After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 1

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Minimum order $10. Additional terms apply. On this Thursday night, last night of the work week, your host is once again a law breaker. But this time it wasn't my fault. You know sometimes I have a loose interpretation of speed limits.

I'll just readily admit that. And I feel like driving in New York City has turned me into someone who interprets traffic laws a little differently. Man, if you don't drive like you stole in New York, you are in danger of getting run over.

But that's not what I'm talking about. On this Thursday night, I was a law breaker because I pumped my own gas in New Jersey. There was no attendant. There's a guy on the other side of the pump and me and we're waiting and we're waiting and we waited for a good two minutes and no attendant came out. It's illegal in New Jersey to pump your own gas. But I had to get to work and I didn't have enough gas and no attendant came out and I'll just say I was following the lead of the man on the other side of the pump.

He did it so I decided I would do it too. But now I'm paying for it because I swear I did not spill gas. I'm not one of those soccer moms who doesn't know how to pump her own gas. My hands smell like gas.

I have not only used three different kinds of hand sanitizer but I also tried wipes and they still stink like gas. So I tried to eat some goldfish which is generally my pre-show snack and not the goldfish smell like gas as well which is just gross. So anyway I guess that'll keep me from eating too many goldfish.

But yep that's it. I don't know if there's a camera on the pumps. I will just say if you're going to leave your gas your gas pumps unattended and just look at us out the window while we're sitting there then I suppose we're left to our own devices. So again not my fault. I was either going to pump my own gas or not come to work which I guess I could have called it and said hey sorry.

Not that there are any bosses awake when I start the show. That isn't a thing. But I could have left a message for someone, emailed someone, oh sorry I couldn't get to work because in New Jersey I wasn't able to get gasoline. Don't! But instead I broke the law for work.

Huh. I wonder if there's any kind of special dispensation or compensation for that. I broke the law for work. Can you bail me out of jail? Ew actually I'm not even sure I would call any of my bosses to bail me out of jail. I don't trust that that would happen. So here I am law breaker and all if the authorities come in and drag me out of the studio in the middle of the show just nod and smile and continue on your merry way because soon we'll get to Friday.

Oh that rhymed! It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. One of these days the gasoline smell will wear off but just trust me you don't want to be in the studio with me right now. Marco's going to notice it when he gets in here I'm sure. But whatever it's almost Friday so yeah I wish I could tell you I cared.

Well I care because my goldfish smell like gasoline but other than that I don't really care. This is the worst apology in the history of the world but I'm not going to be one of those people who apologizes just because it's in the script because I'm not actually sorry. So if you want to lambaste me you can find me on Twitter A Law Radio and then also on our Facebook page After Hours with Amy Lawrence. The NBA is back. I know I know try to contain your excitement.

Let's keep it to a dull roar shall we? Yes the NBA is back and the top two seeds currently best at the break shall we say. The Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics both in action as were Luca and Kyrie and the Dallas Mavericks. Oh it was lippy and chippy between the Sixers and the Grizzlies. So that was fun.

I enjoyed especially the end of that game. And in addition are you ready for this? Aaron Rodgers squinted. He blinked a bunch. He asked for his sunglasses.

But since it was not night when he emerged from the darkness eventually his eyes readjusted. I know you were worried. People sent me all kinds of funny memes on our Facebook page about Aaron Rodgers coming out of the darkness.

One of them is my favorite. In spite of myself I laughed out loud. It's a dumpster.

You know the kind of dumpster you would see in a big grocery store parking lot or a mall parking lot. And the door is opened from the inside. So it slides open from the inside and a raccoon emerges. And he's stretching and looking around and blinking. He's taking a nap in there apparently.

Yeah so the memes aren't hysterical. I can't confirm nor deny that Aaron Rodgers actually came out of the darkness. So I'm being somewhat tongue in cheek because I don't know that he did. You know how he feels about reports. But he is at this point keeping his journey. His decisions. Any decisions. Decisions about life.

Decisions about the darkness. He's keeping them all to himself. So oh yeah it's actually on NFL memes. You know what when I because this is really funny so someone sent it to me on our Facebook page but I see it right now on NFL memes. I will retweet it when I have an opportunity because it's a hoot. We actually thought we won't do memes. Instead we will take your song submissions as we welcome Aaron Rodgers back to the light. I'm all about the imperial march in the Empire Strikes Back.

That's me. I don't know that once you've walked down that path to the dark side that you can ever return. But Darth Vader did it.

So I'll take the imperial march any day. He has not tweeted. There are no big announcements.

But it's gone off the deep end in the coverage of Aaron Rodgers and his darkness retreat. Here's my only question. How much money did he pay to go into this darkness retreat?

That's all I want to know. Because if you want I'm happy to sit in the darkness at home just to try this experiment for myself. Some of you have basements. Some of you have garages with no windows. How much do you think he paid? For a room. It's a cabin-ish. It's in the woods somewhere in Oregon.

It's getting a whole lot of free publicity. I'll tell you that much. It's a dark room that does have a light switch and a fireplace. So how dark is it if there's a fireplace?

Did anybody hear that there was going to be a fireplace with the wood routinely restocked once a day? How dark is it? Can I tell you one time when I lived in Connecticut?

This is back in my previous network. In my town we got hard hit by an ice storm. And my town actually was without power for longer than any other town in Connecticut.

9 days. I had friends that went 11 days without power. I went 9 days without power.

Obviously that requires some drastic measures. So for instance, everything that was in my fridge and freezer that needed to be kept cold that I couldn't eat or use right away was out in the ice on my deck. I continued to fill up a cooler and kept that filled with ice so that I could keep stuff cold.

But the biggest deal of course was the fact that it was freezing. So inside my house it got down to 41 degrees. I had a wood stove. At night I would fire up the wood stove and thankfully it heated the entire lower level of my townhouse to the point where it was really warm. The temps would get up into the 60s.

It was great. I camped out in front of that wood stove. Now it didn't really warm up the top floor, but it's okay because I like to sleep better when it's cold. Unlike the people who, this actually happened in Connecticut, people brought their grills inside and fired them up. And then died obviously because that's going to poison you.

So anyway, I didn't do that. I was fine sleeping upstairs in the cold. But the wood stove not only warmed the place up, but also gave me a lot of light. So if he had a fireplace, is it really in the dark? He also had food delivered. How exactly would he know what was in the packages or how to eat or even how to find the silverware if it wasn't at least somewhat light? There had to be windows. A darkness retreat, there's a fireplace, there's food, there's a bed, there's a commode, there's even a bathtub. Now I can imagine that you'd be able to figure out where the faucet is for the bathtub if you fumbled around a little bit.

And you could probably wash, I think I took a shower, washed myself when I had no power, but eating in the dark? I don't know about that. I think this whole story is a big, it's a con.

That's what it is, it's a con. He had a fireplace. That's not darkness. Actually that sounds really nice. A cabin with a fireplace, food delivered twice a day. Do you know how much I would sleep the whole time? I would become like my 13 year old dog, 13 and a half actually, and sleep 18 hours a day. Oh it would be so amazing. Read, maybe do a little singing, but sleep.

Sleep with the fireplace going. It would be amazing. Absolutely amazing. So I hope for his sake he really took advantage of the amenities and didn't just sit there like a dope in darkness the whole time. But we don't actually know this because he hasn't indicated anything. In fact I'm not sure, do you think that some of our various news and sports outlets were camped out on the edge of the property waiting for Aaron Rodgers to depart the dark room? I wear my sunglasses at night so I can't.

Do you think he was wearing sunglasses inside just to make sure it was extra dark? No? Am I the only one who finds this amusing? I cannot believe there were reports about when Aaron Rodgers emerged from the darkness. What has happened to the quality of the news? Seriously, what is happening? Are we stalking Aaron Rodgers? Stop it. And the thing is, the more we do it, and by we I'm referring to the collective media, because I do obviously know that I'm a member of the media.

The more we do it, the more empowered he is to pull off these types of stunts. I'll tell you this, the day that someone follows him to Peru for his next ayahuasca treatment, I'm out. I'm out.

No. Negative ghost rider. I mean he's wacky enough as it is. I do not need to see a well strung out, whatever he is, having a reunion with his dead relatives and they're all touching him.

I don't need any of that. But were there people camped out at this southern Oregon facility where he was in the darkness with his fireplace and his food? I don't even believe it. I'm telling you it's a con. He conned us.

The name of the retreat is out there on the web if you want to know and try it yourself. Do you think they got some free publicity? I'll bet the owner, his name is Scott, is frothing at the mouth over all the free publicity. He is.

He's psyched. Thank you Aaron Rodgers. In fact, you can stay here for free. We'll even stoke your fireplace twice a day and bring you meals.

Anything you want. The only thing that's kind of ew is the toilet's in the middle of the room. That's ew. Yeah, no. So apparently the owner of the facility said that Rodgers left his dark room on Wednesday.

So four days I guess would go back to Sunday. I wonder if he ever turned the light on. There's a light switch in there. Do you think he turned the light on or just went with the fireplace? That's cheating.

You know that, right? The fireplace is cheating. Don't tell me you're going to be in sole darkness for four days and then have a fireplace. Liar, liar, pants on fire. Oh, wait, I hope your pants weren't on fire.

That would be a problem if you're stumbling around in front of a fireplace and you're in total darkness. So anyway, this is what it's come down to. We're stalking Aaron Rodgers. Gross. Is it me or has his story evolved into one that so starkly resembles Brett Favre's? Do you remember when people were camped out at Brett Favre's, I think it's a farm, his huge property in Hattiesburg, Mississippi?

People were camped out there. Remember Ed Werder? He didn't leave Hattiesburg for months. It was his personal crusade. It was his personal assignment.

He obviously was working for an employer. Aaron Rodgers, deciding, once again, retire or not retire, similar to what Brett Favre did and how the media hung on, stalked him, staked out his property, reported, I'm using my eric quotations, on his every move. And remember, the reports were that the Packers were ready to move on after three years of Aaron Rodgers in waiting.

So now Jordan Love in waiting. But there are conflicting reports. There are just as many reports that indicate that Rodgers is welcome back to Green Bay and that he will return to Green Bay as there are the opposite. Remember we played for you the Drew Rosenhaus audio and he's an agent, but he's the agent for Aaron Jones, the great running back for the Packers. And he was saying that they're prepared to move on, that the split is coming.

That's his opinion. That's the temperature in the building, according to Drew Rosenhaus. And there have been other media members in the Green Bay area, Wisconsin, who say that yes, the Packers are done with the shtick. However, now we're starting to hear more reports from insiders. Now not inner circle, don't confuse that. Inner circle and insiders are not the same thing. We all know that we are not in Aaron's inner circle. So, it's a little bit like a, it's deja vu.

It's like Groundhog Day. Brett Favre and now Aaron Rodgers. The Packers may want the split. Rodgers may want to return. The Packers will have to decide. Rodgers may go to the Jets.

I mean, I feel like he should just because. Following Big Brother, if you will. So 18 years in Green Bay and it's come down to this. We're stalking him on his darkness retreat. By the way, and I'll retweet this now so that you can answer if you want to, it was a post that I put up at the end of our last show when I decided I wanted to take the temperature in the room, so to speak. And I wanted to ask you if you would rather have, now this is assuming your team needs a quarterback or just assuming you don't like your quarterback.

Maybe you don't like the one you've got and you're ready to upgrade. Considering age, ability, money, because money is always a factor in the NFL, personality, what we know of Derek Carr versus Aaron Rodgers, and the drama or the lack thereof. Now some people would tell you that Derek Carr is dramatic or melodramatic. He cries. I mean, you know my rules.

Real men cry. They wear pink and they're not afraid to carry their woman's bag. Just saying. They're a significant other. Not afraid to carry her bag. Whatever it looks like. Maybe it's a fufu purse. Maybe it's a purse with a dog in it. Not afraid to carry the bag.

That's what real men do. So anyway, I don't have a problem with Derek Carr crying. Would you rather have Aaron or Derek as the QB if your team is in need, considering all the factors?

So I just retweeted. I gotta tell you, I'm getting tons of responses and I would say at least 60% of you, probably close to 2 thirds of you, are saying you'd rather have Derek Carr. Now you'd commit less money to him per year, but you'd probably have to commit to him for more years. Aaron has got 2 years left on a very fat contract that pays him 50 million plus per year. But let's be fair, Aaron's a better quarterback than Derek Carr. Aaron's a Hall of Famer. Neither one is coming off a great season. So I retweeted and you can respond and join the party.

Who would you rather have, considering all factors? It's either on Twitter, A Law Radio, or After Hours CBS. Now some of you are sending me the raccoon and the dumpster meme. Oh my gosh. Why do my hands smell like gas?

And then also on our Facebook page you can answer there too. We're gonna dive into what is the post All-Star break restart of the NBA. Kyrie's smiling. I don't even know what that means anymore.

It means he's got something up his sleeve usually. So we've got the 2 time reigning MVP up to his old tricks. The Nuggets and the Celtics both playing. Mention the Mavericks. Also the Lakers and the Warriors. Still no Steph Curry. But LeBron James.

So we'll get to NBA. But I'd love to hear from you Aaron Rodgers. The songs.

The songs that he needs for his darkness, well emerging from the darkness, for his darkness departure. I'm having way too much fun with this. Thanks for joining us.

Final show of the work week. And for those of you who might want to share any details, if you've got more details about the darkness retreat because you've been thinking about it all day. Because you two were stalking those who were stalking Aaron Rodgers. Just admit it. Admit it. You can't turn away. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

You are listening to the After Hours podcast. Now Nicole Jokic at the point. Jokic has it inside the arc. In the corner Murray. Head fake on the 3. Jump pass to Joker. And a 3.

Got it again. 4 point lead for Denver 109 to 105. 4 minutes to go.

Donovan Mitchell. Right to the rack. Bank shot. No good.

Tip won't go. 3 down. Loose ball down to Porter. Denver's pushing the pace. Porter to the rack. Wings in. Layup.

Got it. 22 for Mike. Nuggets back in the lead by 4.

111 to 107. This bad boy's going to come right down to the wire. Gets it off to Nicole Jokic at the elbow against Jared Allen.

Here comes the double team. He throws behind him to Casey. Wide open 3. Porter.

Got it again. 25 for Michael Porter Jr. And the Nuggets push the lead up to a nickel. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. The Denver Nuggets are at it again and so is their number 1 player. Nicole Jokic 24 points. 18 rebounds. 13 assists.

Now he did have 7 turnovers but a big push down the stretch along with Michael Porter Jr. who finishes with 25. That's Jason Kosmiggi on Nuggets Radio. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Michael Malone's crew. Now he didn't call this the worst basketball game ever played. That was the all-star game just a few days ago. Instead he likes what he saw from his team in the second half. The first half they had 40 in the paint. A big point of emphasis at halftime. They were getting that through dribble penetration and screening rolls.

Their roller was getting behind us. And the most important thing is the fourth quarter our defense was at its best by far. They only had 8 pain points in the fourth quarter. They only had 18 points in the fourth quarter.

So when you're down by 5 or 6 in the fourth you're putting Nicola back in. How are you going to come back and win against them? That's a really good basketball team. They're going to make a deep run. A well coached.

A lot of talent. A lot of length in their defense. It's tough to score on.

But you're getting Nicola back in. You've got to make shots against that defense from the 3. Michael Porter stepped up.

KCP stepped up. Made some big, big shots. They're really talented. I think they're really deep. They were a missing group.

They were long. Especially the two big guys. They're talented. They can score. So they're a really, really good team. And they're playing really good at home.

So I'm just glad that we found a way to beat them. The Nuggets have the best record in the West. And they're clear of the rest of the conference by a few games.

It was 5 at the break. But did you know they're only one game above 500 on the road? So this actually put them above 500 on the road this victory in Cleveland. So that's one area where they're weak. Same thing with the defense. People talk about them with their defense and how they're not a physically tough team.

Well, they were able to get this victory and they had 6 different players in double figures. But once again, it's Jokic who lights up the Nets and who's out there doing so much work. Really every play he's involved in. He's the MVP.

You know what I mean? When the MVP goes out and puts up a triple-double, that means he's impacting the game at a high level across the board. And I think the most important stat, and he's going to set the record this year for most assists per game by a center in NBA history. He's going to blow it out of the water because he's going to average 10-plus assists per game. But his playmaking ability to generate the shots and the quality of shots that he does every night is just remarkable. There's a lot of guys that can score. There's a lot of guys that can rebound.

But the playmaking and the ability to make everyone around him better is what makes him truly a historically great basketball player. So Michael Malone, he is back into actual basketball that matters. Basketball that is worth watching. What did he say about the All-Star game?

That was really tough to sit through. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. As for the top seed and the best record in the NBA, that's the Celtics coming out of the All-Star break. And not only do they get 31 points from Jason Tatum as they win on the road in overtime, it meant 142 points for them. 142 points. So this was a huge night for them offensively.

They say they went into overtime. But in addition to that, they get the return of Jalen Brown. Jalen had a facial fracture and so he was wearing a mask, is wearing a mask, and is having to get used to it.

But yeah, 30 for Jalen to go along with 31 for Jason. It's good to see the Celtics team with its five expected starters because they've had guys in and out, in and out. But for Jalen, it's about getting used to wearing something over his face at this point. It's going to take some getting used to.

A little bit of breathing, a little bit of being able to see the floor. I missed a lot of layups today. It's going to take a little bit of getting used to. But let's just keep having fun and keep winning games. Being healthy is the key. So being on the floor with all our guys as we're getting ready for the playoffs is going to be important.

So we've got to keep it up and stay healthy as much as possible and have fun. So it's good to see Jalen back. Marcus Smart just got back to the Celtics lineup before they hit the end of the, well it's not really the first half, before they hit the All-Star break. So that's good too because you've got a lot of players who've been injured, they're banged up. Of course the stretch run here has 20, 21, 22 games left for these teams as they get back on court. And so the break came late, which means a lot of them were nursing injuries and kind of limping to the break, if you will. Now coming up, we'll talk Sixers and Grizzlies. It was lippy and chippy at the end.

A little extracurricular activity. A big victory for the Sixers. They had a late run that was, I think it was 8-1, something along those lines that was spurred by a James Harden triple. Now you all know, if you listen to this show on a regular basis, you know I am not James Harden's biggest fan. In fact, I'm not a James Harden fan on the court.

I don't know him personally. I don't love the way he's handled his business the last couple of years. Forcing his way out of Houston and what a punk he was in order to get traded out of Houston. Then didn't get to go to Philadelphia, so goes to the Nets instead. Doesn't like it there either. Ends up getting the trade to Philadelphia.

So I'm not a huge fan with the way that he's conducted himself. However, if you have not seen the video, it's actually gone viral. It was done by Malika Andrews, who is an ESPN NBA reporter and anchor. Well, she told the story. But James Harden apparently found out that one of the Michigan State students who was severely injured in the shooting last week. His name is James Howe. He's still in a hospital bed because he's paralyzed from the waist down. So he is one of those five who are in critical condition who are in the hospital.

And this is the first update I've heard on him specifically. But at this point, he's paralyzed from the waist or the chest down. His lower half is paralyzed. And as you can imagine, it's traumatic. You wake up and this is what you find out.

Your whole life has changed. You're still in a hospital bed. Somehow, James Harden found out that James Howe is a huge fan. And so he FaceTimed this young man in his hospital room, in his hospital bed.

And when I tell you that I was teary over it, it's because James Harden was kind. He was encouraging. He was supportive. He sent sneakers and some other gifts for this young man who's in this hospital room.

And not only that, but gave him his number and said, I'll check on you. Keep in touch with me. I'm rooting for you. It was amazing. If you haven't seen it, I retweeted the video. So it's on my timeline, A Law Radio. Maybe I'll retweet it again just so it's fresh on Twitter.

But I would encourage you to Google it. It's been seen 1.1 million times now. It's just an incredible gesture by James.

So as much as I will give my opinion, not always positive, about the way that he handles his business and the fact that his game is three-pointer bust, this was an incredible step for him to take. And can you imagine that young man, and he was crying too. This student was crying in his hospital bed too, that James would take the time to reach out to him. I'm sorry, I think I called him James Howe. It's John Howe. My fault.

But the fact that he's 20 years old and James took the time as they're coming out of the All-Star break to make sure that he encouraged this young man is awesome. So check it out, the video. Like I said, it's on my Twitter now, A Law Radio. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence.

You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. No good. Rebound Bomba. Gets it out to LeBron. LeBron driving.

Head down to the rim and in. 20-point Laker lead. Timeout Golden State.

Here's Amy Lawrence. It wasn't major league dramatic at the end, especially not at the end. So a 12-point advantage for the Lakers in the third quarter really put this one away. In L.A. against the Golden State Warriors, still no Steph Curry. We know that he started some limited basketball activities, but he's at least another week away. Meanwhile, the Lakers trying to figure out a new rhythm, a new rotation, a new routine with a bunch of new teammates.

Malik Beasley, one of those scoring 25 points. Eight different guys in double figures as the Lakers come back from the All-Star break with a victory over Golden State. They're still below.500 and actually sitting 13th at a very crowded Western Conference. But they're only a game and a half out of a spot in the play-in tournament. So that should tell you how crowded it is from about fourth place on down to 13th.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. As if Darvin' Ham didn't already have a big challenge trying to get the Lakers into at least a postseason contender. But now, shuffling the deck with a bunch of new people and new opportunities. I mean, the ball moved around nicely. Everybody contributed.

Everybody had different moments. Guys stayed aggressive playing downhill. Just overall a great team win, you know, defensively. They put a lot of pressure on you. They play fast. They play fast in full court, fast in the half court.

So you have to really have, you know, multiple efforts all over the place. And I thought our guys did that. And, you know, we had some unfortunate moments in terms of giving up second and third possessions on the glass. But we kept the next play mentality. And when we did get the ball, we stayed aggressive.

And so I thought it was a great win against a great ball club. And our guys are just slowly but surely getting more and more familiar with one another. So Beasley actually has a couple of 20-point games now in his four starts for the Lakers.

So he's been an instant firecracker. As for the Golden State Warriors, they fall once again below.500. This has been their entire journey, it feels like, outside of maybe the first month of the season.

They're above.500 by a game. Then they drop a couple. Then they win a couple. Then they drop a couple.

It's just been back and forth. And it's much tougher without Steph Curry. But their road record is their fatal flaw. They are 7-23. This is the defending champion in the NBA. They are 7-23 away from home.

That is the opposite of a formula for success. And I'm not sure anybody believes that they're championship caliber. They've had a bunch of injuries.

But also they've changed some of their pieces too. The thing is, they don't have that same toughness defensively. And that's what we've heard Steve Kerr lament for a good portion of the season. And not just him.

We've heard it from guys like Draymond Green. And Klay Thompson who refuses to give up hope. With 23 games left, we still have a great opportunity to finish very strong. And just continue to play your hardest.

And have fun while doing it. I mean, there's a lot of basketball left believe it or not. And I know we still have greatness ahead of us. I'm never going to not believe in this team.

I've done too many great things not to. I agree with him. It's not as though you can dismiss the Warriors. But they don't appear to be a championship contender. I'm not sure they have the depth. Nor do they have the defense this season. Though they are in 10th place. So they're 3 spots higher than the Lakers at this point.

Again, that's how tight everything is in the middle of the West. Though they've lost 4 of 6 since Steph Curry suffered the leg injury. Remember the collision he had in the game against Dallas in early February. With a couple of different ligament injuries. Things I've never heard of before that neither had Steve Kerr. And so they need to get him back.

But it's just not going to happen for at least another week. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. So we know a lot of attention is on Kevin Durant. Durant actually practiced with the Suns for the first time on Thursday. He went 5 on 5 with his new teammates for the first time on Thursday. We'll talk to Colin Ward Henniger who covers the NBA for CBS Sports at the top of the hour. But a lot of anticipation for KD.

Meanwhile, his former teammate Kyrie Irving is once again happy, smiling and playing alongside Luka now with the Dallas Mavericks as they come out of the All-Star break against the Spurs. Here is Doncic against Bassey. Doncic turns the corner on Bassey and to the rim for the layup. 26 for Doncic. The Mavericks by 10.

Here is Powell top of the arc. Luka against Wesley. Spinning left and from the foul line knocks it in. 28 for Doncic. 8 of 16 shooting. 99-89.

Right corner Irving against Branham. Measures him. Steps back for 3.

He hits. And just like that, Kyrie with 8 in the fourth quarter. The NBA's leading fourth quarter score at 9.8.

I actually was following this game and Kyrie did have a really slow start deep into the second quarter. Wasn't in double figures in points. But finished with 23 as you hear Chuck Cooperstein on Mavericks radio.

23 overall. He does have a few triples in there too. And so he provides the pop next to Luka Doncic who has 28 to go along with 10 assists and 7 rebounds. And then off the bench, Tim Hardaway Jr. with 22 points.

So a spark plug there. And actually the Mavericks end up with, get this, same number of points as the Celtics tonight. The Celtics go into overtime to beat, I forgot who they played.

Oh, Indiana, sorry. The Celtics were on the road against the Pacers and in OT had 142 points. The Mavericks had 142 points in regulation. This is crazy. The scoring in the NBA is skyrocketing.

It's amazing. Night after night, teams are routinely getting into the 130s and the 140s. So it speaks about defense to be sure, or lack thereof.

But also speaks about the rules and the way things have changed. The Spurs themselves shot better than 52%. The Mavericks shot better than 56%, including 22 of 42 from deep. They were better than 50% from beyond the arc. A lot of times that means there isn't a whole lot of defense around the perimeter.

So 142 points for the Mavericks. And they also really get some help off the bench, as I mentioned. They like it when they can get, every team, it's really a key for basketball.

You like it when you can get a bunch of different guys involved and make sure that guys find a rhythm and a flow and they're not just standing around. We saw that before the break. I thought guys moving, too, and then your quarterbacks with Kai and LD finding open guys. I thought they did a really good job.

I thought Josh did a good job finding guys. The ball doesn't stick, especially when you talk about when people have said that Luka and Kai need the ball. Well, they also know how to use their teammates and their teammates are delivering right now.

This is definitely a team to watch. If you missed my conversation with Mark Falwell, who's a long-time TV play-by-play announcer for the Mavericks, he was pointing to a couple of factors that he felt really contributed to the inconsistency before the break. Some injuries, and that's a challenge for every team. But he also felt like coming out of their trip to the Western Conference Finals last year because of the length of the season and because they're now trying to deal with the pressure of having the best effort of their opponent. Having a target on their backs, which hasn't been a quality of these Mavericks since Dirk retired, right?

And even before he retired, the last couple of years of his career. So here they are, a team that has a mark and that every other opponent will get up for because they're a dangerous opponent. They are dangerous. And so you've got now adding Kyrie to the mix, they needed a second scorer, one that's really reliable. And on this night, they have eight different guys who were in double figures, including three guys who were over 20. So a huge deal for the Mavericks to get that type of a contribution across the board. Do not think that you should expect 142 points from them every time out.

But the pressure that Kyrie can take off Luca, it's immense. It's a big deal. So coming up, we're going to spend some time talking to Colin Ward Henniger of CBS Sports, joining us from Los Angeles to look at what's left of the NBA season and some of these battles, as well as the new look rosters out there post All-Star break and post trade deadline. Thanks for joining us. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.