PMT DB
PMT DB
Danny Ainge and a Tribute to Bill Walton: Celtics, Mavs, and the NBA Finals
The sports world lost a mountain of joy this week with the passing of Bill Walton. Big Cat and PFT opened the show reflecting on a man who was truly one of one. He was a walking sunbeam who lived for the Pac-12, the Grateful Dead, and being the luckiest man on earth. While the news was a gut punch, the guys celebrated a life lived at full volume, culminating in the re-release of their legendary 2017 interview with him.
PFT CommenterBill Walton died because his work on earth was done once the Pac-12 ended
The Pac-12 ends, Bill's like, well my work here is done. [He's] probably hanging out with Jerry Garcia right now and the Pac-12 is on 24/7.
Eastern Conference Merchant No More
Hank is officially insufferable because the Boston Celtics have punched their ticket to the NBA Finals. After sweeping the Pacers in what was technically a "hard-fought" four games, the Celtics look like they finally have the poise to match their talent. Big Cat noted that the ghosts of playoff failures past seem to have been exorcised by Jrue Holiday and a more mature core.
HankThe Celtics are a seasoned team that has overcome their past tendencies to 'turtle up' in close games
The Celtics are a seasoned team that knows how to make big plays and that's what they did time and time again in this series. In the past when it feels like they turtle up in close games... they didn't do that at all. They found a way to win.
Despite the sweep, Big Cat and PFT couldn't help but roast the NBA's bizarre scheduling. With the Finals set for June 6th regardless of how fast the conference finals wrap up, we are looking at a massive gap in meaningful basketball.
Big CatThe NBA Finals schedule is idiotic for making fans wait until June 6th regardless of when the conference finals end
I'm rooting for double sweep just so we can make fun of the NBA scheduling. Fans have to book their hotels and tickets months ago... there's no way an NBA fan books their hotels and plane tickets for the Finals months in advance. It doesn't make any sense.
The Mavs are Glaze-Worthy
Out West, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are doing things to the Timberwolves that should probably be illegal in most states. PFT gave some love to a take that was once laughed at but now looks prophetic: the idea that these two might be the most lethal offensive duo we've seen in the backcourt. Luka's emasculation of Rudy Gobert on the perimeter was a turning point in the series, and Kyrie has yet to lose a closeout game.
PFT CommenterLuka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are the best offensive backcourt of all time
Kyrie and Luka, the best offensive backcourt of all time. And people laughed at [Kenny the Jet Smith] and then they played three games and they're like, maybe he's not that far off.
Max tried to keep the Philly energy alive by arguing that Kyrie’s championship pedigree makes him a tier above the Celtics' defensive specialists.
MaxKyrie Irving is a better player than Jrue Holiday
Kyrie's better... than Jrue Holiday? Yeah. Because I don't think he's better than Tatum but has hasn't been playing out of this, out of his mind. Their championship experience supersedes the Celtics because their championship guy is better.
Despite being down 3-0, PFT is still holding out hope for a historic collapse. The Wolves have built leads in the fourth quarter of every game only to see them evaporate under a barrage of Luka step-backs. PFT thinks if they can just steal one without Dereck Lively II in the lineup, things could get weird.
PFT CommenterI'm sprinkling a bet on the Timberwolves to be the first team to come back from down 3-0
I may put a little future on the Wolves to be the first team to come back and... Timberwolves plus a thousand. They just can't be any worse. And the thing is, they're not playing good, but they're still building leads into the fourth quarter.
Cultural Think Pieces and Hot Seats
Big Cat and PFT took a detour into the WNBA, specifically the exhausting discourse surrounding Caitlin Clark. Between hard fouls being treated like sociological case studies and seven different think pieces appearing after every game, the fun is being sucked out of the sport at record speed.
Big CatThe WNBA fans and media are ruining the fun of sports with cultural think pieces
Caitlin Clark is adding so many new fans and there's a lot of fans that are just taking the fun out of sports. Everything that happens in the WNBA now has to be a fucking bigger cultural talking point. It's like, hey, it's fucking sports. Shut the fuck up... there's seven think pieces after every game she plays.
PFT CommenterCaitlin Clark has a marketing problem because every game results in cultural think pieces
I actually feel bad for Caitlin Clark... what's happening is there's no way that she can tune out all this stuff. I've got seven people on slate.com writing about why Caitlin Clark is problematic for the league and how the league has a marketing problem.
On Hot Seat/Cool Throne, Big Cat put Draymond Green on the Hot Seat for complaining about NBA fines. When you’ve made nearly $200 million and most of your fines come from punching teammates or choking opponents, the "system is keeping me poor" argument doesn't quite land.
Big CatDraymond Green is 'going out sad' and only complaining because his career is ending
I think Draymond Green knows it's over and he's going out really sad, just complaining. He's made $177 million... for him to say that the fines are the big problem... I think there might be a small part of him when he goes to bed at night, he's like, did I call Steph like a couple rings? And it's over. He's grasping at whatever he can to try to keep it going.
Danny Ainge In-Studio
Executive legend Danny Ainge joined the show to discuss his career as a three-sport athlete and his current role with the Utah Jazz. Ainge didn't hold back on his belief that his 1986 Celtics team remains the gold standard for NBA history, dismissing any comparisons to the 72-win Bulls.
Danny AingeThe 1986 Celtics are the greatest team of all time, better than the 1996 Bulls
No, no, no. Not up there. It's above [the 1996 Bulls]... Best team of all time. In my unbiased team... we were 50 and 1 [at home]. That's insane... we just assumed [playing the Lakers in the Finals] was gonna happen. We weren't gonna lose either way.
He also shared some incredible behind-the-scenes stories about Bill Walton. While Walton was a basketball savant, Ainge revealed that Bill’s confidence far exceeded his actual skill when it came to the chess board.
Danny AingeBill Walton thought he was a chess genius but actually sucked at it
We thought he was like a chess genius... Finally one day I challenged to play him and I beat him and then Jerry Sichting challenged to play him and he beat him. And we said, you can't ever talk chess again. You are not good.
When asked about his philosophy on building a roster, Ainge explained that he’s always willing to bet on high-level athleticism and intelligence, believing that specific skills can be developed over time if the foundation is there.
Danny AingeIf a player is a great athlete and has a good brain, shooting is the skill they can always learn
I mean, if a guy is a great athlete and a good player has a good brain but can't shoot, I think that's a good bet... they can learn that. Like Scotty Pippen, Magic Johnson... they weren't great shooters... they still would've been great players. Kawhi Leonard was another guy that wasn't a great shooter in college and turned out to be one of the best.
However, even the master of the "Trader Danny" era has a few regrets. He admitted that missing out on a certain Heat legend still sticks with him.
Danny AingeJimmy Butler is my biggest draft regret
I would say Jimmy Butler is the first one that comes to mind. It was, you know, he was a late first round pick and he was seriously in our thoughts of drafting and we went another direction.
Between the nostalgia of the Walton interview and the insight from Ainge, this episode served as a perfect bridge between the old guard and the current NBA chaos. If the Mavs close this out, we’re in for a long week of waiting, but at least we have Bill Walton stories to get us through.
Shine on, Bill.
