Drafting The Most Interesting Teams For Stretch Run & Spurs Talk Live In Austin, TX

Summary

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No Dunks Podcast Summary

Episode: Drafting The Most Interesting Teams For Stretch Run & Spurs Talk Live In Austin, TX

Date: February 19, 2026

Hosts: Je Skeets, Tas Melas, Trey Kirby, JD

Special Guest: Jacob Toby (Spurs Play-by-Play Announcer)

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Episode Overview

In this lively episode, the No Dunks crew records live from Casa de Spurs in Austin, TX, as part of Spurs Week festivities. The show is structured around drafting the most "interesting" NBA teams to watch for the remainder of the 2025-26 regular season, with in-depth conversation about the stretch run, key storylines, and an in-person visit from Spurs play-by-play announcer Jacob Toby, who shares behind-the-scenes perspectives and memorable anecdotes from his work. The tone is fun, conversational, and energized by their live audience.

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Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Setting the Stage (Live from Austin)

[04:01-07:05]

• No Dunks broadcasts from Austin during Spurs Week, with the Spurs vs. Suns and Spurs vs. Kings games upcoming.
• Early banter: crowd interactions, inside jokes (birthdays, Spurs jerseys), and Spurs mascot debates (Coyote's eyes).
• Shoutouts to sponsors and crowd; gratitude for being in Austin and preview of live guest.

2. Draft: NBA’s Most Interesting Teams for the Stretch Run

[07:05-36:44]
Each host drafts teams they find most compelling for the season’s final third. Below are key picks and debates, with select quotes.

A. Boston Celtics (Trey, 1st pick)

• Jason Tatum's imminent return from injury and fit with Jaylen Brown.
• Statistical insights: Celtics' clutch record, impact of Tatum's absence on supporting cast.
• “Will he be able to be the one A type of guy because Jaylen Brown has been carrying it?” (Tas, 09:00)
• “I think they could win the east for sure.” (Trey, 10:14)

B. Oklahoma City Thunder (Tas, 2nd pick)

• Injury concerns (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s abdominal strain, Jalen Williams’ lack of rhythm).
• OKC’s uncertain chemistry; comparisons to last year's Celtics' playoff flameout.
• “They’ve only played their starting five, only five games together.” (Tas, 11:08)

C. San Antonio Spurs (Skeets, 3rd pick)

• Enter the night with the NBA’s longest active win streak (6 games), 2 games behind Thunder.
• “Title contender checklist”: 40-win/20-loss rule, SRS 4+ rule, top-3 seeding benchmarks.
• “They do hit all these sort of benchmarks here, so feel like their chances to go all the way.” (Skeets, 15:08)
• “They hit my number one check mark: Do they have Wemby? Yeah, they do.” (Trey, 15:17)

D. Cleveland Cavaliers (Trey, 4th pick - Round 2)

• James Harden’s trade impact (“worked perfectly”), Mobley’s impending return.
• Chemistry fit: balancing Harden, Allen, Mobley, shooters.
• “They basically got two All Star duos going together” (Trey, 17:10)
• Skepticism re: Harden in big playoff moments: “When has Harden ever let down the Cavs?” (Trey, 18:14, mocking)

E. Detroit Pistons (Tas, 5th pick)

• Defensive-minded, “just good against good teams.”
• Statement wins over Knicks, Celtics; forced turnovers.
• “If I’m picking between Cavs, Celtics, Pistons or the Knicks, I’m taking the Pistons to make the NBA Finals.” (Tas, 20:49)

F. Houston Rockets (Skeets, 6th pick)

• The “Burnergate” scandal: alleged Kevin Durant burner accounts attacking former and current teammates.
• Rockets’ quirky offensive rebounding focus, three-point math problem, and impact of losing Steven Adams.
• “Can this weird ass offense work?” (Skeets, 25:56)
• “Is Fred Van Vliet coming back? No.” (Skeets, 26:49)
• On KD: “I think it’s 80% real, 20% not.” (Trey, 28:30)

G. Denver Nuggets (Trey, 7th pick – Round 3)

• Struggles due to defensive injuries; can they regain 2023 form?
• Havoc schedule: “11 of their next 12 games will come against teams above .500.” (Tas, 30:45)
• Jokic–Murray pick-and-roll as postseason trump card.

H. Minnesota Timberwolves (Tas, 8th pick)

• Highly streaky results; Anthony Edwards’ importance.
• Three-point leaps from role players (Jaden McDaniels, Ayo Dosunmu).
• “It’s those guys around Anthony Edwards if they’re going to elevate.” (Tas, 33:31)

I. Los Angeles Lakers (Skeets, 9th pick)

• Will this be LeBron’s L.A. or NBA farewell?
• Outlier stat: Best record ever for a team with negative season point differential.
• “They have this incredible record in the clutch, but they haven’t played a whole bunch of them.” (Skeets, 35:32)
• “This is not LeBron’s last season…and next year he will be a Cleveland Cavalier.” (Trey, 36:06 – bold prediction)

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3. In-Depth: Spurs Talk with Jacob Toby (Spurs Play-by-Play Announcer)

[38:11-71:43]

A. Getting to Know Jacob Toby

• “There’s no least favorite part…The best part about the job is that I get the best seat in the house…and get to talk about Spurs basketball in the NBA.” (Jacob, 38:54)
• On being a young broadcaster and sitting courtside with Sean Elliott, spurred by a “lifelong dream.”

B. Life on the Road: Behind the Scenes

• Story about unintentionally going viral for using smelling salts pregame on-air (41:17).
• Fan favorite “eating segments” with Sean Elliott.
• “Once we started doing those segments, it's like the number one thing people stop me on the street about: 'I love that segment, you guys eating.'” (Jacob, 42:01)

C. The Wembanyama Experience

• On broadcasting Wemby’s rookie-to-superstar rise:
  “You have to always be ready because you never know what he’s going to do on the court. I have to have the most amazing call ever because that’s going to live on forever.” (Jacob, 43:00)
• Behind-the-scenes: Wemby’s humility, off-court kindness, and always carrying a book.
• “He’s such a nice guy. He’ll come up to me before a game and say hi…and that’s the best part. Because he’s a real human.” (Jacob, 43:50)
• Book club jokes (44:12); Wemby’s intentional, thoughtful nature in interviews.

D. Spurs-Austin Relationship & Spurs Week

• “To grow it [the fan base] in another city that’s only an hour away—big city as well—it’s awesome. It's actually a no brainer.” (Jacob, 46:26)
• Brief history of “rodeo road trip,” less grueling this year.

E. Underrated Spurs & Team Dynamic

• De’Aaron Fox framed as under-discussed “unheralded star.”
  • “He is shepherding in this young cast of characters—people should definitely talk about De’Aaron Fox more.” (Jacob, 49:29)
• The Wemby effect on teammates: “He’s just allowed everybody to be themselves and be calm, and that’s sort of bled in.” (Jacob, 55:23)
• On Wemby's book habit: “Always has a book. Jokic obviously made fun of him last year at the All-Star Game. Had a book this year at the All-Star Game.” (Jacob, 55:04)

F. Spurs' Playoff Prospects

• “They just believe that this team can do it, and they want to see what their young squad can do…There is a good shot that this team finds magic. With the right matchups, it’s all about matchups.” (Jacob, 64:15)
• West’s increased difficulty repeatedly cited; desire for Spurs–Thunder WCF matchup.

G. Key to Victory & Spurs Suns Preview

• Without Dylan Brooks (suspended), feed Victor early, limit opponent threes.
  • “Feed the big guy early, let everyone else eat after that...limit the threes, give the ball to the big man, win the game.” (Jacob, 67:45)

H. Approaching the Big Moment

• On potential buzzer-beater calls:
  • “It needs to be organic. It needs to be in the moment. If I have a catchphrase and it doesn’t fit, that lives on forever and I’ll be like, ‘That wasn’t that good.’” (Jacob, 69:10)
  • Inspiration from Kevin Harlan and Mike Gorman.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "[Jason Tatum] is going to be joining a Boston Celtics team that's at the top of the Eastern Conference, right there behind the Detroit Pistons. But he's joining a team where Jaylen Brown is the stud now…It'll be weird to see how Tatum fits in with Jaylen Brown now that Jalen's the number one guy." – Trey Kirby [07:52]
• "Do they have Wemby? Yeah, they do. They got a chance in any game, any series." – Trey Kirby [15:08]
• “If I'm picking between those four right now, I think I'm taking the Pistons to make the NBA Finals.” – Tas Melas [20:49]
• "Can this weird ass [Rockets] offense work because they just grab a million offensive rebounds…But no Steven Adams now, so maybe hurts that a little bit." – Je Skeets [25:56]
• "He wants the rocking chairs and portraits…if he just slips out like Tim Duncan, it doesn't feel like LeBron." – Je Skeets [36:44]
• "The best part about the job is that I get the best seat in the house...and talk about Spurs basketball in the NBA." – Jacob Toby [38:54]
• "[With Wemby,] you never know what he's going to do on the court…I have to have the most amazing call ever because that's going to live on forever." – Jacob Toby [43:00]
• "Always has a book…Always stops for a moment and then thinks about what he's going to say…one of the most selfless guys in the league." – Jacob Toby [43:50]
• “To grow [the fanbase] in Austin, it's a no brainer. To come here twice a year is awesome.” – Jacob Toby [46:26]
• “If they could do the West, I’m picking the Spurs.” – Jacob Toby [66:19]
• “Feed the big guy early, let everyone else eat after that.” – Jacob Toby [67:45]
• "It needs to be organic. It needs to be in the moment…If I have a catchphrase and it doesn’t fit, that lives on forever and I’ll be like ‘That wasn’t that good.’” – Jacob Toby [69:10]

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Important Timestamps

• 04:01 – Live intro, Austin set, Spurs Week context
• 07:05 – Drafting interesting NBA teams begins
• 13:56 – Spurs title contender credentials breakdown
• 25:46 – Rockets “Burnergate” and offensive weirdness
• 38:11 – Jacob Toby joins live, Spurs play-by-play insights
• 43:00 – Wemby stories, pressure, and off-court personality
• 49:28 – De’Aaron Fox as underrated leader
• 55:23 – Wemby’s effect on culture and teammate growth
• 64:15 – How far can the young Spurs really go?
• 67:45 – Spurs' game plan: keys to victory against Suns
• 69:10 – The art of the organic play-by-play call

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Overall Tone and Takeaways

The episode is packed with playful banter, deep NBA analysis, and rich local color from their time in Austin. The draft format fosters spirited debate about which franchises are truly fascinating, while the Spurs segments—with Jacob Toby—provide both insider stories and broader NBA context. The hosts balance data-driven arguments with personality and humor, making it a must-listen for both diehard fans and those eager to keep up with the NBA's late-season drama.

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Transcript

[Erin Andrews]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

[Tas Melas]

What's that smell? Oh, it's spring. I know it's early, but I am ready. I can smell it. I'm ready to elevate my space. It's time to go to Wayfair. I love deciding what I'm gonna change this year. It's a carpet. Getting it out of there, grabbing my leaf blower and just blowing around all the dust. In my house, I usually put a mask on so I don't inhale all of it. Wayfair does make it easy to decide what you want to refresh because it has everything your home needs this season. While I was surfing, I was thinking maybe a nice chesterfield or an ottoman. Oh yeah, the fluffy faux fur ottoman is a nice footrest. I need one for my living room. I only have a table and my feet do get sore. Look super soft. It's nice and white. I can yell at my kids if they get it dirty. I love it. Get organized, refreshed and back on track this new year. For way less head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. That's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R.com Wayfair every style, every home.

[Je Skeets]

Did you guys hear that Jamar Chase is officially Fabletics first NFL ambassador? I didn't know that. He just dropped his first collection with Fabletics featuring his favorite essentials. Classic effortless tees go to oversized hoodies and all the comfy pieces perfect for lounging or hitting the gym. If you join the Fabletics VIP program, you get first dibs on all the new gear. And when you sign up as a new VIP with Fabletics, you get 80% off everything. Is it one of those too good to be true things? Oh no, this is real. Fabletics pieces feel like the kind of high end activewear you'd easily pay a couple hundred dollars for, but you get that same premium fit and durability for a tiny fraction of the price the VIP membership basically pays for itself and the fit dialed in. No waistbands, creeping down, joggers that actually keep their shape. Jackets that are warm without being bulky. Everything feels soft, breathable, flexible, and built for whatever your day looks like. Workouts, travel days, getting back into your routine, whatever, you know. I love a matching sweatsuit, so I had to holler at the grid tech quarter zip hoodie with the matching joggers, all oversized for that 90s look. Fabletics has incredible deals and we've got an exclusive offer for our listeners. Get 80% off everything when you sign up as a VIP. And yes, that includes Jamar's first drop. Just head to Fabletics.com nodunks take a quick style quiz and be sure to select no Dunks when prompted to unlock your 80% off. That's fabletics.com no dunks hey, this is

[Erin Andrews]

US Olympic gold medalist Tara Davis Woodhull.

[Jacob Toby]

And I'm US Paralympic gold medalist Hunter Woodhull.

[Erin Andrews]

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[Jacob Toby]

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[Erin Andrews]

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[Jacob Toby]

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[Erin Andrews]

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[Jacob Toby]

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[Je Skeets]

under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act.

[Jacob Toby]

Conditions and restrictions may apply.

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[Je Skeets]

Good morning, sweet world and welcome. Welcome to the no Dunks podcast presented by Ledger. It's Thursday, February 19th, 2026. I'm Je Skeets here at the Casa de Spurs in Austin, Texas. And alongside me, as always, Tas Melas.

[Tas Melas]

What's going on, Austin?

[Je Skeets]

Yeah, let's hear it. Austin. Next to him, it's my top shot, birthday boy, Trey Kirby. Hey, yo. Hey, yo. And they say things are bigger in Texas, which is why we brought two super producers today. Give it up for JD and our guy Esh helping out over there.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Je Skeets]

So spurs week here in Austin, Texas. A week long celebration leading up to two spurs games here tonight against the Suns, then on Saturday against the Kings. The lowly Kings. Show of applause here or sound of applause. Who's going to one of these games here in Austin, Texas.

[Trey Kirby]

Okay, a lot of Kings fans. Kings fans in the audience.

[Je Skeets]

So Cassidy, spurs, that's where we're at right now. And this is the spot where it's been going down sort of all week long. Presented by Ledger. Shout out to Ledger for bringing the boys here. We swung by here last night to see Keldon Johnson in a Little fireside chat. That was cool. And then the coyote showed up, and we had a big debate about do his eyes come off? Do they come off? We've seen them come off before. But that coyote last night, we weren't 100% sure because we never saw them come.

[Trey Kirby]

We weren't 100% sure. Everybody wanted to test them. Everybody wanted to step to the coyote

[Je Skeets]

and say, those eyes come off.

[Trey Kirby]

But we were all too scared to do it, because what if they do? Then what?

[Je Skeets]

Then what do you do? I know, I know.

[Trey Kirby]

I think. Yes. You know, classic clip.

[Tas Melas]

They look. They looked secure. I don't think they were coming out.

[Je Skeets]

See, that's sort of what my working theory was.

[Trey Kirby]

Tonight we'll find out.

[Je Skeets]

Yeah, we'll test them tonight. We're going down to the game tonight to play the.

[Tas Melas]

To see the spurs rip off his eyes.

[Je Skeets]

So on today's podcast, here we are going to be joined by spurs play by play announcer Jacob Toby. He's going to join us up here. So we'll. We'll do a little spurs talk. So don't you worry. But.

[Tas Melas]

And you're wearing a Spurs jersey.

[Je Skeets]

I mean. Yeah, I am. Pandering crowd. Oh, doubt. Well, it's a beautiful jersey, first off.

[Tas Melas]

It is. I'm glad I didn't wear my. My shooting warmup. I've got the teal spurs one. Then we'd be really pandering to the crowd.

[Je Skeets]

Speaking of.

[Tas Melas]

But I've got it here.

[Je Skeets]

We did get for the birthday boy, a jacket. You want to show this to everybody here?

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, you. You guys vamp while I open.

[Je Skeets]

Okay, so again, Ledger helping us out with these and hooking us up. So, unfortunately, we didn't buy this for you, Trey, but it does look pretty sweet.

[Tas Melas]

I think this is a trade type of jacket.

[Je Skeets]

Ooh. Oh, the back is very nice. Oh, my goodness.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah. Ledger basketball division on the back.

[Trey Kirby]

You'll be seeing this quite a bit.

[Je Skeets]

Okay, good, good, good. So here's what we're doing here to start this podcast. The season is 67% complete. Home stretch starts tonight because basketball is finally back in our lives. So lots to be determined here still. But to set the scene, what we're going to do is we're going to draft NBA's most interesting teams for this final part of the regular season. So you can interpret that any way you want. What interesting to you about said teams? It's your birthday, so it's only right you get to draft first. We'll do a couple rounds. TK get us started. Oh, the Pick is in.

[Trey Kirby]

Wow. I can't believe it. We brought our sound effects with us. Literally. Shocking. This is all I wanted when I turned 42. I gotta go first in the draft of most interesting teams, right? I gotta talk about Jason Tatum and the Boston Celtics. That's my pick.

[Je Skeets]

Okay.

[Trey Kirby]

They're getting back one of the best players in the NBA maybe in the next couple of weeks. We've heard some theorizing that NBC is flexing their game time because Tatum will be returning soon. They want him to get a big spotlight. We saw during the All Star Game, they gave him that little package about his return that they do with, you know, major players who are coming back from injury. This guy's awesome. He's going to be joining a Boston Celtics team that's at the top of the Eastern Conference right there behind the Detroit Pistons. But he's joining a team where Jaylen Brown is the stud now. Career high usage for Jalen Brown. These guys have played together for the majority of their careers, all but one season. It'll be weird to see how Tatum fits in with Jalen Brown now that Jalen's the number one guy, because even if we're getting 80% of Jason Tatum, he's knocking down threes, he's rebounding, he's playing defense. They're going to be fun to watch and I think it's going to be interesting to see when he comes back and exactly how he comes back. So sorry to the spurs fans.

[Je Skeets]

I'm going with the Celtics.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, sorry.

[Tas Melas]

There will be spurs talk eventually. But it is interesting to start with Tatum joining a team, presumably joining a team. It's like, it's like we know, but we don't. But they, they're setting up. Yeah, they, they are. It feels like they're.

[Je Skeets]

Everybody else is being shut down for the rest of the season. Kyrie, Sabonis, Levine, they absolutely need him. Tatum's coming back.

[Tas Melas]

They absolutely need him. At the end of games when they're clutch games, you know those games that are within five points the last five minutes, they're 12 and 14 in those games. But they're awesome in games when they give it to the opponent, when their threes are falling down, they're 23 and 5 in non clutch games. And you can see how it's affecting Derek White, Payne, Pritchard, their numbers have dropped. Their field goal percentage percentage has dropped pretty dramatically. Our man Schumann with this stat. Derek White, 58 from last year down to 48.3% this year. Pritchard, 62 last year, down to 55.4, the effective field goal percentage has dropped because Tatum's not around. But I think, yeah. Will he be able to be the. The one A type of guy because Jaylen Brown has been carrying it? That's a fair question. But in the east, he. They just need that one little piece to get him into those clutch situations. Sophie's back playing. They could win the thing.

[Je Skeets]

Do you think the Celtics can win the. Okay. Win the east, win the title, Two different things. But can they win it all with Tatum at. Let's call it 80%? Because we are expecting him to come back, but we don't know what level he's really going to be at. We can't expect him to be 100%.

[Trey Kirby]

I think they could win the east for sure.

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah.

[Je Skeets]

Okay.

[Trey Kirby]

Detroit never won a playoff series. You know, the Celtics came up a little short last year, but they can beat the Knicks. I do believe they've got. They've got institutional knowledge with Tatum and Brown and White and Pritchard. They lost a lot over the off season, but they still have a lot.

[Je Skeets]

All right, task. You got the next pick here.

[Tas Melas]

Most interesting team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Maybe I'm pandering to the spurs fans a little bit, but there's questions around the Thunder. Jay Gilgeous Alexander has an abdominal strain. The man is the wiggle man. He needs that core strength to go left, go right, lean back, draw a foul. He really needs it. Maybe he'll be fine because the word is that he is entirely fine. But they have other issues. Jalen Williams has not been himself this season. They need him to be their second best ball handler like he was last year when they wanted. He's played 26 games this season. He has a hamstring injury that he's coming back from. So they just haven't been right. They've only played their starting five, only five games together. So that's a fair amount of questions. Feels like it is a bit like last year's Celtics to me, who, after the championship, didn't have a great year, were kind of up and down. They finished 61 and 21 because they're awesome. But then they get into the playoffs, into the second round against the Knicks, when many people picked them, including me. But they lost the first two games of that series. They're down two one when Jason Tatum went down. Three minutes left. Game four, they're down nine. They were going to be down whether Jason Tatum got injured or not. They're going down 3:1 and then they lost. So are the Thunder last year. Celtics. It's possible. I think they do need some. Just some magic. They just need things to. To work together because they have dropped several games to these spurs. To many other teams. Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah.

[Je Skeets]

We'll see if they match up. I mean, that's what we were hoping for. They've already played like a playoff series.

[Trey Kirby]

That's right.

[Je Skeets]

This regular season, five times, five games with the spurs taking four of them. Any thoughts on the Thunder before we. Keep it moving?

Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

I had a dream last night that I met Jalen Williams on the streets and he knew my pickup basketball clips.

[Je Skeets]

Is that because we saw Mark Williams walking around last night?

[Trey Kirby]

My Williams got crossed in my brain?

[Je Skeets]

Yeah, maybe.

[Trey Kirby]

But yeah, I mean, the Thunder got questions. If Jalen Williams, if he's too busy watching my Instagram highlights, then they're not going to be able to do it this year. These guys need to get off their phones and get on the basketball court, like I'm always saying.

[Je Skeets]

And we're like creeping up here on what, almost a decade, getting close to where we haven't had a repeat championship win. It's been a long time here with a new winner every year. So they're trying to do that as well.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah.

[Je Skeets]

All right. Well, this. I have the third pick overall. I can't believe they've slipped this far in the draft here. I'll take the Spurs. I'll take the San Antonio Spurs. So heading into tonight's game, they have the longest win streak in the NBA. It is at six games and they're just two games in the lost column behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. They hold the head to head tiebreaker as we talked about. Took four of five, so there's that part. Keep your eye on that. But most importantly, the spurs look like they passed the title contender checklist. Right. There's like three things that a lot of people look at. Like, have you done this check that helps your chances to maybe go all the way and win it all? Let me go through them first one, we've talked about it before, the Phil Jackson 4020 rule. You need to win 40 games or you lose 20 games. And I think it was Matt Moore at hardwood Proxism said 91% of NBA champions since the introduction of the three point line have won 40 games before. So it's a huge high percentage. Like you got to hit that mark. The spurs are 38 and 16, so they got to go two and three here in their next five.

[Tas Melas]

So they're doing it this weekend.

[Je Skeets]

They might do it in Austin. They very well could beat the Suns tonight.

[Trey Kirby]

They got to win tonight, basically, because I think. I think I would take the spurs on Saturday.

[Je Skeets]

Yeah. Against the Kings, probably. So. So there's that. Then there's the SRS4 plus rule. A little nerdy, but hear me out.

[Trey Kirby]

People are always talking srs.

[Je Skeets]

Yeah. Here, I'll explain it. So it's. It's by way of basketball reference. Everybody knows basketball reference. Simply point differential versus strength of schedule, AKA how tough were your opponents and how much did you beat them. We're just like getting to elite teams here. And again, it's like 91% of champions had a four plus SRS. Spurs are well over it. They're at six plus something. Third in the league. Check. Final one. Got to be a top three team when it comes to seeding. It's like there's been two teams in like a very long time, maybe ever. The Celtics in the 60s and then the 95 rockets that were not a top seed in either conference. And the spurs, of course, right now, second, maybe catch the Thunder for first. So check, check, check. They're young, they're inexperienced, but they do hit all these sort of benchmarks here, so feel like their chances to go all the way.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, they hit my number one check mark. Do they have Wemby? Yeah, they do. They got a chance in any game. Yeah, Any series.

[Tas Melas]

I want to see him tonight. I haven't seen him since his rookie year. It's been so long. It feels like. So I'm looking forward to tonight and seeing their best player, obviously.

[Je Skeets]

12 to 1 odds on FanDuel for the spurs to win it all. Thunder. Probably an Eastern Conference team. No, Denver. Denver. Excuse me. It goes Thunder, Denver, and then the spurs, and then it's like a jumbled sort of mess there. A lot of conference teams I know don't get it.

[Trey Kirby]

Interesting ahead of the Pistons.

[Je Skeets]

Yeah. Yep. But like the Pistons, these really good teams in the regular season this year, do you have to go through your lumps in a postseason run and lose a series in the first or second conference finals, whatever, before you go all the way. We'll see. But they're very interesting nonetheless. We'll talk more spurs with Jacob later.

[Trey Kirby]

We will.

[Je Skeets]

Round two.

[Trey Kirby]

You can get some good players in round two.

[Je Skeets]

Yep.

[Trey Kirby]

I heard there was a good one here in San Antonio once upon a time. Second round draft pick De Juan Blair. Was that his name? For me, it's the Cavaliers biggest trade deadline change. Bringing in James Harden. It's worked Perfectly, because it's not so much of a change. You know, they swapped in a guard for a guard in Garland. Going out, Harden get coming in and actually playing and playing really well. But they got another huge change coming. Evan Mobley will be coming back maybe tonight. In fact, he's been out for a little bit here. And that's going to be a bigger change for the Cavaliers, I think, than James Harden was. Because right now they're playing four shooters and Jared Allen as a rim runner.

[Je Skeets]

He's killing.

[Trey Kirby]

He never misses shots now because Harden setting them up. There's so much space for him to operate. Somebody's gonna have to go out of the starting lineup, though, either Jaylen Tyson or Sam Merrill. Both Those guys shoot 47% from three. Mobley ain't a shooter like that. He does his damage inside, though. He can shoot from outside a little bit. 30% this year, but 37 the last couple of years. So they're gonna be playing two more traditional bigs in Allen and Mobley. Losing a shooter, how does that look together? Because I think the Mobley Allen pairing, great defensively, sometimes clunky on offense, but Harden makes everybody fit together whichever team he's on. So they're gonna have to figure out a way to stagger Mitchell and Harden. Also Mobley and Allen, they basically got two all star duos going together, which is something they've had for the past couple of seasons. But it's going to be a little wonky, I think, when Mobley comes back.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, that is the big question. He's not on the injury report, so he should be back tonight. They've got some tough games coming up, so we're going to see how Cleveland fares against OKC this Sunday. Then they got the Pistons. Excuse me. They got the Knicks and the Pistons in their next eight games, so that's some good teams. Sunday is is basketball day on tv. It's now abc. Double header on afternoon. Yeah. Football, you're gone. They've got a one o'. Clock OKC versus those Cavs on Sunday. Then the Nuggets, warriors, it's basketball time, man. See you later.

[Je Skeets]

Football, it is basketball time. We're in the home stretcher. Do you believe, though, in the Cavs and James Harden in a playoff series in Games 1 and 2? You do, but Games 5, 6, 7,

[Trey Kirby]

when has Harden ever let down the Cavs?

[Jacob Toby]

Hasn't happened yet.

[Je Skeets]

That's true. That's a good point. All right, Taz, who do you have for your next pick?

[Tas Melas]

I'll stay in the east, those Pistons, I think chemistry is right. All those things are coming together for this team to potentially make the Finals. You look at all the teams that are rumored or can be. You can talk yourself into the Knicks, the Celtics or the Cavs potentially to make the Finals. The Pistons have played them very well. They just beat the Knicks by 38, literally before the All Star Game. They also beat the Knicks by 31 earlier this season. And they get them tonight for their third game. They're 3 and 1 versus Boston. This season, they're only 1 and 1 versus the Cavs. They play them twice in their next seven games. Isaiah Stewart won't be there for one of them because he likes to fight a little bit, so he's suspended. But they're just good against good teams. They're 17 and 6 in games played between the 16 teams that are currently over.500. They just. They show up every day. And I know they've only been to one playoff series, but it feels like they will be ready for every playoff series because J.B. bickerstaff will have them ready for every series because they get after it. Defensively. They force the most turnovers in the NBA more than okc. Surprised by that. But you can. When you watch them, you see that's who they are. So it just feels like everything's going together. Unless Jayson Tatum comes back. Then Boston could be that team. Unless things work out for the Knicks. But if I'm picking between those four right now, I think I'm taking the Pistons to make the NBA Finals. If I'm picking between the Cavs, Celtics, Pistons or the Knicks, I'm taking them. What's that smell? Oh, it's spring. I know it's early, but I am ready. I can smell it. I'm ready to elevate my space. It's time to go to Wayfair. I love deciding what I'm going to change this year. It's a carpet. Getting it out of there, grabbing my leaf blower and just blowing around all the dust in my house, I usually put a mask on so I don't inhale all of it. Wayfair does make it easy to decide what you want to refresh because it has everything your home needs this season. While I was surfing, I was thinking maybe a nice chesterfield or an ottoman. Oh, yeah, the fluffy faux fur ottoman is a nice footrest. I need one for my living room. I only have a table and my feet do get sore. Look. Super soft. It's nice and white. I can yell at my kids if they get it dirty, I love it. Get organized, refreshed and back on track this new year. For way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. That's W A Y f a I r.com Wayfair Every style Every home did

[Je Skeets]

you guys hear that Jamar Chase is officially Fabletic's first NFL ambassador? I didn't know that. He just dropped his first collection with Fabletics featuring his favorite essentials. Classic effortless tees go to oversized hoodies and all the comfy pieces perfect for lounging or hitting the gym. If you join the Fabletics VIP program, you get first dibs on all the new gear. And when you sign up as a new VIP with Fabletics, you get 80% off everything. Is it one of those too good to be true things? Oh no, this is real. Fabletics pieces feel like the kind of high end activewear you'd easily pay a couple hundred dollars for, but you get that same premium fit and durability for a tiny fraction of the price the VIP membership basically pays for itself. And the fit dialed in. No waistbands, creeping down, joggers that actually keep their shape, jackets that are warm without being bulky. Everything feels soft, breathable, flexible, and built for whatever your day looks like. Workouts, travel days, getting back into your routine, whatever. You know. I love a matching sweatsuit, so I had to holler at the Grid Tech quarter zip hoodie with the matching joggers, all oversized for that 90s look. Fabletics has incredible deals and we've got an exclusive offer for our listeners. Get 80% off everything when you sign up as a VIP. And yes, that includes Jamar's first drop. Just head to Fabletics.com nodunks take a quick style quiz and be sure to select no dunks when prompted to unlock your 80% off. That's Fabletics.com nodunks

[Erin Andrews]

Hey, it's Erin Andrews and Carissa Thompson and we did a live episode from San Francisco where we broke down one of the most surprising matchups in years. Shared a perfectly awkward moment by me, of course, and talk about the importance of putting yourself and your health first. I'm just more vocal about health now. That whole year that I had it and had multiple surgeries, I didn't tell anyone. I mean, my core group of people knew, but my co workers didn't know. My co host on Dancing with the Stars didn't know. In fact, I found out I was cancer free as I was getting ready for dress rehearsal for Dancing with the Stars. I Remember, one of the women that helped with wardrobe was actually writing down what the doctor was saying. And I looked over at Tom Bergeron in dress rehearsal and I said, do you want to get some drinks tonight after the show? And he's like, I guess.

[Je Skeets]

I go, what?

[Erin Andrews]

He goes, what are we celebrating? I was like, I'm cancer free. He said, what? To hear more of how we opened up during our live episode from San Fran, check out the full episode now. Wherever you get your podcast,

[Sean Duffy]

I'm U.S. transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The sound of a seatbelt. It's one of the most important sounds in our car. It means everyone is ready and everyone is safe. The more our kids see us put on our seatbelts, the more natural it is for them to put theirs on, too. Make it a priority. Buckle up every time. Hear the sound, make it a habit. Paid for by nhtsa.

[Je Skeets]

Again, broken record, but it's just like so rare for a team to like, run the gauntlet, really, from not winning a post a postseason matchup to all the way to the finals. But they're. They are elite. They. They hang their hat on defense, so that's good. Obviously, in the playoffs, I am a little concerned, like, when things bog down like Cade does so much as a creator, and it's like, who's that second guy? Initiate the offense. When teams inevitably are just going to load up on Cade and make anybody else try and beat them. So. Something to watch that is interesting.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, well, I mean, they got game seven Kevin Herder in town now, so things have changed. And also they've been forged in the fires. J.B. bickerstaff took Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duran and led them to an All Star Game championship. Going through the entire world in and the other half of the United States to win the biggest championship we've seen in Any sports in 2026, February,

[Tas Melas]

specifically this month. Yeah, you're right.

[Trey Kirby]

I mean, bigger than any gold medal out there.

[Je Skeets]

Super Bowl.

[Trey Kirby]

Bigger than the Super Bowl. Winning the fourth quarter of the All Star Game against seven other guys from the same country. That was it.

[Je Skeets]

Dominant victory.

[Trey Kirby]

Dominant victory wasn't even close in the end.

[Je Skeets]

All right, my second pick, sixth overall. I'll go with the Houston Rockets. Let's talk about Burnergate, baby.

[Tas Melas]

That's the number one question by people that I've talked to today before the show. Are we talking about Kevin Durant and him calling Russell Westbrook cocaine bear?

[Je Skeets]

I mean, whoever. Whoever wrote that. That's funny whether it was Durant or somebody else, but a few questions before the Kevin Durant of it one with the Rockets. Can this weird ass offense work because they just grab a million offensive rebounds, like elite numbers that they're putting them up. But no Steven Adams now, so maybe hurts that a little bit. They're also a really good three point shooting team, but they don't shoot a lot of threes and they always get out shot by three. So they're losing the math equation there. Even though again they shoot like solid percentage. That's strange. Is Fred Van Vliet coming back? No. They didn't do anything of note at the trade deadline. You know, what does that mean for him? Is he not. Is he. And then. Yeah. Are the Rockets ready for this adversity that is maybe real or maybe not with the Kevin Durant, especially like there's him calling out Westbrook and former Suns teammates. That's one thing. Again, him allegedly.

[Trey Kirby]

That's him.

[Je Skeets]

He doesn't want to talk about.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, sure feels like.

[Je Skeets]

But the part of talking about Alperin Shen Goon and Jabari Smith Jr. Like, whoa. Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

But did you see Jabari and Alpern Schengun use the same songs on their Instagram posts?

[Je Skeets]

Come on.

[Trey Kirby]

The same lyrics. Read the lyrics. I don't know what they were, but they were the same song.

[Je Skeets]

They gotta be.

[Trey Kirby]

They gotta be united together. The Rockets aren't gonna win. Their offense isn't good enough. They've been mid for basically two months straight.

[Je Skeets]

Yes.

[Trey Kirby]

And now they don't have Stephen Adams and he's a key for them, setting screens, grabbing boards. He's a better player than Capella and

[Je Skeets]

he unites the forces.

[Trey Kirby]

I do believe.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, I. I do think Durant needs Freddie beside him. He needs that point guard beside him now. He didn't talk trash about Reed shepherd, so maybe that's a good sign. But no, really, they do need Fred back and they need Fred back soon if he's going to be that guy in the playoffs. Because he can't just turn it on on March 15th.

[Je Skeets]

Right. On Wednesday, by the way, if you're keeping track of this. Durant brushed off accusations on social media that he was behind burner accounts that were critical of teammates and coaches past and present. He said, I'm not here to get into Twitter nonsense. Bullshit. That's all you've been usually doing.

[Trey Kirby]

I'm on Twitter to get into Twitter nonsense.

[Je Skeets]

Yes. Yes.

[Tas Melas]

And I'm not one to get into Instagram stories, but now I need to know. Shangun, Jabari Smith, what song and what was their post that they Even put

[Trey Kirby]

up it was like each of them celebrating with Kevin Durant.

[Tas Melas]

Oh wow.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah.

[Tas Melas]

I mean Pudding said I'm swayed. I'm swayed. Maybe the Rockets are good.

[Je Skeets]

Do you what do you think legit has happened with this? Do believe it was him and then maybe some has been fabricated online or.

[Trey Kirby]

I think It's. I think it's 80 real, 20 not. Yeah, I think once we saw. We saw all the real ones come out first and then people are like this is a perfect opportunities for some Photoshop jokes.

[Je Skeets]

Right.

[Trey Kirby]

And then they would add to it and then it really muddies the waters on everything. But I mean we've seen Kevin Durant use burners to talk about ex teammates before, so why would he have ever stopped?

[Tas Melas]

Oh, I buy it. I'm definitely buying it. Yeah.

[Je Skeets]

100.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, it feels like it again if somebody.

[Je Skeets]

He hasn't denied it. Really. This is the strange part. And then he went very quiet. Everybody saw him on his phone. Non stop All Star weekend. Very strange for the Rockets. Here's one thing to watch though. This is from shoe 2. Easiest post break schedule among the top 8. So the schedule isn't as rough as some of the other. So we'll see if this the the Kevin Durant tweets and group chat being leaked bonds them together. That's right. Them against the world is what they can do.

[Trey Kirby]

I was just saying that guys. That's not really how I feel.

[Je Skeets]

Well, that's funny about it. He might like I've said that to your face. You know what I mean?

[Trey Kirby]

That's also true. Yeah.

[Je Skeets]

But very strange. Very strange. All right, final round here. Trey, where are you going?

[Trey Kirby]

Denver Nuggets haven't looked great since Nikola jokic came back 3 and 4, 25th in defense. With Jokic on the court for their past seven games, they're only 24th on the season. A large part of that I think they are missing their two best defenders in Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson. That's not good news to me because they're both out with hamstring injuries which are like athleticism based injuries which is important for both of those guys to perform. So for me it's can they get healthy? Can they stay healthy for the rest of the year? Because that's been a problem for Gordon this year in and out of the lineup. And then can they get their defense to resemble 2023 in any sort of way? When they won the championship, they were 15th in the league. And defense, it doesn't seem to me that they could get their ranking up that high. But if they can be middle of the pack, they can win because they've got enough talent on the offensive end. But just kind of feels like a stop and start season for Denver. And I just wonder if trying to integrate a new bench. Cam Johnson kind of has fallen by the wayside completely as a guy that's been in and out of the lineup as well. Hasn't fit perfectly. They just haven't been super impressive I don't think. But we think they can probably elevate their game. I would probably take San Antonio ahead of Denver at this point in the

[Tas Melas]

yeah, they do have to get into their groove. They do have the best offense in the NBA because they do click. Yep. When they're out there, they've got seven guys shooting over 40% from three, which is very impressive considering they literally have been up and down and a lot of guys have been injured. But they do have a tough schedule. You mentioned the Rockets there. The Nuggets have the toughest schedule in the NBA the rest of the season. When you add together win percentages from their opponents, 11 of their next 12 games will come against teams above.500. So the thing is, the Nuggets are such a good road team, does it really matter if they drop to fourth or fifth in the Western Conference standings? The fewer the series on the road, the better. But this team has to just find their groove before they get there.

[Je Skeets]

Yeah, I mean like, like Wemby with the Spurs. They have Jokic and it's like they're going to like their chances playoff series. Especially when you can run the Jokic. Jamal Murray, unstoppable pick and roll. Like nobody has an answer to that.

[Trey Kirby]

I saw him lose a game seven at home once. Well, they have a 20 point lead.

[Je Skeets]

They have done that. What's your final team?

[Tas Melas]

Let's go over to the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that everyone questions. There's no doubt because last year they finished 17 and four their last 21 games before they got to the conference final. So their regular season finish was fantastic and it feels like they kind of have to do that again because this team goes through big sways. They did that earlier this season. They started the season 141 against sub 500 teams since they've been 8 and 8. Can they elevate themselves to another level? We know Anthony Edwards is going to be good and I'm not worried about Julius Randall or Rudy Gobert. They need some of those other guys and Specifically it's Jaden McDaniels, one of the great Things about Anthony Edwards is he always says what's on his mind. Like when he was asked after winning the All Star mvp was asked, how do you guys, how are you going to get to winning a championship? He said, my favorite player, Jayna McDaniels. And he's right. It is Jaden McDaniels along with IO Dasumu who came over. I do think those two guys combined with the other players that I just mentioned could finish games. But they have elevated to a different level this year. They've both jumped up. They're both shooting 45% from three. Those are big jumps for both of them. Jane McDaniel's 33 last year to 45 this year. I would assume 33 from last year to 44.7% this year. That's the biggest jump for two players in the NBA. If we take into account a little stat, you know you have to shoot 100 threes. But Schumann did that and I do think that's totally true. It's those guys around Anthony Edwards if they're going to elevate. So I don't know. They're such an up and down team. Will we get that same vibe that we got at the end of last season when they got on a roll and then went to the conference finals. But the Sumu and Jaden McDaniels are going to be important to that team.

[Je Skeets]

For a team that's been in the final four of the NBA the last two seasons, they are sort of hilariously looked very much part of it is the up and down nature. But talking all these other teams ahead of them, be it Spurs, Nuggets, obviously

[Trey Kirby]

Thunder, a lot more consistent teams. And that to me is like McDaniels and IO shooting would be huge for this team. But it's all 100% on Anthony Edwards. He's been taken out of the Western Conference finals the last two years. He's got to be their best player. He's got to have good games every single night because he's going to see different defenses and he does a good job of like passing the ball when he gets double teamed. But you got to go back and get it. You got to score 30 a game in the playoffs.

[Je Skeets]

All right, my final pick. With love to the Knicks, who are a damn good team and could come out of the East. And with some love to the Hornets, who are a damn fun team though. Lamelo take away Mo man. Holy crap.

[Trey Kirby]

Low Waymo.

[Je Skeets]

I'm going to pick though. I'm going to pick because it's interesting to me, the Lakers, because are we watching LeBron's final season either just with LA or in the NBA entirely. We've debated this a lot. He's sort of like being quite coy about his answer. He's definitely not coming out and saying this is it. But he's not saying, I'll be back and all this.

[Tas Melas]

I'm trying to live my life.

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah, Literally.

[Tas Melas]

His quote.

[Je Skeets]

But, you know, they're also. They're a funny team. Like, they're good record wise, but then you dig into the numbers and it's like, how are they good? Human said the Lakers are tied with the 53:54 Knicks for what would be the best record in NBA history for a team with a negative point differential. So it's like the good record, but they're not really good. They've been outscored by a single point over their entire season, which is really odd. But they have this incredible record in the clutch. They're 15 and 3 in clutch games, but they haven't played a whole bunch of them. They get blown out when they lose. So weird team, you know. We're getting Austin Reeves back. The Lakers are. And that's some talented offensive players, no doubt. But can they get stops on the defensive end? The Lakers are always going to be fascinating, especially with the LeBron.

[Trey Kirby]

How'd that Knicks team end up doing?

[Je Skeets]

I'm not sure. I'm not sure. There was only like four teams in the league. They probably finished up four.

[Trey Kirby]

Bumpy Jones was going for 12 a game that year. He was really on fire. First guy to shoot a jump shot. They said, I mean, the Lakers aren't going to do it.

[Jacob Toby]

This.

[Trey Kirby]

It's just not going to happen, I don't think. But that's not the plan. The plan is to be good.

[Tas Melas]

This isn't a Rich Paul podcast man. Isn't that what Rich Paul said? The Lakers are not a championship team.

[Trey Kirby]

You would know. And this also is not LeBron's last season. And next year he will be a Cleveland Cavalier. That would be my prediction.

[Je Skeets]

He's got. He's getting the.

[Trey Kirby]

The Fake Going away Tour.

[Jacob Toby]

This.

[Trey Kirby]

It's brilliant. If you don't say you're leaving, everyone's like, well, is he leaving? So they treat it like a retirement tour.

[Je Skeets]

Right.

[Trey Kirby]

And then next year you say, yeah, this is my last year to retirement tour.

[Je Skeets]

And what, he's going to sign a vets minimum just to play with Cleveland? And then I've seen reports like somebody's going to pay him 50 to 60 million to, like follow him around and do the documentary on his final season. So that's how he'll make his money. Anybody would do it. Maybe LeBron would do that, you know. You think he's going to play again next year? One more year? 24th NBA season.

[Tas Melas]

I do think he wants everybody to say goodbye.

[Je Skeets]

He wants the rocking chairs and the posters and portraits.

[Tas Melas]

If he just slips out like Tim Duncan. Yeah, I'm pandering, but if he does a Tim Duncan move, it doesn't feel like LeBron.

[Je Skeets]

Right, right, right.

[Trey Kirby]

What would you get him for a retirement gift?

[Tas Melas]

Great question. Like the thickest headband possible.

[Je Skeets]

Oh, a trip to Turkey. All expenses paid. Get the implants. All right, those are our nine most interesting teams. Quick draft there. Gonna take a quick break and then we'll bring up Jacob. When it comes to betting on your favorite NBA players, nobody does it like FanDuel. From points and rebounds to threes and assists, FanDuel is the best place to build your player prop story. Everybody's got a story. What's your prop story? Combine your favorite picks into a same game parlay or track every stat live all in one easy to use app. Whether you're backing a breakout performance or riding with Your favorite star, FanDuel gives you more ways to play and more reasons to cheer. And right now's the perfect time to join because new customers get $150 in bonus bets. If your first five dollar bet wins, go bet on the players you love the way you want. FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for spurs play by play announcer D. Jacob. Toby. Let's hear it.

[Jacob Toby]

Thanks for having me on, guys. Yeah, appreciate it.

[Je Skeets]

Swinging by. I know this came together all last minute, but that's.

[Jacob Toby]

That's part of the business that is always got to be available. Always ready to go. Have to be ready. Next man up. Yeah.

[Je Skeets]

I love it. I love it.

[Jacob Toby]

I was texting my, one of my best friends from home, Mitch, and he was like, you're going to be on no dunks. And I was like, yeah. And he goes, I'm more starstruck about this than seeing you on live tv because his whole life I've been trying to get on TV for sports and he's been listening to you guys. So shout out Mitch.

[Je Skeets]

Yeah, shout out, Mitch. Camera's right there. What's up, Mitch?

[Tas Melas]

Mitch.

[Je Skeets]

So second year with the spurs doing the play by play announcing. We'll get into spurs talk, but how is it going? What's Your favorite part about the job? What's your least favorite part about the gig?

[Jacob Toby]

There's no least favorite part.

[Je Skeets]

Oh, come on.

[Jacob Toby]

Oh, no. I mean, everyone will say that travel is daunting. It's hard. Roll my eyes. I'm on a private plane with the guys and staying at amazing hotels, Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton. So that stuff, to me is not that hard. The best part about the job is that I get the best seat in the house and I get to sit with arguably one of the greatest spurs of all time and Sean Elliott and get to talk about spurs basketball in the NBA. And that's something that I've wanted to do since I was 12 years old. I come from Massachusetts, an hour south of Boston. I grew up watching the Celtics. I grew up idolizing their announcer, Mike Gorman. And I just wanted to be just like him. And so I've been so passionate about it, pretty much dedicated my whole life to it. I'm a young guy. I'm 28. I'm very lucky to be where I am because not a lot of young guys get to do this this early for a living. And I'm just so grateful that I get to be here and watch Victor and Castle and Harper and all the young guns come up. And I feel like I'm growing with the team because I'm a young guy, they're a young guy, and we get to do it together. So it's really cool. Yeah.

[Je Skeets]

You have impeccable timing joining the spurs when you did.

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah, I did it. I did it basically by plan. That was. That was a plan. I waited, you know, there was a couple rough years there. No, it just came up. Yeah.

[Je Skeets]

Incredible. Have you had a coffee yet or did you do smelling salts?

[Jacob Toby]

Oh, there's that.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah.

[Jacob Toby]

So I don't drink coffee.

[Je Skeets]

You just do smelling salts?

[Jacob Toby]

I just do smelling salts. That smelling salts thing was so weird and funny because it was such a last minute thing. So we, the spurs played a game in San Antonio on, I think a Friday night, had to fly to Orlando to play the next day, Saturday. That's hard. And it was an early game in Orlando, a late game in San Antonio. You pegged that as a loss for sure. And Victor wasn't playing at the time. And one of my producers, Avery, 20 minutes before tip off was like, hey, I'm going to bring some smelling salts out to the broadcast table. You should do them on the air to like say that, oh, I need to wake up. So I was like, I've never done smelling salts before. And I Was like, you know what? I'm not gonna do it. If something crazy happens, I'm just, I'm just gonna pretend to bring it up with Sean and then not do it. And then literally, my producer's counting down on my head. 10, 9, 8. And I'm like, I'm doing it, baby. I'm doing it. Eff it. I'm doing it.

[Je Skeets]

You took a whip.

[Jacob Toby]

And I, I, you know they say six inches away from the nose. I was like, yeah, almost. Almost knocked me off my seat. And then, you know, 2 million views later on Instagram, my parents are sending me this, like, what are you doing on tv? Hey.

[Je Skeets]

Sean even seems shocked.

[Jacob Toby]

Oh, well, Sean. Sean's reaction was the best. He's like, you know, he's like my, my, my older brother, my uncle, like, reacting like the little brother, like, what are you doing? You know what I mean? So it was awesome. It was good. Good TV is, as they say.

[Je Skeets]

Yeah.

[Tas Melas]

I kind of felt like the roles flipped when you guys had ice cream this year. I think that was Sean eating the ice cream and you looking at him like, what are you doing?

[Jacob Toby]

So the eating. The eating segments have come to be very popular.

[Tas Melas]

Yes.

[Jacob Toby]

And we just started doing them, like mid season. And Sean loves food, so anytime Sean eats, he's happy. So once we started doing the segments, it's like the number one thing people stop me in the street is be like, I love that segment. I love you guys eating. So if it's ice cream or whatever it is, sign me up. It's awesome.

[Trey Kirby]

What's it been like being part of, like, the Victor Wembanyama experience? Like you said, you're a young guy as well, and you're all sort of growing together as a team, but there is a massive, like, global superstar on the team. That's not always the case for young teams.

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah, no. I got really, really lucky that I get to align my career, you know, hopefully for a long time with, With Victor. And everyone always asks me, what's it like to call his games? What's it like to be an NBA play by play announcer? And the, the thing I always say is that you have to be ready. 1 like, I was joking around earlier, like, this came up last minute. You always have to be ready because you never know what he's going to do on the court. So I have to always be aware of my surroundings, where he is on the floor at all times, what's he doing, because he could, no joke, one day take off from the free throw line or just inside the three point line and dunk it. And I have to have the most amazing call ever because that's going to live on forever. So there is some pressure there, but I love that pressure. I love being. Now I'm not on the court playing, but I love sort of being involved with the game in a minuscule way. So to document his career, it's awesome. It kind of has the feeling of when LeBron first started, you know, I'm sure those announcers were like this. This could be really, really special. Same thing with Jordan, same thing with Kobe. So to me, it's just such a privilege to be around and see the moments. And he's such a nice guy. Like, he'll come up to me before the game and say hi to me and Sean and give us hugs and ask us how we're doing. And that's the best. That's the best part because he's a real human. He means well. He's well intent, he's well intended. If you listen to him in press conferences, he always stops for a moment and then thinks about what he's going to say and then actually says it because he seriously cares about every single thing that goes on with his career, with his teammates. And he's one of the most selfish, selfless guys in the league.

[Je Skeets]

Seems very thoughtful.

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

Has he ever recommended a book for you?

[Jacob Toby]

Not yet, but I'm trying to, you know, maybe I should recommend a book to him. I'm not. I'm trying to get better reading. I. I've read a couple books this year. It's been. It's so busy for us during the season, so maybe I can get in the book club with him and Harrison Barnes. I think Bismack Bamboo might be in

[Tas Melas]

that book club too.

[Jacob Toby]

Yes.

[Tas Melas]

Well, we've got plane time, I guess, but are you prepping when you're on the plane or you reading?

[Jacob Toby]

Always. Kevin Harlan, who has been my mentor for a long time, him and Brian Anderson from, from tnt, have been my two guys in this business that have watched me grow and given me advice. And Kevin Harlan was telling me when I was younger, always work on the plane because that. What else are you going to do? You're going to watch a movie, you're going to listen to music? Yeah, I could do that. But always get my work done on the plane so then you can enjoy what city you're in, get a feel for your surroundings, get to know the area. Because I try to mention that stuff on the broadcast from time to time. Give people a feeling of. Of what the city's like, what the vibe is like. So if I can get most of my work done on the plane, that's a. That's a good thing.

[Je Skeets]

That's cool.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah.

[Je Skeets]

Obviously didn't have to fly here to Austin for this one.

[Jacob Toby]

No, I drove, so the team took a bus, but I had to drive because I'm also a musician and I have my music equipment with me, and I'm actually playing a music show on Friday here.

[Je Skeets]

Where are you playing?

[Jacob Toby]

I'm playing at the Four Seasons, where the team is staying at the outdoor bar from 5 to 7. So if y' all want to hear some acoustic music. I sing and play guitar, so y' all come check out for that plug.

[Je Skeets]

Awesome.

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah, but I had to drive all my equipment up here. I couldn't put it on the team bus. And we're not flying with the team out to Detroit after because it's a national TV game. So we're going back home for.

[Je Skeets]

Hey, Wemby, do you have a carry on? No. Can you just take this guitar for.

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah. Well, so I do bring my guitar on the road sometimes just. Just for my personal enjoyment. And there was one time where a couple. Not players, but a couple of staff members, I'll just say, invited me up to their room, and we had a jam night, just playing music randomly. And the next day, Kelvin Johnson came up to me, and I. I guess he maybe heard about it or saw a video, and he was like, can you teach me how to play guitar? I was like, yeah, dude, anytime. Let's do it. That has not happened yet, but I'm trying to get him. Trying to get him there.

[Je Skeets]

So how cool is this spurs week here in Austin? Yeah, it's a couple years running now. You were here last year, I assume, for the game.

[Jacob Toby]

Awesome. I'm in the casa. In the Casa de Spurs.

[Trey Kirby]

Right?

[Jacob Toby]

Like, that's. That's pretty cool. It's awesome because it's. It's such a short drive. It's only an hour and 15 hour and 20 minutes. And it's a totally different city, but the fan base is here. I've met. I met. I was just talking to some people in the crowd. They're from here, and they love the spurs, but they're born and raised here, and I think just growing the relationship in Austin. It's a growing city. It's a younger city. You know, the spurs have fans of all different ages, all different countries as well, with. With Victor being from France and European countries, with, you know, Manu and Patty and everybody else. But to grow it in another city that's only an hour away, that's, you know, a big city as well. I think it's, it's awesome. It's. It's actually a no brainer to me. So to come here twice a year to play games. When I first heard about it, I was like, that's, that's really exciting. And the Moody center is great. You know, it's a relatively new arena. The fans were awesome last year. I was actually here two years ago as a sort of. As a shadow. I was shadowing the spurs broadcast. So give you a little insight. I've known some of the spurs people for a couple years prior to me getting the job, so that sort of helped. And I was up here shadowing during spurs week and I was like, this is awesome. So I, I've loved it. It's. It's been a great thing.

[Je Skeets]

Yeah, it makes sense to a part of the rodeo road trip, obviously.

[Jacob Toby]

Yes.

[Je Skeets]

Super long.

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah. And this year, actually the rodeo road trip isn't as bad as it's been in the past. This year went out to the West Conference for two games to play the Lakers and the Warriors. Then had the All Star break off. So you get to go back home or the guys go on vacation and then, you know, you're in Austin, which is kind of home, and then you go to New York at, you know, Detroit, Toronto, New York, and you're, you're back home pretty much after Philly. So it's not that bad. It's west home, east home. So it could be crazier. We've had crazier stretches. I mean, the team was on the road for, you know, almost 30 days straight during that NBA cup run. Sort of end of middle November to pretty much end of December.

[Je Skeets]

Right, right. You know, Wemby's obviously the international star. You got another All Star in de' Aaron Fox. Who on the spurs team do you think is like an unheralded sort of player that maybe from the national media at least deserves more love?

[Jacob Toby]

Well, I mean, you mentioned de', Aaron, but I feel like people aren't talking about him enough. And you know, Mitch Johnson, the Spurs head coach was. He was adamant about d' Aaron being an All Star. At least this team having a second All Star. I mean, they're second in the west and there's only a couple teams that have two All Stars and rightfully so. The spurs should have been in there. So I think the league got that corrected. I mean, I. Someone had sent me something online of one of the Lakers accounts saying, how could Darren Fox be chosen as an all star over Austin Reaves? And I was like, well, Austin Reaves was hurt for a while. Yeah, he has, like better points per game and maybe a couple better points in terms of shooting percentages. But he's not on the second best team in the West. He's changed his game. He's playing off ball more than he ever has in his career. He's given the keys to Stefan Castle as the primary decision maker for this team, and that's not easy for someone to do. He's 28. He's in the prime of his career. He is.

[Je Skeets]

He makes the most money on the team.

[Jacob Toby]

He makes the most money on the team. I mean, I give him so much credit because he didn't have to do that. And so he's, he's shepherding in this young cast of characters. And so I think, you know, people should, should definitely talk about de' Aaron Fox more. And I think if this person continue to win, be that second seed, they will.

[Tas Melas]

What's that smell? Oh, it's spring. I know it's early, but I am ready. I can smell, smell it. I'm ready to elevate my space. It's time to go to Wayfair. I love deciding what I'm going to change this year. It's a carpet. Getting it out of there, grabbing my leaf blower and just blowing around all the dust. In my house, I usually put a mask on so I don't inhale all of it. Wayfair does make it easy to decide what you want to refresh because it has everything your home needs this season. While I was surfing, I was thinking maybe a nice chesterfield or an ottoman. Oh, yeah, the fluffy faux fur ottoman is a nice footrest. I need one for my living room. I only have a table and my feet do get sore. Looks super soft. It's nice and white. I can yell at my kids if they get it dirty. I love it. Get organized, refreshed and back on track this new year. For way less head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. That's w a y at F A I R.com Wayfair Every style, every home.

[Je Skeets]

Did you guys hear that Jamar Chase is officially Fabletics first NFL ambassador? I didn't know that. He just dropped his first collection with Fabletics featuring his favorite essentials. Classic effortless tees go to oversized hoodies and all the comfy pieces perfect for lounging or hitting the gym. If you join the Fabletics VIP program, you get first dibs on all the new gear. And when you sign up as a new VIP with Fabletics, you get 80% off everything. Is it one of those too good to be true things? Oh no, this is real. Fabletics pieces feel like the kind of high end activewear you'd easily pay a couple hundred dollars for, but you get that same premium fit and durability for a tiny 4, a fraction of the price the VIP membership basically pays for itself and the fit dialed in. No waistbands, creeping down, joggers that actually keep their shape, jackets that are warm without being bulky. Everything feels soft, breathable, flexible, and built for whatever your day looks like. Workouts, travel days, getting back into your routine, whatever. You know I love a matching sweatsuit. So I had to holler at the grid tech quarter zip hoodie with the matching joggers, all oversized for that 90s look. Fabletics has incredible deals and we've got an exclusive offer for our listeners. Get 80% off everything when you sign up as a VIP. And yes, that includes Jamar's first drop. Just head to fabletics.com no dunks take a quick style quiz and be sure to select no Dunks when prompted to unlock your 80% off. That's Fabletics.com no Dunks

[Erin Andrews]

hey, it's Erin Andrews and Carissa Thompson, and we did a live episode from San Francisco where we broke down one of the most surprising matchups in years, shared a perfectly awkward moment by me, of course, and talked about the importance of putting yourself and your health first. I'm just more vocal about health now. That whole year that I had it and had multiple surgeries, I didn't tell anyone. I mean, my core group of people knew, but my co workers didn't know. My co host on Dancing with the Stars didn't know. In fact, I found out I was cancer free as I was getting ready for dress rehearsal for Dancing with the Stars. I remember one of the women that helped with wardrobe was actually writing down what the doctor was saying. And I looked over at Tom Bergeron in dress rehearsal and I said, do you want to get some drinks tonight after the show? And he's like, I guess. I go, what? He goes, what are we celebrating? I was like, I'm cancer free. He said, what? To hear more of how we opened up during our live episode from San Fran, check out the full episode now. Wherever you get your podcasts,

[Sean Duffy]

I'm U.S. transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. We all seem to be in a rush. These Days from work to driving our kids around. But when you're behind the wheel, please do not speed. A few minutes saved by going forward faster is never worth the risk. So follow the speed limit, enjoy the drive, maybe bring some snacks for the kids. And know that along the way, you're getting quality time with your family, paid for by nhtsa.

[Tas Melas]

I got to get in a Wemby question because you have to ask every Wemby question and because you're saying it has sort of trickled down, like, everybody is seeing their role in a different way. What has Victor Wembanyama done for each guy in terms of their ability to either grow emotionally on or off the court?

[Jacob Toby]

I think just every day act like. I kind of said it earlier, but act like a normal guy, and that gives everybody. There's no fear. And I'm not calling guys out around the league, but I think different star players emote different things.

[Je Skeets]

Wemby doesn't have a burner Twitter account. You don't think.

[Jacob Toby]

Not that I know. Not that I know. And if there was one, I hope he's. Hope he wouldn't be tweeting about how bad the broadcast sounds.

[Tas Melas]

But he doesn't hide it in his book.

[Jacob Toby]

No. Yeah, yeah. No, that. That book is. But you mentioned the book. Always a book in his hand. You know, I'm on the bus with these guys. I'm on the plane. Always has a book. Jokic obviously made fun of him last year at the All Star Game. Had a book this year at the All Star Game. Oh, he did? Yes. Yes, he did. He didn't show it off, but he

[Tas Melas]

had a book that's inside information.

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah. Breaking news. But I think he's just allowed everybody to be themselves. And, you know, he. We've seen from time to time him get upset with the physicality and sort of demand the basketball, but he's not always demanding the basketball. He's willing to feed his teammates, let other. Let other guys cook, and they're trying to find that perfect balance of one to let him go off when to give the ball to, you know, de' Aaron Fox or Castle or spray it out to the shooters, Champagne and Devin Vassell. So I think he's just let everybody be themselves and be calm, and that's sort of bled in. And as you know, he. At the beginning of the year, he did mention that the playoffs were a goal, but there wasn't a pressure of we have to be top three. It just happened to be that way. And what a ride, man. Like, top Three top two awesome.

[Trey Kirby]

With a good resume against the number one team. That's got to be encouraging as well.

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah, yeah. Four wins, you know, three of them were really, really earned. The fourth one, obviously, the Thunder sat everybody, so still a win in the book. And if it comes down to seating, that's, you know, that could potentially hurt them as they're creeping up, you know, three and a half, four games behind, behind the number one seed.

[Je Skeets]

You think we'll see some of the

[Trey Kirby]

Jackals contingent here in Austin can confirm.

[Jacob Toby]

The Jackals are here.

[Trey Kirby]

Excellent.

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah, the Jackals are here. Honestly, how cool has that been to watch?

[Trey Kirby]

It's very cool.

[Jacob Toby]

It's just different. It's obviously very European with the way Victor has gone about it, you know, the Ultras with psg, this insane fan base he wants to create. And I've met a ton of the Jackals, and they've been super nice to not only the staff, but us, Sean and I, the players. They are super into it. I can hear them through my headset. And that's not always the case, like, because the headset's so loud with the game sound and my producer, but I hear them, and so anytime I hear them, I'll mention, hey, man, John, the Jackals are going crazy right now. We'll show them on the broadcast all the time. So, yeah, shout out the Jackals. They're the best. And they even came to watch me play music a couple times. So they love. They love their Spurs. Anyone associated with the Spurs.

[Je Skeets]

Fantastic.

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah.

[Je Skeets]

Back to Wembanyama in the All Star Game, obviously setting the tone. People are, I think, rightfully so, saying he maybe saved the All Star Game or brought it back. But as a Spurs fan, as someone that does the broadcast, are you also, like, freaking out watching the All Star Game? You're like, whoa, you're going very hard, Wemby. You're trying to block everything. Like, don't tweak an ankle or something like that.

[Jacob Toby]

I mean, inflicted at all a little bit. I mean, no doubt. Any time that, you know, Victor falls on the floor at any point, I'm like, a little bit, like, all right, yeah, he's. He's up. He's up. He's good. And I'll always, always mention that. But any player, for sure, on any team, I mean, I. The rash of injuries over the last couple years has really been concerning, and it stinks as an announcer, because you want the best guys on the floor. I want. You know, I want the spurs to win every game, obviously, but I want A good game. As an announcer, we always want good games. Sean probably wants to win by 50 every game, which. Yeah, that's rightfully so. And that. That makes sense. I want a really good game, an entertaining game, and so injuries are always a part of it. But, yeah, I loved Victor setting the tone. It's just. It's part of his story, man, he cares so much. And I've tried to do a really good job of doing as much research on his background as I can. I mean, I've read a book about him that was translated from French to English. I've tried to get. Tried to talk to people around him. I just. I want to understand everywhere that he goes and where he comes from and his background. So it's. I still pinch myself every time he's on the floor and, you know, when he's been hurt. It's definitely unfortunate. Last year, it's weird to be back here because I haven't been back in our team hotel since I found out Victor had a blood clot. And I was in the gym working out. And I called Sean immediately when I found out. And we. I was walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes, just like, is this. Is this really happening? Like, how is he going to be for the rest of his life? Not even the basketball stuff. And it just put a damper on. On the season, you know, with Coach Pop going down and then Victor going down. It just was a world when I saw every single thing I could see in the NBA in my rookie year, you know, with. With Pop, with Wemby, with making a big trade with de' Aaron Fox. The spurs were caught in LA last year for five days because of the LA fires. We were stuck in a hotel and didn't know what was going on. Had the game canceled. I saw a fan, unfortunately, have a heart attack right as the game was about to start. And he was okay, thankfully, but. And then the travel, the rodeo, road trip. So I've been through it all already. So Sean's always like, what else do you need to see, man? Seen it, everything.

[Je Skeets]

You went to Paris even?

[Jacob Toby]

I did, actually. I did not go get. I did not get to go to Paris. We had to broadcast remotely. Sean got to go. Okay, because, you know, he's Sean Elliott. But we stayed back and did our remote broadcast. It's kind of the trend of the league now is if teams are going abroad, they're. They're having to stay back to do the broadcast. Hey, I. I'm just. I'm just told where to show up. And I'll call the game.

[Trey Kirby]

Stay ready.

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah, stay ready. Exactly.

[Je Skeets]

What did you think of Carter Bryant's dunk performance?

[Jacob Toby]

Fantastic. I felt bad for him at the end because he really wanted it. Yeah. But we have been seeing this since day one. I know this kid can jump. I know this kid can fly. And he goes to air. He went to Arizona. Sean Elliott went to Arizona. There's love there. And so every time Carter gets to do something in the game, I. I can already feel Sean smiling. And I look over and he's like, yeah, Carter. Like, let's go. So one of the most. And he had trouble earlier in the year finishing dunks. I mean, he was missing some dunks. His teammates gave him some crap for it. If he missed three more dunks for shaving your head type thing that they. They told him that because Victor and Calden obviously shaved their heads. The Jackals shaved their heads. The ball boys shaved their heads. I have a nice fade, so I'm trying to keep that. But maybe if. Maybe if they win the championship, I'll shave it.

[Je Skeets]

Oh, there we go.

[Trey Kirby]

That's good record.

[Jacob Toby]

I'll host the championship parade bald.

[Je Skeets]

Wow.

[Jacob Toby]

Maybe.

[Je Skeets]

You got it. You got it.

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah.

[Je Skeets]

I saw you tweet. When we interviewed Dylan Harper at our internal content day, we knew he would be a media star. And you brought this up because he was doing a bunch of stuff at All Star Week.

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah, he was the media. He was the correspondent, the player correspondent.

[Je Skeets]

So you saw this instantly in talking to Dylan?

[Jacob Toby]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, I did. So to pull back the curtain before media day, which is in front of everybody, each NBA team holds a content day internal content day. So they. All the stuff you see in the Jumbotron before games, interviews on our broadcasts, that stuff is all pre taped and done a couple days before media day. And so I got to sit down with each guy and go through a list of questions. And Dylan, I. He just sits down and I was on a. So I had to interview Victor. So. And to make it look good on tv, I just sit on a booster seat. Right now I'm six feet. I feel like I'm tall. For the normal person.

[Je Skeets]

Sure.

[Trey Kirby]

We actually have to do that for skates.

[Jacob Toby]

Oh, yeah. I'm five and a half.

[Je Skeets]

Thank you.

[Jacob Toby]

That's. That's, that's. That's a shot right there.

[Trey Kirby]

I can only say because I'm way over.

[Toyota Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Jacob Toby]

But I had to sit on a booster seat, and so I did that for Victor. And then Dylan was the next guy to come in and he immediately sits down and starts roasting me for being on a booster seat. And I was like, yo, man, like, chill. Like, you just got here. Like, I'm trying to interview Victor, and so I'll take off the booster seat. And I could just tell he has a great personality. And we were talking, and I was like, so what's. Like, are you good at other sports? And he was like, I'm good at every sport. And so, like, he has. He's just entertaining, and I love that about him. And so, yeah, when I saw him pop up on my social media feed of him with the mic, interviewing guys, interviewing Steph Curry, him and Giannis going back and forth, no surprise. And he sat down with us after a couple games with Sean and I, post game, and he's broken down film. I'm like, you'd be a broadcaster someday, dude. So who knows? Maybe that's in the cards for him.

[Trey Kirby]

Maybe. So. One of my favorite questions you asked in these 24 seconds with the spurs is you're asking all the guys. Do you say you all y', all, or you guys, as a Northeasterner, what do you say?

[Jacob Toby]

Well, so I'm from, like, I said, pretty much Boston. And they do not say y' all up there, so. But my first job in my career was in Tulsa, Oklahoma, so I got used to the Southern way of speaking. So I'm voting now. I say y' all a lot, and just. It's easier. It makes sense. So I go back home and say y' all to my parents, and they're like, give me a look. But then when I go home and hear them say wada Pakika, I'm like, oh, God, yeah. Is that really what I sounded like when I was younger? The answer is actually no. I don't know why. I never really had a Boston accent. My parents do, grandparents, everybody, my friends, but I don't. So. But, yeah, I'm going with y'.

[Tas Melas]

All.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, we switched over to have to.

[Je Skeets]

How do you feel about the spurs chances here going all the way, potentially, you shaving your head at the parade. But. But talk it out. I mean, like, you heard the first part of the show here. Like, it's very rare for a team to get into the postseason and then run the gauntlet or go very, very far. Do you think they need to take their lumps? Will they? What's your opinion on that?

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah, it's interesting. I've been listening to a bunch of podcasts, and you guys, again, do a great job. And everyone was like, why? Why didn't they make a move at the deadline. They're. They're at second seed. They, you know, have. They have a chance. And I think, you know, Brian Wright, the general manager, Mitch Johnson, the whole staff, they just believe that this team can do it, and they want to see what their young squad can do. They have a great mix of veteran guys, young stars, great personalities, vets that have been around. Even, you know, some of the vets, like Devin Vassell hasn't necessarily played in the playoffs or experienced that, but knows what to do to win an NBA game. And I think there is a good shot that this team finds magic. And with the right matchups. It's all about matchups. You know, we've obviously seen the way they play against the Thunder is so interesting because they play the same way. They want to push the pace. They turn you over. The spurs have been sort of teetering in that 13 to 15 range of pace, and Mitch wants them to play even faster. And they played faster at the start of the year, slowed down because they didn't have a lot of their guys in the lineup. And so when they play faster at their best, and that's why the Thunder is so good, too. So when they match up, it's like two great forces going up against each other. So I would love that to be the Western Conference Finals. I think everyone wants that to be. They just need to consistently hit shots. And that's sort of been the downfall is sometimes they don't hit their shots, but we've seen them win games where they haven't necessarily had the three ball well, and it's just because number one has gone berserk and scored 40 points and no one can stop him. So when he plays that way, when he plays mad and the spurs make their shots and Castles being that distributor guy, I don't see a reason why. The west is obviously way tougher than the East. So I, you know, everyone always like this year with the, with the NFC Championship game and NFL there, everyone was like, that's the Super Bowl. Which I got slightly offended because I am a Patriots fan. You can boo me, by the way, if you hate the Patriots. Yep, there you go. But. So it could be the same way as like this Western Conference Finals. Could be the NBA Finals. No slight to anyone in the East. I just think that the west is more talented. So if they could do the West, I'm picking the Spurs.

[Je Skeets]

Spurs are.02 incredibly against the Suns here, who they play tonight.

[Jacob Toby]

Isn't that weird?

[Je Skeets]

It is a little weird. I mean, the Suns are a good team.

[Toyota Advertiser]

They're good.

[Je Skeets]

You have like, you know, a key to a Spurs victory tonight or something to watch as, like they start back up here in the second half always. Maybe a weird game too after All

[Jacob Toby]

Star break, I think, you know. Well, first thing, Dylan Brooks will not be in the lineup. He is suspended.

[Je Skeets]

That's right. They finally got him. They rescinded like three of them. He's up 19 texts or something.

[Jacob Toby]

He is suspended. And he is one of those guys that guards Victor extremely well. Yeah, just because of the physicality, the, the, the tenacity that he brings. And I respect him a lot because he's, he's made himself a really good, really good NBA player. So, you know, that helps that he's not in the lineup tonight. But I just think get Victor going early. We've seen it, you know, 25 points in the first quarter or 27, whatever it was against the Lakers, that was remarkable. And you could say, yeah, the Lakers didn't have their stars in the lineup or whatever, but to still do that is crazy. So just feed the big guy early. Sean always talks about it on the broadcast. Feed him early, let everyone else eat after that. I think that's, that's a key to, to this game, to every game. And limit the three point shooting. I think the spurs had struggled earlier in the year with their three point defense. They've given up some open three point looks and you know, guys like Devin Booker and Colin Gillespie got really hot in, in the first couple games. So just limit the threes, give the ball to the big man, win the game, move on to Saturday, win that game and then win the rest of the games after the All Star. Yeah, it's very simple. Just win.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah. Tonight's line is the spurs by seven and a half favorite over the Phoenix Suns. They're the hottest team in the NBA having won six games. No Dylan Brooks, they got avenged for those two losses. So that's why both Skeets and I have taken the spurs to cover. We're not pandering. We're just taking the spurs to cover that eight points while our man Trey riding with the Suns.

[Jacob Toby]

Well, dare you in the casa day Spurs.

[Trey Kirby]

The only way for me to get a win tonight is if Wemby hits a buzzer beater. Spurs win, but they don't cover. So that's still a win. I can pander just as hard.

[Je Skeets]

I am with you on that because we're gonna be at the game tonight.

[Jacob Toby]

Okay.

[Je Skeets]

And it's like yeah, we got the spurs in our pick them little battle. But like, I want a close game. That's interesting to hear you say that as a broadcaster too. It's like, you want a close game.

[Jacob Toby]

Oh, any NBA, any NFL, mlb, they all, we all want close games. And buzzer beaters are great. Yeah. So if it's a Webby buzzer beater, that'd be awesome. Sign me up.

[Je Skeets]

Okay. But Taz and I have the spurs by eight points or more. DK's got the dog suns there.

[Trey Kirby]

Do you have like a call in your back pocket for a buzzer beater or for. Is there. Are there things you're saving for these huge moments?

[Jacob Toby]

I always get that question and my response is no. And the reason why I say that is it needs to be organic. It needs to be in the moment. It needs to feel that emotion of whatever is going on. And so if I come in writing something down or have this single catchphrase, it and it doesn't fit the moment, then that lives on forever. And I'm gonna be like, that wasn't that good. Or, you know, so. And there are guys around the NBA that have catchphrases and they're known for it. And that's awesome. That's just not the way that I've been brought up to do the game. And so I have multiple things that I've said from time to time. He's not human, he's an alien. I'll pull out some French every now and then. If he does something amazing, I'll say, c' est fou. Which means that's amazing, Victor. But for a game winner like that, it's just whatever comes from my brain out the mouth. And that's just. You know, I always tell people I been wanting to do this since I was 12 and I would open up my Christmas present every Christmas day and it was NBA 2K. And I would rush downstairs, turn on the Xbox, turn off the announcer sound, and spend six hours on Christmas day calling the game to myself and pretending to be that guy. So every time I sit in that chair, I tell people that I want to be that, that 12 year old kid that dream to be here and just have that loving passion for the game come through.

[Je Skeets]

Do you have a favorite catchphrase from one of the greats or Mount Rushmore of catchphrases?

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of them, man. I mean, I said Kevin Harlan's, you know, maybe my all time favorite announcer. And he's had, he's had so Many. I grew up listening to Mike Gorman in Boston and his, you know, he had a catchphrase ever for every buzzer beater. His it was. Got it. And it was so simple. And so I don't try to overdo things. I try to be on the lesser side of talking because the pictures tell more of the story. Try to let our producer director work their magic. We have a, we have a great crew. I've slid into a crew where they've been here 30 years. Sean's been. This is Sean's 25th year announcing his career.

[Je Skeets]

Wow.

[Jacob Toby]

Announcing is longer than his playing career. So we always give him crap. Like, man, you're, you're an announcer first, player second. You're a media guy. And he's always rolling his eyes like that's true, you know, But I try to give our crew a lot of credit and let them, let them do their magic. So I punch the call, I'm in, I'm out. Let them do their thing. But I, I, I'm in a nerd. I could spend hours talking about announcers, so I'm not going to bore people with that. But.

[Je Skeets]

All right, we'll have to do another hour later.

[Jacob Toby]

Yeah.

[Je Skeets]

Appreciate you joining us.

[Jacob Toby]

This is awesome, man. Thank you, Jacob, everyone.

[Je Skeets]

First, play by play announcer.

[Jacob Toby]

Thank you.

[Je Skeets]

We want to thank Ledger for bringing us down here to Austin.

[Jacob Toby]

Shout out Ledger, man. The Jersey passenger.

[Je Skeets]

Really cool.

[Jacob Toby]

They have some great people. They have some great people that work for Ledger. And you get some great, great gear as well.

[Je Skeets]

I know. Absolutely. Thanks to Dan and Keith and their teams for helping put this together. Give it up for JD And Ash and DJ D Money over there.

[Jacob Toby]

D money, my man.

[Je Skeets]

D monies. And thank you to, to the spurs, of course. And thanks to everybody for coming out here. We didn't know. We thought, like, two people were going to show up. And this is a nice little turnout on a Thursday morning. Hope everybody had your coffee. And yeah, chop it up with us after. Thank you again, Flipper Bros. You heard it here first.

[Trey Kirby]

Have a great time. Turn up.

[Je Skeets]

Love you guys.

Awesome.

[Tas Melas]

Thank you, Austin. And remember Jacob Tobe's show tomorrow? Four Seasons, right?

[Jacob Toby]

Yes. Five to seven at the Four Seasons. Friday. Be there, Be square.

[Tas Melas]

Basketball games are good.

[Je Skeets]

But also, do you want to sing us off here as we now.

[Jacob Toby]

We'll save that for tomorrow.

[Je Skeets]

Okay.

[Tas Melas]

All right.

[Je Skeets]

Embrace the day, people.

[Tas Melas]

What's that smell? Oh, it's spring. I know it's early, but I am ready. I can smell it. I'm ready to elevate my space. It's time to go to Wayfair. I love deciding what I'm going to change this year. It's a carpet. Getting it out of there, grabbing my leaf blower and just blowing around all the dust in my house. I usually put a mask on so I don't inhale all of it. Wayfair does make it easy to decide what you want to refresh because it has everything your home needs this season. While I was surfing, I was thinking maybe a nice chesterfield or an ottoman. Oh yeah, the fluffy faux fur ottoman is a nice footrest. I need one for my living room. I only have a table and my feet do get sore. Look super soft. It's nice and white. I can yell at my kids if they get it dirty. I love it. Get organized, refreshed and back on track this new year. For way less head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. That's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R.com Wayfair every style, every home

[Je Skeets]

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[Jacob Toby]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Erin Andrews]

Guaranteed Human.