Latest / State of Play / The FINALS are BACK!

Transcript

The FINALS are BACK! · State of Play

• 0:01
  Wemby is the new face of the NBA.
• 0:04
  Steven Miller is the new face of masculinity.
• 0:09
  Hard pass.
• 0:11
  It's state of play.
• 0:18
  Oh happy day.
• 0:19
  Oh happy day.
• 0:21
  The Spurs are going to the NBA finals just like I predicted.
• 0:30
  Edith Henry and everyone else who disagree with me.
• 0:32
  I'm just kidding.
• 0:34
  Uh Victor Wimbenyama is the people's MVP, folks.
• 0:39
  The people's MVP.
• 0:41
  Screw OKC.
• 0:43
  We have an NBA finals matchup for the ages.
• 0:48
  I can't wait.
• 0:50
  And we will discuss all that.
• 0:53
  But first, while you were not paying attention, this happened.
• 0:58
  When Talerico goes in for a blood test, when he gets a physical, blood doesn't come out.
• 1:02
  Instead, soy milk comes out.
• 1:04
  This man has less testosterone than Jasmine Crockett.
• 1:10
  It is a mind-boggling choice.
• 1:13
  Hi guys, do you want to do you want to hear the jokes that I made up to make fun of the guys who make fun of me when I was in in when I was in school and nobody nobody wanted to come to my my DD club?
• 1:26
  What a nerd.
• 1:27
  What a dork.
• 1:29
  That was uh that was uh Stephen Miller uh going on about Texas Senate candidate James Tellerico.
• 1:38
  For those that don't know, James Tellerico is running for Senate in Texas.
• 1:42
  Uh and he was sort of going on about after his manliness, uh trying to brand him as this San Francisco liberal who like bleeds tofu and drives a Prius or something.
• 1:56
  I don't know what he was doing, which is ironic for a dude, by the way, in Stephen Miller, who's from Santa Monica, California.
• 2:06
  I mean, come on.
• 2:07
  The the mean streets of Santa Monica, real rough and tumble over there.
• 2:14
  They raise real men out there.
• 2:17
  No shade to Santa Monica.
• 2:19
  No shade.
• 2:20
  But I mean, come on.
• 2:23
  All right, look what you produce.
• 2:24
  Stephen Miller.
• 2:26
  Stephen Miller is the literally the milkiest milk toast of a human that I have ever personally seen.
• 2:33
  In fact, if you looked up milk toast in the dictionary, his name would be pictured next to it.
• 2:39
  You feel me?
• 2:41
  Uh so uh like who is he to to actually it's a joke, right?
• 2:47
  Right, he was joking, but the joke is on him because who is he to actually question someone's masculinity?
• 2:54
  Like, have you seen him?
• 2:56
  Bro, it looks like he was bullied in in school and uh he's now like on a revenge tour.
• 3:03
  He Steven looks like Nosferatu's malnourished younger brother, you feel me?
• 3:09
  He looks like boiled chicken.
• 3:13
  He looks like he looks like a boiled chicken who eats boiled chicken every day for lunch.
• 3:20
  That's Stephen Miller.
• 3:22
  Stephen, you look like your bones and muscles have atrophy from lack of activity.
• 3:27
  And your skin, as pale it is pale as it is, is pale because of lack of sunlight.
• 3:36
  You look like a jellyfish who suddenly grew arms and legs.
• 3:41
  Stephen Miller looks like a Q-tip, bro.
• 3:44
  And I'm not an exaggeration.
• 3:46
  Look him up.
• 3:47
  Steven looks like a Q-tip fresh out of the pack, skinny as hell.
• 3:51
  No exaggeration.
• 3:53
  He is the skinniest, smallest, snivelling, most frail, and pale person to come around talking about anyone else's level of testosterone and masculinity has to be the funniest damn joke of 2026.
• 4:15
  And I mean that.
• 4:17
  Stephen Miller from Santa Monica.
• 4:22
  The mean streets of Santa Monica, folks.
• 4:26
  Please, man.
• 4:28
  Why am I going after him?
• 4:31
  Stephen works in the White House.
• 4:33
  Stephen is one of Donald Trump's closest confidants, his pal.
• 4:39
  Stephen promotes white nationalist propaganda.
• 4:42
  He tells and rails against about the great replacement theory, which is the idea that white people are being replaced by every other demographic, and we need to stop that.
• 4:54
  He tells racist and anti-immigrant positions nonstop and uses his position.
• 5:01
  Uses his position to go after black and brown people and do real harm.
• 5:09
  But that's beside the point.
• 5:11
  Just go Google him and look at him, and you tell me if you think Stephen Miller should have any say, any comment at all on anyone else's masculinity, especially using jokes he straight up got out of Chat GPT.
• 5:32
  I mean, come on, you can't make this stuff up, bro.
• 5:35
  But look, we're not here to talk about him.
• 5:37
  We're not gonna give him any more any more attention than he deserves.
• 5:43
  Do you even lift, bro?
• 5:45
  No, he doesn't.
• 5:48
  That's the end of that story.
• 5:50
  But enough about that.
• 5:52
  We have a celebration to have.
• 5:56
  We are going to Henry's gonna join me in a minute.
• 5:59
  We're going to talk about the preview of the NBA finals.
• 6:04
  It's gonna be the Knicks versus the Spurs.
• 6:07
  It's gonna be the alien from space versus the I don't even I don't know what the identity of the Knicks are.
• 6:16
  You know, whatever, I'm biased.
• 6:18
  And I don't care who knows.
• 6:20
  I don't care who knows.
• 6:22
  The the NBA finals are set.
• 6:26
  Uh game seven happened between the Spurs and the uh OKC Thunder.
• 6:33
  Uh Saturday night fight brawl, whatever you want to call it, the throwdown happened.
• 6:38
  Um and to the victor goes the spoils.
• 6:41
  I mean, oh wow, I just made a punt up.
• 6:43
  I didn't even that was like off the brain.
• 6:46
  To the victor goes the spoils.
• 6:48
  There's no thunder in space.
• 6:52
  Uh uh the the uh as you can tell, I'm excited.
• 6:55
  The the Spurs, um, my Spurs, my new GOAT, Wimby, just kidding.
• 7:01
  Not go, not let's not go too far.
• 7:03
  Um uh against the New York Knicks.
• 7:07
  They've been sitting for a while.
• 7:08
  So I got my boy Henry here.
• 7:10
  Let's recap uh how we got here.
• 7:12
  We had a game seven, very entertaining game.
• 7:15
  Uh Western Conference Finals, uh, the most, by the way, most watched NBA uh Eastern Western Conference or any conference finals games of all time, series-wise.
• 7:28
  I don't know if you knew that.
• 7:28
  I did not know that.
• 7:29
  Yep.
• 7:30
  For good reason, though.
• 7:31
  Very good reason.
• 7:32
  Entertaining matchup.
• 7:33
  Very good reason.
• 7:34
  You had uh everyone knows this already, it's no secret.
• 7:37
  We had SGA, the current two-time reigning MVP um against Wimby, who got second or third or whatever in MVP voting.
• 7:49
  Um, you know, throughout the entire series, I'd say one of them looked like a real MVP.
• 7:56
  And then one of them, I think in game seven, Shea played like uh uh an MVP candidate.
• 8:01
  He really, really, really, really did.
• 8:03
  And I and I'm saying that as someone who's a Shea hater.
• 8:06
  Uh the in the end, the uh the referees didn't win this one, so uh um they weren't getting the calls.
• 8:14
  It was clear that they the Thunder were missing uh AJ Mitchell and uh Jalen Williams, but I honestly don't think it would have made a difference.
• 8:24
  I think they would have won the game regardless of the Spurs.
• 8:27
  They just wanted it more.
• 8:29
  Their defense showed it.
• 8:30
  Uh and then, you know, uh in the end, the Spurs win and they're going to the NBA finals, just like I predicted.
• 8:38
  I don't know if I've actually predicted that.
• 8:40
  But Henry, you did not.
• 8:41
  I did not.
• 8:42
  So I I can admit when I'm when I'm wrong, but I will say You were wrong.
• 8:46
  I I am surprised, I'm surprised that the Spurs were able to win a game seven in Oklahoma City, but I think I'm pleasantly surprised um because especially with the injuries to Williams, the injury to Williams, and then also Homegren um basically phoning it in and not playing up to um any kind of meaningful standard.
• 9:09
  I look forward to watching the Spurs in the finals as opposed to um where the Thunder found themselves at the end of this particular series.
• 9:17
  Yeah, man.
• 9:18
  Chet is a conundrum.
• 9:22
  I don't think anybody saw the Chet's disappearing act in real time.
• 9:27
  This is a this is a third-team all NBA player, uh, uh a first team all defensive team player.
• 9:35
  Now he plays some defense now.
• 9:37
  I I get some he can he got some defense, he got some defense on him.
• 9:41
  Um but even then he couldn't necessarily guard Wimby one-on-one, not that anybody could.
• 9:48
  Um but he needs to be able to make it tough on him.
• 9:52
  That's my grievance with him.
• 9:53
  Well, I don't think there's any expectation of anybody shutting down Wimby.
• 9:57
  He should be able to run around with him and make him feel a little bit uncomfortable, and to not see that from somebody making around 50 million a year um is uh concerning.
• 10:09
  Yeah, it's very concerning because you got a guy who's again, like you just said, making that much money.
• 10:14
  You're you're paid to put the ball in the hoop, and you know, you shot, he shot two times for four points and like a block.
• 10:28
  In a close-out game where you should, by all accounts, be the number two option.
• 10:32
  Yeah, that was it was wild to watch someone like literally disappear and fold under the pressure.
• 10:40
  I you know, he had this dump, like Wimby had this like in the first couple of plays.
• 10:45
  He had this joint where you know he dribbled through his legs, retreated, passed it to the corner, and then cut to the rim and and just flat out crushed, yammed in Chet's face.
• 10:58
  I think that destroyed his confidence.
• 11:00
  I think it took him out of the game, but good.
• 11:03
  He was like, Oh, I can't do nothing with this.
• 11:06
  I can't do nothing with it.
• 11:08
  And he phoned it in.
• 11:09
  My thing is, bro, you can't tell me if you put me out there that I would only take two shots as a starter in the NBA in the M in the Western Conference Finals.
• 11:22
  I'm taking more as a star being paid that much money.
• 11:27
  You took two shots.
• 11:29
  Well, again, shots should have been up for grabs in that kind of a um a situation.
• 11:35
  I coach little kids.
• 11:37
  Uh, not really coach, I do coach, but I train them, right?
• 11:41
  And one of the first things you gotta teach a kid to do is to become a threat.
• 11:46
  And how do you do that?
• 11:48
  You say you catch the ball and you turn and face the basket, right?
• 11:52
  Even if you're wherever from the basket, you know, you're 10 feet, 20 feet, catch the ball, face the basket like you're gonna make a move.
• 11:59
  You have to, you have to signal to the defender that you're not afraid.
• 12:03
  There are times Chet caught it and literally, and I know sometimes you just run in a play, bro.
• 12:09
  Like you're just going through the motions of the play, but you gotta sell it.
• 12:14
  Every possession you have, you have to sell it like you're a threat.
• 12:17
  You gotta turn it, catch it and fake.
• 12:19
  There were times where he would catch it and just literally as quickly as possible.
• 12:24
  He didn't look at the rim, didn't even sniff at the rim, and just turned and passed the ball as fast as he could.
• 12:31
  And I was just and I hate OKC, and I was found myself yelling at the TV like, Chet, man, you gotta shoot, bro.
• 12:38
  Like, shoot the ball.
• 12:40
  I'm yelling this at the TV at Chet Hongren.
• 12:43
  Like, like, I've never seen that level of fear and apprehension in a player before.
• 12:49
  It was it was wild to watch.
• 12:52
  Um, very very much so, where I know we've had this conversation often where I acknowledge that Wemby is a superior player.
• 13:01
  Part of me leading up to this felt like at least Chat was maybe grittier or a little bit more sturdy in his countenance, just the way he presents and how he um he plays, but he certainly didn't have that impact on this particular um this particular series.
• 13:19
  Um though with that with that being said, you know, I guess we're moving on to the um the finals.
• 13:24
  I do believe that it is possible that he will be somewhat undervalued this upcoming um offseason.
• 13:33
  And the thunder, yes, chet, where the thunder, they usually don't panic, but it's possible they will try to get out from under his deal, and he will end up somewhere where he can actually contribute to a championship team.
• 13:46
  So I don't I certainly by no means think do I think that we've heard the um the last for um last of him.
• 13:52
  Um I'm sure he's disappointed.
• 13:54
  I don't know what the backstory.
• 13:55
  I imagine there's probably some backstory or context, whatever it might um might be, but he certainly didn't play up to expectation.
• 14:04
  And out of the players who were actually available to play for the Thunder, I think he was the number one reason that they lost the series.
• 14:11
  I mean, I I'm in the I'm in the camp of like let's just take a little bit of a breather with Chet.
• 14:21
  He had a great year, right?
• 14:23
  Again, first team all defense, uh, third team all NBA.
• 14:28
  You're basically uh one of the top 15 players in the entire NBA, basically.
• 14:36
  Um, give or take, barring injury from others, right?
• 14:40
  Jason Tatum, for example, didn't make all NBA.
• 14:43
  Um but you know, I don't uh so he's not a chop liver.
• 14:50
  The other thing is it's unfairly so he is being compared to Women Yama.
• 14:56
  He's not an alien like Women Yama is, he's not that sort of specimen.
• 15:01
  He's he's been at the top upper echelon of players his entire life, right?
• 15:06
  But he is in his third year of playing NBA basketball, the first of which he was injured the entire year.
• 15:12
  So really he's in his second year playing basketball for another.
• 15:16
  It's remarkable for him to have the success that he's had up to this point.
• 15:20
  And I would go back to it because I say often there's a lot of hype about every NBA draft, um, draft class.
• 15:27
  I do believe that it was true that Chet Holmgren was discussed as a singular talent when he was coming up through the ranks.
• 15:34
  Of course, as um as well.
• 15:36
  And I think he is.
• 15:36
  I think uh again, like I said, I don't want to minimize him as a player.
• 15:39
  He didn't play well specifically in game seven, really for the entire um entire series.
• 15:45
  I absolutely believe that he can be the starting center on a championship team.
• 15:50
  I think that's definitely true.
• 15:52
  Lucky number one.
• 15:54
  I don't think he can be the best player on your um your team.
• 15:57
  He showed that he couldn't even be the um second best player for this OKC team, unfortunately.
• 16:03
  Unfortunately, um as well.
• 16:05
  But we'll um um we'll see.
• 16:08
  That'll be part of the off-season drama, but now we're off to the finals.
• 16:12
  Well, uh, let me give him before we do that, my my takeaways were generally uh I was actually happy to see SGA played like like his caliber of player.
• 16:23
  He played well.
• 16:25
  He played like intention, intentionality.
• 16:28
  Let's try to get it done.
• 16:30
  He did try to slip a little bit into the little foul baiting BS, but you know, when the refs were like, no, this is not gonna work tonight, pimp, like we're not doing that tonight, bro.
• 16:38
  Roski.
• 16:39
  Now I will say on the foul piece, um, I didn't confirm this, but before game seven, there was an analyst who said that the Spurs had shot more free throws during the series than the Thunder had through game six.
• 16:53
  That might have been true, but that's I think there was one game where it had been I couldn't even remember, but it I remember it being 10 to 4 at one point in the actual game, and I think it was like early third quarter, and it was a game I think it was an OKC and they had run away with it.
• 17:14
  And it was like it was so absurd on its face of the guys falling to the ground trying to get these calls.
• 17:21
  Now, the other part is that Wimby's an outlier, right?
• 17:24
  He's gonna get fouled.
• 17:26
  Yeah, he was getting hacked, and the refs were refs were clearly calling in later in the fourth quarter.
• 17:32
  But let's not act like Shay isn't on the ground, wasn't on the ground every three seconds after every single shot.
• 17:39
  He was not doing that in game seven.
• 17:42
  He was like, I'm going for the bucket, and as a matter of fact, I'm gonna make it.
• 17:46
  And he made a bunch of them.
• 17:48
  Uh lots of midis, lots of three.
• 17:51
  He was he was on, he was definitely on.
• 17:53
  I love the way I actually like the way he played.
• 17:56
  Um, I don't think there's anything he could have dental.
• 17:59
  I feel like he probably should have shared more in the responsibility of getting home grid involved.
• 18:06
  Where I feel like that had to have been a priority in their gameplay.
• 18:09
  He's not a he's a point guard, but he's not a real point guard.
• 18:12
  They need he's a he's a 6'6 shooting guard that plays point guard.
• 18:17
  Like, let's just keep it real.
• 18:18
  Like, and I honestly thought he passed in the fourth quarter passed way too much.
• 18:23
  If you're gonna get people involved as a point guard, bro, you gotta like early on you do the you have a balancing act and a responsibility to as a superstar in the MVP to set the tone, number one, and B, make sure, and number two, set and make sure everyone's involved.
• 18:42
  So um, I did not think he did the second part where it's like you need to be getting in Chet's face and making sure making sure he's in with you, like he's making sure he's a ride or die.
• 18:56
  Like maybe you did that in private in the locker room before the game.
• 18:59
  I didn't see any of that footage.
• 19:01
  Um, but when the game starts, to your point, to your credit, like for sure should have been like feeding him.
• 19:09
  But again, it's not like I I will also will say it's not like he wasn't getting the ball.
• 19:13
  Yeah, he was getting it, you know, getting low into his in into his triple threat stance, and then just inexplicably, just boom, I I can't do it, pass, pass.
• 19:23
  I I was telling you this earlier about um, you know, I think I was telling you, I maybe been talking to someone else, but I think I was t talking to you about how you know I'm a former, I'm not an NBA player by any stretch.
• 19:34
  Well, whatever.
• 19:36
  I'm I'm I can ball.
• 19:37
  But um, you know, I'm 6'4, and I go to college, and I'm like the second or third shortest guy on the team.
• 19:47
  Everyone's bigger.
• 19:48
  I have a very high vertical, I can jump.
• 19:50
  Everyone, uh half the guys can jump just as high as I can.
• 19:53
  Yes.
• 19:54
  And and these guys are six eight, six, nine, six, ten.
• 19:58
  And uh it just when I tell that story, I'm telling it, what I'm saying is like no matter how good you think you are, or athletic you think you are, eventually you're gonna run into somebody better and they're gonna or bigger and they're gonna challenge you to evolve your game to be able to adapt and thrive in whatever situation you're in.
• 20:26
  And some people make it and some people don't.
• 20:28
  Chet's never been challenged, clearly, yes, at his height and and you know, and athleticism for his height.
• 20:37
  Because, you know, and w until Wimby comes along, right, and he's bigger, he's faster, he can jump higher, and he's just as skilled, and he's more skilled than you are.
• 20:50
  And most ballers, though, I can tell you without fail receive that as a challenge.
• 20:59
  Like the problem is if you don't go against that all the time and practice and whatnot, if he's not on your team, it's hard to simulate that challenge and try to, you know, yeah, try to evolve your game to deal with that.
• 21:15
  He's on he's had seven games to do that in this series.
• 21:18
  Really, he's had more like what they played them like four or five times in the open or a regular season.
• 21:22
  You played multiple times over the year, but that's only like few and far in between, between an 82 game season.
• 21:28
  So, you know, you have to he's hit a point where the re there's a reality check going on with him.
• 21:34
  He's like, I can't I can't figure his defense out how to score over or get around this guy who is equally my height when I've had to deal with people who who's taller than me.
• 21:47
  And who and I've had to deal with people who are a bit smaller than me, and my advantage has been my height all this time.
• 21:52
  I could literally just reach or and jump over them.
• 21:55
  I can shoot threes by just you know being way behind the line and Using my height to elevate over people with the quickness, can't do that with Wim Wimby.
• 22:05
  And he does not know how to handle not to stay on the situation, but he did not know how to handle Wimby uh as an offensive player.
• 22:14
  Just did not.
• 22:14
  It showed and it sucks.
• 22:17
  So um, you know, my other besides again, I was talking about SGA, and we still went back to Chad.
• 22:24
  It's terrible game.
• 22:27
  Uh SGA though, man, I I was he played, he played his ass off.
• 22:32
  Uh I did not did not take a bunch of flops, only did like a couple.
• 22:38
  Um you know, my other sort of takeaway is like, you know, Wimby is 22 years old.
• 22:47
  Yeah.
• 22:47
  And he's going to the NBA finals.
• 22:49
  Uh, how old is SGA?
• 22:50
  I think it's 23 at the time, um, at his first NBA finals.
• 22:55
  Okay.
• 22:56
  Um and, you know, seeing him sort of rise up this year is just awe-inspiring in my opinion.
• 23:08
  Um, and the other thing I wanted to, because I know we're gonna keep talking about Wimby sort of going forward in this conversation because they're playing the Knicks and we want to have a little bit of a discussion about him.
• 23:17
  My other takeaway was I said before, uh, I don't know if I texted you, but I was texting my bro, my brother, that it's uh that uh if if uh De'Aaron Fox doesn't I said this before the game, if De'Aaron Fox doesn't have a good game in this game, I don't care how hurt he is, bro.
• 23:34
  If he doesn't have a good game, he is gone if he does not have a good game.
• 23:38
  And I'll be damned if he did not show up last night.
• 23:40
  He he balled out last night.
• 23:42
  Did you uh what did you make of his performance?
• 23:45
  Um it's it's true, and I've long felt that he kind of would need to be the odd man out in San Antonio.
• 23:53
  But I felt like they were going to fall short this year, and then the offseason they would say, let's just go with our young guys.
• 24:00
  Um, because again, they're getting overshadowed, because you have Dylan Harper and Castle, who are among the best young players in the NBA themselves.
• 24:08
  Yeah, you know, so that's even before you start talking about um Wemby.
• 24:13
  So they're they're well set up for um uh for success and best well, we see how precarious a dynasty can be because everybody was discussing OKC and everyone thought they were going back, everyone thought they were a a like absolute we're gonna win back-to-back chips.
• 24:32
  Everyone, I think that's fair to say that everyone thought that.
• 24:36
  Um, you know, people some you people thought the Celtics might do it.
• 24:40
  Um if if with the caveat of uh uh Jason Tatum coming back, it just didn't happen that way.
• 24:47
  Um but you know, it didn't happen.
• 24:50
  So, you know, the dynasty didn't happen.
• 24:53
  It is crazy.
• 24:55
  I thought Dylan, uh not Dylan, um, if Darren Fox didn't have a good game, and I sort of had this this like sort of back in the way back of the recesses of my mind, this little fantasy that they would trade him for another big somehow, get another big fella down there with Wimby, and they'd just be twin towers like the old Spurs of the old days, and then they'd probably just start just racking up chips.
• 25:24
  But he had a great game, can't complain.
• 25:27
  Uh, he was a leader on the court, someone who looked like he's been in a game seven battle type before, which he has.
• 25:34
  Uh uh him and Harrison Barnes being the and Luke Cornet, I believe, the uh the the guys who have real championship or or at least playoff pedigree and experience.
• 25:47
  Um but he was the only one starting.
• 25:49
  And um, I was happy with his performance.
• 25:53
  He he still looked a little slightly gimpy, but he looked a lot better than he did the um the game before that.
• 26:01
  Um so that being said, man, they're going to the finals.
• 26:04
  Ghostburns go.
• 26:06
  Um and now they're going against the evil empire of the New York Knicks.
• 26:10
  So um we'll see what happens there.
• 26:12
  What um and now game one in San Antonio, I believe they have home court advantage because they had the best, second best schedule in the second best uh uh record in the NBA, so they have home court advantage.
• 26:27
  Game one in San Antonio, game two, San Antonio, game three, Knicks, and New York.
• 26:35
  Uh, by the way, that I looked up tickets.
• 26:38
  Have you looked up tickets to these?
• 26:39
  I've seen some of the pricing astronomical.
• 26:42
  Yeah, so we're in DC, and I was like, you know, I'm a Spurs fan.
• 26:44
  I was like, oh shit, I'm gonna I'm gonna go to the I'm gonna go to a game.
• 26:48
  I'm gonna look up tickets.
• 26:49
  That was a foolish, foolhearted idea.
• 26:52
  I don't I don't know what I was thinking, bro.
• 26:57
  Nosebleed section, nosebleed section.
• 27:00
  I'm talking the tippy tippy, tippy top, five bands, five thousand dollars to go to an NBA finals game.
• 27:16
  What in the world are we doing, man?
• 27:19
  Like, I it was soul crushing for me to look up the tickets and immediately like say no.
• 27:28
  Well, I can imagine, you know, it's always supply and demand, and I do think that this is probably the most intriguing finals matchup to me in maybe the last decade or so.
• 27:39
  Oh, yeah.
• 27:40
  Um, so it's certainly gonna be Mont C mont C T V when's the last time I when's the last time you've been this excited for an NBA final.
• 27:49
  I I really can't recall the last um the last instance.
• 27:54
  Bro, I I can't think of a time it's been this good.
• 27:59
  It feels like the real NBA is back.
• 28:03
  Like you have someone who wants it real bad in Wimby and in Jalen Brunson.
• 28:12
  These guys are consummate professionals, um, they really love the game and respect the game and just want to win above everything else.
• 28:23
  You have like, you know, one of the things that problems I've had with the NBA and people just saying, Oh, I want to be the face, you know, wanting or not be the face or whatever the NBA.
• 28:33
  You know, we haven't had anyone uh, you know, otherworldly since like prime leBron come into the league.
• 28:42
  Now we've had people like obviously like Steph.
• 28:45
  Steph Curry is an anomaly.
• 28:47
  So we've never seen anyone that can shoot at his clip, at his level, at his distance, at his contest uh the his the way he's being contested when he shoots.
• 28:58
  We've never seen anyone like that.
• 28:59
  We saw that on display in the Olympics, uh, you know, in in France.
• 29:05
  And to see that we now have another guy who like defies imagination and Wimby going against the media mecca that is New York, this makes it where I think this would be the most hyped, rightfully so, hyped NBA finals of all time.
• 29:26
  Uh and it's in the you know, like I said, the media mecca of New York.
• 29:31
  Lots of people are Knicks fans and they've been starved for a very long time to get back to the finals and maybe and actually win one.
• 29:38
  I can't even think of the last time they won because they obviously lost to the the Rockets.
• 29:43
  Yes.
• 29:44
  Um they had no shot at that one.
• 29:47
  Sorry, Knicks fans.
• 29:48
  Um but uh now we have uh I haven't been I don't think I've been of all time.
• 29:58
  I definitely don't think I've been this excited for an NBA Finals.
• 30:02
  Maybe and maybe against maybe no no no maybe no I can't think of a time I've ever been this I'm sure there has been.
• 30:15
  You know, I definitely was excited a little bit for the the the the Cleveland Cavaliers uh versus the the Golden State Warriors in 20 but that was like eight nine ten years ago um that was the one they lost and they had Prime LeBron who really was the best player in that series, but they lost the chip.
• 30:38
  Um Andre Guidala got best player.
• 30:40
  That was my that was the most anticipated last time I was like this and even still I'm more hype about this finals than that one.
• 30:50
  So um yeah, I just I can't wait, man.
• 30:54
  I can't wait.
• 30:56
  Um I will also say Stephen A.
• 30:59
  Smith is also equally excited, and he's gonna be in he's gonna be insufferable.
• 31:04
  He's already insufferable now that they even got to the final.
• 31:07
  I can't even turn on.
• 31:08
  I I don't watch first take very often or anything Stephen A.
• 31:11
  Smith related very often, but I imagine that it's been hard to hard this week on NBA fans.
• 31:19
  I've I've seen some clips, and and yes, he's very excited for the Knicks.
• 31:22
  That's a fair statement.
• 31:24
  You're always fair and diplomatic.
• 31:28
  Guys, I'm gonna tell you something.
• 31:29
  The real Henry off the mic will talk as much shit.
• 31:33
  I'm kidding.
• 31:34
  I'm kidding.
• 31:35
  I'm kidding.
• 31:35
  He's not he's not that bad.
• 31:37
  Um what do you think about the uh so we've already talked about the Spurs and and their sort of like way of getting here just by way of just natural attrition of the finals just you know happening?
• 31:50
  I mean the Western Conference Finals, game seven.
• 31:52
  We haven't been able to talk about the Knicks for a while.
• 31:54
  They beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, but what do you what do you think about um the the the journey that the Knicks took to get here?
• 32:02
  Well, it it's very very interesting, and I think for me it really begins and ends with Carl Anthony Towns, where his level of play has been tremendous.
• 32:11
  Yeah, the um the passing in particular, I think he's averaging five or six assists per game.
• 32:17
  He's totally reinvented his game um for these playoffs, and he's been so effective.
• 32:23
  Um, I don't know that there's another player in these playoffs that has had um more of an impact on his team's um ability to win.
• 32:32
  He's really played winning basketball um and helped them where um there's a lot of conversation about Brunson.
• 32:39
  I understand that he's the face of this run.
• 32:42
  Um without Towns playing at the level that he's played at, they wouldn't be in the finals and they wouldn't be situated to potentially win um win a championship.
• 32:51
  So that's that's the part that's very interesting for um for me.
• 32:54
  And I certainly think he is going to give Wemby um more trouble than Chet did in the previous series based on his current, where my my expectation is that um he'll score more than four points.
• 33:09
  I know that.
• 33:10
  Well, yes, and he'll pull, you know, he'll pull Wimby away from the basket with three-point um because it is true, because there there have been times where I've been hard on Carl Anthony Towns because of his level of aggressiveness, and otherwise, and a while back he described himself as the best three-point shooting big man of all time, and I kind of chuckled.
• 33:29
  Um, because I do believe that's true, I do believe that it's probably true, but I felt like it was kind of an excuse for his overall lack of accomplishment and aggression as um as well, but that is a skill that can um it can help the Knicks to win if he can get hot from three and make Wimby defend him out to the three-point line um consistently, then that gives the Knicks a chance to be um successful in this series.
• 33:59
  It definitely changes the setup.
• 34:02
  Um, and you sort of bury the lead.
• 34:04
  My question doesn't mean another question about him, you know, who we think will be a next factor.
• 34:09
  And I do think that, but since we're on the on the topic, um, you know, it does make an interesting dynamic when you're talking about how the Spurs will defend them because Wimby will all obviously be on um, you know, he'll obviously be on Carl Anthony Towns at the top, probably at the top of the key, the way that they've been playing Carl Anthony Towns, sort of this point center, um, where he's able to uh distribute the ball.
• 34:40
  Brunson doesn't have to work so hard dribbling all the way down and then you know assessing the defense and then driving, going back, running, but you know, having to work so hard to get a shot.
• 34:52
  It's almost like they're replicating the warrior system with Draymond Green in some ways, and I didn't think that's right, pounds was cerebral enough to pull that off.
• 35:01
  So I've been surprised by his ability to play the way that he's been playing currently.
• 35:05
  I think he could have done that.
• 35:06
  I think, yeah.
• 35:07
  Uh I always believe though.
• 35:09
  I didn't even think of that, right?
• 35:10
  Mike Brown was a staffer, right?
• 35:12
  He was an assistant coach um for uh Golden State when they especially when they won a couple of chips.
• 35:20
  So it is totally within reason that he would set something.
• 35:23
  Yeah, and I think that's the way they they have to do it, where as great as Brunson is, I think you have to take away some of his playmaking duties in order for him to be able to hold up at this level.
• 35:37
  He can't just play hero ball.
• 35:38
  It can't just be he has to play hero ball, and that's the only way we can win the championship.
• 35:43
  I mean, if we're being honest, he has not seen, and we're we're I'm pretty confident this is gonna be the case.
• 35:50
  He ain't seen a defender like Castle on him all postseason.
• 35:54
  I mean, to back to the subject at hand, like I was talking about their journey, like who they played to get where they are and how good they've been.
• 36:03
  Um they've been winning at like a 20-point a game clip or some crazy number like that.
• 36:08
  They put up more numbers in terms of scoring.
• 36:12
  Uh, I think they either broke a record or came close to breaking a record in terms of scoring uh runs, coming up to an NBA.
• 36:21
  They've scored the most points uh running up to an NBA champion uh finals.
• 36:26
  And um, you know, some of it is good Knicks, some of it is bad Eastern Conference, and very bad Eastern Conference.
• 36:37
  I can't remember the specifics, but I saw a graphic yesterday.
• 36:39
  I think they were putting the um the top players in the NBA, Western Conference versus Eastern Conference, and like over two-thirds of them are in the West, if I'm recalling correctly.
• 36:49
  So it's like it's it's very thin in the east when you start looking at the um the level of talent.
• 36:55
  I'm gonna look up the all-NBA team real quick because I forgot who was all on the on the on the actual breakdown.
• 37:02
  Uh it is you have obviously it's SGA first team.
• 37:09
  SGA Western, Joker, Western, Wimby, Western, Doncic, Western.
• 37:16
  And then you have Cade Cunningham along.
• 37:19
  So you have one guy, one guy made it into the all-NBA first team from the Eastern Conference.
• 37:27
  All right, that's one.
• 37:29
  Then you have Jalen Brown, Kawhi Leonard, second team, uh, Jalen Brown, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell, Kevin Durant, Jalen Brunson.
• 37:38
  So you have three to two ratio, uh, Eastern Conference.
• 37:42
  Um, and then the it's a mixed bag, same thing for the third team.
• 37:48
  So most of the absolute um, you know, bang baller level uh MV, especially MVP candidates, right?
• 37:58
  We're we're talking about a four to one ratio.
• 38:00
  Yeah, a four to one ratio came out of the West versus the East.
• 38:05
  That is ridiculous.
• 38:07
  Um you know, so you had guys who were pretenders, teams who were pretenders.
• 38:13
  Cleveland was never gonna be, they were never going to make it with James Harden.
• 38:18
  God bless him.
• 38:19
  God bless him.
• 38:20
  But James, uh, if he ever, in my opinion, cares enough in the playoffs to say I'm gonna run the gauntlet, I'm gonna get in like godlike shape.
• 38:31
  I'm gonna train with LeBron's group, staff, trainers.
• 38:35
  I'm gonna I'm gonna train like LeBron in the offseason and KD.
• 38:39
  The way KD trains, I don't know if you've seen the way he trains in the offseason.
• 38:43
  Well, yes.
• 38:44
  This last offseason, he was like that.
• 38:46
  And for him to still be on an all-NBA team, it's just a testament to the way he trains.
• 38:51
  Uh uh James Harden needed the same thing.
• 38:54
  So Cleveland, you know, they were pretenders.
• 38:57
  Uh Pistons need another piece, they need another dog, like a scorer, someone who can be a reliable scorer before they become and they need to not overpay Jalen Duran.
• 39:08
  That's a good thing.
• 39:10
  Don't give him 50 bans.
• 39:12
  I feel like we've seen that storyline, you know, a few a few times in the past.
• 39:16
  Yeah.
• 39:16
  Yeah, I agree with that.
• 39:17
  Uh, you need to you need to attract another dude um there, someone who can like reliably put the ball in the hole.
• 39:27
  Um and then uh and then the the the the 76ers just didn't make it, they just didn't cut it.
• 39:36
  I don't I can't say anything else about them.
• 39:38
  You you traded away Jerry McCain, treated him like a uh just garbage.
• 39:43
  And it's so unfortunate, you know, with M B where you know it's always something with injuries, but I think this year, what was it his appendix, yeah, like random things that make him not available to be at his best.
• 39:56
  100% embiat, I a 100% embiat, I I think would be a scary thing.
• 40:02
  Um, but be that as may, he was not 100% against clearly not a hundred percent against the Knicks.
• 40:09
  So he had a Hobble Embiid against the 76ers.
• 40:13
  Uh you know, I I would say pr pretty good defense from Maxie and um uh what's the other rookie's name?
• 40:25
  Um for the 76ers.
• 40:28
  BJ Edgecomb.
• 40:29
  Um Paul George played well in the playoffs coming back at first, at least.
• 40:34
  At first, he played good in the first like two games.
• 40:36
  He he got tired.
• 40:39
  So you you really didn't have that much going against the 76ers.
• 40:43
  You didn't the Pistons were eh, and they and they lost to Cleveland.
• 40:46
  So yeah, Cleveland you had to go against, and that was everyone knew coming in.
• 40:51
  I thought they might get one game, but for them to lose a 22-point game with 22-point game, you're winning with six, seven minutes left on the clock is abysmal.
• 41:03
  Uh, and you knew you were cooked at that point.
• 41:06
  Um, so you know, you can't Milwaukee is cooked, even Wizard Without Um Giannis, you gotta get someone else in there.
• 41:17
  So, what I'm saying is the Knicks had an easier path.
• 41:20
  I think every that's not that's not a hot take.
• 41:23
  I don't, you know, that's not gonna give me likes or clicks or anything like that.
• 41:26
  That's not a hot take.
• 41:27
  Like the Knicks had the easiest possible path.
• 41:31
  Even Stephen Able said he says it relentlessly, the orange and boost guys, baby.
• 41:36
  Orange and boost guys.
• 41:37
  Um, yeah, but it's also true that you can only play who's in front of you, and they've probably just by the eye test, I do think they've been the best team in the NBA for the last month or so, as far as their overall level of consistent.
• 41:51
  Um that may have been the case.
• 41:54
  Um, you know, I would say that the the there's a long list of teams that looked like the best team in the NBA in the playoffs, and then turn out getting to turn out and getting whooped in the finals because their competition level wasn't like that.
• 42:12
  And they didn't look like that.
• 42:13
  It's not like football.
• 42:14
  Football, it's it's different.
• 42:16
  You know, Patriots constantly had like the worst, they had the worst division in football, one of the worst divisions.
• 42:24
  And you know, they had to go against the Jets in Miami and like and they were trash teams, and they were just absolutely bludging them.
• 42:32
  And people were discounting them.
• 42:33
  Kind people no, you know what?
• 42:35
  No, they were not discounting them.
• 42:36
  They looked like the best team, and they were definitely the best team in the end.
• 42:41
  Um this ain't that.
• 42:44
  Uh I think I think Brunson is gonna have some problems with Castle and Dylan Harper guarding him.
• 42:54
  Um I do think that the Spurs, I don't think Castle's gonna have an easy day at work with Josh Hart guarding him.
• 43:05
  I think I feel like I I like in this series, I think I like the Knicks secondary players probably potentially better.
• 43:15
  Where when you talk about Bridges, Josh Hart, um Onanobi as as well, their defensive prowess, they've turned around their offensive games as well, and they're more battle-tested in the NBA because it is true that earlier in the playoffs, I think it was Castle, had 20 turnovers in two games.
• 43:34
  Yeah, they're still young and untested um at this stage as well.
• 43:40
  No, no, no.
• 43:40
  I feel like you I feel like there comes a place where the the margins could be experienced under the pressure of the finals.
• 43:50
  So, yes, I know it was pressure pack playing the defending champions in the West.
• 43:54
  Um in the West Finals.
• 43:56
  How many Knicks have have finals battle tested?
• 44:00
  Experience.
• 44:01
  Let's slow down.
• 44:03
  This is zero to zero.
• 44:06
  That's also why it's more compelling, right?
• 44:08
  Yes.
• 44:08
  You have uh you have two teams that ain't who are new at this.
• 44:13
  They are both new at this.
• 44:15
  Jalen Brunson is well the Knicks have had long playoff runs.
• 44:19
  I mean, Jalen Brunson on the Knicks is the guy with the like the most experience.
• 44:26
  You got De'Aaron Fox, NBA champion, multiple ring, uh Harrison Barnes.
• 44:34
  And uh basically a player coach at this stage, though.
• 44:37
  That's all you need.
• 44:38
  That's all you need, baby.
• 44:40
  That's all you need.
• 44:41
  All you need is some good experience, and you got Luke Cornette, right?
• 44:45
  You got guys who've been there before on the Spurs.
• 44:48
  You don't have guys who've really been there in uh finals with uh uh the Knicks.
• 44:56
  So this is gonna be compelling because really none of them who are who are players, right, who are absolute units in terms of you know their importance in the series on the court.
• 45:11
  None of them have been there.
• 45:13
  This is a brand new experience.
• 45:15
  I will say, I will say, if I may, this is a cheat.
• 45:19
  I am cheating here on this.
• 45:21
  This is me cheating.
• 45:22
  So I am acknowledging that coming out.
• 45:26
  Uh the Olympics the year before was like a playoff atmosphere, and Wimby had to go against the three kings of the NBA literally at the same time.
• 45:38
  You had to go against LeBron, Steph, and KD all at once on the court at the same time, and it was a close contest.
• 45:47
  It took God level, it took it took Steph Curry going Super Saiyan uh to beat France with Wimby.
• 45:59
  That's how much it took.
• 46:01
  Uh so let's not let's not discount the the level of playoff experience that we think at the very least intensity.
• 46:10
  And then also it's like, okay, you also there's this mechanism of we're building the plane while we fly it in terms of these playoff teams.
• 46:17
  You're building your experience.
• 46:19
  Hey, you you've taken the journey now, right?
• 46:21
  You've gone, you've run the gauntlet, you understand what it took, what it takes, and what it took to get where you're at.
• 46:30
  And now you have playoff experience.
• 46:33
  So it's it's it's self-fulfilling destiny, so to speak.
• 46:37
  You're there now.
• 46:38
  So we don't need the the experiencing, I don't need I don't even count that no more, especially now that we've have beaten.
• 46:45
  Well, I think you have to take it into consideration when you're relying on a lot of players that are like in their second and third year in the NBA.
• 46:52
  It's a question how they'll respond in the finals.
• 46:56
  Yeah, I think there'll be a lot of jitters in the first game.
• 46:59
  Um, you're also dealing with the Spurs team that went, you know, they just they just had a heavyweight fight with the best team in basketball for the regular season, and they took them seven games, and you have the the Knicks just sitting on the sideline, just waiting, chilling, resting.
• 47:18
  I mean, they're getting ice bass and lattes and and crash.
• 47:21
  And it goes back to I think maybe more of a true X factor for the Knicks could be Mitchell Robinson, where my understanding is he hurt his pinky or something like that and had to have surgery.
• 47:32
  Will he be able to even give you productive minutes, just spot minutes, um, push on Wimby a little bit, run, jump, rebound, doing the will he be able, will he'll will he be healthy enough to bring the energy to the Knicks that he has brought to them um earlier in this playoff run?
• 47:52
  I think that could be a significant um I think he's gonna be a pretty big factor.
• 47:56
  I think he's gonna be a pretty big factor.
• 47:58
  I think um to your point though, Carl and Carl Anthony Towns, Cat is is absolutely the X factor.
• 48:06
  If he plays good, they got a shot.
• 48:09
  If he don't play good, they got no shot.
• 48:12
  They got no shot if he doesn't like come to work and do a lot more than chat.
• 48:18
  They got no shot if Kat doesn't shoot threes that are open in front of him.
• 48:24
  Yeah, I make them.
• 48:26
  Now we don't know the defensive scheme, because you know, we don't know the defensive scheme that the the uh that the uh the Spurs are gonna throw at him, but what I do know is the Spurs are a great defense, number one.
• 48:43
  They are one and two with well, OKC and them, and then it's really the Knicks, right?
• 48:49
  Um the other thing, and this is bad for the Knicks, OKC starts fast.
• 48:55
  Every game, they come out the gate with aggression.
• 49:00
  And every game, the sp and the Knicks do not.
• 49:04
  They just sort of like go, eh, we got this.
• 49:07
  You can't do that with uh the the Spurs.
• 49:10
  They they're going to wipe you out.
• 49:12
  They're gonna they're gonna beat you down, they're gonna dog walk you if you let them go up.
• 49:17
  They're not gonna relinquish a 20-point lead.
• 49:20
  I I say that knowing that they've relinquished like 15-point leads like constantly.
• 49:24
  Yes.
• 49:25
  Um I just don't think they're gonna do that this time.
• 49:29
  Uh I do think the Knicks can win in seven games.
• 49:32
  I don't think they will win in seven games.
• 49:34
  I think it's gonna go I my prediction, and I guess we're I'm gonna do my prediction now because I'm just you know, natural point of the conversation.
• 49:44
  I think I think Spurs in six.
• 49:49
  I think it's gonna take them six games.
• 49:52
  And I say this on our last um episode, and I think I'm I'm still inclined to think about I felt like I would pick OKC over the um the Knicks.
• 50:04
  I think given that the Spurs are coming off of a hard series and the level that the Knicks have played af in this series, I'll say um Knicks and seven.
• 50:14
  Where I think the the Knicks, the combination of Carl Anthony Towns, um Brunson, their supporting um players.
• 50:23
  It just seems like the storyline, where it seems like the storyline that they've gotten hot at the right team, right time and been the best, yeah, um, best team there, experienced.
• 50:34
  So we'll um we'll see.
• 50:35
  One of the interesting things we're gonna see to your point is what are we gonna see?
• 50:42
  Who what's gonna win out?
• 50:44
  Is it is it rust or is it like tiredness, like attrition?
• 50:52
  What's gonna win?
• 50:53
  The Spurs have just again they're probably very, very tired after that fight.
• 50:59
  I will also say they're very, very young.
• 51:02
  And you know, you as an older, I'm talking like 20, but but when you're 27, 28, it's still a world of difference between being 22 and 23.
• 51:16
  Like it's it's a big difference.
• 51:18
  Um I won't say big, but it's a difference.
• 51:21
  There's a difference between like and what I mean is you're still just as athletic.
• 51:27
  Your recovery at 27, 28, it slows down a little bit.
• 51:30
  Slows a little bit, it slows down, but you know, I don't know what the recovery is actually gonna be like for the Spurs who just play a seven game where the average guy's like 22 years old uh in their primes, like the prime guys who are playing the game.
• 51:46
  I don't know if that's gonna be a factor.
• 51:48
  So it's gonna be interesting to see if the the Knicks come out rusty or do the Spurs come out looking tired.
• 51:55
  Like it's gonna be really interesting to see because the game one is in San Antonio, they're probably gonna be hyped up, the adrenaline is gonna be going.
• 52:03
  Um there are guys who are unconscious, like Champigny and um Vassel for the for the Spurs.
• 52:11
  They don't seem to have a conscience when they're shooting.
• 52:15
  They're not thinking, oh, I'm tired.
• 52:17
  It's like, okay, your job is literally just to stand to take three-point jump shots when Rembi Wimbi Rim runs, uh, and you guys are sitting wide open either at the top or the corner.
• 52:27
  Yeah, it's true, but I don't I don't think the fatigue will necessarily show up in game one.
• 52:32
  I think the story it'll be a cumulative thing where it's like, as if they have a long series in the finals, I think it'll show up over time.
• 52:41
  Yeah.
• 52:41
  Um, you know, how they were beat up, probably playing against the um the Thunder.
• 52:46
  And to that extent, I think the the Knicks have the advantage with that where even if they have a little bit of rust and the Spurs come in passionate, um, they're expected to win on their home floor as um as well.
• 53:00
  So I feel like, you know, um, and obviously, you know, you want to try to win every um every game and get started.
• 53:06
  We will um we'll see.
• 53:07
  I think that's what you what it comes um comes down to, but they do appear, um Knicks appear to be mostly healthy and ready to um ready to go.
• 53:16
  I'm sure they understand the stakes and they'll be ready to play, you know, um come Wednesday.
• 53:21
  Did you see the videos of the of the folks out in the streets celebrating, talking about we want Wimby in New York, they're in New York in the streets, like big massive people.
• 53:31
  Have you seen that?
• 53:32
  I have seen that.
• 53:33
  I'm like, bro, be careful, be careful.
• 53:35
  I don't know if you want that smoke, man.
• 53:37
  Wimby is he's determined, man.
• 53:41
  I think like in terms of like you know, face of the league type stuff, he wants that man's hole is very clear, and I'm absolutely here for it.
• 53:52
  Um, because that means that he is going to, he's not gonna cheat the game, he's gonna play hard and play like a champion.
• 54:01
  Um so I don't know if they want that.
• 54:03
  I think that's I'm confident in that.
• 54:04
  I feel like though, I feel strongly that um Carl Anthony Towns has the most to gain.
• 54:11
  He should come into this with the most urgency.
• 54:13
  This is a well, the Wimby will be back.
• 54:16
  We all know, even if Wimby they have a good chance to get it this year.
• 54:19
  If they don't get it this year, for the next decade, we're gonna be saying are the Spurs gonna win the um you don't know how many times the Knicks will get to the finals.
• 54:27
  It totally will change the narrative around Carl Anthony Towns.
• 54:30
  If he can get one ring, then he can probably start to credibly argue that he's in that top 10 to 15 setters of all time kind of conversation.
• 54:41
  Yeah.
• 54:41
  At least.
• 54:42
  So it changes his.
• 54:44
  He definitely would, in my view, uh I'll say this.
• 54:48
  I already think he's better than Patrick Ewing was.
• 54:51
  And I think if he gets a championship, then there won't be really a question about Ewing was really a jump shooting center.
• 54:58
  I thought I always thought he was a jump shooting center.
• 55:00
  Towns can shoot three.
• 55:02
  I got it.
• 55:03
  The views expressed on the State of Play dev podcast did not necessarily reflect those of the um I I I uh I don't know.
• 55:15
  We are talking about a former number one pick again.
• 55:18
  So again, it goes back to my narrative where people kind of fall out of favor.
• 55:22
  There was a time where he was expected to be one of the main people in the NBA.
• 55:28
  Um, and he has in many in many ways.
• 55:30
  Cat or cat.
• 55:31
  So cat.
• 55:32
  So yes.
• 55:32
  So again, I feel like he has the most urgency where I'm sure Wemby absolutely wants to win.
• 55:39
  If I'm cat, you have to figure out how to do whatever it takes.
• 55:42
  Because again, it's not just the three-point prowess where I can recall the last time they had a disappointing finish, a really disappointing finish, the Knicks.
• 55:50
  Um, no, I think this might have been when he was on the on the Timberwolves.
• 55:55
  There was a terrible three-point shooting performance by Kat, and he really let everybody down.
• 55:58
  I didn't understand.
• 56:00
  So it so it's a mixed bag because he can shoot threes, but I do also think he can give Wemby a lot of trouble.
• 56:07
  He's big near the basket.
• 56:09
  He's strong enough and skilled enough in the post also.
• 56:12
  Making Wim, I think making Wimby guard him inside and outside will be the key in a lot of ways.
• 56:19
  You are wildly.
• 56:23
  You are wildly high.
• 56:24
  He's way stronger than Wimby is.
• 56:26
  Like physically stronger as so I feel like he was Harkenstein.
• 56:31
  But he's skilled enough.
• 56:32
  He has a a level of skill that those other people don't where I feel like he should be able to make Wimby work wherever he is.
• 56:40
  Kat or Chet?
• 56:43
  Because Kat didn't make an all NBA team.
• 56:47
  Chet made all third third team all NBA.
• 56:50
  Right?
• 56:51
  In the Western Conference, no, no doubt, against pretty harder competition.
• 56:57
  Um he made third team All NBA.
• 57:01
  Um in the league with Wimby and Joker and a few other big men over there.
• 57:06
  Well, Kat didn't have his best regular season.
• 57:08
  Again, they kinda it seems like they redid their strategy towards the end of the regular season and the playoffs.
• 57:14
  And that's why they're in the finals.
• 57:16
  Kat ain't no jumper, though.
• 57:18
  Like, and he's got no middle at all.
• 57:21
  It's three and in the paint.
• 57:23
  In the paint, he's getting zero points.
• 57:26
  I'm telling you right now, he's not scoring in the paint unless Wimby is out of the game.
• 57:31
  With Wimby in the game, he ain't scoring in the paint.
• 57:33
  He's not shooting jumpers in the paint, he's not backing them down, he's not doing a dipsy-do or any of that.
• 57:39
  Jump Wimby's not jumping from people's jump shots.
• 57:42
  It takes a group effort to score against Wimby.
• 57:45
  You have to out fox him.
• 57:47
  You have to do a misdirection or a dipsy-do, you know, and pass it, you know, behind him, pull him outside and then pass behind him, that kind of thing.
• 58:00
  And then is Kat gonna hit threes.
• 58:04
  Uh I feel like he's he might hit a few, he might hit a couple.
• 58:09
  Uh the the good thing, the advantage is is it no, let me stop.
• 58:15
  Here's the thing that that did not work.
• 58:17
  A three-point shooting center like Chet, it didn't work against against um Spurs in.
• 58:25
  Cat has one three-point contest before though.
• 58:28
  So Chad is oh cat is a different caliber of three-point shooters and cat to get the shots up.
• 58:33
  You gotta get the shots up.
• 58:35
  Like now, again, it's gonna be fascinating to see their strategy and see if it works pulling, you know, Wimby.
• 58:42
  I think they have to try it.
• 58:44
  It's a different now it is different pulling Wimby out to the top versus like putting him in the corner, putting putting uh putting the center in the corner to shoot threes is not what they're gonna do.
• 58:53
  That's what they did to Chet.
• 58:55
  Um and it allowed Wemby to just sit inside and help and then run back out.
• 59:02
  That if you have Cat at the top, it's not gonna happen.
• 59:06
  Yeah, he's gonna have to play him, he's gonna have to face guard him.
• 59:10
  And at that point, the Spurs don't have a power forward who's like 6'9, 6' you know, it's it's a bunch of it's four smaller guys.
• 59:20
  You got De'Aaron Fox, Vassel, Champigny, and um uh uh Castle, and then Wemby.
• 59:26
  So you got four smaller guys, you're gonna have to have someone smaller, like uh uh Champigny or Vassel trying to guard Kat for slacking attention, but and then you're gonna leave Wimby at their help.
• 59:39
  Maybe they'll do that.
• 59:40
  I don't know if that's the thing that you're gonna do because I feel like cat can literally just jump shoot over you.
• 59:46
  Yes.
• 59:47
  It is it is very hard to guard a tall three-point, like a really tall three-point shooter.
• 59:53
  Uh so we'll we'll see.
• 59:55
  Uh we'll see how that we'll see how it works.
• 59:57
  It's gonna be interesting.
• 59:58
  But again, my thing is is you know, is fatigue gonna win out?
• 1:00:03
  Is fatigue gonna win out, or is um or is like the rest gonna win out for game one.
• 1:00:12
  My thing is one of the things that gives me pause to think about that is like the game was on uh Saturday night.
• 1:00:22
  We're recording this on like a Sunday.
• 1:00:25
  Game one is until Wednesday.
• 1:00:26
  Yeah, so they're still so yeah, I'm thinking fatigue.
• 1:00:28
  It's like they could take all day today off to rest and relax.
• 1:00:33
  I understand, you know, people are probably sore and improved, and then they still have Monday and Tuesday.
• 1:00:39
  So I feel like barring injuries, if players are actually hurt, that's one thing.
• 1:00:42
  It seems like they should be able to still get themselves together, sort of, and not be dead tired by the time that the the game comes around.
• 1:00:50
  I'm praying to God that like nobody gets hurt in this series.
• 1:00:55
  I don't want to see no Achilles' or knee injuries or like none of that.
• 1:01:00
  Because it just it just takes the like thunder and pun not intended.
• 1:01:06
  Um it just takes it out of this.
• 1:01:08
  Like last year when when Halliburton got hurt, I was it hurt because that series was actually really good.
• 1:01:16
  It was really good.
• 1:01:17
  And by the way, yeah, last year's finals was probably the most surprisingly compelling one that I can remember in a good while where it was way better than I thought it would be.
• 1:01:26
  It was definitely surprising.
• 1:01:27
  Most people think I'm wrong.
• 1:01:29
  Uh Halliburton, when he got hurt, uh tried to come back.
• 1:01:34
  Um, and as you remember, he had strained his calf and he tried to come back, and then you know, he had no inhibitions.
• 1:01:43
  He was like literally playing free as if nothing was wrong.
• 1:01:46
  Uh and then he added his little accident.
• 1:01:49
  But but I say that because um if I think I can't remember the exact thing, but if Halliburton has double digits in the first half, uh the Pacers were literally undefeated in the season.
• 1:02:06
  And he had had like 12 in the first quarter, and they were up by like 10 or 12 in the first quarter, and then he gets hurt, and then the rest is history.
• 1:02:16
  So we don't know what would have happened.
• 1:02:19
  Um I think Indiana might have pulled that out.
• 1:02:23
  Um, but it they didn't.
• 1:02:24
  So be that as it may, I am hoping that the series just goes on and on and on without any injuries being a factor in it.
• 1:02:34
  So that's that's that's my biggest please God protect these players.
• 1:02:39
  Let nothing happen to them uh so that we have a good series, bro.
• 1:02:43
  Because I'm I'm really excited.
• 1:02:45
  I'm really, really excited.
• 1:02:47
  I can't wait.
• 1:02:48
  So um so you're predicting the Knicks win.
• 1:02:54
  Yes.
• 1:02:55
  Why do you hate San Antonio?
• 1:02:57
  I mean, I'm not scared of that.
• 1:02:58
  It's just like I feel, and again, they've proved me wrong up to this point.
• 1:03:02
  I just still feel like they're uh um a year away.
• 1:03:05
  You've seen some inexperience.
• 1:03:08
  Um, even with the getting past OKC, I understand that they um they won.
• 1:03:14
  I'll say a win is a win.
• 1:03:16
  It's hard for me to fully credit it given the injuries that OKC experienced as well.
• 1:03:22
  So it's sort of like OKC was missing an all-NBA caliber performer, and it took seven games, you know, to get past um them versus a team that's calibered.
• 1:03:35
  NBA caliber caliber.
• 1:03:36
  He did not make an all-NBA team.
• 1:03:38
  He was hurt a lot a while.
• 1:03:40
  It's true.
• 1:03:40
  He tried to come back to the way the game before, he was hurt.
• 1:03:42
  It was clear that he's like, dude, no, man, you're not ready.
• 1:03:45
  Go get you, go get.
• 1:03:46
  I feel bad for him.
• 1:03:47
  I still don't think they would have lost the game.
• 1:03:49
  I feel like they would have won the game because they won, they won it.
• 1:03:52
  They beat him three out of four times, even with a full slate.
• 1:03:54
  It's hard to know, but I think because I think what they won by eight, so the Spurs won by eight last night with no Jalen Williams, and Chet played terrible.
• 1:04:04
  So it's kind of like it's not clear that moving forward they'll be the class of the Western Conference, but I understand that we're talking about today, you know, and what um um what actually what actually occurred.
• 1:04:16
  Yeah so um so we'll see.
• 1:04:18
  Yeah, my thing is to wrap it up is bottom line, despite no matter if the Knicks win or the Spurs win, I feel like we as fans, we just all win.
• 1:04:30
  We just all win.
• 1:04:31
  We have not we as fans have been suffering through this playoffs.
• 1:04:35
  No, I'm kidding.
• 1:04:36
  It's been great.
• 1:04:37
  These playoffs have been great.
• 1:04:38
  The eat the Eastern Conference has been trash.
• 1:04:40
  So let me stop there.
• 1:04:42
  That that was some I don't know if you remember the Pistons in the freaking uh Orlando series, that was super hot garbage.
• 1:04:51
  The the OKC Orlando had injuries though, also.
• 1:04:54
  Yeah, but everyone OKC played against in the playoffs was absolute garbage.
• 1:04:59
  That was hard to watch, impossible to watch.
• 1:05:01
  But I would say I think that it's and obviously I'm sure Spurs fans would disagree.
• 1:05:06
  I think the more fun outcome for the NBA is for the Knicks to win.
• 1:05:10
  No, then because New York City will be lit, everybody be celebrating, and then Wemby's kind of on his revenge tour where everybody's like, we know he's the best player.
• 1:05:20
  Maybe when is he gonna get it?
• 1:05:22
  I think that sets it up for greater interest in the NBA than the Spurs win, then the Knicks kind of just fade into oblivion.
• 1:05:29
  Maybe they'll be back, maybe they um they won't.
• 1:05:32
  I think it's a more interesting storyline in a few ways.
• 1:05:35
  If the Knicks were successful, you don't think it's more interesting?
• 1:05:39
  I think it's more I'm the opposite.
• 1:05:40
  I think it's more interesting if the Spurs win and you have a non American who is absolutely crowned the undisputed face of the NBA.
• 1:05:54
  He probably yeah, I'm gonna say it now, he probably is the NBA face of the NBA now.
• 1:05:59
  Um I don't know.
• 1:06:00
  I feel like he can he will be the best player.
• 1:06:03
  I don't know that he has the personality to be the face and the sense that the league will be able to market around him.
• 1:06:08
  And part of that is probably honestly prejudice against foreign-born players also.
• 1:06:14
  I think that I think that will always continue, but I think it's a reality that we that that we have to deal with at this point.
• 1:06:19
  The last like what eight MVPs have been like from other countries.
• 1:06:39
  Wemby has that in spades, and we haven't seen that in an American player.
• 1:06:45
  We've seen it in uh well, honestly, we haven't seen it in Joker.
• 1:06:50
  Uh, because he just wants to win and go home and play with his horses.
• 1:06:54
  So I want to play with my horses.
• 1:06:55
  Uh uh, he wants to do that.
• 1:06:57
  And then you have Giannis, who's always hurt, who's also foreign born.
• 1:07:01
  You had Embiid as MVP.
• 1:07:03
  Yeah, SGA, who's Canadian.
• 1:07:04
  Yuck! Sorry, that was a reaction.
• 1:07:07
  I didn't mean that.
• 1:07:09
  I'm kidding.
• 1:07:09
  I'm kidding.
• 1:07:10
  Canada, I'm sorry.
• 1:07:12
  Um but you have him as a two-time MVP, he's Canadian.
• 1:07:16
  That bottom line is that we're not putting out the America's not putting out like superstars, and maybe Cooper Flag will turn into that.
• 1:07:26
  Um maybe Dylan Harper will turn into that.
• 1:07:30
  Maybe AJ Devance or uh or uh Ace or Ace B.
• 1:07:34
  Doesn't look like it's gonna be Chad at this point.
• 1:07:37
  It ain't Chet.
• 1:07:38
  It ain't Chet, baby.
• 1:07:40
  The great white hope ain't here yet, baby.
• 1:07:42
  I mean, you got Cooper, but you know.
• 1:07:44
  Uh so we haven't had it, but I just don't think any of those guys are as other than prime Anthony Edwards, who I still think we haven't seen.
• 1:07:54
  I I think Cooper Flag have the best chance in terms of game and broad marketability if it if the stars were to align around him.
• 1:08:04
  I he has a deal with New Balance, so that's also bad.
• 1:08:08
  Um but if they start giving, you know, maybe Nike rolls out a street shoe for Wimby because his basketball shoes are great.
• 1:08:16
  I have like two pairs.
• 1:08:17
  Uh if they give a street, give us get a street shoe for Wimby, some alien, some alien stuff, like pick Nike, call me, baby.
• 1:08:25
  I'm a creative director.
• 1:08:26
  I can help you out.
• 1:08:27
  Look, give him a street shoe.
• 1:08:30
  Um, he doesn't have one.
• 1:08:32
  Still it's Jordan forever.
• 1:08:34
  I'm not saying they'll over ever overtake that.
• 1:08:35
  They're never gonna, no one's ever gonna do that.
• 1:08:37
  So I'm not saying that.
• 1:08:39
  But you have a chance here.
• 1:08:41
  You don't have one of the new superstars under a Nike contract, like a super duper star under a Nike contract, uh, except for Wemby.
• 1:08:51
  And now you have a chance, Nike, to start capitalizing off of.
• 1:08:55
  And if they win, you have Nike and the NBA, who are always in cahoots for each other, it seems like, to have uh a new marketable face.
• 1:09:05
  And if you just let it go, man, I know like he's international, but the game is going international.
• 1:09:12
  Um, again, last like eight MVPs have been non-Americans uh as a trainer.
• 1:09:19
  We'll talk about that another time about how we gotta teach our kids to come up and become like marketable superstars.
• 1:09:26
  Um, they have a different way of doing it in the rest of the world.
• 1:09:30
  Uh there's something wrong with the way the NBA Americans are coming up.
• 1:09:36
  Clearly, if only European-born players or non-American players are getting it done.
• 1:09:41
  They're getting it done.
• 1:09:43
  Coming to play our game and our country better than we play it.
• 1:09:49
  Name a time when a soccer person has gone from America to another country to beat us at our own game.
• 1:09:57
  Name it.
• 1:09:59
  Never in a million years has that happened.
• 1:10:03
  And now it's happening in baseball already, but now it's happening, it's broad now, because now we got Shohei Otani right in in baseball, who's an absolute monster.
• 1:10:13
  He's easily the best of the potentially the best of all time.
• 1:10:17
  Potentially already the best, the GOAT.
• 1:10:21
  So it's happening there too, but not as much as it happens in the NBA, which is another conversation for another day.
• 1:10:28
  All I'm saying is the I think the compelling story of Wimby winning a championship at 22 with his numbers, who he I think someone, and I do think this is like a little bit of like fuzzy math.
• 1:10:44
  I think he has more threes than Steph Curry had in his first few years, first three years.
• 1:10:48
  Um, but like Steph Curry was hurt.
• 1:10:50
  Yeah, he was his angles were cracked.
• 1:10:53
  I mean, they were like Swiss cheese, like they were always messed up.
• 1:10:56
  So, yes, that is maybe true, but he was always hurt.
• 1:10:59
  But Wimby also was hurt like his first second year, um, which allowed them to get castle.
• 1:11:05
  Uh I mean uh uh uh Darren Harper.
• 1:11:08
  And um, but I just the the the meteoric rise of someone like Wimby uh to win against backup basketball Mecca uh in New York against New York against the media capital of the world uh I think would set the earth on fire.
• 1:11:32
  Like he it would encapsulate, it would just like everything that the NBA makes the NBA great and uh amazing.
• 1:11:43
  This win is if they win it, I think we'll take the NBA like up levels, multiple levels in terms of marketability for the league.
• 1:11:55
  Again, and for Nike, uh if they give them a street shoe, give them a street shoe, damn it.
• 1:12:01
  You gotta do it.
• 1:12:02
  So that's what I think.
• 1:12:03
  I you know, but you may be right.
• 1:12:05
  The Knicks maybe it may be a compelling.
• 1:12:07
  I I can't think of a compelling narrative to come out of the finals if the Knicks win, other than they won it for the first time in like 10,000 years.
• 1:12:15
  The whole New York City thing is a big, a big deal.
• 1:12:18
  I think there's some, and he can get you know, the narrative question that's always um complicated.
• 1:12:24
  Um, there could potentially be even some backlash against Wemby in the United States if he were to beat the Knicks and they're set up kind of as a United States team.
• 1:12:34
  As well, I do get the sense there's some indication that there's some rallying of people broadly around the fact that the team they'd like to see.
• 1:12:43
  I think if you were to ask most NBA fans overall, they would say they would want to see the Knicks win.
• 1:12:50
  In the most American NBA fans would um potentially say that.
• 1:12:55
  We're gonna folks, we're gonna come back.
• 1:12:56
  We're gonna do an we're gonna do a a what do you call it?
• 1:13:00
  Something to look into.
• 1:13:01
  A street we're gonna look into this.
• 1:13:02
  I'm gonna go ask, and I'm gonna put it on, I'm gonna put it on audio for folks to hear, and I'm gonna put I'm gonna play it back next time and ask them who they think uh should win the finals based on the the identity of uh the league, and we're gonna see what happens.
• 1:13:22
  I think you're wrong.
• 1:13:23
  I think people want Wimby as a face for the NBA because they're starving for it.
• 1:13:29
  Again, we have LeBron going out, we have Steph going out, we have Katie sort of fading into memory a little bit with this new br new new new class of players coming up.
• 1:13:41
  Now it's all about it's all about SGA, Luka Doncic, uh now Wemby, Anthony Edwards, some say Jason Tatum.
• 1:13:51
  You know, I who know I don't I don't know.
• 1:13:56
  All I know is the top of that list is is Wim Women Yama Um until further notice.
• 1:14:05
  Cooper Flag is under a new balance contract forever.
• 1:14:09
  Uh yeah, New Balance is cool with kids, but they're just cool.
• 1:14:13
  The shoes are cool.
• 1:14:14
  The basketball shoes are ugly.
• 1:14:16
  Sorry.
• 1:14:17
  They're ugly.
• 1:14:18
  The street shoes are fire, absolute fire.
• 1:14:22
  No one is conf no one is sort of identifying Cooper Flag with street New Balance shoes at all, whatsoever, full stop.
• 1:14:31
  Uh they're not doing it with Kawhi Leonard, they're not doing the Tyrese Maxi, they're not doing it with any of the other NBA players under contract with New Balance.
• 1:14:38
  They need a nostalgic, Nike sort of connection to the NBA, the same way Jordan sort of defied imagination with his performance on the on the court and his marketing off the court with Nike.
• 1:14:55
  This whole this whole universe in basketball, hip hop, urban culture, and thus expanding into sort of American culture um is important for the NBA to continue and can't afford.
• 1:15:10
  I didn't think a foreign person could do it.
• 1:15:12
  I honestly didn't.
• 1:15:13
  Yeah, I didn't think so at all until now.
• 1:15:15
  Until now.
• 1:15:17
  I'm really glad that you brought up Tyrese Maxie because I think he's flying under the radar where he's I think based on just his game, he might be the next best hope for an American face where I don't think he can do it on the 76ers there, but I feel like his talent level, um squeaky clean, devoted to the um I'd agree with the game.
• 1:15:39
  It seems like you could market um around him.
• 1:15:42
  I feel like the 76ers are such a mess that it makes it um tough, but I feel like he's the player that falls under the radar.
• 1:15:48
  He should have been one of the first American-born.
• 1:15:51
  I can't, I don't know that I can really think of an American-born player that I would want over him for the next decade, potentially.
• 1:16:01
  We have we have three now who have a chance, and and to your point, Tyrese, the problem with the the the guys who are the fa are arguing about the face, right?
• 1:16:14
  Are the the thing about that is that you have to defy imagination, you have to defy it.
• 1:16:22
  You have to be a Steph Curry, yeah, you have to be a LeBron James.
• 1:16:27
  Before that, you have to be a Shaq, you had to be look, you had to be Michael Jordan, end of list.
• 1:16:35
  Those guys literally made us think different about like you want to, and then I'll also I'll also throw in Alan Iverson and Kobe Bryant for cultural reasons, right?
• 1:16:47
  You had guys who sort of meshed the the idea of I want to be that, or that guy defies imagination for me.
• 1:16:58
  I want to see that all the time.
• 1:17:02
  Uh we haven't had that again since Prime LeBron and Steph.
• 1:17:07
  Uh, and that was a while ago, if you think about it.
• 1:17:10
  Um yeah, and both of them have such compelling personal narratives as well to go along with their basketball prowess, and it's impossible to generate that.
• 1:17:20
  It's impossible.
• 1:17:21
  I mean, we had the we had King James following him since like ninth grade.
• 1:17:25
  Um, Steph had a different path, and and he just showed us and proved that what he could do right in front of our faces and made our jaws drop.
• 1:17:33
  And I was a fan of his father, yeah, as a child, so it was interesting to see the son kind of surpassing the father.
• 1:17:40
  Um, yeah, oh absolutely.
• 1:17:42
  Absolutely.
• 1:17:43
  Shooter's gonna shoot.
• 1:17:45
  So anyway, I'm gonna I'm gonna um cut us off abruptly, but hey man, that was uh um it's great to see that the NBA is going where it's going.
• 1:17:54
  I'm uh extremely excited, like we've been talking about.
• 1:17:57
  Um I can't wait.
• 1:17:59
  Um NBA finals are gonna be great.
• 1:18:02
  Uh you pick the the Knicks.
• 1:18:04
  Uh Knicks in the seven.
• 1:18:06
  I pick the Spurs in the six.
• 1:18:09
  Uh and now I'm more confident because they don't play until at game one, they're gonna get a big break.
• 1:18:15
  They got a pretty good break.
• 1:18:16
  And you know, mashing sort of meshing the sort of uh uh they won't be rusty at all, and they'll be well rested.
• 1:18:26
  So I got them winning the first two games at home, uh, and then possibly losing game three in New York because they're gonna be too hype for that.
• 1:18:36
  And then the rest is gonna be history.
• 1:18:38
  So we'll see how it goes.
• 1:18:41
  Uh yeah.
• 1:18:42
  Thanks for joining us on State of Play.
• 1:18:46
  Um follow us, uh, listen to our podcast wherever podcasts are listened to, and we'll see you next week.
• 1:18:53
  Thanks.