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Dave Zaslow
You could say that again.
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Dan Le Batard
Now we party.
Mike
This is incredible. Wow.
Dan Le Batard
I am clearing the rest of the day.
Disney Pixar Promo Voice
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Mike
This is the Dan Levitt show with the Stugats podcast.
Roy
This episode of the Dan Lebatard show is presented by DraftKings. DraftKings. The Crown is yours.
Dan Le Batard
Yo. I'm going to see Disclosure Day tonight. That's right. How about that? That's the new Spielberg.
Amin
You nervous?
Dan Le Batard
Oh, it's just a movie. What do you mean, am I nervous?
Zaz
What time does your movie start?
Dan Le Batard
A documentary.
Zaz
What time does the movie start?
Dan Le Batard
Let me look at his own question.
Roy
Said you'd be watching everything.
Dan Le Batard
I know you're trying to. You're trying.
Zaz
He said he loved the journalist. And then he asked. Yeah, he asked me before they said what happened last night?
Dan Le Batard
You're trying to make this a gotcha moment. All right, I think it's gonna. I think it's going to. It's gonna miss.
Dave Zaslow
For the record, I. I have to defend Zaslow here. He didn't claim that he's a soccer enthusiast.
Dan Le Batard
I said I like it a lot.
Zaz
He said he loves.
Roy
He said he'd be watching every second of usa.
Zaz
He said he loves this.
Dan Le Batard
That's true.
Dave Zaslow
All right. If I miss on. I was trying to have your back here.
Dan Le Batard
All right. No, thank You. I appreciate it.
Dave Zaslow
Why don't you have my as an American, not necessarily as a Die Hard.
Dan Le Batard
This gotcha moment's going to backfire. Okay. On these guys because disclosure day starts
Roy
at 6pm What a loser movie time.
Dan Le Batard
Guess what? It's not a loser movie time. When you want to watch USA and the movie ends at 8:45.
Roy
Most people are enjoying their like Friday happy hours as going to a movie.
Zaz
Did you get lucky? Because I would know for a fact if I was free and clear to watch U.S. men's National Team.
Dan Le Batard
Now when I bought the tickets a week ago for disclosure day, did I also check what time Team USA was playing on Friday night? Maybe not, but nonetheless it's all worked out timing wise. I will be home on the couch that is very uncomfortable couch in the Zazzle mansion family room watching Team usa.
Amin
I will not watch it at home because I was just asking the guys like, hey, what are you guys going to do? You guys going to go out? You're going to watch it at home?
Mike
What do you think I'm too old?
Dan Le Batard
No, too old.
Roy
The best part for Americans of the World cup, we have no shot of winning this thing. The best part is going out being in the the ruckus atmosphere.
Dan Le Batard
First group play game. They're playing at least three games. At least. They better play more than three.
Roy
Only get three.
Dan Le Batard
They better play more than three dot so I'm seeing up you look, if you want me to come out and watch the game, you just ask. Just ask.
Dave Zaslow
That's it.
Dan Le Batard
All right. So I'm not missing anything, but got to make sure we're all up to speed on everything. Which brings us to our World cup observations. It is time for, I mean, to
Mike
share his World cup game notes. No one in the media will tell you what happened better than my boy.
Zaz
I mean.
Mike
World cup observations is brought to you by Miller. Light legendary moments Start with a light. Zaz and Demoschek and Mike and Roy and Tony and Chris.
Dan Le Batard
Nailed it.
Mike
Finally here. Four long years of waiting for the opportunity to see Lamine Yamal at a Walmart. The picture will come up. The American World Cup. Maybe not. Okay, we'll fix it post. Yes, I know Mexico and Canada are also hosting, but 70% of the games are here and 100% of the mess is ours. The American World Cup. From price gouging fans to preventing Iran from staying in the United States despite all their games being here, to denying entry to a Somali referee. Trust me, Mexico and Canada, you don't want no parts of this shit. The American World Cup. I want to talk about the Somali rep for a second because I know most of the people listening like to think of international travel going something like this. You book your flight, you show up to the airport on the day of the flight, you land at your destination, you go through some sort of passport control and they stamp your passport and you go about your merry way. That's international travel. I just need to have my passport right. That process is not the same for Omar Artan, the Somali referee. He would have to have applied for a US visa months ago. That means turning in his passport and supporting documents, including financial statements and an affidavit from his employer, FIFA, stating his purpose for visiting, where he'll be staying during his visit, how he will support himself during his visit, and when he's getting the out of the country. That means FIFA will have booked all his flights. His hotel rooms provide approval compensation months before he actually steps foot in the United States, months before he steps foot on that flight to the United States. They won't even let him get on the plane without that visa in his passport. The embassy at the consulate or consulate at which he applied will have thoroughly reviewed all those documents and done any necessary background checks again, months before the flight to the United States. So for him to be flagged on entry isn't some random surprise. Oh, my God. It's plain to see his prejudicial treatment. Because America is desecrating the world's game. The American World Cup. The cartels declared a temporary truce during the World Cup. If you're keeping track at home, all the murderous, ruthless organizations decided to chill out for the World cup. Except for one. I'll let you guess which one didn't sit it out. Mexico victorious in their home opener, 2 0. Which is amazing considering how shoddy they played. I've watched Mexican national team soccer for legit 40 years. They've never changed the Brazilian referee on the microphone after the var. Ladies and gentlemen, he's no Billy Kennedy. Canelo at the game, looking fat and drunk. Celebrities. They're just like us.
Dan Le Batard
I gotta tell you, I saw some of these Mexican fans. They got great fans.
Roy
Same, yeah.
Mike
South Korea too. We are all the South African players trying to understand the words coming out of the Brazilian referee's mouth. Again, there were pictures, but we'll fix it in post. South Africa on the losing side of the opener, gave up two goals and received two red cards. Other than that, how was the play? Mrs. Lincoln, the Brazilian referee handing out three red cards. He's not Billy Kennedy. But he might be Billy Crystal. Hey, and then there's a picture of Billy Crystal from Forget Paris Rejecting Everyone.
Dan Le Batard
I'm being told there are no pictures.
Mike
I mean, there were pictures in the document that I sent to multiple people,
Zaz
so they were sending a PDF, so
Dave Zaslow
it was wrong for me.
Dan Le Batard
No pictures of me and.
Zaz
Oh, geez. Yeah, Next time, appropriate format. All right, now, everyone, let's lay our swords down and realize we'll be better next time. It starts with us.
Mike
Oh, and eat is not into now. South Korea and Chechiya. It's the same format. I send the pictures in every week, but whatever. South Korea. And I'm just saying it starts with us. All right, Every week. But, you know, okay, South Korea and Chechiya played a hell of a match in Guarphur. And then there was a picture of Lou Dobbs, because that's funny.
Zaz
Wang and Bomb and kill back here, back row. That has a historical context. I love that joke of me. And it was a banger of a game, a clash of styles.
Mike
Great game.
Dan Le Batard
I was locked.
Mike
I love South Korea. Huang and Bomb. Goal of the tournament. And I love that he grinned before the ball even crossed the line. Go back and watch me play. Or maybe see the picture that I had. Like, the ball is still in the air, and he's got a smile on his face like, oh, I got these guys nasty on this one. Love it. I love the World Cup Z. And Mike and Tony and Roy and Chris and everyone else. I'd like to debut a little subshow within the show within the show. Keep a track of home. The show's the Leitart show. We have World Cup Observations is a show within the show. And within that, I've got a show within the show with the show called Back in My Day, World Cup Edition. Back in my day, you only had two subs. Five. You need five substitutions. Give me a break. Speaking of breaks, back in my day, we didn't get a hydration break. You just toughed it out. If you got tired, you went by the goalie, had a little water bottle there. Maybe you hit the sideline, they throw you a water ball, you throw it back. Time out. We need a hydration break, everyone. What the hell is that? Are we handing out orange slices, too? And then I had a nice AI picture that I created of kids soccer.
Dan Le Batard
Kids, you know, I'm trying to.
Mike
I'm trying to describe for the audience. It's a theater of the mind thing.
Zaz
It starts with us. Amin. It was 67 degrees for that checky. South Korea match, but I needed a hydration.
Dan Le Batard
What country is that?
Mike
My water break. Oh, I can. I can go on now. All right. Leave it to the American World cup to give us a Mountain Dew hydration break. Brought to you by Dodge Ram. Again, because we were actively desecrating the game. And loud we trust the American World Cup. You know who I miss, Mike? Join me in this one. You miss this guy too? I miss sip bladder. Sure, he was corrupt as all get out, but at least his corruption made other world leaders kiss his ass instead of the other way around. If he was still around, we'd have a World cup held in North America as opposed to the American World Cup. Those are the World cup observations.
Dan Le Batard
Very good, Mike. What were you telling me before?
Zaz
What, I'm the only soccer guy?
Dan Le Batard
Come on, the show up. All right.
Mike
And next time, all the references with this one.
Dan Le Batard
Send some photos next time. I mean, what were you telling me? You were telling me about the broadcast of this World cup this year. Like you're. There are things you like about the broadcast so far and there are things you don't like.
Zaz
Right? So I. I was a little confused at they. They had two matches and the presentations were a little bit different. Now international soccer is more vibrant. I'm used to the European presentation, and FIFA has usually followed that. But they did some unique things before this match. I mean, I don't know if you felt the same way, but the in stadium music that leads up to the kickoff. It's a festive atmosphere. They were actually feeding that through the truck and it was cool. You had Ian Dark and Landon Donovan going through the starting lineup as you have, like, Shakira playing in the background. Yeah, crystal clear.
Dan Le Batard
Well, I like Shakira.
Zaz
I mean, allegedly Shakira.
Amin
Shakira body double.
Zaz
Yeah, allegedly Shakira. But the song was actually playing and I was like, man, this is. This is fun. This is vibrant. You can actually feel the watch party still dancing in place as we lead up to kicking off. And also they've introduced these goal songs after a nation scores that are, you know, in line with these countries and the style of these countries.
Dan Le Batard
So Free Bird for us.
Zaz
I hope it's Free Bird. I don't know if FIFA ponied up the royalties or even floating, it'd be great. But they had a Mexican style song with a big roar at the start, and I'm like, man, this is really cool. This is bumping. And in the second game, they kind of diluted the audio beforehand, which I kind of like that the international presentation for the World cup, because it's one big party is a little bit different. They took some risks and I thought it paid off. You know what? I'm tired of Free Bird. Nah, it's been overplayed, man.
Mike
We had the Olympics.
Zaz
They're playing it all over the place on ESPN for the hockey cover. And I was doing it. You're crazy.
Dan Le Batard
Get a clue.
Zaz
Freebird gold medalist forever. Thank you, Freebird. Thank you, Leonard Skynyrd.
Mike
Roy. Roy. Hold on, Roy. I can help you out here. You won't have to worry about Free Bird being played too much during the World cup because the national team's going to shit the bed as they always do. Yeah, that's true.
Zaz
That's a good point.
Amin
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Zaz
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Amin
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Zaz
summer always hits different once a big game starts stacking up. Now you've got finals games on every other night, baseball's rolling all week, racing on the weekends, and suddenly everybody's looking for an excuse to get together. The other night a buddy texted me, we've got the game on. Come through. I figured I'd stop by for maybe an hour. That was optimistic. Next thing you know, everybody's locked into the game and we're all part of the coaching staff. Somebody's yelling at the ref. Somebody else is suddenly an expert on pitch strategy, and nobody's even pretending they're leaving early anymore. It's one of those nights where you take a sip of Miller Lite, look around and realize, yeah, this is exactly what summer is supposed to be. That's why Miller Lite is always part of these nights for me. It's clean, refreshing, easy to drink when it's hot outside and perfect for long nights hanging with friends, watching games. An All American summer starts with an all American beer Miller lite. 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 folks.
Roy
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Mike
Chime.com disclosures Don LeBatard doesn't matter anywhere. We could do it in Buffalo or Baltimore. Either you say you could do it where? Anywhere. Oh whoa. Oh that's crazy. That's crazy. That's crazy. He could do it anywhere. That's crazy. Murder. Murder. Tell him Stugach.
Zaz
I had no idea mean had that in his locker.
Mike
That might be his best.
Zaz
That's great.
Dave Zaslow
I'm not Kidding.
Mike
That's crazy. Killer. It's two. America's dad, you don't get it. This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugach.
Dan Le Batard
So I want to. I want to get to NBA stuff. Oh, you got us with a mean here. We got game five tomorrow.
Mike
I don't have to get you. The World cup is going to get you. It always does.
Dan Le Batard
All right, everybody.
Mike
It always does. And you got. We always do this. Every. Every World cup, we do this. I start by talking shit and, oh, big guy. And then you guys fall and flat on your face. And then I'm like, I told you so.
Zaz
This. It starts with us. This whole us versus them thing. When you're an American, too.
Mike
I don't.
Zaz
I don't get it. Come on. Come on, boys.
Mike
In red, white, and blue, I. I support the U.S. women's National Team to the day I die. The men's national team. You guys are a joke. I don't. I don't respect any of you, except for Tim Wales.
Dave Zaslow
You're a front runner.
Zaz
Luckily, Tim Whale is one of our best players, so hopefully I respect him.
Dave Zaslow
If the World Cup. If the World cup were determined by best flag, who would win the World Cup?
Mike
I.
Dan Le Batard
You know what?
Dave Zaslow
I don't know if this is a hot take. I don't know if I'm wearing my patriotism. I think it's the US Of A.
Mike
No way.
Dave Zaslow
Finest flag. You're right. Starts on the big blue marble.
Zaz
I like Portugal.
Dave Zaslow
It's a handsome flag.
Disney Pixar Promo Voice
Yes.
Zaz
Canada's got a decent flag.
Dave Zaslow
Canada has maybe the best national anthem. France. Or it comes down to France or Canada. If that were the measure, I would say best flag.
Mike
Cabo Verde has a cool flag. Kazakhstan got a cool flag. I like bags where it's like. It's not just, hey, colors. It's like, oh, it's designed to Brazil. Brazil's got that globe with the ordemy Progreso written around.
Zaz
Croatia. Croatia's got a banger.
Roy
Yeah.
Mike
Croatia. Because then the checker thing factors into everything they do.
Zaz
I don't. Switzerland, because it's smaller. It's not your prototype of a flag size. It's just a little square.
Mike
Switzerland. Canada, like, it's just like, oh, yeah. This is the thing we know. Mexico's got a cool one because of the. The eagle killing the snake.
Zaz
I just put an eagle, Italian flag, and that's cool. I like eag.
Mike
Well, there's a snake, too. It's got the snake in his clutches because there's a whole lore behind it. So you don't know. We got an eagle with a snake somewhere.
Zaz
Hold on a second.
Amin
Dave, tell the Lizzo.
Zaz
That's true.
Amin
We do.
Dave Zaslow
Don't tread on it. Who has the. Which nation has the best food? Amin and company.
Mike
My gosh.
Dave Zaslow
I have a. I have the right answer for this for you.
Mike
I love a Brazil.
Dave Zaslow
It's the one I just said it's the United States of America. That's the nation that has the best food. At worst, the US as the second best iteration of every style. Pile of food on the big blue marble.
Roy
Right.
Mike
Did you see that? Freddie the German fan who's relishing and going to Buffalo Wild wins. And. And where else has he gone? Mike? He's gone Waffle House. He went to Waffle House.
Dan Le Batard
I saw yesterday. Was. Was it Buffalo Wild wings yesterday?
Mike
Yeah.
Zaz
He also stumbled upon a confederate monument. I'm gonna vote for Mexico with best food.
Dave Zaslow
Best food.
Dan Le Batard
I already told you. Mexico. Great fans.
Roy
Japan.
Dan Le Batard
Still those fans. Good fans.
Mike
Korea. I had bulgogi last night. Loved it. Yeah.
Dave Zaslow
Yeah. But if you want. Right. And where did you have it in these United States. So you could either be in Korea and have it and it would be delicious. But at worst, the one a best version of any food stuff you'll get is in the United States of America.
Mike
I learned something very important yesterday. That the most popular KFC location in the world is the one in Jamaica. And it's like it's getting out lines around it all the time because somehow, like, they're. They're making it different. They're making it with, like a Jamaican slant. So it's the most popular kfc. If you go to a KFC anywhere, go to the one in Jamaica.
Dan Le Batard
I mean, can we talk about the NBA Finals here?
Mike
Sure.
Dan Le Batard
So this clip is now floating around on Twitter all throughout yesterday.
Mike
No, no, no, no, no, no, no. NBA Finals talk starts with an apology.
Dan Le Batard
No, the series isn't over. I mean, you're like Draymond Green telling Jalen Brunson in a game from now, I'm going to congratulate you.
Mike
I'm not. It's not even about congratulations. I'm just telling you guys that's what it looks like when it's your first time at the rodeo. Okay, all of these things are not happening.
Dan Le Batard
No, you're right.
Mike
Because all of a sudden, they forgot how to play basketball. It's because they're kids who have never been here before, including the guy that everyone told me. Oh, but he's got the playoff experience. He's played seven games in his life.
Dan Le Batard
Okay, so that's, so that's what I want to talk about. All right. De' Aaron Fox and.
Mike
Oh, is that what we're talking about? Okay.
Dan Le Batard
And so like I made the point yesterday and I think I'm right. I don't think you could bring de' Aaron Fox back if you're San Antonio to the NBA.
Zaz
They shouldn't be back in the NBA.
Dan Le Batard
Well, look, let me tell you something, Terry. Roger was watching the end of that game there tonight. He doesn't know what the hell Darren Fox was doing. But Darren Fox, for the money that he's making, like they literally brought him in to be. I know you're making the point. He's only played an X amount of playoff games. Still a veteran. He's still a veteran of the NBA. They brought him in to be a veteran. And when you're making that kind of money, not only do they expect you to make the winning plays, you can't make the losing plays. So like I, I don't think he's going to be back with the team next year. And it's also because Dylan Harper clearly is going to be the starter next year. And between Harper and Castle and Wembanyama, you really don't need to pay De' Aaron Fox 200/4 million dollars. But that's not the point that I want to make right now. Yesterday, floating around the Internet came that clip from over a year ago. It was in December of 2024, last season where Mike Brown, coach of the Sacramento Kings, who featured de' Aaron Fox. So I'll set this up for you, right? This was a late game situation, maybe against Chicago because it was Dear and Fox. No, it's against Detroit. It was Dear and Fox guarding Jaden Ivy. Jaden.
Zaz
Ivy.
Mike
My God.
Dan Le Batard
Garden. Jade and Ivy. It was a three point game. All right. It was a three point game. Seconds remaining, Sacramento's on defense and de' Aaron Fox has totally slacked off of his player.
Dave Zaslow
Why?
Dan Le Batard
It's a three point game. Just don't give up the three point basket. And when Ivy, Fox's man got the ball in the corner, Fox had to do a hard closeout. He fouled him. Basket was good. Four point play. Game over. And it led to Mike Brown after the game. Here's the clip again. This is from last year. Mike Brown talking about what happened on that final play.
Mike Brown
If you, if you're up three, you gotta guard your man at the three point line. And there should be, there should be no closeout opportunity. No closeout opportunity. We told him that they know the only thing that can hurt us is a three. And you know, I need to go back and watch the film to see exactly where Fox was. But there was no reason for there to be a hard closeout. We were okay with them scoring a two at the rim. So you should not be in position to help at all. You should be hugged up to your man at the three point line. Everybody should. And why there was a closeout by Fox, I'm not sure. I gotta go back and watch the tape. But for sure, 100%, we told our guys, can't give up a three. Can't give up a three. Can't give up a three. Stay connected. Stay on the high side. Stay on the high side. I even drew an example of if your guys on the floor just hop on his high side, the only thing that can hurt us is a three and we close out and we foul with three seconds to go. That's tough.
Dan Le Batard
Okay, that was in December of last season. That is a hard call out of an individual player that you very especially have dear and Fox's stature that you very, very, very rarely hear a coach do. He totally threw him under the bus. Rightfully so, I guess, but totally threw him under the bus. You just. You never hear that Mike Brown was fired the very next day. He was fired the next day. And the point that I'm trying to make here is, to me, I don't know if this is true. I mean, that sounded like a level of frustration from a coach that was likely built up over a long period of time with said player making, you know, maybe low IQ plays, which we saw several of them late in the fourth quarter of game four. That looked to me like a pl. Like a coach who was fed up with a specific player. And now you see what happened in game four of the finals. And Mike Brown, because of that player, is a game away from winning an NBA championship.
Mike
Dan LeBatard. Levels of building up to a question that didn't actually come. You just wanted to make a point.
Zaz
That was wild. In fact, even before the Dear and Fox question, there was another buildup for something that wasn't a question, just a take. He wanted to get off the ground. I was marveling. It's the chair, pal.
Mike
I guess I can opine on your statement. Mike Brown and de' Aaron Fox had a very good relationship, according to everyone in Sacramento. I was told if you go back and listen to me talk about Mike Brown's firing, a year, a season ago, you'll hear me speaking. No, in unequivocal terms, that it was bullshit. Because this is an organization that is steeped in losing, that had not been to the playoffs and three collective bargaining agreements until Mike Brown came around. We talked about de' Aaron Fox. He's a player who again, his entire experience in the NBA prior to the season is two seasons of being above.500. So we talk about a veteran, a veteran who was again, steeped in losing. All he played was losing basketball. He was surrounded by losing basketball. Mike Brown came around. I remember saying this, like, wow, they're a lot better defensively. He's a lot better defensively. And the. Everybody's like, no, I've been playing the same exact way. I'm like, you have? You haven't you, you're clearly exerting effort on this side of the ball. You've been playing a lot faster on the other side of the ball, like moving the ball, not, not letting it stick to you. But this is a guy who thinks, yeah, what's the big deal? And so you see him make that mistake. And Zaz, I would argue the, the, the shocking part is not the mistake he made at the end of game four. The shocking part is afterwards he tried to defend it.
Dan Le Batard
Yeah, he still didn't get it.
Zaz
I thought he didn't understand what he did. It was nuts.
Mike
He's like, oh, I'll try to go up three. I'm like, yeah, you know what? How else you go up three when they foul you and you hit two free throws? Like, it's just, I don't understand how there could any be any other kind of logic there. But again, I think when you talk about people who are veterans and veteran experience, I think that I, to me, I take that term very seriously and I only apply it to people who have been around and who have been around winning. And does that mean you have to have won championships? No, I talk about David west as an example. Years ago, David west was in Indiana and they were on some very good teams. They won the conference finals. They couldn't get over the hump, which was LeBron in the heat. David west ends up going to San Antonio for minimum and then he goes to Golden State. I'm like, this guy's a winner, man. He knows what it takes to win. He's been, he's played high level basketball, deep may basketball several years. He knows what are the right things and the wrong things. And there are countless examples of these guys all over the league. I told you guys about that with Jimmy Butler, the guy's a winner even when you're oh, what, has he ever won? Like, no, it's these guys have been around and they know what the right decision is, what the wrong decision is, dear. And Fox, for as fabulous a career as he's had, he's made a lot of money, he's put up some nice numbers. But never forget most of his Sacramento time other than two years, one year they made the playoffs and one year they made the play and it got knocked down was losing. And he came to San Antonio last year, you know what they did? They lost. And again, I'm not saying it's his fault. I'm just saying he has not been around high level winning in his NBA career. And so for him to make that mistake, to me, it's just solidifying the point I made about all of them. It's their first time at the rodeo,
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Zaz
Don LeBatard, you getting started on the Breakfast Flan?
Mike
Oh man, I've been singing a song to myself all morning while breakfast flan stewgats. Have you never heard the breakfast Flan song? No.
Zaz
Hit me with it.
Mike
Okay. I wish I had some breakfast fun. Breakfast fun. Where can I find a breakfast like that? This is the Dan Levatar show with the stugats.
Zaz
I mean, two quick questions to kind of better understand that late game situation that they're even talking about. Still on first take. Is that the craziest atmosphere you've ever been in covering all of basketball? Because that was. That seemed insane. You've been to a lot of great games.
Mike
Yeah. Game seven, 2016, I think because of the stakes and, you know, all the big plays down the stretch. I always say in order for the Cavs to beat The warriors in 2016, they needed Steph to be less than 100. They need Andre Godala to get hurt. They need Andre Andrew Boga to get hurt. They needed Draymond Green to be suspended a game. They needed Harrison Barnes to have the worst seven game series of his life. They needed Steve Kerr to somehow play the only three players with a negative plus minus in the fourth quarter, which were Harrison Barnes, Festus Zealand, Anderson Verajao. And then they still needed LeBron to make the greatest defensive play in NBA Finals history. They needed Kyrie Irving to hit one of the biggest shots in Finals history. And then they needed Kevin Love to be one on one versus Steph Curry to guard him. That's a lot of stuff that needed to happen in that. But it's like that's what makes it so magical and special is like this is sports, right? Yeah, it sounds so far fetched, but something like that could happen.
Zaz
I'm more talking about the only, the
Mike
only thing that separates it is. Well, I mean the atmosphere was, was the same. It just, just was muted because they lost at the end. But the only difference in those two scenarios is that that was a game seven and this one was a game four.
Zaz
The reason why I'm asking is because in watching the broadcast, not even the broadcasters on what Dear and Fox did. So I'm curious if. If that moment, it was insane. The, the women Yama free throw attempt was just, just bananas. I don't think I've ever seen a basketball crowd in America look that crazy.
Dan Le Batard
Everyone says it was the loudest the Guardians ever been.
Zaz
I'm just trying to understand what happened there. Was that a player that isn't the most mature, isn't the smartest player on the court just totally caving with the, the atmosphere feeding into it? Or would he have done that in game 47 at New Orleans?
Mike
What are you talking about, Wemby or Fox?
Zaz
I'm talking about Fox right now.
Mike
Fox. By his comments after the game, it's pretty clear that's what I would have done. Like he had zero regrets about that.
Dave Zaslow
I think. I got to say, I think Mike, you're hitting on something that these guys have been around it for the entirety of their lucid lives. They've been in big spots. It came through my TV that that last few seconds of the game were owed to there. There was a different level of intensity, a noise maybe in msg you felt that coming through the tv and I don't agree with the mean that necessarily Fox would have done in game 47 in a random environment. What happened in MSG the other night that it felt. You felt the pressure on those cats, right?
Mike
The pressure was there. I don't think it was the the noise, it was loud, but it's not the loudest arena I've ever been in. It was pretty loud, though. But it was also. It's the pressure of. We blew a 29 point.
Dave Zaslow
Right, exactly right.
Mike
That's the pressure. The pressure isn't, oh, my God, Mariska Hargate is too loud. It's not that. It's. It's. I blew a 29 point lead. But I say that to say that if he blew a 29 point lead in game 47 against New Orleans, I think he makes the same dumb play because he's a guy who has not been in these type of situations before a lot. He's not a guy that I would consider to be a savvy veteran. Now, Wemby missing those free throws. Absolutely.
Dave Zaslow
That's right.
Mike
A bunch of shit earlier in that game. Oh, I'm in your head. And guess what? Karma's a bitch. Everything that was in his head came spilling out and went back in. And so he absolutely crumbled in that moment. And that's why I keep saying, all the greats go through this. And by the way, this might apply to Fox, too, to be honest with you. All the greats go through this. They go through the hard times. They go through what? I remember I said tragic. Johnson for Magic Johnson and Shaq getting swept and Kobe's four airballs and Michael getting beat up by the Pistons. This is the way this league works, man. Nobody gets a pass. You come in, you get your ass kicked, and you have to figure it out. And the great ones learn from it and get better as a result. And the ones who are not so great disappear. Like Ben Simmons getting scared of Trae Young. Like, what happened in there was a pivotal, crucial crossroads. He could have came back a much better player. He didn't.
Dave Zaslow
I agree that the NBA is distinct from the other leagues because of exactly what you say, and not just individuals, but entire teams. It's a progressive quality to it, which is you get into the playoffs one year, you get that experience, maybe you make a deep run, then maybe you're ready to start winning titles. And that's a little bit different in the last handful of years than what it's been over the course of our lives. But I think what you just hit on there, I mean, is the key detail. De' Aaron Fox has taken up a lot of the oxygen that otherwise would be directed at Wemby. You know, if you. If you talk about all sports, some of the most memorable things are Ernest Bynors fumble and Bill Buckner and so on and so forth. And Chris Weber's timeout. Young in his career as he was and all of that. That what distinguishes Wemby. He threw the ball into Castle's ass in with nine seconds to go earlier in the same series and then miss those free throws. I wonder how much of a stink is going when we get away from this. Zaslow and I went back and forth on this on. On Football America Today upcoming. He says Fox is the guy who people are going to target when this is all over. Assuming the Knickerbockers.
Dan Le Batard
I don't think his career is ever.
Dave Zaslow
I think Wemby has to wear this one, though. This is on him. He blew it twice.
Mike
I think Fox has a, like, a very high kind of intensity point that people can easily. You can easily criticize Fox for two reasons. One, it's a universally dumb play, or three reasons. Excuse me, one is dumb play. Two, he would not own up to it the way Wemby did after game two. So, yeah, that's my bad. And three, like, hey, no one's going to ever criticize you for saying Fox messed up or Fox somehow was lesser than because some guy Wemby has the glow. He's the golden child, right? He's the golden child. Oh, he went and he sketched a statue in Gramercy Park. Oh, he's. He's meditating on the rooftop of the. Of the Ritz. Like, he's got this thing about him that's going to make people want to defend him and over time, people going to kind of erase the stuff. LeBron's big failing was Jose Juan Barrea, like, locking him, but you go Jose
Dan Le Batard
Juan instead of J.J. huh.
Mike
Wow. And so. But it's like LeBron at that point in his time was like a polarizing guy already, because the way he came to Miami. Right. Wemby hasn't had the polarized polarization moment. There's the only people I think, who really hate him are Knicks fans. They hate Wemby, man.
Dan Le Batard
And Thunder fans.
Mike
They hate him. Thunder fans don't hate them. Thunder hasn't do another group of you. Wemby was. Was not ringing from the Paycom Arena.
Zaz
Venn diagram is all I'm saying.
Mike
Yeah, so. So if you're Mecca, you hate him.
Zaz
There, I said it.
Dave Zaslow
Xenophobes, right? Exactly.
Zaz
No, it's 100% batting average from where I'm sitting.
Mike
I don't know, man. I think there's a lot of rank of New Yorkers who don't like him. They don't like him. They think he's dirty. They think he tried to take out Jalen Brunson. Like, that's a real thing, dude. Like, the streets of New York hate Wemby. Hate him. Not like, oh, I'm rooting against him, or, oh, like.
Zaz
But they were also looking for a reason, too, because it was the only thing really missing from this NBA final.
Dan Le Batard
Wendy's name's on the streets.
Zaz
It was not that he hasn't done some stuff. Not that he hasn't done some villainous stuff, but they were looking for a reason because that's what sports fans always do. And that market in particular. They were looking to get in somebody's head. They were looking to make somebody to direct their ire to. And Wemby fit the profile.
Mike
Mike, nobody threw an egg at James Harden. No one threw an egg at CJ McCollum. Remember when they were talking, oh, CJ, you're the next Trey Young. No one threw Exit those dudes.
Zaz
No, but they hated Trey Young. But, like, they didn't face any adversity with James Harden.
Mike
Yeah, I suppose. Yeah, I suppose. I don't. Look, Trey Young never got an egg thrown on. How about that? They still say they spit on him. Yeah, I'd rather get spit on. That's wrong.
Dave Zaslow
That's wrong.
Zaz
Halliburton's. I think even you can make an argument even more hated than Trey Young. We just forgot about it because he didn't play. I mean, Halliburton would go to WWE shows in New York.
Mike
Yeah.
Dan Le Batard
And literally, that's good heat.
Mike
That's him having. That's him hamming it up, though, right? Like, Wemby's not hamming it up. He's just doing him. Which is, by the way, honest. I would want my best play. I would want my best player to. To be on the edge like that. I would. I really like. I think if he played for the Knicks, they would love him. But the fact is, he doesn't play for the Knicks. And so they are looking at him like he is the worst thing ever. Like he's Satan incarnate. Yeah.
Amin
Where there's conversations about that in the group chats. But more importantly, I don't want my fate, my best player, my franchise face dribbling up a mountain that's. That is dangerous. Where you can fall off and die. But that's another story. That's probably fake anyways. Getting to the point of getting people's passes.
Dave Zaslow
Right.
Amin
Mitch Johnson getting a little bit of a Pass for some coaching decisions. Dylan Harper, where is he? Late in games, playing Wemby. A ton of minutes when they were up 20. Like, what do you think of Mitch Johnson, his coaching so far and is he going to skate on any sort of blame?
Mike
I think he'll get some blame. And again, I'll say the same thing about Mitch that I've said about his team. First time at the rodeo. I don't care how many times you've been there as an assistant coach, it's different when it's your call, right? David Blatt, years ago we ridiculed him for saying it's like being a fighter pilot, the number of decisions you have to make. He wasn't wrong, man. Like it's your. If it's your first time, it can be overwhelming. And Mitch Johnson, I think got overwhelmed. Hell, after the game, as I'm walking into press conferences, I'm thinking to myself, well, Mitch is going to come out and say, look, the fact of the matter is we've had a double digit lead in all four of these games. We should be winning these games. We have to figure out a way to, to finish better. But I like where we're at or something like positive something to look forward to. That dude looks shell shocked in this press conference. Every question he kind of just had a blank stare. And I had to like really process, you know. What did you just ask me? Because I was thinking about how he just blew a 29 point lead and I'm like, yeah, man, it's because it's his first time at the rodeo. The other thing, Tony, I'll say about, about Ms. Johnson, because every time something goes wrong with the spurs, you know, everyone says, oh, what did Pop say? You cannot outsource being a bad cop. He's got to learn how to be a bad cop with his team and let Pop be the uplifting grandpa. But it can't be. Pop is the one that gives it to him real. And then I come here like, come on guys, we can do it.
Dan Le Batard
Good job, Amin. Enjoy the weekend of games.
Mike
Oh, enjoy the World cup, baby. Let's go.
Dan Le Batard
So, brand new episode of South Beach Sessions. You wanna make sure you catch. Dan was joined by Beth Stelling. Let's give you a little bit of that.
Beth Stelling
I think for the most part the times I've worked with my mom mainly was the podcast that we had together and we would call comedians moms. And my mom really loved that. And we were doing that during the pandemic and it was so sweet and so Fun. It was meant to sort of learn more about the comedian, and we always ended up talking to the mom and learning about her. So my mom sort of made, like, a bunch of new voices friends. And I am so proud of my mom being someone who's able to, like, receive new information and change and grow as she ages and learn new things and be open to that. So, yeah, even if she said something that was like, ooh, you know, that's like, not really right anymore, or, like, that's not what we feel, you know, I would talk about it with her, and she'd go, okay, thank you for telling me that. I didn't think about it that way. And people got to listen to that and hear the change, like, in person without embarrassing her or making it seem like she's a bad person or something like that. And this is not something that happened often, but something, to answer your question, like, were there challenges? And it's like, that's kind of the little minimalist part of it.
Beth Stelling's Father
So was it. But it was a joy to do. Then it was like, all of it just making it, connecting with her.
Beth Stelling
We even got to do Just for Laughs, Montreal before the pandemic. And we did our podcast live with a couple of moms. And the cutest thing, it's like we're finally live. And she'd be talking, and then just the microphone would slowly lower, and I'd reach over and put the microphone back up to her mouth. Cause she's, like, a little shy. She's not a ham, but she's funny in her own sort of amazing naivete.
Mike
Yeah.
Beth Stelling's Father
No. When I think back on what it is that I did with my father, I would have liked to have been more gentle, and I wasn't. Not gentle. He required a great deal of patience. But the snapshots I have is, he's doing his best. This isn't his chosen profession. He's doing it with me daily. I feel like I should have had endless patience with him.
Beth Stelling
Yeah, but that's hard. It is hard to do with your own parent. I have a dark. I've had a dark mantra that I have said to myself. When those. I catch myself being an asshole, which is like, she'll die, and your life will be over, so remember that.
Date: June 12, 2026
Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Mike, Amin, Zaz, Roy, Dave Zaslow
Broadcasting from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Dan Le Batard and crew blend sports, pop culture, and humor with a special focus on the ongoing 2026 World Cup and current NBA Finals. This episode is filled with their trademark debates, comedic asides, and behind-the-scenes sports talk, highlighted by a deep-dive into “rookie mistakes” in high-pressure situations—hence, “It’s Their First Time At The Rodeo.”
[01:45]–[14:00]
The American World Cup Experience:
Best Part of the World Cup for Americans:
Bizarre/U.S.-Centric World Cup Customs:
[19:03]–[21:50]
[22:00]–[44:24]
Theme: “Their First Time At The Rodeo”
Are “Veterans” Actually Veterans If They’ve Only Lost?
Personal and Psychological Effects:
Coaching Under Fire: Mitch Johnson’s “First Time” in the Big Chair
Atmosphere & Pressure in Sports:
The episode is high-energy, conversational, and laced with sarcasm. The hosts riff, poke fun at one another, and swerve between sports analysis and absurdist humor, never taking themselves too seriously. Their chemistry creates a lived-in, “hang out with your friends at the bar” vibe.
This hour-long episode is a microcosm of Dan Le Batard and Stugotz’s approach: irreverent, insightful, and highly entertaining, with no sacred cows. It delivers: