Red-Hot Hornets Cool off Heat In Play-In Victory | Real Ones

What's popping? Real ones. Logan Murdock here, Roger Bell and Howard Beck in a second.

Real ones after dark. We are going to be reacting to the Tuesday play in games between the

suns and the blazers and also probably the game of the night. The hornets and the heat

so many subplots was Lamello bought a pocket for tripping band out of bio and should he

deserve to be kicked out of the game, which would have had a crazy butterfly effect because

I don't think that the hornets would have won without Lamello. Then we talk about the

futures of the blazers and the suns and we get to your mail back questions. We had a really

fun wild and delirious time tonight. A lot of our peeps like Cliff and Howard and Roger

were all on East Coast time. What's makes for a special type of delirium on a late night podcast.

So tapping with all of that at a really fun time. Also, Real ones, Miaobeg, gmo.com,

Real ones, Miaobeg, gmo.com, Real ones, Miaobeg, gmo.com. We got your questions every Tuesday.

It was really, really fun. We had a really great mail back tonight. I'm delirious. I'm going to go

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What's up, everyone?

Realms, Logan, Murdoch, here. Roger Bell, there. Howard Beck, in the cut.

Realms after dark. I would not be surprised if two co-hosts, right?

Miriam, are corpses by the end of this episode. Everybody going good before we get to it?

Roger Howard, are you guys okay? How are we doing? It's like five in the morning, wherever you guys are.

Still awake. Still awake so far. You can tell it's real ones after dark because it's literally

fucking dark behind me. Yes, dark everywhere. We're going to be slurring our words.

There's, there's, yeah, we're here. We're here, ladies and gentlemen.

Great slate of games for both the Eastern Western Conference. Let's start with the Hornets

over the heat. 127, 126. Roger's Hornets are going to the next round of the plan. How do you

feel about your team? So far, how do you feel? Yeah, I mean, saying that my team is a stretch,

but they were my, what we call it, league pass team. When we did like, what was the super relatives,

we did like mid-season awards or something like that. And I think tonight's game kind of

was perfect for that, for illustrating why I had them as my league pass team. They, you

rode the highs. They were terrible turnovers. There were awful possessions down the stretch.

They were wildly launched threes that rarely went in. And then they were just incredible shots.

I mean, they're an entertain and bunch. And I think if I'm being honest, like just as a fan,

I wanted, I would like to see them in a series this year. I'm in a group text with some younger

fans that are in my family. And to a man, all of them were like, yes, please let the Hornets get in.

Like people are intrigued by that team. They want to see what they're going to do in a playoff series.

I want to get to Lamello's 30 points and tennisists and game winner. But we have to talk about the

story of the game before we get to the wins, which is Lamello Ball. If you asked Eric Spulster,

was it even supposed to be in the game in the final seconds to have that layup? Because he

tripped Bam out of bio. And Bam out of bio heard his back. And Bam out of bio didn't play the rest

of the game. He didn't return. And we won't see him until next season. Eric Spulster had a quote,

I don't think it's cute. I don't think it's funny. I think it's a stupid play. I think it's a

dangerous play. Obviously our best player was out. I'm not making an excuse. The Hornets played

great. They made those plays down the stretch. We had our opportunities down the stretch. That's

the shame. You should have been penalized for that. Shripping guys, shenanigans, ref cardis player

was there. It was here responsibility to see that. If it's not his responsibility, Zaxarbah has

got to see that. Somebody has to see that. You should have been thrown out of the game for what he

did. Howard Beck, I'm going to start with you. With everything that we've heard about the referees,

I used to go to Roger with this, but I'm just going to give him a blow real quick. It's very late.

This obviously changed the trajectory of the game. What does it say about where we are with the

officials? What should have happened to Muello Ball after him tripping Bambara Bound and

hurting him? I also saw this bolster quotes. I also saw Lamello quotes. I just want to give Lamello

his due here where he was asked about the play. The quick transcription I saw, I'm assuming this

is accurate. It came off social media, but it was with the video. I apologize on that one. He says,

I got hit in the head. Didn't really know where I was. I'm going to check on him and see if he's

okay and everything. I haven't even seen it. Lamello seemed legit, contrite there and concerned,

and admitting that he might have messed up. He grabbed him. He yanked him. You guys know this.

We've been through this before. I usually, if it's the question of what's a dirty play versus what's

over the line versus over aggressive versus whatever, that's when I usually turned to Raja who will

ask in a second here about it. Those lines are hard to say sometimes. I don't like throwing around

the word dirty if I can avoid it. On the officiating part of it, there was a poor reporter after the game,

Rod Boone from the Charlotte observer did speak with Zach Zarbah. Asked about why that play wasn't

reviewed in real time. This was Zarbah's quote, the play wasn't whistled in real time. A play

continued with a fast break. Because play wasn't stopped immediately and there was no whistle on the

play, the window to review the play was closed. Play was stopped after a change of possession and

then a time out. By rule, our window to review that play then is closed. He notes that they did

look at it at half time because Raffes always do that. Rod Boone followed up by asking if it should

have been a flagrant foul. If it had been reviewed and Zarbah notes that at this point it goes to

league operations, they'll make a determination in the coming days. There's nothing they can do

about it at that point. However, people might feel about it and I understand the strong feelings

about it for sure, especially if you're a Miami Heat fan or if you're BAM or if you're a spulstra.

But by rule, there was no way for them to review it in real time based on the way things unfolded.

That's so tricky, Roger, because like,

Insureplay has obviously had a big, has a big presence in our game today.

Some of it makes the game longer. But in this instance, it feels like you would want

expanded replay for a moment like this, right? Because I mean, Lamello Ball has a direct impact on

this win and there's a world where he gets ejected for this. Look, I don't think that's an

ejectable foul. I agree. I don't want it possibly, but not a judge.

Flagrant won very possibly. You could give that and I wouldn't bad and I at that if you said you

wanted to go back and review it. But even if they were to have a vehicle to get back and review a

play like that, I don't think it's ejectionable. So like, you know, if you're going to play the end

result of the unfortunate at a bio out for the rest of the game, the year opening up Pandora's

box to like all kind of judgment calls in the moment based on the outcome. And that's not where

you want to be when you're when you're having to legislate and and and you know, kind of follow the

rulebook. So I was unfortunate. Obviously, you know, Bambit out had started to like really find some

mismatches. It was starting to punish them kind of in a way physically that they they didn't seem to

have a great answer for. So it would have been cool to see how that played out. I don't think it would

have it would have gotten Lamello kicked out of the game, even if you could go back and review it.

And it wound up being a phenomenally entertaining game anyway. So I'm not going to blow a gasket on

it tonight. You know, it's unfortunate. Like, you know, I don't know what was going through Lamello's

head at that point. And obviously, if you if I was a heat fan, I'm not a true fan of any team.

If I was a heat fan, I'd be I'd be upset. But as a word, I don't think that that's an ejectionable

offense anyway. Was it dirty though? No, I you know, look, I think when you're when you're trying,

I mean, people could disagree with me if you want. But like when you're premeditating what you're

going to do to somebody and you're trying to hurt them, like, you know, dirty comes to mind.

In a situation like that where, you know, he alluded to like, he just got chopped in the head and

you're down on the ground and you're just kind of reaching out like, I don't know, I don't know how

it was it was a tough play. It was an unfortunate play. I'm reluctant to say dirty because when I use

the word dirty, like you've got it, it's it's almost like the difference between like, you know,

degrees of, you know, something when you're in the legal courts, right? Like if you've got

premeditation there and you're trying to do it, like that's one thing. If it was on, it's still

happened, like you did it, but you didn't necessarily plan to do it and it just kind of happens

part of the moment. It's hard for me to yell dirty on that just personally. Yeah. What is, and I'm

going to get back to the series, but I do have a question for you, Roger, like, what is that dirty

jacket put on you when you're in sports, right? Once you get it on you, like, what is that hard

to get off? Like, what is the distinction and why are you so reluctant? I'm not saying that it was

dirty. I'm just asking why are you so reluctant to call something dirty in sports, and particularly

in basketball? Well, I think it gets thrown around. Well, in today's game, it gets thrown

away too often. Like, we're, you know, this era of basketball fan is a justified fan,

bro. Like it's crazy. Like it, we've, you know, everything's dirty. Everyone tried to hurt someone

like, that's crazy, man. Like no one's out there trying to hurt anybody. You take a,

you take a heart of foul, be a hard foul on somebody or you knock them down or you thwamed

at a ground because you took offense to what they did to you. I don't see that as dirty. Like,

you understand what I'm saying to you? Like, I see that as standing up for yourself. And so,

you know, I've told my story before about you get labeled dirty in a league like that.

And the league starts to really monitor what you're doing in a way and starts to levy,

you know, finds the suspensions and and use rationale for those, and completely the opposite way

that they would use a rationale to not levy a fine or suspension against someone else. So

not falling in and being labeled as such. Like, I want everyone to stay out of that category

because I firsthand know what a league will do to you at times if they, if they see you in that

like Howard, just last question on this. Do you think that I haven't been on social too much

outcry of this? But do you think because Bam got hurt that there is that, you know, that

conversation of dirtiness and just how we look at it as a league and just from a media standpoint?

Do you think it's because he didn't come back? Bam didn't come back?

It's always amplified by that. If the guy doesn't come back, if it's the worst you're hurt.

First of all, the often what has happened I think over time, I've seen this many times where

the worst, the impact in the moment, the more likely the refs are to call a flagrant or a flagrant

to in the moment sometimes. Like impact matters. And then a guy leaving and not being able to come back

after the fact, if it wasn't called that way, then yeah, it makes everybody look at it with that much,

you know, of a more jaded lens. I saw the replay like a few different times and there's a point at

the end where it looks like Lamell is actually looking up and can see what he's doing as he,

as he yanks his leg. At the same time, as he first reached his hand out, it's almost like,

I'm on the ground, I'm prone, I've already gotten knocked around and I'm just trying to make sure I don't

get, you know, a knee to the head or an ankle to the head or whatever. Like it could have been either.

I don't know. I definitely would not go to the point of calling it dirty because it does imply

intent and I don't think there was intent there. It looks bad to when he yanks on him.

Yeah, heat fans are going to be crying foul. I don't mean crying like whining. I just mean like,

you know, crying foul, crying flagrant foul, crying that yelling that Lamellos should have been called

for something more serious. And I totally get it. Tough position for the referees when there's no

actual stoppage of play to review it on and by rule, no way to, to go down that path.

So it is what it is. These things happen. It was a really great game. Both games tonight were

fantastic. We should probably start there. Absolutely. Let's go back 10 minutes. Let's start there.

We had to do a really amazing play in games that were really close and really exciting.

Both of them pretty sloppy at times. Like this wasn't like the cause of the great. It's kind of

yeah, it was just all over the place, but they were both pretty freaking entertaining. And damn,

like the hornets might actually make the playoffs for the first time in a thousand years. So,

you know, they've got to beat the loser of Philly or Lando to make it now. And Miami's out. And,

you know, so before we move on, just a quick one, like the heat through everything

over the last however many years, right? The highs of Jimmy Butler, the lows Jimmy Butler,

the heat are always in the playoffs. And they're not this year. For the first time since 2019,

which is the year that they got Jimmy Butler that summer. So the last time they missed was

pre Jimmy Butler. And they're out. It was a pretty damn good run. A couple of finals appearances.

A few first roundouts, couple of semifinals appearances. But shout out to Heat Culture. You know

where they're heading this summer. They're going to go chase Yannis and any other star they can find

because a core of Tyler hero, Bam out of bio might have been the last time we saw Tyler hero in a

heat uniform. Spiring contract. I mean, I'm not expiring this year, but he's got one year left. So,

yeah, if they're chasing Yannis or whoever, he's the guy who gets traded. Yeah, I want to obviously,

like we have the biggest story of the game, but I do want to talk about the game itself because the

game was fascinating. I'm curious to see what you think about this Roger because I want to,

I just want to go back memory lane with this reminded me of this game reminded me of when I

think about it reminded me of when I first saw the Warriors play in 2013. And that when I first saw

them play in the playoffs in 2013. And what I mean by that, I'm not comparing trajectories or anything,

I'm just comparing like the vibes of both teams. And it seemed like the hornets like the warriors

and that game won against Denver had to kind of convince convinced themselves that they were better

than the heat, right? Because it felt like one thing I was nervous about for the hornets was

going into this game. It's a one game playoff. And typically the more experienced team wins

those types of games. But the hornets were very clearly the better team throughout, but it had to

convince themselves that they were because they got started getting a little, little tight in that

fourth quarter, right? There were a lot of weird threes that they were shooting. You know,

LeMelo down the stretch wasn't shooting the ball with confidence, at least in that fourth quarter,

right? Those threes, he kind of was just like slow pushing it, you know, it wasn't,

it wasn't with as much confidence. But it felt like, you know, in that overtime, they finally

just figured out like, well, we're the better team we can go do this, right? And I, I really hope

that they get that whenever they get into the whoever they play with the magic or the sixers

in the next in the next game and the next playing game. But it was really fun to kind of see them

come of age in this type of game, right? Where they are clearly the better team. But, you know,

they're playing against the OGs who, you know, have been there before, Norm Pal has been there before.

Andrew Wiggins has been there before. Has been a champion, right? You got Bam out of Bile.

They're coached by Eric Spulster, who's the top five coach in the league. But it was good to see

their maturation kind of come and come into the fold down the stretch of that game. Yeah, yeah, it was

it was it was a it was a really fun watch. You know, they they I thought that was a game of,

you know, you know, you always say basketball is a game of runs. But I thought it was it was kind

of a game of individual runs for them where like, you know, LeMelo comes out and he's pacing it early

and, you know, he's he's he's not shooting the three well, but he's you know, he's really scoring

the ball. And then, you know, Kobe, Kobe White has those those those huge moments and he floats

them for a while. And then, you know, bridges floats him for a while. I just thought Brandon Miller

floats him for a while. The body was good all night. I thought I thought that it was a really

interesting game in that way. You know, typically it's kind of, you know, you're kind of playing

double dutch with the scoring. You're kind of hopping in hopping out. He go, you know, like we're

there's a flow to it. This game just had like individual runs for on both teams for that matter.

Like, you know, the heat we're kind of doing the same thing. It was a really cool watch.

I would say this Logan, I don't know if it answered your question, but I thought it was really

interesting. Like Charles Lee decided, you know, you guys watched it. The camera couldn't stop pan

and over to con most of the game there. Like you're talking about the leading three point shooter

in the NBA and they needed multiple threes and he was still sitting over there. That is a huge

decision for a coach to make in a situation like that. And a young coach at that good point.

You know, so wondering what he what he saw from con what he's been seeing from him and knowing that

and my overall point is like, I think, I think he'll be fine, but he needs to be fine for them to

to get into the playoffs and to be the team that I'm telling you I want to watch in the playoffs.

You know, if con isn't hitting that stride or finding, I don't know, a B plus version of

himself, they're not they're just not the same team. Yeah, I mean, that was a that was just really

interesting on a number of levels. I do want to go and ask how are the rookie of the year question.

And we're going to get to that question in general, but like that was one of the things that I was

talking about with like the adversity that Charlotte had to continue to overcome in this game.

And while I was so impressed with them, right, like they they were they were very clearly scouted,

right? Like even down to there was a play in the first half when Davey on Mitchell just caught

Lamello just lacking because and they said it on the broadcast and was really interesting when

they were talking about like one of the things that Charles Lee was trying to tell the hornage was

like, yo, stop celebrating so much because I want you to that because I want you all to swag out

is because you guys aren't getting back on defense and an experienced team like the heat will take

advantage of that. And that's exactly what Davey on Mitchell did, right? But like different things like

that you could see them overcoming adversity. Conconnipples getting scouted. We're going to start

try to slow the hornage down and try to plink them play half court as much as possible. Try to beat

that. And that was one of the things that I continue to be impressed by the hornage was they were like

a computer like, okay, that's how you guys are going to play me. But we're going to just we're going

to exploit another thing that we we see on the defensive end. And I just I really was impressed by

just how they just executed and how they just were evolved in real time. And that's really hard for

a young team to type it to do. And I was really impressed. I was also impressed by the maturation

of your guy Lamello ball. I got to say it because you know, I was I was just being an asshole

about him early in the season, but he's really matured. And I'm really really more than one

just Logan more more than once. Hey, man, hey, listen, listen, listen, listen, we're not acting like

there wasn't a myriad of evidence to the contrary here. Okay, I got a good coach and he's and he

has that transformation. And I just wanted to acknowledge that. And I was an asshole and listen,

kick that tonight. Which I mean, he did. He was a bad motherfucker. But hold on, before you like

may a Copa too far here. Dude was 12 for 31 from the field, 31 fucking shots and granted over time

two for 16 from three. And some of those were wild ass threes. And he had some wild ass mole. I

think he was a very Lamello game, right? Like the end result is spectacular game winning shot.

Somebody out of bounds. He had a bad foul in the fourth quarter. Like, yeah, it's the game winner.

Yeah, I mean, like it it ends well. And the numbers look great. If you don't drill down too far.

And he's got the game winner and it's spectacular. And it's like, listen man, like

this is the roller coaster and the joy ride of the Charlotte Hornets. And we'll see how long it

lasts, right? Like, I think they could be failure Orlando, whoever they get. But then that makes them

the eighth seed. And then we get best to seventh series with them in Detroit, who they brawled with

earlier in the year. So I think we're we're all for that reunion. But I don't know how long this

is going to last for them. But they are fun. They're fun. They're fun. They're fun. Like to the

Lamello of it all, I would just say he had to shoot 31 shots tonight. Absolutely. He has

been there was no out. Yeah, dude. Like when cons, if con can't make a fucking shot, I mean, I get

yeah, if cons not making shots. And then early in the game, like Miller was in foul trouble.

Like he's that that's your job, you know, like whether you're whether you're efficient with it or

not, like, you know, that's the Roger Roger man cover Kobe for fucking 10 years and over,

you're talking about 31 shots, bro. Like you've seen this. Yeah, brother, but no, that's your job.

That's the space. Go there, please. But no, there were nights like that. You know, there were

nights where that's his job, right? And we talk about this safe space for like role players in

in those moments, Logan, like especially in those moments where we're having to convince ourselves

that we're like made for the moment. And we can get over this hurdle as as a team. Man, I need

to look around and know that like you're not going to get gun shy because you are two for whatever

you are two for nine. And if you're going to get gun shy as like the leader of our team, we're

screwed. You know, so like in a weird way, it wasn't super efficient, but he had to do that. Like

that's his job once he's not getting the support from those other dudes in that way.

I'm less concerned with the number, although 31 is a staggering number even in overtime,

then I am with what some of those shots actually were, Roger. Like there was some stuff there that

was just like, I'm pulling up just because I can. But like, I'm oh yeah, but he does, that's his

game, though. That's how they play it. And that's how you live and die with a guy like that with a

guy who's kind of like a no conscience gunner. That's that's the critique of his game. And it's a

fair critique. And it is what elevates them and in the good moments and it's what holds them back

on the bad nights. And this game could have easily gone the other way. And we'd be sitting here

going, well, dude's going to go 12 for 31. This is what's going to happen. And it would be fair to say

that. Yeah, well, look, anytime you look, I mean, that's no different than a team that Charlie

podcasts like get rid of the wild threes and just say they live or die by threes. If you ain't making

them, yeah, you're losing and you're getting criticized for for living or dying by a three, right?

But like, yeah, stylistically, I hear you Howard, there are some possessions, you know, I didn't,

I didn't love a few of his possessions late in game. He didn't even wind up shooting them. But like,

I thought he could have initiated better and gotten downhill. And then, you know, because he was

able to get wherever he wanted on the court, it's seemingly he could have like sprayed it out and

got people easier shots. Obviously, the turnover, the foul, the foul on Tyler here, like any number

of things. So I'm not, I'm just saying as it relates to like the shots, that's his game. And

look, what I have liked to see them around 22, yeah. But like you're, you're, your, your minus one of

your major, you know, components offensively. And so then everyone's going to have to just get

up more shots. It was my point. I do wonder though. I had two more things. I do wonder though,

like the maturation of Brendan Miller's game, how that will help because I just feel like he's

this, he would be a stabilizing force in that way, right? Where like you need a bucket. You're not

probably going for the wild card. Maybe you're going for a guy like Brendan Miller who can just be,

you know, just solid, right? So we'll see. I don't know. Quick last on this Howard, because you're

the media guy with a boat, did this some change? Because we talked about how Cooper Flags games,

you know, probably changed, you know, the rookie of the year voting. Do you think that this also

did the swung the other way with Khan? I mean, I, like I said, what we talked about this a

week ago, I'm not convinced that anybody should have changed their ballot based on a couple of games

by Cooper Flagged Down the Stretch. It's an 82 game season. The funny thing is, for the first time

ever, for the purposes of the rookie of the year race and everything else, it's almost an 83 game

season because we don't have the ballots yet. It's early Wednesday morning and we don't have the ballots

yet because this stupid 65 game rule creates all these other snags, including now the NBA needs to

wait and make their way through the appeals from Luca, from Cade Cunningham. Maybe there are others

for all I know, but until they've made those decisions, they cannot send us the link to the

electronic ballots because they got to decide who's going to be on those drop-down menus. Because

of that, this will be the latest we've ever voted. And because there's also a plan now, which we

didn't have, obviously, historically, until a few years ago, it means that if you want to, you could,

you could be baking this in. Now, you shouldn't be, right? It's a regular season award in the

regular season ended on Sunday. But it's going to be hard, I think, for some people just

psychologically to put it out of your head that like, man, because Khan was struggling down the

stretch of the season anyway. He had kind of hit a rut, like he'd hit whatever was the rookie wall

or whatever you want to call it and then was just, you know, a complete non-entity tonight.

That should not count in the vote nor should coach of the year votes for Charles Lee had they

lost tonight or anything else for that matter. But it is a weird dynamic. And I did want to just

like kind of note it for the record because Logan and I talked about this offline the other day. Like,

it's a weird thing that by the time we have ballots to send in, it could be Thursday or Friday.

And we'll have seen a bunch of playing games that could shape your impressions of some of the

candidates for some of these awards, even though the books should be closed for all intents and

purposes on Sunday. You've been ages and mofo say a quick break and talk about uh, sons,

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let's talk turkey about the suns and the blazers. My hand on the notes because I was just doing

a running note says we were watching the last part of the game. I had notes. Jalen green redemption

game. This one is 35. I didn't work out too well. We're in a weird place right now because

the suns, I have another game later this week but sorry Roger, they've seemed to just kind of

hit their ceiling of what they are going to be. If they win they're probably going to

get swept by Oklahoma City or maybe get a game a game maybe but this is the best they can do and

it's very admirable of where they are and what they have done. We've already talked about the

offseason. It was just as I was watching this Howard it was just like this is just sad because they're

playing hard. I love what they're doing right. I love how hard Dylan Brooks plays. I love watching

column. Gillespie. Gardeful. I even love the redemption arc of Jalen green that just didn't

end up working out because he wants to foul people down the stretch of games and do bad closeouts.

But I was what did he what do you do? What do you do? He didn't call it but he was about to foul.

He just said to everybody grant. He shoots out three in the corner. It was a terrible closeout.

Was it not? It was done play. He also had like he also had like turnovers.

He was like back to back possessions I think. He had a couple of bad turnovers.

Fucking I'm on my y'all are tough. Well, y'all are tough guy. Y'all are tough.

Pretty bro. Y'all are tough. Pretty man. That man got very little help other than

than than Dylan Brooks who was cooking too by the way. But but but well, y'all are tough.

Well, it's too late. I can't get into this with y'all tonight. Okay. All right. All right.

The fucking forgot about my monologue. Go on. Sorry question. How are what do you think about

the sons and what do they show you and then we'll go to Roger. Look every we've we've we've we've

we've we've been in this space for months here where basically everything was just a bonus for

the sons right. We all buried them before the season rationally I thought they overachieved by

pretty much every marker and now they lost a playing game and you know they're going to have to

you know beat what golden state or the clippers to try to make the eighth seed so that they can

have the honor of getting smoked by the thunder. I have a home game that'll be cool. Yeah. It's fine.

Look like the sons are what they are. They're a team that's kind of in transition right like

Devon bookers in his prime. He doesn't like he hasn't looked like Devon Booker a lot lately. I

feel like and even like tonight like Jalen Green took 29 shots to Devon Booker's 17 Devon

Booker's by far their most accomplished player. I think they're trying to figure some shit out

right like Jalen Green missed a big chunk of this season. I don't I from the moment they made

the trade I didn't like like you guys know where I'm on Jalen Green anyway but the idea of a

back court of Jalen Green and Devon Booker together trying to figure out how that fits like I think

there's just going to be a ceiling on this son's team. Dylan Brooks had the best offensive season of

his career. He's still a fucking incredible defender. He's a pain in the ass in all the best ways

and sometimes the best the worst ways. I'm of Dylan Brooks fan. The rest of this roster is kind of

you know yeah. It's all right. I think so also and I want to throw this to Roger and I also

thought about this thinking about the sons today. Roger always talks about how the conversation

that he had with Mike Dantonie way back when about just like hey man let's try to let's just be

competitive let's have fun right. Let's you know only a finite amount of teams are going to win a

championship and I felt like this about the sons right they were really worth. They're still in the

playoff they're still in the playoff hunt but they they've had a fun season and they have you know

had had moments and say what you want about Jalen Green and the trade. I mean they still did

better to a back court of Kevin Durant and in Devin Booker right like they still got to the play

in which is something they couldn't do last year. But I couldn't help but think Roger like hey

this is this is still a successful season and like hey man if they try out this team next year

which is what I think they're going to probably do because Devin Booker wants to be there and

Mattish for you wants to be there and they're not going to say die. You know it was fun that's a

fun thing to look forward to I think if you're in the Phoenix who have gone through a lot over the

last three four years. Yeah I don't know that I would try to do a devil's advocate here. Yeah I

feel you I feel you are worthy effort I don't know that that would be super exciting for me as a

son's fan. You know the Mike conversation that you referenced well yes he was like hey only one

team wins a championship and so like you know let's be let's be exciting you know if we don't win

it at least we're exciting we were we were still usually a top I don't know top three or four team

in the last one. You guys just try with the title. Yeah we were. Yes. Right correct so it was a

little different look yeah I'm with Howard and that I don't know you have a few pieces that make

sense and then the rest of the roster we've got to start shaping it in a way that makes more sense

to me. I just think they they've got to figure some things out in that way and while yeah this is

kind of house money for them or you could call it what you want they still might make it as the A

seed. I think that if I'm going to be excited as a Phoenix sons fans like this off season we have

to take that next step. I for me to be truly excited right if we can't we can't but then I'm not

going to be like super super fired up about running it back with with with what we have um you know

that and honestly the next step could be the next step could be trading Devon book right

just try and start I've said I've said this before about book I don't know how you guys feel I

love him bro I love his game but it first it doesn't always give number one vibes to me though

you you know like it's like like great gunner two vibes right yeah but and I don't mean it in

a disrespectful way even you know it might come off like that someone might take it like that but I

don't mean it like that it just there's he's phenomenal but it doesn't always give number one vibes

to me and and they've got to figure that out like that's kind of this was the year to change this

was the year to change that perception this was the year to do it right well it's I mean to go

ahead Howard but like like no just I was gonna say he this has been the uphill battle ever since right

like pre Chris Paul Devon Booker was a guy where he was getting a rep of good numbers bad team guy

right and people were having a hard time reconciling that and is it because of him is he just a guy

who's gonna put up numbers on a good numbers on a bad team can he lead a team anywhere Chris Paul

arrives everybody steps their game up they make a finals run and ever since Chris Paul's gone it's

kind of like back to like I'm not saying that he hasn't evolved I'm not saying it different books

the same guy he was five years ago I'm just saying like we're back in that zone where it's like no

matter what he does with Kevin Durant without Kevin Durant with Bradley be without Bradley be with

Jalen Green now and Dylan Brooks or whatever it just doesn't feel like there's enough there and

he's he's now firmly mid prime like I don't you we're not expecting any more major leaps here so if

you're saying you don't get the vibe Roger oh him being a number one like that's a problem and

the sons have to come to terms with that and either be okay with it while chasing another star

who compliments him or is even even is maybe more of a number one or do the thing that a couple of

us have been advocating for for a couple of years now which is like just trade Devon Booker while

he still got value and hit the reset button because you're out a bunch of picks and your caps all

fucked up from the Bradley be will buy out and you're going nowhere like this team has a hard

ceiling on it as constructed unless some miracle falls out of the sky and your best path forward

is trading your best player yeah I mean it's it's the gift in the curse of Matt H.F.

right like because in theory like I want if I'm watching basketball I want you know the leadership

of teams to be like let's fucking go balls to the wall it's figured out and they do have a group

they have a really good coach you know I have a market where players want to play um they have

everything out there advanced they just need to retool like retool how they you know the organization

and things like that but like I think and it's because like competitiveness and wanting to do it

and having the new ownership syndrome and just wanting to win you know him and book

don't want to say die and I get that but sometimes you got to retreat in order to get to where you

want to go yeah yeah look I want a can I switch gears for a second because please I don't know if

you guys remember this we did a segment like it was way there's beginning of the season and we

I forget what the segment was exactly but I think it was something to the effect of like

who might surprise you or who who who and I floated Portland at you guys do you guys remember that

I said something about Portland I was like maybe Portland like what would they have to do to like

overachieve or something it was an overachieve or something like that um and we kind of debated

that back and forth you know what I mean and I thought that like the drew holiday of it all I

mean I remember making that little bit of an argument or anything like but I'm only saying that to say

that like you know they're the story out of this one for me like that game was that that game was

a really pull it out of the mud type of grit determination down the stretch down whatever they were

I don't remember the numbers it's late but I mean you could have easily said as as a you know playing

a three to five run and they respond with an 18 to three run just yeah like they were struggling away

man and it was I mean they came out which which you want to do is they punched Phoenix in the mouth

early but then Dylan Brooks got his hands on the game and that thing turned into like a

turned into like a wrestling match for for two quarters but but they found a way to do it

then he I've I've I've dear I always said I thought I was at via but it's I've

like yeah dude like they're you know that's the story man those dudes those dudes gutted that out they

figured out a way to win on the road hostile environment down back against the wall I was pretty

cool to watch I know he's not and I think I said this in previous episodes but

Tiago splitter deserved at least a couple of votes for coach of the year just from like it's so

long ago but the Portland Trailblazers coach got arrested for fed on federal charges for

the related gambling that who games into the season two games into the season I mean if you were to

tell I think if you were to just rewind those episodes back I know I probably wasn't given the

Blazers any chance I thought that was going to sink the team and rightfully so this team has been

able to not only weather that but honestly be it not only a tough out be a good team I don't know

what their future holds but I love the way they play out I love the way what I've seen and also

like there's been riskers that Tiago might not be back next season why is that and is there a world

where he does come back like I just I I that I see a coaching job like that and that does not tell me

let's not bring him back next year at least I do a fair shot yeah I mean going back a couple of months

you know you you start having these discussions mid season with people and in coaching circles

and there's been like this kind of running theme of like a third of the league might turn over

this off season right we may get somewhere like seven to ten coaching jobs turning over and one of

the ones that was considered almost I don't want to say almost a given but one that was definitely like

oh no no they're definitely moving on from split or like yeah he's done a good job but they're

definitely going to go shop for somebody and like he's absolutely made the case to stick I I think

there's no question like the results speak for themselves they're they're in the playoffs now for

the first time I think in five years and you know like super tough situation he's not just a

rookie head coach he's a rookie head coach who was thrusted this job under the like the fucking

freakiest of circumstances circumstances and with a super young team now graded he's got some of

the best vets you could possibly want around drew holiday made some big shots tonight and I have

no doubt in my mind has been in a huge part of the way that they have grown and stayed steady

and competitive and developed a defensive defensive defensive conscious was already kind of coming

under chauncy but I think just the way they move the ball they play I think a largely mature game

for a young team um Danny obvi just had the best season of his career and also I just saw this from

Nate Duncan posting on blue sky Danny obvi is 41 points tonight these uh for most points in a

postseason debut now this is not going to go down anywhere officially because the play in game stats

don't matter they're kind of like the NBA cup but Luca don't you should have 42 in his postseason

debut Danny obvi 41 zy-wames and 40 so he's like one of the best debuts if you could put it in that

category and then like scoot Henderson who's been hurt a lot and fits and starts his career

Scoot settle into a really nice place where like he fucking buses ass on defense um you know the

shot comes and goes but he moves the ball he he like he's you know you guys know I've known him you

know for a while haven't written about him before he came into the league and like he always struck

me as a really steady mature individual and and I think you're seeing that in his game shading sharps

look good um obviously don't have been clinging like this is just a good solid young team like I don't

know what their ceiling is but obvi just broke through obvi just became a guy who we have to

had just give all NBA consideration to and I think is only going to get better and like they've

got stuff to build around like I like where they are like we always say this you could be in the

middle that we talk about treadmill mediocrity you could be in the middle and stuck there

alosh goggables you could be in the middle and on your way down you can be in the middle and on

your way up sons I think are in the middle and still kind of on their way down even though they've

had a momentary rise uh the blazers are in the middle and on their way up you can I can I say

this about obvi like you know he's been doing it all year right um and you know there were there

no reservations about but I I was really it like locked in and kind of intrigued to see like what do

you do tonight you know what what do you do on on on this stage when you know forever we talk about

hey we need your stars to be stars we we get to the playoffs especially in one games in one game

scenarios your dude better be a dude and he he strangled that early you know he was like yo I'm the

dude like that's exciting you know that's exciting for them not that the whole season wasn't exciting

but like to see him stamp it on the stage tonight was really that's exciting for them

yeah no they have a bright future and you know who knows um there's a great guy that uh is a

is a sputtered demand a trade even though he'd be lying um in poor man who knows they could be on

the come up bouncing me think let's it's Tuesday and I know you guys are going to get this

probably on Wednesday but it's Tuesday as we record this on the west coast so that means Mr. Cliff

who is also in the east coast is going to help us out bringing the mail bag how you doing Cliff

man it's getting kind of late bringing them in I don't know but you know we hear man I'm here for you

you feel me it is Wednesday for me Cliff and Roger just to be clear yeah yeah me and Valenciaga is

we're barely holding on to Tuesday right now uh let's get into this one since you sent me this

personally Logan this is a question from Norway uh I hope I'm saying this guy's name right but it

is pronounced I think it's stole Bjorn nursing I think I don't know it has a bunch of little

hyphenations and stuff in his name so sorry if I butchered your name buddy uh it says what up

back and Roger and Logan I was a foreign exchange student in Olympia Washington in 95 96 and

bought the following jerseys a hornets till mugsie boggs jersey a nuggets navy abdore of jersey a

raptors purple uh with raptor uh stoddamire jersey a bulls red Georgia will be the corresponding

jerseys if I were to buy a similar exchange collection from this season stolly try that he said try

to add one from Norway fun fact I played dodgeball in football in class with a guy who later played

in two super balls do you know who answers Jeremy Stevens married to hope solo oh shout out that's

what's up like going on there all right wait so wait he bottled those he's got all those jerseys from

the past and he's saying what would be the equivalent to in today's league uh yeah pretty much um

clear out this is my bad guy this is my bad yeah go look he said like we'll be the collection from

this season like we'll be like see yeah like we'll be the bro I love I'm gonna just say the ones

that I love I love them orange calf jerseys them hard in ones the hard in uh calves jerseys you

that's the orange ones those are fire um I don't know if it was this season but I really like the

clippers alternate that has the LA on there and it's like if you get the choir I think those that one

was dope um what else uh the Lakers Black joints or fire I like those those are really cool I think

those are tough um I think that's that that'll that'll be a good haul uh I don't know who else

that'll be a good haul to the heat to the heat do something with their jerseys the heat usually do

Miami vice yeah but I don't know if that's that old Miami vice one that's old the the Miami

vice ones this year I don't know if they have the ones um but top of mind when I saw it I was like

oh man the orange calf jerseys are tough um honestly though I would get them Hornis jerseys fire too

like in any era you should copy the Hornis jerseys get you a little mellow joint um yeah that's my

haul that's what I think I finally got a clear out there you go hey we got out the way brus

quartered it too well here all right we got we got we got okay yeah let me just get this quick one

out here this is from Michael Kimball by the way by the way real quick Howard is not prepared for any

of these so we'll see how this goes this is from Michael Kimball um this is a quick one right here

which in season acquisition in each conference will have the biggest positive influence on their

team and the playoffs as an okay see Homer I say Jared McCain in the West what do you got say

Howard I'm gonna start with you I damn nervous gonna say that Jeremy Kane is a good call but

that might also be a reach on a team that has like 50 dudes who can play um mid-season acquisition

making an impact in the all right there's got we talked about this at the time and he hasn't done

a ton for them at some point Jose Alvarado is gonna do something for the nicks there's gonna be

there's gonna be like some some uh no but like a hustle play where he's gonna take a dude out

or what he may start a fight um it just might be a big steal and a big shot at a given moment um

I'll go uh I'll go Jose Alvarado um are we going east and west anybody got any others

I haven't prepared for this so yeah I'm gonna well I mean look it depends on whether they ultimately

like get in or not but if they do um Kobe White oh yeah like he just saved their see save their see

that's how he's fucking crazy yeah yeah can I ask you can I ask you a question so I was I was texting

with a buddy of mine um who used to work in the league and and he was like oh terrible shot but

but he made it kind of thing and I was like I played it back it looked like that was the play

like it was he was shooting it on it was like a catch turn and shoot off the in-bounds as if it

was almost like a a clock situation even though they had like 11 12 seconds left and his point was

they left too much time um what did that did it look like that was design that like because I

I when I replayed it to look like he didn't have anywhere to go with that ball other than up

yeah I mean it looked like a design to me for him to shoot the ball to Howard I mean the only

other option at that point would have been to try to beat your guy baseline there's not a lot of

space there your paint he was stuck right yeah I don't I think that was a design for a shot um

just from what I but I didn't replay you know I didn't replace on prime the shit was going out

occasionally like I wasn't I wasn't like oh yeah what the fuck was going on a

yeah I wasn't gonna start rewind and then have the whole shit shut down on me size I

oh no no I pulled up YouTube to watch it again because I was fucking petrified of messing with

TV at that point yeah and quick does anybody know what happened during that little stretch of the

heat hornets game I never saw it but it even exists and never have the degree of the degree of

difficulty on that shot though it was pretty incredible man like he wasn't even like he wasn't

even square like he squared up in the air from from the tough air shot but that's a great that's a great

call Kobe White um if they make assuming they make the playoffs yeah he's gonna do something I just

wish that he was on a on a better team that I expect to go further but I was gonna think about

Keon Ellis like I really like his game I think you can get one we can have a Keon Ellis couple of

games I'm just house my pick was Jared McCain I just want to say that but like just thinking now

yeah I really like Keon Ellis's game we can hit a couple three no no Luke Kinar votes here I don't

think they're gonna I mean I don't think they're gonna get no James Harden is gonna have a great

who uh Shangoon is gonna have some fireworks for sure um I go Keon Ellis so we got one more

we got time for one more we actually got time we got time we got four nine minutes bro we get

we can we can we can we can talk easy for you to say sorry yeah bro like that that was this

silliest thing I've ever heard my bad bro my bad sorry I'm sorry that was that was out of pocket

my bike I didn't we're hilarious screen this question I have not screened this question yes so

this might be a little bit crazy but I'm delirious right now so let's see this is from Brandon

Lee bucket most improved team awards somewhere to MVP all NBA selections defensive play the year

defensive team selections we should push for the NBA for most improved first team along with the

most improved award um the league is too deep and the death of teams has gotten to a point where it

feels a bit silly to highlight one player's growth leap development do you pick a guy who's had a

big year two three jump a player who's gone from French started a potential star or lottery pick

who kind of stunk his first two years then gotten better when they hit their adulthood unlike six

men of the year that is truly one player out of 30 teams who should get recognized the most

improved team could do the league of service and highlighting guys across each position conference

who have made substantial leap in play impact plus development it's also probably an easy way to

include bonus and census for players on lower value contracts who can be recognized for their

years performance looking through the history of the award I think a first team could also really

identify which coaches in front offices are at the forefront of player development good NBA season

Brando that is from Brandon Leeeman so yes most improved the ship brand it's yep I did not read that

question so yeah you did a great job man good job um I mean it got to be to it got to be the hornets

right I think he's saying I think he said I'm a whole like go ahead Howard sorry

he's saying multiple players right what he's yeah yeah right like I like the all defensive team

we're like all NBA where you've got like five first team guys five second team guys but they're all

improved guys that you can name more more guys who have improved than just the one guy who wins I think

clip isn't that what he's got yeah I think he's kind of getting it let me read the question yeah

yeah that's for that's what he said uh I like I like the idea I don't know I mean I you know

I don't know they change your award but I I like the idea because on in any given year that I

for me there are a lot of people you could give that award to you know what I mean like there are

a lot of people that make strides so I wouldn't be I wouldn't be arguing with you if you told me you

were going to do a like an all-improved team I'd be cool with that most improved is I will say for

the media and from those of us who vote on it like it's the one that's the most it's the most

wishy washi the most ambiguous the most difficult to define in some years it's really just annoying

frankly um you know we have these debates about should a second or third your guy even be considered

because you're that's when you're supposed to be improving should only be for mid career guys

but there is no rule there is no parameters that the league spells out so it's all I have the

beholder stuff and everybody comes up with their own definition and it's fine but like of all the

awards aside from the stupid clutch player of the year award which they never should have created

and they just like invented out of thin air a couple years ago that one should go and if we were

going to eliminate another one most improved would probably be the next one to go I respect the

sentiment from Brandon in that as with a lot of the awards it it often feels like there are more

guys we could um recognize than just the one winner or the second third place whatever I just

most improved is so hard to define in the first place that I just don't know that I would want to add

anything more to that I wrote in a column a couple weeks ago like I think we need a third all

defensive team we should add that um I think the MVP ballot should go to seven instead of just

five slots just because there's always a glut in the lower part of the ballot of guys with a

worth consideration um but now I don't think I want an all most improved team damn you Howard

I love you done it again sorry fellas it's 10 to 2 in the morning what do you want

hey man it's a damn damn miracle I'm not crankier look and I got one for you this is from Dustin

Browning Bay rap the Bay's the best rap around quantum black elitius two short del rap in forte and

hero that's just somebody just emailed that yeah so respect respect I would also put 22nd

June I would put drop dad 4,000 I would put all black I'll put a whole bunch of

was they bang little ye that's Roger's favorite e 40 two pop

you can't claim two fuck I can't I can't and I will I can't and I will visit underground

the far side of the bay uh high roguel it was a higher glyphics yeah man shout out to him house too

um Julian a rapper but easy um cheesy shut up barely high Rex La zeggen

I'm ready to go to sleep so um I can't imagine a zeggen Howard I just lost

team when he was like fuck the question so you know let's do it let's put another

antes." It's another edition of zeggenantes."

You can keep great content like this on your just right zeggenantes."

I'm gonna go back at Jima.com, Rhyme was no

back at Jima.com, Rhyme was no back at Jima.

Rhyme just showed up tonight.

That was fucking tight.

It was fucking at least 50 on these motherfuckers.

Let's go, man.

All right, we'll see you guys on Friday.

Ah, all the shits.

Bye.

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