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Big news out of the NBA bubble.

Zion Williamson will not play tonight as the Pelicans, quote, search for a playoff spot is going to hit Bumpy Road.

Why are they playing back-to-backs in the bubble? It doesn't make any sense. We got Ryan Hollins coming up with us in a couple of minutes.

But just really quick on the bubble before we get to the big news out of Major League Baseball is that, mike looking at this race and now certainly it's much more difficult to see the pelicans you know

getting into that eight nine game even though you're you know you're sitting a game back

not playing zion nilions you're saying we don't care about the playoffs we're just going to keep

him healthy when i look at the teams that are playing that want that spot, you know, it's all, everything is a much different year, obviously, coming back, playing in the bubble, there are going to be teams you can tell who are going to hit the restart and say, blank this man, we are rolling right now. We are going to go. We're going to get this playoff spot, and I don't care who gets in our way. And in the West, we have seen that from two teams, from Portland and from Phoenix. From the other teams, we've either seen a lukewarm approach to it or a bad approach to it. Look, Memphis losing has put everybody back on the table. You know, somehow they're still in the eight spot.

They had a four-game lead, and now it's pretty much out the door.

But if you had to say, who are the two teams I expect to see in that eight, nine game,

it's Portland and Phoenix, because I can tell these are the teams that want to be there.

And 50% of moving on in the bubble in the playoffs is that desire to want to stay and continue to win and to pursue a championship or the playoffs, whatever it is, because you can't discount that many people are showing up here. They got one foot in in the bubble and then it's time to go home. They're going to leave right from that final game on the court, have their bags packed, go right to the airport, go home, and you're not going to see him for a few months. Yeah, and I know this is where we've, at least, I know I fall in line.

I think what you hear from Doug in this time frame each day, and, you know, Jason and I, obviously

honored to be here with you and happy to be with you during the day on a Friday, is that, you know, money's not bad. And a lot of these guys showed up because here's what it does, guys, it stabilizes the economics of the game to a degree because we get the TV money, all the local TV money that flows in. So you got guys that bought in, all right, we got to do this, right? We got to suck it up, show up, and be done with it.

But knowing that they're not realistically vying for a title,

there's a different level of participation you're going to have.

With the Blazers, as you and I have talked and watched games in prime time,

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