June 13, 2023 • 27 mins
Jason and Mike Harmon react to the Denver Nuggets winning their first championship in franchise history. The guy’s debate when we’ll get the Ja Morant suspension news. And the Progressive play of the night!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
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Speaker 2 (00:22):
Lease give us you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Hello and welcome inside final hour tonight to The Jason
Smith Show with my bes friend Mike Harmon. Gotta get
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Speaker 3 (00:49):
The way tire buying should be for shark or something.
So the Denver Nuggets are your champions.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
They beat the Heat ninety four eighty nine yay to
win the NBA title four games to one.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
And while this game is not going.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
To give any master classes in boilets what the NBA
is all about. We're not putting this game in the
time capsule. It certainly had its fair share of drama
down the stretch, and it asks two big questions of
the Miami Heat. And that's one, are they really as
well coached as we think they are? And b is
(01:29):
playoff Jimmy really still a thing? Like or was it
ever really a thing?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
It was?
Speaker 1 (01:34):
The mistakes that were made in the final thirty five
seconds are just baffling. And it's baffling that the Heat,
who are a team that mike Their hallmark has been
the entire playoff run is we don't give up.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
We fight.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
We make sure that whatever the situation calls for, we
know the play that is needed. And the Heat have
done that to a huge extent. And then in the
final thirty five seconds they just throw up on themselves
with every chance to try to get around it. It
was stunning to see the game and the way it did.
(02:10):
I thought the Nuggets would have to take the game
and take the title from the Heat. Right they're at home,
they should win. They're a better team, but they're gonna
have to take it. Yoki is gonna have to make
a bunch of shots in the paint in the final
three minutes Murray's gonna have to make a couple of
shots in the three, and instead it was the Heat
just saying here, oh it's too much for us. We're
done here, Denver take it. Take the championship. They handed
(02:31):
it to them.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
Yeah, we go through the play by player that final
minute and going back to Jimmy Butler. I believe Jimmy
Butler and playoff Jimmy is a consequence of the twenty
four hour news cycle as we like to create heroes
and supervillains wherever possible goats in some cases, and I'm
not talking greatest of all time, just the idea with
(02:54):
Jimmy Butler. There was some great backstory for him, the man,
and certainly his road traveled. And when the Heat on
this stage again, it becomes they will what is it
about this that brings out the best in Butler? We
got into heat culture, all of those different talking points
and the recognition that the man is a star. He's
(03:15):
not a superstar. He's in that next tier, two tiers.
However you want to rank him, have at it as
you will, but he's not a guy that's gonna carry
you with a fifty point performance. Yeah, there might be
one or two of those mixed in, but on a
nightly basis, the stat line is not gonna overwhelm you.
It's the little things and the big plays. When they
(03:35):
counted the steals towards the end of the first half,
and as a team for the Miami Heat, it's all
been about minimizing errors and that's what made the last
minute Jason still baffling. They only had eight turnovers for
the night, and then the one that went to eight
is giant flashing, and I think they'll brandish themselves with
(03:56):
it because it's one that's gonna stay there forever. Because
KCP got Jimmy Butler on a play that he has
victimized so many teams and players through this playoff run.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
So Jimmy Butler giveth and Jimmy Butler taketh away. I
think that's the big lesson of what we're getting from this, right,
that's the best and fairest way, because look, he didn't
have a great game, right Like games, this game five
really is a microcosm of Jimmy Butler. He has a
really bad first two and a half quarters, like really bad,
like how they're in, how they're this game is tied
(04:29):
when Butler has is two out of eight from the
floor is amazing, right, the fact that it's gets still close.
Then he gets really hot and he scores thirteen points
in a row. Right, okay, playoff Jimmy keeping the Heat
in it. And then he makes two really bad decisions
that give the game away in the final minute. But
it's more than just Butler making the bad decisions. It's
more of what were the Heat really thinking? Right? Sure,
(04:51):
so you go down to where the game was, right,
let let let's let's let's pick up the action.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Let's let let's let's uh, let let's progress in the action.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Let's start when the Nuggets have a one point lead,
ninety to eighty nine with thirty seconds left to go.
All right, so they got a ninety eighty nine lead,
and the Heat have the ball, and Jimmy Butler drives
the lane and for some reason, picks up his dribble,
doesn't try to get to the hoop, even though he's
getting extremely generous calls, like he just got on the
(05:21):
three free throws where he kicked Aaron Gordon and somehow
they called three Fred call.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
It was ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
But how do you not go up and try to
get that right, so instead he picks up his dribble.
Now this is not all on Jimmy Butler because he's
looking to pass the ball out and nobody.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Really moves to help him.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Nobody really moves to get open, and so Contavious callwell,
Pope jumps into the passing lane, gets the ball on
a really bad turnover by Jimmy Butler and they foul KCP.
He makes two free throws ninety two eighty nine, right,
So that's a bit of a stunn. Here's Jimmy Butler
making a really bad decision in the heat of battle,
and you know his Heat teammates don't pick him up,
(06:00):
all right, So it's Jimmy Butler and it's the teammates
on the floor. But now we get to the coaching
staff and the Heat and Eric Spolster, what a great
coach he is, and he's going to find the right
way out of this. The Heat call a timeout. So
they call a timeout to set up what they want
to do next. Now this game is still there for
them because there's twenty four seconds left and they're down
by three, all right, twenty four son down by three,
(06:22):
plenty of time. Now you could do many things. Go
in for a two, right and force the Nuggets shoot
free throws, because why wouldn't you do that?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Right then, we.
Speaker 4 (06:31):
Talk about that all the time, the Nuggets, No, No,
Number one.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
You know, my philosophy is always to extend the game
when you're losing.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Right again.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
It may may annoy the hell out of a lot
of people, too bad, but.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Right exactly, but extend the game if you can make
the other team make free throws, especially on a night
where the Nuggets were awful from the free throw line.
They were fifty six percent for the night, only made
fifty six percent because they made their last four, right,
KCP made the last two and Brown made the last
two as well. Before that, take that away, they were
(07:04):
nine for nineteen. Okay, why do you not put the
Nuggets on the free throw You could put anybody on
the free throw line. You could put Gordon Porter, Jokic,
Murray didn't get to the free throw.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Line all game.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
You could have put anybody at the free throw line, right,
So get it to and foul, especially when they're not
hitting it from the.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Free throw line.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Instead, they inbound the ball and it looks like there's
no real plan at what they want to do. Maybe
it's maybe it's to get a screen to get Jimmy
Buckets the ball for a three pointer, but it doesn't
really succeed. And Butler, with still with tons of time
left on the clock, with seventeen seconds left on the clock,
(07:46):
gets the ball and has a big turn and shoot three,
which is one of those shots that you only see
when there's like no time left r right, like when
there's like two seconds.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
Left in the game.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
This is a shot you see where I'm running, I
catch it, I turn, I twist, and I shoot and
it claims off the backboard, off the rim, and the
Nuggets get the rebound and Brown makes the two free throws.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
They win ninety four eighty nine.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
I don't know what the Heat's plan was coming out
of that time out right, So that now it gets
even wider. You got Jimmy Bucket's making the mistake on
the past. You have Jimmy Butler panicking for that last shot.
But you had a chance, this is what we want
to do on this inbounds, and instead it was I
don't know that the Heat know what they're doing, and
why are you forcing up that horrendous three with seventeen
(08:27):
seconds left to go. I don't understand, and that's what
it was. And it was such a complete and total
failure by the Heat in the last thirty seconds, and
it was so anti how they had played so far
during during the playoffs. It really shocked me, It really did,
because it was everybody. It was Butler, it was his teammates,
it was a coaching staff. Was what just happened to
(08:48):
this well coached team that's never going to give up
and always make the right play, and they just handed
the game to Denver. They just said, here, the pressure's
too much, or we don't want it. You guys, go
take it.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Oh, just we'll hit a couple of free throws and win.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Bruggets have to be saying they're gonna look back to
the last thirty seconds of this game and go, Man,
that's probably the easiest last thirty seconds of a close
championship game ever because they just decided we don't want it.
Butler doesn't shoot, he makes a bad pass. Time out,
We don't know what we want to do. Butler takes
a bad shot. We get the rebound, thank you very much.
It's like walking down the street and finding a bag
of money.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
Nicely done. I like that, get to a giant satchel
of cash, and then you have to have that moral
dilemma of what do you do with it? In this case,
the Nuggets grabbed that bag and they ran as far
and as fast out of the arena as they possibly could.
But I think to your point, we saw a lot
of standing around those final possessions. The well coached the
(09:41):
excellence of execution, and Jimmy Butler had taken over, which
I think to many of his teammates meant he's now
got the ball. He's on the drive. So let's praise
for rebounding, but we're not moving to make ourselves available
for a pass because clearly he's driving to the basket.
Then he stopped on a dime, and again everybody is
(10:04):
still standing around. So for KCP, he just picks the
pocket and starts running the other way, as he has
so many times, like you would a good defensive back.
Uh oh, I read the flat route, and now I'm
gone trying to catch me. Picked off Rogers, right, and
not try picked off Rogers. Rogers was slow a foot
because his calf was hurting, and he's well, and he
(10:26):
was standing with too many standing ovations at the Tonys,
So I mean he may have strained something.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
Please take my picture.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
I want to be part of the New York elite.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Look at me, plug at me and my.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
Tight end anyway, and then literally he had his starting
tight end.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
There with him.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
But the next shot, same thing, just its hero ball
is it. Just get a shot up and see what happens.
Because again down distance situation, you take it one of
your thirty nine timeouts that you're allowed in the NBA
in theory to draw something up. And he had the ball,
(11:09):
gave it to Duncan Robinson who all awkwardly gets it
back to him as he's kind of turned around and
turns back to catch and shoot with Gordon coming at
him right the guy he'd kicked earlier on the play
you did not like very much. But here it's enough
to alter the shot and make him ponder it, and
(11:30):
he takes another bad three point shot in it. In
a game where nobody could shoot nobody, your best shooter
was the guy sitting in his sweatsuit Tyler here, who
never saw the court despite being activated, wasn't there and
available to be called in as your if nothing else
a decoy in any of these situations down the stretch,
(11:51):
So a lot of standing around waiting for Jimmy and
playoff Jimmy to materialize, and it didn't, you know.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
And that's a big question, right because we're talking about
the Heat right now.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
We talk about playoff.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Jimmy being hey, Jimmy, giveth and Jimmy taketh away. And
the failure of the Heat down the stretch. The fact
that Tyler Hero didn't even play a minute when he.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Was cleared to play today.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
It seemed like Eric Spolster and the Heat may have
may not been on the same page with that, because
he clearly had a moment where he was like, Wow,
Tyler Hero's gonna play. Wow, you know, try to having
some fun with the press a little bit today, which
was kind of strange when he was asked about Tyler Herro,
How does he not get in tonight? I mean, all
(12:40):
the reports and the reports are never going to be
this many reports from WOJ and all these other NBA
insiders that he was suiting up, he was going to
attempt to return, he was upgraded a questionable. I really
am surprised that he didn't get in, and I wonder
what kind of story there is behind that, because for
him not to get in with because he wouldn't have
been active. He would have been activated if they didn't
(13:01):
think he could play, But yet he's activity, he doesn't
get in especially when you need three each, you need
some offense. I get the guy hasn't played, but it's
not like the guy hasn't played with this group of people.
I mean he's been he's been there for a Why
was it their first finals run a few years ago,
so it was it was. It was really surprised me
that this is how it ended for him. And I'm
wondering what kind of if We're gonna get a story
(13:24):
in the next few days about Tyler Hero not playing
in Game five, and it could be anything ranging from
Spolstra disagreed with pat Riley to you know, Hero maybe
wasn't his help, but why why did he suit up?
But there's something, there's something going on. There's another shoe
that's got to drop about this, because I'm really surprised
that we didn't see him at all in the game,
(13:45):
even just to see him at some point where hey,
we need some offense or you go out there for
the final, you know you know minute of the first
half when you want to you know, save some tread
on some guys and the game is close and you're winning,
Let's see what you can do. Let's get your feet
went a little bit and if you can get back
in the swing, hit a shot or two and see.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Where you're at. I really am surprised we didn't see it.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Yeah, I would say the gamesmanship didn't quite get the
desired effect, now, did it? Yeah, because it's not you
really fooled us in the active potential desperation, potential desperation
of activating this guy if nothing else. Michael Malone and
company looked around and said, all right, did you shorten
their bench and available players for tonight?
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Yeah, because it's not like, oh, hey, he's really not
gonna play, but now we're gonna make the Nuggets prepare
for tell you, it's like we've played you without him
for the last four games, so we kind of know
what we're doing.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
It's not like you're taking time away from preparing. But
oh now we're gonna throw that playbook out and prepare.
What if Tyler hero plays? What do we do with.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
It's like, no, we kind of got it. We've kind
of seen what you've done the last four games without him,
so we're okay, Oh he's not gonna play, so okay.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
Then really it was just it was very very strange.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
I don't I think were I would, I would say,
knowing the world of sports the way I do and
how things out, we're going to get something the next
few days. It's going to be Hey, here's the reason
why Tyler Hero didn't play.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
What if it was just a trap?
Speaker 4 (15:07):
Yo, it's a trap.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
It's a too soon an Admiral akbar Man come on
too soon?
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Too soon? Too soon, man mean too soon. You know
what happens to Admiral akbar on Man too soon?
Speaker 3 (15:20):
So now we kind of do too soon on Admiral
Acwe Well.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
I mean it was more recently that we lost General
Scandar actbar.
Speaker 6 (15:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
But I mean, but there you hanging around with the
missing Lincoln kamality. You gun New.
Speaker 5 (15:31):
Giant to take a couple of minutes ago, Jason, you
are an authority on that. If there anybody who knows
what it's like when your team is down in the
final minutes what to do, it's you.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Oh yeah, yeah, listen, I've watched that. My team's succumbed
to that all the time. That happens. Yeah, exactly. Hey listen,
hey game recognize game man, I understand. I got it.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports It's Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with my bes.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Friend Mike Harmon.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
I love that song and the musical stylings of Alex
tight Shirt.
Speaker 5 (16:11):
Can't pay for this, Jay, who thinks.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
There's only one band in the world and.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
That's it just too But this was the best. It's
pretty strong.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Really.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
No, no Pet Shop Boys, I'm concert already. No Pet
Shop Boys. After we mentioned the Pet Shop Boys, I
gave you my Pet Shop Boys impressions.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
We still got an out show coming up.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Jay, what have I done?
Speaker 5 (16:30):
Say you're going and this can all stop?
Speaker 3 (16:32):
One of I, one of I. I'm not going to
see tears. I'm not.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
I'm not going. If they've said you could be up
on stage and sing a song, really not doing it?
No play every night. I'd have to look out to
everybody in the crowd crying because I want to go
to deers or fears.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
The first word in the title is tears. Come on, man, it's.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
Not gonna be tears of joy, tears of re lead.
I mean I I went to my daughter's graduation on Friday.
I cried a tire or to have joined.
Speaker 6 (17:01):
Okay, the first word is tears. The first word is tears.
The third word is fears. Okay, no, it's not happy.
It's not DearS for fear, Joe, No, I get enough
of that. Get enough of that in the regular world.
I don't need that at a concert. Rather, go see somebody.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Is going to continue then, right, well, hopefully it's somehow
that's the deal.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
These guys are trying to broke her for you right now. Well,
I'd like to make the songs go away.
Speaker 5 (17:26):
Telling you to go so it stops.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
This is me expressing my flare. No, I'm not going.
I'm not spending money to get out of this now.
I'm not doing it.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
I'm not doing You've charging it to my card anyway,
So what the hell's the difference?
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (17:40):
No, that is true. Yeah, you know, hey, all right,
that's it.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
If Harmon somehow pays for my ticket, I'll go to
the concert, all right, you got you got Harmon's credit card.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
You put that in writing for you got it on
their prank call. Prank call.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
So the Nuggets are your NBA champions, and I think
everybody is happy that a the NBA Finals are over.
Uh it's it was a tough run. When you knew
the Nuggets were gonna win. Look, they were just this good.
We knew they were going to win. And they take
care of the heat tonight and just to do a
little bit of look ahead, not look ahead to I
(18:22):
know who's gonna win the finals next year, because that's
the Knicks. But now that the finals are over, we
have the parade set to go on Thursday. We know
Nicola Jokic is not happy about the parade. He wants
to go back home.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
Let's go back to his horses.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Man, when when are we going to get the big
Jah Morant decision.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
I almost think it's now.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
It's because people are talking about it now and wondering
whether it's gonna happen because we knew that Adam Silver
is talking about it happening after the finals, and now
it's trending on Twitter. So Adam Silver's got to be saying,
oh man, I can't. I can't just dump this on
a Friday night at like eleven.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
I can't do it. I can't do it.
Speaker 4 (19:03):
I still think he does.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
I'd have to say, we're gonna find out about it,
and this one we're gonna find out. We'll have the
Nuggets parade on Thursday, and people will expect it on Friday. Yeah,
and we won't get it on Friday. We won't get
it on a day where there's a lot of news
and it could be a big topic. We're gonna get
it Saturday. We're not gonna see it. We're not gonna
(19:27):
see it now. We're not gonna see it jump in
and be a topic for the finals.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
We're gonna see it Saturday. It will dump Saturday morning.
We will wake up Saturday and you will see the decision,
and likely I would think if I had to say
what I thought it would be, I think it's still
gonna be the season because it's such a bad optic.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
It's a bad look.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
It's there's no defending what he did with his gun.
Even to say it's a toy. I mean, come on, man,
what kind of defense is that? That's like, that's like
a high school kid. That's I'm gonna try any way
to get out of trouble. Oh, the gun was a toy.
Oh so it was a good decision then, But it
was just a toy gun. It's gonna be really, really significant.
And there's Adam Silver has talked tough about it so far,
(20:10):
and Adam Silver is not somebody who's full of misdirection.
He is simply getting us ready for what's going to
be a big decision. Because there's gonna be some people
that don't like it. Why is he suspended for so long?
He shouldn't be. You're gonna get crazy idiots saying what
did he do wrong? Well, in a lot of states,
that's a felony, So I'm gonna say that right away.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
So anybody's what did he do wrong? You do anything wrong?
We don't do it.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
All those people who say that are idiots, idiots because
in many states, again, brandishing a gun in public is
a fellow knee f E l O n Y felony.
So that's what he did. If you look at good
what he did wrong, that's what he did wrong. So
that's it right there. But Saturday morning, we're gonna get
it where it can be a topic for the week,
and by the time we get to the big news
(20:52):
cycle on Monday, it's over and we've talked about it,
and hey, everybody, let's get ready for free agency.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
That's how it's gonna happen.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Yeah, the curiosity for me is, you know, what do
they where do they come down on how much him
being away is to his long term detriment and trying
to use the NBA as a a he's better in
with the fold in with the team. And then we
see what Memphis ends up doing in terms of bringing
(21:28):
in veterans to change up that locker room as it is,
because outside of Steven Adams, who has hurt for a
good chunk of time, it didn't seem like they had
anybody in there that would either figuratively or you know,
actually slap him upside the head and say what the
hell are you doing? So you've got that, I'm looking
at half a season, perhaps a little bit less, but
(21:52):
still significant because even in the moment eight games when
it was adjudicated, seemed at least fair punishment. Now, it
was made ridiculous by how quickly he was able to
get in front of a microphone to talk about how
much he changed his life just that fast, because I
don't think anybody was by and what was being sold there.
(22:12):
You know, you like to take things and take people
at their words, but you know that was an accelerated
time frame. Get back on the court and move forward.
So hopefully this time around, perhaps there's already been some learning,
some leaning, some conversations that get you to a bit
of a better spots. He's already been away from the team,
(22:33):
you know, to use a vernacular from television and film,
and if you've ever had to go through the court system,
does he get credit for some time served since he's
already been suspended from the team, Not that they're active,
having been eliminated from the playoffs, but the point being
that you're not the facilities and all the amenities are
(22:53):
not available to you. But Saturday would be ballsy. Yeah,
no offices are closed. Just keeps ringing off the hook.
I don't know what to do.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
Oh yeah, yeah, Now look here's here's why I don't
think forty games is good. Right Here' why I don't
think forty games are going to happen. And this gets
into a bigger issue with the NBA, but it's not
about it. But he already had eight games, which was
really two games because the Grizzly sat him down, said
stay away from the team until we figure it out.
(23:22):
And then they figured it out and they gave him
another two games, and they basically said, oh, well, it's
really an eight game suspension because he missed those six
games while we were figuring things out. So it's not
really an eight game suspension. It was a two game suspension,
but you want to say eight games. The one thing
that we have learned about the NBA this year is
what playing in the regular season isn't as important as
(23:44):
it was, right, And I don't mean for anything else
other than teams have realized that do the Stars really
need to play more than fifty to fifty five games? No,
as long as you are in a position to make
the playoffs, it's really not that big a deal anymore.
You don't need to play sixty five seventy seventy five
games because you want a higher seeding, you want first place.
(24:05):
Upsets happen now and you just have to be ready
in playing your best basketball at the end of the season,
and that means your health, it means where you're at
as a team, it means that's where you're peaking. Playing
less basketball is now going to be a trend.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
Stars. Playing less basketball is going to be a trend.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
Unless somehow things change and the NBA puts in some
kind of rules about playing a certain amount of games.
That's how it's going to go less basketball for Stars.
Speaker 3 (24:33):
So if you're saying that less.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Basketball in the regular season is okay? Is forty games
that big of a punishment? Is forty games? Big for
John Rerant to go, okay, forty games? Yeah, big deal.
I come back midway part of the season and we're
ready to go. The team is obviously decent enough they
won without him for many spurts the last couple of years.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
So yeah, I'm coming back to last forty games. Cool.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
Yeah, I'm ready to go, and I'm feeling good and
I'm healthy and I'm not, you know, hitting the wall
for anything, So I'm okay. Forty games. Doesn't really seem like,
are you really taking basketball away from him? For as
long as it's merited. With something like this, I don't
think you are because of that, because of playing in
the in the regular season is takeaway. So you're gonna
(25:17):
need more games and giving someone a season, whoa, you're
to lose a whole season of your career. That's a
different story because that's a we'll see you in over
a year from now when when you apply for reinstatement
to the to the league. So if forty games, it
used to be a big deal, but now that we
know the regular season doesn't matter, I think that the
(25:38):
suspensions and things when it comes to games and losing
games has to be a higher number just because all right,
those those numbers don't really trend anymore. It's when you
hear something, Hey, someone's gonna sign for a thirty million
dollar contract.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
For three years. Oh that's it. That's a bargain.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Right.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
A few years ago, we get paid this guy ten
million dollars a year.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
This guy stinks.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Now it's like, oh, thirty min So that's a bargain, right,
So you got to the numbers have to get higher
for us to be a little bit more shocked or
may pay a little bit more attention to something. And
so now and if it's that case, for money. It's
also the same way for games in the NBA. I
think it's got to be higher.
Speaker 4 (26:14):
Yeah, I'd be curious just to see what Silver has
to say. Listen to the Dan Patrick interview last week,
and you got some good insights of what they're trying
to go through. And you know, the argument about the
being a toy gun is interesting, and then you read
the tech textbook definition of what brandishing a weapon is.
It's meant to intimidate is one of the keys in
(26:35):
this case. When you're on an Instagram live, are you
looking to intimidate or you just kind of hanging out
with a prop. So I guess that there's some interpretation
to be done there, certainly not diminishing it. But if
you're the league and you're trying to adjudicate, because remember
whatever you do here such precedent moving forward and certainly
(26:56):
something you want to be keenly aware of as well,
make sure you send the proper message, but also know
that you're going to get pushed back from the PA
and try to keep things amicable there as well. So
I'm still on the half season. I understand your point
in terms of how much a regular season may or
may not be important, but tonight the Denver Nuggets are victorious.
(27:19):
Regular season matter Number one squad
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Lease give us you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Hello and welcome inside final hour tonight to The Jason
Smith Show with my bes friend Mike Harmon. Gotta get
to at least eight nine inches and then it's gonna
be good. Live from the tirack dot Com studios tyrack
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Speaker 3 (00:49):
The way tire buying should be for shark or something.
So the Denver Nuggets are your champions.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
They beat the Heat ninety four eighty nine yay to
win the NBA title four games to one.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
And while this game is not going.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
To give any master classes in boilets what the NBA
is all about. We're not putting this game in the
time capsule. It certainly had its fair share of drama
down the stretch, and it asks two big questions of
the Miami Heat. And that's one, are they really as
well coached as we think they are? And b is
(01:29):
playoff Jimmy really still a thing? Like or was it
ever really a thing?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
It was?
Speaker 1 (01:34):
The mistakes that were made in the final thirty five
seconds are just baffling. And it's baffling that the Heat,
who are a team that mike Their hallmark has been
the entire playoff run is we don't give up.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
We fight.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
We make sure that whatever the situation calls for, we
know the play that is needed. And the Heat have
done that to a huge extent. And then in the
final thirty five seconds they just throw up on themselves
with every chance to try to get around it. It
was stunning to see the game and the way it did.
(02:10):
I thought the Nuggets would have to take the game
and take the title from the Heat. Right they're at home,
they should win. They're a better team, but they're gonna
have to take it. Yoki is gonna have to make
a bunch of shots in the paint in the final
three minutes Murray's gonna have to make a couple of
shots in the three, and instead it was the Heat
just saying here, oh it's too much for us. We're
done here, Denver take it. Take the championship. They handed
(02:31):
it to them.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
Yeah, we go through the play by player that final
minute and going back to Jimmy Butler. I believe Jimmy
Butler and playoff Jimmy is a consequence of the twenty
four hour news cycle as we like to create heroes
and supervillains wherever possible goats in some cases, and I'm
not talking greatest of all time, just the idea with
(02:54):
Jimmy Butler. There was some great backstory for him, the man,
and certainly his road traveled. And when the Heat on
this stage again, it becomes they will what is it
about this that brings out the best in Butler? We
got into heat culture, all of those different talking points
and the recognition that the man is a star. He's
(03:15):
not a superstar. He's in that next tier, two tiers.
However you want to rank him, have at it as
you will, but he's not a guy that's gonna carry
you with a fifty point performance. Yeah, there might be
one or two of those mixed in, but on a
nightly basis, the stat line is not gonna overwhelm you.
It's the little things and the big plays. When they
(03:35):
counted the steals towards the end of the first half,
and as a team for the Miami Heat, it's all
been about minimizing errors and that's what made the last
minute Jason still baffling. They only had eight turnovers for
the night, and then the one that went to eight
is giant flashing, and I think they'll brandish themselves with
(03:56):
it because it's one that's gonna stay there forever. Because
KCP got Jimmy Butler on a play that he has
victimized so many teams and players through this playoff run.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
So Jimmy Butler giveth and Jimmy Butler taketh away. I
think that's the big lesson of what we're getting from this, right,
that's the best and fairest way, because look, he didn't
have a great game, right Like games, this game five
really is a microcosm of Jimmy Butler. He has a
really bad first two and a half quarters, like really bad,
like how they're in, how they're this game is tied
(04:29):
when Butler has is two out of eight from the
floor is amazing, right, the fact that it's gets still close.
Then he gets really hot and he scores thirteen points
in a row. Right, okay, playoff Jimmy keeping the Heat
in it. And then he makes two really bad decisions
that give the game away in the final minute. But
it's more than just Butler making the bad decisions. It's
more of what were the Heat really thinking? Right? Sure,
(04:51):
so you go down to where the game was, right,
let let let's let's let's pick up the action.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Let's let let's let's uh, let let's progress in the action.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Let's start when the Nuggets have a one point lead,
ninety to eighty nine with thirty seconds left to go.
All right, so they got a ninety eighty nine lead,
and the Heat have the ball, and Jimmy Butler drives
the lane and for some reason, picks up his dribble,
doesn't try to get to the hoop, even though he's
getting extremely generous calls, like he just got on the
(05:21):
three free throws where he kicked Aaron Gordon and somehow
they called three Fred call.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
It was ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
But how do you not go up and try to
get that right, so instead he picks up his dribble.
Now this is not all on Jimmy Butler because he's
looking to pass the ball out and nobody.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Really moves to help him.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Nobody really moves to get open, and so Contavious callwell,
Pope jumps into the passing lane, gets the ball on
a really bad turnover by Jimmy Butler and they foul KCP.
He makes two free throws ninety two eighty nine, right,
So that's a bit of a stunn. Here's Jimmy Butler
making a really bad decision in the heat of battle,
and you know his Heat teammates don't pick him up,
(06:00):
all right, So it's Jimmy Butler and it's the teammates
on the floor. But now we get to the coaching
staff and the Heat and Eric Spolster, what a great
coach he is, and he's going to find the right
way out of this. The Heat call a timeout. So
they call a timeout to set up what they want
to do next. Now this game is still there for
them because there's twenty four seconds left and they're down
by three, all right, twenty four son down by three,
(06:22):
plenty of time. Now you could do many things. Go
in for a two, right and force the Nuggets shoot
free throws, because why wouldn't you do that?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Right then, we.
Speaker 4 (06:31):
Talk about that all the time, the Nuggets, No, No,
Number one.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
You know, my philosophy is always to extend the game
when you're losing.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Right again.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
It may may annoy the hell out of a lot
of people, too bad, but.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Right exactly, but extend the game if you can make
the other team make free throws, especially on a night
where the Nuggets were awful from the free throw line.
They were fifty six percent for the night, only made
fifty six percent because they made their last four, right,
KCP made the last two and Brown made the last
two as well. Before that, take that away, they were
(07:04):
nine for nineteen. Okay, why do you not put the
Nuggets on the free throw You could put anybody on
the free throw line. You could put Gordon Porter, Jokic,
Murray didn't get to the free throw.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Line all game.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
You could have put anybody at the free throw line, right,
So get it to and foul, especially when they're not
hitting it from the.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Free throw line.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Instead, they inbound the ball and it looks like there's
no real plan at what they want to do. Maybe
it's maybe it's to get a screen to get Jimmy
Buckets the ball for a three pointer, but it doesn't
really succeed. And Butler, with still with tons of time
left on the clock, with seventeen seconds left on the clock,
(07:46):
gets the ball and has a big turn and shoot three,
which is one of those shots that you only see
when there's like no time left r right, like when
there's like two seconds.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
Left in the game.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
This is a shot you see where I'm running, I
catch it, I turn, I twist, and I shoot and
it claims off the backboard, off the rim, and the
Nuggets get the rebound and Brown makes the two free throws.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
They win ninety four eighty nine.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
I don't know what the Heat's plan was coming out
of that time out right, So that now it gets
even wider. You got Jimmy Bucket's making the mistake on
the past. You have Jimmy Butler panicking for that last shot.
But you had a chance, this is what we want
to do on this inbounds, and instead it was I
don't know that the Heat know what they're doing, and
why are you forcing up that horrendous three with seventeen
(08:27):
seconds left to go. I don't understand, and that's what
it was. And it was such a complete and total
failure by the Heat in the last thirty seconds, and
it was so anti how they had played so far
during during the playoffs. It really shocked me, It really did,
because it was everybody. It was Butler, it was his teammates,
it was a coaching staff. Was what just happened to
(08:48):
this well coached team that's never going to give up
and always make the right play, and they just handed
the game to Denver. They just said, here, the pressure's
too much, or we don't want it. You guys, go
take it.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Oh, just we'll hit a couple of free throws and win.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Bruggets have to be saying they're gonna look back to
the last thirty seconds of this game and go, Man,
that's probably the easiest last thirty seconds of a close
championship game ever because they just decided we don't want it.
Butler doesn't shoot, he makes a bad pass. Time out,
We don't know what we want to do. Butler takes
a bad shot. We get the rebound, thank you very much.
It's like walking down the street and finding a bag
of money.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
Nicely done. I like that, get to a giant satchel
of cash, and then you have to have that moral
dilemma of what do you do with it? In this case,
the Nuggets grabbed that bag and they ran as far
and as fast out of the arena as they possibly could.
But I think to your point, we saw a lot
of standing around those final possessions. The well coached the
(09:41):
excellence of execution, and Jimmy Butler had taken over, which
I think to many of his teammates meant he's now
got the ball. He's on the drive. So let's praise
for rebounding, but we're not moving to make ourselves available
for a pass because clearly he's driving to the basket.
Then he stopped on a dime, and again everybody is
(10:04):
still standing around. So for KCP, he just picks the
pocket and starts running the other way, as he has
so many times, like you would a good defensive back.
Uh oh, I read the flat route, and now I'm
gone trying to catch me. Picked off Rogers, right, and
not try picked off Rogers. Rogers was slow a foot
because his calf was hurting, and he's well, and he
(10:26):
was standing with too many standing ovations at the Tonys,
So I mean he may have strained something.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
Please take my picture.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
I want to be part of the New York elite.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Look at me, plug at me and my.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
Tight end anyway, and then literally he had his starting
tight end.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
There with him.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
But the next shot, same thing, just its hero ball
is it. Just get a shot up and see what happens.
Because again down distance situation, you take it one of
your thirty nine timeouts that you're allowed in the NBA
in theory to draw something up. And he had the ball,
(11:09):
gave it to Duncan Robinson who all awkwardly gets it
back to him as he's kind of turned around and
turns back to catch and shoot with Gordon coming at
him right the guy he'd kicked earlier on the play
you did not like very much. But here it's enough
to alter the shot and make him ponder it, and
(11:30):
he takes another bad three point shot in it. In
a game where nobody could shoot nobody, your best shooter
was the guy sitting in his sweatsuit Tyler here, who
never saw the court despite being activated, wasn't there and
available to be called in as your if nothing else
a decoy in any of these situations down the stretch,
(11:51):
So a lot of standing around waiting for Jimmy and
playoff Jimmy to materialize, and it didn't, you know.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
And that's a big question, right because we're talking about
the Heat right now.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
We talk about playoff.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Jimmy being hey, Jimmy, giveth and Jimmy taketh away. And
the failure of the Heat down the stretch. The fact
that Tyler Hero didn't even play a minute when he.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Was cleared to play today.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
It seemed like Eric Spolster and the Heat may have
may not been on the same page with that, because
he clearly had a moment where he was like, Wow,
Tyler Hero's gonna play. Wow, you know, try to having
some fun with the press a little bit today, which
was kind of strange when he was asked about Tyler Herro,
How does he not get in tonight? I mean, all
(12:40):
the reports and the reports are never going to be
this many reports from WOJ and all these other NBA
insiders that he was suiting up, he was going to
attempt to return, he was upgraded a questionable. I really
am surprised that he didn't get in, and I wonder
what kind of story there is behind that, because for
him not to get in with because he wouldn't have
been active. He would have been activated if they didn't
(13:01):
think he could play, But yet he's activity, he doesn't
get in especially when you need three each, you need
some offense. I get the guy hasn't played, but it's
not like the guy hasn't played with this group of people.
I mean he's been he's been there for a Why
was it their first finals run a few years ago,
so it was it was. It was really surprised me
that this is how it ended for him. And I'm
wondering what kind of if We're gonna get a story
(13:24):
in the next few days about Tyler Hero not playing
in Game five, and it could be anything ranging from
Spolstra disagreed with pat Riley to you know, Hero maybe
wasn't his help, but why why did he suit up?
But there's something, there's something going on. There's another shoe
that's got to drop about this, because I'm really surprised
that we didn't see him at all in the game,
(13:45):
even just to see him at some point where hey,
we need some offense or you go out there for
the final, you know you know minute of the first
half when you want to you know, save some tread
on some guys and the game is close and you're winning,
Let's see what you can do. Let's get your feet
went a little bit and if you can get back
in the swing, hit a shot or two and see.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Where you're at. I really am surprised we didn't see it.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Yeah, I would say the gamesmanship didn't quite get the
desired effect, now, did it? Yeah, because it's not you
really fooled us in the active potential desperation, potential desperation
of activating this guy if nothing else. Michael Malone and
company looked around and said, all right, did you shorten
their bench and available players for tonight?
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Yeah, because it's not like, oh, hey, he's really not
gonna play, but now we're gonna make the Nuggets prepare
for tell you, it's like we've played you without him
for the last four games, so we kind of know
what we're doing.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
It's not like you're taking time away from preparing. But
oh now we're gonna throw that playbook out and prepare.
What if Tyler hero plays? What do we do with.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
It's like, no, we kind of got it. We've kind
of seen what you've done the last four games without him,
so we're okay, Oh he's not gonna play, so okay.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
Then really it was just it was very very strange.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
I don't I think were I would, I would say,
knowing the world of sports the way I do and
how things out, we're going to get something the next
few days. It's going to be Hey, here's the reason
why Tyler Hero didn't play.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
What if it was just a trap?
Speaker 4 (15:07):
Yo, it's a trap.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
It's a too soon an Admiral akbar Man come on
too soon?
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Too soon? Too soon, man mean too soon. You know
what happens to Admiral akbar on Man too soon?
Speaker 3 (15:20):
So now we kind of do too soon on Admiral
Acwe Well.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
I mean it was more recently that we lost General
Scandar actbar.
Speaker 6 (15:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
But I mean, but there you hanging around with the
missing Lincoln kamality. You gun New.
Speaker 5 (15:31):
Giant to take a couple of minutes ago, Jason, you
are an authority on that. If there anybody who knows
what it's like when your team is down in the
final minutes what to do, it's you.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Oh yeah, yeah, listen, I've watched that. My team's succumbed
to that all the time. That happens. Yeah, exactly. Hey listen,
hey game recognize game man, I understand. I got it.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports It's Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with my bes.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Friend Mike Harmon.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
I love that song and the musical stylings of Alex
tight Shirt.
Speaker 5 (16:11):
Can't pay for this, Jay, who thinks.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
There's only one band in the world and.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
That's it just too But this was the best. It's
pretty strong.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Really.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
No, no Pet Shop Boys, I'm concert already. No Pet
Shop Boys. After we mentioned the Pet Shop Boys, I
gave you my Pet Shop Boys impressions.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
We still got an out show coming up.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Jay, what have I done?
Speaker 5 (16:30):
Say you're going and this can all stop?
Speaker 3 (16:32):
One of I, one of I. I'm not going to
see tears. I'm not.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
I'm not going. If they've said you could be up
on stage and sing a song, really not doing it?
No play every night. I'd have to look out to
everybody in the crowd crying because I want to go
to deers or fears.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
The first word in the title is tears. Come on, man, it's.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
Not gonna be tears of joy, tears of re lead.
I mean I I went to my daughter's graduation on Friday.
I cried a tire or to have joined.
Speaker 6 (17:01):
Okay, the first word is tears. The first word is tears.
The third word is fears. Okay, no, it's not happy.
It's not DearS for fear, Joe, No, I get enough
of that. Get enough of that in the regular world.
I don't need that at a concert. Rather, go see somebody.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Is going to continue then, right, well, hopefully it's somehow
that's the deal.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
These guys are trying to broke her for you right now. Well,
I'd like to make the songs go away.
Speaker 5 (17:26):
Telling you to go so it stops.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
This is me expressing my flare. No, I'm not going.
I'm not spending money to get out of this now.
I'm not doing it.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
I'm not doing You've charging it to my card anyway,
So what the hell's the difference?
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (17:40):
No, that is true. Yeah, you know, hey, all right,
that's it.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
If Harmon somehow pays for my ticket, I'll go to
the concert, all right, you got you got Harmon's credit card.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
You put that in writing for you got it on
their prank call. Prank call.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
So the Nuggets are your NBA champions, and I think
everybody is happy that a the NBA Finals are over.
Uh it's it was a tough run. When you knew
the Nuggets were gonna win. Look, they were just this good.
We knew they were going to win. And they take
care of the heat tonight and just to do a
little bit of look ahead, not look ahead to I
(18:22):
know who's gonna win the finals next year, because that's
the Knicks. But now that the finals are over, we
have the parade set to go on Thursday. We know
Nicola Jokic is not happy about the parade. He wants
to go back home.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
Let's go back to his horses.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Man, when when are we going to get the big
Jah Morant decision.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
I almost think it's now.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
It's because people are talking about it now and wondering
whether it's gonna happen because we knew that Adam Silver
is talking about it happening after the finals, and now
it's trending on Twitter. So Adam Silver's got to be saying,
oh man, I can't. I can't just dump this on
a Friday night at like eleven.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
I can't do it. I can't do it.
Speaker 4 (19:03):
I still think he does.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
I'd have to say, we're gonna find out about it,
and this one we're gonna find out. We'll have the
Nuggets parade on Thursday, and people will expect it on Friday. Yeah,
and we won't get it on Friday. We won't get
it on a day where there's a lot of news
and it could be a big topic. We're gonna get
it Saturday. We're not gonna see it. We're not gonna
(19:27):
see it now. We're not gonna see it jump in
and be a topic for the finals.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
We're gonna see it Saturday. It will dump Saturday morning.
We will wake up Saturday and you will see the decision,
and likely I would think if I had to say
what I thought it would be, I think it's still
gonna be the season because it's such a bad optic.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
It's a bad look.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
It's there's no defending what he did with his gun.
Even to say it's a toy. I mean, come on, man,
what kind of defense is that? That's like, that's like
a high school kid. That's I'm gonna try any way
to get out of trouble. Oh, the gun was a toy.
Oh so it was a good decision then, But it
was just a toy gun. It's gonna be really, really significant.
And there's Adam Silver has talked tough about it so far,
(20:10):
and Adam Silver is not somebody who's full of misdirection.
He is simply getting us ready for what's going to
be a big decision. Because there's gonna be some people
that don't like it. Why is he suspended for so long?
He shouldn't be. You're gonna get crazy idiots saying what
did he do wrong? Well, in a lot of states,
that's a felony, So I'm gonna say that right away.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
So anybody's what did he do wrong? You do anything wrong?
We don't do it.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
All those people who say that are idiots, idiots because
in many states, again, brandishing a gun in public is
a fellow knee f E l O n Y felony.
So that's what he did. If you look at good
what he did wrong, that's what he did wrong. So
that's it right there. But Saturday morning, we're gonna get
it where it can be a topic for the week,
and by the time we get to the big news
(20:52):
cycle on Monday, it's over and we've talked about it,
and hey, everybody, let's get ready for free agency.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
That's how it's gonna happen.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Yeah, the curiosity for me is, you know, what do
they where do they come down on how much him
being away is to his long term detriment and trying
to use the NBA as a a he's better in
with the fold in with the team. And then we
see what Memphis ends up doing in terms of bringing
(21:28):
in veterans to change up that locker room as it is,
because outside of Steven Adams, who has hurt for a
good chunk of time, it didn't seem like they had
anybody in there that would either figuratively or you know,
actually slap him upside the head and say what the
hell are you doing? So you've got that, I'm looking
at half a season, perhaps a little bit less, but
(21:52):
still significant because even in the moment eight games when
it was adjudicated, seemed at least fair punishment. Now, it
was made ridiculous by how quickly he was able to
get in front of a microphone to talk about how
much he changed his life just that fast, because I
don't think anybody was by and what was being sold there.
(22:12):
You know, you like to take things and take people
at their words, but you know that was an accelerated
time frame. Get back on the court and move forward.
So hopefully this time around, perhaps there's already been some learning,
some leaning, some conversations that get you to a bit
of a better spots. He's already been away from the team,
(22:33):
you know, to use a vernacular from television and film,
and if you've ever had to go through the court system,
does he get credit for some time served since he's
already been suspended from the team, Not that they're active,
having been eliminated from the playoffs, but the point being
that you're not the facilities and all the amenities are
(22:53):
not available to you. But Saturday would be ballsy. Yeah,
no offices are closed. Just keeps ringing off the hook.
I don't know what to do.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
Oh yeah, yeah, Now look here's here's why I don't
think forty games is good. Right Here' why I don't
think forty games are going to happen. And this gets
into a bigger issue with the NBA, but it's not
about it. But he already had eight games, which was
really two games because the Grizzly sat him down, said
stay away from the team until we figure it out.
(23:22):
And then they figured it out and they gave him
another two games, and they basically said, oh, well, it's
really an eight game suspension because he missed those six
games while we were figuring things out. So it's not
really an eight game suspension. It was a two game suspension,
but you want to say eight games. The one thing
that we have learned about the NBA this year is
what playing in the regular season isn't as important as
(23:44):
it was, right, And I don't mean for anything else
other than teams have realized that do the Stars really
need to play more than fifty to fifty five games? No,
as long as you are in a position to make
the playoffs, it's really not that big a deal anymore.
You don't need to play sixty five seventy seventy five
games because you want a higher seeding, you want first place.
(24:05):
Upsets happen now and you just have to be ready
in playing your best basketball at the end of the season,
and that means your health, it means where you're at
as a team, it means that's where you're peaking. Playing
less basketball is now going to be a trend.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
Stars. Playing less basketball is going to be a trend.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
Unless somehow things change and the NBA puts in some
kind of rules about playing a certain amount of games.
That's how it's going to go less basketball for Stars.
Speaker 3 (24:33):
So if you're saying that less.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Basketball in the regular season is okay? Is forty games
that big of a punishment? Is forty games? Big for
John Rerant to go, okay, forty games? Yeah, big deal.
I come back midway part of the season and we're
ready to go. The team is obviously decent enough they
won without him for many spurts the last couple of years.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
So yeah, I'm coming back to last forty games. Cool.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
Yeah, I'm ready to go, and I'm feeling good and
I'm healthy and I'm not, you know, hitting the wall
for anything, So I'm okay. Forty games. Doesn't really seem like,
are you really taking basketball away from him? For as
long as it's merited. With something like this, I don't
think you are because of that, because of playing in
the in the regular season is takeaway. So you're gonna
(25:17):
need more games and giving someone a season, whoa, you're
to lose a whole season of your career. That's a
different story because that's a we'll see you in over
a year from now when when you apply for reinstatement
to the to the league. So if forty games, it
used to be a big deal, but now that we
know the regular season doesn't matter, I think that the
(25:38):
suspensions and things when it comes to games and losing
games has to be a higher number just because all right,
those those numbers don't really trend anymore. It's when you
hear something, Hey, someone's gonna sign for a thirty million
dollar contract.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
For three years. Oh that's it. That's a bargain.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Right.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
A few years ago, we get paid this guy ten
million dollars a year.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
This guy stinks.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Now it's like, oh, thirty min So that's a bargain, right,
So you got to the numbers have to get higher
for us to be a little bit more shocked or
may pay a little bit more attention to something. And
so now and if it's that case, for money. It's
also the same way for games in the NBA. I
think it's got to be higher.
Speaker 4 (26:14):
Yeah, I'd be curious just to see what Silver has
to say. Listen to the Dan Patrick interview last week,
and you got some good insights of what they're trying
to go through. And you know, the argument about the
being a toy gun is interesting, and then you read
the tech textbook definition of what brandishing a weapon is.
It's meant to intimidate is one of the keys in
(26:35):
this case. When you're on an Instagram live, are you
looking to intimidate or you just kind of hanging out
with a prop. So I guess that there's some interpretation
to be done there, certainly not diminishing it. But if
you're the league and you're trying to adjudicate, because remember
whatever you do here such precedent moving forward and certainly
(26:56):
something you want to be keenly aware of as well,
make sure you send the proper message, but also know
that you're going to get pushed back from the PA
and try to keep things amicable there as well. So
I'm still on the half season. I understand your point
in terms of how much a regular season may or
may not be important, but tonight the Denver Nuggets are victorious.
(27:19):
Regular season matter Number one squad
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
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