June 23, 2025 • 30 mins
FOX Sports Radio Weekend host Martin Weiss is in for Rob, and he and Kelvin tell us if it's fair to call Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder are a 'boring' champion, debate whether it's fair to say that people will remember Tyrese Haliburton's playoff run more favorably than OKC actually winning the title, and explain why they have a big problem with folks who are using revisionist history to justify why they believe Haliburton shouldn’t have played in Game 7. Plus, NBA champion and FOX Sports Radio NBA analyst Antonio Daniels swings by to discuss Haliburton’s unfortunate Achilles injury, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s championship window, why hates the Kevin Durant trade for Houston, and much more!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
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Speaker 2 (00:19):
You're listening to the best of the Odd.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Couple, Martin.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
When we had the NBA Finals, which you jumped in
a couple of times, overall, you were excited about this
from just a sports fan, from a basketball fan. You
weren't one of those blah blah NBA Finals, who's watching this?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
You were in? Yeah, to me, shocking turn of events.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Guy who decided to try to make a living talking
about sports exact, actually excited to watch games. I know
that that is seemingly rare across society these days, more
and more increasingly so. But yeah, I was locked in.
I was interested the NBA playoffs. They're fun, that's it.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
And I'm more like you, I will admit, and I've
said this several times in the show. It is strange, Martin.
In my however, many years living, you know how it goes.
Oh man, this series is crazy. I can't believe he
took that shot. Why would they do this? Oh, they
got to get swept. I didn't get any kind of
text like that with the series. Is the strangest thing
is normally the polar opposite, right, this guys that I
can't believe y'all think he's nice.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
He's not nice, he's you get all that kind of stuff,
And I don't know if it's just because there's a
social group of fun guys, nice guys hard to hate
on no real like eat both teams like the who's
the guy you hate?
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Like for instance, Celtics Lakers, you might have hated KG
or Paul Paul Pierce is weak. I can't believe man
Kobe over there's something in there. This one was like,
even if you're going for the Pacers, you hate the Thunder.
If you were going for the Thunder, you almost like
the Celtics series. It wasn't a lot of a lot
of that.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
We're getting into a dangerous territory already.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
I want to start just by saying congratulations through Yoklahoma
City Thunder for winning the NBA.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Fun. Yes, that's a big thing.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Shake Gildis Alexander just chopped topped off one of the
most statistically historic years in terms of the hardware taking
and points scored and sold and so forth, that we'll
see an NBA history Ottao. I feel like we're seeing
new NBA history made every given a week day, just
about right. If you don't like the weather, you know,
if you don't like the record, the same, same kind
of deal. But uh, but no, and okay, see how
(02:23):
they're set up for the future.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
We'll talk about that.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
I'm sure down the line in terms of this series today,
you know, congratulations to them. I'm sure everybody in Oklahoma
City is very excited and very happy. And the fans
of them across the nation if they you know, if
they exist. But also the fans of them are in Canada. Well,
in Canada they got a lot of them. They didn't
followed SGA and lou Dorton so on.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
The reason why you didn't get a lot of those
texts is because this team is.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Boring, absolutely in a good way. There's no good way
to be boring. To me.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Well, what I mean is, if I'm the owner, I'm
don't have to I don't have to worry about player
X getting that four in the morning, call yo, well
you know he's down. He got arrested for I don't
have to worry about breaking up to a tweet. They
who's on the TV right now, SGA and j Doub
going out And I can't stand you, man, You you
don't pass the ball like. They're boring in the sense
of you and you know you've been in your weight bag,
weight training bag and all that getting in the gym.
(03:19):
They're boring in a sense of consistency. They show up,
they work hard, they're united, they're familiar, their their teammates,
they love each other.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
You get through you have forty tonight. Well instead of
just you, all eight nine, ten guys are behind you
doing the press conference as well. So that's what I mean.
And boring in a good way, and that they're the
model of consistency, sportsmanship, team work, and you're just like,
well that's great, but sometimes you want some juice behind
that or something.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
So I mean, it's the that's the thing. I think
all the things that you just said about them are
also true of just about every team that wins a
lot of games.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
They like, play really hard, they'll work together.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
Just think think about the teams in the East like
right now the Indiana Pacers is true for them.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
That's what made these two teams almost identical. But we
get different teams, but you get some too. If it
was the Knicks, then I don't know what's up with Cat?
Why Cat ain't playing in a minute? Why is he
sitting in the four? You know, you get a little
little something in there, Jalen Brounson. He's hogging too much?
Are they? You could have some stuff in there. This
team with the kumbaya on that kumbaya was one hundred,
which again, if I'm the owner, that's a great thing.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
And I'm not saying again everyone in Oklahoma City should
feel great about this.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
This is not a knock to them.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
I was talking about me as a consumer of the
Finals because generally the way this was pitted, this is
David and Goliath.
Speaker 5 (04:38):
Right.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
This was the biggest potential favorite and NBA Finals history.
This was we haven't seen this in twenty eleven or oh,
two thousand and one, right, and the two series that
we remember vividly because of the way either David had
his moment in Game one liked Alan Iverson did to
step over Toronto Loo.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Which then the the rest of the years was so nondescript.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
And that is the only thing, Like, no one forgets
that the Lakers won that championship.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
There's just no highlights from me. You can't name one thing.
Do you know what? I'm getting a hold in his
chest from Shack But.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
I mean, but no one. I'm not saying nobody, But
you're not equating that. And the reason why you equate
that is because that was Allen Iverson's seminal moment at
the biggest stage of his career, right, that was his
primary moment. But then the twenty eleven team you were
are a finals. You remember that because the the king fell, right,
the king fell to Lebron and had all the I
(05:37):
mean spawned. Honestly, fifteen years of takes from that one
m beat was one that one set of games. Here
the goliath is boring. That's the problem, like Lebron, that
that team Miami, Like we were super into Miami and
Lebron and invested in that future Kobe and Shaq, even
(06:00):
though that finals itself was not the most interesting, Right,
the moment that you remember is Alan Iverson stepping over,
and that maybe the moment that you remember from this
finals is Tyres Haliburton hitting that shot in Game one?
But you were invested in what Kobe and Shaq were doing.
When I watch Shake Gildess Alexander and Chad Holmgren and
Jalen Williams, they are spursy and in a way that
(06:23):
I cannot say is complimentary. It is just like it
is a byproduct of what happens. Like everything he said
is right in the consistency and so on, even though
if you like drill down to some of the numbers,
how consistent can they are they when you look at
their shooting percentage and so on, you're more consistency in
terms of being stoic in personality, And so I get that.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
You know what that also was?
Speaker 4 (06:45):
It was boring then too, And they won five championships
in fifteen years as one of the best runs in
NBA history, and nobody outside of San Antonio talks about
it unless you're old at the barbershop and you say,
and all, so, Tim Duncan really had it like that.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
And I agreed, Tim Duncan had it like that.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
But those are not the teams that we look back
fondly as the teams that we remember as the most
fun are great teams.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Which is why I said, rob G is my witness.
Can I get a witness?
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Robger? You know this, I said this prior to the finals.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
I said that the person who will remember the most
throughout this postseason win loser draw was going to be
Tyrese Haliburton, And I said he was going to be
the most memorable person from this playoffs because of a
multitude of things. And then once we got into the finals,
it only added to why I believe I'm right. Tyrese
(07:39):
Haliburton came into this playoffs run as the most overrated player, right,
That's what his peers picked him as. And again, by
the way, that slightly, that slightly was overrated because only
fourteen people of one hundred and some, but fourteen people
is the most, so he becomes mister overrated. And also
part of that was because they started off slow and
we weren't thinking about them. And there were other storylines
(07:59):
in the like the Pistons all of a sudden being
good and all of a sudden, what's wrong.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
With the Bucks?
Speaker 1 (08:03):
And man the Celtics can they repeat against? So there
are other storylines. So the Pacers and they weren't doing it,
although January first on they were the second best team
behind the Thunder. So then we get into postseason, he's
mister overrated.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
What does he do?
Speaker 1 (08:18):
He knocks off the Bucks. He knocks them off a
couple of game winners. Nice plays, good games. Bam, Pops
is walling. Pop's getting into it with Giannis as they
close out that series. So now Halliburton have to get
on the podium. Your dad was tripping a little bit.
Dad was overreacting, you know. So now he's again, he's
becoming the topic of conversation. Dang, he can't be over ready.
He just knocked out Jannis and them. Oh, and he's
(08:39):
you know, got the issues with Pops. Pops is cool.
Kick Pops out, man, let Pops live. We're debating it.
We're having conversations even on this show. Then he goes
into the next series and the number one seed in
the East, Cleveland. This is about to be their year.
Finally we did it without Lebron and nope, you got Halliburton.
They come back multiple times down fifteen. He has another
couple of clutch games, hitting big shots were like, man,
this dude, how can we overrated? He might be underrated?
(09:02):
Then they go up against the Knicks. We already know
what happened, big comeback, fourteen, down fourteen, boom and he
hits the shot, does the choke again.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
Halliburton is the star of this.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Now we get into the finals, Martin, and he hits
the game winner game one alli as you mentioned, Alan Iverson,
and so they are down forty eight of forty seven
and fifty what six seconds or whatever it was, nine
second point three whatever remaining, hits that game winner, and
then throughout he's injured, but he's playing good game, bad game.
We're still talking about him. We care he didn't show up,
(09:33):
he only had. He was zero for four in game five.
We have all these conversations, and finally was a Shakespearean
ending to his season. Should he play? Shouldn't he plays?
Game six plays well, they win, They get into seven.
He starts off hot.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
You saw it three or four three, you're thinking, oh, shoot,
is he really about to pull this off? Bam to Achilles,
Pops and to me for everything I just mentioned.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
He's the star of this, even in a loss like
we're gonna remember that Halliburton run twenty the thunder, whereas
I said, man, anytime I stopping the barber shop five years,
ten year twin.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Remember that Halliburton run Bruh was out there.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
That was a crazy, crazy playoff run, and I just
think he ended up. I said this, you know what
two and a half three weeks ago, and to me
it ended that way. Even though SGA gets to win
as the MVP and the Thunder get to win and
get their title, I still think Hallibert ended up just
stealing all the headlines and the juice and the storylines
from this postseason and with you, as you mentioned, even
though congrats to the Thunder.
Speaker 4 (10:30):
I think that you have I think two things have
to happen for your thing to be all the way true. Okay,
the first are one thing has to not happen. Okase,
he can't go back and win multiple titles, because if
they if they go back and win multiple titles, the
way that a lot of people who have the same
govern me have been saying all day, then this will
(10:52):
get erased to the history of this. It will be
chapter one of a book in NBA history, right, So
it won't be the memories of Halliburton. We'll see those
shots every playoff, but it won't be like it'll be
like the way that you show those uh montages and commercials. Right,
we'll remember like the moment, but it won't be in
the context, won't be there because it'll be what is it,
(11:15):
the birth of the Juggernaut. Maybe maybe that's the memory
of it also too. The thing that has to happen,
absolutely has to happen, is Tyre's Halliburton has to play
at a high level again.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
And I'm not saying that he won't.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
I don't think that's an unlikely scenario, but I do
think that it is likely are more likely than not
that the Pacers have it.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
It's really hard to get to the the NBA.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Final, especially nowadays with all these he keeps flopping every year.
It's not like you have a Juggernaut Lakers Warriors, We're
going every year. We all knew it from the beginning
of the season.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
We talk about seven unique champions in the last seven years.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Look at the final four of the that's.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
Also a lot of the unusual suspects. It's hard to
get back to this spot. So I think without more
playoff experience, I wonder how much you know he becomes
a the reason iverson We know that moment because he's
a hall of famer.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Right, Like, that's why it lasts.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
There's a ton of guys with a ton of playoff
moments that are kind of just lost to the story
of others along the way.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
The only I hear what you're saying. I agree with
the first point, but I do believe he did so much.
If he had a shot, two shots, or a comeback
or one or two. He had comebacks. He had game winner,
literal game winner at the buzzers, I mean, he had everything.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
I think people.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
Remember it like people remember like remember that Kember run,
do you know? But I wonder how many people remember
how it ended. I think it'll be more of a
Reggie Miller choke. Ironically, enough, pacers meeting will always remember that. Finally,
that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
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Speaker 3 (12:59):
I've said that.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
I am a firm believer and when you got a shot,
you gotta go for it, especially in this case of Halliburton.
Tyre's Halliburton with the injury, we knew he had the
right calf strain and we didn't know the severity. Could
he play? Couldn't he play? I was always to the
mind you gotta play man. Game six was when we
were questioning it because, dude, as you've even mentioned we
talked about earlier, you never know, you feel like, man,
(13:22):
I'm young, we had a good team, but you never
know if you're gonna make it back. And so you
got a shot to win it, you go for it.
And we had guests on throughout that week, and all
the ex professional athletes agree that you gotta go for it, man,
and that their minds are wired differently, like that's part
of what makes your professional athletes. You're kind of crazy,
you're kind of psychotic about what you do. So to me,
(13:45):
I've always felt that was the right thing to do.
You go for it, you give it your best. And
I know he's hurt now, but dude, you had a shot.
You hit a few threes in the first quarter Game seven,
NBA Finals, don't you don't get injury, you mess around
to win it. It's a historical moment, you go down
in history. I didn't get a chance to hear your
thoughts on should he have played that? He ruin it
now for himself for the Pacers. Look like he's gonna
(14:05):
be all out all of next season.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
I mean, ruin it for the Pacers, like crime a
river for the team like at that point, Like I mean,
obviously I feel for his teammates, and I'm not saying that,
but the idea, like you hear the announcer be like, well,
if you're Indiana, this one really hurts. No, it really
hurt Tyree Talliburton as you saw him with his towel
over his head. Devastating moment obviously, and one that I
(14:29):
think we just also true a Jason Tatum. You see
the reaction and it's less about the pain and more
of the knowledge of I know what just happened, right,
And it's one of those things that we see, like
we see that reaction for those guys because they know
in that moment they look back, somebody kicked me. There's
nobody there, and obviously it's a basketball tragedy of sorts.
(14:53):
But I you have I'm not saying he has to play,
I think, but as a person who sits, who has
never been a man in the arena, who has never
been nobody ever wanted me to play nothing worth it?
You know what I mean, like that's the.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Way I'll arn. You gotta do it. You gotta do it.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Like nobody ever was, Like nobody ever told me I
gotta go gut something out or anything of that nature.
Now I would have been willing to, but nobody ever
wanted me to. And that shows you like the ability
that I had, and it shows you that obviously there's
the reason why I'm doing this and not that. But
I cannot fathom being forty eight minutes away or forty
(15:32):
eight times to two games away from what I've dreamt about.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
My entire life and not going full bore as hard
as I could, as much as I could.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
And an achilles tear is something like it is less
of a like the calf strain. I just say from
what I've heard, and again because when my strain my calf,
nobody cares, right, so I don't have to. But like
your girl cares, don't do that to her, Okay, so
one person cares, right, two people tupac right.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
Anyway, nobody else cares.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
When you're in that spot, Like, I can't imagine not
doing everything I could to try to play, not doing
everything I could to be out there, and especially after
the success that I had in Game six, I would
have expected to have more in game seven. Part of
me wonders if that's what happened. He went out Game
six felt good, like was tentative, and it was like
his Game seven, I gotta go all the way, go
full bore. But this is like a hamstring. When you
(16:26):
hurt your hamstring, you can't even use the restroom properly,
like everything, yes, every week, and your lower body is
hurts and is unavailable. This calf thing, apparently it's something
that it don't get me wrong, It hurts you, but
you can still run, you can still and it's a
it's just Bill Belichick said it, and I thought it
was one of the if I knew what play guys
were gonna get hurt on I take him.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
Out to play before. But you just don't know, you don't.
And then you see what he was doing right, three
three pointers in the first quarter, and he's feeling like, dude,
this is about to be one of the most epic
runs nobody saw us come.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
And we're got the number one team, you know, back,
you know, backed against the wall, and this seven.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
Game one big game, had not had a big game
to that point, just right, the big shot in game one,
and that even that game wasn't great, he just as
you mentioned, made that big shot and this can be
my moment already off to nine points, might mess around
and drop a forty piece on them and a you
know in a in a win and a clutch game
seven win.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
We won two games in a row to finish this
thing off. There he was on his way. But I
completely you have to play this thing out. I mean this,
first of all, it's a short lifespan anyway, being a
professional athlete. And we assume, like we look at Lebron mcgoeol, Lebron, man,
it's great, Chris Paul, you know, almost twenty year dude.
That's those are the abnormal ones. Yes, most guys are. Man,
(17:44):
I got a good four to six year run, had
a good time of pro. Now I'm doing radio somewhere,
I'm doing local news somewhere with the city I played
for a year or two, or I'm a you know,
doing some college basketball, or I'm just back home now
doing whatever. Like that's the that's more normal, not going
twenty something years like Lebron, Vince Carter, long career like
(18:04):
Kevin Durant, Steph Curry's guys, that's the more normal thing
because you had a nice four three four year, five
year run. So point is, you want to give it
all you can and get it absolutely, try to have
those magical moments like Tyree sealerburn. Now I still stand
on this. I think the reason why we were seeing
all these young guys twenty two, twenty three, twenty four
to twenty five went through these catastrophic injuries or never
(18:25):
quite being right. I still believe that they're playing too
much basketball since they were four and five years old. Dude,
I have for you know, I'm at the age nine
kids too. It's insane how much basketball they played at
six years old. Mark, what we didn't You didn't get
on the team, so you were like eight, nine ten.
These kids are playing and I mean I was coaching
my daughter Martin at four. It was a four and
(18:46):
five year league. Referees scoreboards at four and five years old?
Speaker 3 (18:51):
What are we doing?
Speaker 4 (18:52):
Like I played, I remember playing rec ball growing up,
but like I only played on one AAU team. Right
Like to the point, these guys who were really really good,
they're playing and just even in the pro level.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Holliburton played all summer in France. Right.
Speaker 4 (19:05):
I know he's ot on the bench, but you practice,
you had to play yep, right exactly. But to this point,
I have an interesting take that maybe we should talk
about top.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Of next hour.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Yes, well, I want to hear it. And just to
put it why you saved that, Just to put a
button on it. Man, I've said this to Rob. I
think that's why all these top picks, Man, LaMelo, Lonzo Ball,
both Ball brothers.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
We know how much they played.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
You're looking at Zion play, Griffin, Benson's all these guys
who've come out and it's been nicked up at injury
for so long.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
I think that has something to do with it.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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Speaker 1 (19:46):
And we are joined now by our buddy, hardest working
man in the business, Antonio Daniel's NBA Champ Series six
M NBA Radio, New Orleans, Pelicans. Fox Sports Radio NBA
analysts A Daniels thirty three on x A D.
Speaker 5 (19:59):
What's up, Calvin? What's up? Brother? What's up? Martin? How
you guys doing good. You I bless man, truly blessed.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Well, you know what, First off, Steve, by the way,
Steve Sager was just telling us a sixteen something million
so everybody tuning in to see a Game seven in
the NBA Finals, first we had since that twenty sixteen.
But I just wouldn't talk a couple of things from
that one. I want to start with just Tyre's Halliburton,
the injury. We never want to see it. You and
I had the conversation with Rob last week, and you
(20:29):
were on my side of man going into game six,
you gotta play, you gotta go for it.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
He does.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
They play well, they win big game for them, least
in Game seven. But this is just part of sports, right,
This is I remember Isaiah Thomas tearing his ankle up
and Game six and eighty eight finals. Had he not,
maybe they win in beat the Lakers in eighty eight.
We already know what happened with Kevin Love and Kyrie
and Kevin Durant in twenty was at twenty eighteen, nineteen,
twenty nineteen. Kevin Durant goes down to the worst. These
(20:55):
things happened, but he played it right by playing in
game six in games right, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (21:01):
I mean the thing is, hindsight's always twenty twenty. You know,
after the fact, everybody can say, well, you know what
he shouldn't have or whatever it may be. And I
think about it like this, you know, can you think
about what people would have said about Teresa Halliburton had
he chose not to sit out and chose not to
play in game six and seven?
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Oh sure, he's weak, codyed Man up, be tough.
Speaker 5 (21:23):
Yes, exactly so A lot of times, and I think
this is a this is we talked about this on ourselves.
That's some show today. It's a problem with social media. No,
I'm not blaming the fans, but I'm just saying in general,
I think a lot of times guys won't do what's
best for themselves because they're worried about what they're going
to hear about themselves that they do.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
Right.
Speaker 5 (21:44):
So, Terse Haliburton, when he got injured in game five,
went to Rick Carlisle and said, you know what, listen,
just go I trust these guys. Let's go ahead and
let the finish with these guys. I don't want to
risk my long term health and possibly rupture of my
Achilles and missing all of next year, right, even though
it may have been the right decision. Can you imagine
(22:06):
the narrative that would have surrounded thereis Aliburton.
Speaker 4 (22:08):
Can you imagine carl shut him down. If Carlas would
have to come out and say I want to play,
Haliver would have said I want to play, and it
would have to have been an organization.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
That's the only way it plays.
Speaker 5 (22:19):
But here's the thing that the players always have the
final say. That's why it's called the player empowerment movement.
It's not called the organizational empowerment movement, or the coach
empowerment movement, or the training staff empowerment movement. It's called
the player empowerment movement because the player, especially the star player,
there's not a person in the organization that has more
(22:41):
power than a star player who's the most powerful entity
with the Golden State Warriors, that no question about it.
So he can get Steve kirkfrared if you want to.
He can get Draymond Green traded if you want to.
But you're telling me he doesn't have the final right
of refusal or whether or not he wants to play
or not.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
So Antonio, I gotta ask you Antonio Daniel's joining us,
And I know you just asked me a question, but
I do We did have the Game seven. They've played
three World quarters in O case, he won the championship.
I know that gets lost in the wash here unfortunately
for them. But you said something in your answer just
now that that triggered me. The Oregon you said is
(23:21):
the player and powerer movement right now? Do you still
think that's true in terms of way the CBA and
all this is going. Where I say that because you
look at the Oklahoma City Thunder, you look at the
way they are being championed right now. Are should say
they are being celebrated right now because they lifted the championship.
(23:41):
But it's the idea of they built this thing up
from the ground up, using their picks and a little
lottery luck with chet and drafting J dub and find
you know, and i'd building this roster route. And in
the same breath as we talk about how good this
team is or how great this team is, depending on
how you look at them, it's also this team super
set up for the future as well. Do you are
(24:01):
we moving into a different vision of things in terms
of player empowerment.
Speaker 5 (24:06):
No, because I mean the thing is, as long as
players are getting paid what they're getting paid, they give
us Alexander's about to be super mix out. You know
that's not going to change. Like I get exactly what
you're saying, Martin. You know, the thing that will change
is the structure of roster construction. That's what it changed.
(24:28):
If you remember last year, everybody tried to be Boston.
Everybody wanted to shoot three. Okay, well what Boston did?
They got a fifty perdees a game, So that seems
to be the way to success, So everybody start doing that.
I can tell you what I know now and watching
this year and watching the finals. The king of the
NBA right now, the overall king. Nothing matters more in
(24:53):
the NBA than versatility. Versatility is king and depth is queen.
That's how it is now. Right you remember last year,
no one talked about that because I've been old. With
freeze analytics, we get up more threes than their twos.
Right now, versatility's king and depth is queen. That's how
(25:13):
it looks. Because if you look at why Oklahoma City
was successful all year long, the reason that Indiana was
successful is because they came in waves, they came in ways.
It wasn't about one or two players. I said before
this year started, I no longer believe and we'll get
behind teams that are skipping steps with all doers. Meg
(25:35):
Kevin Durant is one of my favorite players of all time.
But I disliked what Houston did. I DiscId what they did.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
We were about to go there next, So that was
gonna be the question. Just you know, hey, it's not finalized.
What looks like this is going to be the case.
I loved I've loved it for a couple of weeks.
I've been saying this. I thought it was a perfect fit.
You say, no, why is that?
Speaker 5 (25:55):
Because Okay, let me ask you a question. When is
the last championship team to go big game hunting and
for it to payoff.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
I'm trying to actually think.
Speaker 4 (26:06):
I was about to say the twenty twenty Lakers, Andy.
Speaker 5 (26:10):
Davis, right, But if you look at these champions, they
are winning because they're going after guys that understand their roles.
The Drew Holidays, the Derek Wrights, the PJ. Tuckers, the
Alex Crusoe's, the Isaiah Hartensteins, these kind of guys. But
I don't believe in skippy steps ADKD.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Maybe KD is not Kevin Durant of old, meaning maybe
he is just a cog in this thing a piece.
I mean, this isn't eight years ago where you had
a different expectation.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
If you're the Warriors, this one A man.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Just come here, some midrangees, some threes, give us twenty
three a game and we're good to go.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Not Katie of old.
Speaker 5 (26:48):
But the thing is, when you're talking about a guy
and Kevin Durant over the last three years, that ever's
twenty five points of a game on fifty forty ninety
from the field. He has more respect and cash an
anybody else on that Houston Rockets team. This is the
thing about stars. They're great, but they have the tendency
because of their resumes, to disrupt chemistry because now you
(27:11):
have to build around them, you have to placate to them.
There's the reason it didn't work. And seedings. Devin Booker
is amazing, Kevin Durant is amazing, Radley Bill is really good.
Why didn't it work? Why didn't that work? But because
you need guys, you need to bring in guys that
are willing to simply play a role. And I hear
(27:32):
what you're saying, Kelvin about Kevin Durant. Maybe he's not
you know, the MVP Kevin Durant that was in Oklahoma City.
But the dude is still better than anybody else on
that Houston Rockets team. And they brought him in to
play through him down the stretch.
Speaker 4 (27:47):
Now, I mean they absolutely, especially when you watch the
way that that offense died in the postseason.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
Simpatico right here on that one.
Speaker 4 (27:54):
But you said something that triggered me again talking about,
you know, the winning and skipping steps and so on.
No one is going to fault or say Oklahoma City
is skipping steps. But one thing I also know is
true of winning is guys want to get more. Not
necessarily want to say respect for it, but guys want
to get paid for it. And none of this Oklahoma
City team outside of Shake Guilders, has gotten paid yet.
(28:18):
How do you think that that dynamic impacts this team
going forward? I see a lot of people projecting multiple championships,
are multiple years of success without the little Harry notion
if you're gonna have to pay all these guys, And
I think that can cause issues in your chemistry.
Speaker 5 (28:35):
I agree, Martin. I agree, because the thing is, I
don't know with the CBA, which many people are calling
the Dynasty Killer, how you can possibly keep this whole
thing together. I don't know that because you're going to
have to lose somebody because Isaiah Hartenstein, they just took
care of him. Alex Crusso, they just took care of him. Right,
You're going to have to pay tent Homeward, You're gonna
(28:57):
have to pay Jadubb. So maybe it's money like lou
Dort that has to go. And the thing is, those
guys matter, So it's not as easy as saying, ah, well,
you know what you got Casey Wallace or you got
Alex Cruzo that can replace him. What may Oklahoma City
so good is their depth and the fact that lou
Dort can come out and you can go in with
(29:18):
Alex Caruso. So when you lose one, you're losing a lot.
Maybe it's Aaron Wiggins, you know, maybe it's Isaiah Joe.
Because what teams are going to try and do, They're
going to try and lure some of these guys away
from Oklahoma City that helped them win this world Championship.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
Of course, I think earlier point that's what I was
saying too. We've talked about this. You look at the Thunder,
you look at the Pacers, you look at Orlando, you
look at the Pistons. I think there's a bunch of
teams that are just building up. Young got a guy
in Kate k Cunningham, SGA, you name the team, and
then now they're building where they found. Everybody has a
role and let's just see what happens in the next
(29:55):
two three years. And not to mention, we're gonna talk
about later in the week. The East just opened up
with a lot of these injuries, so we'll talk about
that another day. Ad as always, brother, thank you so much.
Appreciate you for sure.
Speaker 5 (30:05):
I appreciate you guys. That a great night.
Thanks for listening to the best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
Be sure to check us out live every weekday from
four to seven pm Pacific seven to ten pm Eastern
on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for The
Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream
us every day on the iHeartRadio by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
You're listening to the best of the Odd.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Couple, Martin.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
When we had the NBA Finals, which you jumped in
a couple of times, overall, you were excited about this
from just a sports fan, from a basketball fan. You
weren't one of those blah blah NBA Finals, who's watching this?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
You were in? Yeah, to me, shocking turn of events.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Guy who decided to try to make a living talking
about sports exact, actually excited to watch games. I know
that that is seemingly rare across society these days, more
and more increasingly so. But yeah, I was locked in.
I was interested the NBA playoffs. They're fun, that's it.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
And I'm more like you, I will admit, and I've
said this several times in the show. It is strange, Martin.
In my however, many years living, you know how it goes.
Oh man, this series is crazy. I can't believe he
took that shot. Why would they do this? Oh, they
got to get swept. I didn't get any kind of
text like that with the series. Is the strangest thing
is normally the polar opposite, right, this guys that I
can't believe y'all think he's nice.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
He's not nice, he's you get all that kind of stuff,
And I don't know if it's just because there's a
social group of fun guys, nice guys hard to hate
on no real like eat both teams like the who's
the guy you hate?
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Like for instance, Celtics Lakers, you might have hated KG
or Paul Paul Pierce is weak. I can't believe man
Kobe over there's something in there. This one was like,
even if you're going for the Pacers, you hate the Thunder.
If you were going for the Thunder, you almost like
the Celtics series. It wasn't a lot of a lot
of that.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
We're getting into a dangerous territory already.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
I want to start just by saying congratulations through Yoklahoma
City Thunder for winning the NBA.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Fun. Yes, that's a big thing.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Shake Gildis Alexander just chopped topped off one of the
most statistically historic years in terms of the hardware taking
and points scored and sold and so forth, that we'll
see an NBA history Ottao. I feel like we're seeing
new NBA history made every given a week day, just
about right. If you don't like the weather, you know,
if you don't like the record, the same, same kind
of deal. But uh, but no, and okay, see how
(02:23):
they're set up for the future.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
We'll talk about that.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
I'm sure down the line in terms of this series today,
you know, congratulations to them. I'm sure everybody in Oklahoma
City is very excited and very happy. And the fans
of them across the nation if they you know, if
they exist. But also the fans of them are in Canada. Well,
in Canada they got a lot of them. They didn't
followed SGA and lou Dorton so on.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
The reason why you didn't get a lot of those
texts is because this team is.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Boring, absolutely in a good way. There's no good way
to be boring. To me.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Well, what I mean is, if I'm the owner, I'm
don't have to I don't have to worry about player
X getting that four in the morning, call yo, well
you know he's down. He got arrested for I don't
have to worry about breaking up to a tweet. They
who's on the TV right now, SGA and j Doub
going out And I can't stand you, man, You you
don't pass the ball like. They're boring in the sense
of you and you know you've been in your weight bag,
weight training bag and all that getting in the gym.
(03:19):
They're boring in a sense of consistency. They show up,
they work hard, they're united, they're familiar, their their teammates,
they love each other.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
You get through you have forty tonight. Well instead of
just you, all eight nine, ten guys are behind you
doing the press conference as well. So that's what I mean.
And boring in a good way, and that they're the
model of consistency, sportsmanship, team work, and you're just like,
well that's great, but sometimes you want some juice behind
that or something.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
So I mean, it's the that's the thing. I think
all the things that you just said about them are
also true of just about every team that wins a
lot of games.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
They like, play really hard, they'll work together.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
Just think think about the teams in the East like
right now the Indiana Pacers is true for them.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
That's what made these two teams almost identical. But we
get different teams, but you get some too. If it
was the Knicks, then I don't know what's up with Cat?
Why Cat ain't playing in a minute? Why is he
sitting in the four? You know, you get a little
little something in there, Jalen Brounson. He's hogging too much?
Are they? You could have some stuff in there. This
team with the kumbaya on that kumbaya was one hundred,
which again, if I'm the owner, that's a great thing.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
And I'm not saying again everyone in Oklahoma City should
feel great about this.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
This is not a knock to them.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
I was talking about me as a consumer of the
Finals because generally the way this was pitted, this is
David and Goliath.
Speaker 5 (04:38):
Right.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
This was the biggest potential favorite and NBA Finals history.
This was we haven't seen this in twenty eleven or oh,
two thousand and one, right, and the two series that
we remember vividly because of the way either David had
his moment in Game one liked Alan Iverson did to
step over Toronto Loo.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Which then the the rest of the years was so nondescript.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
And that is the only thing, Like, no one forgets
that the Lakers won that championship.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
There's just no highlights from me. You can't name one thing.
Do you know what? I'm getting a hold in his
chest from Shack But.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
I mean, but no one. I'm not saying nobody, But
you're not equating that. And the reason why you equate
that is because that was Allen Iverson's seminal moment at
the biggest stage of his career, right, that was his
primary moment. But then the twenty eleven team you were
are a finals. You remember that because the the king fell, right,
the king fell to Lebron and had all the I
(05:37):
mean spawned. Honestly, fifteen years of takes from that one
m beat was one that one set of games. Here
the goliath is boring. That's the problem, like Lebron, that
that team Miami, Like we were super into Miami and
Lebron and invested in that future Kobe and Shaq, even
(06:00):
though that finals itself was not the most interesting, Right,
the moment that you remember is Alan Iverson stepping over,
and that maybe the moment that you remember from this
finals is Tyres Haliburton hitting that shot in Game one?
But you were invested in what Kobe and Shaq were doing.
When I watch Shake Gildess Alexander and Chad Holmgren and
Jalen Williams, they are spursy and in a way that
(06:23):
I cannot say is complimentary. It is just like it
is a byproduct of what happens. Like everything he said
is right in the consistency and so on, even though
if you like drill down to some of the numbers,
how consistent can they are they when you look at
their shooting percentage and so on, you're more consistency in
terms of being stoic in personality, And so I get that.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
You know what that also was?
Speaker 4 (06:45):
It was boring then too, And they won five championships
in fifteen years as one of the best runs in
NBA history, and nobody outside of San Antonio talks about
it unless you're old at the barbershop and you say,
and all, so, Tim Duncan really had it like that.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
And I agreed, Tim Duncan had it like that.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
But those are not the teams that we look back
fondly as the teams that we remember as the most
fun are great teams.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Which is why I said, rob G is my witness.
Can I get a witness?
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Robger? You know this, I said this prior to the finals.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
I said that the person who will remember the most
throughout this postseason win loser draw was going to be
Tyrese Haliburton, And I said he was going to be
the most memorable person from this playoffs because of a
multitude of things. And then once we got into the finals,
it only added to why I believe I'm right. Tyrese
(07:39):
Haliburton came into this playoffs run as the most overrated player, right,
That's what his peers picked him as. And again, by
the way, that slightly, that slightly was overrated because only
fourteen people of one hundred and some, but fourteen people
is the most, so he becomes mister overrated. And also
part of that was because they started off slow and
we weren't thinking about them. And there were other storylines
(07:59):
in the like the Pistons all of a sudden being
good and all of a sudden, what's wrong.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
With the Bucks?
Speaker 1 (08:03):
And man the Celtics can they repeat against? So there
are other storylines. So the Pacers and they weren't doing it,
although January first on they were the second best team
behind the Thunder. So then we get into postseason, he's
mister overrated.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
What does he do?
Speaker 1 (08:18):
He knocks off the Bucks. He knocks them off a
couple of game winners. Nice plays, good games. Bam, Pops
is walling. Pop's getting into it with Giannis as they
close out that series. So now Halliburton have to get
on the podium. Your dad was tripping a little bit.
Dad was overreacting, you know. So now he's again, he's
becoming the topic of conversation. Dang, he can't be over ready.
He just knocked out Jannis and them. Oh, and he's
(08:39):
you know, got the issues with Pops. Pops is cool.
Kick Pops out, man, let Pops live. We're debating it.
We're having conversations even on this show. Then he goes
into the next series and the number one seed in
the East, Cleveland. This is about to be their year.
Finally we did it without Lebron and nope, you got Halliburton.
They come back multiple times down fifteen. He has another
couple of clutch games, hitting big shots were like, man,
this dude, how can we overrated? He might be underrated?
(09:02):
Then they go up against the Knicks. We already know
what happened, big comeback, fourteen, down fourteen, boom and he
hits the shot, does the choke again.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
Halliburton is the star of this.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Now we get into the finals, Martin, and he hits
the game winner game one alli as you mentioned, Alan Iverson,
and so they are down forty eight of forty seven
and fifty what six seconds or whatever it was, nine
second point three whatever remaining, hits that game winner, and
then throughout he's injured, but he's playing good game, bad game.
We're still talking about him. We care he didn't show up,
(09:33):
he only had. He was zero for four in game five.
We have all these conversations, and finally was a Shakespearean
ending to his season. Should he play? Shouldn't he plays?
Game six plays well, they win, They get into seven.
He starts off hot.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
You saw it three or four three, you're thinking, oh, shoot,
is he really about to pull this off? Bam to Achilles,
Pops and to me for everything I just mentioned.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
He's the star of this, even in a loss like
we're gonna remember that Halliburton run twenty the thunder, whereas
I said, man, anytime I stopping the barber shop five years,
ten year twin.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Remember that Halliburton run Bruh was out there.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
That was a crazy, crazy playoff run, and I just
think he ended up. I said this, you know what
two and a half three weeks ago, and to me
it ended that way. Even though SGA gets to win
as the MVP and the Thunder get to win and
get their title, I still think Hallibert ended up just
stealing all the headlines and the juice and the storylines
from this postseason and with you, as you mentioned, even
though congrats to the Thunder.
Speaker 4 (10:30):
I think that you have I think two things have
to happen for your thing to be all the way true. Okay,
the first are one thing has to not happen. Okase,
he can't go back and win multiple titles, because if
they if they go back and win multiple titles, the
way that a lot of people who have the same
govern me have been saying all day, then this will
(10:52):
get erased to the history of this. It will be
chapter one of a book in NBA history, right, So
it won't be the memories of Halliburton. We'll see those
shots every playoff, but it won't be like it'll be
like the way that you show those uh montages and commercials. Right,
we'll remember like the moment, but it won't be in
the context, won't be there because it'll be what is it,
(11:15):
the birth of the Juggernaut. Maybe maybe that's the memory
of it also too. The thing that has to happen,
absolutely has to happen, is Tyre's Halliburton has to play
at a high level again.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
And I'm not saying that he won't.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
I don't think that's an unlikely scenario, but I do
think that it is likely are more likely than not
that the Pacers have it.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
It's really hard to get to the the NBA.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Final, especially nowadays with all these he keeps flopping every year.
It's not like you have a Juggernaut Lakers Warriors, We're
going every year. We all knew it from the beginning
of the season.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
We talk about seven unique champions in the last seven years.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Look at the final four of the that's.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
Also a lot of the unusual suspects. It's hard to
get back to this spot. So I think without more
playoff experience, I wonder how much you know he becomes
a the reason iverson We know that moment because he's
a hall of famer.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Right, Like, that's why it lasts.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
There's a ton of guys with a ton of playoff
moments that are kind of just lost to the story
of others along the way.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
The only I hear what you're saying. I agree with
the first point, but I do believe he did so much.
If he had a shot, two shots, or a comeback
or one or two. He had comebacks. He had game winner,
literal game winner at the buzzers, I mean, he had everything.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
I think people.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
Remember it like people remember like remember that Kember run,
do you know? But I wonder how many people remember
how it ended. I think it'll be more of a
Reggie Miller choke. Ironically, enough, pacers meeting will always remember that. Finally,
that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
I've said that.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
I am a firm believer and when you got a shot,
you gotta go for it, especially in this case of Halliburton.
Tyre's Halliburton with the injury, we knew he had the
right calf strain and we didn't know the severity. Could
he play? Couldn't he play? I was always to the
mind you gotta play man. Game six was when we
were questioning it because, dude, as you've even mentioned we
talked about earlier, you never know, you feel like, man,
(13:22):
I'm young, we had a good team, but you never
know if you're gonna make it back. And so you
got a shot to win it, you go for it.
And we had guests on throughout that week, and all
the ex professional athletes agree that you gotta go for it, man,
and that their minds are wired differently, like that's part
of what makes your professional athletes. You're kind of crazy,
you're kind of psychotic about what you do. So to me,
(13:45):
I've always felt that was the right thing to do.
You go for it, you give it your best. And
I know he's hurt now, but dude, you had a shot.
You hit a few threes in the first quarter Game seven,
NBA Finals, don't you don't get injury, you mess around
to win it. It's a historical moment, you go down
in history. I didn't get a chance to hear your
thoughts on should he have played that? He ruin it
now for himself for the Pacers. Look like he's gonna
(14:05):
be all out all of next season.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
I mean, ruin it for the Pacers, like crime a
river for the team like at that point, Like I mean,
obviously I feel for his teammates, and I'm not saying that,
but the idea, like you hear the announcer be like, well,
if you're Indiana, this one really hurts. No, it really
hurt Tyree Talliburton as you saw him with his towel
over his head. Devastating moment obviously, and one that I
(14:29):
think we just also true a Jason Tatum. You see
the reaction and it's less about the pain and more
of the knowledge of I know what just happened, right,
And it's one of those things that we see, like
we see that reaction for those guys because they know
in that moment they look back, somebody kicked me. There's
nobody there, and obviously it's a basketball tragedy of sorts.
(14:53):
But I you have I'm not saying he has to play,
I think, but as a person who sits, who has
never been a man in the arena, who has never
been nobody ever wanted me to play nothing worth it?
You know what I mean, like that's the.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Way I'll arn. You gotta do it. You gotta do it.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Like nobody ever was, Like nobody ever told me I
gotta go gut something out or anything of that nature.
Now I would have been willing to, but nobody ever
wanted me to. And that shows you like the ability
that I had, and it shows you that obviously there's
the reason why I'm doing this and not that. But
I cannot fathom being forty eight minutes away or forty
(15:32):
eight times to two games away from what I've dreamt about.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
My entire life and not going full bore as hard
as I could, as much as I could.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
And an achilles tear is something like it is less
of a like the calf strain. I just say from
what I've heard, and again because when my strain my calf,
nobody cares, right, so I don't have to. But like
your girl cares, don't do that to her, Okay, so
one person cares, right, two people tupac right.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
Anyway, nobody else cares.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
When you're in that spot, Like, I can't imagine not
doing everything I could to try to play, not doing
everything I could to be out there, and especially after
the success that I had in Game six, I would
have expected to have more in game seven. Part of
me wonders if that's what happened. He went out Game
six felt good, like was tentative, and it was like
his Game seven, I gotta go all the way, go
full bore. But this is like a hamstring. When you
(16:26):
hurt your hamstring, you can't even use the restroom properly,
like everything, yes, every week, and your lower body is
hurts and is unavailable. This calf thing, apparently it's something
that it don't get me wrong, It hurts you, but
you can still run, you can still and it's a
it's just Bill Belichick said it, and I thought it
was one of the if I knew what play guys
were gonna get hurt on I take him.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
Out to play before. But you just don't know, you don't.
And then you see what he was doing right, three
three pointers in the first quarter, and he's feeling like, dude,
this is about to be one of the most epic
runs nobody saw us come.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
And we're got the number one team, you know, back,
you know, backed against the wall, and this seven.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
Game one big game, had not had a big game
to that point, just right, the big shot in game one,
and that even that game wasn't great, he just as
you mentioned, made that big shot and this can be
my moment already off to nine points, might mess around
and drop a forty piece on them and a you
know in a in a win and a clutch game
seven win.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
We won two games in a row to finish this
thing off. There he was on his way. But I
completely you have to play this thing out. I mean this,
first of all, it's a short lifespan anyway, being a
professional athlete. And we assume, like we look at Lebron mcgoeol, Lebron, man,
it's great, Chris Paul, you know, almost twenty year dude.
That's those are the abnormal ones. Yes, most guys are. Man,
(17:44):
I got a good four to six year run, had
a good time of pro. Now I'm doing radio somewhere,
I'm doing local news somewhere with the city I played
for a year or two, or I'm a you know,
doing some college basketball, or I'm just back home now
doing whatever. Like that's the that's more normal, not going
twenty something years like Lebron, Vince Carter, long career like
(18:04):
Kevin Durant, Steph Curry's guys, that's the more normal thing
because you had a nice four three four year, five
year run. So point is, you want to give it
all you can and get it absolutely, try to have
those magical moments like Tyree sealerburn. Now I still stand
on this. I think the reason why we were seeing
all these young guys twenty two, twenty three, twenty four
to twenty five went through these catastrophic injuries or never
(18:25):
quite being right. I still believe that they're playing too
much basketball since they were four and five years old. Dude,
I have for you know, I'm at the age nine
kids too. It's insane how much basketball they played at
six years old. Mark, what we didn't You didn't get
on the team, so you were like eight, nine ten.
These kids are playing and I mean I was coaching
my daughter Martin at four. It was a four and
(18:46):
five year league. Referees scoreboards at four and five years old?
Speaker 3 (18:51):
What are we doing?
Speaker 4 (18:52):
Like I played, I remember playing rec ball growing up,
but like I only played on one AAU team. Right
Like to the point, these guys who were really really good,
they're playing and just even in the pro level.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Holliburton played all summer in France. Right.
Speaker 4 (19:05):
I know he's ot on the bench, but you practice,
you had to play yep, right exactly. But to this point,
I have an interesting take that maybe we should talk
about top.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Of next hour.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Yes, well, I want to hear it. And just to
put it why you saved that, Just to put a
button on it. Man, I've said this to Rob. I
think that's why all these top picks, Man, LaMelo, Lonzo Ball,
both Ball brothers.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
We know how much they played.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
You're looking at Zion play, Griffin, Benson's all these guys
who've come out and it's been nicked up at injury
for so long.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
I think that has something to do with it.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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Speaker 1 (19:46):
And we are joined now by our buddy, hardest working
man in the business, Antonio Daniel's NBA Champ Series six
M NBA Radio, New Orleans, Pelicans. Fox Sports Radio NBA
analysts A Daniels thirty three on x A D.
Speaker 5 (19:59):
What's up, Calvin? What's up? Brother? What's up? Martin? How
you guys doing good. You I bless man, truly blessed.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Well, you know what, First off, Steve, by the way,
Steve Sager was just telling us a sixteen something million
so everybody tuning in to see a Game seven in
the NBA Finals, first we had since that twenty sixteen.
But I just wouldn't talk a couple of things from
that one. I want to start with just Tyre's Halliburton,
the injury. We never want to see it. You and
I had the conversation with Rob last week, and you
(20:29):
were on my side of man going into game six,
you gotta play, you gotta go for it.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
He does.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
They play well, they win big game for them, least
in Game seven. But this is just part of sports, right,
This is I remember Isaiah Thomas tearing his ankle up
and Game six and eighty eight finals. Had he not,
maybe they win in beat the Lakers in eighty eight.
We already know what happened with Kevin Love and Kyrie
and Kevin Durant in twenty was at twenty eighteen, nineteen,
twenty nineteen. Kevin Durant goes down to the worst. These
(20:55):
things happened, but he played it right by playing in
game six in games right, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (21:01):
I mean the thing is, hindsight's always twenty twenty. You know,
after the fact, everybody can say, well, you know what
he shouldn't have or whatever it may be. And I
think about it like this, you know, can you think
about what people would have said about Teresa Halliburton had
he chose not to sit out and chose not to
play in game six and seven?
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Oh sure, he's weak, codyed Man up, be tough.
Speaker 5 (21:23):
Yes, exactly so A lot of times, and I think
this is a this is we talked about this on ourselves.
That's some show today. It's a problem with social media. No,
I'm not blaming the fans, but I'm just saying in general,
I think a lot of times guys won't do what's
best for themselves because they're worried about what they're going
to hear about themselves that they do.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
Right.
Speaker 5 (21:44):
So, Terse Haliburton, when he got injured in game five,
went to Rick Carlisle and said, you know what, listen,
just go I trust these guys. Let's go ahead and
let the finish with these guys. I don't want to
risk my long term health and possibly rupture of my
Achilles and missing all of next year, right, even though
it may have been the right decision. Can you imagine
(22:06):
the narrative that would have surrounded thereis Aliburton.
Speaker 4 (22:08):
Can you imagine carl shut him down. If Carlas would
have to come out and say I want to play,
Haliver would have said I want to play, and it
would have to have been an organization.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
That's the only way it plays.
Speaker 5 (22:19):
But here's the thing that the players always have the
final say. That's why it's called the player empowerment movement.
It's not called the organizational empowerment movement, or the coach
empowerment movement, or the training staff empowerment movement. It's called
the player empowerment movement because the player, especially the star player,
there's not a person in the organization that has more
(22:41):
power than a star player who's the most powerful entity
with the Golden State Warriors, that no question about it.
So he can get Steve kirkfrared if you want to.
He can get Draymond Green traded if you want to.
But you're telling me he doesn't have the final right
of refusal or whether or not he wants to play
or not.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
So Antonio, I gotta ask you Antonio Daniel's joining us,
And I know you just asked me a question, but
I do We did have the Game seven. They've played
three World quarters in O case, he won the championship.
I know that gets lost in the wash here unfortunately
for them. But you said something in your answer just
now that that triggered me. The Oregon you said is
(23:21):
the player and powerer movement right now? Do you still
think that's true in terms of way the CBA and
all this is going. Where I say that because you
look at the Oklahoma City Thunder, you look at the
way they are being championed right now. Are should say
they are being celebrated right now because they lifted the championship.
(23:41):
But it's the idea of they built this thing up
from the ground up, using their picks and a little
lottery luck with chet and drafting J dub and find
you know, and i'd building this roster route. And in
the same breath as we talk about how good this
team is or how great this team is, depending on
how you look at them, it's also this team super
set up for the future as well. Do you are
(24:01):
we moving into a different vision of things in terms
of player empowerment.
Speaker 5 (24:06):
No, because I mean the thing is, as long as
players are getting paid what they're getting paid, they give
us Alexander's about to be super mix out. You know
that's not going to change. Like I get exactly what
you're saying, Martin. You know, the thing that will change
is the structure of roster construction. That's what it changed.
(24:28):
If you remember last year, everybody tried to be Boston.
Everybody wanted to shoot three. Okay, well what Boston did?
They got a fifty perdees a game, So that seems
to be the way to success, So everybody start doing that.
I can tell you what I know now and watching
this year and watching the finals. The king of the
NBA right now, the overall king. Nothing matters more in
(24:53):
the NBA than versatility. Versatility is king and depth is queen.
That's how it is now. Right you remember last year,
no one talked about that because I've been old. With
freeze analytics, we get up more threes than their twos.
Right now, versatility's king and depth is queen. That's how
(25:13):
it looks. Because if you look at why Oklahoma City
was successful all year long, the reason that Indiana was
successful is because they came in waves, they came in ways.
It wasn't about one or two players. I said before
this year started, I no longer believe and we'll get
behind teams that are skipping steps with all doers. Meg
(25:35):
Kevin Durant is one of my favorite players of all time.
But I disliked what Houston did. I DiscId what they did.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
We were about to go there next, So that was
gonna be the question. Just you know, hey, it's not finalized.
What looks like this is going to be the case.
I loved I've loved it for a couple of weeks.
I've been saying this. I thought it was a perfect fit.
You say, no, why is that?
Speaker 5 (25:55):
Because Okay, let me ask you a question. When is
the last championship team to go big game hunting and
for it to payoff.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
I'm trying to actually think.
Speaker 4 (26:06):
I was about to say the twenty twenty Lakers, Andy.
Speaker 5 (26:10):
Davis, right, But if you look at these champions, they
are winning because they're going after guys that understand their roles.
The Drew Holidays, the Derek Wrights, the PJ. Tuckers, the
Alex Crusoe's, the Isaiah Hartensteins, these kind of guys. But
I don't believe in skippy steps ADKD.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Maybe KD is not Kevin Durant of old, meaning maybe
he is just a cog in this thing a piece.
I mean, this isn't eight years ago where you had
a different expectation.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
If you're the Warriors, this one A man.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Just come here, some midrangees, some threes, give us twenty
three a game and we're good to go.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Not Katie of old.
Speaker 5 (26:48):
But the thing is, when you're talking about a guy
and Kevin Durant over the last three years, that ever's
twenty five points of a game on fifty forty ninety
from the field. He has more respect and cash an
anybody else on that Houston Rockets team. This is the
thing about stars. They're great, but they have the tendency
because of their resumes, to disrupt chemistry because now you
(27:11):
have to build around them, you have to placate to them.
There's the reason it didn't work. And seedings. Devin Booker
is amazing, Kevin Durant is amazing, Radley Bill is really good.
Why didn't it work? Why didn't that work? But because
you need guys, you need to bring in guys that
are willing to simply play a role. And I hear
(27:32):
what you're saying, Kelvin about Kevin Durant. Maybe he's not
you know, the MVP Kevin Durant that was in Oklahoma City.
But the dude is still better than anybody else on
that Houston Rockets team. And they brought him in to
play through him down the stretch.
Speaker 4 (27:47):
Now, I mean they absolutely, especially when you watch the
way that that offense died in the postseason.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
Simpatico right here on that one.
Speaker 4 (27:54):
But you said something that triggered me again talking about,
you know, the winning and skipping steps and so on.
No one is going to fault or say Oklahoma City
is skipping steps. But one thing I also know is
true of winning is guys want to get more. Not
necessarily want to say respect for it, but guys want
to get paid for it. And none of this Oklahoma
City team outside of Shake Guilders, has gotten paid yet.
(28:18):
How do you think that that dynamic impacts this team
going forward? I see a lot of people projecting multiple championships,
are multiple years of success without the little Harry notion
if you're gonna have to pay all these guys, And
I think that can cause issues in your chemistry.
Speaker 5 (28:35):
I agree, Martin. I agree, because the thing is, I
don't know with the CBA, which many people are calling
the Dynasty Killer, how you can possibly keep this whole
thing together. I don't know that because you're going to
have to lose somebody because Isaiah Hartenstein, they just took
care of him. Alex Crusso, they just took care of him. Right,
You're going to have to pay tent Homeward, You're gonna
(28:57):
have to pay Jadubb. So maybe it's money like lou
Dort that has to go. And the thing is, those
guys matter, So it's not as easy as saying, ah, well,
you know what you got Casey Wallace or you got
Alex Cruzo that can replace him. What may Oklahoma City
so good is their depth and the fact that lou
Dort can come out and you can go in with
(29:18):
Alex Caruso. So when you lose one, you're losing a lot.
Maybe it's Aaron Wiggins, you know, maybe it's Isaiah Joe.
Because what teams are going to try and do, They're
going to try and lure some of these guys away
from Oklahoma City that helped them win this world Championship.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
Of course, I think earlier point that's what I was
saying too. We've talked about this. You look at the Thunder,
you look at the Pacers, you look at Orlando, you
look at the Pistons. I think there's a bunch of
teams that are just building up. Young got a guy
in Kate k Cunningham, SGA, you name the team, and
then now they're building where they found. Everybody has a
role and let's just see what happens in the next
(29:55):
two three years. And not to mention, we're gonna talk
about later in the week. The East just opened up
with a lot of these injuries, so we'll talk about
that another day. Ad as always, brother, thank you so much.
Appreciate you for sure.
Speaker 5 (30:05):
I appreciate you guys. That a great night.
Hosts And Creators
kelvin washington
Rob Parker
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