May 20, 2025 • 47 mins
I got together with Mark & Mo as we recapped the NBA 2nd Round Playoffs. We talked surprises and which players had stepped up to help their teams advance. We covered the big matchups n gave our predictions. Oh n we discussed the MVP n mark found away to irritate the hell outta me. #NBAPlayoffs #FPS
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
And we're back Fan Pole Sports, a true tech sports
podcast for the true tex sports fan. Once again, I'm
your host, Ronnie Langford and back at it with the Fellas,
the troublemakers, the liars themselves, Sacred Hearts, Sacred Heart's favorite son,
and the other son that they brought in because he
(00:25):
was hanging out with the rest of us, my good friends,
most of the leaders today and of course the Double
Nickel himself, Mark Romidez. Fellas, welcome back to the program.
How are y'all all right?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Thanks very much.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Hello, look when we're.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Back and we are back, and uh, you know, shout
out to Father with Selski, because without that man, our
young lives would have been pretty difficult. And the fact
that he allowed you guys to act like knuckleheads playing
on the court there at Sacred Heart when his bedroom
was right above the the court. There a lot a
(01:02):
lot of love, a lot of love to Father with
Selski and the old church over there on the west side. Hey, guys,
you know the NBA playoffs flowing right through. Some stuff
has happened, kind of like what we talked about earlier
in our NBA preview, and some things kind of surprised
us a little bit a few teams that have made
(01:24):
it to the Eastern and Western Conference Finals that we
didn't quite see coming. But I thought we'd get together
talk a little bit about the second round then we
can preview maybe the conference finals and things. Mark, let
me start with you man, your thoughts on the second round?
And are you surprised that these are the two teams
competing for the Western Conference Finals in okc and Minnesota.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
Yes, I am mostly, well, not with one of my team,
because obviously I picked okay See to go all the
way and then I Cavaliers.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
To win it all.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
But the Oklahoma team, uh, seems to be doing what
they needed to do. I know, they went seven games
with Denver, and I did not expect that. I did
expect Denver to put up a fight, but not not
like a fight like in that last game. Because that
last game was just brutal and it was awful to
(02:21):
watch because it just the wheels just started coming off
and they just couldn't continue despite Jokers' efforts.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Man, I mean, that guy to me is still the
MVP in my eyes.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
But we'll see what happens in this uh this upcoming
these upcoming.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Games mostly What about you, man? Are you are you
surprised by either one of these teams? I mean, I
think I think collectively we thought, okay, Oklahoma City would
be here, but Minnesota a little bit of a surprise
in my opinion. But what are your thoughts as you
kind of watch some of these games play out, and
especially that that seventh game.
Speaker 5 (02:58):
Yeah, well with okay See, you know, we said it
wasn't going to be a stretch for uh, you know,
either the Clippers or Denver to beat them. Denver makes
it and they take them to seven games, so.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
You know, a couple of things.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Go different earlier in the season for for Denver and
they're there.
Speaker 5 (03:18):
You know, it was art fought battle, but I think
okay See was a little bit deeper, definitely healthier. Uh
So it was a surprise that I wouldn't call it
a surprise.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
They had the best record, uh, but Denver still had
a shot.
Speaker 5 (03:34):
I am surprised though, Uh at Minnesota, I didn't they
were going to be as far. I kind of I
wouldn't assure that they were going to get past the Lakers,
you know, especially they were they kind of they went
out last season. But no, they're playing very well, right now,
there seemed to be a going on all cylinders.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Man, when you look and when you look at these
two matchups, you know, very interesting matchup in the East
as well. Mo let me start with you your thoughts
on Indiana going up against the Knicks, and you know
a little bit of a side story. This is the
final conference Championship round that TNT will ever broadcast. So
(04:22):
Reggie Miller is on the call for this series. How
how great? How great is that going to be seeing
Indiana and New York go head head to head for
a chance to make it to the NBA Finals.
Speaker 5 (04:37):
Well, that's that's fantastic, you know, because he had some
battles with New York himself. You know, I think it
was maybe ninety five where Patrick Ewingting. I think this
is a layup first up. They should have had that series,
but Indiana pulled it out.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Indiana. I really like Reggie. I think he's hilarious.
Speaker 5 (04:56):
He's a great commentator. You know, he's a totally biased and.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
That's okay because we've got Sewn Elliott.
Speaker 6 (05:05):
Our games.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
It's okay to be at Homer. But now he's I
do enjoy him.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Yeah, what do you think about the matchup.
Speaker 5 (05:14):
Oh uh, well, I was surprised to see, uh, New York.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
I was surprised to see see New York. Get there.
They're playing, they're playing well.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
Julius Randall, he's probably playing the best that I've ever
seen him play, not that I've watched him a time, but.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Yeah, they're they're looking good. And then yeah, Indiana.
Speaker 5 (05:39):
I know I said firing on all cylinders were okay
for Minnesota, but those guys really are And when I
look at, you know, their stat lines, And I played
a little bit of fantasy football this basketball, so I
would always look at the box scores, and they consistently
have you know, five guys scoring double figures. They got
(06:00):
really balanced, really balanced team. So that's a good sign
for them. They're strong, They're stronger than I thought it.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Yeah, Mark, what about you, man, what are your thoughts
on Indiana, Indiana and New York and the Reggie Miller factor.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Brother, man, I am so happy and elated and my
Tatum guy proved me right that freaking money's.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Stealing hater of the year, Hater of the year.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
I mean that, I'm just so glad that that team
is out. You know, my feelings for that team, and
I'm just glad we here we are now now I
will say this about Brunson that has to do uh
the Indiana team I think was the only team that
really threw me kind of for a little bit of
a shock. But I think they were better coached, you know,
(06:55):
they were better constructed to move forward. And I think
the Cavaliers maybe we're just too young and dumb and
full of you know what. But when it comes to
the Knicks, I think you were right, Ronald when you
mentioned that you saw something there. I don't know if
it was maybe the coaching or maybe it was just
the talent and the cohesion that that team had. I'm
(07:15):
kind of starting to feel that that that what you
see or what you saw and your heart still seeing
in a sense, yeah, that that New York team, Man
has got a lot of grit. Many Brunson, dude is
just like he's the He's what I see is kind
of like what everybody wants Katum to be. But man,
and they showed it, they proved it, and they're here
(07:37):
and they're here to you know, to battle to the end.
Lastly on the on the East.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
On the East.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
For me, I think that the the roads to these
these next two games or next two series is I
think it was a little bit easier for the East Coast,
and we'll see what happens. Man front the moment, I'm
kind of pulling for Indiana, but we're just gonna have
to wait and see. Man, they have to throw the
(08:05):
ball up and then, I mean, I don't think we
have enough information. I don't think I have enough information
to make a pick what.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
I will today.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
It's I want to throw something out.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Hold on, mo real quick.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
What do you mean you'll have enough information? Dude, It's
called the Internet. It's right there at your fingertips. What
do you mean you have enough information? You have a
you have a season full of information in two series.
How do you not have enough information? That makes absolutely
no sense? What are you talking about?
Speaker 2 (08:30):
You know what?
Speaker 6 (08:30):
I know what it is.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
You're out there looking for Pokemon cards and you're talking
You're probably gonna be looking for Yu gi Oh cards,
and next thing you know, you're gonna be talking to
me about you know, tops cards and and NBA hoops.
And I mean, I don't know what's happening over there
at the Ramirez house, but that one man that's wild.
You don't have enough information. You're killing me. You're killing me,
all right, mo, what do you got man?
Speaker 2 (08:52):
I want to say.
Speaker 5 (08:53):
You know, at at the beginning of the playoffs, I
wrote some of these guys offered or didn't give them
enough credit. It Uh, we're gonna have a new champion
this year. And uh, you know, I thought, well, Rumson,
you know, he's not a he's not a star franchise player.
I thought, Uh, Indiana was, you know, a good team.
(09:14):
But you know, again, nobody like a megastar. And uh,
you know, Shay is coming into his own. But these
guys are stars now by to stay standards and it's
like the changing of the guard, you know, Lebron, JD.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
You know that that page has turned.
Speaker 5 (09:32):
Yeah, and uh, we got to start, you know, giving
these guys their their de credit because they are at
the top.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
I agree, well, and you know.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
And and and you're right, you know, I mean, we're
so accustomed to the megastar. You know, Jordan's Shaq Kobe,
you know Lebron, you know, those were megastars that and
in some ways some of those guys have transcended sports.
You don't have that, you don't have that right now.
What you have have are what we grew up with
(10:02):
NBA superstars, And there's a difference, you know what I mean.
And I mean, I know we're giving Mark a lot
of shit for for all of his Tatum hate, but
in a lot of ways, in a lot of ways,
in a lot of ways, Tatum hasn't lived up to
the hype. You know, they've and you're right, Mark, they've
tried to make him, to try to make him out
to be something that he isn't. Is he a very
(10:25):
good basketball player, yes, can can? Has he led his
team or helped his team win a championship, Yes, you can't.
You can't deny that. You can't take that away from him.
But when you mention the all time greats, when you
mention guys that put their team on their back and
carry them to another level, he hasn't proven that yet.
(10:47):
You know, he'll have stretches in the regular season where yeah,
I mean he'll he'll do that. But in the playoffs,
and I know a lot of it, Like you guys
touched on earlier about about the health of some of
these teams in the playoffs, your will to win and
your desire to win have to be greater than the
other stuff that's going on, and we don't see that
(11:10):
all the time with some of these NBA players today.
I mean, what's the biggest knock on Lebron When things
go wrong or they're not lined up perfectly for him,
what does he do? He cops out? You know, he
was on his podcast last week and he said he
didn't understand why everybody was upset that him and Luca lost.
It wasn't him and Luca because there was eight other
(11:31):
guys out there. Well, yeah, that's true in a lot
of ways, dude, But you're the guy. You're the one
putting the crown on your head, You're the one with
Chosen One splashed across your back. You're the one that
said on another podcast that when you won in twenty
sixteen that that made you the greatest of all time.
So you can't have that both ways when you're a megastar.
(11:52):
And I agree with you, Mo, I don't think that
we have that right now. Could Shay be that maybe
you know what I mean, maybe, but we don't know.
You're right for the first time three teams. Three of
these teams have a chance to be a first time champion.
(12:12):
One of these teams hasn't won a title since I
was one years old. That's the Knicks. So you really
are going to have a new champion to crown in
these finals. And that's what I think makes it so
cool and so exciting. Do we have intriguing matchups? Yeah,
we do. But it's one of those things, man, It's
one of those things where there's so many different dynamics
(12:36):
to what the NBA is now compared to what we
grew up with. What do you got, mark? Go ahead?
Speaker 4 (12:42):
I mean there was a Scott that was throwing out,
you know, and I was kind of doing some research
on all these teams, and I think there's gonna be
a new champion. I think I want to say it's
six is maybe seven years in a row now there's
been a different team to win it.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
That just tells you where the league is. That tells
you that the league is. I guess. So, man, want
and done. I'm leaving this city type thing that.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
We bitched about in the past, or I bitch about
because there is no loyalty anymore. There is no you know,
stick with your team like a Timmy or to this point,
Giannest you know, but that's that's just kind of odd
to me that a team just can't win back to back,
and I think it's just gonna keep getting harder and
harder and for that to happen. But I thought, honestly,
(13:23):
watching all these teams all the way through the second round,
the only team that really jumped out to me that
I could see that would that could have win it
again was Denver out of all of them with Joker there.
Because all the other teams, I mean, there was some parody,
there was some struggle, there was some fight, but that was.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
The only team that I saw that seemed to like,
really really want to win, cared about winning.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
Even the way after the game ended his his interview,
you know, he just got to look on his face like, man,
I only didn't let this team down, I let myself down,
let my city down. He's the one that really only
in the sense kind of gave a shit about losing.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
And that's the kind of guy I want to rally around,
you know. And just that, man, just the non back
to back winning thing really does bother me in a way.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
I don't know why I want teams to win two
in a row, maybe three in a row because that's
kind of what we grew up with back when we
had those dynasties and those true dynasties.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
You know, I want that back.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Well, and here's where I'm going to disagree with you
on that. I don't think it's because there's not loyalty,
because when you look at the way some of these
teams have been constructed, they do have loyalty. Denver had
a core of y'all of a Joker and Murray, and
then they brought in a couple of other guys Aaron Gordon,
(14:39):
you know, a few years back to help them win
that championship. Porter on that team was a draft pick.
So there's a loyalty there. I think Boston has a
loyalty they you know, Tate, as much as you hate
on Tatum, Tatum and Brown have been there for the duration,
you know, and and stuff like that. I think what's
(15:00):
changed about the NBA more than anything is the financial side.
We talked about it as Spurs fans for a long
time how we felt it was unfair that all the
big market teams were getting to sign all the guys
because there wasn't enough money. We weren't making the same
kind of money that they were making at some of
these big market teams. But then what happened. The Spurs
started winning, started competing for champions started winning championships. We
(15:23):
never signed the big free agent, but they were able
to keep it competitive all that time. And it wasn't
because they weren't beating good teams or because other teams
weren't constructed as good. It was just means that they
were that much better. So whereas I agree with you
it's weird to see different champions, this will be the
(15:44):
sixth seventh season, seventh straight season that a different champion
will raise that trophy. But I don't think it's because
it's not loyal. I think it's more because the way
that money is structured now and distributed. What hurt Denver
the most. You said it mot injuries dept. They had
no money to spend on debt because they invested in
(16:07):
some of those guys that have been loyal to them,
But they spent too much money on those guys. So
that's something that I think the NBA needs to look
at and figure out, Okay, how do we make this,
how do we make this better where you can have
a team start to build a group into a championship contender,
compete for titles, win titles, and do it in a
(16:31):
regular basis, kind of like what the Spurs were doing obviously,
you know, you had the three peat Lakers, you had
the three peat Bulls, you had you know, Boston back
in the day. So yeah, I mean, I can see,
I can see what you're saying, but I just think
it's more about the money right now than the loyalty.
What do you got mo.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
And like Denver situation, I think, you know, that's kind
of what it's going to look like for Boston moving forward.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
Their money is and then you look over at at
Milwaukee in the same situation, all the money's tied up
with Damian Lilller and be honest, and that they really
don't have assets or money to spend to get him
some more help, right, you know, so they're in rebuild.
They went all in to get Damian and uh, you know,
try to show some loyalty, but you know, injuries out and.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Now they're they're probably going to go into rebuilding. It
makes the most sense. What you don't want to waste prime?
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Yeah, what's the what's the one thing in life that's undefeated?
Father time. Father time catches up to everybody in different ways,
in different styles. These professional players, obviously they're they're in
shape that we could never even think about because we've
we've never had those types of commitments to be those
types of players and stuff. But eventually age just starts
(17:53):
to break you down. And like you said, they tied
this money up, and yeah, and Lillard went after him
because he you know, he he's very good player. Don't
get me wrong, He's a great player. Is he top
seventy five? Not in my opinion, But that's another story
at another time. But it's one of those things that, yeah, man,
that that agent and you tie that money up somewhere
in someone like that, it makes it very hard for
(18:15):
your team to maneuver and it makes for some difficult decisions.
And that's why Milwaukee could be looking to move Giannis possibly.
What do you got, Mark? Go ahead?
Speaker 3 (18:26):
I mean, I'm glad you'll brought up honest, because I
wanted to talk about that.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
He's the perfect example of this money that you're talking about.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
You know. Now, someone made a really strong statement today
when I was doing some research. This guy says, I
have a strong feeling that he's going to stay in
the East. Why is that?
Speaker 4 (18:46):
Because whether it's with Milwaukee, which I seriously doubt, I
think he's eighty percent out the door, it's just an
easier conference, It's an easier path. I know, we want
him here in San Antonio, and maybe it's less taxes
for him or I don't know, if he's got some
kind of tax reckets that they have there.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
But think about that, you know, what, does he really
want to leave the East? Really think about the paths
to get to a championship which is easier.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Yeah, but look Lebron. Lebron made it to the finals
ten times, right, He's made it to the finals ten times.
It didn't get any easier in the championship round. So
I mean, yeah, his path to get to the finals
could be easier going through the East, but his hope
of actually winning again that might have to play a
factor in his decision, because what do you if he
(19:37):
goes to the East, where does he go? New York, Miami, Chicago,
maybe the New York Boston. But but again, if you're
trading for if you're trading for Giannis, what are you
having to get give up? You're having to give up
a proven player on your team. That was it, Does
it make your team weaker because you're giving that guy up?
(20:00):
Like this first case? Right, what do we have to
give up to me? You you say three guys are untouchable, Wemby,
Fox and Castle and here everybody else on the roster
that's on the roster. You tell Milwaukee, tell us who
you want and we can talk about it. So you're
not losing anything if you lose one of these other
guys in comparison to New York. If New York is saying, hey,
(20:24):
we want Gianni's okay, well what do we what do
we want back? Well that then you have to look
at a guy like Bridges. You have to look like
a guy at heart. You have to look at a
guy like possibly Cat. Right, that's that's part of your
core that's getting you to the Eastern Conference finals? Right now?
How does that affect your team? So I understand what
the guy was saying about Giannis staying in the East
(20:45):
because it's easier to get there. But it's not about
how easy is it to get there, it's about winning
it when you're there. And he could go he could
go East and go to the next ten finals and
not win a one, Then what does that prove? Oh, well,
he was a great player, but he and he won
one championship. Okay, So to me that to me, that statement,
(21:08):
that statement has holes in it in my opinion. Whereas
I understand it, I don't, I don't necessarily agree with it.
Let's talk MVP real quick. Let's talk MVP Mark. He
brought this up before we came on. Uh, who are
you looking at or who do you think is MVP
when you look at the regular season. We're not talking
about the playoffs. When you're talking about the regular season,
(21:31):
who is your MVP of the season.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
I mean, hand's down man. To me, it's joker man.
I know Luca could probably be in that conversation.
Speaker 7 (21:40):
Oh he can't, No, he can't. Don't bring no, don't
bring no, Do not bring Laker bullshit. Do not bring
Laker bullshit into this program when there's no need.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
To have it.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Luca didn't do shit to be considered an MVP. Stop
that stop that stop.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Before he was a Laker. Okay, how about even then?
Speaker 6 (22:04):
What did he do?
Speaker 1 (22:06):
What did he do? He was hurt, He missed twenty
five games with the damn Mavericks. What did he do
to make himself an MVP candidate? Come on, man, you
need to bring you need to be drinking something way
stronger to convince me of that ship.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Come on, Martender, right, can we get this guy drink
Man needs a chilling out.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Come on, come on, talk to me about the Joker.
Talk to me about the Joker.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
I'm just saying, I'm just saying in a com in
the conversation, I'm not saying he's even got a chance
to win it. But you know, Sga, Bro, I mean, uh,
I mean, he beat the Joker I head to head
in the playoffs, but I think in the regular season,
in the regular season, the numbers just favor Joker Man.
He's just that much of a Let's well, let's talk
(22:52):
about the qualities of an MVP.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Man.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
What what is it?
Speaker 4 (22:55):
What is it really more than is more than just scoring, Bro,
It's more than just scoring. It's playing both ends of
the floor. It's you know, giving up the ball, giving
out assists, getting rebounds. It's to me, he's a more complete,
you know, front end, back end player. So to me,
I mean, it shouldn't be uh, it shouldn't gonna be
(23:16):
a question. He's the guy, he should win it, but
I don't know, man, It's just it's always so weird,
you know, I don't think.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
I don't think Jordan never wanted two three times in
a row. He could have easily, but and then.
Speaker 4 (23:27):
They just started throwing it out, you know, like candy
to other people, just because they kind of were in
the conversation with Jordan, and I think he got slighted.
Speaker 7 (23:34):
But I'm not.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
This is not about him. This is about Joker, and
I think he's the guy.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
All right, Well, who do you have for m VP?
Who's your pick?
Speaker 5 (23:43):
Wow? I always think think about MVP. It reminds me
of when Barkley won it and he said, all this
award means.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Is that my teammates didn't do enough help me. So
I would say the Jokers hands down. I think he's
the best player in the world right.
Speaker 5 (24:06):
Now, but you can't dismiss the sixty eight wins that
Shade put up to help help them get so I
think just because of the record, and he had a
strong case for it last year too, I think they
give it to him.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
But I think is a better player, if that makes sense.
I think I think they'll give for the wins.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Yeah, and I agree with you guys. I mean, I
think I think Joker is probably the best player in
the world. I would dispute his defensive prowess. I wouldn't
even consider him any kind of defender of whatever. Can
he rebound on the defensive end, yes, but he's not
a shot blocker. He doesn't. He doesn't move his feet well.
So you kind of have to throw that out the
(24:50):
door because that's not something that he does. But his
overall game, because of what he does and his importance
on the floor, you can't deny what he is. But
I agree with you, mo, I think they'll probably give
it to SGA. He had a great year. There's no
there's no denying what he did this year. And in
(25:11):
a lot of ways, or in some ways, you could
even say SGA had a James Harden MVP type of year. Right,
had a great overall record, had great stat individual stats,
went to the free throw line. I mean, I don't
even every time he turned around, that guy was at
the free throw line because he was getting every call
that you can imagine, and it reminded me a lot
(25:32):
of Harden and the bullshit that Harden would do when
somebody just looked at him and he would fall over.
So I agree, I think Joker should be in contention
for it. Does he make a case for it? Yeah?
Probably because look at what they did record wise, with
the injuries and changes that happened within the year for them,
(25:55):
and then when you compare that SGA in Oklahoma City
didn't really have any adversity, They didn't really have any
turmoil or things that they had to overcome. They they
could just roll it out there and go play ball.
And I mean credit to them for having that type
of culture and that type of environment. But when you
look at what the Joker did, and he kept them,
(26:17):
you know, in the top four of the West. I
think we can all agree that the Western Conference is
the better conference when it comes to the regular season.
We'll find out what it is here next week or
whatever when they go to the finals. But it's one
of those things that you can't deny either one of
these guys. I give a slight edge to SGA, but
(26:37):
because of the record, and I guess because like you said,
you could probably give it to Joker almost every season,
but you're not going to give it to him every season.
You know what, I mean, so let's look at this.
Let's look at these matchups a little bit, man, And
you know, we talked a little bit about this stuff already.
(26:57):
When you look at when you look at these these teams, Mark,
I'm gonna start with you. Just tell me who your
favorite is. You don't have to get you in depth
with it. Who are you picking in the Oklahoma City
Minnesota matchup?
Speaker 3 (27:20):
I'm I don't. I don't want to change my pick.
I'm gonna stick with OKAC.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
But I could see Man Minnesota actually doing something and
causing some damage. And I think going seven games counts
for something because it wears you down a little bit.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
More because that's just one more or two more games
that you should have won and you have to play.
And I think that the teams out of the West
are just gonna be so banged up and just beat down.
And because here's another thing we got to look at too,
these games actually were called.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
You know, a little bit looser this this playoffs, and
I think that made it more for more entertaining. But watch,
but it's just man, I'm still sticking with Okay. See,
I'm still sticking with ok MO.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
What do you got into new York Indiana side. Who
who do you think is going to be the team
coming out of there?
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Well? I think Tibodeau has done a great job with
New York. Can you imagine New York winning? And you
know how it's not just those fans.
Speaker 5 (28:23):
Are they would it be great for the NBA to
have them in there, but you know, such a huge market.
But I think Indiana's just got a more balanced I
think Indiana's there definitely should be something.
Speaker 6 (28:39):
Yeah this playoffs and I.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Think hey, so touch on a little bit of what
Mark just said, do you think do you think that
New York might be a little drained? I mean, they
only win six games, they didn't go seven, but that
was a very emotional matchup and that was a very
very intensive rivalry between Boston and New York. Do you
(29:03):
do you think even though they've had a few days off,
do you think there's any worry there about mental fatigue
or even some physical fatigue for New York Because Indiana
was sitting home two days before them. So what do
you think they're.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Uh, you know, I throw all that out the window.
Speaker 5 (29:24):
These guys get more than a day off. I think
that's funny. They're professional athletes. They've got the best trainers,
they've got stuff to help them with their recovery. You know,
they're flying private jets when they do travel. It's everything's
cake walking of these guys. They've got They're getting all
the best treatment you can get.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
No mental fatigue. I think they're riding. They're riding. They
all are. I don't buy into that physical fatigue. Now,
adrenaline is going to take over. This is a conference championship,
right right?
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Okay? Well, I mean I just I thought i'd throw
it out there or whatever. What's one of the big
matchups to watch?
Speaker 2 (30:02):
Man?
Speaker 1 (30:03):
I mean, I know the one that the one that
a lot of people will talk about probably will be
SGA versus Ant and Brunson versus Haliburton, and we can
touch on those, But are there any other matchups that
that we have to like really look at and stuff.
I mean, because I've got a couple in my mind,
But what do you guys think? Mark? What do you think?
Are there any other matchups that you when you kind
(30:24):
of look at these two these two series, are there
any matchups that stand out to you that think, Hey,
if this guy gets rolling, this could really help his team.
Speaker 4 (30:34):
I mean, I think it's the New York and Indiana
matchup because it's I hate saying it. Man, they're gonna
get all the eyeballs, They're gonna get all the attention,
they get, all the newspapers, are gonna have all these
people just you know, blowing smoke up New York casts.
But I think I mean it, Ask me right now,
who's the best damn player in the playoffs. It's Brunson, man,
am I from what I've seen and all the games
(30:55):
that I've seen, and it just seems like, dude, he's
dialed in. Man, he is just a I don't give
a damn I'm not gonna lose. He's got that swagger,
he's just man, he's got the mojo going. Now here's
what I will say. Uh, when when they had those losses,
he struggles. Man, If they figure out how to contain
him or cause him to be uncomfortable and he can
(31:17):
lose maybe one game out of that, then it becomes
a problem and then you wind up kind of playing
six or seven games. But if he can keep it going,
I think the New York Knicks and I know that
I'd say that, you know, with a lot of confidence
thinking they're there. I think they're a better team than Indiana.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
Well, are there any matchups other than those that I
mentioned with An and An SGA or Brunson and Holliburton.
Are there any any matchups that you look at that
you think, Okay, this could change this series.
Speaker 8 (31:47):
It's gonna be interesting. The big guys down in UH
in New York, I don't know. And then I'm thinking
about the bigs.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
In Minnesota. They're gonna go against SGA. But you know,
I really don't have a dog in this in either
one of these spights. But the one guy I think
I would kind of pulling four.
Speaker 5 (32:13):
Would be Mike Connelly. I think he's a guy that
with his demeanor, you know, I always liked him. I
thought he would have been a good bit culture wise.
Spurs seems like a good guy, you know, never complains,
has had a long, you know, very respectable career.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
So he's a He's a guy i'd like to see
do well. You know, he doesn't have much much timeline,
but yeah, I think i'd like to see well.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
I hope he doesn't. I hope he doesn't win because
he went to Ohio State and I don't like Ohio State,
So I hope he doesn't win. But you know, some
of the other matchups that I'm kind of looking at
man Indiana, the Indiana New York matchup. When you look
at Kat and Miles Turner, you're looking in a mirror. Basically,
two six foot eleven guys who've got shooting rain, have
(33:00):
some post moves inside, can rebound. Neither one of them,
neither one of them really defends like they did when
they first came into the league. I think Turner is
a little bit better of a shot blocker. So I
think whoever can stay out of foul trouble in that
series is going to play a critical role in the
success of this because if Kat is out there and
(33:23):
he's helping to space the floor, then that's gonna help
Brentson's game because the threat of moving that ball around
the perimeter and New York has some pretty good shooters,
but then being able to go inside and be able
to control the paint, I think that's critical for that series.
The other side, you know, Mark, you said you never
(33:45):
thought you'd hear a day where you'd confidently pick the
New York Knicks. I never thought I would see a
day where I would be talking about Rudy Gobert and
the impact that he could have in this series. Now, Okay,
se has some bigs, you know what I mean, They
got some guys. They got some guys that that can
(34:05):
match up with him, her Hartenstein and of course Chet.
But I think Gobert has really found himself this year.
I think he's found something inside of him that I
don't even know he knew he had, and I think
it's helped him to get stronger and better. And he
really showed that against the Lakers. I mean, you know
that that that close out game, he was dominant against them,
(34:29):
and he did just enough in that second round that
they didn't need him to do a whole lot. So
those are some of the matchups that I look at. Obviously,
the other guys that we talked about SGA and that's
gonna be special. That's gonna be back and forth, I think.
And then of course Brunton and Halliburton. You know we talked.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
In some ways.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Yeah, you know, but but I mean it's not not
true big men like what we consider it because they
play more outside. But you know, when you look at something, Yeah,
but if you look at some of these guys kat
Go Bear Turner. They have some low post games. They
(35:17):
don't use them very often, but they have it, you know.
So yeah, it would be interesting to see how the
big men could affect these series and and how this
thing plays out. What I was gonna say was, uh,
you know, we've talked a lot of wrestling here lately,
and I guess there's about a year ago, WWE was
in New York for a SmackDown I believe maybe Raw
(35:40):
and Logan. Paul came out and hit the guy in
his quarter was Tyrese Halliburton, and there was a moment
between Brunson and Halliburton because Brunson was sitting ringside and
they had this whole stare down thing, and you know,
so everybody's like, you see the script writers in w
W they had it right. You know, we got the
(36:02):
rematch that we all wanted. So it'll be very interesting
to see, man, how this thing is gonna play out
with those in those series and stuff like that. Mark,
did you say who you who? Did you think Brunson
right was the best player left in the in the
I think.
Speaker 4 (36:18):
He's the best player right now because of who they've
eliminated and because Tatum's not in the fold, and because
Joker's not playing anymore, I think he's the guy in
the team to be and Towns has showing me a
lot man Towns has shown me he's he's progressed, you
know what I mean, He's gotten more polished and he's
not the guy that you know I would say, Okay,
(36:40):
this guy's kind of not all bought in yet. That's
the guy that I think is the key for me
on that team that is doing and playing the right
way to win a championship. Like they're hungry. They they yeah,
they reach it. They get adversity, but they get punch
in the mouth and they get knocked down with they
get back up, you know, they.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
They keep just pushing forward. Now again, I'll be honest
with you, man, I hate pulling for him, but I
think they can win this series.
Speaker 4 (37:07):
The cool thing about all four teams last is a
lot of them are like Midwest in the middle, you know,
all those like I talked to you in the past,
I don't.
Speaker 3 (37:15):
Like anything east of the Mississippi and you know, west
of the whatever.
Speaker 4 (37:19):
Real grand it's cool to have all these teams from
the middle of the country that you know, need some love, man.
They need that, that exposure, They need that, you know that,
Hey look at me, because we've been there, you know,
the Spurs have been there.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
We're just that team over there.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
In the South of Texas, and uh, you know, it
took a lot, a lot of years to gain and
get that respect. And I'm just glad that there's some
other different teams, different uh you know, stars, and hopefully
they can they can give us a good series on
both sides, and we can we can get a really
definitive true champion out of these four teams.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
No, I don't think New York is h He's gonna
get the Pacers, you know.
Speaker 5 (38:01):
I think Haliburton, you know, they were calling him overrated,
the most overrated.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
Player by his years, and he took that and said,
you know, screw you guys, And yeah, I'm impressed he's responded. Yeah,
he's got to keep his dad off the building.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
Well, you know, and and that that whole thing was
ridiculous and his dad was in the wrong, and I mean,
I'm not I'm not ever going to defend that type
of behavior, but there's nothing wrong with him being excited
about his kid and and what what Halliburton has accomplished.
Like you said, I mean a lot of people calling
him overrated, and he's gone out and he's he's been
pretty consistent, and he's he's been the best player in Indiana.
(38:41):
There's no doubt about it.
Speaker 3 (38:42):
You know.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
He's been clutched. Yeah, he's been clutched. Yeah, those come
from behind games impressive.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
Yeah. So so I mean, you can't you can't take
anything away from him. Again, his dad, His dad just
got too wrapped up in the moment, you know. And
this coming from a guy who gets wrapped up in
the moment, believe me. But yeah, there has to be
there has to be a limit. There had to be
a limit, you know. And and and his dad is definite,
definitely uh surpassed that limit.
Speaker 2 (39:09):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
As we get ready to wrap this thing up, man,
I'm gonna give you guys a second to think about
who you got and how many games to make it
to the finals. And here's my prediction. Give me Indiana
in six and give me Minnesota in six. That's my prediction.
(39:32):
Those are the teams I got. Mo, I'm gonna start
with you who you got and in how many games?
Speaker 2 (39:40):
I don't think it would go this route.
Speaker 5 (39:42):
But I think it would be crazy interesting if you
had the Knicks go up against the Timberwolves in the
finals because those traded key.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
Players with each other.
Speaker 5 (39:53):
Yeah, yeah, that would be crazy interesting because they got
the pieces that they need to get to a conference finals.
Speaker 2 (40:01):
But no, I think Indiana. I think Indiana and six,
and I will say, okay, see in the seven.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
Okay, Mark, what do you got.
Speaker 4 (40:11):
I definitely got the thunder because that's what we stuck
with at the beginning. I think they can win in
six games. I think because I mean, they're just gonna
have more home games and they're dialed in.
Speaker 3 (40:22):
I mean, it shouldn't have been as hard as what
it was, but they got tested and they fought through it.
And not only did they fight through it, man, but
they just put that team away, like Okay.
Speaker 4 (40:31):
Let's just I didn't think they had that put that
foot on your throat thing until that last game, and
they did it.
Speaker 3 (40:40):
God, I can't believe I'm saying this. I see the
Knicks in six.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
The Knicks in six. Well, I'm not gonna ask for
your final predictions yet because we don't know who's there yet,
So we'll we'll cross that bridge. When we get to it.
But you know, I think, I think I think both
of these series could be entertaining basketball, and I think
that's what we kind of have wanted. The NBA went
(41:06):
has gone long stretches here where it's just bullshit basketball,
and it hasn't been enjoyable. It hasn't been fun. You know, Mark,
We've talked about it, man, we checked out, We checked
out and during the lockout, and it took a while
to kind of get back into the groove of watching
the Spurs on a regular basis and now finally kind
of watching the NBA on a regular basis. So I
(41:28):
think overall, if if we can get some entertaining basketball
and some good games, I think that'll make it a
lot of fun for us basketball heads that just love
the sport, love the game so much. And I think
there's a chance, man, I think there's a chance for
both of these series to be really good, make some
new superstars, make some more guys that are gonna be
(41:50):
the guys that are gonna take this thing to the
next level. Because when you look at it, Father Time
is undefeated, Lebron's not gonna keep playing forever, Steph is
not going to keep playing forever. Kd's not gonna play forever.
So that generation of superstars, they're starting to fade off
to the side. These other guys need to go ahead
and step up. There's your chance for SGA to move
(42:13):
to another level. There's your chance for att to move
to another level. Hali Burton, even Brunson, as good as
he's played this postseason, does he have another gear? Can
he make it to another level? We talked about Kat Gobert.
Those guys can their perceptions the way that we look
at them right now, Can that be changed in a
(42:34):
great run to the NBA Finals. Yeah, it can so
so many different things. And the one thing that I
didn't even touch on, and I mean you mentioned it
a little bit more Tibbs, And I mean he's had
he's had some really talented teams in the different places
that he's been and he's never been able to put
it together. Here's his chance to put himself in that
(42:57):
echelon of better coach best coaches of today. So a
lot of a lot of different things to look at.
And I mean, my favorite, my favorite phrase that they're
putting out there already because it was something that happened
when Reggie was playing against the Knicks. The Knicks versus
the Hicks. That is gonna be fun to see those headlines.
(43:22):
See Spike Lee on the side there. I mean, I
can't wait, I can't wait. I can't that's gonna be
a lot of fun. Oklahoma City, Minnesota, It's gonna be
really good. It's gonna be a good time.
Speaker 6 (43:35):
Man.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
So they start tomorrow Minnesota Oklahoma City Game one tomorrow.
I think tip off is at seven thirty. I'm not sure.
You might have to look that up. And then and
then the matchup with Indiana New York is Wednesday. What
time does that one start? At seven?
Speaker 3 (43:57):
Seven?
Speaker 1 (43:58):
So ESPN has the West, as I say, ESPN has
the West, TNT has the East. So this is gonna
be this is gonna be some fun stuff. Dude. Just
wait the studio show TNT's last studio show from New York.
I mean, that's gonna be insane. And then they go
to Indiana. That's gonna be wild. And one last thing,
(44:23):
there is no more obnoxious fan base than a New
York fan base, because we already know what they're like
just because they're from New York City. So just imagine
them making the finals, how bad it's gonna be? How
much worse and insufferable are they going to be if
(44:45):
they win it all? Stephen A said the other day
that the reason he hates the Cowboys fans is because
the fans are insufferable. You're a Knicks fan. What do
you mean? If you know what insufferable is, it means
you're looking at yourself. So yeah, I can't. I can't
wait to see it. I kind of want New York
to lose, just so I know that steven A is
gonna be heartbroken more than anything, you know what I mean?
(45:07):
Like I would be okay if New York won it,
but I kind of want him to lose because I
want stephen A to hurt. So anyways, Mark, you have
anything before we wrap this thing up?
Speaker 2 (45:18):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (45:19):
I just can't wait for our Spurs pick man, and
I just that's what I'm gonna say, Man, go Spurs
go until we get to the finals.
Speaker 1 (45:24):
Yep, Mo, you got anything before we head out?
Speaker 3 (45:27):
My friend?
Speaker 5 (45:29):
Nope, just looking forward to help to see some competitive basketball.
Speaker 1 (45:33):
Yep. And we'll we'll touch on the Spurs picks, trade possibilities,
all the different things that could happen this offseason. We'll
we'll touch on that soon, man, So you know, start
doing your research, start looking at some of the draft
picks and things that people are putting out there. Obviously Harper,
everyone just assumes that somebody that's the Spurs are gonna
(45:54):
go after. But don't don't eliminate Ace Bailey, the third
kid that everyone is saying is gonna be the next one,
because that kid's got size and he's got some good movement. Again,
we'll break it all down on another episode, but yeah,
keep that name in mind. Ace Bailey is possibly being
(46:16):
the second overall pick for the Spurs. But in the meantime,
enjoy the playoffs, enjoy this run. Like you said, Mo,
let's just have some fun basketball, man. So anyways, this
has been a lot of fun. It's always great when
Mark gets to push my damn buttons and raise my
blood pressure because he starts talking about that shit ass
team and Los Angeles and then fuck up players over there.
(46:38):
But anyway, that again, another topic, another time fan Pole Sports,
True Tech Sports podcast for the True text sports fan.
Once again, this has been Ronnie, that's Mo, that's Mark,
and we're out.
Speaker 6 (46:50):
Peace speak, still.
Speaker 2 (47:07):
Speak and st
And we're back Fan Pole Sports, a true tech sports
podcast for the true tex sports fan. Once again, I'm
your host, Ronnie Langford and back at it with the Fellas,
the troublemakers, the liars themselves, Sacred Hearts, Sacred Heart's favorite son,
and the other son that they brought in because he
(00:25):
was hanging out with the rest of us, my good friends,
most of the leaders today and of course the Double
Nickel himself, Mark Romidez. Fellas, welcome back to the program.
How are y'all all right?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Thanks very much.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Hello, look when we're.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Back and we are back, and uh, you know, shout
out to Father with Selski, because without that man, our
young lives would have been pretty difficult. And the fact
that he allowed you guys to act like knuckleheads playing
on the court there at Sacred Heart when his bedroom
was right above the the court. There a lot a
(01:02):
lot of love, a lot of love to Father with
Selski and the old church over there on the west side. Hey, guys,
you know the NBA playoffs flowing right through. Some stuff
has happened, kind of like what we talked about earlier
in our NBA preview, and some things kind of surprised
us a little bit a few teams that have made
(01:24):
it to the Eastern and Western Conference Finals that we
didn't quite see coming. But I thought we'd get together
talk a little bit about the second round then we
can preview maybe the conference finals and things. Mark, let
me start with you man, your thoughts on the second round?
And are you surprised that these are the two teams
competing for the Western Conference Finals in okc and Minnesota.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
Yes, I am mostly, well, not with one of my team,
because obviously I picked okay See to go all the
way and then I Cavaliers.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
To win it all.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
But the Oklahoma team, uh, seems to be doing what
they needed to do. I know, they went seven games
with Denver, and I did not expect that. I did
expect Denver to put up a fight, but not not
like a fight like in that last game. Because that
last game was just brutal and it was awful to
(02:21):
watch because it just the wheels just started coming off
and they just couldn't continue despite Jokers' efforts.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Man, I mean, that guy to me is still the
MVP in my eyes.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
But we'll see what happens in this uh this upcoming
these upcoming.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Games mostly What about you, man? Are you are you
surprised by either one of these teams? I mean, I
think I think collectively we thought, okay, Oklahoma City would
be here, but Minnesota a little bit of a surprise
in my opinion. But what are your thoughts as you
kind of watch some of these games play out, and
especially that that seventh game.
Speaker 5 (02:58):
Yeah, well with okay See, you know, we said it
wasn't going to be a stretch for uh, you know,
either the Clippers or Denver to beat them. Denver makes
it and they take them to seven games, so.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
You know, a couple of things.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Go different earlier in the season for for Denver and
they're there.
Speaker 5 (03:18):
You know, it was art fought battle, but I think
okay See was a little bit deeper, definitely healthier. Uh
So it was a surprise that I wouldn't call it
a surprise.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
They had the best record, uh, but Denver still had
a shot.
Speaker 5 (03:34):
I am surprised though, Uh at Minnesota, I didn't they
were going to be as far. I kind of I
wouldn't assure that they were going to get past the Lakers,
you know, especially they were they kind of they went
out last season. But no, they're playing very well, right now,
there seemed to be a going on all cylinders.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Man, when you look and when you look at these
two matchups, you know, very interesting matchup in the East
as well. Mo let me start with you your thoughts
on Indiana going up against the Knicks, and you know
a little bit of a side story. This is the
final conference Championship round that TNT will ever broadcast. So
(04:22):
Reggie Miller is on the call for this series. How
how great? How great is that going to be seeing
Indiana and New York go head head to head for
a chance to make it to the NBA Finals.
Speaker 5 (04:37):
Well, that's that's fantastic, you know, because he had some
battles with New York himself. You know, I think it
was maybe ninety five where Patrick Ewingting. I think this
is a layup first up. They should have had that series,
but Indiana pulled it out.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Indiana. I really like Reggie. I think he's hilarious.
Speaker 5 (04:56):
He's a great commentator. You know, he's a totally biased and.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
That's okay because we've got Sewn Elliott.
Speaker 6 (05:05):
Our games.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
It's okay to be at Homer. But now he's I
do enjoy him.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Yeah, what do you think about the matchup.
Speaker 5 (05:14):
Oh uh, well, I was surprised to see, uh, New York.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
I was surprised to see see New York. Get there.
They're playing, they're playing well.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
Julius Randall, he's probably playing the best that I've ever
seen him play, not that I've watched him a time, but.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Yeah, they're they're looking good. And then yeah, Indiana.
Speaker 5 (05:39):
I know I said firing on all cylinders were okay
for Minnesota, but those guys really are And when I
look at, you know, their stat lines, And I played
a little bit of fantasy football this basketball, so I
would always look at the box scores, and they consistently
have you know, five guys scoring double figures. They got
(06:00):
really balanced, really balanced team. So that's a good sign
for them. They're strong, They're stronger than I thought it.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Yeah, Mark, what about you, man, what are your thoughts
on Indiana, Indiana and New York and the Reggie Miller factor.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Brother, man, I am so happy and elated and my
Tatum guy proved me right that freaking money's.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Stealing hater of the year, Hater of the year.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
I mean that, I'm just so glad that that team
is out. You know, my feelings for that team, and
I'm just glad we here we are now now I
will say this about Brunson that has to do uh
the Indiana team I think was the only team that
really threw me kind of for a little bit of
a shock. But I think they were better coached, you know,
(06:55):
they were better constructed to move forward. And I think
the Cavaliers maybe we're just too young and dumb and
full of you know what. But when it comes to
the Knicks, I think you were right, Ronald when you
mentioned that you saw something there. I don't know if
it was maybe the coaching or maybe it was just
the talent and the cohesion that that team had. I'm
(07:15):
kind of starting to feel that that that what you
see or what you saw and your heart still seeing
in a sense, yeah, that that New York team, Man
has got a lot of grit. Many Brunson, dude is
just like he's the He's what I see is kind
of like what everybody wants Katum to be. But man,
and they showed it, they proved it, and they're here
(07:37):
and they're here to you know, to battle to the end.
Lastly on the on the East.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
On the East.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
For me, I think that the the roads to these
these next two games or next two series is I
think it was a little bit easier for the East Coast,
and we'll see what happens. Man front the moment, I'm
kind of pulling for Indiana, but we're just gonna have
to wait and see. Man, they have to throw the
(08:05):
ball up and then, I mean, I don't think we
have enough information. I don't think I have enough information
to make a pick what.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
I will today.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
It's I want to throw something out.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Hold on, mo real quick.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
What do you mean you'll have enough information? Dude, It's
called the Internet. It's right there at your fingertips. What
do you mean you have enough information? You have a
you have a season full of information in two series.
How do you not have enough information? That makes absolutely
no sense? What are you talking about?
Speaker 2 (08:30):
You know what?
Speaker 6 (08:30):
I know what it is.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
You're out there looking for Pokemon cards and you're talking
You're probably gonna be looking for Yu gi Oh cards,
and next thing you know, you're gonna be talking to
me about you know, tops cards and and NBA hoops.
And I mean, I don't know what's happening over there
at the Ramirez house, but that one man that's wild.
You don't have enough information. You're killing me. You're killing me,
all right, mo, what do you got man?
Speaker 2 (08:52):
I want to say.
Speaker 5 (08:53):
You know, at at the beginning of the playoffs, I
wrote some of these guys offered or didn't give them
enough credit. It Uh, we're gonna have a new champion
this year. And uh, you know, I thought, well, Rumson,
you know, he's not a he's not a star franchise player.
I thought, Uh, Indiana was, you know, a good team.
(09:14):
But you know, again, nobody like a megastar. And uh,
you know, Shay is coming into his own. But these
guys are stars now by to stay standards and it's
like the changing of the guard, you know, Lebron, JD.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
You know that that page has turned.
Speaker 5 (09:32):
Yeah, and uh, we got to start, you know, giving
these guys their their de credit because they are at
the top.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
I agree, well, and you know.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
And and and you're right, you know, I mean, we're
so accustomed to the megastar. You know, Jordan's Shaq Kobe,
you know Lebron, you know, those were megastars that and
in some ways some of those guys have transcended sports.
You don't have that, you don't have that right now.
What you have have are what we grew up with
(10:02):
NBA superstars, And there's a difference, you know what I mean.
And I mean, I know we're giving Mark a lot
of shit for for all of his Tatum hate, but
in a lot of ways, in a lot of ways,
in a lot of ways, Tatum hasn't lived up to
the hype. You know, they've and you're right, Mark, they've
tried to make him, to try to make him out
to be something that he isn't. Is he a very
(10:25):
good basketball player, yes, can can? Has he led his
team or helped his team win a championship, Yes, you can't.
You can't deny that. You can't take that away from him.
But when you mention the all time greats, when you
mention guys that put their team on their back and
carry them to another level, he hasn't proven that yet.
(10:47):
You know, he'll have stretches in the regular season where yeah,
I mean he'll he'll do that. But in the playoffs,
and I know a lot of it, Like you guys
touched on earlier about about the health of some of
these teams in the playoffs, your will to win and
your desire to win have to be greater than the
other stuff that's going on, and we don't see that
(11:10):
all the time with some of these NBA players today.
I mean, what's the biggest knock on Lebron When things
go wrong or they're not lined up perfectly for him,
what does he do? He cops out? You know, he
was on his podcast last week and he said he
didn't understand why everybody was upset that him and Luca lost.
It wasn't him and Luca because there was eight other
(11:31):
guys out there. Well, yeah, that's true in a lot
of ways, dude, But you're the guy. You're the one
putting the crown on your head, You're the one with
Chosen One splashed across your back. You're the one that
said on another podcast that when you won in twenty
sixteen that that made you the greatest of all time.
So you can't have that both ways when you're a megastar.
(11:52):
And I agree with you, Mo, I don't think that
we have that right now. Could Shay be that maybe
you know what I mean, maybe, but we don't know.
You're right for the first time three teams. Three of
these teams have a chance to be a first time champion.
(12:12):
One of these teams hasn't won a title since I
was one years old. That's the Knicks. So you really
are going to have a new champion to crown in
these finals. And that's what I think makes it so
cool and so exciting. Do we have intriguing matchups? Yeah,
we do. But it's one of those things, man, It's
one of those things where there's so many different dynamics
(12:36):
to what the NBA is now compared to what we
grew up with. What do you got, mark? Go ahead?
Speaker 4 (12:42):
I mean there was a Scott that was throwing out,
you know, and I was kind of doing some research
on all these teams, and I think there's gonna be
a new champion. I think I want to say it's
six is maybe seven years in a row now there's
been a different team to win it.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
That just tells you where the league is. That tells
you that the league is. I guess. So, man, want
and done. I'm leaving this city type thing that.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
We bitched about in the past, or I bitch about
because there is no loyalty anymore. There is no you know,
stick with your team like a Timmy or to this point,
Giannest you know, but that's that's just kind of odd
to me that a team just can't win back to back,
and I think it's just gonna keep getting harder and
harder and for that to happen. But I thought, honestly,
(13:23):
watching all these teams all the way through the second round,
the only team that really jumped out to me that
I could see that would that could have win it
again was Denver out of all of them with Joker there.
Because all the other teams, I mean, there was some parody,
there was some struggle, there was some fight, but that was.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
The only team that I saw that seemed to like,
really really want to win, cared about winning.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
Even the way after the game ended his his interview,
you know, he just got to look on his face like, man,
I only didn't let this team down, I let myself down,
let my city down. He's the one that really only
in the sense kind of gave a shit about losing.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
And that's the kind of guy I want to rally around,
you know. And just that, man, just the non back
to back winning thing really does bother me in a way.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
I don't know why I want teams to win two
in a row, maybe three in a row because that's
kind of what we grew up with back when we
had those dynasties and those true dynasties.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
You know, I want that back.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Well, and here's where I'm going to disagree with you
on that. I don't think it's because there's not loyalty,
because when you look at the way some of these
teams have been constructed, they do have loyalty. Denver had
a core of y'all of a Joker and Murray, and
then they brought in a couple of other guys Aaron Gordon,
(14:39):
you know, a few years back to help them win
that championship. Porter on that team was a draft pick.
So there's a loyalty there. I think Boston has a
loyalty they you know, Tate, as much as you hate
on Tatum, Tatum and Brown have been there for the duration,
you know, and and stuff like that. I think what's
(15:00):
changed about the NBA more than anything is the financial side.
We talked about it as Spurs fans for a long
time how we felt it was unfair that all the
big market teams were getting to sign all the guys
because there wasn't enough money. We weren't making the same
kind of money that they were making at some of
these big market teams. But then what happened. The Spurs
started winning, started competing for champions started winning championships. We
(15:23):
never signed the big free agent, but they were able
to keep it competitive all that time. And it wasn't
because they weren't beating good teams or because other teams
weren't constructed as good. It was just means that they
were that much better. So whereas I agree with you
it's weird to see different champions, this will be the
(15:44):
sixth seventh season, seventh straight season that a different champion
will raise that trophy. But I don't think it's because
it's not loyal. I think it's more because the way
that money is structured now and distributed. What hurt Denver
the most. You said it mot injuries dept. They had
no money to spend on debt because they invested in
(16:07):
some of those guys that have been loyal to them,
But they spent too much money on those guys. So
that's something that I think the NBA needs to look
at and figure out, Okay, how do we make this,
how do we make this better where you can have
a team start to build a group into a championship contender,
compete for titles, win titles, and do it in a
(16:31):
regular basis, kind of like what the Spurs were doing obviously,
you know, you had the three peat Lakers, you had
the three peat Bulls, you had you know, Boston back
in the day. So yeah, I mean, I can see,
I can see what you're saying, but I just think
it's more about the money right now than the loyalty.
What do you got mo.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
And like Denver situation, I think, you know, that's kind
of what it's going to look like for Boston moving forward.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
Their money is and then you look over at at
Milwaukee in the same situation, all the money's tied up
with Damian Lilller and be honest, and that they really
don't have assets or money to spend to get him
some more help, right, you know, so they're in rebuild.
They went all in to get Damian and uh, you know,
try to show some loyalty, but you know, injuries out and.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Now they're they're probably going to go into rebuilding. It
makes the most sense. What you don't want to waste prime?
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Yeah, what's the what's the one thing in life that's undefeated?
Father time. Father time catches up to everybody in different ways,
in different styles. These professional players, obviously they're they're in
shape that we could never even think about because we've
we've never had those types of commitments to be those
types of players and stuff. But eventually age just starts
(17:53):
to break you down. And like you said, they tied
this money up, and yeah, and Lillard went after him
because he you know, he he's very good player. Don't
get me wrong, He's a great player. Is he top
seventy five? Not in my opinion, But that's another story
at another time. But it's one of those things that, yeah, man,
that that agent and you tie that money up somewhere
in someone like that, it makes it very hard for
(18:15):
your team to maneuver and it makes for some difficult decisions.
And that's why Milwaukee could be looking to move Giannis possibly.
What do you got, Mark? Go ahead?
Speaker 3 (18:26):
I mean, I'm glad you'll brought up honest, because I
wanted to talk about that.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
He's the perfect example of this money that you're talking about.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
You know. Now, someone made a really strong statement today
when I was doing some research. This guy says, I
have a strong feeling that he's going to stay in
the East. Why is that?
Speaker 4 (18:46):
Because whether it's with Milwaukee, which I seriously doubt, I
think he's eighty percent out the door, it's just an
easier conference, It's an easier path. I know, we want
him here in San Antonio, and maybe it's less taxes
for him or I don't know, if he's got some
kind of tax reckets that they have there.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
But think about that, you know, what, does he really
want to leave the East? Really think about the paths
to get to a championship which is easier.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Yeah, but look Lebron. Lebron made it to the finals
ten times, right, He's made it to the finals ten times.
It didn't get any easier in the championship round. So
I mean, yeah, his path to get to the finals
could be easier going through the East, but his hope
of actually winning again that might have to play a
factor in his decision, because what do you if he
(19:37):
goes to the East, where does he go? New York, Miami, Chicago,
maybe the New York Boston. But but again, if you're
trading for if you're trading for Giannis, what are you
having to get give up? You're having to give up
a proven player on your team. That was it, Does
it make your team weaker because you're giving that guy up?
(20:00):
Like this first case? Right, what do we have to
give up to me? You you say three guys are untouchable, Wemby,
Fox and Castle and here everybody else on the roster
that's on the roster. You tell Milwaukee, tell us who
you want and we can talk about it. So you're
not losing anything if you lose one of these other
guys in comparison to New York. If New York is saying, hey,
(20:24):
we want Gianni's okay, well what do we what do
we want back? Well that then you have to look
at a guy like Bridges. You have to look like
a guy at heart. You have to look at a
guy like possibly Cat. Right, that's that's part of your
core that's getting you to the Eastern Conference finals? Right now?
How does that affect your team? So I understand what
the guy was saying about Giannis staying in the East
(20:45):
because it's easier to get there. But it's not about
how easy is it to get there, it's about winning
it when you're there. And he could go he could
go East and go to the next ten finals and
not win a one, Then what does that prove? Oh, well,
he was a great player, but he and he won
one championship. Okay, So to me that to me, that statement,
(21:08):
that statement has holes in it in my opinion. Whereas
I understand it, I don't, I don't necessarily agree with it.
Let's talk MVP real quick. Let's talk MVP Mark. He
brought this up before we came on. Uh, who are
you looking at or who do you think is MVP
when you look at the regular season. We're not talking
about the playoffs. When you're talking about the regular season,
(21:31):
who is your MVP of the season.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
I mean, hand's down man. To me, it's joker man.
I know Luca could probably be in that conversation.
Speaker 7 (21:40):
Oh he can't, No, he can't. Don't bring no, don't
bring no, Do not bring Laker bullshit. Do not bring
Laker bullshit into this program when there's no need.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
To have it.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Luca didn't do shit to be considered an MVP. Stop
that stop that stop.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Before he was a Laker. Okay, how about even then?
Speaker 6 (22:04):
What did he do?
Speaker 1 (22:06):
What did he do? He was hurt, He missed twenty
five games with the damn Mavericks. What did he do
to make himself an MVP candidate? Come on, man, you
need to bring you need to be drinking something way
stronger to convince me of that ship.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Come on, Martender, right, can we get this guy drink
Man needs a chilling out.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Come on, come on, talk to me about the Joker.
Talk to me about the Joker.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
I'm just saying, I'm just saying in a com in
the conversation, I'm not saying he's even got a chance
to win it. But you know, Sga, Bro, I mean, uh,
I mean, he beat the Joker I head to head
in the playoffs, but I think in the regular season,
in the regular season, the numbers just favor Joker Man.
He's just that much of a Let's well, let's talk
(22:52):
about the qualities of an MVP.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Man.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
What what is it?
Speaker 4 (22:55):
What is it really more than is more than just scoring, Bro,
It's more than just scoring. It's playing both ends of
the floor. It's you know, giving up the ball, giving
out assists, getting rebounds. It's to me, he's a more complete,
you know, front end, back end player. So to me,
I mean, it shouldn't be uh, it shouldn't gonna be
(23:16):
a question. He's the guy, he should win it, but
I don't know, man, It's just it's always so weird,
you know, I don't think.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
I don't think Jordan never wanted two three times in
a row. He could have easily, but and then.
Speaker 4 (23:27):
They just started throwing it out, you know, like candy
to other people, just because they kind of were in
the conversation with Jordan, and I think he got slighted.
Speaker 7 (23:34):
But I'm not.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
This is not about him. This is about Joker, and
I think he's the guy.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
All right, Well, who do you have for m VP?
Who's your pick?
Speaker 5 (23:43):
Wow? I always think think about MVP. It reminds me
of when Barkley won it and he said, all this
award means.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Is that my teammates didn't do enough help me. So
I would say the Jokers hands down. I think he's
the best player in the world right.
Speaker 5 (24:06):
Now, but you can't dismiss the sixty eight wins that
Shade put up to help help them get so I
think just because of the record, and he had a
strong case for it last year too, I think they
give it to him.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
But I think is a better player, if that makes sense.
I think I think they'll give for the wins.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Yeah, and I agree with you guys. I mean, I
think I think Joker is probably the best player in
the world. I would dispute his defensive prowess. I wouldn't
even consider him any kind of defender of whatever. Can
he rebound on the defensive end, yes, but he's not
a shot blocker. He doesn't. He doesn't move his feet well.
So you kind of have to throw that out the
(24:50):
door because that's not something that he does. But his
overall game, because of what he does and his importance
on the floor, you can't deny what he is. But
I agree with you, mo, I think they'll probably give
it to SGA. He had a great year. There's no
there's no denying what he did this year. And in
(25:11):
a lot of ways, or in some ways, you could
even say SGA had a James Harden MVP type of year. Right,
had a great overall record, had great stat individual stats,
went to the free throw line. I mean, I don't
even every time he turned around, that guy was at
the free throw line because he was getting every call
that you can imagine, and it reminded me a lot
(25:32):
of Harden and the bullshit that Harden would do when
somebody just looked at him and he would fall over.
So I agree, I think Joker should be in contention
for it. Does he make a case for it? Yeah?
Probably because look at what they did record wise, with
the injuries and changes that happened within the year for them,
(25:55):
and then when you compare that SGA in Oklahoma City
didn't really have any adversity, They didn't really have any
turmoil or things that they had to overcome. They they
could just roll it out there and go play ball.
And I mean credit to them for having that type
of culture and that type of environment. But when you
look at what the Joker did, and he kept them,
(26:17):
you know, in the top four of the West. I
think we can all agree that the Western Conference is
the better conference when it comes to the regular season.
We'll find out what it is here next week or
whatever when they go to the finals. But it's one
of those things that you can't deny either one of
these guys. I give a slight edge to SGA, but
(26:37):
because of the record, and I guess because like you said,
you could probably give it to Joker almost every season,
but you're not going to give it to him every season.
You know what, I mean, so let's look at this.
Let's look at these matchups a little bit, man, And
you know, we talked a little bit about this stuff already.
(26:57):
When you look at when you look at these these teams, Mark,
I'm gonna start with you. Just tell me who your
favorite is. You don't have to get you in depth
with it. Who are you picking in the Oklahoma City
Minnesota matchup?
Speaker 3 (27:20):
I'm I don't. I don't want to change my pick.
I'm gonna stick with OKAC.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
But I could see Man Minnesota actually doing something and
causing some damage. And I think going seven games counts
for something because it wears you down a little bit.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
More because that's just one more or two more games
that you should have won and you have to play.
And I think that the teams out of the West
are just gonna be so banged up and just beat down.
And because here's another thing we got to look at too,
these games actually were called.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
You know, a little bit looser this this playoffs, and
I think that made it more for more entertaining. But watch,
but it's just man, I'm still sticking with Okay. See,
I'm still sticking with ok MO.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
What do you got into new York Indiana side. Who
who do you think is going to be the team
coming out of there?
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Well? I think Tibodeau has done a great job with
New York. Can you imagine New York winning? And you
know how it's not just those fans.
Speaker 5 (28:23):
Are they would it be great for the NBA to
have them in there, but you know, such a huge market.
But I think Indiana's just got a more balanced I
think Indiana's there definitely should be something.
Speaker 6 (28:39):
Yeah this playoffs and I.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Think hey, so touch on a little bit of what
Mark just said, do you think do you think that
New York might be a little drained? I mean, they
only win six games, they didn't go seven, but that
was a very emotional matchup and that was a very
very intensive rivalry between Boston and New York. Do you
(29:03):
do you think even though they've had a few days off,
do you think there's any worry there about mental fatigue
or even some physical fatigue for New York Because Indiana
was sitting home two days before them. So what do
you think they're.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Uh, you know, I throw all that out the window.
Speaker 5 (29:24):
These guys get more than a day off. I think
that's funny. They're professional athletes. They've got the best trainers,
they've got stuff to help them with their recovery. You know,
they're flying private jets when they do travel. It's everything's
cake walking of these guys. They've got They're getting all
the best treatment you can get.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
No mental fatigue. I think they're riding. They're riding. They
all are. I don't buy into that physical fatigue. Now,
adrenaline is going to take over. This is a conference championship,
right right?
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Okay? Well, I mean I just I thought i'd throw
it out there or whatever. What's one of the big
matchups to watch?
Speaker 2 (30:02):
Man?
Speaker 1 (30:03):
I mean, I know the one that the one that
a lot of people will talk about probably will be
SGA versus Ant and Brunson versus Haliburton, and we can
touch on those, But are there any other matchups that
that we have to like really look at and stuff.
I mean, because I've got a couple in my mind,
But what do you guys think? Mark? What do you think?
Are there any other matchups that you when you kind
(30:24):
of look at these two these two series, are there
any matchups that stand out to you that think, Hey,
if this guy gets rolling, this could really help his team.
Speaker 4 (30:34):
I mean, I think it's the New York and Indiana
matchup because it's I hate saying it. Man, they're gonna
get all the eyeballs, They're gonna get all the attention,
they get, all the newspapers, are gonna have all these
people just you know, blowing smoke up New York casts.
But I think I mean it, Ask me right now,
who's the best damn player in the playoffs. It's Brunson, man,
am I from what I've seen and all the games
(30:55):
that I've seen, and it just seems like, dude, he's
dialed in. Man, he is just a I don't give
a damn I'm not gonna lose. He's got that swagger,
he's just man, he's got the mojo going. Now here's
what I will say. Uh, when when they had those losses,
he struggles. Man, If they figure out how to contain
him or cause him to be uncomfortable and he can
(31:17):
lose maybe one game out of that, then it becomes
a problem and then you wind up kind of playing
six or seven games. But if he can keep it going,
I think the New York Knicks and I know that
I'd say that, you know, with a lot of confidence
thinking they're there. I think they're a better team than Indiana.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
Well, are there any matchups other than those that I
mentioned with An and An SGA or Brunson and Holliburton.
Are there any any matchups that you look at that
you think, Okay, this could change this series.
Speaker 8 (31:47):
It's gonna be interesting. The big guys down in UH
in New York, I don't know. And then I'm thinking
about the bigs.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
In Minnesota. They're gonna go against SGA. But you know,
I really don't have a dog in this in either
one of these spights. But the one guy I think
I would kind of pulling four.
Speaker 5 (32:13):
Would be Mike Connelly. I think he's a guy that
with his demeanor, you know, I always liked him. I
thought he would have been a good bit culture wise.
Spurs seems like a good guy, you know, never complains,
has had a long, you know, very respectable career.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
So he's a He's a guy i'd like to see
do well. You know, he doesn't have much much timeline,
but yeah, I think i'd like to see well.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
I hope he doesn't. I hope he doesn't win because
he went to Ohio State and I don't like Ohio State,
So I hope he doesn't win. But you know, some
of the other matchups that I'm kind of looking at
man Indiana, the Indiana New York matchup. When you look
at Kat and Miles Turner, you're looking in a mirror. Basically,
two six foot eleven guys who've got shooting rain, have
(33:00):
some post moves inside, can rebound. Neither one of them,
neither one of them really defends like they did when
they first came into the league. I think Turner is
a little bit better of a shot blocker. So I
think whoever can stay out of foul trouble in that
series is going to play a critical role in the
success of this because if Kat is out there and
(33:23):
he's helping to space the floor, then that's gonna help
Brentson's game because the threat of moving that ball around
the perimeter and New York has some pretty good shooters,
but then being able to go inside and be able
to control the paint, I think that's critical for that series.
The other side, you know, Mark, you said you never
(33:45):
thought you'd hear a day where you'd confidently pick the
New York Knicks. I never thought I would see a
day where I would be talking about Rudy Gobert and
the impact that he could have in this series. Now, Okay,
se has some bigs, you know what I mean, They
got some guys. They got some guys that that can
(34:05):
match up with him, her Hartenstein and of course Chet.
But I think Gobert has really found himself this year.
I think he's found something inside of him that I
don't even know he knew he had, and I think
it's helped him to get stronger and better. And he
really showed that against the Lakers. I mean, you know
that that that close out game, he was dominant against them,
(34:29):
and he did just enough in that second round that
they didn't need him to do a whole lot. So
those are some of the matchups that I look at. Obviously,
the other guys that we talked about SGA and that's
gonna be special. That's gonna be back and forth, I think.
And then of course Brunton and Halliburton. You know we talked.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
In some ways.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Yeah, you know, but but I mean it's not not
true big men like what we consider it because they
play more outside. But you know, when you look at something, Yeah,
but if you look at some of these guys kat
Go Bear Turner. They have some low post games. They
(35:17):
don't use them very often, but they have it, you know.
So yeah, it would be interesting to see how the
big men could affect these series and and how this
thing plays out. What I was gonna say was, uh,
you know, we've talked a lot of wrestling here lately,
and I guess there's about a year ago, WWE was
in New York for a SmackDown I believe maybe Raw
(35:40):
and Logan. Paul came out and hit the guy in
his quarter was Tyrese Halliburton, and there was a moment
between Brunson and Halliburton because Brunson was sitting ringside and
they had this whole stare down thing, and you know,
so everybody's like, you see the script writers in w
W they had it right. You know, we got the
(36:02):
rematch that we all wanted. So it'll be very interesting
to see, man, how this thing is gonna play out
with those in those series and stuff like that. Mark,
did you say who you who? Did you think Brunson
right was the best player left in the in the
I think.
Speaker 4 (36:18):
He's the best player right now because of who they've
eliminated and because Tatum's not in the fold, and because
Joker's not playing anymore, I think he's the guy in
the team to be and Towns has showing me a
lot man Towns has shown me he's he's progressed, you
know what I mean, He's gotten more polished and he's
not the guy that you know I would say, Okay,
(36:40):
this guy's kind of not all bought in yet. That's
the guy that I think is the key for me
on that team that is doing and playing the right
way to win a championship. Like they're hungry. They they yeah,
they reach it. They get adversity, but they get punch
in the mouth and they get knocked down with they
get back up, you know, they.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
They keep just pushing forward. Now again, I'll be honest
with you, man, I hate pulling for him, but I
think they can win this series.
Speaker 4 (37:07):
The cool thing about all four teams last is a
lot of them are like Midwest in the middle, you know,
all those like I talked to you in the past,
I don't.
Speaker 3 (37:15):
Like anything east of the Mississippi and you know, west
of the whatever.
Speaker 4 (37:19):
Real grand it's cool to have all these teams from
the middle of the country that you know, need some love, man.
They need that, that exposure, They need that, you know that,
Hey look at me, because we've been there, you know,
the Spurs have been there.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
We're just that team over there.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
In the South of Texas, and uh, you know, it
took a lot, a lot of years to gain and
get that respect. And I'm just glad that there's some
other different teams, different uh you know, stars, and hopefully
they can they can give us a good series on
both sides, and we can we can get a really
definitive true champion out of these four teams.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
No, I don't think New York is h He's gonna
get the Pacers, you know.
Speaker 5 (38:01):
I think Haliburton, you know, they were calling him overrated,
the most overrated.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
Player by his years, and he took that and said,
you know, screw you guys, And yeah, I'm impressed he's responded. Yeah,
he's got to keep his dad off the building.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
Well, you know, and and that that whole thing was
ridiculous and his dad was in the wrong, and I mean,
I'm not I'm not ever going to defend that type
of behavior, but there's nothing wrong with him being excited
about his kid and and what what Halliburton has accomplished.
Like you said, I mean a lot of people calling
him overrated, and he's gone out and he's he's been
pretty consistent, and he's he's been the best player in Indiana.
(38:41):
There's no doubt about it.
Speaker 3 (38:42):
You know.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
He's been clutched. Yeah, he's been clutched. Yeah, those come
from behind games impressive.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
Yeah. So so I mean, you can't you can't take
anything away from him. Again, his dad, His dad just
got too wrapped up in the moment, you know. And
this coming from a guy who gets wrapped up in
the moment, believe me. But yeah, there has to be
there has to be a limit. There had to be
a limit, you know. And and and his dad is definite,
definitely uh surpassed that limit.
Speaker 2 (39:09):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
As we get ready to wrap this thing up, man,
I'm gonna give you guys a second to think about
who you got and how many games to make it
to the finals. And here's my prediction. Give me Indiana
in six and give me Minnesota in six. That's my prediction.
(39:32):
Those are the teams I got. Mo, I'm gonna start
with you who you got and in how many games?
Speaker 2 (39:40):
I don't think it would go this route.
Speaker 5 (39:42):
But I think it would be crazy interesting if you
had the Knicks go up against the Timberwolves in the
finals because those traded key.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
Players with each other.
Speaker 5 (39:53):
Yeah, yeah, that would be crazy interesting because they got
the pieces that they need to get to a conference finals.
Speaker 2 (40:01):
But no, I think Indiana. I think Indiana and six,
and I will say, okay, see in the seven.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
Okay, Mark, what do you got.
Speaker 4 (40:11):
I definitely got the thunder because that's what we stuck
with at the beginning. I think they can win in
six games. I think because I mean, they're just gonna
have more home games and they're dialed in.
Speaker 3 (40:22):
I mean, it shouldn't have been as hard as what
it was, but they got tested and they fought through it.
And not only did they fight through it, man, but
they just put that team away, like Okay.
Speaker 4 (40:31):
Let's just I didn't think they had that put that
foot on your throat thing until that last game, and
they did it.
Speaker 3 (40:40):
God, I can't believe I'm saying this. I see the
Knicks in six.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
The Knicks in six. Well, I'm not gonna ask for
your final predictions yet because we don't know who's there yet,
So we'll we'll cross that bridge. When we get to it.
But you know, I think, I think I think both
of these series could be entertaining basketball, and I think
that's what we kind of have wanted. The NBA went
(41:06):
has gone long stretches here where it's just bullshit basketball,
and it hasn't been enjoyable. It hasn't been fun. You know, Mark,
We've talked about it, man, we checked out, We checked
out and during the lockout, and it took a while
to kind of get back into the groove of watching
the Spurs on a regular basis and now finally kind
of watching the NBA on a regular basis. So I
(41:28):
think overall, if if we can get some entertaining basketball
and some good games, I think that'll make it a
lot of fun for us basketball heads that just love
the sport, love the game so much. And I think
there's a chance, man, I think there's a chance for
both of these series to be really good, make some
new superstars, make some more guys that are gonna be
(41:50):
the guys that are gonna take this thing to the
next level. Because when you look at it, Father Time
is undefeated, Lebron's not gonna keep playing forever, Steph is
not going to keep playing forever. Kd's not gonna play forever.
So that generation of superstars, they're starting to fade off
to the side. These other guys need to go ahead
and step up. There's your chance for SGA to move
(42:13):
to another level. There's your chance for att to move
to another level. Hali Burton, even Brunson, as good as
he's played this postseason, does he have another gear? Can
he make it to another level? We talked about Kat Gobert.
Those guys can their perceptions the way that we look
at them right now, Can that be changed in a
(42:34):
great run to the NBA Finals. Yeah, it can so
so many different things. And the one thing that I
didn't even touch on, and I mean you mentioned it
a little bit more Tibbs, And I mean he's had
he's had some really talented teams in the different places
that he's been and he's never been able to put
it together. Here's his chance to put himself in that
(42:57):
echelon of better coach best coaches of today. So a
lot of a lot of different things to look at.
And I mean, my favorite, my favorite phrase that they're
putting out there already because it was something that happened
when Reggie was playing against the Knicks. The Knicks versus
the Hicks. That is gonna be fun to see those headlines.
(43:22):
See Spike Lee on the side there. I mean, I
can't wait, I can't wait. I can't that's gonna be
a lot of fun. Oklahoma City, Minnesota, It's gonna be
really good. It's gonna be a good time.
Speaker 6 (43:35):
Man.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
So they start tomorrow Minnesota Oklahoma City Game one tomorrow.
I think tip off is at seven thirty. I'm not sure.
You might have to look that up. And then and
then the matchup with Indiana New York is Wednesday. What
time does that one start? At seven?
Speaker 3 (43:57):
Seven?
Speaker 1 (43:58):
So ESPN has the West, as I say, ESPN has
the West, TNT has the East. So this is gonna
be this is gonna be some fun stuff. Dude. Just
wait the studio show TNT's last studio show from New York.
I mean, that's gonna be insane. And then they go
to Indiana. That's gonna be wild. And one last thing,
(44:23):
there is no more obnoxious fan base than a New
York fan base, because we already know what they're like
just because they're from New York City. So just imagine
them making the finals, how bad it's gonna be? How
much worse and insufferable are they going to be if
(44:45):
they win it all? Stephen A said the other day
that the reason he hates the Cowboys fans is because
the fans are insufferable. You're a Knicks fan. What do
you mean? If you know what insufferable is, it means
you're looking at yourself. So yeah, I can't. I can't
wait to see it. I kind of want New York
to lose, just so I know that steven A is
gonna be heartbroken more than anything, you know what I mean?
(45:07):
Like I would be okay if New York won it,
but I kind of want him to lose because I
want stephen A to hurt. So anyways, Mark, you have
anything before we wrap this thing up?
Speaker 2 (45:18):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (45:19):
I just can't wait for our Spurs pick man, and
I just that's what I'm gonna say, Man, go Spurs
go until we get to the finals.
Speaker 1 (45:24):
Yep, Mo, you got anything before we head out?
Speaker 3 (45:27):
My friend?
Speaker 5 (45:29):
Nope, just looking forward to help to see some competitive basketball.
Speaker 1 (45:33):
Yep. And we'll we'll touch on the Spurs picks, trade possibilities,
all the different things that could happen this offseason. We'll
we'll touch on that soon, man, So you know, start
doing your research, start looking at some of the draft
picks and things that people are putting out there. Obviously Harper,
everyone just assumes that somebody that's the Spurs are gonna
(45:54):
go after. But don't don't eliminate Ace Bailey, the third
kid that everyone is saying is gonna be the next one,
because that kid's got size and he's got some good movement. Again,
we'll break it all down on another episode, but yeah,
keep that name in mind. Ace Bailey is possibly being
(46:16):
the second overall pick for the Spurs. But in the meantime,
enjoy the playoffs, enjoy this run. Like you said, Mo,
let's just have some fun basketball, man. So anyways, this
has been a lot of fun. It's always great when
Mark gets to push my damn buttons and raise my
blood pressure because he starts talking about that shit ass
team and Los Angeles and then fuck up players over there.
(46:38):
But anyway, that again, another topic, another time fan Pole Sports,
True Tech Sports podcast for the True text sports fan.
Once again, this has been Ronnie, that's Mo, that's Mark,
and we're out.
Speaker 6 (46:50):
Peace speak, still.
Speaker 2 (47:07):
Speak and st
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