty the bench.
Geinre I think Sean Livingston had minutes in the last night.
Done this be a game where we're coming out and
we're gonna make no bones about it, and it's gonna
be a fifteen point game. The end of the first quarter,
and instead Houston has been in charge pretty much for
the whole first half.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Shooting poorly thus far, the Warriors at forty just six
and nineteen from three point range, and and because of
the reliance on the outside shot, well not getting to
the free throw line very often. It's Jimmy Butler with
all six attempts. Hey, he's made them all.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
So that's good.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
Nice one hundred. You don't get to see one hundreds
in your box score too often, especially in the free
throw line anymore, because well, we kind of chuckle watching
some of these games. We'll we had like a Who's
game last week where I think there were thirty one
combined free throw misses.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Yeah, we do.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
That's like you were sending up a congo line of Shacks.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
But yeah, so here's Shack again. It the way didn't No,
it's a different Shack. We've cloned him. It's fine, he's
gonna miss anyway.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Door.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
Woh cloning Shack now you're talking. But yeah, I mean,
obviously the Rockets some veteran savvy. When you look at
guys like and Vleet, they've been through these moments. He
can help coach him up in that and Sheng Guon's
been fantastic for much of this this run along the way. Again,
I would think that at some point Jalen Green gives
(09:11):
them a little bit more. He's won for seven, but
he struggled over the course of the series. Why because
Draymond Green does bad things and he gets after you defensively,
and you know, you owed back to the last game
out where Steve Kerr might as well have legitimately gone
duke and thrown the damn towel with the number of
guys that found their way off the bench as I again,
(09:33):
I didn't realize you.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Could activate that many guys.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
She thought those guys sitting at the end were they're
just because it's a home game or because it's the playoffs,
you get exemptions to go on the road.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Hey, you know what, we're gonna go travel to Notre Dame.
It's a really special thing.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
Can we have these extra guys that are never gonna
really suit up and get into the action, but they'd
love to see Notre Dame?
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Can they come?
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Sure? It's that kind of thing.
Speaker 4 (09:55):
And then all of a sudden, these guys were getting
their number called to come in in the second quarter
because Steve Kerr already tapped out. Some assistant coaches were
almost getting in the game. That would have had someone, Hey, hey,
can I get in? Yeah, go ahead, go dress real fast,
come back out fast fast.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
We only got six minutes left. Come on, Goick, go quick,
go quick, come back in.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
All right, since Frostburg's not here, I'm gonna take the joke.
JJ Reddick probably could have helped himself by inserting himself
into the game for the Lakers the other night.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Yeah, I might hit some shots. Really might have hit
some shots, could have happened, could have happened, JJ.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
Sorry, I had to do it, but it might have
been drive by.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
I drove pass and I opened the door to hit
the guy as he was standing there, and then I
just kept driving on. Fine, Yeah he hates me, It's fine.
Speaker 5 (10:34):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Meanwhile, we'll get back to this game. Six point lead
for the Rockets again, time out on the floor just
before halftime. The big news today elsewhere in the in
the NBA, Greg Popovich is done coaching the Spurs. He
had been away from the team uh suffering a stroke.
He had been trying to get back to coach. He
had a big meeting with the team in February, very
emotional meeting, saying, hey, my hope is to get back
(10:56):
by the end of the season, but clearly in his recovery,
the day to day grind of coaching and practicing and
flying and the games, it was just too much. So
he's going to move upstairs and become the president of
operations for the San Antonio Spurs. And this is something
that has more time went on, you thought this is
(11:18):
probably going to happen. Mitch Johnson, who was named the
acting coach after Popovich suffered the stroke, is taking over
the head coaching duties permanently. Now we'll get to that
aspect of it in a few minutes. But the thing
is is, like, you know, I was hoping and hoping
and hoping that pop would make it back and to
see what kind of impact he would have with Wemby
in another year and the big trades they made and
Castle is really good. He's probably saying, man, I wish
(11:40):
I could still do it, but like the thing I'm
gonna miss the most. And it's weird because this is
a guy that you know, every three years won a championship,
whether it was with Duncan and then Robinson, and then
it was Duncan and Parker and then it was Kawhi
Leonard like every three, like I'm gonna win, We're gonna win,
We're gonna win. What I'm gonna miss the most, I'm
gonna his press conference is the most I'm gonna because
(12:02):
he was like a more aggressive Bill Belichick, like Belichick's
press conferences are legendary, right how much he doesn't want
to talk about them, and that this day he has
and staring the other way, not really answering questions like
Belichick's just Belichick's just you know, sort of aloof and
and and doesn't want to be there. But Popovich was
like he would get into it with you if you
(12:24):
asked a stupid question or he thought you asked stupid question.
That's your question. I don't understand what you're trying to say.
What are you trying to ask me? What your you
want your question to be? That stupid? Like that was
that's Greg pop and that and this is after wins.
This is after like thirty point wins. I'm gonna really
miss that because he I mean, you didn't get it
that much because okay, he's coaching the Spurs and it's
not once a week in the NFL like Belichick is,
(12:45):
and what he says is you really want to wait
and see. But like Papovich was way more aggressive, and
I know we had the you had the reporters on
their heels. Like it's like Popovich was brunts and the
reporters or are sor Thompson eyes, I can't stay with him.
I'm just always losing me. Like I'm gonna missed that
the most because he was just so much fun because
you never knew what he was gonna say. I And
(13:06):
I can't say he didn't enjoy the press conferences like
Belichick just doesn't enjoy them. He like enjoyed them to
make a purpose out of them, Like am I mad Am?
I playful? Am I frustrated? What am I? And that's
going to manifest itself in talking to the press tonight.
So of all that, all his accomplishments, honestly, I'll miss
that the most.
Speaker 4 (13:23):
Yeah, I mean, he was a guy that recognized his
platform and he used it very liberally to you know,
whatever was on his mind in basketball and outside the
basketball world, you know, and that vexed people throughout the years,
no question about it. But he had the platform and
recognized with the NBA and it's global marketing that that
(13:44):
he had, you know, at least some some bit of
power to get folks to think about whatever was on
his mind. For reporters, I think that was probably a
pretty good place to cut your teeth. I mean, go
back to that JJ Reddick exchange the other day. I
don't think that the kid asked a terrible question, just
(14:05):
kind of fumbled his way to it. It's like, just
just ask it, right, It's like Reddick's response about conditioning.
Just say you want Luca to not be fat. Okay,
everybody knows what you're saying. Don't beat around the bush.
So what that was what Greg Popovich was trying to do.
It's like, all right, ask me the direct question. Let's
just get to it. The terse in game conversations which
(14:26):
became more a theater of the assert and it just
he loved it to no end. I have no doubt
that for a guy that may not have actually ever
posted to social media, I have no doubt he had
accounts where he just read what people were saying about
his in game interviews and laughed his ass off about them.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
You think pop had Burners.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Yeah, I'm not saying I ever posted or he had
people that would. He got prised what was going on,
But maybe he's.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Posting on burn Okay, I got my Burner account.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
I was more just suggesting he he was a guy
that I had no doubt loved the fact that those
interviews ticked people off, right, and it became conversation points
in the media, So what's.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
It going to be so meaner?
Speaker 4 (15:10):
And then you'd have and then and then you'd have
the sideline reporter laughing it up with him, right, whether
it was Rachel Nichols or whoever else, Like they they
understood the bit and they leaned into the bit, even
if the audience had large you know whatever, suspended disbelief
or you know, whatever you want to say.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
But it's it's it's tough.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Also, you know, I like guys with the longevity right
very few times. You know what is Mike Tomlin is
now the active leader right for longevity with the team.
And we see so much knee jerk reaction team to team,
gms get fired, coaches, it's a veritable merry go round
at times. And to have someone in a place where
(15:51):
it's like, all right, here's our vision, heres where we're
go And that's why, even even I may not agree
with whatever direction Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are going,
I have to at least respect they've got a process
that they're trying to be true to and they're being
allowed to because, let's face it, in most of our
jobs and lives for our global audience here at Fox
(16:13):
Sports Radio, you'd hope for a little bit of that,
and Greg Popovich had that, so hopefully physically he's well
and can excel in this new role. Obviously, they've got
a fun roster and some fun rumors about what could
be there for next year.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Fox Sports Radio Jason Smith Mike Harmon, Live from the
Fox Sports Radio Studios. It is a fifty three forty
eight lead for the Rockets over the Warriors at halftime.
A lot more on this game coming up, but straight ahead,
we have a big story out of the NBA today,
a big injury update for Lebron James going forward. That's
(16:55):
next right here, Jason and Mike, this is Fox Sports Radio. Hey,
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Speaker 2 (18:00):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm eastern seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Harmon, Well Dressed Hobo.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Right after the show, our podcast goes up. You miss
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Just search Jason Smith and Mike Harmon wherever you get
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(18:38):
get off the air. All right, Mike Carmon, before we
get into Lebron, I got a question for you. Hit
me gut reaction right now. Yeah. Worse playoffs so far
the Lakers or Connor Hellibuk. Worse playoffs so far to
this point, Lakers or Hella Buck.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
I will say this, since most folks have no idea, no, no,
they know we.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Had that Nations, We had that whole big We had
the whole big thing earlier this year is a very
big deal. We had that USA cat and everybody knows
Connor Hallibuck.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Everybody there's there's a bit of a flashy thing that
goes on. Hey, that was great, all right, back to
back to.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
Whatever the shiny object is. No.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
I mean, look, there's a lot of excuses now for
the Lakers. Seemingly everybody had a torn this, that or
the other in Game five, so you got that going.
But so so the Lakers win because they take up
more oxygen. But your your reality check is probably correct.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
He's giving up twenty goals in the last four games
of this series, and he got bold tonight, he got got,
he got figured out. He's the best American goalie in
the history of hockey. He is the best American He's
probably gonna win MVP this year. And he's giving up
twenty goals in the least forty seven to twelve and
three with that two point oh one against average in
(20:01):
a ninety three percent save percentage. Uh for the year,
he had eight shutouts. Yeah, that's more than all of
Major League Baseball the last three years. Come out.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
Okay, I'm just kidding. The White Sox got shut out
at least that many times. But uh yeah, all of
that to say, we talk about second seasons and regular
seasons not mattering. It's only appropriate that we talked about
him and the Lakers in the same sentence.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
You know, and you know I have two words that
could just you know that that could sum this all
up for you. Oh, you're gonna go degeneration X I could.
I can two words gonna sum this whole thing up. Okay,
one of those two words jets yo. Oh wow, Isaac.
Do you thought I was zick?
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (20:43):
No, No, you bolo punched my ass. You just had
it dangling out there. I'm like, come on, come on,
he bam. Yeah, I saw Thompson. You thought I was
going left. Instead, I dead legged you and came back
and hit that three, and good night everybody. You thought
I slide to the left, my leg was broken to
the left sift so again. Halftime fifty three to forty
(21:07):
eight lead for the Rockets over the Warriors. We'll have
more in this game coming up in a few minutes,
but big news today. If the Lakers had continued to
go on in the playoffs instead of getting eliminated by
the t Wolves, they would likely be without Lebron James,
maybe for the rest of the playoffs, as it was
reported today that he suffered a Grade two MCL sprain
(21:27):
in his left knee during the fourth quarter of Game five,
the big play where everybody said, oh, Lebron is flopping
when Dante DiVincenzo ran into him. That was the play
he gets called for an offensive foul. Lebron James goes down,
and of course all the flopping memes and look this
this is what happens when you flop and you're Lebron
and you're you know, jokicch and you start flopping. This
is how it goes. But a pretty serious injury for Lebron.
(21:50):
At the end of Game five, he would have been
out for at least the next few weeks. It's a
three to five week recommended recovery timeline. Now, Lebron is
somewhat of a good healer, so he probably would have
come back a little bit sooner. But let's say comes
back three weeks, Like, are the Lakers even playing? They're not.
And you know, when I saw this today, the first
thing I did was say, okay, it's it's legit right.
(22:12):
We're not saying, hey, Lebron, we're deflecting the blame of
the Lakers losing. Oh look, but Lebron was hurt. Can't
blame him.
Speaker 4 (22:19):
No, I mean That's the sad, sad reality of it though,
And is that that's everybody's.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
First first reaction because because did you think anything about
his knee when that play happened.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
No, it was, oh wow, he ran into this guy.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
And now because none of his teammates even looked at him,
it's like, get up.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Yeah, they're gonna have a little something something for Devincenzo
next year. You know, the big axe handle on Luca
and now this on Lebron. But I mean that's okay.
Is this legit? I mean, I know there's gonna be
a lot of conspiracy theorist You would say, well, it
was a source close to ESPN the telling them, okay,
it's an MRI. I really think if people need to
see it, they'd see the MRI. This is a doctor thing.
(22:58):
This is where people lose their jobs and doctors lose
their jobs. So I'm I'm I'm okay that it's a
legitimate injury for Lebron James and he would have been
I'm okay with that. We were you trying to say,
has mcmenimon place Brian Windhorse as the Lebron guy? Why
would why would why would Dave mcmanimon report this with
(23:19):
my fingers in the air like windhorse. No, like if
this was a middle of the season, it's a sprain.
And the Lakers were coming up on you know, eight
games and uh in six days like they were earlier
this year. You know the other games Lebron missed. I
would say, okay, maybe a little bit, but I'm I'll
go legit. Hey, here's Lebron mcl sprain and he would
have been out for the rest of the playoffs. I
(23:41):
can't shake the feeling this is a big deal. I
can't shake the feeling that he is in a next
year or bust in Los Angeles, that unless the Lakers
have a really big playoff run, next year is his
last year in LA. Now, not his last year in
the league, because you see the level he is still
playing at. He's playing mean. Look with the guy, the
(24:02):
level he's playing at at forty, he could play another
five years. You know, he still wants to keep playing. Now,
Cleveland is really good, So one more year, saying, hey,
what if the king comes home and maybe I win
a championship or one more and I finished just an
acrid kid finishing in Cleveland, right, Like I could see
him doing that I could see him saying, Hey, wait
a minute, I always wanted to play in Madison Square Garden.
(24:23):
The finally itch I want itch, I want to scratch.
What do you guys think I'll take less money whatever.
Lebron's not gonna just play again, and he's gonna play
after it. But I just can't shake the sense that
next year could be the final one for him with
the Lakers because he's losing his influence in the organization.
You could see it. He ran the team for so long, right,
(24:44):
him and Rich Paul and Ad and Clutch Sports. We
got the guys we wanted, We drafted the guys we wanted,
We signed the free agents we wanted. And now the Lakers,
in making that Luka Doncic move, have retaken the organization. Right.
Ad is gone. Who is Lebron's best friend? Which on
the team at the time, which was gonna, you know,
stop them from making decisions. They were so powerful. Now
(25:04):
Lebron seems kind of isolated as the team retools around
Luka Doncic. Right, they're probably gonna go get a big
in the offseason because Luca needs that guy that he
can run and throw alley oops to that rim. Runner like,
that's what they're gonna do. But he's done the La thing. Now,
he's been to La. He's he's built his whatever empire
he's going to build in Los Angeles. Right His kids
(25:25):
are gonna be gone. They're all gonna be in college
and out of the house. Outside of a big run
next year and maybe another NBA Finals, Like next year,
is it for Lebron? Because if you had the Lakers
are saying right now, Okay, what did we see was
this season of failure? Yeah, it was absolutely was a failure.
But Luke and Lebron played together for three months. They
(25:46):
played really well together. They really got there in such
a short time. Their chemistry was undeniable. So do we
blow it up now? Do we move away from Lebron? Now? No,
it doesn't make sense. It seems like a panic move.
So let's adjust around them for next season, and if
next season doesn't work, then we have a big decision
(26:07):
to make. Then it's to say, Okay, thank you, Lebron,
you've been great, we won, we'll retire your jersey, we'll
do it, you know, we'll do all these things. But
we are moving on now because we're building around Luca
and Luca needs somebody else or another sort of roster
configuration that works best to build around him. Luca is
the Lakers now, and Lebron sees that. Even in him talking,
(26:30):
he sounds like a guy that is no longer talking
about me as the focal point of the organization and
more like, hey, I'm at arms length, man, I'm on
the outside just like you guys. You're to say stuff like, hey,
I told Luca, when it comes to your next contract,
you do you. I'm not gonna be around much longer.
Like it seems like he's sort of pulling back a
little bit from where he was because he knows this
is how it's going, that the Lakers are retaking the organization.
(26:52):
So I unless it's a big run for the Lakers
next year, that's it, because Lakers can go. Okay, So
we had two years of Lebron and Luca didn't work. Okay,
Lebron is for one Lucas twenty six. This is where
we have to go. Like, unless it's a big run,
like that's it for Lebron with the Lakers next season.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
Yeah, I mean he's got the one year player option
fifty two million bucks. We've talked about and you know,
some speculation he comes back either to the Lakers or
should he decide to go elsewhere for lesser money, whether
it's you know, your dream scenario of Cleveland or whatever else.
But it is a curiosity, right his pos postgame commentary
(27:29):
where he was being glib and snarky and throwing out right,
I can't answer a thing about the roster because hey,
that got ad shipped out after he talked ha ha.
But just showing that his response to the Luca questions about,
you know, recruiting and getting him to sign long term whatever, saying, hey,
that's not my job, that's not what I'm here for.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
No.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Well, I mean that's the guy's kind of readily admitting
He's like, hey, I maybe here a year or two
or three years longer, but you're looking at the larger
picture and that will not include me, you know, even
throwing up very very openly, I'm forty years old, man,
I'm forty.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
He wants right, yeah, no, he wants that love.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Now.
Speaker 4 (28:15):
You know, he's at that age in the sports continuum
where we have to say and forty year old Lebron James,
like we did that with Tom Brady forty year old
Tom Brady now.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Forty year old Aaron Rodgers. But for the Lakers, obviously
they've got a lot of roster decisions to make. They
can joke all they want about conditioning and Reddi can
do that. I mean, did you could you believe that
there was even the need to put out that report
the athletic.
Speaker 3 (28:38):
Did that, JJ Reddick's job was safe.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Like you're talking about all sorts of noise and chaos,
et cetera.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
And Lebron's future. I'm sorry, it's not the top top thing.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
On that board.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
Yeah, right, he's important to things for the next year. Obviously,
if he opts in fifty two million dollars is a
lot of scratch that preclude you from really being too
active in the marketplace. Now, they do retain the trade
pieces that didn't go from the one that got rescinded. Uh,
but that those are trade pieces that need to be done.
(29:13):
And and did they break Dalton connect in the process, right? Well, yeah,
and he can't play defense. How do you fix him?
Oh no, he's gonna stay on your roster or if
he's gonna get sold off. Though, now he's a damaged
product and he's a bag of balls.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
I don't know that these damage. I think he was Hey,
he was teams are gonna see him as boy. He
was a pretty good rookie when he got a chance
to play. Then he got traded. The Lakers didn't know
what to do with him after when the trade got rescinded. No,
he'll be the guy that goes in a trade.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
The other is that, I mean, this is really another
test run for the negative column, at least short term
of Lebron the GM because that was his guy.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Yeah, yeah, I mean, now we're trading the guy you
want to pay like I mean, like the the like
Lebron and the Lakers are moving away from it. It's
it's one of those like a marriage, where you don't
realize you're moving apart, but you sort of do. And
you're not actively doing it, but you're sort of, you know,
subconsciously doing it, making decisions that maybe you don't realize.
(30:11):
But that's where they're moving towards. So next off season,
if it happens, it will be a hey, well we're
thinking that maybe, and Lebron's saying I'm thinking maybe I
should Okay, great, great, we no it needs to say anything, Okay, great,
Thanks we shake hands and we part. That's how it's
gonna go.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
See.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
I would love if he just opted out and then
randomly signed somewhere else.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Yeah, he's I think it would be the greatest move ever.
Turned it out less money, he doesn't turn down less. No,
fifty two million dollars, you're in. He's, Hey, man, I
did that thing in Miami years ago. It's like, yeah,
you didn't. You didn't really make a ton less that
was made up off the court? Uh?
Speaker 4 (30:43):
In another products and endorsements, et cetera. But the other
curious thing was the amount of legs and attention the
Lebron's statement on his future, Like, who the hell ever
thought he would retire after this season?
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Yeah? No, I mean not me, He's I mean, it's
gotta be asked, But I mean, come on, but now
he's got a real Okay, we're not gonna win. Oh
hey boy, the calves are looking really good. Hey maybe
one more time? What do you guys think? Or the Knicks? Right?
K the two places, look at you, those are the
only places he would go.
Speaker 4 (31:14):
Right But if he went to the Knicks, would he
suddenly stink in the garden? Would it not be as special?
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Anymore.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
Look at Lebron still looking for his first bucket at MSG.
We're in game number seventeen. He's got some free throws,
but he just can't hit any there's another miss buy
Lebron and it's only warm ups.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
He seems distracted by the arrival of Timothy Chalomey again.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Well, then I think you realize it. Okay, if he
did go to the Knicks, that would be when it's over, okay,
because things aren't going to work out. What the Knicks
do will be wrong. And that's where Lebron all of
a sudden scores twelve a game. And would he be
the guy to break the curse though, exit out, out
of Fresco, exit swollen dome. I hope that Hey Brunson
broke the curse with that three last night. Baby. I'll
(31:58):
tell you man that dead light down.
Speaker 4 (32:00):
Buddy, Buddy, you've gone to the second round before. Now
you're on eleven percent chance by the implied odds to
win against the Celtics.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
What do you got? But it's time now to find
out what's trending in the wide world of sports. But guy,
he's been called the Aesar Thompson of Fox Sports Radio
because boy, Jalen Brunson has lost him on a basketball
court as well. It's Steve Desager.
Speaker 6 (32:22):
Actually it's because my twin is doing this update.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
Oh okay, I'm actually in the back catches spicy.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (32:29):
By the way, you mentioned Jets gully Connor Hellibook. It's
on the road that he's been stinking and talk about
his twin. I think it's the evil twin that once
again has been in goal in Saint Louis. This guy
in his career has been pulled five times in a
playoff game.
Speaker 6 (32:44):
All five have been.
Speaker 5 (32:45):
On the road, including tonight, as the Blues got four
straight goals in the second period in a five and
a half minute span. Blues are leading a top seed
Winnipeg five to two about seven minutes to go in
the third period, trying to force a Game seven of
their first round series. The New York Rangers new coaches
Mike Sullivan. Tampa Bay coach John Cooper will return next season.
(33:06):
We've got about eight minutes to go third quarter of
the NBA playoff game at Golden State. The Rockets lead
is sixty five sixty two against the Warriors. Twenty points
for Jimmy Butler, nineteen for Steph Curry. The Warriors trying
to close it out in six the Spurs. Greg Popovich
retired from coaching the Grizzlies. New head coach is interim
man Thomas Islo. He is from Finland, used to coach
(33:29):
in Paris and in Germany to Major League Baseball. Rain
delay at the start in Pittsburgh, so they're just top
of the eighth right now. Padres lead the Pirates five
to four. Padres slugging star Fernando tatist Juvenior left the
game hit by pitch on the arm. Rain delay of
nearly two hours at the start at Cincinnati, but they're
in the top of the ninth, Red six to one
over the Nationals. Red starter Hunter Green twelve strikeouts in
(33:51):
six innings. Rain delay after the eighth inning Atlanta. They
have resumed and now they're going to the bottom of
the night. The Dodgers lead to one over the Breaks.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto started and through six scoreless innings with just
one hit allowed for la six strikeouts. The Cubs lead
is ten to nothing at Milwaukee going to the bottom
of the ninth. Mariners now lead thirteen nothing at Texas.
(34:14):
The game Is in the top of the ninth inning,
just one hit for the Rangers, couple homers for cal Raley.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Wasn't this a de Gram game? Didn't you give up
all thirteen runs in the first inning?
Speaker 6 (34:24):
You wish?
Speaker 5 (34:25):
Mets are leading eight three at Saint Louis in the
top of the eighth inning. Yes, did see a long
ball for Pete Alonzo. And as for the two late games,
the Angels, who've lost six in a row, are leading
Detroit one nothing in the top of the fifth, Rockies
at Giants, scoreless, bottom of the second. Rockies with a
record of six and twenty five, White Sox are up
(34:46):
to nine and twenty three after a home winner Houston
seven to three. White Sox victories for the A's in Boston,
wins for Baltimore in Toronto. The Yankees shut out Tampa
Bay three nothing, Max Fried six and zero. Philadelphia came
back to beat Arizona three t and again in hoops,
it's the Rockets leading sixty seven sixty two at Golden
State in the third.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
Back to you, Steve, I have one. I'm sorry I
don't normally, but I have one correction for your update.
One thing you did you didn't get a guy. Correct
it is you mentioned you mentioned the home run. It
is National League Player of the Month Pete Alonzo.
Speaker 5 (35:19):
Yes, he is for the month month oh April here
on May the second.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
Correct, what makes sure they just gave you award out today, Steve.
Speaker 5 (35:26):
Come on that well, talk about an evil twin actually
taking his place in the box. He's batting three fifty,
not two fifty at the moment, So I don't know
who this guy is in twins.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
Yeah, he's a it's called two things, Steve. Contract year,
that's what it is. Like.
Speaker 6 (35:42):
Last year was not well it was, but.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
Now this is a more serious contract year because he
didn't get paid last year. It's serious.
Speaker 6 (35:49):
He got frozen out. The polar Bear you might say.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
It happens, thank you, just drinking a coke, you know,
in the in the.
Speaker 6 (35:56):
Commercials and the sled holidays.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
Sure, little baby polar Bear, he was just taking it.
Now he's more polar Bear at work. That's what he is.
He is it work. So we'll have more baseball on
the way, Jason Smith, Mike Harmon. But coming up next,
you need to watch the blank out for something that's
starting to happen right now. What is it? We'll tell
you next Jason and Mike.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific, Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon Live from the
Fox Sports Radio Studios, Houston, Leeds Golden State seventy one
sixty seven, five minutes to go in the third quarter.
More NBA coming up in a few minutes. But tonight
a big double barrel night, right. You saw the big
story earlier today. Caitlin Clark has been installed as the
(36:45):
heavy betting favorite for WNBA MVP. Paige Becker's the overwhelming
favorite for Rookie of the Year. WNBA preseason began tonight,
and boy, you're not exactly what Paige Beckers and the
Dallas Wings had in mind. I think everybody on the
Wings finished in the minus twenties as they lost to
the Aces one twelve seventy eight page backers at ten,
(37:07):
but was minus twenty three in the game tonight. So
uh yeah, just going to show you, you know, when
you got the number one overall picking the draft. A yeah,
sometimes you eat a little bit of time preseason, but
you need a little bit of time.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
But she was the only starter in double figures.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
Yeah. Yeah, And it's not like they all didn't play minutes, right,
they all played at least fifteen eighteen minutes minus a
gun Biwally is minus twenty three, Carrington's minus twenty six.
Like this was, yeah, not the start they envisioned.
Speaker 4 (37:34):
Eleven players came off the bench. Well, it's it's preseason.
You get a lot of people. That's a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
Are people already getting cut? Like the the the WNBA
camps been opened for like four days and players are
already getting cut. So I mean it's it's a quick preseason.
We begin in like two weeks, not even right, that's
just it.
Speaker 4 (37:52):
I mean that get that clock moving. You just got drafted.
You haven't unpacked that second suitcase yet. But get on
the court.
Speaker 3 (37:59):
Let's go to But.
Speaker 1 (38:00):
I'll tell you what you want. You want a big
bull prediction. Watch the f out now for what happens
in the WNBA this year. If you thought last year
was wild with Caitlin Clark coming in, unprecedented levels of
popularity the league had because of Caitlyn Clark, the players
who were jealous of her success, whatever part of her,
that there was a jealousy about former players didn't like it.
(38:24):
Everybody's propping up Angel Reese like she's as good as
Caitlyn Clark, which she's not. She's a star. She's a star,
and there's lots of stars in the league. Nobody is
Caitlin Clark. No one has the impact she does. Sorry,
but she does. You would think that, Okay, we didn't
know how to handle last year. We didn't know how
to handle success. Now we see with some time. The
league's been away for over two hundred days. Okay, let's see.
(38:45):
Let's see. Let's see. Uh uh, it's gonna be like
twenty twenty four on steroids. You wait, you see how
many more people come out of the woodwork. Caitlyn Clark's
not that good, can't well, you have to talk about
the other players, the rivalries that suddenly Caitlin Clark. Why
don't we have what the fever has? It's gonna you
thought last year, last year, what's the line from Goodfellas? Uh,
(39:06):
he's gonna be he made that look like a kid
going to the candy store. Right, that's gonna look like
a kid going to the candy store. Compared to what
this year is gonna be. It's gonna be everything we
saw last year on steroids, and that's what's gonna make
the league part of the everyday discussion, part of the
everyday sports landscape. Like it was, you thought that stuff's
gonna go away. Hey, we're happy now just being a
(39:27):
league that gets a lot of things. And hey, we
understand Caitlin's is responseles as uh uh. It's been two
hundred years of being two hundred days of being pissed
even more that I gotta worry about. Can everything is Caitlyn,
Caitlyn Katelyn Clay. Yeah, you thought last year or something.
This year is gonna be something more.
Speaker 3 (39:41):
Yeah, I mean for a lot of the players and
those around the league.
Speaker 4 (39:44):
I mean hopefully it continues to be the fuel even
though they they all benefited greatly from planes, trains and
autimobiles to off season endorsements. How many commercials did you
see in ad campaigns featuring a number of w NBA
stars passed in President, Man, everybody got fed, But you
know what you always want, just.
Speaker 1 (40:04):
You trade it all for a little more. Nineteen and
two to eight and four, her first year, Caitlin Clark
the off season getting stronger. Now you have a new coach.
They had the awkward moment the other day, Hey, do
you know who the original twenty two was with the fever?
Speaker 3 (40:19):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (40:20):
It's your coach. And then you add Bonner Howard Colson
to your trail. There's just great expectations that you're gonna
push forward.
Speaker 3 (40:28):
Right.
Speaker 4 (40:28):
She was first at MVP voting. The odds have already
come down. She was three to one. Now she's two
to one over Wilson, and you know they're distancing everybody else.
And so now the league has that opportunity to grow
playing the bigger arenas, looking for more expansion. Yeah, I
mean here's last year was huge. This one you really
(40:51):
got to double down. And all the player movement I
think is gonna help you.
Speaker 1 (40:54):
Wait to see how out of control, how a runaway
train that this season's gonna be. As far is relevance
and conversation and craziness. Get ready, man, I love the
w It is back exit out about a Fresca exit
Swollen Dome coming up next. We'll keep you posting on
the Rockets and the Warriors and another big story out
of the NBA. Keep it here Jason and Mike Fox
(41:16):
Sports Radio,
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Eyles you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Greetings, Welcome inside a Happy Friday, also known as the
day after Jalen Brunson's legendary shot. Oh my God, The
Jason Smith Show with my best friend Mike Harmon.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I'm an ass man.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
For over forty years, tire Rex's been helping customers find
the right tires for how what where they drive. Shipped
fast and free back by free road, has protection with
convenient installation options like mobile tire installation. Tireraq dot com
is the way tire buying should be. Well, I'll tell you, Michael,
I can't tell you how many times I will watch
that shot again today. Man, I can't just how just
(01:03):
watching Thompson just skid out of the screen like the
road Runner, And I mean it, It's just amazing. It's
like it's the shot of the playoffs right now, it's
the biggest moment.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
Well, I spent a couple of minutes, you know, playing
around with some software to try to get my editing
skills together with the cartoon sounds. It's not quite crisp
enough to where I want to release it, but you get.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Where I'm going.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
It's just all of our cartoons from the seventies, because
let's face it, they don't make them the same way
the seventies and eighties with all the cool sound effects
and boying and.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
All that stuff.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
I mean, you just don't have those kind of sout
effects anymore to punctuate a moment in your cartoons. So yeah,
that that also begat a number of conversations. People are
all of a sudden deciding that out Mount Rushmore of
the New York Knicks, Jalen Brunson has moved into the
pole position off one shot, oh, the first round of
(01:58):
the playoffs. First round of the playoffs. Well, Fraser suits are.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Better than anything he's done.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Come on, okay, okay, okay. First of all, Mount Rushmore
means there's four and he's one of them. Okay, So
just understand that so yeah, but.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
He's like the lead guy, like he's the greatest Nick
of all because people don't.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Remember nineteen bleeping seventy three. Man, the last time they won.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
No one remembers that Phil Jackson and his bony elbows
taking guys down in the low post.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
You know, Ewing is on there. You know Ewing's on
the mountain.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
I mean this is this is Alan Houston's got to
be on there like nothing else. A lot of big guys.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Look if you did about Rushmore for money, he's absolutely
he's like the only face on there. Yes, he kind
of like.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
The guy that goes to the business.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
Like when we're talking about the NBA, is he he
kind of like Kirk Cousins, Well, the business acumen of
it all.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Kirk Cousins looked looks like a lowly paid rookie compared
to Alan. The NBA made an amnesty rule specifically for
Alan Houston because so the Knicks could get out of
that contract. And of course Nicks they didn't use Alan
Houston's guy. I mean they had to make an amnesty
clause to help teams out because of the Alan Houston contract.
They said you made too much money and didn't really
(03:08):
deliver and your team is getting killed because of it.
So here's a clause, everybody, you get to buy yourself
out of one bad contract.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
We really need to write that book though, where we
have you know, like the Homer Simpson to pull a
Homer and all that where it's his little whatever Wall
Street Journal kind of charcoal sketch going up. How did
you do that with sports with all different moments like
in sports history with the snarkiness to it. Yeah, they're
news items, yeah, but taken from two long standing fans,
(03:38):
long suffering fans and well loud mounts on the radio.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Like if you made if you made a a a
mount rushmore for money in the NBA, like it is
all Alan Houston's face and like the other three guys
can be his two eyes in the mouth, but it's
all Alan Houston. These guys are all small in the
middle of the eyes and the mouth. That there, Oh,
look at that there, Keith van Horne because he's still
getting paid. Okay, let's got okay, grant, Like those are
(04:06):
the guys that I mean, that's where it is. That's
because it's these guys are just small.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Yeah, I mean because it's tough, because everybody goes to
like the baseball side and becomes Bobby Benia. Most folks
don't realize Ken Griffy Junior is still making money. But
because you like Ken Grifty Junior, I mean he's getting
paid three million.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Dollars a year to be a photographer. Sure, well, he
takes really good pictures. He does, he pictures. I mean
the kid, he's the photography kid. Now, like, is he
a kid in the photography world? Like it is? Now
You've got this young griffy kid who's you know, fifty two.
He's just come on now, you know you need your
whole life to you know, get your eye ready to
to shoot up. I mean, maybe he's a kid in
the in that in that world.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Or is he ostracized because he has an unfair advantage
because that hitting eye was so keen all these years
that it really gives him an unfair advantage to see
the world in colors and lights that nobody else can.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Yeah, but the thing is he gets hurt really easy.
He gets hurt really easy. How many fractured eye lashes?
I can't take pictures for I can't do it, No,
could be it?
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Well, I mean, look, he's probably should have sued the
hell out of the rents. The way the way that
hamstring and everything else went down. I still have questions
about all the treatment and advice he was getting, but
you know, hey, uh, he's into a new territory now.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
But back to the task at hand.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
Yes, I was asked several times by people about Jalen
Brunson today, which you really ticked me off because I'm
not a Knicks fan, but they know my association with you,
so they asked me, one, Uh, do you hate Jalen Brunson.
I'm like, no, no, because he's an undersized kind of
stocky guy and from me my entire life, I'm being
(05:41):
an undersized stock sure, so so I identify with Jalen
Brunson as well as his greatness.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Now you realize, you know you're underachieving because you know
both you guys are both short and stocky, and he's
way more successful. No, that's it.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
I mean, I mean I'm low man, and I off
my name off and his left off of and images
is left off of things.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
So yeah, I got a lot of work to do.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Who's that guy in the side. I don't worry about it.
We're gonna air brush him out. Don't worry, We'll just
air brush him out. So while we continue to marvel
at the accomplishments of Jalen Brunson. Right now, one game
in the NBA tonight and it's the Rockets over the
Warriors forty six thirty eight, three minutes to go before halftime.
The last night I picked the Warriors to win this
(06:26):
game and send it back. A couple of reasons. The
Rockets needed some time to get it for this series,
to for them to get their legs under them, because
the first few games it's Draymond Green and he is
yapping at them, and they were really out of their element.
They started playing into exactly what the Warriors wanted to
get him out of their game, and it worked going
(06:47):
up three to one. They fixed a lot of things
at three to two, so the rub don't people forget
how good the Rockets are, and don't forget Steph Curry
has a really bad thumb, and right now he's got
ten points to lead the Warriors, but he's not shooting
like he used to. He's got eight shots so far tonight.
He's not been the offensive machine. Jimmy Butler also has
(07:09):
ten tonight, but the Warriors are relying on both of
these guys, and eventually they're gonna come up empty because
they're too old to carry this the two of them. Right.
But Zemski is really good, right, Don't get me wrong,
he's a really good player too. But they've been carrying
it themselves, and eventually that that you know that when
that hits empty, you're not stopping and going to get
(07:29):
a can of gasoline and figuring stuff out. Right, So
tonight could be that night. And that's why I got
the rockets. And that's kind of what we've seen so
far tonight. Houston has shot pretty well and they have
been able to keep this six point lead over the Warriors,
a game in which he thought, hey, Golden State should
come in shoot some threes and this is gonna be it.
They save themselves for this game after the first five minutes,
(07:51):
a game five going okay, not our night. Bring put
put all the subs in, but get let's empty the bench.
Geinre I think Sean Livingston had minutes in the last night.
Done this be a game where we're coming out and
we're gonna make no bones about it, and it's gonna
be a fifteen point game. The end of the first quarter,
and instead Houston has been in charge pretty much for
the whole first half.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Shooting poorly thus far, the Warriors at forty just six
and nineteen from three point range, and and because of
the reliance on the outside shot, well not getting to
the free throw line very often. It's Jimmy Butler with
all six attempts. Hey, he's made them all.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
So that's good.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
Nice one hundred. You don't get to see one hundreds
in your box score too often, especially in the free
throw line anymore, because well, we kind of chuckle watching
some of these games. We'll we had like a Who's
game last week where I think there were thirty one
combined free throw misses.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Yeah, we do.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
That's like you were sending up a congo line of Shacks.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
But yeah, so here's Shack again. It the way didn't No,
it's a different Shack. We've cloned him. It's fine, he's
gonna miss anyway.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Door.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
Woh cloning Shack now you're talking. But yeah, I mean,
obviously the Rockets some veteran savvy. When you look at
guys like and Vleet, they've been through these moments. He
can help coach him up in that and Sheng Guon's
been fantastic for much of this this run along the way. Again,
I would think that at some point Jalen Green gives
(09:11):
them a little bit more. He's won for seven, but
he struggled over the course of the series. Why because
Draymond Green does bad things and he gets after you defensively,
and you know, you owed back to the last game
out where Steve Kerr might as well have legitimately gone
duke and thrown the damn towel with the number of
guys that found their way off the bench as I again,
(09:33):
I didn't realize you.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Could activate that many guys.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
She thought those guys sitting at the end were they're
just because it's a home game or because it's the playoffs,
you get exemptions to go on the road.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Hey, you know what, we're gonna go travel to Notre Dame.
It's a really special thing.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
Can we have these extra guys that are never gonna
really suit up and get into the action, but they'd
love to see Notre Dame?
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Can they come?
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Sure? It's that kind of thing.
Speaker 4 (09:55):
And then all of a sudden, these guys were getting
their number called to come in in the second quarter
because Steve Kerr already tapped out. Some assistant coaches were
almost getting in the game. That would have had someone, Hey, hey,
can I get in? Yeah, go ahead, go dress real fast,
come back out fast fast.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
We only got six minutes left. Come on, Goick, go quick,
go quick, come back in.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
All right, since Frostburg's not here, I'm gonna take the joke.
JJ Reddick probably could have helped himself by inserting himself
into the game for the Lakers the other night.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Yeah, I might hit some shots. Really might have hit
some shots, could have happened, could have happened, JJ.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
Sorry, I had to do it, but it might have
been drive by.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
I drove pass and I opened the door to hit
the guy as he was standing there, and then I
just kept driving on. Fine, Yeah he hates me, It's fine.
Speaker 5 (10:34):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Meanwhile, we'll get back to this game. Six point lead
for the Rockets again, time out on the floor just
before halftime. The big news today elsewhere in the in
the NBA, Greg Popovich is done coaching the Spurs. He
had been away from the team uh suffering a stroke.
He had been trying to get back to coach. He
had a big meeting with the team in February, very
emotional meeting, saying, hey, my hope is to get back
(10:56):
by the end of the season, but clearly in his recovery,
the day to day grind of coaching and practicing and
flying and the games, it was just too much. So
he's going to move upstairs and become the president of
operations for the San Antonio Spurs. And this is something
that has more time went on, you thought this is
(11:18):
probably going to happen. Mitch Johnson, who was named the
acting coach after Popovich suffered the stroke, is taking over
the head coaching duties permanently. Now we'll get to that
aspect of it in a few minutes. But the thing
is is, like, you know, I was hoping and hoping
and hoping that pop would make it back and to
see what kind of impact he would have with Wemby
in another year and the big trades they made and
Castle is really good. He's probably saying, man, I wish
(11:40):
I could still do it, but like the thing I'm
gonna miss the most. And it's weird because this is
a guy that you know, every three years won a championship,
whether it was with Duncan and then Robinson, and then
it was Duncan and Parker and then it was Kawhi
Leonard like every three, like I'm gonna win, We're gonna win,
We're gonna win. What I'm gonna miss the most, I'm
gonna his press conference is the most I'm gonna because
(12:02):
he was like a more aggressive Bill Belichick, like Belichick's
press conferences are legendary, right how much he doesn't want
to talk about them, and that this day he has
and staring the other way, not really answering questions like
Belichick's just Belichick's just you know, sort of aloof and
and and doesn't want to be there. But Popovich was
like he would get into it with you if you
(12:24):
asked a stupid question or he thought you asked stupid question.
That's your question. I don't understand what you're trying to say.
What are you trying to ask me? What your you
want your question to be? That stupid? Like that was
that's Greg pop and that and this is after wins.
This is after like thirty point wins. I'm gonna really
miss that because he I mean, you didn't get it
that much because okay, he's coaching the Spurs and it's
not once a week in the NFL like Belichick is,
(12:45):
and what he says is you really want to wait
and see. But like Papovich was way more aggressive, and
I know we had the you had the reporters on
their heels. Like it's like Popovich was brunts and the
reporters or are sor Thompson eyes, I can't stay with him.
I'm just always losing me. Like I'm gonna missed that
the most because he was just so much fun because
you never knew what he was gonna say. I And
(13:06):
I can't say he didn't enjoy the press conferences like
Belichick just doesn't enjoy them. He like enjoyed them to
make a purpose out of them, Like am I mad Am?
I playful? Am I frustrated? What am I? And that's
going to manifest itself in talking to the press tonight.
So of all that, all his accomplishments, honestly, I'll miss
that the most.
Speaker 4 (13:23):
Yeah, I mean, he was a guy that recognized his
platform and he used it very liberally to you know,
whatever was on his mind in basketball and outside the
basketball world, you know, and that vexed people throughout the years,
no question about it. But he had the platform and
recognized with the NBA and it's global marketing that that
(13:44):
he had, you know, at least some some bit of
power to get folks to think about whatever was on
his mind. For reporters, I think that was probably a
pretty good place to cut your teeth. I mean, go
back to that JJ Reddick exchange the other day. I
don't think that the kid asked a terrible question, just
(14:05):
kind of fumbled his way to it. It's like, just
just ask it, right, It's like Reddick's response about conditioning.
Just say you want Luca to not be fat. Okay,
everybody knows what you're saying. Don't beat around the bush.
So what that was what Greg Popovich was trying to do.
It's like, all right, ask me the direct question. Let's
just get to it. The terse in game conversations which
(14:26):
became more a theater of the assert and it just
he loved it to no end. I have no doubt
that for a guy that may not have actually ever
posted to social media, I have no doubt he had
accounts where he just read what people were saying about
his in game interviews and laughed his ass off about them.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
You think pop had Burners.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Yeah, I'm not saying I ever posted or he had
people that would. He got prised what was going on,
But maybe he's.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Posting on burn Okay, I got my Burner account.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
I was more just suggesting he he was a guy
that I had no doubt loved the fact that those
interviews ticked people off, right, and it became conversation points
in the media, So what's.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
It going to be so meaner?
Speaker 4 (15:10):
And then you'd have and then and then you'd have
the sideline reporter laughing it up with him, right, whether
it was Rachel Nichols or whoever else, Like they they
understood the bit and they leaned into the bit, even
if the audience had large you know whatever, suspended disbelief
or you know, whatever you want to say.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
But it's it's it's tough.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Also, you know, I like guys with the longevity right
very few times. You know what is Mike Tomlin is
now the active leader right for longevity with the team.
And we see so much knee jerk reaction team to team,
gms get fired, coaches, it's a veritable merry go round
at times. And to have someone in a place where
(15:51):
it's like, all right, here's our vision, heres where we're
go And that's why, even even I may not agree
with whatever direction Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are going,
I have to at least respect they've got a process
that they're trying to be true to and they're being
allowed to because, let's face it, in most of our
jobs and lives for our global audience here at Fox
(16:13):
Sports Radio, you'd hope for a little bit of that,
and Greg Popovich had that, so hopefully physically he's well
and can excel in this new role. Obviously, they've got
a fun roster and some fun rumors about what could
be there for next year.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Fox Sports Radio Jason Smith Mike Harmon, Live from the
Fox Sports Radio Studios. It is a fifty three forty
eight lead for the Rockets over the Warriors at halftime.
A lot more on this game coming up, but straight ahead,
we have a big story out of the NBA today,
a big injury update for Lebron James going forward. That's
(16:55):
next right here, Jason and Mike, this is Fox Sports Radio. Hey,
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Speaker 2 (18:00):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm eastern seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Harmon, Well Dressed Hobo.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Right after the show, our podcast goes up. You miss
any of tonight's show, be sure to listen to the podcast.
Just search Jason Smith and Mike Harmon wherever you get
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Harmon wherever you get your podcast, and you'll find today's
show and the best of version posted right after we
(18:38):
get off the air. All right, Mike Carmon, before we
get into Lebron, I got a question for you. Hit
me gut reaction right now. Yeah. Worse playoffs so far
the Lakers or Connor Hellibuk. Worse playoffs so far to
this point, Lakers or Hella Buck.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
I will say this, since most folks have no idea, no, no,
they know we.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Had that Nations, We had that whole big We had
the whole big thing earlier this year is a very
big deal. We had that USA cat and everybody knows
Connor Hallibuck.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Everybody there's there's a bit of a flashy thing that
goes on. Hey, that was great, all right, back to
back to.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
Whatever the shiny object is. No.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
I mean, look, there's a lot of excuses now for
the Lakers. Seemingly everybody had a torn this, that or
the other in Game five, so you got that going.
But so so the Lakers win because they take up
more oxygen. But your your reality check is probably correct.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
He's giving up twenty goals in the last four games
of this series, and he got bold tonight, he got got,
he got figured out. He's the best American goalie in
the history of hockey. He is the best American He's
probably gonna win MVP this year. And he's giving up
twenty goals in the least forty seven to twelve and
three with that two point oh one against average in
(20:01):
a ninety three percent save percentage. Uh for the year,
he had eight shutouts. Yeah, that's more than all of
Major League Baseball the last three years. Come out.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
Okay, I'm just kidding. The White Sox got shut out
at least that many times. But uh yeah, all of
that to say, we talk about second seasons and regular
seasons not mattering. It's only appropriate that we talked about
him and the Lakers in the same sentence.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
You know, and you know I have two words that
could just you know that that could sum this all
up for you. Oh, you're gonna go degeneration X I could.
I can two words gonna sum this whole thing up. Okay,
one of those two words jets yo. Oh wow, Isaac.
Do you thought I was zick?
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (20:43):
No, No, you bolo punched my ass. You just had
it dangling out there. I'm like, come on, come on,
he bam. Yeah, I saw Thompson. You thought I was
going left. Instead, I dead legged you and came back
and hit that three, and good night everybody. You thought
I slide to the left, my leg was broken to
the left sift so again. Halftime fifty three to forty
(21:07):
eight lead for the Rockets over the Warriors. We'll have
more in this game coming up in a few minutes,
but big news today. If the Lakers had continued to
go on in the playoffs instead of getting eliminated by
the t Wolves, they would likely be without Lebron James,
maybe for the rest of the playoffs, as it was
reported today that he suffered a Grade two MCL sprain
(21:27):
in his left knee during the fourth quarter of Game five,
the big play where everybody said, oh, Lebron is flopping
when Dante DiVincenzo ran into him. That was the play
he gets called for an offensive foul. Lebron James goes down,
and of course all the flopping memes and look this
this is what happens when you flop and you're Lebron
and you're you know, jokicch and you start flopping. This
is how it goes. But a pretty serious injury for Lebron.
(21:50):
At the end of Game five, he would have been
out for at least the next few weeks. It's a
three to five week recommended recovery timeline. Now, Lebron is
somewhat of a good healer, so he probably would have
come back a little bit sooner. But let's say comes
back three weeks, Like, are the Lakers even playing? They're not.
And you know, when I saw this today, the first
thing I did was say, okay, it's it's legit right.
(22:12):
We're not saying, hey, Lebron, we're deflecting the blame of
the Lakers losing. Oh look, but Lebron was hurt. Can't
blame him.
Speaker 4 (22:19):
No, I mean That's the sad, sad reality of it though,
And is that that's everybody's.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
First first reaction because because did you think anything about
his knee when that play happened.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
No, it was, oh wow, he ran into this guy.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
And now because none of his teammates even looked at him,
it's like, get up.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Yeah, they're gonna have a little something something for Devincenzo
next year. You know, the big axe handle on Luca
and now this on Lebron. But I mean that's okay.
Is this legit? I mean, I know there's gonna be
a lot of conspiracy theorist You would say, well, it
was a source close to ESPN the telling them, okay,
it's an MRI. I really think if people need to
see it, they'd see the MRI. This is a doctor thing.
(22:58):
This is where people lose their jobs and doctors lose
their jobs. So I'm I'm I'm okay that it's a
legitimate injury for Lebron James and he would have been
I'm okay with that. We were you trying to say,
has mcmenimon place Brian Windhorse as the Lebron guy? Why
would why would why would Dave mcmanimon report this with
(23:19):
my fingers in the air like windhorse. No, like if
this was a middle of the season, it's a sprain.
And the Lakers were coming up on you know, eight
games and uh in six days like they were earlier
this year. You know the other games Lebron missed. I
would say, okay, maybe a little bit, but I'm I'll
go legit. Hey, here's Lebron mcl sprain and he would
have been out for the rest of the playoffs. I
(23:41):
can't shake the feeling this is a big deal. I
can't shake the feeling that he is in a next
year or bust in Los Angeles, that unless the Lakers
have a really big playoff run, next year is his
last year in LA. Now, not his last year in
the league, because you see the level he is still
playing at. He's playing mean. Look with the guy, the
(24:02):
level he's playing at at forty, he could play another
five years. You know, he still wants to keep playing. Now,
Cleveland is really good, So one more year, saying, hey,
what if the king comes home and maybe I win
a championship or one more and I finished just an
acrid kid finishing in Cleveland, right, Like I could see
him doing that I could see him saying, Hey, wait
a minute, I always wanted to play in Madison Square Garden.
(24:23):
The finally itch I want itch, I want to scratch.
What do you guys think I'll take less money whatever.
Lebron's not gonna just play again, and he's gonna play
after it. But I just can't shake the sense that
next year could be the final one for him with
the Lakers because he's losing his influence in the organization.
You could see it. He ran the team for so long, right,
(24:44):
him and Rich Paul and Ad and Clutch Sports. We
got the guys we wanted, We drafted the guys we wanted,
We signed the free agents we wanted. And now the Lakers,
in making that Luka Doncic move, have retaken the organization. Right.
Ad is gone. Who is Lebron's best friend? Which on
the team at the time, which was gonna, you know,
stop them from making decisions. They were so powerful. Now
(25:04):
Lebron seems kind of isolated as the team retools around
Luka Doncic. Right, they're probably gonna go get a big
in the offseason because Luca needs that guy that he
can run and throw alley oops to that rim. Runner like,
that's what they're gonna do. But he's done the La thing. Now,
he's been to La. He's he's built his whatever empire
he's going to build in Los Angeles. Right His kids
(25:25):
are gonna be gone. They're all gonna be in college
and out of the house. Outside of a big run
next year and maybe another NBA Finals, Like next year,
is it for Lebron? Because if you had the Lakers
are saying right now, Okay, what did we see was
this season of failure? Yeah, it was absolutely was a failure.
But Luke and Lebron played together for three months. They
(25:46):
played really well together. They really got there in such
a short time. Their chemistry was undeniable. So do we
blow it up now? Do we move away from Lebron? Now? No,
it doesn't make sense. It seems like a panic move.
So let's adjust around them for next season, and if
next season doesn't work, then we have a big decision
(26:07):
to make. Then it's to say, Okay, thank you, Lebron,
you've been great, we won, we'll retire your jersey, we'll
do it, you know, we'll do all these things. But
we are moving on now because we're building around Luca
and Luca needs somebody else or another sort of roster
configuration that works best to build around him. Luca is
the Lakers now, and Lebron sees that. Even in him talking,
(26:30):
he sounds like a guy that is no longer talking
about me as the focal point of the organization and
more like, hey, I'm at arms length, man, I'm on
the outside just like you guys. You're to say stuff like, hey,
I told Luca, when it comes to your next contract,
you do you. I'm not gonna be around much longer.
Like it seems like he's sort of pulling back a
little bit from where he was because he knows this
is how it's going, that the Lakers are retaking the organization.
(26:52):
So I unless it's a big run for the Lakers
next year, that's it, because Lakers can go. Okay, So
we had two years of Lebron and Luca didn't work. Okay,
Lebron is for one Lucas twenty six. This is where
we have to go. Like, unless it's a big run,
like that's it for Lebron with the Lakers next season.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
Yeah, I mean he's got the one year player option
fifty two million bucks. We've talked about and you know,
some speculation he comes back either to the Lakers or
should he decide to go elsewhere for lesser money, whether
it's you know, your dream scenario of Cleveland or whatever else.
But it is a curiosity, right his pos postgame commentary
(27:29):
where he was being glib and snarky and throwing out right,
I can't answer a thing about the roster because hey,
that got ad shipped out after he talked ha ha.
But just showing that his response to the Luca questions about,
you know, recruiting and getting him to sign long term whatever, saying, hey,
that's not my job, that's not what I'm here for.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
No.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Well, I mean that's the guy's kind of readily admitting
He's like, hey, I maybe here a year or two
or three years longer, but you're looking at the larger
picture and that will not include me, you know, even
throwing up very very openly, I'm forty years old, man,
I'm forty.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
He wants right, yeah, no, he wants that love.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Now.
Speaker 4 (28:15):
You know, he's at that age in the sports continuum
where we have to say and forty year old Lebron James,
like we did that with Tom Brady forty year old
Tom Brady now.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Forty year old Aaron Rodgers. But for the Lakers, obviously
they've got a lot of roster decisions to make. They
can joke all they want about conditioning and Reddi can
do that. I mean, did you could you believe that
there was even the need to put out that report
the athletic.
Speaker 3 (28:38):
Did that, JJ Reddick's job was safe.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Like you're talking about all sorts of noise and chaos,
et cetera.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
And Lebron's future. I'm sorry, it's not the top top thing.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
On that board.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
Yeah, right, he's important to things for the next year. Obviously,
if he opts in fifty two million dollars is a
lot of scratch that preclude you from really being too
active in the marketplace. Now, they do retain the trade
pieces that didn't go from the one that got rescinded. Uh,
but that those are trade pieces that need to be done.
(29:13):
And and did they break Dalton connect in the process, right? Well, yeah,
and he can't play defense. How do you fix him?
Oh no, he's gonna stay on your roster or if
he's gonna get sold off. Though, now he's a damaged
product and he's a bag of balls.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
I don't know that these damage. I think he was Hey,
he was teams are gonna see him as boy. He
was a pretty good rookie when he got a chance
to play. Then he got traded. The Lakers didn't know
what to do with him after when the trade got rescinded. No,
he'll be the guy that goes in a trade.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
The other is that, I mean, this is really another
test run for the negative column, at least short term
of Lebron the GM because that was his guy.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Yeah, yeah, I mean, now we're trading the guy you
want to pay like I mean, like the the like
Lebron and the Lakers are moving away from it. It's
it's one of those like a marriage, where you don't
realize you're moving apart, but you sort of do. And
you're not actively doing it, but you're sort of, you know,
subconsciously doing it, making decisions that maybe you don't realize.
(30:11):
But that's where they're moving towards. So next off season,
if it happens, it will be a hey, well we're
thinking that maybe, and Lebron's saying I'm thinking maybe I
should Okay, great, great, we no it needs to say anything, Okay, great,
Thanks we shake hands and we part. That's how it's
gonna go.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
See.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
I would love if he just opted out and then
randomly signed somewhere else.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Yeah, he's I think it would be the greatest move ever.
Turned it out less money, he doesn't turn down less. No,
fifty two million dollars, you're in. He's, Hey, man, I
did that thing in Miami years ago. It's like, yeah,
you didn't. You didn't really make a ton less that
was made up off the court? Uh?
Speaker 4 (30:43):
In another products and endorsements, et cetera. But the other
curious thing was the amount of legs and attention the
Lebron's statement on his future, Like, who the hell ever
thought he would retire after this season?
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Yeah? No, I mean not me, He's I mean, it's
gotta be asked, But I mean, come on, but now
he's got a real Okay, we're not gonna win. Oh
hey boy, the calves are looking really good. Hey maybe
one more time? What do you guys think? Or the Knicks? Right?
K the two places, look at you, those are the
only places he would go.
Speaker 4 (31:14):
Right But if he went to the Knicks, would he
suddenly stink in the garden? Would it not be as special?
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Anymore.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
Look at Lebron still looking for his first bucket at MSG.
We're in game number seventeen. He's got some free throws,
but he just can't hit any there's another miss buy
Lebron and it's only warm ups.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
He seems distracted by the arrival of Timothy Chalomey again.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Well, then I think you realize it. Okay, if he
did go to the Knicks, that would be when it's over, okay,
because things aren't going to work out. What the Knicks
do will be wrong. And that's where Lebron all of
a sudden scores twelve a game. And would he be
the guy to break the curse though, exit out, out
of Fresco, exit swollen dome. I hope that Hey Brunson
broke the curse with that three last night. Baby. I'll
(31:58):
tell you man that dead light down.
Speaker 4 (32:00):
Buddy, Buddy, you've gone to the second round before. Now
you're on eleven percent chance by the implied odds to
win against the Celtics.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
What do you got? But it's time now to find
out what's trending in the wide world of sports. But guy,
he's been called the Aesar Thompson of Fox Sports Radio
because boy, Jalen Brunson has lost him on a basketball
court as well. It's Steve Desager.
Speaker 6 (32:22):
Actually it's because my twin is doing this update.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
Oh okay, I'm actually in the back catches spicy.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (32:29):
By the way, you mentioned Jets gully Connor Hellibook. It's
on the road that he's been stinking and talk about
his twin. I think it's the evil twin that once
again has been in goal in Saint Louis. This guy
in his career has been pulled five times in a
playoff game.
Speaker 6 (32:44):
All five have been.
Speaker 5 (32:45):
On the road, including tonight, as the Blues got four
straight goals in the second period in a five and
a half minute span. Blues are leading a top seed
Winnipeg five to two about seven minutes to go in
the third period, trying to force a Game seven of
their first round series. The New York Rangers new coaches
Mike Sullivan. Tampa Bay coach John Cooper will return next season.
(33:06):
We've got about eight minutes to go third quarter of
the NBA playoff game at Golden State. The Rockets lead
is sixty five sixty two against the Warriors. Twenty points
for Jimmy Butler, nineteen for Steph Curry. The Warriors trying
to close it out in six the Spurs. Greg Popovich
retired from coaching the Grizzlies. New head coach is interim
man Thomas Islo. He is from Finland, used to coach
(33:29):
in Paris and in Germany to Major League Baseball. Rain
delay at the start in Pittsburgh, so they're just top
of the eighth right now. Padres lead the Pirates five
to four. Padres slugging star Fernando tatist Juvenior left the
game hit by pitch on the arm. Rain delay of
nearly two hours at the start at Cincinnati, but they're
in the top of the ninth, Red six to one
over the Nationals. Red starter Hunter Green twelve strikeouts in
(33:51):
six innings. Rain delay after the eighth inning Atlanta. They
have resumed and now they're going to the bottom of
the night. The Dodgers lead to one over the Breaks.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto started and through six scoreless innings with just
one hit allowed for la six strikeouts. The Cubs lead
is ten to nothing at Milwaukee going to the bottom
of the ninth. Mariners now lead thirteen nothing at Texas.
(34:14):
The game Is in the top of the ninth inning,
just one hit for the Rangers, couple homers for cal Raley.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Wasn't this a de Gram game? Didn't you give up
all thirteen runs in the first inning?
Speaker 6 (34:24):
You wish?
Speaker 5 (34:25):
Mets are leading eight three at Saint Louis in the
top of the eighth inning. Yes, did see a long
ball for Pete Alonzo. And as for the two late games,
the Angels, who've lost six in a row, are leading
Detroit one nothing in the top of the fifth, Rockies
at Giants, scoreless, bottom of the second. Rockies with a
record of six and twenty five, White Sox are up
(34:46):
to nine and twenty three after a home winner Houston
seven to three. White Sox victories for the A's in Boston,
wins for Baltimore in Toronto. The Yankees shut out Tampa
Bay three nothing, Max Fried six and zero. Philadelphia came
back to beat Arizona three t and again in hoops,
it's the Rockets leading sixty seven sixty two at Golden
State in the third.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
Back to you, Steve, I have one. I'm sorry I
don't normally, but I have one correction for your update.
One thing you did you didn't get a guy. Correct
it is you mentioned you mentioned the home run. It
is National League Player of the Month Pete Alonzo.
Speaker 5 (35:19):
Yes, he is for the month month oh April here
on May the second.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
Correct, what makes sure they just gave you award out today, Steve.
Speaker 5 (35:26):
Come on that well, talk about an evil twin actually
taking his place in the box. He's batting three fifty,
not two fifty at the moment, So I don't know
who this guy is in twins.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
Yeah, he's a it's called two things, Steve. Contract year,
that's what it is. Like.
Speaker 6 (35:42):
Last year was not well it was, but.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
Now this is a more serious contract year because he
didn't get paid last year. It's serious.
Speaker 6 (35:49):
He got frozen out. The polar Bear you might say.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
It happens, thank you, just drinking a coke, you know,
in the in the.
Speaker 6 (35:56):
Commercials and the sled holidays.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
Sure, little baby polar Bear, he was just taking it.
Now he's more polar Bear at work. That's what he is.
He is it work. So we'll have more baseball on
the way, Jason Smith, Mike Harmon. But coming up next,
you need to watch the blank out for something that's
starting to happen right now. What is it? We'll tell
you next Jason and Mike.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific, Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon Live from the
Fox Sports Radio Studios, Houston, Leeds Golden State seventy one
sixty seven, five minutes to go in the third quarter.
More NBA coming up in a few minutes. But tonight
a big double barrel night, right. You saw the big
story earlier today. Caitlin Clark has been installed as the
(36:45):
heavy betting favorite for WNBA MVP. Paige Becker's the overwhelming
favorite for Rookie of the Year. WNBA preseason began tonight,
and boy, you're not exactly what Paige Beckers and the
Dallas Wings had in mind. I think everybody on the
Wings finished in the minus twenties as they lost to
the Aces one twelve seventy eight page backers at ten,
(37:07):
but was minus twenty three in the game tonight. So
uh yeah, just going to show you, you know, when
you got the number one overall picking the draft. A yeah,
sometimes you eat a little bit of time preseason, but
you need a little bit of time.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
But she was the only starter in double figures.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
Yeah. Yeah, And it's not like they all didn't play minutes, right,
they all played at least fifteen eighteen minutes minus a
gun Biwally is minus twenty three, Carrington's minus twenty six.
Like this was, yeah, not the start they envisioned.
Speaker 4 (37:34):
Eleven players came off the bench. Well, it's it's preseason.
You get a lot of people. That's a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
Are people already getting cut? Like the the the WNBA
camps been opened for like four days and players are
already getting cut. So I mean it's it's a quick preseason.
We begin in like two weeks, not even right, that's
just it.
Speaker 4 (37:52):
I mean that get that clock moving. You just got drafted.
You haven't unpacked that second suitcase yet. But get on
the court.
Speaker 3 (37:59):
Let's go to But.
Speaker 1 (38:00):
I'll tell you what you want. You want a big
bull prediction. Watch the f out now for what happens
in the WNBA this year. If you thought last year
was wild with Caitlin Clark coming in, unprecedented levels of
popularity the league had because of Caitlyn Clark, the players
who were jealous of her success, whatever part of her,
that there was a jealousy about former players didn't like it.
(38:24):
Everybody's propping up Angel Reese like she's as good as
Caitlyn Clark, which she's not. She's a star. She's a star,
and there's lots of stars in the league. Nobody is
Caitlin Clark. No one has the impact she does. Sorry,
but she does. You would think that, Okay, we didn't
know how to handle last year. We didn't know how
to handle success. Now we see with some time. The
league's been away for over two hundred days. Okay, let's see.
(38:45):
Let's see. Let's see. Uh uh, it's gonna be like
twenty twenty four on steroids. You wait, you see how
many more people come out of the woodwork. Caitlyn Clark's
not that good, can't well, you have to talk about
the other players, the rivalries that suddenly Caitlin Clark. Why
don't we have what the fever has? It's gonna you
thought last year, last year, what's the line from Goodfellas? Uh,
(39:06):
he's gonna be he made that look like a kid
going to the candy store. Right, that's gonna look like
a kid going to the candy store. Compared to what
this year is gonna be. It's gonna be everything we
saw last year on steroids, and that's what's gonna make
the league part of the everyday discussion, part of the
everyday sports landscape. Like it was, you thought that stuff's
gonna go away. Hey, we're happy now just being a
(39:27):
league that gets a lot of things. And hey, we
understand Caitlin's is responseles as uh uh. It's been two
hundred years of being two hundred days of being pissed
even more that I gotta worry about. Can everything is Caitlyn,
Caitlyn Katelyn Clay. Yeah, you thought last year or something.
This year is gonna be something more.
Speaker 3 (39:41):
Yeah, I mean for a lot of the players and
those around the league.
Speaker 4 (39:44):
I mean hopefully it continues to be the fuel even
though they they all benefited greatly from planes, trains and
autimobiles to off season endorsements. How many commercials did you
see in ad campaigns featuring a number of w NBA
stars passed in President, Man, everybody got fed, But you
know what you always want, just.
Speaker 1 (40:04):
You trade it all for a little more. Nineteen and
two to eight and four, her first year, Caitlin Clark
the off season getting stronger. Now you have a new coach.
They had the awkward moment the other day, Hey, do
you know who the original twenty two was with the fever?
Speaker 3 (40:19):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (40:20):
It's your coach. And then you add Bonner Howard Colson
to your trail. There's just great expectations that you're gonna
push forward.
Speaker 3 (40:28):
Right.
Speaker 4 (40:28):
She was first at MVP voting. The odds have already
come down. She was three to one. Now she's two
to one over Wilson, and you know they're distancing everybody else.
And so now the league has that opportunity to grow
playing the bigger arenas, looking for more expansion. Yeah, I
mean here's last year was huge. This one you really
(40:51):
got to double down. And all the player movement I
think is gonna help you.
Speaker 1 (40:54):
Wait to see how out of control, how a runaway
train that this season's gonna be. As far is relevance
and conversation and craziness. Get ready, man, I love the
w It is back exit out about a Fresca exit
Swollen Dome coming up next. We'll keep you posting on
the Rockets and the Warriors and another big story out
of the NBA. Keep it here Jason and Mike Fox
(41:16):
Sports Radio,
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
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