00:00Doug Harsh, Scott Anderson, it's the appropriate amount of emotional weight to put into this Pistons 76ers game tonight.
00:07Look, the Pistons' start to this season, I think, is a nice authentication for any doubters that were still out
00:13there
00:14that this team, you know, truly belonged amongst the Eastern Conference contenders.
00:18Losing to Cleveland last year in the second round, it wasn't a total embarrassment.
00:22Like, you can, it sucks when you're the one seed and you don't at least make it to the Conference
00:27Finals.
00:27But at the end of the day, you know, they're a young team that is learning how to win and
00:33win in the postseason.
00:34And there's one thing that Detroiters all know is you kind of learn along the way
00:39as your team is getting back into the mix here in the modern day NBA is that, yeah,
00:43because of things like load management and emphasis on the postseason, really good teams sometimes don't play the way that
00:53they do in the postseason.
00:54So, you know, I imagine Philly's going to want to win this game, but if Detroit does, you know,
01:03what is the appropriate amount of excitement?
01:05What is the appropriate amount of intensity you watched tonight?
01:07And we did a scale of 1 to 10.
01:09A scale of 1 to 10, what are you putting into this game tonight?
01:122, 4, 8, 5, 3, 9, 97, 97.
01:14It's kind of weird, don't we?
01:15We normally do 1 to 12.
01:16We do, and we talked about it and decided we don't want to get people wrapped up in the,
01:20why are they doing 1 to 12?
01:22We just decided to do 1 to 10.
01:24So, okay.
01:25Yeah.
01:26Didn't want our 1 to 12 normal scale to become a distraction as we're trying to get Piston fans involved
01:30here.
01:31We go to D in Southfield.
01:32Hi, D.
01:34Hey, what's up, fellas?
01:35Y'all all right?
01:35Hi, D.
01:36How are you doing?
01:37Oh, man, I'm doing great, man.
01:38I put it at about a 5 because I'm comparing it to the Michigan and UConn game on Friday where,
01:47you know,
01:48I know college play about, you know, half the games you do in the pros.
01:54But because we already beat Philly already, anytime you can beat LeBron, you want to at least give it a
01:595.
02:01And, you know, a lot of people are talking about, well, you know, the measuring stick with Michigan against UConn
02:07and all of this stuff I've been hearing different things about.
02:10I'm not worried about Michigan and UConn on Friday, just like I'm not worried about the Pistons tonight.
02:15But, yeah, I do want to win, so I'll give it about a 5.
02:18Okay.
02:18Yeah, I mean, look, I think that I'm looking at some of the feedback coming in,
02:21and that seems kind of on brand that people care, but they also aren't life and death-ing this thing
02:27tonight.
02:28No, no, I'm not life and death-ing this thing tonight, just like I'm not life and death-ing Friday.
02:34I'm actually glad that Michigan's kind of, you know, playing some really, really, really tough competition
02:39to see where we're at without our NBA stars that left last year.
02:44And I feel the same way about this.
02:46Just glad to beat LeBron anytime I can.
02:49Yeah, I mean, it's funny because I said at the beginning of the show, big matchup, right?
02:53It's an interesting matchup.
02:55Well, I mean, the way Michigan-UConn's an interesting matchup, the way any, you know,
03:00the way Izzo schedules every year, games in November and December, are interesting matchups.
03:05But, you know, the results of these games carry a little bit of weight?
03:12Well, I mean, it's, I don't even know if they do, because it's, you know, the long schedule that they
03:20have,
03:2180-plus games, it's just different.
03:24In other sports, you can make that case.
03:26Certainly, football can make the case.
03:28It's just football, actually, where you can make the case that an early matchup matters.
03:33This one, I mean, it matters, as I said before, for an entertainment standpoint,
03:37but I guess for a measuring standpoint, too, if you want to see how you measure up against
03:43the perceived best team in the conference, and, you know, the Pistons have, they've done
03:47a stretch of games here to start things off.
03:49It's been very impressive.
03:51So, to get another crack at Philadelphia, and maybe Philadelphia's pissed about,
03:55hey, we weren't at our full capacity last time, now we'll show you what you got.
03:59The Pistons are like, all right, well, we're not at our full capacity, but bring it on.
04:02We're playing well.
04:02We're confident.
04:03I mean, both teams are going to bring it when they show up tonight, you would imagine.
04:07I want to think that when the ball gets rolled out there, you can't, and, you know,
04:12your competitive juices start flowing.
04:13I'm not sure you're mailing it in in any way.
04:17Riyad, you're on 97.1.
04:18What's up, Riyad?
04:20What's up, guys?
04:20How are you guys doing?
04:21All right.
04:23I'm kind of on the same boat.
04:25I'm on about a six.
04:27I mean, any time to beat LeBron on live TV, I'm there for it, but at the same time,
04:31it's hard to weigh in in November compared to April when we have no doing right now.
04:36I'm not sure if Isaiah Joe is playing tonight, but at the same time, I'm not complaining because
04:40we know what we can do even if we're two-man short.
04:43Paul Reed's been hooping.
04:45Duncan's been shooting the crap out of the ball.
04:47Cade's doing Cade.
04:48And, no, yeah, is it, like, should we weigh in all our chips on this game now?
04:54No.
04:54But we should definitely watch and see how we compare to a full Philly team even if we're
04:58two-man short.
05:00So, by the way, Isaiah Joe is officially out.
05:02Scale 1 to 10, where are you at with this one?
05:05I'm probably about a six, man.
05:07I mean, Philly's the team of the East right now compared to the NBA.
05:11So, just to see how we can hold up, even though we're down during, still a good competition
05:16to see where we sit.
05:18Well, I think you hit on something that is important to the Pistons themselves, and that
05:24is that Philly is a team to beat in the East.
05:26Philly's a favorite in the East.
05:29And I think that it would be good for their own confidence to get that confidence boost,
05:34especially as you put it out, as you put it, two men short.
05:37And you also said something else.
05:40This game, they're done with the season series in November, which is really weird.
05:46If this game was being played and they had two games in, say, the last, what would this
05:51be for the Pistons, game eight for the Pistons, if two of their last eight games were against
05:55the Eastern Conference favorite and they swept them going into the postseason, that feels
05:59like it would probably carry a little bit more weight than games that are six months prior
06:04to the postseason.
06:07248-539-9797.
06:09Here's some of the feedback we got.
06:10First on Twitter from NR.
06:13I'll watch because it's a fantastic matchup, but in terms of importance, this is a one.
06:19Fats says, maybe like a three out of ten.
06:21If last season proved anything, it's that the regular season can show you how good or bad
06:25your own team is, but it doesn't mean it'll translate to the playoffs.
06:29Kevin says, it can never be more than a five.
06:32There isn't a more meaningless regular season than what we see in the NBA.
06:36You never know who's playing on any given night.
06:39Low management and soft NBA superstars have both zapped the meaning of these games.
06:45From texts, emotionally, this game is a zero, but my interest is at an eight.
06:50We still don't have JD, so this won't be the way we look moving forward.
06:55I'm looking for growth from a SAR.
06:57That's from an unnamed texter.
06:58I'll say this.
06:59If your interest is peaked at an eight, which I think is pretty high, and you say, from
07:02an emotional standpoint, you're not there, I imagine once the game starts, it's a different
07:06feeling.
07:07I think that happens most every time.
07:10You can be ambivalent about something, and then you start watching it, and you're like,
07:14oh, wait a minute.
07:15All of a sudden, I started calling for a foul.
07:17Yeah, I mean, it's 1024 in the morning, right?
07:22And we're being adults.
07:24And when the game tips off, we'll probably turn into children.
07:28Or a raging adult.
07:31Doug, I could not care less about tonight's game.
07:33Talk to me at playoff time.
07:34That's from Rick and Wesleyan.
07:37Sorry, Rick.
07:38Jordan at work.
07:39To me, this game is a four out of 10.
07:41It would be nice to win for sure, since they are at full strength.
07:44But this is a game of no consequence.
07:46We don't have Durant.
07:47And hopefully, I'm just happy we have competitive basketball back.
07:50Honestly, sorry.
07:51I'm competitive.
07:52We have...
07:53Take two.
07:54Honestly, I'm just happy we have competitive basketball back in Detroit.
07:58Jordan at work.
08:00Rick in Washington Township.
08:01It's November.
08:02Who cares?
08:02Other than I hate LeBron.
08:04So two out of 10.
08:05Who's going to hate watch?
08:07James and Rochester.
08:08It's the first month of the NBA season.
08:10You can't get over a two out of 10.
08:12NBA Cup can be a three.
08:14Games at the end of the regular season can be like a five.
08:18So he does slightly value the NBA Cup.
08:22He gives the NBA Cup game a three.
08:25From an unnamed texter, I would say a six for my level of interest.
08:28I want to see how the coaching staff approaches the game.
08:30And if they try to mix up the lineup and bring some new plays against the top team,
08:35can they win in different ways?
08:37That's from an unnamed texter.
08:38That's a good point, right?
08:39I mean, can they win in different ways?
08:43This game's a seven.
08:44If you beat them, you become the team to beat.
08:46Whoa.
08:47That's from an unnamed texter.
08:48Hmm.
08:49I don't know if I agree with that.
08:52Two, four, eight, five, three, nine, 97, 97.
08:56How much does this game mean tonight?
08:58The other thing is, is because it potentially is LeBron's last game in Detroit.
09:04Do you, does that carry any meaning for the fans?
09:07Did you think people bought tickets thinking, well, I might never get a chance to see him again.
09:12I don't feel like LeBron gets the pay homage to tour.
09:16I mean, he hasn't announced it's his last season.
09:18So it's not like this is a given, but it's funny.
09:23I hate what superstars, like LeBron falls more, and maybe I'm wrong on this, but my sense is
09:31Detroit fans didn't want to stand and cheer Michael Jordan on his way out
09:35and probably won't want to stand and cheer LeBron, but were cool standing and cheering Kobe.
09:41You think that's an accurate statement?
09:43Yes.
09:44Kang, you think that's an accurate statement?
09:46So as someone who was there for Kobe Bryant's last game at the Palace of Auburn Hills,
09:50there were like MVP chants.
09:52There were a lot of Laker jerseys.
09:54And actually after the game, I said to myself, I got to ask Kobe a question.
09:58And I did.
09:59And I asked him, why do you think there's so much respect around the league for your retirement tour?
10:04And especially in a place like Detroit, where you had some battles, you know, obviously the finals and everything.
10:08And he just said that they had an appreciation for the competitive nature, basically,
10:11that the battles back and forth brought respect.
10:14I don't know if the same thing happens with LeBron, but with Kobe, there was definitely that.
10:18But in the end, there was a mutual respect after the battles they'd gone through.
10:23Two, four, eight.
10:24I mean, the Pistons went through battles with Michael, and they've been through battles with LeBron.
10:28Yeah.
10:28But the Michael battle seems like there's a lot of animosity there, right?
10:31Yeah, that's true.
10:31Like, I mean, the walking off the court, the bad boys, Isaiah, Lambeer.
10:34Yeah.
10:36248-539-9797.
10:38College football blitz thingy next here on 97.1.
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