Bob Ryan and Gary Tanguay discuss the recent happenings in the NBA, including a surging Cavaliers team that could be a playoff problem for the Boston Celtics. Plus, the 76ers continue to struggle as drama brews in the locker room, and the NBA announces a new All-Star game format.
0:00 - Intro
0:30 - Celtics send message
2:50 - Celtics' interior defense
5:11 - Celtics answer challenge
7:56 - Big Three assembled
10:01 - Philadelphia's struggles
14:01 - Dalton Knecht shines
15:58 - Contender discussion
21:34 - All-Star game debate
23:37 - Player competition issues
27:09 - USA vs International debate
30:05 - Deterioration of All-Star Game
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0:00 - Intro
0:30 - Celtics send message
2:50 - Celtics' interior defense
5:11 - Celtics answer challenge
7:56 - Big Three assembled
10:01 - Philadelphia's struggles
14:01 - Dalton Knecht shines
15:58 - Contender discussion
21:34 - All-Star game debate
23:37 - Player competition issues
27:09 - USA vs International debate
30:05 - Deterioration of All-Star Game
CLNS Media is Powered by:
💰 Prize Picks - https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CLNS
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#celtics #NBA #BostonCeltics
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SportsTranscript
00:00Bob Ryan, Gary Tango here brought to you by PrizePix, the daily fantasy partner of CLNS
00:25Media Network.
00:26Pick more, pick less with PrizePix.
00:28Bob, the Celtics sent a message, Cleveland certainly made it interesting earlier in the
00:34week at the Garden, but at the end of the day, the Stars came through.
00:40The Stars came through, Jason had a big game, they got a nice lift from Pritchard when they
00:45needed it, and it's plasma, classic six-man kind of contribution at the right time.
00:54You know, they must have had guys in brown, but they did nothing to discourage that team.
01:01That team is going to be around.
01:03That team could be, I still think, I would predict will be the final obstacle to getting
01:11back to the finals this year, as we see now, although the Knicks I have a lot of respect
01:16for, we'll talk about that as the year goes on.
01:19They didn't discourage that team at all, and they weren't whole either, they don't have
01:21Max Strauss.
01:23Max Strauss is important.
01:24And now we don't have Porzingis, he's very important.
01:27So there's nothing definitive out of that, but I'm telling you, when they came from 21
01:32down to multiple twos, it's nice that the Celtics never lost a lead.
01:37They answered every time, but that 21 to two was disturbing when they got that.
01:42But they're good, take it from me, they're good.
01:45And they believe in themselves, and Mobley gets better and better.
01:48I've been a fan of Allen.
01:51The backcourt may be the most explosive backcourt in the entire league, explosive.
01:55I wouldn't train him for our guys, but they're a force, Garland and Mitchell.
02:02And the big ingredient, the interesting thing about the Cavaliers is that they didn't make
02:06any whopping personnel changes.
02:10They just brought back the same group, but they added a coach.
02:16The more I learn, Kenny Atkinson is a respected guy in that league, and he is making a difference
02:23on that team.
02:24So the Celtics answered the challenge, got the job done, but they didn't humble them.
02:31They just stumbled them.
02:33There's a difference, right?
02:34Well, a couple of points.
02:36I thought Derek White came up big.
02:38Oh, isn't he wonderful?
02:41Just boom.
02:42I mean, nails.
02:43I mean, just a lot of confidence in his game, nails.
02:47The second point I want to make, I was a little disheartened by the fact that they gave up
02:50the big league.
02:52Now, this team does that.
02:55We know that.
02:56It's part of their DNA.
02:57Yeah, it is.
02:58It's part of their DNA.
02:59And it's early, I know, and they won a championship, so I have very little to complain about.
03:04But I was hoping that maybe they would take a step in that maturation process of putting
03:09people away.
03:11The other thing that's happened, and this predates the Cavaliers' game, but is recurrent,
03:17and maybe will be fixed when they get Porzingis back.
03:22They're vulnerable.
03:25Their interior defense can be shrunk.
03:27Big time.
03:28Big time.
03:29When they went into an offense where they had wonderful cutting, and they were getting
03:31layup over layup with nobody contesting them, that'll end a look toward the three with Porzingis.
03:39So the other thing we have to know is, this is not the Celtic team that will win the championship.
03:46They're not whole yet either.
03:47And yet, they're still, whatever they are, 12 and three, whatever the hell.
03:50Right, right.
03:51But their best is way down the road.
03:58Cleveland will continue to build confidence and mature.
04:02I predict they will, you know, I have a lot of respect for the Knicks.
04:06I predict Cleveland will finish second in the East to the Celtics, and the Knicks will
04:10be a threat.
04:11But anyway, I'm just telling you, Cleveland was not discouraged by that game.
04:15They were almost encouraged by that game, and I've been following up on what they've
04:19been saying about it.
04:21And good for them, you know?
04:23That's fine.
04:24It's the NBA.
04:27But it was an event, it was the first big event of the NBA season, really, was the defending
04:34champion Celtics against the rampaging Cavaliers, 15-0, one of the four teams in the history
04:39of the league that ever started off 15-0, and the Celtics answered the challenge as
04:45imperfectly as it was, which tells you a lot about them, you know?
04:49They weren't at their best, and they still got the job done.
04:51Well, you mentioned the middle, and that was really, that was on display last night.
04:58And obviously, that's what teams are going to attack.
05:01And Horford can only do so much, you know?
05:03Right now, Horford's their only guy, really.
05:05Right.
05:06And let's forget, Jacob Portal of Toronto hit him with 35, and there's a guy people
05:12don't know about, because Toronto's off the radar screen, you know, for the most part.
05:17And even when they won, they were off the radar screen.
05:19I mean, people just, you know, it's Toronto.
05:22But that guy shredded them for 35.
05:25That's a weak, that is a potential weak.
05:26Their rebounding is so-so in context.
05:30So they've got things to work on.
05:32You know what?
05:33I don't have any moments that I was happy about that.
05:34Well, I was just going to say that.
05:36That's what a coach is.
05:37You want, absolutely.
05:38Anything that, coaches love teaching moments.
05:42They don't like coasting, you know?
05:44And so teaching moments, he's going to be, they need to get better on the boards.
05:48They get to, they need to shore up that interior defense.
05:51It might not be possible to do it the way they want to do it until they get Porzingis
05:54back.
05:55He's getting closer.
05:56It appears to be within a week to 10 days from what I got, my information.
06:04And then we'll see how they do.
06:07But still, it was, they answered the challenge, they got it done in the end and final minute
06:10when they had to make plays, they made plays.
06:13And that's what we like to see.
06:14What I like about this Celtic team, and we saw this last year too, they can give up a
06:1821 point lead or they have a 21 point lead, they give up 19.
06:23They don't panic.
06:24Oh, no.
06:25We've got, look at the veteran status of this team.
06:30Of the starting five, who's the youngest, least experienced?
06:36It's Tatum.
06:37Yeah.
06:38How about that?
06:39The best player.
06:40Right.
06:41Right, right, right.
06:42He's 26 years old.
06:43And, you know, everything else is, you know, Brown's older than him.
06:46And the backcourt, they're in their 30s now.
06:49And Al, of course, is 36.
06:52So you know, it's, and their bench, even their bench, they're experienced.
06:58Richard and Hauser and et cetera.
07:00Yeah.
07:01I mean, Prince is a different guy.
07:02The only young in play is Guetta, who is getting better as we, all the time.
07:09So and, yeah, no.
07:11So when they get Porzingis back, he's a veteran.
07:14No, they're experienced.
07:15So they, yeah.
07:16Prince is a different guy, Bob.
07:18He's better.
07:19He's even, he has exceeded beyond my expectations.
07:23He's at a different level this year.
07:24You can see it, to me.
07:26And I thought last year he did well.
07:28But he's a different cat, for the better.
07:33So the 76ers continue to have problems.
07:35And this was, I mean, they are just doomed.
07:39They got, their karma is awful.
07:41They're, I don't know who they offended up in the basketball, with the basketball gods.
07:47They offended the basketball gods somehow, some way, you know.
07:50Was it when they made Doug Moat put on a suit?
07:54That's a good one.
07:57Whatever they did, it offended the basketball gods.
07:59They assembled a big three, that on paper, oh, wow, you know.
08:04Right.
08:05Noam Bede, a former MVP, Paul George, all pro, Tyrese Maxey, one of the great young
08:13stars in the league.
08:14And I'm a, as you know, I have.
08:15Oh, yeah, you're a fan.
08:17I'm a fan of Maxey from back in Kentucky.
08:20But A, two of those three guys are injury prone, and until proven otherwise, will continue
08:27to be injury prone.
08:29How many games is, and B, he's already announced he doesn't want to play back to back.
08:34And George got tweaked last night again, right away, you know, it seems to be the way it
08:40is.
08:41And, you know, I think we mentioned this before.
08:43I was impressed with, I thought what they did was a good job of shoring up the bench
08:47in the offseason with Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson, Caleb Martin, one other, I'm forgetting.
08:53Oh, Eric Gordon.
08:54I said, wow, they've got some depth.
08:57But those guys haven't produced the way that you thought they would, other than Drummond,
09:01consistently.
09:02So we'll see.
09:03Is the window shut?
09:05It's, it's, it's, you know what?
09:08It's almost shut.
09:09It's that close to being, you know.
09:11And it's so early, though.
09:13That's crazy.
09:14But you're not wrong.
09:15It's 2012.
09:16You're not wrong.
09:17They're the Wizards.
09:18And they've earned it.
09:19They've earned it.
09:20Totally earned it.
09:21There's no.
09:22How about this?
09:23They're 2-12 and their two wins were in overtime.
09:26So how close are they to 0-14?
09:29You know, they're not going to climb back into the race that I can see.
09:32If they do, hey, more power to them.
09:33We'll have a wonderful conversation in February.
09:35But I don't see it.
09:36I don't think they're an issue.
09:37I think right now New York's better.
09:39I think Cleveland's better.
09:40I think Indiana's better.
09:42And when Bunkaro comes back, who knows, maybe Orlando may be better.
09:46So, but I mean, definitely the other three are better right now.
09:49Their window, whatever it was, is.
09:52And you know, the people in Philadelphia deserve better than this, but this is the team they
09:57put together.
09:58Well, I mean, if you're a big guy, if Embiid's checked out, you're done.
10:01He had 35 now last night, as we speak.
10:04He had 35.
10:05Max Cito had a horrendous game, but he was coming off an absence of X games.
10:11And he was terrible last night.
10:13And he's better than that.
10:14But George got hurt.
10:16And George, guess what?
10:17Is this news?
10:18No.
10:19No, no, no.
10:20Not news.
10:21Not news.
10:22So I think we can, you know, sympathize with their fans and all that.
10:27But basically, I'm not worried about Philadelphia right now.
10:29Two years ago, if you had said, who would you rather have, Derek White or Paul George,
10:33right?
10:34Oh, I didn't.
10:35Two years ago, at this time, I barely knew of Derek's existence on this earth.
10:40I mean, when they picked him up, when Brad picked him up, I had to go look him up.
10:46And I said, oh, wow.
10:47The guy averaged 14 a year, a game last year at San Antonio.
10:50Who knew?
10:51Because who's watching San Antonio two years ago?
10:53They're so far off the radar screen.
10:55Then we find a whole story about him.
10:58And now we see him.
10:59And he's like, I mean, how did he go so unnoticed for so long?
11:02He's such an exemplary player.
11:06We have, I'm telling you, a backcourt.
11:09I don't care about how explosive Garland is and Mitchell is.
11:12I wouldn't trade.
11:13I would not trade this backcourt for anybody.
11:15No.
11:16They are the adults in the room.
11:18Bob, as they say in the biz, time for a commercial message to take a breather.
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12:44All right, let's get back to it, Bob.
12:47One of the things that I think has been very interesting about the NBA over the last couple
12:53of years is we have seen a lot of new names.
12:55Yeah.
12:56You know, in basketball, we've just seen a lot of new names coming up in all aspects.
13:03And I want to make sure I get this right, Dalton Connett is your guy.
13:08Well, I learned, obviously, there's no way that anybody other than some other, Jeff,
13:15our great friend and compatriot, Jeff Goodman, may have known about Dalton Connett before
13:21last year.
13:22Okay.
13:23And that, let me tell you what his trials were.
13:27He comes out of Thornton, Colorado.
13:30He was born originally in Fargo, North Dakota.
13:32Thornton is a suburb of Denver.
13:34He goes to Northeast Colorado Junior College, transfers to Northern Colorado.
13:43And you know, we're supposed to know who he is?
13:46No.
13:47Then he transferred to Tennessee last year as a senior.
13:51And that's when I discovered him, you know, watching college basketball.
13:55And he's a shooter, he's really good.
13:57He was the SEC Player of the Year.
14:00Okay.
14:01And he was in the first round at number 17 to the Lakers.
14:06Now the Lakers last year, their big quest was, we got to find a shooter to augment LeBron
14:12and AD, right?
14:14We need a shooter to loosen up the defense, right?
14:18And they thought they had one in Rui Hachimura, but he didn't give them exactly what they
14:23wanted.
14:24So they draft this kid.
14:25All right, here's his week, you ready?
14:30On the 13th of November, he goes for 19 with five for five on threes.
14:35On the 16th, he scores 27 points.
14:39On the 19th, 37 points with nine threes in a 121-118 victory over Utah.
14:46And that's the most rookie threes ever in one game since the threes came into being
14:51in 1970.
14:52He's shooting 46% on threes.
14:56Is this, in fact, the shooter they dreamed of?
15:01On this very small sample, the answer is yes.
15:05So if this continues, that changes the equation for the Lakers in terms of the big picture
15:10of how far they can go, as good as it appears to be.
15:14So Don Kinect has suddenly injected himself, you know, into the whole thing.
15:19And let me give you a quote of what kind of kid he is.
15:21When he went to 17, he didn't go, oh, I should have went five or eight or nine.
15:26He goes, when I fell to 17th, it was all right, because I knew I'd get to play with LeBron
15:33and AD.
15:34Guess what?
15:35He's still right.
15:36And he's flourishing under that.
15:38So there's Dalton Kinect.
15:41I'm just telling you that that is an interesting new name in the equation.
15:45So we now have to revise.
15:47I know I have to revise my opinion about exactly how far the Lakers could go, how good
15:53they can be.
15:54If he's going to be a consistent thing like this, a candidate for Rookie of the Year,
15:58maybe a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year, and continue to shoot like this, then they've
16:02found something and more power to them.
16:04Well, to put you on the spot, do you have an idea how far they can go with him?
16:08I mean, how much does he...
16:09No, I mean, I don't know.
16:10I mean...
16:11Are they a contender now?
16:12Are they a contender?
16:13I mean, this is who, you know, he was the SEC Player of the Year, the SEC is a powerful
16:18league, and this is what he's supposed to be doing, but he's doing it, you know?
16:24And now it's November.
16:25We haven't even got to Thanksgiving yet.
16:27And maybe we'll be laughing about this, you know, on Valentine's Day.
16:31But I'm just throwing it out there.
16:33They may have found what they were looking for, and they couldn't find it last year,
16:39but they may have found it.
16:40So I just say, it's someone to keep an eye on, Gar.
16:44Keep an eye on Mr. Kinect.
16:47Well, you know, I like entertainment.
16:49You know, I like big things.
16:50And I just like it if the Lakers are in the hunt.
16:54I just want the Lakers...
16:55You know, I want the Knicks to be good.
16:57I want the Lakers to be good.
16:59You know, I want these pillar franchises to be good.
17:02I'm with you.
17:04It makes life so much easier.
17:05I want to go into MSG.
17:07I want Spike going crazy.
17:09I want to go out west.
17:10I want to go win.
17:11You know, I want to go play the Lakers in LA with something on the line.
17:16We want the agent Jack Nicholson sitting there right next to the bench.
17:19Who's the best?
17:20I mean, you've lived a life with this.
17:23But for me, you know, covering the Celtics in their two NBA finals against the Lakers,
17:29one which they won with KG and one which they lost.
17:32By the way, they had three.
17:33I think it was two of them.
17:36What's that?
17:37They had three.
17:39Oh, right.
17:40Right.
17:41Right.
17:42Well, I was talking about 08 and...
17:43Oh, those two.
17:44Yeah.
17:45Yeah.
17:46Yeah.
17:47Oh, yeah.
17:4808.
17:49But what I had...
17:50Sorry, Bob.
17:51In the 80s, I was still drinking beer at the university.
17:52But when I was a grown up, you know, to be out there and to watch those two franchises
17:55go at it was awesome.
17:57I mean, it was phenomenal.
18:02And you know, to have that type of star power back would be good.
18:04It's good for businesses, they say.
18:06It is good.
18:08I've always said, A, you want New York to be good because New York is important to the
18:14league, to have the people care about New York and then to root against New York.
18:18They're a great polarizer.
18:19And of course, the Lakers and Celtics are the premier franchises of the league.
18:25And since its history started, which includes Minneapolis, when they won five championships
18:30in 49 to 54, anyway, you want them good.
18:33And LA, Boston is a dream.
18:36It was peaked with Larry and Magic, but we got another dose of it back in 8, 9 and 10
18:43and too serious with them.
18:45Yeah, no, it's great.
18:46We want...
18:47It's good.
18:48It energizes the whole league when New York and Los Angeles are good.
18:51No question.
18:52Well, Bob Ryan has had season tickets for the Red Sox, but for the most part, Bob Ryan
18:57never has to buy a ticket.
18:59But if you're...
19:00Most of us aren't like Bob Ryan.
19:01So you have to get the game time app.
19:03If you love watching football, college or pro, you want to get there in person, nothing
19:07beats the SEC.
19:09Indiana is having a run this year, believe it or not, for the NFL on Sunday.
19:14And so you've got to get the game time app, Bob.
19:16Bills and Lions right now, they're the tops of the NFL.
19:20And December 15th, keep an eye out because it's going to be Buffalo and they're going
19:24to take on the Lions and that is going to be something else to see.
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20:12What time is it?
20:13It's game time.
20:14All right, Bob, back out of here as we continue.
20:19The final thing, which, you know, the all-star game, everybody's trying to fix them, you
20:27know, and I've just kind of let go of it.
20:30The Pro Bowl, with football, they had to go to the skills things because players didn't
20:34want to get beat up.
20:35And that's fine.
20:36Right.
20:37The NBA now, what they're talking about is having like a round robin, like three teams
20:42of eight and they all play each other, but I guess, I suppose, but, you know, is it necessary?
20:51Is it necessary?
20:52It could be interesting.
20:53I guess guys would maybe play more.
20:57I just think they're overthinking it.
20:58I think if you have guys go play in the all-star game and play hard, it's fun, then everybody
21:02goes home.
21:03What do you think?
21:04Well, okay.
21:06I am appalled by the attitude of the modern player.
21:12I do not, I'm sorry, I'm old now, older.
21:16I don't understand the concept or the lack of concept of why you wouldn't want to play
21:23in an all-star game, the East versus the West, the best 24 players in heated competition
21:31for bragging rights, for personal pride, which is what the league started in 1952 here in
21:38Boston with an all-star game, okay?
21:41Started here in Boston.
21:42And I don't, and I lived through a period in the early 70s, there was a little bit of
21:50a malaise in the league, and when players didn't seem to be taking it as seriously as
21:57they thought they should, and then it got revived.
22:00By 1988, I covered an all-star game, Gary, in Seattle, in which it was an overtime.
22:07Rolando Blackman got the winning baskets for the West.
22:10Tom Chambers got 34 points.
22:13And then he was, you know, he was a good guy.
22:15And he would say, I'm the best player in the world today, you know?
22:20And why can't we recapture that spirit?
22:24What is wrong with this generation of players that that isn't enough to spur them to have
22:30a two-team, East versus West, to go compete so somebody can emerge and say, I'm the best
22:38player in the world as the MVP?
22:39But Magic and Larry played to win.
22:41Yeah, Larry got the first, in 1980 in Washington, the first three-point shot, it was historic,
22:46you know?
22:47And yeah, it was a close game.
22:49But there were some wonderfully competitive games in the back of the net.
22:54This group doesn't care.
22:55They embarrass, they mock the game.
22:592-11 to 186, that was last year.
23:01I know.
23:02What is wrong with them?
23:04I can't get into their heads why they don't have more personal pride.
23:10But I don't know what they feel that this new system is going to fix.
23:15It's like, you know, you're still just going to have run and gun.
23:18Nobody's going to play defense.
23:19No matter what you're doing.
23:20No, I don't see.
23:21I'm not remotely interested.
23:22They're talking about four-team kind of model on the NHL, I guess.
23:26Four teams and one versus three and two versus four, and then, but three, up to, it's, no,
23:33they're talking about three on three.
23:36I don't even want to know.
23:37I'm sorry, you're not going to get any information from me.
23:39I'm not, I'm just appalled that we have to come to this.
23:43I don't understand the mentality of the modern player, why he doesn't want to compete against
23:52the best guys in the world for personal pride.
23:55I don't understand.
23:57And you get to play with great players.
24:00Yeah.
24:01You know, for example, like if Bird and Jordan are on the same team, right?
24:05Yeah.
24:06I mean, that's what we saw with the Olympic team, like, you know, say, I don't know, Tatum
24:12gets to play, I don't know, pick somebody from the Knicks or gets to play with Giannis.
24:18Yeah.
24:19Gets to play with, you know, if Tatum gets to play with Giannis, I mean, my God, isn't
24:23that enough?
24:24Go play with Giannis.
24:25I don't see.
24:26I just don't understand why.
24:27I don't care.
24:28Well, I can tell you.
24:29I blame the agents and I blame the shoe companies.
24:31So I don't, this format doesn't interest me.
24:35It's not going to fix it.
24:37It's not going to fix it.
24:38It's going to fix it.
24:39I just got to tell you how the evolution is.
24:42My first All-Star game was 1970 and it was in Philadelphia, in the Spectrum.
24:47And I arrived, I flew down with the Celtic contingent in the morning.
24:53There was a luncheon.
24:57People came in the day of the game.
24:58There's only the game.
24:59There was no three points, no skills, no nothing, you know, at a luncheon.
25:05And then I played the game and it was a very competitive game in which Willis-Reed, who
25:09was at the great year of the Knicks, emerges the MVP, but it was a legitimate game of cardboard
25:15competitive basketball.
25:17And that's how far we got.
25:19There was no other frills, nothing else.
25:22All right.
25:23All right.
25:24So then 85, 86 was the first three-point shot and dunk contest, okay, in the NBA.
25:31The ABA, they brought a lot of things from the ABA.
25:36And one of them was the All-Star skills, you know, the dunk contest, the dunk contest emanated
25:41from the ABA.
25:42All right.
25:43People love the dunk contest.
25:44To me, this is Bob Ryan turning old fart for a moment, once Spike Webb won the dunk contest
25:52at five, I said, there's no point to another dunk contest.
25:56You're not going to do it.
25:57You're not going to outdo a 5'7 guy winning a dunk contest.
26:00And when, you know, Larry Nance, 6'9, who cares if a 6'9 guy can dunk?
26:04Really?
26:05I don't give a damn.
26:06That's ridiculous.
26:07So the dunk contest, my thing on that should, the height limit should be 6'6.
26:13Nobody over 6'6 enters the dunk contest.
26:15You know, anyway, screw the dunk contest.
26:18But that's what, but all right, that's fine.
26:20That sounds like old, you know, get off my lawn stuff.
26:23But I think saying, where is their personal pride?
26:27Why wouldn't they settle for planning to play a game to compete at a high level as if it
26:34were a regular season game against the best guys in the other league just because of personal
26:38pride?
26:39Well, that's gone.
26:40They've made a complete, utter mockery of basketball last year, 211-186, say no more.
26:47And now Eric, Adam Silver, who's given us the useless cup, you know, mid-season because
26:55he's infatuated with soccer.
26:58And I love Adam in general terms, but not for this one.
27:00Anyway, so I don't, I'm sorry.
27:04I don't care what format they come up with.
27:06Now there's one format that would be great, but they won't do it.
27:11USA versus international.
27:13Oh, right.
27:14And I think the immediate objection from the Players' Association-
27:18We'd lose.
27:19We'd lose 12 players.
27:21We'd only have 12 players instead of 24 who could be All-Stars, right, Americans, you
27:26know?
27:27And, but wouldn't, well, we might lose, but wouldn't you like, that's the game I want
27:32to see.
27:33USA versus international.
27:35Now they've got the frontcourt that's tremendous.
27:37I don't know about their backcourt, but hey, backcourt, Che, Julius Alexander, and Jamal
27:43Murray.
27:44Murray didn't play well last year in the postseason, but I'd love, that's the one that would get
27:50juices flowing.
27:52This thing isn't going to juice people.
27:54If it does, fine, but I don't think so.
27:58I'm calling out these players.
28:02Where is your personal pride that you wouldn't want to compete with the best in the world?
28:08They go to dinner with their marketing and agent teams on Saturday night.
28:10Like they don't go together, they don't go to dinner together, they meet with their agents
28:14and their teams, their marketing teams on Saturday night, and then they go out with,
28:18you know, some of the guys later.
28:20Yeah.
28:21It's not, it's, it's, they're, it's, they claim-
28:27They don't want to get hurt, and they're like, come on, it's basketball.
28:31It's basketball.
28:32I'd love to show America the tape of the 88 game in Seattle, the overtime game, to see
28:39what it can be.
28:41What best players really wanting to compete just because, isn't that how they got started?
28:47Oh, yeah.
28:48Isn't that how they got started?
28:51On some gym somewhere, some high school, junior college, you want a junior high gym, isn't
28:56that how you want to be the best?
29:00I know how I felt playing pickup basketball.
29:03I wanted to win the goddamn game.
29:05And I wanted the last shot too, I have to tell you that, you know, win a 21, game of
29:1021, you know, but forget me.
29:13Don't they have, what happened to that spirit?
29:16What is wrong with these guys?
29:17Well, they also socialize.
29:19I'm trying to remember, who was the pitcher for the Cardinals in 67?
29:25Well, not Gibson.
29:27Yeah.
29:28Gibson.
29:29Gibson.
29:30Yeah.
29:31I can't believe I forgot Gibson.
29:32Oh, Gibson.
29:33Yeah.
29:34He would not fraternize with the enemy.
29:35Oh, no.
29:36He was-
29:37Oh, Bob Gibson.
29:38That's what happens now, Bob.
29:39They're all friends.
29:40You know, they all hang out.
29:41They all go out to dinner.
29:42They play each other at night, then they go out to dinner.
29:44The other guys ask to have the bragging rights?
29:47Oh, yeah.
29:48They don't care.
29:50I mean, hell, Russell and Chamberlain used to hang out all the time, but on the floor,
29:53it was warm.
29:54No.
29:55They went to dinner at each other's house.
29:56Oh, yeah.
29:57And then, the next night, they said, you know, let's go play.
30:02No, but this drives me absolutely crazy to watch the deterioration of the All-Star game.
30:08Oh, I don't watch it.
30:09Well, it doesn't-
30:10I don't.
30:11There's no All-Star game I watch.
30:12Well, there is.
30:13I just wait for time.
30:14I saw one brief clip today that made me want to puke of last year, of them walking up the
30:20floor and Jokic walking up the floor, and he finally throws a little pass to somebody
30:26to dunk the ball with no competition, nowhere.
30:29And aren't they embarrassed that they want that product to be shown to the world as the
30:36best players in the world, which they are?
30:39No, I don't get it.
30:41And last year, by the way, you remember, they got pep talks from Bird.
30:46They got a pep talk from somebody else.
30:48And they went out and they still said they gave a double finger, double finger.
30:52Oh, totally.
30:53Yeah.
30:54They gave a double finger to the world, said, bleep you, we're doing it our way, which is
30:59to make a mockery of the game of basketball.
31:03And I don't understand that mentality.
31:09I'm with you, Bob.
31:10And on that note, my friend, I will tell you, we are brought to you by Price Picks,
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31:18Bob, go have a cold one.
31:21Go relax.
31:22I'm heading for the, I'm heading right to the wine bottle.
31:25Don't worry, Ed.
31:26There you go, kid.
31:27All right, we'll talk to you next week.