Seriously Believing in the Sixers? (Hour 4)

Zach Gelb shows CBS Sports Radio. You can think of CBS Sports Radio. You can think of Riley Auto Parts for all your car care needs.

Get guaranteed low prices and excellent customer service from the professional parts people at O'Reilly Auto Parts. Homer Hickey continues to be a thing. He just said that he believes the next season it's a failure. Did I get that right? If they lose the heat in the second round, you're an idiot. What do you mean I'm an idiot? You got a team that you match up with really well in the heat in the second round of the playoffs. You got to capitalize while you're there.

Absolutely. Shut up for a second. If I would have told you before the start of the season that the Knicks would have got to the playoffs, not as a playing team and won a first round series when they didn't even have home court advantage, you wouldn't have believed that. You wouldn't have.

You would not have believed that. They were a playoff team coming into the year. A playing team maybe at best, people were saying. I don't know about that, but my hopes were not high, but it's like they were a playoff team. More expected more to be in the playing tournament.

And expectations, as you know, change as things progress and as events happen. Heading into the year, Milwaukee was perceived to be better. Boston was perceived to be better. The Sixers are perceived to be better. The Cavs perceived to be better.

Brooklyn, and I know things change with Brooklyn because you know Kyrie and KD wanted out. The Heat were perceived to be better. The Hawks were perceived to be better.

And that's just for starters. You can even throw the Bulls in there. Like they were expected to be a playing tournament team, the Knicks. And they've won a series where they beat a team in Cleveland who had a better regular season record. And now you're going up against Miami, who's not your traditional eight seed that has Jimmy Butler. You look at Miami. Miami, if I were talking for the year, Miami, the Knicks would have met up in the post season. You would think Miami would have won. For you to say that this season for the Knicks is a failure is just so hot take.

And so in the moment, it's ridiculous. They're three and one against the regular season. The regular season doesn't matter in the NBA. Why not?

It doesn't. Are we learning about the Nuggets that it matters? I would say so.

Cause they look pretty damn good. It was just about getting Jamal Murray healthy and showing he could gel when he was playing well in the regular season, translating to the playoffs. And so yeah, a team that you played, what fared well against you match up well against you meet now in the second round, when you get home court advantage and all you, by the way, their best player is banged up in Jane Butler with an ankle injury.

You have to take advantage of that. I don't see how that's a failure whatsoever. The expectations change as, as again, events happen and the Knicks, okay. You said he gets the second round, they lose. Okay. If he gets the bucks, fine. What are you going to do? It's the bucks by the way, you get a gift with the heat winning.

You have to take advantage. Can you hear this crap in the background? Just wondering, no, the, the, the TV, the, the volume in the studio, it just pops on out of nowhere.

Is there a way that can get from where I'm standing? I know I have the remote, but I can't find a way to get the volume down because it reads the top TV. But out of nowhere, this has happened before, as you know, hosting here at CBS sports radio, the TV just randomly starts blasting out a volume here because the company has organized these TVs and maybe the dumbest way possible. So I kept on hearing the hockey game as you were just trying to give that passionate defensive a rant and we'll get back to it in just a second. But this is, you can only operate with, with the equipment that they give us, but you really didn't hear that. By the way, I know this is live on the air and it makes for crappy radio, but you, you couldn't hear that sound.

No, these microphones are good. They pick up right. What's right in front of them.

That's your voice. And for the most part, nothing else gotcha, but come on. This is a, this is not a failure for the next, that the Miami heat, like outside of you, I think most people expected the heat to win this series going in and outside of the, the New York fan, most people thought the heat were going to win this series. The heat just beat the Bucks. They beat the Bucks for crying out loud.

The Knicks would not have beat the Bucks in, especially with how quickly the heat did so too. You're probably not, but styles make fights just because the heat beat the Bucks doesn't mean, and the Knicks probably wouldn't have, doesn't all of a sudden mean that now it's like, oh, the, the heater, this big, bad T and the Knicks losing in five, they should be happy to get one game. Absolutely not. So you really, you really, this is genuine.

This is not just you where you're going to wake up tomorrow and go. There's no hot take here. I'm being dead serious. You need to absolutely win this series. They're in the running right now, win this game. The heat have done nothing that it's, that is impressive to be honest with you outside of really honestly, the final five minutes.

And I actually put them more than next hobbling around in this series, I'm saying hobble around on one foot and they decided to just leave them be in the corner for whatever reason outside of that, it's more than the next right now. I was having a pretty damn good game tonight. Yeah. About time woke up. Finally, guys been terrible. This playoffs. You are, you are so lost when it comes to, I don't, I don't understand how this is like a crazy failure the whole season. Cause they lose the second round series and no one thought they were going to be in the second round before the season started is now a failure. When you have the opportunity right in front of you, I'd take take advantage.

Absolutely. This is not like you had 73 wins and you were going up against this horrible team. This team just took out the number one seed and you got a big break to get to the conference finals. I don't, I don't understand like what's the, what am I missing?

You're missing. The Knicks aren't as good as what you thought they are. Remember, and this is not anti Knicks.

I love Leon Rose. I like what he's building with the New York Knicks, but the Knicks fans win one series and they all think they're going to the conference finals. It's like, it's crazy to me that that's actually how all these Knicks fans do operate.

That's nuts. The Knicks aren't as good as they played in the regular season. And they're just not, they're not a team that you look at them and you go, wow, this should be the conference finals team. This is a team that I thought could beat Cleveland.

And then that was it. And to think that this team was, to think that this team was actually gonna beat Miami after Miami, just beat Milwaukee, even with Jimmy Butler, you know, with him finding out not to be a hundred percent, that's just crazy to me. Jimmy Butler, when he's having a hundred percent is still better than any player the Knicks have.

And I love Brunson. I don't understand how expectations changing once the Heat win, how that's like ludicrous. Because to say the whole season is a failure when I did not expect you guys to beat Miami, it just that, that does not register with it. Well, so for you, the Knicks, this is not, this is not the OKC thunder that they're up and coming in the young, you're here to win now. You're here to win right now and you got a gift, take advantage of the gift. The Knicks organization doesn't even believe that they're here to win right now.

There's no way. If you would have told the Knicks organization at the All-Star break that they would have won a first round series, they would have signed for that in a second. Sure. And again, I'm not disagreeing with that. The only thing I'm disagreeing on as soon as the Heat win now, all of a sudden it's OK, let's get to the conference finals. So, so you think the Knicks are actually better than Miami? Yes.

That's where the disconnect is. I don't, I don't really understand how that's a hot take or like, yeah, I think a lot of people would say that. Miami just beat the Bucks. The Knicks would not have beat the Bucks. It's not that hard, just because with the seating is that you tell me the regular season or all that stuff. Most people, if you ask 10 people, who do you think is going to win between the Buck, between the Heat and then also the Knicks? I think most people, the overall majority would say you would expect the Heat to win that series.

That's just the way that it operates. And maybe 60, 40 Heat. I don't think it's anywhere further than that. No way.

OK, that's fine. You can take the Knicks glasses off and we'll see what happens when the Heat, you know, quickly dispose of the Knicks in the series. Watch, the Knicks will end up coming back and win this game tonight. That'd be the best thing for you tonight.

But the season would be a failure if they don't win this series. Nonsense. All right, let's get to onsides offsides. Hit it. Zach's taking on the most polarizing issues in sports. Which side of the line of scrimmage will he end up on?

It's onsides offsides with Zach Gelb on CBS Sports Radio. Yesterday, Devin Booker had another insane game on Sunday. Helped the Suns tie the series at 2 and 2. The three-time All-Star scored 36 points on 14 of 18 shooting. This performance comes after an extremely impressive 47-point performance in which he went 20 of 25 shooting from the field on Friday night. In the nine postseason games Booker's played in so far this year, he's averaging 36 points per game, which leads all NBA players. He's shooting 62% from the field, including 51% from three.

Onsides or offsides? Devin Booker has been the best player this postseason. Onsides, he has been. If Jimmy Butler didn't get hurt and Jimmy Butler's still playing great, you could argue that it would have been Jimmy Butler. But right now, I would have to say that it's Devin Booker in the moment with what he's been able to do.

And like you said, he's shooting 62%, which is just flat out stupid. Sticking with this series, the home team has held serves so far in each of the first four games. Nuggets won games one and two by an average of 14 points per game, while in three and four, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker carried the team, combining to score 158 of Phoenix's 250 points. Now the series does return to Denver on Tuesday night. Nicole Jokic will be playing after not being suspended after his incident with Matt Ishby yesterday.

We'll get to that a little bit later on. But for right now, at least onsides or offsides, with the series tied 2-2 back in Denver, the Nuggets will win the series. I'll go onsides. I still like Denver to win this series. You got to think Landry Shammett's not going to be as hot as he was in that fourth quarter. You'll see if anyone else is going to be able to step up outside of Booker and also Kevin Durant for them for the rest of the series. It was a close game last night. I'll go though Denver to win this series, with Jamal Murray being a huge part of that and just with that killer instinct that he does have. So give me the Nuggets. James Harden was terrific yet again on Sunday, scoring 42 points, including hitting the tying shot to send the game to overtime and the winning shot in the extra session to tie the series at two games apiece.

Now Harden is the first Sixers player since Allen Iverson to score these 40 points twice in a postseason. Onsides or offsides, the Sixers will beat the Celtics in this series. I am concerned about Boston. I don't like what I've seen from the Boston Celtics in the postseason. You saw them up against the Hawksby lackadaisical and then really in this series so far, you could tell there's a different gear from Boston and you even heard it from their coach in the game last night when they had it miked up for one of those segments where they take you inside the huddle and they show you that gear in the fourth quarter where they were getting dominated the first three quarters by the Sixers and that out of nowhere, this game's headed into overtime and in overtime, I thought they waited too long. You don't want to take a time out, okay, but they waited way too long. They didn't even get the shot off when you had it. I think when they got the ball, it was like 18 seconds left when they got that ball back.

You left Harden wide open. It seems like Boston, they look at the lay of the land and they know they're expected to get there. The only team that was really going to be a pain in their rear end was going to be the Bucks and the Bucks got out of it in the first round.

It seemed like once that happened, Boston just exhaled and that's dangerous because you're playing with fire. I still think they'll get to the finals. They don't want to see Miami. Can they beat Miami? Absolutely and I do think they'll beat Miami. If they get the Knicks, I think they'll be jumping for joy for the Boston Celtics, but they have not been tested yet and now they're going to get tested because this is 2-2 and I still think there is a thought in their mind. We own the Sixers and you're going to anticipate that James Harden does not give you more of those efforts in games one in games four and it beats on 100 percent. So I still think that they'll win this series in the Boston Celtics, but I don't like what I'm seeing from them in terms of winning a championship.

So you ask me Sixers will beat the Celtics in the series, I'll go offside. Nicole Jokic and Suns owner Matt Ishbia were involved in an altercation on Sunday's game number four. Now in case you missed it, after the ball went into the stands, the Joker raced to get the ball in order to restart play. Ishbia, who was holding the ball, refused to give it back to Jokic before it was jarred loose, sent even further back in the stands and once that ball went further, Jokic was visibly frustrated, did throw an elbow towards the Suns owner, knocking it backwards. There was a little bit of flopping going on from Ishbia's perspective, but it did send him backwards.

You are right about that. A lot of what to do about nothing, but long story short, the two-time MVP was teed up in the game, came out that now earlier today, he will not be suspended for game number five. Onsides or offsides, do you agree with the NBA's decision to not suspend Nicole Jokic for game five?

Yeah, 100 percent onsides. Nicole Jokic continued to run over to go get that basketball. I thought that was stupid and then it was equally stupid. If not, it was actually dumber with what Matt Ishbia did.

You're the owner of the team. Just give the basketball back. It was so dumb. Everyone's making a big deal out about this. I know it's a fun topic in the last 24 hours, but if they actually suspended a Nicole Jokic, that just would have been a flat out joke.

So no, there's no way he should have been suspended. And finally on Friday, Brian Winhorse of ESPN said this on Get Up about Giannis' future in Milwaukee. While we were up here arguing about who the MVP was going to be or whether the Lakers are going to make the playoffs, one of the most important things in the NBA happened when the owner of the Bucs, Mark Lazary, sold in the end, in the middle of his season. So why did he do it?

Because of the thundercloud that is on the horizon. Giannis has a contract extension this offseason. Now he's under contract for two more years, but if he doesn't sign that extension, orange light.

We got problems. They've got two free agents in their 30s, Brooke Lopez, Chris Middleton, with the repeater tax starting for them next year and a bunch of new rules, which CJ knows better than anybody because the man negotiated the contract. The rules are set up to penalize teams that are high salary teams, hamstringing them. And they have to decide on a coach and whether to pay two 30 year olds, whether or not, and they have to, and Giannis can't decide on his extension until September.

It's the chicken and egg theory. The Bucs are in a quagmire. So we have the first move with the firing of buttonholes. So a lot of questions going forward about the Bucs future onsides or offsides. Giannis should look to leave the Bucs within the next two years. I understand the premise by, by Windhorse, but that was like all over the place in his actual explanation. All he needed to say was they got to go find a way to make the right moves in the next few years.

And them firing buttonholes there is them saying, we feel like we need to do this in order to put Giannis in the best position to win a championship moving forward. Like that's all they, that's all Windhorse had to say. It's like, I understood what he was trying to say, but he kind of lost me in that, in that long rant of his Hickey. I mean, I think he was trying, it's tough cause I think he was trying to like, he doesn't give opinions.

He gives too much information. He tried to give information and not make it sound like he's giving his opinion, but there are like a lot of constraints with the salary cap questions about an aging roster. There are reasons if you're Giannis to doubt the future of the Bucs. I mean, there's a lot of teams interested in him.

I don't think everyone's going to be interested in him. He's one of the best players in the league. I don't think Giannis will leave.

So I think to me, that's. I'm just saying right now, Giannis, I don't think he's looking to leave the Bucs, but if they don't get this right in the next few years, I remember this is coming from me, who was the biggest supporter a few years ago of Giannis staying in Milwaukee. No one did a bigger push in the media than me to keep Giannis in Milwaukee. But right now I can't say he should leave Milwaukee cause I got to see how they respond to this failure of a season.

And if you don't do the right things in the next two years, you don't improve the team, then yeah, there's a chance that he can leave, but right now, should he leave? No, offside. Zach Gelb shows CBS sports radio. Anthony Gargano will join us next to talk about the Sixers. You're listening to the Zach Gelb show.

That's right. It is a Zach Gelb show coast to coast on CBS sports radio, James Harden. Well, he was like game one, James Harden yesterday in the city of brotherly love, as he ties up this series at two games a piece before they do shift back to Boston Harding yesterday, 42 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. And let's head out to the hotline right now and welcome in from 97 five, the fanatic in Philadelphia to talk about this series, Anthony Gargano cause what's happening. My friend plays that by the way, I thought about you this weekend and it had to do with food. So I was in Philly for a wedding and one of my best friends got married at the Franklin Institute. It was a wonderful affair. And I was in the wedding. So you know how this works.

The girls get ready at like 9 0 AM with like 10 hours of makeup and all that. And the guys just sit around and we drink a bunch of beer and my buddy, he ordered some primo hoagies and I was eating a chicken Supremo hoagie. And all I thought about was Anthony Gargano. That's awesome. That is beautiful.

Anytime you want them, I'll make sure you get them right to the studio problem. Absolutely love it. Oh, I forgot how good those hoagies were too. That chicken Supremo hoagie was just unbelievable. How do you describe the performance yesterday, by the way, cause of James Harden?

I mean, he's a shape-shifter. Have you ever seen anybody like him over like the last, what has happened the last four games, right? So game one, he is magical and he plays great.

There's no indeed. And they win and you go, okay, well, maybe Boston wasn't playing good enough defense or we'll tell them to figure it out. Then game two, he's not good, but if he comes back, the offense will disjointed. He shoots two for 14.

Okay. You throw it out. Game three at home. He's horrendous Friday. Like he played one of the worst games. I thought he was Tony from blue chip, right?

Like I'm like, dude, what are you doing? And then he comes back just when everybody's curse and they're talking about Play-A-Pods and he's 10 times better than he was Friday. He was better as he was like, he was unbelievable. He played, he was clutch. He was money, like the floater to tie it and regulation.

And they calmly buried the triple from the corner. I mean, I've never seen anything like he changes from like hour to hour. Why? What do you think you're going to get from hard in the rest of the series? Cause that's the multimillion dollar question.

I have no idea that it's crazy. I don't know. He could be horrible and then he'll drop, you know, another 40 bagger. I don't know, but here's what I do know is that he seems really comfortable when they, they, they rely on him when they need him, right? When they're going to him, he seems pretty comfortable. Now does, does the Celtics adjust and pick them up three quarter court, like whenever pick him up three quarter court and they didn't allow the spacing.

And that means the screens and fighting through the screens and the switches. When he had space, he showed you, he's got legs, he's deadly. He didn't have space Friday night and he didn't have space in game two either. That's going to be the key. If he can get clean and had space, he'll score.

If not, you know, you can better bump it into one beat. The Embiid conversation today, I was listening to a lot of Philly radio today is so frustrating. Cause when you watch that game, you expected more out of him in the fourth quarter. And it doesn't help when Al Horford is just doing a great job on him defensively. But also it's like, that's what Sixers fans have kind of been bitching about the last few years, how they need someone outside of Embiid to be that closer. So what was your read on Embiid yesterday and the conversation 24 hours later?

I mean, I'll be honest, it's fairness. The dude played was out of his mind Friday night, right? He was by himself Friday night, nobody else played well.

Max he's been killing them and I love maxing the death, but they need him. Tobias was in foul trouble on Friday night. He, he was, he had a bad game yesterday, right? It was in B and B was gassed.

Remember he comes back, uh, last Wednesday, he plays Friday, dominates, then has to play again Sunday. Big guy by the fourth quarter was gassed. I think that's pretty legitimate. And by the way, you got to give him the benefit of the Dattleneck call. I, I, you know, especially if you're not going to call the Tatum push before that thing, Embiid's got to get the call.

One of them, it's gotta be equal in that sense. I, I, listen, I think Embiid will actually play. I think he's giving you with that knees, giving exactly what you want. I think he's playing good ball Friday. Like he's spectacular. I also thought Anthony Gargano doc did a good job cause he's been polarizing in Philly and doc going after the officials last night in a win. That was really a Philly type of move. It was. And guess what?

He's been, he's been, and people all over the country go after him. And you know that when it comes to blowing leads, I 20 called a really good game. I didn't have a problem with any of the substitution. The play he draws up, I thought was really well. Like when he dumped the ball in the B and B got deeper into the post, right? Then as Jalen Brown comes over to help out, he dishes clear. By the way, it's a great pass.

Embiid makes the hard in the corner. That was a doc play. That was a good play.

I got to tell you. And they didn't completely melt down. I've seen them melt down before when they blow a lead, they did not melt down. Now part of it was hardened, but I think he's coached a really good, good series.

I have no issues with that. Anthony Gargano, were you surprised yesterday in regulation and then also over time that Missoula didn't take a time out? Yeah, I remember, especially after he's been on the fire for that. So I thought for sure, especially in overtime, because you want to make sure that you want to play where it's Brown or Tatum, and you're not relying on smart again. With smartness, even though he makes it and he's tick late, he misses the thread near the regulation.

You got to get grounded. That's his, that's his game right there. You got to put either Jalen or Tatum. That's, that's the two man game. And that's why you got to call time out there. I'll tell you with the Celtics, and they did not look great up against the Hawks.

And in this series, it's just been two different versions. They should still probably go to the finals, but they really have not impressed me in the, in the playoffs so far. No, especially down the stretch. They're kind of odd down the stretch.

Sometimes they're tight. And then sometimes, and listen, Tatum was great. He was great yesterday. I mean, he was fantastic down the stretch, but you saw him in game two.

He was, they disappeared game one. They didn't want, they looked like they were scared down the stretch. It's been odd. And then yesterday they take more threes than twos when it comes to field goal attempts. I mean, 44 to 43. I got to tell you, they're, they're an interesting team, but I can't completely give them the series just yet.

I want to see if they, if they get pushed and how they react, that'll tell them the whole story. Oh, they're playing with fire. There's no doubt about it because they basically slept the walk through the first three quarters of the game. And the Missoulas like, I know we could play a different level defensively. And then in a snap of a finger, that game was tied. I could not believe that that, and I know basketball, it's a game of runs. I feel like you just turn the final five minutes for all these games, but it felt like the Sixers were just dominating.

The next thing you know, you look up, it's an eight point game and an eight point game turns into a tie game. I'll tell you, to me, the MVP for them is Brogdon. Brogdon's had a hell of a series. He kept them in the game yesterday. I mean, you know, open threes, good defense. He's kept them in the game. He's played, he's had a really good series. And I really think it's going to be the third player that ends up deciding this. Like you, you talked about it with the Sixers. I know Harden, it was sandwiched in between one and four with just two dreadful performances, but you know, he's going to get his and beat even on one leg is going to get his Tatum and Brown. They're going to be more aggressive. I think the third player really is going to decide this series on who ends up winning it between Boston and Philly.

Brogdon, I think that's brilliant. And that's where Maxie, remember Tyrese Maxie, he's a dynamic player. Who's going to be a star in this league. His issue though has been Boston. He had in seven games against Boston.

He had double figures only twice. He had decent game one. He has not played well in the last three games. They need him. They need him to score in flurries. They need him to shoot the three ball. He's paramount to them to get quick run outs and easy baskets.

Maxie is the key to this series. If they unleash him, if he can find his way against way against Boston, Dixons have a shot. But can he find his way with also Embiid and Harden finding their ways, if that makes sense? Yeah, no, I think, listen, he's done it all year. It's not like he's taken a complete total back seat to them.

I mean, look, Harden especially will be able to play more distributor. He's during moments when then Doc puts the ball in his hands and says, go ahead young man, go carry on. And he did it against Brooklyn too. And in two of the games, he carried them.

So I think there's more enough space for him to do it. The emotions in Philadelphia today, after getting that win where it looked like they were going to blow them out, and then they had to sweat it out in the worst possible way, but they found a way to prevail by one. What are the emotions in Philly the rest of the way about this series? It's all exhaustion, man.

Zach complete exhaustion. People were just mentally drained because Friday night, you think it's over after that. I mean, Friday night was just dreadful, especially the way Embiid plays. And then yesterday looks good, only to have that dramatic last overtime in the last four minutes, where you go, Oh, my God, they're gonna lose. And then it's got shades of all the other playoff failures.

Remember, this is the sixth iteration of the six or team post process. So this fan base has been through it, and they've been like through the ringer. It's like, let me catch my breath, because the best of three that's coming up is going to just be white knuckle ball.

And it's also I know hard and play great yesterday, so it may not be the time to make this take. But when you watch Jimmy Butler play with the heat, even on one ankle, it's like, how the heck did they just not keep him beaten? But I know the answer to it, but how they didn't keep him beaten Butler and Phillies is maddening.

I know. And listen, I mean, we know we came down to the owner and Brett Brown and Jimmy went to Josh and Brett said, basically, Jimmy said it's either me or Brett. Then you had the Simmons factor, and it just made more sense for Josh Harris to just kind of move on, which just killed them.

And it has. I mean, Jimmy's an alpha and he and Joe get along. It's a shame, but I just don't see how that situation was going to get rectified with Brett Brown being in the way and Simmons being there.

And ironically, all three are gone. Last thing I'll ask, I know it's a bit silly, but I remember when Josh Harris bought the devil, some fans were annoyed that he was owning the Sixers and then owning the devil's now with him looking like he's getting into bed with the commanders and taking the team for Daniel Snyder. Are fans upset with that? Or does it just not matter because the guy's allowed to do it? I mean, some people are, but I, you know, I mean, it was stupid.

Can you kick? Yeah. I mean, like I can't, I'm not going to bury the guy for book for God bless him. He's, he's, he's actually a great owner and the Eagles are for sale. I'm sure if the Eagles were for sale and Jeff, Laurie, who's an equally great owner was, was, was with the head of the key to take them. But you know, he grew up outside Kevin chase Maryland and, you know, but listen, it makes more sense. So I, I don't see how that case, you can't be petty.

You just gotta go. He's a great owner. He takes care of my team and he's the, he's got the highest coaching payroll.

He's got all kinds of treats the Sixers really well. And that's all I care about. Cause appreciate the time. Thank you. Love you brother. My man. There you go.

Anthony Gargano joining us is that Gelb show CBS sports radio. Give us a little feel in Philadelphia after the Sixers did tie up the series yesterday to two and what a wild game that was. Cause when that game got tied and the way that the Sixers performed in that fourth quarter, I thought for sure they were going to lose the game. That was one of the more entertaining postseason games that, that you'll see just when you have a team dominating like that through the first three quarters. And then in a blink of an eye, this game ends up going to overtime and how Boston had a chance at regulation to win it. And in overtime to go on out there and win it.

And you have hardened rise it up just makes for a really fun rest of this series at two a piece. I still think Boston's going to win. I still think Boston is the better team, but I got to see it from Boston because with Boston, it's almost as if they know that they should beat the Sixers and they they've, they've been better than the Sixers a bunch of times in the postseason when these teams have matched up. But to see the way that they played to the first three quarters, when you have a chance to basically knock out a team and go up three, one that is concerning. And still they put the foot of the gas just way too late.

They waited so long to do that. So when I look at this, this Celtics team, they have not been tested yet. The Hawk series went longer than what it should. This series is now at two, two. We're going to see Boston now getting tested because it's almost as if once Milwaukee went down, Boston was like, all right, we're shoeing for the NBA finals. I still think Boston's going to get there, but they're making it tougher than what it actually needs to be. We'll do the closing bell next.

We'll tell you whose stock is booming, whose stock is dooming. But before we toss it to the latest CBS Sports Radio update, welcome back to the studio, Marco Belletti. By the way, with how long it took you to take a vacation, I actually chuckled when Hickey told me why you were taking a, if you even want to call it a vacation last week. Oh, it was great. Yeah, guys come and demo the two bathrooms and, you know, I spent a day in urgent care for like six hours.

I didn't know you were in urgent care. It was a tremendous vacation, I got to tell you. Is everything okay?

Oh yeah, sure. Everything's great. Nothing better than spending five days and just came completely flushing them down the toilet.

It's tremendous. So what work did you get done in your house? Kind of fixed both bathrooms, kinda.

And that was a cluster to say the least. And now they still have to come back, even though it should have got done in a week, but there was a lot of confusion and chaos and stupidity. And now they'll come back and finish the whole thing in like six weeks. Yeah, when they told me last week that you were out for the entire week, I'm like, oh, good for Marco.

He took a vacation and Hickey goes, I think he's just getting work done in his house. And I go, that's the most Marco thing to do, because I just can't ever picture you taking a real vacation. I would love to just say like, oh, take the week. I had to do no choice, but like the hours that you work, I kind of did the math in my head. I'm like, yeah, if they're going to be there for like eight to 10 hours during the day.

And that's basically right. When I go to work is when they're get done. When exactly am I going to sleep?

One of the bathrooms in my bedroom, where exactly am I? So I had to take the week off just because I couldn't, I couldn't figure out how to sleep. And with the pregnant wife too.

And she's due any day. So yeah, it was just kind of like, you got to figure it out. So it is what it is. And hopefully it'll, when they come back in six or eight weeks or whenever that is, hopefully everything is done without any more glitches.

Yeah. I was trying to think where Marco Balletti would vacation to. Like most people, they, they go vacation on a nice, you know, warm area. Marco just sits on the couch and I sit on the couch and listen to screwdrivers and hammering. And, uh, yeah, I've never heard, heard of the term, but, um, before Samtor's kid was born, him and his wife went on a, uh, uh, a baby moon where they went away before the baby was born. They went away for a few days and, and I was like, oh, Marco's wife is pregnant. And I go, maybe Marco went on a baby moon.

And I'm like, ah, that doesn't sound like Mark. I got to tell you never heard of that before my life. Neither have I no idea what that is. I was, I was very surprised when Samtor said, I've never heard of the term, but Hey, if you want to celebrate things before the, uh, the, you know, the baby's born, you want to go in and have a nice solo vacation with the wife.

Who are we to judge? Uh, yeah, no, it didn't happen. But, um, considering the kids, like I said, do any day and I'll take a couple of weeks when that happens. So you won't see me again probably soon.

Gotcha. Um, and we'll just make sure Marco is not, uh, getting his shed redone in his, in his backyard for the next. No, that thing's rotten. Forget about it.

If I get a redone, I get it knocked down and put up a new one. Forget about it. You're listening to the Zach Gelb show. Another day is in the books and we're taking stock of the sports world. It's time to find out who's up and who's down. Let's end the day, right? And hit the closing bell.

Only on the Zach Gelb show. How about that? Matt for Vola, the steam roller friend, the show knocks out Drew Dober in the first round at UFC on Saturday night at the Prudential center, give a stock up to the steam roller. Got to give a stock up to James Harden. He was great in game one, horrible in games two and three, five made field goals combined games two and three, and then goes 42 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, gets them into overtime and wins it in overtime. The one, two, three, four, five sixers, 10, nine, eight 76ers tie the series up at two games a piece. Big reason, James Harden stock up.

I got to show some love to the sons. I thought the sons were going to be going back to Denver and it was going to be three one. It's now two, two Durant and Booker. The last two games have been unconscious and we know what Devin Booker has been able to do in this post season so far, 36 points and 12 assists the other night as the sun survive up against the Denver Nuggets 129 to 124. So give a stock up to the sons and more importantly, Devin Booker. By the way, nine postseason games this year, he's averaging 36.8 points per game on 62% shooting, including 51% from three.

Just insanity. Okay, let's go to the ice. Yesterday you had three games and two of them were extremely high scoring. The Devils win 8-4. They get on the board in this series. Carolina still leads two games to one, but the Devils beat the Hurricanes 8-4 in game three in this series. Let's hear Jack Hughes score his second goal of the game to give the Devils a 7-2 lead.

This is Devils radio for use. Spinning along the goal line, backhand toward Meyer and he scores. Was it Meyer or was it Hughes under the flexion? The Devils lead 7-2. Jack Hughes, two goals, two assists.

Give him a stock up. In overtime yesterday, the Panthers take a 3-0 series lead. They win 3-2 in OT. So much for those Maple Leafs fans chanting for the Florida Panthers instead of the Boston Bruins because Florida is one win away from going to the conference finals. Last year, the president's trophy winners, they lost in the second round where they got swept by Tampa Bay and now they are one win away with the fewest points in the postseason heading into the postseason out of any team from going to the conference finals. The Maple Leafs had a goalie injury, but Sam Reinhardt scored the game-winner in OT. Let's listen up to Panthers radio.

Give Sam Reinhardt a stock up. Kraken stars. Game three in Seattle. Kraken take a 2-1 series lead as they beat Dallas 7-2. Let's hear Carson Soucie score to make it 3-0 in the second.

Here's Everett Fichu on the Kraken radio network. Here's Circle. Soucie shot. Scores!

The Soucie is loose! That's amazing. That's a great call. Is that Everett Fichu who we gave a compliment to last week?

We got to get him on because he's phenomenal. Now there was no goal scored in this first period between both teams yesterday. Seattle put a five spot up in the second.

Dallas only scored one. The final ended up being 7-2 so give, you know what Everett Fichu, a stock up. Schedule release. There were some concerns. People thought it was gonna get pushed back. Folks, May 11th. We're three days away from the schedule release.

That's great because then we could sit there and do win losses and absolutely love that stuff. Give a stock up to the schedule coming out later in the week. Landry Shammet.

Everyone talks about Booker and KD. He was awesome yesterday in that fourth quarter and needed it if you're a Suns fan in order to get that dub. Give Landry Shammet a stock up. Mark Jones was horrible yesterday. I'm not a huge fan of Mark Jones when it comes to him calling NBA games. He had no clue what happened on the charge.

He thought it was an AM1. At the end of the game he had no control and barely told you what was happening and then James Harden did a great thing where he brought unfortunately someone who was shot in the Michigan State shooting and is paralyzed and Harden hits a big shot in the game and Mark Jones is like that's the best medicine that fan could ever ask for. Like Mark Jones sometimes he just tries too hard.

I saw someone tweet out today that early in the year he was going first name De'Aaron last name him when talking about De'Aaron Fox off the whole I'm him thing. Mark Jones I'm just not a huge fan of his work when it comes to calling basketball games and I thought he was horrible yesterday stock down. And finally all this screaming and going crazy about Jokic and the Suns owner it's just like enough. Jokic should have ran over to grab the basketball. Ishbya should have just gave the basketball back. The whole thing was ridiculous. I'm glad there's no suspension but the conversation the last 24 hours was absurd. Stock down to the conversation regarding that exchange. And that's the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. Big thanks to my producer extraordinaire Hot Take Hickey. His Knicks are down 106 to 99 with under a minute to go. Big thanks to Anthony Gargano and Eddie Johnson for joining us as well. We out. Talk to you tomorrow everybody. Peace.