Lakers-Nuggets Reaction (Hour 1)

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Additional terms apply. CBS Sports Radio here in beautiful New York City, sitting on top of the 10th floor, 345 Hudson Street. Welcome on in to a Wednesday edition of the Zach Gelb show across all of our great local CBS Sports Radio affiliates, Sirius XM, Channel 158, and that free Odyssey app. 855-212-4CBS, number to jump on in.

855-212-4227, you can always get at me on Instagram where I'm straight flexing or via the good old cesspool of Twitter, at Zach Gelb. That's Z-A-C-H-G-E-L-B. I just saw Denny, our main guy Denny walking around the studio. Denny hooked it up today because I guess someone brought in a bunch of food. There was penne alla vodka. There was chicken parm, veal parm as well. And I walk over to get myself a little piece of chicken, get some free dinner, a little veal as well. And I'm a sucker for a penne alla vodka.

I was hoping to be rigatoni alla vodka, but penne alla vodka is okay. And of course in typical CBS Sports Radio fashion, you have all this food, but no utensils and no plates. So Denny comes running around the corner. He's like, I got the plates. I got the utensils.

I don't know where he's stashing those things, but he finds me, gives me a plate, gives me a fork, gives me a knife. And I just had a wonderful dinner before the start of this show. So if I pass out during the show, cause I'm in like some sort of food coma, now you know why, but we're going to have an awesome kick-ass Wednesday show. Alex Solana is going to join us coming up 20 minutes from now. You have game one between the Heat and the Celtics. Alex does a great job pre and post on the Heat Radio Network. We will also be joined today on the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio by Avery Johnson at 8 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Pacific.

And then we will preview the PGA Championship with Alex Myers from Golf Digest at 9 20 p.m. Eastern, 6 20 p.m. Pacific. But first up, producing this extravaganza for the next four hours is no other than Hot Take Kiki. Hot Take Kiki. You actually got to be annoyed today, Hot Take Kiki. You probably think you're in a good mood right now, correct Amundo? I not think I know I'm in a good mood. So what is it?

What are you about to say that's going to ruin it, possibly? Well, like you're the pasta man. You are the David Pastanak here of CBS Sports Radio. Each and every night you bring in a different dish of pasta. When they have that delicious food that they just served in our bullpen newsroom area, you probably have to be disappointed because I would imagine it's better than the homemade pasta that you brought in. Even though you do have some good pastas that you bring in and you have different variations and you've done a good job improving as a cook a little bit, a little bit.

I'll give you some praise there. But when you have to smell that delicious food and you already brought in some pasta, you're not going to go over there and eat that delicious food because you already brought stuff in. So you got to be annoyed by that. I don't know. I got sweet corn. I got burrata.

I got spinach inside the pasta. So yeah. Yeah. Not to brag.

You know, we're coming with the big guns today, so no jealousy on my end. You know who you're like? You're like the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bobby Flay. No, because a few months ago the Lakers were terrible. They started off that season, what, two and ten. People didn't even think they were going to make the playing game.

That's what your food dishes used to look like when you would bring them in and I'd be like, what a boring pedestrian plate of food that Hot Take Kiki would bring in. But the last few months you get healthy, you get going, you see LeBron and AD both going off and the meals have improved. So I compare you to the Los Angeles Lakers. And that's what we'll start the show today because it's really weird in the postseason. I'm not about moral victories and I'm not calling last night a moral victory, but I did go into this series expecting Denver to win this series in six games. I do think Denver is the better team compared to Los Angeles and I said this when the postseason started, I fully do expect the Denver Nuggets to get to the NBA Finals. But last night when the show's basically wrapping up and it is just such a lopsided affair after one half and you look how dominant the Denver Nuggets were. We were joking because I'm going out to Denver for game five, my brother-in-law and I are going out to Lakers and Nuggets because they live out there in Centennial. And we were joking, okay, are we even going to get a game five in this series with how much of a one sided affair it looked in the first half. And Hickey, if I'm being honest with you, I walked away from that game last night where I still think Denver is going to win the series. But how ugly it was for the Lakers in the first half and just how much better Denver was.

Even though you always make that joke, oh, you could just turn on the NBA for the final five minutes and it always finds a way to get close. I was impressed with how awful it was and how putrid of a performance it was in the first half where you then go into the fourth quarter and you get late into that fourth quarter. And Denver had a chance to go out there and blow it and the Lakers had a chance to go win that game. I was really surprised that the Lakers gave as good of a second half effort as they did and were able to narrow that gap where LeBron James has the ball.

He could have drove and should have driven on Jamal Murray where he's down by three instead, an ill-advised shot with 15 seconds left on that shot clock, under a minute to go in the game. But I really do walk away where the proper way to word this is that I'm intrigued about the Lakers. We're heading into this series. It was Denver in six.

I still believe Denver is going to win. But I'm really intrigued what this game two is going to look like tomorrow night because the Lakers, you've got to think next game are not going to get off. It's almost impossible to get off to a worse start than what they did in the first half. And look, they almost won the game last night. And if they would have won the game last night, we would have been crushing, absolutely crushing the Denver Nuggets today. So even in a loss, I do walk away last night intrigued and somehow impressed with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Look, obviously there's a big reason, right? If you're a Lakers fan, you should feel good, as good as you can after a game one loss in the Western Conference Finals. But also too, I come out of that game feeling still good about Denver. I understand that they almost blew it and they're up 21 points late in the third quarter and almost just had that entire house crumbled down upon them. But to their credit, as the Lakers are making their fierce comeback in the fourth quarter, they answered. They made plays offensively and defensively to stymie LA enough to get the win.

So yes, they almost blew it. Yes, they had a first half that is absolutely, for the most part, not replicable going forward. You can't bank on being up by 18 points at halftime and getting it to Lakers. But that was still a situation where crunch time in the big moment where LeBron James has done it countless times, where Anthony Davis has won a championship and no one really on the Nuggets has, I thought they showed championship medal and holding off the Lakers to win the game.

I wouldn't agree with that. It wasn't like I was blown away at any point with how Denver, who was spotted such a big league because they created that big league, then almost choked it away and still found a way to pull it out. Sure, you'd rather win the game than lose the game because if you lose that game, then everyone's crushing to you and there's an enormous amount of pressure heading into you in game number two. But really, it's like I walk away from that game last night with the Lakers where I know we're both in agreement here where we picked Denver, but when I look at Los Angeles and what they did last night, it shows you how tough of an out they're going to be. Because when you have a team that's built the way that the Lakers are, when LeBron is up there in age, we know that Anthony Davis, even though he's been playing like a top 10 player in the league in the postseason and down the stretch for Los Angeles, there's always that fear of an injury is inevitably coming for Anthony Davis. I really thought that the Lakers were going to pack it in. They were going to pack it in and then just try their best to go take game two with how just abysmal that first half performance was. So that's why the fact that they were not only not afraid to go out there and have a good effort, but then almost take advantage of it and give Denver one of those demoralizing defeats. It's why I do walk away impressed last night with the Lakers and therefore it's like, okay, Denver. Now, let's see if you could go take the two oh series lead because if the Nuggets play even 70% of what they did in the first half last night, it's going to be really tough. Even with the whole second half to play for that team to not win three more games in this series, and it's not going to be as easy at times as it was last night. Everyone in that starting lineup did show up for Denver and you had Brown off the bench who did add 16 points important 16 points as well.

You just wonder for me when this series goes on and I do think the better team will eventually win out in Denver. But when I look at the Lakers, we talked about this all postseason. We know LeBron is their best player, but it's clear that their most valuable player is Anthony Davis. And you wonder throughout the duration of what could potentially be a long series with Anthony Davis with how much you're going to ask of him on the offensive end where he goes for 40 points last night.

And then also defensively with the task that he does have that hand of sometimes being on a call. Jokic when this series goes on, where is the health and where is the fatigue level of Anthony Davis going to be at? That's my biggest question, even though I feel good with the Lakers showed me in that second half last night. That's the multimillion dollar question for the Lakers is what is Anthony Davis has been really damn good this postseason.

What will he look like at like towards the end of this series if it gets to a two two or if you get to a three two spot and you need a big effort out of him to stay in this series and get it to three three to send it back to Denver for a game seven. That's my big question because Anthony Davis, it feels like even though I feel good about the Lakers last and what they showed, it does feel as if they wasted his effort last night. Because when you were watching that, yeah, what the Joker did last night was ridiculous and it was phenomenal.

It was fantastic. It's what this guy's been doing for the last three, four years. We all know how great of a player he is and how he's a unicorn pretty much on a basketball court. But you see them what Anthony Davis did as well. Yeah, you could get on the radio like I just did and go, all right, you feel OK about the Lakers, but you don't want to waste an Anthony Davis performance like that. And unfortunately, because of the poor start for Los Angeles, you did waste that eventual total outlook on what Anthony Davis was able to do in the game.

And that's why, despite, again, almost having a very embarrassing loss and maybe even losing the series right there by blowing a twenty one point lead at home in late in the third quarter. If you look at the Nuggets where you just won a game in which Anthony Davis, like you mentioned, scored 40 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, was 14 to 23 from the floor. LeBron James shot over 50 percent from the floor, 26 points. Austin Reeves, 23 points.

Rui Hachimura, 17 points. Like you got really solid, legitimate contributions from four guys of the Lakers, obviously headlined by Anthony Davis's big 40 point game. And you won the game.

Yeah. And the thing we talk about AD is he's his potential, especially with his defensive ability as well. He arguably could be the best player overall at his peak in the postseason. And he had a great performance on both ends of the court for the most part. He did get worked by Jokic last night, but still a very good defender and altered some shots, especially later on in the fourth quarter. But you had a great performance from AD.

And like you said, I think you said it perfectly, wasted. You lost if you're the Lakers. And the big thing with AD is consistency. You know he's due whether the series goes five, six, seven, he's due for one stinker. Now, I think it's fair to say every series he is due for one clunker. So you factor that in as well now going forward and whenever that game does happen, you've got to feel pretty good about Denver that you won the game. Despite almost blowing it, you won a game which AD at 40, LeBron is over 50% from the field in the game, Reeves scored 23 points. That's still, I think, a reason to feel good about your future in the series, despite the fact that, again, you're up 21 and at one point he got to three. And also for Los Angeles, Rui's going to be a big key for them. Because you saw how much they relied on him last night as well.

And someone's going to have to fade out of that rotation and a lot of thought is that it's going to be, as you saw a little bit last night too, it's going to be D'Angelo Russell. And you just wonder how those dynamics are going to play in Hickey as the series does linger on. Plenty of adjustments, Darvin Ham said it very confident after the game that he kind of knew what buttons to, buttons, I should say, I don't know why I said that weird.

Buttons. To push, it sounded Canadian there. Hey, what'd you say, are you a Maple Leafs fan? Maple Leafs fans are not happy, allegedly, with yours truly, that's for sure. Really?

Well, people, you know, the whole Hickey hex that is now taking a life on its own. I didn't even pick the Maple Leafs, I was rooting for them to make it. No, yes you did. And all of a sudden now I'm being called a mush.

Wait, you're doing, I never said that? You did pick the Maple Leafs. I was rooting for them. We talked about rooting, you know, for teams.

Who do you want to see? I said Leafs and Kraken. I was rooting for some good luck.

Yeah, well. And all of a sudden now I'm being scapegoated as the guy is the reason why the Leafs lost in five. If I'm a fan listening to this show, just judging off the records, I would not feel great if Hickey puts his support behind the team that I root for. Well, Lakers fans rejoice and Celtics fans rejoice, then if that's the case, then.

Congrats to you if this Hickey hex is allegedly true, which I, again, do not think so, and it's just a coincidence. Oh, you're taking the heat? Yes, I'm taking the heat. Wow! I'm taking the heat.

And I'm in the Pacific series. Oh, boy. Ha, ha, ha. Okay. Jamal is going to shoot a career worse from the field now. Yeah. Well, you said Joel Embiid was gonna have a career game in that game seven.

42 points. So pretty much the storylines from last night, I did not like the LeBron three towards the end. Nicole Jokic was awesome.

Jamal Murray was really good as well. Anthony Davis was phenomenal, and I'm just intrigued after last night because after the first half I thought Denver was going to continue to run them out of the building in the second half with the fight you saw from the Lakers and they almost had a chance to go tie the game and basically go win the game too and just steal that game one. It was one of those things where I go okay let's see what happens in game number two.

Real quickly because I know we got to hit a break here. What are your thoughts on Russell Wilson sitting courtside last night? I think after the season that you just had you got to be sitting in like the third or fourth row.

You can't be court. You got to be with my guy Brandon McManus who was at the game last night, the kicker for the Broncos who's in the third or fourth row. I know Russ is a big star.

I know he has all the money in the world. I don't love Russell Wilson sitting courtside last night after the dreadful season that he had. He seems to be a sweet guy at this point where he's out of sight out of mind maybe a quick pan in there but I'm with you not first row. You know I'll say this you want to put him first row do it the first round. Game three against the Wolves okay fine no arguments there put him courtside but let's save some real clutch stars here for the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers.

Oh you're going after your guy now. I think a bounce back year is coming but after last year and that debacle I think you got to earn it. And how much he loves being in the spotlight sitting courtside yikes last night and I did find it funny they panned him and he celebrated he's going nuts and the next thing you know that ends up being a game. I think there would have been a lot of memes today about Russell Wilson if the Denver Nuggets would have choked that game away last night. All right we'll preview the Easter Conference Finals coming up in five minutes Alex Solana does a great job pre and post on the Heat Radio Network. He joins the Zach Gelb show next. You're listening to the Zach Gelb show. All righty Zach Gelb show CBS Sports Radio Easter Conference Finals game one coming up in a few hours. Make sure you listen to the Heat Radio Network pre and post you will hear Alex Solana who is a friend in the radio industry and I do always appreciate him other than the times where he just gives off terrible and I mean putrid food opinions and then I have to go on his own show in Miami and just slap him around.

But do love me some Alex Solana and he joins us right now. Alex what's going on my friend? I'm good you didn't get that public sub that I sent you to replace your Capsis Deli menu order Zach? No it got lost in the mail. Got lost in the mail.

I actually told my mailing department if I get any mail from Alex Solana to just reroute it back and just politely decline any mail from you so that's what I did. I appreciate you having me on here to talk about the Eastern Conference Finals and listen you want to get some food takes you let me know I'm always ready to go for you Zach. We will pause on your food takes but I will say about the Heat you know I have a lot of respect for Miami and what Pat Riley and Eric Spoelstra have there I also love Jimmy Butler. You saw in the last really two rounds this Boston team play around and it looked like they were to get burned up against Philadelphia before the Sixers do what they always do in a big game and that's not show up. This is a different Miami Heat team. I'm fascinated tonight to see what Boston shows in Game 1. There's a lot of pressure for the Celtics in this Game 1 in my opinion.

Yeah they are right. I mean you almost feel like the Heat are sort of playing with house money. I mean they're not supposed to be here Zach right. I mean they lost a playing game to Atlanta. They were down three points with two minutes to go versus the Bulls at home at risk of their season ending by virtue of losing two play in games. I mean you want to talk about embarrassment for a team that was the number one overall seed last year. They brought everybody back outside of P.J.

Tucker who they didn't want to pay and this season was just up and down. It really was the epitome of mediocrity for this Heat team and here they are this little eight seed nobody believed in. They were constant big underdogs against Milwaukee even when Giannis was out and they took him down in five right comebacks in both games four and five down 16 points in the fourth quarter to start the fourth quarter in Game 5 and somehow more Jimmy Butler heroics. They get it done and once again against the New York Knicks underdogs in pretty much every game especially on the road Jimmy Butler rolls his ankle in Game 2 didn't matter. They are able to take care of business in six so they've won both Game 1s now to start the Milwaukee and New York series on the road. Very interested to see one how Jimmy Butler's ankle is holding up right it's going to be a major part in this series.

He's had four days off now to try to heal up as best as possible but can Miami go into a hostile environment. We know the Celtics are good at home. Both teams capable of winning on the road.

I think tonight will be a huge deciding factor as a very cliche take. I understand that Zach but a huge deciding factor to see how the Heat match up against the Celtics team in the Eastern Conference rematch the third time in four years between these two clubs. Now I do think Boston's going to win the series but I will say I do think Boston or I would hope Boston has a greater focus level to start than they did up against Philadelphia because I don't think the Celtics respected Philadelphia because they own them. I know that Boston respects this team that Miami has.

Yeah I mean you'd like to think so right and I was listening to some radio in Boston just kind of previewing the series leading up to today and there were some people who didn't even consider this a legitimate rivalry and you know I think that's incorrect. I think both teams respect each other. Again I mentioned third time they're playing each other in four years in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Heat beat them once already in six and last year the Celtics probably were the better team but they almost lost in a game seven at home in Miami after losing a game six where we all saw what Jimmy Butler did going just absolutely insane 43 points and he's been playing it even better this season in the postseason. So you know it's interesting how the Heat are going to approach this one if they're just going to rely on their shooting if they're hoping Butler and band carry them not just through the series but you know it's a power through a game one a pivotal game one or if they're just going to try to play in the mud.

That's been a phrase we've been using a lot here because you saw it against the Knicks up their physicality and just really try to play old school Eastern Conference Miami Heat style basketball and I think that's going to be the approach tonight a physical battle and see you know how the Celtics are able to respond to that. I think the comments interesting Alex Alana when you hear Celtics fans say that this is not a rivalry with the Miami Heat I guess and I know you're not going to like this comment I'll preface it with I'm about to say you know Boston fans that they're looking to have arguments they're looking to have a little fun and I feel like the Heat fan that they just show up they wear the white t-shirt they they root on their team but they're not looking to get into fights and go crazy like like like like I am at times even though I'm not a Celtics fan but you get that northeast kind of feel. Yeah it's fair you know I know Boston fans had a lot to say when they were up three to one on the Florida Panthers and I didn't necessarily end up too well for the for all the Boston Bruins fans you're talking about worst case scenario for Boston having the greatest regular season team in the history of the NHL bounced after having a three to one lead to the Florida Panthers who nobody respects in the hockey world as a legitimate hockey organization now they're in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Miami Heat taking out who the Celtics were afraid of right in the Milwaukee Bucks it was kind of Milwaukee, Boston I think Boston the only team they were afraid of was Milwaukee the Heat beat them in five there must have been a sigh of relief by everybody in Milwaukee saying oh all we have to do is go through the Sixers like you said they don't respect and then the Knicks because I don't think anybody expected the Heat to keep up this play everybody is expecting them to regress and while their shooting has come back down to earth after shooting 45% versus Milwaukee in the first round again this is a team that feels they belong there and they're being led by Jimmy Butler who is just playing at this level where he doesn't care who he's going up against he feels like he's the best player on the floor and that's the way he's playing so I'm with you I do think Boston fans they like to they like to talk a little bit and the Heat fan doesn't get the respect it probably deserves as far as fandom goes but nonetheless it's two organizations that do respect each other. With the way Alex Solana that the Heat are currently constructed when we saw them a few years ago to get to the NBA Finals in the bubble which I don't hold that against them whatsoever it's the same conference finals a few years later do you think this team can win a championship in the way that they're currently constructed right now? If you would have asked me this a month and a half ago I would have said no I would have told you that there would be a major major re-haul in terms of personnel in this offseason and Pat Riley would have had his hands full to try to reconstruct this roster you're talking about guys like Max Shrews, Gabe Vincent who they were hoping again the Heat they bought into this idea growth from within and during the regular season 82 game sample size it didn't feel like the Caleb Martin the Gabe Shrews the Max excuse me the Max Shrews the Gabe Vincent experiment worked. Kyle Lowry everybody was shipping him out and Tyler Hero and Bam Adebayo were on the trading block down here but I mean look you're looking at a situation where the Heat played 50 plus close games in the regular season and what the NBA considers clutch games and now you're seeing it pay off here in the postseason I don't think they're as talented as Boston top to bottom roster wise but what I do think you know isn't isn't maybe it gets devalued a bit across sports just because it sounds funny and we kind of like to poke fun at it but this team genuinely believes that they can beat anybody on any given night and they believe again led by Jimmy Butler that they belong in this series no matter what their regular season record was I mean Zach you want to talk about an argument for the regular season doesn't matter look no further than this Miami Heat team because what they've been able to accomplish now you know with a roster a lot of people thought was was pretty much busted like this this experiment had failed here they are again meeting the Boston Celtics.

I understand talent wise top to bottom they don't have you know what it takes to match up against the the the Denver's and the Celtics and even the Bucks but what they do have is two guys who are very very talented one of them and Jimmy Butler who plays like a superstar come playoff time and then they have the best coach in the NBA which I also think matters a ton going into this conference finals. I know that the health of Butler is the number one thing and he was great in that last series even with the ankle injury and he is just phenomenal. I love Jimmy Butler but to see how much better Bam got throughout that series and look like that other star I think that's that's enormous. And in this series too with how much Al Horford was just used the last series to try to slow down and bead I think the play of Bam out of bio in this series is going to be something a lot of people are going to start to realize where you know how good he can be but he really took his game to that level that we expect him to in that last series.

This is being coined down here as the Bam out of bio series. Everybody expects what they expect from Jimmy, how's his ankle going to fare and let's not forget here Zach one important aspect of Jimmy Butler's ankle is that the Heat play every other day in the conference final so there's never going to be an instance where he's able to rest more than one day. They literally they start today and then they play every other day moving forward so no matter how good his ankle looks today I think it'll be interesting to see how it looks by game three by game four when he continues to have to play on it with very limited rest so that's that's certainly one way that that you know you can kind of analyze Jimmy Butler wait until game three or four but as far as Bam out of bio goes look what the Celtics did. I mean you want to talk about lack of gamesmanship from the rookie head coach. He could have waited until an hour before tip off today to you know let everybody know how his starting lineup would look when he go back to Derek White or where he took would he keep that big lineup that worked for them in game six and seven to counter the pick and roll action from Embiid and Harden and he said it two days ago no no we're going to keep Robert Williams in the starting lineup. He didn't have to do that he didn't have to let anybody know until an hour before tip off but he wanted it to be known that yeah we're going big and we're going to do a lot of what we tried to do last year versus Bam out of bio to limit him there are a lot of Heat fans who had a lot of things to say about Bam last year from the offensive side of the ball because of his lack of production versus Boston versus this team that seems to have a lot of success going up against them him and Robert Williams go way back they played high school basketball together so those two are very familiar with each other and they're going to play drop coverage they're going to allow Bam out of bio to step into jumpers and just like you said against New York he took over that series when Jimmy Butler would go to the bench they were winning the non Jimmy minutes which are pivotal for this Heat team to survive against anybody and it was led by Bam in the last couple games that's the type of production they're going to need from number 13 because if he's not playing excellent basketball not just good but excellent basketball on both ends of the floor at an efficient level this Heat team truthfully is just not good enough to compete with Boston they need their two best players playing excellent to win four games. Alex Solano before we let you run pre and post on the Heat radio network the Damian Lillard factor of this because because I look at the Heat and I see a guy like Jimmy Butler you could root for him to win a championship someone that doesn't have a dog in this fight you look at and Eric Spelcher you want to see him win a championship post Lebron and Wade and Bosh everyone keeps on throwing out in this offseason maybe Dame to Miami how much interest is there in Miami because if you could put together a team with Butler and Dame man that would be really tough to stop. It would but I don't think the Heat and look there has to be interest I'm not I'm not saying that I've spoken to anybody within the organization and they've told me that there's interest but I mean any any team would be crazy not to have interest in adding Damian Lillard for the right price I just think if you're going to get Damian Lillard it was the same case with Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets well they they're going to want Bam Adebayo and probably Tyler Herro if they can make the salaries work I don't think the Miami Heat will be willing to give up Bam Adebayo even if it is for Damian Lillard because there's Jimmy Butler and Damian Lillard win you an NBA title and the the type of style the Heat play it's predicated on so much of what Bam does being able to be that defensive stopper who can cover one through five you're going to see it a ton in this series or he's probably covering Jalen Browner Jason Tatum on switches purposely because that's the heat the way the Heat have crafted their defense I mean can they just you know flip the switch next season with Eric Spulcher's expertise as a more offensive team lacking that type of defensive catalyst sure but is that something they want to do I don't know especially given how much Jimmy and Lillard are going to be due in terms of salary and the style of play that they both demand so it's an interesting question if the Heat could add Damian Lillard and keep Jimmy and Bam and they have me suiting up as as they're starting four I think they do it Zach I don't know how your jumper's looking these days I'm an elbow guy I throw elbows jumper's not good I just throw elbows all right well well UD's retiring so they're going to need another enforcer yeah you know that's actually my player comp you don is Haslam I sit off the bench if I needed to I could throw some elbows and grab some rebounds Solana before we let you run last thing I feel so bad because this series is already over before it even started because my producer is a professional mush the hickey hex is a real thing and he believes the Heat are winning this series you guys are screwed I'm just letting you know man and I was such a big fan of hickey such a big fan hickey don't choose the Heat man you're you are the mush I listen I listen religiously to this show you're the mush I'm sorry man I love you I don't want you on our side go with Boston like the rest of the the media up there by you guys go with Boston it's the easy pick it's the safe pick that's the way Miami people like it always pick against us and that that's our comfort zone Alex Solana make sure you listen to him pre and post to the Heat Radio Network Alex thanks so much Zach you're the best man thank you there you go Alex Solana joining us we have more hickey mush audio when we return more people calling out the hot take artists known as hot take hickey with the hickey hex that he puts on everyone we will play you that audio from the weekend on CBS Sports Radio when we return you're listening to the Zach Gelb show we'll get to this hickey audio in just a second which you do not want to miss but first I just saw this from Adrian Wojnowski there was a pretty prominent name that interviewed for the Milwaukee Bucks coaching job today he did not coach in the NBA last season he has not been on an NBA coaching staff since 2014 any guesses here hickey he is a college coach a college coach like if I would have just said to you hickey a college coach interviewed for the Bucks job your first guess correctamundo would have been Jay Wright you would think um yeah maybe probably I don't know if he counts as a guy I guess he's a college coach yeah I know he's retired one of the great college coaches of all time so it is a current college coach has been on an NBA staff before I don't think by choice but he was on two NBA staffs one of them the Milwaukee Bucks any guesses dude can you help narrow down can we talk about conference could we talk about relevance like how they accomplish anything oh yeah this is a big name he's accomplished a lot he is a recognizable name and a good friend of Jim Nance recognizable name a good friend of Jim Nance I can't give you the conference because it would give it away but actually you know what I'll give you the conference because it's a little misleading coaches in the Big 12 Kelvin Sampson yep see I knew the conference is going to give it away what was more Jim Nance yeah but if I would have said the American athletic conference you would have probably guessed Kelvin Sampson I will say that yes you're right you're right but the Jim Nansen was the was the one that helped a lot interesting so after the whole Indiana debacle which is not really now a debacle anymore right way to go coach he was ahead of the curve he was in Milwaukee from 2008 to 2011 as an assistant and with the Houston Rockets from 2011 to 2014 before taking that job with Houston and being their head coach last few years and we know the success that Kelvin Sampson's had but he did interview with the Milwaukee Bucks today I was not expecting that one when you look at this hiring cycle has potential to be really funky because Doc Rivers is out with the Sixers Monty Williams is out with the Phoenix Suns Mike Boonenholzer is out with the Milwaukee Bucks are those three coaches just all get a kind of you know feel feel like go around America round and swap jobs it's tough to bring in a coach and I know retreads happen all the time in the association and also hockey but it's tough to bring in a coach that yes has had success but it's just getting fired now it happens and I do think Monty Williams and Mike Boonenholzer are more attractive right now than Doc Rivers but I really don't know how those three hiring cycles are going to go and I've already seen maybe there could be some talk I threw out Tyloo to the Bucks if he wants to get out of that deal and force a trade from Los Angeles Clippers there there's a report that maybe the Phoenix Suns are going to try to go pursue Tyloo so could it be a current active coach that has a team right now I guess but if I look at those three coaches Hickey let me just ask you this next year is Doc Rivers coaching in the NBA no I would agree he's probably back on TV is Monty Williams coaching in the NBA next year I will say yes I agree on that how about Mike Boonenholzer I will say no I'm gonna say no on coach bud and and this is total speculation unfortunately his brother did pass away like maybe he just wants some time off as well and you could use that personally and then also see where the market is next year now if if the Suns come calling that's going to be a tough job to pass up if for example I think I think you could pass up the Sixers right now I do but I would say out of those three Monty Williams is the only one that's going to be coaching next year so I was not expecting that Hickey that Kelvin Sampson was getting an interview with the Milwaukee Bucks not bad I like the creativity going outside the box I think that is you know important in the head coaching search and I hope we get more funky names I'm here for JJ Redick's already interviewing as well so let's just keep kind of the chaos going here Redick he was at Houston right I believe with the Rockets if JJ Redick gets a head coaching job I'm gonna be sick I don't really yeah he's I'm not a fan of JJ you don't like his condescending attitude he's got a smile a little bit more he was I was actually watching him today with Stephen A. Smith and and mad dog and I actually thought he was good he was solid but he's got a smile more he seems so angry when he talks a producers has to tell him to smile I think you need to smile and just laugh a little bit hey JJ we love the takes but that frown he's so angry everything so personal that furrowed brow you have is just really driving away listeners you gotta you gotta smile more and he would be such a douche in postgame press conferences he we definitely dropped the player card I think a lot to the media by the way this was sent to me Shep was hosting this weekend and our buddy Adam in Toronto called in let's listen up let's get to Adam friend of the show who's been patient waiting in Toronto Adam how you doing my friend I hope you had a good Mother's Day with your family and what you got for us on the 76ers man what a Shep like love every caller here last segment you had one of your co-workers throw you under the bus I'm gonna throw on one of your another one of your co-workers under the bus man um look look before the game and before I say anything all right um I love this guy I think he's funny I love when he hosts but Ryan Hautay Kicky who has an absolutely amazing job at uh producing the Zach Gelb so it's relevant when Zach's on vacation right right this guy has a proven track record of mushing go Adam and if he was if he was smart at it he would go make money off of it good idea look man this guy this guy is the Elon Musk of mushers so before the game today he got on Twitter and he always does before a big game Adam I didn't know I didn't know this was the Ryan Hickey show oh shut up Shep shut up I love myself some Ryan Hickey I got a lot of respect for Ryan Hickey but I'm not concerned with what he treats her name right Hickey that's not my concern you know what I'm concerned about I'm concerned your take I want to get Adam from Toronto's take on what unfolded in the Philadelphia 76ers Boston Celtics series in that game seven debacle I'll say that really quick but before the game he tweeted out that indeed was going to go off on an explosion and it's thinking he's going to win easily and what happened the opposite happened like it always does let me say this about Ryan Hickey though there are some hosts of course not at CBS Sports Radio but there are some hosts that don't watch games and just regurgitate what they hear every day Ryan Hickey's not one of them man and I love the guy I love listening to him host and I'm just saying that he's a professional he is and he's just really he's amazing by the way Adam really really really nice guy off the air too in all seriousness oh oh yeah yeah I've talked to him plenty of times he's awesome but he's professionally he's amazing at predicting the wrong thing happening so he's Stephen A Smith predicting NBA Finals is what you're saying oh my goodness gracious talking heads right they come on TV and they don't they don't do anything right yep you basically got a full segment there Hickey Adam and Shep by the way has no control of Adam in Toronto who we love who's a great listener but look at Shep trying to step in oh this isn't the raw and hooky show and then Adam just goes right back with more hot take Hickey picks I think we may have to start getting a pick from you each and every day and I may start betting your picks or against your picks I'm glad almost 12 hours after the tweet was sent Adam was still well not glad because I wish I got it right and I'm very actually frustrated to not get it right but I'm glad at least Adam still remembered it maybe you'll give us a pick a week one pick a week and I'll fade your pick and see how much heat over Celtics there you go no no I need like a gambling line spread all that stuff that's not how this is gonna work I'll get you the details Zach Galpshia CBS Sports Radio