Best of NBA News Part 1: Steph Curry signs 10-YEAR DEAL with Chinese brand Li-Ning + PARALLELS between Wemby and Tim Duncan's age 22 seasons + SGA's MVP season a FAILURE?!

Summary

Club Shay Shay: Best of NBA News, Part 1

Date: June 3, 2026
Host: Shannon Sharpe (Uncle Ocho), w/ Joe Johnson & Chad “Ocho” Johnson
Theme: Dissecting hot NBA topics – Steph Curry’s groundbreaking Li-Ning deal, the striking parallels between Wembanyama and Tim Duncan’s age-22 seasons, and a nuanced reflection on SGA’s “failed” MVP campaign.

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Episode Overview

This lively episode dives deep into several of the NBA’s juiciest current storylines. The crew—anchored by Uncle Ocho's signature mix of wit and real talk—parses Victor Wembanyama’s first playoff run, the unique position of SGA as a back-to-back MVP whose team fell short, the evolution of NBA shoe deals with Steph Curry’s historic Li-Ning contract, and broader team-building challenges. Laden with personal stories, accountability, and playful rivalries, the episode is equal parts insightful analysis and pure entertainment.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Parallels: Wemby’s Playoff Run vs. Young Tim Duncan (00:36–11:13)

• Eerie Similarities: The opening segment draws direct comparisons between a 22-year-old Tim Duncan’s and Victor Wembanyama’s playoff bows:
  • Both led the Spurs through identical playoff paths (Blazers, Wolves, Lakers, Knicks).
  • Duncan met Shaq as his rival; Wimby faced contemporary nemesis Chet.
• Expectations Exceeded:

  “We thought San Antonio would be another year away... but this young team is so scary, bro.”
  – Joe, [01:22]

• Team Building Realities: There’s debate about how long the Spurs can keep their impressive young core intact due to salary and pecking order.
• The “Alpha” Question: Comparisons to the early Lakers dynasty surface; discussion about whether strong personalities (like Castle and Harper) might someday challenge Wimby’s leadership, a la Shaq and Kobe.

  “You need that from him… but if Wimby’s on your damn team, he gonna be option one and you gonna be two. Period, point blank.”
  – Joe, [05:48]

• “It Factor” Debate: The crew discusses whether superstar drive can be taught, with classic analogies about guard dogs, chihuahuas, and innate competitive fire.

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2. Personal Reflections: Facing Your Old Team (11:13–21:27)

• Intensity vs. Former Teams:

  “Every time I played Phoenix after I left, I tried to give them hell... they knew what was up.”
  – Joe, [11:50]
  “It’s not that I was mad they traded me... it’s that they thought they’d be BETTER without me.”
  – Uncle Ocho, [14:44]

• 2000 Ravens Defense Memories:
  • The 2000 Ravens’ D is recalled fondly (and with awe)—so ferocious it “would have gotten fined out of today’s game.”

    “If the 2000 Ravens defense played today, everyone would be suspended.”
    – Ocho, [18:55] “Every offensive play (for the opponent) ended in a punt or turnover...”
    – Uncle Ocho, [19:49]

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3. Diversity on the Sidelines: Black NBA Head Coaches (22:12–24:10)

• Scarcity of Black champions: They count the limited number of Black head coaches to have won NBA titles: Bill Russell (as player-coach), Casey Jones, Doc Rivers, Ty Lue, Joe Mazzulla, Lenny Wilkens, Al Attles.

  “NBA been going 80 years. I think that’s it…”
  – Uncle Ocho, [22:22]

• Meaningful representation:

  “Mike Brown wants to win a championship. There aren’t many of us of color that have won an NBA title.”
  – Uncle Ocho, [12:12]

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4. The Kings’ Malpractice (26:07–29:41)

• Organizational Turmoil:

  “Halle played in the finals last year. Mike Brown in the finals, Fox in the finals... and all [the Kings] got was a first-round exit. Ain’t the damn coaches; it’s the organization, it’s the infrastructure, bro.”
  – Joe, [26:32]

• Possible Trades: Rumors swirl about moving Domantas Sabonis; acknowledgment that his father, Arvydas Sabonis, was Jokic-before-Jokic with his passing skills.

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5. Steph Curry’s Decade-Long Li-Ning Deal (34:42–43:40)

• The Deal: Curry inks a 10-year, multi-faceted endorsement with Chinese brand Li-Ning after leaving Under Armour, with plans for co-branded stores in the US and China.

  “Obviously, they paying that cheddar... but they make a pretty good shoe, Ojo.”
  – Joe, [35:18] "Not so sure other brands was going to give him that opportunity [to start his own brand]... Nike's very conscious about that."
  – Uncle Ocho, [36:01]

• Brand Dynamics: The guys discuss how athletes' priorities are shifting — it’s “all about money,” with players now more willing to join New Balance, Puma, or Skechers if the check is right.

  “Back in the day, a hundred dollars for some shoes was a lot of money, bro... I was in Payless with my mama, XJ900. They LOOKED like Jordans, but—”
  – Joe, [38:31]

• The Golf Angle: They speculate Curry’s golf ambitions factored into the deal; Nike dropped their hard-goods golf division, but Li-Ning will let Curry build his own brand.
• The Chinese Market:

  “When those guys go on tours... where they go? China, Thailand, Taiwan. That Asian market is crazy.”
  – Uncle Ocho, [43:08]

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6. Locker Room Trash Talk and Friendly Bets (43:40–52:13)

• Three-Point Competition Challenge: Uncle Ocho, Joe, and Ocho trade smack about who would win a three-point contest, with signed Steph Curry shoes and a Louis Vuitton basketball as stakes.

  “I might have these on when I shoot that three point competition against your ass.”
  – Uncle Ocho, [44:07]

• **Light-hearted banter erupts over pool, golf, fishing—setting up a future showdown.

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7. NBA Finals Aesthetics: The Classic Trophy Center Court (53:25–54:47)

• Return of the Iconic Decal:

  “The Finals are very prestige; I don’t like when it just looks like a regular game... Put that big decal out there!”
  – Joe, [53:42]
  “Why did they take it away? Were the guys slipping on the logo?”
  – Uncle Ocho, [54:13]

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8. SGA’s MVP “Failure” – Accountability & Standards (54:50–83:43)

The Question:

• SGA calls his year a “failure” after losing in Game 7, despite averaging 31.1 PPG (regular season) and back-to-back MVPs:

  "I did not achieve what I wanted... I learned most about myself and make the greatest amount of increase in my career when I fail and I don’t get what I want."
  – Read from SGA, [54:50]

Analysis:

• Accountability vs. Excuses

  “That’s what the great ones do... they don’t deflect, they don’t blame. They point right at themselves.”
  – Joe, [56:52]

• Standards for Greatness:

  “We hold him to a certain standard... now that is the level he’ll be held to even as he gets older.”
  – Uncle Ocho, [82:59] “The standard he set is so high, we’re being critical of him because he’s not getting any help.”
  – Ocho, [82:26]

• Why MVPs are Held to a Different Bar:

  “If MVPs only succeed against marginal or average players, why are they MVPs?”
  – Uncle Ocho, [59:34]

• Playoff Adjustments: Team defenses tightened up, especially in a 7-game playoff series, and the Spurs' defensive talent made SGA’s life much harder than the regular season.

• Role of Supporting Cast:

  “If Shay doesn’t have a consistent number two… it’s hard, because the West is so tough.”
  – Joe, [64:01]

• Realistically Evaluating Dort and Others: Debates over whether Lou Dort’s offensive liability outweighs his stellar defense—OKC’s lack of reliable scorers outside SGA comes under the microscope.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Team Building:
  “It’s hard to construct a team like this… in about two or three years, you gonna have a lot of these key pieces gone. But the core… win. Benyama, Castle, Harper, I guess Vassell and Champagnie, like, they intact for the next at least decade. They gonna give people hell for the next decade for sure.”
  – Joe, [01:53]

• On the Kobe/Shaq Dynamic:
  “Kobe said, ‘No, I don’t want to be two no more.’”
  – Uncle Ocho, [06:08]

• On Money in Shoe Deals:
  “Nike gonna offer you five, six million. New Balance gonna give you 15, 20. Come on now, let’s be real.”
  – Uncle Ocho, [37:51]

• SGA’s Self-Reflection:
  “I failed at my goal. ...I didn’t get what I want. ...I have to look for that reason and try to make sure it never happens again.”
  – SGA (read by Uncle Ocho), [54:50]

• On Holding Greatness to a Higher Standard:
  “Great players get compared to them young, their younger self.”
  – Uncle Ocho, [82:59]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Wemby/Duncan Playoff Parallels: [00:36–11:13]
• Facing Former Teams/Ravens D: [11:13–21:27]
• Black NBA Champion Coaches: [22:12–24:10]
• Kings’ Missteps/Dealing Sabonis: [26:07–29:41]
• Steph Curry x Li-Ning Deal: [34:42–43:40]
• Three-Point Contest Banter & Bets: [43:40–52:13]
• Classic Finals Trophy Returns: [53:25–54:47]
• SGA Accountability/MVP Standard: [54:50–83:43]

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Tone & Style

The conversation is authentic, humorous, and irreverent—balancing deep basketball insight with playful jabs and personal reflection. Shannon/Uncle Ocho keeps it real, Joe brings player’s perspective, and Ocho mediates with humor and clarity.

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For New Listeners

This episode is a perfect sample of Club Shay Shay’s high-octane, culture-savvy roundtable. You’ll get smart NBA analysis, behind-the-scenes stories, and the type of banter only All-Pro athletes can deliver. Even if you missed the games, you’ll feel caught up—and entertained.

Transcript

[Uncle Ocho]

Hey guys, it's us, the Jonas Brothers.

[Joe]

I'm Joe.

[Uncle Ocho]

I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called hey Jonas. We invented a podcast.

[Ocho]

Well, we didn't invent it.

[Akilah Hughes]

We.

[Uncle Ocho]

We just contributed to it. First people to do podcasts.

[Akilah Hughes]

We get to ask other people questions

[Uncle Ocho]

because we're sick and tired of being asked questions.

[MC Jen]

Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick.

[Uncle Ocho]

Listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio

[MC Jen]

app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Uncle Ocho]

Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

[Akilah Hughes]

Wait, you don't need an hour to burn calories.

[Uncle Ocho]

TikTok has short workouts that get your

[Akilah Hughes]

heart rate up fast.

[Uncle Ocho]

Download now and get moving. Hey guys, it's your favorite unc here. Go ahead and click that subscribe button below so you don't miss a single episode of Nightcap. That button right here. Come for the sports, stay for the stories. Parallels between Tim Dunker and Tim Duncan and Victor to win Minyama first playoff run are insane. 22 year old Tim Duncan first playoff run, beat the Blazers, beat the Wolves, defeated the Lakers. His rival was Shaq, beat the Knicks in five games in the NBA Finals. Wimby beat the Blazers, beat the Wolves, defeated his rival Chet Faith in the Knicks in the NBA finals.

[Joe]

That's scary. Nah, it is for real. It is for real. Like I think, you know, seeing San Antonio, because I don't think we, we thought San Antonio would be here.

[Uncle Ocho]

No, we thought they're gonna probably be another year, year away because we talked about. Yeah, we, we talked about it. I said, Joe, you remember okc? They had, they got upset by the Mavericks, came back the next year.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

So I was thinking, yeah, Thunder do it and then they come back next year.

[Joe]

Absolutely. And for them to be on the biggest stage right now, man, this young team is so scary, bro. That like potentially. Seriously fellas, I don't know if they could keep all those guys together cause you know everybody gonna want to get paid. But it's hard to construct a team like this, to have all this talent on one team. So I figure in about two or three years, yeah, you gonna have a lot of these key pieces gone. But the core obviously win. Benyama, Castle, Harper. I guess for sale and champagne like they intact for the next at least decade. I'm just being realistic, you know, they gonna give people hell for the next decade for sure.

[Uncle Ocho]

I think the core three, I think their core three is Harper Castle.

[Joe]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

And I know they would like to keep Versaille. I know they'd like to keep Champagne. I just don't think it's gonna be possible. And I think they're gonna probably end up moving off of. Cause Harper's too good to keep on the bench. Joe. You can't keep him on the bed. Joe, you remember that, that overtime game, Game one?

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

He and I love Fox. Fox has been amazing this last game. It showed you why they got him.

[Joe]

Yeah. You just can't keep all those guys.

[Uncle Ocho]

You can't.

[Joe]

It's hard to. It's hard to have all that talent on one team. It's just too much. And I. You right, I'm. I'm. I'm. Look, hey, if I'm. If I'm the spurs, at some point, Dylan Harper is going to be my starting point. When would that be, Joe?

[Uncle Ocho]

It probably gonna be next year, Ocho. Yeah, it's gonna be. It's gonna be either next year or the year after. He ain't got more than two years there. I can see a scenario happening now because he. You got a great situation. Fox. You could learn from a veteran player. Fox is still unbelievable. But this kid is. I can't, Joe. I can't keep him on the bench. I can't.

[Joe]

I think you could play both of them if you just want me to be honest with you.

[Uncle Ocho]

It's hard to play three guards, Joe. Even though you got Wimby and that kind of. That kind of hurt him a little bit. I mean. Cause you got. When you play three guards, you've got to have a conscious, like, hey, we gotta hit the glass. We got to. Yeah, we talked about this with the Dallas Wings. When they play Reek and they play Beckers and they play a fud.

[Joe]

Yeah, it's tough.

[Uncle Ocho]

It is, it is. But yeah, it's. And I think the thing, you can keep teams that come up together as long as you. They understand the pecking order. I don't think there'll ever be a situation. I could be wrong. You don't know what the mindset is, is that Harper Castle think they are better than Wemby. That's when you run into problems.

[Joe]

I don't think they gonna run in there. I think they understand the picking order and they know by having him, he makes the game so much easier for those guys.

[Uncle Ocho]

How was that picking order in la? Hey, how was that picking order in Cleveland? Hey, Joe, I'll be using the NBA when it happened. Now I'm listening. Go ahead, fill Us in tell OO and I about this. Cause you was around it at the time. What?

[Joe]

What you talking about?

[Uncle Ocho]

With the Lakers when they won three championships in a row, how did that pecking order that?

[Joe]

Cause you got you. But that's cuz you got two damn alphas. You got two damn alphas.

[Uncle Ocho]

How you think Castle. Do you not think Castle think he's an alpha? Did you see this? Dylan Harper. Yeah. Yeah. Come on. Come on, bro. Come on, bro. Come on, bro. Hey, come on, bro.

[Joe]

And you need that. And you need that, bro. You need that from him. But what I'm saying is I think they understand how unique Wimby is, man. They ain't you. You ain't gonna. If he on your damn team, he gonna be option one and you gonna be two. Period, point blank.

[Uncle Ocho]

Kobe said, no, I don't want to be too no more.

[Joe]

Well, we. We know Cole was a little different. Yeah, man.

[Uncle Ocho]

Man, guess what?

[Ocho]

Was he ever too? Was Kobe ever too?

[Uncle Ocho]

Yes.

[Ocho]

Not in his mind.

[Uncle Ocho]

Okay, bro. When Kobe got there in 96, who thoughts Kobe? Who thought Kobe was better than Shaq?

[Joe]

Nobody.

[Ocho]

Nobody.

[Joe]

When he first got there? Nobody.

[Uncle Ocho]

Been in the league four years and he was a top 50 player all time in his fourth year. Come on. What Kobe turned himself into with that relentless drive and work ethic. Yes, he became that. But bro, let's not fool ourselves. When they arrived in LA at the same time, it wasn't close. No, it wasn't close.

[Ocho]

But what Kobe worked and turned himself into.

[Uncle Ocho]

Yes, yes. His mind.

[Ocho]

I ain't no, I'm not no.

[Uncle Ocho]

2. I'm the one you saw. Every year you saw Kobe get better, it was like. Like, oh, man. Every year, same thing. When you watch the ar, you watched ar or the undrafted free agent, and every year you see his points increase. You see him getting better. You see him getting better. You see him getting better. You watch Kobe and every damn year he got the guy that was laughing at that when he air balled that shot. Yeah.

[Joe]

Hey, hey. It could be the same turning point for Chick now. You know, we. Everybody been talking.

[Uncle Ocho]

Oh, no, no. Kobe always had that in him.

[Joe]

We don't. We, we don't.

[Uncle Ocho]

We.

[Joe]

You. It just take a moment. It take a moment for them for that dog. I saw it.

[Uncle Ocho]

Well, I'm never gonna let a Chihuahua Pomeranian guard the flock. That's. He gonna sit on my lap and he gonna bark at the doorbell, and when the mailman stick the bell in the slot, he gonna go tear it up. Yeah, that's what I got.

[Joe]

Him for.

[Uncle Ocho]

I will get an alibi. I'm gonna get a kangal. I'm gonna get a barbell. I'm gonna get you one of these big ass Caucasian mastiffs. I will let them guard the.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

That ain't check makeup, though, Joe. That's in you, Joe. Ain't nobody gave you that. It wasn't a situation that. It was. It was your upbringing that caused you to be Joe Johnson. It was Ocho's upbringing that caused Ocho to be Chad Johnson. It was my upbringing that was in me. That ain't on me. Yeah.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

There's certain things you can't. You can't coach, Joe. Certain things you can coach. You have an it factor. Everybody has that its back. Some people got it, some people don't. You can't coach it. You born with it.

[Javier Chicharito Hernandez]

Yes.

[Ocho]

You born with it.

[Uncle Ocho]

Yes. Look, but here's the thing, though, Joe. That's his demons. Chet is Chet. If you're an alcoholic, Chet is the drink. If you got a gambling problem, Chet is the casino. Wemby is the casino. If you got a. A girl addiction, Wimby is the model. So whatever your weakness is, he's it.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

How do you face it? How do you stare it down?

[Joe]

Gotta go through his ass.

[Uncle Ocho]

Cause guess what, Joe? If you have an addiction to alcohol, guess what you gotta do, Joe? I gotta go buy every liquor store every day for the rest of my life and not go in there. I got to be able to go back, go to a restaurant and order water or drink or. Or a soda and not a drink. I go out with the boys to watch a game. I gotta walk by the bar and go sit in the back and have a good time while everybody else is drinking. I gotta be able to go, hey, man, we going to Vegas,

[Ocho]

bro.

[Uncle Ocho]

I don't know if I can go to Vegas. It's like me and Houston. I gotta go to every time. I gotta go to Houston, man. Me and Joe. Hey, There's a saying that says, we create our demons, only we can chase them away.

[Ocho]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

We going to Houston, Damn it. We going to Houston. I will chase my demons away. I'm going to Houston, and I'm gonna be outside.

[Joe]

Yeah. Yeah. That's what I'm talking about.

[Ocho]

Hey, that's good energy, huh?

[Joe]

Yeah,

[Uncle Ocho]

I said that out loud.

[Joe]

I like the language you talking, man. That's what I'm talking about.

[Uncle Ocho]

I like it.

[Ocho]

Hey, you. And you know what? And you said that with some conviction. That's how I know you meant it.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

Oh, Lord, yeah, that's all.

[Ocho]

I'm with you when you're right.

[Uncle Ocho]

I ain't bothered nobody. Mike Brown was asked if it's difficult to separate his connection to the spurs organization in Dear and Fox ahead of the NBA Finals. They definitely want to beat me and I want to kick their ass. I love them and you could always love them before and after. Joe, you ever. When. So how was it when you played, when you played when you were Atlanta and you played Phoenix or you went to the Brooklyn and you played Atlanta and you played Phoenix, how was that?

[Joe]

I tried trying to get at 30

[Uncle Ocho]

every game

[Joe]

I tried and I damn near succeeded. A lot of times. I. I ain't saying I did it every time, but a lot of the times I was trying to get a ass hell, especially Phoenix. When I left Phoenix and came here, I tried to get them boys hell, every time they seen me, they know it. They knew it. Hey, hey, what we talking about? I ain't gotta say a damn thing, but my energy alone lets you know. Oh, he. He ain't messing around today. He. Man, we. Hey, hey, we're gonna have to send that double on his ass. Cause he think he finna come in here and give us 35, 40 points. Hell no. Yeah, that's how my energy was.

[Uncle Ocho]

Ocho, did you play the Bengals when you went to New England?

[Ocho]

No, no, sir. Remember? I was only that I was only there for that one season and doing. When they ran that gauntlet that year, I. I didn't shoot. I think they might.

[Joe]

They.

[Ocho]

Them boys might have lost but two, three, maybe three games that season.

[Uncle Ocho]

We.

[Ocho]

Nah, we ain't playing.

[Uncle Ocho]

I played. Man, how funny is this, man? I leave the Broncos, I go to the Ravens. Our first playoff game. Guess who it's against, Joe? Who? Broncos.

[Ocho]

Ravens. Oh, the Broncos.

[Joe]

Oh, man, the Broncos. You trying to get. You trying to get ass.

[Uncle Ocho]

Hell, when you are my first cat, my first catch, they call the pass. It's kind of windy day. I know Jamal. I used to call him the big mistake. It's a derogatory term. It was derogatory at the time, but since, you know, I've been known. Little people say it's derogatory, but let's just call him. I called him a big little person.

[Ocho]

Right, right.

[Uncle Ocho]

He had an average sized body, but he had little short arms. We call a pass. He goes into the plat. I see Trent rear back to throw it. I said, ain't no way in hell big ma gonna catch this. Yeah, I said, let me go ahead that way So I start getting me a little light jog. I head that way just in case it bobbles up in the air. I'm gonna have to catch. I'm gonna have to chase somebody down, right? What happened? Sure enough, he bobbling up in the air. A defender tip it. I catch it, go down the sideline 58 yards for a touchdown. Joe, in front of the Broncos bench.

[Joe]

Hey, hey. You know what it is? It's. Cause when you playing your former team, bro, you be so in tune. You know what I mean? And it's like the littlest things that can happen for you. It's like. Cause I done had games to where I played against former teams, and it didn't go so well. But for the most part, you be so locked in. Cause you want your damn get back, you know, you just.

[Uncle Ocho]

You feel away.

[Joe]

You know what I mean?

[Uncle Ocho]

Absolutely.

[Joe]

And you want to come out and put on a hell of a performance. I know exactly what you're talking about.

[Uncle Ocho]

And my thing was, it was because I still had a lot of friends over there. It was the fact. And I told her, and I ended up having a conversation with Mike, and I said, mike, I'm not upset that you tried to trade me, and you end up not even offering me a contract. It was the fact that you thought you'd be better without me.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

I said, there are so many things that I do outside of the football. You just look at what I do on the football field, right. With all that, when I left and the locker room went to chaos and all that other stuff was going on. Had a conversation like, 84. You're right. But I got. I didn't. Came for three pass, had like 78 yards. But it was that one play. And then every big play that we needed to get to the Super Bowl, I made it.

[Ocho]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

That made me feel good because they didn't think I could play. I could play at that level. And even though I didn't get the opportunities that I got younger in my career at Denver, give me an opportunity. I'll make a play.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

Knowing that defense once Marvin Lewis said, hey, Shay. Because it was a running joke. We started joking like, marvin, how many points you need today? Marvin, say, we give us this. So we playing Tennessee. So we beat the Broncos. He's like, we say, broncos, not gonna score anything on us. I said, what you need in Tennessee? He say. He said, shay, give us 10. I said, Marvin, they got the best record in the NFL. They got. Statistically, their defense was better than ours. He said, he, like, Shady knuckles give us 10. Give it to us early. They scored plays going crazy. They bust the coverage. I go down, I catch a 58 yard pass, go down to the one Jamal score. They kick a field goal. We kick a field goal. Then they try to pick another field goal. We block it. Running back for a touchdown. They throw a swing pass to Eddie in the flat. Ray Pickett go back for a touchdown. So we beat them.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

So we feeling good. So we going out. We going out early. We going out early to the Raiders. Cause we playing. They in Oakland. My best friend, Sharon, she passes. She was supposed to meet me in Tennessee, but she ends up passing. So I end up having to go out there. I have to go out there to. To Denver, to obviously to her home, going, service. So I don't ride on the plane out there because normally I'm up the front. So the veteran players, if you got 10 years or more, you sit up front with the coaches. Everybody else in the back. So, yeah, I didn't get a chance. So when I get to the hotel that Saturday, I say, marv, what we looking like? He says. He say, shay, give us seven. I said, marvin. I said, marvin, they got the number one offense in football. What you mean? He said, shay, give us seven. Give it to us early. So I say, suge, be honest now. Because we always sit at the table. We always said, me, Suge, Woody, Rod Wilson, Corey Harris. We always sat together. I said, sure. I said, sure. What we looking like? What we look need tomorrow? He looked me dead in my eyes. He said, shay, give us seven. The first quarter, it's over. I say, what? I ain't telling what Marvin had told me. I said, come. Go ahead over there, man. I said. I say, you know, big play, shake good for seven. I say. I say. I say, stover, got a gotta kick in. So that's 10. So. So you saying if we get the 10 points. He says, Shay, if we get the 7 points and y' all don't turn it over, they done.

[Ocho]

We good. Hey, hey, hey. Joe. I don't think people understand how good that 2000 Ravens defense was.

[Joe]

They would like that, Ocho.

[Ocho]

Joe, I don't even think. I think if the 2000 Ravens defense was playing today, everybody on that team would be suspended.

[Uncle Ocho]

Oh, hell yeah. You could.

[Joe]

You could.

[Uncle Ocho]

You can't play like that now.

[Ocho]

Hell no, Joe. The way they played.

[Uncle Ocho]

Oh, we knocking your quarterback out the game. Your backup. Get your backup ready to play. Cause they gonna knock your starter out.

[Ocho]

There was no weakness, Joe. You know, every Time you play a team, there's always a Fish. We call them the Fish, Joe.

[Uncle Ocho]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

When we go through our game plan, we go through our scouting report, you find who the Fish is, you find who the weak league is, and that's what you pick on. You pick on the Fish, Joe. Ain't no Fish out there with them back then. Yeah, and stop playing.

[Uncle Ocho]

Joe. You got to realize they gave up 3 10, 3 0.

[Joe]

Damn stingy.

[Uncle Ocho]

Every offensive play other than the last player of the game that was a kneel down ended in a punt or turnover for them. They had 16 possessions. It ended in a punt or turnover.

[Joe]

Hold on. But what, what, what, what made that defense so great? Obviously, we know, Ray, but what, what really made it great couldn't run the football.

[Uncle Ocho]

They made you one dimensional at all. In 16 games, they didn't give up a thousand total yards rushing you couldn't run in. So now they know you got to throw it. All they played was cover two. But your third foot, that ball better be at your hands. Oh, they gonna knock your quarterback out. Go back and look at the hit that Rob Burnett put on Ailey Smith.

[Ocho]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Joe]

Landliners did.

[Ocho]

Hey, that was.

[Uncle Ocho]

If he would. If you would have hit a quarterback like that today, you are getting suspended. Chad, go look up that shot that Rob Burnett put on a Keeley Smith. If you hit a quarterback, I mean, he took two steps and got ready to throw and Rob Burnett put his helmet right up under his chin.

[Ocho]

I remember that, boy.

[Uncle Ocho]

Look here, you got a real. Hey, Joe, in 20 games, they didn't give up 200 points in 20 games. As a matter of fact, they didn't give up 190 points in 20 games.

[Ocho]

But them boy were good, bro.

[Joe]

Putting it down.

[Ocho]

But yeah, you know who didn't. You know who Ain't seen him boy, Joe. Who, me?

[Uncle Ocho]

Huh?

[Ocho]

I ain't see the boy, Joe.

[Joe]

I mean. Oh, yo, how many yards you had against the boy?

[Uncle Ocho]

No, he wasn't in the league.

[Ocho]

Did you. Nah, I came in the next one.

[Joe]

Oh, okay.

[Ocho]

Okay, Joe. I still ain't see them boys, Joe.

[Uncle Ocho]

Yeah, with that little. You know, we had a little something at the Wild Wild west on Ocho.

[Joe]

What y' all have done?

[Uncle Ocho]

You know, little. Little. We can't say. You're not supposed to. It start with a B, it ends with a Y. We put a little money on his head.

[Ocho]

Hey, I have a problem with that.

[Uncle Ocho]

Hey, they had.

[Ocho]

They already had money on my head anyway, Joe. I ain't see that.

[Uncle Ocho]

Look, Mike Brown Wants to win a championship. There ain't very many of us of color that have won an NBA title.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

Joe Missoula, Lenny Wilkins, Bill Russell as a player. Coach. Al Adams, Doc Rivers. Yes, sir. I mean, the NBA been going on for 80 years. I think that's it.

[Joe]

What is Mitch Johnson.

[Uncle Ocho]

He blamed, ain't he? But I'm saying, I'm saying, yes, they want to win, and it's a rarity. Guess what? That they go against each other.

[Joe]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

Hey, y' all looked at that hit. Oh, there it is. Y' all looked at that hit. That Robert, that put on Achillesmith.

[Ocho]

You put. You pull it up.

[Uncle Ocho]

Pull it up. We can't show it.

[Ocho]

We allowed to play it. You're not allowed to play it, huh?

[Uncle Ocho]

But you can pull upjack. Take a look at it. I mean, bro, he didn't even get fully in. His drop ball was gone. Yes. Casey Jones. So Bill Russell. Coach Russell did it. Al Adams, Casey Jones, Joe Missoula, Doc Rivers, Ty Lue. Did we leave out anybody? And now we about to get another one.

[Joe]

Yeah. It's gonna be interesting, though.

[Uncle Ocho]

So what is the six? Because I don't want the warriors, obviously. We know Russell and, and, and Casey Jones won with the Celtics. Doc run with the Celtics. Joe Missoula won with the Celtics. Ty Lu won with the Cavs.

[Ocho]

Hey, hunger is Rod. Is Rod Barnett.

[Joe]

Rob.

[Uncle Ocho]

Rb.

[Ocho]

Rob.

[Uncle Ocho]

He and I came out together. He's from Syracuse. We came out 90 together. Goose came out. I think Goose might have been a seventh, a 12th round pick. Goose might have been in the 12th round. Or Goose might have been a free agent. We check. We are asked, about to check. Take check. Text the link to you.

[Ocho]

Yeah, I got it. 1999, week five, 2000.

[Uncle Ocho]

Man, we put a hurt on y'. All. Hey, hey, Joe. I couldn't, I couldn't, you know, hit it. You know, I got a little touchdown. You have. Hey, see that touchdown I put on your boy? Daryl Williams. Joe Shook. Oh, Oh, I shook him. Ooh, did I?

[Ocho]

Hey, hey, D will get hit, boy.

[Uncle Ocho]

I, I, you know, then I come back, then I went back down to Cincinnati. Put two on his head. Bill russell.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

Casey jones, lenny wilkins, doc rivers, joe missoula. Tyloo. Seven. You miss anybody? Yes. So we said russell, al adams, casey jones, lenny wilkins, doc rivers, joe missoula, tyloo. Did we miss anybody? Chat.

[Ocho]

Hey, that was, that was a nice little stunt, man. That was a nice stunt. That was a very nice man.

[Joe]

That bad.

[Uncle Ocho]

I would too, was if. Oo you Know if you hit a quarterback like that now you get suspended, right?

[Ocho]

You put all your weight on him like that, you out the game. That was a nice stunt. That was a nice little stunt. I'm not even gonna lie.

[Uncle Ocho]

Well, we have a brother Sacramento has watched. Luka Doncic, Tyrese Halliburton, Darren Fox and Mike Brown all reached the NBA finals within the last two years. They passed on Luca traded Halle, fired Mike Brown and moved on from Fox. And all they got in return was a first round exit in 2023. Joe, what's going on with the Kings?

[Joe]

Damn infrastructure bad fella. Ain't no way around it. I don't even know how you cut it and slice it. Halle played in the finals last year. Mike Brown in the finals, Fox in

[Uncle Ocho]

the finals, went to the.

[Joe]

Come on, bro. Yeah, I'm. Yeah, it ain't. It ain't the damn coaches and the players, obviously, we see that now. It's. It's. It's the organization, it's the infrastructure, bro. It's obviously it's bad.

[Ocho]

Started the top. Don't Joe.

[Joe]

Huh?

[Ocho]

I say it started at the top, huh?

[Joe]

Yeah, it got to, bro. Like when you look at all these situations, these guys going to different teams, coaches coaching different teams, and they are having success. And you look at the Kings, bro, they've been in dumps, Uncle Ocho. Hell,

[Uncle Ocho]

a sea web them left

[Joe]

and bibbing them left on.

[Ocho]

They.

[Uncle Ocho]

They've been bad ever since Seawell left.

[Joe]

And so. I don't know, man, I don't know how you get. What pick they got this year. I think they got like.

[Uncle Ocho]

They need a bunch of picks.

[Joe]

I think they got.

[Uncle Ocho]

It's being reported, Joe, that they're thinking about moving on from. What's the big tall guy?

[Joe]

Chrissy.

[Uncle Ocho]

No, no, no, no. The player. The Lithuanian. His dad. His dad played the lifty Sabonus. Yes.

[Joe]

The bonus.

[Uncle Ocho]

Yes. I told Ocho they believe that he was 7:1.

[Joe]

Hold on.

[Uncle Ocho]

I thought.

[Joe]

I thought Sabonus was already gone. He ain't already.

[Uncle Ocho]

No, he's still there.

[Joe]

Yeah, they probably. Hey, he gonna. He gonna help some damn body.

[Uncle Ocho]

He ain't. He ain't. Look, Sabonis is good, but his dad was a hell of a player. He. I mean, his dad was by the time he got to the. Got to the States and played with Portland. He's old and beat up, but boy, you talking about pass the basketball. He was Jokic passing before Jokic.

[Joe]

He used to get Shaq some. He used to get Shaq head shoot the three.

[Uncle Ocho]

Hey, Joe, the mock draft got acup going to the Kings.

[Joe]

Oh, man, they got. They got my. I don't want a cup to go to the Kings, bro. Hey, but you right, Sabonis, I think he was shooting threes back then.

[Uncle Ocho]

Yes.

[Joe]

Sinners weren't shooting threes. He was one only. Only center shooting threes back then. Probably like him and Sam Perkins, you know? Yeah, them big guys. Big guys want to shoot threes like that back then.

[Uncle Ocho]

But you go back and look at him when he played for the Unified. Well, I don't. I think they was called the Russian team. They later became the Unified.

[Joe]

Oh, here he was. He was serious.

[Uncle Ocho]

They used to get a marriage.

[Joe]

High iq. High IQ to pass the crap out that ball. I know exactly what you're talking about.

[Uncle Ocho]

But it was what you call them. It was the Brazilians, and I think they. They beat them in the. They ended up beating David Robinson them. When they had the legendary Oscar Schmidt the Brazilian.

[Joe]

Yeah, Joe. Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

Now you talking about a bucket getter. And I think he dropped like 48 on the Americans. And that was when they said, you know what? Enough of this. We bringing pros. Y' all got pros. We bringing pros. Ain't no more college ish going on number one hits, millions of records sold awards, sold out tours. You think the Jonas Brothers are satisfied? Nope. It's podcast time.

[MC Jen]

We get to ask other people questions

[Akilah Hughes]

because we're sick and tired of being asked questions.

[Uncle Ocho]

Hey, Jonas is available now, and their first guest is a big one, Paul Rudd. You know, Steve Carell is a great singer. Didn't he tell you not to audition at the office or something? I told him, whoa.

[Akilah Hughes]

We were filming Anchorman.

[Joe]

Clearly, I was the idiot. Thank God he didn't listen to me, right?

[Akilah Hughes]

Listen to hey, Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it getting a new one put up in its place.

[Ocho]

As long as there's a politics of

[Uncle Ocho]

race in America, there's going to be a politics of remembering the Civil War. To get to school, I had to

[Joe]

go down Robert E. Lee Boulevard. To get to the grocery store, I had to go down Jefferson Davis Parkway.

[Akilah Hughes]

If you're a historian and you leave out half of what the history is, you're not doing your job. I'm Akilah Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 goes deep on both of those things. The fights, the politics, the people who won, and my personal campaign to add something to the Kentucky State House that's actually worth the wall space.

[Joe]

We are more than our bodies. We contain essence, we contain spirit.

[Akilah Hughes]

How do you represent that?

[Uncle Ocho]

They are just fueling a fire that is really catching.

[Akilah Hughes]

You'll see what I mean. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Isaiah Thomas]

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas and I'm C.J. toledano.

[Uncle Ocho]

And our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds.

[Isaiah Thomas]

Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luka and Austin Reed and finding ways

[Uncle Ocho]

to win no matter what.

[Isaiah Thomas]

He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luka and Austin Reaves, I gotta manipulate the game.

[Uncle Ocho]

We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

[Isaiah Thomas]

I think Joker's gonna be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reed, he has to guard Julius Randle and then he has to give us everything. He gives us on a night to night basis on offense.

[Uncle Ocho]

And when it's friends stop by like Quinton Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing, that man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his

[Joe]

fingers while he got the ball. Like you go through a training camp

[Uncle Ocho]

with that Isaiah, you figure it out real quick.

[Joe]

Get your ass up and down the

[Uncle Ocho]

court and you gonna get the ball. So listen to Point game on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[MC Jen]

You said to me, yo, you know, keep at it. Cause you let me rap for you. It was magical for all of us.

[Uncle Ocho]

Ah, we made it. We made it. Yeah.

[MC Jen]

I'm like, we, you know, I'm like, I know these guys, but who are you? I'm MC Jen. And this is last but not least, I'll be chatting with guests from all walks of life about the power of humor with when it comes to facing difficult times, like the co founder of Rough Riders, Darren D. Dean, talking about as a kid. Do you remember that we met even way before?

[Uncle Ocho]

Let me think. Did you walk up to the gate?

[MC Jen]

That was me, Dean.

[Uncle Ocho]

That was you.

[MC Jen]

That was me the day we found out that you and the whole crew was at Hit Factory. The mission was to get me to go to the gate, start freestyling and see if I could get in the studio. I'm rapping and then suddenly I hear a voice. Hey, open the gate.

[Uncle Ocho]

Let, let him in.

[MC Jen]

The gate slowly went gun, gun, gunk, gunk, gunk. They all there watching this and they watch me walk into there. And that is a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life. Listen to laugh but not least with MC Gin starting on June 9th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

[Uncle Ocho]

And there's a ton of excitement here because their new star is Javier Chicharito Hernandez from Mexico.

[Javier Chicharito Hernandez]

Everyone sees me as a football player, but before anything else, I'm human. Every single day. I'm still learning how to live with problems, mistakes, relationships, emotions ever since I was born. And I still have so many questions. Where do we come from? What happens after death? How do you deal with cancellation? Cristiano or Messi? Do aliens exist? What is love? Real Madrid or Barca? From everyday and ordinary to the deep and extraordinary. This isn't a normal podcast. Everything here is spontaneous, real and genuine. This podcast is like a deep talk with your closest friends where vulnerability comes out, conspiracy theories end up on the table and goals and lessons are shifted. We are here to connect and together with IHA radio, we're going to make the ordinary extraordinary. Stay close. Listen to Learning to be human on iHeartRadio, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

[Uncle Ocho]

The next segment is brought to you by Tommy John. Where comfort is the new power move. Steph Curry made a power move signing a 10 year endorsement deal with the Chinese company Li Ning, officially ending a recruitment process following his departure from Under Armour. Part of Steph's ultimate decision was about his comfort while testing the shoes of two Li Ning signature athletes, Jimmy Butler, his fellow warriors teammate, and Dwayne Wade. Li Ning plans to build Curry brand stores in the United States and in China. Joe, thoughts of signing leaning over bigger brands like Nike and Adidas

[Joe]

leaning. Obviously they paying that cheddar, but they got a. They make a pretty good damn shoe, Ojo. Yeah, they do make a pretty good shoe. And the fact that they're over there in what, China?

[Uncle Ocho]

Yes.

[Joe]

You know, I don't think, I don't think, I don't think the brands here in the States, meaning like the Nikes in the Adidas and things of that sort, I don't think they really doing too great and I think Li Ning is actually. They've been great over the years, bro. And to get Steph Curry to get him a signature shoe, a signature Brand to where he can sign these other guys under his brand, I think is what Li Ling is trying to do.

[Uncle Ocho]

And I'm not so sure other brands was going to give him that opportunity. Nike is very conscious about that, really, if you think about it. Who's up under Nike? Jordan.

[Joe]

Yep.

[Uncle Ocho]

They had. LeBron hadn't been able to do that yet because LeBron said, I want. I went to Nike about trying to sign Luca.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

Jordan.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

KD had yet. And maybe KD doesn't want that, but I know LeBron wants to sign athletes under his. Under.

[Joe]

Absolutely. Absolutely.

[Uncle Ocho]

And he hasn't been able to do that. And I'm not so sure Nike is trying to do. I don't think they want another situation like Jordan where they give it up. 4, 5, $600 million a year now.

[Joe]

And they gonna go young. They getting these young guys. Curry got about three, four years left to where he's probably gonna be playing. They going younger, man. These, these top brands going to get these young cats and they gonna build them up.

[Uncle Ocho]

But you also, Joe, these guys are not like when we came out Nike. But you see Cooper Flag, he went to New Balance. You see guys going to Puma, guys doing Skechers. Guys, look, hold on. How much you offer Nike New Balance? How much you say you got, man, give me that New Balance, you know, hey, let me get that Puma.

[Joe]

Hey, hey. Them folks writing checks long as Peace

[Uncle Ocho]

street, you hear me?

[Joe]

They ain't playing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So them. Hey, hey, hey. Them folks going with all these brands, the New Balances, the Pumas and all that. Yeah, you right. Everybody's competing now. It's not just one brand like it used to be. Nike or Adidas. You got so many other brands, bro, who are competing. And they getting a lot of these, a lot of star talent. They getting them early, too, so they can build it and build it and build it. Man, y' all know this thing all about money, man. Bro, why we playing?

[Uncle Ocho]

Nike gonna offer you nine, gonna offer you five, six million. And then here come new battle is going to give you 15, 20. Come on now, let's be real. And you know, hey, our life, like childhood, growing up, Nike was everything. Was that Jordan shoe drop in 85. It was a wrap.

[Joe]

It was over.

[Uncle Ocho]

I ain't, I ain't even think about no converse no more. I ain't think. Look, I, I, I, I had a, I had a Converse because everybody had con. I had the weapons. Magic Johnson, Larry bird had the Dr. J. Yeah, they were heavy as hell. Had the city with Pony Spud Web. Had. But, boy, look. Yeah, man, let me go get that hundred dollar shoe.

[Joe]

It took. It took me a little while before I get them. Before I get them Jordans. I ain't gonna lie to you. Hey, I was in Payless with my mama. XJ900. They look like Jordans, but they weren't no damn Jordans, Joe. Yeah, man. Yeah, when I was.

[Ocho]

You know, if I saw you, know what I would hit you with, boy? What are those?

[Joe]

I whooped your ass too, huh? I'd have whooped your ass.

[Uncle Ocho]

Hey, hey, I got. I got them Jordan twos, man. My mama waited in lab, paid a hundred dollars, my boy. My mama said, boy, you wouldn't wear these shoes to you 25.

[Joe]

Hey, they a hundred dollars back then for some shoes was a lot of money, bro. Hey, look, I'm gonna tell y' all something. When my mama started paying that type of money, 120 for them, for them Nikes, them Jordans, them Webbers, them Barkleys. Cause we were getting team shoes. You best believe that the following couple weeks, them lights of that gas bill was gonna be off. One of them gonna be off. I promise you. One of them gonna be off.

[Uncle Ocho]

Hell yeah, they. Oh, man, I got them shoes in today. I hit them feels I started buying my own. I wasn't. Hey, I wasn't the borrower. Hey, my sister tell you I spent all my whole check on one shirt, one pair of Lee jeans, one pair of Calvin Klein, one. Man, I spent my whole damn check. And by that time, Joe, I had started making like 16 to 20 a day. Yeah, you couldn't hit Shane ass with a Red Apple. Man, I was hell. When I wear. I had an eyes on shirt, eyes on belt, eyes on socks to match. And Darksiders check if y' all might my age. Y' all know exactly what I'm talking about. Had them Calvin Klein, had some Sergio Rigolettos. Man, I would.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

Oh, Shay. Hey. With doing it.

[Joe]

Hey, I know what you mean. That didn't happen to me, unc, until I got to. Until I got to college. Boy, I started getting that pale grand uncle Ojo that 2900 or something.

[Uncle Ocho]

Damn.

[Joe]

I sent my. I sent my mama by 11, 1200.

[Ocho]

Yeah.

[Joe]

Hey, the fellas don't see me in the cafeteria for about two, three weeks. I'm not freaking. I'm out here balling. I'm out here balling. Listen, I done bought me two, three pair of shoes. I done ra. Ran all that little money out, huh?

[Uncle Ocho]

What? Hey, man, y', all, we got that little work study we got. We got. We didn't get. We got work study, Joe. But you had to work. But, you know, you had to get a little job. Maybe you like stuff. I work for Coach Davis.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

Hey, and Coach Davis, I was the only one that didn't really have to work. I. I come over there. My homework. I said, coach Davis, I ain't finna lie to you, Coach. I said, I ain't gonna do no work. I said, I'm not f. To go. Hey, home, I need you to go get my. My dry cleaner. I said, coach, I ain't gonna do that. I said, coach, I'm not gonna do that. I'm not gonna go put no gas in no truck. I'm gonna come here. I'm gonna do my homework. He's all right home. Damn. Don't tell nobody else. Yeah, I don't work enough, but I ain't trying to do. Hey, I'm trying to do as little as possible. I'm gonna get that 400. Now, some people, well, you ain't got to work, but you got to shoot me a hundred. Man, I wish I might. You ain't get but 400, I shoot you 100. Right?

[Joe]

Right. Nah, nah. Yeah.

[Ocho]

No.

[Joe]

Hey, I know what you mean, boy, but I've been there.

[Ocho]

Steph.

[Uncle Ocho]

Look, I thought maybe Nike would circle back, but. Joe, I see your point. Them, boy, they like, hold on. Steph got two, three more years.

[Ocho]

Hey, Nike shouldn't have had the circle back. Yeah, they shouldn't have had you. Make me. Make me an offer I can't refuse. And obviously, the fact that they had to circle back means that they played with man.

[Uncle Ocho]

But look here.

[Joe]

I bet.

[Uncle Ocho]

I bet money, though. Joe Ocho and they gonna give him things. They're gonna create a Golf. A Golf brand. Remember Nike got out of the Golf? Yeah, you know, you remember Tiger Wood? They used to have irons and have all that stuff. Now they do a little bit of apparel, but I think Steph trying to go all in on the night on the golf and stuff.

[Ocho]

Yeah.

[Joe]

Yeah. I bet Nike did offer him something, but it wasn't to his liking. You know, I bet you Lee Ning came with a sweet deal like Unc say, you know, he's super into golf. I bet you gonna come out with a golf line and all that, but being able to have the Curry brand and to be able to sign guys under that, I bet you that was probably a deep value into what he really. Absolutely.

[Uncle Ocho]

Believe it, Joe. I absolutely believe that's it. Yeah, I believe that's it.

[Joe]

And leaning. Going to get. And leaning. Gonna get it done.

[Uncle Ocho]

Oh, yeah.

[Ocho]

Leaning.

[Uncle Ocho]

That Chinese market is you. Because when those guys go on tours, where they go, Joe, you see James with Adidas. When you used to see rested soul, Kobe Bryant, you see Lebron, you see D. Wade, you see all these guys where they go?

[Joe]

China, Thailand, Taiwan.

[Uncle Ocho]

All. Yes, that agent.

[MC Jen]

Yep.

[Joe]

And then people. Them people are wearing them shoes over there, bro. Yeah. So smart move.

[Uncle Ocho]

Congratulations, Steph. Senior boy, player size 13.

[Joe]

Yeah. I need 16. I got these.

[Uncle Ocho]

I got these Steph Curries. So I'm a whole lot of these,

[Joe]

which you ain't never bothered. You ain't never got a pair of under armor. Steph Curry.

[Ocho]

He signed. He signed him for him.

[Joe]

Oh, did he?

[Ocho]

Yeah, I remember that.

[Joe]

Damn. It might be worth something, huh?

[Uncle Ocho]

Hey, Joe. I mean, Ocho might not do it, but I put these on. Joe, I'm telling you.

[Joe]

Now you what? You telling me now what?

[Uncle Ocho]

I might have these on when I shoot that three point competition against your ass.

[Joe]

Oh, it is.

[Uncle Ocho]

Hey, hey.

[Joe]

Well, bring it on out. Bring it on out.

[Ocho]

Hey, hey, hey, Unc. But Joe gonna lose twice. He gonna lose to me and he gonna lose to you.

[Uncle Ocho]

As a matter of fact, I'm gonna put the shoes up and the ball.

[Joe]

That's what I'm talking about.

[Uncle Ocho]

That's what I was gonna say.

[Joe]

I ain't want it to look like I was robbing you, but that's what I was. I was gonna suggest that.

[Uncle Ocho]

Why about. I think I go kill a 10 and call it a day. And call it a day.

[Joe]

You.

[Uncle Ocho]

You.

[Joe]

I'm gonna tell you, to compete, you're gonna have to at least go 8 for 10. For show, though, you got to go 8 for 10. Because if I miss one, it's gonna be luck.

[Uncle Ocho]

I'm putting. That's how confident I am, baby. Look at this chat. That's a Louis Vuitton basketball official, NFL Louis Vuitton ball. And I'm gonna put up the Steph Curry shoes that I personally got after he. They beat the Lakers. I took him off his feet, he signed them.

[Joe]

Hey, hey, Chad, Chad. I already ordered a little ring for that ball to sit in. I'm gonna put it. I'm gonna put it right behind me. I'm gonna put it. I'm gonna put it right up there. Yeah, yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

You ain't gonna get it. I got the flow.

[Joe]

I got the little floating ring. It's gonna mount to the wall right here. I'm gonna mount it to the wall.

[Ocho]

Come here.

[Uncle Ocho]

Hey, who saying that song? Never gonna get it. Never gonna get it. Never gonna get it.

[Ocho]

Hey, hey. It's my baby. It's my baby. Birthday.

[Joe]

Happy birthday.

[Ocho]

Yeah. In two minutes, she turned 11 and she graduate tomorrow.

[Uncle Ocho]

Okay. Graduate on your birthday. That's what I'm talking about.

[Javier Chicharito Hernandez]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

Is that the one that played tennis? Whoa.

[Ocho]

No, that's. That's her sister.

[Joe]

Okay. Okay. Congratulations.

[Uncle Ocho]

Congratulations. Enjoy. Yeah, yeah.

[Ocho]

And matter of fact, I ate. Hey, Chat, I'm gonna give y' all her cash app. And everybody sent her the thousand dollars.

[Uncle Ocho]

You. You gonna be pretty good if you said 10.

[Ocho]

Okay, 10. Matter of fact, let me see how much y' all love my child.

[Joe]

Yeah, man, that's it.

[Uncle Ocho]

I don't know, Ash. How much this basketball cost? Don't you worry about it, Joe. Cause you won't get it.

[Joe]

You know, it don't matter how much it cost. It's gonna look way better over here.

[Uncle Ocho]

I can't let you do it.

[Ocho]

Hey, Joe, you gonna look. Hey, Joe. Hey, hey, Uncle Joe. Just be talking and don't realize what's he got in.

[Uncle Ocho]

I mean, you must be. I keep telling you, I was born in 68. I came out of good stock, not Woodstock.

[Joe]

Yeah, what.

[Uncle Ocho]

What.

[Joe]

What that mean?

[Uncle Ocho]

Hey, Ocho, on StockX, this basketball is 4, 500. Joe, you never gonna see the date. You never gonna see this, man.

[Joe]

Please. I can't. Hey, I can't wait for it to be posted up right here.

[Ocho]

Definitely ain't winning.

[Uncle Ocho]

Look, you see that rotation, Joe?

[Joe]

Oh, yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

You see that rotation?

[Joe]

I got. I, I, I, I see it, but I got you.

[Uncle Ocho]

You might even sidestep and hit a three on you.

[Joe]

Oh, no, no, no, sir. No, sir. I can't wait for this here, boy.

[Ocho]

Hey, look.

[Joe]

Yeah, you, Ocho, you. You and Ocho already know. I'd have made believers out of y' all already. I hate that. I hate to keep doing y' all like, because I really like both of y'.

[Uncle Ocho]

All.

[Joe]

Y' all really. Both of y' all really some cool dudes. But I have to. I had to. I had to make a point to set an example with you boys, man.

[Ocho]

And you're not gonna say nothing?

[Joe]

No.

[Ocho]

You ain't gonna say nothing here, Joe.

[Joe]

Yeah, okay.

[Ocho]

All right. I'm letting you know. I'm letting you know right now.

[Joe]

Would you let me know?

[Ocho]

You know what? I'm done talking. I don't even want to talk about it.

[Joe]

Yeah, okay.

[Ocho]

I just want. I just want to Play.

[Uncle Ocho]

I just want to anywhere from 6,000 to 26,000. So I got. I got 12,000, 12, 14, maybe 12 to 20 something thousand dollars worth of merchandise that you not gonna get. Joe.

[Joe]

Hey, thank you in advance.

[Uncle Ocho]

Thank you for what?

[Joe]

Thank you in advance. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm gonna take that off your hands, man. I already know that.

[Uncle Ocho]

I can't.

[Joe]

We already know that. We already know that. Hey, hey, hey. And I want my. I want my rematch in the cornhole.

[Uncle Ocho]

Oh, no, no, no, no, Joe. That baby wasn't even close, though. Joe.

[Joe]

No, no, don't do that.

[Uncle Ocho]

You want a rematch on golf, we go to the real golf course. If you want, we go to top golf.

[Joe]

You can't. You only. Now got you. And you, you, you, you, got you, you. Ocho got lucky with that. Just a little pudding thing. Y' all really can't. Y' all really can't beat me in golf neither.

[Ocho]

Oh, my goodness.

[Uncle Ocho]

You started all this talking. I wasn't even talking about no golf. I wasn't even.

[Joe]

You started this now.

[Ocho]

Hey, when we. When we going outside? That's all I want to know.

[Joe]

Look, look, look, look.

[Ocho]

When we going outside?

[Uncle Ocho]

Would you want to. Where you wanna. We gotta find something because, look, we taking a vacation. We're gonna take a two week vacation and we come. When we come back. We might come back outside.

[Joe]

Hercules.

[Ocho]

Hey, now we talking. Hey, I'm gonna be. I'm gonna be in hella shape too.

[Uncle Ocho]

Cause, you know, we got dark. We got, what you call them

[Ocho]

pool pick.

[Uncle Ocho]

I already know pool. I. I said, hey, I'm a combination of Emperor Reyes and Earl Strickland. That's. I'm. I'm a combination.

[Joe]

He, he, he, he go. Oh, come on, man. Come on, man. Come on. I'm trying to be cool with you. I'm trying to be cool. Y' all don't listen, boy.

[Uncle Ocho]

Okay, wait. Hey, I'm sorry, Joe. I mean, I mean, if you just. If you want the ball, I'll give you the ball. But you can't.

[Joe]

No, no, no, no. You can't shoot. When I beat you for it, I'm gonna feel better about having it. And then Chad or no Chad or no that, you know, boy, that damn ISO ain't nothing to be played with. The way he whoop Ocho ass. The way he done went over there and whoop uncle ass.

[Ocho]

Hey, let me. Hey, Joe, you. You're not getting past me. So you'll be. Your best bet is to play Unc first. That's your best bet.

[Uncle Ocho]

No, huh?

[Ocho]

Hey, get your confidence up before you.

[Uncle Ocho]

I'm so confident, I put the shoes that Steph signed to me up. He can't beat me in a three point competition. Step the grave.

[Joe]

If you just want to give me the shoes, I understand.

[Uncle Ocho]

Because that, that's basically what you're doing.

[Joe]

You know what I mean? And I, I like you. Okay? I hate to beat you down like that, man, but I'm gonna have to show you. I'm gonna have to make you a believer. Okay? Cause I see what's going on. I see what's going on.

[Uncle Ocho]

You gotta make me a believer.

[Joe]

You and Ocho, y' all don't think fat me, Grease. I'm gonna show y' all ass, though. It ain't Y. Then I'm. Hit that. Hit that curry that Shimmy Curry be doing.

[Ocho]

Hey, you gonna hit that for the

[Uncle Ocho]

first time since 2000. What'd you say, Ocho?

[Ocho]

I say Joe gonna hit that Antoine Walker like he hit that three.

[Joe]

Yeah, he already know it.

[Uncle Ocho]

I'm just telling. I, I. Hey, I figure I go 7, 7 for 10, 8 or 10, it's easy, easy money. Cause I'm a corner. That corner three, that's me.

[Joe]

Yeah, B, I made a living off of that corner three. Corner three.

[Uncle Ocho]

Joe

[Joe]

ain't going no less than nine for 10. I'm just, I just want you to

[Uncle Ocho]

know once I, I'm gonna let you go first. Cause once I get that groove, I'm gonna tell you like this. If Pete and Repeat was on the fence and Pete fell off, who was left? There it is, right again. Repeat. If Pete and Repeat was on the fence and Pete fell off, who would level Joe and Ocho? Repeat. I'm just letting you know, Joe. I'm just letting you know.

[Joe]

All right, all right.

[Uncle Ocho]

I don't really like to get involved because I don't like the competitive juices to come out, but I. Yeah, you do.

[Joe]

Yeah, yeah, I, I get it. I get it. I understand. I understand.

[Ocho]

I understand.

[Joe]

Hey.

[Uncle Ocho]

Oh, Joe, he ain't gonna be nothing. I'm gonna have him out there looking like Chet. He gonna be looking like Chad when I'm done with it.

[Ocho]

Hey, that's what I told him yesterday.

[Joe]

Hey, hey, one thing about me, boy. I'm fighting back now. Yeah. I don't know what the hell y' all think this.

[Ocho]

Hey, what's the point of fighting back if you ain't can't make. You can't land no punches.

[Joe]

You see, you seen me go berserk after you and uncle talk Stuff to me after that first. After that little golf. Y' all seen me go berserk. You see how I lost my mind? I lost my mind. Couldn't even control myself no more, huh? Don't y' all get me started. Don't worry about it, man. I'm trying.

[Uncle Ocho]

Hey, when we get outside, we get them. We get them darts, we get disc golf. Hey, we. Like I said, we got a lot of stuff to do. We got the ax throw.

[Joe]

Oh, man. Come on, man. Come on, man. It's like taking care of a baby.

[Uncle Ocho]

I already know you're not gonna beat me fishing so you could get that up. That is a rap.

[Joe]

I'm telling you. I just look like this. I'm a bad mo fo. I'll just let you know.

[Ocho]

No, you're not, Joe. No, you're not.

[Uncle Ocho]

Okay? Like I say, I just need to know, are we fishing for whatever bite? Are we going catching a particular type of fish? That's all I need to know.

[Joe]

I don't give a damn when I throw it out there. I'll give a damn if I catch a snake. I bet y' all catch something. I bet you

[Uncle Ocho]

this, man. Going out there fishing for garfish and all kind of foolishness.

[Ocho]

Come on, man.

[Joe]

I'm fishing with the hell bite. What's biting today? What's biting? Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

Okay. For the first time since 2009, the Larry O' Brien Trophy will be displayed at center court during the NBA Finals. This is the first time since the NBA is using the design since 2009 finals between the Lakers and the Magic. Joe, are you happy to see the NBA? Bring the classic look back.

[Joe]

I'm very happy. Fellas, listen, the Finals are very prestige, and I don't like when we watch the finals and it look like a regular playoff game or regular NBA game.

[Uncle Ocho]

Put, put.

[Joe]

Put the big decal out there of the trophy to where we can really immerse ourselves into the Finals. And what the Finals is really about. Knowing that we're watching, you know. You know, the greatest event that basketball has to offer. I think this is. This is fantastic, bro, for them to bring this back. Hopefully they keep it for the years.

[Uncle Ocho]

Why did they take it away? Were they. Were the guys slipping on the logo or something? What happened?

[Joe]

I have no idea. I wonder. Was that. I wonder if that was a problem or not, actually.

[Uncle Ocho]

Yeah.

[Joe]

So I wonder what they did. What. What have they done for it not to be sleek now?

[Uncle Ocho]

Yeah. Hey, you know, whoever win this, they gonna take part of center court because, you know, Jordan had had it in. In his. In his home. You should.

[Joe]

Yeah. Yeah. You should.

[Uncle Ocho]

Damn.

[Joe]

Damn. This. This gonna be a great one. It's gonna be a great find.

[Uncle Ocho]

That thing look good? It look good. I mean, it's already painted. Look good. SGA calls his MVP year a failure. After Game 7 loss, I failed at my goal. I did not achieve what I wanted to achieve, but I learned the most about myself and make the greatest amount of increase in my career. When I fail and I don't get what I want, I look at the. I look at this no different. I didn't get to where I wanted to go this season. There's a reason for that. Now I have to look for that reason and try to make sure it never happens again. Joe. In the regular season, Shea averaged 31.1 per game on 55% shooting, and he shot 39% from three during the postseason. Excuse me. In this, in this series, he averaged 26 points a game on 41% shooting on 29% from three. Now, everybody wanted to jump on me last night because they played well that one game. And I said, okay, Joe, if you, I'll concede that to you. You, not you, like you want. I want to push back on you a little bit. I said, okay, I can see that. I said, but, Joe, there's no way people can think that he played well in this series. He shot 14% less from the field than what he shot in the regular season. He shot 10% less from three than what he shot in the regular season, and he scored five fewer points. Under what scenario can you say Shay had a great series take? We'll deal with Chet in just a second. We're gonna set him aside just for this because he. I love the way he looked at his approach, where he says, look, my ultimate goal was to win an mvp, win the championship, win another finals mvp. That's my ultimate goal. One of those three things happened after the other two did not. I can't look at this as a successful season, although some might. Joe, what do you like? What did you. What did you think about what he had to say and what do you think about the series he just had?

[Joe]

I love the fact that he. That he took the accountability and put it on himself. You know that that's what the great ones do, bro. They don't deflect, they don't blame. They point right at themselves. Man, I gotta be better. I should have been better. And the fact that he had high standards, I mean, listen, he back to back MVP just Coming off winning a title. Yeah, it's a failure, bro, because to him. Cause to Shay, he felt like they were the best team. He felt like they really had a chance to do something special and that was to win back to back championships. But they came up short. Give San Antonio credit. But no, he did not have a great series. He did not. I thought San Antonio took the challenge to try and slow him down and hold him below his average, which they did. Give San Antonio credit. They did a great job. But I understand where Shay's coming from. No, this wasn't up to his standards, bro. And the accountability that he put on himself, I respect it so much, which is why I'm a huge fan of him.

[Uncle Ocho]

Because when you look at it, Joe, you say, well, Shannon, he only scored five points, but look at the percentage that it took him just to get to that.

[Joe]

Right?

[Uncle Ocho]

Yeah. Think about it. Let that sink in for just a second. He shot 55% and a lot of his shot are the shots that he was making in this series where you see him making tough 18, 19, 20 footers. He was getting to the. If you think about it, in that. Hold on, wait a minute. You mean to tell me this man shot 14% less from what he normally shoot from the floor? 10% less and he had 5 points fewer. I can see possibly why they struggle, because even if Chet played as bad as he did, and I'll just bring Chet just for this, and I'm. If Shay plays like he plays in the regular season, Joe, I'm still not sure they don't win this series.

[Joe]

Hold on, hold on. But you got to look at San Antonio. They ain't got no shabby guards out there. Meaning when I say shabby, I'm talking about from Fox to Castle to Basell to Champion, those dudes go. It's no weak link defensively. They all can score and they all sit in that chair and play defense. Give them credit on what they done to Shade, how they bottled him up, how they made everything tough, how they made his catching stuff, how they made all his shots tough. He had to take and make tough shots, bro. And then you got this alien behind him. If I do get by you, hell, I can't even really look at the goal. You know what I mean? I gotta become a passer. So I think I'm giving a lot of credit to the Spurs. I'm giving a lot of credit to the spurs because they are an elite defensive team and they showed it throughout this series.

[Uncle Ocho]

But so what about MVPs? If MVPs only succeed against marginal or average players. Why they MVP, considering he think about it, how few times there have been back to back MVPs. Even more time they've been back to back MVPs with back to back titles. That's what makes them so great. That's why you get a Jordan. That's why you get a LeBron. That's why it ain't that many. You get a Magic Johnson. Think about how many guys have won regular season MVP back to back and finals MVP back to back. There's a reason. There's a. That's not. That's not just an arbitrary thing. Yeah, you think about it. LeBron was the last to do it. Then you go Jordan. And I think Magic did it in 87 and 88, if I'm not mistaken. Don't quote me, but I think Magic won 87, 88. Cause he wore his third. He won his third MVP, if I'm not mistaken, in 90. So when you look at it. Nah, Jordan snuck one in there. So Magic might have didn't win back to back. He might have didn't win back. He might have not won back to back regular season MVPs and Finals MVPs. I know LeBron did in 12 and 13 and I know Jordan.

[Joe]

Right.

[Uncle Ocho]

So we got. Okay, Yes, I want to give. I want to give San Antonio deserve a boatload of credit. But the reason why an MVP is that a lot of times, more times than not, Joe, he's able to rise above that. That's how he gets the award.

[Joe]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

Go ahead, Joe. Go ahead, finish up.

[Joe]

I think with Shay, when you look at him though, Unk, he's not. He's not a real big physical opposing guy. I think his talent is really from sure will and hard work. Meaning, you know. Yes, he takes and make tough shots, but man, OKC ran up into a team bro who was just prepared. And it's different in the post season when I can prepare steady and I. Yeah. And I can prepare and study your movements. I know you, you know your personnel super well. I understand patterns and how you move and what you do when you come off the pick and roll, what your size up is like in isolation, what you're trying to get to, bro. They studied this man. They studied this man. And went out and perfected the game plan against okc. Like, damn, we know Shay, the head of the snake, man. If we could just slow him down a little bit. I ain't saying stop him, you know, just slow them down a little Bit to where, you know, we're able to be effective on them. And I thought they'd done a hell of a job.

[Uncle Ocho]

Ocho,

[Ocho]

You say you shot 55% during the regular season. Huh? You think about the difference, game to game, week to week, city to city, you're always playing somebody different. There's a certain level of comfort is you're able to study for a game or a team or a player for that specific week. Now we talk about a seven game series. I think that would be the difference, I would think, in understanding on why he didn't shoot as well as he did during the regular season as opposed to the playoffs. Now, on top of that, he's playing against some of the best defenders in the game.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

Collectively as a team. Not just one individual, not just two individuals. You got three of them that he, that he has to deal with, you know, on both, on both ends of the court, offensively and defensively. So I think I kind of, I kind of agree with Jordan a little bit. And I understand what you're saying as well is there are not very many back to back because regardless of the circumstance, regardless of the scenario, they always rise to the occasion. But in, in this instance, in this series, he just wasn't able to. On how great those three, those three players were alongside having goddamn wimby as well.

[Uncle Ocho]

I just, I, I just think sometimes when we, when we, we like players, we give them the benefit of the doubt because of said now Kobe scores 5% less. I mean, score 5 point less, shoot 14% less, 10% less. Are we still saying, oh, Detroit's a great team, or are we gonna criticize Kobe? Because that's what happened.

[Joe]

We're gonna criticize. Yeah. Yeah. Hey, and listen, if you can't, if okc, if Shay doesn't have a consistent number two in this postseason, fellas, he has to, you know, hope that guys come along for the ride. He don't know who's going to explode from game to game. He just has to be consistent. I think that was the toughest part for him because it's like, damn, I'm going to have to take a lot of these tough shots, but I got to hope that somebody comes along with this ride, somebody catches hot, because we need a number two or even a third guy to step up and help out with scoring for the productivity of the offensive side of the ball. And I just thought it was a lot of inconsistency in that, in that aspect. So therefore, if I only know, I really got to worry about Shay, Uncle Ojo and the rest of these guys. I'm going to live with some of those results, you know what I mean? And I just thought that's what OKC kind of ran into against the spurs team.

[Uncle Ocho]

If you look at him, and I don't think he was very pleased with the way he played last year in the finals. He mentioned that, he mentioned that he did not play up to his regular season the way he played in the regular season. In the regular season last year he averaged 32.7. So he was down two points in the finals versus the regular season. He was down eight percentage points from the field goal percentage. He was down what he shoot from the three. I think he shot like 36, 37% from the three. So he was down 13% from that. So are we going. But see, we overlook some. See what we do is that we overlook those numbers that was substantially down because they won. Now we critique them a little more harshly. We like, well, damn, when you really think about it, damn. Okay, look, I don't, I think in the regular season, I mean, I don't really look at Shea as a three point shooter, Joe, do you? I mean, I don't, I don't think his average is high. It's like in the high, in the mid to the high 30s. Because he's not a volume three point shooter, say like a Steph Curry or some of these other guys, right? So he makes, I mean he go three or seven, you know, three or eight, that's gonna keep you at a nice percentage, but you know what I'm saying. And sometimes he might go, he might go 2 for 5, but he's not a volume guy. He's not looking to get up 8 to 10 to 12 threes a game. He's not like the Celtics guys or the Cavaliers. Some of these guys like that. Look, he's a phenomenal player. And I think the thing is, Joe, what happens is, is that when you critique a player's performance, people automatically assume you're trying to diminish what he's already done. No, he's a two time Finals mvp. I mean two time regular season mvp. He's done that. He's a final mvp. He's done that. He's a four time first team all NBA selection. He's done that. But I think in order for us to do our job, Nightcap, collectively, we have to look like, well, Joe, when you look at it, man, 26 points. And just think if he didn't shoot that 52, 53% yesterday, Joe, he was gonna be under 40, which is crazy.

[Joe]

You're right. He's a rhythm guy, more so midi. And once he get his mid range going and get his, you know, driving to the basket going, the lane starts to open up and guys start to sag off, then that's when he'll sidestep you. Shoot three, step back. He's not.

[Uncle Ocho]

His first couple shots ain't gonna be no 3. No, he's not looking to get the three goals. I don't know if I've seen him, Joe, and I've watched him probably about five to eight times in the regular season, and I watched all their playoff game. I don't know if I've seen him open up with a three.

[Joe]

Nah, they ain't what he do. He trying to apply pressure early, you know what I mean? He trying to get in the paint. It's almost like a big guy. He won his first shot, first touch,

[Uncle Ocho]

as close to the basket as he can get it.

[Joe]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Then we open that up. We open that up and then look, they start sagging off when they. When they least expect it. I sidestep him, you know, and get one off. But for the most part, nah, he gonna make you play him honest. He gonna make you back up first.

[Uncle Ocho]

And I love the part oo this. What I. What I love is that the game plan they had yesterday and Shay got it going in that second and third quarter, and they said, hey, if he. If he can take and make enough of those, we just throw our hands up and say we did everything we possibly delivered that I don't believe with the amount of pressure that we're applying on him on both ends of the court. Because we gonna make his ass guard, too. We got to guard his ass. Yeah, we gonna make his ass guard, too. Y' all go at it. Whoever has the ball, do not be afraid to go at Shay.

[Joe]

Absolutely.

[Uncle Ocho]

And that's why you saw him late in the ballgame. You saw him. You saw that chest going up and down. You saw those hands on those shorts. And yeah, now if you. He realized it. So what'd he do? He start pump, faking, trying to get guys to jump, leave their feet. Now he leans into him to go to the free throw line.

[Ocho]

The red, the reflection.

[Uncle Ocho]

He got him a couple of times, and I, you know, I tweeted like, hey, he getting tired, so he gonna pump fake. He ain't going to his natural shot where he dive and just go straight up with it. That ain't what he was doing. He would dive and then pump because he felt those things starting to get a little weary. They did a. They did a great job of hounding him. And if you make four, if you get to 45, making tough 18 to 20 footers. Joe, ain't nothing I can do. Ain't nothing I can do, bro. Look at it. Did you see the shots that man was making? It's like if I. If I blitz the quarterback, Ocho, and I hit him, and I hit him and I hit him. Yeah, and he completes those passes. They say, guys, we sacked him seven times. It's kind of like when Joe Burrow had that magical run through the playoffs. The Tennessee Titans sacked him nine times, but when he needed to put a drive together to get them in field goal range, he made every throw. He looked down the battle of the gun. And then when they hit him under his chin, they hit him in his chest. He stood there. I ain't nothing I can do, guys. Kansas City sacked him, the Rams, even though he lost, look at the pressure that they applied. Sometimes you just gotta say, you know what? I did all I could do. I ain't got nothing. I ain't got nothing to pay. I fired all my bullets. Hell, I threw the gun and I just took off running. That's all I had left.

[Joe]

Hey, analytics. Analytics say that those 18, 19 foot jump shots, those are the worst shots in basketball. That's analytically. That's why they either want a three foot layup or dunk a damn layup, you know what I mean? And I think Unk would come into. Speaking of Shay. Yeah, I thought he got tired, but he also was shooting such a great percentage that he made them jump, you know what I mean? Like, he was making shots last night. So they like, damn, we gotta get up on him. So that's why those pump fakes started to come into play and they started to work. I thought, I thought Shay done what he could, bro, but does he deserve the criticism? Yeah, because the standards are high for him. You know when you're an mvp, Two time mvp, one time champion and you a back to back mvp? Yeah, man, the standard's gonna be high.

[Ocho]

And you think about it too, Uncle Joe. You think about the accolades and the resume and what he's done so far early on in his career. And we hold him to a certain standard based on what we've seen, based on what he's already done. Well, hell, based on. When you hear him talk, how many times do you hear a player take. Take accountability. Accountability and hold themselves to that exact same standard. And he made no excuses.

[Joe]

Yeah, no excuses.

[Ocho]

And this goes back to when I forgot what game it was. They asked him, what can she do more of? Remember they asked him that question and he didn't really have an answer.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

And I. I think having someone else with Jay. With Jay Will being out, having shed come along and being able to take some of that pressure off of him, I think this series would have been. They might not have won, but it would have been a lot different if she had just showed up a little bit more.

[Uncle Ocho]

Yeah, they got some decisions, Joe. You know, Casey was doing extension.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

We have had a conversation earlier and Joe, you looked at me like I had four heads and 17 eyes. I said, joe, what you think about if they were to move. If they were to move on from J Dub? You like. Oh, come on now. How you. Are you. Are you willing to let Casen Wallace walk? You can't sign but one of your. You got three first round picks. You can only sign one. You about. You're a small market team and I understand. Ocho say when you winning, you keep it. But. But you know them billionaire, they don't like to shell out no 200 million, no 300 million, Joe.

[Joe]

Yeah, I already know it.

[Ocho]

Especially if you're a. Hey, hey, Joe, how do billionaires feel if you already won one, you already won a championship.

[Uncle Ocho]

I'll tell you how they feel.

[Ocho]

How do they feel at that?

[Uncle Ocho]

The Celtics felt so good about them winning a championship, he sold a damn team. That's how great he felt about it. He said, let me go ahead get up, let me go ahead get my Ocho. You say when you go to the table, you win a little bit, you take your money. Yes.

[Ocho]

Yeah.

[Joe]

Oh, yeah.

[Ocho]

Oh, yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

So your boss said, hold on, we just won the championship. I can keep trying to run it back and win more and spend 2,300 million dollars, or I could just go ahead and take my six and a half billion when I only paid 3, 400, 500, 600 million. No, I'm good. I'll let y' all figure that out. Yeah, he got.

[Ocho]

Yeah, he got out while it was hot.

[Uncle Ocho]

That's the thing. That's the fine line that you gotta walk because, okay, Joe, I'm winning a championship. But damn, I keep staying in that damn secretary apron, man, that thing tearing my ass up.

[Joe]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hey, you gotta figure out, I think for okc, because you gotta have scoring bro in that starting lineup. As much as I love Lou Dort and as how hard is he? How hard he plays? It's gonna be hard, bro. When you don't have people who can relieve pressure off Shay and you putting so much on his shoulders for him to carry, and you ain't got but two offensive threats in your starting lineup. That's gonna. That's hard because the west is so tough.

[Uncle Ocho]

The.

[Joe]

In the game, the NBA game has changed so much that, hell, if you can't score the ball, if you can't shoot the ball right, it's hard to play your ass.

[Uncle Ocho]

It is.

[Joe]

It is. It's hard to play.

[Uncle Ocho]

Yes, Because.

[Joe]

So they got.

[Uncle Ocho]

Go ahead, Joe. Go ahead, finish.

[Joe]

They got to figure that part out because it was so glaring in this series. And obviously, we're giving San Antonio, you know, all the deserving respect, love and respect they've earned. But. But, man, when you. When you ain't got but two guys in your star lineup who can score the ball, Fellas. Hey, man, you got to reevaluate some things, because guess what? San Antonio gonna be here for another 10, 15 years.

[Uncle Ocho]

Okay, guys, y' all need to refresh or restart your browser because everything is good to go on our end. Joe and I and Ocho and I, we can communicate. So I think it's. Guys on your end. I don't think it's on our end. And the thing is, Joe is getting. Now that is getting harder and harder. Even if you're a defensive liability, it's getting harder and harder for you to play unless you're so extraordinary offensively.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

The thing that. The thing that made. That made this series is that everybody really could defend.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

That was the thing. So just imagine if you could defend, you couldn't defend. I don't know how you play in the series because everybody, for the most part, especially from the guards, could take you off the bounds. Every guard from OKC could take you off the bounds. Every guard from San Antonio could take you off the bounds.

[Joe]

Yes, sir.

[Uncle Ocho]

If you couldn't defend, I can't play you. It's really that simple.

[Joe]

Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, look, fellas, we're looking at the two of the best defensive teams in the NBA this year.

[Ocho]

Yeah.

[Joe]

Staying in San Antonio, okc. So it didn't surprise me defensively how gritty both of these teams were, how disciplined they were on defense. It was the offensive end that we didn't really know who was like, even for San Antonio. Although Castle was great, Harper was great, you know, Fox was a little inconsistent at times. Champagne made shots a couple games. Vassell Made shots. Didn't make shots. But the biggest difference for San Antonio, bro, they got so many guys who can score the basketball. So, okay, it's cool. If two three eyed guys ain't making shots, well, hell, we got one who can put up 43 and 24 points. You know, you catch another 25, 30 from Castle or Harper. It's just. It's so much. And they're so young. Such, Such such a hell of a series, bro. The Thunder, really? Really. Because they got so many assets, Uncle Ocho. The Thunder, that they got a great problem that they, that they ran into. Yeah, they got a great problem, bro.

[Uncle Ocho]

I still believe they should have started Case and Wallace instead of Dork. They've got to get more. Oh, Joe. They played offensively, though.

[Joe]

They started Casey, Wallace.

[Uncle Ocho]

They Dork. I can't start Dork. I might have to. I might have to know. I gotta get. I gotta get more production, Joe. I got to. Yeah, think about what they going with. They had all five of their guys in double figures and they cooking from the jump. And so if he's not really neutralizing anybody and he's not giving me anything offensively, Joe, how do. How do I give him those kind of minutes?

[Ocho]

Yeah, he's a liability, you know, and that's. That's damn near almost not fair to do it too, Uncle.

[Joe]

What you mean?

[Ocho]

Because he'd never been an offensive weapon, you know, he's always a liability on offense. He. He's there because of what he, what he's able to do defensively. Now that comes on the onus of one of your other players who's on a Mac contract. Him not showing up now. Because he's not showing up now. We talk about Dort being a liability offensively when that's something he never been.

[Uncle Ocho]

I think it's a serious thing, Ocho, when you look at. Okay, how does things match up? Okay, I gotta look. Okay. I'm hoping, I'm hoping that Chad's gonna give us what he gave us in the regular season. I can hope that.

[Joe]

Right, right.

[Uncle Ocho]

Hartenstein is gonna be Hardenstein. We don't run plays for Hartenstein. We lob it. We'll dish it down to him, he'll hustle. Guy gonna get some extra points, he gonna put the ball. He give us some second chance possession, and he'll give us, you know, he'll get a rebound and dunk it back, but I don't really have to run a set for him. It's the same thing for Dort. I don't really run sets for Dort. But when I got those guys, when I got Champagne and I got Busell and I got Fox and I got Harper and I got Keldon Johnson and I got Carter Brown, they got six guys that can take you off the bounds. All six of those guys can defend. Now, all of them can't defend at the same level, but they can defend. The problem is.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Uncle Ocho]

Is that Dort, the. The disparity with the scoring is such a drop off.

[Joe]

Yeah, it is that.

[Uncle Ocho]

It's like you get three points, you get four points. Joe, the other night, we had. We had a bet, Will. He scored less than five points. He had five points in the second quarter. He ain't scored another one.

[Joe]

So, hey, I think. Hey, listen, I think with Lou Dork, if y' all remember, y' all know, Game one, he started off on Wimby, and Wimby got off to that great start on it.

[Uncle Ocho]

Yeah.

[Joe]

And he ended up having that 41 and 20.

[Uncle Ocho]

Yes.

[Joe]

Ever since then, he didn't. I mean, he guarded him at times, but it wasn't his main assignment. We started to see Hardenstein guard him and be ultra physical.

[Uncle Ocho]

That's what they should have started. I don't know. Yeah, Joe, come on now. You gotta see. I don't know how tall. Let's just say six four. Joe, really, you gonna start a guy that's six foot four on a guy that got a whole foot advantage and a damn and a. Probably a 10 inch from span to span advantage on that? So what is he gonna do?

[Joe]

Be physical. Be physical. Be physical with him. Push him around and wear him down. Hell, that's what I think OKC was thinking at first, but then it was such a disparity. When he started on the low block. Yeah, they were just throwing it up. He was just catching, dunking over. You know what I mean?

[Uncle Ocho]

Ball come off on the rebound. What was he doing just right on the top. Give me that right there. So, look, I love. I love what Shea had. Shay had to say. He put their onus on himself, just like he did last year. He won last year. He said, but I don't think I played my best basketball. My job is to go back to the drawing board and see where I can be better, in which I will. He followed it up with another MVP season. He didn't complete the mission, which was get back. Because now you start getting to that elite, elite company. When you start talking back, back to back regular season MVPs, back to back finals MVPs, there ain't been a whole lot of them. There have not been a whole lot of them.

[Ocho]

No

[Uncle Ocho]

back to back regular season MVPs. But to run that gauntlet, Joe and to run that thing back

[Joe]

gotta be special.

[Ocho]

You know it's funny and the fact that it's almost unfair to him how well he's played Uncle Joe.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Ocho]

Because now we hold him to a certain standard based on what he's done in the past, we're expecting to look like you've done in the past. So when you don't as he looked this series shooting a lower percentage 55 in the regular season and then what was he, what was he this, this series?

[Uncle Ocho]

41.

[Ocho]

41. You know for hell some players in the NBA shooting 41, I mean hey, that'd be good, that'd be great. But the standard that he said is so high we're being critical of him because he's not getting any help.

[Uncle Ocho]

That's what, that's what happened. Compare him to his great self. Yeah, he did that. He could have been marginal and averaged 19 to 20 Joe. And we, and guess what? We wouldn't even bat a knife.

[Joe]

Right.

[Uncle Ocho]

He went to the gym, he got better because he felt that, you know what? Yes, I'm in the NBA and I'm playing, I'm starting but I think I can get to another level. Let me see. And tada. So now that is the level that he'll be held to even as he starts to get older. The level he'll be held to is a 26, 27 year old Shea that won back to back MVPs and a Finals MVP. That's what he's going to be. He's not going to be compared to these other guys that's going to come along and be great. You get compared, great players get compared to them young, their younger self.

[Ocho]

Well,

[Uncle Ocho]

is it fair? Whether it's fair or not, it is what it is.