April 5, 2025 • 40 mins
Jason, Mike and NBA Insider Marc Stein talk all things Ja Morant, the Lakers and Anthony Davis. And we said it six weeks ago: There's no better story in the NBA this season than the "Return of the Pistons." Officially playoff-bound!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Give this you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike Harmon live from the Tirak dot Com studios
Direct dot Com I help you get there. An unmatched selection, fast,
free shipping, free road hazard protection at over ten thousand
recommended installers. Tirac dot com is the way tire buying
should be. Well. Absolute history in sports tonight, something that
(00:54):
probably none of us have seen. Last time we saw
something like this was thirty years ago. But before we
get to that women's national championship game is all set.
In college basketball, Yukon just blows out UCLA tonight as
good as usually looked all year long. They were never
in this game, and Yukon and gene Orem and Page
(01:16):
Beckers heads the national title game against South Carolina who's
going for back to back after they dismantled Texas earlier tonight.
And I will tell you this. You know, we talked
about pressure and games and how you know, last hour
we talked about Duke and how just because they're young players,
it's going to have zero effect on how they play
this week and everything is going to be fine. Doesn't
(01:37):
matter that Houston's got upperclassmen. Duke is the most talented
team in the country. But one thing that is going
to play into when you talk about pressure and feeling
it is coming into this game tomorrow, this game on Sunday. Right,
South Carolina. Look, Don Staley's won three national championships, they
won last year. Yes, they're a team that, hey we're
(01:59):
one game away. But if they lose, okay, like Don
Staley's got a juggernaut going on. Yes, it's gonna be
a loss that hurts. It's gonna be a loss that's
difficult because the national do you get this close and
then you you know it doesn't go your way. That's
a tough thing, right, But Don Staley in South Carolina
will get by it. If Yukon loses, this is like
(02:23):
Gino Oriema's last best chance to make it and win
a national title because hey he loses Page Beckers. And yes,
you keep bringing in good recruits and that's fantastic, But
the top of the college basketball landscape is really crowded
now And a lot of Yukon's dominance early on was
because there was only a couple of teams, you know,
(02:43):
each year that could really challenge Yukon. Yukon was team
every year they're getting to the final four. Now it's
South Carolina and Don Staley getting to the final four
every year. Not they fall off a mat but this
might be Yukon and Gino's last best chance at a
national title for quite a while, right this this could
be it? Like, is Yukon still that rockstar pro They
still going to get the players it's still gonna happen,
(03:05):
or are things spreading out now more across the country.
So if you talk about who's got more pressure on
them to win this game on Sunday and how that
could affect it, it's Yukon by far over South Carolina.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
They're part to it.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
Jason, is that if memory serves, didn't Yukon drum them
earlier this season?
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Yeah, in February right where South Carolina.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Everybody they're they're they're crossing off the all the teams
they lost to are in the final four. You have
crossing you off, crossing you off, you off.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
So you have the uh, the expectations.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
I haven't seen odds pop up just yet, but uh,
certainly that that informs a little bit of the discussion.
But different, different stakes. Right, South Carolina knew they were
going to be an upper seed. Yes, there was still
all the complaining that every one of the coaches did
as the bracket was unveiled, from USC to Staley herself.
(04:01):
Gino always gets his two cents, and but the fact
that just like on the men's side, we're getting the
best teams competing. I think everybody won, even though you
love the Cinderella. For the women's side of things, perhaps
the brackets a little larger than it needs to be
at this point, but invite more squads and get that
(04:22):
experience and build out that the tournament to a larger scale.
But to your point, yeah, there were more teams that
were in the mix.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Notre Dame.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
We'll be back and ready to go.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
We'll see how quickly Juju Watkins can get back up
for USC and coming into the tournament. I think there
were five or six teams that were at ten to
one or less in terms of odds to win it,
which is more than we've seen in quite some time. So,
you know, progress one step at a time and a
couple of heavyweights that'll give us some quotes and bulletin
(04:55):
board material.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Yeah, because that's the thing about women's college basketball is
that you look at the when you take the men's
and the women's NCAA tournament and men put them up
against each other, the women's game is not as deep
one through sixty four as the men's tournament is. Right,
we've seen where hey, now at this point, yes, they're
still blowouts obviously, but we've seen fifteens beat twos. We've
(05:19):
seen big cinderella runs by eleven seeds and ever. You know,
we've seen that, and that happens to the men's tournament
all the time. Women's tournament not so much. The top
of the women's of the women's teams are still so
far ahead of the teams that squeak in the lower seeds.
They get blood looked. We get final scores like eighty
seven to twenty five. You know, in the women's tournament
the only rounds, So the bottom part, like the bottom
(05:42):
part of the tournament. For the women's tournament, you still
need the teams need to be a little bit higher quality.
But the top of women's college basketball, like the very top,
the elite part, where years ago it was Yukon and
Tennessee and maybe every other year was Notre Dame or
it was somebody else. Now they're there is eight or
ten teams every year that are really really good. I mean,
(06:03):
look at look at UCLA in the run they had
this year. I mean USC, you talked about USC and
Juju Watkins, like the top eight ten teams in women's
college basketball. Now, like any of those teams could win.
And that's a far cry when you would come into
every year and go, well, there's you know, two or
three teams real that we can see winning other Tennessee
game to ten.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Yeah, Tennessee, Notre Dame and Yukon.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
How did you go through that entire thing and not
at least get a name check of Muffett mcgrin.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Did I should have named Muffet MacGrath.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
I should have been one of your all time favorite
the show.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Muffett McGraw, Ruth Riley. That was some North that was
sub Notre Dame team right there.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
They see there you go, Muffett McGrath adding value.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
But while that was happening tonight, we saw absolute history
in the NHL as Alex Ovechkin scored goal number eight
ninety three and eight ninety four against the Chicago Blackhawks. Now,
because it was the Blacks and they stink, it's only
gonna count as one goal, so he still needs to
oh sorry, two goals against the Blackhawks tonight. He is
(07:08):
now tied Wayne Gretzky for the all time goal scoring record.
Ovechkin can break the record own it for himself on Sunday,
they play a game at noon against the Islanders in
New York. If he doesn't break it, then the following
game is Thursday night at home against the Carolina Hurricanes.
So sometime the next couple of days, next couple of games,
(07:29):
Alex Ovechkin's gonna own this record. Wayne Gretzky in attendance,
he was at the game today. He's gonna go to
the game Sunday. I assume he'll go on Thursday if
he doesn't break it. So it's becoming a really big
thing in is right here in his history happening for
us and sometime the next but within the next week,
we're gonna have a new goal scoring champion in the NHL.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
Absolute chaos, these long standing records, because you gotta give
the nod to the longevity. Yeah, it's not just stat aggergation,
consistent greatness. And the team is great this year, which
helps as well, because the last thing you want is, hey,
you got to an all time record. What was your
team's record? Ten and seventy scored it on that eightieth game?
(08:15):
And boy, what a slog I mean, because we joked
about it the other night. Right, Hey, he's an HiT's closer.
What was the final five to one loss? Those don't
resonate quite as well or not. Hey, this guy's a
scoring leader, because I mean, let's take it to the
NBA for a moment, because I'm watching the Clippers beat
the hell out of the Mavericks right now. Remember all
(08:36):
those years for Kevin Love's stat aggregated for a terrible team.
Look at it, all is twenty and twelve. They mean
nothing because someone's got a score. It's like, that's that's
kind of what you get hockey. The little bit margin
of margin of error is much much less in terms
(08:57):
of goalies and what they're doing, and opportunity needs a score.
So you give the nod to a Vetchkin. But it's
just for me. It's another one of those. I remember
when that guy came into the league, was gonna set
it on fire him. And remember when Sid was still
the kid.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
I mean, I mean, come on, it's terrible.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
Does that you know, fitting hair, gray hair? And they
looked like me running out there. Now they're still playing.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
So he got that.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
So I get to keep my youthfulness just another day
or two more. But for a Vetchkin, it was inevitable.
He was at least gonna tie it against the Blackhart,
wouldn't it.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Yeah, well there's a black Hawks. There's only one reason
why he said, I thought he could get the record
against the Blackhawks. Only one reason, because you hate me.
No no, no, no, no, come on, it's more scientific
than not only one reason. One reason. Reason, one reasonay
it out. The Blackhawks stink true, that's why, the only reason,
only reason why.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
Now they have a nice young player in the in
their own and Connor Bdard. He plays a little recklessly.
A couple of ten minute majors couple weeks. Sure, Buddy's
fun to watch, so you at least got that going
for it, and the Bulls are good right now, So
misdirection Now when it comes to the game and when
(10:11):
we're going to see this record breaking performance. Right, we've
already told you tickets for a Sunday's game in New
York are going for anywhere from one thousand dollars and more.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Like it's a big ticket. Right, You're gonna see a
record broken that we haven't seen broken in thirty years.
But I'll tell you this, if I could buy tickets
for one of the next two games, I got to
pick one that I'm gonna spend a lot of money
on to go. I'm buying tickets for Thursday night at
home against the Hurricanes, Number one, because you know, I
put stuff out in the universe, it happens. Of course
(10:40):
it's going to happen against my team. They're gonna go.
I'm not gonna watch Frederick Anderson bang a stick on
the ice after Ovechkin scores. It's good to ridiculous, but
just to think about when someone wants to break a
record in a game that is really irrelevant. Are we
really gonna get Ovechkin out there at his best, driving
(11:01):
to the net as often as he can. Is he
going to be out there in an empty net situation
to score at the end of the game, or is
it going to be more set up for Thursday night.
Not that you can guarantee when a guy scoring goals,
but he's this close. He's scoring a goal every game.
He's third overall in the NHL in goals this year.
He's having a great year at thirty nine. I'm old
(11:21):
enough to remember a year ago when Caitlin Clark was
going to break the record for most points scored in
college basketball history, and all of a sudden, when the
fourth quarter showed up, Caitlyn Clark doesn't score. All she
did was a couple of was a few buckets to
in the fourth quarter to break this record, But instead,
with thirty one points going in the fourth quarter, Iowa's
(11:42):
up by fourteen, she doesn't score. Again, doesn't score, And
not only that, but Iowa gives away the game. I
think she only had a couple of shots in the
fourth quarter, you know, and she played the fourth quarter
but didn't score. It was terrible and it was a
notable difference in how Iowa was playing because every but
he's watching the game against Nebraska team that's not that
(12:02):
great and it's on the road in Nebraska. Huh. So
what instead we saw was Caitlin Clark breaking the record
at home the next game against Michigan. Uh, the game
didn't really matter. I was number two in the country.
It really really made no difference at that point. They
were still a month away from the NCAA tournament. Just like,
Sunday is not going to mean anything, Right, it's on
(12:23):
the road on Sunday at noon in New York in
a game that means nothing. Washington is the best team
in the Eastern Conference. They're finishing first. The Islanders aren't
making the playoffs. Are we really gonna get Ovechkin out
there to score that goal or is it going to
be hey, oh boy, he gave it a game effort.
But now now you really see they're gonna They're gonna
go for it and go for the juggular on Thursday,
(12:45):
so we can do it at home in front of
his fans. Yeah, I would. I would sit back and
say I would think more. I would buy tickets for
Thursday night instead of Sunday night.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
Yeah, but I can get you in fronder seven hundred
and fifty dollars now for Sunday, I mean coming.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Legally. Yeah, you're sitting next to Gretzky and Kosh Patel
in the in the suite.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
You also have to provide a trench coat that fits
a seven foot.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Which way is Cash looking?
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Uh? He was looking to the Oh the video I
saw he was looking to the left at Wayne Gretzky.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
No, it was actually right, was it right?
Speaker 1 (13:19):
There's looking at the left. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
So you got some standing rooms that are in the
six hundred parking at two hundred.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Uh, and then there's yeah standing room. No no, I said,
we talked about actually getting a seat to say.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
No, no, no seats. I can get you in an
under seven to fifty now really, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Everything I'm seeing for Ben MGM is up over a grand.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
Yeah, I'm over on stumbha.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Oh oh so you're in for seven fifty but then
what I hit pay? It's going to be over a grand?
Got it? Okay? Are they not on the lock market site?
Mike's on the dark web trying to get I.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Thought they'd gone to all in pricing, did they not?
Speaker 1 (13:56):
No, I'm just I'm just I don't know. You're the guy.
Look at manute, I'm the one making a joke. That's
how it goes.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
Yeah, well you know, chuckling up. But yeah, here's your opportunity.
I still go Sunday because here's the anticipation. Because look,
you're either gonna get the thrill of seeing it or
you get to be pissed off, and then.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
That's the greatest thing you get to roll out of that.
You shouldn't be because you don't want to spend a
lot of money and get pissed off. If I want
to get pissed off free of charge, I don't want to.
I don't want you to charge me for it. If
I'm gonna be pissed off.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
But you still get a hockey game.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
An over priced hockey game.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Well, I mean that's a matter of like your opinion.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Man, oh yes, because because for game number seventy six,
Capital's Islanders, that's not not overpaid to get in for
a grand But.
Speaker 4 (14:42):
If you paid it and he scores, did you still overpay?
Now it's a matter of perspective.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
If he But that's it's a gamble, that's right. I mean,
you're not going to spend money to go to all
these games. I would I would buy it on Thursday.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
But that's where you have to decide. Are you all in?
Are you ready for road tripping? Are you gonna gretzki it?
Because I'm gonna And I guess if you show up
Sunday and it fails, guess what you're bringing? A signed
Thursday going Hey, gret scam like you.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
I'm here too. Sign time and where's Putin? Exit out?
That'll be the big sign in the game Thursday, where's putin?
Where's putin? I brought a horse? Uh. You can stream
this show and all of our Fox Sports Radio shows
live twenty four to seven in the new and improved
iHeartRadio app. Just search Fox Sports Radio in the app
(15:25):
to streams live and one of the newest features in
the app, you can select Fox Sports Radio is one
of your presets, just like the presets on a radio dial,
so it'll be sure to preset Fox Sports Radio in
the iHeartRadio app. It'll always pop up at the top
of your screen. Coming up next, NBA insider Mark Stein
stops by all the latest on the Jahn Morant punishment
(15:47):
and everything else as we're seeing in the NBA getting
down to the end of the regular season. Is Golden
State suddenly incredibly dangerous? Are the Lakers suddenly not all that?
And more? Next right here Jason and Mike Fox.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
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 (16:13):
Fox Sports Radio. The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon
Live from the tire rack dot Com Studios. Big day
in the NBA, as Adam Silver decides, So okay, John
Mortt you want to embarrass me after I let you
off with the warning of a making finger gun gestures.
If you do it again, I'll find you seventy five
(16:35):
thousand dollars OOO. Joining us now the Hotline for more
on this breaking story in all the big news out
of the NBA. Longtime NBA insider friend of the show,
Mark stein You can follow him on Twitter at the Steinline,
that is, at the Steinlin Check him out on substack
as well, Mark. What's happening man?
Speaker 5 (16:54):
How are you Jen?
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Some good?
Speaker 5 (16:57):
How you guys doing good?
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Thanks? Doing okay? As my stock stock response is, I
wish the Knicks could beat Good teams. But you know, hey,
I get what I get at this point.
Speaker 5 (17:08):
Oh you said stock response, I thought we were going
in a completely different direction. But I'm glad. I'm glad
we're still on basketball. That's all I'm calling.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
No, no, no, there's there's no tar no no tariffs here,
no town. Look, I know you have a bit of
it on substack, But here's what we just talked about
with John Morant and the seventy five thousand dollars fine
after he embarrasses Adam Silver in the NBA. What do
you make of what happened and how this played out?
Speaker 5 (17:35):
Not hugely surprised that you know it only went as
far as a fine. I mean, I don't know, guys.
I mean, I understand that this this, this is seen
as you know, this massive story today, but they're so
(17:56):
to me. There are just so many bigger scenes going
on in Memphis that like, honestly, I'm still I'm still
trying to process the coaching change, which I think hasn't
been talked about enough because you know, we've we've never
seen a team with a winning record ever in the
NBA make a change that late, and and really that
(18:18):
also rate you know, there are now questions louder than
ever about John Moran's future in Memphis, and so, you know,
this is the big story right now, but I kind
of find myself fixated more on the big picture of
view because the Grizzlies are sliding in the standings and man,
they have some really major decisions to make. And again
(18:41):
that that's that coaching change. It's it's it's you know,
it's amazing to see a team you know, we've never
seen it. It's just it's literally unprecedented to see our
team with a winning record make a coaching change it
late in an NBA season. It's never happened. So the
(19:03):
Morant situation, I mean, did you guys think it was
going to be more than a fine I didn't.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Well, I thought, here's the only reason. Look, I know,
Adam Silver doesn't like to do anything when it comes
to upsetting the players, right, that's his whole thing. But
this was where hey, let you off of the warning,
and John Morant just basically said, yeah, blank you I'm
gonna do it again the next in the first quarter
of the next game. And so like it's feel like
Adam Silver kind of got called out and Okay, here's
a seventy five thousand dollars. Fine.
Speaker 5 (19:34):
Yeah, I mean, look, Josh seems to be embracing this
villain tag that he's talked about this week, and you
know he is. He is certainly, by no means the
only player who has made that kind of gesture after
a basket in the NBA. But obviously because of previous
punishments that Joss faced and previous stuff that he has done,
(19:58):
you know, that's why he faces a different level of
scrutiny on this stuff and why the league warned him
not to do it. So yeah, I mean, the fact
that it happened the very next game, I mean, that
was pretty brazen. But there's so much going on in Memphis,
mark the.
Speaker 4 (20:18):
Hole Jenkins firing because Moran had missed all those games
and then suddenly, tada, he's back. Now played into some
of the JJ Reddick stuff of Hey, it looks like
everybody's available and everybody wants to take their best swing
it up. So timing wise, that worked, but it looked
like it was the ultimate flex for for John to
get back on the court, was I'll come back when
(20:39):
he's gone.
Speaker 5 (20:41):
Well, here's the thing, though, John Morant had always been
a big Taylor Jenkins supporter. I really don't think there
were issues between Morant and the coach. What's so again,
what is so fascinating about this? And you know, I
guess why I keep bringing up and you know, maybe
maybe it's just me who is so into this story.
(21:02):
But look, last summer, Zach Kleiman in the Grizzlies front office,
he basically made Taylor Jenkins change out his whole coaching staff.
I mean, he had to basically let five assistants go,
and the front office chose the main assistants that were
coming in, Noah Laroche to bring in a completely new
(21:23):
offense that would have very few pick and rolls and
dribble handoffs and that would completely change the way the
Grizzlies look on offense. And then Thomas Assalo, who is
now the interim coach, he also was brought in from Europe. So,
I mean, when those things happened last summer, that immediately
signaled to the league that Taylor Jenkins was under pressure,
(21:45):
that he needed a good season to keep his job.
But saying all that, again, there's been you know, there's
been issues all these long. You guys mentioned one of
them with just the pure availability issue with John morant
be he has missed thirty games, but there's been grumbling
about you know, John wants more pick and roll touches.
(22:06):
He just wants more touches in general, he's not loving
this new offense. And again, but to do it with
nine games left, Like I actually did the research with
a great researcher in Toronto, kurtka use Ya Kumar, who
is just fantastic, and she, I mean she. There aren't
(22:28):
a ton of coaching databases that you could really find
this stuff. But in Lebron's second season, Cleveland fired Paul
Silas when they were thirty four and thirty eighteen games left.
That was the latest in a season you could find
a team with a winning record firing its coach. Memphis
only had nine games left when it fired Taylor Jenkins.
(22:52):
Like all the whatever issues contributed to the firings, they
weren't in effect at the fifteen game mark or the
twenty game mark. Why didn't Memphis wait this long to
do it? And again, you just you don't see it.
They did win in Miami, but they haven't. You know,
they've only won one game since the coaching changed. They
(23:13):
haven't exactly gotten a new coach bounce here. So you know,
the whole Western Conference playoff picture is interesting, but you know,
Memphis is a particularly interesting story, just the way their
season is unfolding.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
NBA insider Mark Stein with us Jason Smith Mike carbon
Love from the tirec dot Com studios. All right, so
let's let's head to this now, because this is becoming
the the the big times we get close to the
end of the regular season, teams jocking for playoff position.
Lakers still are there. They could finish as high as second,
they could finish load. It's a big jubble in the
middle of the West. There. The one thing I look
(23:50):
at here, obviously Lebron is back and he looks pretty good. Uh.
The biggest question going forward, and I know you got
you have a lot on this, is that boy. As
good as Luca has been, he just really he struggles
so much from three point range. And he's been a
pretty consistent thirty five percent for his career, but just
the wild swings of you know, one for eight and
(24:11):
he missed it, you know, didn't have a three in
his last game for the first time one hundred and
fourteen games like him behind the arc. It has been
really brutal at times to watch Mark.
Speaker 5 (24:20):
Yeah, in the last four or five games flat out
just have not been good. When you know, what makes
this Laker team dynamic is the potential has it that
they can cause offensively with three creative players in Luca,
Lebron and Reeves. But this week it hasn't looked creative.
(24:42):
It's looked raggedy that they haven't meshed as a trio.
You said it, Lucas three ball is not falling. When
his three ball, when he's in the thirty eight range,
he becomes unguardable. I mean, he's not hasn't been close
to that Rayle, And honestly, even insides are he's not
(25:03):
shooting at his usual deadly efficiency. And you know next
week he's going to be back here in Dallas for
you know, the game of the century. You know, I mean,
I'm I'm like, I mean, you guys know, you guys
know where I live. You know I live in Dallas,
I mean, and just the anticipation for this game is
(25:24):
really unlike any other I've ever seen. And you know
I've had I've been pretty lucky in my career to
be able to cover, you know, shock going from Orlando
to the Lakers and being in Oklahoma City when Kevin
Durant went there for the first time as a Warrior.
But this is, this is you know, so different because
you know, the Mavericks are the team that traded him.
(25:45):
So you know, Luca's got to come here for this
game next Wednesday, and the Lakers will be coming off
the off a back to back against Oklahoma, a two
game trip to Oklahoma City, and the MAVs will have
a couple of days of rest. So it's it's going
to be absolutely wild next week when Luka Doctic, who
(26:07):
has loved in Dallas to levels that I really can't
even put into words, when he walks in here in
Laker colors, it is going to be it's going to
be crazy.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
Getting a little bit of rest today as they're getting
absolutely bludgeoned by the Clippers, that is the Mavericks right now,
as we're watching this game come to its end, are
they going to be able to duct tape Anthony Davis
together to get some reasonable minutes in those final games
to maybe you know.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Preserve the playoff spot here, Mark, I.
Speaker 5 (26:35):
Mean, I think they're going to finish ninth. I mean,
they're gonna they're going to host a play in game.
And you know Anthony Davis the other night against Atlanta,
I mean, you know, he's had a couple of performances
as a Maverick already that yeah, you know, he had
the his debut was ridiculously good, and of course he
got hurt in that game. Then he missed eighteen games,
(26:56):
and you have a lot of people in Dallas basically
urging him not to play. Tell him, look, let's just
prioritized draft position. Let's you know, this year's been hard enough,
let's get a lottery pick. But ad basically, I think
he's heard all the noise he's had to. You know, again,
he was out for those eighteen games in a row.
He had to hear, you know, he's had to hear
over and over and over again how bad this trade is.
(27:19):
And he was adamant that he wanted to come back,
and you know, he did struggle for a few games
with playing through some tentativeness, and then Wednesday against Atlanta
he really seemed to have a break. Tonight, he's sitting
out because it's a back to back, it's the Mavericks
last back to back of the season, and they're not
ready to let him play in both ends of a
back to back, So he'll play tomorrow night when they
(27:41):
played the Clippers again at the end to a Dome.
But I mean Wednesday against Atlanta, he was sensational. I
mean he he finally just said, look, if I'm gonna play,
I can't tiptoe out there. I've got to just let
it rip, let it go. And you know, you saw
him hit the game when he shot, but I mean,
he was all over the court. That's the fact. There's
two times as a Maverick that you know that that
(28:02):
debut against Houston and in the Atlanta game. That just
I mean, he he's been everywhere, and I think he
feels like he has a lot to prove as well.
So I mean it's just since just another layer for
this game next week. That where I live, people are
already looking ahead to it.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
You can fall on Twitter at the Steinline. That is
at the Steinline, and check out on substack the latest
Mark has the best NBA revenge game performances of all time.
A great read there again, get it right off his
Twitter page at the Steinline. Mark has always appreciated We'll
talk to you next week after the after the Game
of the Century.
Speaker 5 (28:38):
All right, guys, be good, talk to you next.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
Week, there goes Mark Stein. Yeah, I mean, look for
all I say, you know, we talk about the end
of the NBA season, and what do I always say,
The last like twenty games are are useless? Right, you
don't need them, right, you know you need a little
bit of fun after the trade deadline. But the last
twenty game, pig. The teams that are done are done.
And as Mark said, look, hey, sit out, we don't
need you this year. The last twenty games are useless.
(29:01):
Oh no, no, Luca back in Dallas for the first time. Go,
that's gonna be. It's gonna be. What was the last
half of the NBA season, Like, well, Luca got traded
and then he played back in Dallas in early April,
and then we had the playoffs. So this game, this
game I can't wait for.
Speaker 4 (29:16):
I remember they got in trouble for tanking the end
of the season a couple of years ago, so you
got that fresh in their minds. Some maybe something hanging
over there, maybe the sort of damnacles for the organization.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
I know, we changed ownership and you got you know,
shiny new names on.
Speaker 4 (29:36):
Those parking spots. But get in for that one right now.
Only two hundred and nine dollars now based on the
vantage point because you have the fun little feature where
I can get the the view of where I'm sitting.
You better have a really high powered pair of Bushnells
with you if you want to make out who the
hell's who?
Speaker 1 (29:55):
You know the Kilroy can from the Lost Lost Jordan
game with the pizza box exactly. Oh so again, that's
the one game holding up the back half of the
NBA regular season. Time how to find out what's trending
in the wide world of sports. But guy who's been
called the Mark Cuban of Fox Sports Radio, he's been
accused of taking the end of his updates a few times.
(30:17):
It's Steve Desinger.
Speaker 6 (30:21):
Told something maybe that I was unaware of my net
worth compared. I know that's not the comparison you were
going for.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
Of course.
Speaker 6 (30:28):
By the way, guys in Major League Baseball, with Cleveland
playing in Anaheim tonight, if I may make a City
of Angels movie reference, this would be Nicholas Cage's favorite matchup.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
It's the Guardian Angel game. There you go, Yeah, because
that also had Dennis Frianz in it. Yeah, Cleveland up
seven to four over the.
Speaker 6 (30:48):
Halos in the bottom of the sevens, which exact favorite
Miran sitting two home runs.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
He was four to four in the fifth. But yeah,
but Steve, but I can do you one better. I
know it's six sports, but shouldn't the Guardians be here
to play the Galaxy? Oh?
Speaker 6 (31:04):
Think of Verry Good that's another one.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
Huh who got Chaka?
Speaker 6 (31:09):
What doesn't fit with tonight in Cleveland is facing the
La Angels, who are not actually in the City of Angels.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
That's right there. Did you see the promotion the Angels
were giving away.
Speaker 6 (31:20):
Tonight all year?
Speaker 7 (31:22):
Okay, if they score seven runs or more, which they
only did eleven out of eighty one times last year.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
Oh wait, they gotta do it in one game?
Speaker 7 (31:32):
Yeah, one game, takof they don't talk. Yes, it's gotta
be the greatest promotion for a company ever.
Speaker 6 (31:38):
With the Dodgers, it's just strikeout seven in a game
and they do.
Speaker 7 (31:42):
Steve, if they Dodgers win, you get a six dollars
plate from Panda Chew, two item plate from Panda Free
Jumbo Jack.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
I mean, there's a bunch of seven runs. Good luck.
Speaker 3 (31:53):
You can eat for a week on one Dodger win.
Speaker 6 (31:56):
It's a little bit different. Dodgers did not get a
win tonight, by the way, they had been eight and
zero lost at Philadelphia three to two. Philly is six
and one this season. Heyesus Lozardo got the victory with
seven scoreless innings eight strikeouts.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Catcher J.
Speaker 6 (32:09):
T rail Muto caught LA runners stealing to end the
eighth and ninth innings in this one. As for San Francisco,
they won five straight and eleven inning victory ten to
nine over Seattle. The A's won in eleven innings in
the snow at Colorado six to three. The Yankees Aaron
Judge with his sixth homer of the season nine to
four to the final for the Yanks at Pittsburgh, and
(32:31):
we mentioned the late game, it's seven to four Cleveland.
In the seventh victories for Milwaukee and Texas. The late
games in the NBA, well, the Lakers at home are
leading with about seven minutes to go against the Pelicans,
that is one oh six to ninety five, and the
Clippers at home with two minutes left lead Dallas one
o eight to eighty three. Golden State won its fifth
(32:51):
straight game one eighteen one oh four over Denver. Steph
Curry thirty six points. Houston beat Oklahoma City, And you
were talking about Alex Ovett. He had two goals for
Washington in a five to three win against Chicago. The
Washington coach confirmed after the game Ovechkin did not want
to go on the ice with Chicago's net empty. Late quote,
he wants to break the record with a goaltender in
(33:14):
the crease.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
I can at home, at home, not against the Islanders
on Sunday.
Speaker 6 (33:19):
When Hank Aaron was going to break Babe Bruce career
home run record. He homered on opening Day at Cincinnati
to tie the record, and then NBC's Game of the
Week put, hey, we got Braves red. Let's put that
he's going to break the record Saturday. He didn't play Saturday.
And then in the Sunday afternoon Aaron went ozer for
three with two strikeouts, and then back home, as you say,
(33:42):
on Monday night, baseball history was made. But yes it's
Ovechkin tied for the NHL's all time goal scoring mark.
Speaker 1 (33:49):
Did anybody call the Braves to fight it? We gotta
know if he's going to play in the.
Speaker 4 (33:53):
Gut name come on, by the way, playing for the
Angels today and Homer, Yeah got that.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Carbon Live Fromthetiraq dot
Com Studio, runs away from seven. Yeah yeah, it's gonna
be a while. Don't worry, guys. That free taco is
gonna be a bit. Worry about it. I would show
up with money if you want tacos. But coming up next,
how about this On a big positivity Friday, we give
you what is, without a doubt, officially with a stamp
(34:23):
on it, the best story in the NBA this year.
We got it. We told you what it was a
couple months if you remember, we told you what it was,
and now it is official tonight. This is the best
story in the NBA all year. That's next, Jason to
Mike Fox Sports Radio. Is your business struggling to balance
your workforce with production demands in a variable economy, Balancing
(34:45):
your spending while maintaining the necessary team can be pretty tricky.
Time to try something new. Express employment professionals can provide
contract workers to flex up for peak seasons without having
a phrase your core workforce. Head coom visit expresspros dot com,
and businesses that use Express have ranked it best of
staffing for five consecutive years. And if your HR team
(35:07):
is frustrated with keeping up with changing government regulations for hiring,
including leave policies, wages, and overtime, working with Express can
help you stay informed and save you time whether you're
looking for contract workers or a new team member. Their
streamlined hiring process is more efficient than hiring on your own.
Visit expresspros dot com today. With more than eight hundred
and sixty locally owned offices, you'll get the hiring support
(35:30):
you need at expresspros dot com. That's expresspros dot com.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific, Fox.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with My best friend
Mike Harmon live from the Tirak dot com studios. And look,
we said this six weeks ago, and it was true
then and it's even truer now. A bit of positivity
here on a Friday night. Get a potivity going into
the weekend.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
I mean negativity, Come on, you know you are least we.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
Got a YINNI yank and look, wait, we're about positivity.
We have a lot of fun, but there's but there's
something here. A year after finishing with the worst record
in the NBA and being the worst team in the
NBA overall for the better part of the past decade,
it's official. I mean we knew it was coming, obviously,
but official tonight, the Detroit Pistons are going to the
(36:29):
playoffs for the first time since twenty nineteen after they
beat Toronto tonight. No team has ever gone from a
worst record than Detroit's fourteen wins last year to a
playoff berth the following year. This is why I said
there's no better story in the NBA this year than
the return of.
Speaker 7 (36:48):
The Jason be very careful. You're walking a very thin
line here of what you're about to do. How about
how about walking I'm very careful what you're about to do.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
I think I know what he's trying to warn you against.
I don't know talking out on that that far on
the ledge.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
There's no better story then the Pistons returned to relevance.
And there was one coach of the Year in college
in the NBA, and that's JB. Bickerson.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
I was gonna say, there's not just one in college, because.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
I mean there we had a tie there. I mean, well,
you had other coaches who were having great seasons. But
you you come in and you take a team from
fourteen wins, and yes, there's talent on the team. Obviously
Kate Cunningham has blossomed, right, you have some good talent
on there. Jade and Ivy hurt for a long time
and really a lot of these wins without him. Yes,
you have talent there. But you go from fourteen wins
(37:37):
and you're in the playoffs and you're sitting here, Hey,
we're we're a top six team, right, Like that's a
that's a pretty big accomplishment, man, And you could you
could maybe squeak into the top four. Maybe you would
need to win win out and hope the Pacers hit
a losing streak, but they're getting hot now towards the
end of the year, so likely you're gonna you're gonna
(37:57):
sit there at five or six. But man, I'll tell you,
I mean, this is some kind of story. The Pistons
are going to finish about ten games over five hundred.
I really, there's no better story in the NBA than
this big heritage team that had just been losers for
so long on the court. They weren't kicking anything right,
and here they are now maybe and it's not just
(38:17):
one year, but maybe not. Hey, they're going to be
part of the dance now, be part of the part
of the dance card for the next few years, the Pistons.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
It's all pretty exciting.
Speaker 4 (38:24):
I mean, look, we need Tim Hardaway Junior to grab
a microphone and channel his dad by saying I got skills,
and then that was great commercial. And then for Dennis Shrewder,
I mean, does this become the.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
Top entry for his career?
Speaker 3 (38:39):
Nah, it's still gonna be the eighty four million dollar.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, turning down the eighty four million yeah good,
four million.
Speaker 3 (38:46):
Well it's a big story though.
Speaker 4 (38:47):
I mean, it's it's great to be able to say
this because we see it in the NFL all the time,
right where you have the opportunity to go play in
the playoffs. We always have a worse to first virtually
every year, and you see the rapid turnarounds for a
lot of NBA squads, I mean plenty of NFL teams too,
(39:09):
but they can't get out of their own way, and
for Detroit at least an uptick maybe inspired by the
turnaround by the Lions.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
How about that. No credit to Dan Campbell, some caps
Detroit is a new title town, right, Wow, you.
Speaker 4 (39:25):
Gotta win something, but you're at least relevant and not
because we're telling you how terrible you are.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
Yeah, I mean, look, in all sports, when the heritage
teams are good, it's better for the league, right, It's nice.
It's nice if teams like the Rays have a big
run and they make it to the World Series like
they did a bunch of years ago. But when the
heritage teams that have been tried and true in or
died died in the wall of NBA, in the fabric
of NBA history, when they're good, it's just better. Right.
(39:53):
And the Pistons, clearly with the bad boys teams of
the eighties and the titles in the early two thousands,
like this is a this is a pretty proud city
and a proud franchise that just couldn't get it right
for so long, and suddenly now the Pistons being back,
and I mean really, it's it's exciting, and and you
know it's it's it's nothing else more than just hey,
(40:13):
here's some positivity, a pre moment of appreciation on a
Friday night for the Pistons going from worst to the
middle of the pack in the playoffs. Sometimes some journeys
to the middle are worthwhile. Mike Carmen, this is one
of them. Good for you. You've now damned them.
Speaker 3 (40:30):
I tried to warn Smith.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
Swept in the first round of the playoffs. Boy, I'll
tell you all that good feeling is now out the window.
Coming up next, we got big stuff out of the
NBA and NFL. Keep it right here, Jason to Mike
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
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Give this you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike Harmon live from the Tirak dot Com studios
Direct dot Com I help you get there. An unmatched selection, fast,
free shipping, free road hazard protection at over ten thousand
recommended installers. Tirac dot com is the way tire buying
should be. Well. Absolute history in sports tonight, something that
(00:54):
probably none of us have seen. Last time we saw
something like this was thirty years ago. But before we
get to that women's national championship game is all set.
In college basketball, Yukon just blows out UCLA tonight as
good as usually looked all year long. They were never
in this game, and Yukon and gene Orem and Page
(01:16):
Beckers heads the national title game against South Carolina who's
going for back to back after they dismantled Texas earlier tonight.
And I will tell you this. You know, we talked
about pressure and games and how you know, last hour
we talked about Duke and how just because they're young players,
it's going to have zero effect on how they play
this week and everything is going to be fine. Doesn't
(01:37):
matter that Houston's got upperclassmen. Duke is the most talented
team in the country. But one thing that is going
to play into when you talk about pressure and feeling
it is coming into this game tomorrow, this game on Sunday. Right,
South Carolina. Look, Don Staley's won three national championships, they
won last year. Yes, they're a team that, hey we're
(01:59):
one game away. But if they lose, okay, like Don
Staley's got a juggernaut going on. Yes, it's gonna be
a loss that hurts. It's gonna be a loss that's
difficult because the national do you get this close and
then you you know it doesn't go your way. That's
a tough thing, right, But Don Staley in South Carolina
will get by it. If Yukon loses, this is like
(02:23):
Gino Oriema's last best chance to make it and win
a national title because hey he loses Page Beckers. And yes,
you keep bringing in good recruits and that's fantastic, But
the top of the college basketball landscape is really crowded
now And a lot of Yukon's dominance early on was
because there was only a couple of teams, you know,
(02:43):
each year that could really challenge Yukon. Yukon was team
every year they're getting to the final four. Now it's
South Carolina and Don Staley getting to the final four
every year. Not they fall off a mat but this
might be Yukon and Gino's last best chance at a
national title for quite a while, right this this could
be it? Like, is Yukon still that rockstar pro They
still going to get the players it's still gonna happen,
(03:05):
or are things spreading out now more across the country.
So if you talk about who's got more pressure on
them to win this game on Sunday and how that
could affect it, it's Yukon by far over South Carolina.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
They're part to it.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
Jason, is that if memory serves, didn't Yukon drum them
earlier this season?
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Yeah, in February right where South Carolina.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Everybody they're they're they're crossing off the all the teams
they lost to are in the final four. You have
crossing you off, crossing you off, you off.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
So you have the uh, the expectations.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
I haven't seen odds pop up just yet, but uh,
certainly that that informs a little bit of the discussion.
But different, different stakes. Right, South Carolina knew they were
going to be an upper seed. Yes, there was still
all the complaining that every one of the coaches did
as the bracket was unveiled, from USC to Staley herself.
(04:01):
Gino always gets his two cents, and but the fact
that just like on the men's side, we're getting the
best teams competing. I think everybody won, even though you
love the Cinderella. For the women's side of things, perhaps
the brackets a little larger than it needs to be
at this point, but invite more squads and get that
(04:22):
experience and build out that the tournament to a larger scale.
But to your point, yeah, there were more teams that
were in the mix.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Notre Dame.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
We'll be back and ready to go.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
We'll see how quickly Juju Watkins can get back up
for USC and coming into the tournament. I think there
were five or six teams that were at ten to
one or less in terms of odds to win it,
which is more than we've seen in quite some time. So,
you know, progress one step at a time and a
couple of heavyweights that'll give us some quotes and bulletin
(04:55):
board material.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Yeah, because that's the thing about women's college basketball is
that you look at the when you take the men's
and the women's NCAA tournament and men put them up
against each other, the women's game is not as deep
one through sixty four as the men's tournament is. Right,
we've seen where hey, now at this point, yes, they're
still blowouts obviously, but we've seen fifteens beat twos. We've
(05:19):
seen big cinderella runs by eleven seeds and ever. You know,
we've seen that, and that happens to the men's tournament
all the time. Women's tournament not so much. The top
of the women's of the women's teams are still so
far ahead of the teams that squeak in the lower seeds.
They get blood looked. We get final scores like eighty
seven to twenty five. You know, in the women's tournament
the only rounds, So the bottom part, like the bottom
(05:42):
part of the tournament. For the women's tournament, you still
need the teams need to be a little bit higher quality.
But the top of women's college basketball, like the very top,
the elite part, where years ago it was Yukon and
Tennessee and maybe every other year was Notre Dame or
it was somebody else. Now they're there is eight or
ten teams every year that are really really good. I mean,
(06:03):
look at look at UCLA in the run they had
this year. I mean USC, you talked about USC and
Juju Watkins, like the top eight ten teams in women's
college basketball. Now, like any of those teams could win.
And that's a far cry when you would come into
every year and go, well, there's you know, two or
three teams real that we can see winning other Tennessee
game to ten.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Yeah, Tennessee, Notre Dame and Yukon.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
How did you go through that entire thing and not
at least get a name check of Muffett mcgrin.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Did I should have named Muffet MacGrath.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
I should have been one of your all time favorite
the show.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Muffett McGraw, Ruth Riley. That was some North that was
sub Notre Dame team right there.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
They see there you go, Muffett McGrath adding value.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
But while that was happening tonight, we saw absolute history
in the NHL as Alex Ovechkin scored goal number eight
ninety three and eight ninety four against the Chicago Blackhawks. Now,
because it was the Blacks and they stink, it's only
gonna count as one goal, so he still needs to
oh sorry, two goals against the Blackhawks tonight. He is
(07:08):
now tied Wayne Gretzky for the all time goal scoring record.
Ovechkin can break the record own it for himself on Sunday,
they play a game at noon against the Islanders in
New York. If he doesn't break it, then the following
game is Thursday night at home against the Carolina Hurricanes.
So sometime the next couple of days, next couple of games,
(07:29):
Alex Ovechkin's gonna own this record. Wayne Gretzky in attendance,
he was at the game today. He's gonna go to
the game Sunday. I assume he'll go on Thursday if
he doesn't break it. So it's becoming a really big
thing in is right here in his history happening for
us and sometime the next but within the next week,
we're gonna have a new goal scoring champion in the NHL.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
Absolute chaos, these long standing records, because you gotta give
the nod to the longevity. Yeah, it's not just stat aggergation,
consistent greatness. And the team is great this year, which
helps as well, because the last thing you want is, hey,
you got to an all time record. What was your
team's record? Ten and seventy scored it on that eightieth game?
(08:15):
And boy, what a slog I mean, because we joked
about it the other night. Right, Hey, he's an HiT's closer.
What was the final five to one loss? Those don't
resonate quite as well or not. Hey, this guy's a
scoring leader, because I mean, let's take it to the
NBA for a moment, because I'm watching the Clippers beat
the hell out of the Mavericks right now. Remember all
(08:36):
those years for Kevin Love's stat aggregated for a terrible team.
Look at it, all is twenty and twelve. They mean
nothing because someone's got a score. It's like, that's that's
kind of what you get hockey. The little bit margin
of margin of error is much much less in terms
(08:57):
of goalies and what they're doing, and opportunity needs a score.
So you give the nod to a Vetchkin. But it's
just for me. It's another one of those. I remember
when that guy came into the league, was gonna set
it on fire him. And remember when Sid was still
the kid.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
I mean, I mean, come on, it's terrible.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
Does that you know, fitting hair, gray hair? And they
looked like me running out there. Now they're still playing.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
So he got that.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
So I get to keep my youthfulness just another day
or two more. But for a Vetchkin, it was inevitable.
He was at least gonna tie it against the Blackhart,
wouldn't it.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Yeah, well there's a black Hawks. There's only one reason
why he said, I thought he could get the record
against the Blackhawks. Only one reason, because you hate me.
No no, no, no, no, come on, it's more scientific
than not only one reason. One reason. Reason, one reasonay
it out. The Blackhawks stink true, that's why, the only reason,
only reason why.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
Now they have a nice young player in the in
their own and Connor Bdard. He plays a little recklessly.
A couple of ten minute majors couple weeks. Sure, Buddy's
fun to watch, so you at least got that going
for it, and the Bulls are good right now, So
misdirection Now when it comes to the game and when
(10:11):
we're going to see this record breaking performance. Right, we've
already told you tickets for a Sunday's game in New
York are going for anywhere from one thousand dollars and more.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Like it's a big ticket. Right, You're gonna see a
record broken that we haven't seen broken in thirty years.
But I'll tell you this, if I could buy tickets
for one of the next two games, I got to
pick one that I'm gonna spend a lot of money
on to go. I'm buying tickets for Thursday night at
home against the Hurricanes, Number one, because you know, I
put stuff out in the universe, it happens. Of course
(10:40):
it's going to happen against my team. They're gonna go.
I'm not gonna watch Frederick Anderson bang a stick on
the ice after Ovechkin scores. It's good to ridiculous, but
just to think about when someone wants to break a
record in a game that is really irrelevant. Are we
really gonna get Ovechkin out there at his best, driving
(11:01):
to the net as often as he can. Is he
going to be out there in an empty net situation
to score at the end of the game, or is
it going to be more set up for Thursday night.
Not that you can guarantee when a guy scoring goals,
but he's this close. He's scoring a goal every game.
He's third overall in the NHL in goals this year.
He's having a great year at thirty nine. I'm old
(11:21):
enough to remember a year ago when Caitlin Clark was
going to break the record for most points scored in
college basketball history, and all of a sudden, when the
fourth quarter showed up, Caitlyn Clark doesn't score. All she
did was a couple of was a few buckets to
in the fourth quarter to break this record, But instead,
with thirty one points going in the fourth quarter, Iowa's
(11:42):
up by fourteen, she doesn't score. Again, doesn't score, And
not only that, but Iowa gives away the game. I
think she only had a couple of shots in the
fourth quarter, you know, and she played the fourth quarter
but didn't score. It was terrible and it was a
notable difference in how Iowa was playing because every but
he's watching the game against Nebraska team that's not that
(12:02):
great and it's on the road in Nebraska. Huh. So
what instead we saw was Caitlin Clark breaking the record
at home the next game against Michigan. Uh, the game
didn't really matter. I was number two in the country.
It really really made no difference at that point. They
were still a month away from the NCAA tournament. Just like,
Sunday is not going to mean anything, Right, it's on
(12:23):
the road on Sunday at noon in New York in
a game that means nothing. Washington is the best team
in the Eastern Conference. They're finishing first. The Islanders aren't
making the playoffs. Are we really gonna get Ovechkin out
there to score that goal or is it going to
be hey, oh boy, he gave it a game effort.
But now now you really see they're gonna They're gonna
go for it and go for the juggular on Thursday,
(12:45):
so we can do it at home in front of
his fans. Yeah, I would. I would sit back and
say I would think more. I would buy tickets for
Thursday night instead of Sunday night.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
Yeah, but I can get you in fronder seven hundred
and fifty dollars now for Sunday, I mean coming.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Legally. Yeah, you're sitting next to Gretzky and Kosh Patel
in the in the suite.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
You also have to provide a trench coat that fits
a seven foot.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Which way is Cash looking?
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Uh? He was looking to the Oh the video I
saw he was looking to the left at Wayne Gretzky.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
No, it was actually right, was it right?
Speaker 1 (13:19):
There's looking at the left. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
So you got some standing rooms that are in the
six hundred parking at two hundred.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Uh, and then there's yeah standing room. No no, I said,
we talked about actually getting a seat to say.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
No, no, no seats. I can get you in an
under seven to fifty now really, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Everything I'm seeing for Ben MGM is up over a grand.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
Yeah, I'm over on stumbha.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Oh oh so you're in for seven fifty but then
what I hit pay? It's going to be over a grand?
Got it? Okay? Are they not on the lock market site?
Mike's on the dark web trying to get I.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Thought they'd gone to all in pricing, did they not?
Speaker 1 (13:56):
No, I'm just I'm just I don't know. You're the guy.
Look at manute, I'm the one making a joke. That's
how it goes.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
Yeah, well you know, chuckling up. But yeah, here's your opportunity.
I still go Sunday because here's the anticipation. Because look,
you're either gonna get the thrill of seeing it or
you get to be pissed off, and then.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
That's the greatest thing you get to roll out of that.
You shouldn't be because you don't want to spend a
lot of money and get pissed off. If I want
to get pissed off free of charge, I don't want to.
I don't want you to charge me for it. If
I'm gonna be pissed off.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
But you still get a hockey game.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
An over priced hockey game.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Well, I mean that's a matter of like your opinion.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Man, oh yes, because because for game number seventy six,
Capital's Islanders, that's not not overpaid to get in for
a grand But.
Speaker 4 (14:42):
If you paid it and he scores, did you still overpay?
Now it's a matter of perspective.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
If he But that's it's a gamble, that's right. I mean,
you're not going to spend money to go to all
these games. I would I would buy it on Thursday.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
But that's where you have to decide. Are you all in?
Are you ready for road tripping? Are you gonna gretzki it?
Because I'm gonna And I guess if you show up
Sunday and it fails, guess what you're bringing? A signed
Thursday going Hey, gret scam like you.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
I'm here too. Sign time and where's Putin? Exit out?
That'll be the big sign in the game Thursday, where's putin?
Where's putin? I brought a horse? Uh. You can stream
this show and all of our Fox Sports Radio shows
live twenty four to seven in the new and improved
iHeartRadio app. Just search Fox Sports Radio in the app
(15:25):
to streams live and one of the newest features in
the app, you can select Fox Sports Radio is one
of your presets, just like the presets on a radio dial,
so it'll be sure to preset Fox Sports Radio in
the iHeartRadio app. It'll always pop up at the top
of your screen. Coming up next, NBA insider Mark Stein
stops by all the latest on the Jahn Morant punishment
(15:47):
and everything else as we're seeing in the NBA getting
down to the end of the regular season. Is Golden
State suddenly incredibly dangerous? Are the Lakers suddenly not all that?
And more? Next right here Jason and Mike Fox.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
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 (16:13):
Fox Sports Radio. The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon
Live from the tire rack dot Com Studios. Big day
in the NBA, as Adam Silver decides, So okay, John
Mortt you want to embarrass me after I let you
off with the warning of a making finger gun gestures.
If you do it again, I'll find you seventy five
(16:35):
thousand dollars OOO. Joining us now the Hotline for more
on this breaking story in all the big news out
of the NBA. Longtime NBA insider friend of the show,
Mark stein You can follow him on Twitter at the Steinline,
that is, at the Steinlin Check him out on substack
as well, Mark. What's happening man?
Speaker 5 (16:54):
How are you Jen?
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Some good?
Speaker 5 (16:57):
How you guys doing good?
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Thanks? Doing okay? As my stock stock response is, I
wish the Knicks could beat Good teams. But you know, hey,
I get what I get at this point.
Speaker 5 (17:08):
Oh you said stock response, I thought we were going
in a completely different direction. But I'm glad. I'm glad
we're still on basketball. That's all I'm calling.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
No, no, no, there's there's no tar no no tariffs here,
no town. Look, I know you have a bit of
it on substack, But here's what we just talked about
with John Morant and the seventy five thousand dollars fine
after he embarrasses Adam Silver in the NBA. What do
you make of what happened and how this played out?
Speaker 5 (17:35):
Not hugely surprised that you know it only went as
far as a fine. I mean, I don't know, guys.
I mean, I understand that this this, this is seen
as you know, this massive story today, but they're so
(17:56):
to me. There are just so many bigger scenes going
on in Memphis that like, honestly, I'm still I'm still
trying to process the coaching change, which I think hasn't
been talked about enough because you know, we've we've never
seen a team with a winning record ever in the
NBA make a change that late, and and really that
(18:18):
also rate you know, there are now questions louder than
ever about John Moran's future in Memphis, and so, you know,
this is the big story right now, but I kind
of find myself fixated more on the big picture of
view because the Grizzlies are sliding in the standings and man,
they have some really major decisions to make. And again
(18:41):
that that's that coaching change. It's it's it's you know,
it's amazing to see a team you know, we've never
seen it. It's just it's literally unprecedented to see our
team with a winning record make a coaching change it
late in an NBA season. It's never happened. So the
(19:03):
Morant situation, I mean, did you guys think it was
going to be more than a fine I didn't.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Well, I thought, here's the only reason. Look, I know,
Adam Silver doesn't like to do anything when it comes
to upsetting the players, right, that's his whole thing. But
this was where hey, let you off of the warning,
and John Morant just basically said, yeah, blank you I'm
gonna do it again the next in the first quarter
of the next game. And so like it's feel like
Adam Silver kind of got called out and Okay, here's
a seventy five thousand dollars. Fine.
Speaker 5 (19:34):
Yeah, I mean, look, Josh seems to be embracing this
villain tag that he's talked about this week, and you
know he is. He is certainly, by no means the
only player who has made that kind of gesture after
a basket in the NBA. But obviously because of previous
punishments that Joss faced and previous stuff that he has done,
(19:58):
you know, that's why he faces a different level of
scrutiny on this stuff and why the league warned him
not to do it. So yeah, I mean, the fact
that it happened the very next game, I mean, that
was pretty brazen. But there's so much going on in Memphis,
mark the.
Speaker 4 (20:18):
Hole Jenkins firing because Moran had missed all those games
and then suddenly, tada, he's back. Now played into some
of the JJ Reddick stuff of Hey, it looks like
everybody's available and everybody wants to take their best swing
it up. So timing wise, that worked, but it looked
like it was the ultimate flex for for John to
get back on the court, was I'll come back when
(20:39):
he's gone.
Speaker 5 (20:41):
Well, here's the thing, though, John Morant had always been
a big Taylor Jenkins supporter. I really don't think there
were issues between Morant and the coach. What's so again,
what is so fascinating about this? And you know, I
guess why I keep bringing up and you know, maybe
maybe it's just me who is so into this story.
(21:02):
But look, last summer, Zach Kleiman in the Grizzlies front office,
he basically made Taylor Jenkins change out his whole coaching staff.
I mean, he had to basically let five assistants go,
and the front office chose the main assistants that were
coming in, Noah Laroche to bring in a completely new
(21:23):
offense that would have very few pick and rolls and
dribble handoffs and that would completely change the way the
Grizzlies look on offense. And then Thomas Assalo, who is
now the interim coach, he also was brought in from Europe. So,
I mean, when those things happened last summer, that immediately
signaled to the league that Taylor Jenkins was under pressure,
(21:45):
that he needed a good season to keep his job.
But saying all that, again, there's been you know, there's
been issues all these long. You guys mentioned one of
them with just the pure availability issue with John morant
be he has missed thirty games, but there's been grumbling
about you know, John wants more pick and roll touches.
(22:06):
He just wants more touches in general, he's not loving
this new offense. And again, but to do it with
nine games left, Like I actually did the research with
a great researcher in Toronto, kurtka use Ya Kumar, who
is just fantastic, and she, I mean she. There aren't
(22:28):
a ton of coaching databases that you could really find
this stuff. But in Lebron's second season, Cleveland fired Paul
Silas when they were thirty four and thirty eighteen games left.
That was the latest in a season you could find
a team with a winning record firing its coach. Memphis
only had nine games left when it fired Taylor Jenkins.
(22:52):
Like all the whatever issues contributed to the firings, they
weren't in effect at the fifteen game mark or the
twenty game mark. Why didn't Memphis wait this long to
do it? And again, you just you don't see it.
They did win in Miami, but they haven't. You know,
they've only won one game since the coaching changed. They
(23:13):
haven't exactly gotten a new coach bounce here. So you know,
the whole Western Conference playoff picture is interesting, but you know,
Memphis is a particularly interesting story, just the way their
season is unfolding.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
NBA insider Mark Stein with us Jason Smith Mike carbon
Love from the tirec dot Com studios. All right, so
let's let's head to this now, because this is becoming
the the the big times we get close to the
end of the regular season, teams jocking for playoff position.
Lakers still are there. They could finish as high as second,
they could finish load. It's a big jubble in the
middle of the West. There. The one thing I look
(23:50):
at here, obviously Lebron is back and he looks pretty good. Uh.
The biggest question going forward, and I know you got
you have a lot on this, is that boy. As
good as Luca has been, he just really he struggles
so much from three point range. And he's been a
pretty consistent thirty five percent for his career, but just
the wild swings of you know, one for eight and
(24:11):
he missed it, you know, didn't have a three in
his last game for the first time one hundred and
fourteen games like him behind the arc. It has been
really brutal at times to watch Mark.
Speaker 5 (24:20):
Yeah, in the last four or five games flat out
just have not been good. When you know, what makes
this Laker team dynamic is the potential has it that
they can cause offensively with three creative players in Luca,
Lebron and Reeves. But this week it hasn't looked creative.
(24:42):
It's looked raggedy that they haven't meshed as a trio.
You said it, Lucas three ball is not falling. When
his three ball, when he's in the thirty eight range,
he becomes unguardable. I mean, he's not hasn't been close
to that Rayle, And honestly, even insides are he's not
(25:03):
shooting at his usual deadly efficiency. And you know next
week he's going to be back here in Dallas for
you know, the game of the century. You know, I mean,
I'm I'm like, I mean, you guys know, you guys
know where I live. You know I live in Dallas,
I mean, and just the anticipation for this game is
(25:24):
really unlike any other I've ever seen. And you know
I've had I've been pretty lucky in my career to
be able to cover, you know, shock going from Orlando
to the Lakers and being in Oklahoma City when Kevin
Durant went there for the first time as a Warrior.
But this is, this is you know, so different because
you know, the Mavericks are the team that traded him.
(25:45):
So you know, Luca's got to come here for this
game next Wednesday, and the Lakers will be coming off
the off a back to back against Oklahoma, a two
game trip to Oklahoma City, and the MAVs will have
a couple of days of rest. So it's it's going
to be absolutely wild next week when Luka Doctic, who
(26:07):
has loved in Dallas to levels that I really can't
even put into words, when he walks in here in
Laker colors, it is going to be it's going to
be crazy.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
Getting a little bit of rest today as they're getting
absolutely bludgeoned by the Clippers, that is the Mavericks right now,
as we're watching this game come to its end, are
they going to be able to duct tape Anthony Davis
together to get some reasonable minutes in those final games
to maybe you know.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Preserve the playoff spot here, Mark, I.
Speaker 5 (26:35):
Mean, I think they're going to finish ninth. I mean,
they're gonna they're going to host a play in game.
And you know Anthony Davis the other night against Atlanta,
I mean, you know, he's had a couple of performances
as a Maverick already that yeah, you know, he had
the his debut was ridiculously good, and of course he
got hurt in that game. Then he missed eighteen games,
(26:56):
and you have a lot of people in Dallas basically
urging him not to play. Tell him, look, let's just
prioritized draft position. Let's you know, this year's been hard enough,
let's get a lottery pick. But ad basically, I think
he's heard all the noise he's had to. You know, again,
he was out for those eighteen games in a row.
He had to hear, you know, he's had to hear
over and over and over again how bad this trade is.
(27:19):
And he was adamant that he wanted to come back,
and you know, he did struggle for a few games
with playing through some tentativeness, and then Wednesday against Atlanta
he really seemed to have a break. Tonight, he's sitting
out because it's a back to back, it's the Mavericks
last back to back of the season, and they're not
ready to let him play in both ends of a
back to back, So he'll play tomorrow night when they
(27:41):
played the Clippers again at the end to a Dome.
But I mean Wednesday against Atlanta, he was sensational. I
mean he he finally just said, look, if I'm gonna play,
I can't tiptoe out there. I've got to just let
it rip, let it go. And you know, you saw
him hit the game when he shot, but I mean,
he was all over the court. That's the fact. There's
two times as a Maverick that you know that that
(28:02):
debut against Houston and in the Atlanta game. That just
I mean, he he's been everywhere, and I think he
feels like he has a lot to prove as well.
So I mean it's just since just another layer for
this game next week. That where I live, people are
already looking ahead to it.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
You can fall on Twitter at the Steinline. That is
at the Steinline, and check out on substack the latest
Mark has the best NBA revenge game performances of all time.
A great read there again, get it right off his
Twitter page at the Steinline. Mark has always appreciated We'll
talk to you next week after the after the Game
of the Century.
Speaker 5 (28:38):
All right, guys, be good, talk to you next.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
Week, there goes Mark Stein. Yeah, I mean, look for
all I say, you know, we talk about the end
of the NBA season, and what do I always say,
The last like twenty games are are useless? Right, you
don't need them, right, you know you need a little
bit of fun after the trade deadline. But the last
twenty game, pig. The teams that are done are done.
And as Mark said, look, hey, sit out, we don't
need you this year. The last twenty games are useless.
(29:01):
Oh no, no, Luca back in Dallas for the first time. Go,
that's gonna be. It's gonna be. What was the last
half of the NBA season, Like, well, Luca got traded
and then he played back in Dallas in early April,
and then we had the playoffs. So this game, this
game I can't wait for.
Speaker 4 (29:16):
I remember they got in trouble for tanking the end
of the season a couple of years ago, so you
got that fresh in their minds. Some maybe something hanging
over there, maybe the sort of damnacles for the organization.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
I know, we changed ownership and you got you know,
shiny new names on.
Speaker 4 (29:36):
Those parking spots. But get in for that one right now.
Only two hundred and nine dollars now based on the
vantage point because you have the fun little feature where
I can get the the view of where I'm sitting.
You better have a really high powered pair of Bushnells
with you if you want to make out who the
hell's who?
Speaker 1 (29:55):
You know the Kilroy can from the Lost Lost Jordan
game with the pizza box exactly. Oh so again, that's
the one game holding up the back half of the
NBA regular season. Time how to find out what's trending
in the wide world of sports. But guy who's been
called the Mark Cuban of Fox Sports Radio, he's been
accused of taking the end of his updates a few times.
(30:17):
It's Steve Desinger.
Speaker 6 (30:21):
Told something maybe that I was unaware of my net
worth compared. I know that's not the comparison you were
going for.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
Of course.
Speaker 6 (30:28):
By the way, guys in Major League Baseball, with Cleveland
playing in Anaheim tonight, if I may make a City
of Angels movie reference, this would be Nicholas Cage's favorite matchup.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
It's the Guardian Angel game. There you go, Yeah, because
that also had Dennis Frianz in it. Yeah, Cleveland up
seven to four over the.
Speaker 6 (30:48):
Halos in the bottom of the sevens, which exact favorite
Miran sitting two home runs.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
He was four to four in the fifth. But yeah,
but Steve, but I can do you one better. I
know it's six sports, but shouldn't the Guardians be here
to play the Galaxy? Oh?
Speaker 6 (31:04):
Think of Verry Good that's another one.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
Huh who got Chaka?
Speaker 6 (31:09):
What doesn't fit with tonight in Cleveland is facing the
La Angels, who are not actually in the City of Angels.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
That's right there. Did you see the promotion the Angels
were giving away.
Speaker 6 (31:20):
Tonight all year?
Speaker 7 (31:22):
Okay, if they score seven runs or more, which they
only did eleven out of eighty one times last year.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
Oh wait, they gotta do it in one game?
Speaker 7 (31:32):
Yeah, one game, takof they don't talk. Yes, it's gotta
be the greatest promotion for a company ever.
Speaker 6 (31:38):
With the Dodgers, it's just strikeout seven in a game
and they do.
Speaker 7 (31:42):
Steve, if they Dodgers win, you get a six dollars
plate from Panda Chew, two item plate from Panda Free
Jumbo Jack.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
I mean, there's a bunch of seven runs. Good luck.
Speaker 3 (31:53):
You can eat for a week on one Dodger win.
Speaker 6 (31:56):
It's a little bit different. Dodgers did not get a
win tonight, by the way, they had been eight and
zero lost at Philadelphia three to two. Philly is six
and one this season. Heyesus Lozardo got the victory with
seven scoreless innings eight strikeouts.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Catcher J.
Speaker 6 (32:09):
T rail Muto caught LA runners stealing to end the
eighth and ninth innings in this one. As for San Francisco,
they won five straight and eleven inning victory ten to
nine over Seattle. The A's won in eleven innings in
the snow at Colorado six to three. The Yankees Aaron
Judge with his sixth homer of the season nine to
four to the final for the Yanks at Pittsburgh, and
(32:31):
we mentioned the late game, it's seven to four Cleveland.
In the seventh victories for Milwaukee and Texas. The late
games in the NBA, well, the Lakers at home are
leading with about seven minutes to go against the Pelicans,
that is one oh six to ninety five, and the
Clippers at home with two minutes left lead Dallas one
o eight to eighty three. Golden State won its fifth
(32:51):
straight game one eighteen one oh four over Denver. Steph
Curry thirty six points. Houston beat Oklahoma City, And you
were talking about Alex Ovett. He had two goals for
Washington in a five to three win against Chicago. The
Washington coach confirmed after the game Ovechkin did not want
to go on the ice with Chicago's net empty. Late quote,
he wants to break the record with a goaltender in
(33:14):
the crease.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
I can at home, at home, not against the Islanders
on Sunday.
Speaker 6 (33:19):
When Hank Aaron was going to break Babe Bruce career
home run record. He homered on opening Day at Cincinnati
to tie the record, and then NBC's Game of the
Week put, hey, we got Braves red. Let's put that
he's going to break the record Saturday. He didn't play Saturday.
And then in the Sunday afternoon Aaron went ozer for
three with two strikeouts, and then back home, as you say,
(33:42):
on Monday night, baseball history was made. But yes it's
Ovechkin tied for the NHL's all time goal scoring mark.
Speaker 1 (33:49):
Did anybody call the Braves to fight it? We gotta
know if he's going to play in the.
Speaker 4 (33:53):
Gut name come on, by the way, playing for the
Angels today and Homer, Yeah got that.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Carbon Live Fromthetiraq dot
Com Studio, runs away from seven. Yeah yeah, it's gonna
be a while. Don't worry, guys. That free taco is
gonna be a bit. Worry about it. I would show
up with money if you want tacos. But coming up next,
how about this On a big positivity Friday, we give
you what is, without a doubt, officially with a stamp
(34:23):
on it, the best story in the NBA this year.
We got it. We told you what it was a
couple months if you remember, we told you what it was,
and now it is official tonight. This is the best
story in the NBA all year. That's next, Jason to
Mike Fox Sports Radio. Is your business struggling to balance
your workforce with production demands in a variable economy, Balancing
(34:45):
your spending while maintaining the necessary team can be pretty tricky.
Time to try something new. Express employment professionals can provide
contract workers to flex up for peak seasons without having
a phrase your core workforce. Head coom visit expresspros dot com,
and businesses that use Express have ranked it best of
staffing for five consecutive years. And if your HR team
(35:07):
is frustrated with keeping up with changing government regulations for hiring,
including leave policies, wages, and overtime, working with Express can
help you stay informed and save you time whether you're
looking for contract workers or a new team member. Their
streamlined hiring process is more efficient than hiring on your own.
Visit expresspros dot com today. With more than eight hundred
and sixty locally owned offices, you'll get the hiring support
(35:30):
you need at expresspros dot com. That's expresspros dot com.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific, Fox.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with My best friend
Mike Harmon live from the Tirak dot com studios. And look,
we said this six weeks ago, and it was true
then and it's even truer now. A bit of positivity
here on a Friday night. Get a potivity going into
the weekend.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
I mean negativity, Come on, you know you are least we.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
Got a YINNI yank and look, wait, we're about positivity.
We have a lot of fun, but there's but there's
something here. A year after finishing with the worst record
in the NBA and being the worst team in the
NBA overall for the better part of the past decade,
it's official. I mean we knew it was coming, obviously,
but official tonight, the Detroit Pistons are going to the
(36:29):
playoffs for the first time since twenty nineteen after they
beat Toronto tonight. No team has ever gone from a
worst record than Detroit's fourteen wins last year to a
playoff berth the following year. This is why I said
there's no better story in the NBA this year than
the return of.
Speaker 7 (36:48):
The Jason be very careful. You're walking a very thin
line here of what you're about to do. How about
how about walking I'm very careful what you're about to do.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
I think I know what he's trying to warn you against.
I don't know talking out on that that far on
the ledge.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
There's no better story then the Pistons returned to relevance.
And there was one coach of the Year in college
in the NBA, and that's JB. Bickerson.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
I was gonna say, there's not just one in college, because.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
I mean there we had a tie there. I mean, well,
you had other coaches who were having great seasons. But
you you come in and you take a team from
fourteen wins, and yes, there's talent on the team. Obviously
Kate Cunningham has blossomed, right, you have some good talent
on there. Jade and Ivy hurt for a long time
and really a lot of these wins without him. Yes,
you have talent there. But you go from fourteen wins
(37:37):
and you're in the playoffs and you're sitting here, Hey,
we're we're a top six team, right, Like that's a
that's a pretty big accomplishment, man, And you could you
could maybe squeak into the top four. Maybe you would
need to win win out and hope the Pacers hit
a losing streak, but they're getting hot now towards the
end of the year, so likely you're gonna you're gonna
(37:57):
sit there at five or six. But man, I'll tell you,
I mean, this is some kind of story. The Pistons
are going to finish about ten games over five hundred.
I really, there's no better story in the NBA than
this big heritage team that had just been losers for
so long on the court. They weren't kicking anything right,
and here they are now maybe and it's not just
(38:17):
one year, but maybe not. Hey, they're going to be
part of the dance now, be part of the part
of the dance card for the next few years, the Pistons.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
It's all pretty exciting.
Speaker 4 (38:24):
I mean, look, we need Tim Hardaway Junior to grab
a microphone and channel his dad by saying I got skills,
and then that was great commercial. And then for Dennis Shrewder,
I mean, does this become the.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
Top entry for his career?
Speaker 3 (38:39):
Nah, it's still gonna be the eighty four million dollar.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, turning down the eighty four million yeah good,
four million.
Speaker 3 (38:46):
Well it's a big story though.
Speaker 4 (38:47):
I mean, it's it's great to be able to say
this because we see it in the NFL all the time,
right where you have the opportunity to go play in
the playoffs. We always have a worse to first virtually
every year, and you see the rapid turnarounds for a
lot of NBA squads, I mean plenty of NFL teams too,
(39:09):
but they can't get out of their own way, and
for Detroit at least an uptick maybe inspired by the
turnaround by the Lions.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
How about that. No credit to Dan Campbell, some caps
Detroit is a new title town, right, Wow, you.
Speaker 4 (39:25):
Gotta win something, but you're at least relevant and not
because we're telling you how terrible you are.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
Yeah, I mean, look, in all sports, when the heritage
teams are good, it's better for the league, right, It's nice.
It's nice if teams like the Rays have a big
run and they make it to the World Series like
they did a bunch of years ago. But when the
heritage teams that have been tried and true in or
died died in the wall of NBA, in the fabric
of NBA history, when they're good, it's just better. Right.
(39:53):
And the Pistons, clearly with the bad boys teams of
the eighties and the titles in the early two thousands,
like this is a this is a pretty proud city
and a proud franchise that just couldn't get it right
for so long, and suddenly now the Pistons being back,
and I mean really, it's it's exciting, and and you
know it's it's it's nothing else more than just hey,
(40:13):
here's some positivity, a pre moment of appreciation on a
Friday night for the Pistons going from worst to the
middle of the pack in the playoffs. Sometimes some journeys
to the middle are worthwhile. Mike Carmen, this is one
of them. Good for you. You've now damned them.
Speaker 3 (40:30):
I tried to warn Smith.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
Swept in the first round of the playoffs. Boy, I'll
tell you all that good feeling is now out the window.
Coming up next, we got big stuff out of the
NBA and NFL. Keep it right here, Jason to Mike
Fox Sports Radio,
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.