Hour 2: The Pierce vs. Ruiz Trilogy (feat. Paul Pierce)

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Episode: Hour 2: The Pierce vs. Ruiz Trilogy (feat. Paul Pierce)
Release Date: December 2, 2024

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Introduction

In the second hour of "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz," hosts Dan Le Batard and Stugotz dive deep into the heated rivalry between basketball legends Paul Pierce and a figure named Ruiz. The episode features an engaging conversation with special guest Paul Pierce, who shares his insights on the current state of the NBA, the Miami Heat, and his perspectives on various players and team dynamics.

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Main Discussion: The Pierce vs. Ruiz Trilogy

The centerpiece of this episode revolves around the ongoing feud and interactions between Paul Pierce and Ruiz. The conversation kicks off with Dan Le Batard addressing recent events, including a controversial incident where Rose was pepper-sprayed during an Ohio State vs. Michigan game. This incident sets the tone for discussions about sportsmanship, rivalry, and the emotional intensity of collegiate athletics.

Notable Quote:

Dan Le Batard [08:12]: "I can't believe Rose got pepper sprayed. It's not funny. I just laugh in uncomfortable situations."

Insights on College Football Rivalries

The hosts and Paul Pierce delve into the fierce rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan, exploring how such intense competitions can lead to extreme behaviors both on and off the field. They discuss the implications of fans' actions, the role of coaching strategies, and the broader impact on the sports community.

Notable Quote:

Billy Corben [06:22]: "Lucy, you are laughing at your own material. There you are gazing into how amusing you are, and no one in the world has found a pepper spring funnier than you found this pepper spraying."

Paul Pierce on the Miami Heat and NBA Dynamics

Paul Pierce shifts the conversation to his perspectives on the Miami Heat's performance, the challenges they face, and the broader NBA landscape. He critiques the current state of the league, highlighting issues such as aging superstars, the rise of international players, and the evolving style of play. Pierce emphasizes the importance of team culture and coaching in achieving playoff success.

Notable Quote:

Paul Pierce [30:10]: "I don't see how they recover. The Eastern Conference is weird, but I'm gonna have to say. I'm gonna have to probably say the Knicks."

Player Performances and Team Strategies

The discussion extends to individual player performances, with a focus on Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo's roles within the Heat. Pierce analyzes the team's strengths and weaknesses, debating potential trade rumors and the implications of player health on the season's outcomes. He also touches upon the mental toughness required to compete at high levels and break the will of opponents.

Notable Quote:

Colt [28:34]: "Absolutely, absolutely. We gonna turn it into a bar fight. You know what I'm saying?"

Fan Engagement and Sportsmanship

Throughout the episode, the hosts emphasize the importance of fan behavior and sportsmanship. They discuss how emotional investments in games can sometimes lead to negative outcomes, such as violence or disrespectful actions. The conversation advocates for maintaining respect and controlling emotions to preserve the integrity of sportsmanship.

Notable Quote:

Stugotz [20:57]: "We need to protect it by instituting just some small rules because you're going to have a situation that is going to get so out of hand that you're going to lose it."

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Conclusion

Hour 2 of "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz" offers a comprehensive exploration of sports rivalries, player dynamics, and the emotional landscape of collegiate and professional sports. With Paul Pierce's candid insights, the episode provides listeners with a nuanced understanding of the challenges facing teams like the Miami Heat and the broader implications for the NBA. The hosts successfully balance humor with serious analysis, making the discussion both engaging and informative for sports enthusiasts.

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Key Takeaways

• Emotional Intensity in Sports: The episode highlights how intense rivalries can lead to extreme behaviors, emphasizing the need for maintaining sportsmanship.

• NBA Dynamics: Paul Pierce discusses the shifting landscape of the NBA, including the impact of aging stars and the rise of international talent.

• Team Culture and Coaching: The importance of a strong team culture and effective coaching strategies is underscored as crucial for playoff success.

• Fan Behavior: The conversation advocates for respectful fan behavior to preserve the integrity and enjoyment of sports events.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Dan Le Batard [00:31]: "Rose was pepper sprayed. I can't believe Rose got pepper sprayed. It's not funny."

• Billy Corben [06:22]: "Lucy, you are laughing at your own material. There you are gazing into how amusing you are..."

• Paul Pierce [30:10]: "I don't see how they recover. The Eastern Conference is weird, but I'm gonna have to say. I'm gonna have to probably say the Knicks."

• Colt [28:34]: "Absolutely, absolutely. We gonna turn it into a bar fight."

• Stugotz [20:57]: "We need to protect it by instituting just some small rules because you're going to have a situation that is going to get so out of hand..."

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This episode effectively combines humor, critical analysis, and insider perspectives to provide a rich discussion on current sports topics, making it a must-listen for fans seeking depth and entertainment.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

You're listening to DraftKings Network.

[Stugotz]

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[Billy Corben]

This is the Dan Levator show with the Stuttgarts podcast.

[Dan Le Batard]

Rose was pepper sprayed. I can't believe Rose got pepper sprayed. It's not funny. I just laugh in uncomfortable situation. Hey, Dan, it's Colt. And we're at the Ohio State Michigan game and I can't know. My dopes.

[Lucy]

It's colder than a witch's titty in a brass bra.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, it's been a while since you've beat the team up north. How have the last few years been?

[Billy Corben]

They cheated. They cheated.

[Colt]

Not good.

[Billy Corben]

They're not good.

[Stugotz]

Hey, cupcake win. That's great.

[Billy Corben]

Cupcake win. They probably could put me on the field and I think I could probably throw 45 touchdowns.

[Lucy]

Michigan get rid of that whole state. That'd be good.

[Dan Le Batard]

Top five of the worst things ever.

[Billy Corben]

Michigan. Michigan. Michigan. Let's go.

[Colt]

Michigan and Michigan.

[Dan Le Batard]

Did you guys see where Ryan Day said that losing to Michigan? The only thing worse was when he lost his father.

[Stugotz]

It's a big game, but that is kind of crazy to say.

[Billy Corben]

I'm not gonna lie.

[Dan Le Batard]

Did you say losing to Michigan is equivalent of facing the death of someone close to you then?

[Lucy]

Absolutely.

[Billy Corben]

The fact that they're six and five and they think that they deserve to have me out here watching them get their beat.

[Dan Le Batard]

Did they cheat?

[Billy Corben]

Yeah, I think so. Connor Stallions.

[Greg Cody]

That guy.

[Colt]

He cheated.

[Billy Corben]

I saw it. He told me himself, actually.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, so what should the punishment be? You guys get to choose public execution. So you all know that Rose comes with me every week. We also have a producer. His name is Harry. He went to Michigan and he's gone. They took him a long time ago. We Put an air tag on him. So I'm sure we'll find him later. But we haven't seen Harry in hours. Do you guys have anything y'all want to say to my producer Harry over here?

[Billy Corben]

Harry.

[Dan Le Batard]

We love him.

[Billy Corben]

He said he went to Michigan, though. That was probably not the best thing to tell us right away.

[Dan Le Batard]

Him and Connor. Stallion's public execution. What do you guys feel about Michigan fans? Are. Are they nice idiots? My producer Harry.

[Lucy]

Harry.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay. Do we like Harry?

[Billy Corben]

Yellow hat. No, he has a yellow hat.

[Lucy]

With that hat. A closet.

[Billy Corben]

Michigan.

[Lucy]

This interview is over. We talked about idiots, didn't we?

[Dan Le Batard]

Harry's fired.

[Billy Corben]

Idiots go blue.

[Dan Le Batard]

Do you have a favorite person on the show?

[Billy Corben]

Definitely, man.

[Dan Le Batard]

It feels like a lazy answer.

[Greg Cody]

Speaking of lazy answers, Stu Gotts, period, is the lazy answer. Like, so are the.

[Lucy]

You think Dak Prescott could be the.

[Stugotz]

Answer for the Cowboys?

[Billy Corben]

And I want to shout out Dan Lemitar. Did I say it wrong?

[Colt]

Shout out Dan. Shout out D.

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh, my God. I don't know if I can't feel my face. Cause I'm in shock if it's so cold. Big tithe for the best conference in the world. All right, so Ohio State fans have been very nice. I have a feeling that's gonna so not so fun. Note, after the game, Michigan went to plant the flag in the Ohio State field and all the Ohio State players started fighting with the Michigan players. I've never seen anything like it in my life. The cops showed up, pepper sprayed everywhere, including Rose. She's doing all right. I don't think she's going to want to come back to Ohio State anytime soon, but she is okay. Rose, can we get a wellness check? Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you very much for asking. What would make you feel better? All right. I have to get through this without laughing because I seem like Rose was peppered Sprite. It's so funny. I can't stop laughing. I can't believe Rose got pepper sprayed. It's not funny. I just laugh in uncomfortable situations. I will say ton of respect for the Michigan football players. When Rose got pepper sprayed, it's crazy to say they all came over to help her. Dan, I'm sorry. Lucy wanted to do some interviews, but I can't. If you don't want, watch Ohio State next season, most likely with a new head coach. You can download the Game Time app and use code lucy for $20 off your first order term supply. What time is it? It's game time. College football is best. Except for the time that Rose got Pepper Sprayed.

[Billy Corben]

Lucy, you are laughing at your own material. There you are gazing into how amusing you are, and no one in the world has found a pepper spring funnier than you found this pepper spraying. You can't stop laughing at Rose. You're. You're covering something very seriously and can't stop laughing during the serious coverage.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay? 1. That's my coping mechanism. When my parents got divorced, that was the funniest conversation of my life. Okay? I couldn't stop laughing. There is a video that has been deleted. However, when. When we saw that Rose was on the ground, Harry was filming, and I did not realize that Rose had gotten pepper sprayed. And he banned the camera to me. And I'm just pointing at her and laughing. She's on the ground. I'm just pointing at her.

[Billy Corben]

Wait a minute. You. Why? I want to.

[Dan Le Batard]

I told Harry, you have to delete the video. That's the worst I've ever looked, ever.

[Billy Corben]

I want to examine your coping mechanism.

[Dan Le Batard]

After Moses screams that she got pepper spray.

[Billy Corben]

All right, wait a minute. That sounds like someone stepped on a dock. A goose. That someone absolutely stepped. That is absolutely the sound of someone stepping on a goose. One of the bigger birds, maybe a swan. Unusually aggressive. Give me the whole context for the whole video. What happened here? Not just the sound. Give me the whole sound so that I know what happened before it. Before a honking Rose got.

[Dan Le Batard]

She's okay, by the way. We think she's not here, so we don't know.

[Lucy]

That's why we're laughing.

[Billy Corben]

Let me hear from a honking Rose. There's chaos, and.

[Dan Le Batard]

I don't think we.

[Billy Corben]

Can laugh so good. Lucy, I don't think you can laugh at this. This is stupid.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay? So after I laughed and pointed at Rose, I said, hey, are you okay? She said, am I blind? And Harry said, no, you're not blind. And she said, oh, okay, then I'm good. Which, like, we don't know. We couldn't have really confirmed that she wasn't blind at the time. But she. We were just like, yeah, you're not blind. And then I gave her my scarf. I said, use this to get the pepper spray out of your eyes as I was laughing at her. And they said, hey, I'm really sorry. I'm laughing at you. If I got pepper sprayed, would you laugh at me? And she said, yes. So then everything was even, and it was just so funny. And then we went to the press box, and Rose was, like, crying, laughing. Or it may have been the pepper spray.

[Billy Corben]

It may have still been the Pepper spray. What you guys are describing, like, I really do enjoy the idea of you're horribly uncomfortable. A riot has broken out and a national riot has broke out around the game. Lucy, uncomfortable in this environment with men running past her, both crying and vomiting because they've been pepper sprayed, deals with uncomfortable moments with the laughing mechanism that is all coping. And then you're just pointing silently because your friend is on the ground. And you're actually scared, but you're. You're masking it because this is how you felt when your parents got divorced.

[Dan Le Batard]

I gotta be honest, it was more funny than I was scared. Like, objectively, it's still really funny. I'm no longer scared. And Rose getting pepper sprayed is, like, one of the funniest things ever.

[Billy Corben]

You're telling me it's a genuine response that you have to uncomfortable to discomfort in social settings that involve fighting or conflict or whatever. Just discomfort. You laugh.

[Dan Le Batard]

Sadness is funny, and it makes me laugh. My therapist said this is a normal response. I. My mom did not speak to me for, like a week when our dog died. And I couldn't stop laughing because that's just how I deal with this. I thought that was gonna be a funnier sort of bit. Nobody laughed. No. I feel really bad.

[Billy Corben]

It's a dog dying.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, it's a very. I talked to Nina about it, and she was like, that's a pretty normal coping mechanism, but this was just straight up funny.

[Billy Corben]

We've got a quote here from. And I know you want more of this with your sports SEC Commissioner Greg. I'm sorry, he's not SEC Commissioner. Greg Sankey is. Whatever the hell the name of that conference is now. Big Ten.

[Lucy]

He's moved on.

[Billy Corben]

Greg Sankey says, quote, if you want. If you want to plant a flag, play capture the flag, or you join the military or you fly to the moon. We've got a pissed off Greg Sankey.

[Lucy]

By the way, we're trying to plant these flags in turf. You can't do it. What are we doing? Why are we planting flags at the Big House or Ohio Stadium?

[Billy Corben]

Stugatz has said the two smartest things today. Let's go college overtime. Just do it in the same end zone. We don't need you walking up and down the field. And also, he's totally right on this. You can't. The flag. The flag would not be planted. Not because Ohio State wouldn't allow it, not because Ryan Day is mad. Just because that's not how turf works.

[Dan Le Batard]

Also, we didn't even acknowledge Kirby Smart calling a Timeout during every overtime. That was so annoying. We need to get rid of the timeouts, too.

[Greg Cody]

Davos Swinney is chimed in the fun police.

[Billy Corben]

Not a good look for the sport.

[Stugotz]

He says neither is that dye job.

[Lucy]

Well said.

[Billy Corben]

The Ryan Day dye job is the most egregious in the sport. Correct.

[Stugotz]

Shut your mouth. That's our king.

[Lucy]

Yeah.

[Billy Corben]

He is the king of the dye job. Right.

[Greg Cody]

We asked him about it and he flat out denied it on God Bless Football. Like, he said, no, that is not a dye job. And we've asked other people who have seen him at food courts and they said no, it looks very real.

[Billy Corben]

At food court.

[Colt]

Yeah.

[Lucy]

That was two years ago. Yeah, at food courts.

[Dan Le Batard]

I sat next to Urban Meyer at the gate at the Columbus airport when I was leaving. He didn't seem very happy.

[Greg Cody]

Does he ever?

[Dan Le Batard]

No, but he seemed especially unhappy. IPad guy, by the way, I've seen.

[Stugotz]

A couple videos where he seems happy.

[Lucy]

Yeah, one or two.

[Billy Corben]

That's a bit of an invasion of privacy. It feels like flying commercial. Get the iPad guy. To Urban Meyer. When he didn't authorize you as a reporter to give out that information, I.

[Dan Le Batard]

Didn'T look on his screen. I saw he was using an iPad. And I'll say he didn't use it like my dad. It was like, close enough. He wasn't doing the.

[Greg Cody]

Did he have a stylus, like pen to write on it or.

[Dan Le Batard]

No?

[Colt]

No.

[Dan Le Batard]

It seemed like he was just watching stuff and then he like put his sunglasses on inside and I said, whoa, big time.

[Billy Corben]

Is anyone saying lose with class with the same intensity that they're saying win with class when they start assigning blame to bad optics on this and they tell Michigan to behave in a time. In a. In a way that's more sportsman like. And also Ohio State to lose in a way that's more sportsman like, when people are going to talk about bad look for the sport. I don't actually think that Stugatz and Billy are in the majority in saying that. Beat them and you will get rid of all the fighting and all the flag planting. I think we all understand that if the emotions of this escalate, it can end up in a very malice at the palace type of place. People swinging helmets. You don't want to keep throwing lighter fluid over what is already like a cauldron. It's 100,000 stag. What this game is, okay, Never mind the rivalry of it. What this game is between recruits who have been fighting each other to get to these two schools. Because let's just say it matters to some of the people when you get into these brainwashed sort of cults that are college campuses. And beating Michigan is the most important thing and beating Ohio State is the most important thing. And Ryan Dade can win all the pressurized game, but he keeps losing that one. And I'm going to say died his job. Go ahead. It's gonna die. Like I'm gonna fire that guy even though he wins all the time. So at the center of the field where it's physical violence, all game and emotions, of course, that's gonna be lighter fluid to allow that to escalate anywhere beyond where it already is. But the idea that the histrionics of this could escalate to this place because of the stupidity of what it is that we're talking about after the game instead of before the game, which is just celebrate how it is that you like on an empty field, that people are leaving. You don't have to get insulted and indignant on the way off the field because somebody's doing something at midfield to a midfield that you couldn't protect during the game.

[Lucy]

That's the problem. They stayed on the field. They were looking for the lighter fluid. They were looking for something to get upset about instead of being upset about the fact that they just lost also while upset. Well, Dan, you know what? There's emotion on both sides. That game is like Michigan's national championship game this year. It's like that every single year when those two teams play. And so they beat an Ohio State team they had no business beating on the road in their stadium and they wanted to plant a flag afterwards to celebrate. And you know what? I'm good with that because there's a motion on both sides of this. It was there's a motion to winning and there's a motion to losing.

[Billy Corben]

But.

[Lucy]

But if you lose, get off the field.

[Billy Corben]

The action is symbolic, but also redundant. Michigan had already planted that flag in the most humiliating of ways because in that cauldron of 100,000 people stunned and sad because of what Michigan just did on its field, when those people get their regional identity politics from what's at the middle of that, that whole thing is a furnace. Like the whole thing is ripe for something going off the rails because somebody gets emotional.

[Dan Le Batard]

So for context, Ohio State was on the field singing, they're like alma mater, which a lot of schools do. But I think something that we keep overlooking is that these are 18 and 19 year old boys. And I've never met a smart, irrational one of those in my life.

[Billy Corben]

Well, but I'm adding to that all the other stuff that I said, it's yes.

[Stugotz]

I mean Kay McCormick is also lurking around there. I mean there are some 24 year old boys. I get the larger point. Look, I've gone to plenty of games over in England and it's kind of a joy suck if you. I like that here in the United States I can go to the Game Time app. I can wear a Canes jersey. It's at my own peril. But I could sit next to someone at Doe Campbell Stadium who's wearing a Seminoles jersey and I'm allowed that right. Not afforded that right over in England. I have to have. I have to go through my own entrance. I can't be wearing the color of my team to support. Why? Because it got out of hand in the 80s and 90s. Violence got ratcheted up and look, I understand you don't want it win, I get it. But it's unsportsmanlike. There are rules against it. It's not something that you see in the professional ranks because it can spiral out of control. You're asking people to check their emotions in a very physically and emotionally draining game.

[Billy Corben]

Billy's rolling his eyes.

[Greg Cody]

Were not rolling my eyes at him. But it's just kind of like you need to control your emotions because I'm not able to control my emotions. So you better not plant a flag because I'm not going to be able to control me going over and punching you in the head. So you're really to blame because I decided to punch you in the head.

[Stugotz]

But why is it the only place where it's allowed in in all of athletics? Name me another example where taunting like this after a game is allowed. Because I'm telling you, if it happened in the pros, you'd have grown ass men resorting to violence. You'd have fans coming, customers coming onto the field.

[Lucy]

Terrell Owens did it and it caused a problem.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's not the pros. These are amateurs. These are children. They're very young.

[Stugotz]

So protect them from their bad decision making.

[Dan Le Batard]

But they're not pros. So I think it's weird to hold them to the standard of you need to be more mature.

[Lucy]

I mean the Ohio State roster is making $20 million.

[Dan Le Batard]

They are pros but they're not old. They're young. They're 18, 19. Hell, there are 17 year olds out on that field. Like they are not professional athletes. I think if anything I was on the Michigan side of that ordeal. But from what I heard and what I saw. Ryan Day didn't do a lot. That's who we should be upset with. Also, we should be more upset with the cops for pepper spraying.

[Stugotz]

That's true.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's the top thing we heard about.

[Billy Corben]

Forgive me.

[Stugotz]

I haven't come down on the kids doing it, the action of it. I think we need to protect ourselves from this situation unfolding. And the conferences have been totally fine. When we put together our highlight packages of Baker Mayfield, planting of flower and hyping up those aspects. Oh, it's bad when these two teams get together and everyone feels that, yeah, yeah, mix it up. We like all that stuff because we're fed it. It feeds to what we like about this very physical sport. But I do think you need to put some things in place to prevent things from spiraling out of control because this was a very ugly weekend for the sport.

[Billy Corben]

Interesting, because I disagree that ugly is bad for that sport. I disagree that us caring this much about the aftermath instead of what happened in the game is good for the sport. Us being fascinated that the violence can escalate to a tipping point that might scare you a little bit. I don't see it. Know if you've seen the video of McCaffrey's calf giving in a game that Fred Warner is playing with a fractured ankle for weeks. Fred Warner is playing with a fractured ankle. I don't have any earthly idea how that's done. What we're watching, that we're throwing kids into the maw of, is the hundred thousand people watching the gladiator spectacle on. Show us your violence. Show us your ego. Show us your pride. Let's fight. One school against the other in the biggest rivalry that any of us in this region will know in our lifetimes. Passed down from our parents and our grandparents because this stadium fills 100,000 people to watch you be more violent than them. Them better at the violence than they are. Like, that whole thing ends up symbolically with a flag planted because many of the participants think of it as war. Like, they use all of those war analogies because of what they're giving their bodies to.

[Stugotz]

But what are you fighting to protect? This is a very recent trend. This is not something that is passed down from generation. Baker Mayfield did this and everyone now is cloud chasing for the social media clip. I. I love college football and I love that it feels a little dangerous and it has more passion and it's the closest thing that we have to European football in this country. What I'm saying is protect it by instituting just some small rules because you're going to have a situation that is going to get so out of hand that you're going to lose it. And we may get to a day where you're not allowed to wear the opposing team's color. And you may get to a day where you have your own designated entrance. And you may get to a day where they decide no more alcohol sales. I've been to those soccer games. It's not fun for the neutral.

[Dan Le Batard]

So what would the like rule be? What would the punishment be? Because they did fine both schools $100,000. I don't.

[Lucy]

Which is not enough, by the way. I mean, that's not gonna stop them from doing it.

[Stugotz]

All the money should go to Rose. I think it's very plausible to say after a game is over, the coaches shake hands, but the teams go to the locker rooms and have your celebration in the opposing locker room and do whatever you want. Just don't get collateral damage involved. Don't have it a situation where fans are running onto the field and you're hell bent on planting this flag or doing something disrespectful when the emotions are super high.

[Dan Le Batard]

I do believe I might be wrong on this, that Ohio State and Michigan's locker rooms are on the same side. So even then, like, you're running through this and you have a situation at the. Like at the big house where you saw this a few years ago with Michigan and Michigan State, there's one entrance to both of those locker rooms, and you have to go in that way together. I think logistically there are just issues that you're gonna come up with. I just. I agree with what you're saying. I just don't know what the punishment and the order would be.

[Billy Corben]

Can I just stop you for a second? Because I will say, I don't want to say it's a feature, not a bug, but I want to remind you about how you sound right now. Even while fearing a malice in the palace type of video where the sport gets harmed by the idea that the violence can't be policed. And then all the rules have to change much swifter and more of them change because you have to react to an action as opposed to leading and getting ahead of the day, that people are swinging helmets. And it can get really bad. When Judd Apatow saw everybody was talking about a certain thing and Chris Rock gets slapped, everyone mocked him for saying he could have died. He could have died. And what the show sounds like right now is fearing the very real potential of where it is something like that can end up where somebody can really get hurt. But I ask you again, like, what do you think we're doing all week getting to that game? It's like we're making these two groups of people are going to collide, get to a heightened place where dumb testosterone soaked kids are going to do dumb shit in front of each other because they just won in front of 100,000 silent people. And that's the best feeling in the fucking world.

[Stugotz]

Right? But we don't see that in combat sports and we very rarely see it in the NFL. And when, when shit gets real in the NFL, like Myles Garrett swinging a helmet, everybody wants to change everything and chastise it. You've gotten kind of lucky with all these field storming incidents with this most recent weekend. I think everyone can see a scenario in which this can spiral out of control. I understand it's a logistical challenge. I also don't think we can't make a solution to wrangle teams and say, you stay in this quadrant while we let the other team in. They already do. They already do that.

[Lucy]

Well, it's great coming from a Keynes fan.

[Stugotz]

Well, I'm not.

[Billy Corben]

I am just we kind of started.

[Stugotz]

It, but I've always.

[Billy Corben]

I.

[Stugotz]

We did. Yeah, I'll wear that. I'll wear that. But I, I can also.

[Billy Corben]

We has never done as much lifting as Stugott saying that he's responsible for, um, swagger.

[Lucy]

I'll take it.

[Stugotz]

The 80s canes did that, but I can also be from it, be amused by it in a documentary and understand why there were rules made specifically against them.

[Billy Corben]

Rose was pepper sprayed and we have to take that very seriously.

[Dan Le Batard]

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[Paul Pierce]

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[Billy Corben]

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[Colt]

Don Levitard where the mother Roiz at? Bring his ass on here.

[Billy Corben]

Where's the mother? Ruiz is a great question.

[Colt]

Stugats running, huh? He running today, huh? I'm ready.

[Paul Pierce]

This is the Don Levatar show with the Stugats.

[Billy Corben]

Oh no. Oh, there he is. Oh no. This loudmouth. He's a Hall of Famer. He's an NBA champion. He's a 10 time all star. He is Paul Pierce and he's here looking for Ruiz. He's looking for Ruiz is in the back row. I don't think we have talked about the book. Now Ruiz, he's reading the Pride of a Lion right now by Greg Cody. Get it?

[Colt]

You're not reading about that loss to the Toronto Raptors last night.

[Billy Corben]

We have not talked much Miami Heat this season. We did not talk at all about them losing at home to Milwaukee without antetokounmpo. And here comes Paul Pierce with the most to remind us. The most overwhelming team in the league, the reigning champion. But we have the fortunate timing of getting him right after Cleveland dragged your ass.

[Colt]

Yeah, I know, I know. That's all right. We not even. We're not even worried. We missing two of our premier players, and we just giving some experience to the other guys. You know, this is. This is every. You gotta understand, the Celtics are every team's biggest game of the year. So, you know, once we understand that, when we go on the road and back to backs and all of that and accept that, they'll be fine.

[Billy Corben]

Paul, this team's better than yours.

[Colt]

I don't know. We all. We don't know. This is damn close. I ain't gonna lie. This team is. This team is. This team is really good. Really good. But I will tell you this. Our team, I don't know, we learned we knew how to break teams mentally. So, you know, what we lacked in skill versus them, we had with will. So.

[Billy Corben]

Oh, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait. Wait a minute. This is cloaked in some stuff. Are you saying that this. I want you to state it clearly, and I don't want to get you aggregated here, but you're saying that you guys are tougher and the way that you would win is not being more skilled by breaking the will of players who are not as tough as you.

[Colt]

Absolutely, absolutely. We gonna turn it into a bar fight. You know what I'm saying? We. This ain't gonna be no finesse dancer on the ring. This is gonna be. This is gonna be body blow. Body blow. Right?

[Lucy]

So you're gonna break Al Horford's will, huh?

[Colt]

I think KG has a good reputation of doing things like that.

[Billy Corben]

Whose will would you. Would you break?

[Colt]

Listen, when you. When you start getting guys in foul trouble in the first quarter and then they foul, I mean, it's just like, listen, I've known to break a few. Wh. Know, sent some of them from Cleveland to Miami, you know, so you didn't really know.

[Billy Corben]

You really didn't answer my question, though, you know. What do you mean, you don't know? You're not allowed to say I don't know to that. You can say, that's a shitty question. It's leading. It's unfair. You can do all those things. It can't be. I don't know.

[Colt]

No, I didn't say I don't know. I said I've been known to break a few will.

[Billy Corben]

But who. And I asked you, who's will? Whose would you. Whose will would you go after on this team that you're saying you. You're not sure that they would beat you, even though they're more suited to the Moder game than you guys are.

[Colt]

Are you talking about the current Boston team? Whose will would I go after? Yes, all of them. All of them. All of them.

[Stugotz]

This is a really short book. I mean, I found a book that was more mailed in than Stu Gotz's.

[Lucy]

Thank you.

[Stugotz]

I'm doing a bit. I'm doing a bit and I read half of it.

[Colt]

Listen, you just like LeBron. You've been on that same page for.

[Paul Pierce]

The last three days.

[Stugotz]

Actually, I'm down for the LeBron shots.

[Colt]

Never turned up. It's still on page one.

[Billy Corben]

What can you tell us, Paul, about the future of the Miami Heat that you play tonight? Because I said last year that the window had been closed before the season was even played, that Boston, in architecture, had gone much further, deeper than Miami was. Just in what their roster is younger, better, stronger, faster.

[Colt]

Yeah, I mean, the thing about Miami right now is. And the beautiful thing about the NBA, every team is one trade away. You know what I'm saying? Especially when you got guys like Jimmy Butler and Bam on the roster and Terry Rosier. I mean, you got some talented guys, and every team is one trade away. I think they're missing a piece because you got the coaching, you got the culture, you know, and really haven't been known to be a great regular season team, but for some reason been great in the playoffs. So I would never count Miami out based on the history over the last four or five years. And so the problem with them is just probably staying healthy. The health of Bam and Jimmy Butler, you wouldn't count them out there. A lot of trade rumors down there that, you know, I don't know if Roddy is going to resign Jimmy, and maybe Jimmy wants to go somewhere else. I don't know, man. It seems like everything is. The sky is falling in Miami. I don't know what's going on. You guys give me the forecast.

[Billy Corben]

Are you. Wait a minute. Are you getting any credible sources telling you that, or is this just nonsense gossip? Or is it somebody telling you that that makes you feel like you know something that's going on in Miami?

[Colt]

Hey, listen. Hey, listen. I know the streets when the streets be talking. And I know, hey, word on the streets. If things ain't too sunny down there in Miami. I don't know.

[Billy Corben]

I don't know what that means.

[Lucy]

I don't.

[Billy Corben]

I don't. I still don't think you answered my question. How credible are your sources? Are you in the news making business right now by trying to be a news breaker, or are you just telling.

[Colt]

Me business And I'm not sure Jimmy is going to be there by the end of the year.

[Lucy]

All right, Dan, allow me to handle this. Who are you talking to? Name the sources.

[Billy Corben]

I thought you were going to say the streets be talking. I thought that's what you were going to.

[Lucy]

The streets are code for somebody, and I want to know who that somebody is.

[Billy Corben]

The street. I want to put.

[Colt]

That's the name of a word on the streets is. I can't tell you more, I can't tell you less.

[Billy Corben]

It's a bullshit report. It's. It gives me no proof that you've talked. It gives me no proof that you've talked to anybody. There are no words on those streets. You're. I feel like you're just. It's not. You're. You're an agent of chaos, and you're trying to cause division in Miami. You're not reporting. Let's put up on the screen and let's let him look at. Here it is. You're nemesis Dwyane Wade and his statue. Paul Pierce, give me your thoughts here.

[Colt]

No, listen, first of all, shout out to Dwayne Wade for having a statue, because that's truly an honor, because not many players have a statue in the NBA. He's well deserving of it. He built the culture to what it is today. But I thought it looked like they gave him too much facial hair based on the picture that you showed next to it. And he always kept a low cut, so it was. It feels like the statue was in between his rookie year and his final year, but nonetheless, well deserving. Dwayne Way, ultimate respect, man, you know, but you listen, he was part of the process. He approved it, so we all live with it.

[Billy Corben]

I am very disappointed by the grace you have shown here. I am.

[Colt]

This is the perception you guys have to understand. I don't have beef with LeBron. I don't have beef with D. Wade. We just sometimes fire shots back and forth. Friendly fire.

[Billy Corben]

Ray Allen, there is some beef with. You texted Tony Allen that he looks more like the Dwyane Wade statue than Dwayne Wade.

[Colt]

Well, listen, hey, listen, I'm not the only one that thought that. So don't blame me. Don't blame me. So people said, hey, some people thought it was Laurence Fishburne. I don't know.

[Billy Corben]

You're just being very gentle and you're showing the proper respect, and I don't know what to do with it because I. I can't. Ruiz, I can't tell you how disappointed I am that Paul Pierce, the ultimate troll, is now too disrespecting of the Miami Heat to even engage them in verbal back and forth.

[Lucy]

That's because he knows his statue would be him in a wheelchair himself.

[Billy Corben]

Come on, come on.

[Lucy]

Get out of there, B.

[Billy Corben]

Come on. Look, I'm Tony.

[Colt]

Oh, my God.

[Lucy]

I love you both.

[Billy Corben]

That would be a good statue. You. I love you is the most insincere thing I've ever heard in a lifetime of insincerity. I will tell everybody who's listening that you can subscribe to KG certified on YouTube for the truth Lounge as well as Ticket and the Truth, his show with Kevin Garnett. Kevin is still. Kevin holds on to the rivalries of the day in a way that I find charming from a stubborn old man. I love that he's just totally unreasonable. Like, he must be this way about everything. Correct.

[Colt]

If I listen, he's like, listen. If I say, kg, here go a billion dollars I got for you, he'd be like, no. Out of here. Right? Everything is no initially, everything until it starts sinking in. But very stubborn about everything. Like, you wouldn't even believe it. Like, you could be the most like, kg, hey, I just got this private jet for you. No, I don't need it. And then he'll think about it like, oh, okay. Thanks.

[Billy Corben]

So just contrarian, just disagreeable at the very start. Because he wants the sparks right at the start of whatever it is we're.

[Colt]

Doing at the start of everything. It's no to everything. Kg, your newborn is here. Would you like to kiss her? No, kg. Like, come on, on. Come on, bro. Didn't think about it. No, literally, it's like that with everything.

[Billy Corben]

Do you remember during your playing days with him as a teammate, coming back to the locker room and being like, he is crazy. I love him. I love him. He's my teammate. I'll fight with him everywhere. But this is nuts. Like, the way he gets about some of this stuff. It's not sane.

[Colt]

No, it's passionate. What we call insane. And the nuts to everyone else. I call it passion. You know what we call different? I call it just. I call it love. It's his way of loving. Because if you ever around him, and I promise you, every teammate, like, he's the best storyteller. He sits there, he takes all the guys under his wings. Like, just to know him off the court is totally something different that you see on the court or interviews and things of that. It's like the complete opposite. Opposite. And I know it'd be Hard to believe because of the passion and the energy, but he's always energetic. You know, he probably wake up and say. He probably wake up and yawn. Anything's possible. He probably do that on the wake up.

[Billy Corben]

That's annoying. That's annoying. The days that you were hungover, rolling in to practice, that's annoying. That guy's. Nobody wants to be around that guy all the time. You can love him. And that's not the energy level to greet the way that you were spending some NBA night.

[Colt]

Definitely not. I'll go hide in the steam room. I'll go hide in the steam room.

[Billy Corben]

Can you tell us who you regard as the greatest challenger to the Celtics this year? The most reasonable challenger.

[Colt]

The most reasonable challenger, man. In the east or the West?

[Billy Corben]

Well, you've counted and beat out, right?

[Colt]

So I. Yeah, I've counted sixers out.

[Lucy]

So start with the East.

[Colt]

I don't see.

[Lucy]

Yeah, start with the East.

[Colt]

I don't see how they recover. The Eastern Conference is weird, but I'm gonna have to say. I'm gonna have to probably say the Knicks. I'm gonna say the Knicks. I like Cleveland and everything. You know, it looks good. And they won. They beat him the other day, but that's obviously without Derrick White and out without. Without Jalen Brown. So I think with those two guys, it's just. It's. It's not even close. I think the Knicks can. Can challenge the Celtics, could probably push them to five games, maybe. And out west and out west. Okc, man, are you seeing what's going on out west? Okc, Houston Rockets and Memphis is in the top three. All the young teams, and it just feels like all the older teams are sliding. They get on to a great start, and they're all just sliding back to the pack. And then I don't know what happened with Minnesota or Dallas. Dallas is coming along a little more, but, like, it just seemed like these young teams is taking over the league right now. And. And it's a new. It's a new guard. It's a new guard in town for the Western Conference, but you can't count out Joker either.

[Billy Corben]

I'm going to let you go on this one. When people complain about ratings being down in the NBA, they give an assortment of different reasons for it. Do you have one theory above all others?

[Colt]

It's not one thing. I think. I think our stars are aging, our superstars. I think international players are taking over, and I think there's a lack from that. That newer American star waiting to emerge. You know, I said it was Jayson Tatum, and then maybe it's the style of play. You know, when you see games. I was watching a game the other day and I saw like six threes get put up back and forth both ways. And maybe it's just early in the season because football too, you know, once football is over, you know, people start, are paying attention. Or maybe it's just the Celtics are so dominant.

[Billy Corben]

All right, we gotta go. Good seeing you. Good seeing you, Paul Pierce. That's the thing is run its course.

[Lucy]

He had the Knicks pushing them to a fifth game.

[Billy Corben]

We are done here. Thank you. Yes, yes. They'll win one game. Look at him, still laughing on his way out the door. Only thing more annoying than the Celtics winning is the Celtics knowing that they're going. See you later, Pierce.

[Lucy]

See you, Paul.

[Dan Le Batard]

Suck.

[Stugotz]

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