PMT DB
PMT DB
Ryan Whitney on NHL Playoffs, Tom Brady Backs Hank, and FAQ's
The NBA playoffs are providing a mix of blowouts and bizarre subplots. Big Cat and PFT break down the Sixers and Mavs getting pushed around in Game 5s, leading to some heavy statistical analysis from PFT regarding the importance of taking a lead when the series is knotted up.
PFT CommenterThe winner of Game 5 in a 2-2 series wins the series 83% of the time.
Here's a fun stat... if you look at it, that that is a correct, but the more important stat is 83% of the time that a series is tied 2-2, that winner of game five goes on to win the series.
While the games on the court weren't exactly heaters, the action on Twitter was. Skip Bayless found himself in the crosshairs for arguing with LeBron James over a TNT segment, leading PFT to conclude that Skip is definitely operating with some secret accounts to test out his most controversial material.
PFT CommenterSkip Bayless definitely has burner accounts on Twitter
This is proof. Skip Bayless has burners. I've got a mission now for the next three weeks, which would be to find, skip Bayless's burners and see what the takes that he puts out on the burn. The ones that like, he doesn't think are ready for prime time yet the ones that he's testing out.
Hank’s Hero and the Celtics Renaissance
The real drama of the week wasn't even on the court. Hank has been through the wringer lately with office drama involving his ex-girlfriend, but he received the ultimate boost when his hero, Tom Brady, tweeted out "#DefendTheWall" in his support. Hank was basically floating on a different planet during the Celtics game, which worked out well because Al Horford decided to turn back the clock. Big Cat and Hank marveled at Horford taking the alpha mantle from Jason Tatum, though the guys have some thoughts on how the hierarchy of the team actually shakes out.
HankAl Horford is Batman and Jason Tatum is Robin
[Al Horford]'s Batman. Jason Tatum's Robin, Jaylen Brown the Joker.
With Brady also signing a massive deal to join the Fox booth whenever he retires, the conversation turned to how the GOAT will handle the transition. PFT thinks the preparation and resources Brady brings to the table will give him the edge over the Manning brothers in the long run.
PFT CommenterTom Brady's Fox broadcast will be better than Peyton Manning's because he'll have a better staff
I think that that Peyton Manning as an individual is going to be better than Tom Brady. But Tom Brady is going to have a much better staff around him. And so on a whole, his broadcast will be much, much better known as a dynasty.
Ryan Whitney in Studio
Ryan Whitney joined the show for a marathon hockey session, bringing his usual energy and a deep-seated hatred for being called "pal." The conversation immediately went to the ice, where Whitney and PFT are still recovering from a high-stakes night of watching the Capitals and Panthers. While PFT is in a dark place after a brutal OT loss, Whitney thinks the Caps might still have some life left in them thanks to their new situation in net.
Ryan WhitneyThe Capitals can force a Game 7 because they have found a reliable goalie in Ilya Samsonov.
I actually don't [think it's curtains] because they have a goalie, they found a goalie... Samsonov last night and every game pretty much has been really solid since he came in. I think the capitals can at least force game seven.
Whitney didn't hold back on the state of Canadian hockey either. Despite Big Cat rooting for a northern champion, Whitney is skeptical that any team from Canada can actually pull it off this year. He has a particularly sharp bone to pick with Maple Leafs fans, who he believes suffer from a combination of unearned arrogance and a legitimate psychological barrier when it comes to closing out series.
Ryan WhitneyThe Maple Leafs have a legitimate mental block when leading series
The maple leafs recently, while leading well down in the series, they're like seven or eight and three, well tied in the series. There are about 500 to eight and eight. And when leading these series, they're one to nine. So it's more of like, it might be a legit mental thing.
Beyond the Leafs' misery, Whitney highlighted Cale Makar as the must-watch player of the postseason, comparing his impact on the game to Connor McDavid. He also laid out his simple philosophy for picking winners as the Lightning continue their quest for a three-peat.
Ryan WhitneyI won't pick against the Lightning until they actually lose a series
I said I won't pick against them [Lightning] until they don't win. So I am on the Lightning. I want the Lightning, but I'm going to be very surprised if the Avs don't win the Stanley Cup.
Hot Seat/Cool Throne and FAQ's
Hot Seat/Cool Throne covered everything from the discontinuation of the iPod—which Hank considers the pinnacle of tech—to the unfortunate eating habits of elite quarterbacks. PFT pointed out that Andrew Luck’s refusal to eat steak was a massive red flag that we all should have seen coming sooner.
PFT CommenterAndrew Luck was never an elite quarterback because he ordered chicken at a steakhouse
Andrew Luck because I think you guys told me this, that when you went to the steakhouse St. Elmo's Steakhouse in Indianapolis, he doesn't eat steak, eats chicken. Correct. And that's how you knew he was not going to be an elite quarterback.
To wrap things up, the show moved into a special edition of listener FAQ's. The guys got surprisingly reflective about their lives before Barstool and offered some genuine advice to graduating seniors. PFT emphasized that the pressure to have your life figured out immediately after college is a myth.
PFT CommenterCareer decisions and outcomes in your twenties are ultimately inconsequential to the rest of your life.
Don't compare yourself to [classmates]. You're going to feel like you have to compare yourself to them... it doesn't mean anything for the course of your life. What you do in your twenties can be ultimately inconsequential to what happens for the rest of your life. So don't rush into being an adult too quick.
Billy ended the show on a high note by hitting his number 21 in the nightly lottery, but not before dropping a truly disturbing fact about the biology of ferrets.
Never call another man pal unless you're ready to drop the gloves.
