JR SportBrief Hour 3

One, two, three, four. Those are numbers.

But you already knew that. If you want to know what number you're going to pay each month for your car, use Kelly Blue Book MyWallet on AutoTrader. They're really good at numbers.

AutoTrader. The wait is over. That's right. Season five of the Kardashians is here. Just when you thought life couldn't get any faster, they're punching it into overdrive. Chris, Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Kendall, and Kylie are back and continue to defy expectations in all their endeavors. So get ready to go behind the glitz and glamour of the most iconic family on television.

The all-new season of the Kardashians premieres May 23rd streaming on Hulu. Dive into the start of summer at Whole Foods Market. Check out their summer splash event with sales on fresh organic produce, organic strawberries, and a fan favorite sale on Ben & Jerry's and Talenti. Explore deals on grill-friendly meats like organic air-chilled chicken breast, beef, and chicken kebabs, all with no antibiotics ever from our meat department. Plus, grab easy sides from prepared foods and cool off with refreshing drinks. Kick off your summer and shop in store or online at Whole Foods Market today.

It is the JR Sport Brief Show on the Infinity Sports Network. I hope you're good. I hope you're safe. I hope you're well. Wherever you at and whatever you're doing. I'm going to be here with you for the next two hours. It's a four-hour show.

I get started every single weekday at 6 p.m. Eastern, 3 Pacific. Thank you to everybody tuned in and locked in on the free Odyssey app. That's how you can listen. People tuned in on their local Infinity Sports Network affiliate. That's two.

If you got Sirius XM, it's channel 158. That's three. If you have a smart speaker, ask it to play the Infinity Sports Network. That's four. And if you are technologically up to speed and you just passed all of us, then do whatever you got to do to listen.

Put some thin foil on a wire hanger and go stand outside. If you can get the Infinity Sports Network that way, then good for you. Okay, we've had a full show already.

Thank you so much. We had Edgar Thompson from the Orlando Sentinel. He joined us last hour to talk about this wild situation with Jaden Rashada. This man is a Georgia Bulldog suing the University of Florida and its head coach, Billy Napier, and its extinct collective for reneging on an NIL deal. He wants 10 million dollars. Y'all lied to me. Said you gonna give me 10 million.

You lied to me. Give me my money. A lot of interesting business in the NFL today. OTAs underway all over the NFL. T. Higgins, not at work. Wants to be traded. Not at work.

We can go down the list. Aaron Rodgers showed up to work today. Good for him. If I want to keep going down the list, Justin Jefferson did not show up to work.

Micah Parsons did not show up to work. And I thought everybody in Jerry's World was telling me everything is great. It's fine.

Everything is fine. It's like that, I think it's a mouse, the meme. Hickey, is it a mouse or a horse in that meme? It's a dog, right? It's a dog where everything is on fire and the guy is sitting in the kitchen and everything is on fire. He's just sitting there going, it's fine. It's fine. It's a dog. Yep. That's the Dallas Cowboys, except for the fire is not all that hot because it's, what month are we in?

It's May, but I feel like by the time we get to September, maybe it'll take one week or two weeks. Things are not going to be fine in Dallas. Just pay Micah Parsons. The Dallas Cowboys are about to just, they're like a ticking time bomb right now. Mike McCarthy on the hot seat, lame duck coach, hilarious. Only the Dallas Cowboys would do such a thing. Dak Prescott, no new contract. They've been discussing his deal.

Don't know what the hell is going to happen there. Jerry Jones is like, it's fine. It's fine.

Everything is fine. Micah Parsons wants his money. It's just crazy. All over the place.

It's even, how about this? Like I'm in the studio right now. Got all these screens on. On one screen, I got the Eastern Conference Finals game one.

The Pacers are going to get underway in Boston against the Celtics momentarily. And then I got on another screen, there's Justin Fields. I'm seeing this guy in the first time in the black and yellow. But the Steelers, Justin Fields, he got to be feeling a certain way, right? This man is with a new team.

He's showing up to work. He has to play behind Russell Wilson. I wonder if Russell Wilson told him to pick up his bags yet.

Not yet. Probably never. Hickey, these guys, they got to hate each other, right? Like they hate each other. I know they do. Already, you think?

Or does it like build over time? I just can't imagine that like they're sitting in the same quarterback room. They're not. They're just showing up to work.

That's it. Like I'm showing up to work, you're showing up to work, we get along and I don't think Russell Wilson is saying, hey, man, come over to my rented mansion for dinner. I don't think that's happening. Now, I know he hated Pete Carroll. Oh, do you think Russell Wilson is capable of hate? You think he's that naive?

What is he, Shohei Ohtani now? I don't know naive. Naivete. Not hate, but I could see Russell Wilson like cutting his eyes at somebody.

Like, just like, yeah, man, we got to do what we have to do and just this is what I did. And it's like and Justin Fields probably sitting around going. We already heard from last week when Justin Fields was out in Chicago between Nick Foles and Andy Dalton, it was pretty much said that he I don't want to say he was a know it all, but he didn't absorb the information from the veterans because he he felt the new as a physical player and a specimen. He was better than them, but he didn't have the experience.

And Bears management felt that he did not take advantage of the veterans that are around him. And granted, this is now his second chance. This is now Russell Wilson. This is crazy to think this is Russell Wilson's third chance or third team, if you want to look at it that way. I just can't imagine that they're like they're clicking.

You know, I just I don't. And a matter of fact, let's listen to Justin Fields because he spoke to the media earlier today at his locker and he basically said, yeah, I ain't trying to be nobody's backup. So he's just going to be miserable all season unless Russell Wilson gets hurt. That's my interpretation. My Tomlin basically said, hey, Russell Wilson is going to get the first crack and chance, given his resume to lead this team. He said he's going to get pole position.

So, yeah, Justin Fields is right. Take the job. Take the job away from him.

Are you capable of doing so? And let's also be real honest. If Russell Wilson stinks. And he's throwing interceptions. Mike Tomlin would not be afraid to tell him, have a seat. Now, here's the thing, because fans, fans overreact a lot of times and shout outs to all my people in Pittsburgh. I love Pittsburgh. I may have to see I think it's the Jets.

I think I may have to go see the Jets in Pittsburgh later this year. Steeler fans, they call for the head of Mike Tomlin. It feels like every year they don't understand how good of a coach that they have and that the players actually want to play for Mike Tomlin. But it doesn't matter if it's Mike Tomlin or Sean McDermott or Jim Harbaugh or John or Andy Reid. It doesn't matter who the coach is. Fans always want that quarterback switch. They always want that move, but they're not prepared for the implications that it also has on the team and in the locker room. You just swap out quarterbacks and sometimes the players look at the coaches.

What are you doing? Are you just going to jerk the quarterbacks around? You can't put one guy.

It's not the hokey pokey. One guy in and one guy. You can't do that. Mike Tomlin is going to be very judicious and very careful how he moves forward. Russell Wilson could have a bad game. That doesn't mean that Justin Fields is automatically going to get thrown in. But I could see Fields getting a chance if Wilson stinks. And we already talked about how difficult the AFC North is, let alone the back end of their schedule. Would I be surprised if Russell Wilson missed a game or two with a finger? I don't know.

It can be tough. I told you I don't believe in their working relationship. Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, I don't think they're sharing, you know, life stories together. But Mike Tomlin, he spoke to the media today as well. And Coach T said these guys are great so far. Those guys have been really good in terms of their participation and engagement. It's been a fun process to get to know them. And really, the way that you get to know someone professionally is to share experiences. And so the things that we're doing out here are critical to the get to know. What do you like about the way that Justin and Russell are working together and with the receivers and their teammates?

They're professionals. And so I'm excited about that, but I'm not surprised by it. There's an expectation there. Both guys have been franchise-like guys, if you will. They've gotten out of their cars in the morning and won the responsibility of being that guy for a franchise. And so, you know, there's residual benefit from that.

And so I'm excited about us receiving it. Hickey, that's funny. Shared experiences. I mean, I got fired, you got fired, and now here we are. Let's figure it out.

You talk about shared experiences. Mike Tomlin, was it last week, Hickey, or two weeks ago? He said that we got up and he included his new offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, who was fired as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Mike Tomlin basically said we have scolded individuals in the building who are looking to bounce back. They're looking to prove something.

And so I don't know if that's a shared experience that I want to bond about. You got fired. I got fired.

He got fired. And here we are. Is this the Steelers or is this the Hunger Games? Yeah, in Mike Tomlin's world, I guess three wrongs equal a right, right? Russ out, Fields out, Arthur Smith fired.

All three of them put him in a bowl, mix him up. It's going to equal one big right somehow. Oh, man. Well, I guess. Can it be worse than what they had last year? Can it be worse than Mr. Pickett? A little sprinkle of Mitch Trubisky with Mason Rudolph?

Oh, my God. No, I think that that was a a massive error in the first place, like looking at Kenny Pickett. I went to Pittsburgh. I was last in, I don't know, two, three years ago, like right before Kenny Pickett got drafted.

And I learned more about him because all people locally wanted to do was tell me about Kenny Pickett. And I'm just like, I don't I don't see the first thing I do with a quarterback is I look at him, look at him physically. Like, what is he built like? Can he pick it? I just go, OK, what does he do? That's going to amaze me as a passer and what he does do.

How is that going to translate to the next level? And when they selected him, I just said, what? They just they just went with the safe dude. Well, because everybody's familiar with him.

I didn't like that from the get go. And so now Kenny Pickett is gone. Now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, at least Kenny Pickett knows he's going to be the backup. He did all that nice talking about going back to eastern Pennsylvania from New Jersey and playing for the Eagles. But man, don't nobody in Philadelphia want to see you play? Maybe a family, but everybody else, maybe even Hickey, could you imagine even a family going like, nah, we need hurts.

Like, you're good if you can play, but we need hurts. Families got to be honest. They're not going to tell that to him, right? I mean, you would think. You think you think what? That the family is honest or they tell you lies?

No, they tell you lies. Oh, well, come on. What? The parents believe that our son is better than Jalen Hurts. You got to say that to your boy. Would you?

I guess you wouldn't. If your son was a quarterback and he gets traded to the Eagles, you're going to say, you know what? Yeah. I'm going to wear a number one. When you see me in the stadium, I'm wearing number one jersey. All right. Now you're going to wear your back up.

It depends if you want to win. Now, this is this is something that's not discussed enough. And one day, one day, I don't know, maybe we'll have to talk to some families and nobody's going to be honest. Like, imagine you're a fan of a team and your child, your family member now gets drafted or traded or signed to that team. Like, all of a sudden, you become delusional. That's like, imagine this is an extreme example.

But imagine your son signed to the Chicago Bulls as a backup shooting guard in the 90s. What are you going to do? Just. Oh, yeah, yeah. One day you could beat out like we know not Michael Jordan.

But come on. If your son if your son if you're from Philly and your son ends up being an Eagles quarterback behind Jalen Hurts, you just you know, he's you know, your son is not good as him. Yes, I can do what maybe you say, oh, you know, you're pushing him so hard in practice. That's why Jalen so sharp.

He's scared of you taking this job. That's why he's playing great. More lies. OK, right. So you can still root for Jalen Hurts and kind of justify him starting.

But oh, he's playing great because look what you're doing in practice. Man. Well, we got to tell lies to grown people.

It's not Santa Claus, right? You got to make a million dollars to. Yeah, you can't tell a lie. Just say, oh, you. I told my boy, man, just go out there and do the best that you could do.

OK, if you get your opportunity, go out there and bust ass. And that's it. But let's say it was a do or die game. And it's like, hey, you know.

I don't know how to say this. It's game 17 and we need to get into the postseason. And there's my son and then there's Jalen Hurts. And, you know, hey, Jalen Hurts isn't feeling all that well.

My son may get a chance. I'm going to pray that Jalen Hurts gets better. It's the truth. It's true. I respect it. I respect it. No, no lies in jail.

He is going to be a true straight shooter. Yeah, we need Jalen Hurts. Not you. You're back up for a reason. Oh, hey, come on. No, that's the money on the Eagles.

I really need you to play this week. All right. Hey, Pickett told a lie. Come on. I mean, my son started picket.

Pickett went to the Eagles and talked about how he was so happy to be home. Like, shut up. You're not going to play. Nobody wants to see you play. Nobody, not even your family, wants to see you play.

Just take the check and hope that you can get a job somewhere else next year. Everybody telling all these lies to everybody. Anyway, it's the J.R. Sportbree show here on the Infinity Sports Network.

No lies told here. The Eastern Conference Finals is getting underway when we come back. We're going to talk about the West because Mark Followill is going to join us. He is the Mavs television play by play voice. Did you expect the Mavs to be here?

I didn't. We're going to get his thoughts, his opinions on what these Mavs can do in the Western Conference Finals against the Timberwolves. It's the J.R. Sportbree show, the Infinity Sports Network. The wait is over.

That's right. Season five of the Kardashians is here. Just when you thought life couldn't get any faster.

They're punching it into overdrive. Chris, Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Kendall and Kylie are back and continue to defy expectations in all their endeavors. So get ready to go behind the glitz and glamour of the most iconic family on television.

The all new season of the Kardashians premieres May 23rd streaming on Hulu. Look around. You can find cars like these on Auto Trader, like that car riding your tail. Or if you're tailgating right now, all those cars doubling as kitchens and living rooms are on Auto Trader, too. Are you working out and listening to this ad at the same time?

Well, multitasking pro. Cars like the ones in the gym parking lot are for sale on Auto Trader. New cars, used cars, electric cars, maybe even flying cars. OK, no flying cars, but as soon as they get invented, they'll be on Auto Trader.

Just you wait. Auto Trader. Dive into the start of summer at Whole Foods Market. Check out their summer splash event with sales on fresh organic produce, organic strawberries and a fan favorite sale on Ben & Jerry's and Talenti. Explore deals on grill friendly meats like organic air chilled chicken breast, beef and chicken kebabs, all with no antibiotics ever from our meat department. Plus, grab easy sides from prepared foods and cool off with refreshing drinks.

Kick off your summer and shop in store or online at Whole Foods Market today. You're listening to the J.R. Sport Brief.

It's the J.R. Sport Brief show here on the Infinity Sports Network. The Eastern Conference Finals is underway. Boston Celtics all to a hot start. 9-0 to start the game against the Pacers. But tomorrow we get a chance to check out the West because the Final Four is set. And out in the West, we have the Dallas Mavericks taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Who would have thought that we see this matchup?

Not I. But here it is to talk about what these Dallas Mavericks have been able to do, the adjustments and changes throughout the course of the season and where they're at now, where they can go. Joining us is Mark Followill, Mavs Television play by play man. Mark, how are you? Hey, J.R., I'm good. How are you? I'm good. Thank you.

Appreciate the time. When you take a look at this Dallas Mavericks team and how it's changed throughout the course of the season, what has changed the most? Is it the performance of some of the stars that were there already? Is it some of the in-season changes via trade?

What do you see? Two things. One is a training camp for Luca and Kyrie together and able to, rather than have to throw things together like they did in the middle of the season last year, a camp together, developing more chemistry together, learning how to play off one another and function as a cohesive duo rather than just two talented individuals. So I would say that would be change number one from last year and that sort of success was evident early this year. And then the other thing, of course, is the two changes they made at the deadline. I mean, that just that completely changed the DNA of the team, bringing in P.J.

Washington and Daniel Gafford. Their defense got significantly better. Their rebounding got better. Their ability to score in the paint improved and to score even more efficiently in the paint than they already were. So, you know, those are the main two areas that changed. Both of them, for different reasons, are really important, of course, because Luca and Kyrie operating as a cohesive duo made them a much, much better clutch team.

I mean, night and day difference from what they were late last year. And then the acquisitions of Gafford and P.J. Washington give them toughness and that sort of new identity from a team that really had to lean in on offense to now a team that can win games through defense and rebounding. Mark Followill, Mavs Television announcer here with us. Mark, you talk about the additions, but Kyrie and Luca are the best players on the squad. And Kyrie, we know about his reputation for years now.

It doesn't matter what city and what team. What's been different here with the Mavs? Well, it's an organization that treated him with the utmost respect from day one. I mean, this is an organization, Nico Harrison, the general manager, when asked on the day of the trade when he had his media availability, someone said, well, isn't this a risk to go trade for Kyrie? And his response was, no, the bigger risk would not be doing this trade because they had a chance to get him obviously at a favorable price for Dallas. And then Kyrie's come in here and he wants to win. Later in his career, he's allowed to share with the younger guys on the team.

And the younger guys, by the way, that's not just players who are in their first or second year in the league that I'm talking about. But I think Kyrie and his wisdom and his experience and what he's been through in his NBA career, all of that has made him a great mentor for Luca, to be perfectly honest with you. I think Luca has learned a lot from Kyrie about just trying to be a calmer presence for him and be a more mature person, more of a leader. And I think Luca has learned a lot from Kyrie.

So that's part of the difference is that you had an organization here and a community. And the organization goes beyond just Jason Kidd and Nico Harrison. I think it runs a lot deeper than that of people that are invested in Kyrie's success. And he's treated well and obviously that's a reciprocal relationship because of all of the things that he does from a community standpoint to, as I said, he's a very, very important voice and leader on this team.

So it's been a smashing success. I couldn't say enough great things about how Kyrie has fit into this organization on the court and off the court. Mark, when you talk about his influence on Luca Doncic, I don't think people realize this, general basketball fans. Like, yes, Luca's young.

He's 25 years old. This man was a prodigy playing out in the EuroLeague, winning championships and being MVP when he could barely shave. How have you seen him change over the years? We saw him a couple of games ago.

He actually shut up, didn't talk to the refs, just balled out. How has he changed over the years? Well, you know, he's a very fiery competitive guy.

And so that's where a lot of the interaction with referees comes from. But I think when you look at how Luca has changed over the years, obviously getting older and being more experienced has made him more of a voice around the team from a leadership standpoint. Even as good as he was, that's really hard to do when you first come into the league, as you know, JR. So behind the scenes and in practice situations and shoot around situations and things like that, I've seen leadership grow, obviously, and Luca Doncic over the course of six years. And then I think he's always been a very, very high IQ player.

But I would say that Luca's reading of the game has gotten even better over the course, as you would expect over the course of six years here. Understanding what the team needs at the right time. He's always been a willing passer. And does the team need points? Is what the defense is giving you, is that driving the ball, shooting inside, shooting mid-range shots?

Because that's what the defense is giving you. Is it time for the step back? I just think that his judgment of what the team needs over the course of the game has improved. And I would say that obviously this past offseason, a year ago, the MAV season ended obviously at the end of the regular season. And Luca made the most significant commitment he's ever made in an offseason to his physical conditioning.

I think that's paid off this year. And the defensive end of the floor. He has bought into the defense that Jason Kidd, who obviously has experience as a champion from his championship season in Dallas, and being a very good defensive player throughout his career, Jason Kidd has instilled a defensive mentality throughout the team and the buy-in from Luca and Kyrie then filters down through the rest of the roster. MAV TV voice Mark Followill is joining us, the JR Sport Reshow on the Infinity Sports Network coast to coast. You talk about Jason Kidd, one of the best basketball players I have ever seen in my life. I mean, if you stretched him out a couple of inches, he'd be Luca Doncic, especially with the jump shot later in his career. Could there be a better individual to coach this team than Jason Kidd? He's had his own learning experience as a coach as well.

Yeah, and I think that, you know, Jay Kidd, what really makes it work here are a couple of things. First of all, Jason is the first one to tell you that he probably went into his roles as coach with Brooklyn and Milwaukee way too soon. He came and he went straight from playing to coaching. He played his last year with the Knicks in 2012-13, and the next year he was the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. So he learned a lot from Frank Vogel, who he credits. He was an assistant on Frank Vogel's staff with the Lakers when they won the title in the season that ended in the bubble in Orlando.

So, you know, Jason's a lot smarter, a lot calmer coach that is a much better communicator than he was earlier in his career. And that really messed with what the Mavs needed at that point in time because, you know, Rick Carlisle, obviously a great coach. The Mavs just felt like that they wanted someone who had a better capability of communicating with their star player and Luka Doncic at the time. Obviously Kyrie wasn't part of the Mavs at that point when Jason Kidd got here. And then, you know, the other thing that makes it work, of course, is that there's just he is immensely respected and it starts with Luka and Kai. You know, Luka has great respect for what Jay Kidd did as a player and Kyrie essentially idolized him growing up. I mean, you know, that was one of Kyrie's favorite players when he was in his formative years before he became a professional basketball player. He held Jason Kidd in very high regard. So, you know, the two of them and the respect they have for him and just the, you know, the good vibes and the good feelings. I mean, you want to be respected as a head coach and beyond being respected, I think these guys genuinely like Jason and want to play their very, very best for him. So that's, you know, there's probably more things to say about it. You know, championship caliber, championship experience, a real fondness for the Mavericks organization and a dedication to seeing that it gets done the right way here.

After he had opportunities, it didn't work out very well in other stops. There's just a lot of things up and down the line and a lot of boxes you would check that make Jay Kidd really get through here. Now, Mark, what should we look forward to when this Western Conference Finals matchup takes on or gets going between the Mavs and the Timberwolves? How do the Mavs match up against them? Look, all of these series are hard when you get to this stage and there are a lot of challenges that the Mavs face. Minnesota has debatably and statistically would say this, there wouldn't even be a debate, the best defense in the league. They were the best defensive rating, the best field goal defense, the best opponent scoring defense. They locked teams down and, of course, did that in game seven in Denver.

So that's, of course, going to be a challenge. They have a lot more size than Oklahoma City. That's an area of concern for the Mavs. The Mavs were able to out-rebound OKC in five of the six games and really impose their will as the series went on in the paint.

And that's going to be much, much more difficult, of course, to do with Rudy Gobert in the middle for the Timberwolves. You know, some areas where I think perhaps the Mavs could excel in this series. Dallas is a more explosive, consistent, offensive team than Minnesota. Can the Mavericks take advantage of, on paper, the fact that they're a better offensive team? The Mavs have improved greatly defensively. Their paint defense numbers in the late regular season after the trades were on par with what the Minnesota Timberwolves were doing in terms of defending their paint.

So I think that's a really intriguing matchup. Foul trouble, I think, will tell a big story in this series. Minnesota does have some players. Reed off the bench, Gobert, Towns, McDaniels, all on the front line in the starting lineup who are foul-prone players. If you look at their number of fouls per 100 possessions this year, they're in the top third of the league. It's four guys who are in the top third of the league in terms of committing fouls. But if the Mavs, if P.J. Washington gets in foul trouble, I don't know what they're going to do against Carl Anthony Towns defensively. If Derrick Jones Jr. gets in foul trouble, that's going to hurt them trying to guard Anthony Edwards. So the Mavs don't have a lot of depth at those key positions and being able to handle the defensive responsibilities if the starters got in foul trouble. So that's a real inflection point in the series for me.

And then lastly, I would say this is only an advantage if you, in fact, take advantage of it. But the Mavs do have Kyrie Irving, who's played in three conference finals and three NBA Finals. And this is Lucas' second time in the NBA Finals. Even though he didn't play a lot of minutes with Miami, Derrick Jones did play in conference finals and finals with the Miami Heat back at 20-20. Josh Green didn't play a lot, but he at least does have a little bit of conference finals seasoning from Dallas' run there.

A couple of years ago against Golden State, if they get Maxi Kleba back during this series, which might happen, we'll see. But that's another player who was in the conference finals a couple of years ago. Whereas Minnesota has Mike Conley was in one conference finals with the Grizzlies 11 years ago. Monte Morris played in the conference finals with Denver one time.

And Kyle Anderson, slow-mo, played in the conference finals with San Antonio one time. So there's an experience advantage there, but you never know how that's going to work out. On paper that looks good, but the games are where that's actually going to be decided.

As I said, that's only an advantage for Dallas if in fact they take advantage of it. So those are among the areas where I'm looking at where this series will be won or lost by whomever is fortunate enough to get through this grind of a series and do that. Yeah, Mark. Man, I go back and forth. I'm looking at a toss-up. I'm just automatically putting it at seven games. That's just me. Yeah, I think that's a very, very fair assessment.

And I happen to be looking online earlier today. And the two, by those that established the odds on these things, the two most likely outcomes were number one, Minnesota in seven, and number two, Dallas in six. There's just not to me a lot of difference. I mean, they're both good defensive teams. They both have a couple of elite offensive players. Lukai for Dallas and Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony Towns for Minnesota.

Good paint defenses. Coaches who have come about it two completely different ways that really, I think, have a great pulse for their team and J.K. and Chris Bench. And two very passionate fan bases that are really starved to see their teams have some success.

And so the crowds, I think, in both buildings are going to be absolutely electrifying. So I concur with you that this truly is a toss-up series. And I guess maybe, you know, late game execution, I guess, would probably be another thing you would have to throw out there. The margin in these games is probably going to be pretty slim.

And enough of these games that whoever can execute in the final five minutes of games will probably have the leg up on winning the series. And no doubt about it. A final question for you, Mark. We still see Mark Cuban court side. We know that there's been a transition in organizational structure and who owns it and who runs it.

Have you noticed are there any differences outside of what is on a piece of paper? No, there's no I mean, obviously, the the new ownership is certainly involved in things of the business side of things. But Mark's still around. He says, you know, I always tell people when they've asked over the years, what's it like working for Mark Cuban?

I said, well, there's a lot of things I could say. But I think the thing that stands out to me the most is when you look down there on the sideline or down by the bench and he's wearing that T-shirt that says MFFL. And that stands for Mavs fan for life.

There's no B.S. about that. That dude loves basketball and loves the Dallas Mavericks and loves this team because obviously his fingerprints are significantly there in terms of putting it together. And so he's he's there. He's as wild and crazy as ever and love these guys and lives and dies with the results. So, you know, in that regard, obviously, he's a minority owner now, not the majority owner of the team. But but, you know, other than, as you said, the piece of paper, nothing's really changed in terms of his presence and his tremendous enthusiasm for seeing these guys get over the hump again.

Because he's he's obviously been there once and and wants to be part of it and see these guys be part of it again. Now, it's cool and unique. I wonder if we'll see, you know, future organizations that are put together in such a way.

I know people, they put the money in, they want all the power. So maybe not. But how that works. Right. I know. Right. Sure. A unique situation. But hey, it's it's it's Mark Cuban.

Hey, Mark, thank you so much for the time. Where can people follow you when you work and listen and watch and all that good stuff? Well, I wish that people could look and watch right now. But, you know, we're you know how it is on these these theories for the NBA after the first round. Our local television broadcasts go away.

So sadly, no, no, no listening and watching right now. Although I do my summer side work of MLS Apple TV soccer broadcast. So doing a few of those and have a podcast called Take That With You, which is a thing that Dirk Nowitzki had about 15 years ago on one of our broadcasts. So I do a podcast and tweet about that and the games and all sorts of stats and stuff at M. Follow Well on Twitter. So, you know, and then all my food recommendations, of course, I got to get those out there as well.

So that's that's how you can check it out. We appreciate that. Everybody got to eat. I think you want to go and travel somewhere and have a crappy meal.

So that's that's what I'm trying to do to help folks out of the world is give people some good food recommendations from time to time. Good, good, man. We appreciate that.

I've had my share of crappy meals all over the place. So thank you, Mark. Well, we'll talk to you down the line when that happens. I know.

Don't tell me, you know, most of the times it cost a lot of money. Mark, let's have another chat if they advance another round. We'll see. OK. Anytime. Yeah. Please reach out anytime. Good. Good to talk. And, you know, I think it's going to be a great series. So looking forward to it. Sure.

Well, thank you, Mark. Follow Well, Mavs Television, play by play. This series is going to be good. All right. I I go back and forth. I'm like, oh, well, I think the Mavs, but then I go, oh, well, this is this with the T wolves, with the home court. That's that might be just a deciding for me.

Really is. It's we'll talk about it on the other side of the break. I want to get Hickey's thoughts as well on the Western Conference finals. And then, you know, we know the Timberwolves, they got the big old defense, right? I told you the NBA announced it's all defensive team.

I'll fill you in on who made the list on the other side of the break. Call from Mom. Answer it. Call silence. Instacart knows nothing gets between you and the game. That's why they make ordering from your couch easy. Stock up today and get all your groceries for the week. Deliver it in as fast as 30 minutes without missing a minute of the game. You have forty seven new voicemails. Download the app to get free delivery on your first three orders. Well, supplies last minimum ten dollars per order.

Additional terms apply. Ready to start talking to your kids about financial literacy? Meet Green Light, the debit card and money app that teaches kids and teens how to earn, save, spend wisely and invest with your guardrails in place. Parents can send instant money transfers, automate allowance and more.

Plus, keep an eye on spending with real time notifications. Join more than six million families building healthy financial habits together on Green Light. Get your first month free at greenlight.com slash odyssey. That's greenlight.com slash odyssey. Doors take us to summers away. Or winter adventures. And afternoon getaways. Your dedicated fidelity adviser can help you open those doors by working with you on a comprehensive plan to help you reach your wealth's full potential because doors were meant to be opened.

Visit fidelity dot com slash wealth investment minimum supply fidelity brokerage services LLC member NYSE as IPC. You're listening to the J.R. sport brief, the J.R. sport show here with you on the Infinity Sports Network. Thank you so much to Mark Falwell for joining us in the last break as we talked about the Dallas Mavericks. Western Conference Finals gets underway tomorrow.

Mavericks are going to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. It's a toss up. I said it was a toss up. He said it's a toss up. I'm just going to for the sake of it. I'm going to go with the wolves.

I'm going to go with the wolves because a home court. That's it. And I don't I don't even even feel that. But if I had that, I can't even say I just changed my mind all the time. How about that?

I'm going to go with the wolves just because of home court. But I wouldn't be surprised. I think. No, I know this.

And this is what makes it difficult. The Mavs have the more dynamic scores. That's it. And so then I go, well, let me just take the Mavs, because if it boils down to it.

If somebody needs to get something going. First of all, let's get Karl-Anthony Towns the hell up on out of here. OK, I don't think he's reliable on a consistent basis. Luca Doncic is the best player in the series. Luca Doncic, any given day, he can say, hey, you know, and I know his knee has been bothering his ankle. He can string together games.

It's like 30, 10 and 10. You can just go off Kyrie. We've seen him make one of the biggest shots. We know he's one of the most talented basketball players that you'll ever see in your life.

It doesn't always showcase, but he can light it up whenever he feels like it. It's wild. Hickey, what are your thoughts on this West Finals? So I'm with both you and Mark that I think it's going to be a long series.

I'm going to say Mavs in six. I think one thing that's overlooked in this series that is not getting enough attention is the emotional toll that winning that series took on the wolves. You heard the Nuggets talk about it, and you've heard even Minnesota maybe not talk about it, but you see how they built their team. They built their team to beat Denver. That is kind of their Super Bowl, if you will. When they traded for Gobert and they made every move, it was to beat Denver because they figured, and they were 100% right on this, Denver's going to be a team that's running the West, and if you want to win a championship, you've got to beat them.

So they got that part right, and to their credit, they did it. But I just wonder now, you won that series in seven games. There are so many emotional back and forths. You win two on the road, you lose three straight, you blow them out, you're down by 20 in the second half in game seven on the road. I feel like the emotional tank for still what is a young and inexperienced team, I feel like it was mostly spent in that second round series. I think Dallas is going to be fresher. I think they're going to be ready for a fight.

I'm going to say Dallas in six. You know what? That's a good point. This is a letdown, and we've seen this. That's an excellent point because we've seen this happen in other sports. You go through a battle with one team, and you fight it out, you fight it out, you fight it out. You exert so much energy.

There's so much around it that you move on, and then I don't want to say you're spent, but it seems like you've reached the peak already, and let's be real, let's be honest. The Minnesota Timberwolves, they didn't just knock off a team, and yes, it's a different roster. It doesn't have the same roster the Nuggets did. There's no Brown, there was no Jeff Green, but they beat the defending champs. They beat a team that still has a guy that just won MVP, and admittedly so. Anthony Edwards said Nikola Jokic is the best player in the NBA right now.

He just said that. I wholeheartedly believe there ain't no guarantees, and I think any series or any matchup that we have in the NBA Finals is also going to be a good one. Unless the Pacers advance.

Sorry. But the fact is, like if Luka Doncic advances to the Finals, and then Luka balls out in the Finals, we're going to see a coronation. There's going to be a coronation. It's no different than what we've seen in the NBA over the past few seasons. Giannis wins MVP, defensive player of the year in the championship, and Giannis is the best player in the NBA. And then we see Jokic come along, and now Jokic, Nikola Jokic, is the best player in the NBA.

Well, soon enough, give it about a month, that's going to be debated. Because we're going to have a new NBA champ, and whether it is a Luka Doncic or an Anthony Edwards or a Tatum, not a Halliburton, I think it's real simple. Whoever wins the championship this year is going to get a boost.

They're going to get elevated. And if it's Luka who's just been, he's the most unique of players. Tatum is probably the most talented, but you don't always see it on a consistent basis. I mean, he's a super destroyer.

I've watched him play a bunch of times in person, but Luka is in a different space with his ability to do everything that you can possibly do on a basketball court. It's just another level. Hickey, am I being a jerk by discounting the Pacers? Like, I can't, out of all the remaining four teams, out of the four remaining teams, I just think they're least likely to win a championship.

I do. Oh, I think you're spot on with that. And I would say, like, if you took a poll, 99% of people would agree with you. I mean, Celtics are massive favorites to win this series.

I've not looked at the odds in terms of winning a title for all four. I'm going to go on a big time limb here and say the Pacers, according to Vegas, are fourth by a long shot. Yeah, they are. I just looked.

It's Boston, Minnesota, Dallas, and then Indianapolis. Yeah. Yeah. So, no, I think you're 100% right. Look, to their credit, they've made it here. Have they gotten luck, like injury luck? Yeah.

And is that a big reason why they're here? Absolutely. So, now you're facing healthier teams, it's a tougher challenge. Yeah, screw the Pacers then. That's what I said.

That's out of my own mouth. Forget them. We don't care. You're not winning no championship. My apologies.

No, no apologies to people in Indianapolis. None at all. Now, I feel like I would not actually root for this.

It would be great, though, for the show. I feel like Tyrus Halliburton wins. Finals MVP speech is like, that was for JR. What are you going to say now? Calls you out.

You know what? I'm not one for bold proclamations and hot takes. I ain't making one now. Like, it'd be a shock if the Pacers won the championship. I can't see it. It's the JR Sportbreeze show on the Infinity Sports Network.

I'll tell you who made the defensive team for the NBA on the other side. Don't move. The wait is over.

That's right. Season five of the Kardashians is here. Just when you thought life couldn't get any faster, they're punching it into overdrive. Chris, Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Kendall and Kylie are back and continue to defy expectations in all their endeavors. So get ready to go behind the glitz and glamour of the most iconic family on television.

The all new season of the Kardashians premieres May 23rd streaming on Hulu. All with no antibiotics ever from our meat department. Plus, grab easy sides from prepared foods and cool off with refreshing drinks. Kick off your summer and shop in store or online at Whole Foods Market today. Can groceries teach you patience? Yes. Planning? Yep. How to build a cereal box fortress? You have no idea. Download the Instacart app and we'll overthink shopping for you.