AI Summary
5 min readThe NBA's No-Call, the Draft Lottery's Flawed Math, and the Rams' PR Crisis
Ben Maller opens hour two with three distinct but connected grievances about how professional sports leagues handle accountability—or fail to. The throughline is institutional denial: the NBA refuses to admit a game-altering missed call, the league's draft lottery reforms won't cure the tanking epidemic, and the Rams are spinning a draft-night controversy through anonymous leaks. Each story illustrates how leagues and teams prioritize protecting their image over addressing the underlying problem.
The Trip That Wasn't a Foul
The lead story centers on Game 5 between Cleveland and Detroit, where a no-call in the final seconds of regulation sent the game to overtime—and the Cavaliers eventually won. With the score tied and under two seconds left, Pistons guard Sarr Thompson stripped Donovan Mitchell and was in position to be the hero. But as Thompson pursued the loose ball, Cavaliers center Jared Allen's right foot made contact with Thompson's legs, sending him to the floor. No foul was called. Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff argued Allen tripped Thompson. The NBA's Last Two Minute Report disagreed, ruling that both players "legally stepped on the same spot while pursuing the loose ball before either player had possession, and both lose their balance from the marginal contact."
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What you'll learn
- 1 (02:44) **Hour Two Kickoff and Lead Story Setup** - Ben introduces the hour's topics: the NBA's controversial no-call in the Cavs-Pistons game, Adam Silver's draft lottery flat odds plan, and the Rams' Sean McVay drama.
- 2 (06:40) **The No-Call Breakdown: Pistons vs. Cavs** - Ben argues the NBA's last-two-minute report is a cover-up, calling the missed trip on Jarrett Allen a blatant error that decided the game.
- 3 (11:14) **Adam Silver's Flat Odds Draft Lottery Plan** - Ben reacts to the commissioner's proposal to flatten lottery odds, including a "draft relegation" concept for the bottom three teams.
- 4 (16:11) **Rams Drama: McVay vs. Les Snead** - Ben unpacks the reporting that Sean McVay's sour draft-night face was about an argument with his GM, not the Ty Simpson pick.
- 5 (21:14) **Tease: MLB Pitcher in International Scandal** - Ben teases a developing story about a "name brand MLB pitcher" caught up in an international scandal with possible jail time.
- 6 (24:41) **Post-Break Banter and Caller Gunnar** - Ben recaps his Boston trip, plugs social media photos, and takes a call from "Gunnar" in northern Minnesota.
- 7 (34:00) **Edwin Diaz Cockfighting Scandal** - Ben reveals the MLB story: Dodgers closer Edwin Diaz has been linked to illegal cockfighting in Puerto Rico via photos and Facebook posts.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
In hour 2, Ben asks if the NBA is covering up for a bad no-call from the officials that hurt the Detroit Pistons in game 5, how do the Adam Silver's plan for "flat odds" in the draft lottery sound to fans around the league. In the NFL, Sean McVay was not upset with the Rams selecting QB Ty Simpson, but was annoyed for other reasons, is this accurate + Maller to The Third Degree!
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