Hour 2: Panky Rings

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz – Hour 2: Panky Rings

Release Date: June 9, 2025

In the second hour of "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz," hosts Dan Le Batard and Stugotz delve into a mix of lighthearted personal anecdotes and in-depth sports analysis, all while infusing their signature humor and camaraderie. This episode, titled "Panky Rings," primarily revolves around Greg Cody's choice of jewelry and its implications, interspersed with engaging discussions on recent sports events.

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1. Greg Cody's Panky Rings Discussion (00:50 - 12:26)

The episode kicks off with Greg Cody sparking a conversation about his unique jewelry choices—specifically, his decision to forgo a traditional wedding ring in favor of wearing two pinky rings. This choice immediately piques the curiosity of the hosts and listeners alike.

Greg Cody's Perspective: Greg humorously describes his pinky rings as symbols of his "narcissism" and labels himself a "player," stating:

"Instead of one symbol for my love, I'm gonna put two symbols for my narcissism. That's Right. That's right. Because I'm a player." (02:21)

Wife's Insight: Earlene, Greg’s wife, offers her take on the matter, highlighting the longstanding marriage and the subtle communication between them:

"You know we're married is a great line." (02:53)

Symbolism and Social Perception: The hosts delve into the broader implications of wearing pinky rings, touching on historical and cultural contexts. Earlene reflects on the changing meanings of such accessories:

"From when I was a kid until now... if you had on a pinky ring, playa..." (04:11)

Practical Reasons: Chris Cote, another co-host, provides a practical reason for Greg's lack of a wedding ring:

"The wedding ring probably because my fingers got fat. The wedding ring split on the back and began really pinching me, almost to the point of drawing blood." (10:17)

Humorous Banter: The conversation is laced with playful teasing and laughter, showcasing the hosts' chemistry. For instance, Dan jokes about wearing clear aligners:

"In the meantime, I'm wearing clear aligners, you know." (01:48)

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2. Analysis of Roy's Reporting in a Hockey Game Clip (12:26 - 19:44)

Transitioning from personal anecdotes, the hosts turn their attention to a memorable hockey game clip featuring Roy's reporting during a tense moment. They dissect the clip's emotional and professional nuances, highlighting Roy's composure amidst chaos.

Roy's Professionalism: Greg Cody praises Roy’s ability to maintain professionalism:

"Roy is in the middle of the chaos, meets the moment, grabs his headset and runs into the fray." (07:12)

Emotional Reactions: The hosts discuss the visible fear on Rose's face during the game, analyzing her expressions and the overall atmosphere:

"Rose looks terrified. Corey Perry has tied this game at 4 with 17 seconds left in regulation." (14:02)

Impact of Reporting Style: The conversation emphasizes how Roy's steady delivery contrasts with the surrounding panic:

"All others are fleeing the video. But Roy is there to explain... just settle down. Here's what the score is." (14:30)

Humorous Observations: Amidst the analysis, there are light-hearted comments about the visual elements of the clip, such as Rose's expressions and background details:

"He did get me on that, but balloons to talk about? No." (12:15)

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3. Sports Updates and NBA Commentary (19:44 - 35:47)

Shifting gears, the hosts provide updates on recent sports events, focusing on NBA developments and commentary on Don Nelson’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

NBA Playoffs and Team Performance: The discussion covers the dynamics of ongoing playoff series, highlighting team strategies and player performances. For example, Greg Cody analyzes the Thunder’s gameplay:

"SGA got help, and the help came from some unexpected sources like an Aaron Wiggins..." (25:12)

Don Nelson's Lifetime Achievement Award: A significant portion is dedicated to Don Nelson receiving the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award. The hosts recount his strategic decisions, particularly the drafting of Dirk Nowitzki and the accidental selection involving Paul Pierce:

"He told a story about how they drafted Dirk and how they flew him into a secret workout... Donnie was like, look, man, we can't back out now." (34:04)

Humorous Insights: As always, the hosts interject humor, poking fun at their own observations and the situations discussed:

"Well, look at Rose there. Rose, that is a catastrophe." (19:46)

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4. Concluding Remarks and Teasers for Upcoming Segments (35:47 - End)

As the episode nears its end, Dan Le Batard teases upcoming segments and discussions, maintaining the engaging and informal tone that listeners have come to love. The hosts sign off with laughs and light-hearted comments, leaving the audience anticipating future episodes.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Greg Cody: “Instead of one symbol for my love, I'm gonna put two symbols for my narcissism. That's Right. That's right. Because I'm a player.” (02:21)

• Earlene: “You know we're married is a great line.” (02:53)

• Greg Cody: “The wedding ring probably because my fingers got fat. The wedding ring split on the back and began really pinching me, almost to the point of drawing blood.” (10:17)

• Greg Cody: “Roy is in the middle of the chaos, meets the moment, grabs his headset and runs into the fray.” (07:12)

• Dan Le Batard: “Rose looks terrified. Corey Perry has tied this game at 4 with 17 seconds left in regulation.” (14:02)

• Starbucks Advertiser: “I gotta ask like Marty did.” (13:43) (Note: This segment was part of an advertisement and thus excluded from the main summary.)

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Conclusion

"Hour 2: Panky Rings" offers a blend of personal storytelling and insightful sports commentary, wrapped in the hosts' trademark humor. From dissecting the meaning behind Greg Cody's pinky rings to analyzing intense moments in a hockey game, the episode caters to both personal interest and sports aficionados. As always, Dan Le Batard and Stugotz provide a platform for engaging discussions that are both entertaining and thought-provoking, making it a must-listen for fans of the show.

Transcript

[Starbucks Advertiser]

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[Guy Fieri]

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[Dan Le Batard]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast. This episode is presented by Smirnoff.

[Mike Ryan]

We do game days.

[Dan Le Batard]

Please drink responsibly. The Smirnoff Company, New York, New York.

[Greg Cody]

If you want some concentrated 100% pure basketball. Good stuff. Amin and Izzy and Oddball will be here at the end of the hour to cover things. Better than we did around here today as Greg Cody just fell in love with the mid range game of Shay. What did you call them? Gilgas. Did you call him? What did. How did you pronounce his name?

[Chris Cote]

Alexander.

[Greg Cody]

Okay, Alexander works. Yes, that works correctly. The better analysis from experts. Better than us. Amin and Izzy will be here shortly. Dominique had an observation during the break that I would imagine. Chris, can you reach out to your mother and ask her how she feels about this? He was asking, how do you imagine Greg's wife feels?

[Earlene]

Earlene.

[Greg Cody]

Wonderful Earlene. Wonderful woman. Everyone agrees. How does she feel about the fact that Greg doesn't wear a wedding ring, but does wear two pinky rings?

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, how old are the pinky rings? Are they older than your baby?

[Greg Cody]

Did you hear to slur that like that or did you.

[Dan Le Batard]

In the meantime, I'm wearing clear aligners, you know.

[Greg Cody]

Okay. It's not the big league shoe from the other day.

[Mike Ryan]

No, I'm still stuck in my teeth. Let's go ahead and clip that one for the club. Then a couple blocks down, little marble mouth.

[Chris Cote]

I don't know how old these rings are. I'm not sure.

[Greg Cody]

But you've been wearing pinky rings for roughly how long?

[Chris Cote]

10 years maybe.

[Greg Cody]

And how long haven't you worn a wedding ring?

[Chris Cote]

10 years maybe. Something like that.

[Guy Fieri]

So you took it off and said, you know where I'm gonna put the ring instead of my ring finger on my.

[Greg Cody]

Instead of one symbol for my love, I'm gonna put two symbols for my narcissism. That's Right. That's right. Because I'm a player. That's right. Spelled like we spell beach.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, I've texted her. I'll let you know when she responds.

[Greg Cody]

We can also get her on. It's a good question. How do you imagine she feels, Greg, about this? That you do not wear a wedding ring. You have not worn one for 10 years, but you wear two pinky rings because that you want to give off as style. And that is the only jewelry you wear. Right. You do not wear necklace or a watch of any kind. It's just two panky rings.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, panky rings. That's right. She knows we're married. I know we're married. I don't need a ring.

[Earlene]

You know, she knows we're married is a great line.

[Dan Le Batard]

I want you to be honest with me. How long did you say you have not been wearing the wedding ring?

[Chris Cote]

I don't know.

[Greg Cody]

10 years.

[Earlene]

During that time, have you ever had.

[Dan Le Batard]

To say, like, somebody or.

[Earlene]

No, no, sorry, I'm married.

[Dan Le Batard]

Like, where somebody gets the wrong idea and you have to be like, I'm married.

[Greg Cody]

I know. I have only two pinky rings here, and that says, and I'm a player. It suggests I'm open for business that I don't have.

[Chris Cote]

Does it?

[Greg Cody]

Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

[Guy Fieri]

Did you know the connotation of pinky rings?

[Chris Cote]

No. Greg, what is it? Tell me. Enlighten me. Greg, I have no idea.

[Greg Cody]

Your jewelry absolutely says you're open for business. Your lack of a wedding ring isn't the only thing on your hand that says you're open for business.

[Chris Cote]

Well, where is that written?

[Guy Fieri]

It's never written.

[Dan Le Batard]

I'm on the unwritten rule.

[Earlene]

Of course it's not. You don't write it down, but, like.

[Guy Fieri]

Never write it down.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

People.

[Earlene]

It's like, the first time I became aware of, like, pinky rings was like through the HBO documentary Pimps Up, Hoes Down.

[Chris Cote]

Okay.

[Earlene]

The pimps familiar. Dad, they wear pinky rings.

[Greg Cody]

Sure.

[Chris Cote]

Nothing wrong with that.

[Earlene]

And it was like, nothing's wrong with anyone wearing a pinky ring. Like, I think when I was young, one earring meant a certain thing. And then it became a time where two earrings was cool. And you weren't suggesting, like, you weren't suggesting anything by wearing two earrings. So things change. But from when I was a kid until now, it may have changed, but it was understood that if you had on a pinky ring, playa, if you.

[Guy Fieri]

Got two of them.

[Earlene]

Panky.

[Greg Cody]

Open for business. Two times. I'm open for business. You think I'm closed.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

I'm still open.

[Earlene]

I particularly found it. I particularly found it interesting, though, because we were talking about wedding rings, and so I looked around to see everyone didn't have a wedding ring. And you were obviously very offended by the idea that anyone would expect you to wear a wedding ring. And then I looked a half inch away from your ring finger and was like. So you decided that whatever these picky rings represent to you, because it's not even. I would get if you were like, rings make me uncomfortable. I don't wear rings. Then you have naked hands, like my man Roy naked hands. But you were like, no, I just don't want to wear it. For what reason?

[Chris Cote]

Why don't I want to wear a wedding ring?

[Greg Cody]

But also making the stylistic choice of, I do want to give this off. I don't want anyone to know what this one gives off. But two times over here, I want to. I want everyone to know what this is. I want to know also the backstory of how you purchased these. Were any of them a gift? Did you do it at the same time? Did you do it when your hand was naked? Did you say, I want to be open for business? Like, what's the backstory?

[Dan Le Batard]

I've got him just stumbling into, like, in his junk drawer, a bolt, and.

[Earlene]

Be like, oh, this will look cool.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, that's not. Not entirely untrue. I don't remember the reasonology behind it. I have several of these. I. I picked two that I think go together, although one is silver and one is. But you like the way they look? Yes.

[Dan Le Batard]

Like what? Like, what are you really doing?

[Chris Cote]

Putting those on a little bit. I think part of it is that you're entirely right. I've never worn jewelry. I've never worn a wristwatch. I'm not a chain guy. I. I just don't, you know, I don't have tattoos. I just. This distinguishes me in a. In a very tiny, small way. I didn't know it symbolized anything. I thought it was just me wearing jewelry on a different finger.

[Earlene]

So before we get contact from Earlene, I think we, as a team, we're going to have to come up with some good explanation for Greg Cody, because I feel like I've backed him into a tough corner right now. Because it's like, what you are suggesting is whatever. The feeling that these panky rings give me is so strong that I will put it on my ring finger, which would suggest that there's another feeling somewhere else that is so strong that you might want to wear a piece of jewelry. If you were. If you were naked handed, I'd be like, all right, Greg. It's uncomfortable. It's like an OCD thing. I feel you, dog. You don't have to wear it. But the fact that you were like, hey, let me put on one of these. You know what? You know what my. You know what this left hand needs?

[Guy Fieri]

Throw another one at it.

[Earlene]

Two pankies.

[Greg Cody]

The way that Greg is doing it.

[Guy Fieri]

You go, one more.

[Earlene]

Take that, Arlene.

[Greg Cody]

It's so aggressive.

[Chris Cote]

What?

[Greg Cody]

Yes, Greg.

[Chris Cote]

You guys are insane.

[Greg Cody]

Greg.

[Chris Cote]

Yes.

[Dan Le Batard]

2.

[Greg Cody]

Greg wearing two pinky rings makes it so that he has no discomfort whatsoever saying to you and being accurate that they're both panky rings, that he's saying it's P A N K Y because you have two of them, it ceases to be merely a pinky ring.

[Mike Ryan]

That.

[Greg Cody]

That you are being so aggressively. I'm open for business. That they're panky ring.

[Chris Cote]

Okay. All right. Hanky panky. Is that what that means?

[Guy Fieri]

Getting closer?

[Greg Cody]

It's in the realm.

[Dan Le Batard]

You go upside down pineapple on a cruise ship. Like, what else?

[Greg Cody]

I don't know what that means either. You back off with that.

[Guy Fieri]

If you see an upside down pineapple, don't go in.

[Greg Cody]

I didn't think that you thought that I would on this Monday ignore the number 11 Toyota Camry of Joe Gibbs Racing. You didn't think I was going to do that, did you? You didn't think I was going to do that. Not today.

[Mike Ryan]

What a race.

[Greg Cody]

I was not going to do that today. Talking about this foolishness.

[Mike Ryan]

This is Panky Rank might be my favorite Firekeepers Casino 400 ever. Wow, that really might be great. Racing on Amazon Prime, Denny Hamlin. He had just had his 700th start and he wins his first race post 700 start, 44 years old. And something interesting that he said after he won the race to the Amazon crew was. Well, he said plenty interesting after the race. In fact, let's cue that video up first.

[Greg Cody]

All right, hold on. Heel turn. We're going full heel turn.

[Mike Ryan]

I mean, he's been NASCAR's heel and he relishes the role. Daddy, I'm sorry, but I beat your favorite driver.

[Chris Cote]

Folks.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

I gotta ask like Marty did.

[Chris Cote]

Who's that?

[Starbucks Advertiser]

All of them.

[Mike Ryan]

Josevar was a hometown guy. Husavar has been racing really well. Had a flat tire, gets him out of the race. But that is a cliched line that he occasionally tosses out there. He also keep in mind this was Michigan Motor Speedway after that recent Buckeye fan Denny Hamlin, at least publicly gave him the oh on his way out. But one thing that he said that was interesting is all he wants to do is get in the top 10 in NASCAR wins all time. Which is a curious thing for Denny Hamlin to say, because the thing about Denny Hamlin is he's never won a Cup Series championship. He's always up there. You would. It would shock people that have casually followed NASCAR that he hasn't won a championship yet. He's still looking for that. But he says top 10 and wins all time means more to me than being a Cup Series champion, which I found odd and awfully convenient for a dude that hasn't won it.

[Chris Cote]

It's true that he's the Connor McDavid of NASCAR. There's no question about that.

[Mike Ryan]

Only. Only he's 20 years older. You know, the window's closing for him.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, but NASCAR drivers age a little bit slower than hockey players and some other athletes.

[Greg Cody]

Leave. McDav. Just stop.

[Chris Cote]

I'm just noting that he hasn't won a Stanley cup yet.

[Earlene]

So what happened 10 years ago? So 10 years ago, what happened there was so. I think you've been married for, like, 40 years.

[Chris Cote]

Oh, yeah.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah.

[Earlene]

So you had that thing on for 30 years.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah.

[Earlene]

And one morning you woke up. Let me move this over to my left.

[Chris Cote]

Okay. I can tell you very easily why I don't wear a wedding ring. It's more difficult to tell you why I wear a pinky ring. Okay. The. The wedding ring probably because my fingers got fat. The wedding ring split on the back and began really pinching me, almost to the point of drawing blood. And so I separated it, and rather than have it repaired, I'm like, you know what my. Feels good without. Without that ring, you know, so fat fingers.

[Greg Cody]

Your fingers had gotten too fat.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah. Yeah. I'd probably gain £10 over the years. You know, I'm not the kind of guy who really balloons like you tend to, but, you know, I will. I will gain, you know, 10, 15 pounds, then I'll lose, you know. You know, I just mean. I don't mean now. You look pretty. Well, I was gonna say svelte. Let's not get carried away, but he's laughing. What is that? I'm a pimp all of a sudden.

[Greg Cody]

It's in the preview. It's not on the screen. Oh, you're looking at something. Good Photoshop work right there.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah. What terrible Photoshop. Where'd the. Where'd the right side of my face go? Okay.

[Dan Le Batard]

Bit of a difference in Skin color there.

[Greg Cody]

All right, look.

[Chris Cote]

That's a good looking.

[Greg Cody]

Somebody get a hold of whoever's in video with the Photoshop looking cigar and arrest that person. Take them outside and take away their freedom.

[Dan Le Batard]

Danny, get out of here.

[Greg Cody]

The other thing that I just want to address here. The verb balloon.

[Dan Le Batard]

Hurts my heart, man.

[Greg Cody]

Balloon.

[Chris Cote]

What about it?

[Greg Cody]

I mean, it's just. It's. There's a cruelty in it.

[Dan Le Batard]

Gratuitous.

[Chris Cote]

It's a fun word. You know, it's like, yeah, party. Yes.

[Mike Ryan]

I think you've deflated in recent years.

[Earlene]

Yeah, he just makes you a good time.

[Greg Cody]

I don't want to look at you.

[Dan Le Batard]

I can't look at you.

[Greg Cody]

Balloon as a verb. Like to. To look me in the face when.

[Chris Cote]

No one wants to do that. It's a party balloon. Helium.

[Earlene]

Have you ever been somewhere where there are balloons and it wasn't fun?

[Chris Cote]

Good question.

[Greg Cody]

Not a lot of balloons at funerals, in sad places. Balloons are happy things. He did get me on that. But balloons to talk about. No. There's that. Yeah, that's a different kind of balloon.

[Guy Fieri]

Roy reporting live.

[Chris Cote]

Roy. Can we watch Roy?

[Greg Cody]

You guys want to watch Roy again? Which one do you want to watch?

[Dan Le Batard]

Sad one.

[Mike Ryan]

There ceased being a balloon when the good times stopped.

[Chris Cote]

That's true.

[Mike Ryan]

That wasn't like a Hindenburg crash. Let me bring in some balloons.

[Dan Le Batard]

I like the sad one where it's like, they've scored.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

They've got a goal.

[Greg Cody]

Okay, let's do the sad one where Roy grabs his. Look, this is what's happened, okay? A man who's had many years in the field of military training, of knowing how to report in times of crisis, as others scurry for the exits, as others who like microphones but don't know the responsibility of microphones. Yellow suck at Mike Ryan and then run into the distance. Roy Bellamy is in the middle of the chaos, meets the moment, and grabs his headset and runs into the fray. He is Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump, going into the fray again and again to go and retrieve people and bring them to safety.

[Chris Cote]

Heroic.

[Mike Ryan]

Yes. It genuinely harkens back to a time where you look to a news person to lead you when you're scared.

[Greg Cody]

In times of fear and crisis, when you need a reasonable, objective voice to jud. Just deliver the news, Roy's there to give you the score.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

Going back to the point.

[Chris Cote]

You know that.

[Earlene]

Oh, my God.

[Dan Le Batard]

Get it out. Oh, my God.

[Mike Ryan]

The Emmets and all. Is a tied.

[Chris Cote]

This game for Edward R. Bellamy going.

[Mike Ryan]

To go into overtime.

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh, my God, dude. This is like a team of destiny.

[Earlene]

Holy.

[Dan Le Batard]

Corey Perry has tied this game at 4 with 17 seconds left in regulation.

[Mike Ryan]

I have fixated. It took several times playing this clip. Check out the terror on Rose's face.

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh my God. It's great.

[Mike Ryan]

It's just pure terror.

[Greg Cody]

It's not only she saw a ghoul. It's wonderful for a number of reasons. First of all, inexplicably, Rose is doing the game in another language broadcast in Spanish, like simulcasting. She's broadcasting in Spanish?

[Dan Le Batard]

What is she saying?

[Greg Cody]

Well, she's giving more colorful play by play because Spanish is a better language. But the thing about Roy that makes this so wonderful is that he is giving the most basic of information to emergency survivors, radio listeners. It's just. But it's just everyone knows what just happened. Look at how everyone fled the video. But Roy is there to explain. It's a bit of the slow report, but also factually correct right in the middle of it. Everyone settle down. Here's what the score is. Radio time and place.

[Chris Cote]

I know that.

[Earlene]

Oh my God.

[Dan Le Batard]

Get it out.

[Greg Cody]

Oh my God.

[Dan Le Batard]

Wow. And we are going to go into overtime.

[Chris Cote]

We are going to go into team of destiny.

[Dan Le Batard]

Holy. Rose looks terrified. Corey Perry.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah.

[Dan Le Batard]

Has tied this game at 4.17seconds left.

[Greg Cody]

Can I, can I. I want to ask you guys if you know those dry cleaning racks. You know the dry cleaning that brings the suit back from if behind Roy as people scattered a a rack had come and just wrapped him in a new in news suit garb. And he had just leaned right in and gone from wearing a baseball cap and the shirt that he's wearing to all of a sudden having a sports coat, a tie and reporting the news as a horrified RO filled with.

[Guy Fieri]

It looks like she saw the mushroom.

[Earlene]

Cloud of the nuclear blast.

[Greg Cody]

Look. What, what she.

[Mike Ryan]

She's not worried about Iraq. She's worried about Iraq.

[Greg Cody]

What she's seen is far worse than what broadcaster Roy is describing. And you know what she sees? What cometh this way? You tell me that that's not what she sees.

[Chris Cote]

Oh, God. So good.

[Mike Ryan]

The little moment like there was like a little hesitation, fear. And I'm trying to figure out if that's when the puck first found Corey Perry. She's like, oh no, they're gonna get a good look here. And then like. Cause she kinda screams a little bit beforehand and then it settles in on her face.

[Greg Cody]

Horrifying.

[Earlene]

It does look like that door in Greg Cody's garage just closed in her face.

[Greg Cody]

She looks haunted. It is the Same silence. The tomb like silence that was everywh is on Rose's face. That you do understand that that right there is the whole reason to do the broadcast correct. Like we can have all sorts of other accents, noises, talking voices. It's just. What does that better than sports? And the answer is the voice of a baby crying at midnight in a cornfield. That's horror right there. That's it. She was going. She was loving her life. 17 seconds to go. I'm speaking Spanish. I'm delighted. Oh, my God. What cometh this way?

[Earlene]

The game is tied.

[Dan Le Batard]

17 seconds left.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

I love Roy.

[Dan Le Batard]

Just meets the moment.

[Greg Cody]

No, but you heard the tremble in his voice, though. It was shaky. The foundation. That house was on stilts, my friend. That house was not. That was shaking. He did get in there and give the facts, but it's because it's all he was holding on to in the store.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, that. That's the one. That's the one.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

I do.

[Dan Le Batard]

A little forward, little forward.

[Mike Ryan]

One, one, one click.

[Guy Fieri]

Go back, go back, go back there.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, right there. Yes.

[Mike Ryan]

Dwark's giving it too. Dwark's giving you a little something there too.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, Zoom out there and then go.

[Chris Cote]

To Roy doing right now. Oh.

[Dan Le Batard]

That was me saying they scored. Score. Score.

[Mike Ryan]

No, no, I think this was just before the score.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, that's score. That's the Owen score right there.

[Mike Ryan]

Let's. Let's play the sound.

[Greg Cody]

I don't think that. I don't think that is the score. Is that the score? Is that something being inserted? Guys weren't excited.

[Earlene]

Hello.

[Mike Ryan]

The Evans and all is have tied this game at four.

[Dan Le Batard]

Wow.

[Earlene]

Smile. And we are going.

[Greg Cody]

What's with that smile, Roy? Dominic was saying that you might have a little bit of sadist in you. What? Like what? What's with that smile?

[Earlene]

You like the pain?

[Dan Le Batard]

No, I was actually literally in pain because my shoulder was hurting.

[Earlene]

So you smiled.

[Chris Cote]

That's what pain looks like.

[Greg Cody]

Randomly.

[Mike Ryan]

Because he knew. He delivered the news.

[Greg Cody]

You did just. Hold on.

[Earlene]

Look at that face from newsroom.

[Greg Cody]

That's a smile. That's not the.

[Mike Ryan]

That's not.

[Greg Cody]

How is that shoulder pain, Roy?

[Mike Ryan]

It was.

[Dan Le Batard]

My shoulder was killing.

[Greg Cody]

But Roy, that's not short.

[Earlene]

He likes pain. He likes it.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's a grimace. I don't know.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, a smile is a grimace. That's a good point by Roy.

[Dan Le Batard]

I just hurt myself again.

[Greg Cody]

That is not shoulder pain, Roy. That was.

[Earlene]

You see the face you just made where you just hurt yourself? That's a face that people.

[Greg Cody]

That's a face of pain. Correct. Pain looks like pain. It doesn't look like joy. It's a sharp pain.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's why. That's why the teeth were showing.

[Greg Cody]

Well, look at Rose there. Rose, that is a catastrophe.

[Earlene]

Yeah.

[Greg Cody]

And Dwark, by the way, I don't know how Dwark haunted and talking about, oh, no, it's a team of destiny. How he finishes fourth place here on emotional reactions because everyone fell apart. And again, I will explain. Rose and Ethan fell out of your screen. They just that to recover from that in Edmonton to give us a series. I know people are tired of how much we're talking about hockey, but not too bad. I mean, how much better do you want the games to be? How much better would you like this to be? That all of hockey is fawning at how wonderful the games are and how excellent the teams are and we're two in.

[Mike Ryan]

Then when they equalize, were you like, oh, this is the good stuff.

[Greg Cody]

Oh, my. Hell yeah. Give me the psyched about this, seven.

[Dan Le Batard]

Give it to me.

[Guy Fieri]

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[Dan Le Batard]

If you're anything like me, when you were a kid, you were a big dreamer. Maybe you dreamed of being an astronaut, maybe the president of the United States. Maybe you wanted to be the shortstop for the Yankees. But now we're dreaming of something else like owning our own businesses. But let's be honest, launching it. It's total chaos. Websites, shipping, your cousin wanting to collab. It's a mess. That's where Shopify comes in. They power 10% of all E commerce in the United States from brands like Mattel to your aunt's candle shop. Can't design a site Shopify's got ready to go templates. Need help writing copy or touching up pics? AI tools want customers built in email and social tools and if you get stuck 24. 7 support real award winning humans. Turn those dreams into and give them the best shot at success with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com batard go to shopify.com shopify.com/batard.

[Mike Ryan]

Howdy folks, it's Mike Ryan. Now, if you've been listening to the show a lot lately, you've heard so much playoff talk. Playoff hoops. Down here in South Florida, we're especially enamored with playoff hockey. It's not just limited to the playoffs. Motorsports, tennis, golf. It's truly one of the best times in the sporting calendar. And with the weather outside warming up, it's just perfect to hop in a pool, maybe grill up some food, but most certainly crack open some Miller Lights. I just described a pretty perfect day, didn't I? And it culminates with Miller Time. There's something about a perfect grilling day. The sun's out, friends show up, and that first sip of Miller Light just hits different. I've been stocking up the cooler with it for years. This year, Miller Lite turns 50. That is five decades of cookouts, laughs and ice cold moments that never miss. And if you've listened to the show for its 20 year existence, you know this to be true. Miller Lite. Great taste. 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. Cheers to 50 years of Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

[Greg Cody]

Don LeBatard Quiet man.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yes.

[Chris Cote]

You know I'm a married man. I don't cheat on my wife. Despite that gratuitous line in back in my Stugach. I wish you were here. My wife. I really miss her. No I don't. That's the thing about being married, you know. You're not allowed to say, I don't miss my wife. I've been gone two days. I haven't been gone long enough to miss my wife. I'm sorry. I call her. I'm on the phone with her. 30 seconds. You know, what am I. Hello? All right. All right, we'll see you. All right. And then, you know, I'm gonna see her in two days. I was jumping Charlie. Good.

[Dan Le Batard]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the stug. Amin's coming to us from Oklahoma City where the Thunder have evened up the series 123 to 107. I like the live action feel of this. There's, like people around in the background. Amin, Amin, right from the top. Main story about this game, too.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

All right, so first of all, like, my. My location is right by where the Thunder locker room tunnel is.

[Chris Cote]

So.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

You're going to see a lot of activity in the background.

[Dan Le Batard]

Great. I'll describe it if necessary.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

Yes. There you go. The Aaron Wiggins just walked by. By the way, big hero.

[Dan Le Batard]

Wasn't necessary. Thank you, though.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

Not necessary. Okay. No. You know, but the history of this team all season long has been after a loss. It's a resounding answer. Right? It's not just they don't lose back to backs or two games in a row, it's they beat your ass. Right. And that's what happened tonight. First of all, they did a much better job on the, on the glass. The offensive rebounding opportunities that the Pacers were feasting on in game one were not present. They still, even though the turnover account was a lot lower, they definitely got their way in terms of creating offense off of those turnovers. And the third part, I think this is the most important part, SGA got help, and the help came from some unexpected sources like an Aaron Wiggins, but also from the people that you kind of rely on. Jalen Williams had a great game and Chet Holguin had a great game. What I really liked about it was the aggression. He went out there and he, from the opening tap, was intent on making an impact. And he did.

[Dan Le Batard]

I'll give you that. I'll give you Chet. Chet was, you know, a lot more impactful, especially early on. Really sort of set the tone. Jalen Williams, when things were close, was not good anything. He finished with five of 14 for 19 points. But it was exactly like it's everything that you wanted from a response game. And you just so happened to get the 18 points from Andrew Wiggins in the 12 from Alex Caruso. Was there was some conversation. You didn't hear this during the broadcast about why Tyrese Halliburton wasn't more aggressive like that. It's a little bit of a head scratcher for me that people say that is because he is, like we said, he's the point guard, right? He. He really gets going if somebody else gets going with him, but it's never really been Tyrese. Just go get yours. And so this idea that he needs to be the tone setter in terms of scoring, do you think that there's more there from him or do you think this is pretty much his role the entire time?

[Starbucks Advertiser]

Well, I mean, like, I think it's fair to expect him to be aggressive when the offense isn't. Isn't operating right. Like, I think that's the big thing is that I get it. And, you know, we went through this when I was in Phoenix with Steve Nash where Steve wanted to set people up. Steve didn't want to be aggressive offensively. But, like, I can't remember how many times used to say this on the broadcast. Steve Nash senses the moment and he senses like, yo, it's not working. So now I have to unveil, like, what probably could have been a 25 point per game scorer his entire career if that were his everyday mentality. Tyrese has a lot of things that reminds me of Steve Nash in that way and that he. He wants to impact the game as a facilitator and as someone who's kind of touching. Different parts of that aren't necessarily captured in the box score.

[Dan Le Batard]

Right.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

But there has to be that recognition of, we don't have it going. I need to do something. Now. Some people might say he trusts his teammates. He trusts them to, you know, if he keeps facilitating them, they're going to get it going. And like, the crazy thing is, Izzy, the building was nervous the whole time. Like, yeah, they were up 20, but like, every time they would hit like a nice Smith three here or. Or an. And one there from. From Siakam. And it's like everyone just started getting.

[Dan Le Batard]

So it's like they learned their lesson from not being as alert from game one. But the. The part about Tyrese, though, it's almost like because he knew his team could make a huge comeback at any time, that he didn't really have to push the panic button. It's like when he finally did push the panic button, might have been a little bit too late.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

Little too little, too little too late. But also, let's be honest, they got what they came for in terms of the split. So right now, they Are even as after a pretty tough loss tonight, they're still kind of feeling about like, yeah, we. We achieved the. The mission, so to speak. And you go back to Indiana for two and we'll see how it goes there again. Izzy, I got to go back to. Would love to have seen what this series would look like if we were still doing the two three, two.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, that.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

That added a whole lot of Ariel.

[Dan Le Batard]

Elements to like, to. To break down a series. Back when it was 2, 3, 2. Like, now when it's 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, it fair. So there's not a whole lot of roller coastering to go around. It's a little bit more drama back then. But in terms of Indy, like, what sort of strategic game plan has to change for them to keep Alex Caruso and Andrew Wiggins from going off? Because obviously they're not going to stop Shay. Like, Shay's going to get somewhere between 30 and 40, and if, you know, 40 plus, if he's having a great night. But it feels like they can control Jalen Williams. It feels like Chet Holmgren is not really going to explode for you. So if you can keep those guys off the board, like, how do you do that?

[Starbucks Advertiser]

Yeah, I mean, I don't. The simple answer is, I don't think you can. I think that's what you live with. If you're Indiana, you say, I live with that. Alex Schultz is going to have to. I'll live with that. Right. Aaron Wiggins will come in and hit a bunch of threes. I'll live with that. You got to live with it. I think the part that's a little bit more difficult is, first of all, it's not like you helped out on Shay much. And I got to shout out Eddie Johnson on this one. Said, I get that the strategy is we're going to guard Shay one on one, but maybe every once in a while, just to mix it up, just to surprise him, like, we're just gonna. We're just gonna watch this. This slow march down, down the drain. And then the other part of it is, again, like, Chet Holmgren really put his imprint on the game. Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention this. The. The two, man, the two big lineup, right? What they ended up doing is they basically ran it a bunch when Siakam wasn't on the floor. And so that kind of alleviates some of the issues as far as, hey, if we're going too big, does that mean we've got Chet on Siakam and Siakam being a lot More kind of laterally mobile.

[Dan Le Batard]

Right.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

Might present problems. But in those minutes where those guys ran together, I'm trying to find the details from my kind of, like, my naked eye. The two big lineup was tremendous for them tonight.

[Dan Le Batard]

Can you help me out with something I know I was watching on tv, you were watching it there. What I saw, because we talked about the NBA Finals trophy being on the floor, or at least the finals logo, some sort of, like, fancy graphic today turned on the game, I mean, and there were two kind of tiny logos on the floor, it seemed like. And it. It clearly wasn't real. It clearly wasn't put on the floor.

[Greg Cody]

Right.

[Dan Le Batard]

You didn't see logos on the floor. Right.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

Okay, I'm. I'm looking at the floor right now. There are no logos on it.

[Dan Le Batard]

It seemed like they didn't want to make them any bigger than the advertisements that were on the floor that were showing on the floor, because they weren't bigger than any of those. And then oddly. And they're also both facing the same direction, which people. When you're watching on tv, you're just like, well, obviously you should have one fake. The crowd should be facing the crowd on each side, so it should be the opposite way.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

If you look at. If you look at, like. So right now, I'm looking at their floor. I believe this is true of every NBA four. Hey, how's it going? They're good. So every NBA, Every NBA floor has all the signage, all the logos, everything, all face the cameras.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

So if you're sitting on the bench, I'm sitting pretty much behind where the Thunder bench was. And so the TV cameras are there because the TV cameras are always facing the benches. All the things on the floor are going to be facing the cameras. So that was accurate for them to put them both facing that way.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

The part that's crazy is I did see, like, a little video. I think Arashmarkazi posted it, and he said, how do you. How can you tell it was like his capture is. How can you tell It's. It's digitally imposed and, you know, they're waving like, the OKC flag, and then you see it kind of just pop up superimposed on the flag and superimposed on other things. Yeah, that's the problem with. With that kind of makeshift style kind of solution is you're gonna be. You're bound to run into those.

[Dan Le Batard]

Made it worse. And. And oddly, late in the game, when it was pretty much out of hand. I know this because I switched the game from the Big TV to the little tv. Then they went with the logo. Yeah, no, the big TV was. It was the last of us. I'm trying to catch up on that. And so, yeah, the little tv. And I saw the logo on there, the finals and script, and I was like, yeah, well, that's weird, because if people were wondering if it was real and maybe had a question mark in their head, now they know for sure. During that timeout, they didn't just switch it to the finals logo. I don't really know what they were doing there. It's probably the biggest mistake Adam Silver's ever made.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

So you. You switched. You switched to the last of us. You missed the Johnny Furfee minutes.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, oddly enough, I saw it. He fouled Shea, which is amazing. Like, first seconds on the floor. And Furfy. Are we sure that's a real name?

[Starbucks Advertiser]

Dude, it's. It's like Fake Murphy, right?

[Dan Le Batard]

Yes, it's exactly that. Back to the basketball. I mean, what do we think of the series now? Because, like, we've gotten the. Shaken off the rust. We've gotten the first two games out of the way. Indiana, the first game, the crazy comeback sort of masked the idea that it doesn't seem. They don't really seem to have a consistent offensive flow.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

Right.

[Dan Le Batard]

So do you see that changing in any way when they get to Indiana?

[Starbucks Advertiser]

No, no, this is. This is how they've been all year long, so I don't see anything changing. And again, like, this is the part where, you know, everyone loves to overreact to a Game 1 loss. But, yeah, man, OKC, over time, is going to prove itself to be the better team, because that's how this thing works. That's why we don't play single elimination in the playoffs. While we have a little bit of time, I did want to shout out, Don Nelson won the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award. It's the award that the NBA Coaches association gives out. There was two really important things that came out of this press conference. Number one, this is the first time for him on the mainland in seven years and the first time he's wearing shoes in six years.

[Dan Le Batard]

Wow.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

The shoes he wore are Luka Donchi's Jordans, and he said, I'm wearing them in protest of the trade.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yes, yes.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

So that's one. The other thing, and this is huge. He told a story about how they drafted dirt and how they. They flew him into a secret workout. Nobody knew, and they tried to hide him, and they were worried. And on draft day, like, they made the trade, obviously, to trade it down from six to nine with Milwaukee. Now, here's the part I didn't know. He said, my favorite player in the draft was Paul Pierce. We all thought Paul Pierce would be a top three pick and wouldn't even be, like, a. An option. So imagine their surprise when, at 9, Dirk's on the board, which is their guy. The guy that they went through all these pains to kind of hide and. And stash, basically. But also, Paul Pierce is on the board.

[Chris Cote]

Wow.

[Starbucks Advertiser]

And so Don Nelson's like, him and Donnie. He's tell Donnie, like, oh, what do we do? And Donnie was like, look, man, we kind of did all this to get this German kid. Like, we can't back out now. And that's how Dirk Nowitzki ended up to be a maverick and Paul Pierce ended up being a Celtics.

[Dan Le Batard]

Made the right choice, let's be honest. Made the right choice. Can I tell you my experience from watching Don Nelson get the award? Man, they played this still shot, or it wasn't a still shot. It was a video of him and Rick Carlisle accepting the award. And they were sitting there, and they kept the camera on him for about 30 seconds too long. I mean, it was just. I was like, all right, let's get the camera off of Mr. Don Nelson here and then make it matters worse, because, I mean, I don't know what the hell Don was wearing. Making matters worse, they cut to him in the crowd. He had some popcorn food all in the corner of his mouth. And then they kept on that one for longer than they should have, too. No, I wouldn't be too happy with these producers and directors if I was Don Nelson today.