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Ryen Russillo And PFT Has To Eat Poop (Probably)

Wednesday, May 2, 201819 takes

The Raptors are a joke (Sorrey Toronto) and Lebron wins Game 1 even though he shot terribly ( - ). The Caps take a 2-1 lead and PFT is 2 games away from eating shit ( - ). The Celtics stopped the process in Game 1 and Kendrick Perkins tried to kill Drake ( - ). Hot Seat/Cool Throne including Gravity and Big Ben isn't retiring any time soon ( - ). Ryen Russillo joins the show to talk NBA, his life as a struggling screenwriter in LA, LA traffic, and what the hell will happen to Kawhi/Paul George/Lebron this summer ( - ). Segments include Mike Greenberg's dumb rules, hmmm for the Astros spin rate and Guys on Chicks.

Ryen Russillo on NBA Playoffs, LA Screenwriting, and PFT's Poop Bet

The Toronto Raptors have officially reached a level of playoff performance that defies logic. Big Cat is out of patience for a team that has the talent to compete but seemingly forgets how to play basketball the second LeBron James enters the building. Even on a night where LeBron shot poorly, the Raptors found a way to let it slip away in overtime.

Win
May 2, 2018
#15810
Big CatBig Cat

The Toronto Raptors are the softest team I've ever watched

The Raptors are the softest team I've ever watched. And having Fred VanVleet take the game-winning shot in overtime, how do you have DeRozan and Lowry and you have these guys... they shrink in every big moment. They're so soft that they made Kevin Love look like the tough guy.

The Raptors were swept by the Cavaliers in this series, confirming the 'soft' narrative for that season, which led to the firing of Dwane Casey and the trade for Kawhi Leonard.

While the Raptors are crumbling, PFT is facing a much more visceral crisis. The Washington Capitals took a 2-1 series lead over the Penguins, moving PFT dangerously close to a previously agreed-upon wager involving the consumption of horse poop. As the reality of the bet sets in, PFT has started looking for any legal loophole or "compromise" to avoid the inevitable, mostly by attacking the opposition's goaltending.

Win
May 2, 2018
#15811
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Matt Murray sucks and his glove hand is a liability

Murray sucks. Murray sucks on ice. His glove hand stinks. And his glove leg sucks too. I think he had a stroke. I think the left side of his body has been paralyzed.

The Penguins lost the series in 6 games, and Murray's performance was criticized throughout that postseason compared to his previous Cup runs.

Despite the panic, the energy around the Caps is different this year. After years of heartbreak against Pittsburgh, the vibe in the room is shifting toward genuine belief.

Win
May 2, 2018
#28934
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

This feels like the year the Capitals finally get past the Penguins and win it all

Feels like this is a year. Feels good. We might be a little biased because we're all such big Caps fans here, but 2-1 [in the series] feels good.

The Capitals defeated the Penguins in 6 games and went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Hot Seat/Cool Throne

Hank opened the segment by putting Gravity on the Hot Seat after a group of Flat Earthers held a conference and used a Nikon camera to "disprove" it. On the Cool Throne, Hank is fully buying into the hype in Bloomington after a major recruiting win.

Loss
HankHank

Indiana basketball is back because they signed Romeo Langford

My cool throne is Indiana basketball. So they signed Romeo Langford, the number one recruit in the nation. His minister said that Romeo is like Abraham Lincoln. So, I mean, it's going to be huge.

Indiana went 19-16 in Langford's only season and missed the NCAA tournament, meaning they were certainly not 'back'.

PFT put Tom Brady on the Hot Seat after some cryptic comments about feeling valued. While the internet was buzzing over a short clip, PFT thinks there's a kernel of truth to the idea that the TB12 lifestyle might finally be clashing with the Belichick way.

Win
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Tom Brady doesn't feel valued enough by the Patriots

I actually do think, though, that Tom Brady thinks that he's not valued enough at work. ... Like anything that he does on the football field is because he's just such a weirdo... and the Belichick system values exactly what you're valued and Tom Brady probably thinks he should be valued more.

While speculative at the time, later reporting and Brady's eventual departure confirmed significant friction regarding his value within the organization.

On the Cool Throne, PFT is celebrating Jeff Bezos for finally finding a way to spend his massive fortune. Forget philanthropy or employee raises; the move is apparently to just burn cash on rocket fuel until the bank account hits zero.

Push
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Jeff Bezos is building rocket ships just to liquidate his $100 billion

He figured out that the way that he's going to be able to spend money is by just building rocket ships and just going to different planets. That's the only thing that he can do to liquidate $100 billion in a lifetime, so that's what he's going to do.

OpinionBusinessMildSarcastic
Bezos has indeed spent billions on Blue Origin, though the intent is likely space exploration/commercialization rather than purely a liquidation strategy.

Big Cat wrapped things up by looking at the Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback situation. After years of Big Ben threatening to walk away, the arrival of a rookie seems to have given him a second wind that might last half a decade.

Win
Big CatBig Cat

Big Ben will play for 3-5 more years because the Steelers drafted Mason Rudolph

Big Ben says he wants to play three to five more years. He's just saying that because they drafted Mason Rudolph. 100%. But it's so fantastic that Big Ben, the guy who was contemplating retirement last year, is now like, yeah, you know what? Pencil me in for five more years.

Roethlisberger played through the end of the 2021 season, exactly 4 seasons after this take.

Ryen Russillo on Hollywood and the NBA

Our friend Ryen Russillo joined the show from Malibu, though the connection was a bit spotty thanks to the "waves" and his new life as a struggling Hollywood screenwriter. Between name-dropping Vince Vaughn and complaining about LA traffic, Russillo weighed in on the Celtics-Sixers series. While the Celtics took Game 1, Russillo thinks the Sixers still have an physical advantage that Boston can't ignore.

Loss
May 2, 2018
#15815
Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo

The Celtics can't guard Joel Embiid

You're going to have to continue to get it to Embiid, who has moments in the game where he's like, enough of this crap. Like, none of you guys can guard me. I'm just going to do something stupid and get to the hoop and score.

The Celtics actually managed Embiid quite well, winning the series in 5 games using Horford and Baynes.

This led to a heated debate regarding the Rookie of the Year race. PFT remains steadfast in his belief that Ben Simmons, having been in the league for a year already, shouldn't even be in the conversation compared to the Jazz's standout.

Loss
May 2, 2018
#15816
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Donovan Mitchell is the Rookie of the Year and it's not even close

Donovan Mitchell is my rookie of the year, and it's not even close. [Ben Simmons] is in his second year playing in the NBA. Second year in the organization.

Ben Simmons officially won the 2018 NBA Rookie of the Year award.

Russillo also discussed the coaching masterclass being put on by Brad Stevens, though he's not ready to say he'd take a coach over a generational superstar if he were building a team for the next five years.

Win
May 2, 2018
#28937
Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo

I would take LeBron James for the next five years over Brad Stevens

I'm going to go ahead and take whatever LeBron is probably for the next three, knowing that year four and five, I would imagine at some point this dude is going to slow down. As great as Brad [Stevens] is, I still think that this is a player's league.

LeBron won a Finals MVP and title within that five-year window (2020), while Stevens stepped down as coach in 2021.

The conversation shifted to the impending free agency chaos. Russillo noted that while the Lakers and Sixers get all the headlines, people shouldn't be so quick to pack LeBron's bags for him just yet.

Loss
May 2, 2018
#15819
Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo

Cleveland is still a very likely scenario for LeBron James this summer

I have been probably one of the only people that still thinks Cleveland is a very likely scenario here. If anybody is telling you they know that LeBron's already decided that he's going to leave, then they may get it right, but they're guessing right now. As of now, the way I understand it is that Cleveland is very much still in play.

LeBron James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in July 2018.

As for the other drama out West, the situation in San Antonio seems beyond repair. Russillo is hearing that the "Spurs Way" might have finally worn thin for their superstar forward.

Win
May 2, 2018
#15820
Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo

Nobody around the NBA thinks Kawhi Leonard is returning to the Spurs

No one around the league thinks [Kawhi] is coming back. Nobody. And the belief is that, oh, yeah, Kawhi Spurs away, team first, not having any individual brand. They're tired of this stuff. If those are the real things and the real resentment there, then the Spurs thing does sound like it's over.

Kawhi Leonard was traded to the Toronto Raptors in July 2018, ending his tenure in San Antonio.

Trevor Bauer's Spin Rate and Guys on Chicks

To wrap up, Big Cat highlighted Trevor Bauer’s latest Twitter crusade against the Houston Astros' pitching staff. Bauer is convinced there is some foul play involved in their increased spin rates, but PFT has a much more geographical explanation involving the Earth's rotation and the equator.

Loss
May 2, 2018
#15821
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Astros pitchers have higher spin rates because Houston is closer to the equator

There's a reason why all the NASA sites in the United States are closer to the equator because the Earth spins faster the closer you get to the equator. So it's cheaper to fly a rocket there. So I think the fact that it's in Houston and further south means the ball spins faster.

While the earth does rotate faster at the equator, this has no measurable effect on a baseball's RPMs relative to the pitcher's hand.

In a classic edition of Guys on Chicks, the crew discussed whether having a sugar daddy makes you a prostitute (consensus: resourceful) and why guys like playing with nipples when they have their own (consensus: better angles).

If PFT actually eats the poop, we're going to need a lot more than chocolate milk for the recovery.

nflnbanhllebron-jamesryen-russillotoronto-raptorspittsburgh-penguinswashington-capitals

More Takes

Loss
May 2, 2018
#28935
HankHank

The Celtics vs. 76ers series is going to a Game 7

I think this series is going to go seven. Like I said, if they can stop Ben Simmons in transition, they have a chance to win. ... They're going to figure it out, win a few games, but Celtics have home court advantage, so it's going seven.

The Celtics won the series 4-1.
Void
May 2, 2018
#15817
Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo

Brad Stevens is the perfect personality to be a head coach in today's NBA

I think the most important attribute you can have as an NBA coach is your personality. Most of these guys do understand X's and O's. But if the team doesn't listen to you, you have to do it in a way now where the guys don't totally shut you off. And [Stevens] has this unbelievable passive confidence that it's like the perfect combination of personality to be a head coach in today's NBA.

Stevens was widely considered a top-tier coach for years, though he eventually transitioned to the front office in 2021 after the team plateaued.
Win
May 2, 2018
#15818
Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo

Russell Westbrook's style of play keeps a franchise hostage

The style of play [Westbrook] has kept your franchise hostage. And for the most part, you weren't going to win. And now we've watched this two years in a row. You're lying to yourself if you see the same approach in Game 6 and go, 'yeah, this will work.' One team has a guy that runs isolation, the team passes it the least of any team in the NBA. Which team would you rather play? Of course they're going to pick the first team, and that's who their team is.

The Thunder were eliminated in the first round in 2017, 2018, and 2019 before trading Westbrook, supporting the idea that the style had a ceiling.
Void
May 2, 2018
#28938
Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo

The Washington Wizards are the softest team in the NBA, even more than the Raptors

I actually think it's the Wizards, and that's why that first-round matchup was so incredible, because they were two teams I don't believe in. ... If you want to doubt the Raptors and doubt their toughness, there's tons of evidence, but the Wizards... they were two teams I don't believe in.

This is subjective but aligns with the general consensus on the 'Wall/Beal' era Wizards' lack of playoff success.
Void
May 2, 2018
#28939
Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo

Tyronn Lue is not a very good NBA head coach

You know what's funny? Yeah, I don't know. I don't think [Tyronn Lue] is very good. I'm trying to be nice about it. ... The rotations are still a mess. And they weren't very good in the finals last year either.

Lue was fired shortly after this (early 2018-19 season), but he later proved to be a highly regarded coach with the Clippers, making this take age poorly in the long term.
Win
May 2, 2018
#28940
Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo

The Golden State Warriors are better than the Houston Rockets and will win the series

I still think Golden State is better. I'm not buying into any of the stuff that happened at the end of the season and how they finished. They didn't care. But I'd imagine that they would burn them, you know, the first couple games.

The Warriors defeated the Rockets in 7 games to advance to the Finals.

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