The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Local Hour: 57's The Mike

Date: November 13, 2025
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

Episode Overview

This "Local Hour" episode is classic Le Batard Show: an irreverent, freewheeling mix of South Florida sports talk, NBA hot takes (with a heavy dose of Heat and Mavericks discourse), and the kind of playful show meta-madness that dedicated fans adore. The crew tackles everything from NBA team meltdowns, the psychology of disgruntled fanbases, and the state of league punishments to playful bits like "Pete Carroll Day" and a running (chewing) gum joke. The vibe is lively, combative, satirical, and at times, genuinely insightful about sports, fandom, and the brittle nature of winning windows in the NBA.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Show Chaos: "Pete Carroll Day" and The Punishment Bit

• [02:01] Mike Ryan is forced as punishment to do the show as Pete Carroll—gum chewing, headset, play-calling, and all. He undoes the hosts by whispering defensive NFL play calls (“57 the mic”) while Dan and Stugotz attempt to stay focused.
• Meta Show-Within-a-Show: The crew debates if Mike’s effort respects the spirit of the bit and the audience.
  • Stugotz: “You are cheating the punishments and the audience when you do the Pete Carroll this way. You should be ashamed.” [09:02]
  • Dan Le Batard (mock inspirational): “Excellence is not an act. Respect a habit.” [09:00]
• Stugotz feels overwhelmed: “So I’m having an argument with the show in my head. This is what it’s like to be in an insane asylum where you hear voices.” [10:19]

2. NBA Disasters: Mavericks Meltdown, Clippers Crumbling, Heat Collapse

A. Miami Heat's Bad Loss & Norm Powell’s Brutal Honesty

• The show opens on the Miami Heat blowing a big lead to an undermanned Cavaliers team.
• Norm Powell's quote sets the tone: “That’s a bad loss. That’s a really bad loss.” [05:01]
  • Unusual for NBA players to so publicly call out their own team; the guys praise the candor and accountability.
  • Stugotz: “It’s normal for fans to say ‘Wow, that’s a bad loss’. You rarely hear it in the locker room.” [06:20]
• Discussion of the Heat’s struggles with ISO-heavy play, missing defensive anchors, and losing as heavy favorites at home.

B. Mavericks’ Dysfunction: Fan Revolt and "Blow It Up" Debate

• [11:14] Jason Kidd’s scolding of Mavs fans for hostile chants (“Fire Nico!”) during crunch-time free throws.
  • Mike Ryan: “Why are you actively playing defense against [your own] guy? That is a jarring experience that I don’t think most NBA players would expect.” [17:37]
  • Zaslow’s fan-first take: “Don’t tell me not to be angry and to move on.” [12:43]
  • Dan Le Batard: “The home fan is not there rooting against his or her team.” [22:07]
• Emotional dysfunction: Fans are punishing the team to vent frustration, creating a negative home energy rarely seen in pro sports.
• Mike compares to the “Jail Blazers”—but notes, in Dallas, new players are being booed for management’s sins.

C. Clippers and Team Windows: When to Blow it Up?

• [25:29] “What does blowing it up look like?” The panel debates trading fading stars like Anthony Davis and the consequences.
  • Mike Ryan: “You can't keep digging a hole and thinking, ‘If I dig deeper, maybe I'll get out of the hole.’” [26:59]
• The Clippers’ aging, injury-prone core draws skepticism. Consensus is their championship window has slammed shut due to bad trades, aging stars, and OKC now owning future picks.

3. NBA Asset Management: Pick Swaps and Legacy Trades

• Long exchanges about the dangers of unprotected pick swaps, illustrated by Dallas and the Clippers potentially giving away high draft picks to OKC or Atlanta.
  • Mike Ryan: “When you give away a pick without protection, you are playing the most dangerous game in basketball.” [36:41]
• Management failures: The Lakers' refusal to include Austin Reaves in trades, Clippers’ “nostalgic GM-ing,” and what front offices “owe” their fans.

4. NBA Statistical Marvels and Narrative vs. Excellence

• Nikola Jokic praised for his unprecedented efficiency:
  • “He's shooting 68% from the field, 42% from three, 78% on non-three-point shots.” [40:05]
• The downside of dominance: Winning too easily (OKC, Denver) can make for ‘bad TV’—audiences favor drama over routine excellence.
• Dan: “The best teams are not the best stories. Denver and OKC and all of that excellence will turn to ashes around all these other ... the best stories.” [41:44]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On show punishments:

  • Stugotz (to Mike): “You are cheating the punishments and the audience when you do the Pete Carroll this way. You should be ashamed.” [09:02]
  • Dan (about show leadership): “Excellence is not an act. Respect a habit.” [09:00]

• Norm Powell candor:

  • “That’s a bad loss. That’s a really bad loss.” – Norm Powell, as cited by Zaslow [05:01]

• Fan hostility in Dallas:

  • Mike Ryan: “That is a jarring experience. Most NBA players don’t expect [negative home crowd energy].” [17:37]
  • Zaslow: “I don’t want the fan being told what to do.” [20:15]
  • Dan: “The home fan is not there rooting against his or her team.” [22:07]

• On Mavericks' trade distress:

  • Mike Ryan: “You can't keep digging a hole and thinking, ‘If I dig deeper, maybe I'll get out of the hole.’” [26:59]

• Clippers nostalgia:

  • Mike Ryan: “Remember when he was good somewhere else, Brooklyn? Oh, look at the names he just said—other than John Collins, who's young, they're playing off of memories.” [31:32]

• Jokic’s statistical absurdity:

  • Mike Ryan: “He’s shooting 68% from the field. He’s shooting 42% from three. He’s shooting 78% on non-three-point shots.” [40:05]
  • Stugotz: “That would be better than anyone ever, right?” [40:08]

• Daniel Day Lewis absurdity:

  • Mike Ryan: “If Daniel Day Lewis did it, you’d be jerking off all over yourself.” [35:33]

• Meta on NBA media:

  • Dan: “The best teams are not the best stories. Denver and OKC and all of that excellence will turn to ashes around all these other … the best stories.” [41:44]
  • Zaslow: “How did they lose that one game to Portland?” [43:35]

Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:01] – Mike’s Pete Carroll “punishment” disrupts the show
• [05:01] – Citing Norm Powell’s “very bad loss” quote post-Heat/Cavs
• [11:14] – Jason Kidd scolds Mavericks fans for anti-management chants
• [17:37] – Mike Ryan on home crowd negativity: “It is jarring”
• [26:40] – “Blow it up?”: Discussion on when to reset Mavs and Clippers
• [36:41] – NBA asset/picks discourse: “The most dangerous game in basketball”
• [40:05] – Jokic’s statistical marvels and the narrative-vs-excellence debate
• [41:44] – Meta media talk: why OKC’s brilliance will go underappreciated

Final Thoughts

This episode isn’t just NBA roundtable—it's a microcosm of why "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz" works: a blend of serious fan analysis, show-trolling theater, recurring character bits, sports as soap opera, and self-aware commentary on the nature of fandom and sports media. At the heart: the tension between accountability (players, coaches, front offices, and even show hosts) and the hunger for entertainment, both from fans and creators alike.

For listeners: Even if you missed the episode, you’ll come away understanding the Heat’s disappointment, Dallas’s emotional implosion, the Clippers’ slow-motion disaster, the magic and curse of narrative in sports, and just how fun (and real) show punishments can feel when chewed on long enough.