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- [00:01]
A
So good, so good, so good.
- [00:03]
B
Everything you want for summer is at Nordstrom Rack stores now and up to 60% off. Stock up and save on the brands you love like Vince, Sam, Edelman, Frame and free people. Join the NordicLub to unlock exclusive discounts. Shop new arrivals first and more. Plus buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack.
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C
This is Matt and Myron the podcast.
- [00:31]
A
I forgot about that segment that made me laugh again. Matt Myron is presented by Progressive Insurance. Progressive Insurance makes bundling home and auto easy. Learn more@progressive.com it is my Metcalf and Matt Jones after I missed last week and missed getting to say goodbye to James Harden this week. But after last night we've got a Spurs Knicks finals. But more importantly, Myron, good to see you. I've decided that May, which is ending today, is maybe my second favorite sports month. Just of all the randomness sports that occurs, the weird sports. But yet last night we culminate the month with one of the better NBA games I've seen. Just in terms of breaking a star out to the mainstream.
- [01:16]
D
I don't know the last time we had buzz like that for game seven, you know, the mvp Wimby, and then for the winner to have a chance to face the Knicks like this. This is everything I think the NBA could have wanted heading into the finals.
- [01:29]
A
I think you're right. Now this, we got a lot of
- [01:31]
E
stuff to get to this week, including.
- [01:33]
A
I went to Montreal, Myron, as, as a lone Hurricanes fan and faced off with Canada and I won the game, but I'm not sure I won the war in Canada because there's. And I've got a lot of stories from that trip.
- [01:48]
E
Okay, but I think we got to
- [01:49]
A
start with the game. I mean, if you listen to most people around the country, they think a new era has ended or has begun, Right? They think the Wimby era is upon us. The next Jordan, LeBron Wimby. Maybe this is how we measure time in the future after the spurs win game seven last night against the Thunder on the road and they set up a rematch of the 1999 championship. Do you remember that one, by the way?
- [02:16]
E
You're sort of Tim Duncan, Latrell Sprewell files.
- [02:19]
D
Do remember that? Yeah, I saw Latrell Spiro at a McDonald's that summer. You know, talk to him. So yeah, I definitely remember that.
- [02:27]
A
What was that conversation like when you and latrell were at McDonald's?
- [02:30]
D
You may not believe this. So Latrell Spiral walks into the McDonald's. I'm a kid trying to get his autograph. I said, latrell, can I get your autograph? And then he goes to the bathroom. He's like, hey, just gimme a second. I follow him into the bathroom.
- [02:41]
A
See, you can't be following people into the bathroom. That's weird. How old were you? 26.
- [02:45]
D
No, I was a teenager. So I follow him into the bathroom. I come in there, he's washing his hands. He's like, hey, man, I told you, let me go to the bathroom. I was like, whoa, man. I didn't mean anything by it. I was trying to get the autograph. And then he. He signed a little napkin for me.
- [03:02]
E
He told you not to follow him in the bathroom?
- [03:04]
D
No, no, he just said. He said, when I get out of the bathroom. But I was like, I don't have. I don't want to wait. You know? Like, what if. What if I lose him? You know what I mean? Like, what if he goes in? And so I just followed him into the bathroom, hoping that if I kind of lingered, he didn't like that.
- [03:18]
A
That's weird. No, he shouldn't have liked it. Well, yeah.
- [03:22]
E
Just for the record, this past week,
- [03:24]
A
I saw Larry Johnson walking on the streets of New York City after they won a game. I was in New York, and when I saw him walking down the street, all I could think of. I'm too old to be yelling people's names when they walk down the street. But you know what? I caught myself and saved. I almost yelled out Grandmama, which I don't think he would like because he was talking to someone of the. Of the other gender. And I don't think he would have liked if I screamed grandma at him. But. But he looks good, man. He looks like. You know, he looks like an old head. Like, the hairs get a little gray, beard's gray, but he still got fashion.
- [04:00]
D
I like that. Well, I mean, the Knicks have brought back every former player sitting at little player sections.
- [04:05]
A
See, I think that's pretty cool, though. They look over there. Patrick Ewing, by the way, seems to be getting more fashionable each round.
- [04:11]
D
Yeah, like you.
- [04:14]
E
He looked like one of the dudes in Dressed up, the good Dressed up
- [04:17]
A
guy in Fat Albert.
- [04:20]
D
He's wearing the hat. Like, you can look at that. And, you know, that section smells like cool water, cologne. Like, you can just tell. Like, I've never been able to look at a group of people and know what they smelled like, know what cologne they're wearing. But the Knicks, that whole section. Like, you. You just. Like, you know, they're all going. They're all talking about going to the Earth, Wind and Fire concert. Like, they. They've already made reservations. Like, you know, after.
- [04:46]
A
After game four, they were all in the West Village.
- [04:48]
D
I saw.
- [04:49]
A
They were all. They were all enjoying it very well.
- [04:53]
E
But for the Spurs, Thunder, not quite
- [04:55]
A
the same amount of star power.
- [04:56]
D
No.
- [04:57]
A
I realized something, James. I need to admit something to America right here.
- [05:02]
E
A lot of people probably turn on
- [05:03]
A
ESPN and they think, you know, these guys do sports for a living. They must know what's going on. Can I admit something that I realized last night?
- [05:13]
F
Yeah.
- [05:13]
A
I turned on that game and I was like, these players are awesome. Like, what a game. Look at all this talent. Young talent up and down Wimby. And then they showed the sidelines, and they showed two men that allegedly were the coach of the Thunder and Spurs. Allegedly. Because I realized not only did I not know either of their names, I realized that I wouldn't have known they were the coach. They both looked to me like they could still be part of the team. And I thought, man, these eras have changed.
- [05:46]
E
But that's what's happened this NBA. I think last night was a testament. Different league, both in players and composition
- [05:53]
A
and heading into a completely different era.
- [05:55]
D
I think Mark Dagno's challenge is, like, hard to pronounce his name and spell his name, you know, it's not just sort of a simple thing.
- [06:02]
A
And the other guy's got, like, the most common name in the world, Mitch Johnson, who.
- [06:06]
D
Who looks like, you know, the. The second best singer in every 1995 R&B group. Like, every. Every R and B group.
- [06:13]
A
It does look like he would be in shock.
- [06:15]
D
From 95 to 97 had a Mitch Johnson. Like, everybody had a dude who.
- [06:20]
A
Who.
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D
Who. Who was in their group. You had to have a guy to look like Mitch Johnson. But I was a young dude, studied under Pop, and now here he is. I think it's cool that we have some.
- [06:29]
A
Seems to be a great coach because he makes adjustments. Like, put. Like, it seemed like, you know, when Wimby got his fifth foul. Yeah, that's a hard decision to navigate. Do you leave him in? Do you take him out? He puts Cornett in when Harden Stein comes in, which actually somebody he can guard. And Cornett gets one of the biggest. Plays the game with the block down the stretch.
- [06:49]
D
That was the swing. I mean, the block, and then the shot on the other end to put him up by eight. I think when you listen To Mitch Johnson, you can hear Pop, like, I don't know that he has any emotions. You know, I don't know if he's. I've ever seen him.
- [07:00]
A
Well, he did at the end of that game. He was. He was like. He.
- [07:04]
E
He looks like a player. Like, when he pushes the guy, it feels like that.
- [07:08]
A
It feels like they have a lot of respect for him.
- [07:10]
E
And you would have never thought Pop
- [07:12]
A
would have been a guy that could have been replaced and a level would have been attained that was similar. Think about the pressure. It's got to be on you replacing Pop and to see his success, you got to give him a ton of credit.
- [07:24]
D
Well, and I love how they honor Pop, you know, who's had his own challenges, the way they talk about him. I love seeing Tim Duncan and David Robinson in the stands. I think they're one of those franchises, Matt, that has just found a way to really extend the legacy over the last 30 years, which is hard to do.
- [07:39]
E
Aren't they, like, the best franchise, though?
- [07:42]
A
I mean, you could make an argument
- [07:44]
E
that just as a franchise, they might be the best franchise in sports when you consider transit.
- [07:50]
A
Now, granted, don't get me wrong, they've
- [07:51]
E
gotten great players, but when you transition,
- [07:53]
A
going from Tim Duncan or see me going from David Robinson to Tim Duncan to the Wimby era, and to have
- [08:00]
E
the consistency where even when they haven't been great, they still are improving, getting young.
- [08:06]
A
I mean, they kill it in the draft. I mean, you saw it with the guy from St. John's Julian champagne, like, his ability.
- [08:13]
E
I mean, who's that guy? And he just comes in and he
- [08:16]
A
makes six threes last night.
- [08:18]
E
It's an amazing organization.
- [08:20]
D
I mean, to get generational big man
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A
for 30, that's very much, you know.
- [08:25]
E
But Stephen Castle.
- [08:27]
A
Yeah, you know, is a. Is. Was a. He's going to be the best player in that draft.
- [08:32]
E
They got him the next year at pick four.
- [08:34]
D
I think they're one of those franchises that just has an incredible eye for talent. Like, what I think about the spurs is, obviously, everybody can pick Wimby. Like, we can all see women, but it's the Devin Vassals, the guys like that. Like this analytics error. I think sometimes we lean too far into it. And I just think they're so, so good at saying, okay, I think that dude can hoop and he can play with this team. And now you look at the results.
- [08:56]
E
Look at the guys.
- [08:58]
A
Last night you mentioned Vassal. Kelton Johnson makes big plays in the fourth quarter.
- [09:03]
D
Six man of the year.
- [09:04]
A
That was A six. Man of the year.
- [09:06]
E
That's a dude.
- [09:06]
A
That wasn't necessarily a sure thing. NBA guy. Julian, how am I saying? His champagne. Champagne. The guy from St. John's I mean,
- [09:16]
E
he was undrafted and he hit six
- [09:18]
A
threes in the NBA Western Conference Finals. Luke Cornett. They say they. I mean, Boston basically ends up kind of getting rid of him and they grab him.
- [09:27]
E
You just have to give them so much credit and then everybody that comes
- [09:30]
A
in fits the way they want to do it.
- [09:32]
E
But listen, they're three best players for the future.
- [09:35]
A
Oh, dear.
- [09:35]
E
Fox as well, bringing him in. But when you think about the fact that their three best players.
- [09:41]
A
Myron, are 22, 21 and 20. Yeah, come on now. I mean, come on.
- [09:49]
D
I mean, that's why this might be the best chance you have against the spurs, as crazy as that sounds. Because they're only going to get better with this young core they have.
- [09:57]
A
Yeah. And you got to give them credit. It was also an awesome game. And we need to talk about. Okay, so what's going to happen? Is this the start of the spurs dynasty? Are we going to be talking about six, five, six titles for wimby? Is it a one off? We have eight different champions in the last eight years.
- [10:13]
E
And what happens to okc?
- [10:15]
A
Does this mean you bring in. I know our producer wants us to say the name Giannis. So does this mean they do that? We'll get to all that next here. I'm Matt Myron on ESPN Radio.
- [10:26]
D
Matt and Myron the Pod.
- [10:35]
G
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- [12:26]
A
Smith Myron here on ESPN Radio. I hope you noticed during those games last night during the Thunder and Spurs that there were not one, not two, not three, but not but four guys playing in the fourth quarter that were former Kentucky players. I hope you noticed that Myron as Dear and Fox, Shea, Alexander, Kelden, Johnson and Case and Wallace were hitting big buckets and all.
- [12:52]
D
If they're not being paid well, they're going to be paid a lot more here soon. Case is about to get a big
- [12:56]
A
Shay's been played pretty well, but you're well.
- [12:59]
D
His extension doesn't kick in though. People don't realize it doesn't kick in for another couple years. So is that right?
- [13:05]
A
Yes, his big one.
- [13:07]
D
He's going to make less than Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams next year.
- [13:09]
A
Well, let's talk about Chet Holmgren for a second. Does he have to quit?
- [13:14]
D
I don't know. Like, I know you hate exaggerations after moments like this. I think that was one of the biggest. Chet's crime was that he couldn't stop a guy who may, when it's all said and done, be the greatest player we've ever seen. Like, I don't know that we can fault him.
- [13:29]
A
Yeah, but it was pretty bad. I mean, when you're having to bring Hardenstein as Hardenstein is an improvement. I mean you're Chet Holmgren, right? Like you're supposed you were the, you were the number two pick in the draft. Like you've got to be better than that.
- [13:42]
D
He has to be better 100%. But I think that's a lot different to me than suggesting he's not a good player like that. That to me tells me you didn't watch the NBA chess. Probably the second best defender in the league, all defensive, NBA team, first team. He has to be better offensively. But that Said I won't be shocked.
- [13:58]
E
Are you a Chet defender here? Are you taken up after that performance
- [14:02]
A
over those seven games where Chet gets bench down the stretch in multiple games? Are you. Are you a Chet Truther?
- [14:10]
D
I'm not. I'm not biased. He played here in Minnesota, you know, so I've known Chet a long time,
- [14:14]
A
but here we go.
- [14:15]
D
It's not that. It's not that. It's not knowing his family and stuff like that. It's just the idea of. I think we take a moment like that, and it was bad. But the idea that you can just automatically upgrade, I think that's bizarre, because unless you go get someone like Giannis or someone, I don't know that you do anything.
- [14:32]
A
Upgrade? I didn't say you could upgrade. I asked you if he has to move just out of embarrassment, because it was. It was a. It was a.
- [14:41]
E
That was horrible, horrible finals for him.
- [14:44]
A
I mean, I understand how good Wimby is, all right?
- [14:48]
E
But there were games. Game one, they spent a lot of that game that the Thunder chose Alex
- [14:55]
A
Caruso to guard Wimby over Chet Holmgren.
- [15:00]
E
When your own coach is saying, you're
- [15:02]
A
so bad at this that I'm going
- [15:04]
E
to put a guy that is literally
- [15:06]
A
a foot shorter than him on him
- [15:09]
E
because it gives us a better chance to win, Myron, how can you defend that?
- [15:12]
D
Last night was deplorable. The series was bad. I'm with you on that. I'm saying that, to me, is a different conversation than the big picture of, do you move on from Chet Holmer, which is what a lot of people are saying.
- [15:23]
A
Well, I'm not moving on from him, but he's got to be better. One of the more disappointing series.
- [15:29]
D
He was terrible.
- [15:30]
E
It's a dude. Was he all NBA?
- [15:32]
A
I mean, he was certainly in contention for it. I mean, this is a dude that
- [15:35]
E
has that level of talent, and you're just taking him out of the game because he can't play when he's the only guy in the league that can
- [15:43]
A
compare from a size standpoint to Wimby.
- [15:46]
D
Yeah, I think the problem with Chet Holmgren is he played that poorly, and his extension kicks in next year. So all of a sudden, you're talking about a guy who's going to be paid very, very well, and he's going to have to face this idea of, okay, are you worth $240 million?
- [16:02]
A
Yeah.
- [16:02]
D
Which is what he got. But. But again, they don't get here without chat is my only thing they don't get to the Stage without Chad that he has to be better though.
- [16:11]
A
But I mean you could, you can use the excuse if they don't get here without him. Like, you know, people criticize James Harden. Well, the Cleveland's not in the championship in the Eastern Conference finals without James Harden. Doesn't mean we can't criticize James Harden in that scenario.
- [16:24]
E
Let me ask you one or two
- [16:25]
A
questions though, because this is the bigger picture question coming out of it for Oklahoma City. There's two ways to look at this series. Way one is San Antonio spurs were entering a new generation. It's now the Wimby era. He's 22 years old. This was his what, third year and he was able to completely transform the league. And oh by the way, they've also got a guy in his second year who's going to be a star and a guy in his first year who's going to be a star. Get ready. Spurs naming lights for the next decade. That's way one and if that's the case, Oklahoma City, you got to change if you're going to compete.
- [17:01]
E
Way two is this is year eight
- [17:04]
A
of an eight year run where we're going to have eight different NBA champions. The Oklahoma City Thunder got to game
- [17:12]
E
seven, probably should have won, got cold
- [17:15]
A
and for whatever reason just let it slip away and keep the path. You got as good a chance as winning next year. Not a big deal.
- [17:24]
E
It is actually par for the course
- [17:25]
A
of this era where we have different champs every year. Which one of those do you think is most likely the case?
- [17:31]
D
Okay, so he has to get better and to me you got to do whatever it takes. And again, if you can upgrade the YANA stuff is out there. But that's probably not realistic. What's more realistic, Matt, is how do they get better with the money problems they have. The reason why you haven't seen back to back champions in this area is because the second apron has just changed your ability to keep a team together. Like think, think about this number for the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are going to have three players next season who are going to make 120 plus million dollars combined in Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Shea Gilders, Alexander. The following season that number goes up to 150 million for three guys. Like they're going to have to make some tough decisions either way. But I don't think it'll be the Chet Holmgren and making a trade. It'll be your Lou Dortz. It'll be you got to sign Case Wallace. But then that means you probably can't keep everybody else. So I just think it's hard to keep this core together and that's where I think Oklahoma City will have a hard time.
- [18:26]
A
You're exactly right. And I think one of the things you cannot skip over is the fact that the part of what makes this work for San Antonio is their three best players are still on their rookie deal. Yep. Right.
- [18:36]
E
I mean that's partially the moment that
- [18:38]
A
changes, then everything else changes too. They are extremely fortunate, although I wouldn't just say fortunate. They've got a lot of talent on the team but all those dudes are on rookie deal. So the problems you just said, Myron, they just don't affect the spurs yet.
- [18:52]
E
I mean Darren Fox, if those players were not on rookie deals, Dear and
- [18:56]
A
Fox is not on the team and if Dear and maybe Kelton Johnson is not on the team and if you
- [19:00]
E
don't have Dear and Fox and you
- [19:01]
A
don't have Kelton Johnson, you don't win that series. Right.
- [19:04]
E
So there will be, there will be a time that the spurs will be
- [19:08]
A
in the situation, the Thunder are the
- [19:09]
E
Thunder in a situation where they've got their core three.
- [19:12]
A
Maybe with Case and Wallace it becomes their core four and then it's just going to be get rookies and cheap guys around.
- [19:18]
E
What's been great for the spurs is
- [19:20]
A
their best players are the rookies and cheap guys.
- [19:23]
E
So they're able to actually spend money on the rest of their team, whereas
- [19:27]
A
they won't be able to do that in three years.
- [19:30]
D
I mean when they give you the first $100 million a year player like that's where we're headed. That's how crazy the numbers are going to get to your point, they are in a perfect situation with all these rookie deals. I also think, as much as I think Wimy's going to win 3, 4, 5, 6 championships, we also can't assume that this is 20 years ago and you have this 15 year window to win. We might look back and say, hey, this period right now, these next couple of years on these rookie deals, that's going to be San Antonio's best shot.
- [19:56]
A
Second April, you're, you're exact. I mean again, Dear, you would not have Dear and Fox, no, if, if, if they weren't on rookie deals, he'd be too expensive. So he, and he will be the first of these guys probably, probably gone in that scenario.
- [20:12]
E
And it is what it is now the, there's a counter to the counter
- [20:15]
A
of that, Myron, which is what if basketball is just a Young man's game now.
- [20:19]
E
And what we're seeing is as the stars, the young stars hit their peak,
- [20:25]
A
they get a couple years where they're awesome, and by the time they're 30, it's over. Any chance that's true?
- [20:32]
D
I mean, you still got a bunch of guys over 30 who are.
- [20:34]
A
But they're not winning.
- [20:35]
D
Playing really, really well. They're not winning as much because of the cba. Like, it's just harder to keep teams together.
- [20:42]
E
Part of it, too, when you get those guys, you're going to be paying them so much, and you can get a 25 year old at the peak of their powers to do it for less.
- [20:52]
D
But that's why I think this is one. This is a finals about how you construct a championship team. Because you're right about San Antonio in these rookie deals, you also, if you want to win and you have those older dudes, you may have to take the Knicks approach. You may have to ask your biggest star to take a significant pay cut to make it all work, which is what Jalen Brunson did. So, like, that may be the other alternative. You want to win big as a veteran. This league, you can't get a max deal.
- [21:15]
A
What's better for the league? What's better for the league? Knicks win, spurs win, Knicks get their first. See, I disagree.
- [21:24]
D
I don't think it's close.
- [21:25]
E
I think it's better for the Knicks
- [21:27]
A
because I think the market. But then the big thing is now you get Wimby chasing it next year and you get a year of can Wimby get over the top?
- [21:36]
E
And I mean, New York gets a title.
- [21:38]
A
There's no, I mean, the spurs, for all they've had titles in the last 25 years.
- [21:42]
D
Yeah, but he's Will Chamberlain. I mean, that's, that's who he is if he wins this year.
- [21:47]
A
Well, Wilt Chamberlain just won one title, we won two.
- [21:50]
D
But he's, he's the face of the league. Maybe he already.
- [21:53]
A
Chamberlain is the face of the league.
- [21:56]
D
Wimby, come on, man.
- [21:59]
A
What year is this? We'll just switch to some other sports next.
- [22:04]
D
Matt and Myron, the podcast.
- [22:19]
C
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- [22:47]
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Need parts fast. O'Reilly Auto Parts as fast need them now.
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D
We've got.
- [22:53]
I
Now no matter what you need, we have thousands of professional parts people doing their part to make sure you have it. We're O'Reilly fast. Just one part that makes O'Reilly stand apart. The professional parts people.
- [23:12]
E
Auto parts.
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A
It is Matt Jones and Cookie Metcalf's favorite song, Mambo number five. Ready to go into your big. Your big. What is it, Vega? No, it's Lou Vega. Savio Vega was a wrestler.
- [23:37]
D
Who is this?
- [23:38]
F
I think it should have been something.
- [23:40]
D
Yeah, this is the only song, right? This is the only hit.
- [23:43]
A
No, he had four more. They just weren't as big.
- [23:46]
D
But he had nothing like this. Yeah, this is the song he can tour off.
- [23:50]
A
I mean, like, he got four chances at it before he got to this one.
- [23:53]
F
It was the fifth one.
- [23:55]
A
Fifth one.
- [23:56]
E
You know, they say fifth one's a charm.
- [23:58]
A
And that's what happened here with my man Lou. Sweet Lou Vega here. All right, so talked a little basketball. I got to tell you a story, Myron, you want to sit back story time with uncle Matt here, which is basically every Sunday.
- [24:10]
D
It's kind of the show we do. It's kind of the show we do the show. We kind of do his story time with Matt a little bit.
- [24:16]
A
But you.
- [24:17]
E
We talk about your stories, too.
- [24:20]
D
But you said it like it was a new segment. Like for the first time, mascot will tell a story. Oh, okay. Yeah, okay. Yeah. This is what we do.
- [24:29]
A
All right. Well, way to knock me out.
- [24:32]
D
No, no, this is great. I want to hear about your story.
- [24:35]
A
So you know I'm a Carolina Hurricanes fan. Look at this hat right here.
- [24:38]
D
You see that?
- [24:39]
A
Go, Kate.
- [24:40]
D
They got a cool symbol.
- [24:41]
A
They do have a cool symbol. They're in the Stanley cup finals for first time since 2006. So I decided, you may have heard a couple weeks ago, I said, I'm going to the eastern conference finals and I'm gonna go on the road. So I went to game three in Montreal, Quebec. Now, when's the last time you've been to Quebec, Myron?
- [25:01]
D
I haven't been to Quebec.
- [25:03]
A
I hadn't either. And I went and I landed in the airport and I was. Even though I was on a flight from America, I was the only hurricane span. As we walked to the customs, the guy at the customs, I had on a hurricane shirt and he goes, why are you here? I was like, I'm here for the Hockey game tonight. And he said, no, you're not. And I said, well, yeah, I am. He goes, not if I don't let you through. And he gave me that. And he gave me that look of like, I want you to know where you are now.
- [25:37]
E
And here's what I learned.
- [25:39]
A
That's the whole city of Montreal.
- [25:41]
E
I have traveled.
- [25:42]
A
I've traveled to college and pro games all across America. I've been to.
- [25:47]
E
You pick your favorite college basketball arena.
- [25:50]
A
I've been there.
- [25:51]
E
You picked most of your college football ones.
- [25:53]
A
I've been there. And then the NBA, et cetera.
- [25:56]
E
I've never been to a place in
- [25:57]
A
my life where the entire city is unified for their team and against you than Montreal.
- [26:07]
D
Really.
- [26:08]
A
Everywhere I went, a diner, a an aloe, like where you get like clothes, like, you know what I mean?
- [26:16]
E
Workout clothes, a nice fancy dinner, a sporting goods store. Every single place I went, people looked
- [26:24]
A
at me with my hurricane shirt like, you need to move on, son.
- [26:30]
D
They're tough up there.
- [26:33]
E
It's not that they're tough.
- [26:34]
D
Yeah.
- [26:35]
E
It's that they are like, get out of here.
- [26:38]
D
Mean. You're saying the mean.
- [26:39]
E
They're getting a little mean. But now once you talk to them, they're fine. But they have a look like you are in our country.
- [26:47]
D
Why?
- [26:47]
E
And they also kind of looked at
- [26:49]
A
me like I was a panda bear.
- [26:51]
E
Because, you know, there are no, there are no, I think Carolina Hurricane fans in Montreal. So they sort of looked at you like you'd be looking at an endangered species. Like, why are you walking down the street then?
- [27:05]
A
They have an entrance way, Myron, to get into the arena.
- [27:08]
E
And it's probably a thousand people and they're sitting on steps. Have you ever seen this on television?
- [27:14]
D
No.
- [27:16]
E
When you walk by, they cheer all that. They cheer. They're doing like a pep rally.
- [27:22]
A
When I walked by, they saw my
- [27:24]
E
Hurricanes jersey and Myron, a thousand people started booing me. A thousand people.
- [27:32]
A
Literally.
- [27:33]
E
I felt like I was walking into
- [27:35]
A
the Coliseum as a gladiator.
- [27:38]
E
Okay, I'm serious. They're all a 10 year old boy. Myron jumps in front of me, double birds me, double burns me in Montreal. Ten years old like that. Ten years old throws the double bird at me. I'm by myself. I'm the only hurricane I saw the entire night. Hand of on hand on the Bible.
- [28:05]
A
Eight Hurricanes fans in the whole building.
- [28:08]
E
There was no one. And I will say this, best pregame atmosphere of any sporting event I've ever
- [28:16]
A
been to in my life. They went nuts.
- [28:21]
E
They bring out A former player who holds a torch and walks in. Have you seen that on tv?
- [28:28]
D
No.
- [28:29]
E
So they bring a former player from outside. He walks from where the people are booing and he walks a torch into the arena. It was. I mean, I wasn't for them. Well, one time they had like a 90 year old guy with a torch. With a torch, yes.
- [28:45]
A
Now the game I was at, this is actually sad.
- [28:48]
E
The torch bearer at the game I was at was Claude Lemieux.
- [28:51]
D
Oh, wow. But.
- [28:54]
E
But Myron, 48 hours before what happened, happened. You know, if you want a perfect.
- [29:01]
A
I want to make this story positive. But if you want a perfect example of the old axiom, you don't know what people are going through.
- [29:07]
D
Yeah.
- [29:08]
E
48 hours before it happened, he walked into the arena like a hero. The people going absolutely crazy. And then Marin, 48 hours later, that happens. That's really kind of.
- [29:21]
A
It just shows.
- [29:21]
E
You never know what people are going through.
- [29:24]
D
No, no, you. You definitely know. That was obviously really sad story this week. But. But I appreciate hockey. I think it's one of the sports where they love you long after you're done. Yes, maybe.
- [29:38]
E
So then they walk, he brings the torch.
- [29:39]
A
And he liked it.
- [29:40]
E
Then they sing oh, Canada. Here's a little fact, Rachel. Myron, I don't know if you knew this.
- [29:45]
D
Yeah.
- [29:46]
A
Did you know that oh, Canada. There's an American, an English version and a French version. Like in French.
- [29:53]
E
But here's what I didn't know. The words to both set of lyrics don't mean the same thing. The French version has a different meaning than the English version, which is really
- [30:06]
A
bizarre if you think about it.
- [30:09]
E
Two national anthems that are saying two completely different things, but they both end
- [30:13]
A
with an O. Canada. We stand on guard for the. So they did that. It was electric. They sang it in French. The whole crowd sings it in French. And then the game started and the Canes dominated and we won. And I would get up and cheer and people would stare at me like,
- [30:32]
E
do you want to go back to America?
- [30:35]
A
How would you like to get back to America?
- [30:37]
E
So I brought it down a notch.
- [30:39]
A
We won and ended up winning the series.
- [30:43]
D
It's hard for me to imagine, like, tough Canadians speaking French, you know, Like, I don't know how intimidated I'd be with you being like, bonjour, mon ami. I don't know that I'd be that worried.
- [30:51]
A
But here's the thing. When you hear people talking fast and staring at you in a language that you don't know, it is a little Intimidating Myron, because they could be saying anything about you, and you just have
- [31:05]
E
to smile and go, yeah, yeah, sure.
- [31:08]
D
I feel like their gangs snap their fingers when they're walking down the street, right. And sing songs a little bit. I don't know, but I do. I could imagine it being a crazy atmosphere, but. What did you expect, though? That's my other question. You were going to wear this jersey. You talked about all week wearing this jersey and going into hostile territory. What did you expect?
- [31:28]
E
I mean, I will say this. I think every game I've ever been to, when I was with the road team, there was a group of compatriots. You know what I mean? There were, like, other people in the
- [31:38]
A
arena rooting for my team.
- [31:40]
E
Have you ever been to a game where not one person in the arena was. Was for your team? I mean, usually, at least behind the bench of the opposing team, there will be fans.
- [31:51]
A
Not there.
- [31:52]
E
It was no people. I saw one guy that was like,
- [31:55]
A
four rows away from me.
- [31:57]
E
We sort of would silently pump our fists at each other, but otherwise it was just me. I've never felt so alone, because you're also in a different country and they're speaking French, you know what I mean? So it did feel.
- [32:10]
A
Feel very alone in many ways.
- [32:15]
D
And, you know, you got. You got the win. I do respect, though. I think the. The passion of that fan base is probably close to, like, what, like the global soccer community.
- [32:23]
E
Let me tell you how rare I was. Both a Montreal and a North Carolina TV station did a story about me coming to the game. They both had reporters contact me during the game and go, can we do a story about you coming here, Myron? Do you know how scary that is, actually? Like, it's like, there it was like they were saying that I was, you know, walking through the jungle and had made it through.
- [32:50]
D
Yeah. I mean, again, wearing that jersey, I think you kind of knew there was gonna be a spotlight on you a little bit, but I don't think Montreal Canadiens fans were.
- [32:59]
A
Well, they are now. Let me ask you another thing about hockey.
- [33:03]
E
When they win their conference finals, huh? There's hockey.
- [33:08]
A
Every trophy has a name, right? There's, like, the lady.
- [33:11]
D
A lot of trophies.
- [33:12]
A
The lady being the Prince of Wales, the Con Smythe. It's a lot of trophies, but you get a trophy for winning the Eastern and Western Conference.
- [33:21]
E
But there is a sort of superstition in hockey that you do not touch
- [33:27]
A
the trophy of the conference finalists. As a matter of fact, Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brindemore was asked about The
- [33:34]
E
Hurricane celebration and what they did play that.
- [33:37]
C
Did you have any input on the
- [33:38]
A
not touching the Prince of Wales trophy? Not really. Not really. Had a few guys asked me what I thought and I said, do what you want, but don't touch it. Do what you want, but don't touch it.
- [33:57]
E
Neither team, the Knights or the Hurricanes touched the trophy.
- [34:02]
A
Do you think that's weird?
- [34:04]
D
No, if it's tradition, you know, I'm a big tradition guy, so I'm big superstition. So I get that. If that's something that teams do, I wouldn't want to like. It's so much different in NBA. The Knicks celebrated like they'd won the finals when they got to San Antonio, and San Antonio was crying after this. So it's a lot different in the NBA, but I respect the superstition of
- [34:23]
A
it real, real quick.
- [34:26]
F
So the Hurricanes, they didn't touch the Prince of Wales trophy. The Golden Knights, when they swept the abs. They did touch the.
- [34:34]
A
Oh, they did. Okay.
- [34:36]
F
So their history, I mean, they've. They've been great their entire history. Right. So the first year, their inception year, they went to the Stanley cup final. They did not touch the Clarence Campbell trophy that year, and they lost the Capitals. When they won the Stanley cup in 22, 23, they did touch the Clarence Campbell.
- [34:56]
A
Oh, so they think their good luck is touching.
- [34:58]
F
And then they touched it this year too. So. Yeah.
- [35:00]
D
Will this change? Like, if they win it, will team start touching the trophy?
- [35:03]
F
It's. It's one of those. Like the Penguins, I. I'm very knowledgeable. In their history, in the 90s when they won back to back, they touched the Prince Willis trophy both times. The first year that they went in the Crosby era, in 08, they did not touch it. They lost to the Red Wings in the cup finals.
- [35:19]
E
So it sounds like you should be touching it.
- [35:20]
D
So, like, touch.
- [35:21]
F
So, like, it depends on who you are.
- [35:24]
A
Well, the Hurricanes did not touch it. I didn't realize that the Knights touched it.
- [35:27]
E
So this may be the great debate, Myron.
- [35:29]
F
I think. I think in 06, when Brenda Moore.
- [35:32]
A
Okay, you're giving me too many years.
- [35:34]
D
James is giving us.
- [35:36]
E
First of all, how do you. James, how do you. Do you.
- [35:40]
D
Hang on just a second.
- [35:41]
E
Do you keep a running tally of who's touching the trophies? Like, is that. Is that what you do instead of hobbies?
- [35:48]
D
I got it.
- [35:49]
F
I looked all of this up. The. I thought the Golden Knights one was very interesting. Then I went back and I looked at some other ones. I know the Penguins off the top of my head just because I love them. But I believe that whenever the Hurricanes won the cup in 06 and Brenda Moore was a player, they did not touch the cup.
- [36:04]
D
Have half the team touch the trophy and half the team not. I mean, just. You just neutralize the whole thing. Right. I will say this.
- [36:11]
A
It is weird to watch a team celebrate around a trophy but not touch it.
- [36:18]
E
It's like, it's kind of. It's really strange. Like let's hover, let's breathe on it, but let's not touch it.
- [36:26]
A
I do think, Myron, that's odd.
- [36:28]
D
Yeah. Again, you can kind of make it whatever you want to be dependent on the outcome. Like if you win, you just say it's because we did that. And if you lose, just say, don't do whatever.
- [36:38]
A
So if you were out on that, would you touch it or would you not touch it? Let's not take this out of context. By the way, that clip. Let's just go ahead and leave it. You know what? It doesn't. I'll tell you another sport that I've enjoyed watching this weekend and it's not Myron. Will he touch it or not? That's next here on Matt Myron on ESPN Radio.
- [37:02]
D
Matt and Myron the pod.
- [37:14]
C
If you've shopped online, chances are you've bought from a business powered by Shopify. You know that purple shop pay button you see at checkout? The one that makes buying so incredibly easy? That's Shopify. And there's a reason so many businesses sell with it. Because Shopify makes it incredibly easy to start and run your business. Shopify is the commerce platform behind 10% of all e commerce in the US from household names like Mattel and Gymshark to brands just getting started. Shopify gives you a leg up with hundreds of beautiful ready to go templates to express your brand style and forget about the code. Tackle all those important tasks in one place. From inventory to payments to analytics and more. Spread your brand's word with built in marketing and email tools to find and keep new customers. And did I mention that iconic purple shop pay button that's used by millions of businesses around the world? It's why Shopify is the best converting checkout on the planet. Your customers already love it. If you want to see less carts being abandoned, it's time for you to head over to Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.comnetwork. go to shopify.comnetwork shopify.comnetwork
- [38:32]
J
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- [39:11]
A
This is what I was doing in Montreal. Welcome to Montreal. You gave your Montreal on a Monday night when your team just beat theirs in game three. It's actually not very fun. It's actually quite hostile, if I'm being honest. 888, say ESPN. Matt, Myron, some people have some questions here.
- [39:33]
D
Okay.
- [39:33]
A
One person writes. Matt, you mentioned the Canadian national anthem. Did I hear on another show that you said you think the Canadian national anthem is better than the American? One hot take on America 250 summer. Yes, I do think the Canadian national anthem is better. I think it's more riveting, it's more simplistic, but it makes it to where it like, hits. And when they finish, when they hit the. It's like, what's our culmination at the end of ours? How does it end. Home on the land of the well,
- [40:09]
D
who Depends on who's singing it, how it ends.
- [40:11]
A
Yeah, Some people free. Yeah. But. But when they do the theirs. Oh, Canada we stand on God for the like.
- [40:25]
E
That's like.
- [40:25]
A
Come on, man, bring it on. I'm ready to punch somebody in the face.
- [40:28]
K
Isn't ours the only one that ends in a question? If I'm remember my US History correctly?
- [40:33]
D
Because ours is.
- [40:35]
K
I think that makes it fun.
- [40:36]
A
Wait a minute. Okay, hang on. We end in a question. How does.
- [40:39]
E
What is it say?
- [40:40]
K
Does that Star spangled.
- [40:43]
A
Yeah.
- [40:44]
K
Over the. Or the land of the free? In the home of the brave. Home of the brave. Relative free. It's a question.
- [40:49]
A
Oh, we're asking is it.
- [40:51]
E
We're asking people free or the home of the brave? I want it to be both.
- [40:56]
K
No, no, no. I was asking if the Star Spangled banner still waves over the land of the.
- [41:03]
D
And but see, why has it got to be.
- [41:05]
A
Hang on just a second.
- [41:06]
E
Why has it got to be a question? Why can't we just acknowledge that we. We are standing.
- [41:11]
A
Well, no, that's Canada. Wait a minute.
- [41:14]
K
It was written about for one of the forts where. Yeah, it was like Fort McHenry is it still waving? Yes. Okay, cool. Go America.
- [41:23]
D
That's okay. You said 250. Is that what you said?
- [41:26]
K
Yes.
- [41:27]
A
Yeah.
- [41:27]
E
This is the 250th anniversary year.
- [41:29]
A
Have you not been reading the news of America?
- [41:31]
D
Yeah, for us, it's about 75, I think. We didn't start barbecuing until whatever. Earth, Wind and Fire's first album came out. So we're not. We're not as far along as y'.
- [41:42]
A
All. Hang on. Are you saying. Saying that you don't. You don't consider. You're more like. We're sitting.
- [41:48]
D
We started about. We started kind of right after the dream, and then we started saying, let's get some grills out. But 250, I don't know where that number is coming from, but I don't know anybody in my circle who said 250 anything. So you all might be 250 by yourselves.
- [42:05]
A
Is this why Milli Vanilli dropped out of that concert?
- [42:08]
D
It might be. I'm just.250 is a big number that I'm hearing y' all use. And I'm like, well, I mean, for us, like, when was Parliament's first album? That was. I think that's kind of when we started saying, all right, let's. We can go grill on the four, too, so.
- [42:22]
A
Oh, okay.
- [42:23]
D
I didn't know what you would say. You said 250. I'm like, whoa, for who?
- [42:26]
A
We about 6 foot 7 right now. Let's go to Eric in Cape Cod. Eric, go ahead.
- [42:34]
L
Yeah, I was listening to your story, and my wife and I, for her 50th birthday, went to a Rangers Canadiens game at the Bell Center.
- [42:42]
A
Yeah, that's where I was walking back home.
- [42:45]
L
We were walking back home to old Montreal and a group of 20 something yelled out their car a whole bunch of stuff in French. And I said, oh, Beth, I think they like our Rangers jerseys. And a father and his 8 year old son behind me in a very French accent said, oh, no, no, sir, that's not what they're saying.
- [43:01]
A
Sure. Because the thing is that when they speak French and I appreciate the call, and they look at you, you have to judge what they're saying by the snarl or lack thereof on their face.
- [43:12]
D
Yeah, it's a lot of hard. A lot of that.
- [43:14]
A
There's a lot of like. And I'm like, oh, they may. Not that. They may want me to take this Vetchnikov jersey off.
- [43:22]
D
Yeah.
- [43:24]
A
Here in the middle of Montreal.
- [43:26]
D
Why are the kids. So it's. I'm hearing a lot about kids being mean up there.
- [43:29]
E
I was surprised at how mean the kids were because I, you know, I have this view of Montreal as like, Canadians are so much nicer than us. First of all, I. I think that,
- [43:40]
A
you know the exchange rate now for Canadian money. I don't know if you know this.
- [43:43]
D
You always talk about the exchange rate. This is the fourth week in a row that you have mentioned the exchange rate of the Canadian dollar. I don't know if you got investments or something.
- [43:51]
A
It's not good. It's not good for Canada right now. Like, they don't get.
- [43:54]
E
They don't get as much, so they're
- [43:55]
A
very angry about it.
- [43:57]
E
So if you have an American dollar,
- [44:00]
A
in theory, it should only be like 72 cents in Montreal, but they make
- [44:05]
E
you pay one for one.
- [44:07]
A
So you're. You're losing on everything. And they seem to be proud to be like, you will give me an American dollar and we will deal. You will eat the exchange rate and Von Chi. Font. Von.
- [44:18]
D
Von.
- [44:18]
A
That's what's happening.
- [44:19]
D
Okay. You've been talking a lot about the exchange rate. I mean, it's been a thing that you've been talking about.
- [44:25]
A
Okay, wait a minute. Tim in Chicago says that Myron is embarrassing himself with the national anthem. Go ahead, Tim.
- [44:31]
D
Embarrassing myself. What? He's saying.
- [44:34]
A
Hey, guys. Tim.
- [44:35]
L
Okay.
- [44:35]
A
What's up? Hey. Yeah, Kitty. Hey.
- [44:37]
E
So you guys are embarrassing.
- [44:40]
D
What happened?
- [44:42]
A
His windows, I think just closed. Windows 95.
- [44:45]
D
I was embarrassing myself. What did he mean?
- [44:48]
A
Stuart and. No, I don't know. We'll never know. Stuart in North Carolina. Go ahead, Stewart.
- [44:55]
D
Okay.
- [44:56]
A
All right. You just ran every single person off. By the way, who's your pick? Who's your pick in the Stanley cup finals? Carolina or Las Vegas?
- [45:07]
D
I thought Las Vegas beat the best team in hockey, so you got to pick them. I didn't have to be favorite.
- [45:12]
A
But what do you base that on?
- [45:13]
D
What about the best?
- [45:14]
E
What about our second line? Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake and Jordan Martin.
- [45:19]
D
They beat the best team in hockey. They dominated the best.
- [45:22]
A
Logan Stankhoven. You're not going to. You're not going to acknowledge if you
- [45:25]
D
go through the team that was the best team in hockey all year long the way that they did. You can't pick against Vegas. You can. The.
- [45:32]
A
The money favorite is Carolina. And I'm going to argue that we are the best team in hockey. And shout out to Rod Brindamore may
- [45:39]
E
become the first coach ever to play for a team and win a cup
- [45:42]
A
and then coach the same team and win the cup. That would be very good. We'll get back to the NBA next here on Matt Myron,
- [45:51]
D
Matt Myron, the podcast.
- [45:59]
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This is what everyone's talking about.
- [46:02]
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Everything's on the table.
- [46:04]
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This is what champions come to take. This is what everyone came to see. No do overs, no second chances, no more Mr. Nice Guy. This is winner two take all. And it's all happening now on the home of the NBA Finals. Don't miss it. June 3rd on ABC and the ESPN applied.