Welcome to another episode of In The Zone. I am your host, Chris Broussard, and we've got another great show for you today. Kyle Kuzma, great rookie for the Lakers, stopped by, has some interesting stuff about basketball and hip-hop to say. Of course, we got my man, Jay Mack here for Knock Down Jay. And boy, it got heated up in here today. You want to check this one out. And of course, I'm going to lead off with the top five post-season player power rankings. At number five, Donovan Mitchell. I know he's gone fishing. I know the Jazz were eliminated by Houston, but I got to give the rookie some love. He was tremendous. First, he eliminates an MVP, triple-double machine, Russell Westbrook, and his perennial all-star teammate, Paul George, with a 38-point performance in the closeout game. Then he plays great against Houston, plays the point. Ricky Rubio's out. No problem. I'll give you 11 assists, which is a Jazz rookie record in the playoffs. Remember, John Stockton played there, of course. He was great. 22 points in the third quarter of game five. Donovan Mitchell, and throughout the playoffs, nine 20-point games. That's the second most ever by a rookie time. David Robinson, Elgin Baylor, and George Miken. When you in that type of company, you make the top five. At number four, Chris Paul, CP3. Got to give him some love, reaching the Western Conference Finals for the first time in his career. And boy, did he make a statement in getting their 41 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds in the closeout game against Utah. A lot of people had been talking, heck, I had been talking, wondering if CP3 can get it done in the clutch when the moments are tight. And he answered that with a resounding yes. And it wasn't just the closeout game. The last three games, he averaged nearly 28 points, dropped 22 assists, and only had one turnover, one turnover in three games. And he needed to do it because James Harden, the deserving future MVP of this season, he struggled for his standards in the last three games. Shot 37% from the field, included just 18% from three-point range. So CP3's heroics were needed and he delivered. At number three, Anthony Davis, the unibrow, got to give it to him. I know like Donovan Mitchell, he's fishing, he's on vacation, he's done. But look, giving props for his first playoff series victory of his career, leading that surprising, stunning, shocking sweep of the Portland Trailblazers. And then he got it done against Golden State. Look, they're just not as good of a team as the Warriors. But you can't blame the unibrow 30 points, 13 rebounds a game throughout the postseason. He was fantastic. That's why it's number three. At number two, Kevin Durant. I know there are a lot of Warriors contributing. A lot of Warriors playing great basketball. All of their stars are. But KD is leading the way. There is no question about it. He has been the mid-range assassin. His old teammate, Andre Iguodala, said it reminded him of Michael Jordan. I mean, when you get that type of love, then you have to be high in the rankings. Durant has been phenomenal. Hadn't been on fire from the three-point line, but his mid-range jumper from all over the floor, the left side, the left wing, the right corner, the right wing, free throw line extended above the free throw line. He's been fantastic. Played great defense as well. And giving you over seven rebounds a game. KD giving him his props. And at number one, same as last week, you know who it is. LeBron James. Couldn't be anybody else. I mean, let's just focus on one thing. The notion that LeBron was not clutch is put too bad, put too death, put in the grave, two buzzer beaters in the playoffs in the last two weeks. Two buzzer beaters. Guess what? That is one more than Kobe Bryant had in his entire playoff career. Think about that. That gives LeBron five buzzer beaters in the playoffs to win games in his playoff career. Two more than Michael Jordan. That's more than both Mike and Kobe have combined. I don't want to go through the 34 points a game and the eight rebounds and the nine assists and the 55 or 54% shooting percentage.  He's a one man Wrecking Crew. He's starting to get some help from his supporting cast and it could end ugly. I know they'll beat Boston. It could end ugly in the finals just up against a better team. But right now LeBron James is the king, the toast of the playoff power rankings. All right. We're honored and privileged here to have Kyle Kuzma joining us in the zone. What's up man? Great rookie season. Appreciate it. I enjoy watching you play and let's get right into it man. You doing like a media tour. I've seen your TNT area 21 ESPN now here five. What kind of spark this? I'm just a wanted man, I guess. I know after the season a lot of people just, you know, wanted to see my face. I guess I don't know. So this isn't you sparking, it is people coming at you. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. If it was me, I would just be, you know, chilling. Okay. You know, life after basketball, other things. So, you know, it's good for sure. Good. Now you say chilling. So what do you like to do when you just chill out? Cool out. If I'm just hanging out, not hooping or anything, you know, shopping is cool. I'm big into like fashion. So I'm always looking at different websites and things like that, bowling, you know, regular, regular.  Yeah, for sure. Was that now, were you in the fashion before you got into the NBA or it's like now I got money to spend now I'm getting the fashion. I got more into it in college, but you know, of course you get more and more into it when you have more money. Yeah. So now you can do your thing. So who do you think is the best dressed NBA player? Me. Okay. No question. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Who do you, are there other guys, who else is well dressed? Who are some other NBA players that are well dressed? James Harden is, I like his swag. Did you? Yep. Yep. I like him. He kept out there a little bit. He's out there, but it's in his lane though. He looks comfortable doing. That's not your style. Is that your style? Would you wear some of the stuff? Some of the things, not all of it, but I like Russ. I like Russ just because, you know, it's him.  You know, it's not about what you wear, it's how you wear it.  Okay. Okay. So that was a nice way of saying I wouldn't wear it, but for him it works. Now what about the older guys, LeBron? Well, LeBron used to be really suited a lot. Yeah. You in the suits and stuff, or is it more casual? Get into it. Get into it. I don't know really too much about suits, but I look good in them, so I got to get into it. All right. All right. All right. Now, are you this summer, are you going to playoff games and stuff like that? I haven't yet, but I'm playing too. How much are you watching? Oh, every game. Are you? Okay. So when you watch, what are you, are you watching just as a fan? Are you taking things from people's games and even things you learn to do against them and stuff like that? Or what?  You know, you're just so into, you know, getting better and improving that you just, you're locked into the games as a coaching mindset. So, you know, for me, watching a playoff has been a big experience. You know, not just playing there, but you know, I'm learning so much from, you know, the game. It's a completely different game from the regular season to the playoffs. So who's your pick to win it all?  So you think it'll be interesting. I want to see how they do against Houston. And I think Houston had a phenomenal season. Um, Brian is Brian. Never, I'm never going to count him out because, you know, he's the greatest player of this generation. So no question about that. No, no question. Okay. Okay. Because some people thinking KD, no Kobe, some people thinking, no, nobody. I know it's hard to go against Kobe. It's hard to go against Kobe. Um, but I mean, he's been in the final seven street times.  Now you got two of your team, former teammates, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., they're playing with LeBron and Cleveland. Are you still in touch with them? Or do you? Tabbit. Okay. Have they said anything about what it's like to play with LeBron? Easy. It's very easy.  It's, you know, here's your dinner. Just make the shot, just eat the food, you know?  So. Okay. Okay. Now, there's talk out there. I've been hearing stuff, you know, all year about LeBron is going to the Lakers and all that. Um, when you hear that talk, I mean, what, what do you think? Well, I don't want to get caught up in the tampering, you know, but, you know, it would be fun.   You know, I think for the most part, they have a similar type of game and how they approach it by, you know, making that extra pass, playing the right way. So it would be fun. There's talk about him and Paul George. We've all heard it. You've heard it. If, because I know you don't want to tamper. I don't want to get you in trouble. But let's, if it works out free agent wise and the Lakers get the two top free agents on the market, how far are y'all going next year? I mean, pretty far, honestly, specifically. I can't tell you, I can't, I can't tell you where, but I know we'll be playing well into May for sure. But that would be like, oh, we can get it. It wouldn't be like, let's work it out and see how far we can go. It would be like, we can, you would go into the season thinking we can win it. Yeah. Because I think next year, getting nobody, we could be in a playoffs. Yeah. I thought we could have been in playoffs this year, if you ask me. You know, we had a lot of games this season. You know, we won 35 games, but we had a lot of games at the beginning of season that we didn't know how to win as a young team that we could have won. So I didn't play well later in the season. No question. Your individual goals, what are those for next season? No, really just to, you know, keep improving. You know, I had a pretty solid rookie year and put up, put up good numbers. But, you know, I think for me, I could take to another level. You know, at the end of the season, I did a great job of playing in three when BI was hurt. And I was able to really, you know, unlock, you know, some things that I've never really done in my career up to this point.  So for me, you know, just getting better at those little things, tightening it up and, you know, really trying to take to another level. Did you surprise yourself at all? Because you surprised a lot of people that you played so well. Yeah. I mean, I'm very confident person. So, you know, I'm never, yeah. So I'm, I'm not really phased or, you know, I'm always confident.  I assume Luke, you know, I know defensively, is that what they really trying to get you to work on? Yeah, that's the biggest thing. No, I prove that I could be a, you know, pretty good scorer in this league. But, you know, for me, I want to be a great player. That's, you know, being a two way guy in, you know, down the stretch, I put a lot more effort in and, you know, I got, I got better as the season, you know, progressed and defensively. So. All right. So who is your closest friend on the Lakers? Lazo. Lazo. Okay. What, what kind of was the bond? What built that bond between you guys? Like, why are you guys so close? I mean, we're just rookies. That's the biggest thing, you know, coming in as a rookie, you do a lot of things with your other, you know, rookie teammates, because they make you do rookie duties. So, you know, we go, we go through the same things, you know, go through the same exact struggles. We've never necessarily been through this before, you know, the NBA. So, you know, it's always good to go. So what were some of the things they had y'all do?  Now these are young dudes telling y'all to dude, like you older, when you older than Brandon, are you? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm not B.I. I ain't listening to B.I. So it was out to say, like, yo, you buy it, just come on. Yeah.  All right. So, Lanzo, obviously, LeVar is, you know, LeVar. What is that like as a Lakers player when LeVar is making these comments, whether it's about Luke Walton, whether it's about Lanzo needing to play more, playing in the fourth. Like, what is that like for you guys as teammates? Honestly, like, we don't really talk about it, honestly. So, no, but they never in the locker room ever. So now you, Lanzo's boy, are you ever like, man, you're dabby, even in a fun way? I make the jokes. Okay. You know, I'm a comedian sometimes.  But so give me an example of what you might say to him. Man, like LeVar just said, I'm better than Michael Jordan. Yeah, I would just bring that up in a subtle way throughout the conversation or something, something like that.  So, none of his comments ever caused tension in the locker room. Oh, no, never, never.  But, you know, that never really fazed us. This Lanzo, because if I was in that situation, I feel like I would feel like I gotta say something to my teammates like, look, man, that ain't how I feel.  Did Lanzo ever explain things to you guys or just, you know, say, look, I'm not, I don't feel that way or anything like that?  You know, if you don't know him, he's quiet. And I think that's one of the best, you know, attributes he has because, you know, he doesn't let things faze him.  So. Okay. Okay. Now, you're active on social media. You went at it with Lamello on some things.  Are you bigger than me? Probably, right? I guess so. Are y'all close to you and Lamello? Yeah. Yeah. So you're close with the whole family kind of. Yeah.  It's cool. Now you're close with LeVar?  No, I've only talked to him like twice, maybe. Okay. Have you ever played ball with Lamello? Like has Lamello ever played with you guys or anything like that? No, I mean, he's been overseas the whole year or so. So your boy Lanzo raps. You rap? No, not at all. All right. I think he's pretty good. What do you think about Lanzo raps? He's pretty good. Yeah, he's definitely pretty good. Who's, is other guys on the team rap? Does he might rap? I don't think so. So he's, he's alone. Yeah. Does he do, does he rap a lot in the locker room? Like, or just, he just doing this? He'll play his music from time to time. He'll play it.  But sometimes, but I like it. You know, I dig it. Do you like it? Does he have skills? I think so. Okay. He's a different type of rapper.  Yeah, I heard Lou Will is nice. Lou Will's pretty nice. But those guys, they rap like a J Cole type of vibe. Okay. You know, he's like a new school young, you know, not necessarily a amigo, but like that type of rap. Yeah. So that's why people are like, is he good? It's hard to He's got good beats. You know, people love him. You know, so. So he wore, we're gonna play, we're gonna play a game with you. Okay. All right.  No. So it was like, I saw you. Yeah, I did.  So yeah. Now, you a Nas fan. Because I think Nas is arguably the best top five lyricist ever. Not best ever, but top five. When he was at the height, I think it's hard to compete with him. It ain't hard to say. Three stacks. It's tough. Yes. Yes. Three stacks is probably number one in me. All right. All right. I was gonna ask you, who's your favorite rapper? Favorite rapper? Well, it's not 3000, but lyrically, I think my favorite rapper is Tupac. So. Oh, so you old school? Yeah. You like old school rap morning? Time and place. Okay. Time and place. R&B stuff too? Or just R&B? Yeah, R&B too. Okay. Okay. Flint, you know, MC Bree, you ever heard of him? Yeah. Also, you see, that's Flint's I know my rap. Yeah. Okay. That's way before you were born. Oh yeah. Way before. All right. So Nas, this is called Nas or Lanzo. Okay. All right. I'm going to recite a lyric. And I want you to tell me who wrote that? Nas or Lanzo? Okay. All right. So when they lose, and then I got to keep it moving, people asking what I'm doing, monies, convos, keep it fluent. It's probably Nas. I thought it was Nas too, because it's kind of dope. That's Lanzo. When they lose it, then I got to keep it moving, people asking what I'm doing, money, convos, keep it fluent. That's kind of dope. I know he had fluent. All right, here we go. Bright lights, lots of seats, lots of people, lots of screams, baby. I'm do my thing. I'm a lion. I'm a king. Nas. Lanzo. That's Lanzo. He's giving Nas all big props, boy. That's crazy. Big props. Because if you saying his stuff is on the level of Nas, I'm not saying it's not a level. I'm just saying I'm just trying to play the game. All right. Here we go. Through the lights, camera and action, glamour, glitters and gold, I unfold the scroll, plant seeds to stampede the globe. Come on, Nas. That's Nas. All right. That's a little too much for it. All right, last one. My physical frame is celebrated because I made it one quarter through life, some godly light thing created. Nas. All right. Did you know that one? Lanzo ain't talking about life yet. All right, so a few more things. Good job in that game, too. Your favorite movie? Favorite movie? Yeah. Love and Basketball. That's probably my favorite basketball. That's probably my favorite basketball. What'd you like specifically about that? I just like how they grew up together. They grew up and just like the story play of it. Like it's one of the first movies I remember watching. Favorite NBA player growing up? Kobe. Kobe. Okay. Did you model your game? Why'd you laugh? Why'd you laugh? No, my friend in the background. No, my friend in the background. He's just funny. Who did, is anybody you modeled your game after? I take a lot from a lot of people. More so now Kobe. Helps being a Laker, but the way I like to score. I'm trying to be efficient. That's right up his alley, but I grew up trying to mimic KD, guys that are long-skilled, like Wings, LeBron Sense, but a lot of guys for sure. Does Kobe, do you have a relationship with him? Yeah. So he'll give you advice, help you on your game? What's that like? I mean, a guy that you grew up idolizing and now you got a relationship with him. What's that like? It's pretty cool. It's not just any other random guy to have a relationship with. It's Kobe Bryant, somebody that's one of the greatest players of all time, somebody that's been through where I'm trying to get to. So it's a great resource. Have you guys played any at all together? No. Can you imagine that? It'd be fun. Has Kobe talked some trash? Oh, definitely not. I haven't yet.  No, we're not at that level. They're definitely not at that level, but anytime I have a question, he's always there. So it's cool. A couple more quick things. Favorite thing about your rookie season? Favorite thing, favorite thing. Just traveling in different cities. I think that's the biggest thing. I never really left Flint growing up as a kid. So a lot of the cities that we've been to and played, it was my first time being there. So it was cool. What was your favorite purchase? Purchase? Once you got your money. Got a house. Out in LA. So you stay out here in the summer. What do you like to do, hobbies? Shopping, the shopping thing. I think that's definitely a hobby for me. I like to bowl. What's your average? I want 50. I can get to 150. I ain't great. But that's not bad. 150, 160 is solid. Because I interviewed Derek Rose. He was a rookie. And I asked him, he was like, man, I love bowling. You know, I'm in the bowl. I was like, oh, wow. So what's your average? He said, I am about 115. I was like, how you into it that much if you got 115? All right, 150 is good. My high is like 210 though. Really? Yes. Okay. Not bad. All right, good. Well, look, man, keep up the great work. You did a great job, your rookie season. I'm looking for some big things from you next year and the Lakers, whoever y'all get. For sure. You know, we'll see. All right, man. All right, back again. Another episode of Not Down Jay. My man, Jason McIntyre. Good to be back. He's always coming back. He takes a licking and keeps on ticking. So what you got for me this week? Chris, you know, we're finally at the conference finals. Rockets, warriors. Everybody's excited about assuming Boston closes it out tonight against Philly. I'm looking at the conference finals. Chris, I would be more shocked if the Houston Rockets defeated the Warriors than if Boston beat LeBron. And here's why. When I look at the Warriors and people have been bashing them the regular season, they weren't there. Curry's hurt. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I'm telling you, man. The way Houston dismembered Utah. I just look at the Warriors defense and I say, there's no way they're doing this against Draymond, Durant, Igudala, Clay Thompson, for the top 20 players in the NBA. Okay. And then you look at the Warriors defense. And it's just like lights out when they were switching on everything, but since they inserted Igudala into the lineup, I can't see the Houston offense being this efficient. I know that they live and die by the three and they died by the three twice in the postseason against Minnesota once and Utah once. I just, I think Vegas has the Warriors as favorites and I like the Warriors to win handily. I would be shocked if you're Houston Rockets. They're not my Houston Rockets. I think the Warriors will beat them too, but I give the Rockets a better chance than I give the Celtics against the Cavs. Like the Celtics will, they have no chance of beating the Cavaliers. You're going on record. No chance. Didn't I just say it? The Celtics have no chance of beating the Cavaliers. Can I interject the question real quick? No chance whatsoever. And Houston has a chance. I give Houston, I was at 30% during the regular season. I'll go 25% right now. So I went on Cal and Cal Her show this week and we broke down the intangibles. Cleveland versus Boston. Who's got the better coach? Brad Stevens or Tai Lu? Boston. Next question. Who was a better on three-point shooting, Boston or Cleveland in the playoffs, in the regular season? In the regular season. Go by the percentages. Just go by it. Well, a percentage may be Boston, but Cleveland made more. Who was the better? Cleveland made more. Made more, but the percentage to Boston. Better defensive team. Statistics say Boston or Cleveland. Boston. Okay. So Boston's a better defensive team. I could say that, because I not say that about several teams in the NBA. The difference is LeBron James. That's the one advantage they have. Who's the best player on Boston? Al Horford? No, I'm joking. Who is it? It might be Al Horford. We know it's LeBron. Who's the best player on Boston? I would say Jason Tatum. Every little thing you said gets nullified by the best player on Boston is Jason Tatum, the best player or whoever you say. The best player on Cleveland is LeBron James. Period. The end. So Indiana. Since you brought it up. Toronto, Cleveland. Forget Toronto. It's out. It's done. Think about Indiana. Which stretched Cleveland to seven. Forget Toronto. No, no, no. Who's the better three point shooting team during the season? Who made more? Toronto. Who was the better defensive team during the season? Toronto. Who was the only team to be in the top five? That is silly. That is silly. Who had two all-stars? That's different because the Toronto Raptors are so far to Toronto or Cleveland. I don't know. Here's why that doesn't apply. When you look at Indiana. Because of LeBron James. Period.  They're not a smart team. Indiana pushed them to seven. Here's what they did. Chris, you know this. They said LeBron's going to get 40 and probably get a triple double. He didn't get 40 every game. Well, he's going to get about 40. We need to lock down Kyle Corver and Kevin Love. And Indiana did that. They locked them up. The series won seven. Boston is a better defensive team than Indiana. They're going to do the same thing. And I believe with home court advantage, which Indiana did not have, I think Boston's a real live dog in this series. I think they can pull it off. They're a dog, all right. And they're going to get silenced like a dog. So you're saying sweat. No, I mean five, six.  It'll be six of the most, probably five. Here's the thing. How many games are you giving them off? Here's the thing you're not recognizing. Kevin Love was playing horribly against Indiana. Okay. He'll play much, but he's now found his groove against Al Horford, who's doing awesome against Tyler. He was using a different. He's a monster. Rodney Hood started against Indiana. He's not even in the rotation. Exactly. Kyle, uh, Tyloo has done some good things in this, in these playoffs where he's found his group starting lineup and the, the role players are playing much better. That's the difference. Okay. Well, they played poorly at Indiana because of the defensive structure from Nate McMillan. And Brad Stevens is a better defensive coach. Brad Stevens is a great coach. It's not that difficult to fight, figure out the matchups. He's not coming up with something that's going to lock up LeBron Jones. Lock up LeBron's going to get 40. Who cares? As long as Corvver doesn't get 15. You know, LeBron's also going to get nine assists. Nine assists and probably 12 rebounds. So who's making those baskets? Other teammates. Well, who made them against Indiana? They barely won. Game seven by what? Hey, four points. They were playing horribly. They're lying. They didn't have their rotation set. Okay. They were still going with the young novices. I don't know how you can go from, I don't know how you can go from that Indiana series to Toronto and think everything's fine in Cleveland and like their peachy and Cleveland. I don't, I don't think there's some world beater that going to get smashed probably in the finals, but Boston is not that great. But Boston is a bunch of role players. Oh, Houston is a great team. All right. Houston is a great. Hey, why didn't you have Kalkus come in here? Just because Houston may lose to Golden State doesn't mean they're not a great team. Doesn't mean they're not a great team. I mean, you're saying they're not a great team. They beat gold. Hold on. Hold on. I'm not done. When something, I don't even need my notes. I don't even need my notes. Houston beat Golden State. Now again, are you talking regular season?  Andre Udala did not plan to with the games. Look, you got to be quiet. Let me, let me talk. All right. Or you will be out of the zone. All right. Now look, uh, they beat them two out of three and don't tell me those games were big. Now I'm with you. I think the Rockets are going to or the Warriors are going to win because I know I've talked to people up there. They are dying to get to Houston. They can't wait to play the Rockets. Stop with the Hanging and probably and maybe I want hard statements. How many games do the Rockets loses series in? I'm putting you on the spot. I don't care. You can't handle the heat in the zone. How many games is Boston winning? The question was who would you be more shocked at winning a series? If Houston beats Golden State, I will be stunned. I will be floored. But I will not be as surprised as if Boston beats LeBron James. Never doubt Brad Stevens.  When has he ever gone down against a team that didn't have a superstar? That's a good question. I don't know. Ever? Orlando, they had Dwight Howard. They had Dwight Howard. Was it that Boston Superteam? They had three Hall of Famers. Come on, I was hoping you told him. Golden State. Dallas had Durknevis. I mean, it doesn't happen. Jason Tatum. You're not, he's young. He's going to be really good. He's not going to win an MVP award in his career. I don't think so. No. I would bet against it. I would bet against it. Alright, let's move on after that defeat, Chris. LeBron, you're guy. You can't stop talking about it. You're this close to being out of the zone. You never. You got to bring more stuff. You got to bring better arguments. I feel bad just crushing you. You get whipped. Have you ever won? No. My gosh. I thought that was a curb stomping by me.  The commenters are on my side and they're going to love this one. Really? So LeBron's a free agent. We know he ain't staying. Are the commenters on your side?  They call him goat sorry by the way. When you get one out of ten, he feels like, okay, they're on my side. LeBron James, your buddy, your 33-year-old, who you like to text.  I thought you were about to call him a mother. I thought that's what you were referring to. Sure. The Lakers and the Sixers seem to be the only two teens in the mix. I know Cowherd's talking up Houston. Are you going to dismiss Houston? Let's just focus on Lakers Sixers, right? Those seem like the most logical destinations. I still think it's a no brainer. It's got to be Lakers and the reason is simple. Chris, they don't have to give up anybody and they have two max slots. You get to keep Lonzo, Kuzma, Josh Hart. You get to add Paul George to Brandon Ingram, LeBron. That's a great 60-win core. You give up nothing. I know you like the Sixers, but I'm telling you, the Lakers make all the sense in the world. Philly can only afford one max slot and we know LeBron. They got two budding stars. You'll get your time, all right? Do they need another max gap? The Sixers know that LeBron only has changed places and gone with a wingman. He went to Miami with Chris Bosch. He went back to Cleveland with Kevin Love. He's going to the Lakers with Paul George. LeBron doesn't just make a move. Oh, I'm going to just do this by myself. He has a blueprint.  Why? Because it works. How is it ridiculous? That's what LeBron does. Because when he went to Miami, they only had one star. And he brought a friend. When he went back to Cleveland, they only had one star. And he brought a friend. If you want to say he wants a big three, then I'll respect that. He's going to have a big five in L.A. Who are the other three? Well, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma. That's not a big five? No. That's a big two. Put some respect on the Lakers. That's a big two. Okay. All right. That's LeBron and Paul George. I like Kyle Kuzma. I like Brandon Ingram. I like Lionzo Ball. But we don't know what any of them are going to be. Okay, that's fair. Ben Simmons right now is a star. How many threes did he make this year? Doesn't matter. How many jumpers outside the paint did he make this year? How many triple doubles did he have? Ten? Eleven? That's what I don't know what it is, but it was a good amount.  Ben Simmons will be without question being all. No, no, no. I'll let you talk. I'll let you trade. I'll let your gibberish spew. You let me dominate. Ben Simmons will be an all star next year. Joel and B will be an all star next year. Was a starter this year. Kyle, I was an all star. But continue. You have a big three. You don't need, nobody wants a big four. The Warriors don't want a big four. Let's edit that out. I feel Chris is saying silly stuff. Now with LeBron James, you didn't let me finish. Nobody wants a big four with LeBron James. All right. You only need a big three. And then Philly, you have a big three already. LeBron doesn't need to bring somebody there. Now if Kawhi wants to join him, fine. They can trade for him. But LeBron Simmons Embiid could win a championship. Put some shooting now. Saurich is a pretty good shooter.  Okay. Covington is a pretty good shooter from three. They're locked up. You can add a few other shooters here or there. You're losing Reddick. Just like you added, yeah, it well. You're losing Ilya Sova. You're losing Bellinelli. You can add just like you added Ilya Sova and Bellinelli this year. I think you can add guys like that next year. Reddick would be a big loss, but Reddick might, I don't know, but Reddick might say, you know what? I'm gonna stay here for a chance to win the championship. He got $20 million this year. 23, I think. 23, okay. So he might say, let me give it a go and see if we can win a ring. That's not out of the question for a little less money than he could get on the open market. But he could get. Okay. Now who has the better chance of winning their conference next year? LeBron and Philly or LeBron and LA, the better chance of winning their conference. Well, LeBron said that this week. It doesn't matter. He said he could be the eighth seed, the third, the fifth. It don't matter. He's going to go in your place and win. Winning the conference doesn't mean jack squat. Do you not follow the logic? I'm saying if LeBron is in Philly or if you put LeBron and LA, which of those two teams would you think Philly would have a better chance of getting to the finals or the Lakers would have a better chance? Honestly, the Celtics with Kyrie, Gordon Hayward, Tatum Brown, that's a loaded team. Okay. How about Golden State with Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Clay Thompson? I love them. How about Houston? They're going to the final. Which team would have a better chance? Houston. Let's look. Can they win a game? Answer me. I think it's a toss up. I'm honestly, I think Boston is going to be a no. You got stuck. You know it's Philadelphia. No. Hey, look, because the East isn't as good. And that's my point. Why go West? Hey, you forgot about Tarot. No, I can't even say that. Why go West? If you can get a quality team that's up with Ben Simmons, LeBron James, Joel Libby.  Simmons and you think that team is better than the Laker Corps with Paul George? Yes. Cousa. Oh, no way. Because Joel Libby. I totally did. Joel Libby. This is a 60-win Laker team. I have three all-time greats on that Sixers team. Which one of them is not going to be an all-time great? Chris, come on. Which one is not going to be an all-time great? Joel Libby. He's not going to be an all-time great? He can't even guard in the Celtic series. I know he's at a good season. He's not going to be an all-time great? He could be. Can he play some defense? What about Simmons? Is he going to leave the NBA in turnovers again? NBA is a good defender.  He can't guard Al Horford. He can't guard the pick and roll. Just because he can't guard Al Horford. Are you watching this series closely? They are attacking Joel Libby. They're making him run all over the court. He's getting abused. That's how Al Horford is. Every team doesn't do that. Okay. Well, I'm just saying in this series, NBA looks bad defensively. They were one of the best defensive teams in the league all season with Joel Libby in one series. Okay. Lakers. They go on Steph Curry every time. No, no, no, no, stop. I'm not done with you. Okay, keep going. The slogging must continue. You need more ammo. If LeBron James goes to the Lakers with Paul George, that's a really good team. They would be a lead. They would have a shot. But the favorite would still be Golden State and maybe he cares who the favorite is. No, let me finish. If he goes to Philly, they are the favorite to win the East. They would win the East. LeBron James could lead that Philadelphia team to a championship next year or in the year following, potentially a couple of championships. And then as he got older, as he got older and Simmons and NB came into their own, they could maybe lead him to another championship or two. He could, hold on. And down the line, you could, if LeBron goes to Philly, I could see him finishing with five or six titles. And then years from now, people are going to say, he's got his midi, he's got his midi. In LA, he might never get to the finals. Hold on, hold on. He may, in Philly, hear me out. Now, it's all hypothetical. It all has to be played out. You have to play the games. But in Philadelphia, I can see a way he could win two, three championships. Okay, let me ask you this. In LA, you still have to get through the Warriors, Houston, a much tougher conference in general. I bet you can say Spurs or something dumb. No, just a much tougher conference in general. We, okay, I don't want to go too long. Much better. We've seen Ben Simmons have a great year, rookie of the year. He's dominant because he has the ball in his hands a lot of the time. LeBron, I don't know how he, who needs the ball in his hands a lot, is all of a sudden going to work with a Ben Simmons. I wouldn't work in LA in that system. I know, I know. No, no, you just shot yourself in the foot. Let me, let me say this. First of all, Lanzo has the ball in his hands too. Okay. Not even close to the level of Ben Simmons. These are one of them is ball dominant. And no, hold on. Let me finish. You made your point. Lanzo's a pass first. You made your point. Don't compare it to Ben Simmons, is it? He's not a pass first. He's a scoring machine. He averaged 16, 8, and 8. You talking about any something out. 16 points is a scoring machine. He is a second leading scorer on that team. Lanzo's a fifth on the Lakers. You are now in the zone. He's done. This is his last week. What are you talking about? This is his last week. He just said averaging 16 points a game is a scoring machine. He just said Ben Simmons. A rookie. Let me finish. A rookie. Stop, stop. Let me finish. Ben Simmons who took 11, 12 shots a game. Is not a pass first point guard? Did you watch the new play? I'm serious. You're done. You're done in the zone. All he does is run the offense, attack the basket, draw double teams, kick the ball out. Ben Simmons is not ball dominant. Oh my gosh.  I'm not calling him James Harden. Okay. I'm not calling him Russell Westbrook, but he's a ball dominant point guard. Lanzo is pass first. Lanzo's who's more Jason Chitts? Hey, Simmons, is he pass first? Who is more Jason? Hold on. Who averaged more? Who is more? Who averaged more? Lanzo missed 30 games. Who averaged average? Ben Simmons is average. Not you. Way more minutes a game. Average. No, that's Asinine. Chris, you're comparing a guy who plays way more minutes a game to Lanzo Ball. Asinine? Yes, it is. You know what's Asinine? To say Ben Simmons is not a pass first point guard. I'm really questioning about. Who is more Jason Kitt? I'm really questioning. Ben Simmons is Magic Johnson. Forget Jason Kitt as great as he was. Ben Simmons is going to be Magic Johnson. You're actually comparing Russell Westbrook to Ben Simmons. No. Completely different pair. You're taking this out of context, Chris. Let's go back to your original question. Back it up. Be quiet. Be quiet. Beat, beat, beat. Back it up. Back it up to your original question. LeBron playing with Lanzo is a pass first offense. The ball's not, it doesn't get sticky. Okay? And he gets sticky in Philadelphia. Well, Philadelphia has two dominant players. As you said, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Never is ball dominant. You know basketball, man. You know dominant players. Who the ball goes through? Let's talk about it. Okay. You're right. You're right. It goes through J.J. Reddick. It goes to Ilias Zoba. It goes through Dario Sarri. You're right. Okay. Nobody on Philadelphia's team is ball dominant. They have two dominant players who the ball is in their hands the most because they're the best players. That doesn't mean their ball, Michael Jordan was not ball dominant. Mike, the offense ran through Michael Jordan. He took a lot of shots, but he didn't over dribble. He didn't hold the ball for 15 seconds. My head is hurting here. That's ball dominant. What are we discussing, Chris? We're discussing whether or not LeBron would work in Philly or the Lakers. Stop. Let me make my point. All right.  Because you're not saying anything. Stop. All right. Look, I'm losing my train of thought because I'm thinking of your foolishness. But I'm going to respond to this. All right. All right. I'll let you do it. LeBron James in Philly off the ball. Okay. Ben Simmons, if you watch Ben Simmons, he's not ball dominant. Okay. TJ McConnell handled the ball a lot. All right. In game four, day one, he showed he can play off the ball when he has to. They can post. Yep. He can post. He can't shoot. He can post. He can shoot. He will shoot better. All right. Is that, is that it? I'm done. Okay. So let me respond. Off the ball, LeBron. I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm. Now I'm going to, no, I got to ask a follow-up. I got to follow-up. Ask a follow-up. You say LeBron off the ball. Does that say, just to the audience after, are you trying to turn LeBron, a 33 year old MVP runner-up this year, into a guy, a spot-up shooter? No. What are you trying to turn him into? You don't understand.  LeBron's never going to be a spot-up shooter. You need to define that for people who are like LeBron off the ball. No. I'm not putting LeBron off the ball with the Lakers. That is significantly, if that position you described, LeBron off the ball posting up with the Lakers, it makes all the sense in the world because they have the shooters. I know Lonzo didn't shoot well, but they also- Okay, so they don't count Lonzo. No, he did shoot 40% on threes in college. It's there. Oh, wait, that's not the college! Stop! Ben Simmons did not make a three-pointer all season, so stop. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no! What are you gonna do? College three-point. Is the college three-point line the same as ZGA? Fine. Ben Simmons made zero. Is it? Is it? No, it's not. All right, then don't bring that up. Then don't bring that up. With the Lakers off the ball, they have shooters. Who else is a shooter? All right, look. Lonzo ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Paul George. That would be surrounding LeBron. They all are great shooters. Stop interrupting. Off the ball. Great shooters.  The Lakers would have four shooters around the Sixers. Ben Simmons can't make a three. Markel Foltz can't shoot. Okay? The Sixer, it doesn't make sense. They don't have the shooters. The Lakers do. Even if you say, fine, Lonzo can't make them. Josh Hart can come in and make them.  Save Kyle Kuzma is a shooter. Off the ball makes a ton of sense with the Lakers. If that's what he wants to transition to- See, your problem is you think off the ball is sitting at the three-point line- No, no, I just said posting up. You draw the double in L.A.? Posting up. Off the ball. Anywhere the Lakers have the better shooters. Posting up, cutting, setting down screens, up screens, at the elbows. There's so much you can do off the ball other than sit in the corner and wait for a three-point shot. Okay. That's what you don't understand. In that scenario, which I love, who's got the better shooters? Lakers or Sixers. That's a wrap. Lakers might have better shooters. There you go. So it makes sense. Your scenario makes a worse sense in our life. Who's got better players? M.B., who on the Lakers is close to M.B.? Nobody. Who on the Lakers is close to Simmons? They don't have anybody in that caliber. They're going to get LeBron and Paul George. You have a big three. You get LeBron and Paul George. I would take Simmons and M.B. over Paul George. Over Paul George and LeBron? Over Paul George. So I think LeBron would- It would be three better players. M.B.A. is not a two-on-two game, Chris. At first, I'm talking about three. Simmons, M.B., LeBron. Yeah. And then good role players around. Look, the Lakers would be good. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying they would be a great team. Great team. Thank you. But it's in the West. They wouldn't be the best team in their conference. You really think playing off the ball in Philly, he would be better than playing off the ball in L.A.? Would the Lakers have a- I think he'd be great. Both places. The Lakers have a better support. I think Philly would be a better team and they would be in the East. All right. It's your podcast. I'll let you have the final word. Well, go ahead. We got one more. No, no. You final word on that topic. That was it. That was good. We went a little off. Okay. I think I said enough. Okay. Final topic, Chris. The Raptors got swept by LeBron. Boy, a lot of LeBron today. He's had a pretty good postseason. Do you think Toronto should blow it up and start all over fire? Their coach, trade DeRosin, trade Lowry. I'm of the belief they should not. I believe LeBron is going to the Lakers. I think the East opens up. Then it becomes a Boston Philly. Toronto can get in the mix there. This is a team that's going to win 50 to 55 games every year. They got a good bench. I just think that's like your ceiling. You're not winning a title. If you blow it up in five years, you're not winning a title. If you keep it, just be happy. You're not paying the luxury tax. You got a full arena. You're going to a round or two in the playoffs. I personally would not blow it up. Well, I believe it or not, I agree with you. Believe it or not, it makes me wonder what's going on that I agree with. Maybe you need to check yourself. I do need to check myself. I agree with you. No, I wouldn't blow it up. Toronto may never win a title. Okay, it's hard to get superstars to stay there. They had three. Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Chris Bosch. They all left in free agency. So what they've done is they've got two stars who like being there, who are excited about being there. And they got role players, most of them international, who will stay. They are a very good team. I think Duane Kase is a very good coach. He was third on my coach of the year ballot. I don't think he should be fired. But if the only thing is they have to figure out, do we need a new voice? It would not be an indictment on him because he's done a great job for what? Sometimes you need a new voice. Sometimes you need to make something up with 58 games. You could try. Yeah, but in the play, the thing is they keep failing in the playoffs. No, no, no, no, they keep losing until LeBron. Let me finish. Let me finish. No, no, I'm failing against Scrubs. Jason, let me finish. All right. They keep losing in the playoffs. You're right. They can't get by one guy, LeBron James. But the team keeps failing. Sometimes in that situation, you need to bring in a new voice. I'm not saying they do. I like Kasey. I think he should stay the coach. But they, their front office knows what's going on in the locker room. They know if they feel we just need a new look. Now, I don't know who that guy is, but I'm just saying that's the case. Yeah, let me ask you that. You can't judge everything on did we win a championship? I don't think Portland should blow it up. Washington, no. But let me ask you. But I want to say to you, well, go ahead. Because I got a new voice. This is let's not pretend this is a warriors with Mark Jackson situation where you just get rid of Mark Jackson. You're bringing Steve Kerr a new voice. Presto, you're going to win time. I just don't see that happening. Toronto fans need to get realistic.  I'm a realist. I think they can max out with if you bring in a new voice. It would be for the fans because you would give these guys you would give the fans something, you know, a shake up. And again, I'm not advocating this. I'm fine with the way in case. I think he's been like I said, third on my ballot. OK, let's hypothetical. Nobody knew that guy. The fans are going to be happiest if LeBron leaves the East to the conference. That's it. If he stays in Philly, as you say, no chance. Just forget it. Then you might as well blow it up. Let's go beyond that because you and I debated vehemently. I think I said that right last week that you think Russell Westbrook should be traded. Oh, yeah. Because they're not going to win a championship with them. But you just sat here and you said Toronto should not blow it up, even though they're not going to win a championship. Philly or who'd you say? Portland and Washington. Same thing. So what's the difference? Why should Oklahoma City blow it up because they're not going to win a championship? But those three teams shouldn't. Let me explain. That's a great question. Two of whom have one championships before. I know you didn't know that. Portland and what in the 1970s. But they won a championship. Okay, got it. So Portland and Washington have one. So this is a three prong thing. Let me get through it. For starters, Russell Westbrook is going to turn 30 in November. He's had three surgeries on his right knee. Players like who play his style, crashing to the hoop, attacking the basket, can't shoot threes. They're not going to transition well into their 30s. He's going to get like 40 million a year. It's a different day. Well, he can't shoot threes. That's not changing about that. Kobe Bryant transitioned pretty well into his 30s. Kobe Bryant was always an okay three-point shooter. He's a better shooter than Westbrook. And he's a better defensive player as well. But he kept his athleticism is my point. The Bryant James has kept his athleticism. Number two, O.K.C.'s tried to rebuild on the fly twice. When they lost, they had Kevin Durant. They kind of maxed out. They got to the final. Rebuild on the fly. Yes. They said, let's change it up. We lost Durant.  Number two overall pick. They tried that. It didn't work. Lost in the first round. Then they tried to rebuild on the fly again. Paul George, Carmelo Anthony. That didn't work. At what point do you say, man? We don't know who worked with Russell Westbrook. Can anybody? Should we just try to blow it up? And number three, the third team in the luxury tax after Golden State and Cleveland, who are going to the finals probably again. This year. Is going to be Oklahoma City. Not next year. Their owner. Well, as of now, we'll see what happens with Melo and Paul George. Well, if Paul George stays. Your owner's now paying. But he's massive. Is Paul George staying? I don't think he's staying. But if he leaves, would they be in the luxury tax? Their owner here in a, I think a couple of weeks is going to have to write a massive check to the NBA for a luxury tax bill. And they didn't get out of the first round. To me, if I'm the owner. What can we do? How can we avoid it? If Paul George leaves next this summer, are they going to be in the luxury tax? I haven't run the numbers. Are you sure about that? That's what the numbers say. Well, my counter to that. Is that correct? Do we know? All right. So here's the better question. Our research. Here's the better question, Chris. Are they even going to the playoffs without Paul George in the West next year? Denver was right there. I think the Laker. Hold on, hold on. Did they make the playoffs before Paul George got there? They did last year and lost in the first round. They made the playoffs though. Right. Listen. And then they made the playoffs this year and lost in the first round again. You made your case. It's basically based on the money. All right. Here's something else. Well, it's money. Here's something else. I think the definition of insanity is trying to do the same thing over and over again. But then why should they do it in Toronto, Washington, and Portland? Toronto hasn't blown it up. They've kept the core and they're still right there. They've got out of the first round. As far as what? They got to the second round this year. They got to the conference finals. So that's it, a round is why you're arguing. 55 and they're actually getting rounds in the playoffs. Here's the thing. They haven't said, oh. Oklahoma City has a superstar. I'm just going to lay it out for you again. The fans love him. You're talking about money. As long as Russell Westbrook's there, they're going to sell out that arena. Okay. If you trade him for draft picks, the attendance will probably go down. There are teams that are in the lottery for nearly a decade. Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, Detroit. I can't help those dumb phone offices making bad mistakes over and over again. It's just not that easy to get in the lottery and get that superstar. Well, you know. They could go 25 years without getting a player of the caliber of Russell Westbrook. If that's their ineptitude, that's their problem. But listen, the Milwaukee Bucks are going to be next up on this. Okay. They have been trying to build around Yanis. They don't know what to do. Next up in terms of what? Well, I mean. So they should trade Yanis? I don't think they should trade Yanis. But you're telling me that if you're Yanis, looking around the league, man, look at all these superstars teaming up, all these Olympians getting together. Who do I have? I got Chris Middleton and Eric Blunt. So I can't get out of the first one. That's a different conversation. Well, you said, Oh yeah, because NBA players never hold anybody hostage. Milwaukee should, are you implying that they should think about trading? Hell no. That's all they've got. That's all they have. They need to build around it. That's all Oklahoma has. Oklahoma has tried to build around Westbrook. It's not working. So, so, trade him. They had Kevin Durant. They had James Arden. They had James Arden. Go on 20 games and get in the lottery. Yanis doesn't have nobody. He had Greg Monroe.  You're contradicting yourself. I'm not at all. You are. Okay. You're saying, you're saying Washington, Portland, Toronto should be content with being relevant. I'm saying the same. I'm agreeing with that. No, of course you try to win. You want to put together the best team. You get every week. You come here next to me and you're like, I'm going to hang with McIntyre this week. I'm going to do my best. No matter what he says, I'm going to do my best. Look, stop making jokes because you're trying to divert the attention from your lesson. Look, Russell Westbrook keeps them relevant. They will be on national television with Russell Westbrook. He will be a Hall of Famer. He will put butts in the seats. And you try to build around him. If it doesn't win you a championship, so be it. I've gone through it with you before. Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, Chris Weber, Patrick Ewing, Carl Malone, great players who never led franchises to championships. But their era with that franchise was tremendous. And it's going to be the same thing with Russell Westbrook. Those guys got out of the first round, Chris. He's been to the finals. With Kevin Durant and James Harden. So what? They're gone. He still went to the finals. What's he done since they left, Chris? Won an MVP. Average triple doubles twice. Individual awards. Woo! That's relevant. OK. Allen Iverson never won anything but individual awards. Remember when we did that LeBron, Danny Gilbert. You're actually not great to have a superstar. We should do. It is good to have a superstar, but when it's not working over and over again. It is working. And to a degree, everything, I mean, half the teams in the league have never won championships. See, that's moving the goalposts. When the argument is we've got the third highest payroll, we tried with Ola Depot. We tried with Ola Depot. They won't have the third highest payroll next year. So are they going to make the playoffs next year? Yes. We should. Can we put a wager on this? Anything on the fly? They made the playoffs last year. Right. Are they going to make it next year? Yes. OK. Are they going to get out of the first round, Chris? Jay Mack. Knocked down. I'll never go down. Good stuff.


November 26, 1998. LeMent frowned at the glass, looking at the hovering box beyond it with some odd mixture of reverence and fear. It was disturbing to see it for the first time. He wasn't part of the crew of soldiers who risked their lives for it on a daily basis. He wasn't even one of the primary researchers assigned to the project. He was just the guy trying to keep them safe, trying and failing currently. The magnetic fields are working, but the corrosion is still spreading. It's like mold. We thought we had him locked up until he ate grains last night, the researcher said. The speakers made an odd whining sound, and LeMent winced, losing his thought, thankfully. How'd he manage that? It was Salemire who spoke. I thought we had all the same safety protocols still in place on this thing. The researcher shrugged a little. We lose one or two people every couple of weeks with this thing. Regardless, LeMent frowned, a pit forming quickly in his stomach. Failure didn't feel good, no matter how expected or anticipated it was, especially when dealing with the deaths of fellow agents. He knew 106 was going to be a problem, but he didn't realize how much of one. The speakers made another loud, mind-crippling screech, sounding like painfully loud feedback. Damn LeMent muttered, covering his ears. Eh, they go on the fritz all the time, the researcher continued. We tried to replace them, but it doesn't seem to do any good. The alarm suddenly blaring made LeMent glad that he'd covered his ears a moment before. He turned, looking at one of the screens. The repulsors are going down, he shouted. Evacuate! But the researcher was already yelling into the microphone. The order went out, Justice Sandelmaier reached over and flipped off the alarms in the booth. All three men turning to look out the window as the huge, rotting metal box fell to the bottom of the containment chamber, cracking open. The speakers whined again, loudly for a moment, then cut out.  When he was finally able to look back on the day without some sort of breakdown, LeMent was certain the reports were wrong. That the hours and hours he felt couldn't have been minutes. That the door to the containment unit should not have been open.  But the mouse never really understands the true motivations of the cat. Sometimes it's hungry. Sometimes it just wants to play. LeMent pivoted quickly, running as fast as he could, Sandelmaier quickly on his heels. He was breathing hard, painfully hard. His chest close to bursting as he looked desperately for any point of escape. The alarms were blaring, guns firing at walls, at nothing, at everything. An explosion behind him had the floor shaking hard enough that he fell. In a moment, Sandelmaier's arm closed around his arm, dragging LeMent back to his feet and sending both of them down a narrow straight away. It was coming over the speakers everywhere now, echoing against his teeth and shaking his jaw. Jesus Christ, Sandy muttered, panting out of breath as he looked over his shoulder. Fuck, it's coming this way LeMent, it's coming this way. He didn't bother looking back, training was kicking in and he was running. There were no people who survived exposure to 106, at least none who survived for long. The straightaway ended in a dark doorway and as LeMent stepped into it, he pulled out his revolver and fired two shots down the hall at the advancing man, prompting another one of those broken, painful to hear laughs.  Get in Sandy, he ordered.  Sandelmaier dashed in first, followed by LeMent, who turned, pulling desperately for a light switch for a moment, then feeling cold metal slap under his hand. Cold metal that felt rounded and damp. Pipes. And next to it, another. Sandelmaier's flashlight blazed to life and LeMent immediately recognized where they were at. Fuck! The pipes, Gears had mentioned them as a plausible future containment issue, but he hadn't realized. They twisted and turned on each other, coining one about the other. It wasn't as he'd imagined, strict orderly plumbing, but instead a roving cephalopod nightmare. Look for the widest opening, he ordered quickly, slapping the door control and backing away from it as the metal started to blacken and rot. Go! Go! he shouted. He knew there were more entrances and exits within the mass. You just had to find them. Find them and desperately hope. They were both running again, the flashlight jerking along, jumping and shaking as they fled the terrible old man. They ran for hours, panting, and it always sounded closer. Closer and closer to them. At one point, LeMent thought he felt something graze the sleeve of his jacket, and the mere possibility of 106 sent adrenaline rushing through his body. Every time it seemed to burn out, there was something else. A laugh, a scent of rot, eyes in the dark. Again and again, pursuing, chasing. And then, they finally spotted another source of light, one of the foundation flood lamps that were always placed near the other exits. They both ran toward it. Lungs burning as LeMent hurried to the door panel, typing in his emergency code. Denied. He stared at it, then entered it again. Denied. LeMent?  It's not opening! Denied. He felt like crying. He entered it again and again, slapping the buttons harder and harder each time.   Denied. He felt it more than he saw it.   He turned, he looked at it.  It took a step forward. Denied.  Another. Denied. LeMent turned and emptied the rest of his shells into its head to no effect. Jesus. Jesus, we're gonna die. Sandelmire panted. Denied. It was in arms reached as LeMent, tears running down his face, slammed the keys a final time. And the door opened. He was threw it in a second, into the exit chamber, looking back. Sandy! 106's hand closed on the back of Sandelmire's neck as he turned and stepped through the door, squeezing for a moment. Sandelmire's hand shot out to LeMent, reaching for him, begging for help. But as LeMent doped for it, 106 was pulling him away, pulling him into the recesses of the pipes, into hell and damnation. LeMent raised his gun, took quick aim at Sandelmire, and did what he hoped any other agent would do for him in a similar situation. He pulled the trigger. The hammer fell on the empty cartridge with a hollow click, and then they were both gone. And LeMent was staggering back against the wall, sliding down it, staring into the massive pipes. When they found him, it had been seven minutes since 106 had breached containment.