← The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
What's Wright - Grizzlies-Warriors prediction & NBA Play-In, Lakers-Wolves + NBA awards
01:15:38
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- [00:00]
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- [00:37]
Greg Rosenthal
What's up everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs mock drafts to my top 101, free agents will have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
- [01:07]
Nick Wright
The championship is back in the bay for the first time in 40 years.
- [01:12]
Israel Gutierrez
On the new limited podcast series Dub Dynasty, we hear from head coach Steve Kerr on how Steph Curry almost never even joined the Warriors.
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Steve Kerr
In fact, I thought we had a draft day deal to end up getting.
- [01:24]
Israel Gutierrez
Him to Phoenix for the entire behind the scenes story of Golden State's incredible 10 year run. Listen to Dove Dynasty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:39]
Julius Swerbinks
What's up everyone? Julius Ripps here along with former NHL player Nate Thompson.
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Steve Kerr
We're doing a new podcast together. Here we go.
- [01:47]
Julius Swerbinks
The name Energy Line with Nate and jsb.
- [01:50]
Steve Kerr
Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey life. All topics are fair game, right?
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Julius Swerbinks
Exactly. And you'll never know who will drop by to join us.
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Steve Kerr
Julie is pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe.
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Julius Swerbinks
Listen to Energy Line with Nate and jsb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Nick Wright
Welcome in what's Right with Nick Wright. Episode 319. Huge show. Huge day. Fresh off the mast. NBA playoffs starting and fresh potentially with a new what? Big day for what's right. Maybe a new partnership. And today, if not today, certainly this week we're gonna hit 200,000 subscribers on YouTube. So shout out to everyone works on the show. Shout out to Damanze myself everybody. Blue Duck Volume all the folks. And shout out to my friends at SeatGeek. More on them later in the show. But I had a big meeting a few weeks ago and they're like, hey, who are some brands you actually use? Like, things you actually use? I'm like, well, you already took care of the sports betting with my draftkings. That's a check. And I was like, peloton every day, five days a week during the NBA playoffs. But that's fine. Five to seven days a week. I said that cars. I said, Mercedes. Still looking at them. Sharpies. Sharpie. I've been trying to get you guys for 10 years. I mean, your number. They're probably like, we don't need to pay to endorse it. He, he, he advertises us more than anyone ever. And seat geek. Because I had just. When they had talked to me, I had just bought those courtside tickets to Lakers. Grizzlies hadn't gone yet on SeatGeek. I bought my theater stuff on SeatGeek. And guess what? SeatGeek's now a part of the what's right team. And so more on them in a bit, but appreciate them as always. Damanze, how are you? I know you've been a little under the weather.
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Damanze
I'm pretty good. Good to see you. Pops doing a lot better these days, but we're on the.
- [03:47]
Nick Wright
Okay, good. You sound good. You, you sound better than I thought. Your mom talked to you this weekend and she was like, to Monze sick, he's coughing and all this stuff. I was like, Tuesday's big show. Because, listen, we can't do. And I understand Warriors. Clippers happened. Warriors have Lakers Thunder or Lakers. Timberwolves. My NBA awards ballot is today. We are preemptively bumping our NFC over unders instead of during the show, as we've done three straight shows before the show. We're now doing that Thursday because Wednesday night we're not going to need to talk Thursday we're not going to need to talk a lot about the Wednesday night 9, 10 mock play in games. So Thursday we do NFL over unders. Today we're going to do awards ballots. But you know what we also have to do? The producers. You know, the producers, all of a sudden they, they care a lot about the YouTube algorithm, about what goes viral. And they're like, ah, Clippers, warriors was Sunday. Lakers stuff does really well. Maybe we can trick Nick into not talking about the masters by putting in what missed the cut. So here's what missed the cut and including what's going to be a 5 to 20 minute miss the cut segment it won't be 20 but it's going to be a few minutes Talent drafts Paige Becker's number one that was obvious uh, Max Crosby's new assistant GM in Eastern Michigan that doesn't matter here's what does matter Rory freaking McElroy in an all time Masters Sunday and all time masters tournament in the last 60 years Damanze there have been 12 people to walk on the moon there have been two people to complete the career grand slam in golf Rory just became one of them. It's just facts the last since the advent of color television you up until Sunday were 12 times more likely to walk on the moon than complete the career grand slam. Just fact and Rory had been trying and trying and trying the five people who had completed it before they completed it it was Sam Sneed, Gene Sarazin, Gary Player, Jack, Nicholas and Tiger Woods I fact check me on that producers but I'm 90% sure those were the five Sarahs and Snead player Nicholas woods those five guys all completed it either on their first try or their second or third try Rory was on a it had 11 tries 11 tries, couldn't get it done and then this weekend he goes into Sunday with the lead so let me back it up a little bit Thursday Rory have one of the best Masters oh, I gave it to Sam Sneed it was Ben Hogan My apologies, my goodness gracious, terrible job by me. Good job by Sam Snead for me thinking it was him but obviously it was Ben Hogan I got Sarah's in right ho Sneed wrong Doesn't matter Back to Thursday Rory announcing himself this is going to be my tournament. He's on his way cruising to probably a 66 round one at Augusta and then double bogey 15 double bogey 17. All of a sudden a majestic round turns into even part what happened Rory, how does that happen? But then he rebounds Friday with a great round Saturday, despite having another double I'm sorry, no Saturday another great round and then we're like okay, he's the leader. Bryson hits a huge putt on 18 bright it's going to be Bryson and Rory the two most popular golfers in the world both polarizing for their own reasons Final pairing at Augusta national when just last year when Rory was looking like he was going to win a major Bryson up and down from the bunker at 18 to steal it from him Rory crestfallen, leaves without talking to the press Everyone gets mad at him Sunday though He's got the lead, two shot lead going into Sunday at the Masters. First hole, another double bogey. It's now three double bogeys on the round. Only one guy ever has won the Masters with three double bogeys. He then follows that up with a terrible second hole and all of a sudden Bryson is in the lead and the Rory Meltdown is on it would appear, but it wasn't. He then rallies over the next 10 holes, takes a commanding lead. I think it was a four shot lead at that point. Demons A on DraftKings he is -1200 to win the tournament. Minus 1200. All you gotta do Rory is cruise. Just relax, chill. Don't worry Cruz. So we get to the 13th hole. Sorry my phone's playing the sound cuz I'm looking at the highlights. So excited. Get to the 13th hole, he has a four shot lead. Bryson has melted at this point. It's par five. He's been going for par fives and two all weekend. He says, you know what, I'm going to be smart. No Jean Vandeval here, I'm going to lay up, leave myself a beautiful 80 yards to get on the green. And he duffs it. One of the worst pitch shots you'll ever see a professional golfer hit right into the creek, right into the creek from 80 yards out. And all of a sudden he has his fourth double bogey of the day. All of a sudden it's a tournament again and nobody can believe it's so we but very next hole, another bogey. Is the Rory Meltdown complete? It is not an amazing 15th and 17th hole and all of a sudden he gets to 18. Justin Roll rose holes a putt, he gets to 18. To Monze, we just need a four, a four and you put on the green jacket a four and you're a legend forever. Rory McElroy who was such a prodigy in Northern Ireland. His dad and his buddies pulled money when he was like 10 years old to bet with the bookies in Ireland. One day my son's going to come back to Europe, to the United Kingdom and win the British Open. The bookie was like, give me a break. He's like nope. In fact I'm gonna give you the exact details that. Rory McElroy Dad British Open bet. This is an all time story. So Rory's dad walks in to a bookie shop in the U.K. he says I got a 15 year old son, he's gonna win the British Open one day. Me and my friends have. Me and my friends have pulled together, $200. Guys like, well, all right, I'll give you 500 to 1 on it. It's like, all right, 200 bucks to win a hundred grand. I'll take it. And 10 years later, Rory does it. 26 years old, dad walks back in, says, hope you spent that $200 wisely. Give me my hundred racks.
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Greg Rosenthal
But.
- [11:38]
Nick Wright
But then Rory went a decade without winning a major. Shortly after that, still no Masters, no career Grand Slam. He walks up to 18 knowing a four, and I win the Masters. Puts it in the sand. That's okay. Just get it close, Rory, get it close. He gets it to six feet, this putt to win the Masters. Pulls it left, misses. Oh, my God. This is going to be the most crushing loss in golf history. Playoff hole, Justin Rose, been steady, Round one leader, round two leader, just chilling. All of a sudden, a crazy putt for him on 18 to get in the playoff. Rory hits his second on set on 18 in the playoff hole. Within four feet, shot of his life. Drains the putt, puts on the green jacket, weeps, sobs. The stuff dreams are made of. Now, One of the 15 greatest golfers ever. One of the 10 greatest golfers of the last hundred years, Rory Dan McElroy. And, oh, yeah, have you looked at the other majors this year? One is the PGA's that, of course, he crushes the US Opens at a course he's won at. And guess where the British Open is? Damanze in Northern Ireland, where he's from. Oh, my, what a week. What a weekend of golf. All of that took place on me and your mom's anniversary. And I was sitting in a sports book in Philadelphia where, man, sometimes being in Philadelphia, being Nick Wright can suck. And I don't know if your mom gave you this story. It was, I disarmed everybody all day. Everybody that came up to me. I could see the. In their eye. I'm like, they want to talk trash to me. So every single person that came up to me, I said, congrats on the super bowl before they could say anything. And I disarmed everyone. Everyone, because of that was quite nice. Except for one person who was a little drunk at a bar and really got in my face and was really quite rude to me. And here's the tricky part about that. That one person happened to be a female. And your mom was sitting right there, and I was like, oh, boy, this is not going to go well for anyone involved. Her boyfriend's recording. I'm like, oh, she, like, really planned this whole confrontation. I'm like, hey, I congratulate you in the Super Bowl. And she was like, in this stupid South Jersey accent, like, stop talking all that. I'm like, I didn't talk any. I said, congrats on winning the Super Bowl. I'm just having a good time. She was like, then why'd you come up and talk to us? I'm like, okay, you're hammered. I'm just sitting here.
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Damanze
What?
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Nick Wright
And as soon as she said that, your mom stood up. I was like, oh, boy. Time to go. Nice to meet you. See you guys later. We're out of here. But. So that was Saturday. Sunday, your mom's out shopping. I was the reason I even said any of this in the sports book. Sportsbook folks know me and they actually like me. So they're like, hey, Nick, we have a. It's a sport. We have. It's a 10 TV setup. Two giant ones and then eight good ones. They basically gave me the remote for Sunday. They're like, you pick the games you taught you pick the sound. What a dream. I'm signaling them when to go from the sound of the Masters to Warriors Clippers. We've got the Lakers in the bottom corner because Bronnie's playing. I've got a bet on the Nuggets to beat the Rockets. We got that going. Oh, my goodness, what a dream. So all that was Sunday, capped off by Rory McElroy and capped off by the warriors, potentially wrecking their whole season. Now to the part of the show, everyone who has a financial incentive on the show wished I would have led with, which is the basketball, but I care too much about the golf to leave it out. Go ahead.
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Damanze
Yes. The play in tournament starts tonight. On the west, we've got Golden State, Memphis. On the east, got Orlando and Atlanta. There's a lot to unpack in Orlando and Atlanta. So I don't think we're going to get to it today.
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Nick Wright
You wrote. You wrote. There's a. You said there's a lot to unpack.
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Damanze
Yeah.
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Nick Wright
Another way to put it is who gives a damn? We're not talking about Orlando. Atlanta. Go ahead.
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Damanze
Yeah, so the big story is gold. Golden State's in the play in. And the bigger stories. What did you think of the game that knocked them into the play? And they obviously took an ounce of the Clippers.
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Nick Wright
All right, so I think a lot of things. I think the first thing is I owe Draymond Green an apology. Nine years ago, Damanze, the Golden State warriors were playing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals. It's a very famous series because in those Western Conference Finals, the Thunder were up three games to one, and the warriors came all the way back, most famously because of Klay Thompson's Game six, a brilliant Game seven. And then the warriors, of course, went on to lose their own 31 lead in the NBA Finals. Many people falsely believe the reason they lost that series was because Draymond Green got suspended for Game 5. Now, that reason that belief is so absurd is because not only did the Cavs blow them out in Game 5, but the argument was, well, LeBron would never scored 41 if Draymond was on the court. And so in Game 6, when Draymond was on the court, LeBron scored exactly 41 again. But that's neither here nor there to the apology. So in those NBA playoffs, the reason Draymond Green got. People falsely believe Draymond Green got suspended for punching LeBron James in the groin. That is not. Or slapping him in the groin, however you want to put it, that is not quite right. Draymond Green got suspended for accumulating four flagrant foul points. He got a flagrant foul in round one against the Rockets for body slamming Michael Beasley as the game was ending. In something that no one quite could ever figure out why he did. He got a flagrant foul point for slapping at LeBron James. But in the interregnum of that, he got a flagrant foul point for attempting a layup and kicking Stephen Adams dead in the groin. And so all that accumulated, and I was very vocal that that was obviously intentional, because no human being ever has ever shot a layup and had part of the layup motion be their left leg, go at a 90 degree angle into the air towards the baseline. So obviously, he was trying to do it. Nine years later, I'm here to tell you, Draymond, I apologize. I was wrong. Turns out you sometimes just spaz out on layups, because with the game on the line, down two in overtime, Draymond Green had a wide open layup, no one to kick, and in some weird failed attempt to draw a foul, I guess, kicked the air, fell backwards and smoked the layup. And that was only one of his two grievous late game mistakes. So the other one is this. And the broadcast, I think, screwed this up. End of regulation, the Clippers get the ball. Tie game, 31 seconds left. So what that means is make or miss. The warriors are going to get the last shot. You play solid defense for 20, 24 seconds, you're going to have 7 to 10 seconds. If you're Golden State with a timeout. Kawhi gets the ball with four on the shot clock and now 11 on the game clock and Draymond panics and takes a foul to give which the broadcast like oh, that's no problem. They're not in the bonuses foul to give. It was a problem because now the shot clock resets to 14. There's only 10 seconds left. It now the Clippers get the last shot. Now the worst thing that worst case scenario for the Clippers is overtime as opposed to worst case scenario being losing. So Draymond messed up the interregulation, smoked the layup at the end of overtime and all of a sudden the warriors are in the play in. There's another part of that game that I must address because Steph Curry, listen, Steph was utterly brilliant in the fourth quarter of that game. Hit hell, hit a shot that he thought was the game winner. I know because he did his shimmy afterwards and then end up losing. And I even can not ding him too much for the eight turnovers in that game, even though those were rough. But when Kawhi's locked like that and held, Chris Dunn is really impressive defensively. All of a sudden you're going to force some turnovers, fine, so be it. But the other thing that happened at the end of that game is something that has happened to Steph Curry at the end of close games, particularly close high leverage games for his the majority of his career, which is Steve Kerr takes him off the court because he is a defensive liability. And I understand that people get so enraptured by Steph Curry's offensive brilliance. One of one shot making, the gravity he has on the game, all of it. And sustained excellent at age 37 that people sometimes get a little over their skis and they're like, not only is he top 10, why is he not in the goat conversation? And I have been hesitant to have him quite officially crack my all time top 10. So my all time top 12 in order. Longtime listeners know this, viewers know this, and I will do this off the top of my head. I will know. I will get it right. If we end with 12 is LeBron, Kareem, Michael, Magic, Russell Wilt, Duncan, Kobe, Bird, Dream, Shaq, Steph. So Shaq and Steph are right on the outside, barely. They are both one of one unique forces in NBA history. They both however have one feature that no one in the top 10 does, which is in the some of the biggest games of their careers. Their team took them off the court because of a flaw in their game that they were never able to quite correct. For Shaquille O'Neal, it was late game free throws. If they had a lead late and the other team was definitely going to foul, Phil Jackson would say to Shaq, we're better off with you not on the court this possession and Steve Kerr for Steph's entire career, if given the opportunity to go offense, defense will have one of the greatest players of all time stand next to him rather than be on the court. It's not disqualifying from anything other than jumping guys like Dream and Bird and Kobe and Duncan. So it's not disrespectful. You still have him ahead of Dr. J head of Jokic, out of Jerry west out of Oscar out of Giannis, out of Durant, ahead of all those guys. But you saw it again. And so those were my initial takeaways and then my further out takeaway was wait a minute, Kaminga wasn't under the weather. Kaminga wasn't dinged up. Kaminga was a fully healthy DNP coaches decision, which again, maybe that was covered during the broadcast, but I was toggling sound Masters to the NBA and and so I didn't realize that that is a huge story and what that means for the warriors vibe check going forward and the warriors chances. So Golden State had it all out in front of them where if they had just taken care of the spurs game, which they blew in horrific fashion and I don't know if we've talked since then, but that spurs loss, just like I think we did it on Thursday, I don't know, I think doesn't matter really echoes through this season. Much like the spurs win over the Nuggets last year cost them the one seed echoed through that season when the Nuggets all of a sudden are blowing a game seven to the Timberwolves. So that loss made it to where the warriors weren't going to be able to get to the 45 line. This loss puts him in the play in and we have seen the warriors have issues in the play in LeBron hit the three over Steph their first game ever in the play in Draymond then smoked a layup as time expired in their elimination game of the play in they went to overtime and the Grizzlies beat them. And then last year Clay has the worst game of his career and they lose to the Kings in the play in that's over 3. And while no one has been less impressed by the traveling circus that Is the Memphis Grizzlies than me as of late. The Grizzlies can win tonight. And if the Grizzlies win tonight, Damonte, the Warriors season ends. Not because the warriors won't beat the winner of Mavs Kings, but because the warriors having cost themselves a week off dealing with Jimmy Butler's quad contusion, Jonathan Kaminga's ego contusion, and then all of a sudden heading into Oklahoma City will get absolutely cooked.
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Damanze
Wait, so what's going on with Jonathan Kaminga? You're saying the ego thing, what's why? Sounds like you don't really go ahead.
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Nick Wright
For the first time in three months, Kurt was like, no, you're just not in the rotation.
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Damanze
And I mean the X factor for that team, maybe pods, I could see pods being that.
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Nick Wright
But what. Whatever it is, man, Kerr just decided in our biggest game of the year, we are better off giving you zero minutes. And it was. And according to the people who've covered that team the closest, the players are not mad about it. So that's like now Kamingo's kind of been on the outs. He wanted a big contract, they didn't give it to him. But still you thought that he was going to be important. And so now the warriors best case scenario is they go into a two week all out death match with Ema Udoka's Rocket squad. With Eamon Thompson fresh off holding Steph Curry to three points, putting him in jail for two weeks. And if you're lucky enough to get out of that series only bruised and battered, you have the Lakers waiting for you. So none of that's good, man. So I think this weekend was disastrous for the Clipper, for the warriors and I think they absolutely could lose tonight. I know they're seven point favorites. I like, you know, Jaw is a live grenade and he can go off.
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Damanze
Yeah.
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Nick Wright
And so I, I think that is very dangerous. I know you have another playing question. Do that and then we can move.
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Damanze
Yeah. So how do you feel about the play and do you think that it should maybe be taken or should they leave it to give, you know, teams like, or players like Steph the opportunity to make it? If you're like kind of hanging out in the back.
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Nick Wright
So here's the thing. I like it under the original premise, which was the, the bubble created the play in. But it was only going to exist if teams were within X amount of games in the standings this year. It isn't fair for the warriors or the Grizzlies that one of them is going to be in a win or go home game against a Kings or a Mavs team that they. The warriors and Grizzlies both won 48 games. The Kings and Mavs won 40 and 39, respectively. So that's where I don't like it. Where. So last year's standings are a better example of when it could be good. Last year, The Lakers won 47. The Kings and Warriors both won 46. So it's like, okay, they're a game apart. The Pelicans won 49. They were the seven initially. The Lakers beat them, and then the Pelicans and then the warriors played the kings in the 910. The kings went on obviously, to play the Pelicans in the. In the final playing game. But the point being, under those circumstances where teams are that close. But last year, for example, in the east, The Sixers won 47, the Heat won 46. Those were the 7, 8. And then the Bulls won 39 and the Hawks won 36. And they're in a play in. So I, I do like it. I. I don't think it should be guaranteed that we're getting it. I think we should only get it if teams are within, say, three games of making the playoffs without it. Reminder, by the way, like, Rate Subscribe Review. Especially since I said I think we might be able to hit 200, 000 today. And so we're. We're at 198, 000 and change. So, obvi, it would be great if anybody who's watching right now hits the bell or likes Rate Subscribes Review. And if you're listening to us right now, please subscribe on Spotify or itunes or anywhere else. And you can drop live questions in the chat. All right, now let's get to the Lakers side of this.
- [31:39]
Damanze
Lakers locked up the three seed and now they are facing Ant in Minnesota in round one. Luca obviously took care of business against. Against them last year he averaged 32, 32, 9 and 8. How do you think these teams stack up against each other? Are you a little worried there?
- [31:58]
Nick Wright
No. This is the ideal bracket for the Lakers. Okay, so like, listen, everything's hard in the west and everyone wanted Memphis, but once it was clear Memphis wasn't going to climb out of the play in part of it, then this was the best you could have hoped for. Like, you want to play the Nuggets right now? I don't. Jamal Murray's back. Joker is Joker. You want to play the Clippers right now? Holy shit, that team looks unbelievable. The warriors because of Steph are always dangerous. So again, the, the, the best possible path for the Lakers in my opinion was having the Thunder Nuggets and Clippers on the other side of the bracket. And they do. They are. They might. By the way, also, if the warriors lose tonight, they'll if the warriors lose tonight, the Lakers road to the conference finals is Timberwolves and then either Rockets, Grizzlies and even if the warriors win tonight, then Tim rolls in either Rockets, Golden State and so Ant might average 32 a game in this series. The Lakers do not have anyone that can guard Anthony Edwards, but that's fine. Here are the other things that are going to happen. I don't know how you can credibly play Rudy Gobert the amount of minutes you probably want to play him. Luca just told us a week ago he was like what moment from your from the Mavs video got you choked up the most? And it wasn't when they drafted him. It wasn't, you know, one of his crazy buzzer beaters. It wasn't the 70 point game. It was hitting the step back over Gobert in the conference finals, then cursing him out in Slovenia. Luca has tortured Rudy Gobert on multiple continents. In the Olympic Slovenia against France, he's done it. When Gobert was a Jazz, he did it. When Gobert was a Timberwolf, he did it. So that is a rough spot for the Timberwolves to start with. You then add that the Lakers are getting they no longer have to deal with playoff D'Angelo Russell which is a disaster and instead get to go against playoff Julius Randle, which is a different type of disaster. That's nice. They don't have Darvin Ham with his hands in his pockets drawing up on the on the whiteboard contest without fouling. They've got JJ who's been up for 39 straight hours figuring out how to blitz Anthony Edwards. All that's good. You also have a series that because Luca is going to want to make Rudy Gobert cry, LeBron's going to be able to sit back the first three quarters like he did in that Mavs game. So again I think it is a hard fought five games for the Lakers. Maybe six. I will tell you guys my favorite round one bet shout out to my friends at DraftKings. By the way like we should. I would like to can DraftKings. Can we start getting some boosts or something? I just wait if there's something I really like. I don't know. This is +120. Maybe they can throw my Face on it, make it +125 for what's right listeners. But the Lakers minus a game and a half in the series, meaning is plus 120. So the Lakers for the series is minus 200. So question is, do you think the Lakers are going to win the series? Yes. Okay, you bet them at -200 you win if they win in 4, 5, 6 or 7. Or you can get them at minus a game and a half at plus 120 and you win if they win the series in four, five or six. So yes, you cost yourself if it's a seven game Lakers win. But I don't think it's going to be seven games because I think Luke is going to light this team on fire. And I think that, listen, Nas Reed's going to be a problem. You got credit where it's due. Jaden McDaniels is an excellent defensive player, but they got. We saw Luca with a worst supporting cast beat this team in five to go to the finals last year. Now, Ant said I got tired, which was odd, and Ant won't be tired this time. But you also have LeBron with eight days off coming into it.
- [37:11]
Damanze
I on the LeBron side are like obviously not trying to speak this into existence, but are you worried at all about his growing? So I know that was kind of acting up last week.
- [37:21]
Nick Wright
Saw. Yeah, so it looked like he kind of tweaked it in the game against Houston, game 81. He didn't seem too concerned. And this is also why, you know, having eight days off is going to be so incredibly useful and helpful. So no, I'm not. Obviously if he truly re aggravates his groin, if he has to miss time, then that would be a problem. But this is where I remind you guys of one of the single most remarkable stats in basketball history, which is LeBron James. Teams have played in 287 playoff games. Damanze in his career, 208. So. So teams LeBron has been on have played in 287 playoff games. Of those 287, LeBron James has played in 287. He has never missed a single playoff game in his career. So yes, fingers crossed, knock on wood, whatever you got to do. But also that number is so bananas, it's pretty crazy. It's three and a half full seasons. Yeah, he's played. He's. This will be his 55th career playoff series. 55 series. He's 41 and 13 in his career in playoff series. And so yeah, I mean I. You hope obviously he's got to stay healthy. He's done a good job of that through his career. One more question before we move on to some other stuff.
- [39:08]
Damanze
So if Minnesota ends up winning this series and Ant shows out, is he move closer to becoming the face?
- [39:15]
Nick Wright
So yes, I. Ant needs to tighten up his off court life but he's got everything else. And if he were to out duel LeBron and Luca in what is going to be the highest rated round one series. Yeah, that will. But I kind of look at Ant. Here's the optimistic look of Ant. He's on the Luca trajectory. Luca made an early conference finals run. The next year the team made a big trade and then took a bit of a step back for Luka was Kyrie. They end up missing the playoffs for Ant. They trade Carl Anthony Towns. You know, they end up down at the six line. Probably bounced in round one and the next year for Luca they made the finals. So that like it's not like Ant is behind schedule at all. But yes, this would. Scott, this would. Winning this round one series would do more for Ant notoriety and face of the league stuff than winning the round two series they did last year against Denver.
- [40:38]
Damanze
Series probably be super important with this year. Like if he won this one. If they beat the Lakers and then they just lost in round two.
- [40:45]
Nick Wright
Correct. No, no, no. You beat the Lakers. Everyone's then going to expect you to beat the Rockets or the warriors or the Grizzlies. That. That part's definitely true. All right, before we get to the other round one series, guys, this is awesome. You guys know that one of my favorite things to do is go to sporting events. Also love going to Broadway. Actually I just saw Gypsy. Oh my goodness. There's an unbelie. Audra McDonald. My Lord. But you guys also saw I was just at Lakers, Grizzlies, courtside. I. You guys might not have seen cause I didn't tweet anything from it, but I just took my nephew to his first ever basketball game, Nick Sons last weekend and tonight I am going to Yankees Royals because the Royals are back in town. They lost last night. That sucks. Playing the Yankees. And I get all of my seats from our new sponsor, SeatGeek. Over 28 million downloads. SeatGeek is the number one rated ticketing app. There's more than 70,000 events listed on SeatGeek including concerts, sports festivals and more. Right now you can get tickets the MLB season again. I'm going to Yankees Royals tonight and then I'm going to. I Don't have my tickets yet for tomorrow, but assuming the Royals win tonight. In fact, doesn't matter whether they win or lose tonight, I am taking my wife, my daughter, and one other person I'm not sure who. Two Yankees, Royals on Wednesday, getting those seats from seatgeek. So if you guys haven't used seatgeek before, again, the deal score, you know, it's been copied by other people. Nobody does it right. It gives you a great. A great feeling, especially if it's for a stadium you haven't been to before. Like, how good is this seat? How good is this deal? And it's really good for Broadway in particular, because Broadway is a little confusing. Like sometimes, like basketball games, row one is the best. But Broadway, that's not always the case. Sometimes you want to be a little further back. Doesn't matter. Point is this, SeatGeeks helps you out with all of it. And again, right now for that, that Yankee game, I don't know if I can show you guys, but you can get in on SeatGeek for 35 bucks if you want to sit in the grandstands and hell. Oh, there's seats right there. That's a really. That's a shot. Wow, the disrespect to the Royals. I'm shocked at what a good deal that is. That's right next to the Royals dugout. That's the best seats in the house. For Legend Suite, you need lobster and something. 350 bucks right there on SeatGeek. So again, Seat has your back. Each ticket's rated on a scale of 1 to 10. That's what I was telling you about. I. I don't even need to read this stuff. I already know it. So you know you're getting a good deal. The bigger the. The darker green and the bigger the dot, that means that's the best deal. The little red dots. Don't even worry about those. You're not going to use buy those. Those are bad deals. And every ticket is backed by their buyer guarantee. And so here's the deal. Here's how I can help you guys. You guys can help me. You can use code, right? 10. That's right, with a W. It's my last name. Write 10. Write for 10% off your next SE set of tickets at SeatGeek. That's 10% off any tickets with promo code, right? 10. Also, if you're watching on YouTube, just make sure you click the link in the description to download the app and have the code automatically added to your account so you can use it later. Thank you to my friends at SeatGeek again. I got those courtside Grizzlies Lakers tickets from SeatGeek I tonight, Yankees Royals tickets. Seat Geek tomorrow's Yankees Royals tickets. The Gypsy tickets on Broadway. So again, SeatGeek promo code write 10 WR G H T then the number 101 0. You guys know what 10 is? Sorry about that. 10 off.
- [44:43]
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- [45:19]
Greg Rosenthal
What's up everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs mock drafts to my top 101 free agents will have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [45:49]
Israel Gutierrez
I'm Israel Gutierrez and I'm hosting a new podcast, Dub Dynasty. The story of how the Golden State warriors have dominated the NBA for over.
- [45:58]
Nick Wright
A decade, the Golden State warriors once again are NBA champions.
- [46:03]
Israel Gutierrez
From the building of the corps that included Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to one of the boldest coaching decisions in the history of the I just felt.
- [46:12]
Steve Kerr
Like the biggest thing was to earn the trust of the players and let the players know that we were here to try to help them take the next step, not tear anything down.
- [46:20]
Israel Gutierrez
Today, the warriors dynasty remains alive, in large part because of a scrawny 6 foot 2 hooper who everyone seems to.
- [46:27]
Nick Wright
Love for what Steph has done for the game. He's certainly on that like Mount Rushmore.
- [46:31]
Steve Kerr
For guys that have changed it, come.
- [46:33]
Israel Gutierrez
Revisit this magical warriors ride. This is Dove Dynasty.
- [46:37]
Nick Wright
The Doves dynasty is still very much alive.
- [46:41]
Israel Gutierrez
Listen to Dove Dynasty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [46:53]
Camila Ramon
I'm Camila Ramon Peloton's first Spanish speaking, cycling and tread instructor. I'm an athlete, entrepreneur, and almost most importantly, a pareo enthusiast.
- [47:02]
Liz Ortiz
And I'm Liz Ortiz, former pro soccer player and Olympian. And like, call me a pareo enthusiast. Come on, who is it? Our podcast hastavajo is where sports, music and fitness collide. And we cover it all, the Arriva Hasta sit downs with real game changers in the sports world, like Miami Dolphins CMO Priscilla Shumate, who is redefining what it means to be a Latina leader.
- [47:27]
Nick Wright
It all changed when I had this, this guy come to me, he said to me, you know, you're not Latina enough.
- [47:33]
Camila Ramon
First of all, what is that? My mouth is wide open. Yeah. History makers like the Sucar family, who became the first Peruvians to win a Grammy.
- [47:41]
Nick Wright
It was a very special moment for us. It's been 15 years for me in this career. Finally, things are starting to shift into a different level.
- [47:50]
Camila Ramon
Listen to Hasta ajo on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [47:56]
Nick Wright
Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. Okay, Damanze, I got you Lakers tickets once on SeatGeek. Oh, oh, by the way, speaking of, speaking of Lakers tickets, pal, so here's the deal. Maybe, maybe we got to keep our fingers crossed on the bracket falling, right? And we have to keep our fingers crossed on the dates working. But if there is a Lakers round two game in Houston, kind of midway point, Louisiana to Houston, maybe we do a little what's right, family meetup.
- [48:45]
Damanze
Hell yeah. That makes sense.
- [48:47]
Nick Wright
Rockets playoff game if. Because the. I'm not gonna. It's just too hard for me to get to LA and do the show and all that stuff. But Lakers, Rockets would be awesome.
- [48:59]
Damanze
That would be really awesome.
- [49:01]
Nick Wright
Yeah. And you're. Listen, this is something you'll learn because Damanze is filing his taxes today. Because today is the deadline. Since you're a professional broadcaster now, that's if you were to do that. That's a tax write off. Doing it work. I had to go, oh, yeah, it's a write off. Like Kramer, just write it all off. All right, let's go to the other playoff series.
- [49:21]
Damanze
Yeah. So we're waiting for the play in to figure out what the rest of the series are going to look like across the league. But the rest of the list is set in the first round. On the. On the west side, we've got the Lakers versus Minnesota, we've got Denver versus the Clippers. And then on the east, you've got the Knicks versus Detroit and Indiana versus Milwaukee.
- [49:41]
Nick Wright
Okay. So I'm going to spend the most time on Denver Clippers. We already did Lakers, Timberwolves and by the way, in about 10 minutes we're going to do my full NBA awards ballot. So stick around for that. Let me go to the east first. I just want Milwaukee to win. I. I don't. Indiana should win. They should. And Indiana has been the more consistent team. Indiana has been honestly the more impressive team. Indiana right now is the healthier team. But do you realize, Damanze, that Giannis has not won a playoff game, has not been on the court for a playoff win since that unbelievable. 40 and 11 to go up three two on the Celtics in 2022. Yeah, the next game Giannis was just as good. 44 and 20. But that was Tatum's best game of his career up to that point. Then they lost game seven. Then the next year he got hurt during the playoffs and missed games and then last year was out. He has not won a playoff game since that game when it looked like they were going to defend their title. Not a game, forget a series, a game. He is having another unbelievable year. I would like to see him. If he could just throw the team on his back and get them back to round two and then throw a scare into Cleveland. So I. The analysis leave. Go ahead. What'd you say?
- [51:36]
Damanze
He loses. He'll leave though, once you. I don't see Odyssey.
- [51:40]
Nick Wright
I don't. I don't know that he'll leave this summer. I maybe. I mean maybe. I don't know. I. So Indiana is the smart pick but I'm going with my heart and just saying I want Giannis to do it and I'd go with Milwaukee there. Knicks, Detroit. I disagree with the DraftKings odds on this. So they have the Knicks as huge favorites. Well, that's funny. They. Sorry, I just got an email that was not meant for me. I. That's. No, it's. It's doesn't matter. I. So they are. I was looking down my phone because I wanted to pull up the exact line that is really sorry that. The exact line. I think The Knicks are minus 400 in the series. Let me make sure that is correct. But series markets on DraftKings Knicks are minus 400. Detroit's plus 310. I think that's too. At that price, I think Detroit is a better bet, but I think the Knicks are going to win. I just don't think that Detroit's a pushover the way that Market would say it is, but I expect the Knicks to win and then we have what should be an absolute all out war in round one. Denver against the Clippers. Now it struck me as noteworthy demons a that Jamal Murray's hamstring was just lingering and Jamal Murray's hamstring was such a problem that Michael Malone all of a sudden was like, listen, we hope he's back for the playoffs. And then Michael Malone got fired and Jamal Murray's hamstring was healthy enough to play a couple days later. That struck me as like nobody. People are surprised by the Malone firing and nobody. And again, I'm not making any allegations but the sequence of events there to me is a noteworthy one. But with Jamal Murray back and with Joker playing like this and with the Nuggets seemingly you know, having I guess a bit of a cloud lifted, maybe they feel scary. The Clippers on the other hand look abjectly terrifying. Harden was the best player on the court for Clippers Warriors. He was unbelievable in overtime. He was 39 and 10 and Kawhi was sensational on both ends. Zubots has been great all year, all year. And Norman Powell was the guy everyone was playing their tiny violins for because LeBron stole his all star spot and they've got an excellent coach in Tyloo. So this is the hardest series to pick. However, when you add to the fact that Denver has home court, Denver has the best player in the world and the Clippers have playoff Harden, I'm going to go Denver in a seven game classic. Denver to win the series and let me check again, let me check this as well. I hadn't looked at it yet. The Clippers plus a game and a half meaning the Clippers to either win the series or lose in seven is only minus 220. That's somewhat attractive to me because I do think that the Clippers could win but I, I if they don't, I do think it goes seven but I probably would just take Denver. Denver to win the series on DraftKings is minus 135. That feels about right. Very, very close. But best player in the world gonna get rested. I'm not even gonna bring up the Kawhi injury stuff because he's just not rooting for it. But it also makes them a harder team to bet on and Harden in the playoffs is a real thing. So that's, that's to me I like the Lakers and a hard fought but relatively quick series. Denver in an absolute classic. The Knicks to win but not in four or Five and the Bucks in seven, because why not? That's how I feel about the matchups that we have right now. All right, let's do the Suns real quick and then get to my awards ballot. Yeah.
- [56:53]
Damanze
After just one season, head coach Mike Budenholzer has been fired from the Suns. They finished this year 36 and 46 and have now had three coaches in three years. Do you think that this Phoenix stint is going to hurt KD's legacy?
- [57:08]
Nick Wright
Surely didn't help it. Yeah. I mean, this man. Basketball's so crazy, and this is one of the things I love about it, but I was just talking about Giannis's, you know, the. How quickly it happened for Giannis, like that. They just went from being the Defending champs up three two on Boston home, game six. Giannis drops 40. They lose anyway. He hasn't won a playoff game since then. Think about if you are the Phoenix Suns. You're the Phoenix Suns. You're up 2:1 in the NBA Finals. You're. It's 20, 21. You're in Milwaukee. Like, you're up 2:0 technically, but you get. You get throttled in game three. That's supposed to happen. You're up 2:1in the Finals, and you have a chance to win game three and go. Or game four, pardon me, and go up four games to three games to one. And it goes. Booker missed jumper. Giannis's huge block on Ayton, Chris Paul turnover. Devin Booker miss layup. And all of a sudden it's a two, two series. And then it's like, okay, it's a two, two series dot we're all right. We're not exactly where we wanted to be, but we're all right. Game five, it's. It's coming down to the final minutes. You make a furious comeback after being down 12 in the fourth quarter. You have the ball down one. 20 seconds left. Holiday rips. Devin Booker throws the oop to Giannis. The Bucks win. Giannis drops 50. Then a madman buys your team. And now you're just on your fourth coach in three years. You've traded away everything you're on in apron hell. Bradley Beal is pissed because Budenholzer's like, play like Drew Holiday. He's like, how dare you? I'm Bradley Beal. Kevin Durant, you've got to trade him. Justin does. You were this close the year after winning the championship. You're the one seed, by the way. It's not like it immediately went away. You're the one seed. Let's go Back to that real quick. What happened there Again, you're this close to winning a championship. You don't, you come back the next year, you are even better. You find yourself up three one on the Dallas Mavericks. I'm sorry. Up three two. You blow them out in game five. By 30. By 30. You blow them out. You're gonna go back to the conference finals. You're gonna play the Warriors, Chris Paul, Steph Curry. It's gonna be great. And then game six, Luca goes crazy. 33, 11 and eight. All right, doesn't matter. Game seven's in our building. No problem. And game seven, the score is 57, 27 at halftime. And Luca has 27 by himself. And Devin Booker won't look him in the eye. And now you're just ruined. So it's less about Durant and more about that franchise just falling off a cliff. And as far as where Durant's gonna go, we're gonna have plenty of time to talk about that over the next few weeks. I'm not going to get into it right now. But it. This did not go the way he had hoped. He forced his way to a team that had just been to a finals and the previous year, the best record in basketball. And the team won one playoff round ever. They lost in round two. They lost in round one. They missed the playoffs. Just brutal. Just absolutely brutal. The NBA 82 game grind is done. Now the real fun begins. The NBA playoffs are here and it's time for all the high stakes drama, clutch moments and jaw dropping plays. I can't wait. If you're looking to make the playoffs Even more exciting, DraftKings sportsbook has you covered as an official sports betting partner of the NBA. From the playing games all the way through to the finals, now's the time to back your favorite players and teams as they chase glory all season long. You guys know this. DraftKings has been the go to spot for NBA player props. And that doesn't stop now. Want to make your playoff experience even more intense? Try placing a bet on your favorite players performance. Will they drop 30, 40 or more? Your call. Ready to place your first bet? Download DraftKings Sportsbook app now. Lock in your bets. Make this playoff run unforgettable. Something special. First timers. DraftKings new DraftKings customers bet $5 to get $200 in bonus bets Instantly make it a playoff run. To remember with DraftKings. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app. Use code WRIGHT. Code right W R I G H E. That's code right for new customers to get $200 in bonus bets. When you bet just five bucks only on DraftKings, the crown is yours again. That's code. Wright w r I g h t bet $5 get $200 in bonus bets. Gambling problem Call 1-800- gambler in New York. Call 877-8-HOPE NY or text HOPE NY, which is 467-369 in Connecticut. Help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas. 21 plus. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void. In Ontario, bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources C DKNG co bball this is what.
- [64:06]
eBay Advertiser
You do when you have high standards and fancy all the fancy things like a Dior saddlebag or that diamond tennis bracelet, you go to ebay. There you'll find new loves that will never disappoint. Expertly authenticated. Whether it's that vintage pearl necklace or brand new ruby earrings, a Prada crossbody bag, or classic watches like that Rolex Oyster or that Cartier tank on ebay, there are no limits to your high standards. Yeah, ebay the place for new pre loved vintage and rare fashion. Ebay Things people Love what's up everyone?
- [64:43]
Greg Rosenthal
It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs mock drafts to my top 101, free agents will have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
- [65:12]
Israel Gutierrez
I'm Israel Gutierrez and I'm hosting a new podcast, Dub Dynasty, the story of how the Golden State warriors have dominated the NBA for over a decade.
- [65:21]
Nick Wright
The Golden State warriors once again are NBA champions.
- [65:26]
Israel Gutierrez
From the building of the core that included Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to one of the boldest coaching decisions in the history of the sport.
- [65:34]
Steve Kerr
I just felt like the biggest thing was to earn the trust of the players and let the players know that we were here to try to help them take the next step, not tear anything down.
- [65:43]
Israel Gutierrez
Today, the warriors dynasty remains alive in large part because of a scrawny 6 foot 2 hooper who everyone seems to.
- [65:50]
Nick Wright
Love for what Steph has done for the game. He's certainly on that like Mount Rushmore for guys that have changed it.
- [65:56]
Israel Gutierrez
Come revisit this magical warriors ride. This is Dove Dynasty.
- [66:00]
Nick Wright
The Dubs dynasty is still very much alive.
- [66:04]
Israel Gutierrez
Listen to Dub Dynasty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [66:16]
Camila Ramon
I'm Camila Ramon, Peloton's first Spanish speaking cycling and tread instructor. I'm an athlete, entrepreneur, and almost most importantly, a parrero enthusiast.
- [66:25]
Liz Ortiz
And I'm Liz Ortiz, former pro soccer player and Olympian. And like Commie, a perreo enthusiast. Come on, who is it? Our podcast, Hasta Bajo is where sports, music and fitness collide and we cover it all, the Arriva hasta sit downs with real game changers in the sports world like Miami Dolphins CMO Priscilla Shumate, who is redefining what it means to be a Latina leader.
- [66:50]
Nick Wright
It all changed when I had this guy come to me. He said to me, you know, you're not Latina, first of all. What is that?
- [66:57]
Camila Ramon
My mouth is wide open. Yeah. History makers like the Sucar family who became the first Peruvians to win a Grammy.
- [67:04]
Nick Wright
It was a very special moment for us. It's been 15 years for me in this career. Finally, things are starting to shift into a different level.
- [67:13]
Camila Ramon
Listen to Hasta ajo on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [67:19]
Nick Wright
Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. All right, Damanze, let's do our NBA awards ballot and as much as we can, and then we'll get to our f. One minute and some listener questions.
- [67:34]
Damanze
Yeah, you still don't have the ballot, but we're just gonna do this for practice sake, but we'll get you there someday. For first off, you've got your MVP at 1. You've got SGA 2.
- [67:47]
Nick Wright
Yeah, I'll go through who I have, but the so MVP to me is quite simple. And I have been. Sorry, Daniel. Really, I have found it unbelievable the number of people who have just decided all of the rules that I laid the groundwork for last year no longer apply. And so for me, the only question for MVP is the fifth spot. One through four are pretty obvious. Shea is the league MVP. He's 33 a game on a 68 win team. Joker should be the unanimous second place. MVP guy. He's 30 a game with a triple double, carrying a team that is terrible defensively. Some of that's on him. And just fired their coach. Giannis is third, Tatum is fourth. And if you want to say Tatum's third, Giannis is fourth, that's fine. I think yacht what Giannis has done, especially despite Dame being out is remarkable. But that's a debate. And then for fifth place it was a debate between the following Donovan, cade Edwards and LeBron and I, I still want. Well, I'll talk about all NBA first team because my one through five, my MVP ballot is not my first team, all NBA. And I'll explain that in a minute. But my fifth place spot goes to LeBron and it goes to LeBron because despite the injury still played 70 games. He seamlessly did what a lot of people thought he either wouldn't be willing to or able to. Which is fit with Luca. He care. People are recreating history that oh the Lakers were headed for the play in before the Luca trade. The lakers were the 4 seed the day Luca made his debut with the team. They were the, they stayed even though Anthony Davis had gotten hurt. They were on a winning streak when Luca first got to the team. Their only real losing this year happened surrounding LeBron's injury. LeBron was a Swiss army knife defensively. Once they got Luca and honestly once AD went down, they are the 3 seed in a loaded Western Conference. They were only Oklahoma City was better this year against the best 10 teams in basketball. LeBron's been the through line of it all. I have him as fifth place in MVP now to the top of the ballot. So here's why I find these folks who are now saying they are going to vote for Joker to be so disingenuous. And what they simply should say is he's my favorite player, he's the best player in the league. So I'm voting for him. Last year the numbers for Joker v Luca were not close. I will remind you of them. Okay, Last year Luca averaged 34, 9 and 9. He won the scoring title on good efficiency. He averaged 34 points, 9.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists. So basically 34, 9 and 10. The league MVP was Nikola Jokic who averaged seven fewer points, 26 and a half, three more rebounds, 12 and a half and one fewer assist, nine. And it wasn't close. Luca got four first place votes and the argument was purely, well, joker's team won 57 games. Lucas team won 50 and Luca was not very good even though the team was fine defensively. Luka was not very good defensively. Those same people now this year are saying throw those rules out. And even though Shea's team has won 68 games and Joker's team won 50. The same exact number Lucas team won last year. I think Joker's gonna get it because I've never seen an offensive season like this. And my question is, didn't you kind of see an offensive season like this last year by a guy who got four first place votes again, Luca last year was 34, nine and 10. Joker this year is 30. Let me. Yeah, 29.6. Call it 30, 13 and 10. So four fewer points, four more rebounds on a team that won the same amount of games and so that now you might say Nick, last year weren't you a guy that was arguing for Luca. Wouldn't that then follow that? This year you should be arguing for Joker a hundred percent. If one of two things were true. One, I had an actual vote and it was impacting it so I must vote with consistency. Or two, and this is more importantly and really the reasoning, I do feel like the previous winner winners but certainly the most recent year continues to set the precedent for the voting public because it is an undefined award. So last year when a guy with 50 wins who's playing in the 4, 5 game who averaged 34, 9 and 10 got 4 of 100 votes because we said best player on the best team with really good stats is going to run away with it to then not give Shay when Shay is again it's like Shay's averaging 25 a game. He's 33, 5 and 6 with excellent defense on a 68 win team. And the history of guys on teams who have won 68 plus games, all of them, every team that has ever won 68 plus Steph won MVP. Jordan one MVP. The 69 win Lakers did not have the league MVP. Kareem won it in 72. But that is because two Lakers split votes Wilt and West finished third and second. That's why the Lakers didn't have one. The who are the other ones? Dave cowins on the 68 win Celtics 1 MVP Jordan won 69 games and shamefully didn't win it in 97. Cause the voters got sick of giving it to him, gave it to Karl Malone. But it's just folks need to just say I, I like Joker the most. So even though his coach got fired and his defense has been bad and even though last year it was about wins, this year it's about raw stats. I'm just not going to lie. I just think it's. I think Shay's the MVP now to all NBA. So again I don't have an actual vote but. And I know they changed the rules. I want my all NBA first team at the very least to be two guards, two forwards and a center. And I want all of my all NBA teams to at least be credible teams you could roll out on a basketball court. So even though I have LeBron as my fifth place in MVP voting, I do not have him as all NBA first team. I gave that to Donovan. So I want my two guards to be Shay and Donovan. My two forwards, Giannis and Tate on my center Joker. Second team all NBA for me was very simple. My two guards are Stefan Ant. Cade's technically a guard, but he's tall enough we can just put him in kind of that point forward spot. He and LeBron are second team and outburn Shingoon who was the best player on a Rockets team that was the second seed. He is second team all NBA. Third team all NBA. With apologies to Tyrese Halliburton. Halliburton had his spot stolen in game 82. Demanze by James Harden. 39 and 10 to lock up the five seed and stay out of the play in. So it's Jalen Brunson, James Harden, Jalen Williams as a forward. Because your team wins 68 games. It's not just one guy. Carl Anthony Towns is the other forward and Evan Mobley as the other center. Again, that team wants what 64. They need someone other than just Donovan. My defensive player of the year was not difficult for me. I think Draymond really hurt himself at the end of the year. It is Evan Mobley, my sixth man.
- [77:55]
Damanze
Of the the Mobley thing. You have him in as your defensive player of the year but he's only in your third team all NBA.
- [78:02]
Nick Wright
Yeah, that happens sometimes. The where in hell there have been years defensive player of the year didn't even make any all NBA team. I don't think Marcus Smart made an all NBA team when he wanted. I don't think. I don't know if Tony Allen Did Tony Allen ever win defensive player of the year? I don't remember but that happens sometimes. But I think he's the defensive player of the year. Sixth man of the year is Malik Beasley. Just an absolute flamethrower off the bench and I guess somewhat controversial. Most improved. I think it's if it's a Zubots. I almost had Zubots on as my all and be on my all NBA team. He jumped his scoring by 50% over his career. He's been great defensively. Clippers have been excellent. He's been huge. I think he's the most improved player even though he's old and it usually doesn't go to old guys. Clutch player of the year is LeBron. LeBron's for the only player in the league with 400100100 in the fourth LeBron's fourth quarter plus minus and the Lakers record in the fourth quarter and his assisted turnover ratio is better than either of the previous clutch player of the year winners. And Stefan Ant and I understand Jalen Brunson's clutch numbers are going to probably make Jalen Brunson win this award. That is in part because they do not have clutch numbers for defense in the clutch where Jaylen was lacking obviously because of his size. Ang lebron's clutch Player of the year Rookie of the year is very, very simple. Stefan Castle is going to be close to unanimous. Re well, Risa Shea will get some votes and I think coach of the year Demonze is IME Udoka getting this Rockets team to the two seed when Jalen Green's a nice player. Eamon Thompson's gonna be an awesome player, but he's very young. I I think IME Udoka deserves coach of the year. So those are my ballots and my full NBA awards.
- [80:02]
Damanze
All right.
- [80:03]
Nick Wright
Makes sense to everybody. Yeah I so I Before we get to the listener questions, back after her spring break with our F1 minute. If you're a new viewer or listener, my goddaughter Sierra Fidel is our F1 correspondent. She is back updating us on what has happened in Formula one over the last couple weeks. Here is Sierra.
- [80:31]
J
Hey guys, welcome back to the fo minute with me, Sierra. So let's talk all things Bahrain gp. So it's been called the best race of the season so far, even with the chaotic technical difficulties. But four down, 20 more to go. Unlike the circuit last week in Suzuka, here in Bahrain, the track seriously promotes overtaking and that's pretty much what we saw throughout the entire race. On the first lap, a big headline following quali was Oscar Piastri starting from pole position for the second time this season. He was able to keep his position, but the rest of them pretty much played musical chairs around the first corners. But it was pretty entertaining to say the least. The conditions and the tire strategies were a big talking point of this race. With the cooler conditions, most cars started with softs, but the Ferrari boys started on mediums. It kind of sucked for them at first, but after a few laps around the track, the tires came alive for them, and they were doing pretty good. Piastri controlled this race pretty much the entire time, however, with sizable gaps to the front at times. Russell, leclerc, and for a small fraction of a moment, Hamilton was even fighting for a win. Notice how I did not mention Verstappen, however? Yeah, that's because he was struggling pretty much the entire time with no grip, going into the pits multiple times to switch out tires and reporting issues with his car. And there was even a safety car, but it was from debris, not exactly a crash, so it wasn't all that notable. But at the restart, Piastri was still ahead, and Norris, on fresher tires, managed to pass both Leclerc and Hamilton, but not Russell and the good old Mercedes. In the end, Piastri got another win under his belt, finishing 15 seconds ahead of everyone else. Russell in P2 and Norris in P3. Some honorable mentions that I cannot leave out is the fact that has finished with double points this weekend, which is a big accomplishment for a team that maybe scores one or two points here or there between two drivers. Alpine showed promising pace pretty much throughout the entire weekend. And Yuki Tsunoda bagging point points for Red Bull. Let's go. Has the second Red Bull seat curse lifted just yet? Only time will tell, but key takeaways. McLaren is the team to beat. That's pretty obvious. That's been so for a while now. But McLaren is a team to beat. Piastri is posing more of a threat than ever, especially to his teammate now because he has more wins than Lando and he's threatening his position in the driver's championship. Little by little, Ferrari is showing better days. Hopefully within the next few races, they can have their breakout performance. And maybe, just maybe, one of them can be on the podium. Please. But that'll be all for this week's F1 Minute. Next week, this circus is headed to Saudi Arabia to close out the triple header. So until then, I'll catch you next week.
- [83:14]
Nick Wright
Great job as always, Sierra. Can't wait to hear from you next week. The producers Maze. Really want to get the Lil Wayne tweet in the show. I. I didn't do it during the Masters thing. The. Oh, yeah, he was tweeting that he couldn't watch Bryson, so I texted him, was like, hey, use the Masters app. Here's how you do it. And then he sends out this tweet. I mean, listen, he's got 33 million followers. Throwing me a little tag in there would have been nice, but it's all right. No problem. Wheezy if you have the same issue I was having, all you gotta do is download the Masters app. Thanks my boy Nick Wright. He's the nicest person in the world. People would be shocked at how nice of a guy. Even if you think he's a super nice guy, you'd be shocked by it. Save these listener questions for Thursday's episode. We're having a few technical issues and more importantly, I'm gonna be late to do Cowherd show so I gotta go. Today's show went long. You did great. Enjoy the playing tonight. Go Royals against the Yankees. Thank you to Seatgeek. Shout out to them. Thank you to DraftKings. Thank you to everyone watching. See if we hit 200,000 by the end of the day. Thank you to Volume and Blue Doc. Thank you to Damanze. Talk to you guys soon. See you on cowherd in about 90 minutes.
- [84:22]
Greg Rosenthal
What's right, what's up everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs mock drafts to my top 101 free agents will have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as we head to to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
- [84:53]
Nick Wright
The championship is back in the bay for the first time in 40 years.
- [84:59]
Israel Gutierrez
On the new limited podcast series Dub Dynasty, we hear from head coach Steve Kerr on how Steph Curry almost never even joined the Warriors.
- [85:07]
Steve Kerr
In fact, I thought we had a draft day deal to end up getting.
- [85:11]
Israel Gutierrez
Him to Phoenix for the entire behind the scenes story of Golden State's incredible 10 year run. Listen to Dub Dynasty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [85:26]
Julius Swerbinks
What's up everyone? Julie Swerbinks here along with former NHL player Nate Thompson.
- [85:30]
Steve Kerr
We're doing a new podcast together. Here we go.
- [85:33]
Julius Swerbinks
The name Energy Line with Nate and jsb.
- [85:36]
Steve Kerr
Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey life. All topics are fair game, right?
- [85:42]
Julius Swerbinks
Exactly. And you'll never know who will drop by to join us.
- [85:45]
Steve Kerr
Julie is pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe.
- [85:50]
Julius Swerbinks
Listen to Energy Line with Nate and jsb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [85:58]
Liz Ortiz
I'm Camila Ramon and I'm Liz Ortiz. And our podcast, Hasta Bajo is where sports, music and fitness collide and we cover it all. The Arriba Hasta.
- [86:08]
Camila Ramon
This season, we sit down with history makers like the Sucar family, who became the first Peruvians to win a Grammy.
- [86:14]
Nick Wright
It was a very special moment for us. It's been 15 years for me in this career. Finally, things are starting to shift into a different level.
- [86:23]
Camila Ramon
Listen to Asta ajo on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [86:29]
Liz Ortiz
Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.