Best of NBA News Part 1: Knicks are CHAMPIONS + James Harden ARRESTED & Kyrie Irving is BACK!

10:15Damn. I don't know how this man do.

10:17Shannon Sharpe:I mean, for me to even think about something like that, I got to know you about three, four years. No, no, you don't. No, you don't. Oh, yes, I do. No, no, you don't. Off the muscle? Off the rim? From the temperature, hey, I meet you, and then, oh, no, sir. Oh, yeah. Never in a day. You got to go to work, bro. You got one life to live, ain't it?

10:37Chad Johnson:Hey, hey, he said they got to pay like they weigh. Hey, hey, hey, Joe, a package wasn't nothing. You know,$100, deluxe package,$100. Yeah. You probably made some good money doing that too, ain't it, man?

10:48Shannon Sharpe:Yeah. Yeah, the big girl liked them skinny ones. Because, you know, Ocho done gained like 20 pounds, 25 pounds, since he's been out of college.

10:55Chad Johnson:Yeah.

10:55Shannon Sharpe:So, but them skinny, you know, the big girl liked them skinny. They paid.

10:58Chad Johnson:Yeah. Yeah. You know, Joe, when I used to dance in LA in 97, 98, at the right track, you always want to dance for the healthy women. I don't want to say big. You always want to dance - They the ones that are paying. Hey, Joe, you got to understand, boy, I'm a young fella with no money, and I'm a good night on a Saturday after a game, I'm getting, leaving what, maybe what, 2 ,200? on a good night. People make good money. Man, listen, man. Damn.

11:34Shannon Sharpe:Yeah. It was some good days, boy. It was some good days. Nah, I can't. Like I said, like I said, I just expend so much energy. And that's why, you know, after the games, even in high school, I couldn't do nothing. For the most part, I always went home. Because my grandmother was home. My brother was in college. And my grandmother was home. It was just her and my nephew at the time. My sister was gone out. And so my aunt would always, you know, every time I played, I always told him because I had an aunt named Jane, and she would always ride the van or ride the bus back. And I was like, Coach, look, my aunt, I said, I can't play if you can't take my aunt home after the game.

12:12Shannon Sharpe:You're not supposed to take anybody that's not a team member. I was like, well, hell, y 'all want me to play on these football, basketball, track teams, you want to take my aunt home. Because she coming. She coming to all the games, you know. She coming to football games. She coming to basketball games. and she, hey, come on, Jay, let's go. But anyway, so I mainly went home, but I learned early on me and, you know, being the young lady after the game, it was good. I wasn't going to be able to have the performance like I had on the field on the court.

12:41Chad Johnson:Yeah, yeah.

12:42Shannon Sharpe:So it wasn't no sense of me setting myself up for failure.

12:45Chad Johnson:Right. You already knew that. And that childhood was going to kick in at the wrong time. I already know.

12:49Shannon Sharpe:I cramp now. I still cramp now at night in the bed. Wake up in the day. Man, I wake up with a man that lay, man, that thing be stiff. Ah!

12:58Chad Johnson:It ain't been that calf muscle. Calf and hamstring. Ah! Ah! Yeah. Yeah. Hey, I don't quit. The only time I cramp, I got to play something. I got to play something. Joe, you know I play Sunday league. Yeah. On the big field. You know, 11 v. 11. Yeah, yeah, yeah. After a game like that, I cramp a little bit. If I move wrong, if I turn wrong, I cramp with my calf, or McQuarr, I catch a little Charlie horse. Yeah. Hey, hey. Just a cramp. I ain't never had no issues. That mean y 'all ain't got enough sodium in your body, man. Y 'all got to get some sodium in your body. Some who? Some sodium. Some salt.

13:37Chad Johnson:Some salt. Well, you know I got salt.

13:39Shannon Sharpe:You know when I get my McDonald's? You know it's salt on my fries, Joe. But you know what? I don't like to drink a whole lot, Joe. When I'm exercising, I don't like it slushing around my stomach. Yeah. So I'll sip a little bit. but for the most part in practice in a two and a half hour practice I might drink a cup of water. I can't have it on my stomach.

13:59Chad Johnson:Yeah. Now that I'm strenuous practice I'm telling you bro now that I'm strenuous hard practice like that I was used to in college hell you couldn't put a lot on your stomach it was coming up. Yeah.

14:12Shannon Sharpe:And I don't like you know some people like oh Joe you know we out there and they put the cold towels in the water don't put that on my head. I don't want that. You don't like it? No, hell no. No. No. But look, hopefully this situation with James Harden gets resolved. I guess the gun laws vary from state to state. Most southern states open carry. It used to be you needed a firearm, a concealed weapon permit. Now you don't even need the permit. You don't need none of that. Miami, you don't need it either. And you can take it anywhere except the federal building.

14:51Chad Johnson:Hey, boy, walk around with clips this long in they gun. Come on, baby. Yeah, yeah. Come on, man. Don't got drums. Come on. Come on, man. I mean, come on now.

15:03Shannon Sharpe:My grandfather used to always say, boy, if you got to take a gun somewhere, you don't need to be there to party.

15:06Chad Johnson:Woo, hello.

15:08Shannon Sharpe:Because you already know. Somebody spilled a drink. Somebody stepped on somebody toes. Somebody touched somebody. Girl, that thing about to snap off.

15:14Chad Johnson:Yeah. Hey, hey, hey.

15:17Shannon Sharpe:And I'm one of those guys, Joe, if I don't care how bad she is, if I see her with someone. Yeah, leave it alone. Yeah. Leave it alone. They dumb dumbs. Hey, hey. Hey, you got something on your back. You know what I'm saying? Oh, you got something on your back. Oh, you with him.

15:36Chad Johnson:Yeah.

15:36Shannon Sharpe:Come on, bro. What are you? At the end of the day, they're still a man.

15:40Chad Johnson:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

15:41Shannon Sharpe:You can't just look at it just because you're a Bronco and you're going to disrespect this man. Come on, bro. Leave that alone. Hey, Joe.

15:47Chad Johnson:What's that? What's that, bro? What's that? Yeah, that's my concealed permit, boy. Oh, that's your concealed permit? What you carrying? Huh? What you carrying? I mean, you know, little Sig, little 945. I can carry my AR-15. I just got to, I can't have it loaded. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What the hell you going to be doing carrying an AR-15? Hey, Joe, you know, I be hunting, Joe. I know y 'all. Hey, I be hunting. I be hunting down there. Man, that's a military rifle. That gun's made for the military. I know it's made for the military, but you just never know. You know, down in this crib, man. I'm in Miami.

16:23Chad Johnson:What you hunting with a damn AR, though? Oh, like sometimes the squirrel. Hopefully in the military he is. A squirrel? Hey, I ain't gonna be nothing left. You hunting him with an AR? I ain't finna eat him. I'm just, he can't be coming in the house, man, messing up my garbage. Oh, you saying you sending a message. You sending a message. Yeah, that's it. I ain't trying to hit him. I ain't trying to hit him, but just He's gonna be a little bit.

16:45Shannon Sharpe:Hey, he let his homies know. Robby, what you carry? What you carry? A sig what? A P what? Huh? Sig 9, P 226, or what you carry? Nah, a sig 226. OK. How many shots? 12, 16? I got extended clip in that thing, Joe. 24? Yeah. How you gonna extend the clip in a sig? Huh? I mean, sig ain't with this big. What you? Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, I'm saying, what you need that many shots for, though? Just in case I miss, because I only got one eye.

17:16Chad Johnson:Yeah, but what I'm saying is...

17:22Shannon Sharpe:Oh, man, look at him, man.

17:24Chad Johnson:It don't take that many of them shots, man. That's all I'm saying. Well, he going to be...

17:28Shannon Sharpe:All he do is going to have a bunch of empty cases, empty rounds on the ground.

17:32Chad Johnson:Hey, hey, hey, unless you go... Hey, you going to be behind the car with that thing pointed out like that, just shoot. You're letting it rip, Joe. Hey, Joe, I just be cautious sometimes, Joe. You know, you never... I like to think everybody love and like me, you know? But, Joe, you never know, Joe. Yeah, you already know.

17:54Shannon Sharpe:But the thing is, I try... Look, as much as you try, the most dangerous place is the gas station. So my antenna's up. I ain't finna hold you. My antenna is up.

18:09Chad Johnson:Hey, hey, hey, it make you naturally just paranoid, bro, by nature. It does, and I hate it. I hate being like this, man. You can't help it. Hey, hey, hey, be on a swivel like you, hey. It does. And people are like, why you looking around?

18:22Shannon Sharpe:Because I don't want nobody to get the drop on me. I don't. I mean, look, I mean, there was a time once upon a time, guys. I threw caution to the wind. Hey, I leave my keys. I leave the keys in the car. I go into the store, get me a couple of lottery tickets, buy a honey bun and a drink, and come back and not even think anything about it.

18:45Chad Johnson:Yeah. Now, somebody been and went to your whole damn car.

18:51Shannon Sharpe:Man, look here. And I just, look, I just, hey. And people, you know, like, bro, just don't walk up on me like that, bro. Man, you know, hey, bro, I don't know what you want because I don't know you.

19:04Chad Johnson:Right, right. So I hate, and I hate Jack, don't get me wrong.

19:12Shannon Sharpe:I hate being like that. I really, really do. You got to, though. You got to be cautious. In today's society, you've kind of left me no choice.

19:21Chad Johnson:Right. Right. Facts. Yeah. Hey, Joe, when you shoot, how you shoot, Joe? You shoot straight ahead? I turn that thing to the side, Joe. Oh, bro. Now he... Stop watching movies. Now he think he old dog. Nah, I ain't Ocho. I ain't trying to do it to the side. Yeah, what you mean? Why are you shooting to the side? What you think you doing? Because I don't want to block my vision, because you know I only got one eye. Ain't nobody shooting to the side. I'm blocking my vision, so I got to turn sideways so I can see.

19:51Shannon Sharpe:No, ain't nobody shooting no gun like this. Everybody let that helmet fly like that right there.

19:55Chad Johnson:Ocho, I'm hoping like, heck, I ain't never got to use mine. You hear me? Yeah, same thing. Same thing. I got mine for protection, Joe. Yeah, that's what I'm trying to tell you. Two hands all day. You know? Oh, like that joke? Like that, that, that. Two hands. Quick, quick, quick. Yeah. Yeah, two hands. Hey, I know what you're talking about. Hey, you know what's funny? Hey, you know the dude who always, the self-defense guy? The funny clips? You know what I'm talking about? The heavyset man. I think I know what you're talking about. Hey, dog, he be so funny. This is how you disarm a guy with a gun.

20:27He come up with all these. Man, please.

20:29Shannon Sharpe:And then when people try that, they're about pop and then they go. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Him. And he's funny. He's funny. I forgot his name. Yeah. Nah. But like I said, hopefully everything works out OK. This is a misdemeanor charge. It's supposed to be holstered. It used to be, Joe. I mean, some states you got to have it in the glove box. You know, some people. I'm like, they're like, well, the clip needs to be here. What good is a gun without the clip in it? What the hell? At all, you're going to be done. Man, you ain't going to have time to get to anything. Yeah. Yeah, please. They'd be saying some dumb stuff.

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24:38Shannon Sharpe:For the first time in 53 years, the New York Knicks are the NBA champions. They defeat the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the NBA finals, capturing the third championship in franchise history. Spurs, starting guard in Game 5, Castle and Fox, combined to shoot four of 25 from the floor, one from 11 from the three-point line, and Castle had three turnovers to go along with his one bucket. Hey, Uncle Joe. The best player of the night was Dylan Harper, and he came off the bench 10 of 19 from the floor, two or four from three three or five uh he had five rebounds four assists i thought he played an unbelievable ball game um we'll get into the nuts and bolts of it oh joe this is about your knicks you can go ahead and take off about your knicks jalen brunson played 41 minutes yeah 41 of the 48 minutes 45 points on 14 of 27 shooting four seven from the three three 13 of 15 from the free throw line and he was a plus 10 but he had an unbelievable he had he picked the night to have his best game of this postseason, and they win it thanks to the big night that he had because he outscored all the starters.

25:43Shannon Sharpe:As a matter of fact, he damn near outscored the entire team by himself. They had 94. He scored 45. Ocho, what did you like about what you saw from the Knicks and, again, how they overcame a double-digit deficit and to get this win? Listen, once again, we've seen it multiple times, Uncle Joe. I'm not going to blow. I'm not going to talk no trash because I told everybody how it was going to go. all playoff series long. I told you, I said, Knicks and Six, matter of fact, they sped it up a game early because the Puerto Rican Day parade is tomorrow. So they want to be back for the Puerto Rican Day parade.

26:15So that's my bad. That's my bad. Outside of that, outside of that, I told you, Jalen Brunson was special. We've seen the Knicks come back down 22, down double digit points a few times, not in just this series, but series before. And if you watch them during the regular season, we've also also seen them close down on huge gaps and point different point differentials you know during this season so the fact that i see a lot of people are shocked when it happens time to time and we we say what the other teams are doing wrong let's talk about what the knicks are doing right let's talk about what the knicks are doing right to be able to to keep this happening one thing i want to mention too uncle joe remember when i said all the noise and all the all the stuff that was surrounding Darion Fox.

27:01Shannon Sharpe:Yeah, De 'Aaron. Yeah, I guarantee you coming to this game, he's going to be gun shy and he's not going to shoot well. How'd he look tonight, huh? Look terrible. Joe, what did I tell you was going to happen? I mean, players, we always say we don't hear the noise. The first thing he said was, I don't care what the outside thinks. As soon as I came on the show, the first thing I said, his mental was going to be tested. What is his mental like? and if his mental ain't strong he gonna look terrible in this game and long behold I was right yet again ain't that something I was like congratulations to the Knicks fans congratulations to the Knicks in general Jalen Brunson you are now oh my god he's a god here in New York now I'm not sure I might be tripping he was named before you go any further Jalen Brunson was just named finals MVP.

27:56Shannon Sharpe:Wow. I would hope so. Hey, even Ray Charles can see that, huh? You hear me? Not where? Hey, Joe, I'm not going to talk no trash, Joe, you know, because I told you it was going to happen. So I'm used to being right, so I'm not going to gloat. I'm not going to gloat. Yeah. I guarantee you, I don't know what the mayor needs to do. I don't know what President Trump may need to do. But they need to take the Statue of Liberty, right?

28:20Chad Johnson:Yeah. And etch out the face and put Jalen Brunson up there. Hey, bro. Ocho. Yes, sir. First off, salute to New York Knicks, bro. I mean, not even just this final series, but throughout the whole entire playoffs, bro. They prevail. And hell, I had them underdog. I mean, I had them losing every damn series. I beat 100 with you. You did, Joe. You did. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hey, hey, hey. But in this finals, they really showed me something, Ocho. Joe, just, just, I mean, being down double figures in every game. They were down 16 tonight, fellas. 16. 16.

28:57Shannon Sharpe:At one point, they were down 10 points in the fourth with about seven, six, six, seven minutes to go, Joe.

29:02Chad Johnson:Come on in. Hey, hey, hey, and guess what? As I'm watching the game, I'm like, they ain't going to fool me no more. I know these boys for the comeback. This is what they do. Yeah. Hey, hey, hey, Jalen Brunson, 15 points in the fourth quarter. Uncle Ocho, I'm talking about, it seemed like, I know he had a good game because he had it going pretty much the whole game. Yes, sir. But, I mean, time and time again, bro, he comes up clutch in the fourth quarters, being the most clutch player in the NBA. He showed it to you in that fourth quarter, bro. All he need to do is for y 'all to keep us around.

29:33Chad Johnson:Yeah. Keep us close. Keep us close. And we got something that they don't got, and that's a closer, bro. He's shown that, I mean, hell, for the past few years. But for sure, in this postseason, especially in this series, man, I ain't got nothing bad to say about the Knicks. I think it's great that they won. I think it's great for basketball. Yes, sir. But if you the Spurs, there's some positive you can take from this, bro. There's some growth and some maturity you can take from this. You know what I mean?

30:01Shannon Sharpe:Yeah, Dylan Harper's our starting point guard, and we're going to try to move on from Darren Fox. That's the positive they're going to take.

30:07Chad Johnson:I've been telling you on Ocho that. I've been telling you on Ocho. Hold on, hold on. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Before you say that, now I know it's easier said than done. Now you got to understand that big money kicking next year, for Darion Fox on that Max deal.

30:21Shannon Sharpe:Who willing to take on that 51? Somebody be able to take him because, I mean, he's played well. He's a two-time All-Star. Right, right, right, right. He had a bad finals. Yes. But he's a good player. He's a really good player.

30:34Chad Johnson:I don't know. But my thing, I'm not so opposed to trading him, though. I don't mind keeping him around. I just think Vassell or Champigny, one of them going to have to start coming off the bench. I mean, I just don't know how you're going to be able to keep Harper on the bench, bro. He was the most composed player that you had out there on the floor tonight as a rookie. As a 20-year-old rookie, bro. I'm talking about giving them boys the big night. You hear me? I'm talking about nothing they can do with him. Hey, man.

31:03Shannon Sharpe:Guards with a 45-point and a closeout game in the finals since the merger. Michael Jordan, Jalen Brunson. That's it. hey Joe hey Joe and Unc can I ask y 'all a question real quick what's up you think y 'all could have given me an apology and say

31:21Chad Johnson:man damn all that hey Unc Unc listen damn Joe no nobody trying to hear all that shout out Jalen Brunson for winning MVP I mean what a story to have his dad play on the last team that made it to the finals and Rick Brunson to being his assistant coach and them sharing this moment. Bro, come on, man. Hey, y 'all already know in New York, they plotting on something. This is a story, man. This is a movie. But I'm here, Joe.

31:51Shannon Sharpe:I'm here. I can hear it outside. Yeah, this is a movie. Jalen Brunson, he averaged 28.5, 28.4 for the playoffs. He averaged 32.6 for the finals. He was an all-star, all-NBA, and now he's a champion. I think the thing is, look, when you're two guys, you're two starting guards, and they combine for 13 points, they shoot 425, the mere fact that you only lose by four is his feet in and of itself. And I think the thing is that you look at it, because really for the – there was a point where Jalen Brunson had 28 points and his teammates had – he had 25, and I think his teammates had 28.

32:32Chad Johnson:Yeah.

32:32Shannon Sharpe:So they had done a great job containing everybody else. They just couldn't contain him. And nobody, I mean, you see, Dylan Harper had a chance to tie it up, Joe. Yeah. He shortened the layup.

32:43Chad Johnson:Yeah.

32:44Shannon Sharpe:Darren Fox, I mean, he just kept clanking and kept clanking and kept clanking. Yeah. He was awful tonight. Yeah. And the problem, and the thing is, and I understand, a man, Wimby's height, it is hard for him to get properly conditioned, but he's got to get better, Joe. Yeah. He's got to get better.

33:01Chad Johnson:And I think that'll get better with time. Okay, Ocho, like, y 'all got to understand now, He's still learning, too. You know? Yeah. Hey, look. He was at the peak as far as almost, you know, playing in the finals, bro. That'll do something to you. I think it's going to change him. It's going to change his approach, obviously, and he'll get his base a lot stronger. Because for me, it's all about the lower body for him, Ojo. Yeah. You know, he got to keep them hips and them quads, and he got to keep all that strong, bro. because this is going to be, you know, carbon copy of teams when they play the Spurs now.

33:36Chad Johnson:Hell, we can't just let him. You got to be physical with him. You got to bang on him a little bit.

33:40Shannon Sharpe:Can't let him run. And the thing is, Joe, you watch him tonight. He was very content to shoot fallaway jumpers. You see, again, he got tired. What did he try to do, Joe? They give him a perfect lob. All he got to do is grab it and dunk it. What did he try to do? Guide it in. That is a great sign for him because you watch and I'm trying to watch a game. I'm trying to see if there's a tail that I can pick up that I can use as a tidbit. The tail for him is that when he gets tired, he no longer tries to catch the ball. He tries to guide it. But I think the thing is tonight is that he couldn't get rest like he could in other series once they got a lead because once he left the floor, they eat up into the lead.

34:23Shannon Sharpe:And so Coach Johnson didn't feel comfortable keeping him on the bench for any length of time. Cornette was awful. He's terrible. There's no way. There's no, I can't put, and I hate saying this because, guys, we were all athletes, but he was god-awful. Come on, man. This entire series.

34:39Chad Johnson:Oh, oh. Man, come on, man. I know, man. Come on, hey, Lou Cornette ain't been nothing since he been hollering about it since he cast a Magic City night here in the left. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He ain't been here no nothing. Man, I can't, did you see that? The minutes that he given, bro? I'm talking about they have no interior presence when he's in there. I'd have felt better going with Kelly Olenek.

35:02Shannon Sharpe:Man, come on, bro. Straight up. I mean, I'd have felt better going with Kelly Olenek. But Joe in a game with this magnitude, the two guards can't go four for 25. They just can't. They can't. And they can't go one from 11 for the three. Listen. They can't. Hey, Joe, I told you it was going to happen. with Brother Darian Fox. The noise was too much for him. I knew it, and I understood that moment. And as bad as everyone was talking about him, not just us, I'm talking about everybody, it was headline news on every sports channel. Yes. And I was like, that's why when I came on the show, Joe, the first thing I said was, ain't no way in hell he going to come out there and play normal.

35:48And that first thing I said, hey, he going to be gunshot. And if he's not gunshot, he's not going to shoot well. because there's no way to recover from that in just a two-day span. It's impossible because it's already in your head. It's like when you drop a ball. Yep. And it just – you don't let it go and have a short-term memory, and the next ball that comes, it beats you up again.

36:07Shannon Sharpe:Man, that's normally how it happens. And you got a night where Cat had two points and fouls out. OG was 3 of 11. OG had his worst game. He didn't play particularly well. He didn't play well at all. OG did not play well tonight considering how he played in the previous four games and how he played in the previous series, this was by far OG's worst performance. But all that being said, Josh Hart was Josh Hart. 13 points, 11 boards, two assists, only one turnover, three offensive rebounds. You get Mikael Bridges doing what he normally does. He gave you 14 tonight. Two rebounds, four assists, a block.

36:44Shannon Sharpe:Those guys, and look at this. You got nine bench points. nine bench points from the Knicks.

36:52Chad Johnson:Yeah.

36:53Shannon Sharpe:You got 32. 25 of them came from Dylan Harper. Seven came from Kelton Johnson. I just think the thing is, Ocho and Joe, they are a young team. Kelton Johnson is going to realize that, bro, every time you get in a situation, you don't have to go one-on-one. Carter Bryant, every time you get a one-on-one, you don't have to go one-on-one. So they're going to learn. And sometimes you have to learn the hard way.

37:16Chad Johnson:Yeah.

37:16Shannon Sharpe:Sometimes the lessons that we have to learn, we have to learn the hard way. We don't get an opportunity to learn seeing somebody else falter. We have to go through that. And this is a prime example. But the Knicks, and I'm looking up like, damn, they up again by 10. Man. They up 16. I was like, oh, my goodness. And I remember saying, okay, Knicks. I said, okay, Spurs, you got seven minutes for your life.

37:43Chad Johnson:It just started dwindling. it's like it's like the inopportune time something can happen it's like it's like two of them two Spurs going for the rebound the ball right here Wimby so tired he better it go out of bounds and it knocks it out of bounds

37:57Shannon Sharpe:and they come back and hear the three yes Joe

37:59Chad Johnson:yes it's like you know so it's like when we talk about valuing possessions in the postseason in the playoffs that's what we talking about bro like it's that small of a margin winning and losing off of that little rebound they could have took y 'all down there to get a good shot, you know, versus them just, y 'all, that turnover led to a three. Yeah. Which cuts deep into the league. Now you start to see the tension start to get a lot tighter in the arena. I'm like, man, I'll be down in Brunson. Hey, Joe, what's the name of the tournament they have in the middle of the season? Oh, you're talking about the NBA Cup.

38:37Who won the NBA Cup this year? The Knicks. And who just won the Larry O 'Brien trophy? And who did they meet for the NBA Cup? The Spurs. Now you see the type of knowledge? Why my ball knowledge is elite? Because I understood that. I remember that.

38:54Chad Johnson:This man act like he just solved a damn jigsaw or something. Come on, man. Yo, I must have had to, because you've been wrong all year long. I mean, what you talking about? Huh? Wimby, look, hey, let's stay on the Knicks a little longer.

39:07Shannon Sharpe:OK. Like, Brunson was sensational. This was, I mean, if I'm not mistaken, I don't know how many 40-point games, playoff games that we've had this postseason. I think, what you call them, had one.

39:26Chad Johnson:And, you know, everybody been talking about at first, Towns is going to be the MVP. Then it went to Antenobly being the MVP. OG, yeah. Yeah. Nobody had, look, this man, it's still a couple games left.

39:39Shannon Sharpe:Brothers say, hey, I'm going to remove all doubt. Hello. But this is the funny thing about the Knicks, though, Uncle Joe. Every night, obviously, OG had a good run. OG's had a phenomenal playoff series. Yeah, they're not here without OG. But the fact that tonight wasn't his night and somebody else always shows up, hell, in this series, Josh Harding went in double figures, I don't think, one game. But all of a sudden, tonight, he's in double figures and OG doesn't have a good game. And then Jalen Brunson has an outer body experience when it matters most and does what we used to seeing him do. And he takes it up a notch.

40:12Shannon Sharpe:Yeah. In the moment. How many, Joe, he get them up in the air on the three-point ball? And, hey, that's his last move. After that, he ain't got nothing else. And guess what? One of them, they fired him with.3 on the clock. Oh, man, listen. They held him out a couple of times. I just think the thing is, look, and we're going to talk about the Spurs. We're not done with the Spurs. but I think we're going to have to give the Knicks a lot of – because that guy right there. When you got that guy and everybody's had that guy, the Bulls had Jordan, the Lakers had Kobe, and the Cavs had Bron and D-Wade when he was in his prime.

40:53Shannon Sharpe:Everybody's always had that one guy. No matter how bad things got, we got a guy that if we can get it close, if we can just reattach, he can bring us home.

41:02Chad Johnson:You already know it.

41:03Shannon Sharpe:And they have so much confidence. And like I said, look, we don't see guys like this. You got to realize Jalen Brunson might be 6 '1". Mm-hmm. Small guys, small guards, playoffs, we don't see them take over games like he's been able to do it, Joe.

41:19Chad Johnson:Nah. We just don't. Nah. And it ain't even just been the finals, man. It's been like the previous two, three years, Uncle Ocho. Since he got to New York. Yeah, he's been this fourth quarter demon to where he just comes through in the clutch. Hey, man, the young man got it. I ain't going to lie. Even watching the game tonight, as the game starts, you know, as the time starts to tick, I'm like, even five, six minutes left, I'm like, man, it just felt like everything was going to go right for the Knicks, bro. For whatever reason. That's just how I felt after a while, because I said, damn, the Spurs done played so great in every game, Ocho.

41:59Chad Johnson:Yes, sir. Yes, sir. They played great in every game, bro, but the lows are the low. And they come into unopportune times in the fourth quarter to where there's nothing you can do about it, bro.

42:10Shannon Sharpe:Joe, Ocho, they can't stop the bleeding. You know how you get a cut? Yeah. And most people say, okay, you do this, you do this, turn it cut, or you do this. They can't stop the bleeding. They can't. And they bleed out every time. They start making, now all of a sudden, they don't run any plays. Everybody want to be hero. They start jacking up shots. Everybody start turning over the ball. And then all of a sudden, you see Brunson. Okay, you got two back. You see Brunson coming, you got to load the paint.

42:37Chad Johnson:Man.

42:38Shannon Sharpe:And they don't load the paint. And guess what? He squeezes through, he gets a layup. He got like three of those, Joe. I'm like, you got to load the paint. You got to load the paint. You got to load the paint. He's got to see multiple bodies there so to deter him from trying to get there. Because if he only sees one and he sees the rim behind that one, he's going to the basket. He's going at it. He's going to the basket. Hey, Uncle, you got to think. he got two ways to go every time too, Joe. What's that? Brunson knowing if the paint ain't loaded, if nobody's crashing down, if they going to stay out, that's me all day.

43:13If they load the paint, hell, I'm going to kick out. And I'm going to trust whoever it is to get that ball

43:17Shannon Sharpe:to make that shot.

43:19Chad Johnson:In that situation though, Ocho,

43:21Shannon Sharpe:I'm taking my chance with somebody else because I know he's got it going now. I see how he's got it going. I'm taking my chance with somebody else. Because once those guys get it going, it ain't no turning them. off. You just hope hopefully I can force somebody else to shoot enough to help break his rhythm. Because if you look at it, Joe, on that 8-0 run, it was him.

43:42Chad Johnson:Yeah. It was him.

43:45Shannon Sharpe:The three free throws, the getting to the basket, the layup, the and one. It was him.

43:50Chad Johnson:I just might

43:50Shannon Sharpe:need to get somebody else to shoot the ball a couple of times down to break him out of a rhythm.

43:55Chad Johnson:Man, I don't know. I feel like Brunson understood the moment and guys like him who never going to be the fastest, most explosive, the quickest guys on the court. Yes, sir. Bro, when you talk about first step, his first step is to get in front of you, to cut you off, to cut your momentum off from trying. That's how he got with me a couple of times when he laid him up. Yeah. It's get in front of you, cut you off, make you have to kind of back up. And now it's the stop and go. I mean, it's the craftiness in this game. It's the being lefty. He just has so much in his bag, bro, that down the stretch, Uncle Ocho, I never felt that the Spurs was going to be able to get a stop.

44:37Chad Johnson:It just seemed like every time he shot the damn ball, he shot that one fadeaway that he missed on the side of the backboard, but outside of that, in that fourth quarter, I'm like, he too dangerous, bro. He's shown you. Time and time again.

44:50Shannon Sharpe:He hit Wimby with a move and got to the basket. Oh, that's what I'm talking about. Dole into... And the thing is, is that when Wimby gets tired, Joe, he really can't do anything. It's a wrap. It's a wrap. The problem is, though, for me, just watching it, being an ex-former athlete, he goes out so hard, he doesn't understand how to pace himself yet. Yeah. Because you see, he hit a shot, he's running down the court, he's so excited, he doesn't understand, bro, we still got 47 minutes to go. Yeah. he's gonna have to do a better job because you can't win the game in the first 10 minutes of the game and he be spent he's gone anaerobic every game

45:39Chad Johnson:and at that point

45:41Shannon Sharpe:it's just like I just hope I can finish because he has nothing left you watched the chat y 'all watched him he doesn't even try to get to the rim he doesn't even try to post up

45:53Chad Johnson:that first half of the week he be too spent he be too spent to try and fight and gain position down there in that post and that mid post and be on balance. Like I'll say, when they throw that ball and then he go to tipping it, next thing you know, they're going another way.

46:09Shannon Sharpe:So not because he's already out of position. There ain't nobody to protect the paint. Right. And the thing was, look, they get whatever they want. I mean, they got a situation where Mikael Bridges missed the three.

46:24Damn. Hey, Uncle Joe, I have a question too.

46:28Shannon Sharpe:What's up? Yes. With a situation like this, with the Knicks, after not winning the championship in 53 years, Brunson having a series, hell, Brunson having a season, forget a playoff series, Brunson's the season he's had. Obviously, the disrespect with the mask offered him, can he now get a max contract? That's not the way it works.

46:46Chad Johnson:Yeah, he just signed a deal, didn't he?

46:49Shannon Sharpe:Yeah, he gave up. He didn't want the max. He wanted pieces. is he knew that if I get a max contract, they're not going to be able to put, they can't put bridges around me. They can't put OG around me. They can't put pieces around me. See, a lot of guys, like the most, everybody says they want to win. I want to win making max dollars. It's just hard to do it. Okay, I got it. Unless you get situations like what you got with Shea, a guy that was on a rookie contract, on a second contract, which wasn't a max. It gets harder and harder because at some point in time, they're going to have to break OKC up.

47:25Shannon Sharpe:You can't have three guys making$250 million a year. Damn. I mean, but his value is going up exponentially based on what he's making right now. I'm sure they got ways to take care of him.

47:40Chad Johnson:But hold on, hold on. He in New York, that market, he going to make crazy money off the court. Especially now, Joe. Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. A champion, like, come on, man.

47:50Shannon Sharpe:Come on, man. The doors are going to open, just like Steph being in Silicon Valley and winning. So he gets an opportunity that these ventures come up, these venture capitalists, they go talk to him. Hey, Steph, would you like to be a part of this?

48:04Chad Johnson:Yeah, yeah.

48:05Shannon Sharpe:Dre, now New York, they got things down there. Hey, he's a champion. Hey, Jay LeBron said, hey, man, we'd love to have you be a part of this. Yes. So, yeah, I think that's it. That's it. but you got to just tip your hat to the Knicks being down. And like I said, Joe, the problem that you run into, if somebody ever tracks you down, they believe they can continuously do it. Yeah. What was 16 points if we already done came back from 29, just the game before Joe? That's 13 fewer points. We got to come from behind. Yeah. We absorbed that. 16 wasn't it? 14 the first game. I mean, 13, 14, 14, 15. There's nothing to them.

48:49Shannon Sharpe:and I don't know what starts to seep doubt starts to seep I know it's they're going to say no blah blah blah doubt starts to seep in your mind when you get a lead and all of a sudden they will it down man in game 1, in game 2, in game 3 in game 4, in game 5 it does it's human nature

49:16Chad Johnson:but hey but think about this if you the Spurs bro I'm just thinking like damn every game even tonight when they were up 16 I'm thinking to myself man how do you get to this point every game okay Ocho to where you up double figures on this team I'm talking about all you gotta do is just play solid and I'm talking about play after play bro it's like they'll do some dumb fouls whether it's Harper fouling Brunson at the half court line just two just too aggressive. Give them two free throws. Give them two free throws. Hey, as a scorer, that's all I want. I want to see it go through the basket a couple times.

49:53Chad Johnson:I done got a couple free throws. Next thing you know, now you can't cool me off. Feeling good. How many times they finally made a three-point line, Joe? I know, man. It's just time and time. It's just like, it just started to compound. And I'm like, come on, bro. Y 'all got to get it together.

50:09Shannon Sharpe:They got a seven-point lead. Try to get the rebound. Mitchell Robinson tips it in. Now it's a five-point lead. Could have been a seven-point lead, and we go down there, maybe we get something. You get the situation, we got the rebound. We got three guys. All the Knicks have done gone back down the court. What happened? Ball goes out of bounds. Now they get the ball back, hit a three. Now it's a two-point game. Right, right. It's things like that that become self-inflicted that you're like, oh, my goodness, there we go. And they just can't stop the bleeding. what a paper cut turns into you have to go to the trauma center when all you should be able to do is just put a band-aid on it and be able to move on now I got to go to the trauma because I got to get 30 stitches hey even with that going to the trauma center it should only happen one time the fact that it's happened multiple times

51:06Chad Johnson:Ocho I'm with you it happened multiple times Hey, Joe, if you make one mistake, you know, chances are when you're in that situation again, you're not going to make that same mistake twice. Yeah, and it's like once the lead is blown and the Knicks get it back down to six or five, it's a game now. Yeah, and, you know, time and time again, what has happened? The Knicks have prevailed. They've came through in the clutch. I'm like, bro.

51:34Shannon Sharpe:But you know what, Joe? I'm watching it. If you watch the Spurs, as long as you allow them to get up and down, Joe, what happens in the first half? How did they get that lead, Joe? They getting up and down, spraying threes. The moment you get it to a single-digit game, and now you got to execute, what do they do?

51:55Chad Johnson:Turnover.

51:56Shannon Sharpe:Turnover after turnover. As long as you let them get up and down, and they can get and kick and Vassell, wah-wah, and Champagne, boom, and you got Harper, or you got Wimby, like boom the moment that you get them in a half

52:11Chad Johnson:court set and the game slows down and the game slows down that's when

52:18Shannon Sharpe:you get the Knicks in a half court set they got a guy of all the guys

52:24Chad Johnson:yeah

52:29Chad Johnson:you're right

52:30Shannon Sharpe:it's different bro one more thing Mike Brown Take it out. Yes, sir. Oh, man. You've been coach of the year a couple of times. I think he's coach of the year in Sacramento. He's the coach of the year, won 66 games with LeBron, led them to the finals. He's a champion.

52:48Chad Johnson:Job well done. First year.

52:50Shannon Sharpe:Job well done. I mean, I was surprised that they fired Thibodeau.

52:54Chad Johnson:Yeah.

52:54Shannon Sharpe:Considering, and I think the thing is, is that they fired Thibodeau because they feel - He run him into the ground. Well, this, I felt that once they beat Boston, the Knicks thought it was smooth sailing. Right. Because Boston was the preeminent favorite. We took down the favorite, so we should be the favorite. Right. And lo and behold, what happened? Indiana got them.

53:15Chad Johnson:Yep. Yep.

53:16Shannon Sharpe:It didn't seem like, and this is what I talk about, sometimes it didn't seem like the right move at the time, but it was absolutely the right move. Yeah. And that's what people say. Well, if you fire him, who are you going to hire?

53:29Chad Johnson:Yeah.

53:29Shannon Sharpe:Oh, there are pretty coaches out there.

53:31Chad Johnson:Yeah. Yeah.

53:33Shannon Sharpe:If you trade him, who are you going to bring him in? okay look where we're finishing with him we can finish there without him Mike Brown deserves a ton of credit he deserves a ton of credit or deserves even more credit now I don't know for keeping Rick Brunson on the stage maybe that was hey you can get this job but his dad stays

53:52Chad Johnson:I don't know

53:54Shannon Sharpe:but it was a great move and you hear Jalen talk about how it like he's a coach when we're there he's my dad but we're talking as a coach player. Obviously. And he says, you know, it's great to have him around because you got to realize when I was a kid, my dad played in the NBA and he's all around. He says, I have my dad around more now than at any point in time that I can remember. Yeah. That means something to it. Yeah. But he also understands, I don't think he has kids of his own, the grind and the sacrifice that you got to make.

54:28Chad Johnson:Yeah.

54:29Shannon Sharpe:And when you have your kids, you will understand it. Yep. Because a lot of times kids don't understand what parents have to go through to sacrifice. But when you have your own kids, you have a greater appreciation. Yeah, they'll never understand until they're... Do they get their own... Man, do you

54:49Chad Johnson:hear me? Shout out to my guy World Wide West too for the New York Knicks, bro.

54:55Shannon Sharpe:Yeah, he put it together.

54:56Chad Johnson:Yeah, play a part of my mind, man. He's done a hell of a job with them Knicks.

55:01Shannon Sharpe:He's done an unbelievable job. He came in and, you know, what they gave up. I mean, you know, you think about like, hold on. They gave up how many first round picks with McHale Bridges?

55:14Chad Johnson:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Hey.

55:17Shannon Sharpe:They paid off.

55:19Chad Johnson:Oh, Ocho. Huh? If I'm Devin Chinzo, I'm pissed. Ah, these mofos on when they got a ring after they traded me. Y 'all, ugh. I ain't about nothing. Yeah.

55:29Shannon Sharpe:It's a part of it. but the fact is is that and then Cat Cat didn't have a great game tonight but for the most part of the series he did it the first two games he did an unbelievable job making it very very difficult on Wimby and he kept Wimby in a situation where Wimby had to play defense

55:51Chad Johnson:he won them first two games for him and he made the Spurs adjust by taking Wimby off of Cat and putting, like, Castle somebody, letting them wrestle with them and having Wimby be that weak side help, which I ultimately thought, you know, it worked at times.

56:10Shannon Sharpe:It did.

56:11Chad Johnson:Yeah, but I thought Cat done his job in this series, winning them first two games for him. I mean. Copenhagen's Spit Free packs American-grown tobacco into pouches

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57:00Chad Johnson:If we got clear facts, maybe we can calm down a little.

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59:12Chad Johnson:He was huge.

59:18Shannon Sharpe:Kyrie Irving was going crazy at the Top 100 camp. They had a Can You Guard Kyrie challenge. Check this out.

59:38Thank you.

1:00:25Oh

1:00:36Hey, you know what's funny, Uncle Joe? It's one thing to be able to see Kyrie do this to the NBA players on the court, being able to manipulate them, get them going one way, and use their leverage and their momentum against them. He's one of the best handles, one of the best finishes, right hand, left hand. It really doesn't matter. he can get to any spot on the floor whenever he wants to get to it and what i like about this drill what he was doing with those players is for one he's going to always be two or three steps ahead of everybody else and having a plan in his head and what he wants to do with the ball to be able to create that separation man he's going to the best so to be able to see him with those at his camp man it's dope to be able to see it like that up close and personal as opposed to from tv you know watching at home but being able to see exactly how he's able to execute that stuff Man, hey, Kyrie, I'm sure no one would argue the fact that he's probably the greatest ball handler and finisher at the rim of all time.

1:01:32Chad Johnson:Hey, you're right, Ocho. I think Kyrie out there using them boys' cone drills. Hey, he just got that ACL back right, Ocho. He out there testing against them young boys because he already know he's two, three steps ahead of them. You know, mentally, physically, they can't, They too many years behind to be able to even guard him. He knows and understands that. But what makes him so great is at his size, he's never going to be the fastest. He's never going to be the most explosive. None of that is angles, bro. He knows how to take and use angles and use his body to create contact or to play off contact.

1:02:19Chad Johnson:He knows how to cut you off in the pick and roll. You know, he has obviously one of the greatest handles we've probably seen. And he understands and knows how to manipulate the defender in front of him, bro. How to get by you. He got too many tricks in his bag. He's a guy that he's thinking, okay, this is what I'm going to do.

1:02:40Shannon Sharpe:But if he does this, this is my counter. If he does that, this is my counter. If he does this and then this, here is my counter. So he's always got a counter to your counter. And like you said, look, he knew what he was doing. Why would he ever make Kyrie Irving 6 '7 with that? The hell? He already, if you look at him, he already composed. Yeah, yeah. He could already play with his back to the basket.

1:03:08Chad Johnson:Yeah.

1:03:10Shannon Sharpe:Now, okay, you give him the ball at the top of the key. What you going to do? that's why they put the ball in his hand and when they got that switch because they knew Golden State was going to switch everything and he's like okay still

1:03:26Chad Johnson:yeah

1:03:30big bing

1:03:31Shannon Sharpe:and what do you already know in out hop side bam he going to get to that that's his shot

1:03:40Chad Johnson:yeah yeah Hey, hey, hey, hey, that boy going to be looking to get back in that conversation when that season starts back up next year, meaning like being one of the top guards. I already know. He going to come back. He is. Oh, yeah.

1:03:56Shannon Sharpe:I mean, you're talking about a guy, he's a 50, 40, 30, a 50, 40, 90 guy. He can shoot 50 % from the floor, 40 % from the three. He can 90 % from the free throw line. I mean, he's a three-level scorer.

1:04:07Chad Johnson:Yeah.

1:04:08Shannon Sharpe:A guy that, I mean, yeah, he can dunk. but you talk about a guy that doesn't play above the rim? Nobody can finish below the rim like he can. The angle in which he can, the English in which he can put on the basketball? Nobody.

1:04:21Chad Johnson:That boy nice.

1:04:22Shannon Sharpe:Different.

1:04:24Chad Johnson:He's nice.

1:04:25Shannon Sharpe:Say it, please. He is ridiculous. Hold on. Hey, Joe. You know? Kyrie going to be with Dallas next year still, huh? Well. I see. I see. I think there's a greater chance that they trade him to keep him. What you think, Joe?

1:04:47Chad Johnson:I just think he'll feel so great playing with Cooper. Cooper Flag. He'll take some of that pressure off of him. But he probably has so much value right now that you probably could get you some, you know, maybe some more good young talent to go along with Cooper. I don't know, man.

1:05:10Shannon Sharpe:We're running back with him and KD in Houston.

1:05:14Chad Johnson:Would I? They were missing the point, but they got to get rid of Van Fleet. What? He going to go to Dallas? You saying send Kyrie to Houston? Yeah. Yeah, and Van Fleet over to Dallas. Well, that'll be nasty.

1:05:31Shannon Sharpe:First round draft picks. Because the thing is, do I think, look, it's two Dukies. number one overall pick, do I think they can play together? I think Kyrie would welcome that.

1:05:47Shannon Sharpe:But the question is, if you're going to make this Cooper-Flags team.

1:05:55Chad Johnson:I think for Dallas, hell, you done gave up Luka. Anywhere in hell you're going to give up Kyrie. You're going to have to keep some type of star power in there. at least you're going to have to give him at least this year. Okay. Yeah, you're going to have to at least give him a year.

1:06:19Shannon Sharpe:But he looks good. Two years removed, he 100 % healthy.

1:06:24Chad Johnson:Yeah. Yeah, you see how he come through that lane, slow stepping? Moving like that, change the pace. He got it.

1:06:34Shannon Sharpe:Nekka Ogumike scores 24 points against her former team to help the Sparks beat the storm. 88-83, Nekka scored a season-high 24 points. She grabbed nine rebounds and to move into fourth place in the WNBA career list, passing Rebecca Brunson. Kelsey Plum had 19 points and 11 assists. Cameron Brink had 15 points off the bench. For her to be as great as she is, I don't think she's ever been on an Olympic team, Joe. Who? A boomer game? Yeah. Really? I don't think so. She can go now. Yeah. Oh, absolutely. Because, you know, most of the time they had Brittany Griner, they had Tina Charles, they had Sylvia Fowles.

1:07:21Shannon Sharpe:I think CP Candace Parker made it. And now then they went to Stewie, and then they went to Asia Wilson. So... I don't... I don't know, Joe. KP was 6 of 17, 2 of 9 from the 3, 5 of 8. She's rusty coming back off of that ankle injury.

1:07:44Chad Johnson:Yeah.

1:07:45Shannon Sharpe:Cameron Brink. I'm looking at David. 5 of 7. Erica Wheeler had 10 points.

1:07:56Chad Johnson:What's the LA Sparks? What's their record?

1:08:00Shannon Sharpe:6 of 6. 6-6

1:08:05alright hey WNBA 82 what was WNBA how many games they played

1:08:14Shannon Sharpe:they gonna play like 40 something Mocho I think they're in the 40s I think

1:08:24Chad Johnson:yeah it's in good hands the girls game moving in a it's moving in a

1:08:30Shannon Sharpe:If I'm not off the top of my head, I don't remember her being on the Olympic team. I don't either. Like I said, they're big normally. Obviously, the last two has been Stewie and Asia with BG.

1:08:46Chad Johnson:Yeah. And then you had Sylvia Fowles, and then you had BG on that squad.

1:08:52Shannon Sharpe:CP, I think she was on one.

1:08:54Chad Johnson:What about Della Dunn? I want the one.

1:08:57Shannon Sharpe:Ilan Deladova. Yeah.

1:09:02Chad Johnson:She could play.

1:09:04Shannon Sharpe:You know, she transferred out of UConn. Did she? She'd have been there with Maya Moore.

1:09:10Chad Johnson:I didn't know that.

1:09:12Shannon Sharpe:Yes. She has, if I'm not mistaken, a special needs sister.

1:09:17Chad Johnson:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

1:09:18Shannon Sharpe:She wanted to be close with her sister. Yeah, yeah. So she left and she went back. I think she's from Delaware. Yeah. Can you imagine? Her and Maya Moore on the same team, Joe and Ocho?

1:09:28Chad Johnson:Man, they girls, hey.

1:09:31Shannon Sharpe:If I'm not mistaken, I think Tina Charles was there too.

1:09:34Chad Johnson:Yeah, hold on. Hold on, is she still playing though? Is Della Dunn still playing?

1:09:37Shannon Sharpe:No, no, no, she retired. No, she retired. Yeah. She had injuries. I think her knees. Yeah. Man. Yeah. But she could get it. She was, ooh, she could get it. Yes, sir. She could flat out score on a basketball. Yes, sir.

1:09:56Chad Johnson:whoo

1:10:00Shannon Sharpe:elena deladon yeah yeah not delado but deladon but congrats necker britney sykes matches a career high with 38 points the expansion toronto tempo outlasts the sun 106 102 in ot the temple won the fourth time in five games they trailed by 14 points in the second The sky was 13-13 from the free-throw line, making four in the final one minute and 19 seconds of regulation. Marina Marbury added 21. Man, I got to check out the tempo. I mean, you know, I know they're a new team, Joe, but I hadn't really had a whole lot of, played a whole lot of attention to them.

1:10:42Chad Johnson:Hold on, my girl Sykes, when one out, she, I don't know if she live out here in Atlanta, but I know, what was me and her working out there together? We was working out of the gym together. She the one off with, what she had, 38 tonight? 38, yep. That girl got some game.

1:10:57Shannon Sharpe:Perfect from the free throw line. Marina Marbury had 21. Sabali.

1:11:14Shannon Sharpe:Had 15. Oh, yeah. Oh, son. They're 2-12. Temple is not doing too bad to be an expansion team.

1:11:26Chad Johnson:Nah, damn. Brittany can go, though. Real tough. She can play.

1:11:29Shannon Sharpe:Yeah.

1:11:29Chad Johnson:She got some real game. She had 38 tonight. She got some real game.

1:11:38Shannon Sharpe:In an interview with Tyne, Sean Gregory, LeBron said, while Michael Jordan might hold more influence, The identity of the GOAT is beyond a doubt. I'm not taking nobody over me. There's no question. But I think Mike will say the same thing. Rest his soul, Kobe would say the same thing. Magic would say the same thing. Bird would say the same thing. Shaq could say the same thing. The late Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem. I don't think none of us are going to take nobody over us. If there's a general manager and he's eyeballing us all on the baseline with the number one pick, I think it's going to be really hard not to take me, champ.

1:12:13Joe, if you're building a franchise, you're building an NBA franchise from scratch,

1:12:21Shannon Sharpe:all the names that he's mentioned, who you taking?

1:12:28Chad Johnson:I'm taking MJ. I'm taking MJ Warren, fellas.

1:12:32Shannon Sharpe:Okay.

1:12:33Chad Johnson:That's who I'm taking. Who you taking, huh? Why you taking MJ? Why I'm taking MJ? Yes. the reasons is first off he's a two way guy not only a two he gonna dominate both ends of the floor yeah he gonna scold 40 50 he gonna shut his man down he ain't he ain't having that right you know what I mean and I just for me growing up I think they all goaded that's why that's why when I when I category when I category a lot of these greats I just say man he goaded but you know obviously MJ is a guy I grew up watching, idolizing. But all those guys got GOAT status, man. I guess it's a preference. I totally agree.

1:13:21Ojo, you got the number one pick. Start a franchise. I mean, that's really difficult. You have to think the game of basketball based on the eras that they played in was completely different. But these players that LeBron did mention are players that could play in any damn era. So it really doesn't matter. They would be effective regardless of what era they played in regards to what position they played. So like Joe did say, it probably could, it does come down to preference. And for me, as much as I love LeBron, as much as I love Magic and Kareem, and much as I love Shaq, as dominant as Shaq was during his tenure, you know, when he played, I prefer MJ.

1:13:59Love LeBron. Love him to death. LeBron can do no wrong in my eyes based on what he's been able to accomplish, you know, Since coming out of high school and having all the expectations bestowed upon him to be the chosen one. And he lived up to every single one. Plus some. But just MJ in general. I mean, why? Because of his dominance when he did play. Even though LeBron dominated as well. At MJ's height, I'm not sure how many finals he won. I can't really say it off the top of things. But was it five or six? Six. Six finals. Six and oh. Being six and oh. Never losing. His cultural impact. his influence long after the game is gone, long after he's done playing.

1:14:39There's so many different factors coming to play when it comes in. But you can't go wrong. At this point, it's kind of nitpicking, and it's really based off preference on who you like. Yeah, me, I'm going to take LeBron for the simple fact he can do all things well.

1:14:58Shannon Sharpe:Great. He can score the basketball. He can rebound the basketball. He can facilitate an offense. And I think he can do that better than, say, Kobe and Jordan. Now, can he facilitate an offense better than Magic? Probably not. But Magic couldn't score the basketball like he could or rebound the basketball like he could. We look at some of these bigs, they could score and rebound, but they couldn't run an offense like he could. And so for me, if I'm starting a franchise, and I'm probably – it all depends if I'm starting. It ain't nobody else on the roster. I don't have anybody else on the roster.

1:15:30Shannon Sharpe:Right, right. I'm going to have to build my roster around him. I'm going to take Bron. And like you said, now, Kobe and Jordan have both more defensive award, all NBA defensive teams. But I don't think for me, I don't know if any individual had more on his plate than what LeBron was asked to do, to score the basketball, to rebound the basketball, and to facilitate his offense. Jordan was asked to score, and he did that at an elite rate as well as anybody in the history of the game. Kobe was asked to do that. But he did have Shaq to rebound the basketball.

1:16:11Chad Johnson:Yeah.

1:16:12Shannon Sharpe:He did. And so LeBron really never had that kind of dominant player. Magic did have Kareem.

1:16:21Shannon Sharpe:LeBron has never had anybody like that. Right. So for me, and like you said, Joe, it's all about preference and you not take it because everybody that LeBron mentioned, yeah, if you wanted to nitpick, you could. But it's hard. It's hard when you look at his resume and his body of work and what was asked of him on a nightly basis. I don't know if he's ever had a game where they say, LeBron, we just need you to score. LeBron, we just need you to facilitate the offense. LeBron, we just need you to rebound. I don't know if he's ever had a game like that. And I feel that other players have all had situations where they were asked to do one thing but not those things, and LeBron had to do them more times than not, and he had to be great in all three phases.

1:17:08Shannon Sharpe:So that's why I would take LeBron. But if somebody had drafted LeBron before I got him, I'm not going to be mad if I got Jordan. I'm not going to be mad if I got Kobe. I'm not going to be mad if I got Magic or Bird because what people don't realize, Bird averaged 24, 10, and 6. Let that sink in. He was 24 points a night, 10 rebounds a night, 6 assists a night. That's what Larry Bird did. Yeah. So I think the thing is, Joe, in this internet era, if it didn't happen and they didn't see it, it didn't happen or the guy wasn't any good.

1:17:43Chad Johnson:Right.

1:17:43Shannon Sharpe:Y 'all need to go back and check some of these old guys. Y 'all better go check Magic Johnson out. Y 'all better go check out Kareem. Y 'all better go check out Larry Bird.

1:17:49Chad Johnson:Yeah. Nah, listen. I don't think it's the wrong answer. And I agree with you. But for me, you know, I don't think nobody seen MJ coming into the league doing what he done.

1:18:01Shannon Sharpe:No, no, no, no, they didn't.

1:18:02Chad Johnson:Because if that was a damn case, he would have won number one. I don't give a damn who had the number one pick. You know what I mean?

1:18:08Shannon Sharpe:Houston had the number one pick. They took Elijah one.

1:18:10Chad Johnson:Yeah, yeah. So he would have won one. You know what I mean? So I just felt like Braun superseded expectations, no doubt. He had the most weight on his shoulders coming into the NBA. and to be able to surpass all that, like, hey, bro, no gripe of growing. He's one of my favorite players to watch. Obviously, I love competing against him. He was great and still is. But I just feel like they're all goaded, bro, and it's a preference when you talk about how you want to start your team or who you want to start your team with. I mean, hell, these are all goals, bro.

1:18:41Shannon Sharpe:You're right. You're absolutely right. I'm trying to look up. Because, Joe, I don't think Olajuwon, I mean, Olajuwon's senior year, I mean, his junior because he left early. He might have didn't average with like 10 points a game, 13 points a game, Joe.

1:18:58Chad Johnson:Yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, them guys.

1:19:03Shannon Sharpe:Over 100 college games, he averaged 13.3. Oh, okay. He left his junior year. He averaged 17 points, almost 14 rebounds. His freshman year, he averaged 8.6 rebounds. And then his sophomore year, he averaged 14 points, 11 rebounds. but you had to see him. If you watched him move in college, it was a no-brainer that he was going to be what he was in college. Because you got to realize, he really didn't play basketball, but his junior year might have been his fourth year playing basketball. He's a soccer player. But the way he could move, the way he could get up and down the court, Joe, and the way he could elevate and the way he defended, you're like, oh yeah, he can't miss.

1:19:47Shannon Sharpe:He can't miss. He can't miss. It's the same thing I said about Trey Young. I said, Trey Young is going to be, that's that man. He's so small. I said, guess what? If you take away a score, he still can facilitate. I said, the guy's averaging 27 and 10. So if you can facilitate in college, even if they take the 27, let's just say, okay, all of a sudden he don't average but 20. You don't want a 20 and 10 point guard?

1:20:09Chad Johnson:Yeah, yeah.

1:20:11Shannon Sharpe:There ain't a whole lot of point guards that's ever averaged 20 and 10. Nope. Nope. So that's why I felt Elijah Juan. Jordan played in the system. Dean Smith ain't let nobody get outside of that system, not even Michael Jordan. So that's what held him back.

1:20:29Chad Johnson:Yeah.

1:20:29Shannon Sharpe:The joke is the only man that's ever held Michael Jordan under 20 points a game was Dean Smith. Dean Smith. So, no, nobody saw this. Nobody saw this coming. I watched Jordan from his freshman year when he hit that, when they got to the NCAA tournament, and I watched him and I watched him his sophomore year and his junior year. Nobody, nobody would have bet any amount of money that Michael Jordan was going to turn out to be what he was. No chance. Right. Bro, you go from averaging what he averaged, he averaged 28 points a game as a rookie. Who the hell averaged 28 points a game as a damn rookie?

1:21:08Chad Johnson:That's what, that's what I'm, see, that's what I don't think a lot of people, they ain't see the early MJ. They seen 97, 98 MJ when he was already polished. No, no, no, no, no, no. That was the old Jim Day

1:21:20Shannon Sharpe:that couldn't really elevate like he could earlier. They needed to catch MJ from when he got to League 84 and through those first three championships. That's when they, that was the athletic MJ. That was the MJ. That was the MJ. Now he developed that tournament because he didn't have that turnaround his first five or six years in the league. He was just going over people.

1:21:41Chad Johnson:Man, listen, listen. A couple of my favorite NBA series to watch still to this day. 2026 is when 1993 Chicago played against the Phoenix Suns when Charles Barkley won the NBA that whole series you could tell how MJ took it so personal bro he was hey man the man was unreal and when I watched him play this might have been like 91, 92 when they played against Portland when they had Clyde and him and Clyde was shh

1:22:16Shannon Sharpe:You talking about a raw MJ, bro? Come on. Yeah, that might have been, Joe, that might have been 92 because he played, the first one was L.A., then Portland, and then Phoenix. Hey, man.

1:22:32Chad Johnson:Hey, man.

1:22:32Shannon Sharpe:Everything personal. Yeah. Yeah. Because he felt that they gave Charles Barkley his MVP.

1:22:39Chad Johnson:Yeah.

1:22:39Shannon Sharpe:He felt, nobody said Clyde Drexler was damn better than Michael Jordan, but somebody said, they said, well, is he comparable? The real fact he felt that somebody could fix their mouth to say Clyde Drexler is comparable to me. He felt that was an insult. He took that in disrespect. Yeah. Yes, yes. Anything, anything. You didn't shake his hand. Oh, oh, you're not going to shake my hand? You're not going to acknowledge me? He took everything personal. He still does. Y 'all heard his Hall of Fame speech. The guy that cut him. The guy that got his spot on the basketball team.

1:23:13Chad Johnson:Yeah. He needs that to get him going. He does. He's always looking for something. He's looking for something to kind of, you know, trying to have an edge or to work and put him in a state of mind where he going to kill mode.

1:23:26Shannon Sharpe:Kill. Yes. They say, Mike, ain't nobody say that. Yeah, he did. Mike, that man didn't say that.

1:23:34Shannon Sharpe:He didn't say that. But as competitive to this day as it is, and I mean, it was a joy to watch him. I mean, the... I don't know if we'll see anybody that has that aura again. No. No joke.

1:23:51Chad Johnson:No, because it seems as though we're all so close together because everybody has a phone, everybody has a camera.

1:24:01Shannon Sharpe:Yep.

1:24:02Chad Johnson:Yeah, see, back then, you couldn't hear. If you didn't turn that TV on, you probably weren't going to see him.

1:24:06Shannon Sharpe:If you didn't go to the game, that's the only time you saw Mike. Yeah. You had to go to the game. The likelihood of you bumping into him. and if you bumped into him, you had no way to record it or say it.

1:24:17Chad Johnson:Man.

1:24:18Shannon Sharpe:Because guess what? There wasn't no cell phones. No. I mean, there wasn't no camera phones on your cell phone and nobody walked around with a camera. So, you just had to, man, I saw Michael, man, you ain't see no Michael, shut up. You ain't see no damn Michael Jordan. Where you see Michael Jordan at?

1:24:36Chad Johnson:Hey.

1:24:36Shannon Sharpe:Man, I saw Michael Jordan, man, shut up.

1:24:39Chad Johnson:You had to pull out that little yellow camera and hit that little thing. Yeah, exactly.

1:24:43Shannon Sharpe:And most people didn't have cameras with them. Ain't Joe a little disposable? Yeah, a little disposable. And plus now, because like you said, Joe, because of the internet, we're so close. There was a mystique about Mike. Yeah. There ain't no mystique. We see. And guess what? Guys have allowed us, a lot of guys have allowed us to come into their homes or to be in their cars. The only thing that I wish is that Mike would have played and to see how open, how amenable he would have been to social media. Knowing how guarded and how private that he is, how amenable would he have been to social media?

1:25:26Shannon Sharpe:I don't think he would have changed. That's it. That's all I would like to see. I don't think he would have changed. Because he's really a private person.

1:25:38Chad Johnson:Yeah.

1:25:38Shannon Sharpe:He really is. he goes somewhere when he it might be his event but he gonna be in the back you don't think you just gonna walk in cause there are a lot of events you walk in and you see the host right away you see him not him he ducked up in the back he ducked up in the back

1:25:58Chad Johnson:too polarizing bro

1:26:00Shannon Sharpe:I ain't never seen anything like it I've never seen anything like it like I said I saw Prince I was two feet away from Prince I've seen a lot of celebs. I've seen a lot of entertainers. I ain't seen nothing like him.

1:26:15Chad Johnson:Hey, Ocho, I'm telling y 'all, listen, as a brand-new athlete, bro, we had so many get-togethers. I catch myself sometimes just staring at the man like, damn. Like, that's what it was, bro. I can't even explain it. You know, as a kid. I tell people that all the time.

1:26:32Shannon Sharpe:Yeah, as a kid. Yeah, he doesn't seem real. I don't care. Name a person, an athlete, that's ever seen Michael Jordan and everything they say from Allen Iverson to Shaq to whomever, and they're some of the biggest stars themselves. You don't see real. Everybody got the same story. Same. I mean, he like, he levitating.

1:26:52Chad Johnson:Joker, he tailored everything he got on. Every damn sweats, shorts to his jeans. Damn.

1:27:00Shannon Sharpe:That man got on that elevator with his first wife. that door open up.

1:27:10Shannon Sharpe:I'm like, I've been like,

1:27:17Shannon Sharpe:I'm shouting, he's like, I know who you are. They introduced me to that. This is my wife, blah, blah, blah. You know, he tell his wife, he got a brother play for the Bears, I mean for the Packers. Yeah. He's a bad boy. See, I met your mom at the casino one time. I said, okay. And you know, that was it. I'm looking at it and I was like,

1:27:45Jordan, I just had a conversation with Mike.

1:27:49Shannon Sharpe:He didn't seem real. And I've seen him several times since then. And every time it's the same feeling. That man levitating. That man ain't real. anybody that's ever met him for the first time they'll tell you the same thing he don't seem real I've never seen anybody like it yeah yeah I've never seen anything like it like I said from you know I met Denzel I met Samuel Jackson I'm talking about I met big big I'm talking about Oprah all them ain't met nothing like him this dude here man yeah yeah I'm thinking the only guy that's comparable is the original MJ. Michael Jackson. I'm thinking, and I've never met him, but I'm thinking that's the only guy that's comparable.

1:28:42You know what? When you think about it too, right? It's comparable based on you knowing much about him. On how you revere MJ. So think about how you feel and what it was like for you to meet MJ. think about how women regardless to who they are, regardless to ethnicity how they feel about if they have the opportunity to meet Beyonce it's the same thing, it's the same way probably right Ojo

1:29:10Shannon Sharpe:yeah there are stars I've been very fortunate I've had an opportunity to meet her, met old, nice cordial, receptive to courtesy and it's always like damn I always call my sister, you're never gonna guess who I met when I met Oprah at the Four Seasons in New York, met her and Gail. I met Beckham's wife. What's Victoria Beckham? Victoria Beckham? Yeah. Victoria Beckham. Met her at the Four Seasons. I always call myself and say, you're never going to guess who I met. But that number 23 from Chicago? Different.

1:29:56Mmm. Dings.

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