Latest / The Favorites Sports Betting Podcast / The Buffet with Chad and Scooch, Episode 32 - Featuring Matt Moore & Blackjack Fletcher

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The Buffet with Chad and Scooch, Episode 32 - Featuring Matt Moore & Blackjack Fletcher · The Favorites Sports Betting Podcast

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Coming to you from fabulous Las Vegas. The right side
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: is the winning side. The late move is the correct move.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Sports betting capital of the world. We all know when
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: a sharp like me weighs in the lines move, it's
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: a party for your ears. This is the buffet with
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Chad and Scooch. I want to buy that guy at buffet.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: We are back Chad and Scooch together again. This is
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: the buffet with Chad and Scooch from the Action Network.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: I am Chad Millman on the phone with me from
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Las Vegas, representing the world leads and all the BOYD
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: gaming sports books in the state of Nevada. Bookmaker Extraordinarire,
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: Bob Scucci. Chad, what's going on, my man? Like the
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: last time we spoke was sports betting had just been declared,
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: you know, not legal, but the Supreme Court had declared
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: the federal band on sports betting unconstitutional, opening the floodgates
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: for any state that wants sports betting to, you know,
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: potentially get into the business where you know, a little
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: more than two weeks out or ten days out from
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: that decision. Now two weeks give me your thoughts. What
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: do you think? What's happening? Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: before you talk, I do have to Uh. I did
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: say that later on in the show, like, look, we're
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: recording this on a Wednesday. The NBA Finals start tomorrow tomorrow,
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: historic betting numbers in that matchup. The NHL Finals are
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: have started in Vegas, one game one. Later on the show,
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: black Jack Fletcher, host of Live from the Strip brand
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: new podcast, asked from the Action Network. Huge debut yesterday, huge, huge,
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: rocking up the iTunes rankings chart yesterday. UM, Live from
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: the Strips. He's been in Vegas. He's a huge Golden
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: Knights fan. He's all over the NBA Finals as well.
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: He's going to come on. He's going to be joined
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: by me and with Matt Moore for who does the
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: Spread the Floor podcast and is also our NBA analysts.
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: Spread the Floor is such a remarkably good basketball podcast. UM.
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: And so they're both gonna come out and talk NBA
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: Finals and uh, black jackal talk talk about Stanley Cup,
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: Um Scooch. But listen, let's talk about this. Tell me
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: about your life the past few weeks. It's been a whirlwind.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: I mean, it's not it's not unexpected that the Supreme
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: Court decision went the way it did. It kind of
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: it was kind of in the wind on which way
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: it was it was going to be going. But I
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: think everybody's kind of scrambling. And I talked to a
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: lot of my counterparts across the city, and uh, there's
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: a lot of companies over from Europe that are trying
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: to jockey for position here in the United States. Um,
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: I think uh, uh, companies like like ours, like BOYD Gaming.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: You know, we have properties and a lot of states,
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: a lot of jurisdictions, so I can. I think we're
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: very well positioned to take advantage of whatever comes down
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: the road. And uh, it's just like I said, it's
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: kind of been a whirlwind. You have a quiet confidence
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: about you, Scooch. That's just cold being busy. I think, well,
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: it's funny, you know, I say like, um, you know
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: when I do the introduction. And by the way, if
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: you have questions for the podcast, you should go to
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: our iTunes page, the Buffet Podcast iTunes page. Put your
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: questions in there. You should subscribe, you should rate, you
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: should review, you should do all those things. People. That's
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: the only way we move up the iTunes rankings charts.
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: Because if you use the iTunes page and make comments,
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: send questions, all those fun things. Otherwise, Like you know,
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: that's the only I can tell you is to subscribe, unsubscribe,
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: subscribe again. You know, which is like the um, the
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: best way to do it. Just you know, I can
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: keep the same listeners and just keep unsubscribing and resubscribing. Um.
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: You have a quiet confidence because whenever I do the introduction,
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: I'll say, you know, representing the Orleans and all the
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: Boyd gaming books in the state of Nevada. I don't
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: know how much longer that can be true. Like, you've
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: got properties everywhere. We we really do so. Right now,
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: we're kind of looking at all the the regulations that
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: are being drafted. So the the first thing we're looking at, uh. Um,
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: the Mississippi regulations are pretty far along. Uh. We have
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: several properties to properties in Mississippi. Uh And and some
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: of the states are a little bit You've covered this before.
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: Some of the states are a little bit further down
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: the road than others. They've already drafted legislation in anticipation
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: of a favorable ruling, So some of them have the
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: laws in place, and now the gaming commissions or whatever
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: regulatory bodies are overseeing the gaming part of the state.
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: They're now drafting regulations to fit the laws. So, um,
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: you know, we're paying attention to every state and uh
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: see if we can get involved in uh providing some feedback.
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: You know, I've already already done so with on several
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: different uh platforms. So we're very active. You know, we
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: want to see we want to take advantage of this
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: and every way we can, and we want to see
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: it flourish. So you want to see it flourished. You
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: want to take advantage. You're excited about this. Um, the
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: two weeks of perspectives, it happened. Is it bigger than
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: you thought it would be? Like this has been something
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: where obviously, you know, you and I have talked about
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: this for a while, but it all seemed uh inconceivable,
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: uh to quote the princess bride. So now it's happening.
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: And is it faster than you expected in terms of
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: the pace, in terms of how you need to react?
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: Do you think people were unprepared? Like how did you
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: feel about it? Like did you get your pants cut
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: down at your ankles? Like, tell me about that? No,
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: you know, I think that all of the above in
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: some respects, I don't think we were caught off guard.
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: I mean, everybody was ready for this and doing as
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: much as we could possibly do to prepare for it.
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: But there's only so much you can do with that
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: at that point. So just picture like all these horses
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: jamming into a starting gate and then just getting real
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: kind of antsy in the starting gate, but you can't
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: go anywhere until the gates open, and that that's kind
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: of what we were doing. We're being prepared and every
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: way we can, getting our you know, ducks in a row,
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: and uh, looking at the legislation and looking at how
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: we can kind of position ourselves. And I think everybody
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: was kind of in the same boat. And like I said,
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: even the European companies that came over, uh, you know,
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: they're they're trying to jockey for position as well, and
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: you know, merge with other companies and see how they
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: can get their foot foothold in this industry. But until
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: that ruling came, there's only so much you can do.
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: So instantly, as soon as the ruling came down, everybody's like, go,
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: you know, at the speed of light, and let's see
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: how quick we can get this thing going, and uh,
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: you know, everybody that's in the state of New Jersey
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: obviously are scrambling more so than probably the other companies,
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: and they're they're trying to get that going as quickly
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: as possible. But the same goes for for for Pennsylvania.
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: They're pretty far along in the uh the regulations there,
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: at least in the laws. And uh, I mean I've
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: gotten calls. You would not believe how many calls and
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: emails that I've gotten from all over the country saying, hey,
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: it's legal, now, how come I can't bet with your
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: app in Pennsylvania. I think there's a little misconception about
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: you know, the Supreme Court didn't make it legal. I
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: think you just hit hit that on the head. All
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: they did is lift the band that made it. You
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: know that that prevented other states from pursuing it. So um,
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: but but it has this last two weeks, you know,
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: we've been meeting with uh, you know, attorneys and and
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: like I said, regulators and the financial folks, and uh,
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: you know, we're just trying to see what we can
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: do and how quick we can do it. Do you
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: think you can become the biggest bookmaker in America. No, no,
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: I'm not even thinking that, thinking that what is your ambition, Scooch,
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: is the ambition for you to be like Scooch goes national?
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: That would be amazing. How crazy would it be you
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: went national? It would be crazy, that would be It
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: would be fun. You know, hey, you know, like I'm
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: a company guy. I just want to do what's right
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: for the company. But it would be crazy to to
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: to be all to you know, being all these jurisdictions,
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: maybe even in the world. You know, why stop to
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: the country we got. There's places all over the world. Now,
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: Oh my god, oh my god, I cannot believe. By
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: the way, Let's like, I would love it if Grinnell
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: like could wind this back, because when I said, Scooch
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: goes national, You're like, no, no, I'm not even think
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: of that. Within ten seconds you're why not the world
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: I did? That's exactly how my mind went to. You're like, yeah,
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: I don't want I don't want to go national. I'm listen.
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: You You're like thinking, I'm perfectly happy to be in Nevada,
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: and within ten seconds you want to you want world domination.
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: I remember, many many, many many years ago, I started
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: my career as a fact checker at Sports Illustrated, and
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: I was fact checking You'll you'll appreciate this Grenell. This
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: guy was like playing before Grenelle was alive. But maybe
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: he'll remember him because he's a Patriot. Um meeting the player,
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: not Grnell, although Grenell maybe a Patriot. There was a
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: player named Irving Friar who was a wide receiver. He
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: was the number one overall picked by the Patriots and
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: like the early eighties, and he played in Nebraska and
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: then he went on to play in the NFL. And
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: he was a very mercurial, mercurial player, like very temperamental,
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: great receiver, but had a lot of issues and there
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: was once a domestic violence issue where um, I think
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: he had been stabbed by his wife. It might have
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: been before the Patriots played the Bears in the Super Bowl.
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: And this was in the story that Rick Riley, who
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: was at the time a writer and Sports Illustrated, wrote
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: about Irving Friar and this was gonna be a cover story.
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: And so my job as a fact checker is to
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: call Irving Friar and go over every single detail in
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: the story, from like a quote that he said to
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: are you now a like preacher at a church in
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: Miami to you know, did your wife's stab you the
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: night before the Super Bowl? And is that why you
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: couldn't play or whatever it was, or you play with
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: the bandage? And he got so mad when I asked
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: him this question, yelled at me for like ten minutes.
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: He's like, I don't even want this story to be
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: in the magazine anymore. Pull this story from the magazine.
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: It shouldn't be in the magazine. I don't agree to this,
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: blah blah blah. And and you know, by that point,
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: like I had been a fact checker for about a
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: year and sort of I had been yelled at by
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: a lot of people, so I knew the ropes. And
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: I'm like, listen, I know you're upset about it, but
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: there's nothing we can do. Like you've already agreed to
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: the story and the story is done, and like it's
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: all on the record, and so the story is gonna run.
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: If you don't want to confirm this, that's fine. I
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: can make a note and our editors can decide how
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: they want to treat it, knowing that you've said it once.
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: But I didn't want to confirm at the second time
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: and blah blah blah. We get through that and uh,
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: ten minutes later it's time to get off the phone
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: and he he's like, so this is gonna be the cover,
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: right basically just pull you went from like now, I
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: don't want to do anything than what I'm doing too.
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: I want to cover the world with my bookmaking brilliance.
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: I pretty much did that, didn't I. And I think
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: my my first instinct is just to downplay it and that.
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: But then I'm I'm just again, I'm thinking from a
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: company perspective, and I'm saying, Okay, well why not just
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: keep going. I mean, if we're already if we're already
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: in most of the states in the United States, I
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: mean there's other jurisdictions as well, and you know, you
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: never know, uh, you never know what can happen. But
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: on the other side of the coin, man, there's a
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: lot of work involved. Well there's a lot of work,
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: but there's also a lot of competition. Like you're not
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: you know, BOYD Gaming isn't the only place out there
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: that is trying to get not even the first mover
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: advantage in this space right now, right so yeah, there's
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: there's so many other companies that, like I said, big,
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: big companies with a lot of firepower, that uh you know,
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: that have been doing this for a long time, that
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: are trying to get their their foot in the door.
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: And you know that this the disadvantage to Nevada, and
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: we've talked about this over the years, is that a
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: lot of great technology and a lot of great programmers
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: and a lot of great tools were being used all
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: over the world and they couldn't necessarily be used in
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: Nevada because Nevada had very strict regulations where uh, new
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: companies had to be licensed, whether they were manufacturers or
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: gaming operator licensed or associate equipment licensed. And it wasn't
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: worth it for a lot of big companies to get
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: licensed in Nevada just for the Nevada market. You know,
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: they always were sitting back saying, Okay, well, if if
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: we're allowed to come into the whole United States, uh,
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: then it would be worth it to get licensed. But
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: it just wasn't worth it for a lot of these
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: companies to get licensed just for one small piece of business.
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: So what had happened is it allowed a lot of
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: these European companies to just really kind of move much
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: quicker than some of the technology some of the things
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: in Las Vegas and so now, like I said, in
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: terms of sports betting, you know all the uh the tools,
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: the metrics that the technology that's being used, a lot
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: of the best stuff is overseas. You know. I found
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: really interesting the past the past couple of weeks in
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: so much more mainstream coverage of betting. I've noticed, uh,
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: you know, Bleacher Report has sent me a bunch of
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: alerts that are betting related. With the Calves opening as
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: historic um underdogs in the finals or yesterday, there was
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: a story in the Washington Post by a guy named
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: Matt bone Steele who um wrote about sort of the
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: odds of the Calves winning the finals being historically long.
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: And you know, he had the Westgate in there, he
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: had sports odds history in there, he had ESPN in there,
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: he had us in there, sort of sitting all these
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: different places that had different facets of this story. Um,
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: that changed quickly, like you never would have seen that
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: three weeks ago. No, No, And that's you know what,
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: you played a big part in this. I mean you've
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: been on top of the sports betting scene for for
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: a long time trying to get it into a lot
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: of the mainstream sports media, and uh, people like you
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: just really kind of pushed this, and so you should.
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: That's a big feather in your cap too. If there
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: were a sports betting Hall of Fame, Scooch, do you
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: feel like i'd be a member of the original class,
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: the original class, the original class to be inducted? Would
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: it be like me, Lefty Rosenthal? Like who else? Who
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: else would be in it other than me and Lefty?
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: The other guy named Bob Martin. Bob Martin, He definitely
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: Bob Martin, he'd be in there. Yeah. I don'tn't know
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: if you. I don't know if you'd be in the
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: original class. You know, you'd be pretty close though. Interesting.
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: Why wouldn't I listen? If you can be the bookmaker
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: to the world, Yeah, I can't. I be in the
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: original liket too young, you're too You're too young. They,
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: you know, any any kind of new hall of fame
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: like that, they always go for like the legacy on
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: the pull back guys that you know from fifty sixty
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: years ago. They probably put you in the next round
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: that that second wave. Uh, you know what I think that? Um,
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: I think you might be right. Maybe I'll be in
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: your two, but i'd certainly get a unanimous vote. The
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: other guy who should be in there is Charles McNeil,
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: who invented the points bread. Ah, there you go. You
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: see that's what I'm saying. Now we're starting to here's
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: what we should do. Chad, You and I should make
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: the Sports Betting Hall of Fame. We should. We should
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: put this on the docket and this should be our
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: next project. We will initiate the Sports Betting Hall of Fame.
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: Does that mean we can't be in it? I guess
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: it's a little self survey, isn't it. We're the first inductees.
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: I will start the Sports Betting Hall of Fame with you.
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: If you guarantee I can be in it. You know,
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: we should do Grennell. This is what we should do,
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: and we'll put this on social to put your nominees
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: for the Sports Betting Hall of Fame on the Buffet
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: iTunes page. Put your nominees there. Who do you think
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: should be in the Sports Betting Hall of Fame? Tell
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: us in the iTunes page for the Buffet Podcast. Um,
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: you can also just you know, tweeted at us on
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: social At the Buffet Pod, you can follow us there.
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: You can follow me at Chad Millman. You can send
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: it to me there too. I prefer it all go
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: into the buffet iTunes page, but people have a hard
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: time going to that. We cannot get any free contraction
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: on that. Come on, people, man, that's a great idea.
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: I love that though. Sports Betting Hall of Fame. Speaking
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: of Sports Betting Hall of Fame, Scooge other than you
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: and me and Charles McNeil and Bob Martin and Lefty Rosenthal, Um,
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: I think that we do need a little bit of
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: talking about what is happening historically. You guys are gonna
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: get pounded. You were gonna lose so much money. I
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: remember seeing you in December. We did a podcast in
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: your office in front of a live audience, uh, talking
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: about the Golden Knights and what would happen if they
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: made it to the Stanley Cup. Dude, you guys right,
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: tell me about your liability, tell me how scared you are,
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: Give me every detail you can give me, because there
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: are details to be told. Yeah. Well, I mean, we've
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: been burned before in future, so we're really leary about
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: putting up these these crazy, crazy odds. And you know,
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: I heard reports of they opened five to one, and
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: really I think that's only one or two operators that
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: went to five dred to one very briefly. We never
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: went to five hundred to one. We we opened it
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: three hundred to one, and we only wrote about maybe
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: ten to fifteen tickets at at three hundred to one,
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: and then went down to a hundred to one very quickly,
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: because if you remember, the Golden Knights came out their
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: first five games, they wont like four to five games,
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: and and we said, you know this team, Okay, we
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: know it's never happened before that they expansion team made
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: the playoffs, but let's just be a little careful here
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: because we don't really know how good they are. This
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: expansion draft was a little different than other ones, so
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: we dropped them fairly quickly. Most of our liabilities is
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: at about a hundred to one because we kept it
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: there probably until November maybe maybe yeah, beginning to mid
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: November is when we lowered them from like a hundred
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: down to seventy five, and then we quickly moved him.
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: So the liability obviously it's big. It's big everywhere. Um.
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: But having said that, I mean all of our bosses.
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: They're very well aware of the liability. We've been keeping
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: in close contact, so they're they're okay with it as
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: far as you know. The big loss goes, but it
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: means such a great story to the city that it's
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: hard to balance the two. I mean, we know that
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: it's it's a big hit to the bottom line for
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: a lot of casinos, but this story itself is bigger
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: than that. And I think for the community and for
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: for the way everybody's bonding around this this team. Uh,
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: I think everybody is willing to just kind of take
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: the loss and say, uh, you know, we have we
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: lost money, but this we're pulling for the For the
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: Golden Knights, I mean, we're part of the community, they
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: are the community. So it's it's a little bit of
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: a trade off there. Now, that doesn't mean we can't
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: do business the way we normally do in terms of
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: getting off the decision. So we were able to hedge
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: our position with the Golden Knights against the Sharks, against
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: the King's against Winnipeg. So we made money on each
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: of those series because we drew money. You know, we
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: took a lot of money on the other side. Knowing
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: that if Vegas moved on that we'd we'd get killed
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: and we're doing the same thing here. Uh in the
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: in the Stanley Cup Finals. You know, we we took
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: um uh pretty pretty much a lot of money on
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: Washington before the first game UH to win the series.
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: We opened up Vegas probably about ten fifteen cents higher
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: than what they should be. So we're gonna win a
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: little bit on the series price if Washington wins, I mean,
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: if if Vegas wins, will win a little bit on
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: the series price. But obviously we'll get killed in in
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: the futures. So that's where we are. Wow. But you know, here,
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: here's the thing. That first game Game one, it was
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: the same night as Game seven of the Rockets Warriors.
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: We wrote way more, way more on the NHL Game
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: one of Stanley Cup Finals than we did on Game
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: seven of the Western Conference Finals. I mean that is
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: unheard of. I mean, if you would say we were
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: write more on a hockey game, not even the final,
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: not even the game seven, but just game one, and
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: it outdid Game seven of an NBA UH conference final,
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: is that this is not amazing. That's that's only because
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: of Vegas, right, Like if it was the black Hawks
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: and the Caps. It's not going to be the same
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: conversation exactly. That's what I'm just saying that. And you
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: have to understand, you are our properties here in Las Vegas,
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: or what are what are called locals properties, which means
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: most of the people live nearby the casinos and they
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: come to our our casinos after work to make bets
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: and everything. It's a little bit different than the strip properties,
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: which have a lot of the destination crowds people that
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: come in for the weekend. So maybe they're not going
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: to be as big of a Vegas Golden Knights fans
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: as a lot of our customers. So we probably do
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: a little bit more than some of the other casinos
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: in terms of the ratio that we have a We've
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: got a lot of Vegas Golden Knights fans at our casinos.
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: A matter of fact, they know they park at our
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: our casino and take the shuttle down to the mobile center,
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: so we get that big crowd of even the people
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: that are going to the games. I love that it's
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: such a good story. It's so like heartwarming and wonderful
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: for the city, especially like with everything that has happened
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: there in the past. Year and what happened at Mandelet
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: Bay with the shooting, Like this is the kind of
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: thing that this city needed um to rally around. It's
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: pretty fantastic. And these guys are great. I mean, if
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: you meet these guys, these did the players I'm talking about,
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: what a great bunch of guys. After they won the
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: the after they beat Winnipeg, they came home and they
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: went straight from the airport. And you've been to the
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: New Orleans, you've been to my office. Right across the street,
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: there's a there's a bar called mcmullins, and you remember
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: that bar. It's like an Irish pub across the street.
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: The word got out that the whole team after they
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: went straight from the airport and the team bust. People
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: saw the buses over in the parking lot, and so
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: it was hard to get in. You needed to know
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: somebody at the door. But a lot of friends and
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: people that work at The Orleans were able to kind
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: of jump over there and meet with these guys and
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: have a beer with these guys, and it was just
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: they said, what what a great, great group of guys.
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: Because a couple of them, or at least one player
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: that used to play for the Las Vegas Wranglers, which
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: was a team that played right at the Orleans Arena.
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: So he knows the property well and he kind of
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: knows that that area, so he still has a little
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: fondness for it. That is so cool. Yeah, I love that.
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: We still got to talk about the NBA Finals. Okay,
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: First of all, that Game seven for the Rockets and
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: the Warriors, twenty seven missed three pointers. Yeah, that was insane.
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: What what did you need in that game? Did you
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: need the Rockets and the under so or did you
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: need like so it ended up sort of fine for
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: you because you had the under, but you lost the spread. Yeah,
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: we needed we needed the Rockets in that line. If
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: you saw the line move, I mean it was Chris Paul,
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: it was He's questionable most of the day, and so
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: we've tried to be on the high side with the
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: With the Warriors, we went as high as seven. At
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: one point, the line opened up four and a half.
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: In some places we opened it up five and a half.
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: We went as high as seven on the game, and
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: then we saw a lot of sharp money coming in
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: just burying us on the Rockets, and I knew that
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: we would need the Rockets. So I was like, all right,
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: just keep taking the money, let's not move, let's not
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: get crazy with the point spread. But they just kept
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: coming in, coming in on the Rockets, so I had
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: to move the line down. And then we're thinking, okay,
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: that maybe they know that Chris Paul's playing, so let's
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: respect that because we didn't hear that he's playing. So
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: we said, let's let's move the line down based on
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: that maybe they know something we don't. So we did
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: move the line down, and then when it came out
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: that he's not playing, I just moved it right back
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: up and said I'm staying there. I'm staying high. And
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: it was the same night, like I said, as the
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: Golden Nights, So every single parlay had Warriors, Golden Nights, Warriors,
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: Golden Knights. And we didn't have a good day in
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: baseball that that day either, So we had all the
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: favorites in baseball going to the Golden Knights and the Warriors.
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: So yeah, we needed the Rockets. We needed them big,
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: and the only thing that saved us a little bit
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: was the game going under. Uh but then what a
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: swing in that game. And I remember, you know, a
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: lot of the in progress lines that we were doing.
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: You know, the Warriors were down to twelve, thirteen, fourteen
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: points at one point, and I said, don't give any
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: more value on the Warriors. Uh, you know, you could
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: have gotten the Warriors at plus four and a half
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: at one point during the game when they were down
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: like ten points. And uh, I just know I've seen
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: these swings before. I said, you've got a whole half
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: of the basketball to play, and and this team can
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: put up a twenty spot like you know, in the
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: blink of an eye. So uh, yeah, it was the
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: betting was good, and uh we were on the wrong
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: end of it. But uh, you know, hopefully we get
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: them back in the finals. All right, So what do
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: you think is gonna happen in the finals? You open
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: the Warriors huge favorites in the finals, You open the
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: Warriors huge favorites in game one. Tell me where the
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: action has been coming so far? So far, it's been, uh,
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: mostly mostly Warriors. But I think it's going to turn around.
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: And every time you get to a finals or a
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: Super Bowl or an n C Double, a championship game,
• 27:21
  Speaker 1: there's been a tendency amongst the recreational betters to just
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: take the underdog, and they just figured the team is
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: good enough to get to the championship or get to
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: the finals. I'll take the points. So again, I'm not
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: going to try and be too crazy. Uh, like you said,
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: historic numbers in an NBA Championship game, twelve and a
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: half that's a lot of points. So, uh, that's a
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: crazy amount of it really is. And we've already seen
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: all of the public is jumping all over the Calves
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: to win the series because they could have gotten eight
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: to one, seven to one. We're down to the six
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: to one now with the Calves. You know that the
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: series prices, uh the war years of minus eight. I
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: mean they're an eight to one favorite, and then you
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: can get plus six to one on the Cavaliers. So
• 28:06
  Speaker 1: everyone's bet all the recreational betters are betting that the
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: sharp guys really having come in on that that yet.
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: But I think the value is all over the Calves.
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: You know, whether or not they actually win the game
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: is another story. But twelve and a half points. Uh yeah,
• 28:22
  Speaker 1: I think we're gonna get buried on Calves money, you are,
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: I don't think so. Look, the public is gonna come
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: all in on the Warriors. You might get wise guy money,
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: but the public is coming in on the Warriors. They
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: are not going to touch the calves. The Warriors are juggernauts.
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: They are going for three out of the past four years.
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: I'm telling you right now, if I look at the
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: Action app uh, you know, we are part of the
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: Action networking until forget Stay tuned. Coming up in a
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: few minutes, black Jack Fletch Live from Vegas New hosted
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: the New Pod Live from the Strip. Matt Moore are
• 28:55
  Speaker 1: NBA analysts. He's gonna come on, He's gonna talk about
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: this game as well. Right now, fifty two percent of
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: the bets are on Golden State to cover. Well, wow, yeah,
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: that's I mean, that's a lot closer than uh, I'm
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: sorry to cover not yet to cover the cover the spread. Yeah,
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: and uh yeah, I guess that's about right. I'm looking
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: at our ticket account. We're right about there. But I
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: do think our guys are going to take a shot
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: with with with the Cavaliers. But you know, well, we'll
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: see what happens. Maybe maybe the lines right where it
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: should be, and maybe the bets is exactly what it
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: should end up at. I don't know what I'm gonna do.
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: It's so hard to bet against the Warriors. I did
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: it so many times during these playoffs on the Rockets,
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: and I'd be feeling so good in the first half
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: and then just get my like I would my lungs
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: would deflate, as you say, like I would need them
• 29:58
  Speaker 1: for my lungs in that third quarter, and it would
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: be so ugly. Yeah. And when a team just shoots
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: as many three pointers as they as they do, you
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: get those big swings because if they're if they're not following,
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: then then you get down really quickly. And but then
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: if they if they are sinking them, then you know,
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: they put up twenty points like in a couple of minutes.
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: So uh, you do get those those big swings. I mean, uh,
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: this this NBA playoff season has been really interesting in
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: terms of you know, I look back at the Calves
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: and the Celtics series and all the blowouts both ways.
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: You know, this team looks so much better than this team,
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: and then they go back to Boston and all, now
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: Boston looks so much better than the Calves, and they
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: go back to Cleveland and it's just it's these big
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: seesaw swings and and even game by game you're seeing
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: these big swings, so it's really making it interesting. And uh,
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: and I think going back to what you said earlier
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: about now with with betting being more pervasive around the
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: country and are able to talk about the point spreads,
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: and it gives the games a little bit more perspective.
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: So when you see a game like the Warriors and
• 31:08
  Speaker 1: the Calves talking about how big of a favorite and
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: it's a little adds a little drama to the to
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: the series now because now you know how really big
• 31:18
  Speaker 1: of an underdog the Calves are, and so I think
• 31:21
  Speaker 1: that is a little bit more flavor to the matchup. Yeah,
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: it's exciting. I mean certainly, look, as you know, as
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: I know, we've long been advocates that you let people
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: bet and there will be more engagement and excitement for
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: fans who are watching these games and they will stick
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: around longer. So certainly the point spread is going to
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: be a storyline during this game, like can they keep
• 31:41
  Speaker 1: it close? Do they stay within the twelve and a
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: half um that's gonna be a major, major narrative for
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: anybody watching this game. And like anybody who's on their
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: second screen, which is a lot of people sort of
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: following this game on Twitter. Uh, that's gonna be a
• 31:54
  Speaker 1: constant point of conversation. Yeah, you know what Twitter is, right,
• 31:58
  Speaker 1: I've heard of Twitter. I've heard of it. I think,
• 32:01
  Speaker 1: by the way, your dad's on Twitter, he's got more followers.
• 32:06
  Speaker 1: I'm telling you. He got like the first day he
• 32:09
  Speaker 1: signed up, he got like two hundred followers or something
• 32:11
  Speaker 1: like that. Something crazy. But then it took a while
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: a little bit for people to realize it wasn't me
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: was he was like, what is this? What is this
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: Twitter thing that I get this followers from? It was funny, Yeah,
• 32:23
  Speaker 1: it really was. But I might have to get one
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: of those accounts if I actually, you know, become bookmaker
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: of the world. Yeah, all right, Bob Scucci, good luck
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: this week. Good luck with the Golden Knights, good luck
• 32:40
  Speaker 1: with the uh Lebron James versus the Warriors. Um, good
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: luck on your quest for world domination. I would like
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: acknowledgement on my plaque in the Sports Betting Hall of
• 32:50
  Speaker 1: Fame that I hope you get there. Thanks, we'll see
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: you in the hall. Here's the question. Seriously, before we
• 32:59
  Speaker 1: get to Matt Moore and everybody else, um and Blackjack
• 33:05
  Speaker 1: do I get in before you? I don't know. Come
• 33:08
  Speaker 1: on now, maybe we go in as a tanent, we
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: go in together. Yeah, right, like uh Mickey Mickey Mantel
• 33:14
  Speaker 1: and Whitey Ford. I've already started getting I've already started
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: getting responses on Twitter. People are already giving me like
• 33:23
  Speaker 1: Billy Walters. Someone just submitted someone for uh, pioneering interest
• 33:28
  Speaker 1: in W and b a gambling. So people are responding.
• 33:32
  Speaker 1: So go to the iTunes Go to the Buffet page
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: on iTunes, put in your suggestion, give me an explanation.
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: The best suggestions will get to come on the pod
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: and explain themselves. Um, you can also tweet me, but
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: it's a lot easier to give me an explanation on
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: the iTunes page for the Buffet podcast. Just go, go
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: and rate and subscribe and unsubscribe and resubscribe and review
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: Scooch talk to Thanks for coming, all right, stay tuned
• 34:01
  Speaker 1: everybody for black Jack Fletcher and Matt Moore. All right,
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: next up on the Buffet Legendary. They're already legendary guests.
• 34:10
  Speaker 1: The legendary members of the Action Network Team, a company
• 34:13
  Speaker 1: that is five months old, but they're legends. That's right,
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: I said it. Matt Moore is on the phone with
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: me from his home in Colorado as he transitions into
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: covering the NBA Finals for the Action Network. He is
• 34:24
  Speaker 1: our NBA Lead NBA Analyst. He is the host of
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: the phenomenally thoughtful Spread the Floor podcast. It's amazing, Like
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: it is the best thing to listen to if you
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: want to get smart about basketball. It is like a
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: quick primer every day a pH D, whether it's guests
• 34:43
  Speaker 1: with Zach Low or just Matt talking about the lines
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: and what's gonna be happening. Matt's on the phone, as
• 34:50
  Speaker 1: is black Jack Fletcher new podcast, Live from the Strip,
• 34:55
  Speaker 1: debut yesterday, top twenty in the iTunes rankings, Way to Go,
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: black Jack. He is in Vegas. He's betting on the
• 35:03
  Speaker 1: NBA Finals, but he has been all over the Golden Knights.
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: Black Jack, We're gonna start with you because you're in Vegas,
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: and tell me about the atmosphere. Tell me what you're
• 35:13
  Speaker 1: thinking about the Golden Knights, a team of which you've
• 35:16
  Speaker 1: written You've become a huge, huge fan. Yeah, Chah Best,
• 35:21
  Speaker 1: It's it's great to be here with you nowhere. I'd
• 35:24
  Speaker 1: rather be at this this hour of the morning. Um.
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: We have Game two today. The atmosphere in the city
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: is unlike anything I've ever been around. UM. I wrote
• 35:36
  Speaker 1: in the article about Game one that it's it was
• 35:43
  Speaker 1: one of the most experiences of my life and one UM.
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: I watched him one in the watch party right outside
• 35:52
  Speaker 1: the t area. It was about fall falls and other
• 35:54
  Speaker 1: people and it was just pure uberlation. There was I
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: mean strangers with their arms around each other. I mean
• 36:03
  Speaker 1: literally just everyone was was happy and excited and and
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: everyone was experiencing the same range of emotions together, you know,
• 36:14
  Speaker 1: because that game was up and down, it was back
• 36:17
  Speaker 1: and forth, and every time the capitals was you know,
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: like looking at each other and kind of reassure each
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: other it was gonna be okay. And that the Knights
• 36:24
  Speaker 1: before I don't hunting each other, and it was it's
• 36:28
  Speaker 1: it's something you had that. Honestly, I'll be over forget
• 36:30
  Speaker 1: a long place. It was. It was a very incredible experience.
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: How did you end up becoming a Golden Knights fan?
• 36:39
  Speaker 1: This team has taken hold of your heart? Yeah, they
• 36:43
  Speaker 1: absolutely have. UM, And the short answer is money. UM.
• 36:47
  Speaker 1: They may be a lot of it. Over the course
• 36:50
  Speaker 1: of the season, I started getting them a lot, uh,
• 36:52
  Speaker 1: And I think I jumped on them earlier than a
• 36:56
  Speaker 1: lot of people did because you were getting good value
• 36:59
  Speaker 1: on them earli in season. There was a lot of
• 37:01
  Speaker 1: good value on this scene. And I've got them now
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: forty nine times. There's season Chad, and they're thirty nine intended.
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: But that's I've made up. So they've They've made me
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: a lot of money. And then I started watching them, um,
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: you know, staying up late on East Coast and watching
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: the Golden Knights, and they were really exciting being the watcher,
• 37:23
  Speaker 1: mean needs to be boring hockey. It's very fast paced
• 37:27
  Speaker 1: up and down. And then you know, obviously the whole
• 37:30
  Speaker 1: story with with the tragedy. I was here in October
• 37:33
  Speaker 1: a few days before their first game, and the way
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: that they kind of have helped the city heal a
• 37:39
  Speaker 1: little bit, it's uh, it's become you know, one of
• 37:42
  Speaker 1: those stories that one day Disney is gonna make a
• 37:45
  Speaker 1: movie about. All Right, Matt Moore, let me transition to
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: you for a second, in a very uh eloquent, seamless way.
• 37:56
  Speaker 1: There is history being made in the NBA Finals, much
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: as there is history being made with what with what
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: is happening in the Stanley Cup and the Las Vegas
• 38:04
  Speaker 1: Golden Knights. Yeah, I did that right now. The Warriors
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: are twelve and a half point favorites in game one.
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: They are historically high favorites for the series. You wrote
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: in one of your stories actually in the newsletter. You
• 38:19
  Speaker 1: can go sign up for the newsletter at Action network
• 38:21
  Speaker 1: dot com. Uh, it's great, and you did an exclusive
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: for the newsletter basically saying there were a few things
• 38:27
  Speaker 1: in there that were interesting. Uh. Number one, you've got
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: the Warriors winning in five. I can't believe you're giving
• 38:33
  Speaker 1: them the game. Um. Number two, you had a note
• 38:36
  Speaker 1: in there that there are rumblings in the locker room.
• 38:40
  Speaker 1: That's the players are starting to block. Steve kerr Out
• 38:45
  Speaker 1: explain that to me. I think it's it's more that, Uh,
• 38:52
  Speaker 1: if you look at how this season has gone for
• 38:55
  Speaker 1: the Warriors, like the number one thing has been, um
• 38:58
  Speaker 1: that they just don't show up sometimes. And the thought was, like, well,
• 39:01
  Speaker 1: they show up with the regular season, but the fourth
• 39:03
  Speaker 1: finals run and it's hard to do that. And like
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: so he did like that they coached themselves saying and
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: that was cute, and you know, they they slept off
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: a game versus the Spurs, like whatever, the Spurs were
• 39:14
  Speaker 1: never gonna beat them, and they slept off the game
• 39:15
  Speaker 1: versus the Pelicans, and that was a game that like
• 39:17
  Speaker 1: really hurts Steve Curve where he was like, I can't
• 39:19
  Speaker 1: believe he played this badly in the second round and
• 39:22
  Speaker 1: he just did not care um. And then it happened
• 39:24
  Speaker 1: in the Western Conference Finals. That happen in game two, uh,
• 39:27
  Speaker 1: and it happened again in Game four, and it happened
• 39:30
  Speaker 1: again in Game five. Like the fact that the big
• 39:34
  Speaker 1: key I think is that in Game seven of the
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: Western Conference Finals they played one of their worst half
• 39:40
  Speaker 1: the basketball all season. And the people that are around
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: the team, the writers that are around the team, the
• 39:49
  Speaker 1: general sense is like, why on Earth at this point
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: are they still having trouble getting it together and giving effort.
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: There's a big gap between that and like them tuning
• 40:01
  Speaker 1: to Steve Kerr out And it's more that like Steve
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: kerr can't get through to them to where they're giving
• 40:07
  Speaker 1: maximum effort despite how high the stakes are. Uh. And
• 40:11
  Speaker 1: that I think is something that when I look at
• 40:12
  Speaker 1: what the lines are gonna be throughout the series, with
• 40:15
  Speaker 1: how much Golden State should be favored over this crappy Calvs. Team.
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: That gives me a lot of pause because you just
• 40:23
  Speaker 1: don't know when Golden State's gonna know show. Because there's
• 40:27
  Speaker 1: this line where for years they've been so confident because
• 40:30
  Speaker 1: they've been the best team in the league and they
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: knew it, and so they were confident. But now it's
• 40:34
  Speaker 1: slipped into where they're confident, but they also are just like, well,
• 40:38
  Speaker 1: we're gonna win, Like we know we're gonna win no
• 40:40
  Speaker 1: matter what we do, Like we know we're gonna win.
• 40:42
  Speaker 1: And that I think it's very dangerous, not only from
• 40:45
  Speaker 1: you might be playing with fire, but especially when you're
• 40:48
  Speaker 1: a double digit favorite and we're talking about the spread
• 40:51
  Speaker 1: like that really concerns me because Golden State's mental focus
• 40:55
  Speaker 1: is so far away from what it has been. They
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: were in two thousand and fifteen, they were trying when
• 41:00
  Speaker 1: their first titled. Into thousand and sixteen, they were working
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: to be one of the best teams of all time.
• 41:05
  Speaker 1: Into thousand and seventeen, it was the revenge tour for
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: the three one collapsed and validating Katie's decision. There's no
• 41:11
  Speaker 1: stakes for them this year, Like they know they're gonna win,
• 41:13
  Speaker 1: they know they're gonna win, and that creates this high
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: level of complacency. There's a weird vibe around that team
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: right now. I still think they're gonna win. I picked
• 41:22
  Speaker 1: them in five, but there's a really weird vibe around
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: the Warriors that series. It did not feel like the
• 41:28
  Speaker 1: same dominant Golden State team that I've covered in the
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: playoffs year after year the last four years. That right
• 41:35
  Speaker 1: there is why they Spread the Floor podcast is the
• 41:38
  Speaker 1: best basketball podcast there is. In like three minutes, you
• 41:41
  Speaker 1: just gave such a thoughtful explanation of what is going
• 41:47
  Speaker 1: on in that locker room. So my question is, what
• 41:51
  Speaker 1: is Steve kers say or doesn't even matter? Like when
• 41:53
  Speaker 1: I think about coaches getting tuned out, it starts to
• 41:56
  Speaker 1: mean to me that they don't like the coach anymore.
• 42:00
  Speaker 1: It's impossible not to like Steve kurtz An, impossible not
• 42:02
  Speaker 1: to think that he knows what he's doing. And this
• 42:04
  Speaker 1: group is something seems like a group that doesn't have
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: people on the team that are sort of the Prima
• 42:10
  Speaker 1: Donna types, were just gonna disrespect what Steve Kerr is
• 42:14
  Speaker 1: trying to put in front of them. I think a
• 42:20
  Speaker 1: lot of it with with it is Uh, the hunger
• 42:26
  Speaker 1: kind of has to be internal for the team, and
• 42:28
  Speaker 1: I think a lot of it's also Draymond. So Draymond
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: Green is the emotional heart and soul of that team,
• 42:34
  Speaker 1: like he is the core, and he is missing any
• 42:38
  Speaker 1: sort of hunger right now because they're so dominant. He's
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: fed off of disrespect his whole career. Nobody's disrespecting them.
• 42:45
  Speaker 1: You can't possibly make an argument that the Warriors are disrespected.
• 42:48
  Speaker 1: Everyone expected them to beat the Rockets. They were surprised
• 42:51
  Speaker 1: when they struggled, and everyone expects them to beat the
• 42:53
  Speaker 1: pants off the Calves. And so if Draymon is not
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: going a hundred miles an hour, and there were times,
• 42:58
  Speaker 1: especially that first half of Game seven, he looked awful. Uh,
• 43:03
  Speaker 1: And he has been barking at dudes like he is
• 43:05
  Speaker 1: he has been fed up with how the team plays.
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: Draymond is the one guy on the Warriors that genuinely
• 43:10
  Speaker 1: cares how the team plays, like he cares about whether
• 43:14
  Speaker 1: or not they go. Like after the Game five loss,
• 43:16
  Speaker 1: he talked about he said the word game plan discipline
• 43:19
  Speaker 1: about five times in a five minute presser, just constantly, like,
• 43:23
  Speaker 1: well we go, we have to have game plan discipline.
• 43:25
  Speaker 1: If you don't have game plan discipline, you're gonna lose.
• 43:28
  Speaker 1: And you can tell it irks him. And for years
• 43:30
  Speaker 1: it's been like it would he would get mad and
• 43:32
  Speaker 1: so he would let a fire into him and they
• 43:33
  Speaker 1: would respond. And now he just seems like tired of it.
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: He's just like, I don't know how many times I
• 43:37
  Speaker 1: gotta say this? How many times do we have to
• 43:39
  Speaker 1: go through this? Um? He was barking at Katie all
• 43:42
  Speaker 1: throughout that series, like there's all this stuff going on.
• 43:44
  Speaker 1: So with Kerr, I think there's only so much that
• 43:47
  Speaker 1: he can do because one, they're I mean, they're just
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: exhausted from four finals runs. They don't have any of
• 43:53
  Speaker 1: this hunger, and I don't know how it is that
• 43:55
  Speaker 1: they're going to be actually be able to get the
• 43:56
  Speaker 1: kind of motivation that they need in order to play
• 43:59
  Speaker 1: to their potential. Now what's crazy is they could still
• 44:02
  Speaker 1: cover at like effort. That's how bad the calves are
• 44:05
  Speaker 1: and how good the Warriors are. That's the gap here. Um.
• 44:09
  Speaker 1: But that to me, I think it's a concern is
• 44:10
  Speaker 1: that gold is How seriously is Golden Steak going to
• 44:13
  Speaker 1: take Cleveland when they know that their margin of error
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: is so much higher in this series than it wasn't
• 44:19
  Speaker 1: the last. I love the fact that this team can
• 44:23
  Speaker 1: play at f and Dreamland Green is the most passionate
• 44:26
  Speaker 1: player on that team, by the way. It's so interesting
• 44:28
  Speaker 1: to me. And you still think they can cover. Yeah,
• 44:33
  Speaker 1: it's just the problem. A lot of it is that
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: I'm right about this right now. For the angles why column,
• 44:39
  Speaker 1: which is gonna go up on action in this afternoon,
• 44:41
  Speaker 1: is Uh, the Calves on the road are just horrible,
• 44:46
  Speaker 1: Like they're just they are a minus five point six
• 44:48
  Speaker 1: and net in in point differential on the road, and
• 44:51
  Speaker 1: these playoffs, they didn't win a single game in Boston
• 44:54
  Speaker 1: until Game seven, Like, they have been absolutely atrocious on
• 44:59
  Speaker 1: the road and the layoffs and you're going into Oracle
• 45:02
  Speaker 1: where Golden State is such a massive, just dominant team.
• 45:07
  Speaker 1: But not only that, but they were specifically stellar in
• 45:09
  Speaker 1: those third quarters. There's a formula here if you want
• 45:12
  Speaker 1: to actually like break it down, which is they come
• 45:14
  Speaker 1: out and they hit. What I've been started to refer
• 45:16
  Speaker 1: to is the third quarter Haymaker of doom. Like their
• 45:18
  Speaker 1: net rating in these playoffs at home and that third
• 45:21
  Speaker 1: quarter is astronomical. It's plus, it's I want to have
• 45:24
  Speaker 1: in front of me. But it's like plus fIF team.
• 45:27
  Speaker 1: More than that, it's they just beat the pants off
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: the teams in these third quarters. Curry like comes out
• 45:32
  Speaker 1: and lights a fire, and then what happens is teams
• 45:35
  Speaker 1: are so far back they can't catch up. And then
• 45:38
  Speaker 1: at the seven minute mark, everyone just pulls the plug
• 45:41
  Speaker 1: and it's like, all right, let's get ready for the
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: next game. At that point, the Warriors bench will always
• 45:45
  Speaker 1: try and run it up. They will always try and
• 45:47
  Speaker 1: run it up, and they cals like garbage depth is
• 45:50
  Speaker 1: really bad. So I would expect the Warriors to go
• 45:52
  Speaker 1: ahead and write it up there. So these end of
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: game margins I think could be way higher even if
• 45:57
  Speaker 1: the game was close to halftime like the second spread.
• 46:00
  Speaker 1: I think you're gonna be huge. The key in on
• 46:02
  Speaker 1: in these games an oracle. Alright, black Jacks, I'm not
• 46:06
  Speaker 1: black Jack. I am not ignoring you on purpose. I
• 46:08
  Speaker 1: think there's some some phone issues, so I'm I'm limiting
• 46:12
  Speaker 1: your airtime, which is almost impossible because you are a
• 46:15
  Speaker 1: force of nature and people should go listen to Live
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: from the Strip if they want to get you and
• 46:18
  Speaker 1: your full glory. But you're in Vegas. You're gonna be
• 46:21
  Speaker 1: there for Game two of the Stanley Cup Finals, and
• 46:24
  Speaker 1: you're gonna be there for Game one of the NBA Finals.
• 46:28
  Speaker 1: When you listen to Matt, what does it do to
• 46:31
  Speaker 1: what you're thinking about what you might want to bet
• 46:33
  Speaker 1: for the finals and for Game one? Yeah, it's uh.
• 46:37
  Speaker 1: Listening to Matt right there just reaffirms what I was
• 46:39
  Speaker 1: already thinking for Game one, which is, I think you'd
• 46:42
  Speaker 1: take the Warriors delayed the twelve and twelve and a half.
• 46:45
  Speaker 1: But I also really like the Cavaliers supposed to have
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: plus seven. Uh, that's exactly right. That the Warriors have
• 46:54
  Speaker 1: tended to start and be a little bit black days ago,
• 46:57
  Speaker 1: and I think that if you're gonna give me seven
• 47:00
  Speaker 1: points in the first half of this game, I'm probably
• 47:04
  Speaker 1: going to take it a roll with that, and then
• 47:06
  Speaker 1: trust got to do what he said, which is what
• 47:10
  Speaker 1: they do with every one of these games, which is
• 47:12
  Speaker 1: about the third quarter and just shoot the lights out.
• 47:16
  Speaker 1: I like that idea a first half bat because I
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: am not comfortable laying twelve and a half. But I'm
• 47:22
  Speaker 1: also not comfortable putting putting money on Cleveland and coverage
• 47:26
  Speaker 1: twelve and a half. But I like plus seven. That's
• 47:28
  Speaker 1: a really good idea. All right, So Matt Moore, you
• 47:30
  Speaker 1: have come in that you think the series is gonna
• 47:33
  Speaker 1: go five. Why do you even think that it's gonna
• 47:35
  Speaker 1: go five just because the Warriors is gonna throw one
• 47:38
  Speaker 1: of those games away? Yes, it is incredible. Like every
• 47:43
  Speaker 1: single member of Golden State media knew that they were
• 47:45
  Speaker 1: gonna lose game too. But they all knew they were
• 47:48
  Speaker 1: gonna lose game too because when the Warriors came out
• 47:51
  Speaker 1: in one game one of the lessern Conference Finals and
• 47:53
  Speaker 1: they want to buy quite a high margin, they all
• 47:57
  Speaker 1: said like, oh that they think they just won the series,
• 47:59
  Speaker 1: Like this team is gonna think like we got this,
• 48:01
  Speaker 1: that's it, it's done, and they're not gonna try. It
• 48:04
  Speaker 1: was amazing how consistent those responses were because I was
• 48:06
  Speaker 1: on the other side of it at that point. I
• 48:08
  Speaker 1: was like, well, you know, I think Golden State is
• 48:10
  Speaker 1: probably gonna sweep them, Like they won game one, they
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: broke their back. They just go out and they win
• 48:15
  Speaker 1: a close one in game two, like the series is done,
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: and then Houston blast them off the face of the planet.
• 48:20
  Speaker 1: Because Golden State looks absolutely atrocious, like their ability to
• 48:23
  Speaker 1: follow up consecutive really great games is very poor. The
• 48:27
  Speaker 1: other thing is if you look at last year and
• 48:29
  Speaker 1: they won this first three and then that Game four,
• 48:32
  Speaker 1: it's just it's there. There is this real tendency for
• 48:36
  Speaker 1: Golden State to go for what we call the gentleman sweep,
• 48:38
  Speaker 1: like you give them one to be polite. And I'm
• 48:40
  Speaker 1: not saying they're gonna give Lebron one because you don't
• 48:42
  Speaker 1: want to start like letting Lebron back into a series,
• 48:45
  Speaker 1: but I do think it's gonna be very hard for
• 48:47
  Speaker 1: them to go full bore and have everything going. Um.
• 48:50
  Speaker 1: The other thing is is injuries are quietly with this
• 48:53
  Speaker 1: Warrior's team a real concern. DeAndre goodala thing is is
• 48:57
  Speaker 1: weighing over them, and there's hope that they can get
• 48:59
  Speaker 1: them back for Game one, but that bone bruise is
• 49:01
  Speaker 1: really painful and he's probably gonna be limited even if
• 49:03
  Speaker 1: he plays. Then they have going on the radar. Draymond
• 49:06
  Speaker 1: Green's got a shoulder injury and that's one of the
• 49:08
  Speaker 1: reasons he is three for his last seventeen from three
• 49:11
  Speaker 1: point range. UM. That really messes with what they're able
• 49:14
  Speaker 1: to do offensively. Uh, they don't have a lot of depth.
• 49:17
  Speaker 1: They just don't. They don't have a lot of guys
• 49:19
  Speaker 1: with good death Like Patrick McCaw played his first game
• 49:21
  Speaker 1: after five months in Game six and was a Game
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: five and was a disaster, missing that that crucial shot. Like,
• 49:28
  Speaker 1: they don't have a lot of depth here. So I
• 49:30
  Speaker 1: think that there's a good chance, um that Cleveland is
• 49:33
  Speaker 1: able to get a game behind the greatness of Lebron James.
• 49:38
  Speaker 1: But I think it's gonna be very much like it
• 49:39
  Speaker 1: was last year, where clearly the Warriors just weren't fully engaged.
• 49:43
  Speaker 1: Lebron does absolutely everything and it's still a close game
• 49:46
  Speaker 1: at the end. You gotta take on how long the
• 49:49
  Speaker 1: series is gonna go. I think you do five. I
• 49:54
  Speaker 1: think that Cleveland probably takes this series as well. Uh.
• 49:58
  Speaker 1: And we have this cover, so it's gonna be utterly
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: pointless about Ted David business series. Uh. And then Will
• 50:05
  Speaker 1: beat Up said you'll you'll rub the bat of the
• 50:07
  Speaker 1: clipt boscaps alrighty. Black Jack Fletcher Live from the Strip podcast,
• 50:14
  Speaker 1: Rocketing Up the iTunes podcast charts. Matt Moore, lead NBA
• 50:18
  Speaker 1: an analysts for Action Network that Spread the Floor podcast
• 50:22
  Speaker 1: unbelievably smart stuff. Everybody should go download. Everybody should listen.
• 50:27
  Speaker 1: Everybody should only spend all their time either reading Action
• 50:30
  Speaker 1: Network content or listening to Action Network podcast tell Us
• 50:35
  Speaker 1: enjoy the finals and the Stanley Cup. Enjoy the NBA Finals, Matt,
• 50:38
  Speaker 1: You'll be on the road, Blackjack. God only knows where
• 50:41
  Speaker 1: you're going to be a brother, but thanks for coming
• 50:43
  Speaker 1: on the podcast.