From 30 for 30 podcasts. Brian Pata, senior defensive lineman from Miami, gunned down. The key to this case, it's Brian. An hour before he died, he was on the phone arguing what's about. This might be a hit. You want the truth. They just want a conviction. They're placing the arrest. We had a killer amongst us. Murder at the U. Listen now. This is tonight's ESPN NBA Friday doubleheader. Cade Cunningham and the East leading Pistons host Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs at 7 Eastern, 6 Central. Then SGA will make his return as the West leading Thunder host Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. Ernie, Kenny, Charles and Shaq tip off our coverage at 6 o'clock. San Antonio's winning streak rolls on as the Spurs dismantled the Nets 126-110 last night to win their 11th straight game. The Spurs took the lead for a good two minutes into the game and did not look back. Seven Spurs players scored double-digit points in the route, and no starter played more than 28 minutes. Now, the Spurs are one and a half games back of the Thunder for the top seed in the West, the closest they've been to catching the Thunder since November 10th. The two teams do not match up with each other for the rest of the regular season, but we know we get SGA back tonight. Should OKC be concerned by the Spurs closing in on that one seed? Wendy, what do you think? I think they should be concerned about Victor Wimbanyama being a 7'5 pterodactyl who can destroy everything at the rim. That's what they should be worried about no matter where the game is played. Perk and I have had a funny thing with the Spurs. You know, for a couple of weeks ago, Perk was telling me, stop worrying about the Spurs' lack of experience. Just pay attention to this incredible player. And you know what? I agree with Perk. Look, I've decided to stop worrying about their lack of experience and start paying attention to the fact that they've got a generational player who can overcome it. But Perk is all worried about Oklahoma City and these recent losses, and I'm looking at the way they're playing, and I'm energized by the way Oklahoma City is playing. Without their top three ball handlers, they've been able to give more time to Kaysen Wallace. He's had three 20-point games. They've been able to develop guys, you know, 7, 8, 9 on their bench who I think they will be able to use later on. I think they've had some really good performances while Shea's been out. And, yeah, they've taken some losses, but this team has championship experience. I understand what Perk's going to say, that there were two game sevens last year at home, and I respect that. I'm not that worried about Oklahoma City's seed. I'm more worried about that man's health right there, and if he's healthy, I like their chances. Go ahead, Perk. You know, the one thing I love about the organization of Oklahoma City is that they always got love for me, and they never take anything personal, what I say, when it comes to speaking on the game of basketball. And what I'm about to say, I don't want the city of Oklahoma to be mad at me. I don't want the organization to be mad at me. I'm a huge SGA fan. But the San Antonio Spurs are going to win it all this year. The San Antonio Spurs is going to win the NBA championship this year. Not next year, not two years from now. They're going to win it this year. Yes, they have Wimby. We understand that. A true definition of a generational talent. A guy who can affect both ends of the floor. and a guy that has a mindset of a 10-year vet. But I look at the perimeter play that doesn't get enough recognition on both sides of the floor. They have a bunch of two-way dogs, big guards, big wings, duplicating what OKC have and what they've done to win the championship. And that one dog in particular is Stephon Castle. What I saw him do against Kay Cunningham two games ago in Detroit, Kay Cunningham had the worst game of the season, 5-for-26 from the field. And now they're a game and a half back from OKC. They're going to get the number one spot. And I don't want to hear anything about lack of experience because I believe they understand the mission. The mission is they want to get as many home games as they possibly can in this postseason and it's going to favor them. The San Antonio Spurs will win the NBA championship this year. No, they will not. Kendrick Perkins is wrong. They are not going to win the NBA championship this year. They're not even coming out of the West. this year. I believe one of the two teams, meaning the Denver Nuggets, meaning the Denver Nuggets or the Oklahoma City Thunder, despite losing four games in five beatings against San Antonio this year, will derail the San Antonio Spurs from going to the NBA Finals. I don't think they're beating both. I don't think they're getting through both to come out of the West. They will win a championship within the next two to three years with Wimben Yama. He's going to win several championships. Matter of fact, I would have put it past him to win it next year. I just don't think it's going to be this year because I think Shea Gildress Alexander is going to come back and remind everybody of who the hell he is. I think Jalen Williams ultimately will come back, and a combination of those two in the backcourt will be a huge help. And I think Holmgren and those guys will respond like champions do, and they'll answer the call. And I certainly believe that Jokic and Jamal Murray is going to have something to say about it. I respect the hell out of the San Antonio Spurs. They are ahead of schedule, and they deserve to be. Stephon Castle is that dude. No question about it. I think their record is like 9-2 against the top three seeds in the National Basketball Association. So Kendrick Perkins is not off his rocker. I don't blame him for making this prediction. It's not beyond the pale or anything like that. I just believe that between the Thunder and the Nuggets with Houston outside looking in, I got questions about their point guard play. That's why I'm not picking Houston in this equation. But I'm just looking at it from that standpoint, and I'm saying the San Antonio Spurs, as formidable as they are, I still don't – I'm still not picking them ahead of both Denver and OKC. One of those teams will get them, and Kendrick Perkins will be wrong with his prediction. Have you seen Denver over the last month and a half? What have you looked – when you watch the Denver Nuggets – Yoke hasn't been himself. I don't think that's going to continue. I don't think that's going to continue. Why? Why? Because I believe in Jokic. We're almost a month and a half away, damn near two months. I believe in Jokic as well, but it's the others for me. Like, they haven't shown me right now that they could be elite for his perimeter defense. They had a good win the other night against the Boston Celtics, but as Wendy alluded to yesterday on first take, the Boston Celtics were coming off a back-to-back. Nothing right now is convincing me that the Denver Nuggets are a real threat in the Western Conference. When you talk about soft tissue injuries that Aaron Gordon is battling right now, that hamstring, the same hamstring injury he battled last postseason. When you talk about Peyton Watson, a guy who's having a career year, he's out with a hamstring injury. And then I'm thinking about SGA, right? I know SGA is phenomenal, but he's coming back off a soft tissue injury as well, abdominal strain. So then we're looking at J-Dub just re-injured that soft tissue injury. And who's to say that they're going to play both of these teams in order to get to where they're trying to go? Because in a perfect world, if it happens the way I figure it's going to happen, I believe that the San Antonio Spurs are going to get the number one spot. The Oklahoma City Thunder are going to finish second. The Denver Nuggets are going to eventually finish third. And so the OKC Thunder and the Nuggets are going to have to duke it out to get to the Western Conference Finals. I'm not. Hold on. All right. What? I'm not picking San Antonio to get the number one seed. I think OKC is going to hold on to the number one seed. I think San Antonio is going to get the second seed. And also, I'm not worried. Listen, only only people I'm worried, only only team I'm worried about against OKC is San Antonio. I ain't worried about nothing else. They're going to roll through everybody else. They're going to hold on to the number one seed. All right, San Antonio's going to be a top two seed, and we'll go from there. And, oh, by the way, Wendy, I think Wendy will co-sign this. Perk, we've watched the Denver Nuggets on many, many occasions, and obviously with Jokic being hobbled to some degree but still doing what he does, we've seen at times where they haven't, quote, unquote, been themselves, and then the playoffs roll around, and they remind you who the hell they are, and they end up and they put you in a dogfight no matter who the hell they're going up against. I expect that Denver Nuggets team to show up in the postseason. That's why I'm saying what I'm saying. Wendy, final word. So, Shea, three years ago, I made an extra effort to get out to Oklahoma City in October to see Victor Wimbanyama's first ever preseason game against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Chet Holmgren. And I watched the first half of that game with 1,500 other people in that building, and I had goosebumps because I was so excited about where the future of this rivalry is going to be. And I listened to Stephen A. and I listened to Perk, and I think they're both making good points. And I'm excited. And I'm excited about Cooper Flagg. And last night I was over at the Clippers Arena, Intuit Dome. I got there at 4.30 in the afternoon. Perk, there was one player on the court at 4.30 in the afternoon. You know who it was? It was Anthony Edwards. And you know what? No, Anthony Edwards. Gotcha, I'm sorry. Anthony Edwards was practicing step-back three-pointers at 4.30 in the afternoon. And you know what happened last night? He made a step-back three-pointer over a double team to win the game. I know everybody's talking about, oh, man, I don't know what's going to happen with LeBron Steph I am extraordinarily excited And this potential coming back The league is in good hands Because I like watching Jokic also He my favorite player to watch This coming battle between the Spurs and the Thunder it's going to be awesome. And it's going to be awesome for years to come. And that's what I'm excited to watch. I don't know who's going to win it. Probably Oklahoma City this year. But, Perk, I want to see if you're proved right. I'm excited to watch. Can I say this to both of y'all while I'm at? I want to say this to both of y'all because I'm watching y'all every chance I get. You know that. And I'm watching these games. And I got to say this to y'all. Chet Holmgren can play. But I'm kind of disappointed. Are y'all not? I understand OKC is OKC. And he ain't Shea Butler. He's not Shea Gildress Alexander. I get that part. You know what I'm saying? I really, really do. But they told us beforehand when Benyama is coming. And, Wendy, you educated us about the somewhat rivalry and the sort of tense relationship that existed between Holmgren and Wimbenyama. Oh, yes. Holmgren's 7'1". I mean, the brother's 7'1". Now, the brother's 7'1". And he's not a scrub. And I don't mean to act like he's having some disappointing year. He is averaging 17 and 8, for crying out loud. But when I fantasized about Wimben Yama versus Holmgren, I expected to see more. I expected to see a more balanced rivalry there, I say. I'm not seeing that. We're hearing Wimben Yama all day, every day, every day. Do you realize if Chet Holmgren is anywhere close to Wimben Yama, there's nothing to talk about anybody beating OKC with Shea Butter and Jalen and those boys in the lineup? Is it me? Perk, I'm going to go to you first. I want to hear this from both of you. Is it me? No, I'm right there with you. And look, let me say this. Chet Hungred is one of those guys who's in the running for defensive player of the year. But with J-Dub being out and SGA being out, I was sitting back waiting for him to take that leap also offensive. So was I. Because right now, I put out a list the other day of my starting five for the Olympics in 2028, and Chet Holmgren wasn't the starting big. It was actually Jalen Dern. I'm waiting on him. 17 points is cool, but it ain't powerful. I'm waiting on him to start getting to that 22, 25-point range. Can he put up the same numbers we used to see from a healthy Anthony Davis? Can he take that leap? because now it's a gap. It's definitely a gap on the offensive side between him and Wimby. And, Wendy, let me tell you what came to my mind, why this came to my mind. I'm watching San Antonio beat the Detroit Pistons the other day. I still saw Durant drop 25-14. I'm looking for Chet Holmgren to sit up there and say, the hell with Wimby Yama. I don't like him that much, and I'm going at him too. He going to have to deal with me just like I'm going to have to deal with him. I'm waiting for that. You know what I'm saying? I'm just waiting for that. Well, I'll grant you that Chet Holmgren is not Victor Wembenyama, and I'll grant you that he is not a once-in-a-50-year player. But Chet Holmgren was awesome as a defender in the finals last year. That's why he's got a ring. Yes. He's an all-star this year at age 22. Yeah, we understand that. He's not going to match Victor. That's not what we're saying, Wendy. That matchup. And also, I'm going to tell you one thing. 2028, right here in L.A., you watch France versus the USA. Holmgren's going to be on Team USA. I understand Holmgren's not going to be a 30-17 guy. But that's 2028, Wendy. This is 2026, man. That's 2026. You got games going against them. Well, listen. Chet's got a gold medal around his neck when he beat Victor into U19 over in Europe a couple years ago. He's already got a ring. He's got his max contract. Chet's doing just fine. Wendy, Wendy, listen. I get what you're saying. No one is downplaying Chet Holmgren and saying he's not a good player. And it's not about Chet versus Wimby. We're talking about Chet versus the rest of the league. I'm ready to see, is he ready to take that leap from being an all-star caliber player to an all-NBA caliber player. The ceiling is not just for Chet to be a hell of a defender. The ceiling is for Chet to show the world that he's a bona fide number two option. And I can't sit up here and say that right now for his offense. I can't. And for me, it's just like, listen. I love his makeup. I'll take all your Chet Holmgren stock. Send it over here. Listen, we all like him, Wendy. We all like him. See, see, I'm going to call Wendy out of the National Center. I think you're missing it. We all like Chet Holmgren. We're not questioning anything that you feel about him. But one thing, there's another dude that's this generational talent that keeps ascending and ascending and ascending every day, and that's from your class. And it's like, yo, you 7'1", you can ball. You're an all-star. You're an all-world defensive player. It's like, don't let him get it all. Stop him. You go up against him, don't have him busting your ass four times in five games. Have something to say about that. Let everybody know, yo, even though this dude is something otherworldly at seven feet five, he going to have to deal with me too. And we standing here as the reigning defending NBA champions. And I got a lot to do with that. And we ain't trying to give it to you. I want to see that is all I'm saying. That's not too much to ask when we're talking about the game of basketball. That's not too much to ask. Real quick. I'm excited to watch. When they match up, when Chet and Wimby used to match up early, a year or two ago, they used to guard each other. Chet doesn't guard Wimby anymore. He actually guard Harrison Barnes when they play the center. I don't like that. I'm going to leave it there. I don't like that. It's a different discussion. I don't like that at all. I don't like that at all. Meanwhile, while Chet is figuring it out with the Thunder, the Spurs went unbeaten in the month of February. they scored at least 110 points while doing it. They are on a different trajectory. Coming up, what quarterback on the move this offseason could have a Sam Darnold-like impact with a new team? We'll go back to Indianapolis for this one. Plus, the Celtics, Jalen Brown. Are they one of the biggest surprises in the NBA this season? They are. Don't miss why someone here thinks it's borderline a lock that they reach the finals. Here's our ABC Hockey Saturday matinee doubleheader. The Rangers will face the Penguins at 1230 Eastern. Then the Bruins are in Philly to take on the Flyers. Both games also available on the ESPN app. Coverage drops at noon with the ABC Hockey Saturday pregame crew. Back on First Take with a quick take here. Ohio State linebacker Sonny Stiles, hello, seemed to absolutely steal the show at the Combine yesterday. This guy ran a 4.4640. Then he had a 43.5-inch vertical. Peter Schrager, you are there. How about Styles yesterday and what he was able to pull off? Done a lot of these combines. Speak to a lot of these GMs who have been to all the combines in recent years. And some of them go down in history as the greatest one-day performances ever. Chris Johnson running the 40s always talked about. Jordan Davis a few years ago. Sonny Styles' day yesterday might go down as one of the greatest combine performances we've ever seen here in Indy. Same height as Calvin Johnson, same weight as Derrick Henry, jumps as high as Nate Robinson, the basketball player, and then ran a 40 faster than Bijan Robinson and jumped higher than Julio Jones. And he does that with a charm and a smile that is absolutely blowing teams away. Sonny Stiles was the star of Thursday at the Combine and put himself in that Hall of Fame performance as far as Indianapolis workouts go. Yeah, I mean, you mentioned the discrepancies on height and weight. I mean, 6'5", 244, and jumping and running like that, so impressive. All right, yesterday, sources told ESPN the Colts gave quarterback Anthony Richardson permission to seek a trade. The 23-year-old Richardson was drafted fourth overall by the Colts back in 2023, but has only appeared in 17 of the Colts' 51 regular season games, since then throwing for 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Richardson joins an intriguing list of multiple quarterbacks that could be on the move this offseason. And there you go. You see them on your screen. So the question naturally coming off the Super Bowl we just witnessed with the Seattle Seahawks. What quarterback on that list or elsewhere could make a Darnold-like impact with a new team? Louis Riddick, Peter Schrager back here with us from the Indianapolis Combine. And Lou, I'll go to you first. Yeah, I'm going to go with Malik Willis, although his career path at this point in time is different than Sam Darnold's. But I understand what we're talking about as far as a guy who maybe people don't consider to be a true, Super Bowl caliber franchise quarterback at this point in his career? What kind of guy could kind of make that leap if you put him in the right kind of situation? I think, look, if you think about what Malik Willis has been already exposed to most recently the two years in Green Bay with Matt LaFleur, how about him going to Arizona with his brother Mike LaFleur, who's been brought up in football in the same type of system, the same kind of West Coast system, the same kind of run-centric, heavy zone scheme, play-action type of system that really Malik has run in Green Bay under his brother Matt already. Those are the kind of relationships and those are the kind of connections that you look for when you're trying to go ahead and project whether or not someone could really make that kind of career leap that we're talking about here, where you just put them in a situation where the relationship works, the scheme fit works, the overall philosophical approach of the football operation works, which you're hoping that things are going to turn around in Arizona to where they can really start extracting maximum value out of the players And then you just kind of let the ball roll from there And I think down there because of a couple of the things that may line up look obviously a lot of things still have to be decided as far as what they going to do with Kyler Murray but I think this is one of those situations where if you start looking at the breadcrumbs, they may lead you, these kind of breadcrumbs may wind up converging with Malik in Arizona, along with Mike LaFleur, to where you could have possibly a pretty productive combination right there and get a lot of mileage out of it. Traeger, go ahead. You know. I love that. Yeah, I love that one. And I'm excited to see Malik on the free agent market because I think he's going to get a lot more money than people might be projecting right now. I look at Kyler Murray. I know that's the obvious low-hanging fruit here, but a former first overall pick, former Heisman Trophy winner, who has taken the team to the playoffs and is now likely going to be out in Arizona for both cost reasons and also it's time for a fresh start for everybody. And where does Kyler go and what does he want to do with his career? There will be teams that are probably willing to offer him more money than the Minnesota Vikings, and there will be teams that might be offering a situation where he could play right away with no competition. But if I'm Kyler Murray, I'm doing everything I can to get to Kevin O'Connell, to get to Josh McCown, and to get to that Justin Jefferson-led offense up there in Minnesota to have his Darnold moment. That's where Darnold went for his career rehab. Get me out of these situations where these franchises are not stable and I don't have the weapons. Put me in a place where I could prove myself. Kyler Murray, undersized as we know, and yet when he is playing at his best, is as dangerous as any quarterback in the NFL. Defensive coordinators still lay awake at night wondering what they can do to stop and contain him. He's coming off a very serious injury, but he's also coming off a situation where the Cardinals lost their last nine games of the year without him and lost 11 of 12 games when he wasn't in the lineup. Let's not write off Kyler Murray just yet. There was a reason he was one of the highest, most sought-after quarterbacks in recent draft history. Is it possible to look at both of you guys, Peter, Lewis, and say you're absolutely right, but I don't give a damn? Is it possible to do that? Because that's where I'm at. That's where I'm at with these guys. That's where I'm at with these guys. I mean, I'm looking at, first of all, I'm blaming Shea and the producers for introducing this topic by mentioning Anthony Richardson, an individual we don't know if he can play in the National Football League. He's only 23. He's going to be 24 in late May. And this guy, last time we saw him, he was only completing 47% of his passes. He was throwing eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and he looked completely and utterly lost. That is the last time we've really seen. And I know he played two games last year that he didn't start in. But that's the last time we've really seen him. And so we don't even know he could play. When you go to Malik Willis' route, he's definitely going to get paid by somebody because the brother as a backup has shown on numerous occasions that he can ball. He reminds me of Huntley in that regard. When he comes in for Lamar Jackson or whatever, he can play. He may not win you games, but he certainly shows an ability to do so. and he could be behind center for somebody. I view Malik Willis that way. I know he can play. I think he deserves somebody to have some faith in him and throw a little paper his way and give him an opportunity to be the starting quarterback for their franchise. We'll see where that goes. Kyler Murray, you're absolutely right, Peter. Former number one overall pick. Here's where you lost me when you talked about how he should clamor to get to Kevin O'Connell. Let me say this. I know Kevin O'Connell can coach. I know the brother has proven he's a coach. I've heard Louis Riddick talk about him on many occasions along with yourself, Peter. And I'm going to defer to both of y'all expertise because, damn it, y'all know what the hell y'all talking about. But you can't know what you're talking about one minute, which you obviously both do, and then be devoid of an explanation for me as to how that man sat up there and let Sam Donald walk out of that building because of J.J. McCarthy. I know it was a business decision. I know you didn't want to give the brother $50 million or $55 like Trevor Lawrence and cats are making. I get that part. But you didn't have to let him go walk out the building. He signed for 33 a year with Seattle. You couldn't have paid him that? Now, you might say you wanted to throw those assets in another direction. But not when you got Justin Jefferson. Not when you got Addison. Not when you got Hawkinson. You got, I mean, you got a quarterback. You got an elite offense with those brothers. And to sit up there and to throw away a season because you decided that it was worth placing your faith into a quarterback that we last saw winning a national championship at Michigan a couple of years earlier, but got hurt before his rookie year with the meniscus tear and hadn't thrown a damn NFL pass. And that's the dude that you're going to place your faith in at the expense of Sam Donald, at the expense of Justin Jefferson, at the expense of Jordan Addison, at the expense of TJ Hawkinson, I think is a crime. So when we talk about Kyler Murray and how he needs to go to Minnesota, So it's like, yeah, right, I got it. But damn it, why they in this position to begin with. I'm not so sure. Floor of y'alls. Look, sometimes people make mistakes, man. Sometimes you feel as though a player is a little bit further along than maybe they actually are. And sometimes you have to learn by trial and error. There's a reason why they traded up to 10th overall to draft J.J. McCarthy. And there was plenty of evidence. Well, not plenty of evidence. There was enough evidence in other forums, meaning offseason workouts, meaning training camp workouts, meaning the one performance that he had during the preseason. And all their exposure that they had had to him in the meeting rooms, on the practice field, outside the building, to lead them to believe that, hey, you know what? If we can continue to kind of like shepherd this guy down the road, that we're going to get the kind of value out of him that we want. And it didn't work out that way. Sometimes it happens like that. That doesn't mean we need to start questioning, calling in the question of their capabilities, though. Why not? Why not? That's their job. That's their job. Listen. Because what have they just done with Sam Darnold? I got my wallet near me. I got my wallet near me. Sam Darnold got it up to a 14-2 record before he nose-dies the last two games or final games of the regular season and then a playoff game against his Rams when he got sacked nine times and he was on suicide rocks running for his life that damn game. I got that part. But I'm going to put you on the spot, Louis Riddick. Mr. Chippendales with the space in your tie. You can take it up a little bit. You know, God, let's say Mr. Chippendales. Let me say this to you, bro. Let me ask you this quick question. You know what, man? You know what I'm saying? Like, why do we all? Can't even look nice. It just never ends with this dude. Peter, you know me. Peter, you know me. I'm going to get at him every chance I get. You know how I'm doing. You know I love my man. You know how I'm going to get at him. Drew Lewis Riddick, let me ask you this question, bro, to end the segment. Would you have done that? Would you have let Sam Donald walk out of that building with the weapons you had for a guy that was an unproven rookie? Would you have made that call? Given what I knew about J.J. McCarthy at the time, I supported what they had done. Yeah, I did. Really? And I would have been wrong to at this point. Yeah, I would have. That's not a knock against Sam Donald. Because you know what, for everything that you're saying right now, there are plenty of people who came on this network and others who were crushing Sam Darnold, who said, let him go. He's showing that he's still the same old Sam. There were plenty of people who had plenty of reservations about it, and you know it. But for a rookie, though, I got that part about Sam. I'm just talking about juxtaposing that to the rookie that hadn't thrown an NFL pass. That's what I'm saying. If J.J. McCarthy had NFL experience, I stand down. But he hadn't thrown an NFL pass. No, we were going off of J.J. McCarthy's performance in early spring training and things like that or in camp, and that was part of the problem. Chippendales is bow ties, Stephen A. Not just – come on. Not regular. No. I got it. You got it. It is Louie, though. Peter, how would you know that? How would you know that, Peter? How would you know that? Drager. Oh, I don't know. I just – Riddick, enjoy the NFL Combine this weekend. We'll talk to you later. Goodbye, you guys. How confident are we in the Celtics winning the East? Someone here is ready to put their money where their mouth is. Plus, the Steelers came in dead last in the latest NFL PA survey. Stephen A., that's your team. Talk about that next. Few have impacted women's basketball quite like Don Staley, a trailblazing player at Virginia, a two-time Naismith College Player of the Year and the most outstanding player in the 1991 NCAA Tournament. After eight years as head coach at Temple, Staley took over the South Carolina program in 2008 and continues to set a standard of excellence. Since 2013, her teams have won eight SEC Tournament titles, played in six Final Fours, and won three national championships, including two of the last three. Staley, now the highest-paid coach in women's basketball, follows in the footsteps of black coaching pioneers such as C. Vivian Stringer and Carolyn Peck. But Staley's charting a groundbreaking path of her own, all while utilizing her platform to uplift and advocate for the next generation of black women coaching. I have them in Boston, but let me just say there's a little bit of an asterisk. The World Cup is in Boston. And I know that it's in Foxborough. But the Europeans and the South Americans are not going to stay in Foxborough. So I also believe that if Jason Tatum comes back, that that puts the Celtics a leg up. I am believing that World Cup hotels are going to be hard to get. And that Jason Tatum is going to be a difference maker. Okay. All right. That's where I got the hotel reservations. Okay, so Wendy is hotel rooms booked in OKC, San Antonio, and Boston. Let me just tell you, Wendy, you are ahead of the game. I would not even have been looking at this this far in advance, but nonetheless, your reaction to this, that means no Detroit is booked, that means no New York hotel rooms are booked. Stephen A. What are you asking me, Shea? I don understand the question Well it seems that he thinks these are the three teams that could potentially be in the finals OKC San Antonio I going to tell him that he has to add Denver to that list He has to add, you have to add Cleveland because it's possible. And if you're going to add, well, first of all, you definitely got to put Detroit. Got to put Detroit on that list. Got to put Detroit before Cleveland. So you got to put Detroit there on that list. You got to put Denver on that list. If you want to put Cleveland on the outside looking in fine, I would still put the New York Knicks on there because maybe they'll luck up and somebody else will run into the Pistons ahead of them and they won't have to face the Pistons because I think the Knicks can beat anybody else in the Eastern Conference, just not Detroit. So I add Detroit, Denver, and New York to that list. Perk? Uh-oh, can't hear Perk. Perk, are you there? It appears we can't hear Perk. So it looks like Stephen A has eliminated the Cavaliers from the list. So the Knicks, the Pistons, and Denver, he would add to the list. Wendy, go ahead and respond. All right, well, first off, we've got a big game in Detroit tonight, our all-access game. We've got a whole bunch of folks there. So I'll just have you know I have people giving me reports back on the hotels they're staying in Detroit tonight. I'm researching Detroit. Everywhere else, Stephen A, I'm cooling my jets on. I just want to see how it goes. We're still in February. We'll see how it goes. But I think the Eastern Conference is wide open. You can make a case for any of those top four teams, and you can make a case against any of those top four teams. And the one thing that I know is going to change, I don't think Carl Towns is all of a sudden going to get consistent every single game by April. I don't know if the Cavs are going to be able to consistently get strong play from their big men by April. The one thing in the Eastern Conference that can change is Jason Tatum. And I'm not saying that to apply any pressure. But if Tatum comes back, that's a game changer. Here's the part that we're missing. And listen, I play around and be facetious. Stay home because, I mean, I love the brother and I know he's a big-time player and all of this other stuff. But in all seriousness, we do have to remember with Jason Tatum healthy, with Jalen Brown in the lineup, they were about to get knocked out by the Knicks in the second round last year. Let's not forget that. So we're putting so much on Jason Tatum's return, knowing he's not going to be 100% when he returns, and not knowing how that's going to potentially compromise the Boston Celtics. We need to pay attention to that, number one. Number two, it is absolute blasphemy to pick somebody ahead of Detroit in the Eastern Conference right now. You can't do that. Detroit has to come before Boston. That much I will say. Kirk, it does feel like the Boston ceiling maybe is a little bit higher if Jason Tatum went or came back, right? You can't deny that. Perk's back now. Go ahead, Perk. No, you're right. And look, Jason Tatum comes back, I'm going to switch my pick. But I need to see at least an appetizer of 10 games, right, and see what he looks like. I have no worries when it comes to him fitting the system. The system hasn't changed. They still get up and down, shoot a lot of threes, space the floor, and they go isolation ball. Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown together, they are proven. But right now, Wendy, I agree with Stephen A. It's nowhere in hell you don't have reservations in Detroit. That is just crazy. They have a young superstar in K. Cunningham. They have perimeter defense. They have interior defense. They have everything across the board. Now, can they match you? I don't want you to look at what the San Antonio Spurs did to them. I think Jay Will said this a couple days ago on first take. I'm with him. It's a large gap between the Western Conference and the title contenders there than the title contenders in the East. But I have no problem with the Knicks being off of this list. I do not like this Knicks team coached under Mike Brown. They don't have an identity defensively. They don't have any physicality. The one thing about Tom Thibodeau is that Tom Thibodeau had this team playing hard, and he bought the best out of Carl Anthony Towns. Carl Anthony Towns is the most important player on the New York Knicks. I love Carl Anthony Towns under Tom Thibodeau. I don't even really like him too much under Mike. Last thing I'm going to say about this, Shea. A week from now, the Pistons will play the Cavs twice. we'll see who's healthy for the Cavs. Donovan Mitchell's not playing tonight. And they have a return game. They go to San Antonio next week. And I just said I'm researching Detroit hotels. So let's see. Let's see about next Friday. I'll learn a lot about those teams in the meantime. Okay. We're going to leave this here. I agree with you on the Thibodeau thing. Wake up. Oh, I don't know what that is. There he is. Aaron Glenn's asleep. Wake up. Stephen A is about to tee off on the Steelers after they came in dead laugh in the latest NFL PA survey. What led to that? We'll talk about it next. Yeah, main event Jey Uso, you sitting right here Uso watching ESPN. And yo, don't forget Elimination Chamber this Saturday only on ESPN. Yeats. ESPN app is your home for WWE premium live events. To watch, sign up for the ESPN Unlimited plan. If you have one of these paid TV providers, ESPN Unlimited is included at no additional cost. Just head to activate.espn.com. Follow the step to get set up and you are good to go. Then sign into the ESPN app and boom! The biggest WWE premium live events. All in one place. Anytime. Anywhere. Welcome back to First Take. So the NFLPA report cards were obtained by ESPN on Thursday, and the Steelers ranked 32nd overall and received an F, an F-minus in multiple categories. Yikes, you can see the F. Even a family, team travel, locker room, et cetera. Stephen A., you're a Steelers fan. Were you surprised by this? I'm sorry. Somewhat, but no wonder Mike Tomlin left. You know what? Clearly, he'll take a year off and there'll be better situations. He'll never speak against the Pittsburgh Steelers because they gave him the opportunity of a lifetime, and he coached there for 19 years. But this organization under Art Rooney II, I mean, right now, it looks like a disgrace compared to what his family has established for so many years. They've had three head coaches in the franchise history. They hired Chuck Knoll in his 30s. They hired Bill Cowher in his 30s. They hired Mike Tomlin in his 30s, and then they go out and they get a 62-year-old. Art Rooney II is clearly doing things differently, but certainly not better because while the Steelers, his predecessor, his daddy, his family members were winning championships, this man can't win a playoff game. So it is not a good situation when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steeler Nation deserves a lot better. They are obviously loyal to their franchise, as they should be. But this man and what he's doing to represent this franchise right now, it's not impressive, plain and simple. We expect better from the Roonies. And it's Art Rooney II's job to hold down the fort, and he ain't doing it. And it's just that simple. So people, somebody need to say something. So I'm going to say it. We ain't satisfied as members of Steeler Nation. We are not satisfied with this man. And this report card grade is just the latest piece of evidence, the latest nugget of evidence that the Steelers are not what they used to be. Steeler Nation should be very concerned about the leadership that they have in place moving forward. Yeah, this is unfortunate and disappointing, I guess. I feel like we always look to the Steelers as a franchise that is so well run, so on top of things, the way they treat their players and their facility. And now – Evidently not with this man. Home game field. Not with Aruny II. An F minus, like worse than MetLife? I mean, that is – Family treatment, playing surface, travel, locker room. I'm trying to figure out how the hell with all of those categories being an F, ownership gets a D. As far as I'm concerned, ownership deserves an F before any of it because all of this is a result of the ownership. Yeah, this is unfortunate and disappointing and quite frankly, a little surprising coming out of Pittsburgh. OK, after the break, this is also a little surprising. The Atlanta Hawks have taken an unusual promotion to a whole new level. Tell you what that is next. Welcome back to First Take. You know, the Hawks have a bit of an unusual promotion planned for March 16th. They're paying tribute to Magic City, Atlanta's famed strip club. Worth noting, the club's famous lemon pepper wings, which I do hear are fire, will be part of the promotion. I'm just going to leave this here. Go ahead, Perk, Stephen A., your thoughts on Magic City night. I have no problem with it whatsoever. Magic City in Atlanta, Magic City is Atlanta. When you talk about the culture, you can't bring up Atlanta without saying Magic City. And listen, I'm going to tell you this. It's not one NBA player in the history of the NBA that hasn't been to Magic City when they went to Atlanta. They are playing the Magic City. Let me piggyback off of what Big Perk just said. It ain't just the basketball players that have frequented that in the past. You know, listen, long time ago, long, long, long time ago, I've been there. I can confirm that the lemon pepper wings are delicious and that the scenery is fabulous and that it is, I mean, it is an iconic cultural landmark. I understand its celebration. I have no problem with it whatsoever. I just needed to say that. You know who's husband is going to be on the call for this game? The Magic City game? Yours. My husband. Okay? So I'll be excited for that. Hard work.
