Local Hour: It's Step-Dan Time

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz – Episode Summary: "Local Hour: It's Step-Dan Time"

Release Date: February 28, 2025
Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Chris Cote, Mike Ryan, Amin Elhassan, Jeremy Tache

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1. Opening Banter and Pop Culture Highlights

Timestamp: 00:01 - 03:03

The episode kicks off with Stugotz introducing the latest streaming sensation, Deli Boyz on Hulu, a series about two brothers uncovering their late father's secret life as a drug kingpin. This segues into humorous interactions between the hosts, setting a lively tone for the discussion.

Notable Quote:
Chris Cote (00:21): "Poof."

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2. Jamel Hill’s Podcast and the Romel Ross Story

Timestamp: 03:03 - 07:00

The conversation shifts to Jamel Hill’s podcast interview with Romel Ross, a director nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for Nickel Boys and a former Georgetown basketball player. Romel Ross shares a fascinating anecdote where Michael Jordan and Randy Moss join him for a pickup game, bringing along the legendary drummer Phil Collins as a surprise guest.

Notable Quotes:
Chris Cote (05:04): "It was Prince."
Dan Le Batard (06:09): "The artist soon to be named Prince."

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3. Phil Collins on the Basketball Court: A Hypothetical Analysis

Timestamp: 07:00 - 15:00

The hosts delve into a speculative discussion about Phil Collins’ potential basketball prowess. They humorously debate his height, playing style, and how he would fit into a game alongside Michael Jordan and Randy Moss. Amin Elhassan and Mike Ryan contribute insights on how Collins might handle defensive and offensive responsibilities, likening him to players like Jose Alvarado and Scott Skiles.

Notable Quotes:
Chris Cote (07:18): "He's a turnstile."
Amin Elhassan (07:30): "Point of attack, defender."

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4. Comparing the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors

Timestamp: 15:00 - 25:10

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to analyzing the current state and future prospects of the Cleveland Cavaliers versus the Golden State Warriors. Mike Ryan expresses strong confidence in Cleveland's potential to reach the NBA Finals, drawing parallels to the Warriors' journey a decade earlier. The discussion highlights key players, recent trades like DeAndre Hunter, and the importance of staying healthy to emulate the Warriors' championship trajectory.

Notable Quotes:
Mike Ryan (12:36): "I think they're going to be in the finals. At the very least, I think they'll be in the finals."
Chris Cote (25:08): "When have you shown enough?"

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5. NBA Playoffs and Finals Predictions

Timestamp: 25:10 - 35:34

The hosts engage in a lively debate about the upcoming NBA playoffs, focusing on the Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC) as potential Finals contenders. Amin Elhassan shares his optimism about OKC's championship aspirations, while Chris Cote envisions a Finals matchup between Cleveland and OKC. The panel also touches on other Eastern Conference teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics, discussing player dynamics and team strategies.

Notable Quotes:
Mike Ryan (30:07): "Cleveland, OKC. That'll get."
Chris Cote (33:25): "They sustain a championship duel between Cleveland and OKC."

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6. Jimmy Butler’s Impact on the Warriors and Team Dynamics

Timestamp: 35:34 - 43:32

A deep dive into Jimmy Butler's role with the Golden State Warriors and his synergy with Steph Curry. The hosts analyze how Butler's defensive skills and leadership have revitalized the Warriors, comparing his influence to historical player-coach dynamics. They also humorously discuss Pat Riley and make lighthearted remarks about team interactions and player personalities.

Notable Quotes:
Amin Elhassan (30:32): "His game is going to age with grace because of his style."
Mike Ryan (32:29): "And he pooped his pants."

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7. Pop Culture: Movie Discussions – "Wicked" and "Killers of the Flower Moon"

Timestamp: 43:32 - 40:33

Transitioning from sports, the conversation shifts to recent film releases. **The hosts critique the adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked, discussing its extended runtime and pacing issues. They also share their thoughts on Killers of the Flower Moon, addressing its length and narrative choices. The debate highlights the challenges of adapting beloved musicals and novels into movies, emphasizing the importance of directorial decisions in shaping audience reception.

Notable Quotes:
Chris Cote (37:34): "Make some choices."
Dan Le Batard (38:00): "Make some choices. Same with the Brutalist."

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8. Closing Remarks and Final Thoughts

Timestamp: 40:33 - End

The episode wraps up with light-hearted banter about movie experiences and the challenges of long runtimes. Amin Elhassan shares personal anecdotes about enjoying movies solo, while the hosts reiterate their views on recent films and sports topics discussed.

Notable Quote:
Chris Cote (40:33): "I'm gonna formulate a list of top five places to take a nap in. I'm pretty sure number one is at the movies."

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Conclusion

In "Local Hour: It's Step-Dan Time," The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz seamlessly blends sports analysis with pop culture commentary. From speculative basketball scenarios involving Phil Collins to in-depth discussions on NBA playoff predictions and movie adaptations, the episode offers a rich tapestry of engaging content. Noteworthy moments include candid predictions about the Cavaliers and OKC, humorous takes on movie runtimes, and insightful evaluations of player dynamics. For fans of sports and entertainment, this episode delivers a comprehensive and entertaining listen.

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Disclaimer: All quotes are attributed to the respective speakers and are based on the provided transcript. Timestamps are included to highlight key moments within the episode.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

You're listening to Giraffe Kings Network.

[Stugotz]

Okay, check this. Deli Boyz on Hulu. Two brothers, Raj and Mir, are living the high life, not a care in the world. When their old man dies, it all vanishes.

[Chris Cote]

Poof.

[Stugotz]

And they find out he didn't just own a deli, but he was a drug kingpin. And they're like, what the. Throw in their ruthless aunt. Some guys who want to kill them. And keeping Dad's drug business going. Sounds amazing, right? Deli Boyz premieres March 6th. Streaming on Hulu. You know that sound? It's the sound of money hitting your Venmo account. A friend paying you back. Or maybe it's getting cash back from your favorite business when you pay with the Venmo debit card. Or it's realizing you can pay with Venmo at checkout at thousands of brands. Now, there are so many more ways to answer the question. What's your Venmo? Download Venmo. Today, the Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp Bank N.A. pursuant to license by MasterCard International Incorporated. DOSH cashback terms apply.

[Chris Cote]

This is the Dan Levator show with the Stugats podcast. It's Step Dan time. That's right, guys. Dan's out. That means, kids, we're all gonna have ice cream today. Yay.

[Mike Ryan]

I don't really like ice cream.

[Chris Cote]

No, no.

[Mike Ryan]

Fro yo hurts my teeth.

[Chris Cote]

Hmm. How about that? I want to go to so many different places. There's so many different directions. I want to take this show. But I have to start with this story that I saw literally moments before we came on air, because I saw. I was sitting in the eating area or outside in the living room, whatever we call this place right here. And Roy cackled. And I said, what's up? And he said. He started saying this thing with Jamel, Jamel Hill. And I said, the Phil Collins story. And Roy looked at me like I was crazy. And I was like, so this isn't about the same thing that I saw, which is. Jamel on her podcast, interviewed Romel Ross, the director. He's nominated for best adapted screenplay for Nickel Boys. Right. But he also played college basketball at Georgetown, which is. That's a pretty amazing kind of background for someone in Hollywood. And he tells the story about one time where Michael Jordan showed up to play pickup hoops with the team. And they're like, oh, it's great. And it's like. And he brought Randy Moss with him. And he said, now, guys, Michael Jordan is telling them, guys, you Gotta be cool. You can't ask for autographs or pictures or anything like that. But we have a special guest coming, and the special guest was Phil Collins. Oh, wow.

[Mike Ryan]

Michael thought he was a bigger star than Randy Moss.

[Chris Cote]

Phil Collins, but it is kind of crazy. Phil Collins, come play ball with us.

[Mike Ryan]

That is wild. I've got him at 5 foot 5. How tall is Phil Collins?

[Chris Cote]

You know what? He could be six, two. Phil Collins hooping. Like, what does Phil Collins game look like? What do you guys think, right?

[Dan Le Batard]

He's five six.

[Chris Cote]

Five, six. So he's got to be shifty, right? Little small guard. Get in there.

[Amin Elhassan]

Point of attack, defender.

[Chris Cote]

Yep. Like Scott Skiles. I don't know why I'm thinking playmaker.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's a great passer. Yeah, yeah.

[Amin Elhassan]

You're doing hairline.

[Chris Cote]

He's penetrating, feisty, right?

[Amin Elhassan]

Oh, yeah. Tenacious.

[Mike Ryan]

Definitely a passer. I mean, who has the all time record for assist in a game?

[Chris Cote]

Scott Skiles.

[Mike Ryan]

Doesn't he kind of look like Scott Skiles?

[Chris Cote]

Kind of does the hairline thing. Yeah.

[Amin Elhassan]

Receding.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, yeah. It reminded me of the only other story I can think of that rivals that as far as, like, what? I knew this guy. He's an agent, and he is from Minnesota. And when he was getting his law degree, he used to play in this pickup game. And it was one of those things where it's like, it's a Sunday pickup game, and everyone, like, knows someone through someone else. You know the deal. You've been to these pickup runs where it's the same 15 to 17 people show up every week. Sometimes it's this 12, sometimes it's that 12. But, you know, it's the same group of people. You know them, but you don't know them outside of this, really. Right. So Izzy and. Oh, Mike and Rog, Right. And so their guy Raj. Raj was a premium shit talker, right? Great basketball player. Penetrating, dribbling, shooting, and talked the whole time. Raj, what's happening? A big personality, right? So maybe like four or five weeks go by and Raj doesn't show up. And so one of the guys is like, hey, was Raj okay?

[Mike Ryan]

What's happening now?

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, what' going on with Raj? And I said, oh, Rog is on tour with his band. And I was like, rog is in a band? And. Yeah, because you don't know these people's backgrounds and lives outside of this. And he said, and then the next year, Purple Rain came out. Oh, no, Rog. Prince Roger. No, he was in the Revolution. It was. No, it was Prince.

[Mike Ryan]

It Was Prince.

[Chris Cote]

It was Prince.

[Amin Elhassan]

Oh, Prince Rogers. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Chris Cote]

So Prince, like all the stuff about, like, the. The Charlie Murphy E. True Hollywood Story about Prince being a basketball player and talking trash and being amaz and all that? Apparently 1,000% true. 1,000% true. Obviously, it took a life of its own after it was told on the Chappelle Show. But my question is this. Why haven't we heard about the Phil Collins stories? If Phil Collins is out here playing pickup ball, would Michael Jordan and Randy Moss.

[Mike Ryan]

But hang on a second.

[Amin Elhassan]

And Randy Moss could hoop, right?

[Chris Cote]

Oh, yeah.

[Amin Elhassan]

Wasn't he high school teammates with Jason Williams?

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, they were buddies. Prince is famously even shorter than Phil Collins.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah.

[Mike Ryan]

How did people not know that this little five foot two dude wasn't Prince?

[Chris Cote]

Because he wasn't Prince at the time. He was Raj. Like, imagine Izzy, you're not catching him at the peak of, like When Doves Cry. You're catching him as he's like, touring small venues, trying to make a living.

[Dan Le Batard]

The artist soon to be named Prince.

[Chris Cote]

There you go. It's like a prequel. The other. The other name. And this. This one will blow. You guys. You guys know who Bruce Hornsby is?

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, that's just the way it is.

[Amin Elhassan]

It's one of my favorite.

[Chris Cote]

So Bruce Hornsby, another big basketball fan. So one day, Bruce Hornsby gets to go to practice in Philly with. When Allen Iverson is there after the practice, he's like, hey, you want to play one on one? And Bruce Hornsby won. Bruce Hornsby beat Allen Iverson in one of them.

[Mike Ryan]

Somebody tell me how tall Bruce Hornsby is. That's all I care about. There's no way he beat Allen Iverson.

[Chris Cote]

One dude. I'm telling you, some of these musicians, six'four oh, wow. Wow. Okay. That's just the way it is.

[Mike Ryan]

Possibly could have just posted them up, though.

[Dan Le Batard]

He toured with the Dead too.

[Chris Cote]

Did he?

[Dan Le Batard]

I think so.

[Amin Elhassan]

Didn't he?

[Dan Le Batard]

The name's ringing a bell.

[Mike Ryan]

Things will never be the same, but.

[Chris Cote]

So Phil Collins, we got him as feisty, we got him as durable, penetration playmaker defensively. How is he?

[Mike Ryan]

Oh, he's a turnstile.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah.

[Mike Ryan]

I mean, first of all, you can post him up, right? Sure, absolutely. He's probably going to foul the heck out of you in the post and say he didn't. All short people do that.

[Chris Cote]

I'm thinking Jose Alvarado, right? Yeah.

[Jeremy Tache]

I think he'd be pretty good. Against all odds, just like a pest.

[Chris Cote]

Just completely undercutting you at the knees. Like, not Dirty, but walking right up to that line of, hey, man. Like, it's just a pickup game. By the way, the other story that Romel Ross tells is from that game was that Randy Moss grabbed the rebound and then one dribble, drop step dunked on Ruben Boomchae. Boomchae, which? One of the great names in basketball history.

[Mike Ryan]

You could have dropped a better name right there.

[Chris Cote]

Ruben Boom Shay. Boom Shay.

[Mike Ryan]

Who did Randy Moss just dunk on? Ruben Boom Boom. Also Georgetown, right? That's where they played.

[Chris Cote]

Yep. Georgetown. Georgetown. Legends. The Cavs and the Celtics play tonight. And for almost everybody, this is the. The. The top two teams in the Eastern Conference.

[Mike Ryan]

Peyton Pritchard is the Phil Collins of the NBA.

[Chris Cote]

There you go. That's another Compton. Peyton Pritchard. I could see Phil Collins.

[Mike Ryan]

I could definitely see Phil launching from, like, 30.

[Chris Cote]

But not. Not with the volume, though, because, remember, this is like, 2003. Probably. It's early 2000. So he's not slashing to the basketball. No, he is, but he's not shooting that many threes. He's pulling from deep when he does. But not. Not too many, right? Yeah, because that's, like, only to be used in this, in the case of a nuclear attack. Right.

[Amin Elhassan]

Can you imagine him calling the players.

[Chris Cote]

Putting his hand up, like, over there? All right, set a screen over here. Phil Collins, like, telling Mike, get away. Randy, come here. Set that screen.

[Amin Elhassan]

And then MJ to set the screen.

[Chris Cote]

And then, like, in the dead ball, he puts his arm around MJ's waist, like, this is what I want you to do. And MJ's like, oh, okay. He's hand checking. Oh, man. But yeah, no Cavs. Celtics. Izzy.

[Mike Ryan]

Yo.

[Chris Cote]

We often talk about, well, I have to see them do it, right? Even the Celtics, who won last year, literally, up until last year, everyone was like, well, until they do it in the playoffs, I can't trust them. And the Cavs have been a team that's had less modest success in the playoffs than Boston had had up until last year.

[Jeremy Tache]

Right.

[Chris Cote]

They've never been to a conference finals with this group. Their best players have never been to a conference final. And Donovan Mitchell, he's been to the second round a bunch of times, but eerily their season. And what's happening to them is a lot like what happened to Golden State a decade ago. Literally 10 years ago, Golden State was a nice little team. Go to the playoffs a couple times, we'll go to second round. But no one would say this is a championship team. Then a new head coach, Strauss did Ethan Strauss did. And I'll tell you the three people who said the warriors that year were going to win a championship before pretty much anyone else. Ethan Strauss said it before the season started. Leander Barbosa said it, I want to say, like in January doesn't count though.

[Mike Ryan]

Because he's on the team.

[Chris Cote]

But it was shocking. Okay, it wasn't. It was shocking. Like in a post game interview, hey, great winner, you guys. What do you. How you guys feeling? I think we gonna be championship. Like what? Everyone's like, what are you talking about? It was such a. And it was just like, yeah, it's gonna happen. It was the same kind of confidence of Ethan where it's like, if you saw what I saw, you'd know, oh, no one's beating them. And then the other person, and this one always shocks people. Shaq, super bowl weekend told me that.

[Mike Ryan]

Shaq always goes against the grain, but there's nothing. It's a win, win situation for him. Because obviously if he's right, he's gonna say, I saw it before everybody. And if he's wrong, nobody's gonna remember. And it's Shaq. He does it all the time.

[Chris Cote]

He never said it on air.

[Mike Ryan]

I think he said the late the Mavs were gonna beat the Lakers in that game against Luca that first time. Everybody else was like, oh, of course the Lakers are gonna win. They're not gonna let him lose. And he just wanted to go the other way.

[Dan Le Batard]

If Shaq gives a prediction in a forest no one's around to hear.

[Jeremy Tache]

That's a bit of a. Look at me, Louie, right? Shaq told me super bowl weekend.

[Chris Cote]

Because this is how it went down. He said, who do you think is gonna win? And I said, well, who do you think is gonna win, big fella? And obviously his rhetoric on TV is, give it to the big man. You can't win shooting like all these, shooting too many jumpers, et cetera. And he looked at me and he said, nobody's beating them light skinned boys, nobody. I was like, what? He's like. And then he pulled out his phone and he showed me video of his son, who at the time Sharif was, I want to say, either a freshman or a sophomore in high school. And it was like, he's 6 9. And I said, he said, everything I'm teaching him is perimeter shoot. Three is like, that's the way the game is going. And I was, I'm looking at like, this is Shaquille O'Neal, the patron saint of throw it down low. And why isn't the big man. Da, da, da. And Dwight Howard needs to do more and all that stuff. And even he was so in on that as it's. It's unstoppable. But the rest of, I want to say basketball in America was like, you can't win like that. You can't win like that. And then they ultimately win and then next thing you know, like, of course they won. And of course they became this.

[Mike Ryan]

Well, they started off like 21 and 2 that year and had, you know, a good amount of health that they were, you know, probably LeBron called them. Somebody called them the healthiest team ever. But if you're trying to get me to say that about the Cavs this year, you got it. I'm going to say it.

[Chris Cote]

Okay.

[Mike Ryan]

I think they're going to be in the finals. At the very least, I think they'll be in the finals. All the elements are basically copying that Golden State team. And if you go to 2022, Kenny Atkinson was an assistant coach on that championship team with the warriors, and he is a damn good coach. They have, you know, all the elements. And I'll say this, I sort of like talked highly about it when they made that trade. But the trade for DeAndre Hunter, I think is absolutely huge for them. Like, they're going to have stretches when their second unit with Ty Jerome and DeAndre Hunter, where they expand the lead. Like, they're going to do the same thing that warriors team did when you brought in whatever Sean Livingston and Maurice Spates or whoever Leandro Barbosa and Leandro Barbosa and go on these crazy runs. I think Cleveland has all the elements and just need to stay healthy.

[Chris Cote]

Mike lit up at just hearing the name Mo Speights.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, he takes me back.

[Amin Elhassan]

A little mole on his head.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah. A little growth.

[Amin Elhassan]

Mosquey, the Gator. Simpler time.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah.

[Chris Cote]

Mo Speights, man, it's too long of a story, but one of the funniest pre draft interviews we've ever had. That dude. It was. First of all, we asked Billy Donovan and his staff, hey, what can you tell us about most Bates? And all they kept talking about was his perimeter game. And we're like, what are you talking about? All he did was post up at Florida. And then he came in and his workout was literally all like three pointers and pulling up off the dribble. Like, what is all this? And it's like, oh. Cause Billy wouldn't let him shoot.

[Mike Ryan]

Speaking of Ethan Strauss, in his book, wasn't there something about KD Saying, how the hell do they call you Mo Buckets if you've never averaged like 20 in the league?

[Chris Cote]

20.

[Jeremy Tache]

That's with the Cavs and the Celtics tonight. I mean, obviously this is a battle for Eastern Conference supremacy. But for you guys, how close do you think those teams are to Oklahoma City? Like, do you think that's just a battle for them and Oklahoma City's going to run away with it?

[Mike Ryan]

Just open the door for Amin here. He is huge OKC fan. He believes they're going to win it all. I don't even think they're getting to the finals, but I can't really argue with him about this.

[Chris Cote]

This is my nightmare as a basketball media person who travels to cover the Finals. I think the Finals gonna be Cleveland versus Oklahoma City. Wow. Yeah.

[Jeremy Tache]

So you're all the way there on Cleveland being a Finals team, and you think Oklahoma City now is ready to just sort of run its way through the West?

[Chris Cote]

They've done it. They like every.

[Jeremy Tache]

I agree with you everything.

[Chris Cote]

Every question mark you. You could have possibly had about them has been answered.

[Jeremy Tache]

They don't have a flaw.

[Chris Cote]

They don't have a flaw and they have the experience. They did it last year. Now they know they have that taste in their mouth. They've got the all the makings of a championship team.

[Dan Le Batard]

Would you ever sit out in NBA Finals because you're like, I just don't feel like going back to Cleveland because Cleveland is your least favorite city.

[Chris Cote]

Oh, not. Not my least.

[Dan Le Batard]

Really?

[Chris Cote]

It's up there.

[Dan Le Batard]

Chicago heard you complain the most about.

[Jeremy Tache]

Is it your least favorite NBA city, period?

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, I was talking NBA cities. Cleveland. Cleveland isn't the bottom. It's up there, though. I'm trying to think, what are the other Sacramento.

[Jeremy Tache]

Amin's bottom five.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah. Cities you've always complained about. Chicago. Chicago. I don't like Chicago as a city.

[Mike Ryan]

Who doesn't like Chicago?

[Chris Cote]

I don't like Chicago.

[Amin Elhassan]

Why are you only going during the winter? You don't like Portillos, you don't like summertime.

[Chris Cote]

Shy dude. I've been to Chicago every season of the year, and every single time I go, the weather is awful.

[Amin Elhassan]

Really? No.

[Chris Cote]

There was one time, one time during the, like early pandemic or late pandemic, seems like till 2021 I went. Cause I had to do training camp radio, you know, interviewing the Chicago Bulls. And my flight wasn't until like 9pm and I was done with work, like at noon. And so my buddy Sean Little was like, all right, let's hang out in Chicago. Cause he's from Chicago. And so we went out and the weather was great. And I was like, man, maybe I've misjudged. We went to this bar where, like, they pour shots in an ice. Ice little thing, and then you throw it and it hits the bell and all that. And I'm like, you know what? Maybe I've misjudged this place. Maybe I misjudged this place. And my flight was delayed, so I was like, okay, we stay a little longer. So then at like 10, 10 o'clock, I'm like, all right, I gotta get going. And I get to the airport at like, 10:45, right? My flight's at 1 in the morning because it's been super delayed. And I walk and it's empty. I'm like, oh, this is great. I'm gonna fly right through security. And I go. And, like, the chain link fence is down. I said, huh, Wait. Be the next one. And I keep going. I'm like, they're all closed. And so I asked somebody like, oh, yeah, this whole terminal's closed. You got to go to, like, the next terminal and then walk over. I'm like, well, that sounds silly.

[Mike Ryan]

This is why you hate an entire city, because of an airport experience.

[Dan Le Batard]

So I kind of see where he's going.

[Chris Cote]

So I go to the next terminal. It's all closed. So I'm like, what do I do? I grab some airline person, and they're like, oh, yeah, the airport's closed. The entire airport. I'm like, what do you mean the airport is closed? So I call American Airlines and say, yo, I can't get in. My flight hasn't left yet. Like, they're not even boarding, but I can't get in. How do I get in and say, oh, yeah, the airport's closed.

[Mike Ryan]

What?

[Chris Cote]

I'm like, but the flight. The planes are still here.

[Dan Le Batard]

What year was this?

[Chris Cote]

2021.

[Dan Le Batard]

Wow. I've been there before it opens. Like, I had a 4am flight to Phoenix once, actually, and I got there at like three something to go through tsa. And I was just waiting for them to open up a lane.

[Chris Cote]

I've been traveling my ent life for damn near 46 years at this point. I have never heard of the concept of sorry airports closed. Like it's a bank or a McDonald's or something.

[Dan Le Batard]

You know what? Fair complaint O'Hare. I used to love it, but I could see as a traveler why it would be somewhere that you hate. Because now I don't live in Chicago anymore. So I'm just going and experiencing most of my trip through how easy or hard it was to get through. O'Hara. Now I hate it. There's nothing. The new Delta terminal and Terminal 5 is actually not that bad. But I.

[Chris Cote]

Is it open 24 hours?

[Dan Le Batard]

Great question. I don't know. I do know that if you need to catch a ride share, you have to go back to terminal.

[Chris Cote]

That's the other thing.

[Dan Le Batard]

Bananas.

[Chris Cote]

Like, hey, every effing airport in America, dare I say it, the world, hey, every terminal has a rideshare pickup right there, either on the curb or you go into like the parking lot. Right. O'Hare is the only one where, hey, especially don't let it be a blizzard. No, you gotta walk back like 200 yards.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's a whole train thing.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, go that way. And I said, well, is there like a tunnel? Nope. Go outside and brave the elements.

[Dan Le Batard]

I do love the tunnel with the moving walkway and the art installation on the ceiling. Anyways, I digress. You went to a basic bitch bar in Chicago. You had a nice time. It was nice out. Maybe give it a fourth chance. Fifth chance. I mean, when it's nice out, it's a great city.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, but it's just like. I mean, it snowed one time. I went in April and it snowed.

[Mike Ryan]

So all you need to enjoy Chicago is to be there when the airport is open. And you once again love that.

[Chris Cote]

And. And what else? And the weather has to not suck.

[Dan Le Batard]

Go between June and September. Yeah.

[Amin Elhassan]

And go to Midway.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah. Fly through Midway.

[Chris Cote]

What'd you say?

[Amin Elhassan]

Go to Midway.

[Chris Cote]

Go to Midway?

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah.

[Chris Cote]

Is Midway like a Greyhound bus terminal, right?

[Dan Le Batard]

No, Midway's fine. They actually just redid it. I used to only fly in and out of Midway.

[Chris Cote]

Is it closer than O'Hare?

[Dan Le Batard]

Depend.

[Chris Cote]

No.

[Dan Le Batard]

Depending on where you're going. If you're going to the United Center. No, O'Hara is definitely close.

[Chris Cote]

Okay.

[Dan Le Batard]

If you're going to the city also depends where you're going, but okay, check this.

[Stugotz]

Deli boys on Hulu. Two brothers, Raj and Mir, are living the high life, not a care in the world. When their old man dies, it all vanishes.

[Chris Cote]

Poof.

[Stugotz]

And they find out he didn't just own a deli, but he was a drug kingpin. And they're like, what the. Throw in their ruthless aunt, some guys who want to kill them. And keeping dad's drug business going. Sounds amazing, right? Deli Boys premieres March 6th. Streaming on Hulu.

[Roy Bellamy]

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[Amin Elhassan]

Yep.

[Roy Bellamy]

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[Amin Elhassan]

Hey folks, happy wintertime. You know, wintertime is a great time to hang out with friends. Maybe take a hockey trip. It's what I did with my friends. Hockey time quickly became Miller Time responsibly, of course, because Miller Lite was made for me and my crew of friends. A bunch of guys that love the taste of beer and don't want to feel guilty about the beer that they're having. Miller Lite delivers across almost every every note. Because Miller Lite is brewed for taste, it hits different than other light beers. The taste you know you can depend on with no games and no gimmicks. Just a great beer. For people who like beer. Like you, like my friends and like me. 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 tastes like Miller Time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces. Don LeBatard, you're getting started on the breakfast flan.

[Chris Cote]

Oh man, I've been singing a song to myself all morning long. Breakfast flan stewgats. Have you never heard the breakfast flan?

[Amin Elhassan]

No. Hit me with it.

[Chris Cote]

Okay. I wish I had some breakfast flan. Breakfast flan. Where can I find a breakfast like that? This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugach.

[Amin Elhassan]

I think I like the Cavs.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, I mean, here's the thing. The Celtics are coming off of a big loss to Detroit. And so typically the formula is when they lose, they come back.

[Amin Elhassan]

It's a good point.

[Chris Cote]

Extra hard.

[Amin Elhassan]

I think I like the Celtics tonight.

[Mike Ryan]

Between Donovan Mitchell and Jason Tatum in the playoffs, who do you trust more? It's a crazy question because one of them's been to the finals and one went.

[Chris Cote]

It's.

[Mike Ryan]

It's wild because I like he can have the bigger games, but I don't trust him individually to take those like good shots. Every time. I feel like he's going to come up and chuck every once in a while it's going to be like, hey, if I happen to be on, this is going to be great. If not, hey, I'm going to go, you know, five for 20. Somebody else picked me up.

[Amin Elhassan]

And I know it was the bubble, but individually, Donovan Mitchell by head and shoulders had the best playoff series out of the two.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah. And that's. Where did he have two 50 point games in the bubble he hasn't replicated.

[Amin Elhassan]

He was dealing with something the last go around in the playoffs. Right. Like he was. He wasn't completely healthy last season.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah, he was hurt. Yeah, he was hurt. And he ended up missing most of that Celtics series, as did a lot of other people on the Cavs. Jarrett Allen missed a lot of time.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, that was a huge one for them.

[Chris Cote]

So it's just like, it's one of those things where I think we tend to rightfully so give the benefit of the doubt to the team that has the experience. Right. If we haven't seen you. And again, I'm not even talking about.

[Amin Elhassan]

The Celtics that you got to suffer.

[Chris Cote]

But it's not even about them winning a championship. It's that the Celtics have a lot of playoff experience. Despite being young, all those guys have like 100 games of playoff.

[Amin Elhassan]

Jason Tatum has a shot to be the most playoff experienced player ever.

[Chris Cote]

Ever. Yeah, right. Because he plays every year in the playoffs and they more often than not they go past the second round and so. And obviously with seven game series and all that stuff. But ultimately I wonder for the Cavs, is it enough? When is enough enough? Right. When is.

[Mike Ryan]

When have you shown enough?

[Chris Cote]

When have you. Well, no, we all know they've shown enough when they win a championship and they're like, oh, yeah, of course. But the other part of it is when is enough experience in order for us to be like, okay, the experience part isn't. Isn't a thing anymore.

[Mike Ryan]

It depends on what type of players you have. Like, I feel like with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and maybe them not actually getting along, it takes a taste of every round and it happens to be that way. Right. They had the finals, lost and then finals and won. So I don't know. I think for certain teams like the warriors, what they were a second round loss and then two years later won a championship. So I think you need to experience once or twice. Like, once you get all the sort of the nerves out about being at the bigger rounds. Because even as somebody covering it, like I covered the league starting in 2000, when I got to 2006, it was covering my first finals. Even I felt the pressure. I was like, this is a lot.

[Chris Cote]

It is. Yo, the finals is a weird time, man. It's because conference finals actually is the weirdest. I say this all the time about, like, the playoffs. When the playoffs start, there's so many teams playing, it kind of feels like a regular season night. Like, for just everyone's kind of playing. Obviously the level of basketball is higher, it's more intense, but because there's so many other things happening, you don't feel like it's actually that special. Then you get to the second round, and there's two games tonight, the Eastern Conference game and the Western Conference game. But you still feel like there's a lot of stories and things being talked about. Eight or however many different teams. Then you get to the conference finals and the conference finals. There's one game a night, and then you feel, oh, man, everybody is watching, just us.

[Mike Ryan]

So when a Sar Thompson crosses you up and turns you around and you look like a moron in the conference finals, everybody's gonna be on the.

[Chris Cote]

Like, it doesn't fly under the radar. Like, you know, something that might happen in the first round or even the second round. And then obviously the finals, you've got all that time. The difference in the finals and conference finals is not only are you the only game of the night, but also when I don't play, there's nothing. There's just that void where game one is Thursday and game two ain't until Sunday. And so we're sitting around waiting to see what's going to happen.

[Mike Ryan]

I want to ask this of Scal when we talk to him later. Brian Scalabrini. But do Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown hate each other? Are we going to go back, like, after all these years and figure out this was a Kobe Shaq situation and neither of them liked each other and they could have won a lot more if they actually got along? Because I just get the sense that they can't stand each other. And I've read that a couple of times, but there's really nothing, you know, backing that up in terms of information.

[Chris Cote]

This feels like the Bradley Beal, John Wall conversations of, like a decade ago. Right? We're like, oh, they like. And they're like, no, we're best buds. And then afterwards, like, I mean, these guys. Cool. But I couldn't stand playing with him.

[Dan Le Batard]

Do we think Scout will actually give us a straight answer on that?

[Chris Cote]

Absolutely not.

[Dan Le Batard]

Darn.

[Chris Cote]

Absolutely not.

[Dan Le Batard]

I thought basketball was dead, by the way.

[Mike Ryan]

It's not bad.

[Amin Elhassan]

Total shambles.

[Dan Le Batard]

What a great start to the show.

[Mike Ryan]

I got called a coward and a traitor, Mike, because one oddball. I just said that I could see both sides of PK Suban's argument. And I get that NHL looks pretty good right now compared to the NBA, especially after All Star Weekend. A coward and a traitor, not American anal.

[Amin Elhassan]

PK Suban acted in bad faith. You have to disclose exactly what. Why you don't watch it at the very beginning before you make character assassinations.

[Chris Cote]

Oh, that's. That's the recipe. Yeah.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah. And you also have to wear your bias on your sleeve. Like, for one. The primary reason why I don't watch a sport anymore is because the Miami Heat stink. And I've seen this, and I've been bored by their approach for the last two years. They didn't care about the regular season, so I responded in kind, but secondarily because my team is no good. It allows me to see all the other flaws in the sport and not care as much. But I do want to salute Donovan Mitchell, because yesterday we were talking about, not necessarily through his own actions, but it just hasn't worked out for Kevin Durant, like the decisions he's ended up making. And some of these things are out of his control. Like, I'm sure in a vacuum he'd prefer to have gone to Miami than Phoenix, but he gave a couple of destinations and he ended up going to Phoenix. There are certain things out of his control. His teammates getting injured, Kyrie. Although you do take that as a data point with Kyrie Irving, you have to account for Kyrie Kyring when You when you decide to team up with him. But it's worked out on the opposite end, I think, for Donovan Mitchell, and he doesn't have the same amount of title or bust pressure surrounding him the way that Kevin Durant. He had the opportunity to play hardball with the Cavs. He decided to extend again. Would Cleveland have been his top destination? He didn't have that much influence over it. No. He probably would have preferred to go somewhere else. But it's worked. He brought along a fledgling franchise, became the face of it, and now they're legit title contenders. It's really worked out for Donovan.

[Mike Ryan]

I have a different, slightly different way of looking at, like, the way I predict. Like, I think Cleveland is going to make the finals in the Eastern Conference. I think, man, I don't even know who I think is going to make it in the West. Probably OKC if you really break it down. But if you tell me who are the two teams.

[Amin Elhassan]

Huge NBA Finals for Adam Silver at this moment in time. Cleveland, OkC. That'll get.

[Mike Ryan]

But this would be a more exciting one.

[Chris Cote]

Will crawl out of the grave. Like, stop it.

[Mike Ryan]

The two teams that I'm most afraid of in respective conferences is Milwaukee in the east because of Giannis.

[Chris Cote]

Yes.

[Mike Ryan]

And now with Kuz, just another option there. And Golden Gas comes in the West.

[Chris Cote]

Come to my side of the.

[Amin Elhassan]

I want to talk about Golden State.

[Mike Ryan]

How is Steph Curry? 36 years old, man, like, that's wild. He still looks like he's, you know, the Baby Face Assassin.

[Amin Elhassan]

His game is going to age with grace because of his style. And I guess I'm always going to be worried about his ankles, but he's shown that. But I. I do have questions because they've played really well with Jimmy Butler in terms of wins and losses. But I also look at Jimmy Butler's stats. I'm a little confused by it. He's shooting 43% from the field. He's like 1 for 14 from 3.

[Mike Ryan]

It's almost like that's why he needed a star in Miami, so he could struggle a little bit.

[Amin Elhassan]

100%. 100%. But a lot of the people making, like Stephen A. Smith. If I watch first take on mute here and I'm assuming that Jimmy Butler's lighting the world on fire because every highlight that they show is, you know, him playing within the offense. And then I look at the numbers, I'm like, this doesn't really make sense. So why is it working so well? Is it competition that they're going up against? Or is Jimmy Butler doing things that don't necessarily show up in the stat sheet that clear things up for Steph and alleviate some of that pressure?

[Chris Cote]

Yes. The answer is yes. It's all of those things, right? Number one, Jimmy Butler's arrival has made Steph Curry sit back up like Marty McFly in the enchantment under the Sea dance after his parents kiss, right? Like earth Angel. Earth angel. Playing that guitar hard now, right? In a way that he was fading, dude, it looked not great for Steph Curry. He looked like. Dare I say it, like Father Time was knocking on that door. And Jimmy Butler gets there, and all of a sudden, this dude is revitalized, right? Jimmy Butler offers the perfect counterbalance in terms of interior play and, more importantly, attention. It's simultaneously made both of their lives a lot easier than it was a month ago, where it's like, oh, there's somebody else you have to worry about every single night.

[Mike Ryan]

Jeremy, tell me you didn't feel this deep down in your heart when Jimmy is sitting there drawing up a play in the huddle. You know, it's exactly parroting something that SPO has told them in the past.

[Jeremy Tache]

That's exactly right.

[Mike Ryan]

And then it absolutely worked. I'm just like, dude, don't. Don't do it, man.

[Jeremy Tache]

It's really. It's been interesting to see the reaction both nationally and locally to the warriors winning as much as they have, and the things that have been put on display within media and social media about Jimmy and his game, things that weren't necessarily being celebrated the last couple years until playoff time and now are all over every highlight reel that you could possibly see. So it's. It's interesting to see that it's hard to watch Jimmy embrace the warriors franchise the way that he has, and it's really amazing to think that, you know, he's willing to lavish every single. Every single franchise he goes to with the praise of being the greatest franchise that he's ever played for, and everything is great, and I'm allowed to be me.

[Mike Ryan]

And he pooped his pants.

[Jeremy Tache]

Well, he did.

[Mike Ryan]

I mean, I asked Brandon.

[Jeremy Tache]

He pooped his pants.

[Mike Ryan]

They said they did not ask him about it.

[Jeremy Tache]

Which means he pooped his pants.

[Mike Ryan]

Exactly.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah. Because if you don't, he's like, no, I wasn't. Poop just sat on some ketchup or whatever. By the great job by Jeremy playing. Don't look now. You did a cardboard cut over here.

[Mike Ryan]

Riley's a menace.

[Chris Cote]

I thought it was a statue.

[Dan Le Batard]

Why did you let him pick your nose? Dare Bear Pat Riley.

[Jeremy Tache]

Pat Riley is allowed to do anything.

[Chris Cote]

There it is.

[Mike Ryan]

I think it shows, by the way, like, the. The folks that they are trying to use or they had used in the past. Even if you go to Jordan Poole, Otto Porter, like, you don't need to be that competent to be able to play with that group and have Steph sort of carry you. And obviously, Jimmy is beyond competent. He can have a bad day on that team and still, you know, win and have a comeback win against the Magic because of Steph. And he, unlike there was nobody on that Heat team that he was constantly trying to set up.

[Chris Cote]

Right.

[Mike Ryan]

There wasn't.

[Jeremy Tache]

That's what's kind of funny, right? Is like this Heat team this year really could have used that. Jimmy Butler, like Tyler hero, taking the leap that he has offensively, could have been helped out a lot by a guy going downhill and creating things.

[Amin Elhassan]

It's why you can't dismiss, like the Gabe Vincent Max truth stuff.

[Jeremy Tache]

Sure.

[Amin Elhassan]

And how that became some sort of resentment that Jimmy kept, which is so interesting.

[Jeremy Tache]

Right. Because all anyone complained about was that they kept running it back, and yet all they did was tweak this roster around him the entire time. They just didn't cash in on trading the young all stars that they had, the young guys that would become all stars to get him some other individual co star that. Who knows if they would have had the same amount of success as they've had the last several years. But is interesting to see a revitalized Jimmy because this was ultimately the perfect scenario. You're not the guy, but you've got to be the best number two in the league 25 times to make a deep playoff run. Like 25 times, total regular season and playoffs included. You need to be your best 25 more times and then you can coast for the next two years.

[Chris Cote]

I love the idea that you said, oh, Jimmy says, oh, I'm allowed to be me, right? I'm allowed to do. Do whatever I want. Right. And it made me think of in Hollywood, these directors, these movie makers being allowed to do whatever the hell they want. The Oscars are on Sunday, and one of the movies that's up or two of the movies that should are the Brutalist and Wicked, and both of them are incredibly long movies. And I sat there and I thought to myself as I watched Wicked, you know what, man? We often villainize the studios. Like, oh, they wouldn't let the director and his vision or whatever, just let him make the movie the way he or she wanted it to be made. And Now I'm like, you know what? They were right, man. They were right. Hey, get this thing under 90 minutes.

[Mike Ryan]

Cut it.

[Chris Cote]

Oh, 90 minutes.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, I mean, I felt this way last year too, with Killers of the Flower Moon, which was a movie I was really excited to see. The acting was really good in it. The movie was. Or I'm sorry, the book was amazing. And then the movie, it's just like Martin Scorsese made no choices. Like, he left everything in. And so it just had a three hour, three and a half hour long runtime and was just very, very long. And so I think a lot of people just didn't watch it because it's such a massive time commitment, which is a bummer because it's important story.

[Chris Cote]

I can't imagine trying to watch that in a theater. Oh, I would have been so knocked out, man.

[Amin Elhassan]

I loved it.

[Chris Cote]

You watched it in theater?

[Amin Elhassan]

What, Killers of the Flower Moon? Yeah, I saw it in theaters. I loved it.

[Dan Le Batard]

I really liked the movie too, but I think it could have been better.

[Amin Elhassan]

I also saw it by myself, which I kind of dig.

[Chris Cote]

Yeah. Going to the movies by myself.

[Amin Elhassan]

I've gone to movies by myself. Especially a theater like Alamo Drafthouse. Like, it's. It's got to be a really stinky movie for me to not enjoy.

[Dan Le Batard]

But this year, wicked, like you said. Jeremy and I got in an argument about this yesterday because. No, disagreement. We had a disagreement. She came down in a bubble dog. They stretched it. First of all, they made it into two parts. And so part one, the fact that.

[Chris Cote]

It, like, part one is as long as it is, and it's 2 hours.

[Dan Le Batard]

And 40 minutes long, and you don't find out what happens.

[Amin Elhassan]

Are you a wicked hater?

[Chris Cote]

I thought it was a good movie, right? I was.

[Amin Elhassan]

I thought it was a great.

[Chris Cote]

I was very.

[Dan Le Batard]

It is a great movie.

[Chris Cote]

I was entertained.

[Dan Le Batard]

It could have been better.

[Chris Cote]

It's just exactly. It's just like, dude, like you said in the break room, make some choices.

[Dan Le Batard]

Make some choices. Same with the Brutalist. Like, the first half of the movie is pretty good. I'm following.

[Amin Elhassan]

We get that sleeper bod from Adrien Brody.

[Dan Le Batard]

Then there's a one minute intermission, and then the second half of the movie is another hour and 40 minutes long. And I'm not exactly sure what the point of it was.

[Chris Cote]

I'm a studio head and my filmmaker comes up to me and says, okay, the movie's gonna go like this. And then there's an intermission. I say, get out of my office. I don't care who you are.

[Amin Elhassan]

Way too long.

[Chris Cote]

Wait, intermission.

[Jeremy Tache]

Well, with Wicked, they're trying to capitalize on the intellectual property and get two movies out of that. If you're gonna spend the amount of money that you have.

[Dan Le Batard]

On marketing too.

[Jeremy Tache]

Yeah, on marketing.

[Dan Le Batard]

Ginormous marketing.

[Jeremy Tache]

But at the same time, this is a show that, like everything that happened in the plot of the first half, outside of one thing that they add to do fan service and service back to the original Broadway performers where they added a scene that killed about 10 minutes. It's all plot that happens before. The difference is you're taking something that's a Broadway musical that paces really fast. There's no giant landscape shots or beautiful scenery or waiting 10 seconds between lines delivered. You're going at a pace because it's a Broadway show. So you're taking something that at that time works in an hour and a half before an intermission and just automatically becomes 2 hours, 15 minutes. 2 hours, 20 minutes. And then where Jess and I agreed is, is they kind of. They ruin the momentum of Defying Gravity, the final song, because they cut so many times between the songs.

[Chris Cote]

They milked that shit in the school where she gets her hat and all that. My. I fell asleep during that point.

[Dan Le Batard]

So in the theater, here's where. Here's where I was officially like, I'm lost. Because I was like. I was like. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were so good. Like, they carried that movie. I thought the production, the set, everything, the costumes were amazing. Where I was officially lost was during Defying Gravity, which is Wicked's not my favorite musical, but I think Defying Gravity is one of the best musical numbers on stage. It's like the huge crescendo before the intermission in the. In the Broadway show. And there were so many breaks during it, it became like a 25 minute long scene. And they showed like six different camera angles of her, like picking up a broom. And I'm like. I'm like, come on. Like, this was like the moment you're waiting for. And then they kept cutting it up and breaking up. I know Wicked heads were upset about that specifically, but, man, just. I wish it was just one just song.

[Chris Cote]

Make some choices. Yeah, make some choices. That's all we're asking. I'm gonna formulate a list of top five places to take a nap in. I'm pretty sure number one is at the movies, but we'll give you all of that when we come back.

[Amin Elhassan]

Hey, folks, Happy wintertime. You know, wintertime's a great time to hang out with friends, maybe take a hockey trip. It's what I did with my friends. Hockey time quickly became Miller Time Responsibly, of course, because Miller Lite was made for me and my crew of friends. Bunch of guys that love the taste of beer and don't want to feel guilty about the beer that they're having. Miller Lite delivers across almost every note. Because Miller Lite is brewed for taste, it hits different than other light beers. The taste you know you can depend on with no games and no gimmicks. Just a great beer for people who like beer. Like you, like my friends, and like me. Miele light 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. Tastes like Miller Time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.