 Run it up, then run it back, run it up, then run it back. Oh, happy Tuesday morning, bright and early here from Los Angeles, California. You guys want to get right to it? I'm going to do my intros. I'm going to change it up today. Let's start on this, then. Eddie Gonzalez. Woo-hoo! Evan Turner joining us for the always vacationing Chandler Parsons. And stadium insider, Shamsherania, doing some incite-y stuff over here. And I'm going to start the show today. We're going to do six receldigs. I'm going to apologize on behalf of myself and everyone else who doubted playoff James Harden. Guys, something happened. I hope it's the beginning of a trend, because 45 points and leading his team, huge win on the road in Boston. No in beat, of course. This is definitely an upset. Max, he finished with 26 and 4. Tatum, 39, 11, and 5. Brown, 23, 6, and 4. But James Harden was the story from the outfit he wore into the arena to what he did on the court. Shams, how impressed were you? I was impressed. And I think this really started early in the year. And it's not the role that he played last night. But Doc Rivers told James Harden at the end of the year, we want you to be a table setter for this team. This office is going to run through Joel and Bede. And there was no Joel and Bede last night. And yes, throughout the year, James Harden has said, OK, I'll do that. And I think we, you know, everyone has just compared him really to his old greatness. What everyone saw from him in Houston. But it might just be he's just a basketball genius in this way, because he's able to change his playing style, he's able to play as this guy, this maestro of an offense, like an out table set. Yes, he'll score 20 points. But the first prerogative that Doc Rivers has for him is to set everyone else up. That's Joel and Bede, that's Tobias Harris, that's Tyrese Maxey. It's a different role. It's a different playing style that we've seen. So for him to morph his game into that, it's allowed, I think, him to extend his career potentially for four or five more seasons. Because what we're seeing right now is James Harden last night when no Joel and Bede was there. Yes, he tapped back into that scoring ability. I don't think it's not that he can't do it on a nightly basis. He's playing a totally different role and he's mastered it. And I agree with you, Shams. I think one thing that we underestimate is how big of a savant James Harden is. And one thing I noticed last night was where you control the game, the pace he had, or even I remember the one play where he threw it back to Tobias Harris. How you set the table, how you could literally see him set that table three or four seconds before it even happened. The whole night, I felt he had control of the game all the way until he hit the game. Winner, go ahead, step back. Anytime a guy can put 45 points up or even get 15 assists and people try to see this as a down year. Night in and night out, he's had countless double doubles, 20 points, 10 assists, 11 assists, effortlessly. And he's one of the best offensive players ever. And last night, he proved it. Yeah, I'm happy for James because I think he's weirdly become underrated. People were asking if him and him or Jimmy Butler have had better careers. I'm like, yo, we're talking about an MVP, talking about a guy who averaged 36 points a game. This is an all-time great score, whether we like it or not, how he did it, whatever. So for him to be able to turn back the clock to do this, and he did it from the outset, just came out hitting threes, turned his ankle, hit another three, like, and got right to it, it was impressive. And, you know, my running joke for the longest was like the biggest shot of James' career was a January game in Oakland. And it was a great shot over Draymond and he falls on, he is a bigger shot. And that shot to Overhofer to win the game, that was incredible. And it has to be tough guarding him. You know he's going to give you a little fake. He's going to sidestep right. You know he's going to do it. You don't know when. You don't know how. And he does it. And he hits it for the game on the road. And the game, none of us gave them a chance to win. Nobody. And when you break it down, he's saying I haven't been in his zone in a long time. Remember what he did versus Clippers a few years ago? And he'd say, are you in your groove? That dude is swagger. You see the confidence. You see the gear, the clothing he comes in on. That was an outfit. That dude, I mean, he knows who he is. And anytime he can get into his groove, it's going to be a problem for anybody because that handle is just unbelievable and the size and the strength. And he wants a title. Seeing him play for a year and some change in Brooklyn, I know what his focus is. I know what his goal is. And I know we joke about his fitness and his outfits and all this stuff. But he takes this serious. He wants to win a title. That's how he's anchoring his career right now. And he has to know this is one of the better chances he's had in his career. And if he can get through this series, you're looking at the East. You're looking at the Nix. You're looking at the West. You're looking at the West. The West is wide open. You're like, and we get Joel back. How are you going to say the West is wide open when the Denver Nuggets are dominating right now? You're just going to say that, right? Disrespectful, top of the show. You're picking them over the latest. It's like, there's a lot going on over there. And you've got to feel like when he gets Joel back healthy, this is as good a chance as he's had. So he looks motivated. I'm happy for him. He was able to have this night. I feel like he carries around these ghosts of playoff performances past. Game seven. Yeah, exactly. Game six. And the game six won against us. Those are there. And I feel like last night was a huge moment, not just because it was the win, but because of who he is. I mean, at least it felt like that to those of us who might have doubted that he could be the big two guy yesterday with no Joel and B. But there's a moment. There's a pass by Brogdon to Maxi. Can we dissect that? I would like to dissect that. Eddie, take us through this. Well, I do this sometimes at the gym. You know, you're just moving fast. You don't know who's out there. You just think a guy's there. That's the worst. That's the worst. You've maybe not been there. I've been there. I've been there a bunch. I've been there some way. I'm glad he did it. NBA players never make that mistake, though. But he's expecting JT to stay up high, which I think is the problem there. I'm not exactly sure what Jason's doing with the dive either. But it's tough. And it's tough in that moment as well. Everybody stopped. They were so stunned about it. It was late in the clock. Even Maxi looked at the Celtics minutes. It was like, huh? And it got the layup. I couldn't believe it. Because I thought the Celtics had won the game. I thought it was in hand. And that changed everything. Also, shout out, nice pass, Brogdon, NBC Sports out in Philadelphia as their chiron. I just love moments like that in real time. I thought about all the gamblers. I'm like, they are probably playing like the whole time. Like, this whole night, Malcolm bet 3,000 on this game. And Malcolm just gave up my house. That's the whole moment right there. Yeah, it was a crazy game. No one really predicted that one. Somebody must have had Philly with an upset somewhere. I just didn't hear it for an entire day. I'll do Philly for 20. For 20, I'll do Philly for like the light 50. I'm doing Philly. I think what's interesting, I'm going to take it back to James Harden. Maybe we all underestimated when you allow him to play that space style offensive like he didn't use it. Because they have a totally different style. He's trying to win a championship, like you said, Eddie. When your championship winning coach, Doc Rivers, he won that one championship in 2008. When he tells you, this is how we're going to win a ring. You're going to table set. You're going to play within the offense. Yes, you're going to have the ball in your hands a lot. But you're going to be, it's going to be on you to get Joel and B touches and be on you to get all these other guys touches. So you're mentally taking a back seat going into every game. He's still putting up 21 and 11. And I think because we've known him to put up 30 plus points and 10 assists and six, seven rebounds, we were kind of holding it against him to an extent. But last time we saw the offense was spaced out and he did literally everything. And I think the Celtics made the same mistake as well. Because anytime James Harden is in the ISO 101, the advantage could be James Harden, in my opinion. So after he gets going in 34, 3, he has to see doubles. Is James Harden at the end of the day? He loves that step back jumper late in game. Oh my god, I really did. I'm trying to remember the last time I was on the drive. I'm trying to remember the last time I was on the drive for like a foul late in the game. He loves that step back. I get three points out here. Well, I mean, he'll get two. He loves that step back. And they're going to hit the hand. We had a moment between PJ Tucker and Jason Tatum, specifically PJ Tucker to Jason Tatum. The benches did clear. I mean, this was a thing, Evan. Should have been made more. Should we've had a penalty, something? I didn't see. I don't think I saw a PJ like hit, you know what I mean? See him hit him. So I wasn't really tripping. Let's see, hold on. It's the swing around on the right. He was talking to somebody, you know, I think. I think he was yelling. Yeah, I don't think he was on purpose. Yeah, but I mean, the bench is clear. That was about right. I mean, you hit the superstar. He's mad at Maxi. Yeah, you got to pick up that cutter. But that's, you know, that's going to hurt the best man. Like, there's a swinging back fist like that. I don't know what the Marcus Smart thought had been, but look, this accidental. Pete is not dirty. Pete is tough, he's strong. He's not dirty. No, it's just a perfectly imperfect moment for Tatum to be running through that spot. He's not even looking back at Tatum. No, it reminded me of the Vince Olympic nut when he almost knocked KG. Oh, yeah, that was crazy. It just gave us, you know, it was one of those type of moments. So I don't know, it's tough, but that's not dirty. No, I don't think it was dirty, but PJ Tucker has some great stats. This is my favorite first player in NBA history, at least shot clock era, to play at least 37 minutes in a playoff game with zero attempts, period, from both the field and the free throw line. He had zero points, five rebounds, one assist, two steals. That's remarkable. That's when you go into a locker room and coach for the all-dury spat. Like, damn, I can't get in. But he's done that. He did it this season. No, I'm not mad. How many games was it? Yeah, like, if I was a teammate. Yeah, you want to know that. You're a George Neane. You're like, yo, come on, what are we doing? And he's playing 37, like, I can hold Tatum at 39. But he has value, right? Like, that's... I think so, he has to. I think he's a great leader. Great leader. I think there's a lot of intangibles with PJ Tucker. Because how many games was it this year? There was, like, a streak where he didn't shoot at all. Zero points, zero pass for quite some time. And I think their record was really good without him shooting too. It was worth it. Definitely so was. All right, so obviously Joel and B, you saw him there in street clothes. Grants went shirt, by the way. They got the win. I think they surprised themselves probably with the game one win. So, if you're the Sixers, do you rest in for two? You playing with House Money now? Yes, absolutely. 100%. And what's given kind of crazier, look, Paul Reed's not better than Joel and B. We know that he's not better, really, in any way. But to what Shyam said, they get to play a different style. It might be a little more conducive for this matchup. They also get to play a little bit different defensively. He's smaller. He's a little more mobile. Not to say he's better than Joel defensively, either. But this is a team that plays five out. You have to close out all night. You have to scramble all night. It makes a little bit more sense. Give Joel the extra couple of days. We need him as healthy as he can be when he gets in the court. He did not look like he's ready to play basketball in these little clips that are leaking. Take that extra day. You split. You got home court. That's what your goal is as the road team, as the lower seat. And send the big fella back to Philly for some treatment. Meet him out there. I totally agree. Any time you go into a series, you always say you just want to get at least one on the road. So you got that one on the road. You have two or three guards that can really score at a high level. Push the pace. Let Joel rest up. You know, go back and finish off the series. Hardness. Focus. Yeah, for sure. Tell him, get in the line. All right, so all of that being said, they did get one on the road, which means we need to talk about the Celtics. Because we talked that last series was not easy for them. They should be better that you would think. And then this happens. How concerned are you as a Celtics fan, as a Celtic? I mean, I'm not really concerned to be honest with you. Really? No, I mean, you have Jason Tatum arguably, if not the best player in the game right now. You have Jalen Brown, who's one of the best two-way players in the game. You have Al Horford, Marcus Smart. You have a loaded seven or eight players that have high experience, a lot of camaraderie, and he's been through this numerous times. And I think being down 0-1 is not advantageous to him, but it kind of tickles him. They're not nervous. They're not worried. They legit have beat the Sixers numerous times with Joel and B, Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, JJ Ruddick. So now this new age team, I think they can have confidence if they figure it out to do so with the group they're going with. It merely tickles them? I didn't see Jalen Brown struggling to get shot. So last night he shot eight to 10 last night. I didn't see Jason Tatum struggling to hit 39 points. They only made 10-3s, which is a little odd for that team. You would expect them to take and make more. No, I don't think you're all that concerned, especially because Joel and B's hurt. Now, if he comes back and he looks like Joel and B'd, and we're in Philly in game three, and then we gave up the split. Now it's a little different, but I expect them to handle business in game two. And then you go from there. But they had this game in hand. For all of the heroics from James Harden, for everything that was going on, they had this game in hand late and literally threw it away. So I don't think you're too pressed about it. I feel like Boston sports fans are just very nervous right now. You just had an epic collapse on the hockey side. Like, it's just, this feels stressful to me. I mean, that's a real sports city. You know what I mean? You show a little bit of nerves or anything time you go up and down, but they'll be fine. I think Boston, they're fruitful. ET, when you were Celtics assistant coach, did you feel the nerves? No, not at all, because it wasn't going to get blamed on me. I was looking at Brad like, man, you better get this together. You know, but no nerves. You can't comprehend how the game goes. And anytime you have a Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum in your locker room, you're winning 50 games a year. So there's just certain groups that come in where you're like, I hope they're ready for this. But I just truly believe with those type of guys, the type of talent that Jason Tatum is, it's not if more so than when he gets a championship and gets over the hurdle. They had 20 years of Tom Brady out there. I'm not feeling sorry for them. Oh, here we go. That's a great point. Whatever. You know what? You're right. And we still let people think the Celtics won a 2010 championship as well. Oh. You know what I mean? They treat that championship versus Lakers. Like, you know what I mean? They want it. So there's a dinosaur. In their own mind, yeah. I kind of love that for them, actually. There was another game. Eddie, Sons, Nuggets, game two. Good fun. Nuggets with a 10-point win here. They lead that series 2-0. Look, Jokic, 39, 16, and 5. Booker at 35, 5, and 6. Gerana, 24. But he was 2 or 12 from 3. We'll start with Jokic, Evan. Would you call it a statement game for him? I think so. I just think it really puts the Sons coaching staff that in the Bible last game, he beat them distributing this game. They let him go head up. And he had, like, 39. He scored literally every time on De'Andre Aiden. I don't think there's much they can do with him. I think they're going to have to come in the game three with a better defensive plan because they can't stop him. And he's not the only one they can't stop. Well, what is the plan, then? You know, make more shots. What's this heartening for me if you watch that game, if you're the Phoenix Sons? The first game, we had no issue scoring. We couldn't rebound. We couldn't take care of the ball. Right. The second game, they actually had more offensive rebounds than the Nuggets. They almost won the rebounds. There were two rebounds behind. And we had some garbage time. And they had less turnovers. Now you can't hit a shot. So you've lost in two different ways. The Nuggets have mostly stayed the course and did what they did. You have to mulberry struggle in that way that he did last night. You got to win that game. You got to get the split. What's concerning for me is it looked like they tired out both games out there in Denver. You know what we talked about yesterday, that thin air out there, it's no joke. And it's really that bad. It's a real home court advantage. I mean, it is a terrible home court advantage, to be honest with you, especially in this situation. You're going into the playoffs down 0-2. You got a yoke. It's Jamal Murray running down your neck. You can't breathe for the first 24 minutes. So dramatic. You know what I'm saying? Jamal Murray shot 3-15 yesterday. But he hit a big shot late. And he came through when it mattered. But if you hold him to that, you know, to me going into the series, Jamal Murray was the key. You actually stifle him a little bit, and you still lose the game. That's a tough game to lose. I love Nicolae Jokic's comments post-game, where he's just like, I hope I'm lounging at a pool area tonight when the MVP comes out. Like, I do not care. I actually love that. I love him a little bit. The most 30, 10, and 5 games for center in NBA history for Nicolae Jokic. He's got 11. Next up is Karim with 10. Wow. Yeah. What do you have to say about that, Evan? Shoot. You want to poop on his game now? No, I'm going to give him a snare. Oh, we're doing it. We're doing it. Stops all around. Eddie, you're obviously the expert here. Could the sun win for the next five? They can. And I think there's a lot in this series to like. I think they've actually defended well. You hold that team under 100 points, even with an incredible Nicolae Jokic game last night. It's kind of shocking that the issue is their offense. And it was the issue in game one as well. They're just, it just seems like they're not utilizing Kevin and Devin in ways that they should. Even when Chris Paul went out with the groin, which I'm sure we'll talk about, they got right back into their pick and roll stuff with campaign and Jock Landale. And it's like, are Katie and Booker not out there? I'm looking on the court. Like, am I missing something? It doesn't help that Kevin shot 10 to 27 like he did. So he'll have to be better. He'll want to be better, obviously. But they can win these games. They were tight with them. They were up in the third quarter. They'll have home court. They'll feel a little better about themselves. But you've got to win game three. There's no way around it. And I just think you have to be more physical as well. No diss to Deondre Aiden, but you see a lot of those highlights. It seemed like it was met with when Jokic was scoring, it was met with not that much resistance. And I think you have to really be into his body, really do a lot of work before he gets the ball and already to stop him. Because the second he touches the ball, great things happen. And Jokic being a bigger part in it, 39 points, you just can't have that happen. It's not beating you with speed. He's not beating you with anything besides. It's such an awkwardly lovely game. It's so interesting to me to watch him play. No ball pressure, no effort. He's just sizing them up and just shoot. That's a two-time MVP. Mike Malone, he has those guys prepped. And he went yesterday. He put Jokic on a Kogi and Craig when they were in the game. And he put Aaron Gordon on De'Andre Aiden and basically ended the pick and roll for Book and Kevin. And the Suns had to counter that. They had to figure something out. And at the end of the day, they got to make shots. They had a ton of open shots as it ends. And it's from everybody all the way down the line. Book had a great game. Kevin missed a ton of threes. You put Damian Lee out there to make threes. He misses a ton. A Kogi, Craig, same thing. They're getting wide open shots. You've got to knock them down. You're not going to beat this team unless you make some shots. I want to talk really quickly, though, because I feel like Denver might, oh, good Lord. Denver feels like, and we've done it all season long, they do not get the same respect other teams get. Even in this series, they weren't considered the favorite, despite what the number before their team says. Do we owe them an apology as a collective media unit? I think so. And this is a series where I mean, I kept telling people this is going to be a tough series for me. Please do not overlook this team. They have a ton of continuity. They have a two-time MVP. They know what they're doing. And they have home court. I do think all year long, we looked at them as a foe contender. We looked at them as a pretender. And I think we're still going to look like it, even if they win this series, because they were like, OK, now beat the Warriors. Let's see, or beat the Lakers, beat LeBron. Let's see it. And it's going to be that until they win it, but that's how it goes. And they got to prove us wrong, and they might. They just might. Absolutely. I agree with you. I think one thing that occurs is showing the consistency in how real they are. The past couple of years, they got to early as it from the playoffs in the second round. So in my personal opinion, we have a two-time MVP, a certain situation like that should not happen. So I think when you're having LeBron James flowing around and Steph Curry flowing around, or the Sun's out of KD, you can't fix your lips to be like, yo, this is Denver's time. And it's like, how, where, who, what. They have a lot to prove. They're proving it. Yeah. More than other teams, it seems. CP3 did leave the game with the groin tightness shams. I'm looking at you. What's the latest? Groins are tough. I mean, anytime you pull a groin, a hamstring, those are those soft tissue injuries where you pull them, it's tough to heal from. I'm told he's going to have an MRI later today. They're going to know more. But their next game is on Friday. And I think he's got to be uncertain for Friday, given there's Tuesday, Wednesday, and then Thursday. We got three days between games. But I don't know if groin injuries heal in just three days, so especially when you're Chris Paul's, he's a veteran. Advanced age, is that what you're trying to say? In basketball terms, obviously. But listen, it's going to be tough with three days to heal from this groin injury. That is a long break in between, though. You have had a groin injury? That's a three-day thing? It doesn't sound like a three-day thing. No, not at all. Tell us about it. I mean, it's just uncomfortable, for sure. I mean, honestly, you're just risking yourself to, if you really want to play, you're going to be hampered by anything, any crazy acceleration. You feel like you're going to pull it again. But do you look at it if your ham is like, my window is? My window is over. He should be playing. I have to go. Yeah, that whole ham, like, yeah, it's it. It's like it's 18th time you're injured in the playoffs. Does have, makes me wonder in a previous life what Chris Paul might have done to somebody, because he does have bad luck when it comes to this. Oh, I know. The groin is tough. I mean, remember AD last year, had the groin came back, tried to force it, and basically immediately injured it right again. That's one of those places, you know, the hamstring, the groin, can't stand, can't sit, can't let, you'd feel that no matter what you do. And then you want to run and jump at full speed. Yeah, and then the other opposing team knows you're injured, so they're attacking you every single night, so every single play. Did you hear that, Nicks? Just I'm just shutting that out for later today. But if you don't have CP3, though, and this you're already down to what happens? Kevin Durant, you get a full, you know, full, you know, of course, with Kevin Durant, I want to see him shoot 40 times. And then but shoot 30. And then we see what's going on after the game. You go with your Jimmys and Joes. I mean, rose-tenant glasses, you say, hey, if they have offensive identity issues, you take him off the court. Now you have to use those guys. Now you have to let Kevin and Book run pick and roll, get into their spots, do what they like. You have no choice. But again, like I said, last night, I watched campaign come into the game, immediately run pick and roll with Doc Landell. So maybe you don't have to, but you should. Absolutely should. Break time, guys. When we come back, Shoms. No pressure. The scoop on Jimmy Butler's ankle. And are we buying that the Clippers need to bring back Russell Westbrook? PG thinks so. When run it back, returns. Run it up, run it back, yeah, yeah, run it up, run it back, run it up, run it back, run it up. I hope Jimmy Butler's ankle slept well. Well, Austin, I mean, I'm hoping for your sake, I guess, as well. But then you also have Julius and Jalen. There's a lot going on, Shoms in this game tonight between the Knicks and the Heat, but Butler update. Yeah, I'm told Jimmy Butler wants to play. I think he's gonna try to play as today goes on. The one good thing that I've learned in the last 24 hours, the ankle isn't as serious. That sprain wasn't as serious as we all saw. I mean, it was a gruesome looking injury when he first had it. Obviously he was down on the floor. Very rare when you see Jimmy Butler, you know, kind of on the ground for that amount of time and just going through what seemed to be a pretty painful injury. But I'm sure we'll learn more in the coming hours. Hella swollen is what they were saying. By the way, I think between he and Jalen Brunson, I can't imagine either one of them saying, no, I'm gonna sit. They're gonna try, right? You got to. Those two guys, I mean, we say that in Julius Randolph's set in game one, but again, not every ankle turn is built the same. You've been there. Ankle turns are part of basketball. Yeah, for sure. By the way, Evan, can you dissect this video of him walking? Give us your doctor's idea of what we're looking at. And let's get that to me. I think he'll be better once adrenaline kicks in. Oh, that's fair. Torto, like you said. Adrenaline and other stuff. Yeah, then, you know, you got the training staff. You tape the ankles the right way. Once you see that first shot go in, still, you're good. Plus the garden's gonna be electric. All of that, I feel like. It's gonna hurt after, but. He played in that game still. He didn't miss a minute. So I don't, he should sit and get a little better. But yo, if you can take a tour lead back home. Yeah. And you had that opportunity? I don't see him giving that up. So I expect to see Jimmy Buckets out there today. Yeah, I just hope everybody plays. And if he sits, no disrespect to the heat, but they're already missing hero. Pretty just like the Ola Depot. Ola Depot, I mean. It's gonna be very, very, very hard. I don't know if they have something they can do with James Harden did last night. No. That's what I'm saying. I love Max Trues, Duncan Robinson. We had a couple sightings from him, but, you know. That ain't it? Yeah, I don't know. That's not gonna do it? Coach Spoe and them are great, but I think he might need something else. The pressure on Jimmy. Let's just play Jimmy. Like, it's not my ankle, but let's just play. Yeah, right. It's so easy for us to sit up here, comfortable. A little, you buy in that time right now, the ringer release. I love lists. You guys know I love lists. They release, they're updated player rankings. These are updated. Yoakich is one. Yannis is two. Steph is three. You buying it? I think Steph Curry's better than both those guys on that list right there, to the truth be told. I mean, I've kind of, look, every time a guy plays good or bad, we have to have a list and figure out where they are. It's at 10 all time, and now Kevin is like 23rd out there yesterday, and Steph is three all time after the other day. I'm kind of sick of lists, but they got that one wrong. And then I'll do restrict to Yoakich and Yannis. To also put that out if Yannis goes home and tells us that losing doesn't matter and nobody loses or fails or whatever the quote was. Well, look at spiculous. Whatever the quote was. I just, you know, but hey, it's all in the path to success or whatever they said. Yeah, now I agree with you, Eddie. I wouldn't mind putting Steph at the front and adding a couple other players. I'm a big Yoakich and Yannis fan, but you know, I kind of like my guys a little bit different. Is this because you guys are American flag waving fools? No, I never wave the American flag a day in my life. Okay, okay. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Not once. Same. You know what I mean? I would love to, you know, root for those guys, but you got Chef Curry. I mean, that dude is unbelievable. You have LeBron James still running around. You have Kevin Durant. Say that again. LeBron. LeBron James. LeBron James, LeBron. And like I said, I'm a big Tatum fan, so I still think- That's your boy. That's your Yoakich. That's my guy, but I like Tatum more than Yannis and Yoakich. You know what I'm saying? And that's- That's the one, the social team, that's the one they're gonna put up and they're gonna have to answer to all of it. I like Tatum better than Yannis and Yoakich. And I think- I love JT. That's my guy. Yeah. No. I don't know if I'm putting him above Yannis. Yannis? But look- That's- I love JT. I love his game. I love what him and Drew Hanlon put together and all that good stuff. And look, 39 last night, and he's still playing. Yes. I was gonna say, is this because Yannis is not playing right now? He got Yannis out of here. I'm talking about any other, like Yannis was playing. Okay, even if- Yannis, like the Bucks are playing, like I might be like the best players in the game or like Tatum Brown, Holiday, Yannis. Dang. That's aggressive. Don't put that up. What? What's happening right now? Nevermind, I'm tweaking. Let him talk. Let him talk. You out of here cooking? I saw- Keep adding names to the list before Yannis. I'm finna get black balled. So let me ask you, where's Joel and beat him? That's what I wanted to know. I got Joel and beat top five for sure. I got- Your top five has eight players. So my top five doesn't have those two. Okay. Oh, right. Okay, so that's what I'm saying. Tatum and Brown. I'm not even having like... All right, so for instance, my top five right now, okay, I'm gonna have John, beat Steph Curry, Tatum. I'm gonna have to throw, I guess, the Brian in and right now, for shits and giggles. Too late. For giggles, Jimmy Butler, sure. Right now, I'm just saying right now, I'm throwing in a five. I would like to take Jimmy Butler before Yannis for obvious reasons. You're gonna go viral today. What is happening right now? I apologize for that. And I hate it too, bro, damn. I feel like if we just let you keep talking, this whole show is just gonna get better and better. I'd have Katie in my top five over Jimmy. He'll probably taste Tatum, but, you know, hey, I like it. Oh, God, it's just getting awkward. I feel like Kev goes without saying, to be honest. No, you have to say it when you're putting a list together. That's how lists work. Throw Kevin Durant out, Jimmy. Throw Kevin Durant in, Jimmy, you're out. Jimmy, you're out. Just like that. Man, I'm gonna- Is that decent? I'm gonna ask you again tomorrow. This whole thing will be different. It's solid. It's solid. I think people will feel the way about Jason, but I think Jason is really that. I think he's probably the best young player in the league. And it has to be respected, it says. All right, tomorrow we'll ask you again and see if it's changed. I'm gonna write it. I'm gonna write it again. I cannot wait. Paul George was talking about the addition of Russell Westbrook to the Clippers roster, because you know they're done and stuff, so now you have to answer a bunch of questions before you leave. He's proved he's a leader. He does everything on the floor. He's so valuable. We know it works. We gotta get Russ back. That's the quote, Evan. Are you buying that the Clippers need to bring him back? I definitely think so. You always heard that Russ has been a great teammate, a great competitor. I think his skillset and everything is something you need. And if you don't have anything better, why give him up? You see they're trying to see what happened with John Wall. They kept trying to find point guards to put in that situation and make it work with them. I think Russ would be great to have back in the locker room and from a competitive standpoint. Yeah, I think when you talk about the Clippers, it's always if healthy, if the Clippers are healthy. But if the Clippers are healthy, he's a point guard that makes a ton of sense for them. And you saw what he did in that playoff series. You saw the value of Russell Westbrook, the aggressive player who crashes the boards. And look, we know he doesn't shoot well, but on a team with wings like that, with Paul George, with Kauai Leonard, he could set the table. He can be energy for that team. He's the point guard that actually needs. So I do buy it. I actually think he will be back. I'm happy for Russ that he was able to prove himself on that stage that he belongs in this league and he's a valuable player in this league. He's available. Yeah, his availability is huge too. And same thing going back to James Harden. We've got this thing where we've tore down Russ for so many years now. Now he's underrated in this really weird way and he can be valuable for a team like that. He had a great series and he didn't shoot great in game one, game five, but he galvanized that team and I think they need him. I got Russ in my top five too. Exactly. Got him there. I never doubted it for a second. I had a youngness in Yoki. The longest top five ever. You know what, do you think Paul George and Kauai Leonard, I mean look, they're superstars, but they're also superstars. We barely get to see play together. Are they comfortable at night? Because what if the decision is, let's just blow this whole thing up so we can have a real team ready to go in the new building. I just don't see who else you go get. I get it, but this is not good either. Yeah, for sure, and I'm being heard isn't great, but who else are you going to go get? Like if there's nobody out there to go get it, you blow this whole thing up, would you rather sit and wait for them to go the sixth seat again and try to make another run at it or just trade in two great two-way players and wait for... It's not great. It's a weird situation to be in, to have those two guys and also just be like, don't know what to do next. You're probably sitting there saying, what are the odds of this many injuries? At some point, the clock has to reset. 90%. Now, you play that out. The problem is they're legitimately great, both of them, all of them players. They're gonna walk into the hall of end of matter, what happens from here. And when we have them on the court at the same time, if you're looking at these playoffs right now, you're like, we could run with any of these teams. And you're gonna say that, and you're gonna say that again in October and you're gonna hope they're healthy when you need them and we'll see. But it's not just them that gets hurt. Well, and B's hurt. Like Jimmy Butler's hurt again, like that's the league. But they get the spotlight because of the load management thing. Like they were front and center doing that, so blatant about it. And then, of course, we're gonna pick on them more. Guys, take a deep breath. Crack the neck for this next one. Because it's time to talk about Dylan Brooks. Find $25,000 for skipping media availability. He told the Memphis media that he's not changing his trolling ways, and I quote, Nope, that's who I am. I don't regret it. I'm a competitor. I compete. One might wanna describe what competing actually looks like in a closeout game. But Evan, are you buying that he regrets nothing? I'm not buying it, because I obviously erase the social media. Obviously. And certain stuff like that, he wouldn't talk to the media. But I believe he's still going to lick his wounds and come back and be the same person. I believe he will. In what uniform? Yeah, in what uniform who knows. I believe a B in the NBA won't be in China like people are saying. But when it comes down to it, I think he knows how to be one way. And I think sometimes you're just not on the wrong door. And I think he learned that lesson. But he wouldn't be in this league. I don't think the Grizzlies would be in a position or in without a mindset that he had and that culture had with, you know, having a, you know... A troll. A big troll. Yeah, a troll, you know, mentality and going at something the best, you know. I mean, it wreaks of regret though. He wreaks of regret right now. I mean, his actions say different. He was way more timid on the court after LeBron, you know, mowed him down and gave him the conversation he had. Mowed him down. He was just... That's tough. He was just a whole different guy. And then he does the walk. Thoughts and play. Like deletes the stuff. He said, mowed him down. Down is rough visual, but not... I love that video because then LeBron just goes in dunks. Somebody said he just flew off like a superhero. It was like a movie scene. Like it was completely scripted and ready to go. He's gonna have to play with that energy for the rest of his career. He's gonna have to be a scrappy guy. He's gonna have to be a defensive player. He's gonna have to be a PJ Tucker. Yeah, for sure. And you have to come with that at all times. Maybe he won't do it in the media so much. Maybe he'll be a little more reserved. PJ doesn't talk crazy in the media. He probably talk crazy only at court. But he's gonna have to do that. And so in that sense, does he regret it? Of course, because he stopped doing it. We watched him. He shut down completely. That's the part I don't understand. Like, Evan, if you're a player like Dylan Brooks, who's like relying on this bravado to be the person that you, the player that you are, what would you have done this? Would you have just continued to triple-double down? Or would you have kind of taken a step back like he... You gotta triple and double down because you said what you said. And the narrative already, when he's screaming out media, media, media, you gave that narrative as is. And it's a hot topic. You're gonna run with it. And I thought this though, you should have just went down on his, on his shield, went out on his shield and bought it a day, you know what I'm saying? I defended him. I thought the whole thing was entertaining. So that's why I'll probably be the hardest on him now. Because it was such a disappointing ending. I would have respected him like doubling down. You know what? Oh, heck yeah. He still hasn't scored 40. You say what you want, you know? I would have respected that. You have to double down. Go on your foxhole. That's a little different. No, it's not a good look. Kyrie Irving was spotted court-side at that Grizzlies Lakers Game Six. Conspiracy theories abound, Eddie, that the reunion is upon us. Are you buying it? No, because I think the Lakers are happy with what they have right now. And that's what the thing is, and there's less drama. I love Kyrie, but there is less drama with Dan's little Russell and Dennis Schroeder. And the guys they have there, it's crazy to say less drama on a LeBron James team. But I think they're gonna stick with what they got. I think Kyrie will test the market. But if you think about it, and Shoms knows Shoms has reported it, the Lakers had multiple chances to go get Kyrie. And at each stop, stop just short. So I don't see it. I think what he's doing, the court-side thing, is a great sneaker tour. He was also in Sacramento, though. As I'm saying, he went to the Kings, yeah. So it's a sneaker tour. Maybe he's just going to see Gays of the Stubborn. Great promo for his new sneaker. His private jet out. Which we still don't, yeah, there they are. We don't know much more about it. It's very elusive on the internet to get information on these shoes. It's very Kyrie to have a mysterious shoe. I kinda like them. That's like the most Kyrie thing ever. They look very designer. I like to see another colorway, you know? I like to see the basketball version, but I like what he's doing. I don't hate them. I don't hate them at all. Taking a quick break here. When we come back, the man, the myth, the legend, he who lives the best of lives, Chandler Parsons will join us live for a couple. I don't even know why we live. We just laugh when we see him. He's funny. That's all it is. That's all it is. Run it back, run it back, run it back, run it back. Tell me about the league you're starting up. I believe it's called One City. Just give me the breakdown of what you're about to launch. Well, you know, when I was here in Chicago playing for the Bulls, I did a lot of work in the community. One of the things that was really powerful to me was doing these tournaments where we're bringing kids from different backgrounds playing against each other. Chicago is a place that gave me everything I had playing for the Chicago Bulls. So I always wanted to do work in the city. It's a, the city's divided in a lot of ways. And one of the ways to unify the city is through hoop. You know, just like we were talking about some of my best friends to this day are from playing basketball. And that's what we're trying to do. You know, we're trying to unify the city. So we're working with 28 violence prevention groups and we're doing a big tournament. That's why we're unifying the city through this tournament. We're bringing in all the OGs. Obviously the basketball is the way to bring them in but the programs that are gonna come in after is the real piecework. And you know what? I'm really proud of it. I'm proud of all the OGs who are a part of it. Shout out Kobe Williams. We also have Arnie Duncan on board. So I'm really excited about all the people who are helping us with this. And it's really special just to be able to come back to the city and do something positive. Yeah, so, you know, in my conversation with Joe Kim, he also broke some news about his involvement in Chandler Parsons going to Florida if we have this. I didn't know this. I'm on a show with Chandler Parsons. Is there any message you want to give to Chandler Parsons right now? Shout out to the white horse. Chandi, man, I love you, man. That's my little bro as well. You know, don't forget, you know, who got you at the University of Florida. You know, we're gonna keep that between you and me but the white horse, I love you, killer. I mean, that's a good nickname. White horses asked. We would have also accepted. And he joins us now live from Cabo. What did Joe Kim do to get you to Florida? We got it here. Yeah. What was being thrown onto the table? What's the real deal here? Tell us, please. As this show gets picked up on Netflix, there's no, I can tell you guys that, but that's one of the greatest human beings I've ever met in my life from on the court to off the court. Joe Kim know everything he does in this community, everything he does in his hometown. He's just a fantastic dude and I love him to death. I'll say this. I had five official visits scheduled my senior year in high school and Florida was the first one and I signed on Sunday after doing things for the first time and canceled my other visits. So it was an incredible weekend and he was the best host of all time. My brain is running wild with what I think it could be. Yeah, I know. This is a bad thing. I don't think so. I don't know exactly what it was. Fill in the blanks. That's exactly what we think it is. Yeah, I feel like I'm probably not wrong at all. Chandler, we're gonna get to the games tonight but your reaction first before we do that to harden, what was it? It was, it was fantastic. I mean, all year long we've been kind of saying he's taking a backseat, he can't score anymore, he's Joe Al's the guy, which has been true and he's been very passive, he's been the facilitator, he's kind of turning his point guard and he went into this game and he's saying all the right things too. He's saying that it's just one win, it's just he's getting on his teammates but he was unbelievable, he was efficient, he was getting to the spots, he was getting to his pull-up, he was knocking down three's, he was hitting big shots late in his pat and little bang bang step back, right? It was an unbelievable performance and I know he said that they didn't expect to lose this game. I don't know if that's necessarily true but they came in here with not that much pressure to win the game and I think they took advantage of it. I thought Tiberius Maxi was great, I thought Tobias Harris gave them something and this is obviously a huge start because however long this series goes on that just gives the big fella more time to get ready and get that knee right but unbelievable performance by him and he just showed us he's still one of the more elite scorers in the league. I mean, it's arguably one of his best games of all time. Heatnix tonight, that's one of the games, the first one, must win for New York? I think so, I think this is definitely a must win. You have to get one at home before you hit the road and I think right now, in order to get that rhythm and that feel and get confident in this situation, you can't go down 0-2 hitting a road going to Miami. You've seen they had confidence to sweep last series and not sweep, but win four quick ones and you just can't fall behind. Yeah, Chandler, we still have Brunson and Randall, they're both being listed as questionable and we won't know for a few more hours at least. If in fact they don't go, who steps up for this next team? I mean, you gotta look to RJ Barrett, you gotta look for quickly having a better game than he did game one, but this is tough and it seems like there's a lot of injuries this year. He can't just point to one team, it seems like every team has gone through this and that's honestly just part of it. Look at the Heatnix, they don't have Aladipo, they don't have Tyler Hero, so it's hard to say that injuries are really affecting the series because they're both banged up but it's gonna be tough. It's already tough without Randall and now Jalen Brunson, I think he's their best player, he's the engine that gives that team going, the way he sets up their offense, the way he gets points for them, it's gonna be a tall task and like Evan just said, going down two games to Miami against Jimmy Butler and this team and this culture, that's not, it's possible. Obviously we just saw it with Golden State and Sacramento but they gotta get this one or it becomes a real doozy for them. Second game of the night, Lakers Warriors Game One. Let's put some pressure on some people, Chandler. Who feels it more, LeBron or Steph to advance? Oof, I mean, this is a big legacy series for both of these guys. I think it's more pressure for the Warriors. I think the Lakers already exceeded expectations by getting here, by beating the Kings, by making the moves they did to even getting the playoffs. I feel like their season has already been successful and I know they're not gonna say that, I know they're gonna want to obviously survive and advance and keep going but we're looking at the end of an era possibly with the Warriors if they lose this series and this could be the last time you see Steph, Dreymon and Clay together. So I think the pressure is for them, I think they know they're the better team. It's crazy that the sixth seed and they got home court advantage on to win the last time that's happened but just shows how competitive the Western Conference has been all year long and it's anybody's game but this is exciting. Is this two of the greatest players of all time that can really just put a stamp on their legacy by whoever moves forward? Yeah, I think the most pressure is on LeBron. I don't really see Steph Curry really getting nervous. I don't really see Clay Tams really getting nervous. You know, just judging from, you know, how some of the guys acted on a bench and for the Warriors, I don't think they see the bigger picture to really get nervous. So I think this is all a huge part of LeBron's legacy. Like we are you before, you know, you have Steph and LeBron, two of the best players of the era of the generation and I think this kind of, it's one of the last few battles in our head that really solidifies who's really running what. So I see all pressure on the Lakers. Pressure is a funny word but I'll throw a different guy out there. Anthony Davis, this is a series of a bunch of Alzheimer's. You know, two of the greatest of all time. Anthony Davis can put his stamp on whatever his legacy is here. He's a guy we all constantly go just like Kauai and Paul George. If he's healthy, if he's healthy, we'd look at him in that way. If he dominates this series. So I say after what we just watched happen to Manus Monas and he can help push the Lakers to the win against the reigning champs against Steph at this peak that he's at. And now we're looking at Anthony Davis different. So I think it's a big series for him. I think it's a good matchup for him too. Steph Curry, LeBron James, both have a chance to get five rings this season. We think Chandler, legacy's on the line. I can't wait to argue that. That's what I'm saying. It's a huge stamp of approval for whoever gets going through. Obviously they're both are gonna be first ballot. They both have had a hell of a career. But this is huge series for both of them. Just where they are in their career, what their season's been, kind of the up and down rollercoaster. Both these teams have been on. It's unbelievable to think that one of these teams of everything they've been through is gonna go to the conference finals and it has a lot to do with LeBron and Steph. Chandler, thank you for joining us on your own show today. We appreciate it. Tomorrow it's a boat or nothing. Next time he'll tell us exactly what Joe Kinoa did. Yeah, or just text us in the thread. We won't. We won't say. Yeah, no. Get him a drink. By load of management, almost done. By the way, between this outfit last night, James Harden's 45-pointer and the Met Gala, mm, fitter brick is chef's kiss today. That's coming up next. Run it up, run it back, like a running bat. She knowin' all over the map, cause she makin' clout. With a short son, or this girl mad in Ohio. Oh man, Fandle, the only sportsbook app where you can bet the Kentucky Derby. Right now, all customers. Get a no sweat Derby bet up to 20 bucks. That's right, you get up to $20 back. If your Derby win, Met doesn't win. What are you waiting for? Bet America's number one race on America's number one sportsbook. Head to Fandle and get your no sweat bet in for the Kentucky Derby. There you go, sound effects are free. Fit or brick? I mean, obviously we start where the whole world was chatting last night about the outfit that James Harden walked in on. Now remember, you don't have the benefit from hindsight. You don't know if he's gonna have a good game or a bad game when you see this man walk in with this muppet thing that's got goin' on. Now what do you think? The material must have felt great. It must have been high class material. Wow. I love a good set. I love that he's daring enough to even do that. It kind of adds weight to him. It's an interesting, fast choice. I like the jacket a lot. I actually like the jacket with the pants or an acquired thing. They're kind of costuming. Yeah, the Elmo joints. The mic was out of your pants style. You can really do anything on the court. I think it is kind of fun though. I do not hate the jacket. I like the leather. I think we would all wear the jacket. We could all wear the pants together, which is kind of fun. I mean, the James Harden percent is just, I think it's pretty dope though. Here we go. Hat backwards, sunglasses indoors, Chris Paul. I respect like a late 30s dad vibe. Pfft. As a late 30s dad, I respect the vibe. I mean, look, I'm a big fan of tank tops. Well done. Yes, the Met Gala giving us I like this a lot. Look, especially Westbrook, a lot of shit. The pearl necklace is not cheap. The light behind him is kind of making the shoulder look crazy. Oh yeah, you're right. But I really like what he did here. Shout out to Russ. Deserves the invite. Okay, but he wasn't the only guy representing last night. I was shitting the ball. Giltus Alexander. I mean, that's pretty cold too. No, that is not. I like every piece of this. I like the bow side. I would wear every piece of this. Is that like a, do they call that a coat? That's probably Chanel or something. It is definitely Chanel. Is there like a flashier named in Coke? What he's got on? I don't know. It's a drip. It is. I mean, he's got like, and then Dwayne Wade who we've gotten used to seeing him at the Met Gala. He's a staple. And then he got on his chopper and drove off on his bike with this one. I don't like this one. Is that like a biker jacket? That's what I'm saying. I don't know, but. Is it because it's sleeveless? Would you prefer sleeves? I actually liked it. Look, if my arms looked that nice, I wouldn't never wear sleeves. So I respect that. But the gloves, like it's a lot of it. If Gabrielle Union's telling me I look nice, I'm like, and people are like, I'm good. I'm like, wait, what'd you think babe? That's it for us. Nick's super fan, Michael Rappaport on the show tomorrow. I'm sure we'll get words in edgewise. Enjoy the games.