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- [00:00]
Unknown Host
When I started podcasting, it felt like I had to figure everything out myself. Booking guests, figuring out rundowns, editing the show and publishing it. It seemed like the list of to do's got bigger and bigger and when you're starting off with something new, it seems like that just happens. Finding the right tool that not only helps you out, but simplifies everything can be such a game changer. And for millions of businesses, that tool is Shopify. Shopify is the commerce platform, but behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e commerce in the US from household names like Mattel and Gymshark to brands just getting started. Get started with your own design studio. With hundreds of ready to use templates, Shopify helps you build a beautiful online store to match your brand style, accelerate your content creation. Shopify is packed with helpful AI tools that write product descriptions, page headlines, and even enhance your product photography. Get the word out like you have a marketing team behind you. Easily create email and social media media campaigns wherever your customers are scrolling or strolling. And best yet, Shopify is your commerce expert with world class expertise in everything from managing inventory to international shipping to processing returns and beyond. If you're ready to sell, you're ready for Shopify. Turn your big business idea into a With Shopify on your side, sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com TheAthletic go to shopify.com TheAthLetic shopify.com TheAthLETic as we head into the playoffs, it's safe to assume there will be a few calls made by the refs that will be hard to accept. But you know what isn't hard to accept? Discover. Believe it or not, Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. You heard that right, 99%. So make a good call for your wallet and get Discover. Based on the February 2024 Nielsen report. Learn more at discover.com credit card.
- [02:00]
Marcus Thompson
This.
- [02:01]
Unknown Host
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- [02:37]
Jay Adande
Okay, I want to. I want to get in on that on the Laker banner, because I'm actually.
- [02:45]
David Aldridge
Oh, yeah.
- [02:46]
Jay Adande
I'm offended by it.
- [02:58]
David Aldridge
All right, y'all, we back. It's hoops adjacent. It's David Aldridge in D.C. it's Marcus in the Bay. Our man Jay Adande back with us to talk. What's up, Jay from Chicago.
- [03:07]
Jay Adande
What up? What up?
- [03:09]
David Aldridge
Bulls are hot. The Bulls are hot. Kobe White also.
- [03:13]
Marcus Thompson
The Bulls are back, baby.
- [03:14]
Jay Adande
The Bulls are back. Easy, Romeo. I wouldn't go that far, but at least they're being competitive again. Step up from lately.
- [03:24]
David Aldridge
Is it a. It's not a coincidence that this is happening. Where your man Zach is on the shelf is.
- [03:31]
Jay Adande
Doesn't bode well. And so, Wilbond, this doesn't exactly help the trade value.
- [03:37]
David Aldridge
Right, right, right.
- [03:38]
Jay Adande
You know, hey, we've got this injured guy who the team seems to be coalescing without.
- [03:47]
David Aldridge
Seems to be doing just fine without him.
- [03:49]
Jay Adande
What would he give us for him.
- [03:54]
David Aldridge
Man? Man. So, yeah, man. Kobe White, Patrick Williams coming. Finally showing up. You know, it looks like they got some. They got. Their young guys are starting to figure it out a little bit.
- [04:05]
Jay Adande
You know, they need to do.
- [04:06]
Marcus Thompson
Just attach Kobe White to the deal. You're good. Yeah.
- [04:10]
Jay Adande
You don't want to send him anytime soon, but, yeah, he's. He's been playing great. Been. Been very aggressive, you know, really stepping in, I think, to a leadership role. And one of the things I really like about this team, that there was a clip of Alice Caruso in the locker room afterward, and he was kind of joking about Kobe White, but lovingly. And you could see the bonding of this team, you know, and I. I'm. I'm big on locker room and chemistry and all that stuff. And that's something we're seeing from this team that, you know, I'm not sure has been there, you know, much of the last two years, especially with Lonzo Ball out and then, you know, with Caruso hurt, too. And. And I think the. The kind of. The intangibles and the chemistry that he brings to that team, the way he elevates a team in ways that aren't evident in the box score, I think we're starting to see again, it seem.
- [04:56]
David Aldridge
It's. It's weird to me, Jay. Like, look, everybody. Nobody can survive when their best players get hurt. Every team is vulnerable to that. But it just seems to me like they have just, like, stopped. They just ceased to function as a franchise because Lonzo Ball is hurt. And I'm like, yo, like, I get it. Like, he's a really good Player, but damn, you got to still play. Like, you can't just say, well, we're just done now. We can't do nothing, you know, like. And they.
- [05:19]
Jay Adande
I think Lonzo ball was. He had like, a multiplier effect, though. The thing with him that was evident from the first time we saw him in the summer league playing with the Lakers was just how quickly the ball gets out of his hands. And. And I just love that he gets the ball and he just cannot wait to release the ball and get it moving somewhere else, somewhere more opportune for a shot. And I just think that spreads throughout a team, and I think that's the impact it was. It was particularly noticeable to me with the Bulls, but I think that's everywhere he's been. And when you lose that, it just feels like everything slows down a little bit and people start to get a little bit more selfish and it's just not as lively. And so that's why I think his impact, again, like Caruso, it's just so much bigger than, Than the tangibles. It's just kind of this unseen effect that he has.
- [06:10]
Marcus Thompson
Okay, okay. We've had enough fun here.
- [06:12]
Jay Adande
All right?
- [06:13]
Marcus Thompson
We, I, I get the Bulls love, but, I mean, they're the 11 seed. We're still blowing this thing up, right? Like, DeMar DeRozan is still time to go, right? Like, what are we doing here? It's cute and all, you beat the Sixers, but you're not doing anything in the east after giving everybody a raise.
- [06:30]
Jay Adande
That, that's, that's an end of the season problem. I think that's long term or at the very least, a trade deadline issue with everywhere. Yeah, we can postpone that. Marcus, man, you don't understand. When winter hits and we're definitely in the throes of winter now in the Congo, it needs something to feel good.
- [06:50]
Marcus Thompson
About.
- [06:55]
Jay Adande
When it gets dark at 5 o'clock. So I saw that we're in the midst of Chicago has a run. I think it's 84 straight days where the sun will set before 5pm and so when that hits, you know, you need something in those evening hours. So if the Bulls can provide some entertainment amidst the darkness that the onset of which happens before five, like, you're not even done with the workday and it's dark. You realize how depressing that is. So anything that can bring a little light, a little levity, a little holiday cheer. So, yeah, they beat the Sixers. They absorbed a 40 piece from Joel Embiid and still managed to prevail they almost beat the Heat down in Miami. Took their old boy Jimmy Butler, you know, last second shots and knock them off. But they. They played well and obviously were very competitive in that game. So just those signs. It's funny, just a couple years ago, when, when you had that. That influx of Ball and Caruso and that team, it was just nice to see life and energy back to the United center because it had just been dismal for a while. But any little bit of hope, of entertainment that the Bulls can provide to the city amid the winter, winter darkness, we'll take it. Let us bask, Marcus.
- [08:15]
Marcus Thompson
It's about. It's about maybe a quarter inch of rain out here in the Bay. We out here suffering. So. Oh, imagine. I can't even imagine.
- [08:22]
Jay Adande
Made of California, and I know how things fall apart with a little rain.
- [08:25]
David Aldridge
It's just awful.
- [08:26]
Marcus Thompson
All right.
- [08:27]
David Aldridge
Oh, God, what will I do? Let me go to the two billion dollar leader tonight and watch Curry play.
- [08:34]
Marcus Thompson
So I. I suffered, sir. Right.
- [08:39]
David Aldridge
Man. So, look, it's important. I agree with you, Jay. I've said this for many years. Marcus knows it. The Midwest, those cities, you need to have a reason to put your coat on in the middle of January to go bring your little kids out to go see somebody do something, because it's cold out there, man.
- [08:56]
Jay Adande
Like, it's funny, I did a story when I was at espn. I did a tour of three small markets and just talked about what type of prospects or, you know, what it looked like for them. So I went to New Orleans, I went to Charlotte, and I went to Milwaukee. And a fan in Milwaukee that I talked to is as candid as anything I've ever heard from anybody. He said, look, you know, it's Milwaukee. There's not a lot to do here. You know, all we're looking for is a team. Just give us a team that goes out and plays hard and that'll do. You know, we. We don't expect greatness, we don't expect championships. You know, just give us a team that plays hard and. And that'll make it worth the trip, you know, make it worth our while at least. And then, lo and behold, a few years later, of course, they get Giannis Santa de Kumpo, and, you know, now they're. They're an elite team. They got their once, Once every other generation superstar that they get up there. Like, not even every generation, you know, it's like every other generation, Kareem and then Giannis, like, right. Those are the only names. Whenever Giannis does Something, you know, like, like that 64 he had the other night. Like that was Kareem's record he broke, I assume. Right. Although Kareem doesn't have like a lot of 50 point games.
- [10:09]
David Aldridge
Was it Kareem? I don't know. I don't know if it was Korean.
- [10:12]
Jay Adande
Oh, you know who it was? It was, was it Marcus?
- [10:15]
Marcus Thompson
I thought it was.
- [10:16]
Jay Adande
No, it wasn't Cream, actually. It was God, the, the, the. The left handed shooter that he was on the, the Redeem team. The guard, Michael Redd. Yeah, that's who, that's who had the record actually.
- [10:29]
David Aldridge
Wow.
- [10:30]
Jay Adande
But. But you know, certainly he's not in that category with Korean. To me it was like Kareem in the 70s and then Giannis last few years. But, but like, like in NBA lifespans that's like five generations, right? Like, like in the real world, I would say, you know, it skipped two.
- [10:46]
David Aldridge
No, that. You're right, Marcus. That team at the, with Ray Allen and, and Big Dog, they've had some.
- [10:52]
Jay Adande
Good players, but that was a generational star.
- [10:54]
David Aldridge
It wasn't. No, but it was a good team. It was a good team. They made the conference finals. I mean, you know, that was a very good team.
- [11:00]
Marcus Thompson
So you know what it sounds like this, this midwestern struggle that I'm hearing about. Da. You know what it sounds like? It sounds like Chicago should have really won the in season tournament because they could have really used the moment. Right? You put your coat on for the end seasons. Like Chicago needed that moment. Maybe Indiana needed that moment. Right? Like.
- [11:28]
Jay Adande
Needed it or could have used it. Guys, I, I was. When I first found out that they were going to have the banner for the, for the in season tournament in la, I, I was annoyed. And then actually seeing it go up there on the wall among all those championship banners, I'm offended. Like it, it, it angers me. And seeing it, I don't know why I had this visceral reaction to it. I'm offended seeing it up there because it just goes against everything that the Lakers are about. I'll never forget Kobe Bryant. One year they won the Pacific Division. Whoop de do. And somebody said, hey, Kobe won the Pacific Division tonight. You clinched it. Kobe said we don't hang divisions. You know, just the disdain that he said, like don't waste fabric hanging a banner for Pacific Division title in la. That's not what we do. We wait for the big boys. They don't hang conference banners for the Lakers. You wait for the big piece of fabric that says that you're a champion, and to have this up there, it just. It's just inappropriate. And seeing it, they're just. You know, I. I go back to the Forum and the banners that they had there, and they look. They pretty much the same as the ones that you see, but they actually left them behind. I think it was something contractual that they had to leave the old banners and the old retired jerseys in the Forum when they left Inglewood and came to what was in the Staples Center. And I. I just can't imagine this banner in the Forum with those great classic banners. And it just angers me to see it up there. It shouldn't be there. You won't in the regular season.
- [13:05]
David Aldridge
I know. I can't. I can't show you. Well, I don't know if y'all can see this. Maybe y'all can see this. Hold on. Let me see if I find. Anyway, it's the Celtics. When I was. When the last time the Celtics were in the finals against Golden State, it was. We were. They had us up in the rafters. It was the first time we had ever been. I had ever.
- [13:24]
Marcus Thompson
I remember that we were up in.
- [13:25]
David Aldridge
The rafters, and I remember just saying, you know, I've looked at these. I've looked at these banners for 30 years, but I've never seen them appear. And it was so powerful to watch the Celtics banners. I'm just looking just. 1961 World Champion. 1957 World Champion. 1959 World Champion. 1968 World Champion.
- [13:46]
Marcus Thompson
Like, just.
- [13:47]
David Aldridge
That's all.
- [13:49]
Jay Adande
Just the championships and the numbers, the retired numbers.
- [13:52]
David Aldridge
The one time. The one time I did hockey, Jay. And this was like when I was at the post and when we had money, right? And so the Caps had just started to be good. So they were in one conference semi final, and they sent me to the other one, which was Montreal and Boston, to see who wouldn't. The Caps won. They would play one of those teams in the conference.
- [14:11]
Jay Adande
Montreal Forum.
- [14:12]
David Aldridge
Dude, I went to the old Forum. All they said was, cup the moon. Cup the moon. Come to moon come to move over and over again. They have no division banners.
- [14:22]
Jay Adande
They even have divisions back then, you know, hang divisions. We don't hang division.
- [14:27]
Marcus Thompson
That's where. That's where you curmudgeons need to catch up. This ain't a division banner. It's not a conference banner. This is the tournament of tournaments. This is the. This is the end season tournament.
- [14:38]
David Aldridge
This is the end. Nate Robinson getting his jersey retired at summer.
- [14:42]
Marcus Thompson
The Pacific Division. This is. This is bigger than Rap. What are you talking about? And it was black.
- [14:49]
Jay Adande
A Pacific Division. I mean, to me, that. That even is worth more, though, because, I mean, that's something that you earn over the course of 80 games. I mean, this, this is a few games, you know, in November and December, you're going to hang it back. So my favorite banner story actually, from a team that did hang a division of banner. So the Sacramento Kings, they won the Pacific division in 2002, and they got that banner up quick, and it was huge. I think they eventually scaled it down.
- [15:15]
David Aldridge
It was like the Wizards. It was like the WNBA attendance banner that was put up.
- [15:20]
Jay Adande
This banner was huge. I think they eventually scaled it down. The banner that you see today. And they hung another one when they won the division last year. But the, the one that you might see today I don't think is as big as the original one, but it was so big. And so we're up there for a playoff series. And it's morning shoot around. And I was sitting next to a Fox cameraman from the local Fox Fox Sports channel. And Shaq's across the way and he's changing his shoes after shoot around. And the cameraman's shooting him. And then Shaq looks up, sees the camera, and he points up. And the cameraman looks around like, what's that, Shaq? Pan the camera up. So the cameraman pans up to the big old huge Kings Pacific Division banner. He pans back down to Shaq, and Shaq just makes a face like, ooh, I'm so scared. Ooh, the big Pacific Division champions. I'm afraid anytime you have a banner that can be mocked, maybe you shouldn't hang it. And that's the thing. No one's mocking any of the Laker championship banners. No one's mocking anybody. But this, this in season tournament banner is subject to mocking. And that should be your standards. It's mocking like it's a mockable banner.
- [16:36]
Marcus Thompson
They low key are mocking Lakers batters because where it's located is kind of foul. George Biker is rolling over in his grave. They put it with the Minneapolis Lakers banners like they put it over. I was like, geez, it's like, it's like these, these blue, you know, the little pastel got five of them joints. They move that joker to the side and put the season tournament in the gap. Was like, ouch.
- [16:58]
Jay Adande
But that was my thing. I was like, where are they gonna hang it? So I mean, they had to rearrange.
- [17:01]
Marcus Thompson
They should have put it like way on another side.
- [17:04]
David Aldridge
That should Be a display in the concourse section somewhere next to like, next to like a really nice high end hamburger spot. That's where it should be. Like, right.
- [17:14]
Jay Adande
So I have a reverence. There's certain things that should be reserved for certain things. So that's why I was also offended when Pat Beverly jumped on the scorers table after they won the play in game. Right. Because I was raised you did that after you won the big thing. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant never jumped on the scorers table until they actually won the championship. I know like Kevin Garnett got up there after. I think they advanced to the conference finals for the first time in the Timberwolves history. We've seen some other people. Your boy Gavin Maloof got up there after they won like a game during the series. The owner got a table dance during that, that great 2000.
- [17:52]
David Aldridge
The only table D.
- [17:57]
Jay Adande
He said. I know. He said, it's. I know it's a little early, but it's our time now. They go a little, little premature there. That's why you want to wait. That's why you want to wait until there are no more games left to be played. Until you jump, push back a little bit.
- [18:09]
Marcus Thompson
I'm going to push back a little bit. Come on.
- [18:11]
David Aldridge
Minnesota ain't go. Minnesota.
- [18:15]
Marcus Thompson
I know this year they might.
- [18:17]
David Aldridge
No, this year they might. This year, I'm saying that season, that.
- [18:20]
Marcus Thompson
Was their Super Bowl. I felt like. I felt like that moment was about Patrick Beverly. That was a career. That was Patrick Beverly. So even if Minnesot it, Patrick Beverly ain't gonna be the one standing on the thing that was his personal.
- [18:33]
David Aldridge
That's gonna be. That's gonna be a cat. A cat.
- [18:38]
Marcus Thompson
Can you imagine?
- [18:39]
David Aldridge
That's gonna be ant jumping on the table.
- [18:41]
Jay Adande
You want that to go down.
- [18:42]
Marcus Thompson
Alexander Walker jumping on. On the scores table. You got like the kill. Alexander Walker jumping on the scores table. After they, they win a championship. Edwards gonna be like, man, get out the way.
- [18:51]
David Aldridge
I'mma push back a little bit. Because when, when the, when the wizards had their one moment of glory in the last 30 years, when they, when they forced the game seven of the Eastern Conference semifinals and John Wall jumped on the table, people were killing it.
- [19:09]
Jay Adande
I'm like, too early.
- [19:11]
David Aldridge
Do y'all know how bleak it's been? This is like the big, the biggest moment in franchise history.
- [19:17]
Jay Adande
But they didn't even win that series, right?
- [19:20]
David Aldridge
No, they lost game seven.
- [19:22]
Jay Adande
Yeah. So like, anytime there's, there's still L's coming your way. That means it's too early. To jump on a table, you should jump on a table. When there's. Guess what? There's nothing that's gonna diminish that moment in retrospect. And that's when you look at the pictures of Michael Jordan on the table, you look at the pictures of Kobe Bryant on the table, there's nothing. When you say, well, a few days later, they took that. Nope. They were champions. Champions. Unmarkable.
- [19:49]
Marcus Thompson
It's a new era. We celebrate participation out here, participants. We take all our victories. We take. It's rough out here. We went through a pandemic. We taking all our wins. We celebrating them like it's the final day. You gotta live your life to the foot of the moment, J A. You're gonna have a moment today that's worth the scores, table. Don't talk yourself out of that moment. Don't.
- [20:08]
David Aldridge
Don't rob yourself next to podium, game.
- [20:11]
Jay Adande
You're gonna have scorers, table, scores, table, Game, yeah. Scores, table. When you win the championship, and I believe you, I celebrate the little things. So, you know, I was out in Maui last week and playing a little golf, had a nice couple greens of regulation. You know, like, those are rare for me. You know, like. Like Minnesota Timberwolves playoff series victories. So, like, yeah, I took a picture and smiled and posted on Instagram because I had a green regulator. But, like, that ain't jumping on a table. I didn't get myself a green jacket because I hit a green regulation. You know what I'm saying?
- [20:48]
David Aldridge
You didn't go to Butler cabin.
- [20:49]
Jay Adande
That was a celebration. I had a big smile and I took a picture.
- [20:54]
David Aldridge
You didn't have Hootie Johnson hoisting up a cup.
- [20:57]
Jay Adande
I'm not donning a green jacket. There's appropriate levels of celebration. Like, I'm not big on. On baseball teams. You know, they win a division, they win that divisional series. Like popping champagne after every round.
- [21:11]
Marcus Thompson
The wild card division. Yes. Yeah.
- [21:16]
Jay Adande
Keep the champagne.
- [21:17]
Marcus Thompson
First off, that's just a lot of champagne.
- [21:19]
David Aldridge
I'm gonna push back on it because when I. When the Nationals finally won a game in the playoffs, it was. It was the playing game, basically, right? To get to the division series, they went buck wild in the locker room. They popped champagne, and I was all there for it.
- [21:33]
Marcus Thompson
I was for it.
- [21:34]
David Aldridge
Because they ain't won nothing till then. That's the first thing they actually won.
- [21:39]
Marcus Thompson
So.
- [21:39]
David Aldridge
So good for them. Pop the champagne. I'm not mad at him.
- [21:42]
Jay Adande
And they went on to low standards, low ambition, no ambition, Having, like, popping champagne early.
- [21:52]
Marcus Thompson
Speaking of which, J. Are you buying the Timberwolves as legit? I mean, they're 20 and 5. Is this. Is this real as it feels?
- [22:01]
Jay Adande
I can see them in the conference finals this year. So. Which, you know, by. By their standards, that means you jump on the table. They go beyond the scores table again. Do you hang a banner?
- [22:15]
David Aldridge
I'll go to the nap in May. That's nice up there in May.
- [22:19]
Jay Adande
Oh, it was lovely. So. So the, you know, their lone trip to the conference finals, they played the Lakers. So I covered that series. It was beautiful. I loved going out there. Like, it was. It was entirely different. Like, I don't think I'd ever been there outside of the, you know, winter month basketball season before. I was. I had a whole new appreciation for Minneapolis. You know, it was nice. We were there for the Brandy BJ a few years back.
- [22:42]
David Aldridge
Yeah.
- [22:42]
Jay Adande
Yeah. I like me even. Even in winter time. I like Minneapolis, actually, you know, that. That.
- [22:47]
David Aldridge
That visit was. That visit was marred by chicanery and lies. But we're not gonna go into that.
- [22:54]
Jay Adande
The NABJ one.
- [22:56]
David Aldridge
Yes, in Minneapolis.
- [22:58]
Jay Adande
The last one. All right, I'm gonna have to. You know, we'll have that offline.
- [23:03]
David Aldridge
We'll have that story offline. Things were promised that weren't delivered upon, but yes.
- [23:12]
Jay Adande
Oh, I know what you're talking about.
- [23:13]
David Aldridge
Yeah, you know what I'm talking about.
- [23:14]
Jay Adande
Yeah. The Purple palace, so to speak. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. That was very disappointing. Yes, that was very disappointed.
- [23:22]
David Aldridge
But there's a picture of me and. And Kim Bardeckian at the award ceremony. We were thrilled because neither of us had had the pleasure of seeing someone in person, in concert. And we were like, oh, we're gonna finally get to see this person in concert live for the first time.
- [23:44]
Jay Adande
So we can. We can share those details. I have a way to connect it to the NBA, too. A couple. A couple of all star Marcus.
- [23:52]
David Aldridge
Do you know this memory, by the way?
- [23:55]
Jay Adande
You want to tell the thing? You tell it. You tell her. You're the one that thought.
- [24:02]
David Aldridge
I will just say that it was intimated quite strongly that there would be a performance by a certain individual who resides in Minneapolis no longer with us. Who's no longer with us.
- [24:19]
Marcus Thompson
Dang it. I was about to say Troy Hudson, rapper Troy Husses, who.
- [24:26]
David Aldridge
Who was who, if we went out to his spot in Paisley park, would perform live. And so hundreds. I'm not exaggerating, hundreds of people, of which I was one, canceled our outgoing flights and got later flights out of many at great expense, personally, so that we could stay so. Because we thought, all right, we'll be here all night, probably, because that's what he usually does, the 3am concert. And so we'll have to leave later on Sunday. Okay. How much is that gonna cost? Oh, another three or 400, David. All right, put me down for it, because it's the purple one. Lo and behold, everybody buses out to Paisley Park. You go to the stage. Stage ain't set up, and you go, that's odd. There's going to be a performance.
- [25:25]
Jay Adande
You think there'd be some instruments out there.
- [25:27]
David Aldridge
You think there'd be people. People scurrying about the stage, making sure the sound checks are right, you know, check one, check two, that sort of thing. And was not delivered upon, you know. And then we were told afterwards. Well, we never actually said it. And I'm like, no, you didn't say it, but you intimated it.
- [25:47]
Jay Adande
What else are you supposed to do out there, right?
- [25:51]
David Aldridge
And Marcus, the thing that was. The thing that was really the worst part is that they literally are selling bean pies in the. In the. In the lobby. I'm not kidding. The bros are selling bean pies. And I'm like, are you serious? Now I'm supposed to buy a bean pie while I'm here?
- [26:11]
Jay Adande
The market, you weren't allowed to have any cameras or your cell phones. Like, you had to check them in, so couldn't take any pictures. Didn't even get any pictures. So for us. So, like, right when you walk in, there's the motorcycle from Purple Rain. It's sitting right in the lobby as we're waiting to go in. And, man, did I want to get a picture, like, riding on a motorcycle from Purple Rain.
- [26:30]
David Aldridge
Right.
- [26:30]
Jay Adande
Like, that would be a great picture to have. Nope. Yeah, so I. I got.
- [26:37]
Marcus Thompson
It was just the tour.
- [26:39]
Jay Adande
Yeah, it was just a tour. Paisley park, basically.
- [26:42]
David Aldridge
It was just a tour. And then out. I had left because I was.
- [26:47]
Jay Adande
Yeah, I left by that point, too.
- [26:49]
David Aldridge
He came out and said, you know, I'm sorry, I didn't. You know, we weren't planning. None of my. None of my, you know, band is here. They're all scattered about the country, playing somewhere. You know, I. I didn't realize that that had been promised or it had even been hinted at, but I just wanted to come out and say thank you for coming and appreciate you coming. And of course, nobody could take a picture because nobody had a phone.
- [27:12]
Jay Adande
So.
- [27:13]
Marcus Thompson
So.
- [27:17]
David Aldridge
So yes to NBA. Because there was a time when this happened. Of course, I wasn't covering the NBA then. But go ahead, Jay.
- [27:26]
Jay Adande
So I have three Prince All Star, NBA All Star weekend stories. First bad is the next two much better. So in Minneapolis in 94 All Star weekend as first All Star game, I covered. There's work going on. Oh, Prince is going to have people out. He's going to perform out of Paisley Park. You need to get a pass this, that, the other. And so I didn't know how to get my hands on one of these passes. The fabulous Kelly Carter, who was covering the Lakers back then, she said she had one, but like she was going to give it to somebody else. So I never got my hands on a pass. I never made it. And I just heard it was great. Like you played to like 5 in the morning. Like Tevin Campbell came out. Like, it was like, people still talk about it to this day. So I missed out on that one. All Star Weekend in Las Vegas 2007. A nightmare all Star weekend in many ways.
- [28:20]
Marcus Thompson
But one thing that I got trapped at the MGM at the weed party. Boy, MGM was like half baked. I'm looking.
- [28:29]
Jay Adande
Oh yeah. I mean I was staying there. You walked through the lobby. Yeah.
- [28:34]
Marcus Thompson
Down the tables.
- [28:37]
Jay Adande
Realize how messed up things have to be for them to shut down Vegas.
- [28:43]
Marcus Thompson
But all my cousins was blazing, kicking it on the tables, hollering. I was like, yo, this is wild.
- [28:49]
Jay Adande
Yeah, Marcus, half of Oakland was up in Vegas.
- [28:51]
Marcus Thompson
Oh yes, it was.
- [28:52]
Jay Adande
Yeah. Was your people.
- [28:55]
Marcus Thompson
I walk on the street market.
- [28:59]
Jay Adande
Oakland was. They came with products, man. But. But fortunately I got off the Strip and Prince was doing a residency at the Reno at the Rio Hotel at that time. And he was doing after shows, like in a restaurant in the lobby.
- [29:16]
Marcus Thompson
Wow.
- [29:16]
Jay Adande
And so like if you could get in, you could see him in his little venue. So there was a restaurant, then there was an even smaller private dining area. And that's where I was able to get into thanks to my boy Mike Phillips, who was playing saxophone with them during that residency. And so I was able to get in like a 50 room, 50 person capacity room. And so Prince, they were doing a jam session. So he did one of his songs, but he was doing. Shot a Led Zeppelin like some old jazz tunes. It was amazing until about 5:30 in the morning. So that was, that was that. That. That made up for not seeing him in Minneapolis. And then I was able to catch him at the. He performed at the Michael Jordan party in 2015 in New York and went on at about one in the morning and did about an hour. And it was just phenomenal. So like I ended on a good Note, that wound up being the last time I saw him play live. I probably saw him a half dozen times over the course of my life. I was very fortunate that was the last time. And it was a great concert, man. Great concert. It. It took a lot to get in. Took me about an hour to get in. I was on the list and everything, and just getting in was just a crush. I finally. Finally made it in. And then Ariana Grande performed. And then later, the. The building was, like, in two parts, and I was up in the VIP area on one side, and I thought I was good. I thought I'd be primed for, like, when Prince came out. And all of a sudden I look around like, where'd everybody go? And then everyone had gone over to the other part where the stage was where Prince was performing.
- [30:52]
David Aldridge
Right.
- [30:54]
Jay Adande
I did catch most of the concerts.
- [30:57]
David Aldridge
Right.
- [30:57]
Jay Adande
It was my Prince.
- [30:58]
David Aldridge
Jay, were you. Were you at the one in D.C. where Snoop and them performed?
- [31:02]
Jay Adande
Yeah, at the Armory.
- [31:03]
David Aldridge
At the Armory. That was fantastic.
- [31:05]
Jay Adande
That was great. Yeah. Yeah. I wound up, like, sneaking in a side door and, like. Like, right up in the front.
- [31:12]
David Aldridge
That was one of the great. I mean, that was really good because everybody. A lot of people in my life were there because it was D.C. i think my sister was there. My wife, who never goes to anything, was there. Like, it was really.
- [31:23]
Jay Adande
So you're in favor of having an All Star game in your town? Marcus is coming your way. What, in 25?
- [31:29]
Marcus Thompson
I mean, he's going to San Francisco.
- [31:30]
Jay Adande
San Francisco. I mean, that's your back. Hey, just because it's across the bay doesn't mean people ain't gonna be hitting you up. So, you know, having it in. It's been in LA multiple times. It was in Chicago here when I was here a few years ago in 20. 19. 2020, right before the pandemic. It was weird, right?
- [31:48]
David Aldridge
Right.
- [31:48]
Jay Adande
The weird memory of that because, like, it was right after 2020.
- [31:52]
Marcus Thompson
Yeah.
- [31:52]
Jay Adande
And, yeah, Kobe had died. David Stern had passed away. So it was kind of somber. You know, those two things were hanging over terrible, mentally. And then it was super cold. And then. It's funny that I remember somebody asked Adam Silver during his press conference about the. It just. It felt like coronavirus was on the other side of the world.
- [32:13]
David Aldridge
Yeah.
- [32:14]
Jay Adande
And the only impact it made was you noticed that, you know, that normally you'd have a lot of Chinese and Japanese reporters there, and none of them were there. And so that was noticeable, the lack of Asian reporters, but it still didn't feel like, you know, everyone's still getting a party on everyone. Everyone's still doing their thing. And then, you know, about a month later, wham. Everything shut down. But, Marcus, you don't want it. I. I don't know, Dave. You have good memories. I don't have great memories from when it was in la.
- [32:46]
David Aldridge
That was it.
- [32:47]
Jay Adande
The rest of it. Everyone was hitting me up terrible.
- [32:49]
David Aldridge
Not terrible.
- [32:50]
Jay Adande
Everyone's hitting you up. Oh, what's the hook up? Way to hook up.
- [32:53]
Marcus Thompson
The last one. That was the last one that was here. I wasn't even an NBA reporter yet.
- [32:58]
Jay Adande
It was too rained.
- [33:00]
David Aldridge
It rained. It rained the entire time we were there in Oakland. I'm not kidding. From the second we left, the second we landed to the second we took off. Five days.
- [33:11]
Marcus Thompson
That's how I got in. That's how I got. I got to cover it because I got. Remember NBA, the jam session when it was like a tent outside? Yes, yes. They sent me. I was like. I was covering, like, high school and college, and they sent me to cover that. Then I worked my way into the dunk contest. It was terrible.
- [33:29]
Jay Adande
That was the best part of dunk contest. Vince Carter's dunk contest. So that was phenomenal to actually be in there. And dunk contests are best watched, you know, I think on tv. So you can see the replay. I don't know if they had a screen.
- [33:43]
Marcus Thompson
They had it.
- [33:44]
David Aldridge
They had the jump.
- [33:45]
Jay Adande
They did have one.
- [33:46]
David Aldridge
Yeah.
- [33:47]
Marcus Thompson
I just remember Alan Iverson and them, because I was, like, enamored. I was like, there's Alan Iverson. That's like, media could get real low. They were going nuts.
- [33:56]
David Aldridge
Everyone's going nuts. No, that was the best. That was the best contest I've ever seen in person. I didn't see. I wasn't there for Jordan and Dominique, but.
- [34:05]
Jay Adande
So that was the best individual performance to me, the best contest that I've seen in person, and I think the best ever was Toronto with. With Aaron Gordon.
- [34:17]
Marcus Thompson
Yeah, that was pretty good.
- [34:18]
Jay Adande
That was good because the. The Chicago one in. Was that 88 David Nick.
- [34:24]
David Aldridge
Yeah.
- [34:24]
Jay Adande
Jordan. We've seen all those dunks had been done before.
- [34:29]
David Aldridge
I know, but not that well.
- [34:30]
Jay Adande
Those guys had done those dunks. I mean. Yeah, the. The pressure.
- [34:33]
Marcus Thompson
The.
- [34:33]
Jay Adande
The.
- [34:34]
David Aldridge
Not that well one after another, though.
- [34:36]
Jay Adande
The drama. But we'd seen Jordan from the free throw line before. We'd see Dominique bring it down before. We've seen Jordan lean in like he done and said all those dunks have been seen before. Zach Levine jackknifing over a master. Zach Levine going between the Legs from the free throw line that we hadn't seen before.
- [34:55]
Marcus Thompson
So that was crazy.
- [34:58]
Jay Adande
The level, the imagination, the way they.
- [35:00]
Marcus Thompson
Took it to the execution, too. It wasn't like, a lot.
- [35:04]
David Aldridge
The one in Brooklyn was that the next year or the year before was. Was really good, too, because Zach Levine was in that one as well.
- [35:09]
Jay Adande
Yeah. 2016. It was good.
- [35:11]
Marcus Thompson
Yeah. They actually.
- [35:13]
Jay Adande
Aaron Gordon did Dunking Over Taco Fall here in Chicago. Was pretty good.
- [35:18]
David Aldridge
Right? Right.
- [35:18]
Jay Adande
You know, like, it's amazing. Like, if I. I think I did a picture, like, composition of, you know, the jackknife dunk over the mascot, the taco fall dunk and the thing. That guy didn't win either of those dunk contests.
- [35:32]
David Aldridge
Right.
- [35:33]
Jay Adande
It's just something wrong that needs to be rectified. We need a banner. You know what? You know, deserves a banner. Aaron Gordon deserves a banner.
- [35:41]
Marcus Thompson
I mean, literally took a seat in the air.
- [35:45]
Jay Adande
Aaron Gordon banner next to. Next to the Nuggets championship. Aaron Gordon, like, 50s, like. Like 50 pluses in the dunk contest. He deserves a banner for not winning something. Aaron Gordon deserves a banner.
- [36:00]
Marcus Thompson
Fortunately for me, J. A, I happen to be residing in the same area as another far more contemporary fella, so I don't have to worry about people reaching out to me because everybody's just gonna call Mark Spears, and he's good.
- [36:13]
Jay Adande
Oh, Spears is gonna get blown.
- [36:15]
Marcus Thompson
Spears is the one who's gonna have the tough time with the. With the all Star game, man.
- [36:20]
Jay Adande
I'm trying to hit him, you know, try to get an invite.
- [36:22]
Marcus Thompson
I'm hit him, too.
- [36:24]
Jay Adande
You know, he's part of that. That swank exclusive, you know. Yeah.
- [36:28]
David Aldridge
Club he's in. Yeah, yeah. No, I know. It's nice to be him.
- [36:31]
Jay Adande
Yeah.
- [36:32]
David Aldridge
You know what I remember most of. You know what I remember most from 01, though, Marcus. You know, this is funny. Or for 2000.
- [36:38]
Jay Adande
2000.
- [36:39]
David Aldridge
Right, 2000. So, you know, every year, at least they used to do this. I don't know if they still do it, but every year they were.
- [36:45]
Marcus Thompson
Did they stop after this? I think they might have stopped after this, Jay.
- [36:48]
David Aldridge
They will bring out somebody representing the next city. Right? So it's like the Olympics. Like, you would bring somebody for the next Olympiad, Right. And, like, figuratively pass the torch. So this. This time, they thought they'd be cute because Chris Cohen was hated so much by warriors fans. The odor. They thought, well, we'll. We'll sanitize this. We'll bring him out with MJ because the next game was in Washington the following Year. I've never seen a human being get booed.
- [37:17]
Marcus Thompson
They booed that man. They booed that man. So relentless. I've never been more proud of my city. I mean, it was a cascade. It was. It was.
- [37:32]
Jay Adande
It didn't stop.
- [37:33]
Marcus Thompson
It went out for, like, 30 seconds.
- [37:34]
David Aldridge
Seconds.
- [37:35]
Marcus Thompson
It was bad. Yeah, it was bad. He never. Hey, he never. I don't think he showed his face again. I think he never. Never spoke, never did an interview, never came out again. Sold the team 10 years later.
- [37:48]
Jay Adande
And the thing is, like, David, you know, like, All Star Games, it's usually not like the home crowd because it's so corporate. The. So many of the tickets. And they give all the tickets away to their corporate partners, right? Like, All Star Games are.
- [38:03]
Marcus Thompson
We took over that thing. Like the MGM grand dice game. Yo, I've never heard anybody get booed like that in my life.
- [38:16]
David Aldridge
I actually felt bad for him.
- [38:17]
Marcus Thompson
I'm like, damn, it was bad. They did. They was trying to be slick, though. Go stand next to mj. Now. MJ caught all kinds of strays that day. MJ was like, yo, who am I standing next to? This is crazy.
- [38:32]
Jay Adande
I mean, it's like. Like when Lake, who got booed on. On was Chris Mullins. Yeah, yeah.
- [38:40]
Marcus Thompson
You know, it's bad. Come on, you guys. I was like, you're not. You're not making this better. Come on, you guys have some class, you know, Right? Stop it. He turned into Grandpa.
- [38:56]
Jay Adande
You know, I wasn't there for the. So, you know, it's funny. There's a whole bunch of us who weren't actually in the building that day, so we were all up in. In the bay for. For the weekend. But then Tiger woods had that winning streak going. This is 2000. This is Tiger woods at his peak.
- [39:13]
Marcus Thompson
Yeah.
- [39:13]
Jay Adande
So he takes the lead or he's in the hunt. Sunday down at Torrey Pines in San Diego.
- [39:19]
Marcus Thompson
Oh, wow.
- [39:20]
Jay Adande
So me, Mike Wilboss, Sean Powell, a bunch of us got on, like, a Southwest flight first thing in the morning and flew down to San Diego to cover Tiger woods going for trying to keep that winning streak alive. He wound up losing to Phil Mickelson. And I'll never forget, we're walking on the sides. We all. I don't know how we all got credentials so quickly, but we're all down there walking inside the ropes. And Sean Powell came this close to stepping on Tiger woods ball. Could you imagine that?
- [39:48]
Marcus Thompson
Like, right, Wasn't that Tiger.
- [39:49]
Jay Adande
That was the year that he won everything, right? So. Well, the. He didn't win A, he didn't win the Masters, but he won the US Open. Like, he won a lot of Masters. The next one won the British Open and won the PGA Championship. So that was Tiger at his best. That, that was peak Tiger. So we all went down and. And Phil Mickelson actually got him down there. So I, I don't remember anything about. I. I just remember hearing about Cohen getting booed. I don't remember anything about that All Star game.
- [40:20]
Marcus Thompson
He ain't been in public since, like.
- [40:24]
Jay Adande
Literally nobody drove him into hiding.
- [40:25]
Marcus Thompson
He won't. Yeah. He won't talk to nobody. He put. He put Robert R. As the face of the franchise. Like, you know what I'm saying? You got this.
- [40:33]
David Aldridge
Hey, Marcus, we might have to collaborate on that for the, for 25, because it'll be 19 in 20. 25 will be 25 years. We might have to do a. We have to do a piece.
- [40:42]
Marcus Thompson
Oh, especially. It'll be back in the bay. Absolutely. Right, right.
- [40:46]
Jay Adande
Well, I mean, you definitely got to revisit the dunk contest. Zach Harper did a great. He did a great oral history of the Vince Carter dunk contest. But it. It's worth. It's worth doing again.
- [40:58]
David Aldridge
I want to do the booing.
- [41:01]
Marcus Thompson
I wanna. I wanna get a copy of the boo and play it for, like, the Philharmonic Society and get their review of the melodic harmony of the arena in Oakland. See.
- [41:15]
Jay Adande
I mean, the thing is, most booing, it's not captured on the broadcast. Right, Right. And sometimes when it's mixed, it's. It's hard to tell when you're watching the broadcast, like, what the percentage is.
- [41:27]
Marcus Thompson
I wonder if it's like that. Yeah, but in the building, it was.
- [41:31]
David Aldridge
No, it wasn't me.
- [41:35]
Jay Adande
I mean, some people had to be clapping for mj, right? Like it's Michael Jordan.
- [41:42]
David Aldridge
I couldn't hear him. I couldn't hear him. All I heard was the booze. That's what.
- [41:47]
Marcus Thompson
Hey, that was, that. That's a. That was a life changing moment. That dude has never been the same since then. Joe Lickett promised the banner and got booed.
- [41:58]
David Aldridge
Right.
- [41:59]
Marcus Thompson
And then delivered like, you gotta. You gotta bounce back after that.
- [42:05]
Jay Adande
I was just reading the story about how, like, Montales was at the game with his kids. Yeah, yeah. Like, Steph would catch up. Like, when did they get cool? Because, like, they ran him out to, to clear the way for Steph. Right? Like, because they coexisting all that well. Right.
- [42:22]
Marcus Thompson
It was that. That is one of the weird relationships. Steph used to admire Monte so much.
- [42:28]
Jay Adande
I don't think before he played with him, right?
- [42:32]
Marcus Thompson
No, like, while he played with, like, Steph. I'll never forget this. Steph looked. Because, mate, the first. The first day of training camp was media day, and that's where everybody used to sit at a table. Monty comes out, was like, can't win. Can't win with him. Can't win with two little guards. I mean, he basically was like, yeah, we can't win together. You can't win like that. Like, Steph's first day, we like, yeah.
- [42:54]
Jay Adande
That'S what I remember.
- [42:56]
Marcus Thompson
But Steph was like, all right, I'm about to win him over, right? Like, that's the stuff. They're like, I'm going to win, right? Yeah. Literally. He was not. He was like, okay, I'm gonna win Monty over. And I think he. He did end up winning Monty over. There was a period, because Monte's real beef was with Don Nelson. That's what his beef was with. His beef with Don Nelson and the warriors, because, remember the warriors when he. When he lied about the moped and busted up his ankle basketball?
- [43:21]
Jay Adande
And then he's mad at Nelly for that.
- [43:23]
Marcus Thompson
He. No, he was mad at the organization for that because, like, they were essentially saying, we reserve the right to void your contract because he had just signed the contract, and he was like, avoid it or not. It was like, six. Like, 66. 60 or 66 million, right?
- [43:42]
David Aldridge
Yeah. Yeah.
- [43:42]
Jay Adande
I don't know why I remember that number. It was. It was an exorbitant.
- [43:46]
Marcus Thompson
They were like, if you come back, we're gonna hold it over your head. We're gonna see how you look first. And he didn't like that. He was like, either avoid it or don't, but, like, don't make me sit like this. But then Nelly was always on his case about, you know, being professional and all that. Him and Nelly just clash from style of play. You know, Nelly likes a certain type of type of player. Monte didn't really fit it. I mean, it's tough. Like, Steve Nash. He was from Steve Nash and Baron Davis to Monte, Just a different type of player. But there was a stretch where Monte was, like, out for a minute, and Nelly was like, here, Steph. This is your team now. And Steph went nuts. I mean, absolutely nuts. He was, like, dropping triple doubles. Like, he. He almost, like, took Rookie of the Year from Tyreek Evans. Like, he was on one. And then I think after that, Monte was like, okay, this dude's pretty good. And then they were cool after that. And I remember the moment Steph was very happy when. Because they used to do this thing where, you know, you come in and you slap the hands of the guy you're coming in for, right? And when Mate would finally, like, slap his hand, because Mate would just walk. He was just. He coming out the game, he mad. He ain't, he ain't no high fives that he goes to the. He came out the game and he slapped Steph's hand. Steph, I'm sitting courtside. Steph looked at me, was like, I told you. I told you I was gonna get up. I told you. His mission was to win him over. Like, he, he, he. It was his vet. Like, it was the guy he came into the league with, right? Because before that, remember, it was Steven Jackson. Steven Jackson asked for a trade, like, he signed a three year extension and then asked for a trade like five games into the season. And then immediately Stephen Jackson fleeced this dude. Like, he had two years. He got a three year extension and then demanded the trade. It's one of the great hustles of all time. And was calling the shot before he was gonna do, right, give me an extension. I'm gonna be like, why would you extend. You got two years left. And he got him an extension five years, like, and then was like, yeah, I wouldn't be here no more. I'm out. It's one of the most gangster moves I've ever seen.
- [45:51]
David Aldridge
I love this lady.
- [45:52]
Jay Adande
So. So just when Monte and Stephen were cool, and then they got Monte up.
- [45:57]
Marcus Thompson
Out of there, then they got Monty up out of there.
- [45:59]
David Aldridge
Yep.
- [45:59]
Jay Adande
And. And that's why the fans were booing Lake of that time at the Mullen party, right? Because they were matching. Because they were. Because a lot of it. It's funny to think, like, it's, it's unimaginable now, right, Marcus, that Monte was the more beloved between him and Steph at the time, just because Steph didn't have any equity.
- [46:17]
Marcus Thompson
You got to understand, like, as a, as a Warriors fan, it's a lot like you were saying about Chicago. Like, with the warriors fan, you didn't have to beat the guys, but, man, just for one game, go out and play with the best dudes in the league. Like, just go be it. That's why Jason Richardson is one of the most beloved players in warriors history. Like, when Jay Rich comes, people go crazy. Because Jay Rich for what, six, seven years, however long he was there, he wasn't better than Kobe, but he can go get 25 with him. Like Kobe go get 35 and win the game. But Jerry Rich was out there with him. And that's all you wanted as a Warrior fan. That's what Mate was. Mate's like, yo, I'm about to go get 30, right? Right. I'm not gonna play no defense and we ain't gonna win, but I'm gonna get 30. And that's. People love Mate. He was exciting too. Yeah, it's weird in hindsight. It's one of those big. One of the big misses my fans of all time.
- [47:06]
Jay Adande
Right. You know, you know what I'm a fan of that reminds me of, you know, appreciation. Fan appreciation. So I don't, I don't like the premature scores table, Hobbs. I don't like hanging those, you know, minimal banners the division. I'm a banner snob. Yes, I am. I grew up with the Lakers. What can I say? But you know what I'm a fan of? I'm a fan of the organic fan applause for a team whose season ends early, but who gave it all they had. So one that stands out to me, I was in the building for was the, the 2010 Oklahoma City Thunder. And they lose in the first round of the Lakers. They've won 23 games their first season, Oklahoma City. The second season. They jump up to 50. They doubled it more than double it. They jump up to 50. And they gave the Lakers a pretty good run in the first round. And they lose at home in game six. Like last second shot, I think by Pal Gasol tip in and. And the fans gave him a standing ovation even though they lost in the first round of the playoffs. Why? Because they applied. Appreciated how far that team had come. That I'm a fan of. You know, that. And that's something that, you know, they don't make banners for that or rings or something like that. But I really, I like, I like when, when a fan base can say, you know what, you guys are going home early, but we appreciate what you did. Here's the standing ovation on your way out. Hold your head high. That I like. I don't like getting on the scores table after the first round. I like when teams, when fans appreciate and send off their, their heroes for a job well done, even if it's a first round exit.
- [48:43]
Marcus Thompson
You know, it's funny you say that because my favorite all time example of that also happened in Oklahoma City when Kevin Durant made his first return back. Oh, it was, that was one of the most. That was one of the most intense environments I've ever been in. Like to the point where it was very uncomfortable. Like, it was like.
- [49:01]
David Aldridge
That was like LeBron coming back to Cleveland.
- [49:03]
Marcus Thompson
It was. Yeah, if. If that's probably what it felt like.
- [49:06]
David Aldridge
The worst environment I've ever been.
- [49:07]
Marcus Thompson
It was unbelievable. It was unbelievable. Like, the hatred was palpable. And then, of course, obviously, it's the warriors, right?
- [49:13]
Jay Adande
They.
- [49:14]
Marcus Thompson
They blew them dudes out. It's like they were, you know, they were down by like thunders down by like 20 something, you know, they waved the white flag. They gave them a standing ovation, like down 20 something clapping. Yeah. Unbelievable. I never seen just.
- [49:32]
Jay Adande
Just for staying in Oklahoma City, right?
- [49:35]
Marcus Thompson
Just for fighting back. And, you know, like, they were so proud of the Thunder in like a 25 point loss. It was like. It was unbelievable. They just rushed, checked out and got a standing ovation. Went down 25. I've never seen anything like that. But.
- [49:49]
Jay Adande
But Marcus, was that appreciation for Russ or was it hating on kd? Were they channeling their hatred of KD through their applause?
- [49:57]
Marcus Thompson
But they. They did love Russ because he stayed right. Like Russell.
- [50:02]
David Aldridge
That's right.
- [50:02]
Marcus Thompson
And then, you know, Russ was taking all them subliminal shots. He's wearing a photography vest, whatever. He's doing all that little stuff, did the cupcake thing, and everybody in the crowd had cupcakes and all that. So they had a few words on the court, but, yeah, they were ready to fight for Russ that night.
- [50:17]
Jay Adande
Yeah. Did you really. Did you have, like, any fear? Because I remember I was at espn. It felt uncomfortable.
- [50:24]
Marcus Thompson
It felt.
- [50:24]
Jay Adande
Yeah, I was at ESPN and they asked me if I wanted to go to. To Cleveland for LeBron's return. I'm like, I'll be in a building with 20,000 angry people.
- [50:32]
Marcus Thompson
You know what it made me think about? It made me think about the cel Celtics back in the day. Like, I don't know if I would want to go, right? How Bill Russell was talking about him. I was like, I don't know. I bet a lot of arenas were like that, right?
- [50:48]
David Aldridge
Like, I will tell you this. I was at the Cleveland game. It was not good. It was not good. It was. It was as uncomfortable as I've ever been. You know, I just wouldn't want that. Like, I didn't hear anybody say anything. Like I heard in Boston Garden in 1989, Game 5 between the Knicks and the Celtics.
- [51:17]
Marcus Thompson
I felt that way in Oklahoma City for that game. Cleveland definitely takes you there. Cleveland get you there during that little run.
- [51:22]
David Aldridge
Yeah.
- [51:23]
Marcus Thompson
But I remember, remember warriors buried in them in Utah in 07. Like, that was like. Oh, that was. That was. I was like, yo, it's palpable. I mean, first off, just the. You know, it's just the angry look on everybody's face. And, you know, them crowds are very, like. You know, it's very. The. The hegemony in the crowd is very obvious.
- [51:54]
Jay Adande
You know, I was there with. With the Lakers for some series, and so obviously those teams had history. I mean, those. The Jazz and the warriors, they didn't really have beef, though, right? Like, nah.
- [52:03]
Marcus Thompson
I just. I think Stephen Jackson and Baron Davis were just, like, not drew it out. Yeah, they just, you know, Barons, Hollywood, Steven Jackson, you know, and keep in mind, this is also post Malice in the palace with Stephen Jackson.
- [52:16]
Jay Adande
Right.
- [52:16]
Marcus Thompson
So it was like the. The Venom, and then they upset Dallas. So they were the upstart team. Everybody was talking about them. It was just like, yo, that was like my first. Remember, Derek Fisher came. That's what. Derek Fisher's daughter had the situation. He had to come back late, so he was like the hero. But I just. That was one of my. No, that was. That was literally my first postseason playoff experience. Like the Dallas one before that, but the warriors hadn't been to the playoffs, so it was like sitting there, it was like. And you're in. You're basically amongst the fans, right? You're like, yo.
- [52:46]
Jay Adande
Yes.
- [52:47]
Marcus Thompson
Yeah.
- [52:48]
Jay Adande
Oh, because that was when you. You said, like. Like three rows up. That was when you used to have to go. If you had to go to the bathroom during the game and you had to walk on the court and walk around the huddle. Yes. Those seats were great. You were right in the mix. I used to love those seats in Salt Lake City.
- [53:04]
Marcus Thompson
Yes.
- [53:05]
David Aldridge
All right, Jake, let's get. I want to get you out of here on something slightly less toxic, but also about. About fans and players. And you recall back in the day when. In the Magic years, when the Lakers played Golden State in the playoffs and they literally. No. Run tmc. And they brought Run DMC out.
- [53:29]
Jay Adande
I remember that before the game. I remember the line. I'll quote you what Magic had to say afterwards. Tell the story.
- [53:38]
David Aldridge
Run DMC out to do the introductions. Wasn't that it?
- [53:42]
Jay Adande
Yeah, yeah. They had Jam Master J out there in the turntables and everything.
- [53:45]
David Aldridge
Right, Right.
- [53:46]
Jay Adande
But for.
- [53:47]
Marcus Thompson
For listeners, it was Run tm. Run TMC was Tim Hardway, Chris Muller, Mitch Richmond. That was their thing. Right? Like, that was their thing. That. That was the coin thing. Run TMC was what the Bay was about back then.
- [54:00]
David Aldridge
Right.
- [54:00]
Jay Adande
They brought the actual Run dmc.
- [54:04]
David Aldridge
Run tmc.
- [54:05]
Jay Adande
Right. And man, it was prolonged.
- [54:09]
Marcus Thompson
Yes.
- [54:10]
Jay Adande
And it was extensive. And you could just see the Lakers after their, like, okay, y'all want to, you know, have all this stuff and.
- [54:18]
David Aldridge
You sure you want to get on this train?
- [54:21]
Jay Adande
So, you know, the Lakers smacked him around. And I'll never forget Magic Johnson in an interview afterward, he says, you don't party on the Lakers. That was the word. You don't party on the Lakers. They want to have a party. Have run dfc. No, you don't party on the Lakers. Let that be a lesson to you. Just don't party on the Lakers.
- [54:44]
Marcus Thompson
You can't party on the Lakers, man. Come on. Why you can't party on la. Come on.
- [54:48]
Jay Adande
Don't party on the Lakers. No, they don't hang the business because they. About that serious business. They're not here to win a division. They're not here to celebrate conference championships game stuff. When it's time to play playoff basketball, you don't party on the Lakers. Love. That.
- [55:06]
Marcus Thompson
Was. It was a rare moment for. For the warriors to be in the spotlight. You know.
- [55:13]
Jay Adande
It'S funny, I was trying to think like the warriors prior. It is so different because, you know, I mean, you know, this is a dynasty. I don't think we're. And we can get into semantics, but there's been a dynasty, right? With. With Steph and Clay and Draymond. We haven't gotten into Draymond, but that's another podcast. I'm sure you guys have plenty of words, but. But, you know, prior to that, all the warriors stuff was one offs. You know, that one championship in the 70s. And then. Run TMC. Correct me if I'm wrong, Marcus. They won one playoff series, right?
- [55:47]
Marcus Thompson
One playoff series.
- [55:48]
Jay Adande
One playoff series.
- [55:49]
Marcus Thompson
And our deities.
- [55:50]
Jay Adande
Right? Yeah, it's still.
- [55:52]
Marcus Thompson
That's what I'm saying. Some people stand on score and the.
- [55:55]
Jay Adande
We Believe team, but the we believe. Well, one player on one playoff series. And beloved to this day. They got their own throwback jerseys, right? That they were. So it's. It's funny. But. But again, that's. That's different. They didn't hang a banner for Run tfc, even though all those guys are in the hall of Fame. So, like, their banners are Their. Their jerseys are all retired. Right? Because they're on the hall of Fame. So, like. But it's crazy that together they won one playoffs.
- [56:22]
Marcus Thompson
You would think based on their reverence, that they did more than that, right? Yeah, but no. They won one conference final, one playoffs. They won one Playoff series they did. And we believe like Matt Barnes and them, they won and. But it was that dire that that's all it took. You win one playoff series, you become legend in the bay. Because we, but unlike J. A stand on scores tables for our moments. That's what we do.
- [56:46]
Jay Adande
But those guys, they didn't stand on the scores table though, right? Steven Jackson scoring, did they? What did they do after they beat the Mavericks that year? Did anybody get on the table, somebody.
- [56:55]
Marcus Thompson
Take their shirt off, Cash. They just talked cash. That's it.
- [56:59]
Jay Adande
But you know what? That's, that's the whole thing. If it's organic, let the fans do it. So those teams are beloved. One playoff series, beloved conference semifinals making. That's the extent they're beloved. But you know, I'm here for that. I'm here for, I'm here for the reverence for those one series winning teams more than I'm here for the raising of a banner for winning a division or for winning the in season tournament.
- [57:28]
Marcus Thompson
Yes, I'll never forget, I'll never forget one last story I'll never forget. In Dallas, remember, I think it was like game two, Stephen Jackson and Baron Davis got ejected because they stole game one. And then they almost stole game two, they got ejected. And you know in Dallas as they walk through the tunnel, they got that glass window where it's like a bar or something down there. So yeah, so they're like, as the warriors are walking out, they're all like, jiren. And I'm trying to do like a walk off interview with Stephen Jackson. So they're all going crazy, they're banging on windows and he's talking to me. And then he stops at the window, he's like, hold on real quick. Puts his bag down, pulls out a wa. I mean the biggest wad of cash I've ever seen in my life. And just started dancing in front of the window like, and put it back. Picked up his bag and finished the interview. I was like these days winning that raise your time.
- [58:19]
Jay Adande
Quick shack story for you. Quick shack story. So Brian Shaw is in the locker room with the Lakers and he needed some. So Lakers, they gave everyone like two tickets and then the players had to buy any additional tickets after that. And so B. Shark goes over to Shaq and he's like, shaq, I need some money, you know, I gotta buy a couple more tickets. And Shaq smiles, pulls out a wide like cash, like as big as my wallet. He goes, you came to the right place, brother. You know what they call me? Big Money, man. I'll never forget. Like, he was, like, happy. You don't want to, like, throw money around. But, like, Shaq was happy that his boys. He says, I always got money for the creator of the Shaw Shack. Redemption. I'll never forget. It goes. You came to the right place, brother.
- [59:17]
Marcus Thompson
Oh, man, I want that kind of money where I'm happy. Somebody asking me for money.
- [59:21]
Jay Adande
They gave him an excuse to break out his way. Yeah, he had an excuse to pull out his water. It was just chilling there, like, you know, in his little locker, and he just reached in and grabbed it was smiling for all to see. That's.
- [59:33]
Marcus Thompson
That's shack money, baby. That's right.
- [59:36]
Jay Adande
The Diesel.
- [59:37]
David Aldridge
The league I love, Jay. The league I love.
- [59:39]
Jay Adande
I love those guys. I love this league. I love y'all. Thanks for having me. Come on to share these stories with you.
- [59:46]
David Aldridge
Oh, man. Fantastic. All right, y'all leave that five star review on Apple, Spotify, Google, Play, wherever you get this fine American podcast. Marcus, if they can't leave them five stars, what they need to do?
- [59:56]
Marcus Thompson
Keep it to yourself, you haters. We're gonna get Oakland to boo you. Boo you like Chris Cohan. They didn't even have a name for the arena. It was the arena in Oakland.
- [60:10]
Jay Adande
The Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Arena. They had a. They had five names for Marcus. They had plenty of names. They had no shortage of names. The Oakland Alberta county.
- [60:22]
David Aldridge
Just. They still booed him.
- [60:39]
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David Aldridge
ACAST powers the World's Best Podcasts here's.
- [62:02]
Marcus Thompson
The show that we recommend.
- [62:05]
David Aldridge
Hey guys, we have an exciting announcement about our podcast.
- [62:08]
Jay Adande
For the past seven years, the Holderness Family Podcast has been the most favorite thing we do.
- [62:13]
David Aldridge
We love getting to talk to experts. We love having meaningful conversations just the two of us. And we also love hearing from you.
- [62:19]
Jay Adande
But the thing we love most is being a place where you can laugh.
- [62:23]
Marcus Thompson
A lot has changed in the last.
- [62:24]
David Aldridge
Seven years and we feel very lucky that our audience is growing older with us.
- [62:28]
Jay Adande
So in the spirit of that, we are relaunching our podcast. We are excited to introduce Laugh Lines with Kim and Penn Holderness.
- [62:36]
David Aldridge
The Laugh Lines podcast will be all.
- [62:37]
Unknown Host
About aging together better and also being.
- [62:41]
David Aldridge
Able to laugh about getting older.
- [62:43]
Jay Adande
We hope you'll join us. Search Laugh Lines with Kim and Penn Holderness New episodes every Tuesday.
- [62:50]
David Aldridge
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- [62:56]
Jay Adande
Acast.