
Loading summary
Podcast Host
This is an Iheart Podcast.
Wasabi Sponsor Voice
Guaranteed human Wasabi is purpose built to free your business from skyrocketing storage costs and fees from the big guys. Wasabi is the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams around the world. Check out Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage, Wasabi Air and the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cybercriminals. Wasabi driving innovation in data storage for up to 80% less than market competition. Try for free@wasabi.com Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage Proud partner of Iheart Podcast Network you
Toyota Sponsor Voice
know how it's never really about where you're going? It's about who you're going with. The right people can turn any drive into a great memory. That's something Toyota really believes. They design vehicles around real life and real people. The ones who make plans happen and bring everyone together inside. Everything's built with passengers in mind. Comfortable seating, smart layouts and space that actually works so everyone can relax and enjoy the ride. There's room for the people, room for the stuff, and room for the moments that happen along the way. Because when people are the destination, your ride is important. Learn more@toyota.com and find the vehicle that fits your people.
Daniel Cormier
This is Daniel Cormier from the Daniel Cormier Show. This podcast is sponsored by Total Wireless, the official wireless partner of ufc. Power doesn't wait in the octagon or outside of it. You either make the move or you miss the moment. That's why you need a network that's just as powerful as you are. With Total Wireless, you get unlimited 5G data keeping you in the action from the walkouts to the knockouts. Now that's a total power move. Make your total power move today. Visit totalwireless.com or stop by your neighborhood Total Wireless Store. Additional terms apply. See totalwireless.com for details.
Chase Sapphire Sponsor Voice
When you own your own business, you need to keep things moving. Need to book a last minute flight? Earn a $300 travel credit to cover that. Need to take a meeting before takeoff? Do it from the comfort of the Chase Sapphire Lounge by the club. Need to catch your breath before you board? Done. Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business. The business card that gives back all you put in. Visit chase.com Reserve Business to learn more. Cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank. Any member FDIC subject to credit approval terms apply.
Wright Thompson
Welcome in what driving the grind episode 460 this episode of what Driving the Grind is presented to you by Boost Mobile. A reminder to subscribe to the pod because over the last Few weeks, we've had a bit of an intermittent schedule. One time due to me being a little under the weather, one time due to a trip to Indy. However, this week, the full regular schedule. So today's show obviously, and then also we will have our. At this point, it's kind of semi monthly mailbag episode will be at. In your inboxes or however you get these things, you know, on YouTube or on iTunes or on Spotify. Tomorrow morning, we'll have the mailbag episode. So that means we have a ton to do right now. We have a lot to get to. There is a elimination game in the conference finals to address. There is the absolute juggernaut Knicks to address. There is the fact that I believe Adam Silver is fighting the wrong war. And I also think that so many of the NBA's key issues right now come down to whether or not people want to compete, whether or not you want to simply compete, or whether or not you want to optimize your result as well as possible, given, you know, what the incentives are and what's allowed and what's not. And I, I made this point on the TV show yesterday, but I didn't get into it in full and demand. Have you seen the clip of the guy? I don't know who he is. I'm not in the manosphere pod areas, but some guy who was like, I had a couple glasses of wine and it ruined me for three days. Yes, this.
Damanze
No, that's not past my.
Wright Thompson
So I, the, the producers probably know who I'm talking about. I don't know who he is, but he was, he's one of these health optimism optimization guys.
Damanze
Okay.
Wright Thompson
And he, he explained how he's like, yeah, you know, I had two glasses of wine and then the next morning I didn't wake up to work out. And then that threw off my eating that day. And then that threw off my, the, My sleep that night. My whoop score was terrible. And so just these two glasses of wine, you know, threw me off for three days. And I've never felt like a grumpier older man. Then I'm like, these losers. These, these, these kids that are like, oh, yeah, I have a sleep. So. And I make sure. And I make sure my cortisol, whatever the hell that is, stays low. And I'm doing this and I'm just, you know, I'm maxing this, all of that, and I'm like, you know what?
Damanze
Oh, I think I know what you're talking about.
Wright Thompson
You know, back in, back in my day, you know, what we did, you know what you did?
Damanze
What you do.
Wright Thompson
If you went out and drank the night before, you woke up with a awful hangover, you maybe threw up and you got your ass up and you rallied, you didn't. You didn't need a perfect nine hour whoop score. And again, I now sound like an old man yelling at the cloud. I get that. But in a weird way, for some reason, I feel like flopping is in that same exact boat because in my, in my, in my brain, it's like, well, you know what, you know what you're supposed to do? Play through contact and see if you can score anyway. Play the wine. Not, not in, not in the, not in the optimized world we live in now. It's like, no, why would you do that? You've played through contact and it's worth, you know, 0.9 points per possession, but if you just fall down like you got shot by a sniper, that's worth 1.6 points per possession. And it's just, that's the better way to do it. So we'll get to that later in the show. Again, I don't know why the healthcare maxing optimization guys make me think about the issues right now with the NBA. I just know they do. So we'll get to all that later in the show. And we're going to start the show in a moment, Dean, with what I'm going to call an anti sports media beef. I've done a few too many sports media beefs lately, so I'm going to do an anti sports media beef. I'm picking. There's someone from a competing network that in theory is a competitor of mine and I'm just going to give them all the compliments in the world. I'll explain that in a moment. But first, straight to voicemail. Brought to you by Boost Mobile. Joe Missoula wins Coach of the Year. He didn't want it. And after the playoffs, I'm not sure if people thought he deserved it. The Cavs bring back Kenny Atkinson. Ooh, awkward. Very quick moment here. Awkward moment for me to Monze 90 minutes ago. And I don't want to say who this is, but there is a, there's a parent at Deanna's school who I'm friendly with and who again, I don't want to reveal too much. Heads used to either coach or play in the NBA is what I'll say. And I know that. And he knows, you know, he knows that. I know that. And we've, you know, we just talk Sports sometimes. And I see him at the science fair, and I'm like, oh, man. I was like, how about. I was like, what a time. What a time to be in New York with the Knicks. And he's like, yeah. And his reaction was a little weird. And I'm like, yeah, they're just rolling through Everybody. And about 90 seconds into the conversation, I was like, God dog it. This guy works with the Cavs. Like, he's. He currently works with the Cats. I was like, I forgot. I was like, I thought he worked with the Knicks, but he worked with the Cavs. I was like, oh, man, terrible job by me. I didn't tried to pivot, but there was no pivot. I was like, oh, geez, just a really bad job on me. But the Cavs are bringing back Kenny Atkinson, and Travis Kelsey bought a tiny piece of the Cleveland Guardians. And in one of the wildest matches, the wildest match of the French Open so far, Yannick Sinner, favorite to win it, I think. I think the favorite to win it in most books was up two sets, none and five, one in the third, and then started cramping and blew and blew it, I think. Lost 15 straight games and got knocked out in round two by Juan Manuel Cerdolo, I think is how you pronounce his name. So, Yannick, center out, which means major.25 for Djokovic. Very alive, obviously. No Alcaraz. Now center's out, so maybe Djokovic can do it. All right, Damanze, this is where I want to start the show. Before we get to the basketball, first things first. Nominated for sports Emmy. We didn't win. Daily TV show NFL Live one While I have a friendly rivalry with Mina Kimes, it is very friendly. And if we were going to lose, I losing sucked. But losing to them sucked less than maybe losing to someone else. I'm happy for Mina. I met Dan Orlovsky. I think it was the first time we met, but I shook his hand. I. I haven't met Laura Rutledge yet. I know Ryan Clark. So shout out to those folks one very quick Sports Emmys anecdote. And then I'm going to get to the thing that I really want to discuss here, which is I did not have a problem with us not winning. There was something that happened at the Sports Emmys that I did have a bit of a problem with that I want to address. But again, this is not sports media beef. It's the opposite. It's. I'm building somebody up. So here's the deal. I was also a presenter to Monze, which was really cool and an honor and all. While I wanted first things first to win, once we were nominated, I was very clear with you guys how badly I wanted to win. You know, there's five nominees, you know, so say if it's, you know, you have a 1 in 5 chance, even if you think, you know, you should be the favorite or whatever, that's still probably only a 1 in 4 chance. I kept my expectations very measured until I showed up to rehearsals for the presenter part. And you don't know this. I showed up to rehearsals and they're like, hey, so you're actually presenting awards 41 to 43. And they were like, and it's kind of perfect timing because the award you guys are nominated for is award 40. And I'm like, wait, so I. So the award that we're nominated for is the award right before I present? And they were like, yeah, that's. That's just how it fell. And in my head, I'm like, well, obviously I could be presenting anything. What it's going this way because they. They know that I'll be on stage accepting the award and then just go into the presentation, especially because I was like, man, you're like. Because about 10 minutes before you present, you have to go backstage and get in line and be ready and make sure everything's set up. So for about eight hours, I was just like, we're gonna win. It was like, there's no way that they would have, you know, set it to. Where do you like that? Well, I just think it was bad luck. So let me paint the picture. We're two and a half hours into the ceremony. They come get me from my seat because I have to go backstage because I'm going to present. They then announce Sports Show Weekly. And I'm sitting backstage. They then are getting ready to announce Sports Show Daily. And they have me stand up and walk to where I'm one foot off stage. Because after Sports show Daily gets announced and the winners come up, they then announce my name to start the next presentation, and they do the best Sports show daily. And I already have a whole plan, like, what I'm gonna say all this stuff. Best Sports Show Daily. Best. They do it NFL Live. And I'm like, oh, man. Like, was I. Did my knees buckle a little? Maybe. I'm not sure, but I know that it was. I was totally prepared not to win until day of when I was like, I'm certainly winning. And then within 30 seconds, they're announcing My name and I'm walking on stage and I am just blind. Like, just. I don't even. So I hadn't even. I was supposed to have, like, a pithy, funny thing before I got into the announcement, you know, war. The script for my. My. The awards I was presenting. But in my head, I hadn't really planned any pithy, funny thing because I was. Again, I was like, I will have just spoken. I will have just accepted an award. Like, I don't need to have a pithy thing. But then, no, that's not what happened. I watched Orlovsky, Mina and Laura Rutledge accept an award. Then I'm out there. So I. I said something about apologizing to your mother for a fight, and people just tried to make people laugh and kept it rolling. So that was my sports Emmys experience, and I am legitimately happy for NFL life. And, you know, it was our first time nominated. We'll see if we win. We'll see if we ever get nominated again. The whole thing was an awesome experience. There was only one part of the night I didn't like. And I really hope this doesn't hurt our chances of winning in the future, But I want to talk about my pal Scott Van Pel and what at this point is crazy. Scott has been nominated for outstanding Sports personality studio host 10 times, and he is yet to win it. And that is. And that is a category that only a handful of people ever have won, even though it's been around 30 some years. Bob Costas, my pal, my, you know, my mentor when I was a little kid, has a nice crisp 18 of them. So not a lot of wins to go around for other people in the 90s and early 2000s. But in the last decade, basically, it's been Ernie Johnson, maybe the goat, and Mike Tirico, one of the greatest ever in, you know, from 2018 to now. Ernie is one five of them. Tirico's won three of them. I believe SVP has been nominated every single year. And this is. And Scott might get mad at me for saying this, and maybe I don't care. With. And Ernie. Isis said Ernie might be the goat. And he's won this award eight times, including the last two years. And Tirico can host everything. And Tirico won a. Tirico won. How about. How good is Mike Tirico? Tirico won the me for play by play personality of the Year. And he wasn't there because during the Emmys, he was calling the Western Conference finals. He couldn't Be there because while he was being awarded best play by play guy, he was doing play by play in the conference finals. So there's not, there's no shots at anybody, but nobody is doing what SVP is doing. SVP is on site or in studio for every sport imaginable with a, a seamlessness and an ease of personality and a likability to where guys, whether it's hockey, basketball, golf, guys come on with him, they know him, they like him, and he does all of that while also inserting when need be on Sports Center. Real opinion, real take. It's not just milquetoast, you know, smiles and hugs. He has become, for me, for my money, the only person whose Sports center, the only Sports center host who it feels like very. His show feels like his show. They have a bunch of awesome hosts. But SportsCenter, when I was growing up, all the different hosts or duos, their shows had a feel. Well, there's the big show with Dan Patrick and Keith Olberman or Stuart Scott with Scott Van Pelt, like the different Rich Eisen show, Kenny Maine, who was great. They SVP is the only one, in my opinion, like, that is able to really carry that, that torch. And I can't believe he's never won. And it is, it was stunning to me to find out he's never won this award. I think, like, now you guys have heard me say before, Ernie Johnson, what he and Scott have in common are, I think they are the only two people in sports media, the only two with a 100% approval rating. Everybody loves them. Like, there is even my guy KW. I think KW's approval rating is probably like 95%. There's a few Chiefs fans at this point. He's irked. He's, he's gotten under their skin. He is so Scott's just, I, I just can't believe he's never won it. And the, and so for the, you know, for the voters out there, what I would say is for next year, when Scott gets nominated again, do I wish there was a bit of, you know, for that award kind of the way sports leagues do MVPs, which is Avid's tied, maybe it should go to the guy who hasn't won one. And by the way, I, you know, I didn't go through it. I can't imagine how some of the, the, the Scott Van Pelts of the late 90s and early 2000s felt when they were watching my pal Costas win his ninth and then 14th and then 18th award. It's like, Jesus, man, like what, what are we doing? What, what can we do here? But I just couldn't believe SVP's never won it. He also has, you know, full disclosure, I certainly don't want to, don't want anyone to accuse me being coached up on this take given who my crew may or may not be. I, I had never been in the same room as Scott Van Pelt or shook his hand until Tuesday night at the Emmys. So I've never been in person with him. With that said, he has been incredibly kind to me over the last decade via advice if I needed it. Reaching out to me I really, really, really respect look up to and like the like him as a human being even though again we met for the first time two days ago. But I just can't believe he, I can't believe he's been nominated 10 times, hasn't won. He's Susan Lucci of the Sports Emmys. Like anybody get the Susan Lucci reference? No, that's all right. And I just think he is as good at his, at his job as anybody in the field. I really, truly do believe that. So there's a few minutes there. You know, the, you know, can't have all my media commentary be negative about colleagues. Some of it's got to be positive. So maybe that evens the scale a bit. All right, now we can get to the hoops. Today's show though is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock BET Florida Sportsbook. The NBA playoffs are here. The lights are brighter, the pressure is higher. Every possession can change a series. On Hard Rock Bet every night is your shot to score a major bucket with win or go home energy on the hardwood. I love building same game parlays. You might like the hot hand to drop 30, the big man to control the glass with the double double, the point guard dish out five assists. However you draw it up, Hard Rock Bet gives you tons of ways to stack your picks into a same game parlay built for the playoffs. And if you 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 offers just the tip. 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 sports book, but you don't have to be in Florida to join the party. Hard Rock Bet is 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 get the party started.
Hard Rock Bet Legal Disclaimer
Offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Offered by Seminole Hard Rock Digital LLC in Alder States. Must be 21 plus and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia. To play terms and conditions apply. Concern about gambling Gambling in Florida, call 1833 play wise in Indiana if you or somebody you know has a gambling problem wants help, call 1-800-9 with it in Arizona, Ohio, Virginia, call 1-800-myreset gambling problem call 1-800- gambler these days I
Wix Sponsor Voice
hear about AI so often that I tend to tune most of it out. But I gotta say, Wix Harmony actually lives up to the hype. It's an AI website builder that lets you build any type of website with AI, but still gives you the freedom to edit anything yourself so you're not just stuck with whatever AI gives you. And you've got an AI agent named Aria that can help you out. Try it for free@wix.com Harmony that's wix.com Harmony let's be honest.
Mood.com Sponsor Voice
Buying cannabis shouldn't be complicated, sketchy or low quality. That's why I want to tell you about Mood.com that's M-O-Ood.com Mood ships federally legal cannabis straight to your door. No medical card, no hassle. And and here's the kicker. The quality is better than anything you'll find at your local dispensary. Yeah, I said it. Whether you're into edibles, concentrates, flour, or just looking to explore, you'll find it all at Mood. And it's not just the variety that makes them stand out. Every product is sourced from small American owned family farms that care deeply about what they grow. It's cannabis you can trust, delivered discreetly and ready to elevate your mood. And because you're a listener, you get 20% off your first order. Just head to mood.com that's M-O-Ood.com to get started.
Jonas Brothers Podcast Host
Number one hits, millions of records sold, Awards sold out tours. You think the Jonas Brothers are satisfied?
Podcast Host
Nope.
Jonas Brothers Podcast Host
It's podcast time.
Wright Thompson
We get to ask other people questions
Chase Sapphire Sponsor Voice
because we're sick and tired of being asked questions.
Jonas Brothers Podcast Host
Hey, Jonas is available now and their first guest is a big one.
Wasabi Sponsor Voice
Paul Rudd, you know Steve Carell is a great singer.
Wright Thompson
Let me tell you not to to
Damanze
audition the office or something.
Wasabi Sponsor Voice
I told him we were filming Anchorman. Clearly I was the idiot. Thank God he didn't listen to me right?
Jonas Brothers Podcast Host
Listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Wright Thompson
Reminder everybody like rate, subscribe and review to the pod, iTunes, Spotify and YouTube. Damanze let's do Western Conference Finals Wimby
Damanze
coming off of his worst game and the biggest spot of his career as coach Johnson came out and said that we need more than 20 points off of 15 shots. Wimby is now facing elimination in this next game. What do you expect out of him?
Wright Thompson
Listen, I think he'll probably be really good tonight, but I also was there were some concerning parts of Game five. Damanze most noted so here's I do think that right now Wimy has a legit claim as the best player in the world. And I said after that Game one performance that it reminded me of the feeling I had watching the 48 Special from LeBron back in 2007. And it's worth noting that after that 48 Special from LeBron in 07, he had some significant struggles in the NBA Finals. So it's not always just a linear path. It's just going to be better, better, better along the way here. But I don't think the spurs are going to rally and win the series. Demons A and so he go ahead. Do you disagree? No.
Damanze
I mean, no. I. I really. I really need the spurs to win. I need them to win tonight. I want them to win the series. But yeah, it's, it's. I think people are overreacting a little bit. It's still, you know, three, two.
Wright Thompson
Oh, I think the spurs will win tonight. I just don't think they're going to win. Don't. They're going to win seven. I've said Thunder and seven. From the beginning, I've said I thought it would be tied after two games, four games, six games. So that would be the spurs winning tonight. But if the spurs get knocked out this round, there's two parts of Wimby's game, one that he needs to address and one the team needs to address in order for him to become as dominant offensively as he should be. Because in the regular season, Demons A When B hit three or more threes, he averaged 32 points a game, and when he hit fewer than three threes, he averaged 23 points a game. In the playoffs and we can take out the game. He got thrown out in the game he got hurt because those throw off the averages. But those aren't real represent in the playoffs. It's the exact same numbers. The games he's hit three or more threes, he's averaging 32 points a game. And the games he's hit zero, one or two threes, he's averaging 23 points per game. That's also one of the things that made game one so special. When he had the 41 points, the only three he hit was the 28 footer. He was doing it on the inside and at 75 he's hit. Whether or not he gives you 30 should not be reliant on whether or not his three pointers fall. It's totally fine for perimeter guys to be like, well what are their big scoring nights? Well, the nights they went 4 of 7 from 3 instead of going 2 of 7 from 3 like but. But that's not what his game should be relying on. And in game five he got nothing. Nothing. I mean you're offensively. Just real, real quick, let me know the. He got nothing as far as giving the ball. Let him cook. He had four made baskets. Three were on alley oops, one was on a putback. His. So now go ahead. My fear on what?
Damanze
No, his, his motor. He just seemed to not be as as much of an enforcer as he was earlier in the series. He looked a little tired.
Wright Thompson
Well, so that's. That's the. You're leading me right to it. I said there's one thing Wimby needs to work on and one thing the spurs need to work on. What Wimby needs to work on, in my opinion is a go to offensive move. I don't think he has one yet. And part of that would be getting stronger and being able to be more in the post. But he is for him to go through the biggest game and all, it's a little unfair. All of these games will be the biggest game of his career because he's so young. His first playoff run, but biggest game of his career and never even have a flurry. He made four baskets and it was one a quarter. Not like on average, like literally made one in the first, one in the second, one third one in the fourth because he couldn't get anything going offensively. So that's one piece of it. That's what he needs to work on. What the team needs to work on is you can't kid glove his minutes in the regular season and then expect him to be able to go 40 minutes a night every other night in the playoffs. He is not conditioned. That is a Spurs problem. I. It's not. I don't think Wimby is not physically able to do it at some point, but he needs to be building up the conditioning. He's doing the opposite. Demons A. In high school, used to sometimes walk around the school with that weight vest on. Am I making that up? Ankle weights.
Damanze
Ankle weights. I don't think I wore the weight vest, though. Not at school. The ankle weights, though.
Wright Thompson
But it's. But you had a weight vest. I had a weight.
Damanze
No, I used it at home. 100.
Wright Thompson
Okay. All right.
Damanze
Yeah.
Wright Thompson
All right. So. And the obvious, the. The reasoning for that is that way when you take it off, everything feels easier, lighter, all of that. The spurs are kind of doing the opposite with Wimby in the regular season. They're making things so much lighter from a workload that now all of a sudden, when the games are every other night, when they're higher intensity. And by the way, you're not playing 29 a night, you're playing 39 a night. He looked dog tired. He was the last guy up the court a bunch. Yeah, he wasn't as impactful defensively. Like all of that. Now part of that is just learning. I'm not killing the guy at all. We'll get to the post game thing in a minute. But as far as on the court, like, you're allowed to have bad games, but it. Go ahead.
Damanze
There's a. Don't you see? I think he's. This whole thing with Chet, I think also might have played a little bit of factor in this game. Like him. Him seeing Chet kind of eat. It seems like it literally, it physically gets to him. Like the. The time that Chad dunked on him. Like he's bumping into him. Like he literally doesn't want to see him score. And I think on top of him having a bad night and Chet having the best night of the series that he's had so far, I think goes hand in hand and like, makes him play even worse.
Wright Thompson
So I listen. I think there's. I think there's something to that. I think he gets very emotional about some of this stuff, but I also think that he's worn out. And part of that is that he did not build up the conditioning callous in the regular season with the crazy light workload. 29 minutes a game is wild. And what we. Basketball has changed a lot in 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years here has Here is what has not changed to win a championship. If you have an MVP candidate as you get deeper into the playoffs, the best adjustment any coach can make is let's play him more. That's the adjustment. The adjustment is more minutes for our superstar. The only guy who that hasn't applied to quite as much of this era, he still plays more, but not quite as many is Steph. Where they've always been very cautious with Steph and where they, they are judicious with his minutes with the rationale being understandably that you know what he is, he is running around so much and he's smaller. So because of that we're not going to play him 40 plus minutes a night if we can avoid it. There have been still bit but still his first NBA Finals for Steph, 42 and a half minutes a night. The NBA Finals they lost to the rafters when they had kind of no choice because everybody was getting hurt. 42 minutes a night. The NBA Finals in 2018 when they swept and they did have a choice, 40 minutes a night. Even with Steph, they up it. They don't. Steph's never been like 44 a night. But go look, just go look at. I mean, I'll do it right now real quick. Joker on the, you know, Joker on the run to the championship, second round against Phoenix, 39 minutes a night. Conference finals against the Lakers, 42 a night. NBA finals against Miami, 41 a night. Joker, in fact, dating back to that conference files against the Lakers, joker has averaged 41 minutes a night or I'm sorry, 40 plus minutes a night in every series he's played because that's the way the team's going to win. Giannis en route to his championship, 40 minutes a night in the second round. 40 minutes a night in the NBA Finals, the series they lost to Monz in seven to your Celtics, 40 minutes a night. LeBron throughout his career, I mean LeBron's again, LeBron's played for so long that su the early in his career. The minutes per game in the playoffs are cartoonish. But just for context, LeBron's minutes per game, his first seven playoff series to MZ were 47, 46, 46, 44, 46, 43, 42, 44, 41. He didn't have a series where he played under 40 until oh nine when they swept Atlanta in round one. So but again he is when they won the championship in Cleveland in those finals, 42 minutes a night when they won the championship in the bubble in the Finals, 40 minutes a night shit. His last five playoff series with the Lakers as a 38 to 42 year old LeBron. 43, 41, 41, 39, 38 minutes per night. That's what all of the best guys have to do. It's the, the biggest playoff adjustment coaches can make is our best player is going to be on the court more and they're not allowing it. Wimby is not getting conditioned for that. So that's one of the reasons to monze that I think the Thunder are going to win game seven. I just think Wimby. I think Wimy's going to have to empty the chamber tonight. And then game seven, he. I don't know what he'll have left.
Damanze
How many minutes do you think they'll put him out there for tonight?
Wright Thompson
I mean he. The answer should be 42 and in reality the answer should be 44. But I don't think they'll do that and I don't think they can do that.
Damanze
Still got game
Wright Thompson
the right. And so this postseason, you know, he came into this postseason only having played 40 plus minutes in one regular season game in his entire career. And in this postseason he's still the only game he has not played 40 minutes in a regulation game yet. He played 49 in the double overtime game, which means at the end of regulation he had played 39. In the game one loss to the Timberwolves he played 39 and change. In the loss. One of the losses to Oklahoma City played 39 and change. In this last loss to Oklahoma city he played 37 and change. But he's just. They haven't built this up for him yet. And so that's just an adjustment they have to make. Yes, he's got to be better on offense, but he's so good on defense that just having him on the court gives you a huge edge. And he, you know that this is the trickiest part demanz of any of the long term Wimby goat potential stuff how because of his size and his unique injury risk and how cautious they have to be with him smartly, how much will that impact his ability to get consistently to the level that the all time legendary great guys got to and the guy. And again, I'm not just trying to read off box score stuff and we'll move on but the guy that I always say he is first chasing greatest defensive player in 50 years, greatest international player is Akeem. And it just. Warrants mentioning that Akeem in the midst of his prime had a stretch. In fact, you know What? Forget his prime. I'll just go for Akeem's entire career in Houston Damas. A hundred and forty playoff games. He averaged. Averaged over his whole career, forty minutes per game. Because that's simply what. That's the way teams win. And in his prime, he averaged 43 minutes per game. So why. You know why. How could the Rockets do it? Well, they had to deal with basically two and a half minutes a half of not having a Keem on the court. It's way easier to piece that together than eight minutes a half. And I think that's it. I just don't think you can flip that switch on the fly. All right, the. Should we talk some Wimby discipline here?
Damanze
Yeah. So after Game 5, Wimy skipped media availability. The NBA gave him a warning. We also know that the league never suspended him for the NAS Reed elbow. They just got him out for the rest of the game.
Wright Thompson
Or find him or. Yeah, suspended or find him, either.
Damanze
Do you think that Wimby's getting special treatment from the league?
Wright Thompson
It's really, really weird that he was not fined for either of those things. And I can't figure out why they wouldn't find. I understand he is typically great with the media. This is the conference finals, and here is my criticism. Some guys hate talking to the media, right? Under all circumstances, they hate it. And so they really hate it when they've played poorly or their team has lost in a weird way. And, Amanda, you can tell me if you think, you know, I'm being unfair here. I have a little more respect for somebody who's just like, I hate the media. I don't want to answer your questions. I don't enjoy this. If that person skips out after a loss, then someone who appears to love the media, Wimby holds court. Wimby talks about ethical basketball and playing the game the right way and why he's the MVP and the goals he's trying to reach. And you know when. When he is being feted by the media, he's got plenty of time. But there have been two game. No, there have been three games this postseason that he hasn't talked after one, he got knocked unconscious on the floor. Not supposed to talk after. This makes total sense. There's no complaint or criticism there. That one. So that I'm just. I don't want to be inaccurate in saying how many games he hasn't talked. I don't even think you're allowed to talk to the media in that moment. But that was. Right, so. But that's that's one game. The other two times he did not speak to the media were the two worst moments, I would argue, of his career. In fact, maybe the only two embarrassing moments of his career. He skipped out on the media after he got thrown out of the game. Now, nobody really cared because he got ejected, but you're allowed to talk to the media after ejections. I can't tell you how many times I've seen Draymond Green get ejected and then hold court in the locker room. You know, like, for real, I'm not. I'm not killing Draymond. But I just. I. I vividly remember. I think it was. I think he was ejected. But the. The. This year when he did the press conference of. He's like, you're not going to make me look like an angry black man. I'm not an angry. That was. I. I think that was after an ejection. But. So he didn't. Wimby didn't talk post ejection. The next day when he was asked about it on the court, he said he didn't hear the question and then answered a different one. And then after that next game, when he played great and was asked about it, he was like, we're moving on. So he's never answered for that. He's never answered for that. And now this game where he bumps Chet early, he gets outplayed convincingly by Chet and Hartenstein. He may or may not have ordered a code red to Biyombo and Plumlee to go take somebody out. And then he doesn't talk. That I understand. It ain't no fun when the rabbits got the gun, but you. The part of being face of the league, best player in the league, is you got to take your medicine and listen. There were times young LeBron skipped out on the media. There were times like I am. None of these are cardinal sins, but it is. There's just. And again, I'm. I. I always do the what if it were Luca thing. There are now two moments this postseason that he has gotten a pass, in my opinion, from the league and from not all, but a lot of the media on if Luca had done either, he would be eviscerated. If in a critical Game 5, Luca was a total no show, got torched on both ends of the court and then skipped out on the media. People be killing him. Lucas six time first team, all NBA and been to a finals. And so listen, I'm excited to see Wimy tonight. I think he'll be excellent. But big moment. It's a big moment. Do you have a follow up you want to do here or do you want to move on? It's up to you.
Damanze
No, I, I do want Wimby to turn it around. I, I think it's a little, little childish the stuff that we're seeing out of him in the last couple of days. But that's my favorite player. I really, I really.
Wright Thompson
He's your favorite player now?
Damanze
A hundred percent.
Wright Thompson
I didn't know that.
Damanze
Yeah. No, I like Wimby a lot so I would like to see him do, do the right things going forward and in this game tonight.
Wright Thompson
But listen, I think they're gonna get, I, I think they'll get a good whistle tonight. I think Wimy's good. The crowd's gonna be on their side and I think we're gonna get a seventh game. I just don't know if the spurs are ready for that environment in okc.
Damanze
Dylan Harper, he's working too. Yeah, no, you could tell he doesn't have his legs.
Wright Thompson
And so the, I, yeah, I think that I, they said it's a doctor injury and so I, it just clearly is impacting him. He hasn't looked the same since that amazing game one. All right, before we get to the officiating, let me remind you guys, the NFL schedule is out and one of the best parts of the schedule release is thinking about going to a game. You guys know I'm excited to get Chiefs tickets, which is why I want to give the sponsor of today's video, Seatgeek, a huge shout out. With over 35 million downloads, Seatgeek is the number one rated ticketing app. There are more than 70,000 events listed on Seatgeek. Concerts, sports festivals and more. MLB's in full swing and NBA and NHL playoffs are here. You can now get World cup tickets on SeatGeek. Guys, I actually, I was in a group chat yesterday with Danny Parkins from the TV show, Mike Meltzer from Mad Dog Sports Radio, Andrew Filip, Pony from the Fan in Pittsburgh, my kind of college radio crew where Mike lives in Houston, Andrew lives in Pittsburgh, I have Danny and I live in New York where we were sending each other different seat geek foursomes of tickets for different World cup matches. Like, ah, this game's in Houston. I'll just go to the text thread real quick. Right now, this game, we, we also was like the, oh, the Philly's not that far of a drive. We are Croatia, Ghana in Philly on June 27 is a potential matchup. France, Senegal, here in New York on June 16th. All of it right there on SeatGeek. So again, they've got your back. Each ticket's rated on a scale of 1 to 10. You know you're getting a good deal. Look for the big green dots. Green means good, red means bad. And every ticket is backed by their buyer guarantee. And you guys know the code. Write 10W R I G H T10. Write 10 for 10% off your next set of tickets at SeatGeek. That's 10% off any tickets or with promo code RITE10. Click the link in the description, download the app and the code will be automatically added to your account so you can use it later. Thank you to my great friends at SeatGeek.
Daniel Cormier
I admit it. I'm a control freak. Luckily, the folks at WIX get it. That's why they created Wix Harmony. It's an AI website builder for people just like me. It lets you create any type of website super fast, but stay in control of of every detail. You can even choose whether to use AI or click and edit things yourself until your website actually feels like you. Try it for free@wix.com Harmony that's wix.com Harmony.
Mood.com Sponsor Voice
Let's be honest. Buying cannabis shouldn't be complicated, sketchy or low quality. That's why I want to tell you about mood.com. that's mood.com. mood ships federally legal cannabis straight to your door. No medical card, no hassle. And here's the kicker. The quality is better than anything you'll find at your local dispensary. Yeah, I said it. Whether you're into edibles, concentrates, flour, or just looking to explore, you'll find it all at Mood. And it's not just the variety that makes them stand out. Every product is sourced from small American owned family farms that care deeply about what they grow. It's cannabis you can trust. Delivered discreetly and ready to elevate your mood. And because you're a listener, you get 20% off your first order. Just head to mood.com that's M-O-Ood.com to get started.
Jonas Brothers Podcast Host
Number one hits, millions of records sold, awards, sold out tours. You think the Jonas Brothers are satisfied?
Podcast Host
Nope.
Jonas Brothers Podcast Host
It's podcast time.
Wright Thompson
We get to ask other people questions
Chase Sapphire Sponsor Voice
because we're sick and tired of being asked questions.
Jonas Brothers Podcast Host
Hey, Jonas is available now and their first guest is a big one, Paul Rudd.
Wasabi Sponsor Voice
You know, Steve Carell is a great singer. Can he tell you not to audition
Damanze
the office or something?
Wasabi Sponsor Voice
I told him, whoa, we were filming Anchorman. Clearly I Was the idiot. Thank God he didn't listen to me, right?
Jonas Brothers Podcast Host
Listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Wright Thompson
All right, Damanze, let's talk about Oklahoma City and the refs.
Damanze
So on the TV show yesterday, you discussed how Adam Silver is fighting the wrong war between floppy and tanking. It's never been more obvious as it's been is okay with OKC in these playoffs. We don't normally talk refs, but you have the floor.
Wright Thompson
Well, listen, I, I don't blame games on officials. I don't think I've ever done it. And I'm, I've kind of thought I was like, what would, what scenario would have to come to pass for me to be like that team lost because of that bad call. I think it would have to be something along the lines of team A is winning the game, Team B puts up a last second shot after the buzzer, makes it and it's counted like. And then it really is. If they make the right call, the game is over and a different team won. If that were to happen, maybe I'd be like, the refs cost the team the game. Otherwise I, my general feeling is be better and the calls even out and all of that. So. And this does not, I think, conflict with that because my issue is not so much with the refs. My issue is with the league and my issue is with. Sports leagues across the spectrum. But we're talking about the NBA here not being proactive enough to recognize that teams and therefore players are going to look for every and any edge imaginable. And if you don't nip in the bud what is bad for your product, it will only snowball. And what I said on TV yesterday was Adam Silver is fighting the wrong war. We have two major epidemics in the NBA going on simultaneously and they both have to deal with a lack of competitiveness, in my opinion, not wanting to hard nose compete and instead being like, you know what, why work harder, work smarter, you know, the quicker path to build. There's one way to build a championship contender. The quicker path though is luck into the number one pick. So why don't we raise our chance of that luck by tanking? And Adam Silver, sick of the tanking, revamping the entire lottery and also reportedly giving himself massive sweeping powers to strip a team of draft picks to find a team millions of dollars. If you're tanking because it's bad for the competitive integrity of the game. But here's the Reason that I believe that is not as big of a problem as the flopping because for a lot of people 90% of what they care about in the NBA occurs once the playoffs start. And you know when tanking fixes itself once the playoffs start, no tanking in the playoffs. So he's is all this attention is there but for the most important part of the season it doesn't exist. There's no incentive for it. It doesn't matter. Flopping on the other hand only gets worse because the stakes are higher. Because it's just win in advance. Who gives a shit about style points? Find a way. And then you add the perfect storm of copycat league teams trying to find a way to overcome the Thunder. And the Thunder's best player and two time league MVP fairly being the poster child of just falling on the ground. Not only it's one thing to exaggerate contact, it's another thing to invent contact to act. And the league pretending as if this isn't something that turns off fans while also not recognizing that the more success OKC has, the more incumbent it is going to be on other teams in the league. Can't beat them. Join them. All right guys, we got to learn how to get these same calls too. We got to learn how to sell this contact, exaggerate this contact or when need be create this contact out or create the the impression of the contact. And Jalen Brown had it right. Jaylen Brown said drawing fouls is a skill. Seeing a guy's out of position, he's going to foul you, that's a skill. It can be annoying, but that's a skill that is very different than outright flopping. And so what I said on TV yesterday and I'll say here again, Adam Silver needs to recognize this is a slippery slope that can turn into a credibility crisis like this. And unlike tanking which there are every fix there then is a unintended consequence. Well if you do that then this that you could fix flopping in an off by having draconian harsh penalties similar to what they when it got way out of hand in soccer. It's like you know what the harshest penalty you can really get? You can technically get a red card in soccer but really the harshest penalty you're going to get is a yellow card and two yellow cards get you thrown out of the game and you have to miss the next game. Yellow card accumulation over a certain amount of games, you have to miss the next game. Even if you get them in separate games, you can get A yellow card for flopping in soccer for taking a dive. So if you're. Did you know that Demons A, did you not?
Damanze
I saw the amount that they flopping, the terrible flopping that I see in soccer, I didn't even know that was a thing because they, they're doing it really badly.
Wright Thompson
They, they do it all the time. And very often the ref ignores it and just says, get up. Yeah. But if you, if you have a scoring opportunity, if you're in the box and you take a dive to try to generate a penalty kick and the referee decides that was a total fantasy. That was a dive. Shows you a yellow card. Yeah.
Damanze
Screwing the other team.
Wright Thompson
Yeah, well, right. Attempting to manipulate the officials. And so if Adam's. And Adam Silver Yesterday was on McAfee and basically said, this is, you know, an overblown problem, I disagree. I think the fans disagree. But it's so easy to fix. If a player is determined to have not exaggerated contact but flopped, it's an offensive foul. It even could be its own category of foul. Like we have technical fouls, we have flagrant fouls. You can add flopping foul and two of those get you kicked out. Two in a game, you're kicked out. And just like there is over the course of a season where if you get 16 technicals, you're suspended. If you get, I think seven flagrant foul points, you're suspended. If you get X amount, I don't know what the number is. Flopping penalties, you're suspended. They tr. They did these mealy mouth flopping fines that they issued 0 of all year, 0 flopping fines league wide all year. And it's these not even half measures, quarter measures that don't work. Because here's what I know. Demons A. If it was a true official stat and you could look to it just like technicals or flagrants, hey, who leads the league in flops? Guys would cut that shit out because they're prideful and it's embarrassing. And it. Go ahead.
Damanze
Well, just on the SG he had. He doesn't even, it's not even embarrassing for. It's not embarrassing for him right now. And like he's like so aware that like everybody's aware of it. And like when he's questioned about it, he's like, it doesn't get to me. Like, I'm not like trying to come at the guy's character or anything, but like, dude, you're, you know what? Like, you know what you're doing. The league's allowing it that you not Embarrassed.
Wright Thompson
Here's the thing, right? But I think it. I think that's just. I think that's because they're winning. I think it changes if they don't win. And I think they're less. They become less likely to win if there's penalties for it. That's first of all. Second of all, you can't convince me this isn't coached. Like, OKC is the number. Like, smart front office, optimize everything. To get back to what we were talking about at the beginning, it is assuredly coached that, hey, we've crunched the numbers, and when you take a tightly contested jump shot and you don't foul or you don't fall, you get a foul call 8% of the time, and that skyrockets to 30% of the time when you do fall. So fall. And you can just fix it by making that a penalty. And people can say, ah, well, then that's a judgment call. All this shit's a judgment call. Every. Almost everything about officiating is a judgment call. And I am. I do not think Shay's the only one, and I don't think the Thunder are the only team. Jalen Brunson certainly has some flopping to him. There's no doubt about it. But they are without Shea. And the Thunder are the most egregious. They just are. Where it's not mass psychosis that people are thinking this and it's not. And I also reject what I've heard people be like, ah, people are just mad because they're winning, that a lot of teams win, man. The. The Jokic's Nuggets didn't get banged with this. Giannis's Bucks didn't get all those floppers. The Steph KD Warriors. People. People might find different things to complain about if you win enough, but the flopping isn't. It's not like everybody that wins, we're like, oh, they're tricking the refs. That's not what it is. And I. I just think that at. Go ahead.
Damanze
How do you think they'd be discussed if that was never a thing, if they never started flopping and they have just been doing all this winning?
Wright Thompson
Oh, I think that. Yeah, I think they would probably be looked at kind of like the Duncan Parker Ginobili Spurs. Not a lot of diehard fans outside of their fan base, but massive respect for what they built.
Damanze
Fundamental.
Wright Thompson
You know what I mean? I just don't. I don't think they would be a polarizing team in either direction. I don't think they'd be wildly popular or reviled, but it just be like, man, look at them and look at how efficient they are, and look at all. I just. I don't know why Adam Silver doesn't take this more seriously. I really don't. And I don't know why they wouldn't enforce their rules on the books. And so I. I think it's a major problem, and I think it's an easily solvable problem, which is what makes this so frustrating. All right, let's. Let's get to the Knicks in a second. You ever notice how everything keeps going up? Rents going up, streaming services going up, your favorite burrito spot, charging you extra for salsa? It's ridiculous. But with Boost Mobile, you and your phone bill don't have to play the will this go up soon Game. Why? Because Boost Mobile has unlimited talk, text, and data at a price that will never go up. In fact, it's the same price you pay for life. So switch now for unlimited wireless at a price that'll never go up. Only at boost mobile, after 30 gigs, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 per month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan. All right, Damanze, let's discuss the Knicks and Jalen Brunson.
Damanze
So the Knicks have dominated through these playoff series. It has not always been sunshine for them, though. You got Cat, Hart and Bridges have been bounced around the league, and. And Jalen Brunson has kind of slapped everybody upside the head with his talent. Yeah, but now they put it all together. Who do you think has the most pressure to perform in these finals?
Wright Thompson
Listen, I think Cat probably is under the most pressure. Cause it's been the transformation of Cat during these playoffs and how he's played that has unlocked this special level for the Knicks. I also want to say this on the front end because I understand that right now on Hard rock, the Thunder -120 to win the championship. The Knicks are plus 200. OKC is plus 600. I have bet the Knicks to win the title. I will bet them again once the matchup is set. I think people are underrating the Knicks. We go into this matchup to Monze in again. The playoffs aren't everything, but the playoffs have not been at this point. A small sample. Who is playing better, Brunson or SGA? Brunson. Yeah, SGA. Shooting 38% in the conference finals. Okay, who is healthier than Knicks or the Thunder? The Knicks by a lot. Knicks by a lot. Whose second best player is Playing better Cat or Chet Cat by a mile. With J.B. dub and A.J. mitchell out, I don't even know who is Caruso, the Thunder's third best player. Maybe OG Anunoby is playing out of his mind. The Knicks starting five right now is better than Oklahoma City's just is. And I, I know you're thinking the spurs are going to make it this the, the Knicks. If the Knicks had real success against the spurs in the regular season and if I wanted any center matchup, any center combo to match up with Wimy, I'd want well, one center who can draw him out to the three point line and keep them away from the basket a la Cat and one center who I can put in for 15 minutes a game who can neutralize him somewhat on the glass and the rest of the time beat the hell out of him and Mitchell Robinson. And if Wimy gets there, he is going to be spent, bro. And while Fox and Harper are back, they're banged up. I just, I think the Knicks are going to win the championship.
Damanze
Yeah.
Wright Thompson
And I think that, and here's what I think Demon will happen for you personally if the Thunder make win the series. I think you're going to find yourself, you'll obviously be rooting for the Knicks because you dislike the Thunder.
Damanze
Yeah.
Wright Thompson
Is that correct?
Damanze
Like, yeah, I'm definitely rooting for the
Wright Thompson
Knicks if I also think you'll find yourself really liking how they play.
Damanze
Oh no, yeah, I do. I do.
Wright Thompson
The. I'm not acting like you haven't been watching them, but I'm saying it's a different thing when like you're, you haven't bet on them yet these playoffs. They're not your team like actively rooting for them. Yes, actively rooting for them while they're playing this just everybody ball. Everybody eats. It's really great. And I'm not. They are two CJ McCollum essentially buzzer beaters away from being undefeated in these playoffs. And so I think they're the. I think it's undeniable that they're playing the best of any team left. And it's undeniable they're the healthiest of any team left. And it's undeniable they're going to be the most well rested of any team left. I, I think the Knicks are going to win the championship. I really do. All right, so here's what we're going to do. We have a mailbag for tomorrow that we're about to record. I will spend a few minutes on the top of tomorrow's show on LeBron's future with the Lakers and whether you know what's happening in Cleveland and what that means. Just what the tea leaves I'm reading. So we will do that plus a mailbag tomorrow. We've got, you know, we'll obviously be on TV tomorrow as well and we might drop a bonus quick episode this weekend pending the if there's a game seven. So all that coming up. That's why like subscribe rate review to the channel. We greatly appreciate that and we'll talk to you guys on the channel tomorrow and I'll see you on TV in a few hours.
Paramount Plus BET Promo Voice
What's right, Paramount plus is now the home of all your BET favorites.
Wright Thompson
What?
Paramount Plus BET Promo Voice
Yeah, with all new episodes of Tyler Perry's Divorce, sisters you've always liked, a little drama plus a whole new world of movies like Glad Gladiator 2.
Wright Thompson
Now I will control an empire.
Paramount Plus BET Promo Voice
Original series like the Shy.
Daniel Cormier
Just make sure we protect each other.
Paramount Plus BET Promo Voice
And live sports like ufc.
Wright Thompson
Welcome to the history books.
Paramount Plus BET Promo Voice
New home, same family. Your BET favorites are now on Paramount plus. Subscribe now.
Bobcat Sponsor Voice
This episode is brought to you by Bobcat. They started the compact equipment industry through grit, determination and and a whole lot of think we can't do that.
Wright Thompson
Watch us.
Bobcat Sponsor Voice
They set standards, broke records, empowered people to build bigger and higher, to dig deeper, to make the impossible possible. We've all been there with doubters telling us what we can't do. Who cares what they think? We don't need their permission or forgiveness. We just get things done. So go ahead and doubt me. Judge me, challenge me. But when the time comes, comes, Watch me pobcat.
Podcast Host
Okay, Laundry stinks. Literally. I mean, you could just keep buying new underwear. Not that I've ever done that. Or maybe sort your clothes into piles based on how re wearable or filthy they are. Or just use arm and hammer Deep Clean. It's made for real life. Stinks and stains. So even if you don't do laundry, the quote right way Deep Clean will knock it out. I mean, it is from the number one liquid detergent brand that tackles more loads than any other. Come clean with arm and Hammer Deep Clean number one claim based on total wash loads sold.
Sophia Donner
This is Sophia Donner from OK Storytime this summer. Find your next obsession on Prime Video. And listen, we're not saying you need another obsession, but there could be a lot worse ones still. Steamy romance, addictive love stories. And the book to screen favorites you've already read twice, so why not watch them a third time off campus? Elle, the love hypothesis and more slow burns. Second chances chemistry you can feel through the screen and it makes you wish you were actually in that movie. We've got binge worthy series can't miss movies perfect for when you're ignoring your own problems or procrastinating as one does. Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on prime.
Podcast Host
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
This episode dives deep into the NBA Conference Finals, focusing on whether the San Antonio Spurs can survive against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the plausibility of back-to-back Thunder championships, and the rise of the New York Knicks led by Jalen Brunson. Host Nick Wright, joined by Damanze, delivers an unvarnished look at current league trends (notably flopping), media narratives, and what separates contenders from mere stat maximizers. There's also candid sports media talk, with Wright airing a very public display of respect for Scott Van Pelt.
Nick Wright is unapologetically opinionated and analytical, blending stats, historical context, and personal anecdotes. The tone is witty, sometimes sardonic, and always direct: he’s harsh on the NBA’s current soft spots (flopping, discipline), but effusive in his praise for those he sees as underappreciated (Scott Van Pelt, Knicks front office). Damanze offers measured, fan-based pushback and color commentary, especially when discussing player mindsets (Wimby, SGA).
For basketball fans and sports media nerds alike, this episode is a sharp, insightful journey into not just the NBA headlines, but also the culture and incentives shaping the league on and off the court.