March Madness, the New Big Three, and Oscars Reaction

Summary

Game Over with Max Kellerman & Rich Paul

Episode: March Madness, the New Big Three, and Oscars Reaction
Date: March 16, 2026 | Host: The Ringer

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Episode Overview

This engaging, freewheeling episode finds Max Kellerman and Rich Paul recapping an epic Oscars night both in Hollywood and in sports, while diving deep into March Madness, NBA trends (including the evolving "Big Three" paradigm), and rapid-fire discussions about MVP races, Lakers drama, and shifting power dynamics across leagues. The hosts mix insider stories, candid analysis, and sharp cultural commentary, making this a must-listen for fans of both sports and broader culture.

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Key Highlights & Discussion Points

1. Oscars Weekend: Hollywood Nights & The Gold Party

00:50 – 09:28

• Rich Paul's Oscar Party Marathon: Rich recounts going straight from Oscar festivities to the studio, notably skipping the Vanity Fair event but attending exclusive industry gatherings.
  • "There was no get in. I did a quick wardrobe change and came right here, man." (Rich Paul, 00:50)
• The Gold Party Atmosphere: Only the ultra-elite need apply—phones are out of sight, and Jay-Z, Jazzy Jeff, and Jermaine Dupri man the decks in a setting described as "black excellence with everyone welcome."
  • "If you pull that phone out and take a picture, the next stop for you would be your bed." (Rich Paul, 03:04)
• Music, Memories & Michael B. Jordan:
  • Notable moment when Questlove spun the sample before the full Michael Jackson song.
    "That was Questlove who did that. It was incredible." (Rich Paul, 05:13)
  • Praise for Lil Kim's legacy, with a shout-out to her debut album as one of the genre's best.
    • "Lil Kim might have the greatest female rap features or album front to back. That might be my number one." (Max Kellerman, 05:50)
• Meetings with Legends:
  • Rich meets Kadeem Hardison's mother, Darlene, a pioneering Black model and activist.
  • "You can tell a lot about someone when someone's mother actually likes them. Because mom knows best." (Rich Paul, 08:15)

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2. March Madness: Selection Sunday & College Standouts

10:36 – 18:39

• Reviewing #1 seeds (Florida, Arizona, Michigan, UConn), skeptical all four reach the Final Four.
• Darius Acuff as Potential #1 Pick:
  • Max brands Acuff as "the best player" he's seen in college, calling him Derrick Rose 2.0.
    • "To me, easily. Easily. The best player I've seen in college is Acuff." (Max, 11:29)
  • Rich dubs him "Darius A. Tough," highlighting his composure, skill, and two-way play.
  • Discussion about whether NBA GMs should draft best available or based on need.
    • "If I have a pick in this draft and Acuff is available, I don't care who I have at point guard. I'm taking the best player." (Max, 14:48)
  • Rich's counter: "But that is not true. And that's not how GM's think. And that's why you're not a GM." (Rich, 15:03)
  • Top-5 Draft Prospects rundown: Peterson, DeBancer, Wilson, Acuff, Boozer; Rich spotlights Braden Burries as a disruptor.
  • Practical skills discussed—size vs. ability, making the right reads, "dog" factor, development and mentoring.

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3. Five Minute Max: Sports are Booming – Are We Not Entertained?

19:01 – 26:21

• Max lays out how supposedly “dead” weeks in sports have become packed with “oh my God, did you see that?” moments, channeling advice from Dana White (UFC):
  • Aaron Judge’s defensive theatrics
  • Pitino’s Big East turnaround
  • Acuff’s huge game
  • Luka Doncic’s 30-point triple-double after a 50-point game
  • LeBron’s ageless hustle
  • NFL and MLB news breaking non-stop
  • "This last weekend in sports was so jam packed. This is the dead spot. It's unbelievable. We're spoiled." (Max, 23:54)
• Rich adds: media and fans too often dwell on negativity despite how good we have it.
  • "The problem I have is when you turn on the TV, people act as if everything is bad... it was all positive." (Rich, 26:11)
• Frustration about streaming & games being hard to find, but overall awe at the current sports landscape.

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4. NBA Focus: Lakers, LeBron, and "The Big Three"

29:40 – 41:30

• LeBron’s Reinvention and Legacy:
  • Max and Rich marvel at LeBron’s recent floor-diving heroics (“the glue guy”), and debate whether the Lakers might be better with or without him.
    • "I've never seen a team in my life that would be better without LeBron James." (Rich, 31:21)
    • "If LeBron can play that style of basketball... Lakers are extremely dangerous, Rich." (Max, 31:08)
  • The hosts discuss the difficulty of integrating elite stars—continuity challenged by health/injuries, evolving responsibilities, and team dynamics.
• The Myth of the "Big Three"
  • Rich asserts “big threes” rarely exist: teams usually have two superstars and a strong third who couldn’t be a title centerpiece.
    • "Normally you only really need a big two because it allows you to think less about that third guy..." (Rich, 38:04)
  • Brooklyn's KD-Harden-Kyrie trio as the exception — and how even nature “abhors a naked singularity” (Max’s physics analogy, 41:06).
  • "Big threes don't actually exist because you just can't put those three guys together." (Max, 38:51)

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5. NBA Contenders: West Power Rankings & Playoff Forecast

41:30 – 56:45

• Lakers vs. Nuggets:
  • Applause for LA’s effort, especially LeBron and Austin Reaves, but skepticism about narratives (“hate-based life forms” and media clickbait).
    • "When we have this good brand of basketball being played, why go for the clickbait when you can actually give the flowers?" (Rich, 44:21)
  • Denver’s standing—still a contender, though Max currently has them third in the West, behind the Spurs and OKC.
• Thunder & Spurs:
  • Both are praised for culture, youth, development, and “playing the right way.”
  • "When I watch that OKC team play, I'm changing their name... OKC is OKC IQ." (Rich, 51:40)
  • Spacing, ball movement, and the impact of coaching and GM moves highlighted.
  • Debate on “best team in the West” remains open—health and playoff matchups matter most.

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6. The “New” Big Three: President, Coach & Star (Rich Paul’s Get Rich Quick)

51:31 – 56:45

• Rich introduces a fresh take: the modern Big Three isn’t 3 superstar players but the trio of team president, coach, and franchise player.
  • "The Big three has evolved... Today's Big three is president, GM/coach, star player in the NBA." (Rich, 51:40)
  • Financial flexibility is greater with this setup: "Because it doesn't affect your cap to the point to where you can't have flexibility to continue to make the team better." (Rich, 55:46)
  • Max muses on how power structures differ by league: GM runs baseball, coach rules football, star players tip NBA scales—until now?
  • "If you are star heavy, it has to come with structure." (Rich, 57:20)

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7. Oscars Recap & Cultural Critique

59:32 – 66:40

• Rich watched the Oscars, celebrating Michael B. Jordan’s win ("now there’s two GOATs named Michael Jordan").
  • "He could win for anything he's in... Michael B. Jordan from Hardball..." (Max & Rich, 59:49–60:06)
• Max critiques the self-congratulatory nature of the ceremony and the subjectivity of awards.
  • "Film is a medium, right? So it's a form of media... and they give an award to themselves and then the media reacts to an award..." (Max, 61:47)
  • Example: Why Eddie Murphy’s tour de force in “Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps” would never win, and cultural biases in awards.
  • Nontraditional classics (Die Hard) undervalued by the Academy.
    • "Die Hard is a perfect movie. Shot for shot." (Max, 64:22)
• Rich closes with a nod to the growing representation of Black actors in Oscar history.

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8. Audience Q&A: Money, GOATs, and Power Forwards

67:03 – 71:26

• Sports Salaries & the TV Bubble:
  • Rich doubts the salary explosion will plateau soon, unless restricted by TV deals/expansion.
    • "We could be at a place where we see one year, $100 million deal." (Rich, 69:59)
• GOAT (Greatest of All Time) Debates:
  • Max loves them; Rich finds them overblown—prefers intra-era comps.
  • Max: "MJ" (basketball), "Tom Brady" (football), "Babe Ruth" (baseball), "Sugar Ray Robinson" (boxing).
• Dirk Nowitzki vs. Tim Duncan:
  • Both agree Duncan is top (defense, versatility), Dirk a worthy runner-up.
  • "I think Dirk would even say Tim." (Rich, 70:36)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• "If you pull that phone out and take a picture, the next stop for you would be your bed." – Rich Paul on The Gold Party (03:04)
• "To me, easily. Easily. The best player I've seen in college is Acuff." – Max Kellerman (11:29)
• "That is not true. And that's not how GM's think. And that's why you're not a GM." – Rich Paul (15:03)
• "This last weekend in sports was so jam packed. This is the dead spot. We're spoiled." – Max Kellerman (23:54)
• "Big threes don't actually exist because you just can't put those three guys together." – Max Kellerman (38:51)
• "The Big three has evolved... Today's Big three is president, GM/coach, star player." – Rich Paul (51:40)
• "Film is a medium... and they give an award to themselves... it's all this content created out of whole cloth." – Max Kellerman (61:47)
• "There’s goats in each era, but stop debating if you’re not in the conversation." – Rich Paul (68:14)
• "We could be at a place where we see one year, $100 million deal." – Rich Paul (69:59)

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Timestamps for Core Topics

• Oscars/Gold Party recap: 00:50 – 09:28
• March Madness/Acuff & College hoops: 10:36 – 18:39
• "Five Minute Max"/Sports Weekend: 19:01 – 26:21
• NBA/Lakers/LeBron/Big Three: 29:40 – 41:30
• NBA Power Rankings/West: 41:30 – 56:45
• Get Rich Quick – The “New” Big Three: 51:31 – 56:45
• Oscars Recap & Cultural Critique: 59:32 – 66:40
• Audience Q&A (money, GOATs, power forwards): 67:03 – 71:26

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Conclusion

This episode masterfully blends exclusive, behind-the-scenes cultural anecdotes with incisive sports talk—challenging myths, reframing debates, and dropping original frameworks for how to understand winning teams. For those who missed it, this summary covers all the passionate debates, witty banter, and sharp analysis that make "Game Over" essential listening.

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[End of Summary]

Transcript

[A]

This episode is brought to you by Loom. When your calendar is all status meetings and your teams are still misaligned, it's easy to feel stuck. Get your org unstuck with Loom, the AI first video platform by Atlassian. Record a Loom to share priorities, feedback, and key decisions. AI makes video editing one click and adds instant summaries so everyone from direct reports to partner teams gets clarity in minutes, not meetings. With Loom teams stay aligned and focus on work that matters. It's a team changer. Try Loom [e-mail]. Time you get in last night or this morning? What time you get in this morning from the Oscar parties?

[B]

There was no get in. I did a quick wardrobe change and came right here, man.

[A]

Oh, so you. You haven't. Okay. You broke day.

[B]

I broke day.

[A]

No question about what were the after parties? Because there's the parties and then the after parties and, you know.

[B]

Well, first of all, before we get to the after parties and all that, first of all, I play LACC this weekend. Okay. My man Austin Butner played. He, He. He was nice enough to invite me out. I played the north side of lacc, which is the most challenging side of the golf course, the champion side. You understand what I'm saying? So that was great.

[A]

That's fascinating. Go ahead. Oscar parties. Yeah, but.

[B]

And then, and then, you know, the weekend was great. Yeah, we had. It was a great, great Oscar night.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Had a lot of fun during the day. And then last night got into some festivities.

[A]

Right. You know, that's what I, I remember. Last Oscar party.

[B]

You had stories.

[A]

You had stories.

[B]

You know, the, The Oscar night is. Is actually pretty cool.

[A]

I mean, Jay Z, Timothee Chalamet, you had a whole.

[B]

Well, that, that, that was a. We had a repeat offender. We definitely had a repeat offender. I see. But you, You. You hit the Vanity Fair, which I did not last night. Normally I do.

[A]

Why'd you skip it?

[B]

I didn't really skip it. It was just kind of like the day, you know, and normally, normally it'd be a lot of us going. And it wasn't this year, for whatever reason, but it looked amazing. It was at the LACMA this year, which obviously, you know, I'm with the lacma.

[A]

Are you on the board?

[B]

Yes, I am.

[A]

You're on the board of lacma?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Pretty good.

[B]

And. But that looked amazing. Everyone looked amazing there. And then I popped by. By Guile series for a bit and saw everyone there, and that was nice. And then I end the night at the Gold Party, which. The Gold party is something that is obviously I can't give you. There's no cameras, so I can't give you too much of a. You don't see anything.

[A]

Do they put. They put the. The tape over the phone?

[B]

No, no, no. There's no tape. There's a. There's an understanding.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

There's understanding that if you put high class enough. Well, if you pull that phone out and take a picture, the next stop for you would be your bed.

[A]

It's not. Because it's not the Derek Jeter where you got to put it. Put it in the.

[B]

No, no, no, no, no. It's called we politely ask you to leave.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Because the whole purpose.

[A]

You guys are on the honor system.

[B]

Well, yeah, and. And people respect it, and obviously it's Jay, so he. But. But the whole purpose is for you to feel comfortable for the award winners to come and really enjoy themselves and. And for people to be able to just dance and have a great time and. And. And Jay and. And be our. Our great hosts. Number one is not hard to believe. Oh, yeah, Jazzy Jeff. Yeah, no, Jazzy Jeff, then Jermaine Dupri.

[A]

Right, right.

[B]

And, you know, like, literally everyone's dancing, having a great time. It's the. It's. It's elegance. It's a celebration. It's. It's everything you could imagine.

[A]

You're telling me you saw. I think it was Jay from across the room lip syncing to himself Michael Jackson lyrics or something?

[B]

No.

[A]

Anything like that?

[B]

No, no. Yes. Actually, something did happen like, that we were listening to. It's funny that you remember that, but it's. That doesn't feel always Jay and I having this. This. This. This kind of thing.

[A]

Moment.

[B]

Yeah, this moment. Because Obviously he is Mr. Music and I love music. But this year, that was a. That was. Who played that? It was a. It was like the sample or the. It was the. The tape. The. What was the reference of that?

[A]

That they used for that.

[B]

They used that. I forgot who was.

[A]

So it was in the Michael Jackson song. And you heard the reference.

[B]

We heard the reference he was using.

[A]

So he's kind of like thinking about lyrics or whatever.

[B]

He played the reference. D.J.

[A]

yeah.

[B]

Played the reference prior to playing the actual song.

[A]

Oh, that's French.

[B]

Which is incredible.

[A]

First of all, that's like playing. I do this. I do a version of that.

[B]

Oh, it was Questlove who did that.

[A]

Yeah, that's right. That's right.

[B]

It was incredible.

[A]

I do a version of that in the car to school. With my daughter. I'll play her where the sample. The song, where the sample came from. And then the hip hop version of the song that used the sample and repurposed it. Right, but that's next level. You use the reference and then you play the song.

[B]

Yes, it was, that wasn't. But we talking quest love here, which is incredible. And, and then, but last night it was actually this, this mob deep quiet storm. But, but, but Lil Kim's verse.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And we were talking about just that verse along her cadence.

[A]

Lil Kim might have the greatest female rap features or album front to back. That might be my number one.

[B]

Which. Her. Her debut album.

[A]

Her debut album. That.

[B]

I mean, that was a classic album. Yeah. And first of all, the. Everything about that album was classic. She created how provocative women became on. On the, on the covers and things that like she talked that she was.

[A]

But also the songs themselves, Superfly, they

[B]

produce, obviously the production, all of that. But you know, the, the thing about the, the Gold party is, first of all, it's black excellence with everyone welcome. And you know, it's just one of those things.

[A]

And what did Sinners win at the Academy Awards, by the way?

[B]

Sinners won.

[A]

I can't sit through the Oscars.

[B]

They won't hear that. A lot of best cinematography, obviously Michael B. Won best actor.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, he could have. Michael B. Jordan is one of those guys who could win for anything. He's in. Really. He's excellent. Yeah, he's always been.

[B]

But nevertheless, it was a great night. I left right there, go switched up, came right here. I'm fresh, though. I'm fresh. Cause the hospitality, you just have to. Again, I can't talk too much about it because it's one of them places where you just have to be there. And it's not like a thing where you automatically invite it. You have to keep getting reinvited.

[A]

Right, right.

[B]

Every year. So that's what the behavior system is.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, it's real Santa Claus, but it's kind of Jay Z. It's great watching to see if you're naughty or nice.

[B]

And everyone's there having a really nice time. You get to see, you know who I met last night? Kadeem Hardison's mom, Ms. Hardison. She, you know, she was one of the first black models. And she also really fought for people, you know, in the movie space in many different ways. And she was the nicest lady last night. And it was like, that was fly.

[A]

That was always meeting everyone's mother.

[B]

Because I'm a nice guy. And maybe just how you can tell a nice.

[A]

Also you're. When you're. You're. When you get older to the point where you're a certain age. No, you're in that mother bracket. No, when you're seeing everyone's mom, they look like contemporary.

[B]

She was hanging last night and she was great.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you can tell a lot about someone when they, when they, when someone's mother actually likes them. Because mom knows best.

[A]

Right?

[B]

That's just.

[A]

You meet a lot of mothers who don't like their kids.

[B]

No, I'm talking about their friends or you know, people that. Yeah. They're going to be able to give you a read like. Yeah, Max, but see you hard headed. I know you didn't listen.

[A]

What?

[B]

Max, stay away from that guy who. Sure. Your mom told you that.

[A]

Oh, oh.

[B]

And you didn't listen as a kid.

[A]

You know, I know you just wasted on.

[B]

Let's talk more about the Oscars when we get into this show. But last night was a great night. Sounds like you know it was a great night.

[A]

You're a trooper coming breaking day. Here you are bright and early, you

[B]

know, all nighter type of guy. This is, this is not me.

[A]

Those days are in my past.

[B]

I mean you give one a year all night.

[A]

I try every break day.

[B]

It was a great night. What do you mean you're just hanging? The music is great. I love in my life great caviar.

[A]

Yeah, you're a caviar guy. If that's not the first time I've heard you mention caviar.

[B]

Well, I like nice things. Yeah. You know, but it was. I mean every Cali pizza. How about that?

[A]

Better. A little In n out.

[B]

Could you. You see, Michael B. Went to In N Out last night with the trophy.

[A]

Let's get it. Good for him.

[B]

Let's start the show so we can talk more about that.

[A]

This episode of Game over is presented to you by Loom. If your organization runs on endless email threads and status meetings, teams feel stuck unstuck them with Loom, the AI first video platform by Atlassian. Teams record their screen and share a link so others review on their own time. AI makes recording and editing one click and add summaries, action items and searchable transcripts so everyone gets clarity in minutes, not meetings. Replace unnecessary meetings. Speed up approvals and onboard faster. With Loom, you remove communication friction. It's a team changer. Try loom [e-mail]. This March madness moment is brought to you by Atlassian Loom. Selection Sunday Rich Selection Sunday, March madness is upon us.

[B]

March madness is upon us.

[A]

I'm surprised with the number ones. Florida, Arizona, Michigan. UConn.

[B]

Yeah. But do you think all four number ones make it to the Final Four?

[A]

There's a. There's a good shot. Well, you know what the funny thing is? The way UConn lost to St. John's that's like with money on. With the money on the line, right? Big east tournament finals, and they. And they got waxed, so. I don't know. That's a good question. It's kind of a chalky year, I think, though.

[B]

Yeah, I think it's always tough for all four Final Fours to make it, but it could be this year. But I'll tell you one thing. There's a ton of talent.

[A]

Let me tell you something along those lines. All year, you're hearing Peterson and DeBancer, right? And Boozer. He's a great college player. He'd be a good pro player. Maybe his upside isn't as high. To me, easily. Easily. The best player I've seen in college is Acuff. Right. To me, I don't.

[B]

He's earned that.

[A]

And I know that everyone wants a switchable 6 foot 78 guy and everything, but. And what is he, 6, 3 or something like that? He's Derrick Rose 2.0.

[B]

He might be a little shorter than that, but it don't matter.

[A]

He's the new Derrick Rose, but got the same coach.

[B]

Whatever. He's lacking in height, he's making up for it in heart and skills. Well, skills speaks for itself. But still, you have to have some. There's some. There's some. Some dog in there.

[A]

Here's the thing. Paul George was a great player. And if the Bancer or someone like that could be the next Paul George, great. But when you are picking high, high up in the draft, especially if you have the number one pick and it's a really great draft, the only way to really acquire the best player on a championship team, for most teams, is. Is to draft that guy.

[B]

If.

[A]

If in a deep draft, if I come away with Paul George and I had the number one pick, you can't really be upset. But I'm looking. I don't. I need. I need more to. I need. I want to select the. And I look at Acuff and I go, that dude can be the best player on a championship team.

[B]

But here's the thing. His name is no longer Darius A. Cuff. It is Darius A. Tough.

[A]

Okay?

[B]

Because he is. You know, I give these nicknames out yeah, yeah.

[A]

In key moments, he's got it.

[B]

But it's not just people get so caught up in the scoring points, and everybody's just catching on to Darius Acuff. You know, Rashad's been telling me about Darius Acuff. He has a mentor, like an uncle

[A]

to him, and everyone knew he's really, really good. It's just like, yeah, Crystal balls have

[B]

been telling me about him forever. Right. And his dad. And, you know, they deserve all the flowers that. That. That is happening for the young man. But people are just catching on to it, and they're looking in the box score and said, oh, he's the best player because of points. No, you have to see how he is playing the game, making the right reads, how he is playing both ends

[A]

of the floor, how he's scared of the moment.

[B]

Yeah. How he's executing in key moments, how he's. Can, obviously can have 27. He's had 27, 28, 30, et cetera.

[A]

How fast, twitchy.

[B]

But also making the extra pass. All the things that it takes to really have the signs of, because it's not just talent. Can you really be a good pro? Right.

[A]

See, I look at Acuff and I see Derrick Rose. I see a dude who can see

[B]

Marbury, you see Derrick Rose, you see a number of things. And there's this thing going around about maybe he's the best point guard that. Maybe the best guard that. That Coach Cal has ever coached.

[A]

He's got. He's had some good ones.

[B]

I kind of think that's unfair to the kid. But it's good that to be in that company, to even be in that conversation with all the guards that came out of Kentucky and now Arkansas, forget about it. But here's the thing. I would say we all say, you know, people talk about he should go number one. He should be in the conversation for number one. Well, wherever he goes, he will be that team's number one pick. And for the kid, hopefully for him, it's the right place. Don't get overwhelmed about number one, because number one could be somewhere that is not the best place for you.

[A]

Yeah. But what I'm saying is, if I have a pick in this draft or not overwhelmed. But overall, if I have a pick in this draft and Acuff is available, I don't care who I have at point point guard. I don't care. I'm taking the best player. I'm taking Acuff in this draft.

[B]

But that is not true. And that's not how GM's thinks. And that's why you're not a GM.

[A]

If. If that's not why I'm not a GM, however, it may be a mistake I'm making as a gm, but I don't think it is. If you have a dude, it's like in the NFL, you're like. If you're drafting a certain, you want a gold jacket guy. You want a guy who's going to be in the hall of Fame. If I'm drafting, this goes back to the Jordan thing. Bobby Knight. Who should we draft? Number one overall Draft Jordan. We need a center. Draft Jordan. Play him at center. Right. Draft Acuff and figure it out later. That dude is the best player in this draft.

[B]

Yes, but if you have like, I can name several teams that have point guards that wouldn't do it. Right. So. But if you are thinking down the road and you are taking them, you're taking them. If you have someone already or you look, last year San Antonio took Harper and they had Fox and Castle. So I'm not saying that's working out

[A]

pretty good so far.

[B]

They're just getting started. Nothing wrong in that case at all. But I will say it's what you said though, Rich.

[A]

It's when a guy has a high basketball, when he checks every box, when he has a high basketball iq, when he is a supreme athlete, when he's tough, as you say tough, when he's not afraid of the big moment, when he's a team player, when he's been well coached in college.

[B]

That is hard to pass up.

[A]

I agree.

[B]

That is. That is. That is hard.

[A]

I want to do my five minute max right now because we have so much to get to.

[B]

But wait, let's do your top. So who your top. Did your top five change? Because he wasn't originally in the top five.

[A]

He's my number one. I have to think about the rest.

[B]

Okay, well, I can tell you who it is. Peterson.

[A]

Peterson the bastard.

[B]

Wilson Acuff. Why am I missing one? Oh, boozer.

[A]

Boozer. Yeah.

[B]

But I will say, I will say not in order.

[A]

You're just saying those two.

[B]

Not in order. But there's two guys in this draft that could. Could really affect things. One is Acuff and the other one is Braden Burries.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Because of their guard play.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. So I wouldn't be surprised if any

[A]

of those guys, teams nowadays are looking like. It's hard to win with small guards. I don't think Acuff is that small, but it's hard to win with small

[B]

Guards, you got to be dynamic, which he is.

[A]

Yeah. You got to just. Special. Special.

[B]

Yeah. Because you want to be in moments to where again, they're hunting for the switch nowadays. They're there. So that mean they're bringing. They're putting a smaller guy in every ball screen. That gets tough, especially during the course of 82 game season. And it really gets even tougher playoffs in the playoffs. So you have to fight through those things. But just having that versatility and that size, being able to see over the screen, being able to actually be on the other end and get the mismatch, being able to be the screener or, or the guy that's initiating the offense.

[A]

I think he's tall enough. I don't look at a guy who's like, well, he's an itty bitty. He doesn't look at.

[B]

But he's also. Do you. So his guy, Rashad Phillips, who played at University Detroit, he was tough. That's who trained him the whole time. So he's understanding how to play the game the right way. If you see him be trapped off the, off the ball screen, he's going to retreat, dribble to where he can see over the defense. He's going to make. He's going to. He's going to have ways to get himself into space to where he can have, you know, a clean line of, of a passing lane, not to turn a ball.

[A]

Yeah. This is not like an Isaiah. I don't mean Zeke. I mean the next Isaiah Thomas situation where he's an excellent player. He really is so small that it creates problems at the end of games. Even though you'd love to put him on the field, this is not that. So the second Isaiah Thomas was excellent.

[B]

You're right about that. You're right about that.

[A]

All right, listen here. So we have to get to the Lakers beating the Nuggets in overtime. There's so much in that game. We, you know, there's LeBron stuff, there's Luca stuff, there's Austin Reeves stuff, there's JJ Redick stuff. We got to get to just like the Thunder beat the Wolves. Right? The Thunder. Thunder looking good. But I want, I want to give you my five minute max right now.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Because there's so much stuff Rich. Here it is. We are spoiled sports fans right now. Like, think about it. This is considered, before March Madness is considered a dead spot in the sports calendar. Right. You hear people say that a lot. The NFL is so far away. Baseball hasn't started yet. The NBA isn't In the playoffs yet, et cetera, et cetera. Think about what just happened over this last weekend, okay? So the reason I bring this up is. Cause Dana White, you know, he and I talk a bunch, and. And I was picking his brain when he's coming up with Zufa boxing, right? When he called me about it. Because you want it to be successful like the ufc. So what's the key to success in the ufc? And one of them, he told me, is in every broadcast, he tries to give the fans three holy shit. Moments like, oh, my God, did you just see that? Think about the number of oh, my God, did you just see that? Moments over this sports weekend. Okay, now, nevermind. Bam's 83 points. We saw history. Everything that came out again, like, oh,

[B]

my God, that was.

[A]

Oh, my God, that's like a week ago already. Forget about Bam, okay?

[B]

I know that seemed like a month ago.

[A]

That happened. It just happened.

[B]

It just happened.

[A]

But this weekend. So Aaron Judge yesterday threw a guy out at third base with a throw that made him look like what my dad used to tell me. Roberto Clemente threw in right field. Aaron Judge, who's known like, maybe the best hitter ever, but his. The throw he made that would be Barry Bonds was. Was the best hitter ever who's not clearly enhanced. All right, listen, sorry. That's what it is.

[B]

So, I mean, that would be Barry Bonds, but whatever.

[A]

Yeah, right. If you just want to see the best of baseball hitting. And I don't care how they got there, it's Bonds. But anyway, so. So Judge throws them out at third base. That's an. Oh, oh, my God, did you see that moment? Right? There's one. The USA, we beat Dr. On a called third strike. That was a ball that was leading a lot of shows this morning, but it wasn't an oh, my God moment, but it was like a memorable moment, right? Rick Pitino. Rick Pitino gets destroyed by UConn three or four weeks ago, right? Destroyed to the point where I was like, oh, okay, I get it now. UConn's the best team in the country. But in the Big east tournament, right, with the chips on the line, Rick Pitino's team blows out UConn a 20 point game in a college tournament. In the Big east tournament, Rick Pitino, like, he's a guy. When you think about his influence on the history of basketball, I don't think people understand the profundity of his influence, the scope. He better forget about the fact that he was a very successful pro and college coach. His career was over it ended in scandal. He had to leave the country. He's back. He's back. He's back in the tournament and he's still kicking ass through the nil thing and everything. All these other guys leave the sport. He is a basketball junkie. I think he would die if he weren't coaching. He is keeping him alive like a vampire. He's like, he. This dude, that's his lifeblood. Rich. I think about how the three point shot has changed the game. Pitino is so intimately involved in that. The bomb squad with the Knicks, with Mark Jackson and Johnny Newman and all those guys who were. Pitino was the original Dantoni's like get up a lot of these type of shots. Mark Jackson was on that team who eventually brought that philosophy to Golden State and told Curry and Clay, shoot, shoot from there. That's okay, right? That completely influenced the NBA. And this dude is just whooped up on maybe the best team in the country. Who blew. You saw the look on his face a couple weeks ago.

[B]

That would be Arizona, but go ahead, right?

[A]

Maybe. But I mean, UConn's up there. You saw the look on patino's face when UConn beat him. He was humiliated. Right. Like you're thinking, oh, what's going to happen if these two see each other again? That's what happened. The Acuff with 37. He goes off for 37. Handful of games ago he had 49. Right? Then you had selection Sunday.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Hold on. Luka had a 30 point triple double after a 50 point game. LeBron is 100 years old. I know we're going to get to this in a second. He 100 years old. He laid out. He looked like Greg Nettles at third base diving for a ball in the World series. In the 78 series, he laid out for a loose ball. Max Crosby is still available in the NFL by the way, because that deal got undone. Is A.J. brown about to get moved? Right. This is the dead spot. The Giants, my Giants signed Darnell Mooney from the. From the Falcons. He's a get behind the defense, athletic, high upside receiver. My point is this last weekend in sports was so jam packed. This is the dead spot. It's unbelievable. We're spoiled.

[B]

I can see you like you're overheating. Yeah, like I can see it. Max.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Are you done?

[A]

That's it. Listen.

[B]

That was five minutes strong. Here's what I'll say. Do you think we can get the tape? My father used to get the tape. He didn't. He didn't go to church all the time. When he didn't go to church, he would have Reverend Howard at the time just send him the sermon so he can listen to it himself if he, if he missed church.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Do you think we can get the tape of Rick Pitino's talk after that game? Pre game? No, not after.

[A]

Oh, pregame. Before the game, I'm saying after the loss to UConn.

[B]

No, no, no.

[A]

I want the talk if looks could

[B]

kill boy before the game that he had with that team, because that team, the way they came out and played, you know, I love those Kentucky teams with Rick Pitino for sure. All the. I mean, he was. I mean, do you know the. Wayne Turner, Mercer, Derek Anderson, Antwan Walker, Epps. I mean, Matt, you, Walter McCarty, you just had. You just had so many guys. So many guys. Rick Pitino is great for college basketball. He's great for basketball, but definitely college basketball. And think about it. Rick Patino coached two guys. He coached Walter Clayton at Iona before

[A]

he went to Florida, went to Iona to coach.

[B]

And then the young man Jenkins, that's playing extremely well in Detroit.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Who just got a. Just got a. A contract coach him too.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

He said the other day that there was a young man that's in pro at Providence that Rick Pitino said he's gonna be a pro. Now, he may not be high on people's boards or whatever, but if Rick Pattino. But I trust his eyes, he's seen enough pros to tell you definitely. But I'll say this. All that you just talked about was great for sports fans. The problem I have is when you turn on the tv, people act as if everything is bad. You just. You just went on a five minute rant. Yeah, thank God it was only five minutes, but you just went on a five minute rant and it was all positive.

[A]

You know, I think part of the reason is it's hard to find everything. Like you. You have multiple subscriptions. You got to be going back and forth to find it. If you're, if you're, if you're, you know, if you got an Apple TV or whatever you got. It is. It's hard to find stuff, man. It's aggravating.

[B]

You know, it is, but that's great. It's great for sports. I'm excited for it all. I wanted to go to one of those baseball games, but the world. Baseball classes, it's just not enough. Just not enough hours in a day to get to all these things. I wanted to go to Indian Wells. I missed Indian Wells. I wanted to go to. I mean, it was two games. I actually went to the Clippers Kings game instead of going to the Lakers Nuggets game.

[A]

Yeah, that wasn't the best choice, but

[B]

yeah, yeah, it actually was.

[A]

Why?

[B]

What do you mean? Why not? I like the Clippers.

[A]

Lakers Nuggets came, Lakers Nuggets came.

[B]

But I always. I go to a ton of Lakers guys. I was watching on my phone. It was great. I saw him.

[A]

That's true. Yeah, that's what I do all the time. Game over is brought to you by FanDuel. The tournament is here and on. FanDuel it's time to dance. Right now, FanDuel is dropping bonus bets into everyone's account for the tournament. All you have to do is opt in to claim your bonus. Got an upset rolling with a one seed. Calling for chaos. However you're playing the tourney, FanDuel is giving you a little extra to get in on the action from the very first tip. But do not wait. These bonus bets are only available for a limited time. FanDuel it's time to dance 21 and over in select states or 18 and over in DC, Kentucky or Wyoming. Opt in required bonus issued as non withdrawable bonus bets which expire seven days after receipt. Max bonus $500 unless otherwise specified restrictions apply. See [e-mail] gambling problem. Call 1-800-GAMBLER, call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat in Connecticut. This episode's brought to you by Zip Recruiter. It feels like hiring can take an absurd amount of time and effort, right? Like trying to get drafted into the big leagues. Or spending months years training to build up your speed and strength and agility. Or you know how some commercial breaks feel like they take forever. The hiring process can feel just as agonizing. But good news for you when it comes to hiring, you have the equivalent of a fast forward button. You have ZipRecruiter. Try it free at ZipRecruiter.com/gameover. ZipRecruiter is ranked the number one hiring site based on G2, most likely because ZipRecruiter is so good at what it does, you can find qualified candidates for your role in minutes, and if one really stands out, you can get access to their contact info. To reach out and connect, use ZipRecruiter and save time hiring 4 out of 5 employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate. Listen to this within the first day. And if you go to ziprecruiter.com gameover right now, you can try it for free. It's the best price there is. Again, that's ziprecruiter.com gameover zip recruiter the smartest way to hire. Let's get into Lakers Nuggets.

[B]

Okay, sure.

[A]

Lakers beat the Nuggets.

[B]

McDonald's.

[A]

First of all, I got to start with sour sauce. I gotta start with you with LeBron. If LeBron, people are like, oh, I never used to see LeBron make that kind of play. If I'm a coach of A team and LeBron in his prime makes that kind of play, you're mad. Of course, you do not want a player in his prime as great as LeBron was to ever. Your threshold for injury, tolerance for injury risk is very low. Now, if it's game seven of the finals, go ahead. But in a regular season game, I better not see LeBron do that in his prime. However, as your talent diminishes as you get older, your skill stays the same or gets better. Usually you know your know how and your technique, but your talent, how fast you run, how high you jump, that your first step diminishes over time. He's 100 years old and he does that. If LeBron can play that style of basketball, if he's like, I'm actually the glue guy on this team that's going to make sure everything's okay for everybody. Luke is running the offense. Austin Reaves is the number two scoring option, but I'm the everything man who's going to, like you said, be the Karl Malone type guy, but also be the kind of like Dennis Rodman kind of guy. If LeBron can sustain that for, you know, six weeks or something like that. Lakers are extremely dangerous, Rich.

[B]

Well, look, look, I think you hear all the nonsense about LeBron, and I hate to talk, keep talking about the Lakers, but we have to, because Lakers,

[A]

Cowboys, Yankees are some brands everyone talks about.

[B]

But you hear all the nonsense about the team being better without LeBron. I've never seen a team in my life that would be better without LeBron James.

[A]

Till this one. This year.

[B]

Until recently, no, still this one. Not either. Because of all the things you just said, I think it's more so about figuring it out. And sometimes it takes you longer than not. Because for a guy that's been on the ball for so long, how do you play him off the ball? But then obviously you putting them in the corner because that's supposed to be you. Know, second side action, but not where he belongs. Yeah, that may not work there. So it. But it takes.

[A]

And they didn't get reps together because one of them was always hurt all year.

[B]

Yes. But it also takes you a while to figure it out. And you also have to count keeping. You have to understand or factor in his presence. You got to realize something. Most guys that steps on the basketball floor with LeBron James, number one, are in awe, Right. If they're not trying to pretend like they're. They're. They're bigger than somebody else or whatnot. If they're not put on the actual

[A]

per hour, by the way, the act as you say that if you walk into a room and you want to see if you're a guy or a girl, and you want to see if you're getting rhythm from somebody across the room and they never look at you once throughout the entire time you're in the room, that tells you something. They're avoiding it. Right. That means that they're trying to. They're kicking game in a way. Right. That's not the same thing as kind of looking at you for a second and looking at someone else. Or when LeBron, if a team is put together and people are going out of their way to kind of not notice LeBron, they're telling on themselves a little bit, because that's not really possible.

[B]

Right. The other thing is, obviously every game is a. Is a championship for a lot of people, you know, because what young player don't want to play well? They've been watching him all his life. What teammate don't want to play well because they've been watching them all their life, their basketball careers. I mean, the guy's been in the league for 23 years. So I just, I just. Some things when you, when people, especially basketball people, when basketball people say certain things that I kind of respect their basketball acumen. And then they say certain things because of. Just flowing with the. The. That's just the way everything is going. I'm just like.

[A]

What are you responding to specifically? What comments?

[B]

Well, there was a comment that, that said that the Lakers were better without.

[A]

Well, okay, well, so this is interesting, Rick.

[B]

That's analytics.

[A]

The sample size wasn't huge, but it wasn't tiny either. And I would agree that one of the reasons it was probably like this, what I'm about to say is because there was very little continuity with the Big Three playing together. Right. However, it was interesting that they went from a very good offensive team with Luka and. And Austin Reaves on the floor together to a bad offensive team. If you added LeBron, it didn't make sense because I agree with you. LeBron's overall game is such that any team you ever put him on should only ever get better. So it was curious that this was get that this team was getting worse offensively. I agree with your analysis. They were figuring it out. In retrospect, yeah, but it was alarming because it's like if LeBron doesn't have that thing where he's making a team better and he's 40 plus years old and he's in his 23rd season, maybe it's the end, right? Like that's what. But the. But the fact is, since you brought it up, the net rating stats are now plus, of course, with those three guys playing.

[B]

Here's max. Do you know how hard it is to not start training camp and have rhythm?

[A]

Right.

[B]

It's just. And by the way, it's not like he's ever had an issue with starting the season spitting out or playing the right way. He's always only played the right way

[A]

too much the right way.

[B]

Sometimes he's the one guy that can play, really play and know how to play and every position on the floor. If he was a five man, he's going to set the proper. Think about it. If he was. If he's your five man. When she was playing some small ball.

[A]

Five needs a little more work in the post, I think to be a great five.

[B]

But yes, not no more because you have a stretch five.

[A]

Right. That's true.

[B]

So now if he's your five man and you have a one three or one five, I'm saying he's a three, but you have a one five pick and roll with either Luke or ar. Great. Because now the. He's rolling, so now he's making the secondary. He's your secondary decision maker. Who would you rather have in the entire.

[A]

He could play the two because he could guard your other team's point. Shooting guard.

[B]

This is the point.

[A]

And he can spot up.

[B]

This is the point I'm making. But you understand what comes with it, right? You understand what comes with it. You didn't hear that from the organization. Never said that. Or any of the other things.

[A]

But Rich, I'm responding to what I was thinking myself. It's not that I was thinking. This is definitive. They're getting worse. But I was thinking. I have a question. Is this because they haven't had continuity so far? Is there something behind the scenes where Luka resents LeBron or LeBron. But what it appears to be at this moment is the not getting enough reps with continuity, the three of them together, to figure it out. Until when you.

[B]

Here's the thing. When you have guys, there's two type of players. There's a guy that can go and get it and there's a guy who is what I would call a. Not a specialist. Right? Right. During the course of NBA's regular season, specialists actually have a ton of value because that's one of those situations where it's a swing swing, that guy's in the corner and that corner guy, he can only shoot threes. Right. He's a specialist. But then you get to the point to where you need a guy that can actually put the ball on the ground and go and get it themselves. Right. When you have these guys and you're top heavy with these type of guys, it takes a little while to figure it out because normally you. This is why I always set my theory about a big three. Normally you only really need a big two because it allows you to think less about that third guy who has not necessarily entitlement, but who is talented enough to have some own some type of real estate in being able to pull out their DIY kit here.

[A]

But I like your definition. For people who don't know the way you've. I'll paraphrase you, tell me if I got it or not. The reason big threes don't actually exist is to say a big three. It means each player is capable of being the nucleus of a championship team.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Usually you have a big two. Obviously you could do it with Wade. If he has a crime partner, you could do it with LeBron. But bosh, as great a player as he was, two way player is not the centerpiece of a championship team. Right?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Kevin Love was an excellent player, is not the centerpiece of a championship team. Even if LeBron is. And maybe Kyrie could be certainly one of the two. Kyrie could be. So in fact your claim is, and I agree with it, I think it's a good definition, Big threes don't actually exist because you just can't put those three guys together.

[B]

Yes. And here's the other thing. It's not as if there's been a consistent effort to have more of the initiating guys. Right. To be able to initiate the offense. That doesn't mean that high level production can't come from a different position because obviously when AD was here in la, yeah, a lot of the points are being scored and there's big numbers, but it's a difference when you have to get somebody the ball versus when somebody has the ball. Right. Initiating the offense. So you actually need that other initiator. Sure. That could come. They didn't have that. Now you do have it. So. So now it looks a little different and people want to kind of go crazy about the idea of it, but that's not true. You have to allow yourself to really settle in. It's like anything else in life. If you build a house right, the house can look great and you can have all the plumbing and all that stuff. That foundation still has to settle. It take years for that foundation to still have to settle. And it's the same thing with a team.

[A]

I just thought of a big three that would have that, but actually proves the point because when they were all healthy, they just never were. They were so much better than everyone. When Harden, KD and Kyrie were on the same team, had they stayed healthy, they never would have lost the game. Like they were killing everybody. Like, you know, any two of them were, but. Because that shouldn't exist in nature.

[B]

Okay, but here's the thing about that big three, right. When you talk about being able to one one play one on one. Yep. All three of those guys, if you had to rank in the history of

[A]

the league, they're way up high.

[B]

They're way up high.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

When you talk about the three point

[A]

shot, all could do it.

[B]

All three of them.

[A]

There was not an offensive weakness in anyone's.

[B]

By the way off the dribble or off the catch and shot.

[A]

Passing the ball.

[B]

Yeah. When you talk about being able to pass the ball, it's very seldom you're

[A]

going to drawing foul.

[B]

You're going to get all of that talent in three guys pretty much equally across the board. And I would give Kyrie the edge in terms of his ability to finish.

[A]

Yeah. It's so interesting to me. Like, so in physics they say nature abhors a naked singularity. Meaning like there's a black hole which breaks the laws of nature. Right. And so you can't actually observe it directly. Like the universe won't let you. That's what was an actual big three. Kd, Harden and Kyrie was like a naked singularity. The universe wouldn't allow it to exist. They had to hurt.

[B]

But, but, but I want to get to the. Not to move on too fast. But not to move on too fast. I will say what I am seeing is a tremendous change in effort, which I know JJ's ex Lakers. Yeah, yeah. On, on the defensive side of the ball. That play by LeBron when he dove on the floor, I can guarantee you he's feeling that today still at that age. But what that shows you is that's the, that's the passion you're looking for. You got guys who definitely haven't made the money, definitely haven't. Doesn't have the accolades, definitely doesn't have the, the, the accomplishments and things like that, that, that are reluctant to do that. Then when you talk about having a guy that can close, close the drive left going away from the double team, creating the space to be. You know how hard that shot is to make a 15 footer going left on the baseline right with 0.5 seconds left. That's a tough shot by yourself with no one in the arena and nobody else on the floor. And then when you think about just this is why, I mean you talk about touch the mission, the miss to go off left and then to be able to put that.

[A]

You talking about the Austin Reaves free throw. Yeah. So again, no, that was like when you. I think of the three things from that game. LeBron's diving at 100 years old, laying out like that is nuts. Austin Reaves missing a free throw like. And it works out like you would draw it up. And luka after dropping 50 the other night, goes for a 30 point triple double in a win against Duncan Denver.

[B]

Yeah, that's huge. He's in a rhythm and, and obviously. But here's, here's the other thing. Don't talk bad about Aiden when he plays bad. Talk good about him when he plays good as well. And Aiden gate. You're not stopping Jokic, period. You're not stopping the man. He's, he's, he, he is the guy. But the effort that he gave down the stretch, you have to applaud that.

[A]

What do you think? What do you. 100%. DeAndre Eaton, who I criticize when he, when he says he does, basically doesn't want to be Clint Capello, which would be an improvement on this Lakers team. He like Prime Capella anyway. When he plays well, he deserves praise. And I know that JJ Redick too, man. JJ Redicking job.

[B]

I know talking about LeBron brings clicks. Talking about the Lakers bring. Brings clicks. So somehow, some way, even during that effort, the last few efforts, people find a way to try to bring a negative perspective. And I'm not being, I don't, I don't have a team. I have, I represent players on, on pretty much every team. In the league. But I, I understand basketball and I like to talk basketball. But what I'm saying is when we have this good brand of basketball being played, why go for the clickbait when you can actually give the flowers and say, hey, that's a hell of an effort by this team.

[A]

Because sports fans are, for the most part hate based life forms. Well, let's, let's be honest.

[B]

That's not this show. But. Well, you know, there is it. You're an element of it. I'm not. Yeah, you're an element of it. I'm not.

[A]

I love my teams and I hate the other teams. Speaking of teams, I guess not love or hate the Nuggets. Are you. Are you concerned about Denver at all?

[B]

No.

[A]

From. Because they keep losing to good teams.

[B]

Yeah. Jamal Murray didn't have the best game. Yeah. Peyton Watson's not back. No. Right. Even though they.

[A]

But Murray's had a great season. Jokic is there. Aaron Gordon, when he's healthy, is balling. So. So it's like when, when those guys are on the floor together.

[B]

Yeah, but Aaron Gordon's been in and out the lineup all year.

[A]

I said when he's healthy.

[B]

Yeah, right. But what I'm saying is at the end of the day, we're talking about regular season games. We're going to see their seating is going to. The Lakers getting ready to go on a really tough road stretch starting with. I mean, that was a tough home game. You got two in Houston, you go to Miami, you go to Detroit. These are going to be tough games. But we are at the point of the season where we got 15, 14 games left.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Teams are going to be. Everyone's fighting for their lives right now. This is when you.

[A]

That's what I'm saying. The Nuggets are fighting for their lives. They have a. Mostly their stars are all healthy and they lose in overtime to the Lakers and they just. They've lost a lot of these tough games. OkC where a Jokic team, when he has his crime partners available to him, you would think would be doing a little better than they've been doing recently.

[B]

The only thing I would say is the reserve players did shoot the ball well. But you have to take your hat off to the Lakers. But the point I'm trying to make is it's the regular season, so I don't get all.

[A]

You think Denver is a title contender this year?

[B]

Of course they are.

[A]

So. But see, I agree. But I would rank them out of the West.

[B]

Third.

[A]

Look, as I mentioned Van VLIET is still, you know, doesn't look like the Rockets are getting Van Vliet back in spite of the phone call we had with him on this show.

[B]

For yourself, you don't know that.

[A]

If they had Van Vliet back with enough time running up to the playoffs and had that least the root. We don't know if it's a burner account from KD that you know that story from about a month ago, but I think that's caused enough disruption with that team. Plus not having Van Vliet. I'm taking Houston off of my list of teams.

[B]

But you have, you have the nuggets. Third.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Third.

[B]

Yeah. OKC. You have San Antonio, you have OKC 2 and you have Nuggets 3.

[A]

Yeah. In the end. Yeah. When push comes to shove, your right.

[B]

What took you so long to say?

[A]

Well, only because the thing with Houston. So I take them away and the lake, man, the lake. I know. It's a home game. It's an overtime game. I get it. I get it, man. If the Lakers could figure this out, maybe they'd be my three. I don't know.

[B]

Well, you just. Well, well, and that when you. Again, when you have that type of talent, you just have to be able to keep the game close.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Where, where any team can run into an issue is if, if you, if, if you one have to dig a hole to get back into playoff contention, that takes a lot out of a team going into the playoffs. So that is a blessing. Not too bad. But then it comes down to matchups.

[A]

And also Luka, when you get a Luka Doncic, if he's playing a losing brand of basketball, which he was for stretches this season, hogging the ball, getting himself high percentage shots, everyone else is waiting around complaining to the ref, not getting back on defense, then you're like, oh, this team, they're not going anywhere. When you start to see Luka playing a winning brand of basketball, sharing the ball more, of course, he's still monopolizing the ball as he should when he's going well, because he's, you know, among the very, very best offensive players in the game. When you see him, when you see Lucas stop complaining and start getting back on defense, and you see LeBron doing what he's doing, and they start to click. Now your whole perception of the Lakers changes because we've seen him take a Dallas team, you know, to the penultimate position.

[B]

You need a solid 8 in your rotation to hopefully stay out of foul trouble and execute night in, night out in the playoffs to win series, then you need about a 9 and a 10 that based upon the matchups you can be able to implement in different parts of the game in the lineup that help you with the matchups. Right. So again, when you look at all these teams, if you have that great now you need to stay healthy and then obviously shots need to fall, so on, so forth. So again, there's parity in the league. Everyone has a chance. Some has a better chance than others and some has a puncher's chance. And as you know, Mr. Boxing himself, that anybody can be knocked out.

[A]

Thunder beat the Wolves. I think the spurs are the best team in basketball whenever, you know, especially if Jalen Williams is not playing for the split.

[B]

Wimby had a very interesting comment yesterday.

[A]

What do you say?

[B]

He said, I'm really focusing on my body because I really want to win MVP and I want to win defensive player of the year. And if that happens, then that you would think they would be in the finals.

[A]

Who do you think the best team in the west is right now? I say the Spurs. Is it Thunder or Spurs?

[B]

I don't know. I don't, you know, I don't really pick a best team in the West. I think that again, based upon. I've watched enough basketball to know is health and matchups. If you can stay healthy throughout the playoffs and you can get the right matchups, you can get there. But again, those, those, those, those, those lights are different as each, as each series goes on. Those lights are definitely different. Yeah.

[A]

And the spurs are ready for it though.

[B]

Yeah. Well, here's the thing.

[A]

Because the Thunder did it last year, they weren't ready, you know, like they didn't take all the necessary steps. Fair. This episode is brought to you by loom. When your calendar's all status meetings and your teams are still misaligned, it's easy to feel stuck. Get your org unstuck with Loom, the AI first video platform by Atlassian. Record a LOOM to share priorities, feedback and key decisions. AI makes video editing one click and adds instant summaries so everyone from direct reports to partner teams gets clarity in minutes, not meetings. With LOOM teams stay aligned and focus on work that matters. It's a team changer. Try Loom today at loom.

[B]

Com.

[C]

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[B]

When I look at the Thunder and I'll get into this in my. In my. Get Rich Quick.

[A]

Yes, of course. Yes. It is time for Get Rich Rich Quick, by the way.

[B]

Is it?

[A]

Yeah, it's time.

[B]

I just think we talk about the Big three, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

The Big three has evolved. The Big three is not three, you know, big name players anymore. Today's Big three is president, gm, coach,

[A]

star player in the NBA.

[B]

In the NBA. That's where the Big three is focused on. And when you have that, it kind of like spreads throughout the rest of the team. When I watched that OKC team play, I'm changing their name.

[A]

So are you saying you would trade the second best player in a Big three situation for a team? For a great team president and you would trade the third best player for a great coach? In other words, the Big three championship. Is that more than it is three great players?

[B]

Well. Well, first of all, it depends on who the second best player is. If the second best player could possibly be a first best player like a Tatum or Brown, then yeah, always in

[A]

life there are exceptions. Yeah.

[B]

But if there is who you would say is the second best player but they're not an all NBA caliber player, then the answer is yes.

[A]

Right.

[B]

But OKC is OKC iq. When you watch OKC play, the way they move the ball is they got 9, 10, maybe 11 guys, 12 guys.

[A]

Everyone on the team can play that

[B]

actually knows how to play. And more importantly, they play the right way. Like I saw Jalen Williams making plays,

[A]

the big Jalen Williams.

[B]

Yes. Hardenstein making plays that they're not getting the ball looking to try to score the ball. They're getting the ball looking to make a play, the right play. Not setting in a legal screen, but. But making a pass and a screen together where it's getting space for the shooter. And now that guy trailing the shooter is so far away that by the time he even gets to try to close out, the guy's actually going the other way because the ball's already going through the hoop. When you have that and you have a closer in a Shay who just continues to put pressure on the rim. Continues and can create space to Chip England I'm seeing it. I'm seeing what he's adding to that team. You know, he's on that bench and came from San Antonio. The way they shoot the ball every single time, the form.

[A]

Yeah, you're kind of talking me. Especially if they had Jalen. If they had both Jalen Williams. You're kind of talking me into the. And the, to the OKC a little bit. The only thing is the spurs have the same thing.

[B]

No, listen, I'm not.

[A]

And they have Wemby, who I think is the best player in the game.

[B]

I was just focusing on because we mentioned the Thunder and the Wolves game and I watched the game. But what I'm saying is that high level basketball, Jerry McCain, you add him at the trade deadline. Think about it. There's teams that didn't make any moves. This team who feel who you would think has it all figured out, wanted to figure it even out.

[A]

And it feels like they're cheating. Like how are you able to get that guy? How come no one else got that guy?

[B]

It's called having draft assets. But they wanted this team that has it all figured out, wants to even more so figure it out. It's like, that's like an honor student. I used to, you know, you get a. You don't get 100 on a test when you're an honor student. You get like 105. I know you've never been down that road, Max. I have. But that's the thing, you know. And when you talk about the spurs again, it's the same thing. Wimby is like three players in one.

[A]

Yeah, that's crazy. But I want to get back to your big three things. You get rich quick. The big three in the NBA, Team president, coach, coach, star player, star player. In other words, that's better. In fact, if you have those three things than having a so called big three.

[B]

You know why it's better?

[A]

Franchise players and one all star.

[B]

But do you know why it's better?

[A]

Why?

[B]

Let me tell you why it's better. Because it doesn't affect your cap to the point to where you can't have flexibility to continue to make the team better.

[A]

Right. The GM and the coach cost nothing.

[B]

They don't cost up against your cap.

[A]

So I want to. I'm thinking about this now.

[B]

Are you mad you didn't think of that?

[A]

No, I think it's good. I like it.

[B]

But I'm just saying.

[A]

No, I'm trying to. I'm trying to integrate it into. Into the way I think about the

[B]

Leagues because Jacoby was jealous.

[A]

Baseball is it? Yeah, Jacoby was jealous. We need to have a Jacoby is jealous segment because we know we're onto something if Jacoby's jealous.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

Yeah. Baseball is a GM's league. The most important guy in the building is a general manager. He's got to acquire the best assets for the lowest price or just put it all together, draft the best prospects, et cetera. The NFL has usually been a coaches league. Most important guy is the head coach. Lincoln, yes, for sure. But the Giants had Jackson dart and they lost almost every game. Now they have John Harbaugh and it just feels already completely different.

[B]

They'll at least be 500.

[A]

And people always thought of the NBA as a stars league. If you don't have a guy who's at least in the conversation for best player in the game, good luck winning a championship.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Is it still that way or are you saying something's fundamentally changed? Because it might be that it's a team president league now. But according to your logic, right, because the team president, you're still going to have to find the star. But he might be able to find the right star who's maybe undervalued somewhere else and build around him, install the right coach.

[B]

I think it's. The proof is in the pudding. When you look at team presidents and you look at really good coaches and you look at star players, you see success. I don't have to even name a team. They're all out there. But again, when you are star heavy, you can be star heavy. As long as being star heavy comes with structure. You gotta understand something about being a star. A star can come with two different types of mentalities. A me mentality or a we mentality. If a star comes with a me mentality, you cannot win with that person. It don't matter. And I don't care what, what gift wrapping paper you wrap it in and what bow you put on it, it's still a bad gift. It does not matter if a star or stars come with structure. Different dynamic. Going back to the Miami Heat team. That structure they did when it was Bosh, when it was Wade, when it was lj and obviously you added guys like Shane Battier, you added guys like Ray Allen, you had guys like Chalmers Yudonis, but they had structure, right? So you saw it on the floor every night. That is the younger you go with this, right, the younger your stars are, quite naturally you lack experience. Quite naturally because you just spurs right now. That's just part of it. So now, if you have a young star studded group, you really have to lean in on. Cause if you're not going to be able to lean in on the experience, then you have to lean in on structure, character, iq. Right. How great of a teammate are you? Culture. Because that matters. Because normally when you're young, you haven't gotten paid yet, you haven't made as many all star teams as you wanted to make. Maybe you had dreams of getting a signature shoe. There's a lot of meat things within being a young team. So if you can fight against that, that's scary.

[A]

You want to do an Oscars reaction real quick, which I didn't watch, by the way.

[B]

Sure I did.

[A]

You watched Oscars?

[B]

I watched the Oscars, Yes, I did.

[A]

You're the only person I know who actually sits through the Oscars.

[B]

Well, I didn't sit all the way through, but I watched enough of it to see Michael B. Jordan win.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

How great is it?

[A]

He could win for anything. He's in. Yeah, he's been excellent.

[B]

You're a Wire fan.

[A]

That's the first thing he's ever from Hart.

[B]

You know, I was with him last night and I said, listen, I gave him a big hug because I thought, damn. I felt like, you know, I mean, I grew up watching him.

[A]

Watching him.

[B]

Yeah. Michael B. Jordan from Hardball when he had this scene where he was telling Keanu Reeves he just want to play, man. And Keanu couldn't necessarily commit to it and he had to jump the gate to Michael in the Wire. The duo of him and Ryan, Cooper, Coogler, starting with Fruitville Station, all the way to Panther, to. To Creed. Yeah, to this.

[A]

I was in a scene, I was in a couple scenes with. And it was just Jordan and Creed.

[B]

It was just a great night. And all the awards. I mean, Sinners won best original.

[A]

I didn't see what from.

[B]

From one battle after another. That was.

[A]

Sinners was quite good.

[B]

That was fantastic.

[A]

But let me. Let me tell you something. This is what I don't like about the Academy Awards. Number one. I remember seeing once a show that was reacting to the media's reaction to the. To the Oscar winners. It was like on E. Network or something back in the day. And I thought to myself, what a racket. Cause film is a medium, right? So it's a form of media. You could say it's an art form too, but it's a form of media and they give an award to themselves and then the media reacts to an award that the media gives itself. And Then you have a show that's analyzing the reaction of the media to an award that the media gives itself. It's like it's all this content created out of whole cloth, right? Like they're just inventing it. So it's like genius in a way. But what bothers me about the Academy Awards is it's totally subjective and the people deciding aren't smart enough to make these decisions. Just like MVP stuff. Look, I'll give you an example, Rich. You ever see The Nutty Professor 2? The Klumps?

[B]

Yes. Okay, who haven't saw Nutty Professors yet.

[A]

Why wouldn't Eddie Murphy win the Academy Award?

[B]

That I cannot do, by the way.

[A]

He has a scene, Eddie Murphy has a scene about where he's playing the father and the mother and they're discussing like his sexual dysfunction, the father's sexual dysfunction. And it's such a real scene between two characters. There's so much like humanity and everything in it and connection and feeling in it that he should have won best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and best Supporting Actress. Cuz he played so many characters. He was great, but he would never get an award for that. Do you know why? Because the people who vote are so insecure because they're not smart enough to know actually who to vote for. They don't have the capacity for it that they would never vote for Eddie Murphy cuz they would think that the way other people would see them, you know, like they wouldn't be taken seriously.

[B]

He actually talked about that on his doc. I think it was something he said during his. I mean, I can't say during his heyday because it's only. It seems like since I've been born he's only had hey.

[A]

Yeah, that's right. Every day is hey.

[B]

Every day was hey. So I don't know, but. But it was something he said. But I agree with you again. I watched. It was some really good movies. I watched one battle after another. And Tiana.

[A]

Was it good?

[B]

Yes, it was great. Sean Penn won best supporting actor. He was phenomenal in that.

[A]

Noah Baumbach had a movie out this year. I don't know if it was nominated. I wanted to go see that and I missed it in the theater. I'll order it. Great director.

[B]

But Frankenstein won some stuff. The best costume was that.

[A]

Is that the Bride of Frankenstein? I think I saw an ad for it. Or was it Frankenstein?

[B]

No, it was Frankenstein.

[A]

It was regular Frankenstein.

[B]

K Pop, you know, Dragon.

[A]

But see, so take Sinners. Sinners was. It was a fun Vampire flick. But it also had deeper meaning. It was deep about exploitation and, you know, of violence against black people and

[B]

how black culture it was.

[A]

A lot people react to it and form their own way of resisting it. But I think about a movie like way back in the day, Die Hard. Die Hard, the year that came out. Looked it up before the show. I was curious because, of course, it would never be nominated because, again, the people are not smart enough and too insecure who vote on this stuff to know actually what the best film is. The Rain man won Best Picture. Rain Man's a really good picture.

[B]

Rain man was incredible.

[A]

It was not as good as Die Hard. I know they're different genres, but.

[B]

Well, it's.

[A]

Die Hard is a perfect movie. Shot for shot, Rich. I should have.

[B]

So it was one battle after another.

[A]

I should have minored in film. I took enough film classes in college. Right. If you said, apply the eight elements of classic cinema, you could teach a film class using nothing but Die Hard. It is perfect beginning to end. But of course. And it's a better movie object. Like, if you any. By any measure, a better movie than Rain man, which was excellent. One gets the Academy Award, one's not nominated because of the thing I'm talking about. There's. Because people would feel like they'd be looked at a certain way, not taken seriously if they gave it to an action movie, you know?

[B]

Right.

[A]

So anyway, the upshot is I don't watch the Academy Awards.

[B]

Listen, it's definitely something that you have to want to be into. Yeah, but we live in la and everyone seems to be into it. I mean, Dean went to Bristol Farms yesterday. He couldn't even find a tortilla chip in salsa.

[A]

Did you watch the Academy Award, Dean?

[B]

Absolutely not. He.

[A]

Absolutely not.

[B]

No, he.

[A]

He got me with that. Absolutely. But not.

[B]

He didn't watch it.

[A]

But guess what hit me with a notch.

[B]

He also couldn't get no chips and salsa either, because everyone who was watching it bought all the chips and salsa out of the damn grocery store.

[A]

Let me ask you this. When you were in Cleveland, before you got to la, were you watching the Academy Awards?

[B]

Sometimes, Yeah, I was.

[A]

I watched it up until they gave the Academy Award when I was a kid. Up until they gave it to dancing Dances with Wolves over Goodfellas, and I was out.

[B]

But see, listen, there's. There is a degree, a degree of difficulty point that you give and listen, I understand it. We're going for the obvious. I get it. I would have voted for Goodfellas, too, but the Point is, Michael B. Jordan makes you. There's two goats named Michael Jordan now.

[A]

Yeah, Michael B. Jordan's great. He's never been less than great in anything I've ever seen.

[B]

But he did join elite class. There's very few guys that have an Oscar that look like Michael B. Jordan.

[A]

Right?

[B]

It's Denzel. Let me see if I can name them. Michael B. Now. Denzel. Jamie Sydney, in the heat of the

[A]

night that he won the Academy Award.

[B]

Forrest Whitaker. Ford Whitaker. Will Smith.

[A]

Will Smith won an Academy Award.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

What do you win an Academy Award?

[B]

I mean, that's some elite. That's some elite companies.

[A]

It is.

[B]

And to go from hardball to that, that's pretty strong. But it was good last night. I thought it was some really cool speeches and Conan o'. Brien.

[A]

Was it good? Conan's fine. Would you like to get the emails?

[B]

We had the emails already.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Oh, yeah. We breezed through that.

[A]

Breeze through it, man. Yeah. We're over an hour.

[B]

Okay, let's do it.

[A]

We're in overtime.

[B]

Let's do it.

[A]

Hello, Max and Rich. I'm Golly all the way from Morocco. I love the show. Always been a Max fan, but this show made me discover and like Rich more and more. I'm a maths major aspiring to be a sports journalist. I have two totally different questions. One is more for Rich, I guess the finances of sports. First week of NFL free agency numbers keep going up every year. Rich says that he's for the players. But do you all see a tipping point where the money salaries are just going to plateau? Doesn't that have to do with really the size of the TV contracts Mostly?

[B]

I hope not because I won't be able to tip when I go to restaurants.

[A]

All right, two, I think I'm one of the few fans who does not like the goat debates. I watch a lot of sports. I love sports history. I think there were so many different rules, changes in play tendencies and styles. The only correct debate is who the goat of each era. Any intra era enter era comparison is flawed and illogical. What do you all think?

[B]

I mean, I. Listen, I agree. I hate to go debates.

[A]

I love the goat debates.

[B]

I mean, look, make.

[A]

Make a hard choice. Stop copping everybody.

[B]

No, I mean, listen, there's. There's goats in each sports. There's goats in each era of each sport. You know, it's like. And here's what I will say. You have all these people saying, who isn't the goat?

[A]

Right?

[B]

Right. And you have all these players critiquing who's. Who's not the goat. They're giving their list who the goat. I want to come up with something. You should not be able to say who's the goat or who isn't the goat if you're not in goat contention.

[A]

I hate that because frequently the emphasis is not going to come from the participant.

[B]

You just like to debate though, Max.

[A]

Yeah, that's probably true. But also I like it captures one's imagination because when you have two all time greats and it forces you to do hard thinking and it's interesting in terms of comparative analysis to say actually who do you think is better and what's your criteria, how did you apply it, is it consistent, who has the best case, etc. I love that stuff.

[B]

Okay, so who's your goat in what sport? Basketball.

[A]

Mj.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

In.

[B]

I just wanted to.

[A]

In football you have to give it to Tom Brady. I do it reluctantly because I'm a Giants fan. In. In baseball it's Babe Ruth. It's not that one's not difficult.

[B]

But to. But to go back and answer the boxing. Sugar Ray Robinson, to go back to answer the other guy's question. I think live events is something that is going to continue to grow. I think we're getting back into the live event space, but the finances of things is always challenging. Obviously these contracts are growing at a very rapid pace. The TV deal's done, so we have that. But we may add more teams. So I don't. I think anytime you get to a place where you're starting to see hell, we could be at a place where we see one year, $100 million deal.

[A]

Maybe eventually we'll get there. It's inflation if you get there and

[B]

then just like anything else, you always adjust. But long as it's not a work stoppage, I'm okay. We can figure the rest out.

[A]

Alec from Los Angeles. Hey, Max and Rich. I'm sure it's safe to say that Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki are the two best power forwards of all time. Who would you rather have on your team if you're in the NBA finals and why? Nowitzki was great. I think Duncan is clearly the greatest power forward of all time.

[B]

I'm going to say Duncan because of the ability to play both sides of the ball.

[A]

Yeah, I mean Nowitzki in the modern game and he has met the modern guy.

[B]

But Dirk's my man though. But I think Dirk would even say Tim.

[A]

Yeah, like Dirk is usually not put in the top 10 players of all Time. And Duncan is frequently put in the top 10. 10 players of all time. Any position.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And also a power forward. Duncan was both. He was a four and a five.

[B]

Four and a five. A really good four and a five.

[A]

Yeah. If you wanted to say pure power forwards. Pure fours. Maybe. Maybe it is Dirk. Pure fours. Who else? There's AD, there's Dirk, there's KG. There's KG. KD is a three.

[B]

You're not putting LeBron to four.

[A]

LeBron's a three or a one or whatever.

[B]

Or two or four or five.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You could argue. If you take Duncan and say he's not a pure four, he's a four or five. You could argue Dirk.

[B]

Yeah, but I'm taking two. Yeah.

[A]

All right. It's time to go.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

We have another good one. We'll get to that. Another.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Wednesday, special guests.

[A]

Oh, are we ready to announce a special guest yet or. No?

[B]

I don't think so. I think you let it be a surprise.

[A]

Surprise special guest.

[B]

Just tune in. I think it's gonna be a lot of fun. I think you need to prep. Please prep. Cause you don't like to Prep. I'm saying. Mr.

[A]

Linear, can I tell you something? This is called accusation in a mirror. This is actually a horrible propaganda strategy. What you do is there's a political party in the United States right now that I won't mention, but it rhymes with Republicans who accuse the other side of the exact thing that they're doing, if you want to know. So they say every accusation is a confession.

[B]

So you say I don't prep.

[A]

That's accusation in the mirror.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

That's called.

[B]

Well, we'll see Wednesday. We'll see who's the more prepped on Wednesday. And I'm not talking about your clothes, so don't come in here with three collared shirts on.

[A]

And you're gonna be studying. Well, I can't even say I almost slipped. I would have given it away. I almost gave it away.

[B]

Yeah, please. Yeah.

[A]

All right, all right, all right. We'll see you on Wednesday.

[B]

Yeah. Gameoverspotify.com.

[A]

yeah. Oh, so we reversed it. Now my wiring is all crossed.

[B]

That's because you're not proud.

[A]

Game over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul [e-mail] We read the emails. You want to ask them to subscribe now? Politely?

[B]

Please subscribe. Yeah, yeah. And. And continue to send the emails. Yeah. And you know what? We're starting to really turn this thing around. Max, you've been doing a really good job prepping, giving you flowers.

[A]

Oh, thank you. Thank you.

[B]

Give me your flowers. I appreciate it for you know. Yes, it's all good.

[A]

All right. We got going in the right direction.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, I'm on. Like, I haven't been to sleep.

[A]

Yeah, you need. You need to get.

[B]

No, I'm going right to the office. You kidding me?

[A]

You got to go to bed early tonight.

[B]

I'll show you how to do this, son.

[A]

Listen, I see that.

[B]

Yeah, I gotta show you.

[A]

Still hustling same clothes for days. Although, no, not in his case. Not same clothes. You got. You got outfit changes throughout the day.

[B]

Oh, yeah, that's a must. That chocolate brown, purple a with double breast.

[A]

Be the only kid out on the block hustling, changing his outfits constantly the same floor. All right. Alright, we'll see you on Wednesday. 21 and over in select states. For Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 and over and present in D.C. kentucky or Wyoming. Gambling problem. Call 1-800- GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET. Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Chattinconenetic or visit mdgamblinghelp.org In Maryland, hope is here. Visit gamblinghelp linema.org or call 800-327-5050 for 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY in New York. For Louisiana, call 1-877-770-7867.

[D]

This episode is brought to you by Athletic Brewing Company. No matter how you do game day, on the couch, in the crowd or manning the snack table, Athletic Brewing fits right in with a full lineup of non alcoholic beer styles. You can enjoy bold flavors all game long. No hangovers, no buzz, no subbing out for water in the second in half. Stock the fridge for tip off with a variety of non alcoholic craft styles. Available at your local grocery store or online at athleticbrewing.com near Beer Fit for all times.