The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Local Hour: The Hater Hour

Episode Date: June 10, 2024

Today's cast: Dan, Stugotz, Chris, Billy, Mike, and Roy. The Celtics took a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals last night, and somehow Dan and Mike have the gall to call it "unsatisfying" and find a way to cr...iticize Jayson Tatum. Is Tatum being let off the hook by his teammates carrying him? Is he playing like 2011 LeBron? How bad is the Mavericks supporting cast for Luka? Is STUGOTZ somehow the most reasonable analyst on this show? Then, a breakdown of the Ice Cats victory in Game 1 and an argument over the Stanley Cup credential window. Plus, the origins of "ain't my first rodeo," Harry Potter, and Joe Mazzulla's hilarious press conferences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:01:25 Oh, oh God. Winning so far. Oh God, crushing. I really cannot imagine how infuriating it is for Canada to have the last five years of the state of Florida in hockey, like just enraging, you invented the sport, it's super important to you. I basically was introduced to hockey
Starting point is 00:01:47 through the Edmonton Oilers. Who haven't been this good since Gretzky. And then Greg Cody waddles over, and I swear to you, before this series, if Connor McDavid had walked into his home in uniform, and all you took off the jersey was his name off the back just made it 97 walked in I am sure Greg Cody would not have recognized Connor McDavid and been able to name him he'd call the cops he would he doesn't get skates on I have him walking on into the hit my dad's
Starting point is 00:02:19 house with skates yes and and I have him discovering in this series holy shit McDavid is big and faster than everybody But I entire team is fast the two miles per hour faster than the Panthers coming into the score goal And is I have never said what I'm about to say which is wholly ridiculous I have never felt less good about a three nothing Stanley Cup final victory felt less good about a three nothing Stanley Cup final victory than watching that team on the power play cave in your defense and get shots closer than everybody else does to the net. I think Sergei Baroski made 13 high danger saves in that game. Really? 13 high danger saves. So on the pucks with NudaNet. That is a good stat.
Starting point is 00:03:03 It's a great stat. High danger is what is what it is mean the rest are low danger and medium danger low danger Oh, I get the the Edmonton Oilers in that game. I thought Somehow lost three nothing to one of the worst playoff games the Panthers have played this season Great sign. I think now you're I agree with you. It's a good sign for the Panthers have played this season. Great sign, I think. I agree with you. It's a good sign for the Panthers. I don't know if that's a good sign. I don't think it's-
Starting point is 00:03:30 You seem terrified, man. I mean, look, that team offensively can score seven goals very easily. Yeah. Like they can, and Bobrovsky's got a couple, he's only had three playoff shutouts ever, correct? He's got two of them this postseason, and he was fantastic in that game, but you can't you think that's sustainable Roy
Starting point is 00:03:49 Him no no absolutely not but the Oilers have been more Inconsistent than the Panthers like the oil what we saw from the Oilers in game one We they haven't proven that they can do that every game in the playoffs like that was a good game for them That's why it's so disappointing for them. Yeah, they actually played really well They should have won 62 last night, the night before. So yes, yes, but the Panthers are going to play better. This is definitely gonna be the worst, game one's the worst game of the series.
Starting point is 00:04:13 Hopefully. That is correct, Billy. There is no way to know that. I don't know why Royce said it so right. Hopefully, I added in what he meant, hopefully. No, but he said it with you. I mean, you have to think. Do you?
Starting point is 00:04:24 So you think, you have to think that they're going to play a lot better than the one game they won three to nothing that represents the first time we've ever had a good feeling in the Stanley Cup final. This is the first time in 30 years that South Florida feels good in a Stanley Cup final. So don't ruin it, okay? Let us have this. I mean, it seems like you think Edmonton's gonna win the series. Oh, I'm just saying- I don't wanna shove words in your mouth, but- I'm not saying that.
Starting point is 00:04:51 I'm just saying that the way that game played out, that is the best case scenario for the Panthers is to win that game when they played that poorly by three goals, it makes no sense. This is the Dan LeBattor Show with the Stugatz Podcast. Today's episode is sponsored by DraftKings. Stay tuned because you'll hear more about DraftKings and all it has to offer throughout the show.
Starting point is 00:05:23 DraftKings, the crown is yours. We will get to the hockey in a second, Stugatz, but I am legitimately torn by what it is that's going on with the Celtics because it's allowed to be unsatisfying, right? To watch it outside of Boston, anybody watching what is happening with the Celtics steamrolling everybody at any other point in history we would be looking at a basketball team and saying good God one of the all-time greats being able to lose only twice and steamrolling everybody in games that are not closed. But so far the way this is gone I don't think anyone's changed their minds about what Missoula
Starting point is 00:06:04 is as a coach. I don't think anyone is changed their minds about what Missoula is as a coach. I don't think anyone is terribly impressed with what Jason Tatum has put together. I mean, they're two games away from winning a title. I know. I mean. And history only remembers the championship was won. But Stugat, I will say the way that things become memorable, whether it's storylines or close games
Starting point is 00:06:25 is you have a series of moments that you remember you have to you you have greatness tested you you prove so austin sent a dumb that the stat line that you have isn't gonna pale compared to drew holidays stat line true holidays thirty eight points nineteen rebounds eight assists no turnovers that's true holiday crazy they got they got to holiday to help jason tatum
Starting point is 00:06:53 not to win it for him they got rid of marcus smart and put people in place to help lift jason tatum and now you're in a situation where what you're watching from j Tatum is just unsatisfying. In fairness to Jason Tatum he is doing a lot of the things that we have asked him to do. Now it's not up to him whether or not he gets those situations late in the game but he is going to the rim an awful lot and he is creating opportunities for his teammates. He had the assists last night he had the rebounds he had by anyone's measure that would be considered Dan okay
Starting point is 00:07:27 a really good very good playoff game he's having a good series fortunately for Jason Tatum he's on a team where he doesn't have to be the best guy every single night oh but Stugats the way that this is going to end up playing out which i think is going to disorient people is this team is built for what the modern sport is become defend the three dalish's twenty percent from three noble kareer he hasn't made a three in the series you defend the three well and you shoot the three well but not in this game to have both teams shoot twenty five percent or understugats yet you're
Starting point is 00:08:03 watching bad basketball. You're watching a lot of missed shots. Nobody wants to celebrate defensive basketball, but what these Celtics are, are the evolution of the sport. Nobody wants to talk about architecture this time of year, Stu Gotz. They want to talk about story and drama,
Starting point is 00:08:20 and were you better than the other guy in big moments? But with this team, it's a part of it it the way the team was built is certainly a part of this story part of it it's the story okay so it's part of the story it's a big part of the story I know but Brad Stevens deserves credit for the way he built this team agreed Stu gots but it's not why anybody watches right that's not agreed Brad Stevens congratulations yep you want to make an executive the reason that you're watching the finals We did talk about that last week that it'd be funny if you became the first-ever executive to win MVP of the series Bob didn't Bob Myers steal that last night. Yeah, Bob Myers stole Stu got to make yeah to make him finals MVP because
Starting point is 00:09:01 They're putting the Celtics in a position where the pieces that they got that that show Incidentally is getting crushed the halftime show and the postgame show for ESPN Just getting annihilated because all people are realizing now. Oh wait, it just exists for seven seconds at a time between commercials There's no show there Getting crushed couldn't believe my eyes and ears when I saw an NBA finals postgame anchored by Bob Myers, Michael Wilbon and Josh Hart. Now all respectively in their own industries, nice careers. If we're going to have an active player there, I would love one with finals experience.
Starting point is 00:09:37 I would love anybody really with finals experience. I know Bob Myers was an executive there, but he's out there an executive, caping up for executives and you have Mike Wilbon essentially being your quarterback. We've done this for 25 years, where there's a revolving door with Mike Wilbon, and he's just flatly telling you, you know, I don't believe in stats. It's just not, I don't know how anyone over at the NBA
Starting point is 00:09:59 is happy with this. They're probably not though, right? We're gonna probably see what we see every year. They'll shake it up, get a new crew and see if they can find it. But they'll shake it up and Michael Wilbond will always end up being there. They've been unhappy reportedly with ESPN's NBA coverage for the majority of the time ESPN has had the contract and yet we still see some of the same players and if it's not one executive it's another. It's just that
Starting point is 00:10:24 they keep expecting different results. Mike is right the one constant throughout time is Michael Welbunk. The situation that you find yourself in when Stephen A Smith is working as much as he is is that he's got to get out of there I assumed either drive or take a private flight to first take in the morning. Right which is weird because first takes a priority and that shows you everything. No, no, I would think it's on network ABC. The priority here is the NBA Finals postgame show, no? Well, let's rewind for a second because I thought of Billy Saturday night. Is it the postgame show SVP on Sports Center? I mean that's what it's become. Usually they replace whatever is happening in the postgame they just let
Starting point is 00:11:07 scott van pelt handle it because he does an exceptional job but i was thinking about billy on saturday night because as the panthers are playing a stanley cup final game you get the rare marlins regular season nationally televised game on fox they quickly lose eight to nothing to the Guardians while the Panthers are playing in the Stanley Cup final. Billy, is that the game that you were checked in on? Were you watching the Marlins and the Guardians
Starting point is 00:11:35 as the Panthers played in the first Stanley Cup final game? No, I was watching the Ice Cats as is done during the Stanley Cup finals. That's what you do. I'll check back in on the Marlins after the Cup finals done. I've been very consistent on this. I said when we get to the Stanley Cup final,
Starting point is 00:11:51 I will be locked in, I will be there. Now people play defense against me to prevent me from getting a credential. That's perfectly fine. The Ice Cats are rallying around behind me and they're gonna win it on my behalf and I appreciate them for that. I will say this.
Starting point is 00:12:04 Explain to me what happened with you in the credential. I wasn't here last week so I don't know how the. There was some gate keeping around these parts to keep old Billy away from the Stanley Cup final which is fine, which is fine. If that's the way people wanna handle this situation that's fine. I will not be covering the Stanley Cup in person
Starting point is 00:12:21 but I still will be doing so from the comforts of my own home because I'm not gonna give up on this team just because people are trying to keep me away from it not going to happen. What's the problem was it that Metalark asked for too many credentials and David Dwork was in front of you in line what happened? Oh that's no he fired Dworkie over here geez. I just said his name. He got his credential through the hockey news not through us. How many how many credentials did Metal Lark request? So Billy got knocked out, you can't get into the arena?
Starting point is 00:12:48 Correct, I'm not as a member of the credential media, which is fine. I saw Stunt Dan was there. Listen, listen. I've just been told. If you want to work the camera. I've been told. I've been told things.
Starting point is 00:13:00 We don't need to get to. I've been told things, but I believe defense has been played against me to get me to the Stanley Cup final. I actively played defense against Billy getting into the Stanley Cup final. After- Not naming names. After all the official parameters were explored
Starting point is 00:13:14 in terms of applying for a credential, people knowing that I have a good relationship over with the Florida Panthers were like, hey, do you mind asking a favor so Billy can go over there and shit over the entire experience? I'm like, no, I'm'd rather I'd rather maintain my good relationship than have Billy make fun of them directly to their faces I will have Billy sarcastically covers this panther series. Yeah, no no, thanks I
Starting point is 00:13:35 Happen to think that I'd be growing the Panthers fan base I would say the people that follow me aren't necessarily the biggest hockey fans Tell them and I would be introducing them to a great team and a great story Oh, if they're not interested in growing their fan base, then that's perfectly fine necessarily the biggest hockey fans. And I would be introducing them to a great team and a great story. But if they're not interested in growing their fan base, then that's perfectly fine. They're prerogative. Not on me.
Starting point is 00:13:53 I'm just trying to do my part. That's all I'm trying to do. Help out the team. I'm not gonna tell the Oilers, you gotta go high on Bob. I'm not gonna tell them that. They can figure that out on their own. All right, this is what happened prolific offense all right so the credential window opened early May love a good window I watch that was never related to
Starting point is 00:14:13 anyone around these parts I'll just say I applied for myself Rose and Danny Rose and Danny being the camera people Danny being the backup behind the scenes of the hockey show so that's that's backup. Behind the scenes of the hockey show. So that's what happened. Important, yeah. The window closed May 30th. Billy asked June 3rd. Let's open that window back up. Let's just crack it a little bit.
Starting point is 00:14:33 But Billy has stated all along he will not focus on hockey until they make it to the Stanley Cup. If anything, I announced that months ago. Yeah. So I think someone should have put a pin in that, but that's fine. I'm really thinking about you when I'm... I think about you.
Starting point is 00:14:44 When I think hockey, I think about you, so I don't know why it's not mutual. I was playing a game earlier, guys, and I'm wondering if you guys wanna play this. Roy did not wanna play this game. Here is the game. It's how long of a ban would Roy accept from covering the Panthers in exchange
Starting point is 00:14:59 for illegally drinking out of the Stanley Cup on the night that they win it? Wow. So they win the Cup cup and Roy goes over and he just takes a chug out of the Stanley Cup to celebrate because Roy, I'll admit this, Roy has been following this team longer than I have and he cares slightly more than I do about this team.
Starting point is 00:15:18 I will admit that, I'm not here to kind of spread falsehoods. Yeah, that's great. So I said, Roy, if they win, you gotta take a chug out of that cup that night. He's like, no. And I'm like, what if they invite you to? He's like, well, then I'll do it. I'm like, but what if they don't invite you to?
Starting point is 00:15:31 You gotta do it. Their first Stanley Cup, you gotta do it. I was like, would you, like, in exchange for a lifetime ban. And he's like, absolutely. What about regular season? Next year's regular season, you can't cover a single game. Regular season games. He wouldn't even do that.
Starting point is 00:15:43 Roy, I said a two year ban, he said no. I said one year, he said no. He won't do it. So that means I can't be at the arena during the home opener when they raise that banner. Yeah. Yeah. You can't be there to raise a banner, but you're there chugging out of the cup
Starting point is 00:15:56 the night that they win. Like that's a lot cooler. The banner's gonna be up in the rafters forever. No. You can see the banners whenever. Roy, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to chug beer out of the Stanley Cup Who cares about a banner? Mm-hmm. Yeah, but I care about a band. I'm not gonna get banned from covering this
Starting point is 00:16:15 Exactly right I was banned I didn't ban you I gotta tell you I was banned and it's not that big a deal Cuz if they came back now, I'm gonna like you want to come back? I'm like, nah, I'm good. I got what I wanted out of this exchange. We were very lucky today that a motivated Billy showed up and he said that he had a single takeaway from game two of the NBA Finals. I'm covering all the championships from afar. They also didn't credential me, but I didn't ask.
Starting point is 00:16:42 MetalArk had a whole bunch of people credentialed at that uninteresting game, but Billy, you have a single takeaway for us off of game two? Yeah, defense wins championships. Thank you, Billy. I appreciate it. Red-white block, I mean, he goes up there. Blocks PJ Washington.
Starting point is 00:17:00 Maybe a foul, maybe a foul on Jalen Brown. That's for others to say. I might get two fouls on that one. That's for others to say. It might be two fouls on that one. That's for others to say, not me, but that block, I mean, you see it's a five point game at that point. That dunk makes it a two point game. If they call a foul, it's a three point, sorry, that dunk makes it a three point game.
Starting point is 00:17:14 If they call a foul, it's a two point game. Instead it's a block, defense wins championships. Goes the other way, seven points. That's a big swing, Dan. That's a five point swing by my math. That sequence there was pretty- Watching sports? That sequence right there was pretty indicative of, of how you watch this through the prism of a hater,
Starting point is 00:17:29 because I am absolutely a Celtics hater. And I think the most disappointing part about this is I still don't trust that team. If they, if they're going up against a team that has guts or maybe a healthy superstar, right? Oh, I don't want to hear it, Mike. And it's just like, you could see the Celtics team, like they're dying for someone to take this from them. And Josh Green isn't gonna do it.
Starting point is 00:17:54 I don't want to hear about Luca and how hurt Luca is. He had 32 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists. He was efficient last night. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of him because I'm gonna spend the next three days and why am I waiting three days for game three? Like why? Give me a Tuesday night, seven o'clock, eight o'clock, give me something. It's like they have to travel by carriage or something. They're in a plane the next day. What are we waiting for?
Starting point is 00:18:14 I don't want to spend the next three days hearing about his knee, hearing about his shoulder, hearing about his elbow. He's out there. He's playing. He's playing 40 plus minutes. His teammates are giving him nothing. I am so tired of hearing about how injured Luke is. By the way, play some defense. Close out on somebody. Close out on anybody. Summer is jam-packed and the heat is no joke. Make sure to prioritize your hydration. Did you know that we're made of 60 to 70% water
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Starting point is 00:19:26 That's 20% off your first order when you shot better hydration today using promo code Dan at liquidiv.com. Don LeBretard. Yeah, enjoy a long and fruitful run, Dan. What was that voice? A Celtics fan. That was a Celtics fan?
Starting point is 00:19:43 Well, it was me. Stugats. Celtics fan. That was a Celtics fan? Well, it was me. Stugats! Oh, it's amazing to see the mask pulled off and to see you so clearly. You were in such good disguise and I didn't know it was you. It's me, a Celtics fan. This is the Dunlavatar Show with the Stugarts. Let me tackle a couple of things here.
Starting point is 00:20:10 First of all, the Dallas Mavericks are the first team since the 2010 Lakers to beat 350 win teams to get to this. I'd prefer to see Denver playing against the Celtics. The Celtics gift is that they have the best starting lineup in the league, but I think Denver is right there with them on starting lineup. And so, you haven't even seen the Derek White game yet. It is very possible, weirdly, that the Celtics could win the championship by blowout without Tatum doing much of anything that makes you remember what he did in the finals.
Starting point is 00:20:41 He will have plenty of time to be an all-time great. It is possible that this series will not help him there. The Celtics, Dugats, I don't know if you know this, but this was fairly stunning to me. The Celtics, outside of the Heat from 2010 or 2013, both of those Heat teams in the East were favored. The Celtics are favored. You will find no other favorite in the East since Michael Jordan. Since Michael Jordan,
Starting point is 00:21:09 the West is always favored and this Celtics team has been this entire season crushing everybody and should be remembered as an all-time great team if they win this championship over the Mavs. What was the set that you said that they beat 350 win teams to get here? That since 2010 Lakers they're the first team to win 350 win teams. They beat 350 win teams. Indiana wasn't a 50-win team. No the Mavs. That had never happened before but they're a, or that hadn't happened in the last 15 years.
Starting point is 00:21:46 How did they do that? I'm asking as someone that's just like, watched the majority of this stuff on mute, because I'm watching this Dallas team, right? And this is a sincere question, how did they do that? They were, since the trade deadline, they were the best defensive team in the league, and they were playing championship good basketball
Starting point is 00:22:04 since trading for Washington at the trade. Right. Because they're playing Derek Jones Jr. 40 minutes a game. To Billy's point, defense wins championships. But wouldn't they be better in this series? Like I'm watching this series and I see Luca who can't even depend on Kyrie to dribble anymore. Like if there's one thing, you know, Kyrie would give you, it's dribbling or maybe free throws. And he's not even doing that. Kyrie has been a disaster.
Starting point is 00:22:25 But there's your answer, Mike. But I'm watching this. You're asking how they did it. Kyrie played a lot better than he's playing right now. PJ Washington played a lot better than he's playing right now. This Dallas Mavericks team right now gives off 2007 Cavs vibes.
Starting point is 00:22:37 Like that is not a good looking basketball. Okay, this is two games, and this happens a lot in series in the first two games. Kyrie Irving, since stepping on the leprechaun is to own twelve against the self this is that he's lost all of the games and he was terrible in this series and the answer your question is you get lucas thirty and you get kairi's thirty and that's how they win games kairi has been absent this year are you saying the Celtics merely held serve that's all they did yeah and kairi hasn't made a three in the series and nobody but Luca did
Starting point is 00:23:08 anything in yesterday's game but let's examine something for a second because I'm legitimately torn on what it is that I'm telling you Stu got I sound like a hater saying this is unsatisfying, but the customer needs something in terms of entertainment. You need to give me a storyline, you need to give me a close game, you need to give me somebody overcoming something. It can't just be a hodgepodge of this team is well built,
Starting point is 00:23:36 so I feel like I'm watching the Pistons of Ben Wallace. We need something, the viewers need something, but the Celtics don't need anything. Agreed, agreed. This is is but to have a championship feel only satisfying to Boston because you can't grab on to anything else that you're watching right. Missoula is not improving his reputation in this series it's not anyone no one is saying wow they're well coached even though they play very well together they've just perfected the way
Starting point is 00:24:05 basketball is played right now basketball is played all along the three-point line they defend it better than anybody and they shoot it better than anybody but that wasn't evidence of that yesterday yesterday the Boston Celtics played one of their worst games of the season when they played that game in the playoffs they're like one they've been I think this season when they played that game they're one in four or something But damn when you say they've perfected how to play basketball right now doesn't the coach get some credit for that some Do you think Missoula has improved his reputation with anybody who listens to these press conferences and thinks he's looning tunes
Starting point is 00:24:38 I mean, he's about to have a ring on his I'm asking you the head coach. I'm asking you the question So to Mike Booth and Holzer. Nick Nurse has one of those. I rate Nick Nurse, but it's, you said that they perfected it and all my, again, Prisma the hater is like, I'd like to actually have proof that they're perfecting it against really, really good teams throughout this run.
Starting point is 00:25:01 They're not being tested. And it's one thing if these teams that they're playing have a healthy superstar if Halliburton's healthy if hell if Jimmy Butler is healthy if Donovan Mitchell is healthy I still think that they go through pretty easily but I'm not getting these individual moments it doesn't seem hard for the Boston Celtics and that's a team that I really the mental stuff was a big block, I thought, for this Boston Celtics team. And to have the fortuitous route to not really have someone test the mental aspects of the game is kind of a bummer.
Starting point is 00:25:34 I will say again, Stu Gutz, I told you a couple of weeks ago that the highest seed that the Celtics will have beaten will be the Cavs in order to win the championship. Mike Ryan, because he hasn't been watching the West or playoff basketball this season, just did something to Dallas that is wholly unfair. The West was great this year and Dallas was great and Kyrie Irving and Luca were great in knocking off the people that they knocked off because what they did basically, and you ask how they did it, they savaged young teams. I was on them to beat Minnesota. I said,
Starting point is 00:26:11 Minnesota can't guard those two offensive players. They did the same thing to OKC though. Yeah, but OKC, we knew that they were younger, right? They were good. And that they have to suffer. I was, I really wanted her to see Denver in this spot. And I think even though, as you mentioned, the path of 50-win teams, Luca has been unbelievable there. I think if you'd ask any Celtics fan, if I give you the Nuggets, Timberwolves, or Mavericks,
Starting point is 00:26:34 what's a team out of that group that you want to see in the NBA finals, they would pick the Dallas Mavericks. And I don't think it'd be particularly close. That is correct. I will just tell you that since the trading deadline, Dallas was as good as Minnesota and as good as Denver. I understand what you're saying, LeBron, like you get to the finals and you got to be tested. LeBron was tested. He lost to Dallas the first year. They came back with the heat. They won it two years in a row.
Starting point is 00:26:58 Michael was even tested with Clyde Drexler, with Carl Malone, with Barkley. This team is really good. It's not Jason Tatum's fault that they're not getting tested. The team is just really good and they played lousy opponents leading into the NBA Finals. Let me ask you this part though, right? Because you will not give Kevin Durant any titles in your personal record book because it was too easy for him. Weirdly, the Miami Heat of LeBron James, when they came out on stage and did the parade before they started all of that, people hated that team right off the top because they're like, that's not fair.
Starting point is 00:27:31 That's not fair. That's too easy. And then what happened? LeBron struggled and we're like, oh, legacy forever. I saw how hard it was. I saw him tested. I saw him overcome. I saw him taken to the brink i asked this question sincerely because i have not decided how
Starting point is 00:27:49 i can talk about this without sounding like a hater but if it's so easy throughout history usually what i say when the warriors make it look easy unlike holy shit that's one of the best teams i've ever seen i will not say this about the Celtics, and I'm not sure I'm being fair, because half of their games this season, Stu Gotts, they led by 20 points, half of their games,
Starting point is 00:28:12 and I don't believe I'm alone in this, watching this as a customer, I want to be entertained. It's not simply, do you win? It's, do you win and are you gonna give me something to remember, some sort of greatness? Jordan's going to go off for 50 it's not going to be true holiday there's just a little something off with this Celtics team is that what you're saying no games are winning the title sounds like that's what you're not I would have it what a minute what's off with them
Starting point is 00:28:40 they've only lost twice this season I'm not saying they're all I'm not saying it's off they are crushing everybody i'm finding it unsatisfying and i'm diminishing them in real time because i want to see close games i want to see them really struggle i want to see a decision made at the end of the game where brown or tatum have to decide oh what about what jason kidd said that jaylen brown is the best player on this team like i i want to watch still get it i may still get it but i haven't got Oh, what about what Jason Kidd said that Jalen Brown is the best player on this team?
Starting point is 00:29:05 Like I I want to watch I still get it I may still get it, but I haven't got serious hasn't started yet. The playoffs haven't started Yeah, it is a bummer We are applying real-time context that I think will be forgotten in like a year Especially if they raise that banner like no one no one's gonna be like well I we the only time history's ever looked back on a champion and been like injuries was probably the Raptors nope I will say my in the bubble I will say Mike we won't remember any of it for teams we absolutely will for players for teams fair no you don't have to
Starting point is 00:29:41 apologize for winning the championship but you did this to Steph Curry a couple of seasons ago where you're like I need to see it in the finals And then we saw it. Yeah. Yeah, but I mean the Tatum thing isn't even fun Like it's not even a debate, but he has a game or a moment and they win the championship You're just gonna look back and be like yeah, he had a great series. No one's gonna go game by game Yeah, you're probably right moment. Yeah, you're probably right. But it's a moment. Yeah, you're probably right. Mike gave me an idea for ESPN's post game. It should be first take. Give me Stephen A and Mad Dog right after the game. Are you kidding me?
Starting point is 00:30:11 I'll be glued all night. Don LeBattard. For five minutes I was watching everyone just like, nope, not letting you in, not letting you in. So when I got up there, I had to say something and I said it. Cheaters never prosper. Stugats.
Starting point is 00:30:24 My buddy was saying not today. Yeah, but you're trying. Not today. I think that was what he was adding. Yeah, that was so much better. I'm telling you, the response I got from this guy, what I said was amazing. He got him.
Starting point is 00:30:35 Cheaters never prosper. This guy yelled as angry as he could, I ain't cheating. This is the Don LeVatar Show with the Stugats. Let me put it another way here, Stugats, to frame it so that you understand how different what we're watching is through only two games. LeBron in the finals against Dallas when he lost to Dirk, numerically, was doing what Tatum is doing. Where Tatum goes 6 for 16, 6 for 22 in those finals. Right. I mean he had JJ Berrae on him. Appropriate historical context there. There's only so much you can do. Thank you. The idea though that, and it's
Starting point is 00:31:24 two games that the numbers are similar but the teammates are carrying you around and all you're doing is six for sixteen and six for twenty two lebron did have that stinker in there where he had a three for eleven for eight points it was one of the front lines you've ever seen that might be has he ever gone single digits i think he had some sort of record for double digit games, consecutive double digit games.
Starting point is 00:31:49 Seeing LeBron go eight points in the finals was something that we hadn't seen. I recently got the perspective of someone that wasn't from South Florida. And history apparently remembers that NBA finals as Dallas running away with that series. When it happened to us us and that shot from Wade goes off the back of the, the full court attempt goes off the back of the iron. I'm like, how
Starting point is 00:32:12 did we lose? We were shadow boxing in game two. We had a big lead in game three. We missed free throws. The game four was there to be hat. How did this happen? All right. Go ahead and put in the picture and picture right here on the screen. Go ahead and just put the hater box up for us so that we can have video accompaniment to what it is that we're doing in the first bit of this show because we are now desecrating a what has been a conquering champion. Well speak for yourself. I'm not doing anything. I'm celebrating this champion. Yeah, you're a team. Yeah, you've been you've been pretty consistent, which is weird because you have like these weird, you have bones to pick with specific players. Like you want to see players do that, but you've decided because you've always been a Tatum guy that you're not going to do it, even though you've always compared them to Durant, who you never hesitate to take a shot at. So I'm
Starting point is 00:32:58 a little confused at your general approach on this, but if I'm a Boston Celtics fan, I'm enjoying what I'm hearing out of this show, which is the haters literally have nothing They're openly lamenting that they don't even have the opportunity to hate like Boston Credit to them you play who's in front of you. They're mowing through this We're not hating but we're not giving full credit. We're in the middle. I'm so mad that I don't impress me I'm so mad that I don't get to really hate do it my way broken me so much you even went through my team Granted there's no Jimmy Butler and 22 would look good in purple and gold I Can tell you what I'm doing here Al Horford. That's right. That's what I'm doing here
Starting point is 00:33:39 I mean I want my guy to get a ring and he is two games away from Dan hoisting the Larry O'Brien and solidifying himself as a Hall of Famer. I don't think it's just Al Horford. I also think your hatred of Kyrie Irving is pretty strong. How's he doing, by the way? Did you see Horford? He was asked about chasing kids' comments on like, Oh, Jaylen Brown's her best player. Horford didn't end up at anything else other than I know what Jason's trying to do there. And they asked Drew holiday immediately after really good performance and drew immediately takes it to what Jason Tatum is doing. It seems as though, and I say what you will about how weird Missoula is. It seems as though they have a pretty good grasp
Starting point is 00:34:25 on what makes that locker room tick, and making sure that Jason Tatum feels appreciated for what he is giving them, seems to be atop the priority list. Two time NCAA champion, five time All-Star, and an NBA champion, that gets you into that hall of fame. I mean, it does, right? It has to.
Starting point is 00:34:43 He's one of the greatest Dominicans ever. That hall of fame. That mean, it does, right? It has to. It's one of the greatest Dominicans ever. That Hall of Fame. That's not saying very much. I do think this part is splitting hairs, I suppose, but if you do indeed consider the defensive side of the ball, Jaylen Brown's a better or complete player than Jason Tatum is. He's better defensively. But if you want to split hairs on the ego of whose team it is and who's better, I suppose Jason Kidd can throw that out there. But I enjoy Jason Tatum's response. This isn't our first rodeo. And I want to know how that started
Starting point is 00:35:21 as an expression. Like, why are we referencing the rodeo so much? I don't think of the rodeo in any other way, except when somebody says, this isn't my first rodeo. Is the first rodeo for the riding of the bull? Like, why is that an expression that has caught on? And it's only the rodeo that gets the distinction of, I'm a veteran here, because Tatum's response to what Jason Kidd did,
Starting point is 00:35:46 and by the way, it's hugely funny to me to watch Jason Kidd coaching in the finals when his big coaching move that I remember is spilling a soda purposely on the court one time when he didn't have any timeouts. That's what I think of when I think of the genius of Jason Kidd to now see him just try to upset the Celtics locker room with the high school trick
Starting point is 00:36:09 of Jiglin Brown is the best player that the Celtics have. Well, the only time you mean that as a coaching move is late in the game when Tatum's got the ball and he wants to be the one shooting one of those fadeaway threes to win the game. It does give credence to what people who really follow the Celtics closely. And I say this just as someone that's in a group chat with Mike Schurr, like what Jason Kidd is trying to do there is trying to make Jason Tatum feel
Starting point is 00:36:35 the pressure of, wait, you're in all the commercials. You have to be the guy. He wants Jason Tatum to be shooting those shots to break up this incredible rhythm. So if you're like an assist guy with Tatum, you could say he's quarterback in the offense and setting guys up or you can take the hater approaches here. You score it. And I think it's probably the former rather than the latter. A Forbes article did a search to find the origins of the expression. Ain't my first rodeo.
Starting point is 00:37:02 And they're saying the 1981 movie Mommy Dearest, it is, Faye Dunaway says it in that movie. That's the first existing. Chris, are you also targeted on the IG ads for the hat that says, actually this is my first rodeo? Yep. A 1981 movie is the start. It's gotta go back further.
Starting point is 00:37:19 It has to go back further than that. I don't know how old in general the rodeo is. It's a stupid idea I mean the first time I said it was in the late 70s this Forbes article says since I'm interested in the origins of the phrase I spent some time trying to figure out where the rodeo expression came from the earliest instance I could find 1981 movie. I'm actually surprised mommy dearest is from 1981 I thought that movie was far older good point Did you guys see that Jalen Brown?
Starting point is 00:37:41 I thought that movie was far older. Good point. Did you guys see that Jalen Brown, because he says he has no family and is single, that all he's doing with his spare time is watching Harry Potter? That is not, I didn't, I don't know what I was doing, but that's not what I had him doing with his spare time. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Did anyone have that as what it is Jalen Brown was doing between games? Just a mass-consuming Harry Potter.
Starting point is 00:38:09 Can you guys get for me just a montage? I want the audience to absorb Joe Missoula because I think all of us are a little confused by him generally. I'm not sure that the Celtics would tell you, this is all in the vein of Red Arback, this feels like Bill Belichick. Here's just an assortment of random press conference sound from Missoula. I'm a non-basketball question.
Starting point is 00:38:34 Did you get a chance to meet with the royal family? And if not, how was it like having them there in the building? Jesus, Mary, and Joseph? The prince and Princess of Wales. Oh, no, I did not. I'm only familiar with one royal family. I don't know too much about that one.
Starting point is 00:38:50 And so you end up thinking like, you just don't know. Like, and I think like people don't say that enough. Like, what if we would have got the one seed in loss to the eight seed? Like, I probably wouldn't be sitting here right now. So like, thank you God for like protecting us from the one seed. Coach, I had to tell you, but you did lose the eight seat I meant as the one seat in the first round rightly or wrongly Kyrie is going to be perceived as a villain in the series how we all in someone's eyes are me we're all villains
Starting point is 00:39:18 in someone's eyes yeah exactly I'm seeing the same thing I saw last year seeing the same thing I saw when I first coached him in summer league. You know, people, a white shooter that most people think he can't play defense. So yeah, I said it. Do you guys think that his reputation has been improved? Yeah. He was going to be fired. Like we thought he was going to be fired when they lost to the Miami Heat Lash.
Starting point is 00:39:46 Yeah, all this stuff becomes myth. And then he becomes like an eccentric genius. He was asked a question yesterday about Drew Holiday, and then he rattled off, kind of like Rain Man-esque, like a sequence of events that happened. It was just an incredible attention to detail. But yeah, we'll mythologize this after he wins a title. Right, imagine he says all the same things, but now he has a ring on his finger.
Starting point is 00:40:08 Yeah, but I didn't see what that was as anything other than gibberish. All he said is 26 points in the first quarter, 25 points in all the other quarters. We had a foul up at the end of a 2-1 situation at the end of the first quarter and we ended up, you know, fouling Washington. But that's what Mike is saying. Mike is saying now it's gibberish, but he wins this round yes we'll look back it's genius. Yeah crazy. He becomes like Mike Leach with a championship glow around him. I gotta be honest with the audience and people tuning in from Boston like this would actually be harmful to my mental health or not for the Panthers distraction. The only possible way I can actually cope
Starting point is 00:40:44 with the Boston Celtics winning a title is if immediately I get to chase it with a Stanley Cup. We're gonna get to the Panthers stuff in a second but Stugats your general appraisal of everything that we're watching. You don't find it unsatisfying. You don't find it unsatisfying to not see the Celtics tested by anybody, having them take into six games, having some pressure put on somebody. Like you love pressure. You love the-
Starting point is 00:41:12 I know. I don't know what you're doing where Kevin- Al Horford, I told you. Yeah, but that's it. I love him more than I love pressure. The guy's always been good to this show. He loves you. I've had conversations with him. Al's just a good guy He is he's been on twice for a dude. That is I mean his entire career is just littered with inconsistencies He's been true on the Al Horford
Starting point is 00:41:37 That is true. I don't think Al had very much to do with what it is that happened last night. What I don't think I don't think Good to Dan. It's like saying you D had nothing to do with what it is that happened last night. What? I don't think, I don't think Al. He's been good to Dan. It's like saying UD had nothing to do with the success of the Heat. I mean you have that person there, you ingrain the culture into the team, you get everybody buying in. Right. Sometimes people's contributions aren't that show, they don't show up in the box score. That's right, Dan, you gotta watch the game.
Starting point is 00:42:01 I'm not saying you didn't watch the game, but you gotta watch the game. Countless screens, I mean just hustle plays, diving out of bounds. I mean the guy's great. Give him some credits Poor Zingas is out now fills in they don't miss a beat. Yeah, you got hurt right poor Zingas. Yeah late in the game Yeah, yeah, babe. Damn. I mean if poor Zingas is hurt. We might have a series again You can just say that on any given night and have a chance of being right He really matters to them We might have a series again You can just say that on any given night and have a chance of being right No, you've been bang on about the Celtics my feeble like argument pack is well How about insert like I feel like a loser? It sucks the Pacers not great Pacers had three games in the series against the Celtics with a 90% win probability when poor Zingas was out
Starting point is 00:42:48 Like if he's actually hurt Dallas can do something and please somebody test these Celtics somebody DO SOMETHING! Backstreet's back. All right Since the dawn of mankind We've cooked our food over an open flame and debated the best way to grill. One thing not up for debate, grilling and beer always go together. But not just any beer would do. Whether you barbecue, text in style, or just celebrate Wednesday with burgers and dogs, I love Miller Lite.
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