PMT DB
PMT DB
Matt Bonner on Popovich, Retro Gaming, and the 2013 Finals Heartbreak
The Pittsburgh Penguins are officially a dynasty, even if Big Cat isn't entirely sold on the legality of their back-to-back run. With the Cup staying in Pittsburgh, the guys spent some time reflecting on the sheer brutality of being a hockey fan.
PFT CommenterThe U.S. government should use being a hockey fan as an interrogation technique for terrorists
The United States government should make one of their new enhanced interrogation techniques for terrorists. Just make the terrorists become a hockey fan. Watch three overtimes. And then have to watch playoff games until their team loses in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Big Cat was particularly annoyed because, as a Blackhawks fan, he never realized winning two in a row was actually an option.
Big CatWinning back-to-back Stanley Cups is basically cheating
I didn't know you could win back-to-back Stanley Cups, so that's kind of cheating in my mind. I hate the Blackhawks. We never knew that those rules existed.
With the Stanley Cup in the building, it naturally led to a power ranking of sports trophies. While everyone agreed the Cup is the gold standard, the rest of the list got a bit more contentious. Hank went with the Lombardi, despite Big Cat and PFT questioning the actual difficulty of winning it compared to a grueling NHL playoff run.
HankThe Lombardi Trophy is the toughest trophy in sports to win
My number one is the Lombardi, actually. Toughest trophy in all sports to get.
Big Cat took some shots at the college hardware, specifically the participation-style plaque given to the winners of the Final Four.
Big CatThe NCAA basketball championship plaque looks like an employee of the month award
I had three that plaque they give the NCAA basketball champion, which just looks like employee of the month plaque. Like J.D. Power Associates giving Audi their award for best foreign car.
The Red Mamba
Two-time NBA Champion Matt Bonner joined the show to give us a peek behind the curtain of the San Antonio Spurs. From his legendary flannel collection to playing for the "wicked smart" Greg Popovich, Bonner is the ultimate Spurs guy. He broke down the psychological toll of the 2013 Finals, specifically the Ray Allen shot that shattered San Antonio's hearts just as the trophy was being wheeled onto the court.
Matt BonnerThe Ray Allen Game 6 shot in 2013 was the worst loss of my entire life
That Ray Allen shot and that loss was the worst loss in my entire life, easily... It was over. We won the championship. And then, bam, we missed free throws. They get offensive rebounds. They hit a couple threes, ending with that Ray Allen one. And we lost the game, and it was, like, just so crushing.
That loss fueled one of the most efficient revenge tours in sports history, with the Spurs returning the next year to dismantle the Heat.
Matt BonnerThe Spurs were like the Blues Brothers on a mission from God in 2014
We were like the Blues Brothers on a mission from God that next season to get back to the finals and make right by that loss. And so once we got to the finals and matched up with Miami again, the rest was history.
Outside of basketball, Bonner revealed he is a hardcore retro gamer and a wrestling superfan. He shared an incredible story about his childhood in New Hampshire, where he and his friends spent a freezing night chasing a championship belt that Stone Cold Steve Austin had tossed into a river during a Monday Night Raw segment.
NBA Finals and Tennis Torches
Transitioning to the current NBA Finals, the guys looked at LeBron's legacy as the Cavs try to claw back against the Warriors. Big Cat pointed out that avoiding the sweep was the only thing keeping the "Legacy" talk alive for Bron fans.
Big CatLeBron James's legacy is intact only because the Cavaliers avoided a sweep
The two other stories we had, one is because the Cavs didn't get swept, LeBron's legacy is intact. It's a lot of legacy talk. If you get swept, the legacy is out.
In other news, Rafael Nadal continues to dominate on clay, but PFT and Big Cat aren't ready to crown him the GOAT just because he’s good at playing on dirt. They argued that true greatness should be measured on the surface that actual goats prefer.
PFT CommenterThe GOAT of tennis should be the best player on grass because real goats live on grass
Really the goat should just be the best player on grass. [PFT]: Yeah, Wimbledon. Because goats live on grass. So Rafa [Nadal], I guess, sure. I don't know.
Sorry Not Sorry
Finally, the guys had to address Jeff Van Gundy’s bizarre mid-game defense of Khloe Kardashian. JVG went on a tangent about the "Kardashian Curse" being low-rent, which PFT interpreted as a clear case of white-knighting for a potential date.
PFT CommenterJeff Van Gundy is white-knighting for Khloe Kardashian because he has a thing for her
But what it sounded like, it sounded like Jeff has a little thing for Khloe... So he's white knighting, really. He's trying to fuck Khloe.
Big Cat was less concerned with JVG's motives and more concerned with the violation of a long-standing internet law regarding the reality TV family.
Big CatIt is a social law that you are allowed to say mean things about the Kardashians
Jeff Van Gundy needs to realize that like we've a long time ago made it kind of like a social norm that you can say anything mean about the Kardashians. It's okay. That's just become an internet law... That's the social contract we have all signed a long time ago.
If the Warriors close it out tonight, get ready for Mount Rushmore season to officially begin on Friday.
