 All right, back by popular demand. It's me, Chris Broussard, and my man, Jason McIntyre. What's up, man? Hey, you been working out? Look at those guns, Broussard. I'm just naturally like this. Oh, gosh, got it. Obviously. Knockdown, Jay. They've been demanding some knockdown, Jay. I don't do the In The Zone podcast anymore. You moved on now. You got the National Radio Show and all that. The Odd Couple, Fox Sports Radio, 4 to 7 PM Pacific Time, 7 to 10 Eastern. Oh, nice plug there. In the first minute, well done. But I do miss knockdown, Jay. I always loved our dialogues. I love it. That's what they were. They weren't debates. They weren't shouting matches. They weren't arguments or fights. They were dialogues. Good discussion. Smart, elevated discussions. But they were dialogues. But here we go. Right on the eve of the NBA playoffs, great time of season. And you're going to hit me with some questions. I will. And we're going to get at it. Yeah, I know the people are starved to talk about the Orlando Magic getting to the playoffs. They are not. Right. Aaron Gordon came on the Odd Couple, told us a few months ago, they are making the playoffs. And he actually said they're going to do some damage. Oh. So let's see what you can do. Maybe they'll. No, they will not win a game in the first round. But let's get started, Bruce Sard. First up, the Los Angeles Lakers not in the playoffs with the biggest story in the NBA. Give me your best case scenario for the Lakers this summer and your worst case. Start with the best. Realistic best case. That's where I'm going. OK. Realistic best case is Anthony Davis. You get Anthony Davis. Sure, you'd love to get Kyrie Irving. You'd love to get Kevin Durant. You'd love to get Kawhi Leonard or Clay Thompson. And if I won, I can throw in, you know, you trade for Anthony Davis and you get Clay Thompson. That would be outstanding. I just don't see that happening. So I'm going to say best case scenario. You add Anthony Davis. You get a Marcus Morris from Boston, who's a free agent who can defend. He's tough. He can shoot. And then you add a few more nondescript shooters. Wait, hold on. Was Marcus Morris worst case or part of the best case? I'm not saying he's a star. I'm just saying we need shooters. If you're the Lakers, you need shooters. So you got Marcus Morris and some other shooters around Anthony Davis and LeBron Jackson. I'm just being realistic. You want to give your worst now or you want me to go back? I'm going to go ahead and upstage you, OK? Kyrie Irving, good friends with LeBron. We know they ended ugly, but they started talking again. Kyrie Irving struggling in Boston right now. He's been awesome for them. So he's going to be an all NBA player. I think LeBron uses the power of persuasion says, Kyrie, man, look at what we did together. We took the Warriors down. And Kyrie says, look at what is going on in Lakerland right now. You don't even have a precedent. And look what's going on in Boston. They are a dumpster fire. People expected them to win. Why are they a dumpster fire? 60 games? Why are they a dumpster fire? That's another question we can get to. But Kyrie says, we were better together, LeBron, as a unit. We took down the 73-win Warriors' timeout. We get Kyrie in free agency. Boom, July 1. Now LeBron's got Kyrie Irving as his wingman. They then go to the New Orleans Pelicans and say, look at our roster. Take it all. Any draft pick you want. They said that before. OK. We offer it. Now get to the three. Well, hold on. The Celtics cannot offer Jason Tatum after you lose Kyrie. You can't do that and take a swing at Anthony Davis. I believe best case for the Lakers. And it's not out of the realm. They get Kyrie in free agency and trade for Anthony Davis. You have LeBron, AD, Kyrie Irving. That would be a home run, you sorry. Oh, sure. You know what then? Let me scrap my argument. Best case scenario, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard joined LeBron James. And while we're at it, let's trade for Joe LMB. I mean, really? You think they're getting Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis? It's not happening. According to your former colleague, Stephen A. Smith, he says Kyrie Irving will take a meeting with the Lakers. He reported that this week. I don't know if it's true. Of course he'll take a meeting. OK. Does that mean you're getting them? I don't know. Primero Anthony took a meeting. LaMarcus Aldridge took a meeting. They didn't have LeBron. You got to seal the deal. They didn't have LeBron when those guys took meetings. That was a joke. I would love to see a reunion of Kyrie and LeBron, although that's not my favorite move for Kyrie. I'd like to see Kyrie do something else. But look, I'll give you that. What percent of chance? Give me a percent of chance, Kyrie. Just let's start with Kyrie. 0.5. Less than 1% Kyrie because they get goes three. No, no, just Kyrie. It's got to be over 8%. Wow. That's low. Because I'm telling you right now, once you get Kyrie, then it's like, take all the number one picks you on. OK, what's your number? What's your number? Of course. I would go at least. It's that way, whether you get Kyrie or not. OK, time out. I will go. Actually, we'll get to that later. I'm giving up whoever I have to do to get Anthony Davis. I don't know who else is bidding for Anthony Davis. I don't know what else is on the table. Hold on, stop. No, stop right there. Who else is bidding for him? You wouldn't give up whatever it takes outside of LeBron James to get Anthony Davis. I want to know who I'm bidding against, Chris. I'm not giving everything. It doesn't matter. Because Anthony Davis ain't signing just anywhere. He's not signing. I get all that. I'm just saying, I'm not saying you start the bidding with, hey, take Kuzma, take Ingram, take Lines, or take whoever. I'm just saying, if it gets to that point, I'll give up whoever. Because these players, this group collection together is a mess. And so if I have to give something up for AD, I'll do it. So I guess my point with Kyrie. I understand you're saying you're not going to give it up if you don't have to. I'll wrap up on this. My point with Kyrie, why I go 33%. What are his options? New York. New York is one. Give me the other ones. Lakers, LeBron. Clippers. Haven't really heard of. Now, if Katie, I'll give you this. I'll give you this. If Katie stays in Golden State, that certainly limits Kyrie's options. OK. Because he ain't going just anywhere. So it's Nix. Lakers have to leave Boston. So Nix doesn't have to leave Boston. He doesn't have to. If they lose early in the playoffs, I don't know that he's coming back. Let me let the worst case with the Lakers. Should we do that? Is they come back? They come back essentially intact. And they'll ask some shooters, some non-descript role playing shooters. OK. And I still think, look. Michael Scala. That was a great one. That worst case scenario still isn't that bad. Because you got LeBron James. And what LeBron needs to do is change his language and start talking about. It's a language, not a roster thing. It's a verbal communication. Wasn't that roster fourth in the way? It was. Yeah, baby. Wasn't that roster a top 10 defense, even with LeBron not being a great defender anymore? And I think I saw you had the stat with all the guys healthy. 15 and 8. 15 and 8. So I'm just saying, if you come back exactly as you are and LeBron, because of his language, like, look, for instance, stop talking about who you recruiting. Stop talking about I'm going to be out there behind the bushes. But that was mostly Magic Johnson. No, no. It was LeBron on his last few interviews within the last week talking about how I'm going to be recruiting. I'm going to be doing this and that. I'm confident who's going to jump in the car with me and all that. I don't need to hear that. I get it. You're going to recruit. Do it on the low. Publicly, you need to be saying, look, of course we want to improve. We didn't even make the playoffs. But whatever happens, I'm riding or dying with these guys. I believe in our guys. We were 15 and 8 when we had our young players with me. I'm coming back better than ever. I've heard the nonsense. I've heard the criticism. I am going to work my tail off this summer. And if it comes down to me, Ingram, Kyle, Lanzo, believe me, we're going to be a lot better. And they got the training situation fixed. Everybody healthy. You got to talk to them. You have to show these young cats you believe in them. And you're all in. Even if it's BS. Next up, shockingly, we're going to stick with a LeBron topic. People want LeBron. Here we go. Should the Philadelphia 76ers try to trade for LeBron James? Who? Well, of course, if they win the East, maybe you just go with what you have. But I don't think that's going to happen. I think they're going out in the second round. We'll get to that. But that's a hot take. Let's say they do go out in the second round. To your Raptors. Not my Raptors. I like to see Philly with it, but would beat Toronto. But let's say they go out in the second round. Yes, I say they do. Because even though LeBron is old, and even though he has, what, four years, three years left on this deal, you need to try to win championships. Now, Philadelphia hasn't won a championship since 1983. Been to the finals, what, once since that time? This is probably their best chance at a championship since 1983. And this is no. Is it better than the Iverson? No, no. They didn't have a chance against the Lakers. At least they got there. And they won the first game. They won a lot of the green. They didn't have much of a chance. But they got there. They did. They won 60-something games that year. I would trick Ben Simmons, who I am on the record, is loving. But he can't shoot. I'm a big fan of course. And he's a liability. Because he can't shoot. And you're going to see that in the playoffs, just like you did last year. So Ben Simmons is one piece. So I would argue if I had to give up Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler to get LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, obviously, in the signing trade, or Tobias Harris. Maybe they, you know, Lakers would want Jimmy Butler. I don't like Harris's mother-in-law. But I'm saying I'm making the call. I don't think it'll happen, of course. I don't think the Lakers will trade LeBron. But if I'm Philadelphia, I'm making the call to try to pair LeBron James with Joel Enby. Two reasons. One, LeBron's got three years left of high-level basketball, not the best player in the league, but high-level basketball. We could be generous. Joel Enby, his injuries. Who knows how long Joel's going to be? He may not play game one. Right. So I'm just saying, like, who knows if we got 10 years with Enby? Let's try to win right now. That's why I would make the call and try to get LeBron. OK. I would say no. I would not make a play for LeBron if I'm the Sixers. Let me just ask you this. What big man has LeBron ever won with? Well, he hasn't had any great big men. Because he needs shooters. We just saw what the Lakers, they brought in Javell and had J.J. Redwood protector. And I would want to put shooters around him. To me, I can't believe I'm saying this. I'm more of a Simmons guy than Enby guy. I know Enby, you love him. You are the president of the Joel and Beacons. I'm not giving up a young cat on his rookie deal who's just scratching the surface. Yeah, he is just scratching the surface. He's a liability. He is. No, he is. You cannot call one of the seven best point guards in the league a liability. You can't do that. Here's why. No, I'm going to tell you why. Because at the end of games, is Ben Simmons one of the seven great point guards in the league if he's even that? Is he bringing the ball up as a point guard? Well, you dig the hack of Simmons. Is that what you think we're headed? Is he bringing the ball up as a point guard? Have you watched him? No. They had Tobias Harris bringing the ball up the last game against, I think it was Toronto or Milwaukee at the end of the game. Because when Ben is on the perimeter, nobody guards him. I need somebody that can run the pick and roll and they at least have to respect the guy running the ball handler. They don't have to respect Ben. So they back up. It nullifies the value of the pick and roll. And then where has Ben? Not on the bench. He's in on the block or in the corner just because when I put him on the block, at least the defense has to pay attention to him. And but what does that do? Because he's on the block and in today's NBA, you can't put two players on the block. Now I got my seven foot big man and nobody can stop out at the three point line. We love him because I need him. Yeah, but he's not that good at it. So I got to force him at the three point line because I got to put Ben Simmons on the block just so the defense will pay attention to him. So what's Ben Simmons? That's what I mean, liability. Six, 10 point guard, right? Yeah. How many point guards in the league can guard Ben Simmons on the block? On the block? None. But the problem is. So maybe it's a coaching thing, Chris. Maybe it's not a Ben Simmons can't shoot. We know he's not a great shooter. So who would you, Joel, who's better on the block between Joel and B and Ben Simmons? I mean, he don't want to attack Giannis on the block. We know that Giannis rejected him. No, he rejected him. Four times a couple of two weeks. Yeah, but Embiid had 30 some points. They lost. You get your shot. I said, no, not in my house. The block has had his shot. Don't come inside. He didn't do that to Ben Simmons? He might have. But he might have, he rejected the heck out of Ben Simmons. Stop it. I mean, I'm serious. I just explained to you. Joel Embiid is a better post player than Ben Simmons. No doubt about that. But I got to force Embiid out to the three point line at the end of the game, because Ben Simmons, if I keep him on the court, gas to be on the block just so they guard him. So your idea is I spray the guy because he's not a good shooter at the age of 21, he's not trying. I like Ben Simmons. I've been on record of saying he's an all-time great, or potentially. So Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler to the Lakers. But if I can get LeBron James right now, LeBron and Embiid would be dynamic together. In the East? In the League. You got a guy with chronic injuries in Joel Embiid. You got a guy who's 34 and a half. Coming off is most injury-plated season ever. And you're dumping Ben Simmons because he can't shoot. It's most injury-plated season, Miss 18 hours. So let's just say we agree to disagree on that one. Let's move on to the next topic. A guy who I did not, I don't take Ls. I don't take Ls. That was called for this. That was, boom, uppercut. Kevin Durant, my man, KD. Best, most talented player in the NBA. Should he stay with Golden State on a one plus one? Or should he leave for New York? Or, you know, the Crippers. I've said that I would love to say CKD stack. And from a historical standpoint, look, we know he wants to separate himself from LeBron James or try to be better than LeBron James, legacy-wise. We know he wants to, you know, have the greatest legacy he can. What better way to do that than winning four straight champs? Magic didn't do it. Duncan didn't do it. Shaq, Kobe, LeBron, MJ. None of them didn't, nobody's done it since Bill Russell. 50 years, something like that. Since Bill Russell, okay. So that, I mean, we think that's a good look. However. A great look. I think the tension there, and maybe being in a new arena could remove it, but I just, look, there's a reason nobody's won four straight. Michael Jordan retired after each three P. It's taxing. You can see it in the Warriors right now. They don't care at all about the regular season. Agreed. And to have to go through that again with all the drama of, is Katie leaving now? Draymond, what do we do about his contract? Did Clay get his max? So is he like, I just think it would, I don't think they'd win four straight. Now I'm with you. Whoa, time out. Who's taking them down? It could be, it could be a lot of it. Houston, I'm just saying it. I think they could take down themselves essentially. That is more likely. It just is so tough to win four straight. Nobody's done it since Bill Russell. So I say, I wouldn't go to New York alone if I'm Katie. Right. Definitely should not go alone. But if he goes with Kyrie Irving, those two, you gotta, this is about challenges. Challenge yourself. And I get with Katie, look, three straight rings is great. Can I go now? Go with three straight. Let's wrap this up. But let's get a challenge. Go to New York with Kyrie. You just said the biggest challenge ever is winning four straight. Michael Jordan retired twice rather than try for four straight. How is that not the biggest challenge now? It's just tension. It's more of a mental challenge. No doubt about it. I think going to New York winning one, as big as winning four straight would be, winning three straight and then one in New York, not necessarily next year would be bigger. But you've got to get Kyrie on purpose. These four straight, I still say, well, you're with this super team, the Warriors. You might say that. You might not. Everybody else would. Who cares about everybody else? I don't care what these jokers on Twitter say. It's not a reality. Listen, you know what legacy is? You know what legacy is? Four straight titles. That's the legacy. Now, you made a good point about it. He wants to be better than LeBron. We see he's got a new TV show, this boardroom situation. He's doing everything LeBron. He is. What's the one thing LeBron hasn't done? Four straight. He needs to stay on a one plus one. LeBron didn't do three straight. He stays on a one plus one. Not only that, he prevents LeBron from getting a title with the Lakers. Are the Lakers that close? We'll see what they get. He could prevent him in New York. You just said Anthony Davis is the best case. He could prevent him in New York. He needs Kyrie. It might need Zion. I agree. You need to talk to Kyrie. Make sure they're going. Nick's roster is worse than the Lakers. They went out of the round. Kevin Durant stays on a one plus one. He can then leave after getting four straight. And he's only 31. He can still go elsewhere in his prime. I'm telling you, if Kevin Durant stays and wins four straight, he is officially a top 10 player in NBA history. Well, I think you would be on board with that. He's already close. He's probably in the 10 to 15 range, nipping at Kobe's heels. If he wins four straight, Chris, you gotta give the man his prize. I've said it. He's unstoppable. I think it would be, I think it would relax. He is on two straight finals, MVPs. What you got? Go for it. I love KD. No, I mean, I've said that myself. You probably bit that argument for me. I said it months ago. I think it would be a great look to win four straight. I'm just saying, I don't think they would because I think it's very tough to do mentally. It would be a challenge. Listen, you got a great day, man. I think going to New York, going to New York and winning in New York would be better. Now again, him and Kyrie are buddies. I'm sure they're already talking. If the Knicks don't get the number one pick, does that matter at all? No, not to me. I'll tell you this is great. It wouldn't matter to me. But it matters if the Knicks, oh, getting Zion is great. But I'm just saying, even if they don't, if they get KD and Kyrie, I'm going to win. Are you making them the favorites to win the title with KD? No, I'm just saying they'd be a contender. They wouldn't be the favorites yet. It'd take a while. All right, we'll wrap it up. And see who they put around them. We need to get you a win here. All right, final topic. NBA Finals, who's going to the finals from the Eastern Conference? It's just tough. I hope I'm wrong, because I want Milwaukee to go. Why? Because I think their length and athleticism would really make it a tough series with Golden State. I think Golden State would beat them. But I think they're tough, a tough matchup for the Warriors. Interesting. So I think that'd be great. I didn't see that coming. They shoot the three great. They obviously got the great Giannis Adedicumpo. Their defense is best in the league. They would be their well coach. They're physical and tough. They'd be a tough matchup for the Warriors. So I hope I'm wrong. But I think Toronto will beat them in the Eastern Conference final, because Milwaukee has no experience. None of their players have won a playoff series. I don't want to playoff series. Toronto, you got Kawhi. But regardless of that, just these players. Kawhi and Danny Green, obviously championship pedigree. So I think Toronto's experience at the end of the day could win out. But I hope I'm wrong. A rookie head coach? They both got a long bench. Yeah, that's why I. First year coaches with this franchise. I had thought about the Bucks. I have a futures ticket. I talked about it on my podcast, Coming Up Winners, if you like sports gambling. I got the Bucks, plus 2,500 to win the East. Love it. But I actually think, Chris, that the Boston Celtics are going to be my pick here. I know everybody's selling them. Bruce Large rolling his eyes. That's why I'm here, folks. Even Marcus Morris. Neal even doesn't. Not even Neal believes. He's the biggest Celtics fan in FS1. Not even he believes they're going to win. You're a big win. Are they going to East? Yes. You're a big Warren Buffett fan. They're going out in the second round. I like buying stock low. You give me the best coach in the East. Will agree. Brad Stevens best coach. No, we don't agree. Who? Who's the best coach? Has he been good this year? Who's the best coach? Has he been good this year? Why didn't we make this a topic? Who is he? No, we're making it a topic right now. Brad Stevens has had a bad year. Don't give me that mess. He won because of Eastern Conference finals at home. Without Kairi last year and Gordon Hayward. You know what he's the little engine that could coach. All these non blue chippers, all these two and three star players, I get them to maximize their ability. I give you that. But now that you've got a Mercedes Benz, now that you've got a Maserati and Kairi Irvin, what are you doing with that? Who's the best coach in the East? It ain't Brad Stevens this year. Give me the name. Who you got? My coach of the year was Mike Boudin. He's been great this year. He's been great period. He was great in Atlanta. That's right. He won 60. He got dusted by LeBron in the East. Has Brad Stevens had a good coaching year? Chris, you're out of your mind here. Has he answered the question? Has he had a good coaching year? He's been up and down, not his best season. But are you just going on this season? Brad Stevens has not had a good year. Let me get back to my point. I gave you a Maserati and you can't handle it. The best coach in the East is in Boston, right? Brad Stevens, the best player in the East. Again, Giannis is going to be the MVP, I agree with him. Kyrie Irving is the best player in the East when I got a playoff series. He's won game seven of the finals with a three-pointer. He's one of the most clutch players. I gave this out on my podcast as well. He's not the best player in the East. Final three minutes this season, clutch games. He's shooting 58%. He's great in the clutch. I'll take Kyrie with less than three minutes. He's the best player in the East. The game is 48 minutes. It's not three minutes. How many playoff series, Giannis won? I forgot. Help me out here. How many playoff series, Giannis won? How many has Kyrie won without LeBron James? None. How many has he won, though? He won on title. Game seven. Kyrie delivered. I can't do his clutch, but he's not better than Giannis. I got the best coach in the East, the most clutch player in the East. I feel like Gordon Hayward's finally gelling, right? Gordon Hayward finally had a great month to end the season. Jason Tatum, I'm sorry, Chris. Boston Celtics are my pick to win the East. They're going out in the second round. Trust them, brother. Are you serious? Second round? Not the other. Oh, that's a good one. Would you get that from House Party? All right, so we wrap this up. J-Mac Booyah taking three out of three. I got to give Bruce our one, you know? Hey, that's the scores. Rick Bukers here. He's saying three to one Mac entire wins. Chris, it was good to be back on Knockdown J. Oh, man, look at him. He's smart in a little bit. We've crushed it last year. Folks, we're back. Every week, maybe if you can handle this. Maybe, yeah, maybe. We got to get him back in game shape. He hasn't played basketball since last July. I got people asking me, what are we playing one-on-one? I said, let's just give Bruce our two. You ducked out. I was ready. I had the shorts on, the shoes on. We could not get a gym. Somebody told you you might not score a point. I guarantee you weren't going to score. Forget beating you. And somebody told you you might not even score. I didn't work at my crossover. And then next thing I know, you didn't show up. I'm ready. Next thing I know, you didn't show up. I'm ready. I got my kids. I got to pick them up from school. I'm ready. Next thing I know, you got all these. I'm sorry, I don't have college kids. No, no, no. You knew. I got elementary school, but I'm ready, folks. All right, wrap it up. Peace. Get us out.