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Dan Patrick
T Mobile stats are as impressive as your favorite athlete's highlight reel because T Mobile helps keep you connected from big cities to your hometown on America's largest 5G network. Switch now keep your phone and T Mobile will pay it off at the $800 per line via prepaid card. Visit your local T Mobile location or learn more@t mobile.com keepandswitch up to 4 lines via virtual prepaid card last 15 days qualifying unlock device credit service port in 90 days device knowledgeable carrier and timely redemption required card is no cash access and expires in six months Game Changing Sound in my world, every day is game day. So when our partner Sonos installed their game changing sound system at the Man Cave, I immediately said, I think I need that in my house, in my home man cave. And when you hear that sound, it's different. It's game changing. So make your game day setup the game day setup when you build your own game changing sound system and you can do so@sonos.com Dan once again, sonos.com Dan this is an ad for the Active Cash credit card from Wells Fargo. That's a mouthful, but that's because it packs a lot in. Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases with it, big or small. So whether it's buying tickets to the game with your mom or grabbing a coffee with your dog, earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases made with it. Let's say it together. The Active Cash credit card from Wells Fargo. Learn more@wells fargo.com ActiveCash Terms Apply welcome to TGL presented by SoFi. It's golf's newest league. Sharp, electric, two hours of hammer dropping overtime forcing playoffs on the line. Golf 24 of the best players from the PGA Tour, the best of three Final Series is here. It's the New York Golf Club versus Atlanta Drive. Match one will be Monday, March 24th at 9 Eastern on ESPN2 and ESPN matches two and three will be Tuesday, March 25th at 7 Eastern, 9 Eastern on ESPN and ESPN. Tune in Monday and Tuesday to catch all the TGL playoff action. Keep up. It's Golf Tires matter. They're the only part of your vehicle that touches the road. Tread confidently with new tires from Tire Rack Whether you're looking for expert recommendations or know exactly what you want, Tire Rack makes it really easy. Fast. Free shipping, free road hazard protection, convenient installation options and the best selection of Bridgestone tires. Go to tirerack.com dan see their Bridgestone test results, tire ratings and reviews and check out the Special Offers. It's Tire Rack.com the way tire buying should be. You are listening to the Dan Patrick show on FOX Sports Radio. Final hour in this Monday we'll hear from the Arkansas head coach John Calipari, Bill Simmons on loan from the ringer to talk about his Celtics documentary this hour brought to you by Rapid Radio's official walkie talkie, the DP show, offering national LTE coverage. No subscriptions ever. A great alternative for your kids or parents. We use them on the show. Go to rapidradios.com get 60 off and free shipping. 8773 DP show best and worst of the weekend. What you saw that you liked, you didn't like. Seaton what's the poll question we're going to go with in the final hour of this program? Yeah, we've been doing we got a couple of them up there right now. Some of them we've been getting some suggestions for. But let's see. Would you have called the traveling violation at the end of the Maryland Colorado State game? Okay. Right now 56% of the audience are saying no. Okay. No, they wouldn't have. When I watched it initially, I was, I was comfortable with it and I don't have any, you know, dog in the fight. I just, it's weird how what is allowable now and you almost have to train your eye to go. No, it's like James Harden, he taught us to train our eye. And you could go back to whether it was Sharonis, Marcelo Onus who played for Golden State. You know, these European players coming in with the Euro step. Okay, you had to train your eye with that initially. But you know, that's one of the few buzzer beaters that we've had. It's been not exactly March Madness. I think the suggestion was March meh ness. All right. We'll get to more phone calls coming up. Coach Cal will join us as well. A little bit of football news. Aaron Rodgers meeting with the Steelers on Friday. I don't think there was any other information other than I think it was eight hours that they met with Aaron Rodgers. And the Giants have added Jamis Winston. But that doesn't take them out of the running for a quarterback in the first round. You're probably going to have three quarterbacks taken, Jaylen Milro. And if you go back to during the season when my source, who's an NFL scout said there's Lamar Jackson feel about Jaylen Milro, the Alabama quarterback, he ran a 4, 340 at that size. Somebody going to find a way to take him I don't know if he's an end of the first round, maybe second round. He's going to be a project. Jackson Dart's going to go in the first round. And if I'm going to circle the team, I would circle. Okay, I'll let you guys play the guessing game here. So guess the team that I think will take Jackson Dart, the Ole Miss quarterback, in the first round. Todd, I'm going to start with you, Cleveland. All right, Seaton. The team that will take Jackson Dart in the first round. Oh, man. How about I'll go down a little further, maybe Indianapolis. Okay, Marvin. The Miami Dolphins. All right, Paul, the way you're pumping.
Bill Simmons
This up, I'm going with the Dallas Cowboys.
Dan Patrick
The Pittsburgh Steelers. Come on. How about that Pittsburgh Steelers pick number 21. I think we'll take Jackson Dart in the first round. Maybe have Aaron Rodgers there. Maybe he can help him mentor Jackson Dart. Jackson Dart looks like a first round draft pick. Like he. And he's got a star name, too. That's a good name to be a quarterback. I'm Jackson Dart. Yeah. If it was in a movie, though, I'd be like, this movie's so stupid.
Bill Simmons
Like, can they just give him a real name?
Dan Patrick
Jackson Dart? Nobody would ever be named to that. Live on NBC Golf Channel streaming on Peacock and the Texas Children's Houston Open. That'll be coming up at the next week. That's on Golf NBC and Peacock. Couple of phone calls in here, Sean in Indianapolis. Hi, Sean. What do you have for me today? Hey, Dan. Best and worst of the weekend has to be the shot of the tournament with Liam McNeely of UConn hitting my over. Yeah. And then the worst is. The worst is just the officiating and the reviews at the end of the game just making it take forever.
Bill Simmons
And it just.
Dan Patrick
It just takes the excitement out of the end of the game. Yeah, I know. And I don't know if it feels like every year we kind of complain about the same things of how it's called, you know, swallow a whistle. You know, the big teams, you know, the favorites, they get called. I mean, we do this all the time. You know, I have a little bit.
Bill Simmons
Of a hard time with my brain.
Dan Patrick
Reconciling the idea, but I'd rather them just get the call wrong and do it quicker than take a second and get it right. I. I really have a hard. I get the flow of everything, but, like, man, can we just get the calls wrong and just have it move along faster? And I brought this up to Fans before that, you know, they're like, oh, takes forever. It's not instant replay. I go, yeah, I know. But their job is to get it right. If they give you the technology to do it right, it's like you go into the SAT and they give you. You can have a calculator for the sat. So it'd be like if you went in and you go, I don't. I don't want the essay. I'm not going to use my calculator. They give you all the tools to be able to get the call right. It's when they don't get it right, when they've used replay, that's when I have a problem. But the stoppage. Yes, but as Seaton says, if I said to you, hey, they're totally going to blow this call against your team and you're going to get bounced from the tournament, but they're going to do it real quick, are you okay with that? It's going to happen in a nice, quick manner, like, yeah. Heck yeah. Great. That's exactly what I want. Yeah. Forget about the technology to get it right, even if it takes an extra 30 seconds. I don't want that. Yeah. Jerry in Austin, Texas. Hi, Jerry. What's on your mind? Hey, Dan. Six two, sturdy 205. I got a comment, a request, and a best and worst, if you'll allow. Okay, cool. Best and worst.
Bill Simmons
Michigan State making it to the sweet 16. Thank God, man.
Dan Patrick
I love that.
Bill Simmons
But worse is that my brackets busted.
Dan Patrick
Because I had St. John's like a.
Bill Simmons
Lot of people and Patino go in.
Dan Patrick
It, but he didn't make it. Yeah, Rick was not in a good mood at the end of the game. Thank you for the phone call there, Jerry. He was asked by a reporter the following question. You had RJ on the bench, you know, for a pretty long stretch at the end.
John Calipari
Was that just because he just didn't.
Dan Patrick
Wasn't making them, or was there something more to it?
John Calipari
Played 30 minutes. It's a long time.
Dan Patrick
So he was tired?
John Calipari
No, played 30 minutes.
Dan Patrick
And I went with other people. You. You already know the answers, Roger. You're asking leading questions. You already know it. So don't ask leading questions. You already know why he didn't play.
Bill Simmons
Was there one play with RJ that.
Dan Patrick
Made you sit him the last five minutes? You know he was three for 17.
John Calipari
You know he was zero for three. So you're answering your own. I'm not going to knock one of my players.
Dan Patrick
Although you just recited his stats and that. I don't know what. He played 30 minutes, right? And then the reporter goes, was he tired? No, he was not. So what's the 30 minutes mean? He had his chance to prove himself, and he didn't do it in 30 minutes. And as a reporter, you have to ask that question. This is the biggest player of the year. And as Jay Billis pointed out, and I said the same thing in the first hour. Take it to the hoop. You had some guys in found trouble. Get inside. Hey, my. My jumper's not dropping. Can you dribble? Can you get to the hoop? Can you put some pressure on them? Can you get some, you know, fouls called? I just didn't understand that. Yeah, Marvin. Yeah. My biggest player of the year is playing 41 minutes. Yeah, I know there's 40 minutes. He's playing more than that. He's playing every single second. It's the NCAA Tournament. He would have all this week to rest. But, like, I. I just didn't understand that, like, in living and dying with your players, that got you to this spot, Bob in Florida. Hi, Bob. What's on your mind today? Oh, can you hear me now? I can, Bob. Okay. I needed a microphone test my best. I got a best and a worse for you and also got a stand of the day for you. So stand of the day. Pick the theme you want to use for stand of the day after I give you my best and worst. Okay, dad, thanks for calling back. My best is the Cyclones. My Cyclones got it within 10 points with about two minutes to go. But my worst is they still lost. Okay, that's that of the day, Dan. All right, go ahead real quick. Give me your stat of the day. All right. My stat of the day is watching the Tennessee women on mute and they put a stat up that said that Tennessee made 122 substitutions in the first half. Apparently, they were substituting five players at a time. All right, well, thank you, Bob. We'll keep an eye on that Jerry in Cincinnati. Hi, Jerry. What's on your mind today? T.P. thanks for taking my call. 5, 10, 2, 2, 0. Calling about Sean Miller. I'm a Xavier alum and a fan for 30 years. After being a stepping stone for the past 20 years and all these coaches leaving for bigger programs, this is the first time I'm not butthurt about it. Our nil budget for the athletic department is 3.1 million. Texas is probably 1215 million. If Shaw Miller wouldn't have left, I'd be like, dude, what are you doing? Get out of here. No, I get it. I just. Xavier gave him a chance after what happened at Arizona. I know once again, I'm very naive that I believe in loyalty or at least a little bit of loyalty here. But that's why I have no sympathy for these coaches like nil. Transfer report are going to drive me out of the business. Okay, you guys use the transfer portal to take jobs all the time and you guys are getting well compensated. So stop. I mean, it's the wild wild west out there. We can all agree with that. But who allowed it to get to the wild wild west? The players didn't have any control. They found loopholes. That's it. Not going to compensate. Not going to compensate. I would hear this even when I was playing. I would get the. You know how much an education cost? Yes, yes, I do. But they put in, I mean, it's a full time job being a football or basketball player at a major university. It just is. Yeah, you're getting a free education, but you're trying to tell me that what Johnny Manziel gave to his alma mater was just an education? That's it. I mean, let's not be naive with it. Everybody can get paid. I wouldn't say everybody gets rich, but everybody can get paid. All right, we'll take a break. Still hoping to hear from coach Cal Fritz. He tried to track him down. Up next, we'll talk to Bill Simmons about his documentary on the Celtics. We're back after this. On the Dan Patrick Show, Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows@foxsportsradio.com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to listen live. Hey, it's Steve Covino and I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Covino and Rich on FOX Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course, the iHeartRadio Apple. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved, too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio maybe The most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Kovino and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course, on social media, that's Covino and Rich. Hey, everyone. Welcome back to Bachelor Happy Hour. I'm Joe. And I'm Serena. And we are here with the iHeart Music Awards and David's Bridal, who are.
Bill Simmons
Sponsoring this podcast, and we are so grateful to them.
Dan Patrick
Thank you.
Bill Simmons
Thank you for finishing my sentence. And we are here with our favorites, Dot and Charity.
Dan Patrick
Where were you in Bikinis in the Snow? Montana.
Bill Simmons
Okay.
Dan Patrick
She flew out and joined you guys.
Bill Simmons
Is it cold?
Dan Patrick
No, it was.
John Calipari
We.
Dan Patrick
Well, yeah. Bikinis in the snow. Getting hypothermia for those photos. Wow. They were sick, though.
Bill Simmons
I don't get bikinis in the snow. Just like an aesthetic.
Dan Patrick
Yeah. I don't know if him and I did that. If we did like Speedos in the.
John Calipari
Snow, you guys would be like, douchebag.
Bill Simmons
Actually.
Dan Patrick
I would be like, let's see it.
Bill Simmons
Come on.
Dan Patrick
I would not complain. I like him to do stuff like that.
Bill Simmons
He's like, no. That's going to be the name of this podcast episode. Bachelor Happy Hour. Speedos in the Snow. David's Bridal.
Dan Patrick
If you're listening to branding a little.
Bill Simmons
Bit, Bridal Speedos in the Snow.
Dan Patrick
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Bill Simmons
I'm great. Great to see it. Great. It's been a long time.
Dan Patrick
Yes, it has. A better game. College basketball, NBA. As far as the aesthetics of watching.
Bill Simmons
It, well, you're asking the wrong person because I love the NBA and college hoops. I have trouble with March Madness. I just have trouble with especially what I grew up with in the 80s where you felt like you got to know these guys over the course of two, three, four years. And this year, especially now in the NL era, it's just, you know, it's like a fantasy draft where you just reset the rosters every year. So I think that combined with the style of play, like I went to two NBA games this weekend, Lakers, Bulls. The Bulls were incredible. OKC Clippers last night, which was like a round three playoff game. And I was really impressed by the Clippers, how good they were. And you, you go to games like that and you watch college and it just, to me just feels like such an inferior product. So I think unless, unless you went to one of these colleges, you grew up rooting for them or you just have a major gambling problem. It's fine. March Madness is fine. But I'm still taking the NBA when.
Dan Patrick
It comes to awards and I got to vote on these. I'm sure you probably got to vote on NBA awards. And the MVP is always a tricky one. And I got criticized because I didn't vote for Barkley and didn't vote for Malone. When they won, I voted for Jordan. I think, you know, seven or eight years in a row, history has, remember.
Bill Simmons
Remembered you Fondly for that one.
Dan Patrick
I think it wasn't a stretch to do that. But like Joker. Joker's not going to win the mvp, but he is the best player in the NBA. SGA who didn't play well in the game. You know, the win against the Clippers is going to win. I just don't know. Are we. Do we follow the Academy Awards? Hey, it's your turn, your time to win something. Are we doing that with awards or have we been doing that with awards?
Bill Simmons
Yeah, I mean, I would probably put myself in the highest percentile of people who stupidly care about this the most. Like, even when I wrote my basketball book, I did a whole chapter about the MVP and tried to correct every injustice. Every year on the pod the last four or five weeks of the season, I'm trying to grind it out and make sure you get to the right place with somebody. I think the difference this year is SGA is incredible and I actually think he's now becoming a little bit underrated. Like he's having, I think one of the best scoring seasons in the history of the guard position. Like what he's doing this year, you can put against any Jordan regular season you can put against I. It's. It's as good as any Kobe season or better. Except for 2006, it's up there with West. It is one of the best guard scoring seasons of all time and he's doing it night after night after night. And the thing that I care about and I, you know, right now, 12 games left, I think I'm going to vote for him. The thing I care about is every time he goes against whoever one of the other best guys in the league is, he's either better than them or is equal to them. Right? So that matters. The fact that his team is the best team in the league and he's the centrifugal force of that. That matters to the fact that I haven't seen really anybody stop him. Even last night, the Clipper game, I know what his box score was, but I went to the game like it was just one of those nights. Like it was. The ball was just rolling around the rim, bouncing out like he couldn't buy a break. The whole night he was still getting the shots he wanted. I so I think he's been awesome. I am probably the number one Joker cheerleader anyone in the mainstream media. I just think he's one of the best 10 to 12 players of all time and he's certainly the best player of this generation. But you know, I Don't know what if, if OKC wins 69, 70 games and SGA is going to average 33 a game and have 5030 point games and do all the stuff he's doing, I think it's a fair one. I think it's the right vote.
Dan Patrick
You think Joker's already one of the 12 best players in the history of the game?
Bill Simmons
I think he's definitely, he's at least moved into that class, you know, and this is another thing I probably care about too much and I redo my pyramid every year with the tears and I'm a huge loser. But he's at least in that group with Hakeem and Shaq and, and Moses and, and that kind of territory. And I think when you're talking about the best offensive players year after year who can both get their stats and make everybody better. To me, he's in the bird magic area offensively. And you, I mean, you know me well enough, Dan to know like I wouldn't say that lightly but when you think like what he can, how he can elevate his teams, the stats that he just gets to night after night, like just the experience of watching him day to day where it's like he'll just put up a 35, 20 and 15 and we're like whoa, big game for the Joker last night. We're almost like numb to it at this point. So yeah, he's. I think he's one of the best offensive players I've ever seen. So yeah, could he win three MVPs in five years or four? I'm not sure it matters. I just think he's in the combo now. Historically.
Dan Patrick
Yeah, we're talking to Bill Simmons and the show HBO docu series on Max Celtic City. When did the idea first start? The genesis of it was mighty been.
Bill Simmons
Before COVID or right around Covid. When we found out the Lakers were doing a multi part thing for somebody and you know, the Boston thing kicked in, immediately got competitive and we're like well we gotta come up with a better one than theirs. Theirs is already come and gone. But you know, we, we. I got together with Connor who I created 30 for 30 with and just tried to figure out like man, if, if one of these franchise things was ever going to work because obviously there's going to be a few of them that are done. This is probably the, the one with the highest upside because you can tell the story of eight decades of the NBA. You can tell a lot of things about America through the Celtics. You know, whether you Talk about race or drugs or business or the evolution of the NBA, things like that. And then the characters and I, I found out. I'm sure you felt the same way during the Last Dance. I was shocked by how little people knew about anything before the 2000s about the NBA. It's almost. It's almost like most people felt like the NBA started when Shaq and Kobe had the three peat. So like they had the Rodman episode in the Last Dance. And the. The people in my life were like, wow, that Dennis Rodman, what, he was crazy, huh? And I'm like, what? Like you don't remember this? So we just felt like there was such an upside with the whole Celtics story going from Koozie to Russell and you know, all the way through the 70s and how it intersected with Boston was. It was a big thing because it's a story about the Celtics and the city. But now, like the one tonight, it's really that there's three straight kind of Bird era episodes in a row. And the one tonight is about Boston and Philly in the early 80s and bird kind of ascending. And it's like this is the first one where I feel like if you're probably under maybe 60, you, you, you, or maybe you're over, I don't know, over 25, you're gonna remember all the aspects of this. And then for people under 25, I think they're gonna enjoy it. So it's a. It's been an amazing project to work on.
Dan Patrick
I don't know how tricky this was for you. Maybe that's not the right word, but you want to get a mass audience with this. You know that it's regional with the Celtics, but you want to make it national. The race part of it with Bill Russell and the Celtics is very, very powerful. But how do you factor in making this for maybe mass appeal or the casual basketball fan?
Bill Simmons
Yeah, you're trying to do both. And it's also an old school documentary. I don't. There's not a lot of these long multi parters anywhere. And the HBO model, I think actually favors us because one of the ways documentaries and docu series have changed this decade is most of the places dump all of them at once. Right. And you just binge it and you're binging it and you're also doing something else and you can just zoom through something and whatever. Maybe you watch six episodes of something and you really only concentrate for half of it. I think in this case, we're making nine one hour movies here. We're trying to tell a bigger story than just, hey, here's the Celtics. And wasn't this game incredible? Like, we're really trying to dive into some stuff and, and especially how a franchise intersects with a city in a country, you know. So I think for us, we just. I felt this way when we did, you know, the, the first 30, 30 for 30s and some of the other stuff I worked on, like, if something's good enough, people are going to find it. So I think that was our mission this whole time. Can we make this good enough that somebody is going to be suspicious of it and say maybe, eh, I don't need to see that. I don't really care about the Celtics, like, care about basketball. You're gonna enjoy watching this, like, and I think that's the spot we got to.
Dan Patrick
But also, I go back to the first time I went to the Boston Garden. So I'm working at cnn, Celtics are in the NBA finals, and all of a sudden you walk into that building and okay, it's aesthetically not pleasing. It was, you know, a dump. But you felt like it was a stage, like it was a Broadway stage. When I, when I was growing up, 76ers Celtics on Sunday afternoon, the way the building was lit, it just looked like a Broadway show. Yeah, I just, I could not wait to shoot hoops on that floor. And I would go there I. Three hours early, Bird would be in there. Whether he's shooting or he'd run, he'd run around the upper deck and I would just wait until he was done. And if that ball was out there, I went over.
Bill Simmons
You're grabbing it.
Dan Patrick
Absolutely, absolutely. And, and so I was very fortunate that, you know, you had magic and Bird being there when magic hits the sky, hook. And, and so when I see it, it brings back the memories of. And maybe I didn't appreciate it as much. I loved it. But even looking back, it was, I mean that was unbelievable rivalries, unbelievable talent and, and the personalities, the characters, the all time greats that came out of those matchups. I just, I loved reminiscing about it and it gave me. I look forward to the Bird episodes because I got to spend, you know, a lot of, a lot more time with Larry than I thought I was going to. But that was the fun part of it. I don't know when you first said, I love this. This team is me, it's my DNA.
Bill Simmons
Yeah, I mean, my, my dad got one season ticket in the 73, 74 season. He's had him ever since. So It's, I think he's like the fifth oldest season ticket holder. So he would carry me in when I was a kid. And then eventually we got two tickets right before Bird showed up. But we went to the triple overtime game, which we went, we covered in episode three. And yeah, I think one of the cool things about the 70s and 80s, first of all in the 50s and 60s, basketball was it wasn't a minor league sport, but it was, it was the fourth sport. Baseball was the biggest. Football was right there behind it. And honestly, hockey was bigger than basketball. They created basketball because the hockey owners wanted to fill their buildings on the days where they didn't have hockey. So it took, you know, 15, 20 years. They had a bunch of weird racial quotas and a bunch of like pretty unseemly stuff. And it wasn't really until the mid-60s that the league started becoming the league. You go into the 70s and it was still pretty rinky dink for the most part, right? They had the one TV contract. The ABA showed up. So some of the players weren't even in the league. And you know, in that triple T game, it started at 9, 17 at night. The Boston fans said they're all blue collar fans. They've been out since four in the afternoon and they're hammered. And you know, it was they, they charged the quarter after second overtime. One, one guy jumped the referee. Like that's just what the era was like. And then as you, you go to the 80s and the 90s, the league starts to shift. Jordan shows up all star weekend Stern, Bird versus Magic. And it kind of rounds into where we end up in the 90s. But it took a long time to get there. And there are people like us that really love the league. But it was, you know, a contrary opinion to tell somebody your favorite sport was the NBA. It was like, what really? And now it seems like they have probably the most famous players out of any sport. It's not the biggest league, but I think they have the most famous players.
Dan Patrick
Who was your favorite interview in this docu series?
Bill Simmons
You know, I was stunned by how good Robert Parish was. I think when you do these and we interviewed like 100 people, you're always hoping for a couple ones you didn't expect. And Parish was somebody who was pretty quiet when he played. They called him that. They nicked him the Chief after the guy in the One Flew Over Cuckoo's Nest who never talked, but he just had a lot of like 40 years of pent up stuff to say. And he was really Charismatic. And you do these things, right? Part of the issue we had was a lot of the people from the first three episodes weren't alive anymore, you know, and so you're cheating with different old footage. And our director, Lauren Stoll, did a great job kind of weaving footage of people who weren't around anymore and making it seem at least a little lively. And once we get into the 80s, then we have everybody, you know, so, like Michaela Parrish, we got Larry, all these guys. All these guys are great. And then, you know, we, we got. KG was probably the last one we got because I think he was a little maybe suspicious of the thing. And you're not going to believe this, but KG's interview is amazing. That was the other one where he's just. He's just like that at all times. So you just turn the camera on and he's kg.
Dan Patrick
But Isaiah didn't want to do it.
Bill Simmons
No, we're, you know. And I know Isaiah, and I knew why he didn't want to do it. I think he felt, you know, I think the Last Dance and some other sports documentaries that have happened over the last 10 years. Nobody wants to be in somebody else's doc when they're like the other team in the sports movie, right? Like when we, the first 30, 30, 30s, we did, we get anybody, you know, and people like, hey, we're doing this documentary. Can we come film you? Sure. And that started a shift in the mid-2010s. And I get it, you know, like, if somebody was making a documentary about espn, I don't know if I'd want to be in it. You know, I don't. I don't know how. And I'm sure you would feel the same way. Like, wait, how am I going to be portrayed? So I get it. But it also makes these things a little bit harder and increase the degree of difficulty. So we didn't have. We didn't have Barkley either. Barkley will talk to, like, you know, a lamppost about basketball. But some of the people that are the. On the other side, they just don't want to do it.
Dan Patrick
Congrats on it so far, Bill. Good to catch up with you again. Thanks for joining.
Bill Simmons
Yeah, good to see you, too. Thanks.
Dan Patrick
That's Bill Simmons. He is bringing you Celtic City. He's the executive producer, HBO. And tonight, another episode, and it'll be going through April 28th. We'll take a break. Arkansas head coach Don Calipari next. Be sure to catch the live edition of the Dan Patrick show, weekdays at 9:00am Eastern, 6:00am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app. Hey, everyone. Welcome back to Bach youh Happy Hour. I'm Joe. And I'm Serena. And we are here with the iHeart Music Awards and David's Bridal who are.
Bill Simmons
Sponsoring this podcast and we are so grateful to them.
Dan Patrick
Thank you.
Bill Simmons
Thank you for finishing my sentence. And we are here with our favorites, Dot and Charity.
Dan Patrick
Where were you in bikinis in the snow? Montana.
Bill Simmons
Okay.
Dan Patrick
She flew out and joined you guys. Isn't it cold? No, it was.
John Calipari
We.
Dan Patrick
Well, yes. Bikinis in the snow. Do you risk getting hypothermia you for those photos? Wow. They were sick, though.
Bill Simmons
I don't get bikinis in the snow. Just like an aesthetic.
Dan Patrick
I don't know if him and I did that. If we did like Speedos in the.
John Calipari
Snow, you guys would be like douchebags.
Dan Patrick
In the snow would be hilarious. I would be like, let's see it.
Bill Simmons
Come on.
Dan Patrick
I would not complain him to do stuff like that.
Bill Simmons
He's like, no. That's going to be the name of this podcast episode. Bachelor Happy Hour speedos the snow. David's Bridal.
Dan Patrick
If you're listening to branding a little bit, sponsored by David's Bridal Bridal Speedos in the snow. The name of this product is the Active Cash credit card from Wells Fargo. That's a lot of name, but it's also a lot of card. It earns unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. Whether it's buying tickets to the game with your mom or grabbing coffee with your dog. Purchases big and small earn unlimited 2% cash rewards. No limits, no categories to track, just straightforward rewards that keep adding up. So you might stumble a bit while saying it, but paying with it will make you stumble upon so much more. Shopping, dining, cooking, gardening. You get the idea. Let's say it together. The Active Cash credit card from Wells Fargo earns unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. You know what? It does have a ring to it. No, seriously, try saying it out loud. The Active Cash credit card from Wells Fargo. Oh, that sounds nice. Learn more@wells fargo.com ActiveCash terms apply. How's your car looking? Showing its age. Faded paint, dents, dings. Don't worry, Mako is here to help. They're the experts in affordable paint jobs and light collision repairs, helping you keep your car looking its best without breaking the bank. Most cars on the road could use a little bit of love. And keep in mind, with Americans keeping their vehicles longer, protecting your investment has never been more important. At Mako, they make it really easy. You come in free estimate and the expert technicians will handle the rest. With Mako's national reach and community focus, you're not just getting top notch service, you're actually getting a partner you can trust. Don't let those little imperfections add up. You want to keep your car on the road. You want to give it a little bit of love and you can do so with the great folks at Mako. Visit your local Mako today and see how they can refresh your ride. Go in, get the free estimate and the expert technicians will take care of everything after that. Uh oh, better get Mako. Hey, it's Dan Patrick. If you're a listener of the show, you probably know this by now. We're a big fan of Keeper's Heart Whiskey Keeper's Heart, the first whiskey to offer a unique blend of Irish and American whiskies. Nobody's ever done it at this level. The results are incredible. Smooth enough to enjoy, neat, or enough character to make amazing cocktails. Don't take it from me, I'm just an Irish American guy who enjoys a drink or two. The whiskey experts agree. Crafted by one of the biggest names in the world of whiskey, Brian Nation, Keeper's Heart is one of the most awarded new whiskies of the last couple of years, winning over 150 awards to date, including Best Irish Whiskey in the World and winning a double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. You gotta try it. It's available now in the best liquor stores. Look for it on the Irish whiskey shelf or you can buy it online. Keepersheartwiskey.com keepersheartwhiskey.com It's a bottle worth keeping. In the NFL, there's no margin for error. One mistake can change the outcome of a game. Science proves quality sleep can help boost reaction time, recovery time, overall athletic performance. As the official Sleep and Wellness partner of the National Football League, Sleep Number's mission is to provide players with data and insights to optimize their sleep for the ultimate competitive edge. And did you know 80% of NFL players have a Sleep Number Smart bed? I've been partnering with sleep number since 2008. My sleep number setting is 75 and sleep plays such an important role in recovering and we're all unique in what we need from our beds. Why choose a Sleep Number Smart Bed so you can choose your ideal comfort on either side. It's the only bed that lets you make each side firmer or softer whenever you like. Your Sleep Number setting Sleep number Smart beds start at $999. Prices higher in Alaska and Hawaii. Exclusively at a sleep number store near you. Sleep number official sleep and wellness partner of the NFL. See store or sleepnumber.com Patrick for details John Calipari, hall of Famer. Beat Kansas, beat St. John's got Texas Tech coming up this Thursday. Back on the show. Back in the sweet sixteen. Look who is. Look who proved he could still coach. Congratulations there, John.
John Calipari
Thank you, Dan Patrick. That's the ugliest top I've seen in a while. It befits you, though. So it's, it's, it's good.
Dan Patrick
Well, what's uglier? Your sport coat from this weekend or like that?
John Calipari
Didn't like that sport coat.
Dan Patrick
Hey, you won with looks a whole lot better when you win. And this, is this a gift from Adam Sandler? This is.
John Calipari
Yeah, you're out hitting golf balls. But do you, would you, would you think it's in the bag to go this weekend, that sport coat? Yeah, it's in the bag.
Dan Patrick
Okay.
John Calipari
I'll travel with it.
Dan Patrick
Okay. And when you're done with it, maybe you could send it to the man cave.
John Calipari
I will. I'll deliver it to the cabin in Maine.
Dan Patrick
Okay.
John Calipari
I'll hand deliver it.
Dan Patrick
Are you an underdog?
John Calipari
Yes. Yeah, I'm fine with that. Like, look, my, most of my career was shouldn't, wouldn't, can't, won't. I mean, we've been the underdog. You remember, you mash, you came up and did some games, you went on the court, shot air balls and you know, some of the stuff there and the Memphis, the same thing. And you know, we had a pretty good run at Kentucky and there was that eight, nine year period where, yeah, we were the, the one. But you know, most of my career I've been that and so I'm fine in that role. I'm comfortable in the role. I'm just trying to make sure my team is comfortable in that role.
Dan Patrick
Yeah, I was going to ask you, are you telling them it's. Nobody believed in us. Us against the world. No, none of that.
John Calipari
No. I'm just saying we're the underdog.
Dan Patrick
Okay.
John Calipari
And every time they play in those kind of games, they play well. I think, look, we're at that point in the year. The whole thing is how do I get them to have that mindset that we had against St. John's because look, there's two things happened. We went 2 for 19 from the three and gave up 28 offensive rebounds. But still Won. We played to win. Don't matter what happens. No matter. They got a rebound. Just keep playing. And we keep them in that attitude and that mindset. It doesn't mean you're going to win, but it gives you a good chance to win.
Dan Patrick
How do you keep the relationship or whatever with Pitino out of going into a game, coaching a game and making it about the game that it's not about you against Rick, if you went.
John Calipari
Through the year we went through when we were 05, when we were 1 and 6 and they said they got no chance of making the NCAA tournament. When you're playing games, you're not worried about the other coach. You're about survival. I wasn't worried about Matson with no chess game. I wasn't. He out coached. I didn't care. It was about, let's just win. Because what these kids went through, they deserved good to happen because they came together. They became one heartbeat. And, well, what did you do? What did I do? They knew if they didn't come together, they were going to lose every game. And they figured this. You know what? I'm so worried about myself. If I worry about the team more than myself, maybe it's easier. And they found out it was easier.
Dan Patrick
How do you balance coaching right now and the transfer portal all in the same week of preparing and transfer portal starts today?
John Calipari
Well, we. Yesterday was a kind of long day. Got a lot of film work done, got practice plans prepared, the staff meetings where we were doing everything. And then in the end, I said, all right, let's. Let's talk now. Before you can figure out portal, don't you have to know who's coming back and who's leaving? So I don't know of anybody in these 16 teams that is sitting down with players and say, are you coming back? Are you gonna put your name in the portal? You know, so it's just difficult right now. But we've got names and, you know, and what I would say with anybody listening, if you want to get better, if you want to be challenged, if you want to really play with good players, be coached as though you've already gotten there to be hugged and challenged and make you uncomfortable and be. Then you come with me, you come to Arkansas. But right now we're not on the phone with anybody yet. My staff may be. I shouldn't say that. My staff may be, but I'm not.
Dan Patrick
When will you be open or paying more attention to the portal yourself?
John Calipari
If there's a young man that we know is really, really Good. And he wants to do this and wants to talk to me. You won't believe this. I probably get on the phone with him and say, hey, let's do this. But short of that, it's probably mostly staff. You know, my hope is that we have a group, we have some guys that won't be back because they're graduated out or they're going to, you know, put their name in the draft and all that. But there is another grouping of players who are really good that probably need more time that we do that. We, we already have three guys, freshmen signed. And I'm going to say this again, and I said it after. I'm still recruiting freshmen. I'll recruit the best freshmen and as you saw last game, three of them played a lot of minutes. But I can't recruit seven or eight freshmen. So we got one more freshman we're trying to get. We've got three. One that, you know, they're. They're all really good. Okay, but we're trying to get one more and then who comes back? And then probably a couple transfers and that'll be our team.
Dan Patrick
Is the SEC a football conference or a basketball conference?
John Calipari
You try to get me in trouble. Last time I said something like that stuff, people went nuts. And then you find out that, you know, they're investing in what they want. So I look it, I told our baseball coach who's there were number one in the country and you know, right there, they're. They're going to win a college world series. Every game they played, every weekend, they knew they could win or lose. What about the football? You want to say Vandy? Well, we got Vandy. Yeah, go play Vandy. Go play them now. Well, we could play Mississippi. Yeah, go play Mississippi. Play Arkansas, Tennessee and you get beat. I mean, that's what happens. Well, it's now basketball the same way and it's top to bottom. Our bottom two teams would have figured finished in the top half of most leagues. They were that good. But they got into this league and they started. It was like Oklahoma when 13 and old beat people did a got in the league and couldn't win early. We were owing five to start and I knew we weren't bad. Well, I wasn't sure, but we were only five and we survived it. And now it looks as though. How many SEC teams are in the sweet 16?
Dan Patrick
Seven. I know.
John Calipari
You don't know. Ask your people.
Dan Patrick
Seven.
John Calipari
Okay.
Dan Patrick
Yeah. You underestimate me. And that's when you make a mistake. Yes, you have. And I've always overestimated you. Finish this, we will make the Final Four.
John Calipari
If the other team doesn't make 23, that's it. That's it.
Dan Patrick
Well, don't screw it up now. You got this far. You got to go further than Kentucky, don't you? No.
John Calipari
Not worried about them. This is what's happened for us. This season has been the most rewarding season. I've had seasons where we won more games and won national titles and Final Fours and Elite Eights, I've had all those. But what this team has been through to survive it, it's been as rewarding as any season. It talks a lot about the character of these kids, how they were raised, that they could withstand the onslaught. Dan, these kids, all of them have pianos on their backs because of Nil. Well, they're paid. They should do this. And they're trying to live up to expectations. It's a piano. Families are involved more than ever before. Why Nil? And then social media. And you know what the worst is for the kids? Talk radio. I mean, all that stuff is out there that they got to deal with. And then the expectations are winning. Pianos on their backs.
Dan Patrick
Good to talk to you.
John Calipari
Thanks. Danny, I need to know the cabin. Do you have a studio in the cabin in case you want to do it up there?
Dan Patrick
Yes.
John Calipari
I knew it. I knew it.
Dan Patrick
Yeah.
John Calipari
Do you let your guys come up and stay, or do they gotta go to a hotel?
Dan Patrick
No, they don't get invited. It's like. Right.
John Calipari
You're very selfish. But you know what's great? You've been consistent.
Dan Patrick
Yes.
John Calipari
Your whole life.
Dan Patrick
Thank you. Thank you, coach. John Calipari, Arkansas head coach. All right, this day in sports history. Paulie, what do you have for me?
Bill Simmons
Still soaking that one. In 1936, the Detroit Red Wings beat.
John Calipari
The Montreal Maroons, 1:0.
Bill Simmons
First goal not scored until the sixth overtime period of the Stanley cup semifinal.
Dan Patrick
That's a weird one.
Bill Simmons
Muhammad Ali in 1975 knocked out Chuck Wepner in the 15th round.
Dan Patrick
That propelled that into the movie Rocky down the road. Yeah, that chuck Wepner went 15 rounds. You know what I did over the weekend? I went to Lewiston, Maine. That's where the Ali Liston fight was held in 1965. And I'm part of a documentary on Muhammad Ali. They're building a statue of him in Lewiston. There's no other statue in America of Muhammad Ali, but they're going to be putting up a statue at the end of May. Part of a great group doing a documentary on that. Fight in Lewiston, Maine. And some of the footage interviews are really, really remarkable. Let me see if I have. 1980, Louisville beat UCLA, its first NCAA championship. And most, most of these on this date have to do with winning Cincinnati beat Ohio State to win its second straight NCAA championship. All right, let me see. Let's go around the room. What we learned on the program. Todd, you learned anything today? I did. With the lack of Cinderellas and the top seeds advancing, it's kind of more ch. Yes. Okay. You're gonna stay with that? I really am. Wall to wall, start to finish. Seaton, what did you learn today?
Bill Simmons
More like March.
Dan Patrick
Meh meh. Marvin, what did you learn today? Bill Simmons cares about MVP awards. Yeah, he does. It is Marv Madness, by the way. It sure is. Yes, it is. I got to get my sweatshirt. My Marv Madness sweatshirt. Paulie, what'd you learn today?
Bill Simmons
Coach Cal sticking with the sport coat?
Dan Patrick
Yeah, why not? Todd, what did I learn on today's program? Except for maybe the Dukies in Florida. Maryland may have the best starting five, the crab five, but they have no depth. Yeah, they don't. The starters scored 70 of the 72 points that they scored. Let me see. Anything else? Thanks for the phone calls, emails, tweets, the all around support. Go to danpatrick.com everything's on sale at a great price for you. A lot of great gifts there@danpatrick.com have a great day. We look forward to talking to you tomorrow.
Bill Simmons
I was always around it.
Dan Patrick
Hollywood saved me on this week's episode of Eating While Broke, a podcast presented by the Black Effect Podcast Network. Nick Cannon joins us to discuss his journey from teenage comedian to entertainment mogul.
Bill Simmons
Now I do the super dad, content.
John Calipari
With my kids and everything that people go viral for.
Bill Simmons
And making millions of dollars on YouTube.
John Calipari
I was doing in the 90s.
Dan Patrick
Listen to Eating while Broke from the Black Effect Podcast network on America's number one podcast network. I heart follow Eating while Broke and start listening on the free iHeartRadio app. Today in 2020, a group of young women found themselves in an AI fueled nightmare. Someone was posting photos. It was just me naked. Well, not me, but me with someone else's body parts. This is Levittown, a new podcast from.
Bill Simmons
Iheart podcasts Bloomberg and Kaleidoscope about the.
Dan Patrick
Rise of deepfake pornography and the battles to stop it. Listen to Levittown on Bloomberg's Big Take podcast. Find it on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Bill Simmons
Dressing.
Dan Patrick
Dressing oh, French dressing.
Bill Simmons
Exactly.
Dan Patrick
That's good.
Bill Simmons
I'm A.J. jacobs and my current obsession is puzzles, and that has given birth to my podcast, the Puzzler.
Dan Patrick
Something about Mary Poppins?
Bill Simmons
Exactly. This is fun. You can get your daily puzzle nuggets delivered straight to your ears. Listen to the Puzzler every day on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Dan Patrick
Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I'm excited to introduce a brand new season of my podcast, Math and Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing. I'm having conversations with some folks across a wide range of industries to hear how they reach the top of their fields and the lessons they learned along the way that everyone can use. I'll be joined by innovative leaders like chairman and CEO of Health Beauty, Tarang Amin, legendary singer, songwriter and philanthropist Jewel. Being a rock star is very fun, but helping people is way more fun. And Damian Maldonado, CEO of American Financing.
John Calipari
I figured out the formula.
Dan Patrick
I just have to work hard. Then that's magic. Join me as we uncover innovations in data and analytics, the math, and the ever important creative spark, the magic. Listen to math and magic on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, host of the podcast the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told. This season explores women from the 19th century to now. Women who were murderers and scammers, but also women who were photojournalists, lawyers, writers, and more. This podcast tells more than just the brutal, gory details of horrific acts. I delve into the good, the bad, the difficult, and all the nuance I can find, because these are the stories that we need to know to understand the intersection of society, justice, and the fascinating workings of the human psyche. Join me every week as I tell some of the most enthralling true crime stories about women who are not just victims, but heroes or villains, or often somewhere in between. Listen to the greatest true crime stories ever told on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Summary of "Hour 3 – Bill Simmons, John Calipari" on The Dan Patrick Show
Release Date: March 24, 2025
In this engaging episode of The Dan Patrick Show, hosted by Dan Patrick from the iHeartPodcasts and Dan Patrick Podcast Network, listeners are treated to an in-depth discussion featuring two prominent guests: Bill Simmons, renowned sports writer and podcaster, and John Calipari, head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. The episode delves into various facets of sports, including basketball coaching strategies, the impact of the transfer portal, and Bill Simmons' latest documentary on the Boston Celtics.
The episode begins with promotional segments for sponsors like T-Mobile, Sonos, Wells Fargo, and others. These advertisements are seamlessly integrated into the show but are excluded from the main content summary as per the guidelines.
Dan Patrick introduces his guests, John Calipari and Bill Simmons, highlighting their expertise in basketball coaching and sports media, respectively. The conversation kicks off with a poll question regarding a controversial traveling violation call at the end of the Maryland vs. Colorado State game.
Dan Patrick [06:00]: “Would you have called the traveling violation at the end of the Maryland Colorado State game?”
Audience Result: 56% responded "No."
Discussion Points:
Dan expresses confusion over the evolving rules, likening the need to train one's eye to changes like James Harden's techniques.
Bill Simmons [05:49]: “This is one of the few buzzer beaters that we've had. It's been not exactly March Madness. I think the suggestion was March meh-ness.”
The conversation transitions into football news, touching upon Aaron Rodgers' meeting with the Steelers and the Giants adding Jamis Winston, leading to a broader discussion on quarterback prospects like Jaylen Milroe and Lamar Jackson.
Interview with John Calipari:
Dan Patrick [43:29]: “How do you balance coaching right now and the transfer portal all in the same week of preparing and transfer portal starts today?”
John Calipari [43:30]: “We’re not on the phone with anybody yet. My staff may be, but I’m not. If there's a young man that we know is really, really good and he wants to do this and wants to talk to me, you won’t believe this. I probably get on the phone with him and say, hey, let’s do this.”
Key Insights:
Transfer Portal Strategy: Calipari emphasizes the importance of understanding team dynamics before engaging with potential transfers. He highlights Arkansas' focus on recruiting top freshmen and preparing for a cohesive team performance rather than solely chasing transfer players.
SEC as a Basketball Conference: When asked about the Southeastern Conference's (SEC) identity, Calipari humorously deflects but underscores Arkansas' commitment to basketball excellence within a conference traditionally known for football.
Challenging Teams: Calipari discusses Arkansas' unexpected success in the tournament, attributing it to the team's resilience and the players' ability to remain united under pressure.
Dealing with Pressure: He shares his coaching philosophy of prioritizing team cohesion and collective effort over individual accolades, ensuring players are focused on the game rather than external distractions.
Discussion with Bill Simmons:
Dan Patrick [26:31]: “When did the idea first start?”
Bill Simmons [26:43]: “Before COVID or right around Covid. When we found out the Lakers were doing a multi-part thing for somebody and you know, the Boston thing kicked in, immediately got competitive and we're like well we gotta come up with a better one than theirs.”
Key Insights:
Documentary Genesis: Simmons explains that the idea for his Celtics City documentary emerged as a response to other major sports documentaries, aiming to provide a comprehensive history of the Boston Celtics and their profound impact on both the franchise and the city of Boston.
Historical Context: He elaborates on the Celtics' evolution from its early days with Bill Russell to their dominance in the 1970s and 1980s, intertwining the team's narrative with significant social and cultural developments in America.
Interview Highlights: Simmons highlights memorable interviews, particularly with Robert Parish, whose charismatic presence added depth to the documentary. He also discusses challenges faced during production, such as capturing footage of individuals who were no longer alive.
Mass Appeal Strategy: Addressing the challenge of making a regionally beloved team story resonate nationally, Simmons emphasizes the universal themes of resilience, teamwork, and the intertwining of sports with broader societal issues.
Throughout the episode, Dan Patrick invites audience members to share their thoughts and questions, fostering an interactive environment. Listeners provide feedback on topics like officiating in games, the impact of technology on sports, and personal anecdotes related to their favorite teams.
Listener "Jerry" [09:04]: Praises Michigan State's advancement in the tournament but laments his bracket being busted due to unexpected outcomes, specifically mentioning St. John's performance.
Listener "Bob" [07:09]: Highlights the positive moment of the Cyclones nearly winning a game while expressing frustration over excessive substitutions by the Tennessee women's team.
These interactions underscore the show's commitment to engaging with its audience, providing a platform for diverse opinions and fostering a community of sports enthusiasts.
As the episode wraps up, Dan Patrick summarizes key takeaways from the discussions:
Bill Simmons’ Passion for MVP Awards: Acknowledging Simmons' enthusiasm for evaluating the most valuable players in basketball, reflecting his deep investment in the sport's finer details.
John Calipari’s Coaching Philosophy: Emphasizing Calipari's focus on team unity and adaptability, crucial for navigating the complexities of modern college basketball.
Final Thoughts on March Madness: The episode concludes with reflections on the unpredictability of the tournament, the importance of strategic thinking in coaching, and the evolving landscape of sports media.
Notable Quotes:
Dan Patrick [07:08]: “I really have a hard time reconciling the idea, but I'd rather them just get the call wrong and do it quicker than take a second and get it right.”
Bill Simmons [05:49]: “This is one of the few buzzer beaters that we've had. It's been not exactly March Madness.”
John Calipari [46:45]: “If there's a young man that we know is really, really good and he wants to do this and wants to talk to me, you won’t believe this. I probably get on the phone with him and say, hey, let’s do this.”
Conclusion
This episode of The Dan Patrick Show provides listeners with a rich tapestry of insights from two leaders in the sports world. Bill Simmons offers a deep dive into the storied history of the Boston Celtics through his documentary, while John Calipari shares his strategic approach to coaching in the ever-evolving landscape of college basketball. The blend of expert opinions, audience interaction, and candid discussions makes for a compelling listen, ensuring that both dedicated fans and casual enthusiasts find value in the conversation.