PMT DB
PMT DB
Rachel Nichols on NBA Playoffs, Celtics vs Knicks, and Max is Back
Max and the Celtics are officially back, and the energy in the studio shifted the second Max stepped in after his Hawaii hiatus. The Celtics handled business against the Knicks on Saturday, which has Hank feeling himself again. Even though they were down in the series, Jason Tatum showed up in fully laced-up Timberlands to remind New York that he's the bad guy. Hank is so confident that he's already planning the parade route, despite the Knicks being one of the toughest outs in the league.
HankThe Celtics will defeat the Knicks in six games
I feel good. I'm happy. I said I wouldn't be worried if they went down oh two. They came, they came out, they showed what they needed to do... I feel like that's gonna be, they're gonna win this series in six.
While Hank is high on the Garden win, he wasn't as complementary toward the venue itself. According to him, the legendary arena doesn't quite live up to the hype once you're actually inside the building.
HankMadison Square Garden is the most overrated venue in sports
The garden is the most overrated venue in sports.
Max, however, wasn't letting the Celtics' victory go unchallenged. He spent his vacation deep-diving into "Stat Hole" analytics to prove that Tatum isn't the superstar Boston fans think he is. The debate got heated quickly as Max tried to use defensive rating numbers that Big Cat and PFT pointed out he didn't actually understand.
MaxJayson Tatum is not a superstar
Jason Tatum is not a superstar... He didn't play on the Olympic team. He didn't play.
MaxJoel Embiid and Jayson Tatum are essentially the same playoff player.
Embiid and Tatum are the same player. Their fourth quarter numbers are exactly the same. Their offensive rating is exactly the same... They're the same playoff player.
Big Cat has his own strict criteria for what makes a superstar, and it's a very exclusive club that doesn't involve many people currently playing in the second round.
Big CatThere are only four true superstars in the NBA: Jokic, Giannis, Luka, and the aging veterans
I have like four superstars in the whole league... so it's Jokic, it's Giannis, it's Luka, and then it's, there's like the aging group of superstars that's like Steph, LeBron, KD. It's not much. I don't go Superstar to me is if you said their name like to your mom or someone on the street, they would immediately be like, yeah, of course I know who that is.
Rachel Nichols joined the show to give some actual expert perspective on the NBA chaos. She broke down the Giannis rumors, the Thunder's young legs, and why the Celtics are still her pick to lift the trophy when the dust settles.
Rachel NicholsThe Celtics will win the NBA Championship
Before the season I picked the Boston Celtics. With the Boston Celtics down two to one in this series, I still pick the Boston Celtics... they're the best complete team and they just won last year.
She also got into the LeBron James contract situation. With the Lakers needing more depth to actually compete in the West, Rachel thinks the King might need to take a page out of the Tom Brady playbook if he wants to catch MJ in the ring department.
Rachel NicholsLeBron James should take significantly less money to win another championship ring
If it were me, I would say I will take significantly less, as less as it helps basically to make sure that we get other people in here who can help us win. Because here's the thing, you can't buy a championship ring after you retire all that money... He's not gonna feel any difference in his life.
Over in the NHL, PFT is officially in his feelings about the Capitals. After a rough weekend against the Hurricanes, he's entered the "must-win" phase of the postseason. He's worried about Ovie looking his age and the fact that he might have to watch his season end in person on Thursday.
PFT CommenterMonday night's game against the Hurricanes is a must-win for the Capitals.
This is a must win. Monday is a must win. And we're one and one in must win games in the postseason.
NFL news hit the wire with Derek Carr announcing his retirement. While most people are indifferent, Big Cat is genuinely sad to lose a guy who provided so much "Philip Rivers-lite" entertainment. We also saw Anthony Richardson get a massive back tattoo of a roulette wheel, which led to a discussion on the toughness of being sedated for ink.
PFT CommenterMen should not be sedated when getting a tattoo
I have a take. And that's if you get sedated for, you shouldn't get sedated for a tattoo as a man... I would never get sedated for a tattoo.
Who's Back of the week featured the return of Elizabeth Holmes and her blood-testing startups, and the Rockies firing Bud Black after a 21-0 shellacking. Big Cat isn't buying the move as a fix for the franchise, mostly because the man at the top is still there.
Big CatThe Rockies firing Bud Black won't change anything because owner Dick Monfort is the real problem.
The Rockies fired Bud Black... the owner, Dick Monfort, being like, 'we're all trying to find out how this happened.' It's you, dude. You're the piece of shit.
We wrapped things up with a legendary Jordon of the Week segment after Pablo Torre's deep dive into the Jordon Hudson/Bill Belichick saga. Between the Underdog bikini commercial stories and the alleged UNC ban, she is officially the girl boss of the year. To top it all off, Max handed out gifts from a Hawaiian farmer's market, including a bookmark for Big Cat that was essentially a homework assignment.
Enjoy the cheese steaks, Jordon.
