Local Hour: I AIN'T F***IN' LEAVIN'
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Cuervo. The tequila that invented tequila. Proximo. Cuervo.com. Please drink responsibly. This is the Dan Levitar Show with the Stugatz Podcast. Happy Friday. Billy, Tony, Jeremy, Roy, Chris, Jonathan Zaslow, Mike Ryan here.

We have a seven game series in the NBA Finals, first time since 2016. At what point do we shove it completely up the ass of all these basketball nerds that told me OKC was just going to run away with this?

Because, oh, I'm a basketball casual. I don't know how OKC is just so much more dominant. Yeah, but I jumped in in the playoffs and Indiana looked good to me. And OKC, everybody hyped them up. And now OKC doesn't know what to do against this Indiana defense. Back in my day, Rick Carlisle ran his own.

Now he's just sending multiple defenders, trapping everybody, and OKC has 21 turnovers. They don't know how to shoot from outside. Let me tell you something about OKC. This seems like a very unserious championship team. They might win in seven, and they'll do their bit of suffering, but this isn't the same type of suffering NBA teams used to do when they won in NBA Finals.

They're playing with their food. I don't understand what's happening, but all these nerds that told me that this was a foregone conclusion and they were just going to roll here, they got egg on their face, and hopefully this is a sign of things to come because very clearly...

Indiana is bothering the OKC Thunder. Well, if you're saying that it's not the same type of suffering as other teams in the past who have lost and suffered, if they lose game seven at home, it's going to be so much suffering for them. Then they can win next year. Well, OK, we can say about every team that's suffered, you know, I mean, it would be a total it'd be one of the greatest upsets of all time. All right. If they wind up losing game seven. So I think there will be some suffering. And by the way, look for

For the first time ever, ESPN allowed me to go on ESPN.com. I love the expert picks. Every time there's a big series, hockey, baseball, basketball, I love when the expert picks come out. I got to see who sucks.

Who's picking against my team? All right. I love counting them up, you know? And so for the very first time, I was allowed to be on the expert picks. Yeah. I was on the expert picks for the finals. I was one of the idiots. Who's Sam Bontemps picking in this series? Tim Bontemps. Tim Bontemps. I was allowed to be an expert.

Somebody's saying, like, who the hell's Jonathan Zaslow? Right, that's right. But that's okay. We did that when we were Heat fans. You're going to learn. When we were Heat fans, we'd find any B-rider. Yeah. Any single one. Who's sus? Yes. Who's doubting us? Tim McMahon? It's Sam Amick. That's where I got Sam from. So for the very first time ever, I was allowed on ESPN.com. I'm an expert. I had Thunder in four. I was the only one who picked Thunder in four. Everybody was so insufferable. Everybody that plotted through this meaningless NBA regular season...

They arrived at the NBA Finals and they told me, like, you don't even need to watch this stuff. It's going to be OKC. They're going to roll. Oh, Vegas told you that too? Yeah. Well, guess what? Nope. Nope. Nope.

Indiana is legit, and TJ is an awesome basketball player. Obi Toppin, incredible contributions. Halliburton was setting people up left and right. What I liked about Game 5 from OKC was SGA was kind of making hockey assists. He wasn't doing the direct assists. He was moving the ball around, and they were crisp.

I know game six, you're going up against a team that's fighting for their lives. It's a different situation, especially for a team like OKC that hasn't quite gotten over that hump. And hopefully for their fan base, they do that in game seven. But here's a team that has actually done suffering. Low key, Indiana has suffered plenty.

They lost in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. And if you remember how they lost in that Eastern Conference Final, it was win probabilities that were well above 75. They choked games away. Rick Carlisle barfed all over the front of his quarter zip against the Boston Celtics last year. And don't forget the IST Final runner-up. So that's two finals, two trophies that they had the opportunity in very recent years to win. They didn't do it. So...

If we're doing big suffering, not big suffering, Indiana's got the suffering edge. I thought we were doing that today. I'm glad you brought it up. Big suffering, not big suffering. Chris, I actually have a stat about Mike bringing up T.J. McCombs. Oh, let's do it. Start of the day, start of the day, and this is the start of the day. Start of the day, start of the day, and this is the start of the day. Start of the day, start of the day, and this is the start of the day.

Start of the day, start of the day, it is the start of the day. Start of the day presented by Miller Lite.

TJ McConnell is literally having the most impactful series off the bench in NBA Finals history. He's the first bench player in NBA history with 60 plus points, 25 plus assists and 15 plus rebounds in an NBA Finals. Not surprising. It feels that way.

It's perfect for Indiana. I mean, Tony, their offense is being able to go, well, that on its own. But the ability to go from Halliburton to McConnell offensively running your offense and to be able to put both of them out there, it's like two Tasmanian devils running around, and they also still somehow don't turn the ball over. I've said on the LA Oop a couple times during the post shows where the offense looks better when TJ McConnell's running it. Mm-hmm.

In like a weird way for big stretches of the game, it's like, oh, wow, this is what happens when you can get somebody that gets into the paint like that. I could just shoot turnaround jumpers three feet in the air and he's six feet tall. It's crazy the case that Wallace just wouldn't put a hand up. There was a stretch there where he hit. The people put a hand up and he goes up. He goes higher than them. Right, but it blows.

It blew my mind, like, given what McConnell's been doing all year. There was a stretch there with three straight possessions where he was on the left side, drove to the same exact spot right to the right of the paint, and does the turnover jumper. But as he's doing that, Cason Wallace is just understandably because he doesn't want to get, you know, pump faked, and then, you know, he's throwing an oop to Obi Toppin, who's right in the dunker spot. But the idea that you're not even putting a hand up, T.J. McConnell is like 5'2".

It's amazing to watch him operate. Mike, to your earlier point, right, the way you started the show. Yeah.

How nerds were saying that Oklahoma City was going to roll, how they're the more superior teams. Big time nerds. Yeah, nerds were saying that. So I think what we're seeing here from the Indiana Pacers is an unprecedented run that we've seen maybe ever. Really? A hundred percent. I mean, they're playing. They're playing excellent. They've been playing this way since January, though. Jeremy's always quick to point out that the numbers over the majority of the season have been tilting this way. And this is a team that's growing up in front of our eyes. I don't think that this is like,

a shocking turn of events. Now, TJ, him continually getting better year over year. This is a guy that's been in the league for a very long time. And you're right about Halliburton and TJ playing together. As good of a playmaker as Halliburton has been,

He's also a pretty nifty catch-and-shoot dude for TJ to find. And TJ just doesn't miss. If he's got the shooter's touch, it'll roll around the rim. It'll bounce in. If it bounces out, it'll just lip out. And Obi Toppin's there to pick it up. A really gifted player. If we have one rule around here, it's don't give Jeremy credit for anything.

But I have to give him credit. He's been on this Pacers team before anyone. Early in the season, he's like, that's a good team. Before Ernie Johnson came on here? Yes. Well before. Yeah, well, defend your take. You're saying that this is an unprecedented run. I've been listening, Jeremy, and I don't think it's so unprecedented. I've been expecting this. A regular season is mundane, is what you called it, right? Nobody cares. Plotting.

Doesn't matter. So you're going to give me the stats of the pace has been really good in the regular season. You say, okay, they're a really good regular season team that gets bounced in the playoffs by Cleveland, by Boston, by New York, by somebody else. They get to the playoffs and then all of a sudden they're dusting all of your favorite teams on the way there. And you finally get to the, to the finals. You're like, finally, somebody is going to stop them. Oklahoma city. Who's been running a mug through the entire league.

You talk about regular season not mattering. They went 68-14. They're one of the best teams historically in NBA history on defense and from a regular season perspective. That's why the nerds loved them. Exactly. The nerds love them. Any team that blows teams out at this clip, they always win the title. That's what the nerds said. I think they had more double-digit wins than they had losses. Yes. Oh, yeah. Think about that for a second. That's why the nerds fancied them.

And then you get to the point of the NBA finals, you're like, finally, OKC Thunder are going to put the stop to everything that's going on in Indiana. Great story, but OKC's better. And now, Game 7, you're staring at maybe losing in your own building the best home court advantage in the NBA, and you may lose? Like, that's a big deal. It's unprecedented what the Pacers are doing. It is unprecedented. Oh, sorry, Zazz. You go ahead. You go ahead. If I'm Oklahoma City, like,

I've obviously been on Oklahoma City's tip, all right? I told you. I'm an expert. I had the thunder in four. But if I'm an Oklahoma City fan right now, I am really, really scared going into Game 7. Really scared. Because Pacer team, look, there's obviously pressure on both teams going into Game 7. It's do or die. Obviously, there's pressure on both teams. But Oklahoma City, after that performance last night, that looked like a team...

like a team that's not ready to win a championship. It was such a pathetic, immature effort from Oklahoma City. How were they not ready to win the championship last night? It was such a pathetic effort. I'm really worried about them going into Game 7 if I'm a Thunder fan. Oklahoma City is called Bricktown? More like shitting a Bricktown.

Look, I would... Worktown works. Aren't they one of the youngest teams ever? Second youngest ever. So, I mean, we're saying immature, not ready. Maybe they aren't. But, man, they were up three games to two, and they had won the previous two games. Like, game four on the road went down by double figures late in the third quarter, and then they win game five rather easily. Like, all right, this is a team that's ready to win. Nope, they were clearly not. This felt like...

The rest of the team saw what Shea and Jalen did in the final eight minutes or so of the previous game and went, they got us. Like, we're good. And didn't really show up. And if anything, there are sort of two arguments to make here. A,

This Indiana run going up against OKC is only an argument for the regular season, because if you would have seen what they were doing from January through April, you would have known, hey, the Indiana Pacers, while the five seed, are one of not only the best teams in the Eastern Conference, one of the best teams in the NBA overall.

since this calendar year started. And so it would have shown you some of the things they were doing. But really what this goes back to is what we were talking about at the very beginning of the playoffs, which is that weakest link theory, showing that depth and having no weaknesses is almost more important than your strengths. And given the way that the contracts are working, the new CBA is going to kick into effect, and that's only going to be more of what's going on. You look at the Pacers, their bench shows up

Every single night. They don't have a single player averaging 20 points this series. And they're a win away from winning the NBA finals. That's exactly right. And there's not a player who plays poorly when they're out there. And if you look at Oklahoma City last night, Shea and Jalen, while their numbers obviously don't reflect it, they weren't bad last night. Shea was getting doubled on every single possession.

No, they both were well on a double figure. There's no assists. There's no assists across their rotation players because there was no ball movement and no body movement. So this is an example of an Indiana Pacers team that is just built around

I'll tell you who I'm down on at this point. Chad Holmgren.

Yeah. Wake up, buddy. Look, Chet Holmgren came into this league. That's supposed to be a guy you could build your franchise around. And he doesn't need to be that guy in Oklahoma City. He's the third guy on the Thunder. I mean, you have a chance to win the championship last night. Two for nine, four points. He's shooting 36% in the series. That's real bad. It's the lowest ever since the merger. It's the lowest field goal percentage. A center.

Centers are big. I don't know if you know that. They shoot close to the basket. The rim is 10 feet and centers, they're like 7 feet. He's like 17 feet tall. If you punctuate a stat with since the merger, I'm listening. The lowest percent ever shot by a center since the merger, it now belongs to Chet Holmgren. I'm sad. Chet. Chet. Not good enough.

I guess I've got to give credit to Indiana in that outside of a gut-check fourth quarter last Friday, I don't think I've seen OKC's best. They just flatly have not lived up to the— Conor McDavid, Leon Dreisaitl are still saying that. It's coming. They haven't lived up to the billing. And I guess everyone expects them with a home crowd in Game 7 to finally get over that hump, but—

I almost think they have a better chance if Game 7 was in Indiana. You do? I think there's so much pressure on them now in front of the home crowd. Yeah, Game 5's performance was pretty amazing by both Shea and Jalen Williams, so we have to give them credit for that. But to your point, Zaz, I can make the argument that

This game, Game 7. Wait, are you making it or are you quitting it? I'm making this argument. Yeah, you got to differentiate. I'm making this argument. I'm making the argument. You heard his Chet Holmgren take. That was conviction right there. I made that. Maybe I could, but no, I made the argument. I am making the argument. Yeah, okay. Is that really?

that this game, Game 7 for Oklahoma City in their home building, is the most pressure on a team since the Big 3 heats Game 6 in Boston. Because, because, as you mentioned, Chet has not shown up in the way that you would expect him

This might be a blueprint game for what it is that Oklahoma City is because they could decide, hey, let's get out ahead on these contracts the way that they did the last time around. And they moved James Harden proactively.

Well, that's also because Harden, it was a contract situation. Understandably. I don't think it's a blueprint game, but I'm scanning my brain for NBA Finals since 2016. We've had so many random ones. Right, no, it's 16. 16's the one. Yeah, you're dead on. I think that that was also different because they'd already won a title. Like, that's the one thing I would say. So you're saying none of the Warriors series had...

Not the same type of pressure that this individual thing is. You think this is more pressure on the Thunder on Sunday than the Warriors had in 2016 in Game 7? Because I disagree. I mean, maybe, look, I am certainly being a prisoner of the moment, but the reason you could make that argument

I won't make it. Are you making it? No, no, he was taking it back to 2012. I was. I was taking it back to 2012. And the reason I would argue it is because the Warriors had already won a championship when they were going into that game seven. Yes, it was blowing a 3-1 lead. 73 wins. And you don't want to be in that space and you were the best team ever. But this team was the best in terms of point differential, I believe, of all time. Like, this was a truly, truly dominant regular season team with the MVP, with...

an incredible second best player who had 40 points in game five. For this team, if they don't show up after...

up at home against, yes, we've talked about how good the Pacers have been, but a five seed out of the Eastern Conference who's not the reigning champs in the Boston Celtics? This would be a different conversation if they were playing at home against Boston. The fact that this is Indiana going into their home court, if they lose this game, it feels like a giant deal in the NBA. So taking all that into account...

At the start of Game 7 on Sunday, you're telling me Oklahoma City is not tighter than Indiana is? Because I think they are. I think Indiana is loose. I think they are. I don't think there's any pressure on Indiana. I think so, too. Well, there's pressure. It's Game 7. It's Game 7. It's a different thing. But to his point, you're just happy to be here at some point. I think they think they can win. I think they're going and they're saying, we're going to win. No, I know they think

they're going to win, but if they lose, our stars hurt. We're a five seed. This was an awesome year. Halliburton may have been faking, let's be honest. You saw last night. It may have been a bit of a faker. It's an important conversation.

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Don Libetard. It's not my favorite region. Context needs to be applied. I thought the context was applied. We'd like to rip that out of context. I was going for a thing. I have a family. You're going to pretend here that you don't love Matthew Kachuk more than you love anybody you've ever loved? I don't love Matthew Kachuk more than my daughter. Stugatz. Now it's pretty damn close. This is the Don Libetard Show with the Stugatz. Stugatz.

All right, let's turn our attention to what happened in the wee hours of the morning over at 11. It looks like Sam Bennett is sticking around. Oh, interesting. I thought we knew that. Yeah, you reported that. A lot of people have been floating 8 and 8. And Billy, this is the second straight year. It seems as though the Panthers are just doing the same exact thing.

I mean, down to the jersey. They have an itinerary. Just down to the jersey that Barkov was wearing at 11. The same exact thing that they were doing last year. Are you sick of it, Billy? Am I sick of the Panthers? Are you sick of this Panther championship celebration? No, why would I be sick of the championship celebration of the Panthers? I

I overheard you saying you were fatigued. I'm fatigued? No. No, we were talking about it the other day. I was asking Zazzle if there would be Panther fatigue towards the end of the run of the big three in Miami Heat that there was somewhat of a feeling of fan fatigue. The tickets were easier to get that fourth year and the Panthers now are following a similar script. They lose in the

in the Stanley Cup Final. Then they come, they win back-to-back. Then the fourth year you're there and what happens here? Is there an expectation? And Zaz said, no, that hockey's totally different than basketball. Regular season hockey's different. Yeah, basketball you start and you knew that the heat were going to be in the NBA Finals every single year. Look, I'll be honest with you. That fourth year, I was basically a season ticket holder.

for the Miami Heat because Dan never wanted to go to those games. He still has, I think, the same seats, great seats, and it would be like a lottery as to if he didn't go to the game, he couldn't go forever, who would go? Mike would get the tickets sometimes. Roy would get the tickets sometimes, right? Sometimes there's one ticket you had to go and sit with his mom, which was kind of nice that you were at the game. I never took his tickets. Never did. Well, you had season tickets too, right? No. Wait, no, I did have season tickets, but after the pick three.

So I really botched that one. Goran Dragic, though, really delivered. Well, that fourth year, tickets were easy pickings, you know what I mean? Before you go maybe one game that year. I went probably 10 games at least that season. So I was wondering if there was going to be a similar fatigue with the Panthers. Zaslo says no. No. No. I think it's pretty strong no. Just from, I mean, we're down in Dade County, Billy, and just looking at banners, looking at bars, hearing people talk.

Looking at the line around the block at 11 when last year you could just kind of stroll right in. It seems as though there's an uptick in this market. The whole back-to-back thing. It feels like more people are paying attention. I know people are isolating the ratings. Well, I mean, it's hard not to, right? They were putting up 2.8s. Oh, that's just cable versus broadcast. This was on TNT as opposed to ABC last year. Okay, there's a part of that that's true, Roy, certainly. But...

The numbers are a little bit fugazi when we're talking about what the Panther ratings are during this run here. Miami-Dade and Broward is one market. Palm Beach County is another market. All right. And the Panthers are very much a Broward and Palm Beach team. So when you're comparing Miami-Dade and Broward heat ratings to Panther ratings, that's apples to oranges. Like combine the Broward...

ratings with the Palm Beach ratings. That's a more accurate depiction of who's paying attention to the Panthers. I feel the need to defend the ratings in Miami. It's not like they're going to take the cup away from us and Miami's still a growing market. No, but I saw some of this. He's right. I saw some of it. I see it. It's a loser's lament. It's the same thing as St. Tax's. Well, no, then they were also saying that more people were watching the NBA finals down here in Miami than they were watching the Panthers when they were the hometown team. Okay, and my...

I haven't brought it up. I didn't want to be the guy to poo-poo the situation. Miami's not the right comp, Miami. It's Pompey. Talk to me. Talk to the Jackson 5. Not scientific. Doesn't feel that way to me. I mean, just not super scientific as a poll, but it feels like people were watching this. You don't trust ratings? It looks like

People were watching this team in mass and going to places and being around other people. Look how excited everyone is. Puck fever. Yeah, look, we're a growing market. This franchise betrayed the market. They were flirting with leaving for a long time. It was a horribly run organization. Vinny Viola comes in.

stems a tide and starts turning things around. And I think you've got to look at Florida as essentially an expansion team that's still trying to find its footing. This is a weird sport in a weird market in Miami-Dade County, anyways. And I'm kind of proud of the strides that they're making. And I don't need to make excuses or anything like that. Yeah, the ratings are still growing year over year.

You may look at a difference because one was network over cable and it may look like there's a downturn, but that's not the case here in this market. There is certainly more of an appetite, I think, for Florida Panthers hockey. And it's still a growing market. And I think we'll see more people at the parade, just like we saw more people at 11, just like we saw more people in the bars filling it up, just like we saw the ticket prices in the secondary market boom.

boom and I just think that we should kind of lean into the fact that this is new and exciting for this market and the coolest part for me is you ask my seven-year-old any sport she's like Panthers Bobrovsky Reinhardt like my seven-year-old can name like 10 Panthers here's what fortified my Florida Panthers fandom

Because growing up, I had 1996 and they were my favorite team. There was nothing like that Scott Mellenby rat thing. And they get swept by the Colorado Avalanche. And I was a fan for life. And I saw a lot of David Booth. All right. I saw a lot of bad hockey in my day and I stuck with them. They were my first job after high school. They were my first love. I love the Florida Panthers. It's not a bandwagon thing with me.

If you want to say, well, you're talking more hockey now. Yeah, man. I mean, got beaten down. It was a cliche. They were five points out of the final playoff spot with two games in hand perpetually. That was their thing. And they finally turned that thing around. And they have a really well-run organization. And

Right now, you're seeing the seeds of generational fandom building. This is, I can't even imagine for your kids, Zazz. I know my daughter knows the Panthers, knows certain players. This is a really exciting time down here, and this is the stuff that'll make this franchise sticky. It's what happened in Tampa. Remember, before the lockout, they made their cup run, and the lockout really took a lot of the wind out of the sails of that sport. They went on versus. It was a series of bad decisions that

hurt hockey, but they're on the come up again and the Florida Panthers seem to be on the forefront of this and I don't think we should apologize for the lack of the ratings or whatever. They're on the precipice of being dynastic. So I don't need to explain our fandom that we're a weird ass market and we should lean in. I love learning about the future and sorry, that's the elbow room you're hearing there. That actually wasn't at 11 last night. Upset. We're learning of the news of whether they're going to re-sign or not at

clubs. Like last night. I feel like you learned of it here two days ago with me sitting right here in this chair. But now it's coming straight from the source. Let's start at that sound because Sam Bennett was there and by the way, Sam Reinhart loved the microphone. I know he had a wedding last year. He missed the parade. He had to leave early. Sam Reinhart made up for it.

well over last night. The guy just could not put the microphone down. But there was a moment where they're talking to Sam Bennett, the crowd's going crazy, chanting eight more years, and here's what Sam Bennett said in front of a whole bunch of people at 11. I ain't bleepin' leavin'. I ain't bleepin' leavin'.

Other side of the coin, though. Aaron Eckblad. Kind of felt like he's leaving. Really? What happened? Not the same vibe. So they were going around and everybody was speaking. Too much talking, I heard from someone. Probably a little too much. That video you courtesied yourself? No, I put it in our Slack. That was from our group chat. Chris Cody wasn't there this year. I didn't go this year. How does this work? The Panthers tell you we're going to 11 tonight and you guys all just show up?

That's kind of how it happened. Eleven put it out. Ah, and they said the Panthers will be here tonight, and then everybody just went to see the Panthers? Can I ask something real quick, too? Like, Eleven, I've never been there. I mean, whatever. And I see a lot of people in the shot. Like, they're wearing Panther jerseys, Panther sweaters. If the Panthers weren't there, would you be allowed in the club just wearing a Panther sweater? I don't know. Eleven's pretty chill. You can wear—club wear is a lot different. Oh, okay. You don't have to wear C. Maddens anymore and buttons.

You can wear hats. I mean, the 11 hat is iconic locally. It's pretty chill. Yeah, you can walk into the club in a hockey sweater, although 11 did encourage people to wear their Panther gear this time out. Everybody did their speeches. Some people doing too many speeches. But one thing that really sucked with me was Aaron Eckblad speaking to the crowd. It kind of felt like a little bit of a goodbye.

Well, why? Because didn't he a couple weeks ago, didn't he, like he was asked about it at the start of the series or something, and he gave some whole deal about, I bleed for the Panthers. I love this organization. I don't ever want to play anywhere else. I don't know if there's been conversations since then. The vibes changed. Yeah. It felt like a, I love you guys. Thanks for everything. So you think that within the end of the Stanley Cup and last night at 11, there's been conversations already? It felt like it. Yes. I mean, if you remember, like,

There's a lot of moves being made in the NHL right now. The Panthers don't have that luxury. And remember, when they went seven games with the Oilers, the Reinhardt extension was essentially done at the parade. Lomberg knew he was on his way out. Well, I told you a few days ago the Bennett extension was done. Lomberg got announced the day after the parade that he was going to California. Yeah, and it was pretty clear around the parade that that was a swan song for him. I hope I'm wrong about Ekblad, who came back from that steroid suspension. I think you are wrong.

I hope so. He came back from that steroid suspension and kind of played the best hockey of his career. Last year in the Stanley Cup Final, it was very clear who was shutting down McDavid. If McDavid's on the ice, we send 16 out there. And if he somehow gets past 16, Forsling is there. This year, it was an entire village that

That was just pushing Connor McDavid and Leon Dreisaitl to the boards. It was Ekblad and Forsling. If you were able to crack Reinhardt, Lundell, Barkov, we weren't even doing that thing anymore where McDavid was rushing onto the ice to avoid Barkov because everybody that he played against was...

was a problem for him and Ekblad was a huge piece of that we'll say the crowd tried to get a you know four more years type of thing going with him and he wasn't really biting so I hope I'm wrong there but it kind of does feel like you got to pick two out of the three when it comes to Marchant uh Aaron Ekblad and Sam Bennett we know Sam Bennett's done the eight eight by eight because I told you a couple days ago you guys want to play two out of three

The number? I'd go Ekblad and Bennett. Is that obvious because of the age? If you made me choose two out of those three, that's who I would take. Everyone knows my bias when it comes to Marshawn, but one of the numbers that's been floated out there by reputable reporters is...

$5 million a year for Brad Marshall. Three or four years. That's a lot. That's a lot of money for a dude that's 37 years old. Did he finish second in the consmite voting? Yeah, 11-7 was first place votes. He was phenomenal. He was one of the great trade deadline acquisitions ever. You could look at what Bill Zito did at the deadline and say that's one of the more effective trade deadlines ever. How important is it for the continued growth of Loisterine and Lundell? See, like...

I think it's the other way. I think Lusserina and Lundell breathed life into Brad Marchand. And I know he got off to a slow start and he arrived injured, right? He had to take several weeks off and that's probably why I was out here in front of a microphone saying, not a good play, not good. He turned it around and he played on what I happen to think

will go down in history as one of the greatest third lines in the history of the game. And we've seen that line time and time again spark whoever is on that line. So why not keep it as one of the greatest third lines in history? Because he's 37. McDavid had a thing where he's just like, the third line's plus 20. Just one of those, like, what do you expect? No, the bottom six was unreal. And...

I want to talk about Edmonton a little bit because before this series, I was – and a lot of people had this take. Both teams are better than they were last year. Both teams are better. Edmonton wasn't, though. Edmonton – We were wrong. Edmonton was better, but they made moves that made them worse specific to this matchup. Against us, yeah. And they got rid of young guys like Broberg and Holloway and McLeod, guys that were good luck –

Vogel, I mean, he was probably priced out. You have to make tough decisions. Not having Hyman was definitely a big thing. Yes, because everyone once as quick was saying, like, Corey Perry played so well, they didn't really miss Hyman. No, no, no, no. Corey Perry did play well. Imagine having Corey Perry playing well and Zach Hyman. Hyman, pan the draft pick. Yeah, and we know...

Bob has like a couple of weaknesses in his game. You go up high, that's one of them. And also, if you screen him, where Toronto got a lot of early success in the series against us, they were screening Bob like a madman. And Hyman, that's his game. And they didn't have that there. They were only relying on Corey Perry, and they barely bothered Bob. Barely bothered him. So I think while, in retrospect, this was a six-game series, and it's a rare six-game series as it

- That was a blowout. - Oh, totally. History will look back at, oh, that must have been a good series, six games. You know, Conor McDavid, Leon Dreissel, it's like, no. - Ass kicking. - It was a beat down. Like Rod Brindabor would tell you it felt like a sweep. - Can someone explain to me why Nick Nurse makes eight mil a year? - It's not Nick Nurse. I've made that mistake before. Nick Nurse is a former Toronto Raptors head coach. - He's the Sixers coach. - Wow, that's twice I've done that. - Yeah, championed.

Darnell Nurse. He makes a lot of money. Nick Nurse. And you need to make a lot of money. What a pull from you. They got rid of those guys. Broberg, Holloway, McLeod, Fogle. They brought in guys like Arvidsson, Skinner. Guys that were getting scratched. Healthy scratches. It's not like these guys came over and took a discount.

to play over at edmonton and let me tell you something about the state tax bs that everybody wants to do and i really did enjoy the fu biz chant that was that erupted over at 11 last night

First off, state taxes only apply to the home games. Yes. All right? You get taxed wherever you play. Well, games in Florida, so add two more for Tampa. Right. You'll play some road games in Tennessee, I think is a non-state tax state. Texas, non-state tax state. Arizona? Oh, but they don't have a team anymore. They don't have a team anymore. You'll run into certain states, but you get taxed based on where you're playing the games. Where you're working. Right. So if the Miami Dolphins travel to the LA Chargers, they get taxed in that tax bracket. Oh.

it over there. What people don't tell you is that

Canadian teams. They don't get paid in Canadian money. They get paid in American money. So that makes up for it. And also, teams like Winnipeg, several teams actually in Canada, their arenas get tax-safe harbors. So they actually get kickbacks. And the local markets, not the NHL, but the local markets legislate equality that way. And don't even get me started on the cost of living. If Biz does not want to get rid of this, by all means, Biz, come over here and try to get a 1,700-square-foot townhome.

Pay $1.2 million for that. Now take that money and try to buy a home in Edmonton. I guarantee you, your money will go a hell of a lot longer. The cost of living here is insane. So it all evens out in the end. And also, what are you going to do to markets like LA and Chicago? Do you give them subsidies? It's a horrible thing to try to legislate. And also...

crop for 25 years. This team went 26 years without winning a playoff series. We were bad. We were bad. Sprinkle this state tax magic over the Miami Dolphins, please. Dear God. And nobody said this about the Lightning when they were winning. Nah,

No, it started kicking up with the Lightning, especially when they made it to their third straight final. This is a thing. It's the loser's lament, and it always comes from Canada. But they also refuse to acknowledge the fact that they get carve-outs just the same. They find ways to level the playing field. It's an impossible thing to legislate in this league. Gary Bettman dismisses it absolutely.

of hand immediately every time. You know someone's a loser if they go to the state tax thing. So you think five out of six years, it's just random? Like it's just... Yeah, no, I think... That's the argument, is that five out of six years... No, it's great team building. Those are great teams. I'm with you. Edmonton made it to straight. They have a tax situation. Dallas has been a three straight conference, four straight, three straight conference finals. Give me the player who the Panthers, the big player that the Panthers signed in free agency. I'll wait forever.

Who's the big player? They have nobody making more than 10. So it's like the argument is that everybody can take a couple million. That's what they're saying. I'm not making the argument. Who's taking a couple million less on this team? Barky? That's a standard price. He makes $10 million. Reinhardt and Forsling, those were sweetheart deals.

Those were sweetheart deals. People are taking less. And guess what? They originally signed Forsling because he was waived. Right. But people think that, yeah, maybe the state tax does help make up some of that delta. But people are taking less because they want to keep the team together. Because they're winning. Because that never happens in sports, right? Because things like last night were freaking awesome.

And these guys genuinely love each other, and I think that that's a larger play than any state tag thing. The state tag thing drives me up a wall because you're trying to diminish the accomplishments of what is a really, truly great team. Well-built, incredible stuff by Will Weedo, incredible stuff by Paul Maurice.

Even if you want to give that even an ounce of credit, which, look, you could say players are happier to make more money. Could say. But...

The reality is, is the only way it helps this team is in the longevity. They built this team without that even being a factor. That had nothing to do with what building this team was that turned them into the champion that they are. It might help them become dynastic in an even greater way than they already are because all of these guys want to keep this team together and might have already taken pay cuts, but

But there's an extra incentive to in being here or an extra bonus to doing so here in Florida. The bonus is winning Stanley Cups. When you're winning Stanley Cups, that's going to happen everywhere.

to happen anyway. And there's also a pressure now if you're Bennett and you see Reinhardt took a good deal. Barkey took a good deal. You're like, OK, I'll take eight. All I hear from hockey players, especially this time of year, is how winning the Stanley Cup is the only thing that matters. And now we're making a case that players are signing here because of money. What are we talking about? Miami Marlins. Stay taxed. Why isn't it working for them?

It's not a thing. It's just a loser's lament. And I'll tell you something, Florida Panthers are built for the long haul. They ain't going nowhere. These guys are in their 20s still.

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