The Big Suey: Dainty Hogs (feat. Amin El Hassan)
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Roy, you know that moment when you're out watching puck and the server comes over and asks the table, what can I get you guys? And everyone freezes up. You know what you should do? What should I do, Mike? You've got to have some confidence. Or as Jagermeister calls it, shotfidence. I love it. If everyone's struggling, take control. Just order for the whole table. A round of ice cold Jagermeister shots. Damn, that's cold. Because apparently, we've all been drinking Jagermeister wrong. Well, how should we be drinking it? We should be drinking it ice cold.

cold at zero degrees Fahrenheit. Roy, like Jagermeister, what else is infinitely better ice cold? The sport of hockey, Mike. It's in the name. It's ice hockey. Ice hockey. Yes. Regular hockey, not as great. Not floor hockey. Ice hockey, real good. Damn right. Wherever you are, if you're hanging with friends or at the bar, call the shots.

Cheers with ice cold shots of Jagermeister. Damn, that's cold. And remember to check Jagermeister out at DraftKingsXJagermeister.com. Drink responsibly. Jagermeister liqueur, 35% alcohol by volume. Imported by Mass Jagermeister US, White Plains, New York. Shot for dents. What does Zinn give you? Not just smoke-free nicotine satisfaction, but real freedom. Freedom to do what you love and choose your rewards.

With Zinn Rewards, you can redeem points for premium tech, outdoor gear, and gift cards to your favorite retailers. Find your Zinn and keep finding rewards that fit your lifestyle at Zinn.com slash rewards. Warning, this product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

Welcome to the Big Sui, presented by DraftKings. Why are you listening to this show? The podcast that seems very similar to the other Dan Levitard podcast. I'm sorry, I'm not going to apologize for that. In fact, the only difference seems to be this imaging. I have been tempted in restaurants just walking past tables to grab somebody's fries if they're just there. That hasn't happened to you guys? I've done it. And now, here's the marching man to nowhere, fat face, and the habitual liar.

This episode is presented by DraftKings. DraftKings, the crown is yours. Musetti takes the first set. Chris Cody, do you know why? Why? Because he's Italian. Because he's Italian. He's Italian.

All my homies love Musetti. Amin Elhassan, you were at the game last night. And because we're in another group chat with you, we know exactly what that room smells like right now. So thank you for the update. Unnecessary. One thing that was not shitty was game one. Game one was awesome. And I was cherry picking my favorite stat. There were a lot of stats, but

having 17 more turnovers and 16 fewer shots yes they out rebounded them that could answer them but that is probably a huge indicator that we got a real good series on our hands and Indiana can actually win this thing I mean you need no more proof than them taking game one your game one thoughts Amin Elhassan you know I

We've seen so many of these massive comebacks in these playoffs, whether it was the Pacers against the Knicks, the Knicks against the Celtics, the Pacers against the Bucks, the Nuggets against the Thunder. We've seen a lot of these, and they all seem to follow pretty much the same formula, which is,

The team that was up has a massive collapse. Missing all their shots and taking too many threes and not making them and turning it over. And the team that comes back hits a flurry of threes. Someone goes on fire like Aaron Neesmith against the Knicks. That didn't happen last night. It was a weird kind of chip away, chip away. The Pacers were far from perfect down the stretch. The Thunder were far from perfect.

collapsing down the stretch and yet it was a little bit of we they scored two these guys scored three these guys scored two these guys scored two these guys got an offensive rebound here these guys got an n1 here and next thing you know

Halliburton has the ball with a chance to win the game and we're all looking like the the arena didn't realize it like all those other games that I mentioned think about it everyone in the crowd is gasping and groaning like oh no what's happening the Thunder crowd never saw it coming dude because it just felt like nah they got this they got this they got oh look a review out of bounds of Siakam game over and literally Halliburton hits that shot and everyone's like holy holy crap did

Are the Pays going to win this game? And so it was just a remarkable...

I've never seen so many NBA media and NBA league office personnel legitimately giddy after an NBA finals game because it was the type of game that makes you happy. If you love basketball, if you don't care which one of these teams win, that game made you happy. I was in such a good mood yesterday after that game. And because it makes it feel like we're going to get a series now, right? Because everyone was feeling like this could be a short series. So it just is like, OK, this is going to be good now.

No, for sure. I mean, there was a fear. Obviously, the Thunder opened one of the biggest favorites in the last 25 years or whatever. There was a fear that, oh, my God. It's not that it's too small markets. The fear was that Oklahoma City is going to annihilate these guys, and everyone's going to be like, what a boring finals that was. So this thing kind of tilts everything on its head. And then, of course, the other part of it is the Pacers mount this incredible comeback. Halliburton played pretty poorly most of the night, but he hits that shot and gets to do the press conference.

Well, that's the funny thing. Cason Wallace is on him on that last possession and who still played great defensively. But Halliburton hits that shot, gets to put on the sunglasses and put his shoes, who had just come out, the new signature shoes, on the table at the press conference. And we all remarked, no one's ever going to remember he had a bad game. All they'll remember is this moment. And kudos to him for understanding. Mike, I know you're a big wrestling guy. He knows how to play that heel role perfectly.

I mean, you mentioned Cason Wallace. He got the start over Isaiah Hartenstein in the beginning of the game. Their first kind of...

roster, the first kind of starting lineup change that they've done in these playoffs. They've been so good with the two big lineup. Why do you think that they went to the one big and then really they kind of played small ball for a lot of the game. You saw Chet go two for nine. You saw him play 20 some odd minutes. You had Hartenstein play sparingly at 17 minutes. They got out rebounded by 17. It's not like Miles Turner is this great defensive rebounding force. What was the issue with their bigs and with their rotation?

Well, I think, you know, Mark Dagnon responded to that and he said, first of all, we've played a lot of different starting lineups during the regular season. We did that on purpose so that if we ever do it in the finals or in the playoffs, it's not like, whoa, you're getting a call tonight. So, Case and Wallace had started 40 games for them this season. So...

They felt comfortable with that, number one. Number two, Dagnall cited the need for kind of optionality and a more perimeter-based defense through this series because of the Pacers personnel. It's almost exactly what you're talking about, Tony. It's almost like the opposite. It's like because Miles Turner's are only like true big and even he likes to step out, the need for size is lessened and the need for perimeter defense and perimeter switching is increased. And then the third thing I'd say is,

It worked, man. The part that didn't work, which is the part you would think, which is the offense wasn't as good.

They turned them over 19 times in the first half and only scored nine points off of it. So from the Thunder standpoint, it wasn't about like, oh man, we should have gone big. I can't believe we did that. It was like, guys, we got to make shots. We're turning them over. We have to convert on the other end. It's actually a good point because we were talking earlier about why is... Sounds so surprised. It's Amino Hassan. No, no, but it's a good point because we didn't acknowledge this where we're talking earlier about why is Oklahoma City adjusting to Indiana before the game even started? That was weird. Hey,

They were up 15 with seven minutes left in the game. Like, the starting lineup change really had nothing to do with Oklahoma City not winning that game last night. They wouldn't. They were busting ass. Yeah. Like, that's like, if they lost that game, it wasn't a strategic reason they lost that game. It was guys didn't make shots and the pacers and, you know, the whole time throughout that first half when everyone, we were like, oh, my God. Because...

That first half, I've never seen. It was like, you know, in the movies, whenever they say, oh, there's piranha in here, and they take, like, you put your hand in there, and it comes out, and it's just a bone. Like, or in the cartoons, I guess, not really in the movies. Big fan of that device, lasers. Right, like, it's just like a furry of bubbles. That's what it was, man. That was all of them. Any time, like, any pacer had the ball for more than a second,

It was getting deflected or tipped away. It was crazy. It was like you can't look around. It's like being a pickpocket in a European city. It's like if you're a tourist, the moment you turn around, someone's got your wallet. But I mean, was that great defense or was that bad sort of lazy offense because they were used to playing the Knicks for six games?

I'm all for shots at the Knicks at this point. They deserve it after that celebration. It's a third-place finisher. Yeah, there you go. Be careful. But, you know, it was – I've never seen anything like that. And they all do – like we talked about this, Izzy, on oddballs. Like –

They all do it. There's no guy out there. It's not like the Pacers where it's like, we have a bunch of guys that do it. Halliburton really doesn't do it, though. He doesn't defend like that. But for the Thunders, everybody on the court is liable to steal the ball from you. And that's kind of a real pressure point.

packed situation. Kudos to the Pacers for keeping their cool throughout that all. And then in the second half, doing a much better job of being cognizant of where the crowds are, where the roaming hands are, and moving the ball quickly. And I think that really helped them. Is Tyrese Halliburton the most clutch player in Pacers history? You know...

in the words of Stu Gatz, then do it again next season, right? That's what Reggie is. Reggie's like, I didn't have a good... He's 13 of 15 in the final two minutes on go-ahead or tying shots. I get it, but Reggie Miller didn't do an

Postseason. He did it almost every single postseason, right? So Halliburton, this is one of the most incredible runs I've ever seen for sure. But if you want to be the most clutch in Pacers' playoff history, you got to do it again and again and again. But he's already tied Reggie. They showed the stat last night. We're all like since 97 playoffs. He hasn't tied him in longevity. So let me ask you guys this. Let's say Tyrese Halliburton plays 10 more years for the Pacers and never has...

another one of these. They're still tied. But did they win the title this year? Yeah. And they don't win the title this year. Ah, there it is. Because of course, if they win, then it's like, okay, now we have to, right? It's kind of like the unwritten rule. If you win a championship, you have to be. I mean, it's pretty obvious what's going to happen to Tyrese Halliburton if they win this championship superstardom appearance at SummerSlam in New York. The guy's going to be

every bit the star that he seems to be leaning into. Oh, he's absolutely showing up at SummerSlam. Absolutely showing up at SummerSlam. Win or lose. Yeah, for sure. What do we do with Rick Carlisle? Because Rick Carlisle, I think the biggest NBA finals you've seen upset in your lifetime was the Pistons over the Lakers, right? But second was probably the Mavericks over LeBron James' heat with J.J. Barea and them boys. If

Indiana wins this one. It's probably third in your lifetime. Maybe. Possibly. I'd like to get your perspective on that. Toronto over Golden State was pretty big. When you contextualize the injuries, but fair enough. That's certainly in the debate. We'll get a means answer on that, but...

Rick Carlisle would be the head coach for two of the greatest NBA Finals upsets of all time. What do we do with that? What do we do with his legacy? And I guess we found a pretty interesting question, which is rank your biggest upsets in NBA Finals history and where would this be placed? I think it's more fun to rank the upsets. Like where would Carlisle – oh, come on. He's great.

He's one of the greatest coaches ever. We know that. We've been talking about that. Like, he had some lean years and he had to adjust and grow, right, to understand, look, the modern game is less kind of controlling the game from the sideline and more trusting the guy has it. And again, when you have Tyrese Halliburton as your point guard, that's pretty easy. It's a lot easier to do than, say, if your point guard was, you know, I don't know, Ty...

Tyler Hero or whatever, right? But the biggest upsets, it's crazy. Pistons over Lakers because that Lakers team was such a machine. It's up there. I think this would be bigger than Heat versus Mavs. And the reason why I say that is the Heat didn't have a convincing regular season. That was the first year of the Big Three. And it never kind of really looked... At the end, they started getting a little momentum, but...

It wasn't the daunting machine, right? The Lakers that year started like 15-1 or something. They're pretty dominant postseason. Like, they ran through the Eastern Conference. Yeah, but it wasn't a young, up-and-coming Dallas Mavericks team with a star who hasn't established himself yet. It was Dirk freaking Nowitzki. And a bunch of, like, former stars that became role players. Really interesting. Yeah.

But at the same time, which is more impressive, beating that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat, or an OKC team that's literally never been here? Impressive or shocking are two different questions. I think shocking is what we're talking about. This OKC team has the highest point differential in the history of the NBA. They didn't just win 68 games. They beat the shit out of everybody. I remember looking up the stat, the least amount of...

double-digit losses in an NBA season. And for the longest time, the Thunder were tied with the 96 Bulls. Again, it's not just that they win games. They beat your ass. It's not just that they don't lose often. It's when they lose, it's like, okay, you barely beat us. They were excellent. I think they said on the radio broadcast last night when the Thunder went up by 10 in the second quarter, and they said it's the 62nd game this year that the Thunder have a double-digit lead. It's like, what?

I mean, what do you think about the 2016 Cavs against the 73-9 Warriors? Oh, I'm sorry. That's the biggest one. Yeah, especially given your takes on the matter entering that one. Dude, like the Warriors team is still the – that 2016 season is still the best basketball I've ever seen front to back.

of an NBA season of any team ever. And that includes like the 96 Bulls. That includes the 86 Celtics. I know a lot of old people. It feels ridiculous to say that's one of the biggest upsets of all time when they have prime LeBron. They should not have won that series. No, I know that. They should not have won that series. They should not have even had, had,

of oxygen in their lungs. But don't we contextualize that series as well based on what happened with Draymond Green? Sure, sure, but it's still... Like, Draymond sat out game five. He still played game six and seven. That's the point. Like, there's... Look, trust me, I've done the whole, like, look, Bogut got hurt, Steph was compromised from the injury earlier, that, like...

Harrison Barskin hit the broadside of a barn. I've done all that. And Kevin Love had to have one of the greatest defensive stances of his entire career happen in the most clutch moment. Steve Kerr had to play the only three guys on his whole rotation who are negative plus minus all in the fourth quarter. There's a lot of things that led up to them losing that series. That's kind of how upsets work.

It's not, hey, we played perfect and they still beat our ass, right? It always, it's like this chain reaction, like how the Death Star blew up. It's like there's something that happened, that happened, that happened, and then next year we go, this unstoppable force fell. So yeah, I would say Warriors losing to the Cavs is one. Two would be Lakers losing to the Pistons, and this would be three for me. Well, the serious prices don't agree with you. Golden State was minus 200 for...

as a series favorite in 2016 before the NBA Finals. I know you were all about Golden State. That feels ridiculous in retrospect, but that's not that big of a line. That's all LeBron. What was this one? Yeah, this was 2016. No, no, what was this line? It's like 700. Wow. Massive.

Would this be a bigger upset than, I think you just gave us the answer, than Toronto? I think Toronto, that Toronto championship, everyone's got to say the injuries and all that. It kind of felt like that Golden State team with Kevin Durant was at the end of its run. I'd like them even if Golden State stayed healthy. I don't know if you felt the same way. Again, I think the injuries certainly color how that thing went. But you're right, Mike. Durant gets hurt.

But like Klay is healthy, the momentum is still in Toronto's favor, even though the Warriors had done very well without Durant in those playoffs. He got hurt in the second round, I want to say. They blitzed the Rockets. They sweep the Blazers in the conference finals. And then they get to the finals. And, you know, it was first two games kind of here and there. And then like the Durant injury happens and it starts to fall away.

I think Kawhi Leonard obviously changes that math. Like we had such immense respect for him as a champion. And then Nick Nurse had kind of solidified himself as one of the great coaches in the league. I guess it's an upset.

But it didn't feel as shocking as some of the other ones that we're talking about. I mean, how are we supposed to think of Chet Holmgren? I'm still trying to figure out what to think of him. I don't think he should be wearing the same clothes as SGA in that commercial because he's just kind of a role player most of the time.

I thought J-Dub played well last night. I mean, obviously he didn't shoot it great, but he played all right last night. Chet's the one that's like, that can't happen. You have to win your matchup. And that's not a slight on Miles Turner, who absolutely won the matchup, had big plays, big blocks, big shots, that bank shot on the side that was crazy. Did he call that? You were there.

No, he definitely didn't call it. And by the way, we didn't know because we're sitting behind. No, it's not even that. It's because we're sitting behind the basket that he was shooting at. And so, and obviously they don't play replays for the opposing team. So he makes that shot. I'm like, did he bank that? And no one around me knew. And so I had to like wait. And then I asked like,

There's people on Twitter or whatever or on threads. And because the delay, I'm like, I stopped. I forgot to check the answer. So I didn't find out until doing the postgame with Juju and Trista. Trista was like, and that crazy bank shot. I was like, oh, so it was a bank shot. I mean, I saw where you were sitting based on your video. You were in like the auxiliary seats and you said they're behind the basket. Is that insulting? Should you have been placed in better seats? You know what I mean?

So the NBA finals, 90% of the media is going to be upstairs, right? The people who are downstairs are like either I'm covering this team, right? Or George Sedano. Sedano had good ones. He was right there. Guys, Sedano's doing courtside reporting for ESPN Radio. He's not just hanging out like me or any number of the other media. Like he's actually doing – he's going in asking questions. Most of the game he's just hanging out in his seat though.

Sure. But it's like the same thing that Lisa Salters is doing. It would be like, why is Lisa Salters down there? Like, yeah, that's kind of the job is to be a courtside reporter, not an upstairs reporter waiting to say, let me get an elevator, go downstairs to ask this question, and then come back upstairs. Right.

That's what you have to do. All right. I think you should have been closer. That's all I'm saying. Upstairs reporter Amin El-Hassan. You know, it's funny because people always say, oh, man, great seats. Like, I didn't look good. Like, I'm not buying these seats, right? This is where they place us. And again, everybody's upstairs. Everybody, unless you're covering the team. Who else? Give us a big name that was sitting by you. Who else? I like that question. Oh, who was upstairs? Oh.

Actually, my seats were pretty good upstairs. There's levels upstairs. Who was behind you? Let's hear that. Who was behind you? Behind me was NBA staff, NBA League staff. The whole row was just all League of Legends. I saw that the Pacers sent a ton of their crew there. The upper deck was filled with Pacers staff. Yes, sir. It was one section, and it was to the left of us. And so the video I posted on Instagram...

is of that last play by Halliburton. And then I literally turn and I look up there and they're going crazy. At one point, by the way, when it started to sink in, like, oh shit, they might actually do this. It was during the timeout. And then they just started chanting, let's go Pacers. And it was loud. And then the arena went crazy. Oklahoma City, by the way, we can say this right now. It's a cult. It's a cult. It's a cult. It's a cult.

Dude, first of all, they don't have a single chant that they post on that board. Them people just do it. They just know. This is what we're all going to say. They all have these clapper things. And they're like...

Oh, KC. Then the other thing is, I don't know how many of you guys know this. Apparently, every game they sing Sia, Titanium. Really? Like in a timeout. Like the world championship of darts. That's kind of fire, actually. That's their sweet Caroline? Everybody in the arena, old ladies, babies. That's an upset. How long have they been doing this? This year? I don't know if they've been doing it longer than this year. So they got it from the darts. There's a guy that comes out to that. That crowd knowing Titanium is an upset.

That's perfect. That's a top 40 crowd right there. That's pitch perfect. If there's a town that listens to Top 40, it's OKC. Looks like a lot of old white people there. The way that it is, it's a lot of white people. Chris, it's a lot of white people there. Let me tell you something. How shook was that crowd? I do like the Super Mario Brothers defense thing that they got going on there. Oh, yeah. They do that.

Howdy folks, it's Mike Ryan. Now if you've been listening to the show a lot lately, you've heard so much playoff talk. Playoff hoops down here in South Florida were especially enamored with playoff hockey. It's not just limited to the playoffs. Motorsports, tennis, golf. It's truly one of the best times in the sporting calendar. And with the weather outside warming up,

It's just perfect to hop in a pool, maybe grill up some food, but most certainly crack open some Miller Lights. I just described a pretty perfect day, didn't I? And it culminates with Miller time. There's something about a perfect grilling day. The sun's out, friends show up, and that first sip of Miller Light just hits different. I've been stocking up the cooler with it for years. This year, Miller Light turns 50 years old.

That is five decades of cookouts, laughs, and ice-cold moments that never miss. And if you've listened to the show for its 20-year existence, you know this to be true. Miller Lite. Great taste. 96 calories. Go to MillerLite.com slash Dan to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. Cheers to 50 years of Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

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Roy, you know that moment when you're out watching puck and the server comes over and asks the table, what can I get you guys? And everyone freezes up. You know what you should do? What should I do, Mike? You've got to have some confidence. Or as Jagermeister calls it, shotfidence. I love it. If everyone's struggling, take control. Just order for the whole table. A round of ice cold Jagermeister shots. Damn, that's cold. Because apparently, we've all been drinking Jagermeister wrong. Well, how should we be drinking it? We should be drinking it ice cold.

cold at zero degrees Fahrenheit. Roy, like Jagermeister, what else is infinitely better ice cold? The sport of hockey, Mike. It's in the name. It's ice hockey. Ice hockey. Yes. Regular hockey, not as great. Not floor hockey. Ice hockey, real good. Damn right. Wherever you are, if you're hanging with friends or at the bar, call the shots.

Cheers with ice-cold shots of Jagermeister. Damn, that's cold! And remember to check Jagermeister out at DraftKingsXJagermeister.com. Drink responsibly. Jagermeister liqueur, 35% alcohol by volume. Imported by Mass Jagermeister U.S., White Plains, New York. Shot for dents!

Don Levitard. If Daniel Day-Lewis did it, you'd be jerking off all over yourself. Oh, come on. Yeah, I would be. Aggressive description. I mean, what is that? I'm just saying. That's me. You're just saying what?

That's me. Daniel Day-Lewis does something. I see that photo of Daniel Day-Lewis looking like Lincoln before he's about to start filming Lincoln. And you know what I do, Amin? Stugatz. I jerk off all over myself. That's what I do. Lincoln, who you outed the other day? Don't make this a rejoin. This is the Dan Levitas show with the Stugatz. What were the buttholes like over there? Tight? Yeah.

You know, it's crazy again. No, because they didn't realize what was happening. Yeah, it was. It was such a, we were literally, like none of us, we were like, okay, oh, the Pacers are still hanging around. Okay, all right, okay. Because the other thing is, because it wasn't a collapse. Shea was getting to the pre-throw line. Shea was making shots. Dude, literally, with three minutes to go, whatever, when he makes that tough layup that we thought would have been an and one, but they didn't call a foul, the guy next to me looks at me and says, that's some MVP shit right there. And I'm like, yeah. Like, it was.

we had 38 yet the third highest debut of an nba finals in nba history like there was no part of this that felt like it was no part of this that felt like oh they're blowing this oh my god and so when it happened like when halliburton hit the shot you know how i said the the best sound in the world is madison square garden when that kind of happens it didn't sound like that but it was getting there it was like

wait a second, wait a second. Are we down? Like it just hit them in that moment. It was a pretty big moment in that game that we haven't talked about at all. And it ended up being the difference. I know Halliburton makes a shot, but they don't go ahead. We're not for the lane violation. Huge. Um,

And, dude, I don't understand this rule. I don't because that didn't look any different. I feel like there's a lane violation. Every second free throw. Every second free throw. It's a wild spot to call that. It didn't look particularly egregious. And I know Halliburton hits a shot and he has the moment and the comeback is such that people aren't going to identify that as a controversial point, nor should they. But let's revisit that a little bit because that did not look super legit. Yeah.

I, again, we never saw a replay. I saw it on the TV broadcast. There was, everybody was, everybody was over the line on the replay. I was trying to figure out who it was and everybody was over the line. It was mostly Pacers were in lockstep with OKC players expecting because Siakam has struggled from the stripe, uh,

this season, this postseason. Everybody was anticipating the miss. How does it get blamed on OKC? What did you think of that call in that spot? I know you haven't seen a replay. I mean, if they called it, clearly on the replay you see people crossing. There's a lane violation, yes, but it's one of those things. Honor amongst thieves. We don't call this.

So, first of all, the thing I was thinking about at the time was, oh, shit, Siakam just missed two in a row in the fourth quarter of an NBA Finals game. Is this going to be his Nick Anderson moment? And he's just a terrible free throw shooter the rest of his career. I mean, he's flirting with that. So flat. He takes his hand off the ball on the release.

He looks so tight. And I think the important thing to point out is if he were just like, if it were Benedict Matherin, we'd be like, oh, okay. But it's like, you're the guy who's been here. You're supposed to be, I'm the sage adult who's, guys, I will show you the way. He looks so tight, right? So he misses that second one. We get a lane violation. We didn't, I'm like, what happened? It's like lane violation. Really? Okay. And then he just gets back there and he makes that one. That was huge. But I'm going to tell you the biggest GTFO moment.

It was a Nem Hard 3. Yes, dude. He dribbled. And I was like, what are you doing? I literally said out loud, what are you doing? What are you doing, kid? This is the NBA Finals. This ain't your game. And then he steps back and he launches that shit and it drops. And I was like,

I literally just said, oh, my God. Oh, my God. And then, you know, the funny thing is he tried doing it like a couple possessions later and he got an air ball. But Siakam grabs the offensive rebound on that one. So there's a lot of these little moments. Again, it's crazy that Halliburton gets to be the hero.

When it was like all these other guys, it was Siakam, it was Nembhard, it was Toppin. Obi Toppin! Obi Toppin kept them in this game. And he looked terrible. He was so bad early. He was wide open on that Halliburton shot. Wide open. Give it to Obi. I mean, was there any moments in the game before the Halliburton make that you said, ah, Pacers aren't going to win this game? I said they're hanging around. I just kept saying they're hanging around. No, you said, wow, Pacers are going to win. Three-tenths of a second.

When, yes, when Halliburton grabbed the rebound or whoever grabbed the rebound off the Shea Miss and they were dribbling up court. And when I pulled out my phone and said, let me start recording this. Wow. That's when I was like, I think they're actually going to win this game.

That's crazy. Carl Anthony Towns gets a lot of crap for changing his voice in certain interviews. There's something that happened with Tyrese Halliburton. I'll get your opinion on it. Let's fire up that video here from the postgame. Here's the thing. We've had to win in so many different ways all year. We've had so many weird wins during the regular season, during the playoffs. Why would that change? Because we're here in the finals. It's not changing. We just keep staying at it.

I just keep believing, and that's the result we get. He turns into Patrick Mahomes there. The first 10 seconds, he sounds like Halliburton, turns into Patrick Mahomes, and then for the last five seconds, I want to play this again, the last five seconds goes back to being Halliburton.

Here's the thing is like we've had to win in so many different ways all year We've had so many weird wins during the regular season during the playoffs So why would that change because we're here in the finals? It's not it's not changing So, you know, we just keep staying at it and I just keep believing and you know, that's the result We get a flim situation. Here's the thing. Yes. He changes his voice literally when he taught when he says the word change Yeah

That's gotta be on purpose! I was thinking, Phlegm, because this happens to Dan all the time in this scene, and we're always like, clear your throat. Maybe he just ate. But, play it one more time. If it's a Phlegm situation, you'd hear him clear it. He keeps talking, and then the voice normalizes on its own. Equalizes. That's a brand new word that was recently invented. Can we hear that one more time? Yes, say it again. Here's the thing, we've had to win in so many different ways.

all year. We've had so many weird wins during the regular season, during the playoffs. So why would that change? Because we're here in the finals. It's not changing. So, you know, we just keep staying at it and just keep believing. And, you know, that's the result we get.

So, Karl-Anthony Towns, this is where I give credit to Halliburton. He has said, I know this happens. I don't know why. I don't realize when it's happening. But I have been told throughout my life that this happens. So, Tyrese Halliburton, I give him credit for at least owning up to it. Whereas, I don't think I've ever heard Towns address why sometimes...

He's shouting out the guys at Rocco. Yo, this is for all the people at Rocco. Did you see the photos of him in the club after they got eliminated? I was rolling. He was doing all like that. So was he. Let them boys live, man. What are they going to do? Be sad? Yeah. You're a millionaire. Go have fun. No, no, no. I had no issue with it. I only took issue with Kat's poses in the club. He's walking in slow motion.

Mike, what would you, would you want to actually be cool? Like he delivers on expectations every time cat. Yeah. Like I'm like, yo man, I'm all for, yo, just play into whatever character we've created for you. And then I was like, all right, now it's easy for us to kind of build like a narrative and kind of a thing about you, man. And the same way that Halliburton man, like, yeah, he's a, like he's his father's son for sure. Let's just put it that way.

I mean, the Knicks can't hire Rick Brunson as their head coach, can they? No, and I don't think that's even an option that's on the table. And I don't think, you know, I mean, I'm sure Rick wants to be a head coach in this league. I don't know if this is the situation he wants to do it in. This is one of those things. It's weird. It's been a weird week, right, of like obviously Tibbs gets fired and then

This report comes out, and Izzy, we talked about this, but a reporter who's really not known for nailing... I'm not going to do that. First of all, I don't need to do that because why would I give that person any more shine? But second of all, it's irrelevant. The point is, when you've been covering this sport for as long as you have, like me and Izzy have, you begin to realize there's a rhythm to news that comes out. And that rhythm is there's certain names that... Like if Ian Begley had reported it,

I'm like, oh, okay. Wow, I didn't know that about how they felt about Rick Brunson. If James Edwards, if Fred Katz, if obviously a national guy like Sam Amick or Mark Spears or Chris Haynes or Shams, if any of those guys were the ones that reported, I'd be like, oh, wow.

This guy like is notorious for not like he's he always comes out with the salacious stuff and it's never found it in and then rarely ever comes true. So I'm like I'm not listening to this. I'm not running with this I think Rick Rick Rick Brunson is going to be whoever's get hired next is gonna be the assistant coach for The next coach it's one of the reasons why is he and I talked about this on a on a Instagram video about I think

Johnny Bryant is going to be the next head coach of the New York Knicks. Part of that familiarity is like, yo, you know the staff already. You know a lot of these guys. Obviously the players know you. And so it's a lot more seamless than say bringing in Michael Malone or someone like that. I mean, I'm sure you have reasons as to why you don't want to speak their name. I've been asking around.

Do you know who he's talking about? I don't. I don't know who reported this. Who are you talking about? Who reported this? I'll text you guys later, but like... Oh, it just... Okay, I just... Izzy was the only person in the room. He just wrote it down for me. I got it. Okay. Yeah. Cool. I'm sure I'm driving the audience crazy right now by not revealing it. Another question on the Rick Brunson front. I mean, do you think that if a new coach comes in, they obviously like to get their own staff. They like to get their own guys. And with...

Even if it's not true, right? Even if the players and Rick Bronson, everybody was cool and everything's hunky-dory. Like, don't you want as a coach coming in, be like, hey, I'm going to bring my guys in. I don't need a retread from the previous administration. And even if it's Jalen's dad, like that whole thing is weird, right? So, Tony, I'm a big proponent of if you hire a guy.

You got to let them hire the staff. That's not been the case in like the last five, six years in the NBA. A lot of these teams are hiring their head coaches. And by the way, here's your staff. You can bring one guy or you can bring two guys or whatever, or you can bring an assistant coach and a video coordinator. A lot of teams are doing that. I'm not a fan of that. Having said that, I think if I were a new head coach and they said, I mean, you can hire anybody you want. I

I would absolutely want Rick Brunson on my staff because, number one, Rick's been around. He's a former player. He played for a long time. He was not a great player. He was a cerebral player. He was a guy who existed on his know-how, number one. Number two, obviously, you don't want to start, hey, franchise player, nice to meet you. Yeah, I fired your pops.

Get him out of here. That's just a wild way to do it. I don't even think the team has to tell you to keep Rick Brunson. Anyone with a brain would know. Let me keep...

one of the most influential guys in the ear of my best player around. I mean, obviously, every job in the NBA is good. It's one out of 30 in the entire world. But right now, coming off of Thibodeau and the success that the Knicks have had the last few years, they've not had this type of success in a quarter century. Maybe the owner is the one who fired Dolan. Who the hell knows what's going on? Is that a good job?

Zazz I'm gonna tell you like this Oh first of all like oh yeah one of 30 but in a lot of these other markets you come in and it's like alright We're gonna give you cuz we're still playing our last coach. We'll give you like a three-year deal our option on the fourth and you're gonna make low money The thing about the next job that makes it great is they almost always give you a four to five year deal right like think about Hornacek got that and

Fizdale got that. Derek Fisher got that. They all got multi-year deals, and they never come in entry level. They're good money. So that alone is like, yes, I'll do it. It's a good team, and I think most importantly, it's a good locker room. It's not like a wild-ass locker room. It's not like, for instance...

When I say a good locker room, I'm not talking about like, oh, they're like Aaron Hernandez type shit going on. I'm just saying like imagine going into Charlotte, for instance. They've got some talent, but it's like these guys don't know how to win. A lot of these guys don't know even how to be professional. I got to teach all this stuff, right? Versus you come in here.

These guys know like Bridges and Brunson and Hart. And OG. These guys are pros. They show up to work. They take care of what needs to be taken care of. All I have to do really is put them in a position to be successful. But I'm not going to get like laziness. I'm not going to get people late to practice or late to buses or late to shoot arounds.

I'm not going to get any of that kind of stuff. I just need to coach them on strategy, on what's our strategy, how we want to play. And so for that reason, I think it's actually a really good job, plus the money, plus the guarantees, plus you live in New York. I mean, have you visited OKC's cock ring? I'm sorry?

No, you heard me right. Oklahoma City, they have this art installation in downtown and they call it the cock ring because it just says OKC and a bunch of different letters all over it. And it sort of forms a ring. And, you know, OKC is all the letters you need. The city calls it that? You know, the mayor did have to address this last year because people have been talking, calling it what I just called it for the last several years.

So you haven't visited it. Okay. No, yeah. I'm wearing it right now. Whoa, what's he doing? I don't know what you're doing. Got it on right now. A little tight. A little tight. That's a point, some would say. All right. So what's your prediction for the rest of this series? I'm going to pin you down. Yeah. I had Thunder and Five before, and I also said if the Pacers are going to win one, game one is their best shot. Man, do you think that's what Thunder and Five looks like? I don't think so. I mean – You've reserved the right to pin. I've reserved the right to pin.

So this is what a lot of people, it's funny, there are a lot of people last night who are like, oh, I don't know, now maybe the Pacers can win this thing. And my thing is, game one always favors the underdog in the sense that the underdog has all this time to lead up to find a gimmick or something that's going to be different, that's going to change things.

how the favorite is approached. Once game one is in the books, now we know, "Oh, that's what you guys are trying to do? Okay. We're gonna go back and make our adjustments and now the underdog has to make their adjustments to the adjustments and the grand dance begins." But that first game is the first unknown. Like, I don't know how they're gonna come out to guard us. I don't know how they're gonna try to attack us. I don't know what the strategy is gonna be. So,

So before the game, I was telling people, like, if they're going to steal one, this is the one that they're going to steal. But I think Oklahoma City, as they've shown time and time again in these playoffs, they're going to learn, they're going to adjust, and they're going to come back pretty harshly. I think we're going to get a great series regardless, whether it's five, whether it's six, whether the Pacers win, whether the Thunder win. I don't think it's going to be four blowouts and we're over. But I do think the Thunder are going to win. Hmm.

So did Jonathan Zaslow. What was your prediction? I'm the only person, I'm the only expert on ESPN.com who had Thunder in four. So how does that work? Are Pacers fans already blowing you up? Because I know when the Heat get doubted or when the Panthers get doubted. Well, here's how it works, all right? Here's how it works. You got everybody on that ESPN.com, Thunder in five, Thunder in six. How about you grow a pair, all right? So I had Thunder in four. That's right. How are that pair? The pair is fine. I don't get everything right, all right? But

How about you have a little guts? It's fine. Anyone can say Thunder in five, Thunder in six. Cochran? See, now, here's where Zaz is right, right? If the Thunder end up winning this series, no one is going to go back and say, look at that doofus. He had Thunder in four. That's right. They really wanted him five or six. That's right. But if the Thunder had swept— Then I'm a legend!

Guess who gets carried on the show? Exactly. I know all the games played. When did they start asking the radio personalities for their predictions? I don't know, man, but I was happy to be a part of it. Come on. I think they're running out of other staff.

You gotta take a selfie from the cock ring today. I mean, it's okay. See, what else is there to do? You gotta, it just, I'm giving you an idea of something. Just to prove it's real. Not that one. Not the one. Oh, but that's the one. That's the one. See, cause, cause my hog is so massive. That's what there is. Oh, nice. You gotta use it. I did actually have a question. Chris, do thick wrists imply you have a beer can?

I've always, you know, I'm just doing my own math over here. Real quick. I've always thought bone structure, like if you got like really thick legs. My wrists are dainty. It'd be weird if it's really thin, right? I mean, there's got to be some correlation. Like a pencil. Go ahead, Amin. Guys, before we get out of here, we have to do this. What?

where's Dan Levitard? We need his tears. He said the Thunder were unstoppable. He's a Pacers fan, I mean. It's convenient that on the day that he was supposed to, like when the Pacers won, that he's not in here. Oh, we have to ham it up because apparently whenever you miss a show, it's because you have tears. Remember that.

All right, y'all. The Super Bowl is in the rearview mirror. The draft has come and gone. So now what? Now it's time to get the crew together. You keep the fandom energy going. It doesn't stop when the Super Bowl's gone. We gather. Exactly. And look, just because the pads are off doesn't mean game day stops. Around here, we do game days, even in the offseason. And what better way to do that than with a cold drink?

and your people around. You've heard it all season long. Football is not a solo thing. This is not a me thing. This is not an I thing. This is a we thing. There is no I in fandom, baby. So grab your crew, grab some Smirnoff, and get into that off-season groove. Summer workouts, training camp rumors, fantasy football,

And listen, if you're going to sip something while plotting your team's comeback, Smirnoff's got you. It's the perfect vodka for crafting cocktails that are easy and tasty for anyone 21 and up. Smirnoff isn't just a vodka. It's the number one vodka in the world and the official partner of the NFL. Grab a bottle of Smirnoff at your local retailer and head to Smirnoff.com to find recipes of delicious cocktails perfect for you.

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