Hey, part of my take listeners, you can find every episode on Apple podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime members can listen, add free on Amazon music. On today's part of my take, we are back sort of. We're not altogether yet. We'll be all together on Wednesday's show, but we are back to talk about the weekend. And we also have our big NBA preview with our favorite guest in the whole wide world. Ryan, Rissell, oh, excuse me. I got something in my throat. That was a chip. I'm an eating a lot of chips. Ryan, Rissell, on the show, NBA preview. Can't miss it. Also talk about all kinds of things. I think we talked maybe 20% basketball, 80% everything else. So it's great interview and we are going to talk about this weekend for nations, the NBA All-Star Weekend. Everything else that's going on, a little hot sea cool throne. It is brought to you by our friends at DraftKings who's scoring big in the NBA this season. You are with all the new ways to get in on the action at DraftKings Sportsbook and a federal sports betting partner. The NBA draft Kings who's scoring big in the NBA this season you are with all the new ways to get in on the action draft Kings Sportsbook and official sports betting partner. The NBA draft Kings is the home of NBA player props so you can get behind your favorite players any which way for monster slams to additionally rock to cleaning the glass. It's super easy for first time or to get started. Try betting on something simple like picking an NBA player prop here something special for first timers New draft Kings customers bet $5 get $150 bonus bets instantly take it to the rack with draft King sportsbook Every point counts download the draft King sports book app use code take that's code take for new customers Get $150 bonus bets when you bet just five bucks only on draft Kings the crown is yours Gambling problem called 1-800-Gamberler.

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Four additional terms and responsible gaming resources see dkng.co slash audio. Okay, let's go. Ba ba ba ba, hey, football guy. But these are PWM. Barton Mike's. Yeah, Barton Mike's. Yeah, Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Welcome to part of my take presented by draft Kings. Take it to the Rackwood draft King Sportsbook. Every point counts download the draft King sports work app and use code take. That's code take for new customers. Get $150 in bonus bets when you bet just five bucks only on draft Kings. The crown is yours. Today is Monday, February 17th. And guess what? We're the best fucking country in the world and hockey again. USA. We're so back. USA. Until we got to Loli come. We have right now, as of the second, we're still and still the best hockey country in the world. We got the cup. They're not getting it back. That was an ass kicking. Now, the NHL got it right. Hats off to the NHL. Oh, I mean, the NHL, this entire sports entire sports weekend. So the first weekend without football and I did see our good friend, Chris Long, making fun of everyone who posted like, I miss football. Guess what, dude? I do miss football. Sunday was weird today. It was weird waking up and not being able like, you know, I wanted to get it on the football action. It's just so it's weird to have our body change. But you guys can miss football. Real ones misses football because we're married to the game. Yeah. Exactly. The story though, for the first weekend without football was, and listen, he's our good friend Adam Silver now, because we did have a great interview with him on part of my take on Wednesday. But the NHL absolutely bodied the NBA in terms of getting it right. And what they did, what they've done with the four nations tournament, instead of the all-star game versus everything that's been going on for the NBA all-star game. It's not even close. That was such a cool, I mean, it's still going on. We have a game Monday night. There's the finals on Thursday, but it's, it's the NHL knocked this out out of the park and it was the guys cared a lot and it was so much fun to watch USA Canada on Saturday night. It was the complete opposite of the Austrian game right from the first whistle. I think were there three fights in the first 10 seconds of the game? That's awesome. There's nothing like a little pure unadulterated nationalism to really get people going. Yeah. And the NBA like scratched the surface a little bit with that by doing the different teams with the guys from TNT. But it's not the same. It's not the same. Like having just USA against Canada, it gets the blood going. I don't think the NBA didn't even come close to scratching that being like, oh, who cares about Chuck Verne's shack? That dad doesn't do it at all. They should try to do the countries. One of the teams was like European international guys. Well, it was the rising stars. So it was like the young guys. No, but there were four teams, right? Right. I think there was a team, Chuck team, shack, team Kenny and then the rising stars. one of the teams was I want to say it was team Mitch I don't Either Chuck Chucker shack had the international guys they were they just he just drafted them because they did a draft So he just did that on purpose. Yeah got it and we also had LeBron James Decide he's not playing in the All-Star game two hours before the All-Star game

Which look I don't I mean I'm not gonna people people made this is huge debate Like I can't believe we did this. It's more just like dude Just say you're gonna do this five days ago You know what I mean like don't do it two hours before the All-Star game and people do want to see you play and And it's probably you're at the end of your career.

There's just kind of a lame move.

You probably injured, but still just give everyone a little more of a heads up.

You're sitting out with foot and an- do want to see you play and and it's probably you're at the end of your career. There's just kind of a lame move.

He's probably injured, but still just give everyone a little more of a heads up.

He was sitting out with foot and ankle discomfort.

I don't know about you, but we have we have a producer on this show that broke

their foot and didn't miss a single episode.

Yeah.

That's a fact.

And, James has to bow out at the story is that the NBA cut the NFL during Super Bowl week and the NHL Cuck the NBA during all star week NHL is King. Yeah, NHL is King. They crushed it. They absolutely crushed it. They should never go back to anything else. It should always be four nations every single year. I know Olympics coming up next year, but that's this is this is the best. What do I say? What about Russia? I'm trying to make a motion. What about Russia? Russia got banned because of they got banned because of the whole war in Ukraine Next question No, I know I know I just like that Russia should have been like that's hockey players are Russian if we're doing a talent showcase like Oh, no that argument was made because it was like Germany was I think in the top 10 in the rankings. Yeah, Germany was in the top 10 in the rankings, Russia. And they, they, Germany didn't, I think, have enough current NHL players to feel the team. So that was why they didn't get in. But yeah, expand it and make it better. Just do the Olympics every year. It would be fun with only NHL players.

I agree.

And somehow Freiburg has become our national song.

Again, back in like 1977, it was once King, now it's King again. I don't know how that became the USA song. I think it was in the juniors, right? It was like the song that played after the goals. but it's a fucking rocks

tweeting out a clip of free bird every time we score

where do you guys land on the boeing of the national anthem debate uh...

i but it's just fucking rocks tweeting out a clip of Freebird every time we score. Where do you guys land on the booing of the national anthem debate? I think it's very funny. I love it. I want sports to have more bad blood. There was a lot of hurt feelings online and I get it. There's obviously a political element with like the US candidate relations. I just love the fact like they don't like us,

we don't like them, we're gonna boo them in the finals if we meet them in Boston. Like I have no problem with it, I like all of it. Yeah, no it's, I'm fine with it. Don't boo, vote. I like the fact that they, that there's some bad blood there. Like for a while USA candidate, we've been buddy buddy, I think after the games over, they're probably cool with each other.

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