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Nuggets HC Michael Malone, Comedian Big Jay Oakerson, Celtics Lose Game 7 And Hank Is Down Bad + Success Finale Recap

Tuesday, May 30, 202321 takes

The Celtics lose Game 7 and Hank is down bad. We talk the incredible series, Game 6 and Max's kiss. Hank answers questions about the future and we talk some Stanley Cup Finals (-). Who's back of the week including DeAndre Hopkins and the Taliban (-). Nuggets Head Coach Michael Malone joins us to talk NBA Playoffs, the evolution of Jokic, Coaching Strategies, and Jamal Murray (-). Big Jay Oakerson joins us in studio to talk comedy, his new special out on youtube, cruise ships and more (-). We wrap up with Succession final recap (SPOILERS) (-) and the lottery ball.

Michael Malone, Big Jay Oakerson, and the Celtics Game 7 Disaster

The Boston Celtics are officially dead, and as a result, Hank is fundamentally broken. After the high of Derek White’s miracle put-back in Game 6, the Heat came into the Garden and absolutely dismantled everything Boston fans hold dear. Hank tried to argue that the Game 6 ending felt like a championship moment, but it turns out that meant nothing when Jimmy Butler and Caleb Martin decided to end their season 48 hours later.

Loss
May 30, 2023
#21676
HankHank

Derek White's Game 6 buzzer-beater felt like a series-winning moment

Game six was unbelievable. Just that win and the day after did, it did feel like a Game seven win. It felt like a series win. I was, I was basking at it. I truly was.

The Celtics ultimately lost the series, making the feeling of it being a series-winning moment incorrect in hindsight.

While the Celtics were dying by the three, PFT was busy celebrating a massive financial victory. He successfully navigated his high-stakes parlay on the Heat and Panthers to secure a return on his capital that would make a hedge fund manager weep.

Win
May 30, 2023
#11620
Big CatBig Cat

PFT's $10,000 bet on the Heat and Panthers was an investment with a 10% ROI

PFT, I gotta start with you because you have to feel incredible relief for your bet. The 10,000 to win a thousand when you bet the heat up three Oh and the Panthers Up three Oh cashes gotta be the biggest relief of all time.

The bet did indeed cash, providing the 10% return as stated.

Big Cat was quick to point out the glaring flaws in the Celtics' roster, specifically Jalen Brown’s sudden inability to handle a basketball in traffic. The conversation naturally turned to whether Joe Mazzulla is actually the problem or if the roster just isn't built to get over the hump.

Push
May 30, 2023
#11622
Big CatBig Cat

Jalen Brown does not know how to dribble

Jalen Brown does not know how to dribble. I don't know if that's something he's gonna learn. And then, I mean Jason Tatum obviously I think Jason Tatum probably smells the best coming out of this run... But where do you go and Marcus Smart? I don't know. Do you keep rolling out the same thing year after year?

While Brown is an All-NBA player, his ball-handling deficiencies were a major factor in the Heat series and remain a common criticism.
Win
May 30, 2023
#21678
Big CatBig Cat

Joe Mazzulla's resume is not that different from Ime Udoka's

Missoula's been obviously criticized a lot, but if you actually put up his resume next to Ime Udoka, it's not that dissimilar. Like they went, I think what the Celtics last year, they swept the nets in the first round, then they went seven, then they went seven and then they got, they lost in the finals. I mean this year obviously they went six in the first round, but they seven and seven, they, they came up short tonight.

Statistically and by round reached, the resumes are indeed similar for their first years, though the context of expectations differed.

Max managed to find a way to make the loss even weirder by revealing his inner turmoil as a Philly fan who spent one night pretending to be a Bostonian. Between his boy giving him a sensual kiss on the ear during the Game 6 celebration and the Game 7 blowout, Max is ready to see the entire Celtics roster turned into trade bait.

Loss
May 30, 2023
#11623
MaxMax

The Celtics need to blow the team up

First is stop talking about that video because Celtics lost and it doesn't matter. First they, you gotta blow it up. You gotta blow it up. How many times can you get close? I mean, as a Celtics fan, I cannot stand watching this team get so close year after year and then falling short. It's bullshit.

The Celtics did NOT blow it up; they traded Marcus Smart but kept Tatum/Brown and won the title the next year (2024).

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone joined the show to give some flowers to the Western Conference champs before they start the Finals. He didn't hold back on his superstar, confirming what most of us have seen with our own eyes: Nikola Jokic is currently operating on a level above everyone else in the league.

Win
May 30, 2023
#11627
Michael MaloneMichael Malone

Nikola Jokic is the best basketball player in the world

I agree. I think he is the best basketball player and I think he's proving it every single night... I think he's proving it every single night. And you know, I go back, my first summer in Denver was also Nicole's first summer... In Las Vegas for Summer league in that, not one point in time in Vegas did I say, Hey, we have a franchise player.

Jokic won Finals MVP shortly after this and is widely considered the best in the world as of 2024.

Malone also broke down why Jokic is so impossible to guard, comparing his mental processing to an elite chess player who sees the board moves ahead of the defense. He even drew a direct line between the Joker and LeBron James in terms of their basketball IQ and how they manipulate the gravity of a game.

Void
May 30, 2023
#11628
Michael MaloneMichael Malone

LeBron James and Nikola Jokic are incredibly similar players

I think LeBron James and Nicole Yoic are very, very similar. Hmm. And when and the eye test you say hell no. Like one's a great athlete freakish and the other guy can't jump over the Sunday newspaper. But you get away from that. Both those guys, their iq, their unselfishness, their ability to make everyone better and impact the game.

Both are known for high basketball IQ, triple-doubles, and elite passing for their size. This is a common advanced scouting comparison.
Void
May 30, 2023
#21682
Michael MaloneMichael Malone

Nikola Jokic's game is more like chess than checkers

Some guys are playing checkers out there and then you have a few guys that play chess and see things developing and guys understand pretty quickly when they first come to our team, first time playing with Nicola, hey you better have your head in a swivel.

This is a subjective evaluation of a player's mental processing speed.

In-studio, comedian Big Jay Oakerson brought the heavy Philly energy. He weighed in on the Sixers' latest collapse and had some choice words for Joel Embiid’s leadership. Jay isn't convinced that the MVP has the necessary dawg in him to carry a franchise when the lights get the brightest.

Void
May 30, 2023
#11629
Big Jay OakersonBig Jay Oakerson

Joel Embiid doesn't have the fight or leadership to lead the Sixers to a title

I don't know at this point this might just me be me talking angry shit because they're, they lost. But I think maybe Embiid could go too at this point. I don't think he's, he might be a winner. Yeah, yeah. He's awesome. I mean he's an unbelievable talent and... I just don't think he's like a, he doesn't have that fight. Like you said, he won't put the, he can't lead that team.

Embiid has yet to lead the Sixers past the second round as of 2024, though he remains an MVP-caliber player. His leadership continues to be debated.
Void
May 30, 2023
#11630
Big Jay OakersonBig Jay Oakerson

Ja Morant is a modern-day Allen Iverson in every way

I'm almost thinking four Philly. The personality of Philly sports. I say a straight up for John Morant. Philly can handle a problematic like Alan iv. He's like Alan Iverson every way to me. Like the way he plays and his off, if there was social media when Alan Iverson was playing, he'd have flashed a gun. Oh for sure. He got caught with guns like all the time.

Both players are small, hyper-athletic guards who faced significant off-court scrutiny and league discipline.

We wrapped things up with a full Succession finale breakdown for those who have finished the journey with the Roy family. Big Cat and PFT debated who actually "won" the series, noting that while everyone lost their soul, some siblings definitely ended up in a better spot than others.

Void
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Roman Roy will have the happiest life of the Roy siblings after the Succession finale

I actually think the one guy that that is gonna have the happiest life after this is probably Roman because he's still got billions of dollars and he's just gonna go off and be like a drunk horny weird asshole on his own, which is what makes him the happiest. Yeah. He's doing that type of shit. He doesn't, he never actually wanted real power.

This is an interpretation of a fictional ending. It aligns with the show's theme of the pursuit of power being the siblings' downfall.
Win
Big CatBig Cat

Connor Roy was the only sibling with a real relationship with Logan Roy

Connor, that scene when they had the virtual dinner with dad thing that they watched that scene was basically showing all of us that Connor was the only one who had a relationship with his father that meant anything. Everyone, all the other three kids were just transactional. Like they want to be pa like the, the the next in line.

The final episode features a video of Logan having a jovial dinner with his associates and Connor, while the 'main' three siblings are absent. This supports Big Cat's claim.

Hank might be down, but at least he doesn't have a soul patch yet.

nba-playoffscelticsdenver-nuggetssuccessioncomedy

More Takes

Void
May 30, 2023
#21677
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The 2023 Celtics' loss is as bad as being swept

I mean, the way that you won game six is almost better than winning the series. That was just such incredible finish... Game seven was game seven actually. It's true. And that was a good lesson. Yeah. Game seven is always game seven.

This is a subjective assessment of sports misery.
Loss
May 30, 2023
#21679
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Caleb Martin will sign a hundred-million-dollar contract based on this playoff run

Caleb Martin gets most of the credit tonight. So Caleb Martin was just unreal. I think he was the, he was the worst of the Martin twins, right? I think his brother got drafted. Caleb didn't. But then Caleb now is about to make like a hundred million just based on this series.

Caleb Martin signed a 4-year, $32 million deal with the 76ers in 2024, which is significantly less than $100 million.
Loss
May 30, 2023
#11624
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Heat are a legitimate scare for the Nuggets in the Finals

The heater just a fucking good basketball team all around and they've got guys that step up when their stars aren't playing well. And I am, I am a little bit afraid of the heat in the finals as an, as a longtime three year Nuggets fan. They scare me just because they got, they got some bullshit going on.

The Nuggets handled the Heat fairly easily in 5 games, suggesting the 'scare' was overstated.
Void
May 30, 2023
#21680
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Golden Knights and Panthers playing each other represents the 'Cocaine per Capita' championship

The two cities with maybe the most cocaine done per capita. Vegas, Miami playing against each other and saying like, oh, Brooks [Koepka] will be on his best behavior.

This is a hyperbolic comedic claim that cannot be verified by actual drug consumption statistics.
Win
May 30, 2023·Who's Back
#21681
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The LIV Golf relegation system is just the PGA Tour and Q-School with a different name

LIV golf is tweaking their rule format that they have. They are now instituting relegation and promotion in LIV golf league... which is great... LIV Golf just invented the PGA Tour. So you're not like guaranteed a spot on LIV golf. They invented qualification school.

The mechanisms of promotion and relegation do mirror traditional tour structures and Q-School in principle.
Loss
May 30, 2023·Who's Back
#11625
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Cowboys will pretend to be in on DeAndre Hopkins before he signs with the Bills

I bet you the Cowboys are going to make their fans believe that they're in the Hopkins running until like the very last second and then he is gonna sound with the bills.

DeAndre Hopkins eventually signed with the Tennessee Titans, not the Bills or Cowboys.
Void
May 30, 2023·Who's Back
#11626
Billy FootballBilly Football

Arnold Schwarzenegger is the GOAT because he achieved his physique with fewer steroids than modern bodybuilders

Basically Arnold started talking about his steroid use for the first time and talked about his cycle and basically he wasn't on that much steroids compared to a lot of guys today in body building, which just goes to show that he is the goat.

This is a subjective argument in the bodybuilding community, but Billy's claim is based on Arnold's own recently released data.
Void
May 30, 2023
#21683
Big Jay OakersonBig Jay Oakerson

Eddie Murphy's 'Delirious' is the work of a 19-year-old and doesn't hold up as seasoned material

As someone who's been doing it so long now, like I see the 19 year old because he was 19 and delirious. Like I see that all over it now... the material itself's not really like anything like light, like, you know, doesn't really give you any insight into him.

Subjective opinion on artistic merit and longevity.
Void
May 30, 2023
#11631
Big Jay OakersonBig Jay Oakerson

Ohio is the most underrated state for comedy

I'd say the most underrated state for comedy is Ohio. Ohio just has a crazy amount of clubs for me and my like, like what I prefer with like audiences. It's all blue collar pretty much.

Subjective opinion from a touring professional.

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