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Big Cat
Hey, pardon my take listeners. You can find every episode on Apple podcasts, Spotify or YouTube Prime. Members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.
PFT Commenter
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Big Cat
Details on today's part of my take, we have our good friend Rachel Nichols back on the show talking some NBA playoffs. We also have Max. He's back. Max is back. We're going to talk about all the playoff action from this weekend. Got a little NFL news we're going to get to. We got who's back and then we will finish with Max giving us gifts from Hawaii and Jordan of the week. She's back in the news. We we, we screwed up our recording by about three hours because we said on Thursday night, man, it stinks. We don't have any new Jordan news. And then we got the bombshell.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, they. They always wait till Friday sometimes to put out the old Jordan bomb.
Big Cat
Yeah. So Jordan of the Week, two weeks running. Great show coming your way. And it's brought to you by our friends at DraftKings. It's officially the best time of year for hoops fans. Playoff drama, buzzer beaters, all the chaos we live for. And if you're done just watching and ready to actually win some cash, you got to check out pick six from DraftKings. Nobody's dropping better payouts than pick six. Hit six picks and that's 25x your cash and if you beat your competition, you could be looking at a 500 time bag in your pocket. It's super simple. Select your picks, track your score, go for those big time prizes. No gimmicks, just straight up fun. Pick six is live in most states like Missouri, Cali, Texas, Georgia and plenty more. So yeah, don't settle for weak payouts. Make your picks with pick six and let your basketball brain pay off. New to DraftKings pick six new customers. Toss in just $5 on your first entry and you get 50 in bonus picks instantly. The playoffs are on. So why not take a shot at making a little money while you're watching? Download the DraftKings Pick Six app now right now and use code TAKE. That's code TAKE. Play $5. Get 50 in bonus picks. Better payouts, bigger wins. Only on Pick Six from DraftKings. The crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-Gambler Help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org in Connecticut. Must be 18 and over. Age and eligibility restrictions vary by jurisdiction. Pick Six none available everywhere, including New York and Ontario. Void where prohibited. One per new customer. Bonus awarded as non withdrawable. Pick 6 bonus picks that expire in 14 days limited time. Offer terms@pick6.draftkings.com promos o go. Welcome to part of my take presented by DraftKings. The playoffs are on, so why not take a shot at making a little money while watching? Download the DraftKings Pick Six app right now and use code TAKE. That's code TAKE PLAY. $5. Get 50 in bonus picks, Better payouts, bigger wins. Only on pick six from DraftKings. The crown is yours. Today is Monday, May 12, and Max and the Celtics are back.
PFT Commenter
Celtics are so bad.
Big Cat
The two of them combined.
PFT Commenter
The Celtics are down 1 to 2 in this series, but it feels like they're up 3 to 1.
Big Cat
Yeah, Hank, we got a better mood. Hank here. Ready to go.
PFT Commenter
Hank, you are dominating this series one to two.
Big Cat
You should probably start with this because you need to. We need to pump up our boy. Get him back. There were some comments that were like, hey, Hanks, just, you know, he's down. He's. He's down in the dumps again.
PFT Commenter
He's.
Big Cat
Who said that? Negative Nancy. Not talking.
PFT Commenter
Well, no, whoever said that did not pay attention because Hank very clearly said that he wasn't worried.
Big Cat
Yeah. Yeah. Was not worried. So. So the Celtics on Saturday. We're going to talk about every game from this weekend. The Celtics on Saturday. Kick the. Out of the Knicks. Jason Tatum showed up in his. In his fully laced up Timberlands, ready to go to work.
PFT Commenter
What does that look for, Hank?
Hank
Why'd you have to clarify they were fully laced?
PFT Commenter
Well, he was wearing Timberlands because it was a New York game. He was. He was like, I'm the bad guy. This was him doing the Joker.
Big Cat
Well, I mean, it's just like.
Hank
I mean, the Joker did the Joker.
PFT Commenter
I know. Literally the Joker.
Big Cat
A guy with aura would have. The Joker did the Joker would have the loose. Loose Timberlands, I would say.
Hank
Got it. Yeah. Mr. Big, safety first. Or big cat decider of aura for basketball.
PFT Commenter
No, safety first. If you're going to troll somebody, you.
Hank
Wear a black hoodie and the same pair of shoes.
Big Cat
You wear the same every day, too. You want to get you in one game. Yeah, you do. No, I don't. You wear the same every day, too. We all wear the same, but I'm.
Hank
Not deciding who has orange.
Big Cat
Literally, this room is just. Pft. Dresses like a fifth grader, and then everyone else wears a hoodie and sweatshirt and joggers. That's it. That's all. That's the entire fashion of. Pardon my date.
PFT Commenter
I mean, today I'm wearing a hoodie and basically joggers.
Big Cat
Yo, that was crazy. You wear. You dress the same as me, but.
Hank
I don't sit here and decide how. Jason Tatum, the NBA superstar.
Big Cat
Well, first of all, did I. All I said was they were fully laced up. I was not explaining the situation. They were fully laced up. I would.
PFT Commenter
Jason Tatum is essentially the same playoff performance. Joel Embiid. We also established that on Friday. He did say, like, the. The nodding of the laces. It's like, come on, man. Yeah.
Big Cat
Thank you.
PFT Commenter
He was like, if I'm gonna. I will troll them.
Big Cat
A construction site, I will troll them.
PFT Commenter
But also, I don't want to trip on myself.
Hank
Yeah, he doesn't want to hurt his ankles. It's pretty important.
Big Cat
Okay.
PFT Commenter
Well, is he. I thought you said he was an elite athlete. Elite athletes should be able to walk around with untied shoes and not trip on themselves.
Hank
Whatever.
Big Cat
Either way, Hank, good job. You won a game.
Hank
Thank you.
Big Cat
It does feel. It feels not great for the Knicks because they. They're up to one. But it felt like the Celtics were going to finally make their threes, and then they finally made their threes, and they won by 30. Or no. I guess it was closer in the end where they went by, like, 2022, but they were. This game was never in doubt. They scored, what, 71 in the first half. How are you feeling?
Hank
I feel good. I'm happy. I said I wouldn't be worried if they went down. Oh, two. They came, they came out. They showed what they needed to do. I feel like that's going to be. They're going to win this series in six.
Big Cat
Oh, so that's it. That's it for the Knicks.
Hank
Yeah.
Big Cat
I actually have a stat for you that might make you a little worried.
Hank
Okay.
Big Cat
You ready for it? Yeah. This is Advanced Analytics. In the last three seasons in the playoffs, the Knicks record in the second round, when playing on ESPN, they're.08. This game was on ESPN. When playing on TNT, they're 7 and 1. I looked ahead. Monday's ESPN, so that's a win. So it's 2 2. Wednesday's TNT. Now the Knicks are back up 3 2. Friday's ESPN. Damn. 3 3. Monday is TNT, so you're gonna lose in 7. No team is going to win a home game.
PFT Commenter
I kind of like that. I got some advanced analysis.
Big Cat
I love dumb stats like that for here, too, Hank.
PFT Commenter
The Knicks are so fucking tough. They're just tough. They're just a tough fucking team.
Hank
Not complaining about injuries or using excuses.
PFT Commenter
No, they just don't give up.
Big Cat
Carl Anthony Towns might have broken his finger. I love cats so much. Fingernail so fucking zesty that when he hit his first three, I think it was his first three since the Pistons series, and he did like a. He kissed his hand. He's so funny. I also don't know why the Knicks don't get him involved more.
Hank
They asked him about his injury. He said, what happens in the locker room stays in the locker room.
Big Cat
Love that it happened on the court. Yeah. Yeah. That seems like a cliche. He got his cliches, like, mixed up.
Hank
And he's definitely injured. Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Wait. Or did something happen in the locker room?
Big Cat
It might have.
Hank
If we know it's staying in. If we. If we don't know it's going to stay in there.
Big Cat
There was a clip that you could see him say, I think I broke my finger.
PFT Commenter
Okay. But in the lock.
Big Cat
But in the locker room, it's broken. He's. He pulls his finger. He says, I broke it.
PFT Commenter
Dislocated, maybe. So he goes in the locker room. Maybe he gets into. He just flips somebody off real hard.
Big Cat
I don't know.
PFT Commenter
And hyper extends. It makes it worse.
Big Cat
Maybe pointed. Someone said, you and, like, kind of wagged it a little too hard.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, I don't.
Big Cat
I don't know.
PFT Commenter
But yeah, Hank, it does feel like, you know, water finds its level. And the Celtics weren't going to be a terrible three point shooting team for forever, but it is weird that it happened two games in a row.
Big Cat
I, I actually. And obviously the Celtics hit their shots. The cells defense is what won this game. They have Jalen Brunson in hell. I know he still is scoring, but he has to work so hard for everything. And when the Knicks refused to. I feel like they don't run plays for Cat where they just give him the ball and they're like, hey, figure this out, Cat. And then you have role players who don't step up enough. Yeah, it was the Celtics defense was. Was the. And Peyton Pritchard. Celtics defense and Peyton Pritchard were the. Were the winners of this game. In my. In my eyes.
Hank
I agree.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. Peyton Pritchard was. Was awesome.
Big Cat
Very awesome.
PFT Commenter
He's so fun to watch when he's hot.
Big Cat
I got a question for you, Hank. We talked about Chris Stopps having whatever he has. There's been more reports. Shams even reported in. In his report, he told us absolutely nothing. He was just like. Yeah, he wakes up some days he's tired.
PFT Commenter
Mm.
Big Cat
He probably needs to do a follow up to Luca being like he slept all day.
PFT Commenter
I think I got that.
Big Cat
Yeah. He's taking IVs, everything. Is there a chance that you trust Luke Cornett more than Kristoffs at this point?
Hank
No.
Big Cat
I mean, Cornet's not bad. That's good.
Hank
Luke Cordet's. Yeah, he's a good player. Not. Not exactly the offensive spark plug that Porzingis is, but he's good defensively. He knows. He knows his role. But I think you'd rather.
Big Cat
Porcing hasn't even. His offense hasn't been that good.
Hank
Well, yeah, he's dealing with whatever. He's dealing with whatever. But again, like, they, you know, made it to the finals last year. He just needs to be a spark. Porzingis just needs to be a spark.
PFT Commenter
I feel like you. You will need Porzingis in the finals. Right. Does that part weird you out at all?
Big Cat
Are you already onto the.
PFT Commenter
You can beat the. You can beat the Knicks. You guys are already up in the series. We've established that.
Hank
Yeah, we're out of the finals.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, but then you're on to the finals not having Porzingis. Then it becomes an issue for you.
Hank
We have. No, it's just he's going to get healthier and healthier. He's going to get, you know, More catch more of his breath. Hopefully whatever he has fades away. He'll be back. I think he'll be fine.
Big Cat
Going into this game, were you nervous or were you like, hey, that we're going to win this game by a lot?
Hank
Yeah, I was. I was confident.
Big Cat
Okay.
Hank
Not nervous at all.
PFT Commenter
Were you worried about the Garden?
Hank
No, I. The Garden is the most overrated.
Big Cat
All right, well, you can say right now, both gardens, no team has won a home game.
Hank
Yeah.
Big Cat
So I also am addicted to. So I'm addicted to two things on the Knicks, and I do think the Knicks are in a lot of trouble. Cat just being Cat is very funny to watch. He's just so zesty. And then Mitchell Robinson shooting free throws. And I don't know if you guys saw this, but we had one of the most ridiculous. I don't know if there was, like a weekend intern running the ESPN account. Mitchell Robinson got to the free throw line. The Knicks fans tried to cheer him on, and ESPN tweeted, the Knicks crowd supported Mitchell Robinson while he was at the free throw line. Bigger than basketball. I thought at a moment when I read that, at first I was like, does Mitchell Robinson have some illness I do not know about? Is Mitchell Robinson. Did he have, like, some horrific thing happen as a child that makes it so he can't shoot free throws? His basketball hoop burned down when he was a kid and his family died in the. In the fire, something? No, he just can't shoot free throws. And it's bigger than basketball.
PFT Commenter
They're cheering for him, which is. Wait, correct me if I'm wrong. Free throws are a part of the sport of basketball.
Big Cat
Correct.
PFT Commenter
So they're cheering him from the line. This is when Philly did it. We said, good sports town for Trey Turner.
Big Cat
This is.
PFT Commenter
Remember that?
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
The same thing, except it's not working. It's making him airball the. The ball worse.
Big Cat
He airballs like every single. But bigger than basketball. That's something that happens. That's Little League World Series shit. Where they're like, yeah, it's bigger. Bigger than sports. And kids high fiving, playing ping pong after. After, you know, Chinese Taipei beats him by 100. Yeah.
PFT Commenter
I mean, New York as a sports town should be booing him. Yeah, Right. That's what great sports towns do.
Hank
Agreed.
PFT Commenter
They. They hold their players accountable. I think maybe they've reached the end of their booing where they're like, we've already booed enough. That's not working. We got to try something. Anything else. You know what? Some things are Bigger than the game, bigger than Bass.
Hank
They priced out the real fans out of the guard.
Big Cat
No Chalamet was there.
Hank
But like anyone that, you know the cheapest ticket to get in was like 900 bucks.
PFT Commenter
Ben Stiller.
Big Cat
I mean, that is how playoffs work in all sports. When your team goes to the playoffs and then goes deeper into the playoffs, the tickets do get more expensive.
PFT Commenter
I do think though that a city like New York, you should have, I, you have to work on the wording of this to make it a little, you know, smooth around the edge. A poor section, like for the real fans.
Big Cat
Right. Well, I mean there's like, because there's.
PFT Commenter
A, there's a shitload of people in New York that are die hard fans of the Knicks that aren't a list. Celebrities that would like to be able to go to a game that do make a difference in terms of cheering for their team.
Big Cat
Well, I mean, season ticket holders still have tickets and those guys are diehards and don't have to be like billionaires.
PFT Commenter
I'm sure those are very expensive though.
Big Cat
Yeah, they are. But I mean, it's how sports work. You just, the ticket prices go up. It sucks. I mean, the Garden was electric for a team that got absolutely killed. Like, it was loud.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, yeah.
Big Cat
In the beginning it was very loud.
PFT Commenter
So you're not intimidated by the garden at all?
Hank
0%.
Big Cat
Do you think if there was a poor section, they wouldn't have made a bigger than basketball moment with Mitchell Robinson?
PFT Commenter
They definitely would not. They would have booed. They would have the right thing in sports. It's like the Titanic. Yeah.
Big Cat
You need the guys.
PFT Commenter
You have way more fun below death.
Big Cat
You need the guys who ripped down Julius Randle's fat head.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
Like a couple years ago he was injured.
PFT Commenter
Like they're assholes. Yeah, but they're your assholes.
Big Cat
Yeah, No, I see what you're saying. So, Max, you missed basically the worst week that you could have missed. Because I think we all, when the Knicks were up to, oh, we're like, this is funny. But if the Celtics hit some shots, it's, it's not going to be funny much longer. And you missed that whole week.
Max
So yeah, Celtics probably aren't going to lose a game the rest of the playoffs.
Big Cat
Oh, wow.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, wow. Max, come all the way around. I can tell you meant that.
Big Cat
What was the feedback on your embiid verse? Tatum, take, I stand by it. No, what was the, I mean, I.
Max
I, I had people trying to dunk on me, trying to dunk on me for tatum going. Having 20 points. Going 8 of 20 from the field. Great.
Big Cat
Huge game, Hank.
Hank
Any other feedback.
Max
Stat? Hole gave me some numbers that backs up what I said.
PFT Commenter
Uh huh. Did he give you any numbers regarding not playing in the playoffs?
Max
Yeah, the Celtics are a better team.
PFT Commenter
Do you think that that is a point in favor of Jason Tatum, though? The fact that Embiid has missed a lot of important playoff games.
Max
Injuries are a shame.
Hank
What about playoff points scored before 27 years old? Do you see that stat?
PFT Commenter
I didn't see that. Who's leading in that?
Hank
Wait, is that. That's, that's. That's participation.
PFT Commenter
Who's leading?
Hank
Yeah.
Max
Per game.
Big Cat
Same. Still under 27 years old, or is he 27?
Max
He was under 28.
Hank
Under 20.
Big Cat
He's under 28. Are they going to just keep bumping that up? Be under 29 next year?
Hank
Yeah, I'll probably be winning that one too.
PFT Commenter
Max, you just root against more than LeBron.
Hank
Any superstar in the playoffs.
Max
Jason Tatum is not a superstar.
PFT Commenter
Oh, let's embrace debate memes.
Hank
Oh, yeah.
Max
Just kept saying it. Every time you kept saying Jason Statham is. Jason Tatum is a superstar. He was like, he was just kept saying star, star.
Big Cat
Listen, I, we had this debate last year.
PFT Commenter
I'm.
Big Cat
I'm very critical.
Hank
You don't get your own Jordan if you're not a superstar.
Big Cat
I'm very critical of the tag superstar. People got mad at me when I said Jalen Brunson wasn't a superstar. I have. I have like four superstars in the whole league.
Max
Yeah, I'm fine with that.
Big Cat
Yeah.
Max
He didn't play on the Olympic team. He didn't play.
Hank
Is. Who are the four.
Big Cat
Like, so it's Jokic, it's Giannis, it's Luca, and then it's. There's like the aging group of superstars that's like Steph lebron, kd. It's not much. I don't go superstar. To me is if you said their name, like, to. To your mom or someone on the street, they would immediately be like, yeah, of course I knew who that is.
Hank
Yeah, Jason Tatum's in there.
Big Cat
He's in this commercial. He's. He's a star. I'm very critical of the. We've. We've done this, so I don't want to rehash it, but, like, it's not a knock on him. I. Jalen Bronson, I feel the same way. It's like, he's a star. Superstar has to be like one of the. Like, everyone knows who that person is.
PFT Commenter
If you're a star in New York though, that gives you a little extra bump though.
Big Cat
Yeah, that's true. I listen some people have superstar threshold is different than mine.
PFT Commenter
I don't know if I put Luke in there just yet. I think he was star like a superstar. I think he was.
Big Cat
And now he's not.
PFT Commenter
Now he's not.
Big Cat
Now he got taken out a superstar.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, he's like one of those stars that's about to engulf the Anthony sun is.
Big Cat
Is right there.
PFT Commenter
He's like the sun in 40 billion years when it swallows.
Big Cat
I have like, I have like sga, Tatum, Brunson and the Edwards like right there.
Hank
Okay. I mean we'll just keep. We'll just have to keep winning championships and see how you, you know, move this take back.
Big Cat
Well, no, my superstar.
PFT Commenter
Well, what about.
Max
I don't think you say keep winning championships when you've only won one.
Hank
Well, we've won one.
Big Cat
Keep winning.
Max
Makes a we just assumption that you're won. Again, continuously winning championships. You are not continuous.
Hank
We are the current champions and if we win another one, that means we kept winning.
Max
You are losing the series.
PFT Commenter
No, no.
Max
No, you're not.
Hank
So then.
Big Cat
So don't do that. Save it, Max.
Max
Are the same player. Their fourth quarter numbers are exactly the same. Their, their offensive rating is exactly the same. And beads. And beads. Better defensive rating. He has a better plus minus per game. They're the same. They're the same.
Hank
It's just tough. Like they played in a game seven and Jason Tatum went off to beat the Sixers after coming back from three to two. Like I, I will never understand.
Max
From three to two. Oh my God. The most surprising thing in all of sports. Who's going to forget the team that came back from 3 to 2?
Big Cat
I feel like he's being sarcastic right now.
Hank
I don't, I don't understand.
Max
You just said that it was like, like it was the Red Sox beating the Yankees down 3 0.
Hank
When we're talking about head to head comparisons usually having like the way you.
Max
Just said that was like, was like Yankees red.
PFT Commenter
So just wait till the Celtics come back from being down.
Hank
But that like that.
Max
Oh my God.
Big Cat
Showed something.
PFT Commenter
Max, you just do you root against every superstar in the playoffs so that you can say like Embiid's actually better than that guy?
Max
No, just the so called superstar of the Boston Celtics.
PFT Commenter
Okay.
Big Cat
Okay.
Max
Shout out stat hole sports. He's the best.
Big Cat
Yeah, we have. Wait, so these are the stat hole sports. He has all these numbers up here.
Max
Yeah, these Are what he's. He sent me two. Two things. One of them is just like overall, and then the other one is actually bizarre. It's like they're fourth quarter numbers.
Hank
Better at offense and better defense.
Max
No, wrong defense. It's better. It's better to have a lower number.
PFT Commenter
Okay, Max, you know what any of these numbers are that we're looking at?
Big Cat
Yeah, I don't know.
PFT Commenter
10.2 to 108.3.
Big Cat
What goes into play.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, I need to know.
Max
I don't know what goes into war.
PFT Commenter
Some guns.
Big Cat
We didn't bring up war, but that's what I'm saying.
Max
You know, it's important. I don't know what goes into it.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay.
Big Cat
But. But this also. This also has. Tatum is better than Embiid in both numbers.
Max
Wrong. He. The defense. It's better to have. He explained this to me because I was confused as well. Defense. It's better to have a lower number.
Big Cat
It is.
PFT Commenter
He had to schedule like a zoom call.
Max
That's what he said.
PFT Commenter
So he could explain each number.
Big Cat
So it's better to be higher in office.
Max
Correct.
Big Cat
Actually, that does make sense. That does make sense. Sense. All right. Okay. Want to talk about some other games?
PFT Commenter
Do you think they're going to continue to cheer? These are the fourth quarter, by the way.
Big Cat
We'll put.
Max
We'll put all these numbers up in the. In the YouTube. We're not going to. But we're not going to get into it.
PFT Commenter
Can't wait.
Big Cat
Crazy. Literally the same percentage. What do they say? Player shooter, shots made in the final five minutes. That's clutch time, baby.
Max
Of a five point game or less. They have the exact same percentage.
Big Cat
Okay, wow. Okay.
Max
0.348.
PFT Commenter
Same player, same guy.
Max
But I mean, that's.
PFT Commenter
I hate how you're turning this into a pure numbers argument.
Big Cat
Also. Doesn't that mean. But does that mean they just.
PFT Commenter
You're not a numbers guy.
Big Cat
Don't.
Max
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Don't cosplay as a numbers guy.
Max
That was. That was the whole point of this argument.
PFT Commenter
You're a trenches guy.
Big Cat
You're not.
Max
Remember when Hank did this. Are this numbers thing with us?
Big Cat
You with numbers.
Max
When he did the Thunder Celtics, he did this exact same thing.
Hank
You guys have twisted that argument and words that I've said into a place I can't even begin to come back from.
Big Cat
Max, pft is right. You're not a numbers guy. That would be like Hank dressing nice on a regular day. Like you. You're not a numbers guy. Yeah, look really weird he's not enough.
PFT Commenter
You're an emotions guy.
Big Cat
Yes. Yeah. You're. You're. Go with your taste and vinegar guy.
PFT Commenter
You're a gut guy.
Big Cat
Yeah. Yeah.
Hank
You're a meatball.
Big Cat
Yeah. You are a literal meatball. There's no numbers to meatballs. Yeah, it's good. They're good.
PFT Commenter
If you're gonna be a numbers guy, you gotta go all in. You gotta start wearing khakis and wear glasses and a little umbrel.
Big Cat
Yeah. Steve Kacki.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. You're not. Just stop being a numbers guy for me.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
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Big Cat
All right, let's talk about Timberlles warriors, because Steph is still not playing and the warriors are very difficult to watch.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, very, very tough watch without them.
Big Cat
They are very different. They were leading at half without making a three. I mean, credit to Jimmy Butler and Kaminga for keeping this game close, but this was. This game was Julius Randall. Julius Randall has been so good for. He's their most consistent player. Like Anthony Edwards. I know. I think he had 36. And Anthony Edwards obviously has a higher ceiling and all that stuff. Julius Reynolds in these playoffs has been Mr. Consistency. And it's crazy to watch him, like, make the right pass instead of doing his old school spin move where he spins to no one. Being all over the boards, like just he. He's not forcing it. He's letting the game come to him. And it's. It's cool to watch a guy like, find a good spot. Probably going to piss off Knicks fans to watch this, but he is Mr. Consistency and he was triple double in this game.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. So actually Anthony Edwards gets better. The better Julius Randle gets, too.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
It's like a force multiplier because as dangerous as Edwards is, when he's dribbling the ball and he's attacking, he's about to just dunk through everybody. He's also that dangerous when he's moving without the ball. If he has somebody that can get it to him in the right place.
Big Cat
Yep.
PFT Commenter
And that's Julius Randall right now who's softening up, just burying his. His shoulders into people's solar plexus, backing him down, and then finding Anthony Edwards cutting. It does. They are fun to watch when they do that. And credit to the Golden State warriors because they played some good defense.
Big Cat
They're really good defensively.
PFT Commenter
They mucked it up. They. They have to get, like, real dirty and chippy and nasty with it, which they did in the first half, and then it was just too much at the. At the end. They couldn't get a shot when they needed a shot. And the highlight of the fourth quarter was a guy in the stands that looked very similar to Mike Dunleavy making out with a woman as Jimmy Butler was on camera.
Big Cat
Yes.
PFT Commenter
I don't think that was actually him.
Big Cat
No.
PFT Commenter
But it's fun to pretend that it was.
Big Cat
I agree. Also, the highlight of this game was Draymond Green knowing the spread and telling his guys to cover the spread.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. Five and a half. What now? Was he telling his guys or was he telling the other team? Like, what's this about five and a half? Yeah, we got this. Just watch.
Big Cat
I think it was coming out of a huddle, and he. Because Draymond Green had fouled out of the game. I don't know if you can find the clip. Max. He. Max is. Max does the funny thing, after he goes toe to toe with Hank, he just kind of sits back and, like, stops. Takes, like a timeout. Mental timeout. Like. Yeah, I was processing, replaying everything in his head. Think about what he said is still going.
PFT Commenter
People are going to get upset about this. No, I can't believe I said that.
Max
No, that was good.
PFT Commenter
Can't believe I tried to do math.
Big Cat
He just didn't have his hands anywhere near his computer there when we started.
PFT Commenter
I shouldn't have brought up the thing about keep winning.
Big Cat
Yeah. Yeah. You might be right. It might be. Again, might be telling the Wolves.
PFT Commenter
I think he was telling Nas Reed. That's what it looks like.
Big Cat
He was.
PFT Commenter
Was that Nas? I think so.
Big Cat
And a half.
PFT Commenter
He's like five and a half.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Watch this. Yeah, we got this.
Big Cat
I also like that People then they make it three. This is rigged. There was 15 seconds left. The warriors were going to try to score.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
I don't. You can't rig. It'd be one thing if it was. They were up. It was, you know, the Wolves had said five and a half and they're like, hey, let the warriors score here.
PFT Commenter
Right.
Big Cat
So they could cover.
PFT Commenter
Or if Nas had looked at him and been like, yeah, okay, got it. Five and a half. And told us he made it like, hey, like don't play, don't play defense. Which they might not have been playing that tough defense because the game was out of hand at that point. Correct. And they're just like, don't foul.
Big Cat
Right, Right.
PFT Commenter
But it is funny to see it looks. I, I haven't seen anybody suggest anything else besides him saying that was five and a half there.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
And what else could the.
Big Cat
No, absolutely. Five and a half. I'm just happy that we keep doing the awoo. The AWU tweet. I, I would like to see Steph Curry playing this game. I don't really want to see Gary Payton and Gary Payton Jr. The second. Sorry and Psymski just like miss a million shots. But that was step. Buddy Hill's actually been like decent.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
He's not, I, you can't expect much more from what Buddy Hill is giving.
PFT Commenter
No, you can't.
Big Cat
He's. We're at max. Buddy heel.
PFT Commenter
You can't expect much more from this team.
Big Cat
No. Like, it's Jimmy Butler basically making incredible footwork plays in one on one basketball and then shooting it over Rudy Gobert who does affect every shot. And you're hoping that all of them go in and then maybe you have a chance.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. Your prayer is to get a Jimmy Butler 50 point game.
Big Cat
And coming. It did have his 30 point game. So that was, it's tough that it came in a loss.
PFT Commenter
I, I don't see them winning another game without Steph. It could happen if Jay Butt does the J Butt thing.
Big Cat
Yeah. And yeah, I, I, I just. Walls are fun. Julius Randall fun. I like, I like watching the Wolves and I like watching, I mean Anthony Edwards that dunk he had. And also, you know what? You know what? I'm rooting for Mike Conley. Yeah. Mike Conley a lot.
PFT Commenter
Of course. Good guy.
Big Cat
And he adds like a, like he had. I think it was like late in the game, I watched all these games on re. I saved them on YouTube TV and watched him on my flight back. It was like towards the end of the game where he was Just playing really good defense. It was like, Mike Conley. I like that.
PFT Commenter
That's the dad in you.
Big Cat
I had to.
PFT Commenter
Dads love Mike Conley.
Big Cat
Oh, they meant the recording. Because that also is what my dad does.
PFT Commenter
No, that too. But, like, dads love Mike.
Big Cat
Oh, yeah.
PFT Commenter
He's the perfect guy. A dad to watch and be like, that's why they can win the championship. Yeah.
Big Cat
Shout out Mike Conley.
PFT Commenter
He does do all the little things.
Big Cat
Yeah. All right. Nuggets Thunder has been a weird series. Two, Two. Since we last recorded, though we had the overtime game on Friday night where I. I don't want to, like, reduce playoff basketball into one simple thing, but I think in this game, you can. Where it simply was, the Denver Nuggets are former champions and the Oklahoma City Thunder are a young team. And it was like, find a way to win. And the Nuggets could do it. And the Thunder were like, hey, let's just have sga. Go one on five and hope it works.
PFT Commenter
Well, yeah, I think this whole series, just in general, I guess, with the exception of the blowout in game two, but there have been a lot of instances where, like, small coaching decisions, small, like, mental errors have just tilted the games in one direction.
Big Cat
And Aaron Gordon just being the man.
PFT Commenter
Aaron. Mr. Nugget.
Big Cat
He is so awesome.
PFT Commenter
Give me five. Aaron Gordon.
Big Cat
Did you know that he built a court in his house this summer? Yeah. And worked on his shot all summer.
PFT Commenter
Well, it shows.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
And he loves, like, he loves stepping back and taking those threes now. Yeah, he's kind of stepped into. That was his role right now is kind of what Porter was doing last year and the year before.
Big Cat
And Also Michael Porter Jr. Is playing with an entire ice pack on his shoulder. Yeah. One at all times.
PFT Commenter
One arm just not working.
Big Cat
Yeah. But so Friday night, the Nuggets have a huge win. It's like, all right, if they can somehow win on Sunday, this series could be over. And they. This game was horrific to watch. The Nuggets scored eight points in the first quarter. They were. The teams are combined 1 for 32, shooting at one point from three point to start the game. It felt like the Nuggets had this game or they at least were going to have a chance to win this game and get to that pressure point of, like, hey, we're the team that's won a championship. And yokich missing those two free throws when it was 84. 80. So yoga has not been that good. Like, he looks like he's hurt. Yeah, he's.
Hank
Well, they're also beating the way he runs. It looks like he, like, is in so much pain.
PFT Commenter
That's kind of always how he looks.
Hank
I know, but it's extra. He's like, extra kind of. I think today it stood out slow.
PFT Commenter
And because like, like Big Cat was saying, the fact that the Nuggets have all the experience and the Thunder is so young, that's kind of why the Nuggets were able to win on Friday night. I think that's why the Thunder were able to win today. Younger after like 35 hours off.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
The Thunder just bounced back. And the oldest guy in the Thunder is Alex Caruso. And the. The Nuggets were. They looked like they didn't have any legs at all in the first quarter.
Big Cat
I.
PFT Commenter
And that now they did come back to a point where they could have, I think, taken the lead on the shot if not tied it, where Russ had the wide open three and just air mailed it.
Big Cat
That did the rush shot. I feel like he missed. He. Why? There was like a few moments in that fourth quarter where it's like, oh, here come the Nuggets. And there was I. There was at least two that had come to mind of Russ having a wide open three and missing and airballing. Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. He did make that great stop against sga though.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
When he was like, okay, we're going ISO. I'm going to get inside of his shirt. And then I think the announcer said afterwards he was in his chest like bronchitis.
Hank
Yep.
PFT Commenter
Which is a great call.
Big Cat
Great line.
PFT Commenter
How. How long do you think he had that one cocked and ready?
Big Cat
I don't know. But it was.
PFT Commenter
I heard it. I was like, yeah, that's. That's right. That's it. Nuggets are winning.
Big Cat
That's true.
PFT Commenter
Bronchitis.
Big Cat
Yeah, but it was. I mean, those two. I know. Like, well, it does come down. You got to make your free throws and like, yo, it was kind of shocking to see Jokic miss those two free throws. And it's also. We're having. We're having a competing war online of fan bases and. And posting replays of Jokic flops and Thunder, like, beating the out of Jokic. And like, which one's more egregious? There's complaints coming from all sides.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
Because there was clip that went viral the other night of. Of Lou Dort just basically trying to wrestle Jokic and nothing getting called. And then Jokic having flops and doing stuff and nothing getting called. I think they're just not calling anything ever.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
Which I'm okay with as long as they stay consistent. Yeah. Lou Dor. Lou Dort does have a little bit of football player playing, like, pickup basketball with the basketball.
PFT Commenter
He's got some sharp elbows.
Big Cat
Yeah. He can't hit a three right now, too. And I'm a torture guy. I'm a torture chamber guy. I love Luke Jord.
PFT Commenter
I think Jokic has some of that soccer mentality in him.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Kind of grew up with that European style where it's like, if you get touched, you have to sell it. I don't. I rarely see. And I'm sure that somebody's going to send some examples of him doing, like, true flops, but I feel like most of the time he. Somebody touches him and then he exaggerates the reaction.
Big Cat
And I also do think there's times where he just doesn't get the call.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
Like, because he's. It. It happened to Shaq famously of, like, Shaq is so they don't know how to. How to officiate him because he's so much bigger than everyone.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. I mean, the NBA got caught in a. Like, it was a. A gap in the playbook or in the rule book where I think it was Caruso was defending against Jokic as he was going up for a layup, and Caruso had his hand on his hip. And then Jokic goes up for the layup and, like, flails his body a little bit. They call the foul, then they challenge it, and they look at it and they're like, clearly this is a foul that should not have been called in real time. But by the letter of the law, his hand was on his hip. So it is a foul. Even though we can all see that it's not.
Big Cat
That was. I think that was the two free throws that he did.
PFT Commenter
It was.
Big Cat
Yeah. Yeah. So it was a ball don't lie moment.
PFT Commenter
Big time ball don't lie.
Big Cat
Yeah. Huge ball don't lie.
PFT Commenter
Bald don't lie for Caruso.
Big Cat
Yeah. But it's. It's. It really is a clip war going on. Yeah. On both sides. And I'm just sitting here just enjoying it. I think that today was not an enjoyable basketball game.
PFT Commenter
No, it was not. No, it was. Not at all. The first half sucked. There were so many airballs.
Big Cat
Yeah. Who do you think is going to win this series?
PFT Commenter
I think.
Big Cat
I do think Jokic is going to have another, like, he's not going to play. And again, all in perspective, a bad Jokic game is when he's like 26 points, 12 rebounds, but he has to take like 20, 24 shots to do it.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. What's the schedule?
Big Cat
I think their next game is Tuesday. You're just going off legs.
PFT Commenter
Just going off legs right now?
Big Cat
Yeah. They played Tuesday, Thursday. They don't get a day off then. Then Sunday if there's a game seven. So that would be the only time they get two days off. So. So if you're going off legs, the Nuggets have to win one of these next two, and then they get a two days off before game seven.
PFT Commenter
I. So I'm gonna go Nuggets.
Big Cat
You're gonna go Nuggets.
PFT Commenter
I think they can steal one.
Hank
Thunder, dude. Thunder's team's too stacked.
Big Cat
What are you mocking PF2 right now? I felt mocking.
PFT Commenter
He's mocking me.
Hank
They won the most games in the league. They're the youngest team.
Big Cat
Guy for guy.
Hank
Guy for guy. They're stacked.
PFT Commenter
I was just trying to impart a little. A little awareness to you and a little, you know.
Hank
Yeah. And you got through.
Big Cat
You should be.
Hank
You should be like.
PFT Commenter
You were a little too cocky, and you got to be a little bit more humble. Hank.
Hank
I'm. I was. That's what I did. I. I took in the information like a sponge, and now I'm giving it back, and I'm getting mocked for it.
PFT Commenter
Is that what sponges do?
Big Cat
You.
Hank
Yeah, they absorb.
Big Cat
After we.
PFT Commenter
After we ring you out.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Twist you up.
Big Cat
The last series. The Pacers. Holy. They kicked the. Out of the Cavs tonight. I know the Cavs. So. The Cavs won on Friday night. Donovan Mitchell was out of this world. That one highlight was so sick of him spin moving and then readjusting in the air. But tonight was. It was Pacer ball. I think they had 25 assists in the first half.
Hank
Insane.
Big Cat
Insane.
PFT Commenter
So at.
Big Cat
Everyone shot.
Hank
They're shooting like 60.
Big Cat
It was crazy. They were moving the ball so well.
PFT Commenter
Halftime. They were up 80 to 39. That's a 41 point halftime lead. I think that's tied for the biggest halftime lead in the history of the NBA playoffs. With who, Hank?
Hank
The Celtics?
PFT Commenter
The Cleveland Cavaliers over the Celtics.
Hank
Oh.
PFT Commenter
In 2017. Got it.
Big Cat
I think that was the game you lost your wallet.
Hank
We might have been there. Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
I think that was Wallet.
PFT Commenter
That was Wallet. Where. Yeah, we. I left.
Big Cat
Kyrie went off.
PFT Commenter
I left it in Cleveland. Or was that 20. That might have been 26. Was that not the first year of. Part of my take? I thought that might have been the first year.
Big Cat
No, because. Because we weren't.
Hank
I don't is the Isaiah Thomas year. I think it was 2017 Eastern Conference finals.
PFT Commenter
I think. No.
Hank
Game seven.
PFT Commenter
I think 2016. I think it was year one of. Part of my take.
Hank
Nope.
PFT Commenter
That I left it there.
Hank
Nope.
PFT Commenter
Machine Gun Kelly performing.
Hank
Yeah. No, it's 2017 for sure.
PFT Commenter
Who could forget?
Big Cat
Are you going to let him just. Nope. You like that?
Hank
I know. I.
PFT Commenter
No, I trust. I trust Hank's memory of.
Big Cat
I'm looking it up.
PFT Commenter
Getting his ass kicked by LeBron.
Big Cat
Don't. Don't let him just. Nope. You like that?
PFT Commenter
No. I mean, if Hank says no. LeBron became my daddy in 2017, then.
Hank
I believe we were in. That was.
Big Cat
Yeah, 2016 was Cleveland.
PFT Commenter
Max gave me a massive thumbs up.
Max
I like that. That was good.
Big Cat
That was.
Max
No, that was good content.
PFT Commenter
But. Yeah. So they were up 72 to 31. Yikes. You guys only scored 31 points in the first half against them.
Big Cat
Yeah, that was Kyrie. Remember, Kyrie scored like 18 points in a row.
Hank
Yeah.
Big Cat
I've never seen anyone play basketball.
Hank
80 to 39 almost beat them in game seven.
PFT Commenter
8039 is a bigger 41 point lead than 72.
Max
Almost beating someone in game seven. That. That's what we're. That's what we're saying is.
Hank
Well, it's also Eastern Conference finals, so we know Joel and B. Can never.
Max
Hey, what you're gonna say, great accomplishment.
PFT Commenter
So you guys should do a podcast together. I would listen to it.
Big Cat
Absolutely.
PFT Commenter
I would. No, I was saying 80 to 39 is a bigger 41 point halftime lead than 72. 31.
Big Cat
Yeah. Someone asked me and I said the. The only thing bigger than 8039 would be 70 to 29. That's a huge.
PFT Commenter
72. 31 does not even feel like 41 points.
Big Cat
Yeah, but 70 to 29 is. That's massive.
PFT Commenter
7029 is.
Big Cat
Because if you have a 2 and 7, that's crazy.
PFT Commenter
60 to 19.
Big Cat
60 to 19 is. I mean, that's. That's a. That's not a NBA basketball game.
Hank
That's SEC football.
Big Cat
No, I was gonna say that's a high school girls basketball. Like. Like, you know, the first round of this. Of the. Of the tournament. State tournament.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
All right. The best team plays. The worst team is 60 to 19.
PFT Commenter
Also the NCAA women's tournament.
Big Cat
Yeah. Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Like Yukon again.
Big Cat
That is Yukon. Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Against. I don't know, Norfolk State.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
UConn against Kennesaw.
Big Cat
Yeah, I like that Kennesaw pole.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
I was on the tip of my tongue. Pace. Listen, I'm not going to Say this series is over because I do think the Cavs are going to win the next game, and then there's a little bit more pressure. But Charles Barkley thinks this series is over because he said, I'll see you all in Indy next week. Say no mos. Get the steak ready. Well done, filet mignon.
PFT Commenter
Okay.
Big Cat
That is so disgusting. That is so disgusting. Also, I think he said filet minion.
PFT Commenter
If that's also. If you're going to say well done on any, any kind of steak. Listen, I'm. I'm never one to judge somebody based on how they order their steak or what is and is not a temperature.
Big Cat
You would never do that.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, well, filet mignon, that is quite.
Big Cat
Literally a hockey puck.
Hank
Yeah, he loves hockey.
PFT Commenter
He does.
Big Cat
He does love hockey.
PFT Commenter
Good point.
Big Cat
I mean, I do think the Pacer going to win this. I think they're better than the Cavs. I just think that the Cavs are going to win game five. So there'll be a little bit of.
PFT Commenter
Is Donovan Mitchell okay?
Big Cat
Oh, yeah. Did he come back in, hurt himself at halftime walking? What happened to the locker room is good. Hank.
Hank
Yeah, you, you, you.
Big Cat
You've. You've been mocking me.
Hank
No, I like Pacer Dan.
Big Cat
No, I just was Luca Daniel last year. They don't get any respect. They don't get any respect.
Hank
You're right. And you're giving it to him a lot.
Big Cat
You're not.
Hank
I'm not at all.
PFT Commenter
The thing we've learned the most in these playoffs is any team is capable of turning into a giant ass in any given half.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Every team has had a suck ass half.
Big Cat
Yeah, big time. Big time. And the Pacers had a whoop ass half at the same time as the.
PFT Commenter
Cavs had their suck ass half.
Big Cat
Yeah, it was poor timing. Wait, did Donovan Mitchell come back in the game? I don't think he did because he only played 20 minutes.
PFT Commenter
That's not good.
Big Cat
I'll be honest, I tuned out the second half because I was like, the Pacers were just so much better. So Delvile return game after suffering an ankle injury. Okay, I take that back. The Pacers are going to win this series. Maybe in five.
PFT Commenter
I think in five. So if we just going off vibes.
Big Cat
And I think I predicted Cavs in five or six, so I was very wrong about that. But yeah, Pacers, they gotta get. They gotta go back to the old logo for the fucking Eastern Conference final.
PFT Commenter
I agree.
Big Cat
If the Pacers play the Knicks or the Celtics, that's, that's like Big time. Like, you have to. You have to go because you're gonna.
PFT Commenter
Be playing a team with a classic logo.
Big Cat
Correct.
PFT Commenter
And you can't.
Big Cat
You have to fight fire with fire. You can't be. You can't be the Indiana Heat, which is what they've been wearing.
PFT Commenter
I agree. It'd be bad. Look. So just based on vibes, the Celtics, Knicks series, it's one to two. We. We all agree. It feels like Celtics are up 3 to 1. Is that fair? I would feel like 2, 2.
Big Cat
It feels like 3 and a half to 1 and a half.
PFT Commenter
3 and a half to 1 and A half. Celtics.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Okay.
Big Cat
I don't know why that doesn't make any sense.
PFT Commenter
Timberwolves up two one on Golden State feels like three and a half.
Big Cat
Let me explain why. I think three and a half. One and a half. I feel like the Celtics are one half of basketball away from the Knicks being like, all right, we quit.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
Like, if they come out and they just absolutely wash, I think the Knicks would be like, that was. This is not fun.
PFT Commenter
Okay. The. The T Wolves Warriors. It's two to one right now for the T. Wolves. I feel like that's two and a half to half a game.
Big Cat
It might be three and a half to half a game without.
PFT Commenter
Without Steph. Yeah, but if it's two and a half to half, then they have a better chance of getting Steph back at some point. Yeah. Because otherwise you just added. Yeah, another game. And then Nuggets Thunder. That. That one, to me, feels like it's.
Big Cat
I think it's correct. Score.
PFT Commenter
You think so?
Big Cat
I think it's 2 2.
PFT Commenter
It feels like 31 thunder right now.
Big Cat
No, I think it's 2 2, because I think it's the way the Nuggets have won their two games has been very. Like, we're a team that knows how to do this, whereas the Thunder cannot. I know that it was, like, crazy game one, obviously, but, like, the championship medal of the Nuggets DNA deserves two wins in this.
PFT Commenter
Okay, we can go two, two. Yeah, it does feel it's close to two two.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
And then Pacers.
Rachel Nichols
I'll.
Big Cat
I'll. I. I go two and a two and a quarter to 1.1.75.
PFT Commenter
Okay, we'll roll that then. Then. Pacers, Cavs. I feel like it's four nothing.
Big Cat
I think it's five one.
PFT Commenter
Four nothing faces is what I have it at.
Big Cat
Five one. Hank, do you agree with all these advanced metrics? Yeah, yeah, dude. The filet mignon. Well done.
PFT Commenter
Man.
Big Cat
Hank, what if at St. Elmos, do.
PFT Commenter
You think that there. There's anything to Joe Maulu being really happy that he was down 02?
Hank
I think it's just a sign of being a great coach.
Big Cat
It.
Hank
It instills confidence in the team. When you got someone that likes to be in those situations to, you know, inspire your players.
PFT Commenter
He likes to be drowning so he can swim to shore.
Big Cat
Yeah. He wants to choke himself out. Right.
Hank
And if you're a player that's like, all right, we know what to do.
Big Cat
That would be funny if the Knicks, like, somehow won Monday night and then Joe Missoula came out game five with just like a belt around his neck. Just tightening it a little bit more ball gag. Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Just dressed in leather.
Max
What happens if the Knicks do win Monday night?
Big Cat
Max, let me. Let me ask you a question first. Do you think the Knicks are going.
Hank
To win again on Wednesday?
Max
They.
Big Cat
They can if the Knicks win Monday night. I'll tell you what's going to happen. If the Knicks can win Monday night, I think The Celtics will 100% win game five, and then it will be just pressure cooker. Two games, two game series. That's. What if the Knicks can win one day. Do you agree with that?
Max
Yeah. Yeah. No. Monday night's their only shot.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. But I mean, if the Knicks win Monday, I don't think the Celtics. They can't come back from down three to two.
Big Cat
That would be three, one.
PFT Commenter
Three to one. Yeah, you're right.
Big Cat
Yeah. Actually, the Knicks have to win Monday night because the only thing you don't want to do Is have a 32 lead on the Celtics. Celtics.
Max
Correct.
PFT Commenter
Because history can't have. That potato will explode.
Big Cat
Go nuts.
PFT Commenter
You're gonna be rooting. I love this, Max. I love. And it's also partially like. It's a good mix of your. Your absolute hatred for Hank.
Hank
It makes me feel better.
PFT Commenter
But also the Villanova.
Hank
We're in a good spot.
Big Cat
We got a Pope, Max. But here's the thing. Like, this is after we got a Pope. Good, Good point. We do have Pope. Here's the thing, Max. This is not the series. I think, like, I know the first two games happen. The Knicks kind of had to win Saturday.
Max
Yeah.
Big Cat
But, like, they weirdly had to go up 3. Oh. Cause it just. What happened on Saturday? Like, what's. What's more. What can you replicate more? The Celtics have had a 20 point lead in all three games.
Max
I know, but Nixon, six.
Big Cat
Right. So I'm saying is, don't put all your eggs in this Basket for this series.
Max
I know, but I can't wait till the finals. I got. I got it.
Big Cat
Like Pacers.
Max
No, I can't have the Pacers. The Pacers are so boring.
Big Cat
Look at it. No, they're the opposite of boring.
Max
But.
Big Cat
But you don't watch ball. They're the opposite of boring.
Max
But I'm saying, like media wise, they're boring.
PFT Commenter
You're saying.
Big Cat
Oh, wow. You're saying espn. Exactly. John Skipper over here, you're saying.
Max
No, but I'm just saying that I have the Nova. The like ties to the Knicks. Like there's at least something there.
PFT Commenter
You're just saying that you don't watch the Pacers.
Big Cat
So. And you don't like that they're in Indiana. Yeah, traditionally.
PFT Commenter
You're saying traditionally. Yes, they're boring. Yeah, traditionally they are boring.
Max
Yes.
PFT Commenter
I. I will give you that.
Big Cat
Like, I doesn't do anything for you.
Max
Trust me. As soon as it becomes Pacers sees, I'm all aboard the peace train.
Big Cat
But we got to get him a Rick Smith's jersey.
Max
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Or give him a run our test.
Big Cat
Yeah.
Max
I just needed some juice. I just needed some juice. And Monday night.
Big Cat
Yeah, Monday night, folks. It's the foreplay.
Rachel Nichols
Guys.
Big Cat
Let's talk Truly Unruly. When you spend every day following the countless laws of golf like us, it's refreshing to get a little unruly. Whether that means using the old hand wedge to escape the bunker or just cracking open a hard seltzer that breaks all the rules, few things feel better.
PFT Commenter
Truly Unruly is the first high alk seltzer. The that actually tastes good.
Big Cat
It's hard hitting, but still light and refreshing, making it perfect for everything from the front nine to the clubhouse.
PFT Commenter
Find it near you at truly hard seltzer.com locations. That's truly hard seltzer.com Locations.
Big Cat
Hard Seltzer Beverage Co. Boston, Massachusetts. Please drink responsibly. Okay. Should we talk some hockey? PFT.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
Are you in trouble?
PFT Commenter
I think we might be in trouble. I might also wake up. Yeah.
Hank
I was checking one thing. I was looking at the scores.
Big Cat
We were talking on Thursday night, like before. Before we recorded. Cause you guys were out. So it's just me and pft and memes on the zoom. And I was just like, it's crazy that Hank just does. Like he. Because he doesn't watch hockey, he can't just reverse everything that PFT trolls Hank with. Like I was going through. I watched all these games, but you know he's going through like he's down 2, 1.
Hank
The difference between me and PTS. I like P and I root for his teams. I want the Capitals to do well.
PFT Commenter
Do you? Okay. So what do you think we have to do, Hank, to turn the series around?
Hank
Well, I don't know. Hockey. You need to score more goals. You need OB to get some Russian gas in them and. And fire the boys up.
Big Cat
The Hurricanes are. Are annoying.
PFT Commenter
They're so, so annoying. So annoying. And it's. And I say it as an agape guy and listen. Yeah, we're both big time agape guys on this podcast, but that. They're annoying. But I mean that. And it's almost like a compliment because they're a good team.
Big Cat
Oh, yeah. Annoying. Winning. Annoying is a good thing.
PFT Commenter
You want your. You want.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Your opponents to. To say that you're annoying.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
OVI has not played that great this series. He had a couple solid looks in the first period, but there is like. It's crept in my head. I'm having some dark thoughts I'm trying to pull myself out of, but I go through this with all of my teams. It doesn't matter. I. I always expect the worst to happen. OVI seems like he. He's hit that wall at the end of the season because he's so old. We saw it last year in the playoffs against the Rangers. And the same type of energy level body language is what I'm seeing from obi.
Big Cat
He's a Russian gas.
PFT Commenter
He needs. Hank's right. He knows Puck too.
Hank
Worried about the. The record. Not worried enough about saving himself for the playoffs.
PFT Commenter
No. They had a. They had a great season. They were first in the East. Hank, he had a great season. Should he have. Do you want your team to save itself for the playoffs if you're old.
Hank
And you need rest? Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. That's a fair point.
Big Cat
You got him there.
PFT Commenter
I just. He does. He doesn't seem to have any of that juice. And I don't know. I hope that he proves me wrong and he comes out next game.
Hank
But when they were playing nobody's in March, he was buzzing around scoring two goals a night.
PFT Commenter
Don't talk about the Blackhawks and the Islanders.
Hank
I'm just saying.
PFT Commenter
I think Tom Wilson is really the only guy that has been consistently great for us. And if you watched on. I think it was Friday night that they. No, sorry, Saturday. Saturday they played. Tom Wilson had a fantastic game on Thursday, too. Like, Tom has been the best player on the ice when he's out there. And he's so fun to watch and everybody that doesn't have a Tom Wilson. They hate Tom Wilson. But if you have a Tom Wilson, you love the guy. He played great on Saturday again, too. The goaltending was better, but then at the end it just. He was a gape.
Big Cat
So what do you. What's the fix you got? Is this a must win?
PFT Commenter
It's. Yeah. The mistake was I. I said I was going to announce on. On Saturday morning if it was a must win. I forgot to announce if it was a must win game.
Big Cat
Oh, no.
PFT Commenter
Big, big mistake.
Big Cat
Huge mistake.
PFT Commenter
This is a must win. Monday is a must win, and we're one and one in must win games this postseason. So it's 50. 50. It's a must win.
Big Cat
If you don't win on Monday, Thursday becomes a can't lose.
PFT Commenter
Thursday becomes must not. Even you can't lose. Yeah. Don't. Must not entertain the thought of losing.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Because I don't. What I'm worried about now is going to the game on Thursday and then having the season closed out of my face.
Big Cat
Right.
Hank
Oh, no.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. It'd be tough, but yeah. Hank, any other advice? Cause you're right on the money when you say that we need some Russian gas. Since send OVI all the Russian gas. Because he needs it.
Hank
And it's Carol. Like we. We need Leafs caps.
PFT Commenter
We do need Leafs caps.
Hank
Can't have Carolina, Florida.
PFT Commenter
No. No, we can't. They shoot so much because then I. I just don't.
Big Cat
Then you got nothing.
Hank
You lose me.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
Yeah, Right.
Hank
You lose Gary Bettman.
Big Cat
We cannot lose Hank.
Hank
You lose Henry Locke.
PFT Commenter
Hank is the face of the casual hockey fan. And you. You will. The ratings will go down the toilet.
Big Cat
We cannot lose Hank. We also had a buzzer beater on Saturday night.
PFT Commenter
It was sick.
Big Cat
Insane.
Hank
Insane.
Big Cat
Do we want to debate how it could actually be a buzzer beater with time still on the clock? I was joking. We don't. We don't.
PFT Commenter
It was. There was. There was 0.4 seconds left on the.
Big Cat
Clock, so I don't know what Skinner was doing in that moment. I don't know hockey. I'm not an expert, but it feels like the goalie's job there is to put their leg firmly on the post and make sure nothing gets by him in that angle. And he comes so far out. And I. I mean, I. It was crazy. What? Yeah.
PFT Commenter
His own goal.
Big Cat
Yeah. Dry Seidle. I mean, he's trying to make a play. It's kind of got stuck there. That was nuts.
PFT Commenter
It was crazy how the camera inside of the Goal made it look like it bounced off the post in real time. And then they had to go back.
Hank
Well, the announcers, the announcers were like, they didn't know. They had no idea.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
And then some of the guys, they were celebrating on the ice and then they looked at the review and very clearly it was a goal. But still weird that it was able to like bounce out like that. What happened was on that play, it was the shot. Fake that.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
That drew the goalie out, but still.
Big Cat
You have to know time and place.
PFT Commenter
In the goalie's head. He's like, oh, there's one second left. Surely he's going to write the slap shot and not take, you know, not. Not try to skate around to the side and get. Get on the side of the crease. So in his mind, he's like, this is their final chance. I have to come out, make the angle as small as possible.
Big Cat
I. And maybe hockey people will tell me I'm way off, but it just. That does seem as simple as, like you have to have your. You have to have the post there.
Hank
But that's understandable. What PFT saying is like he was trying to stop the slap shocks. I understand he assumed that's the last.
Big Cat
Shot he came so far.
PFT Commenter
It was a great fake shot.
Big Cat
No, but he, but he could have. He didn't have to. He came out.
Hank
He comes out of the camera.
Big Cat
He came out of the crease. Like he came too far out before the fake. Like he was just out of position, like right there. That, that's fine. But then, like, you have to get back. He's so far out of the. Yeah, that's a crazy. That's just crazy. I don't know how that. I mean, and, and listen, the Oilers are up to one, but that's the type of game it's like you had or you didn't have, but you just can't lose like that.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
Whitney must have been just. Oh.
PFT Commenter
Oh.
Hank
He was Twitter spaces was buried.
Big Cat
Sad, but very funny.
PFT Commenter
It's been a sad couple days for the boys.
Big Cat
Yeah. So biz, biz.
Hank
I biz. This is a great looking guy. He dresses sharp on tnt. And then I. I was watching the coverage on Friday and he looked like a used car salesman. Like he didn't shave. He looked like he woke up late, didn't have time to shower.
Big Cat
His. His. I disavow all these.
Hank
His suit was in his car and he just threw it on. No. I don't know.
PFT Commenter
Now you're the judge of aura.
Big Cat
He did it so you're judging everyone's fashion today.
Hank
I'm not judging.
Big Cat
Are you a fashionista? I'm.
Hank
I'm. I'm assuming biz. It's like a bit that he's doing because it's like he usually dresses very sharp. Like he didn't even shave or anything. Like he. It was. I think it's an intentional thing that he's doing, like a playoff beard or. I don't know, because he wore the same outfit again tonight.
Big Cat
I think he looks great. Well, business is a good looking guy.
PFT Commenter
Yes. He's one of those guys that's so handsome that when he dresses poorly on purpose, it makes them look even better.
Big Cat
Yeah, the. The. The Leafs had no chance tonight because Yan's hit the drum. He was the. And we got to get Yan's on. He hit the drum for the Panthers. That was it.
PFT Commenter
And he banged the biz. Idiot shirt.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Which is a great shirt.
Big Cat
Yeah. So that, that was. And it did feel. Because what game. When was game three was Friday. Friday night. Marshawn in the. In ottoman. That was where the Leafs, if they could have won that game, found a way to win that game, then it's like, all right, you should not fully leaf this. And I'm not saying they've leaked it yet because his home team has won both games and it's been very competitive. But now the, the. It gets a little tighter for the.
PFT Commenter
Leafs and there's a little bit of chippiness.
Big Cat
Oh, yeah.
PFT Commenter
Max Domi with the cross check. His time expired and now it looks like they. They hate each other, which I like.
Big Cat
That was a bad cross check here.
PFT Commenter
Here's what I'll say is this series has juice. Yeah, this, this series is fun to watch big time. As Hank, as a casual hockey watcher and enjoyer. The Caps Cane series, is there any juice there at all? No. No juice in it.
Big Cat
No.
PFT Commenter
I need something exciting. What scares me about this, this matchup too is it seems it feels like the Hurricanes get as many chances shorthanded as the Caps do. On the power play the Canes get, they are always looking to break out, which makes you nervous when you're on the power play. It's a very uncomfortable team to play against.
Big Cat
Yeah. Last series, I just. My only thing is the jets aren't going to win this series because, hell, Buck on the road stinks. Yeah, he gave up five goals. He's just not good on the road.
PFT Commenter
Do they bench him?
Big Cat
They did not bench him. But they should bench him.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
Because he's not Good on the road, and the Stars are really good. Ranton is continuing to stay on fire.
PFT Commenter
I think he had a assist in a goal.
Big Cat
He had two assists in a goal.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, he's just.
Big Cat
He's in the zone. We got to get Yance off. We got to talk.
PFT Commenter
And Dallas. Dallas does look like a confirmed good hockey town, too.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
I like the. The green bracelets that they hand out to everybody. It feels kind of like you're in.
Big Cat
A strip club and this is one of those situations. I know this is stupid to. To judge your sports this way, but I do. Like the Stars fans had to deal with Luca being traded.
PFT Commenter
Right.
Big Cat
And the Cowboys. Like, I'm not going to. If I'm gonna root for any Dallas sports success, it would be the Stars.
PFT Commenter
What about the Rangers?
Big Cat
Rangers don't really care.
PFT Commenter
It was kind of cool when they won the series.
Big Cat
Yeah, it was. But I'm just saying, like, I don't. Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Who they play against in the series?
Big Cat
They played against.
PFT Commenter
Was that the Diamondbacks?
Big Cat
Yes, that was when the Diamondbacks beat the Phillies. Yeah. And gave up a 31 lead in the NLC.
PFT Commenter
That's crazy that the Diamondbacks were in the 31 1.
Hank
Dude, who cares? That happens all the time. Time.
PFT Commenter
Not at the bank.
Max
Those are. Those are just not the same. Not. Whatever. I don't. Why am I defending that?
Big Cat
Wait, what?
Max
I mean, Hank just tried to compare 3:1 to 3:2. Like, they're the same thing.
Big Cat
3:1, but that's 3:1 is bad. Really bad at the bank.
Max
Correct.
PFT Commenter
Overalls, two bombs tonight. I look for.
Big Cat
I did see that. Kyle Schwerber, sneaky, mvp. Yeah. Media should start talking about it.
PFT Commenter
National sports podcast.
Big Cat
National sports podcast. Start talking about it. Kyle Schwarber, mvp, leading the league in home runs. Just something to think about. Just something to think about. You guys want to talk a little football? Because I got a couple of things.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, I got. I got one thing.
Big Cat
Yeah. Derek Carr retired.
PFT Commenter
He did retire. Yeah.
Big Cat
So I. I tweeted out that I. I'm going to be sad. And I understand people. The majority of the reaction was like, dude, who cares if he's on your team? You don't like him. Like, he's. He's just good enough to just piss you off. 1. We're a little biased because we actually enjoyed our interview with Derek Carr very much. To. Derek Carr is in that camp. He's like a. He's like a half a version of Philip Rivers. Do you know what I mean? Like, he's. You know what you're getting from Derek Carr, and he will provide you with some funny moments. And that is worth something to me.
PFT Commenter
A guy that's been around that long.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
And that is consistent. Yeah, there's. There's value in that as an NFL fan.
Big Cat
And he'll do, like, he'll make a weird face. He'll have the mascara. He'll throw his funny interception. He'll also throw like a perfect drop it in the bucket touchdown.
PFT Commenter
He'll like, dive into a guy when it's. He's scrambling for a first down and it's like third and 12 and he's gotten seven yards and he'll just dive into a guy and get injured.
Big Cat
He'll cover a spread against the Chiefs.
PFT Commenter
He'll really try to get you that, that first down, that was impossible to get.
Big Cat
So I'm going to miss him. And he did have that stretch of his from, like, I think it was 2014, 15, 16. He was good. He was good. And it's just. I also wonder, is he fully retired?
PFT Commenter
I don't know.
Big Cat
So he's just trying to not play on the Saints.
PFT Commenter
I think he's just trying to not have surgery.
Big Cat
Okay.
PFT Commenter
He's just avoiding surgery at any cost, which is very relatable.
Big Cat
I. But I also think this helps the Saints because he's. I saw he was taking his bonus this year, but it's. It's going to help them overall in the cap.
PFT Commenter
You would have liked to probably know this. Well, I was going to say you would have liked to know before the draft, but you drafted quarterback anyways. Maybe you would have liked to know this before free agency. Yeah, that's the one thing you can say.
Big Cat
But if you're.
PFT Commenter
Hey, if you're looking for a Derek Carr replacement, Atlanta's got a perfectly good Derek Carr replacement just sitting on the bench. Maybe the most Derek Carr replacement that there is.
Big Cat
Kirk Cousins. A little better than Derek Carbon. Yes, I agree.
PFT Commenter
But he's like the.
Big Cat
Yeah, he is.
Hank
Upgrade.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. Like finely tuned.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Derek Carr.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
If he's. If he's healthy, is waiting in Atlanta.
Big Cat
I would agree.
PFT Commenter
Pick up the phone. Although they probably wouldn't trade him in the division, would they? Definitely not.
Big Cat
I think they maybe would. Really?
PFT Commenter
I. I feel like the hatred between the Falcons and the Saints is high enough where you're just. You're not going to do a deal, are you, though, for starting quarterback?
Big Cat
So I agree on paper what you're saying. Do you think the Falcons are scared of Kirk Cousins?
PFT Commenter
If they do trade them, that tells you a lot about that one.
Big Cat
That's what I'm thinking.
PFT Commenter
That's the take.
Big Cat
Like, I gotta go with. There could be a chance that that phone gets picked up because they're like, hey, he's not gonna hurt us.
PFT Commenter
I think that they are. They might be afraid of a cousin scorned. I would be a Kirk Cousins revenge tour.
Big Cat
I think Kirk Cousins still has a couple moments left.
PFT Commenter
Oh, for sure. I mean, yeah, if he's healthy.
Big Cat
Yeah. But yeah, I'm gonna be sad. Derek Carr was like a dependable guy we can joke about.
PFT Commenter
Yep.
Big Cat
And so when you lose one, don't you agree he's like 40 of a Philip Rivers.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. I mean, he was never as hilarious as Philip.
Big Cat
No, no, no. The 40 in play and in hilarity.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. And he was a guy that, that he played for some very dysfunctional front offices. Yep. And he was pretty cool about it. He didn't really say anything publicly.
Big Cat
Seems like a.
PFT Commenter
He had like every opportunity to do that. But you could see it, the way that he, he wore it on his face and shoulders during games. Some of those Raiders games. He'd come to the sideline and you would almost feel bad for Derek Carr.
Big Cat
Yeah. All right. What was your story?
PFT Commenter
I was gonna say big story. It's schedule release week.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
This week.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
And it is truly a week long event. Big cat.
Big Cat
Yep.
PFT Commenter
Because even though we found out when the schedule release was going to be during the scheduled release release during the NFL draft, it appears that they're trickling out some of the games for us.
Big Cat
Okay.
PFT Commenter
So on Monday, we're going to get at least one game on the Today show that they're going to.
Big Cat
Oh, hell yes.
Hank
We know, we know. Chiefs, Chargers on fox.
Big Cat
I saw the league.
PFT Commenter
We're going to get one on the.
Big Cat
Leak of Commander's Dolphins in Spain.
PFT Commenter
Is that real?
Big Cat
That's. I, I just saw the leak.
PFT Commenter
I. I heard that. Vamos dunde in Espana. In Barcelona.
Big Cat
Yeah, in Barcelona.
PFT Commenter
Jaden. Daniel.
Big Cat
Oh, congrats. Barcelona won today.
Hank
Yeah, that. My friend texted me. He's like, we're back on Barcelona today. Right. I was like, how are they? The Champions League isn't even over. What league is this?
Big Cat
I wish they did that. I. I'm gonna say I don't like how they're doing this. Pft. I don't like that they're. They're slowly trickling out the schedule. I would prefer if the NFL, instead of telling us when the schedule comes, just one day we wake up and.
PFT Commenter
They hit us with the Sky, a surprise schedule.
Big Cat
Yeah. Cause then you wouldn't have leaks.
PFT Commenter
So it is in Madrid.
Big Cat
That's the leak.
PFT Commenter
Okay, I should go there with Frank.
Big Cat
So it's a week now. I just want the schedule.
PFT Commenter
So, yeah, we're going to get another game on Fox on Monday. We're going to get a prime video announcement on Monday. That's today as the show comes out. Then Tuesday on Good Morning America, we'll get another one. And then Wednesday on CBS and Netflix, they'll be announcing some of them.
Hank
All right, so we have a new goal on Netflix.
Big Cat
We need to someday, the Netflix.
PFT Commenter
Sorry, the Netflix game is going to be.
Big Cat
We need to someday have the NFL respect us so much that we get to release a game.
PFT Commenter
One game. One game. Titans, Jaguars.
Big Cat
I'll take the worst game you got.
PFT Commenter
Give us a Titans, Jaguars game game, and we'll release it.
Big Cat
All right, so when is the. The actual release is Wednesday, I believe so. Okay, so on Friday's show, when we tape on Thursday, we'll do us Mount Rushmore of games of the 2025 season.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, I like that, Max. Max is not a schedule release guy. He hates the schedule release.
Big Cat
Max doesn't like football.
PFT Commenter
But he doesn't, you know who you play. You fail to understand.
Big Cat
No, but that's how it lines up schedule.
PFT Commenter
The schedule leases for fans to look at and get really mad that the league screwed them over because they have to play like three road games in.
Big Cat
December and you get to go win loss, win, loss, all the way down the list.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, but you, You.
Max
You know who you play.
Big Cat
No, but it's all cuz. No, because when you do the actual schedule, if you're like, you can't. You know, when you're. It's all art to it where it's like if you do three wins in a row, you're gonna have to throw.
PFT Commenter
A loss in there and you got. You get to complain. Because if you're like the Niners, oh, we have to play two east coast games in a row. I wonder if we're going to stay at the Greenbrier.
Max
This is a thing for shitty teams to get excited about.
Big Cat
Yep.
Max
Thank you, Hank.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, Max.
Max
Hank and I are back.
PFT Commenter
Max. You just have to keep winning.
Big Cat
Right?
PFT Commenter
Oh, right.
Big Cat
Max, I didn't.
Max
I did not say keep winning.
Big Cat
You don't know when you're going to want to play. Like, I want to know when the Bears are playing. Like, Thursday and Monday night games we're going to have.
Max
Every one of our games are going to be prime time.
Big Cat
I bet you you won't.
Max
Okay, maybe single one. We'll probably have.
PFT Commenter
Max, you do play opening day, right? Thursday night. Probably kick the season off. Usually the super bowl winner does. I think. I think they might do it. I think it might be me and you opening night.
Big Cat
Pft. How? On a scale of one to. I'm going to be one to. This is bullshit and disrespectful. What if it was Eagles? Cowboys.
PFT Commenter
They might do that.
Big Cat
Yeah. Would that be.
PFT Commenter
And disrespectful? No, I don't want to play opening night.
Big Cat
Oh, okay.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
Open night would be fun for the show.
Max
It would be great for the show.
Big Cat
Great for the show.
PFT Commenter
I think there's a good chance it's. It's the Cowboys, just because.
Big Cat
No, I.
PFT Commenter
It's the Dallas Cowboys.
Big Cat
I think commanders makes more sense just off of Jaden Daniels. Like, Cowboys are a bummer.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, but they're the Cowboys.
Big Cat
They are the Cowboys. But then, you know. No, now that I'm saying it there, it'll be the Commanders because they'll save the Cowboys for Sunday Night Football.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
You know what I mean? They'll. They'll just hit that button. What are you looking up, Max?
Max
We play the Chiefs again, they could just run that back. Lions. They could do.
Big Cat
Play the Bears.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, I think maybe. Maybe the Lions.
Big Cat
Oh, yeah, Lions could make sense. All right. My other NFL news was, I just love this part of the season, the minicamp season, where every draft pick looks awesome. You have guys, you know, tackles getting into their set, not blocking anyone. Everyone's like, look. Look at them move their feet.
PFT Commenter
You have stretches even, like, look how. Look how deep he gets in that lunge.
Big Cat
I watched a clip of Abdul Carter doing a drill work. Everyone's like, look at this speed. It's insane.
PFT Commenter
He should be wearing number 56.
Big Cat
Yeah. We have QBs with, you know, no pass rush. Throwing the ball. Shador Sanders out there throwing the ball.
PFT Commenter
Shador Sanders being the last one off the practice.
Big Cat
Last one off the practice field. But my favorite thing from this week of mini camps, where everyone is in love with every pick and everyone looks awesome. And this is how sports should work. Like, you should have maximum excitement. Brian Dable is. This was a quote from Jay Fowler, espn. Brian Dable is really excited about this guy talking about Jackson Dart. More excited about him than really any other quarterback since Josh Allen that he's worked with. So just so we're clear, Brian Dable is more excited about Jackson Dart than he was to work with Daniel Jones, Davis, Webb, Drew Locke, Tommy DeVito and.
PFT Commenter
Tyrod Taylor and Jamis.
Big Cat
Well, he. Yeah, I guess he hasn't. They're. He's working with both of them right now.
PFT Commenter
And Russell, I definitely. Russell more excited to work with.
Big Cat
Yeah. I mean, I don't count the guys. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, but yeah, the. The list that he's had in the past, I guess, year one Daniel Jones, he was probably a little bit excited about.
Big Cat
Maybe a little excited.
PFT Commenter
But you got to be excited. Fresh, fresh lump of clay.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
To mold into what you want him to be.
Big Cat
Yeah.
Hank
We didn't draft any drums.
Big Cat
Right.
Hank
Did he?
Big Cat
No. So he inherited.
PFT Commenter
Yes.
Hank
Yeah.
Big Cat
But he's more.
Hank
So obviously the person. He's excited.
Big Cat
Yes. And also he's more excited about Jackson Dart than other a list of shitty quarterbacks that he actually.
Hank
No disrespect to Tommy DeVito.
Big Cat
Ah. And then the last NFL thing. Did you guys see Anthony Richardson's tattoo?
PFT Commenter
No, but let me look it up real quick.
Big Cat
I didn't. I. Apparently he really loves gambling because he got a giant roulette wheel on his back and he had to be put under for this tattoo.
PFT Commenter
Got like temporarily euthanized for.
Big Cat
There's cards, there's a roulette wheel. His. It was Anthony Richardson sit on McAfee Show. He was put to sleep while getting a back tattoo this offseason. Seven hours, four artists.
Hank
This thing is sick.
Big Cat
I know. It is sick.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
He. Yeah, it's his love of football and football.
Hank
Gambling.
Big Cat
Yeah. I mean, it's.
PFT Commenter
We should get.
Big Cat
I might get this tattoo. The NFL Shield Lion, Gladiators. His name. Just in case anyone forgets. That's important.
PFT Commenter
I. I love that he's got.
Hank
He's also a huge fan of the Four Aces. That's dope.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
And who are the Four Aces again?
Hank
Four Aces are Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Harold Varner and Peters. Thomas Peters.
PFT Commenter
Okay. First time.
Big Cat
Got it.
PFT Commenter
No, that is a sick tattoo. I have a take. And that's if you get sedated for. You shouldn't get sedated for a tattoo as a man.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
As a. And I say this as kind of a low key tattoo addict. Big at you.
Big Cat
Same.
PFT Commenter
Same way I would never.
Big Cat
I'm gonna get another one this week.
PFT Commenter
I would never get sedated for a tattoo.
Big Cat
Is that okay with you, Hank? I'll. Don't worry. I'll wear my sweatshirt so you don't.
Hank
Have to see it.
Big Cat
My black sweatshirt. Fashion police coming at me. You look like you wearing the same as me.
PFT Commenter
What do you Think about Tatum's tattoo saying.
Big Cat
So much aura, so much horror.
Hank
He also has his name on his back.
PFT Commenter
Does he have cards and a roulette?
Big Cat
Wait, doesn't he have a weird trophy? What? What did he get? Oh, no. What did he get?
PFT Commenter
Him holding the Larry o' Brien trophy.
Big Cat
No, it was something else. What is it? Is it the All Star mvp? What is it? It is the All Star mvp, isn't it? Is that right?
Hank
He's got a lot of tattoos.
Big Cat
Is it the All Star mvp? Hang on.
Hank
Of the. I don't know which tattoo you.
Big Cat
I'm pretty sure he has the All Star mvp. I just have a vague memory of him getting a tattoo of.
PFT Commenter
So posted on a Snapchat that he got an All Star game MVP tattoo.
Big Cat
Oh, man.
Hank
Hank, that's aura.
Big Cat
Oh, no. He's got Kobe's number.
PFT Commenter
Oh, yeah. Big cat. Here it is.
Big Cat
Yep, that's the All Star mvp. Who? The most illustrious award in all sports.
Hank
Well, it's the Kobe Bryant. That's the name of the. Oh, so respect Kobe.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, he just got so he could text it to him.
Big Cat
Oh, it's a snake. Oh, no, that's the. Yeah, someone said mine is better. Oh, it is snake. Okay, did you guys see or let's do who's Back of the Week? Let's do his back week. I had a couple of them. Who's back of the Week is brought. And after who's back or after Rachel Nichols, we're gonna do Jordan of the week. And Max has gifts for us. Hank personally requested that we do Jordan of the Week. Who's Back of the Week is brought to you by Truly. Truly unruly Lemonade combines the high elk fun of Truly unruly with everyone's favorite lemonade. It's the official hard seltzer. Pardon my take. Lemonade. Let loose. 8% ABV 100% delicious. Four supercharged lemonade flavors. Bumpin Blue Razz OG Original Lemonade Punched up pineapple wild pink. Level up your lemonade with truly unruly. Find Truly unruly at a store near you or Visit truly hard seltzer.com we love Truly. It is summertime. We're golfing. We're BBQ, beach, baseball. Everything. Everything's better with Truly. 8% ABV 100 delicious. Leave it up to your lemonade with Truly un. Level up your lemonade with truly unruly. Find Truly Unruly Lemonade at a store near you or visit trulyhardceltzer.com Hank always.
Hank
Back of the week is Raphael Devers oh, okay. He was in the news at the end of last week. It was kind of a bad translation. He kind of got a bang job with the, with the translator.
Big Cat
That keeps happening to him, right?
Hank
Yeah, it's, it's. He's getting misquoted, misrepresented. But he basically, like spent a bunch.
PFT Commenter
Of money on sports.
Hank
And a bunch of injuries. Nope. A bunch of injuries. And, and he was asked to play first base. He was an interview saying, I don't know what the hell the GM's thinking, like, saying he's essentially not going to move to first base. Translation was more like, you know, he's like, I know I'm a ball player. I know I'm, you know, supposed to be able to play positions. It's just not that easy. But then he's since gone 7 for 12, had a go ahead home run today.
Big Cat
Didn't this happen in spring training too?
Hank
Kind of. When we signed Bregman, he was like, I'm not switching positions again.
PFT Commenter
No. But then we, we went through the interview and then Hank said, no, he's not. He's saying I. He wasn't saying that. He refuses to switch positions.
Big Cat
Got it. But he did it again recently.
Hank
The recent one's the one I'm talking about where the.
Big Cat
So he just doesn't. You just can't ask.
Hank
He said he was told in spring training to put away your glove. You're going to be d. Aging. Obviously, injuries happen. They're like, hey, you might need to play first base. And he was kind of like, no.
PFT Commenter
He's like, I put away my glove.
Big Cat
Yeah, got it.
PFT Commenter
But that's, you know, make up your mind.
Hank
Told him to put away his glove.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, they're flip flopping.
Big Cat
Got it. It.
Hank
But now he's raking. So haters, silenced.
Big Cat
Haters.
PFT Commenter
All the haters.
Big Cat
Yeah, Seems like that he's just, he's creating the haters by doing dumb quotes.
Hank
Well, the train, the trade, the media is. Is misquoting them. Translation, the media bank job.
Big Cat
Okay. Pft.
PFT Commenter
My who's back of the week is guys who play a lot of golf that think that they can dunk.
Hank
Yeah, I had that as well.
PFT Commenter
So Harry Higgs, they call him Big Rig, right?
Big Cat
Yep.
PFT Commenter
He said, I am of the belief that.
Hank
Well, they had a two hour rain delay so that he was like, what'd you guys talk? What'd you do during the rain delay? And he said he got in a heated discussion with his caddy.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, he was telling his. His caddy that if he gets. I Think two years of training, he can dunk. He said, I am of the belief that I and anybody. You can train yourself to do anything. I think somebody brought up a marathon. I think a marathon will be easier. And I know looking at me, that sounds ridiculous. I've been getting stronger in the gym, more explosive. Hit the ball further, started to hit it further. I said it in passing. It's not a couple years. I think I could do it within a decade. He's 33. I think he can do it.
Big Cat
He's right.
PFT Commenter
I think this guy can do it. I think that.
Big Cat
How old are you, Hank?
Hank
31.
PFT Commenter
I think Harry Higgs, if. If he believes that he can dunk soon.
Big Cat
32.
Hank
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
I believe that he can. With training, he can figure out how to dunk.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
I believe in this.
Big Cat
I agree. I agree. He's right. You're close to being old.
Hank
Yeah, no, I'm there.
PFT Commenter
And how I flip this on you.
Hank
I was. I was on the east coast, like, furious. So you're even about how late the games were on.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
So I think you can dunk, too.
PFT Commenter
I think you can do. Also, I think he's six two.
Big Cat
Oh.
PFT Commenter
Which helps. What are you, six, five, ten? You're six feet. Yeah. I mean, you got close to what.
Big Cat
They said you were 32.
Hank
I'm 6.
Big Cat
Oh, 6ft.
Max
I think I turned 32 weeks.
PFT Commenter
That sucks.
Big Cat
Max.
PFT Commenter
You like it over Max.
Max
I've felt like I've been 30 for the past three years.
Big Cat
You're also. No, I'm not gonna say it.
Max
You're gonna say my body is like.
Big Cat
Oh, no, no. That's actually not what I was gonna say. Your look is that of a older man.
Max
Yeah, that's the same thing.
Big Cat
No, it's not.
PFT Commenter
Some people like that.
Big Cat
No, I don't think I. No, that's not. Yeah, that's not.
PFT Commenter
I think with the soul patch, you look like you're 21.
Big Cat
You look older.
PFT Commenter
If you really want to. If you want to, like, you know.
Max
I don't care about. I don't care about.
PFT Commenter
If you want to embrace your youth, shave the beard.
Big Cat
Nah, soul patch.
Max
I got grays in the beard, which is nice.
PFT Commenter
But what I love about this Harry Higs thing is that he. It was literally the exact same debate with Hank of, like, running a marathon or dunking. He's like, yeah, dunk.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Dunking's easier.
Big Cat
King's ways.
PFT Commenter
I believe him. I believe Harry Higgs.
Big Cat
Not true. You could easily run a marathon, Hank. Yeah, you could easily run a marathon, actually. Yes.
Hank
Not fast, but I could.
Big Cat
Who cares?
Hank
I can do a marathon tomorrow.
Big Cat
People run marathons in six hours.
PFT Commenter
What'd you say?
Hank
I could run a marathon tomorrow? Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Like run one run the entire time?
Hank
Yeah, like 15 minute pace, but yeah, that's walking.
PFT Commenter
I don't think you could run a marathon.
Hank
What's the definition of running?
Big Cat
People do run marathons in like six hours. Then they. And then they post on Instagram, like, did it like. No, you didn't. Six hour marathon is not doing it.
PFT Commenter
I think it would have to be 12 minute mile or better. That counts as running a marathon.
Hank
Sub 5.
Big Cat
I'm going to tell you what I mean.
Hank
I'm not doing like. I have no interest in running a marathon, but I could.
Big Cat
I respect.
Max
How confident are you in the Celtics win this series?
Hank
Extremely.
Big Cat
Oh, if they don't win, you got to run a marathon. Soul patch.
Max
I'm not part of it.
Hank
Just ask me the question.
Big Cat
Yeah.
Max
I think the Celtics are going to win.
Big Cat
Soul patch.
Hank
All right, so if we don't, we'll both run a marathon. Me and Max.
Max
Nope.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, that sounds fair.
Max
No, no, wait.
PFT Commenter
You guys equally think they're going to win the series.
Max
You want me rooting for the Celtics, Hanks?
PFT Commenter
Yeah, actually, yeah.
Big Cat
No, no. Celtic. Celtic. Max was funny. I don't even remember why that came up.
Max
I forget why that came out, but it was very. Oh, that was. That was last year.
PFT Commenter
Whatever.
Big Cat
All right, My. Who's back of the week? I have a couple Theranos is back.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, she is.
Big Cat
Because Elizabeth Holmes is in prison, but she is consulting with her husband on a new startup. And part of the new startup is apparently a blood droplet that can tell, like, how healthy you are.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, it's a good. Great idea.
Big Cat
They're literally change the game. Yeah. It's incredible.
PFT Commenter
I want to see what she cooks up.
Big Cat
Yeah. It's gonna be awesome.
PFT Commenter
I'll be honest. I am. I can't get enough of everything that you like. All. All these fraud stories.
Big Cat
Yeah, they're the best.
PFT Commenter
I love the fraud stories.
Big Cat
Yeah. So the. It's. The article says the technology can also conduct diagnostic tests using a small sample of blood.
PFT Commenter
Okay.
Big Cat
Just literally running it back again.
PFT Commenter
She was just. Her only crime was being like five years too soon.
Big Cat
Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, it's. It's fyre fest too.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, that's what they're doing.
Big Cat
My other who's back is the Rockies because they fired Bud Black.
PFT Commenter
So back.
Big Cat
So they lost 21 and nothing against the Padres on Saturday night before that game. The GM of the Rockies said, guys are working hard every day. They come with energy for the most part. I don't think we were at the point of firing Bud Black. Guys will still believe in what we're doing and that we're headed and where we're headed. We're all frustrated. They lost 21 to nothing to the Padres. They fired Bud Black. That idiot Dick Monfort then had a. Basically release a statement just being like, why are the boys coming in here? We got Jordan of the week. They jumped the gun. They love being on camera. They do. The Rockies owner, Dick Monfort said, our play so far this season, especially coming off the last two seasons, has been unacceptable. Our fans deserve better, and we are capable of better. Are you, dude?
PFT Commenter
This just seems to me like he was having a bad time coaching a bad team. And so they said we. The. Some of the players and him aren't getting along great, so we're going to fire him in hopes that they like the next guy a little bit better.
Big Cat
They did win on Sunday.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
They got their seventh win of the season. It is May 11th. They got their seventh win of the season.
PFT Commenter
So they're seventh win of the season.
Big Cat
I'm pretty sure the Dodgers had seven wins one weekend. Yeah.
PFT Commenter
I mean, nothing's going to change.
Big Cat
No.
PFT Commenter
With this.
Big Cat
They're bad. Really bad. We got to start betting against them.
PFT Commenter
You make. Make some good money.
Big Cat
Make some good money.
PFT Commenter
Take away all their pinstripes.
Big Cat
Yeah. We should do alternate lines, too, because I feel like every night they lose, like 10 to 1. It's crazy. Maybe this is a new thing historically.
PFT Commenter
He's not.
Big Cat
Not.
PFT Commenter
He's not a terrible manager.
Big Cat
No, he's not.
PFT Commenter
Outside of what he's done with the Rockies.
Big Cat
Correct. And the Rockies. The owner, Dick Monfort being like, we're all trying to find out how this happened. It's you, dude.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
You're the piece of. Also Nico Harrison's a piece of. I said that I would say that once.
PFT Commenter
It's a good reminder.
Big Cat
So also the spheres back I went this weekend. It was awesome. You guys got.
PFT Commenter
It does seem pretty incredible.
Big Cat
It was. It was awesome.
PFT Commenter
I've had so many random people that I'm. I'm like, friends with. Just ask me. I don't know where. Have you been to the sphere yet? Like, it's a place that I have to go.
Big Cat
It's. It was awesome. And shout out all the awls I saw. Sorry. If all I could do was take a picture and not have a conversation. My head was full of Mushrooms. I had a couple weird encounters, but I think also is like. I think they also had their head full of mushrooms, so. But it was a lot of people that I. I talked to. Maybe not talked to more like. Like, like that kind of made a sound. Yeah, yeah. And did a fist bump. This is crazy picture. Yeah. Isn't this awesome? But yes, it is very awesome.
PFT Commenter
That's the look in your eye you get when Aaron Rodgers wins mvp.
Big Cat
Yeah. This. The mushrooms. Yeah. It was. It was sick though. Mayor. Awesome. Whole thing is awesome. You guys got to go to the Sphere.
PFT Commenter
I gotta go.
Hank
I'm down.
PFT Commenter
Who else is playing at the Sphere?
Big Cat
Kenny Chesn, Backstreet Boys.
Hank
We need Bill.
Big Cat
Billy Strings. Think he could sell out the Sphere. Yeah. By the way, Vegas.
Hank
How Many? How many?
Big Cat
20,000. Vegas. A 48 hour Vegas trip. I've done this now two years in a row. Going to the Sphere. It's. It's the best. I like. That's how you do it. Just fly in Friday, fly out Sunday morning. It's great. It's. I'm. I'm back on in on Vegas. I was out on Vegas for a little bit. I'm back in on Vegas.
Hank
Especially when you have like an itinerary.
Big Cat
Right. I want to announce. Yeah. With a show. It's. I went to a couple. I went to a nice dinner. I got a cabana.
Hank
Good meal.
Big Cat
Oh. I mean, I maximize my 48 hours dream. Yeah. It was a great 48 hours in Vegas.
PFT Commenter
So the Eagles are playing there.
Big Cat
Yeah, Eagles.
PFT Commenter
I feel like if I'm gonna go to the Sphere, though, I'm gonna want to go for dead.
Big Cat
Yeah. Yeah. Next year. I. Hopefully they do one more year. I think they will.
Hank
Are they done for this year?
Big Cat
They have one more weekend and then they might add shows, but I don't know if they had shows. Maybe we'll go.
PFT Commenter
I would go. I would go to the Sphere to see the Eagles with Chris Berman.
Big Cat
I would also.
PFT Commenter
That would be a great time.
Hank
Yeah.
Big Cat
Okay. Let's get to our interview with Rachel Nichols.
PFT Commenter
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Hank
I'm gonna look up Knicks at Celtics game five. How about that?
PFT Commenter
Game five. Will you be there, Beantown?
Hank
I might. I think I'm, I'm looking at these game time tickets and they're looking pretty good.
PFT Commenter
Said, are you gonna be on the wood?
Hank
I don't know where I'm gonna sit. I'm looking at game time right now. I could get in the building for as cheap as 230. 30 bucks.
PFT Commenter
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Big Cat
Okay, we now welcome on a very good friend of the show, very special guest. It's been too long. It Is Rachel Nichols, longtime friend. You can see her on Fox Sports. You can hear her on Headliners. Rachel Nichols, All Smoke Productions. Rachel, it's great talking to you. We have the NBA playoffs and I have one pressing question to start. You probably don't have an answer, but I still want to hear what you have to say. Are we going to see Steph Curry again in these playoffs?
Rachel Nichols
So in the last game, you know, Ant talks a lot of trash, right? And he's trying to go at it with Gary Payton Jr. And all this stuff and he's like, you're just trying to get to a game six so Steph can come save you. And GP's like, yep, that's it. Yes. So Monday. It does not sound like he would play the next game. Maybe they've got a three day rest break after that, but yeah, I don't know if they're gonna get that far. What do you think?
PFT Commenter
Yeah, I don't know. It seems like they're pulling all the levers that they can where they're getting like everybody involved, trying out every single possible combination of guys to run out there just to see if something works, if they can maybe steal a game.
Big Cat
I thought that they were going to do this strategy of trying to steal one of these next couple and then get to the three day break. And it just sucks because like watching the warriors without Steph, turns out he's really good and they kind of need him. Cause I think they, I think they were, I think I saw a stat that they were like the first team in the NBA playoffs who were leading at half without making a three or something last night.
Rachel Nichols
Amazing for the Warriors.
Big Cat
Right, right, right. So it's just totally different and I want to see the best players play. All right, so that was a bummer that you gave me that answer. I was hoping you're like, yeah, you know what? He's playing on Monday night. This is going to be awesome.
Rachel Nichols
I find that very hard to believe.
Big Cat
The other thing about that series, and I saw you tweeting about it as well, Julius Randall has been, he might be like the best change of scenery guy ever because what he's done with the wolves, I mean you, you've, you've talked to, to people in the league, like, is he as beloved as it seems in that locker room and how, how seamlessly he's fit in. Cause it was rough. It was rough to start, but now he's so, so good for them.
Rachel Nichols
I'm so happy for him. He's a great guy. First of all, I've always liked talking to him. You know, the trade happened. It was definitely disconcerting for him, his family, all of that stuff. It didn't start out while in Minnesota, and then he got hurt. And in that time off, I think it gave him a minute to sort of settle and kind of know how the team works. And the whole time, the guys in the room were just pumping him up. Anthony Edwards, oh, we need him. Wait till Julius Randall gets back, all that stuff. And now. I was with the Timberwolves last week. He's like the mayor in there a lot of the time. And it's just so fun to see, like, a good person doing well, beloved by the people who should love him. And I couldn't be happier for him. I think he's great.
Big Cat
Yeah. Yeah.
PFT Commenter
And it looks like Minnesota probably has the upper hand, especially if. If Steph isn't coming back.
Rachel Nichols
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
If we.
Rachel Nichols
Turns out Steph Curry is important.
Big Cat
Yeah.
Rachel Nichols
You want to play basketball.
PFT Commenter
Very important. Very, very important. So the other series in the west, what is it about the. The Nuggets and the Thunder that each team is capable of making the other team the worst version of themselves?
Rachel Nichols
Yeah. Yeah. That was a nice game today, right?
PFT Commenter
Oh, yeah, it was gross.
Rachel Nichols
Or two points in the first quarter.
Big Cat
It was. It was funny watching that game because there will be people who complain about the scoring getting out of control in the NBA. And then you watch a game like that. Like, you know, people like, oh, I missed 90s basketball. And then you watch that where no one kid a three, you're like, yeah, I'd rather. I'd prefer seeing the games in the 1 20s. It sounds so fun.
Rachel Nichols
By the way, we're kind of getting a little 90s basketball back, though, because they're calling nothing. Yeah, right.
PFT Commenter
Which I like.
Big Cat
Yeah, I like.
PFT Commenter
But it was. It was mostly like, about the airballs in the first half. I haven't seen that many airballs in an NBA game in a long, long time. For some reason, they see each team sees the other team, they're like, yeah, the shots just aren't going to fall.
Rachel Nichols
See, I thought you were going to make an off color joke with the air balls, but look at you.
PFT Commenter
I'm growing up. I'm growing up.
Rachel Nichols
No, I mean, it's ridiculous. And the guys are buying each other around and just, you know, kind of really doing. A lot of these guys have free rein and you don't see it the moment the shot comes off, but you see it right before that, and then it sort of sets the guy up to not have his correct shot. I mean, there's definitely an expression in basketball. Hey, they can't call them all, right? So if you just keep going and fouling and fouling and fouling, eventually the refs are going to be, yeah, that one wasn't so bad. And I think we're seeing a lot more of that in these playoffs, and we're seeing that in that series.
Big Cat
Yeah. And it's clearly bothered Jokic. I mean, he hasn't played to his standard, which is not it. It. It's unfair how good he is. And then when he has like 20 and 13, everyone's like, damn, he sucks now. But the last two games, he has, you know. Yeah, he got. He got a. You know, his. His teammates kind of picked him up on Friday night in the overtime win, and then tonight he was not good and he missed two big free throws, and it's like, I don't know. He's gotta be great for them to be great. Do you have an MVP vote?
Rachel Nichols
I do.
Big Cat
And who'd you vote for?
Rachel Nichols
I actually voted for Shay.
Big Cat
Okay.
Rachel Nichols
And it was a very, very, very hard vote. I mean, it really came down to, like, this. And the. This it came down to. Because Jokic is. I think Jokic is the best player in the world. So this it came down to was The Thunder had 18 more wins than the Nuggets.
Big Cat
Right.
Rachel Nichols
At some point. I don't always vote for the guy who's the highest in the standings, but at some point, that matters. Right. And to lead a young team to those kind of numbers, I was really impressed. I still think there should be a separate award for who the best player is in the NBA, because we don't have one. And it's funny, I filled out my awards ballot this year and I had to choose guys. I had to choose who the ninth best rookie in the NBA was this year. My book, in the record books for all time on who in 2025 was the ninth best rookie. That's going down in the books, but not who the best player was. And there's, you know, years. It's MJ. There's years it was LeBron and they didn't win the MVP every time. And it's just sort of strange to me because there's already kids out there who've never seen Jordan play, play, and just downplay everything he did. He wasn't that good. Kind of like our generation does with Kareem a lot of the time.
Big Cat
Yeah. And.
Rachel Nichols
And, you know, all we have in the end is the Record books. And the record books are going to show that Kobe Bryant won one mvp, Right. He obviously had a huge impact on the league. I just. I don't know why we don't have an award for this. The NFL differentiates between MVP and offensive and defensive player. The NHL has mvp. And then, you know, the scoring and the goal scoring, whatever. We don't have that.
Big Cat
It's true. Especially now that we have, like, clutch player of the year, which I, you know, okay, you know, they do the clutch minutes, analytics and everything. But, like, why can't we have a just like Top Dog or Alpha of the Year? Like just whoever was who's the best player. And then the MVP can be something different where it's like, yeah, this guy brought his team to the most wins, most impactful on his team. Because I agree there is. There's definitely a difference to those two things.
PFT Commenter
We have one on part of my take. We just actually created it right now, right this very second. So who gets your vote?
Rachel Nichols
What do you mean? Oh, for that award.
PFT Commenter
Top Dog.
Big Cat
Top Dog.
Rachel Nichols
Top Dog. Yeah. And by the way, let's just call it that.
Big Cat
Right?
Rachel Nichols
That's perfect.
Big Cat
Yeah.
Rachel Nichols
Top Dog Award. Nikola Jokic. I mean, okay, if you had to play a basketball game for the lives of yourself and everyone you know, and you. You had one gig of what the player who the player was going to be on your team and everyone else was random assignment, who would you pick?
PFT Commenter
I like that. I like that criteria. Your family's been kidnapped and you can only pick one guy to be the captain of your team. That's the top. Well, I mean, you're pretty close if you get y brothers.
Big Cat
Yeah, that's true.
Rachel Nichols
That's true.
PFT Commenter
He's so tall.
Rachel Nichols
I've sat with him before and watched the game. He's.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, yeah, actually, we did. We did a bad job. When talking about Golden State, we should try to just correct the narrative If. If we do need to correct it. Has. Has Draymond Green gotten a bum rap all these years? Is he actually a really nice guy that plays under control? And us in the media, we've done a bad job and we've. We've called him out for things that did not need to be called out for.
Rachel Nichols
He is a really nice guy, actually. He's just not a very nice player.
Big Cat
Right.
Rachel Nichols
So. And he's got to be careful, by the way. He's. Two technicals and two. What's. Either one not text.
PFT Commenter
Flagrants.
Big Cat
Flagrants. He's been doing that.
Rachel Nichols
I don't Know why my brain is not here today? Blaming on the mimosas on Mother's Day.
Big Cat
Yeah. Happy Mother's Day.
Rachel Nichols
And two flagrants from a suspension. That's what everyone forgets about the 2016 finals when he was suspended for a game and the Cavs turned it around. He wasn't suspended because of what he did on the floor when we all know what happened with the punching and the this and that. He was suspended because it just hit a certain limit.
Big Cat
Right. Right.
Rachel Nichols
By the way, once you reach that point, not only are you suspended for the next game, then it goes in every other.
Big Cat
Right.
Rachel Nichols
They do somehow make it out of this round. I mean, he could miss every other game if he keeps this up.
Big Cat
Right.
PFT Commenter
He's gotta be careful, which I think he'd be happy to do if Steph wasn't playing.
Big Cat
Could you.
PFT Commenter
I think it's cool with that.
Big Cat
Yeah. Could you imagine if they. If it reset, that would. They would have to make a rule to. To change it for the. Draymond. Because he would just try to fly through it.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
Like, as fast as possible.
Rachel Nichols
First place, right?
Big Cat
I can't remember.
Rachel Nichols
Rasheed Wallace, 44.
Big Cat
That's right. That's right. I forgot Rashid had that many texts.
PFT Commenter
Listen, I. I get it from. From Draymond, too. Like, you have to. Sometimes you just got to say, you know, you just kind of have to defend yourself a little bit. And so I think he. He tried to do that, but anybody out there can watch him play and be like, not no one else. No one else's body flails in the same way that Draymond Green's body flails. And it's got to be him problem at some point. Yeah, he's very theatrical.
Rachel Nichols
Line, right?
PFT Commenter
Yeah, he's super theatrical.
Big Cat
He just doesn't have control of his body, even though he's a world class athlete. What. What is it, though? The thing that we were talking about the other day with Draymond, the refs feel like. It feels like he gets away with a lot. Not of, like, when he flails his body, but when he talks to the refs, it does feel like he gets away with way more than everyone else because they just. I don't know what they. They just don't want to deal with him. What is that?
Rachel Nichols
He totally does. And it goes back to what I said a few minutes ago. You can't call them. Yeah, right. They can't kick him out of every game. He's a popular player. He's integral to that team. He's obviously a former defensive player of the year. I think eight time all defense, can't call them all. So, you know, he, he goes at it.
Big Cat
Yeah, yeah. All right, I got a non playoff question for you. Giannis is going to be playing for what team next year?
Rachel Nichols
Oh, man, where do I want him to be playing? I'd like him to still play in Milwaukee. My second choice is of where he would be playing. You know, the three teams that have the most assets to get him are the Houston Rockets, the San Antonio spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder, which is crazy. So can you imagine him next to SGA or next to Wemby? I think if he becomes available, those GMs that have been keeping their picks, they're going to pull the trigger. And I think that Thunder actually have the most of all. So we'll see who's willing to give up what. Yeah, I'm a sentimentalist. I love how the people in Milwaukee love him. I love how he loves the city. He can't win there, unfortunately, because they're so tied up with their not having their draft picks and salary and whatever. If he decides to stay, it would really be just a commitment to, hey, I know we're not going to win another title, but I'd like to be here.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. And what happens with the Bucks if he does decide to do that? Is the. Is their future just straight up they're going to be really, really, really, really bad for five, six years?
Rachel Nichols
Well, they won't be really, really bad. You know, they'll be like a first round playoff team or playing playoff team, which is kind of, you know, with a fully loaded team is what they've been the last couple seasons. Because, you know, this year Dame was hurt and out for a while. Well, Giannis was out last season, didn't finish the playoffs, and I think the season before he was out for a while. So they've gotten screwed by injuries. And my thing about trading for future picks is that you give away a guy who is still in his prime, who is key to the franchise, because there's people out there, by the way, saying that the Bucks should trade Giannis even if he doesn't ask for a trade. That's a very popular NBA person opinion right now. And the idea is like, oh, he's got two years left on his deal. You could get a whole bunch of draft picks for him. You got to do it now. Pull the trigger now. I get it. But you also have Giannis Nascubo on your team and he fills the building button Seats. People love watching him. He's got a great connection to the community. And if you trade him for a bunch of draft picks, you're hoping that, what, three years from now you draft a guy who maybe one day becomes not quite as good as Giannis Antescuppo.
Big Cat
Yeah.
Rachel Nichols
If he wants to go, God bless. I totally understand. He has said he thinks he needs another, the title to sort of represent the player that he is. And if he asks out, he's been loyal to that team, he's played there for a dozen years, he got them a championship. Godspeed.
Big Cat
Yeah.
Rachel Nichols
But if he doesn't want to leave, I, I don't agree with this sort of NBA think, push him out the door anyway.
Big Cat
Well, and you're, you're right. Like it's. They won't be really bad if they keep yanis. They'll win 42 to 45 games and you know, it will. They won't really contend for a title because they won't. He won't have peace around him. But they're. You can't be bad with Giannis on your team because he's that good. It is, it's a, it's a tough situation because you don't. Yeah. I wonder what, like most Bucks fans, I think most Bucks fans would prefer to keep Giannis, but there's obviously the part where you said, like, if you, if you trade him, you're going to probably be bad for a while. If you keep him, you're going to at least have, you know, a playoff team. And Giannis is a lot of fun to watch. Yeah.
Rachel Nichols
So, you know, we'll see what he decides. Obviously, he's the, he's the, he's the first domino that has to fall.
PFT Commenter
All right.
Big Cat
Another one non NBA playoffs. Because I saw you comment on this, LeBron should take less money. I agree with you. Is there any chance LeBron takes less money? Because I, like LeBron, is still a very good player. I was making this argument when they got bounced in the playoffs. I don't think you can pay a 41 year old LeBron $50 million and expect to have the roster that you need to compete. You saw the roster of the Lakers. They didn't have a center. You got to build the team around Luca. And if you're going to build their team around Luca, you need some flexibility. So is there any chance that he takes less money and what is less money if he were to do that?
Rachel Nichols
Yeah, I mean, it's a little complicated with the salary cap and if he took the Lead minimum. It would still only free up, I don't know the number, maybe $10 million for them extra. But $10 million is not a little bit of money when you're trying to fill NBA salary slots. And I just think that he's the most underpaid athlete total in the world right now. Nobody has done as much for a league, much less the teams he's played for, than LeBron James. He's responsible for the level of popularity that the game is at right now. He will never be paid enough. So if you realize he's just going to be underpaid either way, if you know that he is a billionaire and I don't count other people's money and he should do what he wants to do, I can only put myself in that position. If it were me, I would say I will take significantly less, as less as it helps, basically, to make sure that we get other people in here who can help us win. Because here's the thing. You can't buy a championship ring after you retire all that money. It's going to go to your grandchildren's grandchildren's grandchildren once you're a billionaire. So. So he's not going to feel any difference in his life. But here's what he will feel if he wins another ring with Luke on the team, himself on the team, and maybe some other bigger star player on the team. Well, if he wins five years, you know who five rings. You know who won five rings? Kobe Bryant. And if he wins six rings, hanging around on the Luca train. We know how many guy. We know who. Who the guy is who won six. Right.
Big Cat
So you are counting. You're. You're counting the bubble championship. Because we don't. We don't count that.
Rachel Nichols
I would have some bubble. I can tell you counts.
PFT Commenter
She said rings, not championships.
Big Cat
Yeah, that's true.
PFT Commenter
It's a Mickey Mouse ring. The ring exists.
Big Cat
Yeah, the ring does. You could find the ring somewhere.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. Like a ring pop is a ring technically.
Rachel Nichols
But whatever you guys want to call it, he. If he gets more. I think that will change the way some of the people.
Big Cat
Oh, absolutely.
Rachel Nichols
Predisposed not to like him. I think it will kind of weaken in some of their arguments.
PFT Commenter
Absolutely. Just make them, like, switch the goalposts.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
And be like, he's not mj.
Big Cat
Yeah. We get. We could be fluid. Yeah. But no, you're. You're absolutely right. I've. I've thought this for a while. Like at the end of the career, like, why wouldn't you? Again, it's it's hard to talk about someone else's money, but you would think that the legacy part and having that like, especially if he won a ring as a 41 year old at the end of his career and you're like, holy shit, this guy just won a ring after being in the NBA for 20 plus years. It's a hard argument to go against.
Rachel Nichols
I mean it's literally what Tom Brady did. Yeah, money. So he could win another ring as an old guy.
Big Cat
Yeah, that's true.
PFT Commenter
So who would, who would the Lakers try to get if hypothetically LeBron said, you know what, I'll take. You can take 10 mil off my salary. Who do they go out there and get?
Rachel Nichols
They don't have the assets to go out and get a Giannis. They just don't have the draft picks, they don't have the young players that people would want. So that little fantasy, unless, you know, think I could never predicted the Luca trade. So I'm not going to say never say never, but I don't see it happening. So look, they need someone who's strong interior defender who also is a lob threat so that we can set up kind of the Luca Derek lively like alley situation. And frankly on the wings they need three and D players. And so right now they're saying, oh, Austin's off. Austin Reeves, he's off the table. We love him. Him, he's like family. Everyone in the locker room loves him. It's true. LeBron loves him. XYZ. LeBron loved Anthony Davis and out. They're gonna have to trade Austin Reeves if they want the level of guys around Luka that they need. Because right now if you're an opponent and you're coming down the court and you see Austin Reeves on one side and Luka on the other, it's like terse files of like you get to choose which one you go through because they don't defend at the level that you need defenders to be elite in the league right now.
PFT Commenter
Yep. I mean that makes sense. Let's talk about the east real quick. The Celtics are the Celtics completely back? It feels like, it feels like The Celtics are up 3:1 right now based on how the last game went.
Rachel Nichols
I haven't felt like the Celtics were like, like the Celtics, even when they were down to oh, it weirdly felt like they were fine.
Big Cat
Yeah.
Rachel Nichols
And I, you know, New York didn't beat them all season. The Celtics were historically fluky and sort of missing so many three point shots. And by the way, we give the Knicks defense credit Because Mikel Bridges, Josh Hart, there's just so many guys who really stepped up in those two games. But the Celtics are. The Celtics, I mean, they just have all the pieces back that won that title last year. I think it'd be so fun. As someone who lived in New York for 20 years, I think it would be so fun to see the Garden rocking through conference finals, maybe even an NBA Finals. The odds are not with them right now, even though they're up to one, but, you know, who knows?
Big Cat
Ends up being out for a while.
Rachel Nichols
Something else fluky happens. We'll see.
Big Cat
Yeah. Yeah. And while we're taping this, the Pacers are playing pretty much perfect basketball. They're up 80 to 39 on the Cavs at half. I respect the Pacers. They're so much fun to watch. Like, could the Pacers go to the Finals? Is it. Is it crazy to start believing if you're Indiana, I know the Celtics are on paper, better, and they played last year, and I think that was a sweep, even though there was some very close games in there. The Pacers are fun. They play a fun style of basketball, and they have. It just feels like they have a really solid rotation of guys who can all contribute night in, night out.
Rachel Nichols
Yeah. I mean, remember, the Pacers had a lot of injuries in that series, so it's not even really fair to think back on that. I love this Pacers team. You know, it's funny when Tyrese Halliburton was named the most overrated player as voted by the players in the NBA. Do you guys talk about that?
Big Cat
Yeah.
Rachel Nichols
Okay, so here's what's funny about that poll. The Athletic, which did the poll to its credit, listed how many guys answered each question. There's about 450 guys in the NBA. Only 90 of them answered the question of who is the most overrated. So less than a quarter of the guys in the league even answered the question. And then if you go with the percentage that voted for Halliburton and you do the math, first of all, it's weirdly like 12 and a half guys. I don't know how a half a person player votes, but let's say it's 13. 13 guys. There's 13 guys in this league who think Tyrese Halliburton's overrated.
PFT Commenter
That's it.
Rachel Nichols
That's all.
Big Cat
So it could literally. It could literally just be the Bucks because they, like, they hate each other.
Rachel Nichols
Yeah. It could be the guy who didn't make the Olympic team because Tyrese took that Spot. I mean, he could be hated by a guy. This is the pettiest league on earth. Yeah, the pettiest. There is no more petty than this league, the NBA. So I don't know. I think he keeps. Keeps bringing it up. Overrated, overrate, that. Right. But he's an excellent player. And even though the Cavs, you know, were so strong throughout this season, when the Cavs went down two. Zero, I was like, they're in trouble. Whereas with the Celtics going out 2. 0, I was like, we'll see.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
The shots just have to start falling for them. That's. That's really. At the end of the day, I like that theory, though. It's like the Bucks and then, let's say Jalen Brown. They were the ones that said that Halliburton is overrated. And it doesn't make sense for players in the NBA to, like, poke the bear, to, like, call a guy out who's still playing and obviously, like, a dangerous player, because all you're going to do is make them better.
Big Cat
Yeah. Right.
Rachel Nichols
Yeah. And look, Rick Carlisle is a great coach. They're so fast, great in transition. They're really fun to watch. So if they're the ones who advance, it's going to be fun. Eastern Conference finals, either way.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
So we also have the draft lottery tonight, Monday. A big night for our beloved Wizards. You know me, Rachel. I'm a massive Wizards fan. I eat, sleep, breathe the whiz. This is the one. Yeah. The cat. You're wearing your capture right now. That's another story. But the. I feel like the Wizards, if they get flagged, I'm all the way back in as a fan. But it's probably not the most exciting place that he could potentially land for, like, the average NBA viewer. Where. Where do you think? Like, if you're just a casual NBA fan, where do you think the. The funnest place for Cooper Flag to end up is?
Rachel Nichols
I mean, the most likely places are dc, Charlotte, and Utah. Like, yeah, I actually think DC Is kind of for him of those choices. I hope the Wizards get the number one pick.
PFT Commenter
That's true.
Rachel Nichols
D.C. is a great place to live. It's an international city. I cannot say the same for Charlotte. I cannot say the same for Utah. And of course, if he went to Charlotte, he'd still have all those fans from Duke right there. But he's gonna have plenty of fans. He'll be fine. Wherever he goes. It would be huge. You know. You know how long it's been since the Wizards made a conference Finals. Not won a title, not made it to the finals. Just made it to the conference finals.
PFT Commenter
I think it's got to be at least the 80s, right?
Rachel Nichols
Just pick a number.
PFT Commenter
1981. So that would be. Would bet 44 years.
Rachel Nichols
You're close. 46 years.
PFT Commenter
46.
Rachel Nichols
46 years.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
It's been bad.
Big Cat
It's complete time.
PFT Commenter
But at least they have. They have a plan that they're working on. They. They just kind of floated along without really a plan for a long time.
Big Cat
And.
PFT Commenter
And the Tank has worked beautifully. Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma were excellent players to pick up if you're trying to lose games. And so they. They have a plan. The plan worked. And now we gotta just trust that. That stupid lottery ball machine.
Rachel Nichols
Yeah, man. Well, even if they end up number two, I think they're in good shape. I mean, we'll see. They've drafted really. You know, they drafted very smart and not the best draft last year. And they've got. This draft is a great draft and next year is a great draft. And I wouldn't be surprised if they were in the lottery again next year.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Rachel Nichols
And then they'll have a really good young team.
Big Cat
What is. What's the team? It's probably Philly, but is there another team that you're like, they can't win the lottery. This would be bullshit.
Rachel Nichols
I mean, the Thunder, I don't know.
Big Cat
I mean, spurs, spurs, maybe Spurs.
Rachel Nichols
Teams that has all the resources already.
Big Cat
Yeah. But if Philly wins, it's going to be. People are going to be so pissed because they did the whole process and then they had one year where everyone got hurt and they basically were like, yeah, we're just not going to try this year. Did a great job tanking. It's actually an art. There's some teams that cannot tank. The Bulls do not know how to tank. And if Billy wins, this is. You'd be like, oh, man. People would be so mad. They'd think it's so rigged.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Rachel Nichols
By the way, my thing it could happen was for San Antonio, obviously.
Big Cat
Yeah.
Rachel Nichols
Thunder are not in the lottery.
Big Cat
Yeah, right, right. They.
PFT Commenter
I think they had some picks where if other teams had. Had lost a couple games at the very end of the season. Yes. It was a possibility for the Thunder to get the number one. They're getting Giannis. They'll be fine.
Big Cat
Yeah. Yeah, they're getting Giannis.
PFT Commenter
It's gonna be such with when SGA starts doing the little like dribble under the basket thing like Steve Nash used to do. And then Just throw the ball right up in the air. And Giannis just dunks on everybody.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
That's what's destined to happen.
Big Cat
That would be fun.
PFT Commenter
It would be fun.
Big Cat
You score on them.
PFT Commenter
It would be fun. Yeah. Wimby, Giannis, Cooper, Flag. Just load them up. Do you know, is there anybody else in the draft? I know you're not. I don't know, you might be a draft person or not, but, like, I'm.
Rachel Nichols
Not a huge college basketball person, so.
PFT Commenter
I just know that the draft lottery happens.
Rachel Nichols
I wait until the draft happens, then we see who's on which team and we go from there. I know, I know. The top three or four guys.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Rachel Nichols
Maybe even five deep, are considered really good. I don't want to pretend that I know more than the guys who study this year round, but it's a deep draft, and I think there's going to be a lot of picks, even, you know, throughout the first round that we're going to see. Giannis himself at the. I think was a 15, 16.
PFT Commenter
Right.
Rachel Nichols
Pick.
PFT Commenter
So all I know is that Rucker's basketball was really, really good last year.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
That's why they've got so many players in the top.
Big Cat
Everyone's gonna look back and be like, how do they have two guys in the top five?
Rachel Nichols
That kid was really good. That kid could end up on the Wizards easily.
Big Cat
Both of them. Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. Yeah, they're both very good. All right. So, Rachel, I know that we're, like, halfway through the second round, but we're going to just give you the ch. Chance right now to tell us your NBA Finals and NBA Final winner. And so you get a little. You get to cheat a little bit because we. Not that you would have picked any of the teams that are actually. You might have picked the Clippers. You're a ballmer. You like ballmer? We love ballmer. How cool is that stadium, by the way?
Rachel Nichols
It's the best stadium in the NBA by far. And he brought all these people, all these fans from the wall over to Denver for game seven.
Big Cat
I know.
Rachel Nichols
You can't tell me that's not the coolest, man.
Big Cat
Yeah.
Rachel Nichols
Like, I don't know of another owner in pro sports who would do something like that. And by the way, how much do you think he had to pay for those games? Seven seats?
PFT Commenter
Yeah. Probably a lot. Five hundred a pop, Probably.
Big Cat
Yeah. I mean, he's a good.
PFT Commenter
He's a cool guy. That's how I would own a team if I owned it.
Big Cat
Yeah, he does. Rich, right? Like he does Rich, right? It's kind of like, you know, when Mark Cuban came on the scene, everyone's like, oh, shit. It turns out Mark Cuban just had to change. Like, how they like the chairs in the locker room, and everyone was like, oh, my God, this is incredible. No one's ever done this, but all right.
Rachel Nichols
A PlayStation.
Big Cat
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Rachel Nichols
He redid the locker room. He gave them, like, comfy leather office chairs, and every locker was a PlayStation. And that was it. Everyone wants to play.
Big Cat
Everyone was like, holy shit, the Mavs treat them right. All right, so. So what is your NBA Finals prediction and your winner?
Rachel Nichols
Well, this is crazy. Before the season, I picked the Boston Celtics.
Big Cat
Okay.
Rachel Nichols
With the Boston Celtics down 2 to 1 in this series, I still pick the Boston Celtics.
Big Cat
Yeah. Okay.
Rachel Nichols
And there's no disrespect to the Knicks, and again, I really do love this Knicks team. They're so much fun to root for and so much fun to watch, but they're the best complete team, and they just won last year. All those guys have a ton of experience. They have international experience, so they can play in any way. I think Joe Missoula is a completely capable coach, and all the sort of noise around him is just sort of Celtics fans who get very worried. And we like to say things, but I. I just don't think the Celtics. And of course, if the Knicks win this, great, I'm happy to be wrong.
Big Cat
What about. So you. You're sticking with the Celtics is. Chris stops. Okay, this is so weird.
Rachel Nichols
And I talked to him about it probably month, six weeks ago, whenever, but they don't know. At least when I spoke to him, they did not know what this was. It was a virus, but there wasn't any sort of thing that they could identify and then treat. So they obviously are doing things to treat him, but there is nothing they have found so far that make it, like, go away and he'll never have to deal with it again. And it's bizarre. And this poor guy who's had all these injuries finally got to a place where he was pretty healthy and playing on a team where his skills were really needed. And now he's got this thing. He looked awful in game one and for a lot of game two. Right. I mean, he looked. Looked. It was paler than the wall behind me.
Big Cat
Yeah. Yeah. It's just very bizarre.
PFT Commenter
Is he truly, like, day to day? He'll wake up one morning feeling like shit. One morning feeling great.
Rachel Nichols
I'm not sure it's day to day, because I assume that it sort of starts to come on or it doesn't. Right. So I don't know if it's like every other day he doesn't know how he's going to wake up. I think like, he'll start to feel a little bad and then feel a little worse and then feel a little worse. But yeah, I mean, look, my fight, my title winner prediction will be completely on the ropes if he can't significantly play in these playoffs because he is part of what gives them such a huge advantage.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. All right, so who do you like out of the West?
Rachel Nichols
No one. No, I mean, everyone.
Big Cat
I. Yeah, that's actually a correct answer. Like no one in everyone, any team.
Rachel Nichols
Look, the founder should be the pick out of the West. Right. Because they were head shoulders above everyone the entire season. They showed in the last game they played that having young legs really matters. Right. They completely outplayed Denver in the fourth quarter. And the fact that they can play so well on only a day's rest, There's a great stat. I have it here. So the Thunder, you know, they're the youngest team in the NBA still when they are just on one day's rest, they are a 17 point differential. They score 17 more points than the other team on one day's rest. I mean, it helps to have young legs, man. And I just, just sort of think that they've. They've rocked it, they've shown it. And I. I don't know if there's someone else who can beat them, but we'll see. I'm not as confident on that side of the bracket and I think a lot of who comes out of the west is just basically who ended up seated with who.
Big Cat
Yeah, yeah.
PFT Commenter
Today they said that they call Alex Caruso UNK. He's UNC in the locker room and he's 31 years old. Yeah, that's the youngest UNK ever.
Big Cat
That's very tough.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Bad news.
Big Cat
That. That doesn't make me feel good.
PFT Commenter
No, not at all.
Big Cat
All right, I got one last question for you, Rachel. It's a Roback question. R H O b a c k.com promo code take roback.com promo code take r h o b a c k.com we had a debate last week on this show and one of our producers said that Joel Embiid's actually the same playoff performer as Jason Tatum. Do you care to weigh in on this?
Rachel Nichols
I don't understand how that would be true since Jason Tatum has the advantage of having been in a lot of.
Big Cat
Playoff games and enough for them.
PFT Commenter
That's a good point, by the way.
Rachel Nichols
I don't think it's Joel Bean's fault that he's gotten hurt. He's had some really weird injuries. Remember, he broke his eye at one point.
Big Cat
Yeah, so.
Rachel Nichols
So it's not that he's soft. I mean, the man's, you know, huge. Obviously, he's a tree trunk. But the truth is, the best ability is availability, as they like to say. And he has not been available for a lot of the time that Philadelphia's need him. And Jason Tatum has been an ironman. I mean, he has been there for that team over and over and over again. He's one of their most regular players. I don't know how you can make the comparison.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, that's a. That's a valid point, but you're bringing up numbers now, and our producer said that he wasn't trying to bring up numbers. He was just trying to talk about the fact that they average about the same number.
Big Cat
Yeah, it was a bad argument.
PFT Commenter
The points per game is similar. I think Embiid has about two. Let's call it three rebounds a game more. Tatum has three assists per game more. And. Yeah, then the rest of it is just, you know, like, Joel's missed eight games, Tatum's missed one.
Big Cat
And. And Joel's never been to a conference final.
PFT Commenter
Conference final.
Big Cat
He's basically making the argument the Celtics are a super team, and. And Joel Embiid does just as well, even though, again, I don't. Didn't. Didn't Tatum score 50 on. On Joel Bead's team?
PFT Commenter
That's true.
Big Cat
Seven.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, that was in a game. Seven.
Rachel Nichols
Here's how, you know. Okay. If you put Joel Embiid. If you switch them. If you put Joel Embiid on the Celtics.
Big Cat
Yeah.
Rachel Nichols
He wouldn't do as well because he would be on the bench in street clothes for sections of the time, and the Celtics would greatly suffer because of it.
PFT Commenter
That's. That's.
Rachel Nichols
They're better. I don't care what the numbers are. You can't score 16 points or this many points or whatever when you have a sweatshirt on. So that's the answer.
Big Cat
Very good.
PFT Commenter
That's a good point.
Rachel Nichols
Very simple. Okay, I've got a couple questions for you guys, by the way.
PFT Commenter
Shoot. Yeah, go for it.
Rachel Nichols
All right. I do need PFTs, CAPs.
Big Cat
Take.
Rachel Nichols
Where are we? What's the panic meter? How are we doing? How much agape do you have?
PFT Commenter
Yeah, I'm very. I was super agape on Saturday, and then I woke up this morning, not agape at all. And I'm still not agape. I don't know what it is, but Ovi's looked old. He's looked really old the last couple games, and we saw it last year in the playoffs against the Rangers. That's. That's, that's what he looks like. That's true.
Big Cat
Yes.
PFT Commenter
But I'm talking about just like the, the juice that he brings, the energy that he brings. I haven't really seen it this series. He had it last series, so I'm, I'm concerned about that. And outside of the top line, we haven't. We don't have a lot of guys that are. Are flying around making plays.
Rachel Nichols
Carlson looks old.
PFT Commenter
Carlson looked very old on, on Saturday. But the nice thing about Carlson is he's always looked old. Even when he was young, he looked old. He was just kind of like an average speed defender. He's always in the right place at the right time. He was not in the right place at none of the right times on, on Saturday. So I'm, I'm worried and I'm. I'm worried that I'm gonna go on. I'm going to the game on, on Thursday, and I'm scared that that's going to be a closeout game, that I'm gonna see the cap season end right in my face. So I've already put a must win on Monday. Monday night's a must win for the Caps.
Rachel Nichols
Definitely must win. Not I can't lose. Definitely a must win. They had a great first piece period, and the goalie just stood in his head and we'll have to see.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Rachel Nichols
All right, my second question for you guys. Can I get another yes. Recurring guest T shirt? Because mine burned in a fire.
PFT Commenter
Oh, yeah, that's a valid.
Big Cat
Oh, yes. Hold on. Did you up right now. We actually don't have fire insurance on those shirts, so sorry about that.
Rachel Nichols
Why do you think I'm drinking out.
PFT Commenter
Of a solo cup?
Rachel Nichols
I think have no glasses.
Big Cat
I have no nothing.
PFT Commenter
When you made your claim to the insurance company, we were like, this was a one of two shirt that burned. And it's worth probably hundreds of thousands.
Rachel Nichols
Like the contents of your house, which is hysterical because you go to where my house was. It is literally just a field of ashes. There's no arguing over what was there, but you still have to make the list. And, and of course, an itemized item. It wasn't just, you know, 10 T shirts. It was the part of my take T shirt. And then all the valuable jewelry and then the rest of the house.
Big Cat
I'm, I'm happy I didn't bring up the shirt before you said that because that would have been awkward if I'd been like, hey, you still got the shirt. Like, nope. Burned. Yeah. We will get you a new shirt. That. Gotta get your new shirt.
PFT Commenter
That, that also treasure possession of mine. That had to be just terrifying. Is like try like checking to see if your home's still there. Finding out it's not. Where are you in the process.
Big Cat
Yeah.
Rachel Nichols
So when you know, it's crazy how quick it was. We lived in Pacific Palisades, Malibu area. That was the day that there was this crazy 100 mile an hour winds. The fire chief later said it was like a five alarm fire inside a tornado. Like there was just nothing anyone could have done. And we could see the flames coming down the side of the hill toward us, which is a lot. So you're just rushing around the house trying to get out, trying to grab some things. But we didn't have a chance to grab much. Otherwise of course the T shirt would.
PFT Commenter
Have been at the top of the pile. Family pictures and T shirts.
Rachel Nichols
And then. Yeah. Then it's the after. And I just don't think that's what. I didn't realize that when I saw disasters on tv I would be like, oh my God, those poor people, they lost their homes. They lost their stuff. Stuff is stuff. It can eventually be replaced. It's.
PFT Commenter
Huh.
Rachel Nichols
I don't have anywhere to live that's interesting. My kids don't have this. They don't have. You know what I mean? So we're. We're just getting into a new place. That's why there's white walls behind me. I still need glasses, apparently. And I need my T shirt back.
PFT Commenter
And we will get you a T shirt. And I have to imagine that like a bonus little shitty part of it, obviously the house and all that. Super important. But then you have to do a lot of paperwork afterwards.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
To try to get any sort of like restitution back. That's what would drive me insane is you lose everything. And then you're like, yeah, you have to fill out these 20 forms.
Rachel Nichols
I don't insult anyone but the insurance industry in this country, whether it's medical insurance, fire insurance, it's. Whatever it is. Sucks.
Big Cat
Yeah. Not great.
PFT Commenter
Agreed.
Big Cat
Not great. Well, Rachel, it's always great having you on. We appreciate your time as always. Hopefully we see you soon. And thanks. Thanks. Happy Mother's Day. Thanks for coming on for Mother's Day.
Rachel Nichols
All Right. Good luck on Thursday. Bring it.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
I'm gonna be so agape. You'll. You'll see me. I'm gonna be right up against the glass.
Big Cat
I'm closed his mouth super entire game.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. That I'm gonna be the most agape guy in the United States. There we go. That's gonna be me.
Big Cat
Me.
PFT Commenter
This is going to be me. I'm gonna be so agape on Thursday.
Big Cat
Oh, man.
Hank
All right.
Big Cat
Thanks, Rachel.
PFT Commenter
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Big Cat
Month.
PFT Commenter
That's BetterHelp. H E L p.compmt okay, let's wrap.
Big Cat
Up the show with Jordan of the week. Hank, do you want to start? Do you want.
Hank
Okay, okay, we'll start. All right, I'll start.
Big Cat
Okay.
PFT Commenter
Okay.
Big Cat
What.
Hank
What is there? Pablo Torre came out with a in depth, fully journalism ist podcast.
Big Cat
Okay. You got this.
PFT Commenter
He went full.
Hank
Full journal.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, yeah.
Hank
Researched in depth Research. Sourcing. Sourcing.
PFT Commenter
11 sources.
Hank
11 sources. He had someone, I think goes family sources. Program sources. Jordan, like childhood and like where she grew up sources.
Big Cat
A field reporter went to Jordan's mom's sex shop and did a very good job with this.
Hank
Yeah, he did a very good job. And that's. I'll let. I'll lead. I'll leave the rest to you guys.
PFT Commenter
Okay. So I guess we can just talk about some of the actual bits of news that came out of it. One, he said that she was banned from UNC Football. Now, UNC Football then released a statement saying that while she is not an employee.
Big Cat
Right.
PFT Commenter
Of UNC Football, she is not prohibited from visiting the team facilities. But they did in fact say in the statement she is not an employee of UNC Football, which seems to be a big takeaway because maybe some people were saying that she was acting like she was right.
Big Cat
And I don't want to say UNC copied us, but we memes got right on it. When the news came out that she was banned from unc, memes released a graphic saying that she is not banned from pmt.
PFT Commenter
Not at all.
Big Cat
And she is not. Jordan, you are always welcome here, girl.
PFT Commenter
So it was like. Like, she's banned, but then she's not technically banned.
Big Cat
I.
PFT Commenter
Because I don't think, like, Bill can say she's coming to the office and that's something. But not like, as a place of work, it sounds like.
Big Cat
Yeah, right.
PFT Commenter
So I don't know what she's doing. I know she's running Bill's own personal stuff, like his. His social stuff, but I don't think that she's now officially working with unc. He also said that she was definitely behind the cancellation of Hard Knocks.
Big Cat
Yes.
PFT Commenter
That there was, like, pretty early on, a clear power struggle, and they just said, you know what? This is not worth it. We're going to be out of the Jordan business.
Big Cat
Right.
PFT Commenter
Which that's the beauty of. That's the beauty commerce in America.
Big Cat
Right.
PFT Commenter
You can decide who you want to work with. Listen, some people, they get intimidated working with an alpha like Jordan.
Big Cat
Right.
PFT Commenter
And it sounds like the people at hbo, they're like, you know what? We're not going to be calling the shots here. Jordan, I can already tell that's a tough cookie. I don't want her to take my job.
Big Cat
Yeah, she's probably going to run HBO soon enough. They're also. Was there. There's a little bit of confusion about her age. She might have filled out that she was born in 2000 in the UNC directory, but she, I think, was born in 2001. I don't know when it became appropriate to ask a woman's age.
PFT Commenter
It's.
Big Cat
I thought you weren't supposed to do that. So let's just leave that one aside.
PFT Commenter
It's very impolite. There's also belief that it's actually illegal to do that. It is illegal in job interviews. And you already said that she was not an employee.
Big Cat
Correct.
PFT Commenter
So in this portal thing, she was filling out. Was she applying for a job and you were asking her.
Big Cat
Good point.
PFT Commenter
Did you ask her if she was pregnant, too?
Big Cat
Good point.
PFT Commenter
That's also illegal. And also I kind of like to know if she was.
Big Cat
Yeah, right.
PFT Commenter
Because she might be.
Big Cat
Maybe could fix all this.
Max
The.
Big Cat
Then there's also the belief that Pablo floated it out that they're potentially leaving the. How did we meet thing because they're going to do a reality show. Good. More Joe Don.
PFT Commenter
Can't wait.
Big Cat
Need it.
PFT Commenter
I want to see that. Want more Jordan also very savvy from a business sense.
Big Cat
Yeah, don't.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, don't give that stuff away. That's going to be gold.
Big Cat
And then the one part that I. Because Pablo did a very good job of reporting. Even though we might disagree on whether Jordan's a girl boss or not, I think she is the one part that maybe irked me a little. There was Pablo is an anonymous source that said one person said she's the wor. Person I've ever dealt with on earth. And I've dealt with actual sociopaths. I'm not saying that is everyone. I'm just saying this story is extreme. That that last part is Pablo. So the. The source said, she's the worst person I've ever dealt with on earth.
PFT Commenter
Earth.
Big Cat
And I've dealt with actual sociopaths. Anonymous source. I have an anonymous source about Jordan. I have an anonymous source that this person said, hey, if we ever want Bill Belichick on, we got to start being nice to Jordan. Also, she's really hot. Not anonymous source. Henry Lockwood. So I don't know, like, dude, we don't do anonymous sourcing over here.
PFT Commenter
I do think it's probably a bit of a stretch to say she's the worst person I've ever met in my entire life.
Big Cat
I haven't met a lot of people. Sociopaths I've never sourced.
Hank
Probably also said that before, like, hit. This is when the anonymous source said that it was before this whole thing. Because it wasn't. It wasn't after this thing.
Big Cat
Right.
Hank
Story. It was like.
Big Cat
But I'm just saying, like, anonymous sources can go both ways. Yeah, for sure. Because that anonymous source who said, hey, if you want Belichick on, you're going to have to be nice Draw also said she's very beautiful and smart. She is, right? Wait, you said that?
Hank
I think that I agree with this anonymous source.
Big Cat
Also, that anonymous source said, watch out, Christian McCaffrey may not play football anymore.
PFT Commenter
There was another story in this podcast that was about her kind of shoehorning her way into. Into another commercial. We already heard about the Duncan story.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
For the super bowl commercial where she's like, hey, Bill, wouldn't it be fun and cute if I was also with you and Ben Affleck in this shot? And I'll just be in the background pumping my fist.
Big Cat
Guess what? It was fun.
PFT Commenter
America agreed it was A great commercial.
Big Cat
It was super fun.
PFT Commenter
It was super cute and super fun.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
There was another commercial for Underdog where she suggested when she showed up for the shoot that maybe they do the commercial a little bit differently. And so the script that they had for it. What if the commercial was just about her in a yellow polka dot bikini trying to get Bill's attention by the pool.
Big Cat
Oh.
PFT Commenter
Which sounds like a great idea for a commercial. And then apparently they pretended to film the commercial for her.
Big Cat
Oh.
PFT Commenter
And they didn't actually have the cameras running at the time, but they were doing it to make her feel like shoot. Just. Okay, we'll do what she wants and then we'll move on.
Hank
That one's tough. Especially production. Like that's. That's a. That's a. That's a nightmare. That's a production person's nightmare.
PFT Commenter
Oh yeah. But it sounds like it was a great idea for a commercial.
Big Cat
Sounds like we need this footage because it's probably going to be. You know what? If we get our hands on that footage, we'll make a part of my cheesesteak commercial out of it.
PFT Commenter
Agreed.
Big Cat
No problem.
PFT Commenter
Agreed.
Big Cat
Or Jordan, we'll have you. We'll pay you to be in a part of my cheesesteak commercial.
PFT Commenter
Yeah. Or if you just want to. Yeah. Direct the entire commercial as well.
Big Cat
Yeah, whatever you want.
PFT Commenter
We matter of fact, Jordan, you are now officially head of production for part of my cheesesteak. Yeah, we'll be waiting for you. And guess what? We don't care how old you are.
Big Cat
No. Nope. Because, well.
PFT Commenter
18 plus. Cool.
Big Cat
18 plus. Listen, Jordan, you officially. I would like to make an announcement. Breaking moose. Breaking moves. Breaking moves. Breaking news. Jordan Belichick. Is that. What's her. What's her name?
PFT Commenter
She's definitely. She's definitely written that down.
Big Cat
In of years.
PFT Commenter
Couple a couple of spiral notebooks. Practice the old signature.
Big Cat
Whoops. Okay, let me do that again. Breaking moves. Breaking moves. Breaking moves. Come on.
Hank
I'm looking at Hudson.
Big Cat
Jordan Hudson, you are officially the first person and the last person to ever be granted lifetime cheesesteaks from Pardon My cheesesteak.
PFT Commenter
Wow, that's huge.
Big Cat
It's you. Anytime you want a cheesesteak has to be for you. You have to eat it. You can't give it to anyone else. Non transferable. That is legally binding. Anytime you want a cheesesteak, it's on us.
PFT Commenter
One thing I will defend her on.
Big Cat
Is what if she got like super fetches?
PFT Commenter
No, not her.
Big Cat
She works genetics. Genetics. Runner. You don't get third and runner.
PFT Commenter
Runner up.
Big Cat
Up. Ms. Main.
PFT Commenter
The main event.
Big Cat
She's beautiful. She's glowing.
PFT Commenter
You know what? And she'd be. She'd be just as beautiful. Even if she did eat cheese steaks every day for the rest of her.
Big Cat
Life, I would say even more beautiful.
PFT Commenter
Because what's the most beautiful part about her is what's between the ears.
Big Cat
Yep. And it could be a lot of cheese steak.
PFT Commenter
Yep. Absolutely.
Big Cat
Don't, please, Jordan, do not put the cheesesteaks in your ears.
PFT Commenter
Is there. Is there. I guess there is a big difference, kind of, but not really of what if Bill met her when she was 19 versus if Bill met her when she was 20.
Big Cat
I don't. No, I. No, I think Florio said that. I think pretty much like there's a big difference between a 70 year old meeting a 19 year old, 7 year old meeting a 20 year old.
PFT Commenter
I don't know.
Hank
That sounds. That's literally like. Sounds like satire.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
When you're that far apart, it's like, it's. It's a big deal no matter what.
Big Cat
We stand with Jordan. Agreed.
PFT Commenter
Agreed.
Big Cat
Also, congratulations to the Miss Maine. She looks beautiful.
PFT Commenter
I think she got hosed.
Big Cat
The one who won.
PFT Commenter
I didn't. I didn't watch any of it.
Big Cat
I just saw the one who won and I was like, yeah, makes sense.
PFT Commenter
It would have been funny if during the question, I assume they had a question answer part of.
Big Cat
I believe so. I think she came out in a gown that said it talked about main lobster fisherman.
PFT Commenter
Love that. Love that.
Big Cat
So that was cool.
PFT Commenter
Cool in the trap. Yeah, it would have been great in the trap. It would have been great if they had just asked her. So how'd you guys meet?
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
And the question answer.
Big Cat
Yeah. But yeah, listen, third is not something to be ashamed of.
PFT Commenter
No.
Big Cat
Jordan is our queen. Hank, how are we doing?
Hank
Great.
Big Cat
You think she's gonna. Do you think she'll eat a cheesesteak?
Hank
I think she'll probably pick us up on that offer to be head of production for pmc.
Big Cat
Yeah. Love that pmc.
PFT Commenter
Can't wait to work for you, Jordan. Not even with you, but for you.
Big Cat
You tell us how to jump, we say how high?
PFT Commenter
I'm gonna do. I'm gonna do my job. Yeah, that's whatever you say it is.
Big Cat
I mean, literally whatever you say.
PFT Commenter
Eat that humble pie.
Big Cat
Big time. Good.
Hank
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Okay.
Big Cat
Okay. You guys think we nailed that?
PFT Commenter
Anything weird about anything?
Hank
One thing that I probably didn't talk about as much, but the. She was 19 when she met Bill and she already had an Ex boyfriend that was like a 60 year old.
Big Cat
Well, I think they dated. Went after she met Bill, because they didn't. Bill was still dating his ex girlfriend. So they met and didn't start dating until two years after that.
Hank
Got it.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
One of my favorite parts of. Of the story was the old boyfriend that they did a little background on.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
And he has written thousands of reviews on a wine reviewing website.
Big Cat
Yeah.
PFT Commenter
Thousands of reviews.
Big Cat
Thousands.
PFT Commenter
So it's like Pug, when he gets on untapped, he always checks in whenever. When he drinks a beer which rocks, and then his friends like, will you do that, Pug? Oh, yeah, Pug's got. Pug is big on.
Big Cat
Hell yes.
PFT Commenter
The beer apps.
Big Cat
I didn't know you rocked out like that.
PFT Commenter
Oh, yeah, I'm tapping in all the time. Yeah. On like a Friday, he'll report, like, drink, drinking a beer, and then his buddies be like, sick.
Big Cat
Oh, that's awesome.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, Montreal was awesome. We tapped in, in. Tapped in a few times.
Big Cat
How long have you been tapping in?
PFT Commenter
Tapping in for a few years.
Big Cat
Like three years. Every time you drink a beer, you tap in.
Max
Not if it's like. If it's like a newer beer I haven't had before.
Big Cat
Like, it depends.
PFT Commenter
Depends on the. On the vibe. If you. If you're out for a night on the town and you. Let's say you stick with one, like domestic light beer and you have nine of them. Do you log all nine of those in a row? Because that would be awesome. Probably just.
Big Cat
Just one. Just one.
PFT Commenter
One.
Max
If it's.
Big Cat
If it's a repeat beer, I'll keep it one. We. We tap in on new beers.
PFT Commenter
New beers only.
Big Cat
Got it.
PFT Commenter
So apparently her ex boyfriend is like that with wine, where he writes, like these very flowery, very prose like reviews of every single wine that he ever drinks in his entire life. Yeah, That's a lot, man. Thousands of reviews of wine is a lot.
Big Cat
Everyone's gonna have a passion.
PFT Commenter
That's true.
Big Cat
You know, people would look at parts of our lives and be like, that's a lot. That's stupid.
PFT Commenter
That's true.
Big Cat
Yeah. Like, Hank Golf so much.
Hank
Like, this guy cares about the schedule release.
PFT Commenter
It's fun to complain.
Big Cat
I don't like. I don't like. I don't like the hate on the schedule. No schedule releases.
PFT Commenter
Just do it all at once, but.
Big Cat
Do it all at once. But I don't know. I don't like them hating on us.
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
I. I don't like the way they've. They've bastardized the schedule release. I think it should just be one. Yeah. They should do it with no leaks and just be like, here it is. Is. But them judging us, it doesn't sit right.
PFT Commenter
And like, some of the fun stuff on social media that the team accounts do is fine or whatever. It's like their super bowl, they ruin, but it's. It's too much now.
Big Cat
Much.
PFT Commenter
I just pay attention to what the Chargers do, and I move on.
Big Cat
Yeah. Oh, do you think Jordan will be. Is UNC gonna release a schedule?
PFT Commenter
Oh, they should. They probably already have that released, though. Yeah, that is.
Big Cat
That is released.
PFT Commenter
It's released years, like five, six years. She should do the one for, like, 20, 35. UNC schedule release.
Big Cat
Jordan, if you would like to do a schedule release with us on where we'll be watching each game. They'll all be in the gambling cave, but we could make. We have fun with it.
PFT Commenter
A lot of fun.
Big Cat
That would be a lot of fun. A lot of fun.
PFT Commenter
Do you think he's going to coach Bill? Yeah.
Big Cat
Or Jordan?
PFT Commenter
Bill. Bill's the coach.
Big Cat
Yeah. I got confused.
PFT Commenter
I think he.
Big Cat
I think he is.
PFT Commenter
I think he is, but not now. People are. They're asking the question.
Big Cat
I think he is.
PFT Commenter
I think he is, Hank. Do you. Yeah, that's what he does.
Big Cat
I do. I think he is.
PFT Commenter
So when did they start dating?
Hank
I don't know.
Big Cat
Why are you shaking your head?
PFT Commenter
Do we know?
Big Cat
Years ago you said, yeah, but then you were shaking your head.
PFT Commenter
Was she.
Big Cat
That was conf.
PFT Commenter
Do we think that maybe, just maybe, she was the reason why Bill didn't get an NFL job?
Hank
Yeah, maybe.
PFT Commenter
Like, maybe she was in the.
Hank
I don't believe that because I. I'm Team Jordan, but. Yeah, no, there's a possibility.
Big Cat
No, I actually think it's the opposite. Pft. I think he started dating her after, and if he had started dating her before, he would have definitely gotten an NFL job.
PFT Commenter
He'd be commissioner by now.
Big Cat
Correct. Correct.
PFT Commenter
It's just something to think about.
Big Cat
I think has actually.
Hank
I mean, he did end up. She went to unc, right?
Big Cat
What? She attended unc. I do. I do not believe so.
Hank
Okay. That. Never mind.
Big Cat
No, I do not believe so.
Hank
Take it back.
Big Cat
Okay. I did not go to unc. I think Arthur Blank probably texted Bill Belichick was like, hey, dude, why didn't you tell me about this cool ass chick? Yeah, I would have hired you.
PFT Commenter
Sorry about not calling you back for the second interview.
Big Cat
Yeah, no problem.
PFT Commenter
Do we think that had anything to do with how he left New England?
Big Cat
No, they weren't dating then, right? They just met.
PFT Commenter
Confirmed.
Big Cat
Yeah, they were just. They weren't dating. They just met. Okay, Max, Hawaii, you're back. Back. You brought us gifts.
Max
I brought gifts.
Big Cat
Are any of them the Pope?
Max
I looked for the Pope.
Big Cat
God damn it.
Max
It was tough to find the Pope in Hawaii.
Big Cat
There wasn't this one right here.
Max
All right, I'll start with you then.
PFT Commenter
Man, it's an old ass Pope.
Max
I thought the Pope needed a friend. Okay, so the. The. The Pope got a. The hool it answer.
Big Cat
Oh, hell yes. I love that.
Max
It kind of. The. The packaging kind of got, you know, a little destroyed in transit, but.
Big Cat
Oh, I don't love that. I don't love that.
Max
It still works.
Big Cat
All right, get it over here. Let me see that.
Max
Also, everyone's getting two gifts except for Shane, who gets zero.
Big Cat
Oh, nice.
Max
That also comes with. With a. A homemade bookmark. Cuz, you told me you were going to start reading this summer.
Big Cat
Yep. Bought another book the other day.
Max
Did you read the first one?
Big Cat
Nope, But I bought another book. I bought about five books this year.
Max
I'm going to give you give all. All away after.
Big Cat
No, no, bring it in, Pug. Yeah, bring it in. I want to play with my bookmark.
Max
Yep. There's like, a little thing on it. Okay. I'll just go around in a circle. Hank, you're next. I went to a farmer's market in Kauai, and this is like a. A homemade little candle holder.
Hank
Okay.
Max
It came with a little tea. Tea candle.
Hank
Okay.
Max
But that melted in transit, so there's like half of a candle in here that's, like, kind of broken, but the. The holder is still there. And it.
Big Cat
What happened in transit.
Hank
Love that.
Max
You know, it's far placed. You know, it was in my backpack for a while. That. That. And that comes with a magnet also from this farmer's market.
Hank
Nice alo.
Max
That says aloha. All right, memes is next.
PFT Commenter
Is that the hello or the goodbye one?
Big Cat
What do you guys think? You guys, what do you guys think?
Max
Looks great. We're going to have a great little collection.
Big Cat
Look, it looks like Belichick and Jordan.
Hank
That's a hot couple.
Big Cat
So cute.
Max
All right, we're going. Well, you guys just switched up. All right, Pug, you're next.
Big Cat
Pug.
Max
This was from the farmer's market. It's a little print. Print from. From an artist. And it's just, you know, a little. So you look like a postcard.
Big Cat
You went to one farmer's market and you got Everything correct this.
Max
And then this was from the airport in Maui. It is a salt and pepper shaker with two. I don't know. It's a Hawaiian salt and pepper shaker.
Big Cat
Cool.
Max
All right, Pug, so this is for you.
Big Cat
Wait, a postcard? Thanks, bro. I love it. It's like.
Max
It's like a little piece of art. And then the person who made it did a. Wrote a little aloha from Kawhi at the bottom.
Big Cat
Oh, nice.
Max
This is for memes. It's another post. Another kind of a postcard kind of, but it's turtles. Mr. Pear.
Big Cat
Oh.
Max
And then a shot glass of boobs.
Big Cat
Nice.
PFT Commenter
Damn, that's so sick.
Max
That's on brand.
Big Cat
Add it to the collection.
PFT Commenter
The boobs glass. How many. How many do you have, Memes?
Big Cat
I have two if people just want to send me boobs.
Max
Jack. I didn't really know. That's an interesting way to go there. Memes.
Big Cat
Yep. Mugs. Mugs.
PFT Commenter
Yep.
Max
All right. Yep. Okay, Jack, I got you a magnet with a bottle opener on it and then also some dark chocolate macadamias.
PFT Commenter
Oh, nice.
Max
So. Pft. I was about to do something super sick, but I got. I. I thought it would have been mean to the rest of the rest of the team here. I was close to get it bringing.
Hank
Back, like, too expensive.
Max
Like a 300 ukulele.
PFT Commenter
Yeah, yeah.
Max
But I thought.
Hank
Yeah, but it would have been.
PFT Commenter
Man, that would have been up.
Big Cat
Instead, you went with a bookmark.
PFT Commenter
No, it's a postcard.
Max
So I went to that ukulele store.
Big Cat
I would have given up my. The bookmark budget for the ukulele.
Max
The ukulele would have been cool, right?
PFT Commenter
Yeah.
Big Cat
Right?
PFT Commenter
Be cool.
Max
All right. Whatever.
PFT Commenter
That's always the best way to introduce a gift is like, here's the awesome gift. I almost.
Max
But instead, I got you some guitar picks from that ukulele store that I went.
PFT Commenter
Sick. I love it.
Max
And then also from the farmers market that I went.
Hank
Put the ukulele on the counter. He's going to be like, that's going to be 300 bucks.
Big Cat
I'll take the pics.
Max
I literally did that. I literally did that.
PFT Commenter
Now, what's of the picks? They're 50 cents. Done. Yep.
Max
I got you five.
Big Cat
Five of them sold. Hell, yeah.
Max
I got five. Because I was like, like a dollar.
PFT Commenter
That's actually. Honestly, that is a great gift because I always need picks.
Max
There we go.
PFT Commenter
They always disappear. Great gift, Max.
Max
I got you five guitar picks and this little bracelet that is made out of volcano lava.
Big Cat
Love that.
PFT Commenter
Very cool.
Big Cat
That is very cool.
PFT Commenter
Thank you, Max.
Max
And that's it.
Big Cat
All right, I'm so. I think I won this with the bookmark.
PFT Commenter
Yep. I think. I think the picks.
Big Cat
Dude, did you see this bookmark that I'm gonna totally use for the books I read?
PFT Commenter
It is pretty sick.
Big Cat
But. But it's a bookmark.
Max
You told me you were going to start reading books.
Big Cat
Who wouldn't want to get a gift of a bookmark? You literally just gave me homework.
Max
But I'm just. I'm helping you pursue your. Your hobby for this summer.
Big Cat
A bookmark is an insult gift.
Max
That's what you. You told me you were going to start reading.
PFT Commenter
Every time I look at the picks, I'm just going to think about that sick ukulele, and it's going to make me happy.
Max
No, I should have got the.
Big Cat
I'm gonna put my bookmark next to the Pope just so I can just remind myself how awesome the gifts I get from my boys.
Max
Do you have a ukulele?
PFT Commenter
I don't have a ukulele, no.
Big Cat
That.
Max
I also thought about that.
PFT Commenter
I was like, maybe he's got a uk.
Max
Yeah.
Big Cat
You're not fat enough to. I know ukulele.
PFT Commenter
You gotta have some girth to you, Max. You could be.
Max
There was this, like, at one of the.
PFT Commenter
You know, that wasn't about being fat. That was just the vibe.
Big Cat
Vibe?
PFT Commenter
Because you look.
Big Cat
Yeah, the vibe.
Max
I went to a luau, and they had a ukulele player who, like, travels the world and plays ukulele, and it was like, the sickest thing ever. She was ripping the ukulele.
PFT Commenter
You can't.
Big Cat
It's like a doctor is the mother thing. She.
Max
She. Yeah, she. She.
Big Cat
I didn't know they made those.
Max
Yeah. Oh, I got to find her name.
PFT Commenter
You can't be bummed out listening to ukulele.
Max
My phone said. Wait, what did you say?
PFT Commenter
I just said, you can't be bummed out. Listen to ukulele.
Max
Yeah. No. And she was ripping the ukulele. She was so good.
PFT Commenter
Damn.
Big Cat
Great job, Max.
PFT Commenter
Nothing for Shane.
Max
Nothing for Shane.
Big Cat
Well, Shane didn't give Max.
Max
I gave everyone else. I wanted to make sure I gave everyone else two gifts. Two gifts and zero for Shane.
PFT Commenter
Thank you. Max deserved.
Big Cat
This is a f. This is a fun tradition we're starting. This is a good way to combat vacation.
Hank
It's like, to. To encourage vacation.
PFT Commenter
No, but Hank.
Big Cat
Oh, so I can get some more bookmarks. Some Pope Boba heads.
Hank
Yeah. People are saying Max is a new Hank, and I. I I'm happy past the torch.
Big Cat
Yeah, but then I heard someone. I, I saw that, and then they're like. Max is literally taking, like, two vacations in his entire time here.
Max
Yeah, I, I, I just happened to.
Big Cat
Be very close together.
PFT Commenter
Hank's gonna go broke taking vacations with all the gifts he's gonna have to buy.
Big Cat
Oh, my God, Hank, you better. Next.
Hank
My next vacation. I'm balling out.
Big Cat
I want, want. I want at least three bookmarks.
Hank
I just don't know when that is, okay? I got nothing planned.
Big Cat
How do you got nothing planned?
Hank
Just grinding.
Big Cat
You are just grinding.
Hank
Focus on the grind.
Big Cat
Are we still on for golf on Thursday? Yeah. Okay. All right. Good show, boys. Numbers three, 40. You're not gonna get it, though. Memes. What if today's day.
Max
Titty hug one.
Big Cat
I'll go with titty shot.
PFT Commenter
Glass. 99.
Max
Pug. 44.
Big Cat
21.
PFT Commenter
I'm going to go with 61.
Big Cat
I'm going to go with six. What was your guess, Hank?
Hank
41.
Max
I don't even think I said number one. 20.
Big Cat
20. Oh, Shane, so close.
PFT Commenter
So close. A gift of the ball. Love you guys. Sa.
Pardon My Take - Episode Summary Release Date: May 12, 2025
Hosts: Big Cat & PFT Commenter
Guest: Rachel Nichols
Key Topics: NBA Playoffs, Celtics vs. Knicks Series, Thunder vs. Nuggets Series, Pacers vs. Cavaliers Series, Derek Carr Retirement, NHL Playoffs, NHL Playoffs Insights, Max's Return, Jordan of the Week
This episode of "Pardon My Take" offers an in-depth analysis of the 2025 NBA and NHL playoffs, featuring expert insights from Rachel Nichols. Hosts Big Cat and PFT Commenter navigate through spirited debates on team performances, player impacts, and strategic decisions, all while maintaining their signature humor and camaraderie. Special segments like "Who's Back of the Week" and "Jordan of the Week" add unique touches, celebrating standout athletes amidst the high-stakes playoff environment.
Listeners can expect a blend of expert commentary, statistical analysis, and entertaining banter, making this episode a comprehensive recap of the current sports landscape.