Hour 1: NFL vs NBA's Christmas day slate, Spurs hand Thunder another loss

0:00So good, so good, so good. Everything you want for summer is at Nordstrom Rack Stores now and up to 60 % off. Stock up and save on the brands you love like Vince, Sam Edelman, Frame and Free People. Join the Nordiclub to unlock exclusive discounts, shop new arrivals first and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack. If we knew more about our sleep, what would we do differently? Would we go to bed at a consistent time? Or take steps to reduce interruptions to our sleep? With Sleep Score, Apple Watch measures your bedtime consistency, interruptions, and sleep duration.

0:41Then, every morning it combines these factors into an easy-to-understand score from 1 to 100. So you'll know how to take the quality of your sleep from okay to very high. Know your Sleep Score with Apple Watch. iPhone 11 or later required. This is The Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash richeisenshow and you'll never miss a moment.

1:24Now, on with the show. Oh, my God, you guys are my favorites. This is The Rich Eisen Show. The one and only. Rich Eisen. I know what I'm talking about. That's the headline. The Rich Eisen Show. With guest host, Brian Weber. I mean, honestly, he's brilliant. Brian Weber. I've got a long resume. Google me, it saves time. From The Rich Eisen Show's studio in Los Angeles. And now, sitting in for Rich, it's Brian Weber. That was such a deep cut from back in the day. I'm surprised I didn't say Netscape instead of Google. Happy holidays, everybody. Brian Weber with you. Always a blast to sit in for Rich and the Guys.

2:07We're presented by Progressive Insurance. If you are still at work just past noon Eastern on Christmas Eve, you have my permission to mail it in. A little-known FCC bylaw as a guest host. I have that authority. So stick it to the man and I'll keep you entertained. If you're out and about, drive safely. And hopefully I won't say anything too thermonuclear to distract you. We move quickly when I'm in the chair because I want to maximize the opportunity. But I'll always carve out time for your interaction. Phone number is 888-SAY-ESPN. Your best bet whenever I am lucky enough to try to support Rich's outstanding brand is to have at it on social media.

2:54You can hit me up on the X platform. It is B.W. Weber. Weber with two Bs. I spelled the last name because I don't have grill money. We're going to jump right in. Talking NFL. Have you looked at the schedule? Not your job. Even as a fill-in hack, that's my responsibility. Here's a preview. Although we're supersizing things now with three games, just like Thanksgiving, so you have no reason to talk to your family at all, the games are mid, as you kids say. And undeniably, and I'm now risking not being allowed to come back for segment number two, the NBA has a better slate of games. And I keep zigging when the world is zagging.

3:38I understand the NFL is the only thing that matters to many of you. But for those of us who are older than 17 years old, Christmas, as LeBron said last year, before he recently said he didn't want to play on Christmas, I'm paraphrasing, he'd rather be at home. Christmas used to belong to the NBA. So coming off the second victory put together by the Spurs over the OKC Thunder in the span of 11 days. We'll get you set for the rematch coming up tomorrow in OKC. in 20 minutes, we'll get into the particulars of another winning formula for the young Spurs. Do they have some kind of cheat code when it comes to the reigning champs?

4:23And because I want to make sure your opinions can be expressed, and I have a lot to pass along, I'm never going to bury you with guests. Just two in our three hours together today. Coming up in hour number two, 120 Eastern in advance of the NBA on Christmas Day. Of course, ESPN, ABC, and here, ESPN Radio has coverage as well. Looking forward to checking in with Curt Heelan of NBCSports.com. Final hour, 2.20 Eastern. I'm giving you the time because this should be appointment audio. Going to check in with an old friend, broadcast partner of mine, more important, a Hall of Famer, Eagles legend, Eric Allen, now a member of the Raiders broadcast team.

5:07That is coming up. So in terms of the details for tomorrow, and for some reason, maybe it's because we all get a bit nostalgic during the holidays. I'm Brian Weber in for Rich and the Guys. 888-SAY-ESPN. I think that especially when as a solo artist, now I'm really patting myself on the back. When you work alone during the holidays, perhaps you get a little bit contemplative. contemplative. So I was thinking about, because I've been doing this longer than my energetic delivery would suggest, there's a reason if you follow me on the X platform, BW Weber, Weber with two Bs, my picture is circa 2002 when I was a sideline reporter for the NFL and Fox, because that was arguably the peak of my career.

5:55But I was thinking about how I approach shows, even as recently as 15 years ago, I would hit the memory banks and think about what sports was like on Christmas Day. Folks, do you realize prior to the ascension of the NBA, the biggest thing going on Christmas Day as recently as the early 80s, which I realize is an eon ago, was something called the Blue Gray Game, a college football all-star game played in front of about 17 fans in frigid Montgomery, Alabama. Now we have an embarrassment of riches, and you can't blame the NFL for how things played out because theoretically the schedule looked glamorous when it was put together, and I don't think it's a surprise given the relationships between the league and their streaming partners that there was a concerted effort to have marquee brands playing tomorrow to generate as much traction and get as many eyeballs as possible.

6:58That is the goal after all. And the NBA has countered by maximizing their options. It's a full buffet with wall-to-wall basketball, five games, and I'm going to talk about that in detail in 15 minutes, jumping in with our takeaways from OKC and San Antonio last night. Also, there's one superstar who won't be playing tomorrow. Details coming up. So when the schedule came out, Dallas-Washington had potential, especially based on what the commanders surprisingly did last year with the emergence of Jaden Daniels and that unlikely run all the way to the FC Championship game. Even if the football gods didn't smile upon us the way things have played out, you figure Dallas and Washington at least has that traditional rivalry.

7:49That game is completely meaningless other than draft order. And unfortunately, the wave of injuries that brought Philip Rivers into primetime television again the other night at the age of 44 has impacted this game. Josh Johnson, scheduled to be under center for Washington. Josh Johnson's been playing so long, he played for something called the Alliance of American football, but I'm bearing you with too much trivia. Let's keep going. Detroit has their playoff hopes on life support. And if you're thinking about injuries, and I'm not coming up with excuses, but it is part of the explanation. The Lions for the second straight year just battered with health concerns, especially on defense and in particular their secondary, but they got everything to play for at eight and seven, taking on the Vikings who have been mathematically eliminated and unfortunately we're looking at another backup not only a backup an undrafted rookie who started his college career at new hampshire before going to minnesota and it's pronounced rosemore like i don't have a huge issue for people saying rosmer max rosmer is in for jj mccarthy out with a broken head and then we get to the nightcap denver versus kansas city They should have been a absolutely dynamic matchup.

9:14But, of course, everything has changed now in KC, and they're going to turn to their third-string quarterback after back-to-back torn ACL suffered by Patrick Mahomes and American hero Gardner Minshew. It is, and I have to say this slowly, all my years at Tennis Channel helped me work on things phonetically. Chris Oladokin. I always just pause on the Oladokin. Well, we're going to learn a lot more about him tomorrow night if you're still awake on the East Coast. But at least we have the Broncos to focus on who suddenly looked a lot more human on Sunday against Jacksonville. I'm Brian Weber in for rich ESPN radio presented by Progressive Assurance.

9:58Hop aboard at 888-SAY-ESPN or hit me up on social media, BWWeber, Weber with two B's. If we go back to Sunday and we'll connect how things could align tomorrow to the last weekend, that was filled with unpredictable outcomes across the NFL. And that's why it is king. It is the ultimate form of reality television. So I mentioned Washington with that unlikely run last year. It felt like every bounce went their way. I think similar things are happening this year in Chicago and Denver. Because if you go back to the insanity of that Saturday night game, the latest comeback victory that the Bears were able to salvage somehow, someway, they now have six wins this year trailing at the two-minute warning.

10:47That's the most since the merger. And I've been going old school with these reverends. That's 1970. That tells you how much good fortune has been on the side of the Bears. And if you think about the sequence of events, they had, what, a 7 % or 8 % chance to scoop up that onside kick as everything's changed now with the new gimmick for the kickoff return. But when you get that kind of heat and you're on a roll, these things happen. Plus, it doesn't matter what decade or what head coach we're talking about. The Packers, for whatever reason, just can't field onside kicks when it matters. So Washington a year ago, as they had a young team meet the moment, felt like they had good fortune on their side.

11:34I feel the same when I assess Chicago, but I have much more confidence in the Bears than I do the Broncos, who, remember, had all of those fantastic finishes and come back wins. Think about what they had to do in Philadelphia to beat the reigning champs. And nobody was more dialed in the Broncos when they had the 11 game winning streak snapped by the equally hot now Jacksonville Jaguars. My issue with Denver comes down to how much you can rely upon Bo Nix in a high leverage situation. I understand they have a much better defense than Chicago. That would be my concern for the Bears. and I'm not going to throw an avalanche of numbers your way.

12:18I assume you watch as much football as I do. You can see the Bears giving up way too many chunk plays. For example, Malik Willis came off the bench and looked very good. In fact, should have won that game. To credit to him, to credit to Matt LaFleur's scheme, and I think also another example of that Bears defense being way too leaky, which is a surprise because think about all they invested on defense in free agency and the draft over the last few years. But that is not translated to production on the field. Still, they're getting bailed out by a extremely opportunistic Bears defense. And you go back to Saturday again when they needed a turnover.

13:02They came up with it for Denver. It's the identity based on getting to the quarterback, which they did again. They terrorized Trevor Lawrence, sacked him five times, but it didn't matter because he is playing at such a ridiculously high level now, which I think is another byproduct of excellent coaching. If we're going to discuss the foundation of what's happening in Chicago, so much of it contingent on the hire of Ben Johnson, go back to these dominoes falling. Ben Johnson said no to Washington. Now, you can't rip Dan Quinn higher in any way, although we all have short memories. And I know folks in the District of Columbia are groaning with the four-win season.

13:44A lot of that due to injuries, of course, when Daniels suffered a variety of bumps and bruises. Johnson winds up in Chicago. Bit of a tepid start. Everything's changed. And I believe in the Bears. And we're going to learn a lot more about them in a glamour matchup on Sunday Night Football as they head to the San Francisco Bay Area to take on the 49ers, who somehow, someway, still control their path to being not only the division winners in the rugged NFC West, but also the top seed in that conference. As for the compare and contrast I'm trying to do between Chicago and Denver, my biggest issue for Denver right now is what can you realistically expect from Bo Nix?

14:32Understanding that I can't be a prisoner of the moment because if you just think back the week before, he was locked in. He was sensational. Four touchdown passes against the Packer defense that, yes, Micah Parsons went down in during the game with a torn ACL. but Green Bay has been playing excellent defense all season long. So we're not going to have firmer takeaways when I'm back with you on the day after Christmas on Friday because Kansas City has absolutely nothing to play for. And even when they were making their playoff push, their defense was not as consistent, not as stout as it was last year on their latest run to the Super Bowl before they got annihilated by Philadelphia.

15:14So put it all together. Heather. Yes, we will all watch. Yes, there's a lot on the line for Detroit. Denver still trying to push forward to be the top seed in the AFC, but Santa did not give us a gift in terms of how these matchups played out. Still, we know we'll be watching because the NFL is a behemoth that crushes everything in its path, and we're addicted to football. I'm Brian Weber in for Rich. You can to be a part of the show, 888-SAY-ESPN. You can also have that on social media, B.W. Weber, Weber with two Bs on the X platform. I mentioned, because somehow now I'm a hoop head, five NBA games tomorrow across the ESPN family of networks and here on ESPN radio.

15:59We have coverage as well. We saw again last night the Spurs figuring out a way to beat OKC. What makes them such a tough matchup? Plus, one thing will be missing tomorrow on Christmas. Where's Giannis? All that and more coming up. Just getting warmed up on a special Christmas Eve edition of the program. I'm Brian Weber, in for Rich Eisen. It's the Rich Eisen Show on ESPN Radio. Oh, oh, oh, O 'Reilly. Check engine, ABS, or maintenance light on. Take the guesswork out of your warning lights with O 'Reilly Veriscan. The service is free and provides a report with solutions verified by ASE-certified master technicians.

16:42And if you need help, we could recommend to shop for you. Ask for O 'Reilly Veriscan today. Oh, oh, oh, O 'Reilly. Auto Parts. In a world in need of a hero, one man rises to the challenge in style. He is just driving the kids to soccer practice. Make every day feel epic in an all-new Hyundai Palisade Hybrid with up to an EPA-estimated 619 miles of range on select trims, advanced tech, and class-leading interior space. Because when you're hauling kids' gear, snacks, and backpacks, space matters. And so does comfort. Just make sure they keep their cleats off the seats. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for details.

17:29Most protein drinks ask you to choose between results and taste. Bucked Up decided that's a ridiculous trade-off. Bucked Up makes lightly carbonated protein drinks, 25 grams of protein per can, clear protein, not milky or thick, and they taste so good that 25 grams of protein almost feels like a bonus. Bucked Up is so confident you'll love their drinks. They're giving away an island vacation just to prove it. That's the kind of brand this is. No purchase necessary. Giveaway ends May 30th. Enter and find your closest Bucked Up at BuckedUpEnergy.com. Grab a Bucked Up and feel like a million bucks.

18:08The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Brian Weber with you. Always a blast to fill in for Mr. Eisen and the fellas. 888-SAY-ESPN. Social media is an option as well. I don't think it's a fad at this stage. you can access my account don't hack me but we can have a conversation should be pretty clear i have no life so after the program hit me up bw weber weberwood two b's espm radio was presented by progressive insurance they make the claims process easy so you get back on the road in no time it's why over 43 million drivers trust progressive see for yourself at progressive.com Coming up in just over 20 minutes, we'll get back to the NFL.

18:55Nothing says the holidays like who's getting fired across the National Football League Plus. Since I was demonstrating my man crush on Ben Johnson, we'll try to look around to find some potential hot coordinators out there. We're not going GQ, but who's got a little bit of momentum to make the next step in their career? who's ready to jump from coordinator to try to coach up a young quarterback like we've seen in Chicago. And maybe this is my geographic bias as I come to you from a Regal Studios in Los Angeles. Thanks once more to our friends at ESPN LA 710 here in downtown Los Angeles for their hospitality.

19:40I saw a ton of Caleb Williams in college, as did you, because USC and Oklahoma are on TV all the time. I'm not surprised he's playing at this level. It just took somebody to help him on the path to being a pro and putting him in the position to succeed after that coaching malpractice last year with Matt Eberflus and the rest of the Flotsam and Jetsam at Howl Assault. What Cohen is doing, Liam Cohen is doing with Trevor Lawrence, I think is just remarkable. We'll get back to that coming up in 20 minutes. I mentioned my goal is to keep the program on the fairway. I once had a program director tell me as a veteran of filling in during the holidays, just keep the show out of the ditches.

20:23So I want you to focus on the road if you're out there, because I realize holiday traffic is a thing, especially here on the West Coast. I've had the good fortune to live in California since I was 17 years old. Rain is not our thing. And suddenly in the last handful of years, atmospheric rivers became part of the mix. Maybe it had something to do with the comeback of Philip Rivers as I strained for a connection there. But if you are on the road right now, anywhere west of, say, Montana, please drive carefully and I'll do my best to keep you entertained. saying I hope when I said I appreciate basketball more than football, I didn't get you to think, wait a minute, what is this guy doing?

21:10And you reached over to hit that button, get away from ESPN radio. I'm just being transparent. Now, look, I'm not completely inane, and I am a professional broadcaster. I have to pay the rent for my studio apartment. The NFL pays the bills for all of us, but aesthetically, I prefer basketball as a sport over football. I just think there's more creativity, more athletic ability, And I'm old and Christmas Day used to belong to the NBA, but the NFL can hijack anything they want. Why haven't they gone after New Year's Day yet? Maybe we'll talk about that coming up on Friday. So if you are a casual NBA fan, a lot of you pay no attention until tomorrow because Christmas Day is the traditional unofficial start to the season.

21:55And I know a lot of you will not watch one minute of basketball or listen here on ESPN radio until the NFL is done. Maybe you care about the all-star game as gimmicky as that is. So I'm not going to give you NBA 101, but even if you pay very little attention to what happens on the hardwood, you probably are aware OKC is building a dynasty in my estimation, knowing that we saw what seven different champions over the span of seven years before the thunder were able to wrap up that title last year and i am well aware that they went seven games with the nuggets they went seven games in the nba finals with the pacers after tyrese halliburton went down in that game in fact they trailed in the third quarter so i'm not crowning anybody but you'd have to be a fool not to appreciate what's going on in oklahoma city all of the young talent and all of the draft capital they have for years to come because Sam Presti is arguably the most skilled GM in all of sports.

22:59And even if you really do not appreciate hoops at this time of the year, as you're watching SportsCenter, you probably saw on a nightly basis, the Thunder just refused to lose red hot from the outset. And remember, for the majority of the first portion of the season, they did it without their second best player, Jalen Williams. So we had all the conversations about OKC. Can they make a run at 75 wins? They wouldn't even need to get to 75 to set the record. Would they have one more victory than the Warriors did in 2016, but lost in Game 7 to LeBron and Kyrie in the NBA Finals? And now suddenly, and this is an overstatement, but that's what we do when you're a guest host.

23:41I'm Brian Weber, in for Rich Eisen. It's the Rich Eisen Show here on ESPN Radio, presented by Progressive Insurance. over the span of the last 11 days, the mighty Thunder have lost three times. Now, they're still 26-4. And, in fact, I looked it up this morning. They're on pace, our favorite term in sports. On pace still to make a run at 72 or 73 wins. Puts them right in vicinity for a record-setting season, if that's a priority. Two of those three losses, in addition to falling to the surging T-Wolves, So we'll see play the Nuggets in the fifth of five games tomorrow on the ESPN family of networks.

24:21Lost to Timberwolves on Friday. The other two losses coming to the Spurs in the NBA Cup and again last night. Now, in fairness, the Thunder were playing the second game of a back-to-back. Still, they got hammered by 20. Watch bits and pieces of that game. Felt like they made a business decision down the stretch, knowing they will see San Antonio tomorrow at home. But as you think about how these teams match up, I'm going to go through some reasons to validate that the Spurs now should be bumped up to that same tier that I think is led by Denver, followed by Houston. But now it's three teams who I think can actually challenge the Thunder and potentially stop them from building a dynasty after the Spurs win.

25:03Wemby weighed in on what makes this matchup with OKC so intense. Arena is packed, energy is different, physicality from the first to the 48th minute is up there. Hard to describe, but it's like when PSG plays Marseille in France. This is a real rivalry. But as I said, it's something that's built on years and years. It's not something you can just make up like this. It doesn't take away that it's a good matchup, but it takes a lot. Now, do I have to do a Champions League breakdown to try to translate what Victor said there? I am a sports nerd. I do appreciate soccer. Now I got to read my resume.

25:44You know, when I was doing West Coast soccer and the run to the College Cup, that was a tough analogy. But the point was, just like premier teams on the European continent who play at the very top of the table, as we say on the pitch, Wemby thinks that, and this is human nature, when you're playing the defending champs, it brings out the best in a young Spurs team. You got to admire San Antonio's ability to rebuild again, and they've done it quickly now. It helps when the metaphoric ping pong balls bounce their way, and they got the rights to Wemby, but they've been aggressive when it comes to the trade market.

26:27And it's interesting, as you do this for a while, you forget that people start in the league at 21. one in my mind, De 'Aaron Fox is still relatively young. Now, he's half my age at 28, but if we're just going to focus on that young core, it's Wemby. It's the reigning rookie of the year in Devon Castle, and Dylan Harper is validating why he was the second overall pick, Ron's son, after he was one and done at Rutgers, even though that team didn't even make the NCAA tournament with Dylan and Ace Bailey. So a ton to like about San Antonio, and what we're going to see on display tomorrow when these teams meet again is it's the length of Wemby and again I don't want to be a prisoner of the past but the way the sport has developed how often do you see two legitimate seven footers at least having the possibility of leaning on each other but we fully know that Wemby is a unicorn so he can take it out to 19 or 25 feet and knock it down and And Chet Holmgren is not your prototypical old-school big man banging away in the paint.

27:36In fact, that was my frustration with him during that run to the title last year. How many layups did Chet miss from point-blank range being over seven feet tall? Now, that's easy for me to say from the comfort of my couch. Do I think the Spurs are ready to win now? No. And especially we know in basketball, there's a learning curve. You got to build up your scar tissue when you get to the postseason, like the Thunder did on their way to winning it all last year. Because if you go back a couple of years ago, they were the top seed in the West, weren't able to break through and make the finals. But the sport is better when you have a super team and then other premier clubs chasing them.

28:21And my only concern when we saw OKC just rolling through and obliterating on a big word Wednesday edition of the program, all the competition, I just thought it was going to be a boat race as somebody who enjoys watching the NBA on a nightly basis. I want competition to be real. I want compelling matchups. We've got Denver out there. I mentioned it took a game seven scenario last year for the Thunder to survive in advance. Houston, who we'll see, taking on the Lakers tomorrow. If you go back to last year, they were the two seed, although that's been overlooked because they were one and done as they got stomped by the Warriors.

29:00And now, with the addition of Kevin Durant, you have a legitimate, reliable go-to score, especially from the perimeter, to coalesce with all that young talent. And now put the Spurs in the mix as well. And I haven't even gone all the way down the list. We don't talk about Minnesota that much. Maybe it's because where they're situated. That's ridiculous. Not 1954. We're not taking trains to games anymore. But quality win last night for the T-Wolves with the asterisk. No Jalen Brunson for the Knicks. Hopefully Jalen will give it a go. He is such a primetime player. I'd be surprised unless the doctors told him don't go out there.

29:39If he's not on the floor tomorrow against the Cavs. So all of these games, even if you don't have a strong connection to hoops, have something that stands out. Cleveland, as we'll discuss coming up in the next hour of the program with Kurt Healman of NBCSports.com, has underachieved. But here's a team with the same core of talent that last year had 64 wins and had the best record of the regular season in the East, taking on the Knicks. So there's a lot to like about that matchup. I just went through in granular detail all of the details of the Spurs and the Thunder. Mavs at Warriors. Well, because Draymond Green is a content machine, not only with his podcast, but with his ludicrous actions when it comes to officials and losing his emotional control and now sparring with his head coach, as was the case the other night.

30:30That'll be a subplot to the matchup between Golden State and Dallas. Cooper Flagg was spectacular last night. We'll see him across the ESPN family of networks tomorrow. and you got the Lakers and the Rockets. Hopefully we see Luka Doncic come back from his leg injury. And I mentioned T-Wolves and Nuggets. Those are all appealing matchups. One team and one superstar we will not see. Giannis Attetokounmpo. Now, I think some of that came down to a tactical decision made by the NBA. After all, as I mentioned, this is show business, and the business is more important than the show. Sports is entertainment, after all.