What's Wright - Game 2 Reactions: Spurs DOMINATE Wolves, Knicks SURVIVE 76ers, Lakers get Luka UPDATE | Nick Wright

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode: What's Wright - Game 2 Reactions: Spurs DOMINATE Wolves, Knicks SURVIVE 76ers, Lakers get Luka UPDATE | Nick Wright

Date: May 8, 2026
Host: Nick Wright (Doug), with guest/co-host Damanze
Producers: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into reactions from Game 2 of the NBA Playoffs, focusing on the Spurs' dominant win over the Timberwolves, the Knicks' narrow escape against the 76ers, and the Lakers' predicament with a new Luka injury update. Nick Wright offers his signature sharp takes on player performances, coaching decisions, and the storylines shaping the postseason, while reflecting on the gambling odds that have defined his personal and public playoff narratives.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NBA Playoff Recaps: Spurs vs. Timberwolves [07:47–19:32]

• Spurs Bounce Back:
  The Spurs corrected course after a close Game 1 loss, decisively beating the Wolves in Game 2.

  • “The Spurs got an absolutely critical gotta have it, must win game.” (Doug, 00:36)
  • Minnesota seemed “flat” and was “dreadful defensively.” (08:02–09:00)

• Minnesota’s Depth Tested by Injuries:

  • IO left the game with a heel injury, likely season-ending. DiVincenzo is also out. Anthony Edwards is not close to 100%.
  • “He is a young player who has not yet been paid, who had a calf injury ... then it migrated down to the heel... what is between the calf and the heel? The Achilles.” (Doug, 08:34)
  • This puts immense pressure on Anthony Edwards and Terence Shannon Jr.

• Game Flow & Spurs’ Hot Shooting:

  • The Wolves “never looked locked in,” and the Spurs were aggressive and successful from 3 and the line.
  • “The spurs had to have it and, the spurs got it... Champagne had a stretch... 12–0 run and honest to God, I don't know if anyone on the Timberwolves feels like they played well.” (Doug, 12:40)

• Key Adjustments & Player Performances:

  • Jaden McDaniels’ foul trouble was highlighted as a significant issue for the Wolves:
    • “He has been defensively... so important. And this entire series he's been in foul trouble.” (Doug, 14:16)
  • Conley’s aging but valuable minutes. Spurs’ refusal to guard Jalen Clark and giving Bones Highland extended time are tactical levers they're comfortable with.
  • “Wimby was super active, setting the tone early and then didn’t do that much and didn’t have to do that much...” (Doug, 12:00)

• Series Prognosis:

  • Nick still feels Minnesota is the better team unless Anthony Edwards’ health is worse than thought.
  • “If I'm wrong about Anthony Edwards ... then I'm going to end up being wrong about the series.” (Doug, 11:22)

Notable Quote:

“At no point did I think Minnesota was going to win both in San Antonio, and had they won both... the series would just be over.” – Doug, 10:32

Timestamps:

• Wolves injury impact: 08:34
• Spurs’ three-point shooting & alley-oop 3: 12:00
• Game pace & fouls: 12:30
• Importance of McDaniels: 14:16

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2. Player Fatigue & Strategic Adjustments [18:06–19:47]

• Wimby’s Minutes:
  There are questions about whether Victor Wembanyama can handle extended minutes in a long series – “I thought Wimby looked absolutely worn out at the end of game one. Zach Lowe said it was the third most minutes he's ever played...” (Doug, 18:12)

  • In Game 2, he rested in the blowout, which could help for Game 3.

• Anthony Edwards’ Role:

  • Ant came off the bench again, but the consensus is he has to start and play more minutes for the Wolves to have a shot.
  • “They’re not going to win the series with him playing 25 minutes a game.” (Doug, 19:49)

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3. Knicks vs. 76ers: A Gritty Win With a Cost [25:28–37:41]

• Knicks Survive Without Dominating:

  • After a run of blowout playoff wins, the Knicks got “a really solid win” but not without struggle, as the Sixers kept it close despite being outmanned.
  • “They were the first team in the history of the NBA to win three straight playoff games by 25 points ... just blowing teams out every single night in the playoffs is not really a thing...” (Doug, 25:41)

• Sixers’ Exhaustion and Embiid’s Absence:

  • Philly “ran out of gas.” Their starters all logged massive minutes. Without Embiid, their depth issues are exposed.
  • “Embiid, their starting lineup is Embiid, obviously. Paul, George, Ubre, Maxi, Edgecomb. Those four guys... played 43 minutes, 40 minutes, 40 minutes and 47 for Maxi.” (Doug, 26:20)

• Knicks’ Depth, OG’s Injury:

  • Knicks’ bench helps rest starters, but OG Anunoby injures his hamstring — a major blow.
  • “Hamstring injuries scare me and they tend not to just go away. That is, you know, the primary concern for the Knicks.” (Doug, 29:27)
  • OG’s been on fire: 35 min/gm, 22/7, 62% FG, 54% 3 (30:13).

• Embiid’s Career “Cruelty”:

  • Nick passionately details Embiid’s perpetual injury misfortune and how it’s different from other stars’ single catastrophic events.
  • “I don't know if there's a player who I feel worse for as far as where it looks like his career is going to go because of injury... it just feels so random and unfair...” (Doug, 32:54)

Notable Quotes:

“He does not deserve this level of bad luck. And the Sixers can't win the series without him.” – Doug, 35:04

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4. The “Flopping” Debate: Thunder, SGA, Luka, and LeBron [37:52–53:02]

• Thunder and SGA’s Playstyle:

  • Nick accuses SGA (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) of “cartoonish flailing about,” making “no intent to shoot” drives just to draw fouls.
    • “Call me old fashioned, but I think the soon to be two time MVP should drive to the basket with the intent to score instead of... to trick the ref.” (Tweet read by Doug, 38:04)
  • Distinguishes between SGA’s style and LeBron/Luka’s:
    • “What LeBron has done forever is if you actually touch his face, he will act like a sniper, hit him... But what those guys don't do is drive to the basket with no intent whatsoever of shooting...” (Doug, 41:45)

• Fan Pushback & The OKC Narrative:

  • Thunder fans accuse Nick of bias; he points out that success doesn’t always earn fandom or respect—citing Kevin Durant’s Warriors run as precedent.
    • “Winning a championship... does not get you necessarily love... and at times it doesn’t even get you as much respect as you think you deserve.” (Doug, 44:45)
  • He does not allege a “conspiracy” for OKC:
    • “Your star players are actors some of the time. And I don’t like it. That’s what I'm saying.” (Doug, 50:12)

• How to Fix Flopping:

  • Suggests technicals/free throws for flopping (“the shame of the other team getting a free throw ... would just nip that in the bud.” – Damanze, 52:55)

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5. Lakers Update & the Luka Situation [54:11–62:50]

• Lakers’ Situation Worsens with Luka Update:

  • “If Luka’s not coming back, there’s not a lot of paths you can find to winning this series. There’s just—there’s no shame in that.” (Doug, 54:27)
  • Austin Reaves had historically bad night; Nick questions narratives about Lakers’ roster construction and impatience to “move on” from LeBron.
    • “So much of the Lakers moves ... have been as if they’re at least a tiny bit annoyed that LeBron hasn’t fallen off the cliff yet.” (Doug, 55:01)
  • Praises LeBron’s continued impact:
    • “We just watched a 41 year old be the best player on the court ... And LeBron James thoroughly and comprehensively outplays the soon-to-be two time MVP, is the best player on the goddamn court once again.” (Doug, 56:35)

• Austin Reaves’ Growth & Remaining Questions:

  • Commends Reaves’ development but notes he may be “overmatched” as a second option versus elite teams.
    • “If he is your second best player, are you a championship caliber team? I do.” (Doug, 55:01)

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6. Draymond Green and the Trouble With TV [62:50–73:09]

• Draymond Green’s “Jump the Shark” TV Moment:
  • Appeared on Inside the NBA and “might have ruined expectations” for Warriors fans.
  • “If you want to be good on television, Draymond, you have to be able to laugh at yourself, particularly if you are going to be a harsh critic of others. Take it from me, buddy.” (Doug, 63:24)
  • Contrasts Draymond’s thin skin with Charles Barkley’s self-deprecating approach, crucial for TV success.
    • “Barkley's key to his broadcast brilliance is he relishes being the butt of the joke. He gives it and he takes it with a smile. And Draymond's total lack of any ability to laugh at himself makes some of his TV clips peak Curb Your Enthusiasm.” (Doug, 63:24–64:09)
  • Points out inaccuracies in Draymond’s comparison slamming Barkley’s Houston years:
    • “Chuck's first year in Houston, he was 19 and 14 with five assists. They made the conference finals.” (Doug, 71:14)

Memorable Moment:

“If you want to be a flamethrower, you’ve got to be totally fine with laughing with everybody when you’re the one getting burnt.” (Doug, 73:09)

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Notable Quotes by Timestamp

• On Wolves injuries:
  “He is a young player who has not yet been paid, who had a calf injury... then it migrated down to the heel... what is between the calf and the heel? The Achilles.” (Doug, 08:34)

• On OG Anunoby:
  “Hamstring injuries scare me and they tend not to just go away. That is, you know, the primary concern for the Knicks.” (Doug, 29:27)

• On Joel Embiid’s career:
  “I don't know if there's a player who I feel worse for as far as where it looks like his career is going to go because of injury... it just feels so random and unfair...” (Doug, 32:54)

• On SGA’s foul-drawing:
  “I think the soon-to-be two time MVP should drive to the basket with the intent to score instead of... to trick the ref.” (Doug, 38:04, from tweet)

• On LeBron and Lakers roster:
  “So much of the Lakers moves ... have been as if they’re at least a tiny bit annoyed that LeBron hasn’t fallen off the cliff yet.” (Doug, 55:01)

• On Draymond Green's TV struggles:
  “If you want to be good on television, Draymond, you have to be able to laugh at yourself, particularly if you are going to be a harsh critic of others. Take it from me, buddy.” (Doug, 63:24)

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Additional Timestamps for Quick Navigation

• [07:47] – Spurs-Wolves deep dive begins
• [19:47] – Ant's role/Knicks game preview
• [25:28] – Knicks-Sixers analysis starts
• [32:54] – Embiid’s injury-plagued career
• [37:52] – Thunder-SGA, flopping debate
• [54:11] – Lakers-Luka injury update
• [62:50] – Draymond Green & Inside the NBA performance critique

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Tone & Style

Nick Wright is passionate, analytical, and occasionally irreverent. He offers hard-hitting takes, direct advice, and personal asides but maintains a conversational and accessible style.

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This summary provides a complete guide to the episode’s key moments, storytelling arcs, and debate highlights—essential for anyone who missed the episode but wants to catch up on all the significant NBA Playoff discussion and sports media insight.

Transcript

[Damanze]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

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And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson's Partner]

Hey everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Doug]

Oh, no.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson's Partner]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Anyways, get a'@libertymutual.com or with your local agent.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson's Partner]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Doug]

Welcome in While Driving The Grind, episode 455. This episode of what's Right With Nick right is presented to you by the great people at Boost Mobile. Another excellent night in the NBA playoffs since we last met. The the Lakers got just systematically beaten by the Thunder. Such an interesting box score because the Thunder won one of the quarters by three points, one by four points, one by five points, one by six points. And that's how a game where it felt like the Lakers were actually surprisingly competitive ends up being an 18 point loss. Just lose every quarter by two or three baskets and you lose the game by 18 points. That happened. The Cavs continue to me to look pretty unimpressive this postseason. That was two nights ago. And then last night the spurs got an absolutely critical gotta have it, must win game, which we will get into momentarily. And the Knicks got a got an important game two victory, but potentially at the cost of OG Anunoby. So we'll get into all of those things. Also Draymond Green. I I think Draymond Green may have this week have had his media jumping the shark moment. So we will discuss that. First I will introduce Damanze and how's it going? Good to see you. I got it. I When is so if you're just listening and you're not watching on YouTube if you this is a great reason like subscribe Rate Review when is the last time you had a shaved head?

[Damanze]

This slow? Probably the last time that I got a haircut. Like the first time I got a haircut in Houston, you remember you took me to the barbershop. I lined it up after it had already grown. But before that I feel like I got buzz cuts a lot back when I was a kid.

[Doug]

But you're talking about first time in Houston.

[Damanze]

Yeah, I was probably like 11 or 12 years old or something like that.

[Doug]

Yeah, I mean so you're talking about a very like junior high school was the last time you had a shaved head. Yeah, I can barely remember. I don't. I. Let me say this. I think this is the first time you've ever had no head, no hair on your head while having hair on your face. I think the last time.

[Damanze]

Oh, that's. Yeah, that's fair.

[Doug]

You had a shaved head. You weren't able to really grow facial hair. The chat is saying a lot of Wimby comps. All of a sudden in the chat when Wimpy showed up all of a sudden at the. After being with the monks and shaving his head. I think you look great. It. It was disorienting. Almost out of nowhere. Yeah. And I'm sure it through your. Is she six months today?

[Damanze]

She's six months. No, she's six months in two days.

[Doug]

In two days. Oh, right. November 9th is her birthday. So that would of course it would be on her birthday. So six months. And I'm sure it disoriented your six month, soon to be six month old daughter. All of that. And real quick, before we get to the sports, just 90 seconds here. And this is a note for Daman. This is a note for Victor. This is the most important thing we'll do on this podcast for months. Anyone listening who is in a relationship and this is the first Mother's Day where your significant other is a mother. Do not fall into that trap of she ain't my mom, that's my don't, don't do that and whatever. And if you're on a budget, whatever, you know, again, take my advice on this. As bad as it sounds, if you've got to cheap out on one of the presents this one year, cheap out on the present for your own mother. Take care of, take care of the present for the your significant other who it's her first Mother's Day. The the infant can't do it. Now added bonus points if you give a card from the infant's perspective, like a card from you and then also a card from the baby. All I'm just saying this is. I truly mean it. Also. Now this is specifically for the Monza because Damanze is a great and thoughtful gift giver. He also is first team All American at spending nearly as much on on the overnight shipping for the present as he did on the present because it's last minute. Your mom will not be here on Mother's Day. She'll be traveling and she is going to be in LA seeing you guys here in a few days. So do not waste $140 overnighting a package. Just keep it with you. And give it to her. You could get it there, but she won't be here. So if it's something you want to send, send it regular. She's going to be out of town until next week anyway. And if not, just hand it to her. Okay. Producers say come for the take, stay for the advice. All right, straight to voicemail. Brought to you by boost mobile. Bryson DeChambeau is going to focus on YouTube if live folds. Okay, whatever. Rust. Debating between TV and the jets. I got to tell you, it would be stunning to me if Russell Wilson's compelling on television. It would really. I'm not saying he can't be, but it would take a real personality shift. Like his whole career, he has been intentionally bland and vanilla. Now maybe that's just like, well, that's because I was the quarterback of a team, but now I can out here, I can be out here giving opinions. But that would be awesome.

[Damanze]

If he turned out.

[Doug]

It would be awesome.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Doug]

If he turned out and he was like, no, I was just playing a character because that's who I needed to be to be a quarterback. But that who he's the. The personality shown as a quarterback would not work on tv. And Ric Flair. Chip, whatever, man. I'm not even talking about this. Shut up. Ric Flair. Honest to God. Stop it. Like, the Ric Flair's like, get out there, Luka. Shut up. All right. Like, rate, subscribe. Review. Damanze let's talk. Let's talk Spurs, Timberwolves.

[Damanze]

Yeah. After losing in a close one in game one, the spurs right of the ship with the Timberwolves in game two, they kind of stomped him and it just seemed like Minnesota didn't have it last night. You talked on Simmons pod about your. About your Wolves future bet. How are you feeling after that game last night?

[Doug]

Yeah, well, listen, if you didn't listen to Simmons pod, I kind of alluded to it on this podcast, but. And I didn't expect Bill to ask me to tell the story, but he did. And I don't often talk about gambling amounts with you guys, but I play poker on tv. You guys see, you know what my risk tolerance is. And the too long didn't read version of the story is set Saturday morning. I was in Vegas. I was in Vegas for like 24 hours to see the fight. And I was going to bet the fight, the Kentucky Derby. And then I saw that Timberwolves were 200 to 1 to win the championship. And I thought that was absurd. I thought Anthony Edwards could come back. Turns out I was right. I thought the Timberwolves had a very good shot against San Antonio. I think I was right there. And so I was going to make a bet just myself. Then I texted some buddies. They agreed with me that that was way mispriced, way undervalued and yada yada, yada. All of a sudden I for myself and on the behalf of a few friends and making a cumulative $10,000 to win $2 million bet on the Minnesota Timberwolves to win the championship that they were down to 30 to 1 before yesterday's game. They are now 50 to 1 after yesterday's game on Hard Rock. And which means, by the way, that bet, that $10,000 ticket is now worth $40,000. Like it's still way up in what the perceived value of it is. But obviously last night stung and so let's so there's the bet, you know, context of it. We'll get to more on that. Need to as the as the season and series evolves. I think the biggest thing to come out of yesterday's game actually was that IO left the game with a heel injury, which to me means his season's over. He is a young player who has not yet been paid, who had a calf injury, a calf strain, and then all of a sudden it migrated down to the heel. And you don't have to be Bill Nye the Science Guy to know, hey, what is right between the calf and the heel? What is that one? Oh, it's the Achilles. So IO I don't think will play again, which no DiVincenzo, no IO it makes them even thinner. And you saw yesterday that when Clark's in the game, it just kills them on offense and when Bones is in the game, it kills him on defense. And so it really demands a lot out of Anthony Edwards, who yesterday looked more hampered by the injury than he did in game one, and of Terence Shannon Jr. Who has been a revelation and awesome. But it's hard to rely on him night in, night out. With that said, at no point did I think Minnesota was going to win both in San Antonio. And had they won both in San Antonio, the series would just be over. The spurs were not going to lose both at home and then come back and win that. I think they knew that and I think Minnesota, who yesterday was a good reminder for them that particularly given DiVincenzo's injury, given IO's injury, given Anthony Edwards not being anywhere close to 100%. If we don't come out absolutely hair on fire, we're going to get Beat. We have to. We always have to be the more desperate team anytime we want to win one of these games. And yesterday they weren't. The offense was awful. The that third quarter was one of the longest, most miserable slogs of basketball I've ever seen. Through, by the way, through 36 minutes, through three quarters last night, there were 41 combined fouls. Think about that. A foul every 45 seconds for. Which is why the third quarter took like 55 minutes. But the spurs had to have it in. The spurs got it. Now does it change my opinion that I had after game one that Minnesota is going to win the series? It doesn't. Do I think Minnesota's margin of error just got a lot smaller? Yes, of course. But I. I will. If if I'm wrong about Anthony Edwards being able to ramp up his minutes and being able to get closer to being Anthony Edwards, then I'm going to end up being wrong about the series. It just flatly But I think yesterday was a combination of a lot of factors that led to the Timberwolves just not being locked in and the Timberwolves defensively being dreadful and the spurs everybody getting involved because it wasn't. Listen, Wimby was super active, setting the tone early and then didn't do that much and didn't have to do that much on the offensive end the rest of the game. He still is struggling at least somewhat with his jump shot. Now that you could argue is a little concerning for Minnesota that when if Wimby starts hitting his threes, he was 2 of 7 in yesterday's game. He once again for the second straight game didn't get to the free throw line a ton. So they're guarding Wimby fine. It's the fact that outside of Wimby, San Antonio was 14 for 32 from 3, shot 33 free throws, hit the league's first ever alley oop 3. One of the coolest plays of the season to beat the shot clock. Champagne had a stretch of time where he went on an individual 120 run and honest to God, I don't know if anyone on the Timberwolves feels like they played well. Here's one other piece of it before we get Damanze to some of the bigger picture stuff that is just patently obvious for the rest of this series. Jaden McDaniels can not get in foul trouble the way he is like Jaden McDaniels yesterday in a game that Minnesota lost by 38 was only a minus six in his 20 minutes. Like he he has been defensively and with the burst he gives you offensively and his length, he's so important. And this entire series he's been in foul trouble. And so he's got to be better on that front. I mean, listen, Mike Conley's games are going to ebb and flow because as Ant so eloquently told us, Mike's old as hell. Mike is the. It's the Greg Odin, Kevin Durant draft class that 2 through 5 from that draft class to Monze are all still playing. It's Durant, Conley, Al Horford and Jeff Green from the 07 draft class. And so all still playing, you know, varying levels. But you can't. Conley is going to. If you get two more solid games out of Conley this series, it's a huge win. But the Jalen. I think the spurs are just totally fine with not guarding Jalen Clark and the spurs are totally fine with Bones Highland getting as many minutes as the Timberwolves want to give them. And on the flip side, Dear and Fox had a bit of a bounce back game which is critical for San Antonio. What? Go ahead.

[Damanze]

No, I made a great bounce back game considering the first one.

[Doug]

And it was early on like he finished with 16, but I think he had 11 in the first quarter. Like that's probably more than he had. But it felt like he got going early and that was, you know, to steady himself. So I still think Minnesota is fine. Like they just wanted the split in San Antonio and they got it. I believe their worst case scenario is now it's 2:2 going back to San Antonio. And because I don't think they're losing both at home and I think there's a real chance they win both at home and it's 3:1 going back to San Antonio, but they are getting thinner and thinner and they are going to have to have Anthony Edwards be flatly, considerably better if they're going to win this series. All right, you have some follow ups here.

[Damanze]

Wimby only played in 26 minutes in this game. Does it worry you moving forward, him playing in long series, his ability to

[Doug]

do it well, his ability to play big minutes. So that's. That is the one of the taxes of Minnesota getting just annihilated. Is Wimby got a quick night. If they had just been able to keep it somewhere from 12 to 18 and you can put more minutes on Wimby that accumulate over the course of the series, I think that would have been valuable. Instead he doesn't have to play at all in the fourth quarter. I do, I listen. I thought Wimby looked absolutely worn out at the end of game one. Zach Lowe said it was the third most minutes he's ever played in any game in his career. And I think it showed up at the end of that game. He should probably now be fresher for Game 3. And he came out, you know, guns blazing last night as you're supposed to. But it is every other game, every other day until we get to game six. And I just don't know if he's built up the endurance over the course of the season because of how they've used him. All right, let's talk a little ants here, demons. A I know that, you know, he's going to be the key to the series.

[Damanze]

So Ant came off the bench again. Finch said that he could possibly be seeing more minutes. Do you think that it'll be too late by the time that comes?

[Doug]

No, I listen, I think Ann will start game three. That's the other. I

[Damanze]

kind of has to.

[Doug]

Kind of has to. I, I the idea of being able to have Ant come off the bench is a nice curveball to throw, but they need energy and execution offensively to start the game. And, and the other thing is and isn't, Su is a superb defender. So he's just, you know, their, he's not their best defensive player, but he's far and away their best offensive player. And when he's out on the court, you can put out really good defenders, you know, at almost every spot with Jaden and Rudy and when Nas is out there. So it just gives you a lot of options and versatility. So I listen, they're not going to win the series with him playing 25 minutes a game. But I don't think if he could play 25 minutes on May 5, I think he'll be able to play more. Or May 4, I think you'll be able to play more minutes on May 8th and May 10th and May 12th. All right, we I want to get to the Knicks game in just a second. But first, today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock bet. Florida's sportsbook. Second round of the NBA playoffs is here. Lights are brighter, pressure's higher. Every possession can change a series. And on Hard Rock bet, every night is your shot to score a major bucket win or go home. Energy on the hardwood. You can build same game parlays. You might like the hot hand to drop 30, the big man to control the glass with a double double, the point guard to dish out five assists. However you draw it up, Hard Rock Bet gives you tons of ways. Stack your picks into a same game parlay built for for the playoffs. And if you're ever late to tip off, don't worry. Hard Rock Bet lets you live bet all game long, from the first bucket to the final buzzer. Try your first bet on Hard Rock Bet today and you can score $150 in bonus bets. If you win, just place a $5 bet and if it hits, you get not only your winnings, but also an extra $150 in bonus bets. But the welcome offer is just the tip of the iceberg. Hard Rock Bet has new promos daily, so open up the app right now to see what promo you've got today. Sure, Hard Rock Bet is Florida's only legal sportsbook, but you don't have to be in Florida to join the party. Hard Rock Bet is also live in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Colorado and Michigan, with more states on the way. Download the Hard Rock Bet app today and let's get the party started.

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[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

and Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson's Partner]

Hey everyone. Check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Doug]

Oh, no.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson's Partner]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Anyways, get a'@libertymutual.com or with your local agent.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson's Partner]

Liberty, Liberty, Liberty, Liberty.

[Doug]

And a reminder to the audience to please, like, rate and subscribe and review the podcast again. I'm just going to be totally honest. I don't really care if you review it or like it. It's nice. But the or rate it. I just really want you to subscribe to it. Those other things are cool, but I don't. I don't know whether or not I would review a podcast. I don't. I think I've clicked Five stars. But I don't think I've ever like written a review. So. Yeah, I mean, I think just liking it and, or just subscribing to it, just.

[Damanze]

Have you ever done a Yelp review?

[Doug]

You know, I have not. I do understand it's important for small businesses, but I'm just not the review type. So I just appreciate if everybody just subscribes. That's why. Oh boy, oh boy. Hold on.

[Damanze]

Breaking news.

[Doug]

Breaking news from my life. This is, I guess speaks to, I don't know, the power of Simmons pod something. I don't know. There is. I just got a message. I'm not going to say who it's regarding, but I just got a message from Fox PR that a newspaper wants to do a write up on my Timberwolves future. Write a story on the Timberwolves future. Local insane man, I'm, I'm gonna have to. Here's the thing. I am a public person. The folks I'm sharing the bet with maybe are not quite as public as me. All right, we'll see. I, I, I just got that text while I was talking about liking, rating, subscribing, review to the podcast. All right, let's talk Nick Sixers.

[Damanze]

So the Knicks won and they had a close one for the first time in a while in these playoffs. Yesterday during the tears, you said that the Knicks are playing almost too well. Is this more like what you're expecting from them moving forward?

[Doug]

Well, no, listen, I thought yesterday as a really solid win by them and they're not gonna, we talked about this a lot, but they were the first team in the history of the NBA to win three straight playoff games by 25 points. Just blowing teams out every single night in the playoffs is not really a thing, as evidenced by the fact nobody had done what the Knicks did. And so, yeah, it is not surprising that they finally actually had a close game and a game that it looked like at various times Philly might steal. It's also not surprising at all, Demons A that Philly ran out of gas. They were a thin team with Embiid. Without him, they're so they're starters with Embiid. Their starting lineup is Embiid, obviously. Paul, George, Ubre, maxi, edgecomb. Those four guys, they're regular non embiid starters. Played 43 minutes. 40 minutes. 40 minutes and 47 for maxi. And so when that happens, you're just going to be on fumes. Our guy, Quentin Grimes had a bit of a rough game. He's got it. Listen, they're asking A lot of him, but he had, you know, he had a decent look at a three with 25 seconds left, down five, didn't hit it. And Drummond's just not going to be able to give you a ton of productive minutes. Bona is not going to be able to give you a ton of productive minutes, which means you are going to be playing small with Paul George as your biggest guy on the court. You're going to be playing an undrafted guy, Dominique Barlow, who actually was okay last night. Probably a few more minutes that than you would like. Meanwhile, the Knicks going into the game are fully healthy. And because it's not the Tibbs Nicks, it's the Mike Brown Knicks. Their bench guys are used to playing and so Clarkson and Shamit and Alvarado and Huck Porty, pardon me, are all

[Damanze]

used to really do anything this game.

[Doug]

No, but he gave the guys rest. No, you're the bench didn't do much.

[Damanze]

But yeah, keep it.

[Doug]

You can just. It allows it. It allows Towns and Bridges and OG all those guys to not play 40 some. They're still playing huge minutes. Don't get me wrong. Josh Hart played massive minutes, but they can get breathers when they need them. Now I'm scared of hamstring injuries and OG seemed to hurt his hamstring. He has had hamstring issues before. OG has been having the playoffs of his life, man. Yeah, the this even going out with injury Yesterday this postseason, OG Anunoby is playing 35 minutes a game averaging 21.7 rebounds. On here is splits 62% from the field, 54% from three. I he has been just on fire for two and a half weeks now. I. I am anxious about what his actual status is for the rest of the series. Hamstring injuries scare me and they tend not to just go away. So that is, you know, that is the primary concern for the Knicks coming out of this game. Philly. It's really hard to handicap Philly because I have no idea what Embiid's health is going to be. And in game one it looked like he got his knee hurt a couple times, but he missed this game with ankle and hip injuries. So I don't so I don't really know, you know, what his status is with with a healthy Embiid, particularly if OG is out. I think Philly can win both the games in Philly and it can be 2:2 going back to New York. I think Philly has guy for guy the talent to match the Knicks even if they're not as Deep as the Knicks. But without Embiid, I don't think Philly has the horses and that then gets me to something. I just want to say big picture about Embiid. I don't know if there's a player who I feel worse for as far as where it looks like his career is going to go because of injury. And we have had plenty of guys demands a who have had career altering or ending injuries. But in a very odd way, this seems a different type of cruel, like, listen, Derrick Rose blew out his knee and his career was never the same. It was one moment a specific thing. Bill Walton, who will be the Embiid comp, destroyed his foot and his career was never the same. Grant Hill had, you know, basically a botched ankle surgery and his career was never the same. That is the, the career altering or the career ending injury is something that we have seen throughout sports history. Embiid is so different. And to me it would be, if it were me, it would be a different type of frustration because it's so many disparate and seemingly unrelated ailments. He is number three pick of the draft. He missed the first two years of his career dealing with foot problems. He then throughout his career dealt with various knee issues. He then one year in the playoffs got elbowed in the final seconds of a game and got, I think a broken eye socket. Who's either. It was either skull or eye socket, but it was just right, like had nothing to do with his previous injuries. He then in one postseason he got Bell's palsy and half his face collapsed and he could, he was like squinting. He couldn't open his eye. This year he gets appendicitis. It just feels so random and unfair that he likely is going to. It's one thing to end your career and be like, you know what, I've got it. This sucks and I've just got to eat it. But I wasn't good enough to get over the hump. Instead he might end his career saying, I don't know. I don't know what it was going to be. And that's why it was so exciting when they had to come back against Boston because they were the underdog. He had the appendicitis. I think most people had chalked up, all right, another brutal luck year. And then it's like, holy shit, is this the year they break through? And then he gets banged up, hip and ankle, and we in game one and he's out for game two. It's just, it just sucks.

[Damanze]

Shouts him for Trying to get through it. Seems like he's trying to. Tries to come back every single time as soon as he possibly trying to

[Doug]

do everything he can.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Doug]

And it might just be, you know, his body is not built for this. Just. He's too big and it's too. And again, I'm not. Early in his career, he could have done more to stay in better shape and to, you know, take care of himself better. I understand that he oddly. I don't know if you know this demons a. He was like, famous for having, like, an insane Shirley Temple habit.

[Damanze]

I didn't know that.

[Doug]

Like, like a dozen. Like. Yeah, I think. And so, like, the. Yeah, but drinking your calories is never a good way if you're a peak, you know, athlete. Uh, and so. And so he would be a little heavy, and that would, you know, wear on him. It'd be harder for him to stay in shape. All those things. I get that. I'm not saying he has handled all. Everything perfectly, but, man, he does not deserve this level of bad luck. And the Sixers can't win the series without him. Go ahead.

[Damanze]

Yeah. Just on the Philly side, like, shout. I mean, it's also shout out to them for sticking with him through it

[Doug]

all, but, geez, I mean, he's. He's one of the greatest scoring centers of all time. He has multiple years averaging more than 30 points. He's won multiple scoring championships, he's won an MVP, and he just has such a hard time getting to the finish line. And it almost happened by default this year. And I'm a big proponent of teams not tanking. And the customers, you know, or they're paying customers, take the regular season seriously, all of that, I would almost put Embiid in a separate category. And if the Sixers next year said, Joel Embiid is not playing in a single game until game 55, and starting with game 55, he is going to play twice a week, ramping up to the playoffs. I would try it. I. Honest to God, I would, like, see,

[Damanze]

is it possible Years are passing by, right?

[Doug]

Is. Is it possible that the lesson for Embiid is he can give you, at this point, 40 games, and if that's the case, do you need to save 25 of those? You would hope for the postseason and ramp them up that way? I don't know what else you do

[Damanze]

be a Hall of Famer.

[Doug]

Oh, yeah. Well, this basketball hall of Fame. So, yes, first ballot, you win an mvp, you're a Hall of Famer. And. But he has missed More games in his career than he's played.

[Damanze]

Okay.

[Doug]

And it's just, it's such a unique, such a unique career. All right, let's talk OKC and then let's talk Lakers.

[Damanze]

So we'll get to the Lakers side of it in a second. But you had a bone to pick with reigning MVP and it just so happens that the Internet agrees with you. We got a tweet for you guys.

[Doug]

Oh, because of the. We're saying they agreed with me because of the numbers on it. So I said call me old fashioned, but I think the soon to be two time MVP should drive to the basket with the intent to score instead of driving to the basket with the intent to trick the ref. And I guess it did. Good numbers.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

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[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson's Partner]

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[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

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[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson's Partner]

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[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson's Partner]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Doug]

So. I'm going to go kind of meta here for a moment because Thunder fans, demons a Thunder fans are so on tilt about this specific criticism that there is a level of spiraling that is rare to see. I am. Of all the takes I've had in my whole career, This is the one that, you know what I'm getting hit with. You racist. For real? They're like, where, where are you say you. I. I had somebody say, oh, this coming from the guy who loves Joker. And I'm like, man, you guys are really on tilt right now.

[Damanze]

Yeah, broad would be the way to. To get you there.

[Doug]

I feel like so. And again, that's a total. I. You know what? Sidebar to the sidebar. 2. I have two points on the LeBron flopping stuff. One is the clip that that goes around everywhere of LeBron snapping his head back. When he gets swiped at that angle, it looks like he doesn't get touched. And then if you actually remember that game or you see the non gif angle, he gets hit in the face. He gets stone hit in the face. And people like, this is LeBron flopping. Now look, what is here is what tell me if you think I'm being if this totally different styles of whatever. It's so different we need different words for it. Yeah, like what, what LeBron has done forever is if you actually touch his face, he will act like a sniper, hit him like the, and that. And by the way, that's only if it's in the open court or after the play's completed. And that's where LeBron's been, you know, had some bad ones where he gets, he's driving to the basket, gets hit on the head. The hit on the head clearly does not bother him. He tries to finish the layup and then once the basketball part's done, he's grabbed this head, he's like, ah, like that. So. And if you're out in the open court guarding him and you hit him, you know, hit him, graze his nose, he's going to snap his head back.

[Damanze]

That, that is, it's a little bit of embellishing.

[Doug]

It's, it's right, it is a. And you can hate that. You can, whatever. I'm not the, I, I'm not defending it. I'm just saying it is a, a separate category of what LeBron has never done. And this is, and I don't think, and Luke is a flopper. But what those guys don't do is drive to the basket with the intent, with no intent whatsoever of shooting the ball or making a basket. And I am not like it is, it is a different thing entirely. This specific thing that Shea was doing in that first quarter that infuriates people that just random flail throw the ball to try to get a foul. And by the way, I am not arguing that Shea only does that. Shea is one of the most prolific drivers to the basket. He, he does very often get actually fouled and still finish. He is a great player. But one of the clubs in his bag that he goes to more often than any other all time great player is the just cartoonish flailing about, throwing his own self to the ground to get a call.

[Damanze]

And it's by the way, is a technical. It's a technical. That's a technical.

[Doug]

In theory it should be. And Thunder fans can't. Except that winning a championship. Gets you the championship and the bragging rights and the belt, but it does not get you necessarily love. And at times it doesn't even get you as much respect as you think you deserve. And oddly, you know the person who could have told Thunder fans that, a person that Thunder fans, many of them feel exactly that way about his championships. Former Thunder, Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant left the Thunder, went to Golden State, played 10 out of 10 basketball in those playoff runs won championships, yet Thunder fans and a lot of other people like, yeah, but, yeah, but it's like, what do you mean I'm finals mvp? What do you mean? I played great. What do you mean we won the championship. Yeah, but. And Shay's histrionics particularly, and I've talked to this a lot along with Dort's rugby are a. Yeah, but about how the general public's going to feel about that team. It just is. And then you add to it what I think is a really in the most interesting thing to Monte about game one of Lakers Thunder was the refs didn't get tricked. And it really threw Shay off. He had his worst game of the year.

[Damanze]

Terrible. Look man, you came out a couple weeks ago, you're screaming at the crowd saying you don't need it, you need it. You need it a little bit, man. And it's like, how dare you come out and say you don't need it.

[Doug]

Here's the thing. Do I think Shay would be one of the five best players in the league if free throws were abolished? I do. I think he's that skilled. Like if it was just like every time you get fouled it's just side out and which would then make it to where there would be no incentive to ever flop. You know, you just be like, well we're just going to have to start the possession over. I still think he would be a great player and if free throws were abolished, I think the Thunder would still be the best team in the league. I do, I believe that. But do I think he would have had, would have 140 consecutive games of 20 points? No. Do I think he would be 55% on 32 a game as a guard? No. And do I think game one of this round was evidence to that? Yes. Because what I think has happened a lot and people can say, oh, look at his free throw numbers. Like Luka shoots more free throws. Luka is great at foul baiting, there's no doubt about it. And Luka can flop a bit too. But it is the. What Shea does early in these games sets the precedent for you can't actually guard me if you get anywhere relatively close. I have mastered tricking the officials and I will early in the game get to the line. You then will have no choice but to adjust how you guard me now I can get to any spot I want on the court. I'm the best mid range player the league has seen in 20 years minimum. And now I'm Unguardable. That doesn't work quite as well in the postseason. Which is why over the last two years of basketball, Shea has scored 20 plus in 140 straight regular season games and in 28 of his playoff games. I'm sorry. And in four of his playoff games, of his 28, he hasn't. And so I don't. I don't know what Thunder fans want me to say other than. Let me say. Let me. Let me put it like this. It is. And maybe this will reach a few Thunder fans who are also, I'm sure, NFL fans, whether they're Chiefs fans own. Remind me, say something about the Chiefs thing in a second. Chiefs fans or Cowboys fans or whoever they're, you know, because Oklahoma City doesn't have a team. It's a little tush, pushy. Yeah. It's legal, it's effective, and you're the champ, but everybody ain't gonna like it and everybody ain't gonna respect it.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson's Partner]

And

[Doug]

you can, like, you can do it all you want, but it's not going to be as admirable as you would like. Here's the thing I want to say about the Chiefs, because here's another thing. Thunder fans are high on me saying blaming the refs is for losers when it came to the Chief stuff. And me talking about because the Chiefs are champs, everyone's now blaming the officials. I want to make something very clear. I stand by all of that. Because the Chief's equivalent of what the Thunder conversation is, the lunatics on the Internet who's like, hey, the head of officiating used to be a Thunder fan, or hey, this ref is wearing Shay's shoes. That shit is stupid. I do not think there is a conspiracy to help Oklahoma City. I do not think the fix is in. I do not think the refs are doing this on purpose. That the narrative on Kansas City was the fixes and they need the Chiefs to be good for ratings. I'm not saying any of that. I'm saying something very different. Your star players and actors some of the time. And I don't like it. That's what I'm saying. And so it is. I. I'm not blaming the refs. I'm simply saying I find it unsporting. And what happened in the first quarter of that game was pretty unbecoming of the mvp. Demonte, it looked like you wanted to

[Damanze]

say something since you're not blaming the refs. I think the refs have a big, A big play in this. Like, they can control it very Easily like SGA can do that all he wants to. I think the refs have so much control over the situation where it's like hey man, maybe just not be bamboozled like this. You guys watch the games, right?

[Doug]

Like it's so so I think that's a great point. So let me so I think the refs could be and should be better on this. When I but when I say I'm not blaming the refs, what I mean is I am not saying OKC won because of the officials. OKC is winning because of a bad call. I'm not saying that like that when the blame the refs to me is like the sorry Bills fans, but the Bills in the game against the Broncos who were like it was a catch, it was a catch. We win the like we would have won the game but the refs cost us. That's the blaming the ref stuff that I don't like. I do think the league should enforce its anti flopping stuff and the ref should be better at determining whether or not A there was real contact and B not rewarding guys who don't appear like they're actually trying to go score.

[Damanze]

And the shame of of the other team getting a free throw because you flopped I think would just nip that in the bud so fast.

[Doug]

Like, oh, I like that. That's a good point.

[Damanze]

That's a good point, yo. And then it's like your teammate is going to be like, hey man, chill out.

[Doug]

You know, I hadn't even thought of that. But I think that's a good point. Just the embarrassment of that piece of it. All right, I do want to talk about the actual game here in a second. But first, Boost Mobile is proving that you don't have to overpay for great wireless. Unlock the savings with the $20 a month forever unlimited plan permanent price with no contracts and no price hikes. You can keep your phone and your number, but you save up to $600 a year compared to the major carriers. Stop overpaying and switch to a fair price@boost mobile.com today based on average annual single line payment of AT&T and VER of AT&T Verizon and T Mobile customers compared to 12 months on the Boost Mobile Unlimited plan as of January 2026. For full offer details, visit boostmobile.com another reminder everybody to please subscribe to the pod on YouTube, iTunes and or Spotify. All right Damante, let's talk about the actual game.

[Damanze]

Austin Ria have the worst playoff shooting performance in Lakers history and Luca also confirmed a timeline on his healing that doesn't have him come. An eight week timeline, by the way, that doesn't have him coming back into the Western Conference finals. Is it time for Los Angeles to wave the white flag?

[Doug]

Listen, if Luke is not coming back, there's not a lot paths you can find to winning this series. There's just, it's. And there's no shame in that. I do, however, there are some interesting angles. The rest of this series is very important for Austin Reeves. He's been eaten up by the thunder this year. And how many Damante, how often this year did I have to listen to LeBron's the third best player on the Lakers?

[Damanze]

A lot.

[Doug]

A lot. To the point to where if, if I even said LeBron's the second best guy who'd be like this homer. And I like Austin. I think Austin's an excellent player. I do, I do think it's fair to question whether or not if he is your second best player, are you a championship caliber team? I do. And that's, I'm talking about like post LeBron, you know, Lakers stuff because a lot of the year, some late, some folks who call themselves Laker fans but are actually just Kobe fans and actually not, you know, kind of anti LeBron, even though he brought him a championship, have been counting down the minutes till we can get this albatross off our books and start the Luke Austin Reeves era. Move on from LeBron max out Austin, get cooking. I'm old enough to remember my pal Rich Paul saying, hey, if the Lakers are serious about winning a championship this year, Austin Reeves might be the most valuable trade piece. He talked about an Austin reeves Jaren Jackson Jr. Trade. He talked about using Austin in a package where Luke and LeBron can be your lead dogs on offense. Now that for this year that would have been a moot point anyway if Luka still suffered this injury. But so much of the Lakers moves the last few years have been as if they are at least a tiny bit annoyed that LeBron hasn't fallen off the cliff yet. And the moment this season it looked like, okay, oh, okay, father Times finally caught up post sciatica, when his numbers were down, when it how many times did we fucking have to see Lakers LeBron on court, Lakers LeBron off court. Those numbers. Then the moment that started to happen. We get the long ESPN article with the reporting of, yeah, Jeannie Buss is, you know, excited to get out of the LeBron business. They're excited to turn the page and then fast Forward to cinco de Mayo. 2026. Luca is out with a soft tissue injury. Austin has the least efficient shooting performance in a playoff game in the history of the franchise. And LeBron James thoroughly and comprehensively outplays the soon to be two time MVP, is the best player on the goddamn court once again. And folks are talking about, yeah, maybe we'd want him back, but only at a huge pay cut. Okay? I mean y' all can have that opinion. I don't know what you've seen this postseason that makes you think LeBron James is still not one of the guys in the league that's worth the max. I certainly don't know what you've seen this postseason that would make you think, yeah, Listen, we love LeBron and LeBron's an all time legend, but if we're trying to win a championship, like, you know, Austin Reeves is just clearly more impactful really. And again, I really like Austin a lot and I would be in the business of paying Austin a ton of money, but. We just watched a 41 year old be the best player on the court in a series in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. And it wasn't near enough because the Lakers kind of paused going for a championship as far as team building to a post LeBron era. Meanwhile, LeBron's still the most reliable guy they got and Luke evidently is weeks away. It's been five now, by the way, somebody screwed up the reporting on this or either either someone screwed up the reporting or Luka's behind schedule because when he got wasn't was nobody for the first round. Yeah, well, correct. And the original reporting I thought was three to five weeks, maybe it was four to six weeks. At no point did I hear six to eight weeks. And now Luke is saying no, it's just flat eight weeks, two months. So I. The playoffs are always a fun little microscope to see who is and who isn't actually impactful. And again, this is not. I want to make this incredibly clear. I really like Austin Reaves and I think he'll be better tonight. I also want to make this clear. Austin Reaves has done tremendous work, tremendous work. Honing his skills this off season. He needs to a little more work just getting physically stronger like that. One of the reasons he has such trouble against the Thunder is all those guys are just so much stronger than him. And I think he will and I think he's going to be a Laker. I think they're probably going to max him out and you know, he's one of the best undrafted players ever. Like literally one of the best undrafted players ever. But there was a lot of chirping about folks being excited for the LeBron era to end, about needing to move off, about turning the page. And Luke all of a sudden's out two months, Austin is struggling mightily and LeBron's just there out playing Shay. All right, Demonte, let's talk Draymond for a second.

[Damanze]

I feel like all I have to say for this one is Draymond Green was on the inside the NBA show last night. And then you stay. But he might have ruined the expectations for Golden State fans. He said success might not be for us at this point. And at this point a championship. You also cook Barkley saying that the hopes are to just not look like you did in the Houston uniform. You wanted to talk about this, so let's go.

[Doug]

I'm here. I'm just deciding how I want to phrase this and how harsh I want to be or not. I'm going to give Draymond Green some very friendly advice in the spirit of how close he is with some of my most respected friends and colleagues. And you know, one of my closest friends is a very close friend of his. If you want to be good on television, Draymond, you have to be able to laugh at yourself, particularly if you are going to be a harsh critic of others. Take it from me, buddy. Like I get to be all somewhat arrogant, annoying, chesty. I also 3 weeks ago put on a clown nose and rainbow wig and I was the one that alerted the world. I picked an NBA finals where both teams got popped in round one, What used to be Turner Sports. And now, you know, that's kind of gone. But inside, the NBA has clearly been hoping and grooming you to one day take over for Charles freaking Barkley, maybe the greatest sports television performer ever. And in that entire time, for as bright as you are, you have not realized Barkley's key to his broadcast brilliance is he relishes being the butt of the joke. He gives it and he takes it with a smile. And Draymond's total lack of any ability to laugh at himself. Make some of his TV clips peak. Curb your enthusiasm. Uncomfortable to watch the clip of him yesterday. Keep in mind this is on the heels of him trying to go high school resume for high school resume with Austin Rivers, which, I mean, like, what are we doing? And Austin Rivers, who obviously was, was not cooked him 25% of the pro that Draymond was but is 500% of the broadcaster Austin Rivers in his response was like, hey, buddy, here's where your facts were wrong. We weren't the same high school player. We weren't the same college player. But by the way, you have me clocked in the pros. I give it to you. Obviously you do. And it immediately. Austin Rivers, 8 miling his own NBA career removes any type of ammo you have. And then he just kept killing you. But on the heels of that, that clip yesterday when App. When Draymond says the goal is to not look like Charles in Houston, and Charles, who I gotta think knew what he was doing, instead of lightening the tension by chuckling, just stared at him silently and then let Draymond continue to try to dig himself deeper. It was. It took me three instances to be able to get through it because it was such uncomfortable, awful television. And do you know how high the cringe factor has to be to make inside the freaking NBA uncomfortable television? It's the greatest sports TV show. That or pti. The greatest sports TV shows ever. And Ernie was there, and Chuck was there, and Kenny was there. And it took 45 seconds of Draymond Green being delusional for me to be like. I like that. That feeling of like, oh, God, stop. And the worst part about it all, Demonze. See, he's fucking wrong. Chuck's first year in Houston is awesome. There is the. The idea and this is where. This is a great example of where ring culture

[Damanze]

is tox to the heads. Yeah, bro.

[Doug]

Draymond Green's a Hall of Famer. He's one of the greatest defensive players of all time. I have said time and again, I think he's the second most important warrior ever. Not Klay Thompson, I believe all of those things. He also is not in the same room of greatness as Charles freaking Barkley. And even old out of shape, Charles Barkley in Houston was doing work. And the idea that Chuck was some. That Chuck with Houston was.

[Damanze]

He's like Shaq with Phoenix, I feel like is what he was trying to call.

[Doug]

Yes or. Or shoot. He was trying to call him maybe Shaq with the Celtics or with the Cats, like the late, late Shaq. Or that it was Ewing with the Magic. No, it was not. His first year there, they made the conference finals, and he was awesome. He was. For his four years there, he was 16 and 12. Do you know the last time Draymond Green. I understand they're different players. Not stats guy. Do you know the last time Draymond Green Average 16 points a game? Honest to God, the answer to that, no Michigan State, that's the last time. So don't, don't give. And by the way, I don't have that. I'm pulling up his college stats now. I'm going to check to make sure. I would imagine he averaged 16 at Michigan State. Yeah. Final year at Michigan State, 16.2. I mean, give me a break, bro. And Charles can annoy the hell out of me, but I'm not going to sit here and let you recreate history on who he was as a player.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Doug]

Even though Charles does kind of sometimes try to recreate history that he wasn't ring chasing there, that he didn't join a team that was a year removed winning back to back championships and that he was joining a former MVP. And Akeem, and he was a former MVP. When he goes after LeBron, he's like, Ah, I was old and washed when I joined Houston. That's why it's okay that I joined him with Clyde and AEM and then Scotty joined too. It wasn't that they, Houston had beaten me in back to back playoff series. So then I teamed up with them to try to finally get over the hump and I still couldn't. Despite all that. Here's the thing, here's where I think Draymond made a mistake. Charles has for so long downplayed how good he was when he went to Houston because he has wanted to criticize Kevin Durant for joining the warriors or LeBron for joining the Heat. He has made people think, oh, when Charles joined Houston, he must have sucked. No, he did not look at to get paid. No, he did not. The year before Charles joined Houston, he was top 10 in MVP voting. Three years before he won it and two years before Akeem won it, he was still awesome. I just, I, Charles, his first year in Houston, he, he was 19 and 14. 19 and 14 with five assists. They made the conference finals. His final year in Houston when he's like, I was washed and I was terrible. He was 15 and 10. 15 and 10. Yeah. I mean again, now that year, to be fair, he was injured and he wasn't like he was not Charles Barkley. But when he played, he was effective. I, I just, I can't, I just can't.

[Damanze]

Traymond looked like legit angry, ready to do something. When they said that

[Doug]

I, I, I can't again folks, you don't, nobody needs to take broadcasting advice from me. With that said, I've got an annoying voice, a ridiculous nose. I didn't play sports past high school. I and I've done pretty well. So, you know, take it for what you will. If you want to be a flamethrower, you've got to be totally fine with laughing with everybody when you're the one getting burnt. And that is a pitch that Draymond's never learned. And unless he does, his peak broadcasting will be podcast by himself, as opposed to the Diamond Studio show that has been desperately wanting to develop him for five years. So, you know, choose your own adventure, pal. Free advice, like all. You know, if I ever need for some reason to learn how to play arguably the greatest help side defense in the history of the NBA, you owe me one. But in the meantime, take. You know what? Take this one on the house mailbag episode tomorrow. Talk to you guys then. Thank you, Blue Duck. Thank you, Volume. Thank you, Hard Rock. Thank you, boost what's right.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a computer.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson's Partner]

Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Doug]

Oh, no.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson's Partner]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson's Partner]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Damanze]

This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.