Greatest To Never Win (Hour 3)

What's the room again?

Uh, 1240. Down at the end. Oh, what's that? Sammy, don't touch that.

That's someone's old food. Here we are. Do you have the key?

You have both of ours. Oh, right. Not working. Rub it. Come on. Try flipping it over.

Seriously, just do that. I'm tired. Give me yours. You have mine.

Alright. Dad, aren't you opening the door? Can everyone just shut the- Don't go there. Go on a real vacation. Go RVing.

Learn more at GoRVing.com. Oh, such a clutch pickup, Dave. I know, right?

I was worried we'd bring back the same team. Oh no, I meant those blackout motorized shades. MVP of the room.

Blinds.com made it crazy affordable to replace our old blinds. Hard to install? No, it's easy.

Even you could do it. Nice. I installed these and then got some for my mom, too. You fly across the country to do the install?

Nope. Blinds.com can do it all. All she had to do was pick what she wanted.

She talked to a design consultant for free and scheduled a professional measure and install. Look at you, a Hall of Fame son. Oh, I just picked the winning team. They're the number one online retailer of custom window coverings in the world. Oh, Blinds.com is the GOAT. The GOAT. He shoots.

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Price and coverage match limited by state law. And this is that Gelb show on the Infinity Sports Network. I've said this for years. James Harden, great. Hall of Fame, great regular season player.

But come postseason time, he is the antithesis of what he is in the regular season. And you could give me a few moments. Remember the block he had up against Oklahoma City? I think it was a few years ago.

All right. That was a fine moment. Defensive moment. It was good, but that series never should have got as far as it did last year. He had some good early showings with the Sixers up against the Celtics. But when push came to shove, he did not do his job towards the end of the series. I think James Harden as a pro does not take his job as serious as he should. Now, I'm not saying he shouldn't have a good time.

I'm not this old curmudgeon. We all know his affinity for strip clubs, but there have been times when he is disgruntled in a place. What's the number one criticism you hear from people internally or people that coach him? Whether it's on the record or anonymous sources, we wish he put in more work. We wish he took his craft a little bit more seriously.

And it's actually impressive, right? Being this big-time athlete, how great he can be in the regular season, when at times the priorities seem to be maybe enjoying yourself in a fine gentleman's club, a little bit more than people usually go, compared to maybe putting a little bit more extra work on the court. I remember that time he was in Brooklyn, or it was at the end of Houston, where people thought he put on like a fat suit, and he tried to orchestrate his eventual trade or expedite the trade from the Rockets. And then he got to Brooklyn. It was like, how did James Harden look like he was a slob in Houston? And then in two weeks, he's slim and trim in Brooklyn. So my biggest problem with James Harden, it may not necessarily be him going to the strip clubs and him not taking his craft as serious as maybe he should, but it's the lack of accountability.

And whenever something goes wrong, it's always someone else's fault. Whether it was his relationship deteriorating with Daryl Morey, you know, his lack of relationship with Doc Rivers in Houston, teammates got annoyed with him because they were there ready to go, and they were always waiting for James to show up. So James goes to LA, a place where, whether you love Doc Rivers or not as a coach, it's irrelevant, but Doc Rivers, when he was there, if you remember at the end, he basically made it known, oh, I wish when Paul George and you also had Kawhi Leonard throw him under the bus, he talked about how sometimes he wanted those players to actually show up a little bit more.

And he wanted those guys to take their craft a little bit more seriously. And Doc even had that same complaint with James Harden. When you're going out and partying, and you're playing stinking games, and you're not playing well, well, why do you think you're not playing that well? So you go to LA, especially like a place like the Clippers, where they don't give a rat's ass what you do, right?

We all know the players run that organization. So James Harden, earlier in the series up against the Mavericks, dare I say it, I was actually impressed. And I broke my number one rule with James Harden, don't get impressed with him early on in the series.

Just wait, and wait, and wait. And when you get later and later on in the series, like when you get to a pivotal game five last night, when you're on your home court, and I get it, the Clippers don't have this great home advantage, but you are still home, you get smacked. You get obliterated by the Dallas Mavericks, as the Mavericks just destroyed the Los Angeles Clippers last night, a buck 23 to 93. And I get it, the Clippers are playing without Kawhi Leonard, what else is new? Paul George, who at times has also come up small in the postseason, he did not have a good game either last night, but James Harden was an abysmal two at 12 from the field, one at seven from the three point line, and his plus minus in the game, he was a minus 25, which was the worst for not only starters, but the entirety of the Clippers team, and he gave you a pathetic putrid seven points in the game.

Seven points from James Harden. James Harden is a player that is a great regular season player, tremendous story, right? He was a six man with the thunder, and then blossomed on his own, and won an MVP, like his resume, James Harden's resume is extremely impressive.

But what's missing on that resume? That signature postseason moment that leads his team, or is a part of a team winning a championship, like not many guys win six man of the year, and then also win an MVP. There was a time where the rise in the work ethic and the dedication of James Harden was at an all time great level, but now it's the same story. You know like when you love a movie, and you watch a movie a thousand times, but you sit there even in like the 900, like the 900 time you watch it, and you expect something to be different with the movie, and you may be sitting there, you may be like, oh, maybe this will be different, maybe this actor or actress will do this, and it never changes because you've seen the movie a thousand times and the movie's already been produced. That's James Harden.

James Harden is the movie that you love to watch. It has a bad ending. You know what the ending is going to be. You hope the ending is always going to change, but it never does. You know, I did not have an issue with the ending of The Sopranos.

Some people did. A lot of people had an issue with the ending of Seinfeld Curb, right, with Larry, David, and Jerry Seinfeld poke fun at the ending of Seinfeld in the finale of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Whenever there's like a great show and it ends poorly or the ending is unsatisfactory, there is a part of you that you love the show, but it leaves like a little bit of a bitter taste in your mouth, and you'll watch it, and you'll love it, and you keep on rerunning it, and you're saying, hmm, maybe it'll be different this time, but it never changes. That's James Harden. James Harden is like an eight-episode great series, and the meat and potatoes of the series is awesome, but towards the end, it's like wah, wah, wah. That's James Harden, and every year, oh, look at James in the regular season. Look what he's doing with the thunder.

Look at the sacrifices that he's made with Brooklyn and the Rockets and Philly and Los Angeles. Oh, he's being a team guy. He's being awesome.

Big postseason game, pivotal game five up against the Dallas Mavericks, won a seven from three, two at 12 from the field, and a huge trade, seven points. So yesterday, I was talking about Larry Fitzgerald. Santa is playing that Dave Pasch call from the Super Bowl where Larry Fitzgerald thought he put the Cardinals in a situation to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, and then we all know what happened with San Antonio Holmes and Ben Roethlisberger. Foot wasn't down. You could still say the foot wasn't down.

We have the same conversation as yesterday. You say the foot isn't down. You give me a bleep-eating grin because you know the foot was down. Both feet were down, and then my guy Colton, who's training on the board, he just waves that hand. I forgot he was there, Colton, and that mitt, that paw comes right up and gives a little wave, and he gives the JJ McCarthy wave to the Ohio State fans that he gave. So that's what did transpire.

Same thing yesterday, same thing tonight. And I talked about that all-time great run from Larry Fitzgerald, the four-game great run. It's one of the best runs you'll see that didn't result in a championship. So in honor of James Harden, in honor of James Harden choking again and no showing again in the postseason, let's do players that were great who never won a ring. NFL, I think it starts off with the most important position, quarterback. Dan Marino statistically is one of the greatest quarterbacks you'll ever see. Dan Marino still to this day, whenever you do these top five, top ten lists, people go, I know he didn't win a ring, but remember how great Dan Marino was, and could you imagine if Dan Marino played in today's game? Like, Dan Marino maybe would have thrown, and this isn't hyperbole, 6,000 yards in a season in today's version of the NFL.

Dan Marino, it was, I just want to get the year right here, 1994. Actually, let's go 84. Sorry, 1984. Man, that's how I'm getting old. I have glasses. I looked at that year, and it was 84, and I thought it was 94. Uh-oh.

I'm driving late tonight, too, in the dark. Uh-oh. Am I getting old, as I'm about to turn 30 in August? Is that a moment where I realize that I'm getting really old? But in 1984, Dan Marino threw for 5,084 yards and 48 touchdown passes. Like, in today's game, with how easy it is for quarterbacks, and that you can't hit quarterbacks, I don't think it's crazy to say that Marino would have thrown, what, one season, 60 passing touchdowns and 6,000 yards? Like, that's not crazy, right?

No question. He had the quickest release you've ever seen. And look at the entirety of the career.

Just the crazy numbers. 5,084 yards in 84. 4,746 yards in 86. 4,434 yards in 88. 4,116 yards in 92. 4,453 yards in 1994. Hey, think about that.

The consistency of it. Dan Marino to me, NFL, the first player I think of. Great player that didn't win a ring. NBA. In my lifetime, it's Vince Carter.

I absolutely love watching Vince Hannity. And he's someone that I would have loved to have seen win an NBA championship. Hockey, my lifetime, one of the greatest goaltenders of all time, Henrik Lindqvist. That's a dude that deserved to win a Stanley Cup. And there was a lot of years his team let him down.

And Major League Baseball, I'll go old, old, old, old, old school, Ted Williams. But then, this is going to be a controversial one. Because this is a guy that I would have loved to have seen win a ring. And there's so many people that hate this guy. And I know they'll say cheater.

I know they'll say he's a bad dude. But still, the most exciting baseball player I have ever seen with my two eyes. To not win a championship, Barry Bonds. I know, 8-5-5, 2-1-2, 42-27. Galb, are you a moron? Galb, do you know he's a cheater? Galb, do you know he used a syringe and took steroids?

Yes, I know. And unlike Cooperstown, I still acknowledge the numbers he put up when Major League Baseball allowed it. So, Dan Marino, NFL. Vince Carter, NBA. Henrik Lundqvist, NHL. Major League Baseball, Barry Bonds, Ted Williams. My list of players that did not win a ring that should have won a ring. Now, there's another name that I think of in the NFL. I will hold it, though.

And we will see what you guys end up doing. Stu, who are a few players that you wish could have one day maybe got a ring? In terms of guts, I think that should have. NFL, I think, with Daniel Tomlinson was just out of this world, led the league in rushing multiple times. He had three first-team all-pros, three second-team all-pros. Like, he was the epitome of the running back position for like 10 years when the running back was still a great position.

I mean, he was just incredible. And that was a team, 14-2. It was in 06. 14-2 in 06.

They were the number one seed. They're playing at home against the Pats. Brady throws a pick.

Troy Brown pops out the football and they recover it. And Hickey, who's a Colts fan, because the Patriots, remember, owned the Colts then. And you would think that a Colt fan would be very nervous about the Patriots coming into their building. He was actually saying he was more afraid of the Chargers.

Him and his dad were more afraid of the Chargers that year because of how many times the Chargers found a way to take care of business up against the Colts. That was the team. That 14-2 team in 06, they should have won a championship.

So good with Gates and Rivers. That was just an incredible team. NBA outgo Allen Iverson. I think he was just so good. You know, he was kind of like a guy that I think he was probably a favorite player for a lot of people too during that time.

And obviously he just ran into the Kobe and Shaq machine. He deserved better. He should have won a ring. He put that team on his back multiple times. He was incredible. Yeah, yeah, just iconic.

And really changed a big part of the NBA. So you go LT, Lydani and Toddlinson to be clear. And then you ended up going with Allen Iverson, the answer. I wonder if he'll be in the building tonight at the Wells Fargo Center where I'm going to.

Probably he's usually in a bunch of these games. Samter, who are some players for you? There's two players in the NFL that one I had going into this conversation I didn't name on purpose and the other based off your answer actually Stu of LT made me think of of another player. But go ahead guys.

There's two for me the one that stands out. I mean, obviously Marino is the guy but it's Barry Sanders. It's a little bit different because we're thinking quarterbacks and it's harder to say a running back can impact a game in that way. But Barry Sanders the guy who should have and he never even came close. I think he won one playoff game in his entire career. Just no matter how good he was. They could never do anything even when Scott Mitchell was good and and Randy Moss is another one. Oh, yeah, the one time take the ball deep take the top ball defense the Patriots win title after title after title then he comes in they go undefeated and it's like a given that they're going to win the Super Bowl and boom and caught the touchdown and put them ahead before the Giants offensive line decided to hold everyone and then the rested in a blow the whistle and then you have Eli Manning throwing David Tyree who had stick him on his helmet. You know what nine guys could have sacked Eli on that play and Rodney Harrison had one inch to put that ball on the ground.

Nice that you have no one to blame but be nice about Rodney be right be nice anyone else. That's why I got in the NFL in the NBA. It's I mean easy ones Charles Barkley Patrick Ewing Carmelone John Stockton Jason Kidd.

Oh, no, no kid one. When I'm sorry kid one with the Mavericks, but but John Stockton as well. So those are the main ones hockey. I don't I don't have enough of a have a background in hockey to give you one there but baseball Mike trout is definitely going to be one of them unless he ends up.

Yeah somewhere. I love Ken Griffey jr. That's great one. And of course Ted Ted Williams the great table has ever won a title because the Red Sox had that amazing long curse because they sucked and they were terrible. I thought Santa just wasn't listening to me because I did say Ted Williams, but that was he just wants to just stab the knife into the Red Sox. I heard you say it but that was when I wrote down because I love watching the Red Sox on there because you like to troll the Red Sox. Yes.

Yes. Um, the other one in the the NBA and I have another one in the MLB Tony Gwynn MLB. Yeah, I was part of that yank. I'm not part of I work for the Yankees doing my vendor stuff when we swept the Padres out of that World Series just embarrassed him. How many teams of Santa does work you work for the Cardinals right or for the Cardinals?

I didn't work for the Yankees. I was a vendor at Yankee Stadium. So wait, wait, wait, you were like throwing peanuts and Cracker Jacks out mostly mostly soda, but yes, sometimes peanuts mostly hot dogs and soda the two least desirable items to have when you're when you're selling because yeah, it was rough. So there is a vendor in the section. I was in last night that sells peanuts and Cracker Jacks and I saw him on the subway last night coming back from the game.

But this vendor is very memorable because Santa let me hear your vendor voice. If you were selling peanuts and Cracker Jacks, what would you say to get the attention of someone to try to sell peanuts and Cracker Jacks? Peanuts get your peanuts here cracker Cracker Jacks. Get your Cracker Jacks, right? This guy only did was. Peanuts. But that works that works.

You just got to get people's attention. I bought a bag of peanuts. I would have never thought to buy a bag of peanuts and I love eating a bag of peanuts at a baseball game, but it was like I didn't go into the stadium last night like oh, I need I need to go get some peanuts. No, but that guy just and I felt compelled when I saw him on the it was after you get off the seven line and you get into Grand Central. It was true.

I saw the guy I almost just wanted to go up to me like but I didn't just sleep with the guy alone. And here's the one in the NFL based off Stusse in the Chargers because you said the Chargers. I know you said Lydian Tomlinson. I also think of Antonio Gates.

That's not the guy Tony Gonzalez. I loved like there was some Jersey growing up on Long Island. There are some jerseys that had nothing to do with the Giants or the Jets that everyone would wear in high school.

Ocho Cinco right Chad Johnson was always one the Bengals Lydian Tomlinson with those powder blue Chargers Jersey that was badass and then Tony Gonzalez with the Chiefs Tony Gonzalez with the Chiefs was all those are the three jerseys that I remember where if it wasn't a jet or a giant jersey or if it wasn't Zach Gelb winning wearing one of his like eight thousand Patriot jerseys there you would always see kids wearing a Tony Gonzalez Jersey a Lydian Tomlinson Jersey as well and those are those are some of the bigger ones to also Ray Lewis people love to wear Ray Lewis a lot of Mike Vickers he's before yeah but the Falcons that black and red was so badass and Mike Vick was the man back in the day. Yeah back in the day back in the day just saying we all know what happened. All righty. This is the Zach Gelb show on the Infinity Sports Network will take a time out will come on back.

It is the Zach Gelb show on the Infinity Sports Network. I don't know why I always enjoy a good Wawa sandwich. It's not like it's anything like sensational you don't like ever walk away and you go oh that's a must have but when there's just something when you're driving down to Philadelphia and you see a Wawa you got to make a stop and get a Wawa sandwich now. The problem is I'm leaving here in about 30 minutes. Do I want to stop and get a sandwich at Wawa? I have a full tank of gas that takes like 10 to 15 minutes away from the journey when I'm going to a game tonight where there's going to be a ton of food now.

I was misled a little bit. I was told this ticket it's going to be in a luxury box tonight. Now when you get told and I'm grateful either way it's a free ticket to a big game tonight. I'm happy to just go but when you get told you're going to a luxury box that changed the way that I was going to eat today because I was like, oh I'll pig out tonight at the game.

I have good protein shake in the middle of the day. You know that will hold me over maybe like a little bar when I leave here and that will be good until I eat like a fat pig. But he texted me not a luxury box. We're in like I think it's like 112 or something that 121 so still good seats when you get told you're going to luxury box. I start to think okay, the chicken fingers hot dogs.

You got the burgers all that stuff and all the snacks that they end up providing and that was a little disappointing now. Was it intentionally misleading or was it miscommunication or did the chicken do the tickets change? So the person that got me the tickets works for a law firm and he goes any he said to me he goes I think these are luxury box seats because every time his company has got him tickets. They've been in a luxury box. I don't know if this person ever has been to a playoff game with this company, you know a luxury box for a playoff game law firm.

You probably could afford it but I don't know. I don't know what their deal is and how they get their tickets. I would imagine that they have other tickets as well. And now we're in the other section now, maybe some people law firm they give them like a pass or something we get into the luxury box. If I'm in a luxury box, I think I'll be watching more of the food than actually the game.

So it's actually a good thing that we're not in a luxury box. That's all I'll spin it but I feel like I I didn't have anything at the stadium last night when I went to the Mets game. I ate I was starving when I walked out of here and I had to wait like 30 something minutes until the train and I went across the street got a rice bowl with grilled chicken and then I had two surfaces at the at the Mets game last night. So I just had two beers, but I didn't eat at the stadium. So now go into another stadium tonight at Wells Fargo. I feel compelled to say the least to eat some some stadium food. So Knicks and Sixers tonight.

I will get to that game in just a second. But first we have breaking news regarding the Bucks and Pacers. We have breaking news on the Zach Gelb show.

What did I tell you earlier? Never ever ever trust these rotten NBA injury reports. Giannis Antetokounmpo, doubtful. Damian Lillard, doubtful to play. Will Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard with an Achilles injury will make his triumphant return tonight for game six at Indiana. That's what League sources tell NBA on TNT Bleacher reports very own Chris Hayne.

Okay now for the reaction to that man. I went into tonight thinking the Pacers are going to win the game. That's what I thought. Now you get Dame back. You heard those Bucks fans chanting Bucks in seven Bucks in seven and usually it's the Bucks in six Bucks in six Bucks in six.

But now I thought that okay, they weren't going to see a seventh game eventually in Milwaukee. You get Dame back. Here's what I'll say though.

I always feel like there is it doesn't always happen like this. But in the NBA we've seen times before there is a serious Achilles injury. Like you you tear the Achilles you rupture the Achilles that there's a minor injury before it. I just hope for the sake of Dame.

That's not what is transpiring here. So he's coming back from having suffered an Achilles injury. He will play tonight.

I give him credit. I guess there's going to be no Giannis onto the Kumpo but they get one of their guys back tonight. You get a great performance at a Chris Middleton, maybe a little Bobby Bobby Bobby with Bobby Portis as well and Damon company could lead them back to a game seven. Now that building is going to be rocking tonight in Indianapolis. The Fieldhouse is going to be Rocky. I would play if I'm betting on this game which I'm not.

So it's easier said than done. I would plus the points tonight. The Knicks and the Sixers yesterday I did a sports minute and I thought to myself I will definitely see a game seven.

Definitely more and more as today goes on. I start to think the Knicks are going to win but you make me give you a prediction right now. You know how I said early you can't trust James Harden in a big spot. I do not know why I'm trusting the Sixers in a big spot. Maxie had that heroic performance that miraculous performance in game five where he made the four-point play and then he had the basically half court shot that did go in to tie up the game.

I know Maxie is going to show up tonight. This is an Embiid game tonight. It has to be Sixers win and beat has to go off and we've seen Embiid throughout the years even though he's had these great regular seasons and he hasn't been the biggest problem why they've lost but he's had some crucial turnovers in these elimination game and he was basically begging for the Knicks to win that game game five and regulation at 10 turnovers in regulation and like 90 seconds left he threw the ball away and it was like oh here we go again. I know Joel Embiid is dealing with a lot right now. It's kind of crazy that he's playing Nick nurse cannot try to play in the entirety of the game.

You have to get him some rest and you have to meticulously plan that out. But there is no player under more pressure tonight on either team than Joel Embiid because this will be the first time like the Sixers don't win tonight and bead is underwhelming in the game. This will be the first offseason where Joel Embiid gets some legitimate criticism from his own fan base and I can't wait to see what dynamic is going to be in that building tonight and I'll be there like I said because those Sixers owners gobbled up 2,000 tickets to go give out to Sixers fans because they were concerned after what they did see in their two games at the Wells Fargo Center in game two in game three and in game four where the Nick fan invaded Philadelphia and I would imagine there's a ton of Knicks fans in there tonight once again with an opportunity to avoid a game seven and put the New York Knicks in the second round of the NBA playoffs.

So I think it'll feel great about it. But I think the Sixers find a way to win the game tonight. So you do have Dave Willard back for the Bucks and we'll see what transpires between the Knicks and the Sixers. We will take a break. We will come on back. We will wrap up the show.

It is a Thursday. I have two Zach Gelb show PSAs mixed into one which basically just when it's my opportunity to tell you what I'm doing is to give you two PSAs also the mix into one. So we'll get to his heck help show PSA we return update time first.

Here he is the Ackman rich Ackerman. Okay guys, we got to put our trays up for takeoff. Where's dad? Oh, he's in the back. We could only get three seats together. Daddy has my pillow.

We'll get it later. Can you not put your feet up, please? Why aren't we going? We must be in line for takeoff.

Like security. Well, that was a different line. I have to go. We just sat down. But I have to go.

The seat belt sign's on. Why aren't we moving? Hey, no picking.

We're just 15th in line for takeoff. Son of a... Don't go there. Go on a real vacation. Go RVing.

Learn more at GoRVing.com. Hey everyone, Boomer Esiason here. The NFL draft is behind us and your favorite team is down gearing up for week number one. The free Odyssey app puts you right in the middle of the Pro Football Conversation with the biggest sports radio stations from across the country. The local voices who know your team the best, giving you their unfiltered takes on the current state of your squad.

It's always football season right here on the free Odyssey app. Oh, such a clutch pickup, Dave. I know, right?

I was worried we'd bring back the same team. Oh, no, I meant those blackout motorized shades. MVP of the room.

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Even you could do it. Nice. I installed these and then got some for my mom, too. You fly across the country to do the install?

Nope. Blinds.com can do it all. All she had to do is pick what she wanted.

She talked to a design consultant for free and scheduled a professional measure and install. Look at you, Hall of Fame son. Oh, I just picked the winning team. They're the number one online retailer of custom window coverings in the world. Oh, Blinds.com is the GOAT! The GOAT! He shoots!

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