June 23, 2025 • 37 mins
Doug breaks down game seven of the NBA Finals, how the Thunder won, and what it means. Doug welcomes FSR NBA Insider Ric Bucher onto the show to talk about the Thunder, Kevin Durant and all of the headlines around the NBA. Plus, Dan Beyer takes Doug through a game of "Big Deal, Little Deal or No Deal?".
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Thanks for listening to The Doug Gotlieb Show podcast. Be
sure to catch us live every weekday three to five
Eastern twelve two Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your
local station for The Doug Gottlieb Show at Fox Sports
Radio dot com, or stream us live every day on
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of America. Doug Gottlieb Show, Fox Sports Radio coming to
(00:21):
you from one coast and from the Midwest. Obviously, the
boys are happily enjoying a beautiful summer in southern California,
whereas the rest of US Midwest East Coast got the
heat Dome. Heat Dome still over the Midwest and it
is hot and sticky outside. Welcome in. This is the
Doug oleg Show, the the oklhom City Thunder or your
(00:44):
NBA Champions and Tyre's Haliburton towards Achilles ten. Right. I mean,
there's some other stuff we can talk about, but that's
really that's kind of the show today. Rick Bucker is
going to join us twenty five after the hour. Kevin
Rant was traded over the weekend, and I actually love
Kevin Durant's Kevin Durant's statement yesterday right, which is he
(01:09):
and Kay Adams caught up with KD. We'll play that
for you next hour. Ryan Hollins will be our guest,
so mostly an NBA show, NBA show today. I'm getting
ready for the NBA Draft, which is Wednesday night. It
happens really really quickly, and the Thunder have a couple
of picks. I will caution you with the idea of
like it's our dinasty, it's a dynasty it let's just
(01:37):
here's the way I think it should work. Okay, here's
the way I think it should work. It should work
in a way in which we go. You know, they're
positioned to be competitive at the top of the league
for the next half decade if things go right. There
(01:58):
you go, it's positioned. They're positioned to be competitive at
the top of the league for the next four or
five years if things go right. And to anyone who says,
you know, listen, a new salary cap, the new you know,
the new salary cap, it's it's a dynasty killer or
(02:19):
they're the ones best position. That sounds great, but we
don't know, you know. And again, you can go back historically,
back when the Boston Celtics. You know, back when the
Boston Celtics had the Len Bias draft pick. Len Bias
was supposed to be the guy who reinvigorated them after
(02:42):
Bill Walton retired. You know, Larry Bird was starting, he
was his body was starting to break down, right, Robert
Parrish was getting old. And then len Bias tragically died
from a cocaine overdose the night after the NBA draft,
Like again, it's crazy. Lewis gosh, what was his name?
(03:05):
He played also for the Celtics. Remember he was there.
Reggie Lewis passed away heart issue. He dies, right, So
there have been teams. The Chicago Cubs broke, you know,
broke the curse, right, broke the curse of the Billy Goat.
They were supposed to be a dynasty. And I can
(03:26):
tell you because I had a friend on that team,
is like, we're never winning another one again. These guys
hate each other. They're all so young and full of ego,
and they went on a victory tour and it's never
going to be the same. It never has been. And
I'd like to think that these thunder are different. Right,
(03:48):
they're young, they didn't even know how to open the
champagne bottles last night? How great a story was that?
Did you guys hear that? Like the champagne bottles weren't popping,
and they're like, we guys, you know you won the
championship and like, somebody get Caruso in here. We don't
know how to pop champagne bottles. What that's the greatest
thing I've ever heard. But money and fame and attention
(04:13):
can change people. And I'll give you an example. They
can extend chet Holmer in this summer, give him a
max extension if they want, you know, on his rookie contract,
would you I wouldn't. I lost all confidence in his
jump shot. And but he's got some stuff to him.
He's gonna you feel like he's gonna get better, but
(04:36):
you don't know. So if you give him the max contract,
god forbid, he gets hurt, that changes things. Or if
he loses his jump shot altogether. He hit a big
one last night. Now what if you don't give him
the big contract? Does he hold that against you? And
he can't at some point can't wait to get out
of town, right, Everyone says, they just think, oh they
(04:59):
got everybody in the roster back next year, like, that's
not the way it works with men. Definitely doesn't work
out that way women. Men aren't much better. It's not
like we're not Caddy. We don't want more. You don't
get to be an NBA player but not want more.
You're like, well, lou Dort was undrafted, so he should
that's great. It sounds like he should just be, you know,
(05:19):
fat girl the problem happy to be there. That's not
the way the world always works. You have super competitive
men and they want more and like, hey, I won
my championship. Great now I want to get rich. But
they have positioned themselves as well for this as anybody
possibly could, and they have draft picks. They're in a
(05:41):
great shape. They're opening a new arena in a couple
of years, so the franchise will continue to just make
a ton of money. But I harken back, you know,
the head of iHeart, of course, iHeart owns Fox Sports Radio,
stuck outlet show here on Fox Sports Radio is the
guy that did the behind the scenes behind the music
(06:03):
VH one behind the music, which they need to bring
those back or do those Jay stew you, I don't
watch them now. I don't watch VH one now I
don't even know what exists. Does VH one still exist?
I have no idea.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
I'm guessing no, Sam, That's that.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Feels like a Sam question. Sam, Does VH one exist?
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Get on the computer, Iak a mistake.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Get on your old computer and uh type some things in.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
I don't know. I don't know either, Jon, VH one
does exist?
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Okay, yes, okay? Do you guys remember behind the musics?
Absolutely they were great. They were great, and it would
all be the same. Like there's a group of you know,
group of punk rockers from this you know, from the
San Fernando Valley, and they all got together and they
kicked the drummer out. They brought a new drummer and
(06:54):
he had a rad sound, and they released an album
and they just blew up. Next thing, you know, they're
playing in stadiums and then you know, the bassist had
a terrible cocaine problem that the drummer slept with the
lead singer's wife, you know, and it just all came
apart and they all went to rehab. And now they're
trying to get the band back together and they're releasing
an album and no one's ever never ever heard from again, right,
(07:15):
how'd I do guys? Is that about right? Is that
about how work?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Yeah? I'd say so yeah, And most of.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
The stories all start to say and they all are like, man,
they're just a bunch of kids just play some music.
And they got together and they had the sound like wow,
that's really cool, Like what if I do this? And
then what if you do that? And I do this?
And I was like, oh my god. And then the
recent album and then they had this big song and
then they built up and then there's always this peak
and then something goes wrong because of ego or a
(07:39):
lot of times it's drugs, let's be honest. But you know,
pat Riley calls it the disease of me. I think
this is going to be the most amazing And I
do want to get to Dan what you talked about
on your show yesterday, which is this is the worst
champion of our lifetime in terms of the level of
(08:00):
overall quality of basketball, level of play. Right, you're not
talking about them as people. I just want to make
sure to can Yeah, I'm not personally, you don't that's.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Nothing comments about today's NBA.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
State of the NBA totally fair. Okay, Again, I don't know,
if I agree with it, I want to get to it.
But that's not the point. The point is that let's
not fall into that trap of going like, all right,
murder dynasty because pat Riley calls it the disease of me,
And all it basically is is, you know, it's really
(08:33):
hard to make in this world. I kind of think
it's even harder to have that same level of hunger
and do it again, right, same level of hunger and
do it again. You know, it's one of the things
that I'm I'm blown away by by so many guys
whose sons are really good players and they you know,
(08:58):
I saw good friend of mine's Raja Bell and Rajah's
older son Dia just signed with has just won the
Elite eleven okay, And I coached his younger son in
Au before I got this job, and he's a stud too.
He's great kid. Now. Raja grew up with very little
(09:18):
and bounced around, played in every minor league in different countries,
and then made it and he became like the Kobe Stopper.
His kids, they've grown up in affluence in Florida. He
got this beautiful setup to work out to play whatever.
And I think in many ways, it's harder to be
the kid who has everything and have the hunger and
(09:40):
desire that matches up with the kids who have nothing. Right.
I mean, I got a scholarship to college, and it
wasn't the total motivation. But my dad came to me,
is like, look, dude, you know Grandpa helped me out
with your brother and sister. I just you know, if
(10:00):
you can't get a D one scholarship, you're gonna have
to go to a state school, maybe a junior college,
and we'll figure it out. And I was like, bro,
no chance, I'm hoping. I wanted to get out. And
I didn't grow up in the I'm not gonna sit
here and say I grew up bullets whizzing, but it
was lower, lower middle class Orange, California, right next to
(10:20):
Barrio Medina, and I made it. But the point is
that I do find myself really really appreciating kids that
grew up in actual affluence and make it in a
sport like basketball against the hunger and desire people who
have nothing. They don't have a pot to pee in
or a window to throw it out of. And that's
because it's really hard when everybody says Yes, it's not
(10:44):
that hard to work when everybody says no, when people
call you soft, when people think you're not good enough,
and that's what people thought with this Oklahoma City team. Look,
I don't like the flopping. I mean the lou Dort
flopp at the end of the first half. It's a
big play. It's a big play. I mean, ultimately, Oklahoma City,
especially without Tyree's Hall, it was going to be hard.
And I just I think there's a bunch of different
(11:06):
layers to last night's game which we can get into,
which was not particularly well portrayed or maybe analyzed. I
mean the TJ McConnell thing. He went on this run
where he scored like ten straight points. Meanwhile he booke
nded it with like five turnovers, which so it doesn't
actually the ten points. It became a zero sum or
probably even a negative during that time in the third quarter,
(11:28):
and they were all two pointers. Meanwhile Oklahoma City's making threes.
And then the turnovers. You can't turn the ball over.
That's why Olahoma City had so many more shots. And
sometimes basketball is just a game of who gets more shots.
How do you get more shots? You get more possessions
how do you get more possessions, offensive rebounds and turnovers
and steals, that's it. But I just I want to
(11:51):
be cautious over the Let's not undersell them. I do
think that Dan's underselling them a little bit, and I'll
get too why but let's not over sell them and
go like, man, this is a diner. They got all
these pictures, they call all this money they caught everybody
back like yeah, it sounds really really good, but you
come back next year and Chet is supposed to take
another step, okay, but that other step that means somebody
(12:13):
else's growth is probably gonna be minimized. You know. I
think Caruso is gonna play hard no matter what I do,
I you know. And I think Jalen Williams will continue
to get more and more consistent, But I don't know
if he'll ever be a star as much as a
Robin or it. Does he like that role or eventually
does as much as Jayala Wims is an awesome dude,
(12:35):
like I covered him with at Santa Claric. Just an
incredible guy. But there are times in which now you
go like, hey, you know, I don't want Shade to
be so deballa dumb like I want to. I want
to score thirty. And as much as we say, hey,
they're gonna always going to be the same guy because
they have great character, money, success, attention, all these things
(13:00):
can change people. So I'm fascinated to see what happens
to have fron Okoma City Thunder. Okay, now let's get
to that discussion real quick, buyer, do you want to
make your case if you would, well, why this Oklahoma
City team? And again I listened to it, but you know,
(13:22):
I'm not our audience. Why is this the worst team?
Now we don't have to replay it. He's right here, Yeah,
why is this the worst team in your lifetime to
win an NBA.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
This is Yeah, this is not specific to Oklahoma City.
Even though it's specific to Oklahoma City. I said in
a month ago, and when we didn't know who was
going to win the NBA title at that time, and
it could have been a variety of teams. But when
we actually had this discussion on your show, which you
also disagreed with me then about it. My point was
(13:52):
I don't think that this specific Oklahoma City team would
match up to any of the Lakers teams of the
two thousand are the Bulls teams of the nineties, and
when we would look at what we've got in recent history,
I think that the Raptors team of twenty nineteen is
better matched up with this Oklahoma City team. Again, at
(14:12):
the time if they were to win it, and now
we can make that comparison, I think that the Warriors
team of twenty twenty two the Bucks of twenty twenty
one were better teams than this makeup of Oklahoma City,
which also is a reflection on what I think of
the league as an entire league. So while you'll say
(14:33):
they have the best record in the league, I actually
think that it's a water down league than to what
those other teams had to go through in previous seasons.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Okay, here's who I think they match up with. The
What was the first Warriors team? What year was that the.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
First war twenty fifteen?
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Okay, twenty fifteen Warriors. Okay, now let me paint the
picture for you had a breakthrough player who played differently
than other stars play. Is that a fair way again?
I know we can sit there and go steph. Okay,
so he played differently. Okay. They had a young number
(15:18):
two star guy who was you know, by the way,
you know, came out of Washington State who had yet
to be proven, and people thought he was good, but
he had limitations in Clay Thompson, Is that fair?
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Yes, for the sake of your argument, yes, I think
it was more to Clay, but yes.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Okay, But again, at at the time, time, at the time,
at the time, Clay was a very good defender and
an incredible shooter. Incredible shooter, but he was not considered
a Hall of Famer at the time. Then they had
Draymond Green who provide them their toughness. He was an undersize,
(16:03):
could guard anybody guy who did everything but score. Right,
he was a second round pick who lost a bunch
of weight and made himself into this unbelievable weapon who
could dominate a game without scoring. Is that fair?
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Sure?
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Yes, okay. And now then off the bench they had
another team, a former like twenty, a game guy who
had to remake himself into just the perfect role player
to go along with those guys, they had all these
different pieces. Okay, Again, I don't think Chet Holmgren will
(16:41):
have the impact of a of a Draymond Green, but
Chet the what Chet Holmgren? They think ultimately can be
Is this rare guy who's so long and agile enough
that he can defend all five positions while defending the rim.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Yeah, that's the future. That's not the twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
I got it. I got it. But we're looking at
Draymond Green through a lens of today for what he was.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Would you take Draymond that day or Chet now like
on this day, Draymond, Yes, would you take Clay on
that day or would you take Jalen Williams today? You
did Clay? You know you would?
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (17:20):
You would you take Steph then on that day in
twenty fifteen, then you would take Shay right now?
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (17:25):
And that's my point is and then if the run
off four championships, this is gonna be the worst bo
getting the Harvard champions.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
I got it, I got it. But remember, okay, what
happened with that team and why did they win? They
were playing that They're playing the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kyrie
Irvan torp is knee in the first game and they
and they went to overtime A one. That's the series
still went six. Okay, And if you remember that year,
every team they played that point guard missed at least
(17:53):
two of the games on the other team, right they Uh,
Damian Lillard missed a couple.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
But I get the argument, and and and just for
time constraints, I think that you would have one against
the Bucks and whatnot. But then to your point of
we're taking the bottom of the bottom, And my whole
point in this is that this is what the NBA
is now, I got it. And it's gotten worse and
worse and worse each year. So now here we have
an Oklahoma City team that barely got past the fourth
(18:21):
seed in the East, that needed their best player to
go down with the you know, torn Achilles in Game
seven to win the series. And that's like it's an
overall thing.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
It was never I know, it took them seven games
to beat the Nuggets and Aaron Gordon was hurt, Yes Nuggets.
Nuggets had fired their general manager and fired their coach
and had no bench. I get it. I get it.
It's really interesting. I didn't say it's a terrible take.
I didn't. I'm not going to sit here, and I
know it's not personal. I think it's interesting, and I
do think that if they go and win another championship,
people are going to say you're wrong, but you might
(18:54):
not be wrong even if you even if they win
a championship later on.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Because I think the twenty twenty sixth thunder would be
better than the twenty twenty five thunder.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
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Speaker 2 (19:17):
To the Ball by Doup Jump with Shay weaving his
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Speaker 1 (19:21):
It up and laser in. Oh what a maneuver by
Jalon Williams. He played the road with Ay and now
plays the ground.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Go get It, Doug under fifty six to pace this
fifty one time out Indiana.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Be sure to catch the live edition of The Doug
Gottlieb Show weekdays at three pm Eastern noon Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio in the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Doug Gottlieb Show, Fox Sports Radio Quick congratulations to Ryan
Berschinger gotten married over the weekend producer here at Fox
Sports Radio. Always always good to see how a Fox
Sports Radio brethren doing doing well. And I know it
is a good party in La. Saw some of the pictures,
(20:05):
and uh, I wish he and his lovely bride nothing
but the best. Uh. We'll get to Dan Buyer in
a bit. First, let me welcome in Rick Buker from
Fox Sports One and Fox Sports dot Com. He's covered
the NBA forever, is a good friend of mine. And
let's let's start with a little bit of elephant in
the room. It has happened in other sports. It's part
(20:27):
of the discussion which people seem to be missing on right.
Happened to a couple of quarterbacks in the NFL. It
happened to the Rams at a young running back who
towards achilles tendon. But there has three star players tear
their achilles tendon in the NBA playoffs. Yeah, what do
NBA people think is the reason behind it?
Speaker 4 (20:48):
I think part of that is is the game has
become more athletic and up and down than ever before.
And uh, I think this is when we look at
the guys who have suffered this. It is a matter
of durability making long playoff runs and carrying a certain weight.
(21:10):
I don't think it's any accident that the two teams
that wound up in the finals are teams that, for
the better part of the year, and certainly during the playoffs,
we're willing to play nine and ten deep. I would
also say that Tyree Halliburton is going from a conference
finals run last year to finals run this year obviously
(21:36):
had a variety of injuries that he's been dealing with
over the course of those of the two years, and
that you can see this coming and that you know,
looking at task injuries, I don't know that we're necessarily
categorizing them correctly. These should be looked at as Achilles
(21:59):
injuries as far as prior to the full Achilles tear
uh and and and treated differently, taken a different approach.
I think when we think of a calf, a calf strain,
or a calf pull, we don't necessarily associate it with
a potential Achilles injury. And I think that that that
(22:19):
perspective not will not being you know, a medical doctor,
We've seen enough of this the association between the two
that there has to be a different approach.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
The physician who is set to perform the surgery on
Tyre's Halliburton, who's also the NETS team position, is supposed
to join us next hour in the show. And again, well,
well we'll ask him, you know, he I don't know
if he's done research on whatever, just thoughts on it.
(22:52):
But it is, it's it's fascinating that everybody's trying to
find a reason. I've heard I've heard that, well Nikes,
Well he was wearing pumas. You know, Damian was wearing Adidas.
Move again, well, it's it's it's low tops, Like, no, this,
I think the high top thing is complete, you know,
has been debunked, you know, fifteen times over the number
(23:13):
of games. Tymer's Halbert only played seventy three games this year.
Granted he was on the Olympic team. Okay, but I
mean how many years did Michael Jordan play all eighty
two games and then an incredible toll like didn't happen
to him. Yeah, it's it is, it's fascinating. It's sad. Okay.
So now as we fast forward to last night's game,
(23:36):
how do you view this Oklahoma City Thunder team in
comparison to other championship teams in the NBA, considering the
Nuggets needed they needed seven games to dispense of the Nuggets,
and the Nuggets had no bench, interim coach, no GM
and Aaron Aaron Gordon was hurt. And then last night
(23:56):
this is not the best team of the East. They
played them. Because there's some similar to that twenty fifteen
Warriors run with all the injuries. How do you view
this Thunder team historically?
Speaker 4 (24:06):
Yeah, I think there's there's a similarity in other ways too,
and that they were this Thunder team, in my mind, overachieved,
and that may sound weird considering that they had the
best record in the regular season, but this is a
team that had never been pasted the second round, and
other than Alex Caruso, I believe you didn't have anybody
(24:29):
with with deep playoff experience, certainly not finals experience, and
I think that showed up at various times. The youngest,
if I'm not mistaken, the youngest team to ever win
an NBA championship, certainly the youngest team in the league
this year. Their overall poise and ability to be resilient
(24:51):
with some in some of these series winning two game
sevens I thought was impressive. Are they the most dominant
team or one of the all time great UH championship teams?
I don't see them. I don't see them there. I
think there's still a lot of growth that that this
(25:15):
team has to be in that to be in that consideration.
I think more than anything, what they are is they
are the work of GM Sam Presty recognizing how the
game is changing. And this feeds a little bit into
the whole Halliburton thing in terms of how the game
is played. Uh, it's it's it's just a far more
(25:39):
athletic game. I think the ability for for players to
to to score and be effective is more reliant on
their athleticism than the execution of the team. And uh
and and Sam Sam saw that and built his team accordingly.
(26:00):
And and as a byproduct, they have a championship.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
But I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna disagree with you.
I don't. I don't think that's how they built. I
think they actually built the team sort of similarly to
how the the previous finals team was built in that
it really was built defense out, you know, and and
and where you need that athleticism is you need guys
(26:25):
that can guard. Basically have to be able to guard
four or five positions. Yea. And and if you can't you,
if you can't guard, you better be Shay Gildas Alexander, Right,
That's that's really what they did. But you you basically
got to be six four and above and be able
to guard four or five positions. Sure. And but but.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
If you're talking about the previous Thunder team that went
to the finals, I don't know that they were they
were that. I mean, maybe maybe that was the blueprint,
but I don't think it was. I think this team
was far more virsatile.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Yes, but but but it was. But and to your point,
and this is where we agree, but I'm gonna disagree
with what your thoughts on that team At the time,
you had to have two big guys to win the West,
because the Spurs had two and the Lakers had two.
So they had Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka, right, and
then Steven Adams as well. Right. So again, but but
(27:28):
it was with the mindset of what does it take
defensively to keep you in every game? And then when
then we need a guy who can who can lead
us and we'll figure out the rest, and they play
with great spacing, and they kind of hide the fact
that Lou Dork can't shoot, and Chake Chay Jed Chet
can't really shoot, and Carusa is not really good shot,
like they kind of hide it because they're so good defensively.
(27:50):
I actually think that's the that's the connective tissue between
the two groups.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
I can't I can't disagree to a to an nth degree.
I do feel like the asthleticism of this team was
far greater than that one, or that the athleticism of
that team was more top heavy, and that they were
(28:16):
more KD KD RUSS centric. I know that we look
at s g A and Jalen Williams and what they were,
you know, and the and the roles they carried. But this,
this team won in spite of the fact that those
guys didn't necessarily always uh shoot or or defend quite honestly,
(28:38):
all that well. I feel like the versatility of this
team with Chet and and even with Hartenstein to a
certain extent, I mean, I can see the lines where
they're they're built along the same lines, but I feel
like this was a slightly different iteration of that.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
Quick figures our guest here if I Sports One, Fox
Sports Radio, H Kevin rant trade to the Houston Rockets. Yeah,
what do you make of the Rockets now?
Speaker 4 (29:09):
I think there they are better. I don't put them
in the title contender status, but uh, this is the
beauty of when you take a team to the a
young team to the playoffs, you get to find out
who guys are. And I think they found out who
Jalen Green was. I thought were at times during the
regular season where I thought, you know what, maybe he
can be that guy. And then we got to the
(29:30):
postseason and and quite clearly I don't know that he
ever gets there, but he's certainly not going to get
there anytime soon. And so you know, the Phoenix Sun
made the best of this is where Katie wanted to go,
h and so let's get the best deal we possibly can.
I don't think I can really judge what the Phoenix
(29:50):
Suns got out of it until I see what they
do with Jalen Green and Dylan Brooks. I don't think
this is the last stop for either one of them.
Was this was this is making what they could from
KD and beginning the dismantling of of the Phoenix Suns
and starting over. So I think they made the best
of the situation. I for my money, if I'm if
(30:12):
I'm KD and I'm directing where I want to go,
I'm going to the Denver Nuggets because that, to me,
would give me the best chance of playing for a title.
The Houston Rockets have the second best record in the
in the West, but four games different from the eighth
spot and sixteen games behind OKC. I think there's a
(30:34):
lot of ground to be made up for them to
be legitimate title contenders.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Is Doug otlib Sewan Fox portraited? That's a voice of
of Rick Buker. Last thing buke? Okay, what's the next
download of Fall? Who's the next star to be traded? Oo?
Speaker 4 (30:52):
That is that's a great question. I don't think Janni
Sante compo. I'm going to take him at his word
that he doesn't that he is looking to go elsewhere.
I don't put Jonathan Kaminga in that category, but I would.
I would fully expect that the move by Houston getting
Kevin Durant is going to expedite the Warriors doing something
(31:13):
they've They've They've got to upgrade beyond where they are.
I haven't heard anything definitive about Karl Anthony Towns, even
though there's been a lot of a lot of buzz
about that. You know, we need to see see where
what the direction of that team is before before they
make any other decisions. So you know, bona fide star.
(31:41):
I don't know that there there is another one, that
there is another one right now?
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Okay, John Morant movement not as you yet, you know
what I don't.
Speaker 4 (31:50):
I really don't think that the move with Desmond Vane.
I think that that was a money situation as far
as as as where they are. And and I just
I look at the Memphis Grizzlies, and I know it's
sexy to think that they're going to move, if they're
going to move job, but I don't know that you
(32:12):
get players of his caliber in in markets like Memphis
without without drafting them. And unless John Morant is saying
I want to be elsewhere. If I'm the Memphis Grizzlies,
I'm not moving.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
He's Rick Buker. You can see him on Fox Sports One. Obviously,
hear him with us on Fox Sports Radio. We just
work at Foxsports dot Com. You get the best really
appreciate you joining us.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
You got to be sure to catch the live edition
of the Doug Gottlieb Show weekdays at three pm Eastern
noon Pacific.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Stuckg Gottlleeb Show Fox Sports Radio. You know you can
stream the show and all our Fox Sports Radio shows
twenty for seven of the new improved iHeartRadio app. Just
search Fox Sports Radio and the app to stream is live.
Lout of our newest features in the app, you can
select Fox Sports Radio is one of your presets. Just
like you're presets and you're ready to outre sure preset
Fox Sports treating the iHeartRadio app always pop up on
top of your screen. Uh all right, let's get to
(33:08):
Dan Byer and play game.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
This is game time on the Doug Gottlieb Show.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Heeep. He apologized, didn't know the camera's not working. We'll
get that thing working so we get your uh we
get your handsome face on our YouTube channel for highlights.
What do you got today?
Speaker 2 (33:26):
Yeah, Doug, the game today is big deal, little deal.
Speaker 4 (33:30):
No.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
Yeah, tried a couple of times, would not connect, but
we'll try to connect on this one. This is a
late add to our Big Deal Little Deal No deal script,
big deal, little deal or no deal?
Speaker 1 (33:42):
Doug.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
Those NBA championship hats last night, those champions hats.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
No deal.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Didn't like them? Huh No, I didn't mind them. In
the millennials that work here at Fox Sports, already in
the hallway hated them like you did.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
You know, well, I'm a big hat guys, you know,
like you'reformed guy. I'm a hat guy. Those are bad hats.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
I didn't mind the thread. I know I can't pull
off that. I liked how it was toned down. I
feel like the last twenty years there's just been everything
they could put on a hat.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
Yeah, I do like I do like that just the
champions was too low. I don't know.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
I am fully aware I'll be in the minority on
this one.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
Can I just I do have to say one thing, Okay,
it is a no deal as well, that the Thunderhead
buses that were painted or or wrapped, they're most likely
wrapped before the game, Like you do realize that the
Pacers probably had buses as well, right, and that they
had a parade route as well. You can't go like, oh,
hey we won, guys, we've got planning a parade, Like
(34:46):
does not does not work that way, just as not correct.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
Oh I love that every single in.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
The all time nothing Burger. Ever, it's the Hey, you
know they play a championship parade. Yeah, they both did.
That's what you're supposed to do when you have the
possibility of winning an NBA championship.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Different for when you hang a banner because you could
clinch that night and then you don't clinch or don't win.
That's completely different. This is just normal stuff. Yeah, all right,
big little deal or no deal that the ABC broadcast
team wouldn't shut up during the postgame celebration. Big deal,
Oh my gosh, it's just let the moment breathe.
Speaker 1 (35:27):
But this is what happens though. Okay, I think Richard
Jefferson is really good. I'm not sure he's good. That's
not a good threesome, not a good pairing. But he's
an experience. Doris is that's not what she She's great
a sideline and she was badly missed last night. Like,
how are we getting a report from Tyrese Haliburton's dad
(35:52):
at halftime? I mean, the whole thing was bad. But yes,
let it breathe. It's okay to say nothing nothing big.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
Deal, a little deal of nod deal. Then Nicola Jokich
is the player with the shortest odds to win next
year's MVP. That online says he's two to one SGA
next at nine to four. Is that a big deal,
little deal or no deal?
Speaker 1 (36:13):
A little deal, no deal, let me go back, okay.
In terms of the broadcast team, then you get to
the studio, right, they're all INIX there holdand like Kendrick Perkins,
like those guys are inexperienced in that. And you have
an inexperienced host. That's really what's that issue? Right? And
you can say, well, you're sexist or whatever like no not.
(36:35):
There's plenty of Rhees Davis to be amazing there. They
wouldn't say anything. Just don't say anything, or you get in.
And part of it is also producer. You got to
have somebody kills their mics and just says, let it breed,
let it breed, let it breed.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Sorry, go ahead, that's all right, big deal, a little
deal and no deal that there's just three days between
the finals ending in the NBA Draft beginning.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
No big deal, no big deal. I think it's great.
I think you're capitalizing on some form of momentum because
you just saw. If you wait too long, it's like
it's like Major League Baseball Now they hand out the
awards like a month later, you're like, wait what, I
don't even remember what anybody did because it's after the postseason.
They're had a regular season awards. I actually like it
this way.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
My favorite thing with this is Doug when you came
over to Fox Sports Radio more than eight years ago,
you brought this game with you and it's called a
big deal, little deal or no deal, but you randomly,
like once every six months, add a no big deal.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:32):
No, it's completely I don't know if it's a little deal.
I don't know if it's a big deal, but it's
a no big deal and that's game time.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
No big deal. So Doug Gotlib Show here on Fox
Sports Radios, Achilles ten in tears, Doctor Gottleib's in the house.
It can be my thoughts on it next to the
Doug Gotlieb Show, Fox Sports Radio
Thanks for listening to The Doug Gotlieb Show podcast. Be
sure to catch us live every weekday three to five
Eastern twelve two Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your
local station for The Doug Gottlieb Show at Fox Sports
Radio dot com, or stream us live every day on
the iHeartRadio app by searching app as park Oh What
of America. Doug Gottlieb Show, Fox Sports Radio coming to
(00:21):
you from one coast and from the Midwest. Obviously, the
boys are happily enjoying a beautiful summer in southern California,
whereas the rest of US Midwest East Coast got the
heat Dome. Heat Dome still over the Midwest and it
is hot and sticky outside. Welcome in. This is the
Doug oleg Show, the the oklhom City Thunder or your
(00:44):
NBA Champions and Tyre's Haliburton towards Achilles ten. Right. I mean,
there's some other stuff we can talk about, but that's
really that's kind of the show today. Rick Bucker is
going to join us twenty five after the hour. Kevin
Rant was traded over the weekend, and I actually love
Kevin Durant's Kevin Durant's statement yesterday right, which is he
(01:09):
and Kay Adams caught up with KD. We'll play that
for you next hour. Ryan Hollins will be our guest,
so mostly an NBA show, NBA show today. I'm getting
ready for the NBA Draft, which is Wednesday night. It
happens really really quickly, and the Thunder have a couple
of picks. I will caution you with the idea of
like it's our dinasty, it's a dynasty it let's just
(01:37):
here's the way I think it should work. Okay, here's
the way I think it should work. It should work
in a way in which we go. You know, they're
positioned to be competitive at the top of the league
for the next half decade if things go right. There
(01:58):
you go, it's positioned. They're positioned to be competitive at
the top of the league for the next four or
five years if things go right. And to anyone who says,
you know, listen, a new salary cap, the new you know,
the new salary cap, it's it's a dynasty killer or
(02:19):
they're the ones best position. That sounds great, but we
don't know, you know. And again, you can go back historically,
back when the Boston Celtics. You know, back when the
Boston Celtics had the Len Bias draft pick. Len Bias
was supposed to be the guy who reinvigorated them after
(02:42):
Bill Walton retired. You know, Larry Bird was starting, he
was his body was starting to break down, right, Robert
Parrish was getting old. And then len Bias tragically died
from a cocaine overdose the night after the NBA draft,
Like again, it's crazy. Lewis gosh, what was his name?
(03:05):
He played also for the Celtics. Remember he was there.
Reggie Lewis passed away heart issue. He dies, right, So
there have been teams. The Chicago Cubs broke, you know,
broke the curse, right, broke the curse of the Billy Goat.
They were supposed to be a dynasty. And I can
(03:26):
tell you because I had a friend on that team,
is like, we're never winning another one again. These guys
hate each other. They're all so young and full of ego,
and they went on a victory tour and it's never
going to be the same. It never has been. And
I'd like to think that these thunder are different. Right,
(03:48):
they're young, they didn't even know how to open the
champagne bottles last night? How great a story was that?
Did you guys hear that? Like the champagne bottles weren't popping,
and they're like, we guys, you know you won the
championship and like, somebody get Caruso in here. We don't
know how to pop champagne bottles. What that's the greatest
thing I've ever heard. But money and fame and attention
(04:13):
can change people. And I'll give you an example. They
can extend chet Holmer in this summer, give him a
max extension if they want, you know, on his rookie contract,
would you I wouldn't. I lost all confidence in his
jump shot. And but he's got some stuff to him.
He's gonna you feel like he's gonna get better, but
(04:36):
you don't know. So if you give him the max contract,
god forbid, he gets hurt, that changes things. Or if
he loses his jump shot altogether. He hit a big
one last night. Now what if you don't give him
the big contract? Does he hold that against you? And
he can't at some point can't wait to get out
of town, right, Everyone says, they just think, oh they
(04:59):
got everybody in the roster back next year, like, that's
not the way it works with men. Definitely doesn't work
out that way women. Men aren't much better. It's not
like we're not Caddy. We don't want more. You don't
get to be an NBA player but not want more.
You're like, well, lou Dort was undrafted, so he should
that's great. It sounds like he should just be, you know,
(05:19):
fat girl the problem happy to be there. That's not
the way the world always works. You have super competitive
men and they want more and like, hey, I won
my championship. Great now I want to get rich. But
they have positioned themselves as well for this as anybody
possibly could, and they have draft picks. They're in a
(05:41):
great shape. They're opening a new arena in a couple
of years, so the franchise will continue to just make
a ton of money. But I harken back, you know,
the head of iHeart, of course, iHeart owns Fox Sports Radio,
stuck outlet show here on Fox Sports Radio is the
guy that did the behind the scenes behind the music
(06:03):
VH one behind the music, which they need to bring
those back or do those Jay stew you, I don't
watch them now. I don't watch VH one now I
don't even know what exists. Does VH one still exist?
I have no idea.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
I'm guessing no, Sam, That's that.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Feels like a Sam question. Sam, Does VH one exist?
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Get on the computer, Iak a mistake.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Get on your old computer and uh type some things in.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
I don't know. I don't know either, Jon, VH one
does exist?
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Okay, yes, okay? Do you guys remember behind the musics?
Absolutely they were great. They were great, and it would
all be the same. Like there's a group of you know,
group of punk rockers from this you know, from the
San Fernando Valley, and they all got together and they
kicked the drummer out. They brought a new drummer and
(06:54):
he had a rad sound, and they released an album
and they just blew up. Next thing, you know, they're
playing in stadiums and then you know, the bassist had
a terrible cocaine problem that the drummer slept with the
lead singer's wife, you know, and it just all came
apart and they all went to rehab. And now they're
trying to get the band back together and they're releasing
an album and no one's ever never ever heard from again, right,
(07:15):
how'd I do guys? Is that about right? Is that
about how work?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Yeah? I'd say so yeah, And most of.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
The stories all start to say and they all are like, man,
they're just a bunch of kids just play some music.
And they got together and they had the sound like wow,
that's really cool, Like what if I do this? And
then what if you do that? And I do this?
And I was like, oh my god. And then the
recent album and then they had this big song and
then they built up and then there's always this peak
and then something goes wrong because of ego or a
(07:39):
lot of times it's drugs, let's be honest. But you know,
pat Riley calls it the disease of me. I think
this is going to be the most amazing And I
do want to get to Dan what you talked about
on your show yesterday, which is this is the worst
champion of our lifetime in terms of the level of
(08:00):
overall quality of basketball, level of play. Right, you're not
talking about them as people. I just want to make
sure to can Yeah, I'm not personally, you don't that's.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Nothing comments about today's NBA.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
State of the NBA totally fair. Okay, Again, I don't know,
if I agree with it, I want to get to it.
But that's not the point. The point is that let's
not fall into that trap of going like, all right,
murder dynasty because pat Riley calls it the disease of me,
And all it basically is is, you know, it's really
(08:33):
hard to make in this world. I kind of think
it's even harder to have that same level of hunger
and do it again, right, same level of hunger and
do it again. You know, it's one of the things
that I'm I'm blown away by by so many guys
whose sons are really good players and they you know,
(08:58):
I saw good friend of mine's Raja Bell and Rajah's
older son Dia just signed with has just won the
Elite eleven okay, And I coached his younger son in
Au before I got this job, and he's a stud too.
He's great kid. Now. Raja grew up with very little
(09:18):
and bounced around, played in every minor league in different countries,
and then made it and he became like the Kobe Stopper.
His kids, they've grown up in affluence in Florida. He
got this beautiful setup to work out to play whatever.
And I think in many ways, it's harder to be
the kid who has everything and have the hunger and
(09:40):
desire that matches up with the kids who have nothing. Right.
I mean, I got a scholarship to college, and it
wasn't the total motivation. But my dad came to me,
is like, look, dude, you know Grandpa helped me out
with your brother and sister. I just you know, if
(10:00):
you can't get a D one scholarship, you're gonna have
to go to a state school, maybe a junior college,
and we'll figure it out. And I was like, bro,
no chance, I'm hoping. I wanted to get out. And
I didn't grow up in the I'm not gonna sit
here and say I grew up bullets whizzing, but it
was lower, lower middle class Orange, California, right next to
(10:20):
Barrio Medina, and I made it. But the point is
that I do find myself really really appreciating kids that
grew up in actual affluence and make it in a
sport like basketball against the hunger and desire people who
have nothing. They don't have a pot to pee in
or a window to throw it out of. And that's
because it's really hard when everybody says Yes, it's not
(10:44):
that hard to work when everybody says no, when people
call you soft, when people think you're not good enough,
and that's what people thought with this Oklahoma City team. Look,
I don't like the flopping. I mean the lou Dort
flopp at the end of the first half. It's a
big play. It's a big play. I mean, ultimately, Oklahoma City,
especially without Tyree's Hall, it was going to be hard.
And I just I think there's a bunch of different
(11:06):
layers to last night's game which we can get into,
which was not particularly well portrayed or maybe analyzed. I
mean the TJ McConnell thing. He went on this run
where he scored like ten straight points. Meanwhile he booke
nded it with like five turnovers, which so it doesn't
actually the ten points. It became a zero sum or
probably even a negative during that time in the third quarter,
(11:28):
and they were all two pointers. Meanwhile Oklahoma City's making threes.
And then the turnovers. You can't turn the ball over.
That's why Olahoma City had so many more shots. And
sometimes basketball is just a game of who gets more shots.
How do you get more shots? You get more possessions
how do you get more possessions, offensive rebounds and turnovers
and steals, that's it. But I just I want to
(11:51):
be cautious over the Let's not undersell them. I do
think that Dan's underselling them a little bit, and I'll
get too why but let's not over sell them and
go like, man, this is a diner. They got all
these pictures, they call all this money they caught everybody
back like yeah, it sounds really really good, but you
come back next year and Chet is supposed to take
another step, okay, but that other step that means somebody
(12:13):
else's growth is probably gonna be minimized. You know. I
think Caruso is gonna play hard no matter what I do,
I you know. And I think Jalen Williams will continue
to get more and more consistent, But I don't know
if he'll ever be a star as much as a
Robin or it. Does he like that role or eventually
does as much as Jayala Wims is an awesome dude,
(12:35):
like I covered him with at Santa Claric. Just an
incredible guy. But there are times in which now you
go like, hey, you know, I don't want Shade to
be so deballa dumb like I want to. I want
to score thirty. And as much as we say, hey,
they're gonna always going to be the same guy because
they have great character, money, success, attention, all these things
(13:00):
can change people. So I'm fascinated to see what happens
to have fron Okoma City Thunder. Okay, now let's get
to that discussion real quick, buyer, do you want to
make your case if you would, well, why this Oklahoma
City team? And again I listened to it, but you know,
(13:22):
I'm not our audience. Why is this the worst team?
Now we don't have to replay it. He's right here, Yeah,
why is this the worst team in your lifetime to
win an NBA.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
This is Yeah, this is not specific to Oklahoma City.
Even though it's specific to Oklahoma City. I said in
a month ago, and when we didn't know who was
going to win the NBA title at that time, and
it could have been a variety of teams. But when
we actually had this discussion on your show, which you
also disagreed with me then about it. My point was
(13:52):
I don't think that this specific Oklahoma City team would
match up to any of the Lakers teams of the
two thousand are the Bulls teams of the nineties, and
when we would look at what we've got in recent history,
I think that the Raptors team of twenty nineteen is
better matched up with this Oklahoma City team. Again, at
(14:12):
the time if they were to win it, and now
we can make that comparison, I think that the Warriors
team of twenty twenty two the Bucks of twenty twenty
one were better teams than this makeup of Oklahoma City,
which also is a reflection on what I think of
the league as an entire league. So while you'll say
(14:33):
they have the best record in the league, I actually
think that it's a water down league than to what
those other teams had to go through in previous seasons.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Okay, here's who I think they match up with. The
What was the first Warriors team? What year was that the.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
First war twenty fifteen?
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Okay, twenty fifteen Warriors. Okay, now let me paint the
picture for you had a breakthrough player who played differently
than other stars play. Is that a fair way again?
I know we can sit there and go steph. Okay,
so he played differently. Okay. They had a young number
(15:18):
two star guy who was you know, by the way,
you know, came out of Washington State who had yet
to be proven, and people thought he was good, but
he had limitations in Clay Thompson, Is that fair?
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Yes, for the sake of your argument, yes, I think
it was more to Clay, but yes.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Okay, But again, at at the time, time, at the time,
at the time, Clay was a very good defender and
an incredible shooter. Incredible shooter, but he was not considered
a Hall of Famer at the time. Then they had
Draymond Green who provide them their toughness. He was an undersize,
(16:03):
could guard anybody guy who did everything but score. Right,
he was a second round pick who lost a bunch
of weight and made himself into this unbelievable weapon who
could dominate a game without scoring. Is that fair?
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Sure?
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Yes, okay. And now then off the bench they had
another team, a former like twenty, a game guy who
had to remake himself into just the perfect role player
to go along with those guys, they had all these
different pieces. Okay, Again, I don't think Chet Holmgren will
(16:41):
have the impact of a of a Draymond Green, but
Chet the what Chet Holmgren? They think ultimately can be
Is this rare guy who's so long and agile enough
that he can defend all five positions while defending the rim.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Yeah, that's the future. That's not the twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
I got it. I got it. But we're looking at
Draymond Green through a lens of today for what he was.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Would you take Draymond that day or Chet now like
on this day, Draymond, Yes, would you take Clay on
that day or would you take Jalen Williams today? You
did Clay? You know you would?
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (17:20):
You would you take Steph then on that day in
twenty fifteen, then you would take Shay right now?
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (17:25):
And that's my point is and then if the run
off four championships, this is gonna be the worst bo
getting the Harvard champions.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
I got it, I got it. But remember, okay, what
happened with that team and why did they win? They
were playing that They're playing the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kyrie
Irvan torp is knee in the first game and they
and they went to overtime A one. That's the series
still went six. Okay, And if you remember that year,
every team they played that point guard missed at least
(17:53):
two of the games on the other team, right they Uh,
Damian Lillard missed a couple.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
But I get the argument, and and and just for
time constraints, I think that you would have one against
the Bucks and whatnot. But then to your point of
we're taking the bottom of the bottom, And my whole
point in this is that this is what the NBA
is now, I got it. And it's gotten worse and
worse and worse each year. So now here we have
an Oklahoma City team that barely got past the fourth
(18:21):
seed in the East, that needed their best player to
go down with the you know, torn Achilles in Game
seven to win the series. And that's like it's an
overall thing.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
It was never I know, it took them seven games
to beat the Nuggets and Aaron Gordon was hurt, Yes Nuggets.
Nuggets had fired their general manager and fired their coach
and had no bench. I get it. I get it.
It's really interesting. I didn't say it's a terrible take.
I didn't. I'm not going to sit here, and I
know it's not personal. I think it's interesting, and I
do think that if they go and win another championship,
people are going to say you're wrong, but you might
(18:54):
not be wrong even if you even if they win
a championship later on.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Because I think the twenty twenty sixth thunder would be
better than the twenty twenty five thunder.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
For over forty years, Tyrak has been helping customers find
the right tars for how, what where they drive, ship
passed and free and back by free road host protection
with convenience soulation options like mobile tire installation Tyrek Dot
on the way tire buying should be It's not time
for our Tyrek play the day Care of WWLS, The
Sports Animal Tablin Stripped.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
To the Ball by Doup Jump with Shay weaving his
way down the lane, side up to the fender, lays.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
It up and laser in. Oh what a maneuver by
Jalon Williams. He played the road with Ay and now
plays the ground.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Go get It, Doug under fifty six to pace this
fifty one time out Indiana.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Be sure to catch the live edition of The Doug
Gottlieb Show weekdays at three pm Eastern noon Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio in the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Doug Gottlieb Show, Fox Sports Radio Quick congratulations to Ryan
Berschinger gotten married over the weekend producer here at Fox
Sports Radio. Always always good to see how a Fox
Sports Radio brethren doing doing well. And I know it
is a good party in La. Saw some of the pictures,
(20:05):
and uh, I wish he and his lovely bride nothing
but the best. Uh. We'll get to Dan Buyer in
a bit. First, let me welcome in Rick Buker from
Fox Sports One and Fox Sports dot Com. He's covered
the NBA forever, is a good friend of mine. And
let's let's start with a little bit of elephant in
the room. It has happened in other sports. It's part
(20:27):
of the discussion which people seem to be missing on right.
Happened to a couple of quarterbacks in the NFL. It
happened to the Rams at a young running back who
towards achilles tendon. But there has three star players tear
their achilles tendon in the NBA playoffs. Yeah, what do
NBA people think is the reason behind it?
Speaker 4 (20:48):
I think part of that is is the game has
become more athletic and up and down than ever before.
And uh, I think this is when we look at
the guys who have suffered this. It is a matter
of durability making long playoff runs and carrying a certain weight.
(21:10):
I don't think it's any accident that the two teams
that wound up in the finals are teams that, for
the better part of the year, and certainly during the playoffs,
we're willing to play nine and ten deep. I would
also say that Tyree Halliburton is going from a conference
finals run last year to finals run this year obviously
(21:36):
had a variety of injuries that he's been dealing with
over the course of those of the two years, and
that you can see this coming and that you know,
looking at task injuries, I don't know that we're necessarily
categorizing them correctly. These should be looked at as Achilles
(21:59):
injuries as far as prior to the full Achilles tear
uh and and and treated differently, taken a different approach.
I think when we think of a calf, a calf strain,
or a calf pull, we don't necessarily associate it with
a potential Achilles injury. And I think that that that
(22:19):
perspective not will not being you know, a medical doctor,
We've seen enough of this the association between the two
that there has to be a different approach.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
The physician who is set to perform the surgery on
Tyre's Halliburton, who's also the NETS team position, is supposed
to join us next hour in the show. And again, well,
well we'll ask him, you know, he I don't know
if he's done research on whatever, just thoughts on it.
(22:52):
But it is, it's it's fascinating that everybody's trying to
find a reason. I've heard I've heard that, well Nikes,
Well he was wearing pumas. You know, Damian was wearing Adidas.
Move again, well, it's it's it's low tops, Like, no, this,
I think the high top thing is complete, you know,
has been debunked, you know, fifteen times over the number
(23:13):
of games. Tymer's Halbert only played seventy three games this year.
Granted he was on the Olympic team. Okay, but I
mean how many years did Michael Jordan play all eighty
two games and then an incredible toll like didn't happen
to him. Yeah, it's it is, it's fascinating. It's sad. Okay.
So now as we fast forward to last night's game,
(23:36):
how do you view this Oklahoma City Thunder team in
comparison to other championship teams in the NBA, considering the
Nuggets needed they needed seven games to dispense of the Nuggets,
and the Nuggets had no bench, interim coach, no GM
and Aaron Aaron Gordon was hurt. And then last night
(23:56):
this is not the best team of the East. They
played them. Because there's some similar to that twenty fifteen
Warriors run with all the injuries. How do you view
this Thunder team historically?
Speaker 4 (24:06):
Yeah, I think there's there's a similarity in other ways too,
and that they were this Thunder team, in my mind, overachieved,
and that may sound weird considering that they had the
best record in the regular season, but this is a
team that had never been pasted the second round, and
other than Alex Caruso, I believe you didn't have anybody
(24:29):
with with deep playoff experience, certainly not finals experience, and
I think that showed up at various times. The youngest,
if I'm not mistaken, the youngest team to ever win
an NBA championship, certainly the youngest team in the league
this year. Their overall poise and ability to be resilient
(24:51):
with some in some of these series winning two game
sevens I thought was impressive. Are they the most dominant
team or one of the all time great UH championship teams?
I don't see them. I don't see them there. I
think there's still a lot of growth that that this
(25:15):
team has to be in that to be in that consideration.
I think more than anything, what they are is they
are the work of GM Sam Presty recognizing how the
game is changing. And this feeds a little bit into
the whole Halliburton thing in terms of how the game
is played. Uh, it's it's it's just a far more
(25:39):
athletic game. I think the ability for for players to
to to score and be effective is more reliant on
their athleticism than the execution of the team. And uh
and and Sam Sam saw that and built his team accordingly.
(26:00):
And and as a byproduct, they have a championship.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
But I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna disagree with you.
I don't. I don't think that's how they built. I
think they actually built the team sort of similarly to
how the the previous finals team was built in that
it really was built defense out, you know, and and
and where you need that athleticism is you need guys
(26:25):
that can guard. Basically have to be able to guard
four or five positions. Yea. And and if you can't you,
if you can't guard, you better be Shay Gildas Alexander, Right,
That's that's really what they did. But you you basically
got to be six four and above and be able
to guard four or five positions. Sure. And but but.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
If you're talking about the previous Thunder team that went
to the finals, I don't know that they were they
were that. I mean, maybe maybe that was the blueprint,
but I don't think it was. I think this team
was far more virsatile.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Yes, but but but it was. But and to your point,
and this is where we agree, but I'm gonna disagree
with what your thoughts on that team At the time,
you had to have two big guys to win the West,
because the Spurs had two and the Lakers had two.
So they had Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka, right, and
then Steven Adams as well. Right. So again, but but
(27:28):
it was with the mindset of what does it take
defensively to keep you in every game? And then when
then we need a guy who can who can lead
us and we'll figure out the rest, and they play
with great spacing, and they kind of hide the fact
that Lou Dork can't shoot, and Chake Chay Jed Chet
can't really shoot, and Carusa is not really good shot,
like they kind of hide it because they're so good defensively.
(27:50):
I actually think that's the that's the connective tissue between
the two groups.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
I can't I can't disagree to a to an nth degree.
I do feel like the asthleticism of this team was
far greater than that one, or that the athleticism of
that team was more top heavy, and that they were
(28:16):
more KD KD RUSS centric. I know that we look
at s g A and Jalen Williams and what they were,
you know, and the and the roles they carried. But this,
this team won in spite of the fact that those
guys didn't necessarily always uh shoot or or defend quite honestly,
(28:38):
all that well. I feel like the versatility of this
team with Chet and and even with Hartenstein to a
certain extent, I mean, I can see the lines where
they're they're built along the same lines, but I feel
like this was a slightly different iteration of that.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
Quick figures our guest here if I Sports One, Fox
Sports Radio, H Kevin rant trade to the Houston Rockets. Yeah,
what do you make of the Rockets now?
Speaker 4 (29:09):
I think there they are better. I don't put them
in the title contender status, but uh, this is the
beauty of when you take a team to the a
young team to the playoffs, you get to find out
who guys are. And I think they found out who
Jalen Green was. I thought were at times during the
regular season where I thought, you know what, maybe he
can be that guy. And then we got to the
(29:30):
postseason and and quite clearly I don't know that he
ever gets there, but he's certainly not going to get
there anytime soon. And so you know, the Phoenix Sun
made the best of this is where Katie wanted to go,
h and so let's get the best deal we possibly can.
I don't think I can really judge what the Phoenix
(29:50):
Suns got out of it until I see what they
do with Jalen Green and Dylan Brooks. I don't think
this is the last stop for either one of them.
Was this was this is making what they could from
KD and beginning the dismantling of of the Phoenix Suns
and starting over. So I think they made the best
of the situation. I for my money, if I'm if
(30:12):
I'm KD and I'm directing where I want to go,
I'm going to the Denver Nuggets because that, to me,
would give me the best chance of playing for a title.
The Houston Rockets have the second best record in the
in the West, but four games different from the eighth
spot and sixteen games behind OKC. I think there's a
(30:34):
lot of ground to be made up for them to
be legitimate title contenders.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Is Doug otlib Sewan Fox portraited? That's a voice of
of Rick Buker. Last thing buke? Okay, what's the next
download of Fall? Who's the next star to be traded? Oo?
Speaker 4 (30:52):
That is that's a great question. I don't think Janni
Sante compo. I'm going to take him at his word
that he doesn't that he is looking to go elsewhere.
I don't put Jonathan Kaminga in that category, but I would.
I would fully expect that the move by Houston getting
Kevin Durant is going to expedite the Warriors doing something
(31:13):
they've They've They've got to upgrade beyond where they are.
I haven't heard anything definitive about Karl Anthony Towns, even
though there's been a lot of a lot of buzz
about that. You know, we need to see see where
what the direction of that team is before before they
make any other decisions. So you know, bona fide star.
(31:41):
I don't know that there there is another one, that
there is another one right now?
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Okay, John Morant movement not as you yet, you know
what I don't.
Speaker 4 (31:50):
I really don't think that the move with Desmond Vane.
I think that that was a money situation as far
as as as where they are. And and I just
I look at the Memphis Grizzlies, and I know it's
sexy to think that they're going to move, if they're
going to move job, but I don't know that you
(32:12):
get players of his caliber in in markets like Memphis
without without drafting them. And unless John Morant is saying
I want to be elsewhere. If I'm the Memphis Grizzlies,
I'm not moving.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
He's Rick Buker. You can see him on Fox Sports One. Obviously,
hear him with us on Fox Sports Radio. We just
work at Foxsports dot Com. You get the best really
appreciate you joining us.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
You got to be sure to catch the live edition
of the Doug Gottlieb Show weekdays at three pm Eastern
noon Pacific.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Stuckg Gottlleeb Show Fox Sports Radio. You know you can
stream the show and all our Fox Sports Radio shows
twenty for seven of the new improved iHeartRadio app. Just
search Fox Sports Radio and the app to stream is live.
Lout of our newest features in the app, you can
select Fox Sports Radio is one of your presets. Just
like you're presets and you're ready to outre sure preset
Fox Sports treating the iHeartRadio app always pop up on
top of your screen. Uh all right, let's get to
(33:08):
Dan Byer and play game.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
This is game time on the Doug Gottlieb Show.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Heeep. He apologized, didn't know the camera's not working. We'll
get that thing working so we get your uh we
get your handsome face on our YouTube channel for highlights.
What do you got today?
Speaker 2 (33:26):
Yeah, Doug, the game today is big deal, little deal.
Speaker 4 (33:30):
No.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
Yeah, tried a couple of times, would not connect, but
we'll try to connect on this one. This is a
late add to our Big Deal Little Deal No deal script,
big deal, little deal or no deal?
Speaker 1 (33:42):
Doug.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
Those NBA championship hats last night, those champions hats.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
No deal.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Didn't like them? Huh No, I didn't mind them. In
the millennials that work here at Fox Sports, already in
the hallway hated them like you did.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
You know, well, I'm a big hat guys, you know,
like you'reformed guy. I'm a hat guy. Those are bad hats.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
I didn't mind the thread. I know I can't pull
off that. I liked how it was toned down. I
feel like the last twenty years there's just been everything
they could put on a hat.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
Yeah, I do like I do like that just the
champions was too low. I don't know.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
I am fully aware I'll be in the minority on
this one.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
Can I just I do have to say one thing, Okay,
it is a no deal as well, that the Thunderhead
buses that were painted or or wrapped, they're most likely
wrapped before the game, Like you do realize that the
Pacers probably had buses as well, right, and that they
had a parade route as well. You can't go like, oh,
hey we won, guys, we've got planning a parade, Like
(34:46):
does not does not work that way, just as not correct.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
Oh I love that every single in.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
The all time nothing Burger. Ever, it's the Hey, you
know they play a championship parade. Yeah, they both did.
That's what you're supposed to do when you have the
possibility of winning an NBA championship.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Different for when you hang a banner because you could
clinch that night and then you don't clinch or don't win.
That's completely different. This is just normal stuff. Yeah, all right,
big little deal or no deal that the ABC broadcast
team wouldn't shut up during the postgame celebration. Big deal,
Oh my gosh, it's just let the moment breathe.
Speaker 1 (35:27):
But this is what happens though. Okay, I think Richard
Jefferson is really good. I'm not sure he's good. That's
not a good threesome, not a good pairing. But he's
an experience. Doris is that's not what she She's great
a sideline and she was badly missed last night. Like,
how are we getting a report from Tyrese Haliburton's dad
(35:52):
at halftime? I mean, the whole thing was bad. But yes,
let it breathe. It's okay to say nothing nothing big.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
Deal, a little deal of nod deal. Then Nicola Jokich
is the player with the shortest odds to win next
year's MVP. That online says he's two to one SGA
next at nine to four. Is that a big deal,
little deal or no deal?
Speaker 1 (36:13):
A little deal, no deal, let me go back, okay.
In terms of the broadcast team, then you get to
the studio, right, they're all INIX there holdand like Kendrick Perkins,
like those guys are inexperienced in that. And you have
an inexperienced host. That's really what's that issue? Right? And
you can say, well, you're sexist or whatever like no not.
(36:35):
There's plenty of Rhees Davis to be amazing there. They
wouldn't say anything. Just don't say anything, or you get in.
And part of it is also producer. You got to
have somebody kills their mics and just says, let it breed,
let it breed, let it breed.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Sorry, go ahead, that's all right, big deal, a little
deal and no deal that there's just three days between
the finals ending in the NBA Draft beginning.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
No big deal, no big deal. I think it's great.
I think you're capitalizing on some form of momentum because
you just saw. If you wait too long, it's like
it's like Major League Baseball Now they hand out the
awards like a month later, you're like, wait what, I
don't even remember what anybody did because it's after the postseason.
They're had a regular season awards. I actually like it
this way.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
My favorite thing with this is Doug when you came
over to Fox Sports Radio more than eight years ago,
you brought this game with you and it's called a
big deal, little deal or no deal, but you randomly,
like once every six months, add a no big deal.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:32):
No, it's completely I don't know if it's a little deal.
I don't know if it's a big deal, but it's
a no big deal and that's game time.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
No big deal. So Doug Gotlib Show here on Fox
Sports Radios, Achilles ten in tears, Doctor Gottleib's in the house.
It can be my thoughts on it next to the
Doug Gotlieb Show, Fox Sports Radio
Host
Doug Gottlieb
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