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- [00:01]
TaxAct
The tax deadline is almost here and TaxAct has live experts to help answer any last minute questions you may have. Questions like can I claim my SUV is my home office? If I answer work emails in my car? If I adopted 12 dogs this year, can I list them as dependents and am I doing this right or am I doing this very, very wrong? Our experts have the answers to those questions and many others. Tax Act. Let's get them over with.
- [00:32]
Mike Wilbon
Pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Wilbon. It's International Fact Checking Day. Tony, do you have facts about yourself that are in dispute?
- [00:41]
Tony Kornheiser
Tony Korneiser? No. I think it's well known that I'm a world class tuba player, that I was Elizabeth Taylor's sixth husband and I was acquitted of racketeering three times and my nickname is Knuckles.
- [00:52]
Mike Wilbon
Right.
- [00:53]
Tony Kornheiser
Everybody knows that.
- [00:53]
Mike Wilbon
Whoa, Knuckles. Wait a minute. I've also heard you dated Twiggy. Is that true?
- [00:59]
Tony Kornheiser
Really? You've heard that? I'm going to discuss.
- [01:02]
Mike Wilbon
Yes.
- [01:02]
Tony Kornheiser
I'm not going to divulge what Twiggy and I did. Come and stop that. You know me better than that. Welcome to pti, boys and girls. In today's episode, the Dodgers win again. The NFL considers letting its stars play Olympic flag football. And Kendrick Perkins joins us for five good minutes. But we begin today with two past MVPs having terrific scoring nights. Last night, Nikola Jokic had 61 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a double overtime loss to Minnesota. And Steph Curry made 12 threes and scored 52 points in a 134, 125 victory over Memphis in Memphis. Wilbur, I know you were jacked up watching these games. I got your text. Who had the most impressive performance, Jokic or Curry?
- [01:48]
Mike Wilbon
I've had hours and hours to think about this. I watched both these games, as you know. Yes, I bothered you in the middle of your night texting and I, I still, I can't decide. If I had to decide, I may shock you a little bit and say Joker. But his team lost. Steph Curry led his team and they needed every one of those points in that game at Memphis. They needed every one of them to win that game. And they like Denver, they're both playing for something. And Tony, they were so great. Joker and Curry were so great. The part of the text conversation I was having in a thread with people who are twisted like I am and watch basketball every night, all night is are these two playing their way into all time greatness? In other words, the list we put together and say, oh, so and so is a top 10, 12, 15 player ever of all time. Are Joker and Curry now not just in the discussion? Are they on the list? And I think Curry actually is, but that's for another time probably. But Tony Joker, he does this and his team doesn't win these games and it's sort of heartbreaking, as you know. You pointed out to me in a text right away that Joker's teams lose when he scores more than 50. They do. I'm going to say Joker narrowly and I don't even have a reason why I'm answering that way. They were both great. They were thrilling.
- [03:09]
Tony Kornheiser
Yeah. I'm going to draw a distinction here. If you were going to ask me which one would get my MVP vote, then it would be important to me which team won. Golden State won and Denver lost. So my MVP vote would go for Curry. Especially since winning that game against Memphis vaults them over Memphis and into fifth place in the Eastern Conference. So it's an impactful game.
- [03:32]
Mike Wilbon
It was.
- [03:33]
Tony Kornheiser
And also Curry, Curry shot great. He shot I think 12 for 20 from 3. But. And there's a but in this Jokic performance to me is, is actually more impressive. Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Were not on the court.
- [03:47]
Mike Wilbon
That's right.
- [03:48]
Tony Kornheiser
Okay. And Russell Westbrook at the end was very chaotic and probably lost the game. This guy was out there like wilt. I'll take 15 more seconds. It's not just the 61 points. It's a 61 point triple double. You know how many people have ever done that? Nobody is the answer. He played 52 minutes and 38 seconds of a 58 minute game. He's like Wilt. He's out there alone holding the fort. So to me, and I know his team lost, but it's not an MVP vote to me just last night. What he did was more impressive to me.
- [04:24]
Mike Wilbon
Tony. And no Porter and no Murray. As you said, that's a big deal. You're missing two starters.
- [04:29]
Tony Kornheiser
Yes.
- [04:30]
Mike Wilbon
One of the great nights to me. One of the great nights in my memory in NBA regular season basketball. And I ain't a prisoner of the moment either. It's still so early in the baseball season, but the Dodgers have yet to lose a game and the Braves have yet to win one. LA beat Atlanta 31 last night to move to 7 and 0 and dropped the Brave to oh and 6. Dusty May struck out the side in the first inning of his first appearance in nearly two years following Tommy John and a torn esophagus. Tony, which team start is more newsworthy?
- [05:06]
Tony Kornheiser
Dodgers, Braves It's a tough question because the Dodgers are fabulous right now. They have now beaten both incumbents Cy Young pitchers. They beat Skubal, they beat sale. They're starting 7, 0. And the last team to win a World Series and start the next season seven and oh, last time it happened was the 1933 Yankees and they had Garrigan Ruth, who you might have heard of. So the Dodgers have been great. But more newsworthy is actually the Braves going.06. Mike, we both were in locker rooms for a living and we know the losing locker room is the richer locker room in terms of doing stories. The Braves are missing some people. Ronald Acuna Jr. I believe won't be back until May. Spencer Strider, I believe won't be back till the end of this month. Max Freed won't be back at all because he left and he signed with the Yankees. But they are a perennial playoff team. The Braves, they've won a seven years in a row. They've been in the playoffs and they're in a very tough division. They won the World Series four years ago. So 06 is really a noteworthy start. I got numbers for you. I'll be brief on numbers. Their team batting average is the worst in the league. It's.137. They've scored nine runs in six games. They've only got two runs in the last four. They're batting.076 with runners on base and they're one of 34 with runners in scoring position. Those numbers are historically awful. That's why it's the Braves.
- [06:28]
Mike Wilbon
But Tone, the reason it's not the Braves is because they lost all those games to the Dodgers and the Padres and the Dodgers and the Padres. I mean, they, they may be the two best teams in the National League. And it's a quirk of schedule. They start off with those teams and they haven't even had a chance to, to get their footing and, and be at home. No, it's the, it's the dodgers. You mentioned 1933 starting off 7 and 0. That's coming off a sweep of the cubs in the 32 World Series. Not often we get to talk about the Cubs in any World Series. 32 World Series, four game, sweep start the next season with seven. My God. End of season, start of season seven. And. Oh, Ruth and Garrick. When you compare to Ruth and Garrick, that's like comparing somebody to Wilt. That's like we opened up comparing Nicola Yis to Wilt. When you go Ruth, Garrig, that's a mic. Drop it's. The Dodgers tone. The Braves are going to be okay. They got a lot of people missing, as you accurately point out, but they're going to recover from this. They're going to stagger back at some point. Better be quick.
- [07:30]
Tony Kornheiser
Let's move to an Olympic story of sorts. The 2028 Olympics will be held in Los Angeles in the month of July. One of the sports will be flag football. Some of the people that want to play are Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill. NFL Commissioner Rog Goodell has said a lot of players want to participate and he hopes the NFL will have a decision on this in the next 60 days. Wolvon should the NFL let its star players play in Olympic flag football?
- [07:57]
Mike Wilbon
Yes. It's a short, easy answer for me. Yes, if you're going to put this out there. Part of the reason it's there is because the NFL will do anything to expand its footprint to be as international as soccer and basketball. That's the mission. That's a huge part of the NFL's agenda. We're not talking about domestically where the NFL is king. We're talking about internationally, where, where it has no footprint compared to basketball and soccer. And that's the mission of being in the Olympics. I don't even want to see flag football or any football in the Olympics. I don't want to see any spring football. I don't want to see any summer football. I want to see no more football taking away from things like boxing. No, I don't, I don't want to see it at all. But if the NFL is going to put this out there as something to support, and if that game is going to be at the Olympics at all, then yes, NFL players should be in it, no doubt.
- [08:53]
Tony Kornheiser
Yeah, let's understand something. These Olympics are going to be contested in July. Even with an 18 game schedule, there will be no NFL official games in July. So all you're going to miss is a little bit of training camp, which is really not that big a deal. Mike, to this point, football players have never had any expectation whatsoever of, of playing in the Olympics for their country. Basketball players have, baseball players have, hockey players have, golfers have, tennis players have, but not football to play for your country. I understand why they would want to go out there. I think all of them are going to want to play. And it's flag football. You're not going to get hurt. You're going to get hurt in training camp much more often than that. And the NFL is essentially sponsoring the notion of flag football. I heard today that Serena Williams wants to buy a flag football franchise. So this all dovetails nicely. What you can do the Olympics is a television show. NBC's Putting It On. They're a full partner of the NFL. You say to them, put flag football in the first week, then by the third week everybody's at training camp. It's oh, Tony, you're right.
- [09:57]
Mike Wilbon
Do it, Tony, you're right. You're right about this. But they're going to knock out the sports we care about. There's going to be Olympic pickleball in four years. There is, because all these things want to flex and show how important they can be. Come on, pickleball, get out.
- [10:12]
Tony Kornheiser
Pickleball can flex from now to the end of time and their flex isn't going to mean much. Not like the NFL. Let's take a break. Coming up, the Celtics are better on the road than they are at home. Is that a good thing? We're going to ask Kendrick Perkins.
- [10:26]
Mike Wilbon
We'll also ask him whether the Clippers should count on the resurgent Kawhi Leonard for these playoffs. Not the 2019 playoffs.
- [10:36]
Kendrick Perkins
These.
- [10:36]
Tony Kornheiser
I will bet you, Mike, I will bet you that more people in their 50s and 60s get hurt playing pickleball than playing anything else. I'll bet you.
- [10:45]
Mike Wilbon
I agree.
- [10:45]
Tony Kornheiser
There's pop in the kidneys all the time.
- [10:50]
TaxAct
The tax deadline is almost here and TaxAct has live experts to help answer any last minute questions you may have. Questions like can I claim my SUV is my home office? If I answer work emails in my car? If I adopted 12 dogs this year, can I list them as dependents and am I doing this wrong right? Or am I doing this very, very wrong? Our experts have the answers to those questions and many others. Taxact, let's get them over with.
- [11:19]
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- [12:32]
Tony Kornheiser
We've got NBA questions for our great friend and fellow big man, ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins Park. Let's start with this. The NBA is reportedly looking into John Morant and Buddy Heald exchanging what appeared to be finger gun gestures at each other last night. What were your thoughts when you saw that?
- [12:53]
Kendrick Perkins
Like my grandma used to say, a hard head make a soft behind and Josh just don't get it, you know, and it's a damn shame because he has the superstar talent. And just last week I said on NBA Today or this week that Ja Morant is auditioning for the Memphis Grizzlies, and people call me everything but a child of God for saying that. But when I say auditioning is because we're not questioning his talent. We're questioning if he's the guy for your franchise that's going to do the necessary things to get your franchise to actually win a championship. And that's not just the play on the court. That's being a professional. Off the court, that's being a leader. And last night was a prime example of when are you going to get it? That's unacceptable. Right? I don't want to be that guy that overreacts. But did you see Steph Curry? Did you see Draymond pointing it out? Those are veteran guys in this league that are still playing and they know that it's unacceptable perk.
- [13:59]
Mike Wilbon
You know, I think I texted you when you called it out a week or so ago. Unbelievable that John Morant is still in that space. But we will move on. There's so many things going on in the league that need to talk about Celtics. Your Celtics coming back from a 60 road trip. They're 24 and 12 at home, which is fine. But 32 and 7 on the road puts them in a point where they may tie the best season ever for a team and their road record. So perk, if you gotta be great on the road or great at home, when you can pick one, which one is more important?
- [14:32]
Kendrick Perkins
Guess what, Wilbourne it don't matter. When it comes down to the defending champs, that's what they telling you. We okay at home. We know what our crowd is going to bring, we know what type of atmosphere it is in Boston, we know that it's a hostile environment on the road is when you come together. And the most impressive thing that I witnessed on this six game road trip for the Celtics, outside of Jason Tatum playing at an MVP level and Kristo Porzingis being the X factor that he is, it's the others. It's Peyton Pritchard, it's old man Al Horford who had 26 the other night. Like the role players are playing better on the road right now and that's scary for the rest of the league. And this is the main reason why I have them repeating this year. They have figured it out, right when it comes down to the chemistry being all in, losing yourself in the team, coming together when it matters the most through adversity on the road, this team has the experience and they have the depth to get it done and they're going to get it done. So with them, it don't matter if they at the Y, the rec, wherever they go, get busy.
- [15:41]
Mike Wilbon
Tony would love for me to stay in the east with the next question, but I ain't going to do it. I'm going to take you out west to another old perk team OKC, which has won 10 in a row. They're on pace. People are pointing out now to win 70. We're at that point in the season perk as you know, where we're just locked in on every little thing, every little nuance of a team to see how great they are. Okay, does okc, which you have talked about and been driving that bandwagon all year, is there any vulnerability about them as we go into this last week of the regular season?
- [16:16]
Kendrick Perkins
Nothing. Nothing. They check all boxes and I'm going to go, I'm going to say this. It will be a failure if they don't get to the NBA finals. It will be a failed season. I don't want to hear conference finals, I don't want to hear none of that. You have a young superstar in SGA who's about to join the company of Michael Jordan, right? This season, third season in a row, averaging 30, shooting over 50%. You have Chet Holmgren, who I call the white version of Kevin Garnett. Isaiah Hardenstein is bringing something different to the table. Those two shown that could be on the floor together, they're getting this done right now without Jalen Williams in the lineup, you have Luke Dortz, who could arguably be a defensive player of the year candidate. And then you have your bench. Isaiah Joe had 31 the other night. Aaron Wiggins had 40 this season off the bench. So they have all the pieces. They're number one in every category defensively, every single one of them. So even when they're not making shots, they're hanging their hats on the defensive side of things. And it's not one guy on that roster that is a liability defensively. They all slide, those puppies. They all have AA High basketball IQ on the defensive side of things. Oklahoma City is going to the NBA Finals.
- [17:43]
Tony Kornheiser
Perk, we will get you out of here on this. And in my ear they say to ask you to make it a short answer, and I know you will. Very quietly, Kawhi Leonard has averaged 25 points and 36 minutes while playing 13 of 16 games in March. Should the Clippers go all out with him in the playoffs or should they focus on getting him to the off season in one piece and healthy?
- [18:06]
Kendrick Perkins
They should go all out. They're actually my sleepers in the Western Conference. I think when you look at Kawhi right now and how he's playing, they did a great job of managing him. James Harden, the system has done well under Ty Lue, Norman Powell and Zubak is the top, top five center in the game. And when you look how shaky the west is right now with no real number two option in the west outside of Oklahoma City, I'm looking at the Clippers. This is the chance for them to capitalize.
- [18:38]
Tony Kornheiser
Thank you so much, Perk, as always. Thank you.
- [18:41]
Mike Wilbon
Appreciate it.
- [18:41]
Kendrick Perkins
Appreciate y'all legends. Thanks for having me, man.
- [18:44]
Tony Kornheiser
Let's take one last break. Still to come, Alex Ovechkin draws closer to Wayne Gretzky's all time mark and also does something noteworthy off the ice.
- [18:54]
Mike Wilbon
And a big moment for Carmelo Anthony. Tony, you better be awake at 6:30. Perk and I are on Countdown with Malika. You can't say you're asleep at 6:30 Eastern. Don't want to hear it. You better tune in.
- [19:08]
Tony Kornheiser
I am up at six six thirty. Mike. I'm up at six thirty in the morning and six thirty at night.
- [19:13]
Kendrick Perkins
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- [19:25]
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- [19:27]
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- [19:37]
HIMS
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- [19:39]
Kendrick Perkins
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- [19:45]
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- [21:01]
Tony Kornheiser
Happy time people. Happy 31st birthday. Pascal Siakam the Pacers forward is averaging 20.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and shooting 52% from the field for the fourth place team in the Eastern Conference. Siakam came to the Pacers a year ago January in a trade from Toronto where he was on the Raptors NBA championship team. Siakam was born in Cameroon, went to high school in Texas, college at New Mexico State. Drafted by Toronto with the 27th pick in the 2016 draft, Siakam won the Most improved Player award the year Toronto won the title, when he became a full time starter and in the playoffs averaged 19 points and 7 rebounds all the way through beating Golden State in the finals.
- [21:44]
Mike Wilbon
International star Tony he is going to have to play at that Toronto level and some of what he did last year again to get Indiana out of the first round is going to be difficult. They've had a nice stretch lately in the second half of the season. Siakam is part of the reason why, but he's going to have to continue it.
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Tony Kornheiser
Happy Anniversary UNLV on this date 35 years ago, the Running Rebels won the NCAA Championship with a decisive 10373 win over Duke. UNLV became the first team to score more than 100 points in the title game. And their margin of Victory is an NCAA championship game record. Anderson Hunt led all school with 29 points. Larry Johnson added 22 for Jerry Tarkanian's team. The next year, Duke got its revenge, beating essentially the same UNLV team in the national semifinal. Hunt, Johnson, Greg Anthony, Stacy Augment. Still on unlv, Duke had Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill. That was when players stuck around for a while. And college wasn't just a flyby for the NBA.
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Mike Wilbon
Not just a while. Three and four years. Guys squared off against each other all the way through the march. Don't tell me this tournament is that exciting. Don't. Don't tell me that because I remember that and that game that you're talking about.
- [23:01]
Tony Kornheiser
Happy trails to last night's game for the Bruins. The east leading Caps won in Boston 4 3, but it was Washington's second goal that got most attention. Alex Ovechkin jammed home a great pass for the 891st goal all of his career. That's just four short of breaking Wayne Gretzky's all time record. Last night's game was also notable for the debut of Caps rookie Ryan Leonard, who just last weekend was still in school playing for Boston College. Leonard said that when the Caps got into town, he got a text from Ovechkin inviting him out for sushi after dinner. Leonard said OVI wanted to see where I went to school, so we went there for an hour just to show him and he loved it.
- [23:38]
Mike Wilbon
Tony, doesn't it seem to you when you're right there at ground0 with Ovi every day, doesn't it seem like he's gotten more gracious as he's gotten older? And he's very. Not just tolerant, but patient with this whole thing in pursuit of Gretzky, all of it. He just seems very comfortable.
- [23:56]
Tony Kornheiser
He is hitting all the right notes. The other day he got everybody on the team to shake the hands of Marc Andre Flory. He has risen to it, Mike. I think he let's go to the big finish. Carmelo Anthony made the Basketball hall of Fame on the first ballot. That makes sense, doesn't it?
- [24:12]
Mike Wilbon
Yeah. College championship as a freshman, three Olympic golds, among other things before you get to the NBA career. Yes. Paul Skeens gave up one earned and seven against the Rays this afternoon. You impressed?
- [24:26]
Tony Kornheiser
He's great. He walked in last year. He was great. He comes back this year. He's a great pitcher. Mark Lore and Alex Rodriguez will officially become the next owners of the Timberwolves. I assume that's okay by you.
- [24:38]
Mike Wilbon
Yes, absolutely. It took a long time. They got in the right time and the right price relative to what's going on now. Good for them. St. Louis Blues are on a 10 game heater. Tone. You like that?
- [24:51]
Tony Kornheiser
I think I first heard that phrase, a heater in hockey about two years ago. Yeah, I think so. I love that phrase. I love when it's in the show, a heater. I love it. Last one. Rangers starter Nathan Ivaldi threw the season's first complete game last night. That's a big deal.
- [25:06]
Mike Wilbon
You Love starting pitching, 99 pitches and the Rangers won. You get that? Yes. It only be like five complete games more the rest of the season. And so this is a wonderful thing. Big deal. Thor Parade.
- [25:21]
Tony Kornheiser
We're out of time. We will try and do better the next time. And I'm Tony Kornheiser.
- [25:25]
Mike Wilbon
I'm Mike Wilbon. Same time tomorrow, knuckleheads. You can get the PTI podcast on the ESPN app or Apple podcast. And now pti.
- [25:38]
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