00:00Zach Gelb is on the Toyota of Hollywood hotline.
00:03He hosts the Zach Gelb show on 365 Sports.
00:07He's the studio host for NFL and college basketball and Compass Media Networks.
00:13Follow him on social media at Zach Gelb, Z-A-C-H-G-E-L-B.
00:19What are your thoughts?
00:20Your thoughts from Bam Adebayo's historic 83-point performance last night.
00:25There's a lot of, we've dealt with this all day.
00:28Hey, there's the view through the prism of Heat fans, us, and there's a more global view
00:37from basketball fans who some, like Mad Dog, felt that it was kind of an abomination.
00:44I'm curious where you fall on that.
00:46There's so many miserable pricks out there.
00:49Bam Adebayo had 83 points.
00:53Most people during the NBA regular season bitch and complain about the product.
00:59Here is a guy that does something notable.
01:02We're not talking about a player that didn't play.
01:05We're not talking about load management.
01:07He had 83 freaking points.
01:09I don't care how many times you go to the free throw line.
01:12I don't care what you do.
01:14You score 83 points at a basketball game.
01:17I will never bitch and complain about it.
01:20Anyone complaining today, stop being a miserable prick.
01:23Actually, I have to say he brought up something there that we haven't even brought up.
01:27And it's so right on.
01:29We spend so much time nationally talking about load management and players missing games for
01:37no apparent reason, and they can't meet the threshold for a postseason superlative.
01:43He's so right.
01:45Now people are going to complain about somebody doing something great on the court.
01:50Like, check your head.
01:52And I was listening, actually.
01:54I tuned in to the Heat Audio Network.
01:56I wanted to hear Solana after the game.
01:58I thought Solana, when he was allowed to talk, did a very good job on that show.
02:03But then the postgame afterwards, you know, this team got motivated by Dwayne Wade.
02:09Those comments by Dwayne Wade, there's no buzz or fire with the Heat.
02:13You know, I'm not saying tear the Dwayne Wade statue down or anything, but it seems as if
02:18that team was very fired up about what Dwayne Wade had to say.
02:21Did you see that after the game, Crowder?
02:23Because someone asked Bam in his postgame press conference, hey, what do you think about
02:27Wade?
02:27And I thought Bam's comments there weren't that joking.
02:31I thought he was like, because he goes, that guy's 45 years old.
02:35Get in the house.
02:36What are you worried about?
02:37What's going on?
02:38Are you trying to motivate us?
02:39Like, I didn't get...
02:40I thought he was...
02:42And Spoh was asked before Bam passed the podium.
02:45Oh, he was?
02:45I didn't even see.
02:46Spoh was asked about that question.
02:48Or Spoh alluded to it.
02:49He said, I know you guys have seen the clip of Wade saying there's no buzz about this team.
02:53And he's like, you guys know I love Dwayne.
02:56And he kind of ripped him, too.
02:58Um, you know, so, yeah, it clearly bothers him.
03:02I'll take Gelb's lead on that one.
03:04Take the statue down.
03:05I'm with that.
03:06He ripped him.
03:07He ripped him.
03:08And then he did.
03:09But, you know, Dwayne's one of our own.
03:11We love him.
03:12But I was...
03:12It was a good little stab right there by Eric Spohr.
03:15I enjoyed it.
03:16That's not Dwayne Wade anyway.
03:17It's Alpha Male off I Am Legend.
03:19Everybody knows that.
03:20That statue.
03:21But, you know, Hadden...
03:23I don't know.
03:23And they got into it.
03:24And, you know, the criticism.
03:25Like, I don't know how there's...
03:26I'm on with you.
03:27I don't know how there's two sides to an 83-point game.
03:31But the Wizards start fouling off the ball, trying to grab Drew Smith.
03:36Davion Mitchell misses a free throw on purpose to get more offensive possessions.
03:40How do you feel about the last...
03:42It was really the last three minutes of the game.
03:44Sure, it's a joke.
03:45But the NBA regular season is always a joke.
03:47So, like, why am I going to just pick and choose, you know, and be upset with it?
03:52This is this dopey commissioner that has clearly told you, this spineless commissioner, Adam Silver,
03:58that the regular season isn't really a big priority of his.
04:00We got a Fugazi mid-season tournament.
04:04In order to win an award, you got to play in 65 games.
04:08All these guys have fat, lucrative contracts.
04:11Play the damn game.
04:12So, I don't care how Bam Adebayo did it.
04:15Good for Bam.
04:16This guy has overcome so much.
04:19Put it this way.
04:20Max Crosby's trade got rescinded last night.
04:23The fact that wasn't the most stunning thing of the evening to me in the sports world is wild.
04:28I had a friend text me, 60.
04:30I go, 60 what?
04:32And then he goes, 70.
04:34I go, 70 what?
04:35And then I'm like, oh, Bam Adebayo.
04:38And, God forbid, I'm trying to find that on, you know,
04:41now I sound like 1,000 years old on TV here in New York.
04:43It wasn't possible.
04:44I fired up the Odyssey app, company guy.
04:47There we go.
04:47Plug, plug, plug.
04:48And I listened to the Heat Audio Network.
04:50I listened to my guy Solana and Jason Jackson and company.
04:54How do you think this changes the perception of Bam Adebayo from a national level?
05:00Because you're always making fun of me.
05:02I tow the Heat line.
05:03You do.
05:04You're a shill.
05:05Yeah, and maybe I am.
05:06Because the guy just shilled the Odyssey app, though.
05:08Yeah, every single time.
05:11Crowder would provide the F1.
05:13Why does Crowder like F1?
05:15It's all about the money.
05:16There's so much money in F1.
05:18I do appreciate Jim Laranega giving my podcast with Stu Gatz a shout out.
05:23Yeah, because he got a Patsy's gift card.
05:27Love F1, fellas.
05:29Every time.
05:31Crowder's contractually required to blurt that out every four minutes.
05:35Love F1, fellas.
05:36Okay, move on, Solana.
05:37I'm sorry.
05:38Isn't that Plagola?
05:42Every single time we bring up the Heat, it's three reasons.
05:45At the beginning of the season, to get your comments on what the buzz about the Heat is.
05:50And every year you say, yeah, I mean, they're going to be a playing team or they're going to be
05:53a six seed.
05:54Nobody's talking about the Heat.
05:55And then when they're atrocious at some point during the season, Hawk will mention to you, hey, what's the direction
06:01here?
06:02And then once the season comes to an end, right before the playing tournament, we've done this four years now.
06:06We ask you, hey, are there any chances the Heat get through?
06:10And I'm always here battling about why Bam Adebayo deserves more respect.
06:14I wonder nationally, Gelb, what this can do in terms of how people appreciate the player Bam is.
06:22I think that it will always give you a moment.
06:27Regardless of what Bam Adebayo does the rest of his career, you will have the moment of the remembrance of
06:3383 points.
06:35So, yes, does that help?
06:37Sure.
06:38Do I think it's going to drastically change people's opinion about Bam Adebayo?
06:44No, like I've been saying this for years.
06:45On a championship team, he's the second best player.
06:48That's not me crapping on Bam Adebayo.
06:51He's a really good player on a championship team.
06:54He's probably the second best player, in some cases the third best player.
06:59But he's a really damn good player that has done everything the right way and everything that Heat culture is
07:06about is Bam Adebayo.
07:08And if you're going to still sell me on Heat culture with Pat Riley still there, blah, blah, blah, Bam
07:13Adebayo is Heat culture.
07:15Team McLaren.
07:16So, Gelb, is there a...
07:19Next, we're going to get these dramatic conversations with Ryan Clark and Fred Taylor at some F1 event.
07:24But it's funny, somebody put on the chat, this reminds me of the Ryan Howard eat fresh scene from The
07:30Office.
07:30I know Hawk will appreciate that.
07:32They had Ryan Howard from the Philadelphia Phillies on at their athlete story arc, and he just kept talking about
07:41Subway, eat fresh.
07:43Like, just in conversation with them.
07:45It's like, oh, eat fresh.
07:47It's like Matt Harvey.
07:48I'm just here to talk about Qualcomm that time he was done with Dan Patrick.
07:52Lando Norris.
07:52Look up Lando Norris.
07:54That's what you have to do.
07:55All right.
07:56Like, but when you talk about it's Wilt Chamberlain, who's one of those guys, then Bam, then Kobe.
08:01He's sandwiched between two of the best players in the world that ever touched the basketball.
08:08But are you talking about him in that fashion when he's there?
08:11No.
08:1183 points.
08:12Well, in terms of all-time great performances, single memorable performances, yeah, it's up there.
08:19But am I mentioning him in the same breath in the way that Wilt Chamberlain was a player or Kobe
08:24Bryant was a player?
08:25No.
08:26I would just be looking to troll if I ended up saying it.
08:30It's not that against Bam Adebayo.
08:31It's not taken away from him.
08:32But yeah, Bam Adebayo, Kobe, and Wilt, who doesn't belong, Bam Adebayo is not on the same caliber as Kobe
08:40and Wilt.
08:40But I heard you guys on the way in before bringing me on.
08:44Are people upset that he moved past Kobe Bryant?
08:47Like, people are losing their minds over this?
08:50What, Hulk?
08:51They said they should have stopped at 81 in respect or something?
08:54The Athletic.
08:54I think it was Sam Amick in The Athletic.
08:57Oh, what a loser that guy is.
08:58Came out with a column.
08:59It just dropped like an hour ago.
09:01That essentially said, hey, incredible, memorable night that should have been called one bucket earlier in honor of the legacy
09:11of Kobe Bryant.
09:12Don't get me wrong.
09:14Love Kobe.
09:15Let me look for the iconic, right, player.
09:18Tragic what happened.
09:20You haven't.
09:21Kobe Bryant.
09:22I haven't read the article, to be fair.
09:24Read the headline, Solana.
09:26Kobe Bryant wouldn't want Bam Adebayo to stop.
09:29Of course not.
09:29It's ridiculous.
09:30What does it say, Solana?
09:32So, the headline is why Bam Adebayo and the Heat should have stopped at matching Kobe Bryant's 81 points.
09:39Give me a break.
09:41You know.
09:42I mean, it's kind of like, you know, I get it.
09:44If you're a columnist and you've got to write something, Gelb has been as observant on this as anyone.
09:54Anytime that he's ever come on the show before, I don't think he's been this locked in to the truth
09:59that I haven't even thought about.
10:01Which is, everything in the regular season is so diminished anyway.
10:05Yeah.
10:06You're going to all of a sudden stand on ceremony?
10:09That like, you've got guys who literally aren't playing because they don't feel like it.
10:15Can I let you in on the secret?
10:18I remember how the Heat were motivated by Dwayne Wade's comments.
10:21A comment was passed my way of one Alejandro Solana talking about me now being a part of the WQAM
10:27family in a part-time role.
10:29And I was compared to Malik Willis and Solana said something.
10:34I don't know if Malik Willis isn't going to work, but I know Gelb is going to suck.
10:39You're lucky I'm on virtually here right now, Solana.
10:42And by the way, Solana, I'm very happy you dressed nicely for the historic occasion last night because if you'd
10:47have wore that outfit from a week ago, oh, geez, that could have been bad for you when you took
10:51that selfie after the game.
10:54All right, we've got to take a break because the 5 o'clock Funky Buddha happy hour is coming up.
10:59And we've got Heat Bucks tickets to give away at 520.
11:01By the way, Ira Winderman put out the Bucks injury report for tomorrow.
11:07No Giannis on the injury report.
11:09So he's going to play.
11:11Going for 85.
11:12Sam's going to score 100.
11:13I wonder if the Heat kind of have a bullseye on their back now when it comes to the league
11:22for doing something purposefully that most teams wouldn't engage in.
11:29Oh, God forbid they tried to get more points and highlight an individual player when all these players don't end
11:37up playing in a regular season game.
11:38That annoys me.
11:41But schematically, I was a part of the wrong side of Brady, 50 touchdown season with Randy Moss, where it's
11:49just schematic.
11:50So now if a guy goes 83, you put everything into your practice to stop him from scoring 83.
11:56So he's going to, I would say, Hawk, Bam's more of the target now than the Heat are a target.
12:01Did the NFL try to shut down the Dolphins when they scored 70 points against the Broncos?
12:07Like, were they some villain?
12:09No, but to be fair, we played the Bills the following weekend, and they just own us.
12:13Well, also, Mike McDaniel didn't go for 73 in the record.
12:18And by the way, since Channing Crowder is a money whore and has bad knees, he'll probably be the next
12:23member of the Buffalo Bills defense because it seems like they just signed guys to crazy contracts that have bad
12:28knees.
12:28They need a middle linebacker.
12:32Follow me on social media, Z-A-C-H-G-E-L-B.
12:41See you, Gelby.
12:41Later, guys.
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