Latest / The Ben Maller Show / Hour 3 - The Best of the Best

Transcript

Hour 3 - The Best of the Best · The Ben Maller Show

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Welcome in. It is the Ben Maller Show. I'm Adam A.
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Adam Oslin, in for Big Ben Maller.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: Adam.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Ashlyn. Remember, it's time to get your financial portfolio game
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: ready with Webull. Get powerful investing tools and real-time data
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: all in one platform. Get started by downloading the Webull
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: app today or visiting Webull.com. Coming up this very hour,
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Mark Medina will join me. Did you guys know? I
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: don't know if you're aware of this, but yeah. Yeah.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: The NBA just sneaks up on you. No, the NBA
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: does not start on Christmas Day. It starts on Tuesday.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: The Knicks begin their title defense, taking on LeBron James
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: and the Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday night. So I'll have Mark
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: Medina on. He'll help preview the 26-27 NBA season. End
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: of the hour. Got more fallout with the Dodgers. With
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: the playoffs, with Major League Baseball, ALCS, what does it mean?
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: Are we still going to have a lockout next year?
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: Because the Dodgers lost, so it's cool now, right? There's
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: no issue. No super team. Everything's fine. They're not spending
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: the most money. No, it's going to be fine. I
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: do need to get back to Week 12 and make
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: it Week 6 with 12 games today. in the NFL
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: that we are counting down till we get to number one,
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: the best game of the day. Let's get to your
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: top five. Here's your fifth best game of the day.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: I got the jets and Patriots game. Not because it
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: was such a barn burner. I mean, Patriots, they were
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: up 17 to three early, although it was a one
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: score game throughout most of the second half. And the
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: Patriots are starting to look more like last year's team.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: I would say, you know, a team that beats up
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: and stat pads against the bad teams on their schedule, uh,
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: Drake May, though, the schedule, they call him Drake the
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: Schedule May. He's been playing better as of late again.
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: In fact, his last three games, Drake May, 10 touchdowns,
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: one interception, 900 yards. They're 3-0. Good for him. That
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: one good win they had, though, over those three games.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: I guess the Bills, who I'll get to in a
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: bit as well. But the reason that this game is
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: top five on my best games of the day list
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: is because of gambling implications. I don't know if you
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: guys are into that sort of thing. Was the fix in.
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: But Scott Van Pelt may have had this on one
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: of his bad beats. The Jets are down 10 with
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: 36 seconds left. And they decide in their infinite wisdom,
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: instead of going to punch it in for a touchdown
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: and then the onside kick, they just go for the
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: field goal right then. Well, they were getting seven and
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: a half points. They end up losing by seven as
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: they make that pointless field goal, at least for win-loss purposes.
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: But for gamblers who took the Patriots to cover that
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: seven and a half, oh, they got crushed. They got
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: destroyed this is the chowder heads that must have been
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: betting on the patriots they ain't eating that fresh clam
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: chowder anymore they're back to the canned beans and bean
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: town now i don't think there was anything nefarious going
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: on on the jets part i don't think they did
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: that on purpose but like they were betting on themselves
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: and they knew what the odds were never tell me
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: the odds I'm not saying Aaron Glenn had money on
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: the game. It was the right move to kick that
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: field goal and try and extend the game with an
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: onside kick. But God, that must have hurt some gamblers
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: laying the seven and a half points just for them
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: to get that meaningless field goal. I love games like
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: this because it's a warning shot. Like the 1-800 gambling
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: number is one thing. Actually watching some of these teams
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: blow games at lines and spreads is Just reminds you
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: of how unpredictable sports are. And yes, sports, they'll try
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: to kill you. These games will kill you emotionally or financially.
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: If you go down that route. The number four. Four.
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: The fourth best game of the day in the NFL.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: You may think I'm a fool for this. But I'm
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: a sucker for watching the car wrecks happen. on the
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: side of the road, you know. And the Chargers are
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: like if that Tesla doing the kickflip ended up landing
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: on his windshield instead, killing everyone in a fiery blaze.
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: Glad that didn't happen. But that crazy flying Tesla, it
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: is completely impractical. And also impractical is having any hope
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: in the Chargers. LA Charger fans know this. San Diego
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: Charger fans definitely know this. In a season where they
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: had Super Bowl expectations internally, The Chargers are 0-6. They
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: thought they had a Super Bowl-level roster, the right OC
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: to unlock Justin Herbert, and absolutely none of it has
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: come to fruition. It's hell on earth for Chargers fans.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: It always has been. It always will be. But this
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: is like peak Chargers season. If it wasn't for bad luck,
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: they'd have no luck at all. I don't know how
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: anyone survives this with a bye week coming up and
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: then the Rams... Who are definitely going to be upset
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: after what happened to them today. Does Mike McDaniel get fired?
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: Is it he and Harbaugh both getting fired at the
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: same time? We haven't even gotten to Halloween yet. The
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: Chargers had a fumble today where they literally ran into
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: themselves to cause said fumble. It was not a butt
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: fumble like Mark Sanchez, who I'm not sure if I'm
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: allowed to mention anymore, but the Chargers had two skilled
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: position players look not so skilled as they ran into
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: each other causing a fumble. Justin Herbert does not deserve this.
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: You can say that I'm just in love with him
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: more than Madison Beer. He has me in a trance
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: because he's like the fourth member of Hanson with his looks,
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: but I do see a warrior out there. He's given
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: everything he has. The problem is what he has is
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: a team that and a coordinator that are miserable around him.
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: I don't know what the hell they're going to do next.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: Justin Herbert, I don't think he's the problem. I really don't.
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: It wasn't your fault!
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: But if you keep him in there behind this offensive line,
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: he might become the problem because he will start seeing ghosts,
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: and not just because it's October and Halloween's coming. He
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: is basically a soldier coming back from NAMM at this
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: point with the level of PTSD that he will go
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: through from this season with the amount of hits that
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: he has taken. Have you ever heard of Vietnam? Do
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: you know this? This was making the rounds earlier today.
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: The last time the Chargers started 0-6 in a season
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: was the year 2000. Do you want to guess who
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: their starting quarterback was then?
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: Pop quiz, hot shot.
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: Jim Harbaugh. How are these things happening? Why do Chargers
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: fans get the Lord's toughest battles? Why do they get
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: put through this? Why are they all Job? I feel
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: for them. Clippers fans understand. It's hard out there. So
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: does this fan base. The third best game of the day. Hey,
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: Raiders fans. You know what? You performed pretty well against
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: a Super Bowl caliber opponent. At least when it comes
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: to the Bills on offense. That defense is not Super
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: Bowl level. But the Raiders hung tough. And they had
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: it tied at the eight-minute mark. That's a positive for
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: a Raiders rebuild. We talked about it earlier with Vinny Bonsignor.
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: But they're starting to look competent again. Where it's not
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: just that they are missing talent and coaching. Now they're
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: just missing talent. I think Clint Kubiak, he might be
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: the right guy. Also, there's evidence that he's the right
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: guy because look how much the Seahawks offense is struggling
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: without him. That Trey Tucker touchdown from Kirk Cousins, that
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: was impressive as hell at the end of that game.
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: They brought it back to a one-score game. Too little,
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: too late, but they were in this one unlike what
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: happened the week before against the Patriots. The Raiders, that
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: was a one-off. They are a functioning organization again and
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: look to be a threat in coming years, depending on
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: You know, how good Fernando Mendoza ends up being. But
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: with Kubiak in his ear, I'd honestly be hopeful. Raiders
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: fans should feel pretty good about the state of things
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: at the moment.
• 8:46
  Speaker 3: The Raiders suck.
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: No.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: It's okay to have pride in your Raiders again. Los Angeles. Oakland.
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: Las Vegas. Raider Nation is everywhere. Ubiquitous. I am actually
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: paying attention to them. I said it earlier. I actually
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: think They might be more competent of a football team
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: at this point than the Dallas Cowboys. A better organization
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: than them. I mean, it's been a while for both
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: teams winning at the highest level. But who's in a
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: better position moving forward? Which team do you believe in more?
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: Who at least has a head coach that knows how
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: to call plays and get the most out of his roster?
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: All you can do is optimize what you have to
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: work with out there. Clint Kubiak is doing that. brian
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: schottenheimer not so much they're underperforming the raiders are over
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: performing you could say second best game of the day
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: friday night kevin and i we both took the rams
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: minus 12 or 12 and a half whatever the hell
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: it was in our two on two off segment on
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: fna on fox sports radio you get to pick two
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: favorites you get to pick two underdogs we both thought
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: Sean McVay would be out for blood after that tough
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: loss on Monday night to the Bills and instead the
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: Cardinals made him taste his own blood the super team
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: Rams are two and four They got smoked in Australia
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: by the Niners. They blew a 16-0 lead to the Broncos.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: They had a special team's malfunction against the Bills. They
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: scored only 16 points today against the Cardinals. The game
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: was even lining up for a Hollywood ending for the Rams.
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: After they cut their kicker after the Bills game, their
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: new kicker, who looked to be 140 pounds soaking wet,
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: got hurt making a tackle early in the game. Their
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: punter then has to turn in to their third kicker
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: in a week. He hits the all-important extra point to
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: give them the lead at 16-15 with a minute left,
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: and yet the Cardinals still won the game by kicking
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: a field goal. Their sixth of the day, by the way.
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: A kicker named Chad, of all things, won the game
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: for the Arizona Cardinals in L.A. over the Super Team Rams.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: Greg Olson on the call during it was like, apparently
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: field goals, they don't hurt you. They don't beat you.
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: That's the old adage. You need touchdowns. You don't need
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: field goals. Well, the Cardinals kicked six of them, and
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: they won. They went into SoFi twice and won this year.
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: The Cardinals are 2-0 at SoFi. The Rams and Chargers
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: are a combined 1-5. And Sean McVay, he just lost
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: to his former offensive coordinator, Michael Fleur. Post-game, McVay said, quote,
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: we won't win a game unless we learn not to
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: beat ourselves. Hey, you got to give that Chad kicker credit, Sean.
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: You did not beat yourself. Chad beat you. That happened.
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: That's not going to happen. It happened. I would have
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: bet someone else's life, at least, that the Rams would
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: win this game. This is completely inexcusable to lose to
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: a one-win, now two-win Cardinals team after the way they
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: lost on Monday night to Buffalo. Sean McVay also said,
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: it was a good, humbling day for us post-game. And
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: this is the challenge of sports. Those are the things
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: you say after a loss to the Cardinals. They make
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: you reflect on what the hell you're doing as a team,
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: A Cardinals loss will make you reflect on what the
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: hell you're doing in your life. That's how demoralizing a
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: loss to the Arizona Cardinals is. When a kicker named
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: Chad beats you, it will put you in like existential
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: crisis mode. You will be bewildered, dazed and confused, dumbfounded.
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: You're just staring into the abyss as a franchise when
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: something like that happens to you. And somebody reminded everyone
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: on social media that I couldn't tell you who this
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: guy was. Mack Wilson Sr. of the Cardinals had to
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: say this summer, when everybody was talking big about the
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: Rams and how great they're going to be, Cardinal Mack
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: Wilson Sr. said, at the end of the day, they
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: got to deal with us. I guess he wasn't wrong.
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: My attempt to be humorous. We all laughed at it
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: at the time. At the end of the day, the
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: super team Rams got a deal with us and they
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: couldn't deal. All right. The number one game of the day.
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: I got to give it to the Cleveland Browns. This
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: is like, they don't win anything. I want them to
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: win something here. And they won today. And they won
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: in my week six power rankings as well. You got
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: another Deshaun Watson game-winning drive. I mean, this was a
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: battle for first place in the AFC North, and the
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: Browns were somehow involved in that battle. The Browns, they
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: don't win much, and yet they're 4-2. And Deshaun Watson,
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: he might be on the low end of things, but
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: I think his name might get brought up in MVP conversations.
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: He won't win. But if they make the playoffs, and
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: he keeps being the reason why on offense... I guess
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: he should be in the MVP conversation. Browns fans, they're
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: not booing him anymore. He doesn't have to buy a
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: drink or a meal in Cleveland. Fans will welcome him
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: into any establishment right now. Maybe not massage parlors. They'll
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: still kick him out. But this is quite the turnaround
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: in redemption story. Deshaun Watson has twice the amount of
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: game-winning drives as the next best quarterback this season. He's
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: got four. Everybody else has got two. Excuse me, somehow
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: Bo Nix has three. So not twice, as all of them.
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: But Josh Allen has two game-winning drives. Jared Goff has two.
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: Patrick Mahomes has two. Deshaun Watson has four. Now you've
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: got to be down in games often to have a
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: game-winning drive, and that plays into this. And they were
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: down 10-0 in that game to the Ravens. The team
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: that replaced the Browns, mind you.
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: I know.
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: It's the defense keeping them in games for Deshaun Watson
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: to have a chance to make a few plays late
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: to win them. But he's doing it. And I didn't
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: think he could anymore. We all thought he was on
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: borrowed time this year and Shadur Sanders would replace him eventually. Instead,
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: we're watching Shadur Sanders cheering him on and congratulating him
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: on leading them to another game-winning drive. Deshaun Watson, he's
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: living a charmed life right now. He even survived a
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: sack by old Claes Campbell, who's 400 pounds. A pound
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: for every year he's been in the league. That's what
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: it feels like. He's 40. He's a man. He's 40. Congratulations, Browns.
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: You win. My coveted. Week 6 NFL rankings. Adam.
• 16:22
  Speaker 2: Ashlyn.
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: I'm Adam Oslin. In for big Ben Maller here on
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: Fox Sports Radio. Coming up, my friend Mark Medina will
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: join the show. That's next here on Fox Sports Radio.
• 16:37
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  Speaker 3: And the Ben Maller Show. Fox Sports Radio.
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: I'm Adam Oslin in for Big Ben Maller. You may
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: have heard of me on FNA on Fox Sports Radio
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: on Friday nights. Good to be here. Workforce challenges slowing
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• 17:56
  Speaker 1: we will get to the Dodgers and if the Brewers
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: actually saved baseball. this past week. But before any of that,
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: it's coming on Tuesday. Ready or not, the NBA is back.
• 18:11
  Speaker 2: That one's ringing, dude.
• 18:14
  Speaker 3: Thank you, Donnie.
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: Well, the NBA season tips off with the Knicks hanging
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: the banner for the first time in 53 years, which
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: is how long it feels like since I had talked
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: to this man. But the ball is back, and so
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: is he. It's Mark Medina, NBA reporter and writer and
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: frequent contributor here on Fox Sports Radio. I'm out of Moslin,
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: of course, in for Ben Maller tonight. Mark, how are
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: we doing?
• 18:36
  Speaker 2: Well, you know the answer is I'm doing fantastic because
• 18:39
  Speaker 2: NBA season's starting. Get to talk to you, and I'm sure...
• 18:43
  Speaker 2: There's a strong over-under on how many hip-hop Eminem references
• 18:47
  Speaker 2: we sneak in here.
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: You know, I wasn't sure if I should do it because,
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: you know, I didn't want to leave Kevin out since
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: we did FNA on Friday night. And that's typically when
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: we're talking Eminem and doing rap news and all this stuff.
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: Although I probably should have got to Tupac Killer getting sentenced.
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: Why didn't I have that on Friday night? Anyways, sorry.
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: I just, you know what? We'll see what happens. We'll
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: see what arises here. But I do want to talk about,
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: maybe we'll get to the Detroit Pistons, 8 Mile there. Uh,
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: let's talk about, let's talk about first who's better between
• 19:17
  Speaker 1: LeBron's former team and his current team heading into this season.
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: Oh, that's a fantastic question. Um, because there's just so
• 19:23
  Speaker 2: many turbulent moving parts. You have the Sixers. Can they
• 19:26
  Speaker 2: be healthy with Joel Embiid and LeBron James? Um, you know,
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: I think that you can automatically pencil in either player
• 19:33
  Speaker 2: is playing 82 games, but there is a pathway that
• 19:36
  Speaker 2: can be reasonably healthy. There's also a pathway that father
• 19:39
  Speaker 2: time gets the best of both of them. With the Lakers,
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: I think on paper, there is more roster depth, but
• 19:45
  Speaker 2: it takes time to develop continuity with nine new players.
• 19:48
  Speaker 2: And Walker Kessler, Luka... Doncic, Austin Reeves it's only preseason
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: but they only played a half together so they are
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: in work in progress if I had to guess the
• 19:57
  Speaker 2: Sixers will have a better season because you have an
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: influx of all-star caliber talent I think they'll get to
• 20:04
  Speaker 2: the Eastern Conference Finals. They'll lose to the Knicks because
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: they have the continuity. They still have a lot of
• 20:10
  Speaker 2: good talent from last season's championship team, where I think
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: the Lakers, they'll get to the second round because the
• 20:16
  Speaker 2: separation between them and teams like the Thunder and the Spurs,
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: it's so vast because their talent and continuity is vastly superior.
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: I thought I just heard you say they'll lose to
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, Philadelphia.
• 20:29
  Speaker 2: Oh, yeah, without a doubt. Put it down here. The Knicks,
• 20:32
  Speaker 2: they're going back to the finals now. Don't get too excited,
• 20:36
  Speaker 2: Jason Smith, if he's listening. I think that the Spurs
• 20:40
  Speaker 2: are going to win the championship over the Knicks, but
• 20:42
  Speaker 2: at least they'll get to the finals again.
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: So we're getting the rematch. Let's go the rubber match
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: since we go back to 1999 with these three, actually. Okay. Interesting.
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: Will the Knicks still have, I don't know, Carl Anthony
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: Towns on the team under a new contract by the
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: time they're in the finals against San Antonio?
• 20:59
  Speaker 2: Well, I mean, by the looks of it, doesn't sound
• 21:02
  Speaker 2: like there's going to be a new contract because James
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: Dolan said pretty clearly now that the season starts, they're
• 21:08
  Speaker 2: seizing extension talks. And He's made it clear he has
• 21:11
  Speaker 2: no interest in going above the second apron. I think
• 21:14
  Speaker 2: that that is, you know, something that's short-sighted. You don't
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: want to, you know, cut any corners when it comes
• 21:21
  Speaker 2: to giving the team the best shot at winning a championship.
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: But as it pertains to only this season, I think
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: that they have everything it takes to get back and
• 21:31
  Speaker 2: defend their title. I just think the Spurs are going
• 21:35
  Speaker 2: to come out with even more of a vengeance because
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: they They're a year older. They have that finals experience
• 21:41
  Speaker 2: under their belt. And, you know, I think that some
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: of the shortcomings that Victor Wambanyama had in the NBA finals,
• 21:47
  Speaker 2: it's not going to be there. Dylan Harper's going to
• 21:49
  Speaker 2: be even a better player. De'Aaron Fox, if he's still
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: with the team, I think he's not going to be
• 21:55
  Speaker 2: a playoff no-show as he was before. But if he isn't,
• 21:58
  Speaker 2: they probably were able to flip him in a pretty
• 22:00
  Speaker 2: good deal. The Spurs are so favored that an assistant
• 22:05
  Speaker 2: coach from another team told me a few weeks ago
• 22:07
  Speaker 2: he thinks this is going to be the first of
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: three NBA championships. So he's calling it a three-peat. That
• 22:13
  Speaker 2: hasn't been done since the early 2000 Lakers. There hasn't
• 22:16
  Speaker 2: been a team that's actually repeated back-to-back since the Warriors
• 22:20
  Speaker 2: in 27-18. But there's a feeling around the league that
• 22:24
  Speaker 2: the Spurs are just getting started.
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: All right, let's stay with the East a little bit
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: here and continue with the theme of somebody going East,
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: young man. And Kawhi Leonard leaving the West to go
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: East to the Toronto Raptors. You already showed your hand
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: with one of the teams that you have in the
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: Eastern Conference Finals. I guess you got both New York
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: and the 76ers. But I guess how close or what
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: tier would you put the Toronto Raptors now with Kawhi
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: Leonard in in the Eastern Conference?
• 22:50
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I would put them at the second tier behind them.
• 22:54
  Speaker 2: You know, if the Sixers have so many significant injuries
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: at the worst possible time, the Raptors could get there.
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: Kawhi Leonard, we've seen when he's healthy, and that's a
• 23:04
  Speaker 2: big if, but he can still play like an elite player,
• 23:07
  Speaker 2: but that's a whole other question. I think because of
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: the history that Toronto has with him and their medical staff,
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: it's probably going to be better odds than what happened,
• 23:17
  Speaker 2: you know, as you know, with the Clippers, but they
• 23:20
  Speaker 2: also have a lot of question marks.
• 23:22
  Speaker 3: Yes.
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: Scotty Barnes is an all-star caliber player, but everything else
• 23:26
  Speaker 2: is kind of up in the air. So I think
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: the separation between Nick Sixers and, is pretty significant compared
• 23:33
  Speaker 2: to the rest of the East. Even with the Miami
• 23:36
  Speaker 2: Heat getting Giannis Antetokounmpo, yes, that does put them back
• 23:39
  Speaker 2: in the conversation. They're not going to be a one-and-done
• 23:43
  Speaker 2: playing team anymore because of just how elite Giannis and
• 23:47
  Speaker 2: Bam Adebayo are on the defensive end. But what about offensively?
• 23:50
  Speaker 2: Even though they have some better shooters, they're still, I think,
• 23:54
  Speaker 2: a work in progress in terms of having that consistency there.
• 23:59
  Speaker 2: We haven't seen Klay Thompson shoot the ball well in preseason. Yes,
• 24:02
  Speaker 2: Bobby Portis, he's a good player from all sides of
• 24:06
  Speaker 2: the ball, but I think there's still question marks on
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: if they'll have consistency at the point guard position.
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: Are we going to look back on this Jalen Brown
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: trade between Boston and Philadelphia? as kind of that line
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: of demarcation for when Boston was no longer a contender
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: in the Eastern Conference. Is that how this is going
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: to be looked at in history?
• 24:27
  Speaker 2: I don't necessarily think so, but I am on record
• 24:30
  Speaker 2: when the Celtics made that trade that this has been
• 24:33
  Speaker 2: the worst trade that I can think of in recent history.
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: only because this is giving the Sixers... Outside of Luka, right?
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: I'm still upset about that as a Clippers fan.
• 24:43
  Speaker 2: That's worse. Jalen Brown's second. But here's the thing. I
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: don't think that this automatically puts the Celtics out of
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: championship contention. They're still going to be a playoff team
• 24:53
  Speaker 2: because they have Jason Tatum back healthy. Peyton Pritchard's great.
• 24:57
  Speaker 2: Derek White is, I think, an underrated player. He's do-it-all
• 25:02
  Speaker 2: in every sense of the word with his passing. his
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: defensive versatility, and I think his three-point shooting is going
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: to improve. But I think it's more of an indictment
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: that they made the Sixers infinitely better because they already
• 25:14
  Speaker 2: had Joel Embiid. and Tyrese Maxey. Yes, Joel Embiid's a
• 25:17
  Speaker 2: wild card on when he can be healthy, but when available,
• 25:20
  Speaker 2: still one of the best centers in the NBA. Tyrese
• 25:22
  Speaker 2: Maxey has now proven himself as an all-star caliber player
• 25:26
  Speaker 2: every single season. And then when you got Jalen Brown,
• 25:29
  Speaker 2: that was really the gateway to get LeBron James. But
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: I think with that, the Celtics will still be in
• 25:35
  Speaker 2: the mix as like a sneaky, underrated team, but they're
• 25:39
  Speaker 2: sealing second round at best, likely out in the first round,
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: that it's not going to completely blow up in their face,
• 25:45
  Speaker 2: but it is making life a lot easier for Provo.
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: NBA analyst and commentator Mark Medina is with us late night.
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: I'm Adam Oslin, in for Ben Maller here on Fox
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: Sports Radio. Mark, I'm going to give you nine teams
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: because only eight of these teams are making the playoffs
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: in the East. And I want you to tell me
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: who's not making it from this group. Knicks, Celtics, Raptors, Magic, Pistons, Cavs, Sixers, Heat, Pacers.
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: Who's not making it?
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: That is a really tough list on who to eliminate. Jeez. Okay.
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: Let's start, let's start this easy of who's making them.
• 26:21
  Speaker 2: That'll be process. So we have, we have Knicks, we
• 26:25
  Speaker 2: have Sixers, we have Toronto, we have Boston. That's four.
• 26:29
  Speaker 2: We have Detroit. We have Miami. That's six. I think
• 26:33
  Speaker 2: those are the only teams that are avoiding the plan tournament.
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: I think after that, yeah, I think Orlando is back.
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: Um, Cavs? Pacers?
• 26:45
  Speaker 2: Oh, yeah. You know what? Cavs would be seven. Orlando
• 26:49
  Speaker 2: would be eight. And then Pacers would be nine. And
• 26:53
  Speaker 2: who am I missing there? Detroit?
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think so. I think you left out the
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: Pistons then.
• 26:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah, here's the thing. And you can flip that in
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: any order. I think the Pistons, they're going to be
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: better than last season. Well, I take that back. They're
• 27:09
  Speaker 2: clearly not going to be better than last season. I
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: just mean from a chemistry standpoint. Even with the Jalen
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: Dern contract negotiations being weird, I think that that can
• 27:16
  Speaker 2: be behind them.
• 27:17
  Speaker 3: But I don't.
• 27:18
  Speaker 2: Believe in them in the playoffs. They're very streaky as
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: a shooting team, even though they have good three-point shooters.
• 27:25
  Speaker 2: And Cade Cunningham, great scorer, great passer, but he has
• 27:30
  Speaker 2: too many turnovers in very consequential games. And so I
• 27:34
  Speaker 2: think even though they're going to be better than last season,
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: the rest of the East has gotten significantly better overall.
• 27:41
  Speaker 2: because of the moves that Philadelphia made, because of the
• 27:44
  Speaker 2: fact that Tyrese Halliburton is back with Indiana, that their
• 27:48
  Speaker 2: improvement is substantially better than any improvement we're seeing with Detroit.
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: It's going to be Eminem on Mark Medina, Eminem Crime.
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: When Eminem does the diss track now, hearing you're saying
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: Detroit's not making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
• 28:01
  Speaker 2: I know, and I saw that he and Kid Rock
• 28:03
  Speaker 2: were surprisingly collaborating again, and now they're going to team
• 28:06
  Speaker 2: up on it.
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: Interesting pairing there. So is this. We saw over the
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: weekend Kevin Durant went after his former owner a little bit.
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: For alleging that he went after him first, Matt Ishbia
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: talking about just a change in philosophy with this Phoenix
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: Suns organization. I thought it was pretty much innocuous with
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: what he was saying on CNBC. How did you take it?
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: And is there any advice you'd give to Kevin Durant
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: on how to handle these things in the future at
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: this point?
• 28:36
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I don't want to sound like the contradictory
• 28:39
  Speaker 2: media guy because I enjoy talking to Kevin Durant when
• 28:42
  Speaker 2: I cover him with the Warriors and have had interviews
• 28:45
  Speaker 2: with them. he's always transparent. So you want honesty and
• 28:48
  Speaker 2: candor and professional athletes instead of big dancers. But I
• 28:52
  Speaker 2: think objectively it should be beneath Kevin Durant to engage
• 28:57
  Speaker 2: in all these social media spats or, you know, feelings
• 29:00
  Speaker 2: that he's been slighted because he's one of the best
• 29:03
  Speaker 2: scorers of all time. And yes, I know that he
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: gets a lot of pushback for what degree does he
• 29:08
  Speaker 2: deserve credit for the Warriors two championships when he was there,
• 29:12
  Speaker 2: but you know what? He's, He makes a lot of money.
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: He's respected by his peers from his basketball acumen that
• 29:21
  Speaker 2: anything else shouldn't matter, but that's him. Now, what Matt
• 29:25
  Speaker 2: Eshbia said, I agree. Most of it was innocuous. I mean,
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: his broader point was we learned the hard way that
• 29:33
  Speaker 2: because you're paying a lot of players that deserve the money,
• 29:37
  Speaker 2: like Kevin Durant or Bradley Beal, that really inhibits their
• 29:41
  Speaker 2: ability to have roster depth around the rest of the
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: team you know maybe objectively it would be probably better
• 29:49
  Speaker 2: to throw Bradley Beal's name in there instead of Kevin
• 29:51
  Speaker 2: Durant because not only did he take a lot of
• 29:54
  Speaker 2: cap space but Bradley Beal was hurt the majority of
• 29:57
  Speaker 2: the games but I don't think that Matt Ishbia was
• 30:00
  Speaker 2: trying to make personal slights at Kevin Durant or any
• 30:03
  Speaker 2: insinuations that he was a bad teammate or bad presence
• 30:06
  Speaker 2: in the locker room. It had more to do with,
• 30:09
  Speaker 2: because of today's spending restrictions and second apron concerns, it's
• 30:13
  Speaker 2: better to have roster depth than these super teams.
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: I agree with you. I'm going to have to put
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: out my hit piece later, I think in the final
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: hour on KD, though. I just can't help myself. Like, I...
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: I can't believe he's still doing this.
• 30:26
  Speaker 2: And here's the thing. He's had so many of these
• 30:28
  Speaker 2: social media spats. It's hard to know where to rank them, right?
• 30:32
  Speaker 2: I would like to think that's up there, but then again,
• 30:35
  Speaker 2: he's had the burner accounts where he was throwing his
• 30:37
  Speaker 2: Rockets teammates under the bus, throwing shade at the Golden
• 30:40
  Speaker 2: State Warriors so much that Clay Thompson decided to respond
• 30:44
  Speaker 2: back to him and wonder why he's downplaying his contributions
• 30:49
  Speaker 2: as an all-star caliber player with the Warriors. I mean,
• 30:51
  Speaker 2: there's so many social media, great hits with Kevin Durant
• 30:54
  Speaker 2: that you're running out of ways on, you know, which
• 30:57
  Speaker 2: one determine which one's the best one.
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: It's hard to rank those. It's also hard to rank
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: him legacy wise because of him going to golden state
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: now moving around and being a mercenary a little bit.
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: It's a strange career for one of the best to
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: ever touch a basketball. Uh, before I let you go here, Mark,
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: you gave me your finals pick. Who's your regular season
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: MVP this season?
• 31:18
  Speaker 2: Oh, I think it's going to be Victor Wambanyama. Um,
• 31:22
  Speaker 2: I mean, here's the scary part, Adam. People around the
• 31:26
  Speaker 2: league that I've talked to think that he's going to
• 31:29
  Speaker 2: be an even more dominant two-way force than he was
• 31:32
  Speaker 2: last season. That's saying a lot because he was considered
• 31:34
  Speaker 2: the best defensive player last year. So I think, how
• 31:38
  Speaker 2: do you improve as a defender? He's already excelled as
• 31:41
  Speaker 2: a rim protector, but it's more about just being able
• 31:44
  Speaker 2: to now guard on the perimeter a lot more consistently.
• 31:48
  Speaker 2: And I think offensively, he's shown that he's very disciplined,
• 31:51
  Speaker 2: but you also just have to put everything together. And
• 31:55
  Speaker 2: so I think that he would be my number one
• 31:57
  Speaker 2: for MVP, and I think number two would probably be
• 32:00
  Speaker 2: Luka Doncic because he's healthier and he's going to take
• 32:04
  Speaker 2: the reins even more now that LeBron's not on the team. But,
• 32:08
  Speaker 2: you know, Nikola Jokic always has a puncher's chance as
• 32:11
  Speaker 2: long as he can stay healthy. And I guess, you know,
• 32:15
  Speaker 2: Jalen Brown and Jalen Brunson could have a say as well.
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: Well, like Victor Weminyama, Mark Medina can do a little
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: bit of everything in a very dominant and high-level NBA writer, reporter.
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: You see him all the time. You hear him here
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: on Fox Sports Radio, even at, what time is it?
• 32:32
  Speaker 1: It's late. I'll say that. Mark Medina, thanks for doing this.
• 32:36
  Speaker 1: Thanks for coming on Fox Sports Radio with me late night.
• 32:38
  Speaker 2: Adam, always a pleasure. Honored to talk hoops with you
• 32:41
  Speaker 2: on any platform, so I appreciate you.
• 32:43
  Speaker 1: The other M & M, Mark Medina. One of my favorites.
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: Coming up in the very next segment. One of my favorites,
• 32:50
  Speaker 1: the Dodgers losing in the NLCS. Oh, why am I
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: being such a hater here?
• 32:54
  Speaker 3: I feel the conflict within you.
• 32:55
  Speaker 2: Let go of your hate.
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: Well, I'm from NorCal. I'm a Giants fan, so you
• 32:59
  Speaker 1: might understand where I'm coming from. But did the Dodgers
• 33:02
  Speaker 1: losing and being swept out of the playoffs save baseball?
• 33:06
  Speaker 1: We'll talk about that next. I'm Adam Oslin in for
• 33:09
  Speaker 1: Ben Maller here on Fox Sports Radio.
• 33:10
  Speaker 3: Be sure to catch live editions of the Ben Maller
• 33:13
  Speaker 3: Show weekdays at 2 a.m. Eastern, 11 p.m.
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: Pacific. You play ball like a girl. Adam Ashland. Welcome
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: back in. I'm Adam Oslin in for Big Ben Maller
• 33:24
  Speaker 1: tonight here on Fox Sports Radio. 877-99 on Fox is
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: the phone number. DraftKings, an official partner of the NBA,
• 33:31
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• 33:51
  Speaker 1: Coming up next hour, somebody who got a crown artificially,
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: I would say. Kevin Durant took the shortcut in life,
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: went to Golden State, got two rings, made it look easy,
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: probably because it was. I'll get to KD. I'll take
• 34:07
  Speaker 1: him down the very next hour. But first, played the
• 34:11
  Speaker 1: soundbite coming in. And I don't know if that's even
• 34:13
  Speaker 1: allowed anymore. Welcome back to Hardball. You know, the Dodgers
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: are out of the playoffs, and they went out in
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: humiliating fashion. At least that's how some of the fans
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: are presenting it. Dodgers fans, they got a little spoiled,
• 34:25
  Speaker 1: maybe a little bit entitled after winning back-to-back titles, after
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: spending $ 200 million more than the next closest team when
• 34:32
  Speaker 1: you include all the deferred money into their payroll. Yes,
• 34:35
  Speaker 1: it says $ 331 million in the payroll. Well, that excludes
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: the deferred money, which is $ 200 million more. The IOUs
• 34:45
  Speaker 1: going to Otani and other years down the line, like
• 34:50
  Speaker 1: a decade later. How long is he getting paid? Until 2040?
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: But look, it's actually Dodger fans that are complaining right
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: now quite a bit. At least I saw this initially
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: after they got swept out of the playoffs by the Brewers.
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: I just, you know, Dodgers fans favorite things winning and
• 35:13
  Speaker 1: blaming Dave Roberts, pointing fingers his way. Dodgers fans are
• 35:20
  Speaker 1: complaining about the Hall of Fame manager. And that's where
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: Dave Roberts is going when all things are said and done.
• 35:26
  Speaker 1: And now that they're done, Dodger fans are going back
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: to that second favorite thing, next to the deferring money
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: and winning, blaming Dave Roberts for everything. This is a
• 35:35
  Speaker 1: regular occurrence. Whenever there's a Dodgers loss, even in the
• 35:38
  Speaker 1: regular season, you'll see Dave Roberts trending. Even after winning
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: three World Series championships, I know some are already triggered
• 35:46
  Speaker 1: that I included the 2020 ring here. Count it or don't,
• 35:50
  Speaker 1: they still went back-to-back after playing 162, but hey.
• 35:54
  Speaker 1: What have you done for me lately, Mr. Roberts? Not
• 35:56
  Speaker 1: like you managed those playoff runs perfectly or anything. He did.
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: Anyone else pinch-hitting Miguel Rojas in that spot for the
• 36:05
  Speaker 1: biggest Dodgers hit since Kirk Gibson in 88? That Game
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: 7 against the Blue Jays? That was Dave Roberts pushing
• 36:13
  Speaker 1: the right buttons at the right time to get the
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: Dodgers the win in one of the most dramatic Game
• 36:18
  Speaker 1: 7s in sports. Not just Major League Baseball here. And
• 36:23
  Speaker 1: then the Dodgers get swept by the Brewers as it
• 36:26
  Speaker 1: looked like their task of three-peating was too tough. The
• 36:31
  Speaker 1: Yankees did it back in the early 2000s. They won
• 36:34
  Speaker 1: against Braves, Padres, oh, those New York Mets, yeah. And
• 36:40
  Speaker 1: the Dodgers fans, they just went right back to blaming
• 36:44
  Speaker 1: Dave Roberts after not three-peating here. They treat Dave Roberts
• 36:49
  Speaker 1: sometimes the way Chargers fans would treat Brandon Staley or
• 36:52
  Speaker 1: Cowboys fans did Mike McCarthy. How's that going, Cowboys? Is
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: it going better without him? Yes, I've criticized him plenty
• 37:01
  Speaker 1: in the past as well. But Dodgers fans will never
• 37:05
  Speaker 1: let go what happened with him taking Rich Hill off
• 37:07
  Speaker 1: the mound against the Red Sox earlier, bringing in Kershaw
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: out of the pen against the Nationals in 2019. They
• 37:15
  Speaker 1: think he's getting by off of stacked teams. which you
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: know they are but look dave roberts made some mistakes
• 37:23
  Speaker 1: in game three he burned some bats unnecessarily he may
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: have left blake snell in too long even though he
• 37:29
  Speaker 1: just retired 14 in a row and it was a
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: lefty lefty matchup and he had never given up back-to-back
• 37:34
  Speaker 1: home runs to lefties before i mean there was a
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: lot of rationale to keep him in never mind otani
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: was a shell of himself still was the only dodger
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: to get a hit in a home run in that
• 37:46
  Speaker 1: series Freeman didn't. Mookie didn't. Will Smith didn't. Look at
• 37:52
  Speaker 1: the players, maybe, a little bit more than the manager.
• 37:57
  Speaker 1: In this case, even if you want to say he
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: had a bad series, and overall you can say Dave
• 38:01
  Speaker 1: Roberts did, is that why they got swept? Even if
• 38:05
  Speaker 1: you say, yes, it is, you're wrong. Does he not
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: have enough built-up goodwill and equity to survive a bad
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: series a year after they just went to back-to-back titles?
• 38:17
  Speaker 1: He clearly had his fingerprints all over those two championships.
• 38:22
  Speaker 1: Would that not buy him a bad series? Like, what
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: are we doing here? Do the players not have the
• 38:26
  Speaker 1: biggest effect on the game in sports? Are the stars
• 38:30
  Speaker 1: not paid much more than the manager? Where's my money, bitch?
• 38:35
  Speaker 1: Too often we oversimplify things so we can blame one guy.
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: So we can have this nicely crafted narrative and it's
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: easy to digest the explanation. This is why our team lost.
• 38:45
  Speaker 1: The truth is there's that blame pie where everyone gets
• 38:48
  Speaker 1: a slice and some get that big old Thanksgiving slice
• 38:52
  Speaker 1: of that pumpkin pie. Others, a thin sliver without even
• 38:56
  Speaker 1: any whipped cream. We've got to stop the simpleton sports
• 38:59
  Speaker 1: arguments of just saying it's either his fault or it's
• 39:02
  Speaker 1: his fault. It's rarely either one or the other. This
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: is a fan flaw, and so is always looking to
• 39:09
  Speaker 1: blame the coach or the manager. You may follow your
• 39:13
  Speaker 1: team at a granular level, but you don't do that
• 39:15
  Speaker 1: with every other team, do you? I get this with
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: the Clippers all the time. People go hard at Coach Lou,
• 39:23
  Speaker 1: criticize him, overly scrutinize him. Because that's the guy they
• 39:27
  Speaker 1: watch 82 games of. They don't watch with other coaches.
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: Miami Heat fans, they scrutinize Eric Spolstra, who a lot
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: of people think is the best in the game. Steve
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: Kerr gets scrutinized by Warriors fans. But a lot of
• 39:42
  Speaker 1: it is because you're judging that guy, and he's under
• 39:44
  Speaker 1: a different microscope than everybody else is for you. So
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: you're going to judge him more harshly. You put them
• 39:51
  Speaker 1: under the hot lamp. You only see their floss. I'm
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: just saying, we call it a player's league, and yet
• 39:57
  Speaker 1: people want to blame coaches more often than not. I'm
• 40:01
  Speaker 1: not saying there's not time for that. Dan Quinn and
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: Nick Sirianni deserve plenty of blame lately. But layoff Dave
• 40:07
  Speaker 1: Roberts in this situation, I would say, Dodger fans. Coming
• 40:10
  Speaker 1: up next, I will not lay off of Kevin Durant
• 40:14
  Speaker 1: tweeting again for the first time in a year. I
• 40:16
  Speaker 1: thought he was disciplined. I'm Adam Oslin in for Ben
• 40:19
  Speaker 1: Maller here on Fox Sports Radio.