Hour 1: The Bada Bing Scene

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Hour 1: "The Bada Bing Scene"

Date: February 25, 2026
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami
Main Theme: This episode seamlessly blends nostalgic dives into 90s/2000s pop culture with deep, passionate NBA discussion, exploring what makes iconic movie moments and what’s fundamentally wrong (or just misunderstood) about the current Lakers roster featuring LeBron and Luka Doncic. The crew jumps from Quentin Tarantino, erotic thrillers, awkward family movie moments, to why the Lakers just don’t work and the different types of guys that ruin your pickup basketball game.

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Episode Overview

A classic “Local Hour” blend: The crew swaps stories about awkward movie-watching experiences, the lost art of the erotic thriller, and pop culture favorites—before launching deep into NBA talk about the Lakers’ woes, the “Big Three” myth, and Luka Doncic’s fit in Hollywood. Along the way, they trade jabs, dish out movie recommendations, and debate who’s the worst guy in a pickup basketball game.

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1. Movie Nostalgia: “Inglourious Basterds,” “Basic Instinct,” and Bada Bing Scenes

00:08–07:29

Key Points:

• Tony Reali’s Movie Bonding: Tony talks about showing his sick son “Inglourious Basterds” for the first time, and how much he wanted his son to love it as much as he does.
  Quote: “It’s a great movie.” – Tony (01:48)

• Tarantino’s Greatest Scene?

  • Dave Zirin gushes over the tavern/cellar scene, calling it “the best scene of this millennium.” (01:51)
  • Zaslow argues the French farmhouse introduction of Hans Landa is even better, recounting the tense “milk” sequence. Dan jumps in with references.

  Quote: “What a movie.” – Chris Ryan (01:46)
  Quote: “Best scene of this millennium.” – Dave Zirin (01:51)

• Casting Christoph Waltz:

  • The crew discusses Tarantino’s struggle to find someone fluent in four languages, only for Waltz’s discovery to change his life (05:21–05:38).

• Basic Instinct & 90s Erotic Thrillers:

  • The group reminisces about the cultural infamy of the “Basic Instinct” scene and asks if it has ever been rivaled.
    Quote: “Has there ever been anyone... who has rivaled [Sharon Stone]?” – Dave Zirin (06:10)

  • They lament how the erotic thriller is largely extinct, referencing “Hand That Rocks the Cradle,” “Fatal Attraction,” “Wild Things,” and more (06:53–07:21).
    “Is the erotic thriller dead? We don’t get them anymore. The 90s was a big decade for erotic thrillers.” – Zaslow (06:53)

• Awkward Parent-Child Movie Moments:

  • Grant shares stories about watching "Sopranos" Bada Bing scenes with his dad; Tony recalls his own discomfort during "Silence of the Lambs" with his parents (09:59–10:57).

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2. The DNZ Breakdown: Why the Modern Lakers Just Don’t Work

14:43–26:14

Last Night’s Lakers Meltdown

• Game Recap:
  • The Lakers lose to the Orlando Magic, in typically “Laker” heartbreaking and clumsy fashion.
  • Luka Doncic takes criticism for not shooting a wide-open three in the closing seconds, passing a “grenade” to LeBron. They play back commentary and Luka’s own awkward postgame explanation (16:12–17:48).

Deep Dive: Lakers’ Flawed Roster and NBA Team Building

• Margin of Defeat Stats:

  • The Lakers, when losing, get blown out more often than nearly any team except the tanking Wizards (18:09).

• The “Big Three” Fallacy:

  • Dave Zirin opines that 10 years ago, the “Big Three” model worked — now, it doesn’t matter unless your three players fit together.
    Quote: “It always mattered that the big three were complimentary. That’s the part people miss.” – Zaslow (21:15)

  • The Lakers’ “three”—LeBron, Luka, Austin Reaves—lack defense, rebounding, and true role differentiation (21:59–22:36).

  • Quote: “None of [them] can defend…none of them rebound.” – Dave Zirin (22:00)

  • They swap examples of classic supporting role acceptance, e.g., Rick Fox, and why modern stars like Westbrook or even Tatum can’t just change their stripes mid-career (22:36–24:34).

• Why Team Construction Is Hard:

  • Even expert GMs are limited by cap space, picks, and workable roster pieces. Zaslow argues the Lakers’ faults were always obvious, but expectations remain irrationally high (35:09).

  Quote: “Building a championship roster is a lot harder than just getting a great player.” – Zaslow (35:29)

• Lakers Fans vs. Reality:

  • Lakers fans live in a fantasy of star acquisition ("we got Luka, so we're set!") but don't realize roster flaws until too late.
    Quote: “The honeymoon’s over…it was never in play [that they'd win the title].” – Dave Zirin (34:28)

  • Management “did the best with what was available” but couldn’t overcome deep flaws (35:45).

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3. Luka’s Reputation: Welcome to LA, Enjoy the Scrutiny

32:04–39:26

• Local TV Broadcasters Are Fed Up:

  • The Lakers’ own broadcasters, exasperated, complain about Luka whining to refs and failing to get back on defense.
    Quote: “Luka, little one hand again, he’s complaining—gotta get back on defense, it’s five on four…” - Lakers broadcast (32:52)

• Luka’s Old Habits Now Under the LA Microscope:

  • Zaslow: When you only see someone four times a year, you don’t notice their quirks. Now, Lakers fans notice Luka’s constant ref complaints every single game, and it's wearing thin fast (37:13).

  Quote: “He really is complaining to refs a lot…and after the 10th time, you’re like—he hasn’t got back on defense in a month.” – Chris Ryan (38:29)

• Zach Lowe Joins the Outrage:

  • National NBA scribe Zach Lowe is played: “It’s every single possession now. It’s just unwatchable.” (39:26)

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4. Pick-Up Basketball: The Very Worst Guys On The Court

39:32–44:26

• The crew riffs on the types of players that ruin a pickup basketball run:
  • The guy who always calls phantom fouls or stands around in protest (40:06).
  • The “basketball martyr” who refuses to call obvious fouls on himself (41:09).
  • Tunnel vision guy, "my bad" guy, hard foul ("prison rules") guy, professor wannabe, the old guy with socks high – they all come up for gentle roasting.
  • Chris Ryan proposes challenge-and-replay, which the group immediately agrees would make every game last 17+ hours (42:35).
  • Quote: “If it were left to Luca to decide if he’d been violated, each game would take seven days to play.” – Dave Zirin (43:00)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

On Tarantino:

• “Best scene of this millennium. The tavern scene. The cellar scene. That 20 minutes.” – Dave Zirin (01:51)
• “You guys have any milk? The milk here is the best…he walks it down.” – Zaslow (02:35)

On the Lakers/Luka:

• “The honeymoon’s over…it was never in play [that they’d win the title].” – Dave Zirin (34:28)
• “Building a championship caliber roster is a lot harder than just getting a great player.” – Zaslow (35:29)
• “He really is complaining to refs a lot…and after the 10th time, you’re like—he hasn’t got back on defense in a month.” – Chris Ryan (38:29)
• “It’s every single possession now. It’s completely out of control…just unwatchable.” – Zach Lowe (39:26)

On Pickup Basketball:

• “We’re talking about the guy who, ball’s still in the air, yelling ‘foul!’” – Dave Zirin (40:33)
• “One of the worst guys is the ‘my bad’ guy. Because the my bad guy never my bads on something ambiguous…” – Dave Zirin (46:09)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:08–07:29: Movie nostalgia, Tarantino, Basic Instinct, awkward family movie moments
• 14:43–26:14: NBA talk, Lakers close loss breakdown, big three debate
• 32:04–39:26: Luka's complaints, local/national media critique, Lakers' TV frustration
• 39:32–44:26: Pickup basketball “worst guy” discussion

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Episode Tone

• Language & Vibe: Classic Le Batard: jubilant, irreverent, packed with playful ribbing and pop culture references. There’s a blend of mock seriousness (on basketball analysis) and affectionate teasing.

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Summary

This episode delivers a trademark blend of sports analysis and nostalgic, often hilarious, pop culture debate. The crew’s deep knowledge of both basketball and movies—plus their willingness to roast themselves and each other—makes for an engaging, multi-layered hour. Whether you love Tarantino, awkward HBO moments with family, or breaking down why the Lakers just aren't it, Hour 1: "The Bada Bing Scene" is a quintessential Le Batard listen: insightful, funny, and a little bit wild.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

This is the Dan Levator show with the Stugats podcast.

[Tony Reali]

Good time for me to mention as well, my friend Trista Crick is going to be On Zaslow Show 2.0 today. All right. If anybody wants to give that a whirl. All right, you can hear us talk a little bit NBA.

[Chris Ryan]

What'd she say?

[Tony Reali]

Find out. I'm going to let you get away with it because it was part of, like, promotion. Promotion. You know, it was a part of promotion. All right. So you know, you're okay. I'll allow it.

[Dave Zirin]

Quick shout out, by the way to Tashay. Did anybody else observe that he's going Michael Douglas in Basic Instinct. There a sweater. A V neck sweater with no T shirt underneath.

[Eric]

Yeah, brother.

[Zaslow]

Bold.

[Dan Le Batard]

Bold.

[Eric]

Come on, man. Style.

[Tony Reali]

What a movie, by the way. Okay, Jeremy, you've definitely never seen Basic Instinct, right?

[Eric]

I have not.

[Grant]

Wow.

[Eric]

But I will.

[Dave Zirin]

What a movie.

[Tony Reali]

Yeah.

[Dave Zirin]

Hey, Football America, as long as we're talking about Le Batard universe related shows Football America is doing, because this is one of the worst sports weeks going, we're gonna have Amin and Zaz. It's our movie show in advance of the Oscars.

[Tony Reali]

I'm looking forward to.

[Dave Zirin]

We're do a Tarantino character draft and beyond.

[Tony Reali]

Yesterday I got home, my older son stayed home from school yesterday because he wasn't feeling well. He caught whatever I had and I was like, hey, you want to watch a movie? And he goes, yeah, sure. And so for the first time, I showed him Inglourious bastards instinct. Right?

[Chris Ryan]

What a movie.

[Tony Reali]

What a movie. That was. We. And it's one of those deals. Quentin Tarantino is my favorite. And so it's one of those deals where I really need him to like it. I want him to like it, you know? And of course, he did like it because it's a great.

[Chris Ryan]

It's a sick movie. Like, the movie's great.

[Tony Reali]

It's a great movie.

[Eric]

A good sick movie.

[Dave Zirin]

Best scene of this millennium. This is a. This is a bold take to say about any scene. It's the best SC in any movie this century. The tavern scene, the cellar scene. That 20 minutes.

[Tony Reali]

The Mexican standoff.

[Dave Zirin]

Yeah. Yes. As Tony points out. Yes. When the guy, the spy, big laser. The British spy holds up the wrong version of three and is caught by the Nazi.

[Zaslow]

That's a great scene.

[Tony Reali]

Yes. I'm wondering if it's the best scene of that movie.

[Zaslow]

Yeah. Cause I'm thinking about the first scene where we see Christoph Waltz and comes in and he does the whole thing in French and he's like, hey, is it easy? It's just easier for me to do it in English. Like, I just love the exposition.

[Chris Ryan]

You're hiding them under the floorboards, are you not?

[Zaslow]

But, like, that whole. You guys have any milk? Oh, the milk here is the best. And I've heard. Oh, my God, he, like, walks it down. So I remember being in that scene or watching that scene and being so entranced, like, oh, my God, what's happening? Like, he doesn't know. Oh, he does know. He does know. He's doing it to him on purpose. And then how he says, now, I'm just gonna walk out of here, and we're just gonna pretend everything's okay. I'm gonna switch back the French Ah habian to. And then, like, they. It was. And then Shoshana runs away to avoid Shoshana. Like that scene right there.

[Dave Zirin]

To me, it's a great scene. By the way, that French dairy farmer looks exactly like PGA or. I don't know, Liv golfer Jon Rahm. Identical. It's weird. It's a. It. It is a dynamite scene. But I'm going to stick with the tavern scene. I also just was caught by Zaz. I think this is a compliment to you. You just tried to do the Christoph Waltz, and you did a horrible job at it, which means you can't portray a Nazi. That's great.

[Tony Reali]

That is a compliment.

[Dave Zirin]

Reflects well on you.

[Tony Reali]

That is a compliment.

[Grant]

Do it again.

[Dave Zirin]

Give it one more line. Read.

[Tony Reali]

All right, Give me a second. Against a character.

[Grant]

Be better at being a Nazi.

[Zaslow]

Au revoir. Now

[Tony Reali]

a better Nazi.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah.

[Tony Reali]

Question about that movie. All right. And my. And my son asked me while we were watching it, when. When Hans Landa, Chris, Christoph Waltz's character, Shoshana, has the meeting with Goebbels. And then Hans Landa shows.

[Chris Ryan]

That's a great scene, too.

[Tony Reali]

And they have the strudel together. Wait for the creme. And my son turns me and he says, does he know. Does he know it's her? And it's pretty ambiguous. Does he know it's her?

[Dave Zirin]

As long as you understand that she. Shoshana, sitting in that chair, would be afraid that he might know. That's what you're supposed to experience through her eyes. Oh, my God. This is the guy who killed my whole family. And I think he knows.

[Chris Ryan]

He's a great detective, and he orders them.

[Dave Zirin]

Right. He seems to know everything. I think she doesn't. I think he. He doesn't. But the. Even though he wants to know, he is milk. The movie has mythologized his abilities so well up to that point that you understand from Shoshana's point of view that she has to be paranoid. He knows. He knows.

[Zaslow]

Dave's absolutely right. It's. It's more about the. The. Hey, if you're Shoshana, you absolutely think, oh, he knows. But he loves milk, man. Like, that wasn't like a bit that he was doing. He actually really likes French milk. So shout out to him.

[Tony Reali]

Compliments to your daughters. And the cow.

[Zaslow]

Yes.

[Tony Reali]

It's such a good movie, you know,

[Zaslow]

but you ever heard about how they cast him because they were like.

[Tony Reali]

Because Tarantino, he was like a nobody before that, right?

[Zaslow]

Yeah, Tarantino wrote the character and he was like, where are we going to find a dude who speaks German, French and English, like, fluently, also Italian and also a good actor? Like, they were like, this. This guy doesn't exist. And then they found him and it changed his life.

[Dave Zirin]

Couldn't have been Zaslow, as we just found out three minutes ago, off the German side.

[Zaslow]

Could have been one of the Americans, Dominic De Coco.

[Dave Zirin]

You get.

[Zaslow]

Yeah.

[Tony Reali]

Golami. Golami. When you're 12 years old. Basic Instinct's a great movie, Dave.

[Dave Zirin]

Yeah, I think that's a sweet spot.

[Tony Reali]

I wouldn't like. That wasn't a. I wouldn't want to watch it with basic instinct at 12 years old for the.

[Dave Zirin]

But not with your dad.

[Tony Reali]

No, no, not with my dad. It was with my friend. We were left home alone. They have basic insert, like, all right, it's. It's Basic Instinct viewing time. And we watch Basic Instinct, the two

[Dave Zirin]

of us, and you went wild. Has there ever been anyone, now 12 year olds as saw Sharon Stone? Has there ever been someone who has rivaled her?

[Tony Reali]

Like that scene, that excitement, because everybody knew that that scene was coming. There has to be. If I think about it, there has to be something similar to that. Right.

[Grant]

This reminds me, while you think of it, of me and my dad. The first time I remember as a kid watching something where he was uncomfortable. It was Sunday nights, Sopranos, back in the day of like when I was like in high school, us watching that live on Sunday night. And he did not like the scenes when there was nudity. He didn't like the Bada Bing scenes with me.

[Dave Zirin]

Oh, it's just. See, it's funny. I would assume it's the other way. I would assume it was you uncomfortable.

[Grant]

I loved it.

[Zaslow]

Is the erotic thriller dead? I feel like we don't get any more erotic thrillers. Like the 90s is a big decade for erotic thrill. Well, not Skinimax. Cinemax is a step too far. Erotic thrillers are like Basic Instinct. The Hand that Rocks the Cradle. Like all those. Like, what's the one where Fatal Attraction. I will not be ignored. Yes, there you go.

[Chris Ryan]

Horny noirs.

[Grant]

What's the one with the pool scene?

[Dave Zirin]

Come on.

[Grant]

You all know what I'm talking about. Yeah.

[Dave Zirin]

Presumed Innocent.

[Grant]

Wild Thing. See, Roy knew.

[Dan Le Batard]

Exactly.

[Dave Zirin]

Presumed Innocent.

[Zaslow]

Innocent. These were all movies that were like, yeah, we're gonna have a lot of sexually charged scenes. And also someone's gonna die.

[Dave Zirin]

I'm glad. I think we're better off without them. I think Red Shoe D. Like, why do we need the element of the backstory of, like, that there's some detective mystique to lead us into softcore pornography.

[Zaslow]

Here's the thing. I don't like gratuitous sex scenes in movies that don't require just to let us know that there's a romantic connection. But I do miss a movie where the premise is there's a sexual connection and then there's a murder that happens.

[Tony Reali]

Well, but it was.

[Dave Zirin]

But even worse, though, can I. It was a weird element that used to be included in comedies in the 80s and 90s like Caddyshack. Why. Why do their sex scenes. Their bosoms.

[Zaslow]

We need.

[Dave Zirin]

Do we need those bare breasts?

[Zaslow]

We needed Giant pose.

[Grant]

And it gets the numbies up.

[Chris Ryan]

Gotta have.

[Zaslow]

It got.

[Dave Zirin]

Had to have Jamie Lee Curtis in Trading Place. We needed the bare bosoms.

[Chris Ryan]

Airplane.

[Zaslow]

The airplane. I mean, that was actually funny. They actually did it to. Great comedic event. Right? Like the.

[Dave Zirin]

You need Caddyshack. Needed the lovemaking scenes, by the way. That's an interesting subject. Greg Cody, I bring to you our movie guy. Has anybody. Has anybody in real life in the last 50 years referred to sex as making love? Or is that. Was that just propped up by movies and TV of the day? Remember? I find it jarring now when you watch a movie and they talk about, let's make love.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. I don't think people say that in real life.

[Dave Zirin]

I don't think anyone has ever said.

[Zaslow]

You've never said that.

[Chris Ryan]

If I were having a conversation in that vicinity with my parents and I was in my 20s, I might have said make love because I didn't want to say anything more vulgar.

[Dave Zirin]

I don't think a guy has ever.

[Tony Reali]

In the twenties or. You were in your twenties when I

[Chris Ryan]

was in my twenties.

[Grant]

I say it often.

[Host for Miller Lite ad]

Yes.

[Grant]

That's how I broached the subject with my wife. Would you like to make love?

[Dave Zirin]

That's not true. That is actually that.

[Tony Reali]

Really?

[Grant]

I have that.

[Dave Zirin]

Your language.

[Grant]

I mean, I got a lot of moves. Damshek.

[Zaslow]

He's a romantic.

[Grant]

I got a lot of moves. But one of them is bag.

[Zaslow]

He's got a. I throw.

[Grant]

I throw through the head. Not. Hey, you want to make some love?

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Grant]

It always comes with a head nod.

[Dave Zirin]

I'm uncomfortable for you with your old man sitting here.

[Zaslow]

I like to approach politely with a tap on the shoulders. Excuse me. If it's not too much of a bother. Do you mind? Can we. Can we.

[Grant]

It's love making time.

[Zaslow]

Can we. Might we make some love in the other room? Shall we adjourn?

[Tony Reali]

So your father was the one who was uncomfortable with the Sopranos.

[Grant]

He would like, walk out sometimes.

[Tony Reali]

Have you ever been uncomfortable watching something with your father? Not offhand, because I remember. For me, I remember it very well. I watched. I was probably 14 maybe, and we were watching. I was watching with my parents for the first time, the Silence of the Lambs, which of course is a great movie. But then I'm 14 years old and Buffalo Bill takes off the robe and shows everyone his mangina. And I like, I didn't even know what to do with myself. And I was so embarrassed sitting there next to my parents.

[Dave Zirin]

Couldn't eat any ham. That's for sure. That wasn't an option.

[Zaslow]

Is that the movie where it's like I do me? Yeah, that's it.

[Tony Reali]

It puts the lotion in the basket. Oh, that water gets the hose.

[Zaslow]

And everyone's done that right? At one point or not.

[Chris Ryan]

So the 14 year old zazzle looks around and is like, guys, my bad.

[Tony Reali]

I was. I was. That was very upsetting for me.

[Zaslow]

I wish more movies had women's boobs in them. Oh, misogynist Bane, you're back

[Dan Le Batard]

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[Zaslow]

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[Host for Miller Lite ad]

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[Dan Le Batard]

We often ask you to support those who support us.

[Host for Miller Lite ad]

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[Chris Ryan]

I put out a bucket filled with

[Host for Miller Lite ad]

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[Tony Reali]

Don LeBatard.

[Chris Ryan]

It's all about me.

[Zaslow]

Stugats.

[Tony Reali]

This is the Don LeBatar show with the Stugats. So last night in the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers lost at home to the Orlando match. This Laker team's not any good. You know, like, they. They're. Maybe they could beat a Houston team in the first round. No, probably not. No. But I feel. The reason I say is because I feel like that's the only team that they could potentially be matched up with or it's like maybe they could beat. This Laker team is first round and done. The roster is not good. And last night, you know, you get. You get like the perfect fodder for all the TV shows, right? Where. I mean, you saw the end of this game against. It was a wild finish, right?

[Zaslow]

Absolutely wild finish. There was. I mean, I don't know how far back you want to go. Do you just want to go that long?

[Tony Reali]

It was like three possessions back and

[Zaslow]

forth, back and forth, back and forth, right? You get a big shot by the Lakers. Over here, you get Desmond Bain hits a three. Because the Lakers defense collapsed on Palo Banchero. No one's playing backside over there. LeBron tries to close out, and that's when he really looks 40 years old, when he has to close out. So Bane hits that three. Lakers come back. Great, great under out of bounds play to score right at the rim.

[Tony Reali]

A dunk by LeBron.

[Zaslow]

Yes, a dunk by LeBron. Magic comeback and you get Paolo.

[Grant]

Magic played. Oh, the team. Okay, sorry.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, the team.

[Zaslow]

Paolo is one on one against DeAndre Ayton. He puts up the shot, misses. But because Ayton is Pulled out. No one's there to rebound. So the, the Orlando Magic grabbed the offensive rebound, laid up, and then the Lakers call timeout and they got.

[Tony Reali]

And here's the moment.

[Zaslow]

Good time. There's like, it's not like a 0.5 seconds. You got multiple, multiple seconds. They call the play, they get it to Luka. Luka takes one dribble and picks up his dribble. For what reason? I don't know.

[Tony Reali]

Well, by the way, when he caught the pass, I mean, he was a good 8ft behind the 3 point line, but wide open. And it's a shot that he takes all the time.

[Zaslow]

Yes, but they had a lot of. They had time for a screen to come up, get the screen set. The guys obviously trap him off the screen. The defenders, he picks up the dribble. I'm like, why would you keep your dribble alive? LeBron is kind of like, weird angle. Try to carve out a passing lane to him. But after he gets the pass, well,

[Tony Reali]

Luka throws him a grenade.

[Zaslow]

Yeah, because he picked up his dribble. He has nothing. He's dead in the water. LeBron's his only outlet. He passes it to LeBron, but LeBron's got his back to the basket from the three point line. So he's got to take this fade away 3. And of course it misses because that's not a good shot. But it all goes back to why did Luka pick up the dribble?

[Tony Reali]

Right?

[Zaslow]

Like, why didn't you either aggressively attack him?

[Grant]

He did get doubled.

[Tony Reali]

Only after he passed up the wide open shot. And so let's, let's hear it from Luka. All right, so here's Luka Doncic after the game on why he didn't take the shot.

[Zaslow]

I know I was open, but I just thought I was a little bit far. Try to take one dribble closer. And probably should have picked up the ball, just trying to attack.

[Tony Reali]

Kind of weird, though, that he's saying he thought he was too far. He takes that shot all the time.

[Zaslow]

I mean, I don't, I don't blame him. Like, it, it did look far. But my thing is, once, you know, I'm putting it on the floor and a screen is coming, you know what the defense is going to do. We talked about this yesterday as a video coordinator, we break down in the games, what do these guys like to do? And they would know that the Magic like to double a good player when he's coming off a screen because they don't want to deal with this did you switch, do I switch or any of that. They just going to say hey, do

[Tony Reali]

players actually know that in the moment?

[Zaslow]

Yes, because A we'll have talked about it in the film session before the game, B will have talked about it on the bench right before we go out there, hey, this is going to happen if this happens etc. Etc. And then we talk about great players like luka Doncic or LeBron James. Those guys know just from muscle memory of how many times they played against different coaches, different teams. They just know, oh they like to do this. So I know when this happens I'm going to already have my plan B and my plan C ready. But the bigger question for me is that was a rare close loss for the Lakers. A rare close loss for the Lakers. Typically when they lose they get blown. The ever living F out. To what degree you might ask. I looked up the teams research in losses. The team with the biggest margin of loss is the Washington Wizards. We would expect that one of the

[Tony Reali]

worst teams, they're bad team Dave.

[Zaslow]

Almost 19 points per 100 possessions in their losses. Minus right. Number two, the Lakers, which is unheard of for a team.

[Tony Reali]

So when they lose they get killed.

[Zaslow]

They get killed.

[Chris Ryan]

It's like they stop playing though, right?

[Zaslow]

Yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

In those losses they're just like eh, whatever.

[Dave Zirin]

That checks out. I'm with Tony. Yeah, they, they understand that they're you know, load managing in real time. Yeah, this one's done. Sit them down for the rest of the game.

[Zaslow]

Here's the curiosity when you look at the other teams. Number three, the Brooklyn Nets. Horrible team. Number four, the Sacramento Kings. The worst team in the league. Number five, the Utah Jazz.

[Tony Reali]

Yeah. Why aren't there other good teams who are waving the white flag?

[Zaslow]

The next good team, and this is a stretch is Milwaukee at six. Then you go seven is Chicago bad. Eight is Portland not good. Nine is Phoenix. They play hard but decent team, you know they're decent. Toronto would be the next.

[Tony Reali]

They're a good team, good team.

[Zaslow]

So why is that they get blown out? I think it's because they're not athletic. So once not a good roster, once it starts to go downhill, snowballs.

[Dan Le Batard]

Right.

[Zaslow]

And then the counterpoint of that is like not athletic. But surely they got great three point shooters. No, they're not good at that either. When you're not great at three point shooting and you're not athletic, things can get out of out of hand really quickly.

[Dave Zirin]

As a relative casual, I, I disagree with what Zaz has said. Now a couple of Times, which is that it's not a good roster. I'm applying probably an outmoded standard. Ten years ago though, the minimum standard to be a contender was most seasons that you had a big three. They have a big three. So what?

[Tony Reali]

It's not like that anymore.

[Dave Zirin]

I got it, but it doesn't really add up. Who's got what NBA teams out there would their trio of best players would you prefer to have over what the Lakers have?

[Tony Reali]

I mean, let me just say real quick, and then you could tell me if I'm right. It's more the league has gone in a direction over the last few years. It's really about having two really good players. And having a deep roster is much better than having three great players.

[Zaslow]

Well, I think there's also a kind of a misnomer there in the idea, like, oh, all you need is three great players and it doesn't matter who they are.

[Dave Zirin]

Used to it, you could, you could cover all the other war till you had the big three.

[Zaslow]

It always mattered that the big three were complimentary. That's the part people just give me three, give me any three. Like, no, it doesn't work that way. It's not just blindly give me three. They have to fit in some way. So if you tell me big threes of you of your, I'll be like, yeah, he does this, he does this and he does this. Versus for the Lakers, you got three guys. What if we're going to call Austin reaves a big three, by the way, 2.5, that's a big leap. But I'm going to, for the purpose of the exercise, say, yes, he is. What do they all do? Oh, they're really good at playmaking and shot making.

[Tony Reali]

And none of the three play defense.

[Dave Zirin]

None of them can defend their position.

[Zaslow]

None of them rebound. So it's like, why are we calling? Why are we saying, well, this will just erase everything? Basketball is a very simple sport that people like to overcomplicate. You have to have. Doesn't matter who does it. There have to be certain things that are taken care of. We need someone who take care of rebounding or people to take care of rebounding. We need people to create plays, we need people to terminate plays. So these are finishers, whether at the rim or whatever. We need people who are incredible shooters just not even to actually shoot it, just to keep the defense honest. And so. And we need individuals if you can

[Dave Zirin]

convince people to play two dimensional or one dimensional ball. I always think about Rick Fox as the personification of that he wouldn't have been a rotational guy on bad teams, or maybe borderline, he wouldn't have been a starter.

[Zaslow]

He was a really good player in Boston. That was a bad team. When he came to the Lakers, he actually took the step down.

[Dave Zirin]

That's what I'm saying. When you're willing to accept that I am going to be in the starting five, I'm just not going to be looked at as a score at any point of any game. If you're willing to accept that, that's what it seems like. That's the secret sauce.

[Zaslow]

But it's a combination of willingness and ability. Some people are willing, they're just not able. So I remember the when Russell Westbrook got to the Lakers and they said, well, Russ is going to come off the bench and I had no doubt that he was sincere in his desire. But it's like if you played basketball a certain way for 15 years on the professional level at that time and two more years before that at the collegiate level, and then all of a sudden today we're like, and now you're going to do it completely differently. Like, that's not easy. That's not an easy transition unless you're dealing with something. That's why I go back to Tatum. I think it is going to be easy because he's got a built in excuse that forces him. If he was just like, all right, I'm 100% healthy, what are we doing here? Maybe. But as a guy who's kind of compromised a little bit, it's like, yeah, I do need to take it slow. But when you look at the Lakers, I'm with Zaz. It is a flawed roster because, you know, we talk about the one thing you can't do is be in between in terms of being bad or good or whatever. My thing is, you can't be in between like either. We're super athletic, we can't shoot, but we're going to run up and down the court, we're going to lock everybody down. Like Detroit is a great example of that. Or we're kind of slow and unathletic. But man, we are going to kill you basketball wise, with our shooting, with our iq and like, the Lakers are neither. They got like some smart, good shooting players with high iq. They've got some guys, but they don't have the overall athleticism to make up for the shortcomings nor the shooting to make up for them.

[Tony Reali]

So before we wrap up that part of the game, I do want to hear from LeBron after the game where. Yeah, Luka gave up the shot. He made a mistake picking up his dribble. Like I said, LeBron was kind of handed a grenade there. Had to shoot it because he caught the ball with, like, two. Two seconds left. Here's LeBron after the game.

[Zaslow]

I'm not sure. I mean, obviously you have to ask Luka what he saw on that, but I thought he had a good look, and it looked like he kind of just lost his balance, you know, didn't have a rhythm with the ball, whatever the case may be, and. And it kind of allowed him to get back in front of him. You know, I was kind of off balance when he gave it to me. I thought he. You know, I thought he had a great look, but that's what I look. That's my pov.

[Chris Ryan]

Pov.

[Tony Reali]

I like pov, too. Different kind of POV than he's talking about.

[Zaslow]

I like a little search term.

[Tony Reali]

Hey, you know what I'm talking about.

[Grant]

He's got it in the lingo, though, Gonzo.

[Tony Reali]

I do wonder how. So Luka's the man in Dallas for all of these years. He could do no wrong. He's their guy. They drafted him. He has spent his entire career there. He's their franchise player. Being in LA now is a little bit of different story. Okay? Number one, it's the Lakers, all right? It's one of the most prestigious franchises in all professional sports, and he's not their guy. Like, they traded for him. They traded for him with expectation, major expectation, as opposed to someone who we draft and you're homegrown, we love you forever, no matter what. Like, that's not the case. I do wonder how that could possibly affect Luca's mindset, because he's never had to deal with that before. Like I said in Dallas, no matter what, you are the guy. We love you no matter what. The Laker fan doesn't love LeBron no matter what.

[Zaslow]

Right.

[Tony Reali]

He's not their guy. Like, it is.

[Dave Zirin]

I will say that is to push back a little bit as somebody who's there. And, you know, the. The transient nature of the population in Los Angeles is reflected in the Lakers.

[Dan Le Batard]

That.

[Dave Zirin]

That's their whole MO. Kareem came from somewhere else. Shaq came from somewhere else. Will change,

[Chris Ryan]

right?

[Dave Zirin]

Right. Yeah, absolutely. But their. Their model of for success is bringing.

[Tony Reali]

No, you got to win. And like I'm saying, even. Even in Dallas, like, Luke Cook could have went his whole career never winning a championship. Beloved no matter what in Dallas, if Luka spends the rest of his Career in LA and they don't win. He's not going to be a beloved Laker.

[Dave Zirin]

Oh, of course not. Yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

He's a mercenary at that point that he just got lucky, Right. Like, look at, look how long it took Dirk to get a championship, right? He was, how old was Dirk?

[Tony Reali]

But he'd have been beloved no matter what.

[Chris Ryan]

32.

[Zaslow]

Yeah, he was. So it was 2011 and he got drafted in 1998. He was like 18 years old at that time. So, yeah, 14 years. Yeah, 32, 33.

[Chris Ryan]

Wherever it was like that could have been Lucas trajectory. And Dallas would have been okay with that, knowing at some point maybe the Cooper flag thing happens if they don't trade Luka, right? Like all of a sudden Luka's there, they get lucky enough to get the number one pick. Now it's Cooper and Luka and all of a sudden you have this revolutionary thing at the position or at the team for Dallas. But it's like, now what is he going to do?

[Tony Reali]

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[Grant]

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[Chris Ryan]

Lebatar Baker Mayfield tearing up Tampa Bay 38 for 45 sts Stratum this is

[Tony Reali]

the D Ler show with the stuff. So I do wonder if the conversation in LA is going to begin to take a little bit of a different turn. And Grant, look, he's been there for a minute, all right? He was there for half of last season. And we're, you know, halfway into this season. And I do wonder if the conversation in LA is going to shift a little bit because. Give this a listen. This is from the Laker television broadcast last night. All right? This is the home broadcast. This is the Lakers broadcast here, give this a listen. This is one of those plays where Luka doesn't score, doesn't get a foul. He's on the floor arguing with referees. Here it is.

[Zaslow]

Luka little one hand again, he's complaining. Gotta get back on defense. It's five on four underneath, they're gonna put it up and in. And one and the foul.

[Tony Reali]

That is a home broadcast. Tired of watching, exasperated.

[Grant]

It's happening again.

[Zaslow]

This is five on four. This is me talking to my kids. You better get that thing. If you don't clean up, you're not going to be able to have any dessert. And then I'm going to eat it all myself. And then you're going to be upset because I'm going to. That's how you. You do that to, like a kid. To let them know the consequences are coming.

[Tony Reali]

Can we. Can we play the previous clip again? Like, now that we all know what to listen for, like, you're going to hear the exasperation in their voices. This is the Lakers television call. It's not the other team, it's the Lakers television call.

[Zaslow]

Luka little one hand again, he's complaining. Got to get back on defense. It's five on four underneath, they're going to put it up and. And one. And the foul.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, that was a tone of voice that said this defense has been bad. We've seen this before. We've seen this play before. We've lost like this before. Crazy.

[Dave Zirin]

Don't we want to wish our way? I mean, basically, what we're talking about here, this has all been an exercise to try and ignore reality, which is your big three or however you want to couch it. Luka, your star, your primary, and your 1A is LeBron. Again, they can't defend their positions. LeBron used to obscure that with the Cavs, even before the Heat days. He would not just defend his position. He could defend pretty much any of the five spots on the floor. He also would rebound his position at a wild rate compared to his peer group. None of those three Guys are doing anything on one side of the floor. That's what damns them forever. Right?

[Zaslow]

Gotta get back on defense.

[Host for Miller Lite ad]

Fence.

[Zaslow]

All right, you can clean your room. I'm. I'm going to McDonald's. I'm walking to the door. Underneath. I'm opening the car door.

[Dave Zirin]

I'm so zaz. That's right. Right. Like, I mean, isn't that the. Isn't it accurate, then? Like this? This was a foolish proposition to begin with.

[Zaslow]

What was the foolish proposition?

[Dave Zirin]

Yes, you get Luca. If Luca is available to you, you absolutely take that train every time. A million. But the. But now him and LeBron and Austin Reeves. I mean, look, the idea that honeymoon's

[Tony Reali]

over is what it is.

[Dave Zirin]

Would win the title. Was never in play.

[Zaslow]

It was never in play. Unless you live in the greater Los Angeles area, in which case, oh, my God, we got a great player. Everything's gonna happen to us. Everyone gives us everything, because that's been the experience of Laker fans for their entire life. But the reality is, it was the moment when they brought in Deandre Ayton, all of us in basketball, like, good luck with that. And all the Laker fans were like, we got a former number one overall pick, and he averages this, and this is how we got a big man now. But, like, that's the problem. The problem is it is not. The expectation is not commensurate on day one, let alone, like, oh, somewhere along the lines, expectations got out of hand. Like, day one, you should have known it wasn't good enough. But they didn't know. That's why when Rich Paul said, fire the Lakers, I trade Austin Reese for Jaren Jackson Jr. Everyone fainted. And I was like, that's a pretty good deal. Like, I mean, if I'm the Lakers, I would want that deal, too.

[Dave Zirin]

But you're suggesting that management is playing to the fan base.

[Tony Reali]

That.

[Dave Zirin]

That's what you just insinuated, which I don't think is the case.

[Zaslow]

I'm suggesting that building a championship caliber roster is a lot harder than just getting a great player.

[Dave Zirin]

I know, but you said everyone in Los Angeles as though what. What the fan base is pining for when they're not the experts making the personnel decision.

[Zaslow]

I don't think they. I guess. Let me. Let me be clear here. I'm not saying, oh, Rob Pelinka, you messed up. I think he's done the best with what was available to him at the time. Remember, they couldn't trade picks and all. They were really hamstrung up until this Point they're moving into next offseason, a ton of cap space and at least three first round picks to play with. They're building to a point where they can build around this, but, like, as far as going into this year, Tony, I don't think. I don't know how much better they could have done.

[Chris Ryan]

No, absolutely not. But also, when you look at what they were trading, when obviously, when you have somebody of Lucas caliber, like, you trade for him no matter what, but you had just seen Luca drag a Dallas team that was not that good through the Western Conference into the NBA Finals. And I know. I know there's.

[Zaslow]

There's a lot of new guys. I know it's a lot of new guys.

[Chris Ryan]

I know there's a lot more nuance to that, you know, to that take. But when you get the guy, you figure he. He's good enough to drag you to a championship even if you don't win, to at least drag you to a Western Conference finals and to an NBA final.

[Zaslow]

The reality is you get the guy and then you say, we'll figure it out. In the same way that Miami got Jimmy Butler, and everybody on this show

[Tony Reali]

is like, where are we going?

[Zaslow]

Him? I'm like, you get. When they got Jimmy Butler, when they got.

[Eric]

I wasn't on the show, I just

[Zaslow]

realized there was a lot of like, oh, I'm like, what's the big deal? I'm like, he's. First of all, he's a superstar. Second of all, this is the first step. You can't just say, well, I'll be awful until everything comes to me all at once. It doesn't work that way. Got to get back on defense.

[Tony Reali]

So five on four, underneath the narrative, I feel like it's in a little bit of a different direction right now for the first time with Luca on the Lakers. No. You don't agree with that?

[Zaslow]

No, it's. Look, let's be clear. The new direction is LeBron won't be here next year. That's the direction. Right.

[Tony Reali]

I just mean the conversation around Luka.

[Zaslow]

No, I think. I mean, look, this. This is an example of. And this. A lot of people are victims of this when you. Particularly if you work for a team, like in broadcasting. But even if you're a fan of a team, a lot of you just watch your team. You don't. You watch other teams, and you're like, oh, he's really good. He's really good. But you're. It's like when. I would say when you're in college, you be friends with somebody like, that's my boy. That's my boy. And they're like, we should be roommates. And then when your roommate's like, he clips his toenails on the bed, on the coffee table, and, oh, my God, he never does dishes, you start to notice all these idiosyncrasies that were never hidden. It's just you weren't around them all the time. Luka complaining to refs since day one. We talked about it yesterday on the show. He's always been this. But for them, it's like, at first, like, I got Luka. Yes. Luka don't just plays for us. Oh, my God. And we got him for nothing. He's amazing. Oh, my God. He had 50. Oh, my God. And I was like, he really is complaining to wrestle on, like. And then after, like, the 10th time,

[Chris Ryan]

he hasn't gone back on defense in a month.

[Zaslow]

Oh, my God. Stop doing it. Because now this thing becomes very top of mind in a way. It wasn't when you saw him four times a year.

[Tony Reali]

Well, you're right. And now you have national, you know, broadcasters, podcasts, what have you. Zach Lowe. Everybody knows Zach Lowe, right? Zach Lowe, formerly of espn. Is he with the ringer? The ringer, okay. And here is Zach Lowe apparently freaking out about Luca.

[Zaslow]

What do you say? The whining is back at just peak slash nadir. Dallas levels. It's every play, just play, man. Not everything is a foul. And it's almost like, are you playing to draw a foul or are you playing basketball? Like, which one are you doing? Are you playing one on one and, like, with the refs, or are you playing a game? It's every single possession now. It's completely out of control. It's back to Dallas levels. It's. It's just unwatchable.

[Chris Ryan]

So you hate playing with that guy that in pickup games or in a league or whatever is always trying to call the foul. What are you doing?

[Tony Reali]

The guy who calls offensive foul, dad.

[Chris Ryan]

Guy that calls any foul whatsoever, just every single time down the court.

[Grant]

I wasn't a big. As you can tell by looking, not a big street ball guy, but I played some rec basketball, dad. You remember those days? I would love. I was a shooter. I could shoot a little bit, but if I went to the hole, I was just looking for contact, and I had so many missed layups where I was driving to the hole and, like,

[Tony Reali]

I'm gonna get fouled, and then I

[Grant]

just don't get fouled, and I missed the layup.

[Eric]

You were just trying to draw.

[Grant]

I'm not a finisher at the hoop.

[Zaslow]

Wait, wait, wait, Chris. I gotta ask Charge, because that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about the guy that, like, does. Does what you did.

[Grant]

No, I never call foul in pickup.

[Tony Reali]

Right.

[Zaslow]

Like that. But in pickleball, because we're talking.

[Tony Reali]

You have a ref.

[Zaslow]

Yeah, we're talking about the guy that, like, Tony, you know this. The guy will go up for a layup. He'll miss it, and then we're running back my ball. He doesn't even say anything. He just stands there. He just stands there and like. And we're like, okay, five, four. Like, no, no, I call foul. What? Like the idea you waited for the

[Chris Ryan]

ball to go out to call foul. Give me a break.

[Zaslow]

But also the assumption that, like, everybody knows it was a foul. I don't even have.

[Chris Ryan]

Is that you dig down.

[Dave Zirin]

No, no, no. The sec.

[Tony Reali]

That.

[Dave Zirin]

That's the second worst guy to play pickup ball with. The guy who. Who every time he goes up with it before. See, my experience is not so much you're running back the other way. It's the guy who, while the ball is still in the air. Got it. So, you know.

[Tony Reali]

Got it, got it.

[Dave Zirin]

You know, whether it goes in or not, it's already a foul. The worst guy remains, though, the guy who's a little bit older than everybody else there, who pulls his socks all the way up high and defend you 32ft from the rim. Like, will you get out of my face?

[Zaslow]

What do you think I'm gonna do? I'm not gonna do anything.

[Chris Ryan]

That guy's turning back the clock.

[Dave Zirin]

Get away from me.

[Zaslow]

The second worst guy is not that guy. The second worst guy is a guy I like to call basketball martyr, which is clearly got mauled on the play. And then. And then we're like, hey, man, that's a foul. He's like, no, no, no, he ain't fouling me. I'm like, I didn't call foul. Dude, what are you proving?

[Grant]

I mean, now you want both sides. You're complaining about the guy that calls all fouls and the guy that.

[Zaslow]

Yes, yes, exactly.

[Grant]

Have the guy that doesn't call any.

[Zaslow]

Complaining about the north poll and I'm complaining about the Sahara.

[Tony Reali]

Wow.

[Zaslow]

Oh, it sounds like a complaint about the weather all the time.

[Chris Ryan]

That guy also does it at the worst possible time. It's 10, 9, game 11. You get killed. We're at game point. No, no foul. What do you mean, no foul?

[Grant]

Talking out of Both sides.

[Zaslow]

Then they.

[Chris Ryan]

Then they go back and hit a three and the game's over. I got to wait six games. Give me a break.

[Dave Zirin]

One of the worst guys is the my bad guy. Because the my bad guy never my bads on something that's ambiguous. It's always like, hey, we're playing three on three, and two of the three foes are defending you again, 28ft from the rim. And some reason, you decide to luke it and jack it up from there instead of passing it to me under the rim, and you air ball it. My bad, guys.

[Zaslow]

Yeah, it wasn't in doubt whose bad

[Dave Zirin]

it was, you jackass. We all knew. My bad. My bad. Wait, you want some credit? You're a great guy. You're being a good fellow to everybody. Like, I just want everybody here to know this is officially my bad. Yeah, we already made that decision. Okay. I have.

[Chris Ryan]

I have a solution for all your problems. Challenge system and instant replay and pick up basketball. Now you.

[Dave Zirin]

Now you want.

[Chris Ryan]

You set up a phone right there at the edge of the court. Yes. And then you record everything. Hold on.

[Host for Miller Lite ad]

Let's go.

[Tony Reali]

Would it be amazing if there was a rec park wherever you lived, where that specific park has the challenge system?

[Zaslow]

No. It would. Every game would last 17 hours.

[Chris Ryan]

Exactly.

[Zaslow]

It's already.

[Grant]

Why are you longing for this?

[Zaslow]

You know what?

[Tony Reali]

You don't want it in mlb, but you want it here. That's my point.

[Zaslow]

We have a challenge system in basketball. It's called shoot for it. The ball will tell us.

[Chris Ryan]

Defense shoots.

[Dave Zirin]

That's interesting. Yeah. See, Greg Cody. What? The fear mongering that you're doing is because of people like Luca. If it were left to Luca to decide I have been violated here, then the game would take 17 hours. Yeah, you're right. Well, that's why the players cannot be the ones turning to the officials. I wish to challenge that because if you are letting Luca unlimitedly challenge things, the game would take seven days to play.

[Chris Ryan]

Another terrible guy in pickup, the tunnel vision guy. The guy who's. Who's just putting his head down, driving to the hoop, and it's like, buddy, there's nine guys in the lane. How about you kick out and actually play basketball? It's like, no, I mean, I had the layup, and it's like, you blew.

[Grant]

I decide, I'm going to the hoop.

[Zaslow]

I'm going.

[Chris Ryan]

But that means you're a bad player.

[Grant]

I know.

[Eric]

What about the guy that thinks he's a great point guard?

[Grant]

Like, you're.

[Eric]

You're playing in a game. And so he's just a professor trying to do. Trying to do no look passes or behind the back because he thinks that he knows how to run an offense and he's playing with you for the very first time. But it's just constant turnovers.

[Zaslow]

Just play basketball.

[Chris Ryan]

Hard foul guy too. We don't need you if you want a hard foul. Stay home.

[Zaslow]

Prison rules guy.

[Chris Ryan]

That's prison rules guy.

[Grant]

Fast break.

[Chris Ryan]

Going to find me on a fast break to try and pin the ball.

[Zaslow]

It's like worst undercutting rules.

[Chris Ryan]

Undercut exactly right. You can kill somebody out here.

[Dave Zirin]

Hey, if it doesn't draw blood, it's not a foul. Like I didn't show up here for that. I'm not looking for any blood to be drawn.

[Tony Reali]

What are you showing up there for?

[Dave Zirin]

Collegial vibes.

[Tony Reali]

I miss pickup basketball.

[Eric]

You know, I was looking up Michael Douglas because you guys said I reminded you of him with the v neck sweater. But it's not the only thing about Michael Douglas that's similar to me.

[Zaslow]

It pissed me.

[Dave Zirin]

Coxman.

[Grant]

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