Rivalry Between Steph & LeBron, No Embiid In Denver Again | The Hoop Collective

Rivalry Between Steph & LeBron, No Embiid In Denver Again | The Hoop Collective

Hello welcome to the hoop Collective podcast we talk about the NBA which we’re doing here on Sunday afternoon joining us from Los Angeles for the first time this season it’s because he’s so busy calling football games basketball games on the sideline radio in La is our friend George sadonna

What’s up George Brian it’s good to be here um of course with you and Tim McMahon who you know we know is Luca’s best friend these days I’ll do the introductions of Mr McMahon okay you have to be an expert to say joining us from Dallas Texas the one the only ban

McMahon howdy Partners George it is good to see you I hope we can be friends but uh you know I’m not always the most popular person but I do try to be honest yeah well Luca was so offended and and upset and you know lard was such scar tissue from your interaction that

He went out the next game and scored 73 points in Atlanta so man somebody owes you something well as much as I’d like to take credit I think probably the combination of his talent in the Hawks defense was responsible for that historic performance by the way um so

That all went down on Wednesday night then Thursday night Luca makes a surprise appearance on Inside the NBA he’s in Atlanta comes over to the studio with Ernie and the guys and you know would you frame it an apology that he issues uh to the fan who was ejected I

No I would say an admission that he was wrong you know he says I admit when I’m wrong I probably shouldn’t have done that you know so on and so forth um and I was I was listening I was like okay keep going keep going Luka but that but

That was where he stopped like that’s that’s enough that’s as charitable as I’m G to be and the thing about it is had he done that postgame then it’s a 12-h hour story because it was a whatever you want to call it controversial postgame press conference the story

Got I’ve been in brewhaha I wouldn’t say it escalated quite to that um nor was it a Kur fuffle but it was it was tense it was on the Fring offf that extends the story line but one hell of a way to end that story line is to score 73 points in

Your next game uh I tell you what though man this dude uh I I wasn’t in Atlanta I saw him the next night in Dallas asked him a question postgame his answer was uh something along the lines of honestly I’m tired I can’t wait to go home and go

To sleep which don’t blame him the guy played 91 minutes in a span of like 26 hours well he was also exhaust you know I honestly believe the 73 wasn’t what was most amazing the 65 and three quars because in the fourth quarter the Fox decided we ain’t going to be made

Fun of for 20 years like like Jaylen Rose and the Raptors do with Kobe they were two and a half times teaming him and Luca was exhausted he sort of manufactured the last eight points in the fourth the 65 through3 Georgie that to me is the iconic number nobody will

Ever remember that the 73 will be attached to him 65 through3 quarters yeah I’m with you on that I would also add that he should have had a triple double when you watched that game how many blown wideopen shots and I’m not talking about shots from long distance

I’m talking about layups and bunnies that gu’s missed he should have had a 73 Point triple double if you think about it well and he got his triple double the next night but certainly not the 73 points and you know all backto back’s always difficult especially he’s his

Ankles bothered him he was questionable for the second game and you probably had a pretty good idea that you know he didn’t quite have his legs when his first shot was a step back three that was an air B and he still ended up with a 28 points 17 assist triple double um

But the M fell down 20 some odd got it down to single digits but never really in against the Kings the Kings won in Dallas right and again 91 minutes in two nights uh looks like Kyrie’s probably coming back soon he’s missed the last few games and man they need him if

Nothing else just you cannot have this kind of workload on a guy and expect him to be able to finish the season strong I mean it’s the same thing they ran into last year he’s in better shape now but it’s the same thing they ran into last

Year our producer Jackson aello says the best defense has been played on your Twitter feed Hey listen shout out to Alex speo who has been a guest on this very podcast Wendy he’s one of uh America’s most well-known um defense attorneys yes and is a regular listener has been a

Guest on this podcast um you’ve gotten to know him through the the NBA world uh he is Elon musk’s attorney now as I’m tell say something about Alex Alex has accomplished some pretty amazing things that I know about much less what I don’t know about um one of the biggest was

Getting the Robert Craft tape from the uh massage parlor in W Palm Beach never entered into the public record he also got some some NBA players out of some jams that I cannot believe so the man is accomplished and he does represent uh Elon Musk as well okay now let hold on

Let me say something about Brian wior real quick because Wendy knows this Alex well and I’m telling Wendy like dude I’m locked out my Twitter account Luca is gonna score 140 points right after he called me out for only being negative I can’t tweet like this is a disaster I’ve

Got like ESPN social media working on it Wendy could have said oh I know Elon musk’s lawyer here let me connect you he did not he did not okay Alex how much money cost I don’t want that on my bill what you cra after after I I was

Connected Jason Luton thank you sir Mark Cuban’s right-hand man we’re just chatting and I mentioned to him this predicament I’m in oh would you like me to connect you with elon’s lawyer he’ll he’ll help you out 45 minutes later I’m back in business baby thanks not a lit

To the Pod Father Brian vindy windhorst sorry I will tell you this you he may be a great defense attorney but I was your best defense attorney on television because lo and behold when I was on around the horn the next day and I see on our B Block it’s Luca versus McMahon

I’m like you know what I gotta take up for McMahon on this one so I chastised Luca okay and said you can’t go after my guy McMahon he wrote The Wonder Boy what are you complaining about you wrote a book tell saying a prodigy wait a minute

Wait a minute were there people taking Lucas’s side in that at our Network maybe I don’t know about at our place no offense I didn’t I wasn’t able to tune in was a little bit busy um but I can assure you there were plenty of people taking luc’s side the city of

Dallas was certainly firmly on his side whatever I mean I’m not worried about that you you you gotta lay in the bed you made there in Dallas McMahon I can’t help you that that’s his life I I guess I could have helped you with uh Alex

Spirit thanks a lot Alex your um your your check is not in the mail um so anyway George um we did have a classic game on the season on Saturday night um in San Francisco Stephen LeBron double overtime the the Lakers you know get the warriors

On two free throws by Lebron in the last five seconds this is a great game by the way I looked um it’s the first time Stephen LeBron have played in overtime since the game one 20 18 finals which this is an iconic game that we just saw Saturday night but if I could

Just pause for a moment and recall that game that the last time they played overtime which was across the bay in Oakland um that finals kind of gets written off because it was a sweep um and if it’s Remembered at all it’s remembered for the J.R Smith meme where

Jr didn’t know the game was tied and dribbled the ball out I I will just say that wasn’t guarantee that so basically what happened was at the end of regulation the G the game was tied with Iman Shumpert on the line Iman shumer Dodges blame for some reason no offense

To to to shump because I love shump but nobody ever talks about shump he misses a free throw that would would have won the game J.R gets the rebound thinks that the Cavs are ahead dribbles the clock out LeBron wants to strangle him and the free

Throw what you can’t meme a free free throw that’s good point that’s Bo trer words were never spoken McMahon I just want to remind you real quick of what happened in that game so the Warriors just boat race the Cavin overtime step was great they won

By 10 but LeBron was LeBron scored 51 points now this is back in 2018 where we didn’t have 60-point games every third night we didn’t have guys averaging more points per minutes uh points than than minutes played okay like in 2024 terms 51 points in a Finals game is

What uh 70 two I don’t want to yes I was say 65 I don’t know add add a dozen add 14 I don’t know all right LeBron goes 51 points eight rebounds eight assists in that game 19 of 32 from the field in that game that that with the loss uh

Steph shot TW made 29 hit five threes had six rebounds nine assists Durant had 26 uh Draymond uh 13 11 and N an all-time classic game uh incredible classic game I just want to recall that when we talk about this one which was also a classic game where LeBron had his first

3020 game of his career aided by um the double overtime but nonetheless it’s the first 3020 game um for a Lakers since Kareem in 76 wow that’s that’s actually very surprising yeah he also had uh triple double um George to get him one game over

500 I mean yeah uh you know I just want to just pause before we talk about the bigger picture Steph and LeBron have played 49 times um most of them have been in the finals that’s an amazing statement right there yeah when you can say that most have been in the finals

They have a complicated relationship George and and I and I guess I will say that that step is LeBron’s greatest rival I actually think it’s more Paul Pierce um for various reasons um but well I think that one is more um it’s rooted more in in in real hatred I would

Say right right yeah but this is since it was the culmination of Rivals week in the NBA I do think we should take a moment and re recognize what we’ve seen from Stephen LeBron Stephan is 15th year LeBron is 21st um eight Rings between them uh six

MVPs between them uh five finals MVPs between them I will stay here both top 10 all-time NBA players got to play in the playoffs again last year and uh Lebron with the Lakers got the Warriors George I think it’s um worthwhile just to say Hey

Listen like this is a real thing I don’t know if they’re going to make Broadway plays about it like magic and bird but um that was a it was a great reminder of just of just what their what their rivalry has been well do you think and

And again this is just now us kind of playing Fantasy Land here but do you think is the only thing that Rivals it is Magic and bird as an individual rivalry in my estimation do you think if he stays in Cleveland that it becomes something people write plays about um

Because it’s LeBron and Steph playing on the same teams against each other for an extended period of time as opposed to LeBron coming to the Lakers which look I think is also great uh for business um although I can make the case that it’s not great for business because I feel

Like LeBron coming to the West Coast and teaming up with the team that people already watched didn’t necessarily help the NBA um but when they do square off because the Lakers are arguably the Crown Jewel of the sport facing they are right okay well I mean

Some people will say the Celtics but I’m with you on that but I I do think in there’s an alternative Universe where if LeBron stays in Cleveland and they’re having this kind of success and these two guys are still meeting each other um in the finals or in these insane regular

Season games that maybe they are writing plays about it you know what I think could be even simpler mcmah I think if Durant doesn’t go to the Warriors that rivalry is more intense first off because I think the Cavs have a better chance of being more in the

Series back and forth secondly I think there’s a better chance LeBron stays in Cleveland because um LeBron realized he was checkmated with those Warriors yeah as it turned out Durant broke off but LeBron realized he you know after especially after Kyrie asked out he was

Checkmated he had to go um and also it kind of deprived us of a potential LeBron Durant rivalry which was very promising when they played in the in the finals in 12 and has never really matured to the way that we’d hoped well and I think one thing that’s so

Fascinating about the LeBron Curry Dynamic is the storylines are so different like you know Steph is the one team guy uh now he’s played on super teams but there were super teams that were possible because they drafted and developed and then a little caught a loophole or whatever in the salary cap

But whereas Lebron after giving it a a a good run in Cleveland you know was kind of on the original super team of this era then jump ship to go back to Cleveland put together a super team there decided to jump ship go Hollywood put together uh or at least try to put

Together a super team in Los Angeles so LeBron has been essentially a uh you know a a billion doll Merc mercenary whereas you know Steph has been just uh you know the guy in the bay who’s revitalized the the Warriors and changed the game and you know stylistically

They’re so different uh Lebron is just one of the best athletes that we’ve ever seen uh can you know still at 39 but but especially throughout the course of his career so powerful so explosive not to diminish that he’s an absolute basketball genius um but Steph is you

Know a visibly relatable guy right like you don’t look at Steph and and think what a unbelievable physical specimen and he’s just completely changed the geometry of the game and the way you even think about basketball because people weren’t taking 35 foot off dribble threes before this guy came

Around and by the way I will add that he has at least in toe worked on his body so much that that’s why he’s lasted 15 years and he probably could last more because if you look back at that 2018 finals or any of those finals before I

Mean he does not look like the guy physically that he is now even though I’m with you he’s not necessarily some dude you go oh that guy’s a specimen you know yeah I mean listen the other thing like you’re not this historically dominant at 39 years old unless your work ethic is ridiculous

And the same thing you’re not producing even at 35 like like step is and you know both of these guys not that either of them are just complete Saints or anything but like in terms of spokesmen and and faces of the league for this generation of the NBA uh you

Know Adam Silver is in in pretty great debt to both of them yeah well and they’re going to have a pretty big void I think once those guys are gone like I I think that you know people always lament kind of that time from Jordan to

Then the next era right that was ushered in I think we’re going to have a very similar situation although I think the league overall and I think basketball people will will push back because the league is in a good place there’s a lot of good young Stars I just don’t know if

Any of them are marketable the way that LeBron and Steph became marketable okay one thing guys um The Warriors losing this game they fell to five games under 500 um they are three games now in back of the as we record this on Sunday there three games back of the Jazz for 10th

Okay um we are f 10 days 10th Place 10 days till uh the trade deadline um you know I got into some tussles with everybody from Kendrick Perkins to Tim bontemps as I was saying look just wait on the Warriors don’t think that you’re going to do something with this team

With the deadline the best thing that you can do is to get Draymond back um and you know try to stitch it together and if you ride till the wheels fall off the thing about it is now they’ve had two brutally tough losses in this last

Few days lost by one at home to the Kings by the way talk about a a budding rivalry um I don’t know how many rivalries we can count on but you’re going to have uh you know when you have the Kings and the Warriors and Rivals

Week which they did earlier this week I think they’re going to stay there for a while because after that seven game series last year now three cons consecutive games this season decided by one point um but they come down on the wrong side of it and a tough loss to the

Kings earlier uh in the week and then the Lakers you know nip them at the end so you know look they can say we’re not that far off Draymond is playing well um but the truth is they’re five games under 500 we’re now past a Midway point they’re not getting closer McMahon um

And I’m not coming off of my position that their best bet is to just stick with this group together and hope that it comes but it is not my my case is weakening I I I am not you know I’m really just I really don’t have good

Reasoning I just think it’s their best course of action well and and and I’ve been with you for one reason just because neither one of us can stand Bond him so anytime we can team up against him here it’s good fun um but you know obviously like the frustration is bubbling

In the bay you know Steph did the Hulk Hogan Jersey rip do you know what kind of damage to memorabilia he did with that actually it maybe damage no dude that J I take that back you’re right now thate the way that ended where Steph after a pancake block by Draymond hits

The goahead three and then it would have been better if LeBron would have finished he still hit the game winning free throws so no I mean that that Jersey would be worth some coin but what’s not worth a whole lot of money is a bet on the Warriors right right now

You if you’ve got a ticket with for the Warriors winning the title if you can cash out on that thing i’ i’ I’d do it quickly um I mean dude they making the the play in right now is a pretty long shot as as you mentioned they’re three

Games out of the last spot of the playin the playin and you’re talking about three games out of having to win two playin games to face the number one seed so I I there’s not a quick fix you know like we can talk about well you know

Trade Wiggins or trade clay or do like there’s not a tell me the deal that’s there that can Vault the Warriors from 12th Place to having realistic hope this season I think if you’re Mike D Ley you’ve got to be looking at this situation and saying is there something we can do

Now that can put us in position to have a bounceback year next year and you talk about a tough situation obviously been with that franchise done leevy um but first year in the big chair first year is a GM you know you’re taking over the

Core of a dynasty and man are you g to be the one who who who breaks that up you know Klay Thompson’s free agency is setting up to be extremely uncomfortable to say the least and you know honestly I don’t know how much drama there is left

In this season for the Warriors um but there certainly will be some this summer yeah George I’m not necessarily advocating that that it’s going to be okay I’m just advocating you know you can’t salary you can’t do a salary dump and you know you

If you need to do a salary dump you can do that in the summer or try to do that in the summer I don’t see the path so I it’s getting Bleaker but I honestly don’t know what they can do other than try to stay the course yeah I mean I guess you

Could trade Wiggins to Tim’s point because he’s one of those pieces that isn’t part of the core um and he’s been fairly inconsistent this year although did have a really good game against the Lakers and has had some spurts it’s funny because when I’ve talked to people about Wiggins the conversation that I

Get back is the how slow he started this year and the guesses on that has been something to the effect of hey man he’s got a lot of mileage on him if you think about it he’s been in this league about a decade or so and despite the fact that

He’s probably still under 30 this is kind of that time when you hit that decade plus time in the league where you have to treat things differently in regards to the way you get ready for the season the way you are uh dealing with your body during the season and I think

That for years he’s been so used to being just so naturally gifted and athletic and whatnot that I think he hasn’t come to grips with that so that seems to be the same hypothesis I’ve gotten from a number of people about him and I just don’t know if Andrew Wiggins

Is the guy that’s going to adapt to that maybe he is maybe I’m wrong about that so because you don’t want to trade the core because you you clearly want to hold on to that and Clay’s not the same guy uh offensively last year he kind of surprised people remember he had the

Highest scoring month of his entire career in January after having a really bad start to the season and if you look back I think in five or six of the 11 Seasons that he’s played or the last 11 that he’s actually played he’s had a really rough start where he shot under

40% but he’s been able to bounce back that hasn’t necessarily been the case this year where we’re talking about him scoring 20 on certain nights and he’s at the podium saying I mean I used to do that in a quarter you know and I think we’re coming to grips with the mortality

Of clay but if you don’t want to do it for sentimental reasons Wiggins is the only potential path out and whether that’s acquiring another player with a similar salary or multiple players that that might be your only out if you’re the Warriors well you’re not trading Wiggins at at Value right now right

Right and let’s be honest what we’ve seen from Wiggins this year is a lot of what we’ve seen from Wiggins for most of his career I mean there’s a reason that the Warriors got a pick when they gave up D’Angelo Russell for wigin right yeah and he was a critical part of the

Warriors last championship team I mean he was oh he was the second best player there’s no question about that yes but when you’re talking about they signed a contract where he accepted a double digit like eight figure a year pay cut or something like that close to eight

Figures a year pay cut like yeah I mean but like if you’re trying to do something to improve this year the the guy to move would be Chris Paul and essentially would be as an expiring contract with the you know the the team option for next year and then you get

Into the conversation hey this is a historically expensive team just paying a crazy amount of luxury tax to be in 12th Place do you want to commit to continuing to pay a crazy amount of luxury tax because you’re getting future salary back I mean the war do the

Warriors do have a first round pick that they could trade and in theory Chris Paul’s $3 million expiring contract plus a first round pick you could go to market and get some stuff but that is adding money your cap next year probably and hurting your you know your franchise

Going forward and when you’re in 13th Place or 12th or whatever they’re in right now I don’t know if you can justify that I still think your best bet is to try to stitch it back together and hope to catch fire because you’re you’re looking at the you’re saying okay if we can

Get 10th or ninth in the playin maybe we can get Oklahoma City or Minnesota two teams that are awesome but do not necessarily quote unquote scare you if you could avoid Denver and you know Minnesota’s coming back to the pack but you could you know I mean again I’m

I’m not saying this is way it’s going to go I’m just saying if you’re sitting there in the office you’re trying to figure it out do they think they can be the heat of this year is the question right like do they look at themselves

And say you know can we pull off what Miami pulled off last year because I I don’t know if they’re capable of that maybe if they get that matchup because I do think to your point the teams at the bottom are looking at OKC in Minnesota

And saying we have a shot with those teams because of the lack of playoff experience etc etc well you’re assuming also that those teams going to end up the top two spots uh those which is fair the Clippers are walking everybody down in front of them including the Celtics

Who they slapped across the face Saturday night in Boston uh porzingis was out in that game but um they Avenged a heavy loss from December when the C when the uh Celtics won out in La um before we move on I also want to say the Lakers George which

Is your bread and BR you talk every day on the air about the Lakers and sure you’re taking a lot of calls about this let me read you the stats for D’Angelo Russell’s last six games uh as at least as we recording this pod 28 points five

Assists um five of eight on threes game before that 29 Points four assists eight of on threes game before that 27 points 10 assists four of 10 on threes 34 points eight assists uh six of 11 on threes 20 points seven assists three of five on threes 29 Points three assists five of

Seven on threes this is a team in the Lakers as you know that has been on the bottom five and three-point shooting this guy is a godsend for them um these games haven’t all been haven’t all gone great but uh this is the guy who the Lakers had cleared on the trade block

Which clearly irritated him didn’t talk to the media for quite some time was brooding as he was on the bench he came back in the starting line because of an injury and uh to cam reddish his knee and has been killing and so my question George now we all know that Russell is

His whole career is up and down uh but I don’t know what you’re going to do if you’re the Lakers here I I don’t I don’t know if you can trust it on the other hand the big thing and McMahon gives me the look like as David benman

Pointed this out and you know this been pointed out to me by people in the league obviously the Lakers have the first round pick they can trade they have Russell if they wait until the summer and if they wait when you have a 39y old on your roster as your leading

Player is a hard sentence to finish but George if they wait till the summer then they would have up to three first round picks that they could trade and Russell if he opts into his contract becomes an expiring contract in case instead of somebody who doesn’t work out with your

Team might stick around and you get to see him the rest of the year and you’re not finding a trade you like they’ve had talks about deont Murray they don’t have a deal they’ve had talks with with Chicago by Zack LaVine they don’t have a deal how much does just keep Danel

Russell and how much of a risk is that all right you also forgot that when he wasn’t talking to the media he then dropped a podcast that I don’t know if anyone knew he actually had at that particular time talking about how to maximize himself at least the clip that

Circulated online was how to maximize him better and which was putting the ball in his hands and running the pick and roll and things of that nature but they did put the ball in they did they did they did they did they did but I thought that was just the timing of that

Was just hilarious but here’s the other thing can you trust it I don’t know is the question and that’s not a great answer but it’s an honest answer but it is right and let’s not forget that last season during the Denver series our own Dave McManaman had a report in a story

About how they were worried about benching him because they thought they’d lose him so this is a guy who has not only a history of inconsistency but a history of kind of checking in and out mentally in certain spots now he’s playing great I think a lot of that is

Probably motivated by he doesn’t want to be traded but I don’t know if I trust it you know what I do trust I trust that dejonte Murray is a better Defender than him and that I think at the end of the day if you’re the Lakers if you have if

Your thoughts are you can have a similar run to the ones to the one you had last year you need someone that can at least defend Jamal Murray and D’Angelo Russell is not that de jante Murray to me gives you a much better chance of that and I know dejon Tam has been

Wildly poor as a shooter historically in his career but shooting nearly 40% this year and I’m not calling him Jason kid which McMahon knows a lot about I’m not saying that he’s figured it out like Jason kid did late later in his career because he did do that Jason kid was a

Terrible three-point shooter and then all of a sudden became one of the best three-point Shooters I don’t know if dejonte Murray’s doing that either so it’s not an easy answer but I I’ll rely on the fact that I know he can defend the point of attack way better than

D’Angelo Russell in my estimation despite being on the 27th rank defense this year in Atlanta okay but I think as an individual Defender he is a way better Defender than D’Angelo Russell I sell high on D’Angelo Russell and taking a guy whose contract is palatable and a

Guy whose contract tops out at under $30 million although I know there’s a trade kicker so let’s just say roughly around $30 million in about three Four Seasons or whatever ever it is McMahon are you gonna have a podcast where you call for your own podcast I’ve already done that

And then they yanked it from me so what are we gonna do here um howdy Partners um so I agree with your conclusion which is sell high on D’Angelo Russell I think it’s just sell I don’t know I don’t know how high it’s gonna be but you it’s as

High as it’s ever gonna be right now and as you were reading all those stat lines Wendy I just pictured Rob pinka Colin Landry Fields the the Hawks general manager let me hold on let me put you on speaker so I can read these stat lines to you this is what d’angel Russell’s

Been doing what do you mean you don’t want this guy we should be asking you for picks we’re offering a pick are you now so can you trust d’el Russell dude he got benched in the finale of the greatest sweep in NBA history the most competitive sweep in NBA history d’angel

Russell spent most a game four of that series on the bench that answer is can you trust him why did they bring him back that’s you know you know what because they made a mistake they did and he’s been playing great which the Lakers should hope helps his trade value

Because he’s not going to be a guy you can plug in as your starting lead guard whatever you want to call it and and and win a championship now the one quibble I have and you you touch on this de Jon Murray left San Antonio with the reputation of being one

Of the best better defensive guards in the NBA as you’re talking to Scouts around the league right now kind of one of the things teams are trying to figure out is was he just wildly overrated defensively like why haven’t we seen it in Atlanta but this great point of

Attack Defender was part of a team that just held Luca dones to 73 points on 25 of 33 shooting can’t be that great well he’s got Trey young next to him who as great as he is is certainly not NE someone you can depend on defensively all right we didn’t have our guy

Bontemps on the show because he was in Denver he made a day trip from New York to Denver did you hear what I just said he made a day trip because bontemps is one of these you know when you ever you get on a Redeye George like everybody looks like they’re

A zombie even before they’re all like in a bad mood like I can’t believe yeah B Bon Temps you know he’s so high energy and Highwire he’s bouncing around the gate cuz he he takes like 30 to 50 red eyes a year he loves it so he flew out

To Denver this explains a lot by the way talked to embiid embiid said I’m playing against joic we’re gonna do it for the first time since 2019 that’s right Inver he hasn’t played in Denver since before the pandemic we did not know what covid-19 was the last time we heard last

Time jic saw embiid on his home court okay I thought he was allergic to altitude and then they went and had training camp out there in Colorado Springs so there went that theory brilliant point so injury report comes out look bad news for the Sixers Tyrese

Maxi had turned his ankle it’s not gonna be able to go now he was on the injury report it’s questionable bummer uh Tobias Harris is ill there’s a sickness going around uh in the NBA right now a bunch of teams are dealing with it that happens in January bummer look if he’s

In bed and vomiting you know or whatever can’t play I get it uh DeAnthony Melton has been out with a back injury for the last couple weeks boy down three starters all right well it’s not going to be maybe the greatest game on ABC for the one of the centerpieces of rivalry

Week or Rivals week but um we’re GNA at least see the two MVPs go head-to-head and it’s going to be fun to see uh embiid who’s gonna play because he’s not on injury report listed is active right pregame uh uh press conference from uh Nick nurse and be’s active what happened

George late scratch I mean look he he did his knee was bothering him uh I think Thursday night in Philly nurse said after that game yeah it may have bothered him but he’s okay as far as I know not on the injury report Michael Malone the Nuggets coach

Was like what is this how can you how can you have us prepare for a guy being active and that because you know what what what was essentially saying is chicanery I don’t think the Sixers were doing this but what you know you you have you know it’s it’s courtesy to give

Fair warning not to mention the Bing markets the beding markets like you know forget about making sure that the nuggets are aware so if embiid is late pulled now the Sixers said it was the medical team and I’m not in any position to say that it wasn’t the medical team

But how come the medical team had cleared to be available during the day before the game and then pulled the plug no matter what it is even if his knee is throbbing and he can’t play George it’s a terrible look for Joel embiid and by the way the

Sixers went out there played the game down to the final minutes bball Paul Reed had 30 points game of his career against joic tremendous showing by the Sixers if they had him be even for half his minutes they might have won the game which this which makes it look even

Worse in my mind mind I’m a big supporter of embiid you guys know that I’ve have defended embiid um to you know to my detriment uh in this match up with him and yic I have I am nothing but disappointed in the way this went down and frankly it just looks terrible from

His perspective well not only does it look terrible from his perspective but it looks terrible from the League’s perspective I mean Adam Silver went out of his way to create these rules that guys have to play and the fact that he wasn’t on the injury report to me I’m

With Michael Malone on this Michael Malone said basically after the fact that hey you you you’re you’re listed as available you’re not even on the injury report we need to have an investigation on this and I’m with him because I I would imagine there should be some

Penalties here for the franchise for the player for whomever um in regards to not being available and at least not keeping true to the injury report because the injury report is a guide for the other team to your point Brian and you know obviously tangentially to the betting

Market which is you let’s face it we’ve all we’ve all removed all the uh you know previous tabos about gambling uh in professional sports in the United States so Le let’s just be transparent about this as well let’s let’s keep them in the fold here too so yeah look if this

Happens in the NFL teams get fined players get fined and and I would like to see NBA teams have been fined this year for this right I would like to see this be one of those situations and it’s not me picking on Philadelphia it’s that

You can’t do that you have to set a precedent here or you can’t set a precedent where a guy is literally not on the injury report and then all of a sudden boom he’s out of a game on a nationally televised game on Rivals week on a triple header on your biggest

Partners uh overthe a network I mean it just doesn’t make any sense like this is a business too and I know that the guys injuries or or suspected injuries should take precedent if there indeed is an injury but you know you you got to be

Able to kind of button this up more I know McMahon doesn’t like paperwork but the paperwork needed to be filled out where Joel immediately showed up on about that too it’s about the it gives off the the it gives the it feels like there’s Shenanigans going on Brian

Dodged him is what it looks like that’s what it looks like yes it looks like he doesn’t want to go up against jic that in Denver in Denver for whatever reason he doesn’t want to play him there I don’t know if it’s true but it looks

Like it okay listen I I will people in Miami will tell you when LeBron went to Cleveland he barely played in Miami and they they pushed back on that all when Kyrie demanded a trade to to to Boston he bar he played like one game in Cleveland for the next four years right

So some of some of it was when he was legitimately hurt but some of it were times where he just pulled the rip cord right but these things need to be rectified like you can’t have these things these are the games that people most look forward to to your point these

Dueling MVPs guys going back to play their old teams that stuff matters and look I love Michael Malone okay Michael Malone when I’m on the sidelines there is not a guy and I say this unequivocal unequivocably he there’s not a guy that is more honest with me in those sideline

Interviews that most people feel are trivial than Michael Malone as a matter of fact he may be too honest okay when he’s in those interviews because he berates his players sometimes in those scenarios and he’s the guy that I’m searching for in postgame press conferences a lot of these games during

The regular season can be mundane but you know what’s great is the Michael Malone press conference particularly when his team loses go seek that out whether it’s on league pass or on YouTube later or on their social channels because that stuff is good so I

I’m with him on this and I kind of like that he’s a little old school and kind of calling out embid in the Sixers on this yeah and and look it’s one thing if Victor wiama rolls his ankle on a ball boy foot during his pregame warm-ups or

KD slips on the floor in Phoenix right exactly now this one you knew the knee was an issue even if you list him is probable he he has to be on the injury report but that the the team can be punished financially as far as MB goes like

Suddenly people are whining about this 65 game limit thing sorry dude if you miss 20% of the season I think you can make an AR argument that perhaps he should still be able to be considered for all NBA because he is so obviously one of the top 15 players in the NBA but

In terms of MVP Joker’s missed a game this year embiid has missed 25% of the Sixers games 98% of Joker 96 97% of shilders Alexander is more viable than 75% of Joel embiid no matter how dominant embiid has been and there’s there’s a debate with them all at at full strength

Just on their per game numbers we can have a debate when you discount 25% off of embiid because that’s how much he’s not available he’s not a deserving MVP period And I know Wendy that get that that’s a sensitive subject for you as the former anti-joke or MVP lobbyist but it’s simple

Truth well the thing about the it’s not just about the injury report because what they’ll do is is like like LeBron and AD are on the injury report every single game for the Lakers right LeBron is listed is it with uh questionable uh yeah and like don’t isn’t that what they

Did isn’t what that what the Patriots did for Tom Brady for like seven years I think he was questionable with a shoulder entry his entire 30s right so you know that’s what you know like so if the league finds uh the Sixers for they’ll just put embiid with the knee

Every single game is questionable or probable or whatever and then they’ll get out of it and then it won’t me any different because then they say well he said he was questionable and you know you know anybody betting on the game will just have to assume that that’s not

What I’m talking about I mean it is a paperwork thing but it’s a look it’s just it’s just a terrible look if embiid thought there was a chance he couldn’t play in that game because his knee hurt he should have let it be known not in a

Formality not to satisfy some rule but to just avoid what what it looked like it looked terrible and this is a guy who has never looked better his Q rating in the league has never been better the way he is playing this year the way they’ve managed the Harden thing it’s just a

Real setback for where he was and look he may miss the next two games on this road trip and like well it was a bulky knee but in my in my view that makes it almost even worse um I almost by the way Brian how about for his coach who looked

Like a dummy out there saying that he was available and active look honestly I would just think it would be better if embiid came out and said look every time I play on this knee right now it’s really bothering me when when I found out we didn’t have Tyrese and

Tobias I thought it was better to to to uh you know even though that’s a weak quote unquote week way out I would respect it more if he was just like look I made a value judgment that if I can give us a chance to win the next game by

Playing because if Tyrese might miss some games I was in better shape of missing I would prefer that instead of course he is not available at all post game which is not unusual because of a player doesn’t play injury he doesn’t usually talk but like that if he had

Said that I think it would have given him some shelter right now he really has no shelter even if his knee is really bad even if his knee genuinely was GNA hold him down and you know by all accounts he did labor through that previous game that you know he wasn’t

Himself uh I can’t remember who they played um they won who they did believe it was the Pacers okay which they lost right they actually lost that game he labored through that game the Pacers by the way beat the uh um had a pretty good weekend with that Tyreese

Alberton uh they beat the Suns and the Sixers without Tyree salbert but um anyway uh just a bad look listen you want to win a game in the NBA just let a guyy scor 62 not 61 not 63 but players who scor 62 this year this week are 0

And2 it’s math now that’s a ticket that you would have liked to have had for the sports book all right thanks for listening and watching The Hoop Collective podcast thank you to Georgie Sedano for coming on thank you to McMahon thank you to Jackson and Andrea

Our producers and uh we will be talking to you later this week adios amigos

Brian Windhorst is joined by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Jorge Sedano to talk Luka’s insane scoring, a classic battle between Steph & LeBron, the significance of that rivalry and if the Warriors need to make a move now before reacting to Joel Embiid sitting out against Jokic & the Nuggets in Denver.
0:00 Intro
1:07 Luka’s Scoring Outburst
7:33 Rivalry Between Steph & LeBron
17:16 Do The Warriors Need To Make A Move?
33:56 Embiid Sits Out In Denver Again

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