 Run it up to run it back. Run it up to run it back. Run it up. Run it back. Good Tuesday morning. Welcome to run it back here on Fandall TV and a different kind of morning for us is there were no NBA games last night, but we did have one big final college game. Shamsharani a Chandler Parsons Lou Will. My name is Michelle and let's just get into it guys. You con. Are you excited? Back to back champs. I would have to say maybe this is the building of a new dynasty, but they have beaten everybody in this tournament by at least 14 points. I want to say the average was closer to 20 Chandler. I'll start with you. I know, you know, you're very sensitive about Florida and where it stands in the college landscape and all time history and all that great stuff. But we're looking at a Yukon team building something here. What's your opinion? Yeah, this year was was remarkable. I mean, the things they did, the way they won in the tournament and the conference tournament, it was really impressive. And Hurley is an unbelievable coach. Got to expect, you know, a huge offer coming from from Kentucky for him for everything that we're hearing. But yeah, to go back to back is really hard. Now, and I started hearing this is one of the best college basketball teams ever that I can't get on board with. But this is an impressive season. This was an unbelievably, you know, challenging schedule that they had and they pretty much had, I think they had three losses all year long. But the fact that they dominated by double digits pretty much every single game going up to championship game, the way they handled Purdue last night while giving up, you know, pretty dominating performance by Edie on the other side was really impressive. So the fact that they don't have this crazy, you know, three, four, first round pick roster and they can do this just shows, you know, how good of a recruiter Hurley is. He got the right guys in there that play the right way that know their role and it paid off. And it's hard not to overlook this team to go back to back to back. They're like the chiefs. Can they, can they, can they win three in a row now? We'll see. But it was super impressive and they were dominant all year long. The chiefs. Lou, did you like it? Game was a little boring. And but I think that was a good thing for Yukon. Yukon was they've been dominant all year. They were dominant in the tournament. They didn't give us much to watch last night. They didn't make it exciting. They took care to took care of their business and ate their food and got up out of there. So congratulations to the Yukon's men basketball team and coach Hurley. Have an opportunity to go back to back. I don't, I don't see anybody coming in out of the high school ranks that's going to slow this team down or any of those teams that are going to rebuild and give them a challenge for next year. So they got a great chance to three people. Oh, so you're saying put money on it now. Interesting. I will do that as soon as we're done here. Let's talk and I want to get back to the Dan Hurley of it all because I do find it interesting. We're talking about possible coaching change for a man who seems very happy where he is, but just put a pin in that because Zachy, of course, is the story of the year, two time first player when college player of the year at 37 points last night. He's a big lumbering man. I found myself at times just sort of watching the game thinking, okay, I don't get it, but okay, he's large. So my question is, is he a high draft pick? Because now we got to move forward. What's this dude going to look like professionally, Lou? I think he's a serviceable, serviceable guy, you know, any time. Seven, yeah, seven footers are at a premium. You don't, you don't just find a bunch of seven footers walking around, especially when you can find one with the skill set of Zach Edie. He played well, gave him 37 and 10, did everything that he could to put his team in position. And I want to say shout out to a young lawyer on the Purdue team. I actually watched him grow up as a kid. I've held him as a child and to see him compete in the national championship game was surreal to me. His father was, was an assistant coach of mine. So that was a surreal moment for me to watch the tournament and watch him compete at that level. But Zach Edie is going to, he's going to have to be a top 10 lottery pick. You know, we've, we've already discussed how this draft is. It's, it's not a lot of guys out there that, that have the household names and, and what, and what you have when it comes to that. And you know, Zach Edie is going to be one of those, one of those guys, but I think he'll be a solid pro. So I see him going one or two in this draft. All right. Chandler, you agree? I don't think he's going to be a top 10 pick. I don't think he's going to be a lottery pick, but I think he will be a serviceable big man. You can't teach that size. Like Lou said, there, there's a market for seven, four with hands and with touch and with skill. He's decent from the free throw line. So he does present challenges even at the next level playing against grown, you know, strong men. He's a monster and, and it's crazy how often he gets middle. I would think the scout report would make him kind of go to that left, make him go to the baseline, but all tournament long, he just kept getting to a spots. He dominated the offensive glass. Some of those block shots last night were insane. He's got great instincts protecting the rim. And he seemed like a competitive great, great kid and Purdue really struggled last night. I think their lead, their third league score had five points. So it was basically Edie and the point guard, Smith, but he has a chance and then look, someone's going to take a flyer on him just because of that. He's had such a great college career. He's proven everything he can at this level. So the next step will be the NBA. He will be a first round pick. And it'll be interesting to see how it transitions because there's certain guys that you can tag that you just know are going to be elite NBA player, the Drew Timmy's, the Heron Godes, the Tyler Hansbros. You knew that wasn't going to translate as much. I think he has a better chance than those guys to translate, but it's still not going to be a no brainer to me. But with that size and that skill, he's got a chance. My only thing channel is like who's there, right? Like who's, who's there outside of, you know, him and a couple of other guys. That's why I think that he's going to be he's going to be a top pick. You just give yourself an opportunity and plus the draft picks, you got to use the draft picks. So why not go, go out and get one of the best players that's available? So that's my, that's my only reason I think he's a top pick because I don't, I don't go ahead. What's funny is the kid on Yukon, the Klingon kid, he's a higher than the draft pick and he just gave him 37 and 10. That's my point. So it's like almost like NBA people, they like potential. They like ceilings. They don't care about numbers. They don't care about domination, the college ranks. They'd rather have Klingon who's a little more mobile, a little more, you know, positionless. Can maybe slide to the four. So guys like that, I think we'll get drafted higher. But again, this guy with, with the, with the challenges he presents with his side, they do seven foot four, but now the problem is we're seeing seven foot four guards like Wimby, like Przinga. So like, so it's a different animal in the NBA. I think those two guys were very different too. Klingon feels very fluid and athletic and graceful and, and Edie just is big. I mean, I guess the big saving point is two, he's seven four, but he's also not a frail seven four. So I don't think you have to worry about, it's not chat. Like you don't have to worry about him coming in, but wait on. If I'm the Boston Celtics, I'm the Oklahoma City Thunder, if I'm a good team with a late first round pick and he's still there and I need size and six fouls. Yeah, I'm taking him. Yeah. All right. He's going to be there. Okay. The Dan Hurley of it all, I'm very confused by this, right? So he just finished winning another championship back to back. He's clearly in, in the area, family, his wife's family, everybody's in and around. Why are we jumping to the Kentucky possible hiring of Dan Hurley? Because Chandler, correct me if I'm wrong here, is that not a lateral or even downwards move? Like I'm a little confused why we think that's an upgrade. Well, I think it's a perfect storm for him, right? Because even the chatter, the back to back, the fact that he is the top guy on the search for Kentucky, he's going to have options, right? He can either accept this job and take a crazy bag. We're talking the highest paid coach of all time. And while this is all going on, you know, Yukon is preparing to rip up his contract, extend him and give him a raise just simply because he's hot right down, another school wants him. So he's going to have, since he's in the best spot, because he's going to have, he's going to force Yukon's hand to pay him even more and to make him stay there if that's what they want. And he deserves it. He's completely revamped this team. You saw the interview from him a couple of years ago where he said, get us now because we're coming and he's going to recruit the right kids. He's going to recruit team players that are NBA talent and they know how to play in the college ranks. And this is what he's done. So to go back to back is hard, man. You saw Billy Donovan did it. And you see where he is now that this guy, this guy, he deserves a raise, whether that's in the same Yukon colors or if that's with Kentucky, we'll see, but he's in a great position to get a huge payday here regardless. What is it like? So what would, what, Cal just moved for what? Eight and a half to go to Arkansas. So what would this be like 11, 12, 13? I think he'll get whatever he wants. He's going to be able to get it wearing the uniform that he's wearing with the guys that he's brought in with winning two national championships. They're not going to have any shortage of money to be able to match whatever deal that comes his way to keep them in place. And listen, sometimes the grass isn't green on the other side, right? Like Kentucky sounds fun, but, you know, you spent the last few years on building culture and bringing guys in that fit the way that you like, you like to coach and, you know, your athletic director has given you the funds and the resource to do that. Why would you move? I think UConn matches anything that comes his way and he stays put. Yeah. He's clearly got the recipe to succeed at UConn, right? Maybe he wants something new, maybe he wants to change the scenery. But like you said, why, why even take that risk when clearly you have the relationships there, you have the resources there, you have the staff there now that knows how to win national championships. And now you have really have a chance to put in trades. Yeah. And now you can go back to back to back and really make your mark in history. If I'm him, I'm hoping UConn just ponies up and I stay right there. Yeah, I just say they match the offer and we keep it as is. All right, time for some scoop shams. This first one put a smile on my face when I saw it. Isaiah Thomas, does he can relax for the rest of the season? What's going on? The Suns are signing Isaiah Thomas to a minimum contract for the remainder of the season. I'm told his last 10 day contract expired on Monday, but he will stick with the Suns for the rest of the season. And to me, this is a comeback story of perseverance. 35 years old had not played in the NBA since 2022, trained every single day, really back home in native Seattle, joined the G League under Danny Angel. It was really a full circle story. We know that relationship ended on a sour note in Boston when he was traded from the Celtics to the Cavs in 2017. He goes to G League in Salt Lake City. I have just 35 points almost 45% from three point range, then gets the call up to the Suns on two 10 day contracts. And he's only appeared in four games, but already from everything I hear the leadership impact that he's having there being a voice in the locker room. I think him and that young have really stood out as leaders for those Suns. And around Bradley Beale, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, you need vets, you need guys that have been through it, have been through the ups and the downs, playoff battles, deep championship potential runs in the playoffs. And obviously it has been part of multiple chases in Boston. So he came in just a month ago and he's already made his impact felt off the court and on the court at times in Phoenix. Guys, I know everyone here felt very happy when we saw this one. Lou, I'll start with you. As far as comeback stories go, where are you putting this one? This is great. Listen, I follow it on Twitter X, whatever you want to call it. And I watch him every day, tweet and share that he's in the gym, that he's working, he's staying in shape. He's still giving himself an opportunity. He's not losing hope. He's not losing faith. And you know, sometimes when you look at a guy do this for over a year, you're like, Hey, bro, we should pay attention to the signs like it may be over it knew something about himself and his talent that we didn't. And he believed in something that maybe other teams and GMs didn't. And he got his opportunity, man. So huge salute to him for never quitting. I love the fact that he said that he was going so hard and doing this to set an example for his children and his little people in his house that look up to him for leadership. And he's been able to carry himself in a manner that got him back in the league. And now he's that father figure that can look at his kids and tell them, I told you to never give up on yourself and never give up on your dreams. So salute to IT for having this another opportunity at his career. I love this Chandler. It's feel good. Yeah. It's unbelievable. And I don't think people realize how hard this is to do when you're out of the league, you're by yourself, you're back home, nobody's calling. You know, you're watching, but, you know, your agent's phone's not ringing. Your phone's not ringing. So this takes so much mental toughness, so much, you know, treatment on his body that by the way, he's doing himself or he's hiring and paying for himself just to stay in NBA shape to, you know, to have no ego and to go to the G league and absolutely dominate at his age with his resume, everything he's been through in his career. It truly is impressive. And it just shows you good things happen to good people in this league. There's a lot more talented people probably than Isaiah Thomas that are sitting around right now without a job, but he has the work ethic. He's got the game. He's got the talent and he's got the personality that locker rooms want that even if he doesn't a huge contributor for the sons the rest of the season going to play off. He's just a breath of fresh air in there. He's going to work with the young guys. He's going to play ones after practice before practice. There's no job too small clearly for this guy. And that's exactly what you want when you're an organization and when you're a team like the sons who, by the way, need a point guard. So don't get, don't, don't be surprised if he actually gets an opportunity here in the playoffs too. And it has one of these big Isaiah Thomas type games. And I hope it happens because he clearly has worked. He's grinded it. Now it's paid off. And it truly is special. I like, I like this story. Shams, this next one is very sexy. The topic of course, injury reporting. Can't wait. So the Sixers got the $100,000 fine because of injury reporting problems with what they did with Joel Embiid. Then the Knicks get a $25,000 fine for Mitchell Robinson. Is this something that the league is purposely looking for and cracking down on? The league is keeping an eye, especially, you know, last week, I mean, we said on the show, I think Monday, that Monday morning that Joel Embiid could be back soon as Tuesday. Obviously he was listed out. And the league is monitoring anytime if a guy's listed out and there's a quick change on the injury report. In that case for Joel Embiid's situation, it was about an hour and a half before the game, hour and 25 minutes before the game when Joel Embiid was suddenly moved from out to questionable, even though there had been reporting that yes, it could be tonight that he's back. And then similarly, the Knicks were fined $25,000. The Sixers fine was $100,000 for that Joel Embiid situation. But that's because of prior history, prior situations. The Knicks got $25,000. No prior history there. But similarly, Mitchell Robinson, you know, was was was, you know, similarly listed on the injury report then suddenly made available a couple of weeks ago in Toronto. So I think anytime some sudden change happens from out to available or available to out with such short amount of time before a game, it's obviously going to raise a flag with the league office. Can I can I be dumb? Is there a reason that this matters other than I guess gambling ramifications? But what why does it matter if they tell you an hour before 20 minutes before two days before this game? Well, yeah, some coaches like to play like mind games, like hopefully this team that tonight doesn't prepare for drawing B, which funny is all GMs, all coaches, all owners, they all follow shams, right? Like they hear they know that he's possibly going to play. So it's not like he's sick, right? It's not like he's 5050 that he's playing this guy coming back from a major surgery. So this was a little different. But yeah, especially come later in the season or when games matter, a lot of coaches are kind of, you know, a little sneaky and a little secretive, which is kind of silly. And we knew this was going to happen. We knew they were going to get fine. We knew there's going to be some ramifications, you know, for doing this like an hour before it's it. But whoever played that, I can't remember. They definitely during film during shoot around kind of went over for five minutes. Okay, this is the covers just in case Joelle plays. So it's not like it's the craziest surprise ever, you know, when it does come out that he's playing. And there's still an hour on the clock that they can even go back in and watch a little bit more film and kind of correct some things that they did differently knowing he's in. So to me, it's stupid. Like, I get to me, they know what, you know what Philly's like with Joelle and B. So prepare for that. And if he doesn't play, so what? That's, that seems simple enough. Okay, fair enough. Also, they were testing us Shams because you had told us he was coming back. And then they kept saying he was out. And I was like, do not test my trust in Shams, Rania. And so here we are. He was right the whole time. We've got games tonight. Woo, everything's coming back. Celtic's Bucks up first. And the Bucks are trying, trying to avoid a five game losing streak. And maybe this helps that they're playing a Celtic scenes. It's had this locked up and they might be resting players. I don't know. But we know that they had a film session. We know that players allegedly had spoken their minds. Shams told us a bunch about what's going on with doc and how he's trying to deal with it. Okay, let's just predict. Chandler, what do we expect this Bucks team to look like coming out tonight? They've had a minute to think, regroup. They only have a few games left. What should we see? You would hope that has come out with a bunch of energy and play extremely hard. Usually when something like this happens with all hands on deck, fire, drill, meeting like this, at least it gets through in the first couple games or so. There's a sense of urgency and there's a sense of pride where the team is going to show doc, okay, this is us moving forward. And the problem is the Celtics have nothing to prove tonight. They're probably going to rest guys, right? They have no, they're 15 games up on the Bucks. Like this game means nothing to them. So this is a great opportunity for the Bucks to possibly get a short-handed Celtics team to get back on the horse and to kind of swing things back into a positive momentum heading into the playoffs. Because again, anything can happen. They're only a game up on Orlando and the Knicks. So every game for them, they've put themselves in the situation where every game matters. Everybody's watching the stand, the standings and the conference right now. So this is a chance for them that we don't know who's playing yet, I don't think, or who's out. But this is a great opportunity for them to get back off this night and start doing what they showed us flashes of during the regular season. Lou, you've been in a Doc Rivers meeting. So take us in. How does it work? You walk in? Is there any levity? Is there any smiling or is he just very wants to try to scare you a little bit? It depends on the vibe. It depends on where you are in the season. We've had a number of different vibes when it comes to Doc. We've had film sessions where it's players only. We watch the film and then we bring the coaches in and we see if our areas of concern align with their areas of concern. And then we go through it together as a team. We have those. You have the players only meetings. You might have a one-on-one film session with Doc to address something that you're doing individually. So these meetings can be different depending on where they are in the season. If I'm a guessing man right now, they're in there talking about areas of concern and things on a defensive end and just trying to get on the same page going into the postseason. You know, he's not a coach that overreacts. He's a very realistic coach, them still sitting at the number two seed. He's not overreacting and thinking they're in a bad spot. They're trying to correct some things that they've gotten severely wrong, that's got them in a five game losing streak. And they're going to try to correct those things. Tonight, they're not going to overreact and think this game is bigger than it is tonight. They're going to prepare for this team like usual. Right now, they're worried about the postseason and getting on the same page collectively. Crazy that they're finding themselves in this situation, Shoms. Chandler sort of touched on it briefly there, but since the Celtics have such a nice cushion, they've got nothing to worry about, nothing to do here. Can we assume they're going to rest some players this week? Well, tonight, let's start with the Celtics. Jaylen Brown, Jason Tatum, Drew Holiday, Derek White, all listed available to play tonight. So those top four guys appear not to be on the resting side. At least tonight, national TV game. Chris Alspurzing is Al Horford, listed questionable. Chris Middleton as well. He's obviously got banged up, knocked a tooth out of his mouth the other day. He's listed probable to play though, Giannis questionable. But to me, the Celtics best record in the league, nothing to prove tonight. Most dominant team in the league, obviously the highest plus minus. They've got the second most 30 plus point blowouts in league history. Everything is about the playoffs. It's championship or bus season. We all know it. They know it. They've been through multiple conference finals. They've been to the NBA finals a couple of years ago in 2022. So right now, it's obviously all about the playoffs, but it is notable that at least their top guys are playing tonight. Giannis questionable. Do we not just say that this matters? What's the deal? Well, he's got a hamstring. He's obviously been dealing with those moments he's warmed up. But listen, he was listed questionable the other day. He played. We'll see if Giannis will go tonight. They obviously need all hands on deck in Milwaukee. Like I said, Michelle, again, they're not going to overreact. We're still the number two seed. We don't have a shot at number one. We're going to be where we are at this point. So we might as well go into this thing healthy. But do they not care if they drop to three or four? Long stay at home. It doesn't matter. There's no easy routes. Would you rather worry about trying to stay in two with a Giannis that's banged up with a bad hamstring or give them an opportunity to rest it a little while longer and you just deal with it and you go into it healthy with whatever seed that you have. You're going to have home court advantage, you know, so you're not going to slide that far. So they need to stay at two or three. They don't want to go to four because they do not want to play the Celtic second round. If anything, I'm trying to delay that process to the Eastern Conference finals as long as I can. So it doesn't really matter if you're the Bucks because I truly think they believe they are the second best team. And I think they think they can hang with the Celtics in a series if they get everything figured out and with the talent that they have. So ideally they wouldn't want to fall to four because you don't want to have to play Boston the second round. You want to lay that as long as possible. So it is interesting. But again, they're not worried about the magic. They're not worried about the Pacers. They're not worried about anything. They have their eyes on the Celtics. And by the way, the Celtics have their eyes on the Milwaukee Bucks too. They know that's what's going to happen. They know that's going to be the final. Unless something crazy happens, I think the Celtics know the Bucks are the team that we're going to have to go through to get to the NBA championship. I really haven't seen enough from this Bucks team to have this sense of arrogance that they shouldn't be worried about any of those teams you just mentioned. I don't think that they're, I mean, maybe the Celtics can walk through this like a little bit, you know, cocky, but this Bucks team has looked especially as of late, confusing. Out of all the things that we're talking about, the Milwaukee Bucks are the only ones with a championship ring. Sure. But good Lord of Lots happened since then. Oh yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. But just, that's, I'm telling you about mindset, mindset, right? So they still feel like there's a switch where we can turn this thing on and we can ride this ship. And that's how they are approaching this thing. Yeah. And when you have Giannis, when you have Damian Lillard, when you have Lopez and Portis and kind of you have all this talent that you have this aura, you have this confidence, like Lou said, where, okay, if we just happen to turn on the right moment, we get healthy. Someone else happens to have an injury on, you know, you know what I mean? Anything can happen in these next two months in the postseason. So there's inconsistent, the struggles they've had, it's crazy that the Bucks are still looking at them like they're the second best team in the entire Eastern Conference. And the more successful you are, you tend to get bored at the end of the season. This season started in October. You got to think about it. These guys have been all the way to the top. They've seen confetti before. So when you go through the rigors of the season, you're like, I'm not getting up for a Washington Wizards team. I'm not getting up for these, for these type of games. And you might drop those games because you're coming into it without the right mindset. But when it comes to playoff basketball and that switch needs to be turned on when it's win or go home, trust me, you'll see a different group. I think we should all have a bunch of side bets on this Eastern Conference, how it's going to play out. I'd like to take Gail's money. If that's all right, Warriors, like, okay, here's a game that matters. Oh, it matters for both warriors and Lakers. Lakers right now, one and a half games ahead of the Warriors. So if they win, they'll probably have home court if they meet up in the play-in, both trying to avoid the 10 seed and having to play and win two road games to get up into that playoff spot. Anthony Davis and or LeBron Choms. Can we expect both one, none? What's it looking like? Both are questionable, obvious optimism and hope that both can play tonight. This is a massive game for Lakers up one and a half games on the Warriors. If the Lakers win out or they're able to win tonight, win their next two at Memphis Friday at New Orleans to finish the season on Sunday, they have a chance potentially to be the seven or eight seed. If they lose tonight, they have a chance to potentially fall all the way to 10. So really a massive game, high stakes game tonight. Warriors, Lakers in LA. I'm just crazy that we got here. Go ahead. Go on and Anthony Davis are playing tonight. What's happening here? Yeah, there ain't no way. They're not. Listen, like Choms just said, they have a chance to literally get to the eight to nine seed, at least get a chance at two games in the plan to actually solidify themselves as a top eight seed in the West. And you get a chance to go play, you know, the nuggets or the Chamberlubs, whoever it may be, how that shakes out. But this is the game of the night. This is their seasons on the line. They have a chance to really make some ground here to kind of put the Warriors in that sense. If you don't want to be in that nine, 10 game, that is pressure pack. That is one done. You are done. So if you can get somehow that eight or that seven seed, I truly think they can beat New Orleans. And I truly think they can beat Sacramento if they happen to get up there. So they will be all hands on deck tonight. They are playing like this is game seven, the finals. And I love the Lakers tonight. I mean, it's crazy to say this about two teams that are so veteran packed with so much championship experience, but does it matter the home court in this particular case for either one of these teams? How big a deal is this? By the way, Lou, I'm thinking if they win this game and they get up to seven or eight, they're looking at playing the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round and they're confident in that series too. So like, that's how big this game is looking way far ahead. Yeah, you get Minnesota. Then you can avoid the nuggets. If they finish two to the Western Conference Finals. Now we're talking Lakers possibly in the West Conference Finals, just off the wind tonight. Yikes. Stop it. Hey, listen, I don't know about that. You're very optimistic, but listen, the more this season has gone on, I'm starting to believe in the Minnesotans and the OKCs. They are the real deals. These teams aren't going to be an easy out. But like you said, small wins tonight is a huge win. If they can get this one, this can possibly change the trajectory of everything that they're trying to accomplish for this postseason run. You guys, it sounds like a lot of confidence in the Lakers, but do you have any of that same kind of confidence in this Warriors team to get out of the plan and even possibly win a playoff series? Uh-oh. That's what's weird. I like both. I still like both. But if I'm choosing one, I'm going to still say the Lakers are going to get out of this play-in and get one of those positions. Even if they go seven and eight, I think they still solidify themselves and they move, they move four. That 9-10 Warriors Lakers, that would be a bloodbath. Like imagine one of those organizations losing in that 9-10 game and one of them will have to lose, right? And one of them will be bounced way, way earlier than we all expect if that were to be the match. I mean, obviously, that game would get, you know, tons of eyeballs, but that's, that's that would be incredibly difficult for eating those teams. That's why, that's why I'd love the Lakers to win this game and to go up to that 7-8 seed, because then the Warriors and the Lakers both have a chance to be, to lock in that 7-8 seed. I think that's better for the playoffs. It's better for fans. It's better for everybody. I think everyone can agree they'd rather see the Warriors and the Lakers than the Pelicans and the Kings in that, that 7-8 seed. So, but here we are overlooking the Kings again. We got to start. Every time. Sacramento and New Orleans are on you today, Chandler. The minute Malik Monk went down and then Kevin Herter is just like, those are two, those are two substantial guys that helped their team. And same thing with New Orleans, with Ingram out, you know, the up and downs with that team. It's tough, but it's crazy that it's these four teams because they would all make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. It's crazy. So it's a good place to be that, again, the depth of this conference is insane. I personally would just, I'd love to see stuff in the broad and the playoffs. Yeah, it's crazy. The plan might be better than most of the first round. Look at out 9-10. Forget it. Let's get it. I'm kind of doing two. Look at out 9-10. I don't like it. That would be insane. Extension of the March Madness love. All right, Shoms, we're going to, we're going to take a break here. We're going to say goodbye to you. Love you. Meet it. See you in the morning. When we come back, we'll talk a little bit about the West. Lou says he's starting to believe in teams like the Thunder. How much? When Run It Back returns. Oh, this next topic is just straight up for Lou. King's at Thunder, game behind the Thunder Arb, the Nuggets and Wolves for the top seed. King's fighting to get out of the play in there now, of course, at the eight and only a game behind the Suns for the six. We got Jalen Williams, who's just awesome averaging almost 20 a game, four and a half assists, four rebounds. So let's start with him because we know SGA is fantastic. But Chandler, how great has Jalen Williams been and his emergence as a part of this team? He's been unbelievable. And everyone talks about SGA, possible MVP. He's the guy. But when you look at the numbers, the analytics, fourth quarter, it's Jalen Williams time. He's one of the more crunch time players, one of the most clutch players in the league, not just on this team. And it just gives that sort of relief for SGA that he doesn't have to do it all. This is another big guard. He can post up. He can handle and pick and roll and finds ways to score. This is kind of like a Tatum and Brown situation, what we're seeing these two stars groom and everyone's talking about Tatum, everyone's talking about SGA and Jalen Brown, Jalen Williams, these type of guys, they're right there and their stars themselves, his kids and all star, probably as soon as next year, he continues to put up these numbers and his just growth in the short amount of time that he's been in the league from a small college is really, really tremendous. And he's clearly put in the work. He's in the right system and he's got the right infrastructure and the right roster for years to come to really, really keep exploding on the scene and really become a top player in the league. Lou, have you been surprised by what you've seen from him? I mean, maybe it is partly because we focus so much on SGA and chat. Did you know that this was him? No, it's been a surprise. You know, we knew a lot of those guys over there were talented. We didn't know they were this good and we didn't know they were going to be this good that fast. And Jalen Williams has an opportunity to emerge as a hero at OKC going into the playoffs. You know, when the playoff game starts and it's a half court game, they're going to take away a lot of things. They're going to take away some comfort in SGA, whether that's him getting to the middle of the floor and getting in the paint, they're going to try to limit his paint touches. When it comes to the chat, they're trying to, they're going to try to keep him out of pick and roll situations where he can slip to the rim and take away his ability to shoot. So that's going to give Jalen Williams an opportunity to really emerge as one of the best players on his basketball team and will them to a couple of playoff wins if they go into it, taking away some things, you know, from the SGA's and from the Chats. This is going to be a big breakout series and playoff run for him if done right. Yeah. And as we've seen him be, you know, Lou, the playoffs are our next level. So the fact that he's going to be getting these reps, he's going to be the two option getting kind of this exposure with the bright lights. It's going to even, you know, immensely grow his potential on his game, just by simply having this experience of getting to the playoffs this early in his career and being a huge factor. So can we talk coach's awards for a second here right now? The, the Thunder coach Mark Dagnop favorite to win coach of the year. He's followed closely by Jamal Mosley, the magic. So does it matter where they finish Chandler, whether or not he's deserving of this award or is it his no matter what? I think it's his no matter what, just because the youth of this team and kind of how quickly they've just become a top team in the NBA, not only just the Western Conference, but the entire league. We talked about, he, they have the same average as like UNC college basketball team did of us, as far as age, like it's crazy what they're doing. That's why I think most people are hesitant to kind of give them the advantage in the post season, just cause we haven't seen them do that yet. But clearly this kid, this guy, he knows what he's doing. He's put them in the right spots. His offense has been great to have these guards flourish, how he goes small ball with chat to five, but then sometimes he moves them to the four. He's got the personnel to kind of go to do a little bit of everything. His defense has been great all year long. So you got to give him credit and not a lot of people have heard about him. He was with me at University of Florida and he was kind of Billy Donovan's understudy. I think he was actually like a film guy or like a player development guy. And out of nowhere, I saw they hired Mark Degna. I was like, no way. Even in, I spent time with him in Florida, he's been unbelievable. So it's much deserved because nobody thought the Oklahoma City Thunder were going to be here. Like no one thought so that, that to me gives them the edge. Minnesota and Finch, that's also a surprise. Moseley and Orlando, that's also a surprise. But this to me is just a whole another level. And I think he deserves coach of the year. All right, Lou, this is your chance. Fight for the little guy. Let's talk Kings, shall we? I have game ahead of the Lakers right now. So the whole trying to avoid that nine seed and all the goodness that comes with that, Lou, talk to me about the importance of that and why they can do it. Listen, it's probably the most important thing of their season so far. When it comes down to trying to win one game to eliminate Steph Curry from playoff contention, you don't want to be the team in the way of that. You don't want to be in the team in the way of a championship caliber group that knows what it takes to win big games like this. And so if I'm the Sacramento Kings, I'm avoiding this at all costs. We have a term in the NBA do your work early. They have an opportunity to do your work early. So you're not in that position. So get it done now. So you won't put yourselves against the wall where you have to deal with a Steph Curry and a motivated Golden State Warriors basketball team. So I still like the Kings, but if they're smart, get it done before you put yourselves in this position now. I'm sure that's going to be the message coming from coach going into these last few games. I feel like we asked the same question at the end of last season Chandler and I know the injuries for the Kings that you can't predict that. It's just a bad luck part of the whole thing. But are they missing something? Maybe one piece, two pieces to, for us to take them more seriously each year as a contender? Yeah, they are. And they know that they know as good as Fox and Subonis are and the stats they put up this year that they're still overlooked and they still don't compare to kind of these other duos in the league. They're just too elite. They're too good. And when you do have a guy like Monk and a guy like Kevin Herter and they go out at this point of the season, that's a huge blow to them. Especially as we're talking about the possible six man of the year and arguably their best outside shooter that aren't going to be available now in the most important time of the season. So this is a team that we're always going to overlook and they've had an up and down year. They had a great run last year and still we somehow believe more in the Warriors, right? And the Lakers and these big, the bullies and it's crazy, but the Kings are definitely, they're just missing something. And I love Murray. I think they try and do a move where they get off Harrison Barnes this year and kind of add that real third option to kind of put with Fox and some bonus, but like Lou said, as much as the Lakers and they don't want to be in this play in the nine 10 spot, the Kings definitely don't want to be in the nine 10 spot. So when you look at the game tonight, I think this means more to them than it does to Oklahoma City. This game is huge. This is a season saving moment game for them too, where if they can get this, then they're looking at like a New Orleans or Lakers, at least they get the two games in the plan. This is a huge game for the Kings tonight. So I actually, I don't know if they'll win, but if I had to bet, I'm definitely taking Kings plus five and a half, because I think their positioning is more important right now than the Thunders, you know, one through three. Where is this game tonight? At Thunder. At Thunder. Does that matter? Yeah. Yeah. No, it's hard. It's a little tougher than, yeah, a little tougher on the road. Who knows? But I feel like, no, I'm sorry. I still like the Kings in this game. Like you said, highly motivated. OKC could move up in the standings. They can go down. So like I said, it might get tricky with lineups with them too. At this point of the season, trying to go into the postseason in one piece. So who knows? But I like the Kings in this one. Oh, look, another game that has ramifications. Nick's at Bulls. Oh, this final week is a good one. Nick's to the four seed right now. I ask you this, Lou, I'll start with you. If you are the next, do you want to finish in the three seed against the Pacers? You want the four seed where you'll play the Cavs? Or do you just really want to avoid the two, no matter what, where you may play Philly or the Heat? Yeah, I think you want to try to, you want to shoot for that three-spotted. You're the New York Knicks. Right now, the Indiana Pacers look like that's going to be the path for you to get out of that first round. The best path, you know, you don't want to run into the Sixers. You don't want to run into the Heat. You don't want to play those teams. You don't want to run into a Cleveland right now at a four, five matchup. Those are going to, those are going to be tough, even though entertainment-wise, I would prefer them to play the Cavaliers, but if I'm there, I'm trying to get that Indiana Pacers matchup and doing everything I can to get that spot. I mean, are we not thinking the Cavs might be a good one right now? They seem to be the blood in the water. They've lost three, something's going on. Well, Donovan Mitchell's not playing, but if he comes back, that's a completely different series you're looking at. Yeah. And the Cavs, they have, they're one of those teams too that they're sneaky. Like they have talent. They've been so consistent in the one kind of one stretch that, that they were fully healthy. They were the hottest team in the NBA. So when you, when you have that, and you have Donovan Mitchell who's fully healthy and he's, you know, you can go for 40 every single night. I do like that. But Nick's in a good position. They beat the Cavs in the first round last year. I think they ideally would like to avoid them and get to the Pacers, but this is what's crazy about health and the consistency of the whole season long. I think we all could agree that right now we'd rather play the Pacers than the Philadelphia 76ers in the Miami Heat and they're probably going to finish ahead of them. So it's crazy the timing and the injuries and everything, but also I think teams are in this, I think we overthink it too much. I think teams honestly just try and win the game and like we'll let the chips fall as they like don't focus on, I think their coaches, especially a team like New York, don't care. Don't worry about the standings. Don't focus on, focus on tonight, handle our business, the basketball gods. If we try and do this and that and kind of look, overlook this team, like bad things happen. So I think every team is preparing to win. I think if like the Thunder sit down, SGA and Jaylen Williams to me, I think they're obviously okay with losing. You know what I mean? But I think really these guys are still trying to compete. No one's going to go out there and try and lose on purpose. Yeah, I can't imagine that. The only thing to that channeler is the players are going to go out and compete no matter what. But you know, you do have the analytics. You do have staff, you do have the people in the front office that says, listen, not tips. We match up better with this team. We might play hooky a little bit. Hey, you got a little ankle thing going on. Let's rest that ankle and we let's in. We're trying to win the game. But if we don't, it's not such a bad thing. If it puts us in a position to be matched up somewhere that's favorable for us. So now you got to start kind of paying attention to those games being played as well. It does seem complicated. And like there's still three more games left. And with the next two, they can literally get up to the two seed. So I think right now it's too early to kind of fool around with it. I think there's one game left. And you can sure I can sit Jaylen Brunson, because if we lose, great. We play India. If we win, we play the Cavs. We'd rather face Indian. Okay. So, you know, I mean, then do it. But three games left, there's still so much shuffling to happen. It seems like a lot to consider rather than just going out and winning. Like that just seems the simpler way to do it. We're take a quick break when come back. Wemby has a new logo and just like him, it's incredible when run it back returns. Actually, how you say that? So whoever dropped this at Nike during an eclipse day with this logo for Wim and Yamash, I hope they got a race. Guys, initial thoughts when you saw it, Chandler. Yeah, it's sick. Like you said, the fact that they dropped this during a freaking eclipse and the video somewhere in South Texas, the whole thing, I love it. Guys, a freak. He's a freak of nature. He's an alien that it fits. It's beautifully, beautifully done. Do you love it, Lou? I mean, I'm going to get hoodies. I'm going to get pants. I'm going to get, I'm going to get it all. They knocked, they knocked this out of the park. I'm a big fan of this logo. I think it, I think it fits. It matches the persona, the personality, everything that's going on. This is super cool. We can agree on this for Wim. I know. Look at us. All three of us. Wimby's bringing us together and that's just one other thing he does well. Okay, so if in the Mount Rushmore logos, I mean, I'm assuming Air Jordan's first. What do you have on that list? Oh, there's some good ones. I'm a ho, I'm Orlando. I love the Shaq logo of him hanging on the rim. That was one of my favorite logos growing up. I love Kyrie Irving's logo with the, the K and the one in the eye. Kevin Durant's is cool. It's simple little KD there. Allen Iverson's, the I3 back in the day was sick. One cent for Penny. No, that was that's okay. Man, this one might, this one might jump to the top very quickly. Not the top top, but, you know, top three. Can you give me top three? That comes with him building the brand to a place where it's respected worldwide. Like, you know, the jump man symbol isn't even synonymous with Michael Jordan anymore. It stands alone because of, you know, the rich history of that. If he's able to put himself in that position, then sure it can go top three. But right now it's the jump man logo and everybody else. Wait, are you telling me there are people out there that see the jump man logo and don't think Michael Jordan first? It's, my son is four. He has a hundred pairs of Jordans. He doesn't know who Michael Jordan is. That's awesome. So it's crazy to me just because I, that's not my brain, but that's right. This new generation has no idea. Wow. I'm trying to be alive. Well, whenever this merch comes out, I hope we get a heads up because this might be the first time ever that I'm excited ahead of time for some Nike merch. We'll take a quick break. We come back. Clothing and fashion. It's what we do best here at running back. Oh, I missed it. Fit or brick guys. And we are going to start with PJ. There we go. I do try to avoid red, green, all other parts of the year because of the Christmas. Michelle also we're so sweaty. We could never wear these leather pants. I would probably catch something from sweating so bad. You can't, you're not allowed to sweat that much all day long, but it would be good to lose weight, water weight. Jaime Hockes, what do you go? Nope. He's going full L.A. West Coast. Nope. I don't like it. It's just, it's like a giant something. I like it. It looks, it looks, it looks appropriate. It looks comfortable. Don't, I mean that, yes. That I give it a thumbs up. Oh, my favorite coming up. MGK and Trippie Red. Maybe I'm so my age on this thing. Nope. Is it a Louis Vuitton puffer jacket on MGK? That's a Louis, that's a Louis, that's a Louis Vuitton. It's a Louis Vuitton. I don't know. I looked up Trippie Red too. You're right. Kelly Ubre. I mean he could do no wrong. So the Lenny Kravitz-esque. If those first leather pants would do a number on us, Michelle. These tight ass leather pants. They would have to cut us out of these pants, Jaime. Yeah. I'd have to go to Urgent Care to get out of these. But he looks, but he looks perfect. Like I changed nothing. He was in Miami. You know you got to get us down in Miami. This looks sad. It's like wimpy. Yeah. I thought that's why I went like this. It's like a wears, it's like a wears Waldo-y kind of nerd. Why does he look sad, either? I don't know. There's just a sadness to the neck. Everything's sad. I don't know. Nasred. Okay. I like those chrome hearts jeans. I like, I just don't know if I like the top of it. I don't know. It's like an 80s vibe. I don't hate it. Lou. I don't hate this. It re-smops, but the jacket is a little short for my style. Okay. Fair enough. I kind of love it there. I said it. Okay. Not everyone can do it. Definitely not everyone can do it. No. It's like cool nerd. Everybody didn't want to do it. We need to do more. Oh, we're going to leave on that one. Oh, God. See y'all tomorrow.