Meanwhile, you heard Perk.

Perk said the Celtics are the most dangerous team in the East because they are playing with house money.

Perkins?

What, you think he's angling for something? What was he when? His Jersey retired? Why is he all of a sudden so pro Celtics? I don't like it. I don't trust it. With an organization like the Celtics, he's got a shot. They might. Stay tuned. A couple weeks ago. Well, it was like, if I got fired from USPN, any station in Boston would hire me.

So was he praising for that?

Oh, I didn't see he said that.

Yeah, I think he did. Yeah. Stay tuned. A couple weeks ago where he's like, if I got fired from ESPN, any station in Boston would hire me. So is he bracing for that?

Oh, I didn't see he said that. Yeah, I think he did. Oh. Uh-oh. Wait a minute. I didn't hear that? Get out of here, Burke. Yeah, stay there, Perk. Stay at the ESPN, please. What are you doing, Burke? I don't want that. Get out of here. I mean, there's a little bit of house money, I suppose,

but there's also the thing where it's like, it is, it's wide open, right? And you're like, almost like, why not? Like, here's another opportunity. And if Jason Tatum does come back, we both think he does come back. And if he is, if he looks anywhere close to Jason Tatum, suddenly it's not house money suddenly you're now the favorite to win the

Easter conference it's not house if Tat looks anywhere close to Jason Tatum, suddenly it's not house money. Suddenly you're now the favorite to win the Easter conference. It's not house. If Tatum's back, it's not house money. The current roster may. If it was, if it was Jalen Brown and Peyton Pritchard and Vucovich and Kada and Houser and everybody else. That's your squad. Yeah. That's your squad. that is house money. House money. We didn't think they'd be the number two seat in the east. Yeah. The east is wide open. I understand the point. Don't bet against the house. Okay. If you lose to the Knicks who are full strength or you lose to Detroit or the calves or something like that who made improvements at the deadline, maybe we'd be frustrated but I think we'd look at it and say they got a ton out of this team. Tatum's return to me takes away any discussion about house money and the pressures off. With Tatum. They're the two seats without them. So they're the favorite with them. Thank you. With Tatum, I think I would pick them against Detroit. I'd definitely pick them against New York and or Cleveland.

Whoever you want, Philly, Charlotte, whoever you want.

I'd pick them against any of those teams, assuming Tatum is 75, 80% of himself.

So how can that possibly be House Money?

It's not.

Not to disagree with our future co-worker here in Kendrick Perkins, apparently, in Boston.

No, I don't think it's house money.

I think he's just thinking, like, the way the season began and what the expectations were for them,

and then where they're at right now, I guess you could say sort of the way the season is played out.

But now, I just think with Tatum, like the return looming combined with not only how good they've been, right, that's fine. That could still qualify for house money, but I think the landscape of the east where nobody is really taking it and run with it. The Knicks aren't better than they were a year ago. The pistons are, I give them credit. The business are better than they were a year ago. But it's still, you look at the roster. You're like, Kate Cunningham's incredible. The Pistons are, I give them credit. The Pistons are better than they were a year ago.

But it's still, you look at the roster. Like, Kate Cunningham's incredible. The rest of the roster doesn't really blow you away, right? They had one All-Star on their team. And then the Cavs, I love Donovan Mitchell as much as the next person. We all feel like James Hardin is going to have a couple of really bad playoff games and therefore

he's going to kind of sabotage

him from really advancing.

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