Kristaps Porzingis IMPACT on Celtics + Pacers a DARKHORSE? | Bob Ryan & Jeff Goodman Podcast - video Dailymotion

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In this episode of the Bob Ryan and Jeff Goodman Podcast, Bob and Jeff dive into a  discussion about the Indiana Pacers' dynamic offense and the evolving offensive trends in the NBA. They then explore the intriguing possibilities of an In-Season Tournament. Bob Ryan captivates with a fascinating Doug Moe story, bringing a historical perspective. The episode further delves into Kristaps Porzingis' fit on the Boston Celtics and LeBron James' extraordinary career longevity, offering insightful analyses on each topic.  0:00 Pacers offense is impressive 2:00 Major Offensive Era 6:52 In-Season Tournament 11:29 Doug Moe story from Bob 14:30 Kristaps Porzingis impressions 17:44 Celtics chemistry 22:21 Lebron's longevity 27:05 Ryan: Kobe is the closest thing to Michael that we've known  SeatGeek! Use code DREAMERSPRO for $20 off your first SeatGeek order! Visit SeatGeek.com and use code DREAMERSPRO when you checkout! With NFL, NBA and NHL seasons in full swing and the NBA starting soon, you don’t want to miss out - SeatGeek has your tickets to every game!  FanDuel Sportsbook, the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media Network. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning FIVE DOLLAR MONEYLINE BET! So, visit https://FanDuel.com/BOSTON and kick off the NFL season. FanDuel, Official Partner of the NFL. 21+ and present in MA. Hope is here. First online real money wager only. $5 pregame moneyline wager required. First online real money wager only. $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire 7 days after receipt. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. GamblingHelpLineMa.org or call (800)-327-5050 for 24/7 support. Play it smart from the start! GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234.  ODDS-R! Ever wished you could navigate the betting field with the confidence of a pro? Enter OddsR. They're not a sportsbook, but they're the sports betting advisor you've always needed. It's like having a playbook for smarter bets right in your pocket. Especially since CLNS Media listeners get a 30-day free trial! Elevate your game day and join the smart betting revolution! Go get it at https://oddsr.com/celtics  With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/CLNSFREE and use code CLNSFREE for FREE breakfast for life! One breakfast item per box while subscription is active. That’s free breakfast for life at HelloFresh.com/CLNSFREE with code CLNSFREE!  #celtics #NBA #BostonCeltics

Transcript

00:00 [MUSIC]

00:29 Well, it is that time again for the Bob Ryan, Jeff Goodman, Tanguy, along for the ride,

00:33 Zoom and Pod. And we are sponsored by FanDuel, the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media

00:40 Network. Score this NFL season with FanDuel, America's number one sports book. Right now,

00:45 new customers get $150 in bonus bets with any winning $5 bet. That's $150 if your team wins.

00:52 Bob, we've talked about offense. You love it. The ghost of Tommy Heintzen is smiling.

00:58 The Pacers put up 157 points. They let up 152, but the Pacers are just unbelievable this year.

01:07 And you wouldn't think it would come from them. No, you wouldn't. It's not in Rick Carlisle's

01:12 coaching profile, but they are playing fast this year. There was a very good piece, I must say,

01:18 in the Athletic on Monday about them and specifically about Tyrese Halliburton

01:26 and the effect that he's had on them. And he's having an extraordinary run. Halliburton,

01:31 in his last two games, has had A, 37.16 assists, five rebounds, and B,

01:40 15 assists, excuse me, and five rebounds, and B, 37.16 assists and five rebounds. And

01:47 wow, that's a lot of point production for a person. He's a guy that most people really

01:54 haven't paid attention to. He made his first all-star team last year. They're going to have

01:58 to start paying attention to him now because he's elevating himself into the upper echelon of NBA

02:02 guards with this kind of play. But he's the catalyst. And they're running up and down the

02:07 floor. It's so funny because we talked about it yesterday, and I was marveling about the

02:12 uptick in offense. And then that last night, to see that happen, 157 to 152 without overtime.

02:20 The first thing I looked up, though, Garrett, and this is the question that's always going to be

02:24 asked in the scoring in 2023, and how they do on threes, the two teams combined 37 for 76 on threes,

02:34 almost 50%. And that doesn't tell you the entire story, but it's part of the story.

02:41 Well, it is. And I think that it's a little bit of an asterisk. I mean, you have to,

02:48 it's a different era. I mean, it's the juice ball era, let's face it. I mean, it is. And guys

02:54 of all shapes and sizes are shooting them. No question about that. But still, I'm sure that

03:04 there are lots of basketball purists out there and NBA people that are going, wait a minute,

03:09 this doesn't make it look very good. We're trying to preach defense in some way. And you need stops.

03:17 Obviously, nobody was getting many stops last night. I wish I had seen that game just to see

03:22 exactly how that thing unfolded. But I was kind of monitoring it with the phone last night. And

03:29 wow, that's so exciting. But we're in, I'll repeat what we said when we last we met,

03:34 a major offensive era, just so happened in Indiana is leading the league in scoring.

03:39 They were leading the league in scoring with 120 some odd points a game. And now they tacked on

03:45 a 157. So they're the most logical thing to have done this and damn if they didn't do it.

03:51 - Well, I Googled the trade Tyrese Halliburton to the Kings back--

03:55 - Yes.

03:55 - It's February 8, 2022, Sports Illustrated. And Sabonis involved in that deal to the Kings.

04:04 Buddy Heal, also interested Thomas as well, go to Indiana along with Halliburton. It says,

04:10 trade grades, Pacers steal Tyrese Halliburton from the Kings.

04:14 But you view this as a good trade for both teams.

04:17 - Well, I mean, Sabonis, maybe he's one of my favorite players. And Sacramento is having

04:22 good, you know, off to a good start in large measure because they have Sabonis.

04:27 I would think they're happy. I mean, maybe people are going, well, I don't know that anybody

04:33 expanded Tyrese Halliburton into what we're seeing right now. I agree. Plus Buddy Heal,

04:39 this is a good asset. I'd love to have him on my team, but frankly, and especially--

04:43 - Well, I don't think anybody looked at this as a earth shattering deal at the time. I mean,

04:52 you know, I just got a kick out of the headline, you know, at the time the deal was made,

04:57 people thought that, you know, it was going to be a one-sided deal and it hasn't turned out that way.

05:01 But of course, nobody thought that he would have this type--

05:04 - No, I mean, I never gave him two thoughts, you know, I knew he was a pretty good player,

05:10 you know, I remember him at Iowa State and all that, and I'm fine. But no, this is elite stuff.

05:15 This is making a bid. I mean, if you're going to go all NBA right now on the first month of

05:20 the season, you know, he's one of the starting guard. He's got to be there. So no one foresaw

05:25 anything like that. And good for him. But I will insist that this was a fair trade because of

05:32 Sabonis and look what Sacramento's doing. And they were a fun, dangerous team by the end of

05:38 last season, and then their team, one of my teams, I call the up-and-comers in the league this year,

05:45 and they're clearly there. And Indiana's there too. Good for both of them. I'm happy, I think,

05:49 I would like to think that this is a trade where both GMs are going, you know, okay,

05:54 this is the kind of fair trade that you always want, that both teams got what they want.

05:57 - Well, I just think it's always good when there are new names in the mix. When you look and you

06:02 see, okay, who's playing tonight? Oh, I'd like to watch him. It's good for the league. Like,

06:07 I would not have thought of like, as I'm scrolling, so the Celtics are playing.

06:11 Oh, Tyrese Halliburton's playing tonight. Okay, let me see if it's on TNT here. Let me see if I

06:15 can get it, you know, it's good for business. - There's a lot of that going around the league

06:20 this year. - There is. Like John Moran,

06:22 when he comes back, we're going to be looking in. - I mean, you know, even De'Aaron Fox out in

06:26 Sacramento is a fun, and of course, Maxie, you know, who got another 30 last night, you know.

06:32 - Lamello Ball did it to the Celtics. - Lamello Ball. And so they're out there.

06:36 And Jalen Brunson, who's turning himself into a stellar player. So, and not to mention the young

06:41 guys that, you know, the two big kids that, you know, are going to be the story all year, Wambiana

06:46 and Holbrook. So there's a lot going on in the league. I think if I'm Adam Silver, I'm feeling

06:49 good about things in that regard. - Okay. So now in the in-season

06:53 tournament, which you and I both have said, doesn't really matter to us. We're not haters.

06:58 If you like it, fine. If it works for you, fine. But I saw that the Lakers and the Pacers have won

07:03 their group. So I'm curious, do you think that this tournament could have an impact on a team's

07:10 real playoff run? In other words, they gel, they win the in-season tournament,

07:15 they get a little bit of confidence and they find themselves.

07:18 - If it's an outlier, I mean, if it's going to be, if the team in question is Denver or even Boston,

07:27 you know, I don't think that's going to have a appreciable effect on their psyche. But I think

07:31 if the team in question is, for example, you know, or somebody that wasn't in the, supposedly in the

07:39 elite, that might, they might. This is a whole lab experiment that Adam Silver has foisted on us.

07:45 We don't know how anyone's going to react to that. You know, so let's wake up on the morning of

07:48 December 10th and see what people were saying, because that's the day after when it's over in

07:52 Las Vegas. We don't know how the coaches are going to react, we don't know how the players are,

07:56 you know, ultimately. I think we can basically say that most people in the league who had to

08:01 participate in it gave it a shrug. You know, it wasn't that they're playing these games. They're

08:07 not looking at these games, I don't think yet. Oh, it's an in-season game. It's just game on

08:10 the schedule. We're going to have anyway. Just had to be on the Tuesday and Friday,

08:13 and it designated the Tuesdays and Fridays are the in-season games in November. But we'll see,

08:17 maybe they'll get excited by it. Maybe. Well, I think guys like to go to Vegas. I've said that

08:21 before. That's the thing, you know, is the carrot. If you find yourself in the hunt, right? And it's

08:31 like, okay, guys, come on, let's go out and play ball tonight because we get a trip to Vegas.

08:35 And if you're 25, 26, 27, and you're a millionaire, okay. And there's money, and there's

08:41 money. And as I said, the money is obviously affecting the players, 9, 10, 11, and 12 on the

08:48 roster, not so much one to eight. But, you know, I mean, obviously, LeBron is not playing for the

08:54 money. I know except for tip money for something. But they are playing to enrich their less fortunate

09:02 teammates in terms of the money. Less fortunate teammates. Yeah.

09:07 But there is money and it's a point of pride, you know, the thing. So in that regard, they

09:14 look at this world, so many of them, keeping score by the money. And so, okay, fine. If that's

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10:02 I just never thought that it could be an avenue to gel. I mean, you get a team that comes together,

10:08 they do a little mini road trip, they go to Vegas, maybe they find themselves,

10:12 they get a little, you know, I mean, who knows? I mean, you're right for the Celtics,

10:15 for the Celtics, for the Suns, for the Denver. I mean, Philly, it doesn't matter.

10:20 But a team like Indy? Who knows? Because I didn't think we'd be talking about the Pacers this year.

10:25 No, I, they were, no, me neither. And, but never talk that we'd be talking about them as the

10:30 racehorse team out of the ABA days with Rick. You know, and I love Rick, but Rick's, you know,

10:37 Rick's more of an orthodox, you know, traditional coach. And this is Doug Moe revisited. This is

10:44 good. This is, right now we're all set for Paul Westman.

10:47 Oh my, Bob, I love Doug Moe. You got, we, okay, this is story time. I remember Doug Moe,

10:54 for those people who don't know, Google him, kids, Google this guy.

10:57 Moe!

10:58 He coached the Denver Nuggets. And then he wore these leisure suits. He had these crazy shirts

11:06 and the shirt was always like half off. His hair was wild. I mean, he looked like he should have

11:11 been running with Dan Tanner on, you know, the show Vegas with Robert Urich. I loved Doug Moe.

11:17 And then he goes to the Sixers. They put him in a suit, GQ. He's got his hair coifed back. I'm like,

11:26 what? No! What have you done to Doug Moe? Give me a Doug Moe story.

11:31 We're in Denver in 1987, the '86, '87 season. And Kevin McHale is on a monstrous run. And we get to

11:42 Denver and Doug Moe would have his pregame session and he was invariably tell you the truth. Unlike,

11:49 you know, in other words, if he thought they were going to win and they were playing well,

11:53 okay, look out guys, we're ready. If he thought they were in a tailspin, he would tell you.

12:00 So in this particular, things weren't going so well for the Nuggets when we arrived.

12:04 So Doug's admission, Doug's pronouncement to the media before the game was, if I were you,

12:10 I would take the Celtics, the points and the extra points, unquote. Game starts and Kevin McHale

12:18 scores the first 13 points of the game and breaks Danny Shays's nose in the process with an elbow.

12:24 And that's how that game started. And of course, you know, the Celtics did of course win.

12:29 So that was one Doug Moe. Another Doug Moe is it's the 1979 playoffs. And he's in San Antonio

12:38 before he goes to Denver. And he's coaching the Spurs against the Washington Bullets then before

12:45 they changed their nickname. And he said, it was an off day and he had a short practice. He was

12:52 noted that they didn't overburden themselves in practice with Doug Moe, because Doug had other

12:56 priorities too. And he said, my biggest problem right now is that my golf course doesn't allow

13:02 sixes on Thursdays. That's, you know, but Doug Moe was a proponent of offense, baby.

13:14 But out of defense, they were pressured. They pressured you. He wanted this backcourt to create

13:19 steals and turnovers. And when they did, boom, they were off the other way. But he was a major

13:23 proponent of offense. >> He coached Isol and Thompson, right?

13:27 >> Yes. Oh, he had, and Alex English. >> And Alex English.

13:31 >> I mean, they had, oh, he had some wonderful offensive teams. And he was one of the most

13:35 refreshing people in the history of the league. You're right. You're so right. The ultimate media

13:42 friend was Doug Moe because you walked in and your notebook was going to get full.

13:45 >> He was great. I mean, he was just great for the league. I mean, I remember-

13:49 >> Also, he's a Carolina guy. And they are all, that's an incredible fraternity of people that

13:58 all with St. Dean, you know- >> Was he connected with Larry Brown?

14:01 >> Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. And they all worship Dean Smith. Only one of them, however,

14:09 referred to Dean as Uncle Dino, though. Guess who that was?

14:12 >> Yeah, Doug Moe. He's great. I mean, there were some-

14:16 >> But the rest of them, it was Coach Smith. With Doug Moe, it was Uncle Dino.

14:20 >> Great. Yeah. One of the all-time great characters in the NBA. He was great.

14:26 >> Still with us, thank God. And, you know, that's good.

14:29 >> So let's evaluate Porzingis. Let's give him, where are you at with him at this point in the

14:38 season? >> I'm very gratified and pleasantly surprised. I was harsh when they made the deal.

14:44 I had a vision of him from his New York days, let alone, you know, Dallas, and wondered why

14:49 Dallas let him go. And I didn't even see him play last year because who watches the Wizards? I mean,

14:56 in all sincerity, that's not just a throwaway line. Who watches the Wizards?

14:59 >> Well, nobody did. I mean, no. >> I mean, you know, they're on TV. You know,

15:02 you're looking for a movie, right? So last year. I knew it. And so now the deal's made.

15:07 I'll go, wait a minute. Wow, he did score 23.9 points a game when I wasn't looking.

15:12 And so, okay. Then I find out that, you know, and I had a bad vision of him just being a 7'3"

15:19 jump shooter and nothing else. And I believe I'd said, the guy's 7'3" going on 5'3". You know,

15:24 I'm not too enthused. >> You did.

15:26 >> All right, I did. Well, then I find out that he did a lot of posting up last year when I wasn't

15:32 watching the Wizards play to help him get those 23.9. And then I find out from a very good source

15:39 that the problem for him, according to the source in Dallas, was that Rick Carlisle wanted him to

15:46 stand out there and take a disproportionate number of jump shots. And he wanted to

15:50 diversify his game. Well, that surprised me in both cases for both reasons. But okay. So,

15:56 all right. So, now I'm a little bit more open-minded, you know, before we see him play.

16:01 And now, the other thing I heard about him in my research, you know, quote, unquote, was,

16:06 yeah, he's going to help you on defense more than you think. A, he is a protector. And B,

16:11 he is more laterally mobile than you might realize. You know, he won't be a big liability

16:15 on the pick and roll. So, you know, well, guess what? He's a good basketball player.

16:21 I am watching a guy that combines a little of the old. He hadn't even really hit a stride

16:26 to shooting threes yet, by the way. You know, he's not, I don't know what the percentage is, but

16:29 my mind's eye tells me, you know, he's got his best three-point shooting ahead of him this year.

16:35 And, but he is a smart, he does a great role to the basket thing. He is a good room protector.

16:42 Saved the game the other night. Won a game by blocking a shot at the buzzer. A beautiful block.

16:48 And he can pass a little bit. He's a good basketball player. And I'm happy to have him.

16:54 And I think it was, you know, so I give him A- right now. I'll give him an A- so far.

17:01 Yeah. I mean, I was optimistic. I was just optimistic because I had seen that his numbers

17:08 had gone up in Washington. And I know that this coach likes to shoot threes.

17:12 But I've been even more impressed.

17:16 Yeah. He's a basketball player.

17:18 The thing that impresses me, Bob, about this team, the Celtics, is that, look, they went through some

17:23 changes. Marcus Smart, you know, he was a fan favorite. He had some friends on the team. Jalen

17:29 Brown got the big contract. We all know that the pressure is going to be on him. So you brought in,

17:34 you know, Drew Holiday and you brought in, you know, Porzingis. So you brought in a new point

17:41 guard and you brought in a new big man. And they've gelled pretty well.

17:47 You know, they had a little- coming off a road trip in which they went three and one. And the

17:54 last two games, they were both were winnable and they both were losable. And they won the one that

17:59 was losable and they lost the one that was winnable, I guess. But anyway, they got three.

18:04 People are going to overreact. It wasn't pretty at the end. It was disappointing.

18:08 I mean, I'll keep coming back to this. If Drew Holiday makes the two free throws,

18:13 they win the game. He puts them up by four and they win the game. And, you know, that's not

18:17 going to happen again. He's not going to walk up there and miss two free throws like that too often.

18:21 Hey, Larry once did it. I'll never forget. Larry came out of the All-Star break one year and they

18:25 go to Sacramento and he pricks two free throws and they lose the game. So if Larry Bird can do it,

18:30 folks, Drew Holiday can do it and anybody can do it. So I'm not worried about that. I'm not

18:34 overreacting to what we saw. The components are here, as we know. The components of-

18:41 The chemistry looks pretty good pretty quick.

18:44 Well, you know, and because they didn't have White in that game. And once again, we can't-

18:48 everybody's missing people at times. But they didn't have White and it showed. And I hope he's

18:54 back against the Bucs. But if he's not, then they're going to have to make do and that's that.

18:59 But you should be happy. Self-expanse should be generally very pleased. And plus we're watching

19:07 the coach too. This is year two for the coach. The coach, he's learning. And we can't overrate

19:18 that- underrate the fact that Joe Mazzola is a guy on the OJT in his second year and he's still

19:24 a young guy.

19:26 Let's talk about LeBron. And we haven't talked about him a whole lot because of the rise of

19:32 the other stars in the league and also the Lakers kind of where they're at. But LeBron reached

19:37 39,000 points. So he's going to break 40,000 is the feeling. Here's a guy that has played in

19:46 1,435 games in 21 seasons. Now, Michael, who we compare him to, and Celtics traditionalists like

19:54 you and myself will also talk about Russell in the conversation as the greatest of all time.

19:59 But Michael played in 400 less games. So when you talk about the points,

20:05 you really can't compare the two. But I will say this, I'm going to enter this into the discussion.

20:11 When we have had the argument, who's the greatest player of all time, LeBron James or Michael

20:16 Jordan, longevity's never entered into the discussion, at least with me. Now should it.

20:23 >> Well, see, there's multiple layers to the discussion. Anytime you get into GOAT, in any,

20:29 whatever it is, could be music, could be cooking, could be, you know, but in sports,

20:35 let's stick to sports. You're going to have layers because not all positions are created equal,

20:41 not all careers are created equal. Everybody has certain personal preferences about what matters

20:47 more to him or her, and evaluating a player or a team, etc., etc., etc. In basketball,

20:54 you've got peak value, you know, to throw in there, I think, as well as longevity.

21:00 On sheer longevity, what LeBron is doing, there's two people that had remarkable,

21:04 all right, let's start with it. Who's the greatest basketball player of all time?

21:07 If you go on the following criteria, the greatest career of achievement from high school

21:14 through professional. There's only one reason. >> It's Russell.

21:17 >> No, there was nobody in high school. >> Oh, really?

21:21 >> Nobody. That's why he went up in a local school, thanks to a recommendation from an alumnus.

21:27 >> Well, he got two NCAA titles. >> I know that, but I'm talking about

21:31 the whole career. >> Okay, all right, go ahead.

21:32 >> The greatest career, unarguably, is Luell Sindor/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I should have

21:38 gotten the numbers ready, but let me tell you this. He lost single-digit games in high school

21:43 and college. All right, think about that. He lost single-digit games total in high school and

21:48 college. He was the reason, starting his sophomore year at Power Memorial High School in New York

21:53 City. Okay, he wins three national championships. Nobody else has ever done that at UCLA. He goes,

22:00 he wins six MVPs, and I don't know how many he makes. All right, he's the great.

22:05 His career is the greatest. All right, well, I'm throwing in high school now.

22:08 The second greatest career thrown in high school, but now LeBron doesn't have a college career.

22:14 So he's not, so saying, if I want to have that discussion, LeBron can't even be in it.

22:18 So that's, all right, put that on the side. Now we're talking, let's get back to the NBA.

22:23 The longevity thing, Kareem had a great amount of longevity as well. He played from 69, 70 until

22:30 88, 89. He had a long career, and that accounts for his final total. You got to give LeBron credit

22:37 for being incredibly productive at this age and still as good as he is. He's kept himself in

22:42 marvelous shape. I do not take that away from him. LeBron's going to have all these career numbers

22:49 based on their longevity. Now it comes down to their skill range. LeBron versus Michael,

22:56 bigger, stronger, better rebounder, better passer than Michael Jordan. Okay.

23:04 I'm playing for my life tonight. No question. I want Michael Jordan.

23:09 I do too.

23:10 A better competitor. LeBron is a nicer person on the court. I'm serious. And maybe you are too.

23:18 And I keep coming back to the difference between the two. And this is my little patented thing.

23:23 I want this on my gravestone. Okay. You know, a couple of things I want in my gravestone

23:27 that he said, and this is one of them.

23:28 Write them down here.

23:29 The reason they each got to the top of the mountain, as they each have in their own eras,

23:38 took Michael to learn how to share. Michael Jordan, in the '87, '88, Michael Jordan is not

23:44 making those passes to Steve Kerr and Jim Paxson that later won, John Paxson, that later won

23:51 championships. He's hogging up the shot himself and maybe taking a batter. He's not, he's not,

23:57 he doesn't trust his teammates, you know. Okay. LeBron, and once he began to trust his teammates,

24:03 the championships came. That's my theory. You know, you can argue against it. LeBron doesn't

24:09 win until he finally accepts the responsibility of being the best player on the floor and acting

24:14 accordingly. He flamed out against the Celtics in 2010. He, I initially rejected this notion,

24:20 but I had to come to believe it, that in 2011 against the Mavericks, he basically didn't really

24:25 want the ball the way he should have. And he shrunk in a moment. There was some catharsis

24:32 after that. I don't know whether somebody got to him or he finally figured it out himself.

24:35 That I, since then, that's not an issue. He knows when to take over, how to take over. He's known

24:42 that now over a decade and the championships have come in various uniforms. So he, when he learned

24:49 to be assertive and accept the responsibility of being the best player and acting accordingly,

24:53 that, but in Michael's case, he always, he believed he was the best player before, you know,

24:58 all the time. But that doesn't mean that you still have four of the guys you have to account for.

25:02 And if you go back and study LeBron, and I keep going back to that film, that documentary,

25:07 When We Were Kings, it was made about him in high school at St. Vincent, St. Mary, and it traced

25:12 them through their high school career. Everyone in the world knew he was the best player. And he

25:16 knew he was the best player, but he was a team guy always, always. He was, the great thing about,

25:22 he loved playing with them is these are kids that he played with from like fifth grade,

25:26 that they won national state championships, two of them with him and his friends. He liked that

25:32 camaraderie. He liked that he was a team. It's always been about team. It's not about, and people

25:37 don't give them enough credit for that. Isn't it? Because some people, because of the decision,

25:41 you know what the decision was, was 2010, for Christ's sake, get over the decision. It was

25:45 stupid. He shouldn't have done it. He's a made amends for it. Let's get over it, huh? Does he,

25:52 what's he done bad that people should, there should even be any of the Brian haters. I don't

25:58 see it at all. He's a beautiful basketball player to watch play basketball. He knows how to play

26:05 this game and he plays it with his teammates. And I'm still glad he's around. I do too. I think it's

26:13 a debate that'll go on and on and on. I'm with you on the Jordan thing because we know even now,

26:19 even in Michael's Hall of Fame speech, he was throwing daggers at guys, you know, I mean.

26:25 >> Oh, he was taking prisoners, taking prisoners and it was distasteful, you know, it was

26:32 unbecoming. It was unbecoming. And you know what? I think, I'm guessing that he's unrepentant

26:38 about it. >> Oh, no, no. He makes that up.

26:41 >> I don't think he feels any need to apologize. He made himself feel good that night.

26:46 >> Yeah, no, no, no. I mean. >> Even in scores. I want that,

26:49 tell me, but see, that speaks to what I was saying about the nature on the court.

26:53 >> Right. >> He was ruthless, you know,

26:55 the famous Hannibal Lecter, eat your heart out and they give you a glass of Chianti, you know,

27:00 he's the ultimate in that. And one B, one A by the way, was Kobe. Kobe's the closest thing to

27:06 Michael that we've known. And in terms of the whole package of size, range of skill, temperament,

27:12 you know, he's the closest and real close. But I still have to give the edge to Michael and that

27:18 may be just bias. I will listen to arguments on Kobe because Kobe was, you know, really,

27:24 but he didn't have the heart, the team heart to the degree that Michael, that LeBron has,

27:34 that's for sure. But anyway, and then we're in Boston, let's talk about the most greatest

27:42 achievement, the greatest, you know, winner of all time, we know it was William Faft Russell,

27:46 we know that. And let me just state it out for occasion, any youngin out there that needs to be,

27:51 you know, just to get a little schooling here. From 1955 until 1969, Bill Russell's teams

27:57 competed for 16 separate championships. Two NCAA, one gold medal in 1956 Olympics in Melbourne,

28:05 and 13 NBA championships. His teams just happened to win 14 of those 16. I don't think there was a

28:10 coincidence. Okay. And 15th, only diehard fans in St. Louis will not concede that if Russell hadn't

28:19 been hurt in the 58 finals, they win that one too. It took and it took 50 points by the great Bob

28:24 Pettit in game six to win by two to beat Russell and knocked him out when Russell was hurt in 58.

28:30 And then more power to Bob Pettit. But so Russell's achievements, and let me just say skill

28:36 level. If you put him in the game today, airlift him in with the exact same package, the same body,

28:42 in the same mind, in the same spirit. He leads the league in shot blocks and rebounds today.

28:49 And his last game was May 5th, 1969. I know people don't, many people won't buy into that,

28:54 but they didn't see him play. I'm telling you. He was an athlete so far ahead of his time,

29:00 as he once said to me, I could kick the rim. Think about that one, folks.

29:04 >>And that's a great way to end. Bob, that's great stuff. And again, congratulations to LeBron.

29:11 You know, he still loves to play the game. The only blemish on the resume is the decision,

29:19 which was not his idea. It was not his idea. It was a blip on the radar. So what? You know,

29:26 he could, there could be much worse things that we talk about. So I just hope, you know,

29:32 I just looked at that, that LeBron's going to score 40,000 points and he's close to 40 years old

29:37 and he's putting up 39 points in a game. >>Now the only, the one part of the discussion we're

29:42 talking about all time cumulative points now, of course, is the three, you know, and how that's

29:48 another argument. But you have to-- >>Bob, this is what I'll say about that. It takes skill though.

29:53 That's not an easy shot. >>No, no, you're right. Oh, we were all enough. Remember when people

29:59 got yelled at for even taking them, even when the rule was in, you know, I mean, people,

30:03 it's now it's a shot that people want to cover, but kids, everybody's practicing. Every kid in

30:07 America is out there shooting three. >>But it's not an easy shot to make. >>No, no, no, no, no,

30:11 no. >>So while, you know, in my hero, John Havlicek, who I would, you know, I had discussions

30:18 with how he didn't like the three and the way Hondo played the game was exemplary. And I can

30:23 understand why he didn't like the three because of the way he played the game, the motion and so

30:27 forth. >>And he, yeah, and he had three point range, by the way. >>Oh, there's no question.

30:30 >>And, and, and, and would have, and if in modern game, you know, being played the way it is,

30:36 we would be encouraged, you know, to shoot more. And he would have, this is, he had, but he did

30:40 have this. I can tell you, I can tell you the guys that had range and who didn't, you know,

30:44 he did. Jerry West didn't. >>Really? West didn't have, you don't think so? >>No, he wasn't that

30:49 kind of, he was a middle range shooter, middle range. He wasn't, I'll tell you who I, the guy

30:55 that I would love, he must be, wake up every day and say, why was I born? Well, he had good things

31:00 happen, but why wasn't I born a little later? The best, Jerry Lucas would have thrived in this.

31:08 He, he, he's, the Knicks had a very odd offense in that the two forwards, Lucas and the Buescher,

31:14 had better range than the two guards, whether it was Frazier and Barnett or Frazier and Erlemano.

31:18 All those three guards were all middle range shooters. They weren't distance shooters.

31:23 >>Right. >>And the two forwards could shoot from downtown and they, and they did, you know,

31:27 to the degree that you would do it in those days, you know, not the way you do now, but, but Lucas

31:32 would have been a sensational three-point shooter. >>What about, what about Sharman? >>Total middle

31:38 distance. >>Oh, okay. >>15, 17 foot, but that's the game. Nobody, why, the whole point, Oscar

31:44 Robinson, you know, we used to say, you know, if Oscar had a 15 footer, he wanted a 10 footer. If

31:49 he had a 10 footer, he wanted, he wanted a layup and, and he worked the game in. Oscar didn't have

31:55 three-point range because he, he, he wouldn't want it, you know, but now he'd have to have it, you

32:00 know, and he'd have it because he's Oscar Robinson. He'd practice, he'd be good, but no, Oscar was

32:03 totally, that wasn't his idea. The whole game was, you know, get a layup and, and that's what you

32:09 wanted. The ultimate prize was getting a layup, not, not passing out for a three. Anyway, that's,

32:14 it's a different game and, and, you know, and, and there's, you know, we can lament all we want,

32:19 but the three ain't going anywhere. So. >>No, it's not. And we still love the game and we love

32:24 the scoring. And I mean, you know, I don't think we have a whole lot to complain about. Bob Ryan,

32:29 happy holidays, my friend, Odi Parker. >>Same to you. >>Jeff Goodman will be joining us next week.

32:33 And thank you to FanDuel. We're giving thanks. FanDuel is the exclusive wagering partner of the

32:42 CLNS Media Networks. Score early this NFL season with FanDuel, America's number one sports book.

32:47 Right now, new customers get $150 in bonus bets with any winning $5 Moneyline bet. That's 150

32:53 bucks if you win. Bob, see you next week. >>Take care.

Kristaps Porzingis IMPACT on Celtics + Pacers a DARKHORSE? | Bob Ryan & Jeff Goodman Podcast

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