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Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo

James Harden will be officiated differently and less favorably in the NBA playoffs

I also think Harden's going to be officiated differently in the playoffs because people are just going to harp on it and be like, all right, so what's the story with this guy? You're just going to let him travel for seven games? You can use your right arm and chuck defenders to the ground?

While Harden's free throw attempts did dip slightly in the 2019 playoffs (from 11.0 to 8.9), the Rockets still struggled and lost to the Warriors again, partly due to the 'playoff whistle' theory Russillo subscribes to.

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Void
Mar 8, 2019
#21110
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

I will never change my clocks for Daylight Savings again as a test of mental strength

I didn't change any of my clocks in my house, and I made it. It's so satisfying when it turns back. It's just like a battle of strength and wit against my own brain.

This is a subjective lifestyle choice about how he manages his home clocks.
Void
Mar 8, 2019
#6943
Big CatBig Cat

LeBron James passing Michael Jordan's scoring record felt hollow because it happened on a terrible Lakers team

Obviously LeBron's career is unassailable at this point... But don't you think it felt a little hollow, the fact that he's doing it on a terrible Lakers team? If it happened in Cleveland, it would have been a lot bigger of a moment in my mind.

This is a subjective assessment of the 'feel' of a sports moment.
Loss
Mar 8, 2019
#6944
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Alex Caruso is a crisis actor from central casting

Caruso is not a real person. I'm convinced that Caruso is a crisis actor. They went to Central Casting in Hollywood, and they were like, we need somebody that looks like he's had all this talent drained by the Monstars.

Alex Caruso is, in fact, a real basketball player and not an actor.

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Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo

Lincoln Riley still has no signature win at USC

If you go through the Lincoln Riley résumé, this is a really long time since starting in '22 to not have that signature win. Give us one. Beat Oregon once and be like, 'Hey, look.'

This is an assertion about USC’s results under Lincoln Riley that can be checked against the record as of the episode date.
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Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo

The SEC will regain its national-championship dominance

It was still hard for me to believe that they're just not gonna win national championships now because of NIL. That's the kind of parity. I think the SEC is gonna turn this thing back around where they're gonna start rolling through people again.

The SEC’s future national-title results remain unresolved.
Open
Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo

BYU is ranked far too highly to be trusted

I was arguing Texas Tech being overlooked because at least they have some P4 wins in there. They looked like shit against Colorado. BYU is eighth in both polls. I'm not putting them in there.

Whether BYU deserves its ranking and can contend is evaluable over the 2026 season, which is not complete.