Is It Time For Nikola Jokic To Demand A Trade? | Hour 1

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Hour 1: Is It Time For Nikola Jokic To Demand a Trade?

Episode Date: May 1, 2026

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Episode Overview

Broadcasting from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and their crew dive into a jam-packed sports hour. The episode explores legacy-defining NBA and NHL playoff games, scrutinizes the fallout from the Denver Nuggets' elimination and speculates wildly about Nikola Jokic’s future, while also veering into baseball parity, legacy debates, and signature irreverence. The group examines sports legacies, the cultural meaning of championships, and the psychology of fandom--weaving in trademark banter about music, marriage, and even Instagram algorithms.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dan's Mood & The Goose Incident

• [02:05] Dan opens up about feeling "down in the dumps," sharing that his wife compared his yelling to a goose honking, leading to affectionate mockery from the crew.
  • Quote: “I lay bare… and she's comparing me to a goose.” — Dan Le Batard ([02:18])

2. Sports Fandom & Heartbreak

• Dan reflects on finding joy in low-expectation sports seasons--his “miraculous” Pittsburgh Penguins playoff run and pain inflicted by hated rivals (Flyers), noting the small victories in fandom.
  • Quote: “Some of my favorite seasons are watching a team that I know has no chance of winning the title.” — Dan Le Batard ([04:01])

3. NBA Playoffs: LeBron, Legacies, & What’s at Stake

• [07:10] The conversation shifts to the Rockets-Lakers series and the larger issue of legacy. Would LeBron blowing a 3-0 lead (never done in NBA history) be a blight on his legacy?
  • Stugotz asserts the room’s “unbiased” rooting interests, though everyone wants a Game 7.
  • Quote: “Every time ... you mention 3-1 and the chase down block, there's going to be some guy or gal that's going to be like, but he also blew a 3-0.” — Stugotz ([08:41])

Analytical Deep-Dive into Legacy

• Dan and Stugotz debate how much single series or rings truly impact the greater arc of an athlete’s career and reputation, referencing LeBron, Michael Jordan, and even Dan Marino.
• Dan: “Singular moments, whether you think it's fair or not, are everything in sports.” ([09:38])

4. Athlete Happiness vs. Ring Culture

• Panelists compare approaches of athletes like Mike Trout, Joe Mauer, and hypothetical versions of Connor McDavid, discussing whether happiness trumps chasing championships or vice versa.
  • Quote: “I think being happy with my life is the most important thing ... that's going to mean more to me than going somewhere and not definitely winning a championship.” — Sports Analyst 2 ([13:11])

5. NBA Recaps: Shocks & Autopsies

• [18:11] Fast-moving recap of the previous night’s basketball drama:
  • Knicks destroy Atlanta by 51, Sixers force Game 7 vs. Celtics, Timberwolves (without key stars) shock the Nuggets and eliminate them, setting up a Nuggets “autopsy.”
  • Jaden McDaniels’ breakout performance and Rudy Gobert’s defense are lauded as franchise-altering moments.
  • Quote: “Star is born right now. Jaden McDaniels.” — Sports Analyst 1 ([20:11])

6. Jokic, Nuggets' Collapse, and Trade Speculation

• Nuggets’ playoff exit sparks discussion about the team’s future and payroll constraints. Jokic's postgame comments are parsed for subtext—does he want change? Should Denver blow it up? Would Miami (or someone else) make a play for Jokic?
  • Jokic’s Quote: “I mean, you just lost in the first half, so I think we are far away.” ([24:52])
  • Stugotz floats, "Should we perhaps start throwing the question out there?" about Jokic as a trade piece. ([27:05])
  • Blustery Miami trade offers (“Bam has to be a part of it. Boom.” — Stugotz [27:44]) get batted around as pure sports radio fodder.

7. Legacy Math & City Underachievement

• Dan weighs Denver’s “altitude advantage” vs. Miami’s “destination” status, rhetorically asking why these cities don’t dominate sports more:
  • Quote: "If it's such an advantage to them... then they should win every title." — Dan Le Batard ([28:04])

8. Baseball Parity vs. Basketball Predictability

• The crew disputes the notion that Marlins victories mean more; baseball’s structure allows for more parity/upsets, while in the NBA the best teams typically prevail in seven-game sets.
• Dan argues that too many underdogs in playoffs actually damage the credibility of sports, referencing “The Incredibles” (“When everyone is super, no one is”). ([34:53])

9. Celtics, Sixers, and the Weight of the Moment

• [35:02] Focus on Sixers forcing Game 7 versus Boston, the Celtics' championship legacy (“starts looking real funny for Jayson Tatum, Jalen Brown, and Joe Missoula”—Stugotz, [39:01]), and the notion that this round could essentially earn Embiid his legacy moment for finally getting out of the second round.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dan Le Batard [02:18]: "My lover... compared me to a goose."
• Stugotz [08:41]: "Every time... you mention 3-1... there's going to be someone that says 'but he also blew a 3-0.'"
• Dan Le Batard [09:38]: "Singular moments, whether you think it's fair or not, are everything in sports."
• Sports Analyst 2 [13:11]: "Being happy with my life is the most important thing."
• Sports Analyst 1 [20:11]: "Star is born right now. Jaden McDaniels."
• Dan Le Batard [24:52]: (Quoting Jokic) "I mean, you just lost in the first half, so I think we are far away."
• Stugotz [27:44]: "You also throw in Jovic, too... you can easily change that jersey if you're a Nuggets fan."
• Dan Le Batard [28:04]: "If it's such an advantage... then they should win every title."
• Dan Le Batard [34:53]: "When everyone is super, no one is." ("The Incredibles" reference)
• Stugotz [39:01]: "I will not let Boston... say 'well, at least we won a title,' because... every series, they went against opposition that lost their best player due to injury."
• Mike Ryan [41:06]: "This would be three series... where they would've been giant favorites in a series and blown it... It would be a chance to question Joe Mazzulla and the type of coach he really is."

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Timestamped Timeline of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|---------------| | 02:05 | Dan’s mood and the “goose” incident, sports heartbreak | | 07:10 | Rockets-Lakers, LeBron legacy, sports fandom “Game 7” rooting interest | | 09:38 | The mathematics and “fairness” of legacy | | 13:11 | Panel on athlete happiness vs. championship chasing | | 18:11 | NBA & NHL recap: Knicks blowout, Sixers force Game 7, Wolves upset Nuggets | | 20:11 | Timberwolves, McDaniels/Gobert legacies, impact of upset | | 24:52 | Jokic postgame quote, speculation on Nuggets’ future | | 27:05 | Stugotz opens Jokic trade discussion | | 28:04 | Dan rants on Denver/Miami “underachiever” cities | | 32:27 | Baseball parity vs. NBA predictability debate | | 34:53 | Dangers of too many underdog playoff runs | | 35:02 | Sixers-Celtics preview, Embiid legacy framing | | 39:01 | Stugotz critiques Celtics’ championship legitimacy | | 41:06 | Missoula coaching critique and legacy implications |

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Episode Tone & Style

• Irreverent & Introspective: Deep sports analysis is married with self-deprecating humor, tangents about family, pop culture, and a healthy skepticism about sports narratives.
• Conversational & Banter-Heavy: Rapid topic shifts, recurring jokes (“the goose”), and trademark Miami bias.

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Recap Takeaways

• Jokic’s future is up for debate—not just about the Nuggets’ roster decisions but about the do-or-die nature of modern superstars in the “post-Luka world” of player movement.
• Legacy and narrative drive modern sports: Be it LeBron, Embiid, or the Celtics, panelists stress how sportswriting, public memory, and “moment math” shape athlete reputations more than stat lines.
• Cities, curses, and karma: Denver and Miami—so-called “advantaged” cities—are held up as sports underachievers by Dan.
• Playoff parity versus tradition: The value of the “best teams” winning is repeatedly defended, for narrative order and historical meaning.
• Personal is political in sports: From player happiness to coach hot seats, personal satisfaction collides with sports culture’s relentless drive for titles.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Show

This episode was a brisk, fun, sharp-edged ride through sports’ biggest cultural and competitive questions—mixed with the authentic chaos and warmth that only Le Batard's crew can produce. It is essential listening for anyone who wants to understand how the stories of sports threaten to overshadow the stats themselves—and how change, chaos, and legacy make every game so deliciously unpredictable.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

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[Stugats]

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[Sports Analyst 2]

This is the Dan Levator show with the Stugats podcast.

[Mike Ryan]

This episode of the Dan Lebatard show is presented by by DraftKings. DraftKings.

[Dan Le Batard]

The Crown is yours. Wow.

[Sports Analyst 1]

What's that song from? From pro Gems.

[Mike Ryan]

Like.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Yeah, all of them.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, that's Creed, actually.

[Sports Analyst 1]

No, no, that's not.

[Stugats]

A heavily inspired. Yeah, yeah.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Just hurling insults. Yeah. Seems my life

[Stugats]

on a train.

[Sports Analyst 2]

John Zaslo. Now that's a good song.

[Stugats]

Oh, we have that.

[Sports Analyst 1]

I love that one.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Is that the same Dave? Have you ever heard that? Have you ever heard the Pearl Jam hit John Zaslow?

[Dan Le Batard]

I, I, I haven't. But can I be honest with you? I'm a little down in the dumps and I don't know if I'm really spiritually ready to, to press forward because

[Stugats]

you're fledgling hockey franchise once again failed.

[Dan Le Batard]

I mean, that's, that, that's silly.

[Stugats]

And I, I don't.

[Mike Ryan]

Because you hurt my feelings.

[Dan Le Batard]

Life in the rear view. Not well, listen. No, my wife just hurt my feelings during the break. I left here and I went into the kitchen where I met my wife who just got out of bed apparently, and she said, you know, I just, I could hear you through the floor, you know, yelling While I was asleep. In fact, it awoke me from my slumber. And she said, I just had a dream about a goose. I was dreaming about a goose and I woke up and I realized, no, it was just your voice going, man, man, man. That's all I could hear through the floor. That's my lover. That's, that's the woman with, with whom I, I, I, I lay bare. And she's comparing me to a goose.

[Stugats]

Yeah.

[Dan Le Batard]

I put myself on, on top of that woman, on more than one. On top of me, and she just. And she just compared me to a goose. I don't know. She must hate Friday.

[Stugats]

I'm shocked. That's the first time.

[Dan Le Batard]

Talk about Pearl Jam all you want, man.

[Mike Ryan]

Love that song.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Well, I don't know if we're gonna make you feel any better here, because I do want, I do want to know how you experienced two nights ago. Dave, as a huge Pittsburgh Penguins fan, you. You were out on them. You, you didn't even like hockey anymore. Was not an important sport when the Penguins were down three games to none. But then they win the next two, and they're a road winner. They're a goal away from forcing a Game 7 back in Pittsburgh. So I would imagine that they sucked you right back in. So how did you experience the sudden death to your season?

[Dan Le Batard]

Listen, we like to have fun. And yes, I like to puff my chest out about championships won in the past, but they are getting, let's be honest here, a little far in the rearview mirror for me. But maybe it's a rationalization on my part. Something that's happened to me in the last decade, maybe 15 years, is some of my favorite seasons are watching a team that I know has no chance of winning the title. That's what happened with these Pittsburgh Penguins. The achievement was making the playoffs. They were supposed to be among the worst teams, if not the worst team. And all the NHL really knows what I'm talking about. And so they exceeded expectation. This was a borderline miraculous run given the, the, the collective thoughts about how good or how bad this team was going to be. All that being said, down 03. Who gives a crap? The hated Flyers. Let's turn the page to baseball. Except then I have to watch the Pirates. So then that, that slowed me down a little bit. But when they got it to 3:2, I started to entertain.

[Stugats]

I.

[Dan Le Batard]

It would mean as much to me to rally from down 03.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Because you hate Philly, hated to hate

[Dan Le Batard]

against the hated Philadelphia Flyers, especially if they could, if they could put that level of shame and pain on Philadelphia. Oh, it would have tickled me something. And I think really at that point, if that would have happened, the Flyers would have just had to fold up shop and no longer be an organization.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Wow. They would have contracted.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, no, I don't. I don't know about that. I think as. As an empathetic organization in the same state, maybe the Penguins might have absorbed them. Sort of like the Phil, like the Steagalls back in WW2. Maybe we could have done them a solid like that, but there would be no coming back from that. As a Flyers fan, I mean, as it was. It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean that the Penguins deserve to win or any of that. But they dominated. Not just the overtime, but really they did the much better the play for literally like the last four games of the series, and it just didn't lead to victory. And so I'm bummed out, but I am. I am. I can temper my sorrow there by. By recognizing what I knew before the playoffs started. They weren't going to beat the Carolina Hurricanes anyway. I just would have loved for them to have vanquished the Philadelphia Flyers and disgraced them. Instead, I'll just say this. Man, man, man, I'm a goose. My.

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From. From.

[Dan Le Batard]

From my lady love. The mother of my children. She compared me to a bird.

[Sports Analyst 2]

The woman you lay bare with.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's. That's the one. That's the one.

[Sports Analyst 2]

So it's. It's a good reminder of what's at stake in tonight with the Rockets and the Lakers, where the Lakers are going to try and close out Houston in a Game six and avoid a Game seven in a series that they led three games to none. Now, can we take an unbiased like. Like no one here is a Laker fan. No one here is a Rocket fan. I would assume everyone is rooting for the Rockets to win tonight because you. You want a Game seven.

[Stugats]

Yeah. Totally unbiased.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Who doesn't want a Game seven?

[Stugats]

Everybody here is totally unbiased.

[Sports Analyst 2]

This is an unbiased room when it comes to LeBron, all right? This is Miami.

[Stugats]

That's two words in sports.

[Sports Analyst 2]

He plays in LA. This is an unbiased room. All right, but while everyone is going to be rooting for a Game 7 because who the hell doesn't root for a Game 7? Are we all rooting for LeBron and the Lakers? But really, LeBron above all else. LeBron to be the one. Not the rest of the team. Not Austin, Reeves, not Luka, not Uchimara Tony. Thank you, LeBron. Are we rooting for LeBron to be the first ever to blow a three games to none lead in the history of the National Basketball Association?

[Stugats]

The only rooting interest that I have is wanting to see a Game 7 and see LeBron in a Game 7 spot with the weight of that on him. We've seen LeBron in Go Home situations in Boston. I was actually watching highlights of that because that's what dudes do sometimes. They get back to the RV after a late night of drinking and they want to watch highlights of Game 6 in Boston where LeBron James put the franchise on his back. That's what they like to do sometimes, these dudes. I want to see Game 7 LeBron with that on the line because it will always be attached to his legacy. Not quite the same way that coming back from down three one is attached to his legacy that won a championship for Cleveland. But every time there is like one of these Michael Jordan.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Yeah.

[Stugats]

Buck guys or any. Some. Any LeBron hater, anytime you mention three one in the chase down block, there's going to be some guy over there or gal that's going to be like. But he also blew a 3 0. I'm curious to see how sports plays out. I don't know what I want and sometimes I like just sitting in front of the TV on my couch and letting the game tell me what I'm gonna start rooting for if I can

[Sports Analyst 1]

put a meager hypothetical out there. Meager. What if a la Willis Reed out trots number 77. Does LeBron get the credit having Luka back in the game if they win a Game 7 against the Rockets with Luka there?

[Stugats]

I'm not sure what that because I don't know.

[Sports Analyst 2]

The channels of that are low.

[Stugats]

Like, will it be remembered depending on how he plays. Like, Luca bailed you out here.

[Dan Le Batard]

He gave them the three elite.

[Stugats]

Yeah.

[Dan Le Batard]

I like. Well, I was about to say I like this. In fact, it's the exact opposite. What I hate is that. That.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Hold on. You meant to say what you hate is. But you almost said what you like is.

[Dan Le Batard]

I was being snarky about the. The fact that the. That the advanced analytics people have kind of won the conversation because it is in my head like, well, one series is going to define LeBron James to a certain degree. Yes, that is the answer. It will define him. Dan said before the series started, if LeBron pulls this off, it's his greatest chapter of his. Of his career. And I don't think that's really all that hyperbolic to say. So what's the other side of that? Blowing an 03 lead would also dent his legacy too. And people say that he's a 40 something year old man and he's so many, so many great moments and you're going to reduce it to that, that, that somehow impact again. These playoffs are everything to the legacies of these guys and the people who like to do math and apply it to sports go off and, and do it with, with some other matter, not with sports. Singular moments, whether you think it's fair or not, are everything in sports. And they define who the best of the best are. Not who the all Stars are, who the icons for all of time are. So it does matter if LeBron blows an 03 lead because you know who never did? Michael Jordan. And that's who he's compared to.

[Sports Analyst 2]

The Rockets are a 3 1/2 point favorite tonight at home against the Lakers. When the Rockets win tonight, which I think they will when the Rockets win tonight, the conversation the 48 hours leading up to Sunday, it's going to be incredible. It's, it's, it's, it doesn't happen very often that you have a team come back from three and force a game seven. It's happened a few times. I think they'd be like three or four times. That team did not win game seven.

[Stugats]

Correct. But it didn't just never happen to Michael Jordan. It's never happened to anybody.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Right, Right.

[Stugats]

And you're talking about lebr James, the face of this basketball generation with the Los Angeles Lakers a crown jewel franchise. I can't even imagine what the narrative is going to be throughout the weekend.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's the most, you know, I get that it can kind of be sort of, you can, you can take shots at like this is the most sports talk radio kind of conversation to have. But really as a human being. LeBron bailed on Cleveland because he wanted a ring and that's how he winds up winning them for you guys before he goes out to la and who knows how he'll finish off his career. But it does matter that if we go all the way back to the all time Miami icon Dan Marino that it, it's as though we're expected to ignore the fact or to pretend as though that in the paragraph, the first paragraph of his, of his bio includes like never won a Super Bowl. So would you. If you are, how incented would you be? And ring culture is not a new phenomenon. As much as people want to make it that it's always mattered who wins the titles. That's why we know who they are, because they endure through the generation onto where we sit. Now. Do you guys think you would be like, I like this town. I'm Connor McDavid. I got to get out of here, man. I got to go somewhere where I can have a title or otherwise that will always come up for the rest of my life. How say you?

[Sports Analyst 2]

I mean, you look at a guy like Mike Trout who doesn't feel that way at all. Like, there are some dudes who, you know, being happy with their life is the most important thing. Like, and that doesn't mean that they don't use that championship. But just being happy with life is the most important thing.

[Dan Le Batard]

Joe Mauer signed with the Minnesota Twins because he liked being in the Twin Cities and he. And it cost him a championship. But how about you?

[Sports Analyst 2]

I think being happy with my life is the most important thing. I, I, like, I want to win, of course, but if I'm happy with where I live, I'm happy with my teammates, I'm happy with my family's current setup. I'm happy with how much money I make. That's going to mean. That's going to mean more than me, more to me than going somewhere and not definitely winning a championship. But it's old as is trying to win a championship.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, but the other side of that is, as you know from having bounced off these guys, you know, we're all competitive to a degree. The difference between Michael Jordan and other all star level talents in the NBA is, I mean, like, that people in fact praise it all the time. Like, boy, Kobe, and he's a killer, man. Like, yeah, in any other walk of life away from. From sports, that guy's an. Like, it's like, yeah, he's. It's too much. Settle down, man. He wants to beat you. Tiddly winks. Like, I don't know anybody who plays tiddly winks, but that's always the one they bring up here. If it's ping pong he wants a win, he's a. He'll kill you to win a ping pong. Like, all right, if you grew up in the neighborhood with one of those guys and everybody did, that guy was an asshole. It's like, chill out, man. Chill out. Would you. Would you? Jerry or Jeremy, either way. So that has to, like, if you're Connor McDavid, he understands right now, as he's sitting up in Edmonton right now thinking, like, is this really going to happen? Like, if I don't get out Edmonton. I'm never going to win a title and am I okay with that? Is it more important to me to where the the weird the big oil sweater for the entirety of my career? I think I might be cool with that, but I'm not as hyper competitive as those cats are.

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[Stugats]

and I want to talk to you about the random midweek hang that you have with your friends. Maybe it's an NBA game. You get a text, hey, come over. You want to watch the game? And maybe you're like, I don't know, I kind of just wanted to stay home. And then you think about it after your buddy hits you up and you know, just the thing that'll make that regular hang that regular midweek hang around the basketball game into a special time, into a Miller time. That's right. This happened to me just last week. I grabbed a six pack of Miller Lite, said I was on my way, and next thing you know, we're arguing about rotations like we're on the coaching staff yelling about a missed call and the game's coming down in the final possession. It was one of those nights that you look around, you take a sip and you think, yeah, this was the right call and my friendship's stronger for it. Cheers to legendary moments With 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. It's Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Going for 2 when you're up by 5. Switching the zone when man isn't working. Oh, and building your new stadium in the state your team actually plays in. In sports, some things just make sense. You know what else makes sense? Drinking Jagermeister shots. Ice cold. Drinking it any other way would be like punting on first down or letting your worst hitter bat first are like going for two when you're down three with a second ago, it wouldn't make any sense. So don't let the team down. When it comes to Jagermeister, drink it cold. Oh, don't drink it at all. Jagermeister. Damn, that's cold. Drink responsibly. Jagermeister liqueur. 35% alcohol by volume. Imported by Mast. Jagermeister U.S. white Plains, New York. Don LeBatard. John Zaslo. How you love that cat face. Bad news for opposing teams in the Triple A Stugats. These are smiles till the blondes are clutch again.

[Dan Le Batard]

Clutch again. Clutch again.

[Sports Analyst 2]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats. I'm sure all of them there in Edmonton are handy handling this situation very, very well. Very, very maturely as the oilers and Connor McDavid were eliminated last night. But the NBA, we had two series end and we had a game seven confirmed that one being Sixers and Celtics. And I would make the case that all three of those games last night were shockers. I mean, obviously the knicks winning by 51. The score at one point was 72 to 22. I checked my phone during the Guns N Roses concert last.

[Sports Analyst 1]

I thought it was a glitch.

[Sports Analyst 2]

It said 72 to 22. Like, how is. How is that real? Did you see? I think it was the spitting Chicklets account on Twitter where they tweeted out the score and at the time it was 103 to 50. And the tweet said something like, great sport you got here.

[Stugats]

What do they know?

[Dan Le Batard]

I was wondering where you were going

[Sports Analyst 2]

with spitting Chiclets with the basketball. Right, right. Great. Because that's an elimination game. Great sport you got here. Down by 53 at home, the Atlanta. But that was obviously shocking. The Sixers, I think you could say it shocking that they're going to game seven and the Wolves winning without Anthony Edwards, without IO Desumu, without good player Dante DiVincenzo, player that they, they kicked the out of the Nuggets last night. That was shocking. Tony, the most surprising result from last

[Sports Analyst 1]

night was Watts Timberwolves beating the Nuggets in a do or die game for Nikola Jokic, for his legacy, for what we think of him going now 5, 10, 15, 20 years down the road, like to lose to a team in the Timberwolves who do, who don't have their best player, who don't have one of their most important guards and another guy off the bench who's an electric scorer to lose to Jaden McDaniels, who called you out by name, first name,

[Sports Analyst 2]

last name, Jogic got punked so hard, the whole Nuggets got punked so hard,

[Sports Analyst 1]

the entire team, the entire series got punked. Punked from the jump for Jaden McDaniels, who, by the way, legend is born. Star is born right now. Jaden McDaniels. You're watching the evolution of somebody who four, five, six years down the road and be like, oh, that guy's kind of a superstar. Which is a crazy thing to think about when they really put this wolves team together. But 30 and 10 last night for Jaden McDaniels, he talked his thing, he backed it up, he sent Nikola Jokic back home. I thought to me that was the, the result where I was looking around saying, oh my God, I cannot believe. Now we're gonna have to do an autopsy of the Denver Nuggets and their run for the last.

[Mike Ryan]

There's legacy stuff everywhere in this series because not only do you have the Nugget side where people are doing the oh no, Nikola Jokic team has never beaten a team with more than 50 wins.

[Sports Analyst 2]

I saw that yesterday and I didn't know that.

[Mike Ryan]

Which is pretty wild.

[Sports Analyst 2]

You look at the teams they beat in 2023, capped off by winning the finals against a 44 win team, right? The Miami Heat.

[Mike Ryan]

Right. It's crazy. And that Miami Heat team, like their best player was, was hobbled and wasn't himself like they, you look at, at, at that side of it, that's one thing in the future of that team with the Christian Brown contract coming up and what they're going to do to fix things. But you look at, At Minnesota, Jaden McDaniels, who you mentioned is emerging in a way where now he won't be a star for six years, though, according to.

[Sports Analyst 1]

No, but I said we're Going to look back six years and be like, he's a superstar.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah. And whether he turns into a. A superstar, you know, go to number not now. You look at your future built around him as the wing for Anthony Edwards as your star and you have these two emerging in their own version of the like Jordan Pippen dynamic where Rudy Gobert is the anchor of that defense. And by the way, his legacy looks different after last night because that's now back to back years.

[Stugats]

It's.

[Mike Ryan]

It's twice where he has locked down Nikola Jokic, one of the greatest offensive players of all time. One of the greatest offensive big men

[Sports Analyst 2]

of all time said he's the greatest offensive player of all time.

[Mike Ryan]

Right. And that's how someone that is supposed to have respect in this business views Nikola Jokic. And Rudy Gobert has been a punchline for a huge portion of his career.

[Dan Le Batard]

Right.

[Mike Ryan]

No matter how many defensive player of the years he's won, we've all sort of laughed at, oh, he gets played off the floor in the playoffs. That's a huge moment for him. We were grouping his trade with Minnesota in with, you know, the Desmond Bain trade or the Mikkel Bridges trade. Like not at all the same thing. That was a massive franchise altering trade for them. It's put them as a franchise into a place they've never been before. They were a fledgling franchise and now Rudy Gobert gets to cement himself in a place. Jaden McDaniels emerges in a fun way. They're going to be like America's team because of a lot of people rooting in some ways against Wemby and the Spurs.

[Sports Analyst 2]

They punk the Nuggets hard the whole series. They really did. Mike, you're angry with the Wolves now.

[Stugats]

I'm really bummed because I was looking forward to Joker vs. Wemby.

[Sports Analyst 2]

I thought that that's a good reason to be angry.

[Stugats]

Look, Dave hasn't really been paying attention to the NBA, but I think he would have been all right with the two Kaiju doing battle to see who

[Sports Analyst 2]

could fight for the, you know, that

[Stugats]

Kaiju Dave to topple the OKC Thunder. And now I, we're not going to get that kind of series. And I was really worried because Minnesota presents so many problems for Denver that they would get in the way of Jokic vs. Wemby. And they did. And I'm bummed for it because I don't think that series is going to be nearly as compelling had Denver been

[Sports Analyst 1]

in there on top of that. Like you look at the Denver team. Excuse Me, the Minnesota team that Denver was facing and 40% of their scoring was done by three guys who didn't play in the last game.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Yeah, it's like Edward, like, what's his current.

[Sports Analyst 1]

They said multiple weeks with the knee injury, so we don't know if that means four or does that mean two?

[Mike Ryan]

He's a guy who often bounces back pretty quickly. If it's two weeks, maybe you can pray that he's back for like game four of this series, but it's going to be tough to expect getting him back. The reality is, like, the spurs should win this series in four or five games if he's not available. But what they just did to the Nuggets, like, just attacking them, it. It makes you question everything their roster looks like and. And they were without their two best defenders and Peyton Watson and Aaron Gordon. But you can't use that as an excuse when Minnesota is down not only Edwards but also Divincenza.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Well, you mentioned there what it means for the rest of their roster, so give this a listen here. Nikola Jokic, after the season ending loss

[Mike Ryan]

last night, where do you feel like

[Stugats]

this team is, you know, in that bigger picture? And how far away or not far

[Dan Le Batard]

away do you feel like you guys

[Stugats]

are from being, you know, a championship contender?

[Dan Le Batard]

I mean, you just lost in the first half, so I think we are far away.

[Stugats]

Do you feel like changes or like what type of changes you feel like?

[Dan Le Batard]

I mean, that's not me. My decision, to be honest, definitely.

[Stugats]

If you're in Serbia, we will get fired.

[Sports Analyst 2]

If we were in Serbia, we would all get fired. That was just to note his arms do appear to be bleeding in that photo. Yeah, you see he's got cuts there. If we were in Serbia, we would all get fired. Like what. What country. Can we say that? Like if, if we were all in Canada, would they all get fired?

[Sports Analyst 1]

Now they try losers over there.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Canada lets that fly.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah. Hey, you gave it your best effort.

[Stugats]

I mean, Knobloch's pretty fired.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Yeah, well, that's. Different sport. Different sport.

[Stugats]

But I mean, we're talking about mentality here.

[Sports Analyst 2]

No, I think we're talking about mentality, but basketball, you know, it. You know, apparently in Serbia, basketball, very big deal.

[Dan Le Batard]

Russia, definitely. Wayne Gretzky fired the entire country of Canada and moved to Florida.

[Sports Analyst 2]

You're in on the. Gretzky hates Canada. Well, he does. No, I understand. But like, this is the second time you brought up the show. You're very in on that today.

[Stugats]

He's back it up. He's talked that crap to Wayne Gretzky at the Kimmel show.

[Sports Analyst 2]

That is true. What about in France? Would. Would the Nuggets all be fired in France?

[Sports Analyst 1]

They love losers over there too.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, all right.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Denmark.

[Stugats]

I think he's kind of saying fire

[Dan Le Batard]

our coach

[Mike Ryan]

specifically said not to.

[Stugats]

No, no, no.

[Dan Le Batard]

Was Yodic being politically correct?

[Mike Ryan]

Was he being politically correct?

[Dan Le Batard]

You ask, was he being politically correct by saying, if you're in Serbia, the be gets fired? Was he really saying, like, in Serbia, everybody gets executed for this?

[Sports Analyst 1]

Yeah, that's what I. That's what I was trying to read under and see what it was like in other places like that. Yeah, you may not make it back.

[Stugats]

I know he said like, we shouldn't fire this guy. But then he was like, but, you know, in proper basketball countries they would.

[Mike Ryan]

It just makes me feel like they're in a position where he wants them to make changes to the roster, and that's going to be a tough thing for them to do because next year they have over $100 million committed to Aaron Gordon, who struggles to stay on the floor, Jamal Murray, who was God awful in this series, and Christian Brown, who was worse.

[Stugats]

Should we perhaps start throwing the question out there?

[Mike Ryan]

Ooh, I like this already.

[Stugats]

Well, I didn't do this. I would have never. I would have never mentioned him as a possible trade target until Cronky came

[Sports Analyst 2]

out and volunteered on. Go on.

[Stugats]

And we are living in a post Luca world where superstars don't actually have to ask to be traded. One day they can end up on a different franchise.

[Sports Analyst 2]

That's right.

[Stugats]

Like they did this. They're the ones that open the door for us to speculate as to whether or not Jokic might be able to be had in an acquisition.

[Sports Analyst 1]

You send them Bam. Let's start with Bam.

[Stugats]

Boom.

[Sports Analyst 1]

You send them Tyler and then a

[Stugats]

bunch of picks like Bam has to be a part of it.

[Sports Analyst 1]

Bam.

[Mike Ryan]

Pele.

[Stugats]

Larson has to be Pello.

[Sports Analyst 1]

Larson.

[Sports Analyst 2]

You'd give up Larson?

[Sports Analyst 1]

I mean, to get Jokic?

[Sports Analyst 2]

Ooh, I don't know.

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh, please. Obviously kidding.

[Sports Analyst 1]

I'm obvious.

[Dan Le Batard]

Guys, good.

[Stugats]

Relax. Yeah, yeah. You also throw in Jovich, too. Just because you can name. You can easily change that jersey if you're a Nuggets fan.

[Dan Le Batard]

Right, Right.

[Sports Analyst 2]

That is an interesting way to look at nine firsts.

[Dan Le Batard]

Given the advantages of both sports talents. Who is underachieved more? Denver, which always claims, much like Tom Brady was a six round draft picker, Ryan Fitzpatrick went to Harvard. There is not a game that involves a Denver based sports franchise where it Is not invoked at some point, like, you know, the altitude is real high. It really impacts the visiting team. I know the loss was in one of the two Twin Cities last night, but either way, another Denver team that has this apparent ongoing advantage over all comers is a high altitude that they've adjusted to and no one else does. Then they should win every title if it's such an advantage to them. Or is it Miami, where everybody wants to live? Allegedly, everybody loves to be down in Miami. Shouldn't they be able to lure more people than all you guys in the rough? Giannis should be here, and this guy. And Yoke. It should now be here. Everybody. You know, if it weren't for LeBron, which I can't get a good read on whether or not after the whole thing is said and done, if you like the LeBron experience or not, this

[Sports Analyst 2]

is an unbiased room here.

[Dan Le Batard]

All right? And we didn't like it.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Okay. We loved it.

[Dan Le Batard]

Or no, you like LeBron. Right? But if it weren't for LeBron moving down there, then. Then. Then you are basically like Bill Walton in Portland kind of thing. Like, yeah, we won that one title a while ago. I mean, that. That's our claim to fame is that we won a title 20 something years ago. What are you doing? But what was the last time a Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh championship was in New York City?

[Sports Analyst 2]

What was the last time that happened? What claim were you claiming? The Rams. Now, Miami had to, like, you know

[Dan Le Batard]

where yogurt should be with us. Doesn't he want to be with us? Shouldn't everybody want to be down in Miami? Yeah, but. But teams don't land there because of the Miami Heat experience, apparently, Right? Why isn't everybody clamoring to get down there? In other words, they're on their way for the Marlins.

[Sports Analyst 1]

Well, the Marlins. I can't really speak to Two has

[Dan Le Batard]

seemed to want to leave.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Look, we broke up with him. He didn't break up with Marlins have Liam Hicks.

[Mike Ryan]

That's star power.

[Dan Le Batard]

All right?

[Mike Ryan]

So don't. Don't you tell me anything else.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Don LeBatard. My algorithm on Instagram is Dance All Boobs

[Stugats]

Stugats.

[Sports Analyst 2]

It's a good algorithm. This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats.

[Stugats]

Hey.

[Dan Le Batard]

Another destination, supposedly, that people desire. Although I hear a lot of bad things in the news about what other Americans think about Southern California. Either way, a guy in Southern California, an old palamide, David Vasse, who does Dodgers talk and all the stuff, he travels with the team and all of that. He's essentially their beat reporter. He said, I caught him on the radio last night saying about the, the Marlins that he's like, well, it's embarrassing that the Dodgers lost two or three to the Marlins, but you have to keep in mind that that was their World Series. How does that hit you? Does that hurt your feelings to hear that?

[Mike Ryan]

It's sour grapes, man. Like the, the Marlins a. The Marlins over sour grapes.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, I don't know if it's sour grapes.

[Sports Analyst 2]

They lost. They.

[Mike Ryan]

Look, they lost two out of three. Dodgers analyst to a team, to a team with like a what, a fourth, sixth of the payroll and, and they've maximized what they're doing. Clayton McCullough is a former Dodgers coach. Like, he's doing a solid job down here. And they've turned themselves into a really team. I gotta tell you, I think it's ridiculous to. To phrase it that way. It's 162 game season.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Yeah, I think it's ridiculous too, because I don't think baseball works that way. You know, like, I think that. I think you could say that in the NBA. Hey, the Thunder, they're the champs, so they're getting everyone's best shot every single night. In hockey, the Panthers, they're the champs. They're getting everyone's best shot every single night. And like, there, there can be nights where you're putting forth more effort in those sports. We can say in football too. But in baseball, if you're not putting forth maximum effort every night, it's such a hard sport, you'll get embarrassed out there. Like, you can't. I'm gonna loaf it today because this team sucks. All right, well, you're gonna look really bad if that happens. I don't feel there's as much a fluctuation in effort level depending on who you're playing in Major League Baseball. Does that make sense, Dave?

[Dan Le Batard]

Yes, it does. And that's why I bellyache on and on about the baseball playoffs having too many rounds and too many teams in them. Because inherently, I mean, like, one size doesn't fit all. Because it works in the NBA doesn't mean that baseball has to adopt it. I mean, I. Obviously the. The North Star of all of these things is gate and tv, you know, his ad sales and all of that. And that's what motivates baseball to keep throwing in more and more postseason rounds. But inherently, the sport, the difference in baseball between the best and the worst is a lot closer than it is in basketball. If you. If the best NBA team plays the worst 1 in 10 best of 7 series. It would be stunning if the bad team won even, you know, even won three games in any of those series. In baseball, the worst team in a best of seven series would beat the best. Like the Dodgers would lose a best of seven series to whatever the Colorado Rockies.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Right.

[Dan Le Batard]

Or, or shame the devil, the Florida Panthers because of the nature of the sport.

[Mike Ryan]

Marlins. I don't know that that happens often. Like when you look at best of seven that, that normally you can't out. It's possible. It's possible. But more likely than not, you're going to have the best team get there. You think the better team will win the Dodger? Yeah, it's like the Dodgers have won back to back World Series for a reason. They've had their weaknesses, but they've been the best.

[Dan Le Batard]

But Braves didn't. But, but the 90s Braves. I, I, I, I get what you're saying. Yes, that did win out and that sort of say, I mean, the best thing for the NBA right now to sort of go back and forth is, is, I think is Wendy winning it this year? And if not, then okc, then okc. Because what you want is the suggestion that these playoffs make sense is that at the end of it, it's like that, okay, I can let. The Celtics are a great team. They're in the midst of something here. OKC is in the midst of something. Or the, the burgeoning star is now ready to take over the sport. Those are narratives you can get behind for the credibility of the, of the season and the postseason and all of that. I think the worst thing for it is, it's exciting in the minute, in the moment. But I think what damages sports more than anything is when you get too many underdog stories breaking through. The alleged underdog when everybody, it's, it's, it's what syndrome says in the Incredibles when, when everyone is super, no one

[Sports Analyst 2]

is great villain, great movie, great villain.

[Sports Analyst 1]

Kind of look like him if you had hair.

[Sports Analyst 2]

All right, take it easy. All right.

[Stugats]

That goose is back at it.

[Sports Analyst 2]

I want to get to the other games last night. All right, and specifically the Sixers forced game seven last night. Of course they did. Because. Did the Celtics shoot the three? Well, no. Oh, then they lost. All right, it's, it's the dull. And now, now Jason Tatum left the game early his foot. Not the one that they had the Achilles tear, but the other one. There's a little bit of an issue there. So that's something to look for, for game seven. The Heat fan obviously remembers back in 2023, Jason Tatum, he got hurt in game seven. The Heat won the game. They're going to win anyway. Caleb Martin was the best player on the floor, but the Sixers, last night, they forced game 7. 106. 93. I don't think I'm being hyperbolic. And Embiid wasn't great last night. He was 6 of 18 from the floor, but still lots of rebounds, lots of assists. He was the best player on the floor in game five for sure. All right. And I actually think it bodes well for Philadelphia that Embiid wasn't so great yesterday because you can't possibly expect him then to put together three great playoff games in a row. So I actually think it's a good thing that he didn't play so great last night. Am I being hyperbolic when I say I think Game seven in Boston, who by the way, has not lost to Philadelphia in the postseason since 1982. And it's not like they've only played a couple times. They played dozens of times. I think that Game seven in Boston, even though it's first round for Embiid, considering you know, who he is now in the regular season, considering he missed the first few games this series, I, I think it's potentially a, a pretty big legacy game for Joel Embiid if they can come back from a three. Considering his history, he has not been a big time player in big time games. He's never been out of the second round. And I get it that this is just the first round, but against this Boston team coming back from three games to one, it's in Boston. If Embiid has a great game, if he's the best player on the floor, the Sixers will win. If Embiid has a great game and the Sixers win, I think it's a pretty. I don't think I'm being hyperbolic when I say I think it's a pretty large game for Embiid.

[Stugats]

It's, it's, it's huge.

[Sports Analyst 1]

It's huge, Zaz, because we've talked about the litany of injuries that he's had playing and playoff off. You know, the face, the Bell's palsy, the knee, the this, the appendectomy. Like there's always something in his way during the playoffs and he can't really put things together. What I think of is the bounce from Kawhi Leonard.

[Dan Le Batard]

Right?

[Sports Analyst 1]

Like, that's another part where I'm like, oh, another thing that happened. Joel Embiid like, if he steps up and plays the way that he played a couple of games ago, like, this is a team that is very, very interesting. PG looked great last night. Maxey's their best player, to be honest. And I'm going to keep, you know, banging that drum. VJ Edge comes a great wing. Quentin Grimes plays well. Oubre plays well in roles. Like, there's a. This team has a lot of facets to it where you're like, oh, wait a second. Like, this team could make a run in the east, especially slaying Boston, who we thought was the best team all season. And then all of a sudden, they got Jason Tatum back, and everybody's like, oh, wow, okay. Celtics going to the. Going to the. To the finals.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Yeah. Like, looking at both Eastern Conference games last night, if you would have said to me, which road team is it more important for them to close out the series so they don't have to play a game seven. We know the Knicks, they won. They don't have to do that. The Celtics, they didn't. They do have to do that. I felt that it was more important for the Celtics to close out this series. Like, I would have had total faith still in New York in a game seven in Madison Square Garden. But the Celtics, I think the Celtics are potentially in a lot of trouble because like I said, if Embiid is the best player on the floor, which, if everything's equal and he's 100%, he is the best player on the floor almost every night, whoever they're playing. And the Celtics, if they don't shoot the three, well, which they did not in game two, they did not in game five, they did not in game six, they lose. And there's not a whole lot of rhyme or reason to it. Sometimes if they don't shoot the three, well, they will lose. It doesn't matter if the game is

[Sports Analyst 1]

in Boston and they kind of play better on the road than they do at home, which is a. Another crazy stat.

[Stugats]

Tim Tebow. And I will not let Boston get away with it.

[Dan Le Batard]

Nope.

[Stugats]

I will not. I will not. I will not let them sleep. I will not let them say, well, at least we won a title. Because I will be right there to remind them that the time that they won the title, they went through an entire playoff run where every series, they went against opposition that lost their best player due to injury. All right, we start bringing that championship into the light, and it starts looking real funny for Jayson Tatum, Jalen Brown, and Joe Missoula.

[Dan Le Batard]

What is, though, To Tony's point, I think more practically, and you talk about legacy and all of that says. Which is fair, but practically, I feel like the survivor of six or Celts or the Knickerbockers is the answer to who's going to represent the East. Right. So practically speaking, what it does for Embiid. Well, but, but, but, right. If Embiid survives this one, I mean, he has a practical great chance, about as good a chance as he'll have in his career to get to the Finals through the East. Right. Because it's only the Knickerbockers that will pose a challenge to whoever gets through this, this Round one series. Right.

[Sports Analyst 2]

I mean, yes, I agree. I mean, they would still have to beat the Knicks next round, but then they don't have to. Like, they would face maybe Toronto or Orlando, which is kind of crazy. If Toronto forces a game seven, then you are guaranteed either Orlando or Toronto, potentially if Orlando wins two in the Eastern Conference finals. That's kind of nutty. But I. Unless anybody has anything interesting about the Knicks win last night, other than an unbelievably pathetic performance, obviously from Atlanta, like the Knicks are the best team of the East.

[Mike Ryan]

No. At this point, it seems as though they are and that they're going to be able to make their way to the NBA Finals, unless obviously, like Boston just gets hot from three again. And that's the thing where, when Mike brings up the legacy of, of Tatum and Brown and Missoula, I think the thing that we can start to question if they don't win this Game seven, if they don't make adjustments to Philadelphia, is what kind of coach truly is Joe Missoula? Because you, you look at a guy who just, it was a front running team that would get hot from three,

[Sports Analyst 2]

beat a bunch of teams, a bunch

[Mike Ryan]

of teams that were injured in that run through the Finals. It was a bunch of blowout games facing teams that didn't have their stars until you got to Dallas, who had just gotten hot and made a run as a five. This is a guy who does not adjust. It's, hey, go out and shoot threes, be more talented than the other guys. And this would be three series in 2023, when they lost to the Heat last year to the Knicks and now this year where they would have been giant favorites in a series and blown it. It would be a chance to question Joe Mazzulla and the type of coach he really is.

[Sports Analyst 2]

Great words coming out of your mouth.

[Stugats]

I'm hard.

[Sports Analyst 1]

Tell me you don't look like the guy from Incredibles.

[Stugats]

Hey, it's Mike Ryan, and I want to talk to you about the random midweek king that you have with your. It's an NBA game. You get a text, hey, come over. You want to watch the game? And maybe you're like, I don't know, I kind of just wanted to stay home. And then you think about it after your buddy hits you up and you know, just the thing that'll make that regular hang that regular midweek hang around the basketball game into a special time, into a Miller time. That's right. This happened to me just last week. I grabbed a six pack of Miller Lite, said I was on my way, and next thing you know, we're arguing about rotations like we're on the coaching staff yelling about a missed call, and the game's coming down in the final possession. It was one of those nights that you look around, you take a sip and you think, yeah, this was the right call, and my friendship's stronger for it. Cheers to legendary moments with 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. It's Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.