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- [00:00]
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- [01:04]
Tate Frazier
Hello there, friends of the program. It's Tate Frazier and it's officially that special time of the year where we go on a march through madness together for the 85th edition of the NCAA tournament. What makes March so special, you ask? Well, it's the unknown. It's the fact that this is basically Survivor on a basketball court on CBS without Jeff Probst. And no matter how much you prepare, you cannot predict this kind of chaos. And that is what we will be covering on this podcast. One shining podcast. All the madness, all the David Vers, Goliath personified. It's the best show in town. The ball is tipped and here you are with us. Come listen and join us wherever you get your podcast.
- [01:54]
Logan Murdoch
What's popping? Real ones. Logan Murdoch here, Raja Bel there. Friday vibes gonna talk about peeking down the stretch today and which teams are doing the right things down the stretch. But first this came down. I just saw the video earlier. I'm not sure if Roger saw the video, but I do have a question for you, Raja, and it's more of just an education. I'm not sure if you saw The Stephen A. LeBron James exchange that is going viral. Okay, okay. That is going viral this morning and it has to deal with LeBron confronting Stephen A. Courtside and in Cliff's words, crashing out, as the kids would say, on Stephen A. And it's alleged like that. It's based on comments that Stephen A. Has said on First Take. I don't really watch First Take like that, but he's basically been going in on Bronnie. And the question that I have because I Think this is a very nuanced thing to talk about. Right. On one hand, Stephen A. Has been talking about how basically stuff that has just been out there that other people have speculative, speculated, speculated about, that Bronnie is in the league because of his father, and, you know, all the storylines that come with that. My question to you, though. Raja is like, Bronnie is not just LeBron's son in this case. He is a basketball player and a. And a professional basketball player that is subject to scrutiny of all kinds. Right? Just in the. Not only in this media landscape, but in media landscapes for decades before him. How do we talk about this? I don't even know how to talk about this situation because on one hand, Bronnie is LeBron's teammate, but he's also his son, and Bronnie is inherently going to be talked about for the rest of time because of that. I just don't know how we tread these waters, right? Like, LeBron can't go after everybody. That's that saying the exact same thing. And I just don't know how we go through this. Just I'm. I just want to talk this out because I have no idea how we do this.
- [04:07]
Raja Bell
Yeah, I don't. I don't know either. I saw the comments, and so then I went. I went back and I kind of looked up some of the. The Stephen A. Smith comments on Bronnie and LeBron. And I actually did watch the First Take segment today just to kind of see how he was going to address that. You know, ultimately, I think Stephen A. Was right when he went on this morning and said that the person that was talking to him last night was. Was not the NBA goat, potentially. This was a dad. This was someone that was in his feelings and feeling very protective about a child. And for those of us who have children, you know, you can get that way. Like, none of us are above that, like, when you feel like they're threatened. Having said that, I don't believe that Stephen A. From what I could find on record, having. From him having said, I don't know that he crossed any lines. He was just kind of stating facts. And it never really went after Bronnie in terms of the human being, what he could potentially be as a player one day, given the opportunity and the time. It was more along the lines of LeBron put him in the crosshairs of scrutiny and media scrutiny because of things that he did. And if I'm being honest, what I took away from it after I distilled it all and watched it, again, was. I think that probably hit LeBron kind of in a spot of truth, you know, where he, upon reflecting was like, look, yeah, I wanted this for Bronnie. Like, he. It's all. It's all there. The comments that were made about drafting him and about him being better than some people in the NBA right now and just his, you know, like, you put him in the position to where he is on an NBA team and you two are living the dream and nobody begrudged you that. I was on here saying it was a beautiful moment. Like, that was really cool to watch. Having said that, he's an NBA player. And when you're an NBA player, I've said this a million times, as others have, like, you sign up for a certain amount of scrutiny, for a certain amount of living in this fishbowl, and just, you know, sometimes because of your level of fame and inability to maneuver around and do the things that ordinary people get to do because of your celebrity. And so I don't think you can have your cake and eat it, too. If you're LeBron, like, you got what you wanted, your son's playing in the NBA. I. Having kids and being in front offices when we as a staff were evaluating players, you're always going to like. So, okay, so let me. When I sat in the front office and I didn't know this, someone asked me the question, and it was really kind of rhetorical. They were just trying to, you know, give me the information. They asked, what is the number one coming out of the womb, percent increaser of someone being a pro athlete? Like, when. When they're little guys, before you can even tell anything, like, what would give one kid a leg up on another kid? And it's. If your mom or your dad was a professional athlete, like that, that's a factual thing. You have a. You have a leg up already. And so I can understand someone taking a swing at MJ's kid or LeBron's kid or any other professional athlete's kid, giving apples to apples comparison, right? Because you're saying, hey, man, I'm going to roll the dice on somebody who's been raised in that, who's got someone that showed him the way, you know, all the things that go along with that. But in a lot of instance, the argument was like, you weren't comparing Bronnie at the time as an apples to apples to other players that might have been warranting that type of draft position. And I think if you look through the numbers and, you know, the time at Southern Cal and stuff like that. I don't believe Stephen A. To be wrong on that. I'm also not mad that he's in the NBA and LeBron was able to kind of dictate that. But then you don't get to turn around and say you can't talk about the situation. I don't think you're allowed to do both.
- [08:14]
Logan Murdoch
I think this has to be an interesting time for LeBron James just all the way through, right? Because this is a guy that has so much power. I don't think that there's been a player in NBA history that has had as much power as he has had, right, to get the Lakers, not to just put him to draft Bronnie as like just some two way player, right? Or just pick him up as a free agent to draft him and give him a fully guaranteed deal, right? After all of the other things that LeBron has like, been able to do to get his son the opportunities that he has. Because, like, let's make no mistake, like, there's a lot of opportunities that LeBron that Bronny has gotten because of LeBron James. I mean, that's just an unequivocal fact. But you talked about how LeBron is getting pushback. Guys like LeBron ain't used to getting pushback on anything, right? Just for the. The simp. The immense power that they hold. So I gotta think that it is something that is jarring for him that, that he is going through. And also, like, give respect to the fact that this is pretty unprecedented, right? Like, no one knows how to deal with. There's no one knows how to deal with this because it's never happened before. Like, we could talk about Ken Griffey Jr. And Ken Griffey Sr. But like, Ken Griffey Jr. Was that dude coming into the major leagues. It wasn't that Ken Griffey Sr. Was like, yo, get my son. Nah, Ken Griffey Jr. Was going to be a top pick. This was. This is a little bit different. And I think LeBron is now going through just a, like a jarring thing. Like the first time he's gotten, like, he's gotten criticism, but this is a bit different. Like, this is something that hits home in a different way. And I got to think that this is something that I don't know if he wasn't expecting, but he's going about it like he wasn't expecting this, which is very interesting.
- [10:11]
Raja Bell
It's. It's very. It's very interesting, Logan, because as parents, we live our life let's say me, for instance. I lived my life and got to live my dream. And I did that for more time than I ever thought I'd have an opportunity to do it for. And then my kids come around and I'm living vicariously through them, watching them try to live their dreams. And again, sometimes that hits you harder and you're even more proud and you're even more excited and you're even more nervous for them than you were when you were doing it. And I say that to say that LeBron's only seen the NBA through King James Spectrum. Like, he's only seen it through those goggles, right? The treatment that comes along with that, you know, the things that you're privy to, and that's his reality. Well, now he's getting a dose. Living through his son at the same time, like, simultaneously is wild, but, like, you're also watching your son live a very different reality. A journey life. A very. I mean, but you can't even say journeyman at this point, right? Because the jury's out. Like, the jury. No, the jury's out. Like, I don't say that to be disrespectful, but, like, you're. He's so early in his career that you don't really know if he's a journeyman or not.
- [11:26]
Logan Murdoch
More so in the case of, like, he's going to G league games, right? Like, he's. He's still finding his own path. He's not. Like, he's. He's treated like a star because of his dad, but he's not. Like, he's not going through that. He's at the bench.
- [11:38]
Raja Bell
Yeah, but the criticism, the debate as to whether or not you should be on a roster, like, those are things reserved for the me's of the world. Like, LeBron never lived that. And having to live it as your. Through your child, vicariously as he's going through it is a really wild dynamic, and it's really interesting. And like I said before, sometimes what that child's living and what they're going through hits you harder than what you have going on in your old world. Same exact thing could have happened to you, and you might have been able to let it roll off your back like a water off a duck.
- [12:09]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah.
- [12:10]
Raja Bell
But it happens to your kid. And, you know, you go into. You go into papa bear mode, you know? So, like, it's. It's very, very interesting. I would just say again, and LeBron's smart enough to know this, you're absolutely right. He's he's used to getting his way. Not mad at him for that. Like, when you have type of leverage and you're the type of human being and player that he's been like, you have the right to be dictated circumstances. Most of the time, ain't nobody mad at you for that. But in this one, when you put him in the NBA and you get him in the NBA, and let's be clear, you got him in the NBA, right? Like, can we agree to that?
- [12:46]
Logan Murdoch
We can agree.
- [12:47]
Raja Bell
I don't think this is really debatable. Is it? Once he's there, that's. That it's open season for conversation on what he's doing statistically, what he's doing, you know, in terms of production, as it relates to his peers and other people that would have been drafted in that class or in that area of a draft. And. And I don't think you can shield him from that at that point. That once you've gotten there, this is the holy grail we've gotten to this elite fraternity. Kudos. Kudos to the whole game plan. But now once he's there, it's open, you know, like, people are allowed to say what they say, you know, it's just going to.
- [13:23]
Logan Murdoch
The other part that's going to be wild to see is when LeBron is no longer in the league, right? Because you can't fight them battles on the court like that, bro. It's going to be a lot different when it's just Bronnie. We don't. Also don't know how long Bronnie's going to be in the league, right? Like, we have no idea. It's not promised.
- [13:40]
Raja Bell
So the life of a player drafted. What number was Bronnie drafted?
- [13:46]
Logan Murdoch
55Th.
- [13:47]
Raja Bell
The life of that player without. Without the name Bronny James, all right, is very, very, very precarious as it relates to, like, being in the NBA. That shit is touch and go at best, you know? And so that's why you see.
- [14:04]
Logan Murdoch
When you see dudes make it out of the second round, they're, like, perpetually scared.
- [14:07]
Raja Bell
Like, no, LeBron, like.
- [14:09]
Logan Murdoch
Like Draymond Green is perpetually scared of somebody taking his job. And he's Draymond Green.
- [14:15]
Raja Bell
Yeah.
- [14:15]
Logan Murdoch
You know what I mean?
- [14:16]
Raja Bell
He's Draymond, right? Like, that's that outlier. Like the. The regular 54th pick is. Is.
- [14:23]
Logan Murdoch
You never heard of him.
- [14:24]
Raja Bell
You never heard of him. Dude, the G exists. But, like, back in my day, that was. That was. You probably bounce around in the CBA a bit. You'd be playing in the I IBL a little bit. Like, you might catch on for a while. Like your life was. When you say journeyman, like, not a journeyman, as, as an NBA player, like a true journeyman of a pro basketball player might pop in Europe a little bit. Yeah, man. Yeah. And so, you know, I don't know what. Ultimately Bronnie becomes like, I too hope that he develops into a really good player given the opportunity. You know, I. I was in the camp of people that thought it was a bit of a miss that you said, you know what, when they weren't going to let him play in the G League games and stuff like that. Because I think the development is key for him and getting on the floor and playing. And I hope it works. I hope he turns into a player. But, like, make no mistake, that pick, generally speaking, is, is someone picked in that area. The hit or miss ratio isn't great.
- [15:20]
Logan Murdoch
I just think that they're like, I just. And I know it's not going to happen, but like, for Bronnie, I just wish the lights went off a little bit for him. You get what I'm saying? Like, in a good way. Like, I wish that, like, he could kind of find his own way in because, like, every good or bad thing is like, on the top of my Instagram feed. Right.
- [15:37]
Raja Bell
But see, that's what, that's what I think. That's what Stephen A. Was trying to say.
- [15:41]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah.
- [15:42]
Raja Bell
When he had, when he had that, you know, on his show, whenever he was doing it and stuff like that, it wasn't a jab at Bronnie. It was more like, hey, because of the, because of LeBron just being your dad, there's already so much, like, attention that's brought to it. And then when you kind of, you know, maneuver it around and work it and move a couple pieces, like, those lights just get brighter and brighter and brighter. And again, I'm going to say, I think that was fair to point out.
- [16:15]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah.
- [16:15]
Unknown Sponsor Voice
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- [18:15]
Logan Murdoch
Itself because I thought one, one of the great games this season, Knicks, Lakers last night. Wow. And I wanted to come into this discussion yesterday. I kind of like figured like let's talk about what it's like to during a stretch run and what it's like to be peaking at the right time or like not peaking at the wrong time. And I thought this, this game was really a great microcosm of that because you have two teams that are trying that are going in two different directions. I mean she's pouring out for, for Jalen Brunson because that was tough. But you see the Knicks who played really hard last night, wanted to win a game on national television, went against a top team in the league. They're now 0 and 10 against top three teams in the league after tonight's law of last night's loss. And then you have the Lakers who are, who are seem to be ascending, right. And seem to be finding themselves. My question to you is I want you to get into the psyche of both types of teams, what are they? Look, what are you trying to do as a Knicks team at this point, like, to get above water and as the Lakers, how are you trying to sustain that, this type of momentum?
- [19:29]
Raja Bell
I mean, that's a. That's a good question, Logan.
- [19:31]
Logan Murdoch
We waxing poetic on Friday Raw. We locked. We locked in.
- [19:34]
Raja Bell
That's a really big question if you're the Lakers. I think the approach that I would be taking if. If I. If I were them was, you know, we've won in a lot of different ways. Like, like last night, I, I didn't. I didn't think they were awesome defensively throughout the course of the game, but. But they locked in and really locked down when they needed to, and they just kept at it. Like, it was one of those kind of playoff type games where you just keep at it. You just keep at it. You just keep at it. Down 10 with, like, six minutes to go, like, and because you stayed with it, you got just that little crease of time when Jalen Brunson was off the floor. You caused some turnovers, bad possessions, and, you know, hit a couple shots, and now we're in the game. Like, I think if I'm them, I'm saying, hey, man, we. We. We are relatively new together, and. And we are finding out something new about ourselves, like, almost every game. And I'm excited about what this could look like if we just. If we just kind of make sure that we know defense is our calling card. And offensively, you know, I think they're exploring a lot more The, The. The. The. The way that offense looks now. Luka has the ball. This is what I was talking about a couple weeks ago. Luca has it. He starts it. He gets it all. He gets off of it. He gets it back, right? Like, he's. He was kind of dictating what happens there, and people are playing off of him. I think, you know, finding out how that works at its. At its peak is important. You know, how it works when LeBron has the ball and he's the. And he's the driving engine of it, but, like, we want to be like this, this. This duality of an offensive team when we get into the playoffs. So, like, we can look like the one where Luca is the engine, and we can look like the one where LeBron is the engine and just continue to explore those things. So I guess I'm saying a lot to say if we hang our head on this defense and we know that's got to be our calling card because we don't have that margin for error. And we're excited about what we could potentially continue to build into offensively and finding different ways to win games. And so although it's late in the season and a lot of people are hitting like the dog days of it, for them, they shouldn't be because this is like a rejuvenation. You've seen it in LeBron. Like there, there should be a level of rejuvenation there of, of just energy and, and spirit and excitement that kind of fuels them down the stretch. Right? Like, you probably see them getting better and peaking down the stretch. As far as the Knicks go, you know, I think it's, I, I, this is, this is a tough one. But last night was a, last night was who they are, right? Like in that they were scrapping and competing and, and, and controlling the game for most of it. Like, they had a nice little buffer for most of the game. They kept, they kept the game grimy. You saw Josh Hart all over the boards doing what he did. Like, they don't have nearly enough outside of Brunson and Cat, people that really can make the plays. You know what I mean? Like, and so they, the Lakers did a good job on Cat last night. And he wasn't like, he didn't have a big night. And what happened to the Knicks was they were, they were right there until that six minute mark in the fourth. They were, it was closed for the most part. The Lakers had to have the run that they had when Brunson was off the court that last time to get back into the game. If they don't have that run, they're out of the game. And he went off the fucking court and nobody else could get a bucket. It wasn't even that no one could get a bucket. It was that no one could get his teammates in a position to get a bucket or get a bucket for themselves. And you had some loose possessions. The Lakers were back in the game. And that's the Knicks to me. Right. Like, there's a lot of good, like, I really like them. Cat solved a lot of that. When Cat's playing well and they're playing off of each other. But if, if any one of them is kind of taken out of the game for whatever reason, the other ones, it can't sit there's.
- [23:27]
Logan Murdoch
And then you're talking about like the defensive woes that Brunson does have when he is on the floor. Right? Same with Cat. Right. Like you have to mitigate that in a playoff series. Well, I just.
- [23:38]
Raja Bell
You, you, you do but they weren't, I mean like they did a good job defensively last night. Like they, they weren't really exposed. But you're 100% right in a playoff series you would have to factor that in. I thought they did good last night.
- [23:50]
Logan Murdoch
I think especially it was defending the three point line too. I think they, I don't know the last part, but I think down the stretch they, they held, they were holding the Lakers to like sub 30% from the three.
- [23:59]
Raja Bell
They were like one for 15 for a minute. And then, then you know, you know, like Dalton connect hits a couple, Vincent hits a few. Yeah. Opened up. LeBron hit two big ones.
- [24:08]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah. What do you. So in a perfect world, what do you want to see out of a team? Now we're, now we're talking about just a general, in a general sense. What are you trying to look for around this time of the season when you're heading into the playoffs?
- [24:23]
Raja Bell
Health, health and, and, and, and good minute distribution so that I can, if I'm healthy already, I can make sure we stay healthy. Principles that we shouldn't still be having to have the same conversation. We shouldn't be having to have the same conversations as the staff when we get into meetings like this. By now we know what we're doing for almost all situations. We've seen them enough where there's enough of a sample size, haven't played said teams. I mean there might be one offs if we're playing a Western Conference team and we're in the Eastern Conference that we don't see a lot, but generally speaking, you know, they're going to be mistakes made. But I just want to be able to see consistently that, that, that we're doing the right thing and we understand what we're trying to do. I want to be healthy going into the playoffs. I want to get people as much rest as I can get them and, and, and still find way to win, win games, you know, and then I, you know, for whatever it's worth. And this is the psyche of a team. I want to, I want to know guys are fresh mentally. I want to do what I can, you know, as a staff to not just keep them fresh physically, but keep them fresh mentally.
- [25:26]
Logan Murdoch
Does that mean like player outings and stuff? Does that mean like, could be. I like yeah, I think that hijinks.
- [25:32]
Raja Bell
Yeah, I think that depends on the makeup of your team, like who you have, the age of the roster, like what, what guys like to do together and stuff like that. Like I've told the story before about you know, going out to like la with. With. With. When I was with the Cavs and I was supposed to have something going on and, and Griffin Co. And we were like, yo, scrap that. We're gonna just take him bowling today. Like, you know, we got a lot going on. Like, stuff's heavy, you know, with the Cavs. When was that this would have been? I mean, it was a year before we went. Was that 15? And we were out in LA.
- [26:05]
Logan Murdoch
We were talking like when Bron was in Miami at that time, was he in Miami or was he with the team?
- [26:10]
Raja Bell
No, he was with the team. He was with the team because I remember going out. Like, we took him bowling. You know, I remember going out. We took him bowling. I was the only person on the road trip from the, from the front office staff. So we took them bowling. We did that. You know, Kevin Love was in a little bit of a funk, so I had to call Kev and be like, hey, man, you got. You know, that's kind of like. It was like home base for him. I think LA had. He played at UCLA and stuff like that. And so he wasn't at the hotel, so I had to call him and get him to meet us over there because, you know, I thought that was really important that he'd be at something like that, like, because that's where, you know, that's where, like, this isn't about basketball now. We're going to hang out, guys get a little competitive like that. That type of guy gets competitive about anything. So when you take him into another arena like that and they start talking shit about bowling and they're laughing and they're having fun. Like, you don't get the same level of guarded, like, protection of turf that you do when you're in an NBA locker room. So, like, you know, organically, people get to see each other in a different light just for the competitor that they are, you know what I mean? So I call Kevlove and then we went about our business for the rest of the day. And I remember going out to dinner and when I came back, forget what hotel we were at, but it had a little courtyard and the courtyard had a big ass, I don't know, 20 or 30 person table out there. This was like 11 something. When I was walking back the team. Not everybody, but there's probably about 12, 10, 12, maybe 8 to 12 guys sitting down there with a couple bottles of wine, just drinking wine together and hanging out, right? And that's important like that. Now that, that wasn't. That this late in the season, I don't think, but like, something that keeps them. If they're. If they're not connected at this point or if it's getting heavy, if. If you feel the mood in the locker room, you know, just getting old, because we are deep into a season, you just want to try to keep them fresh. What. What that. Whatever that looks like to you.
- [28:02]
Logan Murdoch
I think you guys wanted a. Like a. If I remember that season correctly, you guys were treading water throughout the season, right? Like, it was like, you guys were. It was like around 5, hovering around 500 for most of that season. And they went on a run. Like, I think you guys won 50 something games.
- [28:17]
Raja Bell
Yeah, that sparked the run. I mean, it wasn't the bowling. It wasn't the bowling outing and stuff like that that sparked the run, but that trip sparked the run.
- [28:25]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah, Yeah. I think you got. Didn't you guys play, like, Phoenix or something? I don't know. I think I. Fights Phoenix. That. That. That trip or something.
- [28:32]
Raja Bell
Did we beat the Clippers or the Lakers that night? I'm. It's so long ago, dog. But like, we. We. That trip sparked. It sparked a run. It sparked a run. That. That, you know, it kind of ties into what you're saying, right? Like, you want to be coming down the stretch, you want to be playing good basketball, you want to be locked in, you want to be fresh, you want to be loving each other. You want to remind yourself what this was at the start of the season. Everybody goes to training camp. Vibes are high. When you get back to training camp, we all know what type of teams think they can win the championship. When you get in the locker room, like, I've been on teams where you were like, yeah, we can win one, and I've been on teams where you already know we are not winning a fucking championship. So you, you know, you got to remind yourself, you know, late in the. In the season, man, what were those vibes like when we were in training camp, dog? You remember that? The energy was high. We were excited.
- [29:21]
Logan Murdoch
We were in Flagstaff.
- [29:23]
Raja Bell
Yeah, yeah.
- [29:24]
Logan Murdoch
I remember where we go to wreck. I remember this. This is giving me memories of, like, my prep career. And I don't know. I don't talk a lot about my prep career, but remember when we. My junior year of high school, like, we were going. It's like we were trying to, like, win state. Like, that was like our whole big thing, right? And one of the biggest games that we wanted that we had to win that year was against Pittsburgh High School and we had. It was like a, you know, one of those early like non league games where like you gotta have them and, and we had all gotten sick as a team, right? So like this is around Monday where we're all kind of sick. Coach is just like telling us, yo, chug this with emergency, bro. You're gonna be good. So instead of practicing all week, we kind of just like chilled and like watched film, but like, and talked shit to each other and just kind of did more cerebral things. But that was the first time. It was like we were reintroducing ourselves to ourselves, you know what I'm saying? And we wound up kicking Pittsburgh's ass. And it was like the biggest win of the season. And usually those games, like you get really procrastinated. Like we don't. If there was. If it was every any other week and we didn't practice that week, I think we only did a walk through all week. We would have been like, fuck, man, we're not prepared. But we came in probably the most locked in we'd ever come in to the game. And I think it was like in a different way, like how you guys were just reintroducing yourselves to yourselves, like, oh, this is a team and we like these guys, you know?
- [30:48]
Raja Bell
Yeah, yeah, 1, 100. And you know, now that you. Now that I'm kind of like in this time machine and I'm thinking about the teams, the good teams I was on later in the season. We like. So when you go to training camp, like you're doing a lot of stuff together, like every night you're probably. Well, we were at this time, like, I don't know what today's NBA player does necessarily like, but we'd be, we'd be going out to dinner together. Like, everybody's excited. You know, you got practice in the morning, so you're in early. But like you're, you're hanging out and then you get into the season and you know, everybody's got their, their goals that they came into, both from a team perspective and an individual perspective. And sometimes those can preoccupy you a little bit. You got stuff going on. But I always felt like late in the season, like this time of year, the better teams I was on, we started doing things together again on road trips a bit like we were going out to dinner a little bit more, you know, we were going out for drinks, you know, like just to just, just to go out and like in bigger little groups and stuff like that. We were doing things to just stay connected and reconnect. And I don't even know if it was planned. I mean, I certainly wasn't the one planning it, but it just kind of worked out like that where we'd just be out trying to have a good time. Especially we don't have a game the next day and we're in a city, we're going to go out, try to have a good time and eat a meal together and laugh and talk some shit. Just to. Just to be bonded, man. Just to be bonded and remember that the end of the day, this should be fun.
- [32:10]
Logan Murdoch
Sometimes the best strategy is vibes. And on that note, real talk. We're gonna take a break. You can cash in on ballin out with FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook because every Friday night the ringer is teaming up with FanDuel to give all customers 30% profit boost when you pick a player to score more than 30 points. So now a big game for them means an even bigger payout for you. Let's take a look at the slate tonight. We got the Cavs and the Hornets. So you know I'm taking the over on lamelo ball average 26.2 points a game. He definitely go get that 30 pop. Gonna take the Jazz Raptors. I'm not watching the game but if you do, I would suggest taking the over. That should be a fun one. Suns Nuggets that will also be an interesting one apparently. I think I'm going to take the over on points from Kevin Durant and the over on points and rebounds from Nikola Jokic. FanDuel is the home for all of your favorite sports prop bets. So whether you want to ride with my picks or make your own, just look for 30 on 30 in the FanDuel Sportsbook app or head over to FanDuel.com bringer MBA for your chance to score an even bigger payout this Friday night. Make every moment more with FanDuel must be 21 years and older and present in select states or 18 and older and present in DC. Opt in required bonus issued as non withdrawable profit boost tokens. Restrictions apply including any token expiration and max wager amount. See terms@sportsbook.fanduel.com gambling problem. Call 1-800-gambler or visit rg-help.com and we are back. Okay Raja, I'm going to give you a list of teams and you are going to be telling you're going to tell me what they need to do and what they shouldn't do during the stretch run.
- [34:02]
Raja Bell
Okay? Elaborate A little bit. What do you mean, what they should do? Like, in terms of.
- [34:08]
Logan Murdoch
I was going to let you just figure it out after I asked you the question.
- [34:10]
Raja Bell
Oh, you're just going to lob. Real vague, big like.
- [34:14]
Logan Murdoch
Okay, you're. What do you want. Okay, here we go. What do you want to see from these teams and are they peaking too early? Is that okay?
- [34:21]
Unknown Sponsor Voice
Yeah.
- [34:21]
Logan Murdoch
Does that work?
- [34:22]
Raja Bell
I like that.
- [34:23]
Logan Murdoch
All right, man. I mean, I thought you could have did it the other way, but I'll give you. I'll give you some help. I thought you couldn't get it.
- [34:28]
Raja Bell
Maybe I do it the other way anyway.
- [34:30]
Logan Murdoch
All right. Probably. All right. We already talked about the Lakers, so let's talk about the Cavaliers. They are the best offense since ALL STAR BREAK 8. No, they're in the Raz's zone of top 10 and offensive and defensive efficiency all season. What are they. What do you want to see from this team? And are they peaking too early?
- [34:53]
Raja Bell
No. Well, first, I don't think they're peaking too early. I think, you know, this is, this is who they are. I think the, obviously the addition of DeAndre Hunter has been. Has been huge for them. I. What. What do I want to see them do? Just don't fall asleep at the wheel. Continue. Continue to do what you do. Continue to explore what you look like with DeAndre Hunter. I don't think it's a. It's a mystery. Like, he's been great, but like, you could, it's. It's not unlike the Luca situation with the Lakers. Like, you know, you don't know what that fully looks like in this, in this much time. You understand what I'm saying, Logan? So not anything that would take you out of whack as an offense. You're not going to change who you are, like, with your DNA as a team or anything, but, like, he gives you another interesting matchup defensively out there and offensively for that matter. So I do not believe they're peaking too early. I firmly believe that this is who they are. If I had to say anything, figure out how to not get down early to Boston because that's like, that's not what happened the last time where you guys had to come back the way you did. I don't think that's a sustainable model. But just don't fall asleep at the wheel.
- [36:00]
Logan Murdoch
I think the other thing that I would want to ask, because you referenced Luke and you referenced DeAndre Hunter situation right when you have it, when you're including a new guy onto the into the boat. How many of, like, how many of those games do you need where you're grinding it out and you're figuring out where it's not as easy as it's supposed to be. How many of those games do you need down the stretch? If you're a Cleveland Lakers or any of these teams I'm about to name with new additions.
- [36:29]
Raja Bell
With, with new addition, five. I mean, you want a handful of, of last night's games. If you're the Lakers, you don't need 15 or 20 games like that. I mean, you give yourself five, seven games or like these are like tough, physical possession by possession down the stretch type of games. Then we know what we're cooking with going into the more of a playoff atmosphere, you know, so maybe maybe seven, seven to ten. Logan, like we're, we're talking about how many games left. What are we sitting, six, two right now for the Cavs. So, I mean, you got 20 games left. I think it's unrealistic to, to for half your games to be like that. So I'd say like the seven games where we got to really grind it out. We got to really be sound principle wise. We got to figure out who's going to have this ball late in the games and how we're going to act off of that. And then, and then, you know, we got it. We got to win it possession by possession down the stretch, which is going to be like a playoff situation. I think seven of those suffice.
- [37:28]
Logan Murdoch
Talk about the. You ready to come back to the Bay Rock? You ready to get on a plane? Man, it's sunny outside, 70 degrees. I mean, let's go back to, let's go back to sfl. So with the Golden State warriors, what do you want to see from them? And are they, I mean, are they peaking too early? Are they right on time?
- [37:43]
Raja Bell
No, no, no. Look, look, I'm going to say the same thing about all of these teams that had a major makeover at the trade deadline. Can't be peak. I don't think you're peaking too early. Like you, you, you are just scratching the surface of who you can be. Now, you could make an argument that there's this honeymoon phase and that would be contradictory to what I'm saying, but I don't believe that to be the case. Let me clarify because I said you would get a honeymoon stage with Jimmy Butler, right? But I think that would last a while. I don't think that's just a couple week thing. I think the honeymoon phase could be A season or two. Do you know what I mean? Until, well, shit, if he's locked in, it might be longer than that. But I think the way they play, the style that they play is very sustainable. I think they do have to continue to figure out. What I would say to them is they have to continue to figure out in the games that we were just referencing those, those seven, like contested, grind it out, get a win. They have to continue to figure out the ratio of Steph to Jimmy offensively. Right. And, and, and really identify what Jimmy does. I would, I would be giving real doses of offense to Jimmy Butler in situations. So I figure out exactly how I need to use him. Like, like I'm dialed into who he is, what he wants to do, what we can do to get him where he wants to be in tough situations. So that when I need to pull that out in the playoffs because the game plan was to stop Steph, that we've got that figured out. We're not learning that on the fly. Right. 20 games is more than enough time to do that. But I think they're fine. Like, I do not think they're peaking too early.
- [39:24]
Logan Murdoch
I think the way that they're going to use Jimmy Butler or the way they have used Jimmy Butler effectively is they have put him in the middle of the key and let him go to work there. And they've also done it on the non Steph minutes. Like they stagger him and Steph now and that has done wonders. I got, got some stats here. He's producing, but Jimmy Butler is producing 20.210 win shares per 48 minutes with golden State. The only other players that are doing that is Jokic, Shea and Giannis Adeta Kumbo. That's, that's where he is at right now and the impact that he is making at this point and. But the thing that I think that is going to could hinder the warriors is if Jimmy doesn't stay healthy. Because you see when they played against Charlotte and he didn't play, they were a totally different team. Like they can still get offense, but their defense is so bad when Jimmy's not on the floor and Jimmy's not dictating things. Right. And a bigger thing is I think the warriors are also like, there's a lot of guys on the warriors that are just kind of playing, playing for their employment next season. You know what I'm saying? Like there's a lot of guys like Draymond, for instance. Well, like there was a chance he was going to get traded in The. And over this break. And if he doesn't, if things go bad, there's a chance he could get traded in the summertime, right? Like, if this all goes bad, this team can still look very different. And I think a lot of people recognize that and are playing accordingly. You know what I'm saying?
- [40:59]
Raja Bell
I do.
- [41:00]
Logan Murdoch
More incentive there as well.
- [41:01]
Raja Bell
Great motivator. Great motivator. You know. You know what's crazy, man? Because that's elite company. You just referenced with him, with the. With the 2.1 win shares per. I don't even know what the fuck that means. I really don't even know what it means. Like, I'm sorry.
- [41:19]
Logan Murdoch
I'd be real. Can I be real? Yeah, I usually. I just wanted to get into my stats bag, but honestly, like, I just want to say that they're good and I don't. Like, I can say that without stats, right?
- [41:30]
Raja Bell
Because I know I like the stats. I just don't know what it means.
- [41:34]
Logan Murdoch
I don't fucking know, bro. Like that in some ways, contributing to winning, bro. I could have. I could have just told you that he's been contributing to winning in the same way that, like, Giannis and Shay are. But damn, bro, like, I'm just trying.
- [41:45]
Raja Bell
No, no, I was appreciative of the stat. I was actually going to say something about it when you dropped the stat on me. Like, okay, we out here doing the research. That's an indictment on my own ignorance. I don't know. I don't know what. What is. That's a windshare. I don't know what that means. How do you quantify that? I really. I should do some homework.
- [42:02]
Logan Murdoch
Were you a good math guy?
- [42:04]
Raja Bell
I was not bad at math. I don't think. I was not that bright, but I.
- [42:09]
Logan Murdoch
Was like, your trigonometry. Was your trigonometry good? Your. Your. Are you more of an algebra row guy?
- [42:15]
Raja Bell
What? I'm 40. I'm 48 years old, dude. I. I'm. I'm struggling with. I'm struggling with seventh grade math. When Zen brings it home right now, dog, you over here like that long.
- [42:29]
Logan Murdoch
You get the readers are on when reason. When the. When the math comes out. Huh?
- [42:33]
Raja Bell
I was good. I was good with them for a while, and then. Then I don't even get started on the camera.
- [42:39]
Logan Murdoch
I'm very scared about when the math homework conversation is going to go on in the Murdoch household. I'm really scared. It's. I got two syllables for you. Two tur. Oh, let's get back to It. The Boston Celtics. What do you want to see for this team? And are they peaking too early? They are.
- [42:58]
Raja Bell
No, no, no, no, no, no.
- [42:59]
Logan Murdoch
They packed defensively since. Since the all star break. 5 and 2. They did have that loss to Cleveland after. After. What the hell? See, I was going to roast him, but never mind. After they. They lost to Cleveland.
- [43:13]
Raja Bell
Yeah, yeah, they did. They fumbled.
- [43:16]
Logan Murdoch
Did they deserve the benefit of the doubt that we continue to give them? Like. Cause I still am on the fence of like, yo, if they play against each other, the playoff series, I'm choosing Boston. But, like, is that teetering for you? Or, like, are they just in the weeds or figuring it out?
- [43:29]
Raja Bell
Okay, I'm taking. I'm taking Boston now. Cleveland has, I think, closed that. That gap, but I'm. I'm taking. I'm taking Boston. I'm taking the team that's done it before. I'm taking the team with the proven entities on. On that stage over and over again. You know, they. They fumbled the bag against Cleveland and then turned around and half the roster was out. And Peyton Pritchard and, And, And. And Derrick white both had 40. Amen.
- [43:55]
Logan Murdoch
Real quick, Real quick.
- [43:56]
Raja Bell
How wild is that?
- [43:58]
Logan Murdoch
I want to just give flowers to Peyton Pritchard. We haven't done that, I don't think ever on this podcast, but he used to just be the guy that would just hit them annoying ass threes at the end of quarters, right? And like, every. And then everybody in Boston would tell you, you know, look out for Peyton Pritchard. Look out for Peyton Pritchard. I think one of the funniest rumors I'd ever heard was, you know, Peyton Pritchard, if this doesn't work out, you know, he might want out of Boston. This was like, three years ago, and I'm like, okay, but now he's like a legitimate dude. He's out here balling his ass off. I mean, you saw him in the last year in the playoffs making big shots, but he's, like, carried that over and he's kicking ass this year. Just want to give space to that.
- [44:38]
Raja Bell
Well, no, absolutely. I think he's a. I mean, that's a testament to, like, him as a player and the Florida team, obviously. Yeah, but, but. And you got to give a lot of, like, you got to give a whole lot of, you know, a whole lot of praise to the Celtics player development, you know, in a way that we used to. For. For. For San Antonio for so long. Like, Boston's doing a tremendous job there, not just in the skill set. But like, Missoula and the confidence that he instills in guys to just go out there and. And play and let that thing fly and shoot it again, I don't, like. I don't care. I believe in you, Dan.
- [45:08]
Logan Murdoch
Tony esque, huh?
- [45:10]
Raja Bell
Yeah, 100%. Like, somebody that frees you up to not worry about the mistake because they have the confidence in you, and, you know, that's. That you can play through some of those is huge. I also think he falls into the category of, like, you know, not every NBA player is as good as him, but, like, you'd be surprised what some dudes can do, you know, that you don't think are great given the opportunity to do it. And so when you look at their roster, right, like, not to make this a whole Payton Pritchard thing, and you go down the roster of, you know, Tatum Brown, Drew Holiday, Chris Staps, Al Horford, Derrick White, Peyton Pritchard, to give you 40, we're getting, like. I'm sorry, I don't know, their whole. I'm not going to get into their whole roster, but those are all dudes in a series. I'm not even talking about defensively, which they've been known to be, like, versatile and highly disruptive when they want to be. But, like, offensively, that's a lot of weaponry. And so I just think they played this season the way a champion typically plays a season, which is, like, we're not really tripping off of being the number one seed. We're not chasing any records or anything like that. Like, we're just going to kind of pace ourselves, pace ourselves, pace ourselves. And we know that we can at the end of this. And so, like, we'll just start picking it up. We'll start picking it up as we get down into the last month of the season.
- [46:31]
Logan Murdoch
Just. I just. I just can't wait to see, like, Boston just become a bully because they have that in them. Just. You know what I mean? Just like. And they're gonna start doing it. You're gonna start seeing it in the first round. And. And as the playoffs go on, I'm excited to see.
- [46:44]
Raja Bell
Listen, do you know how long it's been? I'm gonna keep it real. Do you know how long it's been since. On a Saturday I. I built my day around a NBA basketball game?
- [46:55]
Logan Murdoch
Shut the up. What are you talking about? What?
- [46:58]
Raja Bell
Oh, Lakers, Celtics.
- [47:00]
Logan Murdoch
No, no, I didn't. No, I didn't. I didn't know. I didn't. Okay.
- [47:03]
Raja Bell
No, I mean, like, I just don't I mean, I got too much stuff going on, right? Like, so, like, I will tape a. I will tape a game.
- [47:09]
Logan Murdoch
No.
- [47:09]
Raja Bell
And then come back and watch it. But, like, I have built my day around, like, I will be at home to watch that shit live.
- [47:15]
Logan Murdoch
Like, movie. It's gonna be a movie. Where's that? What time is that game?
- [47:19]
Raja Bell
That's in Boston.
- [47:20]
Logan Murdoch
Oh, 5:30. Oh, I'm definitely gonna be watching that at the. At the Chasey Center. Definitely gonna be watching that. That's. That's. That was. It was funny because, like, the other week, who was playing? It was. It was Warriors. It was Warriors, Hornets going on at Chase center. And it was the same night as, like, Mavs, Lakers. Literally no one was watching the warriors game. No one in the stands. No one in the press row. There were just, hella, just. Just phones and iPads. Just. That's literally what's going to be happening tomorrow night at J Center. Two more teams for you, buddy. The Denver Nuggets. We don't really like this. We just. We see Yogurt's highlights, but then you look at their fucking. You look at what they've been doing and it's like, yuck, right? Like, you see what they've been doing since the All Star break. Very average team. Have the same problems that they've always had. No bench, relying heavily on Yogic. I know there's somebody that's going to be in our missions from differently. What are you talking about? This happened. This happened. This analytic thing. And what about the win shares? But no, like, I haven't seen. I don't know, man. I don't. I never get a good read on the Denver Nuggets, but, like, Yokage is great and, you know, that's cool.
- [48:37]
Raja Bell
And I don't know. I don't know what I would. You're not developing a bench. You're not developing depth this late in the season. Like, you've.
- [48:46]
Logan Murdoch
You are who you are.
- [48:48]
Raja Bell
Yeah. You either have it there or you don't. So, like, I can't tell you find that they're not a great defensive team. And forgive me if this isn't like. I mean, maybe try to find something down the stretch defensively that. That you can kind of disrupt and hang your hat on a little bit and just throw a wrinkle at people because, I mean, they're not a. They're not a. They're just below middle of the pack defensively in the. In. In the. So, like, it would be something like that. You are who you Are. You know what. You know what I tell them? Here, here's. Here's. Here's your hope if you're a Denver, that, that Jokic and Murray just find that magic that they find in a playoff sometimes.
- [49:30]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah.
- [49:32]
Raja Bell
I mean, that's. That is your hope if you're Denver, is that they find that magic that they can. That. That no matter what you do to them defensively, they're playing off of each other and there's no real right answer and. And they've got you in this blender and that Michael Porter Jr. Is making shots.
- [49:49]
Logan Murdoch
But the flip side of that is they get into a long playoff series, they win a playoff series, then they ask you tired at the second round and they lose off of that. Right. Like Denver. I'm sorry, guys. Sorry. All my people in a room.
- [50:03]
Raja Bell
Yeah. That didn't. That wasn't super, like, that's super enthusiastic about that.
- [50:07]
Logan Murdoch
I'm sorry, buddy. I mean, I mean, like, you are. You are. I mean, that's what the. You want me to do. I'm sorry. Not sorry. But speaking of sorry. Not sorry, Milwaukee Bucks, who are, you know, finding something at the end as we go down the back stretch of the season. I just. There's just too many things for me with. And I'm sorry that I asked you the question and I answered it before.
- [50:33]
Raja Bell
You can go ahead, do your thing.
- [50:35]
Logan Murdoch
I just think with the. With the Milwaukee Bucks, like, you're gonna. It's a hard time for me. It's. It's. I'm hard pressed and I know we had Austin on the pod and he's a friend of the pod and all these things.
- [50:45]
Raja Bell
He's just.
- [50:46]
Logan Murdoch
Just the cast of characters right now that are on this team are who they are. And until they prove who they. That they aren't who they are, like, I'm kind of just gonna. Just trust the process here. Right. You got Doc Rivers, who has had struggles in the postseason. While everything that Austin said was valid, they're just gonna have to prove that they can do it. But I just don't believe in them at this point. Right. You have Dr. As the coach. You have Giannis, who's great, but is probably underachieved in terms of championships. And you have Dame, who's aging. You have an aging roster. Are they peing too early and what do you want to see from them? Raja?
- [51:26]
Raja Bell
No, I don't. I don't. I don't know that they're peaking too early. I think they're another team that's just kind of, you know, they're doing what they do. They kind of under. Yeah, they just kind of understand that as long as they keep themselves in a decent position, what's. What, what ultimately matters is what they do in the playoffs. I'm just looking at the Eastern Conference real quick as I, I go through this right now, who they have. Indiana. Yeah. I don't, I, listen, I, I, I actually like Milwaukee. I think they're, they're a matchup team, though. I think, you know, depending on, depending on who they get, the speed of the game and so on and so forth, I think that kind of would, would in a way for them more so than other teams kind of dictate what I thought they could do in that, in that series, if that makes sense, like. But I like them. They're, they're an interesting team. I don't know what they need to do. Forgive me. I think they just keep playing ball. Like, you're, you're pretty good offensively, you're pretty good defensively. I think you're sitting at like 12 and 10. You're okay. I think they are a team that just not unlike Boston. There's nothing to prove in the regular season. You want to be playing good, solid basketball. Keep figuring out all of these teams. Again, I'm saying the same shit over and over again, right? The Kyle Kuzma piece, you know, keep figuring out, you know, the minute delegation and how he fits into that. And then when you get into the playoffs, be, be ready to hit your stride. Like, be ready to be ready to go. Be ready to turn into Damian Lillard from a few years ago and peak Giannis. And that's what, that's, that's what that's got to be, right? Like, you know, I could sit here and go over fucking X's and O's, like, the pick and roll. I watched him the other night that, that looked fine. I mean, Giannis was, Giannis was great. Brooke Brook looked really good. Like, I, I can't point to anything strategically. I think for them as an, as another team with some age on them and having been in those battles, a lot of guys who have been in the playoffs, like, let's just get there. Let's get there healthy and let's be ready to go.
- [53:23]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah. This wasn't even on the list, but I want to, I want to shout this team out, and I think they deserve to be. Detroit basketball, the Pistons, who are now the sixth seed. And I think, I think me and Clifford talked about this earlier, bro. Legitimate shot to if they stay in this. In this. In this seed, legitimate shot to beat the Knicks in a playoff series, and none Detroit likes loves more than beating the shit out of New York. And I think that would be. That would be a really fun series. What do you want to see from them? I think they're peaking at the right time.
- [54:03]
Raja Bell
Yeah, I think. I think I would agree with that. In terms of peaking, what I'd like to see from them is just to enjoy that ride, um, and enjoy the ride. This is. This is. Well, maybe people in Detroit were expecting. Um. I don't know how many of us, before the season started, would have. Would have thought that they could get out of the first round, but I agree with you in terms of that matchup with. With the Knicks, I think. I don't know that I'd pick them, but I wouldn't be surprised.
- [54:29]
Logan Murdoch
I would. I'm not scary like you, man. If we did the playoff preview today, especially after Jalen Brunson, I would just be like, yeah, I'm picking the Pistons.
- [54:35]
Raja Bell
Yeah. Well, I mean, if Jalen Brunson's out, but, like, I don't think Jalen Brunson's out for the playoffs. Like, he rolled the shit out of his ankle, but he's gonna be fine.
- [54:41]
Logan Murdoch
You know what Cliff said? You know what Cliff said? I texted Cliff, and I'd be forgetting that, like, y'all are on the East Coast. I'd just be texting and shit during games. I texted Cliff. I was like, yo, this fucking Lakers next year Knicks game is nuts. And Cliff responds. Like, early in the morning, I wake up to a text from Cliff saying, until it's Jalen's. Jalen Brunson's ankle fell off. That shit was hilarious to wake up to.
- [55:05]
Raja Bell
That's a tough. When you come down with nothing, protecting your ankle ligament from the full weight of your body and the force of it coming back to the ground. Like, usually your other foot is on the ground, and you step on someone's foot and roll it. Like, that's certain amount of pressure. But when you come down out of the air and roll it like that, well, that thing was ugly. But he'll be. He'll be. He'll be all right, bro.
- [55:27]
Logan Murdoch
Jalen, did you see him down the stretch, bro? He was fucking. He was hitting some incredible fucking shots, dog. That dude is.
- [55:34]
Raja Bell
He's a magician. Yeah, he's a magician. He's. He. Yeah, he. What he does. He's a magician, bro. But. But again, I was watching it, and I got the sense, not that I want to go back to Detroit, but, like, I was watching that again, and, you know, I'm watching the. The. The bigger. And I'm sorry, like, I always, like, I wasn't huge. So when I say this, like, I'm. I'm indicting myself too. Like that bigger bodied 6, 7, 6, 8, like, wing slash, PG a la Luca and LeBron, like, what they're able to do over the top just with passing and stuff like that. It's. It looks so much easier than when.
- [56:15]
Logan Murdoch
It'S like a quarterback. It's like a 6, 6 quarterback versus like a. Like a Drew Brees, who's great, but, like, it's just different than A Russell Wilson vs. A Tom Brady just because you can see over the line, maybe.
- [56:27]
Raja Bell
You know what's interesting? I've heard a lot of them tell me. Like, my buddy Danny Cannell I worked with was 6, 5. He told me he never saw over a line. He was like, you're looking through windows in the line. He was like, I could. He's like, my linemen were 6, 7 with helmets on. I couldn't see over him, which was interesting. I just. I've never played it, so I don't know, but I just took away, like.
- [56:44]
Logan Murdoch
I wish. I wish you could have seen NFL Rob, but go ahead. Sorry.
- [56:48]
Raja Bell
Jalen's just. I mean, his looks so much tougher, which makes it even more impressive because of. Of the size and stuff like that. But let me get back to Detroit. What I would really like to see them do is. And I don't know where their psyche is as a team. I'm not around them, but now it's real. Like, for most of this season, we're overachieving, we're having fun, we're playing ball. This is dope. And now you need to get greedy. Now you got to lock in and get greedy and realize that you could mess around and get a playoff series and then. And then who knows what happens, right? So, like, that now is time for that. For that magical ride, so to speak, and the vibes that are that to morph into like, hey, man, let's get greedy and let's go out there and get us one, and then we'll let the chips fall where they may and have a little mental shift in that. Right?
- [57:40]
Logan Murdoch
Like kind of like Indiana last year.
- [57:43]
Raja Bell
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, it was ride that. We were the darlings. Everybody was all cool and. And to some degree, when you're in a locker room like that, that in and of itself is the achievement. But, like, I'd like to see them, like, hey, man, you know, it's like the same thing as when teams sometimes are chasing, like, the record. Once they get the record. That was the achievement. And now you have that letdown. Yeah, like, I want to see him, like, refocus, get greedy. Hey, that shit was cool, but we knew we were going to do this the whole time. We're going in there to get a series.
- [58:13]
Logan Murdoch
Yeah, kind of. You want to see that out of the Rockets as well. But they're kind of. They're trending downward. We'll see what happens. All right. It's Friday, so you know what that means. Non sponsored. Real one of the week, which means it's all about the vibes. And Raja has to pick a real one of the week. I'm going to take his real one. I'm going first. It is one Russell Westbrook. I don't know if you saw this clip, this clip of Russell this week, but a guy came from Korea, I believe, to go see him, and this was like. He was like a rust stand. It was like his fourth or fifth time going to go see. See Russ, right? And the Nuggets did like a. Like, I guess the Nuggets have won a game, and Russ got the. The podium or got the. The post game interview, and they shouted the fan out. Russ went over to the fan, signed his jersey, gave him a hug, and was like, thank you, bro. And it was really cool to see that we got Russ Stands out here, right? Like that. That's just dope. Like, I felt like even during the peak of Russ's career, there was just such a gap between. There were a lot of Russ stands. There was a lot of Russ, like, non stands. I mean, I know where you stand on the situation, but there was a real gap. It's really good to see people get celebrated out here. And also Russell Westbrook returning the favor. So shout out Russell Westbrook Real one of the week.
- [59:41]
Raja Bell
Great. Real one. Let me just say this. I'll say this again so we're clear. I'm not necessarily talking about today's Russ or even the last.
- [59:49]
Logan Murdoch
Yesterday's Russ.
- [59:50]
Raja Bell
Three. Three years.
- [59:51]
Logan Murdoch
Russ, you've gone through a lot, buddy.
- [59:53]
Raja Bell
No, I'm not talking about that. But hear what I'm saying. That mofo that was prime Russia. If you come at me, if you're. And there are a lot of y'all. If you come at me with. He wasn't that good. Don't talk to me about no goddamn basketball. Don't talk to me about basketball. If you come at me telling me that that prime Russ and what that dude was out there doing was not.
- [60:16]
Logan Murdoch
Going to ride no AAU gym.
- [60:18]
Raja Bell
You lost all credibility with me, dog.
- [60:21]
Logan Murdoch
At the Starbucks after the game. No talk.
- [60:24]
Raja Bell
Beat it. You've. You've. I, I see you let me go with my, my real one. I'm going to give co real ones. I'm going to give co real ones first. First one is going to be LeBron James. This is a multifaceted real one for having the type of like season that he's having it at 40 years old and doing shit that like, I don't think we've ever seen or will ever see again from an NBA player at this, at this stage of his career. Like, unreal remarkable stuff for being able to, for being able to morph as quickly as he has into an off the ball player. With, with, with Luca, like last night, he was off the ball a lot and has just figured it out like in a way that I didn't, I didn't know that he would. I give him a lot of credit for that. Um, and then lastly, this is going to sound contradictory, but you got to hear what I'm saying for running up on Stephen A. Smith last night, although I did.
- [61:19]
Logan Murdoch
That's dad raw, though. That's dad raw.
- [61:21]
Raja Bell
That, that. Because that's your seed, bro. And whether right, right or wrong, nuance.
- [61:26]
Logan Murdoch
When you out here about to fuck nuance, you about to get on. You know what I'm saying?
- [61:29]
Raja Bell
Yeah. No, right, right or wrong, when you feel like your kid has been threatened, you pop, you pop into that mode. And I think whether I agree with him being right or wrong for that reason, it was certainly real. So I give him real. One of those.
- [61:45]
Logan Murdoch
Sometimes you gotta pop up with show brothers. Right? You know what I'm saying for sure.
- [61:48]
Raja Bell
Now you gotta do that. I do want to give a shout out. This one's going to hit home. Hit close to home for you and Mom Dukes. I'm going to get a shout out to real one of the week to one Howie Roseman, general manager of the Philadelphia, Philadelphia Eagles. He resigned like when no one else would even think about paying Saquon Barkley. And we all saw the, when we all saw the Damn.
- [62:14]
Logan Murdoch
We have Cliff in the chat saying, let's fucking go.
- [62:18]
Raja Bell
Yeah, well, we all saw the Giants in that debacle and the Oak owners being like, hey man, are we going to resign him? He's our favorite, you know, he's our fan's favorite player and that their gm, I don't remember his name, was like, ah, nobody's going to give him that. And then the Eagles popped out, which.
- [62:30]
Logan Murdoch
Is why we're not getting hard knocks this year, which is fucking weak.
- [62:33]
Raja Bell
Which is weak. But like how he just said, look, man, this is culturally how we do things in Philly and with. And they just rewarded the dude. Like, they just, they just blessed Saquon again. And Zach Bond, I think. Is that. Is that how you say his name Bound? Is it Bond the linebacker?
- [62:47]
Logan Murdoch
Come on the pod really quickly, Cliff.
- [62:49]
Raja Bell
But I just. Yeah, before you go, Cliff, I just. Why that's real one is because like culturally, like you are. You are representing and letting people know what's important to you, right? It's it while it is dollars and cents and it's a hard cap league. Like they represent what you want your franchise to represent and you want a championship and you're rewarding them for that. And I think that's dope, man.
- [63:12]
Cliff Augustine
It's how we season. You already know what we doing. Flygo, Slygo, Birds. Saquon got his bag. Jalen Hurts got his bag last year. AJ Brown got his bag. We got a bunch of young guys on their first contracts. They're all going to get their bag. Zach Bond, three years coming back, defensive player of the year finalist. Definitely got his bag. Well worth it. Look, man, we just do things right in Philly. Well, the football team does at least the football team.
- [63:33]
Raja Bell
The Eagles. The Eagles do.
- [63:35]
Cliff Augustine
The football team does at least the basketball team. I'm not too sure. I'm not too sure what's going on with that. But yeah, on the football side of things, bro, we good over here, man. We trying to run it back. Trying to run it back.
- [63:45]
Logan Murdoch
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Shout out to the real one. Shout out to the Eagles. Shout out to Philly special podcast, huh? Philly special. Let's go. Let's go. I don't want to say Joan, because I probably will say it up so you know, I ain't trying to like get.
- [63:58]
Cliff Augustine
Wait, say that again. Say that.
- [64:01]
Logan Murdoch
Listen. Hey, Cliff, I'm just slow motion with the post and trying to get to the ocean, baby. Oh, you trying to get.
- [64:07]
Cliff Augustine
Trying to get to that. John.
- [64:11]
Logan Murdoch
Must be 21 years and older in president select states for Kansas and affiliation with the Kansas Star Casino or 18 and over in President D.C. gambling problem. Call 1-800-Gambler or visit rghelp.com call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org backslash chatinconnecticut or visit MDG in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelplinema.org or call 1-800-32-24-7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-HOPE NY or text HOPE NY in New York. That has been another edition of Real Ones. I am Logan Murdoch. That is Rajabel. That is Cliff Augustine. I have to go work out and get my ass kicked at the gym. I will see you guys on Tuesday. Ah, the by.