The Big Suey: I Say Unto Thee (feat. Amin Elhassan)

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

The Big Suey: I Say Unto Thee (featuring Amin Elhassan)

Release Date: March 11, 2026
Main Theme:
This episode dives deep into the aftermath and cultural response to Bam Adebayo’s historic 83-point NBA game—a feat that propels Bam into rarefied company alongside Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant. Dan, Stugotz, and guest Amin Elhassan dissect not only the game itself but the social media discourse, “stat chasing,” and the way basketball records, particularly Kobe Bryant's, are revered and debated in the national spotlight. They also touch on the Miami Heat's context, the role of NBA fandom, and the challenges of appreciating greatness amid modern cynicism.

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Key Discussion Points

1. The 83-Point Game: A Historic Night

[02:04] Dan LeBatard: “Bam Adebayo is in a place among Kobe and Wilt that he shouldn’t be right. Like, that’s not a place that he belongs. Historically, that list 1, 2 felt right at 100 points, 81 points. But let’s bring in Amin Elhassan. What do you think, Amin, is going to be the national reaction to this?”

• Amin’s Initial Reaction:
  [03:23] Amin Elhassan: "It's weird...everyone's consuming different reactions because of algorithms on social media...it was kind of like, 'Oh my God, is this happening?' ... when it was like 70 points and it was in the fourth quarter, I thought to myself, well, they're going to pull him...And then I realized they're going for it. I said, holy crap, is he going to get it?"

• Discourse on Stat Chasing
  [16:01] Tim McMahon soundbite (played for Amin):
  "It was just awful, hideous, disgusting basketball down to stretch...the most blatant stat chasing I’ve ever seen, dude...But hey, you got your 83.”

  [17:12] Amin Elhassan: “Okay. I don't. Look, man, he said he was offended by someone shooting over triple teams. Oh, I wonder, was there a player in NBA history who routinely shot over double and triple teams...Definitely not one that wore 24 or 8 in their career…”

2. The Reaction & Legacy of Kobe Bryant

• Kobe’s Memory and the Fandom
  [08:26] Stugotz: “You cannot win arguments against a dead man. The Kobe Bryant’s legacy - it mushroom clouded because of the way he died. And now people protect him really preciously, as if there's sainthood involved there.”

  [08:47] Amin Elhassan: "It's a nation, the nation of Kobistan...when he passed away, I kind of had to retire that bit...And so you got to ease off the gas. But, you know, basketball moves on. And regardless...this record was broken and wasn't nothing Kobe or any of the Kobistanis can do about it."

• Debate Over Honoring Kobe
  [33:16] Stugotz: “If they had, in that moment, just stop at Kobe to honor him, a lot fewer people would be mad about it.”

  [35:02] Dan LeBatard: “I think the ends would have justified the means...It would have been national applause. But everybody could have pointed have Been like, oh, that's why you guys were doing it, because you wanted to Honor Kobe at 81.”

  • This leads to a discussion of how certain numbers (81) and legacies become "sacrosanct" in basketball, and how the social reaction is more about preserving memory than about the real value of the achievement.

3. The NBA Fan Experience & Media Cynicism

• Algorithm-Driven Outrage
  [07:17] Amin Elhassan: “If Donovan Mitchell had done this in the same exact fashion...I don't know if the uproar would have been quite as loud. There is a feeling that like Bam. Adebayo, who is not, quote unquote, a bucket...that feels like some sort of treason or blasphemy.”

• Complaints vs. Celebration
  [10:48] Amin Elhassan: “I tend to dwell in a place where I don't have to defend something that I don't like to other people...what I don't do is spend every waking minute...trying to tell people that cricket stinks...So I would urge everyone who feels the need to point out the basketball stinks, like, why do you care so much about something that does not interest you?”

  [11:31] Dan LeBatard: “Do you guys like basketball or do you like complaining about basketball?...the last couple years everybody likes complaining about basketball and not watching the actual sport…”

4. Discussing the Numbers and the Act of Scoring

• Physical & Mental Feat of 83
  [21:28] Amin Elhassan: “It was a testament to stamina. It was a testament to his skill level...How many players in NBA history have scored 80 points? Him, Kobe, and, and, and Wilt.”

  [22:51] Amin Elhassan: “86 shots, man, that’s a lot...there’s a zillion NBA players out there that if you gave them 43 attempts, they wouldn’t even get there. Because a, it’s hard...and b, it’s exhausting…”

• Numbers That Truly Matter in Basketball
  [26:47] Amin Elhassan: “There’s one number that is sacrosanct. Wilt Chamberlain for a season averaged 48 and a half minutes a game...there are only 48 minutes in an NBA game.”

  [27:30] Stugotz: "You dorked out to numbers that I don't think the average sports fan would say. And that's the question I was asking you. What are the numbers that matter in that sport? What are the numbers that can be..."

  • Discussion continues on how baseball, unlike basketball, reveres numbers differently—and how, in hoops, most numbers fade except for select milestones like 81, 100, and now 83.

5. The Wizards’ Role & Critique of “Ethics”

• Responsibility for the Outcome
  [17:58] Stugotz: “You asked him to be aggressive. He was finally aggressive...He was aggressive last night. Absolutely he did.”

  [19:33] Amin Elhassan: “It should offend you on two levels. Level one, the fact that one night could invalidate a decades of a way of doing things...The other level, it should offend you, is that that was somehow unclassy or unprofessional. What did they do? They played basketball...”

  • The crew agrees: if you don’t like the outcome, play defense. The “mercy rule” or “YMCA basketball” jokes underscore their mockery of the reaction.

6. The Modern NBA’s Star Culture & Stat Discourse

• "I Say Unto Thee" and Analyst Hyperbole
  [26:06] Stugotz: “Put it on the poll, please. Should your basketball analyst ever say, quote, I say unto thee while doing his basketball analysis..."

• Impact on Future Record Attempts
  [36:23] Dan LeBatard: “You’re going to see a bunch of superstars try to score as many points here in the next couple of weeks. It's very likely someone guns for Bam's high water mark.”

  [42:05] Stugotz: “Last Dance taught us, and so did Michael Jordan’s Hall of Fame speech. If you win, you can be the asshole, and we’ll celebrate the being of an asshole. This person who did this last night is the opposite of an asshole 100%...But he doesn’t have that asshole in him. And it’s a criticism of him.”

7. Personal Moments and Miami Heat Context

[40:27] Amin Elhassan: “Bam Adebayo, of all people, scored 83 points, more than Michael Jordan ever did, more than LeBron James—it’s just insane.”

[42:55] Dan LeBatard: “One of my favorite moments was after Bam hugged his girlfriend Asia Wilson...he goes to the podium with Asia Wilson, and everyone realizes that the two people sitting there are the active leaders in the most points scored in an NBA game and in a WNBA game.”

• Reflects how surreal and endearing the moment was for Miami and the Adebayo family.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Memorable Banter:
  [01:28] Stugotz: “I have been tempted in restaurants just walking past tables to grab somebody's fries if they're just there. That hasn't happened to you guys. I've done it.”

  [19:33] Amin Elhassan: “Maybe you need to go back to YMCA basketball where they, you know, they have mercy rules and things like that. Maybe that's a more comfortable place for you and your pure ethical basketball.”

• Analysis on Outrage, Legacy, & Pure Fandom:
  [25:53] Amin Elhassan: “If you live your life with a number being the reason why someone is...This is why Kobe’s better. Lebron. Why? Because he had 81. Right? Okay, now Bam walks in with 83, and you’re like, all of a sudden, that argument doesn’t work anymore.”

• On Algorithmic Outrage:
  [03:23] Amin Elhassan: “I wonder if these are different algorithms at play. My algorithm had nothing about this isn’t real basketball or basketball stinks. My algorithm was all about people thinking that Kobe Bryant's legacy was somehow tarnished...”

• On the Difficulty of Greatness:
  [24:04] Amin Elhassan: “Again, I say unto thee, if Bam somehow used the cheat code like we're playing Legend of Zelda or something like that, then why hasn't anyone else employed it? ...There are no cheat codes.”

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Timestamps – Important Segments

• [02:04] Dan sets the table: is Bam’s feat “really” comparable to Kobe/Wilt?
• [03:23] Amin reflects on different “algorithms” filtering outrage and reactions on social media.
• [08:26] The unique reverence for Kobe’s legacy and how his passing intensified fandom.
• [11:31] Dan’s critique of the culture of complaining vs. authentic NBA enjoyment.
• [16:01] Tim McMahon’s “old head” rant against stat-chasing—then debated by Amin.
• [21:28] Amin breaks down the physical and mental achievement of scoring 83 points.
• [25:53] Amin on what happens when “the number” argument in sports gets busted.
• [34:40] Dan and Stugotz discuss the theatricality/optics of pulling Bam at 81 vs. letting him get 83.
• [42:55] Dan’s favorite moment: Bam and Asia Wilson, record-holders together.

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Style & Tone

True to form, the conversation is layered with sarcasm, self-aware cynicism, deep affection for basketball, and playful ribbing among friends. Amin Elhassan brings thoughtful counterpoints, especially regarding fandom, stat obsession, and the challenge of contextualizing greatness in the social media age. Dan and Stugotz elevate memorable absurdities (e.g., “Kobistan,” “YMCA basketball,” “delayed penalty”) while grounding everything in the experience of being a sports fan in 2026.

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Summary Takeaways

• Bam’s 83 wasn't just a statline; it sparked a national debate about history, fandom, and what we value in sports.
• The hosts challenge the notion that only certain players deserve to reach legendary milestones – and why outrage is often more about online tribalism than basketball.
• Records are inevitable; the meaning attached to them is a potent mix of memory, media, and myth.
• Greatness deserves to be enjoyed, not endlessly litigated—whether or not you liked how it happened.

Transcript

[Dan LeBatard]

Shot clocks, Big shots, upsets, aces TGL playoffs are here. First Atlanta drives starts their repeat run against Los Angeles Golf Club. Then Rory's Boston Common Golf and Tigers Jupiter Lynx face off in their playoff debuts. Who will advance? Keep up its playoffs. Tune in Tuesday, March 17 at 6:30pm and 9pm only on ESPN and the ESPN app. A KFC tale in the Pursuit of Flavor the greatest insult the Colonel ever suffered was being served a wrap that was just a snack by a friend. So he took two crispy tenders lettuce, tomatoes and pepper mayo and wrapped them in a soft tortilla. It wasn't a snack, it was a meal. He called it a twister and never called that friend again. The Colonel lived so we could chicken the Twister now back at KFC Classic or with bacon. Also try it spicy. It's finger lickin good. Prices and participation may vary. Spring is here and there's a whole new way to chai at Starbucks that's made perfect for you. Choose your sweetness. Dial it up or keep things light. Add a touch of pistachio, a hint of strawberry or vanilla. Or make it a Spring classic with lavender. Because this season there's endless ways to chai at Starbucks.

[Stugotz]

Welcome to the Big Suey, presented by DraftKings. Why are you listening to this show,

[Amin Elhassan]

the podcast that seems very similar to the other Dan LeBatard podcast?

[Dan LeBatard]

I'm sorry. I'm not going to apologize for that. In fact, the only difference seems to be this imaging.

[Stugotz]

I have been tempted in restaurants just walking past tables to grab somebody's fries if they're just there. That hasn't happened to you guys. I've done it.

[Dan LeBatard]

And now here's the marching man to

[Amin Elhassan]

Nowhere, Fat Face and the Habitual Liar.

[Dan LeBatard]

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

[Stugotz]

Dan Devine points out that in Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game as the New York Knicks intentionally fouled other Philadelphia warriors to try to keep the ball away from him, the warriors responded by intentionally fouling the Knicks to get the ball back so they could funnel it to him.

[Dan LeBatard]

Ethical hoops.

[Stugotz]

Nobody cares about the details as history marches on. I think Mike Ryan also forgets the post LeBron before Jimmy years of Miami Heat basketball. That started the way that he feels about the Miami Heat in general, which was a stretch like this that didn't include Finals appearances in it. But the moment has been grabbed and you can't have right now pure sports moments without argument. Not the way that all of this is consumed and discussed. And so Miami Heat fans, especially the ones who were in the building, were thrilled watching that last night. But I believe you're going to get poison right now. That has nothing to do with the Miami Heat, nothing to do with Bam Adebayo, and nothing to do with even Kobe Bryant. If you don't like what basketball has become, yesterday will become a symbol for why you don't like it, because the numbers have been distorted, and now Bam Adebayo is in a place among Kobe and Wilt that he shouldn't be right. Like, that's not. That's not a place that he belongs. Historically, that list 1, 2 felt right at 100 points, 81 points. But let's bring in Amino Hassan. What do you think, Amin is going to be the national reaction to this? What was your reaction to this last night?

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, it's weird, Dan, because in many ways, I wonder if these are different algorithms at play. My algorithm had nothing about this isn't real basketball or basketball stinks. Now, my algorithm was all about people thinking that Kobe Bryant's legacy was somehow tarnished or disrespected because the Heat seem to intentionally go after the record as opposed to some sort of moral way of like, oh, he scored 83 points in a driveway going uphill both ways while snowing barefoot. You know, So I don't know. I really can't tell you what the national kind of reaction is, because everyone's consuming different reactions because of algorithms on social media. As far as my reaction, you know, it was kind of like, oh, my God, is this happening? And then I thought, when it was like 70 points and it was in the fourth quarter, I thought to myself, well, they're going to pull them. They're not going to. They're not going to go for it. And then I realized they're going for it. I said, holy crap, is he going to get it? And what's Washington going to do to try to stop it? And so I thought it was a great, fun night for basketball. And I think people complaining usually have an ulterior motive.

[Dan LeBatard]

Was Washington out of line for the way they were playing the final few minutes?

[Amin Elhassan]

No. I mean, that's. Look, I don't know if you guys ran the video. Sam Mitchell, who was the coach of the Toronto Raptors When Kobe dropped 81, he was on the Raptors broadcast last night, and they broke out champagne instead of toasting, right? No, you do whatever it takes. You try everything in your power to stop that guy from doing it. And unfortunately Washington have a whole lot of power to, to do that.

[Stugotz]

They didn't actually break out champagne. Are you making that up? Did they bring champagne?

[Dan LeBatard]

Sam Mitchell. Mitchell did on NBA tv.

[Stugotz]

Where did he get.

[Dan LeBatard]

This is like James Worthy with a cigar.

[Stugotz]

He just, he had champagne nearby case to celebrate that somebody break. That somebody didn't even break the record. That somebody broke the second place finisher for most points allowed by an individual in a game, former coach of the year Sam Mitchell broke out champagne to celebrate that.

[Amin Elhassan]

Not only that, he definitely pulled the Mercury Morris, but the reverse Mercury Morris. But he also gave some life advice. Yeah, there he is on Raptors broadcast on tsn, toasting right there. But he gave some advice, a life advice to, to, to the Wizards coach, like telling them, hey man, like you know, it happens and you just got to take it a chin. At the end of the day, you're not playing. So you really are limited in the total number of things you can do.

[Dan LeBatard]

I mean, do we know for sure that Wilt scored 100? Like, is it possible that Bam has scored the most points ever in an NBA game?

[Amin Elhassan]

No. My kid actually asked me this yesterday in the car, said, how do you think it was fake? And I said, no, we had the radio broadcast. My kid said, well, they could have faked that. I said, yes, but they had the radio broadcast for as long as I can remember. This isn't a, a function of like the last 10 years or so where people are doctoring things left and right. It's documented. Everybody knows what he did in that game. The box score is there and it's existed for, for decades. The radio broadcast is there and it's existed. It's just that nobody was there in terms of cameras. And that's why we are naturally kind of skeptical.

[Stugotz]

Cody says he was there. He remembers it clearly. Even though there is no video proof anywhere of this. Pablo Torre finds out, did a deep dive on it has all the facts. If you want to check out what is not in any way up for dispute on the history of this, but as you consume not your algorithm, but you love NBA Twitter, you're in enmeshed in the tapestry of everything that is NBA conversation. What are the interesting things that you have either observed yourself or heard others say about this in the instant reaction to the aftermath afterward?

[Amin Elhassan]

Well, I mean, to me I wondered a lot of things as I consumed my version of the reaction, which was again very Kobe centric. I wondered first and foremost if it's in part because of who it is who did the breaking. If Donovan Mitchell had done this in the same exact fashion, if Luka Doncic had done this in the same exact fashion, if Jalen Brunson had done this in the same exact fashion, I don't know if the uproar would have been quite as loud. I think there is a feeling that like Bam. Adebayo, who is not, quote unquote, a bucket, to use their parlance, for him to occupy this space, that feels like some sort of treason or some sort of blasphemy, right? Then obviously, you know, Bam shot 43 free throws. And again, he's not a guy that shoots a whole lot of free throws a game. So that kind of felt out of balance for a lot of people. But then obviously, Kobe Bryant, the fact that Kobe held this record and that Kobe's no longer with us, that's. People kept bringing that up. It's like, oh, that's disrespectful. The man can't even. As if Kobe could have suited up the next day and try to go, I'll go get 85 just to make sure I still have number two.

[Stugotz]

But that is so. That is so real. You cannot win arguments against a dead man. Like the Kobe Bryant's legacy was it mushroom clouded because of the way that he died. And now people protect him really preciously, as if there's sainthood involved there. His memory, his legacy, all of it.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, absolutely. Dan, there's again, there was already kind of very zealous his fandom before he passed away. I used to make a joke when I was on the jump that it's a nation, the nation of Kobistan. And these are the Kobe Pakistanis and they're ruled by the knights of the triangular table. And everything is all about that flag, even him over the Lakers, even they would rather see him flourish and the Lakers struggle than the other way around. And obviously when he passed away, I kind of had to retire that bit because, you know, it's a very sad, tragic passing, you know, especially in the circumstances with his. With his daughter and. And the other children that were on that helicopter. And so you got to ease off the gas. But, you know, basketball moves on. And regardless of whether he's alive or not or how he passed away or not, is this record was broken and wasn't nothing Kobe or any of the Kobistanis can do about it. And we're just going to keep living until someone drops 84 or 85 or whatever's next.

[Stugotz]

One more point on that, though. In terms of the precious Sort of rosary bead clutching on that Kobe Bryant was a religious figure before he died in terms of how zealous the people are around him. And now even, even more so. I mean, like now the way that this is being reacted to preciously isn't in protection of basketball. I don't believe as much as it is in protection of his memory.

[Amin Elhassan]

Dan. I don't know if we have a sui for best Steve Martin, but that might be it.

[Stugotz]

I liked it better when I said it.

[Amin Elhassan]

Good point.

[Stugotz]

Zaz. What do you have here?

[Dan LeBatard]

Forgot what I was gonna ask him.

[Stugotz]

Okay, the. The. When you look at what it is, I mean, that happened last night and people use it to celebrate, you know, their dislike of basketball. What do you do with that?

[Amin Elhassan]

Well, I think these are. Look, I tend to dwell in a place where I don't have to defend something that I don't like to other people. Right. I, for example, don't care for cricket. Try to watch it, try to learn it. Too confusing, too boring. What I don't do is spend every waking minute of my life trying to tell people that cricket stinks. Even though cricket is a massively popular sport, by some calculations the second most popular sport in the world above basketball by just number of people playing it. But again, I don't care and so I move on. So I would urge everyone who feels the need to point out the basketball stinks. Like, why do you care so much about something that does not interest you?

[Dan LeBatard]

That's the part that feels frustrating, right? It's like, do you guys like basketball or do you like complaining about basketball? But it feels like the last couple years everybody likes complaining about basketball and not watching the actual sport because everybody says the regular season's dead. I mean, we just had an incredible game last night between the Celtics and between the spurs. And the night before, SGA has his, his two time MVP moment, hitting a clutch dagger three against Jokic, who's averaging the best numbers of his career. And he's had three MVP seasons.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, no, it's been a tremendous season. I think the only downside is kind of some of the injuries that have happened. We wish these teams were full strength, but like we've had great moments, great games, great performances across the board. And so I don't, I don't know, Tony, to be honest with you. I don't what they want. I don't know if this is. Again, we live in an age where people are saying things and doing things because it gets attention, because it picks up traction and maybe that's why? But again, I think we all have things in life, TV shows, movies, the books, whatever sports that we don't like. We don't spend most of our time talking about how much we don't want. I hate Hamilton. It came up, I talked about how much I hated it and that's it. Like I don't spend every day talking about how much Hamilton sucks.

[Dan LeBatard]

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[Stugotz]

Ending our lives all the same stugats. It's the final night gown.

[Dan LeBatard]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the st.

[Stugotz]

Let's play for a mean that Tim McMahon sound from earlier in the show so he can hear what some of the even the old heads are saying.

[Dan LeBatard]

You are like, he's jacking up threes while being triple teamed. I mean, it was just, it honestly was just awful, hideous, disgusting basketball down to stretch that. I admit I was cracking up laughing while watching, but I never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever want to hear about Heat culture and professionalism and all that crap again. Because that was the most blatant stat chasing I've ever seen, dude. Honestly, it was the worst stat chasing since Ricky Davis tried to get a rebound on the wrong basket to get a triple double. But the difference is this was minutes and minutes and minutes and extended the game stat chasing. So it was embarrassing for the Lizards, egregious for the Heat. But hey, you got your 83. I enjoyed the Ethical 39 by Wimby more than I enjoyed the Egregious 83. But I'm old. I'm grumpy. I admit it.

[Amin Elhassan]

I mean, I, I didn't know that the Lizards played last night. That's. That's incredible. The Heat played the Wizards and the Lizards tremendous.

[Dan LeBatard]

It's his thing. He Replaces the W with an L. Sure.

[Amin Elhassan]

Okay. I don't. Look, man, he said he was offended by someone shooting over triple teams. Oh, I wonder, was there a player in NBA history who routinely shot over double and triple teams despite having open teammates? Because maybe was trying to get buck. I can't think of any. Definitely not one that wore 24 or eight in their career or. It's ridiculous. Yeah, we're just. We are basically arbitrarily saying things. Look, if there's someone that you want to blame, someone you want to be angry at, it's the Washington Wizards, right? They're the ones who could not come up with a game plan to stop Bam Adebayo, who again, I must reiterate, not Donovan Mitchell.

[Stugotz]

You asked him to be aggressive. He was finally aggressive. You say his name is Idris. Until he's more. More aggressive, you will not call him Bam. He was aggressive.

[Amin Elhassan]

He was aggressive last night. Absolutely he did. Look, is 83 points, 73 points, 63 points, even 53 points ever achieve achievable for him again. We'll see. We'll see. But I would. I would bet no. But again, he has a capacity to be a bigger offensive player than he has shown thus far. I truly believe that. And for Tim McMahon, talking about professionalism and class, again, it's a game. They tip the ball, their whistles, their refs. There's the scorekeepers you play. Again, you want to talk about professionalism? What happened to the Wizards? Why are they so incapable of stopping a player who's not known to be offensively great? All right. Everyone talks about all people mailing it in. The Heat didn't mail it in. Clearly, they whooped that ass and their best player got 83 points. So again, I would say if you have a problem with it, maybe you need to go back to YMCA basketball where they, you know, they have mercy rules and things like that. Maybe that's a more comfortable place for you and your pure ethical basketball.

[Dan LeBatard]

I really, I take offense to that. Like the idea that everything the Miami Heat as a franchise are about now means nothing as a result of what happened last night. That offends me. I don't like, I don't understand how it's short sighted.

[Stugotz]

It's short sighted, it's emotional, it's reactionary. And he said himself at the end of it, and I'm an old person.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, it should have here. It should offend. Okay, Zaz, it should offend you on two levels. Level one, the fact that one night could invalidate a decades of a way of doing things that we know, we know for a fact, dozens of teams across the league do not do things to that level, to that level of efficiency or class or, or. Or discipline. Right? So that's one level of champion. The other level, it should offend you, is that that was somehow unclassy or unprofessional. What did they do? They played basketball, they won the game. They did it with, however means they did it. If you have a problem again, we always say this. Go all the way back to when Cleveland had LeBron the first time around. And remember when they used to be up big at home games, they would play Rick Astley and then Danny Green would be. All Danny Green was known for was dancing at the end of a blowout because he never played right. Obviously he went on to have a great career, but at that point in his career, he was just known as the dancing fool. When Rick Astley comes on because they whooped ass. And I remember there were teams and scouts and coaches like, I hate them. I can't believe it's so unclassy. And my response back then is the same as now. If you don't like it, then go out there and stop them from doing it last night.

[Dan LeBatard]

It's worth noting that the Heat were without Khaleel Ware, the other center on their team. There's no Jovic. So they didn't have anybody else to fill those minutes other than Kashad Johnson. They didn't have Hero or Powell or Wiggins, all of their other scorers. So they needed bam to come out aggressive, which is what happened in that first quarter with the 31 points. And then late in the game, it ends up being a 12 point game in the fourth quarter. So they needed to keep him out there. But then, then late in the game all the BS starts happening. But I mean, can we like move to the space where we just talk about how impressive it is to get 83 points in a game regardless of what's happening? Because I think we frame this all around other people's negativity. Bama Tobayo had 83 points in a game yesterday. A guy who came into this league to be a defender and a lob threat.

[Amin Elhassan]

Right? You said that came in this league. We're talking about up until two nights ago. We're still talking about, hey man, you got to be more than just a defender and a lot threat. So it's definitely a remarkable, remarkable achievement. Again, I use, man, you talk about someone who went out there and put up 43 field goal attempts. People think that's all. If you gave me 43, I guarantee you there's a zillion NBA players out there that if you gave them 43 attempts, they wouldn't even get there. Because a, it's hard to put up 43 legitimate attempts, and B, it is exhausting to put up 43 legitimate attempts. So what he did out there was a testament to stamina. It was a testament to his skill level. And again, I don't, I don't see anything untoward about it. How many players in NBA history have scored 80 points? Him, Kobe, and, and, and Will. And so if this thing is so easy or if it's so easily manipulated, why aren't there more 80 point games? It's a real question, especially in this era where defenses are, are worse or on the bottom end than they've ever been.

[Dan LeBatard]

I mean, he took 86 shots last night between free throws and between field goals. 86 shots. Is that the most in NBA history? Because I'm trying to do the research on it. I don't think anybody else has taken 83, 86 combined shots in history.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, I mean, I, I, off the top of my head, I would say it's either him or Will just off of, off the rip, but you know, 86 shots, man, that's a lot. And again, people say, oh, but Kobe only shot 20 free throws or whatever it was. And I said, well, sou. Kobe didn't make it as hard on the Raptors as Bam. Adebayo did on the Wizards.

[Stugotz]

I actually thought, as someone who has said a lot, I mean, that the people watching basketball, even the ardent followers, don't generally have a real appreciation for how difficult it would be for any of us to advance the ball even to half court. If the Wizards even were saying, you will not advance the ball to half court. If any group of five of us tried to get the ball over half court and Alex Sar is out there and, and we would not be able to get the ball over half court. The athleticism involved in just getting an inbounds when there are three people, three NBA players trying to prevent you from doing that, all of that is gonna get lost in the wash. In today's discussion, what you're talking about, the. Just the difficulty of actually getting open, even if it's just the Wizards preventing you with three guys from trying to get open.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, Dan, you took it the step that I never like to take. It was just like it'd be hard for any of us. Right? Of course, it's hard for any of us. That's why we're not in the NBA. I always compare NBA players to other NBA players. Like, again, it's hard for a lot of NBA players to bring the ball up against that kind of pressure. It's hard for a lot of NBA players to get open under that kind of intensity and scrutiny. That's not a human kind of predicament. That is an NBA player predicament. And so again, I say unto thee, if Bam somehow used the cheat code like we're playing Legend of Zelda or something like that, then why hasn't anyone else employed it? Why isn't anyone else doing it? And the reality is, there are no cheat codes. There's a ball, there's a whistle, there are lines, there's scorekeepers, there are referees. And then your job is to try to get as many points as you can, and they're trying to stop you. And under those conditions, he did it better than anyone else other than Wilt. The other thing, I'll say, and this is important, you know what this uproar is really about. Maybe it's not about Kobe. Maybe it's not about Bam's place in history. Maybe it's not about basketball today, ethical versus non ethical, or any of those things. Maybe it's just about people who use singular numbers to worship everything. This is the six rings is why Michael is better. 81 points. That's why Kobe Bryant is better. And when someone who is not of the chosen class, so to speak, ends up with one of these numbers, we have to find an answer. We have to find an explanation that's not, oh, he. Maybe he's better than Kobe. Of course he's not better than Kobe. We all know that. Bam knows that. He even said it in his postgame press conference. But the reality is, if you live your life with a number being the reason why someone is. This is why Kobe's better. Lebron. Why? Because he had 81.

[Stugotz]

Right?

[Amin Elhassan]

Okay, now Bam walks in with 83, and you're like, all of a sudden, that argument doesn't work anymore. So either you. You stick to your argument, in which case Bam's better, or you accept that maybe, just maybe, a number isn't the thing that makes a player better than another.

[Stugotz]

Put it on the poll, please. Should your basketball analyst ever say, quote, I say unto thee while doing his basketball analysis and to a means point, okay, we can discuss this ad nausea him. There are very few numbers in basketball, very few that matter. And Bam now has one that matters forever. Like go ahead and name all the numbers you guys think matter because LeBron's about to set the record for whatever it is, most field goals ever. Nobody cares. Okay? Yeah. So give me all the numbers. I mean, give me all the numbers that you as a basketball sacred person find. Sacrosense.

[Amin Elhassan]

There's one number that is sacrosanct. I, I put it on everything that will never, ever, ever, ever, ever be broken. Wilt Chamberlain for a season averaged 48 and a half minutes a game, ladies and gentlemen. They're only 48 minutes in an NBA game.

[Stugotz]

Okay, that's a, that, that's a par, that's a parlor trick.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's a great one.

[Stugotz]

It's a parlor trick. It's nonsense.

[Dan LeBatard]

Awesome.

[Amin Elhassan]

I got another one. I got another one for you. So we know that Shay Gil Alexander is on the cusp of breaking Wilt's record of consecutive 20 point games. Right? Shay's actually missed 13 games in that span. So it's, it's not truly consecutive, but we'll forget about that. But Wilt in his span missed 23 minutes over the entirety of the span.

[Stugotz]

You dorked out to numbers that I don't think the average sports fan would say. And that's the question I was asking you. What are the numbers that matter in that sport? What are the numbers that can be. Baseball's the sport that has the numbers that matter. None of the other sports do that as well as baseball does it. I don't know how many basketball has, but I associate 81 with Kobe and now 83 goes to Bam like that. I, I, there aren't many.

[Amin Elhassan]

I mean, you got a wilt 100 point game, you've got Michael Jordan, Michael Jordan 63 point in the playoffs. I think that might be the one that people are have a chance of actually achieving because 63 seems really low considering all the great scoring efforts we've had in NBA history. So I think Michael Jordan 63 and man, I don't know. We don't talk about this enough. Jokic leading the league in assists and rebounds currently and he's top five in scoring and he's shooting 58 from the field and 40 from three. That might be one right there. And then Steph Curry, unanimous MVP is,

[Dan LeBatard]

is another one con canipple coming up too after that. DraftKings Sportsbook, the number one sportsbook for live betting, is built for March. The tournament is unpredictable, but the rewards are guaranteed, baby. And DraftKings is delivering some of the most generous rewards in the market. New to DraftKings bet just five bucks and get 200 bucks in bonus bets instantly. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app and use code DAN. That's code DAN to turn five bucks into 200 bucks in bonus bets instantly. In partnership with DraftKings. The crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call 1-800- GAMBLER or 1-800- Myreset. NEW YORK Call 877-8-HOPE and WHO or text HOPE and WHY. CT. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org on behalf of Booth in Kansas. Wager tax pass through. May apply in Illinois, 21 and over in most states. Void in Ontario, restrictions apply. Bonus bets expire seven days after issuance. For additional terms or responsible gaming resources, see sportsbook.draftkings.com promos Limited time offer. Your little one grew 3 inches overnight. Adorable. Also expensive. Sell their pint sized pieces on Depop and list them in minutes with no selling fees because somewhere a dad refuses to pay full price for the clothes his kids will outgrow tomorrow and he's ready to buy your son's entire wardrobe right now.

[Stugotz]

Consider your future growth.

[Amin Elhassan]

Bird budget secured.

[Dan LeBatard]

Start selling on depop, where taste recognizes taste. Payment processing fees and boosting fees still apply. See website for details. Don LeBatard all these high paid analysts. I don't want to mention names. Tnt, espn, you know.

[Stugotz]

Oh yeah.

[Dan LeBatard]

They. They are dead. They cannot.

[Stugotz]

They're not going to make it.

[Dan LeBatard]

You know, even if they win in. If they lose in Miami.

[Stugotz]

I need to calm you down.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's right. If they lose in Miami, they don't got a chance in Boston or they are going to have their ass. You know what? In Boston, you know, Stugats. They were wrong.

[Amin Elhassan]

Are they going to lose their job?

[Dan LeBatard]

No. Are they going to get a cutting page? No. What are they going to do? Keep predicting. What is the obvious. They are going to say, oh, the Nuggets are going to win. Oh, Denver, the attitude.

[Amin Elhassan]

And you know what?

[Dan LeBatard]

The Heat are going to win it all. This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats.

[Stugotz]

I've been trying to get off the ground, the take. And I've done it sort of tepidly that Jokic is a better offensive player than Michael Jordan. I've been trying.

[Dan LeBatard]

It's a good take.

[Stugotz]

I mean, I think it's gotta lean in. I know. But. But it's not. It's not ridiculous. It's not a ridiculous thing to say. It's not.

[Amin Elhassan]

You gotta lean in, Dan. See, that's why it's not taking off because you're scared. You're doing it halfway. You gotta go all the way. You gotta take a page out of your boy Nick Wright's book and just be the first on that island and start yelling it loud. And by the time people start coming around, you look like a genius.

[Stugotz]

See you later, Amin. Thank you for making the time. I have a couple.

[Amin Elhassan]

Real quick, real quick, real quick. The Miami Heat's worst stretch was probably pre Pat Riley, but beyond that, it was also post Allen Houston putting that dagger in him. So get a grip, Mike.

[Dan LeBatard]

Get out of here.

[Stugotz]

Thank you, Amin. Appreciate the time. A couple of things that I want to clean up. Okay. Because I did like Zaz's stat of Bam Adebayo and Simone Fontechio combined for more than 100 points. It reminds me of the fact that Tommy Aaron and Hank Aaron are the best home run duo in the history of. Of baseball. The Ricky Davis point that Tim McMahon brought up, for those of you who do not know Ricky Davis, in trying to get a triple double shot at his own basket to try and get the rebound, thinking that he would get the rebound credit on a shot he had taken on his own basket, wouldn't

[Dan LeBatard]

you have assumed that, too?

[Stugotz]

I don't think last night was that. I would have assumed. I would have also assumed that. I would have thought that it would be a rebound even if you shot at your own basket. A reasonable assumption, I thought, from Ricky Davis statistics.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah.

[Stugotz]

I don't know why he said, I say unto thee.

[Dan LeBatard]

You know, he's good for a dramatic flair every once in a while. He says he hates Hamilton, but, I mean, it could be musical. Yeah, he's just trying to be official. He's just trying to make sure that we understand what he's saying is a proclamation, not just a statement. Can I ask you. You know when Bam hit two free throws to get to 81 and then there was a stoppage in play, I thought that SPO was going to take him out right there. So did Eric Reid, by the way. The broadcast did, too. I thought they were gonna take him out there and. And to me, and I was thinking to myself, oh, this is so cool.

[Stugotz]

They would have honored him.

[Dan LeBatard]

This is so cool.

[Stugotz]

If they had, in that moment, just stop at Kobe to honor him, a lot fewer people would be mad about it.

[Dan LeBatard]

How do you. What do you think the reaction nationally would be? Because I. I thought this is gonna be an amazing moment. Yeah. I guess nationally, it would have been applauded, and it probably would have played more into Bam's character. But. But do it for the Heat fans. Like do it for the people in that building. Do it for Bam. Who's. Would you have been thought less of the. As a Heat fan, would you have thought less of what he did last night? I think it's so cool and funny that Bam now has 83 points. I couldn't have pictured like an NBA superstar that is less likely to do this when you consider an ime. Udoka spoke to it and I think Amin to button up his point. The affront to basketball last night was a team that has tried all season to lose basketball game games. And so I stopped feeling bad for the Wizards. I never felt bad for them. But yeah, the game kind of became a circus. And I kept thinking, man, this is a little bit of a circus. This is a bad look. It's not a bad look for the Miami Heat. Miami Heat are trying to win that basketball game and the game's well in hand. Get their star. An incredible achievement. The affront to the sport is the team that is actively trying to lose every game when they step on the court. So good on them. They got what they deserve. And when you're the Lizards and you're with four and a half minutes left left now doing the thing where you're triple teaming the player in. He already has 70 plus points in the game like that. That's where you are. He was well on his way. If, if he had continued to get the ball in isolation and drive to the hoop, those fouls would have been the same thing. It's only because of the farcical challenges and everything that came with it, which was actually so entertaining and so fun. But I was like the. The 30 points in the first quarter, the 31 points is obviously the most impressive part of the game.

[Stugotz]

Game.

[Dan LeBatard]

But I will say at the end when I'm watching Bam, who should be gassed, triple teamed off the ball and finding a way through his will and athleticism just to break away from these guys to be able to get the ball to be in position to get fouled again. I was so impressed by that. Like that's a testament to the player that Bam is, is his ability to just never run out of stamina to the point of taking him out at 81. I think the ends would have justified the means if everybody was looking at. At spo. Intentional foul, do this, do that, miss the free throw to try to get him to 81 to then take him out. It would have been national applause. But everybody could have pointed have Been like, oh, that's why you guys were doing it, because you wanted to Honor Kobe at 81. Is Kobe sacrosanct? Someone else is going to come along because he is, though. The way that the league works, by the way, when someone goes for these scoring marks is you're going to see a bunch of superstars try to score as many points here in the next couple of weeks. It's very likely someone guns for Bam's high water mark. I don't understand that. I. Well, I guess I do understand the allegiance to Kobe because of the standom that surrounds him. But it's only a matter of time when you consider where the sport's gone that even someone comes for will. It's been 20 years, though, that this record has stood and nobody's gotten close. That's why this is Tony. But you need to have that extra a gamesmanship of intentional foul here, 42 free throws there to be able to get to that number because it's just unattainable. But he was going like, he asserted himself to get to the line a bunch throughout that game. If you look like, hold on really quick. I think the referee should have swallowed the whistle a couple of times, by the way. If you go back and watch, he sure, everybody wants to go home, but when that's happening, like, you got to call the game the right way and he was getting hacked, all of those possessions. And so. So when you look at it like you're looking for a player to. To break a record, and as you said, it's been standing for 20 years for a reason. And the. The irony in all of this is, like, there's nobody who was a bigger celebrator of the game in his post career than Kobe Bryant. And I'm of the belief that Kobe would have been out there celebrating in the media. Oh, my God, what a moment. He would have been pissed that somebody broke his record, but it's not like he would have been saying, like, oh, unethical hoops.

[Stugotz]

No, Kobe would have been impressed by 83 points.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's so Kobe. No, it's crazy.

[Stugotz]

83 points and status.

[Dan LeBatard]

Dan, that assist to Drew Smith. Unselfish. My wife got mad at me at one point during the game last night

[Amin Elhassan]

in the first quarter.

[Dan LeBatard]

So I'm watching the game with my son. We're in the Zazlow mansion family room, and I'm just. I'm just relaxed, you know, I even. I switched the Heat game to the big TV. Usually I have the Panthers on the big TV. I switch the heat to the big TV because Bam at has 22 points and it's still the first quarter. I'm like, I'll put this on. And so now we're watching the heat there, and my wife called me on the phone. She was at dinner. She called me on the phone. She's like, on her way home. She needed help with something. I don't know what I figured out. She called me, okay, and we're talking for like a minute, you know, a minute and a half. And then all of a sudden I got really quiet, you know, and she's. She's like, are you still there? Go. Because at this point, Bam had like 30 in the first quarter and has all my attention now. She's like, are you still there?

[Stugotz]

Go.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, something's happening. I gotta go. And I hung up the phone on her, and that was it. And I was. She came over. She's mad at me.

[Stugotz]

I don't know how it is that you have the confidence to swagger after this happened earlier in the show. Zaz, what do you have here?

[Dan LeBatard]

Forgot what I was gonna ask him.

[Stugotz]

Okay,

[Dan LeBatard]

minor penalty. Two minutes for adding nothing. Late call.

[Stugotz]

It's a delayed penalty.

[Dan LeBatard]

Max Truce had his foot on the line. We took a three point basket away. Twenty minutes later, it is.

[Stugotz]

It is delayed penalty. Greg Cody is working harder on vacation than he does when he's in town. He decided again with crazy hair, I'm sure, to react to live news while on vacation. Here's Greg Cody's thoughts that nobody asked for on Bam out of bio.

[Dan LeBatard]

Okay, so I'm on vacation in the Caribbean and all kind of stuff keeps

[Amin Elhassan]

happening in south Florida. Sports.

[Dan LeBatard]

Stop it. I'm on a beach in Tortola, British

[Amin Elhassan]

Virgin Islands, and I find out that

[Dan LeBatard]

the Cantua Cantuna and sign Malik Willis the dolphins have. And now we're docking in Barbados, rum capital of the world.

[Amin Elhassan]

We'll be doing some rum later today on a beautiful rum tour.

[Dan LeBatard]

There's a rival cruise ship in the background. Anyway, now we're pulling into Barbados and

[Amin Elhassan]

all anybody's talking about is Bam out

[Dan LeBatard]

of bio scoring 83 points. Somebody told me Bam scored 83 in a week. In three or four games. That's pretty good.

[Amin Elhassan]

83 points in one game.

[Dan LeBatard]

They. Hey. Morning.

[Amin Elhassan]

You probably want to see the path.

[Stugotz]

Probably.

[Dan LeBatard]

Oh, okay. No, no, that's. That's okay.

[Amin Elhassan]

Those are.

[Dan LeBatard]

Those are our friends from the suite next door. What was I saying? Oh, yeah. After three, four games, South Florida sports quit doing things that are newsworthy while I'm on vacation. Fact. Bam Adebayo, of all people, scored 83

[Amin Elhassan]

points, more than Michael Jordan ever did, more than LeBron James is just insane.

[Dan LeBatard]

Anyway, I'll be drinking some rum today

[Amin Elhassan]

while things keep happening in South Florida sports.

[Stugotz]

Put it on the poll. Is everybody in Barbados talking about Bam Adebayo's 83 points? I want to also put on the poll more impressive, Bam's 83 or Simone Fontechio's 18 points. And I also want to entertain Zaslow's hypothetical a little bit more. Do you believe that if they stopped at 81 and Eric Spoelstra takes Bam out of the game because he and Bam have both decided to honor Kobe Bryant, that the reaction instead today of Miami defending its little excellent historic moment against the country's criticism, it would have become instead, the reverse of the country would have been applauding, and Miami would have been like, you can't take him out of the game there, Spo. You got to let him break the record. Why would you not let him break the record? Is that what if. If you entertain Zas's hypothetical? Is the. Is it because people are being precious, specifically about the name Kobe Bryant, who's no longer with us?

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, I guess. Ask yourself, what would Kobe do? No way Kobe's coming out of that game. He doesn't care. He doesn't care if it's a legend that passed away tragically and this is a posthumous record that is revered, he'd go for it.

[Stugotz]

This is a funny one to me, though, because Last Dance taught us, and so did Michael Jordan's hall of Fame speech. If you win, you can be the asshole, and we'll celebrate the being of an asshole. This person who did this last night is the opposite of an asshole 100%. This is a person that when they're saying on the broadcast for the 50th time, he's such a good person, everyone in Miami thinks this is a model superstar. But he doesn't have that asshole in him. And it's a criticism of him.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, the whole thing is that he's not aggressive and he has 83 points. First take, just put up a graphic of all the people, the highest scoring games in NBA history, and there are about five of them that have happened in the last eight years that you do not remember.

[Stugotz]

I named them. It's Dame, it's Luca. It's Joel Embiid at 70.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, but those numbers don't matter. What matters is Kobe's number. And that's why you keep him in, because that's historic. Otherwise, you're Damian Lillard, 71 that you're, like, googling. Did that really happen? One of my favorite moments was after Bam hugged his girlfriend Asia Wilson, and his mom and was in tears. He goes to the podium with Asia Wilson, and everyone realizes that the two people that are sitting there are the active leaders in the most points scored in an NBA game. Game. And in a WNBA game.

[Stugotz]

I don't know what their relationship status is, but whatever child is birthed there has a pretty good chance at being athletically gifted. An Olympic baby.

[Dan LeBatard]

They're together.