Rockets Are Still Alive! Can This Young Squad Turn it Around? Astros Are Now 2nd In AL WEST

Rockets Are Still Alive! Can This Young Squad Turn It Around ? Astros Are Now 2nd In AL WEST

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ten oh two at ahe town. Good morning, and welcome
to a Thursday edition of The Matt Thomas Show and
Ross This is Sports Talk.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Goes underneath to Thompson, behind him to Shangoon baseline. Right
here goes Jalen Gonna go up, lay it up and
drop it in.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
And that's the.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
Kind of start that Jalen Green and the Rockets need
is This game is tie with two.

Speaker 3 (00:38):
With a foul on Golden State.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
Shops into shen Gun at the top of the yard,
cross over against Green, turnspins Lufkin hook shop back hill
for an iron and end two shots almost the exact
same spot, and shen Gun's got a pair of baskets
thirteen to eight Rockets. Green curls around Potempski, now guarded

(01:12):
by Curry, back out to mid court for Van Leet's
screen set by Shangoon, picking Roll comes out the baseline left,
Brooks three point try up and.

Speaker 3 (01:20):
In Dylan Brooks with nine in.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
The quarter, Rockets up by twelve and twenty five.

Speaker 3 (01:25):
Thirteen in midair by Brooks.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
Brooks going against Butler, turns it back out left.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
Van Leeks twenty seven feet and.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Acts nothing but nine on ten of the quarter for Fred.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
And his third three Rockets up by eighteen. Tompson withering
blob baseline left. Smith likes the side pocket three.

Speaker 4 (02:07):
And he's gonna new one to make it forty nine
twenty four.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
Wow, it is a thirteen to nothing run.

Speaker 3 (02:15):
Now other steel for a man? Are you kidding me? Dow?

Speaker 4 (02:21):
I'm a meet in the lane and a jab of
the right hand and he's found for.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
Behind a silly silly found I'm Jimmy.

Speaker 4 (02:28):
Butler and an opportunity for a three point play.

Speaker 5 (02:41):
Against you going Thompson.

Speaker 6 (02:47):
Thompson one on one hero steps against Buddy.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
He'll floats it over the cylinder and drops it in
for two.

Speaker 3 (02:52):
Rock gets back up by twenty nine, and then Thompson's
gonna go.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
Right up against post drops in a basket and he's
got an n one in the misery for Quintin. Host
continues tonight defending any Houston Rockets.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
The make was by movie. He finishes with twenty five.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
But ladies and gentlemen inside Tote Center.

Speaker 4 (03:15):
It is a rackets playoff win and these two teams
are headed back to San Francisco. Final score Houston one
thirty one, Golden State one six teen.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
What heaven right now, let me tell you something. I
am bat blank crazy right now. All right, we'll tell
you that that's every day, well, I said, especially today,
I was highly charged during the game, highly charging away home. Yes,
listen to sports RV for good for minutes. Got the

(04:00):
complete rundown from Gerard from start to finish. Yeah you didn't,
did you? Tweet out his time? I was driving and
I had the carling the car, so I was like,
they don't want to be driving, and I got you know,
so I didn't do that, but I definitely heard it.
And then I go to bed. Well, and then I'm like,
I didn't pack and got to find out.

Speaker 6 (04:19):
We're leaving earlier.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
Four sign friends, Cisco, be sure to wear flowers in
your well. I can't do it in my hair, but
that's a different issue of a different time. You'd have
great flowers in your hair. Thank you, Matt.

Speaker 6 (04:33):
All right, And then I woke up in three bouquet.
I went to three.

Speaker 1 (04:36):
I woke up at three thirty this morning, and I
have I have been awake ever since. So needless to say,
I might say some things that may not be the
most politically correct things, Okay, thankfully you're here to kind
of squash those things and hopefully send me in a
proper direction. I bet at the end of the day,
I'm basically like your security guard. I just keep an

(04:56):
eye on you. Man. You babysitter, babysitter whatever you want
to You're let my firewall.

Speaker 6 (05:02):
Gona going to websites. I shouldn't go.

Speaker 1 (05:04):
So Youdy's got a radio ass in and I'm here
for it. I don't disagree. On the Matt Thomas Show,
and you know what, kudos, congratulations you put your name
on it. And they blasted him that if you had
a wheel of we are the Wheel of topics, right, yes,
if we had something called the Wheel of scenarios. On

(05:24):
the Wheel of Scenarios Ross, there is a buzzer beater. Yeah,
there is a close game, there's a comfortable eight point win,
and there is a pull away in the fourth quarter
to win by ten.

Speaker 7 (05:37):
M.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
On the Wheel of Scenarios, I did not have them
up by thirty one. I did not have the reserves
coming in and absolutely being atrocious forcing em Adoka to
bring the starters back in. I did not have Pat
Spencer on the Wheel of Scenarios. Drop head dimes, head budting,
somebody something called Braxton. Oh, I don't even know how

(06:03):
I forgot his name, last name, Braxton K. Three numbers,
I mean three names. Trace Jackson Davis. No, no, Tray
Jackson Davis. Is that he's he plays a little bit?
Is it Braxton Key is Key? Yes, he was got awful.
Moses Moody was putting together his own YouTube video but
off of one game. Yeah, I think you finished with
twenty five last night. Yeah, and then I and then

(06:27):
you go to the press conference. We're basically people that
are covering the team are getting texts from people that
are watching the Golden State broadcast saying that, uh, the
Rockets are going after Steph's finger and basically the rockets
are like and that's not on my will scenarios. It was, uh,

(06:50):
it's pretty wild, pretty wild stuff in this series. And
then the Yeah, you had another review of an altercation.
I'm gonna tell you this and I don't and I'll
have to check with the folks when we get to
San Franisco later today. This Rocket Warrior rivalry, you have
to win on both sides of it. So it's not
that it's just what would be the proper to. It's

(07:11):
not it's not it's not a rivalry, but it is
an ugly nasty I mean, I don't even know if
Warrior Laker gets this kind of chippiness. Yeah, we always
go to the chippy word, and we seem to only
do that in sports.

Speaker 6 (07:25):
It's greater than chippy.

Speaker 1 (07:27):
Nobody's walking down the street and like, hey, those guys
are getting chippy. We talk about it in sports for
some reason. Yeah, guys pulls a knife and it's aggressive,
uh mean, angry, pugnacious. Ooh, pugnacious. Great word, huge word,
too big for this show. But whatever it is, it's

(07:47):
it's really nasty. Mm hmm. Like you know, in hockey,
I don't know if you know this or not, but
at the end of the series, they always they do
a line where they everybody shakes each other hand and
they punch each other in the mouth.

Speaker 3 (07:58):
No, they don't do it. They go for it.

Speaker 6 (07:59):
They do it during the series.

Speaker 1 (08:00):
At the end of the series, they walk in the
middle of the ice rink and they shake each other's hands,
you know, and typically the NBA they'll hug each I
don't think Rockets Warriors are gonna hug this one out,
I don't think so it's gonna be a what a
Piston's bull situation, there's gonna walk out. But I mean,
we've had what over a dozen technical fouls problem we've had.
We had Pat freaking Spencer get ejected from the I

(08:24):
mean milk toast T shirt wearing number sixty one Northwestern.

Speaker 6 (08:33):
Douche.

Speaker 1 (08:35):
Yeah, try to headbut approa and shngoon and then Trace
Jackson Davis pushes him. After that, we've got Dylan Brooks
saying if my ankle was hurt, I'd expect you to
come after me. So why can't I go after Stephan
his hand? I mean, Rossie, this ain't chippy. This is ugly,
and this is you gotta hide the women and children

(08:58):
kind of series. This isn't family friendly broadcasting. This isn't
a family friendly NBA playoff series. But it's going to
six and I'm going to give you this, and I'm
going to tell you something right now, and I'm the
voice of the Rockets, So you have to take you know, again,
if you wanted this.

Speaker 6 (09:13):
With a grain of salt, you can take this.

Speaker 1 (09:16):
Now that I had a chance to think about this,
because when you're in bed at three o'clock in the
morning and your wife is sleeping, You can't sleep. You
think about a variety of things. Okay, the Rockets need
to be up in the series. They are athletically significantly
more gifted than the Golden State Warriors. The Golden State

(09:39):
Warriors have two main scoring components, Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler.
They've had a couple other guys step up. Brandon put
Jimski was really good in game number four. Moses Moody
was good early in the series. Gary Payton was a
difference maker in Game three of the series. But the
Rockets can throw at you five guys that can make

(10:01):
a difference, five or six guys. Golden Steak can throw
really two at you. And that's why they've got to
go win this game tomorrow night. And they got to
come back here and win Game seven because for the
first time, and maybe I'm off, as you would like
to say, recency bias. Hey, I'm gonna steal a term
of yours. The Rockets, pound for pound, are the better

(10:24):
basketball teams. They have hurt themselves with free throws turnovers
early in the series, and Jalen Green big shots and
Jalen Green being in a different oral for a couple
of games. That's another ball of wax we haven't gotten too.
And also the scales tip in their favor when they're
playing every other night, which that last night was the

(10:45):
third game in five days. Right, Steph Curry looked gassed,
Jimmy Butler looked gassed. Draymond Green didn't even play twenty minutes.
So now you're going to fourth game in seven days. Clearly,
the Steve Kerr punted on that game, pulling all of
his starters with five point fifty left in the third,
he said, we're gonna rest up, we're gonna pack it up,
and we're gonna try to win at home. Yeah, the

(11:07):
more in the deep waters they get playing every other day,
the more it becomes an advantage for the Houston Rockets.
And that's why we're gonna go on a plane and
go four hours again the other direction, and the Rockets
need to win this game. I don't want to think
about what could have been because sometimes look, for instance,
minute the Minnesota Lakers series, Minnesota just outplay the Lakers.

(11:28):
Period into story. We gotta get to Luca a little
bit during this, okay, And clearly Oklahoma City was better
than Memphis, and can we can go of Boston was
better than Orland.

Speaker 6 (11:38):
I mean we can go on. No, no, no, no.

Speaker 1 (11:41):
The Rockets need to show the maxie that they have
shown this year with some incredible road victories in Cleveland,
in Boston, in Oklahoma City. They didn't they needed. They
need to beat the Golden State orders. If they beat
them in game six, the series is over. They will
win game seven. In my in my put your name
on it. Yes, you don't have to put on it.

(12:05):
That's what I like. If they win game six, they're
winning game seven games. Let me take you game over.
Game six is a bear. First of all, gold Steph
plays when he went home, as he's done every anywhere.
He plays well anymore. How about that shot that he
took from sixty feet that almost went in off the backboard,
hung on the front rim. He he just flippantly threw
up a three quarter shot and almost went and he

(12:26):
makes those with ease in pregame. And I mean he's
made half court shots, but many times was it was
a work of art that almost went in. He's got
the greatest hand eye coordination in basketball history. I wasn't shocked.
I caught part of me thought it was going in
more than it would have with any other player on
the history of the planet. Correct, more so than Lebron,
more so than Michael Jordan, all the tricksters that was

(12:49):
going to go in, and Curly Neil with a hook
shot maybe, but other than that, lemons like that, I
could have made that all right, seven one three, two
one two five seven ninety. Again, I'm going to fully
admit to you I'm a hot mess, So come be
a mess with me. My of rocket fans, get in here.
How about this good old fashioned sports fans. By the way,

(13:12):
we'll get Brian mctaggeran on the baseball side of things.
At eleven o'clock today, as the Astros with AJ blue ball. Now,
the slam wasn't well he threw the pitch, but it
was it was unnecessary because Jemmy Payne commits the air. Yeah,
I was a unearned runs, but still runs, that is true.

Speaker 6 (13:34):
And man, they will they have.

Speaker 1 (13:37):
I think Steve Sparks when I use the term effusive
with his frame, with his uh praise praise yeah, of
just of AJ, I think they. I think the Astros
like him a lot. I can imagine and a good manager.
So no, no, no, A J. Hinch is talking about no,
I said what you did there? Uh yeah, So blue
Ball gets hit pretty hard. He's no longer and then well,

(13:58):
I was gonna go to the low hanging fruit about
his name, but we're not gonna do that because we
like the kid.

Speaker 2 (14:03):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (14:03):
And then so as soon as he finishes his start yesterday,
he gets sent back down the Triple A appreciated. The kid
doesn't even get to go on the road trip to Chicago, huh.
And then the Astros will start be replacing that rotation
by Lance mccullors Junior. That'll be on Sunday and we'll
talk to Brian mc talking about that coming up to
day at eleven o'clock. I just don't get it at
eleven thirty and then the Gordy's gonna step in and

(14:26):
Scorty stepping in.

Speaker 6 (14:26):
Is that what they game today? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (14:28):
I don't know. I mean, he didn't even have a
meeting pop up or some Yeah, he's kind of locked
on SEC. I think it's supposed to be on in
Lafayette at that time. I believe he's got four radio
appearances all in the state of Georgia of it between
twelve and one. I think he's in Athens, making Aldosta
and and Savannah. He's not in the Atlanta area. Y Okay,
We're gonna get him there eventually, someday. We got him
all over the map. So I gotta roll at noon

(14:49):
today and we're leaving a little bit early.

Speaker 3 (14:51):
So yeah.

Speaker 1 (14:52):
So it's the Matt Thomas Show with Ross with sometimes Matt.
It's I sort of got I will I will pay
you back. It was a you say, pay you back
in spades? Is that what they say?

Speaker 8 (15:01):
Is?

Speaker 3 (15:01):
I think?

Speaker 9 (15:02):
So?

Speaker 1 (15:02):
What does that mean exactly? Does that have to do
with the game space? I can buy you a deck
in card? Is that what you want? I know, I
don't know, but I'll be with you for a full
four tomorrow from San Francisco.

Speaker 6 (15:12):
So man, it was a must win. They got it.

Speaker 1 (15:18):
By the way, if you want to call in you
you need to call it because I think you guys
are good sports fans. I would like to talk to people.
I mean, we're not a show that like to listen
to ourselves speak for four straight hours. Google says in
spades comes from bridge. Oh I've never played bridge before?

Speaker 3 (15:30):
You either?

Speaker 2 (15:30):
Now?

Speaker 1 (15:30):
All right, seven one three two one two five seven ninety.
If you want to chime in seven one three two
one two five seven ninety, rockets get the win. You
guys want to get in on that, Yes, I do. Okay,
So Jalen gets you off to a fast start. Then
the knee is wrapped and hurt on the bike. He
was yeah, he was limping noticeably. He did not look good. Uh, Dylan,

(15:57):
look good. Fred's knocking back three powners like nobody's business.
I'm so happy about that. What else we got that
was good? Aman Thompson, Uh knocking down shiels, pull up
off the dribble threes from the wing. Aman Thompson just
retires number already if he starts making those. Okay, I

(16:22):
got one free, it's over. I got one free that
it is over. I got one free that needs to
happen in San Francisco. That had happened last night. Alpi's
mid range still does not look fluid. He got three
bounces off a mid range front rim Yeah, heel yes,
glass and drop shooters, touch Maddy. Those feel like those
fall in Houston, Texas. Those feel like those don't fall

(16:44):
in San Francisco, California, Okay, yeah it was. He opened
the game with a with a fallaway mid range his
flamingo shot is Craig Ackerman calls it.

Speaker 10 (16:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (16:52):
Those If you want to talk about what a differenceeds
to be in the series, those have got to drop.
You got amn Thompson scored a couple of time on
basket cuts and he was getting easy putbacks. You said,
as you said, Alprin, Shingoon was making his shots. But
the biggest factor to me was I mean, they shot
extremely hot from three, and they made thirteen out of

(17:13):
their thirteen free throws in the first quarter. They were
up forty to twenty four after the first quarter. If
they'd a shot like they had been normally shooting, they
would have been up only what like twelve in the game,
I guess, so, yes, make your It's crazy, Matt.

Speaker 6 (17:27):
You make these things called free throws.

Speaker 1 (17:29):
They put a point on the board, it goes up
there and you get it when it once again, I
think proves for the nine millionth time like free throws,
it's mental. You don't all of a sudden have one
day in between games and go, hey, Calvin Murphy, can
you come over to the Rockets facility.

Speaker 6 (17:44):
And help us.

Speaker 1 (17:45):
Maybe he did. There's no chance, sequin jacket, There's no chance.
What you do is you mentally focus and you think
about the eye, and you think about the concentration, and
you don't worry about the people waving things and whatnot.
They're hooting and holler and whatnot, and you just focus
and you keep similar form over and over, a statistical
regression to the mean as well. I mean, it's it's

(18:07):
generally things TIPHM to tip back, like you know, like
yourd on's hitting two hundred, he's gonna have a hot
He's gonna go back to the mean at some point. Yeah,
he's gonna start swinging a hot bat. Yeah. Seven one
three two one two five seven ninety. If you want
to chime in on the conversation seven one three two
one two five seven nine zero on Twitter at sports empty,

(18:27):
at sports RV. All right, when we return, and we're
gonna be back in just a second, here, won't be
going along. Nico Harrison had to have a little smirk
on his face last night. Is he a genius? No?
I mean, I can't answer that right now. We're need
to save it to the next one. But there's got
to be a part of you, a part of him

(18:48):
that was like told you. So we'll discuss that next
seven one three, two one two five seven ninety. It
is the Matt thomashel Ross. Come on in and say
hello to us as we celebrate a Rockets victory and
the advancement to Game number six of the NBA's first
Round playoff series. Right now, I want to tell you
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Speaker 17 (23:19):
Very if you listen to every game on any device
with our free iHeartRadio app out Sports Talk seven nights
Home of Your Rockets.

Speaker 18 (23:32):
Wow, listen to that.

Speaker 1 (23:46):
Matthews a part of the Sean Salisbury showed great friend
of the show. Dan occasually works beyond his four hours
per day. He does some astro stuff. Boy, I owe
you guys so many astro games. Dan's doing great. Actually,
sometimes he's doing like three four games a week.

Speaker 19 (24:01):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (24:02):
Yeah, when when this rocket thing is done, I'll be
doing a lot of on deck, You'll be hearing me
doing a lot of on the previous morning co host
didn't do anything. So now I'm happy that Dan's doing
a few. At least, Waxer and Clann are stepping up
on the on deck content. An he shows love you, Brian,
are there a little bit? Yeah? Okay, Adam Clanton did
the Rockets launch. I'm going to do about ten Saturdays

(24:25):
for you guys when this all since this is what
I'm talking about, Yeah, because you know that peel the
curtain ball, I'm going to give you a hug. The
hardest day of the week for all of us to
kind of step in up and help is Saturdays. We
still like our Saturdays, but I feel like you guys
have been stepping up for me while I've been out whatever,
So Saturdays are going to be mine for a couple
of months. Yeah, we haven't had well, you haven't had
a weekend really, and because the Rockets are always either

(24:46):
fight or Saturday or Sunday or two of three or
flying back and so yeah, I know, by the way,
the Sunday game putting the cart before the horse, now
let's do it, okay, is a seven thirty start. I think. Okay,
that's manageable. I was thinking it was gonna be Sunday
two thirty like for ABC, but they're gonna put it
on T and T at night. So that'll give us
eybody a chance to fly back from And maybe that's

(25:06):
part of the consideration, is that these trips to San Francisco.
I mean, by the time you take off land, you know,
jet to the terminal. It's four hours. Well on the
way back he catch jet stream a little quicker, right, Nope, no, sorry,
I mean I like how you think? All right, real quick,
for go the phones. And I didn't watch the entire

(25:28):
game because I was just trying to pack and get
ready to go to bed. And they knew this would
be a short day tomorrow and quick turnaround. Luka Doncic
is a terrible defensive player. Horrible, I mean brutally bad. Yes,
he's got the defensive prowess of a traffic cone. If
there is a term for he's Slovenian, right, is that

(25:50):
what he is? Slovenian? Yeah, Slovenian for ola defense. We
need to figure out what selvinia? Yeah, what is is
ola and Slovenian? Uh huh?

Speaker 6 (26:00):
You want to find out what lamp post me says.
So so let me ask you this.

Speaker 1 (26:03):
I'm gonna fowld the narrative three to four years. Okay,
I you can maybe understand why you move Luca. You
just can't understand the lack of return.

Speaker 11 (26:13):
Is that?

Speaker 1 (26:14):
Can you can we use that as a potential narrative
down the road. Yes, I think Nico Harrison could he's
never gonna win the trade. I'm sorry, No, Lucas just
too much of an offensive threat. He wakes up with
twenty eight points in the piggy bank. I mean, yeah,
he carried a Mavericks team to the finals. So I
mean with Kyrie, if you put him in the right situation,

(26:37):
you can win with him. But it's got to be
a lot of defense. And Lebron James ain't it right now.
I'm sorry, forty year old Lebron. We love you and
respect your career, but he ain't in no, and so
they need they need Luca to lose twenty five pounds
to at least get to average defense. He looks like
he's slow footed. He looks like and for those of
you that play church ball, you know exactly what I'm

(26:57):
talking about. The guy wears the T shirt you can
jack up shots from anywhere on the floor. Man boobs,
he's got h Yeah, he's got breastacles and uh, he
just can't guard anything. He's got to catch up staying
on his chest. He's thinking about having a beer in
the middle of a game, which you know, thinking about it. Yeah,
he's tapping the Rockies. Yeah, I mean, some guys drinking.

(27:20):
Some guys are drinking vitamin juices at halftime, Lucas looking
for a PBR. He's slamming a bush light. Yeah he was.
And again what I watched, he was terrible every time
the Lakers hard to do something offensively, and Edwards and
nas Reed and Dante DiVincenzo, who else, Julius Randall, even
Rudy Gobert. They get a good squad. You just mentioned

(27:41):
all that good players. Absolutely have to credit the Timberwolves.
They're a really good squad. And this, by the way,
well we'll knock out the narrative of the NBA needs
to have the Lakers in a deep playoff run because
you know what, talent wins out and Anthony Edwards and
friends were significantly better than they from here. But yeah,
first round ratings have been really good. But who told
you that if the Lakers were on fraud alert all

(28:01):
season long and going into the playoffs, Matt, So let's
face it here, our man Shannon Sharp knocking boots with
the wrong people, playing twenty five k cheek and he
kept saying Lakers in five over and over and over again.
Well he was kind of right, that's true. Laker's done
in five exactly, Lakers out in five. He just missed

(28:22):
one word, Troy and upball on the Matt Thomas Show
with Ross Troy, thank you for waiting in a good
morning hey Man.

Speaker 20 (28:28):
To be honest, Luca Don's been bad defensive for a while.
Alston exposed them all last year and the finals last year.

Speaker 19 (28:33):
It just turns on him.

Speaker 20 (28:35):
So he just benefited with having three stick centers that
played defense last.

Speaker 1 (28:40):
Year that got to the finals.

Speaker 19 (28:41):
The Lakers didn't have that.

Speaker 1 (28:42):
But the Rockets. I got to commend them, man, the
way he played almost.

Speaker 20 (28:46):
As perfect as you could play the sco seventy six
points in the first half and hold them to what
forty nine? My only concern is, man, you can see
how Steve Kerr and Steph was working the rest for
the next game. Yeah, they're following them on the hand
and they need to call it.

Speaker 1 (29:03):
If it's a file and stuff like that. If I
concerned is going to golden.

Speaker 20 (29:06):
State that they're gonna call it tight, you know kind
of deal. But the Rockets have showed something that all
year long, they've been a resilient team. They might not
shoot the ball well, but one thing they defense travels
and if.

Speaker 1 (29:19):
They get everybody on board, Jalen and all of them.

Speaker 20 (29:23):
I'm not saying Jalen Green have got to score thirty
eight points, you know, like that because he connalls getting
godolfs of this start before he got hurt.

Speaker 19 (29:29):
They can beat this team.

Speaker 1 (29:31):
They've been in every game and you said it.

Speaker 20 (29:33):
They truly are on paper the better team minus you know,
Steph Curry like that, and maybe Jimmy Butler when.

Speaker 1 (29:39):
He's own right, But they are the better team.

Speaker 20 (29:42):
So I it's just a better if they cannot miss ten, twelve,
thirteen free throws.

Speaker 1 (29:48):
They have to be decent from the.

Speaker 20 (29:49):
Three point line because their defense does not.

Speaker 1 (29:52):
Their defense is never lacking. So I think they can
go in there and do that.

Speaker 19 (29:56):
And I'm I'm I'm calling it.

Speaker 1 (29:59):
They're gonna go and beat them.

Speaker 20 (30:00):
I'm with y'all, and we go see Game seven in Houston,
and that's gonna be a great thing.

Speaker 10 (30:05):
You think about the referee for the game.

Speaker 1 (30:09):
Well, I looked at tonight's referees and there are two
guys that I really worry about, and neither one of
those guys are working tonight. So that means we're gonna
get punchers chance again. And want them tomorrow. That would
be Scott Foster, and Scott Foster's he's got a I
think he's a c l or she's gone. That's a shame.
He's he hasn't refereed a game in months. Tony Brothers
concerns me, and Mark Davis concerns me. Although Mark Davis,

(30:31):
even though uh, he's gonna he'll call it more fairly
fit down the middle. He's just such a mean person. So,
by the way, speaking of official I think Tony Brothers
does a good job. Brothers just working to night. By
the way, New York truck, So that's see, you're all good. Yeah.
Remember that New York to Trent game where that Tim
Hardaway was founding in the three point shot and it

(30:52):
was the NBA said, or even the lead somebody, David Guthrie. Uh,
David Guthrie is working as a crew chief the Denver
Clippers game tonight. Yeah, so he's fine. He missed a call.
He was a close bang bang play. All the officials
that are available to them, and who took that shot again,
Tim Hardaway Junior junior. Yeah, he did jump into the

(31:14):
josh a little bit. No, I get it a little bit.
But the call was we looked at all and over again.
Josh Hart was the man who was the man who
found But what kind of message does that send or
I guess there is no message that David Guthrie, who
was the crew chief on that game, I don't know
problem with David Guthrie in general, but he was the
guy on the call that missed it. And like Rossie,

(31:36):
fifteen minutes after the game, he admitted, yeah, we do. Yeah,
well why don't you Well, what are they gonna do?
Banish him from the planet if they think he's one
of the best. He missed a crucier call. But you
can change this. That game was over the weekend. We're
we're talking about games on Thursday. You could have replaced him,
You could have replaced they that crew they just they
they like, you know what the NBA referees like, we
ain't perfect, And there's a great example of it. Yeah, umpires,

(31:59):
miss big strike three calls, crucial ones and gotta work, man,
I mean, you have to really be awful to get
pushed off of a crew. It's a hard job, very
hard job. Let's talk to Cameron on the Matt Thomas
showed Ross Cameron, good morning, to you.

Speaker 5 (32:15):
Hey, good morning guys.

Speaker 1 (32:16):
Two quick things. Did you guys notice.

Speaker 21 (32:19):
During the Days of our lives with the altercations last night,
Draymond wasn't involved and I was watching, I'm like, Okay,
at least he's not involved, and then the camera cut
to him like laughing and clapping like a proud father,
and I just sent me over the edge. I think
you guys brought up the other day implementing hockey fights
like center court one on one until one guy comes down.

(32:40):
We need to make that happen because I need to
see Steven Adams take bring an elbow to his nose
and drop Raymond.

Speaker 5 (32:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (32:46):
I think it'd be great.

Speaker 6 (32:47):
Two things.

Speaker 1 (32:48):
First of all, I don't think Steven Adams is bothered
by Draymond Green. I mean they're kind of the same
milk and kindred spirits. Kindred spirits. Yeah. Secondly, you know
who Pat Spencer is, the guy that got tossed for
the head butt, right, No, I don't know who he is.
I'm talking about I'm talking to Cameron, not you. So Cameron,
Pat Spencer gets kicked out and I'm watching him go
to the locker room. Who's the last person he hugs?

(33:08):
Before he goes to the locker room Draymond. Hmm, you
think Draymond sent him in there to do that?

Speaker 21 (33:15):
Maybe? I mean, I was just picking Adams because I'm thinking,
like the biggest.

Speaker 1 (33:19):
Guy in our team.

Speaker 21 (33:20):
But who would you pick if you had to send
someone to fight Draymond.

Speaker 1 (33:23):
Oh, Steven Adams will break him in half. You'd be great.
But Steven Adams, Steven Adams has respectful me. Frankly, the
Rockets have respectful because they kind of share the same DNA.
I think Draymond goes way over the top. He's way
more Uh, he's way dirtier than any of the Rockets are.
But the Rockets, Cameron, we gotta be honest with ourselves here,
and they'd be the first to say it. They're not

(33:43):
in choir boys and I and that's part of the
moxy of who this team is. And I'm okay with it.

Speaker 21 (33:48):
But we're at that allegedly stage, like we allegedly targeted
Steph's finger, whereas like different angles of him. Anyway, Guys
that love the show, I'm out see you later.

Speaker 1 (33:58):
Thanks Cam, thank you. Yeah, Warriors fans are circulating all
these videos and uh that Dylan Brooks is targeting his hand,
and then it was also apparently said by a Warrior's broadcaster.

Speaker 6 (34:11):
We do have Dylan Brooks's response to that. Yeah, no,
I've been playing the game.

Speaker 2 (34:16):
Shoot.

Speaker 7 (34:18):
Uh, if you're gonna complay the game injured or whenever,
you guys all about about the game, you know, if
I had an injured ankle, I would attack that ankle
every single time. So whatever they're saying on the broadcast,
they can keep saying it.

Speaker 1 (34:35):
He's like, I No, I'm just playing the game. But
by the way, if I had an injured ankle, well,
let's be honest. In the sport of boxing. Yeah, if
there's a wound or there's a cot the eye, I'm
hitting that eye. Yeah. I mean, it's just the reality
if somebody's got an ankle, Now, you don't want to
do anything dirty. You don't wanna. I don't know, like

(34:56):
if if somebody's got it, you don't like to kick
somebody in the knee if they got a bad knee.
Kylan Green, No, obviously I'm not watching the TV broadcast, huh.
And I'm calling the game from my perch at the
brock at a towyter Center. You tell me, I mean,
did you look at replays and go, wow, this is dirty.
I will tell you this. Yeah, one of the replays
that I saw, there's one I think, but it was
from way earlier in the season. It's it's Dylan Brooks

(35:16):
contesting a Steph Curry three and he swipes at his
hand and then he kind of does it again. It
looks like but that also it's also in super slow mo.
If we could see that in regular time, it probably
looks more like a regular shot contest. So I'm not
sure I could. I could see that if you told
me that Dylan Brooks is trying to go after Steph
Curry's hurt thumb, I wouldn't be shocked. And I get

(35:39):
I don't think it was just same. It wasn't going
after somebody's ankle if they have I got hurt ank.

Speaker 6 (35:44):
The reality was what he just said was not a denial.

Speaker 9 (35:46):
It just was it was it.

Speaker 6 (35:48):
I mean, at the beginning he says like, oh, no,
I'm just playing the game.

Speaker 1 (35:51):
I've been playing the game.

Speaker 10 (35:53):
Shoot.

Speaker 3 (35:54):
But then he goes and like, no, I.

Speaker 6 (35:56):
Just playing the game.

Speaker 1 (35:56):
But if somebody had hurt ankle, I'd go after that ankle.

Speaker 6 (35:59):
Okay, So is that an admission. Okay, so let me
ask you this for a denial.

Speaker 1 (36:03):
If Jalen's greens knee is one hundred percent, are you
gonna want him to shift a certain direction to test
that knee? I would attack him defensively. I think that's
well within the bounds of the game and the rules
of the game. I don't I don't want him getting
kicked in the knee or punched in the knee or
or anybody you're kind of trying to, like alligator roll
his knee and hold on to it in a scrum
or something like that. But going after him defensively, I

(36:24):
think is certainly something you should do, and they would do.
Brian McTaggart on the Astros coming up at about fifteen
minutes here on Sports Talk seven Hoty right now at
seven one three, two, one two five seven Any Brian
McTaggart in ten minutes, I just don't get it. At
eleven thirty, uh and Ross and Friends noon to two

(36:49):
and uh so we head off to San Francisco for
Game number six tomorrow night. That it's gonna be, by
the way, if you don't know. With the Minnesota win
over the Lakers, we're gonna start a little bit earlier,
so will not be a late night affair on the coast. Yeah,
thank you, t Wolf. Seven o'clock on the launch Pad
on k t r H seven thirty will be the
network pregame and eight o'clock will be the tip time

(37:09):
from the Chase Center. All right, so we got Astro's
coming up. We mentioned a lot of rockets so far,
low NBA. We got to get to the future, missus Belichick.
They have gone into full apology mode and prevent defense
mode over this Sunday morning CBS News appearance.

Speaker 6 (37:30):
Big statements.

Speaker 1 (37:32):
She's saying stuff, He's saying stuff. Huh, basically saying that
you know that this she's not trying to warn his
life blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
And apparently it's cost them. It was going to cost
him a college version of Hard Knocks because she was interfering.
She's running everything in his life.

Speaker 3 (37:54):
Ross mm hmm.

Speaker 1 (37:57):
I'm going to assume there are very few people in
this world that are seventy two years of age that
have a twenty four year old girlfriend.

Speaker 6 (38:05):
I'm not saying it's they're not the only ones. But
I'm gonna say it's.

Speaker 1 (38:08):
A rare girl. It's probably a sliver of a percent.
So of that percent, mm hmm. How many of them
are twenty four year olds that are running the life
with a seventeen year old, I'm gonna.

Speaker 6 (38:21):
Say it's a fair number. It's a pretty.

Speaker 1 (38:22):
Good majority of people. How many of the seventy two
year olds are very rich? Seventeen year olds are rich.
They're like, I got a twenty four year old side
piece here or on my arm. H I'm lonely, I'm
either divorced or widowed.

Speaker 3 (38:35):
Uh huh.

Speaker 6 (38:35):
And the girl wants to take care of me. I'm
gonna let her take care of me.

Speaker 1 (38:39):
She's obviously number one team Belichick too, so much so
that she's probably sticking her nose and things that she
shouldn't be sticking her nose in, like the North Carolina
football program or CBS Sunday Morning News or a variety
of things. Is this going to cost him at the
end of the day, Because if you want to tell

(39:02):
me that Bill Belichick can't coach college football, that he
can't relate to eighteen or nineteen year olds, I get that,
But do you want the legacy of one of the
greatest coaches in NFL history for that matter, college or
all professional sports or college to basically end his college
career because his old twenty four year old floozy is
running his life. I don't think he He's in the

(39:24):
twilight of his coaching and career regardless, and I don't
think that he's going to be a long to He's
obviously not going to be a long term success. It's
about how much success he's gonna have it North Carolina anyways. Yeah,
I don't know how much it has to do with
his girlfriend. I don't think she's ruining running the program
into the ground, or ruining anything. They're just well, I
think if it helps him relate to recruits more, he's like, Hey,

(39:45):
you see.

Speaker 6 (39:45):
This girl that I'm pulling, why don't you come play
for us? I think she's micromanaging his life, and maybe
he asked her to.

Speaker 22 (39:56):
No.

Speaker 18 (39:56):
From my perspective, Bill Belichick, it's like, now we find
out he's a weirdo, and it's kind of like it's.

Speaker 1 (40:01):
Kind of weird by the way I could see. So
Originally it was told they met on an airplane. Yes,
she kaibashed the answer to the where did y'all meet?
And she said, don't answer that. No, she said, we're
not talking about talking about it. That's right, I should
make correct about that. It feels like to me, maybe

(40:23):
there are some holes in that story. Yeah, because you
can find flight records, right, I mean, I think if
there was some you know, some reporter or somebody wanted,
if somebody wanted to do some investigator reporting and digging,
it's possible that they could find records and find that
that flight didn't exist, that they were not sitting together,
and then that was a completely made up story. I
could buy that, Okay. So let's go through the potential scenarios,

(40:44):
and this is being in all seriousness. They could met
in a flight, okay. They could have been set up
by mutual friends, although that probably seems very weird. Hey,
why don't you come hang out with my twenty four
year old daughter seventy two year old man.

Speaker 6 (40:57):
They could have met in a restaurant or a night
or bar.

Speaker 3 (41:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (41:03):
Or they could have met on an app.

Speaker 1 (41:06):
A sugar Daddy website, which I am now putting at
the top of the list, sugar Daddy website or escort,
yes or both. Yes, that's possible. And guess what if
they did and they're happy together. I don't care, I
really don't. Well, they're two adults. Well they're too consenting
A well, I understand why you would say that, but

(41:31):
there are optics that make that look. I know that
most people aren't going to agree with me, because when
you say escort, that means paying for a relationship. The
oldest profession in the world, ROSSI. He ain't Bill Belichick
truck driver for forty six years. He is a multiple

(41:52):
time Super Bowl winning coach, a Hall of Famer, one
of the most recognizable faces in NFL history of the
life last thirty years. From an optic standpoint, you can't go, hey,
I saw her on an escort website. I dialed her up.
She said, hello, we we exchanged. You can't pretty woman
this and go this is normal because it's Bill Belichick.

Speaker 3 (42:16):
It's just not.

Speaker 6 (42:17):
You can't do it that way.

Speaker 1 (42:19):
I mean, I don't care how he what are the repercussions? Embarrassment?
That's it? Yeah, exactly like And that's why, and that's
why you have to come up with the fool proof,
one lockdown story of where they met. And that is
easy to do. What did you meet? We met at
at Rennie's. I was getting the Moon's over Miami. He

(42:41):
was on a flight to Palm Beach, you know where
restein Rylanders around there.

Speaker 6 (42:49):
Well, you know what I'm saying, you've had they've been
dating for what a year or so? You ever take?

Speaker 1 (42:54):
I think they said for three years, and then they
made public. So she was twenty one when they met,
so you could have easily come up with a full
proof story. Well, I think by her doing what she said,
there are holes in his story. And it wasn't even
like the CBS News reporter was poking the bear a

(43:15):
little bit. It was like, add you meet, That's all
it was.

Speaker 3 (43:19):
That'd be me.

Speaker 1 (43:20):
You know, we have dinner with your your wife and
your girlfriend. Whoever, Hey, how'd your guys meet? And then
it turned and if you're having a dinner, if you're
having dinner with a couple, and you're like, yeah, well,
so how'd you guys meet? We're not talking about this, Yeah,
we are not talking about this. Cant the apps just
go home? But they did release a statement and basically

(43:43):
said it was discussed beforehand, that that's not what we're
talking about. We're talking about my book. He only wanted
to talk about his book, uh, The Art of Winning
Lessons from Life My life in Football. But he would
have to be stupid and and or naive or both
to have the twenty four year old in the room
boom and not be at least a question posed. So

(44:04):
the question was answered, was asked, not answered, but the
question had to be asked. It's atypical for a seventy
two year old successful coach to be dating somebody a
third of his age.

Speaker 6 (44:15):
It is, he said.

Speaker 1 (44:17):
I clearly communicated with my publicist and at Simon and
Schusser that any promotional interviews I participated in would agree
to focus solely on the contents of the book. Unfortunately,
that expectation was not honored during the interview.

Speaker 6 (44:31):
M that's faux anger. That's that's trying to cover your ass,
is what that is?

Speaker 1 (44:39):
All right?

Speaker 6 (44:40):
Brian mctagger to start the second hour of the Matt
Thomas Show with.

Speaker 1 (44:42):
Ross eleven oh two. This is our number two of
the Matt Thomas Show with Ross. We are very happy
to have you with us until two o'clock this afternoon.
Ross is going to carry the show, as many of
you believe, he already does from noon until two, as
I will head off to San Francisco. A man going
the other direction to Chicago to see the return of

(45:03):
Lance mccullors juniors joining us right now as he does
every Thursday. It's our friend Brian mctagger tags. How are things?

Speaker 19 (45:11):
I'm good? How are things going there? Ready to go
back to San France.

Speaker 1 (45:14):
Yeah, it's a quick fly. It's only like three hours
and forty five minutes. You know what that's all about.

Speaker 19 (45:19):
That's that's it. I'm sure you'll be in complete luxury though,
so you'll.

Speaker 6 (45:23):
Make that is fair? Are you an economy plus or
you get the upgrade to Chicago today?

Speaker 19 (45:28):
No, I was sixtieth on the upgrade list.

Speaker 1 (45:30):
I don't know.

Speaker 6 (45:32):
Yeah, they don't realize who you are.

Speaker 1 (45:34):
Then, apparently all right, I'm not to talk to people.
Let's get to blue Ball's performance. Obviously, the salami giving
up was not great. The defense behind him hurt him, obviously.
Just some general impressions of what you thought of aj
blue Ball in his major league debut.

Speaker 23 (45:51):
Yeah, I mean he was kind of what we'd heard
or seen in spring training. I mean a guy that
throws hard, you know, hitting ninety eight competes or strikes.
I mean was impressed the way he came out the
first inning and you know, got a couple of strikeouts and.

Speaker 19 (46:05):
Looked like he he belonged, And yeah, things got a
little messy there. The air didn't help.

Speaker 23 (46:09):
But I think the most impressive thing probably is that
he came back out in that fourth inning after giving
up the slam and posted a one two three inning,
and you know, he he brushed it off and and
just went back out there and you know, did did
what they.

Speaker 1 (46:23):
Asked him to do.

Speaker 23 (46:24):
So all things considered, I mean, there's a reason why
he's one of their top prospects and a guy that
think is going to be in this rotation next year,
probably maybe even later this year. And he's he's he's
got a great demeanor, he's got a great makeup, like
you know, a lot of these guys they have now.

Speaker 19 (46:39):
You know, Eric Getty's probably cut from the same cloth
as well.

Speaker 23 (46:41):
So you know, he was a guy drafted out of
University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, not exactly a baseball powerhouse.

Speaker 19 (46:48):
He was a reliever, So you know, credit to the
Astro scouts.

Speaker 23 (46:52):
For really seeing something in him and turning him into
a starter, and you know that they might have uncovered
a guy who could be you know, a middle, middle
of the rotation star for them down the road.

Speaker 1 (47:01):
You know, uh, Ross and I were kind of teasing
each other during the course of spring, turning about would
there be enough enough starting pitching depth. You know, you're
gonna get blue Ball back at some point as he
got sent down, You're gonna get Arrogetti back, you got
mccullors returning. Give me the stata in your mind of
where this rotation is and is there enough to obviously

(47:21):
put together a six man rotation? And do you feel
like that there's gonna be enough to withstand any sort
of Pennant race this summer with these guys right now
on the mound.

Speaker 23 (47:31):
Yeah, I think there's probably more depth than I expected.
I mean, they're you know, they're pitching really well, but
you're right. You know, Blue Balls an option. You know
one guy that I thought would be you know, an
option coming in, and I think we'll still see him
at some point as Colton Gordon, a left hand or
another one of their top prospects. So they have enough
starting pitching depth if they don't have any more injuries,
if if mccullor's comes in and is effective. Uh, you know,

(47:53):
I'm not sure Garcia is coming back this year. I'm
not sure Javier is coming back this year. So I'm
really not you know, counting on them at this point.
But to me, the biggest concern coming into the season
if you were the Astros was, you know, starting pitching depth,
which you know they've answered that bell and and and
the bullpen and if you know, they they've had some
guys step up in the bullpen and pitch really well.
And now I mean, look, look, you know I think

(48:14):
the Astros are fifth in the league or in major
leagues and e RA and third and bullpen ERA, so uh,
the pitching staff has been one of their strengths.

Speaker 1 (48:22):
Yeah, and mccullor is being part of that starting on Sunday.
I mean, I just find this fascinating, Brian. I mean,
you know, you've been covering sports for a long time,
and h one of the things to me is kind
of seeing things and talking about them and then watching
them play out. I'm so fascinating to see how this
Lance mccolors junior thing plays out. I mean, I could
again ask you a guess. I guess your guess as

(48:44):
good as anybody's. I mean, the setback word is always
going to be hanging over his head. And then the
real question is is he going to be able to
still get out at the major league level?

Speaker 19 (48:54):
Yeah, I think that's a fair analysis. Ross.

Speaker 23 (48:57):
I have no idea what to expect Sunday. I mean,
you kind of know what to do on Friday. You
definitely know what Hunter Brown's gonna do. And then, uh,
just mean he's been out so long, and yeah, he's
made some rehab starts at double A, triple A. Can't
put a lot of stock into those things. Uh, you
can't put a lot of stock in the spring training results.
I have no idea. I think we're gonna see a

(49:19):
little bit of a different pitcher than he was last
time we saw him on the mound. He's not gonna
be ninety seven ninety eight anymore. His mechanics are a
little more compact. I think his pitch mix has probably
changed a little bit. So I think we're gonna, you know,
see a guy who still competes like he always has.
I mean, Lance mccullors has always been a competitor, but
it's just gonna be a little bit different.

Speaker 19 (49:40):
Look than we've seen and uh uh yeah, I mean,
I you know, he's put in a lot of work.

Speaker 23 (49:45):
I know he's frustrated a lot of people by constantly
getting injured and all the surgeries that he's had, but
you know, talking to him and talking to people on
the team, I mean, this is a guy who has
put in a lot of work and a guy who
thought a couple of times that you know, it might
not happen, I might be done, and U you know,
credit to him for pushing through. And now he's here.
There's a light at the end of the tunnel and

(50:05):
that's going to come out on Sunday afternoon, and you know,
hope he does well. I mean, you know, I don't
root either way usually, but just seeing the work that
he's put in, you know, facing the White Sox is
a good soft landing spot for him, So I think
he's set up to succeed on Sunday.

Speaker 1 (50:20):
Brian McTaggart with us here on a Sports Talk seven
to ninety. Let's flip to the lineup side. Jeremy Panya
been in the leadoff spot the last few games, paying
big dividends. We've kind of been talking ever really since
his rookie season and the ALCS and World Series MVP
about a breakout coming, and I guess we have to
wonder if it's finally here. He's got eight hits in

(50:43):
his last four games.

Speaker 23 (50:46):
Yeah, I mean he had a really really good spring,
and again, like I just said, you can't put a
lot of stock in the spring, but he looked like
a guy who had made some adjustments and was poised
for a big season.

Speaker 19 (50:55):
Came out of the gate.

Speaker 23 (50:56):
Didn't happen right away, but slowly but surely he's coming around.
And I think there's just a different error and a
different confidence about Jeremy that we haven't seen. He looks
like he belongs more. The word leadership is getting thrown
around a little bit more about him, and uh, I
mean that's a great thing for the Astros because you know,
he's a guy that's a go glove caliber shortstop. And
I like to look at the top of the order.

(51:16):
I mean, he's walking a little bit more they beat him, maybe,
you know, not to strike out as much. I think
he's trying to cut down on strikeouts as well. But
I thought the whole thing without two by going to
the number two spot in the order, and pretty much
asking him to be put in the number two spot
was fascinating as well. And uh, just from the fact
that he did more time to come in from from

(51:38):
the outfield to get ready for his bat to begin
the game. And uh, talking with Al two v later
just you know, after the interview was over, he said that, Hey,
they asked me to go to the outfield and I
did it. And I think it's only right that, you know,
they work with me if I want a bat second,
so and that's fair. And Jeremy's been the guy who
stepped into that number one spot and so far, so good.

(52:00):
We'll see, there's a long way to go, but it
looks like, yeah, this could be the best season yet
of Jeremy Penya.

Speaker 1 (52:05):
You may not have the metrics on this. Is he
hitting sliders better this year than in previous years. I
don't get some sample size is really small, but there's
been anything that has been his achilles heel that has
been that teams will just bury him with that slider.

Speaker 19 (52:18):
Yeah, I'd have to look I'd have to look it up, Matt.

Speaker 23 (52:20):
I mean, it appears to me that he is you know,
I remember back when he was you know, winning the
MVP of the ALCS. You know, he had a couple
of big hits on sliders and in the World Series,
and then it still ended up being a pitch that's
given him fits. But yeah, that'd be an interesting thing
to look at. But he just seems overall that, uh,
he's just become a more complete hitter. You know, a

(52:41):
couple of it was spring training last year. He came
trying to hit the ball in the air a little
bit more after you know, he went the second half
of the twenty three season without a homer and and
that worked out pretty well. So he's constantly adjusting and
and trying to get to where he needs to be.
But you know, he's growing, he's maturity. This is what
is fourth year now, so he's sort of putting all
that information together and it looks like it's working.

Speaker 1 (53:01):
How many more left fielders we're gonna see this year?

Speaker 19 (53:05):
How many more left fielders? M h, Yeah, there's been
a lot.

Speaker 23 (53:09):
I mean, Zach Decenzo is sort of forcing their hands
to try to get him out there. I mean, he's
a guy that is getting more and more playing time.
He can play left and right, uh, at first and third.
I mean it's hard to get opportunities at first and third,
just with the guys you have there. So you know,
I think getting him in left field, you know, here
and there, it'll be in just to see on the road,
a six game road trip here in a couple of parks,

(53:31):
how much they play out two A and left and
in second and d H. You know, so I think
there'll be a couple more opportunities for De Senzo to
play some left field. But you know, he's starting to
creep into Simmon bats too in right field, taking those
away from Cam Smith a little bit as well.

Speaker 6 (53:46):
And how do you size up the battle at second
base at this point too?

Speaker 19 (53:51):
Well, I think it is what it is.

Speaker 23 (53:52):
I mean, you're gonna have all two Vay start occasionally.
Brendon Rodgers is gonna make two or three starts a week.
Do Bond's gonna be out there two or three starts?
I mean yeah, I wouldn't say it's a battle. I
just think it's a rotation. At this point, they just
who's the starting second basement. I guess it's Brendan Rodgers.
You know, it's just the way, you know, it's just
the way it is. I mean, we're so used to

(54:12):
seeing jose Al Tuobey start at second base the last
fourteen years. It's pretty much over and over, with the
exception when he got injured and to Bond stepped in
a couple of years ago and did a nice job.
But it's all going to depend on how two bay
where he plays, and that just sort of sets up
a lot of things, a lot up who's the left.

Speaker 19 (54:27):
What do you do with Jordan and things like that.

Speaker 1 (54:31):
Is the game slowing down for cam Smith at all?

Speaker 22 (54:33):
In your mind?

Speaker 1 (54:34):
Is it still moving at a pretty fast pace. I mean,
the batting average isn't great. This ops is getting a
little bit better. Did have a hit for the squad yesterday,
but just in general, you know, with so much publicity
going into the season for the regression, which was natural
to try to settle in. How is his demeanor because
you know, obviously he wakes up with a smile of

(54:56):
the morning and is happy with the big leagues was
a little experience he had in the minor league level.
What what are you noticing from him into the last
of two weeks or so.

Speaker 19 (55:05):
Yeah, I think he's settling in a little bit.

Speaker 1 (55:07):
You're right.

Speaker 23 (55:07):
I mean, there was so much hype about him in
spring training, and he embraced it, and he was a
fun personality, a guy with a lot of energy. And
then when he made the team, it was such a
great story with it. You know, his mother coming in
the clubhouse and he you know, he's had some moments
early in the season. The Sunday night game, he came
up with a big hit. So I think now we're

(55:27):
sort of getting to the dog days where the attentions
off him a little bit.

Speaker 19 (55:30):
Some other guys are playing a little bit.

Speaker 23 (55:32):
Better, like you know, Descenzo, who's also still a rookie,
I believe, and so it's just time for him to
settle in and put in the work and see what
he can do.

Speaker 19 (55:40):
I don't think his demeanor's changed at all.

Speaker 23 (55:42):
I mean, I don't think he feels overmatched or too
big for the moment, but I think he knows that, hey,
this is this is the big leagues, and you know,
I need to make adjustments on a daily basis. He's
he's going around the league and seeing pictures at the
caliber he's never seen before, playing in parks he's never
played in before.

Speaker 19 (55:57):
So there's a lot going on for him right now.

Speaker 23 (56:00):
I can imagine if he's overwhelmed at times, it's probably
could be warranted. But uh yeah, I mean I still
think there's a lot of room for growth, obviously, but
you know, I would keep running him out there because
he does look a little bit more comfortable than he did.
But obviously the results of the plate aren't there yet,
but he will get better.

Speaker 5 (56:19):
Tag.

Speaker 1 (56:19):
Save travels to the Wendy City and we'll talk again
next week. We appreciate the visitors always, all right, save
travels to you too, Thank you friend. That's Brian McTaggart,
who will be on the Astros on Deck show. Friddy
from Chicago.

Speaker 6 (56:30):
And what do they call it? I always get the
ballpark mixed up.

Speaker 1 (56:33):
Used to be called New Comisky and then they made
it like is it's still us cellular?

Speaker 8 (56:38):
Is it?

Speaker 24 (56:38):
No?

Speaker 7 (56:38):
No? No?

Speaker 1 (56:39):
Guaranteed rate. I think you're right. Look guaranteed rate field,
nice stadium, really surly part of town. What it's just
rate field?

Speaker 18 (56:52):
What?

Speaker 3 (56:52):
Shut up?

Speaker 1 (56:53):
They took the guaranteed off. Maybe they can't guarantee. You're like, well,
we're gonna give you a rate. We can't. Really, it's
gonna be fluctuating. Rate Field doesn't sound as good. Have
you seen the cross eggs. Are they serious right now?
Just rate that's it, Yeah, just rate Field. They took
the guaranteed off Lord eleven fourteen on Sports Talk seven aunty,

(57:14):
Bottom of the hour, Bottom of the hour. We have
I just don't get it, Ross, What don't you get?
Dozens of things? Eleven twenty on Sports Talk seven hounty.
I'm looking at this box score. And again for those
of you just joining us, I went to bed about
ten forty five last night, got up at three thirty,
and I was I've been up a wake ever since.

(57:34):
So needless to say, if you think you could take
pot shots at me while I'm in the air, because
I'm not gonna be listening on the iHeartRadio app when
I'm in the plane, you're probably right, Okay, So if
you want to, I wasn't thinking about it. Oh you
were thinking about you. You were already you're writing the script. Now,
I wouldn't worried about it. All right, I can do
a show. Rockets won last night one thirty one one hundred,

(57:55):
one hundred and thirty one thirty one points in this series.
That's crazy. That is absolutely nuts. How crazy that got
out of hand?

Speaker 6 (58:04):
Rockets. Let me give you the numbers that were so good.

Speaker 1 (58:06):
Maybe the numbers they were actually better than this, if
not for the horrific bench play in the four, late third,
early fourth. Yeah, come on, read ship, but fifty five
percent from the floor, forty three percent from three and
they went to the free throw line thirty eight times,
made their way first thirteen in row or something like that.
I think it was even more than that, maybe, but
they definitely started thirty thirteen for thirteen, finished thirty two

(58:28):
of thirty eight, turned them all over thirteen times, thirty
one point ly got down to as low as thirteen.

Speaker 6 (58:35):
It is what it is.

Speaker 1 (58:37):
But van Vlid had twenty six twenty five for a men,
Tom sol Dylan Brooks twenty four balling Altby got to
fifteen nine and nine pretty good. He also fouled out.
Jalen last night didn't have to do a whole lot
because he really sat a lot of the game, especially
in the first half because he was working on that knee.

(58:58):
Still went up, finishing the game eight minutes and eleven points.
It proved you that you can win a game without
Jalen being that big of a difference on the offensive
side of the floor. No, it helps when you start
off shooting like sixty percent from three, which is what
they were basically doing for the first half of the game.
So and yeah, Jaling's got a couple of buckets early

(59:20):
and then he was dealing with a knee injury. Aaron,
so we saw some Aaron Holliday, we talked about him
possibly playing. And for those of you that had been
clambering for Cam Whitmore even in the reed, Shepherd, I mean,
we love the kids, but their kids. So at least
Reid got out there in the third quarter. Cam Whitmore,
what didn't show up until the final two minutes.

Speaker 6 (59:38):
Yeah, he, Nate Williams and Jeff Green were the last ones.

Speaker 1 (59:41):
Reid played six point thirty four, did not even take
a shot, did have two steals, but also turned it
over one time and got a block shot. Yeah, this
is a nine man rotation at the very most, and
Aaron Holliday being the ninth guy. I definitely it would
be interesting to see because we're kind of talked about
this the end of the season where Jalen Green was
lumping around, He's holding his wrist, he doesn't look one

(01:00:03):
hundred percent and Coachi Dooki even said, yeah, he's banged
up when we talked to him about it, and that
didn't look good.

Speaker 19 (01:00:10):
Man.

Speaker 1 (01:00:10):
He had a giant rap on his knee and he
was gimping around pretty badly. But he was put back
into the game. And then he was put back into
the game in the fourth quarter when all the starters
came on to try to right the ship or stamp
out the fire. What do you want to say? I
will choose to look back at last night and think
about the two and a half quarters where they just

(01:00:31):
destroyed Golden State.

Speaker 6 (01:00:32):
Steph Curry. The last two games combined thirty points. Yeah,
we didn't.

Speaker 1 (01:00:37):
Also, a big part of that was a men Thompson.
Men Thompson was ripping the ball from him and then
going the other way for an easy bucket or a
foul or a free throw trip, and he was knocking
down his free throws. Rockets also did a better job
of converting three on one, four to one fast breaks.
There have been plenty of those of them not been
finished so far. And men Thompson was locking Steph up
and it was taking a village because it always does
for Steph Curry. So it wasn't just a men Thompson,

(01:00:59):
but he did a good job getting the ball away
from him a couple of times, and Steph Curry he
looked gassed and they only played him twenty four minutes.
That's why I don't know if I changed my I
did change my tune a little bit on this because
I have been afraid of the Warriors, and I'm not
hidden the fact that I was not looking forward to
playing him in a series because of the history, and
there's just you have PTSD about certain things, and I'm

(01:01:22):
playing Golden States one of them. But from it athletically,
the series on my mind turned last night. Now, if
you're Golden State, if you're a Warrior fan today calling
in the show, you're like, hey, it was one game.
We got game six in our building. We went pleas
not calling in today? Funny, huh how that works? Funny?

Speaker 6 (01:01:40):
I haven't, Yeah, I have Is he calling? Is he called?

Speaker 8 (01:01:42):
Yet?

Speaker 19 (01:01:43):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (01:01:43):
Bleacher Day?

Speaker 3 (01:01:44):
Where are you?

Speaker 1 (01:01:44):
Seven? One three two one two five seven? Our favorite
Bay Area guy? But last night, to me was a
storyline that I had forgotten about. Maybe he didn't even
think about being a big deal. Athletically, the Rockets are
far superior to whatever Golden they can throw at. Yeah, well,
you mentioned it when you were putting your name on it.
There was three games in five days for the Warriors,

(01:02:06):
and they're old. Jimmy Butler's thirty five, Draymonds thirty five,
and Steph is thirty seven.

Speaker 6 (01:02:10):
Yeah, and the rest of the guys just can't make
a difference.

Speaker 24 (01:02:13):
Man.

Speaker 1 (01:02:13):
They can They can help out in small doses, but
you're not gonna. I don't think Moses Moody is gonna
help you win a series. I don't think Quinton Post, who,
by the way, was just being molested defensively last night.
Five fouls. I mean, God almighty. How about Gee Santos
knocking down his first couple of threes? Gee, I call him, Gee,

(01:02:34):
you want to call him Gee?

Speaker 6 (01:02:35):
That's fine.

Speaker 21 (01:02:36):
Gee.

Speaker 6 (01:02:38):
Yeah, he was out there, he was.

Speaker 1 (01:02:39):
Yeah. There were some strange people knocking shots like jes
This dude, just like Pat Spencer played eighteen, played thirteen
and a half minutes before he got kicked out. He
went five of seven. Kevin knocks the second trace, Jackson
Davis the perfect two of two. Moses Moody took up
eighteen shots in twenty six minutes of play. That's impressive. Actually,

(01:03:01):
he was bawling reed. Shepherd, by the way, has a
great stat line six and a half minutes, zero points,
minus fifteen. Well, Jock Landelle's like hol my beer, I
was a minus twelve and four fifty one. It's pretty impressive. Yeah,

(01:03:24):
really really fun night until what about three minutes left
to go in the third quarter, and again I was
in a panic. We got some people calling like, why
would coach Udoka do this? Why did he go to
the bench Because Steph, I mean because Steve Kerr went
to the bench first. He went to the bench at
five point fifty. Udoka waited five more minutes he went.
There was fifty seconds left when he cleared the bench. Yeah,

(01:03:45):
let me ask you quite. I'm gonna ask a question
my wife asked me last night. I've been asked about
this before, and we've seen this. In fact, in the
Golden State Houston Series regular season, Rockets were getting blown out.
They went to their subs early in the season and
got all the way overtime Russell the starters.

Speaker 6 (01:04:01):
Rockets were getting blown out again by Golden State.

Speaker 1 (01:04:03):
They went with the backup guys got almost all the
way back on that last night. Golden State's doing it
to the Rockets and my wife was asking me in
this and I didn't and I didn't have a great
answer for her. Maybe you can help me out this.
She's like, they got within thirteen, there was plenty of
time left. Why didn't they bring in the five guys?
Do you think? And the only guess I could give

(01:04:24):
her was that, I think when coaches raised the flag
and surrender, they really surrender. I think in the I
think it would have been different if still it was
still when I got within thirteen. At that point it
was still like a ninety nine percent win probability for
the Rockets, so you don't want to risk that one percent.
He decided, I think that he was going to rest

(01:04:47):
Steph Draymond and Jimmy Butler, and then that was that
we're packing in, We're gonna go win Game six at home.
We're gonna get our guys rested. I think if there
were two or even three games, somehow three days off
in between games, you might have seen them. But I
think with the one day off, with the fact that
it was already extremely low probability, they come back in
those moments that they said Nope, we're not gonna We're

(01:05:07):
not gonna try to open this window.

Speaker 6 (01:05:09):
We're gonna rest our.

Speaker 1 (01:05:10):
Guys have Steph Curry and Draymond and Jimmy Butler ready
to go and as rested as possible for Game six.
I didn't hear a lot of quotes after the game
from the Golden State sideline, but I my guess is
the present the easy narrative was, we're gonna go back
to Game six. We're gonna go in our building. We've
won a lot of basketball games there and we're gonna
finish them off. Because if I'm Golden State fan, I'm

(01:05:31):
thinking that's again, I'm not gonna I haven't listened to
Golden State Radio to day Sam Francisco Radio, but that's
my thought is Rockets were desperate, need to win this
one must win situation. They're not gonna shoot as well
in San Francisco that they shot in Houston. They're not
gonna make as many for me free throws. There's a
storyline Rockets have given I wouldn't say given away two games,
but for them not to have split either three or four,

(01:05:53):
I think it was a huge, huge missed opportunity. Warriors
got within thirteen with five thirty eight left, the Rockets
win probability is still there was ninety eight point seven percent.
So you're not gonna say I'm gonna I'm gonna risk
a injury and be more rest for a one point
three percent chance. Ross, I want to ask you a question.

(01:06:14):
I want to ask Jonathan a question. I want to
ask you, the great people of Houston a question. What
don't you get? It could be about the Rockets Warriors.
It could be about your favorite TV show. It could
be about life in general. It could be about what
your boss says. You can work Monday through Thursday. Uh,

(01:06:34):
but we need you to work a double on Friday.
If you don't get that anything in your life you
just don't get. It could be traffic issues, it could
be the cost of produce. If you don't get something,
our sage ability to give you the right advice is
what we do every Thursday for a little bit on
this radio show, What don't you Get? Seven one three

(01:06:54):
two one two five seven nine. Do you have something
in your.

Speaker 2 (01:07:03):
Life that just don't get?

Speaker 1 (01:07:05):
No need to worry, no need to press.

Speaker 25 (01:07:09):
We will just do the topics to see if we
comprehend the things that they can use.

Speaker 1 (01:07:14):
Our friends, it's time to say I just don't get it.
Bound boum bound there it is.

Speaker 6 (01:07:26):
There must be some sort of misunderstanding. Sports are you?

Speaker 1 (01:07:28):
Because we have to do this once a week, we
invite you guys to join us at seventy one three, two,
one two five seven ninety and ask what don't you
get I'm gonna go back. Something gonna happen me. A
couple of days ago, when I was coming back from
San Francisco, why is the HIV lane going slower than
the main lanes of the interstate? Hm hmm. I pay

(01:07:49):
four dollars and fifty cents for a reason to go
fast like seventy eight to eighty two miles per hour
in the lane When I'm doing the eight to eighty
two matt let's speed them at sixty five. Hey, shut up,
when I'm going twenty six, I deserve a rebate. You
want your money back? Correct?

Speaker 6 (01:08:07):
Good luck with that.

Speaker 1 (01:08:08):
I ask all of you, those of you that are
in the lanes, why is it so damn slow at
five forty five at night when I'm trying to get
out to the northeast, beautiful part of town to notice Kingwood, Texas.

Speaker 6 (01:08:20):
I just don't get why HOV lanes suck.

Speaker 1 (01:08:24):
Is the traffic that bad? You need the HOV? What
time of day was this?

Speaker 6 (01:08:27):
I landed at Hobby at four fifteen, probably on the
road at.

Speaker 1 (01:08:29):
Four point thirty. Okay, yeah, I guess you're gonna need
it at that point forty five was a crawl, got
around George R. Brown down the Tota Center and then
jumped on the HOV and just stopped. Once you relax, man,
put on a good podcast. Listen to the eighteen No,
just sit in traffic, enjoy it, soak it in. I
despise driving. I despise traffic. I just don't get it.

(01:08:53):
Once you hire a show four, I would love to
you canna afford it? Ubercosser crazy expensive, that's true. So
I said, I just don't get it. I'm gonna well,
you caught behind a bus? I mean, how many cars
could you see forward? Was it one person that was
slowing everything with five or six cars easily? I'm sorry, Matt,
I mean I don't get it, but I mean there

(01:09:13):
obviously has to be a reason. I guess there was
one person driving slow. So to that person, I will
find you and hunt you down. Along a rabbit dog
that seems a little aggressive. It is aggressive because I'm
sitting for an HOV.

Speaker 3 (01:09:24):
Lane a fan.

Speaker 6 (01:09:24):
If I was paying a dollar fifty eighty five, Manue.

Speaker 1 (01:09:27):
Four fifty, don't grow on trees. It not like the kids.
Is not a taken situation. It's not like they kidnapped
your daughter driving sold the HOV. Man. All right, that's
my beat this week. I just don't get why the
HOV can't run with pristine accuracy and speed. Okay, I
got one, please? So last night, man, I had a

(01:09:47):
playoff tradition. This is back in the James Harden days.
After a late night Rockets game, I would go to
a certain Vietnamese restaurant in Midtown. I would have one
beer and eat food to kind of relax after a
long day and in an extensive postgame show. Okay, so
what time is this last night? This was like the
ten thirty when this place was still allen.

Speaker 7 (01:10:07):
No.

Speaker 6 (01:10:08):
Oh, this is where I get to my just don't
get it now.

Speaker 1 (01:10:11):
I understand a lot of places that were late night
closed during COVID, correct, but none of them have reopened
for late night. Is nobody wanting to go out late
night anymore? Is it just because the kids these days
are staying inside on their phones and they're all scared
socially interact. I don't get it. Where's all I went
to a place that said it was opening, a piece
of place that said it was open at midnight. They
were closed. I went to this certain Vietnamese place in Mintown.

(01:10:34):
Some of you know who I'm talking about that used
to stay open three am every night. Wow, mouths of
miyes used to stay open twenty four hours. Shut up.
Mouths of eyes is closed. They close early now too,
Shut up. I understand why we did it for COVID,
but were you not making money in those times and
you just can't do it now. I don't get why
it hasn't come back. It's because the number of service

(01:10:55):
employees are down. That has to be the reason why
I'm gonna say. I'm gonna say I get it. So basically,
at the end of the day, if you want to
go some late night eats, you gotta go to rye
rop Yes, rainies, muffle mouse, muffle mouse or uh not
a murder not a murger?

Speaker 7 (01:11:15):
No?

Speaker 1 (01:11:15):
What not a rurger? Don't say nutterburger. No, I said,
not a rugger. Nobody wants one of those. You're down
to four restaurants. Now, if you want Mexican food, there
a Banished Blowers. Right, there's also Mamuta Moubita. Oh yeah,
I've been there. I've been in Mamulta. Mac's good. But

(01:11:37):
this is the thing. Funny enough, I thought about that
place and I was in that area, but I was like,
that place is only good when I'm drunk, and I'm
not drunk. You can also you can also racking Rocks
and get you that big munchie meal. See that's when
I yeah, I had I went with fast food because
I but I wanted to like a sit down place,
have one beer, have an ice ice cold pint after
a long day, a good rocket.

Speaker 6 (01:11:57):
Twin and a long postgame show.

Speaker 1 (01:11:59):
Yeah. Now, now doesn't Rats is never close, right? I
actually there's one near where as one in Montrose. But
I was like, I don't want to drop twenty five
bucks on the pancakes right now. It's expensive two eggs
and bacon, you know exactly at the Grand Slam over
there at Rats exactly.

Speaker 6 (01:12:19):
So basically you need to step up your financial game.

Speaker 1 (01:12:22):
Well, all of our great advertisers, if you want to
advertise in this show, Ross, you know at Sports seven
ninety dot com. You know what, Big City Wings stay
open for us thanks to our great sponsors like Cinnergenics
and DraftKings and Top tax Defenders. If you would like
to sponsor this show, I'm available Ross at sports seven
ninety dot com. He's handsome, he's polite. Yes, he might

(01:12:44):
wear a collared shirt to the meeting that you guys have.
Might I wore collared shirt? You wear college shirt at
the game last night? Absolutely it was wearing well, whoa,
I barely ran Needy for like five seconds. Yeah, I
was trying to avoid you. That's okay, I get it.
That's it. I do get it, all right. So I
want to say to you, Ross, I know you don't
want to hear this, but I get it. I think

(01:13:05):
the service industry is lacking, and I know there's a
bunch of servers out there, let's go. You know what
they don't like though? These owners will hire a billion
servers and they only need half of them. But since
they only have to pay them two fifte an hour,
they exploit them. Like my favorite Chinese restaurant next to
Tota Center, Rhino Arden, doesn't open for lunch anymore. You
just open for lunch. All the time. Now it's just

(01:13:26):
for dinner basically. Really, yeah, why not? Nobody's getting lunch
over there?

Speaker 6 (01:13:31):
I guess not because I was.

Speaker 1 (01:13:32):
I had a friend in town and we were gonna
go with the biggest year olds you could find. And
half blind lady, she loves you. She You're so rude
really at the end of the day, I mean, I
just think rudeness is just in your DNA very nice.

Speaker 6 (01:13:49):
Why did you have to go to the half blind card? God?

Speaker 3 (01:13:54):
Do you hear that?

Speaker 1 (01:13:54):
Folks?

Speaker 6 (01:13:55):
Do you hear how insanely rudy is?

Speaker 1 (01:13:58):
God under my regards? Well, guess what you're not.

Speaker 6 (01:14:03):
You're gonna be paying double for your meal? Jonathan, What
don't you she will?

Speaker 1 (01:14:07):
I went there with Matt and she was like sending
over apps and you're just taking carry you like you
were her baby boy.

Speaker 6 (01:14:12):
Yeah, people like me ross, I go.

Speaker 1 (01:14:14):
I don't get that. But that's another discussion for another time.
Go ahead, Jonathan.

Speaker 7 (01:14:19):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (01:14:19):
By the way, uh Jamison says, the Rot is a
nice place on like on the Golf Freeway, you know,
like near Golfgate Mall for what Rot Coffee house, coffee shop.
I'm not going all the way down there. Well, you
can get good food, reasonable prices. Yeah, where my kevlar
down there or down there too? Now I like rot
roffee House or whatever you're calling it. I like that place,

(01:14:42):
got good pie, good breakfast. The mouse of Eyes is horrific.
That wasn't where I mean? I live west Side, basically
west of the loop. Well you think I'm gonna stop
anywhere between Toda Center in Kingwood on the way home?

Speaker 6 (01:14:54):
Oh, hell no.

Speaker 1 (01:14:55):
And I was at the Toyota Center, so I was
looking for something in the area. I can also get
byways a new PI opening. Oh no, new Scottish. It
has just opened up on the you know, on that traving,
I was in a couple of piece. I was able
to see there's a brain new on the left side.
Like it, Laura Copy. If you're singing a hotel Laura
Copy in fifty nine, you are there for the hour

(01:15:17):
and not for the night. All right, real quick, Jonathan,
what don't what don't you get? Oh we got he's
on the phone. Let's take a break, we'll come back.
And we got a couple of people want to get in. Yeah, yeah,
we gotta get that in there. It's a huge segment.

Speaker 18 (01:15:29):
You know what I can do, Jonathan quickly, And then
you don't get I want to see the movie theaters
and watch the new movie.

Speaker 6 (01:15:36):
Uh you know the movie Centers, Centers. It was a
really good movie.

Speaker 1 (01:15:40):
Uh.

Speaker 18 (01:15:41):
I don't understand it was pat pat. I don't understand
why people and my mom does this. I just don't
get it. Why you bring out your phone and try
to bootlet record the.

Speaker 1 (01:15:51):
No no no no no no no no no no
no no no no.

Speaker 18 (01:15:54):
Guys, girlfriend beside us left because of it.

Speaker 9 (01:15:57):
Uh.

Speaker 10 (01:15:57):
Uh that is a lie.

Speaker 1 (01:16:00):
This is not nineteen eighty three. Great, I don't get it.
Oh my god, that is crazy. Well how did your mom.

Speaker 6 (01:16:11):
Get involved in this? Because he does the same thing,
and I don't understand it.

Speaker 1 (01:16:15):
And your mother bootlegs movies on her phone. How can
you even have the memory to save two hour video
on your shirt on your phone?

Speaker 18 (01:16:23):
Blockbusters for since I was a little kids, she's been
notorious for that. And it's like line twenty two hundred
and forty p resolution and you just put it on
the dark web website.

Speaker 1 (01:16:32):
I guess I don't know. That's crazy. Should we get
her mother his mother? No, Yeah, FBI is going to
come calling FBO. Jonathan you won't. Maybe you want to
admit that was she get a tripod out? What was
she doing setting up studio lights? How does she? How
do you even hold your mode for that? Two of
the most skilty things I've ever done in movie theaters

(01:16:53):
I've gone. I've gone to see a second movie on
one ticket, which I think all of us have done.
And I brought my own candy in from the house
because it was significantly cheaper. I thought, you're gonna say
you got caught fornicating, not fornic. I don't even think
I've ever made out in a movie theater?

Speaker 26 (01:17:11):
Have you?

Speaker 1 (01:17:15):
If you don't want to say, I would just say
one time the work the worker was like, don't worry,
I do that all the time too, Jonathan, Do you
and your girl make out in the movie theater?

Speaker 10 (01:17:22):
Yes?

Speaker 16 (01:17:23):
Or no?

Speaker 1 (01:17:24):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (01:17:25):
I have before, not with her though, you know.

Speaker 1 (01:17:27):
In your younger days. But you know, but like you know,
like you can't be packed. So is it better to
make out with a full movie theater because you're just
kind of in conn You know, you go home, don't
get arrested. It's not worth it. What what will be
the arrest if you're kissing that's what I thought you're

(01:17:47):
talking about someone. No, you cannot you cannot do that
in a movie theater. I'm sorry, Okay, really no. I
when I was in high school, girl said, let's go
see a scary movie. I'll make it worth your while.

Speaker 7 (01:18:05):
Does that mean?

Speaker 1 (01:18:06):
What do you think it means?

Speaker 26 (01:18:08):
Or you know?

Speaker 1 (01:18:09):
I think John doing the hole in the popcorn box trick.
And I was almost gonna go, but my fear of
I said, you know what if she really wants to?
You hate scary movies so bad that you gave up that. Yes,
what was the film? Do you remember? It was like
pet Cemetery or somethingybe Kujo or something like Joe, Yeah,

(01:18:29):
the ratmid Dog. Come on, man, I'm just saying that's
how much I hate that Joe. You're looking for something else.
Maybe it was Child's play. I don't know child's play.
It's a little harmless doll.

Speaker 10 (01:18:43):
Matt.

Speaker 1 (01:18:44):
You can't go get some and watch child Tell me
that Chucky was harmless. I don't believe. Come on, man,
I would pick Chucky up and pun him over the mountains.
That little that little doll has no shot with a
bride and Chuck. Yeah, Bridy Chuck you too, starting Jennifer
Tilly Morgan on seven Morgan, what don't you get?

Speaker 8 (01:19:09):
Hey, y'all just what I don't get.

Speaker 10 (01:19:11):
I'm like many of your listeners.

Speaker 1 (01:19:14):
I just love my Astros.

Speaker 10 (01:19:15):
Oh my god, I love my I'm the number one fan.

Speaker 19 (01:19:19):
I'm the number and so I'm going on.

Speaker 27 (01:19:22):
I live over here in Sunnyside. Man, it's not many
places for me to go to watch the game. I
either go to Proland or you go. Maybe I go
to Maryland something like that. I'm out in Pairland trying
to watch the game.

Speaker 10 (01:19:35):
We went to this.

Speaker 1 (01:19:39):
Place to eat.

Speaker 27 (01:19:39):
I probably can't say the name, but anyway, I asked them,
do y'all have the game?

Speaker 10 (01:19:45):
Said, yeah, we got the game. So I said, well,
then they've told me they had the game. Okay, Well
I'll go ahead and order something to eat.

Speaker 27 (01:19:51):
So I ordered something to eat, and then they switched
the channel toward's that the Astros the Space City Network
and the.

Speaker 1 (01:20:00):
Game was not horn.

Speaker 9 (01:20:02):
So I said, hey, man, what I want to watch
the game.

Speaker 1 (01:20:07):
Oh well, we don't know how to find it. Oh oh,
I don't get there.

Speaker 8 (01:20:16):
If you if you own a risk, what sports? Okay,
know how to get to the Astros. I went down
the street and and went to another place, and sure enough,
here the game was there.

Speaker 3 (01:20:31):
Yep.

Speaker 1 (01:20:31):
I just don't Morgan.

Speaker 6 (01:20:34):
I'm so sorry for you. Thank you very much for
the phone call.

Speaker 1 (01:20:37):
That's why I have my company, Morgan that is thriving
both regionally and nationally. It's if you guys don't know
what it is, please check out my website. Remote for
you dot biz. It's not real.

Speaker 6 (01:20:50):
That's remote for you, dot biz, where we change a
channel for you.

Speaker 1 (01:20:53):
I thought they were in chapter eleven. Man, No, no, no,
we're expanding. We're now going outside the set of Texas.
We're now in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Mississippi. I thought you
were getting seized by the Department of Justice.

Speaker 6 (01:21:04):
Oh, remote for you, dot business.

Speaker 7 (01:21:06):
Not.

Speaker 1 (01:21:07):
I think it is struggling trying to get that thing
off the ground for years. Well, I think probably a
lot of the workers aren't used to finding the alternate channel.
That's the thing that no, no, no, no, last night
they were not the last night. No, they they were
both on the main channel. Last night was in the afternoon.
There was no conflict. After in the afternoon he went
to go lunch. I think you just went to a

(01:21:27):
complete boob place of a place to eat. There's no
only way to say it. Okay, yeah, you just went
to the wrong place. And again, if you guys want
to invest, I'm looking for investors to expand remote for
you dot biz. Check out the website remote for you
dot biz and you can grow.

Speaker 6 (01:21:45):
The company along with me.

Speaker 1 (01:21:47):
It's not it's not real, Matt send me Venmo. Yeah,
now you're really gonna get the character. I'm just teasing
the prosby reat with you for our number three of
The Man Thomas Show with raw Us. You want to
get in, you can. Phone lines are open. We're gonna
be talking some Rockets. We also have some astro stuff
to get to as well, had Brian McTaggart on earlier,

(01:22:08):
talking some stros anything you want to get to seven
to one to three two one two five seven ninety
seven to one three two one two five seven ninety
But we're focusing on that game last night from the
Houston Rockets. It started off with two things in my mind,
free throw shooting and three point shooting. Those had been
the bugaboos, especially early on in the series, and really

(01:22:30):
it had plagued that the Rockets throughout the season, they
finished dead last in free throw shooting thirty. At that
at thirty they were I think twenty first in three
point shooting, and they just didn't shoot well enough in
game one, bounce back in game two, and then the
next couple of games there was some three point makes,
but it wasn't a high volume. They were not making
their free throws and well on the other and Steph

(01:22:53):
Curry and others were just having special games. Brandon Pajemski
as well. I mean, Jimmy Butler had been good. But
last night the Rocket third game and five nights, this
is key to me. Third game in five nights against
a team with thirty five plus players thirty five years
old plus their key components. Talking about Jimmy Butler, Draymond
Green and Steph Curry and a younger, faster, more physical

(01:23:17):
Rockets team, seems like they're wearing them down. At least
that's what it looked like on the floor last night.
Of course, we can say, oh, everything looks like sunshine
and rainbows. When you're knocking down sixty percent of your
threes in the first quarter and that's in the first half,
excuse me, And that's not gonna happen all the time,
so they have to keep this going.

Speaker 6 (01:23:34):
They're gonna have to win with defense, and.

Speaker 1 (01:23:36):
If they get some hot shooting, the Warriors aren't gonna
have a chance like last night, So they can keep
it close. They can grind out another win and hopefully
bring the series back to Houston for a game number seven.
That would be on Sunday at seven thirty. Right now,
Warriors favored by four and a half. I said this
on the on the postgame show last night. It opened

(01:23:58):
it five and a half and I thought that was crazy.
I said, give me Rockets plus five and a half
all day. That seems insane. The way that the Rockets
have been good, the grinding down this Warriors team, and
the way that they've been playing defense in every single
one of these games. So that has already moved down
from five and a half to four and a half.
So that'll be something to keep an eye on. I
still think it's going to be basically a coin flip game.

(01:24:18):
If you can win the coin flip game on Friday
and then you come home on Sunday, I think the
Rocket the Rockets are gonna win the series. They can
win Game six. They are winning Game seven. In my mind,
they're just too good, especially defensively. I mean, men Thompson
was all over the place five steals in the first half.
He was eating Steph Curry's lunch, Steph Curry's coming up

(01:24:40):
to the basically up to the halfway line, and men
Thompson just poking the ball away and going the other
way for easy buckets. Steph Curry looked a lethargic and disinterested.
Draymond Green didn't play well either. He looked like he
could hardly move around. Same thing for Jimmy Butler. And
you had Steve Kerr waving the white flag five fifty

(01:25:04):
left in the third quarter. I mean, I don't know
if I've seen a coach in a playoff game give
up that early. That was insane. Now, the deficit was
like twenty nine points at that point, and what Steve
Kerr said is we don't have it tonight. We are tired.
My old veteran guys are exhausted. We're going to pack

(01:25:24):
it in and that's that. We're going to get this
extra rest, put it in the bank, head back home
and try to win this bad Boy in San Francisco
in game six. That's why I don't even think he
probably entertained the thought of putting his starters back in
in that fourth quarter when they got within thirteen points
a couple of times. Now, if they had gotten under ten,
that's when I think things could have really gotten interesting
to where they might have actually had a shot. But

(01:25:47):
it didn't happen. So the Rockets and Emi Adoka having
to put their starters back in around eight minutes in
the fourth quarter. Then for six minutes I think, until
basically the two minute mark, they took care of business,
got it up to eighteen, and then with two minutes left,
that's when the bench brigade really came in and closed
out the game for the Rockets to get the fifteen
point win. Could have been a much bigger blowout. Rockets

(01:26:10):
got up by as much as thirty one, should have
been a bigger blowout. But at the end of the day,
you get to win that th all that matters. Aman
Thompson was spectacular, alprin ching Gun was pretty good. Fred
van Vlietz knocking down threes again. But to me, as
I said, the biggest thing and key to the victory
was the three point shooting, which cooled off to forty
three percent for the game, that's still well above average

(01:26:31):
for the Rockets on the season. And then eighty four
percent from the free throw line starting off a perfect
thirteen for thirteen in that first quarter. That completely changes
the complexion of the game. I mean, after that first quarter,
it's forty to twenty four, right, and that's a perfect
thirteen of thirteen from the free throw line. You take
off six or seven of those points from where the

(01:26:53):
basically how they had been shooting from the free throw
line before.

Speaker 6 (01:26:56):
The Warriors are thinking they're in this game.

Speaker 1 (01:26:58):
You're down forty to twenty four a the first courts,
that's when they start to mentally get worn down and
maybe it is time to pack it down. And then
and then by pack it in by halftime, they did
a completely give it up. Started the third quarter is
when they really kind of started to look this interested.
It was looking like a preseason game. Middle of that
third quarter, I think that's when Steph Curry's like, all right,

(01:27:18):
this is time to pull the plug. Teams tired, let's
go pack it in try to win. I think they
did want to go into that game trying to give
it a shot and see how things went early on,
but once they started getting blown out, once the Rockets
are making threes and free throws and then just snowballing
downhill on them with the turnovers that they were forcing
and scoring points off of those turnovers, that's when it was.

(01:27:41):
That was that. So it's not a whole new series
or anything like that. This is gonna be a tough one.
This is what the Warriors wanted to be at home
with a chance to clinch the series, but the Rockets
are still alive. Really hurts that you didn't get Game four,
especially which was winnable, where I mean you missed twelve
free throws. You can lose by three man. That still hurts.

(01:28:05):
Game one also very winnable. I mean, all these games
have been winnable that the Rockets have lost. And I
want to say, now, if you add all up of
the points for the whole series, the Rockets are winning.
Unfortunately on aggregate. That's only like a soccer thing. All right,
we're gonna play two games, We're gonna add it up
on aggregate. They don't do that in a seven game series.
You gotta win the games as they come. Unfortunately, the

(01:28:25):
Rockets have only won two of those, but I think
they're like six points ahead of the Warriors if you
add up all the points scored in this series, so
it's been closer, then maybe the three to two deficit
and getting down three to one would show. But you
gotta go out there, you gotta win the games. I
think the Rockets are the better basketball team. One of
the things I'm really gonna be keeping an eye on.
We'll talk about after this break the number one thing

(01:28:49):
I am keeping an eye on for game number six
for the Houston Rockets. We'll talk about what are you
keeping in your eye on? How did you feel about
that win last night? Rockets staying alive, staving off elimination
seven one three two one two five seven ninety. The
phone number if you want to get in seven one
three two one two five seven ninety. Rosbyrial with you
on the Matt Thomas Show with Ross. We also got

(01:29:10):
astro stuff as well to get to. If you'd like,
you can send tweets at sports RV as well. We're
with you until two o'clock. We're gonna take a quick
break and be right back here on The Matt Thomas.

Speaker 6 (01:29:20):
Show with Ross.

Speaker 1 (01:29:23):
Ross AVI with you here on Sports Talk seven ninety high.
The Matt Thomas Show with Ross, without Matt Thomas, with
the He's like a basically a part time player on
this show at this point. But that's okay. We appreciate
him for his service. He is out yet setting flying
out with the Houston Rockets. They are heading to San Francisco.

(01:29:44):
So it's a good thing. Not saying I want Matt gon,
but it's a good thing. He is traveling with the team.
That means they won last night. They're heading out to
San Francisco for game number six on Friday. Phone line
is open for you. It's seven one three two one
two five seven ninety. Seven to one three two one
two five seven ninety will be joint. Will we be

(01:30:06):
joined by Chris Gordy. I think so at some point
on the program. In the meantime, As I mentioned, phone
lines are open if you'd like to get right in
at seven to one three two one two five seven ninety.
Talking about that Rockets one thirty one to one sixteen
win over the Warriors last night, it was huge. It
was a weird one because at the end of the day,
I mean, the Warriors outscoring the Rockets thirty six to

(01:30:28):
twenty four in the fourth quarter having to go back.
I don't know if I really I think it's happened before, definitely, definitely.
I don't think under the Udoka regime. Maybe it happened
back in the day, the Mike D'Antoni days, where the
starters had to come back. It's somewhere in the back
of my mind. But certainly in a playoff game, you're
up twenty nine, the other team is wave the white

(01:30:49):
flag five point fifty left in the third they're going
to their backup players and even Udoka again, we had
a couple of people calling in some people on Twitter
arguing like why would coach Udoka do that? Why wouldn't
he just keep his starters in like what they have
to plan another day too. They've already waved the white flag.
You Doka waited in a whole another five minutes left.

(01:31:11):
There were seventeen minutes effectively, where I suppose eighteen minutes
left in the game, when when Steve Kurt waved the
white flag. Of those eighteen minutes, you Donka awaited five
of them. There were only thirteen minutes left in the
game and they were up thirty. You should be taking
care of business I'm sorry, you can't have a guy.

(01:31:33):
I mean Reed Shepherd and Jack Landale and I mean
Tarry Easton was on the floor. Jabaris Junior was on
the floor. It wasn't like they were they were completely
giving up.

Speaker 22 (01:31:41):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (01:31:42):
It wasn't like Nate Williams and the Boy and Jayshontate,
well Jay Jhonta's hurt. But you know what I'm saying,
those guys were not on the floor and they just
got thrashed.

Speaker 9 (01:31:49):
Man.

Speaker 1 (01:31:50):
They were They were just getting killed by Moses Moody
and Pat Spencer and Kevin Knox, and it was like,
who are all these guys scoring all these points against
the Rockets? And you had to go back to the starters.
Unfortunately with eight minutes left there in the fourth, so
they came in for six more minutes. I don't think
that's gonna be some huge storyline or it's gonna loom large.

(01:32:10):
I think the number one thing I will be looking
at for the next game is again what we were
kind of talking about going into Game five, and that's
Jalen Green, and it's got that added layer to it.

Speaker 8 (01:32:20):
For me.

Speaker 1 (01:32:21):
It's not only okay, is he going to be taken
out of the game with double teams and missing shots
like he's apt to do. How healthy is he going
to be? Because I was concerned with him the way
that he was moving around in that game. He left
with that knee injury at the end of the first quarter,
did check back in with eleven seconds left when there

(01:32:41):
was an offensive possession, and he did play in the
second half a little bit for the Rockets as well.
But Jalen Greens, as much as we want to dog
on him and talk about how poor he is, Like
if he's completely off the floor and is not at
least a threat for the Golden State Warriors defense to
account for, that's gonna hurt the Rockets offense of Lee
long term. See, I gotta be real, be real. I

(01:33:03):
liked Aaron Holiday getting some minutes. Yeah, but who who's
gonna be better over a forty eight minute game, Aaron
Holliday or Jalen Green? Healthy jay playoffs? Yes, I said
the one game. Yes, Aaron Holiday hasn't even been playing,
made the most of his minutes last night.

Speaker 3 (01:33:19):
I guess.

Speaker 1 (01:33:20):
Okay, so they won, all right, they won because of
Aaron Holiday. I'm just saying it didn't hurt him. Has
been hurting them. Uh, he has been. He's also one
of the reasons before last night, he was the reason
that they won Game two. But also I'm just worried
about his and that's something that he lost.

Speaker 4 (01:33:39):
Uh, I don know.

Speaker 1 (01:33:40):
No, the reason you lost Game four wasn't because of
Jalen Green because nobody can make a free throw.

Speaker 6 (01:33:43):
You missed twelve free throws.

Speaker 28 (01:33:45):
No, if he does what he if he's performs like
Jalen Green is supposed to be performing here at the
end of year four of his NBA career, he'd be
rocking and roll.

Speaker 1 (01:33:57):
Well he's not, and he's not moving well and his
he's gotten issues. That's okay. Aaron Holiday the key to victory.
I mean he's he's giving you a little bit of
a different look and a little bit of like he
can at least he makes shots. Aaron Holiday can shoot.
All right, I'm gonna tell you something. If they're getting
like thirty five minutes of Aaron Holiday is not better,
No it is. I mean it's just not. I'm sorry, Okay,

(01:34:21):
would you get sixteen? A lot of that was because
of garbage time as well. Aaron Holiday did play some
last night because of Jalen Green being hurt and if
he's not close, that's a decision. I don't know, And
nobody even asked about it. By the way, this is
like two straight games. Nobody asked about Jalen Green at
the end of Game four in the media availability post game,
and then nobody asked about him in this postgame either.

(01:34:41):
At least of all the cuts that we have, there's
not a single answer on Jalen Green. Like he was
out there noticeably limping, He had a huge rap on
his knee and he was grimacing and not moving well
the entire time, and then nobody asked about it. I
don't know.

Speaker 6 (01:34:52):
If we're getting uh, I hadn't heard it from that.

Speaker 1 (01:34:55):
If we're getting Ema Dooka in the next couple of days,
I would imagine we But I mean, that's a question
that has to be asked. And coach has talked about
him being banged up, but he was not moving well
at all. So it's it comes to the point of like, Okay,
should he be out there, and like you said, if
that means even if it's not he doesn't play or

(01:35:16):
he does, it's how many minutes does he goes? And
then yeah, I'm okay with Aaron Holliday. I mean, he's fine,
but I don't think he's like some key to unlocking
the Rockets potential as a team. Faron Holiday, is that
then your team's not very good. It's about the other guys.
It's about playing team defense. It's about alprinching gun doing
his thing and getting some three point production from Fred
van Vliet the last couple of games, which has been huge.

(01:35:38):
So it's all those things wrapped up, and it's something
I would say. The thing I'm keeping an eye on
and curious to ask coach about if we get the
opportunity or if somebody can ask him pregame in game
six is what is the deal with with Jalen Gron?
What's the day old Jalen Green on his knee? Well,

(01:35:58):
it's all on you.

Speaker 21 (01:35:59):
Aaron.

Speaker 28 (01:36:00):
Need Aaron Holiday come third, parlet's stop stop, need him
to make some shots, and you know.

Speaker 1 (01:36:05):
What, We're gonna put it all on where Jack Landale?
Would you know that meme with that guy that gets
drafted he's pointing at himself. That's Aaron Holiday me. It's
all on me.

Speaker 28 (01:36:12):
You know what thinks though it feels like Fred can't
have another off game. We need Fred to be really
good to Machu. Look, you can do what he did
this game. Now, a four of six three point shooting
isn't gonna happen. But I'm saying to the level of
what he gave you in Game four, which was wasted
unfortunately because you lost eight for twelve from three, that's
not gonna happen, and that's not necessarily what you're gonna need.

(01:36:35):
But yeah, if he can go out there and make
three or four threes, that just opens things up so much.
If if, if he can be effective for you offensively,
it's all about everybody contributing, because, as we know, the
Rockets don't have any one guy who say you, you
go out there and you dominate for us, and we're
gonna win this game. Steph Curry has been that guy
for the Golden State Warriors to an extent. Jimmy Butler

(01:36:58):
has been that guy for them as well, and they're
continuing to wear down. They're older, the series is wearing on.
They're going to be playing their fourth game and seven
in a week. That's what the old man.

Speaker 1 (01:37:08):
That's what gives me hope that this young team can.

Speaker 28 (01:37:12):
Like the if anybody can win three in a row
and come back and win the series, it's the young
guys that maybe the older guys for the Warriors of
Are weren't getting a little bit worn down.

Speaker 1 (01:37:23):
They look worn down. Steph Curry looked completely gased in
that game, even on the stretch.

Speaker 28 (01:37:27):
Of play a play a game day off, play a
game day off, as opposed to earlier in the series,
where you're getting like three days off between games.

Speaker 1 (01:37:34):
Exactly.

Speaker 6 (01:37:34):
Yeah, that's why.

Speaker 1 (01:37:35):
I mean yesterday being the third game in five days
and then coming up you get the fourth game in
uh seven days. That's that's what you're hoping for. They
just have fifth game in nine days coming up. It
would be game seven. That's why I think if they
can steal this one on the road, they're winning Game
seven at home.

Speaker 28 (01:37:50):
Yeah yeah, I mean they just but like the Pozemskis
and those guys, like they just threes.

Speaker 1 (01:37:56):
It's like, where did you come from? Yeah, Brandon Pa
Jimsey's good. I mean, look, they're they're well built team.
Buddy Heels can go off. He didn't do much of
anything in Game five that post, Dude, Quinn post, what
does he don't just starting quin Post. How about Moses
Moody with twenty five off the bench. He's good man. Arkansas,
They're a all right, They're a really good, well built team.

(01:38:16):
I feel like with Jimmy Butler on the floor. But
also I think the good thing is is their spacing
isn't very good when they start Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green,
and both of those guys are not three point shooters
and they're not keeping you honest. It makes it that
much easier for them to double team or at least
hedge or shade at Stephen Curry and guard them the

(01:38:38):
way that they have been so far in this series.

Speaker 28 (01:38:39):
What's so weird is the dynamic shift. When the Warriors
were in their heyday and rocking and rolling, they wanted
to run. They run up and down. This Wars team
doesn't want to and the Rockets want two. Yeah, And
like when the Rockets are running back and forth, back
and forth, you could see the Warriors getting tired.

Speaker 6 (01:38:57):
Yeah, getting tired, getting gas.

Speaker 1 (01:38:58):
And that's why one of the reasons I'm in Thompson
has been so effective the last couple of games. It's
getting out in transition when the other team is making
shots and then getting set in the half court. It's
a lot tougher for the spacing. It's a lot tougher
for them in Thompson to get down, you know, on
a runway and get towards the basket. Teams are going
to back up off them in the half court, and
we've seen that. So get out, get some steals, create

(01:39:19):
them a little bit of your own luck as far
as the turnovers and turning that into transition offenses, and
get running up and down the floor and running this
old team, this old Warriors team, ragged good things are
gonna happen, and they have and they did in this
last game for the Rockets in game number five. Game
number six is coming up Friday. I'll be on our
sister station, news radio seven forty k t RH. All right,

(01:39:41):
quick bottom of the hour break here on Sports Talk
seven ninety. I see you guys on hold. We'll get
to you as we go along. Seven to one three
two one two five seven ninety is your phone number,
seven to one three two one two five seven ninety.
Tweets at sports RV and at Chris Cordy as well
with you until two o'clock. It is The Thomas Show.
With Ross. Welcome back to the Matt Tabas Show with

(01:40:05):
Ross Ros Viriel and not Matt Thomas. Chris Gordy hanging out.
Appreciate you, Gordy rock and Roll. Would would you take
it as a compliment or would you say it's a negative?
If I called you the Mauricio Dubond now of Sports
Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 10 (01:40:24):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (01:40:25):
Rather throw you're filling in all Okay, we'll put you.
How about the Marwin Gonzales. Yeah, he did, well, we
can call you the Orlando Palmero of the of the
Sports Talk seven ninety. That works too, he was pretty good.
Jed Lowry, Oh, Jed Lowry, I like that one. Well,
you're filling in all over the place. You're gonna be
hanging out with Adam Clanton too, I mean, my god,
well just for a little bit. Yeah, okay, Uh, well,

(01:40:46):
Chris Gordy's hanging out with me. Now, you guys can
get in at seven one three two one two five
seven ninety seven one three two one two five seven
ninety We've been talking some Houston Rockets basketball and well
Mac in Perland when again on the phone lines and
talks and Rockets and he can do that right now,
Go ahead, Mac. I didn't know Jalen Green was hurting.

Speaker 29 (01:41:10):
The national broadcast doesn't say a lot about it. So,
but yes, that's very concerning. Also, I've just come back
from working in Midland for a lot of months, and
I'm curious what Cam Whitmore did or did not do
to get so far in.

Speaker 1 (01:41:29):
The dog huh uh. Yeah, there's no specifics on that necessarily.
I'm just going to tell you just from observations, Cam
werder more attitude has looked pretty bad. It looks like,
you know, he had those weird, bizarre comments that he
had made in a post game as well. After one
of the games he had gone off and he was like,
I don't know what else I need to do to
get more minutes on this team. I'm going to guess

(01:41:51):
it's an A and attitude problem. B. He plays a
little bit too out of control to get meaningful minutes
in a playoff game. And see I mean that offensively
and then the defensively. He misses too many assignments and
and perhaps shows too much of a lack of focus
for coach Udoka to trust him in a playoff setting.

Speaker 9 (01:42:09):
Got it okay?

Speaker 1 (01:42:12):
So he's probably trade bait. Yeah, if there's another team
that says, hey, I can fix Cam Whitmore, I can
fix him. We can do it if you can find
somebody that's interested. His highlight reels look good. He's aggressive,
gets in the basket, but I think he sometimes plays
a little bit too out of control, plays a little
bit too much for himself rather than for others. He
needs to go to Phoenix, And who would be coming back, Mac, Nobody,

(01:42:39):
Nobody ship him off for nothing. Okay, I don't know.

Speaker 29 (01:42:43):
There's gotta be gotta be. He's on what some sort
of rookie salaries.

Speaker 1 (01:42:46):
Just yeah, I thought you mean, I thought you were
a meaning hinting out of Kevin Durant pack Kevin Durant
trade package or something. I I hope they don't do that.

Speaker 29 (01:42:57):
The cost is going to be high, and and you know,
he could be in the third game, he could get
a knee injury, and that's that's kissing goodbye, you know.

Speaker 1 (01:43:09):
Yeah, all right, thanks a lot, Mac, appreciate it. Uh. Yeah,
he'll be thirty seven by the start of next season.
I think Kevin Durant would be. But this Rockets team
as of right now, a lot of people have been
calling for Cam Whitmore. It's the fifty two million that
bothers me with Kevin Durant all the time. My money,
I don't care, but I don't know. But you got
a match salaries to make it work? Yeah, Fred van

(01:43:30):
Vlee's making forty How does that work with the team?
So it's a team options trade, I think so. Well,
then the ESPN trade machine, Okay, he says, tradable. Okay,
well then he's not.

Speaker 28 (01:43:43):
So to make it work, at least salary matchup. Wise
you'd have to give up. And at least this is
through the trades. I've run Dylan Brooks, Jock Landale Reed Shepherd,
Jabari Smith and a draft pickeror two.

Speaker 6 (01:43:56):
Did you mentioned Jalen Green?

Speaker 1 (01:43:59):
I didn't. I don't think Jayalen in the trade. Yeah,
he's making thirty million. That gets you there close, quill.

Speaker 28 (01:44:05):
I've seen some people though, say, don't do it, don't
give up on Jayalen Green. You're gonna regret this because
there have been some like that. Okay, so the Jayalen
Green truthers, you know what they say out there? Well, yeah,
two years under Steven Silas, those don't even count. So
now he's only got now, he's got two years of
NBA chack, so he's just scratching the service. And if
you trade him, mark my words, within three years he

(01:44:27):
is going to be a superstar in this league and
you're gonna go, what did we do?

Speaker 1 (01:44:31):
It's possible, but unlikely. I think that's completely foolish to
just dismiss the first two years of his career just
because Steven Silas is there. Steven Silas is a good
offensive coach, right and they let him work and operate
and get up a bunch of shots. Talking about Jalen Green,
and that's ridiculous to say that. I think it is
valid to say he lost a developmental year in between

(01:44:54):
high school and the NBA because he was on g
leagu ignit in the middle of the pandemic. And I
want to say he played like seven eight games or no, no, no,
that's that's wrong. I think it was like seventeen games
or something like that. It's under twenty games that he
played in between high school and the NBA because of
the the covid G League season was shortened.

Speaker 28 (01:45:13):
I've seen people say similar to think about Chegoon. I'm
just telling you right now, if the Bucks want to
send me Yannis and Shangoon has to be part of
the deal, I'm doing it. I'm okay, I've seen, but
there are people out there like, nope, hanging the phone up,
not even a discussion.

Speaker 1 (01:45:28):
A guy who just made his first All Star Game
and it's becoming next Jokic.

Speaker 20 (01:45:32):
No not.

Speaker 28 (01:45:34):
I'm like, guys, I love Shinggoon. But if you can
get Yannis Hunt Da Kompo with I'm and Thompson and
some of these other pieces, you do it.

Speaker 1 (01:45:43):
I'm gonna tell you something for Yeah, those people and
these weren't even Turkish bots, like those are the ones.
All those are ones on Twitter. You gotta watch out though,
those in your family, best player in country, Like, good lord,
those guys are like, here's your ipatress, I'm gonna come
find you. You're like, oh my god, it's not that
we're talking basketball.

Speaker 28 (01:46:01):
He's awesome, and it's awesome that he's got fans out
there and all that. But I'm just telling you, like this,
if they decide this offseason that they wanted that they
are a superstar away, I'm sorry, there's nobody nobody off
the table to get.

Speaker 1 (01:46:14):
Honest to me, Can we do some real talk on
a Thursday about both Jalen Green and Alprinching goonh there
was one player that the Warriors were hunting on every
single offensive possession to start that game yesterday. His name
is Alprinching Goon.

Speaker 2 (01:46:26):
YEP.

Speaker 1 (01:46:27):
They were getting him out in space. They were trying
to find him on pick and rolls. He was guarding
Brandon Pajemski and so they were bringing him out there
and then trying to get in picking rolls where the
Rockets were scrambling and trying to trap everything. But they're
hunting Auprnching Goon. He gets hunted and he's going to
get That's going to happen because his defense is just
not there.

Speaker 26 (01:46:44):
Now.

Speaker 1 (01:46:44):
I will say his defense is way better. That's it's improved.
Can he continue to improve? Maybe he is twenty two
years old, that is also true, and Jalen Green's twenty
three and al Prnching Goon will be twenty three. Let
me see in July in the middle of this season.
But also for three straight years, alprynching Goun's field goal

(01:47:04):
percentages have gone down down to where he was under fifty.
He's six foot eleven the vast majority of his shots
are within the painter in the mid range, and he's
shooting under fifty percent.

Speaker 28 (01:47:17):
Yeah, that's the Shay gild Just thing is the one
that scares you because the Clippers, it's almost like they
didn't know what they had. That's trade has become one
of the faces of the league with the Thunder, And
I was talking about this with Adam Clinton.

Speaker 1 (01:47:29):
Shay Gilges Alexander is an example a guy who got
traded away and then he bloss him into a superstar.
Jalen Brunson is another example of a guy who was
traded away and bloss him into a superstar. Devin Booker
is another guy who was very young and he stayed
in one place, but he got better and better and better.
But I'm gonna tell you something. I was looking at
this yesterday because I had a lot of free time
in between the Matt Thomas Show and doing the Rockets game.

(01:47:53):
I looked up shooting percentages and three point and two
point percentages and all like box plus minus win shares,
all that type of stuff, and I came to a
sad realization. Shay Gilgis, Devin Booker, Zach Levine, Jalen Brunson.
All of them in their first four years were miles
ahead of Jalen Green. They just were. And so this

(01:48:16):
this waiting around for Jalen Green to become a superstar. Honestly,
it's looking more likely that he's going to be Kevin
Martin or Monte Ellis than he is going to be
Jalen Brunson or shag Gilgess Alexander. That's a that's another
harsh rat.

Speaker 28 (01:48:31):
I'm fine keeping him if you know, like I said, like,
if it takes moving is shit and Goon to get
a Janis, I'm fine Jalen Green playing with Janis, Like
I'm not. I'm not saying you have to move him,
but I'm just saying, like to go get a monster piece,
I'm willing to move whatever it takes.

Speaker 1 (01:48:49):
Yeah, the only question would be with gan Is being thirty,
He's got three to four more elite years in his
but his game is predicated on his athleticism more than
his skill in my opinion. I mean, he's skilled right,
especially with free with with making tough layups and all

(01:49:10):
that type of stuff. But once he kind of loses that,
maybe he never will just because of how tall and
how lengthy he is, but that that explosiveness that he has,
that first step he's his game is really really predicated
on that. And so when that goes away, that's why
I think I think Dame Lillard's career is over. He
just riched his Achilles. He's gonna be thirty five years old.
He needs that fast step, that that that quickness James

(01:49:33):
Harden never needs. Man join the club we talked to
h Yeah, well, unfortunately, but Kevin Durant has been successful
after outside of an Achilles because he is one of
the most skilled shooters and players and scores and bucket
getters in the history of the planet. He's got i
mean a bag way deeper than than Jannistin to Google
or Dame Lillard, so he can still be effective. Also

(01:49:53):
because you know, you can't teach that height and length
that he has a.

Speaker 28 (01:49:56):
Shooting ducks there. You make a move for Durant, even
if it's just for one year, to bring him in here.
What if he gets hurt? Yeah, totally screwed.

Speaker 1 (01:50:03):
It could happen to anybody, could happen, he on, this
could happen. It could happen. Jalen Greens hurt right now,
it's happened to him in Golden State. Yeah, you're dealing
with a lot of unknowns. That's that's unfortunate. That's the
the harsh reality of this business, and that's why it's
very hard being in an NBA general manager.

Speaker 28 (01:50:18):
Would you if you've been a trade with Phoenix, would
you rather Booker or Booker? Look at his years and money.
He's got a years and a lot of money. Again,
tell him how much is telling for Tida Worth? Ain't
my money. I don't care about it.

Speaker 1 (01:50:32):
Your money.

Speaker 28 (01:50:33):
I'm not saying like I care about him making a
lot of money. I don't care about There's a salary
cap and you're restricted and you can't right now. They
have flexibility, Yeah, you don't have flexibility if you take
on a Devin Booker contract.

Speaker 1 (01:50:46):
Oh no, I'm taking on a superstar player who can
who's carried a team to the finals. I'm okay with
taking the team the finals.

Speaker 28 (01:50:51):
Bolso sucked ass the last two years, like their team
ain't doing nothing?

Speaker 6 (01:50:55):
Yeah recently?

Speaker 28 (01:50:56):
Okay, Well, the reason why they want to sell, why
why they got him in their garage?

Speaker 1 (01:51:00):
The Rockets could be out on Friday in the first round.
So but also I understand the philosophy if he of
saying this team just exceeded expectation. Course, right, I get
that too, And I'm okay, I'm not saying shake things up.
I'm just saying, right now, to me, the odds are
Shongoon is what he is, fringe All star type of
player with big defensive issues. And Jalen Green is what

(01:51:22):
he is, fringe all star player who maybe never reaches
that all that echelon of perennial All star and superstar player.
And that's what Rafael Stone has to figure out. They're
around these guys. A lot of all those figuring those
things out is work ethic and what is inside their
their heads and their hearts rather than the physical gifts
that we see that they have. It's about putting in

(01:51:43):
that work and getting better and reaching their ceilings. If
if the Rockets say, hey, we're gonna stay the course,
we're not gonna get off course. We're ahead of schedule anyways,
so we're gonna stay with this core, I'm okay with that.
We'll see how it plays out. That's up to them.
What do you think? Seven one three, two one two
five seven ninety is the phone number series ain't over

(01:52:05):
by the way either seven one three two one two five,
seven ninety. And I also think if they can get
through this Warriors series, they would be they would be
clear favorites and have home court advantage against the Minutes.
Soa timberwolf. So a lot to discuss with the Rockets
here with Chris Cordy, myself, Ross, if your reale and
you at seven one three, two one two five, seven ninety.
It is the Matt Thomas Show with Ross with you
until two o'clock here on Sports Talk seven ninety twelve

(01:52:28):
fifty pm. Here Sports Talk seven ninety the Matt Thomas
Show with Ross with Matt Thomas. He's basically a part
time host on this show at this point, and that's okay.
Let me appreciate him traveling with the Rockets. Here's the thing.
Do you want you get? You get more airtime than
he does on the show back in the studio than
you want the Rockets to lose. If you want the Rockets,

(01:52:49):
he keep going far than you're gonna have to do
without some Mats. Yeah, I can handle it. No, Matt
and the Rockets are winning. That's a dub that you
win twice.

Speaker 15 (01:52:56):
Brother.

Speaker 28 (01:52:57):
Here's the problem. Lakers loss last night? So what So
the Warriors are gonna get every call on Friday cause.

Speaker 1 (01:53:04):
The league cannot have they can't have the lip and
the Warriors stop you and Adam Klan with your ten
foil hats. This this supposed to have happened all year long.
Wouldn't THEO wouldn't they have already rigged the series. We're
five games in. I'm just telling you guess what. You
know what they can't rig when you're taking when you're

(01:53:26):
making a bunk sixty percent of your free throw of
sixty percent of your three pointers, and you're making all
your free throws, they can't rig anything. Hey, if you're
Adam Silver, you're sitting in your office house. Please. We
already have Jannis out, Yeah, no, Lillard, Aunt Edwards, Lebron
and Luca and Edwards is an ascending star. Oh, the

(01:53:49):
Oklahoma City Thunder.

Speaker 3 (01:53:50):
And Ship.

Speaker 1 (01:53:54):
Calves and nobody can name a play. Okay, they're gonna
be pretty pissed if it's Wolves Thunder, but the Warriors, Okay,
Rockets have Soul, Thunder and Calves. Who are the other teams?
America loves Jack Landale, they want him. They nobody gets
more ratings than Jack Landale. I'm surprised the Knicks don't
get calls for being in New York. Yes see, that
should tell you, shouldn't. The Knicks didn't get a call

(01:54:15):
on the last play of that game when Tim Hardaway
Junior got fouled against the Detroit Pistons. That should tell
you the league is not rigged, because the Knicks haven't
won since then, since Walt Clyde Fraser and the boy
Willis Reid is popping out of the tunner.

Speaker 28 (01:54:30):
Is still like he's one of, if not the face
of the league. He's still up there. I would is
it still Lebron?

Speaker 1 (01:54:37):
I guess I'm talking like kids in school.

Speaker 28 (01:54:39):
Like kids, it shifted from kids, like young kids just
being fans of stars, from Lebron to Steph like every
kid had a step I think.

Speaker 1 (01:54:47):
I think a big part of it started with Lebron
James because he was a Cavalier and then he went
to the Heat and a lot of people love Lebron
James and they became Heat fans and back to Cavs
fans and Lakers fans, and so it's like that to
me kind of kicked off this this culture that we
have now where people are more fans of players than teams.

Speaker 28 (01:55:03):
Yeah, but I'm just saying, like Steph, if they could
keep stuff in it, they they would love to keep.

Speaker 1 (01:55:07):
Stuff in it. They would love to, but also they
just got to win. Nobody nationalis tuned in to see
what you show. Adam Silver is pulling down the call.
Look if they if the league was rigged, Tim Duncan
and the boring ass Spurs would not have won five championships.
They just wouldn't have.

Speaker 28 (01:55:26):
They're gonna go, all right, They're gonna go Tea Drau.
I know Draymond pushed Jabari, but Jabari swung back. So Jabari,
you're rejected and Draymond come and fall.

Speaker 1 (01:55:34):
Well, we'll see what happens. Put your ten fold head
on and watch the game Friday night seven one three
two one two five seven ninety The phone number seven
one three two one two, five seven and ninety Marcus
holding longest, what's up, Marcus?

Speaker 22 (01:55:50):
Hey, guys, I just wanted to touch back on the
Jalen Green stuff. I just had a few questions for y'all.
Maybe y'all can answer them. Number one would be, does
Jalen Green make superstar money?

Speaker 1 (01:56:04):
Uh, no, you do or don't know where I'm he
doesn't no, no where I'm going.

Speaker 10 (01:56:10):
Get where I'm going with this is he doesn't get
paid like a superstar.

Speaker 19 (01:56:15):
He's twenty three years old.

Speaker 22 (01:56:17):
Some guys, it takes a little bit longer to develop,
especially for a twenty three year old young man in
any profession.

Speaker 1 (01:56:25):
Number one, Marcus, I don't know about the NBA. We
see got by year four.

Speaker 28 (01:56:31):
Superstars are usually starting a blossom if you're a superstar.

Speaker 1 (01:56:35):
Yeah, and look it's everybody is certainly on a different timeline, Marcus.
But as far as like John Morant busted out in
his third year, Anthony Edwards became a star in his
third year. Uh, it did take a little bit longer
for for Devin Booker. But as I said, if you
compare like shooting percentages and points per game and all
that type of stuff earlier in their careers, Devin Booker

(01:56:55):
is miles away.

Speaker 22 (01:56:56):
Ahead, go ahead, let's look at the full context of it.
All those guys were a one player option. One player
who's been the who's been the number one option for
this team over the last four years.

Speaker 10 (01:57:07):
It's been a multitude of the I bet if we
go look at.

Speaker 1 (01:57:11):
The If we look at the field goals attempted in
the last four years, I'm gonna guess I don't have
it in front of me. I'm gonna bet you though.
If we look at field goals attempted the last four years,
it's been jal Green. I think it's been Jalen Green
all four years.

Speaker 10 (01:57:24):
I'm gonna pull it over, but not over the course
of a full season. Guys, it hasn't consistently been.

Speaker 1 (01:57:31):
Him as our number one option.

Speaker 22 (01:57:33):
If there was a point in time last year when
Sengoon went down and we and Jalen.

Speaker 10 (01:57:38):
Took off, because he was kind of that guy. So
I do want to show him.

Speaker 22 (01:57:43):
Grace in that area, because I don't believe that we
should be so quick to move on from somebody that
number one isn't getting paid like a superstar number two
where a lot of Rocket fans are running around with
this entitlement.

Speaker 10 (01:57:59):
Like we're the Austin Celtics, and three, where the hell
have they been the last four years? They just showed back.

Speaker 19 (01:58:05):
Up to the party.

Speaker 1 (01:58:06):
Okay, you're last.

Speaker 10 (01:58:06):
I just want to tell everyone pump the bates just
a little bit. You're going against a really, really great
player across from you. Not to mention, he's playing beside
two all defensive.

Speaker 1 (01:58:19):
Players with him with a great coach, So we need
to take everything. Yeah, if that's what's gonna happen to
the playoffs, Marcus, you've got to step up. You guess
what's gonna happen. If you want to reach a superstar status,
You're gonna go up against great players. You're gonna go
up against great defenses. You're gonna go up against I'm
gonna put you on hold for one second because we're
talking over each other, the Marcus, I'm putting you on hold.

(01:58:40):
I will let you get the last word. Now, would
you go into the playoffs? And this is the first round.
This is the first round. He's getting shut down and
by simple track round Yeah, I mean, look, and I
understand he is twenty three years old, but I just
looked it up for you because you were bringing up
he hasn't been the focal point of the number one
option the last four years. The number one player in

(01:59:03):
field goal attempts every year has been Jalen Green for
the Houston Rockets. And this is how it's gonna be
if you want to be a superstar. The Sacramento Kings
aren't hanging out in the playoffs. It's got to be
the Golden State Warriors. It is gonna be the best
defenders on the planet. It is gonna be smart coaches
scheming against you, and you're going to have to rise
above that. And so far, five games in, Jalen Green

(01:59:26):
has risen above that just once. That's That's what I'm saying.
This is how it's gonna be us Kate Cunningham doing
for the Piston. You can't I don't know. I mean,
we can bring that up, but we're talking about specifically
Jalen Green, who has been basically below average by every metric.
The top guys that year is him, Evan Mobley and
Kate Cunningham.

Speaker 28 (01:59:45):
Like the expectation is you were taking top three in
a draft four years ago, you should the expectations you already.

Speaker 1 (01:59:53):
We look at the same draft. It has been. It
is Kate Cunningham who's been an All Star and carrying
a Piston teams. It is Evan mobile who just that's
one defensive player of the Year and is on arguably
the best team in basketball in the Cleveland Cavaliers. Scotty
Barnes has been an All Star team All Star player
in that same amount of time.

Speaker 6 (02:00:09):
And I'm not saying jalen career.

Speaker 1 (02:00:10):
Jalen's career is over, but he is significantly lagging by
others even in the own top of his own draft
class at this point, Marcus, and all that is fair,
I get it.

Speaker 10 (02:00:23):
I'm just being realistic here.

Speaker 22 (02:00:25):
Yes, you're gonna have to beat Steph Curry and to
get to the top, that's the obvious. But in your
first year in the playoffs, I don't care who you are,
You're not getting past Steph Curry nine times out of ten.
And that's all I'm saying is I'm just trying to
show the kid a little bit of grace. I don't
believe that there is a dire need to rush this
offseason into making that decision.

Speaker 10 (02:00:48):
He's not getting paid like a superstar.

Speaker 22 (02:00:50):
I believe you have another year of flexibility after this
season if he continues the inconsistency.

Speaker 1 (02:00:57):
I'm full on board with you guys, or a bunch.

Speaker 10 (02:01:00):
Of other people that want to move on from him. Yeah,
I just don't think we should be that much in
a rush.

Speaker 1 (02:01:06):
I get you, Marcus, thank you appreciate it. We got
to hit the top of the hour break and I
and I even said as much in the last sub
and I said, look, if if rafel Stone says, hey,
we're ahead of schedule, we're gonna roll with these guys.

Speaker 6 (02:01:15):
We're gonna dance with who brung us to this level, I'm.

Speaker 1 (02:01:18):
Okay with that. He's getting thirty million a year though way.

Speaker 6 (02:01:20):
Now, yeah, max is like fifty and then three three.

Speaker 28 (02:01:23):
Years, one hundred and five million or something like that. Like,
it's it's not dirt. That's not superstar money. Though it's
not the Max, but it's not dirt. They gave him
star treatment, not super much. But Marcus is right, fifty
million dollars is MAX money. And well also I don't
even know he's eligible for that because it was just
a rookie extension.

Speaker 1 (02:01:41):
He's a younger player, so I don't know what the
exact MAX he could have made. But Fred he has,
Fred van Vliet is getting paid more than him. But
because well he signed it because I think he wanted
flexibility with the opt outs. But but super max money
is seventy million dollars. Max money is fifty million dollars.
And even if he's not eligible for that, right, now
he is not making money that that Aunt Edwards and

(02:02:02):
whoever else that we're talking about is making. So that
is true from Marcus. But thirty million dollars is, as
you say, nothing to sneeze at, and you still need
to be performing up to a level. Okay, we gotta
get a kick quick. Top of the hour break here
on the Matt Thomas Show with Ross Sports SOX seven
I doty, you want to get in you can seven
one three two one two five. Our number four of

(02:02:22):
the Matt Thomas Show with Ross is upon us. Matt
Thomas is traveling with the Rockets. They are headed to
sam Frei Sisco as they will be taking on the Warriors.
Oh line back to five and a half. I'm just
telling you, folks, this is my unofficial mine is five
and a half and my unofficial Rockets Homer opinion. Uh,

(02:02:45):
Rockets are covering that five and a half. Let's go, baby.
I don't know if they're gonna win the game fifty
to fifty spot there for me, but you feel like
if they win six, they're winning seven. They're winning seven.
Barring our good friend Jalen Green's health. Have we been
talking about him and having some healthy discos.

Speaker 28 (02:03:02):
Imagine though, another Game seven loss at Toyota Center versus
the Warriors.

Speaker 1 (02:03:09):
You don't have to talk about that. I'm just saying.
I'm just saying. I'm just saying.

Speaker 7 (02:03:14):
Man.

Speaker 1 (02:03:15):
Uh So, as I mentioned, I was bringing up the
careers of some young wings. Some other guys like Anthony
Edwards was an All Star by his third season. John
Morant was an All Star by his third season. Uh,
Devin Booker and Jake Gilgess and Alexander j Jalen Brunson,
guys like that. You look at her, I might have
taken you start to see it. Yeah, I mean he

(02:03:38):
was a he won a dunk contest at age thirteen. Look, okay,
so right now, if you look at some of those
tracks of the biggest stars, let's see Kobe was an
All Star his second year. Okay, yeah, he had shack.
I mean when they won those titles. No, that can't
be right. He was an All Star in his second year.
It must have been fan vote or something. He only

(02:03:58):
averaged fifteen a game. But then he didn't make an
All Star team and oh that was the lockout year.
In the third year, and then he was starting to
get MVP votes. To plants Player of the Year votes
and All Star votes in his fourth season, how was
at age twenty one. Also, Kobe Bryant's one of the
greatest of all time. Jalen Green is well behind that track.

Speaker 3 (02:04:15):
It just is what it is.

Speaker 1 (02:04:17):
So the question is where is he going to end up?
Where is he going to be how much is he
going to improve? I do think he's gotten better all
four years in the NBA as far as an all
around player, especially defensively. The question is how much better
is he going to get?

Speaker 28 (02:04:34):
I mean, I hope he's a superstar. I don't think
that's happening. I'm just his personality to be realistic, it's
such he's he's such a good dude when you talk
to him. But he's just he's just soft spoken too.
So like you always think of like superstars are like, yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:04:54):
Who has been like the quietest super like Tim Duncan.
But he he just didn't like to speak right, and
he was in a mar like the who is the
best NBA player? Who was extremely soft spoken and didn't
really want to speak to the media. I don't know,
I'll have to think on that. We got a couple
of people holding so let's go ahead and get to

(02:05:14):
you folks. Seven one, three, two five, seven ninety is
the phone number Biscuit has been holding patiently. Biscuit, go ahead,
the floor is yours.

Speaker 9 (02:05:22):
Yes, sir, a soft spoken player.

Speaker 10 (02:05:24):
Are you talking about this? Great?

Speaker 1 (02:05:26):
I would throw a quiet Leonard in that, but oh
that's a good Let's enough.

Speaker 9 (02:05:31):
Well let me say it.

Speaker 10 (02:05:32):
This is Rawson and I mean Rawson and staying.

Speaker 9 (02:05:37):
Uh. First of all, I kind of came in late
on it, so I.

Speaker 10 (02:05:41):
Mean Gordy, I'm like, I knew Gordy was saying this.

Speaker 1 (02:05:44):
Uh.

Speaker 9 (02:05:44):
So, are you guys saying that we should move on
from Jalen Green? Is that what you got saying?

Speaker 16 (02:05:48):
Or what?

Speaker 9 (02:05:49):
What are you actually saying?

Speaker 1 (02:05:50):
I'm I saying, I'm saying, I don't know. I'm We're
just talking out loud. If you think that, if you
think that Jalen Green is going to be a superstar,
you keep him. If you think he's not going to
reach that level, and you want to throw the baby
out with the bathwater, then you get rid of him
and go ahead. I was just gonna say this was
rooted in the conversation.

Speaker 28 (02:06:06):
It's been talked about a lot of social media's okay,
the season comes to it in do you go get
a superstar? If Giannis is available, if Durant or Booker
is available, and who's off limits? And I've seen some
people are like, oh, you can't trade Jalen Green because
if he goes elsewhere, it's gonna kill you when he
becomes a superstar and you're five or you're six.

Speaker 1 (02:06:24):
But to me, I'm like, you can't worry about that.

Speaker 28 (02:06:26):
Like, if you feel like that's what's best for your
team to get over the hump, is adding a yanis
I give up whatever the hell I need to do
to get a Gianis out to Takombo.

Speaker 1 (02:06:33):
Yeah, And if you're asking for my current my current
opinion right now is Jalen Green is not a superstar
in the waiting in the wings.

Speaker 19 (02:06:40):
But dude, he hap to become a superstar for this team.

Speaker 1 (02:06:44):
Somebody, somebody on the team does unless they're gonna be
the two thousand and four Pistons who have won one championship. Somebody,
if the if the goal is championship success, yes he
has to be one, or somebody on this team has
to be one.

Speaker 9 (02:06:57):
Maybe it could be Thompson, but let me, let me
because let me say, what if he comes to a
level of a Jamal Murray superstar, not a not an
All star, but a very good player on a good team, what.

Speaker 1 (02:07:11):
Does Jabal Murray have next to him? It's the greatest
player in the man.

Speaker 9 (02:07:16):
Maybe maybe Thompson can become that, or maybe Saint Goon
can become that. What I'm saying to you, though I
wouldn't to me, let's pump the brakes. I keep saying that.
But go look and see what Steph Curry and did
in their first time in the playoffs. They wasn't lighting
it up. I mean they they got beat two and
Golden State. We know Jalen Green is the number one

(02:07:39):
offensive player on the team and Golden State knows that too,
So they are concentrating on Jalen Now it's something that
he has to go through.

Speaker 1 (02:07:46):
That's's gonna happen to the playoffs. Yeah, oh no, they're
kind They're concentrating on them. That's what they're gonna do.
That's playoff basketball. But they concentrated on Michael Jordan, they
concentrate on Lebron James, they concentrate on Edwards.

Speaker 9 (02:07:59):
They didn't do well they first time ad it though,
it's something that he has to grow on. And you
guys keep saying, I'm I'm of the opinion I'm only
counting two years of Jalen Green.

Speaker 1 (02:08:10):
Okay, Jalen Green. Okay, let's know you told me to
bring up Steph Curry. I just did it. Steph Curry
has played one hundred and fifty two playoff games. He
has double digits twice. Jalen Green has double digits three
times already in one series. Single I'm sorry, single digits.

Speaker 9 (02:08:28):
Talk about single.

Speaker 1 (02:08:29):
Digit Excuse me, I'm sorry I missed, but single digits.
Steph Curry in one hundred and fifty two playoff games.
He's done it twice. Jalen Green has done it three
times already.

Speaker 9 (02:08:38):
And it might have been in the first time round
and and and Steph Curry might not even be a
good comparison, okay, because Steph is a higher level Thana,
Yes he is.

Speaker 1 (02:08:48):
He's a superstar. I don't think Jalen Green is a superstar.

Speaker 26 (02:08:52):
Right.

Speaker 9 (02:08:53):
So the point I'm making Ross is if you can't
pray for Giannis and you give up the whole team,
you're gonna beat Milwaukee in Houston. It's you know, I'm
not saying Jalen's untouchable, but I would be very wary
of giving up all my assets to bring in one
guy and then you stuck where you was before. I'm saying,
add to what you got, let's see if the guy can.

Speaker 19 (02:09:15):
Continue to grow.

Speaker 9 (02:09:16):
Let's get a coach another season to season them. It's
a thirty game improvement over two years. Thirty games, yes,
and Jalen has improved. He's got Now. I'm with you,
and like you don't if you shot is not falling,
you can't just fall off the map. And that's what
Jalen has done in a couple of games this series.

(02:09:37):
So let's hope that he grows from it. Let's hope
that he grows. Now, how many years of step go
to college?

Speaker 1 (02:09:44):
He was at Davidson. It was a three or four years.

Speaker 9 (02:09:47):
You know what I'm saying. Jalen didn't do that. So
when Steph probably was doing it, he probably was older
than Jalen is. Right now, I'm just saying, man, it's
not time to panic and throw every the bath. Let's
stay the course many manit I'm adding to it, if
you can get somebody without giving up much. But I

(02:10:07):
don't know, if I give up Green, Sanggoone and Thompson,
those three I think you need to keep. And if
you give up other peoples around that to add to,
then I could go for it. But sang Goon, Thompson
and Green, I think that should be your core.

Speaker 1 (02:10:23):
All right, thank you, biscuit, I appreciate it. You're going
to have to give one of them up in a
in a deal for a superstar.

Speaker 28 (02:10:30):
If if Milwaukee says they're giving up Giannis, they don't
want to bottom out, they want to hit the ground
running and make the playoffs again real soon. Or to
do that, you got to get put the next potential,
you know, an up and coming star. So they're gonna
want a Shinggoon or Jalen Green, and you probably can
throw it a Jabari Smith, thorw Reech Shepherd or Tim

(02:10:51):
Whitmore to help sweeten the pot.

Speaker 1 (02:10:52):
But that's what it's gonna take.

Speaker 28 (02:10:54):
I don't think there's a world where you could add
a Durant, a Giannis, a Booker and you get to
keep Shinghoun, Jalen Green and i'man Thompson.

Speaker 1 (02:11:04):
Yeah, It's like it's like stock trading. You have to
decide where is the ceiling of Jalen Green's stock. If
you think he's getting close to the ceiling, then you
sell that stock and you look for something better, and
you look for something bigger. And I'm not saying and
I understand the sentiment that you need to stick with
this and you need to stay the course, and they
are ahead of schedule, but I also am seeing things

(02:11:24):
that we have not seen from other players on Superstar
Arcs and Biscuit brought up Steph Curry. He's only got
two single digit scoring games in his playoff history. I
just brought up Aunt Edwards. He has played thirty two
playoff games. He has zero. Kate Cunningham right now has
played as many playoff games as as Jalen Green has had.
He has not been under twenty points in a game.

Speaker 28 (02:11:48):
Can I throw into I owe the Timberwolves an apology
because the day they traded for Gobert, I said that
was the dumbest move.

Speaker 1 (02:11:55):
That would seem like a dumb trend. Now made the
finals last year, Yeah, yeah, all right, we got to
get to a break here. We got a couple on
hold that promise we'll get to you. And I understand
the the grace period and the waiting on this, but
at some point you got to stop waiting and when
when is that going to be? That's up the rough

(02:12:15):
set rofel Stone and coach Udoka and the Houston Rockets.
Seven one three two one two five seven ninety is
the phone number. Seven one three two one two five
seven nightty. Matt Tomashow continues after their short break. All Right,
some fun, the spirited discussions happening here. That's what sports
radio is all about. You folks want to get in,
you can seven one three two one two five seven ninety.

(02:12:39):
Seven one three two one two five seven ninety the
phone number if you'd like to get in. You can
also send tweets to UH at sports RV at Chris
Gordy as well. We get the A team coming up
at two o'clock. We'll also hear a good conversation from
Brian McTaggart on some Houston astros coming up as well.
All right, let's keep it going on the phone lines

(02:13:01):
here with Mike in San Antonio holding longest on the program. Mike,
go ahead, Hey, good afternoon, guys.

Speaker 5 (02:13:09):
I'm gonna I mainly called them. Had heard some comments
about Steve Kerr but what a fantastic feeling it was
to see the Rockets do what they did last night.
The shame they didn't get one of those gangs in
Golden State, but it is what it is. Before I
talk about Kerr the question on Jalen Green and spyder
Ray Ross, I really like your analysis that you do.

(02:13:29):
I don't call a lot, but I'm not. I'm I
consider myself a casual fan, no expert by any means,
and it makes it simple to understand some of the
you know, tik taking stuff, So I appreciate it. But
the Rockets don't have a great shooter. They don't have
a superstar guy like you see the other teams. And
I've asked, like Matt before, and I've called, what do

(02:13:50):
they need? They need a perimeter shooter. They need somebody
like a Steph Curry that even when somebody's in the space,
he makes these in credible shots.

Speaker 19 (02:13:57):
They don't have it.

Speaker 5 (02:13:58):
So that's kind of my take on jentlely Green. But
what I really called that was Steve Kerr. I heard
his post game a little bit of it last night,
and he was asked if when the game was getting
a little bit closer than we liked it and it
was still double digits what he had put his starters
back in. And he answered no, he said he wouldn't
have done He can't do that. I don't believe him.
That's what he said. I'm curious of your take on

(02:14:20):
this and the other thing, this thing that's going around
about the targeting of Steph. He was asked, and I'll say,
to his credit, the way he answered it, he said,
that's the rules, the rules of the NBA. And I
didn't even know this after the shots made. I guess
you can hit their arm or something. He did not answer.

Speaker 29 (02:14:41):
Yes.

Speaker 5 (02:14:41):
I mean the guy was I heard all this a
little bit last night, but I'm just curious your guys
takes on that.

Speaker 1 (02:14:46):
Yan Books comments on hitting Steph Curry, No, no, Steve Kerr, Oh,
Steve Kerr talking about Yeah. So I think once the
ball leaves the hand, you can hit somebody on the hand. Now,
that doesn't mean you can like swipe at them and
try to you know, like Gorilla gripped their thumb and
rip it off. You can't do that. But you can
hit somebody on the hand once the ball leaves the hand.
That is that is legal.

Speaker 5 (02:15:07):
Yeah, And that's what he said. So when he was
asked the question, because you can say they were baiting
him or whatever, you know, you want to call it,
he was asked the question and the way he answered
it because he could have said yeah, he didn't. He said,
that's the rules. We want to get that changed, but
that's the rules right now. He did not say they're
targeting him, you know not. This was cur saying it.

(02:15:29):
And so I'll give him credit for that, even though
I don't like him yet. I am here curious to
hear your thoughts on if you think he would have
got a little closer if he would have put the
starter He said he wouldn't have Yeah, he'd do it,
and I was just I was really surprised by that.

Speaker 1 (02:15:43):
There would have been the threshold. Mike, thank you appreciate
you getting in. It's probably to a point, right if
it was like a three point game with five minutes left, Yeah,
he puts his starters back in. I think. But we
mentioned this earlier that even to the point of where
it got to where it was within thirteen points with
like five and change left, the win probability for the
Rockets was still ninety eight point seven percent So if

(02:16:05):
you said we're packing it in, we're resting our guys,
We're putting them on ice. We got a bunch of
old veteran guys that need this extra time off because
this third game in five days, clearly they weren't fresh
for that. And Steve Kerr saying, nope, we're gonna take
it easy. We're gonna treat this as kind of a
half day, and then we're gonna try to win this
bad boy at Golden State and get as much rest

(02:16:26):
as possible. I do believe him up to a point.
Where is that point?

Speaker 6 (02:16:32):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (02:16:33):
So I mean, if it would have been, if if
the Golden State Warriors would have taken the lead, God forbid.
I think he would have put the starters in if
it got within three, probably five, maybe it got within thirteen,
and he didn't entertain the thought. But as I said,
I brought up the win probabilities ninety it was still
ninety eight point seven percent the Rockets win. So why

(02:16:55):
if you've put those guys on ice and decided to
get him all that rest, why would you bring them
in for a one point three three percent chance at victory?
So I don't know about that. But on your other question, oh,
you're mentioning Jalen Green in the development and guys making
tough shots. First of all, nobody's ever going to make
tough shots like Steph Curry is the greatest shooter to
walk the planet. And it's not because he makes wide
open corner threes. Right, you can find guys that do that.

(02:17:18):
We can go to I don't know, the Steve Kurrs
of the world, or Luke Canard or whoever else. Ray
Allen one of the all time great shooters, but a
lot of it wasn't. Now, young ray Allen was creating
a lot of offense for himself, but the older ray
Allen wasn't. But he was extremely reliable when he was open.
Because he's one of the greatest shooters of all time.
What makes Steph Curry the greatest shooter of all time

(02:17:39):
is the degree of difficulty at which he can make
these shots with guys draped all over him, falling to
his right, falling to his left, thirty five foot and in.
I mean, dude almost made a half court plus shot
last night and he just makes it look routine. Man,
He's just he's just insane. He has in his insane
hand eye coordination. He's also a really good golfer. It's

(02:17:59):
like anything that he does that involves hand eye coordination.
He's great because he's the greatest shooter to ever walk
the planet. So Jalen green In the Rockets do need
better shooting, but I don't know if they're going to
get anyone to that level. They're not going to get
anyone to that level. But Fred van Vliet has been
making threes the last couple of games. That has been huge.

(02:18:19):
That needs to continue if the Rockets are going to
be competing in these games. Because we've been waiting for
Fred van Vliet to find his shot all year long.
The last couple of games he's found it is a
career thirty seven percent shooter. He shot thirty four percent
this year. Generally things regress to the mean, water finds
its level, and if Fred van Vliet wants to find

(02:18:41):
his three point shooting.

Speaker 6 (02:18:42):
Level right now, it's not a bad time for him
to do it.

Speaker 1 (02:18:45):
The Rockets are definitely going to need that seven one
three two one two five seven ninety the phone number
at Lea's keep it going with Charles holding the longest
here on the phones, what's up, Charles.

Speaker 10 (02:18:56):
Oh, not much.

Speaker 1 (02:18:57):
I'm just I wanna be honest. I don't watch the
Rocket It's a whole lot.

Speaker 25 (02:19:01):
I have tried and tried and tried, and I just can't.

Speaker 1 (02:19:05):
It's tough.

Speaker 25 (02:19:06):
I mean, defensively, these guys are a unit. They're they're communicating,
they're switching, guys are coming from off the ball, blocking shots.
But then they get the ball and it just goes away.
It's like you got five guys just with no clue.
The team concept just disappears, and I get so frustrated.

Speaker 1 (02:19:27):
I can't watch it. I'm telling the Rockets offense, Yeah.

Speaker 25 (02:19:32):
They don't really run, they don't really communicate. It seems
like they're just kind of willy nilly here and there.

Speaker 1 (02:19:40):
No, I mean normally they're running high pick and roll
actions with Alprinchton, Goon Ander Jalen Green. They do it
a lot with Fred van Vliet, and then they have
guys moving if if they're depending on how the other
team is defending that pick and roll, then they're gonna
go from there. They run a lot of stuff with
Alprinston Goon at the elbow. He had nine assists last night.
Fred van Vliet has been a good assist guy for them.
So no, I would say they're not just running around

(02:20:02):
willy nilly, not running an offense.

Speaker 25 (02:20:04):
Then maybe it's just whenever I'm watching I'm having bad nights,
I mean, or or maybe I'm just.

Speaker 1 (02:20:10):
Not watching the same game and seeing the same game
y'all are.

Speaker 25 (02:20:13):
Because I get frustrated because it just looks like, you know,
I mean, there are some there is some codes. I'm
not saying they're just totally you know, but when when
it starts getting pressed and then the other team starts
picking it up a little bit, you know, like the
last game I really sat down and watched the lot

(02:20:34):
of the game was the Oklahoma City game.

Speaker 1 (02:20:38):
And I mean I gave Oklahoma City, Charles. They've played
five they've played five playoff games. You haven't watched any
of them. I've watched bits and pieces. Okay, they score
one hundred and thirty points last night.

Speaker 25 (02:20:49):
Yeah, but the night before that they missed thirteen with
thirteen free throws.

Speaker 1 (02:20:54):
Yeah, that's not an offensive structure. That is bad free
throw shooting, three thrush shooting.

Speaker 25 (02:20:58):
But you know, I mean they're just you know, it's
just me Okay, Okay, all right, Charles, you know, I'm frustrated,
and yeah, the offense has been frustrating.

Speaker 1 (02:21:09):
I don't think it's not that they don't have a
structured offense. I think they do. Uh, Like I said,
they run a lot of top of the key elbow actions.
They try to get alprising Goon down low. Generally they're
getting I mean one of their they're basically bread and
butter is going to be Jalen Green and or Fred
Van Vliet as the ball handlers, and then and then
going from there. They're probably the best when they're going

(02:21:29):
in transition with all the speed that they have, guys
like a Man Thompson, Jalen Green getting down all and
and Tarry Eason as well, I'll throw into that mix.
But uh yeah, they they run their normal regular offensive sets.
They do some high horns as well, which is like
when basically two guys come up and set screens and
try to get the team off balance there try to

(02:21:49):
find shooters. They just don't have a whole lot of
good shooters, unfortunately does this team, and especially depending on
who they have on the floor, things can get get
muddied up in the paint. But okay, they scored on
hundred and thirty last night, so things weren't going too
bad for them offensively, Charles, but I do appreciate you
getting in.

Speaker 6 (02:22:08):
Let's watch, Let's watch game six. Hope some good things happen.

Speaker 12 (02:22:11):
Oh.

Speaker 1 (02:22:11):
I should also say the Warriors have a very good defense,
and they have guys who cover a lot of ground,
who are smart, who are playing passing lanes and doing
all those types of things. Jimmy Butler is a great
plus defender. Honestly, Steph Curry hasn't been a horrible defender
in this series, and Draymond Green is a perennial defensive
Player of the Year candidate, So they got some good
defenders over there as well. They can kind of the
get the Rockets out of their comfort zone offensively, and

(02:22:33):
they've been doing some crazy stuff running one three to
one zone and mixing that up as well. It's been
an interesting chess match back and forth all series long
between the Rockets and coach Udoka and the Warriors and
Steve Kerr. Gonna take a quick bottom of the hour
break here on a Sports Talk seven to ninety. When
we come back, we'll get some astros talk with Brian McTaggart.
My name is Ross view real. You're listening to The

(02:22:54):
Matt Thomas Show with Ross. With you until two o'clock
here on Sports Talk seven ninety Welcome back to the
Matt Thomas Show with Ross. Without Matt Thomas, he is
out traveling with the Houston Rockets. They head to San
Francisco for Game number six, a must win game for
the Rockets. And I'm going to say it right now.

(02:23:14):
They win this game on Friday, they are winning on Sunday,
Let's go. Then they would go on to take on
the Minnesota Timberwolves in a Western Conference semifinals series. I
would make them favorites in that series, especially as I said,
you had Jalen Green limping around sorenie and a rap
and all that type of stuff, depending on how he's doing.

(02:23:35):
And then if they did that, it would be it'll
be the Clippers or the Nuggets taking on the Oklahoma
City Thunder. That'll be a great series. It's been a
cracker of a match, our cracker of matches? What do
you call it? A series? Cracker of a series? Cracker
all the matches? An English ten? But anyways, Nuggets and
Clippers tonight Game six win or going home situation for

(02:23:56):
the clips same thing for the Nixon Pistons. Pistons have
to win at home in order to force a Game seven.
It's been some good playoff action. I know here in
Houston we're not always locked in on playoff basketball, but
it's been great so far and it's gonna get even
better in the second round. Will the Rockets be a
part of it? We shall see, all right. Earlier today
we talked with Brian McTaggart MLB dot Com covers the

(02:24:18):
Astros does a great job. It's always wanted to bring
you guys some of that conversation because well that was
like two and a half hours ago. We got audiences
turning over all the time, So whanted you guys to
hear that. Astros get the loss yesterday against the Detroit
Tigers seven of four. They have the day off before
a weekend set against the Chicago White Sox. One of
the things that has been good for the Houston Astros

(02:24:39):
has been the starting pitching depth. That was a big question.
Mark Ryan Gusto has been good, blue ball not so much,
and lancemcckullor's junior coming back. Here is what Brian mctegert
had to say on all things Astros. Starting off talking
about that pitching.

Speaker 23 (02:24:51):
Staff, Yeah, I think there's probably more depth than I expected.
I mean, they're you know, they're pitching really well. But
you're right, you know, blue Balls, an option. You know,
one guy that I thought would be you know, an
option coming in and I think we'll still see him
at some points, Colton Gordon, a left hand or another
one of their top prospects. So they have enough starting
pitching depth if they don't have any more injuries, if

(02:25:11):
mccullor's comes in and is effective. Uh, you know, I'm
not sure Garcia is coming back this year. I'm not
sure Hoavier is coming back this year. So I'm really
not you know, counting on them at this point. But
to me, the biggest concern coming into the season if
you were the Astros was, you know, starting pitching depth,
which you know they've answered that bell and and and
the bullpen and if you know, they they've had some
guys step up in the bullpen and pitch really well.

(02:25:33):
And now I mean, look, look, you know, I think
the Astros are fifth in the league or in major
leagues and e RA and third and bullpen ERA.

Speaker 19 (02:25:39):
So uh, the pitching staff has been one of their strengths.

Speaker 1 (02:25:43):
Yeah, and mccullor is being part of that starting on Sunday.
I mean, I just find this fascinating, Brian. I mean,
you know, you've been covering sports for a long time,
and uh, one of the things to me is kind
of seeing things and talking about them and then watching
them play out. I'm so fascinating to see how this
Lansmic Colors Junior thing plays out. I mean, I could guess,
ask you a guess. I guess your guess as good

(02:26:05):
as anybody's. I mean, the setback word is always going
to be hanging over his head. And then the real
question is is he going to be able to still
get out at the major league level.

Speaker 19 (02:26:15):
Yeah, I think that's a fair analysis. Ross.

Speaker 23 (02:26:18):
I have no idea what to expect Sunday. I mean,
you kind of know what Fromber's gonna do.

Speaker 19 (02:26:22):
On Friday. You definitely know what Hunter Brown's gonna do.

Speaker 23 (02:26:25):
And then just I mean he's been out so long,
and yeah, he's made some rehab starts at double A,
triple A. Can't put a lot of stock into those things.
You can't put a lot of stock into spring training results.
I have no idea. I think we're gonna see a
little bit of a different pitcher than he was last
time we saw him on the mound. He's not going
to be ninety seven ninety eight anymore. His mechanics are

(02:26:47):
a little more compact. I think his pitch mix has
probably changed a little bit. So I think we're gonna,
you know, see a guy who still competes like he
always has. I mean, Lance mccullors has always been a competitor,
but it's just gonna be a little bit different look
than we've seen. And uh yeah, I mean, I you know,
he's put in a lot of work. I know he's
frustrated a lot of people by constantly getting injured and

(02:27:09):
all the surgeries that he's had, But you know, talking
to him and talking to people on the team, I mean,
this is a guy who has put in a lot
of work and a guy who thought a couple of
times that you know, it might not happen, I might
be done, and you know, credit to him for pushing
through and and now he's here. There's a light at
the end of the tunnel and that's going to come
out on Sunday afternoon, and you know, hope he does well.

(02:27:30):
I mean I you know, I don't root either way usually,
but just seeing the work that he's put in, you know,
facing the White Sox is a good soft landing spot
for him, so I think he's set up to succeed.

Speaker 1 (02:27:40):
On Sunday, Brian McTaggart with us here on a Sports
Talk seven to ninety, let's flip to the lineup side.
Jeremy Panya been in the leadoff spot the last few games,
paying big dividends. We've kind of been talking ever really
since his rookie season and the ALCS and World Series
MVP about a breakout coming and and I guess we
have to wonder if it's finally here. He's got eight

(02:28:04):
hits in his last four games.

Speaker 3 (02:28:07):
Yeah.

Speaker 23 (02:28:07):
I mean, he had a really really good spring, and again,
like I just said, you can't put a lot of
stock in the spring, but he looked like a guy
who had made some adjustments and was poised for a
big season. Came out of the gate. Didn't happen right away,
but slowly but surely he's coming around. And I think
there's just a different error and a different confidence about
Jeremy that we haven't seen. He looks like he belongs
more the word leadership is getting thrown around a little

(02:28:29):
bit more about him, and I mean that's a great
thing for the Astros because you know, he's a guy
that's a go glove caliber shortstop and I like to
look at the top of the order. I mean, he's
walking a little bit more. They fed him, maybe, you know,
not to strike out as much. I think he's trying
to cut down the strikeouts as well. But I thought
the whole thing without two by going to the number

(02:28:50):
two spot in the order and pretty much asking him
to be put in the number two spot was fascinating
as well. And just from the fact that he did
more time to come in from the out field to
get ready for his bat to begin the game, and uh,
talking with Alt two V later just you know, after
the interview was over, he said that, Hey, they asked
me to go to the outfield and I did it.

(02:29:11):
And I think it's only right that you know, they
work with me if I want a bat second. So
and that's fair. And Jeremy's been the guy who stepped
into that number one spot and so far, so good.
We'll see, there's a long way to go, but it
looks like, yeah, this could be the best season yet
of Jeremy Panya.

Speaker 1 (02:29:26):
You may not have the metrics on this. Is he
hitting sliders better this year than in previous years? I
don't get some sample size is really small, but there's
been anything that has been his achilles heel that has
been that teams will just bury him with that slider.

Speaker 23 (02:29:39):
Yeah, I'd have to look I'd have to look it up, Matt.
I mean, it appears to me that he is. You know,
I remember back when he was, you know, winning the
MVP of the ALCS. You know, he had a couple
of big hits on sliders and in the World Series,
and then it still ended up being a pitch that's
given him fits. But yeah, that'd be an interesting thing
to look at. But he just seems overall that, uh,
he just become a more complete hitter. You know, a

(02:30:02):
couple of it was spring training last year. He came
trying to hit the ball in the air a little
bit more after you know, he went the second half
of the twenty three season without a homer and and
that worked out pretty well. So he's constantly adjusting and
trying to get to where he needs to be. But
you know, he's growing, He's maturity. This is what is
fourth year now, so he's sort of putting all that
information together and it looks like it's working.

Speaker 1 (02:30:22):
How many more left fielders we're going to see this year?

Speaker 23 (02:30:26):
How many more left fielders? M m, there's been, Yeah,
there's been a lot. I mean, Zach Decenzo is sort
of forcing their hands to try to get him out there.
I mean, he's a guy that is getting more and
more playing time. He can play left and right at
first and third. I mean it's hard to get opportunities
at first and third just with the guys you have there.
So you know, I think getting him in left field,

(02:30:46):
you know, here and there, it'll be interot to see
on the road, a six game road trip here in
a couple of parks, how much they play out to
Vay and left and in second and d H.

Speaker 26 (02:30:56):
You know.

Speaker 23 (02:30:56):
So I think there'll be a couple more opportunities for
the Senzo to play some left field. But you know,
he's starting to creep into simid bats too in right field,
taking those away from cam Smith a little bit as well.

Speaker 6 (02:31:07):
And how do you size up the battle at second
base at this point too?

Speaker 1 (02:31:12):
Well?

Speaker 19 (02:31:12):
I think it is what it is.

Speaker 23 (02:31:13):
I mean, you're gonna have Al two bay start occasionally.
Brendan Rodgers is gonna make two or three starts a week.
Do Bond's gonna be out there two or three starts?
I mean yeah, I wouldn't say it's a battle. I
just think it's a rotation. At this point, they just
who's the starting second basement? I guess it's Brendan Rodgers.
You know, it's just the way. You know, it's just
the way it is. I mean, we're so used to

(02:31:33):
seeing Jose Al two bay start at second base the
last fourteen years is pretty much over and over, with
the exception when he got injured and to Bond stepped
in a couple of years ago and did a nice job.
But it's all gonna depend on how two bay where
he plays, and that just sort of sets up a
lot of things, a lot up who's the left, what
do you do with Jordan?

Speaker 19 (02:31:50):
And things like that.

Speaker 21 (02:31:51):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (02:31:52):
Is the game slowing down for cam Smith at all?

Speaker 3 (02:31:55):
In your mind?

Speaker 6 (02:31:55):
Is it still moving at a pretty fast pace?

Speaker 1 (02:31:58):
I mean, the batting average isn't great, ops is getting
a little bit better. Did have a hit for the
squad yesterday, But just in general, you know, with so
much publicity going into the season for the regression, which
was natural to try to settle in. How is his
demeanor because you know, obviously he wakes up with a
smile of the morning and happy with the big leagues

(02:32:18):
with little experience he had in the minor league level.
What are you noticing from him into the last of
two weeks or so. Yeah, I think he's settling in
a little bit.

Speaker 7 (02:32:28):
You're right.

Speaker 23 (02:32:28):
I mean, there was so much hype about him in
spring training and he embraced it, and he was a
fun personality, a guy with a lot of energy, and
then when he made the team, it was such a great.

Speaker 1 (02:32:38):
All right, there you go. We had to cut out
of that because we got to get to a break
here on the Matt Thomas Show with Ross. My name
is ros Viie. If you want to address anything that
he had to say about the Astros and what they
got going off day for them. They will be back
in action tomorrow against the Chicago White Sox with Lance
mccullors junior throwing on Sunday. The question is is well, okay,

(02:33:01):
of course, it's always going to be the health question
looming over Lance mccullor's Junior's head, but is he going
to be able to get outs? That'll be really interesting.
I'll be fascinated to watch the game on Sunday afternoon,
and of course you can listen to it here on
Sports Talk seven ninety. Your home for your Houston Astros.
Also your home for your Houston Rockets, who will be
in action on Friday in game number six against the

(02:33:23):
Golden State Warriors. And it's a quick break. Final segment
of The Matt Thomas Show with Ross is coming up.
You want to get in you can no believe it
or not today with Matt out seven one three two
one two five seven ninety. Is your phone number seven
one three two one two five seven ninety. Thanks Craig,
appreciate you. That is one of the og original rejoined

(02:33:47):
liners of the Matt Thomas Show. Now with Ross. It
was the Man Thomas Show for a while, and then
I pride my way in here. Sorry mad here, I
am uh ros Viria with you on the Matt Thomas
Show with Ross. As I said, a couple of minutes left.
If you want to get in, phone lines open at
seven one three two one two five seven ninety. Matt

(02:34:10):
is traveling with the Rockets. I don't know if he's up.
I don't know if it's Wheels up right now or
when they're going to be headed out, but they'll be
taking on the Warriors. They're heading to San Francisco. I
keep seeing the line fluctuate. Four and a half, five
and a half Golden State Warriors favorite. It'll be eight
o'clock start, seven o'clock Rockets launch pad on as sister
station news radio seven forty kt RH. Then if and

(02:34:35):
only if they can win that game, it should be
a seven thirty start, I believe coming up on Sunday
night at the Toyota Center, win or go home, as
some have said, the greatest two words in sports, Game seven.
By then you'll have some second round series started. Well,

(02:34:57):
depending on what happens tonight, you have a couple of
six games. Six is there could be some Game seven's
on Saturday. Could be another one with the Rockets and
Warriors three series left with the potential to go seven games.
That would be if the Pistons win tonight over the Knicks.
If the Nuggets, excuse me, Clippers win at home over

(02:35:17):
the Nuggets, you'll get some Game seven action, and same
thing if the Rockets are able to win against the
Golden State Warriors tomorrow. Rockets, I'm excuse me, Astros back
in action tomorrow against the Golden State Warriors. Excuse you
against the Chicago I'm kidding, this is that time of year.
I'm getting everything mixed up against Chicago White Sox. You
have Frommer Hunter Brown, Lance McCullers junior. Isn't that wild?

(02:35:44):
And its like picture for a moment, a world where
Fromber is out there dealing curveballs and getting ground ball
outs and cruising seven innings of one run ball. Then
the diesel Hunter Brown comes up next game, Boom, He's
breaking off knee breaking you know, ninety one mile an

(02:36:05):
hour sliders. He's hitting runner, he's getting broken bats with
a sinker, running in on right handers. He's striking people out,
spitting on the ground, looking like he's got an attitude,
strikes out ten, He's throwing like seven shutout. And then
if Lance mccullor's junior, if we could live in a
world where he comes back and he is effective and

(02:36:26):
he is getting outs and he stays healthy, I know
that he just piled up a lot of big I f's.
That would be awesome. An awesome addition, Eric Getty gets healthy,
he gets back in the fold as well. Renew Blanco
has been not terrible in a disaster. Seems to go
out and throw five innings a three run ball every
time he goes out. That's not a quality start, but

(02:36:48):
that's enough to keep you in a game and not
have you get blown out. If the bats can just
do enough, we could be in a good spot here
in Houston. That Lance mccullors junior is quite the wild
card with him on the probable pitchers list coming up
on Sunday for the Houston Astros. A couple of minutes
before we get out, so let's go quickly to Cameron

(02:37:09):
who called in. What's up Cameron?

Speaker 21 (02:37:12):
Hey, Russ, super quick thoughts on Giannis, especially God forbid
we lose Game six in terms of trying to get
him and trying to get some more talent on the team.

Speaker 2 (02:37:23):
Thanks.

Speaker 1 (02:37:23):
Yeah, that'd be interesting, especially now. The question is, and
we were kind of talking about this earlier with Chris Gordy,
is if the Rockets went out big game hunting this offseason,
Giannis would be on the list, Kevin Durant would be
on the list, Devin Booker would be on the list,
and Yiannis at this point doesn't show any signs of
slowing down. He's thirty years old. He just scored thirty

(02:37:45):
points per game. Now he was getting up a lot
of shots. But he's still been very efficient, shooting from
the floor at sixty percent, and a lot of what
his game is is predicated on how quick, how fast
he is, So you would question how much is age
gonna wear on his game? Is he still going to
be effective? Well, the answer right now is he still

(02:38:08):
pretty darn good. Had some injury issues, hasn't played more
than seventy five games since twenty eighteen, but for the
most part has been in the mix for MVP, Defensive
Player of the Year, all that type of stuff year
after year. What is it going to cost you? Is
he gonna cost you a bunch of picks? And maybe
Jalen Green, maybe alprynching Goon. Are they gonna want him

(02:38:30):
in Thompson? That to me, if I'm putting a pecking
order right now, and maybe it's just because he's the
youngest one and still showing the most promise, I probably
put him in Thompson. Is is he the most untouchable
or is al prynchin Goon because he has been an
All Star. I think you have issues with the ceilings
of both Jalen Green and alprynching Goon because of what

(02:38:53):
we've seen from them four years in their career. Al
prynching Gun for three shit years straight years. His field
goal percentage has gone down. Jayalen and he gets attacked defensively,
he just does. He's did. The lateral quickness is not there.
You know who could shore up for that. It'd be
a guy who was a perennial Defensive Player of the
Year candidate and Joannis stint to compo Jalen Green same thing.

(02:39:13):
I think he's improved incrementally in his four years, but
he hasn't made the leap of others. Like we mentioned earlier,
and Edwards was an All Star his third season. We're
into four years of Jalen Green. John Morant was an
All Star his third season. We're into four years of
Jalen Green. Guys like Shay Gildes, Alexander, Jalen Brunson, Devin Booker.

(02:39:36):
I looked at all their careers the way that they started,
They've all were far ahead of the pace of where
Jalen Green is, so where does he end up? And also,
I mean the only reason, the only caveat to me,
as we kind of mentioned, is the possibility of Jalen
Green not being one hundred percent and that kind of

(02:39:57):
stunting the growth. But I don't have the answer that question.
I just see what he's been on the floor, and
so far, four games out of five in the playoffs,
he has been pedestrian till below. So yeah, a lot
of questions to answer. I would take you honest, it
is a matter of what it's going to cost you.
That'll do it for the Man Thomas Show with Ross.
Appreciate all you for listening. Appreciate all you that called

(02:40:18):
in and got involved in the show directly. Thanks to
Chris Gordy for hanging out as well. Thanks to Jonathan
Allen for producing. I'll talk to you folks tomorrow at
ten am. It'll be a must win Friday for the
Rockets right now, though you got Adam and Adam coming up.
They call themselves the A team. They are on two
to six here on Sports Talk seven ninety. Don't go
anywhere from mahundav Clearlake dot Com, Weather Center, Your News,

(02:40:47):
Radio seven forty four cast a mix of sun and
clouds today high eighty six, cloudy tonight low seventy four.

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