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- [00:00]
Ryan Reynolds
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- [00:18]
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- [00:32]
Mike Wilbon
pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Wilfon. It's National Limerick Day, Tony. I'm sure you've got one in your pocket.
- [00:39]
Tony Kornheiser
Tony Kornheiser.
- [00:41]
Mike Wilbon
I sure do.
- [00:42]
Tony Kornheiser
Your columns once had the date line of the biggest events of all time. Now it's just sad that you are so glad to attend the NBA combine.
- [00:52]
Mike Wilbon
Yeah. You noticed the combine. I'm thrilled. It's a lifetime highlight. You should be here. Lifetime highlight.
- [01:01]
Tony Kornheiser
And it's also in a city that you're passively familiar with. I know.
- [01:05]
Mike Wilbon
Oh, wait, I know.
- [01:06]
Tony Kornheiser
You want to be there because it's in Chicago.
- [01:08]
Mike Wilbon
You want to wear. I guess I got a reservation tonight. 6:15.
- [01:12]
Tony Kornheiser
I'm gonna say Chicago. Cut. I'm gonna say that I hope you get a free meal from me saying that. Welcome to pti, boys and girls. In today's episode, the Cavs beat the Pistons. The Dodgers are struggling and TJ Oshi joins us for five good minutes. But we begin today with the Oklahoma City Thunder completing their expected sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers. Last night in Los Angeles. 115. 110. This was the best game the Lakers played in this series. But Oklahoma City is clearly better than a Lakers team without Luka Doncic. This game was close in the fourth quarter. A moral victory of sorts. Wilbon, what does this sweep say about the Thunder and where does it leave LeBron and the Lakers?
- [01:51]
Mike Wilbon
Yeah, I mean, you know, I'm uttering what is becoming an old line now when I talk about the Thunder being politely ruthless, which is what they are. And so the Lakers got a lead for a moment and then another moment and then a moment and OKC just slammed the door. I'm going to say one thing about the game, one detail. J.J. redick, who I like a lot and I think is a really good coach, he doesn't have Rui Hachimura on the floor for the critical possession. The Lakers need to hit a 3, even though he was 4 for 8 from 3. And I think he's hitting like 50% of his three pointers in the postseason. He doesn't have Rui Hachimura on the floor. I mean, he has some dude from the Dallas trade on the floor who hadn't played all game, and you're like, what? You need a three, and this dude is not. So I don't know what the hell that was. I'd like to have just been there to say behind the scenes, jj, what happened here? Because he's a smart guy. In the meantime, we go straight to LeBron. Tone. We know what it says about OKC. What does it say about LeBron? The speculation. You. It's already started. You mentioned I'm here at the combine. I'm here where everybody's talking about draft picks first, including yours in Washington, but they're talking about LeBron, and people are saying, wait a minute, where's he going to play? Can he go back to the Lakers? There seems to be a growing sentiment that he will finish his career. And nobody knows anything because LeBron has announced nothing. But he would finish his career in Cleveland, where you can trade Mobley to the Lakers. And Mobley needs to play with a guy like Luka, and Luka needs a big. Like Mobley, and. And LeBron could be in Cleveland and help finish it out there with a chase for something big. That's one sentiment, and it seems to be growing. We don't know about LeBron, but he better not retire. He's too damn good. He's too good.
- [03:33]
Tony Kornheiser
So I will be dismissive of the Oklahoma City part of this question. They're just playing at a terrific level. They're eight. No. And their average margin of victory is 16.6 points. And I was amazed when you said you thought that. That the Lakers could actually win a game in this series, because I did not. Because they got 34 points and seven assists a game, sitting on a bench, unable to play. And I will go to LeBron, who, at 41 years old is still a great player. He, at this point, at this point, he has played eight years in a row with the Los Angeles Lakers. That's his longest consecutive streak in his career with one team in a row. I don't know. He's got one title there, Mike. I think that burns him. Because you look at the Lakers greats of the last 35 or 40 years, you start with Kareem, you go to Magic, you go to Kobe. I'm pretty sure they each have five titles. And LeBron has four titles. So he will chase another title. And I'm perfectly fine with that. That's why you play to win championships. I have two numbers I want to give you that I think are amazing. I want to take 15 seconds. Prior to this season in the playoffs, all players in the history of the league 41 years old and over combined for 212 points in the playoffs, LeBron just had 232. He had 23 a game in 10 games. All those same players, 41 and over combined for 22 assists. LeBron just had 73. So everybody ought to want LeBron because he's still great.
- [05:01]
Mike Wilbon
Still great. He is. But Tony, I don't see him in la. I don't know, I'm not. I don't want to say I don't see him. He. He's not going to win a title with that group in la. And people make so much money now. What's going to happen? Somebody's got to give. And I don't think Austin Reeves is like anybody's a championship second best player. Luca I got. I wonder about Luca and his being the best player two way. You need a two way player to be a great player. He's not that he's a Wizard on offense, but I don't know that LeBron could be in LA and come close to a title. Not in the West. Let's move to the east where we had a tail of two halves between the Pistons and Cavaliers last night. Detroit was up four at the break, but Cleveland went on a 220 run to start the third and one by nine. Donovan Mitchell at 39 in the second half and his 15 free throws for the game exceeded the 12 that the Pistons had as a team, which Detroit coach J.B. bickerstaff called unacceptable on the part of the refs. Tone, with which team does the edge in this series now rest?
- [06:08]
Tony Kornheiser
Let me ask you a question. Are they moving Game 5 to Cleveland or is it still in Detroit? Because if it's still in Detroit, still in Detroit, I'm going to go with the Pistons because Cleveland is. They haven't won a game on the road in the playoffs. They lost all the games in Toronto in the playoffs. They've started out losing the first two games in Detroit. They are 0 and 5 on the road. They're 6 and 0 at home, but they're 05 on the road. And game five is on the road. And if there's a game seven, game seven is on the road. So before I go crazy for Cleveland, a team you know, that I like, I know they're going to have to show me that they can win on the road. Now let me get to what happened last night. I am not stunned that Donovan Mitchell had 39 points in the half because Donovan Mitchell, as you well know, had 71 in a game against your Chicago Bulls. He's had 57 in the playoffs, 51 in the playoffs, 50 in the playoffs so he can score. And I look at that backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden and I think they are the best backcourt and should be the highest scoring backcourt in the entire NBA. But he needs Harden to be good. Harden was good last night. They combined Mike for 89 either scoring or assisting on 89 of Cleveland's 112 points. And, and that's. You got to have both of them. You got to have both of them.
- [07:28]
Mike Wilbon
Tone, I, that's true. Let me give you some credit. People I was watching with last night, somebody pointed out and said, ah, your co host has been on Cleveland since that trade. He's looking pretty good right now. And I said, yes, this is the game Anthony Kornheiser has been waiting for, waiting for, waiting for. Boom. They got it when they needed it in game four to even that series now. And you're right about all the scoring. I won't go through it because you're right about that this series. Tone, I, I'm wondering is Kade Cunningham who they need to trump this now? Is he going to get enough help from Tobias Harris and Duncan Robinson at home to win a game five and can they do that in the game five and a game seven? Likely necessary. This series has become fun. Cleveland, I think you and Charles are more bullish on Cleveland than anybody in the national TV scene.
- [08:24]
Tony Kornheiser
Here's my pushback. My pushback is with James Harden on the road in the playoffs in Detroit. He's shooting 9 of 28 from the field, 1 of 11 from three and he's got 11 turnovers. In Toronto he was 6 of 20 from three and he had 19 turnovers in three games. He's got to be better on the row. It's that simple. He has to. Let's move to baseball and the prohibitive World Series favorites, the Dodgers. The Dodgers are struggling right now. They lost last night 93 to the Giants. They've lost 3 in a row and 8 out of 12. Getting Mookie Betts back last night was not a cure all. They've dropped one half game back of the Padres and Shohei Ohtani is batting.111 in May. No home runs and an OPS. An anemic OPS of.358. Wilbaught, you root for the Dodgers because the Northwestern guy owns them. What they're going through now, big deal. Little deal. No deal.
- [09:15]
Mike Wilbon
No deal. No deal. So, 162 game, season. No. This is not a season for the two generations of people who can only watch clips and react to something like everything's the NFL. It's not the NFL. And the clips don't matter. Not at some point. At some point, they could matter. They could matter in August. But, Tony, if we go back through the 150 years of major League Baseball, we can go back and we can include the 1927 Yankees, and probably every champion or 90% of them have lost eight of 12 in a season. This happens. It's. It happened to the Mariners, who won 116 games or whatever it was. It's going to happen. The Dodger bats will come together. Mookie Blaylock, who is. Did I say Mookie Blaylock? I meant Mookie.
- [10:03]
Tony Kornheiser
Mookie Betts. Yeah, Mookie Betts.
- [10:04]
Mike Wilbon
I went to the rogue Mookie. I went to the Spike Lee. Mookie. Mookie Betts. With him at the top of that lineup, they're going to get on track. They just will. And Shohei's not going to not hit forever. The Dodgers will find their stride. Maybe around July 4th. Everybody chill. They'll be fine.
- [10:25]
Tony Kornheiser
I tend to agree with you that normally I would say it is no deal at all because 3/4 of the season is yet to play, 120 games left to play. The only thing that makes me think it's a little deal is because of the involvement of the Padres. They are a division team. They are a playoff team. They are a fierce rival. They hate them. They are fierce rival of Dodgers. So that anything, any. Any counterbalancing of the Padres and the Dodgers makes me think that is at least a little deal. The Dodgers are in a terrible slump. And a lot of their hitters, Ohtani and Freeman and. And Hernandez and Will Smith and Kyle Tucker, I know you don't like, but they're all having slumps at the same time. Since April 20th. I look at this number. Yeah, since April 20th, the Dodgers are 24th in runs scored, 25th in batting average, 29th in slugging. Dodgers paid a lot of money for these guys.
- [11:15]
Mike Wilbon
If you.
- [11:16]
Tony Kornheiser
If you look closely, maybe you think it's the Mets, you know, But I. I'll tell you this. Mike, I'll tell you this. I think the Dodgers will be fine, but maybe they're not. Sometimes some seasons, some teams gas. I'm going to give you this example. Yeah, the Florida Panthers, they won two Stanley Cups in a row. They did not make the playoffs this year. So maybe it's a maybe it's a maybe. Let's take a break. Coming up, what should we read into the Sabres changing goaltenders tonight? We're going to ask TJ Oshi.
- [11:47]
Mike Wilbon
We'll also ask him just how good the Hurricanes are right now. Tony Mu mu Mu Ma. Mookie, of course, was was Spike Lee. And the Mookie I referred to first, Blaylock. Who did he play most for? Who was he good for?
- [12:02]
Tony Kornheiser
I don't know. You tell me.
- [12:04]
Mike Wilbon
Atlanta.
- [12:04]
Tony Kornheiser
You know him better than I think.
- [12:06]
Mike Wilbon
I think Blaylock had his best years.
- [12:08]
Tony Kornheiser
Did he play college at Oklahoma? Did he?
- [12:11]
Mike Wilbon
Yeah, I'm pretty sure he did.
- [12:13]
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- [12:51]
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- [13:26]
Tony Kornheiser
We've got Stanley cup playoffs questions for our good friend ESPN NHP analyst TJ Oshi. Let's start with this. The Avalanche beat the wild last night. 5 2. The teams that win in that series are scoring 10,000 goals each game. But the Wild felt that Josh Manson of the Avalanche should have been given a five minute major penalty instead of a double minor for hitting Michael McCarran with the butt end of his stick You've been out there for years and years and years you've been in these things. How do you view that?
- [13:58]
TJ Oshi
I think it that they definitely right. It could have been a five minute call. Honestly, in all my time, 16 years on the ice, I don't think I've ever saw seen anyone actually butt end someone so like actually see it. I feel like that's something from the old days that you'd, you'd hear about or you see in like the Rock em sock em videos. So they're right in saying they probably should have been a five minute. I'm also from the era where you know, if you don't get that you take care of business yourself and you send a big dog over there and you take care of business. But I just haven't seen that. It's very surprising. I know he got fined for it, but there's definitely no place for that in the game. Having said that, you still have four minutes to score on the power play. Big chance for Minnesota to try to get up a couple goals there.
- [14:45]
Mike Wilbon
Tony, that was so old school when TJ said I'm from the old school. You let a big dog take care of that. That is right. That is the way all sports were once upon a AJ Sabres trail the Canadians two games to one going into game four tonight, the Sabres are going back to Lukan and net. Does that say anything significant to you?
- [15:07]
TJ Oshi
It does. And I first want to start by saying I thought Alex Lyon was maybe their best player. The goaltender that's now coming out in the last game. Montreal had an opportunity in the first period. They could have been up like four nothing or four one with Buffalo scoring in the first minute. But that sends a message to the rest of the team. If I'm a leader on that team, if I'm a guy on that team and I see Lyon getting pulled, I'm going up to him first of all and apologizing saying hey, we got to be a lot better in front of you. But now that goes to the rest of the team. Alright, now we're putting in another goaltender. It's now not on them, it's now on you guys. You guys have to step up. They have to be way better in front of the goaltenders. And imagine a quarterback that can't make a thrill because he's getting hit all the time. Well, you'd probably look at the O line, you wouldn't look at the quarterback, right. I feel like that's a little bit this situation right now. And so Buffalo has to do A lot better job in front of him
- [16:02]
Mike Wilbon
the other game we've got tonight. Ducks golden knights tied at 2. Do you see anybody having a real advantage in that series even though it's tied?
- [16:13]
TJ Oshi
I do see an advantage on the Vegas Golden Knights only because of their experience. A lot of guys on this team were on the team that won the Cup a couple years ago and they can lean on that. We're now about halfway through the play, almost halfway through the playoffs. They can lean on that experience. Mitch Marner is absolutely on fire right now, leading the playoffs in points and so you got to lean on those guys. They do have Mark Stone looks like he might be hurt for a little bit. That's going to be a huge hole for them and if they can lean on their defensive game, really be tough. Physically extended ozone shifts. It's going to be very tough for Anaheim and those young guys to have to defend if they do the opposite. If they start turning pucks over and they let Anaheim feed into their transition and these young guys who are unbelievable and flying all over the ice, if they can get pucks, get odd man, Russians get chances, Anaheim can score with the best of them.
- [17:07]
Tony Kornheiser
We will get you out of here on this. And we've saved, I think the best for last Carolina Hurricanes. They're now 8, 0 in the playoffs. Now they're sitting at home, they're resting and watching tv. Whatever they're doing, they don't have to play for a while and they can get healthy. Have they worked their way in your mind into being Stanley cup favorites based on what they've done in the first two series?
- [17:30]
TJ Oshi
At this point in the playoffs, I'm not going to put anyone in front of Colorado when they are on their game. I don't think anyone else looks like them. They just have a way of absolutely dominating, coming at you with their entire lineup. Carolina. I've even said from the beginning they weren't even in my top five power rankings coming into the playoffs and only because I played against these guys. I know how they play and it seems like they play a playoff style game all year and I get worried about them getting a little bit tired. Well, now they have a potential of having 10 plus days off. They've won eight games in a row. They haven't lost yet. So now they have to win me over. Also, Rob Brindemar, who I respect a ton as a player and as a coach, obviously is very good at getting through his message through to his team. Everyone plays the same. You hear their best players talking about checking for chances. How many offensive players, top offensive players in the league do you hear talking like that? Not many. And so Rod does a great job with those guys and right now I think they're absolutely, in my eyes, the favorite in the east, but I just can't put them over Colorado just yet.
- [18:36]
Tony Kornheiser
That's fair. That's fair.
- [18:37]
Mike Wilbon
Thank you, T.J. that is fair, T.J. appreciate it.
- [18:41]
TJ Oshi
Thanks.
- [18:41]
Tony Kornheiser
Gentlemen, tonight's ESPN doubleheader starts at 7:00pm Eastern. We will take one last break. But still to come, how does Wilbon feel about the Bears facing the toughest schedule in the NFL? We'll ask him.
- [18:55]
Mike Wilbon
Close to that last year too. They're loading up against us. Will the spurs or Timberwolves take the lead in that series tonight? Yeah.
- [19:05]
Tony Kornheiser
Well, how do you feel about the Bears? Aren't you optimistic about some Bears think they're good.
- [19:10]
Mike Wilbon
We're probably going to start at Seattle on opening, on opening weekend. I, you know, we're good, but we could be better than last year and still not have as much
- [19:21]
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- [19:51]
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- [20:25]
Tony Kornheiser
Happy time people. Happy 70th birthday. Bernie Federico, the Hall of Famer, played 14 years in the NHL, 13 of them with the St. Louis Blues. One season with the Detroit Red Wings. Federico was the first NHL player to record 50 or more more assists in 10 straight seasons. Everyone assumes it's Wayne Gretzky, but Federico got the 10 straight one year before the Great One. Federico's streak stopped at 10. Gretzky went to 13. 14 if you count his earlier season in the WHA, Federico is still the all time points leader for the Blues with 1073 including 721 assists. Also the franchise lead. Federico's 352 goals. Second in St. Louis, but way behind bred Holl's 527.
- [21:07]
Mike Wilbon
Wow, the Golden Brett. I would have picked him for that record too. Tony, don't we get to have Red Berenson's name anywhere in the St. Louis record book? I mean, come on now.
- [21:20]
Tony Kornheiser
Happy anniversary Buster Posey. On this day 18 years ago, the then Florida State catcher played all nine positions and hit a grand slam in the 70 7, inning 10 nothing win over Savannah State. After a great career with the Giants that included three World Series championships, Posey is now team president and he has not been shy making ambitious moves. Last year he traded for Rafael Devers who was unhappy in Boston this offseason. He named Tennessee University coach Tony Vitello as manager. Over the weekend he traded two time Gold Glove catcher Patrick Bailey to Cleveland for a prospect and a draft pick. As of today, the Giants had scored the fewest runs in baseball. They sit 17 and 24 and seven and a half games out of first in the NL West.
- [22:03]
Mike Wilbon
Tony, we keep waiting on the Giants to sort of wake up and hit a stride and get back to where they were in those World Series teams that Posey played for. I don't know if he can get this done. I hope he does because better than San Diego LA and San Francisco la. If we're talking about historic rivalries out west in baseball. Just saying.
- [22:24]
Tony Kornheiser
That's right. A melancholy trails to Craig Morton. The longtime quarterback has passed away at the age of 83. Morton is the first quarterback to have started Super Bowls for two different teams. First with Dallas in Super Bowl 5, later with Denver in Super Bowl 12. Morton's teams lost both those games, but he did earn a ring in Super Bowl 6 as a backup to Roger Staubach. Morton played college ball at Cal under two future hall of Famers, Head coach Marv Levy and assistant coach Bill Walsh.
- [22:49]
Mike Wilbon
Wow, wow, wow Tony. I covered the NFL for the Washington Post, as you know, in the 80s and 90s and I've never seen a community as in love with their team. And I mean Buffalo, Green Bay, Washington, Philly, you name it. Than the Denver Rocky Mountain area was over the Broncos in those Craig Morton years. Starting then and going right through John
- [23:12]
Tony Kornheiser
Elway and now and then Peyton Manning. Let's go to the big finish if we could. The Bears will face the league's hardest strength of schedule. Your thoughts?
- [23:21]
Mike Wilbon
I'm tired of hearing about it. Just. Are we playing Seattle or what? That's what I keep hearing. Been hearing it for months. To start the season, you don't get any harder than that. Cal Raleigh's hit list in his last 36 at bats. You concerned?
- [23:34]
Tony Kornheiser
Yeah. It's batting.157. He's not just the big dumper, he's in the big dumper. The Braves host the Cubs for a three game set starting tonight. You confident?
- [23:43]
Mike Wilbon
I'm a little worried actually. I'd like to get out of there with one out of three. Three? I'll take one. Paul Skeens goes for sixth of the season tonight at home against the Rockies. You like his chances?
- [23:54]
Tony Kornheiser
I do. He's a great pitcher. And I think the Rockies have lost eight out of 10. Last one, Timberwolves and Spurs, game five tonight. Who you got?
- [24:01]
Mike Wilbon
I am tempted to take Anthony Edwards, but oh, what the hell. I'm taking Anthony Edwards on the road to win in San Antonio. I'm gonna do it.
- [24:10]
Tony Kornheiser
There you go. Wembanyama's gonna going to be angry. Not slurping anymore. We're out of time. Try to do better the next time. I'm Tony Kornheiser.
- [24:17]
Mike Wilbon
I'm Mike Wilbon. Same time tomorrow, knucklehead.
- [24:20]
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