Pizza, Playoffs, And Petty Debates

Spilled beer on the soundboard, a busted molding kit story we probably shouldn’t admit, and the most heartfelt sports gift a kid could get—this one swings from laugh-out-loud to gut-level real. We start with tech chaos and college flashbacks, then drop into a group sex-store run that turns into a meditation on curiosity, embarrassment, and growing up. From there, a mother’s handwritten letter gifting tickets to Michael Jordan’s final All-Star Game reframes what All-Star Weekend used to mean and what it’s missing now.

We go deep on the NBA’s midseason showcase: why Rising Stars feels forgettable, how the three-point contest still slaps, and why the dunk contest keeps chasing juice it can’t bottle. Our take isn’t “get the stars” so much as “set the stage”—clear judging, smarter formats, and real officiating so players don’t weigh injury risk over effort. And we make the case for Anthony Edwards as the league’s most compelling American face: funny, authentic, fierce on both ends, and unafraid of the mic. Along the way, we nerd out on dunk mechanics, vertical, and why alley-oops can be deceptively easy when your timing is right.

Then the NFL receipts come out. We own our misses and call what mattered: the Falcons’ coaching and QB gaps, the Patriots’ surprise path through the AFC East, the Texans’ growth and Jaguars’ steadiness, the Bears’ surge, the Packers’ near-miss, and the thin line between KC’s aura and actual regression. It’s not just who’s good; it’s who stays good when chaos hits. Finally, we pivot to culture: Cardi B’s algorithm-proof magnetism, and a clear-eyed critique of Stephen A. Smith’s presidential flirtation. We unpack what “defund the police” actually means—reallocating duties and resources—and why better messaging matters as much as better policy.

You’ll laugh, you’ll argue with us in your head, and you’ll leave with takes you can defend. If you’re into smart sports talk with real life baked in, hit play, share with a friend, and tell us: who’s the real face of the NBA right now? And which NFL prediction did we botch the worst? Subscribe, rate, and drop your take in the comments—we’re reading every one.

Transcript

Beer On The Soundboard & College Tech Fails

SPEAKER_06 0:38

So probably how we doing man.

SPEAKER_01 0:40

See, I thought that the intro that you were giving us was about to be like a 90s bull intro. I thought you'd be like, and now that's what it sounded like you were saying. But I'm doing fantastic. How are you doing today, Lee?

SPEAKER_06 0:54

Man, not too bad. You know, uh I I I had a pretty good day until this soundboard thing happened when I was trying to get everything set up and spill the beer on it. Um it's not the first. It's not the first uh piece of important technology that I spilt booze on and uh messed it up. Uh sophomore year at Morehouse. Sophomore year at Morehouse. I do believe it was sophomore year, maybe junior year. Now it's junior year. Uh I was drinking some wine. Uh Carlos Rossi Sangria to be exact. If you want to call that wine.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

Sounds like Kool-Aid with liquor, but go ahead.

SPEAKER_06 1:41

And I um I spilt it. I was like doing some schoolwork or probably tweeting or something, and I like knocked the glass over and it just spilled all over my laptop. And then you know, in college, fucking up your laptop is a problem. And I didn't have money to get my laptop fixed. Nor did I want to call my mom and ask her for the thousand dollars that it would cost to get it fixed because well at that point she might as well get you a new one. But no, I had active work and papers and I had stuff on, I needed the computer.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

I didn't need this when USBs were no longer, we had cloud.

SPEAKER_06 2:29

Well, no, no, this is this is pre-cloud.

SPEAKER_01 2:31

This isn't having it on a USB.

SPEAKER_06 2:34

Well, I didn't have everything on a USB. I didn't have and so I ended up getting a hard drive after this computer died, and I backed it up, and now I have like so many external hard drives with so much stuff on it because of that. But long story short, yeah, but long story short, I did half a semester without a laptop as a yeah, like software, no junior. No, junior years. No, no, no, it was it was junior year because I wasn't in my major.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

Well, that's when it matters.

SPEAKER_06 3:05

So I had to like take notes the old-fashioned way, and I would write my papers in the RTC building.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

Probably duty a student, though.

SPEAKER_06 3:16

No, no, not at all.

SPEAKER_01 3:18

No, you're still fucking around, huh?

SPEAKER_06 3:22

Well, here's what Boyn said after I graduated, he was like, Adam, when you left, man, my GPA like really went up. I didn't realize you didn't really do shit. I was like, no, bro, I was a poly side major. Most of the semester I was supposed to be reading and writing a few papers. So I only worked like junior senior year when you're deep in your major, you know, I'm only doing work on days that I'm writing papers.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

Well, shout outs to Boink. Um, just because in general, I understand where he's coming from because that meant that we were in a serious major because we were all in Bank of America, where you kind of had to you could finesse your way, but you had to fucking do work. You had to do work in that building.

SPEAKER_06 4:06

Hey, look here. I I was uh I was a part of the second largest department in the school.

SPEAKER_01 4:14

Aren't we the largest?

SPEAKER_06 4:15

Yeah, niggas go to Morehouse for three things business, preaching, and politics slash law.

SPEAKER_01 4:22

Yeah, it makes a lot of sense, though.

SPEAKER_06 4:24

You went for business. I did the politics.

SPEAKER_01 4:29

It does. I'm telling you, it makes a ton of sense. Now, the back to the beginning of me asking why what when was the first time? You know, I was a little shocked. I thought that you were gonna say my sex toy robot.

SPEAKER_06 4:45

Why would you say that? I don't have a sex toy robot.

SPEAKER_01 4:48

I know you don't, but we can joke around on this channel. I I don't I don't see anything wrong with that. We're gonna take the fun out of the joke.

SPEAKER_06 4:56

Hey, you want to hear a funny sex toys uh story?

SPEAKER_01 5:00

Yes, I like to laugh.

Sex Store Tales And Molding Kit Misadventures

SPEAKER_06 5:02

There was a time in my life, uh, and I was in a distant relationship, distance relationship, and so uh we ordered a molding kit.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

Oh man, I already know where this is going, but continue, please.

SPEAKER_06 5:19

It didn't work. We bought like two molding kits, like one for each of us.

SPEAKER_00 5:25

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_06 5:26

So we could, you know, take it with us. Make the make the face before you left. Yeah, yeah. Like, well, no, like sent. Like, so we we I don't know if I think we maybe had them delivered to me, maybe her, I don't remember, and then like I flew out there and then we hung out for a long weekend, and then before we left, we were gonna do make our toys for each other. Yeah, we fucked up and we didn't make the toys, it just didn't work.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

I have never used a sex toy.

SPEAKER_06 5:56

Me neither.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

Well, you tried to.

SPEAKER_06 6:00

Well, yes, but I was in a relationship and we weren't in the same geographic location, and we wanted to uh simulate as much as possible so we could maintain used it, it just didn't work. No, no, no, no, no, no. Like I'm talking about like in the in the in the in the molding process in the drying and all of that. Oh, it never even got completed. We yeah, we couldn't we couldn't get it right.

SPEAKER_01 6:27

Not to throw Mr. Turner's business out there, and I'm sure he doesn't mind me sharing this story. I actually went to a sex store with him once and a uh someone, and basically he bought or she bought the kit. Now, I I get I'm a guy, I don't give a fuck. Like, you know, I'm saying I don't give a fuck what they do, but it was the idea of how comfortable and like she's asking me question. I'm just like, I'm like, well, it's his penis. It's like, you know, like I don't understand why you're asking me about this. But um you know what?

SPEAKER_06 7:02

He's the right guy to go to the sex store with. If you know what I mean, I feel like he knows his way around more.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

We we all so it wasn't just us three, it wasn't like it was just us three or something, but like because Justice was with us, and then there was like there was like another chick. I think it might have been another chick. I think it might have been it was like six of us that went in, but none of us, I didn't wasn't fucking the other two, and no, nor was Justice. So it's like they're the two that fuck. And so it's kind of like well, we're just in there, but because we all rode together, and uh it was an interesting experience. But I know he bought one, I'm sure he could tell you probably a little bit more about how how that should work, or if it did work, I don't know if it worked for him either. I was just there the day they bought it.

SPEAKER_06 7:42

I was about to say, you want me to call him, but our technology's down, so we can't even take phone calls.

SPEAKER_01 7:47

We can get that in the group chat.

SPEAKER_06 7:49

I went group gonna really call it.

SPEAKER_01 7:52

Well, we can get it in the group chat one way or another. We could just say, or I'll bring it up. I'll be like, hey, we were talking on the um pod, and do you remember that time that we went to Tokyo Valentino and you did this, that, and the third, and there was a gay dude working, justice was getting hit on. I'm like, I was like, Jess, you need to handle that. Like, good nigga, you need to handle that.

SPEAKER_06 8:12

But what do you mean, handle that? Like, get a handle on him, get a good grip.

SPEAKER_01 8:17

Yeah, he wasn't flirting with me. Uh as far as I'm concerned, I was just there. But you know, I was a guy. I was I was I I was an MPC.

SPEAKER_06 8:27

You know, I I was hanging out uh in Buckhead a few months ago. Uh one of my I had a friend in town, uh actually from New York, you know, land of the liars. Um and uh when I was pulling up to the to the to the crib that we were all hanging out at, I saw the sex store. And then I saw like, you know, they got the little ledger.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

It's the one right by the strip. It's not a strip club. I know what store you're talking about. It's like right off an exit, right?

SPEAKER_06 8:58

Yes, that place that place looks like they have a back room.

SPEAKER_01 9:03

They do. It's like a strip team. I've never been, but I know where it is. I literally know what you're talking about.

SPEAKER_06 9:08

And so I thought it seems like they have some entertainment that goes on in there. And the there's a part of me that's super curious of what's going on in there, but I don't necessarily want to visit.

SPEAKER_01 9:23

It's it's either a theater or it's uh it is a like it's not a I don't want to say it's a strip club.

SPEAKER_04 9:32

I feel like it's a worst thing.

SPEAKER_06 9:35

I feel like it's a legal brothel. They got good coded language for it, kind of like the rubbing tugs, you know, like the.

SPEAKER_01 9:41

I mean, hell, there's a lot of rubber tugs on that same road, you know, but like uh actually that dude, I hate to bring it up like this, that dude that shot up the one, it was like on that same road.

SPEAKER_06 9:50

So yeah, so I I just you know, I I I was it it you know, sometimes you get curious about things and you you you want to know what's going on, but you but you can't you can't go find out because the last thing I want to do is walk in and it's a fucking theater and buddy next, you know, buddy in there is just got his whole loaf out and lubing it up to you know test the product, gooned out, yeah. And it's just like hey hey, uh because you know that's the term for it now.

SPEAKER_01 10:29

It's it's is it's being a gooner.

SPEAKER_06 10:31

No, I didn't know that. Uh I'm 34.

SPEAKER_01 10:34

No, I look, I me either, but I know the term. It's um it's called being a gooner.

SPEAKER_06 10:41

Uh yeah, I'm not a wine.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

I think a goon pause, I guess, in relation to how I'm talking about it. I think about how Plaza would be like hell, one of his albums is called something goon or something.

SPEAKER_06 10:54

I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 10:55

Yeah, well, it's you know, wearing the mask now, it's just a shy, it's not just like a ski mask, it's like a shicey. So, like, that's what but these guys they goon. That's what they call seriously. That's what they call it now.

SPEAKER_06 11:05

It's like I believe you. You you know, when I think of goon, you know what I think of Goonie. Yeah, you know Goonie like a gangster, damn near, but like no, no, do you know Goonie?

SPEAKER_01 11:19

Oh, the good, like the movie.

SPEAKER_06 11:21

No, the person.

SPEAKER_01 11:23

No, I think about the movie The Goonies.

SPEAKER_06 11:26

No, no, so Goonie is a person. I want to say he's from New York, Land of the Liars. He went to Clark Atlanta in like the mid-ish 2000s.

SPEAKER_01 11:38

He's a rap, like he's a rapper or something.

SPEAKER_06 11:40

No, he's a street nigga.

SPEAKER_01 11:42

Um, and he's known for being a street nigga.

SPEAKER_06 11:46

No, I know him personally because he used to be at Toronto.

SPEAKER_01 11:49

You're asking if I knew somebody that named Gooney.

SPEAKER_06 11:52

Yeah, like he he was he's one of them Parsons niggas that would be at uh Gold Mouse house.

SPEAKER_01 11:58

Maybe I met him. I know I went over there a couple times, but there's one specific night, obviously, that we both remember very well. Unless you remember him being there, I I couldn't tell you now.

SPEAKER_06 12:10

What night do we remember very well at Goldmouth?

SPEAKER_01 12:13

We smoked in the Escalade, and Sierra and uh Leanne were there, and so was uh I think Tati might have been there too, but like draw uh yeah, yeah.

Curiosity At The Back-Room Theater

SPEAKER_06 12:29

No, no, I'm not talking about that. I'm not yeah, no, that not not being.

SPEAKER_01 12:32

Well that was at Goldmouth. That's what I'm saying. It was that night.

SPEAKER_06 12:35

Yeah, no, no, no. You know, I had a really nice Michael Kors jacket that I got from uh uh Dillard's one day. Uh uh, you know, it was just a nice, like basic black jacket that you just throw on with anything. You know, you go to Goldmouth on Parsons, you just you know, you might go in there as a party, you might go throw some shit in Toronto's room because you ain't you know your shit good up there, you ain't worried about it.

SPEAKER_01 13:00

I was gonna say how ridiculous you look wearing short shorts right now on this uh I'm indoors. I no, I understand that, but I I was sitting, I'm like looking at like how you're like sitting. I'm like I'm like this thing looks like he's about to coach the fucking 82 Lakers or something, like your Pat Riley because you got a polo on, it's not like it's like a t-shirt. You're wearing like a polo, you like you're about to coach basketball in the 80s at the like a YMCA or something.

SPEAKER_06 13:30

You do I just want I just wanted to be comfortable so like we could provide great vibes, you know.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

I am wearing basketball shorts right now myself, but uh basketball shorts. You're wearing like high school, middle school, the issue, the gym issue. One you remember when they would make you like buy a gym, yeah. Or you didn't make it.

SPEAKER_06 13:54

They're more like track shorts, you see.

SPEAKER_01 13:56

These look like your ROTC shorts when you guys would have to run around Georgia Tech. That's what it looks like to me. That's the Julian Burns special, actually.

SPEAKER_06 14:07

Bro, I do not miss running around Georgia Tech. When you talk about a campus that lacked good scenery, really where were y'all running?

SPEAKER_01 14:16

Well, y'all weren't running around like uh I guess McCannis Pavilion wasn't up, so it was Alexander, the memorial or whatever. Buddy, I've ran around that entire campus, but I'm saying you guys weren't like in the because because obviously the way that that canvas is set up, you could be running in midtown, damn near, right?

SPEAKER_06 14:34

Like what what what we uh we may be talking about different scenery.

SPEAKER_01 14:38

I don't know what part of tech y'all are running around.

SPEAKER_02 14:41

I mean, still canvas, like I'm talking about the students on the campus of scenery.

SPEAKER_01 14:46

Oh oh, oh see, look, you just went over my head. I I literally, yeah, no, there's not attractive women at tech. There are some, but like there overall, no, yeah. Funny story literally, like your surroundings, no, no, no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_06 15:04

Like, there are nice parts of that campus that are it's cool to run through, a lot of hills. One time we were running, uh, and I ran into somebody I went to high school with.

unknown 15:14

Hmm.

SPEAKER_06 15:15

And I like damn near like stopped and was like, Hey, what's up? Oh, let me get up, bro. We went to high school together, man. Relax. I'm in shape.

SPEAKER_01 15:22

Uh, they were white, I assume.

SPEAKER_06 15:25

Oh, yeah, he's a white guy.

unknown 15:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 15:28

There were a few, uh, let me see. Her, him. Yeah, there were a few people I went to high school with who were on Tex Campus. Uh, I actually matched with one on Tinder one time. It was kind of funny. I don't know if it was like a real match or if it was like, because I liked hers because I knew her.

SPEAKER_01 15:48

Just because like I want you to know that I saw you on here.

SPEAKER_06 15:51

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:52

Like you both did it for the same reason.

SPEAKER_06 15:55

Yeah, like we had each other's phone numbers, and we both we both knew we were both in Atlanta.

SPEAKER_05 16:04

You know what?

SPEAKER_02 16:06

Say again?

SPEAKER_01 16:07

Said you should have had sex with her if you didn't.

SPEAKER_06 16:11

No, man, that's that's that's that's not what we're doing. Oh, I don't even have her number anymore.

SPEAKER_07 16:18

Oh hey.

SPEAKER_06 16:19

I mean I mean, I I wasn't looking forward to use it. She's a married lady now, you know, living a great life. Uh imagine. Yeah. Saw her a few years ago.

unknown 16:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 16:29

Uh but how's your Valentine's Day, man? I guess we can talk about that a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 16:35

It's good. Uh took the little lady out, my daughter. That way I can distinguish that for everybody, you know.

SPEAKER_06 16:42

But um, that scene files are out now, man. You gotta be careful with your language.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

Well, you know, Jordan sent you something about LeBron. I don't know, but nonetheless.

SPEAKER_06 16:51

I'm not even gonna give that LeBron thing any any type because we need we we need some more.

SPEAKER_01 16:56

I just said it to you just because I was curious as how you react.

SPEAKER_06 16:59

But point being, but Jordan, he was getting ice. There was ice on the kid.

SPEAKER_01 17:04

He was getting they explained that too. I didn't think anything of either, but I didn't either.

SPEAKER_06 17:09

I thought it was AI, honestly.

SPEAKER_01 17:10

I'm like, Mike, I was like, Michael Jordan wouldn't do their niggas and like let's drag them into this while this is happening. But like, um no, we we uh we did not end up getting to go where we wanted to go or where I had planned. Uh I had two pizza plates. My daughter loves pizza, so obviously we were gonna do a pizza date. I wasn't gonna take it to the steakhouse or something, and I'm not this one of these Instagram photo people because some people would take their daughter seriously if they could, like to a steakhouse and like set this thing up, have the people bringing out the food and like clip it up. I'm not that type of person, a because she wouldn't have liked it, but then B, I wouldn't have wasted my money on that.

SPEAKER_06 17:49

So it's like hey, hey, hey, that's not a waste of money. You know how much prom poon you can get off of that.

SPEAKER_01 17:56

I don't want the poon if that's what it takes to get it, unless it's like um you know, some serious ass or something. But like in terms of the people that I know that I would want to sleep with, I think they would just sleep with me anyways. But regardless, I was gonna take her to one of the the two pizza places that I wanted to go to are top of the line pizza places, one being Kevin Rapids pizza place. So that was the our second option, which was the one that we were gonna do. Um, but the traffic was so bad in Atlanta on Valentine's Day, like there it almost was like it was a few accidents like around the clock, just not just on 285, not just on 20, not just on 7585. Like it was just bad, and so it was so bad though, to the point where I called them because okay, first option was this place called Bertalozzi's in Sandy Springs. Every time I put it in my phone, it was it's a 15-mile drive from here, but it was gonna take 50 minutes. So I was like, that's a lot to go for a pizza that we might have to wait to get because you couldn't get a reservation. There is no reservation, first come, first serve. Same thing with Kevin Rappins, but with Kevin Rappins, that's closer. And I knew that it was closer. So I'm like, okay, we're gonna go here. I called them. The Bertelosi didn't answer, they didn't even answer, like the phone was off. So I'm like, they're that busy.

SPEAKER_00 19:22

Not going to call it answer, but the answer with Kevin Rappel.

SPEAKER_01 19:30

The steakhouse is on crawl, uh is on the belt lock. So I've been there, love is he's a great ship. But the other one is in like Bucket, but next to it is the pizza park. And I had been wanting to go, and I'm like, this is a perfect opportunity. I don't have to drink. I had to make sure I was like, hey, is it okay if like I said I have a six-year-old, like, can she come in here with me? They're like, Yeah, that's family first. I was like, great, but I didn't leave until an hour later because I was supposed to be being joined by her mother, and that isn't what she was gonna come, but then from her leaving while I'm sitting in traffic, the way that the timing would work, I was like, just stay the fuck home. Like it's not about you, anyways. I just figured maybe you would want to be with her too on Valentine's Day, which I oh it is it is about her.

SPEAKER_06 20:26

Stop it now.

ROTC Runs, Tinder Matches, And Campus Life

SPEAKER_01 20:27

It didn't end up working out, Lee. And so the thing is, is that while I'm sitting in the traffic, I just like get off at West Peace uh West Paces Ferry, and there were a couple places while I was sitting in it that I looked up pizza place. So we went to this random pizza place, it had a 4.8 out of five, and it had over 500 reviews. So I'm like, it's probably good. So we ended up going there, it was okay. I didn't she enjoyed it. I'm glad she enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_06 20:54

I mean, that's all that matters. No one cares about it.

SPEAKER_01 20:56

You feel I was like, man, I could have ordered a pizza and just brought that shit here and bought her flowers, honestly. Like, that's what I thought. Um, but we had a good time. I was just happy to be able to take her out where her cute little um Valentine's Day fit. Like, you know, that to me is what was mattered.

SPEAKER_06 21:15

Yeah, how about you? Oh, um, I went and watched some middle school basketball at a local all-star game, so I went and watched that. And uh I kicked it with my mom for like two, three hours and came home, chilled, went to sleep.

SPEAKER_02 21:31

I had to go to work uh that's your first Valentine.

SPEAKER_06 21:36

Yeah, man. Honestly, it was good. Like it put me in such a good mood, and we had a good time because you know, right.

SPEAKER_01 21:44

Can't take it for granted. Look, can't take it for granted. I I I I I think about um the the I don't even, you know, it's so funny. Like, I mean, I think about my mom, but like um, I like a don't like in a weird way, I don't really. Think about it like that in a sense of did that let me tell you something that came up uh because we did, and which I guess we'll we transition this into basketball because it was all-star weekend, but one of the most memorable You really shitted on my on my transition.

SPEAKER_06 22:17

Fuck.

SPEAKER_01 22:18

Well, no, well, I was gonna bring up I had a good one too. It incorporates the two dead people in my life and my immediate family, literally. So, and I'm sure I've told the story about how I have gone to an all-star game, but the thing is, is that the story heading into it, my mom. So at our school at my elementary school, they had something where you know, normally the kids write, do stuff for their parents, and then you bring it home. You can give them your car, like, I love you so much, all this. So it was a complete opposite one year. And it just so happened to be that year, it was 2003. And like, so my mom wrote me a very personal letter that I don't have anymore that I tried to keep for as long as I could. I don't know why I lost it. But she wrote me a letter that just basically tell me how much she loved me, just like any other parent would do. Um but in the letter, as I'm reading it, because I didn't read it until I was at school. Like it's at school when you read it. And she told me that she got me tickets to the NBA All-Star game. And like I'm nine. Gonna be ten that year, but I'm nine. And now she knows I love basketball, like I always have. And like it was just such a heart dropping moment at such a young age. Because I knew that my mom loved me, but like I couldn't believe she did it. And the idea that it was Michael Jordan's last all-star game, I went with Laris. That's who I went with. I have a picture. I still have the picture to this day. I have the picture on my phone right now. And I can't, you know, I couldn't think of I was like, I was like, I'll never get a better Valentine's Day gift than this. Even at nine, like I felt that way. I felt like I don't know if anyone can love me more than this. And it's just a fucking basketball game, but like it meant so much to me, and it was probably the first major sporting event I had ever been to.

SPEAKER_06 24:24

And it's you went to a Falcons game two days after you were born.

SPEAKER_01 24:29

No, but this was the first major.

Valentine’s Pizza Odyssey With Traffic

SPEAKER_06 24:33

I think going to I think Yeah, but I think going to any game is a major sporting event, man. Yes, they're all major sporting events. But don't don't marginalize just going to a game because, bro, I talk to people all the time who've like never been to a Falcons game, never been to a Hawks game, and you know, I yes, going to the All-Star game is way different than going to a regular game. Not many people can say that going to all-star games, you know, World Series, Super Bowl, that is a hard game finals. But but like, yo, going to any game, that's a major sporting event. Like, bro, there's there's a sporting event. No, no, no, no, no, this isn't for you. I'm not telling you that. It's just more so just as a as a conversation piece. But since we're here talking about the All-Star game and sporting events, you know, this is what Valentine's Day is really about. You know, President's Day weekend, Valentine's Week, and it's really about the NBA All-Star Weekend. Well, it used to be. You know, you know, it used to be three nights of stuff, you know, Friday night, you kind of have the celebrity game on in the background, Tio might dunk or something, so it's worth watching. Chris Tucker play a little basketball, and then you know, Saturday night was always fun. Then you had the game on Sunday. Uh, what were your thoughts on All-Star Weekend this year?

SPEAKER_01 26:11

So I thought it was uh the best one since you could argue it was better than you could argue it was better than even when they once Kobe died and they did the 20th.

SPEAKER_06 26:25

Hold on, the entire weekend.

SPEAKER_01 26:27

Oh no, well, I'm talking about but okay.

SPEAKER_06 26:30

Well, the game is the game is the last part.

SPEAKER_01 26:32

Let's let's attention to Friday night is so irrelevant, it's like it's always kind of even even when it was good, when All-Star Weekend was good, Friday night had been irrelevant. And with the way that the NBA manages injuries, Cooper Flag wasn't gonna be in that now. It's called the Rise of Stars Challenge, but it used to be the Got Milk Rookie Challenge, right? So now hold on.

SPEAKER_06 26:59

No, it used to just be the rookie sophomore game. Let's not let's not use a spark. For a period of time when got milk sponsored, yes, probably rising stars.

SPEAKER_01 27:12

It was the rookie sophomore, whatever.

SPEAKER_06 27:14

Yeah, but yeah, it's the rookie sophomore.

SPEAKER_01 27:17

It was still sophomores in the game, it just was called the Got Milk Rookie Challenge.

SPEAKER_06 27:20

I I know, but that was only for a MVP. Yeah, that was just a that was for a period of time when got milk sponsored. It was the rookie sophomore game. That's what it is. It's not just got milk rookie challenge. Nobody fucking says that. Just it's the fucking rookie.

SPEAKER_01 27:34

That's how I always view it. But the thing is is that um that game is always kind of irrelevant. I'm glad uh BJ Edgecombe did his thing. First of all, time out. Let's look at it from the get-go. Every night everything started at five. Even the night of the Valentine's Day.

SPEAKER_03 27:54

Hey, hey, just stay, hold on, stay, just stay here. Don't bounce around. Just just stay on the topic. We're hitting it, we're hitting everything. We're gonna talk.

SPEAKER_01 28:04

I didn't realize that this stuff was still on. I didn't realize that it was on even when it was on. So that's another NBA problem, which we'll get to. But like Friday night didn't know about it. I I watched a tad bit of the uh celebrity game just because Miami, Ohio was planning I had money on it. So I knew that that game was coming on right after the celebrity game. Saturday night, again, it was Valentine's Day. I didn't even know that it was on. Like, I really didn't know it was on until I got on Instagram and I saw that Con Kanipple fucking had they were showing three-point highlights. I was like, oh, this shit's on. I turned it on before we left. I think I got to see the three-point shootout. I'm glad Dame was in it and that he won. It was good because I in a weird way, me and Jessica talked about it earlier in the day. I figured that um he could win. I thought he could win.

SPEAKER_06 29:03

Well, yeah, all he does is shoot. He can't fucking play ball.

SPEAKER_01 29:06

And that's the point. And then actually, he doesn't even have to use as much, like it's more of a lazy shot because of his injury.

SPEAKER_06 29:12

Which is I wouldn't, I wouldn't go that I wouldn't go that far because you you can't lazy shoot, he's but you can't lazy shoot that many shots and that many rounds, like you're gonna get that moving around the arc.

SPEAKER_01 29:25

I'm not saying it's the most moving he had done, but in terms of quick shooting, no, he he no, it's not quick shooting.

SPEAKER_06 29:34

You can't say you can't say you can't say that you don't know what he's done. You ain't been in the gym with him, but but you can't say that on it. But it's a it's a poorly informed one to say that he to say that that's the that's the the quickest, you don't fucking know he trained for it, so he's been doing that at the least, and he probably has done more because he would have to have done more for them to feel comfortable with him doing that on that stage.

SPEAKER_01 30:02

But that's my point. My point is is this it's not that he wasn't going any quicker than goddamn that. I don't believe that, but like what I do believe, I'm just saying I've never had a torn Achilles, and I don't know anybody that's had a torn Achilles and had played basketball. But what I am saying is that the way that it's a it's a timed event, I just don't believe, even if he had somebody rebounding and throwing him the ball or he had the shooting rack thing where it comes back to him. I don't believe that he had to do it that way, and then there's the pressure like a real game in a competition like this. I'm just saying that in that scenario, it was good to see it, but the idea of he doesn't have to because it then he would just be playing.

SPEAKER_04 30:43

Hold on, no, shoot.

SPEAKER_01 30:46

So right, which is why he's okay to do it.

Middle School Hoops And Mom Time

SPEAKER_04 30:49

But I'm okay, yeah. It's okay to do it, but uh but but all of that fluff in between is bullshit, like it's bullshit that that that he was primed to be able to do this competition.

SPEAKER_01 31:02

I'm not I'll tell you what, I shouldn't have said that it helped him more.

SPEAKER_06 31:06

It doesn't help him, but like no, it helps it his injury specifically helps him because he's not playing basketball and he can focus on preparing for the three-point contest in a small, like in the in the in his whatever and I'm not I'm not saying this is what he did, I don't know what his rehab is or what his training looks like, but but being injured, yeah, that helps you. It probably helps you when you're not actually moving around playing basketball because all you've really been doing is maintaining your shot. Yeah, yeah, but I I think he's done way more physically strenuous stuff than the fucking three-point shootout.

SPEAKER_01 31:45

He's I'm I'm sure, yes, he has to push himself, but like I'm just like the point being it was good that he was in it. Um, I enjoyed the three-point competition, but then the dunk contest, you know, a lot of oh you didn't watch it, you didn't watch the dunk contest.

SPEAKER_06 32:02

I didn't watch it live. I did watch it. So let me tell I watched it live. It was terrible. The dunk contest is terrible. Uh, I didn't watch the three-point, I didn't watch anything on Friday because the shit came on at five o'clock. Uh, I was at home at five o'clock on Saturday and forgot that it started at five o'clock and was doing something like oh shit.

SPEAKER_01 32:22

Um you forgot, but did you even know to begin with? Like, I had no idea.

SPEAKER_06 32:27

No, yeah, I I follow basketball media. I I I knew that it was coming on at five o'clock.

SPEAKER_01 32:34

I had no idea.

SPEAKER_06 32:35

Yeah, because you don't follow basketball media, you don't know anything about basketball, you just watch a game or two a week, you know. You know, you know, keep up with what the NBA is actually doing so you can know where it's at, you know.

SPEAKER_01 32:48

Lee, I am in first place in two fantasy bad. I'm only in two of them. I'm in first place, and not that that means I know basketball, but I'm just saying I know something about the shit.

SPEAKER_06 32:58

That had I didn't that that has nothing to do with you knowing about what's going on in the NBA. You can know basketball, but that doesn't mean you can.

SPEAKER_01 33:04

Well, I blame the commissioner, which I'm sure we'll get to him shortly.

The Greatest Gift: MJ’s Last All-Star

SPEAKER_06 33:08

But uh yeah, Saturday, yeah, yeah, the dunk contest was terrible. Like the kid who won, congratulations to him. Uh, you dunked better than everybody else that was there. Uh, I I'm really over the dunk contest conversation. Like, it's every year. The football starts need to be in the dunk contest because this I mean, it would be nice to have a superstar in it every few years, but we don't need superstars though. But historically, the superstars weren't really in the dunk contest like that. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 33:41

Like when it first started, exactly, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 33:44

But and NBA made them be in it. I guess I was, but I'm sorry, I don't know. But like Michael Jordan, Michael Jordan wasn't a superstar yet the first time he's weird.

SPEAKER_01 33:58

The I think that he was probably looked at as the obviously the rising. I know I guess his rookie year, he did do it his rookie year.

SPEAKER_06 34:08

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But but yeah, yeah, yeah. But but yeah, you're about to know you're you're you're about to go on a diatribe in the middle of mine, so I'm gonna finish mine first.

SPEAKER_01 34:20

Do yours, I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_06 34:21

Um, but it it's not it's not really been superstar driven ever. You've had guys who were emerging stars who were in it, but then after the beginning of your career, for the most part, you don't do it. MJ did it, I think, yeah, three times, like 82, 84, like 88 or some shit like that. Uh maybe 86, 87, I don't know. But in the in the early, in in the uh mid to late 80s. But he didn't do it after that. And you know, Kobe did it his rookie year. Um Vince Carter did it, but Vince Carter is more high flyer than superstar. Tracy McGrady wasn't T-Mac when he was in the dunk contest. You know what I mean? Like he may have had the potential, he may have been that player, but he wasn't T-Mac to the masses in Toronto. Niggas don't really remember Toronto T-Mac. You know what I mean? Like, people remember it, but name a highlight. You know what I mean? Name something. You know, you remember Orlando Houston T-Mac. So that whole conversation around the dunk contest and then we'll throw in LeBron and ruined it, that's bullshit. There were good dunk contests after LeBron wasn't in it. You know what I mean? You had Dwight Howard, you had Zach Levine and Aaron Gordon twice. You know what I mean? Uh who else had a good dunk contest?

SPEAKER_00 35:37

That was but that was but that was that we know that, bro. That's that is clickbait. Like the whole thing.

SPEAKER_06 35:44

I know like Steve, but I know, but but we do, I think we owe it to the people who listen to this show who may listen to the clickbait stuff, to still comment on it and say what it is, you know what I mean? Like call it out because it's bullshit. And you know, we know people who listen to Steve daily, and they take that stuff as gospel, like they think Steve is having a conversation that's worth listening to. So, yeah, so the lead up to the all-star game was terrible, honestly.

SPEAKER_01 36:20

And the fact it was in LA of all places, take it. We were in LA for the last all-star game in LA. Fun fact for those that didn't know. I actually the it came up in my memories too that I took those pictures of you I was on the ground. Yeah, you up under like the Shaq uh statue.

SPEAKER_06 36:38

The Shaq statue, yeah. I appreciate that. That was great.

SPEAKER_01 36:41

Yeah, but uh my Snapchat.

SPEAKER_06 36:43

It's like so yeah, you know, people weren't people weren't high on the game coming into it. Uh Victor Weminyama's gonna get a lot of credit for bringing the intensity, uh, but they lost both fucking games. So let's just hop off of Wimby real quick. He played out of his, he played well though, in that yeah, but yeah, but Wimby's getting all the credit for everybody playing hard, and that's not really how it works.

SPEAKER_01 37:12

But the MVP is the one that said Wimby set the tone. I I got you, but he do you know what the did you I watched, did you see the first play of the game?

SPEAKER_06 37:26

I thought the highlight doesn't work when it came on. I get it. I'm not damn it! Shit. I'm not saying that Wendy didn't set the tone, all of that stuff, but one person setting the tone, one person playing hard, setting the tone cool, that don't mean that the old niggas gonna come out there and play hard. You know what I'm saying? Like, Joker didn't play hard.

SPEAKER_01 37:50

And we saw that in the final game.

SPEAKER_06 37:52

Yeah, Luca didn't play hard. Did Luca play?

SPEAKER_01 37:57

He did.

All-Star Weekend: Rising Stars To Saturday Night

SPEAKER_06 37:57

Him and Yoko, like they were but they didn't play hard. So yes. Yeah, they didn't play hard. Giannis plays hard every year. When Westbrook was a was an all-star, he he played hard every year. Other people didn't play hard for whatever reasons, whether it was silver in their ear, whether it was just the media pressure, this, that, and the third, but guys played hard. And I think another important piece about guys not playing hard in the all-star game, Gilbert Renus talked about this. Guys show up sometimes wanting to play hard. And then the way the game is officiated, it's officiated like a pickup game. So you go to the basket hard one time, and then the big man is like, hey, nah, we ain't doing that. You get fouled hard, and they ain't calling fouls, it's like, hey, I'm not gonna get hurt for a game that doesn't matter. And I think that is an important piece to talk about, and guys not playing hard and not just saying, it's the loss of the game, you gotta go play hard. Yes, you should. But when you're playing an exhibition game and you could possibly get hurt and they're not officiating the game the way that a game should be officiated, or you know what I mean? Like you don't call you don't you don't call regular season fouls, you you know, it's it's pick it's exhibition, but you still call stuff. When guy, if guys are like, hey bro, I'm not, I'm not, I'm I'm not driving because they ain't calling shit. And no, it's a game that matter, especially, you know, the teams probably tell them guys to hey man, give them a show, but you know, we we got 30 more games left. We we got a championship to go try to win.

SPEAKER_01 39:35

That's that's what I thought that was more of, anyways, but I thought that the intensity was still there, especially in those last two minutes, because you know what's at stake and how much time is left. But the thing is, I don't the first three games were pretty good. Obviously, the last one was a dud, but like um you get some special moments out of it, and I think that's all people really want. We don't even necessarily, as long as it's close and you guys act like you care, everybody will be tuned in. Kawhi Leonard is going on arguably maybe the hottest shooting streak. And he's also playing better than anyone currently since Thanksgiving. He's played damn near better than anyone in the NBA, anyways. But the streak that he goes on in the was that the third game third quarter, he scores 31 points, he misses like once or twice. That's what we want to see though. You do want to see that, and you want to see Ant shooting in Katie and LeBron's face, you want to see um women on the first game literally call on the post and dunk on whoever the fuck was guarding it's like Cade Cunningham, which I know, real quick, real quick.

SPEAKER_06 40:55

When you did that little fake dunk thing, that shit looked so unathletic.

SPEAKER_01 41:00

Well, I'm sitting down, Lee. What did you want? Did you want me to like what did you want me to do?

SPEAKER_04 41:12

I didn't say you look like cat, I just say it looked like you done dunked before or some shit, you know.

SPEAKER_01 41:17

I've dunked the basketball. Uh, you know, I've never had a two-handed dunk. I've dunked it with one hand, though.

SPEAKER_06 41:23

You've never dunked with two hands?

SPEAKER_01 41:24

No. I never, you know, it's that's a the people don't realize how much harder it is to dunk with two hands. You can get with one. I've caught it alley oop.

SPEAKER_06 41:34

It's easier to dunk with it's easier to dunk with two hands.

SPEAKER_01 41:38

I disagree.

SPEAKER_06 41:38

It was I miss like the point being it's easier to flush with one because if you're the tip of your fingers, depending on how you hold the ball, because I'm oh see, you're talking about guys who can't get above the rim.

SPEAKER_01 41:57

Look I'm called Al U at Morehouse College of all places. This is the first time I ever called an Al U. I I think that look, fuck that. This is what I'm saying. The all-star game was significantly no, no, no, I flushed it, like I clean flush too. Because when you can, you know, to tell you what, let's talk about that. I think catching an alley u if you if the timing is right is easier than dunking, period. Because you can jump really high or high enough and you got the coordination, you can just throw it.

SPEAKER_06 42:34

Most people call oops before they actually like just jumped up and dunked the ball into the basket.

SPEAKER_01 42:41

Yeah, because you gotta clear it, like you don't even necessarily, it's not even like a tip in or something with an LU. But I guess the point is your fingers can do the dunking as opposed to your palm. Does that make any sense? I feel like if you dunk a basketball, like just even if you don't dribble and you like travel your way and just jump as high as you can, you your you really your wrist needs to be above the rim. You mean yeah, to make sure that you're gonna dunk it and it's clean.

SPEAKER_06 43:14

Yeah, no, the the the proper way to dunk a basketball, you should you should have when you when you when you start if you're dunking a lot, you should like get calluses and stuff on like on your wrist because you should be sticking you should be sticking your entire hands. You should stick your hand in the rim and then yank it, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_01 43:36

Exactly. It's this yeah, like well not necessarily like cuffing like this, but I'm saying like Yeah, you you need to be able to get cuffing it.

SPEAKER_06 43:48

You need to get above the rim, go down in the rim, then yank the rim. Not like a lot of people think that you like if you don't know how to dunk, and this is yeah, we didn't know we were gonna get here. It you Would think that you just go to the rim and then you just throw it in and you grab it, but that's how it goes off the back.

SPEAKER_01 44:05

And sometimes it, you know, not to get into the NFL combine, it depends on how big your hands are, too, because you're talking about taking it off dribble and damn near palming a basketball midair. Like, and you need to be able to do you don't have to have it palm, but that's how you control the ball, anyways.

SPEAKER_06 44:21

So it's like I dunking with two hands is easy. I'm gonna tell you, like, if if if you have the hops, dunking with two hands is so much easier.

SPEAKER_01 44:34

I didn't, like, I never dunked in a game or anything. I've I've I've got a really cool picture of me in high school though, like finger rolling and like my like knuckles are like at the rim. But I never I never dunked in a game. But I've dunked uh like just fucking around.

SPEAKER_06 44:51

You ever pin a guy's shot off the glass?

SPEAKER_01 44:54

No, I never did that. But I I I mean I blocked shots, but never off the glass.

SPEAKER_02 44:59

I mean, like, nah, you go.

SPEAKER_01 45:03

Nah, you know, I would love to if you did like a Ja Moran. You remember Ja did the one with like two hands, one ear?

SPEAKER_06 45:09

Like MJ did. He almost, yeah, Jordan did it, but like I'm saying, just almost hit the head of him. Like I wish I would have trained when I was like younger just to really see how high was your true self. Yeah, yeah, like a young me before being beat up and stuff. Like, how high could I really jump back then when I was 150 pounds? And yeah, but anyways, uh no, the all- I think the overall the all-star game was good. I enjoyed it. Kawhi got off. LeBron, he did his little old man thing for a little while. Uh, Ant-Man did what Ant Man was supposed to do. Ant-Man is the face of American basketball. Ant-Man is the face of the NBA. I don't care what the media says, I don't care what Ant-Man says, he may not want it, they may not want to give it to him. But whose interviews do we care about all weekend? Do you think whose post-game uh uh uh comments were going viral? Who was the MVP? Well, he's shoes are huh?

SPEAKER_01 46:30

I said he was MVP, so of course his post-game stuff was gonna go viral.

SPEAKER_04 46:34

But but it goes viral because of what he says.

SPEAKER_06 46:37

Like, like, you know, you're gonna get a good sound bite with Ant-Man. You're gonna get good basketball. The kids like him, they wear his shoes. He speaks, he speaks Southern English and it's funny. Like, Wimby ain't funny, you know what I'm saying? Wimby ain't funny. Wimby ain't a nigga. Wimby seems like he's too serious, like hey bro, relax.

SPEAKER_01 46:58

Oh he's learning English a lot quicker than most international stars, though.

SPEAKER_06 47:03

Well, yeah, Nike is like, hey, big dog, you want that shoe? Gotta speaky.

SPEAKER_01 47:11

All right, when we need to say something for the camera. Is that okay?

SPEAKER_06 47:15

I was happy about that, but hey, why do you think the the the international players haven't caught hell for sucking up in uh all-star game and they just blame the the niggas?

Three-Point Contest, Dame’s Win, And Injuries

SPEAKER_01 47:25

Well, in this year's case, this is what I will say, and now I know that it's like, well, it's been multiple times. I look at so let's look at Jokic and Luca specifically.

SPEAKER_05 47:33

Yeah, top four players in the league.

SPEAKER_01 47:36

I would argue, yes, I agree. Like, I think the all-star game changes my wait. It doesn't change my opinion of like Jokic. I still think Jogic is the best player in the NBA. Like, it didn't matter. Luca's top five, but like Yeah, I say top five.

SPEAKER_06 47:53

And man's better than Luka. And man's better than Luca.

SPEAKER_01 47:57

I if if I was starting a team, I would start with him over Luca. Yeah. I agree. I agree. In totality, he's a better player than them, I think. Yeah. And even offensively, I think Lucas, because Luca can do more because he can be like a triple-double type player. I still think he brings it more on defense. I like his his his competitive drive more than Lucas, too. Like Lucas, like just like you know how people say people are like like LeBron is like an athletic freak. Lucas just like off, he's just talented offensively. Like, I don't know what else to say about him.

SPEAKER_06 48:32

But but but think about this though. Look at Luca's usage. I don't know what it is. Look at Ant's usage.

SPEAKER_01 48:38

He's higher than Ant's. And used a lot too, but like it's high. I bet his is higher.

SPEAKER_06 48:43

Yeah, but but Luca also just because he can do more than Ant-Man does offensively, I got you. It doesn't make you better. You know what I mean? Like, basketball is one of those things. Hey, you can be you can be better than somebody in in five of say seven categories. But that person can be better than you at basketball because the other two categories matter, and they could be that much closer. And and with Luca's offensive game, it's really good for Luca. It's really good for the big man and the guy in the corner. And Jordan. But it's not great. I mean, it's not. I don't want to play with Luca.

SPEAKER_04 49:32

I wouldn't want to play with Luca.

SPEAKER_01 49:34

Me neither. I my preference would be I'd much rather play with an ant-man in a sense of there's this dog in this dude. I like, see, but that's the Kobe. I hate to say it's like the Kobe mentality, but it is.

SPEAKER_05 49:49

It's not, no, no, no, it's not the Kobe mentality. We gotta stop this bullshit too.

SPEAKER_06 49:54

Hold on. Kobe had his Kobe had his mentality, but we can't say that everybody who plays mommy mentality either. You know that, but we can't attribute somebody who plays hard basketball on both ends of the floor to fucking Kobe Bryant. He came into the league in '96. Niggas was dogs.

SPEAKER_01 50:14

Basketball was invented uh a hundred like a hundred years before.

SPEAKER_06 50:18

But niggas were dogs well before Kobe. So hey, I all due all respect to Kobe and his mama mentality and his mentality and all of that stuff. But we gotta like, no. But look, it's not Kobe's mentality. It's Ant-Man's mentality.

SPEAKER_01 50:41

I'm just simply saying that's who popularized it. Kobe did pop, he did. That's why it's talked about that way.

SPEAKER_06 50:49

No, because of a Nike, because of a Nike campaign. That's why a fucking Nike campaign is why we talk about it. No, it's not a prior to that. No, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_01 51:04

That shit that nigga played.

SPEAKER_06 51:06

But what made no, what made it a thing, Kobe's mentality, what made it what made it a thing, a marketing thing. Something we talk about, a talking point. His mentality is around a Nike campaign.

SPEAKER_01 51:21

The Kobe system.

SPEAKER_06 51:23

Not just the Kobe system.

SPEAKER_01 51:27

I get it.

SPEAKER_06 51:28

All of that stuff. It's just like Michael Jordan, bro.

SPEAKER_04 51:30

Like, and it's no not to the player and what they actually did. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 51:35

The the choose the fucking fellow more house, man.

SPEAKER_06 51:39

The ancillary stuff that comes with these guys, their mentality, this and that. If you're gonna compare, like if you're gonna compare man, compare Ant-Man to Kobe, compare him to the OG, compare him to Jordan, the one who did it first.

SPEAKER_01 51:51

I compare him to Kobe more so because you have to.

SPEAKER_06 51:56

You don't remember the last shot. You probably didn't even watch it.

Dunk Contest Fatigue And Superstar Myths

SPEAKER_01 51:59

That's my point. I didn't well, even if I watched it, I don't remember it. I've seen it thousands of times, just like everybody else.

SPEAKER_04 52:06

But but you didn't watch it live.

SPEAKER_06 52:08

It's different.

SPEAKER_01 52:09

All right. The point is is Kobe, it's not it's not even just a Kobe thing, but we really have not had another Kobe-esque athlete in the NBA since. And I'm not saying that he's like Kobe because they're not, they're totally different. They're all Anthony Edwards is the first Anthony Edwards. But all I am saying is this it's hard to find a person that is vocally competitive. And I like him more because I know where he's from. I know where that nigga went to fucking schools. Fuck where Ferrell, like over here. I'm saying he the the fact he went to the my rival high school.

SPEAKER_06 52:57

Yeah, get back to this get uh fuck that get back to this vocally competitive shit so I can poke holes in it.

SPEAKER_01 53:04

Vocally, I love the idea of and him being competitive and and voicing it when the team was playing like shit. He's like, Man, I think he's like, we're playing like fucking dog shit. Like he he said this. I love the idea of on the floor, he's doing the he did the DX chop the one year when they beat Denver or whatever.

SPEAKER_05 53:25

Now Kobe doesn't do that. That's why that's why I don't do Kobe don't do none of this shit. Kobe's not funny, Kobe wasn't a bubbly personality.

SPEAKER_00 53:35

I got Bron on me. Let me see.

SPEAKER_06 53:38

The media didn't like Kobe. Kobe didn't other players didn't really fuck with Kobe. Kobe had like like Kobe, like one of his best friends was Karan Butler. You know what I'm saying? Like comparing Ant-Man's personality or whatever, whatever you're doing right here, Ant Man to Kobe is just all I didn't say a personality, I said competitiveness.

SPEAKER_01 53:59

Like vocal competitiveness, what we can see, vocal competitiveness from what we can see.

SPEAKER_06 54:04

What the fuck did we see Kobe saying? He talked shit, but he didn't talk. You didn't see Kobe talking a lot of shit.

SPEAKER_01 54:10

I can only bring up a few just clips. The rest of you had to have been there and watched it, but I'm saying from a clip standpoint, Kobe, you're up too old. He's like, he's like, you're not happy to be happy about. He's like, job's not finished.

SPEAKER_05 54:22

Like, because the nigga, but but I'm just saying, you're up too old, the job's not finished. Oh, he was already a champion. Why are you gonna celebrate being up too?

SPEAKER_01 54:31

Confidence, Lee. It's the confidence that I'm looking at, and I hate to that's not confidence, bro. We get once we get the football, I'll bring in Matt Ryan too. But I'm gonna bring up Kanye now. It's just like Kanye.

SPEAKER_05 54:42

I mean, you you have to play the hits, you have to play the hits.

SPEAKER_01 54:44

You know, I am, but it's just like Kanye at the Grammys is first time winning out rap album of the year, and they say, you know, they wanted to know what I would do if I didn't win. He's like, I guess we'll never know. But these are the define, these are like defining things that are on TV that everybody can remember because these people, which is why they're they're not my favorites because of the moments, but like when I look at the people that I've always fucked with from all extremes of some sort of art, they all not only don't lack confidence, which is something I've never lacked confidence, but they these were people, man, that that they wanted to be the best, and you could see it, and that they would talk about it, as opposed to, you know, we're just out here doing our best, or or you know, uh, and it's nothing against LeBron.

SPEAKER_06 55:35

Hey, hey, hey, hold on, hold on, though. We're not gonna do that because Kobe Kobe didn't really get Kobe gave us yeah, the jobs not finished, but Kobe wasn't out here at times. Yeah, but but but but Kobe wasn't just out here just saying shit to like to the media, to the press. He he wasn't doing that. He was doing damn near what LeBron does. Every now and then you get something because they were one of those people who can't really say anything. Fucking media train.

SPEAKER_01 56:03

Well, who talks all the time then? Because Jordan doesn't talk. You got some early 90s stuff of Jordan getting in.

SPEAKER_04 56:10

Yeah, but like, but yeah, like yeah, most of your bitch goddamn fucking Bob Costas.

SPEAKER_06 56:16

Like, but but no, this shit we're seeing like with Anthony Edwards. This is the first time we've seen a star, a superstar, act this normal.

SPEAKER_01 56:31

I agree with you, but he also it's just it's just it's just the number one pick. He doesn't have the LeBron LeBron's been getting interviews since he was fucking ninth grade, you know, right? So like he's different from him in that retrospect. Kobe was obviously like a prodigy too out of high school, but like Kobe went 13. But Kobe also was a winner early in life, so it's like no no no no no no no Kobe was on winning teams.

SPEAKER_06 56:58

We're not gonna call him a fucking winner, we're not gonna do that. We're not gonna do that.

SPEAKER_01 57:02

We're gonna we are gonna have a basketball podcast.

SPEAKER_06 57:09

To this point in his career, you could argue that Ant-Man is a better player than Kobe Bryant at this point in their careers. Yes, you can. Yes, the fuck you can.

SPEAKER_01 57:22

How can you argue it?

SPEAKER_06 57:23

Ant-Man led his team. Ant Man was a number one overall pick, drafted to a shitty team.

SPEAKER_01 57:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 57:34

He changed the co he helped change the culture of that organization.

SPEAKER_01 57:38

Who's the second best player once the culture change happened?

SPEAKER_06 57:42

Uh another number one pick that. No, hold on. But will you let me will you let me like land the plane so then he can respond? Because I'm not gonna I'm not gonna leave out that he was surrounded by talented players who weren't performing at a high enough level to get it. I sent players.

SPEAKER_01 58:02

I sent players DPOY like on the rock.

SPEAKER_06 58:05

Well, okay, but just let me let me let me get there. Just let me get there.

unknown 58:09

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 58:10

Ant-Man shows up, number one pick. You know what I'm saying? Niggas ain't been to the playoffs since since that run with Jimmy and T and them. You know what I'm saying? When and his teammate was on that team, too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cat. Yeah, I got you.

SPEAKER_05 58:24

I got you. Just let me get there.

SPEAKER_01 58:26

I know, but you you mentioned T. I don't know why you mentioned him and didn't mention Kat. But go ahead, go. I'm just saying, you said Jimmy and then you said T. It's just like, well, what about the nigga he was playing with?

SPEAKER_06 58:37

I I I I got just just I'm sorry, I'll shut the fuck up.

SPEAKER_01 58:41

Go ahead.

SPEAKER_06 58:42

You know, team doesn't make the playoffs. They were gonna make the playoffs well last time was like what mid 2000s? 04, maybe 03, 04? Yeah, then McCanth got there in 05, and they didn't make the playoffs until Jimmy got there.

SPEAKER_01 58:59

KG left, it was kaput.

SPEAKER_06 59:01

It was before KG left because McC when McCann's was there, they sucked. He got drafted in 05. So by 06, they were terrible. So without me looking it up, from 06 to the Jimmy year, which is like 2019, 2018?

unknown 59:14

Nah, that's like 16.

SPEAKER_06 59:16

17? 16. It wasn't 16. Because the Hawks made the playoffs. Because T Mill makes a uh uh All-Star team for the Hawks in 17.

SPEAKER_01 59:25

16. Hold on, hold on.

SPEAKER_06 59:26

I'm gonna bring up then he went to the Pacers, he got traded to the Pacers after the All-Star year, and then he went to um he went to Minnesota, so it was like 2018.

unknown 59:37

Here, I'm bringing it up, keep talking, but I'm gonna bring it up.

SPEAKER_06 59:40

But long story short, it's a downtrodden franchise, hadn't had consistent success, had multiple number one picks. You got Carl Anthony Towns, you got Andrew Wiggins, and they really weren't doing anything.

SPEAKER_01 59:50

Um it was it was 14 years, so after they lost to the Lakers in the West Finals that year, they didn't make it until uh 17-18.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:01

17-18, okay, yeah. Boom, perfect. So uh they make it 27 years.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:06

They lost to James Harden and uh Dwight Howard.

The Game’s Intensity, Officiating, And Risk

SPEAKER_06 1:00:10

That was their first yeah, and because they got fucked because Jimmy got hurt and they dropped in the standings and all of that. But anyways, they were the lower seed, anyways, but I I I know, but they were the lower seed because Jenny missed a big chunk of games in the regular season when they were like a three-seed.

unknown 1:00:28

For sure.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:28

And then they dropped in the standings, but anyways, uh Ant-Man gets there, takes a couple years for no. Um, it takes a couple of years for them to actually get the thing going, but they make the plan. You know, Pat Beverly goes crazy. You know what I mean? We get playoffs.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:46

Yeah, he does the the the you can tell the the meme.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:50

Yes. Then you get your you get your first Western Conference Finals with uh Kat and Ruby.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:57

And you beat you beat the defending champs in route. That's who you beat to get there.

unknown 1:01:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:02

You ship Kat out of town to get Julius Randle, Dante DiVincenzo, and it takes the team a while to get going, then they they still make it to the Western Conference Finals.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:12

Back to back, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:13

Back to back. And now this year, they look like they figured it out. I'm not saying that they are playing well today. I'm just saying they figured out Julius Randle, Ant-Man, uh Jada McDaniels came up. So, yes, on paper, Kobe has the accolades because he has the championships and all of that. I'm not, I'm, but when Kobe did not have the burden of a franchise on his back. He was allowed to be a young player, come in and play, get off. Yeah, and don't get me wrong, Kobe, great player. I'm not saying Ant-Man is gonna have Kobe's career. I'm not gonna say he's going to be a better player. I'm not going to say that.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:55

I understand what you're saying.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:58

All I'm saying is that a guy who had the burden of a franchise on his back at a at the beginning of his career was able to actually develop, turn that around, and now we take Minnesota seriously. And honestly, if Ant-Man wasn't in Minnesota, if Ant-Man was doing this shit for the Knicks, he would be, he would already win MVP. If we're if we're just being if we're being dead serious.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:24

So look, you just diverted that conversation by throwing that in there at the end.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:29

No, no, no, no, no, but that but that wasn't that wasn't aside.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:33

No, I wasn't saying you were doing it for that purpose. I'm just saying what what's out what I was thinking about while I was listening is I don't think that we can we'll never know in terms of never know it's better at a certain time because Kobe did have Shaq, but I'm just saying Kobe also, which is why we gotta do a whole basketball podcast because everybody acts like Kobe in 01 to 2000, 01 and 02, like he wasn't averaging 30 in the playoffs.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:05

No, no, so no, no.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:07

They're like, well, Shaq won Mvp in 2000, but he won it finals MVP all three. Would have looked like by himself if if just like how T Mac's like if I would they wouldn't have titles with Shaq too, like yeah, T Mac T Mac would have won titles with Shaq. I bet Doc Rivers probably would have won more playoff games prior to T Mac.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:37

I doubt it.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:39

Like, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 1:03:40

No, no, you you you can't you know no no, we're not gonna do that because take the Sixers to the finals.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:46

You don't think Kobe would have been able to have done the same as the same draft class?

SPEAKER_05 1:03:51

I don't, I don't, I don't I watch Kobe after Shaq left. I watched Kobe after Shaq left. Kobe can't Kobe can't carry spare parts. You watched him playing with fucking yeah, always bring up Kwame Brown and fucking Switch Parker, but these were the who's playing with Opposition 01. Get the fuck out of here.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:15

You're not gonna be name them defensive player of the year to Kameh Matumbo traded for Theo Ratliff to Atlanta that year. Aaron McKee, sixth man of the year, Eric Snow. We know Eric Snow's name because he played with you've got a better argument for LeBron in 07 than you do AI in 01. I look here, I probably watched the same shit. Look here, look here. I'm more credit for dragging the Cavs to the final, and they won more games than them. I give LeBron more credit for taking the fucking Cavs to the finals and getting swept by Tim Duncan than I do AI fucking taking that Sixers team. At the end of the day, hey, look here. I never saw the competition in the in the in the uh Eastern Conference finals because he had to beat Detroit, which is why my LeBron respect even began because of what he did to Detroit in the East Finals.

SPEAKER_06 1:05:04

That's when the respect began.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:07

That's when you're respecting him again in 07. It took you to 07 to respect LeBron.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:13

To where, yeah, but before before I really was like, damn, he's good. And you know, but you know, because what had he done? He he went head to head with Gil, right? He went head to head with Gilbert Arenas. And I remember this because I was a Gilbert Arenas fan. I like Gilbert Arenas. Those Wizards cast finals were very entertaining, four or five matchups. LeBron, they brought in Larry Hughes, they brought in Mo Williams, you know, he had Delante West. Hey, look here, look here, look here, look at who was also an all-star. He's a one time all-star, but he was fucking all-star. The Trunas Del Gas people act like the Trunas El Gowski was not one of these European players, too.

SPEAKER_06 1:05:52

That everyone's I mean, you talk you're you're you're making this team sound so much better than the than than the than the goddamn

SPEAKER_01 1:06:00

The Sixers team might have not had a bench, but like AI Larry for one, Larry Brown was the coach. Let's start it. Dikame Matumbo is a Hall of Famer. So AI played with a Hall of Famer.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:17

Who couldn't get him a bucket? Who could provided no alternative?

SPEAKER_01 1:06:20

The Shaq argument. Who the fuck was Shaq playing against this entire time? Who the fuck were the centers? There weren't any.

Ant-Man’s Rise Versus Luka And Kobe Comparisons

SPEAKER_05 1:06:27

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, no. T Mac can say, oh, dude, it's because, yeah, nigga, because you were Kobe's peer.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:39

All these dudes, AI, they're all the same position as Kobe. But when we look at who the fuck Shaq played, the Kimbe Matung was the best center in the NBA post. David Robinson was on his last leg, bro.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:52

Wow. He was no longer was never the best center in the league.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:59

Yeah, Shaq always was. I'm saying that he was second. He was second, bro. From 01 on. De Kembe, it revolved, it was a revolving door, but I'm just saying that there weren't any bona fide centers. There were plenty of fucking guards and wings that would be the Kobe Kong at the time. There weren't any in the fucking 2000s, bro. Yao Ming was supposed to have been that person, and he was never healthy. And then even when he was healthy, Yao Ming was not better than Shaq. He might get more votes in an all-star game to start over him. But like he was never better than Shaq. Then Dwight Howard comes along. Shaq did not have any fucking competition. By that time, Pat Ewing, Akeem Elajewan, and David Robinson were all out of the picture. When Shaq became an MVP, who's the best center in the NBA outside of Shaq in 2000? Let's look it up. Was it David Robinson? I got it.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:54

Who the best center in the NBA is the NASA.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:56

No, hey, hey, hey, let me tell you. You asked the fucking question. It was Shaq, Dwight Howard, Yao Ming, and Ben Wallace.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:02

Okay. And Shaq is if Dwight would be second on that list, and if you tell me, show me with your hands, what's the margin between Shaq and Dwight Howard? Um, it's a very big margin. It's not even that close. And think about it, Dwight's a four-time DPOI. It ain't even close. That shit's not close in reality.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:25

Stop. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. You're not gonna go.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:30

Well, show me what you're how close you're saying is this?

SPEAKER_02 1:08:33

No, I'm not saying it's that. I'm not saying it's that.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:35

I think it's this. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:08:40

It's not extended.

SPEAKER_06 1:08:42

It's yeah, Shaq Shaq is way better than Dwight. I'm I'm not not arguing that, but like I'm not even gonna say way, way better. Go go go through history. But but but go through history and tell me who's gonna give Lakers Shaq a problem on the defensive end. When Shaq is on offense, who's gonna give Lakers Shaq?

SPEAKER_01 1:09:02

The point is that the Kembe, right, at the time, he's one of the best defenses.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:06

Dog food. Dog food. And he was fucking dog food.

unknown 1:09:09

He fucked him.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:09

Yes, he did fuck him.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:11

Yes, he was dog food.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:13

But all I'm saying is that Shaq's dominance began when the great centers went away. Shaq's the last of a dying breed, if we really want to look at it. Because as good as Dwight is, he's also, I mean, Shaq's in the athletic center, certainly in his prime, his prime prime.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:31

But like don't don't don't don't don't don't even don't even try to disrespect Dwight like that.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:37

He's a magic player.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:38

And yeah, but like right. But don't but don't but don't try to downplay what like who you what Dwight was. No, I'm not talking about Shaq.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:47

I'm talking about Dwight. You about to shit on Dwight.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:50

I'm not shitting on Dwight. What I'm saying is that Dwight Howard wasn't he's would you look at him as a traditional center, a traditional one in today's game, yes.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:04

No, he was a traditional center when he came into the league, and then the the game started changing.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:10

He's not like any of the other great centers. He to me was the the hybrid, he wasn't he couldn't shoot or anything, obviously, but like he did everything no no no no he wasn't allowed to. Maybe so, but but that well, okay. Well, even if he wasn't allowed to, the point is is that that's what it was. That is what it was.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:29

Yeah, but like, but you gotta understand.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:31

I'm saying he's a hot like he's not like them. He's but he really played just not bro.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:37

The nigga scored all on the block. What are you talking about?

SPEAKER_01 1:10:40

Dwight Howard's career high for points is probably in a season 23 or 24. I'd be shocked if it was above 24.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:49

If he if he ever had a 25 a game season, I'd be yeah, but the yeah, but the league wasn't wasn't playing through centers like by the time Dwight Howard became a guy.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:59

That's fine, but that doesn't change that doesn't change what I'm saying about the Shaq.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:06

I'm not I'm not saying it to change what you're saying. I'm just telling you what you're saying is I'm not gonna say it's wrong. I just think yeah, I just don't agree with it. That's fine, but that's why we have this podcast because um, but you you was trying to throw some smut on Shaq and his dominance and all of that shit.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:27

When did I throw smut on it?

SPEAKER_06 1:11:29

Talking about some Shaq when the league was the centers left the league, bro. That nigga averaged 23 as a rookie. He was seventh in the MVP vote and averaged 29 as a fu in his second year.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:41

Nobody nobody said that he wasn't good.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:44

At 29 in his third year, 27 in his fourth year, the 26th his first year with the Lakers, the 28 with the Lakers, the 26th with the Lakers, then 30 with the Lakers, and 29 with the Lakers.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:52

What year did he start on average at 30? Was it 99, 2000? Yes or no?

SPEAKER_06 1:11:57

That was his that was 29.7. But his first 29, but his first 29, 29.3 was 93, 94. Then he did it again at 94, 95.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:06

I get that. He's the focal point bad for uh uh a new franchise. I'm asking when it went back up, was that the year that he won MVP? Yeah, when everybody was fucking done, that was a center.

SPEAKER_06 1:12:22

Yeah, but but but the year, but the years, but the years in between his MVP his there were nobody is I'm not disputing Shaq. I'm 27, 26, 28, 26.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:35

Stop it. I don't disput Shaq the competition didn't matter.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:39

It did fucking matter. That's why we win beforehand. Like that's why that's why Penny Hardaway isn't Kobe Bryant. We could compare these guys to the open and being like, oh, they were young, right?

SPEAKER_06 1:12:52

You could say, well, it was Penny's third year, Shaq's fourth or third, second, fourth, whatever, however, whatever year they were when they played the who wins who wins championships that year in that point in their career. Who wins championships that early in their career?

SPEAKER_01 1:13:07

They're there in the NBA, it's seldom. We see it in the NFL all the time. Now we're not talking about the NFL. That was an orange, but I'm just saying.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:16

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, we actually got to cut this. We're at one, we got we're at an hour 15.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:20

Transition, I'm not gonna lie. Transition this real quick. I will be right back.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:27

All right, so the next portion of the show while Rich is gone, is uh we're gonna be talking about um our NFL predictions uh from last year. We're gonna be recapping the NFL season. Uh obviously last week we recapped the Super Bowl, and we told you all we would come back. Uh we'll pull up what we did. Excuse me. We pull up what we what we predicted to start the season, and now we're gonna see who was right, who was wrong, and see where we missed. So when uh parliament gets back, I'll I'll pull it, I'll pull it up. But you know, just a few thoughts on the NF this past NFL season. Uh the Falcons fan, it was disappointing, uh, while also it was somewhat invigorating. There were some good things that we saw, and you know, now we go into another offseason, somewhat confused. Uh, got a Madden head coach, and uh, you know, hopefully it works out. I'm positive uh about it, I'm optimistic, but we'll see what happens when uh the games actually start. Let's see. Let me see.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:38

Actually, let me exile full screen real quick.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:43

Oh, that's odd. Just a random picture of me, Cindy, and Lowe on like Valentine's Day a few years ago just popped up on my screen.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:54

It could be a memory. Like how Snapchat will do it or whatever.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:00

Let's see, is this what I want? There we go. Alright guys. I don't like it this way, do you? Uh it's a little bit harder to kinda do that.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:22

Well, that's gonna be the way we have to do it.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:25

Or you do it.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:25

Or yeah, or you just completely get us off.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:29

Nobody wants to look at that on YouTube.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:31

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:32

Yeah, this is this is ugly. You know what? We'll we'll work on it. Sorry, guys.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:37

We can just run through it quickly too, though.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:40

Yeah. Alright, yeah, so we might as well start. Dang, I was about to press the button and forgot that I can't press the button.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:55

Ah so you okay, you just only got everything else work.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:01

Yeah, bro. I just I I'm I'm I'm talking through the computer and using my Bluetooth headset. I'm not uh this is just here for aesthetics because this is where I sit.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:10

Well, you sound the same as opposed to without.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:15

What do you mean I sound the same? Like I have the mic?

SPEAKER_01 1:16:17

Yeah, it sounds like you're talking into the mic as opposed to when the technical difficulties we had before when you were talking.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:25

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:27

You sound like it works. That's what it's normal to me.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:30

Yeah, oh, that's beautiful. So let's draw with the Falcons. Uh I'll let you go first on the Falcons. Pause.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:38

Yeah, uh, just to recap kind of our football year here. I obviously uh chose the home team to you know do what they hadn't done in a long time. And of course I'm disappointed as I have been the last eight years. But uh actually well, nine if we're talking about winning the division, but um eight in terms of just you know making the playoffs, period. But according to uh the receipts that we got here, I said that we will win the division, which we did tie for first, so I don't feel as bad from the prediction standpoint. I guess I said we would win it as opposed to we will be in first, but you know, I can try and uh nigger rig it the best that I can. Uh but I did say that we were dark horse Super Bowl contenders, and I think that obviously we weren't, but we showed flashes of it because we beat good football teams, teams that were playing in the second round of the playoffs this year and third, even. Uh, these were teams that we beat.

SPEAKER_06 1:17:47

Um we just couldn't beat that one team in our division who played in the first round of the playoffs. If we would have beat them one time, we would have been in the playoffs.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:55

If we beat the Jets, we would have been in. You know, like it's just we beat the without no.

SPEAKER_06 1:18:02

I'm not gonna talk about them. I'm gonna talk about the game if you can. No, it's for me, it's the division because it's about winning the freaking division.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:11

You're right. Beating the teams in your division is what matters. And last year we were four and two in that.

SPEAKER_06 1:18:18

Were we this year? Two and four.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:21

Beat the Saints twice, and we beat Tampa once. We were three and three. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:24

Three and three.

Shaq’s Era, Bigs Debate, And Dominance

SPEAKER_01 1:18:25

Yeah, we went four and two again. We win a division, which gets to your first point that we have here. Competitive at pass rush hits, which it did. Were we competitive?

SPEAKER_06 1:18:36

Yeah, I guess it's I mean, we're talking for first and it didn't feel like it because of the arc of the season. But I mean, we were competitive against the Patriots, we were competitive against the 49ers. Um those were good teams. You know what I mean? We beat the Bills. Uh, who else did we beat, though? We beat the Rams? Yeah, we beat the Rams. So, yeah, can the pass rush worked. Uh, my offensive line concerns were not too much of a problem. It was the quarterback position. It was coaching and quarterback ultimately. And looking back on the season, I'll say this. I put entirely too much uh pressure on Michael Penix, and I expected too much from Michael Penix going into the season. And I that that's where I that's my biggest wrong on the Falcons. Um just being wrong about the quarterback and how I my expectations of the quarterback, the whole, the whole thing, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 1:19:42

We all I think that we well, maybe we all didn't, but I think that a majority of anyone that's a fan of the team and knew who we drafted and what we thought we had, we over-assessed the quarterback position from the standpoint of even and it's crazy because you know the talk coming into the season was uh Kirk Cousins, right? Like, are we gonna trade him? Like, there's like a lot of like dialogue about him and well, why are they keeping him? And then it's like, well, because if Penix gets hurt, which is literally what we were all saying, if Pennyx gets hurt, then we at least we have Kirk Cousins. And in our case, it just it didn't work out. It just didn't work out the way we wanted it to. You lose a lot of close games, but then on top of that, you got off to such a bad start, and it was the opposite of the season before. We got off to a very good start.

SPEAKER_06 1:20:42

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, we just we're we're we're we're just quick one-liners on the Falcons because we've broken that. We've we've killed the Falcons.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:49

We're gonna spend as much time as we can on them. Now I'm gonna end this, but I'm saying, all in all, we just it didn't work, and that's why everybody lost their jobs. And um, yeah, we're looking forward to this season with uh coach Coach Fan.

SPEAKER_06 1:21:07

Yeah, the Madden coach. So let's uh we're gonna start with the AFC East.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:14

Oh, yeah, I definitely uh got the wrong one up. That's great.

SPEAKER_06 1:21:19

Uh let's start with the AFC uh East. So we both picked the Bills to win the division because that seemed to be the common sense thing to do. It was chalk, nobody knew what the Patriots were gonna be. Um I knew the Dolphins were gonna have culture problems, and the Jets started Justin Fields to start the season.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:39

So yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_06 1:21:41

Hey, real quick, since we're here, do you think Aaron Glenn is just catching way too much flack for a season one when his quarterback room was uh Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor, and at the beginning of the season, he's pretty much like, hey, this is gonna take a while because we have to get our culture, we have to get our guys bought in, and the guys here who do what we need them to do. That tells me, hey, we're not gonna be good this year. Give us some time to build this whole thing out because I can't, you know, I'm not Coach Prime, I just can't show up with my Louie luggage on day one and they're on the team, you know.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:21

I I think that Aaron Glenn at the end of the day was somebody that took a job that nobody wanted, and it's not that he couldn't have waited like how Ben Johnson did the year before.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:36

He couldn't, he couldn't. He's a black defensive coordinator, he had to strike while the iron was hot.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:41

Yeah, because look at the jobs that were open this year. Would he have gotten any of these? No, maybe maybe maybe the Titans, possibly. But Bob Sala, well, it and certainly not if the Lions finished the way they did.

SPEAKER_06 1:23:00

Well, Bob Sala looks better to the people around football than Aaron Glenn. And the way that Aaron Glenn was covered, for one, overcovered, because who gives a fuck about the Jets besides the suits at uh the four-letter? Uh well, the New York media. He was discussed in a way that just talk about Raheem Morris disappointing as a head coach. You know what I mean? Let's not talk about the first-time head coach who goes to one of the most dysfunctional franchises in sports and and has a and does not have a starting quarterback on his roster and say, hey, man, should we fire Aaron Glenn this year?

unknown 1:23:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:23:45

All right, man. But anyway, if the Patriots won the division.

SPEAKER_05 1:23:49

Shocking, but not shocking.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:52

It was no, it was shocking they won it. I'm not shocked they went to the playoffs, but I am shocked that they went to the Super Bowl and that they won the division.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:01

It it's yes, like at the beginning of the year, though, if somebody said, hey, Drake may take a step, the Bills take a slight step back, and the Patriots have a good schedule and a good defense, they'll win the division. It doesn't sound crazy.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:21

No.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:24

And like you had them at the playoff team. I think I had them close to the playoffs. I think I had them like feisty, a competitive team, but not necessarily in the playoffs. Uh, but yeah, they got they made it to the Super Bowl. Hey.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:40

So even just based on this prediction map we got here, I thought that they would be better than the Dolphins and the um Jets, obviously, right? But like I think Mike Brable again was kind of what makes you feel that way. It's just that he's a culture shifter. He he's a patriot himself. So like there's I feel like there's gotta be a little bit more pride in it because of just where it is. Like, it's just even better for him. But like, uh nobody saw Drake Mae being as great as he was, and he was, and you know, good for them. They they shift the bet in the Super Bowl, but they exceeded all expectations.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:22

I I think uh for how they do MVP, I definitely think the league got MVP right this year. I mean, I'm just saying Matthew Stafford and Brooke May.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:35

Right, like from it like voted the first place vote for um well he didn't vote for either of them. He had no voted for Herbert, yeah, and he explained it or whatever on Twitter, and it was like it made sense.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:56

He's like, well, he had not just like I I appreciated it because he didn't go with groupthink.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:06

Well, he didn't Tony Dundee his way out of like getting Belichick out of the Empoleon, these people that like have an issue with the greatest, like he didn't do it that way, he didn't like avoid conversation. Um, knowing that everybody knows me, you're a voter. What did you do?

SPEAKER_06 1:26:22

Like hey dog, I was uh listening to some Levitar yesterday, yeah, and it made me wish we had an Atlanta guy with a national voice like that. Because I'm listening to Miami, uh it would be great because you know, I'm listening, yeah, it will, but it should be us because I'm listening to him get into all this deep Miami stuff, dude. We gotta make friends with the reporter. That's what we really need to do. We need a reporter, we need to find we need to go to to to uh camp this year, and we need to find a fucking reporter.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:04

I we we absolutely should do that.

SPEAKER_06 1:27:07

We need to get we need to get cool with the reporter who you know what I mean. We just need like because if we can get with a reporter who can give us the information that we don't have to go look for sometimes, like dude doesn't have to be on the show, nobody has to know him. Like, we I don't want people to know. No, we just want inside information, we just want to cover it journalistically and yes, and we have day jobs, so we don't always have time to plan out a full show, do what we do in our personal time, and then also be deep in the weave on the Falcons, where it is hard to find good, credible, entertaining talk about them. But anyways, Levatar and then were talking about the Dolphins, and I'm like, man, you know, fans are so fucking delusional. Because, yes, it was time for it was time to clean house in Miami. But the way that they talk about the McDaniels and the Tua situation, they're just like, and 26 years later, we're still we're still where we were with this Marino left. Oh my god. At least Mike McDaniels got you to the playoffs twice. You know, he gave you hope.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:17

Exactly.

SPEAKER_06 1:28:18

Tua looked Tua earned his contract. I mean. No, he really didn't. I mean, his injuries would have would have stopped me from wanting to pay him. But what he put on the field with Mike McDaniels when healthy, he's a 45 million dollar.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:42

But they're waiting on them to get cut. Because both of them are gonna get signed and will start somewhere next year. But they're gonna nobody is trading for their salary.

SPEAKER_06 1:28:55

I mean, let's be let's be real. As far as what we've seen on the field, Tua and Kyler Murray have definitely put more together than what Baker did. I mean, excuse me, what Sam Darnold did. Well, hold on. They they did more than Gino did, and Gino got multiple chances.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:13

The only thing Baker did was win a playoff game. Outside of that, statistically, they've both done better than him.

SPEAKER_06 1:29:20

Exactly. So if Baker got multiple chances, Sam got multiple chances. Let me throw in a black guy. Gino got multiple chances.

Hard Pivot To NFL: Season Recap Setup

SPEAKER_01 1:29:28

Like these guys kind of is similar to Darnell in terms of like he backed up in like the Chargers. He backed up uh the Giants. He backed up a few fucking places.

SPEAKER_06 1:29:42

Wasn't he like the first black quarterback to start for the Giants and broke Eli Street?

SPEAKER_01 1:29:47

Yeah, exactly. Right. And and and it's weird, he's more known. You think he's more known for that than he is being a Jets b or I think he's not a bus, but he's because he was a second round pick anyway. It's not like Gino was like a tough one.

SPEAKER_06 1:30:04

But he was second quarterback taken, so he it was a weak quarterback class.

SPEAKER_01 1:30:09

And he's still the best quarterback in that class.

SPEAKER_06 1:30:12

Well, everybody was like, what are the Bills doing when they drafted EJ Manuel? Like, if anybody went first in that draft, uh first round, it should have been Gino.

SPEAKER_01 1:30:20

What did you think of EJ Manuel at the top? We're not gonna get into that because we got more to do, but I'm just curious.

SPEAKER_06 1:30:26

Like then plays at Florida State.

SPEAKER_01 1:30:28

Like, did you even like did you think EJ Manual was good?

SPEAKER_06 1:30:32

I thought he was gonna get go to the NFL. I didn't expect him to do anything. He did what I expected him to do. I just expected him to get drafted later. Uh, but real quick, uh, last thing on the AFC East, I think what Mike McDaniel did in his time as the head coach of the uh Miami Dolphins has set him up to become a premier offensive coordinator for the next 20 years. And he'll get another head coaching job and he'll fucking probably be better, but maybe not good enough. But who knows? But he's young and he's brilliant, and there's a lot that he's gonna learn, especially coaching under Jim. He's gonna learn a lot, and he's gonna be a guy to watch in the NFL. And I'm not saying as a head coach, I'm just saying whatever whatever team he's at, he's gonna be somebody to pay attention to. You want to get to the uh ASC South now?

SPEAKER_01 1:31:32

I don't see why not.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:35

Um we were wrong.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:38

Yeah, exactly. We were wrong. Uh, we both had the Texans winning. Um we weren't too far fetched, though. They just got off to such a slow start. I think they started 0-2 or 0-3.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:49

So they still made the play, but they still made the playoffs.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:52

They still made the playoffs and they made it to the second round. They made it past the division winner, which was Jacksonville. So uh from our estimation, we were kind of right. But um, you know, but they did they did their usual.

SPEAKER_06 1:32:06

They're they're they're second round exit.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:08

But you know what, too? Here's the other aspect of that. That division in general, although they had been kind of the uh Kang the Conquerors or uh however you want to phrase it, but at the end of the day, I don't think that they CJ Stroud got hurt played like dog shit in the playoffs. Um uh I think in both games, actually, the Steel I mean he played like dog shit against the Steelers too. So it wasn't like that was new. He just played a better team than the Steelers in New England in a worse weather conditions. But all in all, you were right, at least on the money, at least based on what this says here. It says Trevor Lawrence underrated, which you're saying you don't remember saying, because I know that you you shit on the jobs, like you don't, but like you know.

SPEAKER_06 1:33:04

Well, I probably was saying that he was overrated and and you know, but hey, he he was a top five MVP season. Yeah, you know, but he hey he he had a top five MVP season. He he played great, he looked he won his division, led his team to the playoffs, he put on for the 13 games. Yeah, and and like since we're talking about him, I need people to know who may not be who are local and listeners, who may not be a fan of my Trevor Lawrence commentary. I'm a fan. I want him to be successful. He's from my hometown. But when I when I say hey, I don't see it, I see the talent, but I'm not seeing it on the field. I'm looking at his numbers, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:49

You know, it's constructive criticism.

SPEAKER_06 1:33:52

It's not yeah, it's I'm not saying it from a place of like, oh, I didn't go to Carterville High School, I'm hating it. Like, no, bro, like I want you to be great and do well. But the AFC South is a feisty division, it's it's it's it's uh it's competitive, and if Dan Domes comes back next year, I think it's gonna be a uh interesting division to watch.

Falcons Frustrations And Missed Margins

SPEAKER_01 1:34:16

You know, if we were four letter, we would sit here and I'd say, give me your way too early prediction of who is on the draft and free agency at that. It's just like it's like the season's over. Let's talk about it. Like, don't you hate fucking ESVM?

SPEAKER_06 1:34:35

Yeah, I don't watch it. Oh my god, can you read that?

SPEAKER_01 1:34:38

No, I can't. I can pull it up on my phone though.

SPEAKER_06 1:34:41

Yeah, pull up on your phone.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:44

Um I know that we're in the NFC North next and we both pick the Packers.

SPEAKER_06 1:34:49

No, and that but that but that shouldn't be it. Um, hold on.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:52

I am pretty sure we both picked the Packers though. Um because I was pretty convinced, and if I if I remember correctly, I don't I think maybe that was the week Michael Parsons got traded, but like going into it, I already kind of had liked the Packers. I just there was something about the idea of like that team. I we we all expected a Detroit drop off because they weren't gonna win 15 games again, but we were also like, well, are they gonna win 12 or 13 again? They went 12 and 5 and then 15 and 2. The idea is that most of the time, unless you're an elite team that wins Super Bowls, you don't the back the Falcons have never had not that fuck the Falcons. A lot of teams, even the Patriots, like any team doesn't normally go from 13-15 to 13 again. You gotta be pretty I don't know, you gotta be really good. In Detroit's case, they had a lot of injuries, but like with Green Bay specifically, Micah getting hurt, I think definitely hurt them. They could they should have and could have beat the Bears, but they didn't. The Bears end up winning the division. Like who would have we known? I don't think any of us were like, oh, the Bears are gonna win this division. Like we didn't expect Caleb Williams to get we knew he would get better, but Ben Johnson did mean a lot to that, and he meant a lot to Detroit too, which is the other thing I think that we could take away from this. Green Bay, they they're keeping LaFloor, it'll be very interesting what they end up doing, but we were both wrong on that.

SPEAKER_06 1:36:39

Yeah, yeah, but I mean, it is what it is.

SPEAKER_01 1:36:42

And the Vikings are talking about nine. We can talk about nine, but the reality is I said the Vikings are definitely gonna finish last because the but you actually this makes it a little bit deeper of a conversation. We can move on because I know no, we can't go deep. Well, that we won't go deep deep. We're gonna touch the the cervix, but the point is all I'm saying is that I probably more than likely what I had said there was similar to what what everybody else is saying today, now that we know Seattle won the Super Bowl. You went 14 and 3 and you let a dude walk for somebody that hasn't played yet. In what world does that work if Andrew Luck or like one of those prospects isn't the dude that is the quarterback? And even then, coming off an injury, if he doesn't accept, I would have given Sam Darnold if I'm Minnesota hindsight now. I would have given that nigga a hunt a one-year, I would have gave the same deal. Like a franchise tag of some sort. Or even a two-year with like.

SPEAKER_06 1:38:17

So if he's playing as well as Sam Donald played, you know what I mean? Well, you're paying that price for the quarterback. Yeah, it's not favorable because you want to have the cheap quarterback and make everything work, but you know, there are fantasy opponents out here who had Justin Jefferson and pretty much just got Woolley screwed the entire season because Justin Jeff Jefferson was only good when nine was hurt.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:43

Well, and I feel like nine, their question was always gonna be, well, if he never if nine never gets we talked about nine too much.

SPEAKER_06 1:38:51

What we we let's get to the AFC North where we were just where we were all wrong. Fuck him. AI couldn't didn't find the AFC North and anything I got. I uh it didn't.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:04

I'm looking on this now. I'm looking on the chat GBT one. Uh it's not it's not there. Okay, so it's like the same thing. Well, so okay, well, North, I'm pretty sure we both picked the Ravens.

SPEAKER_06 1:39:16

I know I picked the Ravens, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:18

You had them winning it.

SPEAKER_06 1:39:19

Right, you know, is them and yeah, I'm gonna do it again. I'm gonna pick the Ravens again every year.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:25

None of us pick Seattle and fucking New England. So that's the thing.

SPEAKER_06 1:39:28

Yeah, and then and none of us and none of us picked the Steelers to win the division.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:33

I think I probably had them as a playoff team, but like I think I did though, just because I thought Aaron Rodgers would, even though the Arthur Smith thing, you know, uh, but you know, I probably had the Bengals making it as well. I think that that was gonna be one of those divisions where I'm like, well, three teens will make it. He gets hurt early, kaputt's that. We knew the Browns weren't gonna be shit, and so and they got a pro bowl quarterback, and then AFC West, as we've been beating the hell out of the drum of the Patrick Mahomes, they're not gone. This was finally the fucking year it happened, but we were just like, Man, I'm telling you, they're gonna regress.

SPEAKER_06 1:40:12

Like, but here's the thing, dog, they were regressing, they were just so much better than everybody else.

SPEAKER_01 1:40:21

But even before Pat blows his knee, yeah, we they were still regret, like, even if he didn't get hurt, I still don't think they make it. They wouldn't have made it, they weren't gonna make playoffs that year or this year, but shout out to Jim for winning the division. Well, Sean.

SPEAKER_06 1:40:43

Sean, sorry. Oh, godly, I'm tripping. Shout out to Sean for winning the division, Jim making a playoffs. Oh, I think that's one of those two.

SPEAKER_01 1:40:52

We all knew the Raiders weren't gonna be some people think the Raiders could be a surprise team.

AFC East Surprises: Patriots’ Leap

SPEAKER_06 1:40:58

Yeah, they're stupid. I think that I think that the Chiefs are gonna regress to the mean over the next five years, and it's gonna be a joy to watch more competitive football. I don't think that's a too early hot take.

SPEAKER_01 1:41:11

No, come on, come on, come on. Tell me, where do they finish next year?

SPEAKER_06 1:41:14

I I'm not doing that. I don't know. They there haven't been a draft of free agency.

SPEAKER_01 1:41:18

I'm not gonna share my love, is who they draft.

SPEAKER_06 1:41:20

I don't I don't know. I'm not I'm not gonna answer that. I'm gonna wait until the draft, and I'm gonna wait till we do our prediction show.

SPEAKER_00 1:41:27

Certainly miss some time, right?

SPEAKER_06 1:41:28

I'm gonna wait for our prediction show at the end of August or early September, and that's when people know where I think they finish.

SPEAKER_01 1:41:34

Like, I'm not gonna just we'll talk about it after the draft, maybe we'll too, just to uh we talked about NFC North, NFC South, NFC East, NFC West, which is where our Super Bowl champion comes.

SPEAKER_06 1:41:46

Um last to them last. Let's do NFC East first. We probably both pick Philly.

SPEAKER_01 1:41:54

Yeah, I was about to say, I think we'd probably both pick Philly because I definitely thought just similar to um there was a regression that we knew was coming from Washington. Nobody thought that they were gonna be yeah. Um Philly winning it all last year, and just as the took like everything about them, probably figure they won.

SPEAKER_06 1:42:18

We probably both agree that they yeah, we we yeah, but we didn't. It's like you're not gonna pick the Giants with Russell Wilson, Jameis Will uh Winston, and Jackson Dart. And we weren't gonna pick Dallas with Shoddy, but shout out to Shoddy because he had a hell of a season.

SPEAKER_01 1:42:32

I remember this though. I did take a shit on him. I definitely took a shit on him because I owe him an apology. I do. I I do. I I think that the way I was like, I got the FC West too, though, so we can get to Steve. Yeah, yeah. Just real quick. I was I was I took a shit on Dallas simply because they stuck with what they they did what Buffalo is doing now. They basically, it's the same regime to a degree. Is that fair?

SPEAKER_02 1:43:04

I think for the most part, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:43:06

Yeah, so let's look at the NFC West, though. Neither of us picked Seattle.

SPEAKER_02 1:43:11

No.

SPEAKER_06 1:43:12

Uh I think I had the 49ers finishing. I think I had the 49ers finishing last in the division. I thought that the Cardinals would be uh spicy. I think I the Cardinals at three, Seattle at two, the Rams at one, and uh the 49ers at four.

SPEAKER_01 1:43:29

I know I didn't pick uh San Francisco to go last, but I think that this was one of those divisions too where I was like, don't be surprised if the Cardinals are a seven and ten, eight, and nine last place.

SPEAKER_00 1:43:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:43:42

Which which, if that is the case, we were right that this was gonna be one of the better divisions, and then yeah, we I mean we knew that their last place team has either that or everybody is cannibalizing each other in their 10 and 7 and 11 and 6 or something, like or they're or they're the NFC South.

SPEAKER_06 1:44:00

389.

SPEAKER_01 1:44:02

Right, where you have three seven three eight nine teams. Yeah, I was about to say seven and nine. Three eight, nine teams.

SPEAKER_02 1:44:06

And the Saints.

SPEAKER_01 1:44:08

Who, if they beat us, they are also eight and nine. So it's not like they fell too far from the tree.

SPEAKER_06 1:44:15

No, shout out to my guy. Um my guy, uh uh, what's his name? South Carolina, Oklahoma. For you know the quarterback.

SPEAKER_01 1:44:27

Garcia?

SPEAKER_06 1:44:29

No, their starter at the beginning of the year. For the Saints.

SPEAKER_01 1:44:34

South Carolina uh Rattler.

SPEAKER_06 1:44:37

Yeah, my guy Spitz, yeah, Tyler Badgant, and then uh who's who's the guy who finally uh we getting shucked tonight?

SPEAKER_01 1:44:45

We getting shucked tonight.

SPEAKER_06 1:44:47

Yeah, we getting shucked.

unknown 1:44:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:44:49

But uh all in all, you know, making these NFL preseason predictions are so difficult because you don't know who's getting better, you don't know who's gonna get hurt, you don't know who's gonna fit in, you don't know which coaches are gonna work, which loss of a coordinator is gonna actually truly affect the team, all of these different things. So it's fun to put these predictions out here. And hey guys, we're gonna be somewhat accountable. Maybe next year um I'll actually save the predictions.

SPEAKER_01 1:45:17

Uh you can only write them down. Look at look at look at what uh look at what the internet and AI has done to us. You used to write this stuff down.

SPEAKER_02 1:45:28

I mean, I was depressed when we did that first episode.

SPEAKER_01 1:45:31

Wow, that's why you were writing it because you were depressed.

SPEAKER_06 1:45:35

No, I'm saying, like, that's why I wasn't writing it because my my my head wasn't in the game, you know.

SPEAKER_01 1:45:39

Oh, you're saying I got you.

SPEAKER_06 1:45:42

Yeah, I was battling demons, you know.

SPEAKER_01 1:45:45

Demon.

SPEAKER_06 1:45:47

Um, shit, man. So let's do a little bit of culture. I think that's important to talk about. Uh we had huh?

SPEAKER_01 1:45:56

I said we got about 15 minutes if we follow the time schedule.

SPEAKER_06 1:46:00

Well, apparently, oh no, we we are because I've I've got to do some stuff when we get off here. Um I gotta go talk to my mom about some insurance stuff, and I gotta call Lo because uh when we got done yesterday, I she was already asleep. So uh what do we got? Cardi B um had uh blue face on uh medium. You want you want to start there? Because I don't.

SPEAKER_01 1:46:26

We can, I don't see why not.

SPEAKER_06 1:46:28

I mean let's talk about Steve first because I think that's important. Did you watch the interview?

SPEAKER_01 1:46:34

Cliffhanger to Cardi B. Let's just run through that quickly, as I'm sure he would like to do.

SPEAKER_06 1:46:40

Her butt looked really nice on that stage when she was throwing.

SPEAKER_01 1:46:43

She's got a fat ass, Lee. She's got a fat ass. She's got a fat ass. I'm not mad at that, brother. I know that I guess the bust down thought he's she's on the remix, so I'm assuming that's why he was out there. Yeah, she's got a fat ass. She's in going through a breakup. Charleston White said it best. He says she's a cum bucket, but uh you didn't hear that from me saying that he said it best. I'm just saying that what he said.

SPEAKER_06 1:47:12

But the point is nobody describes her better than him, is what you're saying?

SPEAKER_01 1:47:18

No, but he was just basing it off of the turn of events from the Super Bowl until that moment.

SPEAKER_06 1:47:25

Would you deposit into that bucket?

SPEAKER_01 1:47:29

Yeah. But again, I brought this up. Anyone that's been a fan of the show and has listened, we did a BBL March Madness last year. I wonder if we'll have another one or something similar. I know it was like going around while we did it, but I'm pretty sure Cardi had won. I I know she was in the finals. I just think she won. I forgot who she went against, though. She actually eliminated Kim K in the first round because we were like, well, it's like LeBron like playing in the playoffs at this point. It's like, well, we don't expect him to win, but will we be surprised if he did? No.

SPEAKER_06 1:48:07

I'm actually about to uh see if chat the GPT can find it.

SPEAKER_01 1:48:12

You should. I'm pretty sure that that's who we had because we had Justice as the culture referee um in that segment because he joined as an ass lover himself. Uh I'm a big man, but the point is I do I love it. I I love women, I love beauty, but uh but we had him because he's an ass aficionado himself, uh, just as you are. And so the thing is, is that I think that the tiebreaker it it was it was between her and someone else. It wasn't beyond, it was like no, because we was BBLs, and Beyonce is real.

SPEAKER_06 1:48:50

So uh yeah, I don't remember who won, but it was I'm pretty sure it was fun. It was a fun exercise and man stuff. I couldn't find it.

SPEAKER_01 1:48:59

But you tell us more about Steve and the jive and and shit that he talks.

SPEAKER_06 1:49:05

Well, you know, Steve is um he's busy right now.

SPEAKER_01 1:49:12

Busy doing what?

AFC South Jumble: Jags, Texans, Stroud

SPEAKER_06 1:49:13

Preparing uh preparing, preparing, preparing to prepare to leave this country. So and I came across a post from a great room, in a great chat room, uh group chat, sorry, it came from a page called The Melon and Shade Room. Uh and this and this was posted on this page. This chick said, When Stephen A. Smith said he considered running for president, I laughed. But then I remembered I didn't take Donald Trump seriously when he ran. I thought no one would vote for him for obvious reasons. I was wrong. I said all that to say I'm dedicating small parts of my day to ensure this nigga can't even walk for president starting today. Can't take no more chances. There's enough anti-blacks in office. Now, I don't agree. I I'm not gonna call Stephen A. Smith anti-black. I think that they're uh I think to be black is is so nuanced. So that just because somebody doesn't share your views on blackness uh or how black people should become successful or whatever the case may be, does it make them anti-black?

SPEAKER_07 1:50:25

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 1:50:26

This is not me caping for Steve, because if you know me, you know I'm not a fan of Steve.

SPEAKER_01 1:50:30

Yeah, you're not a Steve caper.

SPEAKER_06 1:50:32

No, but you know, he did sit down and have an interview. Um he did sit down and have an interview uh Sunday. Yes, Steve, did you did you not watch it?

SPEAKER_01 1:50:41

I call I called Steve sleep. I actually did not watch the whole thing. I I know we've been sending like uh snippets of it, but I didn't I did not watch the whole thing. Maybe I can watch the whole thing.

SPEAKER_06 1:50:51

I watched about 15 minutes of it. Uh so here's one uh important thing he talked about, uh talking about his his uh some of his you know policy agendas. Oh, Dolly. I can't play it.

SPEAKER_01 1:51:07

Why?

SPEAKER_06 1:51:08

I'm not hooked up, I forgot.

SPEAKER_01 1:51:10

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:51:12

But a long story short, he said we wouldn't have a border crisis under my watch. Hell no. We wouldn't have had this we haven't had this crime that exists in the streets of New New York. We ain't defunding any police. I'll be damned if I'm going, if I'm gonna have less police officers out there, there's gonna be more. So, two things. I I understand for messaging people have to talk about this border crisis, but there are underground tunnels. And if the dope and the people come through the underground tunnels, does it really matter what you do above the ground?

SPEAKER_01 1:51:52

No.

SPEAKER_06 1:51:53

Okay, so the border crisis will always be a problem, guys. Um and then the whole, you know, liberals are bad at messaging. When you hear defunds the police, what do you think?

SPEAKER_01 1:52:11

I think uh they are doing such a bad job overall to where we're safer without their presence. Even if we know that we know that we need them.

SPEAKER_06 1:52:27

What does defund the make sense? Yeah, I know what you're saying. Do you know what defund the police actually means?

SPEAKER_01 1:52:34

Let's take away resources for them to be able to respond quicker and do their job better.

SPEAKER_06 1:52:41

It is let's it's pretty much let's just re reallocate funding and let's change policing. We don't need police to respond to everything. Sometimes we need other people to step in uh to help solve the problem, to maintain you know, peace in your community without a guy with a gun showing up all the time, you know? It's it's it's not get rid of the police. Are there people on the defunded police side who actually want to get rid of police? Yes. Is there an argument uh by some of the more woke, and I mean real woke, not what the white people say is woke?

SPEAKER_07 1:53:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:53:20

Uh people who say, hey, police uh they're new age slave catchers. Uh and so no, we don't need them. I I think we need police. Do I think we need more police? No. Uh do I think we need less police? I don't know. Uh, but what I do know is that play that a lot of the safest places don't have a strong police presence, you know, because they're fucking safe. So there aren't police. So more police don't lead to more safety, you know.

SPEAKER_01 1:53:53

I don't think a lot of people realize that normally when a crime is being committed, that police, for the most part, are not in the general vicinity. I guess you can complain about how quickly they could get there, but and I'll be very quick with this because my neighbor called me today, and I'm she's getting a violation for something about here at my house. But she was telling me it wasn't nothing like that. But I brought to her attention that I said, you know, I was fucking robbed at gunpoint in this what very place once, and I said they seem to care more about some shit on a house that nobody saw. Now that's HOA, which I I'm not trying to confuse the two, but I'm just saying a sense of that's a crime that was committed specifically against me that I can talk about. But it didn't have anything to do with police presence or time. So the things that people are overreacting to that are about that normally their heat of the moment shit, especially from a left-wing side, I'm sure that it's more of a these people aren't policing correctly.

SPEAKER_04 1:55:07

Yes, and and and that, and that's really what it is.

SPEAKER_01 1:55:09

So when you're training to deal with these situations because I guess they don't happen very often.

SPEAKER_06 1:55:15

Right. And and there there are there's ways to express that. Like, hey, we're gonna take a comp uh a comprehensive uh examination of policing and policing practices in the United States. We're gonna uh ask the states for input, we're gonna work with uh different criminal justice scholars, we're gonna work with people who have worked in prison. Well, no, we're gonna work with all of these different people to come up with actual reform to make our streets safer. But I actually mean it.

SPEAKER_01 1:55:52

I don't mean just more people saying from a left side, it's not I guys, I don't have but I'm saying from a left side, it's uh no, I'm gonna be a cunt about it. You know what I mean? That's big. It's like it's like that is what that even is.

SPEAKER_06 1:56:09

Like and that's the problem with the with the left so often is they they're like, if you don't agree with us with stupidity, right? Does that make sense? Yeah, it's it's crazy. But back to Steve real really quickly, right? And here's one of the reasons why I take time to step on his presidential run.

NFC North Chaos And Bears’ Breakthrough

SPEAKER_07 1:56:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:56:32

Steve is factually incorrect on sports far too often for my liking. Steve says things that just sound stupid at times. Uh, Steve is good at presenting an argument, but he's not good at actually making one. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 1:56:51

Yeah, Steve.

SPEAKER_06 1:56:52

So if you're not good at the job that you're paid$20 million a year to do, and I don't mean good as in attracting ratings. I mean being a valuable source of information that people can rely on, right? What the hell makes me think that you are properly preparing yourself to leave this country when you haven't had public office? You haven't done anything in public office before. I don't know you to be a guy who's run business. You know what I mean? Like I said this about the uh President Trump. He's an international businessman. He has experience dealing with government and policies and getting people to do it. Yeah, well. Files, you know, but allegedly. But but but that's real. He had he has like real experience doing this.

SPEAKER_01 1:57:45

And on both sides.

SPEAKER_06 1:57:46

Yes. And now, Steve, don't get me wrong, and don't get me wrong. Don't get me wrong. This is not me saying, this is not me supporting President Trump because I didn't vote for him. I don't support him. I hate how he's voting our democracy. And him winning the presidency opens the door for guys like Steve. And here's the thing. Now we all we know that most presidents are puppets. You're just a figurehead.

unknown 1:58:08

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 1:58:09

But when you start bringing somebody who's not a politician into this just because they're popular and and people respond to them, we now know that our politics are being manipulated by people who don't want to be bound to the uh to the rules and laws of being in office.

unknown 1:58:29

Correct.

SPEAKER_06 1:58:31

So Steve, he's gonna have handlers, he's gonna have so many puppet strings on him that it's not even worth it. You know what I mean? Yeah, like it it's not cool, and then uh I'm sorry, dog. I don't want to turn on my television in the state of the union is fucking seed.

SPEAKER_01 1:58:58

Well, it opens up with my aquarium saying welcome to the presidential debate. I'm my aquarium, and he's like, and today we've got Stephen A. Smith, and because that is what it kind of turns into.

SPEAKER_06 1:59:14

Yeah, man, it's just it's nasty, it's disgusting, and I'm not a fan of it. And I I promise you guys, almost every week I'm gonna have something bad to say about Steve and his run for and his potential run for president because I think it's bad for the country. I think it's bad for black America. I think it's bad for Steve.

SPEAKER_01 1:59:33

Well, he he's a nasty bitch. Think about what you think about what a nasty bitch is. Some people it's guilty pleasure, others they just they shake their heads, they SMH it. You know what I mean? Like nasty bitch.

SPEAKER_06 1:59:53

Hey, Paul AP, I think that's a great way to end it, man.

SPEAKER_01 1:59:56

It is.

SPEAKER_06 1:59:58

Hey, we'll do this again next week.

SPEAKER_01 2:00:03

I'm down.

SPEAKER_06 2:00:04

All right, sounds good. Hey, hey guys, um Village Vets throwing a party in Cartersville next weekend at the cellar 8 to 12. Uh the link to the to the to the pre-sales is in the description.

SPEAKER_01 2:00:16

You know, I'm gonna have to get a babysitter to do this, but I'm gonna get it done. So I'll be out there too.

SPEAKER_06 2:00:22

Shout out to my guy. I was actually thinking about that because I'm like, oh shit, he's with us. That's the weekend. Yeah, I was like, oh shit, that's that's baby weekend.

SPEAKER_01 2:00:30

But I got I got it, I already got it. Uh I I'm just gonna what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna um I'm gonna drive to my dad's house and he's he's okay, and they're gonna go to church the next morning. So, but I'm staying at your house, obviously. So obviously, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 2:00:47

Hey, hey, parlay Pete. This was great, man. Let me go get out of here and figure out whatever the hell my mom wants because you know she texts me on a show day saying, Hey, can you come down here? Uh you know, right, you know, you know what that even potentially could mean, but well, she told me she told me it's not a big deal, it's just like five minutes, but she doesn't bother me on show days to come down there, so like she wants to see you in person as opposed to it being yeah, yeah, so it it's probably important, and that just makes me a little you know antsy.

SPEAKER_01 2:01:24

Yeah, I understand. Well, I'll leave everybody with this. So long farewell to you, my friend. This would be a great way to end the show. Anywho, I'm not gonna do the rest of the song. I'll hide you, bro.

SPEAKER_05 2:01:40

Guys, TV 2028, don't vote.