May 16, 2022 • 41 mins
Chris Broussard and Rob Parker react to the Phoenix Suns immaculate collapse in Game 7 against the Dallas Mavericks. Rob Parker says that he was proven right after years of calling the Suns frauds, and Chris debates who on the Suns deserves the blame for the collapse. Chris Broussard and Rob Parker debate if Lukka Doncic can elevate himself to the “best player in the world” if the Mavericks win the NBA Championship. Plus, Chris and Rob have a heated debate over Patrick Beverley’s comments about Chris Paul, and Matt Barnes’ harsh response.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from seven
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(00:21):
s R. You're listening to the Best of the Odd
Couple with Chris Bruce and Rob Harker. All yeah, it
is the R Couple. I'm Chris Bruce Sart alongside my
(00:44):
partner Rob Parker, and we are coming to you live
from the Fox Sports Radio studios. And what a show
we have in store for you today. So keep it
locked right here on Fox Sports Radio, the iHeartRadio app,
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(01:06):
What a weekend of NBA action. You had two games
sevens and a couple of games six is or one
one a couple I think on Friday one or two,
and just made for some great basketball, great storylines, and
we will get into all of that and then some today,
(01:27):
So keep it locked right here. As I said, for
the next three hours, we got olden polonies. Fox Sports
Radio NBA analyts former player himself joining us at the
bottom of the hour. But let me welcome in my partner,
Rob Parker. What's up, man, what's happening to mister Chris Bissard?
How are you? I am great, man, I am great
and excited about the show, excited about the final four
(01:52):
in the NBA. As I said, despite not having so
many big names, you know from the path ass ten
fifteen years, in these playoffs, you got a new cropper
players emerging, you know, Jason Tatum, Luca don Chich and uh,
still a few old guys in there, Jimmy Butler and Uh,
(02:15):
it's gonna be a lot of fun. I think. Yeah,
you weren't disappointed by those two games ooh yesterday two
games seven? No, I was not. I was not disappointed
about Boston because you know, I gotta go on first
things first every morning to defend my picks. So no,
I was excited that they won. And it made it
(02:35):
a lot easier that they blew them out. You know,
I get what you're saying. It wasn't like a nail biter.
I didn't want a nail biter. I wanted I just
wanted Milwaukee to make a couple of threes. Three for thirty.
They made a couple almost four for thirty three is
what they would have finished four robbed. They got outscored
(02:58):
by the unbelievable or point you can't win in two
day's NBA being outscore fifty four points at the three
point line. I just was like, it was just shocking
to me. It reminded me of when the Rockets missed
those twenty seven threes and oh yeah, the playoffs. I
mean they weren't going Rockets, you know, where they were
(03:21):
just like, all we're gonna shoot is the three. But
they did go cold rob and then they didn't stop it.
They had the old school defense, right you know when
we covered the league, the defense was, hey, protect the
rim and the paint and give up the three. Forced
them to shoot the three, and we'll live with it. Well,
they lived with it, and they died with it last
(03:43):
night because Rob Grant Williams. Forget that he made seven.
I mean, that's that's enough. He took eighteen rob one
player took eighteen threes, and they were practice shots and
that's not even the itching. Uh, Derek White, he was
(04:03):
getting wide open looks too. It was that's why they lost,
that's where their home watching. And we're gonna get into
all of that and then some let's introduce the Eye
Couple crew. And didn't get this party started. We should
we should say this, Chris before we do Rob Ge
and his family. We said that our loving prayers to Rob,
who Chris and I both care about. And uh, he
(04:26):
had a passing of his father and the family and
he's not gonna be with us for a few days.
And you know, it's always tough to lose, you know,
a loved one. I've lost both of my parents. Chris
is tough. Yeah, so I love him. Prayers right go
out to Rob G time. We asked the same of
all you keeping with your prayers him and his family.
(04:49):
All right, Um, we got the heavy don Brown, Bad
bad Donnie Brown if for DJ Alex Tyson on the
ones and twos, we got brand in as the super
producer for Rob G and on the updates. I didn't
hear it earlier. I hopped right on with Steve de
Sager with the updates. All right, Rob, let's get to it.
(05:13):
The Phoenix Suns. Rob, I'm gonna say quickly because I
know you want to. You want to pounce, You want
to unleash once again, Rob. They drop a two oh lead.
Last year in the finals, they led Milwaukee too and
an individual, great individually great player, Yannis Onto Decompo, was
(05:36):
too much for him. And then to this year in
the second round, after run into the best record in
the league, they lead too old and then lose four
of the next five. Another individually great player takes them
out Luca don Chi and Rob. I don't know if
you're aware of this. Chris Paul is the only player
(05:58):
in NBA history to lose five series in the playoffs,
where he led to Oh, we're talking about Doc Rivers
blowing the three one leads. No other player arrive even
has four and CB three now has five. Jockey. It
really is. But Chris, I told you so. I've been
(06:26):
telling you for a year and a half now. The
Phoenix Suns are full gazy Fraudilyn. Yes, we've seen it
now over and over. They run to the finals last year,
which I didn't even validate or think was legit because
(06:49):
they rolled over every team they faced had a major
star missing Anthony Davids from the Lakers that turned the
series around in their favor. Jamal Murray from the Nuggets.
He was gone, and then the Clippers without Kawhi Leonard.
I mean, and now this year, here you go, Chris.
(07:12):
They can't get it done. They were up to All
in the finals last year and lost the next four games.
This year again first round star hurt. What happened? They win? Right,
We're talking about Zion? Correct? This year Zion was out
(07:37):
the whole year. I mean, come on, we can know
what I'm saying. But the I am with names. Their
record now is four and old when star major stars
are out and the last two postseasons and oh and
two when they face healthy teams with their stars. And
(07:59):
you saw it, Luca All I'm saying, Chris, and you
could sit here and make all excuses you want in
the world. They were up to All in this series.
They were They were the best team all year. You
thought they were the best team all year. Correct, I'm
just asking a validation. Okay, they were. They won games
like crazy. Everybody was like hey, and then they had
(08:21):
the nerve Devin was it, Devin Booker? They were on
the revenge tours. What he said, it was a revenge tour,
revenge for what they had their way with everybody a
year or they want in Milwaukee. Oh okay, if you
get to Milwaukee and Saints or Revenge in the finals,
(08:42):
I'll buy that. But they're just where I thought they
would be. Chris. I never bought into him, Chris Paul.
His record speaks for itself. You just said it. Him
and Devin Booker old for eleven in the first half
in their own crib. They choked so bad that doctor
Heimlich wouldn't even want to waste the maneuver on them. Chris.
(09:05):
That's how bad it was. They were so pissed poor
that the Washington generals wanted to throw confetti on them
during the game. That's bad. And worst of all, don't
say that on June ninth, please not at the comedy club.
Thought I won't. And worst of all, though, Chris, they
(09:28):
were supposed to be as Mike bream as I think
you said it. A couple of people are Reggie Miller.
Maybe it was Reggie Miller. I can't remember. I know,
I can't know what I'm gonna say, Like san Antonio, yes,
that they were gonna come back. That take from me?
Who was that? Who sotold it? Reggie Miller? Yeah, Reggie Miller.
(09:50):
I heard that on Dan Patrick. He heard it from
me first. Okay, I'm just I know you too, all right, now,
don't don't be so quick to play it first. But
my point is, and you remember when I had to
pushback on that, is that the Spurs had won a
championship prior to that, and I said, that's why it
wasn't the same. But anyway, here we are. You smell
that that's the Phoenix Suns, and the happiest man in
(10:13):
Phoenix is Kyler Murray because nobody will remember that stinking,
that stinking playoff game he had, Chris, you remember, which
was god awful against the Rams, and now to lose
in that fashion at home in front of your home crowd,
and the game seven was embarrassing. It was an embarrassment,
(10:34):
There's no doubt about it. And look, since you made
since you tried to put it on me, I'm just
like I told you. So. No, here's what you told me,
Rob Parker. Mill fis was winning in the West. No,
we're not talking about right now. We're talking about Milwaukee
is winning in the East. That's what you told me.
So I'm just saying I don't know about all this
(10:56):
I told you, because here's the deal. You're right, they
a bunch of injured teams last year, but guess what,
they were injured two and I don't even want to
defend they don't deserve defended it. I'm defending myself because
last year Chris Baul was out in that Laker City series.
He played but four of the games. He didn't even
(11:16):
play thirty minutes because he had a shoulder injury. He
missed the first two games of the Clippers series. Milwaukee
also played a bunch of food daisy teams on they
played freaking Atlanta. Atlanta is a mediocre squad at best,
and they plasted through They played in the Eastern Conference finals.
(11:38):
So last year was a strange year because of injuries,
and there's a bunch of injuries this year. You know, Boston,
I got the utmost respect for Boston, but Milwaukee was
without the second best player, Chris Middleton. You know, injuries
are part of the game. I'm not gonna dump on
the Suns for taking advantage of it, but what I
(11:59):
will say is what they did this year was an
embarrassment and absolute embarrassment. Rob and Chris Paul. There's a
lot of blame to go around. Whenever you get beat
by thirty three, you trailed by I think forty two,
Game seven at home, whenever one player equals right Luca
(12:22):
it was Luca twenty seven Sons twenty seven at halftime.
That is incredible. And whenever that happens on your home
for there's a lot of blame to go around. But
I put the lion's share of it on Chris Paul Rob,
because here's the deal. If Chris Paul his last five
games were poor, if he just has one of those games,
(12:46):
is a good game, not even a great game by him.
If one of those games is a good game, Rob,
they probably don't even have a game seven. And then
yesterday Ep three, Rob, I thought he was didn't have energy.
I thought he was lifeless. I thought his spirit was
(13:06):
broken from Luca, not to man. And maybe it was
more just physical, but whatever, it looked physical and emotional.
But he was worn out. And when your players see
their leader, their future Hall of Famer, the guy that
turned their franchise around, is lifeless. His spirit is gone.
(13:27):
They all fed off that. You can I mean I
you say, hey, they gotta pick it up. The role
players tried, they're not good enough, but Devin Booker DeAndre
and he had issues with Minty Williams. That team fractured
because their leader wasn't there. And now robbed they're going
home and Rob. As far as winning the championship at
(13:51):
least in the next couple of years, I think, I
don't think the Sun. I think there'll be a playoff
team next year. I don't think they'll be in the
championship mix because we don't even know if Deandrean's gonna
be there. But yeah, that Remember they didn't sign him
when he had a chest, so they already had query
him free agent, I believe, so they gotta be at
(14:13):
the match. But Rob, Chris Paul, it looked like Father
Time was sitting in his locker waiting until he turned
thirty seven and here and then and he just all seven,
no doubt about it. Yeah check if you want exclusive
insight from the biggest names in the sports game. What's good?
(14:33):
This is national champion and former pro baller Chris Johnson.
Let me tell you a little bit about my new
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Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
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I all right, it is the I Couple. I am Chris,
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Chris Brusar sixty eight on Instagram, Rob is at, Rob
(15:38):
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are talking the great weekend of NBA playoffs and Rob.
I've been liking this guy since basically since he got
in the league. I've dubbed him Luca Legend. I've said
(16:25):
he's a new age Larry Bird. And this year, now
his fourth season in the league, he finally won, have
got over the hump and won a playoff series, and
he's doing damage. Just playoffs numbers Robber history thirty two.
These are total playoff numbers in twenty three playoff games.
(16:48):
Thirty two point seven points a game, second only to
Michael Jordan nine point three rebounds a game at eight
point three assist in the playoffs. In the ninety eight,
forty nine percent shooting, so only real negative, only sixty
seven percent from the foul line. But this year he's
(17:09):
shooting seventy seven percent in the playoffs, so even improved
on that. Here's what I want to throw out to you, Rob,
And look, I know he's and it's true he's only
won two playoffs series, but he has faced Rob. I mean,
his first two years, he faced Kawhi Leonard and Paul
(17:29):
George in the playoffs. Those are two of the best
wing defenders of this generation, and he had to go
up against them and put big numbers on them, even
though they lost. And then this year they get rid
of Utah. He misses a couple of the games, three
of the first three games, and then takes out the
Phoenix Suns, who were the best regular season team in
(17:52):
the league. I'm gonna throw this out at you, Rob,
he was Luca was fourth on my MVP ballot. I
had him as a first team All NBA player. He
ended up I think fifth overall in MVP voting. But obviously,
now we're in the season where it really matters, and
(18:13):
this is where the best players in the league stake
their claim to that title. Last year, Rob, I know,
I think I was saying it earlier. I was you
may have been. But Yannis, I think, in the eyes
of many people, solidified himself as the best player in
(18:33):
the world when he won that championship. And it's not Look,
it's not just oh, you win the championship, you're the best.
Your best player on that team is the best player
in the world. No, I still remember Rob. Obviously, Chauncey
Billups wasn't the best player in the world when he
led the Pistons to the championship. Dark Naviski was not
the best player in the world. Ever. We can go
(18:55):
on and on their many I remember Rob with Paul
Pierce when he was Finals MVP in two thousand and
eight when the Celtics won it, and he said he's
the best player in the world, And I said, I
don't even think he's in the top ten. I think
I told you this story. He emailed me, text me
one of those and said, you're not ten. Yeah, right,
(19:16):
right right, You're not in my top ten local writers.
But no. So I'm gonna throw this question out at you, though, Rob,
and I want to see what you say. I'm not
picking Dallas to win the championship, but let's say they
(19:36):
do or not even I won't even go there with
Yannis out. Yannis is out in the second round. Can
Luca don chich Lay claim to being the best player
in the world during these playoffs? No way, no, how.
(19:57):
I think it would be premature. The problem I have
Chris and he could have a nice run and they
could get there and maybe even win. He doesn't have
an MVP to his title. I mean there's a lot
of other stuff, hardware that he doesn't have yet, and
I think it would be hard. Okay, Yeah, Yanni's lost.
(20:18):
He's also was missing his number two guys. Let's just
be fair. I'm not I'm not saying it's all on
Yannis and so it's Luca no. But but I'm saying,
I mean he's missing his number two guys. Yeah, but
damn one anything. Yeah, I'm just saying that Jannis has
one and has won a couple of MVPs. Chris Defensive
Player of the Year. I mean, his resume is way
(20:41):
better than Lucas, and I get the numbers you're talking about.
It's a small sample size compared to a Michael Jordan
that doesn't that doesn't pool pool one. But it's a
small sample size. I agree. Look, I've been arguing with
Nick right on first things First, every Moore, he's saying,
Lucas already in all time no playoffs great, He's said
it's too soon, it's too soon. Chris, I know he
(21:03):
will be. He keep it on basketball all the time,
he will be an all time great. I have zero
zero they might get there, hurt. I hear that. You
just gotta do it over time. You got to do it.
You have to do it. You just can't elevate people.
(21:26):
You just said it. Chris Chauncey Billups had an unbelievable
run with the Pistons in that championship. Right. He made
Gary Gary Payton the mitten instead of the glove. I
mean it was bad, but we weren't elevating him anywhere.
Do you know what I mean. I'm just a little tangent.
You know, they tried to give Gary Payton a second
(21:47):
that nickname the mitten. The Really he didn't want it.
He was like, nah, glove too or something like, which
I get and what man wants to be called nobody?
And they would have to be Chris h safety pin
to your coat? Right, But that you don't lose how
many of us walking around with mittens safety pinting? I
(22:11):
don't even understand parents. They didn't want to lose the
mittens because kids always lost. But you get my point.
I just think it's premature. I'm not and that's not
to take anything away from him or to say ken't
get there or whatnot, but I think it's steps and
you just can't have every time somebody makes a one
playoff run that they're the best player because they were
(22:33):
the last one standing. I don't know. I just don't
know what's gonna happen. I agree with you as I said,
it's premature to say he's an all time great playoff performer, right,
and I think you'll agree with me on this. Obviously,
twenty three games is just too small for sample size. Rob.
If we had said you and I were both in
the game Lebrin had when he scored forty eight against
(22:55):
the Business, and we had say that moment he is
already in all time great playoff performer, then oh, ten
happens right against the Celtics in the playoffs, and then
in the twenty eleven against Dallas, what would be said, Now,
obviously Lebron redeemed himself and has become great. Right at
(23:15):
that moment, was like, Oh, we can't go there, So
I'm with you there. But along the question Rob of
can he become like lay claim to the title of
best player in the world this postseason, I would say
(23:36):
no because I think Yannis, because Yannis is such a
fantastic defensive player and Luca is at best, like when
he's at his best, Defensively, he's mediocre and oftentimes he's
a liability, and Chris don't want to don't want to
look at that and then want to overlook it. But
(23:57):
when you're calling somebody the best in the world, that
factor's in and out there. He doesn't have to be
a stopper because that's not what we're asking him to be. Right, well, right,
if factors in. But I got a big button, Rob,
And again I'm not picking them. I don't. I don't
know if you're picking them or not. If they win
(24:18):
the championship, though he beat dispatches of Steph Curry and
the Warriors, dispatches of say Boston or whoever gets out
of the East in the finals. I do think at
that point, Rob, he could lay claim to it, even
though he's not the defender, even close that Yannis is.
(24:39):
And yeah, that would be a big advantage for Yannis.
But here's the thing. What you would say is yes,
but offensively, he does so many things Yannis doesn't do.
Yannis is a good passer, Luca's a better passer. Yeah,
Yuka is a very good shoot, like a good shooter,
a legitimate league good shooter. He can hit every jump shot,
(25:03):
Yannis has those something as great as he is. He
the scary thing about Yannis, Rob is he's got room
to grow, right. He's not a goodfit point shooter. He's
not really a good mid range shooter. He's improving, though.
But my point is at this moment, Luca is superior
to Yannis offensively, and if he leads a team. And
(25:25):
you mentioned no Chris Middleton in Milwaukee, that's fair. No,
Tim Hardaway Junior, who's not a star by any strategy,
but he was their second best player. No, I get that,
But but I think Middleton Chris, and I'm not trying
to knock Hardaway, but Middleton was a big part of
the Hardway, made some big shots and big moments as
(25:46):
well as great as Yannis. He's large go to guys
at the end. Yes, the kind of both of them,
but I'd say a little more so Middleton. But no,
my point is just that that's kind of making my point, Rob,
is that Luca's supporting cast. Yeah, Jalen Brunch is having
a nice run. He's a nice little player, but you
(26:07):
know he's not a star. Tim Hardaway Junior has been
the second best player. He's out and so and I
don't think it's gonna happen. But if Luca Donches does
lead them at twenty three years old to the championship,
and Rob gets through without like another great star on
his team, gets through that Boston defense that made Kevin
(26:32):
Durant look pedestrian, that beat Yanna's even though yann has
put up terrific numbers. It's gonna be harder than that
because Oldi made a good point. Rob, Larry Bird got
a lot of steel Soldi Magic Magic led the league
in still some years. Neither one of them was a
great defender, though I get that. I'm not saying that
they were great defenders. But but but again, when your
(26:54):
coach even says, dude, we need you to know he
called him out, but I think he responded right, No,
he has in step point. But that was ridiculous. And
even even Jason Kidd was like, dude, I get it,
but you gotta put an Olden talked about it, and
we notice defense quits is about effort and want to
It's like you got you gotta want the ball, right,
(27:15):
you gotta go after the ball and really wanted to
grab rebounds. You just can't be like, well, if it
comes to me, I'll does absolutely, there's some technique, there's
some you know, um, you gotta be in sync communication
wise with your teammates, so some of that is there.
But that plus, like you said, effort and Rob, Steph
(27:37):
Curry's nobody's idea of a great defender, neither with Steve Nash.
But just because they put forth the effort, you know,
they're they're they're adequate. And that's what Luca can be
and I think that's what he has been since he
was called out by Jason Kidd. Fox Sports Radio has
the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all
of our shows at Fox Sports Radio dot com and
(27:59):
with it the iHeart Radio app search f s R
to listen live. We're live from the Fox Sports Radio studios.
And Rob Patrick Beverley role player in the NBA now
with the Timberwolves, been with several teams, Clippers, Rockets. He
uh went on First Take to Day with our friend
Stephen A. Smith and set the NBA world ablaze. He
(28:24):
was like, he was basically like Chris Paul is okay, no,
he Chris Paul's hot car. Butage is what he's saying. Chris, gosh, wow,
here here here's a clip rop CP three. Is he
gonna be a Hall of Fame? No question about it?
Yeah right, no question about it. Do guys in the
(28:45):
NBA go to sleep early the night before playing the
Phoenix songs? Hell no, No, I mean as a team
when you talk about Chris Paul individ, Chris Paul individually. Okay, No,
I'm going to stake forty four over there, faning, So
I'm gonna have me a nice little wine, probably sweated out,
and the pre game shoot around and get ready for
Chris Paul Steph Curry. I'm going I'm going to bed
(29:07):
at eight o'clock. Mom, don't call me, my girl, don't
call me. I don't I'm locked in right now. It's
not it's two different monsters. Wow, all right. So Matt
Barnes another role player. I think did he play He
may have played with Beverly with the Clippers. I'm with
the Clippers. It might have, You're not sure. Yeah, but
he took issue. You know, Mad has made quite a
(29:29):
name for himself as a broadcast. He written me on
Twitter this weekend, did he yea for my remember my
my rent on? I cringe when players and other players. Yeah.
So he kind of came back said that I'm mad.
I'm mad because I haven't succeeded what as much as
other people having former athletes in the back thirty six
(29:54):
years whatever. Yeah, i'd any success at least. Right here,
here's Matt. He don't feel bad Rob because he winned
Patrick Beverley as well. Here he is. What I want
to touch on real quick, RJ. Is the disrespect I
saw from Pat Beverley earlier today. As reporters that you know,
a part of the media, we have a job to
be critical. But I think there's a thin line between
(30:14):
being critical and disrespecting. And I feel like what Pat
Beverley did today that Chris Paul was completely disrespect going
out of the line. And Pat Beverley's talking about keys
that guy. You're not that guy playing and simple Chris
Paul played terrible this year, and his numbers are still
better than your career numbers have ever been. All right, look,
there's a lot wrong with that cut. Did you hear
what he said? Chris? Go ahead, Well, I mean I
(30:35):
could hit on a few things. The first thing I'll
say is when he says Pat Beverley's not that guy.
But as if Okay, it didn't, no question, there ain't
a person on earth. I mean, I don't know what
Pat Beverley would saying, but nobody would say he's better
or as good as Chris Paul. Nobody Rocker if you
say that, right, But that doesn't mean he can't criticize Paul.
(30:59):
I don't care. If you're not on you're not equal.
And these guys Matt Barns. First of all, he misspoke Chris.
He said, we're reporters and in the media, and we critics,
criticize or critique people criticize. Dude. The problem is Pat
Beverly's not a reporter, Chris. He's a current NBA player
(31:22):
who plays against Chris Paul. What response do you want
him to give you? An objective one. He's supposed to
feel like, I can beat a thirty seven year old
any any day at a time, any day and time
like Chris. Are you shocked that he thinks he can
he can take on Chris? I'm not. Here's what I
(31:45):
say I do. I just I don't agree with Patrick
Beverly's comments. I think he did kind of short sell
to Chris Paul. Short let's put it down way. I
think Chris Paul is an all time but he's not
a reporter, is what I'm saying. But where he's not.
But he is entitled to his opinion. That's why he right.
(32:07):
He is on there to give his opinion. And if
he is a guy that has played against Chris Paul,
He's played against Steph Kurry and all these point guards.
And if he thinks, in his view Chris Paul ain't
that good. I don't agree with it, but he's at it.
He's entitled to say that, Rob and to say that
(32:29):
because he is not that great of a player. He
can't say so as Matt Matt was Matt and Pat Beverly,
and for if is Matt saying that he can't go
on there after criticize anybody, right he anybody who's not
about Damian Lillard or any type of All Star player
(32:50):
like that, he can't say anything about Chris Paul and
Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving a a Trey Young. No, here's
my thing, and I don't. I don't. I share the
sentiment of Chris and Dame in that I don't agree
with Beverly's criticism of I mean, he's basically saying Chris
Paul is overrated, not an all time great point guard
(33:16):
and you know, just a good point guard, which I
think is false. I think he is an all time
great point guard, even though he's never gonna win a championship,
at least not as a league you know, lead guy,
a star on that team. Um that said, Rob, what
I what I don't like about the players criticizing Beverly?
(33:36):
Like Matt Barne said it, Rob, he ain't on that level.
He's not as good as Chris Paul, so he can't
say something and what I would say? So? What what it? Boy?
What's the level? Rob? That's just one step away from
what they say sometimes about reporters. Oh you didn't You
never played the game at the NBA level, so you
(33:57):
can't be critical. Well, Rob, I don't know how to
fix my washer and dryer, but if I pay somebody
a professional to come fix it and he screws it up,
I got a right to be critical, absolutely right. And
here and here's the other thing that I think players
a phony Chris, is that they don't take the criticism
(34:18):
from Charles Barkley or Shack Gold gods and those two
those right, those guys or Kenny Smith who won two championships.
They got an issue with Charles and and they don't
want so what I say, Okay, what's the what's the
level that's fair? Don't only be the goat Mia Jordan guy, right, somebody?
(34:40):
It doesn't even make sense, That's what I'm saying. Like
Matt Barnes, what are you doing on TV? Then? But
who are you? Who are you criticizing role players? Chris No,
I'm serious. Matt Barnes can only come on to criticize
whole players. That makes no sense. He played in the league.
To give him respect, And you say, you've been out there,
(35:01):
you've played, you've competed. Why can't you have a say
don't you don't have to be on any particular level.
I think he's wrong. Nah, you can have drilled disagree
with Pat Beverley, but he has a right to his opinion.
That's why he's on the show. Absolutely, And that you
said what first they say reporters can't criticize is we
didn't play the league. Then a guy that played in
(35:22):
the league, but he's only a role player, he can't
say anything because he's not a star. So maybe a
premial All Star can criticize some people, But what do
you have to be a Hall of Famer? You got no,
and come on, you can't. And the bottom line is this,
rob and I get it. Look, nobody likes being criticized. Nobody,
all right, But that's what this boils down to. Players
(35:46):
don't like being criticized, and so they pushed back at
whoever it is. If it's a reporter, if player, if
it's a Hall of famer, they pushed back on shock, right,
JaVale McGee pushed back on shot. Now, So that's it.
Admit it. You just don't like being criticized like other
(36:10):
human beings. But you know what, you can either just
take it and let it roll off your back. You
cannot pay attention to it. You can not read it
or listen to it. And however you need to handle it.
But you can't expect that people aren't going to criticize
you when you're in the public eye like this. When
(36:30):
you play the public forum, Chris, people buy tickets, they
pay their money. Yeah. Absolutely. When you go to a
Broadway show, Chris, and you pay big dollars for a
show and the performance is lousy, you don't think people
just go o Okay, No, you tell your friends don't
go see that show, it's lousy, that's what you do.
(36:53):
Or at the New York Times, right that it's a
bad play, right, right, right. We say it all the time.
When you're in the public eye, you're going to be critiqued.
And that's a blessing because you know who's not being critiqued.
The brothers that play on Saturday morning at the y
m C a critique. Nobody's writing about them, nobody's criticizing
(37:17):
it for making some missing jump shots. It's a blessing
that you're in the public form and you can be criticized. Obama, Biden, Trump,
the president. They're criticized left and right. It just comes
with the territory. And you can't say because a guy
isn't as good as somebody else that he can't critique
(37:38):
somebody's game. Right. What about the coaches? Phil Jackson wasn't
all that as a player, pat Riley wasn't all that
as a player. Can they coach you? I mean really? Right?
Who were way better than them? Yes? If Magic Johnson
(37:58):
had played with pat Riley and League, he would have
looked at pat Riley as come on, come on, man,
you're getting what ten minutes a game, fifteen minutes a night.
You can't what you're gonna tell me, right, But when
you're a coach, even if you weren't as good as
that player, you got a coaching That doesn't mean I
don't like a coach, right, Right. That's that's the part
(38:20):
that people don't understand. And it's the same thing with
us and reporters and and you know, Matt Bonds called
themselves reporters, which they're not. But they're analysts, Chris, which
is fine. They're analysts and that's what they do. But uh,
in our case, that's what we've done our whole careers.
We've been to those games, We've talked to a lot
(38:40):
of people, we watched so many different things, Chris. That's
how you learn, right And and it doesn't mean that, Uh,
nobody who took the job as president of the United
States was president before that, right, Like they didn't, No, nobody,
you're not president and then you're president. What you do
is you learn about a lot of different things. And
(39:01):
you might be a governor. I mean, obviously there's other ways,
but you know, you work in public service, Chris, all
kinds of other stuff. You're an attorney, all kinds of things,
dealing with the public and dealing with people, and then
you ride to that level. You know, when Phil Jackson
took over as coach of the Bulls and he wanted
remember the Knicks didn't want to hire him before he
(39:21):
went to ride, and he had played for the Knicks,
and Michael Jordan did not want to run the triangle. Rob.
He pushed back on it. He could have been like,
you you gonna you couldn't hold my jock strap as
a player, and you're gonna force me to run this offense. No,
but he listened to because just because Phil Jackson wasn't
(39:42):
a great individual player didn't mean he didn't know the game.
Didn't mean he couldn't tell you something that you didn't know.
And so yeah, that's all we're saying. This will help Matt,
and Matt is doing a great job. But Rob, this
will help Matt and any other player they want to
get into this business. And you know what, Kirkins is
(40:03):
out there doing this thing. And you know, Kendrick Wasting
the greatest player, and he'll admit that, but he out
there doing this thing and he's doing a good job.
You know what this is gonna be a part of.
You know, we do at USC NBA players who want
to get into this business. Chris I helped coach and
we're doing it in June and a number of players
and this whole thing. I'm gonna have the school pull
(40:25):
this stuff out. So if we could talk about this,
you know what I mean, to let them know you
don't have to be a superstar to be able to
critique another player. I think that's and and it's not
just about criticism either. Sometimes you don't praise a guy right,
you're just calling it like it is. You would praise
Luca or Yannis even though he lost, or Jason Tatum
(40:48):
for this weekend, but then James Harden or Chris Paul
or a Devin Booker, You're gonna have to tell it
like it is. Just is what it is. All right.
We got an hour left of the eye couple. The
NBA talk is rolling, keep it lock
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from seven
pm to ten pm Eastern four to seven Pacific on
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Couple at Fox sports Radio dot com, or stream us
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(00:21):
s R. You're listening to the Best of the Odd
Couple with Chris Bruce and Rob Harker. All yeah, it
is the R Couple. I'm Chris Bruce Sart alongside my
(00:44):
partner Rob Parker, and we are coming to you live
from the Fox Sports Radio studios. And what a show
we have in store for you today. So keep it
locked right here on Fox Sports Radio, the iHeartRadio app,
or Serious XM channel eighty three. However you may be listening.
(01:06):
What a weekend of NBA action. You had two games
sevens and a couple of games six is or one
one a couple I think on Friday one or two,
and just made for some great basketball, great storylines, and
we will get into all of that and then some today,
(01:27):
So keep it locked right here. As I said, for
the next three hours, we got olden polonies. Fox Sports
Radio NBA analyts former player himself joining us at the
bottom of the hour. But let me welcome in my partner,
Rob Parker. What's up, man, what's happening to mister Chris Bissard?
How are you? I am great, man, I am great
and excited about the show, excited about the final four
(01:52):
in the NBA. As I said, despite not having so
many big names, you know from the path ass ten
fifteen years, in these playoffs, you got a new cropper
players emerging, you know, Jason Tatum, Luca don Chich and uh,
still a few old guys in there, Jimmy Butler and Uh,
(02:15):
it's gonna be a lot of fun. I think. Yeah,
you weren't disappointed by those two games ooh yesterday two
games seven? No, I was not. I was not disappointed
about Boston because you know, I gotta go on first
things first every morning to defend my picks. So no,
I was excited that they won. And it made it
(02:35):
a lot easier that they blew them out. You know,
I get what you're saying. It wasn't like a nail biter.
I didn't want a nail biter. I wanted I just
wanted Milwaukee to make a couple of threes. Three for thirty.
They made a couple almost four for thirty three is
what they would have finished four robbed. They got outscored
(02:58):
by the unbelievable or point you can't win in two
day's NBA being outscore fifty four points at the three
point line. I just was like, it was just shocking
to me. It reminded me of when the Rockets missed
those twenty seven threes and oh yeah, the playoffs. I
mean they weren't going Rockets, you know, where they were
(03:21):
just like, all we're gonna shoot is the three. But
they did go cold rob and then they didn't stop it.
They had the old school defense, right you know when
we covered the league, the defense was, hey, protect the
rim and the paint and give up the three. Forced
them to shoot the three, and we'll live with it. Well,
they lived with it, and they died with it last
(03:43):
night because Rob Grant Williams. Forget that he made seven.
I mean, that's that's enough. He took eighteen rob one
player took eighteen threes, and they were practice shots and
that's not even the itching. Uh, Derek White, he was
(04:03):
getting wide open looks too. It was that's why they lost,
that's where their home watching. And we're gonna get into
all of that and then some let's introduce the Eye
Couple crew. And didn't get this party started. We should
we should say this, Chris before we do Rob Ge
and his family. We said that our loving prayers to Rob,
who Chris and I both care about. And uh, he
(04:26):
had a passing of his father and the family and
he's not gonna be with us for a few days.
And you know, it's always tough to lose, you know,
a loved one. I've lost both of my parents. Chris
is tough. Yeah, so I love him. Prayers right go
out to Rob G time. We asked the same of
all you keeping with your prayers him and his family.
(04:49):
All right, Um, we got the heavy don Brown, Bad
bad Donnie Brown if for DJ Alex Tyson on the
ones and twos, we got brand in as the super
producer for Rob G and on the updates. I didn't
hear it earlier. I hopped right on with Steve de
Sager with the updates. All right, Rob, let's get to it.
(05:13):
The Phoenix Suns. Rob, I'm gonna say quickly because I
know you want to. You want to pounce, You want
to unleash once again, Rob. They drop a two oh lead.
Last year in the finals, they led Milwaukee too and
an individual, great individually great player, Yannis Onto Decompo, was
(05:36):
too much for him. And then to this year in
the second round, after run into the best record in
the league, they lead too old and then lose four
of the next five. Another individually great player takes them
out Luca don Chi and Rob. I don't know if
you're aware of this. Chris Paul is the only player
(05:58):
in NBA history to lose five series in the playoffs,
where he led to Oh, we're talking about Doc Rivers
blowing the three one leads. No other player arrive even
has four and CB three now has five. Jockey. It
really is. But Chris, I told you so. I've been
(06:26):
telling you for a year and a half now. The
Phoenix Suns are full gazy Fraudilyn. Yes, we've seen it
now over and over. They run to the finals last year,
which I didn't even validate or think was legit because
(06:49):
they rolled over every team they faced had a major
star missing Anthony Davids from the Lakers that turned the
series around in their favor. Jamal Murray from the Nuggets.
He was gone, and then the Clippers without Kawhi Leonard.
I mean, and now this year, here you go, Chris.
(07:12):
They can't get it done. They were up to All
in the finals last year and lost the next four games.
This year again first round star hurt. What happened? They win? Right,
We're talking about Zion? Correct? This year Zion was out
(07:37):
the whole year. I mean, come on, we can know
what I'm saying. But the I am with names. Their
record now is four and old when star major stars
are out and the last two postseasons and oh and
two when they face healthy teams with their stars. And
(07:59):
you saw it, Luca All I'm saying, Chris, and you
could sit here and make all excuses you want in
the world. They were up to All in this series.
They were They were the best team all year. You
thought they were the best team all year. Correct, I'm
just asking a validation. Okay, they were. They won games
like crazy. Everybody was like hey, and then they had
(08:21):
the nerve Devin was it, Devin Booker? They were on
the revenge tours. What he said, it was a revenge tour,
revenge for what they had their way with everybody a
year or they want in Milwaukee. Oh okay, if you
get to Milwaukee and Saints or Revenge in the finals,
(08:42):
I'll buy that. But they're just where I thought they
would be. Chris. I never bought into him, Chris Paul.
His record speaks for itself. You just said it. Him
and Devin Booker old for eleven in the first half
in their own crib. They choked so bad that doctor
Heimlich wouldn't even want to waste the maneuver on them. Chris.
(09:05):
That's how bad it was. They were so pissed poor
that the Washington generals wanted to throw confetti on them
during the game. That's bad. And worst of all, don't
say that on June ninth, please not at the comedy club.
Thought I won't. And worst of all, though, Chris, they
(09:28):
were supposed to be as Mike bream as I think
you said it. A couple of people are Reggie Miller.
Maybe it was Reggie Miller. I can't remember. I know,
I can't know what I'm gonna say, Like san Antonio, yes,
that they were gonna come back. That take from me?
Who was that? Who sotold it? Reggie Miller? Yeah, Reggie Miller.
(09:50):
I heard that on Dan Patrick. He heard it from
me first. Okay, I'm just I know you too, all right, now,
don't don't be so quick to play it first. But
my point is, and you remember when I had to
pushback on that, is that the Spurs had won a
championship prior to that, and I said, that's why it
wasn't the same. But anyway, here we are. You smell
that that's the Phoenix Suns, and the happiest man in
(10:13):
Phoenix is Kyler Murray because nobody will remember that stinking,
that stinking playoff game he had, Chris, you remember, which
was god awful against the Rams, and now to lose
in that fashion at home in front of your home crowd,
and the game seven was embarrassing. It was an embarrassment,
(10:34):
There's no doubt about it. And look, since you made
since you tried to put it on me, I'm just
like I told you. So. No, here's what you told me,
Rob Parker. Mill fis was winning in the West. No,
we're not talking about right now. We're talking about Milwaukee
is winning in the East. That's what you told me.
So I'm just saying I don't know about all this
(10:56):
I told you, because here's the deal. You're right, they
a bunch of injured teams last year, but guess what,
they were injured two and I don't even want to
defend they don't deserve defended it. I'm defending myself because
last year Chris Baul was out in that Laker City series.
He played but four of the games. He didn't even
(11:16):
play thirty minutes because he had a shoulder injury. He
missed the first two games of the Clippers series. Milwaukee
also played a bunch of food daisy teams on they
played freaking Atlanta. Atlanta is a mediocre squad at best,
and they plasted through They played in the Eastern Conference finals.
(11:38):
So last year was a strange year because of injuries,
and there's a bunch of injuries this year. You know, Boston,
I got the utmost respect for Boston, but Milwaukee was
without the second best player, Chris Middleton. You know, injuries
are part of the game. I'm not gonna dump on
the Suns for taking advantage of it, but what I
(11:59):
will say is what they did this year was an
embarrassment and absolute embarrassment. Rob and Chris Paul. There's a
lot of blame to go around. Whenever you get beat
by thirty three, you trailed by I think forty two,
Game seven at home, whenever one player equals right Luca
(12:22):
it was Luca twenty seven Sons twenty seven at halftime.
That is incredible. And whenever that happens on your home
for there's a lot of blame to go around. But
I put the lion's share of it on Chris Paul Rob,
because here's the deal. If Chris Paul his last five
games were poor, if he just has one of those games,
(12:46):
is a good game, not even a great game by him.
If one of those games is a good game, Rob,
they probably don't even have a game seven. And then
yesterday Ep three, Rob, I thought he was didn't have energy.
I thought he was lifeless. I thought his spirit was
(13:06):
broken from Luca, not to man. And maybe it was
more just physical, but whatever, it looked physical and emotional.
But he was worn out. And when your players see
their leader, their future Hall of Famer, the guy that
turned their franchise around, is lifeless. His spirit is gone.
(13:27):
They all fed off that. You can I mean I
you say, hey, they gotta pick it up. The role
players tried, they're not good enough, but Devin Booker DeAndre
and he had issues with Minty Williams. That team fractured
because their leader wasn't there. And now robbed they're going
home and Rob. As far as winning the championship at
(13:51):
least in the next couple of years, I think, I
don't think the Sun. I think there'll be a playoff
team next year. I don't think they'll be in the
championship mix because we don't even know if Deandrean's gonna
be there. But yeah, that Remember they didn't sign him
when he had a chest, so they already had query
him free agent, I believe, so they gotta be at
(14:13):
the match. But Rob, Chris Paul, it looked like Father
Time was sitting in his locker waiting until he turned
thirty seven and here and then and he just all seven,
no doubt about it. Yeah check if you want exclusive
insight from the biggest names in the sports game. What's good?
(14:33):
This is national champion and former pro baller Chris Johnson.
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(14:53):
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(15:15):
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I all right, it is the I Couple. I am Chris,
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(15:38):
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are talking the great weekend of NBA playoffs and Rob.
I've been liking this guy since basically since he got
in the league. I've dubbed him Luca Legend. I've said
(16:25):
he's a new age Larry Bird. And this year, now
his fourth season in the league, he finally won, have
got over the hump and won a playoff series, and
he's doing damage. Just playoffs numbers Robber history thirty two.
These are total playoff numbers in twenty three playoff games.
(16:48):
Thirty two point seven points a game, second only to
Michael Jordan nine point three rebounds a game at eight
point three assist in the playoffs. In the ninety eight,
forty nine percent shooting, so only real negative, only sixty
seven percent from the foul line. But this year he's
(17:09):
shooting seventy seven percent in the playoffs, so even improved
on that. Here's what I want to throw out to you, Rob,
And look, I know he's and it's true he's only
won two playoffs series, but he has faced Rob. I mean,
his first two years, he faced Kawhi Leonard and Paul
(17:29):
George in the playoffs. Those are two of the best
wing defenders of this generation, and he had to go
up against them and put big numbers on them, even
though they lost. And then this year they get rid
of Utah. He misses a couple of the games, three
of the first three games, and then takes out the
Phoenix Suns, who were the best regular season team in
(17:52):
the league. I'm gonna throw this out at you, Rob,
he was Luca was fourth on my MVP ballot. I
had him as a first team All NBA player. He
ended up I think fifth overall in MVP voting. But obviously,
now we're in the season where it really matters, and
(18:13):
this is where the best players in the league stake
their claim to that title. Last year, Rob, I know,
I think I was saying it earlier. I was you
may have been. But Yannis, I think, in the eyes
of many people, solidified himself as the best player in
(18:33):
the world when he won that championship. And it's not Look,
it's not just oh, you win the championship, you're the best.
Your best player on that team is the best player
in the world. No, I still remember Rob. Obviously, Chauncey
Billups wasn't the best player in the world when he
led the Pistons to the championship. Dark Naviski was not
the best player in the world. Ever. We can go
(18:55):
on and on their many I remember Rob with Paul
Pierce when he was Finals MVP in two thousand and
eight when the Celtics won it, and he said he's
the best player in the world, And I said, I
don't even think he's in the top ten. I think
I told you this story. He emailed me, text me
one of those and said, you're not ten. Yeah, right,
(19:16):
right right, You're not in my top ten local writers.
But no. So I'm gonna throw this question out at you, though, Rob,
and I want to see what you say. I'm not
picking Dallas to win the championship, but let's say they
(19:36):
do or not even I won't even go there with
Yannis out. Yannis is out in the second round. Can
Luca don chich Lay claim to being the best player
in the world during these playoffs? No way, no, how.
(19:57):
I think it would be premature. The problem I have
Chris and he could have a nice run and they
could get there and maybe even win. He doesn't have
an MVP to his title. I mean there's a lot
of other stuff, hardware that he doesn't have yet, and
I think it would be hard. Okay, Yeah, Yanni's lost.
(20:18):
He's also was missing his number two guys. Let's just
be fair. I'm not I'm not saying it's all on
Yannis and so it's Luca no. But but I'm saying,
I mean he's missing his number two guys. Yeah, but
damn one anything. Yeah, I'm just saying that Jannis has
one and has won a couple of MVPs. Chris Defensive
Player of the Year. I mean, his resume is way
(20:41):
better than Lucas, and I get the numbers you're talking about.
It's a small sample size compared to a Michael Jordan
that doesn't that doesn't pool pool one. But it's a
small sample size. I agree. Look, I've been arguing with
Nick right on first things First, every Moore, he's saying,
Lucas already in all time no playoffs great, He's said
it's too soon, it's too soon. Chris, I know he
(21:03):
will be. He keep it on basketball all the time,
he will be an all time great. I have zero
zero they might get there, hurt. I hear that. You
just gotta do it over time. You got to do it.
You have to do it. You just can't elevate people.
(21:26):
You just said it. Chris Chauncey Billups had an unbelievable
run with the Pistons in that championship. Right. He made
Gary Gary Payton the mitten instead of the glove. I
mean it was bad, but we weren't elevating him anywhere.
Do you know what I mean. I'm just a little tangent.
You know, they tried to give Gary Payton a second
(21:47):
that nickname the mitten. The Really he didn't want it.
He was like, nah, glove too or something like, which
I get and what man wants to be called nobody?
And they would have to be Chris h safety pin
to your coat? Right, But that you don't lose how
many of us walking around with mittens safety pinting? I
(22:11):
don't even understand parents. They didn't want to lose the
mittens because kids always lost. But you get my point.
I just think it's premature. I'm not and that's not
to take anything away from him or to say ken't
get there or whatnot, but I think it's steps and
you just can't have every time somebody makes a one
playoff run that they're the best player because they were
(22:33):
the last one standing. I don't know. I just don't
know what's gonna happen. I agree with you as I said,
it's premature to say he's an all time great playoff performer, right,
and I think you'll agree with me on this. Obviously,
twenty three games is just too small for sample size. Rob.
If we had said you and I were both in
the game Lebrin had when he scored forty eight against
(22:55):
the Business, and we had say that moment he is
already in all time great playoff performer, then oh, ten
happens right against the Celtics in the playoffs, and then
in the twenty eleven against Dallas, what would be said, Now,
obviously Lebron redeemed himself and has become great. Right at
(23:15):
that moment, was like, Oh, we can't go there, So
I'm with you there. But along the question Rob of
can he become like lay claim to the title of
best player in the world this postseason, I would say
(23:36):
no because I think Yannis, because Yannis is such a
fantastic defensive player and Luca is at best, like when
he's at his best, Defensively, he's mediocre and oftentimes he's
a liability, and Chris don't want to don't want to
look at that and then want to overlook it. But
(23:57):
when you're calling somebody the best in the world, that
factor's in and out there. He doesn't have to be
a stopper because that's not what we're asking him to be. Right, well, right,
if factors in. But I got a big button, Rob,
And again I'm not picking them. I don't. I don't
know if you're picking them or not. If they win
(24:18):
the championship, though he beat dispatches of Steph Curry and
the Warriors, dispatches of say Boston or whoever gets out
of the East in the finals. I do think at
that point, Rob, he could lay claim to it, even
though he's not the defender, even close that Yannis is.
(24:39):
And yeah, that would be a big advantage for Yannis.
But here's the thing. What you would say is yes,
but offensively, he does so many things Yannis doesn't do.
Yannis is a good passer, Luca's a better passer. Yeah,
Yuka is a very good shoot, like a good shooter,
a legitimate league good shooter. He can hit every jump shot,
(25:03):
Yannis has those something as great as he is. He
the scary thing about Yannis, Rob is he's got room
to grow, right. He's not a goodfit point shooter. He's
not really a good mid range shooter. He's improving, though.
But my point is at this moment, Luca is superior
to Yannis offensively, and if he leads a team. And
(25:25):
you mentioned no Chris Middleton in Milwaukee, that's fair. No,
Tim Hardaway Junior, who's not a star by any strategy,
but he was their second best player. No, I get that,
But but I think Middleton Chris, and I'm not trying
to knock Hardaway, but Middleton was a big part of
the Hardway, made some big shots and big moments as
(25:46):
well as great as Yannis. He's large go to guys
at the end. Yes, the kind of both of them,
but I'd say a little more so Middleton. But no,
my point is just that that's kind of making my point, Rob,
is that Luca's supporting cast. Yeah, Jalen Brunch is having
a nice run. He's a nice little player, but you
(26:07):
know he's not a star. Tim Hardaway Junior has been
the second best player. He's out and so and I
don't think it's gonna happen. But if Luca Donches does
lead them at twenty three years old to the championship,
and Rob gets through without like another great star on
his team, gets through that Boston defense that made Kevin
(26:32):
Durant look pedestrian, that beat Yanna's even though yann has
put up terrific numbers. It's gonna be harder than that
because Oldi made a good point. Rob, Larry Bird got
a lot of steel Soldi Magic Magic led the league
in still some years. Neither one of them was a
great defender, though I get that. I'm not saying that
they were great defenders. But but but again, when your
(26:54):
coach even says, dude, we need you to know he
called him out, but I think he responded right, No,
he has in step point. But that was ridiculous. And
even even Jason Kidd was like, dude, I get it,
but you gotta put an Olden talked about it, and
we notice defense quits is about effort and want to
It's like you got you gotta want the ball, right,
(27:15):
you gotta go after the ball and really wanted to
grab rebounds. You just can't be like, well, if it
comes to me, I'll does absolutely, there's some technique, there's
some you know, um, you gotta be in sync communication
wise with your teammates, so some of that is there.
But that plus, like you said, effort and Rob, Steph
(27:37):
Curry's nobody's idea of a great defender, neither with Steve Nash.
But just because they put forth the effort, you know,
they're they're they're adequate. And that's what Luca can be
and I think that's what he has been since he
was called out by Jason Kidd. Fox Sports Radio has
the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all
of our shows at Fox Sports Radio dot com and
(27:59):
with it the iHeart Radio app search f s R
to listen live. We're live from the Fox Sports Radio studios.
And Rob Patrick Beverley role player in the NBA now
with the Timberwolves, been with several teams, Clippers, Rockets. He
uh went on First Take to Day with our friend
Stephen A. Smith and set the NBA world ablaze. He
(28:24):
was like, he was basically like Chris Paul is okay, no,
he Chris Paul's hot car. Butage is what he's saying. Chris, gosh, wow,
here here here's a clip rop CP three. Is he
gonna be a Hall of Fame? No question about it?
Yeah right, no question about it. Do guys in the
(28:45):
NBA go to sleep early the night before playing the
Phoenix songs? Hell no, No, I mean as a team
when you talk about Chris Paul individ, Chris Paul individually. Okay, No,
I'm going to stake forty four over there, faning, So
I'm gonna have me a nice little wine, probably sweated out,
and the pre game shoot around and get ready for
Chris Paul Steph Curry. I'm going I'm going to bed
(29:07):
at eight o'clock. Mom, don't call me, my girl, don't
call me. I don't I'm locked in right now. It's
not it's two different monsters. Wow, all right. So Matt
Barnes another role player. I think did he play He
may have played with Beverly with the Clippers. I'm with
the Clippers. It might have, You're not sure. Yeah, but
he took issue. You know, Mad has made quite a
(29:29):
name for himself as a broadcast. He written me on
Twitter this weekend, did he yea for my remember my
my rent on? I cringe when players and other players. Yeah.
So he kind of came back said that I'm mad.
I'm mad because I haven't succeeded what as much as
other people having former athletes in the back thirty six
(29:54):
years whatever. Yeah, i'd any success at least. Right here,
here's Matt. He don't feel bad Rob because he winned
Patrick Beverley as well. Here he is. What I want
to touch on real quick, RJ. Is the disrespect I
saw from Pat Beverley earlier today. As reporters that you know,
a part of the media, we have a job to
be critical. But I think there's a thin line between
(30:14):
being critical and disrespecting. And I feel like what Pat
Beverley did today that Chris Paul was completely disrespect going
out of the line. And Pat Beverley's talking about keys
that guy. You're not that guy playing and simple Chris
Paul played terrible this year, and his numbers are still
better than your career numbers have ever been. All right, look,
there's a lot wrong with that cut. Did you hear
what he said? Chris? Go ahead, Well, I mean I
(30:35):
could hit on a few things. The first thing I'll
say is when he says Pat Beverley's not that guy.
But as if Okay, it didn't, no question, there ain't
a person on earth. I mean, I don't know what
Pat Beverley would saying, but nobody would say he's better
or as good as Chris Paul. Nobody Rocker if you
say that, right, But that doesn't mean he can't criticize Paul.
(30:59):
I don't care. If you're not on you're not equal.
And these guys Matt Barns. First of all, he misspoke Chris.
He said, we're reporters and in the media, and we critics,
criticize or critique people criticize. Dude. The problem is Pat
Beverly's not a reporter, Chris. He's a current NBA player
(31:22):
who plays against Chris Paul. What response do you want
him to give you? An objective one. He's supposed to
feel like, I can beat a thirty seven year old
any any day at a time, any day and time
like Chris. Are you shocked that he thinks he can
he can take on Chris? I'm not. Here's what I
(31:45):
say I do. I just I don't agree with Patrick
Beverly's comments. I think he did kind of short sell
to Chris Paul. Short let's put it down way. I
think Chris Paul is an all time but he's not
a reporter, is what I'm saying. But where he's not.
But he is entitled to his opinion. That's why he right.
(32:07):
He is on there to give his opinion. And if
he is a guy that has played against Chris Paul,
He's played against Steph Kurry and all these point guards.
And if he thinks, in his view Chris Paul ain't
that good. I don't agree with it, but he's at it.
He's entitled to say that, Rob and to say that
(32:29):
because he is not that great of a player. He
can't say so as Matt Matt was Matt and Pat Beverly,
and for if is Matt saying that he can't go
on there after criticize anybody, right he anybody who's not
about Damian Lillard or any type of All Star player
(32:50):
like that, he can't say anything about Chris Paul and
Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving a a Trey Young. No, here's
my thing, and I don't. I don't. I share the
sentiment of Chris and Dame in that I don't agree
with Beverly's criticism of I mean, he's basically saying Chris
Paul is overrated, not an all time great point guard
(33:16):
and you know, just a good point guard, which I
think is false. I think he is an all time
great point guard, even though he's never gonna win a championship,
at least not as a league you know, lead guy,
a star on that team. Um that said, Rob, what
I what I don't like about the players criticizing Beverly?
(33:36):
Like Matt Barne said it, Rob, he ain't on that level.
He's not as good as Chris Paul, so he can't
say something and what I would say? So? What what it? Boy?
What's the level? Rob? That's just one step away from
what they say sometimes about reporters. Oh you didn't You
never played the game at the NBA level, so you
(33:57):
can't be critical. Well, Rob, I don't know how to
fix my washer and dryer, but if I pay somebody
a professional to come fix it and he screws it up,
I got a right to be critical, absolutely right. And
here and here's the other thing that I think players
a phony Chris, is that they don't take the criticism
(34:18):
from Charles Barkley or Shack Gold gods and those two
those right, those guys or Kenny Smith who won two championships.
They got an issue with Charles and and they don't
want so what I say, Okay, what's the what's the
level that's fair? Don't only be the goat Mia Jordan guy, right, somebody?
(34:40):
It doesn't even make sense, That's what I'm saying. Like
Matt Barnes, what are you doing on TV? Then? But
who are you? Who are you criticizing role players? Chris No,
I'm serious. Matt Barnes can only come on to criticize
whole players. That makes no sense. He played in the league.
To give him respect, And you say, you've been out there,
(35:01):
you've played, you've competed. Why can't you have a say
don't you don't have to be on any particular level.
I think he's wrong. Nah, you can have drilled disagree
with Pat Beverley, but he has a right to his opinion.
That's why he's on the show. Absolutely, And that you
said what first they say reporters can't criticize is we
didn't play the league. Then a guy that played in
(35:22):
the league, but he's only a role player, he can't
say anything because he's not a star. So maybe a
premial All Star can criticize some people, But what do
you have to be a Hall of Famer? You got no,
and come on, you can't. And the bottom line is this,
rob and I get it. Look, nobody likes being criticized. Nobody,
all right, But that's what this boils down to. Players
(35:46):
don't like being criticized, and so they pushed back at
whoever it is. If it's a reporter, if player, if
it's a Hall of famer, they pushed back on shock, right,
JaVale McGee pushed back on shot. Now, So that's it.
Admit it. You just don't like being criticized like other
(36:10):
human beings. But you know what, you can either just
take it and let it roll off your back. You
cannot pay attention to it. You can not read it
or listen to it. And however you need to handle it.
But you can't expect that people aren't going to criticize
you when you're in the public eye like this. When
(36:30):
you play the public forum, Chris, people buy tickets, they
pay their money. Yeah. Absolutely. When you go to a
Broadway show, Chris, and you pay big dollars for a
show and the performance is lousy, you don't think people
just go o Okay, No, you tell your friends don't
go see that show, it's lousy, that's what you do.
(36:53):
Or at the New York Times, right that it's a
bad play, right, right, right. We say it all the time.
When you're in the public eye, you're going to be critiqued.
And that's a blessing because you know who's not being critiqued.
The brothers that play on Saturday morning at the y
m C a critique. Nobody's writing about them, nobody's criticizing
(37:17):
it for making some missing jump shots. It's a blessing
that you're in the public form and you can be criticized. Obama, Biden, Trump,
the president. They're criticized left and right. It just comes
with the territory. And you can't say because a guy
isn't as good as somebody else that he can't critique
(37:38):
somebody's game. Right. What about the coaches? Phil Jackson wasn't
all that as a player, pat Riley wasn't all that
as a player. Can they coach you? I mean really? Right?
Who were way better than them? Yes? If Magic Johnson
(37:58):
had played with pat Riley and League, he would have
looked at pat Riley as come on, come on, man,
you're getting what ten minutes a game, fifteen minutes a night.
You can't what you're gonna tell me, right, But when
you're a coach, even if you weren't as good as
that player, you got a coaching That doesn't mean I
don't like a coach, right, Right. That's that's the part
(38:20):
that people don't understand. And it's the same thing with
us and reporters and and you know, Matt Bonds called
themselves reporters, which they're not. But they're analysts, Chris, which
is fine. They're analysts and that's what they do. But uh,
in our case, that's what we've done our whole careers.
We've been to those games, We've talked to a lot
(38:40):
of people, we watched so many different things, Chris. That's
how you learn, right And and it doesn't mean that, Uh,
nobody who took the job as president of the United
States was president before that, right, Like they didn't, No, nobody,
you're not president and then you're president. What you do
is you learn about a lot of different things. And
(39:01):
you might be a governor. I mean, obviously there's other ways,
but you know, you work in public service, Chris, all
kinds of other stuff. You're an attorney, all kinds of things,
dealing with the public and dealing with people, and then
you ride to that level. You know, when Phil Jackson
took over as coach of the Bulls and he wanted
remember the Knicks didn't want to hire him before he
(39:21):
went to ride, and he had played for the Knicks,
and Michael Jordan did not want to run the triangle. Rob.
He pushed back on it. He could have been like,
you you gonna you couldn't hold my jock strap as
a player, and you're gonna force me to run this offense. No,
but he listened to because just because Phil Jackson wasn't
(39:42):
a great individual player didn't mean he didn't know the game.
Didn't mean he couldn't tell you something that you didn't know.
And so yeah, that's all we're saying. This will help Matt,
and Matt is doing a great job. But Rob, this
will help Matt and any other player they want to
get into this business. And you know what, Kirkins is
(40:03):
out there doing this thing. And you know, Kendrick Wasting
the greatest player, and he'll admit that, but he out
there doing this thing and he's doing a good job.
You know what this is gonna be a part of.
You know, we do at USC NBA players who want
to get into this business. Chris I helped coach and
we're doing it in June and a number of players
and this whole thing. I'm gonna have the school pull
(40:25):
this stuff out. So if we could talk about this,
you know what I mean, to let them know you
don't have to be a superstar to be able to
critique another player. I think that's and and it's not
just about criticism either. Sometimes you don't praise a guy right,
you're just calling it like it is. You would praise
Luca or Yannis even though he lost, or Jason Tatum
(40:48):
for this weekend, but then James Harden or Chris Paul
or a Devin Booker, You're gonna have to tell it
like it is. Just is what it is. All right.
We got an hour left of the eye couple. The
NBA talk is rolling, keep it lock
Hosts And Creators
kelvin washington
Rob Parker
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