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Evan & Tiki

Are Teams Cheating Fans The Tanking Debate Explodes!

Evan & Tiki

Audacy

Sports

4.2988 Ratings

🗓️ 13 March 2026

⏱️ 21 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

A heated debate about NBA tanking after a Nets game sparks frustration over teams that appear to be prioritizing draft position over winning. Evan argues that when franchises manipulate lineups or sit players in obvious tanking situations, fans who paid to watch a real competition are the ones being cheated. Tiki pushes back, saying teams are simply operating within the system the league created and doing what gives them the best long-term chance to win. The discussion expands into the broader tanking problem across the NBA, why regular season games can feel meaningless, and how league policies may be encouraging the very behavior that frustrates fans.

Transcript

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0:00.0

So some have emailed me saying Mike was talking about you, Evan, and he may have been because I have always been critical of the Will Chamberlain game.

0:07.5

It's a game that I haven't watched it. None of us really have because there's no tape of it, but I remember hearing not too long ago they uncovered the audio of part of the game.

0:16.7

And I listened to some of that and read books about it.

0:19.4

And Pablo Torre did a great podcast about it recently.

0:22.5

So it is something I've had a passion about.

0:24.6

And that passion is not to discredit the player, but the performance.

0:29.1

So here is Mike Francesa on the Mike Francesa podcast talking about fools who attack the game.

0:36.2

But here's the thing.

0:37.7

I heard people in the last 24 hours knocking Chamberlain.

0:42.2

Are you a fool?

0:44.5

Are you just a complete fool?

0:47.2

Well, I can be a fool, but I want to make something clear.

0:50.7

I'm not attacking Chamberlain.

0:52.6

I'm attacking the game. In fact, we've talked a lot about

0:56.3

Wilt this week. Earlier this week, we talked about SGA tying and then last night breaking the

1:00.4

record for most consecutive 20-point games. And we marveled at what Wilt did in that stretch of

1:06.6

games. He was averaging like 48 a game. Like Will Chamberlain is a god. He is like the Babe Ruth of

1:13.3

basketball in which he's so legendary. So this is not about disrespecting Will Chamberlain. It's

1:20.2

about talking about that specific game. Anyhow, here's more from Mike. When you bring up the name

1:25.0

Will Chamberlain, you better know what you're talking about.

1:28.2

Because when you knock him, you sound like a complete moron.

1:32.7

Will Chamberlain scored 100 points. Big deal.

...

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