February 20, 2025 • 39 mins
Jason and Mike are beyond pumped up for USA vs Canada. The knuckleheads dish out more of their Big BOLD 2nd half NBA predictions. And Lakers head coach JJ Redick explains why LeBron took the last shot over Luka.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
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Speaker 2 (00:22):
Give this you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Hello, Welcome inside final hour tonight the Jason Smith Show
with my bessfriend Miike Harmon. We live from the Tirack
dot Com studios tirac dot com. I hope you get
there at unmatched selection, fast, free shipping, free road hazard protection,
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(00:53):
way tire buying should be.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Well.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
With the Lakers loss to the Hornets kicking off the
second half of the NBA, say, we'll have some big,
fearless second half NBA Bold predictions coming up in about
twenty minutes. But you know, I was thinking about this today.
The biggest sporting event of the week is tomorrow night,
and the vast majority of sports fans really don't have
(01:19):
any idea of what it's all about and it's gonna
capture all our attention, and we're gonna go back to
nineteen eighty tomorrow night for a little while. So sometimes, hey,
let's get you set up for the biggest sporting event
of the week tomorrow, because what we can do if
we can educate and have some fun and tell you
what to look out for, because this is gonna be
just that kind of night tomorrow. Well, I mean the
(01:40):
potential is certainly if you're involved in hockey at all,
you're you're excited about it, right still kind of even
though we get the NBA back to a degree and
you got some college buckets. The build up has been immense.
President Trump expected to show up, so it adds to
the extra juice you add to the news cycle there,
and folks will get in their social media bubbles to
(02:03):
comment on it. I don't know how much of it'll
be about the hockey after a while, but hey, you
gotta get people in the door, right Hey, if I
can get you in the door, maybe I can sell
you on the product. But the Four Nations the championship
tomorrow between the United States and Canada in Boston, it
feels like it's nineteen eighty again, and and because there's
(02:25):
been no hockey game that the United States has played
with this sort of appeal and sense of anticipation since
the United States Russia game miracle on ice in nineteen eighty. Yes,
we've had big games. We've had World Cup games where
the United States has played. We've had gold medal games
in the Olympics with the United States and Canada. Why
the linesmen doesn't jump up and let the puck go by,
(02:46):
and so Sidney Crosby's got a score, Like, forget about
the gold medal game that they actually play after Russia. Right, Well,
but that's but that's the biggest hit people. Forget what
we almost lost that game, Yeah, lost to Finland. But
no game that the United States has played. And look,
when hockey gets to it's US against the world. Everybody
falls in on it. Everybody comes in on it, right,
(03:06):
And it's just like it was in nineteen eighty where
the Olympics start and suddenly here is the big story, right,
they come in, they tie Sweden to to the night
before the Olympics begin, they scored like less than a
minute left to go, and then they beat Czechoslovakia and
all of a sudden, this team just garners American attention
unlike anyone ever. And then we had the game against Russia,
(03:27):
which was the biggest upset we've ever seen in sports.
And again and a game that still resonates forty five
years later, like we have not seen a game with
this kind of stake, simply because of what happened last
weekend with the United States and Canada, because of the
way the game started with three fights in the first
nine seconds, and because of the political backdrop to it,
(03:47):
where President Trump has said, yeah, we want to annex
Canada as the fifty first state, and Canada said we
want California. We want Mandi California. And we talked about
this last night. Let's make that the bet. If the
United States wins, we get Canada, if Canada they get California. Right,
let's go. There's a really good improv bit. If you
missed it, you hit that podcast wherever you download your audio, evangelize,
send it to your friends and family, and of course
(04:08):
give it five stars and comment down how handsome we
looked here in the tirec dot com studio.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
And the loser also gets Drake, So that part don't
forget yes, gets dressed.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Yes, it is the Drake loser leaps. It's not just
a big game, but with the political ramifications hang over it,
it's like it wasn't nineteen eighty because remember the nineteen
eighty Summer Olympics. We didn't go. We boycotted because it
was Russia. Lots of lots of countries boycotted those games.
It was really tense, right, that was the the the
(04:40):
high point of the Cold War. Now here we are
again with Russia and the and the war with Ukraine,
and now things are just turning around. It's it's insane
time right now. No game has had this sort of impact.
So getting ready. This is gonna be people watching this
game tomorrow going I don't get it. What do I
need to know? So that's what we'll do. That's why
this is because it's nineteen eighty tomorrow, I would this
(05:02):
is what you're gonna expect to see tomorrow night when
you watch United States and Canada. Okay, the first thing
is you're gonna love the physicality because Team USA is physical.
They hit and that's how we're able to win the
game Saturday against Canada. You have every time McKinnon or
Crosby or McDavid had the puck. It was, Hey, meet
these two guys meet the boards. Right. The United States
(05:22):
is fast. They play a defensive game. They play a
counter attack kind of game because they can't. Hey, I mean, look,
Canada is still the most talented country in the world.
But the way the United States plays, it's gonna be
it's gonna be physical. They're gonna electrify the crowd and
the team with big hits. They're gonna try to just
continue to bludge in Canada, and you're gonna see big
hits throughout the game. Big hits in the first minute,
(05:43):
big hits in the first five minutes. Maybe there's a
fight or two, but you're gonna see the United States
saying we are gonna hit and hit and hit, and
it's gonna be a lot of fun to watch because
Canada they're I'm telling you, those three, those are the
three guys are gonna have to score for Team Canada.
I they're gonna win this game, and they're they're gonna
be bought on them the entire night. It is really
gonna be something. Well, we got to the scorecard, thirty
(06:05):
four to twenty nine. In that first meeting. Yeah, that's right.
Sixty three total hits levied In had contest, So the
Bruises should have had a couple of days to heal,
a couple of guys sitting out matchups in waiting for
this Thursday tilt. So yeah, physicality ruling the day and
(06:27):
let's face it, the emotions boiling over. You watched it
in the pregame skate and everybody kind of getting out
of it. All right, what are we gonna get? And
as soon as the bell rings, that's it. Yeah, yeah, alright,
we're fired up. It's watch the United States hit. That's
gonna be the thing, and that's going to gain a
lot of people. In the second thing is this what
are the players to know? Brady and Matthew Kuchuk and
(06:48):
I feel like, you know, want to make myself feel old,
like I've been thinking I've been having to deal with
and talk about and not having to deal with, but
talking about and having attention on you like readick for
a year with guys named Kuchuk since I was like
five years old, whether it was Walt Kuchuk and to
Keith Kachuk, now to Matthew and Brady could Chuck congratulation.
Met I still mamber Matthew k Chuck from the playoff.
How many Yeah, that's four. That's for Ku Chucks. If
(07:10):
a could kuld Chuck could chuck at ku Chuck, that's four.
That's four.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
They're both banged up, but they're both gonna play. There's
no way, there's no way these guys missed this game.
And think about that, how how diametrically opposed it from
the All Star Game with like Lebron sitting out for
whatever reason because you know, yeah, I don't know if
I want to play, and here's these guys that the
rest of the NHL season. I'm okay putting that in
jeopardy because we have to win this game. We have
(07:35):
to win this Four Nations Cup over Canada. We have
to win. So Brady and Matthew Kachuck are gonna play.
They're both hurt. It's gonna be fantastic. I love that
it just that it has that weight though. Yeah, yeah,
that's great. These guys are like, all right, I'm in right,
We're putting on the colors one more time. By the way,
Keith Kachuk only fifty two years old. Yeah, yeah, it
seems like it's past. I had my fantasy hockey team
(07:58):
for years. I had a lot of you know, upper
deck cards from the early nineties. But these are the
guys that are gonna most likely score. These are the
guys the United States is gonna rely on to score.
They're not gonna score a ton of goals, but these
are the these are the big offensive stars. But the
guy you gotta know is Connor Hellibook, the goalie. He
is the best American goalie ever. Okay, and he's Jim
(08:19):
Craig in this right, He's Jim Craig. He is that good.
He's just played his entire career in Winnipeg, which is
kind of hard.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Right.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
The guy went to Michigan, Right, he's one of He's
already got two vesen the trophies. Not many guys have three.
But the net he could win it this year. He's
thirty four and seven. He is the best American goalie ever,
better than Richter, better than anybody. We've had good goalies, right,
We've had good goalies win He is the best American
goalie ever. And and you saw how great he was
on Saturday, and and and a great thing because I
(08:49):
was I was actually watching jay Nright, formerly of Fox Sports,
you know, talk about this game in prev the game
and and he and a couple of analysts are talking
about this and this is the best way to describe
it because how good hell of Book is because he's
been so good for the last you know, eight nine years,
is that as good as Canada is. It's gonna come
down to Hella Buok having a bad night. And you
know what, he doesn't have bad nights like that's that
(09:11):
that's where Canada. They could outshoot the United States forty
five to twenty and it doesn't matter because he's that good.
So it's gonna get He's gotta have a bad night
for Canada lose, and he doesn't have many bad nights.
That was That was pitch perfect from Jayn Rate and
that crew when they were talking about that man. That's
exactly who he is. He's Jim Craig. Well you look
where he's at right now in terms of the year
(09:32):
thirty four to seven and two goals against averages two
point oh seven with about a ninety three percent savor eight.
He's look, he's I mean, he just and he is
your MVP favorite if you're going rate American hockey goalie
have best American goalie ever yet better than Jonathan Quick?
Yeah yeah, better than Quick? Really yeah, better than Quick really. Yeah,
he's having a better career than Quick is Yeah that
(09:53):
Quick did? Yeah yeah, he's got two vesidents, already's thirty one.
He's gonna probably win it this year. The guys with
three is I think what Brodure and Hasseck and wah,
I mean said, does Serry Terry Salutchuk even have three vesins?
Like I don't even know, Like that's like the great
You're talking about the greatest goalies in the history of
the sport with ven trophies and he and he's got too,
probably gonna get a third this year and win the MVP.
(10:16):
Like he's that he's that good man, he's a superstar.
See now, I want to go back and look at
all the awards and how normally we just talked about
the lady bang. I mean, and I'm not just saying
this because I could say, Hey, Jets, Hey, look how
good the Jets are. It's the only time I get
to say, look, how good a player the Jets have.
Oh look how good the Jets are.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
Jets.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
That's Jets Jets, Jets, Jets. So that's the big thing.
But the other part is this is that like nineteen eighty,
this is hype unlike any game since you go back
to that Rush United States game. The TV window because
it's United States North America, we get to see it.
Because some of the Olympic games not in the great
TV window. You're waking up in the middle of the
night to watch some of the Olympic games. The calendar
(10:59):
is clear, right, this is where the new era of
hockey is born, and hockey's going to see a big
springboard because of this. The interest level coming off this game.
I want to keep seeing these Where do these players play?
Where do they go? Hell a book? I mean it's
too bad he winn a peg? Really okay, But I
remember that because coming off of nineteen eighty, when all
the miracle on ice guys were going, was like, where
(11:21):
are they going? I was so bummed. I wanted the
Islanders to have Mark Johnson because Johnson was my guy. Right,
every love de Ruzielle like John's he was the best
forward they had. Right, had the big goal against Russia
at the end of the first period. Like you're seeing
Mark Pavlich is going to the Rangers, all the Islanders
getting ken morrow. He's really good, Like, where are these
guys going? Jim Craig went to the Flames and it
was it was such a big thing of where are
(11:43):
these guys going? And you brought hockey into the eighties
and Wayne Gretzky in the scoring him and hockey got
to the big nadir of the nineties with the Rangers
winning the Cup. Then they had a bad lockout and
Gary Bettman ruined the game for a long time. So
but now here we are a short twenty years later
and after that, and hockey's got a chance to gain
back a lot of the attemption, at least get some
of it. And whether it's short term or people stick around.
(12:05):
I mean, you're gonna get a big audience tomorrow, and
now get out there and sell. I don't think that's
the pregame speech, but it is very much the way. Hey,
we kind of need this for folks to stay with us.
We're doing okay hockey. People like hockey. We'd love more
of the casuals to stick with us. So let's figure
this out as we go again. Going back to the
(12:27):
sixty three hits and multiple fights of the previous and
there'll be another fight. There's no way there won't be.
There's no We'll get one early. We'll get one, like
I think we'll get I think we'll get one in
the first ten minutes, just because of the the because
the rat ratcheting up. The level of this game is
going to be so great, you're gonna need, to, let
(12:48):
you say, before you can really go and play hockey.
So you're gonna get a fight in the first ten minutes,
especially if the loser gets Drake. Yeah, oh yeah, yeah.
Like if they go to drop the puck and they go, okay,
everybody ready, loser gets Drake boom and they drop the puck. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
I didn't agree to that. None of us agreed to
the loser getting Drake, none of us. Such a rough
couple of week for for Drake. We'll see what what
(13:09):
what happens in terms of pregame festivities and all. Serena
will drop the puck. Okay, loser gets Drake bam, but
she drops comes out a little red carpet and then
does the walk back straight back down the tunnel. Uh four.
That's in the trophies for Sawchuk. I had to do
that and no, and Hella Buck is thirty one, right,
(13:30):
it's probably most likely gonna be three this year. Played
about two hundred games, fewer than Jonathan Quick over like
all my goalies, you know, came out of a Russian
coach back in my back. Quick has the cut. But
you're talking about how good you're talking as as as
a goalie, Like, I don't think anybody's gonna say, well,
Hasseck was the best goalie I saw, but he's not
as decorated as bro duor or what you know. I
(13:51):
think it's science though Jonathan Quick's the greatest thing. Yeah,
it's for me. The king will always be either Ed
Belfo or Nikolai Hobbi Moonen.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
You can beat it, Hobby Hobby Hoy two guys that
played for the Blackhawks.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Really just okay, let's just make it sure, all right,
very good? You see what I did there? I know
I know exactly what you did. I just circled it back.
Take it about me? Exit up about a Fresco exit
swollen down the Jason Smith Show with my best Fred
Mike Harbon.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
So there you go.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Your primer for the game. Of the week, Sporting Event
of the week coming up next. Since we did kick
off the quote second half of the NBA season the night,
how about some big fearless predictions for the second half
of the season straight ahead right here, Jason and Mike
Fox Sports Radio. Nicks make this playoffs? Oh, that's absolutely happening.
(14:42):
What's the NIXT play tight shirt? What what sport to
the next play? Very good? Eastern or Western Conference? East? Wow? Okay?
What city? New York? Very good? Wow? That's great New
York team that actually plays in New York Y Philly Whiz.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
We be sure to catch live editions of The Jason
Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern,
seven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike Harmon on camera as long as say on camera.
We're live at the Tireck dot Com Studios, where we
just watched the second half of the NBA season kickoff
the Lakers with an incredibly embarrassing loss of the Hornets
(15:41):
one hundred and ninety seven. We'll have more on that
game coming up in a bit. Laker's all talking following
the game about hey, Lebron taking the final shot over
Luca Austin Reeves getting thrown out of this game for
arguing with the officials. Yeah, it's kind of a night
for the Lakers tonight. But going forward now, kicking things off,
let's give you some big, bold predictions for the quote
(16:03):
second half, which is really the second final third of
the NBA season. And I'll kick things off with the Lakers.
I know tonight was a really embarrassing night for them,
and Luca had a tough time hitting shots. It was
you can't cut it up. This is an awful loss
to the Lakers. The last two games they've played, they've
lost to Utah, They've lost to the Hornets. These teams
(16:23):
have won thirteen and fourteen games all year. It's embarrassing,
but the Lakers are going to get it together. This
was still a really good team going into the trade deadline.
Luca and Lebron will work out together fine with each other.
The Lakers are going to go into the playoffs at
the second seed in the West, all the way up
to number They're not gonna get the first seed because
(16:43):
the thunder are too far ahead. But this is a
team that had a big dynamic change. Once Luca gets
going and get gets his sea legs under him a
little bit, this offense is going to explode. I've said, look,
it was exploding tonight until I said, oh, I don't
see anything that could go wrong for the Lakers now.
And then suddenly Austin Reaves thrown out and then they
get outscored. They really explode. I'll up eleven. They shot
(17:04):
thirty six percent from the field. No, but I mean no, no,
Then the Hornets exploded. Oh okay, I thought you met that,
the uh no explosion implosion. No no, I heard it as
a continuation of the Lakers though they're like, no, no,
they were terrible. No j j hridar no jj rerdd
is gonna hate me even more. Look, you're not gonna
have Luca's not gonna have many nights. Five out of
(17:25):
eighteen from the floor, one out of nine from three
point range for fourteen points. He's not gonna have. He's
not gonna turn the ball over five minutes in the
first five minutes of the game like he did tonight.
He's gonna need a little bit of time, which you
didn't think he would. But remember he hasn't played a
lot since December. Not making excuses, I'm just saying I
think it's gonna be a couple of weeks for the Lakers.
But once they once they get in that groove, watch out,
(17:46):
they're gonna start steamrolling teams all the way through. And
it's not like these teams at the top are going
to be so super motivated. You know, we already talked
about the Rockets are falling down the Western Conference a
little bit. The Nuggets are playing really well, but they
have played a pretty easy schedule the last last eight
or nine games with this big winstream Man, the Lakers
have played too easy teams and didn't when you play,
(18:07):
but I feel like the Lakers have The Lakers have
the most room for where they are to where their
ceiling can be. Right It's more than the Nuggets are
playing close to their ceiling right now. The Thunder been
playing at their ceiling. The Lakers still have a lot
of room. You know, they're not hitting their heads on
the ceiling yet, so there's still more room from where
they are right now. They've played really well to where
(18:27):
they can be. So that's why I'm telling you they're
gonna start scoring a ton of points. It's gonna be
one hundred and thirty points a night. Luca's gonna score
thirty five, Lebronos score thirty. You're gonna have where the
three of them with Reeves are scoring ninety points. They're
gonna get one hundred and thirty a game, and the
Lakers will be justifying they'll finish second in the West
one hundred and thirty a game. Yep. I don't I
really don't think the Lakers want to run at that piece.
(18:50):
I don't think they just have to run from the
the three point line to the three point line. That's
all you have to run. You don't have to run
further than that. It's okay, it's defense. You're cutting the
court in thirds, right. I like the math that you're
doing here, and we could use that as a great
example of how math gets applied to the basketball world.
I think Yo Kitchen Company, he chases down SGA for
(19:13):
the MVP. Before it's all said and done, playing really
well eight and two going into the break. To your point,
the schedule was soft. There's gonna be those spots still
on the schedule to go and exploit, no question about it.
But it's gonna be a fun raise Rockets will trail off.
I think we get a much better second half from
(19:34):
the Tea Wolves that they found a little bit of
something down the stretch and start to jump back into
that top six area and take that spot occupied by
the Rocket since everybody wants to trade off Anthony Edwards.
Now it's a subplot in the show tonight, and he
doesn't want to be the face of the league. But
guess what, he plays really well down the stretch to
(19:55):
where we start having that conversation again. So there's bullpar
action number one, number two at the end of the
season because of the way the second half is going
to play out, yeap, the seventy six Ers and the
Suns are going to blow up their teams and start
over's and you are going to see big name upon
(20:17):
big name out there available for trade free agent whatever
it's going to be. Joel Embiid will be available, Paul
George will be available, Kevin Durant will be available, Devin
Booker will be available, Bradley Beal will be available, And
I bid you gotta get his permission because he's one
of the two players of the no trade. What a
genius he wants. Kevin Durant just didn't want to move. Yeah,
he didn't say he didn't want to get traded. He
(20:38):
just said he didn't want to do it. Now packing
up the house and then driving across country, I don't
want to do that. Man I in the middle too,
has a lot of stuff. But both these teams are
going to understand we need to we need to reset.
The Sons have tried this now for a while with
their new three players and it's not working. Right. They
almost they try to trade Kevin Durant at the deadline.
Now it didn't work. Everybody's going to be available because
(20:59):
Matta and the Sons are gonna realize this isn't working.
We need something new, So they're all gonna be available.
The Sixers, yeah, you're gonna build around Tyres Maxy and
understand that we have to get out from under Joel Embiid.
Hopefully he comes back and he plays and he's healthy
down the stretch, so he plays in a lot of games,
so it's easier to trade him in the off season
because the less games he plays, the harder is to
(21:21):
trade him. But with that and Paul George, like, really,
you're talking about a guy in his mid thirties. You're
really gonna go through with that. He's got some value
to teams that maybe hey, we're a Paul George away.
Maybe people teams have been a Paul George a Wayne
now for the going going on fifteen years. But like
you know, he still has a lot of value, still
is able to fill up the stat sheet a bit.
But you're gonna see all these big names are all
(21:41):
gonna be available. It's gonna be like Christmas when you
get to when you get to the off season, because
again Embiid, George Durant, Booker, Bill, They're all gonna be
out there. Well, it's gonna be just like we're looking
at the NFL offseason. Here's a bunch of guys in
their mid to late thirties. How much do you like him? Yeah?
But what do you got on your roster? Will these
guys make him make you better? Booker is the only
(22:03):
guy that doesn't go to the rest like the rest
of these guys are all. But Duran's still a great scorer,
right and and Embeed if he's healthy, can be a
difference maker for a year or two. But he's got
to be healthy. Buy I can't. I just can't do it.
Even even that like that is the the ultimate and
scratch off lottery. But here's the thing is that what
have we seen from many players in the last few years,
(22:24):
Players you thought were done, that couldn't stay on the court,
that didn't seem really enthralled to play with their team.
Once they got to a new team, Suddenly, Hey, I'm healthy,
I'm playing great, I'm the the The reports of my
death have been greatly exaggerated. Right, whether it's James Harden
or Chris Paul, whoever, it is all of a sudden, Oh,
you change scenery and now now you're really good again.
(22:46):
I didn't see that James Harden got out of the suit.
He's one of those guys. Chris Paul has played really well.
Tooth picks, you got got some toothpicks. You got Kyrie
my team. Now I'm the captain now, so he's got
all that fun stuff. So that goes through. But yeah,
with Embeid, what did we get. We got the old
college try ahead of the trade deadline, and then oh, yeah,
(23:09):
I'm gonna probably need to knee surgery, like in the
same breath, like look at the game. I just had
triple double. Yeah, but wait, does he really need knee
surgery or did he say that he needs need surgery?
That goes back to the conversation say that he has
to have it, the conversation that we were having with
stuff yesterday of you know where teams are complicit in things, right,
(23:33):
the Luca wrist injury versus he was out of shape, Well,
you put down that he had an injury. If he didn't,
then you didn't comply with the rules. You lose a
draft pick, multiple draft picks, and sanctions. But either way,
it's a lot of guys that you've got to make
the bet that you can get that bounce from the
Kevin Durant, I think we'd all agree can still go
and play basketball. Just does he really want to? In
(23:57):
your local Bradley Beal's the most fascinating man in the end,
the guy, I mean really honestly, I think that that
that contract got signed and it didn't get proof read,
and at the very end, like his agent snuck in
and a no trade class and just started to and
nobody yeah or something. So they didn't bother to U,
but they did the AI scan. Yeah, it's all Boiler
(24:19):
played it's good post talk air.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
Go Propter hawk no trade deadline? Oh okay, Greg I
thought he.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
Was yelling something from Harry Potter. I don't know Levy
O saw no trade O saw not no trade OSA,
no trade OSA? Uh yeah, no, great, great and if
you can get it great but great, but certainly big
resets in the offing. We watched the trade deadline, right
we normally it's a bunch of rumors and they're fun, right,
(24:45):
even this John Moran thing. We asked Rick Buker about
it last hour download the show and it's after we're
downing the podcast to go up where you get your audio?
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (24:53):
And then evangelized sending it to friends and family. Uh,
but you know that doesn't come out out of nowhere, right,
So where loose lips or you know, ventriloquists in a
room of exec suber an All Star Breaker hy whatever
it is, but like you've got a bunch of names there.
We saw the activity of this All Star break, which
(25:14):
was which was fantastic. Right heading into the break, we
got all of these deals and seismic shifts. Here's Jimmy
Butler and the Stare down with pat Riley. Here's Luca
the Williams thing. Laker fans will hold their head. See
Lebron dunked. He couldn't even get vertical and stop Lebron James.
But it's the just the hope that your team has
(25:38):
the opportunity to go make a big swing. And as
we're seeing in sports, it's not as out of the
realm of possibility. Hell, we see trades in football these
days which we did not for many many years, like
well they could in theory, it's like and then we
don't laugh about it. So the third big bold prediction three,
because this is the Knicks or not, would be really bold.
(26:01):
The Knicks are going to the finals, dude, prediction. No, no, no, no,
you want a bold Knicks bold prediction where where I
can make fun of the Knicks. No one's gonna watch
their playoff games. You know why, because no one's gonna
watch the Eastern Conference because it's so incredibly they're gonna
be great. That's not a bold prediction.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Nobody's cis.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
No one's gonna watch the Eastern conferen place. I mean,
what would you rather watch? You have a Western Conference
that all the trades that remade teams and maybe a
d and the Mavericks are there, and Butler and the
and the and the Warriors with Steph for there. You
got things you really gonna are gonna watch Boston, Orlando.
I'm gonna watch the uh you know, I'm gonna watch
Milwaukee and maybe maybe Mac McClung gets a call of
(26:39):
what a game winning dunk by Mack McClung. I don't
believe it. He brought out a Uni cycle, but I'll
give you this. The coach of the Year in the
NBA is JB. Bickerstaff of the Pistons. Pistons are the
best story in the least. That's just because you wanted
to say the name.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
Bigger Staff, bigger staff, Bernie, bigger staff, j B. Bigger staff,
bigger staff, bigger staff, bigger staf uh TJ. Usually watching
the Jets, I watch their staff bicker, but in Detroit
they have bicker staff. Dj uh look in one year
right like he gets he gets he gets pushed out
of Cleveland where they were playing pretty well, pushing them out. Okay,
(27:15):
first year with the Pistons, they're plus twenty one in
in in their record, they're over five hundred. Usually at
this point in the season, the Pistons have eight wins.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
And it's they're gonna get to ten. What are we
gonna do. It's the first time they get well, I
was just two years early on the Pistons. I was
just two years start. You said, I need these supplies
somewhere else. Yeah, sorry, we're gonna need to reroute things.
But don't worry. The new truck with the equipment is coming.
I need different colors. I need Lions colors. Let's go.
This is the first time since two thousand and nine
(27:50):
the Pistons have entered the All Star Break with a
winning record. Right, They're a top five ish team in
the East, thanks shore Boss Scott Shapiro. I mean, yeah,
Kate Cunningham's become a star. Jaden Ivy's terrific, and they're
winning without him, right, I mean he's been out for
a while. They're winning without him. Their terrific rebounding team.
They're a team nobody wants to play. I mean, you
(28:10):
you look at these other coaches that are doing great jobs.
They have star rosters, right they they mean the Cavaliers. Yeah, okay,
they're the best offense in all of the NBA. Right,
and they have a superstar in Donovan Mitchell. This is
a Pistons team that we were saying, are they gonna
break there? Every year it was are they gonna break
the record for fewest wins in the season? Are they
gonna win less than nine games? Are they gonna go
(28:31):
break the nine and seventy three record by the Sixers
back in seventy two to seventy three? And here they
are now over five hundred. And it's not just any team.
This is a heritage team that people remember the Bad
Boys and the romance of Dumars and Isaiah Thomas and
Lamee Beer and then later on the Ben Wallace and
the Tayshawn Prince and Chauncey billups in the early two thousands,
(28:54):
the team that beat the Lakers to win the championships,
like the Pistons are through the thread of the NBA,
and here they are. I mean, this is a team
in one year. It's not like they had a whole
bunch of different moves in the office. That's why I
want Kevin Durant to go to the Pistons. At the
trade we talked about that, Yeah, but really Bickerstaff has
(29:14):
to be the coach of the year because of what
he's done with. This is a roster that was that
was awful a year ago, and here they are already
they're plus twenty one over what they were a year ago.
It's insanely good. Well, it's good to see uh, kid
Cunningham getting his run. You'd see him a bit in
the highlight. I got paid before he became a star. It's like,
we got nowhere else to go with the money. Well,
here's here's their cash. Well, when he turned out to
(29:36):
be good, that's great. Well it worked out really nicely.
Bickerstaff's sixteen to one at last. Look, uh he Madoka
at plus nine hundred but not expecting them to stay,
and then Kenny Atkinson at seven boot Neither of those guys.
How about your if your prediction comes true and he's
able to get guys all the way through and co
working on the play, don't say it your nemesis, Hi, buddy,
(30:01):
Yes you are the villain to JJ Reddick, he's fifty
to one. I wonder if he talked about me in
the post game pres commor. I can't wait to find Oh,
you don't got to hear that, but first we got
to hear what's trending in the wide world of sports.
From Martin White summed up, what do you got for us?
All right? Thanks a bunch, Martin. Hey, don't forget our
(30:22):
best of podcast goes up in about a half hour.
If you miss any of our stuff from tonight, whether
it was college football playoff, the Four Nations preview, our
big second half predictions in the NBA, just search Jason
Smith and Mike Harmon wherever you get your podcasts from,
and it will be there. Rate us, follow us, subscribe,
(30:43):
give us five stars. We'll love you forever and ever
and ever again. Right after the show is over, Just
search Jason Smith and Mike Harmon wherever you get your
podcasts from, it will be there. Thank you so much
for your support. Mike and I love putting this content
out for you every single night. Well coming up next, Yes,
remember an absolute legend and give you the big takeaway
(31:03):
about what you need to know about Luca Donsich After
tonight and going forward Jason and Mike Fox.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific, Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
The Jason Smith Show with My Best Friend Mike Harmon
live from the tyrack dot Com studios, and we finally
got back to games right. NHL is off, We get
the big game tomorrow night, the four Nite Championship. NBA
is back tonight, the Lakers and the Hornets playing the
makeup game from earlier in January because of the fires
(31:45):
in Los Angeles. NBA gets back at it in full
play tomorrow. But it was a game we thought was
gonna be a blowout, and then the Lakers just threw
up themselves. The Hornets come all the way back. They
were down eleven. Lakers were playing a really c plus
kind of game, and then Austin Reeves got thrown out.
(32:06):
The Hornets went on a run again. Austin Reeves, you're
real MVP of the season. Austin Reeves got tough. Now
we're on the emotion, left to building and it came
down to the end. The Hornets had a three point
lead with about six seconds left to go, and Lebron
James took not one but two threes, missed them both
(32:27):
and the Hornets win. He took a three, missed rebound
went back out to him. He gets the three pointer
over Luka Doncic Now, Luka Donci did not have a
great night shooting the ball. He was one out of
nine from three point range. But Lebron got the shot,
got two shots over Luca. Why here's my best friend,
JJ Reddick. And I say that because like he's feuding
(32:48):
with me. He said that, you let me get that sarcasm. Yeah,
like you're my best friend, he's my best friend. Yeah, yeah,
I mean, I don't know. I don't know if he
talked about me during the press conference against and I
have no idea, but here he was explaining why Lebron
got the final shots and not Luca Johnson.
Speaker 4 (33:05):
There's there's some interchangeable parts in some of the LA
game stuff. And you know, you as a coach, you're
excited that you have two guys that can be the
passer and be the guy who gets the pass. But
felt like, you know, Lebron, particularly in the fourth just
you know, found a nice rhythm and felt really comfortable
(33:25):
with that, and we got two good looks.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
You could be the passor you could be the shooter.
How about I'm the pastor and you're the shooter. How
about if both of us are the passers and somebody
else is a shooter. Look, Lebron was having the better game, right,
He near triple double for Lebron twenty six, eleven and seven.
Luca was shooting poorly, right, So obviously, if you have
a choice, okay, who's going to take the final shot,
and you have a choice between Luca and Lebron, you
go with the hot hands. So Lebron with six of
(33:50):
eight in the fourth quarter at that I have no
problemating a bunch near the rim. But either way, he'd.
Speaker 3 (33:54):
Hit two threes earlier, and he did get two good
looks like those are two as good looks.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
Again, right right, First one is straight away about six
feet beyond the arc, and then the other it's a scrambot. Yeah, no,
so I have no that there's no qualms with the shot.
But this is the thing about Luca. I don't know
that Luca would have ever really been an option, not
(34:20):
just because he missed tonight, but watching Luca play this
is the best way I can describe him the last
few nights since he's come back with the Lakers. Obviously
talking about him being out of shape and not being
ready to play as a thing, he's playing like he
looks like he's giving a full effort, right. I don't
think there's any point where he's like he's not He's
not doing this. He's giving a full effort, but he
(34:42):
looks like he's playing at three quarter speed, and all
of his drives to the hoop are a little bit
more contested. He doesn't have quite as much room as
he normally does. Is his slide in and step back
is not quite there, like he needs a little bit
of time. Because I look at him and I'm like, okay,
he's not not hustling, this is what you're but he
just looks like he's playing at three quarter speed, and
(35:03):
you can't do that in the NBA, even the best players,
even when a guy like speed and quickness so not
as much of his game as deception and balance, like
you know you watch him. That's why him and Jalen
Brunson were kind of the same kind of guys and
their teammates is that a Brunson gives you the deception
and body movement and body control. Luke is a little
bit taller and can get his shot a little bit more,
but he really he looks like he's playing at three
(35:23):
quarter speed, Like what are you doing at drill? Going Okay,
let's get this drill. Let's go at three quarter speeds.
Already picks up. Then we'll do it at full speed.
But Luca's playing like he's at three quarter speed. Yeah,
to that point, I mean early in the game, we
watched a couple of drives where he made a good
first move right, good good crossover and got the first step.
But that closeout happened a lot faster on him than normal. Right,
(35:46):
that explosiveness to the rim not there, and a couple
of time is actually left it short on layup attempts.
But all of it to say, it's it's about timing
and getting it down and having your three point shooters
what they're there for. Right, Ruyachimora shoots one for eight.
Reeves was two for seven before he got kicked out.
(36:07):
And the thing is I get Reeves getting kicked out.
He was upset over a foul call that he thought
he should have got. He yelled at the official, got
close to him, the official teed him up, and then
when he turned to walk back up the court, he
brushed the officials arm. That's gonna get you thrown out, Right,
You can't you can't touch the official. That's always been
the third rail. No matter what happens, you touch the official,
(36:28):
the official's gonna throw you out. So that he would
have gotten the one tee, which really was just that
he just got to that's a foul. That's a foul.
But when you do it right in the official's face
and the official feels okay, now you're you're you're trying
to make an example of me and you're trying to
embarrass me, I'm gonna give you a tee. But touching
the touching the red, that's gonna get it you. When
you touch the ref, that's gonna absolutely happen, especially when
(36:51):
it's not something where there's a scrum and a guy
hits the ref. The ref doesn't know what's going on,
does if he's knocked off balance or not. When you
walk by him and you kind of brush him, yeah,
that's gonna get you out of the Yeah, I mean
it's one of those I think, a play on kind
of moment. But Iso game guy fired up, not quite
sure what he had to say, but yeah, he gets
(37:11):
the no call and gets a quick hook. So Lakers
fans salty, and like you said, eighteen to one run thereafter.
I know Lebron though, I mean in the post game
was being asked a lot of questions about that dunk. Yeah,
so it really pushes off the ending of the game
and the actual loss because he dunked on Mark with
oh yeah, I know he dunked on thenl oh No,
(37:32):
I don't know why I did. He was never a teammate.
He's just a guy. Sometimes Lebron says stuff and does
I just go, yeah, whatever, I'm moved on to. I'm
not going to make this a thing. I'm moving on
to what's next. This is not this is not important.
Now look the other part of Big Tonight. We spent
a lot of time tonight. Mike Lang passed away tonight,
the age of seventy six, and my favorite play by
play announcer of all time. I've never heard anybody better.
(37:54):
I didn't grow up with him, but my experience with
him has been doing playoff games and doing big local
games and I got to see him. His calls, his
goal calls are tremendous. He always entertained. I mean, he
wasn't even the guy, my guy that I grew up with,
and he was the best.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
It hasn't broadcast a game and since twenty twenty one.
Stepped away for you know, health reasons, and I just
remember in the eighties and the nineties just he was
so much fun to listen to and his calls and
you know, getting the fast laying Grandma, the bingo game
is ready to roll like that there. We've played a
lot of them tonight on the show. It's just an
(38:34):
incredible life and incredible hockey life. For nearly five decades.
He was the best. He was my favorite, and I
passed away today forty six years there and and you know,
as we were talking about a little bit earlier and institution,
and because those teams were so good, we got a
lot of highlights and we got to hear Mike Lang
quite often. Speaking of highlights, we got one more Mike
Lang here, Alex tie shirt.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
He's got the fuck acrossby Rich shot.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
Too to start getting my ass lane, Grandma, the pingo
game is ready to roll. Rest in peace, Mike Lang
for Mike Gum Jason coming up next, my buddy Ben Mallard.
This is Fox Sports Radio.
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
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Speaker 2 (00:22):
Give this you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Hello, Welcome inside final hour tonight the Jason Smith Show
with my bessfriend Miike Harmon. We live from the Tirack
dot Com studios tirac dot com. I hope you get
there at unmatched selection, fast, free shipping, free road hazard protection,
over ten thousand recommended installers. Tirack dot com is the
(00:53):
way tire buying should be.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Well.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
With the Lakers loss to the Hornets kicking off the
second half of the NBA, say, we'll have some big,
fearless second half NBA Bold predictions coming up in about
twenty minutes. But you know, I was thinking about this today.
The biggest sporting event of the week is tomorrow night,
and the vast majority of sports fans really don't have
(01:19):
any idea of what it's all about and it's gonna
capture all our attention, and we're gonna go back to
nineteen eighty tomorrow night for a little while. So sometimes, hey,
let's get you set up for the biggest sporting event
of the week tomorrow, because what we can do if
we can educate and have some fun and tell you
what to look out for, because this is gonna be
just that kind of night tomorrow. Well, I mean the
(01:40):
potential is certainly if you're involved in hockey at all,
you're you're excited about it, right still kind of even
though we get the NBA back to a degree and
you got some college buckets. The build up has been immense.
President Trump expected to show up, so it adds to
the extra juice you add to the news cycle there,
and folks will get in their social media bubbles to
(02:03):
comment on it. I don't know how much of it'll
be about the hockey after a while, but hey, you
gotta get people in the door, right Hey, if I
can get you in the door, maybe I can sell
you on the product. But the Four Nations the championship
tomorrow between the United States and Canada in Boston, it
feels like it's nineteen eighty again, and and because there's
(02:25):
been no hockey game that the United States has played
with this sort of appeal and sense of anticipation since
the United States Russia game miracle on ice in nineteen eighty. Yes,
we've had big games. We've had World Cup games where
the United States has played. We've had gold medal games
in the Olympics with the United States and Canada. Why
the linesmen doesn't jump up and let the puck go by,
(02:46):
and so Sidney Crosby's got a score, Like, forget about
the gold medal game that they actually play after Russia. Right, Well,
but that's but that's the biggest hit people. Forget what
we almost lost that game, Yeah, lost to Finland. But
no game that the United States has played. And look,
when hockey gets to it's US against the world. Everybody
falls in on it. Everybody comes in on it, right,
(03:06):
And it's just like it was in nineteen eighty where
the Olympics start and suddenly here is the big story, right,
they come in, they tie Sweden to to the night
before the Olympics begin, they scored like less than a
minute left to go, and then they beat Czechoslovakia and
all of a sudden, this team just garners American attention
unlike anyone ever. And then we had the game against Russia,
(03:27):
which was the biggest upset we've ever seen in sports.
And again and a game that still resonates forty five
years later, like we have not seen a game with
this kind of stake, simply because of what happened last
weekend with the United States and Canada, because of the
way the game started with three fights in the first
nine seconds, and because of the political backdrop to it,
(03:47):
where President Trump has said, yeah, we want to annex
Canada as the fifty first state, and Canada said we
want California. We want Mandi California. And we talked about
this last night. Let's make that the bet. If the
United States wins, we get Canada, if Canada they get California. Right,
let's go. There's a really good improv bit. If you
missed it, you hit that podcast wherever you download your audio, evangelize,
send it to your friends and family, and of course
(04:08):
give it five stars and comment down how handsome we
looked here in the tirec dot com studio.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
And the loser also gets Drake, So that part don't
forget yes, gets dressed.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Yes, it is the Drake loser leaps. It's not just
a big game, but with the political ramifications hang over it,
it's like it wasn't nineteen eighty because remember the nineteen
eighty Summer Olympics. We didn't go. We boycotted because it
was Russia. Lots of lots of countries boycotted those games.
It was really tense, right, that was the the the
(04:40):
high point of the Cold War. Now here we are
again with Russia and the and the war with Ukraine,
and now things are just turning around. It's it's insane
time right now. No game has had this sort of impact.
So getting ready. This is gonna be people watching this
game tomorrow going I don't get it. What do I
need to know? So that's what we'll do. That's why
this is because it's nineteen eighty tomorrow, I would this
(05:02):
is what you're gonna expect to see tomorrow night when
you watch United States and Canada. Okay, the first thing
is you're gonna love the physicality because Team USA is physical.
They hit and that's how we're able to win the
game Saturday against Canada. You have every time McKinnon or
Crosby or McDavid had the puck. It was, Hey, meet
these two guys meet the boards. Right. The United States
(05:22):
is fast. They play a defensive game. They play a
counter attack kind of game because they can't. Hey, I mean, look,
Canada is still the most talented country in the world.
But the way the United States plays, it's gonna be
it's gonna be physical. They're gonna electrify the crowd and
the team with big hits. They're gonna try to just
continue to bludge in Canada, and you're gonna see big
hits throughout the game. Big hits in the first minute,
(05:43):
big hits in the first five minutes. Maybe there's a
fight or two, but you're gonna see the United States
saying we are gonna hit and hit and hit, and
it's gonna be a lot of fun to watch because
Canada they're I'm telling you, those three, those are the
three guys are gonna have to score for Team Canada.
I they're gonna win this game, and they're they're gonna
be bought on them the entire night. It is really
gonna be something. Well, we got to the scorecard, thirty
(06:05):
four to twenty nine. In that first meeting. Yeah, that's right.
Sixty three total hits levied In had contest, So the
Bruises should have had a couple of days to heal,
a couple of guys sitting out matchups in waiting for
this Thursday tilt. So yeah, physicality ruling the day and
(06:27):
let's face it, the emotions boiling over. You watched it
in the pregame skate and everybody kind of getting out
of it. All right, what are we gonna get? And
as soon as the bell rings, that's it. Yeah, yeah, alright,
we're fired up. It's watch the United States hit. That's
gonna be the thing, and that's going to gain a
lot of people. In the second thing is this what
are the players to know? Brady and Matthew Kuchuk and
(06:48):
I feel like, you know, want to make myself feel old,
like I've been thinking I've been having to deal with
and talk about and not having to deal with, but
talking about and having attention on you like readick for
a year with guys named Kuchuk since I was like
five years old, whether it was Walt Kuchuk and to
Keith Kachuk, now to Matthew and Brady could Chuck congratulation.
Met I still mamber Matthew k Chuck from the playoff.
How many Yeah, that's four. That's for Ku Chucks. If
(07:10):
a could kuld Chuck could chuck at ku Chuck, that's four.
That's four.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
They're both banged up, but they're both gonna play. There's
no way, there's no way these guys missed this game.
And think about that, how how diametrically opposed it from
the All Star Game with like Lebron sitting out for
whatever reason because you know, yeah, I don't know if
I want to play, and here's these guys that the
rest of the NHL season. I'm okay putting that in
jeopardy because we have to win this game. We have
(07:35):
to win this Four Nations Cup over Canada. We have
to win. So Brady and Matthew Kachuck are gonna play.
They're both hurt. It's gonna be fantastic. I love that
it just that it has that weight though. Yeah, yeah,
that's great. These guys are like, all right, I'm in right,
We're putting on the colors one more time. By the way,
Keith Kachuk only fifty two years old. Yeah, yeah, it
seems like it's past. I had my fantasy hockey team
(07:58):
for years. I had a lot of you know, upper
deck cards from the early nineties. But these are the
guys that are gonna most likely score. These are the
guys the United States is gonna rely on to score.
They're not gonna score a ton of goals, but these
are the these are the big offensive stars. But the
guy you gotta know is Connor Hellibook, the goalie. He
is the best American goalie ever. Okay, and he's Jim
(08:19):
Craig in this right, He's Jim Craig. He is that good.
He's just played his entire career in Winnipeg, which is
kind of hard.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Right.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
The guy went to Michigan, Right, he's one of He's
already got two vesen the trophies. Not many guys have three.
But the net he could win it this year. He's
thirty four and seven. He is the best American goalie ever,
better than Richter, better than anybody. We've had good goalies, right,
We've had good goalies win He is the best American
goalie ever. And and you saw how great he was
on Saturday, and and and a great thing because I
(08:49):
was I was actually watching jay Nright, formerly of Fox Sports,
you know, talk about this game in prev the game
and and he and a couple of analysts are talking
about this and this is the best way to describe
it because how good hell of Book is because he's
been so good for the last you know, eight nine years,
is that as good as Canada is. It's gonna come
down to Hella Buok having a bad night. And you
know what, he doesn't have bad nights like that's that
(09:11):
that's where Canada. They could outshoot the United States forty
five to twenty and it doesn't matter because he's that good.
So it's gonna get He's gotta have a bad night
for Canada lose, and he doesn't have many bad nights.
That was That was pitch perfect from Jayn Rate and
that crew when they were talking about that man. That's
exactly who he is. He's Jim Craig. Well you look
where he's at right now in terms of the year
(09:32):
thirty four to seven and two goals against averages two
point oh seven with about a ninety three percent savor eight.
He's look, he's I mean, he just and he is
your MVP favorite if you're going rate American hockey goalie
have best American goalie ever yet better than Jonathan Quick?
Yeah yeah, better than Quick? Really yeah, better than Quick really. Yeah,
he's having a better career than Quick is Yeah that
(09:53):
Quick did? Yeah yeah, he's got two vesidents, already's thirty one.
He's gonna probably win it this year. The guys with
three is I think what Brodure and Hasseck and wah,
I mean said, does Serry Terry Salutchuk even have three vesins?
Like I don't even know, Like that's like the great
You're talking about the greatest goalies in the history of
the sport with ven trophies and he and he's got too,
probably gonna get a third this year and win the MVP.
(10:16):
Like he's that he's that good man, he's a superstar.
See now, I want to go back and look at
all the awards and how normally we just talked about
the lady bang. I mean, and I'm not just saying
this because I could say, Hey, Jets, Hey, look how
good the Jets are. It's the only time I get
to say, look, how good a player the Jets have.
Oh look how good the Jets are.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
Jets.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
That's Jets Jets, Jets, Jets. So that's the big thing.
But the other part is this is that like nineteen eighty,
this is hype unlike any game since you go back
to that Rush United States game. The TV window because
it's United States North America, we get to see it.
Because some of the Olympic games not in the great
TV window. You're waking up in the middle of the
night to watch some of the Olympic games. The calendar
(10:59):
is clear, right, this is where the new era of
hockey is born, and hockey's going to see a big
springboard because of this. The interest level coming off this game.
I want to keep seeing these Where do these players play?
Where do they go? Hell a book? I mean it's
too bad he winn a peg? Really okay, But I
remember that because coming off of nineteen eighty, when all
the miracle on ice guys were going, was like, where
(11:21):
are they going? I was so bummed. I wanted the
Islanders to have Mark Johnson because Johnson was my guy. Right,
every love de Ruzielle like John's he was the best
forward they had. Right, had the big goal against Russia
at the end of the first period. Like you're seeing
Mark Pavlich is going to the Rangers, all the Islanders
getting ken morrow. He's really good, Like, where are these
guys going? Jim Craig went to the Flames and it
was it was such a big thing of where are
(11:43):
these guys going? And you brought hockey into the eighties
and Wayne Gretzky in the scoring him and hockey got
to the big nadir of the nineties with the Rangers
winning the Cup. Then they had a bad lockout and
Gary Bettman ruined the game for a long time. So
but now here we are a short twenty years later
and after that, and hockey's got a chance to gain
back a lot of the attemption, at least get some
of it. And whether it's short term or people stick around.
(12:05):
I mean, you're gonna get a big audience tomorrow, and
now get out there and sell. I don't think that's
the pregame speech, but it is very much the way. Hey,
we kind of need this for folks to stay with us.
We're doing okay hockey. People like hockey. We'd love more
of the casuals to stick with us. So let's figure
this out as we go again. Going back to the
(12:27):
sixty three hits and multiple fights of the previous and
there'll be another fight. There's no way there won't be.
There's no We'll get one early. We'll get one, like
I think we'll get I think we'll get one in
the first ten minutes, just because of the the because
the rat ratcheting up. The level of this game is
going to be so great, you're gonna need, to, let
(12:48):
you say, before you can really go and play hockey.
So you're gonna get a fight in the first ten minutes,
especially if the loser gets Drake. Yeah, oh yeah, yeah.
Like if they go to drop the puck and they go, okay,
everybody ready, loser gets Drake boom and they drop the puck. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
I didn't agree to that. None of us agreed to
the loser getting Drake, none of us. Such a rough
couple of week for for Drake. We'll see what what
(13:09):
what happens in terms of pregame festivities and all. Serena
will drop the puck. Okay, loser gets Drake bam, but
she drops comes out a little red carpet and then
does the walk back straight back down the tunnel. Uh four.
That's in the trophies for Sawchuk. I had to do
that and no, and Hella Buck is thirty one, right,
(13:30):
it's probably most likely gonna be three this year. Played
about two hundred games, fewer than Jonathan Quick over like
all my goalies, you know, came out of a Russian
coach back in my back. Quick has the cut. But
you're talking about how good you're talking as as as
a goalie, Like, I don't think anybody's gonna say, well,
Hasseck was the best goalie I saw, but he's not
as decorated as bro duor or what you know. I
(13:51):
think it's science though Jonathan Quick's the greatest thing. Yeah,
it's for me. The king will always be either Ed
Belfo or Nikolai Hobbi Moonen.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
You can beat it, Hobby Hobby Hoy two guys that
played for the Blackhawks.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Really just okay, let's just make it sure, all right,
very good? You see what I did there? I know
I know exactly what you did. I just circled it back.
Take it about me? Exit up about a Fresco exit
swollen down the Jason Smith Show with my best Fred
Mike Harbon.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
So there you go.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Your primer for the game. Of the week, Sporting Event
of the week coming up next. Since we did kick
off the quote second half of the NBA season the night,
how about some big fearless predictions for the second half
of the season straight ahead right here, Jason and Mike
Fox Sports Radio. Nicks make this playoffs? Oh, that's absolutely happening.
(14:42):
What's the NIXT play tight shirt? What what sport to
the next play? Very good? Eastern or Western Conference? East? Wow? Okay?
What city? New York? Very good? Wow? That's great New
York team that actually plays in New York Y Philly Whiz.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
We be sure to catch live editions of The Jason
Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern,
seven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike Harmon on camera as long as say on camera.
We're live at the Tireck dot Com Studios, where we
just watched the second half of the NBA season kickoff
the Lakers with an incredibly embarrassing loss of the Hornets
(15:41):
one hundred and ninety seven. We'll have more on that
game coming up in a bit. Laker's all talking following
the game about hey, Lebron taking the final shot over
Luca Austin Reeves getting thrown out of this game for
arguing with the officials. Yeah, it's kind of a night
for the Lakers tonight. But going forward now, kicking things off,
let's give you some big, bold predictions for the quote
(16:03):
second half, which is really the second final third of
the NBA season. And I'll kick things off with the Lakers.
I know tonight was a really embarrassing night for them,
and Luca had a tough time hitting shots. It was
you can't cut it up. This is an awful loss
to the Lakers. The last two games they've played, they've
lost to Utah, They've lost to the Hornets. These teams
(16:23):
have won thirteen and fourteen games all year. It's embarrassing,
but the Lakers are going to get it together. This
was still a really good team going into the trade deadline.
Luca and Lebron will work out together fine with each other.
The Lakers are going to go into the playoffs at
the second seed in the West, all the way up
to number They're not gonna get the first seed because
(16:43):
the thunder are too far ahead. But this is a
team that had a big dynamic change. Once Luca gets
going and get gets his sea legs under him a
little bit, this offense is going to explode. I've said, look,
it was exploding tonight until I said, oh, I don't
see anything that could go wrong for the Lakers now.
And then suddenly Austin Reaves thrown out and then they
get outscored. They really explode. I'll up eleven. They shot
(17:04):
thirty six percent from the field. No, but I mean no, no,
Then the Hornets exploded. Oh okay, I thought you met that,
the uh no explosion implosion. No no, I heard it as
a continuation of the Lakers though they're like, no, no,
they were terrible. No j j hridar no jj rerdd
is gonna hate me even more. Look, you're not gonna
have Luca's not gonna have many nights. Five out of
(17:25):
eighteen from the floor, one out of nine from three
point range for fourteen points. He's not gonna have. He's
not gonna turn the ball over five minutes in the
first five minutes of the game like he did tonight.
He's gonna need a little bit of time, which you
didn't think he would. But remember he hasn't played a
lot since December. Not making excuses, I'm just saying I
think it's gonna be a couple of weeks for the Lakers.
But once they once they get in that groove, watch out,
(17:46):
they're gonna start steamrolling teams all the way through. And
it's not like these teams at the top are going
to be so super motivated. You know, we already talked
about the Rockets are falling down the Western Conference a
little bit. The Nuggets are playing really well, but they
have played a pretty easy schedule the last last eight
or nine games with this big winstream Man, the Lakers
have played too easy teams and didn't when you play,
(18:07):
but I feel like the Lakers have The Lakers have
the most room for where they are to where their
ceiling can be. Right It's more than the Nuggets are
playing close to their ceiling right now. The Thunder been
playing at their ceiling. The Lakers still have a lot
of room. You know, they're not hitting their heads on
the ceiling yet, so there's still more room from where
they are right now. They've played really well to where
(18:27):
they can be. So that's why I'm telling you they're
gonna start scoring a ton of points. It's gonna be
one hundred and thirty points a night. Luca's gonna score
thirty five, Lebronos score thirty. You're gonna have where the
three of them with Reeves are scoring ninety points. They're
gonna get one hundred and thirty a game, and the
Lakers will be justifying they'll finish second in the West
one hundred and thirty a game. Yep. I don't I
really don't think the Lakers want to run at that piece.
(18:50):
I don't think they just have to run from the
the three point line to the three point line. That's
all you have to run. You don't have to run
further than that. It's okay, it's defense. You're cutting the
court in thirds, right. I like the math that you're
doing here, and we could use that as a great
example of how math gets applied to the basketball world.
I think Yo Kitchen Company, he chases down SGA for
(19:13):
the MVP. Before it's all said and done, playing really
well eight and two going into the break. To your point,
the schedule was soft. There's gonna be those spots still
on the schedule to go and exploit, no question about it.
But it's gonna be a fun raise Rockets will trail off.
I think we get a much better second half from
(19:34):
the Tea Wolves that they found a little bit of
something down the stretch and start to jump back into
that top six area and take that spot occupied by
the Rocket since everybody wants to trade off Anthony Edwards.
Now it's a subplot in the show tonight, and he
doesn't want to be the face of the league. But
guess what, he plays really well down the stretch to
(19:55):
where we start having that conversation again. So there's bullpar
action number one, number two at the end of the
season because of the way the second half is going
to play out, yeap, the seventy six Ers and the
Suns are going to blow up their teams and start
over's and you are going to see big name upon
(20:17):
big name out there available for trade free agent whatever
it's going to be. Joel Embiid will be available, Paul
George will be available, Kevin Durant will be available, Devin
Booker will be available, Bradley Beal will be available, And
I bid you gotta get his permission because he's one
of the two players of the no trade. What a
genius he wants. Kevin Durant just didn't want to move. Yeah,
he didn't say he didn't want to get traded. He
(20:38):
just said he didn't want to do it. Now packing
up the house and then driving across country, I don't
want to do that. Man I in the middle too,
has a lot of stuff. But both these teams are
going to understand we need to we need to reset.
The Sons have tried this now for a while with
their new three players and it's not working. Right. They
almost they try to trade Kevin Durant at the deadline.
Now it didn't work. Everybody's going to be available because
(20:59):
Matta and the Sons are gonna realize this isn't working.
We need something new, So they're all gonna be available.
The Sixers, yeah, you're gonna build around Tyres Maxy and
understand that we have to get out from under Joel Embiid.
Hopefully he comes back and he plays and he's healthy
down the stretch, so he plays in a lot of games,
so it's easier to trade him in the off season
because the less games he plays, the harder is to
(21:21):
trade him. But with that and Paul George, like, really,
you're talking about a guy in his mid thirties. You're
really gonna go through with that. He's got some value
to teams that maybe hey, we're a Paul George away.
Maybe people teams have been a Paul George a Wayne
now for the going going on fifteen years. But like
you know, he still has a lot of value, still
is able to fill up the stat sheet a bit.
But you're gonna see all these big names are all
(21:41):
gonna be available. It's gonna be like Christmas when you
get to when you get to the off season, because
again Embiid, George Durant, Booker, Bill, They're all gonna be
out there. Well, it's gonna be just like we're looking
at the NFL offseason. Here's a bunch of guys in
their mid to late thirties. How much do you like him? Yeah?
But what do you got on your roster? Will these
guys make him make you better? Booker is the only
(22:03):
guy that doesn't go to the rest like the rest
of these guys are all. But Duran's still a great scorer,
right and and Embeed if he's healthy, can be a
difference maker for a year or two. But he's got
to be healthy. Buy I can't. I just can't do it.
Even even that like that is the the ultimate and
scratch off lottery. But here's the thing is that what
have we seen from many players in the last few years,
(22:24):
Players you thought were done, that couldn't stay on the court,
that didn't seem really enthralled to play with their team.
Once they got to a new team, Suddenly, Hey, I'm healthy,
I'm playing great, I'm the the The reports of my
death have been greatly exaggerated. Right, whether it's James Harden
or Chris Paul, whoever, it is all of a sudden, Oh,
you change scenery and now now you're really good again.
(22:46):
I didn't see that James Harden got out of the suit.
He's one of those guys. Chris Paul has played really well.
Tooth picks, you got got some toothpicks. You got Kyrie
my team. Now I'm the captain now, so he's got
all that fun stuff. So that goes through. But yeah,
with Embeid, what did we get. We got the old
college try ahead of the trade deadline, and then oh, yeah,
(23:09):
I'm gonna probably need to knee surgery, like in the
same breath, like look at the game. I just had
triple double. Yeah, but wait, does he really need knee
surgery or did he say that he needs need surgery?
That goes back to the conversation say that he has
to have it, the conversation that we were having with
stuff yesterday of you know where teams are complicit in things, right,
(23:33):
the Luca wrist injury versus he was out of shape, Well,
you put down that he had an injury. If he didn't,
then you didn't comply with the rules. You lose a
draft pick, multiple draft picks, and sanctions. But either way,
it's a lot of guys that you've got to make
the bet that you can get that bounce from the
Kevin Durant, I think we'd all agree can still go
and play basketball. Just does he really want to? In
(23:57):
your local Bradley Beal's the most fascinating man in the end,
the guy, I mean really honestly, I think that that
that contract got signed and it didn't get proof read,
and at the very end, like his agent snuck in
and a no trade class and just started to and
nobody yeah or something. So they didn't bother to U,
but they did the AI scan. Yeah, it's all Boiler
(24:19):
played it's good post talk air.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
Go Propter hawk no trade deadline? Oh okay, Greg I
thought he.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
Was yelling something from Harry Potter. I don't know Levy
O saw no trade O saw not no trade OSA,
no trade OSA? Uh yeah, no, great, great and if
you can get it great but great, but certainly big
resets in the offing. We watched the trade deadline, right
we normally it's a bunch of rumors and they're fun, right,
(24:45):
even this John Moran thing. We asked Rick Buker about
it last hour download the show and it's after we're
downing the podcast to go up where you get your audio?
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (24:53):
And then evangelized sending it to friends and family. Uh,
but you know that doesn't come out out of nowhere, right,
So where loose lips or you know, ventriloquists in a
room of exec suber an All Star Breaker hy whatever
it is, but like you've got a bunch of names there.
We saw the activity of this All Star break, which
(25:14):
was which was fantastic. Right heading into the break, we
got all of these deals and seismic shifts. Here's Jimmy
Butler and the Stare down with pat Riley. Here's Luca
the Williams thing. Laker fans will hold their head. See
Lebron dunked. He couldn't even get vertical and stop Lebron James.
But it's the just the hope that your team has
(25:38):
the opportunity to go make a big swing. And as
we're seeing in sports, it's not as out of the
realm of possibility. Hell, we see trades in football these
days which we did not for many many years, like
well they could in theory, it's like and then we
don't laugh about it. So the third big bold prediction three,
because this is the Knicks or not, would be really bold.
(26:01):
The Knicks are going to the finals, dude, prediction. No, no, no, no,
you want a bold Knicks bold prediction where where I
can make fun of the Knicks. No one's gonna watch
their playoff games. You know why, because no one's gonna
watch the Eastern Conference because it's so incredibly they're gonna
be great. That's not a bold prediction.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Nobody's cis.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
No one's gonna watch the Eastern conferen place. I mean,
what would you rather watch? You have a Western Conference
that all the trades that remade teams and maybe a
d and the Mavericks are there, and Butler and the
and the and the Warriors with Steph for there. You
got things you really gonna are gonna watch Boston, Orlando.
I'm gonna watch the uh you know, I'm gonna watch
Milwaukee and maybe maybe Mac McClung gets a call of
(26:39):
what a game winning dunk by Mack McClung. I don't
believe it. He brought out a Uni cycle, but I'll
give you this. The coach of the Year in the
NBA is JB. Bickerstaff of the Pistons. Pistons are the
best story in the least. That's just because you wanted
to say the name.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
Bigger Staff, bigger staff, Bernie, bigger staff, j B. Bigger staff,
bigger staff, bigger staff, bigger staf uh TJ. Usually watching
the Jets, I watch their staff bicker, but in Detroit
they have bicker staff. Dj uh look in one year
right like he gets he gets he gets pushed out
of Cleveland where they were playing pretty well, pushing them out. Okay,
(27:15):
first year with the Pistons, they're plus twenty one in
in in their record, they're over five hundred. Usually at
this point in the season, the Pistons have eight wins.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
And it's they're gonna get to ten. What are we
gonna do. It's the first time they get well, I
was just two years early on the Pistons. I was
just two years start. You said, I need these supplies
somewhere else. Yeah, sorry, we're gonna need to reroute things.
But don't worry. The new truck with the equipment is coming.
I need different colors. I need Lions colors. Let's go.
This is the first time since two thousand and nine
(27:50):
the Pistons have entered the All Star Break with a
winning record. Right, They're a top five ish team in
the East, thanks shore Boss Scott Shapiro. I mean, yeah,
Kate Cunningham's become a star. Jaden Ivy's terrific, and they're
winning without him, right, I mean he's been out for
a while. They're winning without him. Their terrific rebounding team.
They're a team nobody wants to play. I mean, you
(28:10):
you look at these other coaches that are doing great jobs.
They have star rosters, right they they mean the Cavaliers. Yeah, okay,
they're the best offense in all of the NBA. Right,
and they have a superstar in Donovan Mitchell. This is
a Pistons team that we were saying, are they gonna
break there? Every year it was are they gonna break
the record for fewest wins in the season? Are they
gonna win less than nine games? Are they gonna go
(28:31):
break the nine and seventy three record by the Sixers
back in seventy two to seventy three? And here they
are now over five hundred. And it's not just any team.
This is a heritage team that people remember the Bad
Boys and the romance of Dumars and Isaiah Thomas and
Lamee Beer and then later on the Ben Wallace and
the Tayshawn Prince and Chauncey billups in the early two thousands,
(28:54):
the team that beat the Lakers to win the championships,
like the Pistons are through the thread of the NBA,
and here they are. I mean, this is a team
in one year. It's not like they had a whole
bunch of different moves in the office. That's why I
want Kevin Durant to go to the Pistons. At the
trade we talked about that, Yeah, but really Bickerstaff has
(29:14):
to be the coach of the year because of what
he's done with. This is a roster that was that
was awful a year ago, and here they are already
they're plus twenty one over what they were a year ago.
It's insanely good. Well, it's good to see uh, kid
Cunningham getting his run. You'd see him a bit in
the highlight. I got paid before he became a star. It's like,
we got nowhere else to go with the money. Well,
here's here's their cash. Well, when he turned out to
(29:36):
be good, that's great. Well it worked out really nicely.
Bickerstaff's sixteen to one at last. Look, uh he Madoka
at plus nine hundred but not expecting them to stay,
and then Kenny Atkinson at seven boot Neither of those guys.
How about your if your prediction comes true and he's
able to get guys all the way through and co
working on the play, don't say it your nemesis, Hi, buddy,
(30:01):
Yes you are the villain to JJ Reddick, he's fifty
to one. I wonder if he talked about me in
the post game pres commor. I can't wait to find Oh,
you don't got to hear that, but first we got
to hear what's trending in the wide world of sports.
From Martin White summed up, what do you got for us?
All right? Thanks a bunch, Martin. Hey, don't forget our
(30:22):
best of podcast goes up in about a half hour.
If you miss any of our stuff from tonight, whether
it was college football playoff, the Four Nations preview, our
big second half predictions in the NBA, just search Jason
Smith and Mike Harmon wherever you get your podcasts from,
and it will be there. Rate us, follow us, subscribe,
(30:43):
give us five stars. We'll love you forever and ever
and ever again. Right after the show is over, Just
search Jason Smith and Mike Harmon wherever you get your
podcasts from, it will be there. Thank you so much
for your support. Mike and I love putting this content
out for you every single night. Well coming up next, Yes,
remember an absolute legend and give you the big takeaway
(31:03):
about what you need to know about Luca Donsich After
tonight and going forward Jason and Mike Fox.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific, Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
The Jason Smith Show with My Best Friend Mike Harmon
live from the tyrack dot Com studios, and we finally
got back to games right. NHL is off, We get
the big game tomorrow night, the four Nite Championship. NBA
is back tonight, the Lakers and the Hornets playing the
makeup game from earlier in January because of the fires
(31:45):
in Los Angeles. NBA gets back at it in full
play tomorrow. But it was a game we thought was
gonna be a blowout, and then the Lakers just threw
up themselves. The Hornets come all the way back. They
were down eleven. Lakers were playing a really c plus
kind of game, and then Austin Reeves got thrown out.
(32:06):
The Hornets went on a run again. Austin Reeves, you're
real MVP of the season. Austin Reeves got tough. Now
we're on the emotion, left to building and it came
down to the end. The Hornets had a three point
lead with about six seconds left to go, and Lebron
James took not one but two threes, missed them both
(32:27):
and the Hornets win. He took a three, missed rebound
went back out to him. He gets the three pointer
over Luka Doncic Now, Luka Donci did not have a
great night shooting the ball. He was one out of
nine from three point range. But Lebron got the shot,
got two shots over Luca. Why here's my best friend,
JJ Reddick. And I say that because like he's feuding
(32:48):
with me. He said that, you let me get that sarcasm. Yeah,
like you're my best friend, he's my best friend. Yeah, yeah,
I mean, I don't know. I don't know if he
talked about me during the press conference against and I
have no idea, but here he was explaining why Lebron
got the final shots and not Luca Johnson.
Speaker 4 (33:05):
There's there's some interchangeable parts in some of the LA
game stuff. And you know, you as a coach, you're
excited that you have two guys that can be the
passer and be the guy who gets the pass. But
felt like, you know, Lebron, particularly in the fourth just
you know, found a nice rhythm and felt really comfortable
(33:25):
with that, and we got two good looks.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
You could be the passor you could be the shooter.
How about I'm the pastor and you're the shooter. How
about if both of us are the passers and somebody
else is a shooter. Look, Lebron was having the better game, right,
He near triple double for Lebron twenty six, eleven and seven.
Luca was shooting poorly, right, So obviously, if you have
a choice, okay, who's going to take the final shot,
and you have a choice between Luca and Lebron, you
go with the hot hands. So Lebron with six of
(33:50):
eight in the fourth quarter at that I have no
problemating a bunch near the rim. But either way, he'd.
Speaker 3 (33:54):
Hit two threes earlier, and he did get two good
looks like those are two as good looks.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
Again, right right, First one is straight away about six
feet beyond the arc, and then the other it's a scrambot. Yeah, no,
so I have no that there's no qualms with the shot.
But this is the thing about Luca. I don't know
that Luca would have ever really been an option, not
(34:20):
just because he missed tonight, but watching Luca play this
is the best way I can describe him the last
few nights since he's come back with the Lakers. Obviously
talking about him being out of shape and not being
ready to play as a thing, he's playing like he
looks like he's giving a full effort, right. I don't
think there's any point where he's like he's not He's
not doing this. He's giving a full effort, but he
(34:42):
looks like he's playing at three quarter speed, and all
of his drives to the hoop are a little bit
more contested. He doesn't have quite as much room as
he normally does. Is his slide in and step back
is not quite there, like he needs a little bit
of time. Because I look at him and I'm like, okay,
he's not not hustling, this is what you're but he
just looks like he's playing at three quarter speed, and
(35:03):
you can't do that in the NBA, even the best players,
even when a guy like speed and quickness so not
as much of his game as deception and balance, like
you know you watch him. That's why him and Jalen
Brunson were kind of the same kind of guys and
their teammates is that a Brunson gives you the deception
and body movement and body control. Luke is a little
bit taller and can get his shot a little bit more,
but he really he looks like he's playing at three
(35:23):
quarter speed, Like what are you doing at drill? Going Okay,
let's get this drill. Let's go at three quarter speeds.
Already picks up. Then we'll do it at full speed.
But Luca's playing like he's at three quarter speed. Yeah,
to that point, I mean early in the game, we
watched a couple of drives where he made a good
first move right, good good crossover and got the first step.
But that closeout happened a lot faster on him than normal. Right,
(35:46):
that explosiveness to the rim not there, and a couple
of time is actually left it short on layup attempts.
But all of it to say, it's it's about timing
and getting it down and having your three point shooters
what they're there for. Right, Ruyachimora shoots one for eight.
Reeves was two for seven before he got kicked out.
(36:07):
And the thing is I get Reeves getting kicked out.
He was upset over a foul call that he thought
he should have got. He yelled at the official, got
close to him, the official teed him up, and then
when he turned to walk back up the court, he
brushed the officials arm. That's gonna get you thrown out, Right,
You can't you can't touch the official. That's always been
the third rail. No matter what happens, you touch the official,
(36:28):
the official's gonna throw you out. So that he would
have gotten the one tee, which really was just that
he just got to that's a foul. That's a foul.
But when you do it right in the official's face
and the official feels okay, now you're you're you're trying
to make an example of me and you're trying to
embarrass me, I'm gonna give you a tee. But touching
the touching the red, that's gonna get it you. When
you touch the ref, that's gonna absolutely happen, especially when
(36:51):
it's not something where there's a scrum and a guy
hits the ref. The ref doesn't know what's going on,
does if he's knocked off balance or not. When you
walk by him and you kind of brush him, yeah,
that's gonna get you out of the Yeah, I mean
it's one of those I think, a play on kind
of moment. But Iso game guy fired up, not quite
sure what he had to say, but yeah, he gets
(37:11):
the no call and gets a quick hook. So Lakers
fans salty, and like you said, eighteen to one run thereafter.
I know Lebron though, I mean in the post game
was being asked a lot of questions about that dunk. Yeah,
so it really pushes off the ending of the game
and the actual loss because he dunked on Mark with
oh yeah, I know he dunked on thenl oh No,
(37:32):
I don't know why I did. He was never a teammate.
He's just a guy. Sometimes Lebron says stuff and does
I just go, yeah, whatever, I'm moved on to. I'm
not going to make this a thing. I'm moving on
to what's next. This is not this is not important.
Now look the other part of Big Tonight. We spent
a lot of time tonight. Mike Lang passed away tonight,
the age of seventy six, and my favorite play by
play announcer of all time. I've never heard anybody better.
(37:54):
I didn't grow up with him, but my experience with
him has been doing playoff games and doing big local
games and I got to see him. His calls, his
goal calls are tremendous. He always entertained. I mean, he
wasn't even the guy, my guy that I grew up with,
and he was the best.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
It hasn't broadcast a game and since twenty twenty one.
Stepped away for you know, health reasons, and I just
remember in the eighties and the nineties just he was
so much fun to listen to and his calls and
you know, getting the fast laying Grandma, the bingo game
is ready to roll like that there. We've played a
lot of them tonight on the show. It's just an
(38:34):
incredible life and incredible hockey life. For nearly five decades.
He was the best. He was my favorite, and I
passed away today forty six years there and and you know,
as we were talking about a little bit earlier and institution,
and because those teams were so good, we got a
lot of highlights and we got to hear Mike Lang
quite often. Speaking of highlights, we got one more Mike
Lang here, Alex tie shirt.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
He's got the fuck acrossby Rich shot.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
Too to start getting my ass lane, Grandma, the pingo
game is ready to roll. Rest in peace, Mike Lang
for Mike Gum Jason coming up next, my buddy Ben Mallard.
This is Fox Sports Radio.
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
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