PMT DB
PMT DB
Mark Titus on Coach K’s Office, PGA Playoff Drama, and NBA Heat-Celtics War
Justin Thomas is back on top after a PGA Championship finish that was pure chaos. While JT charged back from seven strokes down, the real story was Mito Pereira’s absolute implosion on the 18th hole. PFT was quick to point out that as bad as that water shot was, it still doesn't quite reach the legendary levels of failure we've seen in the past.
PFT CommenterMito Pereira's PGA meltdown wasn't as bad as Jean van de Velde's in 1999
He does have the fact that it's not the worst 18th hole meltdown of the history of the majors that will forever be [Jean] van de Velde, the French guy that ended up taking off his socks. I wish that Mito had tried to do that.
Big Cat was more focused on Rory McIlroy, who teased everyone with a dominant Thursday before fading into his usual routine. It feels like we've reached a point where Rory is the ultimate safe bet for a respectable finish that ultimately doesn't matter.
Big CatRory McIlroy is officially a backdoor cover guy for Top 5 finishes
I think [McIlroy] has become like a backdoor cover guy for top fives. Like he shows up on Sundays when he's out and he comes back in, but yeah. He's striking the ball well.
Despite the Sunday fades, PFT is doubling down on the Northern Irishman for the next major.
PFT CommenterI'm betting heavily on Rory McIlroy to win the 2022 Open Championship
Going to place a hefty bet on Rory in the Open Championship. It's at the Old Course this year. Yeah. Fuck it. It's Rory's home course. Let's all bet on Rory in the Open.
One golfer who did get his flowers was Max Homa. After years of the guys tracking his progress from making cuts to finishing in the Top 20, the podcast has officially moved the goalposts.
PFT CommenterMax Homa is officially good at golf
I think it's time that we, as a podcast have to acknowledge it. Max [Homa] is good. He's just good at golf.
Eastern Conference Chaos
The Heat took Game 3 from the Celtics, and Hank is reaching levels of cope previously thought impossible. Despite being down in the series, Hank has developed a new metric for success based on 15-minute intervals rather than final scores.
HankThe Celtics are the better team because they have won 9 out of 12 quarters in the series
The Celtics have played better than the Heat in every single one of the games. If you go by quarters, they've won [nine] of them. Which to me means that they're the better team. All quarters matter.
Big Cat isn't buying the quarter-counting and thinks this series is destined to go the distance because neither team seems capable of putting the other away for more than 48 hours.
Big CatI predict the Heat vs. Celtics series will go exactly seven games
I predicted this series because it's going to go seven. I think it's going to go back and forth like this. I'm not going to be a prisoner of the moment.
One concerning trend for the NBA is the sheer number of non-competitive games. Big Cat pointed out that the three-point variance is essentially turning every game into a math problem rather than a basketball game.
Big CatNBA playoffs are becoming less interesting because high 3-point variance leads to too many blowouts
There have been more games that have been won by double digits than games that have won by less than double digit. 38 games have been decided by double digits, 20 of those have been 20 points plus. It's essentially like which team just hits their threes in a given night. If your team makes all the threes, they win by 10 plus. If they don't, they lose by 10 plus.
Mark Titus in Studio
Our good friend Mark Titus joined the guys in studio to break down the playoffs and the state of college hoops. Titus immediately threw gas on the fire by trashing Jayson Tatum and crowning Jimmy Butler as the new king of the league.
Mark TitusJayson Tatum is a fraud and Jimmy Butler is the best player in the world
For right now, Jayson Tatum's a fraud. [Jimmy Butler] might be the best player in the world. Jason Tatum needed more help and Jimmy Butler might be the best player in the world.
They also discussed the "Window Theory" in sports. Big Cat argued that fans have become so obsessed with the idea of a championship window that they almost prefer the potential of winning over the actual stress of the title game.
Big CatModern sports fans care more about a championship 'window' than actually winning titles
It's almost sports has become almost about the window than winning the title. We should just change to be like fans of windows. If the bills don't win a Super Bowl with Josh Allen, we'll be like, but they had the window.
Turning to the college ranks, Titus is convinced that Coach K’s retirement is a total sham. Apparently, the King hasn't even vacated the throne room yet, leaving John Scheyer to likely work out of a glorified broom closet while K looms over the program.
Mark TitusCoach K isn't really retired; he will stay around the Duke program forever
I don't think the party's over Dan. I think he's going to be around the program. I do. I haven't been told he hasn't given up his office. He never will. He has kept his office, John Scheyer, they had to figure something else out. K is going to be around maybe until K dies.
PFT took it a step further, suggesting that K’s refusal to jump to the NBA during his prime was actually a tactical move to avoid getting exposed like other college legends.
PFT CommenterCoach K would have been a worse NBA coach than John Calipari was
Coach K would be a worse head coach than Calipari was when he was head coach. He's the worst NBA coach to never have coached in the NBA.
Draft SZN and The Warriors
With the NBA Draft approaching, the conversation shifted to Chet Holmgren. Titus is enamored with Chet, not necessarily as a player, but as a pure content machine for the media.
Mark TitusChet Holmgren is the greatest 'take' prospect in NBA Draft history
I'm so excited for the Chet [Holmgren] takes because he is the number one prospect for takes that has ever existed in the NBA draft ever. Everybody has a take. You can just show a picture of Chet and be like, 'what's your take?'
While Titus likes Chet at the top of the board, Big Cat thinks people are sleeping on AJ Griffin as the guy who will actually translate to the pro game immediately.
Big CatAJ Griffin will be a draft steal and a perfect NBA player
I think AJ Griffin's going to be really good. I think he could be one of those guys that in three or four years, you're like, 'oh, he's perfect for the NBA.' He just makes every three.
To wrap up the show, the guys looked at the Warriors' dominant run. Big Cat admitted he's rooting for Steph and the crew to get one more ring, mostly as a reward for the decade of entertainment they've provided since the dynasty began.
Big CatThe Warriors winning another title would be a nice 'thank you' for the era of great basketball they provided
I also think like, I don't know why, but I just want the Warriors to win another title just as like a thank you to them for all the awesome basketball they've let us watch. Everyone already knows they're all time great, but having that extra title after they're all past their peak... would be nice.
Hopefully Jake’s stomach recovers before he has to go back on the air for Game 4.
