PMT DB
PMT DB
Smylie Kaufman on Scottie's Greatness, Knicks Whomp Celtics, and the Marlins
Monday morning and the sports world is officially on fire. We just witnessed a weekend that featured two NBA Game 7s, a PGA Championship masterclass, and the absolute destruction of Hank’s soul. PFT opened by pointing out that the hype leading up to these win-or-go-home games usually exceeds the actual product, which ended up being a prophetic observation given the blowouts we saw in the NBA and the NHL.
PFT CommenterThe anticipation for a Game 7 is better than the actual Game 7
The anticipation for the game seven is way better than the actual game sevens. This is making me disagree with LeBron's take... I might be a game six guy. That's the new game seven.
The Thunder handled the Nuggets in a game that felt like a changing of the guard. Big Cat noted that the NBA has entered a rare era where the trophy is truly up for grabs every single year, as the Nuggets' early exit guarantees a fresh face on the podium.
Big CatNBA parity is officially back with seven different champions in seven years
Parity is back. NBA parity is officially back this now with the thunder beating the nuggets in game seven. There are going to be, it's guaranteed seven different champions in seven different years in the NBA.
While Nikola Jokic is still the MVP, the guys weren't ready to let him off the hook for a quiet Game 7. Big Cat argued that if you're the undisputed best player on the planet, you have to be the one to drag your team across the finish line when the shots aren't falling.
Big CatNikola Jokic failed the 'best player in the world' standard in the series against the Thunder
I think it's fair to hold him to the standard of best player in the world. And if he was the best player in the world, game four and seven, he could have played better and they could have won this series. The conversation of Jokic is best player in the world... can sometimes be like, I'm gonna take over this series and win this series. He didn't do that and that didn't happen.
The Knicks Are Back and New York is Scary
The biggest story of the weekend was Friday night’s beatdown where the Knicks essentially ended the Celtics' season. New York is buzzing in a way we haven't seen in decades, and Big Cat thinks the city is primed for a level of chaos that would put other sports towns to shame if they actually go all the way.
Big CatNew York City is the most likely city to 'burn down' proverbially during a championship celebration
I think the Knicks might be the number one city to proverbially burn down in a championship. And I was thinking about this... just the most chaotic scenes possible after a championship.
Hank, looking visibly broken, was forced to watch a compilation of his most confident (and wrong) takes from the last few months. He finally conceded that the better team won the series, admitting that Jalen Brunson has completely shifted the power dynamic in the East.
HankThe New York Knicks were a better team than the Boston Celtics in their playoff series
The Nicks were the better team than the Celtics. They're... a better team than the Celtics. I'm not gonna argue that right now because I was wrong too. I thought the Knicks, I did not think the Knicks would be in the Eastern Conference final.
Speaking of Jalen Brunson, Big Cat isn't waiting for a ring to start building the statue. He believes Brunson has already surpassed most of the franchise legends who have come through the Garden over the last fifty years.
Big CatJalen Brunson is already a top-five New York Nick of all time
I think Jalen Brunson is already a top five Nick. I think it's the list now is Patrick Ewing, Willis Reed and Walt Frazier and then it's like, yeah, Earl Pearl and then like Mellow is somewhere in there. I think he's a top five nick of all time in the three years that he's been there.
Scottie Scheffler’s World and WNBA Drama
Smylie Kaufman joined the show to break down Scottie Scheffler’s third major win and the absolute clinic he put on at Quail Hollow. Smylie highlighted that while Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy have their moments, Scottie's consistency and ball-striking are reaching heights we haven't seen since the red polo era. Big Cat thinks we’re looking at a guy who is going to need a bigger trophy room before he’s even thirty.
Big CatScottie Scheffler will eventually reach double-digit majors
If everything stays like, you know, if he stays healthy and plays for 15 more years, like it does feel like he will be in that double digit majors territory.
They also touched on the opening of the WNBA season and the blossoming rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. While the discourse on social media is toxic enough to melt a hazmat suit, Big Cat pointed out the glaring gap in on-court production between the two stars.
Big CatThe Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese rivalry is awkward because Clark is much better at basketball
Caitlyn Clark is so much better than Angel Reese at basketball that it's not, it doesn't feel fair. I actually feel bad for Angel Reese at this point. She wants a rivalry and she has history with Kaitlyn Clark, but it's nowhere near equal footing in terms of play... Kaitlyn Clark needs a different rival because this one is just not fair.
Marlins in Studio and Max's Bachelor Party
Kyle Stowers and Tyler Phillips from the Miami Marlins stopped by to talk about the grind of the big leagues and the transition from being a starter to a reliever. They discussed the psychology of the game, including the terrifying reality of getting hit by a 93-mph fastball. Tyler Phillips even humored the guys on the age-old debate of whether a regular person could survive an inning in the majors.
Tyler PhillipsAn average person could likely get three outs in a Major League game eventually
I think you get three outs. Yeah. Like, honestly... The ball is bound to go to somebody. Yeah. Like there's no, like, it just goes against odds for the ball to just keep landing in the grass somewhere. Right.
We closed out the show with a recap of Max's bachelor party in the woods, which involved backyard football, rolled ankles, and an appearance by a "Wild Card" friend who took a dart to the foot without flinching. Big Cat remains a firm believer that these isolated cabin trips are the gold standard for sending a guy off to marriage.
Big CatThe best bachelor parties are 'cabin in the woods' trips rather than going to bars in a city
Best bachelor party. So when you, when you're with your boys and there's not like a oh, like let's go out to this bar and then everyone gets, you know, separated. It's like just the boys hanging.
Before letting him go, Mr. Bing Bong made a final, glorious appearance to taunt Hank one last time before his "retirement" and eventual move to Mostly Sports.
Good luck finding your eardrums by Wednesday, Hank.
