PMTPMT DB

Playoff Madness, Lebron Secretly Jealous Of AD's Injury, The Maple Leafs Choke, And Monday Reading

Tuesday, June 1, 202111 takes

Its just us for a mega recap of an awesome long weekend in sports. We break down all of the NBA playoff series and disavow bad fan actions while also understanding what it means to be a regular fan ( - ). Lebron will have to be superman and Luka conspiracy theories ( - ). Leaf fans weigh in on another playoff collapse with a #BigMad segment ( - ). Who's back of the week and Hot Seat/Cool Throne, Talking Tennis Naomi Osaka and Monday Reading ( - ).

Who Is Back

Loss
Take Slip·Jun 1, 2021·Who's Back
#PMT-2021-0601-900
HankHank

Tim Tebow was signed by Urban Meyer purely to act as a heat shield for Trevor Lawrence

I'm also just a huge fan of the narrative that [Urban Meyer] brought in Tebow just to take off heat off Trevor Lawrence... Tebow is just going to be too much of a natural leader and take all the heat, including from the players, off Trevor Lawrence.

Tebow was cut early in the preseason, and Lawrence faced significant media scrutiny regardless during a disastrous 3-14 rookie season under Meyer.

Recap

Win
Take Slip·Jun 1, 2021
#PMT-2021-0601-892
Big CatBig Cat

The pandemic has caused fans to lose their minds and forget how to behave in arenas

I do think the pandemic has fucked people up more than we realize. And people are just getting back into the real world and losing their fucking minds. Preseason. Yes, preseason. No one knows how to act right now. Give it a couple weeks. I do not think it's some huge epidemic where this is going to be the new norm that fans are just fucking with players constantly.

Fan incidents did eventually decrease in frequency from the initial post-reopening peak, though occasional incidents persist. His prediction that it wouldn't be the 'new norm' largely held true.
Win
Take Slip·Jun 1, 2021
#PMT-2021-0601-893
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The media will soon claim that sports were better without fans in the building

I'm going to level it up. I'm going to say by the time you're hearing my voice, if it's in the afternoon tomorrow... somebody will have already written the take that sports were better when there were no fans in the building.

Many articles were indeed written in June 2021 debating the value of fans vs. the safety of players after incidents involving Kyrie Irving, Trae Young, and Russell Westbrook.
Win
Take Slip·Jun 1, 2021
#PMT-2021-0601-894
HankHank

The Celtics will not win another game in their series against the Nets

[Jason Tatum] had 50, right? Yeah, that's fine... The starting lineup, it's one of those things where it doesn't matter. You could play those starting two lineups 100 times and the Celtics might win one. [Big Cat: 'Can we call it over?'] 100%. It's over.

The Nets won Game 5 on June 1st to close out the series 4-1. The Celtics did not win another game.
Loss
Take Slip·Jun 1, 2021
#PMT-2021-0601-895
Big CatBig Cat

Joel Embiid didn't hurt his knee; he actually hurt his back or tailbone

I don't think [Joel Embiid] hurt his knee. I think he hurt his ass slash back. He grabbed his back. He fell on his back. His back has been bothering him all year. He grabbed his back, but he also grabbed the back of his leg. This is Drew Brees' ribs all over again. Joel Embiid's back is hurt.

The 76ers announced on June 2nd that Embiid had a small lateral meniscus tear in his right knee. It was a knee injury, not a back/tailbone injury.
Win
Take Slip·Jun 1, 2021
#PMT-2021-0601-896
Big CatBig Cat

Tom Thibodeau's coaching style prevents teams from having an extra gear in the playoffs

Tom Thibodeau is a fantastic coach, and he will always get your team to overachieve and play to their max ability during the regular season. And then when you get to the postseason, there's no extra gear... he also played Julius Randle the most minutes of anyone in the NBA this year. It's always going to go like this when you do that with your star player who can't figure out a double team.

The 2020-21 Knicks indeed sputtered out in the first round after a surprising regular season, and Randle's performance dropped significantly from his All-NBA regular season form.
Loss
Take Slip·Jun 1, 2021
#PMT-2021-0601-897
Big CatBig Cat

I'm predicting a vintage, dominant LeBron James performance in Game 5 against the Suns

I think we're going to get like a vintage, vintage LeBron just every single way... 38 [points], 12 [rebounds], 8 [assists]. It's going to be one of those stat lines where Nick Wright will be like, 'no player since Michael Jordan has ever done this in the playoffs.'

In Game 5, LeBron had 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists in a 115-85 blowout loss to the Suns. It was far from a dominant vintage performance.
Loss
Take Slip·Jun 1, 2021
#PMT-2021-0601-898
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Luka Doncic is actually several years older than the Mavericks claim

I think Luka's older than we think he is... I think it's a Danny Almonte, Alfonso Soriano thing. I don't think Luka's 22 years old. I think Luka's probably 27, 28 years old. If you're a player that's not born in the United States and you come over, there's a lot of paperwork that can get either lost or changed very easily.

There is no evidence to support this; Doncic has been a highly visible pro since he was 13 at Real Madrid.
Void
Take Slip·Jun 1, 2021
#PMT-2021-0601-899
Big CatBig Cat

If the Cowboys don't win a Super Bowl in the next 20 years, they will become the NFL's version of the Toronto Maple Leafs

The Cowboys, I think, have the element of... They're one of the teams that you think of when you think of football. The Leafs are one of the teams you think of when you think of hockey. They have historical relevance, but it's all in the past... If the Cowboys, if we're sitting here 2045 and the Cowboys haven't gone back to a Super Bowl, they would be the Maple Leafs.

This is a subjective comparison of future outcomes, but the historical parallels of 'America's Team' vs. Canada's most historic franchise in a long drought are strong.

Hot Seat Cool Throne

Loss
Take Slip·Jun 1, 2021·Hot Seat/Cool Throne
#PMT-2021-0601-901
Big CatBig Cat

This is the week Aaron Rodgers finally gets traded by the Packers

I'm going to do this every week until it comes true. I'm going to predict that this is the week that Aaron Rodgers gets traded. Okay. So, and if it doesn't happen this week, I will do it next week and give me credit when that happens.

Rodgers was not traded in 2021; he played the full season for the Packers and won MVP. He wasn't traded until 2023.
Loss
Take Slip·Jun 1, 2021·Hot Seat/Cool Throne
#PMT-2021-0601-902
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The USA is officially the best soccer country in the world because Christian Pulisic won the Champions League

The best player in the world played on the best team in the world... the best player on the best club team is American. Therefore, the USA is the best soccer country in the entire world.

The USMNT was nowhere near the top of the FIFA rankings or international performance compared to powers like France or Brazil at this time, though the take is clearly comedic.