Detroit

Criticized for a dispiriting and 'ugly' loss in game seven after previously showing promise.

“What a wild, like, just a reminder that d- it's a little, as, as predictable as the NBA is compared to other sports leagues in terms of who generally wins and advances, game to game it's like, wait, Cleveland won three games in a row and just got obliterated i…”

Discussed as a team with scoring struggles and a physical playstyle.

“First place MVP votes. Yeah. So I have a lot of Knicks fans in my life. I know you have even more. And they've been asking me for two weeks, who, who do I wanna play? Do I wanna play the Cavs or the Pistons? And my answer, at least for the last week, is you're…”

The team's performance and offseason strategy are being analyzed after their playoff exit.

“So that was my first thing. I have two more things for, for being bummed out if I'm the Pistons. The second is what happened to Isaiah Stewart, where I, I think he became a liability as the playoffs went on. He was one of my favorite bench guys in the league t…”

Discussed as a young team needing to find a second scorer to help Cade Cunningham.

“With Detroit, so we talk about, they're obviously not panicked. They're young. Duren's 22, Cade's in his mid-20s.”

Eliminated from the playoffs after a lethargic performance in the final game.

“Yeah, I had Mitchell as the top story, too. Nine years, 77th playoff game tonight. Never made Conference Finals, which becomes a weird list when you've had a really good career and you've made some All-NBAs, but you've never made it past round two. And pro- I …”

Referenced as a team that stood in the way of the Cavaliers' success in previous eras.

“So one thing I was thinking about with the Knicks and the Cavs, and it's, it's off of Minnesota falling short in their series about these little windows that teams have. The, the can't-get-over-the-hump teams. The teams that they win a few playoff series, they…”

The team currently tied in the playoff series and looking to regain momentum at home.

“You know Detroit. You're going back home to where you get to sleep in your bed, you get to be around your fans, you get to do your regular pregame routine. So Detroit probably ain't tripping too much.”

Struggled to keep up with Cleveland's ball movement and offensive pace.

“The ball had energy when it was received. I mean, it was shot with good energy or it was driving a closeout with good energy, and it looked at time, for large stretches of the game, that Detroit like literally couldn't catch up to the ball.”

The team is the number one seed in the Eastern Conference and is currently tied 2-2 in the series.

“Yeah, but I mean, like, I, I don't, I don't know that we're turning a corner when you're asking, like, the four to beat the one. Um, like, that's not supposed to happen usually. [laughs] Like, there's a reason one of them was the number one team in the Eastern…”

Discussed in the context of their series against the Cavs.

“And it takes your role players out as well, right? Because they're constantly having to, you know, help you out by getting the ball out of the double team, and it just messes up the flow of an offense, right? Like, um, so we'll see what happens. Uh, we kinda t…”

Referenced for their physical dominance over Scottie Pippen in the 1990 playoffs.

“... a star has to go through shit. Like, you wanna... Like, it may be heartbreaking for that year, but, like, if you see your star overcome that, that's dope to see. I... You know, it's funny, like, but, like, when I was thinking about just the, the comps, I m…”

Howard Beck praises their resilience and toughness in the series.

“[sighs] Look, there was a really great win the other night. I thought they would lose this one tonight because, not because of any doubts I had about Cleveland, but more about the confidence I had in Detroit to be able to rally, just as we saw the Pistons do t…”

Mentioned as the team the Cavs series is returning to.

“Uh, let's take a quick break. I wanna talk about the Cavs and the Pistons. Cavs had a chance to, you know, end this series at home. We talked about on the previous segment how the Spurs showed championship acumen, um, and put a team away on the road. Um, and, …”

Refers to the Detroit Lions organization where Belichick coached.

“and then Coach Holtz became the head coach of the Jets, and that was... I al- had already gone to Detroit. Then when Coach Holtz got the Jet job, I probably could've gone there with him, but I'd already gone to Detroit, and so, I mean, I could end up with Co- …”

The hosts analyze the Pistons' season progression and their recent loss in the playoffs.

“I think this is the, the progression of the Pistons along the way is, like, what were they two years ago? I, I said it the other, the other day. They won, like, 16 or 18 games-”

The team that offered Belichick a position after his time with the Colts.

“... so then, so now the season... Like, the Colts, okay, so the Colts were 2-12 the year before. Bert Jones comes in as quarterback. We're one and four. We win the next nine, nine games. We're 10-4. We win the AFC East, and we lose to Pittsburgh in the, in the…”

The team lost the series to the Cavaliers due to a lack of offense.

“That's kind of what it feels like, where it's like both of these teams have flaws. Both these teams did okay things during... You know, the Pistons had a very good regular season. Uh, but at the end of the day, they bo- they... Like, if you just keep playing t…”

Predicted to win their series against the Cavaliers in five games.

“I, I, I have Detroit in, uh, five. I think they win game four and game five.”

The team is discussed as a strong home-court contender in the NBA playoffs.

“Right now I'm still going with the Pistons. I'm, I'm going with-Everybody did what they're supposed to do. Nobody has won on the road yet, so I'm still going with the Pistons. But what Donovan Mitchell did was really incredible. I might wanna see the Cavs agai…”

They are currently tied in a playoff series against the Cavaliers.

“You know? The point is, even if it was something to him, as long as you didn't suspend him for the game, you could've made up for it to some degree by giving him a stiff financial penalty. Right. You could've done that. The fact that the league didn't even do …”

A team currently playing against Cleveland in the playoffs.

“Isn't it Cleveland? I thought Detroit's the...”

Used as a case study for urban decay and the challenges of a city built for a larger population than it currently holds.

“Well, I, I think there's so many answers to that. I mean, you, economics and the social side. I mean, I spent seven years in Detroit, Michigan, uh, around the time of its bankruptcy in 2013, and there was a city built for two million people with only 700,000 l…”

Competing against the Cavaliers in a series that the hosts hope will go to seven games.

“Yes. And I, I just want, I mainly just want this series to go seven. Just kill each other.”