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Miami Tops First CFP Rankings; Stroud’s Contract Looms; Luka Lights Up LA · The Daily Play With Joy Taylor

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Hey guys, it's Joy Taylor. Welcome to The Daily Play.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for joining me. Make sure you hit
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: subscribe and follow us on social at The Daily Play,
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Joy Taylor. Well, if you're hearing this, it means we
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: survived the midterm elections for now.
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  Speaker 2: And the Miami Hurricanes are doing more than surviving. They
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  Speaker 2: are thriving.
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  Speaker 1: The U is claiming the number one overall spot in
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  Speaker 1: the first college football rankings of the year. After Miami,
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  Speaker 1: the rest of the top five are Georgia, Utah, Indiana,
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  Speaker 1: and Alabama. Kentucky, Texas, UCLA, BYU, Ole Miss, Notre Dame,
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  Speaker 1: and Ohio State round out the 12 teams in the rankings.
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  Speaker 1: So landing the first spot, number one overall seed in
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  Speaker 1: the college football playoff rankings, kind of like winning the
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  Speaker 1: poll in NASCAR.
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  Speaker 2: So essentially the race is Miami's to lose.
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  Speaker 1: They should have, in theory, more wiggle room to win
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  Speaker 1: pretty ugly or however they want, because you should have
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: to beat the top seed to take the top seed.
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  Speaker 1: And they have a huge matchup against 11th ranked Notre
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  Speaker 1: Dame this Saturday in South Bend.
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  Speaker 2: I will be there.
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  Speaker 1: And if they can beat Miami, Notre Dame for third
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  Speaker 1: straight time Saturday. They will have a manageable path to
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  Speaker 1: the ACC championship game with home contests remaining against Duke,
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  Speaker 1: Virginia Tech, and Boston College.
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  Speaker 2: Now, a little bit objective about Miami.
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  Speaker 1: They have barely survived their last two games, two of
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  Speaker 1: their last three games, I should say. They needed overtimes
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  Speaker 1: to beat Florida State, and then they survived the shootout
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  Speaker 1: with North Carolina, which would have been a huge upset
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  Speaker 1: for And Bill Belichick's biggest win by.
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  Speaker 2: Far as a college coach.
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  Speaker 1: So Miami definitely needs to have a big performance this
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: weekend against Notre Dame. Definitely will, I think, make a
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  Speaker 1: statement to the rest of college football who does have
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  Speaker 1: the feeling and the sentiment that Miami hasn't played anyone tough.
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  Speaker 1: But despite that they are number one and undefeated. And
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  Speaker 1: that will make a big difference for how people feel
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  Speaker 1: about the Miami Hurricanes being at number one now. Even
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  Speaker 1: if they went ugly, they're at number one, as I mentioned.
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  Speaker 1: So you got to unseat them in order to beat them.
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  Speaker 1: You're going to have to beat them to unseat them
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  Speaker 1: at this point because they are number one. But I
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  Speaker 1: do think that for the Miami Hurricanes going into the
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  Speaker 1: end of the season and then eventually into the postseason,
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  Speaker 1: they need to be playing with a little more dominance
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  Speaker 1: and completion as they head into this.
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  Speaker 2: Final stretch of the season.
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  Speaker 1: Obviously, last year they were in the national championship against
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  Speaker 1: Indiana and have come back this year with a new team.
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  Speaker 1: They have a different identity this year. And of course,
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: a new quarterback.
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  Speaker 2: So I.
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  Speaker 1: Think that Miami has put together a really solid season,
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  Speaker 1: but what they do over the next couple of weeks
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  Speaker 1: will be paramount to what the postseason will look like
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  Speaker 1: and cleaning up the things that they need to work on.
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  Speaker 1: Staying in football, but flipping over to the pros, CJ
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  Speaker 1: Stroud and the Texans are having a heartbreaker of a season.
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  Speaker 1: They just lost to the Giants in overtime and are
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  Speaker 1: currently on a bye week licking their wounds. They are
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  Speaker 1: two and five, despite having a week one roster that
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: looks ready to compete in the AFC and had big expectations.
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  Speaker 1: And there's another major issue at play when it comes
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  Speaker 1: to Houston, which is CJ Stroud's contract. We talked a
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  Speaker 1: little bit about this before the season started, but he
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  Speaker 1: doesn't have a long-term contract in place. He's in his
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  Speaker 1: fourth year and he declined the Texans offseason extension, which
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  Speaker 1: reportedly would have given him in, it would put him
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  Speaker 1: in the $ 50 million club, but it wouldn't have reset
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  Speaker 1: the market. Now, Stroud is not the reason that they
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  Speaker 1: are losing, but despite that, he doesn't have a deal
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  Speaker 1: and it does put the team at the mercy of
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  Speaker 1: the rising quarterback costs. Nick Casario, the GM said, I
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: don't think anyone's too worried about it. He's played really
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  Speaker 1: good football, which isn't a surprise to anybody. I think
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  Speaker 1: there are very few people, maybe D'Amico, myself, who supported
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  Speaker 1: him all offseason when he was essentially bad mouth for
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  Speaker 1: like four months, about one.
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  Speaker 2: Bad half of football. That is true.
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  Speaker 1: However, my policy on young quarterbacks is always pay them early.
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: Always pay them early.
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  Speaker 1: Take the hit up front because quarterback costs always rise.
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  Speaker 1: And even though they are not having a great season,
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  Speaker 1: he is playing good football. He is doing his part.
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  Speaker 1: They're just not winning. He's fourth in passing yards, 10th
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  Speaker 1: in passer rating, 13th in touchdowns with only one interception.
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  Speaker 1: And the advanced metrics are even better. And he's second
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  Speaker 1: in expected points added and seventh in ESPN's total QBR.
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  Speaker 1: So he is a franchise quarterback. He has contributed to
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  Speaker 1: the winning that they were experiencing over the first three
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  Speaker 1: years that he was there.
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  Speaker 2: And yeah, he had.
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  Speaker 1: a bunch of interceptions against the Patriots in the playoffs.
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  Speaker 1: But so what? You're not paid off of one game.
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  Speaker 1: You're paid off of the totality of what you have
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  Speaker 1: been able to do, especially at the quarterback position. So
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  Speaker 1: I thought that they should have tried to get a
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  Speaker 1: deal done before the season. I think he's going to
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  Speaker 1: get paid again at a high level regardless because he's
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  Speaker 1: up next. And as we have seen time and time
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  Speaker 1: again with quarterbacks, The next man up gets the biggest deal.
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  Speaker 1: He has a very strong agent in David Mulligetta, who
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  Speaker 1: is notorious for getting his clients really, really, really great deals.
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  Speaker 1: So apparently they did not demand that Stroud be the
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  Speaker 1: league's highest paid quarterback, according to a source. Stroud's been
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  Speaker 1: understandable of the business side of things, but.
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  Speaker 2: Essentially betting on yourself is.
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  Speaker 1: what's happened, and I still think it's going to work
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  Speaker 1: in CJ Stroud's favor.
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  Speaker 2: The defense has regressed.
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  Speaker 1: Drastically, 19th in points allowed after finishing second in.
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  Speaker 2: Points allowed in 2025.
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  Speaker 1: The preseason narrative around the Texans was that Stroud will
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  Speaker 1: reach his potential alongside a dominant defense. Obviously, the injuries
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: at wide receiver could have played a role in this
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  Speaker 1: as well, but the defense has allowed four late game-winning drives,
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  Speaker 1: and Stroud doesn't play any role on that side of
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  Speaker 1: the ball. So I think it's going to be an
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  Speaker 1: interesting thing to watch for the Texans. Also, you know,
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  Speaker 1: when it comes to money, you've got to think about
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  Speaker 1: the salary cap, and they are going.
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  Speaker 2: To be $ 41.
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  Speaker 1: 52 million over the salary cap in 2027. More money
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  Speaker 1: committed than every team except for the Ravens per over
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  Speaker 1: the cap. And he has a cap hit of $ 25.
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  Speaker 2: 9 million.
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  Speaker 1: An extension obviously usually lowers the cap hit, but Houston
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: will have to trade players and restructure contracts to make
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: that work. So they're going to look a little different
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: next year in order to get CJ Stroud's deal done.
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  Speaker 1: So It's kind of an off-season problem, but it is
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  Speaker 1: something that's looming for the Texans as you consider what
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: they look like this year and then the changes that
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: they're going to have to make regardless of how this
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: season ends for them. Finally, some.
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: NBA.
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: So there were no games for election night. On Monday, though,
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  Speaker 1: the Lakers beat my heat to.
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  Speaker 2: Move to 6-2. LA's a hot start, a bit surprising
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  Speaker 2: for a lot of people.
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: Because of the skepticism of LeBron leaving and what the
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  Speaker 1: team looked like in his departure.
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: However, Luka.
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  Speaker 1: Going off, he's averaging a ridiculous 38.3 points per game.
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  Speaker 1: Steph Curry is the only other player averaging 30 or more,
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  Speaker 1: and he's still eight points per game behind Luka. He's
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  Speaker 1: been on an absolute tear in his first season in
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  Speaker 1: LA without LeBron. He dropped 42 in the most recent
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: Lakers win over Miami Lakers. Giannis said, obviously, he's one
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  Speaker 1: of the best scorers to play the game, if not
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  Speaker 1: the best. When a reporter asked, right now, he said,
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: not right now, all time. I feel like people are
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: scared to say that, but he's got to be up there.
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  Speaker 1: I love the praise from Giannis for Luka.
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  Speaker 2: I do think.
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: That the critique of Luka will be complete when he wins,
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  Speaker 1: when he wins a championship, when.
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: He wins an MVP.
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: He's obviously an incredible player and an incredible scorer. But,
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: you know, the greats are judged by their postseason performances
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: and their MVPs. His scoring average of 29.32 points is
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  Speaker 1: only behind Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.
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  Speaker 2: So those are all-time numbers.
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  Speaker 1: And he's only 27 years old, which, again, it just
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  Speaker 1: seems so crazy that he's only 27. He's on pace
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  Speaker 1: to earn his second scoring title in the third of
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  Speaker 1: his career. The last five games he's played in, 52-41, 37-45,
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  Speaker 1: and 52. And his win over Miami was also his
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: fifth straight game of 20-plus points in the first half.
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  Speaker 1: First Lakers player to do that since Kobe in 2007. So,
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: you know, perhaps this is a new leaf for Luka.
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  Speaker 1: Perhaps this is a leadership jump for him. And I
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: like the idea of that. I like the idea of
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  Speaker 1: Luka and the Lakers and this new identity in this
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  Speaker 1: new season. Things are already starting to shape up. This
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: year in the NBA with injuries and who we think
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: is actually going to be viable towards the end of
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: the season. It's happening very early and very quickly. So
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: I love this for Luka. Luka is one of the
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: more entertaining and dynamic players and controversial players in the NBA.
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: And obviously anytime that the Lakers are good and competitive,
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: the NBA as a whole is better. I don't like
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: them beating Miami, but Miami has their own issues. Him
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: starting the season this way, I think is a great
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  Speaker 1: response to all of the critics that had things to
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  Speaker 1: say about what He was going to be as a
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  Speaker 1: star without LeBron James and what the Lakers were going
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  Speaker 1: to look like this year. So very, very impressive start
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  Speaker 1: for Luka. Let's see if he can maintain this throughout
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  Speaker 1: the season and if the Lakers can continue playing the
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: way that they are because they've had a great start.
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: To the season.
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for joining me. Make sure you hit subscribe.
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: Follow us on social at The Daily Play Joy Taylor.
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: For more on this and other top stories of the day,
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: tune into The Daily Play with Joy Taylor at urban1podcast.
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: Com or wherever you get your podcasts.