Following a win over one of the worst teams in the NBA that took everything the Celtics had, Bob Ryan and Gary Tanguay ask the question - can the Celtics turn it back on? Did this team think they could take their foot off the gas and return to form when they needed to? And will that they be able to now? All that, and much more!
0:00 - Celtics win was a non loss
2:30 - Fourth quarter struggles
7:32 - Transition defense issues
15:24 - Brunson's signature win
24:16 - Bucks playoff potential
25:49 - NBA championship contenders
28:03 - NBA's magnetic stars
30:10 - Rivalries in NBA
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0:00 - Celtics win was a non loss
2:30 - Fourth quarter struggles
7:32 - Transition defense issues
15:24 - Brunson's signature win
24:16 - Bucks playoff potential
25:49 - NBA championship contenders
28:03 - NBA's magnetic stars
30:10 - Rivalries in NBA
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SportsTranscript
00:00It's time for Bob Ryan and Gary Tangre, brought to you by Price Picks, the exclusive daily
00:23fantasy partner of CLNS Media Network.
00:25Pick more, pick less with Price Picks.
00:28Okay, Bob, I want to start with my theory on the Celtics.
00:31Now, I was absolutely ecstatic that they pulled out the win the other night, albeit against
00:37one of the worst teams in the league.
00:38I'll take it.
00:40But this is what I think has happened to this team.
00:42I think that they completely shut it off, shut it down, thinking they could turn it
00:47back on at any time, and they can't.
00:50And I was thinking about the teams of the 80s, the Lakers and the Celtics, and why they
00:54always wanted to repeat.
00:56Those teams understood, they knew that they didn't want to lose it.
01:02This Celtic team didn't understand that.
01:04I think they truly believed that they could mail it in and turn it back on anytime they
01:09wanted to.
01:10And they can't.
01:11They can't.
01:12I mean, they had to bust their ass to beat one of the worst teams in the league, and
01:19the Pelicans.
01:21Number one, that was an annoying, frustrating, unfulfilling, unsatisfying non-loss for me.
01:35I didn't enjoy that game.
01:38Had I been neutral, I would have enjoyed that game.
01:43With all those lead changes and ties and drama, and that wacky ending, which if it didn't
01:50involve the Celtics, I would have really, you know, been enraptured by it, I would have
01:55had some fun with it.
01:56But you don't see that chain of events quite the way it happened very often in the NBA,
02:01you know.
02:02And they're the very lucky beneficiaries of the gods deciding that McCollum's last nice
02:10little runner wasn't going to go in, and almost did.
02:13Okay.
02:15So it was annoying to me, and I didn't enjoy it, but it was masochistic.
02:20I had to watch the game, you know, in a sense, so we would be able to converse intelligently
02:25about it.
02:26But I wasn't enjoying it.
02:28And the fact that they came out on the right side of the score, fine, but I was unfulfilled.
02:35Now, what you're saying, it's Prairie Pot, they did say all the right things before the
02:41season started.
02:42Right.
02:43Right.
02:45And we give them, you know, their leaders are intelligent guys.
02:48I mean, Brown, you know, Tatum, and of course, the backcourt, they're both tremendous.
02:54And they're very intelligent people.
02:56We know that.
02:59But we don't know what's in their heart and their head exactly.
03:02And they're smart enough to say the right things, you know, without fulfilling them.
03:06We know that.
03:07I mean, I think maybe that's what they're showing us.
03:09We'll see.
03:11So it's interesting.
03:12You know where I thought you might be going, because we did touch, wasn't it, when we touched
03:18upon it previously, was the lack of a rival.
03:21The lack of, you know, there's no Lakers to their self, you know, there's no rival.
03:27I mean, Cleveland is, they got to chase Cleveland.
03:30But I still think, and if you, you know, put the proverbial Luger to their heads, they'll
03:34say, oh, we'll beat Cleveland in seven games if we have to, you know, and it might, and
03:38it's fine.
03:39But it's, it was against a team, not only is it the team that was the worst record in
03:46the Western Conference, and one of the handful of worst in the league, they were missing
03:50people too.
03:51They weren't even in full school.
03:53But this is, I mean, they were showing the numbers, they had them in the Globe, they
03:56had them on the telecast.
03:58The fourth quarter for the Celtics have been, it's been a disaster, a disaster, which usually
04:05for a championship team, a clutch team, that's when they put on the, that's when they step
04:10on the pedal, you know?
04:12So I think, I observed the team, I think that they've lost their confidence.
04:17I thought they struggled to win that game, man, and they couldn't, they still missed
04:22layups.
04:23I mean, Porzingis wasn't hitting, they were fortunate to win.
04:27They're a very defending championship team struggling to regain their identity.
04:33It started to unravel when the most reliable person maybe you can ask for did an incomprehensible
04:41thing.
04:42Derek White took, just didn't take an inbounds pass.
04:45Where was his head?
04:46What was he thinking?
04:47You know?
04:48I don't know, what was that?
04:49I've never, you've seen anything like that?
04:50You've seen anything like that?
04:51I mean, it's definitely not from a really, you know, heads up player.
04:56Okay.
04:57Then after that, the errors of, and then the five second rule, he's, I want to take his
05:02word for it, that he, that was a bad call.
05:04Because he says that he has an eternal clock, he throws the ball in a lot, and he's not
05:10going to ordinarily get caught on a five second.
05:12I'll get in the benefit of the doubt on that one.
05:14But then-
05:15Was he trying to call a timeout too?
05:17I don't think so.
05:18No, I think he just wanted to have the five second count going on his head.
05:22Then of course, Tatum missed two free throws, that's co-mission, not omission.
05:27You know, bad timing to miss the two free throws, that's for sure.
05:32And so you add it all up, and they put themselves, you know, five points with, what, 20 seconds,
05:36and they could easily have lost the game, easily, if the column shot goes in, and they
05:40go to their loose.
05:41And they ended up winning.
05:42I mean, I'm sitting here thinking, they deserved to lose.
05:45You know, I mean, I was going to, one thing I was going to say to you in anticipation
05:48about how we're going to discuss this horrifying loss to New Orleans, was that I always say
05:53this, I've been saying this for 60 years, well, 50, I probably didn't start saying it
05:57until I started covering the NBA, which is, I just root for justice in the end.
06:01I want the team that deserves to win to win.
06:04And the team that deserved to win did not win.
06:07I don't think less.
06:08No, no, I agree.
06:09They're a talented team, but the Celtics are, they're the most talented team in the league.
06:18I still believe they are.
06:19They're obviously in a funk, and they need to play better, but boy, I just think they
06:26let things get away from themselves.
06:28And I don't know if it's, I don't want to sound like old bastard here, Bob, but you
06:33know, we haven't had a dynasty in a long time, Golden State, you know, they repeated.
06:42But lately, it's not an easy thing to do.
06:45And we've seen defending champions not do so great.
06:48I mean, Denver really fell off the map, and I thought they were going to be around for
06:51a while.
06:52I was going to point that out.
06:54Denver's in the midst of a fall now, from where they were, and they still have key contenders.
07:01They're all there.
07:03The key components are all there, you know, and it's not like it's a turnover, it's a
07:08lack of whatever it is, they're suffering, you know.
07:13So that, the thing that continues to bug me is their transition defense.
07:18Oh, the defense, I agree.
07:22The three-point thing, you know, how much do we beat it to death, you know, and we understand
07:29the whole thing.
07:30But the transition defense is a problem for me.
07:34And I didn't like some of those easy, fast breaks at the end.
07:37Well, yeah, no, they're not playing defense.
07:39And what happens is they try to get back into the game real quick with the threes, and sometimes
07:42it works, and sometimes it doesn't.
07:43They're better off going to the basket.
07:46But agreed, defensively, there's still a lot there.
07:50Well, that's where it is, and they got to figure it out.
07:53Now, the only thing I'll say, not the only thing, but one thing I will say, and I did
07:58text this out, you know, I'm not panicking.
08:01We know it's corrective.
08:02Right, right.
08:03I'm not panicking.
08:04You know, see me when they're down 3-1 in a playoff series.
08:08Right.
08:09And here's my rebuttal to that.
08:11I was texting with my old producer, Jeff Capitasto, who does, at NBC Sports Boston, and I was
08:20like, these Celtics are driving me crazy.
08:21He goes, well, you know, wait till the playoffs.
08:23Well, I'm not in the media anymore.
08:25I'm a fan.
08:26You know, I'm like, I'm a regular citizen, Bob.
08:30I'm just a civilian.
08:33I really am.
08:34I take my kids to school.
08:35I do some stuff.
08:36I do some grocery shopping.
08:37I do some teaching.
08:39I don't have a media mindset.
08:40When I sit down to watch a game, that doesn't come into my mind.
08:44Like, oh, well, they'll still be there for the playoffs, and I don't.
08:47I just sit down as a fan.
08:48And I go, I want to see a good game.
08:51And you know, that's where I get pissed.
08:53We'll get back to Bob in just a moment.
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10:04What's Tandem going to do?
10:05He is heating it up, man.
10:06Without him, the Celtics really would be up a creek.
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10:28Run your game.
10:30I've been preaching that gospel to people, as you know, about enjoy the moment, enjoy
10:35your sports fan.
10:37Everything isn't about the big picture.
10:39And I just contradicted myself there.
10:41Well, you had your journalism, you had your journalist hat on, which I agree.
10:46But yeah, you know what I'm saying.
10:48Well, I had my experience, I mean, I've been through this for 55 years.
10:53I mean, you know, my first year covering the league was 68, 69.
10:56So I've seen it.
10:57I've seen the trends.
10:59I've seen how things work.
11:00And I have a, you know, and, and, and, you know, all that.
11:04And I was thinking along the way, just so I'll throw it in right now.
11:09I covered two championship teams in the seventies that the years they won, you didn't expect
11:17them to win.
11:18And the year you thought they were going to win, they didn't win.
11:21And their second halves of both 73, 74 and 75, 76 were nowhere near as good as their
11:27first half.
11:28And going into the playoffs, I didn't have, I didn't exude confidence.
11:33Plus there were teams that were, they weren't going to be the favorite, their favorite in
11:3874 was going to be the Bucs.
11:41And the favorite in 76 was going to be the defending champion Warriors who completely
11:45screwed up by losing to the Suns.
11:47Okay.
11:48And, but, and who got themselves as far as the Western Conference Finals and then imploded.
11:52Well, seventh game, but it was a disastrous seventh game.
11:56So I've seen it, you know, you don't have to be playing your very best.
11:59I know the win.
12:00And, and, you know, in the course of 72, 73, they went 68 games and they don't win for
12:05a very good reason.
12:06John Havlicek got hurt.
12:07And anybody thinks there was any other reasons, crazy.
12:10That was the reason, period.
12:11End of story.
12:12Let's move on.
12:13And so you can't, we couldn't count on that.
12:14But, but believe me, winning in 74 wasn't expected, not by me when they started the
12:20playoffs and it sure wasn't expected in 76.
12:23The vibes on that team, Garrett, weren't good.
12:27They were starting to sour on Tommy Heinsohn and, and, and his methodology was wearing
12:32them out.
12:34And they didn't, they weren't a happy team at all.
12:37They were.
12:38And when they won, I'm telling you right now, it was one of those deals.
12:40It wasn't elation.
12:41It was, it was a relief.
12:44Well, thank God it's over rather than, woo, we won.
12:49Yeah, it was.
12:50Now there was one individual that contradicted that because he was the MVP and he deserved
12:54to be, and that was JoJo.
12:55JoJo, he, he, he appreciated it.
12:59He was the, but everybody else that mattered, it was, oh God, let's go home.
13:03Let's go now.
13:05I can go home and relax.
13:06We got this thing over.
13:07All right.
13:08Now, I don't know what that had to do with anything.
13:09I just.
13:10Well, no, I mean, your point's well taken.
13:11Listen, the team could still turn it around.
13:13It's just that, um, when my, they should look, if they're not in the finals, it's a disappointment.
13:20I will give a team the benefit of the doubt.
13:22If they get in the finals and my God, if they get into the finals and they get outplayed,
13:25but it's a really good series, you know, I'll tip my hat to the other guys.
13:30You know, like if they get into the finals and they play Oklahoma City and Oklahoma City
13:33beats them, I can live with that, you know, but they should, they should get in the finals.
13:39It's just like, as a fan, I sit down and watch a game.
13:42I'm just very picky, you know, but I just, but I'm not enjoying these games right now.
13:51Me neither.
13:52Me neither.
13:53I don't know.
13:54Me neither.
13:55Not at all.
13:56No, God.
13:58It's just that.
13:59So, well, the Knicks over the Bucs, some thoughts on that and Brunson as the Knicks pulls out
14:09his data, pulls out his sheet.
14:13Yes, I got, no, the Knicks were right on a, on a roll for a while.
14:26And during that roll, they went nine in a row.
14:28And during that nine, however, among their victims, New Orleans, Toronto, San Antonio,
14:36Washington twice, and Utah.
14:40Okay.
14:41That victory, and then they got waxed at home the other night by OKC, which is no disgrace
14:46at any time, except they lost by 26.
14:49Okay.
14:50Yesterday, I think was their signature win of the season.
14:54And now the Bucs record, we know that they're now playing much, much better.
14:59We know the Bucs have become formidable again.
15:01They are playing very well.
15:02And that was a big win.
15:03And they routed them by 140 to something.
15:08And Brunson had 44 and, by the way, he got hurt in the third quarter and they had the
15:13whole garden went silent, as you can imagine.
15:16And he did come back and it's a shoulder something, you know.
15:21So we'll see.
15:22I'm just saying, that was a signature win for them.
15:25I'm just going to make a point.
15:27I got carried away, by the way, when they were playing well, because I loved that starting
15:34five and I just, you know, I just can see how they could have games.
15:38They're going to be very hard to beat for anybody at any time.
15:41But and just so you know, they were six and six to start the season.
15:45And now they're 25 and 14.
15:46So they're playing in a very good clip, 19 and eight.
15:48But as I say, some of it is synthetic against against weak opponents.
15:53And so we don't we're not sure about it at that time, except that they're dangerous.
15:57They can be very dangerous.
15:58I'll put them in that category.
15:59OK, they're not they're not reliable yet, but they're dangerous.
16:03They're still relying on, you know, they have.
16:06I think they had like three of the top five minutes made the top minutes guys in the league.
16:11Right.
16:12Thibodeau is looking up to his reputation as playing those starters heavy.
16:17But I think he's got to, you know, right now, he doesn't have Mitchell Robinson yet.
16:22He hasn't played all year.
16:24And who has just got somebody got hurt else.
16:27And they you know, he's I mean, you got to use precious you at your as your backup center.
16:33You know, that's not good.
16:34I mean, he shouldn't be a center.
16:36So but that was I think that was a signature win for them yesterday.
16:40A very, very good win.
16:41I will take my give a little salute.
16:45So there you go.
16:46Can you get excited about the Pacific division or is it just mediocrity?
16:51I can't get excited.
16:53I think it's good.
16:54It's going to be very competitive.
16:55They're going to be enjoying themselves right now as we speak.
16:59The five teams in the Pacific are separated by three in the lost column.
17:04One to three that the Lakers up at 16 and that the Suns at 19 and they're separated
17:10by three.
17:11There's no great team there.
17:13It's just that, you know, the Lakers, the Clippers, the Suns, Suns now, they're a mystery
17:21guest right now.
17:22They've got that big three, you know, and when they play, you know, I'm not going to
17:27dismiss them and the possibility of getting it together, you know, now that they got this
17:32new thing where Beal is coming off the bench, which we discussed that last time.
17:36And he's had at least two 20 point games coming off the bench since he's done it didn't have
17:4020 last night.
17:42But they've still, you know, they've got a big three.
17:45Booker, do people appreciate how good Booker is?
17:48Oh, no, no, no, no.
17:50Because he's in Phoenix.
17:51I think he's a hell of a player, but no, I would say no, they do not.
17:59I still maintain that Calipari blew it by not playing him more the year that they were
18:05undefeated going into the finals, going into the final four.
18:09He was in this big thing about, you know, unit rotation.
18:15And let me ask you something about Booker, if he plays for Golden State, is he considered
18:19as good as Steph?
18:23About whom?
18:24If you put Booker on Golden State, or Golden State, would he be in the same class as Steph?
18:31Well, I mean, maybe where Steph is, we know he's not, you know, he's 36 now.
18:38Maybe right now, very close, yes.
18:41You know, not the Steph of two years ago, maybe, you know, but there's no way you can
18:44hold him to that standard any longer.
18:46But no, Booker is really, really, really, really good.
18:50And Durant, you know, everybody talks about, and they should, about LeBron's longevity
18:54and how well he's playing at his age.
18:56But if you take him out of the equation for a minute, you know, for a moment, and you
19:01know, and then, granted, he's unique in history for what he's doing.
19:06Durant is playing at a level very few have ever played at his level, at his age, who's
19:1336.
19:14He's still very, very formidable, Durant.
19:17And I have-
19:18Bob, let's play a game.
19:19I'm going to put you on the spot.
19:20He's become taken for granted in that regard.
19:22Let's play a game.
19:23I'm going to put us on the spot.
19:26Let's come up with the all-five-old-man team, all right?
19:31So I got LeBron, right?
19:32I got-
19:33I got Kareem.
19:34You got Kareem.
19:35And then you got Durant.
19:36Yeah, but it's fine.
19:37You know, the guards are hard.
19:38I'm trying to-
19:39I'm not going to worry about the guards.
19:40I mean, you know, just give me two other players.
19:41Just five guys.
19:42I'm trying to come up with five guys, like who-
19:43Yeah.
19:44Yeah.
19:45Yeah.
19:46Yeah.
19:47Yeah.
19:48Yeah.
19:49Yeah.
19:50Yeah.
19:51Yeah.
19:52Yeah.
19:53Yeah.
19:54Yeah.
19:56Yeah, that's a very good question.
19:57I have-
19:58Now, now they play longer.
20:00You know, now guys are-
20:02It's a guy that played 20 years-
20:04Oh, oh, Nowitzki.
20:06He played 20 years, just about.
20:07Dirk.
20:08Absolutely.
20:09Dirk.
20:10Now, there's another guy that was near this level, but he was effective to- for a long,
20:14long time.
20:15And he's going to get out- he's not going to get out of history.
20:17Nobody's going to remember him outside of the city he played in.
20:20You know, and he played 20 damn years.
20:22That's Kevin Wills.
20:24And, you know, he was a useful player, not a great player, never great, but useful.
20:29And he lasted a long time.
20:31You know, a long time.
20:32Lopez.
20:33I mean, Lopez made himself into a three-point shooter.
20:35I mean-
20:36He's strong.
20:37Yeah.
20:38I don't know.
20:39But it's interesting because you really can't go back to the 80s or the 70s because guys
20:44didn't play like they do now.
20:46Oh, well, Michael, we've got to put Michael up there again.
20:49Yeah.
20:50Michael at 36, 37 was with the Washington, right?
20:54Going out.
20:55He averaged 20 years last year.
20:56Yeah.
20:57The only other guy I know that did that was- was Jerry West.
21:00I think he averaged 20 years last year.
21:02And then he went out.
21:04But no, they- they didn't play that long.
21:06You know, Habacek was 16.
21:09But we're going to- but Bob, we're going to have you- the 40-plus all-star-
21:12John Habacek didn't quit because he couldn't play.
21:16Right.
21:17I'll tell you that way.
21:18John Habacek quit because he didn't like what was around him any longer.
21:22It wasn't fun anymore.
21:24It wasn't satisfying.
21:25It was too much work to play with the people he was playing with.
21:29And, you know, and that's why he quit.
21:31And, you know, he told me that if he had only known what Larry was going to be, he would
21:35have stuck around, you know, and played with Larry Bird.
21:40So- but John, you know, but he was like 38, yeah, he was- he played 16 years.
21:46That's a good question.
21:47But there's no question that the guys tend to- they can last longer.
21:51But it's still hard for guards.
21:53It's always the big men.
21:54It's ordinary.
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22:57How do you think, how would John, because you have told the story about how John played
23:05Larry in one-on-one, or he beat Larry in one-on-one.
23:11Would John have let Larry be the guy?
23:16Yes.
23:17Oh yeah.
23:18John would have, he would have found the best way to compliment, with an E, as well as I,
23:24Larry Bird.
23:25And Larry would have loved playing with John, there's no doubt about that.
23:32And because, you know, John famously came to practice for a few years on his birthday,
23:37and dazzled them, you know, at practice.
23:40And yeah, that would have been, no, John wouldn't have had any trouble with that.
23:46He was a, you know, he was humble, you know, he knew who he was, but no, he would never
23:54cause a problem at all.
23:55He would have been great with John.
23:56Yeah, that would have been something else.
23:57I mean, a hondo for Larry, oh my God.
23:58That would have been a clinic in team basketball.
23:59It would have been, that would have been.
24:05What might have been, Bob, what might have been.
24:09So yeah, I mean, that's something to think about down the road.
24:14So for true contenders, are the Bucks going to make a run?
24:22I need to see some more.
24:23I need to see more.
24:24And once again, all this is contingent, you know, it's almost a fruitless discussion because
24:29of the injury factor.
24:30Let's suppose, in an ideal academic argument, that everybody brings their best to the table.
24:36Right.
24:37That they all, which is seldom happens, but if it were to happen.
24:43I think they're the next, they fall into, I think the Bucks and Philly.
24:47I can tell you, if the Celtics don't get their shit, if the Celtics don't get their shit
24:52together, this could be a very blah NBA final.
24:58Yeah.
24:59Yeah.
25:00The West, you know, I agree.
25:03Right now, I think it's OKC versus the field for me right now in the West.
25:08Right.
25:09Right now.
25:10Right.
25:11I mean.
25:12It really is.
25:13The Yankees are not the answer yet.
25:14And nobody in the Pacific.
25:15And Houston, you know, they're a nice up-and-comer, they're a growth stock, but they're not ready
25:20yet.
25:21And I think, you know, they're in Memphis when they're fully healthy and jazz out there
25:26and they got everything they need, you know, they're there and they and Houston are in
25:32that category.
25:33I've invented that.
25:34Oh, goody, goody.
25:35I don't.
25:36We're playing them.
25:37We don't want to play them.
25:38They're not.
25:39We don't necessarily.
25:40You know, we're not.
25:41Nobody's saying, goody, goody.
25:42We're playing Memphis or Houston this year.
25:44Right.
25:45They continue on their path.
25:46Yeah.
25:47But that doesn't make them championship contenders.
25:48No.
25:49I'm looking at the field and I just when I think of a dominant team or dominant teams
25:53of years gone by, I don't see it.
25:55No, no.
25:56I mean, you know, Cleveland's playing very well and fine.
26:00We'll see.
26:01And everyone, Cleveland's on a 70 game pace.
26:02They are.
26:03But they are until they aren't.
26:04I'd say, say right now they are.
26:09And, you know, we'll see.
26:10I mean, we haven't even reached the halfway mark and things can change.
26:16Absolutely.
26:17Right now, the signs are very good for them and they've got certain people that the backboard
26:23is established.
26:24They are who they are.
26:25They're going to be this way for a while.
26:26Garland, by the way, at 44 points, I mean, in the night when Mischel didn't play, you
26:30know.
26:31And by the way, and the Mobley, Jeff, our boy, our friend Jeff is a big Mobley fan and
26:39he's making them look very good this year, Mobley.
26:41And he gets better and better.
26:44And so they're going to, you know, right now they're very legit, but I don't think
26:50there's that many contenders.
26:51I think it's really, it's really in the West, frankly, there's only one team I can see.
26:58I agree.
26:59And that's.
27:00Yeah, that's Oklahoma City.
27:01Yeah.
27:02And I completely agree.
27:04I just from an entertainment perspective, if I'm a television executive, Bob, right.
27:10Right.
27:11Let's play that game.
27:12Like if I'm a television executive and what made the NBA great, I need I need some names
27:20like I want the freak in it in the East.
27:24You know, I want Giannis.
27:26You know, I want you guys.
27:27I love the Knicks.
27:28I love the Knicks story.
27:29I want MSG.
27:30I want the Celtics to regain their their their their their mojo.
27:35I want Denver to regain, you know, their mojo in the West.
27:39But that's what I need.
27:40Like I need some I need some stars and some names.
27:42I want Giannis in the mix.
27:45That's what I want.
27:46Well, you you are echoing and I'm and I know which I'm a compliment to you.
27:53You're echoing a very interesting piece that was in an athletic theater today in which
27:58that was the gist of it, that the NBA lacks magnetic stars right now to take the torch
28:05from LeBron.
28:06I was writing about the the the rivalry, the good rivalry that I never really appreciated
28:11it that much.
28:12But apparently it's stronger than I realized, a legitimate personal rivalry of not just
28:17very analogous to Magic and Larry with regard to their mutual respect and admiration for
28:22LeBron between LeBron and Curry step right with another member, even teammates and the
28:28Olympics multiple times now.
28:31We don't have that.
28:32All those practices, all those games, all those practice, all those days off, all those
28:37times hanging around the bar, whatever, you know, together, they're friends.
28:42And then when the game starts, they're enemies, they're frenemies in it.
28:46But this SGA, you know, is that his any answer?
28:50Yeah, we would, you know, I'll tell you a guy and they and this is what I have great
28:53minds.
28:54I love this.
28:55John Hollinger wrote the story, I believe, but whoever did, I must give you the credit.
28:59I'm sorry.
29:00I had a discussion as far as two years ago on this, us, that John Morant could be one
29:06of the new faces of the league.
29:08Right.
29:09Then he goes, well, he mentioned John Morant as an example of, you know, who could be one
29:17of these guys that could propel the league.
29:19But people see this.
29:21I have to acknowledge that this is a phenomenon that's very real and exist.
29:25It's never motivated me.
29:26So I don't relate to this.
29:27I mean, I just want the teams to me, whoever should be there in a given year.
29:32That's oh, yeah.
29:33Because you're a purist.
29:34No, no, no.
29:35But you're a purist.
29:36I get that.
29:37But I mean, I'm not going to be snobby or put people down.
29:42I have to acknowledge that this is this is important.
29:44Oh, yeah.
29:45I mean, I just you know, when I talk to you, Bob, these things just pop into my head.
29:51It's interesting because now I'm thinking back, you know, if you if you start, it was
29:55always like Wilt versus Russell, even though they were friends, I mean, their days on the
30:00town are legendary.
30:01And then I guess you had Celtics, Knicks, you know, Willis Reed, then the Bucs.
30:07And then obviously the late 80s.
30:09That was weird.
30:10It wasn't really a rivalry then.
30:11But then, of course, 80s Larry Magic, Michael, you know, so you had some big time rivalries
30:17right there.
30:18And right now they're not they're not it's it's not it's not there.
30:23I don't know.
30:24Maybe they never will.
30:25You know, these guys hang around together.
30:28Well, it's a different world now, of course.
30:30But even though but here's the thing, though, even though and I'll close with this.
30:36Wilt and Ross, like they would they would stay at each other's houses and all that,
30:41but when they got on the floor, it was business.
30:44And then the same thing with Larry and Magic, you know, Larry went out.
30:48I mean, Magic shot a commercial at Larry's house.
30:50They became friends.
30:52Larry's mom said.
30:53But when they got on the floor, it was all business.
30:57Oh, yeah, of course it was.
30:58And now that the.
31:01Yeah, you're right. And it was it was all, you know, I get my body off the floor, but
31:08I'm going to cut your heart out on the floor, you know, and I want to win multiple
31:11championships.
31:13Well, the whole Boston, L.A. thing, you know, it's got a 60 year history.
31:17Oh, you know, right.
31:19Right.
31:20And then, you know, it could be kindled at any time.
31:23And the league knows this.
31:24And and that's why they were so blessed that Bird and Magic went where they went at
31:29the time that they did, because you're right.
31:30The NBA in the late 70s was off the screen.
31:35It was the doldrums for most people.
31:38And the and they helped revive it.
31:41They they set the table for Michael.
31:44And now the league is going in the direction no one would have ever seen in those days.
31:48Now, that's very good. Michael, I've never had a direct.
31:52What's that? I've never had a direct Michael, we had to manufacture rivalries for
31:57Michael, you know, when a playoffs when they play Phoenix, they said Charles and Clyde
32:01Drexler. Michael scoffed when people would say the same.
32:05So it was a rivalry.
32:06Right. But yeah, I never had one.
32:08And that.
32:12You know, we could sit here and debate the greatest player of all time, I would
32:15probably still say Michael and there's LeBron and Ross, you can make the argument.
32:20I'd still I'd still say Michael because of his defense, his tenacity.
32:24But I don't know if he'll ever win any Boy Scout awards and we'll just leave it at
32:28that.
32:30But plenty of time to go.
32:32All right, Bob, thanks a lot, buddy.
32:35Bob Ryan, Gary Tangler, brought to you by Price Picks, the exclusive Daily Fantasy
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32:42All right, Bob, until next week.
32:45We'll see you later.