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Dan Patrick
This is an iHeart podcast. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1 Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1 Taser incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What up, y' all? This your main man, Memphis Bleak, right here. Host the Rock Solid podcast.
Vincent Goodwill
June is Black Music Month, so what.
Dan Patrick
Better way to celebrate than listening to my exclusive conversation with my bro, Ja Rule. The one thing that can't stop you or take away from you is knowledge. So whatever I went through while I was down in prison for two years, that process, learn, learn from it. Check out this exclusive episode with Ja Rule on Rock Solid. Open your free I Heart radio app, search Rock Solid and listen now. Why is a soap opera western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6, where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Michael Kasson, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on Good Company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next.
Vincent Goodwill
In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sud, CEO of Tubi. We dive into the competitive world of streaming.
Dan Patrick
What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as cor. There's so many stories out there, and if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen.
Vincent Goodwill
Listen to Good company on the iHeartRadio.
Dan Patrick
App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The OGs of uncensored motherhood are back and badder than ever. I'm Erica. And I'm Mila, and we're the hosts of the Good Moms Bad Choices podc, brought to you by the Black Effect Podcast Network every Wednesday. Yeah, we're moms, but not your mommy. Historically, men talk too much and women have quietly listened. And all that stops here. If you like witty women, then this is your try. Listen to the Good Moms Bad Choices podcast every Wednesday on the Black Effect podcast network, the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you go to find your podcast, you are listening to the Dan.
Vincent Goodwill
Patrick show on Fox Sports Radio. Big day in Oklahoma City Thunder parade today. They even sent out a notice. They gave you parade etiquette. What to do, what to bring, hydrate, make sure that you don't lose sight of your kids. Biggest bring a snack. They gave you etiquette. Well, they haven't had a parade out there, at least not a professional parade, I don't think. But they gave you some tips on how to enjoy the parade. I think what's going to happen now there's this rush to is OKC one of the great teams of all time? And the answer is no, they're not. They had a great regular season, but you were pushed to seven games by Denver and pushed to seven games by Indiana. Great teams don't get pushed to seven games, not twice in a playoff series. Now that doesn't mean that they're not in the hall of very good teams. I think what's going to happen, this will work in reverse. It might be two or three years from now when we look back at OKC and say, you know what, they were a great team because we're going to see what's going to happen in the next couple of years. Now that's not fair to them. I know Oklahoma City Thunder fans get upset when we don't crown them and then praise them. Well, we crown them, we have praised them. But don't look for this. You know, the fast pass to go to great teams of all time. You're not OKC right now is a one hit wonder and it's a big hit. But let's see what you do. What do you add to your catalog that will determine greatness? You know those standalone teams, there have been standalone teams. They won that one time. It's really hard to repeat. And that's what we have to factor in. That's why we can say, well, it's parody but trying to sustain greatness. That's why dynasties are rare for a reason. Remember the Celtics were taking over the sport and then all of a sudden they're not. Jason Tatum goes down. Who knows if he's going to play this next season. Go back to 2014 Seattle Seahawks. Oh my God, that defense. Young, intimidating, dominant young quarterback. Pete Carroll, your head coach. That Dynasty never materialized. OKC is talented. SGA's a star. Jalen Williams, Chad Holmgren kind of in the on deck circle. Dynasties are not just about being young and good. It's about evolving. It's about enduring. It's about delivering again and again and again. Okay, See, just enjoy the. The parade. Enjoy the title. You earned it. But greatness isn't handed out at a parade. You got to earn it every single week, every single season, every single day. You got a banner. Getting that second banner is going to be even tougher. And this is where we sometimes forget greatness. You know, Jordan never went to a Game seven. That's brought up all the time, but that's important to remember. He went against good teams. Utah jazz, they won 60 games. It felt like every year they were a really good team. I thought that Seattle SuperSonics team was as talented as any team I'd seen in a long time. But they. They won when they needed to win. They didn't need to get to a Game seven. You were on the ropes. You could have lost to Denver and you could have lost to the Pacers. If Halliburton stays healthy, we have a different outcome, in my opinion. But okc, you won it. And Shea Gilgis was a wonderful player. Now we want to have him. We want to put him into the Kobe category or Jordan as his scorer. It's. I know. We want to do it. We want this immediacy. Instead of saying, how about let's just let this play out a little bit? There's nothing wrong with, you know, tapping the brakes on this. You had a wonderful season. Let's don't make it more than what it was, a wonderful season. Enjoy the parade. I can't wait till opening night. You celebrate, you have a banner, championship rings. You've earned every bit of that. But let's be fair, put it in context. You were pushed to seven games by an Indiana team that was the biggest underdog in the last 25 years. In the NBA Finals, you were pushed to seven games by a Denver team that fired its head coach two weeks before the postseason. Put it in context, and then two or three years from now, we may look back and go, you know what? We missed that. Or, okay, they won their one title. All right, we'll come up with a poll question here. Seaton, you got one for hour one? Yeah, I think I do. It's a topic that we were all kicking around before the show, but there's been a bunch of Achilles tears lately. Coincidence or is there a reason? All right, we reached out to a Harvard educated orthopedic surgeon who has been on the show before, former offensive lineman Dr. Mark Addox, and he's going to join us a little bit later on because you start to think about it. Okay. Tatum, Halliburton and Dame Achilles tears. Kevin Durant with Achilles tear. I'm trying to remember Isaiah Thomas tore his Achilles late in his career. But I'm trying to remember growing up in the 60s or the 70s, if anybody tore their Achilles in. In the NBA. Now, you can say, today's athlete is so much better in God. Absolutely. But you would think, I mean, Aaron Rodgers is not athletic anymore. He tore his Achilles. Dan Marino, not athletic. He tore his Achilles just going back to pass. Nobody hit him. So that's why I'm curious about this. And the surgery, by the way. Halliburton had surgery in New York yesterday. It was successful. It's always successful. But I don't know when he's coming back that really affects the East. Tatum. I don't know when he's coming back, but Halliburton said, hey, if I had to do it all over again, I would have done it the same way. I don't think I would do it the same way. If I knew that I was going to tear my Achilles and it's going to impact next season for my team, I probably would have said, you know, maybe. Maybe use me sparingly. Yes, Marvin.
Dan Patrick
So if you knew you were going to lose, would you still do it?
Vincent Goodwill
If I knew I was going to lose, well, okay, I. I don't want to impact my team next year if, you know you're going to blow out your Achilles. So he gets to game seven. All of a sudden, he's made a couple of moves and he goes, hey, take me out now. In the moment, everybody's going to crucify. But if. If we know what the end result's going to be, then of course I'm not going to blow out my Achilles in a game we're going to lose or I can't have an impact on, and it's going to impact my team next year. Yeah. Yeah, Paul.
Dan Patrick
All right, to put this in perspective, we're going to have to go back to Kurt Schilling in 04. We discussed this on this show a zillion years ago. If Tyrese Halliburton on going into game seven can sign up for I'm going to play seven minutes, play well, tear my Achilles and be out for next year, and we're going to win a title.
Vincent Goodwill
Oh, well, win a title.
Dan Patrick
Well, that's where it's an actual discussion. Would you sign on a piece of paper to lose your entire next season?
Vincent Goodwill
Is my team going to need me?
Dan Patrick
You're gonna play.
Vincent Goodwill
He's only playing seven minutes, so you're gonna. It this is based off my teammates.
Dan Patrick
Or you roll the dice. And whatever happens in game seven happens if you don't sign that piece of paper. We asked chilling that on this air. He said he'd be glad to. With his ankle thing.
Vincent Goodwill
Yeah, but I don't. I don't know what he was risking with that ankle other than that. That ankle looked terrible, but I don't know if he was risking his career.
Dan Patrick
Right.
Vincent Goodwill
Halliburton with his Achilles. You're never the same. I mean, you. You can, you know, pretend that you are. I'm back and better than ever. It's like micro fracture surgery with your knee. I had that. You know, Amari Stoudemire, you know, a lot of NBA players have had it. You don't come back from it. There's certain injuries where, okay, you're going to be. This is as good as you're going to be. I think we've come pretty far with the Achilles. But if you said, I'm signing up for playing seven minutes, I'm blowing out my Achilles, we're going to go win the title, I'd say, why don't you guys go win the title. I'm going to sit here and watch and then I'll be here next year to play with you. Yes, Todd, I'd be concerned, and I.
Dan Patrick
Think most athletes would be. I may never get a chance to play for a title.
Vincent Goodwill
A game 7.
Dan Patrick
This could be my only chance. And even if I'm going to run the risk of not being able to play next year, how could you not be part. Even if you're not a huge part of.
Vincent Goodwill
You're going to sign up for seven minutes. Seven minutes you got on the court and then you're out.
Dan Patrick
Some small factor, whatever.
Vincent Goodwill
You. But you were on the court, but you're out next year.
Dan Patrick
Yeah. It may never. You may never be able to play again in a championship game. Look at Dan Marina there, you guys. You get one chance and then after that you're done forever. Not even sniffing a chance to play for a ring.
Vincent Goodwill
I think you got to do it. I don't want to be out there for seven minutes knowing that I'm going to be in surgery in a couple of days and out for the next season. My teammates are going to win that.
Dan Patrick
Title, but they're probably not actually. They're pro unlikely to because of the odds with you being out. Oklahoma City would be an overwhelming favorite in that game. So that's the risk.
Vincent Goodwill
Well, it doesn't matter. They were an overwhelming favorite every single game. They were favored by nine and a half in the championship game. It didn't matter about Halliburton. They're favored by nine and a half. Yes, Marvin, but Halber would be a.
Dan Patrick
He'd be in a Willis Reed type spot if he came out there and he did the exact same thing, started out hot. And the rest of his team, Nemhard N. Smith, whoever took him home, he would still be looked at as a. As a legend.
Vincent Goodwill
Yeah, but what happened to Willis Reed after that game? What happened next, next season? Does anybody remember when Willis came out, only played a few minutes, hit a couple of buckets, he was done. Does anybody remember what his season was like the following? No, they don't. Maybe he wasn't even available. I mean, I know that he had knee surgery probably later in his career. Probably didn't play much longer after that. But here's Halliburton, who's young. I would not. I would not go if I knew that I was going to be out next season. And it's. I know it's a crazy hypothetical because if you go into the game and you're going to say to Rick Carlisle, hey, if I go out there, I'm going to give you seven minutes, I'm going to hit three threes and I'm going to blow out my Achilles. What would Rick Carlisle do if he knew that Halliburton says, look, it feels like I'm going to blow out my Achilles. Rick Carlisle is going to say to Halliburton, you tell me what you want to do. But if I knew I was going to blow it out and we were going to go on and win. But would you win if I'm only playing seven minutes? Yeah.
Dan Patrick
Paul Willis Reed going back to the 73 finals. He came out and became the hero. He played one more season in the NBA, 19 games and then retired due to injury.
Vincent Goodwill
No, the game was 1970.
Dan Patrick
Okay, I'm sorry. 70. Oh, so 1970. He was the MVP that year. He played in those playoffs.
Vincent Goodwill
He came back and was still a.
Dan Patrick
Good player for a couple more years.
Vincent Goodwill
Okay. Yeah, he got the MVP in the finals, but it should have been Walt Frazier's, but it was in. You know, he was very inspirational there. Absolutely. Stat of the day, brought to you by Panini America. The official trading cards of the Dan Patrick show. First hour, brought to you by Mako. Little TLC for your car. Bringing it Back to life. Affordable paint jobs like collision repairs. Get a free estimate today. Oh, better get Mako. All right, Seaton. So what was the question for the first hour? Is it just a coincidence or is there a reason for all of these Achilles injuries? Okay, yeah, I think it was. I don't know if it must have been last week.
Dan Patrick
I would imagine maybe the week before.
Vincent Goodwill
We did a whole topic about should.
Dan Patrick
Tyrese Halliburton sit to throw off Oklahoma.
Vincent Goodwill
City or they're prepared for him. Why don't you just sit, rest it.
Dan Patrick
And, you know, maybe that would actually.
Vincent Goodwill
Play into the P hands better. Well, I wondered if it would. It would make him stronger if you sat him out the second half of that game. They got blown out and then the following game. Yeah, I think it was. Do you sit out game six? Yes, for game seven. If I knew. If I knew that he would be healthier and you were playing at home, so you were going to get everything the Pacers had. If you're confident the Pacers can win the game at home, get to a game seven, and then Halliburton is healthier then. Yes, but I said I would have sat him out the second half of Game 5. When you're getting smoked, I would have had him sit out. And then, you know, just. But once again, former NBA player said, if that was the regular season, you're missing at least a week, if not longer, with that injury. Halliburton rolled the dice. Indiana rolled the dice. Rick Carlile rolled the dice. So nobody can be upset about this. Everybody, I think, knew what was at stake here. And Halliburton tried and sent out a tweet, a lengthy tweet. You know. You know, he talks about the mental aspect of this. You know, that's. That's what happens with injuries. Like, you can get hurt, and then you have surgery, then the depression sets in. When you're alone, when you're doing rehab and you're not able to shoot, there's nothing fun going on. And it's just you. Now, you'll have a physical therapist there, but that's what he's talking about. Like, the mental hurdle that he's going to have to overcome. That's the hard part with injuries, in my opinion. And as many injuries as I've had, it's when you're going to PT and you're going, God. Or you're breaking through scar tissue and you're like. And, you know, it feels like the next day is the same and the next day is the same, and then all of a sudden, you get this little glimmer of hope that, hey, don't need your crutches, or, hey, you don't need Percocet. Hey, you don't need to ice it. Every. Like, just little things like that. Tatum's going through that right now. Dame and down Halliburton. But the coincidental part of this, man, I don't buy that. Just feels like there's something different. These are all marquee players. Yes, Marvin, I feel bad for the.
Dan Patrick
Pacers from this standpoint. They're going back into irrelevancy after such a great two months because next year, when you're going into the season, no one's going to be talking about the Pacers because there's no Halliburton. And so they're just going to go back into being a middle of the pack team in the east until he comes back. So that hurts them. As far as notoriety, they were trying to build a star, and now they don't have them. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation.
Vincent Goodwill
Catch all of our shows@foxsportsradio.com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to listen live. Hi, this is Jay.
Dan Patrick
I'm the producer of the Paulie and Tony Fusco show. Usually in these promos, they ask you.
Vincent Goodwill
To listen to the show.
Dan Patrick
I'm here to ask you, please don't listen to this show. The hosts are two absolute morons who have the dumbest takes on sports imaginable. Don't listen to this show so it can get canceled. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Vincent Goodwill
What the hell are you doing in our studio?
Dan Patrick
Get him, Paulie. Ignore that fool. Listen to the Pauli and Tony Fusco.
Vincent Goodwill
Show on the iHeartRadio app or wherever.
Dan Patrick
You get your podcast. He's still moving. Hi, Zoe Saldana. Welcome to T Mobile. Here's your new iPhone 16 Pro on us. Thanks. And here's my old phone to trade in. You don't need to trade in.
Vincent Goodwill
When you switch to T Mobile, we'll.
Dan Patrick
Give you a new iPhone 16 Pro. Plus we'll help you pay off your old phone.
Vincent Goodwill
Up to 800 bucks and you still get to keep it.
Dan Patrick
There's always a trade in.
Vincent Goodwill
Not right now.
Dan Patrick
@ T Mobile. I feel like I have to give.
Vincent Goodwill
You something in return for karma. That's okay.
Dan Patrick
I don't really have much in my purse. Oh, let's see. Hand sanitizer. It's lavender. I'm good. Seriously. Let me check this pocket. Oh, mints. Really? I'm fine. Oh I have raisins. I'm a mom. Wait wait one sec. I've got cupcakes in the car. It's our best iPhone offer ever. Switch to T Mobile.
Vincent Goodwill
Get a new iPhone 16 Pro with.
Dan Patrick
Apple Intelligence on us.
Vincent Goodwill
No trade in needed.
Dan Patrick
We'll even pay off your phone up to 800 bucks with 24 monthly bill credits. New line $100 plus a month on experience beyond finance agreement $999.99 and qualifying port in for well qualified plus tax and $10 connection charge. Payout via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days credits and imbalance due if you pay off early or cancel see t mobile.com the American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. Hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores and brought to you by Velvet Buck, this podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best selling author and Meat Eater founder Stephen Rinella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this Taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2 and 3 on May 21 and episodes 4, 5 and 6 on June 4 ad free at Lava for Good. Plus on Apple Podcasts, the OGs of uncensored motherhood are back and badder than ever. I'm Erica.
Vincent Goodwill
And I'm Mila.
Dan Patrick
And we're the hosts of the Good Moms Bad Choices podcast, brought to you by the Black Effect Podcast Network every Wednesday. Historically, men talk too much and women have quietly listened. And all that stops here. If you like witty women, then this is your tribe with guests like Corinne Stephens. I've never seen so many women protect pregnant, predatory men. And then me too happened, and then everybody else want to get pissed off because the white said it was okay. Problem. My oldest daughter, her first day in ninth grade, and I called to ask how I was doing. She was like, oh, dad, all they were doing was talking about your thing in class. I ruined my baby's first day of high school. And Slumflower, what turns me on is when a man sends me money. Like, I feel the moisture between my legs when a man sends me money, I'm like, oh, my God, it's go time. You actually sent it. Listen to the Good Moms Bad Choices podcast every Wednesday on the Black Effect podcast network, the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you go to find your podcast. This Pride Month, we are not just celebrating, we're fighting back. I'm George M. Johnson, and my book All Boys Aren't Blue was just named.
Vincent Goodwill
The most banned book in America.
Dan Patrick
If the culture wars have taught me anything, it's that Pride is Protestant.
Vincent Goodwill
And on my podcast, Fighting Words, we.
Dan Patrick
Talk to people who use their voices to resist, disrupt, and make our community stronger. This year, we are showing up and showing out. You need people being like, no, you're not going to tell us what to do. This regime is coming down on us.
Vincent Goodwill
And I don't want to just survive. I want to thrive. You'll hear from trailblazers like Bob the.
Dan Patrick
Drag Queen to freedom Angelica Ross. We ready to fight? I'm ready to fight.
Vincent Goodwill
And Gabrielle Union. Hi, George.
Dan Patrick
And storytellers with wisdom to spare. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Vincent Goodwill
Vincent Goodwill Jr III, Yahoo Sports senior NBA writer, host of the Good Word podcast on Yahoo. Sports, Ball don't lie, and SiriusXM NBA host. And he joins us after doing a deep dive on Kevin Durant going to the Rockets. Why is Kevin Durant on the Rockets?
Dan Patrick
Because he wants to be. I think that's the easy explanation. To say that is because clearly amongst the teams that he listed the Rockets were the team that looks to be a Kevin Durant. Away with the Young talent, the coaching, the pedigree for from being a real threat in the Western Conference like Amen Thompson is real. And Alperin Shingoon, I don't know how he fits in this iteration with Kevin Durant, but he's a talented player. Jabari Smith, like, they have so many young pieces and still so many young unearthed pieces yet to be explored that you add KD there. If he is a reasonable semblance of what he's been, they're a real threat in the Western Conference next season.
Vincent Goodwill
How does Phoenix not get Thompson or Reed shepherd or like it felt like the Rockets were like, wait a minute, who do you want in this trade? Sure, we'll do that.
Dan Patrick
That is the art of negotiation, Dan. That is where the player sometimes controls exactly what iteration appears for him because he wants to go to a team that still has enough players. Like, look, Thompson's going to be a non starter and what works against Phoenix here is that Kevin Durant is 36 years old and the max he can sign for an extension is going to be two years. Dan, we don't have a president for a player who's had a list. Frank, remember that the Liz Frank is what got Bill Walton and Achilles injury, which is what Tyrese Halliburton had and an mcl. People forget he had an MCL his first full year or second full year in Brooklyn. There's no precedent for the longevity of these old guys being able to hang around and play at a championship level. So you do have to find a way to mitigate some of that risk. Like, I know the numbers look great on paper, 50, 40, 90 across the board, but it looks different, Dan, if you go look at Kevin Durant in 2014 when before his first real injury, when he put up 50 against, okay, against the Golden State warriors, he looks so fluid that athleticism popped off the page. Now he's a guy who's going to be 37 years old. And once again, there's no template for this. We don't have any precedent for this. So we don't know what this is going to look like or what it's supposed to look like.
Vincent Goodwill
I'm going to ask you the question that you asked in your column. Is this his last stop or just his next stop?
Dan Patrick
Well, Dan, it's hard to say because I thought Brooklyn was going to be the last stop. I thought Phoenix was going to be the last stop. So. So I'm not going to box in Kevin Durant. I would just say it feels more likely. I don't know if Kevin Durant wants to be LeBron James playing until he's 42, 43, 55 years old to claim every record or whatever it is for this mythical argument. I think Kevin Durant's going to play as long as his body tells him that he can play and he can play meaningful basketball. You can only judge these guys two years at a time because that's the length of their contracts. These dudes go into their 40s, then they need to be like sitting up somewhere next to you reminiscing about the good times. They don't need to be out there chasing around these 40 year old, these 25 year olds. What's their problem?
Vincent Goodwill
The Achilles injuries? Coincidence or something more to it?
Dan Patrick
Maybe a little bit of both. I think what we cannot quantify, Dan, is the amount of miles that these players have on their bodies well before they get to the NBA. We think of their odometer starting once they get to the league. That's not the case at all. When you're playing AAU basketball, all those games a day, the personal training. And here's the other thing. This is the age of specialization. These guys aren't playing football, baseball, track, all these other things to work different muscles. They're playing one sport and it's starting that and it's starting that mild trajectory really, really early. I don't know how to do that. I do know this. The next time someone has a calf injury late in the season, sit they ass down. Period.
Vincent Goodwill
Yes, but we said, I said it last week. I said, you know, you're not careful, you're going to tear your Achilles. And we've seen this with Durant, we've seen this with Dame, we've seen this with Tatum. I, I don't know, it just feels like there's something else. Now granted, Aaron Rodgers wasn't doing anything, just back to pass. Dan Marino when he tore his just going back to pass. So I, it's not all these are incredible athletes and they're cutting and you know, all the mileage on there, it's, it's weird, you know, that it can happen to a quarterback just going back to pass.
Dan Patrick
I mean, here's the thing. Something's always going to be hurting on you as an athlete and usually it's around your calf or it's tendonitis or it's something that you're used to managing. I'm not sure. Dan Marino tore his in what, 93 if I remember correctly, or 94. So he's like 10 years into his Career, that's not necessarily common. Dame Lillard, that's an old man injury for him. Isaiah Thomas, that's an old man injury. Dominique Wilkins, old man injury. These other guys, it's not old. Tyrese Halliburton is some, you know, explosive athlete that's jumping around. But when you have a calf injury, remember Luka Doncic had a calf injury in Dallas that we kind of wondered, okay, is he in good enough shape? And all these other type of things, all these injuries aren't created equal. They aren't birthed by the same things, but they do produce the same risk. And we have to look at them like this is a risk risk. Especially when you're playing 100 games into a season and Dan, the game is moving so fast. That's where you got to be careful.
Vincent Goodwill
Talking to Vincent Goodwill. He is a Yahoo Sports senior NBA writer. His latest article has to do with Kevin Durant with the Rockets. I'm curious about the spurs, if they're taken. Dylan Harper. So that backcourt's pretty crowded. So I got the rookie of the year, I got de' Aaron Fox, and it feels like somebody is not going to be long for San Antonio. What are the spurs going to do?
Dan Patrick
Well, talking to people around the league, the spurs are the team that. They're like, okay, keep an eye on them. Because the spurs like to keep things close to the best. They're not going to go out and telegraph their moves. Remember, we didn't see the de' Aaron Fox trade happening. They were like, we already got. They already got a young guard there and then he added another one. Right. So I wouldn't be surprised. Like, there have been instances where I don't know if you remember this, Dan. The Phoenix Suns of 97 had Kevin Johnson, a young Steve Nash and Jason Kidd, and it wound up working out that, you know, KJ was a little bit older, Steve Nash was a little bit unfounded at the time, and you kind of let these things work themselves out. You take the best player available. Like, I don't. I'm not a believer in reaching, but I am a believer in the spurs having number two and number 14. I think they had number two hoping that Kevin Durant would pick them and they would use that as far as draft capital in a trade. But now that they don't, I wonder if they're going to take. I don't. I don't see that being a tenable thing. But also, this ain't supposed to be a positionless league, and that what they.
Vincent Goodwill
Tell us.
Dan Patrick
I Don't believe that, mind you. I don't believe it's a positionless league. I think that's a bunch of bull.
Vincent Goodwill
It is amazing, though, when you look back on the Phoenix uns, you had three hall of Fame point guards. I don't think KJ's a Hall of Famer, but he played like a Hall of Famer at times. J Kid and, and Steve Nash. But you're right, nobody knew about Nash. I remember being at a practice facility and watching Nash and I go, you know that. That's the kid from Santa Clara. Like, he's, he's pretty good. And then they said, well, he, he won't play here. He won't start here. And then all of a sudden he goes to Dallas and next thing you know, you know, he's somebody unique. But you didn't worry about salaries back then. Vincent. Now I got Dear and Fox. What's he gonna cost me? Although I get Castle and Harper on, you know, rookie deals, Darren Fox gonna cost me a lot of money. So it feels like he might be the guy jettison here.
Dan Patrick
Well, you just got him like, that's. I know, just.
Vincent Goodwill
But, But I think if you knew that you were going to end up with the second pit like I. They wouldn't have made the move probably for him, if they knew they were going to be in this situation. I like him, but if I can get younger and I don't have to spend money. I thought they were going to get Durant. I thought that, that they realized that he can help us. He can take pressure, he can be a bucket and. But, you know, they're, they're not yet where the Rockets are, and the Rockets might be a year away. San Antonio feels like maybe two years away from being. Oh, here they come.
Dan Patrick
Well, Victor's coming, and I think there's a difference between Victor's coming and the spurs are coming. I think they're on two different, kind of, a little bit different timeline.
Vincent Goodwill
Will he be the best player in the game in five years?
Dan Patrick
If not him, who Are you kidding me?
Vincent Goodwill
Well, Shay Gilgis is going to be there for a little while, whether you, whether you believe that, but it feels like, you know, by 25. I think I said that he'll be the best player in the sport, Victor.
Dan Patrick
I mean, why won't he be the best player in the sport two years from now? Why won't he be the best player in the sport next year? Like it? Do you see what he's doing? He's out there with the monks. He looks Like Eddie Murphy in the Golden Child. You remember that movie?
Vincent Goodwill
Yeah, that was a bad movie. That was a bad man. Good reference. Bad movie movie. But yeah, he's with the Tibetan monks there. But yeah, I look, I'm a big fan because he should have been defensive player of the year the last two years. But I just wonder, can the team keep up with him? Is that.
Dan Patrick
Well, he's. Well, he's not going anywhere. And here's the thing.
Vincent Goodwill
No, but the talent around him, can they keep up with him as he develops? So Castle, can he shoot better? Is Harper going to be, you know, a true, you know, go to guy? Who else do you have on that team who's going to help you? You know, so that, that would be my only concern with that.
Dan Patrick
No, I don't disagree with you. I mean I think they have pieces that you can move. The Jeremy Sohans, the Keldon Johnson's, guys like that that you. If you're talking about packaging players and figuring stuff out if you want to press the fast forward button. But until a player goes into his first rookie extension. And if you think about this like the NFL where if you get a quarterback on a rookie contract and you start putting in those veteran pieces around them like Seattle did with Russell Wilson like a decade ago, that's what the NBA is turning into now, where if you get a guy on the first contract or the first rookie extension, that's when you start building a championship team. That's why you have all these teams sort of positioning themselves to make runs now before guys get really, really expensive. I wouldn't be surprised if the San Antonio spurs put all their chips to the center of the table. But traditionally that's not how they have oper operated.
Vincent Goodwill
Yeah. All right. What's the better version of Michael Jordan? Young Mike or old Mike or veteran or veteran Mike? I'll give you the first five years of the, the next five years.
Dan Patrick
Oh, it's that middle five. It is, it is 89 to 93, Michael Jordan. And I don't think it's particularly close. Like in 89 he was scary, just like the triple doubles and he was going into his body and he took that really not good bull scene to the Eastern Conference finals where he, he took two games off of a Detroit team that didn't lose to anybody else that season, that series. And then the next year you can see he was really coming and really going to show up. And then you want. When you run off three in a row and I know that the bad boys were old And Magic carried a bunch of dudes who were magic in the who's who of who in 1991 to the NBA Finals. He didn't have a direct equal because of Len bias and because of the calendar. But there was no greater player we've ever seen in this league's history besides Michael Jordan between 1989 and 1993. Now the 1997 Michael Jordan, the adult grown Michael Jordan. That guy put up the best NBA Finals we've ever seen. Legit from game to game, from the flu game to the triple double to the game winner in game one, performance by performance. That's the best NBA Finals we've ever seen as far as game to game effect. That was a 32, 33 year old Michael Jordan. Okay, you can, you can, you can.
Vincent Goodwill
Take your pick, ok.
Dan Patrick
But it's, you're not losing.
Vincent Goodwill
Is Michael the first and second best player of all time? If I look at what he was in 89 and what he was in 96, 97.
Dan Patrick
Well, well, I will tell you this and this is what something someone told me. So it's not original. Michael Jordan is so great. He went into the hall of Fame as two players. Himself and Scottie Pippen.
Vincent Goodwill
Wow. Wow. That's cold blooded.
Dan Patrick
I am from Detroit, Dan.
Vincent Goodwill
Oh, we do, we do, we do.
Dan Patrick
Call Scotty Sitting Bull around here.
Vincent Goodwill
Gilbert arena said that he can't believe that people treat Kobe like he was his sidekick when he was with Shaq in that three peat there. Is that fair to say that he shouldn't have been viewed as Shaq's sidekick?
Dan Patrick
I think the problem is revisionist. History has sort of made people go to the stat sheet and said, Man, Tracy McGrady was a really good player. He could have done what Kobe did. No, he couldn't have. Like Kobe actually carried the Lakers in some of those playoff series. Now 2000, Kobe wasn't fully grown. He was still 21 years, I think 22 years old and he was still battling a little bit of inconsistency and finding himself. But by 2001. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. By 2001 he was arguably the best player in the game. Like the way he dominated that San Antonio spurs series in the Western Conference finals where he was taking 40 point games on the road against Tim Duncan and David Robinson and going to the basket and dunking on them. No, no, no. There is as much as there is, Dan, a big gap between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. And I think there is a huge gap between those two players. There's even as greater of a gap between Kobe Bryant and anybody else that you feel like you can put in those spots. Because Shaquille o' Neal needed somebody and he just didn't need a Ben card or Tracy McGrady. Like those guys were great, great players. But Kobe had an appetite and all around complete game, especially defensively, where he would really get after it, I think. You know, it's funny, when he died, it was almost like there was an overarching sort of reach to put him in a certain spot. And now all of a sudden we're going to downplay it. No, no. Can we just bring it a little bit to the middle? I'm not going to say Kobe Bryant's rings didn't count. Like if you're not the number one guy, don't count. Whatever. Because Magic Johnson played with Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Whose rings were those in 1980, 1982 and 85. Like I don't want to parse that and turn that discussion into something that is not.
Vincent Goodwill
I mentioned this and I'll leave you with this with OKC that I know we want to fast track them to being a great team of all time, which they're not. You know, you went to game seven twice. You had to hold off the biggest underdog in the last 25 years according to the odds makers. It took a guy blowing out his Achilles. You hold on, you won't. We might look differently at the this OKC team in three years with what happens. They could be the Toronto Raptors or they might have some sustainability here, which I hope they do and they probably should. But I think we want to have that coronation of this is one of the great teams of all time. Great regular season. Denver took him to seven, Indiana took him to seven. And that's why I would just say enjoy, enjoy your parade, enjoy your title. Don't put them in there with the oh one Lakers or the, you know, 86 Celtics or, you know, they're not there, but that's okay. What do you think?
Dan Patrick
I think the difference between all of those teams that you mentioned, the some of the single season greatest teams, 86 Celtics, 87 Lakers, 86, 83, 76ers that only won one championship, 01 Lakers. All those teams have gone through multiple playoff runs. Winning, losing, everything else. This is their second playoff run together, Dan. And that's where you can look at it and say, man, do they still have more room to grow that. And you don't know in today's NBA, especially with them being in Oklahoma City and we don't know how they're going to handle Jalen Williams coming up for a max, Chet Holmgren coming up for a max and having all those draft picks and figuring out the economics of the game there. But we've had seven different champions in the last seven years. Then we say the same thing about Milwaukee. Oh, they're going to go on a run. Boston, they're going to go on a run. Denver, they got Nikola Jokic, the best player in the game. They're going to go on a run. The game moves faster than ever. Quicker than ever. I'm with you. I think they are one of the best single season teams we've ever seen. It remains to be seen if they have as long of a Runway. What if Dan they are the San Antonio spurs where they never go back to back, but they win championships over a 15 year period where the 99 team looks totally different than the 07 team looks totally different than the 2014 team. But there is a common denominator and a common thread there. We would still say they are wildly successful, especially in today's NBA.
Vincent Goodwill
Well said. Vincent Goodwill, Yahoo Sports senior NBA writer, host of the Good Word podcast on Yahoo. Sports and Sirius XM NBA host. Great to talk to you as always. Thank you, Bill.
Dan Patrick
Always. I love, I love the living for the city.
Vincent Goodwill
Oh, all right. A little Stevie Wonder. Living for the city. Got a little T shirt going on there. I see what you're doing. Thank you, Vince. Be sure to catch the live edition of the Dan Patrick show, weekdays at 9am Eastern, 6am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Dan Patrick
Hi, Zoe Saldana. Welcome to T Mobile. Here's your new iPhone 16 Pro on us. Thanks. And here's my old phone to trade in. You don't need to trade in. When you switch to T Mobile, we'll give you a new iPhone 16 Pro.
Vincent Goodwill
Plus we'll help you pay off your old Phone up to 800 bucks and you still get to keep it.
Dan Patrick
There's always a trade in.
Vincent Goodwill
Not right now.
Dan Patrick
@ T Mobile. I feel like I have to give.
Vincent Goodwill
You something in return for karma. That's okay.
Dan Patrick
I don't really have much in my purse. Oh, let's see. Hand sanitizer. It's lavender. I'm good. Seriously. Let me check this pocket. Oh, mints. Really, I'm fine. Oh, I have raisins. I'm a mom. Wait, wait one sec. I've got cupcakes in the car. It's our best iPhone offer ever. Switch to T Mobile, get a new iPhone 16 Pro with Apple Intelligence on us.
Vincent Goodwill
No trade in needed.
Dan Patrick
We'll even pay off your phone up to 800 bucks with 24 monthly bill credits. New line 100 plus a month on experience beyond Finance Agreement 999.99 and qualifying ported for well qualified plus tax and $10 connection charge payout via virtual prepaid card allow 15 days credits and imbalance due if you pay off earlier. Cancel CT mobile.com the American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. Hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores and brought to you by Velvet Buck, this podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best selling author and Meat Eater founder Stephen Rinella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this Taser the Revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava For Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season one, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2 and 3 on May 21 and episodes 4, 5 and 6 on June 4 ad free at Lava for Good. Plus on Apple Podcasts, the OGs of uncensored motherhood are back and badder than ever. I'm Erica. And I'm Mila and we're the hosts of the Good Moms Bad Choices podcast brought to you by the Black Effect Podcast Network every Wednesday. Historically, men talk too much and women have quietly listened. And all that stops here. If you like witty women, then this is your tribe with guests like Corinne Steffens. I've never seen so many women protect predatory. And then me too happened, and then everybody else wanted to get pissed off because the white said it was okay. Problem. My oldest daughter, her first day in ninth grade and I called to ask how I was doing. She was like, oh, dad, all they were doing was talking about your thing in class. I ruined my baby's first day of high school. And Slumflower, what turns me on is when a man sends me money. Like, I feel the moisture between my legs when a man sends me money. I'm like, oh, my God, it's go time. You actually listen to the Good Moms Bad Choices podcast every Wednesday on the Black Effect podcast network, the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you go to find your podcast. This pride Month, we are not just celebrating, we're fighting back. I'm George M. Johnson, and my book All Boys Aren't Blue was just named.
Vincent Goodwill
The most banned book in America.
Dan Patrick
If the culture wars have taught me anything, it's that pride is protest.
Vincent Goodwill
And on my podcast, Fighting Words, we talk to people who use their voices.
Dan Patrick
To resist, disrupt, and make our community stronger. This year, we are showing up and showing out. You need people being like, no, you're not going to tell us what to do. This regime is coming down on us, and I don't want to just survive.
Vincent Goodwill
I want to thrive. You'll hear from trailblazers like Bob the drag Queen to freedom Angelica Ross.
Dan Patrick
We ready to fight. I'm ready to fight.
Vincent Goodwill
And Gabrielle Union. Hi, George. And storytellers with wisdom to spare.
Dan Patrick
Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts.
Vincent Goodwill
Or wherever you get your podcasts. Dr. Mark Attucks. He's the Harvard educated orthopedic surgeon. He's smarter than you. Former offensive lineman, in fact, won a Super bowl with a team formerly known as the Redskins. Doc, good to talk to you again. We gave you our theory, or at least Paul had a theory of the step back jumper. Would that have anything to do with the proliferation of Achilles tears? And then we'll get to your theory.
Dan Patrick
Well, I mean, the step back is not that much force, right? I mean, you see, you've seen running backs tear as they go to step back to accelerate forward. But I mean, you also see Achilles tears where guys are going to cut. And so do I think the step back is more force than someone running full speed and going to cut and push off the leg? Nah, I mean, I really don't think so. I don't think it's, it's just because guys are doing more step backs that you're going to see more Achilles stairs. The other thing is, it used to be that you didn't even worry about an Achilles tear in an athlete that wasn't around or beyond 30 years of age. And now you're seeing these 22, 25 year olds get hurt. It really is. It really is crazy.
Vincent Goodwill
Okay, so what's your theory?
Dan Patrick
So my, my theory is twofold. One, I think that athletes now are a little bigger, a little stronger, a little faster, a little more explosive. The other one is, is that it used to be when you weren't playing sports, you were still active. Do you know what I mean? When you weren't playing your particular sport, you still were running around and you were on your feet all day long. Now, I think that most recreation is sedentary, whether it's, you know, cable tv, whether it's streaming, whether it's video games. You know, I mean, I just think that people are more sedentary when they're not doing their sport. And so the combination of having bigger, stronger, more explosive athletes combined with someone that isn't conditioning their muscles and tendons and all the time is, is having a bad effect.
Vincent Goodwill
How can it be prevented?
Dan Patrick
I mean, good question. I mean, maybe throwing away smartphones and having people walk around and be active more during the day. I mean, I don't think that's going to happen necessarily. But I mean, there's got to be better training techniques. There's got to be better training techniques to, to strengthen that musculo tendinous and that tendinous bony junction. Because you def. We definitely are seeing more Achilles, but I think we're even seeing more serious quad groin, hamstring. I mean, we're seeing more muscle injuries than we used to.
Vincent Goodwill
It feels like, you know, we've mastered hip replacement. Tommy John feels like we've kind of mastered that. Shoulders are still. The jury's out on shoulders. And the Achilles. It feels like it was 12 months. Now it feels like coming back to eight months, nine months. What has changed with that surgery?
Dan Patrick
Well, I mean, they are doing them more minimally, invasively, which obviously eliminates the problem with wound healing, but it also, by creating less trauma, I think it allows the body to heal a little bit more naturally. You know, Terrell Suggs, you know, the outside linebacker, pass rush Specialist for Baltimore many years ago. I mean, I think he's kind of the record. He returned to sport six months after one of his Achilles. He actually tore both of his Achilles over the course of his career, but he was over 30 when he did that. But I do think it's possible now, or even more likely more common to see guys coming back eight, nine months, which still eats significantly into Tyrese Halliburts season next year.
Vincent Goodwill
Yeah, and Jason Tatum as well, right?
Dan Patrick
Yeah, yeah, yeah, good point.
Vincent Goodwill
Good point. Fritz. He got hurt playing pickleball. He wasn't wearing his pickleball shoes, and he has planner.
Dan Patrick
Didn't even know there was such a thing.
Vincent Goodwill
Yeah, he has plantar fasciitis.
Dan Patrick
Oh, my. All right, so plantar fasciitis, one, you want to stretch. So there's a great yoga stretch called the downward dog, because you want to get that stretched out. Two, get a, like a Coke bottle, 20 ounce bottle, fill it with water, freeze it solid, and roll that on the sole of your foot to sort of massage and ice the plantar fascia. Three, when you sleep, your toes point. So every morning when you get up, you retear the plantar fascia as it tries to heal overnight. Right. So they have these night splints that hold your feet at 90 degree angles. You can buy them on, you know, online, on Amazon, obviously. So night splints, foot, the. The massage, ice, massage, the stretch. And then the last thing is you can buy a harder insert, a carbon fiber insert to go into the shoe, which sometimes can help protect your plantar fascia. Any sort of an insert, like a. One of those Spenco gel heel cups can help too, but that's kind of what I recommend.
Vincent Goodwill
Why didn't my micro fracture surgery work on my knee?
Dan Patrick
It's imperfect, right? What happens is you poke holes in the bone, and the idea was that bone marrow would come out and your stem cells would make new cartilage that was as good as what was there originally. As it turns out, the cartilage that grows in that gap is more fibrocartilage. It doesn't wear as well, it doesn't protect the bone as well, and so it wears out more quickly and you feel the symptoms again.
Vincent Goodwill
What role is stem cell going to play in injuries?
Dan Patrick
I mean, it's helpful. It's helpful. Particularly the younger you are. Obviously, the more active your stem cells are and the more they're going to play a role. I think at some point we're going to need to have gene therapy combined with stem cells so that you have something that is telling the stem cells what to do. In other words, I don't think it's going to fix a knee that needs microfacture. It's not going to fix arthritis unless you intervene way earlier. But I think it's going to be super helpful, and it already is being helpful for muscle injuries and things that have a better chance to heal.
Vincent Goodwill
What's the one question you get at a party when you go to. You know you're going to get this question.
Dan Patrick
You know, it's different. So I have the guy who just injured his plantar fascia playing pickleball, and I have the guy that injured his shoulder playing tennis. And I have a guy that was doing jujitsu who injured his hip. I mean, it's incredible the number of guys that are my age that are doing jujitsu for the first time. It sounds like a really bad idea to me.
Vincent Goodwill
But do they take their shirts off or pants off that they want to show you an injury?
Dan Patrick
Thankfully, no. I'm avoiding. I'm avoiding that.
Vincent Goodwill
Good to talk to you again, Doc. Thanks for joining us. That's Dr. Mark Attucks.
Dan Patrick
I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1 Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1 Taser incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What up, y' all? This your main man, Memphis Bleak, right here. Host the Rock Solid podcast.
Vincent Goodwill
June is Black Music Month, so what.
Dan Patrick
Better way to celebrate than listening to my exclusive conversation with my bro, Ja Rule? The one thing they can't stop you or take away from you is knowledge. So whatever I went through while I was down in prison for two years through that process, learn, learn from. Check out this exclusive episode with Ja Rule on Rock Solid. Open your free I Heart radio app. Search Rock Solid and listen now. Why is a soap opera western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6, where we'll delve into stories of the west. And come come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Michael Kasson, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on Good Company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next.
Vincent Goodwill
In this episode, I'm joined by Angeli Su, CEO of Tubi. We dive into the competitive world of streaming.
Dan Patrick
What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as cor. There's so many stories out there, and if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content. The term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen.
Vincent Goodwill
Listen to Good company on the iHeartRadio.
Dan Patrick
App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The OGs of uncensored motherhood are back and badder than ever. I'm Erica. And I'm Mila, and we're the hosts of the Good Moms Bad Choices Podcast podcast brought to you by the Black Effect Podcast Network every Wednesday. Yeah, we're moms, but not your mommy. Historically, men talk too much and women have quietly listened. And all that stops here. If you like witty women, then this is your try. Listen to the Good Moms Bad Choices Podcast every Wednesday on the Black Effect podcast network, the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you go to find your podcast. This is an I heart podcast.
Summary of "The Best of The Dan Patrick Show" Episode Release Date: June 24, 2025
1. Oklahoma City Thunder's Playoff Performance and Future Prospects
The episode opens with Dan Patrick and Yahoo Sports senior NBA writer, Vincent Goodwill, delving deep into the recent playoff run of the Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC). The discussion critically assesses whether OKC can be considered one of the great NBA teams of all time.
Playoff Challenges: Patrick emphasizes that while OKC had a strong regular season, their playoff journey was fraught with challenges, being pushed to seven games by both Denver and Indiana. He states, “Great teams don't get pushed to seven games, not twice in a playoff series” (08:15).
Injuries Impacting Playoffs: A significant portion of the conversation centers around Tyrese Halliburton's Achilles tear. Patrick questions the wisdom of pushing a player to the brink of injury in crucial games, pondering whether Halliburton should have conserved himself to benefit the team long-term. He muses, “Would you sign on a piece of paper to lose your entire next season?” (10:11).
Comparison to Historical Teams: The hosts compare OKC's situation to historical teams like the 1970 Seattle SuperSonics and legendary figures like Michael Jordan and Willis Reed. Patrick remarks, “You have to earn greatness every single week, every single season, every single day” (12:10).
Dynasty Potential: They debate the sustainability of OKC’s success, considering factors like team evolution and player development. Goodwill suggests, “They are one of the best single-season teams we've ever seen. It remains to be seen if they have as long of a runway” (40:51).
2. Surge in Achilles Injuries Among NBA Players
Transitioning from team performance, Patrick and Goodwill explore the alarming increase in Achilles tendon injuries among marquee NBA players, including Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, and Jason Tatum.
Possible Causes: Dr. Mark Addox, a Harvard-educated orthopedic surgeon and former offensive lineman, joins the discussion to provide medical insights. He posits that the combination of modern training techniques and the sedentary lifestyles outside of sports may contribute to these injuries. “The next time someone has a calf injury late in the season, sit their ass down. Period” (40:51).
Preventative Measures: Dr. Addox suggests improved training methods to strengthen musculoskeletal and tendinous junctions. He states, “There's got to be better training techniques to strengthen that musculo-tendinous and that tendinous-bony junction” (50:05).
Surgery and Recovery Advances: The conversation touches on advancements in Achilles surgery, noting a reduction in recovery time from twelve to eight months due to minimally invasive procedures. However, Patrick remains skeptical about the long-term efficacy, mentioning, “The cartilage that grows in that gap is more fibrocartilage. It doesn't wear as well” (53:17).
3. Player Development and Team Dynamics
The discussion shifts to player development and team dynamics, particularly focusing on the San Antonio Spurs and their strategic moves in the current NBA landscape.
San Antonio Spurs' Strategy: Patrick observes that the Spurs are known for keeping their strategies close to the chest, often making unexpected moves. He compares past team dynamics, saying, “Like the Phoenix Suns of '97 had Kevin Johnson, Steve Nash, and Jason Kidd, but nobody knew about Nash” (31:36).
Victor's Development: Goodwill highlights Victor Wembanyama’s potential, questioning if the Spurs can build a team around his emerging talent. Patrick responds optimistically, “He's not going anywhere... why won't he be the best player in the sport next year?” (34:27).
Contract Dynamics: They discuss the implications of player contracts on team building, noting that NBA teams are increasingly positioning themselves around players' rookie contracts to maximize championship potential before salaries escalate.
4. Legendary Players and Their Impact
Patrick and Goodwill reflect on the legacies of basketball legends, comparing current players to icons like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Michael Jordan's Dual Legacy: Patrick shares an anecdote, asserting, “Michael Jordan is so great. He went into the hall of fame as two players. Himself and Scottie Pippen” (37:30), highlighting Jordan's unparalleled impact on the game.
Kobe Bryant's Individual Brilliance: The hosts defend Kobe Bryant's legacy against claims of him being merely Shaquille O'Neal's sidekick. Patrick emphasizes Kobe’s individual accolades and clutch performances, stating, “There is a big gap between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant” (38:02).
5. Additional Insights and Closing Remarks
As the episode nears its end, Patrick and Goodwill reinforce their critical stance on prematurely labeling teams like OKC as dynasties without considering long-term sustainability and player health.
Final Thoughts on OKC: Patrick concludes, “We have had seven different champions in the last seven years. It remains to be seen if OKC can sustain their success” (40:51).
Upcoming Episodes and Listener Engagement: The hosts tease upcoming topics and encourage listeners to engage with live shows and future episodes.
Notable Quotes with Timestamps:
Conclusion
In this episode of "The Best of The Dan Patrick Show," listeners are treated to an in-depth analysis of the Oklahoma City Thunder's current standing in the NBA, the rising concern of Achilles injuries among elite athletes, and reflections on basketball legends' legacies. Dan Patrick and Vincent Goodwill provide a balanced mix of critical insights, expert medical opinions, and historical comparisons, making the discussion both informative and engaging for sports enthusiasts.