Takes

Victor Wembanyama is the #1 player in the NBA based on 'things' per game

He's got a new stat... it's just called 'things'. It takes into account everything: points are things, rebounds are things, blocks are things, steals are things. And Wemby leads SGA in things this season on a per game basis by quite a bit. He's the number one guy in the NBA in terms of things per game.

The NBA's 65-game award rule was specifically created because of Joel Embiid

It's a thousand percent... it's literally the Joel Embiid rule. No, this rule was made because of Joel Embiid. They made the rule because of Joel Embiid because people were upset that he won the MVP and they didn't think that he played enough games.

Nikola Jokic has nearly as many triple-doubles as Joel Embiid has total games played since Embiid won the MVP

Jokic, since Joel Embiid won the MVP, has 87 triple doubles. Joel Embiid has played in 91 games. So Jokic has almost as many triple doubles as games that Embiid has played in since he won the MVP.

I bet on the Celtics at 15-to-1 odds to win the NBA Finals

I I did put a bet on the Celtics... 15 to one. Oh Nice. Yeah. That's huge... I swear to God I wasn't even thinking about bringing it up.

The claim that I ran Kevin Durant out of Golden State is closer to the truth than the claim that I begged him to join the team.

The one that is probably closest to the truth is I ran [Kevin Durant] out of town... Because I'm not begging anyone for this... I don't quite know if I ran him myself. But I'll take that one.

I have a top-five basketball IQ in the NBA

I definitely 1000% have a top five basketball IQ in the NBA for sure... Myself, [LeBron], Joker... Chris Paul... and Luca.

Cameron Boozer was named after Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium

And [Cameron Boozer] was named after the stadium. ... Yeah, it's a fact.

V.J. Edgecombe's NBA debut was the best since Wilt Chamberlain

VJ Edgecombe. Absolute beast. That's how, that's how you rebuild right there... Best NBA debut since Wilt Chamberlain. Wow. It's crazy. It's a crazy stat. Most points in his NBA debut since Wilt Chamberlain... 34 [points] in a win over the Celtics.

Obama calls 'bullshit fouls' in pickup basketball

I heard from someone that's hooped with him [Obama]... I heard that He calls bullshit fouls... In pickup. It is Mark against his person. No, absolutely... Weak ass fouls and pick up basketball.

Nikola Jokic cares more about his horses winning than winning NBA championships

It was abundantly clear that [Jokic] cares more about his horse winning races than he does about winning NBA championships.

The 1992 Dream Team practices were more intense than the actual Olympic games

The practices were the most intense things I've ever been through in my life. Because you had Michael [Jordan] and Clyde [Drexler] who hated each other... The games were easy. But let me tell you something. Those practices were like game sevens.

The Indiana Pacers were a physical and sneaky aggressive defensive team in the 2025 playoffs

I knew what it was going to be like Indiana, we knew how fast they were going to play and they were sneaky, aggressive defensively through the playoffs and nobody was really talking about it. But they were really physical.

Ben Simmons hitting threes in a wide-open gym is the official sign of summer

We have the first sign of summer and it's Ben Simmons in a wide open gym hitting threes. He looked good. He looked so good... That's, that literally means summer's here.

I am statistically a better basketball player than Kevin Durant and Steph Curry

Career player efficiency rating. [Big Cat: Yours is 25.3. It is higher than... Kevin Durant, Charles Barkley, Tim Duncan, magic Hakeem and Steph Curry.] ... Statistically you only show statistically we only show the numbers. This is the number.

The 2025 NBA Finals is effectively the Paul George Finals because he built both rosters.

We may be headed to a finals where both teams were built on the back of trading away Paul George. The Indiana Pacers traded Paul George to Oklahoma City for [Victor] Oladipo and [Domantas] Sabonis. Sabonis developed as a player and then they traded him for Tyrese Haliburton. The Thunder meanwhile traded Paul George for SGA and seven pick swaps, one of which turned into Jalen Williams.

The 2011 Miami Heat lost the Finals because they hadn't learned to sacrifice yet

After we lost in that finals, that's humbling. We all was very, we all got some humble pie very quickly... We realized we was trying to show that we could play together and we wasn't sacrificing at first, we were hooping.

NBA 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.

Nikola Jokic is the best basketball player in the world and was since his rookie year

I thought he was the best basketball player in the world... I watched it and at the end of the practice they asked me, said, what'd you think? I said, I don't know who that fat kid is over there, but he's your best player. And it's not even close.

I gave my NBA MVP vote to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

I actually voted for Shai. And it was a very, very, very hard vote... The Thunder had 18 more wins than the Nuggets. Right. At some point I don't always vote for the guy who's the highest in the standings, but at some point that matters.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have the most assets to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo if he becomes available.

I think the Thunder actually have the most [assets] of all. If [Giannis Antetokounmpo] becomes available, those GMs that have been keeping their picks, they're gonna pull the trigger.

I beat Deshaun Stevenson in a three-point contest while shooting with only one hand

Deshaun Stevenson started, you know, talking. So I said, bro, I'll beat you with one hand... and I beat him with the one hand.

He woke up every day in January convinced he was going to be fired

When we were that, that stretch in January where we weren't playing well, I was woke up every day and told myself I'm getting fired if we don't turn. I'm, I'm, I'm done... and I would tell the staff too, I'm like, guys, we're done. Like, you know, we don't figure this thing out, you know, like we, we just, we don't deserve to coach here.

Paul George has uploaded more podcast clips to YouTube than he has made field goals since joining the 76ers.

Since joining the Sixers, Paul George has uploaded more podcast clips to YouTube—228—than field goals made—191. Respect the grind. His social guy is doing a great job. Like 228 podcast clips... you know how to generate revenue. That's pretty good. But then the field goals made, 191... that doesn't sound quite as great.

Kobe Bryant would make me do defensive drills for two hours without ever touching a basketball

I've never been to a workout where I go first off at six o'clock in the morning and we do defense for two hours. We would have days where we would not dribble a basketball. For two hours, two and a half hours. And he was so technical, like, no, you can't slide that way. He was insane.

Joel Embiid believes the current LeBron James is not the same as the dominant version from years ago

The LeBron now is not the LeBron that was a couple of years ago. So it's a big difference. Everybody would also tell you, and you can see for yourself, the athletic LeBron dominant that he was a couple years ago is not the same that he is now.

I would have been a D1 basketball player for Auburn if I had prioritized it over baseball

I would like to think just my competitive nature that I could have gone and played D1 basketball. If I put as much time and effort as I did into baseball, into basketball, I felt like I had a really good chance at doing that. And being an Auburn fan, I would've loved to go to the Auburn Tigers.

JJ Redick's coaching experience is basically limited to being a fourth-grade volunteer

Everyone [is] talking about JJ Redick's coaching experience [being] fourth grade volunteer. That was a bad graphic they showed... fourth grade volunteer head coach.

The Boston Celtics championship parade was the biggest in NBA history

Biggest, biggest parade in NBA championship history. Is that a fact? 1.5 million people.

I wasn't going to fake a celebration for the cameras just because the Celtics won the championship

I just don't know really. Like I was thinking that what should I do? And I kind of knew that that was gonna be the reaction, but I also wasn't gonna fake it. Like I wasn't gonna drop to my knees and be like, you guys knew you were gonna win after game three.

A bad shooting day in an empty gym for an NBA pro is still making 65-75% of shots

A bad shooting day for me, I'm probably making 65% of my shots. And that's like a's like a bad, like I'm bricking nobody in the gym, empty gym. ... If we go do we do a hundred threes a bad day, I'm making 75 outta a hundred. That's like a terrible day... A normal day 80 plus out of a hundred... [Normally] 90, 92, 93 out of a hundred.

The Mavericks' team defense is much better than their reputation suggests

They were the number one defensive team for the last six weeks of the season, which is one of the most amazing things that we saw happen... Maverick fans are really pissed off that Luca... didn't get more credit. there was like one game against the Clippers where I was like, 'oh my God, Luca's like making game-changing defensive stops.'

Nikola Jokic is the best basketball player in the world, and that's a fact

I am so happy that I'm alive, that I am blessed to be able to do a sports podcast while Nikola Jokic is playing basketball because holy shit, he is the best. ... remind everyone that yes, I am the best player in the world. And that's a fact.

In the NBA playoffs, the team that wins Game 5 when a series is tied 2-2 wins the series 85% of the time

I think it's what, 85% somewhere around there in basketball. The team that wins Game five when it's tied 2-2. They going to win the series. We have to, as a sports podcast, we have to remind everybody that I think it's legally required.

A wrist injury has turned Josh Hart into a lethal three-point shooter

Josh Hart said when he took a half court heave to end the second quarter... he felt his wrist click and it almost clicked back into place. Said he went to Brunson at the half and told him 'I can shoot threes now.' It is basically the plot from Rookie of the Year... Josh Hart is now just a lethal three-point shooter because his wrist clicked.

The Phoenix Suns' 'all-in' move is an all-time disaster

This has maybe been one of the greatest, like rich guy buys a team who thinks he's the smartest guy in the world... does a bunch of all-in moves and it blows up in record time. They have zero first round picks from 2025 to 2030. They have zero second round picks... They have one pick in the NBA draft between now and 2031. That's insane.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have never won a playoff series without LeBron James

Fun fact, little fun fact. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Dan Gilbert has never won a playoff series without LeBron James.

Approximately 27 to 30 NBA players could lead a 16-seed to a National Championship

I was gonna go like triple. Way more triple, triple that maybe. 30, maybe 40... guys in the NBA are so good, man. Yeah, yeah. Like you gotta automatically think bigs have an advantage 'cause it's college. So like the big is back, right? Yeah... We'll go with this. 27. 27.

The worst shooter in the NBA would be the best shooter on any college team

I've seen JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard go shot for shot from the three point line to five spots... and y'all would never trust them to shoot like outside in the game... the worst shooter on the NBA team would be the best shooter on a college team. Yeah. And like that's even including big men.

The average person has zero chance of recording five rebounds in an NBA game, even if offered $10 million to do so.

You could give you $10 million right now... or you had to go get like five rebounds in the NBA game for like $10 million. And people are like, I think I could do it. You couldn't, bro... I'm six five and somewhat athletic and like pretty heady... I average like three and a half rebounds at night... you're not getting five.

The NBA investigation into Jontay Porter for prop betting irregularities is a bad look

My Hot Seat is Jontay Porter. Raptors center is under an NBA investigation into irregularities on his prop betting involving him. There was a couple times where he basically started a game, took himself out because of a eye injury. And on those games there was a bunch of action on his prop bets. Unders... This is bad.

Caitlin Clark currently faces ten times more hate than Duke.

I don't even know how, how people have found this much hate in their heart for [Caitlin Clark] again. She she has like Duke Times 10 hate. Yeah. It's crazy.

Tristan Thompson took cheap steroids intended for physical appearance rather than performance

Tristan Thompson... Got busted for steroids... I went immediately to my number one source of steroids in the world that I know named Billy Football. And he said the craziest thing is that he was taking Broke Boys steroids. Oh. Stuff Frat Boys and Talkers used to bulk up... He was doing it for the look, not for the functionality.

Jimmy Butler once went an entire summer without watching TV to focus on his game

Jimmy's probably the toughest competitor I've ever been around. And you know, it started right away. He worked his ass off and you know, the sacrifices that he made in the summers were just unbelievable. I mean, people don't know this, but he was going whole summers, no tv.

Taylor Swift has more banners at Staples Center than the Clippers do

Anytime a Clippers fan talks shit to me, I tell them that Taylor Swift has more banners at [Crypto.com Arena] than the Clippers do.

The Jeremy Grant contract was the straw that broke the camel's back for Damian Lillard

The biggest loser in free agency is Jeremy Grant. Jeremy Grant got 150 million to return to the Trailblazers. Now on paper you're like, wow, that's a great deal. But the contract was the straw that broke the camel's back for Dame. He was like, this is, this is what we're doing in free agency. We're resigning Jeremy Grant. Yeah, fuck you guys. I'm out.

Only Jokic, Luka, and Giannis are untradeable for the Wembanyama pick

Jokic, you'd hang up. Luka, you'd hang up. Giannis, you'd hang up. Embiid, you'd trade him. Tatum probably [trade him]. Booker... the list is probably like three guys. ... Normally I'd go, well wait, I don't wanna trade a guy who I know has already done it for somebody that I've never seen actually do it. But that's how special Victor is.

Victor Wembanyama can defend the basket and the three-point line at the same time

He can defend the basket and the three point line at the same time. And I tell that to people and they go, you are out of your mind. Why would you even bother saying that? Because I'm telling you, I saw it. He'd be in the protecting the front of the rim. Kick it out to the corner and he would get out there in time to block it.

Joe Mazzulla's resume is not that different from Ime Udoka's

Missoula's been obviously criticized a lot, but if you actually put up his resume next to Ime Udoka, it's not that dissimilar. Like they went, I think what the Celtics last year, they swept the nets in the first round, then they went seven, then they went seven and then they got, they lost in the finals. I mean this year obviously they went six in the first round, but they seven and seven, they, they came up short tonight.

LeBron James and Nikola Jokic are incredibly similar players

I think LeBron James and Nicole Yoic are very, very similar. Hmm. And when and the eye test you say hell no. Like one's a great athlete freakish and the other guy can't jump over the Sunday newspaper. But you get away from that. Both those guys, their iq, their unselfishness, their ability to make everyone better and impact the game.

Doc Rivers holds the NBA record for the most losses by a coach in games with a chance to clinch a series

Doc Rivers is now 17 and 33 straight up with a chance to clinch a series. That means 33 losses is the most of any coach in NBA history with a chance to clinch a series. 34% when his team has a chance to clinch.