In short
Rich Eisen Show hour featuring Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein discussing the Thunder’s championship run, team culture, leadership, and coaching; plus surrounding segments on sports talk and celebrity trivia.
Guests (and backgrounds)
- Isaiah Hartenstein: NBA center for the Oklahoma City Thunder; recently won an NBA championship; previously played for the New York Knicks.
- Jerry Dulac: Steelers Radio Network host and longtime Steelers chronicler.
- Sam Amick: Senior NBA writer for The Athletic.
- Brian Baumgartner: Actor (The Office).
- Also mentioned: Tom Thibodeau (former Knicks coach), Mike Brown (expected Knicks hire), Caitlin Clark (WNBA), Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State WR).
Key claims
- Hartenstein says the Thunder’s maturity and culture made the team feel “special” early in training camp.
- He credits Shea Gilgeous-Alexander’s ego-less, team-first leadership and calm confidence.
- He says group interviews after games started with Jalen Williams and reflects genuine team bonding.
- He describes coach Mark Daigneault as stoic, motivating, and focused on “zero-zero mentality.”
Notable examples
- SGA passing him early and saying stats don’t matter.
- Daigneault using unusual “animal/hunting” pregame analogies.
- Hartenstein’s first-time-dad nap moment during the interview.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VODiscussing Brian Baumgartner's Visit
0:50 to 1:13
Rich shares insights from Brian Baumgartner's appearance.
“The new PayPal app is like that, but for your money.”
Discussing Brian Baumgartner's Visit
1:55 to 2:25
Rich shares insights from Brian Baumgartner's appearance.
“All right, hour number three of the Rich Eisen show is on the air.”
Interview with Isaiah Hartenstein Begins
2:25 to 3:40
Rich Eisen chats with Isaiah Hartenstein about his life and career.
“I just want you to be prepared for everything.”
Life as a New Dad
3:40 to 5:49
Isaiah shares his experiences of being a first-time dad.
“It's got the nice breeze, nice weather out here.”
Recognizing Team Talent
5:49 to 7:24
Isaiah describes when he realized the Thunder team was special.
“I mean, I kind of knew it was a young team, so you never know.”
Shea Gilgis-Alexander's Impact
7:24 to 9:13
Isaiah discusses Shea's leadership and MVP potential.
“So when you're, you know, going through the season and you're watching Shea Gilgis-Alexander do what he's doing, did you think right then and there this guy's the MVP of the NBA, Isaiah?”
Team Culture and Support
9:13 to 10:01
Isaiah talks about the supportive culture among Thunder teammates.
“and i said like sorry like i'll get you assist next time and he said like i don't care just do whatever the team needs to win.”
Coaching Style of Dino
10:01 to 11:18
Isaiah shares insights about Coach Dino's unique approach.
“We just really just want to support our teammates.”
Reflecting on Tom Thibodeau
11:18 to 13:00
Isaiah reflects on his time with Coach Thibodeau and his coaching style.
“of a leopard eating something before a game?”
Hope for NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden
13:00 to 14:00
Isaiah expresses his hopes for playing in the NBA Finals at the Garden.
“Yeah, I mean, I think the first year I was coming off, I mostly came off the bench.”
Show all 23 chapters
Isaiah Hartenstein's Experience in the Finals
14:00 to 15:36
Isaiah reflects on the excitement of playing in the Finals and facing old teammates.
“Did that one hit you during your run at any point in time?”
Transitioning to Family Life and Parenting
15:36 to 16:59
Discussion about balancing NBA life with fatherhood and the joys of being a new dad.
“You knew because you're the only other dad in the room.”
Playing Start, Bench, Cut with Celebrities
18:55 to 20:32
A fun game comparing celebrities in a basketball context and discussing their attributes.
“Sort of like the you-know-what-marry-kill game.”
Analyzing the Buccaneers' Season Predictions
20:32 to 24:11
Vinny from Ohio shares his predictions for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season performance.
“YouTube, check out our channel, 950 ,000 subscribers shortly.”
Ohio State's Rivalry with Michigan
24:11 to 28:00
A discussion about the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan and its implications for players.
“Speaking of Ohio, let's do this, Hoskins.”
Discussion on Ohio State Rivalry
28:00 to 30:00
Explore the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan with anecdotes and opinions.
“Well, Garrett Wilson was the last, if I'm not mistaken.”
Caller from Michigan: Billy Joins the Conversation
30:00 to 30:40
A caller named Billy shares insights and questions about the Detroit Lions and Jonathan Taylor.
“You got one of the last ones in existence.”
Win-Loss Predictions for the Detroit Lions
30:40 to 34:40
Billy discusses his predictions for the Lions' season and their matchups.
“Number one, win-loss game for the Detroit Lions.”
Coaching Changes and Future Prospects
34:40 to 41:20
Discussion about coaching changes in the NBA, particularly focusing on Mike Brown and the Knicks.
“thank you very much appreciate it Christopher you want to look up a town that has no plaque or a signpost for Mo Green.”
Upcoming Guests and Show Closing
43:06 to 43:30
Teasing upcoming guests and topics before the show wraps up.
“The new PayPal app is like that, but for your money.”
Steve Harvey's Memorable Moments on Family Feud
43:36 to 47:16
Hear Steve share notable moments from hosting Family Feud, highlighting the humor in celebrity interactions.
“And just made an absolute five-horse meal out of that thing.”
Discussion on Women's Sports and Discrepancies
47:19 to 48:49
Explore the recent issues in women's sports, including pay disparities and reactions to championship rewards.
“I appreciate you thinking the beard looks good.”
Celebrity Family Feud Game Recap
48:56 to 52:27
Enjoy a light-hearted game segment as the hosts play Celebrity Family Feud with humorous answers.
“She's going to be talking about her pickleball doc, which has some naked pickleball players in it, which is great.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00We all know Saturday's game time can get a little messy. Your crew just came over to watch. Snacks on the table, drinks in hand, and somebody's celebrating like they just won the whole season and beyond. And when that energy gets going, your walls can end up taking the hit. Whether it's a big spill or a noticeable scuff, that's where Behr Ultra Interior Paint comes in. It adds an extra durable, stain-blocking finish that helps your walls hold up for the whole season. It also delivers outstanding coverage and hide in fewer coats. with easy application and a smooth, even finish that goes on clean from the first pass.
0:34Plus, that easy, clean finish helps walls stay looking new longer. So before the next kickoff, give your space game-ready defense and coverage that goes the distance. Bear Ultra, only at The Home Depot. This episode is brought to you by PayPal. You know how a mom's bag has everything? Sunscreen? Snacks? A stapler? The new PayPal app is like that, but for your money. Shop, pay, manage your account, and earn rewards all in one place. And with purchase protection on eligible items, biometric security, and pass keys, you're protected at every step. Download the new PayPal app to get started. See paypal.com slash protection terms.
1:16This is the Rich Eisen Show. Here we go.
1:20Rich Eisen:The Miami Dolphins clearly feel that Ramsey's departure is an addition by subtraction. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Steelers Radio Network host and longtime chronicler of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jerry Dulac, back in the program. You know, if they're on the back nine of their career, to me, they're putting out on the 12th green. Earlier on the show, senior NBA writer for The Athletic, Sam Amick. Actor Brian Baumgartner. Coming up, Oklahoma City Thunder Center, Isaiah Hartenstein. And now, it's Rich Eisen. All right, hour number three of the Rich Eisen show is on the air.
1:58Rich Eisen:Brian Baumgartner just left the studio, and I had no idea that my playing partner from the last time I'd be playing golf was going to be the judge of the one competition I think I can win at the American Century Championship next week. I had no idea he was the judge of the karaoke contest. I'm feeling really good about my chances now all good thank you very much greatly appreciate that our number two is Brian Baumgartner coming in here talking about the American Century Championship Tournament at the Lakefront at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course next week on NBC Sports if I make one shot I'm making I'm making television that's all I gotta do is just the one dart make a long pod one dart in three days just something that's it that's it because these broadcasts are like jonesing for good shots you know what i mean yes and and antics antics oh i got that good shots and antics and on the other hand a bad shot is going to get you on tv too well no no no they don't do that oh they don't no unless it just lands on the head of a pin on somebody's boat on 17 right you know i mean maybe it doesn't but yeah don't put that in my head what's that what What are you doing?
3:11Rich Eisen:I just want you to be prepared for everything. 844-204-RICH, number to dial. We have more than enough time to take your phone calls in this hour after we finish this conversation with a champion, an NBA champion. And when this man left my Knicks, I got very upset, but I knew where he was going. And he fit in hand and glove. Ladies and gentlemen, Isaiah Hartenstein of your world champion, Oklahoma City Thunder. How are you doing, Isaiah? Good to see you. Good to meet. What's up, you all? Doing good, doing good. Good for having me on. Are you outside your home right now? Is that where you are? Yeah, I'm in L.A.
3:48L.A. right now. Okay. It's got the nice breeze, nice weather out here. Okay, great. Definitely good.
3:55Rich Eisen:Now, I don't know if you can see here on this desk, it says best dad ever, Isaiah. I'm going to make this guess. I'm going to make this guess. Are you outside right now? Because it's nap time inside the house, Isaiah. Yeah. Yeah. As you all know, my son loves to sleep. So I got to be outside and make sure I'm quiet. Is that right? What's your boy's name, Isaiah? Elijah. Elijah. So is Elijah sleeping right now? For real? Is it nap time? Yeah, he's for real asleep. Okay. He loves to sleep. I mean, he'll sleep in front of 20 ,000 people screaming. I noticed. I noticed. If it's time to sleep, he's out.
4:39Rich Eisen:And again, I'm sorry to bring this up because I'm sure, you know, you definitely know already, but and I'm sure it's brought up all the time. You've got to, you know, cradle the head. Yeah. You know what I mean? So that part, it was, you know, first time being a dad, multitasking champion. I tried to interview at the same time. I'm just grateful that my teammates helped me out with that one. That's right. Yeah. I know from now, multitask a little better. He's out, man. He is out. Yeah, you were in your, I mean, confetti's coming down, right? Fans are going nuts. You just became an NBA champion.
5:20Rich Eisen:And there's Elijah out like a light. And I think it was Shea who came in and started helping with the head. It was Shea, Chet, grateful for my teammates. yeah but he was okay until I tried to start the interview and then I just forgot about his head my wife told me about it right after oh no did you catch some grief on that front Isaiah any grief on that front no I mean she made it was more like joking but uh I'm just grateful for my teammates helping me out I got it figured out after you know first time dad uh next year we'll do a little better there you go that's it i like it that's right you know you're always better in the repeat season uh congratulations congratulations when did you realize that uh you were part of something special with the thunder isaiah um i think pretty pretty early on um i think coming in there coming into training camp i mean before because i didn't know how mature all the guys were.
6:29I mean, I kind of knew it was a young team, so you never know. But just seeing how mature they are, were, the approach to the game, I think that's what I kind of knew. I knew we had the talent, but just seeing how mature they are, how the culture was there, I think there was something special definitely there.
6:48Rich Eisen:And what led you to go to Oklahoma City? I imagine you had choices. yeah I think it was just a mixture of things I mean Sam Presley has a great culture he built out there their first in the West the year before just playing style kind of fit me pretty good where it's moving the ball playing together and then also I'm not going to lie I think the money helped a little bit that's right that's right You know, there are three I's in Isaiah Hartenstein. I get it. I understand that. I totally understand it. So when you're, you know, going through the season and you're watching Shea Gilgis-Alexander do what he's doing, did you think right then and there this guy's the MVP of the NBA, Isaiah?
7:47Yeah, I think probably after, probably like midway through the season, I was like, yeah, the things he's doing on a day-to-day basis was special. I mean, he did it on both sides of the court too, and that was the thing where he took pride in. He didn't take plays off on both sides of the court, wanted to play every game. um yeah i think just the stuff he did was he made it look so easy too and it was never like a he never chased it it was always very egoless on his approach to the game um always team first and yeah he was definitely had a special season well i mean you know what can you give me an
8:34Rich Eisen:example of how he was as a leader behind the scenes um that that led to this run an 84 win season regular and post isaiah yeah i mean i think it's it's a lot of different things i mean i think he also leads very much in just his approach to the game how he carries himself um the work he puts in and then just he has like a like a calmness behind them that that we that just gives the team confidence um and then again going back to the ego like he just has no ego i mean i think the first couple games he passed me the ball and like i passed it out for an assist and i said like sorry like i'll get you assist next time and he said like i don't care just do whatever the team needs to win.
9:25So him not caring about the stats, him not caring, just wanting the team to win, I think that just leader-wise just made them pretty unique.
9:35Rich Eisen:And the group interviews after games, right? Like everybody, it's not just one person. Was that his idea, Isaiah? No, I think, I mean, I wasn't here when they first started it. I think it was both of the Jalen Williams. So I think those two kind of started it. But again, that kind of shows what kind of team we were. And it's not fake. It's not like we're just doing it just for the publicity or we're doing it. We just really just want to support our teammates. And I think that's what made it special, that we all had that genuine bond with each other. What type of coach is Dino, Isaiah?
10:18he's a great coach but he's like very good crazy in a sense what do you mean like he would like show like he would show us like sometimes before games before practices like like animals on like like hunting like kind of like weird weird stuff like that where it's like he kind of made it come over to like the basketball sense but he's he's a great coach the way he can motivate the way he can um explains the game is very unique um very stoic in that sense that gives us confidence too um he kind of instills that he says all the time that zero zero mentality um we never want to be too high too low um always want to be in the present moment.
11:07And so, just from a leader on and off the court, his in-game adjustments are great too. Yeah, he's been one of my favorite coaches to play for so far.
11:17Rich Eisen:So you're saying Tom Thibodeau never showed any National Geographic videos of a leopard eating something before a game? That never happened? Isaiah, that never happened? No, no. Thibs was great. He would always just show us a lot of game film. We would watch a lot, a lot. a lot of game film. I mean, Tibbs was, Tibbs was great. He always made sure we were the most prepared team. So yeah, but definitely no geographic videos with Tibbs. Were you surprised that he got fired by the Knicks? Isaiah, I know this is not your lane. I understand it, but did that surprise you when you heard that news? A little bit.
11:59I think just the stuff he did for the team. I think, I mean before he came there I mean the Knicks weren't really winning much at all I mean not to be rude but I mean it's just kind of facts
12:11Rich Eisen:yeah I know that's the truth him coming there I think he changed the culture I think he did a great job building a culture going to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a long long time I think he did a great job there but I mean I don't know what But, I mean, at the end of the day, the Knicks just had to do, I guess, what was best for them. But for me, Tibbs was great for me. He was a great coach. Yeah. Yeah, the knock on him is frequently that he didn't play anybody off the bench. And you had an incredible, you know, tenure with the Knicks. And you didn't start, you know, very much, I mean, outside of Mitchell Robinson being hurt, you know, obviously, than you did.
12:59Rich Eisen:but he would call your name frequently, right? Coming off the bench, Isaiah. Yeah, I mean, I think the first year I was coming off, I mostly came off the bench. And he would call my name. I think our bench was also a little different. I think we had that year. We had Quickly coming off the bench. It was like me, Quickly, OB. So our bench was a little different player-wise. And then my second year, I started mostly. Even when Mitch came back, I started most of those games. And so he gave me, when I started starting, I mean, a lot of minutes. And I think players love playing a lot of minutes. Yes, they do.
13:36I was fine with that.
13:37Rich Eisen:I'm sure you were. I'm sure you were. And that led to, obviously, a free agency exit for you going to Oklahoma City and cashing in. Isaiah Hartenstein here, a couple minutes left with Isaiah. Did you think at any point in time during your run that, you know, watching the Pacers and the Knicks play one another, that it would be possible that you would be going into Madison Square Garden with an opportunity to play in the NBA Finals? Did that one hit you during your run at any point in time? I was hoping for it. I was hoping for it. I think playing in the Garden is always something special. And then being able to play in there in the Finals, I think, would have been – I mean, the atmosphere probably would have been amazing.
14:18So I was hoping for it, hoping to play against my old teammates. Yeah.
14:24Rich Eisen:I guess Obi Toppin playing against Obi Toppin would have to suffice in that regard so at least you at least you did that yeah yeah we had to go with him for a little bit so it's alright hey man I appreciate you stepping outside taking some time what's your favorite what's your favorite book to read to Elijah Isaiah what's your favorite book to read he's a big he's a huge Elmo guy so anything with Elmo he's down so anything, mostly ammo books I'm going to actually go get him he just woke up from his nap did he? I don't want to intrude make sure everything's good when Elijah is awake it's great, I saw him on TV the next day, he looked great sitting upright, everything was great all good congrats on on again being a new dad and obviously a new NBA champion and I appreciate the time.
15:26Rich Eisen:Thank you. Appreciate you. You bet. That's Isaiah Hartenstein everybody of the Oklahoma City Thunder. There he goes. You knew because you're the only other dad in the room. You knew where I was going with that. I did. When you make phone calls outside and you've got a kid Elijah Hartenstein's age you know that kid is asleep inside nap time baby and you are you are gonna go outside oh it is because again it doesn't strike me he didn't talk loudly he didn't raise his voice nope he could be in another part of the house nah you are not taking that chance you are not gonna interrupt you are not gonna be that person those are two to especially his son's you know an infant it's like a vacation that's two to three hours of the vacation pure bliss okay that's great that's it there he is out i mean if he's sleeping through that though i mean i don't think much is gonna wake him up you know i mean the rich eyes and show certainly isn't locked in and i do raise my voice i could have woken him up like i said when it happened they went to commercial elijah was awake yeah they came back from commercial night night less than about two minutes my man was his head was just bobbling all over the place and she's like hey man come on like let's let's focus let's focus All right.
16:46Rich Eisen:What am I teasing? What am I teasing? Looks like the Knicks are going to have a new head coach. Oh, okay. All right. What was the more likely? Oh, if Del Tufo worked a three-day week. Or the Knicks would hire a head coach. And I said Knicks would hire a head coach. Yeah. Oh, I've been, once again, proven correct. Never lets me down, that Mike Del Tufo. Never lets me down. James Dolan frequently does, but Mike never does. All right. We'll take a break. 844-204-RICH. number to dial here on the Rich Eisen Show. Your calls when we come back and the Knicks News. Rich Eisen here with some advice. If high interest credit card debt is grinding you down, it might be time to call an audible with a SoFi personal loan.
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18:55Rich Eisen:We have a game that we play here called Start, Bench, Cut. Sort of like the you-know-what-marry-kill game. Keep it clean. We try. Well, start bench. Well, we make the of that, you know, the marry part is the bench part. OK. OK. So we give you three. Here we go. Start down. Bench. Just sit down and be quiet. Or cut. Get up. All right. Start bench. Cut here with Kevin Hart. Here are your three choices to play basketball. It happens as a teammate. OK. The Rock, Cube, or Will Ferrell. You have to start one of them. All right. Well, I'm a start. Have you been in movies with all of these guys? Yeah, I have.
19:34I'm going to start Will Ferrell.
19:36Rich Eisen:You start Will Ferrell. Jackie Moon gets to start. Jackie Moon gets to start. Just because I know that he's got the passion behind the game. Okay. His spirit is always high. I'm going to cut The Rock. I'm going to cut him. He's out? Wow. He's out. Why? His attitude. His attitude. His attitude. I don't like his attitude. And you're going to bench Cube? You're going to bring Cube off the bench? I'm going to bring Cube off the bench. I'm bringing Cube off the bench because Cube is too cool to play the whole game. So there's going to be moments where Cube look at his sneaks and be like, I just realized I'm messing these up.
20:11I'm like, you're right, Cube. You sit down for a second and get your new pair of sneaks. You got to keep him calm, you know? You don't want him giving you, yeah, yeah, like just getting upset. I got to make sure that tomorrow's going to be a good day. He'll have sunglasses on. It's too dark. Yeah, it's going to be real cool.
20:25Rich Eisen:Plus, it's a smart move here with Will's the tallest of them all. He likes the inside-out game with you. Yeah, me and Will are going to dominate. I got to start Will, but the rock's out of here. He's coming. Bye. YouTube, check out our channel, 950 ,000 subscribers shortly. And hit us with a follow. That's a great way to follow what we do on a daily basis. But be careful. You could go down an algorithm, down a wormhole, and watch a bunch of videos. And by saying be careful, you might have other things to do. but you'll find out those things can wait. Is that wrong? I do care about people's time.
21:06Rich Eisen:There's no question about it. Let's take a phone call. Who's been holding on for quite some time? Let's go to Vinny in Ohio. He's been holding on for over two hours. What's up, Vincent? How are you, sir? I'm doing good, Rich. How about yourself? I'm doing great. What's going on in your mind? I just want to do the win-loss for the Buccaneers. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Ohio. What's up with that? That's not where you normally find the pirate ship. You know what I mean? Well, unfortunately, I'm stuck between Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Okay. All right. I guess Vinny in Ohio calling from the Buccaneers taint.
21:43Rich Eisen:All right, here we go. That's the only way I can take that. I feel you. Sorry. Yeah. Because he taint in Pittsburgh or Cleveland. All right. There you go, Jay. At the Falcons. What happens? Win. All right. 1-0 at the Texans on a Monday night. Win. Boy, 2-0 start on the road. That's not bad. That would be huge. Home for the Jets. I'm going to lose that one. Todd Bowles isn't losing that one, pal. Home for the Eagles. We're going to be 2-2. All right. Wow. They started strong, and now we're at Seattle, having lost two in a row. What happens? Oh, boy. At Seattle. That's a loss. That's two and three, home for the Niners.
22:31Rich Eisen:I'll take the win. Three and three at the Lions on a Monday night. Home for the Lions, that's a loss. Three and four at the Saints. That's a win. Four and four, home for the Patriots off the bye. Win. Five and four at the Bills. Win. Oh, that's a nice old Henry-like twist. Six and four at the Rams. I like to win. 7-4 home for the Cardinals. That's scary. I'm going to go with the loss. All right. 7-5 home for the Saints. 8-5 home for the Falcons on a Thursday night. That's a win. That's a sweep of the Falcons, too. 9-5 at the Panthers. Oh, boy. It works tricky. I'll take a loss. 9-6 at the Dolphins.
23:25Rich Eisen:I win. 10-6, home for the Panthers. Hopefully, speak it out. 11-6, Vinny in Ohio. That would be a playoff spot. That would be a win, and that would be the division for them. Thanks for the call, Vinny. Five in a row. Thanks for calling there in between Cleveland and Pittsburgh in Ohio there. 11-6, that would be five and one in division. And 11-6, that's another division win in a row. That's five in a row for the Buccaneers if that happens. By the way, 2-0 start at the Falcons, at the Texans would be huge. And I don't think they're going to lose. That's Todd Bowles going to be like win one for Todd that week.
Read the full transcript
24:06Rich Eisen:No, but a 2-2 start I think is fair. All right. Speaking of Ohio, let's do this, Hoskins. Put it up. Put it up. Put it up. He threw this in my direction yesterday at the end of the show, and I'm like, I had Jim Murphy here. he put me in the right mindset my i found my inner excellence and i'm like i can't you know he's talking about finding my inner like putting ego aside right exactly all right i wrote this stuff down right he's telling me how to succeed in life yep you know gratitude right have gratitude gratitude yeah yeah yeah present yeah yeah right yeah yeah so i couldn't hit this yesterday but very very talented person i'm being very positive because he's outstanding he's outstanding everybody says he's the best to come out of his school at a position that has tons of terrific players come out of the school at that position what jeremiah smith um he said um that from his point of view his vantage point this terrific wide receiver from uh the ohio state university by the way if you notice i could say the words right you point that out about yourself every single time so thank you for doing that yeah so if you put it up there it is i'm not a sore loser but i hate losing said jeremiah smith of the ohio state university and losing to that team up north was pretty crazy By the way, in case anybody's wondering what he means by that team up north, because there's a lot of teams north of Columbus, Ohio.
25:50Rich Eisen:That's true. That they play against. Technically, Minnesota's north of Columbus, Ohio. Northwest. Penn State is north of Columbus, Ohio. I don't know. I mean, I'm not on a due east. Give me some latitude, if you will. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Literally and figuratively. Michigan State's north of Columbus, Ohio? That is correct. but the team up north is Michigan. Oh. In the end, I think that it really helped us play the way we did in the playoffs. And in case you're wondering what he means by that, he's referring to Michigan's win in Columbus when they came from up north down south and put a stunning spank job on Ohio State, even though it was a close game.
26:40Rich Eisen:But, you know, it's a spank job when you only have five losses coming into the game with a walk-on quarterback. And three wins against the school in a row that was supposed to be a winning streak coming to an end because Michigan lost to almost everybody. One year it was Michigan beats everybody. This past year it was everybody beats Michigan, it felt like. and at any rate they then went on and won it all after that but i didn't want to go to ohio state and lose to that team up north i just hate them just something about them for the next two years i promise you i will not lose to them i can't lose to them in the next two years said that to manny navarro of the athletic your thoughts my one my i have one word one word in response of my thoughts and we just had Brian Baumgartner of the office here
27:41noted
27:44Rich Eisen:I know that's a BJ Novak meme noted we will make a note of that and I'll just tell this to Jeremiah Jeremiah I'm addressing you you're very talented you might be The best out of all of them. Marvin Harrison Jr. Jason. Garrett Wilson. Garrett Wilson. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Terry. Well, Garrett Wilson was the last, if I'm not mistaken. What year did he get drafted by the New York Jets? Chris, I'm going to look that up. I think it was he was drafted in the 2022 draft. When did he say, Mirosauce, is that 22 or 23? No, no, no. 2022 draft? Yeah, 22. Yeah, yeah. He lost his last game to Michigan, and that's been four years in a row.
28:33Rich Eisen:Four years in a row. And the team that beat Ohio State last year, not as good as the one that is going to be there. Team 146 better than Team 145. Oh, can't wait. The whole school up north thing, it's so sad. It's so sad. I don't know what infuriates me more. That or the V, Ohio State University, or the X on the Michigan, that they can't say the letter M or spell the letter M. All three send you into a rage. I don't know if it's a start bench cut situation. Yeah, go ahead. Start bench cut?
29:22Rich Eisen:I don't know why any of it bothers you, to be honest. Well, I mean, the last four years, not much has bothered. Yeah. You've met him, though, right? I don't know. I guess that's what a rivalry is, right? I'm water skiing behind yachts. You're good. Four in a row. Four in a row. They're having Monday Night Raw on WWE, right? WWE's having events in Columbus. Somebody's bringing up a sign about how many days it's been. And it's not the first time I've seen it. Yeah. That person is a hero. I think you're good. Noted, Jeremiah. Noted. Right here. My book. Michigan alumni book. There it is. You can only get that if you're an alumni.
29:58Rich Eisen:That's right. By the way, autographed by Jim and Jack Harbaugh. There it is. And those books are done, apparently. No, they're done. You got one of the last ones in existence. So this is 101. Ain't no mo'. Okay. And it's not Michigan. It says Michigan on there, right? That's right. There we go. Let's go to Billy in Michigan. Billy. That's state up north. What's up, Billy? Good morning, guys. Can you hear me? Yeah, I can. Can you hear me, Billy? Billy. Yeah, sir. Yes, sir. Good morning, everybody. How's everybody doing? We're good. Billy, did we wake you? Did we wake you, Billy? What's going on?
30:31Rich Eisen:Are you in Michigan? You're in Michigan. It's 2.30 in the afternoon. You got to wake up. What's going on? I'm just nice and relaxed. Okay. He's been on hold for a few hours, man. Maybe on TJ Plus. TJ Plus. All right, Billy, what's on your mind? Number one, win-loss game for the Detroit Lions. Okay. And number two, I have something, a question to post you guys about Jonathan Taylor of the Colts. Draft him. Okay. Oh. Draft him. Is that the question? So which do you want first? You know what? Let's do the Jonathan Taylor one first. Because I don't know if that's going to be such a cliffhanger. So what do you got?
31:11No, sure.
31:11Rich Eisen:Okay. So, you know, inspired by the future Hall of Famer that you guys have been doing. Yes. It's interesting to me. I've been talking with friends about this within the last year or two. If you actually look at Jonathan Taylor's average yards per game in the NFL, I'll read you the top six all-time just quickly here. So what is your point about Jonathan Taylor? What are you saying? His yards per game. Okay. And how he is, I think, the most underrated back in the NFL. Okay. So top six all-time, you've got Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis, Eric Dickerson, Jonathan Taylor at five, and Walter Payton.
31:56Rich Eisen:Listen, man, I love Jonathan Taylor. And we just need to see more of him. That's all. Got to see more of him. And we got to see the Colts, you know. We just got to see the Colts win this year, you know. Just for everyone involved there that we like, from Chris Ballard to Jonathan Taylor to everyone else. but he's excellent. All right, you ready to do the win-loss game for the Detroit Lions, Billy? I'm ready. Let's do it. Billy and Michigan, what happens when they start at the Packers? All right. I am not going to be as optimistic as the gentleman who called in. Kyle and Michigan at 17-0, Billy.
32:36Rich Eisen:I understand. That was out there. So I'm going to say first game is a win. I would say they win in Lambeau to start the season. All right. Then what happens when they come hold and take on the Bears? I think Ben Johnson gets them. Okay. Wow. That would be a stunner. And that would be what people would think would be a harbinger, potentially, with a new coaching staff on the offense and defensive side of things. One and one at the Ravens on a Monday night. Ravens beating pretty bad last time, Rich, when they were there. I'm going to say loss to the Ravens. One and two home for the Browns. I'm going to say they get back on track here and win against the Browns.
33:13Rich Eisen:Two and two at the Bengals. I think they keep their mojo going and go three and two there. Okay. At the Chiefs. I think they lose to the Chiefs. 3-3, home for the Bucs on a Monday night. Games of Tampa are pretty close, but I'm going to agree with Vinny and Ohio here and say that the Lions get the win. Okay, so now 4-3 off the bye. Let's see if we can get some momentum. Home for the Vikings. Rich, you know I like TJ McCarthy, but just not yet for them. The Lions take the win there against Minnesota. 5-3 at the Commanders. I think if we get a repeat of last year, sadly, I think it's a loss there.
33:46Rich Eisen:5-4 at the Eagles. I think they continue that streak and lose that one at the Eagles. 5-5, home for the Giants. I think they get back on track, win against the Giants. Happy Thanksgiving against the Packers, yes or no? I hate to repeat it, but I think they lose that one to the Packers. Wow, okay. Home for the Dallas Cowboys a week later. I think they get on track against the Cowboys, as they did pretty well last year. 7-6 at the Rams. I think they lose this one to the Rams 7-7 home for the Steelers this is where they start on the strong they get back on track against Rodgers at the Vikings they know what's at stake for the season and then at the Bears and I think they finish up with a win against the Chicago Bears 10-7 says Billy in Michigan thank you very much appreciate it Christopher you want to look up a town that has no plaque or a signpost for Mo Green.
34:48Rich Eisen:Is 10 the under? Would 10 be under? Oh, for the Lions? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's definitely under. Hold on, let me get win total. Because I don't know if 10 and 7 is what... I mean, I think that would take him out of the division mix, wouldn't it? 10 and a half is the line, actually, for the Detroit Lions. Okay, so that is under barely. I mean, seriously, man. But then you look at the Packers schedule. Everybody in the NFC North plays the AFC North and the NFC East. It is hard schedule. 10 and 7 could win the division if you have a better division record than anyone else who finishes 10 and 7. Right?
35:23Rich Eisen:Head to head. Yeah, so the Lions are the favorite to win the division still, plus 155. He's got them splitting against all three teams. Green Bay plus 16. He's got them 4 and 2 in division, sweeping the Vikings and splitting against the Bears and Packers. Man, if Ben Johnson strolls into Detroit and ruins the season opener in Detroit. on notice you know week two that would be something all right real quick
35:53Rich Eisen:when the new york knicks fired tom thibodeau not a single nick fan thought let's go get mike brown not a single one nobody and that's no disrespect to Mike Brown. I am sorry. Can this guy work out and take the Knicks to where they want to go? Of course. Not a single person, just to use an analogy, when the Yankees fired Buck Showalter, not a single one who took the Yankees to places that the Yankees had not been in forever in a day when the knicks fired tom tibbett nobody said i want mike brown when the yankees fired buck showalter not a soul said let's get your tour to be honest i'm being straight with you oh let's get that guy who you know didn't do it with the with the mets really yeah and he turned out to be perfect for the moment dynasty broke out some of the greatest years of my entire fandom life okay yeah no doubt uh am i saying that's what's gonna happen mike brown i would doubt it since we're in the era of one team only wins once and then we cycle through it i don't know but just i'll take one so all nicks fans is this the guy who's going to unlock the nicks rotation and bench in a way that tom thibodeau did not is he a better voice for this team than Tom Thibodeau don't know we're gonna find out and you know with all due respect to him nice run in Sacramento right he's been he's been in uh here in Los Angeles I don't know how many coaches in the history of the Knicks coached the Lakers and the Knicks Phil I mean I guess how I like well I mean Pat Robbins what an idiot yes correct now I get it Thank you for your service.
37:59Rich Eisen:Oh, and D 'Antoni too, I think. Right. Sorry. They're just coming to me. Oh, my God. So it's okay. All right. So it's a long line. It's a thing. Right. Yeah. So he's coached stars. He's coached in big cities. He's been around. He's been around. Yeah. Okay. So I get it. Two time coaches. I just don't know. Thank you. I mean, he's got a resume for it. I said on Twitter like look I don't know if this is Knicks fans would be excited about this and Jerry Farrar was like incorrect like I think he's a good fit well thinking he's a good fit and being excited about the hire and inspired and thinking this is a better you know a head coach than Tibbs those are two different things I just this wouldn't get me juiced up if I'm a Knicks fan today well I mean again it's credit to Mike brown you know hanging in there and by the way phil just ran the knicks he never coached him but oh he didn't coach that okay my it just felt like he did listen um kudos to him and he's gonna you know have no ego because we all know they knocked on a gajillion doors of coaches that were under contract elsewhere and um and he's choice someone in that press conference gonna be like hey man you know your choice e your choice f and i'm sure his answer will be uh nicks are my first choice let's go hunt let's go get him but that's gonna be part and parcel of the setup and and as much as i'm saying you know no one was thinking about mike brown when tom thibodeau went out the door and nobody's sitting here right now throwing parades and you know Knicks fans throw parades about things other than championships.
39:51Rich Eisen:They're good at that, which means all he's got to do is show up and win and everyone will just fall all over themselves to root for Mike Brown and the Knicks. And hopefully he's got a better plan for the Knicks than what I guess Thibodeau couldn't cook up. Even though as we saw, the Pacers were equal opportunity abusers all the way to the seventh game before Tyrese Halliburton's Achilles gave way. And I'm sorry that I'm not throwing petals at Mike Brown's feet here, but this is the truth. But what coach would have made you go, oh, who would have? I don't know. That's a great question. If you look at Mike Brown, the guys had one losing season with teams that are far less talented than these things.
40:40Rich Eisen:It's not like Thibodeau lit it up in his previous places either. He had a losing record with the Lakers. He lasted five games, didn't give him a chance. And the losing record with Sacramento after 31 games, they fired him. But other than that, full seasons, one losing season.
40:57Rich Eisen:Congrats to Mike Brown. He outlasted them all. Sorry to put it that way, but it's the truth. And we'll see what happens. At least they got one. Wednesday press conference. I don't know. Nothing's actually official before summer league. This is just Shams being expected to hire. And then it's a lock. Yeah. You know, unless Jason Kidd wants it. So he's got this guy named Cooper Flagg. Yeah, I wouldn't want to leave that either. Yeah. All right. 844-204-RICH is the number. Donald Suze is going to join us. Caitlin Clark had something interesting to say after her Indiana fever took care of the Minnesota Lynx for the Commissioner's Cup without her active.
41:42Rich Eisen:But she was certainly active on Instagram Live. after the contest.
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42:25Rich Eisen:Automatic payroll tax filing, simple direct deposits, health benefits, commuter benefits, workers comp, 401k, you name it. Gusto makes it simple and has options for nearly every budget. And it's all built to save you time with built in automated tools for offer letters, onboarding docs, direct deposit and more. Plus, you get unlimited payroll runs for one monthly price. No hidden fees, no surprises. Try Gusto today at gusto.com slash rich and get three months free when you run your first payroll. That's three months of free payroll at gusto.com slash rich. One more time, gusto.com slash rich. This episode is brought to you by PayPal.
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43:35Rich Eisen:One thing I love about you, Steve, is when you host Family Feud, you realize that there's a moment that is happening and you make a meal out of it like you as a host know we gotta stop here and we have to acknowledge just how insane this moment just is right now and one of my favorite ones just like that involves Stefan Diggs of the Minnesota Vikings when he was playing for the Fast Money and it was leave it blank and he said in and the whole place went absolutely nuts and you just stepped away. Yeah. And just made an absolute five-horse meal out of that thing. Because we have to drink this moment.
44:18Rich Eisen:Yeah. See, sir, I don't... See, Stephon Diggs, look, man, if you got your helmet on you and your number, we all know who you are. Once he takes the helmet off, we got to kind of figure who that is. So he didn't have his helmet on. I wanted him to be YouTube famous for the rest of his life. Because what's great, man, is he's... You know, we do a lot of NFL, NBA shows on Family Feud for celebrity. It's great, man, when regular people discover that celebrities don't know nothing. They don't. You think because a person is famous, they know more. They actually know less. They know less than anybody else because they're exposed to less.
45:02Rich people don't know how much milk costs. You get out of touch, man. And when they come on Celebrity Family Feud, you find out how out of touch they are. They don't know anything, man. Like, one of the questions for the NFL team was, and we were asking a guy running back for the Packers, can't think of his name, but the question was, complete the sentence, strip, and you know, like strip mall, strip poker. Strip sack. Strip sack. I said, name, complete the word strip. He said, per.
45:42Strip per. I went, hold on, man. I quit breathing. How is that your point of reference to complete the word strip? Per. P-E-R. That was it. I was done. That was one of my great moments.
46:00Rich Eisen:And again, you just walk away and you just, you realize that in the moment, like, okay, this is it and I'm going to let this thing go. Hey, after the show, he asked me, he said, Steve, is there any way we can edit that out? I said, sir, we're not editing that out. Matter of fact, we're going to embellish it. You're going to say purr so loud. Purr. Steve Harvey at the Super Bowl the night before he hosted the NFL Honors. And little did we know that five and a half years later, we would be in front of him as a group for a round of Celebrity Family Feud, which has a premiere date, which we'll talk about in a moment, Us vs.
46:47Rich Eisen:the Dan Patrick Show. Oh, boy. Oh, boy. That's going to be brought to the general viewing public on ABC, and we'll give you that date shortly. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial right here on the Roku Sports Channel. Radio is going to rejoin us in just a couple of seconds of time, and then we'll bring Suze on here. You've got a lot to talk about here on the program. As I mentioned, 844-204-RICH is the number to dial. Women's Sports Now will be available at midnight. Suzy Schuster is here. Good to see you, Suze. Your beard looks good, Rich. Thank you, Suze. I appreciate you thinking the beard looks good.
47:25Rich Eisen:I'm feeling good. I'm sitting up a little straighter in my chair. I appreciate you considering that a beard, to be honest with you. I appreciate it. No, we don't have to go there just yet. Good to see you. How are you? Women's Sports Now coming up on the program. Yeah, it's going to be great. I assume the Commissioner's Cup victory for the Indiana Fever or the Minnesota Lynx minus Caitlin Clark, a beatdown they provided as well. Yeah, Cheryl, we've talked about how great those guards were, but we're going to talk a lot about what happened after the game. It's almost more interesting. Do we have that soundbite?
47:55Rich Eisen:We'll hit that here real quick. This was on Instagram Live with the fever celebrating. Kaitlyn Clark had this to say. If you get more for this, then you do a champion. Makes no sense. Someone tell. Kathy, help us out. Kathy, in regards to the NBA commissioner is what they're calling out. Because they get$500 ,000 for winning that cup. They each get about$50 ,000. And the average salary is$80 ,000. So these girls are getting a lot of money and Kaitlyn is calling them out. Yeah, because it's a$500 ,000 prize pool for winning the Commissioner's Cup. Half of that for winning the whole championship.
48:33So it's kind of crazy. I mean, these girls are getting checks that equal almost what they get a year. And I think that that's what she's trying to call out is this discrepancy, this unevenness that occurs within the WNBA. So we're going to talk about the game. We're going to talk about the All-Stars. But we're going to talk a lot about the repercussions of this and how this will affect the entire league.
48:55Rich Eisen:And Ashley David is joining the program, right? Yes, she is. She's going to be talking about her pickleball doc, which has some naked pickleball players in it, which is great. Right here on Roku. Wait, what? It's true. True story. You have cards in your hand, Suze. I do. Our Celebrity Family Feud versus the Dan Patrick Show airs next Thursday on ABC. Whoa. It is next Thursday. We are season premiere worthy. Oh, man. Us versus Dan, and then Taraji P. Henson versus Jennifer Hudson. I don't know if... Eh, who are they? I don't know if we got to start. But in celebration of that, in the two minutes we have left, it's been a while since we...
49:35Rich Eisen:Oh, are we going to play the feud? We're going to bring it back. We're going to play the feud. We have the drop. Hit it. Oh, wait a second. Let me get my name tag. It's Harder Knocks, everybody. Here we go. Harder Knocks. Suze, what do we have right here? Name something people deliver for a living. Oh, come on. How many answers are on the board? Top seven answers on the board. No one told me I was doing this. I had to get my glasses. Name something people deliver for a living. Deliver for a living. I got it. First up, pizza. You deliver pizza for a living. Number three answer. Number three answer.
50:05Chris? Newspapers. Number two answer. Chris, nicely done. Thank you. TJ? TJ? Jay should be up. Okay, go ahead. Packages. Number five answer. TJ? Top answer still on the board, TJ. I'm going to say on Sundays, a lot of people deliver a sermon. Yeah, that's going to give you the next one. You guys, how are you not thinking the top answer on the board? I got it. Something people deliver for a living.
50:31Rich Eisen:Babies. Number seven. Deliver for a living. So we have pizza. What comes every day, people? Mail. There you go. I can deliver mail for a living. Number two, newspapers. Three, pizza. Four, flowers. Five, packages. Six, furniture. Seven, babies. Furniture. Okay. Top five answers on the board. Name a reason to celebrate a party. A reason to celebrate a party or to have a party? Your birthday. Nope. To celebrate wedding. Number two answer. TJ? Jason. Wait, what was it? Celebrate a party? Yeah. Celebrate or party. Celebrate a party. A party. Graduation. Number one answer. There you go. Who's looking for three, four, and five peeps?
51:22Rich Eisen:Funeral. What? What is that happening over there? What is happening over there? I would assume that was a no. I'll go baby. Nope. Bar mitzvah. Thank you. There you go. That question's not worded correctly. Number four. I'm looking for three and five kids. Oh, God, we suck. And I'm killing it. Tune in next Thursday night. I can't wait to watch that one. Tune in next Thursday night.
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From the publisher
7/2/25 - Hour 3
Thunder C/F Isaiah Hartenstein and Rich revisit his toddler son’s now-famous appearance on the podium during the Thunder’s NBA Finals celebration, discusses Oklahoma City’s title and the selfless leadership of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and says if he was surprised the Knicks fired his former coach Tom Thibodeau.
Michigan alum Rich reacts to Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith guaranteeing a Buckeyes win over the Wolverines, and weighs in on his New York Knicks likely hiring Mike Brown to be their next head coach.
Suzy Shuster drops by the studio to discuss the Indiana Fever’s WNBA Commissioner’s Cup and the guys’ upcoming airing of ‘Celebrity Family Feud.’
Please check out other RES productions:
Overreaction Monday: http://apple.co/overreactionmonday
What the Football with Suzy Shuster and Amy Trask: http://apple.co/whatthefootball
The Jim Jackson Show: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jim-jackson-show/id1770609432
No-Contest Wrestling with O'Shea Jackson Jr. and TJ Jefferson: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-contest-wrestling/id1771450708
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